American Mideast Coalition for Democracy: Open Letter to UNSG Re: UN Rep. Publicly Thanking Hezbollah Official for “Tour d’Horizon” in Lebanon
This World Is Gone Mad’: UN Envoy Draws Fire Over Tweet Thanking Hezbollah Terrorist for a Briefing
Patrick Gooenough/cnsnews/January 18/2023
Anger In Lebanon At UN Special Coordinator Who Met With Hizbullah Official And Thanked Him
MEMRI/January 20, 2023
غباء المنسقة الخاصة للأمم المتحدة في لبنان جوانا ورونيك، التي وجهت شكر لمسؤول في حزب الله الإرهابي/مع مقالات ورسائل وتغريدات باللغة الإنكليزية تستنكر وتدين فعلتها
الياس بجاني/20 كانون الثاني/2023
من الضرورة الوطنية استنكار غباء وجهل المنسقة الخاصة للأمم المتحدة في لبنان جوانا ورونيك، التي علناً، وعلى صفحتها ع التويتر وجهت شكر لحزب الله هذا هو نصه باللغتين العربية والإنكليزية:
Joanna Wronecka/Tweeter/January 16/2023
I thank Mr. Ammar Moussawi of Hizullah for a tour d’horizon on issues of priority for # Lebanon, including the election of a new president, the functioning of state institutions and the impact of regional and international developments on the country
اشكر السيد عمار الموسوي من حزب الله على جولة بحث حول قضايا ذات أولوية للبنان، بما في ذلك انتخابا رئيس جديد للجمهورية وعمل مؤسسات الدولة وتأثير التطورات الإقليمية والدولية على البلاد.
هذه الجاهلة والغبية، ضربت دور ومصداقية وقوانين الجهة الدولية التي تمثلها (الأمم المتحدة) عرض الحائط، واستُدرِّجت على خلفية جهلها والغباء لشكر مسؤول في منظمة إرهابية، هي حزب الله التي تحتل لبنان، والتي كانت حاكمتها الأمم المتحدة من خلال افراد مسؤولين أمنيين كبار فيها لإرتكابهم جريمة اغتيال الرئيس رفيق الحريري، ومرافقيه وكثر من القيادات اللبنانية، واصدرت (المحكمة الخاصة بلبنان) احكام تدينهم. أن تصرف هذا السيدة مرفوض ومستنكر، وأقل ما يقال فيه بأنه لا قانوني وغبي، وبالتالي لا يجب أن يمر دون مساءلة وعقاب من قبل الأمين العام للأم المتحدة، باعفائها من منصبها وابعادها عن لبنان.
في اسفل تعليقات ورسائل وتغريدات باللغة الإنكليزية ذلات صلة بالموضوع
American Mideast Coalition for Democracy: Open Letter to UNSG Re: UN Rep. Publicly Thanking Hezbollah Official for “Tour d’Horizon” in Lebanon
His Excellency UN Secretary-General António Guterres
Office of the Secretary General – UN Secretariat Building
United Nations Plaza
New York, NY 10017
January 17, 2023
Your Excellency Secretary-General Guterres:
We at the World Council for the Cedars Revolution are writing to express our shock and dismay at learning the United Nations Special Coordinator for Lebanon, Joanna Wronecka, publicly thanked Hezbollah official Ammar Moussawi for meeting with her. Apparently, Moussawi provided the UN Special Coordinator with a “tour d’horizon” which included “the election of a new President, the functioning of state institutions and the impact of regional and international developments on the country.”
We wish to remind the Secretary General that just one month ago, Hezbollah ambushed a UN peacekeeping patrol resulting in the death of Irish peacekeeper, Sean Rooney. We would also like to remind the secretary that Hezbollah has been actively obstructing the investigation into the Beirut Port explosion because the terror organization is directly implicated in the blast.
UNSCR 1559 calling for the disbanding and disarming of all militias in Lebanon was passed in 2004. UNSCR 1701 which re-iterated that call was passed in 2006, yet in all the years since, Hezbollah has refused to comply, and, following the lead of Hamas, is presenting itself as an authentic Lebanese political party rather than the Iranian proxy it is.
We cannot understand how a UN representative could possibly meet with the leadership of Iran’s terrorist proxy at the same time massive demonstrations have broken out all over Iran and all over the world in opposition to the Islamic Republic – a regime whose illegitimacy grows more apparent by the day.
The World Council for the Cedars Revolution calls for the UN Secretary General to reprimand Ms. Wronecka and to denounce this meeting as a mistake.
Yours Sincerely,
This World Is Gone Mad’: UN Envoy Draws Fire Over Tweet Thanking Hezbollah Terrorist for a Briefing
Patrick Gooenough/cnsnews/January 18/2023
Polish diplomat Joanna Wronecka has been U.N. secretary-general Antonio Guterres’s “special coordinator for Lebanon” since 2021. (Photo: UN / Loey Felipe)
The U.N.’s top envoy in Lebanon has attracted a firestorm on Twitter after posting a tweet thanking a senior official in the Shi’ite terrorist group Hezbollah for a discussion “on issues of priority for Lebanon.”
