LCCC
ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
July 06/09
Bible Reading of the day
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ
according to Saint Mark 6:1-6. He departed from there and came to his native
place, accompanied by his disciples. When the sabbath came he began to teach in
the synagogue, and many who heard him were astonished. They said, "Where did
this man get all this? What kind of wisdom has been given him? What mighty deeds
are brought by his hands! Is he not the carpenter, the son of Mary, and the
brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? And are not his sisters here
with us?" And they took offense at him. Jesus said to them, "A prophet is not
without honor except in his native place and among his own kin and in his own
house." So he was not able to perform any mighty deed there, apart from curing a
few sick people by laying his hands on them. He was amazed at their lack of
faith. He went around to the villages in the vicinity teaching.
Free Opinions, Releases, letters & Special
Reports
Gad Elmaleh.
By Diana Mukkaled 05/07/09
Analysis: Iran crisis set to rage on-BBC
News 05/07/09
Latest
News Reports From Miscellaneous Sources for July
05/09
Biden: Israel has 'sovereign right'
to attack Iran. Israel News
Netanyahu warns Lebanon against legitimizing Hezbollah-Ynetnews
Gemayel: Hizbullah's Arms
Distinctly Political, Hindering National March Forward-Naharnet
Syrian-Saudi Summit Date
Not Set Yet, Dialogue to Go Beyond Lebanon-Naharnet
Raei: Offending the Patriarch is a
kind of degradation/Future News
Hariri: Government Formation Made
in Lebanon-Naharnet
Haaretz:
U.S., Saudis Push Syria Over Israeli Withdrawal From Shaba Farms-Naharnet
U.S.: Cabinet Internal
Matter, Obama's Visit to Damascus Conditional on Non-interference in Lebanon/Naharnet
Damascus' Allies to Facilitate Government Formation With No Veto Power-Naharnet
Franjieh, Gemayel Vow to
Avert Inter-Christian Discord, Create Dialogue-Naharnet
Gunmen Seize 2 Buses after
Breaking into a Garage in Southern Suburbs-Naharnet
Syrian Deployment in
Outskirts of Kfarqouq Town in Rashaya-Naharnet
Franjieh: Solution is in
Real Change and Turning Things Upside Down-Naharnet
Report: Nasrallah Visited
Damascus-Naharnet
Report: Saudi-Syrian
Contacts Make Doha Accord Obsolete-Naharnet
US pressures Syria to demark
borders and concede Shebaa Farms-Future News
Souaid: Lebanese to form a
government ‘made in Lebanon-Future News
Hariri clarifies issues… Franjieh
changes his tone-Future News
The phase of courageous
decisions-Future News
Raei: Offending the Patriarch
is a kind of degradation
Date: July 4th, 2009 Source: ANB /Archbishop Bshara Raei said Saturday that
Maronite Patriarch Mar Nasrallah Boutros Sfeir is a reference in Lebanon,
asserting that offending him is a kind of degradation. In a televised interview,
Raei noted that the difference in opinion should not provoke attacks against
people’s dignity, asserting that the Church is not involved into politics but it
expresses principles. The Archbishop of Jbeil also considered the democracy in
Lebanon is not right as votes are being bought and hoped efforts would be
provided in order to reach an effective democracy. -Future News
Gemayel: Hizbullah's Arms
Distinctly Political, Hindering National March Forward
Naharnet/Phalange leader Amin Gemayel described Hizbullah's arms as a problem
saying it remains to be distinctly political in hindering the country's national
progress.
