LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS
BULLETIN
September 03/08
Bible Reading of the day.
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to
Saint Luke 4,31-37. Jesus then went down to Capernaum, a town of Galilee. He
taught them on the sabbath, and they were astonished at his teaching because he
spoke with authority. In the synagogue there was a man with the spirit of
an unclean demon, and he cried out in a loud voice, Ha! What have you to do with
us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are--the Holy
One of God! Jesus rebuked him and said, "Be quiet! Come out of him!" Then the
demon threw the man down in front of them and came out of him without doing him
any harm. They were all amazed and said to one another, "What is there about his
word? For with authority and power he commands the unclean spirits, and they
come out." And news of him spread everywhere in the surrounding region.
Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger [Pope Benedict
XVI]
Lenten sermons 1981/"What is there about his word?"
The moment that the Bible calls «the
beginning» points us to the One who had the power to create what is and to say:
«Let there be...!» and it was (Gen 1,1-3)... That phrase «Let there be..!» did
not bring mindless chaos into existence. The more we get to understand the
universe, the more we discover a rationality in it whose ways, interpenetrated
by thought, amaze us. Through them we find again that creator Spirit to whom we,
too, owe our reason. Albert Einstein wrote that the laws of nature: «Manifest so
superior a reason that all other rationality of human thought and will seem, by
comparison, to be an absolutely insignificant reflection of it.»We note that the
infinitely great universe of stars is ruled by the power of Reason [Logos]. But
we learn even more concerning this from the infinitely small, the cell, the
fundamental elements of living things. There, too, we discover a rationality
that astonishes us, so that we have to say with Saint Bonaventure: «Anyone who
cannot see this is blind. Anyone who cannot hear it is deaf. And anyone who does
not start praying and praising the Creator Spirit at this point, is
dumb»...Through creation's rationality, God himself confronts us. Physics,
biology, all the sciences generally, have offered us an account of the new and
unheard of creation. Such great, new images help us to know the Creator's face.
They remind us, yes, that in the beginning, and in the depth of every being,
stands the Creator Spirit. The world has not issued forth from darkness and
absurdity. It resonates intelligence, freedom, the beauty that is love. Seeing
all this gives us the courage that makes living possible and makes us able to
take up confidently on our shoulders the adventure of life.
Free
Opinions, Releases, letters & Special Reports
Has Hezbollah
Colonized Lebanon?By: Jameel Theyabi -Dar Al-Hayat 02/09/08
Assad’s reckless
behavior-By: Farid Ghadry 02/09/08
A US role in
Syrian-Israeli peace.By Robert Pelletreau and Edward S. Walker 02/09/08
Why Syria Should Include Lebanon in
Peace Talks with Israel. By CLAUDE SALHANI 02/09/08
Serbian nationalists
bash Joe Biden. Sophia Echo 02/09/08
Latest News Reports From Miscellaneous Sources for September
02/08
Hizbullah confirms resistance member fired on helicopter-Daily
Star
Israel Reportedly Thwarted Five
Hizbullah Kidnap Attempts-Naharnet
Fatfat: What Elections if the
Threat of Weapons Persists?-Naharnet
Saniora's Six-Point Plan for Tripoli-Naharnet
Death
Sentences for 5 Shamas Brothers in the Ziads' Crime-Naharnet
Qahwaji in his Order of the Day:
Eyes Focused on Occupied Land and Domestic Security-Naharnet
Hizbullah Confirms Fighter Opened
Fire on Army Helicopter-Naharnet
Qatar Pledges Continued Support for
Lebanon-Naharnet
French Officer Takes Command of
UNIFIL's Naval Mission-Naharnet
Sarkozy Heads to Syria to Normalize
Ties Frozen after Hariri's Murder-Naharnet
Gemayel: Sujud Incident is Attack
against Lebanese Army-Naharnet
Hizbullah Reportedly to Visit
Batroun to Pay Condolences to Hanna's Family-Naharnet
Minister Karam: Friendly Fire Kills
As Enemy Fire Does-Naharnet
Jumblat Renews Call for
Pacifying Lebanon to Safeguard Stability-Naharnet
Skeleton, Tanks Celebrate Dead
Leader in Hezbollah Exhibition-Bloomberg-Naharnet
Turkish PM talks to Lebanon's
Siniora before Syria visit-www.worldbulletin.net
HRW:
Sarkozy Must Raise Plight of Activists in Talks with Assad-Naharnet
Quadripartite Mideast
Summit in Damascus Thursday-Naharnet
Report: Hamas chief Mashaal leaves Syria, moves
to the Sudan-Jerusalem Post
Dutch intel: US to strike Iran in coming weeks
By JPOST.COM STAFF
The Dutch intelligence service, the AIVD, has called off an operation aimed at
infiltrating and sabotaging Iran's weapons industry due to an assessment that a
US attack on the Islamic Republic's nuclear program is imminent, according to a
report in the country's De Telegraaf newspaper on Friday. The report claimed
that the Dutch operation had been "extremely successful," and had been stopped
because the US military was planning to hit targets that were "connected with
the Dutch espionage action." The impending air-strike on Iran was to be carried
out by unmanned aircraft "within weeks," the report claimed, quoting "well
placed" sources.
The Jerusalem Post could not confirm the De Telegraaf report. According to the
report, information gleaned from the AIVD's operation in Iran has provided
several of the targets that are to be attacked in the strike, including "parts
for missiles and launching equipment." "Information from the AIVD operation has
been shared in recent years with the CIA," the report said. On Saturday, Iran's
Deputy Chief of Staff General Masoud Jazayeri warned that should the United
States or Israel attack Iran, it would be the start of another World War. On
Friday, Ma'ariv reported that Israel had made a strategic decision to deny Iran
military nuclear capability and would not hesitate "to take whatever means
necessary" to prevent Teheran from achieving its nuclear goals. According to the
report, whether the United States and Western countries succeed in thwarting the
Islamic Republic's nuclear ambitions diplomatically, through sanctions, or
whether a US strike on Iran is eventually decided upon, Jerusalem has begun
preparing for a separate, independent military strike.
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1220186494776&pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull
Hizbullah
confirms resistance member fired on helicopter
Fighter thought craft was Israeli
By Mirella Hodeib -Daily Star staff
Tuesday, September 02, 2008
BEIRUT: Hizbullah politburo member Mahmoud Qomati confirmed on Monday that it
was a 20-year old Hizbullah fighter who opened fire on the Lebanese Armed Forces
helicopter last week, killing First Lieutenant Samer Hanna. "The news is true,"
Qomati told The Daily Star.
Media reports on Monday said a 20-year old Hizbullah fighter, a member of the
Moqadem family, shot the helicopter.
The reports added that the suspect was a member of a special combat unit and
took part in the fight against Israel during the summer 2006 war.
Hizbullah has reportedly called on its fighters to keep a watchful eye on
attempts by Israel to conduct covert operations inside Lebanese territory.
According to the report, the Hizbullah fighter told investigators he thought the
helicopter was Israeli as "he did not notice the presence of a Lebanese flag or
emblem."The fighter added that he did not alert his superiors "because he
thought he was faced with an Israeli military airdrop."
