LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS
BULLETIN
November 13/08
Bible Reading of the day.
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 17,11-19. As he continued
his journey to Jerusalem, he traveled through Samaria and Galilee.
As he was entering a village, ten lepers met (him). They stood at a distance
from him and raised their voice, saying, "Jesus, Master! Have pity on us!"
And when he saw them, he said, "Go show yourselves to the priests." As they were
going they were cleansed. And one of them, realizing he had been healed,
returned, glorifying God in a loud voice; and he fell at the feet of Jesus and
thanked him. He was a Samaritan. Jesus said in reply, "Ten were cleansed, were
they not? Where are the other nine? Has none but this foreigner returned to give
thanks to God?" Then he said to him, "Stand up and go; your faith has saved
you."
Saint Bernard (1091-1153), Cistercian monk and Doctor of the Church
Various sermons, no.27/"Where are the other nine?"
In our own day we see many people at prayer but, unfortunately, we see none
of them turning back to give thanks to God... «Ten were cleansed, were they not?
Where are the other nine?» As I think you will remember, it was in these words
that our Savior complained about the lack of gratitude of the other nine lepers.
We read that they knew well how to make «supplications, prayers, petitions»
since they lifted up their voices, crying out: «Jesus, Master! Have pity on us!»
But they lacked the fourth thing required by the apostle Paul: «thanksgiving»
(1Tm 2,1) for they did not turn back nor give thanks to God. We see still more
in our own day people who implore God for what they lack but a mere handful who
seem to be grateful for the blessings they have received. There is no harm in
imploring him, but what causes God not to grant our prayers is his finding us
lacking in gratitude. After all, perhaps it is even an act of mercy on his part
to hold back from the ungrateful what they are asking for so that they may not
be judged all the more rigorously on account of their ingratitude... For it is
sometimes out of mercy that God holds back his mercy...So you see that not all
those who are healed of the leprosy of this world, I mean their manifest
complaints, profit by their healing. Indeed, many are secretly afflicted with an
ulcer worse than leprosy, all the more dangerous in that it is more interior.
That is why it was right that the Savior of the world should ask where the other
nine lepers were, since sinners avoid healing. So, too, after his sin, God
questioned the first man: «Where are you?» (Gn 3,9).
Interview From the Daily Star
Interview with Dori Chamoun, the
National Lebanese Party (NLP) 12/11/08
Free Opinions,
Releases, letters & Special Reports
Al-Qaida-Iraq's Message to
the New Ruler Of The White House. By: Dr. Walid Phares 12/11/08
Might
Jumblatt be the man to forge a Lebanese middle?
-By Marc
J. Sirois 12/11/08
No Israeli Obama, thankfully. By:
Amos Carmel/Israel Opinion 12/11/08
Latest News Reports From
Miscellaneous Sources for November
12/08
Lebanon finds 2900 year old Phoenician remains-Reuters
- USA
Peres attends rare dinner
with Arab leaders.
Israel News
Casualties in Shootout
with Lebanese Army at Masnaa-Naharnet
Israel to Withdraw from
Ghajar Soon-Naharnet
Iran
Test-Fires New Surface-to-Surface Missile-(AP)
Fatah Vows to Crack Down
on Ain el-Hilweh Terrorists-Naharnet
Lebanese army arrests senior members of Fattah
al-Islam-Xinhua
Bin Laden ally 'planned to head for Lebanon-Daily
Star
Lebanon and Syria tussle over Islamist
militants-Financial Times
Miliband to visit Syria-Reuters
UK
Hariri asks Moussa for inquest into Fatah al-Islam claims-Daily
Star
Nasrallah urges timely elections, wider dialogue-Daily
Star
High Level Lebanese-Israeli Meeting Over Blue Line
Violations-Naharnet
Geagea to Aoun: Your Allies are Most Corrupt in
the Country-Naharnet
Was US Right About Syria Nukes?TIME
Syria: New Dawn for Humanity-Global
Voices Online
Nasrallah: Israeli hands that attack Lebanon
will be severed-Ha'aretz
Aoun's Ministers Considering Boycotting Cabinet
Sessions-Naharnet
Larijani to Discuss Iraq-US Relations with
Nasrallah-Naharnet
Abbas
accuses Hamas leaders of 'not wanting' reconciliation-(AFP)
Chamoun's NLP plans to contest four seats in 2009 parliamentary polls-Daily
Star
Carter, Brown to visit Lebanon-Daily
Star
Kahwaji vows to 'hunt down spies wherever they are-Daily
Star
Indonesia - why there is no recession in the world's leading Muslim economy-Daily
Star
Aridi
promises not to clip MEA's wings-Daily
Star
Gulf
stock markets take another hit as markets fret impact of global crisis-(AFP)
Salameh advises caution to fend off worldwide recession-Daily
Star
Lebanese state 'to pay off all NSSF dues for 2008-Daily
Star
Lebanon expects 2.3 million visitors by end of year-Daily
Star
Bassil says Cabinet has agreed to cut land-line rates - and cellular is next-Daily
Star
$10
million for word on missing Israelis-Daily
Star
NDU
officials lament reactions to polls-Daily
Star
Salloukh backs ban on use of cluster bombs-Daily
Star
British and French missions take time out to honor their war dead
e of the French ambassador-Daily
Star
Safadi Cultural Center opens in Tripoli-Daily
Star
Young
advertising talents receive awards-Daily
Star
Ban Considering Visiting
Lebanon Soon-Naharnet
Qahwaji: No Safe Haven to
Terrorists From Now on, Beirut a Priority-Naharnet
Lebanon
finds 2,900 year old Phoenician remains
Wed Nov 12, 2008
BEIRUT (Reuters) - Lebanese and Spanish archaeologists have discovered
2,900-year-old earthenware pottery that ancient Phoenicians used to store the
bones of their dead after burning the corpses. They said more than 100 jars were
discovered at a Phoenician site in the southern coastal city of Tire.
Phoenicians are known to have thrived from 1500 B.C. to 300 B.C and they were
also headquartered in the coastal area of present-day Syria.
