LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
ِApril 13/2010

Bible Of the Day
Paul's First Letter to the Corinthians/13/1-13: "If I speak with the languages of men and of angels, but don’t have love, I have become sounding brass, or a clanging cymbal. 13:2 If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but don’t have love, I am nothing. 13:3 If I dole out all my goods to feed the poor, and if I give my body to be burned, but don’t have love, it profits me nothing. 13:4 Love is patient and is kind; love doesn’t envy. Love doesn’t brag, is not proud, 13:5 doesn’t behave itself inappropriately, doesn’t seek its own way, is not provoked, takes no account of evil; 13:6 doesn’t rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; 13:7 bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 13:8 Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will be done away with. Where there are various languages, they will cease. Where there is knowledge, it will be done away with. 13:9 For we know in part, and we prophesy in part; 13:10 but when that which is complete has come, then that which is partial will be done away with. 13:11 When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I felt as a child, I thought as a child. Now that I have become a man, I have put away childish things. 13:12 For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I will know fully, even as I was also fully known. 13:13 But now faith, hope, and love remain—these three. The greatest of these is love".

Free Opinions, Releases, letters, Interviews & Special Reports
Simply not good enough/Now Lebanon/April 12/10
By Lt. Col. W. Thomas Smith Jr/Five Questions for Dr. Walid Phares on the Nuclear Security Summit/Canada Free Press/April 12/10

Latest News Reports From Miscellaneous Sources for April 12/10
STL Acting Registrar Reiterates Importance of Cooperation between Tribunal, Lebanese Authorities/Naharnet
Egyptian Foreign Minister: Iran Is Holding the Region Hostage/Middle East Media Research Institute
Jumblat Calls for Lowering MPs Salaries, Reevaluating U.S.-ISF Security Agreement/Naharnet
Lebanon: 3 accused of spying for Israel/Ynetnews
Syria's official Al-Watan daily: PFLP-GC official warns against shutting down party’s military bases
Palestinian arms outside camps once more under spotlight/Daily Star
Obama issues nuclear warning/BBC News
US President Warns of Terrorists With Nukes/Voice of America
Wanted: A potent Arab initiative/GulfNews
PA transfers 17 bombs to IDF/Ynetnews
An-Nahar: Nadim Gemayel walks out Sunday on Kataeb party officials/iloubnan.info
STL acting registrar von Hebel to visit Lebanon/Daily Star
Canadian soldier killed by IED near Kandahar City/The Canadian Press
Activists work to commemorate start of Civil War/Daily Star
Gemayels blast Hizbullah, politicians visiting Syria/Daily Star
Bassil Launches Vehement Attack on Cabinet, Says FPM Has No Faith in Government/Naharnet
Rifi: Security Forces Prepare for Safe Municipal Elections/Naharnet
Siddiq: Forged Passport Given to Me by then Interior Minister Sarkozy's Office/Naharnet
Qassem: We Support a Consensual Proportional Representation in the Elections/Naharnet
'Scud Crisis' Threatens War between Israel, Hizbullah/Naharnet
Berri Fears Israel Could Get US Involved in War against Lebanon or Gaza/Naharnet
OTV Attacks Sfeir for Defending Usage of Arms/Naharnet
Sfeir to Oyoun Orgosh Delegation: Defending Your Land is a Legitimate Right/Naharnet
Houri: Aoun Has No Right to 40% Beirut Municipality Seats/Naharnet
Beirut Elections Marked by Split in Opinion/Naharnet
Tashnag for Equality in Beirut Municipal Elections/Naharnet
Experts, Directors in Damascus on Wednesday Ahead of Hariri's Visit/Naharnet
Wahab: Geagea's Latest Remarks Positive, No Plan to Isolate LF/Naharnet
Sami Gemayel Says the Day will Come when Hizbullah Hands Over Weapons to Lebanese State/Naharnet
Percussion Bomb Wounds Syrian in Al-Bass Palestinian Refugee Camp/Naharnet
UNIFIL Says Israeli Force Crossed Technical Fence, Not Blue Line /Naharnet

