LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
December 08/09

Bible Reading of the day
Metthews7/15-20: “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravening wolves. 7:16 By their fruits you will know them. Do you gather grapes from thorns, or figs from thistles? 7:17 Even so, every good tree produces good fruit; but the corrupt tree produces evil fruit. 7:18 A good tree can’t produce evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree produce good fruit. 7:19 Every tree that doesn’t grow good fruit is cut down, and thrown into the fire. 7:20 Therefore by their fruits you will know them.

Free Opinions, Releases, letters & Special Reports
 Lebanon united for a day/The Daily Star/December 07/09
Lebanon's latest government: a perspective from Israel/By Eyal Zisser/December 07/09
New Opinion: Hezbollah is not quirky/Now Lebanon/December 07/09
Iran the Concerned… Iran the Source of Concern/By: Ghassan Charbel/Al Hayat/December 07/09

Latest News Reports From Miscellaneous Sources for December 07/09
 Netanyahu: Syria relinquished preconditions for talks/Israel News
 Jumblat Urges the Lebanese to Change Priorities, Debates/Naharnet
 Abbas from Baabda: Reports About Issuing Passports to Palestinians Not True/Naharnet
 Israel Approves UNIFIL Solution for Ghajar Pullout/Naharnet
 Netanyahu: Hizbullah is Real Lebanese Army/Naharnet
Israel, Lebanon Have No Immediate Interest in Starting a War, Report/Naharnet
 Majdal Anjar Cell Planned Attacks Against UNIFIL, Could Be Involved in Rocket Firing on Israel/Naharnet
 Abbas from Baabda: Reports About Issuing Passports to Palestinians Not/Naharnet
 Williams: U.N. Ready to Help Lebanon/Naharnet
 Chamoun: I Will Not Grant Confidence Vote to Cabinet/Naharnet
 Report: Israel, UNIFIL Discussed Ghajar Pullout Conditions/Naharnet
 Syrian Openness to Meetings with Shiites Outside the Amal-Hizbullah Team/Naharnet
 The Resistance Tops Vote of Confidence Discussions in Parliament/Naharnet
 What Impact Would Judicial Orders Against Lebanese Politicians, Journalists Have on Hariri's Visit to Damascus?/Naharnet
 Report: Probe into Gemayel's Killing Back to Square One/Naharnet
 Hariri: Our Alliance with Walid Jumblat is Intact/Naharnet
 Hariri, Jumblatt say their alliance remains strong/Daily Star
US lawmakers urge action on Hizbullah arms/Daily Star
 Beirut hotels record occupancy hike, rate rises for 2009/Daily Star
MEA savior Hout re-elected as chairman/Daily Star
Baroud takes Beirut traffic nightmare into his own hands/Daily Star
Twelve arrested over involvement in Tripoli clashes/Daily Star
AUB study to document Ras Beirut demographics/Daily Star
Workshop aims to boost areas near Nahr al-Bared/Daily Star
Najjar vows judiciary reforms to continue/Daily Star
Army raid in Bekaa town targets terrorist cell/Daily Star
Lebanon's 'Non-ID Palestinians': No legal status, no hope- (AFP)
Pleas to end domestic violence fall on deaf ears/Daily Star

US lawmakers urge action on Hizbullah arms
/Daily Star staff
Monday, December 07, 2009
BEIRUT: Thirty-one members of the United States House of Representatives have urged the Obama administration to work toward disarming Hizbullah and preventing Iran from using the Lebanese Shiite group in any confrontation with Israel. In a letter sent to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, the lawmakers said the US government should ensure greater accountability from the United Nations in enforcing Resolution 1701, which put an end to Israel’s summer 2006 war on Lebanon. “In light of the clear violations of UN Security Council resolutions, we ask what actions the Administration is taking to ensure the UN addresses these violations,” the letter reads. “We must seek to support stronger multilateral efforts to disarm Hizbullah and clear southern Lebanon of Iranian weapons.” The letter stresses that the Obama administration has requested $210 million for the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) and $100 million in military assistance for the Lebanese Army. “For that much money, American taxpayers deserve to see results,” the lawmakers said. The letter, which was sponsored by Mark Kirk and Steve Israel, said the situation in southern Lebanon became worse after the 2006 war. It added that the newly formed Lebanese Cabinet gave Hizbullah veto power over major decision-making. The letter warned that Tehran may try to distract the international community from its nuclear program by inciting Hizbullah into carrying out militant activities in southern Lebanon and “blowing up the situation in the region.” The members of the House of Representatives said that in light of the increasing number of incidents in southern Lebanon and the capture of an Iranian arms ship allegedly destined for Hizbullah, they were “highly concerned” by the potential of Iranian-sponsored escalation along the Lebanese-Israeli border. In November, Israel claimed it seized a shipment of weapons destined to Hizbullah from Iran but Tehran denied the weapons were headed for Hizbullah. – The Daily Star, with Naharnet

Netanyahu: Syria relinquished preconditions for talks
Prime Minister tells Knesset committee he heard from French president Syria is no longer demanding withdrawal from Golan Heights as precondition for negotiations, but still insisting on Turkish mediation
Amnon Meranda Published: 12.07.09, 19:42 / Israel News
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday he had heard from French President Nicolas Sarkozy that Syria was willing to relinquish preconditions for peace negotiations.
PM wants direct talks with Syria / Amnon Meranda
Netanyahu tells members of Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee Israel wants direct talks with Syria, but if mediator needed, prefers France over Turkey. On Lebanon PM says: 'Hezbollah is real Lebanese army; not sideline militia as in past' Syrian President Bashar Assad had previously stated that Israel would have to be willing to withdraw from the Golan Heights in order to launch negotiations. "I told the Syrians we were ready to renew negotiations without preconditions," Netanyahu said during a Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee meeting. "They replied that they were willing but we would first have to withdraw from the Golan Heights." He added, "Sarkozy got back to me and said they were willing to relinquish the precondition, but that they didn't want direct negotiations. They want mediation. I told him I preferred direct talks, but if we must have a mediator he (Sarkozy) should mediate." Recently Turkey has expressed willingness to act as mediator between the two parties, but Netanyahu has hinted he would not accept such a proposal because Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan "is not an impartial mediator". Netanyahu suggested France as an alternative, but Assad has insisted that Turkey mediate. In his speech before the committee, Netanyahu also referred to Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer's recent visit to Turkey. "His trip caused a moderation and closeness of ties with them," he said.
**Roni Sofer contributed to this report

What Impact Would Judicial Orders Against Lebanese Politicians, Journalists Have on Hariri's Visit to Damascus?
Naharnet/Former head of the General Security Department Maj. Gen. Jamil Sayyed has said that a Syrian judge issued arrest warrants against false witnesses in ex-Premier Rafik Hariri's assassination case, including Abdel Halim Khaddam and Mohammed Zuhair Siddiq. The judge is tasked with dealing with the lawsuit filed by Sayyed against several false witnesses and their partners. Sayyed also said in a statement on Sunday that the judge issued judicial orders against several Lebanese and foreigners to appear for questioning. However, political sources in Lebanon denied Lebanese authorities had received such orders on 24 Lebanese citizens. They told al-Liwaa daily that Lebanon will have an official stance when the judiciary was informed about the list of names. The sources said the judicial orders should force a new agenda on Premier Saad Hariri's visit to Damascus. However, a Mustaqbal bloc MP called for putting the orders outside the framework of Hariri's talks with Syrian officials. The orders were referred to the Lebanese judiciary, according to Sayyed, and the list includes the names of former ministers Marwan Hamadeh, Charles Rizk and Hassan al-Sabaa and former MP Elias Atallah. Furthermore, the list includes Judges Saeed Mirza, Saqr Saqr and Elias Eid. The names of officers Ashraf Rifi, Wissam al-Hassan, Samir Shehadeh, Hussam al-Tanoukhi and Khaled Hammoud are also in the orders. The judge also urged Journalists Fares Khashan and former ambassador Johnny Abdo to appear before the Syrian court. Beirut, 07 Dec 09, 10:28

