LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN

LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
November 25/09

Bible Reading of the day
Matthew11/25-30 At that time, Jesus answered, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you hid these things from the wise and understanding, and revealed them to infants. Yes, Father, for so it was well-pleasing in your sight. All things have been delivered to me by my Father. No one knows the Son, except the Father; neither does anyone know the Father, except the Son, and he to whom the Son desires to reveal him. “Come to me, all you who labor and are heavily burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart; and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

Free Opinions, Releases, letters & Special Reports
President Michel Sleiman/NNA/November 24/09
Lebanon must be alert amid challenges/The Daily Star/November 24/09
Barack Obama's doctrine may well be no doctrine at all/By Elie Nasrallah/November 24/09
Lebanon's Cabinet, united only in name/By Michel Nehme/November 24/09
Iran Expanding Effort to Stifle the Opposition/By: Robert F. Worth/New York Times/November 24/09

Latest News Reports From Miscellaneous Sources for November 24/09
Election Complaint Results Soon as Suleiman Describes Everything Said as 'Crap'/Naharnet
Berri Slams Sfeir, Says: Good-Bye Lebanon if Sectarianism Not Abolished 'Now'/Naharnet
Name of Judge Suspended for Bribery Revealed/Naharnet
Car Thieves Using Women as Baits/Naharnet
Murr objects to settlement of Chakkour-Rifi dispute/Now Lebanon
Harb says Ministerial Statement “delicate process”/Now Lebanon
Committee Agrees to Lower Voting Age to 18 ahead of Municipality Elections/Naharnet
Jumblat, Berri Want U.N. to Annul 1559, Say Hizbullah Arms Internal Issue/Naharnet
Cabinet Policy Statement before Adha Holiday/Naharnet
Abbas Appoints New Palestinian Ambassador to Lebanon/Naharnet
Alleged Arms Dealer for Hizbullah Arrested in U.S. Over Anti-aircraft Missile Plot/Naharnet
U.N. Hasn't Been Notified About Ghajar Pullout Plan, Says Israel 'Obliged to Withdraw' from Northern Part/Naharnet
U.N. Chief 'Appreciates' Lebanon's Role in Finding Collett's Remains/Naharnet
Man arrested in anti-aircraft missile plot/AP
Ministerial committee concludes Cabinet's economic policies/Daily Star
Justice minister fires magistrate for bribery/Daily Star
DNA tests confirm Bekaa body belongs to missing UK journalist Alec Collett/AFP
Politicians attend Gemayel memorial Mass/Daily Star
UNIFIL 'not notified' on reported Ghajar withdrawal/Daily Star
Cairo urges nationals against entering Lebanon illegally/Daily Star
Fadlallah hails Hizbullah's 'exploits' against Israel/Daily Star
British Shadow foreign secretary warns Hizbullah must renounce violence/Daily Star
The economic agenda of the Saad Hariri Cabinet/Daily Star
Abolition of political sectarianism 'in due time'/Daily Star
Communist party protests plans for privatization/Daily Star
Beirut forum explores impact of media on activism in the Middle East/Daily Star
ISF arrests four suspects linked to car theft/Daily Star
HRW urges Lebanon to probe Abboud disappearance/Daily Star

Man arrested in anti-aircraft missile plot
RANDY PENNELL
The Associated Press
PHILADELPHIA - A scheme to transport stolen cell phones, laptops and video game systems that evolved into a plot to ship machine guns and anti-aircraft missiles to Syria was broken up with the arrest of a central figure in the plan, according to FBI documents released Monday. Dani Nemr Tarraf, who has residences in Lebanon and Slovakia, was arrested Saturday on charges of conspiracy to possess machine guns and conspiracy to acquire a missile system designed to destroy aircraft. Federal law enforcement officials declined to discuss whether Tarraf had any connection to terrorist organizations. It was not immediately clear whether Tarraf is ethnically Slovak or Lebanese. "Keeping missiles, machine guns, and other sensitive U.S. weapons technology from falling into the wrong hands is one of the Justice Department's top priorities," said Assistant Attorney General for National Security David Kriss. According to an affidavit, Tarraf paid about $20,000 cash to an undercover officer in July as a deposit on machine guns and shoulder-fired Stinger missiles and traveled to Philadelphia to inspect the merchandise last week. Tarraf was looking for missiles that could "take down an F-16," according to the affidavit. "These cases show the breadth of criminal activity engaged in by those who oppose us," said U.S. Attorney Michael L. Levy. The affidavit paints a picture of a plot to move stolen electronics that eventually led to Tarraf asking the undercover agent to acquire weapons that could be shipped to Iran or Syria for "the Resistance." According to the affidavit, Tarraf settled on moving the weapons to the port of Latakia, Syria, because "he controlled the port" and "secrecy was guaranteed." An attorney for Tarraf, Marc Neff, did not return a message left after hours on Monday. A second man, Hussein Ali Asfour, a legal permanent U.S. resident of Centerville, Ga., was arrested Monday. Asfour was part of the plot to smuggle purportedly stolen electronics, including thousands of cell phones, nearly 200 laptops and 400 video game systems to Slovakia, Detroit and Los Angeles, investigators said. It was not immediately clear whether Asfour has an attorney. According the affidavit, the shipments to Slovakia put the undercover agent in touch with Tarraf, who then paid nearly $75,000 to the agent and sought more vehicles, laptops, cell phones and night vision cameras to be shipped to Lebanon before inquiring about weapons.

Alleged Arms Dealer for Hizbullah Arrested in U.S. Over Anti-aircraft Missile Plot
Naharnet/A scheme to transport stolen cell phones, laptops and video game systems that evolved into a plot to ship machine guns and anti-aircraft missiles to Syria was broken up with the arrest of a central Lebanese figure in the plan, according to FBI documents released Monday. Dani Nemr Tarraf, who has residences in Lebanon and Slovakia, was arrested Saturday on charges of conspiracy to possess machine guns and conspiracy to acquire a missile system designed to destroy aircraft. Federal law enforcement officials declined to discuss whether Tarraf had any connection to terrorist organizations. However, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported that the FBI said the man is an arms dealer for Hizbullah. "Keeping missiles, machine guns, and other sensitive U.S. weapons technology from falling into the wrong hands is one of the Justice Department's top priorities," said Assistant Attorney General for National Security David Kriss. According to an affidavit, Tarraf paid about $20,000 cash to an undercover officer in July as a deposit on machine guns and shoulder-fired Stinger missiles and traveled to Philadelphia to inspect the merchandise last week. Tarraf was looking for missiles that could "take down an F-16," according to the affidavit. "These cases show the breadth of criminal activity engaged in by those who oppose us," said U.S. Attorney Michael L. Levy. The affidavit paints a picture of a plot to move stolen electronics that eventually led to Tarraf asking the undercover agent to acquire weapons that could be shipped to Iran or Syria for "the Resistance." According to the affidavit, Tarraf settled on moving the weapons to the port of Latakia, Syria, because "he controlled the port" and "secrecy was guaranteed."A second man, Hussein Ali Asfour, a legal permanent U.S. resident of Centerville, Ga., was arrested Monday. Asfour was part of the plot to smuggle purportedly stolen electronics, including thousands of cell phones, nearly 200 laptops and 400 video game systems to Slovakia, Detroit and Los Angeles, investigators said.
According the affidavit, the shipments to Slovakia put the undercover agent in touch with Tarraf, who then paid nearly $75,000 to the agent and sought more vehicles, laptops, cell phones and night vision cameras to be shipped to Lebanon before inquiring about weapons. The Philadelphia Inquirer said two more people were charged with conspiracy to transport stolen property - Tarraf's brother, Dori Nemr Tarraf of Trnava, Slovakia and Hassan Mohammed Koemeiha of Lebanon. A fifth man, Ali Fadel Yahfoufi, a citizen of Lebanon, was charged with Tarraf with conspiracy to commit passport fraud. He has not yet been arrested, according to the newspaper.(AP-Naharnet) Beirut, 24 Nov 09, 08:09