"The problem today is in Hizbullah's arms, which are distinctly political
because [they] are hindering the national march forward and are in control of
the internal political game, " Gemayel said on Sunday during an event in which
he placed the founding stone for a Phalange party center at Kfar Abida. Gemayel
added that the Phalange's stance is not that of a political, but a patriotic
"because we consider the existence of arms a threat to democracy." "Who is
paying money? And where are these arms coming from? This is a violation of
national sovereignty," he said. The Phalange leader added that his party went
through the last parliamentary election to defend the country's cause and
democracy. "The battle of forming the next cabinet is to safeguard democracy and
sovereignty," Gemayel said. Beirut, 05 Jul 09, 14:33
Syrian-Saudi Summit Date Not Set Yet, Dialogue to Go Beyond Lebanon
Naharnet/Sources ruled out the holding of a Syrian-Saudi summit, telling the pan
Arab daily al-Hayat that the next 48 hours shall witness further Arab contacts
and meetings in preparation for an overall understanding on the issue.
Meanwhile, the daily An-Nahar said on Sunday that the contents of the
Syrian-Saudi bilateral dialogue is no longer linked to the intended PM-designate
Saad Hariri's visit to Damascus prior to his forming of a new Lebanese cabinet
in Beirut. "Syria needs more time to discuss matters with Tehran concerning its
contacts with Saudi Arabia as the Saudis are also talking with Egypt. This
exceeds Lebanon," sources told An-Nahar. Lebanese sources disclosed that all
Arab contacts are moving in parallel with international ones in particular with
the United States and France towards Lebanon and the region. "One example is
U.S. President Obama's decision to appoint an American ambassador in Damascus in
addition to the continued visits by French officials to the Syrian capital,"
sources told An-Nahar, adding that the Lebanese arena remains a smokescreen for
all the ongoing regional contacts. Sources went further to add that the Lebanese
scene is part of the whole picture, but not limited to it, they could not
confirm whether an Assad-Hariri meeting would take place during a
Syrian-Saudi-Lebanese summit in Damascus, or when president Assad visits Riyadh
or Beirut. Beirut, 05 Jul 09, 14:03
Mashnouq: A Trip to Syria by Hariri Aims to Address Pending Issues, Riyadh-Cairo
Ties Not at Risk
A visit to Syria by Premier-designate Saad Hariri will take place in "due time"
and will aim to resolve pending issues between the two countries not to advance
his personal ties with Damascus, al-Mustaqbal Movement official Nuhad al-Mashnouq
said Sunday. In an interview with LBC, Mashnouq also said that Saudi Arabia's
push to improve Lebanese-Syrian ties will not affect Riyadh's relations with
Cairo. "Hariri's visit will only take place in due time, meaning it will be paid
by the head of the executive authority, in his constitutional and official
capacity and as a representative of all the Lebanese," Mashnouq said. Mashnouq
said Hariri was "required" as prime minister to "sponsor Syrian-Lebanese
relations as ones between two free and independent states." He added that
stability in Lebanon "can only be achieved after the establishment of normal
ties between the two countries."
The aim behind Hariri's anticipated visit to Syria is "not to open a new page on
a personal level but to resolve pending causes between the two countries,"
including border demarcation, he said. Any personal rapprochement with Syria
will only take place after the Special Tribunal for Lebanon issues its
indictment ruling in the 2005 murder of ex-premier Rafik Hariri, Mashnouq added.
He said recent Saudi-Syrian contacts aim to "place ties between Lebanon and
Syria on the right track, and will not affect Riyadh's solid and deep ties with
Cairo."
"Any Saudi-Syria agreement cannot take shape in isolation of Egypt," Mashnouq
added. "Syria will not risk the positive outcome of rapprochement with its Arab
neighbors by refusing to improve ties with Lebanon, especially after it proved
that it did not interfere in (June 7) polls," he said. On MP Walid Jumblat's
improving ties with the opposition, Mashnouq insisted the Druze leader "had no
intention to quit March 14. He simply has a desire to advance political ties on
the domestic and external fronts." On Hizbullah, Mashnouq said both Saudi Arabia
and Hariri were "keen to reassure the party that it is part of the state and
that it had no reason to fear for its weapons arsenal within the state,
especially in light of (the unrest) in Iran and U.S.-Syrian dialogue." Beirut,
05 Jul 09, 18:56
Biden: Israel has 'sovereign
right' to attack Iran
US vice president remains vague on whether US would block Israeli attempt to
target Iranian nuclear facilities. 'Israel has a right to determine its
interests, and we will determine what's in our interests,' he tells ABC after
interviewer repeats question three times
Yitzhak Benhorin Published: 07.05.09, 17:58 / Israel News
WASHINGTON – Israel is free to do whatever it deems necessary to remove the
Iranian nuclear threat, US Vice President Joe Biden said Sunday.
