LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN

LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
ِApril 14/2010

Bible Of the Day
Paul's Letter to the Romans 12/9- Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor that which is evil. Cling to that which is good. 12:10 In love of the brothers be tenderly affectionate one to another; in honor preferring one another; 12:11 not lagging in diligence; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord; 12:12 rejoicing in hope; enduring in troubles; continuing steadfastly in prayer; 12:13 contributing to the needs of the saints; given to hospitality. 12:14 Bless those who persecute you; bless, and don’t curse. 12:15 Rejoice with those who rejoice. Weep with those who weep. 12:16 Be of the same mind one toward another. Don’t set your mind on high things, but associate with the humble. Don’t be wise in your own conceits. 12:17 Repay no one evil for evil. Respect what is honorable in the sight of all men. 12:18 If it is possible, as much as it is up to you, be at peace with all men. 12:19 Don’t seek revenge yourselves, beloved, but give place to God’s wrath. For it is written, “Vengeance belongs to me; I will repay, says the Lord.”* 12:20 Therefore “If your enemy is hungry, feed him. If he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in doing so, you will heap coals of fire on his head.”* 12:21 Don’t be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

Free Opinions, Releases, letters, Interviews & Special Reports
Fitting end for faulty general/By: Ahmed Al-Jarallah/April 13/10
Peace talks, Bashar’s war by other means/By: Tony Badran/April 13/10

Latest News Reports From Miscellaneous Sources for April 13/10
Hariri reiterates commitment to Taif Accord on civil war anniversary/Now Lebanon
Civil War Remembered in Friendly Football Game between March 8, March 14 Leaders/Naharnet
Sleiman discusses Lebanese-French cooperation with French official/Now Lebanon
Williams hopes for successful defense strategy during upcoming dialogue session/Now Lebanon
Lebanon Complains to U.N. over Israeli Violations, 1599 to be Discussed April 30/Naharnet
Israeli Troops Forced 'Back' Following Lebanese Army Warning/Naharnet
Peres Accuses Syria of Providing Missiles to Hizbullah while Talking Peace/Naharnet
Lebanese Technical Team in Damascus Wednesday ahead of Hariri Visit/Naharnet
Hariri: Adoption of Appointments Plan Aimed at Providing Better Services to Citizens/Naharnet
Jumblat: U.S. Labeling of Hizbullah as a Terrorist Group Does Not Suit Us/Naharnet
Arslan-Wahab Reunion on Hot Burner ahead of Municipal Elections/Naharnet
Fatah Forms Investigation Panel to Probe Medhat's Murder Near Sidon/Naharnet
New Pro-Franjieh District Commissioner in Zgharta/Naharnet
Amnesty Urges Lebanon to Give Women Right to Pass on Nationality to their Children/Naharnet
STL Acting Registrar Reiterates Importance of Cooperation between Tribunal, Lebanese Authorities/Naharnet
Cabinet Adopts Appointments Mechanism, Suleiman Calls for Implementing Dialogue Resolutions as to Palestinian Weapons/Naharnet
Jumblat Calls for Lowering MPs Salaries, Reevaluating U.S.-ISF Security Agreement/Naharnet
Hizbullah's Mousawi: Any U.S. Security Intervention is Equal to Israeli Intervention/Naharnet
Military Prosecutor Seeks Death Penalty against Three Charged with Spying for Israel/Naharnet
150 Pilots from 16 Countries to 'Color Lebanon's Sky' on May 9/Naharnet
Yishai explains his objection to journalist's visit in Lebanon/Ynetnews
Jumblatt calls for revision of US-ISF security agreement/Daily Star
STL registrar makes first visit to Lebanon/Daily Star
Future, FPM debate over Beirut seats/Daily Star
Broadband project finally in fast lane/Daily Star
Cabinet moves on long-waited top state appointments/Daily Star
Salameh: unified Arab currency will boost inter-MENA trade/Daily Star
Magistrate wants spies for Israel sentenced to death/Daily Star/Daily Star
Families of War - time missing urge action/Daily Star
Armenian speaker thanks Lebanon for refugee support/Daily Star
Kuwaiti Daily: Tension In US –Syria Relations/MEMRI (blog