U.N. Hasn't Been Notified About Ghajar Pullout Plan, Says Israel 'Obliged to Withdraw' from Northern Part
Naharnet/The United Nations said Monday that it wasn't notified by the Israeli government about possible plans to withdraw from the northern part of the border village of Ghajar.
"We do not have any official notification from the Israeli government on the matter, although we have seen media reports in this regard today," she said in reference to Israeli media reports that the Jewish state has decided to work toward the withdrawal of its troops from the Lebanese side of Ghajar. "This is a longstanding matter and our position is very clear that Israel is obliged to withdraw from northern Ghajar and the adjacent area north of the Blue Line, in accordance with U.N. Security Council resolution 1701," she stressed. She said the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) is in contact with the Israelis and "hopes for a speedy solution" on the basis of UNIFIL commander Maj. Gen. Claudio Graziano's proposal. Okabe added that an understanding on the proposal "would facilitate implementation of resolution 1701 and would greatly contribute to confidence building in the area."UNIFIL also said it has yet to be notified by the Israeli government of its plan to withdraw from Ghajar. Beirut, 24 Nov 09, 09:00

Cabinet Policy Statement before Adha Holiday
Naharnet/The long-awaited Cabinet policy statement is likely to be announced before Adha holiday which begins on Friday.
An-Nahar newspaper, which carried the report, said the committee tasked with drafting the policy statement will hold its eighth meeting on Tuesday to finalize the debate over the political aspect of the statement, particularly over the controversial issue of Hizbullah arms. It said a ninth session is to be held on Thursday to address the priorities of each of the ministries.
"If everything goes smoothly, it would become possible to hold a Cabinet meeting on Thursday at Baabda Palace to approve the statement in its final form." An-Nahar wrote. Beirut, 24 Nov 09, 09:48

Phalange: Abolishing of Political Sectarianism Won't Solve Lebanon's Problems
Naharnet/Phalange Party on Monday said it does not believe that the abolishing of political sectarianism today, despite the party's endorsement of civil society, would solve people's issues and their economical, political, social, and security problems.
In a communique released after its weekly meeting, Phalange's politburo said that its call for March 14 forces to reorganize its structure is a reiteration of Phalange's belief that the Cedar Revolution has not ended yet. The politburo called for a ministerial Policy Statement that does not reflect a duality of states, armies, and weapons. It expressed its fear that, with time, that duality would threaten the unity of the Lebanese entity and nation. On the other hand, Phalange Party called for respecting hierarchy inside institutions and ministries. It also called on security and military institutions to comply under their political authorities in light of last week's Interior Ministry dispute. Beirut, 23 Nov 09, 19:49

Berri Slams Sfeir, Says: Good-Bye Lebanon if Sectarianism Not Abolished 'Now'
Naharnet/Speaker Nabih Berri criticized Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Sfeir and warned that Lebanon would no longer exist if a committee for the Abolition of Sectarianism was not set up "right away." "I don't believe Lebanon would survive if a committee for the abolition of political sectarianism was not formed now," Berri said in an interview published Tuesday by pan-Arab Asharq al-Awsat. He cautioned that Lebanon faces two enemies – "one within Lebanon called political sectarianism and Israel, the external enemy."
Berri said President Michel Suleiman was supportive of his offer to launch the committee.
Responding to remarks made by Sfeir that called for an end to political sectarianism emerging from the soul before the text, Berri said: "Thanks for this advice which is as old as the (French) mandate of Lebanon." "We will take it upon ourselves to annul sectarianism from both the souls and texts at the same time," he added. Beirut, 24 Nov 09, 08:16

Election Complaint Results Soon as Suleiman Describes Everything Said as 'Crap'
Naharnet/Newly-elected Lebanese lawmakers facing election challenges will most likely keep their posts at Parliament as the Constitutional Council is likely to turn down all vote complaints.
As-Safir newspaper on Tuesday, citing well-informed Constitutional Council sources, said the decision will most probably be handed down on Wednesday or Thursday.
The sources ruled out any appeal would be approved by the Council, "thus it is unlikely to annul any election result of the winners" in the June parliamentary elections.
The daily Al-Liwaa on Tuesday also quoted Constitutional Council sources as saying the Council has finalized an examination report on all complaints filed from several parliamentary constituencies and did not find conclusive evidence of election fraud, thus there is no reason to annul the votes.
President of the Constitutional Council Issam Suleiman, however, described press reports as nothing but "crap," raising questions about the credibility of the sources.
"Everything said about the expectations of the Council's decisions regarding election challenges is nothing but crap," Suleiman was quoted as saying.
Nineteen complaints had been filed against election results:
Cabinet Minister Elias Skaff against MP Nicola Fattoush.
MP Salim Aoun against MP Elie Marouni.
Rida al-Meis against MP Assem Araji.
Hasan Yaqoub against MP Oqab Saqr.
Fouad al-Turk against MP Toni Abu Khater.
Camille Maalouf against MP Joseph Maalouf.
Michael Daher against MP Hadi Hbeish.
Rashied Daher against MP Hadi Hbeish.
Adnan Ariqji against MP Nuhad Mashnouq.
Ajaj Jerji against MP Issam Sawaya.
Nicola Sahnawi against MP Michel Faraoun.
Eddy Abi Lamaa against MP Salim Salhab.
Emile Kanaan against MPs Ibrahim Kanaan, Nabil Nicola and Salim Salhab.
Elie Karameh against MP Edgar Maalouf.
Elias Mkhaiber against MP Ghassan Mkhaiber.
Sarkis Sarkis against MP Nabil Nicola.
Ghassan Ashqar against MP Sami Gemayel.
Ghassan Rahbani against MP Michel Murr.
Rami Aleiq against MP Abbas Hashem.
Beirut, 24 Nov 09, 07:42

