LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS
BULLETIN
May 26/08
Bible Reading of the day.
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to
Saint John 6,51-58. I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever
eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh
for the life of the world." The Jews quarreled among themselves, saying, "How
can this man give us (his) flesh to eat?" Jesus said to them, "Amen, amen, I say
to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do
not have life within you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal
life, and I will raise him on the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my
blood is true drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and
I in him. Just as the living Father sent me and I have life because of the
Father, so also the one who feeds on me will have life because of me. This is
the bread that came down from heaven. Unlike your ancestors who ate and still
died, whoever eats this bread will live forever."
Free Opinions, Releases, letters &
Special Reports
The Lebanese Scene-By Hussein Shobokshi- Asharq Alawsat 25/05/08
Latest News Reports From Miscellaneous Sources for May 25/08
Lebanese parliament elects army chief as president-The Associated Press
FACTBOX-Role of army generals in Lebanese politics-Reuters
PROFILE: Army commander Suleiman is Lebanon's 'president of unity'-Monsters and Critics.com
Neutrality pushes Lebanon's army chief to the country's top post-International Herald Tribune
Lebanon president's big challenges-BBC News
General Suleiman
to become Lebanon's president-AP
Yishai: As long as Syria tied to Hizbullah, Iran, talks are a mistake-Jerusalem Post
Israeli PM says Syria peace talks to remain secret-AFP
Report: Iran to give Hamas missiles in wake of renewed Syria ...Ha'aretz
Hamas and Hizbullah Recruiting in Increasingly Islamist Turkey-Arutz Sheva
Lebanese resistance turns back rightist offensive-Workers World
Lebanon Will Have a President Today-Naharnet
Geagea: Resistance Not Mentioned in Doha
Accord-Naharnet
Franjieh: Hizbullah Should Apologize-Naharnet
Saniora: I Would do Things the Same Again-Naharnet
Majority Threatened to Boycott Sunday's Session, Berri Retreats Invitation Decision-Naharnet
Time for a change-Gulf Daily News
Hezbollah's army survives under Lebanon peace deal-The Associated Press
Syria Refuses to Compromise Relations with Iran, Hizbullah-Naharnet
Berri: Lebanese Leaders Showing Good Intentions after Doha Accord-Naharnet
Suleiman: My Era Will be Devoted to Reconciliation-Naharnet
Syria, Iran, U.S. Delegation to Attend Lebanon Presidential Elections-Naharnet
Saniora Lists his Cabinet's Accomplishments-Naharnet
Qabalan: No Arms Should be Pointed at Lebanese People-Naharnet
Lebanese parliament elects army
chief as president
By ZEINA KARAM –
BEIRUT, Lebanon (AP) — Lebanon's parliament elected army commander Gen. Michel
Suleiman as president Sunday in a long-delayed vote that was a key step toward
restoring political stability after an 18-month stalemate. Celebratory gunfire
and occasional explosions reverberated across the capital, Beirut, as news of
Suleiman's election was announced. In the general's hometown of Aamchit on the
Mediterranean coast north of Beirut, hundreds of people broke out in cheers and
dancing in the main square as they watched the vote on a giant screen. The
Hezbollah-led opposition and Western-backed government agreed last week to elect
Suleiman as part of their deal to end the political crisis. The stalemate
erupted into violence earlier this month, bringing the country to the brink of
another civil war.
The presidential vote had been postponed 19 times since November when the last
president, Emile Lahoud, left office.
Suleiman, a compromise candidate, ran unopposed. He won 118 votes of the 127
living members of the legislature, according to parliament speaker Nabih Berri.
There were six blank ballots. Two legislators voted for one-time presidential
hopefuls and one was in the name "Rafik Hariri and the martyred legislators" — a
reference to the slain former prime minister and five other lawmakers killed in
bombings in the last three years.
After the vote, Berri was to swear in the new president.
PROFILE: Army commander
Suleiman is Lebanon's 'president of unity'
24 May 2008. EPA/WAEL
HAMZEH
May 25, 2008,
Beirut - Lebanon's Christian army commander Michel Suleiman is Lebanon's
so-called 'unity president'.
His election Sunday came after rival Lebanese political factions agreed, after
talks in Qatar, to end their differences in a deal to resolve the 18-month
crisis that kept the country without a president since November. Suleiman is
Lebanon's 12th president since the country gained its independence in 1943, and
the third after the Saudi-brokered Taif Accord which ended Lebanon's 1975-1990
civil war. Suleiman, 59, has held his post as commander since 1998. He is seen
as a neutral figure in a country where nearly every politician is considered
either in the pro- or anti-Syrian camp. The general was appointed to his
military post with Syria's approval when Damascus ran Lebanon's political life.
He is credited with keeping the military together in the political upheaval
since the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, Saad's Hariri's
father, in 2005 and the subsequent withdrawal of Syrian troops from Lebanon.
