LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
August 05/09

Bible Reading of the day
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 14:22-36. Then he made the disciples get into the boat and precede him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. After doing so, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray. When it was evening he was there alone. Meanwhile the boat, already a few miles offshore, was being tossed about by the waves, for the wind was against it. During the fourth watch of the night, he came toward them, walking on the sea. When the disciples saw him walking on the sea they were terrified. "It is a ghost," they said, and they cried out in fear.  At once (Jesus) spoke to them, "Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid."Peter said to him in reply, "Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water." He said, "Come." Peter got out of the boat and began to walk on the water toward Jesus. But when he saw how (strong) the wind was he became frightened; and, beginning to sink, he cried out, "Lord, save me!" Immediately Jesus stretched out his hand and caught him, and said to him, "O you of little faith, why did you doubt?"After they got into the boat, the wind died down. Those who were in the boat did him homage, saying, "Truly, you are the Son of God." After making the crossing, they came to land at Gennesaret. When the men of that place recognized him, they sent word to all the surrounding country. People brought to him all those who were sick and begged him that they might touch only the tassel on his cloak, and as many as touched it were healed. -Naharnet

Christian Persecution In Pakistan
Pakistani Christian schools shut after 7 ‘burned alive-The Daily Star 04/08/09

Free Opinions, Releases, letters & Special Reports
Walid Jumblatt/Now Lebanon/ 04/08/09
Jumblatt’s shift widens his options, could delay cabinet formation.By:Matt Nash, NOW Lebanon 04/08/09
Political rhetoric: Twisting tongues and twisting arms/By: Lamisse Farhat /Future News 04/08/09
Jumblatt’s flip-flopping is merely a symptom of Lebanon’s malady- The Daily Star 04/08/09
Analysts attribute Jumblatt’s change of heart to international shift toward Syria.By Michael Bluhm 04/08/09
Cairo Joins the Battle against Tehran. By: David Schenker, Commentary Magazine 04/08/09
Here’s my plan for the world to drop the nuclear bomb-By Ban Ki-moon 04/08/09

Latest News Reports From Miscellaneous Sources for August 04/09
Now Lebanon: Lebanese press round-up: August 4, 2009
Security Council to Extend UNIFIL Mandate on August 27-Naharnet
Barak: Lebanese Government Responsible for Northern Border Deterioration-Naharnet
Nadim Gemayel tells NOW that preventing repetition of May 7 events does not mean submission to illegitimate arms-Now Lebanon
Arms cargo for Hezbollah were planned to be delivered via Yerevan-Today.Az
Australia Foils Suicide Attack on Army Base, Arrests 4 Men, Including Lebanese-Naharnet
Australia Detains 4 For Plotting Suicide Attack-New York Times
UNIFIL to build fence on Blue Line to guard against Zionist cows-Daily Star
Hezbollah network can air in Australia-Jewish Telegraphic Agency
Samir Frangieh calls Jumblatt to discuss his position-Future News
Jumblat: March 14 to Remain a Majority in Lebanon-Naharnet
Jumblatt: I will not visit Damascus until Hariri does-NOW Lebanon
Jumblat Turns Down Visit to Washington-Naharnet
Jumblat: I Will Not Affiliate with Another Camp, I will Join the President Instead-Naharnet
Jumblatt says he’ll join Sleiman’s bloc in upcoming cabinet-Daily Star
Hariri Takes Political Break as Political Cards Being Shuffled-Naharnet
Berri Fears Cabinet Lineup Delay will Harm Lebanon-Naharnet
Shibani from Bnachii: We Support Drive for Consensus-Naharnet
Lebanese Man Arrested on Suspicion of Spying for Israel-Naharnet
Saniora: No Need to Discuss Possibility of Hariri Bowing Out-Naharnet
Abul Gheit: Jumblat Seeking Domestic Consensus-Naharnet
Israeli forces training for rapid incursions against Hizbullah in ...World Tribune
Cairo Joins the Battle against Tehran-Washington Institute for Near East Policy
Siniora: Hariri will continue bid to form cabinet-Daily Star
Scores of mourners attend funeral for Shafiq al-Hout-Daily Star
TV journalist Eid says she is ‘not above law-Daily Star
Renovation of Beirut synagogue gets under way-Daily Star
De Freij: Majority still has numerical advantage despite Jumblatt’s realignment-Now Lebanon
Generic drug consumption in Lebanon can cut health costs-Daily Star
Sader abduction may be linked to contacts with Israel by associate-Daily Star

Pakistani Christian schools shut after 7 ‘burned alive’
Tuesday, August 04, 2009
Augustine Anthony /Reuters
ISLAMABAD: Pakistani missionary schools closed on Monday for three days to mourn the deaths of seven Christians burned alive in clashes with majority Muslims in a small Pakistani town at the weekend, a church leader said. Four women and a child were among those killed in the violence that broke out in Gojra in Punjab Province on Saturday, after Muslims torched Christians’ homes following unsubstantiated allegations some of them had desecrated the Koran. Some 40 homes were burned down in total. “Christian schools will remain closed for three days from today to mourn the death of innocent people in Gojra,” said Bishop Sadiq Daniel, head of the Church of Pakistan diocese in Karachi and southwestern Baluchistan Province. “There is no proof of blasphemy, but if someone has done that he, and not the entire community, should be punished.” Desecration of the Koran is punishable by death in Pakistan. While Christian schools and colleges in Punjab are largely closed for summer vacation, they were set to reopen in Pakistan’s biggest city of Karachi on Monday. Christians staged small protests in several cities and towns on Monday, calling on authorities to punish the perpetrators of violence against their community. Shahbaz Bhatti, minister for minorities, said authorities were looking into reports that “masked men armed with explosives” were at the forefront of the violence. “Allegations of desecration of the Holy Koran, which were used as an excuse by banned [Islamist] groups to foment such a big scale of violence, were baseless and without grounds,” he told a news conference on Monday. Police said earlier they had registered a complaint against some government officials and more than 800 unidentified men over the incident. Pakistan is a predominantly Muslim country and religious minorities, including Christians, account for roughly 4 percent of the enormous 170 million population. Muslims and minorities generally live in harmony but Islamist militants, angered over Pakistan’s alliance with the United States following the September 11, 2001, attacks, have carried out periodic attacks on Christian targets on suspicion that they sympathize with the United States. Pakistani newspapers on Monday ran an appeal from leading Muslim clerics calling for calm and restraint. The clerics called for punishment if the desecration did take place, but urged the Muslim community not to take the law into their own hands. “Every Muslim of Pakistan should provide complete protection to innocent non-Muslim fellow citizens and play his religious and national role to curb every kind of mischief-making,” the appeal read

Jumblatt says he’ll join Sleiman’s bloc in upcoming cabinet
PSP leader’s shift in stance receives praise, criticism
By Maher Zeineddine /Daily Star correspondent
Tuesday, August 04, 2009
BEIRUT: Progressive Socialist Party (PSP) leader MP Walid Jumblatt announced on Monday that his party would align itself with President Michel Sleiman in cabinet, a day after the PSP leader said he was reconsidering his membership in the March 14 Forces. In an interview with MTV Monday evening, Jumblatt defended his decision to distance himself from March 14, saying that he was “an exceptional and independent case.”“I am going to join the president, which is considered as a guarantee when deciding on the big issues,” he said.
“I will examine the conditions when I have to vote in Parliament and the cabinet,” he said, adding that “In the cabinet, we will join the president.”Asked whether his departure from March 14 would obstruct the cabinet formation, Jumblatt said: “There are enough MPs in the Democratic Gathering to vote with the majority.”The PSP politburo exerted efforts on Monday to clarify Jumblatt’s stances to long-term ally and Future Movement leader Premier-designate Saad Hariri, after his announcement sparked outrage among March 14 factions and received praise from some opposition parties. Speaker Nabih Berri, a leading member of the opposition, on Monday said Jumblatt’s remarks were likely to have repercussions on the March 14 Forces.
Jumblatt’s remarks are said to cap a gradual swing in his political stance that could weaken the March 14 Forces’ influence in the cabinet that Hariri is trying to form. Jumblatt’s departure from the coalition would strip the alliance of the majority it won in the June parliamentary elections and weaken its position in the coalition cabinet which Hariri aims to forge.
Speaking on Sunday at the opening of the PSP general assembly, Jumblatt questioned his alliance with March 14, saying “it was driven by necessity and must end” and stressed the need to consider forming a new alliance “free of bias.” He also slammed the March 14 Forces’ electoral campaign, saying it was “driven by the rejection of the opposition on sectarian, tribal and political levels rather than being based on a political platform.” Opposition parties, including the Syrian Social Nationalist Party and the Lebanese Communist Party, welcomed Jumblatt’s shift in stance. Phalange Party leader Amin Gemayel, a March 14 member, said Jumblatt’s shift in position was “not surprising.” “Some have forgotten March 14’s sacrifices for Lebanon,” he told reporters following a meeting with Tourism Minister Elie Marouni on Monday. Gemayel added that while certain goals can be achieved through political repositioning, “this should not be at the expense of other parties, which were honest and transparent.” Meanwhile, March 14’s General Secretariat said the coalition and Jumblatt “have diverging views on numerous issues.” The Secretariat’s general coordinator, former MP Fares Souaid, said the March 14 Forces were “keen to preserve Walid Jumblatt’s weight and position inside the coalition.”
“We refuse, however, to engage in a dispute with him,” Souaid said on Monday. Souaid said overnight contacts with PSP officials confirmed that Jumblatt was still part of March 14 Forces.
Souaid said that the March14 Forces and Jumblatt were at odds “mainly concerning the Special Tribunal for Lebanon,” to try the Hariri assassins. He added that Jumblatt considered “civil peace as more important than justice.” Souaid claimed Jumblatt’s remarks were made under pressure from Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah. On Monday, PSP caretaker Public Works and Transport Minister Ghazi Aridi and MP Wael Abu Faour, both members of the Future Movement, led contacts to clarify Jumblatt’s remarks to Hariri and other members of their party. Hariri’s “Lebanon First” parliamentary bloc is expected to hold a meeting on Tuesday to discuss Jumblatt’s latest stances.
The Future Movement issued a statement late Sunday night underlying its commitment to the “Cedar Revolution.” It also said each political party has the right to adopt its own stance.
“The Future Movement believes in the right of each political party to adopt the stance and slogans that it wants,” it said in a statement. “However, the interest of the Lebanese citizen comes before any other party or movement.” Implicitly lashing out at Jumblatt, the Future Movement said some politicians needed to be “reminded of their shameful history, when they fulfilled their own personal interests on top of the nation’s interests.” – with Reuters

Israeli forces training for rapid incursions against Hizbullah in Lebanon
Monday, August 3, 2009
http://www.worldtribune.com/worldtribune/WTARC/2009/me_israel0616_08_03.asp
TEL AVIV — The Israel Army has intensified training for another war with the ShareThis
Officials said the army has formulated a training course that would prepare combat troops to rapidly cross into Lebanon and overcome Hizbullah's network of bunkers and tunnels south of the Litani River. They said the training was meant to significantly shorten any future war with Hizbullah. In 2006, Israel and Hizbullah agreed to a ceasefire after 34 days of combat.
"We were totally unprepared for the last war, and we took weeks learning on the job," an official said. "This time, we intend to confront Hizbullah, knowing exactly its assets and capabilities." The army has constructed training centers that included mock villages and mountain regions meant to resemble southern Lebanon. One training center consisted of an urban facility as well as an area that replicated the hilly region of the Shebaa Plateau. "Hizbullah has restored its network of safe houses, tunnels and bunkers," the official said. "This would enable Hizbullah fighters to enter one house and come out of another entrance nearly a kilometer away." Officials said the military has accelerated training amid an alert along Israel's northern border with Lebanon. They said Hizbullah and the Lebanese Army have been coordinating forces south of Lebanon's Litani River. One of the new Israeli training centers was planned for the Elyakim base in the Lower Galilee. The military also plans bases at Lachish in southern Israel. The military has also been developing urban warfare centers in which live fire would be employed. The two centers, monitored by hundreds of surveillance cameras, would contain 18 structures made of rubber that would absorb live fire.

Armenia denies gun running for Hezbollah
YEREVAN, August 3 (RIA Novosti) - Armenia denied on Monday reports that an airliner that crashed on July 15 was carrying arms for the Lebanon-based radical Hezbollah group.
The Iranian Caspian Airlines Tu-154, en route from Tehran to Yerevan, crashed 200 kilometers (124 miles) from the Iranian capital killing all 168 people on board.
Some foreign media earlier said the airliner crashed following an explosion in the hold. "We do not have such information. There are no grounds for it. The dissemination of such information is an unfriendly step with regard to Armenia," said Serob Karapetyan, head of flight security at Armenia's Civilian Aviation Administration. He added that according to the Interstate Aviation Committee, the crash was caused by an engine fire.

Jumblatt’s flip-flopping is merely a symptom of Lebanon’s malady
By The Daily Star /Tuesday, August 04, 2009
Summer’s here, and the time is right for a new political positioning by Walid Jumblatt. The Druze leader has hoisted a new set of sails on his ship, charting a new path amid a shifting geopolitical environment. Jumblatt is an enigma for some, who find his oscillations difficult to tolerate. Several interpretations are being floated around. Things are changing: local reconciliations (Phalange and Marada) are inching forward, while international fence-mending (Washington and Damascus) is under way. Some analysts focus on Jumblatt’s future relationship with the Shiite community, while Jumblatt himself says, at one level, it’s the economy, stupid.
But this weekend’s bombshell has a worrying aspect; Jumblatt regrets his past flirtation with the neoconservatives and US foreign policy, but this signifies a potentially never-ending series of “oops!” When the March 14 movement arose, Jumblatt regretted his alliance with the Syrians, but had engaged in it anyway. Now, he regrets his alliance with the Americans, despite his full enthusiasm at the time. What if his latest move is a mistake, to be followed in a few years by a statement of regret? It might be easy to flay the enigmatic Druze leader, but it’s really not his fault. In our deepening sectarian political system, Jumblatt has a very small community to lead and protect. Since the Druze lack the numbers and clout to match the postwar era’s “big three” communities, Jumblatt staves off marginalization by playing the sectarian card to its hilt, wielding clout that is not proportionate to his community. But this is his right as a politician. He’s beating other politicians at their own game. They might have other considerations, but Jumblatt plays sectarian roulette to the hilt, and takes extreme positions, whether pro-Syrian to the utmost, or anti-Syrian to the utmost. For Jumblatt, anything beyond Druzistan is foreign policy; one can fault him for such an approach, but is he that different from other communal leaders?
Jumblatt’s latest move will reshuffle the local agenda, but we should also ask about the actual policy agenda itself. Beyond like or dislike of Syria, what is it? Saad Hariri’s election campaign was about a “return of the state,” but far more must be put on the table to discourage Jumblatt from leaving March 14. Jumblatt is a symptom of our malady: the state is too weak. Whatever the consequences of his move, we need to see President Michel Sleiman and Hariri face this daunting challenge and give us a real policy agenda, and not slogans, on how to build, and invest in, the state.The reason Jumblatt spends so much time reading the regional and international weather chart is because the local bulletin doesn’t have enough to hold one’s interest, much less have an impact.

Cairo Joins the Battle against Tehran
David Schenker, Commentary Magazine , August 4, 2009
In June 2009, an Israeli Dolphin-class submarine sailed from the Mediterranean to the Red Sea via Egypt's Suez Canal. Given the 30-year peace between the states, Israeli vessels in the canal -- even submarines -- wouldn't ordinarily make headlines. But the submarines and the Israeli SAAR V-Class warships that passed through Egypt a few weeks later were big news in the region, a stark reminder that as Iranian centrifuges continue to spin, the deadline for Israeli military action is fast approaching. The movement of the sub -- a ship believed to carry nuclear-tipped cruise missiles -- was an unmistakable Israeli warning to Tehran. These latest naval deployments also suggest that the warning to Iran extends beyond the Israelis. By granting canal access to the warships now, Cairo too is signaling its concern. In fact, lately Egypt's Mubarak regime has been demonstrating an increasingly public identification with the nascent coalition against Iran. For years Egypt was silent as a militant and emboldened Tehran usurped Cairo's traditional regional leadership role. But recent developments -- including unprecedented public strategic cooperation with Israel -- suggest that Cairo has finally joined the campaign against Tehran. Egypt's awakening should be a welcome development in Washington and is sure to be on the agenda when Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak meets President Obama in the White House on August 17. Relations between Cairo and Tehran have been tense for decades. In the aftermath of the 1979 Islamic Revolution, Egypt provided asylum to the deposed shah, and when he succumbed to cancer in 1980, he was feted with a state funeral by President Sadat. Tehran severed ties with Cairo in 1979 when it made peace with Israel, and when Sadat -- who signed the treaty -- was assassinated in 1981 by Khalid Islambouli, Iran returned the favor, naming a street after the killer. A giant mural of Islambouli remains on display in Tehran to this day.