Hanna, 25, was killed when his helicopter was hit by gunfire on Thursday during
a training mission in the Sejod Hills, a region known as a Hizbullah stronghold
in South Lebanon. On Friday, Hizbullah handed the suspect over to the Lebanese
judiciary.
News reports Sunday quoted Defense Minister Elias Murr as telling a Cabinet
session on Friday that Hizbullah fighters could have mistaken the Lebanese
helicopter for an Israeli one. The reports quoted Murr as saying the
helicopter's ID plate had a different color than the plates of the army's
traditional helicopters, adding that Hizbullah fighters had rushed to help Hanna
and his wounded comrade when they realized that the targeted helicopter belonged
to the Lebanese military.
The helicopter had been donated to the LAF by the United Arab Emirates during
the 2007 battles at the Nahr al-Bared refugee camp, reports added.
Also on Monday, the Central News Agency (CNA) reported that Hizbullah was
intending to send a delegation to Tannourine, Hanna's hometown, to offer
condolences. However, when contacted by The Daily Star Hizbullah sources said
they were unaware of any such plans.
In a statement issued on Friday, the party described the incident as
"unfortunate and distressing," adding that it would "fully cooperate with the
Lebanese Army and the judiciary to uncover the truth."In related comments,
Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah was quoted as saying that no incident
could lead to a clash between the LAF and the Shiite group, adding that both
Hizbullah and the military were "immunized against strife."
"The army and Hizbullah won't be dragged into a conflict," the imam of Al-Quds
Mosque in Sidon, Sheikh Maher Hammoud, quoted Nasrallah as saying after a
three-hour meeting with the Hizbullah chief on Sunday. The remarks were carried
by As-Safir newspaper on Monday.
Referring to the attack against the LAF helicopter, Nasrallah was quoted as
saying that "tragic incidents should be dealt with objectively, while avoiding
misleading speculations and analyses." The resistance leader also reportedly
sought to reassure the Sunni cleric that Iran's backing of Hizbullah had more of
a "religious rather than political nature to it."The sayyed also denied that
either Tehran or Damascus interfered in the decision-making of his group.
Israel
Reportedly Thwarted Five Hizbullah Kidnap Attempts
Naharnet/Israeli security services have reportedly thwarted at
least five attempts by Hizbullah to kidnap Israeli businessmen in Africa, Asia,
and South America.
Each time, Hizbullah tried to use "sleeper cells" embedded in far-flung Shiite
communities, said the mass-selling Israeli Yediot Aharonot newspaper.
Yediot and other newspapers cited unnamed Israeli security officials and said
further details about the plots remain under official censorship.
Israeli officials said the kidnap plots were stopped at advanced stages.
Israel has been on high alert since top Hizbullah commander Imad Mughniyeh was
assassinated in a car bombing in Damascus in February in an attack welcomed by
the Jewish state but for which it denied any responsibility.
Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah blamed Israel for the attack and has
repeatedly vowed to avenge the killing. Last month, Israel issued a warning to
its citizens living and traveling abroad to take extra precautions against
possible Hizbullah attacks or abductions. Israel's counter-terror bureau issued
the warning at a peak traveling season for Israelis, calling on tourists and
businessmen to take special precaution in hotels, restaurants and recreational
spots. Israelis were also urged to turn down "unexpected and alluring proposals
in both business and recreation" and to alter routines and habits. In July 2006
Hizbullah seized two Israeli soldiers in a deadly cross-border raid, sparking a
34-day war in which over 1,200 Lebanese, mostly civilians, and over 160
Israelis, mostly soldiers, were killed. The bodies of the two abducted soldiers
were returned to Israel as part of a prisoner swap in July.(AFP-AP-Naharnet)(AFP
photo shows a Hizbullah supporter arranging a display marking the second
anniversary of the Israel-Lebanon war on Aug.15) Beirut, 02 Sep 08, 07:58
Fatfat: What Elections if the Threat of Weapons Persists?
By Dalia Nehme
Naharnet/MP Ahmed Fatfat warned that it would be "impossible" to organize
general elections if the Doha Accord was not fully implemented, especially the
clause that bans the use of weapons to settle political differences. "Holding
elections within the persisting circumstances is impossible … that is why we
call for the quick launching of national dialogue and proceeding with
implementing the Doha Accord. Controlling weapons used domestically is a
necessity," Fatfat told Naharnet.
He said Lebanon is going through an episode of "serial events" that started last
May. He was referring to Hizbullah's attack on west Beirut and Mount Lebanon.
"The main clause in the Doha Accord that bans the use of weapons for domestic
purposes has not been applied," Fatfat noted.
He warned that "some citizens are not abiding" by the decision adopted by
Mustaqbal Movement in May to avoid being lured into Sunni-Shiite conflict.
"They are arming up to defend themselves as has happened in Tripoli and some
other areas," Fatfat noted in reference to the threat of Hizbullah weapons.
He said the issue rests in the hands of President Michel Suleiman who has to
call for "proceeding with dialogue."
"We insist on proceeding with dialogue in order to maintain the same (former)
participants," Fatfat stressed.
He accused Hizbullah and its allies of proposing to expand the list of
participants and the agenda for the National Dialogue Conference because "they
don't want dialogue." "They want to add items to the dialogue agenda and this is
not included in the Doha Accord," Fatfat charged.
He said if the political sides involved in the dialogue conference "have good
intentions and really want elections to be held, it would be easy to agree
during the national dialogue on disarming all factions that do not confront
Israel and it would be easy to define confrontation areas with Israel beyond
which weapons would be banned."Fatfat said new Army Commander Gen. Jean Qahwaji
enjoys the backing of all political factions "but field practices would
determine if this political backing would be developed into popular support for
the Lebanese Army and security institutions."
The situation in the northern city of Tripoli, according to Fatfat, is going
through a one-week test "if army procedures proved to be effective …Tripoli
would overcome its dilemma."
However, the situation in the northern Akkar province is "more difficult,"
Fatfat said. Fatfat criticized the attack by Hizbullah operatives against a
Lebanese Army helicopter in the southern Sojod region last week which resulted
in killing Air Force 1st. Lt. Samer Hanna. He said surrendering one Hizbullah
fighter to the judiciary as the person who attacked the chopper "does not
convince Lebanese citizens … no one person can shoot down a chopper."
In answering a question about Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblat's
warning that clashes between Sunnis and Alawites in Tripoli could lead to a new
Syrian military intervention in Lebanon similar to what happened in 1976, Fatfat
said:
"What happened in Georgia is totally different that the situation in Lebanon.
Some (officials) of the Syrian regime could like to return to Lebanon one way or
the other, but the situation is different that it was in 1976.
"The Syrians had enjoyed Arab and international backing, which are not available
these days and would not be available. Certainly there would be resistance in
Lebanon to such an attempt."
He criticized a recent statement by the head of Hizbullah's parliamentary bloc
Mohammed Raad that in case Iran was attacked, 11,000 missiles would be fired at
Israel from Lebanon. "This confirms that (Hizbullah) weapons in Lebanon serve
Iran," Fatfat declared. Beirut, 01 Sep 08, 14:05
Souaid: A Hizbullah-Army Committee Takes Us Back to Civil
War Structures
Naharnet/March 14 coordinator Faris Souaid on Tuesday criticized Parliament
Speaker Nabih Berri for proposing a joint army-Hizbullah committee, saying it
reminds Lebanon of civil war structures.Souaid was commenting on a remark made
by Berri, who also heads the AMAL Movement, in an effort to coordinate
activities between the regular army and Hizbullah following the shooting down by
Hizbullah operatives of an army helicopter and the killing of its pilot.
