LCCC
ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
October 27/09
Bible Reading of the day
13:1 On that day Jesus went out of the house, and sat by the seaside. 13:2 Great
multitudes gathered to him, so that he entered into a boat, and sat, and all the
multitude stood on the beach. 13:3 He spoke to them many things in parables,
saying, “Behold, a farmer went out to sow. 13:4 As he sowed, some seeds fell by
the roadside, and the birds came and devoured them. 13:5 Others fell on rocky
ground, where they didn’t have much soil, and immediately they sprang up,
because they had no depth of earth. 13:6 When the sun had risen, they were
scorched. Because they had no root, they withered away. 13:7 Others fell among
thorns. The thorns grew up and choked them. 13:8 Others fell on good soil, and
yielded fruit: some one hundred times as much, some sixty, and some thirty. 13:9
He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”
Free Opinions, Releases, letters & Special
Reports
Israeli Cabinet extends financial aid to SLA
families/Ynetnews/26.10.09
Walid Jumblatt/Stances
that are chameleon in nature/October
26/09
Cabinet impasse persists
/Region faces instability as explosions in Baghdad kill 155 people/Now Lebanon/October
26/09
Latest
News Reports From Miscellaneous Sources for October 26/09
Sfeir: Absence of Cabinet Threatens Lebanese Entity/Naharnet
Saniora: Government Will
Be Formed But It Needs Some Time/Naharnet
Reciprocal Vetoes: No Justice Ministry for Aoun and No Telecoms for Geagea/Naharnet
Saudi King Waives Lashing for Female Journalist over LBC's 'Bold Red Line/Naharnet
Israel informs UN it will continue
gathering intelligence in Lebanon
/Now Lebanon
LAF, UNIFIL conduct joint
operations in South
/Now Lebanon
Berri voices anger, says cabinet
formation can no longer be delayed, As-Safir reports
/Now Lebanon
NATO: US military chopper crash
kills 10 US nationals
/Now Lebanon
Berri, Franjieh Ready to Roll Up
Sleeves and Work Toward Cabinet Solution/Naharnet
Reciprocal Vetoes: No
Justice Ministry for Aoun and No Telecoms for Geagea/Naharnet
Cabinet formation awaits further Hariri-Aoun talks/Daily
Star
US
provides LAF marine equpiment to patrol coast/Daily
Star
Egypt
court postpones hearing for 'Hizbullah cell'/Daily
Star
Sfeir:
Beirut Minicipality must reflect sectarian balance/Daily
Star
Jumblatt: Lebanon needs to revert to 'core of the Arab world Syria/Daily
Star
Lebanon fourth largest recipient of IMF technical aid in region/Daily
Star
Beirut's International College to close for 6 days over H1N1 cases/Daily
Star
Lebanon breaks hummus, tabbouleh Guinness record/Daily
Star
Activists don snorkels in climate
change protest
By
Agence France Presse (AFP)
Saudi
female journalist to be whipped over TV sex show/Daily
Star
Communist party calls for end to confessionalism/Daily
Star
Baroud reforms aim to defuse prison problems/Daily
Star
Differences between Shiite
religious figures/Future News
Gemayel describes impediments as
dangerous/Future News
Israeli
Cabinet extends financial aid to SLA families
Housing stipends for families of Lebanese soldiers who withdrew with IDF in 2000
guaranteed for coming year, but 'simple soldiers' demand permanent solution,
regulation of their status
Hagai Einav Published: 10.25.09, 21:01 / Israel News
The cabinet approved on Sunday a proposal to extend the financial aid granted to
former members of the South Lebanon Army (SLA) who currently reside in Israel by
one year. According to the bid, which was proposed by Minister Yossi Peled
(Likud) and Housing and Construction Minister Ariel Atias (Shas), some 400 SLA
families will receive housing aid for the coming year and their monthly stipends
will be increased. Of the 600 SLA families who withdrew from Lebanon along with
the IDF in 2000, some 200 are being handled by the Defense Ministry, while the
Housing Ministry is in charge of the remaining families' welfare.
The aid for the 400 families handled by the Housing Ministry gradually decreased
over the past 18 months, and reached a mere NIS 284 ($77) a month per family.
The approved proposal calls for allocating NIS 2.8 million ($760,000) towards
the families' housing needs, and Minister Peled vowed to find a permanent
solution for the SLA community in Israel so that the aid will not have to be
approved on a yearly basis.
"Most former SLA members do not have steady work in Israel and their income is
very low," Peled said, "Therefore, the housing aid is very significant to them.
The government of Israel has been helping these families pay their rent since
2000, and we are currently drafting a comprehensive five-year plan to determine
an end date for the State's support of this population." Yusuf, a former SLA
soldier, said, "Let's not be naïve; another year of aid is like morphine, its
effect will wear off quickly and we'll find ourselves in the same situation.