"The big jars are like individual tombs. The smaller jars are left empty, but
symbolically represent that a soul is stored in them," Ali Badawi, the
archaeologist in charge in Tire, told Reuters Wednesday. Badawi and a Spanish
team from the Pompeu Fabra University in Barcelona have been excavating at the
Phoenician site for years. The site was first discovered in 1997 but
archaeologists have only been able to dig up 50 square meters per year. "These
discoveries help researchers who work on past Phoenician colonies in Spain,
Italy and Tunisia, to pin down a large number of their habits and traditions,"
said Maria Eugenia Aubet, who leads the Spanish team. "Especially since there
are few studies of the Phoenicians in their motherland 'Lebanon'," Aubet said,
adding that the remains proved that the Phoenicians were a people who had a
vision for life after death. The last excavation was in 2005. A war in 2006
between Israel and Hezbollah guerrillas concentrated in southern Lebanon and the
tenuous political and security situation in 2007 halted work on the site until
this year. A seafaring civilization, the Phoenicians' earliest cities included
Byblos, Tire and Sidon on Lebanon's coast. From Tire, the Phoenicians are
thought to have expanded into other colonies on the Mediterranean coast.(Writing
by Yara Bayoumy; Editing by Dominic Evans)© Thomson Reuters 2008 All rights
reserved
Lebanese army arrests senior members of Fattah al-Islam
www.chinaview.cn 2008-11-10 18:02:21 BEIRUT, Nov. 10 (Xinhua) -- The Lebanese
army arrested most of the key figures of Fattah al-Islam in the Palestinian
refugee camp of Baddawi in north Lebanon, local As-Safier daily reported Monday.
Sheikh Hamza Kassed, 37 years old, a senior figure of Fattah al-Islam was turned
over to the Lebanese army Sunday night by Palestinian authorities in the camp.
Two more members, Khalid Jaber and Nader al-Ali, were arrested as well.
Khalid al-Itter, who was mentioned during the televised confessions of Fattah
al-Islam group in Syria, was arrested in Tripoli on Saturday by the Lebanese
security.
The Syrian official TV last Wednesday aired confessions of several Fattah
al-Islam members who allegedly carried out the car bomb attack last September in
Damascus which killed 17 people. Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Seniora and
majority leaders criticized Syria for broadcasting testimonies of terrorist
members on its official television, instead of tackling it through proper
channels with Lebanon. The report said the arrest is the first sign that the
Lebanese army considers at least some of the information in the televised
confessions "reliable" following condemnation about their validity by
pro-government leaders in Beirut. Fattah al-Islam was engaged in 15-week fierce
clashes with the Lebanese army in 2007 at the Palestinian refugee camp of Naher
al-Barid. So far, 400 people have been killed, including 168 soldiers. The group
also carried out car bomb attacks against the Lebanese army in north Lebanon.
Editor: Deng Shasha
Casualties in Shootout with
Lebanese Army at Masnaa
Naharnet/A Civil Defense worker was wounded in an overnight clash with a
Lebanese army intelligence member at the border town of Majdal Anjar, the daily
As-Safir reported Wednesday. It said the clash flared against the backdrop of a
traffic preference at the main road to Masnaa between the intelligence soldier
and the civil defense member identified as Samer Qassem Mohammed. As Safir said
Samer was wounded in the head with a sharp tool and was taken to hospital for
treatment.
It said soon afterwards, a group of men attacked the army intelligence member
who abandoned his car to take shelter at a roaster that belonged to al-Ajami
family which protected him. As-Safir, however, said that when an army force
arrived at the scene to evacuate the soldier from the roaster, a fight broke out
and shots were fired, wounding two people in the leg. Youths also destroyed the
soldier's car and set it ablaze. Beirut, 12 Nov 08, 10:39
Fatah Vows to Crack Down on Ain el-Hilweh Terrorists
Naharnet/The leader in Lebanon of the mainstream Fatah movement on Wednesday
pledged to finish off terrorists entrenched in the Palestinian refugee camp of
Ain el-Hilweh to avert an attack by the army on the camp.Fatah Secretarty in
Lebanon Sultan Abul Aynein made the pledge in a television interview stressing
"there wouldn't be another example of the Nahr el-Bared camp." "Fatah would take
the initiative if some Palestinian factions in Ain el-Hilweh decided to refrain
from shouldering their responsibilities in protecting our community and
arresting some known terrorists," Abul Aynein pledged. He was referring to
leaders of the Fatah al-Islam terror network who have been entrenched in a
heavily-guarded bunker in Ain el-Hilweh's Ras al-Ahmar neighborhood. He called
for repeating the example of the northern Beddawi refugee camp where a joint
force from factions loyal to President Mahmoud Abbas' Palestine Liberation
Organization apprehended wanted terrorists and turned them over to the Lebanese
authorities. Abul Aynein also vowed that there would be no major confrontation
with Islamist factions in Ain el-Hilweh, stressing "we'll handle the issue with
wisdom." Beirut, 12 Nov 08, 12:27
Israel to Withdraw from Ghajar Soon
Naharnet/Israel is likely to withdraw from the northern part of the southern
village of Ghajar within the coming few days, al-Akhbar newspaper said
Wednesday.
It said talk of an Israeli pullout from the northern part of Ghajar as well as
an understanding on the future of the Israeli-occupied Shebaa Farms has recently
increased at the "hallways of the United Nations."Al-Akhbar said UNIFIL had
received a semi-official notification from the Israeli military command about
the need to be prepared for a takeover when Israeli troops withdraw from the
Lebanese part of Ghajar, occupied by Israeli forces in July 2006. Ghajar has
been a long-standing sore point for Israel, Syria, Lebanon and the U.N. after
the Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon in 2000, when U.N. inspectors put
the ceasefire line directly through the town. The southern half remained part of
Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, whereas the northern side became part of
Lebanon.
Beirut, 12 Nov 08, 11:57
Larijani Postpones Beirut Visit, French PM Arrives Next Week
Naharnet/Iran's Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani postponed a visit to Lebanon at
the invitation of his counterpart Nabih Berri, the daily An-Nahar said
Wednesday.
An-Nahar did not say why the visit, which was scheduled for Monday, was
postponed. Larijani was to hold talks with President Michel Suleiman, Berri,
Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah and Free Patriotic Movement leader Gen.
Michel Aoun. His talks, according to Lebanese and Iranian sources, were to focus
on bilateral relations, Iraq's future, the Palestine cause and Iran's relations
with the Arab world in light of the "special ties" between Tehran and its Syrian
and Lebanese allies.
Iraq's relations with the United States were expected to be one of the "major
strategic topics of discussion" between Larijani and Nasrallah.
