LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
November 08/08

Bible Reading of the day.
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 16,1-8. Then he also said to his disciples, "A rich man had a steward who was reported to him for squandering his property. He summoned him and said, 'What is this I hear about you? Prepare a full account of your stewardship, because you can no longer be my steward.'
The steward said to himself, 'What shall I do, now that my master is taking the position of steward away from me? I am not strong enough to dig and I am ashamed to beg. I know what I shall do so that, when I am removed from the stewardship, they may welcome me into their homes.' He called in his master's debtors one by one. To the first he said, 'How much do you owe my master?' He replied, 'One hundred measures of olive oil.' He said to him, 'Here is your promissory note. Sit down and quickly write one for fifty.'Then to another he said, 'And you, how much do you owe?' He replied, 'One hundred kors of wheat.' He said to him, 'Here is your promissory note; write one for eighty.'And the master commended that dishonest steward for acting prudently. "For the children of this world are more prudent in dealing with their own generation than are the children of light

Saint Francis Xavier (1506-1552), Jesuit missionary
Letter of 15/01/1544/Living as a good steward of God's gifts
I have no idea what to write you from these parts [India and Sri Lanka] except this: the consolations bestowed by our Lord God to those who go among the pagans to convert them to the faith of Christ are so great that, if there is any joy to be had in this life, it is surely this. I've often heard it said to someone going about amongst these Christians: «Lord, do not give me so many consolations in this life! Yet since, in your infinite goodness and pity, you are giving them me, take me into your holy glory! For indeed, there is such great suffering in living without seeing you after you have shown yourself to your creature in this way». Ah! If only those who look for knowledge in study took as much trouble in looking for the consolations of the apostolate as they give day and night to the pursuit of knowledge! If only those joys that the scholar seeks in what he is learning he were to seek in making his neighbor feel what he is in need of to know and serve God, how much more consoled he would find himself to be and better prepared to give an account of himself when Christ returns and asks him: «Give me an account of your stewardship»...
I will end, asking our Lord God... to bring us together in his holy glory. And to obtain this blessing let us take as our intercessors and advocates all the holy souls of the region where I now am... I beg all these holy souls to obtain for us from our Lord God, for so long as we remain separated, the grace of feeling his holy will in the depth of our souls and of fulfilling it perfectly.

Free Opinions, Releases, letters & Special Reports
Sami Mubayed's, whose analyses are considered the official standpoint of the Syrian government wrote in the ASia Times: Abu Hussein's invitation to Damascus/By Sami Moubayed 07/11/08
Anything for a quiet life. By Jonathan Spyer. Haaretz 07/11/08
Obama's approach to foreign policy-By David Ignatius 07/11/08
Understanding Syria-Iran alliance-By Marwan Kabalan. GulfNews 07/11/08

Latest News Reports From Miscellaneous Sources for November 07/08
Behind the Syria TV 'confessions'-BBC News
Barak: Israel not ruling out any option in stopping Iran threat-Jerusalem Post
Israel sets new rules on Lebanon targets-Jerusalem Post
Syria would restrain Hezbollah and Hamas if Obama shifts U.S. policy. Haaretz
Iran's Ahmadinejad offers congratulations to Obama- News Agencies  
March 14: Syrian Television Allegations Pose Serious Threat-Naharnet
Cell Arrested for Monitoring Grand Serail, Military Outposts and Embassies-Naharnet
Syria Accuses Militants-New York Times
Syrian TV airs 'confessions' of Damascus bombing suspects-Jerusalem Post
Syrian TV shows men 'confessing' to deadly bomb blast-AFP
IDF concludes drill simulating war with Syria and Lebanon-Ha'aretz
Israel sets new rules for selecting targets in Lebanon-Jerusalem Post
Rahm Emanuel to be Obama's chief of staff-Los Angeles Times 
Assailant Kills One Person, Wounds Four in South Beirut-Naharnet
Fatah Member Killed in Ain el-Hilweh Refugee Camp-Naharnet
Cabinet Keeps Abu Jamra Busy with Committee Work-Naharnet
Aoun Proposes Changing Lebanon into a Resistance Bastion-Naharnet
Sfeir says some of dialogue's participants not free -Daily Star
Pope stresses religious freedom at Muslim-Catholic forum-(AFP)
Islamists expect no radical changes from Obama-(AFP)
Obama's choice for chief of staff puts Israel's man in White House-(AFP)
Rice concedes Middle East peace deal unlikely this year-(AFP)
Hariri looks to Russia to help liberate Shebaa Farms-Daily Star
Gulf bourses dragged down amid fears of recession in global markets-(AFP)
Lebanon set to join WTO by 2009 - official-Daily Star
Jumblatt hails Obama's election as victory for world's oppressed-Daily Star
Hariri looks to Russia to help liberate Shebaa Farms-Daily Star           
Fatah member found dead in Ain al-Hilweh -Daily Star
Human rights groups rap Lebanon over reports of torture in detention centers-Daily Star
Mitri urges fair coverage of upcoming elections-Daily Star 
Security forces arrest student involved in LU clashes-Daily Star 
UNESCO explores ways to improve education-Daily Star 
BIEL to host defense strategy conference on November 14-Daily Star 
Love thy neighbor in Ras Beirut-Daily Star 
AUB holds special ceremony to honor 'Le Corbusier of Lebanon' Khalil Khoury-Daily Star

Syrian TV shows men 'confessing' to deadly bomb blast
DAMASCUS (AFP) — Syrian state television on Thursday broadcast statements by men it said were Fatah al-Islam militants, in which they admitted carrying out a bomb attack in September that killed 17 people. The men included Abdul Baqi al-Hussein, described as the head of security in Syria of Fatah al-Islam, who said the aim of the attack was to "harm the regime in Syria."He said he "joined Al-Qaeda in Syria in 2005... and went to Tripoli in Lebanon in 2007." The television programme also showed a photo of a man said to have been the suicide bomber in the September 27 attack in Damascus, naming him as Abu Aysha al-Saudi -- 'The Saudi'. "Abu Aysha was smuggled into Syria," Hussein said. "It was him who drove the car packed with explosives and blew himself up in a street in southern Damascus." On September 27, a car bomb exploded near a Shiite shrine in the capital, killing 17 people and wounding 14 others in one of the deadliest attacks in Syria in a dozen years.
The car, packed with 200 kilos (440 pounds) of explosives, blew up near a security checkpoint on a road to Damascus international airport at an intersection leading to the Sayeda Zeinab neighbourhood. All the victims were civilian passers-by. Last year, the army in Syria's neighbour Lebanon fought a 15-week battle with the Al-Qaeda-inspired Fatah al-Islam in the Palestinian refugee camp of Nahr al-Bared near Tripoli that left 400 people dead, including 168 soldiers.
However, Fatah al-Islam chief Shaker al-Abssi managed to flee the camp and vowed revenge attacks against the Lebanese army. Before the deadly camp siege in Lebanon Abssi served a prison term in Syria for having links to Al-Qaeda.
Among those on the Thursday night broadcast was a woman Syrian television said was Wafa al-Abssi, daughter of the Fatah al-Islam chief.
The men who spoke in the programme said they had carried out a series of armed robberies to finance the September attack. They also said the car used in the bombing had been stolen from an Iraqi. Sayeda Zeinab where the bomb went off is popular among Shiites from Iran, Lebanon and Iraq who go there on pilgrimage to pray at the tomb of Zeinab, a grand-daughter of the Prophet Mohammed. The men said they had also planned to attack Syrian security posts, British and Italian diplomats and the country's central bank. September's blast was the worst to rock Syria since February when Hezbollah commander Imad Mughnieh was killed by a car bomb in Damascus.
Since May, Lebanon's northern port city of Tripoli near the Syrian border has also been rocked by deadly sectarian violence between Sunni supporters of the government and their Damascus-backed rivals from the Alawite community. Lebanon was under Syrian political and military domination for three decades until 2005.
After the assassination in Beirut that year of former premier Rafiq Hariri in a car bombing, Syria was forced to pull its troops out of Lebanon following a 29-year deployment. It denied any involvement in killing Hariri. Beirut and Damascus agreed to establish diplomatic relations for the first time at a summit in Paris in July, but although Lebanese President Michel Sleiman visited Syria in September, embassies have yet to be opened.