Name of Judge Suspended for Bribery Revealed
Naharnet/Local newspapers on Tuesday identified the judge who has been suspended on charges of misconduct and bribery as Tanios Ghantous. Justice Minister Ibrahim Najjar on Monday announced that the Higher Disciplinary Council sacked Ghantous, who served as a criminal court judge in Beirut. Najjar, who refused to expose the judge's name, told a press conference on Monday that Ghantous was suspended for disciplinary reasons. Ghantous will be denied indemnities and retirement pensions. Najjar said the measure was the first of a long-term reform plan inside the judicial system. He said 18 similar cases were under investigation by the Higher Disciplinary Committee, adding that decisions will be handed down soon. Press reports on Tuesday said Najjar lately received a bribe worth $200,000 in a drug case. Beirut, 24 Nov 09, 09:13

Car Thieves Using Women as Baits
Naharnet/Car thieves seem to be using women to lure their targets into the robbery trap in Lebanon. That was the case of Mohammed Wafik al-Safawi who was in Beirut's Badaro district around midnight Monday when two women stopped him and asked for a ride to the Amrousiyeh area. When the driver reached the destination, two armed men assaulted him and forced him out of his Range Rover after threatening to kill him and hitting him on the head. Al-Safawi later regained consciousness and called police to inform them about the assault and the theft of his vehicle. Two police patrols chased the thieves and were able to stop them at daybreak in Shwaifat. Beirut, 24 Nov 09, 12:45

Committee Agrees to Lower Voting Age to 18 ahead of Municipality Elections
Naharnet/A ministerial committee tasked with drafting the policy statement has agreed to lower the voting age to 18 with the approach of elections of municipality chiefs and council members next spring. Following the winning of a vote of confidence, Cabinet would draw up a draft law in this regard. The act, however, requires amendment to the Constitution. Pan-Arab daily Al-Hayat said the government of former PM Fouad Saniora had approved lowering the voting age but did not submit it to Parliament for final approval.
There is difficulty, however, in applying the act given the short period ahead of municipal elections. Cabinet, according to Al-Hayat, was now faced with two options: Either it holds municipality elections on time based on the current election law or postpone the vote till next September until an amendment has been approved. Beirut, 24 Nov 09, 11:39

Jumblat, Berri Want U.N. to Annul 1559, Say Hizbullah Arms Internal Issue
Naharnet/Speaker Nabih Berri and his on-again-off-again ally Walid Jumblat want the United Nations to annul Resolution 1559 which was adopted by the Security Council in 2004.
As-Safir newspaper on Tuesday said Lebanon was now ready to send a formal letter to the United Nations Secretariat stating that Lebanon has implemented Resolution 1559.
The report was based on separate statements made by Berri and Jumblat. As-Safir quoted Berri as reiterating that Res. 1559 has become null. It quoted visitors as saying that Berri believes the "resistance is an integral part of Taef Accord.""There is a difference between the resistance and militias," Berri told visitors. Defense Minister Elias Murr, meanwhile, said a decision for the cancellation of 1559 was not a Cabinet issue. "Such a decision is taken by the (U.N.) Security Council and Lebanon bears the responsibility for the implementation or non-implementation," Murr added. 1559 called upon Lebanon to establish its sovereignty over all of its territory and called upon "foreign forces (generally interpreted as referring but not limited to Syria) to withdraw from Lebanon and to stop intervening in Lebanese political affairs. The resolution also called on all Lebanese and non-Lebanese militias to disband. Jumblat, for his part, said in remarks published Tuesday by As-Safir that Res. 1559 has "been implemented to the fullest by Lebanon." "The resistance is an internal issue to be discussed at the dialogue table as part of a defense strategy to safeguard Lebanon against Israeli threats and dangers," Jumblat said. Beirut, 24 Nov 09, 10:21

Abbas Appoints New Palestinian Ambassador to Lebanon
Naharnet/Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has issued a decree appointing a new ambassador to Lebanon, daily Al-Akhbar reported Tuesday.
It said ambassador Abdullah Abdullah will replace Abbas Zaki. Beirut, 24 Nov 09, 12:02

U.N. Chief 'Appreciates' Lebanon's Role in Finding Collett's Remains
Naharnet/U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon thanked British and Lebanese authorities Monday for helping uncover and identify the remains of a British journalist killed during Lebanon's civil war. Alec Collett, a reporter working for the U.N. Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), disappeared in Lebanon in 1985. In a statement, Ban said he "appreciates the role played by the relevant authorities in the United Kingdom and in Lebanon to resolve this matter after so many years." "Although he is saddened by Alec Collett's death, he hopes that the actions taken to find his remains can provide a measure of comfort to his loved ones," the statement added. Collett's body was found in the Bekaa Valley by a team made up of military specialists and British intelligence agents dispatched to the region to search for his remains. Britain's embassy in Lebanon said Monday that DNA analysis confirmed that the body recovered by the team was Collett's. Britain's Foreign Office also confirmed that a set of remains recovered last week belonged to the journalist. Collett was on an UNRWA mission in a refugee camp near Beirut airport when he went missing in 1985 and was assumed to be dead by the following year. A Palestinian splinter group known as the Fatah Revolutionary Council of Abu Nidal claimed responsibility for the kidnapping and murder of Collett in response to U.S. air raids on Libya.(AFP-AP) Beirut, 24 Nov 09, 07:40

Mother of Israel's Next Ambassador to Egypt Served 14 Years in Lebanese Prison
Naharnet/The man named as Israel's new ambassador to Egypt is the son of a spy who had been sentenced to death in Lebanon but was eventually part of a prisoner swap, a foreign ministry official said on Monday. The nomination of Yitzhak Levanon, 65, still has to be formally approved, the official, who asked not to be named, said. A fluent Arabic speaker, Levanon was born in Lebanon, where his now 92-year-old mother was arrested and sentenced to death in 1961 after being found guilty of spying for Israel for 14 years, the official said. Levanon's mother was released in 1967 as part of a prisoner exchange in the aftermath of the Six Day War between Israel and its Arab neighbors that year. She now lives in Jerusalem. Levanon served as consul in Boston and as representative to the U.N. office in Geneva.(AFP) Beirut, 23 Nov 09, 18:03

British Embassy: Remains Found in Bekaa Are for Missing Journalist Alec Collett
Naharnet/Forensic tests have confirmed that remains found in eastern Lebanon are those of British reporter Alec Collett who was kidnapped during the country's civil war, the British embassy said on Monday. "We can confirm that DNA tests show that the remains that were found last week are those of Alec Collett," embassy spokeswoman Nicola Davis told AFP.
The United Nations was to transport the body home, she added, without giving further details. British experts working in the Bekaa region of eastern Lebanon recovered the remains, which underwent DNA testing, a Lebanese security source said last week. Collett, who was 64 at the time, went missing in 1985 and was reported to have been killed a year later. He was on assignment in refugee camps for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) when taken hostage near Beirut airport. The Abu Nidal Organization (ANO), a radical offshoot of the Palestinian movement Fatah, claimed responsibility for the abduction and killing, said to be in response to U.S. air raids on Libya, a funder of the ANO. In April 1986, a videotape showed the hanging of a hooded man said to be Collett, but the victim was never officially identified. The group's leader Sabri al-Banna, or Abu Nidal, was found shot dead in Baghdad in 2002.(AFP) Beirut, 23 Nov 09, 18:40

