LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS
BULLETIN
July 10/08
Bible Reading of the day.
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to
Saint Matthew 10,1-7. Then he summoned his twelve disciples and gave them
authority over unclean spirits to drive them out and to cure every disease and
every illness. The names of the twelve apostles are these: first, Simon called
Peter, and his brother Andrew; James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John;
Philip and Bartholomew, Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James, the son of
Alphaeus, and Thaddeus; Simon the Cananean, and Judas Iscariot who betrayed him.
Jesus sent out these twelve after instructing them thus, "Do not go into pagan
territory or enter a Samaritan town. Go rather to the lost sheep of the house of
Israel. As you go, make this proclamation: 'The kingdom of heaven is at hand.'
Free
Opinions, Releases, letters & Special Reports
Will
Israel Strike Iran.By W. Thomas Smith, Jr. 10/07/08
Shebaa Farms: key to stability?Christian
Science Monitor 10/07/08
ANALYSIS / Israel, Syria already have outline for direct talks.By
Zvi Bar'el. Ha'aretz. 09/0708
Lebanon's politicians don't
want a new and fair electoral law.
The Daily Star 09/07/08
Latest News Reports From Miscellaneous Sources for July
09/08
Clashes Rage in Tripoli, Casualties-Naharnet
Saniora Rejects Qanso, Not SSNP-Naharnet
Qanso's
Nomination for Cabinet Minister Sparks Majority Protest-Naharnet
Jumblat Wants Christian
Minister-Naharnet
From Jail to Justice-Naharnet
3 killed, 35 wounded in Lebanon fighting-The
Associated Press
Fighting in Northern Lebanon Shatters Two-Week-Old Truce-Wall
Street Journal
Message to Bashar Assad: 'Open the Doors of Syria's Prisons'-Middle
East Times
Five wounded in clashes in northen Lebanon: official-AFP
Suleiman to Meet Assad in Paris-Naharnet
Israel Accuses Hizbullah
of Tripling number of rockets in two years-Naharnet
Suleiman Rejects
Hizbullah's Terror Label-Naharnet
The Hariri Recipe for
March 14 Cabinet Nominees-Naharnet
Hariri: March 14 Faces No
Representation Problem, Mustaqbal and Lebanese Forces are 'One'-Naharnet
CIA Director: Hizbullah
May Not Back Iran in U.S. Clash-Naharnet
Barak: We Won't Tolerate
Hizbullah's Violation of 1701-Naharnet
Lebanese Businessman
Target of Alleged Corruption Probe in Brazil-Naharnet
Saniora: Cabinet Before
President Suleiman's France Visit-Naharnet
Turkish Troops to Stay One
More Year in Lebanon-Naharnet
Renewed Clashes in
Tripoli-Naharnet
Hariri: March 14 Faces No Representation Problem,
Mustaqbal and Lebanese Forces are 'One'-Naharnet
Siniora declares 'a lot of
progress' in formation of unity government_Naharnet
Saniora: Cabinet Before
President Suleiman's France Visit-Naharnet
Turkish Troops to Stay One More Year in Lebanon-Naharnet
The Saudi Embassy Predicts New Era-Naharnet
Salameh Defends Lebanon's Banking Sector-Naharnet
Mirza Issues Charge Sheet in the Two Ziads Crime-Naharnet
Reintegrating Lebanon's
Shiites-Daily Star
Lebanese among 24 rounded up in
Brazilian embezzlement case-AFP
State prosecutor seeks death
penalty in slaying of 'two Ziads-Daily
Star
Assad voices Syrian backing
for Lebanon's independence-Daily
Star
Saudi Embassy denies
fomenting sectarian strife-Daily
Star
Lebanon receives fewer
tourists up to May-Daily Star
Beirut posts dismal balance
of payments-Daily Star
Central Bank governor
defends Lebanese banks after Israeli citizens sue in US court-Daily
Star
Azour optimistic about GDP
growth prospects for 2008-Daily
Star
Army, Civil Defense team up
against forest fires-Daily Star
Bahr Loubnan cleans up same
oil it collected in 2006-Daily
Star
Norwegian envoy recognizes
graduates of vocational training-Daily
Star
EU, ISF tout plans for
facility to train law enforcement-Daily
Star
Coordination meeting seeks
more readiness for quakes-Daily
Star
Partisanship contaminates
military, too - academic-Daily
Star
Will Israel Strike Iran
by W. Thomas Smith, Jr.