"Senior SLA members were given villas. Instead of finding permanent housing
solutions for "simple soldiers" nine years ago, the State continues to waste
public money on rent." However, former SLA soldier Abd, who resides in Ma'a lot,
lauded Minister Peled's efforts to "solve our problems once and for all. "We
hope the government's decision (to approve the aid) will pave the way for
regulating our status here after 10 years," he said.
Differences
between Shiite religious figures
Date: October 25th, 2009/Future News/Mufti Sayyed Ali Makki, head of the
proselytizing committee in the Shiite Higher Council was dispatched by Deputy
Head of the council Sheikh Abdulamir Kabalan to hold a meeting with religious
figures in the southern towns of Nabatieh and Marjaeoun in response to Sheikh
Ahmad Taleb and Sayyed Yasser Ibrahim who held similar meetings in the area,
media outlets reported Sunday. “The Shiite Higher Council is the sole reference
that serves the interests of the country and that is entitled to assign
religious figures to posts,” he said during the meeting. He called on all
political figures to “adhere to the institution.” The meeting comes after news
spread about a difference on posts between Shiite religious figures in the
south. Sheikh Ahmad Taleb has established the “Independent Religious Gathering”
which currently includes 20 religious men from the south.
Moreover, Sayyed has established the “Lebanese Religious Gathering” which
includes 50 religious men from the South and Bekaa.
Sfeir: Beirut Minicipality must reflect sectarian balance
By Maroun Khoury
Daily Star correspondent
Monday, October 26, 2009
BKIRKI: Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Sfeir warned Sunday against making
administrative appointments that do not respect the “sectarian balance” in
Lebanon. He was referring to appointments expected to be made in the Beirut
Municipality. “Any appointment in the Beirut Municipality that does not take
into account the sectarian balance has a negative impact on citizens,” Sfeir
warned during his Sunday sermon at the Notre Dame Church in Bkirki.
Jumblatt:
Lebanon needs to revert to 'core of the Arab world Syria'
PSP leader stresses rejecting normalization of ties with israel at meet with
SSnp
By Maher Zeineddine ظDaily Star correspondent
Monday, October 26, 2009
SOFAR: Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblatt stressed on Sunday
during a reconciliatory gathering with the Syrian Socialist National Party (SSNP)
the need to revert to Syria’s Arabism. Jumblatt’s meeting with the SSNP at the
Aley mountainous village of Sawfar village was part of the PSP leader’s efforts
to bridge the gap with rival political groups and abolish sectarian tensions
that arose following the May 7, 2008, incidents which drove the country to the
brink of civil strife.
Bloody clashes between pro-government and opposition supporters broke out on May
7, 2008 after the cabinet’s decision to dismantle Hizbullah’s telecommunication
network.
The clashes took place in Beirut’s pre-dominantly Sunni-populated area between
supporters of the Future Movement on one side and Hizbullah, Amal Movement and
SSNP supporters on the other hand as they later spread to the Chouf mountainous
area, a Druze stronghold. Jumblatt had earlier held reconciliatory meeting with
Hizbullah’s Secretary General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah mediated by Lebanese
Democratic Party head MP Talal Arslan and Tawhid Movement head Wi’am Wahhab,
both Druze politicians allied with the opposition.
During his meeting with SSNP head Assad Hardane, Jumblatt underscored the past
history that tied both parties in their resistance against Israel as he urged
the Lebanese to revert to the “core of the Arab world Syria.” The SSNP-PSP
reconciliation was attended by Jumblatt’s son, Timur. “I am not making this
statement to please the Syrians after Syria’s withdrawal from Lebanon but based
on deep political convictions,” Jumblatt said. Syria withdrew its troops from
Lebanon in 2005 following the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik
Hariri. Jumblatt has accused Syria of plotting the assassination. Jumblatt also
stressed the importance of abiding by the truce agreement with Israel and the
rejection of normalization of ties as stated in the Taif Accord. “The most
important clause of the Taif Accord is that we agreed to a truce with Israel
meaning a frozen war,” Jumblatt said, adding that “only [someone who is]
delusional or a conspirer would believe in reaching a settlement with Israel.”
Jumblatt added that his party, side by side with the SSNP, managed to abolish
all attempts to tie Lebanon to the Israeli-Western axis. For his part, Hardane
underlined the importance of preserving Mount Lebanon unity as the corner stone
of the country’s unity. “The SSNP would pursue its struggle to establish a
united nonsectarian state based on the national principles supported by
President Michel Sleiman,” Hardane said.
