LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
March 15/09

Bible Reading of the day.
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 13,44-46. The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure buried in a field, which a person finds and hides again, and out of joy goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant searching for fine pearls. When he finds a pearl of great price, he goes and sells all that he has and buys it.

Free Opinions, Releases, letters & Special Reports
The End…of Hezbollah/Future News 14.03.09
What are the motives behind Berri's call to lower the voting age?Daily Star 14/03/09
Messengers from Washington-Al-Ahram Weekly 14/03/09

Latest News Reports From Miscellaneous Sources for March 14/09
March 14 Coalition Parliamentary Election Platform: UNSCR 1701, Taef Accord and The Arab Peace Initiative
Diplomat: France Is Not Worried of a Hizbullah Victory-Naharnet
March 14 Launches Campaign, Jumblat Moderates Charter-Naharnet
Commentary: Solidarity, source of power for Arab states-Xinhua
Lebanon journalist UK entry veto-BBC News
Feltman: Dialogue with Syria Beneficial to Lebanon-Naharnet
STL Names Belgian as Pre-Trial Judge-Naharnet
Ahdab: For equality in the application of the law.Future News
Souaid: we refuse to substitute Taёf Accord with the Doha Agreement.Future News
Hariri from Kalamoun: for Islamo-Christian coexistence in Lebanon.Future News
Syria tried to negotiate with Israel through secret channels.Future News
Israeli Chief of Staff Travels to U.S.-Naharnet
Mikati 334th on Forbes' Billionaires List, Hariri 522nd with $1.4 Billion-Naharnet
Nasrallah Rejects U.S. Conditions For Openness, Won't Recognize Israel-Naharnet
Hezbollah chief defiant on Israel-BBC News
Nasrallah 'strongly endorses' Arab reconciliation efforts-Daily Star
Hariri visits North Lebanon to launch development projects-Daily Star
Army, ISF troops restore order after armed clashes break out in Sidon-Daily Star
Swearing in ceremony of tribunal judges to remain secret-Daily Star
Israel unit crosses fence near Ghajar to inspect pump-Daily Star
Private bus drivers attack public counterparts over turf-Daily Star
Fadlallah: Lebanon's strength in leaders' dedication-Daily Star
'Silence around domestic violence must be broken-Daily Star
Britain bars Hizbullah spokesman from entry-Daily Star
Lebanon to open embassy in Damascus/International Herald Tribune
In Syria, Kurdish Students Arrested For Marking Qamishli Events-MEMRI
Lebanese cell operators deny curtailing phone-card supplies.Daily Star
AUB holds workshop on intellectual property rights-Daily Star
Sale of German tanks to Beirut unlikely - envoy-Daily Star
Italy funds project to boost gender equality in education-Daily Star
Times are changing in Bourj Hammoud/Daily Star

The End…of Hezbollah
Date: March 14th, 2009 Source: Future News
In his last interview with Al Khaleej Emirati daily, Syria’s President Bachar El Assad repeatedly said that he deals with “facts and not expectations”.
Assad was then quoted by Japan's Asahi Shimbun newspaper as saying his country could engage in direct peace talks with Israel in which militant groups Hamas and Hezbollah will be involved. Hamas and Hezbollah ultimately refuse to recognize Israel as a state, as they both put the conflict with Israel and the goal of eradicating it as their priority. Entities which carry such an anti-Israeli slogan consider themselves as uninvolved in these “talks” and seeing that Assad allegedly deals with “facts and not expectations”, the question is “who delegated him to make this statement, and where does Hezbollah stand from this issue, especially that Assad seeks to connect every Lebanese domestic issue to the conflict with Israel?
Damascus is making serious efforts to engage in peace talks with Israel, and is seeking to seduce Washington through offering it political and security solicitations in Iraq, as it appeals Turkey’s intervention and the individual care of the United States.
If Syria engages in direct “peace” talks with Israel, the situation would be a flashback to the early 1990s with the launching of Madrid conference when Syria’s demand during negotiations was to keep the front of the South of Lebanon at heat.
Considering all the above, the scenario closer to reality would be as follows: peace talks, followed by demarcating the borders between Lebanon and Syria, the Lebanese “defense strategy” would be then fulfilled, the militias would be disarmed and Taef accord and the United Nations Security Council resolution 1701 would be implemented. All of this would happen if we supposed that the Syrian policy is based on “facts”, as Assad claimed.
Will Hezbollah be the victim of the Syrian openness? Or it will carry on with its course alongside this regime to “The End”?
Thus we ask Hezbollah why it doesn’t direct its initiatives towards the domestic arena and its internal counterparts instead of losing itself on the altar of settlements and trade. Perhaps Hezbollah should take a deeper look into the circumstances around the death of its military leader Imad Mughnieh!