07/09/2008
In a recent piece for the Washington Post, Israeli commentator Yossi Melman
writes: “No decision to attack Iran has been made in Israel” and it is “a matter
of at least one year” before any decision will be made.
Melman’s words seem enough to convince the editorial staffs of publications like
the Post and the Nation. But sources inside the U.S. intelligence and Defense
communities are telling us, there is an increasing “probability” that the
Israeli Air Force (IAF) will soon strike Iranian nuclear facilities. The strikes
-- if they take place -- will be far more extensive than that which occurred
during the strike against Iraq’s Osirak nuclear facility in 1981. The new
strikes will target much more than just the nuclear sites. The extent to which
America will or will not provide support will depend on multiple variables. And
the strikes will not be over in a single night. “To hit the number of targets
the Israelis need to hit with their force structure would require several days,”
Lt. Gen. Thomas G. McInerney (U.S. Air Force, ret.), former assistant vice chief
of staff of the Air Force, tells HUMAN EVENTS. “If they did it in a night --
with, say, 100 airplanes -- they’d probably inflict significant damage to
Bushehr and other facilities, but it would be more difficult to hit the deep
bunkers at Natanz.”
But, McInerney adds, the problems associated with an air campaign that goes
beyond 24 hours is “it becomes more difficult politically because you’ve got to
have more people complicit in terms of airspace requirements, etc.”
Nevertheless, a multi-phased campaign lasting several days is what the current
plan looks like according to analysts and insiders.
One intelligence community source tells us, “The campaign will last more than a
few days, perhaps up to a week or more.” And it looks as if the operational
green-light will be given at some point within the next few months before any
window of opportunity closes that would prevent Iran from building a nuclear
weapon (a reality that could come to pass within six months to a year -- perhaps
sooner in a crash-building program -- according to a MEMRI interview with
International Atomic Energy Agency Director-General Dr. Muhammad El-Baradei).
One former Defense Department official says he believes a strike against Iran’s
developing nuclear infrastructure might be “a bad idea because of Iranian
national pride in the program: it's likely to strengthen the regime without
accomplishing any strategic objective.”
He adds, “The only way to deal with these guys is to hit the regime itself,
hard, and leave the nukes alone for the moment.”
Others say hitting the nuke sites is part of a much broader plan that will
facilitate regime change.
“It’s not just the nuclear sites,” Maj. Gen. Paul E. Vallely (U.S. Army, ret.),
former deputy commanding general of U.S. Army Forces Pacific, tells HUMAN
EVENTS. “It’s regime target sites.”
According to Vallely, the approximately 75 regime targets on the tier-one
targeting list -- updated daily -- includes Iran’s command-and-control, the
country’s air defense network, the various Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps
units and positions, as well as the nuclear sites. There are many targets beyond
those on the tier-one list. Without getting into specifics, the current plan
calls for a “takedown” that may be supported by U.S. air and naval forces in the
both the Persian Gulf and the Mediterranean. Israeli F-15 and F-16 fighters and
refueling tankers will be running back-and-forth through U.S. Central
Command–controlled air corridors. Mossad agents and Iranian (anti-government)
operatives will help coordinate the strikes from the ground. Meanwhile,
home-based Israeli ground forces (with helicopter support) will reinforce
defenses in northern Israel and on the Golan Heights; prepared for the
possibility of defensive cross-border operations against Hizballah in southern
Lebanon and perhaps operations inside Syria along geographic points where -- in
recent weeks -- two Syrian mechanized-infantry divisions have been reinforced.
Other Israeli ground and air assets will reinforce Gaza positions.
If the Iranians -- in retaliation for strikes against their facilities -- make a
move against American forces in the region, or if they try to shut down the
Strait of Hormuz (the strategically vital waterway between the Persian Gulf and
the Gulf of Oman) as they have threatened to do, U.S. forces will “unleash hell
and more than complement what the Israelis are doing,” says Vallely.