One Canadian soldier killed by roadside bomb blast while on foot patrol
By The Canadian Press
KANDAHAR, Afghanistan - One Canadian soldier has been killed in a powerful roadside bomb blast while on foot patrol in a volatile community southwest of Kandahar City.
The attack that killed Pte. Tyler William Todd, 26, happened early Sunday near the community of Belanday, about eight kilometres outside of the provincial capital.
Brig.-Gen. Dan Menard, the commander of Canadian troops in Afghanistan, says Todd was on a routine patrol to learn more about the people of the village and their needs.
The area is a known transit route for Taliban fighters, who use the arid grape and wheat fields as staging areas for attacks into the city itself.
The Canadian battle group supported a Afghan National Army sweep of the area further south of Belanday a few weeks ago and had been assured by villagers that the Taliban had fled.
Todd was from Kitchener, Ont., but based in Edmonton with the 1st Battalion Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry. His death brings to 142 the number of Canadian soldiers killed since the Afghan mission began in 2001.

This week in history: April 12-April 18
12 April 2010
This Week in History provides brief synopses of important historical events whose anniversaries fall this week.
25 years ago: Lebanon government collapses
US soldiers man Beirut checkpoint in 1982Fighting among rival militias on April 16, 1985 left 32 dead in Beirut, Lebanon. The violence brought down the “national unity” government of Rashid Karami and threatened to bring back to full intensity the country’s decade-long civil war.
In the street fighting, Shiite and Druze militias routed the militia of a Pan-Arabist Sunni group, al-Morabitun, which was supported by Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) fighters. Al-Morabitun offices were sacked, forcing it to retreat from its West Beirut stronghold. Karami, the Sunni Prime Minister of Lebanon, announced his resignation in the immediate wake of the fighting. According to the system worked out shortly after WWII to appease Lebanon’s competing communal elites, the president of the country would be a Christian, the prime minister a Sunni Muslim, and the speaker of parliament a Shiite Muslim. The delicate balance among the rival elites was shattered by Israeli aggression, great power politics, and the machinations of Lebanon’s Arab neighbors. Driven from Israel and other Arab states, the PLO set up operations in Lebanon. Israel promoted the fascistic Christian Phalange, while Syria set the stage for the latest fighting by ordering the combination of Shiite and Druze militias, with the aim of driving the PLO out of Lebanon.

Sfeir to Oyoun Orgosh Delegation: Defending Your Land is a Legitimate Right
Naharnet/Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Sfeir on Sunday expressed regret over Oyoun Orghosh incident and hoped Lebanese officials would be able to reach a satisfactory solution.
"Defending your land is a legitimate right," Sfeir told a delegation from Oyoun Orghosh. The delegation included members from the Tawk family as well as residents from Oyoun Orghosh who briefed him on what happened last weekend. "We are people holding on to our land, and our right to existence," Priest Hani Tawk said in a statement read before the Patriarch.
"We have a great desire to continue to live in peace and mutual respect with our neighbors,"Tawk said, adding that "we have the right to defend ourselves in a remote area and we have instructed janitors and guards for this purpose, particularly in the absence of a strong security force." "Mr. Patriarch, there we were. There we are now. And there we will stay," Tawk pleaded with Sfeir. Sfeir told the delegation that he learned about Oyoun Orghosh incident from newspapers and radio stations. "We regret what happened in Oyoun Orghosh. We know that you have defended your land and your rights in the past. This is a legitimate right. We regret that these events happened between neighbors and fellow citizens. All of us have the right to defend ourselves. This is also legitimate," Sfeir added. The patriarch said he hoped Lebanese officials would "be able to reach a solution satisfactory to all." Beirut, 11 Apr 10, 14:41

