LCCC
ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
September 11/09
Bible Reading of the day
Holy Gospel of Jesus
Christ according to Saint Luke 6:27-38.
Do to others as you would have them
do to you. For if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even
sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good
to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do the same. If you lend money
to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit (is) that to you? Even
sinners lend to sinners, and get back the same amount. But rather, love your
enemies and do good to them, and lend expecting nothing back; then your reward
will be great and you will be children of the Most High, for he himself is kind
to the ungrateful and the wicked. Be merciful, just as (also) your Father is
merciful. Stop judging and you will not be judged. Stop condemning and you will
not be condemned. Forgive and you will be forgiven. Give and gifts will be given
to you; a good measure, packed together, shaken down, and overflowing, will be
poured into your lap. For the measure with which you measure will in return be
measured out to you."
Free Opinions, Releases, letters & Special
Reports
Gebran Bassil’s beard. By:
Michael Young/Now Lebanon/September
10/09
Naim Qassem/Now Lebanon/September
9, 2009
AsharqLWhere is Michel Aoun?/September
10/09
Bassil is the cause of the
problem/Future News/September 10/09
Spare
us the agony of this freak-show called 'governance' in Beirut/The
Daily Star/September
10/09
As
always: It's the Syrians, stupid!/By:
Michael Young/September
10/09
Latest
News Reports From Miscellaneous Sources for September 10/09
Saniora
to Rename Hariri-Naharnet
Geagea
Says LF will Rename Hariri, Opposition Against Cabinet for Regional
Considerations-Naharnet
Hariri Steps Down as
PM-designate-Naharnet
Salloukh Urges
Arabs to Elect Lebanon as Security Council Member-Naharnet
5 Men Charged with
Involvement in Illegal Internet Case-Naharnet
Official source says Hariri stepped
down due to Iran’s propositions, opposition’s demands/Now Lebanon
Sfeir
to the Vatican Next Week-Naharnet
National Block: if Hizbullah to run
the public affairs, farewell Lebanon/Future
News
Samir Frangieh: Obstruction to keep
Lebanon a bargaining card-Future News
Fadlallah for serious dialogue to
reach consensus-Future News
Chamoun slams opposition’s
obstruction schemes-Future News
Siniora
will not return
to power-National
Berri
Holds on to Hariri as Prime Minister-Naharnet
Bassil:
Problem is with Hariri, Not with Suleiman-Naharnet
5 Men
Charged with Involvement in Illegal Internet Case-Naharnet
Hariri Confirms Holding on
to the PM-Designate's Powers Given by the Constitution-Naharnet
Kenaan Accuses Hariri of
Violating Constitutional Norms in Cabinet Lineup-Naharnet
Sayyed calls for presidential
control of key ministries-Daily
Star
Egypt, Syria sign agreement
to pipe gas to Lebanon-Daily
Star
Ban urges Israel to compensate
Lebanon-Daily
Star
Unexploded hand grenade discovered
in Ouzai-Daily
Star
Fadlallah announces date
for
2009 Eid al-Fitr-Daily
Star
Sidon plant suspected of
using Israeli equipment
raided-Daily
Star
Beirut forum on women's
rights in Arab world to address everything from politics to
sexuality-Daily
Star
AUB engineers become stars of
reality TV show-Daily
Star
Ramadan donations provide
$4 million life-line for Dar Al-Ajaza Al-Islamia hospital-Daily
Star
Hariri Steps Down as
PM-designate
Naharnet/Saad Hariri announced on Thursday that he was stepping down as
Premier-designate after the opposition rejected the cabinet lineup he proposed
earlier this week.
"Given that my commitment to forming a government of national unity has run up
against difficulties that everyone now knows about, I announce that I have
informed the president of the republic that I have abandoned trying to form a
government," he told journalists following talks with President Michel Suleiman
in Beiteddine. "I hope that this decision will be in the interests of Lebanon
and will permit a relaunch of dialogue," Hariri said. The announcement comes
after 73 days of fruitless efforts to form a government following the June 7
elections.