March 14: Syrian Television Allegations Pose Serious Threat
Naharnet/March 14 Forces believe the alleged testimonies of Fatah al-Islam suspects broadcast by Syria's state television pose a "serious development that aims at charging Mustaqbal movement with mere allegations."The daily An-Nahar said charges regarding Mustaqbal movement's alleged financing of Fatah al-Islam prompted urgent overnight contacts between March 14 leaders amidst calls to hold a meeting Friday to consider the situation. March 14 leaders, the report said, might "set specific conditions regarding security coordination between Lebanon and Syria." A Mustaqbal movement source, meanwhile, denied the "allegations and lies," broadcast by the Syrian television, saying it "confirms the established relation between Syrian intelligence and Fatah al-Islam." A Future movement ranking official said the international commission probing the 2005 assassination of ex-Premier Rafik Hariri would be asked to look into what the Syrian TV has screened. Al-Akhbar daily, meanwhile, quoted a Lebanese security official as saying that Syria, by screening the testimonies, might aim at urging Lebanon to set up a rule of security cooperation with Damascus in combating terror. The security official, who was not further identified, said Lebanese authorities might launch further investigations with a number of suspects arrested in Lebanon, including Samir Ayyoubi, in light of what was screened by the Syrian television. One of the suspects who appeared on TV identified herself as Wafaa Abssi, daughter of Fatah al-Islam leader Shaker Abssi, who claimed that Mustaqbal movement used to finance the group. Syrian television said the group was behind the Sept. 27 car bombing in southern Damascus that killed 17 people. Syrian Assistant Justice Minister Najm al-Ahmad and MP Khaled Abboud also blamed Mustaqbal Movement and March 14 Forces for the Damascus blast. Beirut, 07 Nov 08, 09:47

Television Broadcasts Fatah al-Islam Confessions
Naharnet/Syrian state television on Thursday broadcast statements by men it said were Fatah al-Islam militants, in which they admitted carrying out a bomb attack in September that killed 17 people. The men included Abdul Baqi al-Hussein, described as the head of security in Syria of Fatah al-Islam, who said the aim of the attack was to "harm the regime in Syria." The television program also showed a photo of a man said to have been the suicide bomber in the September 27 attack in Damascus. Last year, the Lebanese army fought a 15-week battle with the al-Qaida-inspired Fatah al-Islam in the Palestinian refugee camp of Nahr al-Bared near Tripoli that left 400 people dead, including 168 soldiers. On September 27, a car bomb exploded near a Shiite shrine in southern Damascus killing 17 people and wounding 14 others, in one of the deadliest attacks in Syria in a dozen years. The car packed with 200 kilos (440 pounds) of explosives blew up near a security checkpoint on a road to the Damascus international airport at an intersection leading to the Sayeda Zeinab neighborhood. All the victims were civilian passers-by.(AFP) Beirut, 06 Nov 08, 22:49

Gemayel Says he Was Aware of Possible Link Between Jawhar Cell, his Son's Murder
Naharnet/The Head of the Phalange Party, Amin Gemayel, said Tuesday that he had prior knowledge of a possible link between the so-called Jawhar network and the assassination of his son. "The truth about Pierre's assassination benefits the country more than the family, despite the fact that it heals" the wounds of his wife and mother, Gemayel said. He said the possible link between the terrorist network arrested in the north and Pierre Gemayel's killing "will never bring him back. However…the security apparatus has provided citizens now with greater trust."The daily An-Nahar on Tuesday said investigations have revealed those arrested in connection with the terrorist Jawhar network that had previously targeted the army, are also implicated in the assassination of former Minister of Industry Pierre Gemayel on November 21, 2006. Beirut, 04 Nov 08, 16:01

Cell Arrested for Monitoring Grand Serail, Military Outposts and Embassies
Naharnet/Security forces have arrested an Iranian clergyman, his foreign wife and two other Lebanese people on charges of monitoring the Grand Serail, several embassies and military outposts. The four were arrested early in the week in a black Rav-4 SUV at the Dahr al-Baidar junction on the main highway leading to Syria across the Bekaa Valley. The daily al-Balad did not identify "the foreign clergyman" and other detained suspects, but security sources said he is the Imam of a Bekaa Valley town. His wife is a Tanzanian national who also holds a Norwegian passport. The two other apprehended suspects are a Lebanese man and his mother who are from the same Bekaa town where the clergyman operates. The sources said the four had been "tailed for over two weeks during which they were taking pictures and footage of several official, military and diplomatic institutions." Al-Balad said security forces found with the suspects "detailed pictures of the Grand Serail focusing on entrances to the compound and guard outposts." It said members of the "network live in a town near Baalbek," and army units were carrying out house raids in the Bekaa Valley. Beirut, 07 Nov 08, 10:14

Cabinet Keeps Abu Jamra Busy with Committee Work
Naharnet/Information Minister Tareq Mitri said on Thursday President Michel Suleiman informed cabinet ministers that he would reject the Law of Tax Measures that was approved by parliament lately. Mitri said the cabinet decided to form a committee to study a plan made by the Development and Construction Council. The committee is to be headed by Deputy Prime Minister Issam Abu Jamra. The cabinet agreed that Premier Fouad Saniora will head another committee to survey executed, ongoing and future projects. The committee will propose a comprehensive development plan. Beirut, 06 Nov 08, 23:27

Gemayel: National Dialogue Occupied with Trivial Issues
Naharnet/Phalange party leader Amin Gemayel on Thursday complained that the national dialogue is occupied with "trivial issues" such as demands to expand the list of participants. "The dialogue's basic issue is the national defense strategy ... all talks should be focused on this issue," Gemayel said at the Grand Serail after meeting with Prime Minister Fouad Saniora and MP Marwan Hamadeh. He was asked by reporters to comment on news that the gun used to assassinate his son was earlier confiscated by police. "This news is not accurate; we cannot prove any initial information prior to completing the laboratory tests," Gemayel said. He disclosed to reporters that he had recently met with the United Nations Independent International Investigation Commission (UNIIIC), saying "the panel is conducting a separate investigation from that by the Lebanese authorities." The Phalange party leader hoped both probes would have the same results. He stressed that work should be done to protect Lebanon and its citizens from assassinations, saying "the episode of killings must stop. We are paying dearly for this." Beirut, 06 Nov 08, 16:58

'Syria would restrain Hezbollah and Hamas if Obama shifts U.S. policy'
By Yoav Stern, Haaretz Correspondent
Syria would be prepared to restrain the militant activities of Hezbollah and Hamas if a U.S. administration led by President-elect Barack Obama shifts its policy toward Damascus, according to a state analyst in Damascus. In an article published on Friday on the Asia Times Web site, Syrian analyst Sami Mubayed called on Obama to endorse the renewed peace talks with Israel to ensure their success. Mubayed, whose analyses are considered the official standpoint of the Syrian government, urged Obama to "normalize" relations between Washington and Damascus. Such "normalization" of ties would include dispatching a new U.S. ambassador to Damascus, the first since the deterioration of the states' ties in 2005. Syria would also demand that the economic sanctions against it be dropped, a change in Western rhetoric toward Damascus and compensation for the recent deadly U.S. air strike in which eight Syrians were killed. Damascus also seeks a further role in matters regarding Iraq. "Obama must recognize that no problem can be solved in the Middle East without Syria," Mubayed wrote. In exchange for U.S. implementation of these demands, Syria would be ready to use its weight in the region against the militant activities of Hezbollah and Hamas, and would work in tandem with Western powers to find a solution to the Iranian nuclear issue. Mubayed said that Syria has nicknamed Obama "Abu Hussein" - in reference to the president-elect's middle name.
"When all this is done, Syria will be ready to open its arms to Abu Hussein and to accept him maybe as an honored guest in Damascus, as we did with Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton," wrote Mubayad.

