Speech Introducing Valery Giscard d'EstaingMr. President, Excellencies, President Dibiaggio and Tufts University Community, Ladies and Gentlemen. It is an honor and a privilege to introduce today’s our distinguished guest speaker in the “Issam Michael Fares Lecture Series� here at this great university. Our speaker is not only a former President of France. He is also an active builder of the Europe — an integrated, dynamic union of states well positioned for prosperity and global leadership as the twenty-first century approaches : President Valerie Giscard d’Estaing, graduated from the prestigious Ecole Polytechnique and the National School Administration. Abandoning a promising civil service career for politics, he won his first parliamentary seat in 1956. His brilliance was immediately recognized and in 1962 he became Minister of Finance and Economic Affairs. In 1974 he was elected President of France. Following his presidential term, our speaker turned his talents toward unifying the conservative opposition. Lately his attention has turned to the broader European scene. He has been actively involved in the European Parliament, and he has been a leading figure in the development of the European Union. President Giscard d’Estaing has become a tireless worker in the effort to unify the European economy and to fashion a Europe in which France will play a key role in strengthening its stability and development. As a Middle Easterner — and especially as a Lebanese citizen — I believe our distinguished speaker is uniquely qualified to speak to our current concerns. What he has helped bring about for France and for Europe is what we want to bring about for Lebanon and the Middle East. President Giscard d’Estaing worked hard to restore civility and equilibrium in French politics. We want to restore civility and honor to Lebanese politics after our long and dreadful civil war. Today President Giscard d’Estaing works hard to build a harmonious and integrated Europe. This is exactly what has been sadly missing in the Middle East — harmony and integration. We look to you, Mr. President, for your advice and counsel. As a statesman of France, your words are especially valued because your country has played a unique and central role in the development of our country. We, as Lebanese, deeply appreciate France’s role in the creation of the modern Lebanese State. We recognize France’s historical concern for our national welfare. We feel a special cultural affinity with your country. We will not forget France’s constant friendship during our difficulties. I have no doubt that France under President Jacques Chirac will continue — and indeed deepen — this historic, fruitful and special relationship. Ladies and gentlemen, permit me a few words about my country, Lebanon, and the troubled Middle East. We want to put Lebanon on its feet, and we want to share in building a new Middle East in which Lebanon will live in peace, stability, and progress with its neighbors. Lebanon went through very difficult times in the past two decades. In 1975 we entered into a bloody civil war that was ruthlessly inflamed by regional conflicts. Thanks to the determination of our people we are now developing consensus on the permanency of Lebanon as a nation, and on its democratic institutions. We have now enjoyed five years of peace and security during the Presidency of His excellency, Mr. Elias Hrawi. Considering the wartime devastation that we suffered, I am amazed and heartened by how far we have come in such a short time. Much, of course, remains to be done. On the internal front we have taken giant steps toward putting our house in order. What about the external front ? Here our role is relatively limited. We are, after all, a small country. Therefore we expect the U.S. and Europe to do their share in bringing about a stable, just, and comprehensive peace in the Middle East. I applaud the efforts of the Bush and Clinton Administrations to bring peace to our troubled region. I am totally convinced of President Clinton’s high — priority commitment toward this end and like so many people across the Middle East, I admire his dedication. Peace will not be complete until the Syrian-Israeli negotiations reach a successful conclusion. We have a strong interest in these negotiations because we have close and distinctive ties with Syria. What will peace mean? I believe that with peace, the Middle East region will move steadily toward liberalism and democratization. New trade routes will open ; new patterns of social and cultural exchange will emerge. Lebanon has always stood for liberalism, democracy, free trade, and open dialogue across religions and confessions. If the new Middle East embodies these values — as I believe it will — then Lebanon is destined to play a leading role in it. We will enter the era of peace as active partners. We will enter it with confidence and with the vision of a people conditioned by history and geography to think regionally and internationally. Lebanon has always been unique in the region as a “free zone� for artistic, education, and intellectual expression. Our universities set the standard for academic achievement. Once again, Lebanon will be the “hub� of the region’s cultural life. |
“Only those who experience war fully appreciate the blessings of peace.”
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