Israel Approves UNIFIL Solution for Ghajar Pullout
Naharnet/Israel approved the UNIFIL-proposed solution that suggests withdrawing Israeli forces from the northern part of Ghajar village to be replaced by UNIFIL troops, as reported by Israel Radio on Monday. Israel Radio also reported that U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon Special Representative on the Implementation of Security Council Resolution 1559, Terje Roed-Larsen, has arrived in Israel on Sunday where he held meetings to discuss the issue of Ghajar pullout with Israeli Prime Minister, Defense Minister, and President.
Earlier, Israel's Channel 2 reported that the Israeli foreign ministry's director-general, Yossi Gal, met late last week with UNIFIL commander Maj.-Gen. Claudio Graziano to discuss the terms of a possible Israeli withdrawal from the northern part of Ghajar. Ghajar lies at the foot of Mount Hermon and straddles the Lebanese-Syrian border. It is inhabited by Alawites, most of whom have obtained Israeli citizenship even though they consider themselves Syrian. The village is an extension of the Syrian Golan Heights plateau, which Israel occupied during the 1967 Arab-Israeli war and then annexed in 1981. According to a U.N.-drawn "blue line" marking the border between Israel and Lebanon following a May 2000 Israeli troop pullout, one-third of the village is on Lebanese soil, while the other two thirds are part of occupied Syrian territory. The Israeli daily Haaretz said that senior cabinet ministers, led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, decided last month to work toward a withdrawal of Israeli troops from the disputed area. Beirut, 07 Dec 09, 19:28

Netanyahu: Hizbullah is Real Lebanese Army
Naharnet/Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday that Hizbullah "is real Lebanese army, not sideline militia as in the past." Netanyahu's remarks were made to members of Knesset's Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee."If in the past we considered Hizbullah as a sideline militia, today Hizbullah is the real Lebanese army," he said."It has replaced the Lebanese army as a significant force; it is arming and organizing as a real army. The Lebanese government and Hizbullah are becoming interwoven in each other – and they will suffer the consequences of any violation against Israel," he added. Netanyahu said Israel wants direct talks with Syria, but if mediator needed, prefers France over Turkey. On the construction of new settlements in the West Bank, Netanyahu said Cabinet's decision was driven by many considerations, including "an attempt to advance negotiations and clarify who is really interested in talks," hinting that the Palestinians do not seek to promote dialogue with Israel. "There must be coordination between the Cabinet's decision and the injunction," he said, adding that in the last year of former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's tenure construction was actually frozen and "we are the ones who renewed it." Beirut, 07 Dec 09, 12:38

Israel, Lebanon Have No Immediate Interest in Starting a War, Report
Naharnet/Israel and Lebanon have more pressing concerns than war with each other, but bickering could escalate to incite war if the U.S. and Europe don't help, said a report published by the Christian Science Monitor (CSM). It said Western policymakers, however, should not shift their attention away from Lebanon that has been the staging ground of proxy wars in the Middle East.  Prime Minister Saad Hariri will share power with Hizbullah and its allies. When Hariri's coalition won parliamentary elections in June, CSM said a seductive conventional wisdom emerged in the West: Because Hizbullah and its partners were defeated at the polls, the group would lose some of its luster and a pro-U.S. alliance would rule Lebanon.
In fact, it went on to say, Hizbullah remains the dominant military and political force. It holds the key to both domestic and external stability in Lebanon.
Hariri's government will have no influence over Hizbullah's militia and its weapons buildup along Lebanon's southern border with Israel – the most volatile border in the Middle East today, Science Monitor believed. The report said that if there is renewed conflict along the border, it could be a catastrophic setback for stability in the region. The United States and Europe must ensure that does not happen. It said the formation of a new government does not push back the specter of another war with Israel. Hizbullah and Israel fought a bloody 34-day in July 2006 that crippled Lebanon's infrastructure and killed more than 1,200 Lebanese – the majority of them civilians. Since that conflict ended, both sides have been preparing for a new round, CSM added.
It said the basic problem is that Hizbullah makes decisions that could lead to war – without consulting or involving the Lebanese state. And Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has threatened to hold the Lebanese government responsible for the militia's actions. This puts Hariri in a difficult position and it will make him reliant on the Obama administration to keep Israel at bay. Science Monitor believed Israel is more concerned about Iran than Hizbullah, although if Israel attacks Iran's nuclear facilities, it is likely that Hizbullah would be part of the Iranian retaliation. Hizbullah, meanwhile, is absorbed in internal Lebanese politics and cannot afford to be seen as instigating another war with Israel.
But the danger of heightened rhetoric and a military buildup is that small incidents along the border could spiral out of control, CSM argued. In recent months, there have been two instances of rocket fire into Israel from southern Lebanon (which were blamed on al Qaida-linked groups) and two weapons cache explosions.
On July 14, an explosion destroyed a building in the southern Lebanese town of Khirbet Selim. U.N. peacekeepers blamed it on a Hizbullah weapons depot that accidentally blew up. A few days later, when U.N. troops tried to search houses in the town, they were surrounded by hundreds of villagers who pelted them with rocks and forced them to withdraw.
Under U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701, which ended the 2006 war, UNIFIL troops were supposed to intercept illegal weapons shipments and raid storage sites south of the Litani River. They have rarely done so, CSM acknowledged. While Hizbullah continues its arms buildup, Israel has also violated Resolution 1701 by frequently flying into Lebanese airspace and by planting surveillance devices on Lebanese territory. When Lebanon's 15-year civil war ended in 1990, the country's militias were disarmed. But Hizbullah was allowed to keep its weapons as a "national resistance" against the Israeli occupation of southern Lebanon, which ended in May 2000. After the Israelis withdrew, many Lebanese asked why the group did not become a strictly political movement. Hizbullah insisted that its military mission of resistance was not over because Israel was still occupying a strip of land along the border called Shabaa Farms. While Hizbullah has shown a willingness to adapt and evolve politically, Science Monitor said, it is unlikely that the movement would give up its weapons – or the idea of perpetual resistance – without a political settlement between the West and Hizbullah's main patron, Iran. It believed the Obama administration can avert a new conflict by keeping its attention focused on Lebanon, continuing to support Hariri's government, and helping to strengthen state institutions like the Lebanese Army. But U.S. officials must eventually reach out to Hizbullah, the report added. It said Washington could begin indirect outreach through France and other Western countries that maintain contact with Hizbullah.
The United States must also press Israel not to overreact to future incidents along the Lebanese border, which could lead to war, Science Monitor thought, adding that U.S. officials should leverage their influence with Hizbullah's other major backer, Syria, which is trying to improve its relations with Washington. None of this will be easy, the report assumed. For now, it said, Hariri's government will depend on the U.S. and Europe to protect it from Israel – and from Hizbullah. The report said that in the absence of a strong central state, Lebanon will remain the victim of proxy battles and foreign intervention. Beirut, 07 Dec 09, 10:49

