Washington - US President George W Bush singled out Iran and
Syria as supporting terrorism and undermining democracy in Lebanon in
a statement marking Friday's 25th anniversary of the bombing of the
US embassy in Beirut.
'Since the Beirut attack, we and citizens of many countries have
suffered more attacks at the hands of Hezbollah and other terrorists,
backed by the regimes in Tehran and Damascus, which use terror and
violence against innocent civilians,' Bush said in Thursday's
statement. 'All nations should condemn such brutal attacks and
recognize that the purposeful targeting of civilians is immoral and
unjustifiable.'
The bombing on April 18, 1983, killed 52 people - 35 Lebanese and
17 Americans - and was at that time the deadliest terrorist attack
carried out against the United States. However, it set off a series
suicide bombings against Americans overseas, including one six months
later at a Beirut barracks that killed 241 US troops, 58 French
servicemen and six civilians.
A group called the Islamic Jihad Organization claimed
responsibility for both those attacks. The US government has said the
group was a precursor of the Shiite Muslim movement Hezbollah.
Bush noted that Lebanon's people have been living with violence
and intimidation for most of the past three decades. 'Despite this,
they and their leaders continue to work for a peaceful and democratic
future, even as Syria, Iran, and their Lebanese proxies seek to
undermine Lebanese democracy and institutions,' he charged.
Bush added that his government would continue to support Prime
Minister Fouad Seniora, whose Western-backed government is locked in
a stand-off with the Hezbollah-led opposition over the election of a
president to replace pro-Syrian Emile Lahoud, whose term ended in
November.
'The United States will continue to stand with the Lebanese
government and the Lebanese people as they struggle to preserve their
hard-won sovereignty and independence, endeavour to provide justice
for victims of terrorism and political violence, and continue to seek
the election of a president committed to these principles,' Bush said.
USA
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