N.B: Sami Mubayed's, analyses are considered the official standpoint of the Syrian government
Abu Hussein's invitation to Damascus
By Sami Moubayed
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/JK07Ak02.html
DAMASCUS - In the Muslim world, men take pride in their first born baby boy and they are often called "the father of X" for the remainder of their lives. In turn, first born boys are named after their grandfathers, and this explains why Syrians affectionately call Barack Obama "Abu Hussein" (father of Hussein).
He does not have a baby boy - just two beautiful girls - yet that doesn't really matter for the overwhelmed Syrians who woke up to hear the news coming in from Washington on November 5 that Barack Hussein Obama had become the 44th president of the United States.
As far as they are concerned, his father's name is Hussein and
when Obama gets a baby boy, he is going to call him Hussein. That is the tradition in the Muslim world after all, and Obama comes from Muslim lineage in Kenya. Gamal Abdul-Nasser of Egypt was "Abu Khaled", Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah is "Abu Hadi", Palestinian Liberation Organization head Yasser Arafat was "Abu Ammar" and for masses in the Arab world, Barack Obama is "Abu Hussein".
This terminology was coined by ordinary Syrians who watched the presidential race with enthusiasm - glad to see the end of President George W Bush.
All the same, Syrians have no illusions that the president-elect is going to be a savior for the Arabs. They hope that he will be more fair and even-handed when it comes to the Arab-Israeli conflict, and end the tension that started between Damascus and Washington under the Bush administration. They realize, however, that his election shows just how far America has come in terms of racial equality, and everybody in Damascus - young and old - is impressed.
In August, hosted by an American organization called Search for Common Ground, three Syrians went to Washington and met with think-tanks, newspapers and loyalists of Obama, discussing ways to move bilateral relations forward once Bush leaves the White House.
For the past 12 months, Damascus has welcomed a wide array of US officials who are either members of the Obama team or supporters of the new president. All of them came carrying a similar message: The policy of no dialogue with Damascus under Bush has been unproductive for the region and the United States. That is going to change, they said, when Obama reaches the White House.
All of them were warmly received by the Syrians, at a popular and official level, including former ambassador Daniel Kurtzer and former national security advisor under president Jimmy Carter, Zbigniew Brzezinski. The latter even spoke to students at one of the new private universities in Syria, who applauded strongly whenever he mentioned "President Obama".
Syrians were especially thrilled when Obama refused to praise the US strike on Syria in October, unlike his Republican opponent Senator John McCain. Syrian dailies and magazines have been running front page news of Obama - almost neglecting McCain.
Officially, Syria is yet to comment on Obama's victory and President Bashar al-Assad was often quoted during the presidential race as saying that Syria would wait to see the position of winner towards the Middle East once he reached the White House.
Syria was worried at Obama's strong support for Israel - although it came as no surprise - during his visit to Tel Aviv some months ago. They have not forgotten the overwhelming support Arabs showed for George W Bush in 2000, thinking that he would be a much better president for the Arabs than Al Gore. Therefore, officially, it is still a wait-and-see policy, although there is universal unsaid conviction that McCain would have been an extension of Bush and at least Obama - a man who champions change - is going to be different.
The Syrians are willing to cooperate with Obama on a variety of issues, prime on the list being Iraq. In the words of Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Mouallem, Syria will help secure an "honorable exit" for the US from Iraq. Damascus was very close to suspending diplomatic relations with Baghdad after Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki failed to prevent the October strike on Syria - which was launched from Iraqi territory - but did not do so, to keep channels open with the Obama administration and to better deliver security in Iraq.
Syrian troop numbers have been reduced at the border, but not withdrawn completely, in objection to the raid, but security coordination with Baghdad (at a ministerial level) remains intact, to prevent jihadis from crossing the border into Iraq.
If Obama sends off positive signals to Syria, troops can return to the Syrian-Iraqi border. Syria's newly appointed ambassador, Nawaf al-Fares, remains at his job in Baghdad, building bridges with Iraqi Sunnis (he hails from a prominent tribe that overlaps between Syria and Iraq). On the day of the Obama victory, Assad received a delegation sent to Damascus by Shi'ite leader Muqtada al-Sadr. Scores of Iraqi leaders - Shi'ite, Kurd and Sunni - have been coming to Syria for the past four years, meeting with Syrian officials who are trying to build bridges between warring factions to help normalize and stabilize Iraq.
Syria can also still use its weight in the region to moderate the behavior of non-state players like Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in Palestine, and find solutions for the US standoff with Iran over its nuclear program. What the Syrians are expecting 11 weeks from now when Obama is sworn in as president is the following:
Appointment of a US ambassador to Syria. The post has been vacant since Margaret Scooby was withdrawn when relations plummeted over Lebanon in 2005. This would be accompanied by greater room to maneuver for Syria's ambassador to the US, Imad Mustapha, who has been spurned by the Bush administration because of his criticism of how Bush treated Syria.
An end to the anti-Syrian rhetoric coming out of the White House and State Department since 2003. That would automatically reduce the anti-Syrian sentiment in the US media.
Recognition of Syria's cooperation on border security with Iraq.
Cooperation with Syria to deal with the 1.5 million Iraqi refugees in Syria.
Lifting - in due course - of the sanctions that were imposed on Damascus and abolishment of the Syrian Accountability Act.
Willingness to sponsor Syria's indirect peace talks with Israel, currently on hold in Turkey. That is something Bush curtly refused to do since the talks started in April 2008, claiming that Syria was more interested in a peace process than a peace treaty. Syria is sincere and the new White House must acknowledge that to deliver peaceful results in the Middle East. American guarantees and willingness to serve as an honest broker could make the talks successful, the Syrians believe, transforming them from indirect to direct negotiations. Syria is determined to regain the occupied Golan Heights (taken by Israel during the Arab-Israeli war of 1967) and Obama must help Syria achieve that if he is sincere about change in the region.
Recognizing that no problems can be solved in the Middle East without Syria with regard to the Palestinians, Iraqis and Lebanese. Bush launched his famous "roadmap" for peace between Israel and Palestine, but bypassed the Syrians. If another roadmap were to be launched, Syria would have to be included.
Help Syria combat Islamic fundamentalism that has been flowing into its territory from north Lebanon and Iraq. The deadly September 27 attack in Damascus - which left nearly 40 Syrians dead and injured - should have been a wake-up call for the Americans that unless cooperation is forthcoming from the US, Syria might become a battleground for extremists, as in the 1980s. Intelligence cooperation and technical assistance with the Americans is needed to curb and combat this Islamic threat.
An apology, compensation and explanation for the air raid on Syria that left eight Syrian civilians dead in October 2008.
Help normalize relations between Syria and America on a people-to-people level, which have been strained since Bush came to power in 2001. That would include giving visas to Syrians wanting to study or work in the US.
When all this is done, Syria would be willing to open its arms to Abu Hussein, receiving him perhaps as a guest of honor in Damascus, the way it did with Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton.
Sami Moubayed is editor-in-chief of Forward Magazine in Damascus.
(Copyright 2008 Asia Times Online (Holdings) Ltd. All rights reserved. Please contact us about sales, syndication and republishing.)

