LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
December 08/08

Bible Reading of the day.
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Mark 1,1-8. The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ (the Son of God). As it is written in Isaiah the prophet: "Behold, I am sending my messenger ahead of you; he will prepare your way. A voice of one crying out in the desert: 'Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths.'" John (the) Baptist appeared in the desert proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. People of the whole Judean countryside and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem were going out to him and were being baptized by him in the Jordan River as they acknowledged their sins. John was clothed in camel's hair, with a leather belt around his waist. He fed on locusts and wild honey. And this is what he proclaimed: "One mightier than I is coming after me. I am not worthy to stoop and loosen the thongs of his sandals. I have baptized you with water; he will baptize you with the holy Spirit."


Blessed Guerric of Igny (c.1080-1157), Cistercian abbot
5th sermon for Advent (©Cistercian Fathers series)
"A voice of one crying out in the desert: 'Prepare the way of the Lord"
Brethren, we prepare the way of the Lord as we are bidden to do by walking along it; and we can walk along it only by preparing it. However far you journey along it, the way is always waiting to be prepared, so that you must start afresh from the place you have reached and advance along what lies ahead. You are led to do so because at every stage you meet the Lord for whose coming you are preparing the way, and each time you see him in a completely new way and as a much greater figure than you have met before. The just man has the right prayer when he says: "Set your way which justifies as a law for me, Lord, and I will always seek after it." (Ps 119[118],33). It is therefore eternal life which is probably meant, because although a man can study his route with foresight and determine just how far he can go, from the very nature of goodness there is no limit to the way along which you travel. And so, when the wise and indefatigable traveler has reached his goal he will begin again; forgetting, that is, what lies behind him, so that each day he can say to himself: "Now I begin" (Phil 3,13; Ps 76,11 Vg)...
But if only we who speak of the course of this way could understand even the beginning of it. As far as I can see a man who has begun has already gone far, provided he begins properly and «finds the way to the inhabitable city» (Ps 107[106],4). "How few there are," Truth says, "who find it" (Mt 7,14). And how many «go astray in the wilderness»...O Lord, you have laid down guide-lines for us, if only we would walk properly according to them. You have laid down a law for us, the way of your statutes, through him whom you have given as the Legislator of this holy way of life. "This is the way," you say, "walk along it, swerving neither to the right nor to the left" (Is 30,21). Clearly this is the way the prophet had promised: "A straight way for us, so that no fool can wander from it" (Is 35,8). I was young once, I am now old (Ps 37[36],25) and if I remember rightly I have not seen a foolish man go astray because of it, though I have hardly seen any wise man able to keep straight along it.

Free Opinions, Releases, letters & Special Reports
A Special Tribute to Aoun… and a Bad One for Lebanon-By: Elias Harfoush. Dar Al-Hayat 07/12/08
What will Lebanese Christians' choices be?By: Dr. Salim Nazzal/Al-Arabiya 07/12/08

Latest News Reports From Miscellaneous Sources for December 07/08

'Iran test-fires sea-to-sea missile'-AP
Syria Demands Apology from Murr as Precondition to Meeting Assad-Naharnet
Jumblat: Syrian Regime Poses Danger on Independent Movement-Naharnet
Makram Obeid: Syria's Ambassador to Lebanon, Michel Khoury: Lebanon's Ambassador to Damascus-Naharnet
Sarkozy in Beirut Soon to See What Happened to Syria's Commitments toward Lebanon-Naharnet
Sfeir Urges Young Christians to Join Lebanese Army-Naharnet
Berri: Taef Accord Amendment is Possible-Naharnet
Carter to Discuss Election Monitoring in Beirut-Naharnet
Jarrah Denies Visiting Kfar Soussa and Involvement in Mughniyeh Assassination-Naharnet
Murr: Unconditional Russian Military Aid to Lebanon-Naharnet
Government Sets Rule for Cross-Border Assignments-Naharnet
Lebanese Forces Take Legal Action Against Wahab for Slander-Naharnet
Aoun: Lebanese-Syrian Relations Today Stronger than Past Period-Naharnet
Rights Group: Arab Human Rights Deteriorate-Naharnet