Nasrallah 'strongly endorses' Arab reconciliation efforts
By Mirella Hodeib
Daily Star staff
Saturday, March 14, 2009
BEIRUT: Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said Friday any form of Arab rapprochement should be "strongly endorsed," and stressed that his party will not recognize the state of Israel, "not now and not in a thousand years." Speaking during a rally at the Sayyed Ash-Shudada complex in Beirut's southern suburbs, to mark Prophet Mohammad's birthday and the start of the Week of Islamic Unity, Nasrallah said Arab reconciliation should be "welcomed and endorsed."
After almost four years of tensions that escalated during Israel's three-week offensive on Gaza in January, the leaders of Saudi Arabia King Abdallah, Syria Bashar Assad, and Egypt Hosni Mubarak met in Riyadh on Wednesday in a bid to mend rifts.
"Arab reconciliation gives strength to all of us," Nasrallah told thousands of supporters.
However, Wednesday's talks are seen by many as a Saudi effort to curb Iran's regional influence and show a united front ahead of an Arab summit in Qatar later this month. Nasrallah, meanwhile called on Arab leaders converge with states that "show support to the Arab causes such as Turkey, Iran, and Venezuela."
Touching on the issue of whether the United States might hold dialogue with Hizbullah and Hamas, Nasrallah said the US intentions were "never innocent or ethical."
"You have to know," he said, "that the US sees it is now forced to hold dialogue with countries such as Syria and organizations such as Hizbullah and Hamas only because they realized that all their policies have failed in the region." The Hizbullah chief explained that the US sets two main conditions for any dialogue with his party
"They want us to recognize the state of Israel and to renounce all forms of violence, or in other words all forms of resistance," he said. "We reject those two conditions," Nasrallah said, adding his party has "its own conditions to start any dialogue with the US." He said the US was willing to build the best of ties with Hizbullah if the latter recognizes the existence of the state of Israel. "We will not recognize Israel, not today, not tomorrow, not in a thousand years," Nasrallah added. The Hizbullah leader added that only "the weak and the subdued might recognize Israel." Moving to local politics, the Sayyed said the opposition did not fear the upcoming June 7 parliamentary elections.
"The opposition has nothing to loose in those elections," he said, adding that if the opposition lost it would preserve its current status inside the Parliament."
Nasrallah rejected accusations by the parliamentary majority that the opposition was trying to obstruct the elections for fear of loosing. "The elections are the opposition's chance to win the majority in Parliament; thus we are clinging to have a calm and stable security situation so that elections take place on time," Nasrallah said. Turning to other regional issues, Nasrallah said the International Criminal Court's decision to issue an arrest warrant against Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir was "invalid." "I wonder why this court never shrugged at the sight of Israeli massacres against civilians in Lebanon during the summer 2006 war and more recently in Gaza," he added

