The Lebanese Swiss Association (LSA) held its third conference in Zurich, Switzerland, with the participation of Member of Parliament Antoine Habchi (Lebanon), representative of the Committee for the Implementation of United Nations Resolutions related to Lebanon Pierre Sokhn (Australia), representative of Our New Lebanon Eddie Karim (United States), and representative of the French-Lebanese Cooperative Association Roger Saad (France), alongside the President of the Lebanese Swiss Association Wadih Assaf and board members Victoria Abboud Stauffer and Forrest Partovi.

Participants discussed the situation in Lebanon from all aspects and unanimously agreed on the necessity of working together to restore Lebanon’s sovereignty and ensure its security, social, and political stability. At the conclusion of the conference, the following resolutions were issued:

First, to submit a request to members of the United Nations Security Council for immediate intervention to implement international resolutions, with the aim of ensuring a safe life for all Lebanese citizens by restricting arms exclusively to the Lebanese Armed Forces and security institutions.

Second, to submit a request to Amnesty International to intervene and investigate arbitrary and unlawful arrests taking place in Lebanon, including the continued detention of a number of young individuals in connection with the events of October 14.

Third, to initiate international legal and judicial actions aimed at combating corruption, which has become widespread across all Lebanese public institutions.

Fourth, to call upon the European Parliament to consider, on humanitarian grounds, the situation of Lebanese citizens by granting temporary residency and limited work permits (Autorisation provisoire de séjour et de travail), as an emergency measure until conditions improve, similar to the initiative undertaken by President François Mitterrand in 1989.

Fifth, to continue holding the current Lebanese government, as well as previous governments, accountable for failing to comply with international treaties and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which constitutes a fundamental pillar of the Lebanese Constitution.

Sixth, to work toward securing international oversight of the 2022 Lebanese parliamentary elections to ensure their integrity and prevent violations and irregularities similar to those that occurred in 2018.

Finally, the participants reaffirmed the importance of Lebanon’s neutrality from all external conflicts, as well as the importance of maintaining strong relations with Arab countries and the international community, which have deteriorated due to misguided foreign policies pursued by a government that does not represent the Lebanese people.

Long live Lebanon, a homeland for all its people.
Lebanese Swiss Association.

Winterthur 12 November 2021