Suleiman will have to start consultations from scratch with lawmakers on naming
a new premier. "When it comes to principles I am very stubborn and will never
ignore political issues related to Lebanon's independence and stability," Hariri
told an Iftar in Qoreitem on Wednesday. He revealed that he would take "decisive
steps in the coming two or three days that are in the best interest of the
country." The daily An-Nahar said Thursday that the major obstacle preventing a
cabinet deal is the telecommunications ministry issue and the Free Patriotic
Movement's insistence on the reappointment of Jebran Bassil in the same post. It
said that despite other knots facing government formation, including the
opposition's keenness to name its ministers, the telecoms portfolio remained the
major problem. Hariri on Monday presented a cabinet lineup for President Michel
Suleiman's approval. The proposal, however, was quickly rejected by the
opposition. The premier-designate, nevertheless, said he was still open to
negotiations with the opposition concerning the cabinet makeup. Hariri
reiterated that any government proposal "should be in proportion to the outcome
of the June 7 parliamentary elections." Following the Iftar banquet, Hariri met
with Hizbullah official Hussein Khalil and AMAL movement representative Ali
Hassan Khalil. An-Nahar on Thursday said Bassil was "excluded" from the meeting
in Qoreitem which lasted well into the early morning hours. As-Safir newspaper,
however, said Hariri's advisor, Nader Hariri, conveyed to Bassil an invitation
on behalf of the premier-designate to join the meeting in Qoreitem. It said that
following consultations with Free Patriotic Movement leader Michel Aoun, it was
decided that Bassil "apologizes" for not attending the Hariri-Khalils meeting.
Al-Akhbar newspaper, for its part, said talks between Hariri and the two Khalils
failed to produce a deal. "Talks ended with no understanding on any point. They
did not even agree on a new meeting date," a well-informed source said.
Beirut, 10 Sep 09, 08:33
Official source says Hariri
stepped down due to Iran’s propositions, opposition’s demands
September 10, 2009
Now Lebanon/An official source told NOW on Thursday that Prime
Minister-designate Saad Hariri’s decision to step down from his post was due to
certain parties obstructing the cabinet formation, and revealed the reasons
behind it, saying that Iran used Lebanon as a bargaining chip, while the
opposition refused to offer concessions on its demands.
“Iran is the first reason why Hariri stepped down, since the Islamic Republic is
playing an obstructing role in Lebanon to pressure the West in hopes it would
reach an agreement with it, especially after Tehran has submitted a package of
propositions to the West,” the source said. He added that the opposition is
still adamant about being granted unrealistic demands, specifically those of
Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun, “who is still insisting on
reappointing [Telecommunications Minister Gebran] Bassil to the same position.”
Sfeir to the Vatican Next Week
Naharnet/Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Sfeir heads a delegation to the Vatican
next Thursday for a meeting with Pope Benedict XVI, the National News Agency
reported. NNA said Sfeir will also attend on Sept. 19 a gathering between the
pope and patriarchs of eastern Catholic churches to discuss among other things
the situation of Christians in the Middle East. Diman sources told NNA that
during this trip, Sfeir will not visit France although he had received an
invitation from President Nicolas Sarkozy. On Sunday, Sfeir will move back from
his summer residence in Diman to the seat of the Maronite church in Bkirki. The
patriarch will tour the region of Batroun on his way to Bkirki. He will visit
several churches in the region, according to NNA. Beirut, 10 Sep 09, 14:49
Berri Holds on to Hariri as Prime Minister
Naharnet/Speaker Nabih Berri will not let go of Saad Hariri as prime minister in
the event the Mustaqbal Movement leader decided to bow out. "In the event he
apologized … I will only rename Hariri," the daily As-Safir quoted Berri as
saying. It said Hariri contacted Berri on Wednesday to convey his desire to head
to Beiteddine to submit his resignation to the President.