In an interview with ABC's 'This Week with George Stephanopoulos,' Biden said
"Israel can determine for itself - it's a sovereign nation - what's in their
interest and what they decide to do relative to Iran and Attack Route?
Report: Saudis to overlook Israeli jets headed to Iran / Ynet
Sunday Times says Saudi officials have agreed in secret talks with Mossad chief
to turn blind eye to Israeli planes flying over kingdom during any future raid
on Iranian nuclear sites. According to report, PM briefed on matter. Israel:
Reports
As for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's approach, according to which Israel
would "give until the end of the year for this whole process of engagement (with
Iran) to work before taking matters into its own hands," Biden said "they're
entitled to do that. Any sovereign nation is entitled to do that. But there is
no pressure from any nation that's going to alter our behavior as to how to
proceed. "
However, the vice president did add that "what we believe is in the national
interest of the United States, which we, coincidentally, believe is also in the
interest of Israel and the whole world. And so there are separate issues.
"If the Netanyahu government decides to take a course of action different than
the one being pursued now, that is their sovereign right to do that. That is not
our choice," he said.
Asked by Stephanopoulos whether the US would stand in the way of an Israeli
strike on Iran's nuclear facilities by denying "over-flight rights in Iraq,"
Biden said " I'm not going to speculate, George, on those issues, other than to
say Israel has a right to determine what's in its interests, and we have a right
and we will determine what's in our interests."
CIA Director Leon Panetta and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Michael Mullen had
reportedly visited Israel in recent months and expressed their strong opposition
to a military strike on Iran. Biden, who was a long-time member of the US Senate
Committee on Foreign Relations, hinted during the interview that the Obama
administration was prepared to toughen its stance on Iran. He said that while
the US' offer of engagement was still on the table, Washington would not accept
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's demand for more concessions before ahead
of possible negotiations on Tehran's nuclear program. Biden's comments were made
ahead of Obama's scheduled visit to Moscow for meetings with senior
government officials and then to Italy for the Group of Eight (G8) summit, where
the prospect of tightening sanctions on Iran is expected to be raised.
Washington has suspended its efforts to hold direct talks with Iran and is now
focusing on discussing Tehran's nuclear program through the P-5 (five Security
Council members plus Germany)."If they choose to meet with the P5, under the
conditions the P5 was laid out, it means they begin to change course," Biden
said.
Netanyahu warns Lebanon against
legitimizing Hezbollah
Published: 07.05.09, 16:47 / Israel News
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday that the Lebanese government is
working towards legitimizing Hezbollah, and warned that it would bear
responsibility for any attacks emanating from its territory. "The Lebanese
government is the sovereign power and therefore any attack from its territory is
an act the Lebanese government authorized and sanctioned," Netanyahu said at a
cabinet meeting on the threat to the north of Israel.
Hariri: Government Formation
Made in Lebanon
Naharnet/Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri said the country's next government
is to be made in Lebanon adding that the protocol for forming Lebanon's next
cabinet is to be issued from Baabda palace. "Lebanon's government is formed in
Lebanon. The protocol for forming the next cabinet is to be issued from Baabda
[palace] and any other talk is false," Hariri said.
