LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS
BULLETIN
June 15/08
Bible Reading of the day.
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ
according to Saint Matthew 5,33-37. Again you have heard that it was said to
your ancestors, 'Do not take a false oath, but make good to the Lord all that
you vow.' But I say to you, do not swear at all; not by heaven, for it is God's
throne; nor by the earth, for it is his footstool; nor by Jerusalem, for it is
the city of the great King. Do not swear by your head, for you cannot make a
single hair white or black. Let your 'Yes' mean 'Yes,' and your 'No' mean 'No.'
Anything more is from the evil one.
Free
Opinions, Releases, letters & Special Reports-Naharnet
Gagged in Canada-By Rich Lowry.New York Post 14/06/08
Muslim Persecution of Christians.By:
Robert Spencer 14/06/08
Lebanon and "Paying the Bills" of Peace between Israel
and Others.By: Walid Choucair 14/06/08
Unified Europe and the Quarreling Arabs. By: Mohammad El
Ashab 14/06/08
Partnership and the Lebanese Zarqawi. By: Zuheir Kseibati
14/06/08
Analysis: Hezbollah's armory up for debate-United Press
International 14/06/08
Latest News Reports From Miscellaneous Sources for June
14/08
Bush, Sarkozy to discuss Iran, Syria-Africasia
Bush
Calls for Fighting Hizbullah 'Terrorists'-Naharnet
European MPs Pressing Towards Branding Hizbullah
'Terrorist' Group-Naharnet
Kouchner Uneasy About Assad's Visit-Naharnet
3 Ohio
Men, Including Lebanese, Guilty of Plot Against U.S. Troops in Iraq-Naharnet
El Salvador to send 52 peacekeepers to Lebanon-Xinhua
Moderate quake rattles South Lebanon again, and expert predicts ...Daily
Star
Future Movement marks
anniversary of Eido slaying-Daily Star
Fadlallah tears strip off
'selfish' politicians-Daily Star
Sfeir visits Baabda, laments
indifference of politicians-Daily Star
Siniora insists new cabinet
'inevitable' despite wrangling over portfolios-Daily
Star
Assad ties new embassy to unity
cabinet-Daily Star
'We are not afraid of threats.
We adapt' - UNIFIL chief-Daily Star
Former finance minister
predicts rush of inactivity from next cabinet-Daily
Star
Israel Haunted by Hezbollah's Score Over Moghniyeh-Aljazeera.com
Bush
Calls for fighting Hizbullah 'Terrorists'-Naharnet
March 14 for Demilitarized Beirut-Naharnet
Saniora: Suleiman Should Name Interior and Defense Ministers-Naharnet
Moussa
in Beirut on a Wedding-Politics Mission-Naharnet
Akkar
MPs Warn Against Biased Investigation into Halba Events-Naharnet
Zahra:
Political Confrontation with Syria Persists-Naharnet
Sfeir
after Meeting Suleiman Hoped for Fair Cabinet Distribution-Naharnet
Opposition Slams Cabinet Line-Up as a 'Trap'-Naharnet
Arab League chief 'regrets' Lebanon failure to form government-AFP
Lebanon fails to form gov ernment-Khaleej Times
Spain extradites suspected arms trafficker to NY-The
Associated Press
Syria, Turkey may build nuclear plants-Jerusalem Post
European MPs Pressing Towards Branding Hizbullah
'Terrorist' Group
Naharnet/European MPs representing several blocs of the continent's nations have prepared
a memorandum urging the European Union to declare Hizbullah a "terrorist
organization." The memo states that Hizbullah "poses a direct threat to the EU
security." It accuses Hizbullah of backing groups like Hamas, classified by the
EU as a terrorist faction, broadcasting through its al-Manar television
mouthpiece messages of "hatred and violence" and glorifying suicide attackers.