McInerney says, “The Iranians may try to shut down the Strait, but they are
deathly afraid that we’ll get involved.”
An intelligence source says, “Iran’s provoking the Americans into the game is
exactly what Israel wants, because overwhelming U.S. airpower would be able to
finish the job in very short order.”McInerney agrees, adding, “That’s why I
believe if the targets are going to be hit, we need to be the ones to do it.”
Some experts contend such a strike “must be” before the U.S. presidential
elections because the Israelis know that any operation prior to the elections
would give plausible deniability to either one of the American presidential
candidates. After the election, it would be difficult for the president-elect to
deny knowing because of the access and leverage held by a president-elect.
Others say it may be after the election, but before the inauguration because if
Barack Obama is elected the Israelis fear he would not support any form of
military action against Iran, whereas the Israelis are confident in both John
McCain’s support of Israel and in his willingness to use military force --
either directly or indirectly -- in support of Israel.
In a recent article for Middle East Times I explained how Iran's frequent
threatening of Israel and the United States, its covert operations in Iraq and
Afghanistan, its recent military-political victories in Lebanon (through its
proxy army, Hizballah), a newly signed defense pact with Syria, and -- most
important -- its nuclear ambitions; may be forcing the West's hand.
During the first week in June, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad reportedly
told Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda that "influential nations should get
ready for a world minus the U.S." We know Ahmadinejad frequently threatens to
"wipe Israel off the map," Moreover, his surrogate deputies, like Hizballah’s
chief Hassan Nasrallah, often call for the "deaths" of America and Israel.
The same week Ahmadinejad made his comments to Fukuda, the IAF conducted a
massive military air-exercise over the Mediterranean, flying and refueling over
a distance roughly equal to that which would be required in a strike against
Iran.
Israel isn’t just saber-rattling. “The only one thing worse than Israel’s having
to launch an attack against Tehran's nuclear facilities is an Iranian nuclear
bomb,” Brig. Gen. Dieter Farwick (German Army, ret.), the former director of
Germany's military intelligence office and the current editor-in-chief of World
Security Network, tells HUMAN EVENTS. “An Iranian nuclear bomb would trigger a
nuclear arms race in the broader Middle East. Still any attack against Iran
should remain a last resort; and timely, limited negotiations should be given a
last chance."
Closed-door negotiations are continuing. But so is Iran’s nuclear program, its
president’s threats, and an uncertain American political landscape: Which is why
-- in Israel’s mind -- chances, opportunities, and certainly time may be running
out.
The big question remains: if Israel with it’s current force structure attacks
Iran with only a nod -- and very little direct support -- from the U.S., can the
Jewish state pull it off successfully.
“Yes, but the timing of this thing is important,” says Vallely. “The Israelis
know that politically they have to do it this year, because they and we don’t
know who is going to be the U.S. president next year. They also know this thing
has to be done as a regime change. If they want this to be successful -- and
they do -- they can’t just go in and only take out the nuke sites.”
The stakes for Israel go beyond any operational success or failure; for as IAF
Col. Ziv Levy told Bob Simon in a 60 Minutes interview earlier this year, Israel
cannot lose: “The first war we lose, Israel will cease to exist.”
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mr. Smith is a contributor to Human Events. A former U.S. Marine rifle-squad
leader and counterterrorism instructor, he writes about military/defense issues
and has covered conflict in the Balkans, on the West Bank, in Iraq and Lebanon.
He is the author of six books, and his articles appear in a variety of
publications. E-mail him at wthomassmithjr@yahoo.com.