'Scud Crisis' Threatens War between Israel, Hizbullah
Naharnet/A "Scud Crisis" is threatening to ignite an all-out war between Israel and Hizbullah, the Kuwaiti al-Rai newspaper reported. The daily said that Syria has delivered to Hizbullah Scud missiles, sparking a behind-the-scenes crisis after Israel informed Washington that "it will take steps if the U.S. didn't find a solution to what the Jewish state considers a threat to its security." Following the Israeli warning, the U.S. State Department summoned Syrian ambassador Imad Mustafa and asked him "to inform his government about the level of danger if the missiles crossed the border," al-Rai said. Washington also reportedly told Mustafa that the U.S. and other parties are keen to achieve a peaceful solution to the crisis to avoid war. The daily quoted U.S. sources as saying that Israel has sent indirect warnings to Syria through Turkey and Qatar that it would "bomb Lebanese and Syrian targets in case the missiles crossed the border … and reached Hizbullah." However, according to al-Rai, there are conflicting reports about the delivery of the Scud missiles to the Shiite party. Some sources in Washington confirm it, while others say the missiles didn't cross the border into Lebanon. The Kuwaiti newspaper said that U.S. Senator John Kerry discussed the issue with Syrian President Bashar Assad in Damascus lately. "Assad's denial (about the delivery of the weapons) didn't seem convincing for the Americans who were mainly convinced that Damascus delivered the missiles to Hizbullah," al-Rai concluded. Beirut, 12 Apr 10, 11:28

Rifi: Security Forces Prepare for Safe Municipal Elections
Naharnet/Police chief Maj. Gen. Ashraf Rifi said Monday a security plan was being prepared together with the Lebanese army to ensure safe municipal elections. He stressed that police continues to carry out its duties in "protecting the community and civil peace in Lebanon."Describing as "excellent" the security situation in Lebanon, Rifi noted that crime rate has dropped by more than 50 percent. Beirut, 12 Apr 10, 13:13

Al-Watan: PFLP-GC official warns against shutting down party’s military bases
April 12, 2010 Syrian newspaper Al-Watan quoted on Monday an unnamed Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine-General Command (PFLP-GC) official as saying that some Lebanese officials’ calls to shut down the party’s military bases is an attempt to reignite a new battle, such as the 2007 Nahr al-Bared refugee camp clashes.
The official added that the Internal Security Forces (ISF) last week’s alleged attempt to infiltrate the PFLP-GC’s military base in the Bekaa town of Kfar Zabad only proved that it was a premeditated attack aimed at pitting the PFLP-GC and the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) against each other. Al-Watan quoted another anonymous source as saying that local and foreign parties “are instigating security incidents and inter-Palestinian clashes so as to affect the 2010 national dialogue deliberations.” -NOW Lebanon