Fitting end for faulty general
By: Ahmed Al-Jarallah - Editor-in-Chief, the Arab Times
The foggy deception covering Lebanese lawmaker Michel Aoun is becoming clearer with the emergence of the genuine picture. The general must have realized that he was a mere tool in the hands of Hezbollah, which has been using him at will to actualize the impossible objective of the so-called ‘mayor of Rabiya’ to rule Lebanon or become the leader of Arab Christians.
The bloc has disbanded, while the general’s associates, with whom he started the struggle, have deserted him. If the previous Lebanese parliamentary elections revealed his inability to influence the vote of those he regarded as allies, the recent municipal election put his political weight in the right perspective. This was more glaring in some constituencies shared by the Amal Movement and Hezbollah.
Whoever listens to the speeches and statements of Aoun will think he is the Bismarck of Lebanon. However, those who closely follow the political developments in the country are aware that the general is a mere chess player for regional interests whose administration has been assigned to certain groups from the beginning.
The administration has declared its status as an agent of destruction and unreasonable adventures to push Lebanon towards a tight corner. This action has been taken to realize the objectives of principals lurking behind the borders or seas but the retired general, with all his assumed power, will always be regarded as just a tool for the implementation of bigger plans.
Authors of the leadership slogan, which a sizeable segment thought would rescue them from clashes of interest in Lebanon, initially assumed they can control the allies, but they have failed woefully. We can compare this failure to the 1989 scenario when they burnt Lebanon under the pretext of waging a ‘liberation war’, which eventually led to the liberation of Lebanon from the citizens and killed them. They gambled on breaking the historical alliance between major Shiite blocs in Lebanon. Our Lebanese colleagues regard the alliance as a platform for Lebanese politics, but it is actually useless politics.
The Lebanese and Arabs are used to numerous personality types of Aoun like foams of detergent that fill any vacant space. He is actually a ‘visible space’ occupied or used for a particular period and thrown away by mistake. The Lebanese have been living with the movements, parties, blocs and militias over the last four decades. Some have become products of regional and global planting of espionage. The wicked parties have not found any alternative to the backyard in Lebanon where they have been dumping garbage, as well as carrying out evil and destructive activities.
Aoun is one of those who have been pushed towards political retirement after ending their military service. It may be reasonable for him to start writing his memoir, and then use the proceeds for his enjoyment. Actually, he had earlier done this for 15 years in Paris when he was pushed into political oblivion. He later forgot the past and regained strength like an imaginary horse, aborting independence and liberation revolution that took place to secure release of Lebanese prisoners. He continued these operations until he almost became a lone ranger with a handful people. Only a few have remained with him - those who benefit from him or his relatives. We have witnessed how he lost companions due to his determination to ensure his in-law stays in the ministerial portfolio.
This is a good lesson for those who deny people who stood by them in difficult situations, which is like paying back with the same coins. What does Aoun expect from his allies when they saw how he deserted his armed companions? What kind of free national bloc is he referring to, since while he is serving only the interest of his family? His political end is for anybody who imagines that he has become a world leader while he is just a local leader in a small village or hut.
Aoun suffered without any benefit, because he cannot be the leader of Arab Christians. He lost his previous prestige in Lebanon when they used to see him as a formidable leader. It is unfortunate that he has proven to be a tool in the hands of a higher profile actor in terms of leadership imagination. Will he learn to return to the class where he can grow wings to fly into liberation or he will remain in the alliance even if everybody has realized his role has started fading away?
Email: ahmed@aljarallah.com

Sleiman discusses Lebanese-French cooperation with French official
April 13, 2010 /President Michel Sleiman issued a statement following his meeting with French National Assembly Speaker Bernard Accoyer on Tuesday that cooperation between France and Lebanon will continue on all levels, including within the UN Security Council. Sleiman commended his relationship with his French counterpart, Nicolas Sarkozy, whom, Sleiman said, has played an essential role in ending Lebanon’s political crisis, in a possible reference to helping form a Lebanese national-unity cabinet following the 2009 parliamentary elections.
Sleiman also thanked Paris for its constant support for Lebanon and its contingent’s role within UNIFIL. Accoyer, in turn, said that his Lebanon visit aims to strengthen cooperation between French and Lebanese constitutional institutions, specifically that between France’s National Assembly and Lebanon’s parliament. He also voiced hope that Lebanon would maintain its stability and bolster its national unity through its role as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council as well as its ties with France. The statement added that Speaker Nabih Berri later joined the meeting, after which Prime Minister Saad Hariri hosted the men for lunch. -NOW Lebanon