Nasrallah Rejects U.S. Conditions For Openness, Won't Recognize Israel
Naharnet/Hizbullah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah rejected U.S. conditions for "openness" with Hizbullah adding that the party is the one that places its own conditions for dialogue. "We feel a new American stance for dialogue with Hizbullah and Hamas that is based on 2 conditions: recognizing Israel, and abandoning violence. Is Hizbullah ready to open a dialogue with the US? If so, we also have our own conditions, we as Hizbullah cannot recognize Israel," Nasrallah said.
On the occasion of the prophet's birthday on Friday, Hizbullah's secretary-general addressed a mass crowd celebrating this event, reminding them of historic difficulties that befell the Arabs at the time of prophet's birth in Mecca.
He linked the lesson of past historic triumphs with the current times chiding the Arabs to learn from their past.
Nasrallah pointed to the new approach by the Obama administration in seeking to talk groups like Hizbullah with conditions saying: "When the U.S. accepts to hold a dialogue with any party with or without conditions, it does so due to the (fact) that its regional plans have failed. Despite all this it places us on a terrorist list, but is ready to talk to us and forgive us if we (only) recognize Israel," Nasrallah said. He rejected claims that Hizbullah is helping Hamas in Gaza launch rockets against Israel saying: "No one can impose on the Palestinian factions what to do, they make their own decisions."
He added saying: "Some Arab and Lebanese media outlets attempted to accuse Hizbullah of launching rockets in Gaza… we have no relationship with anyone or any faction in Gaza." The secretary-general also announced his denunciation of the International Criminal Court's recent decision to charge Sudan's president Omar al-Beshir with responsibility for crimes committed in Darfur. "This court never proved that its fair, it works outside the political standard that is why its decisions are not respected," he said. He reminded his audience of recent Israeli crimes committed in Gaza and Lebanon that continue to go unpunished and unrecognized by the United Nations and the world community. Nasrallah touched the on issue of national and Arab unity saying that the enemies of the nation do not wish for us to come together as Muslims and Christians. He called on the Arabs as they get closer to the Doha Arab summit at the end of March, to extend their hand in friendship to all states that support Arab causes such as Iran and Turkey.
Locally, he warned against the dangers of inflating some security events by the (local) media, by directing suggestive and quick unfounded accusations. Adding that this only works on inflating and aggravating the country. He was referring to recent security incidents that took place in Lebanon, that later turned out to be of individual nature with no political nature. Concerning the upcoming parliamentary elections Nasrallah said that the term majority does not mean popular majority. Adding that the opposition won't hinder the legislative elections "because we have nothing to lose." Beirut, 13 Mar 09, 22:41

Diplomat: France Is Not Worried of a Hizbullah Victory
Naharnet/France is "not worried" of a Hizbullah victory in upcoming legislative elections and will continue to fully support the Doha agreement, French diplomats have said. The remarks come ahead of a three-day visit by Lebanese President Michel Suleiman to start on Monday. France "will not boycott any government that might emerge after the June 7 legislative elections," a French diplomat told As-Safir daily in comments published Saturday. The diplomat, who was not identified, said the French government was "not worried that Hizbullah could possibly accede to power. "The party is considered like any other element (taking part) in the Lebanese game. We believe that everybody will accept the election results."Separately, Foreign Ministry spokesman Eric Chevalier stressed the need for the elections to proceed as scheduled "in a framework of complete stability and respect of the rules of decomcracy." Chevalier reiterated his government's support of the Doha agreement, which he said was instrumental in "stabilizing (Lebanon) … and appeasing tensions." He said Paris "places great importance on the elections" which must serve to "reinforce Lebanon's unity, independence and sovereignty." The French government will use Suleiman's visit to discuss ways to boost economic and financial cooperation between the two countries, he added. Suleiman, who will be meeting his French counterpart, is expected to discuss Lebanese-Syrian ties and possible French aid to the Lebanese army and security forces Beirut, 14 Mar 09, 11:03

STL Names Belgian as Pre-Trial Judge
Naharnet/The Special Tribunal for Lebanon has appointed Belgian magistrate Daniel Françoin as pre-trial judge in the tribunal's judicial board, al-Mustaqbal daily reported Saturday. Françoin was sworn in The Hague on Tuesday joining ten other colleagues in the board to finalize tribunal's internal functions.
Starting the third week of March, the Belgian judge will act as "controller" to requests submitted by chief prosecutor Daniel Bellemare, including the arrest of suspects in the assassination of ex-Premier Rafik Hariri or the release of those placed under administrative detention. Françoin is in his late 30's and worked as an anti-terrorist judge in Belgium. Beirut, 14 Mar 09, 11:45