He is also a staunch supporter of Hezbollah's right to fight Israel, and has
refused to crush anti-Syrian protests. But since the war between Hezbollah and
Israel in the summer of 2006 and the deployment of the Lebanese army in southern
Lebanon near the border with Israel, Suleiman has distanced himself from all
parties and kept the army away from political bickering. Before Sunday's vote,
Lebanon's parliament had failed 19 times to elect a president since pro-Syrian
Emile Lahoud stepped down aspresident last November 23. Suleiman joined the
Lebanese Military Academy as a student officer in 1976. He graduated from the
Military Academy as 2nd Lieutenant in 1970. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in
Political and Administrative Sciences from the Lebanese University. He also
holds a Masters in English and French. He and his wife Wafaa have three
children. He was appointed army commander on December 21, 1998, succeeding Emile
Lahoud when the latter was elected president. One of his major quotes is that
'the state exists because the army is the guardian of the structure of this
state.'
Amsheet, 40 kilometres north of Beirut, from where Suleiman hails, was Sunday
Sunday celebrating its 'new leader of the country and son of Amsheet'. Posters
reading 'the real leader of Lebanon' were also erected across Beirut.
Neutrality pushes Lebanon's
army chief to the country's top post
Published: May 25, 2008
AP/BEIRUT, Lebanon: Military commanders often ride to power atop a tank. But in
Lebanon, the key to army chief Michel Suleiman's rise to the nation's top job
has been keeping his men out of the fight. Suleiman hasn't taken sides in the
long struggle for power among Lebanon's feuding politicians, those allied with
the United States and the West and others backed by Syria and Iran. And that's
what made him the compromise candidate for Lebanon's top post, to which he was
elected Sunday by parliament. The spot had been empty since President Emile
Lahoud left office in November. During his nine years as army commander, the
59-year-old Suleiman has seen many crises. But he kept the army unified through
three years of political turmoil that have pushed the country to the brink of
all-out civil war. That has earned him respect of both the majority and the
opposition, despite some occasional misgivings. Suleiman also kept the army out
of sectarian street fighting that erupted this month between Hezbollah's Shiite
supporters and pro-government Sunni loyalists in Beirut and other areas.
That has kept the army unified. But some politicians in the parliamentary
majority have criticized the military for watching as Hezbollah swept Sunni
areas of Beirut.
Suleiman defended the army's neutrality, saying his stance is what prevented
further bloodshed. The fighting resulted in rival leaders striking a deal
brokered by Qatar to elect him and form a national unity Cabinet.
"By not resorting to the gun to preserve civil peace ... it was meant to spare
blood and prevent further split in internal unity," Suleiman said a statement
issued last week.Suleiman is the third military commander to become president
since Lebanon's independence from France in 1943.
Graduating as an officer five years before Lebanon's 1975-90 civil war, Suleiman
rose in the ranks to become head of Lebanon's army in 1998. He was appointed
then because he was considered a supporter of Syria, which dominated Lebanon for
29 years with thousands of troops stationed there. Suleiman had also backed
Lahoud, also an army commander, to be elected president.
But as Damascus' power diminished, Suleiman emerged more independent, earning
respect from supporters of both Prime Minister Fuad Saniora and the
opposition.His reputation as a neutral protector began three years ago, when
massive street demonstrations against Syria's rule were sparked by the
assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. Some blamed Syria for
Hariri's killing — a claim Damascus denies.
Suleiman refused to use the military to put down the rallies, which helped force
Syria to withdraw its troops and end its control over its tiny neighbor.
But since then sectarian tensions have increased, with Sunni Muslims largely
backing Saniora's anti-Syrian government, Shiites supporting the pro-Syrian
opposition and Christians divided. That exploded into street fighting earlier
this month. In January 2007, Suleiman imposed a curfew to put down a flare-up of
Sunni-Shiite clashes that killed 11 people.
He later earned admiration over the summer for the army's defeat of Fatah Islam,
an al-Qaida-inspired militant group that fought in a Lebanese Palestinian
refugee camp. The battle left hundreds dead. Suleiman also sought to distance
his military from Hezbollah, while deftly continuing to support the militant
group's aim of defending Lebanon against Israel. In 2006, he raised the
country's flag on a ridge overlooking the Israeli border and vowed to prohibit
attacks from Lebanon that could undermine the ceasefire that ended the 34-day
Hezbollah-Israel war.
But he is not without his detractors. The military, lacking equipment, stayed on
the sidelines of that war, unable to counter either Israel or Hezbollah. Others
criticize the military of not doing enough to stop weapons smuggling to
Hezbollah along the Syrian border.
Suleiman warned recently that dragging Hezbollah into internal battles would
only serve Israel, which he described as the "enemy."
Suleiman is a Maronite Catholic. Lebanon's power-sharing political system
requires the president to be a Christian, alongside a Sunni prime minister and
Shiite parliament speaker.
Lebanon president's big challenges
BBC correspondent Jim Muir
reports from Beirut on the challenges facing newly-elected Lebanese President
General Michel Suleiman.
