[Forward] Tom Lantos - Last week, by a vote of 411 to 5, the House of Representatives passed my resolution stating that Lebanon should enforce its border with Syria to eliminate the illicit arms trade that fuels Hizballah, and that it should seek a robust international force deployment to do that. Without such a move, another Hizballah-provoked war will break out, with horrendous consequences for the people of Lebanon, Israel, and the entire region. The Lebanese government fully understands that the flow of weapons from Syria and Iran to Hizballah must end, or they will once again find their nation at war, not of their own making. But at the same time, the Lebanese leaders are petrified of what may happen if they finally confront Syria's dictator. Hizballah's missiles and other major weapons come from Syria and Iran, and virtually all of them are smuggled in via Syria. To keep these weapons out of its house and out of Hizballah's hands, Lebanon must hermetically seal its border to illegal arms shipments. Lebanon's border with Syria must be reinforced. Otherwise, arms will flow easily to the terrorists and, at a time of their choosing, they will attack. They care neither for peace in the region nor for Lebanese sovereignty. They care only about increasing their own power and, in their own way but with substantial help from others, wiping Israel off the map. Rep. Tom Lantos of California is the ranking Democrat on the House International Relations Committee.
2006-10-13 01:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive