LCCC
ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
December 03/09
Late Syrian
president Hafez Assad admits in a speech delivered in Damascus in 1976 that he sent his Army
into Lebanon with any Lebanese's call or approval. Click on the below link to
listen to the speech
http://www.youtube.com/watch?gl=NL&hl=nl&v=MfpHvn_CH5I&feature=related
Bible Reading of the day
Luke15/11-31: "He said, “A certain man had
two sons. 15:12 The younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me my
share of your property.’ He divided his livelihood between them. 15:13 Not many
days after, the younger son gathered all of this together and traveled into a
far country. There he wasted his property with riotous living. 15:14 When he had
spent all of it, there arose a severe famine in that country, and he began to be
in need. 15:15 He went and joined himself to one of the citizens of that
country, and he sent him into his fields to feed pigs. 15:16 He wanted to fill
his belly with the husks that the pigs ate, but no one gave him any. 15:17 But
when he came to himself he said, ‘How many hired servants of my father’s have
bread enough to spare, and I’m dying with hunger! 15:18 I will get up and go to
my father, and will tell him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in your
sight. 15:19 I am no more worthy to be called your son. Make me as one of your
hired servants.”’
15:20 “He arose, and came to his father. But while he was still far off, his
father saw him, and was moved with compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck,
and kissed him. 15:21 The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against
heaven, and in your sight. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ 15:22
“But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring out the best robe, and put it on
him. Put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet. 15:23 Bring the fattened
calf, kill it, and let us eat, and celebrate; 15:24 for this, my son, was dead,
and is alive again. He was lost, and is found.’ They began to celebrate. 15:25
“Now his elder son was in the field. As he came near to the house, he heard
music and dancing. 15:26 He called one of the servants to him, and asked what
was going on. 15:27 He said to him, ‘Your brother has come, and your father has
killed the fattened calf, because he has received him back safe and healthy.’
15:28 But he was angry, and would not go in. Therefore his father came out, and
begged him. 15:29 But he answered his father, ‘Behold, these many years I have
served you, and I never disobeyed a commandment of yours, but you never gave me
a goat, that I might celebrate with my friends. 15:30 But when this, your son,
came, who has devoured your living with prostitutes, you killed the fattened
calf for him.’ 15:31 “He said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that
is mine is yours. 15:32 But it was appropriate to celebrate and be glad, for
this, your brother, was dead, and is alive again. He was lost, and is found.’”
Free Opinions, Releases, letters & Special
Reports
Democracy and Consensus/By:Abdullah
Iskandar/December
02/09
Hezbollah’s constitution/The new
manifesto of resistance and arms/By: Hanin Ghaddar/December
02/09
Hizbollah's new
manifesto/By:
Paul Woodward/December
02/09
Hizbullah's new
platform way to prove its integral role/AFP/By:
Rouba Kabbara/December
02/09
Lebanon through writers' eyes/Telegraph.co.uk/December
02/09
Latest
News Reports From Miscellaneous Sources for December 02/09
Aoun: My Meeting with Sfeir
Would be in the Interest of Christians and Lebanon/Naharnet
Maronite Bishops: We Welcome Aoun's Visit and Reconciliations/Naharnet
March 14: Hizbullah's Manifesto Fails to Heed Capabilities of the State/Naharnet
Assad Discusses with
Khoury Prospects of Lebanese-Syrian Ties/Naharnet
Last-ditch Attempt by Pharaon to Amend 6th Clause/Naharnet
Suleiman for Single Electoral Constituency and Equal Power Sharing/Naharnet
Jumblat: Consensual
Democracy is the Best Solution/Naharnet
Bellemare Visits Suleiman
Amid Report that 'Circle of Suspects is Expanding'/Naharnet
Israel Continues
Violations Amid Disagreement between Lebanese and U.N. Over Stronger State
Institutions/Naharnet
Berri Promises Vote of
Confidence Session Starting Monday/Naharnet
Abbas in Beirut Monday/Naharnet
Detroit
on lookout for Lebanese shooter/Daily
Star
Assyrian
group launches education scholarship/Daily
Star
Baroud
discusses migrant rights with embassies/Daily
Star
Denmark
takes over UNIFIL command/Daily
Star
Sandwich
superstar turned night-wear wonder opens inaugural store/Daily
Star
Khalifeh
stresses right to treatment on AIDS Day/Daily
Star
Jeita
Grotto committee discusses New 7 Wonders tactics
/Daily Star
Lebanon
emissions greatly disproportionate to population/Daily
Star
Lebanon
successfully issues $500 million in Eurobonds - Hassan/Daily
Star
Bellemare in Beirut to review cooperation with STL
/Daily Star
Sleiman
advocates equal power sharing among sects/Daily
Star
Hizbullah's new platform way to prove its integral role/AFP
Beirut's
call to Copenhagen
/Daily Star
March 14: Hizbullah's Manifesto Fails to Heed Capabilities of the State
Naharnet/The March 14 general-secretariat said Wednesday that Hizbullah confined
the mission of defending the nation to the Islamic resistance, ignoring the
capabilities of the Lebanese.