Gen Suleiman is seen as a quiet man who radiates efficiency and decency
Before he cleared his desk at the defence ministry in Yarzeh on Saturday in
preparation for the move to the presidential palace at nearby Baabda, General
Michel Suleiman had just one large photograph next to his computer.
It was of his former chief of operations, Brig Gen Francois al-Hajj, who was
assassinated on 12 December last year when his car was blown up as he was on his
way to work at Yarzeh. Who killed Gen al-Hajj, and why, is still not publicly
known.
Supporters of both sides - the embattled, Western-backed government, and the
opposition, spearheaded by Hezbollah and supported by Syria and Iran - attended
his funeral, just as they are now backing Gen Suleiman as the country's next
president.
But the message was clear. Nobody is immune from the violence and the sinister
machinations of the assassins who have claimed so many victims in Lebanon since
the 1970s. Two of Michel Suleiman's presidential predecessors died violent
deaths shortly after being elected.
In 1982, Bashir Gemayel was buried in the rubble of his Phalangist Party
headquarters, demolished by a massive explosion. He had been lifted to power by
the Israeli invasion. In 1989, Rene Muawwad was blown to smithereens when his
motorcade was hit by a huge car bomb blast.
He had been elected, like Gen Suleiman, as the result of an Arab-sponsored
settlement, reached at Taif in Saudi Arabia.
So Michel Suleiman comes to office with no illusions about the harsh facts of
life and death in Lebanon.
He is also well-aware of the limitations bounding his "power".
Neutral and unified
Like his immediate predecessor, Emile Lahoud, he comes to Baabda from the
command of an army which, while respected, mirrors the complex fragments of
Lebanon's patchwork society in a way that makes it unable to play the cohesive
political role the military have taken on in many of the region's countries,
such as Turkey or Egypt.
Profile: General Michel
Suleiman
When the Lebanese turn to
the army for a suitable Maronite Christian, as they are now doing for the third
time, it is because the politicians have failed to come up with an acceptable
name neutral enough to win support across the board, not because the military
are horning in on politics.
Michel Suleiman won the support of all factions because of the skilful way in
which he managed to keep the army neutral and unified through the conflicting
currents which have buffeted it over the past few years. Early last year, for
example, he refused orders from the Western-backed government to intervene and
remove the barricades with which Hezbollah and its allies were blocking roads in
protest at government policies. He believed that would have been taking sides.
He won accolades all round for the army's performance in eventually crushing the
Sunni militants of Fatah al-Islam at the Palestinian camp of Nahr el-Bared over
several bloody months last year. But when Hezbollah and its allies invaded west
Beirut earlier this month, ransacking offices and burning newspapers belonging
to the Sunni leadership, he issued strict orders to his troops not to intervene,
even if shot at.
That kept the army from splitting to pieces along sectarian lines, as it did
during the civil war.
Limited powers
But preserving its unity came at the price of acknowledging its weakness and
inability to stand up to Hezbollah, which everybody knows is both stronger and
more cohesive. "They already have him in a hammerlock before he's even started,"
was the comment of one Beirut analyst.
The new president's political influence will also be limited by the agreement
reached in Qatar on the composition of the new national unity government.
Who killed the former chief of operations Gen Francois al-Hajj is still unknown
Under one of the proposals circulating beforehand, the distribution of the
cabinet's 30 seats would have been broken down as 10 for the current government
side, 10 for the opposition, and 10 to be nominated by the president.
But the Doha agreement reached last week allocates 16 seats to the
Western-backed side, 11 to the opposition, and only 3 to the president.
That means the opposition will enjoy the one-third veto power it needs to
prevent its rivals taking major decisions requiring a two-thirds majority.
At the same time, the agreement leaves the current government side, which has a
slim majority in parliament, the absolute majority it needs to approve lesser
measures. So Gen Suleiman's three seats will not command the swing factor in
either of those situations.
He has said that he sees the coming period as one of "reconciliation and
understanding".
Given that he is the only prominent figure in the power structure who is not
clearly identified as partisan, he will have a major role to play in fostering
those two concepts. But he comes to the job with no political experience, and
will be dealing with leaders who have decades of Byzantine manoeuvring and
manipulation behind them. "I wonder how he'll be able to cope with those
sharks!" said one well-placed Lebanese source who knows Gen Suleiman.
'Low point'
To those around him, the new president is a quiet man who radiates efficiency,
decency and respect for others. "He's not an arrogant person, but unlike some
quiet people, he also doesn't project a feeling of power," said one. Other
Lebanese presidents, including Emile Lahoud, have come into office on a high,
riding on a wave of unity and popularity - only to find their stars waned
rapidly as they fell foul of some of the political barons or their outside
sponsors. "Suleiman is coming in at a low point, and the question is whether he
will rise, or sink further," said one Lebanese analyst. One thing for sure is
that in the months to come, Michel Suleiman will be drawing heavily on the
skills which enabled him to steer the army through the minefield it has survived
in recent years.