As-Safir said Berri pleaded with Hariri to delay his decision a few days,
"pending a settlement that would please everybody." Beirut, 10 Sep 09, 11:08
Bassil: Problem is with Hariri, Not with Suleiman
Naharnet/Caretaker Telecoms Minister Jebran Bassil said a meeting on Wednesday
between President Michel Suleiman and an Opposition delegation was "positive"
and there was "mutual understanding" between the two sides. "At the end, the
problem is not with the President, but with Saad Hariri," Bassil said in an
interview published Thursday with pan-Arab daily al-Hayat. "We hope that the
concessions we offered would be met by similar concessions," Bassil said. He
said he also hoped that Hariri does not intend to "further derail or delay
Cabinet formation and then quits for reasons beyond our understanding." Asked
what the next move would be following his meeting with Suleiman, Bassil said
that there "are things that could happen to reach a settlement that is if we
received positive signs in return." He said if Hariri, however, continued to
hold on to the proposed Cabinet lineup "then we would not reach any solution."
Beirut, 10 Sep 09, 11:35
5 Men Charged with Involvement in Illegal Internet Case
Naharnet/Military judge Rahif Ramadan charged five detainees in connection with
the illegal internet network in Barouk. State-run National News Agency said
among the convicted men was the internet owner James F. The other men were
identified as Walid A., Nadime J., Fadi F., and telecoms ministry employee Hagop
T. A sixth suspect, identified as Mohammed H. remains at large, NNA said. Judge
Ramadan convicted James, Walid and Nadime of buying Israeli-made equipment with
their knowledge and illegally bringing them into Lebanon, installing the
internet station in Barouk and connecting it with transmitters inside
Israeli-occupied territory. They were also charged with selling internet
services inside Lebanon.
Beirut, 10 Sep 09, 14:08
Kenaan Accuses Hariri of Violating Constitutional Norms in
Cabinet Lineup
Naharnet/MP Ibrahim Kenaan said Wednesday that Saad Hariri's proposed Cabinet
lineup "contradicts the Constitution" adding the PM-designate violated the
constitutional norms and principles by allocating portfolios and ministries
without any consideration to the "President's role." Although Kenaan admitted
that the proposed ministers "are quite capable of performing their assignments,"
he clarified that "the problem" does not revolve around "portfolios and names"
but is related to the "norms and regulations" applied in forming the government.
In a statement issued after its meeting in Rabiyeh, the "Change and Reform" bloc
renewed its refusal of the Cabinet lineup and held on General Michel Aoun's
demands. Kenaan, who read the statement, wondered how Hariri would form a
"National unity Cabinet without having dialogue with a major political party,"
in reference to the Free Patriotic Movement.
Furthermore, he accused Hariri of ruling out a "National Unity Consensus Cabinet
in defiance of the opposition." Beirut, 09 Sep 09, 20:43
Gebran Bassil’s beard
Michael Young, Now Lebanon
September 10, 2009
Telecom Minister Gebran Bassil during a meeting with the president on Tuesday.
He shows signs of growing a beard.
In recent days Lebanese eyes have had a carnival of activities to look at. There
has been Saad Hariri’s decision to announce a government lineup; the
opposition’s ascent to Beiteddine to discuss the matter with the president;
Hariri’s threats to step down if his project is completely overhauled; and much
else. However, the topic prompting the most chatter in the republic’s homes is
Gebran Bassil’s beard.
Well not quite a beard, rather the first spirited shoots of one. At a gathering
of Aounist parliamentarians and ministers on Wednesday, Farid al-Khazen could be
seen smiling at Gebran and gesturing at his chin, apparently commenting on the
beard. The exchange was full of interesting possibilities, since Khazen is one
of two Maronites whom Hariri has named as a minister, and if the Aounists manage
to alter the prime minister-elect’s lineup in order to get Bassil into the next
cabinet, it is probably Khazen who would lose his portfolio.
Why? Because the other Maronite named from the Aounist bloc is Alain Aoun, and
it would not be easy for Michel Aoun to bump his nephew in favor of his son in
law –particularly as both cordially dislike each other and control sizable
constituencies within the Free Patriotic Movement. If that’s the case, it might
be Khazen who stops shaving, even though he doubtless merits a ministry more
than most of the other Aounists.