Walid Jumblatt
August 3, 2009 /Now Lebanon
On August 2, the website of the Progressive Socialist Party, psp.org, carried the speech delivered by Deputy Walid Jumblatt during an extraordinary general assembly held by the PSP for the Renewal and Development of Partisan Education:
The PSP general assembly was inaugurated by the party’s salute, which was followed by the speech of PSP leader Walid Jumblatt in which he pointed out that this assembly was held to redraft the organizational formula to allow the PSP to reach a new political formula that would renew the performance of the party, revive the principles on which it was founded and corroborate these principles. He said: “We have inaugurated the general assembly once again without an anthem for the party. This is a major gap and we have been calling for this issue [for an anthem] for years. Until this anthem is secured one day, we have inaugurated the session with the partisan salute solely…
“Then the Independence Revolution and the repercussions of the assassination of Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri among other martyrs emerged. We did what was logical and what was illogical, while emotions sometimes prevailed over logic. However, we did our duty in regards to the tribunal which we hope will reveal the truth and become a headline for stability. We do not want a tribunal whose headline is chaos and we do not want it to be controlled by countries or sides which could take it to another location...
"We also did what was illogical when we met with the neoconservatives in Washington to protect the so-called Cedar Revolution, freedom and independence. It was unnatural for the PSP in its historical context and positioning to meet with those who spread chaos in the Middle East and destroyed Iraq and Palestine. At the time however - and I am not here to justify the decision - our main concern was the tribunal. Maybe we could have abstained from going, but what happened is done and this constituted a black mark in our history and in the white and clear history of the party at the level of its constant struggle alongside the Palestinian cause, the Arab cause and the cause of Arab Lebanon…
“Pan-Arabism started dying with the death of Gamal Abdul Nasser, and we have to return to the principles and the foundations to re-launch Arab thinking in our ranks as the Progressive Socialist Party, before expanding our alliance with parties, movements, organizations and personalities with whom we meet ideologically and politically at the level of the Arab identity of Lebanon, the class-based system, the protection of the farmers and the workers, the protection of the Palestinian cause and the promotion of exceptional relations with Syria and through it with the Arab world. The tutelage has ended and the Syrian army withdrew, so let us stop weeping…” Regarding the American policy under Obama’s mandate, Deputy Jumblatt said: “He has inherited a heavy burden and tried in his speech in Egypt to corroborate the [importance of the] Palestinian cause. Until this moment however, all that was done was that he talked about the freezing of the settlements before the American envoys came to say that the freezing of the settlements will only be conducted in exchange for the recognition of the Jewish state…”
On the Lebanese level, Jumblatt addressed the issue of the parliamentary elections, saying: “I believe they confirmed the sectarian division in the country. Those who were pleased with the victory saw that it was a temporary one, for this opportunity evaporated and the victory had no value. It corroborated however the need to get rid of the sectarian system. Today, we have entered what is referred to as being a consensual democracy which brings back to mind the meetings of the clans and the tribes, whether in Al-Anbar, in Basra or even in Lebanon. When they brag about a civil society, there is no civil society. There is a popular community or as they call it in Afghanistan a meeting of clans. Certainly they conduct elections, but the agreement over the formula is reached following the meeting of these clans. Therefore, the government formation will allow the Lebanese tribes of which we are part, to agree on a new formula under the headline of concord, centrism or any other slogan…
“While we allied during a certain stage under the banner of March 14 along with other parties and figures due to the reality in the country at the time, this alliance cannot continue. We must think about a new formation within the party firstly and at the level of the country secondly, in order to exit this bias and right-wing inclination. We must return to our leftist, Arab, unionist and workforce principles for which the lives of many PSP martyrs were claimed. This is the great challenge that awaits us... We in the party and the March 14 team did engage in a battle with a political content. We engaged in a battle of rejecting the other, i.e. a battle with a tribal character in which we rejected the other on sectarian, tribal and political bases. Our victory was therefore not real. Our real victory will be when we grant the workers and the farmers their rights, when we return to the Arab and Palestinian principles, when we exit the right-wing and stick to what is left of the left-wing or even create a new one. That would be a victory...

Nadim Gemayel tells NOW that preventing repetition of May 7 events does not mean submission to illegitimate arms
NOW Staff/August 4, 2009
MP Nadim Gemayel told NOW Lebanon on Tuesday that if Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblatt changed his stances to contain the repercussions of the May 7 events, then “we believe that preventing the repetition of such events does not entail our submission to the illegitimate arms,” a reference to Hezbollah’s arsenal, “rather, it requires us to insist on our demand for a strong state to enforce its rule on all Lebanese territory and to strengthen the role of the Lebanese Armed Forces. Jumblatt had shocked his allies when he announced on Sunday that his alliance with the March 14 coalition was out of necessity and has to be terminated. “We refuse to replace the Syrian mandate with a domestic one that is enforced by Damascus’ allies, who want to obstruct the cabinet’s work and the state institutions as well as to make war-and-peace decisions,” Gemayel said. He stressed that March 14 will not comment on Jumblatt’s stances before “he decides on his new position.”“The Cedar Revolution is the true reflection of the Mountain residents’ stances,” Gemayel added.

Jumblatt’s shift widens his options, could delay cabinet formation
Matt Nash, NOW Staff , August 4, 2009
Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumbatt’s break with March 14 means more work for Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri, tasked with forming a new government. (AFP/Ramzi Haidar) Walid Jumblatt’s defection from March 14 will likely further delay cabinet but does not seem to push the process back to zero. The Druze chieftain said Monday he will become a neutral figure in the upcoming government, joining President Michel Sleiman, after announcing on Sunday that he will leave the March 14 alliance.
Most immediately, Jumblatt’s decision casts some doubt on the 15-10-5 cabinet formula deal Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri has spent over a month hammering out, whereby March 14 gets 15 ministries, March 8 gests 10 and the president five. However, what new formula could replace it is unclear and both Jumblatt and Speaker Nabih Berri say the formula stands. Hariri, for his part, has not yet publically commented on Jumblatt’s announcement and what it means for the next government.
Whatever the fate of the cabinet formula, Jumblatt’s decision did not deal government formation talks a fatal blow, as Hariri will not abandon the premiership, according to outgoing PM Fouad Siniora. The timing of Jumbatt’s decision, clearly on his mind for months, however, suggests he was not happy with the backroom bargaining over which three ministries he will be given. By backing out of March 14 now, Jumblatt certainly sends the message that he’s finished sacrificing for his allies and wants to negotiate cabinet posts as more foe than friend. That said, he did not completely burn his bridges with March 14, saying his main disagreement was with the majority’s Christian leaders and not criticizing Hariri.
Of course, Jumblatt is thinking of more than cabinet positions.
“Jumblatt’s main goal is protecting the Druze community,” said retired General Elias Hanna, MTV’s exclusive strategic analyst. Following the fierce fighting between the Druze and Shia in May 2008, Hanna said Jumblatt’s defection from March 14 was an effort to solidify the reconciliation between the two communities. The Druze heartland in the Chouf district is surrounded by Shia, and Jumblatt has an eye on presenting his community as neutral should tension between the Sunni and Shia turn into violence again, Hanna said.
Taking on a neutral political role is also likely to curry favor with Syria. In the months before, but particularly after, the 2005 assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, Jumblatt saw political expedience in standing against Damascus. A hard-line George W. Bush was in the White House, talking tough on terrorism and Syria, and the tide of popular opposition to the Syrian occupation was rising. Four years later, Washington is reaching out to Damascus, and being a friend of Syria no longer necessarily means being a pariah in the eyes of the West. The Saudi-Syrian rapprochement also makes a move closer to Damascus easier for the Progressive Socialists Party’s leader. Jumblatt, as he is wont to do, is walking in lockstep with the shifting regional political dynamics. Jumblatt’s adoption of a neutral role in the government seems aimed at allowing him the flexibility over the next four years to follow the shifting political winds and ensure he maintains his position of power and protects his people. It will likely further delay cabinet formation, and – particularly in light of Christian-Christian reconciliation maneuvers and talks among the Future Movement, PSP, Amal and Hezbollah – could be the beginning of a larger political realignment.

Jumblatt: I will not visit Damascus until Hariri does
August 4, 2009 /NOW Staff
In an interview with Al-Sharq al-Awsat newspaper on Tuesday, Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblatt denied reports saying that he will visit Damascus soon, adding that he would announce the date of his visit to Syria beforehand. “I will only visit Syria after Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri goes to Damascus,” Jumblatt told An-Nahar newspaper.
The daily quoted Jumblatt as saying that his announcement earlier Sunday that his alliance with the March 14 coalition had been out of necessity and should be terminated “will not affect the agreed upon 15-10-5 cabinet formula,” which grants the majority 15 ministers, the opposition 10 and the president five, adding that he is ready to facilitate the cabinet formation.
“The PSP will support Hariri in his mission, despite our political differences,” Jumblatt added. He stressed that the majority will not lose its numerical advantage, saying that he will join President Michel Sleiman, “who plays a guaranteeing role in decision-making on major issues.” He also said that he is ready “to name ministers who are not in the PSP to be within my cabinet share.”As-Safir newspaper in turn quoted Jumblatt as saying that Sleiman, Hariri and Berri all agreed that the main issues, including security appointments, “will be subject to consensus before being discussed in the cabinet.” The PSP leader commented on the May 7 events, saying that his main concern is to contain their negative repercussions on all levels, but especially within his party. However, he stressed that “reconciliation should include all parties without exception.”

Now Lebanon: Lebanese press round-up: August 4, 2009
Note: There is no press round-up on Sundays.
August 4, 2009
Press round-up for Tuesday, August 4th from the morning edition of Lebanon’s An-Nahar, Al-Akhbar, As-Safir, and Ad-Diyar newspapers.
Opening Titles
Rumor has it the Democratic Gathering will see PSP members [only] remain loyal to the bloc leader, while the majority retains its numerical advantage.
Hariri makes the appropriate decisions after assessing the new situation.
Jumblatt to An-Nahar: I want [to establish] an independent movement, and I have not joined March 8.
Local News
Direct communication lines between PM-designate Saad Hariri and MP Walid Jumblatt were severed for the first time, despite the intensive “goodwill initiatives” led by ministers Ghazi Aridi and Wael Abu Faour, and MP Marwan Hamadeh, thus reflecting the seriousness [of the problem].
Other majority leaders, especially LF Executive Committee leader Samir Geagea, abstained from making any comments so as not to undermine the efforts aiming to obtain some explanation and mend some of the damage resulting from [Jumblatt’s] shocking announcement.
Jumblatt is finding it difficult to convince his party to move from the March 14 coalition to another position, even if it is an independent one.
Sources close to Jumblatt and the Democratic Gathering said that the majority will not lose its numerical advantage and that “there are enough Democratic Gathering MPs who will vote for the majority.” This alluded to a potential split within the gathering.
Sources told An-Nahar that PM-designate Saad Hariri is trying to assess the situation calmly following the Future Movement’s first statement. Hariri visited President Sleiman in Baabda yesterday evening and abstained from making any statements afterward.
President Sleiman is examining the “new situation” [after] meeting yesterday with Minister Wael Abu Faour. The president reportedly had a series of phone conversations Sunday afternoon with former President Amin Gemayel, LF Executive Committee leader Samir Geagea and PSP MPs.
Jumblatt asserted to An-Nahar yesterday that no one contacted him personally and that his position “is different from the March 14 forces.” Jumblatt said, “I will join the president who is the guarantee,” stressing that “the majority will retain its numerical advantage.”
General Michel Aoun and Hezbollah noticeably abstained from taking position on this development until yesterday. Speaker Berri alluded that he had expected Jumblatt to make this announcement after the formation of the government.
Speaker Berri stressed that “the agreement over the 15-10-5 formula is constant and not retractable.” Berri seemed to abide by the following principle, “We will not win Jumblatt over only to lose Hariri.”
Opening Titles
Berri: The 15-10-5 formula shall not be retracted.
Jumblatt takes position alongside the president.
Aoun has started “changing and reforming” [his] bloc.
Local News
Well-informed sources told Al-Akhbar that Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri is not about to recant forming the government.
When Al-Akhbar asked about whether or not some Democratic Gathering MPs may quit the bloc, MP Walid Jumblatt said that “anything is possible,” adding that he still requires an explanation from the Future Movement regarding the statement [it] issued the day before last.
An MP close to Syria said that several of his “majority-aligned” colleagues contacted him in order to emphasize their former friendly ties with Damascus, including a prominent MP who is expected to shift to the [political] “center.”
MP Jumblatt is set to accept the Iranian ambassador’s invitation to visit the Iranian Embassy in Beirut in the coming days.
According to well-informed sources, Frederick Hoff, senior advisor to US Middle East Envoy George Mitchell, conveyed to Jumblatt during his stay in Beirut an invitation to visit the United States, but Jumblatt declined.
In what amounts to the first Arab response to Jumblatt’s position, Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmad Abu al-Gheit said yesterday he is confident that “any shift in Jumblatt’s position is one aiming to achieve consensus in Lebanon.”
Several drafts were discussed during the past couple of weeks in order to institutionalize the Change and Reform bloc, provide it with the practical means that would boost its productivity and allow it to respond to the demands and aspirations of the Aounist support base.
Opening Titles
Geagea criticizes the PSP leader: He has left us and presented his credentials to the Syrians and the Iranians.
Jumblatt “produces” a new government equation: 12-10-5-3! Sleiman “hopes for the best;” Berri fears major damage “if the formation [of the government] is delayed;” Hariri continues his mission.
Local News
Why has MP Walid Jumblatt decided to adjourn his visit to Syria in order to accept the Iranian ambassador’s lunch invitation tomorrow in Beirut? Is it true that, as one of his close aides said, this adjournment is aimed to consult with Saudi Arabia beforehand?
LF Executive Committee leader was the most virulent critic [of Jumblatt], saying to Lebanese Forces cadres that Jumblatt is trying to present his credentials to the Syrians and the Iranians, having made a decision that cannot be retracted to appease the situation in order to preserve the Druze as a minority.
In a recording aired on New TV yesterday evening, Geagea told a visiting Maronite League delegation, “They waited for us to get here only to drop us!”
Informed sources told As-Safir that Geagea has so far abstained from expressing any public reaction due to the Future Movement’s mediation, whereby PM-designate Saad Hariri had called on him to “remain calm” for a while, pending the clarification of Jumblatt’s position.
Following its meeting today, the Lebanon First bloc headed by PM-designate Saad Hariri is to issue a statement stressing once again the constant principles and sacrifices underlying the Cedar Revolution. However, it remains to be seen whether or not the statement will recant the [earlier] expression [alluding to Jumblatt’s] “shameful history.”
Opening Titles
Hariri heads to Baabda to remove obstacles and will not recant the formation of the government; Berri: The agreement over the government [formation] is not retractable.
Jumblatt is to accept Shibani’s invitation for lunch Saturday; Washington is to issue a clear statement in response to [Jumblatt’] position.
Aoun is attached to Bassil’s re-appointment as telecom minister; Hezbollah says that the fact of not appointing people who were defeated [in the elections] is an unconstitutional heresy.
Local News
US diplomatic circles abstained from commenting on MP Jumblatt’s announcement, saying to Ad-Diyar that up until quite recently, Jumblatt was asking about the timing of the potential strike on Iran and about how the issue of Hezbollah’s weapons would be resolved, requesting Washington’s assistance and support in this respect.
According to circles, the US administration will issue a clear statement in response to Jumblatt’s declaration about his visit to Washington.
Rumor has it that Jumblatt is set to visit Damascus soon, but this news has yet to be confirmed. What is certain, however, is that Jumblatt will meet with the SSNP, the Baath party and the Communist Party within the next few days.
Informed sources predicted that Jumblatt will go on creating more surprises in the days to come.
General Michel Aoun is still attached to Gebran Bassil’s ministerial appointment. MP Hassan Fadlallah expressed Hezbollah’s support to Aoun for the first time, saying, “The face of preventing the ministerial appointment of those who were defeated in the elections is a new heresy.”
MP Sleiman Franjieh is almost certainly set to visit Diman and meet with Maronite Patriarch Mar Nasrallah Boutros Sfeir prior to the feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary on August 15.

