LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
September 09/09

Bible Reading of the day
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 10:7-15. As you go, make this proclamation: 'The kingdom of heaven is at hand.' Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, drive out demons. Without cost you have received; without cost you are to give. Do not take gold or silver or copper for your belts; no sack for the journey, or a second tunic, or sandals, or walking stick. The laborer deserves his keep. Whatever town or village you enter, look for a worthy person in it, and stay there until you leave. As you enter a house, wish it peace. If the house is worthy, let your peace come upon it; if not, let your peace return to you. Whoever will not receive you or listen to your words--go outside that house or town and shake the dust from your feet. Amen, I say to you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that town. 

Free Opinions, Releases, letters & Special Reports
Our Share of Globalization. By: Husam Itani/All Hayat/September 08/09   
LEBANON: Local Bernie Madoff allegedly swindles Shiites, Hezbollah/Los Angeles Times/September 08/09 
It's in the interests of both Iraq and Syria to put an end their dispute-The Daily Star/September 08/09   

Latest News Reports From Miscellaneous Sources for September 08/09 
Phalange, Lebanese Forces also Disagree over Hariri-Propopsed Cabinet Deal-Naharnet
Suleiman to Take his Time on Cabinet Lineup Decision as Opposition Sticks to its Rejection -Naharnet
Opposition and majority react to cabinet developments/Now Lebanon
Nasrallah: Hariri's Move Further Complicates Government Crisis -Naharnet
Jumblat Stresses 'S-S' Equation, Aridi in Saudi Arabia -Naharnet
Saniora: Threatening Storms Are Created by those Harmed by Stability -Naharnet
Hariri's Cabinet Line-up -Naharnet
Wanted Fatah al-Islam Militant Arrested -Naharnet
Kidnapped Ali al-Sayyed Contacts Wife -Naharnet
Moussawi expects Sleiman will refrain from signing the decree/Now Lebabon
Future bloc members call on everyone to respond to Hariri’s initiative/Now Lebanon
Lebanon's Hezbollah attacks Hariri government move-Reuters
Lebanon opposition rejects Hariri government move: source-Reuters
Hariri submits cabinet line-up proposal to Sleiman for approval-Daily Star
LF's Zahra stresses need to abide by Taif Accord-Daily Star
Jouzo opposes restitution of president's powers-Daily Star
Phalange to attend March 14 general secretariat meeting-Daily Star
Lebanese in Gabon 'safe' despite weekend violence, says Salloukh-Daily Star Staff
'Hezbollah's Madoff' brings serious financial losses to top members-Ha'aretz
Lieberman in Ghana: You're learning of Hezbollah's destructive nature-Ynetnews
Third of Lebanese cabinet Hezbollah-Ynetnews
Britain wants to work with Hamas-Examiner.com
Hundreds of Iraqis protest against Syria-AFP
Nuclear Agency Said to Be in 'Stalemate' With Iran-New York Times
Lebanese banks see higher growth in deposits and assets-Daily Star
Body of suspected suicide victim found in Baalbek-Daily Star
Four young men drown in Shamieh River-Daily Star
UNRWA employees strike in South Lebanon-Daily Star
UNICEF's new Lebanon envoy visits Sleiman-Daily Star
Sidon takes on new life during holy month of Ramadan-Daily Star
Sudden closure of website raises suspicion-Daily Star
Minister: Parents first defense against swine flu-Daily Star
Arrest of arms dealer exposes smuggling of prohibited items into Iran-Daily Star
Anti-Israel comments cloud Egypt's bid to lead UNESCO-Daily Star
Mossad behind missing Russian ship - officials-Daily Star

