LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
January 12/08

Bible Reading of the day
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 5,12-16. Now there was a man full of leprosy in one of the towns where he was; and when he saw Jesus, he fell prostrate, pleaded with him, and said, "Lord, if you wish, you can make me clean."Jesus stretched out his hand, touched him, and said, "I do will it. Be made clean." And the leprosy left him immediately. Then he ordered him not to tell anyone, but "Go, show yourself to the priest and offer for your cleansing what Moses prescribed; that will be proof for them."The report about him spread all the more, and great crowds assembled to listen to him and to be cured of their ailments, but he would withdraw to deserted places to pray.

Free Opinions and Releases
Amid Arab diplomacy, whither the tribunal? By Michael Young. January 11/08
Lebanon can blame its own politicians for the depredations of foreigners-The Daily Star. January 11/08
Michel Aoun, or the making of a footnote.NowLebanon.com. January 11/08

Latest News Reports From Miscellaneous Sources for January 11/08
Nasrallah Tells Moussa Aoun is 'The One' Involved in Presidential Crisis Negotiations-Naharnet
Shehayeb to Fairuz: Don't Sing for Lebanon's 'Jailers'-Naharnet
Syrian-Born Qaida Member Arrested in Beirut-Naharnet
Opposition Leader: Gemayel's 'Neutral Government' Proposal 'Positive'-Naharnet
Security Council Blasts Attack on U.N. Peacekeepers-Naharnet
U.S. Donates $40 Million to UNRWA-Naharnet
French Delegation Confirms Good Relations with Syria Despite Row over Lebanon-Naharnet
Two Lebanese Accused of Planning 'Bloodbath' in Germany-Naharnet
UNIFIL Determined on Carrying Out Mission-Naharnet
No miracles' required to resolve Lebanese crisis - Moussa-Daily Star
High-rankingFatah al-Islam member arrested-AFP
Delegation from European Left visits Lebanon to see crisis first-hand-Daily Star
Opposition parties are 'running out of patience' - Aoun-Daily Star
Union for Lebanon condemns attack against UNIFIL-Daily Star
Hizbullah says Bush trip aims to stir regional strife-AFP
Graziano pledges to keep keeping the peace despite attack-Daily Star
German policeman says Lebanese plotters planned 'bloodbath' with train bombings-AFP
Extremist groups cast shadow over Lebanon - analysts-Daily Star
Labor unions, farmers back transport strike-Daily Star
LAU conference delves into works of Khalil Gibran-Daily Star
ICRC donates 16 ambulances to Lebanese branch-Daily Star
German Navy sailors make donation for Lebanese youth-Daily Star
AUB conference examines how political language shaped region's landscape-Daily Star
Geagea: Syria and Allies Oppose the Arab Initiative-Naharnet
MP, Ammar Houry Cautiously Optimistic about Moussa's Mission-Naharnet
Moussa Still Working on 'Consensus'-Naharnet
Gemayel for a 'Neutral Government'-Naharnet
Two Lebanese Accused of Planning 'Bloodbath' in Germany-Naharnet
UNIFIL Determined on Carrying Out Mission-Naharnet
Michel Murr: Arab Initiative in the Christians' Interest-Naharnet
Arab League chief sees hope to solve Lebanon crisis-Al-Bawaba - Amman,Jordan
Syria Wants Coronation of Lebanese President in Damascus-Naharnet
French parliamentary delegation affirms good relations with Syria ...PR-Inside.com
Grand Mufti of Syria to address European Parliament-Indian Muslims
Lebanon arrests top member of Qaeda-inspired group-AFP
Lebanon: Without a President-Global Voices Online
French parliamentary delegation affirms good relations with Syria-Jerusalem Post
Syria tightens noose on dissidents-Monsters and Critics.com

Nasrallah Tells Moussa Aoun is 'The One' Involved in Presidential Crisis Negotiations
Naharnet/Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah told Arab League chief Amr Moussa that Gen. Michel Aoun is "the one" involved in negotiations regarding the presidential crisis. "Sayyed Nasrallah informed the Arab League delegation that Gen. Michel Aoun is the one involved in negotiations on behalf of the opposition regarding this crisis," a late night Hizbullah statement said. Nasrallah also expressed his "desire to maintain contacts with him (Aoun) in order to reach the desired result," it said. The statement came hours after Moussa met Nasrallah at an undisclosed location. Moussa on Thursday met, in addition to Nasrallah, Lebanon's spiritual leaders as well as Army Commander Gen. Michel Suleiman, ex-President Amin Gemayel, Druze leader Walid Jumblat, Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, Prime Minister Fouad Saniora and Aoun.  The daily An Nahar on Friday said Moussa, during his meeting with Berri, suggested the idea of holding a meeting in Parliament between Aoun and MP Saad Hariri. As Safir newspaper, however, said Hariri rejected the offer. Beirut, 11 Jan 08, 07:54