Analysts attribute Jumblatt’s change of heart to international shift toward Syria
‘The final decision came after the British decided to engage Hizbullah’
By Michael Bluhm /Daily Star staff
Tuesday, August 04, 2009
BEIRUT: The political chameleon Walid Jumblatt has once again changed colors, dumping the March 14 coalition to ingratiate himself with Syria and Hizbullah, whom he sees as the political heavyweights of the moment, a number of analysts told The Daily Star on Monday. Jumblatt said to an extraordinary congress of his Progressive Socialist Party (PSP) Sunday that he had joined the anti-Syrian March 14 camp out of necessity and the current form of their partnership must end.
The Druze leader has simply seen that Syria was regaining sway in Lebanon as it emerges from years of international isolation to be actively courted by the US and Saudi Arabia, said Paul Salem, head of the Carnegie Middle East Center. Jumblatt had broken from years of cooperation with Syria after the February 2005 assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, which Jumblatt blamed on Damascus, a charge Syria has denied.
“He’s been shifting for a while, both for domestic and regional reasons, the main one being the changing international position toward Syria,” he said, adding that Jumblatt was simply following the leads of the US and Saudi Arabia in engaging Syria. Despite the shock value of Jumblatt’s Sunday speech, he is not the only Lebanese po­litician evidently making overtures to Damascus, as Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri – formerly a fierce critic of Syria – will likely visit Syria soon after he finishes forming the new cabinet, Salem said.
After the Middle East policies of former US President George W. Bush wound up strengthening US foes such as Syria and Iran, Jumblatt’s switch reflects his rejection of Bush and a move toward the those who resist US encroachment in the region, said Habib Malek, a professor of history at Lebanese American University and the son of former President Charles Malek. In his speech, Jumblatt called his meeting with Bush and his neocon coterie in 2006 a black mark.
“The trends writ large in the region – as Jumblatt tries to see them – favor the ascending of the rejectionists’ camp,” Malek said. “He’s trying to distance himself from the confrontational line” of Bush and the neo-cons, Malek added. However, Jumblatt did not criticize US President Barack Obama, who is pursuing a strategy of engagement with Syria, said Hilal Khashan, head of the department of political studies and public administration at the American University of Beirut. “Anything that [Jumblatt] does, he leaves an avenue of escape,” Khashan added.
On the domestic level, Jumblatt recognizes that his power, as well as that of his Druze community, is waning as their traditional enclave in the Chouf is ringed by predominantly Shiite communities loyal to Hiz­bullah, said retired General Elias Hanna, who teaches political science at Notre Dame University. In this light, Jumblatt’s departure from March 14 represents an attempt to ally himself and his community with his main local competitor, Hanna said, adding that the Druze also perceive a threat from the Sunnis in the Aqlim Kharroub region of the Chouf, as well as from the Christians who have lived in the Chouf for centuries.
Jumblatt “is afraid for the Druze community – number, role [and] political role,” Hanna said. “He’s weak; his community is weaker.”
His Sunday rhetoric of political left and right, as well as references to Arabism and the Pa­lestinian question, were merely a “smokescreen” to cover the worries about Jumblatt’s future and that of the Druze which helped drive Jumblatt away from March 14, Hanna added. Signals have augured Jumblatt’s break with March 14 for some time, as he clearly saw the new balance of power in the May 2008 clashes, when Hizbullah fighters seized large parts of Western Beirut and threatened parts of the Chouf, Malek said.
Jumblatt “has been very un­comfortable since May ’08,” Ma­lek added. “At the end of the day, Jumblatt wants to preserve his fiefdom, and it’s surrounded by Shiites. He’s opening the door with Hizbullah and possible men­ding of fences with Syria.” The PSP chief might have in the end decided that the time had come to open up to Hizbullah after the UK – historically the Druze’s closest Western ally – announced in March that it was willing to negotiate with the political wing of Hizbullah, Khashsan said.
“The final decision came af­ter March this year when the British decided to engage Hiz­bullah,” Khashan added. “He hinted on a number of occasions that he was going to make a shift. He lived up to our expectations and defected again.” Jumblatt could also foresee that the June parliamentary elections would fail to break the deadlock between the March 14 and March 8 factions or to dent Hizbullah’s real advantage on the ground, Malek said. Despite March 14 candidates gaining 71 Parliament seats to March 8’s 57, the poll was a “Pyrrhic victory” for March 14, Malek added. As Jumblatt moves nearer to Hizbullah, he might well soften his tone regarding the disarmament of the Shiite group, a goal which has long unified the March 14 camp, Malek said. “This can only weaken the overall March 14 position, but who’s under the illusion that March 14 is going to be able to disarm Hizbullah?” Malek asked.
The alliance with March 14 might have grated on Jumblatt for historical reasons, as well – Jumblatt never became comfortable while coupled with the kind of Christian nationalists who replaced the Druze with Sunnis as their main partners when Greater Lebanon was declared in 1920, Malek said.
“Jumblatt cannot stand slogans like ‘Lebanon first’ – for him the connotations run much deeper and strike all sorts of nerves,” Malek added. “He doesn’t like the March 14 Christians and what their pedigree stands for. These are his traditional enemies and the enemies of his father.”
Turning toward the future, the effects of Jumblatt’s flip-flop remain unclear – Jumblatt did not specify whether he would leave March 14 completely and join the March 8 camp, Salem said. With Jumblatt’s friction with Lebanese Forces head and March 14 stalwart Samir Geagea, the trajectory of Jumblatt’s future course might well depend on his relations with Hariri, Hanna said. At this point, it appears Jumblatt is not signing up with the March 8 alliance, Malek said. “He has no intention of moving his bloc wholesale to the camp of the opposition.”
“I don’t think this is a kind of realignment with the opposition in all ways,” he added. For example, Jumblatt said on Sunday that he would stand with the March 14 coalition in supporting the Special Tribunal for Lebanon. The break might put off the formation of the new cabinet briefly, as the names of some ministers might need reshuffling, Khashan said. The unresolved status of Jumblatt, who seemed prepared to land two ministries in the new administration, also recasts the March 8 alliance’s demand for a blocking one-third of ministerial posts, Hanna said.
In this context, Jumblatt seems to be moving toward a nascent centrist camp including President Michel Sleiman and Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri – a camp close to Syria and to the West but far removed from Iran, said Salem. Seeing that this grouping might become the decisive swing factor in Lebanese politics, Jumblatt might also be angling to increase his weight by moving closer, Khashan said.

Barak: Lebanese Government Responsible for Northern Border Deterioration
Naharnet/Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak said Tuesday that the Lebanese government is responsible for any deterioration of the security situation along the northern border, Ynet News reported. It said Barak's comments were made during a meeting of the Knesset's Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee. "We will not accept a separation between the responsibility of Hizbullah and the responsibility of the Lebanese government," Ynet quoted Barak as saying. "If, in the future, there is deterioration in the north, Lebanon will be held responsible, because, among other things, it has not upheld Resolution 1701 and addition agreements on dismantling Hizbullah," Barak said. "Israel sees itself as free to act on anything deduced from this."
Beirut, 04 Aug 09, 12:52

Hariri Takes Political Break as Political Cards Being Shuffled
Naharnet/Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri was now facing new challenges with regards to Cabinet formation following MP Walid Jumblat's explosive remarks on terminating his alliance with the majority March 14 coalition. While Speaker Nabih Berri stressed that a 15-10-5 government formula "is there to stay," As-Safir daily said Tuesday that this agreement has "changed practically." It said March 14 forces now got the one-third-plus-one guarantee (12 ministers), while the Opposition has 10 seats in addition to a "neutral" minister and President Michel Suleiman kept his share of five seats. The three seats allotted for Jumblat, however, "where yet to be classified," As-Safir said, even though the pro-Jumblat ministers would be closer to both the President and the Opposition on strategic and core issues, while they would vote in favor of Hariri on day-to-day matters. In this regard, Hariri met Suleiman at Baabda Palace overnight before heading to southern France on a family vacation. Beirut, 04 Aug 09, 10:31

Jumblat: I Will Not Affiliate with Another Camp, I will Join the President Instead
Naharnet/MP Walid Jumblat stressed a day after he announced he was terminating his alliance with the majority March 14 coalition that he was going independent and would not affiliate with any political camp, but rather join President Michel Suleiman. "I am an independent. I will not affiliate with any other team. I will join the President who is the guarantor," Jumblat said in an interview with MTV late Monday. "I will see an appropriate time to vote in Parliament or in Cabinet," he added. Jumblat pointed, however, that a number of MPs within his Democratic Gathering bloc would vote in favor of the majority. The Druze leader on Sunday announced that his alliance with March 14 forces had been "out of necessity and must not continue." Beirut, 03 Aug 09, 20:26

Jumblat: March 14 to Remain a Majority in Lebanon
Naharnet/Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblat said following his announcement that he was terminating his alliance with March 14 forces that the coalition will remain a majority in Lebanon, stressing that he will not join the Opposition. Jumblat, in remarks published by several Lebanese newspapers on Tuesday, said his Sunday announcement "will not change the Cabinet lineup.""The majority will remain a majority," he said, stressing his keenness to ensure the success of efforts undertaken by President Michel Suleiman toward a speedy government formation. "I did not submit a request for affiliation to March 8 Forces," Jumblat said in one of his interviews. He urged a rapid formation of a national unity government. "We need to see progress toward government formation, and that is in everybody's interest," Jumblat said. Jumblat on Monday said he was going independent and would join President Michel Suleiman. "I am an independent. I will not affiliate with any other team. I will join the President who is the guarantor," Jumblat said in an interview with MTV late Monday. He pointed that a number of MPs within his Democratic Gathering bloc would vote in favor of the majority. The Druze leader on Sunday announced that his alliance with March 14 forces had been "out of necessity and must not continue." On Monday evening Jumblat called on the Iranian embassy in Beirut where Ambassador Mohammed Riza Shibani extended him an invitation to visit Tehran. And on Tuesday, Jumblat is expected to visit the Beirut headquarters of the Syrian Social Nationalist Party for talks with its leader MP Assaad Hardan. Beirut, 04 Aug 09, 08:25

Berri Fears Cabinet Lineup Delay will Harm Lebanon
Naharnet/Speaker Nabih Berri expressed fear that delay in Cabinet formation will do Lebanon "enormous harm."Berri said in comments published by several Beirut dailies that he "does not favor and does not want" to sever relations between MP Walid Jumblat and PM-designate Saad Hariri. Berri ruled out the possibility that Hariri will bow out, stressing that he will continue his task to form a government of national unity. The Speaker stressed that a 15-10-5 Cabinet lineup formula that had been agreed upon by the rival political camps "is there to stay." Beirut, 04 Aug 09, 09:02

Australia Foils Suicide Attack on Army Base, Arrests 4 Men, Including Lebanese
Naharnet/Australia arrested four people of Somali or Lebanese descent, in anti-terror raids that foiled a plot for commando-style suicide attacks on at least one army base, senior officers said Tuesday. Some 400 officers from state and national security services took part in 19 pre-dawn raids on properties in Melbourne, Australia's second largest city, police said. Four men, all Australian citizens of Somali or Lebanese descent and aged between 22 and 26, were arrested, and several others were being questioned Tuesday, police said. Australian Federal Police Acting Commissioner Tony Negus said the raids followed a seven-month surveillance operation of a group of people with alleged ties to al-Shabaab, an al-Qaida-linked Somali extremist organization that has been fighting to overthrow Somalia's transitional government. "Police will allege that the men were planning to carry out a suicide terrorist attack on a defense establishment within Australia involving an armed assault with automatic weapons," Negus told reporters. "Details of the planning indicated the alleged offenders were prepared to inflict a sustained attack on military personnel until they themselves were killed." Holsworthy Barracks on the outskirts of Sydney was one of the group's potential targets, and surveillance had been carried out on others in Victoria state, he said. Negus said the investigation also found that some Australian citizens had traveled to Somalia "to participate in hostilities" there, and that the group was seeking a fatwa, or Islamic religious ruling, approving their plans for the Australian attack. Negus did not say whose approval was being sought.
"This operation has disrupted an alleged terrorist attack that could have claimed many lives," he said. Police said a 25-year-old man from Melbourne's Glenroy area had been formally charged with conspiring to prepare a terrorist act, a charge that carries a maximum penalty of life imprisonment. Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said other charges were likely to follow. "As the Australian government has said consistently, there is an enduring threat from terrorism at home here in Australia as well as overseas," Rudd told reporters in the northern city of Cairns. "This is a sober reminder that the threat of terrorism to Australia continues." Police sealed off several houses in Melbourne after the raids and were conducting intensive searches. Forensic officers in protective suits collected samples and searched at least one car parked in a driveway, while uniformed officers interviewed neighbors.(AP-AFP-Naharnet) Beirut, 04 Aug 09, 07:40

Shibani from Bnachii: We Support Drive for Consensus
Naharnet/Iranian Ambassador Mohammed Riza Shibani renewed his country's support for any political steps that will lead to "convergence and consensus" among the various Lebanese political parties. Shibani's remarks came following a meeting in Bnachii with Marada Movement leader Suleiman Franjieh. He said the meeting was an "opportunity to exchange views" on Lebanon's political developments. Beirut, 04 Aug 09, 12:13

Lebanese Man Arrested on Suspicion of Spying for Israel
Naharnet/Lebanese authorities on Tuesday arrested a Lebanese man suspected of spying for Israel. Local media identified the suspect as Hussein Nabih al-Abdallah, 36, from the southern border village of Khiam. They said a plain-clothed police patrol arrested Abdallah as he drove home from work in Jbeil. Two Lebanese army colonels – Mansour Diab and Shahid Toumiyeh – were detained respectively in May and June on charges of spying for Israel. Their arrest has led to the detention of scores of suspects, 20 of whom have been formally charged. Beirut, 04 Aug 09, 12:26

Jumblat Turns Down Visit to Washington
Naharnet/MP Walid Jumblat has turned down an invitation to visit Washington. The daily Al-Akhbar said Tuesday that the invitation was conveyed to Jumblat by U.S. Middle East envoy George Mitchell during his latest trip to Beirut. Meanwhile, Ad-Diyar newspaper quoted American diplomatic circles as saying a U.S. response to Jumblat's stance on Washington's visit will come in a "clear statement" from the U.S. administration. Beirut, 04 Aug 09, 10:08

Security Council to Extend UNIFIL Mandate on August 27
Naharnet/U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon will ask the Security Council in the next few days to extend the mandate of peacekeepers in south Lebanon for one year without amendment to the mission's Rules of Engagement. Well-informed diplomatic sources told al-Mustaqbal newspaper that Lebanon was informed that the Security Council session aimed at issuing a resolution on UNIFIL's mandate will be held on August 27. That session will be preceded by another meeting by experts to study the French-sponsored draft resolution. The newspaper said Tuesday that Ban will send a letter to the Council chair this month, recommending the extension of UNIFIL's mandate until August 31, 2010. The sources ruled out any amendment to the Rules of Engagement as demanded by Israel following the explosion of an alleged Hizbullah arms cache in Khirbet Selm. Al-Mustaqbal said that although there is no international willingness to change the Rules of Engagement, the latest incidents in the south will be heavily mentioned in the articles of the resolution which will call for the full implementation of resolution 1701. Beirut, 04 Aug 09, 08:54

Saniora: No Need to Discuss Possibility of Hariri Bowing Out
Naharnet/Interim PM Fouad Saniora said Monday that the premier-designate will continue with his mission to form a government stressing from Baabda Palace that the possibility of Saad Hariri stepping down was not under discussion. "There is no need to discuss any issue linked to Hariri bowing out," Saniora replied to a reporter's question after talks with President Michel Suleiman. "There is now a premier-designate and he will continue to carry out his tasks to form a government," he added. Saniora stressed the need to "put things back on the path that leads to the government's formation." He said the best approach was to "stay away from giving statements, exercise patience before making announcements and allow a chance for deliberations over the government away from the limelight." On another note, Saniora said the Lebanese government asked for an extension of UNIFIL's mission in the south "a while ago." He reiterated that Israel "must withdraw from the northern part of the Ghajar village which was liberated in 2000 and reoccupied in 2006." "Lebanon has reached a detailed mechanism to complete an Israeli withdrawal. But, as usual, Israel continues to violate its commitments under international resolutions, including 1701," Saniora said. "Israel's presence in northern Ghajar constitutes a daily act of aggression and a flagrant violation of international resolutions," he added. Beirut, 03 Aug 09, 19:57

Abul Gheit: Jumblat Seeking Domestic Consensus
Naharnet/Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul Gheit said any shift by MP Walid Jumblat "will be a shift toward Lebanese consensus."Abul Gheit stressed Egypt's support for the "current Lebanese government" and for "Lebanese consensus." "All Egypt is seeking is to preserve a unified and independent Lebanon able to reflect its local, regional and Arab role within Lebanon and without tension," he told a news conference on Monday. Beirut, 03 Aug 09, 22:08

UNIFIL to build fence on Blue Line to guard against Zionist cows
By Patrick Galey /Daily Star staff
Tuesday, August 04, 2009
BEIRUT: United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) is in the process of erecting a fence in the southern Kfar Shuba area with the aim of preventing cows from Israeli flocks crossing the Blue Line and using Lebanese water supplies, a spokesperson confirmed on Monday.
The fence, which will be erected by the Spanish contingent of the UN peacekeeping force, will be two meters high and surround the Baathaiil Lake once finished in the next ten days.
A UNIFIL spokesperson told The Daily Star that they are assisting the Lebanese authorities by creating the fence “in order to prevent cattle crossing around the Kfar Shuba region.”
Media reports on Monday suggested that the fence, once erected, will allow Lebanese shepherds to pass over to the opposite side of the lake.
The spokesperson could not confirm these reports but said that “[UNIFIL] has been requested by the LAF [Lebanese Armed Forces]” to implement the fence’s construction. There are currently no plans to build additional Blue Line fences in the region.

