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.