Anything for a quiet life
By Jonathan Spyer
Jersusalem Post
Last update - 09:23 07/11/2008
So far, the story of the current negotiations with Syria showcases a number of recurring problematic elements in Israel's approach to regional policy - and not just toward Syria. A chronic myopia serves Israel's cause poorly, and leaves the country open to manipulation.
For the Syrians, the Olmert government's offer to start negotiations was the equivalent of a "get out of jail free" card. French President Nicolas Sarkozy's visit to Damascus in September set the seal on the Alawite regime's triumphant passage from isolation, a journey it began courtesy of the talks with Israel. In meetings in Damascus, in which the Emir of Qatar and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan also participated, Syrian President Bashar Assad reportedly issued a six-point document that we are told will form the basis for the fifth round of indirect talks. The document is understood to include a demand for Israeli withdrawal from the entirety of the Golan Heights.
Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has yet to set a date for these talks. It is not quite clear at the moment whether anyone involved expects them to lead anywhere. One Israeli source quoted in the press said there was no chance of a deal or even a breakthrough. Another dropped hints that the talks would be deadly serious, with far more happening behind the scenes than met the public eye. All, however, agreed that if there was any hope at all of a breakthrough, even a sliver, it was incumbent upon the government of Israel to try.
The Syrians, for their part, have made it clear, via every available platform, that the subject of the talks would be the return of the Golan Heights, in exchange for security guarantees on the Heights. They have repeatedly stated that there is no chance of putting other Syrian relationships - such as the strategic alliance with Iran, or the support for Hezbollah, Islamic Jihad and Hamas - on the discussions' agenda. One witty Syrian commentator even suggested that just as the Syrians did not expect Israel to discuss Israeli-Georgian relations with them, so Israel should not presume to bring up other, unrelated aspects of Syria's system of alliances.
So the talks, which will probably lead nowhere, have already largely served the purposes for which the Syrians entered into them. If, however, they were to lead somewhere, it would inevitably require Israel to cede strategic ground to a regime that currently poses no credible conventional military threat, but which would reserve the right to continue to threaten in various other ways. That is, Israel would cede an important asset in order to offset a currently non-existent threat, while accepting that its concessions would have no bearing at all on very real and existing dangers.
"We have to try," we are told, all the same. If only to establish a "channel" of communication. This kind of rhetoric is the authentic voice of a widespread Israeli outlook that seeks a quiet life at all costs. The problem is that seeking a quiet life at all costs is not a good strategy for attaining one. Current Israeli strategy broadcasts a willingness to be led by the nose by even the vaguest hint of willingness for peace. In so doing, it gives a very large room for maneuver to countries that mean Israel ill.
Observe the sequence of events: Syria actively arms and supports bodies engaged in killing Israelis, maintains a rock-solid alliance with Israel's main strategic enemy, and is facilitating the rebuilding of a military infrastructure pointed at Israel in southern Lebanon. It seeks to avoid paying a price for any of this by expressing its willingness to begin peace talks. Israel rushes to accommodate. The message is thus conveyed that Israel apparently has no strenuous objection to neighboring countries helping to engage in killing its citizens, and will even hand out strategically vital territory on trust to these countries.
Such an approach serves to confirm the supposition of the Iran-led alliance facing Israel to the effect that the Zionist entity is a tired, befuddled creature, willing to grasp for any illusory fata morgana that seems to offer it the chance of saving its skin.
In the very brutal game of regional politics, as played by Syria and its allies, the current government may take credit for a number of tactical successes. The bombing of the Syrian plutonium reactor, and perhaps the killings of Imad Mughniyeh and General Mohammed Suleiman served as a warning to the Assad regime that its excitement following the 2006 Lebanon War was premature. However, the over-arching desire to immediately cash in on these security successes with a half-baked political process serves to nullify any gains. The Iran-led regional camp absorbs the blows, and, relentless, continues its long game of intimidation and blackmail. Those seeking a quiet life continue to wonder why it eludes them. After all, if they were Assad, they would jump at the chance. And so it goes.
It's time to take a closer look at the thinking and the behavior of the regimes to which we seek to grant concessions. It's time to understand that the Assad regime is simultaneously implacable, brutal and fragile, and for all these reasons should be contained - not offered gifts of territory. The matter at hand is a long game of chess, requiring strong nerves. It may last a generation. Peace now, or even peace soon, is not presently an option.
**Jonathan Spyer is a senior research fellow at the Global Research in International Affairs Center at the Interdisciplinary Center, Herzliya.

Iran's Ahmadinejad offers congratulations to Obama
By News Agencies
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Thursday congratulated Barack Obama on his election win - the first time an Iranian leader has offered such wishes to a U.S. president-elect since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
Ahmadinejad sent a message to Obama in which he congratulated the Democrat on attracting the majority of voters in the election.
The text of the note was carried by the official IRNA news agency.
In the message, Ahmadinejad also said he hopes Obama will use the opportunity to serve the [American] people and leave a good name for history during his term in office.
Iran and U.S. have no formal diplomatic relations since 1979 and the hostage drama when militant Iranian students held 52 Americans captive 444 days.
In his message to Obama Thursday, Ahmadinejad went on to say that nations of the world expect changes from Obama - mostly that he will change current U.S. foreign policy.
That policy, the note claimed, was based on "warmongering, occupation,
bullying, deception and humiliation, as well as discrimination and unfair
relations and has led to hatred of all nations and majority of governments toward the U.S. leaders."
Ahmadinejad also said that Obama is expected to replace such a policy with an approach based on justice and respect, as well as lack of intervention in the affairs of others.
"Iranians will welcome such changes," Ahmadinejad added.
Current U.S.-Iranian relations remain very tense, with Washington accusing Iran of trying to develop nuclear weapons and of providing support for Shi'ite militants who are killing U.S. soldiers in Iraq - charges which Tehran denies.
Tehran sees Obama's victory as a triumph over the unpopular policies of President George W. Bush, who repeatedly clashed with Iranian leaders while in office over Iran's controversial nuclear program and Tehran's opposition to the U.S.-led invasion and occupation of Afghanistan and Iraq in 2001 and 2003, respectively.
Iran's government refused to publicly side with any of the U.S. candidates throughout the presidential race, although Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani said last month that Obama seemed more rational than Republican John McCain.
Livni: Obama readiness to talk to Iran could be seen as weakness
Earlier Thursday, Foreign Minister and Kadima Chairwoman Tzipi Livni said on Thursday Obama's stated readiness to talk to Iran could be seen in the Middle East as a sign of weakness in efforts to persuade Tehran to curb its nuclear program.
"We live in a neighborhood in which sometimes dialogue - in a situation where you have brought sanctions, and you then shift to dialogue - is liable to be interpreted as weakness," Livni said when asked on Israel Radio about policy change toward Tehran in an Obama administration.
Her remarks sounded the first note of dissonance with Obama by a senior member of the Israeli government since the Democrat's sweeping victory over Republican candidate John McCain in the U.S. presidential election on Tuesday.
Asked if she supported any U.S. dialogue with Iran, Livni replied: "The answer is no."
Later in the day, Livni described Obama's election as a source of inspiration to millions around the world as she stood next to visiting U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice at a joint press conference in the home of the American ambassador to Israel.
"I would of course like to congratulate President-elect Barack Obama on his historic victory, a man who has impressed Israelis during his visits here and throughout the campaign by what he represents," she said. "I would like to also express our appreciation to Senator John McCain for his leadership and long-standing friendship."
Then she returned to the subject of Iran.
"We need to fight extremism, Livni said. We need to continue the pressure on Iran and I believe that the idea of continuing the pressure comes with more intense and effective sanctions on the Iranians."
Livni, leading the centrist Kadima party in the February 10 parliamentary election, also said "the bottom line" was that the United States, under Obama, "is also not willing to accept a nuclear Iran."
Obama has said he would harden sanctions on Iran but has also held out the possibility of direct talks with U.S. adversaries to resolve problems, including the dispute over Tehran's nuclear ambitions.
The West believes Iran's nuclear enrichment programme is aimed at building atomic weapons, an allegation the Islamic Republic denies.
Israel, believed to have the Middle East's only atomic arsenal, has said Iran's nuclear program is a threat to its existence and that it was keeping all options on the table to stop it.

Sfeir says some of dialogue's participants not free
Daily Star staff
Friday, November 07, 2008 BEIRUT: Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Sfeir on Thursday said dialogue was "conditional to freedom," adding that not all participants in the national dialogue were free. Sfeir, addressing a delegation from the Journalists Union, said "we should be able to handle our own issues." "Lebanon suffers from a gap that separates people, from the decline of political rhetoric and from the immigration of one million citizens." In answering a question as to whether he would visit Syria, Sfeir said: "We would look into it." He called for reconciliation among the various Lebanese factions, including Christian groups. Sfeir congratulated the United States because "it followed its constitution and elected a president chosen by the people." "We hope the forthcoming [parliamentary] elections in Lebanon would proceed along constitutional rules," he added. - The Daily Star

