LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS
BULLETIN
January 25/08
Bible Reading of the day.
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ
according to Saint Mark 3,7-12. Jesus withdrew toward the sea with his
disciples. A large number of people (followed) from Galilee and from Judea.
Hearing what he was doing, a large number of people came to him also from
Jerusalem, from Idumea, from beyond the Jordan, and from the neighborhood of
Tyre and Sidon. He told his disciples to have a boat ready for him because of
the crowd, so that they would not crush him. He had cured many and, as a result,
those who had diseases were pressing upon him to touch him. And whenever unclean
spirits saw him they would fall down before him and shout, "You are the Son of
God."He warned them sternly not to make him known.
Free Opinions, Releases, letters & Special Reports
A conference to save Lebanon's future-By Michael
Young. January 24/08
Release from The International Christian Concern/Muslim
Radicals Mistakenly Murder Brother of a Pakistani Christian Accused of
Blasphemy/24 January 24/08
The Savior General/By: Randa Takieddine/January 24/08
Reporters Without Borders/Newspaper
publisher’s car torched in intimidation attempt/January
24/08
Syria has
its own road map for Lebanon-Ya
Libnan/January 24/08
Gul to Al-Hayat: Bush Has
To Assume The Establishment Of The Palestinian State. By:
R. Dergham/24/01/08
Latest News Reports From Miscellaneous Sources for January 24/08
Saudi prince offers Israel full relations with Arabs-Washington
Jewish Week
Top US diplomat Burns starts Mideast trip-AFP
France Resumes
Contacts with Syria-Naharnet
Fears Rise that Lebanon
Crisis Could Spill Onto Streets-Naharnet
Army on High Alert amid Fears of Possible Riots during Strike-Naharnet
Scattered Pressures on Syria would Not Solve Lebanon's
Problems-Naharnet
Mubarak: Arab Initiative Fair-Naharnet
Mubarak, Seniora meet on Lebanese presidential crisis-Xinhua
Jordan's King: Lebanon
Stability, Sovereignty Are Red Lines-Naharnet
Geagea: Opposition Not
Willing to Agree on Anything-Naharnet
Burns in Mideast to Discuss Iran,
Hizbullah-Naharnet
Greater Role for Russia
in Resolving Presidential Crisis-Naharnet
Qassem: Nasrallah's Address Panicked
Israelis-Naharnet
Marwan Hamade: Illegal Protests Put the
People on Collision Course-Naharnet
Hizbullah Represented
at Damascus-Based Palestinian 'Resistance' Conference-Naharnet
The Making of War-Naharnet
The West's 'Illusion' of a Negotiated
Breakthrough with Iran-Naharnet
Scattered Pressures on Syria would Not
Solve Lebanon's Problems-Naharnet
March 14 Warns 'Violence Will Only Bring Violence'-Naharnet
Battle over Arab plan
to heal Lebanon heats up-Daily
Star
Lebanese
public transport drivers vow to observe strike today
-Daily Star
Lawyer urges state
to charge security chiefs or let them go-Daily
Star
Patriarch repeats
call for unity: 'Brothers deal with each other-Daily
Star
Union for Lebanon
denounces slurs against patriarch-Daily
Star
Protesters flay
Egypt for cooperating with Israeli siege of Gaza-Daily
Star
Officers pressure
Olmert over failures of 2006 war in Lebanon-Daily
Star
Plan to rebuild
Nahr al-Bared to be ready this month-Daily
Star
Beirut shares fall
too, but mostly on local factors-Daily
Star
Hezbollah, the only party in Lebanon-Ha'aretz
AUB to launch
graduate program in ICT-Daily
Star
Italian envoy
insists work by UN troops will continue despite crisis-Daily
Star
UN body urges
Beirut to seek gender equality-Daily
Star
Israel's
withholding of maps still hampers demining-By
IRIN News.org
Lebanese PM in Egypt for talks on presidential crisis-AFP
Hizbullah deputy chief: Don't even think about attacking Lebanon-Jerusalem
Post
Olmert: I don't regret my decisions during the Lebanon war-Ha'aretz
MEMRI: Al-Sharq Al-Awsat Editor: Syria-Iran Intervention
in/Independent Media Review Analysis
Grand Mufty of Syria Threatens Netherlands-PoliGazette
Archaeologists unearth 3rd century cemetery in northeastern
Syria-PR-Inside.com (Pressemitteilung)
Marawan Hamade: Illegal Protests Put the
People on Collision Course-Naharnet
Qassem: Nasrallah's Address Panicked Israelis-Naharnet
Hizbullah Represented at Damascus-Based Palestinian
'Resistance' Conference-Naharnet
ANALYSIS: Israel's Olmert bracing for final report into
Lebanon war-Monsters and Critics.com
Press Release: Muslim Radicals Mistakenly Murder Brother of
a Pakistani Christian Accused of Blasphemy
January 23, 2008 6:14:53 PM
International Christian Concern
2020 Pennsylvania Ave. NW #941, Washington DC 20006-1846
www.persecution.org / Email: icc@persecution.org
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Muslim Radicals Mistakenly Murder Brother of a Pakistani Christian Accused of
Blasphemy
You are free to disseminate the following news. We request that you reference
ICC (International Christian Concern) and include our web address
www.persecution.org. Contact Jeremy Sewall, Policy Analyst, 1-800-ICC
(422)-5441, jeremy@persecution.org
(January 23, 2008) The Washington-DC based human rights group, International
Christian Concern (ICC) www.persecution.org has learned that Islamic extremists
have murdered a man after mistaking him for his brother who had been accused of
blasphemy against Islam. Simon Emmanuel was shot to death on January 9, 2008,
after his brother who has been living in the United States came home to visit
his family.
