LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
ِApril 08/2010

Bible Of the Day
John 21/13-22: "Then Jesus came and took the bread, gave it to them, and the fish likewise. 21:14 This is now the third time that Jesus was revealed to his disciples, after he had risen from the dead. 21:15 So when they had eaten their breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love me more than these?”
He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I have affection for you.” He said to him, “Feed my lambs.” 21:16 He said to him again a second time, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I have affection for you.” He said to him, “Tend my sheep.” 21:17 He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you have affection for me?” Peter was grieved because he asked him the third time, “Do you have affection for me?” He said to him, “Lord, you know everything. You know that I have affection for you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep. 21:18 Most certainly I tell you, when you were young, you dressed yourself, and walked where you wanted to. But when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will dress you, and carry you where you don’t want to go.” 21:19 Now he said this, signifying by what kind of death he would glorify God. When he had said this, he said to him, “Follow me.” 21:20 Then Peter, turning around, saw a disciple following. This was the disciple whom Jesus sincerely loved, the one who had also leaned on Jesus’ breast at the supper and asked, “Lord, who is going to betray You?” 21:21 Peter seeing him, said to Jesus, “Lord, what about this man?” 21:22 Jesus said to him, “If I desire that he stay until I come, what is that to you? You follow me.” 21:23 This saying therefore went out among the brothers, that this disciple wouldn’t die. Yet Jesus didn’t say to him that he wouldn’t die, but, “If I desire that he stay until I come, what is that to you?” 21:24 This is the disciple who testifies about these things, and wrote these things. We know that his witness is true. 21:25 There are also many other things which Jesus did, which if they would all be written, I suppose that even the world itself wouldn’t have room for the books that would be written."

Free Opinions, Releases, letters, Interviews & Special Reports
Samir Geagea, the head of the Lebanese Forces condemned the “devious and fierce campaigns launched against the Lebanese Forces/April 07/10
Jumblat, Born-again “resister”/By: Tony Badran/April 07/10
Is the temporary marriage law - mut'a - merely a harmless Shiite practice? By Patrick Galey and Omar Katerji/April 07/10
End celibacy to curb the occurrence of priestly abuse/By Ian Buruma/April 07/10

Latest News Reports From Miscellaneous Sources for April 07/10
Netanyahu regrets Turkey’s criticism of Israel/Now Lebanon
Erdogan: Israel is the main threat to Mideast peace/Now Lebanon
Suleiman: Lebanon Won't Allow Anyone to Harm Hizbullah through 'Security Agreement' with U.S. /Naharnet
Suleiman Meets Jumblat /Naharnet
Jordan's King Warns Against Expectations of Lebanon-Israel War, Beirut Takes them Seriously /Naharnet
Berri Confirms Elections Will Be Held May 2 /Naharnet
Cabinet Committed to Hold Polls on May 2, Baroud Laments Split Inside Committees /Naharnet
Dispute over Property Ownership by Foreigners /Naharnet
Suleiman from Qatar: Lebanon Moving Forward with Doha Accord Spirit /Naharnet
German Lawmaker in Beirut … Will Meet Hizbullah /Naharnet
Aoun: Municipal Elections Will Take Place, Efforts to Form Electoral Coalition with Phalange, Murr, Tashnag Haven't Started Yet /Naharnet
Murr Calls for Keeping Oyoun Orghosh Incident Away from Politicization /Naharnet
Geagea: Most Ouyoun Orghosh Residents are LF Supporters, Including Those Detained over This Case /Naharnet
Israeli Troops Cross Houla Fence without Trespassing Blue Line /Naharnet
Tawq Family Asks Media Outlets to Ensure Accuracy: Seized Weapons are Civil War Remnants /Naharnet
U.S. Delivers 1st Batch of Weapons, Ammunition to Lebanese Army /Naharnet
Defense minister stresses Bekaa rocket attack drugs related, not political/Daily Star
STL denies reports that Bellemare close to resigning/Daily Star
Improving relations with Syria will strengthen Lebanon - Arslan/Daily Star
Scramble to Assad shows Syria beat US in battle for Lebanon/AFP
Cabinet approves law against domestic violence/Daily Star
Political parties forge alliances as deadline passes for candidacy in municipal polls/Daily Star
Lebanon registers $714.2 million balance-of-payments surplus/Daily Star
Leading US investment firm urges Arab states to bank on management talent/Daily Star
Teen killed as soccer fans clash in south Lebanon/Daily Star
When suicide bombing is simply strategic suicide/Los Angeles Times