Shehayeb to Fairuz: Don't Sing for Lebanon's 'Jailers'
Naharnet/Anti-Syrian MP Akram Shehayeb urged Lebanese diva Fairuz not to sing in the Sah el Nom (Good Morning) musical in Damascus during what he called the "mockery" of cultural events. "Don't sing Sah el Nom in Damascus. Those leaders didn't wake up yet. They didn't wake up from … the bloodshed of the free people in Lebanon," Shehayeb said in statement carried by the state-run National News Agency Friday. "Those who love Lebanon don't sing before its jailers," the statement said. "Don't believe that mockery which is called Damascus -- the Arab cultural capital for 2008," Shehayeb said. The lawmaker was referring to a series of theatrical and musical events that will be held in the Syrian capital this year. "Lebanon is imprisoned and stripped of its powers," he said, adding that the international community has admitted that the Assad regime is "jailing" the presidential election so that Lebanon will not have a "nation." Beirut, 11 Jan 08, 13:14

Syrian-Born Qaida Member Arrested in Beirut
Naharnet/Lebanese security forces have arrested a Syrian national two days after threatening the German embassy in Beirut that al-Qaida will stage attacks in Germany, An Nahar daily reported Friday. It said police arrested Mohammed Ndoub on Thursday, almost 24 hours after making his threat through a call from a payphone. He reportedly said the terrorist network will stage bomb attacks in Germany in the next three months in retaliation for the prosecution of al-Qaida members accused of plotting to bomb German trains in July 2006 and the participation of the European country in the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon.
An Nahar said Ndoub used a prepaid card to make his phone call and that security forces arrested him during a raid after two days of intense investigation.
The newspaper said police found hand drawn maps which the suspect described as locations planned to be attacked by al-Qaida in Europe and the United States.
It said police were also "investigating his involvement in other terrorist crimes after it was revealed that he is directly connected to al-Qaida."Beirut, 11 Jan 08, 07:46

Opposition Leader: Gemayel's 'Neutral Government' Proposal 'Positive'
Naharnet/A leader with the Hizbullah-led opposition on Friday described as "positive" a proposal by former President Amin Gemayel for the formation of a "neutral government" to avoid the conflict that is banning the constitutional process. "It is a positive suggestion and it is subject to debate," the opposition leader told the daily An Nahar. "It could be an exit to this (presidential) crisis," he added. Gemayel on Thursday made the proposal to Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa who is trying to promote an Arab initiative aimed at electing Army Commander Gen. Michel Suleiman president. Gemayel warned that failing to elect a president leads to a "suicidal situation. He called for electing a head of state "as soon as possible." "This is my personal opinion and I haven't discussed it with my allies. I proposed to the secretary general … to elect a president then we form a neutral government parallel to which a dialogue authority would be formed" to tackle other thorny issues, Gemayel said. He stressed that "electing the president is a priority because he would manage the dialogue."In answering a question as to whether he would negotiate his proposal with allies prior to Moussa's departure, Gemayel said: "A meeting would probably be held soon to discuss this issue." He did not elaborate on the remark. Beirut, 11 Jan 08, 08:43

Security Council Blasts Attack on U.N. Peacekeepers
Naharnet/The Security Council on Thursday strongly condemned Tuesday's bombing that targeted U.N. troops in the southern Lebanese town of Rmaileh.
A statement read out by Libya's U.N. envoy Giadalla Ettalhi, the council chair this month, said the 15 members "strongly condemned" the attack and reaffirmed their full support to the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL). Two Irish military officers were wounded in the roadside bombing that targeted their vehicle on Rmaileh's coastal highway near the southern port city of Sidon. Council members also slammed the rocket attacks launched against Israel on Tuesday and looked forward to the completion of UNIFIL's investigation. They reiterated their firm condemnation of any breach of the cessation of hostilities and of all violations of Security Council resolution 1701 that ended the 34-day war between Israel and Hizbullah in August 2006. The 15-member council urged all parties concerned to respect the U.N.-drawn Blue Line separating Lebanon from Israel in its entirety and to exercise utmost restraint. They also reaffirmed their full support to Premier Fouad Saniora's Government and the Lebanese Armed Forces in their efforts to ensure security and stability throughout Lebanon.(AFP-Naharnet)
Beirut, 11 Jan 08, 04:07