Simon Emmanuel was the brother of Younis Tasadaq, who was imprisoned in 1998 on
charges that he had committed blasphemy against Islam. According to Pakistani
law, blasphemy is punishable by death. Due to pressure from human rights
organizations, however, Tasadaq was released and fled to the United States in
1999. Last year, he decided to visit his ailing mother, and when certain
extremist Muslims found out about his arrival, they decided to kill him. At
midnight on January 9, 2008 a group of extremists arrived at the house where
Tasadaq was staying and shot his older brother to death, mistaking him for
Tasadaq.
The Pakistan police in the area attempted to cover up the shooting by treating
it as a suicide case and did not register a case against the killers. Emmanuel’s
family contacted a Pakistan-based Christian human rights organization and asked
them to interfere in the case. The human rights organization brought the case to
the attention of police in Toba Tek Singh and pressured them to file a case
against the culprits that murdered Emmanuel.
Located in Gojra District, the town of Toba Tek Singh is mostly Muslim but has a
small Christian minority. This is not the first time that Christians have been
killed in the town. On May 22, 2004, a young Christian Pakistani was tortured to
death by Islamic extremists. Several Christians living in the city have also
been falsely accused of blasphemy, thus causing them to fear death by law or by
the kind of vigilante extremists that murdered Simon Emmanuel.
# # #
ICC is a Washington-DC based human rights organization that exists to help
persecuted Christians worldwide. ICC delivers humanitarian aid, trains and
supports persecuted pastors, raises awareness in the US regarding the problem of
persecution, and is an advocate for the persecuted on Capitol Hill and the State
Department. For additional information or for an interview, contact ICC at
800-422-5441.
Mailing list: Remove my name from all future email correspondence
Address postal inquiries to:
International Christian Concern
2020 Pennsylvania Ave # 941
Washington , DC 20006
Army on High Alert amid Fears of Possible Riots during
Strike
Lebanese army troops were put on high alert Thursday to face possible fresh
outbreaks of unrest as farmers and the public transport syndicates observed a
one-day strike to protest against worsening living conditions. Soldiers were
deployed en masse across Lebanon as of 4 am Thursday. Permanent checkpoints were
set up throughout the country and troops were constantly patrolling the streets
to prevent trouble. The strike comes amid a split in trade unions over political
backgrounds.
Independent trade unions and others loyal to the pro-government March 14 Forces
refused to take part in the strike.
March 14 leaders urged the Lebanese to resume normal life. A statement by the
general secretariat of March 14 said in a statement that "the majority of the
Lebanese will not allow any coup against independence and peace." Instead it
held a meeting with Prime Minister Fouad Saniora at the Grand Serail on
Wednesday to discuss its demands. The conferees urged the index committee to
meet on Thursday to prepare a study on the cost of living.
Organizers of the strike said public transport and taxi drivers will stop
working on Thursday, stressing, however, that there would be no demonstrations
or road closures. Banks, businesses and most schools remained open. A delegation
from the General Federation of Labor Unions on Wednesday met Saniora to discuss
their demands.
GFLU president, Ghassan Ghosn, told The Daily Star that the strike would serve
as a warning to the government, adding that there would be similar steps in the
future if demands were not met. Ghosn said that the index committee, which was
set up by the government and the private sector, plans to recommend raising the
minimum monthly wage from LL 300,000 to LL 450,000 in an attempt to appease the
trade unions and farmers.
"We are not going to accept this offer," Ghosn said, adding that his group
demands a 15 to 20 percent increase in wages across the board, not just an
increase in the minimum wage. Finance Minister Jihad Azour did not rule out the
possibility that minimum wages could be raised to LL 450,000.
"There is a need to discuss the impact of the rise in the prices of commodities
on purchasing power," Azour said, adding that Thursday's meeting would be the
first aimed at addressing the problems. Azour stressed that all issues can be
solved in one session.
"At the end of the day, this is not a government decision because the private
sector must have a word on this matter," Azour said, adding that the cabinet
would do "everything in its power to help consumers." "We are all in the same
boat and for this reason we have to find ways to get out of these problems,"
Azour said.
He admitted that trade unions were divided along political lines and that there
was no real consensus on several issues. Beirut, 24 Jan 08, 10:09
Fears Rise that Lebanon Crisis Could Spill Onto Streets
Fears are mounting that Lebanon's prolonged political crisis could spill out on
to the streets after a spate of protests over government paralysis and worsening
living conditions. In recent weeks, protesters have blocked roads leading to the
airport, setting fire to garbage bins and rubber tires, while skirmishes have
erupted between members of the Sunni and Shiite communities. And on Thursday,
Lebanon was braced for more violence, with the army deployed heavily in Beirut
and elsewhere amid a nationwide strike called by the farmer and public transport
syndicates. The head of the General Federation of Labor Unions, Ghassan Ghosn,
said the strike was aimed at forcing the government to raise the minimum wage
and address inflation.
