Tensions flare between WCCR director and Lebanon’s (pro-Hezbollah) foreign minister at D.C. reception at The Ouwet Front: A Lebanese Forces Blog

Tensions flare between WCCR director and Lebanon’s (pro-Hezbollah) foreign minister at D.C. reception

Posted by Lebanonjon

SUGGESTED BY LEBANONJON

27 Sep 2008
By W. Thomas Smith Jr.

No fisticuffs reported, but attendees at a Washington, D.C. reception Thursday evening witnessed a caustic exchange between John Hajjar, U.S. director of Lebanon’s pro-democracy World Council of the Cedars Revolution, and Lebanese Foreign Minister Fawzi Salloukh, an ally of the Hezbollah terrorist organization.

According to sources, at approximately 7:00 p.m. (Eastern), Hajjar was introduced “in a surprise move” to Salloukh at a reception for Lebanese Pres. Michel Sleiman hosted by the Lebanese ambassador at D.C.’s Omni Shoreham Hotel. (Sleiman was in town this week meeting with Pres. Bush and senior administration officials.)

When Salloukh extended his hand, Hajjar refused his; putting his hand in his pocket.

“I will not shake hands with people working for Hezbollah!” Hajjar said.

Salloukh responded, “You should leave here!”

Hajjar replied, “No! you should leave here! I’m an American citizen!”

There was a temporary hush in the immediate area of the reception room. Attendees were reportedly sitting their drinks on tables, anticipating some level of escalation. Both men walked away.

A few hours following the reception, I spoke briefly by phone with Hajjar who confirmed the incident.

“I also said to Salloukh, ‘Are you Lebanese or an Iranian? Choose!’” said Hajjar. “He was stunned, end of conversation. It’s amazing to think that these people believe they can ‘make nice’ at cocktail parties and maybe go to your kids’ weddings, and then the next day they are lobbing bombs or trying to assassinate you.”

Tom Harb, secretary general of the WCCR, later told me: “We must also recognize that many in the Lebanese-American community have been – and are – critical of the fact that a pro-Hezbollah minister accompanied the new president of Lebanon to Washington, D.C. But according to diplomatic protocol, Lebanon’s foreign minister must accompany the president. This means that Iran’s eyes follow President Sleiman wherever he goes. Sleiman should not have brought Salloukh with him to Washington.”

Today, Naharnet is reporting: “Washington has criticized Foreign Minister Fawzi Salloukh for allegedly leaking to the media details on the summit discussion between President George Bush and his Lebanese counterpart Michel Suleiman [Sleiman] at the White House. [More here]”

In an international environment that is increasingly soft-soaping and lending legitimacy to butchers like Hezbollah and their allies – the fact that the likes of Salloukh would even be attending a cocktail party in the nation’s capital (one-month before the 25th anniversary of early Hezbollah’s bombing of the Marine Barracks in Beirut, and less than five months after Hezbollah’s murderous rampage in Lebanon) is beyond reason – I salute Hajjar.

But after all, I’m an old Marine rifleman.

Filed under: Other
Posted by Lebanonjon on 09.28.08 @ 2:02 pm |

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16 Comments. Add your own...

1. Rodge | September 28th, 2008 at 3:46 pm

LJ,

It is really an important issue you raised here. but again this is our corrupted system, and this is one of the Doha agreement’s price.
but what is frustrating, is that when Shias (meaning Hizb - Amal and Co.) get their hand on a position in our government, they refuse to leave it.
That’s what happened to the Public Security Director who is now given to them after Lahous gave it to Jamil Sayed, and now wafic Jezzini etc…
This is the case in the foreign minister position, in the labor minister position also.
and Mr. Aoun and his deputies tried lately to give them the position of the Army Commander, and who knows maybe the Presidency later.
it is a corrupted system, and we’ll pay a high price again.
2. Rima | September 28th, 2008 at 3:54 pm

Bravo Hajjar

I don’t see a future for lebanon…I am so disgusted with the 14th of March leadership…i am so disgusted with their attitude towards HA since day one…Now we have three forces in Lebanon:
8th of March
14th of March (3ala souss we no2ta)
Suleiman/the army

What a f***ing government is this that cannot control its army? what for?
Can you imagine the USA or France not able to control their army?No wonder the USA is not dying to help us…
I mean these 14th of March should have some dignity and admit that they failed us all?
In my humble opinion, these HA thugs should be smashed.Full stop…how? well so simple use this army or loose it???????? why do we have to hang on this idea of “State project” when HA have their own canton….anyway the fact that we are admitting that we are in the stage of “state project” proves that we don’t have a state…let’s conspire or just stop talking about karame wa hakkeh bala ma3na…Someone like Geagea and Jumblatt will understand very well what I mean

Cheers
3. Jim | September 28th, 2008 at 4:31 pm

i salut hajjar, he should of braken is hand 2! 2m hassin will go and bash amrica l shaytan and his minister was tryin 2kiss ass in america…
4. Rodge | September 28th, 2008 at 5:23 pm

Rima,

U’re right, but it’s not the army only, they are allowing them to dominate all the institutions of the country, mainly the ones working in security
5. Che | September 28th, 2008 at 6:36 pm

The BIGGEST mistake the Lebanese Forces did was to agree in Taef to lay down arms. This is the result!