Elmar Brok, a German member of the European Parliament and chairman of the
committee on foreign affairs, declared support for the memo and said he expects
at least half of the European Parliament's legislators to sign it. However, Brok
emphasized that the last say in this regard lies in the hands of the European
Council that tackles such issues behind closed doors. Berlin, Brok added, is
following up the situation in Lebanon and stressed that the issue of classifying
Hizbullah as a terrorist organization should be discussed in light of Lebanon
developments.
Brok, who was elected on the Christian Democratic Union's ticket, said
"important steps" have been achieved in Lebanon in light of the Doha Accord that
had been signed by the various factions, including Hizbullah. Such important
steps include the election of Army Commander Gen. Michel Suleiman president, he
noted.
Intensive efforts are underway to form a national unity cabinet, Brok said,
adding that "these steps are being exerted in the proper direction that enables
Lebanon to overcome the threat of split.""We'll do whatever leads to a positive
development in Lebanon and serves the interest of the Lebanese people," he
pledged.
However, a German foreign ministry spokesman told the pan-Arab daily al-Hayat
Berlin has reservations over efforts by European Parliament members to list
Hizbullah as a terrorist organization. Such decisions are usually tackled by the
European Council and not by the European Parliament, the spokesman noted.
Such an issue should be evaluated in light of the "positive development in
Lebanon," the spokesman stressed. Berlin's stand reflects the German
government's interest in maintaining its rather unique relations with Hizbullah
as a successful mediator for more than a decade in prisoner swaps between the
Iranian-backed party and Israel. Beirut, 14 Jun 08, 09:48
March 14 for Demilitarized
Beirut
Naharnet/The March 14 majority alliance has reiterated a call for a
demilitarized Beirut and emphasized on its commitment to dialogue regarding
Hizbullah weapons.
The stand was outlined by March 14 coordinator Faris Soeid during a rally
organized by Mustaqbal Movement Friday on the first anniversary of MP Walid
Eido's assassination. Soeid said Hizbullah, by vowing allegiance to the Faqih
Rule in Iran, "showed that it doesn't know Lebanon." Hizbullah, he added, wanted
to dominate Lebanon by force when it launched its offensive last May. "Syria and
Iran tried to take us back to the era of civil war that was about to start, had
it not been for a miracle."MP Mohammed al-Amin Itani, who succeeded the late
Eido as Beirut MP, pledged that "we would confront (Hizbullah's) weapons by
politics."
"We've achieved in Doha the target that we have been after, which is the return
to the rule of state institutions," he said. Itani delivered a speech at the
packed rally on behalf of Mustaqbal Movement leader Saad Hariri. Beirut, 13 Jun
08, 20:51
Kouchner Uneasy About Assad's Visit
Naharnet/French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner said Friday he is uncomfortable that
Syrian President Bashar Assad has been invited to the Bastille Day parade, even
though such visits are necessary to keep dialogue open. "I'm not especially
amused" by Assad's visit, Kouchner said on Europe-1 radio. But he said Syria has
made progress by resuming peace talks with Israel. The visit "doesn't leave me
totally at ease, but this is what we have to do or else we'll maintain a state
of tensions, difficulties and probably confrontations," Kouchner said. "I've
said that if President (Michel Suleiman) was elected after months of vacuum,
then France will normalize relations with Syria. That's what we are doing now,"
the French foreign minister said. Assad has been invited to France in July along
with other leaders of Europe, North Africa and the Middle East, including
Israel, to discuss President Nicolas Sarkozy's plan for a union of Mediterranean
countries.
While they are in France, they have also been invited to attend the July 14
Bastille Day parade in Paris. French-Syrian relations soured after the 2005
assassination of ex-Premier Rafik Hariri, a longtime friend of former French
President Jacques Chirac. Many in Lebanon and the West accuse Syria of
involvement in Hariri's killing. The Syrian government has denied that. But
relations between the two countries have improved lately. Sarkozy, Chirac's
successor, re-established dialogue after his election in May 2007.(AP-Naharnet)
Beirut, 14 Jun 08, 05:52
3 Ohio Men, Including Lebanese, Guilty of Plot Against U.S. Troops in Iraq
Naharnet/A federal jury in Ohio convicted two American citizens and a Lebanese man Friday
of plotting to recruit and train terrorists to kill American soldiers in Iraq, a
case put together with help from a former soldier who posed as a radical bent on
violence.