FACTBOX-Role
of army generals in Lebanese politics
Sun May 25, 2008
May 25 (Reuters) - Lebanon's parliament is due to elect army chief General
Michel Suleiman as president on Sunday, filling a post left vacant for six
months because of a political crisis that had pushed the country to the brink of
a new civil war.
Suleiman is the fourth general to become the top official since independence in
1943.
Here is a brief review of former army generals who ruled Lebanon:
FOUAD CHEHAB, 1958-1964
Born in 1902, Chehab was appointed as head of the Lebanese armed forces in 1945.
He was sworn in as president in July 1958, a choice which both Lebanese Muslims
and Christians supported, ending six months of sectarian conflict between them.
Lebanon enjoyed economic prosperity and reform during his tenure, but opponents
say it was marred by the increased role of the Lebanese intelligence service in
internal affairs.
Chehab refused to run for a second term, even though the cabinet had approved a
motion in favour of amending the constitution to enable him to do so. He died in
1973.
MICHEL AOUN, 1988-1989
Aoun was appointed army chief in 1984.
In September 1988 then-President Amin Gemayel appointed him head of an interim
military government, minutes before his own presidential term expired, after
feuding politicians and civil war leaders failed to elect a president.
A constitutional crisis ensued as Muslim leaders refused to recognise Aoun's
government, staying loyal to the existing Muslim-led government in west Beirut
headed by Selim al-Hoss.
Aoun declared a "War of Liberation" against Syrian forces
in Lebanon and engaged the main Christian Lebanese Forces militia in fighting
that devastated the Christian heartland.
In November 1989, Renee Mouawad was elected president but Aoun did not step down
until Syrian-led forces drove him out of the presidential palace on Oct. 13,
1990. He fled to France, returning only after Syrian forces left Lebanon in
2005.
Aoun now heads the Christian opposition Free Patriotic Movement which is allied
to the pro-Syrian Hezbollah. He had harboured ambitions to become Lebanon's next
president.
EMILE LAHOUD 1998-2007
Regarded as Syria's choice, General Emile Lahoud became president in 1998 after
heading the army since 1989.
Article 49 of the constitution had to be amended to allow Lahoud, who had been
serving army chief, to become president.
During his term, Israeli forces quit southern Lebanon and Syrian influence in
Lebanese affairs grew dramatically.
Lahoud's six-year term was extended at Syria's behest in 2004 for three years.
Lebanon then began sinking into its worst political crisis since the 1975-1990
civil war.
Former Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri, a political foe of Lahoud, was
assassinated in February 2005. Syria's foes in Lebanon blamed Damascus, which
denied any involvement. Eight more anti-Syrian figures have been killed since
then.
Despite the departure of Syrian troops, Damascus has retained some influence in
Lebanon through its local allies, especially the Shi'ite political-military
group Hezbollah.
Lahoud left office on Nov. 23 with no chosen successor.
Geagea: Resistance Not Mentioned in
Doha Accord
Naharnet/Lebanese Forces
leader Samir Geagea has noted that the Doha Accord is the first ever Arab
Document adopted in 15 years that does not include any mention of the
resistance. Geagea, addressing reporters at his residence in Meerab on Saturday,
explained that giving the opposition veto powers in the forthcoming cabinet is
of no significance because the cabinet would be pre-occupied with almost one
mission that is setting the stage for the parliamentary elections in mid 2009.
The law, adopted for the 2009 elections, is not "the ideal law, but it is much
better than the Ghazi Kenaan law," Geagea added. The Doha Accord "should be
fully adopted starting with electing Gen. Michel Suleiman President … and the
spread of state authority on Lebanese territories," he added. Beirut, 24 May 08,
19:27
Report: Iran to give Hamas missiles
in wake of renewed Syria-Israel talks
By Haaretz Service and News Agencies
Iran is planning to provide the Islamist Hamas movement with advanced weapons in
response to the announcement of renewed negotiations between Israel and Syria,
the London-based a-Sharq al-Awset reported on Sunday. The newspaper also
reported that Hamas political bureau chief, Khled Meshal, met with senior
Iranian officials including the leader of the Revolutionary Guard while in
Tehran this weekend. According to the report, the Iranian officials promised
Meshal that Tehran would continue to support the Islamist group.
During a joint press conference with Iranian Foreign Minister Manochehr Mottaki
on Sunday, Meshal said that Prime Minister Ehud Olmert was too "weak" to take
the necessary steps for peace with Syria. He also expressed doubts about
Israel's seriousness in negotiations. "There is great skepticism concerning the
seriousness (of Israel) to return the Golan," Meshal said, referring to a
strategic plateau captured by Israel in 1967. "It's maneuvering and playing with
all the (negotiating) tracks - it's a well known game and besides, Olmert's
weakness will not allow him to take this step," he added. Meshal, who
resides in Damascus, was careful not to criticize Syria's decision to
restart negotiations with Israel and said he was sure the renewed talks would
not come at the expense of the Palestinian track.
Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has said that the negotiations with Syria and the
Palestinians would be conducted simultaneously.
Israeli officials feel that there is a better chance of reaching an agreement
with the Syrians than with the Palestinians, and a Syrian agreement has a better
chance of being implemented. The sources say it should be easier to reach a deal
with the Syrians because the issues on the Syrian front are only territorial,
while those relating to the Palestinians concern a number of sensitive matters
including land. Israel has stipulated that as part of the renewed negotiations,
Syria must sever its contacts with Iran, and with the militants Hamas and
Hezbollah organization. Syria has rejected the precondition. The state-run
Tishrin said in Saturday's editorial that any preconditions to a deal would put
the carriage before the horse and Syria's relations with other nations were not
on the bargaining table. Sources close to Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
on Friday said that he was unable to conceal his disappointment and surprise at
the news of the renewed peace talks. In an interview with al-Sharq al-Awsat, the
sources said that Ahmadinejad characterized the reports as a violation by
Damascus of the two countries' mutual responsibilities toward one another.
Yishai: As
long as Syria tied to Hizbullah, Iran, talks are a mistake
By JPOST.COM STAFF
As long as Syria maintains its connection to Hizbullah and Iran, negotiations
between Damascus and Jerusalem are a mistake, and will only serve to save Syria
from its troubles, Industry, Trade, and Labor minister Eli Yishai said on
Sunday. "As long as [Syrian President Bashar] Assad does not free himself from
the 'Axis of Evil,' and remains connected to Iran and Hizbullah, talks give him
legitimacy and only frees him from his troubles, and this is a mistake," Yishai
said during the weekly cabinet meeting. "We took great steps for peace, both
with Assad and with [Palestinian Authority President] Mahmoud Abbas," Yishai
continued. "All the ministers and prime ministers already said what they are
ready to give, but the other side is not even willing to
Olmert says
Israel serious about peace with Syria
JERUSALEM (AFP) — Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said on
Sunday that indirect peace talks with Syria, a process begun more than a year
ago and confirmed this week, will be conducted seriously and in secrecy.
"We have no intention to conduct these negotiations neither in the media, nor in
daily statements, nor in slogans," Olmert said before the weekly cabinet
meeting.
"I can say we are taking these negotiations seriously. There has been, and will
be, very precise and detailed preparations, which are appropriate for the
expectations we have of these negotiations, given the current reality, not that
of nine or 10 years ago."
Both Israel and Syria confirmed on Wednesday they have launched indirect peace
talks, with Turkey acting as mediator, after an eight-year freeze.
Olmert said the process of establishing the indirect talks with Syria began in
February 2007. "We will conduct serious and responsible negotiations, with all
due caution," he said. In any peace deal the Syrians want the return of all of
the Golan Heights, the strategic plateau Israel seized in the 1967 Middle East
war and annexed in 1981, a move never recognised internationally. Polls show
that public opinion in Israel opposes withdrawing from the Golan, now home to
some 20,000 Jewish settlers and military installations. Interior Minister Meir
Sheetrit on Sunday suggested the disputed region could be leased from Syria as
part of a future peace deal. "I propose leasing the Golan from the Syrians for
25 years. If they are serious about peace they have nothing to lose," said
Sheetrit, a member of Olmert's centrist Kadima party.
Sheetrit said he was prepared to recognise Syrian sovereignty over the Golan,
but a leasing period would allow for the gradual removal of Jewish settlers
there.
Former army chief Dan Halutz also joined the debate, claiming that Israel can
manage without the plateau bordering the Sea of Galilee, the country's main
source of fresh water. "We can manage without (the Golan) as we did in the
past," Halutz said on military radio.
"When we launch discussions with Syria, everyone knows what is on the table and
we must explore all possibilities to make peace with our enemies," said Halutz,
who quit in January 2007 over criticism of his handling of the 34-day Lebanon
war against the Iran- and Syria-backed Hezbollah militia.
Israel is demanding that Damascus break off its ties with Iran and the
Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas and Lebanon's Shiite Hezbollah, which Israel
considers to be terrorist organisations. Syria has said it would reject any
preconditions in the talks that call on Damascus to change its relations with
other countries or groups.
Israel considers Iran to ge the greatest threat to the region with its disputed
nuclear programme. Both Israel and the United States believe Tehran is covertly
developing an atomic bomb -- a charge Iran denies. Iran and the indirect peace
talks with Syria will be among the topics Olmert discusses with US President
George W. Bush during a three-day visit to Washington from June 3. The main
focus will be on peace negotiations with the Palestinians, relaunched in
November, that have so far made little tangible progress despite heavy US
pressure.