The only solution is to take matters in our own hands, i.e., rearm, ally ourselves with Israel without justification (in the open, and fuck whoever does not like it or agree with it), and put an end to Hezbollah’s bullying. Those thugs don’t know about the concept of democracy and how to live in harmony with others. It’s neither in their culture nor in their Books–the culture of LIES!
6. Anonymous | September 28th, 2008 at 7:19 pm

صحيفة The Observer البريطانية توضح بمعلومات لها عن ان انفجار دمشق نفذه أصوليون إسلاميون تسللوا من طرابلس في شمال لبنان

it’s all starting now guys…. prepare yourselves for some heavy sh@$t
Allah yestour
7. mikehelu | September 28th, 2008 at 7:55 pm

The American/European/Western address to the lebanese terrorists:

1. You refine heroin for a living, but you have a moral objection to beer, wine and whiskey.

2. You own a $3,000 machine gun, a $5,000 rocket launcher and $3,000 worth of Ammunition but you can’t afford shoes.

3. You have more wives than teeth.

4. You wipe your butt with your bare left hand, but consider bacon unclean.

5. You think vests come in two styles: bullet-proof and suicide.

6. You can’t think of anyone you haven’t declared a Jihad against.

7. You consider television dangerous, but routinely carry explosives in your pockets.

8. You were amazed to discover that cell phones have uses other than setting off roadside bombs.

9. You bathe at least monthly whether necessary or not.

10. You want to exterminate those who don’t think alike.
8. Delta | September 28th, 2008 at 8:45 pm

walla ya An……

toli3 ma3ak ha2

i am waiting to see what gonna happen in the next couple of month i don t think theyll be an invasion of lebanon before US elections also depends on who is replacing bush if obama is might be if mccain is no way syria dare a move like that
9. Rodge | September 28th, 2008 at 9:37 pm

Delta,

allow me not to agree with you this time.
there is a thought that the Republicans are tougher facing Syria and better for us, but I should remind you that Bush the father was the one who sold us to the Syrians in 1990 and allowed them to do whatever they want in Lebanon because they helped them in Kuwait.
And now, Bush the son is making deals with the Syrians once again. It is the American politics, they only act according to their interests, and maybe we’re witnessing a shift in their politics, McCain or Obama will not be able to change a lot in that regard.
10. Rasheed | September 28th, 2008 at 10:06 pm

Sorry to spoil your fun Anon#5, but here’s what The Observer reported:

“The bombing comes as senior Lebanese military sources told The Observer that jihadis - some based in the Lebanese city of Tripoli - had launched a series of attacks against the Syrian regime of Bashar al-Assad.”

Does this mean that jihadists from Tripoli are behind the Damascus car bomb? OTV and tayyar.org would want you to believe that.
11. Delta | September 29th, 2008 at 2:42 am

Rodge we sold each others to the syrian alla ykhalilna hroub il ilgha if we did not poke each others in the eye ma wsolna la hon wma tkhala 3ana il 3alam till now our credits are questionable on the international seen as leb christians, i dont wanna blame it all on aoun cause it can not be one man for sure he is the biggest part but we should also hold our leaders accountable…..

regarding mccain us as christians we have no choice but to be with republicans 1st is from a christian stand anti abortion family values no gay marriage llalalallalalalala……

so i kinda agree and disagree on the point that USA Sold us cause US will sell any one for its proper interest but lets not give them the chance and show them that we are strong and we would be a strong ally that would face extremist of any kind.
12. Rima | September 29th, 2008 at 2:59 am

Delta

Exactly, that is what the 14th of March crew failed to show the Americans by their insistence on the la ghaleib wala maghloub formula and that HA are part of the Lebanese political fabric. Hell are the Americans going to supply the army with weapons if the gvnt does not show that the army is anti-HA?…I mean what kind of politicians are these guys in Lebanon? Sorry for being so negative and pessimistic but the mouyou3a of 14th March in politics is bad news for Lebanon…

Cheers
13. Rima | September 29th, 2008 at 3:00 am

One more thing

3adou zaki wa la sadi2 ghashim!!!!!!!
14. THERESINIA | September 29th, 2008 at 11:45 am

L’éternel élément perturbateur.

