LCCC
ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
May 22/09
Bible Reading of the day.
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ
according to Saint Mark 16:15-20. He said to them, "Go into the whole world and
proclaim the gospel to every creature. Whoever believes and is baptized
will be saved; whoever does not believe will be condemned. These signs
will accompany those who believe: in my name they will drive out demons, they
will speak new languages. They will pick up serpents (with their hands),
and if they drink any deadly thing, it will not harm them. They will lay hands
on the sick, and they will recover." So then the Lord Jesus, after he
spoke to them, was taken up into heaven and took his seat at the right hand of
God. But they went forth and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with
them and confirmed the word through accompanying signs.)
Free Opinions, Releases, letters & Special
Reports
Iran…a “timed bomb”/Future
News 21.05.09
Audette
Salem and the betrayal of memory-
By
Michael Young 21/05/09
What
will Syria-Israel talks mean for the future of Lebanon?
The Daily Star 21/05/09
Countering Jihadi Strategies in the Sub Continent. By
Walid Phares 21/05/09
Obama
has real chance to change Arab opinion-
Inter Press Service 21/05/09
Latest News Reports From
Miscellaneous Sources for May
21/09
Murr
Says Army Will Never Become Biased-Naharnet
Franjieh Says Alliance with Syria Safeguards Christians-Naharnet
Lebanese Forces Withdraws
Its Candidate in Beirut 1-Naharnet
Berri: Jezzine Is a Lebanese City Par Excellence and Does Not Belong to One Sect-Naharnet
Abul
Gheit: Hizbullah or its Tenfold Cannot Threaten Egypt-Naharnet
Argentina Seeks Colombian-Lebanese for Jewish Charity Bombing-Naharnet
Main players in June 7 Lebanese election-Reuters-Naharnet
UN doubts major Hizbullah
rearming in south Lebanon-Future
News
Geagea: No place for Pasdaran in Keserwan-Future
News
March 8’s coup under a blue sky-Future
News
Hizbullah threatens Moaisra
officials because of a banner-Future
News
Chamoun: Aoun has lost his mind-Future
News
Aoun:
There is No Lebanese State But Parts of a State-Naharnet
Aoun:
Hizbullah Will Not Be Disarmed until the Displaced Return to the Shouf-Naharnet
Netanyahu ready to start peace
talks with Damascus-Daily Star
TIMELINE-Four turbulent years to Lebanon election-Reuters
Israel PM offers olive branch to Syria-ABC
Online
Jumblat Calls for Strengthening President's Powers-Naharnet
Lebanon Protests Israel Spy
Networks to U.N., Requests Extradition of Fugitives-Naharnet
Nasrallah: Beware of U.S.-Israeli Plans to Drag Region into Sunni-Shiite
Conflict, Iran Has Loudest Voice against Israel/Naharnet
Murr: I Guarantee Victory of All 7
Candidates on My Metn List-Naharnet
Aoun: Hizbullah Will Not Be Disarmed until
the Displaced Return to the Shouf/Naharnet
Authorities Find
Remains of a Syrian Truck Loaded with Torpedoes/Naharnet
Vincent Lauds Lebanon's Quick Response to
Release 4 Generals/Naharnet
Nasrallah: Resistance proud of alliance with Iran, Syria-Daily
Star
Murr
confident his ticket will triumph in Metn-Daily
Star
Paris
to keep Beirut ties no matter who wins upcoming vote-Daily
Star
Sleiman may emerge as winner of June polls-Daily
Star
Hezbollah's growing regional role piques Arabs-The
Associated Press
Salameh sees bank deposits up by 12 percent-Daily
Star
Karam
pressed to help create marine reserve-Daily
Star
Netanyahu says Israel ready for talks with Syria-Reuters
UN Interim Forces in Lebanon working with "high
professionalism"-Xinhua
Dissident writer Michel Kilo freed in Syria-BBC
News
UN doubts major Hezbollah rearming in south
Lebanon-Reuters
Israel gives UN in Lebanon cluster bomb maps-The
Associated Press
Egyptian Tycoon, ex-Police Officer Sentenced to Death for Killing Suzanne Tamim-Naharnet
Jamil Sayyed in Paris-Naharnet
Nasrallah: Beware of U.S.-Israeli
Plans to Drag Region into Sunni-Shiite Conflict, Iran Has Loudest Voice against
Israel-Naharnet
Murr: I Guarantee Victory of All 7
Candidates on My Metn List-Naharnet
Authorities Find Remains of a
Syrian Truck Loaded with Torpedoes-Naharnet
Vincent Lauds Lebanon's Quick
Response to Release 4 Generals-Naharnet
Biden to Make 'Historic' Visit to
Beirut on Friday in 'Support' of Suleiman-Naharnet
Canada
Expresses Concern over Iranian Missile Test
May 21, 2009 (11:40 a.m. EDT)
No. 137
The Honourable Lawrence Cannon, Minister of Foreign Affairs, today expressed
deep concern over Iran’s May 20 test launch of a medium-range missile.
“Canada calls on Iran to immediately cease its ballistic missile programs and
engage positively in reaching peaceful solutions to its regional concerns,” said
Minister Cannon. “Provocative actions such as this missile test run counter to
efforts to reduce tensions in the region.”
The test launch of the Sajjil-2, a medium-range ballistic missile with a
reported range of close to 2,000 kilometres, follows several similar missile
tests by Iran in 2008, and demonstrates its continued efforts to develop missile
technology for military purposes. Yesterday’s test is especially worrisome in
light of Iran’s continued disregard for several United Nations Security Council
resolutions on its nuclear program, and its failure to reassure the
international community of the program’s exclusively peaceful purpose.
“Iran’s missile tests undermine its relationship with the international
community and further erode the world’s trust regarding its intentions in the
region,” said Minister Cannon. “Canada continues to call on Iran to comply
immediately and fully with its legal obligations concerning its nuclear program,
as set out in Security Council resolutions.”
- 30 -
For further information, media representatives may contact:
Natalie Sarafian
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of Foreign Affairs
613-995-1851
First
Jihadi Cell of 2009 Busted In the U.S. — What Does It Mean?