STL registrar makes first visit to Lebanon
By Patrick Galey
/Daily Star staff
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
BEIRUT: The acting registrar of the UN probe into the killing of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri kicked off a week of deliberations with top Lebanese officials Monday in a trip aimed at building ties between Beirut and The Hague.
“We are looking to enhance our cooperation with Lebanon and our communication with the Lebanese community, not just officials but also lawyers and civil society [members],” UN Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) spokesperson Fatima al-Issawi told The Daily Star.
Acting Registrar Herman von Hebel, during his first visit to Lebanon, met Speaker Nabhi Berri on Monday, but made no statement after the meeting.
As von Hebel began his first round of meetings, it emerged that a former Syrian intelligence chief, who was accused of falsifying evidence for the tribunal, is currently in Europe.
Mohammad Zuhair al-Siddiq was imprisoned in the Gulf and due to return to his native Syria upon completing his sentence for entering the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on a forged Czech passport. The Kuwaiti daily As-Siyassah printed on Monday a statement allegedly sent from Siddiq which failed to specify exactly what country the discredited witness was in.
In an interview with the paper, Siddiq claimed he was given the falsified documentation to enter the UAE by France’s Interior Ministry, headed at the time by President Nicholas Sarkozy.
“I didn’t know [the passport] was forged. French President Nicolas Sarkozy’s office when he was interior minister gave me this passport,” Siddiq was quoted as saying. “I was told that [the passport] was earmarked for the protection of witnesses in Hariri’s case,” he added. Siddiq was last heard from in October last year, when he received his sentence from an Abu Dhabi court. He was supposed to be returned to Syria following the completion of his jail term.
In Monday’s interview, Siddiq also claimed that Hizbullah had some involvement in Hariri’s murder. German magazine Der Speigel has accused Hizbullah of involvement in the case and STL investigators have recently contacted party cadres for information as witnesses, as the group’s Secretary General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah confirmed in a televised address last week. Shortly after the STL began in March

Peres Accuses Syria of Providing Missiles to Hizbullah while Talking Peace
Naharnet/Israeli President Shimon Peres on Tuesday accused Syria of providing Scud missiles to Hizbullah while publicly talking peace. "Syria claims it wants peace while at the same time it delivers Scuds to Hezbollah whose only goal is to threaten the state of Israel," Peres told Israel radio. There have been reports in the past, notably in Arab media and by specialized think-tanks, that Syria was sending some of its arsenal of Scud missiles to Lebanon. "Syria believes it need do nothing more than let itself be courted by the world, while saying one thing and doing the opposite," said Peres, whose post is largely ceremonial. He made the comments just hours before flying to Paris, where he is expected to discuss the issue in talks with French President Nicolas Sarkozy. Israel's Deputy Defense Minister Matan Vilnai declined to go into details of the alleged Scud shipment, but said "Hezbollah's firing capacity has significantly improved."
Israel accuses both Syria and Iran of supplying arms to the Hizbullah, whose deadly attack on an army patrol in Israel triggered a bloody war in the summer of 2006. The 34-day conflict with Hizbullah killed 1,200 Lebanese, mostly civilians, and more than 160 Israelis, mostly soldiers. Vilnai said that Israel would again conduct military exercises this year to prepare for possible rocket attacks by Hezbollah. Despite a 1949 armistice agreement, Israel remains technically at war with Syria, among those that battled the nascent Jewish state in the 1948 Israeli-Arab war. Syria's President Bashar al-Assad has recently indicated willingness to resume indirect Turkish-mediated talks which were suspended when Israel launched its devastating Gaza offensive in December 2008.(AFP-Naharnet) Beirut, 13 Apr 10, 10:03

Hizbullah's Mousawi: Any U.S. Security Intervention is Equal to Israeli Intervention
Naharnet/Loyalty to the Resistance MP Nawaf Mousawi said Monday that any U.S. security intervention is tantamount to direct Israeli meddling in Lebanese affairs.
Mousawi said he hoped family and non-partisan disputes would "not be used by the U.S. to hide its crimes behind, particularly ahead of upcoming municipal elections."
"We should act in a way that does not allow the U.S. in Lebanon to make use of any crack or split to hide behind," he urged. Mousawi accused the U.S. embassy in Awkar of "harming" national reconciliation efforts "through the policy of sabotage and fragmentation it is adopting in Lebanon and the region." "The Awkar den is also harming national dignity by turning its intelligence into tools to slaughter the Lebanese anytime it wants, thus disturbing Lebanese national security because any U.S. security intervention in Lebanon is a direct Israeli intervention in Lebanese national affairs." Beirut, 12 Apr 10, 14:03