Saniora Rejects Qanso, Not SSNP
Naharnet/Premier-designate Fouad Saniora does not reject
participation by the Syrian Social National Party (SSNP) in the forthcoming
cabinet, but rejects its former leader Ali Qanso in person. Sources in Saniora's
office said the premier-designate is "keen on forming a national unity cabinet
that would lead the nation to a new era." "Qanso's participation would not serve
this purpose because he had threatened to liquidate Mustaqbal Movement members,
topped by the movement leader MP Saad Hariri" during clashes between the
Hizbullah-led opposition and pro-government gunmen in May. "Nominating Qanso is
meant to torpedo the government's mission," one source said. Hizbullah, so far,
insists on nominating Qanso to a cabinet portfolio. Beirut, 09 Jul 08, 13:45
Jumblat Wants Christian Minister
Naharnet/Democratic Gathering leader Walid Jumblat relayed to President Michel
Suleiman on Wednesday a wish to be represented in the forthcoming cabinet by two
Druze ministers and a Christian. Jumblat, talking to reporters at the Republican
Palace, said his bloc represents 17 MPs and the Lebanese Forces bloc is made up
only of four MPs. He said he has no reservation on allotting the justice
portfolio in the forthcoming cabinet to the Lebanese Forces. Beirut, 09 Jul 08,
13:34
Clashes Rage in Tripoli, Casualties
Naharnet/Clashes raged in the northern city of Tripoli Wednesday
between minority and majority partisans, killing at least four people and
wounding 53, according to police and hospital records. Reports also said four
Lebanese Army soldiers were wounded by sniper fire in addition to a police
officer. The fatalities were identified as Youssef Trabolsi who was shot in the
head by a sniper's bullet, Mohammed Bahij, a Palestinian, and Layla al-Shami,
who passed away from a heart attack suffered when a shell scored a direct hit on
her apartment. The Zahra Hospital in Baal Mohsen district confirmed that a dead
man was admitted to its morgue but refused to identify him. The clashes, in
which rocket-propelled grenade launchers and machine guns were used, pitted Baal
Mohsen against neighboring Bab Tabbaneh. Smoke billowed from apartment buildings
in Bab Tabbaneh hit by RPGs as fire engines and ambulances, sirens wailing,
rushed to combat the blaze and evacuate casualties. Sniper fire from roof-top
nests in Baal Mohsen blocked traffic across several main streets in Tripoli and
led the state-run Lebanese University to freeze exams. Education Minister Khaled
Qabbani said other exams in Tripoli would persist Wednesday, but students who
fail to reach schools would be given "follow-up exams" at a later date, which he
did not set. Army and police units were preparing for redeployment in the
contested neighborhoods to contain the deterioration. Beirut, 09 Jul 08, 08:23
Israel Accuses Hizbullah of Tripling Number of Rockets in 2
Years
Naharnet/Hizbullah now has three times more rockets than it had when Israel went
to war with the Lebanese militia two years ago, Israeli public radio cited
intelligence officials as telling a cabinet meeting on Wednesday.
Members of the security cabinet were told Hizbullah has an arsenal of 40,000
rockets ready to be fired at Israel, three times more than in July 2006 when
Israel launched a devastating war in southern Lebanon after the group captured
two soldiers in a deadly cross-border raid.
Prime Minister Ehud Olmert had called Wednesday's meeting of the security
cabinet to discuss what he said were violations by Hizbullah of U.N. Resolution
1701 which ended the 34-day war. The resolution called for the disarming of all
militias -- an allusion to Hizbullah as well as to Palestinian militant groups
-- and the prevention of illegal arms sales and smuggling operations in Lebanon.
In a telephone conversation with French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner on
Tuesday, Defence Minister Ehud Barak said Israel "will not be able to accept the
ongoing and growing undercutting of U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701 which
is not being implemented, and the continued smuggling of all types of weapons
into Lebanon, upsetting the delicate balance along Israel's border."
Lebanon and the international community have also accused Israel of violating
the resolution by continuing military over flights of southern Lebanon after the
war ended on August 14, 2006.(AFP) Beirut, 09 Jul 08, 17:23
Qanso's Nomination for Cabinet Minister Sparks Majority
Protest
Naharnet/Hizbullah's nomination of Ali Qanso, the former head of
the Syrian Social National Party, is threatening to lock efforts to form a
national unity cabinet, according to press reports published on Wednesday. The
reports said Premier-designate Fouad Saniora and Mustaqbal Movement leader Saad
Hariri expressed "reservation" over Qanso's nomination. Majority sources were
quoted as saying participation by Qanso in the new cabinet would be tantamount
to a "return of Rustom Ghazaleh," the Syrian military intelligence officer who
played a key role in Lebanon's decision-making prior to withdrawal of Syria's
troops in April 2005.