By Walid Phares
Terror Expert/FOX News Contributor
May 21st, 2009
A successful counter-terrorism operation led by the FBI and the New York City
Police Department ended with the arrest of four New York City men in connection
with plots to bomb Jewish synagogues and gun down military planes in upstate
areas.
Today’s announcement of the foiled terror plot is a stark reminder that we are
still under attack — eight years after the September 11 massacres. And if we are
under attack, it means that we are still at war, a real one, not a “man-made
disaster.”
According to Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly the suspects, identified as James
Cromitie, David Williams, Onta Williams and Laguerre Payen allegedly “wanted to
commit jihad.” A first reading of the material made available by authorities and
statements issued by officials help us ask several questions and raise a number
of points for debate.
A Victory for Law Enforcement
The first thing to acknowledge is the success of the operation conducted by the
counter-terrorism agencies to stop a “jihadi” attack against the country.
According to the Associated Press, the arrests came following a nearly yearlong
undercover operation that began in Newburgh, N.Y., roughly 70 miles north of New
York City. The patience, professionalism and sophistication of the law
enforcement procedures in engaging the “cell” until it is trapped tell us that
the first lines of defense are efficient. Since the 9/11 attacks the New York
task forces have been able to arrest suspects in a number of plots including
against the Fort Dix New Jersey military base, John F. Kennedy Airport, the
Herald Square subway station in Manhattan and the Brooklyn Bridge.
This leads us to realize that in fact both New York and the nation have been
attacked but the shield has worked well, so far. The dismantling of the first
cell of 2009 is certainly good news and an additional victory to be credited to
the counter-terrorism units but it should be a stark reminder that we –- as a
nation — are still under attack, eight years after the September 11 massacres.
And if we are under attack, it only means that we are still at war, a real one,
not a “man-made disaster.”
New York Targeted?
On Thursday morning, Mayor Michael Bloomberg said (and rightly so) that the
alleged plot shows “that the homeland security threats against New York City are
sadly all too real and underscores why we must remain vigilant in our efforts to
prevent terrorism.” However, even though the Big Apple (and New York state)
seems to get the largest share of the attention in would-be jihadi terror
attempts, we need to remember that the United States as a whole is really
targeted and we must keep our guard up all over the country. The radical forces
we’re confronting worldwide and the ideology that is behind the attacks do not
have a private feud with the city of New York — it’s just that their penetration
of the largest metropolitan area of America happens to be the greatest.
Jewish Targets?
Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly told reporters outside the Bronx synagogue
that one of the men said, “If Jews were killed in this attack … that would be
all right.” Undoubtedly American Jews are a target of prime choice for jihadi
terrorists — either homegrown or infiltrated. With the extreme anti-Semitic
material the terrorist propaganda machine is producing, the brainwashing of
recruits against anything Jewish is, unfortunately, only the logical result.
This is additional evidence that the war of ideas waged by the propagandists on
TV and online is inherent to the terror campaigns against civil societies. Where
else would the four terror apprentices, who have just been arrested, get the
notion that destroying Jewish houses of worship and killing faithful is “all
right”? — Well, where else? The idea comes from the ideologue who is writing or
speaking to them via their own media networks. But let’s be attentive to the
scope of targeting. Even if this plot was sensationally aimed at Jewish targets,
military planes were to be shut down and civilians were to be killed
indiscriminately. The jihadi guidelines are against all Americans, from all
creeds. Al Qaeda, the Taliban and their allies have decreed the “duty to
massacre up to four million Americans.” So far, we haven’t heard of a counter
order yet from these folks. The orders are still in effect. Mayor Bloomberg, who
stressed that Riverdale synagogue “is open to people of all faiths, including a
Muslim girl who sometimes prays there, warned against stereotypes. Bloomberg,
Kelly and other city leaders met privately with congregants early Thursday to
alleviate security concerns. New York officials should not be too worried about
the so-called sectarian backlash. First, Americans are by now well aware of the
difference between jihadists and common Muslims. Second, the jihadists have also
targeted Muslims in huge numbers around the world. Unfortunately every day so
far in this year a jihadi terror action is killing at least one citizen of a
Muslim country. Interfaith dialogue is not what worries the perpetrators.
Who Are These Terrorists?
Reports about the background of the alleged terrorists note that the four men
are Muslims, three are citizens and one is of Haitian descent. Being Muslim is
not the issue here. The problem is that these men are “jihadists” and three are
U.S. citizens at the same time. — That means that we’re dealing with what many
call a “homegrown terror cell.” As I warned in my book “Future Jihad,” the type
of cells we have been witnessing and will unfortunately see for a while will
mutate over time. These terror cells can be comprised by people from various
ethnic backgrounds and their knowledge of faith and ideology can also be at
different levels. But one there is one thing these would-be terror cells all
have in common: They have been touched at some point by an “ideology” which we
have been warning about. Note too, that the country of orgin for many involved
in terror cells or would-be terror cells is exploding our conventional
stereotypes: in recent arrests the suspects have been Haitian, Albanian, Asian,
African, European, Middle Eastern, etc.
Motives: Be Careful How You Detect Them
According to a criminal complaint:
“Cromitie began working with an FBI informant in June 2008 when he told the
official that his parents has lived in Afghanistan and that he was upset with
the ongoing war there, including the deaths of many Muslim in Afghanistan and
Pakistan by U.S. military forces.”
Compare this statement with many statements made by previously discovered terror
cells: they are the same, almost to the word. They are produced by the same
“ideological war room.” Cromitie didn’t mention the killing of more Muslims by
the Taliban, Al Qaeda and the like. The same goes for all the previous arrests
of would-be terrorists caught in the United States. Isn’t it interesting? We
need to be careful and not buy the propaganda served by the alleged terrorists
but at the same time we need not to be naïve. The local NBC station in New York
said, for example “the motives behind the alleged plot are not yet known, but
authorities said that Cromitie was apparently upset over the war in
Afghanistan.” After eight years of conflict with the jihadists, dozens of terror
cells dismantled and a review of the terrorists’ literature there should be no
doubt about their “motives.” This is a war — and in each one of its attacks —
whether foiled or carried out — there is one overarching motive driving their
actions it’s their embrace of the jihadist ideology.