"The proposed committee between the army and Hizbullah takes us back to (civil)
war days when committees representing the various factions (militias) used to
meet at the museum" crossing on the green line that had divided the war-ridden
Lebanese capital, he added. Berri, Souaid said, should back the "army's right to
spread its authority throughout Lebanese territories without imposing conditions
on the regular force." He said the Syrian regime of President Bashar Assad
"intervenes in the events of north Lebanon through its intelligence agents, but
I believe direct (Syrian military) intervention is unlikely."
Beirut, 02 Sep 08, 12:14
Saniora's Six-Point Plan for Tripoli
Naharnet/Premier Fouad Saniora on Tuesday proposed a six-point
plan to develop the city of Tripoli and north Lebanon, based on enforcing
security and achieving stability. "Tripoli and its citizens have a right to
security. Nothing could justify negligence in providing security," Saniora told
representatives of Tripoli and north Lebanon who visited him at the Grand Serail
in Beirut. "The government is seriously asking security institutions to play
their role in reestablishing stability and protecting citizens," he added.
Tripoli MPs, religious authorities and civic society groups "unanimously back
the Lebanese Army and security institutions," Saniora noted. Other points
include providing relief aid to victims of violence; reconstructing the damaged
and ageing infrastructure; launching development projects and the creation of
jobs in cooperation with the private sector; providing health and social
services and backing reconciliation efforts. Beirut, 02 Sep 08, 11:51
Skeleton, Tanks Celebrate Dead Leader in Hezbollah
Exhibition
By Daniel Williams
Sept. 2 (Bloomberg) -- Little girls in flowery summer dresses pose for snapshots
beside a plaster skeleton draped with a tattered Israeli army uniform. Nearby,
people clamber over a jumble of ruined Israeli tanks and a downed helicopter set
on a mock battlefield among rifles, assorted boots, radios and unopened tins of
tuna fish. They are visiting a theme-park-style exhibit in southern Lebanon
commemorating Hezbollah's 2006 war with Israel. The focus is Imad Mughniyeh, the
military commander who led the Shiite Muslim militia's forces during the
conflict and was assassinated by a car bomb in February.
The ``Imad Exhibition'' signifies Hezbollah's attempt to create a personality
cult around Mughniyeh, broaden its appeal and set the psychological stage for
the next conflict with the Jewish state. ``They consecrate his image both for
bolstering morale and also as a message to Israel,'' says Amal Saad-Ghorayeb, a
Lebanese political analyst and the author of ``Hizbollah: Politics and
Religion,'' a history of the group. ``War is in the air again.''
Hezbollah regards itself as a vanguard of ``resistance'' against the U.S. and
Israel. It triggered the 2006 conflict when it abducted two Israeli soldiers in
a cross-border raid. In July, the group returned the bodies of the pair to
Israel in exchange for five prisoners and 199 bodies of dead Lebanese
guerrillas.
Civilians Killed
About 1,200 Lebanese died in the conflict, according to government figures;
among them were 499 civilians, the New York-based monitoring group Human Rights
Watch reported. Israel's government said 44 of its civilians and 119 soldiers
were killed.
Hezbollah officials credit Mughniyeh, 45 when he died in Damascus, with
organizing village militias and the hit-and-run tactics that held off Israel's
armored advance in south Lebanon during the 33-day conflict. Mughniyeh also
commanded Hezbollah forces in a 17-year war of attrition against Israeli
occupation of southern Lebanon. Israel's army withdrew in 2000.
Israel and the U.S. regard Hezbollah as one of the world's prime terrorist
organizations; U.S. officials have linked Mughniyeh with many bombings of
civilians.
Since his death, which is still under investigation, his portrait has popped up
throughout Hezbollah strongholds in Lebanon, a common means the organization
uses to praise ``martyrdom.'' The exhibition, which opened Aug. 12 and will
close in early September, takes his glorification to a new level: He's promoted
to a pan-Arab, even global, Che-Guevara- style hero whose bearded face looks
down from billboards that enclose the two-acre site.
`Holy Relic' ``His determination and professionalism gave us victory,'' says
Imad Awada, a Hezbollah press officer who oversees the exhibit. ``Everything he
owned is a holy relic.'' The Mughniyeh display in the exhibition is like a
pharaonic tomb, without the mummy, set in a fairground. A room- sized glass case
holds his desk, papers, pens, worry beads, uniform, shoes and even his hair
brush.
``The Lebanese resistance today inspires all the resistances of the world, all
the free persons, all the noble people and all who refuse to surrender,'' reads
a tribute poster at the display. Awada, 47, says about 10,000 people visit the
exhibition each day in Nabatiyeh, about 40 kilometers (25 miles) south of Beirut
in the heart of Hezbollah-controlled south Lebanon. It was impossible to verify
attendance at the free event; several hundred strolled around during an hour on
a recent afternoon.
Mughniyeh Mugs :Visitors enter through a mock-up of Mughniyeh's signature combat
baseball cap. They can watch a movie -- in a tent -- largely dedicated to his
military success and buy a Mughniyeh coffee mug in the souvenir shop.
Part of the exhibition highlights weaponry he acquired for his fighters:
recoilless rifles, Russian-made Katyusha rockets, mortars of all sizes and
anti-tank projectiles. His voice bellows through loudspeakers over the sound of
bombs.
The exhibition briefly hints at one obstacle to Mughniyeh becoming a universal
symbol: Hezbollah's self-proclaimed ``divine victory'' in 2006 isn't seen as
divine, even throughout Lebanon. Estimates from the U.S. Central Intelligence
Agency put the amount of damage from the conflict at $3.6 billion.
`Dear Brothers'
Lebanese who oppose Hezbollah say the country's army, not the militia, ought to
be in charge of Lebanon's defense. A sign at the exhibition goes out of its way
to identify Hezbollah's forces with the national interest, saying Hezbollah and
Lebanon's army, which sat out the 2006 war, are ``dear brothers.''
In May, Hezbollah effectively shot its way into the current Lebanese government
headed by pro-Western Prime Minister Fouad Siniora. It and allied militias
stormed western neighborhoods in Beirut, protesting a government effort to close
down its secret military-phone system. Hezbollah then won a veto over cabinet
decisions when the country's factions agreed to form a unity government.
On Sept. 1, Siniora's spokesman, Aref al-Abed, said ``we have no comment on the
exhibit, and the prime minister has no plans to attend it.''
The exhibition comes at a time when signs -- rhetorical, at least -- of yet
another conflict between Hezbollah and Israel are rife, Saad-Ghorayeb says.
Next War : On Aug. 24, Hezbollah's political leader, Hassan Nasrallah, vowed
that in the next war with Israel, victory would be ``final'' and the Jewish
state would be destroyed. Five days earlier, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert
warned that in the future, Israel wouldn't restrain itself to attacks on ``a
random field, away from large cities where life will go on as usual.''
Hezbollah has been building new roads and military bases north of Nabatiyeh; its
officials have boasted of thousands of new recruits.