U.S. Donates $40 Million to UNRWA
Naharnet/The United States announced a $40 million (#27.3 million) contribution to the U.N. Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) that supports Palestinian refugees in Middle Eastern camps. The State Department said in a statement that the contribution to UNRWA, in support of the agency's 2008 general fund appeal, is to help the agency provide basic and vocational education, primary health care and relief and social services to more than 4.4 million registered Palestinian refugees. Refugees are in camps in the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria. U.S. contributions in 2007 amounted to $90.7 million (#61.9 million), and the announcement said the 2008 donations will be "commensurate with" that. The United Nations created UNRWA in 1948, after the first Arab-Israeli war over the establishment of the Jewish state, to care for Palestinian refugees. It started operations in 1950. Every year UNRWA educates around 490,000 children in more than 650 schools, hosts 9 million patient visits in 127 health clinics and one hospital and provides special hardship assistance to 250,000 of the most vulnerable refugees, the State Department said.(AP) Beirut, 11 Jan 08, 07:35

French Delegation Confirms Good Relations with Syria Despite Row over Lebanon
Naharnet/A French parliamentary delegation visiting Syria has said that cooperation between Damascus and Paris was ongoing, despite both countries having announced they had suspended talks over the situation in Lebanon. "Political and diplomatic relations witness ups and downs, but French-Syrian friendship is historical," Jean Luc Reitzer, a member of the three-man delegation, told reporters in Damascus on Thursday.
Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem announced last week that his country was suspending talks with France on Lebanon's political crisis, retaliating for a similar move made earlier by French President Nicolas Sarkozy. Sarkozy had said that France wouldn't talk with Syria, which wields considerable influence over the Hizbullah-led opposition, until Damascus showed a willingness to let Lebanon elect a new president. Muallem said last week that Syria was surprised by the French move and has also "decided to stop Syrian-French cooperation to solve the Lebanese crisis." France, Lebanon's former colonial ruler, is leading international mediation between feuding Lebanese blocs and has consistently implored the Syrians to cooperate. Prime Minister Fouad Saniora's government and pro-Syrian opposition have been unable to break a deadlock over filling the presidential post, left vacant after pro-Syrian President Emile Lahoud's term ended Nov. 23.
Reitzer said cooperation between Syria and France had not stopped. "On the European level, France supports Syria's development and reform," he added.
The delegation is headed by Gerard Bapt, the chairman of the French-Syrian Friendship Association at the French National Assembly.(AP-Naharnet)
Beirut, 11 Jan 08, 07:26

UNIFIL Determined on Carrying Out Mission
Naharnet/The United Nations force in Lebanon vowed on Thursday to pursue its peacekeeping mission despite a bomb attack that wounded two soldiers earlier this week. "We are here to do a job and nothing will deter us from it," United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) commander Major General Claudio Graziano said during joint fire training exercises with the Lebanese army in south Lebanon. "The challenges are diverse and we saw some examples of it in the past week," he told reporters near the UNIFIL headquarters in the southern coastal town of Naqoura. "Such incidents only further strengthen our resolve to pursue our mandate for peace and security in south Lebanon," he said. Graziano said the artillery live fire training exercise was the second of its kind since July 2006 -- when an Israeli-Hizbullah war broke out -- "and is directed at honing the skills and expertise of the battle group." During the military exercise, UNIFIL and Lebanese army gunners fired 46 rounds of artillery at targets located off the coastline, he said. Two Irish military officers serving with UNIFIL were slightly wounded in a roadside bombing on Tuesday targeting their vehicle in southern Lebanon. The bombing marked the third such attack against UNIFIL since the force was boosted to more than 13,000 soldiers after the 2006 war between Israel and Hizbullah. No one has claimed responsibility for the latest attack.(AFP) Beirut, 10 Jan 08, 20:41

Geagea: Syria and Allies Oppose the Arab Initiative
Naharnet/Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea said Thursday Syria's final response to the Arab initiative was signaled by closure of Syria's overland border crossings with Lebanon. "This is an expressing-symbolic step and it reflects the real (Syrian) stand regarding the Arab initiative," Geagea said. He said statements made by Syria's allies in Lebanon in the past two days "indicate that they do not accept the Arab plan." He stressed, in an interview with Radio Free Lebanon, that the March 14 forces would continue "to the last minute in exerting efforts needed to bring the Arab plan to success."Geagea said "regional sides do not want a state in Lebanon. Some local sides are in harmony with the regional sides, and for their own reasons they are in harmony with the Syrian stand and block the resurrection of a powerful state."He urged the opposition to "meet the majority and elect Gen. Michel Suleiman president if they do not have any real objections." Geagea said the Arab initiative does not include a power sharing formula in the forthcoming government according to a 10+10+10 concept. He noted that rights of the Christians would be respected by electing a president, asking where would the Christians' "rights be if Syria got a big share in the forthcoming government that should be formed after the presidential election?"Beirut, 10 Jan 08, 20:32