Suleiman to Take his Time on Cabinet Lineup
Decision as Opposition Sticks to its Rejection
Naharnet/Meetings between President Michel Suleiman and different political parties gathered pace on Tuesday, a day after the opposition's rejection of Premier-designate Saad Hariri's proposed line-up for a national unity government. Hariri presented Suleiman a draft 30-seat cabinet on Monday. But his move cannot go into effect unless Suleiman approves it by signing a decree forming the new government. Suleiman told An Nahar daily before his meeting with Hariri on Monday that he would not give the green light to a cabinet line-up that "I won't like."
"If the line-up was reasonable, I would take my time in making consultations, particularly with the speaker," Suleiman said. "There is nothing easier then letting a team of Lebanese clap for me from here and there. But I want to save the country," he told An Nahar. He stressed that he wants a "balanced government because the situation would explode with an extremist cabinet. This would lead to outside intervention." Hariri's move was swiftly rejected by opposition groups. Speaker Nabih Berri's political assistant Ali Hassan Khalil headed to Beiteddine on Monday night and informed Suleiman about the opposition's united stance. Also late Monday, the opposition's follow-up committee also held a meeting at Telecommunications Minister Jebran Bassil's home. MP Khalil, the Hizbullah leader's assistant, Hussein Khalil, and Bassil visited Suleiman on Tuesday.
Following the meeting, Bassil told reporters that the delegation informed the president about the opposition's rejection of the government line-up which was "imposed" by Hariri.
While addressing reporters, Ali Hassan Khalil expressed belief that the president would play a positive role in the cabinet formation process.
Also part of contacts on the government issue, Suleiman met with Minister Wael Abou Faour following talks with Minister Talal Arslan.
Hizbullah's al-Manar TV criticized Hariri's move in its main news bulletin Monday night describing his government as the "fait accompli cabinet." It added that Hariri opened the way for "major question marks regarding the fate of national unity." Meanwhile, Berri who meets Suleiman each Wednesday, preferred not to comment on the Hariri move, pan-Arab daily al-Hayat said. Opposition sources also told Asharq al-Awsat that the speaker was "very upset." Beirut, 08 Sep 09, 09:38

Phalange, Lebanese Forces also Disagree over Hariri-Propopsed Cabinet Deal
Naharnet/A special report obtained by Naharnet Tuesday revealed that Phalange Party leader Amin Gemayel and Lebanese Forces boss Samir Geagea have also come out against Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri's proposed Cabinet lineup. Kataeb sources said Gemayel will inform both President Michel Suleiman and Hariri about his rejection of the appointment of MP Sami Gemayel as tourist minister. The sources told Naharnet that Sami Gemayel's appointment could take place if the group was given two seats, and not just one, and on condition that Sami Gemayel is given a ministry "more important" than tourism. They pointed that Phalange party member Elie Marouni, the current tourist minister, could be given the same post since he has proven to be responsible.
Regarding Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea's stance, Naharnet learned that the LF boss has expressed reservation about Hariri's Cabinet deal, both in terms of the portfolios given to the party (industry and social works) or the ministries given to the Free Patriotic Movement.
The sources said Geagea fears that once given the education, labor and public works ministries, FPM leader Michel Aoun would get the upper hand on universities, schools, trade unions and social security services as well as roads, major projects, urban planning and infrastructure in such a way that would allow him to exploit the state's potentials to reinforce his political position among Christians. Earlier Tuesday, Gemayel said the Cabinet list leaked to the media "was not the one we had agreed upon both in terms of names and portfolios."
Gemayel, however, said he would contact both President Michel Suleiman and Hariri to convey his rejection. Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah has slammed Hariri for proposing a Cabinet lineup that he says will only complicate the situation in Lebanon. Hariri on Monday presented a 30-seat coalition Cabinet for the president's approval, more than three months after the majority March 14 alliance won a general election, but the Opposition openly rejected the move. Beirut, 08 Sep 09, 18:23

Nasrallah: Hariri's Move Further Complicates Government Crisis
Naharnet/Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah rejected the prime minister-designate's proposed cabinet line-up, saying Saad Hariri's move would further complicate the government problem. "I don't think that the method employed today takes Lebanon out of the government formation crisis. On the contrary, it further complicates the problem," Nasrallah said during an Iftar on Monday. He also described Hariri's move as "inappropriate" and said the Mustaqbal movement leader and his March 14 allies had not made any concessions in talks aimed at agreeing the new unity government. He told the Iftar that the opposition would deal with Hariri's move with "full solidarity." The Hizbullah secretary-general said each parliamentary bloc has the right to name its ministers and the cabinet portfolios it wants. He reiterated there is no law that prevents giving cabinet seats to candidates who had lost the elections, in reference to the majority's rejection of Telecommunications Minister Jebran Bassil. "Isn't such a rejection considered hindrance to the process of Lebanese government formation?" Nasrallah wondered.
Beirut, 08 Sep 09, 09:17