Majdal Anjar Cell Planned Attacks Against UNIFIL, Could Be Involved in Rocket Firing on Israel
Naharnet/Authorities continued to carry out raids in Majdal Anjar in search for more people having links with a four-member terrorist network whose questioning revealed that the men were planning attacks against UNIFIL.Security sources told An Nahar newspaper in remarks published Monday that the four men's questioning was still at its beginning. They said the cell's leader Tareq Abdul Fattah Baidoun, is a biochemical student at a private university. Baidoun's brother Ahmed and two other Lebanese, who all hail from Majdal Anjar, were also arrested by the army on Saturday, according to An Nahar. However, al-Akhbar daily said Monday that in addition to Baidoun, the army arrested the network leader's 60-year-old father and his two brothers. An Nahar's sources said the suspects belong to extremist groups and had been put under close watch lately. Investigation revealed that the network was plotting attacks against U.N. peacekeepers stationed in south Lebanon, "but the investigation could reveal other things," the sources added.
As Safir daily said Baidoun, 21, is known as Abi Qusaiba. He was closely monitored following a contact that he made with a website belonging to the Battalions of Ziad Jarrah that had claimed responsibility for October's rocket attack from southern Lebanon on northern Israel. The newspaper said Baidoun told investigators at the defense ministry that explosive materials were hidden in three black suitcases at his parents' home in Majdal Anjar. During the raid, the army found several machine guns, detonators and a computer through which he made contacts with foreign terrorist organizations. Sources also told An Nahar that bomb making manuals were discovered during the raid with bomb-sniffing dogs. Well-informed sources told al-Akhbar that Baidoun could have contributed to transporting from the Bekaa to the south the rockets that were fired into Israel lately. However, a high-ranking security official said "nothing was proved yet." Beirut, 07 Dec 09, 08:20

Abbas from Baabda: Reports About Issuing Passports to Palestinians Not True
Naharnet/Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas arrived in Lebanon on Monday for talks with Lebanese officials on relations and the plight of Palestinian refugees. "Reports about issuing passports to Palestinians are not true," Abbas told reporters following a meeting with President Michel Suleiman at Baabda Palace. "The presence of Palestinians is temporary in Lebanon. We are coordinating security issues with the Lebanese government," he added. His brief trip comes amid renewed efforts to revive the Middle East peace process and concern among politicians that any deal on the issue of Palestinian refugees in Lebanon would be at the expense of the Lebanese. In an interview published Monday, Abbas said he categorically rejects the permanent resettlement of hundreds of thousands of refugees in Lebanon. "Until our problem is solved, we are guests in Lebanon, and we refuse any nation other than our own and any solution other than the implementation of U.N. Security Council Resolution 194," on the Palestinian right to return to their former homeland, Abbas told Al-Liwaa newspaper. The U.N. Relief and Works Agency for Palestine refugees (UNRWA) lists almost 400,000 Palestinian refugees in Lebanon. But Lebanese and Palestinian officials say the actual number may be as low as 250,000 as UNRWA does not strike off its list those who emigrate. Most of the refugees who remain live in dire conditions in 12 camps across the country of four million inhabitants.(AFP-Naharnet) Beirut, 07 Dec 09, 12:07

Chamoun: I Will Not Grant Confidence Vote to Cabinet
Naharnet/National Liberal Party leader Dory Chamoun said he will not grant a vote of confidence to Prime Minister Saad Hariri's government "because the ministerial (policy) statement was ambiguous and not clear regarding resistance weapons.""Despite parliamentary election victory, March 14 forces have accepted participation of the minority in the government even though this is undemocratic," Chamoun said from Australia where he held celebrations to commemorate the 51st anniversary of the founding of the group. Nevertheless, March 14 forces, Chamoun added, agreed that the Opposition join the new Cabinet "in order to face up to regional threats that could pop up suddenly." Beirut, 07 Dec 09, 13:08

Williams: U.N. Ready to Help Lebanon
Naharnet/United Nations Special Coordinator for Lebanon Michael Williams on Monday said that U.N. was ready to help the Lebanese government in all aspects when asked to do so.
After meeting with Prime Minister Saad Hariri, Williams said that U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701 states clearly that Israel should withdraw from the northern part of al-Ghajar village.Williams added that the resolution had been adopted more than three-and-a-half years ago and that the discussions are still ongoing in order to reach a solution.
Beirut, 07 Dec 09, 15:43

Report: Israel, UNIFIL Discussed Ghajar Pullout Conditions
Naharnet/The Israeli foreign ministry's director-general, Yossi Gal, met late last week with UNIFIL commander Maj.-Gen. Claudio Graziano to discuss the terms of a possible Israeli withdrawal from the northern part of Ghajar, Israel's Channel 2 reported. The meeting was held in order to establish the conditions which would enable Israel's pullout from the Lebanese side of the village, said Channel 2, and are expected to continue this week with the hope of yielding an imminent result. Ghajar lies at the foot of Mount Hermon and straddles the Lebanese-Syrian border. It is inhabited by Alawites, most of whom have obtained Israeli citizenship even though they consider themselves Syrian. The village is an extension of the Syrian Golan Heights plateau, which Israel occupied during the 1967 Arab-Israeli war and then annexed in 1981.According to a U.N.-drawn "blue line" marking the border between Israel and Lebanon following a May 2000 Israeli troop pullout, one-third of the village is on Lebanese soil, while the other two thirds are part of occupied Syrian territory. The Israeli daily Haaretz said that senior cabinet ministers, led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, decided last month to work toward a withdrawal of Israeli troops from the disputed area. Beirut, 07 Dec 09, 07:37

Syrian Openness to Meetings with Shiites Outside the Amal-Hizbullah Team
Naharnet/Influential Syrian parties have sent invitations to several Lebanese Shiite religious leaders who are not linked to either Amal movement or Hizbullah, An Nahar daily reported Monday.The Syrian parties are becoming more and more interested in those clergymen most probably in anticipation of possible Syrian-Iranian differences which would immediately affect Shiites in Lebanon.Hizbullah and Amal are close allies of Syria and Iran.A source involved in the meetings between the two sides told An Nahar that the objectives behind the talks would appear soon. Beirut, 07 Dec 09, 09:01

The Resistance Tops Vote of Confidence Discussions in Parliament
Naharnet/Parliament kicks off three days of consultations on Tuesday to give its vote of confidence to the cabinet with media reports saying that 60 MPs have asked for the floor.
Majority and opposition sources told pan-Arab daily al-Hayat that they expected the session to be calm despite reservations that Lebanese Forces and Phalange members in addition to several independents would express on the policy statement's 6th clause which deals with the resistance. Al-Liwaa daily said Speaker Nabih Berri will erase from the session's minutes any statement that harms the resistance or Lebanese-Syrian ties. Al-Mustaqbal bloc sources also told al-Hayat that PM Saad Hariri has stressed that he was keen on limiting the statements of MPs within the framework of the policy statement to avoid disagreements on other subjects. Al-Liwaa said that MP Nicolas Fattoush could avoid giving the cabinet his vote of confidence to protest Zahle's lack of representation in the government. Beirut, 07 Dec 09, 11:56

Report: Probe into Gemayel's Killing Back to Square One
Naharnet/The investigation into the assassination of Industry Minister Pierre Gemayel three years ago has reached a dead-end after forensic testing on a gun revealed that the rifle wasn't used in the MP's killing, al-Akhbar daily reported Monday. Well-informed sources said that the international commission investigating ex-Premier Rafik Hariri's murder and related crimes had informed the Lebanese judiciary that forensic tests carried out in the Netherlands revealed that the rifle seized from the home of Fatah al-Islam member Abdel Ghani Jawhar's sister was not used during the shooting at Gemayel and his bodyguards. Last year, media reports said a suspect told investigators that Jawhar had waved his assault rifle to him and a group of his aides saying "This had been used in assassinating Pierre Gemayel."As tests from the Netherlands came negative, the probe into Gemayel's assassination went to square one, according to al-Akhbar.The newspaper said investigators should now focus on the Honda CRV which, according to witnesses, was used by the killers and on the confessions of Fatah al-Islam member A.M. Beirut, 07 Dec 09, 10:57