"This is not accepted by us," the sources reportedly told the daily As Safir.
Saniora on Tuesday said he was not informed of Qanso's nomination.
However, Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri called Saniora late Tuesday and
officially informed him that Qanso was nominated for the youth and sports
portfolio, As Safir reported. Beirut, 09 Jul 08, 09:47
The Hariri Recipe for March 14 Cabinet Nominees
Naharnet/Mustaqbal Movement leader Saad Hariri has reportedly worked out a
settlement to distribute seats among forces of the March 14 majority giving the
justice portfolio to the Lebanese Forces and the public works ministry to the
Progressive Socialist Party. Qornet Shahwan also would by represented in the
forthcoming cabinet by MP Nayla Mouawad. The reported "trend" nominates Tripoli
Gathering member Mohammed Safadi to handle the ministry of economy, according to
the daily An Nahar. The Lebanese Forces, according to the report, would also be
represented in the cabinet by a minister without portfolio.
LF leader Samir Geagea said discussions were underway to facilitate the cabinet
line-up frame, noting that Premier-designate Fouad Saniora "swims in a sea full
of whales and sharks," in an apparent reference to the Hizbullah-led
opposition.Hariri's Mustaqbal Movement would get the finance and education
portfolios in addition to a seat that would be allotted to a Shiite member of
the movement, or a Shiite ally. Shiite candidates are Mustaqbal Parliamentary
bloc member Ghazi Youssef, and Shiite ally Ibrahim Shamseddine. The Phalange
Party has nominated its Zahle official Elie Marouni for the tourism portfolio.
The March 14 majority was expected to hold an expanded meeting to finalize its
agreement on nominating ministers to the new cabinet. Saniora said Tuesday he
hopes the government would be formed prior to President Michel Suleiman's trip
to Paris, scheduled for Saturday. Beirut, 09 Jul 08, 08:46
Hariri: March 14 Faces No Representation Problem, Mustaqbal
and Lebanese Forces are 'One'
Naharnet/Mustaqbal Movement leader Saad Hariri expressed hope on
Tuesday that the new cabinet would be formed soon, denying rumors about alleged
differences among the March 14 forces. "Mustaqbal and Lebanese Forces are one,"
Hariri declared after meeting the latter's leader Samir Geagea at his residence
in Meerab. "I had a lengthy discussion with Dr. Geagea and, God willing, things
would be settled," Hariri told reporters as the Lebanese Forces leader stood
next to him. "All the March 14 forces are one bloc, A Minister from Mustaqbal,
be he Muslim or Christian, is a Lebanese minister, and a minister from the
Lebanese Forces ... is a member of March 14," Hariri added. Earlier, Hariri met
Premier-designate Fouad Saniora at the Grand Serail and said the March 14
alliance exists along the lines of the oath made by the late MP Gebran Tueni
that "Muslims and Christians would remain united. No faction would exclude the
other."
"There are no differences between Mustaqbal, Progressive Socialist Party,
Lebanese Forces, Qornet Shehwan and others within March 14," Hariri added.
"We all have one cause and that is Lebanon," he announced. He advised opponents
not to "place bets on any differences within March 14 factions."
Hariri said all March 14 forces would remain united and emphasized that "all the
issues would be settled in a couple of days." Hariri also held separate talks at
his Beirut residence with Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblat and
care taker Public Works Minister Mohammed Safadi. The talks focused on efforts
to form the new cabinet, a statement said. Beirut, 08 Jul 08, 15:52
CIA Director: Hizbullah May Not Back Iran in U.S. Clash
Naharnet/CIA Director Michael Hayden has said Hizbullah may not be willing to
attack American interests and provoke a global fight in retaliation for a U.S.
or Israeli strike on Iran. If Iran was attacked and pressured Hizbullah to
retaliate, the Shiite group may be especially reluctant to disrupt international
oil supplies for fear of triggering a backlash, Hayden told Bloomberg in an
interview Tuesday. He was responding to speculation about a possible attack on
Iran that has raised tensions throughout the Middle East, helped push up the
price of crude oil and overshadowed a diplomatic effort to constrain Iranian
nuclear ambitions.