Jumblat Stresses 'S-S' Equation, Aridi in Saudi Arabia
Naharnet/Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblat welcomed PM-designate Saad Hariri's cabinet line-up as long as it is based on the concept of national unity and insisted the 'Syria-Saudi Arabia' equation was the solution to government formation. "We welcome any effort that comes as part of the national unity cabinet and national partnership framework and on the basis of the 15-10-5 formula," Jumblat told pan-Arab daily Asharq al-Awsat. He said Hariri did not give him during their meeting on Sunday night details about the cabinet line-up. "He (the PM-designate) told me that he would make a new attempt with the president to come up with a solution," the Druze leader said. "I stressed to him on the importance of sticking to the concept of national partnership to preserve Lebanon and on the 'Syria-Saudi Arabia equation'," Jumblat added. He also told As Safir daily that the cabinet should be formed as soon as possible and small details should be left out. The newspaper said Jumblat had recently informed the opposition that he would be ready to give the telecommunications ministry to Jebran Bassil in return for keeping the public works ministry with Ghazi Aridi. Official information said Jumblat sent Aridi to Saudi Arabia on a business trip linked to the Lebanese cabinet issue. Beirut, 08 Sep 09, 10:59

Opposition and majority react to cabinet developments
September 8, 2009 /Now Lebanon
One day after Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri handed President Michel Sleiman his version of the next cabinet to consider, the opposition briefed Sleiman of its rejection of the proposal, saying the move would “further complicate the crisis.” An opposition delegation, including Telecommunications Minister Gebran Bassil, Amal Movement MP Ali Hassan Khalil and Hezbollah Secretary General’s political advisor Hussein Khalil met with Sleiman at his summer residence in Beiteddine on Tuesday to discuss the cabinet proposal. At a press conference held after the meeting, Bassil spoke on behalf of the opposition, echoing Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah’s speech during his Iftar the night before in which he said Hariri’s actions were “inappropriate” and will intensify the cabinet crisis. “The opposition showed utmost openness in the cabinet deliberations to facilitate the government formation,” said Bassil. Even though no details of Hariri’s government have been officially disclosed yet, the telecom minister called for everybody “to shoulder their responsibilities and return to dialogue.”
In an interview with Sada al-Balad newspaper published on Tuesday, Deputy Prime Minister Issam Abu Jamra said that Hariri decided on the cabinet line-up, and therefore, “should be held responsible for his choices,” adding that no one has the right to name ministers on behalf of any party without consulting with it first.
Abu Jamra stressed that Hariri “continues to target” the Free Patriotic Movement via his cabinet proposal.
Majority politicians, however, have hailed the move and are heralding an end to the protracted cabinet crisis.
Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblatt told As-Safir newspaper in an interview published on Tuesday that he welcomes Hariri’s cabinet line-up, but only if such a step ensures partnership, consensus, national unity and adheres to the 15-10-5 cabinet formula.
Jumblatt said that Hariri suggested the “reshuffling of portfolios” to look for a way out of the stalemate, because “apparently part of the problem lies with [granting] the sovereign ministries.”
Justice Minister Ibrahim Najjar also welcomed the PM-designate’s proposal and told Future News on Tuesday afternoon that the Lebanese constitution does not oblige Hariri to take all parties’ suggestions into consideration on the cabinet formation, since “he is the representative of the executive power.”He added that if such a step was not taken, “it would have been suggested that Hariri is not fulfilling his duties.”Lebanon First bloc MP Ahmad Fatfat told the Voice of Lebanon radio station on Tuesday afternoon that following the opposition’s “fierce reaction” to the cabinet line-up, “it has become clear who is trying to lead Lebanon out of the crisis, and who is hampering the government formation. He added that he was surprised with the concessions that Hariri has made in favor of the opposition.