Urban Jihad
From all what we know related to the previously foiled plots at Fort Dix, the
Virginia Paintball scheme, the Miami Sears Tower group, the Oregon terrorist
training group and much more, and in light of what we witnessed in Mumbai few
months ago, we need to realize that the developing trend and the threats to come
will most likely look like a combination of all the above. The new face of
terrorisism is an urban jihad, as I described it in 2005.
The Bottom Line
These arrests, on top of all the previous arrests that tell us one thing: The
jihadists are still at war with America — and all other democracies around the
world. They haven’t stopped fighting. And they will continue to try to defeat
us, whether they are citizens or not, regardless of their ethnic background.
They are united under one ideology yet they are also protected by our laws and
they are taking full advantage of our wrong-headed debate on national security.
If we don’t see the jihadists as an “army” spreading across the country and if
we do not educate our public as much as we need to about them, one day –despite
the bravery of our law enforcement officiers — there will be a terror cell that
will succeed in its mission. I can only hope that that day won’t ever come.
**Dr. Walid Phares is the Director of the Future Terrorism Project at the
Foundation for Defense of Democracies and the author of “The Confrontation:
Winning the War Against Future Jihad.”
Iran…a “timed bomb”
Date: May 21st, 2009
Future News
No sane would believe that the goal of the Iranian adoption to some militias,
and political factions lay only in fighting Israel. We are all aware that Iran
is manipulating the Arab counties to establish its Empire. How would Iran intend
to implement its “project” while it is carrying out its plot to annihilate and
occupy Kurdish lands, and is banning those people from their rights of culture?
How Iran endorses “liberation” movement while it applies all sorts of ethnical
and sectarian oppression on its people? Iran has expended tremendous amounts of
time and effort controlling, harassing, and punishing its citizens. It has
passed and enforced humiliating and sadistic rules and punishments to prevent
its people from the freedom of expression. It also executed repressive gender
apartheid against women enslaving them in a system of segregation. However Iran
is notorious for being known worldwide as the “country of 5 million exiles.”
How would a human distinguish the difference between Iran and any
colonial-imperial project, while it occupies the three “Emirati islands” in
defiance of the resolutions and after the international community desperately
called the Islamic republic to return these islands?
Why would an Iranian official claim Bahrain as a province of Iran? He stated
recently that Bahrain was the 14th province of Iran until 1970, and affirmed
that Bahrain was an integral part of the Islamic republic and questioned its
Arabic identity. Why would Iran pretend eliminating terrorism while it forged an
alliance with (the master of terror) Osama Bin Laden?
Iran is responsible of escalating sectarian violence in Iraq, and recruited the
“death squad gangs” to wipe out a whole sect in its quest of purgation. Its
brutal acts have led many Iraqis to conceal their identities out of fear.
How many countries voiced its complaints covertly and hinted to the role of Iran
and its plot to export its "revolution” to the rest of the neighboring states?
These countries could only criticize not speak up hoping an abrupt change in
Iran’s policy anytime.
May those who are defending the Persian point the finger at the Zionists in
Yemen to allow us construe the meaning of the Iranian interference, and its
support to the “Hawthy” in their struggle against the Yemeni Authorities?
Iran is the only of Iraq's neighbors that wholeheartedly supported regime change
in Baghdad, even if via a US-led invasion. Since Iran was convinced that the US
administration was indeed determined to effect forcible change in Iraq, Tehran
has been egging on Washington, albeit in private. Whenever the US has needed
Tehran's help, the Iranians have been more than happy to oblige. How could Iran
be a country of “liberation” at a certain country, while at the same time a
tyrannical occupant in another one?
The most detrimental defect in the relationship with Iran is its "precautionary
policy" that would blow up the entire region in its attempt to revive the
Persian Empire.
Abul Gheit: Hizbullah
or its Tenfold Cannot Threaten Egypt
Naharnet/Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul Gheit said a group like Hizbullah
cannot threaten Cairo's security but warned the group not to act inside Egypt's
territories without its consent. "The security of Cairo cannot be threatened by
a group like Hizbullah or tenfold" this group, Abul Gheit told Russia Today TV.
"When a party or a state decides to play inside Egyptian territories …. such as
providing military aid to Hamas and resistance forces in Gaza, it has to get the
consent of Egypt" first, the FM stressed. He warned in the interview that not a
single person can decide "to act on his own" if Egypt refuses such operations.
"This is totally rejected." Abul Gheit was referring to the discovery of a cell
led by a member of Hizbullah which was allegedly planning attacks against Jews
and Egyptian interests. "If you don't stop, we will have a different stance," he
told Hizbullah and its backer Iran. Asked about the official Lebanese stance on
the alleged Hizbullah cell, Abul Gheit said: "Beirut didn't bring up the issue
officially because it felt this would mean an embarrassment for the Lebanese
interior. We appreciate this." On Syria, the Egyptian FM said that Cairo has
calm relations with Damascus, adding that "there is no problem at all." Abul
Gheit met with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev in Moscow Wednesday ahead of
the head of state's planned visit to Egypt end of June. Medvedev praised his
country's "strategic" ties with Egypt and told the foreign minister that the
level of dialogue "has become that of a strategic order." Beirut, 21 May 09,
08:36
Hizbullah's Growing Regional
Role Piques Arabs
Naharnet/Arab governments are starting to see the fingerprints of Hizbullah all
over the Middle East, adding to their growing alarm over Iran's power and a
widening Sunni-Shiite rift.
The worry comes at a time when Hizbullah is expected to make strong political
gains inside Lebanon in the June 7 parliamentary elections.
The double whammy by Hizbullah — of growing political influence at home, coupled
with more outreach abroad — has put the squeeze on traditional but waning Arab
powers like Egypt, already rattled by President Barack Obama's outreach to their
foe Iran.
"Hizbullah ..... (now) plays a role that is heavier, more important and
influential than many Arab nations," said Amal Saad-Ghorayeb, a Lebanese expert
on the group.