Amin Gemayel
April 12, 2010
On April 11, the Lebanese National News Agency carried the following report:
The Kataeb Party held a meeting for the ‘Kataeb Cadre 2010’ at the Beirut Forum today in the presence of over 3,500 Kataeb officials, headed by chairman or the party President Amin Gemayel, deputy chairman Minister Salim al-Sayegh and a number of deputies... Following the national anthem and the new Kataeb anthem, President Amin Gemayel delivered a speech in which he started off by welcoming the “companions.” He stated: “This meeting of ours is nothing like all the other meetings. It is attended by Kataeb cadres from all around the Lebanese territories extending over 10,452 km2, thus embodying the reach of the party and Lebanon’s unity. The Kataeb cadres represent seven decades of ongoing partisan struggle, in the good times and the bad times and in all areas. They offered all they had in terms of ideas, sweat and the blood of their martyrs to build a country with an exceptional system in the region and around the world, one which keeps up with modernity, achieves its civilizational and humanitarian message and faces the storms without ever growing tired... There are three values which bring you together today and every day, O dear companions. The first value is your faith in Lebanon, as though this faith was a pledge you made and respected until your last breath, and as though it constituted the main motor for your entire partisan action.
“Our understanding of faith in Lebanon includes faith in the Lebanese people who would not relinquish their dignity and kept their heads high, and who would only live in a free and sovereign country enjoying a role in its surrounding and carrying an unparalleled human message. Despite the threats and violations which faced Lebanon in order to change its face, identity, policy and inclinations and shift its system away from the will of its people, the Kataeb always faced these attempts, defended Lebanon’s interests and maintained its specificity in a region, most of which drowned in tyranny, oppression, extremism, the non-recognition of the other and doctrinal and political monopoly throughout modern history. The second value is solidarity which brought and kept the Kataeb cadres together. Indeed, what affected a companion in the far South moved all the companions in the far North and what pleased a companion in Mount Lebanon, pleased the rest in the Bekaa and Beirut. These feelings were not temporary or just for show, but were due to a deep sense that this spirit of companionship which fills the party and keeps the flame of struggle for the Lebanese cause that was raised by the Kataeb lit, was baptized with blood and tears, with joy and victories and with the glory of the martyrs...
“As for the third value, it is discipline, without which no organization can achieve progress. For example, do not underestimate the tradition of ringing the bell twice at the door of the politburo every Monday for over fifty years, one at five past five and once at exactly five to herald the beginning of the meeting. This is a tradition which we never relinquished and which shows the extent of [our] respect for punctuality and traditions even in the darkest times. The same goes for all the meetings and partisan occasions to the point where punctuality or the Kataeb clock has become an archetype to be followed, in addition to its management of the meetings and its accurate implementation of the decisions. This discipline maintained and activated partisan action and immunized the party’s structure from the top to the bottom. It also enhanced ‘communicative democracy’ and political action and secured the circulation of partisan power on all levels in a climate of solidarity and brotherhood...
“The latter principles constitute the natural framework for each partisan action, position or initiative. Moreover, the Kataeb will not shift away from its historical course in the face of the current developments. In this context, we hereby summarize our stand vis-à-vis certain upcoming events. In regard to the municipal elections, the last conference of the party stressed the necessity to develop the Lebanese system, adopt expanded decentralization, grant a greater role to the mediating and local institutions such as the municipal councils and bring the public administrations closer to the people, especially in the villages where the citizens are suffering from a lack of understanding of their needs by the far-away administrations. Although the ratification of the reform project we presented to develop municipal action was delayed, we will proceed with our parliamentary efforts to ensure its ratification as a first step on the road toward decentralization that has become a request for all. We will run in these elections under the slogan ‘Development and Concord’ as much as that is possible.
“As for the details, they will be discussed with the local officials while taking into consideration the specificity of each town and village and while bearing in mind the necessity to ensure concord. In regard to the work of the state and the security bodies, the citizens are complaining about the paralysis witnessed in the state institutions despite the election of a new president and parliament, the formation of a new government and the launching of dialogue. Indeed, the president who was elected consensually is incapable of exercising his role as a governor or even a referee and of implementing some of the demands featured in his speeches. The government whose formation disregarded the results of the parliamentary elections and included all the parties is, for its part, unable to ratify the law drafts, transparent appointments and the budget, while the parliament which came to power in free elections failed to launch the reform project. As for the dialogue committee, it is not heralding quick and satisfactory results based on the position of a number of participants in it...
“Amid this disturbing institutional and constitutional reality, the different Lebanese regions are lacking internal security against the backdrop of numerous moral, partisan and political reasons, whereas the Palestinian organizations which are not yet under the control of the Lebanese state and whose arms have not yet been collected despite decisions that were adopted unanimously, have started posing a major threat to the country’s security, people’s safety and the status of the state. Therefore, all the state institutions must give the utmost importance to these developments far away from arbitrary policies or targeting, since what we saw at the level of the assassination of officer Samer Hanna and the folklore which accompanied it revealed the adoption of such arbitrary measures. In regard to the issues related to sovereignty, we address two topics: Lebanese-Syrian relations and the arms of Hezbollah. We are in favor of the best relations with Syria under the ceiling of the state’s sovereignty, the people’s dignity and the specificity of the Lebanese system. The more we progress toward these principles the better the Lebanese-Syrian relations will be...
“Regarding the arms of Hezbollah, this is a matter of principle exceeding the ongoing political or partisan struggle on the Lebanese arena. This issues raises a question revolving around what the Lebanese want. Do they want to build a sovereign state responsible for the fate of this country and the dignity and future of its people or do they want other sides to assume this responsibility? Do they want Lebanon to play its role in full in regional and international forums or do they want it to be a mere open arena for all the conflicts in the region? That is the national question.
"The first step to handle the problem would be through recognition of the state’s right and duty to hold all the national, sovereign decisions. Once we recognize this principle, all other things can be easily handled. This is what I wanted to say to you my companions in this expanded meeting. These are partisan and national principles which I place before you to work for the future of the party on the threshold of its 75th anniversary, and for the future of Lebanon on the threshold of important and promising transformations for the next generations. Today, you are entitled to worry but do not be afraid of tomorrow. The party is staying and moving forward and Lebanon is strong and will not be vanquished by the different experiences …”