Hariri: Our Alliance with Walid Jumblat is Intact
Naharnet/PM Saad Hariri reiterated his support to Walid Jumblat. Hariri's stance was confirmed after a meeting with the leader of the Progressive Socialist Party in Mukhtara on Sunday during a tribute commemorating the birthday of assassinated former PSP leader Kamal Jumblat. Hariri said that the paths all should follow are those which had been followed before by Kamal Jumblat and assassinated former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri who worked to serve Lebanon's interests. Hizbulla's arms was another discussed topic in the meeting. Hariri said that it is an issue for the National Dialogue Table. From his part, Jumblat said that his party's adopted "center position" between the opposition and the majority was taken because they will not follow any party or movement. Jumblat said that he has high respect for the alliances and principles "we have fought hard to uphold at Martyrs Square."
Hariri headed to Mukhtara after taking part in the 10-kilometer race that was held on the streets of Beirut."We have to bring Lebanese together, and sport is a very important event that can bring them together," Hariri said as he arrived in downtown Beirut to participate in the race. President Michel Suleiman also attended the race along with an elect of political figures and celebrities. Beirut, 06 Dec 09, 18:43

New Opinion: Hezbollah is not quirky
December 7, 2009 /Now Lebanon
As the year draws to a close, the Lebanese can forgive themselves for indulging in a bit of upbeat fatalism. Why, they argue, when the all the economic indicators predict 6% growth in GDP, free-spending tourists converge on Beirut, and property sells like there is no tomorrow, should we get all steamed up about things we can’t change: chronic corruption, environmental negligence, curious national driving habits and a comatose public sector. Let’s face it, they might argue, half of the 6% growth was achieved when we didn’t even have a functioning government. They might also shrug off having to deal with the odd war every now and then. “One month and it’s all over. Then we can go back to making money” is the new reality. So why sweat? We’re doing ok; we’re just a bit quirky.
A bit cavalier you might think, but it is a mindset that is sadly very real. The Lebanese may be admired by visiting reporters for their glamorous defiance, their “live for the day for there may not be a tomorrow” attitude, but apart from making good copy for the international press, it is a philosophy that highlights just how few Lebanese believe they are part of a functioning state, let alone one in which they have faith.
The events of the spring of 2005, culminating in the March 14 rally, went some way to change this attitude, but apart from those heady days, and the army’s determined performance at the battle of Nahr al-Bared in 2007, the consensus is that Lebanon is a country in which people have learned to look after themselves.
It is a thinking that was seized upon by Hezbollah in the 1980s, when, pointing out – quite rightly it must be said – that the South had for decades fallen outside the state’s welfare compass, the party embarked upon a much-feted program of social services and an 18-year battle against Israeli occupation. All very noble, you might think, but the upshot is that today, Lebanon has two armies, one public and one private, the latter being a well-equipped and well-drilled militia that feels it can take on anyone, argues that it can’t rely on the state to defend Lebanon’s southern borders against the Zionist entity and says it will continue to adopt this martial posture until such time as it deems it is ready to down tools.
Accordingly, there have been numerous calls over the years for Hezbollah to integrate with the army under one unified command from those who believe that one can’t really be a proper country with an armed gang running around willy-nilly shooting the place up. The most recent came on Friday, when Lebanon First bloc MP Okab Sakr told LBCI that the role of the Resistance should be clearly defined so as “to set the political balance within the country and enable the state to impose its authority throughout its territory.” Say what you want about March 14, but if one believes in the idea of the state, it is hard to argue with Sakr’s logic. Who would stand against the notion of a state seeking “to impose authority throughout its territory”?  Sakr’s comments come days before – we hope – the publication of the new government’s ministerial statement, one in which there has been much debate, mainly because of objections from March 14 Christians over Article 6, which refers to the role of the Resistance and its weapons. The objections are valid and fitting. Too often, Lebanese governments have chosen the easy way out with a carefully-worded – some would call it fudged – statement on the legitimacy of the Resistance and its right to ply its trade. But the fact of the matter is that an armed Hezbollah is a threat to regional peace and an obstacle to Lebanon’s aspirations to achieve genuine statehood.
There are realities that cannot be ignored – the party’s close connection to Iran and that country’s regional aspirations for a start – but it doesn’t mean that we should accept having an armed group operating outside the state as a fait accompli just because the economic indicators are hale and hearty and the Lebanese have suddenly decided that as a people they are all bonkers so anything goes. We must not fall into the trap of just accepting what is clearly not in the best long-term interests of the state in the same way we accept Lebanon’s other quirks. Hezbollah and its weapons are not quirky.

Iran the Concerned… Iran the Source of Concern
Mon, 07 December 2009
By: Ghassan Charbel/Al Hayat
Iran is attempting to make the whole world acknowledge that it is a powerful country getting ready to “take part” in managing the world’s affairs”. It says that its nuclear dream is irrevocable. It multiplies its military maneuvers and inaugurates new generations of rockets. It assures that its influence is far-reaching and threatens its enemies with paying a high price if they stand in its way. It informs the Great Satan that its collapse is imminent. It expresses its glee at the sound of loud voices in its streets and the army of raised fists.
This official image does not conceal the deep concern. Thirty years after the revolution’s victory, its regime feels that it is still being tested; that it is rejected; that the decision of eliminating or accepting it is awaiting the right moment to pounce; that its rhetoric is not accepted; that the international community is imposing on it to either stop using it or change its style.
Iran is behaving as if confrontation is imminent. Its worry from the extended hand to it is no less than its worry from the index warning or accusing it. It sees traps or luring attempts in the calls for dialogue. It almost trusts no one. It is a stranger to the international rhetoric and is not widely welcomed in the region. It stands alone in the face of the west. It remembers it is part of the minority when it stands in the sea of the Islamic world. It is worried about difference, and thus feels a desire to change the world. It entrusts itself with an impossible mission and a danger-ridden venture.
The refusal of Khomenei’s heirs to cool the burning coals of the revolution in the government’s care has kept Iran’s clash with the world and its environment still pending. This made it feel targeted and threatened. It responded by seeking to own targeting and threatening cards. These cards took many forms. Tehran reminded the others a lot about its ability to threaten the oil security. It also reminded them of its ability to threaten the security of Israel from South Lebanon or Gaza. It demonstrated its ability to own cards within the borders of many countries in the region. When it launched its nuclear dream, it became apparent that it intended to sleep on a nuclear pillow in order to protect its regime along with what it considers to be its leadership right in the region.
The region’s inhabitants do not deny that Iran is a great country by regional standards and that it is a stately country that deserves a prominent role in the region. However, Iran’s insistence on imposing its rhetoric has turned its concerned policies into a source of concern. Among the conditions of normal coexistence in the region is the entrance of countries through its legitimate gateway, as well as the search for the language of midway, the respect of interests, and the right to have differences in options. The terrible imbalance of powers following the collapse of Saddam’s regime contributed to heighten Iran’s appetite and the fears of those concerned by its policies.
The image of Iran as a concerned country and as a source of concern in its external relations became more complicated after the recent elections that guaranteed a new term for Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. For the first time, the Iranian regime lost its image of a stronghold on the internal level. It has now a source of concern. It clashes with part of the street, with part of the generation that was born and raised in the shadow of the revolution. This is demonstrated by the measures it took in anticipation of the student demonstrations that are expected today. It is not easy for the revolution to have a deep misunderstanding with millions of its sons. It is hard to believe that they are prompted by the Great Satan.
The manner with which Iran managed its battle related to its nuclear program has weakened the ability of Russia and China in continuing to obstruct new sanctions against it. It may be said that Iran is heading towards isolation, especially in the club of great nations. Such development is a source of concern, as this country has grown accustomed to treat its concern by increasing the ability to be a source of concern. It is feared that Israel would take advantage of this, and we would wake up one morning to a great fire in the region.
 