Following his meeting with President Michel Suleiman on Saturday at Baabda
presidential palace Hariri told reporters that he wants to have the best
relations with Syria adding: "everything is good in its own time." On Saturday
evening Hariri received in Qoreitem Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea and
later Iranian ambassador to Lebanon Mohammed Reza Shibani, who told reporters
"my country has an established and basic stance in strengthening the Lebanese
line and working on firmly establishing Lebanese national unity among all sects
and political parties in this society." The daily An-Nahar on Sunday said that
those closely following the issue of a new government formation in Lebanon have
noticed that the current atmosphere is avoiding any talk regarding veto powers
in cabinet. Informed sources told the daily al-Mustaqbal on Sunday "PM-designate
Hariri is continuing with his consultations while maintaining three basic
principles; first to remain loyal to the path upon which the parliamentary
election was won, second to keep his policy of a stretched open arm to form an
unhindered national unity government, and third to put the Lebanese people at
ease following years of tensions." Beirut, 05 Jul 09, 09:56
Haaretz: U.S., Saudis Push Syria Over Israeli Withdrawal From Shaba Farms
Naharnet/The Israeli daily Haaretz on Sunday said Saudi Arabia and the United
States are pressing Syria to demarcate its border with Lebanon, in order to
allow for the beginning of an Israeli withdrawal from the occupied Shaba Farms
area, straddling the border between Lebanon and the Golan Heights.
These moves come amid warming relations between Damascus and Washington. This
past weekend Syrian President Bashar Assad issued an unofficial invitation to
his U.S. counterpart Barack Obama to visit the Syrian capital.
Marking the Syrian-Lebanese border would neutralize the Israeli claim that Shaba
Farms was previously Syrian territory, and that a withdrawal must be carried out
only in the course of negotiations with Damascus. The United Nations also
defines the area as Syrian territory, and did not call on Israel to pull back
from it during its 2000 withdrawal from southern Lebanon.
Withdrawing from the disputed area would also obviate one of Hizbullah's primary
pretexts for continuing to maintain weapons to fight Israel's presence on what
it considers Lebanese soil. In marking its border, however, Syria would be
sending a strong message to Hizbullah that the group's accumulation of arms is
no longer part of the country's military strategy, wrote Zvi Bar'el wrote on
Sunday.
The paper added that such a move would likely bolster the position of Saad
Hariri, Lebanon's pro-West prime minister-designate, as well. Hariri has stated
that the Lebanese parliament must tackle the issue of disarming Hizbullah. He
has also conditioned forming a government on the Hizbullah-led opposition
holding no more than a third of the seats in parliament, thus preventing it from
being able to veto key government decisions. The Lebanese Constitution
stipulates that certain important decisions must be made with the ascent of
two-thirds of parliamentarians. The Israeli paper added that Lebanese sources
said recently they expected Syria to agree to mark the border in an effort to
win favor with both the United States and Egypt; Lebanon engaged in a diplomatic
confrontation with the latter during Israel's operation in Gaza earlier this
year.
The border delineation may occur after a new American ambassador is appointed to
Syria. One of the leading candidates for the post is Daniel Kurtzer, a former
U.S. ambassador to Israel.
Talks over the border issue began before the June 7 election in Lebanon, when
acting U.S. assistant secretary of state Jeffrey Feltman and Daniel Shapiro, a
Middle East expert with the National Security Council, presented the request to
Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Moallem. Who rejected the request, telling them,
"Until the Farms are liberated from Israeli occupation, we won't mark the
border." Nonetheless, Moallem seems to have changed his position in recent days,
announcing that the border mapping would begin in two months, but that
demarcation would begin at Syria's northern frontier. Meanwhile, Syria is also
feeling pressure from Saudi Arabia, as King Abdullah has begun reaching out to
Damascus after long-strained relations. Reports from Saudi Arabia indicate
Abdullah is scheduled to travel to Damascus on Monday, and may convene a limited
summit of Saudi, Syrian, Lebanese and Egyptian officials in the Egyptian resort
town of Sharm el-Sheikh, Haaretz said. Beirut, 05 Jul 09, 10:14
U.S.: Cabinet Internal Matter, Obama's Visit to Damascus Conditional on
Non-interference in Lebanon
Naharnet/Washington has stressed that cabinet formation in Lebanon was an
internal matter and U.S. President Barack Obama's visit to Damascus is
conditional on ending interference in Lebanon. "They elected their MPs on their
own and named their prime minister. That's why they have to take the next step
of government formation," U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Jeffrey Feltman said
about the Lebanese people. "Cabinet formation is an internal matter and we are
sure that the Lebanese are able to do that for themselves and they don't need
our assistance or interference," he added. On the decision to return the U.S.