Future bloc members call on everyone to respond to Hariri’s initiative
September 8, 2009 /Now Lebanon/After its weekly meeting presided over by outgoing Prime Minister Fouad Siniora, Future Movement released a statement calling on all sides to respond to Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri’s initiative on Monday to present President Michel Sleiman with a cabinet line-up proposal after intensive deliberations with all parliamentary blocs.
The statement called for staying away from threats and committing to the principles of the constitution. Future members also said they are pleased with Hariri’s step, especially given its insistence on the 15-10-5 formula, on the principle of national-unity, on the application of swapping of the ministerial portfolios, and on the respect of the June parliamentary elections’ outcome. The statement added, “This step lies within the powers and role of the PM-designate.”

Mikati says violating constitution is unacceptable
Now Lebanon/September 8, 2009 /Former Prime Minister Najib Mikati issued a statement on Tuesday saying that it is “inappropriate and unacceptable” for politicians to violate the constitution just because there are internal disputes. Mikati added that some interpretations of Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri’s decision to present a cabinet line-up to President Michel Sleiman are “an infringement on the powers of the PM-designate,” adding that those who call Hariri’s move as contradictory to democratic and constitutional principles, a reference to Telecommunications Minister Gebran Bassil statements earlier on Tuesday, are trying to exploit the situation for personal reasons. Mikati also called for dealing with the initiative according to the constitution and discussing it politically, without violating the Taif Accord.

Bassil briefs president of opposition’s rejection of cabinet line-up, says it complicates crisis
September 8, 2009 /Now Lebanon/An opposition delegation, including Telecommunications Minister Gebran Bassil, Amal Movement MP Ali Hassan Khalil and Hezbollah Secretary General’s political advisor Hussein Khalil visited with President Michel Sleiman at his summer residence in Beiteddine on Tuesday following Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri’s announcement of a cabinet line-up earlier on Monday afternoon. The meeting comes as a direct criticism of Hariri’s proposal, especially since the president has yet to accept or reject the line-up, as Sleiman vowed not to sign any government decree that does not ensure consensus between the majority and the opposition.
Bassil gave a brief statement following his sit-down with the president in which he slammed Hariri, saying “what [he] did was inappropriate and contradicts our democratic principles.”
“We informed the president of our rejection to what happened yesterday in form and content. It was a precedent that would further complicate the crisis, although the opposition showed utmost openness in the cabinet deliberations to facilitate the government formation.” However, Bassil said that the opposition was “fully prepared to maintain dialogue” in order to find a solution to the crisis and pursue the country’s best interests. “We do not seek to hold anyone responsible… We should all shoulder our own responsibilities and return to dialogue.”
Amal Movement MP Ali Hassan Khalil in turn told reporters that President Sleiman will play a “basic and positive” role in forming the new cabinet.

Saniora: Threatening Storms Are Created by those Harmed by Stability
Naharnet/Caretaker Premier Fouad Saniora said Tuesday that PM-designate Saad Hariri has exercised his authority with the proposal of a cabinet line-up.
Saniora added following talks with the ambassador of the Sultanate of Oman that he is in continuous contact with the president and will visit Michel Suleiman in the next couple of days.
Asked about Lebanon's future and fears of civil war, Saniora said: "All these things are storms created by those who are harmed by stability in Lebanon."He called for calm political rhetoric, cooperation and continuous dialogue among Lebanese. Beirut, 08 Sep 09, 13:54

