DAMASCUS, (ST)_ On the 42nd Anniversary of October Liberation War, the Syria Times is honored to publish the historic speech of the late President Hafez Al-Assad on this occasion:
Brotherly citizens,
Our brave soldiers and army officers,
Our great people,
I salute each and every one of you. I address in you, today, the true Arabian spirit, the spirit of courage and heroism, the spirit of sacrifice and giving.
I address in you, your love to the homeland, and your faith in the cause you have decided to defend. For more than a week, the enemy has been mobilizing and premeditating its forces, thinking it will deal a treacherous blow to us. But we were vigilant enough to monitor its movements and cantonments, and to repel its new potential aggression. We did not allow the enemy to take us by surprise. So, our armed forces respond appropriately to it . Our brothers in Egypt did not allow the aggression to take them by surprise. The great army of Egypt rushed to defend the dignity of Egypt and the dignity of the Arab Nation. Greetings to our army and to our people, and a tribute to the army of Egypt and the great Arab people of Egypt.
I must at these crucial moments pay another tribute from the heart to the brave military forces , who came to our country from our Arab brotherly country of Morocco to take part in the battle of pride and dignity and to sacrifice their blood generously , shoulder to shoulder with their brothers in Syria and Egypt . Thereby, they embody the unity of the nation, the common destiny and the sanctity of the goal.
Today , we are fighting the battle of honor and pride, in defense of our precious land, for our glorious history , and of the heritage of our forefathers. We fight the battle, equipped with faith in God and in ourselves; and with the solid and compelling determination that victory will be on our side.
Israel is stubborn and is hit by vanity, and arrogance filled the heads of its officials. They continued their crime and aggression. Their hearts are filled with black hatred against our people and against humanity. They are fret with thirst for bloodshed. Their footsteps disregard the principles and ideals of humanitarian principles and sublime morals and the international laws and resolutions.
Such persons are, the same, like their predecessors, among the advocates of war, do not confine themselves to a limit, nor get deterred , unless they are deterred by people who believe in their own right, and fight for their freedom and own existence.
While we do our duty to defend our land and the honor of our nation, we are ready to make every sacrifice and accept all challenges in order to win the right and win principles, so that just peace would prevail.
Brotherly citizens,
Adversity is the touchstone for the nature of peoples, and a test for their authenticity. The more severe the crisis is, the more the pure metal revealed and the entrenched originality confirmed .
You are the sons of a nation, which has been known throughout history for stances of manhood and pride, of heroism and redemption. You are the sons of the nation that had carried the message of light and faith into all the corners of the earth, and the entire world was a witness to its highest traits and noblest morals.
You are the descendants of Abu Bakr, Omar, Othman, Ali, God bless them. You are the grandchildren of Khalid, Abu Obeida, and Amre, and Saad, and Salah al-Din. The conscience of our nation calls on us, and the souls of our martyrs ignite us as to abide by the teachings reflected in Yarmouk, Qadisiya, Hittin, and Ein Jallout. The eyes and hearts of the masses of our nation from the Atlantic to the Gulf are now clinging to our great steadfastness .These masses are all hope and confidence that we are proceeding towards ultimate victory.
Dear brave soldiers and army officers,
We are the rightful owners and the owners of a just cause, and God grant victory to the one who is rightful defending his right. You are defending today the honor of the Arab nation, preserving its dignity and existence, and rendering sacrifices , so that the future generations are to live satisfied and secure.
By accident , it is the will of the Almighty God that your Jihad is in one of the days of the holy month, the month of Ramadan, the month of jihad. The month of the Battle of Badr, the month of victory. A bright chapter in the history of our armed forces to be added to the many chapters of heroism and sacrifice, testified by the blood of our martyrs throughout the history of our country and Arab nation .
Our ancestors have won victory through faith , sacrifice and through their racing to win martyrdom in defense of our divine religion and the rightful message . Today, through your courage and heroism , you have revived these spirits alongside the glorious Arab tradition.
Your weapon is but a deposit in your hands , that you have to use properly. The honor of the Arab soldier is your responsibility and the future of our peoples is in your hand, for the sake of which you have to fight relentlessly.
Our people whose sons survive great enthusiasm stand, one line, behind you, protecting your back lines , and supporting your struggle by all means . The masses of our Arab nation stand behind our people. This position by the Arab nation is dedicated by national duty in this crucial phase. Behind our people, there also many friends in the world who stand in support of our cause and struggle.
We are not amateurs of killing and destruction, but we are repulsing murder and destruction from ourselves.
We are not the aggressors and never were aggressors; but we were and are still defending ourselves, repulsing the aggression.
We do not want death to anyone, but we repulse death off our people.
We love freedom and we want it for ourselves and for others. We are struggling today , so that our people will enjoy their freedom.
We are advocates of peace, and we work for peace for the sake of our people and for all the peoples of the world. And we struggle today in order to live in peace .
Proceed with God's blessing, when Allah render you victory, no one would defeat you.
Peace be upon you
Dr. Mohammad Abdo Al-Ibrahim
The views expressed in this article are the sole responsibility of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the Blog!
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