LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN

LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
October 14/08

Bible Reading of the day.
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 11,29-32. While still more people gathered in the crowd, he said to them, "This generation is an evil generation; it seeks a sign, but no sign will be given it, except the sign of Jonah. Just as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites, so will the Son of Man be to this generation. At the judgment the queen of the south will rise with the men of this generation and she will condemn them, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and there is something greater than Solomon here. At the judgment the men of Nineveh will arise with this generation and condemn it, because at the preaching of Jonah they repented, and there is something greater than Jonah here.

Saint Justin (c.100-160), philosopher and martyr
Dialogue with Trypho 34-36/"There is something greater than Jonah here"
Allow me to quote one of the psalms, spoken to David by the Holy Spirit. You will tell me that it refers to Solomon, your king, but it refers even more to Christ...: «God, with your judgement endow the king» (Ps 72[71],1). Because Solomon became king you will tell me that this psalm speaks of him, whereas the words of this psalm very clearly point to an eternal king, namely Christ. For Christ was proclaimed to us as king, priest, God, Lord, angel, man, supreme head, rock, an infant through his birth, firstly a man of sorrows and then ascending to heaven and returning in his glory with everlasting majesty...
«God, with your judgement endow the king, and with your justice, the king's son. He shall govern your people with justice and your afflicted ones with judgement... All kings shall pay him homage, all nations shall serve him.» Solomon was a great and illustrious king; it was in his reign that the house we call the Temple of Jerusalem was built, but it is evident that nothing of what is said in the psalm happened to him. All kings did not pay him homage, neither did he rule to the ends of the earth, nor did his enemies fall down before him to lick the dust...
Solomon is not «the king of glory» (Ps 24[23],10); Christ is. After he had been raised from the dead and ascended into heaven, the princes whom God had established in heaven were commanded to «open the gates» of heaven so that he who is «the king of glory might come in» and go up to sit at the right hand of the Father until he makes «his enemies a footstool for him», as is shown in other psalms (24[23]; 110[109]). Yet when the princes in heaven saw him without beauty, honor or majesty to his appearance (Is 53,2), they failed to recognize him and asked: «Who is this king of glory?» (Ps 24[23], 8). Then the Holy Spirit answered them: «The Lord of hosts; he is the king of glory». For indeed it was not Solomon, glorious though he may have been in his majesty..., about whom it could be said: «Who is he, the king of glory?»

Free Opinions, Releases, letters & Special Reports
When will they Understand?By Tariq Alhomayed/ Editor-in-Chief of Asharq Al-Awsat 13/10/08
Suleiman and Restoring Balance. By:Elias Harfoush-Dar Al-Hayat 13/10/08
Lebanon's New Electoral Law Will Impact Christians,By ADLA MASSOUD 13/10/08
Oslo taught that a two-state solution remains the best-By Yossi Alpher 13/10/08
Arabs and Israelis have to make real progress toward real peace- The Daily Star 13/10/08
The US election and the Middle East-By Ghassan Rubeiz 13/10/08