‘He has all the virtues I dislike and none of the vices I admire.’ Winston Churchill

À l’heure où des réconciliations (longuement espérées, rêvées, sublimées) se font un peu partout dans le pays, à l’heure ou des mea culpa sont déclarés publiquement pour tous et à tous, loin du secret du confessionnal, à l’heure où les frères ennemis tentent de tempérer les ardeurs de leurs supporteurs et décident de tenter l’expérience de la réconciliation même si en politique leurs avis diffèrent, il en est un qui - la nature l’a ainsi fait - va comme de coutume à contresens.

Le spectre affolant du conflit ancestral sunnito-chiite s’éloigne. Partout on s’embrasse, on s’étreint, on se congratule et toutes les communautés de la région se rabibochent… toutes ? … non pas toutes…. Seule l’irréductible communauté chrétienne résiste encore et toujours à se faire la paix et à faire la paix, elle qui, pour une fois aurait dû garder un profil bas et un front uni (ou au moins quasi-uni) en attendant que la tempête se calme.

Faisant fi de la trêve tacite que les protagonistes ont instauré pendant cette période de jeûne et de prière (favorables à la réflexion, d’où la sage décision de réconciliation), il en est un qui fait la sourde oreille aux excuses et aux tentatives désespérées de réconciliation chrétienne. Peu lui en chaut des trêves ; les trêves c’est lui qui les décidera, n’a-t-il pas été à la fois président et six ministres ?

La presse et les médias retransmettent sans cesse des messages pacificateurs et des hommes de bonne volonté se démènent, avec la bénédiction du Patriarche Sfeir, parcourant le pays et essayant de calmer les tensions. Mais lui, encore lui, refuse le patronage du Patriarche qu’il juge tendancieux et persiste à envoyer des coups « sous la ceinture » et à tenir des propos outrageants auxquels les Libanais ne s’habitueront jamais. Les chrétiens se retrouvent ainsi, une fois de plus, divisés, morcelés.

Ne voilà-t-il pas que depuis hier, il s’acharne à descendre le gouvernement, oubliant sans doute que, cette fois-ci, il en fait bien partie par le biais et l’omniprésence de monsieur-gendre et d’autres encore de ses adeptes, tous plus blancs que neige et pourfendeurs de la justice. Mais lui, toujours lui, n’en a cure… c’est ainsi que le Premier Ministre, entre autres amabilités, est accusé d’avoir allègrement dilapidé le Trésor Public et que le ministère est décrit comme étant un ramassis de truands mafieux.
À propos de fonds publics et puisque nous en parlons, qui aura l’outrecuidance de lui demander un jour ce qu’il est advenu des deniers – très chèrement amassés il y a quelque vingt ans – de la veuve, de l’orphelin et de tout un peuple assoiffé de ses discours indépendantistes ?
Bercés par ses paroles démagogues et populistes, nous avons fait la guerre… ou plutôt des guerres… contre la Syrie puis contre nos frères. Mais à l’époque ces sacrifices en valaient la peine, n’est ce pas ? Il s’agissait juste de patienter car la victoire était à notre portée.

Cher Monsieur, par pitié, par mansuétude et par charité chrétienne, nous vous conjurons de laisser cette réconciliation se faire. Nous sommes vidés, épuisés, fourbus, repus d’insultes et d’accusations. Nous n’aspirons désormais qu’à vivre en paix. Arrêtez donc de nous asséner vos discours de probité et commencez par balayer devant votre porte.

Danielle Bacha et Nada Khoury
15. ja3far | September 29th, 2008 at 5:31 pm

you people are so…..!!!
i wonder how this man react when he meet any person from the zionist loby.. or when he meets Bolton who kept fighting against any resolution to stop the war against lebanon 2 years ago… oops .. sorry .. i forgot // al thawra al 3azimi 3atito nichan…

i still remeber how the marines ran away in the 80s ..and i remeber very well the caricature made in al chira3e that time for them swiming back to there ships..

ana wa khaye 3ala iben 3ami.. wa ana wa iben 3ami 3ala alghareeb… if you still think al ghareeb will come to save u from your brother.. you will be swimming trying to catch his ship..did u forget? kole didnt save anyone ;).

salam
16. Rima | September 30th, 2008 at 1:36 am

Jaafar

Why it is ok for you to rely on Syria and Iran to titmarjalou 3ala your own Lebanses BROTHERS AND SISTERS?
Anyway “wa zoulmou zawi el kourba ashadou maddadatin min al 3akrabi”

Cheers