LCCC
ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
September 08/09
Bible Reading of the day
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ
according to Saint Luke 6:6-11. On another sabbath he went into the synagogue
and taught, and there was a man there whose right hand was withered. The scribes
and the Pharisees watched him closely to see if he would cure on the sabbath so
that they might discover a reason to accuse him. But he realized their
intentions and said to the man with the withered hand, "Come up and stand before
us." And he rose and stood there. Then Jesus said to them, "I ask you, is it
lawful to do good on the sabbath rather than to do evil, to save life rather
than to destroy it?" Looking around at them all, he then said to him, "Stretch
out your hand." He did so and his hand was restored. But they became enraged and
discussed together what they might do to Jesus. -Naharnet
Free Opinions, Releases, letters & Special
Reports
Is He the Imad Mughniyeh of
Finance?/By Tariq Alhomayed/September
07/09
New Opinion: Defanging the
president/Now Lebanon/September 7, 2009
Things are changing in Lebanon, but the president remains the same/By
The Daily Star/September
07/09
Latest
News Reports From Miscellaneous Sources for September 07/09
Lebanon opposition rejects Hariri government move:
source-Reuters
Aoun:
Hariri Aims at Manipulating Cabinet Structure
-Naharnet
Amin
Gemayel Accuses FPM of Impairing the President's Role
-Naharnet
Hariri presents government
formation/Future
News
Maliki urges
UN tribunal for Syria-based bomb suspects-Daily
Star
Sfeir: Shame if cabinet not
formed before UN meet-Daily
Star
Soaid:
Phalange to Participate in March 14 General-Secretariat Meeting-Naharnet
Houri:
FPM will Get 5 Ministers in New Cabinet-Naharnet
Bassil
Accuses Hariri of Trying to Form a Cabinet by Means of Blackmail, Pressure-Naharnet
Gemayel Asks Aoun Allies
Why They Neglected Christians' Rights for Too Long-Naharnet
Ex-President Denounces Iran's Government-New
York Times
UN nuclear agency to discuss Iran, Syria-USA
Today
'Ron Arad alive till proven
otherwise'-Jerusalem
Post
Plot to kill Israel's army chief of staff-Times
Online
NNA: Four bodies found
in As-Shami River-Daily
Star
Sleiman hails efforts to bolster
national unity, reconciliation-Daily
Star
Situation in Palestine 'at its
most critical' - Fadlallah-Daily
Star
Mufti
Sheikh Jouzou calls Aoun national hate figure-Daily
Star
Karami
says Hariri 'responsible man' for PM job-Daily
Star
Lebanese Army arrests 11 over
Tripoli, Hermel clashes-Daily
Star
Hariri
Presents Cabinet List for President's
Approval Amid Opposition Threats to Reject it
Naharnet/Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri announced on Monday that he
presented a 30-member Cabinet lineup to President Michel Suleiman, who promised
to study it.
"I presented President Michel Suleiman a national unity cabinet lineup of 30
ministers based on the 15-10-5 formula," Hariri said following talks with
Suleiman in his summer residence in Beiteddine. The formula takes into
consideration the sectarian balance in the country and respects the results of
the June 7 parliamentary elections, he said. "Suleiman informed me he would
study the lineup that I presented to him to see whether he would sign the
(cabinet) formation decree," Hariri told reporters. During an Iftar later in the
day, Hariri said: "Suleiman has the constitutional right either to accept or
reject the lineup." In his first reaction to Hariri's move, Free Patriotic
Movement leader Michel Aoun told al-Mada radio that Hariri doesn't want to form
a cabinet. "He wants to have fun and play with the cabinet formation according
to his mood," Aoun said from abroad.
The Opposition had hinted at rejecting the offer, particularly since the latest
meeting between Hariri and Telecommunications Minister Jebran Bassil did not
produce any radical changes.
Information obtained by Naharnet revealed that the Cabinet list does not include
Bassil. However, it will give the FPM the public works and education portfolios
while the telecommunications ministry would go to Ghazi Aridi and the energy to
the Lebanese Forces (LF).