Here’s my plan for the world to drop the nuclear bomb
By Ban Ki-moon
Tuesday, August 04, 2009
The destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945 marked an end and a beginning. The close of the Second World War ushered in a Cold War, with a precarious peace based on the threat of mutually assured destruction. Today the world is at another turning point. The assumption that nuclear weapons are indispensable to keeping the peace is crumbling. Disarmament is back on the global agenda – and not a moment too soon. A groundswell of new international initiatives will soon emerge to move this agenda forward.
The Cold War’s end, 20 years ago this autumn, was supposed to provide a peace dividend. Instead, we find ourselves still facing serious nuclear threats. Some stem from the persistence of more than 20,000 nuclear weapons and the contagious doctrine of nuclear deterrence. Others relate to nuclear tests – more than a dozen in the post-Cold War era, aggravated by the constant testing of long-range missiles. Still others arise from concerns that more countries or even terrorists might be seeking the bomb.
For decades, we believed that the terrible effects of nuclear weapons would be sufficient to prevent their use. The superpowers were likened to a pair of scorpions in a bottle, each knowing a first strike would be suicidal. Today’s expanding nest of scorpions, however, means that no one is safe. The Presidents of the Russian Federation and the United States – holders of the largest nuclear arsenals – recognize this. They have endorsed the goal of a world free of nuclear weapons, most recently at their Moscow summit, and are seeking new reductions.
Many efforts are under way worldwide to achieve this goal. Earlier this year, the 65-member Conference on Disarmament – the forum that produces multilateral disarmament treaties – broke a deadlock and agreed to negotiations on a fissile material treaty. Other issues it will discuss include nuclear disarmament and security assurances for non-nuclear-weapon states.
In addition, Australia and Japan have launched a major international commission on nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament. My own multimedia “WMD – WeMustDisarm!” campaign, which will culminate on the International Day of Peace (September 21), will reinforce growing calls for disarmament by former statesmen and grassroots campaigns, such as “Global Zero.” These calls will get a further boost in September when civil society groups gather in Mexico City for a UN-sponsored conference on disarmament and development.
Though the UN has been working on disarmament since 1946, two treaties negotiated under UN auspices are now commanding the world’s attention. Also in September, countries that have signed the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) will meet at the UN to consider ways to promote its early entry into force. North Korea’s nuclear tests, its missile launches and its threats of further provocation lend new urgency to this cause.
Next May, the UN will also host a major five-year review conference involving the parties to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), which will examine the state of the treaty’s “grand bargain” of disarmament, non-proliferation and the peaceful use of nuclear energy. If the CTBT can enter into force, and if the NPT review conference makes progress, the world would be off to a good start on its journey to a world free of nuclear weapons.
My own five-point plan to achieve this goal begins with a call for the NPT Parties to pursue negotiations in good faith – as required by the treaty – on nuclear disarmament, either through a new convention or through a series of mutually reinforcing instruments backed by a credible system of verification. Disarmament must be reliably verified.
Second, I urged the Security Council to consider other ways to strengthen security in the disarmament process, and to assure non-nuclear-weapon states against nuclear weapons threats. I proposed to the Council that it convene a summit on nuclear disarmament, and I urged non-NPT states to freeze their own weapon capabilities and make their own disarmament commitments. Disarmament must enhance security.
My third proposal relates to the rule of law. Universal membership in multilateral treaties is key, as are regional nuclear-weapon-free zones and a new treaty on fissile materials. President Barack Obama’s support for US ratification of the CTBT is welcome – the treaty only needs a few more ratifications to enter into force. Disarmament must be rooted in legal obligations.
My fourth point addresses accountability and transparency. Countries with nuclear weapons should publish more information about what they are doing to fulfill their disarmament commitments. While most of these countries have revealed some details about their weapons programs, we still do not know how many nuclear weapons exist worldwide. The UN Secretariat could serve as a repository for such data. Disarmament must be visible to the public.
Finally, I am urging progress in eliminating other weapons of mass destruction and limiting missiles, space weapons and conventional arms – all of which are needed for a nuclear-weapon-free world. Disarmament must anticipate emerging dangers from other weapons.
This, then, is my plan to drop the bomb. Global security challenges are serious enough without the risks from nuclear weapons or their acquisition by additional states or non-state actors. Of course, strategic stability, trust among nations, and the settlement of regional conflicts would all help to advance the process of disarmament.
Yet disarmament has its own contributions to make in serving these goals and should not be postponed.
It will restore hope for a more peaceful, secure and prosperous future. It deserves everybody’s support.
**Ban Ki-moon is secretary-general of the United Nations. THE DAILY STAR publishes this commentary in collaboration with Project Syndicate © (www.project-syndicate.org).

Samir and Strida Geagea on vacation
Date: August 4th, 2009/Future News
Lebanese Forces Party leader and his wife, deputy Strida Geagea left Lebanon Tuesday for an unknown destination, sources at the LF party said. The sources said the couple went on vacation for few days but refrained from saying where they intend to spend the long-awaited trip.

Samir Frangieh calls Jumblatt to discuss his position
Date: August 4th, 2009 Source: Al Rai
Former MP Samir Frangieh pointed Tuesday that the leader of the Democratic Gathering MP Walid Jumblatt is demanded to explain and discuss his position within and outside of March 14 coalition. Frangieh said that “Jumblatt’s position in March 14 is reserved considering the primary role he played during the stage of independence.”
Frangieh wondered in an interview to the Al-Rai Kuwaiti newspaper Tuesday that Jumblatt participated in launching the principles of March 14, and “if he has an objection, he must discuss it with his allies.”The Druze leader, one of the main leaders of the March 14 coalition, announced Sunday that he is withdrawing from to coalition to reposition himself in a centrist position but definitely not joining the March 8 opposition bloc led by Syria- Iranian backed Hizbullah. “Jumblatt has an ethical duty towards those who participated in March 14 group and who martyred at that stage, he must take back his positions and issue another one that would be understood by everyone” former MP said, adding that this is Joumblat’s responsibility.
As for who says that Joumblat’s position aims to overcome the confrontation between the Shiite and Sunni communities, Frangieh considered that this is required and a priority, “but March 14 extended arms several times to Hizbullah and Amal movement who did not respond.” He added that Joumblat’s relation with Hizbullah must be based on a settlement, stressing that “civil peace requires a settlement not a truce or attacking his allies. He is not required to exit a sectarian crisis and enter another one.” Frangieh pointed that “there is no centrist bloc in Lebanon, and if Joumblat wants to form a political entity independent from March 8 and March 14, we must wait and see who will leave March 8 and join the centrist bloc.”

Political rhetoric: Twisting tongues and twisting arms
Lamisse Farhat /Future News
Date: August 3rd, 2009
The last few years witnessed a dramatic escalation of political rhetoric and tension which led to vulnerable security situation, chaos and bloody street clashes between the rival political camps culminated by May 7 events. Analysts predicted that such fiery rhetoric could fuel a civil strife similar to the ‘1975 – 1990’ civil war.
Obviously, the myriad of leaders in a small country like Lebanon is negatively affecting the street and not the other way around. Therefore we construes that tensed political rhetoric are the main inciter and provocateur of internal crises. Incitements, treasons, intimidations and threats, are a set of policies that made the streets boil with hatred to the point that ‘destructive speeches’ were unable to calm the "public arena", which was almost to declare the impossibility of coexistence between two controversial camps sharing one homeland.
The infuriated political rhetoric is the main reason behind the deep rift that divided the Lebanese and enticed foreign enemies to take advantage of this flaw, but unfortunately the political leaders disregard the fact that the main objective of politics is to enlighten the people and inform them of the events and developments and not burn them up with the tongues of their abhorrent fires. The political crossfire reached its peak before May 7, 2008 transforming any platform into a means of “sheer badmouthing" ripping off the ears of each and every Lebanese.
Short after the catastrophic aftermath of May 7 events, the Doha agreement was born on the 21, May 2008 in the Qatari capital marking the end of an 18-month long political crisis in Lebanon, and stipulating in one of its close that all parties shall reduce the intensity of its tensed political rhetoric and avoid an eventual civil war.
Doha agreement items included that parties commit to abstain from having recourse or resuming the use of weapons and violence in order to record political gains, which resulted in a calm political vibes and united adversaries in a national unity government.
The opposition ended its sit-in which begun on December 1, 2006 in Beirut. On the 25th of May 2008 Lebanon's parliament elected General Michel Sleiman as the new president of the country, a post that had been vacant since November.
Doha paved new political path
After the agreement the opposition barricades were dismantled and so were the opposition protest camps in Martyr's Square. However, the calm atmosphere which prevailed in the post-Doha era inspired all parties to address the aftermath of the previous phase with highest degree of responsibility to protect Lebanon and to put an end to all forms of tension, reactions, and violations.
Loyalty to the Resistance bloc MP Hussein Hajj Hassan said both political rhetoric and the general popular status are entwined and interlinked together. “Consensus between Lebanese leaders on pacification reflects positively on the public, security and political levels. A political pacification and logical rhetoric away from threat, treason and incitement provide an internal stability on all spectrums,” he stressed.
“As long as the Lebanese political forces adopt a rational dialogue away from tension and sectarianism,” according to Hajj Hassan “the political differences that could lead to security incidents or riots could be resolved easily.”
"The Lebanese aspire to peace and reconciliation which is currently taking place between the rival political and parliamentary circles,” Hajj Hassan stressed, referring to "the positive political atmosphere which reflects positively on all aspects in the country.”
Elections’ role
The recent parliamentary elections in Lebanon on June 7 showed the inability of local media to be impartial in their news coverage. Media outlets contributed indirectly to provoking tension and transmitting news that might have lead to strife, thereby violating the new Electoral Media Law that stipulates an obligation to ensure balanced coverage.
The proportional calm that brought about the Doha agreement was soon transformed into a crisis announcing the kick off of the electoral race, which some predicted it would never occur or at least witness security breechings.
Media outlets already divided between the pro-government and opposition groups upheld their political positions and played a key role in the electoral campaigns. A large space of the Lebanese media was occupied - and in some cases monopolized - by seven to eight political leaders heading the main political parties. Independent candidates were virtually ignored by the main media outlets, seen as lacking in political weight and influence.
Change and Reform bloc MP Alain Aoun said the Doha agreement opened new page between the rival factions after the political tension rose to its peak in Lebanon. But unfortunately this calm was quickly turned into a verbal war the minute the electoral campaign was launched. Aoun accused the March 14 of resorting to personal and inciting rhetoric, referring to the “video played on You-Tube” displaying the attacks launched by MP Michel Aoun against MP Nayla Tueini, several spiritual leadership, his caustic attacks on political opponents and media outlets.
After the long-awaited June 7 battle was over, and all the concerned parties recognized the election results, according to Aoun, calm has returned to overshadow the Lebanese scene because Lebanon can only be governed by consensus and partnership despite the ripping political adversity and differences.
All agree that it is mandatory to develop a network of national safety away from the political tension which reflected negatively on the street in many occasions.
There is no doubt that the calm political rhetoric is the fruit of policy of stretched open arms adopted by Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri.
Hariri’s policy over the victory of March 14 in the last parliamentary elections reflected a great national unity spirit that would help the Lebanese “cross to the state” through the establishment of a new phase in Lebanese political life towards stability, security and developing the socio-economic and livelihood conditions.
Cancellation ideology…over
Lebanon First bloc MP Ziad Kadri believes the parliamentary elections was pivotal to restore the respect of Taïf agreement, and the substantive resolutions to the crisis that was settled in Doha as a result of the accumulation of political controversy in the street outside the State’s institutions. Sectarian tensions dated back to May 7, 2008 when armed clashes broke out between pro-government and opposition supporters following the cabinet’s decision to dismantle Hizbullah’s telecommunication network.
Two years of political stalemate preceded the May 7 shootings after Shiite ministers representing Hizbullah and Amal resigned from the government headed by Fouad Siniora in November 2006, paralyzing the state’s institutions.
In that period, the political division reached its peak. The sectarian and religious strife were tantamount to political incitements that were culminated by May 7 events, and the “Tuesday-Thursday black days” and its repercussion on the popular base.
Kadri is confident that the current approach in the country is totally different, depicted by the parties’ intentions to open a new chapter in the book of Lebanon. This contagious atmosphere of reconciliation is extending throughout the Lebanese territories.
“The elections ended successfully and the defeated team - March 8 - accepted the result. However the strenuous efforts of “extending arms and openness” started to bear fruits with the re-election of Speaker Nabih Berri for a fifth term as Speaker, and today we are in the process of forming a national unity government led by Saad Hariri towards advancing the country and facing all the looming dangers,” Kadri concluded.

Jumblatt finishes what General Aoun has started…
As-Safir newspaper wrote on its Monday's edition (August 3- 2009):
Walid Jumblatt has done it, and declared it officially, yesterday, his withdrawal along with his party and his religious sect from the “Union of Necessity” with the group of March 14th, he has further officially declared the termination of validity of this political situation that he has brought to life and maintained until the “prize” was handed over to parliamentarian Saad Harriri at the end of the 2005 elections.
Walid Jumblatt has done it. It is a step that has not come as a surprise to many among the pro-government as well as the opposition groups, domestically or internationally. Everyone was awaiting it prior to the elections, but aside from Walid Jumblatt himself, no one could predict the moment or the manner or the exit plan, for he has “invented” a public association exclusive of his socialist party, both in occasion and in podium of expression, so he may envelop his political position before he takes further in the direction of recreating a new position that although it began between two situations has evolved yesterday, towards an attempt at appearing as a national movement with new powers and new standards and beliefs.
Walid Jumblatt has done it, so that he may continue what was started before him by General Michel Aoun, the day he rebelled against the March 14th Movement in the summer of 2005, moving himself into the arena of the opposition. So the question that remains now is what is the fate of this superficial address or headline after 2 of its major constituents have abandoned it and it has lost its strong Joumblattian backbone, no less the most important reasons for its existence, along with the absence of the Saudi-Syrian conflict and the movement of those two Arab countries towards a political situation at the level of mutual relations with each other as well as with other Arab countries, agreeing with them with the notion that there is no movement backwards to what used to be I that is to say to the period of brusqueness and rupture.
Walid Jumblatt has done it, and visited Damascus yesterday, effectively, and it will no longer be necessary to tap his phone to know when his next visit to Damascus will be, for if the government is politically finished with the exception of a few last minute Lebanese formulations, history remains, and it will only be as far as the next visit of the appointed prime minister to Damascus, and it definitely will not be in the form of a broad delegation but rather he will be alone and probably arrive at the presidential palace driving his own car without any security or escort.
Walid Jumblatt has done it and has become as of yesterday morning “a traitor” according to the dictionary of those who wanted a political coup to reach farther than the evacuation of the Syrian army, and in return has become in the eyes of others from the opposition and some of the leftist forces, the “prodigal son” who has regained his senses if after a four of five year period, a period rich in political transformations and events.
Walid Jumblatt has done it, and decided to stand on top of the hill observing the Lebanese regional and national scene that is rapidly changing, realizing the dangers of the Sunni-Shiite sedition attempting to control this “ enormous fracture” after he himself was accused prior to the 7th of May of seeking, along with other forces, specifically Christian, to expand this dangerous sectarian rift so that his position and control may become more powerful at the expense of the weakening of the Sunni and Shiite forces in Lebanon.
Walid Jumblatt has done it and allowed Nabih Berri to win the bet, in such that the balance of power between majority and minority has been defeated in favor of the creation of new balances. For the majority, which prided itself on acquiring 71 parliamentarians, now stands to lose the majority of them with the loss of a group of 10 parliamentarians of the “new democratic assembly” (excluding Marwan Hmede), and it is now up to whatever is left of March 14th and March 8th, if it remains intact, to plan ahead in many of the situations yet to come in the future, noticeably the upcoming ministerial designations.