Security forces arrest student involved in LU clashes
By Fidelius Schmid /Special to The Daily Star
Friday, November 07, 2008
BEIRUT: Security forces have arrested the man who allegedly stabbed one of his fellow student during fighting between rival Christian groups on Fanar campus of the Lebanese University on Wednesday. A well-informed judicial source told The Daily Star on Thursday that Elie Hadshiti, a student, turned himself in after an arrest warrant had been issued for him. Hadshiti is suspected to having attacked Milad Dib, a supporter of the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM), with a knife on Wednesday.
But the head of Lebanese Forces' (LF) student organization, Charbel Eid, denied any arrest. He said Hadshiti was questioned by the police but released afterward. "I know that the police are out there searching for the FPM students who started this. But there has been no arrest on our side," Eid said.
On Wednesday, security forces had evacuated the campus to intervene after a row between student members of the LF and FPM supporters escalated. After two days of violence, both sides blamed each other for starting the fighting. Mario Chamoun, the head of political affairs in the FPM's youth section, said he was unaware of an arrest. However, he said his group had turned to the judiciary to follow the incident up. "This was deliberate. You do not go to a campus with a knife without planning something," he told The Daily Star. "We are suing them and this will go its way through the judiciary."
The LF had also called for a probe on what happened on the Campus on Wednesday.
According to Chamoun, his fellow FPM supporter Dib left hospital Thursday and was recovering. "Fortunately it was just an injury, he is home now," Chamoun said.
Tensions between the two student groups have been running high since the FPM won 41 seats on the student in elections earlier this year. The LF did not win any on this occasion. Chamoun hoped no similar incidents would occur. "Let's hope we can see democracy prevail. If we win, I hope they will accept it"

Pope stresses religious freedom at Muslim-Catholic forum
By Agence France Presse (AFP)
Friday, November 07, 2008
VATICAN CITY: Pope Benedict XVI stressed on Thursday the importance of religious freedom in an address to the Vatican's first Catholic-Islamic forum. "Political and religious leaders have the duty of ensuring ... each individual's freedom of conscience and freedom of religion," the head of the Catholic church said at the end of the three-day forum. "My hope ... is that these fundamental human rights will be protected for all people everywhere," he told the Muslim and Catholic dignitaries from around the world. The Vatican seminar was organized in response to a Muslim call for dialogue issued in October 2006, a month after Benedict's controversial speech in Regensburg, Germany, seen as linking Islam with violence. The forum "represents one more step along the way toward greater understanding between Muslims and Christians," the pontiff said. Speaking for the Muslim delegation, Sayyed Hossein Nasr of Iran, a professor of Islamic studies at George Washington University in Washington, said earlier that both Christians and Muslims "believe in religious freedom." However, he said: "We Muslims do not allow an aggressive proselytizing in our midst that would destroy our faith in the name of freedom, any more than would Christians if they were in our situation." Benedict said: "This gathering is a clear sign of our mutual esteem and our desire to listen respectfully to one another." "The discrimination and violence which even today religious people experience throughout the world, and the often violent persecutions to which they are subject, represent unacceptable and unjustifiable acts, all the more grave and deplorable when they are carried out in the name of God," the pope added. - AFP

Obama's choice for chief of staff puts 'Israel's man in White House'
By Agence France Presse (AFP)
Friday, November 07, 2008
CHICAGO: After the euphoria of his historic election win, Barack Obama got down Thursday to choosing a presidential team that faces a mountain of problems, not least the economic crisis and wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The Democrat dodged the limelight after being elected America's first black president, but behind-the-scenes activity picked up with the formal creation of a team to handle his transition to power ahead of the January 20 inauguration.
In an immediate reminder of the mammoth task ahead, the Dow Jones share average plummeted nearly 500 points Wednesday on resurgent fears of a deep recession. This was followed by large sell-offs and a raft of negative financial data in Asia and Europe.
Democrats said Obama had asked combative Congressman and former Bill Clinton White House aide Rahm Emanuel, 48, to be his chief of staff, a vital post that helps set the tempo of the administration. Israeli media on Thursday hailed Barack Obama's choice of Rahm Emanuel to be his chief of staff, with one daily calling the Democrat of Israeli descent "our man in the White House."
Radio stations and newspapers pointed out Emanuel's Jerusalem-born father was once a member of Irgun, an ultra-nationalist Jewish terror group behind such slaughters of civilians as the bombing of the King David hotel which killed 92 people in 1946.
Emanuel himself volunteered to serve in the Israeli Army and did a two-month stint at a base in northern Israel during the 1991 Gulf war, public radio reported.
"It is obvious he will exert influence on the president to be pro-Israeli," Emanuel's father, who moved to the US in the 1960s, told the Maariv daily.
The newspaper headlined the article: "Our man in the White House."
While Clinton, the last Democrat in the White House, took weeks to announce his Cabinet, Obama does not have the luxury of time as more than a trillion dollars is dispensed to bail out Wall Street. Obama has hinted at possible names to take over as treasury secretary.
He noted to CNN last week that his economic advisers include Clinton's last Treasury Secretary Larry Summers, 53, as well as former Federal Reserve chief Paul Volcker, 81, and mega-rich investor Warren Buffett, 78. Another name being mentioned in the media for Obama's economic overseer is Timothy Geithner, 47, who as president of the New York Federal Reserve has been in charge of executing the US central bank's sudden explosion of market activity.
Obama made note of the acute set of challenges he faces in his victory speech late Tuesday before 240,000 people in Chicago and millions more watching at home in the United States and around the world.
"Even as we celebrate tonight, we know the challenges that tomorrow will bring are the greatest of our lifetime - two wars, a planet in peril, the worst financial crisis in a century," the president-elect said. "But America - I have never been more hopeful than I am tonight that we will get there. I promise you - we as a people will get there."Obama, a 47-year-old Illinois senator, crushed Republican John McCain, 72, with an inspirational message of hope and change.
But now the hard part begins for Obama as he confronts the stricken economy along with his promises to reduce troop levels in Iraq and make a success of Afghanistan. Names floating in the media as possible secretaries of defense include current Pentagon chief Robert Gates - whom Obama has praised - as well as the retiring Senator for Nebraska Chuck Hagel, another Republican.
Also seen as in the running are Richard Danzig, navy secretary under Clinton and an Obama adviser during the campaign, and current President George W. Bush's former Secretary of State Colin Powell.
While his aides made no announcements of any briefings for Thursday, Obama cannot stay silent for too long as both Wall Street and voters suffering from the financial crisis look to their next president for reassurance and guidance.
A day after triggering a political earthquake not seen since Ronald Reagan's 1980 landslide, Obama named key figures of the transition team that will spend the next 75 days preparing for his inauguration and presidency beyond. The transition office in Washington will be run by co-chairs John Podesta, a former chief of staff to Clinton; Pete Rouse, who was Obama's Senate chief of staff; and the Democrat's close friend Valerie Jarrett.
Their job will be to vet Cabinet nominees and prepare the vital first political moves of the new administration.
Bush offered generous praise to his successor and pledged his "complete cooperation" during the transition period. He invited the Obamas to the White House at their earliest convenience. In another sign of the changing of the guard, Michelle Obama spoke by telephone with First Lady Laura Bush, who offered her own invitation.
CIA director Mike Hayden also said the US intelligence agency would begin sharing classified information with Obama.
The incoming president has promised to renew bruised ties with US allies, and to engage some of the nation's foes such as Iran and North Korea.
He has vowed to tackle climate change, cut taxes for 95 percent of working Americans, and guarantee near-universal health care at a time when many thousands are losing their insurance as their jobs disappear.
Many observers think he will have his work cut out to honor those pledges given the ongoing wars that need financing as well as the dire state of the United States economy with all the bailout measures that need financing. Top Obama advisers will attend a White House summit being convened by Bush on November 15, as 20 world leaders thrash out a response to the worst economic crisis since the 1930s Great Depression. - AFP

BIEL to host defense strategy conference on November 14
By Nicholas Kimbrell /Daily Star staff
Friday, November 07, 2008
BEIRUT: Lebanon's comprehensive national defense strategy will be discussed at an upcoming security conference intended to complement President Michel Sleiman's national dialogue, the Institute for Near East and Gulf Military Analysis (INEGMA) said Thursday at the Lebanese Press Federation.
The upcoming two-day conference, entitled "Lebanon the Present and the Future: Basis of Lebanese Defense Strategy," will begin November 14 at Biel.
The defense strategy conference will include eight panel discussions with topics ranging from "The Regional Environment and its Effects on Lebanon," to "The Israeli Threat and the Peace Process."
Featured speakers will include Amr Moussa, secretary general of the Arab League, Abdel-Rahman al-Attiyah, secretary general of the Gulf Cooperation Council and numerous Lebanese parliamentarians and MPs.
Mohammad Baalbaki, head of the press syndicate, and Riad Kahwaji, director general of INEGMA, presided over Thursday's press-briefing.
Speaking with The Daily Star, Kahwaji called the conference the first of its kind.
"We've managed to get together a good list of speakers that represent the views of all [of Lebanon's] parties," he said. "The object of this exercise will be to provide substantive analysis that the leaders of the nation can refer to and rely on" he added.He called current national defense talks "shallow and superficial," and said the conference would deal with a more collective idea of national defense. The vision, Kahwaji said, is to make Lebanon's national defense "a subject of debate for the general population, [and] to replace the sectarian and ideological divisions."