Michel Aoun, or the making of a footnote
NOW Lebanon Staff, January 10, 2008
We don’t know about you, but this past week, when Gebran Bassil, son-in-law to Michel Aoun, began analyzing American politics on a local television show, we listened. We heard young Gebran tell us that Barack Obama’s victory in the Iowa primary represented the beginning of a big change in attitude in the United States, which would have repercussions for US policy in Lebanon. His point was that the Bush years were over and with them the influence of an administration that doesn’t like Aoun.
But then we wondered what that all meant in New Hampshire, where Obama lost to Hillary Clinton and a substantial number of independent voters gave John McCain a victory in the Republican primary, even though he said he would be willing to leave US troops in Iraq for 100 years. What major change in US attitudes? Could it be that Gebran didn’t know what he was talking about? Could it be that in their rigid certitudes, the men of Rabieh, Michel and Gebran, are invariably off the mark?
In fact, that’s precisely what we’re seeing today, as Aoun continues to block the election of Michel Sleiman as president. Aoun’s calculation is that the longer the presidency remains vacant, the more Christian anger will rise, and the greater his chance of being elected. Aoun thinks that Christians will rally to his side against the hydra he has defined as the Hariris, the Sunnis in general, the Lebanese Forces, Walid Jumblatt, even the Maronite Patriarch, whom Aoun has turned into an ecclesiastical punching bag. On Wednesday, he again told Patriarch Sfeir that he was “just an ordinary citizen who has the right to express his opinion.”
Quite, but we really don’t think Sfeir needs Aoun’s permission; and we would much rather listen to the Patriarch’s opinion than to Aoun’s. However that misses the more significant point that Aoun’s strategy is failing. The Christians are not rallying to his side. Increasingly, they see the General for what he is: the main impediment to the election of a Christian president who will have considerable power. And who is willing to give Michel Sleiman this power? The Hariris, the Sunnis in general, the Lebanese Forces, Walid Jumblatt, and the Maronite Patriarch – those whom Aoun accuses of working against Christian interests.
One poll published in the daily Al-Safir showed growing support for Sleiman, with 66% of respondents saying they regarded him as a compromise candidate, against a meager 3% for Aoun. As for Aoun’s popularity, it went down from 27% to 13% between September and December, while Sleiman’s has risen to around 50%. We can’t judge the merits of the poll, and one must always take Lebanese polls with a grain of salt, but it does reflect what we’re seeing around us.
If you need any more indication that the Aounists are in crisis, consider an article in Al-Hayat on January 6. An Aounist source admitted that there was no agreement within the opposition on taking to the streets in protest against the government. Are we surprised? Not at all. The only reason the Aounists and their allies managed to block streets almost exactly one year ago was that there were sympathizers in the army who protected them; and even then by late afternoon the roads in Christian areas had been opened. This time Aoun will find little sympathy among Michel Sleiman’s men.
Let’s face it: Aoun becomes history, a footnote, once Sleiman is elected. In the next parliamentary election, Michel al-Murr will be the kingmaker in the Metn, along with Amin Gemayel, and they will almost certainly try to find a modus vivendi with Sleiman. Aoun’s support in the Kesrouan has substantially declined, as Maronites in general are offended by his petulance and ceaseless provocation of the Patriarch. As for Jbeil, where Aoun has more support, that’s Sleiman’s territory (he’s from Amchit, a town in the Jbeil caza), so we can be pretty sure that Aoun won’t do as well there either.
Here’s a prediction. The continuation of the presidential vacuum will only further erode the backing Aoun enjoys, rather than the contrary, as he imagines. Christians aren’t the dopes Aoun treats them as. They can smell a rat, and so can we. Aoun and his own are much better off sticking to peddling idiotic conclusions about American politics, because their sense of Lebanese politics is much too embarrassing to dwell upon.