 

LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
August 05/09

Bible Reading of the day
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 14:22-36. Then he made the disciples get into the boat and precede him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. After doing so, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray. When it was evening he was there alone. Meanwhile the boat, already a few miles offshore, was being tossed about by the waves, for the wind was against it. During the fourth watch of the night, he came toward them, walking on the sea. When the disciples saw him walking on the sea they were terrified. "It is a ghost," they said, and they cried out in fear.  At once (Jesus) spoke to them, "Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid."Peter said to him in reply, "Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water." He said, "Come." Peter got out of the boat and began to walk on the water toward Jesus. But when he saw how (strong) the wind was he became frightened; and, beginning to sink, he cried out, "Lord, save me!" Immediately Jesus stretched out his hand and caught him, and said to him, "O you of little faith, why did you doubt?"After they got into the boat, the wind died down. Those who were in the boat did him homage, saying, "Truly, you are the Son of God." After making the crossing, they came to land at Gennesaret. When the men of that place recognized him, they sent word to all the surrounding country. People brought to him all those who were sick and begged him that they might touch only the tassel on his cloak, and as many as touched it were healed. -Naharnet

Christian Persecution In Pakistan
Pakistani Christian schools shut after 7 ‘burned alive-The Daily Star 04/08/09

Free Opinions, Releases, letters & Special Reports
Walid Jumblatt/Now Lebanon/ 04/08/09
Jumblatt’s shift widens his options, could delay cabinet formation.By:Matt Nash, NOW Lebanon 04/08/09
Political rhetoric: Twisting tongues and twisting arms/By: Lamisse Farhat /Future News 04/08/09
Jumblatt’s flip-flopping is merely a symptom of Lebanon’s malady- The Daily Star 04/08/09
Analysts attribute Jumblatt’s change of heart to international shift toward Syria.By Michael Bluhm 04/08/09
Cairo Joins the Battle against Tehran. By: David Schenker, Commentary Magazine 04/08/09
Here’s my plan for the world to drop the nuclear bomb-By Ban Ki-moon 04/08/09

Latest News Reports From Miscellaneous Sources for August 04/09
Now Lebanon: Lebanese press round-up: August 4, 2009
Security Council to Extend UNIFIL Mandate on August 27-Naharnet
Barak: Lebanese Government Responsible for Northern Border Deterioration-Naharnet
Nadim Gemayel tells NOW that preventing repetition of May 7 events does not mean submission to illegitimate arms-Now Lebanon
Arms cargo for Hezbollah were planned to be delivered via Yerevan-Today.Az
Australia Foils Suicide Attack on Army Base, Arrests 4 Men, Including Lebanese-Naharnet
Australia Detains 4 For Plotting Suicide Attack-New York Times
UNIFIL to build fence on Blue Line to guard against Zionist cows-Daily Star
Hezbollah network can air in Australia-Jewish Telegraphic Agency
Samir Frangieh calls Jumblatt to discuss his position-Future News
Jumblat: March 14 to Remain a Majority in Lebanon-Naharnet
Jumblatt: I will not visit Damascus until Hariri does-NOW Lebanon
Jumblat Turns Down Visit to Washington-Naharnet
Jumblat: I Will Not Affiliate with Another Camp, I will Join the President Instead-Naharnet
Jumblatt says he’ll join Sleiman’s bloc in upcoming cabinet-Daily Star
Hariri Takes Political Break as Political Cards Being Shuffled-Naharnet
Berri Fears Cabinet Lineup Delay will Harm Lebanon-Naharnet
Shibani from Bnachii: We Support Drive for Consensus-Naharnet
Lebanese Man Arrested on Suspicion of Spying for Israel-Naharnet
Saniora: No Need to Discuss Possibility of Hariri Bowing Out-Naharnet
Abul Gheit: Jumblat Seeking Domestic Consensus-Naharnet
Israeli forces training for rapid incursions against Hizbullah in ...World Tribune
Cairo Joins the Battle against Tehran-Washington Institute for Near East Policy
Siniora: Hariri will continue bid to form cabinet-Daily Star
Scores of mourners attend funeral for Shafiq al-Hout-Daily Star
TV journalist Eid says she is ‘not above law-Daily Star
Renovation of Beirut synagogue gets under way-Daily Star
De Freij: Majority still has numerical advantage despite Jumblatt’s realignment-Now Lebanon
Generic drug consumption in Lebanon can cut health costs-Daily Star
Sader abduction may be linked to contacts with Israel by associate-Daily Star

Pakistani Christian schools shut after 7 ‘burned alive’
Tuesday, August 04, 2009
Augustine Anthony /Reuters
ISLAMABAD: Pakistani missionary schools closed on Monday for three days to mourn the deaths of seven Christians burned alive in clashes with majority Muslims in a small Pakistani town at the weekend, a church leader said. Four women and a child were among those killed in the violence that broke out in Gojra in Punjab Province on Saturday, after Muslims torched Christians’ homes following unsubstantiated allegations some of them had desecrated the Koran. Some 40 homes were burned down in total. “Christian schools will remain closed for three days from today to mourn the death of innocent people in Gojra,” said Bishop Sadiq Daniel, head of the Church of Pakistan diocese in Karachi and southwestern Baluchistan Province. “There is no proof of blasphemy, but if someone has done that he, and not the entire community, should be punished.” Desecration of the Koran is punishable by death in Pakistan. While Christian schools and colleges in Punjab are largely closed for summer vacation, they were set to reopen in Pakistan’s biggest city of Karachi on Monday. Christians staged small protests in several cities and towns on Monday, calling on authorities to punish the perpetrators of violence against their community. Shahbaz Bhatti, minister for minorities, said authorities were looking into reports that “masked men armed with explosives” were at the forefront of the violence. “Allegations of desecration of the Holy Koran, which were used as an excuse by banned [Islamist] groups to foment such a big scale of violence, were baseless and without grounds,” he told a news conference on Monday. Police said earlier they had registered a complaint against some government officials and more than 800 unidentified men over the incident. Pakistan is a predominantly Muslim country and religious minorities, including Christians, account for roughly 4 percent of the enormous 170 million population. Muslims and minorities generally live in harmony but Islamist militants, angered over Pakistan’s alliance with the United States following the September 11, 2001, attacks, have carried out periodic attacks on Christian targets on suspicion that they sympathize with the United States. Pakistani newspapers on Monday ran an appeal from leading Muslim clerics calling for calm and restraint. The clerics called for punishment if the desecration did take place, but urged the Muslim community not to take the law into their own hands. “Every Muslim of Pakistan should provide complete protection to innocent non-Muslim fellow citizens and play his religious and national role to curb every kind of mischief-making,” the appeal read

Jumblatt says he’ll join Sleiman’s bloc in upcoming cabinet
PSP leader’s shift in stance receives praise, criticism
By Maher Zeineddine /Daily Star correspondent
Tuesday, August 04, 2009
BEIRUT: Progressive Socialist Party (PSP) leader MP Walid Jumblatt announced on Monday that his party would align itself with President Michel Sleiman in cabinet, a day after the PSP leader said he was reconsidering his membership in the March 14 Forces. In an interview with MTV Monday evening, Jumblatt defended his decision to distance himself from March 14, saying that he was “an exceptional and independent case.”“I am going to join the president, which is considered as a guarantee when deciding on the big issues,” he said.
“I will examine the conditions when I have to vote in Parliament and the cabinet,” he said, adding that “In the cabinet, we will join the president.”Asked whether his departure from March 14 would obstruct the cabinet formation, Jumblatt said: “There are enough MPs in the Democratic Gathering to vote with the majority.”The PSP politburo exerted efforts on Monday to clarify Jumblatt’s stances to long-term ally and Future Movement leader Premier-designate Saad Hariri, after his announcement sparked outrage among March 14 factions and received praise from some opposition parties. Speaker Nabih Berri, a leading member of the opposition, on Monday said Jumblatt’s remarks were likely to have repercussions on the March 14 Forces.
Jumblatt’s remarks are said to cap a gradual swing in his political stance that could weaken the March 14 Forces’ influence in the cabinet that Hariri is trying to form. Jumblatt’s departure from the coalition would strip the alliance of the majority it won in the June parliamentary elections and weaken its position in the coalition cabinet which Hariri aims to forge.
Speaking on Sunday at the opening of the PSP general assembly, Jumblatt questioned his alliance with March 14, saying “it was driven by necessity and must end” and stressed the need to consider forming a new alliance “free of bias.” He also slammed the March 14 Forces’ electoral campaign, saying it was “driven by the rejection of the opposition on sectarian, tribal and political levels rather than being based on a political platform.” Opposition parties, including the Syrian Social Nationalist Party and the Lebanese Communist Party, welcomed Jumblatt’s shift in stance. Phalange Party leader Amin Gemayel, a March 14 member, said Jumblatt’s shift in position was “not surprising.” “Some have forgotten March 14’s sacrifices for Lebanon,” he told reporters following a meeting with Tourism Minister Elie Marouni on Monday. Gemayel added that while certain goals can be achieved through political repositioning, “this should not be at the expense of other parties, which were honest and transparent.” Meanwhile, March 14’s General Secretariat said the coalition and Jumblatt “have diverging views on numerous issues.” The Secretariat’s general coordinator, former MP Fares Souaid, said the March 14 Forces were “keen to preserve Walid Jumblatt’s weight and position inside the coalition.”
“We refuse, however, to engage in a dispute with him,” Souaid said on Monday. Souaid said overnight contacts with PSP officials confirmed that Jumblatt was still part of March 14 Forces.
Souaid said that the March14 Forces and Jumblatt were at odds “mainly concerning the Special Tribunal for Lebanon,” to try the Hariri assassins. He added that Jumblatt considered “civil peace as more important than justice.” Souaid claimed Jumblatt’s remarks were made under pressure from Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah. On Monday, PSP caretaker Public Works and Transport Minister Ghazi Aridi and MP Wael Abu Faour, both members of the Future Movement, led contacts to clarify Jumblatt’s remarks to Hariri and other members of their party. Hariri’s “Lebanon First” parliamentary bloc is expected to hold a meeting on Tuesday to discuss Jumblatt’s latest stances.
The Future Movement issued a statement late Sunday night underlying its commitment to the “Cedar Revolution.” It also said each political party has the right to adopt its own stance.
“The Future Movement believes in the right of each political party to adopt the stance and slogans that it wants,” it said in a statement. “However, the interest of the Lebanese citizen comes before any other party or movement.” Implicitly lashing out at Jumblatt, the Future Movement said some politicians needed to be “reminded of their shameful history, when they fulfilled their own personal interests on top of the nation’s interests.” – with Reuters

Israeli forces training for rapid incursions against Hizbullah in Lebanon
Monday, August 3, 2009
http://www.worldtribune.com/worldtribune/WTARC/2009/me_israel0616_08_03.asp
TEL AVIV — The Israel Army has intensified training for another war with the ShareThis
Officials said the army has formulated a training course that would prepare combat troops to rapidly cross into Lebanon and overcome Hizbullah's network of bunkers and tunnels south of the Litani River. They said the training was meant to significantly shorten any future war with Hizbullah. In 2006, Israel and Hizbullah agreed to a ceasefire after 34 days of combat.
"We were totally unprepared for the last war, and we took weeks learning on the job," an official said. "This time, we intend to confront Hizbullah, knowing exactly its assets and capabilities." The army has constructed training centers that included mock villages and mountain regions meant to resemble southern Lebanon. One training center consisted of an urban facility as well as an area that replicated the hilly region of the Shebaa Plateau. "Hizbullah has restored its network of safe houses, tunnels and bunkers," the official said. "This would enable Hizbullah fighters to enter one house and come out of another entrance nearly a kilometer away." Officials said the military has accelerated training amid an alert along Israel's northern border with Lebanon. They said Hizbullah and the Lebanese Army have been coordinating forces south of Lebanon's Litani River. One of the new Israeli training centers was planned for the Elyakim base in the Lower Galilee. The military also plans bases at Lachish in southern Israel. The military has also been developing urban warfare centers in which live fire would be employed. The two centers, monitored by hundreds of surveillance cameras, would contain 18 structures made of rubber that would absorb live fire.

Armenia denies gun running for Hezbollah
YEREVAN, August 3 (RIA Novosti) - Armenia denied on Monday reports that an airliner that crashed on July 15 was carrying arms for the Lebanon-based radical Hezbollah group.
The Iranian Caspian Airlines Tu-154, en route from Tehran to Yerevan, crashed 200 kilometers (124 miles) from the Iranian capital killing all 168 people on board.
Some foreign media earlier said the airliner crashed following an explosion in the hold. "We do not have such information. There are no grounds for it. The dissemination of such information is an unfriendly step with regard to Armenia," said Serob Karapetyan, head of flight security at Armenia's Civilian Aviation Administration. He added that according to the Interstate Aviation Committee, the crash was caused by an engine fire.

Jumblatt’s flip-flopping is merely a symptom of Lebanon’s malady
By The Daily Star /Tuesday, August 04, 2009
Summer’s here, and the time is right for a new political positioning by Walid Jumblatt. The Druze leader has hoisted a new set of sails on his ship, charting a new path amid a shifting geopolitical environment. Jumblatt is an enigma for some, who find his oscillations difficult to tolerate. Several interpretations are being floated around. Things are changing: local reconciliations (Phalange and Marada) are inching forward, while international fence-mending (Washington and Damascus) is under way. Some analysts focus on Jumblatt’s future relationship with the Shiite community, while Jumblatt himself says, at one level, it’s the economy, stupid.
But this weekend’s bombshell has a worrying aspect; Jumblatt regrets his past flirtation with the neoconservatives and US foreign policy, but this signifies a potentially never-ending series of “oops!” When the March 14 movement arose, Jumblatt regretted his alliance with the Syrians, but had engaged in it anyway. Now, he regrets his alliance with the Americans, despite his full enthusiasm at the time. What if his latest move is a mistake, to be followed in a few years by a statement of regret? It might be easy to flay the enigmatic Druze leader, but it’s really not his fault. In our deepening sectarian political system, Jumblatt has a very small community to lead and protect. Since the Druze lack the numbers and clout to match the postwar era’s “big three” communities, Jumblatt staves off marginalization by playing the sectarian card to its hilt, wielding clout that is not proportionate to his community. But this is his right as a politician. He’s beating other politicians at their own game. They might have other considerations, but Jumblatt plays sectarian roulette to the hilt, and takes extreme positions, whether pro-Syrian to the utmost, or anti-Syrian to the utmost. For Jumblatt, anything beyond Druzistan is foreign policy; one can fault him for such an approach, but is he that different from other communal leaders?
Jumblatt’s latest move will reshuffle the local agenda, but we should also ask about the actual policy agenda itself. Beyond like or dislike of Syria, what is it? Saad Hariri’s election campaign was about a “return of the state,” but far more must be put on the table to discourage Jumblatt from leaving March 14. Jumblatt is a symptom of our malady: the state is too weak. Whatever the consequences of his move, we need to see President Michel Sleiman and Hariri face this daunting challenge and give us a real policy agenda, and not slogans, on how to build, and invest in, the state.The reason Jumblatt spends so much time reading the regional and international weather chart is because the local bulletin doesn’t have enough to hold one’s interest, much less have an impact.

Cairo Joins the Battle against Tehran
David Schenker, Commentary Magazine , August 4, 2009
In June 2009, an Israeli Dolphin-class submarine sailed from the Mediterranean to the Red Sea via Egypt's Suez Canal. Given the 30-year peace between the states, Israeli vessels in the canal -- even submarines -- wouldn't ordinarily make headlines. But the submarines and the Israeli SAAR V-Class warships that passed through Egypt a few weeks later were big news in the region, a stark reminder that as Iranian centrifuges continue to spin, the deadline for Israeli military action is fast approaching. The movement of the sub -- a ship believed to carry nuclear-tipped cruise missiles -- was an unmistakable Israeli warning to Tehran. These latest naval deployments also suggest that the warning to Iran extends beyond the Israelis. By granting canal access to the warships now, Cairo too is signaling its concern. In fact, lately Egypt's Mubarak regime has been demonstrating an increasingly public identification with the nascent coalition against Iran. For years Egypt was silent as a militant and emboldened Tehran usurped Cairo's traditional regional leadership role. But recent developments -- including unprecedented public strategic cooperation with Israel -- suggest that Cairo has finally joined the campaign against Tehran. Egypt's awakening should be a welcome development in Washington and is sure to be on the agenda when Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak meets President Obama in the White House on August 17. Relations between Cairo and Tehran have been tense for decades. In the aftermath of the 1979 Islamic Revolution, Egypt provided asylum to the deposed shah, and when he succumbed to cancer in 1980, he was feted with a state funeral by President Sadat. Tehran severed ties with Cairo in 1979 when it made peace with Israel, and when Sadat -- who signed the treaty -- was assassinated in 1981 by Khalid Islambouli, Iran returned the favor, naming a street after the killer. A giant mural of Islambouli remains on display in Tehran to this day.