Mohammad Zaki Amawi, 28, Marwan Othman el-Hindi, 45, and Wassim Mazloum, 27,
were found guilty of conspiracy to kill or maim persons outside the United
States and conspiring to provide material support to terrorists.
The men face maximum sentences of life in prison. But U.S. District Judge James
G. Carr did not set a sentencing date, said acting U.S. attorney Bill Edwards.
"Today's verdicts should send a strong message to individuals who would use this
country as a platform to plot attacks against U.S. military personnel in Iraq
and elsewhere," said Patrick Rowan, acting assistant attorney general for
national security, in a written statement. "This case also underscores the need
for continued vigilance in identifying and dismantling extremist plots that
develop in America's heartland."
At trial defense attorneys claimed that the three defendants, who all lived in
the Toledo area, were manipulated by the government's star witness, Darren
Griffin.
The undercover FBI informant and former Army Special Forces soldier recorded the
men for about two years beginning in 2004 while they talked about training in
explosives, guns, and sniper tactics. They often met in their homes and at a
tiny storefront mosque where they prayed together.
Griffin won the trust of the men by posing as a former soldier who grew
disenchanted with U.S. foreign policy who was now intent on violence against
America.
Griffin said most people at the mosque shunned him and that no one raised any
threats until el-Hindi began talking about kidnapping Israeli soldiers. Amawi,
Griffin said, asked him to help him train two recruits from Chicago for holy
war.
According to one secret recording made by Griffin, Amawi said he was troubled by
the loss of life in New York in the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, but he
quickly added: "Killing Americans in Iraq is OK."
Griffin testified that he twice traveled to Jordan with Amawi and also taught
Amawi and Mazloum how to shoot guns.
El-Hindi told Griffin, according to recordings heard in court, that he knew two
cousins who were eager to receive "jihad training." Griffin asked el-Hindi if he
was recruiting for jihad. "Oh no, I just want to take these two," el-Hindi
answered, adding that he wanted to take care of them for their families.
The two Chicago-area cousins — Khaleel Ahmed of Chicago and Zubair A. Ahmed of
suburban North Chicago — have pleaded not guilty to conspiring to kill American
soldiers and face trial next year.
Amawi, El-Hindi and Mazloum were convicted of conspiring to kill or maim people
outside the United States, including military personnel. Amawi , a dual
U.S.-Jordanian citizen, and el-Hindi, a U.S. citizen born in Jordan, were also
convicted of distributing information regarding explosives to terrorists.
Mazloum, who went to the U.S. legally from Lebanon, was a college student who
helped his brother run a used-car lot. Amawi once worked at a bakery. And
el-Hindi was a married father of seven.
Griffin testified that the three gathered in the same place just once during the
two years he investigated them. He also said that he never saw e-mails from the
men that talked about plotting to kill soldiers.(AP-AFP-Naharnet)
Beirut, 14 Jun 08, 05:13
El Salvador to Send 52 Peacekeepers to Lebanon
Naharnet/El Salvador's legislature on Friday gave the green light to send 52 troops to
south Lebanon to join the U.N. peacekeeping mission.
The United Nations gave its seal of approval to Salvadoran participation in the
mission back in December, but the move required approval from lawmakers.
MPs in the Central American country's one-chamber legislature voted 81 out of 84
in favor of taking part in the U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL).
The Salvadoran troops will undergo training in Spain before they head to Lebanon
in August.(AFP-Naharnet) Beirut, 14 Jun 08, 03:49
Bush Calls for Fighting Hizbullah 'Terrorists'
Naharnet/U.S. President George Bush called Friday for fighting "Hizbullah terrorists
supported by Syria and Iran" emphasizing the need to support the Iranian and
Syrian peoples against their regimes.