An Nahar said French Prime Minister Francois Fillon will head a delegation that
will visit Lebanon Nov. 20. It said the delegation is to discuss bilateral
relations as well as regional and global developments. Beirut, 12 Nov 08, 10:38
Ban Considering Visiting Lebanon Soon
Naharnet/U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon is considering visiting Lebanon soon, al-Mustaqbal
daily said Wednesday. Citing diplomatic sources, the paper said details of the
visit were not yet revealed, however. Beirut, 12 Nov 08, 10:01
Ban to Discuss 1701 with Peres and Livni as Arab and Israeli Leaders Attend Rare
Dinner
Naharnet/U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon said on Tuesday that he will meet President
Michel Suleiman on the sidelines of the U.N. interfaith conference and will hold
talks with Israeli leaders on the implementation of Resolution 1701.
"Today and tomorrow I am going to have meetings with (Israeli) President
(Shimon) Peres and Foreign Minister (Tzipi) Livni separately to discuss the
issues, my forthcoming report on Security Council Resolution 1701," Ban told a
news conference. "I am going to discuss all the matters, including Shebaa and
the withdrawal of the IDF (Israeli Defense Force) from Gaza and all the current
situation on the ground," he said. When asked about his meeting with Saudi King
Abdullah and if he had plans to hold talks with Suleiman, Ban said: "Of course,
yes." He said he discussed with Abdullah the situation in the Middle East,
including the recent Quartet meeting and the situations in Somalia, Lebanon and
Iraq. Arab leaders, including the Saudi king, and Israel's president attended
the same dinner Tuesday night, a rare encounter that the head of the U.N. hopes
will promote understanding and talks.
Ban hosted the dinner for leaders attending the two-day U.N. conference to
promote global dialogue about religions, cultures and common values that starts
Wednesday. King Abdullah asked the General Assembly to hold the conference as a
follow-up to an interfaith meeting he organized with King Juan Carlos of Spain
in July in Madrid. Abdullah "exerted a great deal of time and energy to converge
the differences of opinions into one. It has been very much a commendable
initiative," Ban said during his press conference. He refused to disclose
seating arrangements for the dinner, though he said all guests would be eating
the same food.
"But sitting in the same room and engaging in (the) same functions — normally in
the past they have not been sitting in the same place like this. That is again
very important," Ban said before the event began. "I sincerely hope that through
their participation in the meetings, and through this social-diplomatic
gathering, they will be able to promote further understandings."
So far, 65 countries, including Lebanon, have asked to speak during the two-day
meeting, said Enrique Yeves, a spokesman for General Assembly President Miguel
d'Escoto Brockmann. President Suleiman will speak on Thursday. The kings of
Saudi Arabia and Jordan, the emirs of Kuwait and Bahrain, the presidents of
Lebanon, the United States, Israel and Pakistan and the prime ministers of
Britain, Qatar, Morocco, the United Arab Emirates, Djibouti and Egypt are
expected to attend. Beirut, 12 Nov 08, 08:05
Franjieh Not Interested in Joining Dialogue, Criticizes
Reconciliation
Naharnet/Marada Movement leader Suleiman Franjieh on Tuesday said he does not
want to take part in the Conference on National Dialogue and criticized
intra-Christian reconciliation for having "election aims."Franjieh, talking to
reporters after meeting Free Patriotic Movement leader Michel Aoun at the
latter's residence in Rabiyeh, said his visit to Bkirki "would take place when
the proper circumstances are available." "We want the church to be for all
Christians. In such case we would be honored to be on Bkirki's side," Franjieh
added. In answering a question about the Conference on National Dialogue, he
said: "I'm not enthusiastic about it and I don't seek joining it. We, Maronites,
are represented in the dialogue by Aoun." However Franjieh said he supports
calls for adding ex-Premier Omar Karami, cabinet minister Talal Arslan and MP
Ousama Saad to the list of participants in the national dialogue. He said Aoun
would visit Syria and bring with him a "final answer" from the Syrian
authorities regarding Lebanese citizens missing in Syria. Syrian President
Bashar Assad "excels dealing with men like himself," Franjieh said in apparent
reference to Aoun. Beirut, 11 Nov 08, 13:18
Hariri asks Moussa for inquest into Fatah al-Islam claims
By The Daily Star /Compiled by Daily Star staff
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Parliamentary majority leader MP Saad Hariri officially called on the Arab
League Tuesday to form a fact-finding commission to look into "confessions"
broadcast by Syrian state television last week by alleged Fatah al-Islam members
responsible for a deadly September car bombing in Damascus.
Hariri called Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa Tuesday and urged him to
form "an Arab committee that would investigate the confessions," the MP's media
office said.
In the broadcast, the suspects said that Fatah al-Islam, an Al-Qaeda-linked
group which battled the Lebanese Army last year at the Nahr al-Bared Palestinian
refugee camp, had links to Hariri's Future Movement. Meanwhile, Interior
Minister Ziyad Baroud's visit to Syria drew a series of reactions on Tuesday,
with the March 14 Forces expressing fears that Syria was planning to restore
hegemony over Lebanon.
Syria and Lebanon on Monday agreed to examine the possibility of better border
coordination. Baroud, on a visit to Damascus, agreed with his Syrian
counterpart, Bassam Abdul Majid, on the establishment of a joint commission to
set up mechanisms for coordinating the policing of the border and the fight
against terrorism.
Speaking to the Voice of Lebanon radio station on Tuesday, Baroud revealed
details about his visit and stressed that the work of the panel would be
"carefully supervised." "The committee agreed upon with the Syrians would work,
on the basis of coordination, and it is not a joint committee or a security
committee," he said.
On Monday, the head of the anti-Syrian Democratic Gathering, MP Walid Jumblatt,
warned any ministers visiting Damascus of "the importance of keeping away from
the establishment of joint security committees," which he said may later develop
into a justification of Syrian interference in Lebanese internal affairs. "This
committee cannot start its work until after the Lebanese Cabinet's approval,"
Baroud said.
Televised confessions of the alleged Fatah al-Islam members on Syrian official
television were also on the agenda, according to Baroud. "The Lebanese stance
was crystal-clear regarding this issue in the joint statement," he said. "We
asked for more information and details and to look into the investigation and we
will take necessary measures accordingly." Also commenting on Baroud's visit,
Hizbullah MP Hussein Hajj Hassan said Tuesday Lebanon and Syria were bound by
common interests. "Any cooperation in all fields between the two neighbor sates
is positive and needed," he added.
Speaking to reporters following a meeting with Prime Minister Fouad Siniora,
Hajj Hassan said Lebanese-Syrian security "was linked in one way or another,"
adding that it was in the interest of both countries to cooperate.
Phalange leader and former President Amin Gemayel expressed confidence that the
interior minister "will not overlook Lebanon's interest."
Commenting on Baroud's talks in Damascus, he said: "This first contact with
Syria is essential, especially on the security level, in order to resolve common
problems."