Walid Jumblatt
August 3, 2009 /Now Lebanon
On August 2, the website of the Progressive Socialist Party, psp.org, carried the speech delivered by Deputy Walid Jumblatt during an extraordinary general assembly held by the PSP for the Renewal and Development of Partisan Education:
The PSP general assembly was inaugurated by the party’s salute, which was followed by the speech of PSP leader Walid Jumblatt in which he pointed out that this assembly was held to redraft the organizational formula to allow the PSP to reach a new political formula that would renew the performance of the party, revive the principles on which it was founded and corroborate these principles. He said: “We have inaugurated the general assembly once again without an anthem for the party. This is a major gap and we have been calling for this issue [for an anthem] for years. Until this anthem is secured one day, we have inaugurated the session with the partisan salute solely…
“Then the Independence Revolution and the repercussions of the assassination of Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri among other martyrs emerged. We did what was logical and what was illogical, while emotions sometimes prevailed over logic. However, we did our duty in regards to the tribunal which we hope will reveal the truth and become a headline for stability. We do not want a tribunal whose headline is chaos and we do not want it to be controlled by countries or sides which could take it to another location...
"We also did what was illogical when we met with the neoconservatives in Washington to protect the so-called Cedar Revolution, freedom and independence. It was unnatural for the PSP in its historical context and positioning to meet with those who spread chaos in the Middle East and destroyed Iraq and Palestine. At the time however - and I am not here to justify the decision - our main concern was the tribunal. Maybe we could have abstained from going, but what happened is done and this constituted a black mark in our history and in the white and clear history of the party at the level of its constant struggle alongside the Palestinian cause, the Arab cause and the cause of Arab Lebanon…
“Pan-Arabism started dying with the death of Gamal Abdul Nasser, and we have to return to the principles and the foundations to re-launch Arab thinking in our ranks as the Progressive Socialist Party, before expanding our alliance with parties, movements, organizations and personalities with whom we meet ideologically and politically at the level of the Arab identity of Lebanon, the class-based system, the protection of the farmers and the workers, the protection of the Palestinian cause and the promotion of exceptional relations with Syria and through it with the Arab world. The tutelage has ended and the Syrian army withdrew, so let us stop weeping…” Regarding the American policy under Obama’s mandate, Deputy Jumblatt said: “He has inherited a heavy burden and tried in his speech in Egypt to corroborate the [importance of the] Palestinian cause. Until this moment however, all that was done was that he talked about the freezing of the settlements before the American envoys came to say that the freezing of the settlements will only be conducted in exchange for the recognition of the Jewish state…”
On the Lebanese level, Jumblatt addressed the issue of the parliamentary elections, saying: “I believe they confirmed the sectarian division in the country. Those who were pleased with the victory saw that it was a temporary one, for this opportunity evaporated and the victory had no value. It corroborated however the need to get rid of the sectarian system. Today, we have entered what is referred to as being a consensual democracy which brings back to mind the meetings of the clans and the tribes, whether in Al-Anbar, in Basra or even in Lebanon. When they brag about a civil society, there is no civil society. There is a popular community or as they call it in Afghanistan a meeting of clans. Certainly they conduct elections, but the agreement over the formula is reached following the meeting of these clans. Therefore, the government formation will allow the Lebanese tribes of which we are part, to agree on a new formula under the headline of concord, centrism or any other slogan…
“While we allied during a certain stage under the banner of March 14 along with other parties and figures due to the reality in the country at the time, this alliance cannot continue. We must think about a new formation within the party firstly and at the level of the country secondly, in order to exit this bias and right-wing inclination. We must return to our leftist, Arab, unionist and workforce principles for which the lives of many PSP martyrs were claimed. This is the great challenge that awaits us... We in the party and the March 14 team did engage in a battle with a political content. We engaged in a battle of rejecting the other, i.e. a battle with a tribal character in which we rejected the other on sectarian, tribal and political bases. Our victory was therefore not real. Our real victory will be when we grant the workers and the farmers their rights, when we return to the Arab and Palestinian principles, when we exit the right-wing and stick to what is left of the left-wing or even create a new one. That would be a victory...

Nadim Gemayel tells NOW that preventing repetition of May 7 events does not mean submission to illegitimate arms
NOW Staff/August 4, 2009
MP Nadim Gemayel told NOW Lebanon on Tuesday that if Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblatt changed his stances to contain the repercussions of the May 7 events, then “we believe that preventing the repetition of such events does not entail our submission to the illegitimate arms,” a reference to Hezbollah’s arsenal, “rather, it requires us to insist on our demand for a strong state to enforce its rule on all Lebanese territory and to strengthen the role of the Lebanese Armed Forces. Jumblatt had shocked his allies when he announced on Sunday that his alliance with the March 14 coalition was out of necessity and has to be terminated. “We refuse to replace the Syrian mandate with a domestic one that is enforced by Damascus’ allies, who want to obstruct the cabinet’s work and the state institutions as well as to make war-and-peace decisions,” Gemayel said. He stressed that March 14 will not comment on Jumblatt’s stances before “he decides on his new position.”“The Cedar Revolution is the true reflection of the Mountain residents’ stances,” Gemayel added.

Jumblatt’s shift widens his options, could delay cabinet formation
Matt Nash, NOW Staff , August 4, 2009
Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumbatt’s break with March 14 means more work for Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri, tasked with forming a new government. (AFP/Ramzi Haidar) Walid Jumblatt’s defection from March 14 will likely further delay cabinet but does not seem to push the process back to zero. The Druze chieftain said Monday he will become a neutral figure in the upcoming government, joining President Michel Sleiman, after announcing on Sunday that he will leave the March 14 alliance.
Most immediately, Jumblatt’s decision casts some doubt on the 15-10-5 cabinet formula deal Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri has spent over a month hammering out, whereby March 14 gets 15 ministries, March 8 gests 10 and the president five. However, what new formula could replace it is unclear and both Jumblatt and Speaker Nabih Berri say the formula stands. Hariri, for his part, has not yet publically commented on Jumblatt’s announcement and what it means for the next government.
Whatever the fate of the cabinet formula, Jumblatt’s decision did not deal government formation talks a fatal blow, as Hariri will not abandon the premiership, according to outgoing PM Fouad Siniora. The timing of Jumbatt’s decision, clearly on his mind for months, however, suggests he was not happy with the backroom bargaining over which three ministries he will be given. By backing out of March 14 now, Jumblatt certainly sends the message that he’s finished sacrificing for his allies and wants to negotiate cabinet posts as more foe than friend. That said, he did not completely burn his bridges with March 14, saying his main disagreement was with the majority’s Christian leaders and not criticizing Hariri.
Of course, Jumblatt is thinking of more than cabinet positions.
“Jumblatt’s main goal is protecting the Druze community,” said retired General Elias Hanna, MTV’s exclusive strategic analyst. Following the fierce fighting between the Druze and Shia in May 2008, Hanna said Jumblatt’s defection from March 14 was an effort to solidify the reconciliation between the two communities. The Druze heartland in the Chouf district is surrounded by Shia, and Jumblatt has an eye on presenting his community as neutral should tension between the Sunni and Shia turn into violence again, Hanna said.
Taking on a neutral political role is also likely to curry favor with Syria. In the months before, but particularly after, the 2005 assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, Jumblatt saw political expedience in standing against Damascus. A hard-line George W. Bush was in the White House, talking tough on terrorism and Syria, and the tide of popular opposition to the Syrian occupation was rising. Four years later, Washington is reaching out to Damascus, and being a friend of Syria no longer necessarily means being a pariah in the eyes of the West. The Saudi-Syrian rapprochement also makes a move closer to Damascus easier for the Progressive Socialists Party’s leader. Jumblatt, as he is wont to do, is walking in lockstep with the shifting regional political dynamics. Jumblatt’s adoption of a neutral role in the government seems aimed at allowing him the flexibility over the next four years to follow the shifting political winds and ensure he maintains his position of power and protects his people. It will likely further delay cabinet formation, and – particularly in light of Christian-Christian reconciliation maneuvers and talks among the Future Movement, PSP, Amal and Hezbollah – could be the beginning of a larger political realignment.

Jumblatt: I will not visit Damascus until Hariri does
August 4, 2009 /NOW Staff
In an interview with Al-Sharq al-Awsat newspaper on Tuesday, Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblatt denied reports saying that he will visit Damascus soon, adding that he would announce the date of his visit to Syria beforehand. “I will only visit Syria after Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri goes to Damascus,” Jumblatt told An-Nahar newspaper.
The daily quoted Jumblatt as saying that his announcement earlier Sunday that his alliance with the March 14 coalition had been out of necessity and should be terminated “will not affect the agreed upon 15-10-5 cabinet formula,” which grants the majority 15 ministers, the opposition 10 and the president five, adding that he is ready to facilitate the cabinet formation.
“The PSP will support Hariri in his mission, despite our political differences,” Jumblatt added. He stressed that the majority will not lose its numerical advantage, saying that he will join President Michel Sleiman, “who plays a guaranteeing role in decision-making on major issues.” He also said that he is ready “to name ministers who are not in the PSP to be within my cabinet share.”As-Safir newspaper in turn quoted Jumblatt as saying that Sleiman, Hariri and Berri all agreed that the main issues, including security appointments, “will be subject to consensus before being discussed in the cabinet.” The PSP leader commented on the May 7 events, saying that his main concern is to contain their negative repercussions on all levels, but especially within his party. However, he stressed that “reconciliation should include all parties without exception.”

Now Lebanon: Lebanese press round-up: August 4, 2009
Note: There is no press round-up on Sundays.
August 4, 2009
Press round-up for Tuesday, August 4th from the morning edition of Lebanon’s An-Nahar, Al-Akhbar, As-Safir, and Ad-Diyar newspapers.
Opening Titles
Rumor has it the Democratic Gathering will see PSP members [only] remain loyal to the bloc leader, while the majority retains its numerical advantage.
Hariri makes the appropriate decisions after assessing the new situation.
Jumblatt to An-Nahar: I want [to establish] an independent movement, and I have not joined March 8.
Local News
Direct communication lines between PM-designate Saad Hariri and MP Walid Jumblatt were severed for the first time, despite the intensive “goodwill initiatives” led by ministers Ghazi Aridi and Wael Abu Faour, and MP Marwan Hamadeh, thus reflecting the seriousness [of the problem].
Other majority leaders, especially LF Executive Committee leader Samir Geagea, abstained from making any comments so as not to undermine the efforts aiming to obtain some explanation and mend some of the damage resulting from [Jumblatt’s] shocking announcement.
Jumblatt is finding it difficult to convince his party to move from the March 14 coalition to another position, even if it is an independent one.
Sources close to Jumblatt and the Democratic Gathering said that the majority will not lose its numerical advantage and that “there are enough Democratic Gathering MPs who will vote for the majority.” This alluded to a potential split within the gathering.
Sources told An-Nahar that PM-designate Saad Hariri is trying to assess the situation calmly following the Future Movement’s first statement. Hariri visited President Sleiman in Baabda yesterday evening and abstained from making any statements afterward.
President Sleiman is examining the “new situation” [after] meeting yesterday with Minister Wael Abu Faour. The president reportedly had a series of phone conversations Sunday afternoon with former President Amin Gemayel, LF Executive Committee leader Samir Geagea and PSP MPs.
Jumblatt asserted to An-Nahar yesterday that no one contacted him personally and that his position “is different from the March 14 forces.” Jumblatt said, “I will join the president who is the guarantee,” stressing that “the majority will retain its numerical advantage.”
General Michel Aoun and Hezbollah noticeably abstained from taking position on this development until yesterday. Speaker Berri alluded that he had expected Jumblatt to make this announcement after the formation of the government.
Speaker Berri stressed that “the agreement over the 15-10-5 formula is constant and not retractable.” Berri seemed to abide by the following principle, “We will not win Jumblatt over only to lose Hariri.”
Opening Titles
Berri: The 15-10-5 formula shall not be retracted.
Jumblatt takes position alongside the president.
Aoun has started “changing and reforming” [his] bloc.
Local News
Well-informed sources told Al-Akhbar that Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri is not about to recant forming the government.
When Al-Akhbar asked about whether or not some Democratic Gathering MPs may quit the bloc, MP Walid Jumblatt said that “anything is possible,” adding that he still requires an explanation from the Future Movement regarding the statement [it] issued the day before last.
An MP close to Syria said that several of his “majority-aligned” colleagues contacted him in order to emphasize their former friendly ties with Damascus, including a prominent MP who is expected to shift to the [political] “center.”
MP Jumblatt is set to accept the Iranian ambassador’s invitation to visit the Iranian Embassy in Beirut in the coming days.
According to well-informed sources, Frederick Hoff, senior advisor to US Middle East Envoy George Mitchell, conveyed to Jumblatt during his stay in Beirut an invitation to visit the United States, but Jumblatt declined.
In what amounts to the first Arab response to Jumblatt’s position, Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmad Abu al-Gheit said yesterday he is confident that “any shift in Jumblatt’s position is one aiming to achieve consensus in Lebanon.”
Several drafts were discussed during the past couple of weeks in order to institutionalize the Change and Reform bloc, provide it with the practical means that would boost its productivity and allow it to respond to the demands and aspirations of the Aounist support base.
Opening Titles
Geagea criticizes the PSP leader: He has left us and presented his credentials to the Syrians and the Iranians.
Jumblatt “produces” a new government equation: 12-10-5-3! Sleiman “hopes for the best;” Berri fears major damage “if the formation [of the government] is delayed;” Hariri continues his mission.
Local News
Why has MP Walid Jumblatt decided to adjourn his visit to Syria in order to accept the Iranian ambassador’s lunch invitation tomorrow in Beirut? Is it true that, as one of his close aides said, this adjournment is aimed to consult with Saudi Arabia beforehand?
LF Executive Committee leader was the most virulent critic [of Jumblatt], saying to Lebanese Forces cadres that Jumblatt is trying to present his credentials to the Syrians and the Iranians, having made a decision that cannot be retracted to appease the situation in order to preserve the Druze as a minority.
In a recording aired on New TV yesterday evening, Geagea told a visiting Maronite League delegation, “They waited for us to get here only to drop us!”
Informed sources told As-Safir that Geagea has so far abstained from expressing any public reaction due to the Future Movement’s mediation, whereby PM-designate Saad Hariri had called on him to “remain calm” for a while, pending the clarification of Jumblatt’s position.
Following its meeting today, the Lebanon First bloc headed by PM-designate Saad Hariri is to issue a statement stressing once again the constant principles and sacrifices underlying the Cedar Revolution. However, it remains to be seen whether or not the statement will recant the [earlier] expression [alluding to Jumblatt’s] “shameful history.”
Opening Titles
Hariri heads to Baabda to remove obstacles and will not recant the formation of the government; Berri: The agreement over the government [formation] is not retractable.
Jumblatt is to accept Shibani’s invitation for lunch Saturday; Washington is to issue a clear statement in response to [Jumblatt’] position.
Aoun is attached to Bassil’s re-appointment as telecom minister; Hezbollah says that the fact of not appointing people who were defeated [in the elections] is an unconstitutional heresy.
Local News
US diplomatic circles abstained from commenting on MP Jumblatt’s announcement, saying to Ad-Diyar that up until quite recently, Jumblatt was asking about the timing of the potential strike on Iran and about how the issue of Hezbollah’s weapons would be resolved, requesting Washington’s assistance and support in this respect.
According to circles, the US administration will issue a clear statement in response to Jumblatt’s declaration about his visit to Washington.
Rumor has it that Jumblatt is set to visit Damascus soon, but this news has yet to be confirmed. What is certain, however, is that Jumblatt will meet with the SSNP, the Baath party and the Communist Party within the next few days.
Informed sources predicted that Jumblatt will go on creating more surprises in the days to come.
General Michel Aoun is still attached to Gebran Bassil’s ministerial appointment. MP Hassan Fadlallah expressed Hezbollah’s support to Aoun for the first time, saying, “The face of preventing the ministerial appointment of those who were defeated in the elections is a new heresy.”
MP Sleiman Franjieh is almost certainly set to visit Diman and meet with Maronite Patriarch Mar Nasrallah Boutros Sfeir prior to the feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary on August 15.