Latest News Reports From Miscellaneous Sources for October 14/08
Riyadh: Secure Lebanon and We Won't Have Differences with Anyone -Naharnet
Iran Cracks Down On Hezbollah-Strategy Page
Aoun Discusses Lebanon Problems With Iran-Naharnet
Islamic Movements Threaten to Sue Agitators-Naharnet
Baroud: Terrorist Threat Persists-Naharnet
Syrian Newspaper Criticizes Lebanese 'Barking'-Naharnet
Terrorist Cell Planned Retaliation Attacks Against Army, ISF-Naharnet
Palestinian Sapper Defuses Bomb in Ain el-Hilweh-Naharnet
Bassil Accuses Lebanese Citizens and Officials of Backing Terror-Naharnet
Jumblat Hammers Aoun-Naharnet
Terrorist Cell Planned Retaliation Attacks Against Army, ISF-Naharnet
Saniora Remains Silent About Otari-Muallem Comments to Avoid Quarrel-Naharnet
Aoun Says Iran Helping Lebanese Unity-Naharnet
Michael Williams in Beirut-Naharnet
Beirut Shopkeepers Breathing Easier After 'Poster Disarmament'-Naharnet
Phalange Party Declares Election Candidate for Batroun-Naharnet
Terrorists behind north Lebanon explosions arrested-Xinhua
Lebanese Christian majority leader on first time visit to Tehran-Xinhua
Wave of attacks kills 13 and wounds 24 in Iraqi capital-(AFP)
Army arrests suspects in Tripoli blasts-AFP)
Syria loses in suit, but it may not pay-Washington Times
Sison proclaims US 'intention' to help Lebanon join WTO-Daily Star
Jews and Arabs trade blame after riots divide town-International Herald Tribune
Sleiman leads high-powered team to Saudi Arabia-Daily Star
Beddawi census aims to tackle Islamist militants-(AFP)
'Yesterday's foes can be tomorrow's allies' - Jumblatt
Sleiman accepts Syria's troop-move explanation-(AFP)
Israelis 'close to quitting Ghajar' - local daily-Daily Star
US makes modest contribution to de-mining effort-Daily Star
Sison proclaims US 'intention' to help Lebanon join WTO
Solidere backs exhibition of reconstruction photos-Daily Star
Man 'kills fiancee before committing suicide'-Daily Star
Missing Jordanian family found in good health-Daily Star
'Spiderman' climbs up side of Beirut's Phoenicia Hotel-Daily Star
Many Lebanese bribe their way onto the road-Daily Star
From a science lab to a waste dump: EU funds multiple initiatives in Baalbek region-Daily Star
Environment and amateurism in Arab media-Daily Star

Source to NOW Lebanon: Opposition movement emerges inside the FPM
October 13, 2008 /NOW Lebanon o
A source told NOW Lebanon that an opposition movement had formed inside the Free Patriotic Movement in reaction to the behavior of Telecommunications Minister Gebran Bassil and his increasing control of the party. The group of dissenting members was also motivated by the FPM’s perceived loss of independence due to the party’s alliance with Hezbollah, the source said.
The source told NOW Lebanon on Monday that MP Michel Aoun, after firing media spokesman Tony Nasrallah, had decided to create a new media committee led by Nassif al-Kazzi. Nasrallah had issued a series of statements, along with 12 FPM officials, disagreeing with Bassil’s policies inside the FPM and Aoun’s relations with Hezbollah and March 8, which, the source said, contradicted “the sovereign political discourse on which the FPM had been founded.” Reports elsewhere have said that some FPM members have become increasingly unhappy with the role of Bassil’s followers in the party. Among the dissenting members was Kamal al-Yaziji, who withdrew from FPM, the source said. Alain Aoun, Tony Harb and Naim Aoun also refrained from participating in FPM events. FPM official Ziad Abss, who had handled the party’s relations with Hezbollah, had withdrawn too, the source said.
The source also said that the opposition movement had not yet reached a critical mass, but had, nonetheless, raised a number of questions for FPM officials. “Do Aoun and Bassil want to transform the FPM into an institution?” the source asked, “or do they want to resort to the traditional political inheritance policy?” The source also said that Aoun’s visit to Iran is expected to increase opposition, resignations and division inside the FPM.

Terrorist Cell Planned Retaliation Attacks Against Army, ISF
Naharnet/The Lebanese army said troops have arrested members of a terrorist group allegedly involved in recent bombings in northern Lebanon.
Sunday's statement said several people from a "terrorist cell" were arrested for their involvement in the Aug. 13 and Sept. 29 bombings in the port city of Tripoli.
The statement did not give further details. But a security official speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to the press said three Palestinians were among those arrested. The statement said an explosives belt in their possession was confiscated. It said troops were still pursuing Abdel-Ghani Jawhar, a leading member of the cell. As-Safir newspaper reported on Monday initial investigations have revealed that the cell was preparing an attack on a Lebanese army bus on the Beirut-Tripoli highway and the headquarters of the Internal Security Forces (ISF) in Beirut's Ashrafiyeh district.
Four soldiers and three civilians were killed as an explosion ripped through a military bus in Tripoli on Sept. 29. A similar attack on Aug. 13 killed 14 people, including nine soldiers and a child. The bomb attacks were aimed at avenging the army's offensive against Fatah al-Islam in the Nahr al-Bared Palestinian refugee camp near Tripoli, As-Safir reported. Last year, the army fought a 15-week battle with the al-Qaida inspired Fatah al-Islam terrorist group in Nahr al-Bared that left 400 people dead, including 168 soldiers. Tripoli has also since May been rocked by deadly sectarian violence between Sunni Muslim supporters of the government and their Damascus-backed rivals from the Alawite community. The Central Security Council will hold a meeting on Monday to discuss the issue, the state-run National News Agency, NNA, reported.(Naharnet-AP-AFP) Beirut, 13 Oct 08, 09:42