He said that the union had called protesters to avoid violence and clashes. The
CGTL is calling for the minimum monthly wage to be tripled from 300,000 Lebanese
pounds (200 dollars, 134 euros) to 900,000 pounds. Consumer prices rose 3.7
percent in the 10 months to October, led by an eight percent hike in food
prices, according to the private Institute of Research and Consulting. Although
security forces have managed to contain the various recent protests, the
simmering tension has prompted alarmist headlines and warnings of all out civil
strife. "The threat of an escalation becoming more real" said a headline in the
L'Orient Le-Jour daily this week. As-Safir, which is close to the opposition,
said Thursday that the strikes were but a reflection of growing unease among the
population.
Imad Salameh, a political science professor at Lebanese American University,
told AFP he believed the increasing protests were a ploy by the Hizbullah-led
opposition to force the government to buckle to its demands over the presidency.
"I think the tactic here is to build up a manageable escalation," Salameh said.
"And whenever it looks like it's going to get out of hand, they will cool it
down and wait for a new round of negotiations."
Karim Makdisi, a political science professor at American University of Beirut,
said it was clear that Hizbullah and its allies were not keen on the situation
escalating into violence, at least for now. "They keep threatening that things
will get out of hand but this is a bit like the story of the boy who cried
wolf," Makdisi told AFP.
"I think the threat is there but the only thing that has kept us from descending
into conflict is the fact that Hizbullah for now has not seen any interest in
that and has restrained its followers." But a spokesman for opposition leader
and Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri rejected accusations that their camp was
behind the growing unrest. "The speaker worked hard into the night yesterday to
make sure the labor strike does not end in violence and for it to be symbolic,"
said the spokesman. "The charges that we are behind the protests is baseless."
Lebanon has been without a president since Emile Lahoud stepped down when his
term ended on November 23 with no elected successor because of the stalemate
between the majority and the opposition backed by Syria and Iran.
Although all parties agree on the candidacy of army commander Gen. Michel
Suleiman to fill the post, they are at loggerheads over the make-up of the
future government. A senior security official warned that while police so far
have managed to control the violence, that would not be the case if the
situation escalated.
"We've managed to prevent things from getting out of hand but if riots erupt all
over the country and in the event of sectarian clashes, I am not sure our troops
will be able to contain the situation," he said. (AFP) Beirut, 24 Jan 08, 13:57
Jordan's King: Lebanon Stability, Sovereignty Are Red Lines
Jordan's King Abdullah II has stressed that Lebanon's stability and sovereignty
were red lines and urged the country's bickering parties to reconcile.
"I would like to emphasize first that the stability of Lebanon and its
sovereignty are red lines," Abdullah told Jordan's Ad-Dustour newspaper.
"Work must be done to assist Lebanon in overcoming the political crisis,"
Abdullah said when asked if he were optimistic of an exit from the ongoing
impasse.
"Actually the continuation of the current situation calls for attention and
far-sightedness because the differing Lebanese parties, whether opposition or
loyalist, should reconcile in order to preserve Lebanon's sovereignty and
independence," he said.
Abdullah said that the three-point Arab League plan was "a valuable opportunity
and a foundation from which to achieve national reconciliation that can lead to
an end of the crisis."He stressed that this opportunity "should not be wasted to
spare Lebanon of the potential repercussions which could undermine regional
security."
On his objectives of his recent visit to Syria, Abdullah said:
"Syria is a brotherly Arab neighbor with whom we have common interests, and we
are still optimistic about the future of our relations with Syria because we
strongly believe that it is an integral part of the Arab world."
He said that he is "very hopeful for the implementation of all agreements
reached during the meeting of the Jordanian-Syrian higher committee, which will
benefit both peoples." He said Syria plays an important regional role and hoped
for a thaw in relations between Damascus and some Arab states. "The state of
estrangement that we see between Syria and some Arab countries is something we
cannot accept." Beirut, 24 Jan 08, 09:55
France Resumes Contacts with Syria
Naharnet/Opposition sources have said Claude Gueant, the Elysee Palace's
secretary general, resumed contacts with Damascus.
The sources said Gueant sent two letters to Syrian Foreign Minister Walid
Muallem informing him of France's desire to revive efforts aimed at solving the
Lebanese crisis adopting "a different method than the one that failed" in the
past. They refused to comment on reports that Gueant had contacted Lebanese
leaders, including Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, following a series of
meetings held in Paris between leaders of Gen. Michel Aoun's Free Patriotic
Movement and French officials.
Meanwhile, French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner said he "doesn't know what
good strategy could be used with Syria." "We have spoken to Syria time and
again, but without reaching any settlement," Kouchner said in an interview with
a German newspaper."Each time we believed that we reached an agreement, a new
obstacle would emerge.""The Arab League, Saudi Arabia and Jordan … all of them
are speaking to Syria. So is the German foreign minister, but without progress,"
Kouchner added. Beirut, 24 Jan 08, 13:29
Saudi prince offers Israel full relations with Arabs
Naharnet/A Saudi prince is saying that if Israel accepts an Arab League peace
plan, it could have full normalization with the Arab world.
Prince Turki al-Faisal, a former ambassador to the United States and Britain,
former head of Saudi security and adviser to King Abdullah, told Reuters in an
interview published Sunday that if Israel accepted the Arab League plan and
signed a comprehensive peace, "one can imagine the integration of Israel into
the Arab geographical entity." He added: "One can imagine not just economic,
political and diplomatic relations between Arabs and Israelis, but also issues
of education, scientific research, combating mutual threats to the inhabitants
of this vast geographic area."