``The time when Israeli tanks could come into our territory is over,'' says Akil
Hoteit, 27, an architect who directed construction of the Mughniyeh display.
``This is what Mughniyeh did for us.''
To contact the reporter on this story: Daniel Williams in Nabatiyeh, Lebanon, at
dwilliams41@bloomberg.net
**Last Updated: September 1, 2008 17:01 EDT
Death Sentences Proposed for 5 Shamas Brothers in the Ziads'
Crime
Naharnet/Examining Magistrate Malik Abla proposed the death
sentence against five brothers from the Shamas family, the killers of
12-year-old Ziad Ghandour and his neighbor Ziad Qabalan, 25. Judge Abla also
proposed sentencing Mustafa al-Saaidi, Ayman Safwan, Wissam Arabi and Saeb al-Daqdouqi
to life imprisonment with hard labor for "destroying evidence," while brothers
Mohammad, Shehadeh, Abdullah, Abbas and Ali Shamas remain at large.
The charge sheet also moved against Hanan Atwi, Abeer Qabalan, Hassan Hazimeh,
Hana Ismail, Rabih Huweili, sentencing them for up to three years in prison for
hiding suspect Ali Shamas. The bodies of the two Ziads were found near the town
of Jadra, southeast of Beirut April 26, 2007, three days after being kidnapped
from their car. The crime was apparently in retaliation for the murder of Adnan
Shamas, blamed by the Shamas family on Ziad Ghandour's father, Mounir, and Ziad
Qabalan. Adnan Shamas was killed in street clashes in January 2007. Beirut, 02
Sep 08, 12:09
Qahwaji in his Order of the Day: Eyes Focused on Occupied
Land and Domestic Security
Naharnet/Army Commander Gen. Jean Qahwaji in his first Order of
the Day told troops to focus on south Lebanon to reclaim the occupied land and
on the domestic situation to consolidate security and stability. The troops,
according to the order's text as distributed by the state-run National News
Agency, should also help in "providing the proper atmosphere to (facilitate) the
practice of democracy and public freedoms as guaranteed by the constitution and
law."
Safeguarding security consolidates state reverence, Gen. Qahwaji noted. The
general said he was "proud" to succeed President Michel Suleiman as army
commander. Qahwaji urged his troops to upgrade efforts exerted to "halt the
bleed" of a nation targeted by an enemy "across the border" and "terror" that
spreads "horror and fear" in various areas. He said the troops' "total loyalty
to the (military) establishment and the homeland" tops the regular force's
priorities.
"Do not bow to difficulties," Gen. Qahwaji told the troops. Unity of the regular
force is "the base of your performance and success," he said.
Beirut, 02 Sep 08, 11:21
Hizbullah Confirms Fighter Opened Fire on Army Helicopter
Naharnet/Hizbullah politburo member Mahmoud Qomati has confirmed
that it was a Hizbullah fighter who shot a Lebanese army helicopter, killing the
Capt. Samer Hanna. "The news is true," Qomati told the English language
newspaper The Daily Star in remarks published Tuesday. Hizbullah did not
officially confirm last Thursday's helicopter shooting incident. The Hizbullah
culprit was identified as a 20-year old fighter from the Moqadem family. News
reports said the fighter, whom Hizbullah turned over to the judiciary, told
investigators that he mistook the Lebanese chopper for an Israeli helicopter.
Beirut, 02 Sep 08, 10:33
Qatar Pledges Continued Support for Lebanon
Naharnet/President Michel Suleiman on Monday thanked Qatar's Emir
Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani for the role Doha played in striking a deal
between bickering Lebanese politicians to end their country's political crisis.
The Doha agreement paved the way for the election of Suleiman on May 25 and a
new national unity government was set up in July in line with the accord. Al-Mustaqbal
daily on Tuesday said that Suleiman aimed to inform the emir about the results
of his talks with Syrian President Bashar Assad last month, ways to implement
the clauses of the Doha accord and the security situation in the country,
particularly in the northern city of Tripoli. Suleiman, who traveled to Qatar
for a two-day visit on Monday, also lauded Doha's investments in Lebanon and
contributions to rebuild the south after the summer 2006 Israeli offensive on
the country. Sheikh Hamad, in turn, pledged to continue backing Lebanon in the
political and economic fields and to encourage Qatari investors to make further
investments in the country. Al-Bayrak newspaper said that Qatar also decided to
provide Lebanon with gas at reduced prices. Foreign Minister Fawzi Salloukh and
Economy and Trade Minister Mohammed Safadi from the Lebanese delegation attended
the meeting between Suleiman and Sheikh Hamad. Qatari Premier and Foreign
Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassem bin Jabr al-Thani and other top officials also
were present at the talks.
Suleiman was greeted by the emir and top aides at the airport. Beirut, 02 Sep
08, 07:10
French Officer Takes Command of UNIFIL's Naval Mission
Naharnet/Italy's six-month leadership of UNIFIL's naval mission
has ended after the command of the contingent was passed to France in a ceremony
on board the outgoing Italian ship, the Scirocco. In a symbolic handover, the
U.N. flag was passed on Monday from the Italian Maritime Task Force (MTF)
commander, Rear Admiral Ruggiero di Biase, to his French successor, Rear Admiral
Alain Hinden. The ceremony was also attended by the U.N. peacekeepers'
commander, Maj. Gen. Claudio Graziano, European Maritime Force (EUROMARFOR)
Commander Vice Admiral Giuseppe Lertora, senior Lebanese armed forces officers
and diplomatic representatives from countries contributing troops to UNIFIL.
The MTF was deployed on the request of the Lebanese government in the aftermath
of the 2006 war between Israel and Hizbullah to assist the Lebanese navy in
securing the territorial waters and to help prevent the smuggling of arms into
Lebanon.
"The Maritime Task Force is a vital tool for UNIFIL, allowing the mission to
carry out the tasks mandated to it by the Security Council to the fullest and a
tool in assisting the Lebanese authorities in their responsibilities of
implementing UNSCR 1701," Graziano said. "In coordination with the Lebanese navy
we have been able to carry out our mission effectively and impartially," Rear
Admiral Di Biase said. Rear Admiral Hinden stressed the continued commitment of
EUROMARFOR to UNIFIL's maritime mission. "We are deeply honored to serve the
cause of peace with UNIFIL and we are looking forward to working together with
the Lebanese navy," he said. Since the start of its operations in October 2006,
"MTF has hailed around 18,000 ships and referred more than150 suspicious vessels
to the Lebanese authorities for further inspection," UNIFIL said in a press
release. Beirut, 02 Sep 08, 08:07
Sarkozy Heads to Syria to Normalize Ties Frozen after
Hariri's Murder
Naharnet/French President Nicolas Sarkozy arrives Wednesday in
Damascus on a high-profile visit aimed at restoring top-level ties and drawing
Syria further out of international isolation. The French leader's two-day trip
is the latest step towards normalizing relations that were frozen after the 2005
murder of Lebanon's former premier Rafik Hariri, a close friend of Sarkozy's
predecessor Jacques Chirac. The first visit by a Western head of state in five
years, it is seen at home as a diplomatic victory for Syrian President Bashar
al-Assad, six weeks after he made a comeback on the world stage with a
high-profile trip to Paris.