Samir Geagea
April 7, 2010
On April 7, Al-Mustaqbal newspaper carried the following report:
The head of the Lebanese Forces Executive Committee, Samir Geagea, condemned the “devious and fierce campaigns launched against the Lebanese Forces,” saying that they aimed at “subjugating the country.” He revealed that the side responsible for these campaigns was “beyond the border,” announcing there were official Lebanese security sides that leaked the information about the Ouyoun Orghosh incident instead of upholding the secrecy of the investigation. He thus stated: “The Lebanese Forces want the law to be implemented verbatim and to lift the cover off of any involved individual.” In a media chat after he presided over the meeting of the Lebanese Forces bloc in Maarab yesterday, he described the campaigns launched against the Lebanese Forces as being “devious campaigns to which the LF is being subjected, using the same methods that were seen throughout the last fifteen years. However, these campaigns have not affected and will not affect our positions,” expressing his sorrow that “some have not learned from the lessons of the past and are repeating the same mistakes.”
Geagea assured on the other hand that the goal behind these campaigns was to “subjugate the country. Nonetheless, this will not happen because history does not go backwards. As for the side responsible for these campaigns, it is beyond the border.” He called, in this context, for the “confrontation to be political, honorable and serious and not to be conducted through the devious means that are used by some in their attacks and fabrications.” Regarding the leaking of information about the Ouyoun Orghosh incident to some media outlets, he said: “Where did these outlets get their information, especially since the young men who were arrested are still being interrogated at the Lebanese Army Intelligence Directorate? This clearly exposes the attacks to which the LF is being subjected through the leaking of false information. This is a violation affecting the course of the trial and the investigations. Official Lebanese security sides are responsible for the leaking of the information instead of upholding the secrecy of the investigation.”
He then assured that he only learned about the incident through media outlets, asking: “If there were arms and drugs with certain individuals, what does the Lebanese Forces [party] have to do with the issue? Should we hold the entire party responsible for every outlaw behavior committed by an LF supporter? In case some want to retaliate against the Lebanese Forces, let them do it the right way and without fabricating futile stories. The LF supports the implementation of the law verbatim and lifts the cover off of any [implicated] individual.” He then raised several questions regarding the logic adopted by some of those making accusations, saying: “We have seen the uncovering of many networks spying for Israel in Lebanon, three or four of which were linked to people in Hezbollah. Should we immediately accuse Hezbollah of collaborating with Israel? Is Hezbollah for example responsible for the problems seen in the Sharawna neighborhood in Baalbek? If ten tons of drugs are found in Nabatiyeh for example, should we accuse all the population of the area? That would be unfair to them.”
He pointed out in this context that Deputy Strida Geagea repeatedly “asked the army command to install a permanent army post in this region in light of the skirmishes occurring between the people of Ouyoun Orghosh and their neighbors,” indicating that the army “always interferes and not just this time. It interferes whenever there is a shooting.” He announced on the other hand that the Lebanese Forces in all the different regions were ready to participate in the municipal elections, pointing out that “the alliances will be localized, i.e. depending on the specificity of each town” and that the LF was allied with the Kataeb Party throughout Lebanon and not just in Zahle. In the Mount Lebanon area however, he saw “no drastic changes except for a few elements that were introduced at the level of the alliances, considering that the municipal electoral game is primarily local [end of statements].”