AUB holds special ceremony to honor 'Le Corbusier of Lebanon' Khalil Khoury
Daily Star staff
Friday, November 07, 2008
BEIRUT: The personality and charisma of the late Khalil Khoury was almost palpable in the American University of Beirut's (AUB) Architecture Lecture Hall Wednesday evening when family, friends, colleagues and former students gathered to honor "the Corbusier of Lebanon," who succumbed to cancer on October 8. He was almost 80 years old. Khoury's wife, son Bernard, also a famous Beirut architect, and two of his brothers attended the tribute to the late architect.
The speakers, introduced by architecture professor George Arbid, focused on the power of his personality, the strength of his architectural mission, his influence as teacher, and the sheer genius of his work.
Former president of the Lebanese Order of Architects and Engineers Assem Salam labeled him "a pioneer of the modern movement in architecture in Lebanon," influenced by the humanism of the Renaissance and the rigor of the Bauhaus School.
Khoury, he said, "was the leading architect of us all."
He was very emotional, but permitted no compromise in his work. "Scientist, designer, artist, painter, he was contemporary, modern, progressive."
For him, Salam said, "structure and expression were one."
The founder of Interdesign, he was known for creations ranging from an egg cup to comfortable chairs.
Former students, now architects Simone Kosremelli and Emilie Kfoury recounted their experiences with Khoury as teacher. Kosremelli said Khoury was always talking and always sketching. For him, "no problem was without a solution," but his solutions were never commonplace - "they reflected his genius." She shared endless talking lunches with Khoury. "It is a great loss for humanity," she said, that he never wrote anything down.
Emilie Kfoury, for whom Khoury was both teacher and friend for many years, detailed the privilege, the "joy and happiness" of learning from the late architect as both student and coworker. When Emilie became a free lance architect, Khoury continued to help her, even leading her to the computer in the 1990s.
A boyhood friend of Khoury, Gregoire Serof, shared many photographs of their friendship, from early school days to ALBA to later professional juries, illustrating the compelling variety of Khoury's personality as carpenter, inventor, interior designer, landscape designer, and architect. He displayed photographs of many Khoury buildings. Serof also read an essay on behalf of Khoury's brother, George, also an architect, who described his eldest sibling as a role model and a father figure to the entire family after the untimely death of their father. Khalil Khoury graduated in 1955 from the Academie Libanaise des Beaux Arts. He developed the family business of furniture design, Interdesign, whose building he had designed and built, along with several others in Lebanon and abroad. He taught at AUB for 22 years. - The Daily Star

Understanding Syria-Iran alliance
By Marwan Kabalan, Special to Gulf News
Published: November 06, 2008, 23:23
The resumption of peace talks between Syria and Israel and the prospect of a peace treaty between the two sworn enemies have triggered questions about a probable shift in the regional balance of power and the likelihood of producing a new Middle Eastern order.
Analysts are mainly interested in the future of Syrian-Iranian relations and the impact of Syrian-Israeli peace on them. And with the advent of a new administration in the White House, many seek answers to questions such as: Is Syria's relation with Iran strategic or tactical? Is it a catholic marriage or a marriage of convenience? Can Syria be nudged away from Tehran? Why should Syria give up its relations with Tehran and at what price? What are the incentives; the cost and the benefits?
These questions are hypothetical and as a consequence there are no simple answers for most of them. Defining the factors which have contributed to the establishment, endurance and stamina of the Syrian-Iranian alliance should nevertheless help clarify some aspects of the most puzzling and most effective partnership in the Middle East.
For the past few years, the Syrian-Iranian alliance proved to be a major hurdle to US plans in the region; and as such destroying it became a major foreign policy interest for the Bush administration. Since the invasion of Iraq, Washington has tried to break up this alliance but with little success. Isolation, sanctions and intimidation have yielded only the reverse effect.
The Syrian-Iranian alliance was established after the Islamic revolution in 1979. It gained strategic importance only after the coming of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, whose supportive statements compensated for the lack of sympathy in the Arab world. Political, economic, military and other agreements were signed between the two countries and Iran became the largest foreign investor in Syria. The Lebanon war of July 2006 signified the importance of this alliance.
Necessity
From a Syrian perspective the marriage with Iran was a matter of necessity more than a choice. It is based on several considerations. Iran compensated for the loss of Egypt in the Arab Israeli balance of power after the Camp David Accord. It also compensated for the lack of Arab economic handouts, halted after the Iran-Iraq war.
The shared animosity towards the Saddam Hussain regime provided one more reason to consolidate this alliance. The support of the religiously-oriented regime in the confrontation between the Syrian regime and the Muslim brotherhood in the early 1980s was also vital. Iran proved to be also useful in Lebanon especially after the Israeli invasion of 1982, the establishment of Hezbollah, and the revival of the Shiite community.
The Syrian-Iranian alliance began as purely defensive and throughout the 1980s and 1990s its major area of interest was Lebanon. The occupation of Iraq transformed it, giving Syria one more reason to get closer to Tehran to abort US attempts to destabilise the regime in Damascus.
From an Iranian perspective, relations with Syria were extremely important to prevent the Iraq-Iran war from turning into an Arab-Iranian conflict or a Sunni-Shiite divide. Syria's contributions to Iran's war efforts were also valuable. Syria closed the Iraqi Kirkuk-Banias oil pipeline, depriving Saddam Hussain from an important financial resource.
Syria was compensated with cheap Iranian oil. Had Syria chosen to stand by Iraq, it could not only have weakened Iran's position, but could have also closed the circle on the venerable revolutionary regime in Tehran.
Syria was viewed by Tehran as a primary partner in the Arab-Israeli conflict, offering Iran a symbolic political role in the central cause of the region. In Lebanon, Iran sought to secure Hezbollah's political and military presence in the south with Syrian approval. The occupation of Iraq increased Syria's importance to Tehran, giving it vital access to most of the region's problems. Through Syria, Iran could use most of its regional cards as a bargaining chip concerning its nuclear programme and threats by the US military.
Marinating this alliance has not always been an easy business, however. Damascus and Tehran have at times been at pain to hide disagreements. The religious regime in Tehran and secular regime in Damascus have had difficulties justifying their relationship domestically.
The two countries are also at odds over a number of regional issues. While Iran supports federation in Iraq (probably partition), Syria stands against it. Iran prefers a weak, Iran-friendly, Shiite-dominated Iraq. Syria, by contrast, seeks a relatively strong, secular Iraq with a clear Arab identify. In Palestine, Iran supports Hamas and Islamic Jihad to further its interests and influence in the Arab-Israeli conflict; Syria supports them as a means to reach final peace settlement with Israel.
Regardless, the Syrian-Iranian alliance has survived all sorts of difficulties over the past three decades and is likely to endure as long as common interests keep the two countries together.
**Dr Marwan Kabalan is a lecturer in media and international relations, at the Centre for Strategic Studies and Research, Damascus University, Syria.