Hariri's Cabinet Line-up
Naharnet/PM-designate Saad Hariri's cabinet line-up gave five ministries – four portfolios plus one state ministry – to the Free Patriotic Movement and four seats to women, media reports said Tuesday.Here is a list of names with sectarian divisions:
Sunnis: Raya Haffar al-Hassan for the finance ministry, Mohammed Safadi, Tammam Salam, Assaad Harmoush (Jamaa Islamiyah), Ghaleb Mahmasani from the president's share, in addition to Hariri.
Maronites: Ziad Baroud, Joe Sarkis (the LF), Sami Gemayel (Phalange), Farid Elias al-Khazen and Alain Aoun (FPM) and Vera Yammine (Marada).
Shiites: Mohammed Jawad Khalifeh, Yassine Jaber or Jihad Murtada and a third for Amal movement, Mohammed Fneish and Hussein al-Hajj Hassan (Hizbullah) and Adnan al-Sayyed Hussein from the president's share.
Druze: Ghazi Aridi for the telecommunications or public works (if it wasn't given to an FPM representative), Wael Abou Faour for the displaced and Akram Sheyyab as state minister.
Catholics: Michel Pharaon from the majority, Edgard Maalouf (FPM) and Judge Micheline Breidy from the president's share.
Orthodox: Elias Murr, Imad Wakim, Tareq Mitri and Atef Majdalani.
Armenians: Jean Oghassabian and Hagop Pakradounian (who might get the labor ministry).
An Nahar said that the FPM got the following cabinet seats:
The public works ministry for Alain Aoun
The education ministry for Farid Elias al-Khazen
The culture ministry for Edgard Maalouf
The labor ministry for Hagop Pakradounian
State minister for Vera Yammine
Beirut, 08 Sep 09, 11:42

Wanted Fatah al-Islam Militant Arrested
Naharnet/Police have arrested a Fatah al-Islam member who had engaged in fighting with Internal Security Forces in the northern port city of Tripoli in 2007, al-Liwaa daily reported Tuesday. Security sources told the newspaper that police raided a house near the town of Jiyyeh and arrested Ahmed Ghosh known as Merjan. Police seized 40 Kalashnikov rifles, two M-16s, four handguns and B-7 rocket launchers from the house, the sources said. Ghosh, according to al-Liwaa, was the leader of the network that clashed with ISF in Tripoli's Miatain street following the army's offensive on Fatah al-Islam in the Palestinian refugee camp of Nahr al-Bared in May 2007. Beirut, 08 Sep 09, 08:34

Kidnapped Ali al-Sayyed Contacts Wife
Naharnet/Ali al-Sayyed, who was kidnapped in broad daylight last week, has reportedly telephoned his wife and told her that he was indebted to his kidnappers.
Sayyed's sister told As Safir that the man called his wife on Sunday during Iftar. After being reassured on her and his kids, the woman asked her husband if he knew his captors. The man replied: "I owe them money." The line was cut immediately after finishing his sentence, As Safir said. Sayyed was kidnapped by unknown gunmen outside his shop in Beirut's southern suburbs last Tuesday. Beirut, 08 Sep 09, 12:16

Lieberman in Ghana: You're learning of Hezbollah's destructive nature
Published: 09.07.09, 20:47 / Israel News
Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, who is on an official visit to Africa, met with Ghana's president, foreign and agriculture ministers. Lieberman expresses his appreciation of Ghana military's participation in the UNIFIL force stationed in Lebanon, saying the African nation "has first hand knowledge of just how destructive and inciting a force Hezbollah really is, and how it aims to destabilize the Middle East."