Born-again “resister”
Now Lebanon/
Tony Badran , April 7, 2010
Walid Jumblatt returned from his long-awaited visit to Syria last week a born-again “resister.” Completing the retreat from his previously-held positions, Jumblatt has adopted wholesale the Syrian and Hezbollah line on “supporting the Resistance.” The Druze leader faces potentially damning consequences if a new war breaks out between Hezbollah and Israel.
Well before Jumblatt went to Damascus, Syria had repeatedly made clear what would be expected of him with regard to Hezbollah. Indeed, upon his return, Jumblatt dutifully reported that he and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad had “drawn a political diagram for the future that begins with supporting the Resistance and protecting the Resistance in defending Lebanon and in the continuation of the liberation process.”
Jumblatt started adjusting his approach to Hezbollah after the clashes of May 2008, and increasingly so after parliamentary elections last June. He dropped his support for United Nations Security Council Resolution 1559, which calls for the disarmament of all Lebanese and non-Lebanese militias. Yet Jumblatt tried to balance this by backing Resolution 1701, which recalls Resolution 1559, and continuing to voice a desire to revive the Israel-Lebanon Armistice Agreement of 1949 (also mentioned in Resolution 1701), though not a peace treaty. He also repeated a general appeal for the eventual integration of Hezbollah into the Lebanese army.
This was not good enough for the Syrians. Sure enough, Jumblatt’s “political diagram” dropped all reference to Resolution 1701, the Armistice Agreement and Lebanese state authority. Since last year, the Druze leader has also expressed unease with the Special Tribunal for Lebanon by implying that it might indict Hezbollah members. Given that Jumblatt’s visit to Damascus was orchestrated by Hezbollah, this was not surprising.
In fact, Jumblatt repeated two key formulations from Hezbollah’s lexicon, namely “the Resistance defending Lebanon” and “continuation of the liberation process.” These phrases tying the “Resistance” to “defense” and “liberation” were first laid down by Hezbollah’s secretary general, Hassan Nasrallah, in a speech delivered on May 26, 2008. Nasrallah at the time declared that Lebanon needed not only a “defense strategy” (of course, the exclusive realm of Hezbollah), but also a “liberation strategy” based on “resistance,” not on diplomacy and negotiations.
What does Jumblatt’s new course of action mean in operational terms? We can only make an educated guess. However, an interesting item appeared in the Kuwaiti daily As-Seyassah ahead of Jumblatt’s meeting with Assad. Citing “informed sources,” the newspaper claimed that one of the conditions Jumblatt would have to face was allowing Hezbollah fighters to position themselves on the summits of the Barouk Mountain, which they tried unsuccessfully to take by force during the fighting in May 2008. The paper speculated that Hezbollah intended to place anti-aircraft units there, as well as on Mount Sannine, for use in a conflict with Israel.
Such claims, whatever their veracity, are not new. Following the July War in 2006, Hezbollah’s military assets south of the Litani River were by many accounts dispersed north. There have been unconfirmed reports going as far back as summer 2008 of Hezbollah setting up positions on Mount Sannine – allegedly to prepare early warning equipment. Kataeb leader Amin Gemayel made statements to that effect after individuals driving in the area were detained by Hezbollah militants.
What was abundantly clear in the May 2008 fighting was that Hezbollah sought to secure strategic points and communication routes linking its strongholds in southern Lebanon to its new fortifications in the Bekaa Valley, which meant guaranteeing access through Jumblatt’s fiefdom in the mountains, where the Barouk overlooks the Bekaa. Moreover, in the event of a domestic conflict, by controlling the heights of the Chouf and Metn regions and gaining access to the coastal road through the mountains of Jbeil, where a friendly Shia community resides, Hezbollah could link predominantly Shia enclaves, breaking them out of their isolation, and surround the main areas of concentration of other Lebanese communities.
Jumblatt always understood the implications of this, and in summer 2009 he relayed to Progressive Socialist Party cadres his concerns over a future war between Hezbollah and Israel and its domestic ramifications. He expected that Hezbollah would “need to expand to areas where it doesn’t have a presence in order to protect is political existence.” Jumblatt added that “this requires us to deal with flexibility and openness, moving on from the problems that arose from this during the July 2006 aggression.”
It’s unclear whether Hezbollah would restrict its presence to the Barouk mountaintop, or whether it would deem it necessary to make logistic use of Druze villages that it assaulted two years ago. This, of course, would expose these villages to massive devastation by the Israel Air Force, which could provoke entirely new dynamics inside Lebanon.
Jumblatt’s perennial concern is the protection of his community. It is for that reason that he called for a ceasefire in May 2008 and moved, much to the displeasure of many of his followers, to “reconcile” with Hezbollah and Syria. Ironically, the price he pays might take the Druze out of the frying pan of Hezbollah’s guns into the fire of Israeli retaliation. Jumblatt will have to deploy all his skills to avoid the worst if war comes.
**Tony Badran is a research fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies

Jordan's King Warns Against Expectations of Lebanon-Israel War, Beirut Takes them Seriously
Naharnet/Jordan's King Abdullah II has warned that Israel is "playing with fire" in expanding Jewish settlements in east Jerusalem and expressed worries that war between Lebanon and Israel could break out any moment. In an interview with The Wall Street Journal, Abdullah also warned that Israel's long-term future is in danger if Mideast peace cannot be achieved.
"I think the long-term future of Israel is in jeopardy unless we solve our problems," said Abdullah, who is due to leave for Washington Saturday for U.S. President Barack Obama's Nuclear Security Summit. "I think wasting too much time is something that we all have to be very concerned about because there is tremendous tension (in the region)," Abdullah said when asked about the message he would deliver on getting the edgy Mideast peace process moving. "Over the Israeli-Lebanese border; if you spoke (to some Lebanese) today they feel there is going to be a war any second. (It) looks like there is an attempt by certain groups to promote a third intifada, which would be disastrous.
Abdullah's warnings echoed across Lebanon, leaving political officials asking about the significance to the timing of this "concern," the daily An-Nahar reported Wednesday.
It said the officials stressed the need for a "speedy follow-up" to find out the sources of such information. "Jerusalem as you are well aware is a tinderbox that could go off at any time, and then there is the overriding concern about military action between Israel and Iran," Abdullah told Wall Street Journal.
"So with all these things in the background, the status quo is not acceptable; what will happen is that we will continue to go around in circles until the conflict erupts, and there will be suffering by peoples because there will be a war." The Jordanian king said Washington had had other priorities for many months, particularly economic ones.
"The economic challenges have also not helped in prioritizing the peace process," Abdullah said. "Having said that, I know very well that Obama and his administration are extremely committed to the two-state solution and moving the process forward. But they've had other things to deal with."
He said the problem "is what happens over the next couple of months." Abdullah believed that the job of Jordan and the other leading countries "is to keep common sense and keep hope alive until America can bring its full weight on the Israelis and the Palestinians to get their act together and move the process forward."
Events in the region over the past year, however, "have made me extremely skeptical," and actions "on the ground have made me extremely concerned about how straightforward Israeli policy is," he said. Abdullah stressed that resolving the Israeli-Palestinian dispute "does not mean that this evil will evaporate, but definitely, it will take a big chunk out of the challenges that we have in this region." Beirut, 07 Apr 10, 08:22