Humorists with less imagination have observed that Bassil may be growing a beard
in order to feel more at ease in the presence of his Hezbollah comrades. After
all, when he sits with Mohammad Raad, Hussein al-Hajj Hassan, and Wafiq Safa,
whose closely-cut stubble underscores hard faces, the faces of real men, Bassil
comes across looking like Bambi, soft and pubescent among the television
projectors.
It’s difficult to take that argument seriously. As any man will tell you, a
beard is a statement. There are many kinds of beards, however, which determine
what the statement is. There are the lifelong beards, those that age and die on
a man’s cheeks. They are the ones that become part of an individual’s persona,
accumulating the dust of time and the stains of bygone eras. A man with a
“lifer” is the professional among beard wearers.
A second category of beard is those wearers will keep on most of the time, but
not all. Because of this variability, the beard will rarely be grown to full
length, its owner preferring to keep it trimmed down to a fuzzy stump, in a
no-man’s land between being bearded and clean-shavedness.
Then there are the beards of novices among beard wearers. Such men will grow a
full-length beard and become bored with it before chopping it off after a sudden
onset of doubt. They may then re-grow it, shape it in innovative ways, fiddle,
fuss, and then swear never to grow one again.
The lifelong beard grower is generally a man of habit and persistence; someone
well organized who tends to be consistent. The owner of the no-man’s land beard
is more innovative, willing to embrace variety, but still steady in his choices.
The novice beard grower, in turn, tends to be flighty, impulsive, ambitious but
quick to doubt his own ways.
So what kind of beard is Gebran Bassil going for? What political statement is he
making? A great deal will depend on whether he is given a ministerial portfolio
– which Saad Hariri has made a red line if he is to pursue his endeavors to
reach a deal over the current government. If Bassil stays home, his beard is
likely to be of the third kind –short-lived, an object of hatred at the bad luck
it brought on. If Hariri is forced to hand him a portfolio, though, Bassil may
hold on to his bush longer than we expect, as he sinks into vapors of
self-satisfaction.
But there is one beard we haven’t mentioned, included in none of the previous
categories: the empty, patchy beard, where you can count the hairs against broad
backdrops of skin. No amount of willpower can ever make such beards thicker,
better, their faults being a matter of inheritance. For the Aounists who dislike
Bassil that may be the beard that is most appropriate – denoting a hollowness
that inherited political power (even from a popular father in law) can little
change.
But let’s give Gebran Bassil the benefit of the doubt. His beard is only a few
days old, and we shouldn’t judge it until it has reached its full flowering. The
republic itself may depend on the final result.
Naim Qassem
September 9, 2009
Now Lebanon
On September 8, the Lebanese National News Agency carried the following speech
delivered by Hezbollah Deputy Secretary General Sheikh Naim Qassem, during the
annual Iftar of the workers and syndicates unit of the party at the Golden Plaza
Hotel: “Look at the logic of some politicians, clerics and figures in this
country. Their logic is based on bigotry and extremism under the headline that
each of them is responsible for his sect. You are responsible for your sect to
treat it fairly, not to walk along the corrupt in it and cover their devious
acts against the country... Our main disease in Lebanon is that of sectarianism
and the sectarians among those who hide behind their sects to control them, fill
their pockets and earn positions. Sectarianism is the work tool of some hiding
behind their sects while cursing them, even though they claim to defend them.
They thus put their personal interests and those of their families and
surrounding ahead of the interests of the country, then when they start
speaking, they begin allocating shares of patriotism on all. But what have the
latter achieved? Did they liberate the country? Did they offer sacrifices? Or
did they join parties, deal with the enemy and engage in experiences which
completely distanced them from any national interest?…
“In Lebanon, we are located in an Arab surrounding with a sacred cause that is
the Palestinian cause. This cause has directly affected our situation in Lebanon
and in the region. We cannot disregard the fact that we are part of this Arab
region and the fact that we are affected by what is happening inside Palestine.