Rahm Emanuel to be Obama's chief of staff
The Chicago resident and close ally of the president-elect is currently the fourth-ranking Democrat in the House. Democrats applaud the choice, but some Republicans worry that the tough political operative might be too partisan for the job.
By Peter Nicholas /-Los Angeles Times 
November 6, 2008
Reporting from Chicago -- Rahm Emanuel, a tough political operative who helped create a solid Democratic majority in Congress, accepted Barack Obama's offer to be White House chief of staff, according to Democratic congressional aides.
Emanuel, the fourth-ranking Democrat in the House, struggled with the decision, which may put beyond reach any hopes he had of becoming speaker of the House some day.But in trading his House leadership spot for the prime staff position in the White House, Emanuel is certain to be at the vanguard of Obama's ambitious policy agenda.
Emanuel, 48, is a Chicago resident and a close political ally of Obama. He served in Bill Clinton's White House, a pedigree that will position him to guide Obama on legislative strategy and the workings of the executive branch.
Although some Republicans have complained that Emanuel is too partisan a figure to succeed in the job, prominent Democrats are applauding the decision.
Howard Paster, a colleague of Emanuel in the Clinton administration, said: "One of the issues for a president is: Do I pick someone with whom I have a good relationship, or someone who knows his way around Washington."
In Emanuel, Paster continued, "President-elect Obama had an opportunity to pick someone who meets both criteria."
A former head of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, Emanuel helped put the Democrats back in control of the House in the 2006 election, reducing the Republicans to minority status. In that role, he occasionally alienated Republicans, whose cooperation Obama will need to advance his policy goals.
Some Republicans have grumbled that choosing Emanuel as chief of staff sends a disturbing signal, given Obama's promise of a fresh, bipartisan approach.
Yet Paster said Emanuel appreciates the chief of staff job calls for a different style.
"What they [the Republicans] have seen was that as head of the DCCC and the Democratic caucus, he fought vigorously," Paster said. "Well, that was his job. They forget that when he was in the White House, he helped Bill Clinton build relationships with uniformed police officers and police on the streets and was never seen as one of the more liberal influences in the Clinton White House."
Often blunt and profane, Emanuel is notorious for his aggressive partisan tactics. He once sent a dead fish to a political rival.
Emanuel has close ties to Israel. In an interview with an Israeli newspaper, his father, Dr Benjamin Emanuel said the appointment would be a boon to the Jewish state.
"Obviously, he will influence the president to be pro-Israel," Dr. Emanuel said in the interview. He said that his son visits Tel Aviv most summers.
Emanuel, 48, has three children, ages 8 to 11.
Nicholas is a Times staff writer.
peter.nicholas@latimes.com
Times Staff Writer Janet Hook contributed to this article

Sarkozy pledges France's support on Iran
French president, foreign minister meet with Knesset Speaker Dalia Itzik before she delivered keynote speech before nearly a thousand European MPs at 'unprecedented' Paris conference in support of Israel
Amnon Meranda Published: 11.07.08, 01:13 / Israel News
While the position of US President-elect Barack Obama on Iran's nuclear ambitions has raised a fair deal of questions, Israel received an encouraging push from French President Nicolas Sarkozy on Thursday evening.
European delegation visits Gaza, extends formal invitation to all elected Palestinian lawmakers, including those part of recognized terror organization
Sarkozy invited Knesset Speaker Dalia Itzik to meet with him at the Élysée Palace prior to her keynote speech at an atypically large event for Israel. The president reaffirmed France's support of Israel in its concerns over Tehran.
Itzik also touched on the Iranian issue in her meeting with French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner. The two also discussed the efforts to secure the release of kidnapped soldier Gilad Shalit, who retains French citizenship.
Considered unprecedented in scale in the European Union, the prestigious conference in Paris was organized by European Friends of Israel (EFI), a leading lobby group. Close to a thousand members of parliament from 27 EU member nations took part in the event.
According to EFI, support of Israel has reached a peak in the EU, and the organization claims that 2,000 of the 6,000 MPs are supportive of Israel and have declared an interest in the lobby's initiatives to strengthen European ties to Jerusalem.
"This is an unprecedented event," said an EFI official. "Just this week it was reported that MPs in Brussels invited a Hamas delegation to visit, and Israel's response is a massive gathering of supporters, here in Paris."
In her speech Itzik told the audience that Europe has a historic duty to help preserve Israel's security.
She also spoke of Shalit, and urged those assembled to organize petitions calling for the soldier's release in their own parliaments. In a recent trip to Damascus, President Sarkozy passed a letter for Gilad from his father, Noam Shalit, through exiled Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal.
Itzik warned that Iran "endangers not only Israel, but the entire world. If terror group are able to lay their hands on nuclear weapons provided by Iran, they will be able to target Paris, London and New York as well."
**Roni Sofer contributed to this report

Israel sets new rules on Lebanon targets
By AMIR MIZROCH AND BRENDA GAZZAR
Jerusalem Post 07/11/08
In any future conflict with Hizbullah, Israel will likely cite the Shi'ite group's increasing influence within the Lebanese cabinet as a legitimate reason to target Lebanon's entire infrastructure, government sources have told The Jerusalem Post.
Slideshow: Pictures of the week In the Second Lebanon War, the IAF did target some of Lebanon's infrastructure but was asked to stop by the US and others.
According to assessments in Israel, Hizbullah's influence over Lebanese politics is expected to grow, and it is set to gain at least two more cabinet posts in elections next spring - likely the Interior Ministry and, as a remote possibility, the defense portfolio.
Hizbullah already has a veto on cabinet decisions. There are no major diplomatic and security decisions taken by Lebanon that are not informed by or initiated by Hizbullah, and the Shi'ite group has been given the official title of Liberator of the Shaba Farms (Mount Dov) and the (seven) Shi'ite villages in the Galilee.
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Hizbullah is four times stronger militarily today than it was at the end of the last Lebanon war. In August 2006 Hizbullah had 14,000 rockets, with Hadera being the southernmost city within their range. Two years after the war, Hizbullah has some 40,000 rockets and Dimona (with its nuclear reactor), Yeroham and Arad, all in the Negev, are at risk, the Post has learned.
Hizbullah has a long-term plan to fortify positions and create strategic depth north of the Litani River, inside Shi'ite villages south of the Litani, and in the Bekaa Valley, its traditional stronghold.
Should the next Lebanese defense minister be a member of Hizbullah or from a Hizbullah-affiliated party, Israel could argue that there is no difference between the Lebanese army and Hizbullah, and act accordingly, according to assessments in Jerusalem.
Meanwhile, Lebanon's rival political factions briefly resumed talks this week on a national defense strategy that includes the fate of Hizbullah's weapons. The discussion are to resume on December 22.
In their last meeting on September 16, the factions agreed to work toward a national defense strategy that could eventually integrate Hizbullah's weapons into the army. However, this issue will likely not be decided until after the parliamentary elections this spring, experts say.
Wednesday's meeting, which was cut short after a participant fell ill, was the second time the factions met since a deal was reached in May that defused a long-standing political crisis.
Although the parties were not likely to agree on a defense strategy during these talks, they still had significance for the country, said Nadim Shehadi, associate fellow at the Middle Eastern Program at the London-based Chatham House.
"The process of discussing them politically, rather than in the streets of Beirut, is definitely preferable," Shehadi said.
More than 80 people were killed in May when street fighting broke out in Beirut between Hizbullah gunmen and Sunnis, nearly plunging Lebanon into another civil war.
"It will be the parliamentary elections in May and June that will decide the future of any defense strategy in Lebanon, rather than sitting around a table every six weeks and talking about it," a Western journalist based in Lebanon said.
If the Hizbullah-led opposition were to win the upcoming elections, they would have a much easier time dictating the terms of any defense strategy, he said.
Hizbullah maintains that its form of "resistance" is the best means of maintaining Lebanese sovereignty against any aggression. While Hizbullah accepts having close coordination with the Lebanese army, it insisted on preserving its autonomy and thus a separate chain of command to fight against Israel, the journalist said.
On the other hand, the Western-backed March 14th coalition insists that Hizbullah should come under government control. While it wants to disarm Hizbullah altogether, it would settle for seeing them folded into the Lebanese army, the journalist said.
The upcoming elections are expected to be very tight between the Hizbullah-led opposition and the March 14th coalition.
"It's going to be very, very close," he said. "The country is split down the middle in terms of support for one side or the other."
AP contributed to this report.