Analysts also see the French leader's trip as a chance for Syria to improve its
relations with the United States, which continues to blacklist Damascus as a
state sponsor of terrorism. Traveling with French Foreign Minister Bernard
Kouchner, Sarkozy will meet and dine with Assad on Wednesday evening.
On Thursday, Sarkozy, whose country holds the European Union presidency, will
join a four-way summit on Middle East peace with Assad and regional mediators
Turkey and Qatar, according to a Turkish government spokesman. Ankara has been
mediating since May in indirect peace talks between Syria and Israel, which
remain technically at war since 1948. Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip
Erdogan and Qatar's emir, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, will both travel to
Syria for the talks, the spokesman said.
While in Paris in July, Assad said he hoped "France, with the United States, can
bring strong support to a peace accord between Israel and Syria."
Sarkozy's visit is seen as "a door, an opportunity for Syria to improve its
relations with the United States," said Andrew Tabler, consultant editor for the
English-language monthly Syria Today. Syrian leaders "want Washington in the
room during the negotiations with Israel," he said.
Last week the U.S. State Department said it was not planning to follow France's
example, warning that "until Syria plays a positive role in the region, it is
going to continue to isolate itself." But Imad Shaiby, head of a strategic
research centre in Damascus who has close ties to Syria's leadership, said he
believes Sarkozy's visit will help boost contacts with Washington. "Syria is
reaping the fruit of the last period. Its patience has paid off," he said.
Syria has had strained ties with both France and the United States since
Hariri's assassination in a massive Beirut car bombing.
Paris and Washington, among others, accused Syria of orchestrating the attack,
one of a string targeting its critics in Lebanon.
Syria repeatedly denied the charge but two months later withdrew its troops from
Lebanon, ending three decades of domination of its small neighbor.
Paris moved last year to start repairing ties with Syria, but backed down
accusing Damascus of blocking the election of a new Lebanese president, fuelling
a months-long political crisis. The election of Lebanese President Michel
Suleiman in May -- followed by the announcement that Lebanon and Syria would
establish diplomatic relations for the first time -- paved the way for a full
normalization of relations.
Suleiman called last week for world leaders to follow Sarkozy's example in
drawing Syria out of isolation.
"The international community must open up to Syria, following the example set by
France, because Syria plays a fundamental role at the regional level," he said.
Syria and the United States enjoyed a brief honeymoon in 1991 when Syria agreed
to join a U.S.-led attack on Iraq after Saddam Hussein's forces invaded Kuwait.
But ties soured again after Damascus refused to join the U.S.-led war on Iraq in
March 2003. Ever since, Washington has considered Syria a pariah state due to
its close ties to Iran and Hizbullah -- arch foes of the United States and its
regional ally Israel. It also accuses Syria of allowing rebels to infiltrate
Iraq to join the anti-U.S. insurgency.(AFP) Beirut, 02 Sep 08, 08:36
Gemayel: Sujud Incident is Attack against Lebanese Army
Naharnet/Former President and Phalange Party leader Amin Gemayel
on Monday said the helicopter shooting incident over Sujud hills in south
Lebanon is an "attack against the Lebanese army and its role.""The issue is not
over by just handing over one of the culprits to the judiciary," Gemayel said.
He also rejected the principle of forming a committee between representatives
from the Lebanese army and "any status quo side," a reference to Hizbullah.
"The logic of joint committees which takes us back to a past which is not yet
forgotten by the Lebanese people is totally rejected at the political, security,
national and humanitarian level," Gemayel said. He said he agrees with President
Michel Suleiman to launch national dialogue "as soon as possible so that a
common understanding on the concept of state sovereignty is reached." Beirut, 01
Sep 08, 19:23
Hizbullah Reportedly to Visit Batroun to Pay Condolences to
Hanna's Family
Naharnet/A Hizbullah delegation was on Monday reportedly planning
to visit Batroun province to express condolences over the death of Capt. Samer
Hanna, who was shot and killed in south Lebanon last week. The Central News
Agency, citing well-informed political sources, said contacts were underway with
Telecommunications Minister Jebran Bassil in this regard. Hizbullah on Friday
turned over one suspect to the judiciary saying he was the person who opened
fire at the helicopter Hanna was flying over Sujud hills in south Lebanon the
day earlier. Beirut, 01 Sep 08, 17:35
Minister Karam: Friendly Fire Kills As Enemy Fire Does
Naharnet/Environment Minister Antoine Karam on Monday said
"friendly fire kills exactly as enemy fire does." Karam was commenting on the
martyrdom of Air Force 1st. lt. Samer Hanna in an attack on his chopper in the
southern Hizbullah stronghold of Sojod. "Does the army need documents of
understanding so that its soldiers wouldn't get killed?" Karam asked in an
apparent criticism of the understanding between Hizbullah and Michel Aoun's Free
Patriotic Movement. "Does it mean that those who did not sign documents of
understanding are subject to getting killed anywhere?" Karam added. He said "the
problem is that weapons are not strictly in the hands of the legal forces."
Beirut, 01 Sep 08, 16:46
Jumblat Renews Call for Pacifying Lebanon to Safeguard
Stability
Naharnet/Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblat called
for pacifying Lebanon regarding regional and international conflicts to
safeguard the nation's unity and stability. Jumblat made his stand in an article
published Tuesday by the PSP's weekly al-Anbaa. Such a target of pacifying
Lebanon "starts with the launching of national dialogue through which Lebanon's
policies could be defined," Jumblat wrote. "Lebanon has paid a dear price for
over four decades … as a result of foreign interventions and regional
aggressions. It is time for us to agree on common denominators and provide the
Lebanese people with the stability they seek," he added.
Jumblat praised as "important" the recent visit to Beirut by Palestinian
President Mahmoud Abbas for stressing that the state is in charge of all issues
related to Palestinian refugees in Lebanon. Beirut, 01 Sep 08, 16:18
HRW: Sarkozy Must Raise Plight of Activists in Talks with
Assad
Human Rights Watch Tuesday urged French President Nicolas Sarkozy
to raise the plight of jailed activists and demand a probe into a deadly prison
riot when he meets his Syrian counterpart Bashar al-Assad in Damascus this week.
In a statement issued in Paris, the rights group said Sarkozy should use his
visit on Wednesday and Thursday to demand the release of "activists detained
solely for exercising their right to freedom of expression and association."
Human Rights Watch cited the case of 12 activists on trial for attending a
meeting of the Damascus Declaration opposition grouping, as well as two
activists jailed for calling for improved ties between Lebanon and Syria -- one
of Sarkozy's policy aims. "Michel Kilo and Mahmoud Issa are in jail for
demanding the exact same thing that President Sarkozy has asked of President
Assad," charged Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East and North Africa director at
Human Rights Watch.
The rights group also urged Sarkozy to demand a full inquiry into the
suppression of a riot at Saydnaya prison north of the Syrian capital in July, in
which rights groups say at least 25 people were killed. Human Rights Watch said
it had written to Sarkozy urging him to ask Syria to order an independent
inquiry into police use of lethal force at the jail, and release the names of
those killed and injured in the riot.(AFP) Beirut, 02 Sep 08, 11:45
Serbian nationalists bash Joe Biden
Sophia Echo (Bulgaria)
29 August 2008 | Clive Leviev-Sawyer
Posted on Monday, September 01, 2008
Barack Obama, the Democratic Party’s candidate for US president, indulged in a
campaign swing through Europe. His vice-presidential running partner, Joe Biden,
if tempted to do the same, may as well avoid Belgrade.