Nowhere has the feud been as overt as between Hizbullah and Egypt, which
recently accused the Lebanese group of organizing a cell to carry out terror
attacks inside Egypt.
Yemen's president also has accused Hizbullah operatives of training Shiite
rebels there, while Saudi Arabia has repeatedly warned of Iranian influence
across the region. Morocco unexpectedly cut ties with Iran earlier this year,
accusing it of spreading Shiite influence in that mainly Sunni nation.
Hizbullah insists it has no intention of interfering in any country's internal
politics. Leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah has denied interference in Yemen and
said the Hizbullah operative arrested in Egypt was organizing weapons smuggling
to neighboring Gaza, not targeting Egypt.
Even that — the first time Hizbullah has admitted arming the Palestinian
militant group Hamas in Gaza — was a startling, direct revelation of Hizbullah's
reach.
"We are not shy about providing the Palestinian people with the support they
need," said the Hizbullah leader's point man on Arab affairs, Hassan Izzedine,
in a recent interview. "But we don't intervene, even if we are asked, when it is
a problem between a regime and its people, or a regime and the opposition."
However, Izzedine also suggested that Hizbullah hopes its record at fighting
Israel would be a role model for Arabs. He also suggested Hizbullah would be
ready to intervene to end any serious Sunni-Shiite rifts outside Lebanon.
Nasrallah on Wednesday accused the United States and Israel of trying to create
strife between Sunni Arab countries and Shiite Iran.
Shiite Hizbullah might normally have little appeal among the Sunni-dominated
nations of the Arab Mideast. But Nasrallah's popularity skyrocketed because of
his fighters' tough stand against Israel in a summer 2006 war in Lebanon.
Hizbullah wants "to make inroads into the wider Sunni Arab world," said Ibrahim
Bayram, an expert on Shiite affairs who writes for An-Nahar daily.
In Iraq, Hizbullah is accused of training Shiite militiamen in conflict with
Baghdad's central government, and of helping to plan a brazen 2007 attack on
U.S. troops.
But other than in Iraq, there had never been accusations of Hizbullah directly
targeting an Arab country's government, as Egypt has claimed. Generally, Arab
governments have turned a blind eye to Hizbullah activities.
Hizbullah's new prominence comes as the Sunni-Shiite rift has worsened
considerably in the last few years. On one side are Sunni Arab allies of the
United States like Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Jordan. On the other are Shiite Iran
and its allies Syria, and Hizbullah and Sunni Hamas.
The pro-U.S. camp's fears have spiked recently, in part because of Obama's
efforts to open dialogue with Iran. U.S. Arab allies worry that outreach will
leave them in the lurch.
At the same time, Hizbullah's power only seems to grow. In Lebanon, a coalition
that includes Hizbullah holds a strong chance of winning upcoming parliamentary
elections. And Britain is considering starting a dialogue, which would give the
group a measure of international legitimacy.
Regionally, Egypt's arrest of the cell it claimed was organized by Hizbullah
quickly turned into an ugly spat. Egypt's state-run press blasted Nasrallah as a
criminal and "fake sheik." President Hosni Mubarak warned Iran and Hizbullah not
to interfere in Egypt's "security and stability."
Nasrallah replied by mocking Egypt as a fading power. "Did (the arrest) restore
to Egypt its regional and international prestige?" he asked in one recent
address. "Certainly not."(AP) Beirut, 21 May 09, 10:04
Argentina Seeks
Colombian-Lebanese for Jewish Charity Bombing
Naharnet/Argentina on Wednesday issued an international arrest warrant for a
Colombian-Lebanese man in connection with the 1994 bombing of a Jewish charities
building in Buenos Aires that killed 85 and injured 300. Samuel Salman El Reda,
a Colombian of Lebanese descent who formerly lived in Buenos Aires, was the top
local connection in the attack, Prosecutor Alberto Nisman told a press
conference. The July 18, 1994 bombing of the Argentine Jewish Mutual
Association, a Buenos Aires headquarters of Jewish charity groups, has gone
unsolved for a decade and a half. A 1992 bombing of the Israeli Embassy in
Buenos Aires that killed 22 and wounded 200 also remains unsolved. Argentina has
South America's largest Jewish community. El Reda has been married to an
Argentine national, Silvina Sain, since 1989 "and was part of the most
radicalized sector of the local Muslim community," Nisman said. El Reda has
relatives in Lebanon, where he had recently been living with his wife, Nisman
said. Argentine Judge Rodolfo Canicoba Corral, in charge of the case, earlier
called for the arrest of several former Iranian officials in connection with the
bombing, including ex-president Ali Akbar Rafsanjani, former security minister
Ali Fallahijan, ex-foreign minister Ali Velayati, former Revolutionary Guard
chief Moshen Rezai, and Mohsen Rabbani, who worked at Iran's embassy in Buenos
Aires. "It has been proven that El Reda was one of the people Rabbani trusted
the most," said Nisman, adding that the Colombian suspect ran two safe houses in
Buenos Aires. Officials in Tehran have rejected all charges linked to the case,
and refused to collaborate with Argentine investigators. Nisman also said that
El Reda placed calls to Hizbullah in Beirut, as well as to a mobile phone
located in the "tri-border" area, a zone between Argentina, Paraguay and Brazil
suspected of being a haven for radical Islamic groups. El Reda's trail went cold
two hours before the blast, and 40 minutes before the departure of the only
flight of the day to Puerto Iguazu, on the Argentine part of the "tri-border,"
Nisman said.(AFP) Beirut, 21 May 09, 07:36
Nasrallah: Beware of
U.S.-Israeli Plans to Drag Region into Sunni-Shiite Conflict, Iran Has Loudest
Voice against Israel
Naharnet/Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah on Wednesday called for
"awareness" to U.S.-Zionist plans to create a Sunni-Shiite conflict in the
region and praised Iran's vocal support for resistance movements, in an indirect
jab to Arab countries
Nasrallah was speaking at a conference titled "The Resistance in the Battle for
Awareness and Memory" in al-Hadath's university campus. He is still expected to
give a televised speech on Friday. He said that the latest Zionist-American
agenda in the region is to "create an Arab-Iranian and Sunni-Shiite conflict. If
we succeed in foiling this plot then we will have put an end to diabolic
U.S.-Zionist weapons in the region," he said. He issued a call for "a battle for
awareness in the face of a scheme to sow sedition, create an imaginary enemy (in
the region)… and to push the nation into a battle that only the Zionist enemy
will benefit from."