Syrians stare terror in the face
By Sami Moubayed
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/JK08Ak01.html
DAMASCUS - Syrian television aired much-awaited interviews on Thursday evening with the terrorist cell responsible for an attack in Damascus in September that left 14 people dead and 65 injured.
State television showed what it said were 12 members of the Islamist militant group Fatah al-Islam, confessing that they had helped plan the suicide car bombing.
The interview sent shivers down the spine of most Syrians, who were horrified to hear that there was something called a "Syria branch" for al-Qaeda. These people looked like ordinary Syrians. They came from places like Aleppo, Homs and Damascus. One was a 24-year-old smuggler of gasoline between Syria and Lebanon. Another was a dental expert, while a third was an
information technology expert. A fourth was a student at one of the private schools that recently started operating in Syria. Some of them said that they had baby children.
Originally it was believed that the terrorist who drove an automobile into the premises of a security building on the road to Damascus International Airport had come from Iraq. The license plate was Iraqi and most of the militants who had carried out attacks in Syria since 2003 came from the wilderness of Iraq.
It was too abstract for Syrians to believe that their countrymen could plot such a bloody crime against innocent fellow Syrians. The Thursday broadcast proved them wrong.
The new information confirms that the terrorists were a mixture of Syrians, Lebanese and Palestinians, operating not directly with al-Qaeda, but a sister organization called Fatah al-Islam, which is based in neighboring Tripoli, Lebanon.
The suicide bomber himself was a Saudi named "Abu Aysha", whose picture was also shown on Syrian TV. This group wanted to "harm the Syrian regime" and had several targets on their hit list, including the central bank of Syria. They also had a hit list that included an Italian and a British diplomat, both based in Damascus.
One of the men who appeared on TV was Abdul-Baqi Hussein, head of security in the Syria-branch of Fatah al-Islam, and Wafa Abbsi, the daughter of Fatah al-Islam founder Shaker al-Abbsi. They said the car was in fact stolen from Iraqis and loaded with 200 kilograms of explosives at a farm on the outskirts of Damascus.
Very troubling was the confession of Wafa, the only woman among the group, who spoke with her husband Yasser Unad. They seemed the most disturbed among the group of terrorists. Wafa said her father received money transfers to conduct his military activities from the Future Movement of Lebanese parliamentary majority leader Saad al-Hariri. Her father never trusted Hariri, Abbsi implied, saying that he feared that the latter would "trade him" for a cheap price. Wafa, whose first husband was a Syrian killed on the Syrian-Iraqi border, came to Syria with her second husband - also a Syrian - and was arrested with the terrorist team after September 27.
Wafa's tale takes us back to an earlier argument made by veteran US journalist Seymour Hersh, who wrote in The New Yorker that Hariri, the US and certain figures in Saudi Arabia were responsible for creating Fatah al-Islam. Speaking to CNN International's Your World Today in May 2007, Hersh said that all three parties wanted a Sunni military group in Lebanon to combat Hezbollah - which was backed by Iran - in the event of an outbreak of Sunni-Shi'ite violence. While Hersh was speaking, violence was ranging in the infamous Naher al-Bared camp in northern Lebanon, between Fatah al-Islam and the Lebanese army. Those battles, which lasted for weeks, led to the killing of about 400 people.
Abbsi himself, the founder of Fatah al-Islam, was at first reported dead. These reports were later challenged by his supporters, who claimed that he escaped the violence of Naher al-Bared. In his CNN interview, Hersh added, "The enemy of our enemy is our friend, just as the jihadi groups in Lebanon were also there to go after [Hezbollah leader Hassan] Nasrallah. We're in the business of creating in some places, Lebanon in particular, sectarian violence."
He drew parallels between US-Hariri-Saudi backing of Fatah al-Islam with American support for Osama Bin Laden when he was fighting the Soviets in Afghanistan in the 1980s. With time, he turned against his creators and became America's number one enemy. The architects of this policy - which calls for the creation of parties like Fatah al-Islam - are US Vice President Dick Cheney, Deputy National Security Adviser Elliott Abrams and former ambassador and current Saudi National Security Adviser Prince Bandar bin Sultan.
Hersh said, "The idea [is] that the Saudis promised they could control the jihadis, so we [US] spent a lot of money and time ... using and supporting the jihadis to help us beat the Russians in Afghanistan, and they turned on us. And we have the same pattern, not as if there's any lessons learned. The same pattern, using the Saudis again to support jihadis."
Origins of Fatah al-Islam
The group was reportedly founded in November 2006, emerging from a radical Palestinian group called Fatah al-Intifada which in turn was inspired by the Fatah movement of Yasser Arafat, currently headed by Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas.
Arafat's Fatah was born in Kuwait in the 1960s and is currently governing in Palestine. It is pro-West today, however, unlike Abbsi's Fatah al-Islam. Abbsi himself (born in Jericho in 1955) was a member of Arafat's Fatah. He joined military units of Fatah and served as a MiG fighter pilot for Libya in its war with Chad and fought Israel's occupation of Lebanon in 1982 as a warrior with Arafat.
He grew too Islamic and became frustrated with Arafat's diplomacy and secular nationalism, breaking with Fatah by the mid-1980s. The Israeli occupation of Beirut in 1982 disenchanted millions of fighters in the Arab world, who turned to the only remaining and reliable source of inspiration that could unite them: Islam. Arab nationalism was abandoned for the sake of Islamic nationalism. It seemed the logical thing to do by the 1980s. After all, Islam had triumphed in combating the Soviets in Afghanistan. Islam had also led to the toppling of the pro-Western Shah Reza Pahlavi of Iran and the killing of Anwar Sadat in 1981. Political Islam seemed the right - and logical - thing to turn to.
Abbsi moved to Syria to work against Arafat and rebrand himself. Contrary to what anti-Syrian media outlets are saying in Beirut, the Syrians did not tolerate him. On the contrary, they grew suspicious of his activities and placed him behind bars for three years. On his release, he became close to Abu Musaab al-Zarkawi, the terrorist leader of Iraq, who at the time was based in his native Jordan.
Together they planned the assassination of Laurence Foley, a US diplomat based in Jordan, in 2004. Both were sentenced to death in absentia by Jordanian courts in July of that year. Abbsi then went to Lebanon, fleeing an arrest warrant in both Syria and Jordan. His name resurfaced in Jordan this January when two militants engaged in a gun battle with Jordanian police in the northern city of Irbid. On arrest, they confessed that they had been sent to Jordan by Abbsi to carry out terrorist operations.
Abbsi chose the Nahr al-Bared refugee camp in northern Lebanon, near the city of Tripoli, to set up base and found his Fatah al-Islam. The new group, he claimed, would be modeled after al-Qaeda and inspired by bin Laden. Its stated goal was to establish Islamic law in Lebanon, and then destroy the United States and Israel.
Speaking to the New York Times shortly before his battle with the Lebanese army began, Abbsi said said, "The only way to achieve our rights is by force. This is the way America deals with us. So when the Americans feel that their lives and their economy are threatened, they will know that they will leave."
Naturally, the anti-Syrian team in Lebanon writes off the entire story as a hoax. They claimed from day one that Fatah al-Islam was created by the Syrians. That is difficult to believe, since his prison record in Damascus - along with Syria's history of combating Islamic fundamentalism - would certainly prevent it from engaging in such a risky scheme with such a notorious terrorist. Additionally, the terrorist bombing of September 27 adds proof that if anything, Fatah al-Islam is certainly not allied to Damascus. On the contrary, it is bent on destroying Syria.
Those doubting the entire story will continue doing so, claiming that the program aired on Syrian TV was doctored by the Syrians. That too is hard to believe. These terrorists were watched by millions of people around the world and in Syria. They gave out real names and appeared clearly on screen. If the Syrians asked them to stage the entire operation, how can they continue with their ordinary lives and not be spotted as frauds?
And if these were indeed the terrorists saying things to please the Syrians; why would they? They are in Syrian jails after all and face the death penalty for committing terror against Syrian citizens and government. The last thing they would want to do as they face the hangman's noose, is please Syrian authorities. The truth is that these people - Fatah al-Islam in Syria - were for real and they are testimony to just how vulnerable Syria has become to terrorists and fundamentalists.
They are the real wolves at the doors of Damascus and when they stand at the gates of the Syrian capital - and can pull off a terrorist attack as the one on September 27 - this means that they have already infiltrated more vulnerable places like Beirut, Baghdad and Amman.
Sami Moubayed is Editor-in-Chief of Forward Magazine in Syria.
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