To those trying to elude the responsibility I therefore say: Can you live in
Lebanon without any regard for what is happening in Palestine or for the
presence of the Israeli entity which invaded Lebanon time and time again? How
can you disregard this Palestinian cause which is carrying direct repercussions
on us? Some say that Lebanon offered a lot for the sake of the Palestinian
cause, but allow me to tell you that Lebanon offered a lot of things to us and
to our country before offering anything to the Palestinian cause. When we win,
we win for ourselves and serve the Palestinian cause. When we oust Israel, we do
it ourselves and not on behalf of anyone, and then serve the Palestinians. It is
in our own interest to remain in the camp preventing Israel from occupying,
killing and promoting its projects. We do not want Lebanon to be neutral…
“O Arabs, are you not hearing what Israel is saying? And if you are hearing, do
you not understand what it is saying? How can we face this? Some are saying they
will not tolerate naturalization, but those who accepted the settlement under
American sponsorship have accepted naturalization and America’s dictations,
since the settlement will naturally lead to Israel’s official existence, the
undermining of the Palestinian cause and the naturalization of the Palestinians
in the areas where they are residing, including Lebanon. Those rejecting
naturalization should start resisting, because only the resistance can topple
the Israeli project and prevent the expansion of its ramifications.”
On the other hand, he said regarding the governmental formation: “The country
has previously gone through two experiences: that of a national provocation
government and that of a national unity government. In the first experience, all
the facilities were blocked and instability prevailed at the political,
security, social and economic levels. As for the second experience which emerged
following the Doha Accord, it was a successful one because it restored stability
and rendered the discussion of the issues a matter of national interest. It thus
allowed us to elect a president and hold parliamentary elections and to launch
discussions over issues of interest to the people. However, this government was
temporary and was not given enough time to offer all it had to give. Therefore,
between the national provocation government and the national unity government,
the latter was most successful. So let us return to the national unity
government, now that we have conducted the parliamentary elections…”
He then reiterated Hezbollah’s call for real participation not the participation
in form, saying: “We call for national concord and not for throwing the ball in
the other’s court as a defiance means. We call for the minimum level of
solidarity to mend the trust between the different sides and implement the
remaining articles of the Taif, to see where the problems reside. Let us at
least finish implementing the Taif to detect the shortcomings and deal with
sectarianism at the level of the positions, so that it is replaced with
competence. Only then will we be serving the country, instead of serving the
sects and the cheap and narrow calculations, and only then will the country be
freed of monopoly with the collaboration of all sides to secure its prosperity
and its rise.”
National Block: if Hizbullah to run the public affairs, farewell Lebanon
Date: September 10th, 2009/Source: NNA
The National Block Party issued a statement on Thursday in which it said that
Lebanon is doomed to failure if March 8 especially Hizbullah runs the public
affairs like they did with Salah Ezzeddine funds. “If the March 8 especially
Hizbullah govern the public affairs in the country while it dramatically failed
in managing Ezzeddine’s funds…we shall bid the country the last farewell,” the
statement stressed. It noted “Salah Ezzeddine’s bankruptcy confirms that
politics and money are interconnected although those who practice politics are
basically and deeply affiliated to the resistance.”The bloc accused Hizbullah of
exploiting the trust of the inhabitants of the South and making them pay for its
irrational deeds for the second time.
“The Southern inhabitants are paying again the high price of a financial
disaster after the party cost them misfortune and tragedies in the aftermath of
the summer 2006 war,” it said.
It asserted “Ezzeddine, who committed fraudulence and stole the people’s money
in his Ponzi scheme, is under Hizbullah’s umbrella and was protected by the
party all this period of his illegal work. The National bloc revealed that the
obstacles that faced the formation of the new government are a shift in the
general political atmosphere and a clear expression of the opposition’s
determination to achieve its own interests above the national ones. “Instead of
building a state and disarming Hizbullah of its weapons the opposition clashed
over allocating the loot, the reappointment of March 8 relatives and the
opposition’s insistence on obtaining the Telecommunication and Energy
ministries,” it referred.