Earlier on Tuesday, Siniora received the head of the United Nations
International Independent Investigation Commission investigating the February
2005 assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, Judge Daniel Bellemare,
who detailed his progress and preparations for launching the Special Tribunal.
Also on Monday, President Michel Sleiman headed to New York to represent Lebanon
at an interfaith conference being hosted by the United Nations.
Separately, Lebanese Forces boss Samir Geagea lashed out at the head of the Free
Patriotic Movement, MP Michel Aoun, saying corruption charges the latter "throws
here and there have become rather boring.""The most corrupt in the country are
your local and regional allies, among them particularly are the 'Syrian' group
in Lebanon," Geagea asserted, addressing Aoun.Also Tuesday, Marada Movement
leader and former Interior Minister Sleiman Franjieh said he was not interested
in taking part in the national dialogue and criticized some parties for pursuing
intra-Christian reconciliation for the sake of what he called "election
aims."Speaking to reporters after meeting Aoun at the latter's residence in
Rabieh, Franjieh added that he would pay a visit to the seat of the Maronite
Patriarchate in Bkirki, with which he has frequently been at odds in the past
couple of years, "when the proper circumstances are available." "We want the
church to be for all Christians. In such a case we would be honored to be on
Bkirki's side," he said. In answering a question about the dialogue, he said:
"I'm not enthusiastic about it and I don't seek joining it. We as Maronites are
represented in the dialogue by Aoun." However he said he supports calls to
adding former Prime Minister Omar Karami, Youth and Sports Minister Talal Arslan
and MP Ousama Saad to the list of participants in the dialogue. He added that
Aoun was expected to soon visit Damascus and and to return with a "final answer"
from the Syrian authorities regarding Lebanese citizens missing in Syria. On the
security front, the commander of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon,
Major General Claudio Graziano, met with Lebanese and Israeli officials to
discuss implementation of UN Security Council 1701, which put an end to the 2006
war. - The Daily Star
Bin Laden ally 'planned to head for Lebanon'
Daily Star staff/Wednesday, November 12, 2008
BEIRUT: The "radical preacher" once described as Osama bin Laden's "ambassador
to Europe" plans to flee his legal troubles in the United Kingdom and head for
Lebanon, British press reports say. The Evening Standard newspaper reported
Monday that Abu Qatada was "back in custody ... after being suspected of
plotting to flee the country."Qatada, who was freed in June after a failed bid
to deport him to Jordan on charges of terrorism, had been held at his West
London home but is believed to have been planning to flee to Lebanon, despite
not having a passport, the daily wrote.
The UK Borders Agency received a tip that Qatada was planning to flee, the daily
reported. An emergency session of the Special Immigration Appeals Commission was
then convened and ruled that he had "attempted to breach one of his 22 bail
restrictions" before a judge "ruled in favor of the Home Office's application to
cancel bail as a temporary measure." Government lawyers will now apply for him
to be locked up permanently. The Evening Standard quoted a government source as
saying "the Middle East would have been his most likely destination - probably
Lebanon."Another daily, the Sun, quoted government sources as saying: "We
believe there is sufficient evidence to prove that he was planning to jump bail
and flee Britain. In view of the strict bail conditions and the fact he has no
passport, it would have been a pretty audacious plot." Lebanon's army fought a
three-month battle last year to dislodge the Fatah al-Islam militant group from
the Nahr al-Bared Palestinian refugee camp, in which at least 400 people died. -
The Daily Star
Miliband to visit Syria
Wed Nov 12, 2008 8:
Foreign Secretary David Miliband is to visit Syria as part of a tour of the
Middle East next week in an effort to improve relations, his office said on
Wednesday.
Miliband will visit Israel, Lebanon, the occupied Palestinian territories and
Syria, a spokeswoman said, giving no details of specific dates.
She said the visit was part of efforts to develop "a strong UK-Syrian
partnership based on mutual trust, shared interests and a vision for a stable
peaceful and prosperous Middle East."The visit follows talks last month in
London between Miliband and Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moualem and is the
latest in a series of overtures between Syria and European nations, particularly
France and Britain, seeking an end to Syria's strained relations with the West
due to its support of Iran.
(Reporting by Avril Ormsby; Editing by Louise Ireland and Kate Kelland)
Lebanon and Syria tussle over Islamist militants
By Ferry Biedermann in Tripoli
Published: November 11 2008
Lebanon and Syria have become embroiled in a bitter war of words that runs
counter to their recent political rapprochement and centres on mutual
accusations of support for militant Islamist groups. Syrian television last week
broadcast what it said were the confessions of members of the Lebanon-based
Fatah al-Islam faction, admitting responsibility for a bomb attack in Damascus
in September that killed 17. The Lebanese authorities yesterday said they had
arrested five of the militants on suspicion of involvement "in terrorist acts".
The controversy arises from televised claims by the militants that they had been
financed by Lebanon's anti-Syrian Future movement. The movement, led by Saad
Hariri, son of murdered former prime minister Rafiq Hariri, is Lebanon's main
Sunni political party.
The Future movement has denied the allegation. Ahmad Fatfat, a former cabinet
minister, called it "a fabrication by the Syrian security services that can only
prove their own involvement with Fatah al-Islam".
Fatah al-Islam is the best known of a plethora of Sunni Islamist groups, known
as Salafis, which are ideologically linked to al-Qaeda and which have a presence
in north Lebanon, in and around the port city of Tripoli. Lebanon's army fought
a three-month battle last year to dislodge the group from the Palestinian
refugee camp Nahr al-Bared, in which about 400 people died. Fatah al-Islam grew
out of a Syrian-supported Palestinian faction and Lebanon's anti-Syrian bloc
says Damascus is still involved with the group. The Lebanese authorities have
arrested several cells in recent weeks, said to be linked to the group, in
connection with lethal bomb attacks on the army in Tripoli in August and
September.
Damascus, meanwhile, has repeatedly accused Salafi groups of involvement in
violence in Syria. President Bashar al-Assad has sent about 10,000 troops to the
border in what Syria says is an attempt to contain them. Syria and Lebanon on
Monday agreed to examine the possibility of better border controls between the
two countries. The Lebanese minister of interior, on a visit to Damascus, agreed
with his Syrian counterpart on the establishment of a joint commission to set up
the mechanisms for co-ordinating the policing of the border and co-operation in
the fight against terrorism.