Memories run deep in the Balkans, but among Serbian nationalists, uppermost on
their minds is that long-term senator and foreign policy committee figure Biden
was strongly in favour of the 1990s bombing of Belgrade.
Popular Serbian newspaper Blic reminded its readers on August 28 that Biden was
one of those who proposed resolution on bombing of Yugoslavia in 1999.
“He also believes that all changes in Serbia are the result of pressure from
Washington.”
The newspaper quoted Obrad Kesic, an analyst in the US of Serbian origin, as
saying the choice of Biden was especially bad for Serbia.
“I am expecting Biden to be even more engaged in lobbying over Kosovo,” Kesic is
quoted as saying. Biden was a “severe opponent” of Russia, which could affect
Serbia indirectly in view of its traditionally close relations with Russia.
In contrast to media in Kosovo, where in Pristina daily newspaper Koha Ditore
said ”a great friend of Kosovo will enter the White House along with Obama if he
wins”, website Serbianna.com carried a report alleging that former US ambassador
to Romania Jim Rosapepe had said that he witnessed Biden shout at Romanian
officials from whom he was trying to get information on Serbia and its politics
so that Biden could “inflict political and diplomatic damage”.
Rosapepe says that the most extraordinary meeting Biden and him had was with the
president of the Romanian senate, Petre Roman, whom Biden met before but this
time "Biden grilled him on Serbian politics" and Roman "helped defeat Milosevic
in the 2000 elections".
However, when Biden asked the Romanian delegation why Romania was seeking Nato
membership, Biden was offended at the answer.
According to Serbianna.com, the Romanian said: “If we are in Nato, we won’t have
to worry about Nato attacking Romania over our relations with our Hungarian
minority the way you attacked Yugoslavia. Since Turkey has been in Nato for
decades, you let them do what they want with the Kurdish minority”.
The website said that “Biden got visibly angry that former communist Romania had
an existential reason for joining Nato, so Biden ‘rose from his chair, leaned
across the table and said: “If that’s why you want to get into Nato, I'll make
sure you never do!'”.
The Serbianna.com item alleged: “Biden has long been on the payroll of Kosovo
Albanian extremists so that he can lend support for their desire to annex
Serbian province”.
Another Serbianna.com item quoted Croatian priest Iliya Zivkovic as telling
Croatian daily Jutarnji List that he was a friend of Biden and that he was a key
figure that shaped Biden’s view that Serbs were exclusively to blame for events
in former Yugoslavia.
“He [Biden] knew about Croatia... But I think that the most influential was my
speech that I gave in Little Rock in front of the just elected Bill Clinton who
called American minorities for a conversation,” Zivkovic was quoted as saying.
“In 45 minutes I explained why bridges must be bombed in Serbia, Belgrade... I
believe that that it was very effective on Biden,” Zivkovic said.
As Democrats in the US observed the Republican attack machine spewing out
against its candidates Obama and Biden, Serbianna had a hat-trick with an item
online on August 29 – in the process managing to hit out at both Obama and
Republican presidential nominee John McCain.
“Whether Obama wins or McCain, Serbs should expect that US will seek to destroy
them, culturally, ethnically, physically, politically and diplomatically, tells
us an analyst who fears to disclose his name because he will be witch hunted.”
The article continues by quoting its source as saying that for the past eight
years, “Serbs in Kosovo have been killed like deer in season and US has approved
every one of those murders because they've recognised such a state”.
“More Serbs are to die and the US will delight in the death of Serbs no matter
who wins the presidency,” Serbianna quotes the source, which it describes as
“close to government” as saying.
“No matter if it's Obama or McCain, many more Serbs in Kosovo will die and all
churches in Kosovo will be leveled but any of the two will say that Serbs are
genociders,” the website said.
Assad’s reckless behavior
Farid Ghadry
Farid Ghadry advises Israel to stay away from negotiations with
unreliable President Assad
Published: 09.02.08, 02:06 / Israel Opinion
Notice how fast, in the middle of peace negotiations with Israel, Assad has
jumped to Moscow to attempt to conclude an arms deal that would make his regime
exponentially more dangerous regardless of whether peace with Israel is a
certainty or a game of showmanship. Notice as well how impulsively Assad ignited
further the precarious Georgian-Russian situation by reminding the world that
Cold War era may not be over. I ask Israel: Is there any doubt in your mind as
to Assad's danger and reckless behavior?
Any doubt in your mind, to those who have supported his father and are following
in the son's footsteps, that Assad Jr. is not Assad Sr.? His desire to acquire
more offensive lethal weapons shows clearly his truest of intent towards Israel,
and more importantly a political judgment not worthy of Israel's peace overtures
for his impetuous disposition.
One needs only to re-visit the short history of the region to discover that
Assad's alliance with Ahmadinejad has produced chaos from a duo of monstrosity
with a clear and present danger to the Levant. In the absence of serious
international intent to help the opposition change the Assad regime and in the
presence of WMD proliferation by Syria, the repetitiveness of his actions must
be confronted sooner than later because it has become clear that diplomats have
failed to cure his infallible inclinations for destructive behavior. Be it Iraq
or Lebanon or Israel, Assad's thirst for blood is misunderstood as political
maneuvering by believers in diplomacy.
As I was growing up, the magnificent images of the Entebbe raid cemented, in my
mind, the power and determination of the Israeli people. How remarkable those
days were when success was expected and results were assured by a nation
determined to save its Jewish heritage. It was as if Israel can do no wrong. But
today, I am witnessing a different Israel more inclined towards trepid decisions
and gripping fear that is delivering the Gaza fiasco or the 2006 war with a
permanent state of detrimental Oslo mentality. What many Israelis do not realize
is the positive impact a strong Israel has on the region for its stability,
without which we are witnessing the alternative, a cocktail of terror led by a
symphony of chaos.
By not delivering a resounding blow to Assad, who has facilitated thousands of
rockets to rain on your country, Israel has yielded its power to his regime of
terror. Is it a wonder that Israelis feel either confused or angry?
After Israel's September 6 raid on the Syrian nuclear reactor, I recall the
Israeli government claiming that Israel's deterrence capabilities can protect
the country. One can witness Israeli politicians and military personnel shaking
hands and congratulating each other soon after the raid. With all due respect to
Israeli politicians and the military brass, Assad could have wiped away your
deterrence with one shopping trip to Moscow because Israel thought, erroneously,
it can contain Assad with carrots called peace negotiations and warm relations
with the West. If Israel is fearful today of confronting the root cause of
terror supporting Hizbullah and Hamas, how do you expect to survive in the midst
of despotism, demagoguery, a culture of hate, and continued threats against your
people?
Why does Israel continue to support him?
When an opportunity presented itself in 2004 as a result of the Kurdish uprising
in Northern Syria, and again in 2005 when the Syrian opposition was able to run
him over, Israel chose to protect his regime against change leaving the dictator
intact to strike a threatening relationship with Iran; thinking it can persuade
him to fold back into the community, Israel started peace negotiations with his
regime and as a favor to the Israeli gesture of goodwill, Assad struck again
with his newer role as the darling of an angry bear, which has existential
ramifications for the whole Levant region.