Top US diplomat Burns starts Mideast trip
WASHINGTON (AFP) — The State Department's third highest diplomat Nicholas Burns
has begun a three-day Middle East tour amid a tense situation in Gaza due to an
Israeli blockade, a statement said on Wednesday. During the January 23-25 visit,
Burns was to hold talks with Israeli officials on topics including strategic
ties, Iran's nuclear program and the disarmament of the Lebanese Shiite group
Hezbollah, the State Department statement said.
On Thursday, Burns and Israeli Deputy Prime Minister Shaul Mofaz were to
"conduct another round of the US-Israeli strategic dialogue," it said,
highlighting that the last such talks were held November 8, or three weeks
before a Middle East peace conference in Annapolis, Maryland. "The US and
Israeli teams will discuss their assessments of Iran's nuclear program and
diplomatic efforts underway to prevent Iran from developing nuclear capability,"
it said. "They also will discuss concerns over the implementation of UN Security
Council Resolution 1701, which calls for the disarmament of Hezbollah and other
militias in Lebanon." Burns was also to meet Palestinian Liberation Organization
secretary general Yasser Abed Rabbo and political advisor to president Mahmud
Abbas, Akram Haniyah. The statement said Burns would "tour the UNWRA (United
Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees) headquarters in
Jerusalem" but made no mention of the Israeli blockade of Gaza, which was eased
this week in response to international outcry and warnings of a humanitarian
crisis. Burns is expected to resign in March from his post as under secretary of
state for political affairs, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice announced
earlier this month.
Geagea: Opposition Not Willing to Agree on Anything
Verbal attacks have continued between government loyalists and the opposition
against the backdrop of a speech by Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah.
Lebanese Forces chief Samir Geagea on Wednesday slammed Hizbullah leaders who
accused the pro-government March 14 coalition of seeking to assassinate
Nasrallah. Geagea accused Hizbullah of a series of assassinations that included
Lebanese army officers in the 1980s. He also pointed to the battles between
Hizbullah and Amal in the mid-80s. "The opposition is not willing to agree on
anything and it is almost impossible to reach any agreement with the other
party," Geagea said. Beirut, 24 Jan 08, 11:34
Mubarak: Arab Initiative Fair
Naharnet/Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak has described the three-point Arab
plan as "fair" and expressed concern over the situation in Lebanon.
The Arab initiative "is the best one available on ground," Mubarak said
Wednesday, adding that "several U.S. and European initiatives have not been
successful."
He said the plan, which called for the election of Army Chief Gen. Michel
Suleiman president, was "fair" but the presidential crisis developed into
"personal" quarrels between pro-government and opposition politicians. The
initiative also called for the formation of a national unity government in
Lebanon and the adoption of a new electoral law."The Lebanese people will get
lost if the situation continues like this," Mubarak said about the presidential
void.
The country has been without a head of state since Emile Lahoud's term ended in
November. Beirut, 24 Jan 08, 10:12
Qassem: Nasrallah's Address Panicked Israelis
Naharnet/Hizbullah's second in command Sheikh Naim Qassem said Wednesday Israeli
leaders were "panicked" by Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah's recent address.
"The address by the secretary general (Nasrallah) achieved its set targets and
we expect more and more results," Qassem told Hizbullah's television and radio
stations. "There is a bright image of the resistance and the resistance people.
It is a proactive and strong image. And it must have been clearly reflected on
the panic of the Israeli officials when they saw this image and heard this
speech," Qassem said. He pledged that "many repercussions would take place if
the enemy thought of staging an aggression on Lebanon."Nasrallah's address,
according to Qassem, "exposed the many gaps that the enemy is suffering from and
that its army, that claims to be strong, in fact is a feeble army."He vowed that
"any Israeli aggression on Lebanon would be confronted by resistance … defense
requires no permission."
Beirut, 23 Jan 08, 19:34
Greater Role for Russia in Resolving Presidential Crisis
Naharnet/Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has said his country was against
all attempts to block efforts to find a way out of the Lebanese presidential
crisis as his deputy began a visit to Beirut. Russia "is against attempts to
hinder a settlement in Lebanon," Russian news agency RIA Novosti quoted Lavrov
as saying Wednesday. "What is now happening in Lebanon is a very complicated
process," he said, adding that his country rejected "attempts from different
sides to obstruct this process." Lavrov said his country was counting on efforts
of Arab League chief Amr Moussa to resolve the crisis, and expressed hope that
"the postponement of the election of a new president for Lebanon gives plenty of
time to achieve" a solution. "Russia works with all sides to back a successful
settlement," he added.
His comments came as his deputy Alexander Sultanov began a visit to Lebanon.
Sultanov met with Premier Fouad Saniora and Legislator Saad Hariri on Wednesday.
An Nahar daily quoted informed sources as saying Sultanov's visit to Beirut
after meeting Syrian officials in Damascus was very significant as Russia is
trying to convince the Assad regime to facilitate the election of a new Lebanese
head of state. Sultanov on Thursday discussed with Speaker Nabih Berri latest
developments in Lebanon and the region and is expected to meet Army Chief Gen.