The two countries also agreed to establish full diplomatic relations this summer
for the first time since both became independent in the 1940s. But Syria's
posturing over the Salafists has prompted the US to warn Damascus against
interfering in Lebanon. Washington's ties with Syria were further strained last
month when US forces carried out a raid on a Syrian village on the Iraqi border,
killing eight people, according to Damascus. The US accuses Syria of not doing
enough to stop al-Qaeda fighters from crossing into Iraq.
Anti-Syrian politicians see the latest Syrian moves as an attempt at
intimidation, possibly linked to next year's parliamentary elections in Lebanon.
Tareq Mitri, information minister, last month told journalists that the Salafist
threat was exaggerated.
"Tripoli is not Kandahar, it's just Tripoli," he said, playing down the extent
of the violence that has cost the lives of about 40 civilians and soldiers since
May.
Apart from their apparently limited number, much of what is known about the
Salafists is a matter of dispute. The movement is splintered and divides into
openly anti- and pro-Syrian factions. Members vary in their ideological
affiliation with al-Qaeda and have different financial backers with wildly
diverging agendas.
The sharpest division seems to run between groups for whom anti-US and general
anti-western motives trump local politics, and those for whom antiSyrian, anti-Shia,
antiHizbollah and anti-Iranian sentiments dominate - to the extent that they
co-operate with the US-backed mainstream Sunni Future movement.
The anti-Syria group came to prominence when fighting broke out in Lebanon in
May in which the Shia Hizbollah movement and its pro-Syrian allies overran Sunni
neighbourhoods in Beirut. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2008
Lebanon expects 2.3 million visitors by end of year
By Dana Halawi
Special to The Daily Star
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
BEIRUT: Tourism Minister Elie Marouni said on Tuesday that around 2.3 million
people would visit Lebanon by the end of this year. But the minister stressed
that a big chunk of these visitors are Lebanese living abroad. He added that the
aim is to drive this number up to 3 million in the near future, which will
increase the tourism sector's contribution to gross domestic product from 9 to
20 percent.
"This places a huge responsibility on the private sectors, namely the banking
and financial sectors, for them to be able to satisfy the growing needs of
comers who wish to deposit their money in Lebanese banks. It also holds the
public sector responsible of maintaining a good infrastructure and be ready to
host the huge amount of visitors providing them with transportations to hotels
and residences," said Marouni.
His remarks came during a news conference organized by Visa at the Phoenicia
InterContinental Hotel to discuss the influence of electronic payments on the
tourism industry while examining how Lebanon can take advantage of various
opportunities to achieve greater success in the sector.
According to Tony Gougassian, Visa Inc. area manager for Qatar and the Levant,
tourism spending in Lebanon has been positively influenced by the growing use of
electronic payments in the country.
"Tourism spending using electronic payments grew by 12 percent between 2004 and
2007 and reached 25 percent of the total tourism spending in Lebanon this year,"
Gougassian told The Daily Star.
Visa operates the world's largest retail electronic payments network providing
processing services and payment product platforms. According to the
corporation's statistics, payments volume worldwide using Visa grew 15 percent
between 2007 and 2008 to reach $699 billion.
Gougassian stressed on the implications that e-commerce has for the Lebanese
tourism, saying that it has given rise to a new channel, which will help drive
business and economic growth in the future.
Marouni emphasized the important role that the Lebanese tourism sector plays in
driving the local economy forward.
"This forum does not only highlight the attributes of e-payment solutions, but
it also offers a space for us all, as specialists in the field, to come together
and strengthen the performance of key economic sectors in Lebanon such as the
financial, industrial and agricultural sectors," said Marouni
Al Qaeda-Iraq's Message to the New ‘Rulers of the White House’
Dr. Walid Phares
November 11, 2008
Middle East Times, New American Journal, CTB, Family Security Matters, Political
Mavens, IAN, and other networks
Reactions to the election of a new U.S. President are fusing from across the
Arab and Muslim world. Reflecting the fundamental interests of the various
regimes and movements, the most radical groups – including al Qaeda – have been
sending messages in different directions. While we will come back later to draw
a wider map of these attitudes, hopes or worries, let's note a particular
declaration made by al Qaeda's central figure in Iraq (or so he is projected to
be) in which he outlines his conditions to deal with America in the new era.
Two days ago, a Jihadi outlet, Al-Furqan, released an audio speech by Abu Omar
al-Baghdadi, self-described as the "emir of the Islamic State of Iraq." The
less-than-half hour internet broadcast was titled "Message to the New Governors
of the White House (and Other Christian Leaders)." It can also be translated as
"to the new rulers," i.e. the President and Vice President-elect. After a
mandatory "theological" segment taking on Christians and Jews and apostate
Muslims, the speech wandered erratically between issues high on the Jihadist
agenda worldwide, particularly on the necessity for the United States to call it
quits in the region and to pull out. In essence al Baghdadi, one of al Qaeda's
most lethal "generals" on the battlefields of the Middle East, asked the United
States under the new Administration to withdraw from Iraq and Afghanistan and to
pull its military presence from the Muslim world. Interestingly, his message to
whom he described as the new "Governors, or technically, masters" of the White
House, connect with a dominant theme throughout not only al Qaeda's command but
also the Jihadist forces and regimes around the world. Ideologically, despite
their divisions and diverse strategies, the Salafists and Khomeinists have a
common approach on how to deal with the United States. And this attitude has
been embodied by multiple speeches, statements, and declarations since the early
1990s. From the powerful doctrinal positions of Sheikh Yusuf al Qardawi on al
Jazeera, al Qaeda's Osama Bin laden and Ayman Zawahiri, to President Ahmedinijad,
the "agenda" is one: the United States must pull its forces outside the region
and keep them inside its own borders. Al Baghdadi and many other Jihadist
commanders, commentators and activists see the big picture as an effort, or a
Jihad, against all Kuffar (infidel) forces in the region. In his speech
addressed to the new U.S. leadership, al Qaeda Iraq’s "emir" also warned France
and Russia from interfering inside the borders of his Caliphate to come. He
specifically asked the "White House, the Elysee and the Kremlin" to back off
Iraq, Afghanistan and Chechnya. Listening to the audio allows one to understand
the mindset of the terrorists we're dealing with: they have a one world view
even if they are "local," which contradicts the recent assertion by many experts
in the field. And to underline the Jihadist historical view of the world, "Abu
Omar" reminds America that a century ago, America was a "neutral" nation,
growing peacefully until it began intervening in foreign wars, including the
conflicts with empires, fascists and the Soviets. And as I argued in my book
Future Jihad, he revels that the U.S. menace is really about provoking changes
within Muslim countries – changes, of course, which would encourage democracy
against Jihadism. Increasingly, observers of this global movement must see the
overarching dimension of the conflict with the Salafists and Khomeinists. It is
not about Bush or Obama, nor about Chirac or Sarkozy, Yeltsin or Putin. It is
about pushing for a Jihadi agenda. "Get your troops out and be neutral in this
conflict," has become the main slogan of Jihadi propaganda for many years now.