"Hizbullah's manifesto gave the mission of defending the nation to the Islamic
resistance in Lebanon and transformed the state, the army and people into its
supporters," said the conferees following their weekly meeting. "This ignores
the capabilities of the Lebanese." Consequently, the document contradicts the
Taef accord which gave Lebanon the right to liberate land, the March 14
statement said. As for the cabinet policy statement, it reflects the settlements
that accompanied the formation of the "settlement cabinet," the conferees said.
Beirut, 02 Dec 09, 14:51
Assad Discusses with Khoury Prospects of Lebanese-Syrian Ties
Naharnet/Syrian President Bashar Assad discussed with head of the
Lebanese-Syrian Higher Council Nasri Khoury the development of ties between the
two countries, Syria's state-run news agency, SANA, said Wednesday. Assad and
Khoury talked about "development of Syrian-Lebanese relations and future
prospects following the formation of the national unity cabinet," SANA said. The
two men also discussed the role of the Council in improving the historic
relations between the two countries' people, according to SANA.
Beirut, 02 Dec 09, 13:57
Maronite Bishops: We Welcome Aoun's Visit and Reconciliations
Naharnet/The Council of Maronite Bishops welcomed on Wednesday Free Patriotic
Movement leader Michel Aoun's visit to Bkirki and reconciliations among several
Lebanese leaders.
"The bishops welcomed Aoun's visit ... and discussed with him national issues,"
Monsignor Youssef Tawq said following the council's monthly meeting in Bkirki.
The bishops also hoped Aoun's visit would reflect positively on the Lebanese.
Aoun had met with Sfeir and the Maronite bishops earlier in the day.
The bishops also welcomed the reconciliations that recently took place between
Druze leader Walid Jumblat and Marada chief Suleiman Franjieh on the one hand
and Jumblat and Aoun on the other. The statement read by Tawq hoped that the
reconciliations would bring understanding to the national level. The bishops
hoped the upcoming holidays would help Lebanese forget hatred against each
other. Beirut, 02 Dec 09, 13:06 /Daily Star
Aoun: My Meeting with Sfeir Would be in the Interest of Christians and Lebanon
Naharnet/Free Patriotic Movement leader Michel Aoun said following talks with
Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Sfeir on Wednesday that his meeting would have
"positive results" which would be in the interest of Christians and Lebanon. "I
believe the results of the talks would be excellent on the level of ties" with
Bkirki, Aoun said after meeting Sfeir and attending part of the meeting of the
Council of Maronite Bishops. "It was a closed-door meeting," the MP said when
asked by reporters about the major issues he discussed with Sfeir. Although he
refused to go into the details of his discussion, Aoun said: "Positive results
would appear and would be in the interest of Christians and Lebanon." He said he
discussed the latest events in lebanon and the two sides made clarifications on
their stances. Change and Reform bloc MP Ibrahim Kenaan said the Aoun-Sfeir
meeting was aimed at stressing contacts between the two sides. He told LBC TV
network ahead of Aoun's statement that the talks have national and Christian
meanings. Kenaan also said that Aoun and Sfeir would discuss national Christian
strategic issues and make efforts to clarify reasons behind differences. Beirut,
02 Dec 09, 11:42
Last-ditch Attempt by Pharaon to Amend 6th Clause
Naharnet/State Minister Michel Pharaon will make a last-minute attempt to
propose an amendment to the policy statement's sixth clause during the cabinet
session on Wednesday, As Safir newspaper reported. Other local media, however,
said that objections and reservations expressed won't influence the adoption of
the statement by the cabinet which convened at Baabda palace at 11:30 am.
Reservations will be expressed on the sixth clause which deals with the
resistance, by Phalange Party, Lebanese Forces ministers and Minister Boutros
Harb.