Tawq Family Asks Media Outlets to Ensure Accuracy: Seized Weapons are Civil War Remnants
Naharnet/Lawyer Chahine Tawq, speaking in the name of Oyoun Orghosh residents, on Tuesday said that "one of the keepers chosen by the village's residents to guard it during winter, the period during which they do not reside in the village, detected on Friday, April 2 a group of people moving in a suspicious manner, prompting him to fire warning shots in the air with no intent to harm anyone, and the incident ended at this point."Reciting a statement issued by the residents of the region, Tawq went on to say: "On the next day, the Lebanese Army raided the place, seized weapons and arrested two keepers as some media outlets started tackling the incident according to the Lebanese political lines of division as well as linking it to developments in the Middle East.""The seized weapons are Lebanese civil war remnants and nothing at all but that and there is no need for any further interpretation except for further despicableness," the statement added. "We salute the Lebanese Army that we consider it to be, as it has always been, the guarantee of the nation and patriotism, and we ask its leadership, according to the trust we have in it, and as we have always asked, to set up a position in the Oyouon Orghosh area to spare us the burden of guarding it and to avoid such an incident or coming incidents."
The Lebanese army has reportedly arrested four people in the area of al-Mazareh after gunfire and rocket attacks on a family having lunch in Ouyoun Orghosh.
Ad-Diyar newspaper said Sunday that the Karkaba family, which hails from Baalbek, was having lunch near Ouyoun Orghosh pond when they came under attack.
One family member was slightly injured, according to the daily. It said that the army arrested four men from the Tawq family in al-Mazareh which lies near Ouyoun Orghosh. Ad-Diyar added that the army found a weapons depot in the area, which also contained hashish estimated to be more than 1,000 kilograms. Beirut, 06 Apr 10, 22:16

Maronite Bishops: Lebanese Should Love their Nation Ahead of Polls
Naharnet/The Council of Maronite Bishops on Wednesday expressed satisfaction with the improved security situation in the country and urged the Lebanese to love their nation ahead of the municipal elections. Following their monthly meeting under Patriarch Nasrallah Sfeir in Bkirki, the bishops hoped the Lebanese would unite to ward off "unfortunate events."
The statement read by Monsignor Youssef Tawq, also said the council was satisfied with the decline in violence due to the policies adopted by security agencies. Beirut, 07 Apr 10, 12:31

Suleiman Meets Jumblat
Naharnet/President Michel Suleiman on Wednesday discussed with Druze leader Walid Jumblat local and regional developments. Suleiman also met with visiting head of the Belgian Senate Armand De Decker. He thanked the European official for the role played by the Belgian contingent working as part of UNIFIL. Belgium "will seek through the European Union to sign agreements to assist Lebanon," De Decker said.

Suleiman: Lebanon Won't Allow Anyone to Harm Hizbullah through 'Security Agreement' with U.S.
Naharnet/President Michel Suleiman on Wednesday said Lebanon will not allow anyone to "harm" Hizbullah through the controversial issue of U.S. grant to the Internal Security Forces.
"We will not allow, and no one in Lebanon would allow or would want, particularly at the level of institutions and officials, to bring harm to the resistance" through the so-called "security agreement" with Washington, Suleiman said in an interview with the Qatari newspaper Al-Watan. AFP has obtained excerpts of the interview which will be published on Thursday.
Suleiman said the agreement, which was considered as "dangerous" by Hizbullah, has been dealt with in accordance with the Constitution. "When the executive authority puts its hands on an issue, we wait for the report to be issued so we can judge," Suleiman explained. On the possibility of war between Lebanon and Israel, Suleiman said: "We could expect Israel to wage war on Lebanon at any time, but it has to think twice before committing to such a new aggressive adventure since it is fully aware that any attack on Lebanon is not a picnic, but a stupid thing to do.""The Lebanese are united behind the army and together, with the resistance, will ward off any aggression and defend their land and dignity," Suleiman stressed. "They, too, will not allow anyone to harm the resistance." Beirut, 07 Apr 10, 11:11

