LEBANESE CANADIAN COORDINATING COUNCIL

LEBANESE CANADIAN COORDINATING COUNCIL (LCCC)

E.mail lccc@10452lccc.com
Canada, Toronto

To: The International Court of Justice Peace Palace
2517 KJ The Hague
The Netherlands
Email: mail@icj-cij.org

Regarding: Major General Ghazi Kanaan, Head of the Syrian intelligence in Lebanon.

Honorable members.
Allows us to give a brief history of General Kanaan and his atrocities against innocent Lebanese and Lebanon as a whole. General Kanaan is the true power maker in Lebanon; nothing gets done without his approval even the Lebanese President has to get his ok before making any decisions.

Kanaan aged 57 was born to an Alawite family near Kerdaha town of the late President Hafez Al-assad in the mountains overlooking the seaport city of Latakia. Kanaan is not related to Hafez Assad at all, but the two families have a history of ties for a long time in Syria.

Kanaan is credited with slowly tightening Syria’s grip over the Lebanese government starting from 1980 by cultivating alliances with certain militia groups in Lebanon. In 1983 Kanaan ordered his militia allies to torpedo the May 17^th agreement between Israel and Lebanon brokered by former U.S. Secretary of State Mr. George Shultz. Kenaan went as far as Masterminding the Feb 6^th mutiny in West Beirut which led to the breakdown of the Lebanese central government and the withdrawal of the multinational peacekeeping forces, including the U.S. Marines from Lebanon.

Kanaan most significant achievement happened during 1980 were through his cunning tactics in luring collaborators within the predominantly Christian Lebanese Forces. This process began in 1985 with the defection of LF Commander Elie Hobeika who was directly responsible for the Palestinian massacre of Sabra and Shatila camps in Beirut.

After ousting the only constitutional government of interim Prime Minister General Michel Aoun in Oct of 1990 Kanaan took complete control of the Lebanese political system, since than Kenaan has literally become the " King Maker " of Lebanon from election of the President to installing the Parliamentary deputies one by one, it is all subject to his official approval regardless.

In Oct of 1995 Just weeks before the expiration of Lebanese President Elias Hrawi’s term in office, Kenaan attended a party hosted by former Prime Minister Umar Karami and announced to the numerous MPs present that they were to amend article 49 of the Lebanese constitution and extend Harawi’s tenure for three more years, such demand goes against the Lebanese constitution and practices of government, but Mr. Kanaan forced his will on the MPs by fear as he has done before. Kanaan went as far as altering the Lebanese election law in person, which strongly preordains the election of Pro-Syrian candidates in Lebanon’s Parliamentary election last August.

Kanaan powers in Lebanon extends beyond the political system due to the extensive network of Syrian intelligence which exceeded 25,000 officers directly under his command, nothing happens in Lebanon without his prior knowledge. The commander of Lebanon’s General Security Directorate, Major General Jamil Sayyed reports directly to Kenaan, often bypasses the civilian leadership of the Lebanese regime, since Kanaan has the power to order the arrest of any Lebanese and without any cause for indefinite detention and torture. He is the most feared man in Lebanon today. One Lebanese who spoke to Human rights watch recalled being arrested by Syrian intelligence in 1993, tortured and brought directly before Kanaan and pressured to collaborate.

Kenaan has used his influence for personal gain as well. His involvement in narcotics production and trafficking in the Bekaa Valley, counterfeiting and other illegal activities have made him a very wealthy man. With the shadow of Syrian power lurking behind him, few in Lebanon are willing to stand up to him in dispute. One did his name is Yahya Shamas a former member of Parliament and a long term associates of Kanaan’s who made a mistake of buying a piece of property from him, and when he refused to sell it back after its price went up, he was jailed on drug trafficking in 1994 and imprisoned for no reason, no one dares to challenge him on the false charges against the former MP.

Honorable members, it is our intention to open your eyes on what has taken place in Lebanon, and the amount of suffering and agony the Lebanese people are enduring as a result of this man. He is responsible for a lot of suffering and torture of innocent Lebanese still detained in Syria today for no reason at all. It is our hope that you take a stand against vicious monsters such as Mr. Ghazi Kanaan and charge him with war crime against Lebanon and its people; it is our hope that you take a stand and help innocent people against tyrants like Ghazi Kanaan where ever they are. Hundreds of innocent civilians have lost their lives because of him. Please charge this man with war crime and have him stand trial before the whole world as you did with Mr. Moloshovitch, there should not be any difference between the two, murder is murder no matter who does it, killing and torturing innocent civilians for personal gain cannot be tolerated, and should not go unpunished.

Yours Truly,
George Khoury
Lccc Foreign Affairs Chairman.