He blasted the United States, Israel and some Arab countries for "keeping the
people in the dark" as to who their real enemy was.
"The resistance was able to clearly establish that the enemy is Israel and that
the Israeli agenda, which is fully adopted by the United States, is the enemy,"
he said.
"Over the past years, there has been a joint U.S., Western and Israeli effort,
in intersection with some Arab attempts, to create an imaginary enemy to divert
the (Arab) nation's attention from the real enemy," he added.
He said these forces sometimes presented the enemy in the form of "Iran, or
Persian ambitions in the Arab lands, or (plans) to spread Shiite ideology and to
create a Shiite crescent," he said. "These forces are still working hard to
accomplish this issue," he cautioned.
He pointed to Israel's reluctance to enagage in peace talks with the Arabs
saying the new Israeli government was linking a two-state solution to Iran's
nuclear program.
"Netanyahu's government is working jointly with the Arabs to resolve the Iranian
nuclear file and then tackle the Palestinian issue," he said.
He also cautioned that Israel was taking advantage of positions in some Gulf
states favoring cooperation with the Jewish state to "protect the Arab world
from Persian Iran and Shiite ideology and to protect the Sunnis."
Nasrallah welcomed "positive" statements by some Arab officials, notably Arab
League chief Amr Moussa, saying that the real danger lies in the Israeli nuclear
program not Iran's.
On Iran, he said: "We are not ashamed to say we have ties with Iran and that it
supports us. In fact we are honored by its support. Iran's voice today is the
loudest against Israel and its agenda," he said. He then asked: "Who else dares
say what (Iranian President Mahmoud) Ahmadinejad said (about Israel) at the
United Nations Durbin conference?
Last month, Ahmadinejad branded Israel as the "the most cruel and repressive
racist regime" at U.N. conference in Geneva on racism. His remarks prompted 23
European Union delegations to walk out in protest.
"Iran voices its support for the Palestinians in broad daylight, at a time when
anyone who supports Palestine is dubbed a terrorist," Nasrallah said, recalling
that the Islamic republic was the only country in the world to open a
Palestinian Embassy on its land.
Most of the speech was dedicated to the importance of awareness in
"strengthening the resistance and defending its choices."
Nasrallah said that it was not difficult to convince Arab governments, even
those that have peace deals with Israel, that "our cause is just."
However, he said, the more challenging part was to "convince them of the choice
you make (to fight for your cause)."
"The key issue here is to elect the right choice, one that will lead you to your
goal. If you do not, then we will be lost and our enemy will become more rooted
in the land," Nasrallah said.
Even back in 1982, "when we were part of the founding members of the resistance,
most of those we held discussions with said that while our cause was valid, our
choice of armed struggle was wrong." "But we were able to continue through the
resistance's work on the ground and the martyrdom of (fighters) from various
parties and forces … from here we were able to establish awareness that we made
the right and just choice to resist." "Israel's real defeat was not in May 25 of
2000, it was in 1984 and 1985 when it withdrew from Beirut, the mountain and the
western Bekaa. This is what laid the ground for its 2000 withdrawal." "The cause
for which the resistance is fighting is one of rights and justice. It is not a
fabricated like the Zionists cause," Nasrallah told a packed auditorium. The
battle to end the Arab-Israeli conflict "cannot be determined by a resistance in
one country. It can be determined by the (Arab) nation through its solidarity,
support and unity." Another strong point, Nasrallah said, is that Israel was
betting "on time to make the Palestinian people forget their land."
"Loss of memory is a fundamental element in the Israeli agenda, and (Israel) is
aided by some Arabs (to achieve that end).
"But we will not forget as long as the sky is blue," he said jokingly. He was
referring to one of the slogans being used in al-Mustaqbal movement's electoral
campaign.
He emphasized that "awareness is the first and foremost condition for the
existence of the resistance." "From the start, and until the goals are achieved,
we will remain engaged in a battle for awareness: to raise our nation's
awareness and to raise our enemy's awareness," he said. Beirut, 20 May 09, 19:26
Jumblat Calls for
Strengthening President's Powers
Naharnet/Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblat called for
strengthening the powers of the president. "I'm for strengthening the
president's power in order to find a solution to the veto threat in the
government, provided this takes place in the framework of the Taef accord,"
Jumblat said in an interview with the daily As Safir published on Thursday. "The
president needs to act as an effective president," he believed, adding that the
head of state also should be given capacity to govern. "I'm not a constitutional
expert. However, we should find a procedure to combine the concept of Taef
accord and the need to reconsider the president's powers," Jumblat went on.
Beirut, 21 May 09, 08:44
Raad Accuses Sison of
Interfering in Formation of Majority Lists
Naharnet/Hizbullah MP Mohammed Raad has accused U.S. Ambassador Michele Sison of
playing a role in the formation of March 14 coalition's electoral tickets.
"The majority team has trouble in forming its lists. It cannot form them unless
U.S. Ambassador Michele Sison interferes in the process of choosing" candidates,
Raad told a gathering in Nabatiyeh. "This is what is happening in Kesrouan,
Beirut 1, Zahle, Jbeil and what happened in Metn," he said. Raad urged his foes
to reduce tension "because the results of elections and anticipation of defeat
do not deserve to take the country to abyss."He reiterated that the opposition
does not want to obliterate the other side when it wins the June 7 parliamentary
elections.