Lebanon opposition rejects Hariri government move
Mon Sep 7, 2009
BEIRUT (Reuters) - Lebanese prime minister-designate Saad al-Hariri handed the president his proposed line-up for a national unity government on Monday, in a move swiftly rejected by opposition groups including the powerful Hezbollah. Hariri was designated prime minister in late June but has yet to reach agreement with the opposition on the new unity government, set to include the Syria- and Iran-backed Hezbollah and its allies. President Michel Suleiman, who took office last year as a consensus candidate, is not expected to approve any cabinet proposal that does not have opposition support. "The president informed me that he would study the formation," Hariri said after meeting Suleiman, who has said he wants the government to be formed before he travels to the U.N. General Assembly later this month. A senior opposition source told Reuters: "We will not deal with this proposal because we know nothing about it. As far as we are concerned, it does not exist and we will have nothing to do with it." The rival factions have agreed on the broad division of seats in the new cabinet. But Hariri, son of assassinated former prime minister Rafik al-Hariri, has struggled to reach agreement with opposition politicians on the details.
At the heart of the dispute are the demands of Christian leader Michel Aoun, an ally of Hezbollah. Aoun's Free Patriotic Movement holds more seats in parliament than any other Christian party. Hariri, leader of an alliance that won a June 7 parliamentary election, has resisted Aoun's demand for Gebran Bassil, his son-in-law, to keep his post as telecoms minister. Aoun also wants to name the new interior minister. The line-up proposed by Hariri on Monday kept Ziad Baroud in his current post as interior minister and handed the telecoms ministry to a figure close to the prime minister-designate, political sources said. Aoun said Hariri's move showed he did not want to form a government. "On the contrary, he wants to play with the cabinet formation according to his mood," Aoun told Sawt al-Mada radio station, according to a report published on his Tayyar website.
WOMEN NAMED FOR FINANCE AND ECONOMY MINISTRIES
Fouad Siniora, the outgoing prime minister and a member of Hariri's Future Movement, will lead a caretaker cabinet until Suleiman issues a decree appointing the new government.
Hariri said his proposal respected the broad seat-sharing arrangement agreed with the opposition. It gives Hariri's "March 14" alliance 15 of 30 seats in the new cabinet and the opposition "March 8" alliance 10 seats. President Suleiman is allowed to name the remaining five ministers, giving him a decisive say over cabinet decisions. Hariri proposed Raya Hassan for finance minister, responsible for managing Lebanon's massive public debt burden, and Nada Mfarrij for the post of economy minister, the political sources said. They are two of four women in the proposed line-up. Both are close to Hariri. Hassan has an MBA from The George Washington University in the United States. She is currently manager of a United Nations Development Programme project aimed at supporting decision-making at the office of the prime minister. The sources said that Elias al-Murr would keep his job as defense minister while the foreign ministry would go to Yassin Jaber, who is close to parliament speaker and leading opposition figure Nabih Berri.
(Reporting by Beirut bureau; writing by Tom Perry; editing by Andrew Roche)

Hundreds of Iraqis protest against Syria
(AFP) – HILLA, Iraq — More than 300 Iraqis protested on Monday to demand that Syria stop its alleged support for "terrorists and assassins" determined to carry out attacks in Iraq, an AFP journalist said. The demonstrators gathered in Hilla, 120 kilometres (75 miles) south of Baghdad, and held up banners, declaring: "Immorality, Bashar, means killing innocent people in cold blood" -- a jibe at Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Assad has dismissed as "immoral" and politically motivated allegations by Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki that Syria is harbouring terrorists. "The Baathists and Takfiris (Sunni extremists) come from your country, Bashar," said another banner at the protest in Hilla, capital of Babil province, referring to the outlawed Baath party of ousted dictator Saddam Hussein. Relations between Iraq and Syria plummeted last month after Maliki alleged that Damascus was sheltering leaders behind one of two deadly truck bombings in Baghdad on August 19, attacks that left 95 people dead and hundreds wounded. The bombings at the finance and foreign ministries culminated in the worst day of violence seen in Iraq for 18 months. "The protection given by the Syrian regime to the Baathists and Takfiris is increasing the shedding of Iraqi blood," Kazim Majid Toumane, president of Babil provincial council and a member of the Sadrist movement of anti-US cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, told AFP. "The international community must demand that those countries bordering Iraq, particularly Syria, stop their support for the terrorists and assassins." Babil provincial governor Salman al-Zarkani called for an international committee to investigate the alleged role of the Syrian regime in the August 19 attacks. Maliki wants such a probe into last month's bombings and has already asked the United Nations to establish an independent international commission. On Saturday, the police chief of Anbar province confirmed that police and soldiers had been sent to the Syrian border -- on Maliki's orders -- to strengthen security, although he would not specify how many. The border between Iraq and Syria stretches for 725 kilometres (450 miles), and the United States has also blamed Damascus for having lax controls that allow insurgents, including Al-Qaeda-linked rebels, to cross over.