 
LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN

LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
December 08/09

Bible Reading of the day
Metthews7/15-20: “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravening wolves. 7:16 By their fruits you will know them. Do you gather grapes from thorns, or figs from thistles? 7:17 Even so, every good tree produces good fruit; but the corrupt tree produces evil fruit. 7:18 A good tree can’t produce evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree produce good fruit. 7:19 Every tree that doesn’t grow good fruit is cut down, and thrown into the fire. 7:20 Therefore by their fruits you will know them.

Free Opinions, Releases, letters & Special Reports
 Lebanon united for a day/The Daily Star/December 07/09
Lebanon's latest government: a perspective from Israel/By Eyal Zisser/December 07/09
New Opinion: Hezbollah is not quirky/Now Lebanon/December 07/09
Iran the Concerned… Iran the Source of Concern/By: Ghassan Charbel/Al Hayat/December 07/09

Latest News Reports From Miscellaneous Sources for December 07/09
 Netanyahu: Syria relinquished preconditions for talks/Israel News
 Jumblat Urges the Lebanese to Change Priorities, Debates/Naharnet
 Abbas from Baabda: Reports About Issuing Passports to Palestinians Not True/Naharnet
 Israel Approves UNIFIL Solution for Ghajar Pullout/Naharnet
 Netanyahu: Hizbullah is Real Lebanese Army/Naharnet
Israel, Lebanon Have No Immediate Interest in Starting a War, Report/Naharnet
 Majdal Anjar Cell Planned Attacks Against UNIFIL, Could Be Involved in Rocket Firing on Israel/Naharnet
 Abbas from Baabda: Reports About Issuing Passports to Palestinians Not/Naharnet
 Williams: U.N. Ready to Help Lebanon/Naharnet
 Chamoun: I Will Not Grant Confidence Vote to Cabinet/Naharnet
 Report: Israel, UNIFIL Discussed Ghajar Pullout Conditions/Naharnet
 Syrian Openness to Meetings with Shiites Outside the Amal-Hizbullah Team/Naharnet
 The Resistance Tops Vote of Confidence Discussions in Parliament/Naharnet
 What Impact Would Judicial Orders Against Lebanese Politicians, Journalists Have on Hariri's Visit to Damascus?/Naharnet
 Report: Probe into Gemayel's Killing Back to Square One/Naharnet
 Hariri: Our Alliance with Walid Jumblat is Intact/Naharnet
 Hariri, Jumblatt say their alliance remains strong/Daily Star
US lawmakers urge action on Hizbullah arms/Daily Star
 Beirut hotels record occupancy hike, rate rises for 2009/Daily Star
MEA savior Hout re-elected as chairman/Daily Star
Baroud takes Beirut traffic nightmare into his own hands/Daily Star
Twelve arrested over involvement in Tripoli clashes/Daily Star
AUB study to document Ras Beirut demographics/Daily Star
Workshop aims to boost areas near Nahr al-Bared/Daily Star
Najjar vows judiciary reforms to continue/Daily Star
Army raid in Bekaa town targets terrorist cell/Daily Star
Lebanon's 'Non-ID Palestinians': No legal status, no hope- (AFP)
Pleas to end domestic violence fall on deaf ears/Daily Star

US lawmakers urge action on Hizbullah arms
/Daily Star staff
Monday, December 07, 2009
BEIRUT: Thirty-one members of the United States House of Representatives have urged the Obama administration to work toward disarming Hizbullah and preventing Iran from using the Lebanese Shiite group in any confrontation with Israel. In a letter sent to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, the lawmakers said the US government should ensure greater accountability from the United Nations in enforcing Resolution 1701, which put an end to Israel’s summer 2006 war on Lebanon. “In light of the clear violations of UN Security Council resolutions, we ask what actions the Administration is taking to ensure the UN addresses these violations,” the letter reads. “We must seek to support stronger multilateral efforts to disarm Hizbullah and clear southern Lebanon of Iranian weapons.” The letter stresses that the Obama administration has requested $210 million for the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) and $100 million in military assistance for the Lebanese Army. “For that much money, American taxpayers deserve to see results,” the lawmakers said. The letter, which was sponsored by Mark Kirk and Steve Israel, said the situation in southern Lebanon became worse after the 2006 war. It added that the newly formed Lebanese Cabinet gave Hizbullah veto power over major decision-making. The letter warned that Tehran may try to distract the international community from its nuclear program by inciting Hizbullah into carrying out militant activities in southern Lebanon and “blowing up the situation in the region.” The members of the House of Representatives said that in light of the increasing number of incidents in southern Lebanon and the capture of an Iranian arms ship allegedly destined for Hizbullah, they were “highly concerned” by the potential of Iranian-sponsored escalation along the Lebanese-Israeli border. In November, Israel claimed it seized a shipment of weapons destined to Hizbullah from Iran but Tehran denied the weapons were headed for Hizbullah. – The Daily Star, with Naharnet

Netanyahu: Syria relinquished preconditions for talks
Prime Minister tells Knesset committee he heard from French president Syria is no longer demanding withdrawal from Golan Heights as precondition for negotiations, but still insisting on Turkish mediation
Amnon Meranda Published: 12.07.09, 19:42 / Israel News
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday he had heard from French President Nicolas Sarkozy that Syria was willing to relinquish preconditions for peace negotiations.
PM wants direct talks with Syria / Amnon Meranda
Netanyahu tells members of Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee Israel wants direct talks with Syria, but if mediator needed, prefers France over Turkey. On Lebanon PM says: 'Hezbollah is real Lebanese army; not sideline militia as in past' Syrian President Bashar Assad had previously stated that Israel would have to be willing to withdraw from the Golan Heights in order to launch negotiations. "I told the Syrians we were ready to renew negotiations without preconditions," Netanyahu said during a Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee meeting. "They replied that they were willing but we would first have to withdraw from the Golan Heights." He added, "Sarkozy got back to me and said they were willing to relinquish the precondition, but that they didn't want direct negotiations. They want mediation. I told him I preferred direct talks, but if we must have a mediator he (Sarkozy) should mediate." Recently Turkey has expressed willingness to act as mediator between the two parties, but Netanyahu has hinted he would not accept such a proposal because Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan "is not an impartial mediator". Netanyahu suggested France as an alternative, but Assad has insisted that Turkey mediate. In his speech before the committee, Netanyahu also referred to Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer's recent visit to Turkey. "His trip caused a moderation and closeness of ties with them," he said.
**Roni Sofer contributed to this report

What Impact Would Judicial Orders Against Lebanese Politicians, Journalists Have on Hariri's Visit to Damascus?
Naharnet/Former head of the General Security Department Maj. Gen. Jamil Sayyed has said that a Syrian judge issued arrest warrants against false witnesses in ex-Premier Rafik Hariri's assassination case, including Abdel Halim Khaddam and Mohammed Zuhair Siddiq. The judge is tasked with dealing with the lawsuit filed by Sayyed against several false witnesses and their partners. Sayyed also said in a statement on Sunday that the judge issued judicial orders against several Lebanese and foreigners to appear for questioning. However, political sources in Lebanon denied Lebanese authorities had received such orders on 24 Lebanese citizens. They told al-Liwaa daily that Lebanon will have an official stance when the judiciary was informed about the list of names. The sources said the judicial orders should force a new agenda on Premier Saad Hariri's visit to Damascus. However, a Mustaqbal bloc MP called for putting the orders outside the framework of Hariri's talks with Syrian officials. The orders were referred to the Lebanese judiciary, according to Sayyed, and the list includes the names of former ministers Marwan Hamadeh, Charles Rizk and Hassan al-Sabaa and former MP Elias Atallah. Furthermore, the list includes Judges Saeed Mirza, Saqr Saqr and Elias Eid. The names of officers Ashraf Rifi, Wissam al-Hassan, Samir Shehadeh, Hussam al-Tanoukhi and Khaled Hammoud are also in the orders. The judge also urged Journalists Fares Khashan and former ambassador Johnny Abdo to appear before the Syrian court. Beirut, 07 Dec 09, 10:28

