PatRobertson.com

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va., Sept. 18, 2002- Following Pat Robertson's meeting with the former Prime Minister of Lebanon, General Michel Aoun, and learning of the plight of the Christians in Lebanon under Syrian occupation, Pat Robertson, Chairman of the Board of CBN, wrote a letter to President Bush urging him to lift the State Department hold on the Syria Accountability Act which has significant bipartisan sponsorship in both the House and the Senate. The text of his letter to the President appears below.

Dear Mr. President:

I want you to know that you have my whole-hearted support in your courageous stand against terrorism and those regimes that sponsor terrorism. I am sure that your continued defense of freedom will send hope to millions who are living under dictatorial regimes. In the fight against terror, I would urge your support of the bi- partisan "Syria Accountability Act" (H.R. 4483) which has over 150 co-sponsors in the House and over 35 co-sponsors in the Senate.

It was my pleasure to have the former Lebanese Prime Minister, Gen. Michael Aoun, as my guest for dinner and a participant on my broadcast to the nation this morning. Gen. Aoun told our audience that the terrorist group Hezbollah is a direct arm of the Syrian Government, and that ten other terrorist organizations, including Hamas, Islamic Jihad, etc., are now protected by the Syrian regime with their principal offices in Damascus.

Our organization operated the television station in Southern Lebanon for 18 years, Middle East Television, and I know first-hand that the terrorism of Hezbollah is funded from Iran through Syria.

Gen. Aoun said that Lebanon's Christian population, which comprises over forty percent of the population of that small country, has been reduced to second-class citizenship, has been denied the rights of free speech and assembly, and are now the victims of repeated arrests and torture by their Syrian occupiers.

Syria has no legitimate right to maintain an occupation of Lebanon and must be forced to withdraw from that country .The Syria Accountability Act calls for an end of the Syrian occupation of Lebanon, the cessation by Syria of all terrorist activities, the end of an oil-smuggling scheme by Syria to help Iraq, and the cessation by Syria of its development of weapons of mass destruction.

From all reports, Syria is guilty of as many violations of international norms as is Iraq, but for some unknown reason Syria is the only country branded as a terrorist state with whom the United States still enjoys diplomatic recognition.

The provocations by the President of Syria against Israel have been so intense that it brought a comment by President Hosni Mubarak of Egypt, "Young Assad is playing with fire in Lebanon."

My sources tell me that despite the overwhelming support of bipartisan sponsorship for the Syria Accountability Act, the State Department has requested a hold on the legislation to further negotiations with Syria, which, in my opinion, flies directly in the face of your declared aim of eradicating terrorism and those regimes which sponsor terrorism. I would urge that you instruct the Secretary of State not to hinder Congress in its desire to pass this extremely important legislation which, as an aside, is warmly supported by AlP AC and the Christian Coalition.