Aoun Says Iran Helping Lebanese Unity
Naharnet/TFree Patriotic Movement leader Michel Aoun said on Monday that Iran was helping Lebanon to achieve national unity and dismissed criticism at home about his visit to the Islamic republic. "Iran is especially helping Lebanon today in confronting its problems and achieving national unity," Aoun told a joint news conference with Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki. "Iran never helped one Lebanese party against the others," said the FPM leader.
He said he was "surprised and astonished" at criticism from Lebanese Christian factions about the visit. Aoun, who arrived in Tehran on Sunday is due to hold talks with President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani.(AFP) Beirut, 13 Oct 08, 10:39

Saniora Remains Silent About Otari-Muallem Comments to Avoid Quarrel
Naharnet/TPremier Fouad Saniora has said he prefers to remain silent about comments by his Syrian counterpart Mohammed Naji Otari and Foreign Minister Walid Muallem that he has rejected invitations to visit Damascus. Saniora told the pan-Arab daily al-Hayat in remarks published Monday that he preferred not to comment on the remarks of Otari and Muallem in order not to argue about the relations of the two countries. The newspaper quoted ministers as saying that "we don't think Lebanon's prime minister would reject an invitation. He would welcome it." They said that Saniora has always sent letters to Syrian President Bashar Assad and Otari during national holidays but he never received replies. The ministers also told al-Hayat that the prime minister will not hesitate to visit Damascus if he receives an invitation. "Lebanese Premier Fouad Saniora has received three invitations to visit Syria, including one by Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, but he didn't accept," Otari said Sunday. "PM Saniora does not need an invitation. The doors of Damascus are open. He already came to Damascus in 2005 without invitation," Otari added. Muallem also said Sunday that Saniora didn't need an invitation. He described Saniora as "a national unity prime minister in Lebanon," adding that "an official has to go from one Arab country to the other to serve the public interest." Beirut, 13 Oct 08, 06:17

Michael Williams in Beirut
Naharnet/TU.N. special coordinator for Lebanon Michael Williams begins meetings with Lebanese officials this week as part of his new mission.
Williams, a Briton, arrived in Beirut on Sunday. He replaced Belgian Johan Verbeke who was appointed U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon's special representative in the Georgian capital after reportedly being threatened by "extreme Islamist fundamentalists." Williams previously served as U.N. special coordinator for the Middle East peace process and played a key role in the implementation of Security Council Resolution 1701 that brought the 34-day Israel-Lebanon war to a close in 2006. Beirut, 13 Oct 08, 05:03