Israel Approves UNIFIL Solution for Ghajar Pullout
Naharnet/Israel approved the UNIFIL-proposed solution that suggests withdrawing Israeli forces from the northern part of Ghajar village to be replaced by UNIFIL troops, as reported by Israel Radio on Monday. Israel Radio also reported that U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon Special Representative on the Implementation of Security Council Resolution 1559, Terje Roed-Larsen, has arrived in Israel on Sunday where he held meetings to discuss the issue of Ghajar pullout with Israeli Prime Minister, Defense Minister, and President.
Earlier, Israel's Channel 2 reported that the Israeli foreign ministry's director-general, Yossi Gal, met late last week with UNIFIL commander Maj.-Gen. Claudio Graziano to discuss the terms of a possible Israeli withdrawal from the northern part of Ghajar. Ghajar lies at the foot of Mount Hermon and straddles the Lebanese-Syrian border. It is inhabited by Alawites, most of whom have obtained Israeli citizenship even though they consider themselves Syrian. The village is an extension of the Syrian Golan Heights plateau, which Israel occupied during the 1967 Arab-Israeli war and then annexed in 1981. According to a U.N.-drawn "blue line" marking the border between Israel and Lebanon following a May 2000 Israeli troop pullout, one-third of the village is on Lebanese soil, while the other two thirds are part of occupied Syrian territory. The Israeli daily Haaretz said that senior cabinet ministers, led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, decided last month to work toward a withdrawal of Israeli troops from the disputed area. Beirut, 07 Dec 09, 19:28

Netanyahu: Hizbullah is Real Lebanese Army
Naharnet/Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday that Hizbullah "is real Lebanese army, not sideline militia as in the past." Netanyahu's remarks were made to members of Knesset's Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee."If in the past we considered Hizbullah as a sideline militia, today Hizbullah is the real Lebanese army," he said."It has replaced the Lebanese army as a significant force; it is arming and organizing as a real army. The Lebanese government and Hizbullah are becoming interwoven in each other – and they will suffer the consequences of any violation against Israel," he added. Netanyahu said Israel wants direct talks with Syria, but if mediator needed, prefers France over Turkey. On the construction of new settlements in the West Bank, Netanyahu said Cabinet's decision was driven by many considerations, including "an attempt to advance negotiations and clarify who is really interested in talks," hinting that the Palestinians do not seek to promote dialogue with Israel. "There must be coordination between the Cabinet's decision and the injunction," he said, adding that in the last year of former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's tenure construction was actually frozen and "we are the ones who renewed it." Beirut, 07 Dec 09, 12:38

Israel, Lebanon Have No Immediate Interest in Starting a War, Report
Naharnet/Israel and Lebanon have more pressing concerns than war with each other, but bickering could escalate to incite war if the U.S. and Europe don't help, said a report published by the Christian Science Monitor (CSM). It said Western policymakers, however, should not shift their attention away from Lebanon that has been the staging ground of proxy wars in the Middle East.  Prime Minister Saad Hariri will share power with Hizbullah and its allies. When Hariri's coalition won parliamentary elections in June, CSM said a seductive conventional wisdom emerged in the West: Because Hizbullah and its partners were defeated at the polls, the group would lose some of its luster and a pro-U.S. alliance would rule Lebanon.
In fact, it went on to say, Hizbullah remains the dominant military and political force. It holds the key to both domestic and external stability in Lebanon.
Hariri's government will have no influence over Hizbullah's militia and its weapons buildup along Lebanon's southern border with Israel – the most volatile border in the Middle East today, Science Monitor believed. The report said that if there is renewed conflict along the border, it could be a catastrophic setback for stability in the region. The United States and Europe must ensure that does not happen. It said the formation of a new government does not push back the specter of another war with Israel. Hizbullah and Israel fought a bloody 34-day in July 2006 that crippled Lebanon's infrastructure and killed more than 1,200 Lebanese – the majority of them civilians. Since that conflict ended, both sides have been preparing for a new round, CSM added.
It said the basic problem is that Hizbullah makes decisions that could lead to war – without consulting or involving the Lebanese state. And Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has threatened to hold the Lebanese government responsible for the militia's actions. This puts Hariri in a difficult position and it will make him reliant on the Obama administration to keep Israel at bay. Science Monitor believed Israel is more concerned about Iran than Hizbullah, although if Israel attacks Iran's nuclear facilities, it is likely that Hizbullah would be part of the Iranian retaliation. Hizbullah, meanwhile, is absorbed in internal Lebanese politics and cannot afford to be seen as instigating another war with Israel.
But the danger of heightened rhetoric and a military buildup is that small incidents along the border could spiral out of control, CSM argued. In recent months, there have been two instances of rocket fire into Israel from southern Lebanon (which were blamed on al Qaida-linked groups) and two weapons cache explosions.
On July 14, an explosion destroyed a building in the southern Lebanese town of Khirbet Selim. U.N. peacekeepers blamed it on a Hizbullah weapons depot that accidentally blew up. A few days later, when U.N. troops tried to search houses in the town, they were surrounded by hundreds of villagers who pelted them with rocks and forced them to withdraw.
Under U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701, which ended the 2006 war, UNIFIL troops were supposed to intercept illegal weapons shipments and raid storage sites south of the Litani River. They have rarely done so, CSM acknowledged. While Hizbullah continues its arms buildup, Israel has also violated Resolution 1701 by frequently flying into Lebanese airspace and by planting surveillance devices on Lebanese territory. When Lebanon's 15-year civil war ended in 1990, the country's militias were disarmed. But Hizbullah was allowed to keep its weapons as a "national resistance" against the Israeli occupation of southern Lebanon, which ended in May 2000. After the Israelis withdrew, many Lebanese asked why the group did not become a strictly political movement. Hizbullah insisted that its military mission of resistance was not over because Israel was still occupying a strip of land along the border called Shabaa Farms. While Hizbullah has shown a willingness to adapt and evolve politically, Science Monitor said, it is unlikely that the movement would give up its weapons – or the idea of perpetual resistance – without a political settlement between the West and Hizbullah's main patron, Iran. It believed the Obama administration can avert a new conflict by keeping its attention focused on Lebanon, continuing to support Hariri's government, and helping to strengthen state institutions like the Lebanese Army. But U.S. officials must eventually reach out to Hizbullah, the report added. It said Washington could begin indirect outreach through France and other Western countries that maintain contact with Hizbullah.
The United States must also press Israel not to overreact to future incidents along the Lebanese border, which could lead to war, Science Monitor thought, adding that U.S. officials should leverage their influence with Hizbullah's other major backer, Syria, which is trying to improve its relations with Washington. None of this will be easy, the report assumed. For now, it said, Hariri's government will depend on the U.S. and Europe to protect it from Israel – and from Hizbullah. The report said that in the absence of a strong central state, Lebanon will remain the victim of proxy battles and foreign intervention. Beirut, 07 Dec 09, 10:49