Michel Suleiman. Beirut, 24 Jan 08, 11:02
Olmert Does Not Regret Lebanon War Decisions
Naharnet/Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has said he did not regret his
decision to launch a military offensive on Lebanon in the summer of 2006, adding
that Hizbullah is not in a "hurry" to engage in new fighting, Haaretz daily
reported. "There were mistakes, there were failures, but lessons were learned,
mistakes were corrected, and actions were changed," Olmert said on Wednesday in
his speech concluding the annual Herzliya Conference on Security.
"I will not evade a serious, thorough and responsible debate on what happened,
what failed and especially what was achieved," Olmert was quoted as saying by
the Israeli newspaper. His remarks came a few days before the release of a final
report by the Winograd Commission, a government-appointed body that has been
investigating political and military conduct during the July-August 2006 war
with Hizbullah. Olmert was quoted as saying late December that he had no
intention of resigning over Winograd's final findings on Jan. 30, which are
expected to be highly critical of him.
In its interim findings released at the end of April 2007, the Commission
roasted Olmert, former Defense Minister Amir Peretz and ex-chief of staff Dan
Halutz over the offensive on Lebanon. The interim report accused Olmert of
"serious failure" and blasted Peretz and Halutz, who resigned last year, for
failing in their duties.
"It is quieter today on the northern border than it has been for the past 18
months and this is the longest period of quiet we've had for 25 years. The North
is thriving and flourishing," Olmert said Wednesday. He said Hizbullah has
become "stronger" than before but reassured Israelis that the Shiite group will
not engage in new fighting because of the Jewish state's "great power." "The
question is not how many rockets and how many missiles... they have more than we
would like, but the decisive question is how eager they are to use them," Olmert
said. "One thing is clear - our enemies in the north aren't in any hurry to
fight us. They know why. The reasons reflect Israel's great power." The war
killed more than 1,200 people in Lebanon, mostly civilians, and more than 160
Israelis, mostly soldiers.
A wave of public criticism erupted in Israel after the war, widely perceived as
a failure for not stopping Hizbullah rocket fire and for failing to retrieve two
Israeli soldiers whose capture by the Shiite group sparked the conflict. Beirut,
24 Jan 08, 08:57
A conference to save Lebanon's future
By Michael Young -Daily Star staff
Thursday, January 24, 2008
For some years now, Arab diplomacy has been a chronicle of death foretold. In
Iraq, Darfur, and the Palestinian territories, either Arab states have been too
anemic to seize the initiative, or have worked at cross purposes. Now, with the
collapse of Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa's mission to Lebanon, brace
yourselves for more futility. But don't pity Moussa. An exemplar of Arab
political sterility, he arrived in Beirut last week with a plan that, his circle
claimed, was "constructively vague." Through that vagueness, he probably thought
he could secure for himself a margin of maneuver. Instead, the imprecision of
the proposal allowed Syria and its Lebanese allies to impose conditions of their
own on the distribution of power in a future government that were, plainly, not
what the Arab states intended. So, by the end of his shuttle diplomacy, Moussa
had to clarify what the Arabs meant, by which time it was too late.
You have to hand it to the Syrians. They gauged the utter mediocrity of their
Arab peers early on, before the foreign ministers' meeting in Cairo that was
supposed to pressure Syria into allowing a presidential election. Damascus
defused Arab opprobrium by claiming they were on board with the Arab plan,
before subsequently undermining it. Then, once Moussa left Beirut, Damascus
upped the ante, asking its allies to accelerate the pace of their street
demonstrations in Lebanon.
In a recent interview with a Kuwaiti newspaper, Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmad
Abu al-Gheit recalled how, at the Paris donors meeting for the Palestinians late
last year, Western states mocked the idea of a successful Arab diplomatic
initiative in Lebanon. "You never do anything," is what Western officials told
their Arab counterparts, Abu al-Gheit recalled. They were right.
So what is next? Typically, Moussa refused to admit that his mission had failed.
The Arab plan had not reached a dead end, but only a "closed door that can be
opened." That's a relief. Then again, the Arab-Israeli conflict is a door that
might one day be opened, but that has remained closed for six decades. The Arabs
need a plan B in Lebanon, but don't hold your breath.
The next confrontation point is January 27th, when the Arab League will have to
consider whom to blame for the Moussa debacle. Here's a prediction: Little will
happen, leaving a possible fracas for the Arab summit in March. The Syrians have
made it clear that they will use instability in Lebanon as leverage to force
Arab leaders to attend the Damascus gathering and avoid Syria's humiliation.
Given the brutal way in which the Arab plan for Lebanon was discarded by Syria
and its allies, however, the summit seems almost certain to be a bust, whatever
happens in Lebanon. There are limits to what can be done in Beirut's streets,
but there have also been worrying signs in recent days that Syria's allies are
willing to push the envelope very far on that front. And with Lebanon
chronically unstable, the Syrians feel, the Arab states, the United States, and
the Europeans will lose interest in the country long before the Assad regime
does.
In so many ways, Syria has managed to remain a Teflon state at the center of
myriad regional crises. In April 2005, the Syrian mood was well captured in an
exchange leaked to the French daily Le Monde between President Bashar Assad and
United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon. After warning Ban that passage of
the Hariri tribunal under Chapter VII of the UN Charter would lead to
instability in Lebanon, Assad pointedly told the secretary general: "We're in
the eye of the cyclone. You will, therefore, need to stay in contact with us."