Naharnet also learned that Hariri's new Cabinet deal received good support from
Hariri's allies, particularly Druze leader Walid Jumblat, LF chief Samir Geagea
and Phalange Party leader Amin Gemayel. Jumblat, Geagea and Gemayel conveyed
their backing to Hariri during separate meetings with him late Sunday.
Press reports on Monday had said Hariri would present his new government to the
president prior to Suleiman's Sept. 23 trip to New York where he will take part
in the U.N. General Assembly meeting. They said the Cabinet makeup is based on
the already agreed upon 15-10-5 formula, taking into account the demands of the
Opposition. It is aimed at pleasing the various political parties, but is likely
to upset the Free Patriotic Movement headed by Gen. Michel Aoun. The daily An-Nahar
on Monday said Hariri again offered Bassil to give the FPM the education
portfolio instead of the telecommunications ministry. Hariri, on the other hand,
received a clear indication that the Opposition is likely to reject any Cabinet
deal that does not meet the full approval of its ally, Aoun. Opposition sources
told An-Nahar that the impression that has been formed is that Hariri is poised
to offer a Cabinet lineup that includes names of FPM ministers such as Alain
Aoun and Roy al-Hashem, but without giving Aoun the telecoms ministry or the
foreign or energy portfolios. They also believe that Hariri intends to give
Aoun's Reform and Change bloc four seats instead of five, not all of them
Maronites. A high-ranking Opposition official quoted by As-Safir newspaper
cautioned, however, that if Hariri's new Cabinet lineup turned out to be
uncoordinated with the other side, "then this means he would be driving the
country deeper into the crisis, already more than two months into the
stalemate." Opposition sources hinted that Hariri's move could leave Lebanon
without a government. They said the premier-designate's measure was a "step
backward" and warned that it could lead to a "major crisis" with the Opposition.
Beirut, 07 Sep 09, 08:34
Amin
Gemayel Accuses FPM of Impairing the President's Role
Naharnet/Former President Amin Gemayel lauded PM-designate Saad Hariri's
initiative in formulating the Cabinet lineup and said delay in cabinet formation
would obstruct the premier's and president's roles. In a press conference, prior
to the Phalanges' Politburo monthly meeting, Gemayel rejected the FPM's
continuous demands for the Interior and Telecommunications Ministries.Gemayel
considered that the insistence on having the Interior Ministry aims at
"obstructing and impairing the President's role, especially when it comes from a
Christian side." Furthermore, he demanded the FPM to stop asking for the
Telecommunications Ministry as "this portfolio was behind the 7 May events." On
the other hand, the Phalange leader underscored that procrastination in the
Cabinet formation aims at "achieving March 8's plan led by Hizbullah, abolishing
the 2009 electoral results, ending the democratic path and toppling the Cedar
revolution." Beirut, 07 Sep 09, 18:48
Aoun:
Hariri Aims at Manipulating Cabinet Structure
Naharnet/In his first reaction to Saad Hariri's proposal of a cabinet lineup to
the president, FPM leader Michel Aoun said the PM-designate doesn't intend to
form a cabinet and aims at manipulating the government structure. "He wants to
have fun and play with the cabinet formation according to his mood," Aoun told
al-Mada radio. The FPM leader, who is abroad, also rejected what he called
"change of democratic principles on which relations between parties and the
premiership are based." "Attacks on such principles puts us in front of an
impossible attempt" to form a government, Aoun said. He called for the immediate
resignation of all ministers representing the FPM in any cabinet proposed by
Hariri. In answering a question about Hariri's announcement that he proposed a
balanced cabinet, the FPM leader said: "Harmony within a government team comes
when we all respect the Constitution and laws." He expressed belief that
President Michel Suleiman will not sign a decree on cabinet formation. Beirut,
07 Sep 09, 19:57
New Opinion: Defanging the president
September 7, 2009 /Now Lebanon
President Michel Sleiman has recently been targeted by the opposition. (NOW
Lebanon)