Report:
Israel Tells U.N. it Will Continue Spying on Hizbullah
Naharnet/Israel has neither denied nor confirmed that it had placed
intelligence-gathering equipment in southern Lebanon, but reportedly informed
the U.N. that collecting intelligence in the area will continue as long as the
Beirut government is not in full control of its territory. Israeli daily Haaretz
quoted a western diplomat as saying on Monday that one of the main issues
discussed during a tripartite meeting in Naqoura last Wednesday was the exposure
of the listening devices near the southern town of Houla. According to Lebanese
security sources, the probe revealed that the equipment was used by Israel to
tap Hizbullah's telecom network. During Wednesday's meeting, UNIFIL commander
Maj. Gen. Claudio Graziano and the commander of the Lebanese army's liaison unit
asked the Israeli representative for details on the listening equipment. The
U.N. officers said that the equipment appeared to have been put in place during
the 2006 war, but the Lebanese officer insisted the device appeared more
up-to-date, according to Haaretz. The western diplomat said the Israeli
representative, Brig. Yossi Hayman, did not deny the equipment was Israeli
listening devices, and did not provide immediate answers. However, he stressed
that Israel will make use of its intelligence gathering capabilities as long as
Hizbullah poses a threat to the Jewish state. "Israel will continue to use all
means necessary to defend its citizens," Hayman was quoted as saying. He
reportedly added that it is not reasonable to expect Israel to sit idle and wait
to be attacked. "In view of all this we do not consider this instance (of
listening devices) an Israeli violation of (Security Council) Resolution 1701,"
Hayman reportedly said. Beirut, 26 Oct 09, 11:09
Reciprocal Vetoes: No Justice Ministry for Aoun and No Telecoms for Geagea
Naharnet/PM-designate Saad Hariri will carry on negotiations on a Cabinet lineup
amid reports that Free Patriotic Movement leader Michel Aoun was no more in
favor of holding direct talks with Hariri. According to information obtained by
the daily As-Safir on Monday, it said Aoun was "no longer enthusiastic about
holding non-productive meetings (with Hariri) in order to avoid a negative
impact on public opinion."Aoun, according to the information, prefers to
continue talks via envoys and will only meet Hariri after a Cabinet lineup has
matured.
As Hariri geared up for a fresh round of talks on Cabinet formation, rival
political leaders were negotiating a larger package of conditions and
counter-conditions.
Aoun, meanwhile, insisted on getting powerful portfolios in exchange for the
telecoms ministry or maintain the old seats (telecoms, energy, social affairs)
in addition to either education or justice ministry. An-Nahar daily on Monday
said discussions were now focused on the telecoms-justice-public works triangle.
The majority March 14 forces did not seem to be willing to grant Aoun or the
Opposition the justice ministry. Regarding the public works portfolio, Al-Liwaa
newspaper said this seat would have been easily settled if it hadn't been for
Druze leader Walid Jumblat who refused to relinquish the public works ministry
in return for the telecoms. It said Jumblat, instead, proposed to reclaim the
justice ministry from the Lebanese Forces and at the same time vetoed the
allocation of the telecoms ministry to the LF. Beirut, 26 Oct 09, 10:04
Berri, Franjieh Ready to Roll Up Sleeves and Work Toward Cabinet Solution
Naharnet/Speaker Nabih Berri and Marada Movement leader Suleiman Franjieh were
on Monday ready to roll up their sleeves and begin to work toward a solution to
the long-running Cabinet crisis. The daily As-Safir said the countdown begins
Monday as the deadline set by Berri for the formation of a new government nears.
Berri has set end-of-month deadline for the announcement of a Cabinet lineup.
As-Safir said Berri, in coordination and cooperation with President Michel
Suleiman, was ready to begin work Monday toward a Cabinet solution.
Al-Nahar newspaper, meanwhile, said Franjieh was also getting ready to play a
key role in helping to facilitate the formation of a government, particularly
after having received a phone call from Syrian President Bashar al-Assad urging
him to encourage make a Cabinet lineup possible. Franjieh was expected to take
up an initiative toward Rabiyeh in an effort to persuade Free Patriotic Movement
leader Michel Aoun to show greater flexibility on ending the government impasse.
As-Safir quoted Berri as expressing "disgust and anger" over the Cabinet process
"at a time the region around us is boiling and domestic issues no longer afford
to wait." Berri believed that Parliament was the "biggest victim" of the delay
in government formation and stressed that the present obstacle was "100 percent
internal." Beirut, 26 Oct 09, 07:24
Cabinet impasse persists
Region faces instability as explosions in Baghdad kill 155 people
October 26, 2009
The cabinet has yet to be formed despite PM-designate Saad Hariri’s “positive”
meeting with FPM leader MP Michel Aoun on Saturday. (NOW Lebanon)
Four months have passed since Future Movement leader MP Saad Hariri’s second
designation as prime minister on June 27 and a cabinet has yet to be formed. The
government impasse persists as many politicians have been saying that the new
cabinet will be formed “within the next few days.”