The clause states the right of "Lebanon, its government, its people, its army
and its resistance" to liberate all Lebanese territory. The sources of the four
ministers (Phalange, LF and Harb) have told An Nahar newspaper that expressing
reservations does not mean objection because the statement includes "many
positive" issues. Following the adoption of the statement on Wednesday, a
parliamentary vote of confidence session will most probably be held early next
week. Other than the cabinet policy statement, which will be the main issue on
the agenda of the government session, President Michel Suleiman will inform
ministers about his visit to the U.S. next week. Suleiman will meet with his
U.S. counterpart Barack Obama, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Defense
Secretary Robert Gates and other top officials, An Nahar said. Beirut, 02 Dec
09, 08:10
Suleiman for Single Electoral Constituency and Equal Power Sharing
Naharnet/President Michel Suleiman stressed on Wednesday that he was convinced
about the need to abolish political sectarianism and did not object to
transforming Lebanon into a single electoral constituency. Suleiman told Ad-Diyar
newspaper, however, that "major steps should be taken ahead of abolishing
sectarianism in politics." "The president does not mind or reject turning
Lebanon into a single electoral district on condition of guaranteeing division
of shares," Suleiman said. He added that "civil marriage helps abolish
sectarianism which should first start by establishing the committee that has
been mentioned in the Constitution." Last month, Suleiman called for the
establishment of a committee to work towards the abolition of religion-based
politics in Lebanon. "To encourage vast participation (in political life), a
national committee should be established and charged with abolishing
confessionalism in politics," he said in a speech marking the country's 66th
anniversary of independence. Suleiman stressed Tuesday that the abolishment of
sectarianism should preserve diversity, adding that national unity was a
pre-requisite to tackle major issues. "Abolishing political sectarianism must
preserve fundamentals such as diversity and equal power sharing among various
sects," Suleiman told a delegation from the Beirut Bar Association. He stressed
that the National Coexistence Charter, which is a pact calling for unity and
signed by representatives of Lebanon's major sects, shall be bolstered since it
"characterizes Lebanon and gives legitimacy to all institutions." Beirut, 02 Dec
09, 10:04
Jumblat: Consensual Democracy is the Best Solution
Naharnet/Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblat has said consensual
democracy is the best solution for Lebanon adding that he agreed with Hizbullah
on several issues brought up in the Shiite party's new manifesto. "The
deficiency in the Lebanese system is political sectarianism," Jumblat told As
Safir, adding that "consensual democracy is the best solution and the best way
to rule Lebanon." On Monday, Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said
abolishment of political sectarianism was the "basic condition" for the
establishment of a true democracy in which the majority rules and the minority
opposes. "Political sectarianism is blocking the development of the Lebanese
political regime and standing as an obstacle in the face of a democracy where
the majority rules and the minority opposes," Nasrallah said while reading his
party's new manifesto. Speaker Nabih Berri's recent proposal to put an end to
political sectarianism has drawn a huge debate among the country's factions.
Jumblat told As Safir that he had Hizbullah's same views on the Israeli danger,
the importance of the resistance and the need for dialogue between Arabs and
Iran. The Druze leader also said he agreed with Nasrallah that the United States
works on protecting Israel and its interests without any consideration to the
Arab world.
Beirut, 02 Dec 09, 09:26
Bellemare Visits Suleiman Amid Report that 'Circle of Suspects is Expanding'
Naharnet/Prosecutor of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon Daniel Bellemare
congratulated President Michel Suleiman on the formation of the new government
and thanked Lebanese authorities for their cooperation with the STL, a
presidential statement said Wednesday. Suleiman, in his turn, lauded the work
carried out by the court and stressed Lebanon's continuous support for the
tribunal. The president said Lebanon trusted the integrity of the STL and its
decisions which are taken away from political considerations, the statement
added.
Bellemare on Tuesday began a seven-day visit to Beirut where he will meet
members of the new Lebanese government, his spokeswoman said. During the visit,
Bellemare's first to the country, he will stress the importance of cooperation
between the Lebanese authorities and the tribunal, Radhia Achouri said in a
statement. The tribunal was set up by U.N. Security Council resolution in 2007
to try suspects in the murder of Lebanese ex-prime minister Rafik Hariri who was
killed in a massive bomb blast on the Beirut seafront in February 2005.
Meanwhile, a source following up the functions of the tribunal told al-Liwaa
newspaper that "the circle of suspects is expanding."He also ruled out
politicization of the court's decisions. Beirut, 02 Dec 09, 11:33
Israel Continues Violations Amid Disagreement between Lebanese and U.N. Over
Stronger State Institutions
Naharnet/The U.N. Security Council has reportedly asked the Lebanese government
to strengthen its state institutions to fully implement resolution 1701, an
issue of contention with the world body as a result of continued Israeli
violations. An Nahar daily said Wednesday that the demand came last week during
the Council's monthly briefing on the Middle East.
Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs Haile Menkerios told the
Security Council that the U.N. looked forward to working with the new Lebanese
government on implementing Security Council resolutions. He also said the
situation in the area of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL)
remained quiet, although Israeli air violations continued on an almost daily
basis. Furthermore, An Nahar said that U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon continues to
demand the Lebanese government to strengthen its institutions and Lebanese
officials snap back by urging the Council to pressure Israel on ending its
violations of Lebanese airspace which are in contravention of resolution 1701.
Lebanese officials, also demand compensations for citizens affected by Israeli
aggressions and full withdrawal from all occupied Lebanese territories. An Nahar
quoted officials as saying that bias towards Israel rather than the adoption of
a neutral stance by the Council, encourages the Jewish state to continue
violating resolutions on the Lebanese-Israeli conflict, in particular 1701.