The Lebanese Information Center
LIC Applauds the Passage of H.Res1194
May 22, 2008
The Lebanese Information Center applauds the House of Representatives for its
overwhelming (401-10) passage today of House Resolution 1194 which “reaffirms
the support of the House of Representatives for the legitimate,
democratically-elected Government of Lebanon under Prime Minister Fouad Siniora,
and condemns (1) Hizballah's illegitimate assault on Lebanon's sovereign
government; and (2) Syria and Iran for providing military support to Hizballah
in violation of U.N. Security Council Resolutions.” The resolution had been
introduced by congressman Howard Berman and cosponsored by congressmen Gary
Ackerman, Charles Boustany, Darrell Issa and Robert Wexler.
The adoption of this Resolution comes at a critical time when the people of
Lebanon are expending every effort possible to sustain their democracy and
ensure a definitive end to the cycle of violence instigated by Syria and Iran
and perpetrated by their allies in Lebanon. This resolution is yet another
welcome reminder of the unwavering bipartisan support of the US House of
Representatives for the just cause of the Lebanese people, a support that serves
as an anchor for the Lebanese in a time of political uncertainty and regional
tensions.
With Syria and Iran determined to destabilize Lebanon and subdue its march
towards freedom and democracy, the United States support and the encouraging
messages of its House of Representatives remain as crucial as ever.
On behalf of itself, and the people of Lebanon, the LIC reiterates its gratitude
to Congressman Howard Berman, the cosponsors of this resolution, to the
honorable Members of the House who voted in favor of this resolution, and to our
many friends who advocated for the same.
Hamas and Hizbullah Recruiting in Increasingly Islamist Turkey
by Ezra HaLevi
(IsraelNN.com) Turkey, a vacation destination for many Israelis and the home of
newly launched talks with Syria, is experiencing an upsurge in Islamist programs
targeting Israel for destruction.
According to Turkish web site Velfecr.com, radical Turkish Islamists have been
organizing nightly programs in cities across Turkey under the slogan, “A free
Al-Quds [the Muslim term for Jerusalem], A world without Israel.” The halls are
decked out with photos of Hizbullah Chief Hassan Nasrallah and former Hamas
Chief Ahmed Yassin. PLO flags are draped over the speaker's podium.
At the events, Hamas and Hizbullah are glorified as Israel and Western countries
demonized, and jihadist speeches are delivered. Participants are offered the
chance to donate to the groups or even to enroll in training to join them in
their terrorist operations.
Similar events are frequently held in the mainly Kurdish southeast and east of
the country, with huge audiences turning out as efforts are increased to
indoctrinate those populations.
The following are excerpts from the speech that radical Islamist activist
Nureddin Sirin delivered in the city of Van,during which he targeted Saudi
Arabia, Egypt and Jordan along with the U.S. and Israel [courtesy of MEMRI]:
“[...] Bush went to Saudi Arabia after Israel and he is going to Egypt. American
lackeys Egypt, Jordan and Saudi’s betrayal of the Islamic umma [nation] is just
as grave as the Zionists’ cruelty, massacres, tortures, murders. The
responsibility for the embargo that Gaza faces today, lies primarily with Egypt
that keeps the gates closed - not America or Israel.
"Yes we say that Israel will not be standing for another six years. That Saudi
regime, the occupier of holy Mecca and Medinah that calls itself the servant of
holy places! No, you are the servants of America and f Israel! You are their
accomplices! If it wasn’t for your treachery, if Mecca wasn’t under your
occupation, if Kabe wasn’t occupied, Al Quds wouldn’t be occupied either. […]
When Hizbullah fighters for 33 days striked Zionist Israel the heaviest blow in
their history, Saudis, Egypt and Jordan conspired with the conspirator Fuad
Siniora of Lebanon. They and Siniora told Israel, 'Finish this Hizbullah!'
[crowd repeatedly chants Allahu Akbar…]
"Hey America! Hey its traitor, traitor, conspirator in the Middle East, the
Saudis! Hey Egypt! Hey Jordan! Hey [America’s] lowlife representative in
Lebanon, Siniora! If all of you join together you can still not eliminate
Hizbullah! You can’t even move Hizbullah one bit! We are saying the same thing
to Zionists’ friends and conspirators in the region: You, the Saudi regime, the
Egyptian regime! Hey servants of America and of Israel, your end is nearing too!
[Crowd chants, Allahu Akbar]
"Let the great Allah bring us together in free Quds. Let us meet in a world
without Israel! Let Allah help us reach the beautiful days when sounds of Allahu
Akbar will echo from everywhere. Let great Allah help us arrive at the days when
sounds of Allahu Akbar will echo loudly from everywhere - from the White House,
the black house, in Paris, Rome and Madrid. […]"
General Suleiman to become Lebanon's president
By Laila Bassam
BEIRUT (Reuters) - Lebanon's parliament is set to vote in army chief General
Michel Suleiman as the country's 11th president on Sunday, filling a post left
vacant for six months by a crisis that threatened a new civil war.
A Qatari-brokered deal between rival Lebanese leaders last week defused 18
months of political stalemate that erupted into street fighting this month.