Civil War Remembered in Friendly Football Game between March 8, March 14 Leaders
Naharnet/April 13, 2010 marks the 35th anniversary of the start of the Lebanese Civil War. This year, the two opposing political camps in Lebanon – March 8 and March 14 -- chose to remember this day in a friendly football game in a show of solidarity. Lebanon's three top leaders -- President Michel Suleiman, Prime Minister Saad Hariri and Speaker Nabih Berri -- were invited to play on Tuesday at 6:30pm at Beirut's Sportive City. Only Hariri, however, was said to participate in the match that aims to promote civil peace.
All 30 Cabinet ministers and lawmakers from both the majority March 14 coalition and the Hizbullah-led March 8 alliance as well as ambassadors, security chiefs and presidents of Lebanese sports associations were also invited to the game under the emblem "we are all one team." Among the players in the 30-minute match were the following ministers and MPs: Ali Abdullah Ziad Baroud, Jebran Bassil, Mohammed Rahhal, Akram Shehayeb, Simon Abi Ramia, Ibrahim Kanaan, Ghassan Mukhaiber, Fadi Aawar, Alain Aoun, Ali Ammar, Serge Torsarkissian, Nadime Gemayel, Sami Gemayel and Ali Miqdad. The Sports Commission announced in a statement that the game, organized by the Sports and Youth ministry, will take place without spectators. Meanwhile, Farah al-Ata, Arabic for "Joy of Giving" association, in cooperation with the education ministry and a number of public and private schools as well as NGOs, is organizing an activity under the title "Peace amongst us or peace on Lebanon." In a related event, families of civil war-era missing will also pursue their cause in hopes of putting an end to the issue. Beirut, 13 Apr 10, 08:11

Lebanon Complains to U.N. over Israeli Violations, 1599 to be Discussed April 30
Naharnet/Lebanon has filed a complaint to the U.N. Security Council accusing Israeli troops of crossing into its territory at the weekend, a foreign ministry official said Tuesday.
"Lebanon filed a complaint on Monday to the U.N. Security Council over Israel's crossing the Blue Line into Lebanese territory on Saturday near the Wazzani river," the official told AFP.
"This is a violation of Lebanon's sovereignty and Resolution 1701." The Wazzani River is located along the southern border between the two countries. In a statement released Sunday, the Lebanese army said 11 Israeli soldiers had crossed into Lebanese territory and dismantled a bulldozer at a construction site near the Wazzani. But the U.N. peacekeeping force in southern Lebanon (UNIFIL) said that it only had evidence of Israeli troops crossing the technical fence but not the Blue Line. The so-called Blue Line is a U.N.-drawn border established after the withdrawal of Israeli troops from southern Lebanon in 2000, following a 22-year presence. Security Council resolution 1701 brought an end to a deadly 34-day summer war in 2006 between Israel and Hizbullah and beefed up the UNIFIL force in southern Lebanon The U.N. Security Council is scheduled to discuss Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's report on the implementation of resolution 1559 by the end of April to avoid debating it under the Lebanese presidency of the Council next month.(AFP-Naharnet) Beirut, 13 Apr 10, 13:01

Israeli Troops Forced 'Back' Following Lebanese Army Warning
Naharnet/Israeli troops were forced to retreat after a brief incursion into a Lebanese border town on Tuesday following a warning by the Lebanese army. State-run National News Agency said the 15-member force backed by vehicles crossed the Blue Line into the border town of Abbassiyeh around 7:30am Tuesday. It said a bulldozer could be seen leveling a piece of land about 250 square meters and fencing it with barbed wire. Minutes afterwards, the Lebanese army issued a warning to Israeli troops via UNIFIL, threatening to open fire unless the force withdrew, NNA said. It said contacts resulted in a complete Israeli pull back as well as suspension of works Israeli troops had begun in the vicinity of the Abbassiyeh.
Beirut, 13 Apr 10, 12:07