The bloc highlighted in its statement’s on the importance of the presence of a
legitimate state that would protect its citizens from all fraud acts, saying “if
there was no state within the state and if Hizbullah was under the law, the
citizens would have been spared of people like Salah Ezzeddine who embezzled the
savings of the southern inhabitants.”
Lebanese authorities said that Ezzeddine has declared bankruptcy and has been
arrested, but a central bank official revealed that it is estimated that some
$400 million of invested capital may be missing, hurting Hezbollah's image of
austerity. Some of Ezzeddine's investors declared that they were lured by the
promise of returns as high as 20 percent, 30 percent and even 60 percent
annually, claiming that middlemen promised the profits were "guaranteed."
Samir Frangieh: Obstruction to keep Lebanon a bargaining card
Date: September 10th, 2009/Source: NNA
Former deputy Samir Frangieh said Thursday that the opposition rejection of the
cabinet lineup submitted by Premier designate Saad Hariri aims at keeping
Lebanon a bargaining card in the hands of regional and international countries,
the government-run National News Agency reported. “The intension to obstruct the
formation of the cabinet to keep it as a bargaining card is ascertained in the
offer submitted by Iran to the international community regarding its nuclear
file. The offer includes Iran’s willingness to contribute in solving the
problems of Lebanon, Palestine, Iraq and Afghanistan,” the prominent figure in
the March 14 coalition said. “Some opposition factions, particularly, Hizbullah
decided to keep Lebanon exposed,” he maintained.
Chamoun slams opposition’s obstruction schemes
Date: September 10th, 2009/Source: As-Sharq
National Liberal Party leader MP Dory Chamoun told As-Sharq daily Thursday that
March 8 opposition camp does not want the government to be formed but instead
attempts to drag Lebanon into chaos. In his interview, Chamoun expressed
optimism that the government would be formed despite the opposition’s repeated
attempts to obstruct it “such as what it did when it sparked a civil war-like
street fights in May 2008. “If there was a democratic system in the
country, it (opposition) wouldn’t have won a seat,” the Chouf parliamentarian
elected in the June 7 poll stressed. On May 7, 2008, street fights erupted in
Beirut by Hizbullah gunmen trying to enforce a general strike called for by the
labor union. It constituted Lebanon’s worst internal security conflict since the
1975-1990 civil war.
Where is Michel Aoun?
Date: September 10th, 2009
Source: As Sharq
The Beirut daily Ash-sharq said Thursday it has known that Renegade General
Michel Aoun was on a trip outside the country with fellow Free Patriotic
Movement Nabil Nicolas and their spouses despite their close associates repeated
denials. But a reliable source at the FPM told the Al-Sharq newspaper that Aoun
and MP Nabil Nicolas accompanied by their spouses left to the Czech republic
upon an invitation from the Lebanese businessman Akram Al-Halabi, a member of
the Assyrian Catholic Supreme Council, namely to the reputable Carlo Vivari
resort, specialized in weight loss and relaxation techniques. Halabi is a famous
businessman and owner of the Phoenicia pharmaceutical company that imports most
expensive medicines for treating cancer, as well as copied ones from illegal
companies in Argentina. The invitation comes in the context of returning the
favor to Aoun who mediated with a current minister, whose brother had imported
cheaper drugs for treating cancer from Brazil, and convinced him to ship these
drugs to Iran to be sold there instead of Lebanon, therefore paving the way for
Halabi to sell his medicines in Lebanon. Another source told the paper that Aoun
held a secret visit to Aleppo boarding a private jet and met there with the
Syrian President Bashar Assad.
The source added that Aoun asked Assad to support him in his attempts to
reassign his son-in-law Telecommunication Minister Gebran Bassil to the same
ministry in the upcoming cabinet.
Assad requested Amal and Hizbullah movements to support Aoun, the source
maintained. Another version says Aoun and his wife left to Switzerland to check
on their secret accounts there.