Analysts attribute Jumblatt’s change of heart to international shift toward Syria
‘The final decision came after the British decided to engage Hizbullah’
By Michael Bluhm /Daily Star staff
Tuesday, August 04, 2009
BEIRUT: The political chameleon Walid Jumblatt has once again changed colors, dumping the March 14 coalition to ingratiate himself with Syria and Hizbullah, whom he sees as the political heavyweights of the moment, a number of analysts told The Daily Star on Monday. Jumblatt said to an extraordinary congress of his Progressive Socialist Party (PSP) Sunday that he had joined the anti-Syrian March 14 camp out of necessity and the current form of their partnership must end.
The Druze leader has simply seen that Syria was regaining sway in Lebanon as it emerges from years of international isolation to be actively courted by the US and Saudi Arabia, said Paul Salem, head of the Carnegie Middle East Center. Jumblatt had broken from years of cooperation with Syria after the February 2005 assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, which Jumblatt blamed on Damascus, a charge Syria has denied.
“He’s been shifting for a while, both for domestic and regional reasons, the main one being the changing international position toward Syria,” he said, adding that Jumblatt was simply following the leads of the US and Saudi Arabia in engaging Syria. Despite the shock value of Jumblatt’s Sunday speech, he is not the only Lebanese po­litician evidently making overtures to Damascus, as Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri – formerly a fierce critic of Syria – will likely visit Syria soon after he finishes forming the new cabinet, Salem said.
After the Middle East policies of former US President George W. Bush wound up strengthening US foes such as Syria and Iran, Jumblatt’s switch reflects his rejection of Bush and a move toward the those who resist US encroachment in the region, said Habib Malek, a professor of history at Lebanese American University and the son of former President Charles Malek. In his speech, Jumblatt called his meeting with Bush and his neocon coterie in 2006 a black mark.
“The trends writ large in the region – as Jumblatt tries to see them – favor the ascending of the rejectionists’ camp,” Malek said. “He’s trying to distance himself from the confrontational line” of Bush and the neo-cons, Malek added. However, Jumblatt did not criticize US President Barack Obama, who is pursuing a strategy of engagement with Syria, said Hilal Khashan, head of the department of political studies and public administration at the American University of Beirut. “Anything that [Jumblatt] does, he leaves an avenue of escape,” Khashan added.
On the domestic level, Jumblatt recognizes that his power, as well as that of his Druze community, is waning as their traditional enclave in the Chouf is ringed by predominantly Shiite communities loyal to Hiz­bullah, said retired General Elias Hanna, who teaches political science at Notre Dame University. In this light, Jumblatt’s departure from March 14 represents an attempt to ally himself and his community with his main local competitor, Hanna said, adding that the Druze also perceive a threat from the Sunnis in the Aqlim Kharroub region of the Chouf, as well as from the Christians who have lived in the Chouf for centuries.
Jumblatt “is afraid for the Druze community – number, role [and] political role,” Hanna said. “He’s weak; his community is weaker.”
His Sunday rhetoric of political left and right, as well as references to Arabism and the Pa­lestinian question, were merely a “smokescreen” to cover the worries about Jumblatt’s future and that of the Druze which helped drive Jumblatt away from March 14, Hanna added. Signals have augured Jumblatt’s break with March 14 for some time, as he clearly saw the new balance of power in the May 2008 clashes, when Hizbullah fighters seized large parts of Western Beirut and threatened parts of the Chouf, Malek said.
Jumblatt “has been very un­comfortable since May ’08,” Ma­lek added. “At the end of the day, Jumblatt wants to preserve his fiefdom, and it’s surrounded by Shiites. He’s opening the door with Hizbullah and possible men­ding of fences with Syria.” The PSP chief might have in the end decided that the time had come to open up to Hizbullah after the UK – historically the Druze’s closest Western ally – announced in March that it was willing to negotiate with the political wing of Hizbullah, Khashsan said.
“The final decision came af­ter March this year when the British decided to engage Hiz­bullah,” Khashan added. “He hinted on a number of occasions that he was going to make a shift. He lived up to our expectations and defected again.” Jumblatt could also foresee that the June parliamentary elections would fail to break the deadlock between the March 14 and March 8 factions or to dent Hizbullah’s real advantage on the ground, Malek said. Despite March 14 candidates gaining 71 Parliament seats to March 8’s 57, the poll was a “Pyrrhic victory” for March 14, Malek added. As Jumblatt moves nearer to Hizbullah, he might well soften his tone regarding the disarmament of the Shiite group, a goal which has long unified the March 14 camp, Malek said. “This can only weaken the overall March 14 position, but who’s under the illusion that March 14 is going to be able to disarm Hizbullah?” Malek asked.
The alliance with March 14 might have grated on Jumblatt for historical reasons, as well – Jumblatt never became comfortable while coupled with the kind of Christian nationalists who replaced the Druze with Sunnis as their main partners when Greater Lebanon was declared in 1920, Malek said.
“Jumblatt cannot stand slogans like ‘Lebanon first’ – for him the connotations run much deeper and strike all sorts of nerves,” Malek added. “He doesn’t like the March 14 Christians and what their pedigree stands for. These are his traditional enemies and the enemies of his father.”
Turning toward the future, the effects of Jumblatt’s flip-flop remain unclear – Jumblatt did not specify whether he would leave March 14 completely and join the March 8 camp, Salem said. With Jumblatt’s friction with Lebanese Forces head and March 14 stalwart Samir Geagea, the trajectory of Jumblatt’s future course might well depend on his relations with Hariri, Hanna said. At this point, it appears Jumblatt is not signing up with the March 8 alliance, Malek said. “He has no intention of moving his bloc wholesale to the camp of the opposition.”
“I don’t think this is a kind of realignment with the opposition in all ways,” he added. For example, Jumblatt said on Sunday that he would stand with the March 14 coalition in supporting the Special Tribunal for Lebanon. The break might put off the formation of the new cabinet briefly, as the names of some ministers might need reshuffling, Khashan said. The unresolved status of Jumblatt, who seemed prepared to land two ministries in the new administration, also recasts the March 8 alliance’s demand for a blocking one-third of ministerial posts, Hanna said.
In this context, Jumblatt seems to be moving toward a nascent centrist camp including President Michel Sleiman and Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri – a camp close to Syria and to the West but far removed from Iran, said Salem. Seeing that this grouping might become the decisive swing factor in Lebanese politics, Jumblatt might also be angling to increase his weight by moving closer, Khashan said.

Barak: Lebanese Government Responsible for Northern Border Deterioration
Naharnet/Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak said Tuesday that the Lebanese government is responsible for any deterioration of the security situation along the northern border, Ynet News reported. It said Barak's comments were made during a meeting of the Knesset's Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee. "We will not accept a separation between the responsibility of Hizbullah and the responsibility of the Lebanese government," Ynet quoted Barak as saying. "If, in the future, there is deterioration in the north, Lebanon will be held responsible, because, among other things, it has not upheld Resolution 1701 and addition agreements on dismantling Hizbullah," Barak said. "Israel sees itself as free to act on anything deduced from this."
Beirut, 04 Aug 09, 12:52

Hariri Takes Political Break as Political Cards Being Shuffled
Naharnet/Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri was now facing new challenges with regards to Cabinet formation following MP Walid Jumblat's explosive remarks on terminating his alliance with the majority March 14 coalition. While Speaker Nabih Berri stressed that a 15-10-5 government formula "is there to stay," As-Safir daily said Tuesday that this agreement has "changed practically." It said March 14 forces now got the one-third-plus-one guarantee (12 ministers), while the Opposition has 10 seats in addition to a "neutral" minister and President Michel Suleiman kept his share of five seats. The three seats allotted for Jumblat, however, "where yet to be classified," As-Safir said, even though the pro-Jumblat ministers would be closer to both the President and the Opposition on strategic and core issues, while they would vote in favor of Hariri on day-to-day matters. In this regard, Hariri met Suleiman at Baabda Palace overnight before heading to southern France on a family vacation. Beirut, 04 Aug 09, 10:31

Jumblat: I Will Not Affiliate with Another Camp, I will Join the President Instead
Naharnet/MP Walid Jumblat stressed a day after he announced he was terminating his alliance with the majority March 14 coalition that he was going independent and would not affiliate with any political camp, but rather join President Michel Suleiman. "I am an independent. I will not affiliate with any other team. I will join the President who is the guarantor," Jumblat said in an interview with MTV late Monday. "I will see an appropriate time to vote in Parliament or in Cabinet," he added. Jumblat pointed, however, that a number of MPs within his Democratic Gathering bloc would vote in favor of the majority. The Druze leader on Sunday announced that his alliance with March 14 forces had been "out of necessity and must not continue." Beirut, 03 Aug 09, 20:26

Jumblat: March 14 to Remain a Majority in Lebanon
Naharnet/Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblat said following his announcement that he was terminating his alliance with March 14 forces that the coalition will remain a majority in Lebanon, stressing that he will not join the Opposition. Jumblat, in remarks published by several Lebanese newspapers on Tuesday, said his Sunday announcement "will not change the Cabinet lineup.""The majority will remain a majority," he said, stressing his keenness to ensure the success of efforts undertaken by President Michel Suleiman toward a speedy government formation. "I did not submit a request for affiliation to March 8 Forces," Jumblat said in one of his interviews. He urged a rapid formation of a national unity government. "We need to see progress toward government formation, and that is in everybody's interest," Jumblat said. Jumblat on Monday said he was going independent and would join President Michel Suleiman. "I am an independent. I will not affiliate with any other team. I will join the President who is the guarantor," Jumblat said in an interview with MTV late Monday. He pointed that a number of MPs within his Democratic Gathering bloc would vote in favor of the majority. The Druze leader on Sunday announced that his alliance with March 14 forces had been "out of necessity and must not continue." On Monday evening Jumblat called on the Iranian embassy in Beirut where Ambassador Mohammed Riza Shibani extended him an invitation to visit Tehran. And on Tuesday, Jumblat is expected to visit the Beirut headquarters of the Syrian Social Nationalist Party for talks with its leader MP Assaad Hardan. Beirut, 04 Aug 09, 08:25

Berri Fears Cabinet Lineup Delay will Harm Lebanon
Naharnet/Speaker Nabih Berri expressed fear that delay in Cabinet formation will do Lebanon "enormous harm."Berri said in comments published by several Beirut dailies that he "does not favor and does not want" to sever relations between MP Walid Jumblat and PM-designate Saad Hariri. Berri ruled out the possibility that Hariri will bow out, stressing that he will continue his task to form a government of national unity. The Speaker stressed that a 15-10-5 Cabinet lineup formula that had been agreed upon by the rival political camps "is there to stay." Beirut, 04 Aug 09, 09:02

Australia Foils Suicide Attack on Army Base, Arrests 4 Men, Including Lebanese
Naharnet/Australia arrested four people of Somali or Lebanese descent, in anti-terror raids that foiled a plot for commando-style suicide attacks on at least one army base, senior officers said Tuesday. Some 400 officers from state and national security services took part in 19 pre-dawn raids on properties in Melbourne, Australia's second largest city, police said. Four men, all Australian citizens of Somali or Lebanese descent and aged between 22 and 26, were arrested, and several others were being questioned Tuesday, police said. Australian Federal Police Acting Commissioner Tony Negus said the raids followed a seven-month surveillance operation of a group of people with alleged ties to al-Shabaab, an al-Qaida-linked Somali extremist organization that has been fighting to overthrow Somalia's transitional government. "Police will allege that the men were planning to carry out a suicide terrorist attack on a defense establishment within Australia involving an armed assault with automatic weapons," Negus told reporters. "Details of the planning indicated the alleged offenders were prepared to inflict a sustained attack on military personnel until they themselves were killed." Holsworthy Barracks on the outskirts of Sydney was one of the group's potential targets, and surveillance had been carried out on others in Victoria state, he said. Negus said the investigation also found that some Australian citizens had traveled to Somalia "to participate in hostilities" there, and that the group was seeking a fatwa, or Islamic religious ruling, approving their plans for the Australian attack. Negus did not say whose approval was being sought.
"This operation has disrupted an alleged terrorist attack that could have claimed many lives," he said. Police said a 25-year-old man from Melbourne's Glenroy area had been formally charged with conspiring to prepare a terrorist act, a charge that carries a maximum penalty of life imprisonment. Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said other charges were likely to follow. "As the Australian government has said consistently, there is an enduring threat from terrorism at home here in Australia as well as overseas," Rudd told reporters in the northern city of Cairns. "This is a sober reminder that the threat of terrorism to Australia continues." Police sealed off several houses in Melbourne after the raids and were conducting intensive searches. Forensic officers in protective suits collected samples and searched at least one car parked in a driveway, while uniformed officers interviewed neighbors.(AP-AFP-Naharnet) Beirut, 04 Aug 09, 07:40

Shibani from Bnachii: We Support Drive for Consensus
Naharnet/Iranian Ambassador Mohammed Riza Shibani renewed his country's support for any political steps that will lead to "convergence and consensus" among the various Lebanese political parties. Shibani's remarks came following a meeting in Bnachii with Marada Movement leader Suleiman Franjieh. He said the meeting was an "opportunity to exchange views" on Lebanon's political developments. Beirut, 04 Aug 09, 12:13

Lebanese Man Arrested on Suspicion of Spying for Israel
Naharnet/Lebanese authorities on Tuesday arrested a Lebanese man suspected of spying for Israel. Local media identified the suspect as Hussein Nabih al-Abdallah, 36, from the southern border village of Khiam. They said a plain-clothed police patrol arrested Abdallah as he drove home from work in Jbeil. Two Lebanese army colonels – Mansour Diab and Shahid Toumiyeh – were detained respectively in May and June on charges of spying for Israel. Their arrest has led to the detention of scores of suspects, 20 of whom have been formally charged. Beirut, 04 Aug 09, 12:26

Jumblat Turns Down Visit to Washington
Naharnet/MP Walid Jumblat has turned down an invitation to visit Washington. The daily Al-Akhbar said Tuesday that the invitation was conveyed to Jumblat by U.S. Middle East envoy George Mitchell during his latest trip to Beirut. Meanwhile, Ad-Diyar newspaper quoted American diplomatic circles as saying a U.S. response to Jumblat's stance on Washington's visit will come in a "clear statement" from the U.S. administration. Beirut, 04 Aug 09, 10:08

Security Council to Extend UNIFIL Mandate on August 27
Naharnet/U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon will ask the Security Council in the next few days to extend the mandate of peacekeepers in south Lebanon for one year without amendment to the mission's Rules of Engagement. Well-informed diplomatic sources told al-Mustaqbal newspaper that Lebanon was informed that the Security Council session aimed at issuing a resolution on UNIFIL's mandate will be held on August 27. That session will be preceded by another meeting by experts to study the French-sponsored draft resolution. The newspaper said Tuesday that Ban will send a letter to the Council chair this month, recommending the extension of UNIFIL's mandate until August 31, 2010. The sources ruled out any amendment to the Rules of Engagement as demanded by Israel following the explosion of an alleged Hizbullah arms cache in Khirbet Selm. Al-Mustaqbal said that although there is no international willingness to change the Rules of Engagement, the latest incidents in the south will be heavily mentioned in the articles of the resolution which will call for the full implementation of resolution 1701. Beirut, 04 Aug 09, 08:54

Saniora: No Need to Discuss Possibility of Hariri Bowing Out
Naharnet/Interim PM Fouad Saniora said Monday that the premier-designate will continue with his mission to form a government stressing from Baabda Palace that the possibility of Saad Hariri stepping down was not under discussion. "There is no need to discuss any issue linked to Hariri bowing out," Saniora replied to a reporter's question after talks with President Michel Suleiman. "There is now a premier-designate and he will continue to carry out his tasks to form a government," he added. Saniora stressed the need to "put things back on the path that leads to the government's formation." He said the best approach was to "stay away from giving statements, exercise patience before making announcements and allow a chance for deliberations over the government away from the limelight." On another note, Saniora said the Lebanese government asked for an extension of UNIFIL's mission in the south "a while ago." He reiterated that Israel "must withdraw from the northern part of the Ghajar village which was liberated in 2000 and reoccupied in 2006." "Lebanon has reached a detailed mechanism to complete an Israeli withdrawal. But, as usual, Israel continues to violate its commitments under international resolutions, including 1701," Saniora said. "Israel's presence in northern Ghajar constitutes a daily act of aggression and a flagrant violation of international resolutions," he added. Beirut, 03 Aug 09, 19:57

Abul Gheit: Jumblat Seeking Domestic Consensus
Naharnet/Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul Gheit said any shift by MP Walid Jumblat "will be a shift toward Lebanese consensus."Abul Gheit stressed Egypt's support for the "current Lebanese government" and for "Lebanese consensus." "All Egypt is seeking is to preserve a unified and independent Lebanon able to reflect its local, regional and Arab role within Lebanon and without tension," he told a news conference on Monday. Beirut, 03 Aug 09, 22:08

UNIFIL to build fence on Blue Line to guard against Zionist cows
By Patrick Galey /Daily Star staff
Tuesday, August 04, 2009
BEIRUT: United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) is in the process of erecting a fence in the southern Kfar Shuba area with the aim of preventing cows from Israeli flocks crossing the Blue Line and using Lebanese water supplies, a spokesperson confirmed on Monday.
The fence, which will be erected by the Spanish contingent of the UN peacekeeping force, will be two meters high and surround the Baathaiil Lake once finished in the next ten days.
A UNIFIL spokesperson told The Daily Star that they are assisting the Lebanese authorities by creating the fence “in order to prevent cattle crossing around the Kfar Shuba region.”
Media reports on Monday suggested that the fence, once erected, will allow Lebanese shepherds to pass over to the opposite side of the lake.
The spokesperson could not confirm these reports but said that “[UNIFIL] has been requested by the LAF [Lebanese Armed Forces]” to implement the fence’s construction. There are currently no plans to build additional Blue Line fences in the region.