Seemingly, the current crisis could be overcome by concluding the deliberations
over three ministries: the Telecommunications, the Justice and the Public Works
and Transport portfolios.
According to An-Nahar newspaper, the fifth meeting between PM-designate Saad
Hariri and Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun on Saturday was a
“major leap [forward].” It added that the sit-down “broke down” the dispute over
the government formation into “one or two major points.”
Aoun no longer wants to hold “unproductive” meetings with Hariri to avoid
frustrating the public, As-Safir newspaper reported on Monday. The daily said
that the FPM leader prefers to hold cabinet talks through his envoy,
Telecommunications Minister Gebran Bassil, so as, once an agreement is reached,
he would finally meet with the PM-designate for the final time “to seal the
deal.” A majority source told An-Nahar that the latest meeting between Aoun and
Hariri touched on issues that were previously considered “off-limits,” referring
to the Telecommunications Ministry. As such, Aoun is no longer able to say that
he will not give up the Telecom portfolio, just as Hariri has no reason to say
he will not give it to the Change and Reform bloc. The source added that this
week would be decisive in forming the new government. A Change and Reform bloc
source told the daily that progress was made during the Hariri-Aoun meeting, but
added that the FPM leader was expecting a call from the PM-designate yesterday
in response to a certain question that never came, although he did not elaborate
further.
According to An-Nahar, Hariri offered Aoun the Telecom, Energy, Social Affairs
and the Displaced, but the latter said he would not accept any ministry of less
value than the Public Works, a significant service ministry. An opposition
source told the daily there has been new “momentum,” which will bring about
results to the efforts made by Speaker Nabih Berri and President Michel Sleiman,
indicating that the former will push toward options on the table being expanded.
Berri’s visitors told As-Safir over the weekend that the speaker was angry
because “the current cabinet crisis can no longer afford further delay,”
especially in light of regional instability. The daily also said that Berri
believes the current obstacle facing the government formation is “domestic” and
should be resolved by finding alternative cabinet formulas Meanwhile, Jumblatt
went beyond discussing the governmental crisis yesterday at a celebration of the
reconciliation between the Progressive Socialist Party and the Syrian Social
Nationalist Party (SSNP), putting the focus on the Taif Accord and the country
that represents “the vast depth of [our] Arab [nature], Syria.”At a regional
level, Sunday has been a bloody day in Iraq, whereby two explosions, one from a
truck bomb and one from a car bomb, caused 147 deaths and more than 700
casualties yesterday. The attacks targeted the Ministry of Justice and Baghdad
Province’s government building. Also, in more regional news, the Israeli police
raided Al-Aqsa Mosque yesterday as a measure to prevent an “Intifada.” The
police fired stun grenades at Palestinians, while the Palestinians took to
throwing stones. Nineteen Palestinians and three Israelis were wounded in the
clashes.-NOW Lebanon
Walid Jumblatt
October 26, 2009
On August 25, the Lebanese National News Agency (NNA) carried the following
report:
Today, the Municipal Palace in Sawfar witnessed a reconciliation meeting between
the Progressive Socialist Party (PSP) and the Syrian Social Nationalist Party (SSNP)
in light of massive efforts exerted by the committee combining the leaderships
of the two movements following the events which were seen in Sawfar in January
of 2007, and which caused the injury of three members in the SSNP.
Following the meeting, the PSP leader MP Walid Jumblatt delivered the following
speech.
“This is where the crossing occurred, the crossing toward the liberation in
1983, while followed by the Syrian Arab army which stood fast. This is a history
that cannot be erased. The Syrian Arab army stood fast in a heroic way in Ain
Zhalta, Al-Safa and Al-Sultan Yaacoub and this cannot be written off.
Each of us crossed toward the liberation and each patriotic, national and
Islamic faction had a task. And you, brothers of the Syrian Social Nationalist
Party were innovators in the resistance operations in Hamra Street among other
areas. The resistance then spread throughout Mount Lebanon, in Saida and in
Beirut and the army which was said to be invincible was shouting on
speakerphones in the streets of Beirut: ‘Do not shoot, we will withdraw.’ And
this army withdrew. Our main task in the PSP was to deter the attack or attacks
on this front where thousands among us, among you and among the national
fighters and the Palestinians fell, and later on from the Syrian Arab army on
the Souk al-Gharib front and in the different regions. The liberation was
gradual until all of Lebanon was liberated from the Israeli enemy in 2000, while
we were able to topple all the agreements and all the attempts to link Lebanon
to the Israeli-Western axis.
We did not stop, like other countries that are much greater than us, before
obstacles which acted as traps and entailed the so-called individual agreements
that cost these states their historical Arab role, although we still hope that
they will return to the [Arab] lap through the Rafah gateway since once this
gateway is open, it can alone secure Egypt’s return to its historical Arab
depth.