Iranian-backed Hezbollah fighters briefly seized parts of Beirut, routing
government loyalists.
Members of parliament from the U.S.-supported ruling majority and the
Hezbollah-led opposition will attend a parliamentary session at 1400 GMT (10
a.m. EDT) to elect Suleiman as president, as stipulated by the Doha agreement.
The vote had been postponed 19 times because of the crisis.
The deal achieved most of the opposition's demands and secured the election of a
president who has good ties with Syria and Hezbollah. The agreement was widely
seen as a setback to Washington and its allies, who had pressed for the
disarming of Hezbollah and the isolation of Damascus.
"God willing, with the election of the president, Lebanon will move into a stage
of stability and calm ...," Arab League chief Amr Moussa said on arrival in
Beirut to attend the vote. The deal also calls for the formation of a national
unity government where the opposition has veto power and a new law for the 2009
general election. The agreement aims to defuse a conflict that has stoked
sectarian tensions, paralyzed government and the country's constitutional
institutions, and battered the economy. Parliament has not met for more than a
year and a half, during which time the government of Prime Minister Fouad
Siniora has barely functioned. Bouts of violence claimed scores of lives and
revived memories of the 1975-90 civil war.
Sunday's vote will be attended by Qatar's emir and his prime minister -- the
driving force behind the Doha agreement -- and a host of foreign ministers,
including those of arch-rivals Syria and Saudi Arabia as well as of France,
Turkey, Egypt and Iran.
Saudi Arabia, France and Egypt back the government while Iran and Syria support
the opposition. No U.S. administration official is expected at the session
though a delegation from Congress arrived to attend the vote.
Lebanese troops tightened security in the capital, blocking off streets leading
to parliament in downtown Beirut.
SYRIAN ERA
Lebanon's complex power-sharing system stipulates that the country's president
should always be a Maronite Christian, the prime minister a Sunni Muslim and the
speaker of parliament a Shi'ite. Suleiman, who relinquishes his post as army
commander, fills a chair vacated in November by Emile Lahoud, an ally of Syria.
Appointed army chief in 1998 when Damascus controlled Lebanon, Suleiman is
inescapably linked to the Syrian-dominated era.
He coordinated closely with Syrian troops before they were forced to withdraw
from Lebanon in 2005 by Lebanese and international pressure triggered by the
assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri. As president, Suleiman
will have to grapple with a slew of divisive issues including ties with Syria
and a U.N. Security Council resolution that calls for all militias to be
disarmed -- a demand supported by Hezbollah's Lebanese opponents.
But his first task is to appoint a new prime minister and coordinate with him
the formation of the new cabinet. The leader of the parliamentary majority, Saad
al-Hariri, is the frontrunner for the job but he could still opt to nominate
incumbent Siniora, an ally, officials said.
The president has to name the candidate nominated by a majority of MPs. Suleiman
will be sworn into office shortly after his confirmation and will deliver a
speech to parliament, setting the tone for his six-year term. Fluent in English
and French, Suleiman is married with three children. He graduated from the
Military Academy in 1970 and holds a Lebanese University degree in politics and
administration. He was born in the Christian village of Amchit.
(Writing by Nadim Ladki; Editing by Matthew Jones)
Lebanon Will Have a President Today
Naharnet/Parliament will meet on Sunday to elect army commander Gen. Michel
Suleiman as President in a first step toward ending an often bloody 18-month
standoff between rival political groups. Lawmakers will gather at 5:00 p.m.
(1400 GMT) to cast their votes at a long-awaited parliamentary session due to be
attended by 200 invited guests including Arab and Western dignitaries. The main
challenge for Suleiman, 59, will be to impose himself as a neutral figure and
reconcile the Western-backed parliamentary majority and the opposition, which is
backed by Iran and Syria.
Bickering between the two camps had left the presidency vacant since Emile
Lahoud's term ended in November, and 19 previous attempts to get lawmakers
together to elect a successor failed. Last Wednesday, the feuding sides finally
agreed to elect Suleiman and form a national unity government, in which the
opposition has veto power, after five days of intense talks brokered by the Arab
League in the Qatari capital. The Doha talks came after 65 people were killed in
fierce sectarian battles earlier this month between supporters of the Hizbullah-led
opposition and pro-government forces.
It was the deadliest internal political violence since the end of the 1975-1990
civil war and threatened to ignite an all-out conflict, as Hizbullah staged a
spectacular takeover of mainly Sunni Muslim west Beirut. Qatari emir Sheikh
Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa and a U.S.
congressional delegation are due to attend the election. The foreign ministers
of Syria, Iran and France are also among the 200 notables invited to witness the
event.
The U.S. delegation will be headed by Representative Nick Rahall, a West
Virginia Democrat of Lebanese origin.