Beirut, 02 Dec 09, 08:41
Berri Promises Vote of Confidence Session Starting Monday
Naharnet/Speaker Nabih Berri has promised to hold a parliamentary vote of
confidence session starting next Monday following the cabinet's adoption of the
policy statement on Wednesday. Berri told As Safir daily in remarks published
Wednesday that he would call for the session next Monday if the policy statement
was referred to parliament on Thursday and distributed to lawmakers 48 hours
before the vote of confidence session. The speaker said the three-day session
will be broadcasted live. Beirut, 02 Dec 09, 08:53
Abbas in Beirut Monday
Naharnet/Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is expected to visit Beirut on
Monday for talks with top Lebanese officials, well-informed sources told al-Liwaa
newspaper.
The sources said that during his visit, the first since the election of
President Michel Suleiman, Abbas will discuss a wide-range of issues, including
the right of return for Palestinians, rejection of naturalization and giving
civil and social rights to Palestinian refugees. During his two-day visit, Abbas
will meet with Suleiman, Speaker Nabih Berri and Premier Saad Hariri.
The Palestinian president had told al-Liwaa that he was in continuous contact
with Suleiman and other party officials and religious figures. He had stressed
on brotherly ties with Lebanese state institutions and constitutional
authorities. Beirut, 02 Dec 09, 07:30
Hezbollah’s constitution
The new manifesto of resistance and arms
By: Hanin Ghaddar,
December 1, 2009
Now Lebanon/On a giant screen erected at the al-Jinan Hall in the southern
suburbs of Beirut, Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah appeared
Monday evening and read his party’s new manifesto. It was Hezbollah’s second
ever political platform, which will frame its political and ideological projects
in the coming years.
The first manifesto, issued in 1985, called for the establishment of Islamic
rule in Lebanon, but the party has since softened this rhetoric. Many expected
other major changes in the new manifesto, due to the many changes on the local
and regional political scene, but except for the clause about the Islamic state,
and the party expressing its will to be more involved in the Lebanese political
scene, nothing has really changed. On the contrary, what Nasrallah described as
the party’s desired level of involvement in Lebanese political affairs doesn’t
signal any change in its commitment to its allies, Syria and Iran.
During his speech Nasrallah stressed that the Resistance has shaped itself as a
major and successful political player in the country. “Through its long path and
its victories, the Resistance… has grown from a liberating power to a defense
and deterrence power, in addition to its political and internal role as an
influence in building a just and capable state,” he told reporters, hinting that
his party would have a major role in formulating any national defense strategy.
Though many columnists have taken the new manifesto to be a sign that Hezbollah
is “Lebanizing” – crafting a more national identity for itself – the party still
sees itself as a valid substitute to the state and indeed exists as a
state-within-the-state. Nasrallah made that clear when he said, “All political
decisions should belong to the state; the problem is the absence of the state.”
But if so little has really changed in the party’s political platform, why
announce it now, and why make such a big deal out of it?
The timing was, of course, significant. Hezbollah released its manifesto
immediately after the Lebanese government finalized drafting the ministerial
statement and right before it officially released it. It is almost as if
Nasrallah was declaring the Hezbollah government’s own ministerial statement to
go alongside that of the national government. The fact that the media and
political class paid so much attention to the announcement is a clear sign of
how important the Lebanese believe Hezbollah’s political agenda to be. They
understand, after four years of struggling for independence, that Hezbollah’s
political platform will shape the future of the country, as the party will
continue to act as an Iranian and Syrian proxy that exercises great control over
state institutions and keeps Lebanon a regional battlefield.
Hezbollah wasn’t always such a major political player in the country. For years
the party had the luxury of being able to focus on its resistance role in the
South. But the major crossroads for the party, and for Lebanon as a whole, came
in 2005, when the Syrian regime withdrew from the country after almost 30 years
of occupation, and left Hezbollah to act politically on its behalf. The party
inherited Damascus’ role at a time when the Lebanese were seething with anger at
Syria and were determined to bring to justice those behind the assassination of
former PM Rafik Hariri.
The party’s first action was to go against the flow and organize a
counterdemonstration to March 14’s Cedar Revolution called “Thank you Syria” –
an indication of Hezbollah’s intention to challenge the March 14 alliance and
those calling for sovereignty and independence.
And that’s exactly what they did over the next four years.
But the party did suffer a few setbacks along the road, namely the May 7 events
of 2008, when opposition gunmen attempted to take over Beirut and parts of Mount
Lebanon. Though the Hezbollah leadership managed to convince its supporters that
the bloody and traumatic May events were a victory for the Islamic Resistance,
the party’s reputation was badly tarnished among the wider Lebanese public.