If anything it clearly indicates to analysts that the Salafist agenda, for
example, wants to settle scores with local societies and seize power in Arab and
Muslim lands without being delayed by U.S. power. This is the core of their
contemporary confrontation with Washington's policies. They want to establish
Taliban regimes in as many countries they can, including Iraq and Afghanistan.
Al Baghdadi ends his summations by revealing his conditions for a "new stage."
In addition to pulling out and not interfering with the action of his movement,
he wants an immediate release of all prisoners. Even more revealing was his
offer to sell oil to the U.S. at a fair price and authorize commerce with
America. Stunningly to many, al Qaeda acts as if it is already the forthcoming
Caliphate, setting the agenda for the entire region. It is not surprising to me,
because for decades I have argued that democracies are dealing with a force
possessing a political agenda of its own, not with individuals who are reacting
to Western – or American – foreign policies. If anything, these statements by al
Qaeda, and other similar attitudes expressed by political propagandists, reminds
us of typical totalitarians in action: using Terrorism when they judge it
efficient to confuse their foes and consolidate their positions when necessary.
The national-socialists and the fascists of the 1930s and WWII are, in this
sense, authentic predecessors to the 21st century Jihadists.
***** Dr. Walid Phares is the Director of the Future Terrorism Project at the
Foundation for the Defense of Democracies and the author of The Confrontation:
Winning the War against Future Jihad.
Chamoun's NLP plans to contest four seats in 2009 parliamentary polls
Politician says he expects Jumblatt to extend support
By Nicholas Kimbrell
Daily Star staff
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Interview
BEIRUT: Dori Chamoun and three other candidates from his National Liberal Party
(NLP) will be running in the spring parliamentary elections, Chamoun told The
Daily Star during an interview Tuesday. NLP candidates will be running in the
Baabda-Aley, North Metn, and Kesrouan districts, and Chamoun will be on the
ballot in the Chouf and is expected to have the support of Progressive Socialist
Party and Druze leader Walid Jumblatt.
"I would have run a long time ago if there hadn't been Syrian occupation, if the
Parliament hadn't been a sort of tool in the hands of Syria," Chamoun said from
his office at the NLP headquarters in Sodeco.
"In 1992," he said, "during Syrian occupation, it was obvious that the electoral
law was made in such a way to bring the maximum pro-Syrians into Parliament. Now
had we accepted to be part of all those people who succumbed to Syrian
occupation, we were offered as many seats as we wanted, on condition that we
joined the game. We refused. We refused two elections in succession."
"My running for elections has been a very long wait," Chamoun added.
All of the NLP candidates will be running in hotly contested districts and
almost certainly against allied candidates from the March 14 coalition. But
Chamoun seemed confident of the party's chances, particularly his own.
"We have a big base in the Chouf, we have a very large base, and our base is not
only the Christians, it is a multi-confessional base. The same base that used to
back Camille Chamoun when he was, at the time, leader of the Chouf," said
Chamoun, son of the former president.
Chamoun also seemed confident that he would receive some backing from Jumblatt,
leader of Lebanon's most powerful Druze family and a major power-broker in the
Chouf. "Mr. Jumblatt was our enemy. We hope that this time there will be an
alliance within the framework of the 14th of March movement. I'm looking forward
to this alliance," he said.
When asked directly whether he expected electoral support from Jumblatt, Chamoun
said without hesitation, "Yes and he has mine." He noted that this partnership,
between the Christians and Druze, historical enemies in Mount Lebanon, could
help to "reinstall the faith between the two that had been lost in the
Mountain."
As for running against fellow Christian politicians from the March 14 camp,
Chamoun was confident that there would be plenty of room for competing
candidates. "I think there is enough room and that we have enough political
base, enough popular base. We are not imposing somebody [on the electorate]. We
want to participate," he said.
In the Chouf, he will be up against the Lebanese Forces candidate George Adwan,
whose father, Chamoun pointed out, had been a supporter of Camille Chamoun.
"There has to be a point when you make certain choices," he said, adding that
"there is bound to be a bit of [anger]. In Lebanon, the love of power and the
lust for power and for seats is unfortunately a common disease."
The NLP leader and former mayor of Deir al-Qamar (the new electoral law required
candidates to resign from elected posts six months before the election), also
said that his party proudly counts itself a member of the March 14 coalition.
"We are part of March 14. If you want to take the essence of March 14, our party
Al-Ahrar is the essence of all the principles on which March 14 is based,"
Chamoun said. These principles, he added, are based on the idea of a free,
independent, democratic and modern Lebanon, acting as integral party of the
international community and the Arab League.
"When others were flirt[ing] with the Syrians, we were the people who stuck and
turned our backs to the Syrians," Chamoun said.
While praising the principles of March 14, Chamoun seemed pessimistic about the
prospects for Christian reconciliation. He said that part of the Christian
community, aligned with the March 8, or opposition, camp, did not share the
beliefs and attitudes of the rest of the community, making political
reconciliation quite difficult.
Concerning a potential rapprochement between March 8-aligned, Marada chief
Sleiman Franjieh and March 14-aligned Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea,
Chamoun offered a simple request: "All we ask them to do, whether it is Sleiman
Franjieh or Samir Geagea, is to abide by the Lebanese law and by the Lebanese
Constitution and everything will be OK. We're not asking them to kiss each other
or go to bed together."
In general, Chamoun seemed doubtful that there could be meaningful dialogue with
the March 8 camp. "We can't communicate with someone who is on a diametrically
opposite line of thought and action," he said, adding that, "we are for a single
state, we are for a strong army and they are aligned with Hizbullah, which is a
state within a state."
He described Hizbullah's ally, Free Patriotic Movement leader and former
military commander Michel Aoun as a "sham," saying he had lied to the country
and the Christians.
"Let's summarize everything of Michel Aoun by saying one thing: that he is mad,"
Chamoun said. "The guy is mad, and if you follow his logic in everything he
talks about, it's the logic of somebody who has only one aim and this is to get
into the driver's seat. He wants to become the president of this country."