Amid Arab diplomacy, whither the tribunal?
By Michael Young -Daily Star staff
Friday, January 11, 2008
So unreliable have Syrian commitments to Lebanon's normalization been in recent months, that almost no one anticipates success for the Arab League plan to resolve the Lebanese presidential crisis. Yet that reaction may be short-sighted. Something is taking place behind the scenes - it's still not apparent what - that might encourage Syria to play along with the Arab consensus, if only for tactical reasons. And if that happens, you have to wonder whether the Hariri tribunal will be part of any package.
The United Nations investigation of Rafik Hariri's assassination, previously so central to political life in Lebanon, has been pushed to a twilight zone. One commissioner, Serge Brammertz, has gone and another, Daniel Bellemare, this week officially replaced him. Bellemare is reportedly no more willing to name names than Brammertz was, because he wants to prepare a legally spotless case. That's good news, but it also means we will return to the absurd situation where the UN commission tells us that Hariri was killed for political reasons related to the 2005 parliamentary elections, then stops short of declaring that the only actor with an interest in eliminating him on that basis was Syria.
What happens next with the Hariri tribunal? Earlier this week, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon stated that there had been progress in establishing the body, and that he would announce the names of the judges "at an appropriate time in the future." The secretary general added that the judges would assume their functions "on a date I will also determine soon." The nomination process for judges is tricky, particularly with regard to the Lebanese judges, who are more vulnerable to domestic political pressures. But Ban was also waffling. Not all the pieces are yet in place, and in late December the municipal council of The Hague issued a statement saying the tribunal would only begin operating in 2009. Even by the glacial standards of the UN, that's disturbingly slow.
One reason for the delay is money. The tribunal will need $120 million for three years of operation, but it's not at all clear where things stand today. Some countries have pledged money, but have not yet paid. A key question is whether Saudi Arabia has given anything, or will, which would open the door to other Gulf funding. There were unconfirmed reports that at the donors meeting for the Palestinians last month in Paris, the Saudis pledged to match the French contribution to the tribunal. After this, Future TV suggested in a news item that financing had been secured. At around the same time, the American ambassador to the UN, Zalmay Khalilzad, said that the UN's top legal man, Nicolas Michel, had informed him that the tribunal had received the needed monies. But there never was an official announcement to that effect from New York, and Ban's ambiguous remarks on deadlines imply that something is not right.
We must watch Saudi behavior very closely in order to get a better sense of how the Arab states in general will deal with the Hariri tribunal. Whoever puts money into the tribunal has valuable political leverage over Syria. However, if the Syrians first agree to compromise in Lebanon, the funds might never be forthcoming. That is why pledging money is very different than paying up. A pledge can be indefinitely postponed.
Which brings us back to the Arab League plan for Lebanon. Nothing suggests that the Arab states are discussing the tribunal with Damascus. But the tribunal is the elephant in the living room whenever one talks to the Syrians. Sooner or later the topic must make its way to the table. While the Arabs don't have the power to derail a UN Chapter VII decision, they can do two things: delay the tribunal by holding back on payment (if that's indeed what is happening); and help create a political context that somehow rehabilitates Syria, making it much more difficult for the international community to push the Hariri trial to its logical conclusion.
Can we presume, then, that the Arab plan for Lebanon is partly an opening shot to retrieve Syria? That's not to say that a presidential election in Beirut is one facet of a cover-up to save the Assad regime. However, Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa has consistently avoided blaming Damascus for the stalemate in Lebanon, and while that's normal for the head of a pan-Arab organization, it has also left him with room to maneuver on a broader agreement between the Syrians and their Arab critics. Once that logic kicks in, it's time to start asking questions.
The Arab states never had a liking for the Hariri tribunal. Even the Saudis were not convinced by it in late 2005, only coming around after President Bashar Assad strengthed his alliance with Iran, pursued his destabilization of Lebanon, embarrassed the Saudis on the Palestinian front, and escalated his rhetoric against the kingdom. But all that really means is that the Saudis view the tribunal as a useful political instrument - one that can be calibrated depending on the Syrian response - not a medium to dispense justice. Fair enough, international legal cases are a lot about politics, but we have no guarantees that the kind of arrangement the Arabs might find acceptable with Damascus is one that truly enhances Lebanese sovereignty.
For the moment, the Syrians and the Saudis are still too far apart to reconcile. Damascus is also too greedy, wanting total hegemony over Lebanon - backed by tanks if it could manage that - not a more detached form of Finlandization. This makes compromise with the Assad regime difficult. But we can assume that Moussa will keep the door open to the Syrians whatever happens, and in this he will have the support of most Arab leaders. At some stage, expect the Hariri tribunal to enter into the toxic bargaining that spawns inter-Arab political settlements.
In Beirut, however, there is still too much silence. The parliamentary majority has ceded the initiative on the tribunal to outsiders, as if March 14 has no domestic stake in its outcome. But many in the international community and the Arab world just hate the tribunal because it threatens to overturn the way they do business. So don't be surprised if one day the tribunal suddenly is only half as effective as it was supposed to be.