Beirut Shopkeepers Breathing Easier After 'Poster Disarmament'
Naharnet/TIn polarized Lebanon, flaunting a political leader's poster can be enough to spark a gunfight. So shopkeepers on Beirut's al-Maamoun Street are breathing a little easier now that "poster disarmament" has been declared. Most of the posters once plastered on Beirut's walls and lampposts have come down by agreement between the main factions of Shiite and Sunni Muslims — part of a broader attempt to ease nearly three years of sectarian and political tensions that almost dragged the country back into civil war. The move is giving a new look to a city where political posters and banners once greatly outnumbered advertising billboards. This year, several people were injured in battles that erupted along al-Maamoun Street in Beirut's mixed Sunni-Shiite neighborhood of Basta. The cause: Someone tore down a portrait of slain former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri and his son Saad. And last month, two people died in a gunfight between rival Christian groups over the hanging of a political banner in a village in north Lebanon.
"What a relief," Assad Shami, an 80-year-old Shiite barber in Basta, said of the disappearing posters.
"It is a positive step that defuses tensions and eliminates one of the causes of sectarian fights," said Mohammed Halawani, 55, a Sunni grocer.
The factions took down their posters simultaneously around Beirut at the start of the month, and political graffiti was cleaned off walls. The same deal is being negotiated for the city's suburbs, the airport highway and elsewhere in Lebanon. Some posters in Christian areas also are coming down.
The Sunni Hariris vied with Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah of the Shiite movement Hizbullah. Pictures of Saudi King Abdullah, a Hariri ally, went up to counter portraits of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the late Shiite spiritual leader of Iran.
But the ubiquitous portraits have taken on greater weight since 2005, when the country was torn by a power struggle between pro- and anti-Syrian politicians — the former largely Sunni, the latter led by Hizbullah. A poster now gone showed Nasrallah and Shiite Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri over a Quranic verse reading, "Prepare for them with as much might as you can." The verse was intended to rally Muslims against foes in the early days of Islam, but some Sunnis saw it as calling for battle against them. Many portraits of the Hariris carried the slogan, "Lebanon First," a reference to Hizbullah's ties to Syria and Iran. In May, gunbattles between pro and anti-government forces killed 81 people. To avert outright civil war, the factions agreed to create a national unity government, and embraced poster disarmament. Not all the posters have gone — the deal does not include Christian areas — but for perhaps the first time in decades, Beirut's streets are not a jungle of divisive posters and banners.
Instead, pro-unity slogans are in vogue on al-Maamoun Street. "No to strife among Muslims" and "Yes to Muslim unity" says a large poster that replaced a portrait of the Hariris. Shopkeeper Jamal Mekkawi is skeptical that peace can grow from poster removal. What's needed, he said, is a reconciliation meeting between Sunnis and Shiites — something that's still being negotiated. And with parliamentary elections a few months away, no one expects the portraits to stay down for good. Meanwhile, political loyalties still are advertised inside homes and shops — Nasrallah's picture hangs in Shami's barbershop. The key is to keep those loyalties from spilling into street violence, said Kamal Khashab, a 70-year-old Shiite grocer. "Faith is in the heart, not in street banners," he said.(AP-Naharnet) (AP file photo shows Future Movement members taking down pictures of their leader Saad Hariri) Beirut, 13 Oct 08, 04:36