Lebanese Technical Team in Damascus Wednesday ahead of Hariri Visit
Naharnet/Prime Minister Saad Hariri has informed Cabinet that an economic- technical premiership team will be holding preparatory meetings in Damascus Wednesday to negotiate amendments that are likely to be introduced to old agreements and discuss new draft deals that could be signed with Syria. He said the team is made of the Director-Generals of the ministries of finance, economy and trade. Hariri has briefed Cabinet ministers during a session held at Baabda Palace late Monday on his recent visit to Spain.
The preparatory meetings are to be followed by bilateral negotiations between Lebanon and Syria as a prelude to Hariri's upcoming visit to Damascus at the head of a ministerial delegation.
Hariri is expected to cut a number of new agreements with Syria. The daily As-Safir on Tuesday said Hariri has received telephone calls from his Syrian counterpart Naji al-Otari that was followed by a conversation with President Bashra Assad and another from the Office of Minister Shaaban. Beirut, 13 Apr 10, 09:19

Hariri: Adoption of Appointments Plan Aimed at Providing Better Services to Citizens
Naharnet/Prime Minister Saad Hariri described cabinet's adoption of a plan to promote officials from within the ranks of the civil service as a "very important step in consolidating the government's performance" and improving services to citizens. Following the cabinet session at Baabda palace on Monday, Hariri told An Nahar daily that the move "reflects our commitment to implement what has been mentioned in the policy statement." Last month, the cabinet tasked a ministerial committee headed by Minister of State for Administrative Reform Mohammed Fneish to formulate the procedure for setting standards to fill vacant state administrative positions. Hariri said the mechanism, the first of its kind in the past 50 years, is a serious step in developing the public sector "to provide better services to all citizens." "We are committed to respect equal shares and balance. The importance of this mechanism is that it would help appoint the most qualified (people) from all confessions," the premier told An Nahar. Beirut, 13 Apr 10, 08:51

Jumblat: U.S. Labeling of Hizbullah as a Terrorist Group Does Not Suit Us
Naharnet/Progressive Socialist Party Chief MP Walid Jumblat has criticized the United States' labeling of Hizbullah as a terrorist group. "The United States' concept of terrorism and resistance does not suit us at all," he told As Safir newspaper in remarks published on Tuesday. He also added that the issue of Hizbullah's arms should be withdrawn from Thursday's national dialogue session. Furthermore, Jumblat said that the current national unity government should reconsider the security agreement that was signed by the United States and the previous government. He explained that the Fouad Saniora government was incapacitated due to local unrest and so the agreement was signed despite its flaws.
He therefore urged the current government to "reconsider all aspects of the agreement." The Druze leader continued by saying that Lebanon does not oppose foreign assistance on condition that it does not infringe on the country's sovereignty. In his weekly commentary in the Anbaa magazine, the MP tackled the issue of Palestinian refugees in Lebanon, saying they should be protected socially, politically, and security wise. He suggested that a ministry for Palestinian refugee affairs be established "so that their issue may be dealt with national responsibility and with dignity and respect." Beirut, 13 Apr 10, 12:24

Arslan-Wahab Reunion on Hot Burner ahead of Municipal Elections
Naharnet/PSP leader Walid Jumblat was reportedly trying to unite Druze rivals Wiam Wahab and Talal Arslan ahead of upcoming municipal elections. Pan-Arab al-Hayat newspaper on Tuesday said Jumblat was seeking to provide a climate for reconciliation between Democratic Party leader Talal Arslan and head of the Tawheed Movement Wiam Wahab. It said Wahab will meet Jumblat at his mansion in Clemenceau on Wednesday. Syrian President Bashar Assad has stressed during a recent meeting with Arslan on the need for reconciliation between the Democratic party leader and Wahab. Beirut, 13 Apr 10, 10:29

Fatah Forms Investigation Panel to Probe Medhat's Murder Near Sidon
Naharnet/Fatah movement's Central Committee has reportedly decided to form a commission to investigate the assassination of the deputy of Palestine Liberation Organization representative in Lebanon, Kamal Medhat. Al-Liwaa daily on Tuesday quoted Palestinian sources as saying that the Central Committee, which met under Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah on Monday, decided to form the investigation panel upon the insistence of committee member Sultan Abul Ainain. Medhat was killed, alongside three others, in a massive explosion that tore through his convoy near the Miyeh Miyeh Palestinian refugee camp outside the southern city of Sidon in March last year. Al-Liwaa's sources said Abbas will appoint a member of the Central Committee to head the investigation team. They told the newspaper that the panel will visit Beirut soon and coordinate with the Lebanese judiciary and security forces on the probe into the killing. Beirut, 13 Apr 10, 09:58