Addressing those adopting the slogan of "Lebanon First," Raad said: "Such a
slogan can be interpreted only through full readiness to face Israel." Beirut,
21 May 09, 12:14
Aoun: There is No Lebanese State But Parts of a State
Naharnet/Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun said that he would work
on returning displaced Lebanese back to their homes in the Shouf Mountains
"because the [Lebanese] state is none existent up to now, the displaced have not
returned to their homes in the mountain" He defended the presence of arms in the
hands of Hizbullah saying the issue of the party's arms can only be addressed
following a tangible solution. Aoun reiterated his stance that arms would not
used to turn over the republic. He denied the existence of deals with Hizbullah
asserting that both parties are joined by "political choices.""Lebanon will
disarm no one prior to returning the Shouf mountain residents to their homes.
When they speak of Hizbullah's arms that protect the nation they forget that
arms are preventing people from returning back to their villages," Aoun said.
In an interview with the satellite news channel al-Jazeera on Wednesday, Aoun
responded to charges made against him by MP Michel Murr saying: "he has dragged
the issue of shortening the presidency's term and he was the one that proposed a
parliamentary bloc for the president."Aoun rejected claims made against him by
his political opponents that he is seeking to shorten the presidential term of
Michel Suleiman calling it a "big lie."He addressed fears among some that
Hizbullah's Secretary-General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah would rule Lebanon if the
opposition wins the June 7 parliamentary elections saying: "this is playing to
fool the minds and emotions of people' adding that he has no desire to rule.
"I have read that MP Saad Hariri is supporting the president, well that makes me
happy as I am also happy to know that he wants to fight corruption. I call on
[Hariri] to work on strengthening the powers of the presidency," Aoun said.
Beirut, 21 May 09, 12:09
Biden to Make 'Historic'
Visit to Beirut on Friday in 'Support' of Suleiman
Naharnet/U.S. Vice President Joe Biden will visit Beirut on Friday in a show of
support for President Michel Suleiman ahead of crucial elections that could see
a U.S.-backed government ousted by a Hizbullah-led coalition, a Lebanese
official said Tuesday. Biden is expected to convey to Suleiman "a message of
support" from President Barack Obama to "Lebanon's president, government and
people" as the country moves toward the June 7 polls, the official told The
Associated Press. "Vice President Biden will discuss with the president the
Middle East peace process as well as bilateral relations," another official told
Agence France Presse. An Nahar daily said Wednesday that Biden will also meet
with Premier Fouad Saniora and other top Lebanese officials. Sources described
Biden's trip, which is set to last three hours, as "historic" because visits by
top U.S. officials have been restricted to secretaries of state.
Biden's visit comes less than a month after a similar trip by U.S. Secretary of
State Hillary Rodham Clinton.
The sources added that Biden will come to Beirut 11 days before U.S. President
Barack Obama's visit to Egypt where he will announce a peace plan for the
region.
LBC TV network said Biden's visit reflects "American and European concerns"
about the possibility of the Hizbullah-led alliance winning the elections.
During a brief stop in Beirut on April 26, Clinton said after talks with
Suleiman that the United States, which has reached out to Iran and Syria, never
will make a deal with Syria that "sells out Lebanon." U.S. officials have said
they would review aid to Lebanon, including military assistance, depending on
the composition of the next government.
The U.S. has provided $1 billion in aid since 2006, including $410 million in
security assistance to the Lebanese military and the police. In another
development, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will visit Beirut on Monday
as part of a tour to the region. Lavrov will invite Lebanon to participate in
the second peace conference to be held in Moscow. Pan-Arab daily al-Hayat said
that Beirut has already informed Russia that it will take part in the
meeting.(AP-Naharnet-AFP) Beirut, 20 May 09, 08:04
Netanyahu ready to start peace
talks with Damascus
Compiled by Daily Star staff /Thursday, May 21, 2009
Israel is ready to open peace talks with Syria immediately and without
preconditions, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday after talks
with US President Barack Obama.
The offer followed Obama's first White House meeting with the Israeli leader,
who said he agreed on the need to widen the peace process across the Arab world
but stopped short of embracing the declared US goal of Israel accepting there
should be a Palestinian state in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, East Jerusalem,
and the Gaza Strip.
"There was agreement that we must immediately launch peace talks," Netanyahu
told reporters at Tel Aviv's Ben-Gurion Airport after returning from talks in
Washington.
"I said I was ready to immediately open peace talks with the Palestinians, by
the way, with the Syrians as well, of course, without preconditions," Netanyahu
added. "But I made it clear that any peace settlement must find a solution to
Israel's security needs." Netanyahu, whose right-leaning coalition took office
nearly two months ago, had appeared cool to the idea of restarting peace talks
with Syria, launched a year ago by his centrist predecessor Ehud Olmert under
Turkish mediation.
Despite his pledge not to set preconditions, Netanyahu has in the past expressed
opposition to Israel's withdrawal from the Golan Heights, which Israel has
illegally occupied since 1967 and which Syria wants returned as part of a peace
deal.
Olmert's Turkish-mediated negotiations with Syria stalled late last year. Last
week, Turkish President Abdullah Gul urged Netanyahu to resume the talks.
Opening the door to talks with Syria could help Netanyahu deflect pressure from
the Obama administration to resume statehood negotiations with Palestinian
President Mahmoud Abbas.
With Hamas in charge of the Gaza Strip and little progress during the US
presidency of George W. Bush, Netanyahu has said talks should focus on economic,
security and political issues, leaving the question of statehood for later.
Palestinians reject that approach, saying that they will not negotiate until
Netanyahu commits to a two-state solution and halts expansion of Jewish
settlements in the Occupied West Bank.
Obama sees Israeli-Palestinian progress as crucial to repairing the US image in
the Muslim world and to persuading "moderate" Arab states to join a united front
against Iran. - Reuters, AFP with The Daily Star
Murr confident his ticket will triumph in Metn
Aoun: 'we are fighting to establish partnership'
By Therese Sfeir /Daily Star staff
Thursday, May 21, 2009
BEIRUT: Lebanon's parliamentary election campaigning intensified on Wednesday as
March 14 and opposition politicians traded accusations ahead of the June 7
polls. Meanwhile, MP Michel Murr said Wednesday that he was confident that all
seven parliamentary candidates on his Metn electoral ticket would win the
elections.