Joanna Wronecka, a Polish diplomat appointed by U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in 2021 as his “special coordinator for Lebanon,” posted the message after meeting with Ammar Al-Moussawi, Hezbollah’s top “foreign relations” official.
“I thank Mr. Ammar Moussawi of Hizbullah for a tour d’horizon on issues of priority for Lebanon, including the election of a new President, the functioning of state institutions and the impact of regional and international developments on the country,” she tweeted.
Hezbollah operates both as a terrorist militia and a political faction, but its very existence as an armed militia violates two key U.N. Security Council resolutions.
Established as a proxy of the Iranian regime after the 1979 Islamic revolution, it has been a U.S. government-designated “foreign terrorist organization” since 1997.
Hezbollah has engaged in deadly terrorism over decades against primarily U.S. and Israeli interests, killing hundreds of civilians and military personnel in attacks in Beirut, Saudi Arabia, Argentina, Bulgaria, and elsewhere.
The group’s abduction (and subsequent killing) of two Israeli soldiers in a cross-border raid in 2006 sparked a bloody month-long war.
Hezbollah members or “supporters” have been implicated in murders inside Lebanon, including the car bombing assassination of former prime minister Rafik Hariri – blamed by a U.N.-backed tribunal on fighters from the terrorist group – and, just last month, the killing of an Irish U.N. peacekeeper whose UNIFIL convoy was ambushed in a Hezbollah stronghold.
Against that background, Wronecka’s tweet prompted hundreds of strong responses, ranging from incredulity to anger, from Israelis, Lebanese and Americans, among others.
“Is this real…??” asked Joshua Zarka, deputy director general and head of strategic affairs in Israel’s foreign ministry. “An official Senior UN Representative thanks the terrorist organization responsible for the murder of a UN peace keeper for ‘a tour d’horizon’!!! Have the world gone completely mad?!”
“Either the UN is a joke or Ms. Wronecka is,” tweeted Lebanese-born Foundation for Defense of Democracies research fellow Hussein Abdul-Hussain.
“Excuse me??” tweeted Joy Lahoud, a Lebanese lawyer and activist. “The UN is now thanking a terror group who just assassinated a UNIFIL young soldier last month!! How is a branch of IRGC now lecturing the international community on the issues of priority for Lebanon?? This world is gone mad.”
Other Lebanese Twitter users drew Wronecka’s attention to Hezbollah’s role in the Hariri killing, corruption, weapons smuggling, narcoterrorism, the devastating explosion at Beirut port in 2020, the assassination of opposition politicians and journalists, Lebanon’s endemic political paralysis, regional destabilization, and more.
Many also wondered if Guterres’ special envoy had raised with the Hezbollah official two U.N. Security Council resolutions that his organization has been flagrantly violating for almost two decades.
Resolution 1559 of 2004 calls for “the disbanding and disarmament of all Lebanese and non-Lebanese militias,” and resolution 1701 of 2006 calls for “the disarmament of all armed groups in Lebanon, so that … there will be no weapons or authority in Lebanon other than that of the Lebanese state.”
Just two months ago, Wronecka briefed the Security Council on the status of implementation of resolution 1701.
https://cnsnews.com/article/international/patrick-goodenough/world-gone-mad-un-envoy-draws-fire-over-tweet-thanking?fbclid=IwAR2JDUliQ8fTwZ5Us7_LvSWMO5BD2mM1pF1ZBa944yj3A7U1RjtIhTF4nzw
Anger In Lebanon At UN Special Coordinator Who Met With Hizbullah Official And Thanked Him
MEMRI/January 20, 2023
Lebanon | Special Dispatch No. 10431
On January 16, 2023 Joanna Wronecka, the UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon, posted a tweet in English and Arabic on her personal account in which she thanked ‘Ammar Al-Moussawi, the head of Hizbullah’s Foreign Relations Unit, for meeting with her to discuss various issues. The tweet said: ” I thank Mr. Ammar Moussawi of Hizbullah for a tour d’horizon on issues of priority for #Lebanon, including the election of a new President, the functioning of state institutions and the impact of regional and international developments on the country.”[1]
UN Special Coordinator Joanna Wronecka and Hizbullah Foreign Relations Chief ‘Ammar Moussawi (images: twitter.com/JWronecka, plenglish.com)
The tweet evoked angry responses from many Lebanese, officials, journalists and citizens, who lambasted Wronecka for meeting with the Hizbullah official and thanking him. Many of those who responded wondered why a UN representative was meeting with the representative of a terrorist organization and even thanking him instead of demanding clarifications from him, about Hizbullah’s refusal to comply with the UN resolutions that call for its disarmament or about the killing of a UNIFIL soldier by Hizbullah supporters on December 14, 2022. Some stated that she should be ashamed of herself and wondered if she meant to meet with other terror organizations, such as ISIS and Al-Qaeda. Others wondered if she had written the tweet as a tasteless joke or if her Twitter account had been hacked.
This report presents some of the angry responses to Wronecka’s tweet by Lebanese politicians, journalists and citizens.