Our Share of Globalization
Mon, 07 September 2009
Husam Itani/All Hayat
Apart from security/political analyses, conspiracy theories and their profuse offshoots in explaining the disaster that has afflicted thousands of Lebanese who had invested with Salah Ezzeddine, the matter can be dealt with as the share of the Lebanese of the global financial crisis and of the current phase of globalization.
There is a moral vileness that first appeared from some voices and writings that exuded abuse towards what afflicted Ezzedine because of his connection to Hezbollah. Indeed, the issue, at the end of the day, is not restricted nor should be restricted to a bankruptcy, whether it was compulsory or based in deception (determining which of the two is left to the justice system). It has come at the cost of hundreds of millions of dollars that belong to Lebanese and Arabs who had placed their trust in a businessman who misestimated the dangers that accompany excessive growth lacking proper study. It falls within the same context regardless of if Hezbollah lost a few millions and to what extent the issue relates to the party’s financial and security procedures, as long as the great majority of injured parties are people belonging to middle and low income social classes, who sought to improve their income by investing under a banner that puts their political and religious “conscience” at rest. It is also the same whether or not Ezzeddine had abused his connections with Hezbollah to benefit from a large financial cluster, as long as the naivety of small and middle investors is still considerably present in the bankruptcy cases which Lebanon witnesses once every five or six years.
The importance of Ezzeddine’s case, at the internal Lebanese level, resides in the fact that, on the one hand, it has stricken a specific social and political circle, making it equivalent to an “economic July War”, as one Shiite minister was quoted as saying, while on the other it has shown that the “immunity” enjoyed by Lebanese politicians and financiers to the hurricane that struck the world’s economy nearly a year ago is devoid of real meaning.
Indeed, if the scarcity of exchange in the local stock market and the obstacles placed by the central bank to investing in “hot funds and markets” have prevented the Lebanese economy from being harmed in the first wave of global market collapse, the case of Ezzeddine shows that Lebanon, in addition to other Arab countries that have adopted conservative monetary policies, is firmly connected to the world’s economic cycle, whether it rises or falls. Deluded are those who think that they can board a ship to safety at a time when the whole world is discovering that all lifeboats are pierced at the bottom, according to the latest numbers regarding the delay in the recovery expected in the economies of industrial countries.
The most prominent characteristic being placed under the spotlight by the bankruptcy of Ezzeddine’s businesses can be summed up in that our share of the global crisis came to our likeness, or to the likeness of the most active segments of our societies. Financial interests and sectarian and political identity are interconnected, and thus “Hajj” Salah would go to holy sites to meet potential investors, making use of connections that may or may not be truthful or strong to a political party that prides itself in its honesty and virtue in politics and high morals. There is talk of security motives and traps set by the forces of arrogance to strike a blow against the Resistance… However, the facts show that the money of pilgrims and visitors of holy sites was used in speculations in the oil, iron and currency markets, which answer only to the laws that govern their movement, without being affected by the masks that were used to accumulate funds used in risky trading.
Investors from Maaroub, Toura, Yaroun and dozens of small towns and villages in South Lebanon and Beirut’s Southern suburb are not sufficiently informed about the laws of global markets. Yet they have suddenly found themselves partners in a fierce globalization in which they play the role of victims, without warning or notice, as usual.

LEBANON: Local Bernie Madoff allegedly swindles Shiites, Hezbollah
September 7, 2009
Los Angeles Times
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/babylonbeyond/2009/09/lebanon-bernie-madoff-of-lebanon-squandered-hundreds-of-millions.html
A successful and outwardly pious businessman, Ezzedine handled investments for thousands of people, from poor villagers in southern Lebanon to expatriate millionaires in West Africa, and even officials from the militant party Hezbollah.
But that all came crashing down last week when Ezzedine declared bankruptcy, prompting an investigation that revealed the shocking extent of his alleged fraud.
Local media reports now estimate that Ezzedine lost up to $1.5 billion of his clients' money. He's now being dubbed Lebanon's Bernie Madoff.
The scandal has rocked the Shiite community, which made up most of Ezzedine's clientele.
While initial reports centered on the connection between the disgraced businessman and Hezbollah, the party's international relations chief, Ammar Moussawi, told the Lebanese daily Al Akhbar that Ezzedine had no official relationship with the party, but that he did maintain personal ties with some members. The paper went on to say that the only official legal action filed against Ezzedine so far was on behalf of Hezbollah lawmaker Hussein Hajj Hasan, who reportedly lost about $400,000.
In addition to well-to-do investors, Ezzedine's victims included some of the most vulnerable members of the community. In the poor southern village of Yaroun, some 40% of residents had pooled their savings to invest with Ezzedine. "One of the residents took out a mortgage on his house and then invested the money with Ezzedine. I don't know what he's going to do now," the former mayor, Ali Ghashem, told Al Akhbar. Ezzedine supposedly had a number of ventures in tourism, real estate, construction and the gold trade, some of which were based in West Africa, home to a large Shiite expatriate population. He also owned a religious publishing house, Dar al-Hadi, which was closed following his arrest.
In Ezzedine's native village of Maaroub, residents are still in shock. Some refuse to believe the allegations against him.
"The situation is very unclear, and people are confused," the town's mayor, Hussein Fneish told Al Akhbar. "They bemoan the loss of their money on the one hand, but on the other hand, they worry about Salah." -- Meris Lutz in Beirut