ambassador to Damascus, Feltman said that the move came as Obama seeks to
achieve a comprehensive peace in the region. Meanwhile, Deputy Secretary of
State James Steinberg said Friday in the first official comment on Syrian
President Bashar Assad's announcement that he would be willing to meet Obama in
Syria, that such a visit will not take place any time soon. Steinberg, who made
his comment during the Aspen Ideas Festival 2009, wondered how Obama would visit
Damascus if Syria continues to provide Hizbullah with arms, supports Hamas and
allows fighters to cross the border into Iraq. He urged Syrians to stop
interfering in Lebanon's internal affairs although he admitted that meddling has
lately decreased. Asked by An Nahar daily's correspondent about the new U.S.
ambassador to Syria, Steinberg said that the decision to send the head of
mission was taken by the White House and things now depend on his confirmation
by the Senate. Steinberg didn't expect the ambassador to return before
September.
Meanwhile, An Nahar quoted U.S. officials as saying that Assad was upset by
Obama's decision to renew economic sanctions on Syria. Beirut, 04 Jul 09, 07:59
Damascus' Allies to Facilitate Government Formation With No
Veto Power
Naharnet/Damascus has pledged that its Lebanese allies would facilitate the
launching of a new government without calling for veto power, diplomatic sources
told the daily An-Nahar on Sunday. The sources said Syrian President Bashar
Assad made that point to visiting General-Secretary of the French Presidency
Claude Gueant and Jean-David Levitte Diplomatic Advisor to President Nicolas
Sarkozy last Tuesday. Sources denied claims of U.S. pressure on Lebanese
PM-designate Saad Hariri to put on hold his intended trip to Damascus adding
that if these claims were true, Washington wouldn't be working on sending a new
U.S. ambassador to Damascus. Beirut, 05 Jul 09, 10:48
Franjieh, Gemayel Vow to Avert Inter-Christian Discord, Create Dialogue
Naharnet/Phalange Party official Sami Gemayel and Marada Movement leader
Suleiman Franjieh on Saturday agreed to create dialogue among Christian forces
in an effort to establish security and stability in Lebanon. A statement issued
by Marada Movement following the meeting in Bnashii said talks focused on the
current Christian situation. It said Gemayel and Franjieh "stressed the need to
renounce discords and find common grounds for a fruitful and lasting dialogue to
restore the natural role of Christians." The two men also agreed to reject
attempts to naturalize Palestinians in Lebanon, the statement added. It believed
such a measure would, not only be a blow to the Palestinian cause, but also have
"dangerous repercussions on Lebanon's political and social structure." Beirut,
04 Jul 09, 15:47
Analysis: Iran crisis set to
rage on
By Jim Muir
Former BBC Tehran correspondent
Three weeks after Iran was shaken by its most serious unrest since the 1979
revolution, the dust seems to have settled. Banned and broken up by force, the
largely peaceful, massive protest demonstrations have fizzled out. The Guardian
Council - the powerful, appointed watchdog body - has formally endorsed the
re-election of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, whose unexpectedly large declared margin of
victory triggered the protests. On the face of it, Tehran and other Iranian
cities now look much as they did before the 12 June elections.
So does that mean everything is back to normal, and nothing has changed?
That seems unlikely.
