In the midst of the ongoing controversy over the Lebanese presence in the UN General Assembly and over the official speech of Lebanon on this occasion, Lebanese former Deputy Prime Minister Issam Fares- who had headed last year’s delegation to New York- reaffirmed the main points of the speech he had made last year in the UN forum.

That speech was very well received, and was met with support among the various political forces and trends in Lebanon, for the speech was based on Lebanon’s national consensus about key issues facing the country.

Fares had stressed that our dealings with the United Nations should be based on our totally supporting and abiding by international legitimacy and international resolutions. This reflects the Lebanese consensus and serves Lebanon’s higher interests. As Mr. Fares had stated in his speech last year, ‘If the word Lebanonization in the 70s and 80s meant chaos and fighting, today it has regained its original meaning, standing for democracy, freedom, pluralism, and consensus’ .

Fares declared that Lebanon has a clear position regarding the issues in the Middle East. Irrespective of the divisions regarding Lebanon’s representation in the current session, Lebanon should repeatedly reiterate its unified and principled position vis a vis the issues of the Middle East.

This position had been made clear last year before the UN General Assembly:

1-Multiply the efforts aimed at resolving the Middle East conflict through the implementation of the resolutions pertaining to Israel's withdrawal from the territories it occupied in 1976; Establish an independent and sovereign Palestinian State, and ensure the return of Palestinian refugees to their homeland.

2-The Organization should shoulder full responsibility in reestablishing stability in Iraq and restoring the country to its citizens.

3-Help the Middle East Region, the region where the three divine religions arose, to set in place a stable regional system based upon justice and the right of self-determination. This system would prevent an escalating arms race and the wasting of valuable resources, and would make of the Middle East a region free of nuclear weapons.

4-Encourage the formation of civic organizations as an essential step towards reform. Indeed, we cannot guarantee the development of democratic behavior and values without the creation of a vibrant multiplicity of civic organizations.

Democracy is based on the presence of civic organizations, political parties, syndicates, clubs, and humanitarian associations of all types.