As the cabinet crisis enters its eleventh week, opposition media and politicians
are urging President Michel Sleiman to act responsibly in speeding up the
government formation. It is a thinly-veiled attempt to pressure the president
into ceding to the opposition’s demands regarding the number of ministries it
wants. The constitution is clear on who should form the cabinet: “The President
alone issues the Decree which designates the Prime Minister. He issues, in
agreement with the Prime Minister, the decree appointing the Cabinet and the
decrees accepting the resignation of ministers.”But now, analysts are saying
that March 8 want the the president to set a time limit for Prime
Minister-designate Saad Hariri to form a cabinet. The request has no
constitutional justification, and, itself is little more than a rather brazen
attempt to pressure Hariri into accepting the opposition’s cabinet demands. The
truth is that the president can hardly exert any pressure on the opposition,
even though it is they who are responsible for the fact that three months after
the parliamentary elections, Lebanon still does not have a cabinet. If the
president were to do so, the opposition would instantly accuse him of having
taken sides and thus forfeited his role as the country’s so-called consensus
leader. Which is not to say that the opposition do not want President Sleiman to
take sides: They do, they just want him to side with them, as former
intelligence chief Jamil as-Sayyed made clear in his recent speech. “They have
placed you in the Baabda palace as a consensual president. This is why they
elected you,” Sayyed said, adding, “it is shameful, Mr. President, for them to
render you a hostage and to place you between what is right and what is wrong.”
Mr. Sayyed has a point, there are those who would like to metaphorically hold
the president “hostage,” but those would-be kidnappers are in the opposition. At
the Doha Conference in May 2008, both sides agreed to framework for the
parliamentary elections. When the vote was held, March 14 prevailed. Sleiman
should take a firmer stand. While the president is clearly doing his best to
mediate between two sides that are firmly entrenched in their positions, the
country needs a government, and Sleiman, who must see that Lebanon is locked in
a crisis, should look to the constitution for guidance. In an interview on
Friday with NOW Lebanon, Lebanese Forces member and outgoing Tourism Minister
Joe Sarkis brought up the tantalizing possibility that the president may
actually exercise his constitutional powers and sign a decree if negotiations
over the cabinet continue to stall.
That possibility gained more traction on Monday- when sources in the majority
said Hariri would send Sleiman a proposal for the cabinet layout before the
president heads off to New York at the end of the month for the UN General
Assembly meeting. While opposition members have decried such a move, it
may finally be the light at the end of the tunnel. Let’s hope that if Hariri
sends the proposal, the president approves it. Something has to give.
Gemayel Asks Aoun Allies Why They Neglected Christians' Rights for Too Long
Naharnet/Phalange Party leader Amin Gemayel reiterated the importance to upgrade
the Lebanese system "since the situation is in need for radical change." He told
the daily An-Nahar in an interview published Monday that there has been no
progress or breakthrough in government formation, pointing to a political
deadlock. Gemayel asked Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun's allies
"why they didn't care about Christians' rights in the past." "Why didn't they
care about Christian representation in the 1990s when they were key partners in
power?" Gemayel wondered. Beirut, 07 Sep 09, 11:08
Soaid: Phalange to Participate in March 14 General-Secretariat Meeting
Naharnet/March 14 General-Secretariat Coordinator Fares Soaid said following
talks with former President Amin Gemayel that Phalange representatives would
participate in the general-secretariat's meeting on Wednesday. "We agreed on the
participation of Phalange party representatives in the meeting of the
general-secretariat next Wednesday … There are no differences over political
viewpoints between the Phalange party and the March 14 movement," said Soaid
after visiting Gemayel at the party headquarters in Saifi on Monday.