"We stand by the peaceful citizens in those nations which deserve better than
what they have now, and we must reject those countries supporting terrorism for
the benefit of local and global security," Bush said during a visit to France.
He reiterated that "Iran must not acquire nuclear weapons."
"As in the Cold War, we must also prevail in a wider struggle -- a battle of
ideas," Bush said.
"The rise of free and prosperous societies in the broader Middle East is
essential to peace in the 21st century, just as the rise of a free and
prosperous Europe was essential to peace in the 20th century.
"Europe and America must stand with reformers, democratic leaders, and millions
of ordinary people across the Middle East who seek a future of hope, liberty,
and peace in Afghanistan, Lebanon, the Holy Land, Iran and Syria -- and Iraq,"
he added. Beirut, 13 Jun 08, 20:30
Saniora: Suleiman Should Name Interior and Defense Ministers
Naharnet/Prime Minister-designate Fouad Saniora said "national and security needs require
that President Michel Suleiman names the defense and interior ministers."Saniora, talking to reporters at his office, said the new cabinet would
"eventually be formed. Every day we face a small obstacle and we overcome
it.""Today I telephoned (Free Patriotic Movement) leader Michel Aoun," Saniora
said.
"We don't want to deal with each other within the framework of planting traps,"
Saniora stressed.
Beirut, 13 Jun 08, 16:51
Moussa in Beirut on a Wedding-Politics Mission
Naharnet/Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa flew into Beirut Friday on what he
termed a "dual mission" that was started by declaring regret for failure to form
a national unity cabinet in line with the Doha Accord.
"This is a social visit, but it also has a political aspect in line with a
follow up by the Arab League of the situation in Lebanon," Moussa told reporters
at Beirut's Rafik Hariri International Airport.
Moussa is in Beirut to attend the wedding of Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri's
daughter.
Naharnet/"We would do our best to help Lebanon reach a safe harbor," Moussa said.
In answering a question, Moussa said the Doha Accord "does not require any
amendments and there is no need, so far, for a meeting by the Arab Ministerial
Committee to consider the cabinet issue."
"We are following up the situation, but we cannot interfere in internal affairs
and take part in nominating ministers and similar issues," he added. Beirut, 13
Jun 08, 16:19
Akkar MPs Warn Against Biased Investigation into Halba Events
Naharnet/MPs representing the northern Akkar Province on Friday accused authorities of
carrying out a wave of biased arrests in the region in connection with clashes
that erupted last May.
The MPs, in a statement distributed by the state-run National News Agency,
called for "halting chase operations and the issuing of arrest warrants" in
connection with the May 10 clashes between the Syrian Social National Party (SSNP)
and Mustaqbal Movement partisans.
Such chase operations and arrest warrants "target one side only and ignore the
side that caused" an alleged massacre in Halba, according to the statement.
They said the ongoing interrogations target "innocent citizens and people with
good reputation."
"If an investigation is to be launched, then let it start with the events of May
7 in Beirut because the Halba events were carried out by sides suspected of
carrying out an aggression on peaceful citizens," the statement said.
It warned against "changing victims into criminals and criminals into victims."
Beirut, 13 Jun 08, 15:54
Zahra: Political Confrontation with Syria Persists
Naharnet/MP Antoine Zahra of the Lebanese Forces said the political confrontation with
Syrian President Bashar Assad's regime "is not over."
Zahra, in a televised interview, said the Syrians are applying a rule "to punish
who had bothered them so that he wouldn't bother them again in the future."
He expressed hope that the security situation would improve when a new cabinet
is formed after settling out differences between the opposition and majority
over basic portfolios.
Zahra recalled that the distribution of portfolios among the various factions
was not considered during talks in Qatar that had resulted in the Doha Accord.
He said what Hizbullah has carried out in Beirut and Mount Lebanon was "an
aggression against state authority."The government and Lebanese security forces should have the sole authority to
maintain law and order, Zahra said.
The problem, according to Zahra, is that Hizbullah regards itself "untouchable."