Lebanon to Open First Embassy in Syria Next Week
Naharnet/Lebanon is to open an embassy in Syria next week as the neighbors seal the establishment of diplomatic relations for the first time since independence six decades ago, a foreign ministry official said on Friday. "The embassy will open its doors next week and the Lebanese flag will be raised over the building," the official told Agence France Presse (AFP) requesting anonymity. Lebanon and Syria reached agreement last October on establishing ties. Lebanon has named career diplomat Michel el-Khoury as its first ambassador. Syria has yet to name its envoy. Three diplomats have been stationed at the Syrian embassy in Beirut since last December but the mission is not yet fully operational. The thaw between the two neighbors came after a joint pledge by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his Lebanese counterpart Michel Suleiman in Paris last July. It marked a turning point in relations between Lebanon and Syria, which dominated its smaller neighbor for nearly three decades before pulling out its troops in April 2005. The withdrawal came two months after the assassination of Lebanese former premier Rafiqk Hariri in a Beirut bombing widely blamed on Damascus. Syria has always denied any involvement.(AFP) Beirut, 13 Mar 09, 18:58

Feltman: Dialogue with Syria Beneficial to Lebanon
Naharnet/Top U.S. envoy Jeffrey Feltman said Saturday steps to engage in dialogue with Syria while maintaining support for Lebanon were not two contradictory policies.  The acting secretary of state for Near Eastern affairs said that rapprochement with Syria can in fact "benefit efforts to protect Lebanon's sovereignty."
Speaking to reporters, Feltman said a recent visit to Lebanon was aimed to "reassure" the Lebanese on Washington's new approach to Syria. He stressed the need for upcoming legislative elections to take place "without (incidents of) intimidation or violence." He said it was important that the Syrian leadership understand the U.S. position "on both the elections and Hizbullah, whose actions have jeopardized Lebanon during the July 2006 war and the August 2007" confrontations. Feltman refused to comment on the British government's decision to open low-level contact with Hizbullah saying only the U.S. view of the Lebanese party has not changed.
Beirut, 14 Mar 09, 13:29

March 14 Launches Campaign, Jumblat Moderates Charter
Naharnet/March 14 Forces will launch on Saturday its joint electoral campaign under the banner of "Crossing Over to the State" during its second annual general conference. A charter of the political platform includes 14 main articles, which aim to reaffirm the "basics on which the independence movement was set," March 14 sources told the As-Safir daily. Under the charter, March 14 Forces commit to: Protect Lebanon from Israeli threats by fully implementing Security Council Resolution 1701; ensure the state has absolute arms control; safeguard the Taef accord as the country's constitution while the Doha agreement remains a secondary document; adopt democracy as the system of governance under which political violence is renounced; and adhere to the Arab Peace Initiative. The majority forces conducted in-depth and extensive deliberations before finalizing the charter, the sources added. MP Walid Jumblat refined the language of the document "by including a reference to Lebanon's Arab identity and toning down demands for Lebanon's neutralization."March 14 Forces Secretariat General Coordinator Faris Soaid told An-Nahar daily that the group is "united and committed to winning" the upcoming elections. He questioned whether or not Friday's declarations by Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah "represent the common ground" on which March 8 will engage in the elections. Beirut, 14 Mar 09, 10:20

Mikati 334th on Forbes' Billionaires List, Hariri 522nd with $1.4 Billion
Naharnet/Mexican telecom tycoon Carlos Slim Helu, who is of Lebanon origin, is the third richest man in the world while former Lebanese premier Najib Mikati and MP Saad Hariri came respectively in 334th and 522nd place on Forbes magazine's list of World's Billionaires. U.S. tycoons are back on top with Microsoft founder Bill Gates again the world's richest man in a year when even billionaires felt the heat of the global recession, Forbes said. The much-watched annual rich list put Gates back on top with a net worth of 40 billion dollars, although he saw his bank balance lose 18 billion over the last 12 months. In second came investor Warren Buffett with 37 billion dollars, despite losing 25 billion dollars this year in the value of his Berkshire Hathaway shares. Also losing 25 billion dollars, Mexican telecoms king Carlos Slim still managed to come in third with 35 billion dollars. Mikati was placed 334th on the list with a net worth 2 billion dollars while Hariri was 522nd with 1.4 billion dollars. Beirut, 13 Mar 09, 09:31