The Phalange suspended its participation in the weekly meetings last month and
announced that the decision will remain in effect until the alliance has been
"reactivated so that it is able to carry out its major duties." "The Phalange
party was and still is at the heart of the Cedar revolution. It paid a dear
price for the independence uprising," Soaid stressed, citing the assassinations
of Industry Minister Pierre Gemayel and MP Antoine Ghanem.He added that he has
agreed with Gemayel to solve some administrative issues at the
general-secretariat "to rectify the political movement." Beirut, 07 Sep 09,
15:44
Houri: FPM will Get 5 Ministers in New Cabinet
Naharnet/MP Ammar Houri said Monday that Michel Aoun's Free Patriotic Movement
will get five seats in the 30-strong new Cabinet.
"The FPM will have five ministers in the government," adding that seven state
ministers should be distributed among the various political forces.
Hariri "will provide a balanced Cabinet based on 15-10-5 formula that meets some
Opposition demands," Houri said in interview with LBC television on Monday.
He pointed out that Hariri cannot "please everybody all the time." Beirut, 07
Sep 09, 12:00
Bassil Accuses Hariri of Trying to Form a Cabinet by Means of Blackmail,
Pressure
Naharnet/Telecoms Minister Jebran Bassil accused Prime Minister-designate Saad
Hariri of trying to form a Cabinet "by means of blackmail and pressure."
Hariri is "is practicing pressure in an attempt to impose terms of surrender and
succumb to sectarian violence," Bassil said in remarks published by the daily
As-Safir on Monday.
He spoke to As-Safir following a meeting in Center House with Hariri. Bassil
left the talks late Sunday without making any comment. "This means that he
(Hariri) wants to form a government by means of pressure and blackmail all the
way to threats of civil war," Bassil said. He said Hariri is operating within a
"specific equation -- either you accept his terms, or woe and destruction would
prevail." Asked what he meant by Hariri threats of civil war, Bassil said:
"Didn't you hear remarks by Mufti Jouzou?" Bassil said that unless Hariri
denounces Jouzou's statement, then this is an indication that the
premier-designate "wants things to aggravate to the extent of threatening of
civil war." Beirut, 07 Sep 09, 09:51
Houri: Lebanon Will Have a Government before Sept. 23
Naharnet/MP Ammar Houri warned Sunday that PM-designate Saad Hariri could use
his Constitutional right to form a government, stressing that Lebanon "will have
a Cabinet" before the Sept. 23 visit to New York by President Michel Suleiman.
"At the moment of truth and in a timely manner, not so long, he (Hariri) will
use his constitutional right to form a government," Houri said. "Those who
remain adamant in their point of view should bear responsibility and prove that
they are not carrying with them messages from abroad to obstruct" a Cabinet
deal, he added. "They want partnership, and we are not against it. But this
partnership must be in accordance with the law and without the minority imposing
its own opinion on others," Houri thought. "We want a homogenous government, not
a government of contradictions that could explode at any moment," Houri
stressed. Beirut, 06 Sep 09, 20:48
Hizbullah Loses Fortune in Pyramid Scheme
Sep/07/09/(IsraelNN.com) The Hizbullah terror group is believed to have lost a fortune as
a result of investing in a pyramid scheme, the London-based newspaper Asharq Al
Awsat reports.
According to the paper, Lebanese Shi'ite businessman Salah Ezzedine defrauded
hundreds of investors from Qatar, the Gulf states and thousands of villagers
from South Lebanon out of sums totaling between $600 million and $1.3 billion.
Ezzedine had promised to invest the money with returns of 25-55%. He was
arrested at the beginning of last week.
Hizbullah’s losses are estimated at some $680 million, a huge sum for the
organization, which receives most of its budget from Iran.
Is He the Imad Mughniyeh of
Finance?
06/09/2009
By Tariq Alhomayed
Editor-in-Chief of Asharq Al-Awsat,
Thank God that the sighting of the crescent moon which signifies the beginning
of the holy month of Ramadan does not take place from Lebanon, because in
Lebanon nothing is clear, and nobody is able to prove the truth, whatever it may
be. The latest story to emerge from Lebanon shrouded in mystery is the news of
the bankruptcy of the prominent Lebanese businessman Salah Ezz al-Din. Cases
have been filed against him in court by a number of high-ranking members of
Hezbollah, and the dollar amount that is missing is said to be in the hundreds
of millions.