March 14: No Role for Armed Resistance until after State Announces Defense Incapacity
Naharnet/The March 14 general-secretariat said Wednesday Hizbullah's statement that it doesn't need national consensus, contradicts with the foundations of the national dialogue.
Hizbullah is suggesting that the state does not exist, the general-secretariat said following its weekly meeting. However, it stressed that "there is no role for armed popular resistance until after the state announces its incapacity to defend" the country. The statement also criticized March 8 forces for allegedly attempting to topple the authority of international resolutions, particularly Security Council resolution 1701. "Some forces have even reached the point of attacking the international tribunal, which was set up by resolution 1757 under Chapter 7" of the U.N. charter. "The March 14 forces reiterate their strong commitment to legal international resolutions, particularly 1701 and 1757," the conferees said. The statement also condemned what it called the political and media campaign of "false accusations" that are targeting the Lebanese Forces against the backdrop of the Ouyoun Orghosh incident. "Such a campaign is aimed at destabilizing the interior," it added. Beirut, 07 Apr 10, 14:31

Aoun: Municipal Elections Will Take Place, Efforts to Form Electoral
Coalition with Phalange, Murr, Tashnag Haven't Started Yet
Naharnet/Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun on Tuesday stressed that municipal "elections will take place and it doesn't matter whether on April 2 or June 2," calling on people "to prepare themselves." After the weekly meeting of the Change and Reform parliamentary bloc in Rabiyeh, Aoun noted that the FPM "will invite everyone to participate in a developmental program based on laws and on providing equality to towns and villages."  Answering a question on the remarks of Tashnag Party Secretary-General Hovik Mikhtarian who reportedly tackled the issue of a possible electoral coalition, Aoun said that efforts to form an electoral coalition with Phalange Party, Tashnag Party or MP Michel Murr have not started yet.
"Mikhtarian hasn't approached us yet in this regard," Aoun added. "We've accepted a draft law that didn't tackle all of the reforms we wanted and cancelling women's quota doesn't mean excluding women from municipal councils and we're ready to meet every woman who wants to run for elections," Aoun said. He hoped that competency would be respected in administrative appointments "even if they occur according to political distribution of shares." As to the issue of the state budget, Aoun said: "We want to have a state budget as soon as possible; the parliament is not closed, the cabinet is convening twice weekly and the finance ministry is overloaded with employees." Beirut, 06 Apr 10, 19:52

Cabinet Committed to Hold Polls on May 2, Baroud Laments Split Inside Committees
Naharnet/The cabinet has reiterated its commitment to hold municipal elections on time and stressed that the interior ministry would continue preparations to hold them starting May 2.
However, no agreement has been reached yet over how the polls will be held pending a meeting of joint parliamentary committees on Thursday to discuss reforms in the new municipal elections draft-law. Media reports said that during the session at the Grand Serail on Tuesday, Premier Saad Hariri stressed the need to come up with a clear stance on holding the elections on time based on the old law to be announced by the information minister. Hariri also said that reforms could be adopted if parliament ratified them before May 2.
According to An Nahar daily, State Minister Wael Abou Faour, in his turn, said: "The government's reputation is at stake. People are lost whether elections are going to be held or not."
Labor Minister Boutros Harb also stressed that the people are waiting for the elections since 2004 and consequently they should not be postponed.
As for Interior Minister Ziad Baroud, he told the cabinet session that he alone will be responsible if the current law wasn't implemented. As for joint committees, they are suffering from "schism" over the reforms adopted by the council of ministers, he said. "That's why I call for cabinet unity so that (people) don't think that there is one minister with holding the elections on time and another with postponing them," Baroud added. Beirut, 07 Apr 10, 10:05

Berri Confirms Elections Will Be Held May 2
Naharnet/Speaker Nabih Berri confirmed that municipal elections will go ahead as planned on May 2. "Municipal elections will be held May 2 and so we are proceeding accordingly," Berri said in remarks published by several Beirut dailies Wednesday. "There is no going back" on decision, Berri stressed. He advised various political forces to take the election date "seriously," and called on them to prepare themselves well for the polls. Berri said that AMAL movement's election machine will meet on Thursday for formally launch operations. He said if Parliament approved reforms to the electoral law before May 2 "then this is okay." However, if elections were postponed for technical reasons, Berri added, "there also no problem in that as long as the extension does not exceed one month." Beirut, 07 Apr 10, 09:05

Dispute over Property Ownership by Foreigners
Naharnet/The issue of property ownership by foreigners led to an argument between Change and Reform bloc ministers Jebran Bassil and Charbel Nahas on one had and the rest of cabinet ministers on the other.Bassil told An Nahar daily in remarks published Wednesday that the bloc's ministers had previously rejected a clause on an investment project in Baskinta after 5 years had passed over the ownership of the land without carrying out any project. "According to the law, the right of the owner to own the land is lost" in such a case, he said.
The owner had only decided to provide 9,000 sq meters to his hotel building project out of a 1,400,000-sq-meter land he owned, Bassil said, adding that he had divided the remaining area to around 1,121 parcels subject to selling for 550 million dollars. The minister said he rejected such moves because rules that allow foreigners to own land should be limited. "What happened is totally against the law that does not allow such trade." However, Prime Minister Saad Hariri and majority ministers defended the move saying its rejection would harm investors in Lebanon. An Nahar also quoted ministerial sources as saying that Bassil's info was not completely accurate. The owner had bought the land legally and asked for more time to start the project due to the bad situation that Lebanon went through in the past years, they said. The sources added that the project was rejected for sectarian considerations.
According to An Nahar, cabinet agreed to discuss the issue at a later stage. However, it adopted a draft law on the protection of women from domestic violence. Beirut, 07 Apr 10, 10:59