Here’s my plan for the world to drop the nuclear bomb
By Ban Ki-moon
Tuesday, August 04, 2009
The destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945 marked an end and a beginning. The close of the Second World War ushered in a Cold War, with a precarious peace based on the threat of mutually assured destruction. Today the world is at another turning point. The assumption that nuclear weapons are indispensable to keeping the peace is crumbling. Disarmament is back on the global agenda – and not a moment too soon. A groundswell of new international initiatives will soon emerge to move this agenda forward.
The Cold War’s end, 20 years ago this autumn, was supposed to provide a peace dividend. Instead, we find ourselves still facing serious nuclear threats. Some stem from the persistence of more than 20,000 nuclear weapons and the contagious doctrine of nuclear deterrence. Others relate to nuclear tests – more than a dozen in the post-Cold War era, aggravated by the constant testing of long-range missiles. Still others arise from concerns that more countries or even terrorists might be seeking the bomb.
For decades, we believed that the terrible effects of nuclear weapons would be sufficient to prevent their use. The superpowers were likened to a pair of scorpions in a bottle, each knowing a first strike would be suicidal. Today’s expanding nest of scorpions, however, means that no one is safe. The Presidents of the Russian Federation and the United States – holders of the largest nuclear arsenals – recognize this. They have endorsed the goal of a world free of nuclear weapons, most recently at their Moscow summit, and are seeking new reductions.
Many efforts are under way worldwide to achieve this goal. Earlier this year, the 65-member Conference on Disarmament – the forum that produces multilateral disarmament treaties – broke a deadlock and agreed to negotiations on a fissile material treaty. Other issues it will discuss include nuclear disarmament and security assurances for non-nuclear-weapon states.
In addition, Australia and Japan have launched a major international commission on nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament. My own multimedia “WMD – WeMustDisarm!” campaign, which will culminate on the International Day of Peace (September 21), will reinforce growing calls for disarmament by former statesmen and grassroots campaigns, such as “Global Zero.” These calls will get a further boost in September when civil society groups gather in Mexico City for a UN-sponsored conference on disarmament and development.
Though the UN has been working on disarmament since 1946, two treaties negotiated under UN auspices are now commanding the world’s attention. Also in September, countries that have signed the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) will meet at the UN to consider ways to promote its early entry into force. North Korea’s nuclear tests, its missile launches and its threats of further provocation lend new urgency to this cause.
Next May, the UN will also host a major five-year review conference involving the parties to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), which will examine the state of the treaty’s “grand bargain” of disarmament, non-proliferation and the peaceful use of nuclear energy. If the CTBT can enter into force, and if the NPT review conference makes progress, the world would be off to a good start on its journey to a world free of nuclear weapons.
My own five-point plan to achieve this goal begins with a call for the NPT Parties to pursue negotiations in good faith – as required by the treaty – on nuclear disarmament, either through a new convention or through a series of mutually reinforcing instruments backed by a credible system of verification. Disarmament must be reliably verified.
Second, I urged the Security Council to consider other ways to strengthen security in the disarmament process, and to assure non-nuclear-weapon states against nuclear weapons threats. I proposed to the Council that it convene a summit on nuclear disarmament, and I urged non-NPT states to freeze their own weapon capabilities and make their own disarmament commitments. Disarmament must enhance security.
My third proposal relates to the rule of law. Universal membership in multilateral treaties is key, as are regional nuclear-weapon-free zones and a new treaty on fissile materials. President Barack Obama’s support for US ratification of the CTBT is welcome – the treaty only needs a few more ratifications to enter into force. Disarmament must be rooted in legal obligations.
My fourth point addresses accountability and transparency. Countries with nuclear weapons should publish more information about what they are doing to fulfill their disarmament commitments. While most of these countries have revealed some details about their weapons programs, we still do not know how many nuclear weapons exist worldwide. The UN Secretariat could serve as a repository for such data. Disarmament must be visible to the public.
Finally, I am urging progress in eliminating other weapons of mass destruction and limiting missiles, space weapons and conventional arms – all of which are needed for a nuclear-weapon-free world. Disarmament must anticipate emerging dangers from other weapons.
This, then, is my plan to drop the bomb. Global security challenges are serious enough without the risks from nuclear weapons or their acquisition by additional states or non-state actors. Of course, strategic stability, trust among nations, and the settlement of regional conflicts would all help to advance the process of disarmament.
Yet disarmament has its own contributions to make in serving these goals and should not be postponed.
It will restore hope for a more peaceful, secure and prosperous future. It deserves everybody’s support.
**Ban Ki-moon is secretary-general of the United Nations. THE DAILY STAR publishes this commentary in collaboration with Project Syndicate © (www.project-syndicate.org).

Samir and Strida Geagea on vacation
Date: August 4th, 2009/Future News
Lebanese Forces Party leader and his wife, deputy Strida Geagea left Lebanon Tuesday for an unknown destination, sources at the LF party said. The sources said the couple went on vacation for few days but refrained from saying where they intend to spend the long-awaited trip.

Samir Frangieh calls Jumblatt to discuss his position
Date: August 4th, 2009 Source: Al Rai
Former MP Samir Frangieh pointed Tuesday that the leader of the Democratic Gathering MP Walid Jumblatt is demanded to explain and discuss his position within and outside of March 14 coalition. Frangieh said that “Jumblatt’s position in March 14 is reserved considering the primary role he played during the stage of independence.”
Frangieh wondered in an interview to the Al-Rai Kuwaiti newspaper Tuesday that Jumblatt participated in launching the principles of March 14, and “if he has an objection, he must discuss it with his allies.”The Druze leader, one of the main leaders of the March 14 coalition, announced Sunday that he is withdrawing from to coalition to reposition himself in a centrist position but definitely not joining the March 8 opposition bloc led by Syria- Iranian backed Hizbullah. “Jumblatt has an ethical duty towards those who participated in March 14 group and who martyred at that stage, he must take back his positions and issue another one that would be understood by everyone” former MP said, adding that this is Joumblat’s responsibility.
As for who says that Joumblat’s position aims to overcome the confrontation between the Shiite and Sunni communities, Frangieh considered that this is required and a priority, “but March 14 extended arms several times to Hizbullah and Amal movement who did not respond.” He added that Joumblat’s relation with Hizbullah must be based on a settlement, stressing that “civil peace requires a settlement not a truce or attacking his allies. He is not required to exit a sectarian crisis and enter another one.” Frangieh pointed that “there is no centrist bloc in Lebanon, and if Joumblat wants to form a political entity independent from March 8 and March 14, we must wait and see who will leave March 8 and join the centrist bloc.”

Political rhetoric: Twisting tongues and twisting arms
Lamisse Farhat /Future News
Date: August 3rd, 2009
The last few years witnessed a dramatic escalation of political rhetoric and tension which led to vulnerable security situation, chaos and bloody street clashes between the rival political camps culminated by May 7 events. Analysts predicted that such fiery rhetoric could fuel a civil strife similar to the ‘1975 – 1990’ civil war.
Obviously, the myriad of leaders in a small country like Lebanon is negatively affecting the street and not the other way around. Therefore we construes that tensed political rhetoric are the main inciter and provocateur of internal crises. Incitements, treasons, intimidations and threats, are a set of policies that made the streets boil with hatred to the point that ‘destructive speeches’ were unable to calm the "public arena", which was almost to declare the impossibility of coexistence between two controversial camps sharing one homeland.
The infuriated political rhetoric is the main reason behind the deep rift that divided the Lebanese and enticed foreign enemies to take advantage of this flaw, but unfortunately the political leaders disregard the fact that the main objective of politics is to enlighten the people and inform them of the events and developments and not burn them up with the tongues of their abhorrent fires. The political crossfire reached its peak before May 7, 2008 transforming any platform into a means of “sheer badmouthing" ripping off the ears of each and every Lebanese.
Short after the catastrophic aftermath of May 7 events, the Doha agreement was born on the 21, May 2008 in the Qatari capital marking the end of an 18-month long political crisis in Lebanon, and stipulating in one of its close that all parties shall reduce the intensity of its tensed political rhetoric and avoid an eventual civil war.
Doha agreement items included that parties commit to abstain from having recourse or resuming the use of weapons and violence in order to record political gains, which resulted in a calm political vibes and united adversaries in a national unity government.
The opposition ended its sit-in which begun on December 1, 2006 in Beirut. On the 25th of May 2008 Lebanon's parliament elected General Michel Sleiman as the new president of the country, a post that had been vacant since November.
Doha paved new political path
After the agreement the opposition barricades were dismantled and so were the opposition protest camps in Martyr's Square. However, the calm atmosphere which prevailed in the post-Doha era inspired all parties to address the aftermath of the previous phase with highest degree of responsibility to protect Lebanon and to put an end to all forms of tension, reactions, and violations.
Loyalty to the Resistance bloc MP Hussein Hajj Hassan said both political rhetoric and the general popular status are entwined and interlinked together. “Consensus between Lebanese leaders on pacification reflects positively on the public, security and political levels. A political pacification and logical rhetoric away from threat, treason and incitement provide an internal stability on all spectrums,” he stressed.
“As long as the Lebanese political forces adopt a rational dialogue away from tension and sectarianism,” according to Hajj Hassan “the political differences that could lead to security incidents or riots could be resolved easily.”
"The Lebanese aspire to peace and reconciliation which is currently taking place between the rival political and parliamentary circles,” Hajj Hassan stressed, referring to "the positive political atmosphere which reflects positively on all aspects in the country.”
Elections’ role
The recent parliamentary elections in Lebanon on June 7 showed the inability of local media to be impartial in their news coverage. Media outlets contributed indirectly to provoking tension and transmitting news that might have lead to strife, thereby violating the new Electoral Media Law that stipulates an obligation to ensure balanced coverage.
The proportional calm that brought about the Doha agreement was soon transformed into a crisis announcing the kick off of the electoral race, which some predicted it would never occur or at least witness security breechings.
Media outlets already divided between the pro-government and opposition groups upheld their political positions and played a key role in the electoral campaigns. A large space of the Lebanese media was occupied - and in some cases monopolized - by seven to eight political leaders heading the main political parties. Independent candidates were virtually ignored by the main media outlets, seen as lacking in political weight and influence.
Change and Reform bloc MP Alain Aoun said the Doha agreement opened new page between the rival factions after the political tension rose to its peak in Lebanon. But unfortunately this calm was quickly turned into a verbal war the minute the electoral campaign was launched. Aoun accused the March 14 of resorting to personal and inciting rhetoric, referring to the “video played on You-Tube” displaying the attacks launched by MP Michel Aoun against MP Nayla Tueini, several spiritual leadership, his caustic attacks on political opponents and media outlets.
After the long-awaited June 7 battle was over, and all the concerned parties recognized the election results, according to Aoun, calm has returned to overshadow the Lebanese scene because Lebanon can only be governed by consensus and partnership despite the ripping political adversity and differences.
All agree that it is mandatory to develop a network of national safety away from the political tension which reflected negatively on the street in many occasions.
There is no doubt that the calm political rhetoric is the fruit of policy of stretched open arms adopted by Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri.
Hariri’s policy over the victory of March 14 in the last parliamentary elections reflected a great national unity spirit that would help the Lebanese “cross to the state” through the establishment of a new phase in Lebanese political life towards stability, security and developing the socio-economic and livelihood conditions.
Cancellation ideology…over
Lebanon First bloc MP Ziad Kadri believes the parliamentary elections was pivotal to restore the respect of Taïf agreement, and the substantive resolutions to the crisis that was settled in Doha as a result of the accumulation of political controversy in the street outside the State’s institutions. Sectarian tensions dated back to May 7, 2008 when armed clashes broke out between pro-government and opposition supporters following the cabinet’s decision to dismantle Hizbullah’s telecommunication network.
Two years of political stalemate preceded the May 7 shootings after Shiite ministers representing Hizbullah and Amal resigned from the government headed by Fouad Siniora in November 2006, paralyzing the state’s institutions.
In that period, the political division reached its peak. The sectarian and religious strife were tantamount to political incitements that were culminated by May 7 events, and the “Tuesday-Thursday black days” and its repercussion on the popular base.
Kadri is confident that the current approach in the country is totally different, depicted by the parties’ intentions to open a new chapter in the book of Lebanon. This contagious atmosphere of reconciliation is extending throughout the Lebanese territories.
“The elections ended successfully and the defeated team - March 8 - accepted the result. However the strenuous efforts of “extending arms and openness” started to bear fruits with the re-election of Speaker Nabih Berri for a fifth term as Speaker, and today we are in the process of forming a national unity government led by Saad Hariri towards advancing the country and facing all the looming dangers,” Kadri concluded.

Jumblatt finishes what General Aoun has started…
As-Safir newspaper wrote on its Monday's edition (August 3- 2009):
Walid Jumblatt has done it, and declared it officially, yesterday, his withdrawal along with his party and his religious sect from the “Union of Necessity” with the group of March 14th, he has further officially declared the termination of validity of this political situation that he has brought to life and maintained until the “prize” was handed over to parliamentarian Saad Harriri at the end of the 2005 elections.
Walid Jumblatt has done it. It is a step that has not come as a surprise to many among the pro-government as well as the opposition groups, domestically or internationally. Everyone was awaiting it prior to the elections, but aside from Walid Jumblatt himself, no one could predict the moment or the manner or the exit plan, for he has “invented” a public association exclusive of his socialist party, both in occasion and in podium of expression, so he may envelop his political position before he takes further in the direction of recreating a new position that although it began between two situations has evolved yesterday, towards an attempt at appearing as a national movement with new powers and new standards and beliefs.
Walid Jumblatt has done it, so that he may continue what was started before him by General Michel Aoun, the day he rebelled against the March 14th Movement in the summer of 2005, moving himself into the arena of the opposition. So the question that remains now is what is the fate of this superficial address or headline after 2 of its major constituents have abandoned it and it has lost its strong Joumblattian backbone, no less the most important reasons for its existence, along with the absence of the Saudi-Syrian conflict and the movement of those two Arab countries towards a political situation at the level of mutual relations with each other as well as with other Arab countries, agreeing with them with the notion that there is no movement backwards to what used to be I that is to say to the period of brusqueness and rupture.
Walid Jumblatt has done it, and visited Damascus yesterday, effectively, and it will no longer be necessary to tap his phone to know when his next visit to Damascus will be, for if the government is politically finished with the exception of a few last minute Lebanese formulations, history remains, and it will only be as far as the next visit of the appointed prime minister to Damascus, and it definitely will not be in the form of a broad delegation but rather he will be alone and probably arrive at the presidential palace driving his own car without any security or escort.
Walid Jumblatt has done it and has become as of yesterday morning “a traitor” according to the dictionary of those who wanted a political coup to reach farther than the evacuation of the Syrian army, and in return has become in the eyes of others from the opposition and some of the leftist forces, the “prodigal son” who has regained his senses if after a four of five year period, a period rich in political transformations and events.
Walid Jumblatt has done it, and decided to stand on top of the hill observing the Lebanese regional and national scene that is rapidly changing, realizing the dangers of the Sunni-Shiite sedition attempting to control this “ enormous fracture” after he himself was accused prior to the 7th of May of seeking, along with other forces, specifically Christian, to expand this dangerous sectarian rift so that his position and control may become more powerful at the expense of the weakening of the Sunni and Shiite forces in Lebanon.
Walid Jumblatt has done it and allowed Nabih Berri to win the bet, in such that the balance of power between majority and minority has been defeated in favor of the creation of new balances. For the majority, which prided itself on acquiring 71 parliamentarians, now stands to lose the majority of them with the loss of a group of 10 parliamentarians of the “new democratic assembly” (excluding Marwan Hmede), and it is now up to whatever is left of March 14th and March 8th, if it remains intact, to plan ahead in many of the situations yet to come in the future, noticeably the upcoming ministerial designations.