Khalil Gibran

The 4^th August 2021 marks the anniversary of the Port of Beirut Explosion.  It was and remains a day of infamy and tragedy for the citizens of Lebanon.

The World Lebanese Cultural Union stands in solidarity with the victims, it mourns the dead and it echoes the plea for justice, transparency and an independent investigation that must be convened and enabled to undertake the deliberations that are so justly sought but more importantly, deserving of Lebanon’s beleaguered populace.

The edifice of the Port of Beirut, with its lunar-like landscape and what remains of the silos that stark monument to the unbelievable explosion of such dramatic proportions that takes its place as the worst civil explosion in recent history throughout the world is, as a totem on the terrain of the Beirut landscape, a telling reminder if not a haunting hallmark to what has occurred.

Across the city stands the Grand Serail and the Baabda Palace, both intact, housing the incompetent, inept and utterly complicit cohorts who have brought about this tragedy.  They remain shameless, defiant and obdurate to the task that they deftly seek to avoid and deter viz. attainment of justice for the citizens that they have wreaked havoc upon with an explosion that has indelibly left the victims, the survivors and their families both throughout Lebanon and the world grief-stricken and labouring under the additional burden that they continue to be denied justice.

The United Nations and all other nation states as citizens of the world order have both a moral duty and an obligation to have this crime against humanity investigated.  The Security Council has both the potential and the ability to act as a responsible channel for crisis management and, equally, the General Assembly has a similar duty coexistent with the Security Council to ensure that the investigation that is warranted and long overdue is convened sooner rather than later.

The continued resort to reliance upon immunities said to be constitutionally rooted to enable those responsible to insulate themselves from the full rigours of the investigation that is warranted and for which they are compellable to both answer to and be responsible for cannot be tolerated any longer.

Despite the best intervention and the judicial work undertaken by the current judicial officer in whom the responsibility for the investigation is being undertaken, the limitations are patently obvious and the attempts by the legislature to thwart, obfuscate and frustrate the determination of what is required cannot any longer be tolerated.

The World Lebanese Cultural Union reasserts its stance that unless and until an independent investigation is appointed under the auspices of the mandate of the United Nations, justice cannot be delivered, nor can it be attained, and the people of Lebanon will remain the victims of this abysmal stain on the nation’s pride by those who are guilty of and remain concerned to avoid their day of judgment.

This cannot be allowed to pass.  Simply put, justice delayed is justice denied, and the world cannot sit back and countenance any longer this tragedy of untold proportions.

Stephen Stanton

World President WLCU

 

Sheikh Joe Arida

World Vice President WLCU

Australia, New Zealand and Oceania