Many say that it is not Israel's role to decide the fate of its neighbors and I
agree with that notion. It is not Israel's job to remove a dictator from power
and the Syrian opposition will never ask for it. But given his short history,
why does Israel continue to support him by allowing him the luxury of
negotiating with you?
Why do Western diplomats claim they can peel him from Iran when it is a
farfetched goal given the man's irrational behavior? How can someone who has
rockets, missiles, and trained terrorists all aimed at you, with a clear
determination to use them, be any less dangerous than the alternative in Syria,
which incidentally mirror Lebanon in its diversity as well as its liberalism?
Yet, Israel, lately, has gratuitously demolished our work of the last five years
by bringing him from the cold even before one gesture of goodwill can be
substantiated on his behalf.
What has Assad given back to Israel in return for his soft re-taking of Lebanon?
Hamas and Hizbullah are quiet while they arm themselves for the next round and
the danger to Israel, because of Assad, is infinitely more real. Remember how
Assad Sr. changed his mind after he entered Lebanon and instead of demolishing
the Arafat killing machine, his interests lay in the Greater Syria ambition? Why
Israel thinks
it can count on Assad Jr. to demolish Hizbullah when history has proven quite
conclusive when it comes to trusting this family?
All is not lost because Israel is a strong democracy capable of adjusting to
danger. The mixture of confusion and fear cannot but have a positive impact unto
the society but what I fear the most is that by the time Israel recovers, Assad
will be so much stronger that the price exacted may be too high, not only for
our own country already suffering from his oppression and precipitous anger but
also for the Levant region basking in total Arab darkness during a period of
enlightenment in sciences and commerce for mankind in general.
*Farid Ghadry, Reform Party of Syria
Has Hezbollah Colonized Lebanon?
Jameel Theyabi
Al Hayat- 02/09/08//
Have the Lebanese become like the blind man who looks in the mirror but does not
see his reflection? Are the Lebanese looking at a "modern reflection" of their
country with Hezbollah as its spearhead? Have they really become afraid of
Hezbollah's power and its military capacity, and do they really compare its
internal control to local colonialism? Hezbollah had qualities when its mission
was restricted to opposing the enemy, since all Arabs applauded when it kicked
out the Israelis from South Lebanon. However, today it has turned into a strong
"policeman" whose roar is louder than any other voice in Lebanon. Hezbollah
resorts to all stick-and-carrot methods in Lebanon without fearing any
accountability or authority. As some Lebanese see it, Hezbollah's truth today is
disturbing, after it colonized its and their country without anyone stopping it
- particularly as it finds protection under the umbrella of Iran and Iranian
money and follows instructions as it receives them.
Hezbollah does not deny that it triggered the Israeli attacks on Lebanon in July
2006, thereby causing the deaths of thousands of women and children.
Hezbollah complicated negotiations among Lebanese parties, through threats,
organizing sit-ins, and announcing alliances, making the Lebanese wonder if this
is the same Hezbollah that claims resistance and defense of Lebanese soil?
Hezbollah invaded the country's capital, killed and displaced its inhabitants,
and publically paralyzed it.
Last Thursday, Hezbollah men downed a Lebanese Army military helicopter that was
training above Iqleem al Tuffah. According to the laws, constitutions, and
rights of free and independent states, their military aircraft have the right to
fly over any region and at any time it deems appropriate, as long as this region
constitutes a part of the State. The State has no need to ask for the permission
of political and other parties or to coordinate with them. However, the
situation is different in Lebanon, where Hezbollah occupies a large portion of
the Lebanese territory and wants to impose coordination and permission-asking on
the State and the Army.
Has it become necessary to draw borders between the Lebanese State and the State
of Hezbollah, since the regions where Hezbollah is located constitute a red line
that can neither be approached by land nor by air?
This is not the first time that Hezbollah is involved in aiming weapons at the
Lebanese and killing them. Not so long ago, Hezbollah spread terror in Beirut,
killing innocent people, closing governmental, civil, and media institutions,
and turning the capital's streets into fertile ground for armed gangs and
militias.
Hezbollah has finally revealed the face it had hid for so long behind the
pretext of national resistance. Its Secretary General announced the honor of
following the doctrine of Wilayat al Faqih. I think this gradual change came as
the imminent result of the feeling of power and hegemony over the people right
under the State's nose, since it was able to achieve a "divine" victory - what
the Lebanese government was unable to reach.
I believe that the "sincerity" of Hassan Nasrallah's declarations he made at
every occasion - that his party's policy calls for achieving a strong, free and
independent Lebanese State - are fading away after he set as his priority the
mission of achieving a Hezbollah State and protecting his regions and land, even
if this would mean killing Lebanese people before Israelis, through changing the
system of a state inside a state.
Hezbollah is colonizing Lebanon, and is moving on to a more strategic phase in
controlling the State and its internal affairs after it had constituted a small
state inside the State. The Lebanese currently have no other choice than to make
the party and its leaders comply with the rules and regulations of the State and
the international community, before new parties are formed with the apparent aim
of resistance and protection of the country - and the true aim of facing
Hezbollah
A US role in Syrian-Israeli
peace
By Robert Pelletreau and Edward S. Walker
September 2, 2008 .Boston.com
SOMETHING is happening that could transform the entire Middle East, shape the
next American president's foreign policy in the region, and promote vital
American interests - talks between Israel and Syria being mediated by Turkey.
Dr. Sami Taki, a close associate of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, said in
late July that Syria might change its alliance with Iran if Syria achieves peace
with Israel. The United States stands to gain a great deal from an
Israeli-Syrian agreement. Having served as US ambassadors to five Middle East
countries, we are convinced that a comprehensive Arab-Israeli peace is essential
to American national security interests. As the United States tries to rebuild
its image, influence, and prestige in the Arab and Muslim worlds, it needs to
help bring about peace between Israel and all its neighbors.
The Bush administration should start this process. If it can dispatch the third
highest person in the State Department to participate in a meeting with Iranian
officials, it can certainly encourage the talks between Israel, its friend and
ally, and Syria. And even though the presidential election is two months away,
the transition period between Election Day and inaugural day is important in
determining a new administration's priorities. If the new president sees the
prospect of progress along any section of the Israeli-Arab front, he is more
likely to get involved in these efforts at the beginning of his administration.
Syria impacts many American interests. Chief among them currently is Syria's
engagement in Iraq and stabilizing the Iraq-Syria border. As Iraq shows signs of
gradual stability, American-Syrian talks in parallel with Israel-Syria talks
might yield agreements producing substantial benefits for Baghdad while helping
to relieve Syria of the enormous Iraqi refugee burden it is carrying.
Additional American interests include Hezbollah's role in Lebanon and in the
Israeli-Arab conflict, and Iran's ability to undercut American efforts on the
Israeli-Palestinian peace track, the core challenge of the Arab-Israel peace
process.
If an Israeli-Syrian agreement is reached, the United States will emerge as one
of the winners, along with Israel and Syria. Iran and Hezbollah will be the
losers.