In nearly 10 years at the helm of the army, Suleiman managed to stay out of the
political storm. But as president he will have to tread a fine line to keep the
peace with the same neutrality. "I cannot save the country on my own," he told
local media this week. "This mission requires the efforts of all. Security is
not achieved by force but joint political will." Suleiman has been accused by
some of being a supporter of Syria, Lebanon's neighbor and former powerbroker.
His predecessor Lahoud was pro-Syrian. After the new head of state is sworn in,
the government of Prime Minister Fouad Saniora will resign in line with the
constitution.
Lebanon has been mired in political paralysis since November 2006 when six
opposition ministers quit the Saniora cabinet in a bid to gain more
representation.
A career soldier, Suleiman joined the army in 1967. He was appointed military
chief in December 1998. He is married and has three children.(AFP-Naharnet)
Beirut, 25 May 08, 08:46
FACTBOX: Next
steps in Lebanon's political process
Sun May 25, 2008
(Reuters) - Lebanon's parliament is due to elect army chief General Michel
Suleiman as president on Sunday, filling a post left vacant for six months
because of a political crisis that had pushed the country to the brink of a new
civil war. The election is part of a deal to end the conflict through the
formation of a new cabinet in which the Hezbollah-led opposition will have
effective veto power. Following is a step by step guide to what happens next:
- Suleiman consults parliament on choosing a new prime minister, who must be a
Sunni Muslim under Lebanon's sectarian power-sharing system. The president must
appoint whoever is nominated by the majority of MPs. Majority leader Saad
al-Hariri, son of assassinated Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri, is seen as a
frontrunner for the post. - The nominated prime minister holds consultations
with parliament on his cabinet line-up and must gain the president's consent.
The Qatari-mediated deal that ended the crisis states that the ruling alliance
will have 16 seats in the new cabinet and the opposition 11. The new president
will nominate three of its ministers.
- The new cabinet draws up a policy statement within days of taking office. The
government reads it to parliament ahead of a confidence vote.
- Suleiman will chair talks among rival leaders dealing with divisive issues.
The fate of Hezbollah's arms, one of the issues at the heart of the political
crisis, will be on the table.
The Lebanese
Scene
By Hussein Shobokshi
25/05/2008
Doha, the capital of Qatar, has hosted great events, perhaps the most prominent
of which was the beautiful celebration of sport, namely, the 2006 Asian Games.
Recently however, it hosted a celebration of Lebanese politics.
The Lebanese have become accustomed to both war and peace as a result of a
foreign decision. The discourse of rationality has been completely absent and
logic has been defied in the interest of abominable sectarianism.
Hezbollah will be satisfied with nothing less than ruling Lebanon and altering
its unique diversity.
The issue of one-third-plus-one [number of seats in parliament] is simply a tool
to change what was agreed upon as part of the Taif Accords, which reflect the
sharing of power between Lebanon’s Christians and Muslims. Today however, there
is an offer of division and disruption par excellence; to divide Muslims into
two “real” sects in the political arena in Lebanon. Therefore, any other
solution would not be accepted. It is supported by a nominal “bloc” that
consists of Michel Aoun, who seeks presidency “at any cost” and Nabih Berri, who
wants to remain at the head of parliament and keep things “as they were”. There
are dimensions of sectarianism with respect to this issue despite claims that
argue otherwise. There can be no “solution” to military engagement between the
two parties whilst one party is allowed to keep its weapons and expects matters
to continue normally and peacefully.
Lebanon is home to 40 newspapers, 42 universities and 100 banks (not counting
the branches!). It is a country that is characterized by odd and contradictory
statistics yet is a country that has difficulties in learning and benefiting
from past experiences.
Beirut alone has been destroyed and re-built seven times; for that reason it has
been likened to the mythical Phoenix firebird. The population of Lebanon is
estimated at 3.5 million, whilst 10.5 million Lebanese live outside of the
country and yet it is unable to solve its problems by itself. The Lebanese are
geniuses in solving problems in different fields however they stumble when it
comes to the Lebanese political field.
By aggravating the situation in Lebanon the country is working to Israel’s
advantage as it provokes a new Arab conflict and continues the process of
wasting time, blood and opportunity. The crown of authority and the arrogance
that comes with leadership has been lapped up by the leaders of militias and
generals whose violations have taken on all forms ─ at the expense of the entire
state.
Lebanon exemplifies a scene from the famous mafia film, “The Godfather”; an
offer is made that is difficult to turn down since the barrel of a gun is
pointed at the victim’s head. The armed opposition is behaving in the same way
in Lebanon today. The resistance is armed to the teeth with fatal and
destructive weapons as its men hide behind black masks that are more appropriate
for criminals rather than [members of] an honorable and noble resistance.
The long meetings that took place in Doha and continuous rounds of talks have
proved that Lebanon is still an obedient tool in the hands of others.
The color of red that marks the Lebanese flag, which has always been a symbol of
pride and nationalism, today symbolizes bloody sedition. There is nothing left
to say except that the key to sedition remains in the hands of the Lebanese
first and foremost and they must realize who is with them and who is against
them