Scramble to Assad shows Syria beat US in battle for Lebanon
‘Days when Damascus used the stick are over, now it’s using the carrot’
By Agence France Presse (AFP)
Wednesday, April 07, 2010
AnalysisظRana Moussaoui
Agence France Presse
BEIRUT: Five years after Syrian troops withdrew from their country, Lebanese leaders who were once Damascus’ staunchest critics are scrambling to heal rifts as Syria breaks out of isolation, analysts say.
With nations like the United States and France warming up to Damascus, the Lebanese leaders are rekindling ties with Syrian President Bashar Assad, whom they initially blamed for the 2005 murder of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.
“The Lebanese went too far in their hostility toward Damascus and have realized the international community has since let them down,” said Fadia Kiwan, head of political science at the Lebanese capital’s Saint Joseph University.
“The Lebanese are confused,” Kiwan told AFP.
“Countries like the United States, which mobilized them against Syria in the days of former President George W. Bush, changed course after the election of President Barack Obama,” Kiwan said.
Prime Minister Saad Hariri, son of slain former Premier Rafik Hariri, is readying for his second visit to Syria since taking office in November. He had initially accused Assad of ordering the February 14, 2005, Beirut bombing that killed his father.
Once Lebanon’s main powerbroker, Syria has consistently denied involvement in the murder but pulled its troops out of Lebanon in April 2005, ending 29 years of military and political dominance over its smaller neighbor.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy made a breakthrough with his 2008 visit to Damascus, the first such diplomatic trip by a Western head of state since Hariri’s assassination.
US officials have also increased their stops in Syria, and Washington recently announced it is planning to send its first ambassador to Damascus since 2005.
Influential Druze leader Walid Jumblatt, formerly one of Lebanon’s most outspoken critics of Syria, last week visited Assad in Damascus for the first time in years, saying the past was “over.”
Jumblatt had previously accused Syria of the Hariri murder, branding Assad “the dictator of Damascus … a savage … an Israeli product, a liar … and a criminal.”
He had also blamed Syria for the 1977 assassination of his father Kamal Jumblatt, but last month said his attack on Assad was “unworthy and unusual, unsuited to the ethics of politics even during a quarrel.”
Jumblatt began to show signs of an about-face after last June’s general election, when he defected from the parliamentary majority led by Hariri to reconcile with the rival Hizbullah camp.
Tensions between the two camps led to week-long battles in May of 2008 that left more than 100 people dead and brought the country to the brink of civil war.
However, as regional and international politics shift, leaders like Hariri and Jumblatt have been forced to soften their stance against their more powerful neighbor.
Observers say Hariri is caught in a delicate balancing act and sources close to the premier have said his main backer, Saudi Arabia, has urged him to “bury the hatchet” with Syria.
“Hariri for one has unequivocally distanced himself from his allies in the [anti-Syrian] parliamentary majority through his truce with the Syrians,” Kiwan said.
But many in the Hariri-led camp fear the premier’s rapprochement with Damascus is a sign Syria has regained its influence over Lebanon.
“Today, Damascus has made it clear that it defeated Washington in the battle for Lebanon,” said Ghassan al-Azzi, a Lebanese University political science professor.
“Syria still sees Lebanon as its back yard and that view is now reinforced by the fact that Western governments are requesting Damascus help maintain stability in Lebanon” and neighbouring countries like Iraq, Azzi told AFP.
Analyst Emile Khoury voiced similar sentiments in a commentary published in the French-language daily L’Orient-Le Jour.
“Syria is back on track” in its involvement in Lebanese politics, Khoury wrote.
“The days when Syria used the stick in Lebanon are over as neither its army nor its intelligence services are present in Lebanon,” he added. “This time around, Damascus is using the carrot,” Khoury wrote.
“It is no longer a question of giving the orders in Lebanon, but rather how Syria participates in the Lebanese government: by proxy [through its ally Hizbullah] or by negotiation” with Hariri or Jumblatt, he wrote.