We only stopped at something sacred, i.e. the Taif Accord, and will not settle
for anything else. I will not engage in the sterile constitutional details of
the Taif Accord and will only say that it features a key point which is the
truce agreement, i.e. the frozen war with Israel without settlement,
reconciliation, peace or negotiations. Those in the Arab world who believe that
settlement, reconciliation, peace or the establishment of a Palestinian state
are possible with Israel are delusional, insane or conspirers.
These are our principles. As for those who wish to go to Israel, we have seen
their fate and how they ended up in the trash-bin of history. We will head to
Syria, the wide depth of the Arab world and from it to the Arab world. I am not
saying this in the hope of pleasing Syria, since Syria has left Lebanon and
there is no more Aanjar or Beau Rivage. I am saying it is based on my political
conviction and political history.
Today, we are meeting to ensure reconciliation and we ought to recollect the
massive human and mutual sacrifices in which the PSP and the SSNP lost tens, if
not hundreds of martyrs on the different front. I apologize as the head of a
party for the absence - from this reconciliation - of the person who carried out
the individual operation at the time and I believe that the honorable Al-
Ahmadiya family has nothing to do with this idiotic behavior. The reconciliation
we want is an individual and not a familial one, since there are not problems
between the families. Unfortunately, the concerned person did not come and we
completely disown him, and we and Al-Ahmadiya family will not vouch for this
irresponsible behavior.
We thank you all for coming and hope we will hold more joint meetings to return
to our national and mutual heritage which was baptized with blood in all the
regions, starting from Sawfar, the Sawfar of the crossing.”
US provides LAF marine equpiment to patrol coast
Daily Star staffظMonday, October 26, 2009
BEIRUT: The United States provided several significant deliveries of equipment
to the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) during the past two weeks, a statement by the
US embassy said on Saturday. “Specifically the navy was given eight Rigid Hulled
Inflatable Boats which are specially suited for coastal patrolling and
counter-smuggling operations,” the statement added. The US also contributed nine
Humvee ambulances and 60 Humvee tactical military vehicles. Lastly, according to
the embassy statement, the US delivered a fire truck to the LAF to assist in
fighting fires on military bases. “The goal of US military assistance to Lebanon
is to strengthen the LAF and increase its capacity to defend its borders and
sovereignty,” the US embassy’s statement concluded. – The Daily Star
Egypt court postpones hearing for 'Hizbullah cell'
Daily Star staffظMonday, October 26, 2009
BEIRUT: An Egyptian court postponed on Saturday the trial of 26 members of the
so-called Hizbullah cell accused of plotting attacks in Egypt till next
Wednesday. The court will then start the hearing of witnesses’ testimonies. The
Egyptian military general prosecution charged the accused, among them two
Lebanese, five Palestinians and 19 Egyptians, of several charges. The charges
included spying for a foreign organization with intent of conducting terrorist
attacks inside Egypt in the period extending from 2005 until November 25, 2008.
The accused allegedly cooperated with two Hizbullah top officials “to plot
terrorist attacks against commercial and military ships passing in the Suez
Canal, foreigner tourists and tourist locations.” They also allegedly cooperated
in preparing explosives for use in terrorist acts, and in travel facilitation
for suspects in legitimate and illegitimate ways enabling military training as
well as surveillance and information gathering training. The wife of the Sami
Shehab, the Lebanese leader of the cell, told New TV on Saturday that she
trusted “the wisdom of the Egyptian judiciary.” According to New TV, Shehab’s
wife traveled to Egypt to attend the court hearings for her husband and the
other members of the cell. – The Daily Star
Cabinet formation awaits further Hariri-Aoun talks
By Elias Sakr ظDaily Star staff
Monday, October 26, 2009
BEIRUT: Any potential progress on the cabinet front awaits another round of
talks between Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri and Free Patriotic Movement
head MP Michel Aoun during which the latter is expected to respond to Hariri’s
proposed basket of portfolios regarding the Reform and Change bloc’s share in
the government. Hariri and Aoun held on Saturday two consecutive meetings at the
latter’s residence in Rabieh in an attempt by the premier-designate to break the
deadlock governing the distribution of ministerial portfolios particularly the
dispute over the Telecommunications Ministry. The two meetings were separated by
Hariri’s visit to Parliament Deputy Speaker Farid Makari’s residence in Rabieh.
While Aoun made no statements, Hariri described discussions as positive.
Meanwhile, Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri stressed that the cabinet impasse
should not exceed a week otherwise a new approach should be used. Anwar Khalil,
MP of the Development and Liberation bloc headed by Berri, said on Sunday that
if a government is not formed in a week, the adopted dialogue approach needs to
be changed, adding that Lebanon is going through a sensitive and dangerous
period.