Lebanese Journalist: The UN Is Thanking A Terror Militia; “Replace This Moron”
Shi’ite Lebanese journalist Nadim Koteich, known for his opposition to Hizbullah, shared Wronecka’s tweet and commented: “This is a tweet by the UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon about a Hizbullah official, [posted] only days after a member of the international [UNIFIL] forces was killed by a member of this militia. The UN is sponsoring and expressing gratitude to a terror militia.” Tagging the UN, its Secretary-General António Guterres and Wronecka herself, Koteich added in English, “Replace this moron.”[2]
Later the same day he tagged Wronecka on another tweet, in English: “Wronecka is a moron wrapped in an idiot. Ammar [Moussawi] took her for a ride and now she is carrying water for his militia. [That’s] exactly what Ammar’s job is… [to] charm idiots like her.” [3]
Nadim Koteich’s tweet
Lebanese Forces Party Official: The UN Accepts Hizbullah’s Military Presence South Of The Litani
Former minister Richard Kouyoumjian, head of the foreign relations unit at the Lebanese Forces party, headed by Samir Geagea, likewise criticized Wronecka’s tweet, saying in an interview with the Saudi Al-Hadath channel: “This tweet indicates that the UN accepts the situation in South Lebanon as it is. Everyone knows that [UN] Resolution 1701 stipulates that the area between the Litani and the international border [with Israel] must be under the full control of the Lebanese armed forces in cooperation with the UN forces [i.e., UNIFIL]. Sadly, everyone knows this [but] everyone wishes to close their eyes to the reality, which is that Hizbullah is [present in that area] with all its gear, weapons and missiles, both on the ground and beneath it… and the UNIFIL forces are hostages of Hizbullah.
“Sadly, [Wronecka’s] tweet came after the death, or should I say murder, of the Irish [UNIFIL] soldier who was shot by Hizbullah loyalists or [perhaps] even by Hizbullah operatives. Hizbullah sets red lines for the UNIFIL forces and dictates their [patrol] routes, [saying]: ‘You can be here’ and ‘you cannot be there.’ [Hizbullah] is now the decision-maker in that region. [By killing the soldier, Hizbullah] meant to convey a pointed message to the UN forces…”[4]
Former MP: We Demand Clarifications About Wronecka’s Tweet Praising The Hizbullah Official
Former MP Fares Sou’aid tweeted in a similar vein: ” The praise lavished by the UN coordinator upon ‘Ammar Al-Mousawi does not bode well. We demand clarifications.”[5]
Lebanese Twitter Users To UN Coordinator Wronecka: Shame On You! Are You Also Going To Meet With ISIS And Al-Qaeda?
Wronecka’s tweet also drew fire from many Lebanese Twitter users, who called it a disgrace.
User Maryam Salloum tweeted: “Are you serious[?]! Shame,”[6] and user Silas wrote: “Shame on you!”[7]
Attorney and human rights activist Regina Kantara of Tripoli wrote: “Did you ask him [Moussawi] when they will accept the implementation of UN Resolution 1559???”[8] and user Josian Rizk asked Wronecka: “Did [someone] hack ur twitter account? What’s this silly joke[?]!”[9]
User Enlil also addressed Wronecka, tweeting: “You are supposed to be helping Lebanon not meeting with terrorist organization…”[10], and Elie Al-Hayek wrote: ” Are you a representative of the UN? Did you ask him about the young Irish UN soldier’s assassins[?]! What a shame…”[11]
Attorney Joy Lahoud chipped in with the message: “Actually why don’t you meet with ISIS and Al-Qaeda as well and go through a tour d’horizon with them on how states should function and presidents [should] be elected? Did Mr Mousawi also tell you how their favorite sport is to blow up their Lebanese opposants to pieces?”[12] Alluding to Wronecka’s words of thanks to Mousawi for “a tour d’horizon on issues of priority for Lebanon,” user Daniela Zakher tweeted: “They already took us on this tour and showed us Hell [on] its horizon. Lebanon is a hostage and [UN resolutions] 1559, 1680, 1701 are a joke to them!”[13]
[1] Twitter.com/jwronecka, January 16, 2023.
[2] Twitter.com/NadimKoteich, January 17, 2023.
[3]Twitter.com/NadimKoteich, January 17, 2023.
[4] Twitter.com/AlHadath; Twitter.com/RKouyoumjian, January 19, 2023.
[5] Twitter.com/FaresSouaid, December 17, 2023.
[6] Twitter.com/Marhabahola, January 16, 2023.
[7] Twitter.com/Silas85051857, January 16, 2023.
[8] Twitter.com/KantaraRegina, January 16, 2023.
[9] Twitter.com/RizkJosian, January 16, 2023.
[10] Twitter.com/EnlilNassar1, January 16, 2023.
[11] Twitter.com/ElieElHayek4/status/1615067240340258818, January 16, 2023.
[12] Twitter.com/joylahoud, January 16, 2023.
[13] Twitter.com/Dandoun17, January 16, 2023.
https://www.memri.org/reports/anger-lebanon-un-special-coordinator-who-met-hizbullah-official-and-thanked-him