Swearing in ceremony of tribunal judges to remain secret
Identities of judicial appointments, induction date withheld over Security concerns
By Michael Bluhm
Daily Star staff
Saturday, March 14, 2009
BEIRUT: The 11 judges of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon will be sworn in this month, although the court is keeping the judges' identities and the date of the ceremony secret for security reasons, a number of tribunal officials said on Friday. The Lebanese Cabinet on Thursday approved security arrangements for the tribunal's four Lebanese judges, while local media continue to speculate on the judges' identities and stir controversy over Lebanese appointments to the court.
The tribunal, which officially commenced operations on March 1, long figured as one of the issues polarizing Lebanon's feuding political camps. The US-backed March 14 alliance has fingered Syria as the culprit in the February 2005 assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, which led to the court's formation and the exit of Syrian troops from Lebanon after a 29-year presence. Damascus has denied any involvement with the killing, and the Syrian-backed March 8 coalition has voiced fears that the tribunal could be manipulated for political ends.
The tribunal will release information later this month about the judges' induction, but security worries preclude announcing the dates the judges take their oaths or have their initial, important meeting to set procedural rules for the tribunal, said the tribunal officials.
"The [UN chief] has made it very clear that he wants all matters relating to the judges confidential," said tribunal registrar Robin Vincent. "We're seeing an awful lot of press about who the Lebanese judges are."
The judges, like tribunal Prosecutor Daniel Bellemare, were interviewed and selected by a three-person panel, consisting of two international-law figures and former UN Undersecretary for Legal Affairs Nicolas Michel. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon then appointed the judges, four of whom are Lebanese. Lebanon's Higher Judicial Council had submitted 12 candidates for the four posts.
The UN also screened Lebanese candidates for the post of Bellemare's deputy prosecutor, but the government has yet to act on the UN recommendation to fill the post.
Unlike the judges' appointments, the final decision to choose a deputy prosecutor lies with the Lebanese state.
"We are waiting for the government of Lebanon to give us the decision," said Radhia Achouri, spokeswoman for the prosecutor's office. "The recommendation was handed to the Lebanese government."  Justice Minister Ibrahim Najjar told The Daily Star he had not received the UN proposal
"I have not received anything in this regard, not formally," Najjar said, adding that he saw no obstacles to naming the official. "Personally, I am willing and able."
Najjar added that he could not estimate how long it would take to appoint the deputy prosecutor. Reports surfaced in Lebanese daily Al-Mustaqbal on Friday that the UN had suggested a Lebanese woman for the position, and Bellemare's spokeswoman Achouri said she would not deny the rumor.
However, Bellemare's office remains at this stage primarily occupied with collecting evidence on the approximately 20 incidents of political violence falling within its investigative mandate, Achouri added. The tribunal's mandate includes assassinations and attempted assassinations from the failed bid to kill former Telecommunications Minister Marwan Hamadeh in October 2004 through the killing of Internal Security Forces Major Wissam Eid in January 2008.
Despite the fanfare surrounding the tribunal's March 1 inauguration, a number of insiders in the international justice community have said that any potential verdicts remain years away. Anyone indicted by the tribunal, regardless of nationality, will certainly raise legal challenges to the tribunal's legitimacy in advance of any potential trials, lawyers have said. Defendants will question the circumstances of the tribunal's founding, the Security Council's authority and the Lebanese failure to approve the bilateral treaty, the legal insiders added