The Guardians of the Cedars Party issued the following weekly communiqué:
The decision to open up to the Syrian regime, as is currently happening in Lebanon, is too soon too fast. It is too soon because the Lebanese people are not ready to accept such a public openness given the magnitude of the tragedies that the regime inflicted on the people for the past three decades. It is too fast because the Syrian regime has not, to date, shown any genuine desire to change its inimical behavior towards Lebanon or to abandon its ambitions to control the country, except for its consent in principle to exchange diplomatic missions which we still consider a formality of procedure but not of substance. The borders remain a free for all, with daily convoys of weapons and gunmen that pour in from Syria in violation of those borders to bolster the positions of the pro-Syrian Lebanese and Palestinian organizations inside the country. There is also the issue of the missing, the disappeared and the detainees which has been relegated to futile
special commissions which, truth be told, specialize in covering up and stonewalling the issue in order to dilute it out of existence.
The argument for mending relations with Syria, after its withdrawal from Lebanon, is a fallacy. First, because Syria is effectively still in Lebanon through its security and political proxies, and it is capable of destabilizing it and undermining its decision-making whenever it chooses. In addition, Syria is present in every speck of Lebanon’s political life. Second, mending relations must begin by an initiative from Damascus, and not from Beirut, since it is Damascus which aggressed Lebanon and occupied its territory and not the other way around. Hence, there should be no equivalence between the aggressor and the victim, or between the torturer and the victim.
And if the intent of this openness is to give the Syrian regime a free exoneration from the many crimes it committed in Lebanon, the Lebanese people categorically reject this move, particularly since their wounds have not healed and the magnitude of the horror is etched in their hearts and minds and in their national conscience. To just walk over the bodies of the martyrs and dance on their graves is simply despicable and scandalous.
As for the claim that opening up to the Syrian regime leads to bolstering the influence of “the Christians of Lebanon”, it simply is refuted by reality and history. No one has suffered more at the hands of the Syrian regime than the “Christian Lebanese”, not to mention that regime’s sponsorship of the Taef Agreement which has voided the authority of the Presidency of the Republic, which is the “Christians” highest post in the State, and the Syrian regime’s invasion of the Christian regions of Lebanon, which eliminated what was left of their political influence. Those clamoring for reconciliation with Syria and gaining its favors should emulate the rulers of the State of Kuwait who, to this day, refuse any reconciliation with those regimes that supported Saddam Hussein in his invasion of their country.
Lebanon, at your service
Abu Arz
December 6, 2008

Sfeir Urges Young Christians to Join Lebanese Army
Naharnet/Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Sfeir on Sunday urged young Christians to join the Lebanese Army. His plea came following remarks by a senior military official who told Sfeir recently that the number of Christians joining the army was decreasing. "Military service around the world is a national duty," Sfeir said during his Sunday sermon. "It is inevitable to in order to preserve the nation and make it prosper." Sfeir had told his guests earlier in the day that Lebanon "will remain one country for all citizens regardless of differences." He expressed hope that differences would be settled through "unity," calling on all Lebanese to be "one hand, one heart." Beirut, 07 Dec 08, 12:10

Syria Demands Apology from Murr as Precondition to Meeting Assad
Naharnet/Syria has reportedly demanded an apology from Defense Minister Elias Murr as a precondition to meeting with President Bashar al-Assad.
Press reports on Sunday said Syria wants Murr – if he wishes to meet Assad -- to apologize for accusing Damascus of standing behind his assassination attempt.
The daily Ad Diyar said if Murr rejected, this means that the defense minister's agenda would be restricted to talks with Syrian Defense Minister Hassan Turkmani.
The government, however, has set the agenda for Murr's coming visit to Syria, restricting it to three topics only -- border control, combating smuggling and implementing U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701. The decision was taken after the government stressed that it has the sole power to decide on official visits to foreign countries by members of the executive authority and public servants. Beirut, 07 Dec 08, 12:01