But such an agreement cannot be achieved without the United States. Syria wants
the United States in the room, facilitating matters, offering security-related
guarantees, and melting the frozen Washington-Damascus relationship. Some argue
that Syria wants a warm relationship with the United States more than it wants
the Golan Heights from Israel. However, if Damascus wants a positive
relationship with Washington, cooperation over Iraq and respect for Lebanon's
independence are essential.
Iran, of course, is the 800-pound gorilla in the room. Syrian peace with Israel
implies a fundamental change in the Damascus-Tehran relationship. Syrian
President Assad will need someplace safe to land as he moves away from the
embrace of an Iran still hostile toward Israel. That someplace is the United
States.
This means that an Israeli-Syrian agreement must necessarily pull Syria out of
the Iranian orbit. Such an outcome would significantly improve the chances of
reaching a comprehensive peace between Israel and all of its neighbors. An
agreement would bring considerable additional benefits to the United States and
to Israel, including:
Iran's posture would be weakened.
Syria would no longer provide support for armed action by Hamas and other
militant Palestinian groups.
It would clear the way for Israel's formal peace with Lebanon.
It would end arms shipments to Hezbollah.
It would strengthen Lebanon's independence, supporting an exchange of
Syrian-Lebanese ambassadors and official delineation of Syria-Lebanon
boundaries.
Comprehensive peace on all tracks would trigger Israel's normalization with the
entire Arab world in accordance with the Arab Peace Initiative.
The Bush administration should open the diplomatic tool box for the
Israeli-Syrian talks as it seems to be doing for Iran and North Korea. If it
chooses not to, the next occupant of the Oval Office should pursue a peace whose
achievement would mark the way toward broader peace and reconciliation in the
region and disappoint only extremists and their sponsors.
Robert Pelletreau, former US ambassador to Egypt, Tunisia, and Bahrain, and
Edward S. Walker, former US ambassador to Israel, Egypt, and the United Arab
Emirates, are both former assistant secretaries of state for Near Eastern
Affairs and members of the Israel Policy Forum American Advisory Council.
© Copyright 2008 Globe Newspaper Company.
Why Syria Should Include
Lebanon in Peace Talks with Israel
By CLAUDE SALHANI (Editor, Middle East Times)
Published: September 02, 2008
Back in the 1960s it used to be said that Lebanon would be the second Arab
country to sign a peace treaty with Israel; and that this would happen
immediately after the first Arab country finalized its peace treaty with the
Jewish state.
The general thinking was that Lebanon had no serious contention with Israel,
other than paying lip service to the Arab cause and not wanting to rile the
350,000 Palestinian refugees who had sought "temporary" shelter in the country;
and most important, no Lebanese government was eager to get on Syria's bad side
any more than was absolutely necessary.
However, a lot of water has flowed under the bridges in the last 40 or so years,
as well as a lot of blood. Since the June 1967 Six-Day War between Israel on one
side and Syria, Egypt and Jordan on the other, a war that Lebanon managed to
stay out of, much has changed in Lebanese-Israeli relations.
First, the arrival and deployment of tens of thousands of armed Palestinian
commandos in Lebanon after their expulsion from Jordan in September 1970 by King
Hussein, has raised tensions between the Lebanese state and the Palestinian
resistance, who began acting much as a state within a state. The Fedayeen
practically took over huge swaths of southern Lebanon and the western Bekaa
Valley, turning it into what colloquially became known as "Fatahland," so named
after Yasser Arafat's group, the largest of a multitude of armed organizations
that established themselves in Lebanon.
The presence of the Palestinian resistance in the country, and attacks carried
out by those groups on Israeli settlements and towns in the Galilee, resulted in
Israeli military strikes on towns and villages in Fatahland. More often than
not, the majority of the casualties were innocent Lebanese civilians, usually
Shiite villagers from the south. This resulted in greater animosity between the
Lebanese and Palestinians, but also between Lebanon and Israel.
Eventually, an Israeli commando raid into the very heart of Beirut in April
1973, led by Ehud Barak, a man who would later become prime minister of Israel,
set the fuse for a major confrontation between the Lebanese army and the
Palestinian resistance.
Arab mediation had the Lebanese government sign the Melkart Agreement (named
after the Beirut hotel where the talks were held) as a supplement to the
existing Cairo Accords signed a few years earlier. Both treaties gave the
Palestinians unprecedented rights to conduct themselves in a manner that no
other Arab country would have agreed to.
Inevitably, this led to the 1975 civil war in which the Palestinian resistance
played a major role. And when a radical Palestinian group tried to assassinate
Shlomo Argov, Israel's ambassador to Britain in June 1982, it unleashed the full
brunt of Israel's military machine, led by then minister of defense Ariel
Sharon, who pushed all the way to Beirut, forcing the Palestine Liberation
Organization to seek exile in Tunisia.
The respite from the Palestinian armed presence in south Lebanon was short lived
as in little time the Israelis and their proxy militia, the South Lebanon Army,
soon became unwanted occupiers. Israel's occupation of the south eventually led
to the creation of Hezbollah, the Shiite political, military and social
organization established with Iranian financial, technical and military
assistance. And at times supported and egged on by Syria.
After a protracted guerrilla campaign of harassment by Hezbollah, Israel finally
withdrew from south Lebanon in 2000, giving the Shiite militia a major victory.
Hezbollah continued its pressure on Israeli troops still occupying a segment of
land known as the Shebaa Farms, situated at the juncture where the borders of
Syria, Lebanon and Israel converge. And when the Shiite militia abducted two
Israeli soldiers, Israel retaliated in the summer of 2006 with a massive
bombardment of south Lebanon and the Hezbollah stronghold in Beirut's southern
suburbs. And more blood flowed under the bridges, most of which were destroyed
by Israel during the 32-day war.
While perhaps somewhat long-winded as a scene setter, the above narrative is
nevertheless needed to clarify why Lebanon now finds itself likely to be the
last Arab country to sign a peace treaty with Israel. Certainly not before Syria
-- the last "front-line" state to remain in a state of war with Israel -- makes
peace. (Opening a brief parenthesis, Lebanon did sign a treaty at the behest of
the United States in 1983, which was later abrogated under Syrian pressure).
Which brings us to the present -- and the future. Damascus has recently been
flirting with the notion of finalizing a peace treaty with Israel, hoping to
recuperate the Golan Heights captured by Israel in 1967, in exchange for peace.
If (and when) the Syrians finalize peace with Israel, it will for all intents
and purposes bring the Arab-Israeli conflict to a close. (The
Palestinian-Israeli dispute is another matter.) The other two front-line states,
Egypt and Jordan have already recognized Israel and exchanged diplomatic
relations with Tel Aviv.
That would leave Lebanon standing apart as the only border Arab country
technically still at war with Israel. Back in the early 1960s the consequences
of that would have been insignificant. But this is 2008, and unless Lebanon is
included in Syria's peace initiative more blood will likely flow in the future.
Why? Because given the fractured nature of Lebanese politics, a peace deal
between Lebanon and Israel without Syria's support and blessing will not be
worth the paper it is written on.
And finally, any peace deal between Syria and Israel that excludes Lebanon
leaves a very dangerous escape clause in the agreement. The presence of armed
militias in Lebanon leaves a risk that third parties could incite violence to
advance their own agendas, the outcome of which would upset the entire peace
process.