Now that Arab diplomacy has failed in Lebanon, so soon after the French were
humiliated in their efforts to make headway on the presidential election, it is
time to conclude that almost none of the methods employed previously will change
Damascus' behavior. The Syrians are well into their counterattack in Lebanon, to
reverse the setbacks of 2005, while the international community and the Arab
states seem paralyzed. New ideas are needed if there is sincere regional and
international concern for Lebanon's future independence - which at this stage is
not guaranteed.
For starters, the Arab states, the US, and Europe - failures each and every one
of them in defining an effective policy toward Syria - should initiate contacts
to determine if they have parallel objectives in Lebanon, and define what these
are. That shouldn't be too difficult. The US continues to oppose a return to the
pre-2005 situation in Beirut; the Europeans too, even as they have thousands of
their troops deployed in South Lebanon; and the Arabs very much fear a war
between Lebanese Sunnis and Shiites that would have regional repercussions, as
well as threaten their own regimes. The groundwork for broad cooperation exists.
Those talks should then lead to a conference on Lebanon, preferably at the UN,
whose resolutions passed since 2004 must provide an underpinning for any
diplomatic action on the country. The conference would not only return Lebanon
to near the front of international attention, it should decide on specific,
tough measures to help implement Arab decisions and UN resolutions on Lebanon,
and pave the way for a presidential election. The notion that
internationalization of the Lebanese crisis is bad for the country is absurd.
Without internationalization, buttressed by an Arab consensus, Lebanon will be
lost within months.
Can this work? Nothing is less certain. There is great fatigue with Lebanon
internationally; the Arabs, ever fearful of precedents, will water down any
concerted effort to alter the behavior of a fellow Arab state like Syria; and
some Europeans, most recently Germany's foreign minister, Frank-Walter
Steinmeier, adhere to the cult of "engaging" Damascus, whatever the
disappointments. But Lebanon is not what it was in 1975, when its Civil War
began. Events in the country have existential implications for many regimes in
the Arab world, and by extension for equilibrium in the Middle East. Lebanon is
a problem that has to be addressed whether the international community likes it
or not, and in way that transcends the mostly fruitless policies adopted until
now.
Otherwise, let us just prepare ourselves for the worst. Conflict is as near as
it has ever been in Lebanon since 2005. Diplomats have wasted many months, even
years, misreading the situation in the country. Their timorousness
notwithstanding, there is still time to avoid Lebanon's fall into the abyss if
the international community displays some nerve.
**Michael Young is opinion editor of THE DAILY STAR.
Hizbullah Represented at Damascus-Based Palestinian
'Resistance' Conference
Hamas, Syria-based Palestinian radical groups and factions from the Hizbullah-led
Lebanese opposition called for stepped up resistance against Israel as they
began a three-day "national conference" in Damascus Wednesday boycotted by the
three main PLO factions. "This is a meeting of rights and resistance," Hamas
leader Khaled Mashaal told the conference in Damascus, which was also attended
by Syrian officials and pro-Syrian Lebanese opposition figures.
Mashaal, whose group has controlled Gaza since last June, denounced the blockade
imposed by Israel on the impoverished Palestinian territory, branding it a
"tragedy and an immoral crime.""I call for the pursuit of popular anger against
the Zionists and the Americans until the blockade is lifted," Mashaal said.
On Wednesday, tens of thousands of Gazans poured into Egypt to shop for basic
needs after militants blew open gaps in the border wall.
"Israel is cheating us. Delivering fuel and food is not the objective. We want a
lift of the blockade," Mashaal said.
Talal Naji of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine-General Command
(PFLP-GC), which is organizing the conference along with Hamas and Islamic
Jihad, said Palestinians should "amplify the resistance against Zionist
occupation." The Damascus conference is aimed at "healing Palestinian
divisions," Naji said in reference to the secular Fatah faction of Palestinian
president Mahmoud Abbas which Hamas ousted from Gaza.
But in the West Bank political capital of Ramallah, the Palestine Liberation
Organization (PLO) slammed the conference as a "carnival" organized by Damascus
to bolster its influence in the region. Syria "committed a grave error in
putting together this conference that has been transformed into a stage for
diatribes against Palestinian leadership and government," a PLO statement said.
"With this carnival and its slogans, Syria is looking to assume a regional role
and appear as an actor in the Palestinian equation," said the PLO, of which
Hamas is not a member. Fatah along with two other mainstream PLO factions -- the
leftist Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine and Democratic Front for
the Liberation of Palestine -- are boycotting the conference.(AFP-Naharnet)
Beirut, 23 Jan 08, 19:04
Syria has its own road map for Lebanon
Wednesday, 23 January, 2008
Beirut - Arab League chief Amr Moussa found out during his last visit to Syria
that Damascus has a different road map for Lebanon than the proposed Arab
initiative , according to sources close to Moussa
The three point Arab League plan calls for the immediate election of the
president to be followed by the formation of a national unity government based
on the constitution, to be followed by a new electoral law . A step by step
approach for ending the crises .
The Syrian road map centers around blocking the second step ( Government
formation) of the Arab plan in order to achieve its ultimate objective which is
the blocking of the election of army General Michel Suleiman and replacing him
with a candidate who will be similar to the former president Emile Lahoud .
This is the reason for the recent accusations by the Lebanese pro-Syrian media
against General Suleiman . In doing so the media is trying to prepare the
country for his dismissal as the only candidate and replacing him by a
pro-Syrian candidate . The media even claimed that Syrian president Bashar al
Assad has picked out one name from the list of candidates that Cardinal Sfeir
has presented to Berri, but this could not be confirmed.