The daily As-Safir quoted in remarks published on Saturday sources saying that
Berri has told President Michel Sleiman during a phone conversation that the
upcoming week should be considered as a deadline to reach an agreement over the
government formation. The sources said Berri highlighted the need to intervene
and find a quick solution to the government crisis, adding that the speaker has
“several ideas” which could help to resolve the cabinet impasse. The paper added
that Berri said he would cooperate with Sleiman and Hariri before proposing his
ideas political parties, adding that he is ready to give up any portfolio only
if the principle of rotating ministries is applied to all groups without
exception. “If [the majority] wants the Foreign Affairs Ministry, then I do not
mind granting the Development and Liberation bloc the Finance Ministry,” said
Berri. On Saturday, MP Boutros Harb described the period which Lebanon is
passing through as “critical and dangerous.” “Lebanon is facing crossroads where
either the state’s regime survives or it collapses together with law and order,”
he told Voice of Lebanon radio station on Saturday.
Harb considered that gathering parties in a cabinet without any harmony was not
an act of national unity but rather a source for national conflict “given that
it congregates contradictions.”
Harb said overlooking the obstacle of appointing elections losers was not merely
aimed for the higher interest of Lebanon, “but was rather done to avoid strife
and save the country.
“The greatest fear lies in the fact that every time we face a problem we try to
solve it through a compromise that may not be in conjunction with our political
system and Constitution,” Harb said. Separately, Lebanese Forces bloc MP Georges
Adwan said that the share of the Change and Reform bloc in the new government
was the only remaining obstacle hampering the cabinet formation since the
appointment of defeated candidates as ministers as well as granting a portfolio
to Marada Movement leader Sleiman Franjieh was no longer an issue.
Franjieh said last week that he would settle for a state ministry as part of the
Reform and Change bloc share in the next government in order to facilitate the
process while the nomination of current caretaker Telecommunications Minister
Jebran Bassil as minister in the next cabinet was no longer an obstacle. The
majority had earlier rejected the nomination of ministers who failed in the June
7 elections but later relinquished its condition as they are expected to
nominate, as minister, a March 14 candidate who lost the race to Parliament in
response to Bassil’s appointment. Bassil lost the elections in his hometown
Batroun to independent MP Boutros Harb and Lebanese Forces MP Antoine Zahra.
However, Adwan reiterated that the Telecommunications Ministry would not be part
of Aoun’s share. The Telecommunications Ministry has been the subject of much
debate between the majority and the opposition, given its significant role in
funding the state’s treasury, as well as its pivotal importance with regard to
security issues related to monitoring phone calls.
White House calls on Syria to release human rights lawyer
By Agence France Presse (AFP)
Monday, October 26, 2009
WASHINGTON: The United States on Saturday called on Syria to release 78-year-old
detained human-rights lawyer Haitham Maleh and end its practice of “arbitrary
arrests” of activists. “We join the United Kingdom, France and other concerned
international parties in expressing our deep concern regarding the detention of
human-rights lawyer Haitham Maleh by Syrian security services” since October 14,
the White House said in a statement. “Syria should demonstrate its commitment to
international legal norms by releasing Maleh and other Syrian citizens who have
been imprisoned solely for seeking to exercise their internationally recognized
political freedoms.” President Barack Obama’s office has also condemned Syria’s
“two-year crackdown” on lawyers and many civil society activists. “We call on
the Syrian government to meet its responsibilities under the International
Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and to end its practice of arbitrary
arrests,” the White House said. Maleh was held behind bars between 1980 and 1986
along with a large number of trade union and opposition figures for issuing a
call for constitutional reforms, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human
Rights. Syria was set to sign a partnership deal with the European Union on
October 26, but Damascus has said it wants to study the agreement in detail. The
EU and Syria first drew up the draft pact in 2004 but it was never signed by EU
nations. The Netherlands had demanded a clause allowing for its suspension in
the event of proven rights abuses. Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem
recently warned in Paris that “political conditions” would be unacceptable under
any final accord. – AFP
Lebanon fourth largest recipient of IMF technical aid in region
/Daily Star staff/Monday, October 26, 2009
BEIRUT: The International Monetary Fund’s Middle East Technical Assistance
Center (METAC) indicated that Lebanon accounted for 10 percent of its overall
allocation of technical assistance delivery during fiscal year 2009, as reported
by Lebanon This Week, the Byblos Bank Group’s economic publication. It was the
fourth biggest recipient of such aid, ranking behind Syria, Sudan, and the West
Bank & Gaza, and came ahead of Yemen, Libya, Jordan, Afghanistan, Iraq and
Egypt. Lebanon received 30.8 person weeks (PWs), or 154 days worth of assistance
in 2009, down from 34 person weeks in 2008. Lebanon received 9.8 PWs, or 49 days
in public financial management aid, accounting for 31.8 percent of assistance it
received and for 17.7 percent of overall such assistance in the region. Such
assistance covered the set up of a cash-management unit to develop cash
projections for a broader monitoring of budget execution; integration of capital
and current budgets, and budget preparation. Support in FY2010 will cover
further development of the cash management unit, extending the Treasury Single
Account coverage, and budget classification. Lebanon received 7.3 PWs, or 36.5
days in central bank accounting, equivalent to 23.7 percent of its total aid and
to 9.8 percent of overall support for central bank accounting in the region.
