Penetration

Quasi-official sources reported that the Syrian forces had advanced further along the Damascus-Beirut line and arrived in Dahr el-Baidar at around 1:00 pm. Meanwhile, they deployed some of their units at the entrance gates to Zahle, and in the industrial zone and the valley, thus clearing the road from Chtoura to Zahle. Sources in connection with the Syrian regime affirmed the progression of the troops to Dahr el-Baidar, stressing that those will stop their advancement upon the request of high-ranking Lebanese politicians and friends, principally PM Rashid Karami, and play their next step by ear. Regarding the size of the troops, Al-Saiqa sources told foreign news agencies that the total number of forces, including Syrian, Palestinian and Al-Saiqa forces, amounted to around 17 000, adding that security maintenance in Beirut alone requires at least two intervention groups.

Assad’s stance

The Syrian stance on the situation in Lebanon and the penetration of the armed forces was evident in the statement of the Syrian President Bashar Assad, which read as follows: “..Laying down the clauses of the Syrian initiative was aimed initially to restore stability and normal life to Lebanon. The initiative stipulated the amendment of the Lebanese constitution amid ceasefire in order to allow an immediate election of a new President and the resignation of President Suleiman Frangieh. Our main concern was to stop the appalling bloodshed in our beloved Lebanon and our efforts were directed entirely towards that end, in conformity with our national responsibility and the fraternal ties between our two countries. Although some parties insisted on continuing their fighting, we were extremely happy that the MPs have convened and approved the amendment of the Lebanese constitution in Parliament, thus fulfilling the first clause of the Syrian initiative. Had it not been for the frequent killings performed insistently by certain groups, the Syrian initiative could have been in force entirely by now. We emphasize our opposition to any party that refuses to cease fighting, reiterating our call on all Lebanese parties to solve their problems through dialogue. Shallow gains shall never lure us at the expense of those dear lost souls in Lebanon, and nothing can drag us behind cheap slogans, which seem bright from the exterior but carry evil intentions.

The Arab nation knows full well that this rhetoric is alien to our region, and no one has ever uttered such words or statements for very long. We, in Syria, face no such problems at all, for, since the beginning of our fight against colonialism in this country and since our school days, we have held firm belief that “religion belongs to God, and the country belongs to everyone.” Muslims in this country are real Muslims, who believe in Islam in every sense of the word, and Christians are equally great believers in their religion. Both Muslims and Christians believe that the relationship between citizens is above all a relationship with the country and with Arabism [applause]. In this country, we have no complexes or deficiency disorders; Muslims care about the church affairs and Christians care about the mosque’s affairs and both of them care about the Arab citizen irrespective of his/her religion [applause]. We, Muslims and Christians, are ready to move to Lebanon to protect every citizen, regardless of his religious belonging; we are ready to confront all complex and tyrant personalities regardless of their religious airs and pretensions [applause]. Those who refuse to stop the fight are by no means faithful to religion, but rather use it, just like progressivism and conservatism, as a bargaining chip [fervent applause]

They speak with a different logic, a multifaceted logic. They try to persuade some that Syria is siding with the Muslims against the Christians while persuading others with the exact opposite. At some point, they claim that Syria is supporting conservatives against the progressive; at another, they depict Syria as an ally of progressivism and communism against conservatism and the rightwing forces, thus driving the Arab nation to question their versatile logic. They are traders of politics, not politicians [fervent applause]; traders of revolution not revolutionists; traders of progressivism, not progressive. They try to trade in Islam and Christianity, ignorant that Islam and Christianity are above and beyond any kind of trading [applause].

Jumblatt: intervention to prevent Syrian invasion

MP Walid Jumblatt considered the Syrian penetration to Lebanon as a blatant invasion of the country and initiated measures to protest against Syria’s invasive actions. To that end, he received at his residence the American envoy to Lebanon, Dean Brown, accompanied by a senior official from the American Embassy in Beirut.

In response to the question whether the United States was for or against the penetration of such large numbers of Syrian troops into Lebanon, Brown replied: “We will investigate the information.”

“We have reported, not so long ago, that the United States was against military intervention of Syria in Lebanon, and President Ford, reiterated this on different occasions”, he added when asked whether Washington gave Syria the green light to initiate its invasion or not.