Opposition defiant
The disturbances, and the crisis they expressed, have left much unsettled
business, and many unanswered questions. For one thing, there is an unresolved
political rift that is a standing challenge to the ascendant hardliners and the
Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Mir Hossein Mousavi has not been seen in
public for days
Two of the three defeated candidates, Mir-Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi,
have kept up their outspoken defiance, repeating their demand for fresh
elections and rejecting the legitimacy of any government headed by Mr
Ahmadinejad. They are openly supported by the two-term former President,
Mohammad Khatami, whose reformist platform won him landslide victories in 1997
and 2001.
While they and their millions of supporters may be powerless to confront the
system's instruments of enforcement, their declarations raise issues that go to
the heart of the Islamic Republic, its identity and values, and the legitimacy
of those now running it. These men are not outsiders. With justice, they call
themselves and their associates - many of whom have been arrested - "sons of the
revolution". Danger lies ahead. The system which for 30 years was based on the
trust of the people, cannot replace the people with security forces overnight
Mir Hossein Mousavi
They all have long histories of involvement in the revolution against the Shah
and in the increasingly Islamist system that followed.
In addition to Mr Khatami's two terms as president, Mr Mousavi was twice prime
minister in the 1980s, and Mr Karroubi was twice speaker of the Iranian
parliament as well as a leading figure in clerical political organisations.
Mr Mousavi is also, it is reported, a cousin of the Supreme Leader.
'Trust damaged'
In his latest statement, Mr Mousavi - who insists he was cheated of election
victory - frontally challenged the status quo.
"From now on, we will have a government which is in a most dire situation with
regard to its relationship with the nation," he said.
Some Iran-watchers go so far as to argue that the Ayatollah is almost a prisoner
of the populist president
"The majority of people, to which I also belong, do not accept its political
legitimacy.
"Danger lies ahead. The system which for 30 years was based on the trust of the
people, cannot replace the people with security forces overnight. People's trust
is seriously damaged."
Mr Khatami, addressing the families of followers who have been detained, was
equally outspoken.
"Those who have suppressed people's protests have destroyed the greatest asset
of this system, the confidence of the people, " he said.
"In a propaganda climate which is constantly spewing poison into society, the
progressive and peaceful movement of the people is being portrayed as a
rebellion, a colour-coded revolution, instigated by foreigners.
"A velvet revolution is being staged against the people and against the
republicanism of the system.
"Protests that are suppressed will fester and will continue, although their
forms might change."
Conflicting visions
What are colliding here are two conflicting visions of what the Islamic Republic
should be - a hitherto unresolved contest that has been visible in different
forms since the early days of the revolution.
Mr Ahmadinejad has the public support of the Supreme Leader
One is a strict interpretation of the concept of "Velayat e Feghih", or the Rule
of the Jurisprudent, a system elaborated by, and initially tailored to, the Imam
Khomeini, whereby power and authority come from God and are channelled through
the Supreme Leader, whose word is unchallengeable.
The other is a more liberal, humanistic approach, exemplified by former
President Khatami's advocacy of mardom salari or "sovereignty of the people",
whereby authority ultimately comes from the popular vote, officials are
accountable, and the Leader has a benign, supervisory role.
Until his death in 1989, Ayatollah Khomeini believed in keeping a balance
between these vying philosophies as well as between the various competing power
centres which make up the complex Iranian leadership structure.
But the past weeks have seen an abrupt lurch away from that policy of balance.
In his Friday prayers speech on 19 June, Ayatollah Khamenei made it clear that
he sides with the controversial President re-elect Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
Since then, the system's mechanisms of defence and control have been mobilised
to protect Mr Ahmadinejad's announced victory and to suppress dissent.
But can an entire trend, with deep historical roots and enough public support to
give it landslide victories in the past and encourage it to think it has been
cheated this time, simply be suppressed without consequence?
Dilemma
Some ruling circles appear to think so.
"The ideals of the reform movement have now been destroyed," said the government
newspaper Iran.
"Its impractical ideas of freedom, tolerance and civil society failed to attract
support among the ordinary people who wanted social justice and an end to
poverty."