Majdal Anjar Cell Planned Attacks Against UNIFIL, Could Be Involved in Rocket Firing on Israel
Naharnet/Authorities continued to carry out raids in Majdal Anjar in search for more people having links with a four-member terrorist network whose questioning revealed that the men were planning attacks against UNIFIL.Security sources told An Nahar newspaper in remarks published Monday that the four men's questioning was still at its beginning. They said the cell's leader Tareq Abdul Fattah Baidoun, is a biochemical student at a private university. Baidoun's brother Ahmed and two other Lebanese, who all hail from Majdal Anjar, were also arrested by the army on Saturday, according to An Nahar. However, al-Akhbar daily said Monday that in addition to Baidoun, the army arrested the network leader's 60-year-old father and his two brothers. An Nahar's sources said the suspects belong to extremist groups and had been put under close watch lately. Investigation revealed that the network was plotting attacks against U.N. peacekeepers stationed in south Lebanon, "but the investigation could reveal other things," the sources added.
As Safir daily said Baidoun, 21, is known as Abi Qusaiba. He was closely monitored following a contact that he made with a website belonging to the Battalions of Ziad Jarrah that had claimed responsibility for October's rocket attack from southern Lebanon on northern Israel. The newspaper said Baidoun told investigators at the defense ministry that explosive materials were hidden in three black suitcases at his parents' home in Majdal Anjar. During the raid, the army found several machine guns, detonators and a computer through which he made contacts with foreign terrorist organizations. Sources also told An Nahar that bomb making manuals were discovered during the raid with bomb-sniffing dogs. Well-informed sources told al-Akhbar that Baidoun could have contributed to transporting from the Bekaa to the south the rockets that were fired into Israel lately. However, a high-ranking security official said "nothing was proved yet." Beirut, 07 Dec 09, 08:20

Abbas from Baabda: Reports About Issuing Passports to Palestinians Not True
Naharnet/Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas arrived in Lebanon on Monday for talks with Lebanese officials on relations and the plight of Palestinian refugees. "Reports about issuing passports to Palestinians are not true," Abbas told reporters following a meeting with President Michel Suleiman at Baabda Palace. "The presence of Palestinians is temporary in Lebanon. We are coordinating security issues with the Lebanese government," he added. His brief trip comes amid renewed efforts to revive the Middle East peace process and concern among politicians that any deal on the issue of Palestinian refugees in Lebanon would be at the expense of the Lebanese. In an interview published Monday, Abbas said he categorically rejects the permanent resettlement of hundreds of thousands of refugees in Lebanon. "Until our problem is solved, we are guests in Lebanon, and we refuse any nation other than our own and any solution other than the implementation of U.N. Security Council Resolution 194," on the Palestinian right to return to their former homeland, Abbas told Al-Liwaa newspaper. The U.N. Relief and Works Agency for Palestine refugees (UNRWA) lists almost 400,000 Palestinian refugees in Lebanon. But Lebanese and Palestinian officials say the actual number may be as low as 250,000 as UNRWA does not strike off its list those who emigrate. Most of the refugees who remain live in dire conditions in 12 camps across the country of four million inhabitants.(AFP-Naharnet) Beirut, 07 Dec 09, 12:07

Chamoun: I Will Not Grant Confidence Vote to Cabinet
Naharnet/National Liberal Party leader Dory Chamoun said he will not grant a vote of confidence to Prime Minister Saad Hariri's government "because the ministerial (policy) statement was ambiguous and not clear regarding resistance weapons.""Despite parliamentary election victory, March 14 forces have accepted participation of the minority in the government even though this is undemocratic," Chamoun said from Australia where he held celebrations to commemorate the 51st anniversary of the founding of the group. Nevertheless, March 14 forces, Chamoun added, agreed that the Opposition join the new Cabinet "in order to face up to regional threats that could pop up suddenly." Beirut, 07 Dec 09, 13:08

Williams: U.N. Ready to Help Lebanon
Naharnet/United Nations Special Coordinator for Lebanon Michael Williams on Monday said that U.N. was ready to help the Lebanese government in all aspects when asked to do so.
After meeting with Prime Minister Saad Hariri, Williams said that U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701 states clearly that Israel should withdraw from the northern part of al-Ghajar village.Williams added that the resolution had been adopted more than three-and-a-half years ago and that the discussions are still ongoing in order to reach a solution.
Beirut, 07 Dec 09, 15:43

Report: Israel, UNIFIL Discussed Ghajar Pullout Conditions
Naharnet/The Israeli foreign ministry's director-general, Yossi Gal, met late last week with UNIFIL commander Maj.-Gen. Claudio Graziano to discuss the terms of a possible Israeli withdrawal from the northern part of Ghajar, Israel's Channel 2 reported. The meeting was held in order to establish the conditions which would enable Israel's pullout from the Lebanese side of the village, said Channel 2, and are expected to continue this week with the hope of yielding an imminent result. Ghajar lies at the foot of Mount Hermon and straddles the Lebanese-Syrian border. It is inhabited by Alawites, most of whom have obtained Israeli citizenship even though they consider themselves Syrian. The village is an extension of the Syrian Golan Heights plateau, which Israel occupied during the 1967 Arab-Israeli war and then annexed in 1981.According to a U.N.-drawn "blue line" marking the border between Israel and Lebanon following a May 2000 Israeli troop pullout, one-third of the village is on Lebanese soil, while the other two thirds are part of occupied Syrian territory. The Israeli daily Haaretz said that senior cabinet ministers, led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, decided last month to work toward a withdrawal of Israeli troops from the disputed area. Beirut, 07 Dec 09, 07:37

Syrian Openness to Meetings with Shiites Outside the Amal-Hizbullah Team
Naharnet/Influential Syrian parties have sent invitations to several Lebanese Shiite religious leaders who are not linked to either Amal movement or Hizbullah, An Nahar daily reported Monday.The Syrian parties are becoming more and more interested in those clergymen most probably in anticipation of possible Syrian-Iranian differences which would immediately affect Shiites in Lebanon.Hizbullah and Amal are close allies of Syria and Iran.A source involved in the meetings between the two sides told An Nahar that the objectives behind the talks would appear soon. Beirut, 07 Dec 09, 09:01

The Resistance Tops Vote of Confidence Discussions in Parliament
Naharnet/Parliament kicks off three days of consultations on Tuesday to give its vote of confidence to the cabinet with media reports saying that 60 MPs have asked for the floor.
Majority and opposition sources told pan-Arab daily al-Hayat that they expected the session to be calm despite reservations that Lebanese Forces and Phalange members in addition to several independents would express on the policy statement's 6th clause which deals with the resistance. Al-Liwaa daily said Speaker Nabih Berri will erase from the session's minutes any statement that harms the resistance or Lebanese-Syrian ties. Al-Mustaqbal bloc sources also told al-Hayat that PM Saad Hariri has stressed that he was keen on limiting the statements of MPs within the framework of the policy statement to avoid disagreements on other subjects. Al-Liwaa said that MP Nicolas Fattoush could avoid giving the cabinet his vote of confidence to protest Zahle's lack of representation in the government. Beirut, 07 Dec 09, 11:56

Report: Probe into Gemayel's Killing Back to Square One
Naharnet/The investigation into the assassination of Industry Minister Pierre Gemayel three years ago has reached a dead-end after forensic testing on a gun revealed that the rifle wasn't used in the MP's killing, al-Akhbar daily reported Monday. Well-informed sources said that the international commission investigating ex-Premier Rafik Hariri's murder and related crimes had informed the Lebanese judiciary that forensic tests carried out in the Netherlands revealed that the rifle seized from the home of Fatah al-Islam member Abdel Ghani Jawhar's sister was not used during the shooting at Gemayel and his bodyguards. Last year, media reports said a suspect told investigators that Jawhar had waved his assault rifle to him and a group of his aides saying "This had been used in assassinating Pierre Gemayel."As tests from the Netherlands came negative, the probe into Gemayel's assassination went to square one, according to al-Akhbar.The newspaper said investigators should now focus on the Honda CRV which, according to witnesses, was used by the killers and on the confessions of Fatah al-Islam member A.M. Beirut, 07 Dec 09, 10:57