New Pro-Franjieh District Commissioner in Zgharta
Naharnet/Interior Minster Ziad Baroud has appointed a new district commissioner in Zgharta, who has close ties to MP Suleiman Franjieh, An Nahar daily reported Tuesday.
Sources told the newspaper that the previous district commissioner was close to former Minister Nayla Moawad. Franjieh was informed about the appointment on Monday night, An Nahar said. Beirut, 13 Apr 10, 09:15

Amnesty Urges Lebanon to Give Women Right to Pass on Nationality to their Children
Naharnet/Amnesty International has urged Lebanese authorities to withdraw immediately an appeal they have filed against a landmark court ruling allowing a Lebanese woman to pass on her nationality to her children. If the Civil Chamber of the Court of Appeal overturns the decision taken in June last year, "it will shatter hopes of thousands of children born to Lebanese mothers and foreign national fathers, who are treated as foreigners in their own country," the London-based non-governmental organization said in a press release. The Chamber is scheduled to hear on Tuesday the case of Samira Soueidan, a Lebanese citizen who was granted the right to pass on her nationality to three of her Lebanon-born children by the Fifth Chamber of the Court of First Instance in Mount Lebanon's Jdeidit al-Metn on June 16, 2009. Judges John Qazzi, Rana Habaka, and Lamis Kazma argued in their June ruling that Article 7 of Lebanon's Constitution asserts the principle of equality before the law for all citizens. They, therefore, granted Soueidan the right to confer her nationality to her children. However, the decision was challenged by the public prosecution and a legal commission at the justice ministry on behalf of the Lebanese state in July and September respectively. Beirut, 13 Apr 10, 08:24

STL Acting Registrar Reiterates Importance of Cooperation between Tribunal, Lebanese Authorities
Naharnet/The Acting Registrar of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, Herman von Hebel, reiterated Monday the importance of fortifying cooperation between the tribunal and the concerned Lebanese authorities at all levels. He also reiterated the priority of Lebanon's support for the tribunal in order to enable it of succeeding in its missions. During his meetings with each of Speaker Nabih Berri and Prime Minister Saad Hariri, Von Hebel explained the role of the Registry, which is "an independent organ that supports the other organs of the Tribunal and enhances their missions." The STL acting registrar listened to the viewpoints of the Lebanese officials "as part of the constructive and continuous dialogue about the tribunal and its role in achieving justice according to the highest standards of international justice." STL Spokesperson Fatima al-Issawi said that Von Hebel will hold a series of meetings during this week with a number of political and judicial officials as well as with legal experts and members of the civil society "as part of enhancing communication between the tribunal and the Lebanese society." Beirut, 12 Apr 10, 19:04