Is the temporary marriage law - mut'a - merely a harmless Shiite practice?
By Patrick Galey and Omar Katerji
/Daily Star staff
Wednesday, April 07, 2010
BEIRUT: Mohammad Haydar reclines on his cream leather sofa, sips coffee from a tiny, china cup and calmly recounts his sexual conquests.
“I used to do it with my girlfriend, when she was a virgin, just to prevent adultery. I convinced her about the idea and she accepted. But the second time I did it perfectly. It was with a divorced woman, about 35 years old,” he says.
Mohammad, 28, talks openly about his past experiences with temporary marriage (zawaj al-mut’a).
The practice is legal under Sharia law and legitimate in Shiite Jaafari courts, provided certain conditions are met. These include that the woman in a temporary marriage must be above 18 years of age and cannot be known as a prostitute. A virgin may only be involved in a mut’a with paternal consent.
A verbal contract is agreed between a man and a woman for a predetermined period of time. A dowry is offered and time period stated, which the woman must agree with. No witnesses need be present and the communion can last for any length time, from a few hours to several weeks.
Whereas extramarital sex is considered irreligious by all Islamic sects, intercourse during a temporary marriage is, according to the majority of Shiite Muslims, legitimate in the eyes of God.
There is, however, ongoing debate on the origins and legitimacy of mut’a; the arguments for and against were being discussed during the time of the Prophet Mohammad.
According to Sheikh Ashraf al-Jaafari, a Shiite cleric based in Beirut’s southern suburbs, temporary marriage is permissible, provided the practice is conducted with strict adherence to guidelines set by Sharia law.
“Illegal relations are punished by everyone. But we need something to facilitate relations, thus permanent and terminated marriages,” he says.
In a tea-shop in Dahiyeh, Jaafari speaks lucidly on a range of Sharia issues, his bright, round eyes glinting behind his wire-rimmed glasses as he broaches the argument against mut’a.
“The mut’a marriage has been legal since the beginning of Islam and it has been permitted by the Prophet,” he says, sugaring his saccharine sweet tea. “However, differences in opinion have made Muslims disagree on the subject.”
In Lebanon, personal status laws referring to marriage, divorce and inheritance are dealt with in the country’ various confessional courts, granting the practice of temporary marriage full legal legitimacy in Shiite Jaafari legislature.
“The Jaafari sect permits this marriage but other sects do not because they say there is not enough proof available. But proof is available in the Koran,” says Jaafari.
Many Shiites in Lebanon, as across the Arab world, perform temporary marriage vows on a regular basis, according to Ali Zbeeb, a civil lawyer based in the capital Beirut.
“The problem with mut’a is that many people misinterpret its conditions by trying to make it open-ended,” he says.
Zbeeb is engaged to be married and proudly displays the simple gold band clasped on his ring finger. He says that he would never consider temporary marriage, although several of his Shiite friends are frequent practitioners.
While the mut’a marriage at its origins was seen as a way widows of martyrs could repopulate villages whose male inhabitants had been decimated by battle, Zbeeb explains that designs on conception could not be further from most young Shiites’ minds today.
“The idea is common as a brilliant new idea to young people,” he says. “But it is more systemic than that, within very specific communities, on all levels.”
Mohammad, a pharmacist with a Bachelor’s degree from the Lebanese American University (LAU), Beirut, speaks of friends who routinely flout religious guidelines in favor of sexual gratification.
“In Lebanon, people do [temporary marriages] with virgin girls and prostitutes,” he says. “A girl can have a mut’a with three different men in one month. This is wrong.”
He continues, speaking rapidly about how a typical mut’a might occur.
“I go clubbing and I meet a girl. I go out with her for the first time and second time. For the third time I have a private room, or hotel, and before I start having complete sex, I tell her I want to [perform a mut’a] otherwise I can’t do anything. She says she doesn’t care. We don’t need any paper, nothing.”
But temporary marriages are not only performed among the young. As Zbeeb explains, the ritual is often carried out by men who are usually already permanently married, using the temporary contract as a kind of insurance slip, or get-out clause should adulterous sexual contact be uncovered.
“Extra marital sex without a mut’a would cause imprisonment,” he says.
“But in Sharia law, it’s divorce and compensation.”
Although the Shiite claim mut’a is religiously legitimate, society’s view of temporary marriage is far from universally positive.
“In Lebanon the general perception toward mut’a is a negative one, because some people would call it legitimate prostitution,” says Zbeeb.
“Others resent this. They might say: ‘If you want to go have random sex, go ahead, but we are giving you the option to do it with a clear conscience – take it or leave it.’”
The stigma which still taints many Shiites’ perspective on temporary marriage often forces practitioners of mut’a to keep contracts a secret.
This is in conflict with the Shiite clerical stance on mut’a. It is unequivocal on the need for temporary marriages not to be concealed from the world.
“If the mut’a marriage is kept secret, the contract is no longer valid and the marriage is considered an adulterous relation,” says Jaafari. “Islam does not permit adultery.”
Mohammad admits, however, that since some practitioners of mut’a see the communion as a route to sexual fulfillment, religious considerations can pale in comparison.
“We see mut’a in a wrong way. We know that it is there and it is religiously good. Every religious party has its own views on the mut’a. Personally, I am not convinced that it is right, but our religion says it is allowed, so I go with it,” he says, shuffling awkwardly.