METAC provided a short-term consultant who developed a concept paper, which
outlined and proposed an International Bank Account Number format and developed
a comprehensive implementation plan with a specific time frame. It also assessed
the payment system to improve it.
Lebanon received 6.9 PWs, or 34.5 days in banking supervision assistance,
accounting for 22.4 percent of its assistance and 13 percent of total bank
supervision activity in the region. Support included training on the assessment
of credit risk portfolio and loans impairments in line with the International
Accounting Standards and the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision
recommendations. Further assistance covered capacity building of the central
bank’s staff on different subjects related to banking supervision aimed at
improving supervisory practices. Support in FY2010 will cover capacity building
on assessment of banks’ strategy and business plan, stress testing techniques,
basic credit analysis and asset liability management and consolidated
supervision. It also received 3.8 PWs, or 19 days in macroeconomic statistics
support, accounting for 12.3 percent of the total assistance it received and for
5.3 percent of overall macroeconomic assistance in the region in FY 2009. – The
Daily Star
Lebanon breaks hummus, tabbouleh Guinness record
By Omar Katerji /Special to The Daily Star
Monday, October 26, 2009
BEIRUT: Lebanon successfully made three entries in the Guinness Book of Records
over the weekend for the largest plate and the largest plates of hummus and
tabbouleh. The “Hummus and Tabbouleh are 100 percent Lebanese” festival took
place on Saturday and Sunday at Saifi Market in Downtown Beirut. Thousands
attended the two-day event marking Lebanon’s attempt to claim the two dishes.
The dishes were prepared under the watch of Guinness adjudicator Tallal Omar by
250 sous chefs from the Kafaat catering school. The 50 chefs were led by the
famous Lebanese chef and culinary figure Ramzi Choueiri. The first attempt for
the largest hummus dish reached an incredible 2056 kilograms, shattering the
previous record of 362.8 kilograms set in New York in 2006. The tabbouleh dish
weighed in at an even more astonishing 3557 kilograms, which surpasses Israel’s
previous record of 2359 kilograms.
Both dishes were prepared in the world’s largest plate designed by Lebanese
engineer Joseph Kabalan which was designed to hold over 3 tons The event was
organized by the International Fairs and Promotions group (IFP), along with the
Association of Lebanese Industrialists (ALI) and the Industry Minister Ghazi
Zaiter.
The event was held to affirm the origins of the dishes after the ALI’s claim
that the specialties are sold internationally as Greek or Israeli dishes,
undermining the cultural originality of the dishes and causing huge losses for
the Lebanese economy. At the event, Ghazi Koraytem, president of the Syndicate
of Lebanese Food Industries called for the international recognition and
registration of the dishes as being Lebanese in origin. The festival, which
attracted thousands of people to Saifi Market, was set up to include many stalls
from Lebanese caterers and artisans. Famous presenter Michel Azzi acted as the
master of ceremonies for the event, keeping the crowd lively and amused
throughout the various stages of the record attempts.
At the event Azzi said: “We wish that the Lebanese could share this sense of
unity all the time in all endeavors.” At times the security struggled to keep
the enthusiastic audience back away from the giant dishes. Mona, from Beirut,
said: “This is an important issue to the Lebanese. If Israel attempts to break
the record again, we will keep breaking it and prove that these dishes are
Lebanese.” The ALI has claimed their case is similar to the European Union court
ruling in 2002 that ruled feta cheese to be Greek. Geographical appellation
rights exist for sparkling wine from the French Champagne region and Scotch
whisky, and according to ALI, Lebanon should be able to patent hummus and
tabbouleh dishes.
A Taste
of Their Own Medicine
23/10/2009
By Amir Taheri /al Sharq Al Awsat
It is not often that I find myself in agreement with the present rulers of Iran.
In the past few days, however, I have caught myself nodding in consent when
reading or hearing statements by a string of regime dignitaries, starting with
the "Supreme Guide" Ali Khamenei. These statements had a central message:
terrorism is a despicable crime that cannot be justified on any grounds.
The trouble is that those who make such statements belong to a regime that has
used terror as a tool of internal and external policies for 30 years. The
regime's reputation as a Mafia-like outfit is such that some Iranians see the
latest terrorist carnage in Baluchistan, in which at least 62 people died, as an
"insider job".