Barack Obama's doctrine may well be no doctrine at all
By Elie Nasrallah
Commentary by
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Engraved at the entrance of the Parliament building in Canada’s capital city of Ottawa are the following words: “Where there is no vision, people perish.” One year after Barack Obama’s ascendancy to the presidency of the United States, the question on many minds is: Does Obama have a foreign policy vision or “doctrine?” The evidence thus far indicates that he does not, that what he has offered up instead is a collection of pragmatic initiatives not cohesively tied together. This shortcoming is particularly flagrant in the president’s policies toward the Middle East. For example, Palestinian-Israeli negotiations, with the settlements impasse at their heart, are proving disheartening indeed. The Obama team mismanaged the issue from the start, immensely damaging the credibility of the president and his ability to act as a mediator. Initially, the US backed a full settlement freeze, only to backtrack later. The Israelis have no incentive to make concessions in the absence of American pressure and a broader strategy from Washington to address the issue. In turn, the Palestinians remain divided, disoriented and powerless to influence the American side and impose behavior change on the Israelis.
Writing in The New York Times recently, Thomas Freidman described the status of the so-called peace process in the bluntest of ways: “There is no romance, no sex, no excitement, no urgency – not even a sense of importance anymore.”
Adding insult to injury is the weakness of traditional American regional partners like Saudi Arabia and Egypt. Both have been losing ground to new players in the region, which in turn has only undermined the US posture and the effectiveness of US actions. The Saudis and Egyptians used to be the neighborhood enforcers, financially, politically and militarily. With the rise of Iran, however, and more effective non-state actors able to shape the Mideastern agenda, those days appear to be over.
In this context, the ongoing stalemate over Iran’s nuclear program is also eroding American regional credibility and influence. There appears to be no more of a clear doctrine for dealing with Iran than there is for addressing the region’s other problem spots. The “smart power” that US officials, most prominently Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, promised when Obama took office, is going nowhere, and the “pragmatic” approach of the secretary, as well as of envoys George Mitchell and Richard Holbrooke, needs rebooting for the US to achieve diplomatic success.
What are the consequences of this absence of doctrine likely to be for the administration? And more importantly, what does it mean for the peoples of the Middle East and the powder keg that is regional power politics?
This dangerous vacuum may lead to one of two scenarios: It may lead to a regional war, which would have incalculably negative consequences on most states. Or it may reawaken the forces of reason and common sense. The first remains a real possibility; the second would require a miracle.
As a result, the greater probability is that trouble lies ahead for the Middle East, and particularly for the weaker states of the region, among them Lebanon, which has been trying to rebuild its national institutions and forge an independent national and foreign policy course beyond the direct influence and dictates of regional powers. With America disoriented, its regional foes have a wider margin of maneuver to advance their interests, particularly Iran, which aspires to a measure of regional hegemony.
The Obama administration’s regional shortcomings are also being exacerbated by the international political and financial environment. China is starting to assert its power globally, the US is over-stretched militarily, and the consequences of the global financial crisis of last year, not least the enormous ensuing debt, are all curtailing US effectiveness.
As journalist A. Wess Mitchell recently wrote in The Los Angeles Times: “The latest forecast from the National Intelligence Council, the strategic forecasting unit of the US intelligence community, depicts, by 2025, a world in which US pre-eminence is deeply eroded and in which Washington maintains a decisive edge only in military hardware.” In other words Obama will find it increasingly difficult to match means to his policy ends. Gone are the days of the unipolar mindset of the neocons.
Obama has been an effective orator and communicator, but he has been, until now, less successful at applying in practical ways what he has promised the world. If he wants to leave behind a positive legacy, he must move beyond the rhetoric. As his senior adviser David Axelrod once put it, “It’s important to communicate what you are doing and why. But without the what and the why, the communication is of little value.”A cohesive foreign policy doctrine would doubtless help explain the whats and the whys. But for now, Obama has failed to provide a clear road map to ensure American success and survival in a dangerous Mideast.
**Elie Nasrallah is a writer and immigration consultant in Ottawa, Canada. He wrote this commentary for THE DAILY STAR.

Lebanon must be alert amid challenges
By The Daily Star
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Editorial
Two long-standing political rituals played themselves out this weekend. While Lebanon was celebrating the anniversary of gaining its national independence, Israel was making noises about the possibility – the possibility – it might withdraw from occupied Arab territory. This time, it’s the northern part of the village of Ghajar. Top Israeli officials, led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, said they would vote later this week on the issue. We’ve heard such statements before, whether about Ghajar, or Jezzine, or the entire south, and even Taba and the Sinai, along with a long list of various places in Palestine. A possibility of an Israeli withdrawal from occupied Arab territory is a media item that regularly pops up, becoming today’s news, and is then quickly forgotten, as the initial hopes fade.
Let’s assume this time is serious. In abstract terms, the move should be welcomed, though it’s not optimal, since UNIFIL troops would take over in the dispute village. But if we enter the world of realpolitick, the Ghajar announcement appears somewhat of a curve ball.
Netanyahu isn’t in a comfortable position. He’s facing pressure from Europe and the US; there’s a clear message of “do something about your settlements, you’re making things impossible for us.”
Israel might be showing flexibility on its northern front, in Ghajar, but it’s sticking to its guns on settlements, punctuated by a recent, defiant announcement to build 900 units in the Jerusalem area.This weekend’s political imagery and policymaking also showed up the big gap between Lebanon and Israel, namely, the preparedness gap. For the last several weeks, Israel has conducted a steady media campaign to sell the following message: “We’re threatened by Iran.” Netanyahu trekked to Washington to lay out his country’s point of view, and Shaul Mofaz unveiled a peace plan, also in the American capital.
They’ve built their case, perhaps by buttressing their argument with the idea that they’ll soon offer a gift to Lebanon (Ghajar) stressing that the “bad guys” (Hizbullah) remain at large. Such a step could affect the party’s relations with the state’s three top leaders, and others in Lebanon, if all of the above aren’t careful.
To celebrate our independence, we shouldn’t think of it as isolation from the rest of the region and its problems. Since we’re part of the region, we should be coordinating with everyone: the US and Europe, Syria, Iran, Saudi Arabia and anyone who can help.
To be sovereign, we need to step up our preparedness, by building public and international support for Lebanon as it deals with issues such as Ghajar.
For the last few weeks, the Israeli message has been clear: Iran is shipping weapons to Hizbullah, we want peace, we’ll be flexible with Lebanon.
What has Lebanon’s message been?