“In my life I have done adultery a lot, but there are girls who will not have sex with you without convincing them to have a mut’a. They think that if they have a mut’a it is better for them than not doing it.
“If you are going to commit adultery, why don’t you just do this marriage?”
Many women do not see things this way. They stand to lose a lot if they are found to have had a mut’a: reputation, potential suitors, familial respect, even if a temporary marriage is performed to the letter of Sharia law.
Alia, a 30 year-old divorcee from the Beirut suburb of Haret Hreik, has had many temporary marriages. Alia, whose name has been changed, speaks hesitantly about her experiences.
Alia insists that although the practice makes it far easier for young Shiites to satisfy physical desire, moral and religious concerns should not be discounted during a mut’a.
“I hate that a woman can do this with lots of men,” she says. “Although [temporary marriage] is just to express our feelings and not to follow a religion, there must still be limits.
“Even if I’m following this [temporary marriage] I think that the relationship must be like [that of] a wife and a husband,” Alia said, “even if I know that it’s halal, I don’t want to do it a lot.”
But others are deeply cynical about the motivation behind temporary marriage, particularly the conviction of men during mut’a.
Mut’a, according to Dima Debbous-Sensenig, director of the Institute for Women’s Studies at LAU, has become a way for men to adapt religion to fit physical desire.
“What many do is try to manipulate the will of God to do what they want, they find legitimate way in that they choose to see what they want,” she says.
“It’s circumventing God’s will which is meant to preserve women’s rights. There are different means at [men’s] disposal to continue doing what they want to do which is get together with women and deny them their rights.”
One of Lebanon’s highest Shiite authorities, Grand Ayatollah Mohammad Hussein Fadlallah, has made his views on mut’a clear in the past:
“When custom rejects and considers something wrong which Islam perceives as natural, we cannot yield to custom,” he wrote in a book on “Sharia Principles: World of Our Youth.” “However, the negative view of custom may lead, in cases such as these, to dislike the act. A hostile view toward the practice may cause it to be seen as dishonoring the man and the woman, and a person may not wish to put himself in this dubious position.”
But in practice, the need for sexual contact often outweighs the potential loss of reputation, with many Lebanese simply forgoing the obligation to inform other people of their temporary marriages, Mohammad says.
“If you are with your friend and tell them that you married someone with a mut’a, it is not good. She should not talk about it and you should not talk about it,” he says. “If a girl accepts mut’a, all the guys will go to her apartment and ask her for one.”
In fact, the public announcement of a mut’a having occurred could breach the Sharia, as a woman known for being a willing temporary bride would inadvertently advertise herself to potential suitors, Zbeeb explains:
“Regrettably, the actual Sharia has been breached because there are channels which hook individuals to other individuals. I am sure this occurs,” he says, twisting his still gleaming engagement ring.
“Recommending a woman you know is good for sex does not make her a prostitute but if she goes with four or five men, that would make her a prostitute [in the Sharia].”
There are, according to Debbous-Sensenig, more sinister by-products of mut’a, now that it is performed with such apparent regularity.
“If it’s not a full-blown marriage there are hundreds of problems coming out of this union. Not enough protection is used and we hear of situations all around us with men denying responsibility [of conception],” she says, adding that people who practice mut’a have no legitimate reason for doing so in secrecy.
“People are not honest when they are dealing with this. If it is OK why are they keeping it secret? It is obviously not OK,” she says. “When people are doing something that they have confirmed is not against the will of God then it should not be a secret.”
Jafaari considers criticism of mut’a the product of misunderstanding, and agrees that temporary marriage ought to be condemned, but only when committed improperly.
“Many people are ignorant of this subject and some consider it as an abuse. In our Eastern society a man can accept the idea of mut’a in general but he will not accept it for his sister. In the Sharia a woman cannot marry, whether permanently or mut’a, unless she has the consent of her father or grandfather,” he says.
“The mut’a is a holy marriage legalized by God but the people’s ignorance has led to many problems.”
These problems persist.
“People who practice mut’a marriage are practicing religious Shiites. A non-practicing Shiite couldn’t care less,” says Zbeeb. The fact that individuals in a mut’a are following religious practice ought to make the communion socially acceptable, he adds.
“If you take the soul of marriage, it is a commitment between two people. If there is no Sheikh present, this does not change the fact that these two people are bonded by their souls in front of God on a religious level.”
Such noble sentiments are not always embodied by practitioners of mut’a, Mohammad himself admits.
“There are girls who won’t marry you unless you perform a mut’a, but so far I have not met such a girl,” he says. “Even if I get married I have no problem [continuing] doing mut’a. I will keep it secret of course, just because of the jealously of the girls.”
Mohammad exhales deeply when asked how long, on average, each of his mut’a last.
“Until I get bored,” he says. “I tell her I will marry her for a month and finish it after two weeks if I want.”
But Alia insists that a mut’a performed legitimately is something that should not be a cause of shame among women, provided it is conducted properly.
“In my opinion, we have to follow the rules,” she says.
“I can only speak for myself, but the temporary marriage can be empowering if used to express feelings, while putting on limits and following these limits.” – Additional reporting by Carol Rizk