In anyways, the question remains: Where is Michel Aoun and what sort of visits
he is on? “The logical and convincing possibilities that we cited are based on
very credible sources,” the paper confirmed.
Bassil is the cause of the problem
Date: September 10th, 2009
-Future News
The political scene witnessed several signs yesterday, which indicate that the
course of the government formation will remain in status quo during the few
coming days. The government proposition delivered by Premier-Designate Saad
Hariri to President Michel Sleiman achieves a balance, but the swift
opposition’s reaction gradually mounted, where messages from everywhere called
the minority to re-consider this proposition, as Speaker Nabih Berri handles
this issue to “bring points of views closer” as MPs quoted him during the
Wednesday meeting. The effort exercised by Berri, with the cooperation and
motivation from the Democratic Gathering Leader MP Walid Jumblatt who called for
“acting slowly to reach a suitable solution for all,” forced the opposition
representatives who met Sleiman yesterday, to refrain from any declaration.
The representatives informed Sleiman that the problem is in Hariri abstaining
from appointing Minister of Telecommunication Gebral Bassil, and the remaining
is just details that do not require much discussions. This brings the question
about the reason behind MP Michel Aoun’s insistence to re-appoint his son in
law, and his seriousness when he said: “for the sake of my son in law, I do not
care if the government is formed or not.” Is Gebran Bassil the only appropriate
person for the ministry? What about Alain Aoun, Ghassan Moukheiber and others?
From Beiteddine, the opposition representatives heard the President’s insistence
over consultation and keeping doors open to satisfactory solutions. Contrary to
what was expected, they did not offer the President a written text concerning
the names and portfolios they demand, they only stated that the knot revolves
around appointing Minister Bassil.
MPs at the Nejmeh Square quoted Berri’s insistence over the need to “continue
dialogue and reduce tension and escalation, because this leaves a negative
impact on the country and the issue of forming the government,” and that he is
making “intensive efforts to address the situation and reach positive results
through dialogue.”
In a similar context, March 14 General Secretariat held its weekly meeting and
decided to keep meetings open, and hold assemblies with national concerned
references, in an attempt to reach solutions and exit the crisis created by
March 8. This was asserted by Fares Souaid who visited Premier-Designate Hariri
with a delegation from the secretariat, pointing that there is “regional
obstruction, which March 8 group seeks to turn into a Lebanese internal
obstruction.”
As always: It's the Syrians, stupid!
By Michael Young
Daily Star staff
Thursday, September 10, 2009
So it’s as clear as a bomb explosion on St. Valentine’s Day: Lebanon’s
government crisis is and always was about Syria and its yearning to regain the
power over Lebanon that it lost in 2005. Prime Minister-elect Saad Hariri’s
decision to present a cabinet lineup to President Michel Sleiman, by provoking
an angry reaction from Syria’s allies, tore away the ambiguities surrounding the
government formation process. The Syrians don’t want a government unless they
can be seen as having blessed it themselves – which means Hariri must make a
notable act of submission to Damascus. The Americans are telling Syria that its
failure to facilitate a government will harm US-Syrian relations. And the Saudis
have remained publicly quiet, but only because while they disagree with Syria
over Lebanon, they appear to have an implicit understanding with President
Bashar Assad in Iraq, where both countries, each for reasons of its own, seek to
prevent stabilization of the countrThe latter detail may explain why Hariri
himself did not press the cabinet issue very hard until this week. Perhaps he
was hoping for a Saudi-Syrian breakthrough that would spare him headaches; or
maybe he simply sought to avoid a Saudi-Syrian row, knowing Riyadh didn’t want
one. Whatever the reason, to understand what is happening today we should watch
closely what develops on the Saudi-Syrian front, and then see whether all the
others involved in Lebanon accept it.
It was no coincidence that Walid Jumblatt sent Ghazi Aridi to Saudi Arabia on
Monday to discuss Lebanon with Saudi officials. Nor was it surprising that the
Parliament speaker, Nabih Berri, met with the kingdom’s ambassador in Beirut on
Tuesday. Jumblatt has insisted, echoing Berri, that a solution to the deadlock
requires concord between Syria and Saudi Arabia. The Druze leader was forced to
backtrack on his “withdrawal” from March 14 last month, but hopes to reposition
himself as a middleman, along with Berri, to facilitate a government. This means
the two must channel and reconcile the Saudi and Syrian mood.