Hariri: Our Alliance with Walid Jumblat is Intact
Naharnet/PM Saad Hariri reiterated his support to Walid Jumblat. Hariri's stance was confirmed after a meeting with the leader of the Progressive Socialist Party in Mukhtara on Sunday during a tribute commemorating the birthday of assassinated former PSP leader Kamal Jumblat. Hariri said that the paths all should follow are those which had been followed before by Kamal Jumblat and assassinated former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri who worked to serve Lebanon's interests. Hizbulla's arms was another discussed topic in the meeting. Hariri said that it is an issue for the National Dialogue Table. From his part, Jumblat said that his party's adopted "center position" between the opposition and the majority was taken because they will not follow any party or movement. Jumblat said that he has high respect for the alliances and principles "we have fought hard to uphold at Martyrs Square."
Hariri headed to Mukhtara after taking part in the 10-kilometer race that was held on the streets of Beirut."We have to bring Lebanese together, and sport is a very important event that can bring them together," Hariri said as he arrived in downtown Beirut to participate in the race. President Michel Suleiman also attended the race along with an elect of political figures and celebrities. Beirut, 06 Dec 09, 18:43

New Opinion: Hezbollah is not quirky
December 7, 2009 /Now Lebanon
As the year draws to a close, the Lebanese can forgive themselves for indulging in a bit of upbeat fatalism. Why, they argue, when the all the economic indicators predict 6% growth in GDP, free-spending tourists converge on Beirut, and property sells like there is no tomorrow, should we get all steamed up about things we can’t change: chronic corruption, environmental negligence, curious national driving habits and a comatose public sector. Let’s face it, they might argue, half of the 6% growth was achieved when we didn’t even have a functioning government. They might also shrug off having to deal with the odd war every now and then. “One month and it’s all over. Then we can go back to making money” is the new reality. So why sweat? We’re doing ok; we’re just a bit quirky.
A bit cavalier you might think, but it is a mindset that is sadly very real. The Lebanese may be admired by visiting reporters for their glamorous defiance, their “live for the day for there may not be a tomorrow” attitude, but apart from making good copy for the international press, it is a philosophy that highlights just how few Lebanese believe they are part of a functioning state, let alone one in which they have faith.
The events of the spring of 2005, culminating in the March 14 rally, went some way to change this attitude, but apart from those heady days, and the army’s determined performance at the battle of Nahr al-Bared in 2007, the consensus is that Lebanon is a country in which people have learned to look after themselves.
It is a thinking that was seized upon by Hezbollah in the 1980s, when, pointing out – quite rightly it must be said – that the South had for decades fallen outside the state’s welfare compass, the party embarked upon a much-feted program of social services and an 18-year battle against Israeli occupation. All very noble, you might think, but the upshot is that today, Lebanon has two armies, one public and one private, the latter being a well-equipped and well-drilled militia that feels it can take on anyone, argues that it can’t rely on the state to defend Lebanon’s southern borders against the Zionist entity and says it will continue to adopt this martial posture until such time as it deems it is ready to down tools.
Accordingly, there have been numerous calls over the years for Hezbollah to integrate with the army under one unified command from those who believe that one can’t really be a proper country with an armed gang running around willy-nilly shooting the place up. The most recent came on Friday, when Lebanon First bloc MP Okab Sakr told LBCI that the role of the Resistance should be clearly defined so as “to set the political balance within the country and enable the state to impose its authority throughout its territory.” Say what you want about March 14, but if one believes in the idea of the state, it is hard to argue with Sakr’s logic. Who would stand against the notion of a state seeking “to impose authority throughout its territory”?  Sakr’s comments come days before – we hope – the publication of the new government’s ministerial statement, one in which there has been much debate, mainly because of objections from March 14 Christians over Article 6, which refers to the role of the Resistance and its weapons. The objections are valid and fitting. Too often, Lebanese governments have chosen the easy way out with a carefully-worded – some would call it fudged – statement on the legitimacy of the Resistance and its right to ply its trade. But the fact of the matter is that an armed Hezbollah is a threat to regional peace and an obstacle to Lebanon’s aspirations to achieve genuine statehood.
There are realities that cannot be ignored – the party’s close connection to Iran and that country’s regional aspirations for a start – but it doesn’t mean that we should accept having an armed group operating outside the state as a fait accompli just because the economic indicators are hale and hearty and the Lebanese have suddenly decided that as a people they are all bonkers so anything goes. We must not fall into the trap of just accepting what is clearly not in the best long-term interests of the state in the same way we accept Lebanon’s other quirks. Hezbollah and its weapons are not quirky.

Iran the Concerned… Iran the Source of Concern
Mon, 07 December 2009
By: Ghassan Charbel/Al Hayat
Iran is attempting to make the whole world acknowledge that it is a powerful country getting ready to “take part” in managing the world’s affairs”. It says that its nuclear dream is irrevocable. It multiplies its military maneuvers and inaugurates new generations of rockets. It assures that its influence is far-reaching and threatens its enemies with paying a high price if they stand in its way. It informs the Great Satan that its collapse is imminent. It expresses its glee at the sound of loud voices in its streets and the army of raised fists.
This official image does not conceal the deep concern. Thirty years after the revolution’s victory, its regime feels that it is still being tested; that it is rejected; that the decision of eliminating or accepting it is awaiting the right moment to pounce; that its rhetoric is not accepted; that the international community is imposing on it to either stop using it or change its style.
Iran is behaving as if confrontation is imminent. Its worry from the extended hand to it is no less than its worry from the index warning or accusing it. It sees traps or luring attempts in the calls for dialogue. It almost trusts no one. It is a stranger to the international rhetoric and is not widely welcomed in the region. It stands alone in the face of the west. It remembers it is part of the minority when it stands in the sea of the Islamic world. It is worried about difference, and thus feels a desire to change the world. It entrusts itself with an impossible mission and a danger-ridden venture.
The refusal of Khomenei’s heirs to cool the burning coals of the revolution in the government’s care has kept Iran’s clash with the world and its environment still pending. This made it feel targeted and threatened. It responded by seeking to own targeting and threatening cards. These cards took many forms. Tehran reminded the others a lot about its ability to threaten the oil security. It also reminded them of its ability to threaten the security of Israel from South Lebanon or Gaza. It demonstrated its ability to own cards within the borders of many countries in the region. When it launched its nuclear dream, it became apparent that it intended to sleep on a nuclear pillow in order to protect its regime along with what it considers to be its leadership right in the region.
The region’s inhabitants do not deny that Iran is a great country by regional standards and that it is a stately country that deserves a prominent role in the region. However, Iran’s insistence on imposing its rhetoric has turned its concerned policies into a source of concern. Among the conditions of normal coexistence in the region is the entrance of countries through its legitimate gateway, as well as the search for the language of midway, the respect of interests, and the right to have differences in options. The terrible imbalance of powers following the collapse of Saddam’s regime contributed to heighten Iran’s appetite and the fears of those concerned by its policies.
The image of Iran as a concerned country and as a source of concern in its external relations became more complicated after the recent elections that guaranteed a new term for Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. For the first time, the Iranian regime lost its image of a stronghold on the internal level. It has now a source of concern. It clashes with part of the street, with part of the generation that was born and raised in the shadow of the revolution. This is demonstrated by the measures it took in anticipation of the student demonstrations that are expected today. It is not easy for the revolution to have a deep misunderstanding with millions of its sons. It is hard to believe that they are prompted by the Great Satan.
The manner with which Iran managed its battle related to its nuclear program has weakened the ability of Russia and China in continuing to obstruct new sanctions against it. It may be said that Iran is heading towards isolation, especially in the club of great nations. Such development is a source of concern, as this country has grown accustomed to treat its concern by increasing the ability to be a source of concern. It is feared that Israel would take advantage of this, and we would wake up one morning to a great fire in the region.