Lebanon's Cabinet, united only in name
By Michel Nehme
Commentary by
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Lebanon’s new unity government is unified in name only. Deep divisions between rival parties, especially over the issue of Hizbullah’s arsenal of weapons, remain unresolved. Observers of Lebanese politics assert that the Cabinet deal came as a result of Syrian and Saudi efforts, with Iranian-Turkish help, and is based on a recommendation to leave all divisive issues stalemated.
Thus this alleged unity government is at best ceremonial. One force on the ground, Hizbullah, which refused to disarm regardless of who won the parliamentary elections, will essentially dictate the workings of the new Cabinet in coordination with and exploitation of the Amal movement and coalition partner Michel Aoun. Thus far, Hizbullah has managed to get what it wants; nothing can happen without its consent.
Though Hizbullah and its allies were defeated in last June’s parliamentary elections, this new government was formed after almost five months of tough negotiations where the Hizbullah-led opposition proved to have the upper hand regarding the distribution of portfolios and the choice of ministers. Abiding by Saudi-Syrian directives, the 30-member Cabinet is composed of 15 seats for Saad Hariri and his coalition, 10 for Hizbullah’s camp with Aoun and five for President Michel Sleiman’s appointees. This is a government of contradictions that mirrors all of the country’s complexities and woes. The rival ministers will be at each other’s throats in each Cabinet session and more Saudi-Syrian intervention to pacify them will be continuously necessary.
Druze minority leader Walid Jumblatt, who spearheaded the anti-Syrian movement within the March 14 forces, has now shifted away from the Hariri political trend to argue that Syrian influence in Lebanon is permissible. He wants his son Taymour and the Druze minority to cease involvement in the conflict between the March 8 and March 14 forces, arguing that the confrontation is not between Muslims and Christians but rather between Sunni and Shiite Muslims. This, after his Progressive Socialist Party had to compromise repeatedly to reduce Shiite-Druze tension and to limit the repercussions of the May 7, 2008, events when Shiites and Druze came into direct military confrontation.
Both Jumblatt and Suleiman Franjieh, the pro-Syrian leader of a Christian faction, are thus now shifting alliances. This is producing a whole new balance of power in the polarized Lebanese political arena, a tendency that is weakening Hariri’s coalition and ultimately will compel him to become more dependent on the regional support of the Saudis.
The major point of contention between the two camps in Lebanon – for reasons more local than regional – has been Hizbullah’s weapons, an issue starkly highlighted in May 2008 when the militant group staged a spectacular takeover of mainly Muslim western Beirut and attacked the Druze in their mountain redoubt. All anti-Syrian factions in Lebanon live in a state of anxiety that a repeat of these events is possible unless the new government addresses the fundamental divisions among the rival parties.
Thus the efforts of the new Cabinet will be fruitless unless it works to consolidate national consensus. This will be hard to achieve. Lebanon is a country de facto sitting on a powder keg. Whether we like it or not, Iran’s nuclear ambitions, the Arab-Israel conflict and the bloodshed in Iraq all render it a regional battleground.
Al-Qaeda’s brand of Sunni militancy has taken root in Lebanon in recent years, feeding upon Sunni-Shiite hatred and the insurgency in Iraq where dozens, maybe hundreds of young Lebanese and Palestinian Sunnis have fought the Shiite government and American and British troops and returned home inspired by their experiences. It was a more than usually turbulent Lebanon that greeted the expanded UNIFIL in southern Lebanon in 2006, when the devastating month-long war between Hizbullah and Israel ended only to be followed by deep political crisis between Sunnis and Shiites.
When one talks to the UN peacekeepers, one quickly learns that their principal force protection concern has little to do with Lebanon’s Hizbullah guerrillas, Israeli aerial provocations or indeed potential ill-feeling on the part of the local population. Rather, it is Al-Qaeda possibly taking advantage of the presence of nearly 10,000 foreign, mainly Western, troops in Lebanon’s south that gives them pause.
Meanwhile Hizbullah has been developing a new and innovative fighting strategy based on new weapons acquisitions to compensate for the autonomy it lost in the border area with Israel. The intricate network of bunkers, firing positions, tunnels, arms depots and observation posts that Hizbullah held in the south has been replaced by new systems that can meet the same objectives. The deployment of a strengthened UNIFIL and, more crucially, of 15,000 Lebanese troops south of the Litani River, has not made it politically or practically difficult for Hizbullah to rebuild its pre-war strength.
In addition to trepidation lest the Al-Qaeda brand of Sunni militancy try to undermine the state system, a core problem of the new Cabinet is the belief that Israel and the United States assume that any military action they launch against Iran’s nuclear program would draw a muscular response from Hizbullah. Correspondingly, Hizbullah believes that any move against Tehran would require a move first against its capability to disrupt life in northern Israel with its rockets. Confronted with this sort of dilemma, what could Lebanon’s so-called new unity government do?
**Michel Nehme is director of University International Affairs at Notre Dame University in Lebanon. This commentary first appeared at bitterlemons-international.org, an online newsletter.

Politicians attend Gemayel memorial Mass
Daily Star staff
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
BEIRUT: Prime Minister Saad Hariri attended a commemoration Mass on Saturday to mark the third anniversary of the assassination of Minister Pierre Gemayel and his bodyguard Samir Shartouni. The ceremony was held at the Saint Antonios Church in Jdeideh and was attended by Interior Minister Ziyad Baroud who represented President Michel Sleiman; MP Hagop Pakradounian who represented Speaker Nabih Berri; Pierre’s father former President Amin Gemayel, Former Premier Fouad Siniora, the head of the Lebanese Forces Samir Geagea and Taymour Jumblatt who represented his father Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblatt.
Maronite Archbishop Beshara Raii, representing Maronite Patriarch Cardinal Nasrallah Butros Sfeir presided over the ceremony and praised Gemayel’s achievements in his sermon. Raii said the late minster was known for his open policy and his determination to preserve Lebanon’s message of democracy and sovereignty. “He faced social and economic challenges, he worked toward correcting relations with Syria … giving the youths back their confidence in their country in order to regain political influence for Christians and make Lebanon the crossroad for civilizations in the east,” he said.
Amin Gemayel also gave a speech during the gathering in which he recalled the values his son embraced. “You had political differences with some people but you never hurt anyone,” he said addressing his late son. He added that Gemayel was a role model for young Lebanese and hoped the Phalange party along with the Hariri family would be able to reach the goals for which the martyr died.
Gemayel’s family and Shartouni’s family had earlier placed flowers on a memorial built for their two sons at the site of the assassination. Pierre Gemayel was the industry minister in Lebanon when he was assassinated on November 21, 2006, in Jedeideh. – The Daily Star