He said Hizbullah would need to weigh whether any action it took against the
U.S. would involve it in a war. "Is it in Hizbullah's interest to become
involved in a global war against the United States of America? That's a question
to be answered,'' Hayden told Bloomberg. He said that the costs of an attack on
U.S. interests "are different than Hizbullah operating against Israel.'' Hayden
described the relationship between Tehran and the Lebanese Shiite party as "a
partnership'' with "a senior and junior partner, but it's also not a marionette
theater either.'' Beirut, 09 Jul 08, 05:16
Barak: We Won't Tolerate Hizbullah's Violation of 1701
Naharnet/Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert would summon his Security
Cabinet Wednesday to discuss alleged violations by Hizbullah of a two-year-old
cease-fire, Israel Army Radio reported. Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak was
quoted in a statement late Tuesday as saying that Israel would not tolerate the
violation of U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701 that ended the 34-day war
between the Jewish State and Hizbullah in the summer of 2006.
"Israel cannot accept the continuing and increasing erosion" of the truce, Barak
was quoted as saying during a telephone conversation with French Foreign
Minister Bernard Kouchner. The statement listed arms supplies from Syria and
demanded that the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) take action
to stop it. Barak's statement came a day after Israel and Hizbullah signed a
prisoner swap agreement. Under the deal, Israel will hand over Samir Qantar,
serving multiple life terms for a 1979 attack in Israel's north, as well as four
Hizbullah prisoners and dozens of bodies of fighters. In return, the Jewish
state is to receive two soldiers captured by Hizbullah in the 2006 cross-border
raid that set off the fierce 34-day war.(Naharnet-AP) Beirut, 09 Jul 08, 05:01
Lebanese Businessman Target of Alleged Corruption Probe in
Brazil
Naharnet/A prominent Brazilian banker, a Lebanese businessman and
a former mayor of Sao Paulo were arrested Tuesday in a police probe into alleged
corruption and embezzlement of public funds, officials said. Daniel Dantas, the
head of the Opportunity banking group, was apprehended in Rio de Janeiro, while
Lebanese investor Naji Nahas and ex-mayor Celso Pitta were arrested in Sao
Paulo, federal police said.
They were among 24 suspects named in arrest warrants issued across Brazil for
allegedly taking part in a scheme involving a complex network of companies,
loans and transactions, prosecutors said. Dantas was accused of masterminding
the "criminal organization," while Nahas allegedly led a group of businessmen
and foreign exchange brokers who laundered money through "obscure" financial
transactions, they said. As the head of the Opportunity group, Dantas was
associated with the U.S. bank Citigroup and at one point controlled the
telephone company Brasil Telecom. It was unclear from officials' statements what
role was played by Pitta, who ran Sao Paulo, Brazil's largest city, from 1997 to
2000, when he was ousted amid corruption accusations. Among the other 21
suspects arrested were Dantas' sister, who was also his business partner, the
vice-president in Opportunity and Nahas' son.(AFP) Beirut, 09 Jul 08, 04:36
Turkish Troops to Stay One More Year in Lebanon
Naharnet/The Turkish Parliament on Tuesday voted to extend the
mission of its troops with the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL),
the Anatolia news agency reported. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said "it
would be appropriate that our forces continue their mission given the current
political and security situation in Lebanon," the report added. Originally
created by the Security Council in 1978, UNIFIL's mission was broadened in 2006
following a devastating 34-day war between Israel and Hizbullah. Turkey is the
first Muslim country to contribute troops to a U.N. military mission in
violence-wracked Lebanon. The Turkish Parliament in September 2006 authorized
the deployment of the 261 troops currently positioned in the south of Lebanon.
The initial one-year mission has already been extended once by 12 months.(AFP)
Beirut, 08 Jul 08, 19:39