In a news conference, Murr criticized attacks against President Michel Sleiman,
adding that he would vote for renewing the term of Speaker Nabih Berri.
Murr added that Achrafieh residents would choose between the candidates for the
Orthodox seat, Nayla Tueni and Deputy Prime Minister Issam Abu Jamra, who Murr
said "escaped from an electoral battle in his own district, Marjayoun."
Meanwhile, the leader of the Free Patriotic Movement, MP Michel Aoun, denied
that the opposition was seeking to control the country and shorten the term of
the presidency.
Aoun also ruled out claims that the opposition was seeking to shorten the term
of Sleiman.
In other developments, Lebanese Forces chief Samir Geagea said that the vetoing
third in the Cabinet had hampered the state. "The vetoing third means that the
country is crippled. We are against May 7 and with June 7," Geagea said in
reference to last year's May clashes in Beirut in the Chouf.
Geagea called on the Lebanese to vote for the Lebanese Forces and the March 14
alliance rather than "those who have blocked presidential elections and
Parliament."
He reiterated that Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah would rule the
country if the March 8 forces won the June 7 parliamentary elections.
Separately, the March 14 Forces' secretariat general warned against the
"increased tension that Hizbullah Secretary General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah
raised lately."
A statement issued after the secretariat's weekly meeting on Wednesday said that
Nasrallah's remarks included "dangerous indications which reveal and confirm
their hidden intentions for the next period, and Hizbullah's attempts to target
the Taif Accord, the Lebanese state, and all its institutions."
It added that "his [Nasrallah's] confirmation that the Lebanese should not
forget May 7, and his labeling of it as a 'glorious' day, is part of his efforts
to spread sectarian unrest between all the Lebanese parties."
"What will the future of our freedom of expression be if they [the opposition]
ruled in Lebanon?" the March 14 statement asked.
In other developments on Wednesday, Tueni, the Greek Orthodox candidate for
Achrafieh's Beirut I district, criticized attacks against Sleiman, saying: "We
cannot allow this to continue after the upcoming parliamentary elections. We
want to have a strong president who can be our main reference."
In an electoral gathering in Achrafieh, Tueni said that some people were
distorting the truth by saying that the army is weak.
In another development, contacts continued over the formation of the Kesrouan
electoral ticket with rumors that a list of five candidates would be created.
The announcement on Tuesday of a joint Kesrouan electoral list between
independent candidates and March 14 Forces was postponed until next week.
Pan-Arab daily Al-Hayat quoted former Minister Fares Boueiz as saying that the
delay was due to "positive outcomes," adding that the ticket would be made
public soon.
Former Minister Farid Haykal Khazen agreed, saying there was a tendency toward
forming a list of five, including March 14 candidates Sejaan Azzi and Carlos
Edde.
The delay in declaring the Kesrouan list coincided with a postponement made by
the March 14 alliance of its central meeting that was scheduled to be held at
the Bristol hotel on Thursday.
Also on Wednesday, former deputy Speaker Elie Ferzli said that no Lebanese
politician was interested in the tripartite system, stressing the need to abide
by the principles of the Taif Accord.
Following a meeting with Berri, Ferzli also said no one wanted to shorten
Sleiman's term. "The president is the symbol of Lebanon's unity, independence
and sovereignty," he said.
Ferzli added that some have attempted to intimidate the Christians by telling
them that their share of the Lebanese political system could be decreased.
Lebanese Muslims, in particular Sunnis and Shiites, are always careful to
reassure the Christians of their pioneering role in Lebanon's system,
sovereignty and independence," he said.
March 14 candidate accuses rival of death threats
BEIRUT: Candidate for the Shiite seat in the Bekaa district of Zahle Oqab Saqr
on Wednesday accused MP Hassan Yaqoub of the opposition-aligned Zahle's Popular
Bloc, of threatening to kill him following a tense exchange Tuesday night during
"Kalam al-Nass," a prominent political talk show on LBC television.
Yaqoub dismissed the charge.
"I won't be dragged again into an exchange with a politically bankrupt
individual," he told Al-Nashra news website
"MP Hasan Yaqoub made a series of threats against me, including a death threat,"
Saqr told the Voice of Lebanon radio station.
Saqr is running on the March 14 Forces ticket in Zahle.
A former columnist in Al-Balad newspaper, Saqr claimed that Yaqoub made the
death threat after the show was over.
Yaqoub is also running for the Shiite seat in Zahle.
He stressed that the electoral process should not reach such a stage.
Tuesday night's talk show episode between Saqr and Yaqoub was packed with
insults and verbal abuse. - The Daily Star
Addressing delegations of Chouf residents in Rabieh, Aoun said: "They are
spreading lies to raise fears among the people. One of these lies is that when
the opposition wins, Nasrallah is going to rule Lebanon."
"I swear to you that I don't have any desire to rule. We are fighting in the
elections to establish partnership. We won't let anyone monopolize
decision-making in any region in Lebanon," he added.
Audette Salem and the betrayal of memory
By Michael Young
Daily Star staff/Thursday, May 21, 2009
Last Saturday, Audette Salem was hit by a car, and died soon afterward in
hospital. By then she had become as much a symbol as anything else, the mother
of a boy and girl, Richard and Christine, kidnapped in August 1985, along with
their uncle, Georges, none ever seen again. Audette had been a stalwart at the
tent set up by family members of the disappeared outside the ESCWA building in
the downtown area. Until the end she believed her children were still alive, and
in a final act of consideration a DNA sample was taken for identification
purposes in case she was right.
Some friendships go far enough back that it's difficult to remember when they
started. I first met Richard sometime in the 1970s, and together with a cousin
of mine with whom he was very close, we would spend almost every Saturday
afternoon in a Beirut movie theater. My first nip of single malt scotch was from
a bottle he crossed half of Beirut to purchase, and I still resist the urge of
darkening the memory of that inveterate, jovial hedonist with the tragedy of his
disappearance.