British Shadow foreign secretary warns Hizbullah must renounce violence
Hague says Lebanon ‘remarkably resilient,’ but the party destabilizing force
By Richard Hall
Special to The Daily Star
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Interview
BEIRUT: Hizbullah must participate fully in the democratic process and renounce violence or they will continue to be associated with terrorism, said Britain’s Shadow Foreign Secretary in an interview with The Daily Star. Recent polls measuring voter intentions in the United Kingdom show the opposition Conservative Party, which William Hague represents, 17 points ahead of the incumbent Labor government. It looks likely that the Conservative Party will come to power in General Elections set for next year, and that William Hague will take the position of foreign minister in that government.
In an interview which outlined his party’s Middle East foreign policy, Hague spoke of his desire to increase Britain’s engagement in the region. “We want to work to elevate Britain’s links with the countries of Middle East, not only at the level of Governments but at the level of peoples.”
Speaking on the current situation in Lebanese politics, Hague praised Lebanon as a “remarkably resilient country,” but called Hizbullah as a destabilizing force.
“We do not believe that organizations can have one foot in politics and the other in violence. Either parties participate fully in the democratic process and renounce violence as a means of achieving their ends, or they will continue to be regarded as organizations associated with terrorism,” he told The Daily Star.
Hague expressed his party’s desire to see the disarmament of Hizbullah “as part of a Lebanese political process that reflects the will of all the Lebanese people, and that sets the country onto a stable democratic path.”
On the Israel-Palestine conflict, it seems a Conservative government would not differ greatly from the current Labour administration. Both parties support Israel’s “right to self defense,” both support the two-state solution and both see Israeli settlements as damaging to the peace process. Hague noted the danger of not addressing the conflict urgently.
“The longer time passes without the creation of a Palestinian state living alongside a secure Israel, the more suffering we see and the greater the risk of the process being hijacked by extremists,” he said. “We also want to see progress toward a peace settlement between Israel and Syria,” he added.
On Israeli settlements, Hague said he agreed with longstanding British policy on the issue, and that “all settlements built on occupied land are a breach of international law and their expansion is an obstacle to both the peace process and the prospects of a viable and contiguous Palestinian state,” though he did not elaborate on how a Conservative government would pressure the Israeli government to comply.
On the issue of the right of return of Palestinian refugees, Hague said it will have to be addressed, but would ultimately something for the Israelis and Palestinians to agree upon through negotiations.
He added that he had been “very impressed” by the efforts of President Mahmoud Abbas and Prime Minister Salam Fayyad and that he would be happy to work with anyone on the Palestinian side who is genuinely committed to peace and to negotiations.
It may well be the case that a Conservative government will have to deal with the issue of Iran and its nuclear program. Iran recently rejected a proposal by Western countries that it enrich its uranium abroad. Iran insists that its nuclear program is for nonmilitary purposes only, though its motives are viewed with suspicion by the West who suspects they are seeking a nuclear bomb.
Hague gave a pointed warning to the people of Lebanon on this issue, stressing that the dangers of nuclear proliferation in the region “Iran is entitled to the benefits of peaceful civilian nuclear power, but it is not entitled to violate the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and go down the path of acquiring nuclear weapons,” he said. “The prospect of Iran doing this should matter as much to the citizens of Lebanon as it does to the citizens of Europe: a nuclear armed Iran would make your neighborhood far more dangerous. None of us want to see that.”
Outlining what would be his priorities upon taking office, Hague pointed to the fight against the Taliban.
“The situation in Afghanistan and Pakistan is likely to be the single most urgent priority after the next General Election,” he said, though he noted many other areas on which his party intends to address.
“There is a long list of issues which concern us all including Iran, the Middle East Peace Process, energy security and climate change, all of which will demand urgent attention.”
Like the majority of UK politicians, Hague voted in favor of the invasion of Afghanistan in 2001. As the conflict intensifies and British casualties rise, the British public are increasingly questioning the reasons behind their country’s involvement in the war. Hague said he recognized the difficulty of achieving a clear cut victory in the country.
“It would be a mistake to think that we will be able to wake up one day and declare ‘victory’ in Afghanistan. Our goal is an Afghanistan that does not threaten the security of its neighbors, that is able to provide security for its citizens, and that can prevent terrorist groups from being able to use the country as a base,” he said. “We hope to achieve these goals through military, political and diplomatic means and with the support and help of the Afghan people.”
In Iraq, where British combat troops have already withdrawn, Hague stressed Britain’s active role in rebuilding the country, through helping the government attract foreign investment and training security forces. He also emphasized the need to help those who have been displaced as a result of the war in Iraq.
“As I often stress, we must not forget the many thousands of people who were displaced by the violence. They need support in the countries where they currently live as refugees, and they need the prospect of being able to return home to Iraq and live in safety with their families,” he said.
Hague claimed that his party’s foreign policy will differ from Labor’s in that it will focus more on the protection and promotion of the UK’s national interests, which according to Hague include “achieving peace and stability in the Middle East, preventing catastrophic climate change and stemming the tide of nuclear proliferation.”
In a message to the people of the Middle East, Hague said: “You live in a region of great opportunity and promise. We share common interests which make the fullest possible cooperation not only desirable, but indispensable, and we have a long tradition of living and working alongside each other.”
“To the Muslim world as a whole, I would echo President Obama’s belief that we have far more in common than we have differences that separate us. I do not believe in the theory of a clash of civilizations,” he added.

Abolition of political sectarianism 'in due time'
Sleiman says formation of committee to handle task must wait for ‘favorable circumstances’
By Elias Sakr
Daily Star staff
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
BEIRUT: President Michel Sleiman stressed on Saturday night the need to await favorable circumstances before forming a national committee tasked with abolishing political sectarianism, while he underlined that national dialogue sessions do not substitute the Cabinet’s role. Sleiman said abolishing political sectarianism should be in accordance with the essence of the national pact and should not contradict any clause of the Constitution’s introduction.
Addressing the Lebanese people on the eve of Independence Day, the president also called for the implementation of several reforms, including administrative decentralization in order to modernize the Lebanese state as he highlighted the importance of Syrian-Lebanese cooperation.
“When I call for the formation of a committee tasked with abolishing political sectarianism, I underline that it should be formed in accordance with the Constitution’s introduction and the essence of the national pact since any committee which contradicts the above is not legitimate,” Sleiman said.
Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri said last week he would call on Parliament to form a national committee tasked with abolishing sectarianism as soon as the Cabinet concludes the ministerial statement and receives the vote of confidence. The president also called for the implementation of constitutional reforms so as to guarantee a balance in prerogative between constitutional powers which would allow the presidency to play its role on the national level.
As for the role of the national dialogue table, Sleiman emphasized that it does not substitute for the Cabinet; however, it does guarantee a forum for dialogue among the different political parties. “The National Dialogue would not be a competing force to the executive power, but rather a uniting forum to discuss matters peacefully,” Sleiman said, adding that any reform plan necessitates a united Lebanese will.
Part of other future reforms, Sleiman stressed the importance of implementing administrative decentralization and the need to fight corruption and reduce the national debt.
“The challenge is to implement democracy to ensure accountability particularly given the presence of a national unity Cabinet,” Sleiman said, adding that the media plays an important role in that regard. Sleiman also emphasized Lebanon’s right to resistance in order to liberate its occupied territories through all legitimate and available means.
As for the implementation of the national dialogue resolutions, the president called for the establishment of a plan to prevent the naturalization of Palestinian refugees as well as the improvement of the refugees’ living conditions and the disarmament of Palestinian groups outside of refugee camps.
Sleiman added that Lebanon’s election as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council would guarantee him the opportunity to be “the voice of the Arab world” on the international scene. “Lebanon will also continue to promote the Palestinian cause in the Security Council,” Sleiman said.
Tackling Syrian-Lebanese bilateral ties, Sleiman said the relation was progressing on the right track particularly following the establishment of diplomatic ties between both countries.
The will to conclude the demarcation of the Lebanese-Syrian border is definitely present but necessitate some time,” Sleiman told reporters at Baabda presidential palace.
The president also called for more cooperation with Syria on all levels including social and economic cooperation.
“We want to see the development of relations between Lebanon, Syria and the Arab states, not only on the official level, but also on the civil one in order to reach better social cooperation,” Sleiman added. When asked about reconciliatory meeting being held under his sponsorship at Baabda palace, Sleiman said the meeting between Marada Movement leader Sleiman Franjieh and Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblatt was part of the necessary ongoing dialogue between all political parties rather than a reconciliatory get together.
As for the formulation of the ministerial statement, Sleiman said there was consensus to draft it based on that adopted by the previous Cabinet regarding the resistance’s role, a reference to Hizbullah. On Sunday morning, Sleiman took part in the celebration of the 66th anniversary of Lebanon’s independence in Downtown Beirut and inspected the participating units which featured in the military parade. Separately, French and Italian Presidents Nicholas Sarkozy and Giorgio Napoletano along with Jordanian King Abdullah congratulated Sleiman and the Lebanese people on the occasion.