Peace talks, Bashar’s war by other means
Tony Badran, April 13, 2010
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is known to have a penchant for brinksmanship. Calculating that he has nothing to fear from a timid Obama administration, he is upping the ante in his direct military support to Hezbollah in Lebanon. The latest brazen act may involve the shipment of Syrian Scud D missiles to his Shia allies.
Assad’s move appears to have followed his recent tripartite summit with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah. It also comes after numerous reports in recent months about a steady increase in the quantity and quality of Syrian-supplied weapons to Hezbollah – from anti-aircraft systems (outdated models, like the SA-2, but possibly also the man-portable SA-18 and SA-24 Igla) to longer-range, Syrian-made surface-to-surface missiles (the M-600/Fateh-110). It is unclear whether Israel views items on this list as strategic game changers.
This development has quietly set off a seemingly heated discussion in Washington. Capitol Hill is not amused, and according to two reports, the confirmation of Robert Ford as ambassador to Syria has been placed on hold. The incident reportedly has led to the State Department’s summoning of Syria’s ambassador, Imad Mustapha, to relay to him a message about the severity of the situation. Reportedly, the Israeli government warned the United States that the transfer of such weaponry could lead to conflict with Syria.
Through such behavior, Assad has confused those who had high hopes for “engagement” of Syria. The believers only have themselves to blame. Assad’s determination to increase the weapons supply to Hezbollah is a strategic decision. As one Syrian official put it to the Qatari daily Al-Watan, “a strategic decision has been taken not to allow Israel to defeat the resistance movements.” Assad himself affirmed this principle on Hezbollah’s Al-Manar TV a few weeks ago.
Assad has been doubling down on “resistance” both in his rhetoric and in Syrian material support – exceedingly so ever since the US voiced its desire to improve relations with Syria in the hope of prying it away from Iran and ending Syrian backing for Hezbollah and Hamas.
The Syrian president made a telling remark at the last Arab League summit to the Palestinian Authority president, Mahmoud Abbas. He observed that “the price of resistance is not higher than the price of peace.” And therein lays the problem. Assad has not been made to feel that the costs of continued destabilization can be prohibitive. Instead, all he gets from Washington are weak statements in response to his actions, and rarely from high-ranking administration officials.
The Israelis may currently be unwilling to divert attention from their primary concern, which is blocking the Iranian nuclear program. As a result they might be leaving Syria for the United States to handle directly. Depending on how the Obama administration deals with the situation, the risk is that Assad will draw the lesson that he enjoys impunity – especially if Washington’s impulse is to address the problem by calling for resumed peace talks between Syria and Israel.
Furthermore, the Syrian president may calculate that, in the event of a conflict, the administration will ultimately prevent the Israelis from going all the way with Syria and, instead, pressure them into entering negotiations. If Assad senses that he is protected, expect him to push the envelope even further – at Lebanon’s expense, of course.
Assad’s mantra is that “peace and resistance are two sides of the same coin.” As he sees things, it’s not either peace or resistance. For him the two are simultaneous tools of attrition, with peace talks providing Syria with impunity as Assad pursues “resistance.” In his conceptual framework, the peace process is just warfare by other means.
Some have tried to paint Assad as a victim of Iranian entrapment. But this is simply wrong. By making Hezbollah’s arming a Syrian, as opposed to an Iranian, issue, Assad hopes to increase his leverage in Lebanon in order to bargain over Syrian control there with the US and Israel. Recalling the “red lines” agreement of 1976 and the April understanding of 1996, the Syrian president may be trying to gain US legitimization for a new such framework in Lebanon.
The Syrian wager always was that Israel would much prefer dealing with Syria than Hezbollah in Lebanon. Indeed, the whole logic of the so-called “strategic realignment” theory for Syria leads in that direction. Therefore, escalating and pushing toward conflict in Lebanon would serve to set in motion Assad’s scheme.
However, this could end up being a bad miscalculation for Syria.
PLO official Bassam Abu Sharif once recounted how, in 1982, ahead of the Israeli invasion of Lebanon, he traveled to Arab capitals in order to ask for long-range weapons to deter Israel. The response he received is instructive today: “Seek the approval of your Syrian brothers. Because this type of weaponry carries responsibility, and the repercussions would be against Syria, and not you.”
When Assad’s father, Hafez, crossed Israel’s “red lines” back then, his army was battered in Lebanon. Bashar, perpetually seeking to deploy his army across the border, may also face Israeli military strikes against his smuggling convoys, or worse. Either way, Lebanon is likely to suffer massive Israeli devastation on the one hand, or a dangerous Syrian gambit to restore its military presence on the other. Keeping Lebanon was always Syria’s aim when embarking in peace talks.
**Tony Badran is a research fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.

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.

Fares criticizes Sfeir, defends FCCT
April 13, 2010 /Syrian Social Nationalist Party bloc MP Marwan Fares criticized Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Boutros Sfeir’s recent statement that Ouyoun Orgosh residents are entitled to defend their land after the Lebanese authorities found drugs and weapons over a week ago in the village and arrested several people allegedly involved in the matter.
Fares defended the 1991 Fraternity, Cooperation and Coordination Treaty (FCCT) signed between Syria and Lebanon, saying that most of its clauses further Lebanon’s interests. He cited the 1994 Assi River Water Agreement, which, he said, grants Lebanon 30 percent of the river’s water.
-NOW Lebanon