Suleiman and Restoring Balance
Elias Harfoush Al-Hayat - 13/10/08//
It is not easy to hold the middle ground and maintain balanced relations with all parties in Lebanon's current situation. Nevertheless, that is what President Michel Suleiman is trying to do, whether through the nature of his relations on the domestic level or through his visits abroad. In both contexts, the president makes sure to reflect traditional Lebanese foreign policy, represented by avoiding both involvement in inter-Arab conflicts and bias in confrontations between world powers.
Lebanon's president does this without paying too much attention to the expected reactions of this or that party. Such reactions are often known in advance, in view of the commitments and direct interests of these parties. He expects the success of presidential initiatives to be measured by their results, based on the fact that Lebanon's interest under the present circumstances requires opening all closed doors, in search of exits from the regional deadlock. Indeed such a deadlock still hinders complete trust in the success of the Lebanese solution.
Suleiman tries to maintain the balance through his visits to Arab countries, such as his latest visit to Saudi Arabia, following the visit he made to Syria which resulted in the decision to establish diplomatic relations between the two countries. In addition, he is trying to reinstate Lebanon's openness to the international scene, and particularly the United States, after such relations had been interrupted during the mandate of former President Emile Lahoud. Indeed, Lahoud's domestic and foreign policy was characterized by complete bias towards one of the parties of the domestic and regional conflict, which paralyzed the primary role of the presidency at the time, as well as the president's ability to promote domestic settlements and have acceptable relations with countries that play an essential role in the region.
Perhaps the first practical application of such a policy of openness lies in restoring contacts between the military institutions in Lebanon and the United States. Indeed, during his visit to Washington, President Suleiman expressed his desire to obtain US aid for the Lebanese army, in terms of additional advanced weapons to confront terrorist activities and protect domestic stability. The fact of the matter is that, ever since he was army commander, Suleiman never hesitated to complain of the lack of US military support to the Lebanese army, despite the difficult tasks required of it on the domestic level. He clearly expressed such complaints during the harsh battles waged by the army against the armed men who fought it in the Nahr El-Bared refugee camp last year.
Washington responded to the wishes expressed by Suleiman by the visits of US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Asia and the Near East David Hale and US Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs Mary Beth Long to Beirut, which received wide media and political coverage. It is noteworthy that Hale met with most of the leaders of the March 14 Alliance but refrained from meeting any officials from the opposing party, with the exception of Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri and his former deputy Elie Ferzli. Commenting on this new cooperation between the US Department of Defense and the Lebanese Army, Hale certified that such cooperation takes this form "for the first time", and that military partnership between the two countries is based on facing shared challenges, in order to stamp out terrorism, which threatens stability in Lebanon, and to implement Resolution 1701.
Despite the modest size of US military aid, it was met with criticism from local parties. This highlights the difficult role that is expected for the army to play in preserving security and balance at the domestic level, as well as the extent of doubts regarding the purpose of the weapons it is receiving from the US. Hezbollah's media, for instance, considered such aid to lack any real military value, and pondered the reasons that prevent the reinforcement of the army's ability to effectively confront Israel. At the same time, Hezbollah officials did not conceal their concerns regarding the US's focus on "facing terrorism" as the purpose of their support for Lebanon, when Hezbollah is still listed as a terrorist organization by the US. As for Israel, it has also expressed reservations over providing weapons to the Lebanese Army, as it considers that the army cannot interfere in any internal conflict, due to the effect of sectarian quarrels on its cohesion. Moreover, Israeli officials expressed to Washington their fears of a "leakage" of US weapons to Hezbollah!
As there is complete lack of trust between internal and external parties, trust in Michel Suleiman's decisions has become the only point where everyone meets. However, this places a burden on the president's decisions and initiatives that is far too heavy for them to bear