HRW urges Lebanon to probe Abboud disappearance
/Daily Star staff
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
BEIRUT: The Lebanese authorities should investigate the circumstances surrounding the detention and disappearance of Syrian opposition figure Nawar Abboud, Human Rights Watch (HRW) and the Lebanese Center for Human Rights (CLDH) said Monday. Abboud, a Syrian who lived in Lebanon, is a member of and accountant for the United National Alliance, a political group affiliated with Rifaat Assad, a Syrian opposition figure and uncle of Syrian President Bashar Assad. A UN panel declared on November 10, 2009, that Lebanese authorities had arbitrarily detained him a year ago and then failed to provide convincing answers concerning his disappearance.
On December 24, 2008, plainclothes members of the Lebanese Military Intelligence came to Abboud’s office in Tripoli and took him, along with two Lebanese employees, to the Al-Qubbeh military base for interrogation. Lebanese Military Intelligence released the two Lebanese – one on December 24 and the other on December 26. They also stated that they released Abboud at 2:20 p.m. on December 25 and that his possessions were returned to him, including his two cars, which Military Intelligence had seized.
Abboud has not been seen since he was taken into custody, however. His family and lawyer fear that he may have been forcibly transferred to Syria.
“The UN has reminded Lebanon of its obligation to protect individuals detained by its security services,” said Marie Daunay, president of the Lebanese Center for Human Rights. “The only way to do that is to open a real and transparent investigation into the events surrounding Abboud’s detention.”
On November 10, the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (WGAD), the body mandated to investigate complaints of arbitrary deprivation of liberty, declared Abboud’s detention by Lebanese military intelligence to have been arbitrary, and thus unlawful.
The Working Group said the Lebanese government’s answer to its queries on Abboud’s whereabouts had been “brief and imprecise” and urged the government to “show with precision the proof that he was liberated.”
On December 24, 2008, plain-clothes members of the Lebanese Military Intelligence came to Abboud’s office in Tripoli and took him, along with two Lebanese employees, to al-Qubbeh military base for interrogation. Lebanese Military Intelligence released the two Lebanese – one on December 24 and the other on December 26. They also said later that they had released Mr. Abboud at 2:20 p.m. on December 25 and that they returned possessions of his that Military Intelligence had seized, including his two cars.
However, Abboud’s family and colleagues have not seen him or located his cars despite extensive efforts to find him. According to a letter dated January 14, 2009, from General Security, the security agency responsible for foreigners and border crossings in Lebanon, to the Mount Lebanon public prosecutor’s office, there is no record of Abboud leaving Lebanon through an official border crossing.
“Lebanon celebrated its independence Sunday, but it hasn’t been able to turn the page on the painful legacy of enforced disappearance,” said Nadim Houry, senior researcher at HRW. “If people are going to regain faith that the government will protect them, security services need to operate in a transparent and accountable way.”
On March 5, Human Rights Watch sent a letter to the defense, interior and justice ministers to request details about Abboud’s whereabouts. To date, no reply has been received. – The Daily Star

Iran Expanding Effort to Stifle the Opposition
By ROBERT F. WORTH
New York Times
Published: November 23, 2009
DAMASCUS, Syria — After last summer’s disputed presidential election, Iran’s government relied largely on brute force — beatings, arrests and show trials — to stifle the country’s embattled opposition movement.
Now, stung by the force and persistence of the protests, the government appears to be starting a far more ambitious effort to discredit its opponents and re-educate Iran’s mostly young and restive population. In recent weeks, the government has announced a variety of new ideological offensives.
It is implanting 6,000 Basij militia centers in elementary schools across Iran to promote the ideals of the Islamic Revolution, and it has created a new police unit to sweep the Internet for dissident voices. A company affiliated with the Revolutionary Guards acquired a majority share in the nation’s telecommunications monopoly this year, giving the Guards de facto control of Iran’s land lines, Internet providers and two cellphone companies. And in the spring, the Revolutionary Guards plan to open a news agency with print, photo and television elements.
The government calls it “soft war,” and Iran’s leaders often seem to take it more seriously than a real military confrontation. It is rooted in an old accusation: that Iran’s domestic ills are the result of Western cultural subversion and call for an equally vigorous response. The extent of the new campaign underscores just how badly Iran’s clerical and military elite were shaken by the protests, which set off the worst internal dissent since the country’s 1979 Islamic Revolution.
Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has been using the phrase “soft war” regularly since September, when he warned a group of artists and teachers that they were living in an “atmosphere of sedition” in which all cultural phenomena must be seen in the context of a vast battle between Iran and the West. He and other officials have since invoked the phrase in describing new efforts to re-Islamize the educational system, purge secular influences and professors, and purify the media of subversive ideas.
The new emphasis on cultural warfare may also reflect the rising influence of the Revolutionary Guards, whose leader, Mohammad Ali Jafari, has long been one of the main proponents of a “soft war” strategy, analysts say.
In October, Masud Jazayeri, a leading ideologue within the military’s Joint Forces Command, published a letter in the conservative newspaper Kayhan in which he called for a more aggressive campaign of countersubversion. “If we had a better understanding of the enemy, and if we had sufficient determination and motivation to define the defensive lines,” he wrote, “we would never have allowed the enemy to penetrate our Islamic society.”
There have been periodic earlier campaigns to reinforce the government’s Islamist message throughout society. Some analysts say that the new efforts are unlikely to be any more effective than those in the past, and may even backfire.
“By trying to gain more control of the media, to re-Islamize schools, they think they can make a comeback,” said Mehrzad Boroujerdi, an Iran expert and professor at Syracuse University. “But the enemy here is Iran’s demographics. The Iranian population is overwhelmingly literate and young, and previous efforts to reinstall orthodoxy have only exacerbated cleavages between citizens and the state.”
Still, the idea has returned with new force in the months since the disputed June presidential elections, which brought millions of Iranians into the streets to denounce President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s landslide victory as a fraud. In the weeks that followed, the government’s aura of sacred authority seemed to erode further, with many protesters denouncing Iran’s supreme leader as a dictator for the first time.
Iran’s military and clerical leaders made clear soon afterward that they saw in those attacks the signature of a foreign plot, and perhaps a more subtle and insidious one than those of the past. It was, in a sense, the only way for the Iranian leadership to reconcile the internal challenges they were facing with President Obama’s mild calls for reconciliation and engagement.
In early September, Brig. Gen. Muhammad Bagher-Zolghadr, the former deputy chief of the Revolutionary Guards, outlined the “soft war” concept in a speech: “In a hard war, the line between you and the enemy is clear, but in a soft war there is nothing so solid. The enemy is everywhere.” General Zolghadr said that a soft war was fought in large part through the media, and that the West was “better equipped” to fight it than Iran.
Soon after his speech, the authorities unrolled a series of measures seemingly aimed at redressing that imbalance. This month, Brig. Gen. Mohammad Reza Naqdi, the head of the Basij militia, announced a new era of “super media power” cooperation between the media and the Revolutionary Guards, according to the state-owned official press.
The Revolutionary Guards plan to start a news agency called Atlas in the spring, modeled on services like the BBC and The Associated Press, according to semiofficial Iranian news sites.
The Revolutionary Guards already largely control the Fars news agency, which reflects views of Iran’s hard-line camp. Two weeks ago Iran formed a 12-person unit to monitor the Internet for “insults and the spreading of lies,” a phrase used to describe opposition activities, the semiofficial media reported.
And the government has teamed up with private companies to begin giving out free home Internet filtering software, the semiofficial ILNA news agency reported Monday.
The authorities have also cracked down on dissent within the educational system, hinting that professors who do not toe the official line will be purged. A number of hard-line clerics have called for the university humanities curriculums to be Islamized further.
Mohammad-Saleh Jokar, the head of the student and cultural section of the Basij, said the group was opening the elementary school centers because “students of this age are more open to influence than older students, and for this reason we want to promote and establish the ideas of the revolution and the Basij,” according to Iran’s official state news agency.
But the size and bureaucratic complexity of the school system make such goals profoundly difficult, former teachers say.
In the same way, the state’s new efforts to inoculate Iranians against dissident ideas in the media may be difficult — or even counterproductive, analysts say. This month a high-ranking official at IRIB, the state broadcaster, seemed to unwittingly concede the point when he announced that 40 percent of Iranians — twice as many as last year — had access to satellite television in their homes.
“The enemy no longer invests in the military to advance their goals,” said the official, Ali Daraei. “Their primary investment is in the media war through satellite channels.”