In Lebanon there are those who nicknamed the bankrupt businessman Salah Ezz
al-Din, Hezbollah's Imad Mughniyeh of money. There are large implications to
this [nickname] as Imad Mughniyeh AKA Hajj Radwan – who was assassinated in
Syria – was Hezbollah's genuine and effective military coordinator, both at home
and abroad.
Therefore the businessman Salah Ezz al-Din being given the nickname the Imad
Mughniyeh of money signifies his importance to the Hezbollah movement, whether
through his own operations, or through his investment in the movement, either in
Lebanon or abroad. If the information is correct, this may lead to talk that Ezz
al-Din was a front for Hezbollah, or the movement's financial mastermind, in the
same way that Mughniyeh was its military mastermind.
Ezz al-Din's importance can be seen in the volume of information that is being
circulated outside of the Lebanese media, and it seems that many facts have yet
to be uncovered. There is information that indicates that there is Gulf
investment in Ezz al-Din's real estate project and others, and a Kuwaiti
newspaper also revealed that Ezz al-Din has Kuwaiti investors.
There are puzzling questions, such as; how was Hajj Ezz al-Din able to obtain
investors from the Gulf and Hezbollah, or at least some high-ranking members of
Hezbollah?
What is the relationship between these Gulf investors and the Iran financed and
sponsored Hezbollah movement, especially since the bankrupt Hajj Ezz al-Din's
relationship to Hezbollah does not seem to have been a secret?
The Lebanese pro-Iranian and pro-Hezbollah newspaper al-Akhbar" published an
article describing Salah Ezz al-Din as being "a close mediator to Hezbollah...as
the majority of deposits from the families and supporters of the movement are
made with him. Many people deal with him with great confidence, and this has
resulted in a number of things, most notably, the rumors that he is a partner to
Hezbollah."
It appears that we are witnessing a familiar story of money and politics, and
following the advice given by the inside source to the Washington Post
journalists in the film "All The President's Men" that famously dealt with the
Watergate scandal, we must "Follow the money." This is because the details of
this story indicate that it is far more important than it appears at first
glance, both for Lebanon, and the world, especially as all the recent financial
confrontations in Lebanon have taken place against the backdrop of rebuilding
the suburbs of southern Lebanon which were destroyed as a result of the 2006 war
between Israel and Hezbollah. Hassan Nasrallah had promised to rebuild these
suburbs with "pure money" however today it seems that this money has
disappeared. We must follow up this story of politics and money in Lebanon
attentively and vigilantly, as it may help to uncover many secrets.
Things are changing in Lebanon, but the president remains the same
By The Daily Star
Monday, September 07, 2009
Editorial
Much has changed in Lebanon over the past few years but one thing has remained
stubbornly the same, to the great disappointment of the Lebanese people: the way
that the president conducts business. When Michel Sleiman was elected president
a little over a year ago, the nation’s hopes were high. He was said to be the
first made-in-Lebanon president, because he was elected without any foreign
interference in the post-Syrian-tutelage era. It was believed that Sleiman would
be beholden to no one but the Lebanese people, whom he would faithfully serve.
But Sleiman has spent much of the last year sequestered in Baabda Palace, and
has limited his contact almost exclusively to members of the political elite.
Even when he does communicate a message to the public, he often does so
indirectly, such as through a staff member at his office, or a visitor to his
residence. And as far as listening to the views of others, his door seems only
to be open for senior members of the political class. This is a shame because
the ordinary people who showed such broad support for Sleiman are the real
source of the president’s power and influence. Changes to the Constitution have
reduced the traditional powers of the office of the presidency, and have
therefore necessitated that the president gain – and keep – the support of the
people in order to achieve a political agenda.