The Shia community in Lebanon paid the price. Many Lebanese Shia, especially
those who lived in the Dahiyeh and who worked in other areas of Beirut, were
subjected to the anger their compatriots felt over the attempted coup. Many lost
their jobs. In the predominantly Sunni Gulf states, where many Lebanese Shia
have been working for years – in some cases providing for more than one family –
contracts, visas and work permits suddenly became more difficult to renew.
The result was a localized economic downturn in Dahiyeh, which has led to a
worrying increase in petty crime, car theft, prostitution and drug dealing. This
is one of the main reasons Hezbollah requested the Internal Security Forces to
intervene and launched the “Order Comes from Faith” campaign.
Hezbollah has thus sought to turn a new page, so to speak, and re-establish
itself as a Lebanese party through its new manifesto, a series of reconciliatory
meetings, cooperation with the ISF and with other Lebanese factions.
But as Hezbollah attempts to recuperate its losses and make a name for itself on
the domestic political scene, Damascus is re-entering the equation following the
recent Syrian-Saudi rapprochement and may want to take back the role it handed
over to the party four years ago.
At the same time, negotiations are underway between Iran and the West over
Tehran’s nuclear program, and no matter how it ends, Hezbollah will pay the
price. A deal between the West and Iran would probably mean a decrease in
Tehran’s financial and military support for Hezbollah. But if there were a war
with Israel, the party would still have to get involved to defend Iran.
In both cases, Hezbollah needs to protect itself. Therefore, its new manifesto
was meant to signal the “Lebanization” of the party and its integration into the
Lebanese system, but at the same time reaffirm its role and power as an armed
resistance with a broad outlook.
Lebanon through writers' eyes
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/expat/6694096/Lebanon-through-writers-eyes.html
By Ted Gorton
Published: 02 Dec 2009
telegraph.co
Lebanon is teeming with the vestiges of earlier civilisations and émigrés of
every conceivable variety, due to its beauty and its location. Our writer has
compiled an anthology exploring this.
Lebanon attracts all kinds of expats. Take Sinuhe, an Egyptian. He got in
political trouble at home and had to flee, heading first for Byblos on the coast
and then settling near Baalbek. There he married a notable’s daughter, got rich,
and eventually retired back to Egypt to write his memoirs. Not your typical
Lebanese expat story—but then again, that was in 1875. 1875 BC, that is.
Sinuhe was not alone. In antiquity, the famous cedar forests provided cover for
the really desperate, mystical or just crazy. With time, whole tribes and sects
left the plains or desert and staked out a corner of the mountain, where their
descendants cling to (and defend tooth and nail) whatever cultural quirk tempted
them into exile all those years ago.
Later came the eccentric Europeans, like Lady Hester Stanhope. A niece of Pitt
the Younger and a famous horsewoman, Hester fell for Oriental travel after being
received like a queen in Syria. She settled in an old Lebanese convent and soon
became a fixture on the Grand Tour, which funnelled the great and good of Europe
towards the Holy Land. Her money eventually ran out and she died alone, crazed
and abandoned by friends and servants alike (an object lesson for potential
expats everywhere).
In modern times, deposed politicians or bourgeois exiles settled in various
Beirut neighbourhoods and gave them a distinctive flavour of their
homeland—Syria or Egypt, Armenia or Palestine. There is a large Anglo-Saxon
community centred in West Beirut, many teaching at venerable institutions like
the American University of Beirut (AUB) or the new universities and language
schools, having fled less mortal dangers like failure to win tenure. There are
journalists on r&r from war zones, swapping tales at the bar of the Commodore
Hotel. There are bankers and stockbrokers taking advantage of one of the few
economies to have weathered the recent crisis with its banks intact. There is a
frantic, diamond-and-champagne diplomatic social scene that flourishes in
inverse proportion to the size of the country (10,000 square kilometres).
There are two more recent expat species in Beirut, the jet-setting hedonist and
the tax exile. With the 1975-90 civil war now consigned to history, and the
withdrawal in 2005 of the Syrian army, the fact that Lebanon levies only a
symbolic income tax on investments began to attract serious numbers of wealthy
Europeans and Gulf Arabs. Accommodation is expensive but spacious, domestic help
readily available and cheap; a retired banker or deal-maker in search of a tax
haven can live a chauffeur-driven lifestyle for a fraction of the cost back
home.
Lately CNN and other TV channels as well as the print media have been gushing
about Lebanon’s new status as party Mecca, where beef flown in from Scotland is
washed down with buckets of Roederer Cristal champagne. Bevies of Slavic go-go
dancers provide ambiance, and gambling is tolerated (or required, at the famous
Casino north of Beirut).
Sounds like a rowdy, vulgar cabaret of a country? Well, there is that aspect,
and it is easy to find if that is what you really want.