Fadlallah: Lebanon's strength in leaders' dedication
Daily Star staff/Saturday, March 14, 2009
BEIRUT: Senior Shiite cleric Sayyed Mohammad Hussein Fadlallah said Lebanon's strength was not gained "through deals, settlements, compromises or submitting the state to regional or international interests," but lay in the dedication of political leaders. During Friday prayers at the Imam Hassanayn Mosque in Haret Hreik, Fadlallah also commented on recent judicial appointments. "Some say they were subject to certain political ties and this leads people to lose their trust in judges," he said. The Lebanese were waiting for the administrative appointments, he said, and those who would fill the vacant positions should work for the interests of the people and not of those who appointed them. "The people are asking the state to safeguard their interests and not

Lebanese Priest Killed in South Africa
Naharnet/A Johannesburg priest of Lebanese origin was killed on Friday in South Africa following is abduction by armed men. Individuals who sought to rob him earlier kidnapped Father Sham. He was later found dead and thrown in a Johannesburg field. While escaping his kidnappers crashed their vehicle in a traffic accident killing one assailant and wounding another. South African police arrested the wounded kidnapper who confessed his crime. Father Sham was 50 years old from northern Lebanon. He spent his life serving orphaned children. He founded a society that looked after poor and abandoned children that later numbered 600. Beirut, 13 Mar 09, 20:19

What are the motives behind Berri's call to lower the voting age?
By The Daily Star
Saturday, March 14, 2009
Editorial
Speaker Nabih Berri has called for a session of Parliament next week to discuss, among other things, a constitutional amendment to lower the voting age from 21 to 18. It's a great idea, on its merits. But it's also a step that will provoke significant reactions - and some pretty fierce opposition - in a time of anxiety about the country's demographics, particularly in the run-up to an election round.
It's the kind of a move that makes one wonder whether there is going to be any harmony in the political system, in the wake of the dispute between Berri and Prime Minister Fouad Siniora, and the coalitions they represent, over the Council of the South, or the memorandum of understanding with the International Tribunal for Lebanon.
Speaker Berri should go back to the history books and think well about such a step. The Fouad Butros-led election commission recommended lowering the voting age as well. But its members were talking about thorough reform. One item on their agenda was proportional representation, unlike today's winner-take-all system, which in a multi-member district means that 49 percent of the voters might receive zero percent of the seats available. Why isn't the speaker interested in other reform components - why only lowering the voting age, all of sudden, right now?
These issues were cleared up in Doha last year. Lebanon's political leaders accepted the qada as an electoral district, based on the 1960 electoral law. Throughout the year, it became apparent that certain other major reform items would not be endorsed for this round.
If the speaker wants to be remembered by history as the statesman who brought Lebanon from 1960 into 2010, he should remember that a process of piecemeal, divisive reform is not the way to go. Otherwise, his call for a session to amend the Constitution will be remembered as a mere campaign ploy, whether to ruin the mood for the next few days in the news cycle, force March 14 to derail the session through a lack of quorum, or strike a deal over other items.
Whatever the reason, it sure doesn't smell like reform.