A few details return. At the start of the 1982 Israeli siege of Beirut, the talk
in the Salem household was not of war and death, but of the proper way to make
polenta. I was again at their house on the day the news of the Sabra and Shatila
massacres came out, and spent half and hour with Richard looking at the
repugnant photographs in the newspapers, before leaving hurriedly when the
Israelis blocked off the neighborhood in search of weapons. Of Christine, I
remember only her shyness and that our bulky glasses would clink when we greeted
each other with a kiss.
I remember, too, their uncle Georges, proud of being in fine form though he was
over 70. And I remember his wife Claire, the daughter of a prominent Palestinian
family, who, after her husband was gone, spent almost a decade in a no-man's
land of old age, with nothing to look forward to and her past abruptly deleted.
A woman of few words and discreet generosity, she was yet an eloquent reminder
of the bestiality of individuals who, in a few moments, could destroy a
pulsating network of lives.
I never shared Audette's optimism about her children being alive, but one has to
admit that there was much about the case that was never explained. What was the
motive behind kidnapping two youths, she in her teens, he barely out of them,
and an old man? There were many abductions in those days, but almost never did
they involve females. The bodies were not recovered, though that, too, perhaps
was a recurring phenomenon; few bodies were ever recovered at the time, even
though the murderers had little enough respect for the living to be ashamed of
dumping the dead.
Over the years the families of the disappeared have been engaged in a struggle
on several fronts, in a general way focused on three objectives: to define the
legal status of the disappeared for essential practical reasons related to
clarifying property, succession, and personal status issues; to discover, quite
simply, what happened
to their loved ones and close a psychological parenthesis; and to demand some
form of public recognition for the wartime victims - and, given the
disappearance of Lebanese citizens into Syrian prisons after 1990, the postwar
victims.
On the latter two issues in particular, much more could and should be done by
the authorities to help the families. Even after all this time, there is plenty
of information about the fate of the victims out there. There are still police
reports and former militiamen, even former militia leaders, who, if the context
and mechanism is right, can provide indispensable insights and information into
the abductions. It would be a mistake to assume these were all the result of
pervasive anarchy. Militia leaders had more control over their men during the
1980s, but also more knowledge over what they were doing, than anyone can
imagine.
By the same token, the Lebanese state must make elucidation of the fate of those
who disappeared into Syria a priority in relations with Damascus. The Syrians
have told Lebanese officials in the past that there are no Lebanese alive
anymore, a view the Lebanese have parroted. Both sources are unreliable. Don't
expect the Syrians to give an accurate accounting of those whom they illegally
arrested, brutalized and killed; and don't expect the Lebanese to have special
insights into those the Syrians arrested, brutalized or killed, since this was
not even information Syria's intelligence services necessarily shared with each
other, let alone with outsiders. That's why Lebanese representatives should
bring up with Syria not just whether those who disappeared are alive or dead,
but what happened to them and how their bodies can be returned to their families
for burial. The Syrians will stonewall; the Lebanese should not.
Then there is official recognition. Why has it been so difficult to create a
space honoring the wartime dead and disappeared? Next year, Lebanon's postwar
period will be a generation old; yet there is not a single memento in the
capital to suggest that anyone has an interest in remembering a national trauma
that killed over 100,000 people. One need not embrace a truth commission for
Lebanon - and I don't - to argue in favor of conceding something valuable to
memory. Surely, it must be one of the terrible insults of our peacetime that the
families of the wartime and postwar victims, despite their age and torment, have
been compelled to set up a dilapidated tent in an isolated corner of Beirut to
attract attention to their cause. Their stridency and aggressiveness is a source
of irritation to the authorities. But can it be any different given the way the
political class in its entirety has shown a disgraceful lack of imagination and
compassion in dealing with individuals who, in the end, only refuse to abandon
their humanity?
However, I concede, with great guilt, how little I saw of Audette in the past 15
years. Memory is a difficult thing to keep alive. That's why she, like her
comrades, in refusing to forget, in pursuing her logic all the way, in manning
her tent through fair weather and foul, and ultimately dying at its door, was
worthy of so much better than the hand she was dealt.
Michael Young is opinion editor of THE DAILY STAR.
What will Syria-Israel talks mean for the future of Lebanon?
By The Daily Star
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Editorial
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's announcement on Wednesday that his
country is ready to immediately launch peace talks with Syria ought to prompt
Lebanese of all political stripes to pay close attention. If the Syrians and
Israeli intend to sit down for face-to-face negotiations, one can only assume
that Lebanon would be one of the multiple issues that would be up for
discussion. Once the bargaining begins, neither Israel nor Syria is likely to
prioritize Lebanon's national interests, and a deal between the two states could
easily come at this country's expense.
The Syrians and Israelis have in recent years been engaged in indirect talks
mediated by Turkey, but this is the first indication that the two parties could
be getting ready for direct negotiations. The Israeli premier acknowledged that
his decision to announce his openness to such talks stemmed from "an agreement"
that he made with US President Barack Obama in Washington
We know that Obama is interested in pursuing vigorous diplomacy aimed at
resolving the decades-old Arab-Israeli conflict. But until now, we don't know
much about the new US president's policy on Lebanon. He has said that the US
will not make a deal with Syria at Lebanon's expense, but would the president
forcefully intervene to prevent a Syrian-Israeli agreement that would undermine
this country's independence and sovereignty? All that we do know is that a
combination of two key factors would make such bargaining over Lebanon's future
impossible: an Obama "veto" and Lebanese unity.
Obama's Vice President, Joe Biden, will be visiting Lebanon on Friday, and his
meetings with local leaders would serve as an opportunity to achieve the first
of these two goals. Lebanese leaders can emphasize the need for the US to make
clear to Syria and Israel that Lebanon cannot be put on the bargaining table
when Damascus and Tel Aviv sit down to talk.
As for the second factor, two local leaders hold the power to either unite or
divide the Lebanese: MP Saad Hariri and Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah. These recent
regional developments between Syria and Israel make direct talks between the two
all the more imperative. President Michel Sleiman is the only person who can
nudge Hariri and Nasrallah toward holding their long-promised talks, whether
these take place in public or in private, in person or via video link.
In these changing times, the Lebanese need to be careful turning at every
corner, and it will help if the country's big wheels are pointed in the same
direction.