Jumblat: Syrian Regime Poses Danger on Independent Movement
Naharnet/Progressive Socialist party leader Walid Jumblat on Sunday said the Syrian regime poses a danger on the independent movement in Lebanon.
"The Syrian regime poses the first and last danger on the independent movement in Lebanon," Jumblat told the Progressive Socialist Party's General Assembly in a meeting held in the town of Baakline, in the Chouf mountains southeast of Beirut. Jumblat warned that if the ruling March 14 coalition lost the next parliamentary elections Lebanon would return to Syrian tutelage. "If we lost the 2009 elections, it would be a great setback and Lebanon will officially go back to the Syrian orbit," Jumblat said. He accused Syria of wiping out free thinking. "The Syrian regime succeeded in destroying the independent Palestinian decision," Jumblat said.
Beirut, 07 Dec 08, 11:19

Makram Obeid: Syria's Ambassador to Lebanon, Michel Khoury: Lebanon's Ambassador to Damascus
Naharnet/Syria on Sunday has reportedly decided to appoint its ambassador to Spain Makram Obeid as head of its diplomatic mission in Beirut.
The daily An Nahar quoted diplomatic sources in Syria as saying that Obeid was one of three candidates to the post. The other two, the sources said, are Collette Khoury and Fayez al-Sayegh. Meanwhile, Al Mustaqbal newspaper, also citing diplomatic sources, said a foreign ministry cadre official is likely to be assigned as Lebanon's ambassador to Damascus. It said Lebanon's ambassador to Cyprus Michel Khoury is one possibility. Al Mustaqbal said the Cabinet is expected to name the ambassador in the next session. Beirut, 07 Dec 08, 08:32

Sarkozy in Beirut Soon to See What Happened to Syria's Commitments toward Lebanon
Naharnet/French President Nicolas Sarkozy is expected to visit Lebanon at the beginning of 2009 to wish French troops serving with UNIFIL a happy new year and to see what happened to Syria's commitments toward Lebanon. The daily An Nahar on Sunday, citing French diplomatic sources, said Paris is taking a "pragmatic approach" to make sure Syria is fulfilling its pledges toward Lebanon. Unless Syria adheres to its commitments, the sources said, France and the entire European nations would reconsider their relations with Damascus. An Nahar said French efforts are supported by Arab countries. Beirut, 07 Dec 08, 10:46

Berri: Taef Accord Amendment is Possible
Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri said amendment of the Taef Accord is possible if national consensus in reached on the issue. "Taef is not a holy book," Berri said in remarks published by the daily Asharq al-Awsat on Sunday. "But any amendment to it (Taef accord) can only be achieved through Lebanese consensus," Berri stressed, adding that Taef agreement was "necessary to stop the civil war." Berri acknowledged, however, that there is a lot of speculation floating around the accord.
The speaker said he agrees to amend the Constitution, giving the President of the Republic powers to dissolve Parliament. Berri, however, clarified that this can only be done if the President is directly elected by the people. Beirut, 07 Dec 08, 09:07

Carter to Discuss Election Monitoring in Beirut
Naharnet/Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter is to discuss in Beirut next week the issue of overseeing and monitoring the 2009 parliamentary election process.
Carter is due to arrive in Lebanon next Tuesday on a four-day official visit during which he will meet President Michel Suleiman, Prime Minister Fouad Saniora and Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri. Carter is also scheduled to meet with representatives of several parliamentary blocs, including Hizbullah. Beirut, 07 Dec 08, 09:39

Jarrah Denies Visiting Kfar Soussa and Involvement in Mughniyeh Assassination
Naharnet/Preliminary investigation into the Ali and Youssef Jarrah espionage case revealed that both men have been working for the Israeli Mossad since 1983.
According to the Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation (LBC) Youssef Jarrah denied reports that he had previously visited the Kfar Soussa neighborhood in Damascus where Hizbullah military commander Imad Mughniyeh was assassinated. However, Jarrah admitted to having visited Israel over 12 times.
The Jarrahs were ordered by Israel to gather information about Palestinian and Syrian positions in Lebanon up till 2005. They both photographed and monitored Syrian military positions inside Syria, some on the Damascus-Deraa highway. They also recorded the plate numbers of trucks coming into Lebanon from Syria, fearing they would carry arms to Hizbullah. Ali Jarrah received communications equipment and an advanced camera from the Israelis that he placed inside his vehicle and cellular phone. He has also received over $300,000 through a third person who would place the items at an agreed spot and Jarrah would later pick up.
The last operation of this kind took place in 2007 at the southern village of Marwaheen during which Ali Jarrah received equipment from the Israelis in return for films. Beirut, 06 Dec 08, 22:11