March 14 Coalition Parliamentary Election Platform: UNSCR 1701, Taef Accord and The Arab Peace Initiative
Naharnet/March 14 Forces announced its election platform on Saturday, under which it would launch its race to the legislature on June 7.
The platform emphasized the necessary need for the implementation of United Nations Security Council resolution 1701, to commit to the Taef accord and to support settling the Palestinian cause based on the Arab peace initiative.
March 14 Secretariat-General Coordinator Faris Soaid read the coalition's political electoral statement on Saturday at a large conference gathering at the BIEL in Beirut saying: "At the ballots, you decide for yourselves in 85 days to whom you will give the mandate."
He went on to detail 14 points constituting the political platform upon which March 14 Forces are united.
Lebanon's salvation and protection demand the accordance of the Lebanese people to not let it be used politically, militarily, and securely in regional conflicts that have nothing to do with national interests, with Lebanon holding all its political and diplomatic commitments towards the Arab solidarity and the rightful Arab issues, and especially the Palestinian cause.
The path to achieving this vital target for Lebanon's independence, stability, and prosperity, is to implement the international resolution 1701, which provides the necessary framework and tools to do so. This decision is not one of a "party" or a "faction" imposed by March 14 forces. It is a decision that was agreed on unanimously by the Lebanese, including March 8 forces who signed on it twice: the first time in 2006 in order to stop the brutal Israeli aggression, and the second time in 2008 in the statement of the current government.
Soaid said that this issue is the path, or rather the basis to reflect the legitimate aspirations to:
1.Protect Lebanon from the Israeli aggressions and recovering Shebaa Farms through the implementation of resolution 1701 in all it clauses.
2.Impose the state authority over all its territory in accordance with the Taef agreement where " there will be no weapons or authority in Lebanon except the weapons and authority of the state".
3. End of the conflict with Syria which adopted since 1947 the policy of military neutrality, and construct normal and amicable relations in accordance with the Taef agreement and on the basis of brotherhood, equality, and common interests. This calls for the end of Syrian interference in the Lebanese affairs, and the completion of the diplomatic exchange which is considered as an accomplishment for the independent Lebanon, as well as border control and demarcation starting with Shebaa farms in order to facilitate its retrieval, and an end to the issue of the Lebanese detainees in Syrian prisons, the abolition of military bases that are present outside the camps that are technically under the authority of the Syrian authority, and the review of the unfair agreements that were signed during the period of Syrian tutelage on Lebanon.
4.Provide harmony between Lebanon and the international community on the basis of the Charter of the United Nations and the international resolutions, and avoid pushing Lebanon to confront the international community with sectarian claims that contradict its actual interest, and with convulsive slogans that are far away from its nature of pluralism, as well as reactivate Lebanon's message of co-existence and cultural interaction through supporting the initiatives that make Lebanon "an international center for dialog among civilizations and cultures, and a global laboratory for this dialog", according to the suggestion of the President of the Lebanese Republic.
5.Restore Lebanon's Arab role and its active contribution in achieving Arab solidarity which is the basic requirement to obtain Arab rights, and its commitment to support the struggle of the Palestinian people and their unity led by the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) in order to establish an independent Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital in the context of the "two-state solution" and a just and comprehensive peace in accordance with the "Arab Peace Initiative" in the face of the escalation of extremism, especially Israeli extremism and the policy of settlement and the expulsion of Palestinians from their homeland.
6.Strict adherence to prevent the settlement of our Palestinian brothers in Lebanon, and the adoption of the law of constitutional amendment proposal made by the Parliament members of March 14 regarding this subject more than six months ago which requires a Parliamentary consensus to amend the constitution clause that has to do with settlement.
7.Complete the construction of the state and its institutions on the basis of the Charter of co-existence through the implementation of the Taef agreement and the constitution in letter and spirit, leading to a civilized democratic state that ensures equality in rights and duties of individuals regardless of their religious affiliations, as well as ensuring free and active presence of communities, irrespective of any political or numerical consideration, adopting a new law for elections and reducing the voting age to 18 years, reforming the state institutions and departments, and liberating them from the sectarian conflicts and political clientele and corruption, all in the context of the expanded administrative decentralization, and the commitment of those in authority to their jurisdiction that is specified in the constitution in order to prevent the blocking actions from being done again.
8.Commit to achieve the requirements of the International Tribunal for Lebanon whose purpose is to uncover the truth and achieve justice, which will fortify Lebanon's sovereignty and will put an end to the trend of political assassinations and impunity, and will give credit back to the law as a regulator of life among the people, in parallel with strengthening the judiciary independence and effectiveness.