But the fact is that the Supreme Leader and his ally Mr Ahmadinejad face a
dilemma.
The opposition leaders remain vocally defiant. The only way to silence them
would be to arrest or kill them.
That would make them heroes and martyrs to their millions of followers, as well
as dramatising, for all to see, the magnitude of the system's internal crisis.
Their defiance, flouting the clearly stated views and wishes of the Supreme
Leader, carried a step further the process of demystifying his authority that
was an inevitable consequence of his openly taking sides in the dispute.
It has become a thoroughly worldly power struggle pitting Ayatollah Khamenei and
Mr Ahmadinejad, with all the forces under their command, against the reformists
and their sympathisers.
Caught unhappily in the middle are numerous other influential figures and
forces, many of them to the right of centre in the political divide.
Many important conservative figures not connected to the reform movement, such
as Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani, former Speaker Ali-Akbar Nategh-Nouri, and
former Foreign Minister Ali-Akbar Velayati, are no fans of Mr Ahmadinejad.
Neither is the powerful and wealthy, two-term former President Ali Akbar Hashemi
Rafsanjani, who is widely believed to have worked strongly against Mr
Ahmadinejad during the election.
Very few of the Qom-based Islamic clergy, who are supposed to be the backbone of
the system, have openly supported or congratulated the president on his
re-election victory.
A number of very senior liberal-minded clerics have outspokenly denounced what
has been happening, including Ayatollahs Montazeri, Sanei and Taheri.
Ayatollah Khamenei's clerical credentials were already questioned by some when
he was appointed Supreme Leader in 1989.
Relations with West
Now, the whole issue of the Leaderhip, the Velayet e Feghih and the role of the
clergy in politics must be an issue of hot debate in the seminaries.
Many are believed to have become alarmed by the increasing militarisation of the
system that has occurred under Mr Ahmadinejad, a layman, who first become
president in 2005 and filled many posts with former Revolutionary Guards
officers.
So much so that there is much inconclusive discussion among Iran-watchers about
who pulls the strings in his relationship with the Supreme Leader.
Anti-British protests have been held outside the UK embassy in Tehran
Some go so far as to argue that the Ayatollah is almost a prisoner of the
populist president.
Some of the more moderate voices on the right are calling for an accommodation
of some sort to reconcile the contradiction that has become so glaringly
unresolved.
But for the moment, the powers that be seem to be bent on a course of trying to
repress dissent and blaming the unrest on outsiders in general and Britain in
particular.
The arrest of several Iranian employees of the British embassy in Tehran, for
alleged involvement in stirring up the disturbances, threatens to aggravate the
considerable effect the events have had in further complicating Iran's already
troubled relations with the West.
All 27 members of the European Union on Friday called in Iranian ambassadors to
protest against the detentions.
This was a lesser step than advocated by London, which wanted to see EU
ambassadors withdrawn from Tehran - a move which might be next on the agenda
should the employees be put on trial and sentenced.
All this underlined how far relations have worsened since five or six years ago,
when the then British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw was a frequent visitor to
Tehran in pursuit of "constructive engagement" over Iran's nuclear ambitions.
The prospects for a dialogue between Tehran and Washington also appear to have
been dealt a sharp setback.
Aware that the last thing the reformist protesters needed was a pat on the back
from him, US President Barack Obama initially tried to keep well out of it,
while expressing concern for human rights.
But as the drama intensified and the images of violence became harder to ignore,
neutrality also became harder to stick to and the language toughened, drawing a
sharp response from Tehran.
Beyond the difficulties raised by the rhetorical exchanges, Mr Obama faced the
dilemma that dealing with an Ahmadinejad-led administration would be seen as
endorsing a setup whose legitimacy was being questioned by the very forces with
which the US is most in sympathy.
At the very least, the turmoil in Tehran is likely to lead to a delay in the
start of any serious contacts between the US and Iran, a process which Mr Obama
had hoped to be able to assess by the end of the year.