My Lebanon is very different. Since I first came here - to study at AUB way back
in 1967 - I have found it to be many things, none of them remotely
cabaret-tinged or tax-driven. Example: a leisurely meal in a restaurant founded
in the 1960s by a Lebanese-Mexican returned expat. There you sit as midday
morphs gently into evening, sipping fine Lebanese wine or heady anis-flavoured
arak, nibbling from a seemingly endless parade of small mezze platters: the
usual hummus and mutabbal, but literally dozens of others, from tiny white
aubergines (in season, like everything else) stuffed with garlic, to salads of
rocket mixed with fragrant wild thyme. Capped off by a grilled seabass caught
the night before by one of the old fishing-boats that bob lazily in the sun
during the day down below, in the old Phoenician harbour. For this is Byblos,
where the sun sets into the sea beyond a field of untidy Egyptian, Greek,
Persian, Roman and Arab ruins, brooded over by an upstart Crusader castle.
Other than the cuisine, one could add: skiing among cedars and pine with a view
of the Med; staying in a renovated Druze palace-hotel in the fabled Shouf
mountains; visiting the best surviving Roman temple anywhere at Baalbek;
bargaining for textiles or brass in the souks of Tripoli; hiking on the newly
way-marked Lebanese Mountain Trail running down the backbone of the country from
north to south; or a vineyard tour, tasting a surprising variety of wines
(remember the Song of Songs?).
The locals are incredibly gregarious and hospitable in three or four languages,
and make the most undistinguished foreigner feel special. There is a modern
international airport with a vast hub of connections.
But there is a problem. If you live here, where do you go on holiday?
Hizbullah's new platform way to prove its integral role
New manifesto shows group part of lebanon’s domestic scene
By Agence France Presse (AFP)
Wednesday, December 02, 2009
Analysis
Rouba Kabbara
Agence France Presse
BEIRUT: Hizbullah’s new political platform signals a shift in its position as it
seeks to portray itself as an integral part of Lebanon’s domestic scene rather
than an Iranian proxy, analysts said Tuesday. “The manifesto is reassuring as it
shows Hizbullah’s integration with Lebanese political life,” said Paul Salem,
who heads the Beirut-based Carnegie Middle East Center.
“In the first manifesto, it posited itself straight out as a proponent of an
Islamic republic, whereas this document strikes a balance between the party’s
ties to Lebanon and its ties to Iran,” Hizbullah’s main backer, Salem told AFP
Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah on Monday announced his party’s second
manifesto since 1985.
The first manifesto called for the establishment of Islamic rule in Lebanon, but
the party leadership has toned down its rhetoric in recent years as it gained
political clout.
On Monday, Nasrallah said that his party’s continued ideological commitment to
Iran’s brand of Islamic government did not contradict its role in local
politics.
Political analyst Rafiq Nasrallah, who is not related to the Hizbullah chief,
said the second manifesto signalled a new phase in the militant party’s history.
“Hizbullah has now confirmed that it is a major player in local politics,
thereby contradicting its first manifesto,” he told AFP. “In this manifesto,
Hizbullah did not say it was the sole power on the ground, but spoke of
cohabitation between a strong army and popular resistance,” Nasrallah added.
But Salem points out that the second manifesto, while softer in tone,
nonetheless defends the party’s right to bear arms.
It refers to the weapons as a fixture and not as a transitional phase followed
by integration with the army,” he said.
Oussama Safa, who heads the Lebanese Center for Policy Studies, says that while
the manifesto sounds more “Lebanese” in tone, Hizbullah is unequivocal about its
right to keep its arsenal.
“This manifesto clearly shows Hizbullah’s arms are not open to discussion,” he
told AFP.
But in its manifesto, Hizbullah, which has been accused of running a state
within a state, notably with its social and humanitarian operations, called for
a united Lebanon that represents everyone.
“We want a Lebanon that is united through its land, its people, its state and
institutions,” Nasrallah said in announcing the 32-page manifesto.
Hizbullah is the only faction which refused to disarm after Lebanon’s 1975-1990
Civil War.
It argues that its weapons are needed to protect the country against Israel,
which withdrew its troops from south Lebanon in 2000 after a 22-year occupation.
Nasrallah, 49, has headed Hizbullah since 1992 when his predecessor, Abbas
Moussaoui, was killed in an Israeli helicopter raid. The party has participated
in Parliament since 1992 and had ministers in government since 2005.
Prime Minister Saad Hariri’s new Cabinet in November agreed on a policy
statement that acknowledged Hizbullah’s right to hold weapons for use against
Israel, despite disagreement by some members of the ruling majority.
The statement underlines the right of “Lebanon, its government, its people, its
army and its resistance” to liberate all Lebanese territory
Hizbollah's new manifesto
Paul Woodward, Online Correspondent
http://www.thenational.ae/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20091202/GLOBALBRIEFING/912029997/1009/weekenderlisttemplate?template=globalbriefing
Last Updated: December 02. 2009 11:18AM UAE / December 2. 2009 7:18AM GMT In its
first comprehensive ideological declaration since releasing its original
manifesto in 1985, Hizbollah has issue a new political statement, an appeal for
national unity.