Murr: Unconditional Russian Military Aid to Lebanon
Naharnet/Minister of Defense Elias Murr said Russia has not put conditions to provide the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) with modern military equipment.
Following his meeting with the head of the Russian Federal Service for Military and Technical Cooperation, Mikhail Dimitriev ,on Saturday, Murr said: "There are no obstacles in terms of equipping the army. We prepared for my visit to Russia next week. I will discuss … with the Russian defense minister what could be provided to LAF." Murr also talked to reporters about his upcoming visit to Syria, saying: "I was invited by Secretary-General of the Lebanese-Syrian Higher Council Nasri Khoury to visit Damascus." He added that he has agreed to the visit and worked with Khoury on setting an agenda.
Murr disclosed that he would present the cabinet with a working agenda for his Syrian trip. He said he wants to get cabinet approval on all points of discussion with Syrian officials. These include the issue of border security and the implementation of U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701. Dimitriev, in his turn, said Russia is keen to see stability in the region, particularly in Lebanon. "That is why we consider it very important to see a strong LAF … We wish to provide a new pulse to our bilateral relations in the military and technical field," he said. Beirut, 06 Dec 08, 19:43

Government Sets Rule for Cross-Border Assignments
Naharnet/The government, meeting under President Michel Suleiman, has set the agenda of Defense Minister Elias Murr's forthcoming visit to Syria, restricting it to three topics only. The topics, according to the daily An-Nahar on Saturday, are: border control, combating smuggling and implementing U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701. The decision was taken after the government stressed that it has the sole power to decide on official visits to foreign countries by members of the executive authority and public servants. The report said Murr presented to the government a report on Army Commander Gen. Jean Qahwaji's recent visit to Damascus, which was carried out with the knowledge of Suleiman and Premier Fouad Saniora.
An-Nahar reported that Suleiman said the topic of Qahwaji's visit should have been listed on the cabinet's agenda. Ministers representing the March 14 majority said a wide category of the Lebanese people is rather "sensitive" to topics that are being ignored during visits to Damascus although they are pending issues in the relations between the two states, including border control, border demarcation, combating smuggling, settling the file of missing Lebanese citizens and Palestinian military bases backed by Syria.  However, ministers representing March 8 called for tightening relations between Lebanon and Syria. Beirut, 06 Dec 08, 09:28

Lebanese Forces Take Legal Action Against Wahab for Slander
Naharnet/Lawyers for Lebanese Forces (LF) leader Samir Geagea and Environment Minister Antoine Karam presented two legal complaints at the General Prosecutor's office in Beirut against former minister Weam Wahab for criminal slander. In a statement issued by the LF legal division Wahab, was described as someone who uses any television (appearance) to attack and slander politicians. "On the last of such occasions he described some political leaders as tails," the statement said. The statement added:" Every time he (Wahab) slanders Lebanese political leaders, we are reminded that those that left our borders in 2005 won't let us live in peace as they left the longest tail behind." The LF lawyers called for Wahab to be interrogated and punished and for holding him liable for his actions.
Beirut, 06 Dec 08, 16:51

Aoun: Lebanese-Syrian Relations Today Stronger than Past Period
Naharnet/Free Patriotic Movement leader Gen. Michel Aoun has said Lebanese-Syrian relations today are much stronger than in the past.
"The decision taken by Syria to establish diplomatic relations with Lebanon has eliminated the war of intentions between both sides," Aoun said in an interview with Syrian television on Saturday. "Diplomatic representation is the result of independence. This independence is not given, it stems from holding to (our) national unity. Independence is not granted by Syria or the United States or France, rather through a united Lebanese position in dealing with the international community based on Lebanon's interests," he said. Asked whether he fears that some parts of northern Lebanon would become a source for terrorism, Aoun said: "This is a dream that extremist groups have."  He pointed that the northern regions of Lebanon including Tripoli constitute a three-fold threat: first, infiltration to Syria, second infiltration into Lebanon from Syria and third via the Mediterranean through which these groups could reach any state.
"Lebanese society is plural and multiple, some of its components might differ however, this does not mean that it has an inclination to terrorism," said Aoun.
He added that Israel will never win in case it decides to wage war on Lebanon, saying "Israeli forces can destroy but cannot occupy and keep the land."
Aoun said he does not support the chaos of Palestinian arms and the security independence they enjoy at Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon.
"Settling the Palestinians in Lebanon would cause displacement because Lebanon lacks … the resources to absorb them," Aoun told the TV station.
On Saturday, Aoun visited Aleppo accompanied by Syrian Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal al-Miqdad. He visited the Armenian Orthodox cathedral, an Armenian museum, the Maronite archdiocese and cathedral. Beirut, 06 Dec 08, 21:40

