UN General Assembly
1986

In conclusion, when we recall that Lebanon was referred to in an epic dating back, to the ninth century B.C., engraved in cuneiform characters on tablets of clay, when we re-read in the passage of Homers' Odyssey describing the grotto of the Siren Calypso: "The perfume of the cedar spread to each nook and cranny, filling it with scented air", we understand that we have a duty not to fail in our historic mission. There are children in Lebanon who have never known anything but fear. The very least our duty to them requires is to teach them what peace means. Lebanon hopes to become again the white dove of peace, holding in its beak the olive branch, its brow encircled with a crown of cedar leaves, giving free reign to its love for freedom, sovereignty and independence, as well as its thirst for justice and beauty. Our President, to in Gemayel, said last year to this Assembly: "Lebanon has achieved the miracle of survival and it deserves to live in dignity.