Zahra disclosed that Hizbullah had killed nine partisans of the Progressive
Socialist Party (PSP) in Shweifat after they surrendered.
Beirut, 13 Jun 08, 15:24
Unified Europe and the Quarreling Arabs
Mohammad El Ashab Al Hayat - 13/06/08//
Some small-scale Arab summits may have a substantial effect on the Arab Maghreb
region. Like other copied events, the leaders of the Arab Maghreb participated,
alongside Syria, in a summit held in Tripoli in the 1980s. It produced a
political agreement that produced a political agreement toward building the
Marghreb project and allowing the countries of North Africa to assume an active
role in dealing with the issues of the Arab Levant, starting with the Taif
Conference over Lebanon and ending with paving the way for Arab peace
initiatives, the fundamental features of which took shape at the Rabat Summit.
The same image, albeit with different faces, older ones having passed away or
been replaced by political developments, has emerged at the Tripoli Summit,
almost like a carbon-copy of what had previously happened. The only difference
in positions is that those leaders who were not meeting to resolve a crisis or
make sense of inter-Arab disputes convened to discuss the Union for the
Mediterranean which has imposed itself as an advanced model out of the Barcelona
Process.
It would have been preferable for the Arab states that share the southern coast
of the Mediterranean to coordinate their efforts before entering this new club
founded by French President Nicolas Sarkozy who proceeded to invite guests to
the official inaugural ceremony next month. Arab participation should at least
display some form of an effective Arab role other than ornamenting the European
scene.
There are many previous experiences compelling Arabs to believe that the
Europeans are serious about their projects. They plan and execute in as much as
their strategic interests are guaranteed, and have never once endorsed a plan
and later retracted it. They thought of a common European market and
materialized it. They studied the liabilities of eliminating borders and customs
checkpoints and of establishing unified currency, and achieved all this right on
time. They suggested widening the European space and more openness to those
European countries emerging from the collapsed Eastern Bloc and achieved a
breakthrough that led to reinforcing the international role and status of the
European Union.
In Arab political literature, dreams of unity and the rhetoric of shared destiny
have preceded the concerns of Arab unity, and have depended on elements such as
shared religion, language, history and geography. However, they have not
departed from the realm of dreams. Instead, they have reverted to insistence on
division, stubbornness on disintegration, and have aimlessly pursued all forms
of sectarian and ethnic conflicts. Although one can look at the mosaic of
European nations that fought wars and endured bitter conflicts, and see that
they have nonetheless found the best path to unity.
Armed with homogenous and harmonious positions as well as a unified vision, the
Europeans will come to the Union for the Mediterranean Summit reaching a
strategic depth beyond the Mediterranean. As usual, the Arab nations will go
with their disputes and quarrels. Although the issue does not require collective
negotiations, the unilateral approach in adopting points of view has become like
acquired trait that prevails over the Arab nature. The Maghreb system stood
powerless to even hold an ordinary session for its collapsed Union, and Arab
states desiring positions in future arrangements without backing their bets with
practical initiatives; this is not to mention the old calculations on assumed
contradictions between Europe and the US.
Whenever there is a chance to attract European partners to an understanding of
just Arab causes, contradictions emerge and pull the Arab states back. Yet what
is most important in the Mediterranean initiative this time is that it will take
off whether or not everyone is on board, and regardless of others lag behind.
Still, flying in the Mediterranean space cannot be without wings. The Europeans
need a natural outlet to expand their geographic and political scope, and they
are aware that they can do this with each country on its own, but today's
approach is one that requires the dialogue of economic and regional coalitions.
Perhaps it is a positive phenomenon that it is European partners who are
inviting us to be unified. But will we get the message before it is too late
Partnership and the Lebanese Zarqawi
Zuheir Kseibati Al-Hayat - 12/06/08//
Amidst the ocean of Lebanese crises, on the shores of the "promising" summer as
hot as the fierce competition over ministerial posts, over the still glowing
embers of civil strife, a few had nothing to say but grieve over the fate of the
other partnership project between the Palestinians of the Authority and the
Palestinians of Gaza…Ismail Haniyeh calls for a new version of national unity by
borrowing the Lebanese "neither victorious nor vanquished" formula after the
Palestinian national unity collapsed along with the collective sentiment and
consciousness.