If he wants to get anything done, Sleiman ought to be engaging more frequently
with the citizens, who are the real drivers of this country, not with the
politicians who so often derail any form of progress. He should forgo some of
the hobnobbing with the zuama and instead hold regular meetings with traders and
industry leaders, commerce and professional associations, professors,
journalist, university students, lawyers and engineers.
In this modern age of high-speed transport and hyper-connectivity, other leaders
around the world have noted the ease and value of direct communication with
their publics, and frequently meet with business leaders, talk to students in
schools, visit factories in far-flung provinces and hold online town hall
meetings with ordinary citizens. Some of the more modern-minded keep regular
contact with their constituents through online networking sites like Facebook
and Twitter, and even Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has a blog.
But while other leaders around the world have embraced the 21st century, Sleiman
is sticking to the same habits we saw exhibited by Lebanese presidents in the
1960s. Isn’t it time for a change?
One Million Iraqis in Syria
06/09/2009
By Abdul Rahman Al-Rashed
Asharq Al-Awsat,
According to semi-official statistics, there are over one million Iraqi refugees
in Syria. Some people estimate that the real figure is double this amount. One
study stated that 80 percent of these refugees live in the Syrian capital of
Damascus. These two figures sum up the root of the problem that broke out
between Iraq and Syria in the aftermath of the recent bloody bombings in which
1000 people were left dead or wounded.
The crisis is getting worse, as the Iraqis, after having tasted relative peace
over a few months, will not be satisfied with the return of terrorism and with
officials – such as Prime Minister Nuri al Maliki, who embarked on a battle of
political life and death in order to ensure that he is reelected next January
and who holds only one winning card – unless they can eliminate terrorism and
guarantee stability for their people. Al Maliki is not in a position to
guarantee more electricity or provide more water and he will not be able to
reduce living costs; therefore, every explosion and every death is considered an
attack on him as well.
Al Maliki is right to be angry and suspicious and there is no doubt that the
Iraqi nation is with him on this. However, he must think long and hard before he
rushes to launch threats and make demands for an international tribunal to deal
with the Syrians because that is the kind of demand that if accepted by the
United Nations cannot be taken back.
There are two solutions; one is a temporary solution and the other is a
comprehensive one. The first is that he puts a lot of pressure on the
neighboring countries such as Syria and Iran to stop infiltrators [passing the
borders] and to put a stop to the training camps and that he strengthens his own
security borders with all his military might.
The second solution, which is more important, is that the Iraqi government must
acknowledge that it has been part of the problem and is not only a victim. We
know that one million Iraqis, such as the refugees in Syria or in any other
country, will be subjected to political and security manipulation. The tragedy
of the Palestinians, who lived in refugee camps and were thrown around like a
ball between the Arabs and the Iranians who used the Palestinians to achieve
their own goals, will be repeated.
One million is not an easy figure and this large number can be a burden on any
government in the world. The Iraqis were pushed towards Syria in particular
because it is the only country that does not require entry visas from the Iraqis
and they are not prevented from entering as large groups. They are not forced to
live in camps outside of the cities and regardless of their commercial
activities in the areas they live in, the cost of living for a refugee in Syria
is cheap in comparison to other countries.
Many of those angry people fled their cities and gave up their lives in Iraq in
the same way the Palestinians left their homes, and they will follow the same
path of “resistance” today or tomorrow. The Iraqi government must take immediate
action to return people to their homes and those with no homes must be given
temporary housing or financial aid for the purpose of building a home. We should
bear in mind that the Iraqi government is much richer than the government of
Syria; Iraq has a budget of 42 billion dollars whereas the Syrian budget is only
11 billion dollars. Why should the Syrians have to pay for sustaining Iraqi
refugees out of their own pockets? Al Maliki’s government can easily pay to
return and sustain Iraqi refugees. Everyone will then appreciate the government
and it will then receive a lot of help from international organizations and from
other countries in order to end this humanitarian crisis and help Iraq escape
this ordeal.