"We want Lebanon for all Lebanese alike, and we want it unified. We reject any
kind of segregation or federalism, whether explicit or disguised," the new
manifesto declared.
"The document was released by the Hizbollah general secretary, Hassan Nasrallah,
yesterday [Monday] during a press conference and speech delivered from a secure
video link," The National reported.
"In many ways, the document appears intended to codify Hizbollah's well-known
transformation from a guerrilla group fighting Israel into Lebanon's most
powerful political movement and a leader in an alliance of non-aligned groups
and nations opposed to US policies around the world.
"The press conference was a highly unusual public step for Mr Nasrallah, who is
widely believed to be a candidate for targeted assassination by the Israelis for
his role in leading the militant group since 1992, seven years after it was
founded."
Hizbollah noted that the previous administration in Washington had made no
distinction between terrorism and national resistance movements.
The document said: "the Bush administration sought to establish a conformity
between terrorism and resistance to remove the latter's legitimacy and therefore
justify wars against its movements, seeking to remove the fundamental right of
the nations of defending their right to live with dignity and national
sovereignty."
In presenting its vision of Lebanon, Hizbollah did so in terms encompassing the
goals of a secular, pluralistic democracy.
"Our vision for the state that we should build together in Lebanon is
represented in the state that preserves public freedoms, the state that is keen
on national unity, the state that protects its land, people, and sovereignty,
the state that has a national, strong and prepared army, the state that is
structured under the base of modern, effective and cooperative institutions, the
state that is committed to the application of laws on all its citizens without
differentiation, the state that guarantees a correct and right parliamentary
representation based on a modern election law that allows the voters of choosing
their representative away from pressures, the state that depends on qualified
people regardless of their religious beliefs and that defines mechanisms to
fight corruption in administration, the state that enjoys an independent and
non-politicized justice authority, the state that establishes its economy mainly
according to the producing sectors and works on consolidating them especially
the agriculture and industry ones, the state that applies the principle of
balanced development between all regions, the state that cares for its people
and works to provide them with appropriate services, that state that takes care
of the youth generation and help young people to develop their energies and
talents, the state that works to consolidate the role of women at all levels,
the state that care for education and work to strengthen the official schools
and university alongside applying the principle of obligatory teaching, the
state that adopts a decentralised system, the state that works hard to stop
emigration and the state that guards its people all over the world and protects
them and benefits from their positions to serve the national causes."
But if Lebanon's neighbour to the south might imagine it could draw comfort from
such an expression, Mr Nasrallah was emphatic in dispelling such an illusion:
"We categorically reject any compromise with Israel or recognising its
legitimacy," he concluded. "This position is definitive, even if everyone
recognises Israel."
The Los Angeles Times said: "even as Nasrallah spoke of a 'global front line'
against American and Israeli threats, he appeared to take a step back from
Hizbollah's previously stated commitment to liberating Palestine from Israel.
Instead, Nasrallah called on Arab countries to make Palestine a central issue.
" 'This is geared for internal consumption and that is why it is such a
cautiously worded document,' said Amal Saad-Ghorayeb, a Hizbollah expert in
Lebanon.
"Over the years, Hizbollah has evolved from a Shiite Islamist militia whose
primary goal was to drive Israel out of Lebanon to a self-sufficient mini-state
with its own infrastructure, social services, political leadership and standing
army. But after Israel's near complete withdrawal in 2000 the party has had to
reorient itself within the internal political landscape and soften some of its
stances.
" 'It's a very difficult task to reconcile the seemingly irreconcilable
identities of Hizbollah: the Lebanese, the secular, the Arab, and the Shia, when
they all seem to contradict each other,' said Saad-Ghorayeb. 'In the end it has
to cater to so many different constituencies.'"
Meanwhile, Beirut's Daily Star reported: "President Michel Sleiman is expected
to make a three-day visit to the US on December 12, for talks with President
Barack Obama. The pair are slated to discuss Lebanese-American bilateral ties,
Lebanon's outlook on the Middle East peace process and a potential increase in
US military aid to the Lebanese Army.
"The president is also expected to hold talks with several top US officials,
address the American Congress and meet delegations of Lebanese expatriates.
"Meanwhile, March 14 Christian parties are expected to express their
reservations over article six of the Cabinet's policy statement, which grants
the resistance the right to liberate occupied territories - a clause the
Lebanese Forces (LF) and the Phalange Party rejected, saying it allotted the
resistance a separate and independent status from the Lebanese state and its
people, a reference to Hizbullah."
Last week, Agence France-Presse reported: "Lebanon's new cabinet has agreed on a
policy statement that acknowledges Hizbollah's right to use its weapons against
Israel, despite disagreement by some members of the ruling majority.