Simply not good enough
April 12, 2010
Now Lebanon/This week, on April 13, Lebanon commemorates the 35th anniversary of the start of the 15-year civil war, a conflict that, between 1975 and 1990, destroyed one of the region’s most vibrant and prosperous societies. The fighting exposed a carefree Lebanon’s fundamental weaknesses, and while the country’s infrastructure has almost been rehabilitated and its pre-war reputation as a center for banking, leisure and entertainment restored, many psychological scars of the conflict remain.
One wound in particular will not heal. It is the fate of thousands of Lebanese who went missing during the fighting – either abducted by rival militias or taken by the Israeli or Syrian security services – and who are either presumed, but not confirmed, dead, or who are thought to be still rotting in a forgotten jail cell.
The official figure puts their number at 17,000, and it is an issue that resonates on many levels. For the families, there is the obvious pain of not knowing, of not having closure on the fate of a loved one; but there are also legal ramifications: If a person is not officially declared dead, it throws up all sorts of inheritance and financial issues that compound what is already extreme grief. Relations between Beirut and Damascus have thawed in recent months. The easing in tensions now offers a chance to achieve genuine cooperation on determining the fate of the roughly 600 or so Lebanese from all confessions, as well as Palestinians, whose last known whereabouts were thought to be Syrian custody. The 600, whose names have been presented to the Lebanese government on an official list by SOLIDE (Support of Lebanese in Detention and Exile), were detained at various points during Syria’s 29-year “presence” in Lebanon, either by the Syrian army, its militia allies or the mukhabarat, the secret police. According to SOLIDE, half of those on the list are thought to still be alive.
There is no doubt that many hundreds of Lebanese were taken to Syria. What is unknown is what happened to them. It is a question that only the Syrian regime can answer. Until now, Syria has never confirmed that it has any Lebanese detainees in its jails, or disclosed any information on the fate of the people on the list.
This is simply not good enough. Syria has an international obligation to come clean on their fate, and Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri, who is scheduled to travel to Damascus in the coming weeks, should make any proposed bilateral relations conditional on resolving this highly emotive issue. Indeed, it is imperative that all senior Lebanese leaders, including President Michel Sleiman, Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, and even Michel Aoun – many of whose supporters were the target of the Syrian intelligence apparatus – make it their national duty to also force some kind of transparency on the matter.
There is no doubt that the issue of border demarcation is important, but stressing Lebanon’s sovereignty at a time when the gains of 2005 appear to be slipping away as each day goes by is too, and the careful diplomatic tightrope that must be walked in this period of regional flux must not be ignored.
But neither must the fate of the disappeared. Redoubled efforts would offer hope to all those Lebanese families who live every day wondering where their son, daughter, mother, father, brother or sister may be right now, still clinging onto a feeble thread of hope that they are still alive. Those touched by death can move on; the pain stays, but they have had closure. For the hundreds who still live in ignorance, every day is a living death. Let us not sweep them to one side.

Bassil Launches Vehement Attack on Cabinet, Says FPM Has No Faith in Government
Naharnet/Energy and Water Minister Jebran Bassil said the Free Patriotic Movement has lost trust in Prime Minister Saad Hariri's Cabinet over municipal elections, accusing the government of setting up Lebanese people. "Holding municipal elections without reforms has led to losing confidence in the government," Bassil said in remarks published Monday by the daily An-Nahar. "It will also lead to lack of confidence among the various political parties," Bassil warned. He believed failure to hold elections after amendments "constitutes a sever blow to the commitment made by the government to approve the municipal electoral law during a year and al half." "To us, what has happened had broken the bridges of trust (with the government) and torpedoed the political agreement inside and outside Cabinet," Bassil said. He accused the government of "setting up" The Lebanese people and "cheating" them. "And it (government) continues to manipulate them." Beirut, 12 Apr 10, 08:06