Provide the necessary funds to complete the return of all the displaced people and close the file once and for all.
9.Protect Lebanon and the Lebanese internally and abroad from the global financial crisis repercussions and maintain the monetary stability, and keep the inflation at low levels to protect the purchasing power for those who have limited income, and develop an effective program for debt management and debt reduction, and maximum benefit from the contributions of Paris-3.
10. Commit to economic and financial policies that have balanced development dimensions in all productive sectors along all Lebanese regions, and remove the obstacles away from the investments and reduce the cost of conducting business while giving priority to the sectors and the projects that provide suitable job opportunities for the Lebanese.
11. Develop the social contract that is binding for the state and the social partners, and expand the scope of health, educational, social, and relief services which commensurate with the needs and basic rights of the citizens, and activate the social safety nets for the poorest factions in collaboration with the civil society organizations.
12. Provide bigger and more effective participation for women in the political, economic, and social life, and in decision-making on the basis of equality in rights and in access to employment, education, health, and other community based opportunities and in owning and distributing resources, as well as empowering women legally through amending the unjust legislations and developing laws in this issue, especially the electoral law.
13. Commit to the cause of the Lebanese Diaspora in the world in order to provide a safety net in support of Lebanon's independence, stability, and prosperity, and achieving equality in duties and rights with the residents, especially the right to vote, which must be available to all expatriates in the place of residence, and work on facilitating the restoration the Lebanese nationality to all descendants of Lebanese origin, and facilitate the acquirement of the civil register to the Lebanese without administrative or legal complications, and granting incentives and facilities for the expatriates to work and invest in Lebanon.
14. Put an end to the environmental deterioration through a national strategy for sustainable development that includes the issuance of regulatory decrees for the application of the environmental law, and implementing the environmental impact assessment decree, as well as offer economic incentives for the institutions that introduces the environmental component in its production process, as well as promote the use of renewable sources of energy, biological agriculture, protect the water resources and water quality, and promote tourism that respects the ecological balance, preserve the wealth of forest, and treatment of solid, liquid, and gas waste.
On the basis of these options, March 14 pledges to enter into the coming electoral battle with interdependence and solidarity, in all electoral constituencies, and in collaboration with the forces and personalities that share these values and goals.
March 14 pledges to form a thorough parliamentary context inclusive of all the winners of March 14 forces in these elections.
The March 14 elected deputies in the coming parliament pledge to you the commitment to all the issues and pledge to work seriously and responsibly in achieving it.
March 14 forces pledge to return to the constitutional assets in the authority and in the opposition, with an openness to real representation in accordance with the rules of parliamentary democracy and away from the logic of disruption, whether from within or from outside the institutions.
We want to turn the page on the internal conflict, and re-connect what was lost between the Lebanese, and devote a peaceful and democratic approach in the political work and reject all internal violence.
On May 31, 2007, one day after the decision to create an international tribunal, we held our hand out to the other team and issued an invitation to revive the historical settlement, which was identified by the Taef agreement. The other party did not meet the call. Instead they confronted us with blocking and sometimes with weapons! In spite the violence that we were faced with, we did not change our choice. Today, we renew this invitation, which verbally stated the following:
"The division that emerged at the moment of the second independence in 2005 was dangerous to Lebanon. Surpassing this division requires the surpassing of three necessities:
1. The necessity to consolidate two key achievements in the history of modern Lebanon - liberation, and independence- instead of putting them, as the case is today, in confrontation with each other, which will lead to weakening these accomplishments and emptying them from contents (…)
2. Confessing the impossibility of building the state on the basis of sectarian dichotomies or troikas which Lebanon has paid the price for dearly in the previous stages. It is also impossible to build Lebanon by marginalizing or removing some of its sectarian components. Lebanon cannot be built on the image of one of its sects or on its conditions, and at the expense of its civilized quality that is formed on unity in diversity.
3. Confessing to the impossibility of building the state on the basis of giving priorities to the regional and external interests and ties instead of giving it to internal partnership and the national contract that are embodied by the constitution".
In ending Soaid reminded his audience of the future saying:
The seventh of June 2009 is a pivotal stage in the historical path that you started on March 14 2005, a winding hard path where you lost lives and shed blood, but a path filled with the breath of freedom and regained sovereignty, and the independent national decision.
Let us make from 7 June a date to cross to the state of Lebanon:
Lebanon the Taef agreement
Lebanon the implementation of resolution 1701
Lebanon the Arab peace initiative.
Beirut, 14 Mar 09, 17:51