Rights Group: Arab Human Rights Deteriorate
AP/Naharnet/A leading Egyptian human rights group said Friday that human rights in the Arab world have deteriorated over the past year and the future looks bleak for reform. The Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies, one of the oldest such groups in the Arab world, accused Arab governments in its first such annual report of attempting to silence rights organizations at home and abroad. The report, which was released Friday in conjunction with the upcoming 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, chronicled the human rights records of 12 Arab countries. It said judicial systems in many Arab countries lack independence and power-sharing mechanisms are largely absent. The group singled out Egypt, accusing the country of using its influence in various international organizations, such as the United Nations, to thwart human rights reform. It also criticized the Arab League, an umbrella group of 22 Arab states, for supporting repressive regimes like the ones in Sudan and Yemen. "The Arab League has become more expressive of authoritarian tendencies than any time in the past," the report said.
The rights group said Islamic extremists are no longer the principal targets of Arab government repression. Instead the report said "there is an increase in repression of reformists, human rights defenders and independent press."The Universal Declaration of Human Rights was adopted by the United Nations on Dec. 10, 1948.(AP)
Beirut, 06 Dec 08, 04:53

The Iranian navy has test-fired a sea-to-sea missile during a six-day naval maneuver in the Sea of Oman, the country's state radio reported Sunday.
 AP/Slideshow: Pictures of the week The report quoted Adm. Ghasem Rostamabadi, the maneuver's spokesman, who said that the mid-range missile was launched from a battleship late Saturday in the waters off the port town of Chabahar near the Iran-Pakistan border. The report did not elaborate on the range or give other details about the missile, dubbed Nasr-2 or Victory-2. Iran said last week that it launched the large-scale naval maneuver that was to cover 50,000-square miles (129,500-sq. kilometers) of Iranian territorial waters and involve about 60 warships. Iran regularly holds war games in the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman.

A Special Tribute to Aoun… and a Bad One for Lebanon
Elias Harfoush Al-Hayat - 07/12/08//
We have no intention of evaluating the visit of MP Michel Aoun to Syria, and the soundness of the comparison he made between the regime which spread the red carpet for him in Damascus and the German regime visited by Charles De Gaulle after the fall of Nazism (against which the war was being waged) and the establishment of a new democratic government in Germany on its ruins.
Such evaluation and comparison are left to Aoun's supporters and to the Christian popular base which will voice its opinion of his choices in a few months, if circumstances permit. When we speak of a Christian popular base, we do not mean to give Aoun's choices or the support he enjoys a sectarian character, but merely repeat the slogan he himself raises these days, as he considers himself to be the spokesperson and protector of the Christians, not only in Lebanon but in the Orient as a whole.
Nevertheless, what matters to us is the negative impact left by the special and exceptional welcome the Lebanese MP received in Syria on the form being sought for normal relations between Lebanon and Syria, relations which Aoun's visit was said to aim at returning to the right track. Such relations are usually forged, as in all other countries, between representatives of the state and its symbols. However, when a political figure, from any level, intends to visit a country, the tribute they receive there should not exceed that granted to representatives of the state themselves. A recent example would be the tour made by candidate Barack Obama in a number of European countries on the eve of US elections. Would it have been possible for Obama to be welcomed on Downing Street or at the Elysée Palace in a manner exceeding the tribute normally granted to President George Bush, who is still in power at the White House? If that were indeed the case, then it would be natural to consider this a form of interference in the domestic affairs of other countries, especially if the politician receiving such an exceptional welcome is a major figure of the Opposition in their own country. To illustrate what we mean, there is nothing better than to imagine the Lebanese President organizing a crowded welcome for one of the figures of the Syrian Opposition scattered abroad, not to say allowing one of them to "seek asylum" in Lebanon. What would be Syria's reaction in such a case? How would Damascus describe such an action by Lebanon, if it were to happen, God forbid?!
Normalized relations between countries have certain recognized standards, and there is no need to discover them anew, at a time when the Lebanese and Syrians claim to be preparing to open embassies between their countries and to close the chapter of past mistakes. Such standards do not include the tribute granted to a Lebanese MP and party leader, regardless of the size of the party he represents, exceeding that granted to the President of the Republic himself, who visited that same country a short while ago. However, when such a transgression does take place, the question which should naturally arise, and which perhaps Aoun should have been the first to ask, being preoccupied with "preserving sovereignty" the most, is the following: Is this the kind of normal behavior that would indicate good intentions in building relations based on mutual respect between Lebanon and Syria?
Syria may have its own goals behind the nature of the greeting it granted Michel Aoun. It is returning to its embrace a man who once waged a war against it and was defeated. He is now recording yet another defeat by acknowledging that his previous scheme has failed, and that the natural relationship between Syria and Lebanon is not one of "rivalry" (although he used terms of enmity and "head-smashing" in his previous wars) but should be based on friendship and on respecting the particularities of each country. However, Aoun the twice-defeated adds a third defeat, one of greater impact on relations between the two countries, when he agrees to play the role that has been ascribed to him, and accepts to be treated in Damascus as if he were the effective President of Lebanon, despite the fact that there is a President residing at the Baabda palace