General Michel Aoun is not the candidate that Syria has in mind according to the
sources. This is why when Aoun found out about Syria’s plans he decided not to
go to the quartet meeting that was scheduled for last Saturday. Aoun pretended
that he was sick with kidney stones and asked his son- in -law to represent him
in the meeting . This is of course a big blow to Aoun’s dream. This is the
second time that the Syrians deceive general Aoun the first time was in 1988.
Aoun joined the Hezbollah-led opposition with the sole objective of replacing
Lahoud as the next president . His alliance angered the Christian community and
the parliament majority and turned his dream into a nightmare.
Damascus is hoping that this delay coupled with riots and violence by its allies
will force the parliament majority to accept its candidate. This will be the key
to the return of Syrian hegemony over Lebanon . This candidate has already been
invited by Syria to attend the Arab leaders Summit in Damascus as Lebanon’s
representative.
But last week Egyptian President Husni Mubarak has warned of "dangerous
repercussions" for the Arab League summit which is scheduled to be held in
Damascus in March.
"I hope that the crises in Lebanon will find its road to success without further
delay so it won't have harmful repercussions on the planned summit ," Mubarak
said in an interview with a Swiss newspaper.
Mubarak’s remark “harmful repercussions “ about the Damascus summit was
interpreted by Cairo observers as meaning “ the summit faces cancellation”
The question is What is Assad's objection against Suleiman , knowing the fact
that he was installed in his current position by the Syrian regime ? - Egypt is
the big problem . Syria considers him too friendly with Egyptian president Husni
Mubarak. Syria does not like the fact that Suleiman paid a visit to Mubarak last
year and Mubarak’s support for his election .
- The other problem is his meeting with US undersecretary David Welch and the
feedback Syria’s allies fed the Syrians after the meeting.
- The third problem is the persistence of Suleiman on achieving a victorious end
to the Nahr el-Bared battle with the Fatah al Islam terrorists , considering
Syria’s association with that organization. Besides that made Suleiman a Hero
and Syria does not want strong Lebanese presidents
The big question is : Who is this mystery candidate for the presidency that
Syria has in mind ?
We don’t know , but we were given few clues:
- He is a former minister
- Another former minister nominated him
- He was the first to suggest General Suleiman as a presidential candidate , but
was also the first to send a signal about the possible failure of electing
Suleiman , should the disagreements between the opposition and the majority drag
for a long time
Reporters Without Borders
Press release
23 January 2008
LEBANON
Newspaper publisher’s car torched in intimidation attempt
Reporters Without Borders condemns an arson attack on the car of Aziz El Metni,
the publisher of the Al Anbaa weekly newspaper, outside his home in Kornet
Shahwan (15 km north of Beirut) on the night of 19 January. Metni’s newspaper is
the mouthpiece of the Progressive Socialist Party.
“The political crisis in Lebanon since former Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri’s
assassination has created an extremely dangerous climate for journalists in
which two have already died,” the press freedom organisation said. “This arson
attack must be taken seriously and must be properly investigated so that those
responsible are brought to justice.”
Metni, 73, has filed a complaint about the fire, which would have spread to his
house if firemen had not arrived in time to put it out. He told Reporters
Without Borders he had not received any threats before the fire, which he
regards as a “message to the Progressive Socialist Party.” He added that he was
probably targeted because he has less protection than the party’s leaders.
On 8 January, he published a column headlined “No cooperation by force and no
governance by blocking,” which was very critical of the opposition led by
Hezbollah and the Free Patriotic Movement.
In a press conference yesterday at the newspaper, editor Rami Al-Rayess refused
to speculate about who was responsible for the attack, saying he wanted to let
the authorities “do their job.” But he described it as “an attack on the press
and Lebanese democracy.”
Two Lebanese journalists, Samir Kassir and Gebran Tueni, have been killed and a
third, May Chidiac, has been seriously wounded in targeted bombings since
September 2004.
Reporters sans frontières
Communiqué de presse
23 janvier 2008
LIBAN
Tentative d'intimidation contre Le directeur d'Al-Anbaa
Reporters sans frontières condamne l'incendie d'origine criminelle qui a
endommagé la voiture du directeur de l'hebdomadaire Al Anbaa, Aziz El Metni,
dans la nuit du 19 au 20 janvier 2008, devant son domicile à Kornet Chahwan (15
km au nord de Beyrouth).
"La crise politique que traverse le Liban depuis l’assassinat de l’ancien
Premier ministre Rafic Hariri a suscité un climat extrêmement dangereux pour les
professionnels des médias. Cette situation a déjà coûté la vie à deux
journalistes. Cet incendie doit donc être pris au sérieux et une enquête doit
être ouverte sans délai pour identifier les auteurs de l’incendie et les
traduire en justice”, a déclaré l’organisation.
Dans la nuit du 19 au 20 janvier 2008, la voiture d'Aziz El Metni, directeur de
l'hebdomadaire Al-Anbaa, a été incendiée. Sans l’intervention des pompiers, le
feu aurait pu se propager au domicile du journaliste qui a déposé une plainte
contre X.