Siddiq: Forged Passport Given to Me by then Interior Minister Sarkozy's Office
Naharnet/A former Syrian spy accused of misleading the U.N. probe into the murder of ex-Premier Rafik Hariri said he had entered the United Arab Emirates with a forged Czech passport that he had received from then French Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy. "I didn't know it (the passport) was forged. French President Nicolas Sarkozy's office when he was interior minister gave me this passport," Zuhair Siddiq told the Kuwaiti al-Seyassah newspaper at a European country where he is now residing after leaving the UAE. "I was told that it (the passport) was earmarked for the protection of witnesses in Hariri's case," the one-time member of Syria's intelligence services said. Siddiq was initially seen as a leading witness in the U.N. probe but was discredited later for giving false testimony. In October 2009, a state security court in Abu Dhabi sentenced him to six months in jail and deportation for entering the UAE on the forged passport. In his interview with al-Seyassah, Siddiq also accused Hizbullah cadres of involvement in Hariri's Feb. 2005 assassination, saying some of the party's officials were similar to "Chicago gangs."During the Damascus hegemony on Lebanon, "any small or big security operation was carried out in coordination between Hizbullah and the Syrian leadership through the Syrian military intelligence," he said. He stressed on his previous accusations against the Syrian-Lebanese security regime, reiterating that "the Syrian regime and former Lebanese President Emile Lahoud gave orders" to kill Hariri. Beirut, 12 Apr 10, 08:10

Qassem: We Support a Consensual Proportional Representation in the Elections
Naharnet/Hizbullah Deputy Secretary General Naim Qassem on Monday voiced his party's support for consensual proportional representation in the upcoming municipal elections.
He said while launching the party's electoral campaign in the Bekaa region, "We believe that we are taking a unique step that has never been taken before in Lebanon and that is adopting consensual proportional representation, even if the electoral law does not acknowledge proportional representation, but majority rules."
Qassem added that all the towns in the region support the party and its political views. "I can predict the results of the elections and say that all the towns will vote for the party and its agenda," he said. He continued by saying that the municipal elections should not be a political battleground, but the municipality is an arena for development and serving the people.
Qassem noted, however, that he does not expect a heated political battle in the Bekaa because 92 to 96 percent of the people support Hizbullah and Amal.
On Sunday, he said at a Hizbullah ceremony in Beirut's southern suburbs that the party supports any electoral law "because any law would not affect the results we would achieve in our areas." Beirut, 12 Apr 10, 13:34

Berri Fears Israel Could Get US Involved in War against Lebanon or Gaza
Naharnet/Speaker Nabih Berri expressed fear that Israel could try to get the U.S. involved in any new aggression on Lebanon or Gaza.
"We have fears now that Israel, which at present is at odds with the United States, could get the US involved in a crazy move," Berri said in remarks published Monday by pan-Arab daily Asharq al-Awsat. He said there is "no guarantee" that Israel would decide not to launch an offensive "unless a "future equation" existed. Berri cited a statement by Saudi foreign minister in which he told Lebanese leaders during the opening of the Taef Conference in 1989 that "both war and peace should be prepared for." "Iran, Lebanon, or Gaza. In Iran, they know it is not going to be a picnic. They (U.S.) are likely to go to less danger regions," Berri thought. Turning to the dialogue table which due April 15, Berri said the upcoming session "is going to be very importa "I believe we should take decisive steps. I am with resolving this issue. I am with differenciating between white and black," Berri stressed. Beirut, 12 Apr 10, 09:09

OTV Attacks Sfeir for Defending Usage of Arms
Naharnet/OTV television channel, mouthpiece of Free Patriotic Movement leader Michel Aoun, has slammed Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Sfeir for defending usage of arms in the Oyoun Orghosh incident. It described as "unprecedented" Sfeir's remarks in which he told a delegation from Oyoun Orghosh that "defending your land is a legitimate right" and hoped Lebanese officials would be able to reach a satisfactory solution. "His words imply that he is defending the usage of weapons which occurred in that region against the Lebanese army," OTV said. Sfeir's remarks also "indicate he is legitimizing carrying of non-state arms to defend any individual right, regardless of whether tons of drugs are left behind." Beirut, 12 Apr 10, 11:05

Five Questions for Dr. Walid Phares on the Nuclear Security Summit
By Lt. Col. W. Thomas Smith Jr. Sunday, April 11, 2010
On Monday, the U.S. will host the leaders of 46 countries at a two-day nuclear security summit: Many of the attending governments urging that the summit serve as a benchmark for a renewal of international focus to prevent nuclear terrorism. Ironically, the summit is taking place a few days after the Iranian regime, which constantly thumbs its nose at the international community, celebrated its so-called “National Day of Nuclear Technology.”
Beyond the obvious, what should be the focus of the summit?


