Mr. Bush, Lebanon is not US 53rd state!!

Al-Manar

"29/10/2007 Perhaps a reminder is needed that this is the 21st century.
Definitely a reminder is needed that a foreign mandate is no longer existent in Lebanon. In fact both reminders should be for the head of the unconstitutional government Fouad Saniora, for the latter had issued a direct order to distribute a decree signed by US president George W. Bush on Lebanese municipal councils! The decree was issued by Bush last August to back Saniora's government and it included threats to freeze the assets of anyone who carried out or could carry out acts that threaten or undermine "the route to building democracy in Lebanon", or back the return of Syria's influence to it.

The Lebanese Ambassador to Washington, Antoine Shedid had sent a letter to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the 2nd of February 2007. The letter was about Bush's decision.
On the 6th of August 2007, the Foreign Ministry Secretary General, Ambassador Hisham Dimashkieh submitted Shedid's letter to the Ministry of Interior headed by Hasan Sabaa who circulated it on the 10th of August, on all civil and security departments of his ministry, including municipalities and governorates.

However the heads of municipal councils in Beirut's southern suburb have condemned and rejected the decree and Saniora's approach as a precedent that has nothing do to whatsoever with Lebanese municipalities. "Lebanon is not the 53rd state in the US," said the head of (Ghobeiry's) municipal council Mohamad Said Khansa. "