What will Lebanese Christians' choices be?
Dr. Salim Nazzal/Al-Arabiya
Separate visits by two major Lebanese Christian leaders to Iran in the past two months could provide a major indicator of the direction that the wider Lebanese Christian community will take in the future.
The first visit was made by General Michel Aoun, the leader of the liberal trend, which adopted a strongly supportive position regarding the Hezbollah-led Lebanese resistance.
The second visitor was the president of the Lebanese republic, Michel Suleiman, who is a traditional Christian Maronite. Despite the fact that he visited Tehran as a president, by visiting Tehran's weaponry production facilities and fueling rumors of a possible military purchase, he offered an indication of a breakthrough in Lebanese Maronite culture showing more openness towards other countries in the region.
As we must always look to history when we need to understand the present, let me explain two apparently contradictory factors in the history of the Lebanese Christians, in particular the Lebanese Maronite who form the majority of the country's Christians and who played a major role in the creation of modern Lebanon, particularly during the period of the patriarch Areeda in the First World War.
The first fact is that Lebanese Christians (and the Christians of historical Syria) played a major role in the birth of the Arab national movement, which began in the days of Boutros Al-Bustane and Nasef Al-Yazege in the 19th century. In this period, they revived and modernized the Arabic language which was the platform on which pan-Arab thinking was based, as well as playing a crucial role in awakening Arabs to the dangers of the Zionist movement as early as the very beginning of Zionism (George Antonius, Najeeb Nasser). The second fact is the skeptical tendency of Lebanese Maronite Christians towards their Arab and Muslim surroundings
Though it is beyond the aim of this article to cast much light on the history of these two factors, one cannot help but point out briefly that both were the product of the Ottoman period. During this era (though varying from period to period) Christians found themselves dealt with as second-class citizens which made some of them look for protection from the Western forces which were ready to help within the framework of Julius Caesar's (divide and rule) famous principle, dividing to influence during the Ottoman period and dividing and ruling in the post-Ottoman period. The Lebanese Maronites' leading role in reviving Arabism in a secular form arose not only from their early contact with Western culture but was also a self-defense mechanism conceived to contribute towards making a state for all Lebanon's citizens.
The pan-Arab thinker Constantine Zurich, who came from a Syrian Christian orthodox background, has emphasized the importance of modernizing and democratizing the Arab world, arguing that doing so would reduce the traditional concerns regarding the creation of a state for all its citizens on an equal footing. He summarized this point in asserting that the majority must ensure that the minority feels secure, while the minority must not look outside the country for help and protection.
A number of issues, recent and historic, have, in my view, consolidated the Lebanese Maronites’ tendency towards openness: the first of these reasons is the defeat of the aggressive Bush-era neoconservative policy in the Middle East and the consequent defeat or weakening of the Arab faction which supported that policy.
Secondly, past experience has shown that those Lebanese Christians who allied themselves with Israel or America against the region made a fatal mistake. In the year 2000, the Lebanese Maronites saw that the Southern Lebanese army had been humiliated and treated badly by Israel, which was a major lesson to Christians that their security lay in being loyal to their region rather than to outsiders.
Israel has never cared about the Maronites; the peaceful Maronite villagers in Kufr Burum in the Galilee were ‘ethnically cleansed’ by Zionist terror groups who then went on to destroy the village and bomb it from the air.
Thirdly, the violence in Iraq against Iraqi Christians must have been another reason to opt for the pan-Arab stance, which integrates Arabs regardless of faith. It has demonstrated beyond doubt that religious fanaticism and divisions could only lead the Arab region into further civil wars and conflicts, which benefit only the graveyards and the enemies of Arabs.