"Information Minister Tarek Mitri said late Wednesday after a cabinet committee
set up to draft the statement met for the ninth time that an agreement had been
reached.
"He said the new statement will retain the same clause approved by the previous
cabinet as concerns the arsenal of Hizbollah, which fought a devastating war
with Israel in 2006 and is considered a terrorist organisation by Washington.
"The clause states the right of 'Lebanon, its government, its people, its army
and its resistance [Hizbollah]' to liberate all Lebanese territory."
pwoodward@thenational.ae
Democracy and Consensus
Wed, 02 December 2009
Abdullah Iskandar
http://www.daralhayat.com/portalarticlendah/82442
On the sidelines of the discussions of the policy statement in Lebanon, and
perhaps based on it or as an echo of some of its ideas, the research focuses on
concepts that establish the meaning of the state, its role, the country, the
citizen, and the ruling apparatus.
This research seems evident at the stage of national liberation during which the
features of the future crystallize. But going back to this research in Lebanon -
a country that completed its political independence more than 60 years ago and
witnessed during these decades civil wars and agreements to regulate power, in
light of semi-collective consensuses - means the absence of the ability to draw
lessons from the tragedies in the best scenarios. It also implies the prevalence
of a discontentment with this kind of agreements and the anticipation of a coup
in the balance of powers to change these agreements in the worst scenarios. This
is regardless of all the talk about coexistence, the unity of interests, and
similar goodwill announcements.
Currently, the Lebanese leaders reiterate what the national dialogue committee
repeated on the eve of the civil war in 1975, which was the same they repeated
in 1958. They discussed it at length to end the fighting in 1989 in the Saudi
city Al-Taef. They wrote down the abstract of their agreement in the new
constitution. Despite all that, the country did not survive the renewal of the
conflict and fighting, and the interpretation of the Al-Taef Accord is no longer
linked to everyone abiding by its texts, but is interpreted according to the
side to which the domestic balance of powers is tipped, regardless of how to
amend this balance.
In other words, the country still lacks standards which everyone complies with
and is committed to implement, despite temporary settlements that used to deal
with situational interest of one side or more, regardless of how much it
conforms to the standards that should be binding for everyone.
In this context, the debate over the finality of the nation and the meaning of
the state and political sectarianism and mechanism of governance is repeated.
These issues had clearly been settled by the constitution of Al-Taef. But the
current balance of powers, and perhaps temporary interests, push one side or
more to reiterate this debate.
Hence, the document announced by Hezbollah pointed out that the alternative to
the "unattainable" proper democracy is "consensual democracy." Hezbollah thus
considers it impossible to implement the rules of the current constitution which
stipulates the adoption of the parliamentary republic system and elections as
governance mechanisms by which everyone abides in words and deeds. The party
suggests "consensual democracy", which means that all sides should agree over
what they want from the state, the country, and the citizens. The 2005-2009
experience – during which tension prevailed and some sides resorted to arms –
revealed that the meaning of consensus is restricted to what Hezbollah wants,
not what the constitution wants. This also applies to the arms Hezbollah holds
and its objectives, and also applies to the meaning of the country and its
affiliation. Even if Hezbollah was forced to separate between the religious and
political aspects of the velayat-e faqih [the rule of the supreme jurisconsult]
which is based in the first place on the unity of religion and politics, and
even if ambiguity engulfed the meaning of developing the country that was
subject to changes, if the velayat-e faqih is a religious concept that cannot be
questioned, then how could we agree over this meaning which is in contradiction
with its core? And how can we reconcile the "consensual democracy" and the
Lebanese Constitution on the one hand, and the essence of the velayat-e faqih
that is nonnegotiable on the other hand? This explains the ambiguity that
surrounds the national sense of belonging, in anticipation of the possibility of
pushing Lebanon into a battle imposed by developments linked to Iranian files.
This also raises questions about the meaning of the Lebanese homeland and its
finality. "Consensus" here is not a solution to Lebanon's crises inasmuch as it
is a fulfillment of a political interest for which one Lebanese side works, at
the expense of the constitution which is supposed to be the ceiling that covers
everyone.
The same applies to the call to cancel political sectarianism, numerical
democracy or rotation in presidencies. It ignores the constitution itself that
determined how these issues should be solved, even though the post-Taef
circumstances prevented the implementation of these clauses. The new proposal
comes to fulfill a fleeting political purpose, on the occasion of the debate
over the arms of Hezbollah in the policy statement.
In this sense, "consensual democracy" merges with the direct political
objectives, and paves the way for practices that contradict the constitution and
thus generates new problems rather than solving the existing ones, unless
Hezbollah considers that with power, it has the ability to convince whoever is
unconvinced, as happened after the May 7 events in Beirut and the mountain.