In relation to Aoun, he cited an old proverb, saying that the mistakes of the
clever man are usually very big mistakes. Chamoun's father, Camille, appointed
Aoun to a senior military post and his brother, Dani (who was murdered along
with members of his family in 1990), supported Aoun's bid to be a temporary
president in 1989.
Chamoun said that Aoun made a deal with the Syrians to escape from Baabda Palace
during the siege in 1990 and a deal with Syria and its Lebanese allies when he
returned from exile in Paris in 2005.
Chamoun also called Aoun's alliance with Hizbullah "dangerous" for Lebanon.
Hizbullah, he said, has methodically pursued a policy of "electoral and
geographic expansion," with the aim of creating a Shiite Islamic state in
Lebanon. "Michel Aoun is giving them the necessary cover," he said.
He added that although many Christians supported Aoun in the 2005 elections,
"the snow is starting to melt."
"We need to convince the people from within that there cannot be two states," he
said.
Expressing the hope that Lebanon would emerge as a peaceful and
multi-confessional society, Chamoun said, "I personally, frankly speaking, would
like to see Lebanon neutral like Switzerland."
He said his vision was of a land of culture and prosperity, "not a land of
shitty little wars."
Of Syria, Chamoun said the establishment of diplomatic relations was positive
but that Syria's "appetite [for dominance in Lebanon] was still there."
He added, smiling, that one of his dreams had been to become the first Lebanese
ambassador to Damascus.
Chamoun also outlined the policy the NLP will pursue if three or four of its
candidates are elected. He said that privatizing money-losing Electricite de
Liban would be a priority, as would pursuing alternative forms of energy and
environmental stewardship. These platforms could help reform policies on trade,
agriculture and public health, he noted. When asked whether he thought he would
win, Chamoun expressed considerable confidence. "I think it's a pretty sure
thing," he said.
"We've been living in the shade a little bit," Chamoun added. "Now we have come
out in the sun."
High Level Lebanese-Israeli Meeting Over Blue Line Violations
Naharnet/United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) Commander Major
general Claudio Graziano met on Tuesday with high level military officials from
Lebanon and Israel to discuss the implementation of UNSCR 1701. UNIFIL official
spokesperson Yasmine Bozian affirmed that Graziano "met with high level military
officials from the Lebanese armed forces and Israeli forces at U.N. headquarters
at Naqoura. Discussions focused on the implementation of UNSCR 1701, in
particular Blue Line violations, and Ghajjar village, to prevent any incidents
on the line."UNIFIL is composed of land and naval forces exceeding 13,000
members from 29 countries. In 2006 United Nations Security Council under its
resolution of 1701 expanded UNIFIL's role in south Lebanon (south of the Litani
river). The resolution ended military activities between Israel and Hizbullah in
July 2006. Beirut, 11 Nov 08, 20:31
Nasrallah urges timely elections, wider dialogue
Sayyed warns supporters not to bet on Obama
Daily Star staff/Wednesday, November 12, 2008
BEIRUT: Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said Tuesday that it was
crucial for Lebanon's 2009 legislative elections to be held "on time." "Not
holding the elections or postponing them would be very dangerous," Nasrallah
said in a speech to mark Martyrs Day that was broadcast via video link to a
gathering of resistance supporters in Beirut's southern suburbs. It would be in
the interests of all parties, he argued, to hold free and fair elections
"without obstruction or postponement."
Nasrallah also stressed the need to lower the voting age from 21 to 18 and
called on MPs to adopt a constitutional amendment for that purpose.
He also reiterated his loyalty to his allies in the opposition, vowing that
"recent reconciliations or meetings do not breach this firm commitment."
Nasrallah said reconciliation efforts were "welcomed and we have our hand
extended to all."
"Reconciliations are a national interest, all groups are interested in having a
calm political situation," he added.
Concerning broadcasts on Syrian television last week of confessions by alleged
Fatah al-Islam militants for a deadly September bombing in Damascus, Nasrallah
called for "a serious and transparent investigation."
In the broadcast, the suspects said that Fatah al-Islam, an Al-Qaeda-linked
group which battled the Lebanese Army last year at the Nahr al-Bared Palestinian
refugee camp, had links to Parliamentary majority leader MP Saad Hariri's Future
Movement. Nasrallah and Hariri met for their own reconciliation session in late
October.
"We support Lebanese-Syrian security coordination and we are sincere in our
calls that justice be removed from politics," he added.
He also thanked Lebanese Army intelligence for last month's arrest of a cell
that collaborated with Israel. "I hope the day comes when evidence shows that
Israel is involved in the bombings and assassinations that happened in Lebanon,"
he said.
Nasrallah stressed that equipping the army was "a priority," adding that
discussions of a national defense strategy should be completed "soon."
"Despite disagreements ... all groups agree that the Lebanese Army should have
an integral role in defending Lebanon," he said, adding that it was "a pity"
that a proposal by his ally, Free Patriotic Movement leader and MP Michel Aoun,
to integrate Hizbullah with the military, had not been well received.
He also called for the number of participants in the dialogue to be expanded "so
we can face burdens together and transform the dialogue table into a true forum
for discussion."The sayyed also cautioned his supporters against expecting a
change in US foreign policy with the election of President-elect Barack Obama.
"Our Arab world, our Third World and our African world can empathize with Obama
because of his past or the color of his skin, but politics and interests are a
different story," he said. "Don't exaggerate hopes nor give people high
expectations so that no one is disappointed or makes miscalculations," he added.
"I don't want to anticipate events, but logic dictates that we not bet on
changes in injustice or believe that he will be more lenient or less unfair than
his predecessor."
Nasrallah also paid tribute to fallen resistance fighters "with great pride,"
thanking them for their "efforts and struggle." - The Daily Star, with AFP
Aoun's Ministers Considering Boycotting Cabinet Sessions
Naharnet/Ministers representing Michel Aoun's Change and Reform bloc are
considering boycotting cabinet sessions unless assailants who had attacked
bodyguards of their comrade, Cabinet Minister Mario Aoun, were punished.
An-Nahar daily said the CRB ministers were considering boycotting only cabinet
sessions held at the Grand Serail and presided over by Premier Fouad Saniora.
Aoun said his bodyguards were beaten up by Grand Serail guards on Saturday, when
his advisor arrived in the minister's car as the cabinet session was underway.
One bodyguard suffered from brain concussion and the other made it with a
fractured arm, Aoun said.
Grand Serail sources said Aoun's bodyguards arrived in a car as the cabinet
session was underway, with minister Aoun taking part in the meeting.
As the car was under electronic search at the entrance, in a routine procedure,
the scanner system indicated the need for further checking of the vehicle.