The situation in Iraq has complicated matters in Beirut. The Maliki government’s
decision to confront Syria over its support for Al-Qaeda and for former Baath
members violently undermining Iraqi normalization has made Syria more obstinate
in Lebanon. Nor has this been alleviated by the fact that the United States,
which initially (and mildly) advised a diplomatic resolution of the crisis
between Baghdad and Damascus, is now gravitating toward greater criticism of the
Syrian regime. The irony is that Iraq’s animosity toward Syria means the Saudis
may be less eager to clash with Assad in Lebanon. The flip side of this is that
it may facilitate a Syrian-Saudi arrangement over a new Lebanese government.
That’s what Jumblatt and Berri are wagering on. Jumblatt was much criticized for
his turnaround against March 14. His reading of the situation at the time was
that the Saudis, keen to firm up their reconciliation with Syria to better
.contain Iran, were willing to hand Assad much leeway in Lebanon; not what Syria
held before 2005, but more than it had after its withdrawal. Jumblatt assumed
that part of the arrangement would be Hariri’s ascent to Damascus, so the Druze
leader calculated that to remain politically relevant, he had to make it there
first, or at least show a deep change of heart toward Syria first.
Then something happened. Apparently the United States, with Egypt, blocked
Hariri’s visit to Damascus before he became prime minister. The Saudis stepped
back. A scheduled meeting between Assad and King Abdullah was cancelled, and
when Jumblatt made his Beau Rivage speech the Saudis sent their information
minister, Abdel-Aziz Khoja, to Beirut to bring the Druze leader back into line –
mainly to avoid undercutting Hariri. However, judging from Jumblatt’s subsequent
behavior, the Saudis never opposed his rapprochement with Syria, which Jumblatt
has justified in the framework of improved Syrian-Saudi ties.
However, the new situation led to deadlock, exacerbated by inter-Lebanese
discord. Aoun, sensing Syria’s displeasure, decided to take advantage of this by
pushing for Gebran Bassil as a minister and demanding a “sovereign ministry.”
Hizbullah, which had promised Hariri that it would mediate with Aoun once
cabinet shares were apportioned, instead did nothing at all, respecting Syria’s
desire to obstruct an accord. Nonetheless, the party probably prefers that a
government be finalized soon, both to gain legal cover for its weapons and to
create a situation more propitious for addressing financially the Salah Ezzedine
fiasco, which depends on a functioning state being present. The question today,
therefore, is what will the Saudis give Syria so it can sign off on a new
government, and will the Americans, Iranians and Egyptians accept?
The Iranian role is more subtle. Iran and Hizbullah, not Syria, hold real power
on the ground. Where Syrian interests have been protected in Lebanon, they have
been protected by Hizbullah, so that Iran has gradually sidelined Syria as the
main opposition sponsor. In the June elections the extent of Syrian weakness was
obvious, though the Assad regime tried to use the Hizbullah-led opposition’s
setbacks to regain the influence it lost to Iran after 2005. This it did by
packaging its prospective Lebanese return as a case of curtailing Iranian
influence. Little has come of this scheme because Syria is weak and Iran won’t
surrender to Assad its Lebanese card.
All sides have an advantage in reaching a settlement at some stage over a new
government. The Syrians don’t want an outright divorce with the Saudis and still
hope to advance their dialogue with Washington; the Iranians need a new
government in place to legitimize Hizbullah’s weapons at a crucial time in the
nuclear standoff; and Saudi Arabia and Washington want to avert a conflict in
Lebanon that might hinder their other regional priorities – most importantly
inhibiting Iran and advancing regional peace talks. That means a government may
come sooner than we think, but you would be right in keeping your wager low.
**Michael Young is opinion editor of THE DAILY STAR.