No matter how staunchly its leaders affirm that nothing has changed and that no
victor and vanquished can coexist even if by force, Lebanon has joined the
peoples of the region stricken by the virus of "national" and imported strife.
As a matter of fact, the fierce competition over the national unity government
dwarfs the glittering accomplishment of ending the presidential void and
electing General Michel Suleiman to the presidency. It also tests the patience
of the general over the battle of conditions and counter-conditions. If this
crisis persists for two or three weeks, the Lebanese will grow accustomed to
coexisting with a summer of a long "truce," one that downsizes the ambitions of
the Doha Agreement …between mobile skirmishes and demarcation lines.
Although the Lebanese may be slated to take in this dose of pessimism, just as
they endured the shock of May, the scene of arms and fires, and the horror of
losing protection, no one in the aftershock phase can be reassured that the
declared good intentions and national unity government will be enough safety
gauges to put out the fires that still glow under the May ashes.
The parties that must strive harder than others to dispel the fears concerning
the state of "victor and vanquished" as de facto and the effects of the shock
cannot defend the opposition's attempt to reconcile the claim that what happened
in May was an act of discipline - intended to win a round rather than war to
reproduce an authority - with the national unity and partnership slogans. For
this reason, their excuses crumble as they staunchly describe the Doha Agreement
as a solution rather than a temporary arrangement.
Accepting the agreement as a solution or at least a prelude to the comprehensive
solution that will spare Lebanon the fires of sectarian strife and the projects
of keeping it hostage to the region and its wars and deals requires a few
principles. The least of these principles, especially after the May shock and
the involvement of the resistance arms in street wars to break the will of the
opponent who is now needed under the umbrella of national unity, include the
following:
-The new presidential term must be protected and the president's role
acknowledged as an arbitrator who guarantees the constitution rather than the
rights of a specific sectarian community, as a party who safeguards the
sovereignty rather than any other demand that may put sovereignty up for
bargaining.
-If, out of pride, the opposition cannot accept the demand to apologize for
raising arms in the face of what it dubs "a collaborative American project"
against the resistance, it is better for the resistance, which claims to protect
Lebanon, to convince all the Lebanese that its arms have a superior function,
namely the indiscriminate protection of their security rather than a defensive
function obsessed with conspiracies against the resistance and the rights of a
specific sectarian community.
-The resistance must be convinced, once and for all, that even if the project to
reproduce authority succeeded for a while, it cannot be protected by guns or
missiles if the winds of regional and international interests start blowing in
the other direction….The resistance must be convinced that its security can once
again regain Lebanese consensus with the protection of the pluralism that is
currently threatened by civil strife and potential displacement of communities
amidst security turmoil. The resistance can regain consensus as the case was
when the South was liberated in 2000. To this end, it must accept the peaceful
rotation of power and the fact that there is no such thing as a permanent
victory in politics no matter how fair the state is.
What partnership will work if one of its sides is forced to accept surrender?
What national unity will be if Shaker al-Absi emerges from some other camp to
instigate sectarian flames on the pretext of saving the Sunnis from their
treachery and the wounds of May?
This is a recipe for a readymade catastrophe. Its tools are scores of the likes
of Zarqawi's disciples in Iraq. Every time the hour of breaking American dreams
approaches, the warning signs of the hot summer get closer to Lebanon, albeit a
little late.