Lebanon's New Electoral Law Will Impact Christians
By ADLA MASSOUD (Special to the Middle East Times)
Published: October 13, 2008
Lebanon's Gen. Michel Aoun insists he has not entered into an alliance with Hezbollah, rather he has signed an MOU – or message of understanding.
BEIRUT -- Lebanon's new electoral law could define the role of the country's Christian electorate and directly impact the ongoing Sunni-Shia power struggle, experts say.
"The Christians can flip the balance one way or another. Because the Shiites are attached to Iran and Syria and the Sunnis to Saudi Arabia, so as to lessen the attachments, the Christians can balance it out in the national interest of the country," said former Lebanese ambassador to Washington, Abdullah Bouhabib.
Adoption of the new election law – which is still pending approval of parliament – is the final element of the Qatari-mediated deal between rival pro- and anti-Syrian factions in Lebanon after prolonged wrangling brought the country to the brink of civil war.
The new law overrides the standing 1960 electoral act and mandates the redrawing of electoral boundaries into smaller voting districts – a major concession to the opposition which they believe will entitle a bigger representation for the Christian community.
Christian voters will have diverse alternatives to choose from: first, the March 14 camp, the Christian Phalangists and the Lebanese Forces, led by Amin Gemayel and Samir Geagea respectively who joined forces with the largely anti-Syrian movement headed by Saad Hariri, son of slain former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri and Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblatt.
Hezbollah made the Druze community as a whole their target during their May campaign. Jumblatt reinforced his alliance with rival Druze leader Talal Arslan during and after the Hezbollah attacks on their community. Arslan is a friend and supporter of the Syrian regime and the opposition.
At the other end of the spectrum is the pro-Syria opposition, consisting of Michel Aoun's Free Patriotic Movement (FPM), Suleiman Franjieh's Marada movement and Hezbollah. And there is also the soon to be announced candidates affiliated with the new president, General Michel Suleiman.
Marada leader Suleiman Franjieh said the new election law is the beginning of the rights of the Christians:
"We now need our deputies to be elected by the Christians themselves."
Inexplicable alliances have long been a tradition of Lebanese politics, defined by short-sighted tactical partnerships rooted in the intense rivalry of opposing parties, communities and political families.
Such alliances have played a key role in the struggle for power among the various Christian factions.
Lebanon's former President Amin Gemayel, head of the Christian Phalangist Party and one of the stalwarts of the anti-Syrian coalition believes the outcome of the elections will depend mainly on political alliances.
"The political map is going to change in 2009. There will be a big reshuffling."
The Doha Accord situates the opposition today as a significant minority in the cabinet with one third of the seats. Should the opposition win in the 2009 parliamentary elections, the opposition will become the ruling majority.
According to Nadim Shehadi, Lebanon expert at the London-based Chatham House, the real electoral battle will be in seven constituencies: Metn, Zahle, Beirut, Koura, Saida, Batroun, West Bekaa.
"Nineteen out of the 26 constituencies are considered 'safe' with predictable results. It is in the other seven, mainly in the Christian dominated constituencies, that will determine the next parliamentary majority."
Free Patriotic Movement leader Michel Aoun, is currently the frontrunner in the Christian dominated areas, elections expert Kamal Feghali says.
The former general who won one-third of the popular vote in the 2005 parliamentary elections, claims the support of 50 percent of Lebanon's Christians, and "looks set to win the majority of the Christian votes in 2009" he added.
But Aoun's alliance with Hezbollah has many Christians worried about their future.
Carlos Edde, leader of Lebanon's National Bloc, an independent party formerly part of the majority movement, believes Aoun's alliance with Hezbollah, Syria and Iran will be the main factor for the end of "a Lebanon where the Christian community will have a substantial influence in the political decision making and it will be the last phase in which Westernized political institutions and culture will play an important role in this country."
Edde said: "After the takeover of Beirut by Hezbollah, it is unfortunate that many Christians prefer to side with the strongest, without considering the long-term effect on the society they are living in."
"One thing is for sure, if one considers the many factors that led to the failure of the Cedar Revolution of 2005, I would single out by far the defection of General Aoun to the pro-Syrian side," he added.
In fact, Aoun took the Christian community by surprise when he allied himself with Hezbollah, backed by Syria and Iran, shortly after he returned to Lebanon from a 15-year exile in France.
During his exile, he had repeatedly opposed the Syrian presence in his country and returned home only once Damascus withdrew its troops following a 29-year presence and as a result of domestic and international pressure in the aftermath of Hariri's assassination in February 2005.
"There has always been a trend or current amongst the Maronites which is anti-clerical and anti-feudal and I think Michel Aoun represents this" said Shehadi.
In an interview at his home in East Beirut, MP Samir Franjieh, a breakaway leftist member of the powerful far-right Franjieh clan led by Suleiman Franjieh in northern Lebanon, said the Christian pro-Hezbollah opposition unfortunately brought the Christian community back to where it was before 1990, ensnared by inter-Christian power struggles.
"What is disturbing is that they [the opposition] did not take Lebanese or Muslim positions but an Iranian one. They actually stood against their own democratic beliefs."
Gemayel concurred that Aoun's alliance with Hezbollah is dangerous for Lebanon, particularly the Christian interests, since Hezbollah works to "achieve the Iranian strategic scheme in the Middle East."
Defending their alliance, former Interior Minister Suleiman Franjieh said:
"The Shiites came and said they were prepared to stand by us. They stood by us in Doha and through all the tricky times. It's an alliance that has helped the Christian community. But it's not an alliance against the Sunnis. The Sunnis would be wrong to think that. It's an alliance of minorities that should help bring more balance to the country."
Bouhabib, who heads the independent Issam Fares Center think tank, said the agreement between Aoun and Nasrallah brought Hezbollah into the mainstream of Lebanese politics, rather than taking the FPM leader to the fringes.
"Imagine Aoun did not ally himself with Hezbollah, then the Shiites would be cornered and when the tiger is cornered, he attacks. So this agreement between Aoun and Hezbollah gradually convinced Hezbollah that they should play the political game in Lebanon. And this is in the interest of everybody not only of the Shiites." Aoun insists he has not entered into an alliance with Hezbollah, rather he has signed an MOU – or message of understanding.
Many Christians are still hoping that the disengagement of Syria from Lebanon following Rafiq Hariri's murder would signal the political revitalization of the community.
"The real test" said Arz al-Murr, founder of Al-Nashra, a Beirut-based news Web site, "are the 2009 elections."