In the light of this history, General Aoun's visit to Tehran and later to Syria was important because it represents a new Lebanese Christian approach towards the region, demonstrating that Arab Christians are a fully-integrated part of the Orient and that all Arabs would lose out if Arab Christians were marginalized. However the new Christian outlook proceeds from the Vatican directive issued during the period of the late Pope John Paul II, calling on Lebanese Christians to interact with their surroundings.
Yet while this open attitude is a move towards returning the Lebanese Christians to their historical role as pioneers in Arab progress, a skeptical tendency has reappeared among other Christians in the country. At a meeting held by the Phalange party on its 72nd anniversary, Amin al-Jumayl, the Lebanese President between 1982 and 1988, previously known as a moderate Maronite leader, called for the establishment of federation in Lebanon, an idea which might have surprised many observers less had it come, for instance, from the leader of the Lebanese forces Samir Geagea, who is known to hold a more radical right wing stance.
It is obvious that while the 8th of March Christians have chosen to follow the Vatican's guidance and resume the liberal traditions of their 19th century forbearers, another faction has chosen to stick with the old-fashioned skepticism which has cost the country's Christians and the Lebanese generally so much blood and suffering previously, especially during the civil war of 1975.
The question of which group will have the upper hand in the future is difficult to answer. There is increasing evidence, however, that the progressive, open faction is getting stronger. This week, General Aoun begins a historic visit to Syria, the country which he declared war against in 1988. Aoun considers his visit to Syria important due to the historical bonds that link the two peoples; Saint Maron, the founder of the Maronite sect, was, after all, a Syrian whose followers moved to the mountains of Lebanon. During his visit, General Aoun is scheduled to meet with members of the Maronite and other Christian communities in Aleppo and Damascus, meaning in the view of some in the Lebanese media that he is behaving as if he were the leader of the Arab Orient's Christians. He has denied this, but did not conceal his concern for the Christians across the region as being an integral part of it, rather than connected to "the crusaders or the French in the region," in his own words.
It is certain that this argument is highly unlikely to convince those politicians who are still prisoners of the past and thus unable to search sincerely for a better political formula to resolve Syrian-Lebanese relations. Indeed, criticism of Aoun's Syrian visit came quickly from the 14th of March Christians who still hold the same old hostile position towards Syria.
However, apart from the daily politics and amid the talk about a dialogue between cultures the Lebanese and the Arab Christians, as the previous Phalange Party leader Karim Bakradoni said, can play an important role in creating real dialogue between the East and the West.
Yet this cannot happen without the adoption of a stronger Arab and Muslin position in condemning the murders of Iraqi Christians and without providing the Arab Christians with all the support needed to help them assuming their illuminating role in the Arab Orient. A strongly supportive Arab position would certainly weaken the skeptical voices among some Lebanese Christians who still believe that their security comes from outside the region. Although the Lebanese Christians' choice is first and foremost the responsibility of their leaders, it is also crucially related to the availability of greater choice in the region; more democracy and more progress towards creating a state for all citizens would no doubt empower Lebanese Christians, who view themselves as Arabs who would defend the Arab causes, with Palestine being foremost among these.
*Written exclusively for AL ARABIYA. Dr. Salim Nazzal is a Palestinian-Norwegian historian in the Middle East, who has written extensively on social and political issues in the region. He can be contacted at snazzal@ymail.com.