This is one final opportunity to save the future of the Lebanese. This is an
opportunity with which the wounds of their unity will not heal and the plans of
suicide bombers will not be foiled unless all parties give in to the logic of
the caring state. The state will never be just if it does not have control over
all arms, let alone in the absence of consensus
Lebanon and "Paying the Bills" of Peace between
Israel and Others
Walid Choucair Al-Hayat - 13/06/08//
It is difficult for the Lebanese to separate between the history of their civil
wars and the various stages of Arab-Israeli peace negotiations. The latter
constitute a fundamental factor, and accompany other local (religious and
sectarian) elements, and regional elements linked to the desire for geopolitical
influence by Lebanon's neighbors. The situation has been enshrined by the
expression that Lebanon is an arena rather than a nation with fenced borders and
which enjoys a minimum level of sovereignty that has remained lost for the past
four decades.
The problems of Palestinian arms in the 1970s and 1980s, then the Syrian arms in
the 1980s and 1990s, then the arms of militias with foreign connections in the
1970s and 1980s, and Hezbollah's arms at the beginning of this century have all
accompanied the process of searching for the state's lost sovereignty. The issue
of lost sovereignty has also been tied to the search for peace and "its
understandings," whenever "agreements" were possible.
Hence, civil war erupted after the two disengagement agreements between Egypt
and Syria, on one side and Israel on the other, following the October 1973
Arab-Israeli War. Hence the war broke out again after the truce following the
1975-1976 phase of civil strife, in the wake of the Camp David Treaty between
Cairo and Tel Aviv. It was followed by the war in the 1980s after the 17 May
1983 peace agreement between Lebanon and Israel, giving birth to more wars that
were concluded only with Arab and international sponsorship of the Taif
Agreement at the end of the decade. The Madrid round of peace negotiations,
meanwhile, did not launch any civil wars because these wars were deterred by the
Israeli occupation and the need to confront it which concurred with Lebanon
being under Syrian mandate.
There is no need to make a hasty return to the details. The goal is to examine
the reemergence of the elements of the Lebanese civil war in light of the
requirements of a Syrian-Israeli peace. This time, we can add the complications
of the Syrian-Iranian alliance and Tehran's role in the region.
In fact, Israel and Syria have always been regional players in Lebanon's civil
wars, despite the changes in their respective alliances and their understandings
with international players.
The short civil war in Lebanon from 7-15 May of this year, a rehearsal for a
wider civil conflict, was not far from the developing stages of the
Syrian-Israeli negotiations that have been under way for two years at first
under Swiss auspices and recently through Turkish mediation. Since the end of
2007, international circles have expected that the negotiations would produce
tangible results in the spring. The first repercussion on this front would
involve the urgent need to see something precede the completion of the
negotiation process starting with a payoff to Hezbollah in the Lebanese
political framework, that is, by securing for the party a "blocking third" in
the government. This would be in preparation for the requirements of the next
stage of negotiations, bringing the Lebanese front in the confrontation with
Israel under control.
For anyone who had doubted these international predictions, recent events have
provided the proof. In fact, some people saw the recent events in Lebanon as a
cover for the ongoing negotiations; Hezbollah was dragged into these events,
which some saw as an Iranian preventative move against the negotiations. While
such conclusions require further verification, they do link the issue to the
peace negotiations.
However, Syrian-Israeli negotiations still require several further stages,
raising the question of the "need" for further Lebanese civil wars.
The fear of future incidents is not limited to the ongoing mobilization on the
ground or the failure to treat the effects of the invasion launched against
Beirut and Mount Lebanon. The fear goes farther if we recall the calls by Israel
and Syria, "encouraging" Lebanon to engage in direct negotiations with Israel
that followed the official announcement of Syrian-Israeli negotiations.
No observer can forget that the parties to a Syrian-Israeli peace must pay the
price of the agreement; one of the most important elements of this price is
Hezbollah's arms. "Encouraging" Lebanon to enter negotiations only implies that
Lebanon is being asked to share in "paying the bill" while Syria evades the
liabilities of peace, namely its ties to Hezbollah and the steps needed to
diminish its military role, which it nourished in cooperation with Iran. Is it
logical to involve Lebanon in paying another's bill while ongoing talks are
about the Golan Heights?
Israel on its part seeks to make Lebanon pay an additional bill for the Israeli
occupation of Lebanese territories and its blind aggression against the country
in July 2006; it wants to negotiate with Lebanon in return for withdrawing from
the Shebaa Farms.