When will they Understand?
By Tariq Alhomayed/ Editor-in-Chief of Asharq Al-Awsat
13/10/2008
The moment Tehran and Damascus felt that they might benefit from the decline of US-Russian relations (due to the conflict in Georgia), we saw Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert rush to Moscow to cut off any possible arms deal involving Syria and Iran.
And in an example of Israel pulling out all the stops to serve its own interests, Olmert got almost all that he wished for, when Moscow stated that it would not ‘sell arms to any conflict-ridden country’ which of course is diplomatic jargon for Syria and Iran.
The question then; what about us in the Arab world? When will we stop arming ourselves more than necessary, arming ourselves with weapons that sometimes find their way into the hands of organizations which use them solely for murder, and the destruction of our countries and our rights?
In Yemen there is a black market where one can purchase a military tank, and Sudan, thanks to the growing number of Pirate operations, has become a port for every possible weapon coming and going, heavy and light, which only increases our misery, and ours is a history already filled with its fair share of misery, bloodshed and destruction.
As a result of the bloody wars in Sudan, and a death-toll of more than two million, we find this increasing arms-trade coming into the Sudan, by way of the Somali Pirates.
An increasing arms trade to fund an expanding war that brings no solution to the crises, battles, and losses that the Sudanese face whatsoever. And this is what we have learned about the arms-trade today, however the things we have yet to learn are far more numerous and dangerous, and if that weren't the case why would the Iranian Minister of Defense be visiting Khartoum?
leaving aside the situation in the Sudan and looking closer at the historic Arab/Israeli conflict, some would say that arming ourselves against Israel is a duty, an unavoidable obligation, yet regrettably every weapon bought to fight against Israel has rebounded against the Arab world, like when Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait with weaponry bought to fight Israel, not to mention Iran’s current rhetoric against Israel while at the same time it threatens the Gulf.
There are many examples of this nature, we have seen Hezbollah weapons used against the Lebanese during the May 7th coup d’état in Beirut, an event that did not occur in Tel Aviv, but in the heart of the Lebanese capital.
This same with Hamas, who still use their weapons against their own people and not the Israelis who enjoy a truce with Hamas that ordinary Palestinians can only dream of, while we've also seen arms used against our nations by those living in the refugee camps.
Here we must talk about the legitimacy of bearing of arms, which should be under the supervision of the state and not in the hands of any kind of organization or group, and not in the hands of the black market traders.
To conclude, there is a huge market for arms in the Middle East, as a terrifying number of weapons reside in the hands of terrorists in the Arab world who use them solely for murder and destruction; otherwise how can anyone explain the sheer number and types of arms that they can get a hold of.
Israel did everything that it could to prevent Syria and Iran from further arming themselves, when will we ourselves prevent this dangerous arms-trade in our region, which is a threat to us and not our enemies?