President Michel Sleiman
November 23, 2009
On November 22, the Lebanese National News Agency (NNA) carried the following report:
President Michel Sleiman stressed that the table of dialogue did not replace the executive power, and was rather a rare chance to talk to one another, adding,
“In our Lebanese system, this is highly beneficial.”
President Sleiman’s statement was delivered as he was talking to the Lebanese press after having addressed a message to the Lebanese people on the occasion of the 66th anniversary of the independence. The following is the transcript of the Q&A between President Sleiman and the journalists who were present:
Some political leaders and figures believe there is no longer any need for the national dialogue committee after the formation of a government of national unity which combines all sides and opponents.
They believe that the best place for dialogue is now the Cabinet.
What do you think?
Constitutionally-speaking, I previously stressed that the table of dialogue does not replace the executive power. However, in our Lebanese system, the table of dialogue is very beneficial and was able to cover an important stage during which many developments occurred. It was able to follow up on these developments and ensure a rare opportunity for dialogue between the different sides.
We listened passionately to your wonderful speech addressed to the Lebanese people on this occasion. You tackled all the facets of the Lebanese and international issues and all the issues of importance to the people. However, we noticed that you disregarded what you have demanded more than once, i.e. the necessity to amend the constitution in order to grant additional prerogatives to the president. Today, we saw you demanding the implementation of the remaining articles of the Taif Accord, such as the establishment of a national committee to annul political sectarianism, the electoral law and administrative decentralization.
Maybe you did not pay close attention to the reforms I demanded.
They are the same ones I have been asking for in regard to the constitutional gaps and balance between the responsibilities and the prerogatives, in order to allow the different authorities, including the presidency, to exercise their role. This is what I literally said. Regarding the establishment of a committee to annul political sectarianism, this is not the first time that I address the issue, nor is it the first time I talk about the continuation of the implementation of the Taif Accord. I talked about these issues on Army Day and on several other occasions. By calling for the formation of a committee to annul political sectarianism, I am corroborating - as I did many times in the past - the necessity to conduct that [effort] in the spirit of the national pact. In other words, we would not be violating the article in the introduction of the constitution which stipulates the absence of legitimacy in the event of the violation of the coexistence pact. Let us approach this committee and discuss the issue on the aforementioned basis.
In your speech today, you talked about a “modern state,” and a while ago we heard you calling for a “modern civil state.” Is this change intentional or merely explanatory?
It is merely explanatory since these expressions intersect with one another.
Last week, Baabda Palace witnessed reconciliation between Deputies Walid Jumblatt and Sleiman Franjieh. Will these reconciliations proceed at a faster pace to include all political opponents, whether they are individuals or parties? By the way, the Lebanese people congratulate you for undertaking these blessed steps and for your patience which allowed you to carry them out.
It is fine if you are calling these meetings reconciliations. However, I never put them in this context. These meetings aim at ensuring dialogue and you know that previously, a meeting was held between Prime Minister Saad Hariri and President General Michel Aoun. They were not in conflict. Quite the contrary. They had met a week earlier during the parliamentary consultations, and met again here to engage in dialogue. I never called these meetings reconciliations and merely asked them to come and consult over the issues on the table, so that we can see where each of them stands and how close they are to one another.
Until now, the committee that was formed to draft the ministerial statement was unable to reach consensus or concord over the political part. It is said that the dispute revolves around the article related to the Resistance. How do you perceive this small dispute?
It is indeed small.
Yes, especially since the arms of the resistance should be addressed around the table of national dialogue.
The climate I have been detecting daily during the sessions of the ministerial committee assigned to draft the ministerial statement, does not reveal the existence of disputes. However, this statement requires thorough studying and discussions and four or five sessions are not a big deal in Lebanon. As for the issue of the resistance, the majority of opinions have agreed on the adoption of the formula seen in the previous government statement. This will maybe be approved by the group discussing this issue.
During the last summit with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, you put forward the reactivation of the joint committee for the demarcation of the border. Will there be an imminent meeting for that purpose any time soon, and did you detect seriousness from the Syrian side to demarcate the border with Lebanon?
There is a confirmed wish to demarcate the border with Lebanon. Things sometimes take time, and it is okay for these historical events to take time. The exchange of diplomatic representation with Syria took sixty years, and there is no problem if the demarcation of the border were to be delayed a month or two. Since the first summit, we agreed with President Assad on seeing the committee to demarcate the Syrian border finishing its work on the border between Syria and Jordan and starting with the border with Lebanon.