From: JackiSkeels@aol.com
To : phoenicia@hotmail.com
Subject : RAYMOND BAAKLINI RAISES MY RIGHTEOUS INDIGNATION!
Date : Fri, 22 Aug 2003

Dear Mr. Bejjani:
A million "Merci's", Elias Bejjani, for having the courage to boldly speak out regarding Mr. Raymond Baaklini, the "MAFI" Lebanese ambassador who has done inestimable damage to Mr. Bruce Balfour's human rights case in Lebanon without caring to know all the facts concerning this kind-hearted Canadian humanitarian who has been flagrantly and falsely charged of spying for Israel and awaits final sentencing on August 27, 2003.

Can we dare wonder if in fact Baaklini, this despicable, wretched excuse for a man of Lebanese diplomacy is getting "baksheesh" from the Hezballeh, from Syria, from Iraq, "mabarafshoo" that sways his narrow-minded, too-quickly voiced opinions against Bruce Balfour without diplomatically researching facts for himself...which should be the primary function of an ambassador or diplomat

Clearly he needs to immediately use all media outlets in Canada and Lebanon to retract his previous pejorative statements

(1) accusing Bruce Balfour of crimes he has not committed and
(2) putting your intelligent, proactive consortium of Canadian-Lebanese NGO's in extremely poor light if he wishes to be respected by diplomatic peers in the western world.

Perhaps re-thinking his own preservation of power in the western world of diplomacy will prompt Mr. Raymond Baaklini to do the right thing when personal and professional ethics have not bettered his job performance.
Ms. J. Skeels, California USA

Former Intensive English Instructor, East Beirut, Lebanon
August 22, 2003