Peres: Syria Arming Hizbullah with Scuds While Talking Peace
by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu/Arutz Sheva
Syria is providing Hizbullah terrorists in Lebanon with the Scud missiles that traumatized Israel in the 1991 Gulf War, and a "Scud Crisis" is threatening to ignite an all-out war between Israel and Hizbullah, the Kuwaiti al-Rai newspaper reported.
President Shimon Peres confirmed the reports prior to leaving for his three-day visit to France.
Paraphrasing Psalms 120:7, the president said on Israeli radio, “Syria claims it wants peace while at the same time it delivers Scuds to Hizbullah whose only goal is to threaten the state of Israel. “I am for peace; When I speak, they are for war.”’
Al-Rai reported this week that Israel warned the Obama administration “it will take steps” if the United States does not succeed in pressuring Syria to cease arming Hizbullah with the weapons. The U.S. State Department then summoned Syrian Ambassador Imad Mustafa "to inform his government about the level of danger if the missiles crossed the border.”
Israel reportedly sent warnings it would bomb Lebanese and Syrian targets if the long-range missiles cross the border into Lebanon. There are conflicting reports on whether several Scud missiles already have been delivered to Hizbullah terrorists. Despite the almost invisible line between Lebanese armed forces and Hizbullah, the Obama has administration shipped weapons to the Beirut-based government, which is heavily dominated by Syrian interests.
The increasingly open threats made by Syrian leaders and members of the Hizbullah terrorist group in Lebanon have led analyst David Schenker of the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs (JCPA) think tank to warn that war may be on the horizon. In addition, he noted, a future war could include Syria and not only its proxy Hizbullah: in February, Syrian leaders said Syria would not “sit idly by” in case of another war with Israel. Syrian President Bashar Assad recently told visiting U.S. Senator John Kerry that Syria was not arming Hizbullah with the deadly weapons, but the American government was not convinced. “These reports are unequivocally false and are a product of the Israeli government that is trying to speciously create a raised level of tension in the region to justify a future conflagration of violence on their part, or simply to divert attention from the real issue at hand: Israeli settlements and expansionism,” Syria's Washington embassy spokesman told Foreign Policy’s The Cable. U.S. President Barack Obama, as part of his “engagement” policy, recently renewed official diplomatic relations with Syria even though the United States defines it as country that supports terror. Iraq, which was under the dictatorship of Saddam Hussein in 1991, pounded Israel, including metropolitan Tel Aviv, with 40 missiles (pictured at left). In what has been termed a Divine miracle, no one was killed by the explosions.

China against Sanctions on Iran despite Obama-Chinese Handshake
by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu/Arutz Sheva
China is against energy sanctions on Iran and instead favors “engaging” the Islamic Republic through negotiations despite U.S. President Barack Obama’s optimistic handshake with Chinese President Hu Jintao. The two leaders met at the American-sponsored Nuclear Summit in Washington on Monday.
Click here to read "Sanctions Are Utterly Futile."Obama administration officials tried to present the meeting between the two presidents as a sign that “the Chinese very clearly share our concern about the Iranian nuclear program," said Jeff Bader, Obama's senior director for Asia on the National Security Council. However, the lack of public agreement on specifics is the tip of the iceberg of deep dissensions concerning Iran’s nuclear program. Their discussions represented a warming of relations between the two countries and gave President Obama the opportunity to reiterate his expressed desire for tough sanctions aimed at preventing Iran from obtaining the capability to produce a nuclear weapon.
However, China’s ostensible cooperation for United Nations Security Council discussions on Iran may be a ploy to make sure that sanctions will be weak.
“The real question is whether they will ever accept any sanctions with real teeth, and my assumption is no,” according to Dan Blumenthal, a China expert at the American Enterprise Institute in Washington,” who was quoted by the Christian Science Monitor. Diplomats have said that China has made it clear it is against a ban on new energy investments in Iran, which lacks oil refining facilities and is dependent on foreign countries for refined petroleum.
President Obama’s draft for sanctions does not include a call for limits on shipments of oil and gas to Iran, falling far short of expectations of those who consider that time almost has run out to stop Iran from developing a nuclear warhead. Even if sanctions were to ban new energy investments on Iran, they would not affect the Bushehr nuclear reactor that Russia is building. Moscow’s vested interest in Iran’s nuclear facilities is another dark shadow on President Obama’s optimism.
"If we speak about energy sanctions, I'll give you my opinion. I think that we are unlikely to achieve a consolidated position in the world community on this issue," Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said on ABC television. "If half the countries are going to support sanctions and half are not, it's clear that the effectiveness of these sanctions will be zero," Medvedev said.