The ties that bind
Now Lebanon Web Site
October 13, 2008
Michel Aoun (L) shakes hands with Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki before their meeting in Tehran on October 13, 2008.
So FPM leader and MP, Michel Aoun flew into Tehran on Sunday to, in his own words, “establish friendship” with a nation he also declared, at a press conference on Monday with Iranian foreign minister Manouchehr Mottaki, had never supported one Lebanese group against another.
We’ll put the latter piece of stand-up comedy down to jet lag and focus on his first statement, made at Beirut airport before he boarded the plane to Tehran. Someone should have told the former army commander that the ties that bind – and we don’t mean in the good sense – were established between Iran and Lebanon nearly a quarter of a century ago, courtesy of Hezbollah.
It is a well-documented friendship. Aoun’s main ally in the March 8 bloc receives its doctrinal inspiration, martial means and military ethos from Tehran. Iran allegedly pumps at least $50 million dollars a month into Lebanon, and after the 2006 summer war, got out its oil-drenched check book to stump up further reparations for damage its local proxy had incurred in its disastrous one month battle with Israel. In fact, it is no exaggeration to posit that Iran sees Lebanon, through the prism of Hezbollah, as nothing short of a satellite state. So in terms of friendship that box appears to be ticked.
So why is the former army commander going to Iran, especially as he has spent the past two years trying to convince his followers that his MOU with Hezbollah was signed purely on the basis of cementing national unity? It is no secret that even those within his inner circle in the FPM are concerned about the direction, both geographical and political, their leader is taking them. The Iran trip comes on the heels of internal dissention over Aoun’s son-in-law, Telecommunications Minister and MP Gebran Bassil’s riding roughshod within the party.
Maybe one should look at Aoun’s robust defense of Hezbollah in the past six months – his backing of the attempted coup, his tour of the south, his refusal to condemn the murder of a Lebanese army pilot and his hounding of French language daily, L’ Orient Le Jour, when it dared to question whether the shooting was an accident – for a clue as to why it appears that Aoun’s role in Lebanese politics as been reduced to do Hezbollah’s, and by extension Iran’s, bidding.
Finally, as Aoun sits with the theocratic rulers of Iran, the Christian leader should be advised about a little-noticed draft law that passed the first of two votes in the Iranian Parliament over the summer. The legislation mandates the death penalty for anyone who converts from Islam and appears poised to become a justification for persecuting Christians and Baha’is. Tehran has executed Muslims for converting to Christianity in the past, and, with conversion becoming increasingly common in the Islamic Republic, this legislation – which Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad lobbied for – flies in the face of not only international human rights, but also Lebanon’s spirit of religious tolerance. As a self-described representative of the Christian community in Lebanon, Aoun should be worried about sitting at the same table as those who would hang a man for his religious beliefs. He should choose his friends more carefully

Iran Cracks Down On Hezbollah
Strategy Page
October 13, 2008: Iran has taken tighter control over Hezbollah, a Lebanese organization it founded, armed and heavily influenced for over a quarter century. In Lebanon, Hezbollah is still fuming over the killing, last February of their number two guy, Imad Mughniyeh, in Syria. He was killed by a car bomb in Damascus. This was embarrassing for Syria, a police state with a long reputation for getting along with terrorists. Israel was blamed, although there were plenty of other suspects (Saudi Arabia, Lebanese, even Iraqis and Iran). But now a replacement for Mughniyeh has been revealed. It's Mohammad Rida Zahidi, a senior officer in one of the many secret police organizations that keep Iranians in line. Zahidi's most recent assignment was to run the security organization that protected senior government officials. A decade ago, he served as a senior official in the Iranian embassy in Lebanon.
Zahidi will take over the late Mughniyeh's chores of coordinating operations between Hezbollah and Syria. That's a critical job, as most Hezbollah weapons, and much else, comes across the Syrian border into Lebanon. Mughniyeh was considered the number two man in Hezbollah. But while Mughniyeh was Lebanese, Zahidi is an Iranian. It's believed that the Iranians want Hezbollah to calm down and not engage in risky behavior (like the 2006 war with Israel, which Hezbollah declared a victory, but wasn't, and Iran knows it.)
In an attempt to get some revenge for Mughniyeh's death, Hezbollah has threatened to make attacks against Israeli targets outside of Israel. This has not been done much in the past because Hezbollah relied on fund raising and recruiting among Moslems (especially Shia) living outside the Middle East (especially in the West). But in the past few years, Western counter-terror efforts have cracked down on both of these activities anyway. So there is real fear that the furor over Mughniyeh's death will encourage Hezbollah to branch out into international terrorism. The downside of this is increased international efforts against Hezbollah. Logic, however, does not always play with Hezbollah, or the Islamic radicals in the Iranian government who provide money and weapons for the Lebanese based Hezbollah. Then again, the Iranian Islamic radicals are on the defensive at home, where Iranians are increasingly angry over how the religious dictatorship has mismanaged the economy, and stepped up use of religious police to enforce rules on how people are supposed to live (no entertainment, dress codes for young men and women, press censorship, etc). Going international with their terrorism would be a big mistake for Hezbollah, but they just might do it. Unless their new number 2 guy, the Iranian secret policeman Zahidi, stops them.