For him, the disputed election outcome is the worst possible result. Had Mr
Ahmadinejad emerged victorious and without dissent, Washington would clearly
have had no qualms about entering a dialogue as soon as it became possible.
Syria factor
However, Tehran's current self-absorption may have some dividend for Mr Obama,
who, on 4 July, got an exceptionally warm Independence Day message from
President Bashar al-Assad of Syria, with a verbal invitation to visit Damascus.
Syria has a long-standing strategic alliance with non-Arab Iran, mainly based on
shared hostility to their mutual neighbour Iraq under Saddam Hussein.
But after four years of tension, Washington is sending an ambassador back to
Damascus and relations are slowly warming.
Syria is not going to break with Tehran in a hurry. But chaos in Iran would
certainly make it easier for Damascus to slip quietly into other relationships.
Gad Elmaleh
04/07/2009
By Diana Mukkaled
http://www.asharq-e.com/news.asp?section=2&id=17287
Comedian Gad Elmaleh has cancelled the tour dates he was scheduled to perform this summer in Lebanon.
This young Frenchman of Moroccan descent has become the target of a fierce media smear campaign conducted by the Hezbollah-affiliated Al Manar television station along with other Lebanese media organs over the past few days. This media campaign has made claims that Elmaleh has links to Israel, and that he previously served in the Israeli army. This smear campaign has utilized images taken from the internet which were later proven to have been complete fabrications.
Elmaleh is Jewish; however he has never served in the Israeli armed forces, nor is he Israel’s ambassador to the French-speaking states, as the media campaign alleged.
There can be no doubt that Elmaleh’s religion was used against him, and if we are to rely solely on facts, the only thing that has been ascertained is that Elmaleh is indeed Jewish. There is no truth in the allegation that Elmaleh is an Israeli citizen, or that he served in the Israeli armed forces. This media campaign against Gad Elmaleh is ongoing despite his official denial of these accusations.
As for having sympathy to Israel, Lebanon has previously played host to Western and Arab artists who have no problems with Israel; in fact some of these artists even performed on Israeli soil and have a more sympathetic attitude towards Israel than Elmaleh himself. However the difference between these artists and the French comedian is simply that Elmaleh is Jewish.
Those in the media that have cast these accusations against Elmaleh have succeeded in raising an irrelevant issue. If we decided to boycott all of those who refuse to boycott Israel then we will be in a very poor position, especially with regards to culture, the arts, and politics. This is something that we have clearly seen over the past decades. The world is filled with talent and experience, and this has nothing to do with our conflict with Israel. The decision to boycott this talent and experience would deprive us of considerable expertise in all fields, as well as depriving us of [the power of] communication and dialogue that helps to build a rich imagination and which can be utilized to advance our causes, particularly the Palestinian cause.
All that has resulted from this [media] battle with Gad Elmaleh is an admission of his Jewish faith, but what about the Jewish faith of the Israeli filmmaker Shimon Biton who has done more to advance the Palestinian cause than those who are “anti-normalization” [of relations with Israel].
What about Amira Hass, the Israeli Haaretz journalist who has done more to stand up against Israel’s violation of Palestinian rights than Arab journalists?
Should we have prevented US journalist Thomas Friedman, for example, from visiting Lebanon to observe the parliamentary elections just because he is Jewish?
Should we scrutinize every statement made by US writer Norman Finkelstein to ensure that he is merely criticizing the media policy of promoting the victims of the Nazi Holocaust, rather than showing any sympathy towards Israel? Of course, this is something that is clearly untrue.
Elmaleh was scheduled to put on two performances in Lebanon, but due to overwhelming demand the sponsors [the Beit El-Deen festival] added a third date on this tour. Of course this was prior to the large media smear campaign conducted against the French comic. Elmaleh’s tour of Lebanon was sold out; but this fact did not stop those who masterminded the smear campaign against what they described as an “Israeli attempt to infiltrate Lebanon.”