'Hezbollah's Madoff' brings serious financial losses to top members
By Avi Issacharoff, Haaretz Correspondent, and Agencies
07/09/2009
At least four senior members of Hezbollah suffered serious financial losses as the result of embezzlement by the Lebanese Shi'ite businessman Salah Ezzedine, according to the London-based newspaper Asharq Al Awsat. Ezzedine, who has been dubbed "Hezbollah's Madoff," is suspected of embezzling more than one billion dollars.
The four were identified as Mohammad Raad, head of the Hezbollah faction in the Lebanese parliament, Hezbollah MPs Amin Shari and Hussein al-Hajj, and Wafiq Safa, head of the organization's coordinating committee.
Safa was the person who handed over the bodies of missing Israeli soldiers Eldad Regev and Udi Goldwasser, to the United Nations, during a 2008 prisoner swap between Hezbollah and Israel. At the time, he stood in front of the Al-Manar television cameras and declared: "You will know immediately what their fate was," as he pointed to the coffins containing the remains.
According to assessments in the Arab media and the news agencies, Ezzedine succeeded in defrauding hundreds of investors out of sums totaling between $600 million and $1.3 billion. He was arrested at the beginning of last week after persuading a large number of investors - including businessmen from Qatar and the Gulf states and thousands of villagers from southern Lebanon - to transfer sums of money to him, which he promised to invest with returns of 25-55 percent. After he declared bankruptcy, Ezzedine turned himself over to the Lebanese authorities.
Abu Ponzi
Ezzedine, who was well known as an investor mainly among Lebanon's Shi'ite community, is suspected of having used the money as part of a "Ponzi scheme" in which he transferred the sums invested by new investors to the accounts of more veteran investors, in much the same way as Bernard Madoff did in the United States. It is believed that Ezzedine's family has escaped from Lebanon.
Lebanese reports say that Ezzedine and his associates are being interrogated at present but that no formal charges have yet been brought against them. The Kuwaiti newspaper Al Watan reported last week that Hezbollah's losses in the affair are estimated at some $680 million, a gigantic sum for the organization, most of whose budget comes from Iran.
In the past decade, Hezbollah has succeeded in developing economic systems, including drug and real estate deals that brought in good returns.
Ezzedine is the owner of the Dar Al-Hadi publishing company, one of Lebanon's leading publishers of Shi'ite religious texts. It also publishes the writings of Hezbollah officials and has shares in the children's "Al-Hadi" television channel.
A Lebanese court on Thursday ordered the closure of the publishing house and all 250 workers lost their jobs suddenly. Ezzedine was also involved in arranging trips to Mecca. Ezzedine's money was invested in iron and energy companies and he lost a fortune when the price of oil plummeted.
"Everyone invested with him, everyone," said the owner of a grocery store, Muhammed Shur, in an interview with Al-Jazeera Television. "He was supposed to be a religious man and gave a lot of money to charity." He said he had placed his family's entire savings, $45,000, in Ezzedine's hands. "You can go through this village one by one," he added. "Some of the people even mortgaged their homes to invest with him."