We ask Dr. Walid Phares, director of the Future of Terrorism Project at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies and the author of The Confrontation: Winning the War against Future Jihad. Phares has served both on the National Security Council’s advisory task force on nuclear terrorism (2006-2007) and as an advisor to the Anti-Terrorism Caucus of the U.S. House of Representatives (a position he has held since 2008).


Our questions and his answers follow.


W. Thomas Smith Jr.: What should be the primary topic addressed at the conference?


DR. WALID PHARES: Without any doubt it should be the looming Iranian nuclear threat. This is a regime which is rushing to build-and-deploy nuclear weapons and at the same time issuing public statements that it would actually use such terrible weapons to wipe an entire country from existence. This alone should be a red line. Also, the Iranian regime – while seeking nukes – is interfering in Iraq and Afghanistan. It has an alliance with the Syrian regime, which – like Iran – supports Hezbollah with weaponry, funding, and operational support, all of which could trigger a regional war at any moment. Moreover, the Iranian regime is backing an armed insurrection in northern Yemen. It has a presence in the Red Sea. And it has signed a treaty with Hugo Chavez’s regime in our own Hemisphere. If we allow Iran to acquire nuclear weapons, we may end up seeing the deployment of those weapons on three continents. Pres. Obama has a unique opportunity to gather a vast international consensus on isolating Tehran and opposing its nuclear ambitions.


Smith: India’s Prime Minister Manmohan Singh says the summit should focus on “nuclear terrorism and proliferation of sensitive nuclear materials and technologies.” You served on a U.S. task force on nuclear terrorism back in 2007. Explain what we mean by nuclear terrorism and touch on the specifics?


PHARES: It simply means that terrorist organizations can put their hands on nuclear material or weapons and eventually use them. The first stage in this threat is proliferation: Where can terrorist groups acquire these weapons. This is the crux of the problem. Who would give, sell, or – in any way – allow them to obtain such weapons. Then if they do indeed acquire them, how will they use or threaten to use them? How to stop them? This is our second problem. Tight international cooperation is one of the best ways to combat nuclear terrorism.


Smith: Terrorist organizations are indeed seeking to acquire nuclear weapons.


PHARES: Yes, of course. Some terrorist groups have a very focused interest in acquiring and eventually using them. Osama Bin Laden stated that he wishes to put his hands on such weapons and he also has alluded that he believes the Pakistani nukes belong to the Jihadists. On the other hand, if Iran ‘s regime obtains these weapons, it goes without saying that Hezbollah could receive them. Hezbollah already has the missiles capable of delivering these weapons.


Smith: Which of the “nuclear countries” might be a source for terrorists?


PHARES: We should first be concerned about the situation in Pakistan. The government there is anti-Taliban and has assured the U.S. and the international community that these weapons are secure. However, there are concerns that those sympathetic to the Taliban might facilitate a transfer of one or more of those weapons to the Jihadists, or the Jihadists might seize them outright. Nuclear material from former Soviet republics is also a matter of concern. Obviously North Korea is another potential source of proliferation.


Smith: Israel’s Prime Minister is reportedly not going to attend, because, apparently, Turkey and Egypt are going to raise the issue of Israel’s nuclear arsenal. Explain why two American allies would focus on Israel and not on Iran?


PHARES: Good question. Traditionally, Turkey’s secular administrations have been careful not to enter the fray of nuclear debate in the region. However, it seems that the AKP [Adalet ve Kalkinma Partisi] Islamic Party is now adopting an increasingly pro-Islamist position, and thus is using the issue in regional and international forums to enhance its stance with Islamist forces in the Arab world. The AKP government has declared its solidarity with Iran’s nuclear program while claiming that the latter is not a military program, and it has supported the Omar al-Bashir regime in Sudan as well as Hamas in Gaza. Turkey’s government also has been vocally critical of its former military partner, Israel. I expect the AKP is preparing to eventually declare its own intention of acquiring such technology in the not-so-distant future. As for Egypt, its government is under severe propaganda and political pressure by the Muslim Brotherhood at home and in the region and thus takes advantage of international forums to show ideological toughness.