Is this double encouragement not a bad omen for Lebanese civil peace? Does it
not prompt the Lebanese to reject being caught up any negotiation with Israel?
Is it Lebanon's fate to pay the peace bill twice on behalf of others in wars
that are waged by proxy against Israel, and in peace between the Jewish state
and others
Gagged in Canada
By Rich Lowry
New York Post | Friday, June 13, 2008
AT its best, Western civilization has fostered freedom of speech and of thought.
But Canada has a better idea.
Last week, a Human Rights Tribunal in British Columbia considered a complaint
brought against journalist Mark Steyn for a piece in the Canadian newsweekly
Maclean's. The excerpt from Steyn's best-selling book "America Alone" argued
that high Muslim birthrates mean Europeans will feel pressure to reach "an
accommodation with their radicalized Islamic compatriots."
The piece was obviously within respectable journalistic bounds. In fact,
combining hilarity and profound social analysis, the article could be considered
a sparkling model of the polemical art - not surprising, given that Steyn is one
of North America's journalistic gems.
The Canadian Islamic Congress took offense. In the normal course of things, that
would mean speaking or writing to counter Steyn. But not in 21st century Canada,
where the old liberal rallying cry "I hate what you say, but will fight for your
right to say it" no longer applies.
The country is dotted with human-rights commissions. At first, they typically
heard discrimination suits against businesses. But since that didn't create much
work, the commissions branched out into policing "hate" speech. Initially, they
targeted neo-Nazis; then religious figures who'd condemned homosexuality; and
now Maclean's and Steyn.
The new rallying cry is, "If I hate what you say, I'll accuse you of hate." The
Canadian Islamic Council got the Human Rights Tribunal in British Columbia and
the national Canadian Human Rights Commission (where proceedings are still
pending) to agree to hear its complaint. It had to like its odds.
The national commission has never found anyone innocent in 31 years. It is set
up for classic Alice-in-Wonderland "verdict first, trial later" justice:
Canada's Human Rights Act defines hate speech as speech "likely to expose a
person or persons to hatred or contempt." That language is so capacious and
vague that to be accused is tantamount to being found guilty.
Unlike in defamation law, truth is no defense, and there's no obligation to
prove harm. One of the principal investigators of the Canadian Human Rights
Commission was asked in a hearing what value he puts on freedom of speech in his
work, and replied, "Freedom of speech is an American concept, so I don't give it
any value." Clearly.
In British Columbia, the Steyn hearing proceeded with all the marsupial
ungainliness of a kangaroo court. No one knew what the rules of evidence were.
Hilariously, one of the chief complaints against Steyn was that he quoted a
Muslim imam in Norway bragging that in Europe "the number of Muslims is
expanding like mosquitoes." If that insect simile is out-of-bounds, the
commission should swoop down on Norway and execute an extraordinary rendition of
the imam.
The hearing has appropriately exposed the commissions to ridicule - and maybe
some hatred and contempt (if that's allowed). There are calls to strip them of
their power to regulate the media. This would limit the damage, even as free
speech is endangered elsewhere.
In Europe, saying the wrong thing about gays or Muslims is routinely sanctioned
by the state. In France, the bombshell-turned-animal-rights-activist Brigitte
Bardot just collected her fifth fine, for complaining about how Muslims kill
sheep.
Free speech is a very clean, neutral concept - "Congress shall make no law . .
." Once a government begins policing offensiveness, things get much murkier. It
has to decide which groups are protected and which aren't - the "who/whom" of
Lenin's power relations. So, even though there are plenty of fire-breathing
imams in Canada, no one ever pesters them about their hatefulness.
It is the genius of Muslim grievance groups to leverage Western
anti-discrimination laws to their advantage. In his Maclean's essay, Steyn noted
how in much of the West, "the early 21st century's principal political dynamic"
is whether something offends Muslims. Indeed - but in Canada, truth is no
defense.