Contacté par Reporters sans frontières, Aziz El Metni, 73 ans, a déclaré ne pas
avoir reçu de menaces auparavant. Selon lui, cet incendie est un “message
adressé au Parti socialiste progressiste”, dont Al-Anbaa est l’organe officiel.
Il a ajouté qu’il avait sans doute été visé parce qu’il était moins protégé que
les dirigeants du parti. Par ailleurs, le journaliste a publié, le 8 janvier, un
article intitulé “Pas de collaboration par la force et pas de gouvernance par le
blocage”, dans lequel il critiquait vivement l’opposition dirigée par le
Hezbollah et le Courant patriotique libre.
Lors d’une conférence de presse tenue au siège de l'hebdomadaire, le 22 janvier,
le rédacteur en chef d'Al-Anbaa, Rami Al-Rayess, a refusé d'émettre des
hypothèses sur les auteurs de l'incendie et a souhaité laisser la justice “faire
son travail”. En revanche, il a souligné la gravité de cet acte qu’il a décrit
comme “une attaque contre la presse et la démocratie libanaise”.
Depuis septembre 2004, deux journalistes libanais, Samir Kassir et Gebrane Tuéni,
ont été assassinés et une troisième, May Chidiac, grièvement mutilée dans des
attentats qui les visaient directement.
Hajar Smouni
North Africa & Middle-East Desk
Reporters Without Borders
47 rue Vivienne
F - 75002 Paris
Tel : + 33 1 44 83 84 78
Fax : +33 1 45 23 11 51
E-mail : middle-east@rsf.org
http://www.rsf.org
Skype: hajar_mmo
"Don't wait to be deprived of news to stand up and fight for it"
N'attendez pas qu'on vous prive de l'information pour la défendre.
No espere a que le priven de la libertad de información para defenderla.
Avant d'imprimer, pensez à l'environnement. Before printing think about the
Environment.
The Savior!
Randa Takieddine
Al Hayat - 23/01/08//
Anyone wandering in Beirut must notice the posters of Army Commander General
Michel Sleiman plastered in some streets with a slogan that reads "The Savior".
Anyone who meets Sleiman and becomes acquainted with his way of thinking at this
time of crisis will realize that whoever is impeding his election as president
has no interest in "saving" Lebanon.
Michel Sleiman is as loyal and devoted as any other Lebanese citizen who loves
his country. But how would he think if he assumed the presidency? He would want
to kick off his presidential term by reconciling the different Lebanese parties
- a priority for a nation described by the Arab League Secretary General Amr
Moussa as "Wounded Lebanon." If Moussa was right when he said that Lebanon's
wound needs to be healed, then Sleiman is the man of the hour who knows how
badly he is needed. This is why he wants to maintain a balance between all
parties by committing to the Taef Agreement and building good relations with
Syria. He is also convinced that he can achieve better relations on an equal
footing with Syria, relations free of subservience, defamation, and conspiracy
innuendo. Since the start of the mass demonstrations following the assassination
of Prime Minister Rafic Hariri, the Lebanese army at Sleiman's helm has proven
that it has played the role of the balanced arbitrator. Even though
demonstrations were officially banned at Syria's suggestion through its ally,
former President Emile Lahoud, the army did not only refrain from confronting
demonstrators, but it also maintained their security as well as their legitimate
and democratic right to demonstrate.
Yet, judging by what it says, openly or through some of its newspapers, the
Lebanese opposition seems to have no interest in having a president elected. As
it demands a "new" Lebanon that invokes the era of Syrian hegemony, the
opposition will accept nothing less than another "general" who is unacceptable
to the Lebanese majority or else the presidential elections will not be held.
By and large, the suspicions by some senior western and Arab officials about
Syria's approval of Sleiman are legitimate. They are substantiated by the
unfounded campaigns led by some of Syria's Lebanese allies to cast doubts on
Sleiman, and supported by the vicious rumors circulated by some local newspapers
claiming that France has given up on Sleiman and that following the failure of
the Arab initiative it will strike a deal with Syria to pick another candidate.
Both President Nicholas Sarkozy and his Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner have
reiterated that they expect Syria not to obstruct the election of Sleiman as a
consensus candidate. Unfortunately, even though it claims to support the Arab
initiative, Syria does not apparently want Sleiman for president, which is made
evident by the statements of its Lebanese allies and their newspapers. Hezbollah
and the other players in the opposition now want Michel Aoun for president
because he sides with them as a Christian and is facilitating Syria's ploy in
Lebanon, which is aimed at establishing a "new Lebanon" under Syrian hegemony.
This bodes well for Israel that trusts Syria's ability to keep Hezbollah in
check as the years of Syrian mandate in Lebanon had proven. The 1996 seize-fire
that followed the Israeli Grapes of Wrath operation in the South, for example,
could not have been possible without Syrian and Iranian sponsorship.
The Lebanese majority is not asking for the moon, but simply for the election of
a president who can salvage the country, achieve reconciliation among the
Lebanese, and return the laurels of the presidency. That president would be
Michel Sleiman whom the opposition had first designated as a consensus candidate
then later retracted its position, as if asking for more security, economic and
political tragedies for this country. At this point, the following question must
be posed: What do those who erect tents, organize sit-ins that paralyze the
economy, and freeze the country's business want? Do they want the "remains" of
Lebanon? The least that they owe their nation is reconsidering their
calculations that do not serve their long term interests. An independent and
sovereign Lebanon is far better for them than a Syrian or Iranian Lebanon