On his part, Jumblatt said: “We gave Mr. Brown the information we have and informed him that a large-scale invasion is targeting the Lebanese territory,” adding: “I have phoned the French ambassador and filled him in on the latest developments. If the Syrians did not want Raymond Eddé as President, it would have been wiser on their part not to invade the country, for such a move would only make us more insistent on him. What matters now is to elect a President of the Republic without any external pressure. If the people want Raymond Eddé, then let it be; if they prefer Elias Sarkis or Michel Khoury or Pierre Helo, then it’s up to them.”

Answering a question on the stance of the American envoy, Jumblatt replied: “I cannot disclose any information in that regard.”

“The French government has communicated with its Syrian counterpart yesterday, and it was agreed to dispatch the French envoy Mr. Georges Gorse to Damascus. Paris has commanded its ambassador in Damascus to resist the military intervention, but the Syrians misled everyone by pretending that their entry was aimed to deliver supplies to the besieged zone and to lift the siege,” he added.

“Illegitimate invasion”

“We stand against all military interventions and believe that what is happening is a blatant invasion of our country, especially that it does not have any legal frame and it came at a time when we approved the amendment of our constitution and were about to reach an agreement on the election of a new President. I fail to understand why the Syrians are entering Lebanon. Is it really to provide Zahle, Kahhaleh, and Zgharta with supplies, or to prevent the election of Raymond Eddé as President of the Lebanese Republic?

The matter is not worth this huge mobilization and the invasion is totally unacceptable.

The United States has clearly stated, both to Lebanon and Syria, that it won’t deploy any American soldiers in any spot of the world after its defeat in Vietnam. Israel has reiterated on different occasions that it won’t intervene with Lebanon unless Syria does, and the presence of the Syrian troops in Lebanon might now entail an Israeli military intervention, provided that there was no tacit agreement between Syria and the US approving the Syrian intervention.”

.. And the Soviet Union

Jumblatt headed later to the Soviet embassy in Beirut and held talks with Ambassador Soldatov from 5 pm until 6 pm. He revealed later that the Soviets were against any meddling in Lebanon’s internal affairs, and particularly against military intervention.

He added: “The people of Lebanon shall oppose courageously to any occupation and shall stand in absolute solidarity with the Palestinian resistance.”

Green Light

When asked whether he believed that the United States had given Syria the green light to initiate its military intervention, Jumblatt said: “The green light was given partially, not entirely. They claimed they were planning to deliver provisions to the besieged towns, but it was all plotted with the Americans. An American official had inquired from me whether it was possible to reach a settlement with the Syrians or not, and I’m afraid that what happened in Czechoslovakia a few years ago would play out again in Lebanon.”

Jumblatt called Raymond Eddé to brief him on his meetings with Brown and Soldatov, then called Yasser Arafat who informed him that a Syrian force consisting of 2 armored tanks, 4 Land Rovers and 25 troops had arrived to El-Mraijat. At 7 pm, Arafat arrived to Jumblatt’s house accompanied with the resistance leader Abou Hassan, and the three held a 30 minute meeting, after which Jumblatt said: “We discussed the current situation and I filled Arafat in on the details of my calls with the ambassadors and the conclusions I have drawn. We have always wished that the Syrians would come to us unarmed, and if they must carry weapons, we thought that they would only use them to prevent the division of Lebanon, and defend the National Movement and the rights of the people.

It would have never occurred to us that the Syrian army might actually invade Lebanon to attack the National Movement and target the Muslims and strip them off their weapons, especially that nobody in this country has ever armed themselves, except to fight the Zionists and defend the country.

Our agitated borders have carried the heaviest burden and fought against the Israelis on behalf of all the silent Arab fronts.”

Egyptian Ambassador

Afterwards, Jumblatt sent in the name of the National Movement and his own a telegram to the Arab League Secretary General through the Syrian Ambassador. The telegram read as follows:

“There is compelling evidence that the Syrian army, which penetrated the borders, is growing in size and power, and is planning to dominate the main transportation network as an introduction to a wide-scale invasion of all Lebanon.

We demand the prompt intervention of the Arab League, in accordance with its Charter which stipulates the reservation of the independence of any Arab country, the respect of its entity and the rejection of such illegal interventions.”