Last Sunday's terrorist attack, in the village of Sarbaz, close to the Pakistani
frontier, cost the lives of at least several senior commanders of the Islamic
Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), the regime's ultimate protector. Was it by
chance that at least four of them, including General Nur-Ali Shushtari who was
in line to become commander of the IRGC, had attracted some attention thanks to
their refusal to endorse President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's re-election last June?
Not surprisingly, the first reaction of most Iranians in the face of such
incidents is to suspect the regime itself. Internally, the regime is suspected
of involvement in scores of assassinations, including the murder of dozens of
revolutionary figures in the early phases of the Islamic Republic. The history
of the past 30 years is full of mysterious incidents in which mullahs,
politicians and military figures were removed through "accidents" or incidents
presented as terrorist attacks. Since 1979, when the mullahs seized power, hit
squads from Tehran have assassinated 117 Iranian activists in 18 foreign
countries, from India to the United States and passing by Britain and France.
Today, 22 Iranians are in prison in eight countries on charges of terrorism.
Four top Khomeinist officials, including the "Supreme Guide", and a former
President of the Islamic Republic, have been charged with murder by the Berlin
Criminal Court in Germany. Twenty-eight senior Khomeinist officials, including
the newly appointed Minister of Defence Ahmad Vahidi, are subject to Interpol
arrest warrants on terrorism charges.
Tehran is the only capital in the world where virtually all terrorist groups
from across the globe maintain offices and "information centres." Every year,
from 1 to 11 February, the Islamic Republic hosts a series of special events
known as "Ten Days of Dawn" in which terrorist figures from all over the world,
including atheist and Marxist groups, come together to coordinate what they
describe as their global "armed struggle."
The Islamic Republic has created a special elite force, known as the Quds
(Jerusalem) Corps, for the purpose of "exporting revolution" through violence
and terror. The Islamic Foreign Ministry also contains a department known as
"Office for Exporting Revolution."
Senior Khomeinist officials have often boasted that their regime was the first
to introduce suicide attacks in the Middle East. The "Supreme Guide" Ali
Khamenei, an amateur poet in his spare time, has even committed a number of odes
in praise of Hezbollah suicide-bombers who wreaked havoc in Beirut in the 1980s.
To be sure, the Khomeinist regime claims that there is a difference between
groups that it backs and those that attack it inside Iran. The Baluch Jundallah,
blamed for the latest carnage in Sarbaz, and the Mujahedin Khalq, who have
murdered many Khomeinist officials, are described as terrorist agents of foreign
powers.
However, Hezbollah, Hamas, the Islamic Jihad, the Mahdi Army in Iraq, and the
Hizb Islami in Afghanistan, are lauded as "resistance movements" because they
follow Iran's policies.
Tehran blames a number of countries, including Pakistan, for allegedly harboring
terrorists. When it comes to the terrorists that Iran itself harbors, however,
we are told that they are "refugees" or "asylum seekers."People in Tehran know
that dozens of Taliban, Al Qaeda and Hizb Islami leaders and operatives live in
Iran, mostly in a string of villages along the border with Afghanistan in an
area sealed by the IRGC. Afghan authorities are aware of an Iranian scheme to
arm tens of thousands of Shiite Hazara fighters to seize control of Kabul when
and if the Americans run away and leave the newly liberated nation defenceless.
It is also an open secret that Iran has been funding at least two armed Baluch
groups engaged in a rebellion against the Pakistani government. Also in
Pakistan, Iran has recruited, trained and armed dozens of so-called "self-defence"
units attached to the Shiite movement Tehrik Jaafari.
In Turkey, 37 people are in prison on charges of plotting or carrying out
terrorist operations on behalf of Tehran. In the former Soviet republic of
Azerbaijan, the authorities have uncovered a series of plots orchestrated from
Tehran, and shut down dozens of front organizations.
Neighboring Iraq is also a scene of terrorist activities by the Islamic
Republic. Since 2005, Iraqi authorities, including Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki,
have presented Iran with "a mountain of evidence" on the activities of terror
groups linked to Tehran.
"Today, Iran is responsible for 80 per cent of terrorism in our country," an
Iraqi Cabinet minister tells me on condition of anonymity.
There is also ample evidence showing that the current armed uprising in Yemen,
known as the Houthi revolt, enjoys massive Iranian support.
Khomeinist officials and media make no secret of the regime's support for the
terror groups mentioned above. In some cases, they even take pride in the
tragedies that those groups trigger in so many different countries. According to
the old adage, one man's terrorist is another's freedom fighter.
The truth, however, is that one man's terrorist is every man's terrorist.
One cannot divide terrorists into good and bad. For no cause or ideal could ever
justify random killing of people in no position to defend themselves.
The killing of IRGC officers is as evil as was the mass murder of American and
French soldiers asleep in their barracks in Beirut.
Last Sunday's terror operation gave the Khomeinist regime a taste of its own
medicine