"At that point, one of the bodyguards who is a security officer came out of the
car protesting against the further search and stating that the vehicle belongs
to minister Aoun," the source told An-Nahar. "While arguing with guards he tried
to pull a side weapon. Grand Serail guards intervened, a quarrel developed and
ended by deterring the two bodyguards," the source added. Aoun had said his car
was "frisked by police dogs in a non-precedent move."
He was apparently referring to explosive-detecting dogs that are usually used
after electronic search recommends further frisking of vehicles entering
government buildings. Beirut, 11 Nov 08, 12:55
Might Jumblatt be the man to forge a Lebanese middle?
By Marc J. Sirois /Daily Star staff
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Pity the poor soul who one day endeavors to pen the definitive biography of
Walid Jumblatt, a man whose political orientation has taken more turns than any
of the cars in his extensive collection. The hats Jumblatt has worn include
those of feudal hetman, postmodern warlord, national legislator and Cabinet
minister. His primary political vehicle is called the "Progressive Socialist
Party," but his origins and his lifestyle send a very different message. Famous
for his outspokenness, he is derided by detractors as a loose cannon but hailed
by admirers as a straight talker.
A constant on the Lebanese political scene for more than three decades, he has
been on virtually every side - or none at all - at one time or another. He
rendered long years of yeoman service for the Syrian regime, but later blamed it
for the assassination of his father. He frequently aimed vehement criticism at
late Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, but then joined the latter's son Saad as a
staunch ally. He spent most of his career issuing passionate condemnations of US
policy in the Middle East, but then allowed himself to be its tool. He was a
champion of Hizbullah's right to resist Israeli occupation, but then became a
leading critic of the Shiite party's insistence on retaining its arms.
Since the clashes that threatened to plunge Lebanon into another full-fledged
civil war in May, Jumblatt has added caveats to or backed away from many of the
stances that follow the "buts" in the preceding paragraph - but he has not come
full circle. He has allowed that his relations with Damascus are beyond repair,
but he has stopped upping the ante on a near-daily basis. He remains officially
a part of the March 14 Forces grouped around Saad Hariri's Future Movement but
has taken to admonishing his colleagues when they stray too far into the
province of partisan/sectarian foolishness. He continues to want good relations
with Washington but no longer apologizes for its excesses - or expects its
timely support. He still wants more state control over how Hizbullah's arsenal
is used but now says the issue is an "internal" one.
What to make of all this? The answer to that often depends on perspective. When
they are not grousing about his propensity for ignoring the March 14 party line,
Jumblatt's (current) allies will tell you that he is the consummate pragmatist.
And when his (current) foes are not happily predicting his inevitable return to
their fold, they will say he is a cynic who goes with the flow.
In the fuller sense of what Jumblatt's evolution means for the future of
Lebanon, however, it would be wasteful to reduce his personality and positions
to the sound-bites at whose utterance he is so famously adept. Like anyone else,
the Chouf MP sometimes ventures into rhetorical excess. Taken as a whole,
however, his politics are generally quite consistent within the framework of a
given phase, except for those times when he is in transition - and that appears
to be where he has been since May.
Anyone who thinks this is the result of intimidation doesn't know much about
Walid Jumblatt. Like all flamboyant political icons, his flaws are often more
prominent than his qualities, but as even his enemies will freely acknowledge,
he is no coward.
No, Jumblatt is re-positioning himself and his tribe - including adherents of
his principal Druze rival, Youth and Sports Minister Talal Arslan - to ensure
that whenever the music stops, his community will have at least its fair and
share of chairs.
The entire Lebanese political order has been in flux since the assassination of
Rafik Hariri and almost two dozen other people in February 2005, and we now
appear to be in a decisive phase. As always, the new status quo in Lebanon will
be heavily influenced by the state of affairs in the broader Middle East, and by
the policies and priorities of foreign powers near and far. By coincidence,
several of those outside actors are themselves in periods of transition: Israel
and Iran are both scheduled to hold elections next year, the Palestinians might
have a civil war of their own over whether they go to the polls, too, Israel and
Syria have resumed indirect negotiations after an eight-year hiatus, and the
American electorate has just taken a revolutionary step by sending Barack Obama
to the White House. And looming over all these shifting conditions are the
clouds of a global financial storm whose potential to bring down the world
economy can be expected to preoccupy some of the international system's most
important leaders for the foreseeable future.
All of this is to say that Lebanon and the Lebanese may have to fend for
themselves for a while, which is not necessarily a problem. If people like
Jumblatt play their cards right, the process could be the one that finally turns
this deeply flawed state of many mutually suspicious peoples into a single
nation for which diversity is a prime source of strength and stability.
If this homegrown shakeout is to be more effective than all the foreign-flavored
ones that have preceded it, though, he and at least a few others will have to
get beyond their usual roles as either kingmakers or spoilers. That practice has
only served to undermine both the efficaciousness and the reputation of
"consensus" in Lebanon's model of asterisk democracy, leading all sides to use
it as blackmail against one another. Instead of being a lynchpin on whom
political feuds are won and lost and partisan resentments intensified at every
turn, Jumblatt might be one that holds together new coalitions, some of them
temporary, by adopting a new standard for action both inside and outside of
Parliament. He might, in fact, be a central ingredient in the development of a
nationalist bloc of the sort on which President Michel Sleiman has recently
ruminated.
Whatever one calls it, such a grouping would ideally begin by rebuilding the
credibility of consensus as a means of holding the Lebanese political model
together even as the state was prepped for fundamental change. Its positions on
various issues would be determined by national interests rather than business,
family, sectarian, tribal, and regional ones - or the shameless horse-trading
that these frequently produce.
This could provide some structural integrity for the state if and when some of
its institutions finally undergo the renovations mandated a generation ago by
the Taif Accord. Jumblatt alluded to one facet of this last week when he
stressed the need for a non-sectarian Parliament. In theory, that is a great
idea. In practice, however, Lebanon lacks the one mechanism required to push
through that kind of change: an independent judiciary that could be relied upon
to protect those communities, especially Christian ones, that would stand to
suffer at least short-term losses if sectarian quotas were abandoned or
substantially altered.
To break the logjams over this and other quandaries, some parties will have to
break ranks and meet each other half-way. Jumblatt might be in his element in
this role, shepherding larger players into sometimes uneasy partnerships for the
sake of the greater good. What better way for this man of many hats to cap his
career than as a radical of the middle?
**Marc Sirois is managing editor of THE DAILY STAR. His email address is
marc.sirois@dailystar.com.lb.