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Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2004/09/02/opinion/02thu3.html
Lebanon's Lost Sovereignty
(New York Times) Editorial- When it comes to occupied Arab territory, Syria applies a brazen double standard. For Lebanon, under the thumb of Syrian troops for the past 28 years, Damascus never uses the word "occupation" and never hesitates to abuse Lebanese sovereignty. Syria pressured the country's cabinet last weekend into endorsing a constitutional change designed to let President Emile Lahoud extend his expiring six-year term for three more years. Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, a fierce foe of Lahoud, had strongly opposed amending the constitution, but he suddenly changed his mind Friday after a meeting with the Syrian chief of military intelligence. Lebanon, the most democratically-minded country in the Arab Middle East, deserves the immediate withdrawal of Syrian occupation troops.