LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
February 15/2010

Bible Of the Day
John 2/1-11: " The third day, there was a marriage in Cana of Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there. 2:2 Jesus also was invited, with his disciples, to the marriage. 2:3 When the wine ran out, Jesus’ mother said to him, “They have no wine.” 2:4 Jesus said to her, “Woman, what does that have to do with you and me? My hour has not yet come.” 2:5 His mother said to the servants, “Whatever he says to you, do it.” 2:6 Now there were six water pots of stone set there after the Jews’ way of purifying, containing two or three metretes apiece. 2:7 Jesus said to them, “Fill the water pots with water.” They filled them up to the brim. 2:8 He said to them, “Now draw some out, and take it to the ruler of the feast.” So they took it. 2:9 When the ruler of the feast tasted the water now become wine, and didn’t know where it came from (but the servants who had drawn the water knew), the ruler of the feast called the bridegroom, 2:10 and said to him, “Everyone serves the good wine first, and when the guests have drunk freely, then that which is worse. You have kept the good wine until now!” 2:11 This beginning of his signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him". /Naharnet

Free Opinions, Releases, letters & Special Reports
A joint Arab force against Terror is needed/By Walid Phares/February 14/10
The Ukrainian lesson/By:Ana Maria Luca/Now Lebanon/February 14/10

Latest News Reports From Miscellaneous Sources for February 14/10
Report: Obama administration to adopt new positive measures toward Syria/Al-Bawaba
Deputy minister in Golan: Syria supplied 10% of Majdal Shams' water/Ynetnews
Lebanon marks five-year anniversary of Hariri assasination/Christian Science Monitor
March 14 Leaders Stress Need to Accomplish Sovereignty, State-to-State Relation with Syria /Naharnet
Hariri from Martyrs Square: We Stretch Our Hand to Cooperate in Extending State /Naharnet
Gemayel Asks Syria to Treat Lebanon 'as a Sovereign State' /Naharnet
Saniora: We Resist Israel Shoulder-to-Shoulder, But We Shouldn't Give It Alibis to Attack Us /Naharnet
Geagea Urges Opposition Leaders 'to Place Weapons in State's Service' /Naharnet
Huge rally in Beirut marks Hariri's 2005 killing/The Associated Press
Lebanon marks 5th anniversary of Hariri assassination/CNN
Lebanon rally marks Hariri killing/ABS CBN News
Obama Stresses to Hariri Support for International Tribunal/Naharnet
Lebanon marks fifth anniversary of Hariri assassination/BBC News
Lebanon Marks Hariri's 5th Assassination Anniversary with Vows to Carry on Cedar Revolution/Naharnet
Harb: Lebanese still believe in our national path/Now Lebanon
Mneimneh says new project will improve education system/Now Lebanon
Zahra: February 14 is a continuation of the Cedar Revolution/Now Lebanon
Clinton wants Saudi help to pressure China on Iran sanctions/Now Lebanon
Lebanese Guns Fire on Israeli Warplanes/Naharnet
Nazik Hariri Says UN Earmarked Prize Bearing Rafik Hariri's Name/Naharnet
Qassem: Hizbullah Still Seeking Revenge for Mughniyeh's Assassination/Naharnet
Hariri: Only Death Would Separate Me from March 14 Allies/Naharnet
Majority Gears up for Feb. 14 Rally Amid New Status Quo/Naharnet
Aoun in Qatar; to Meet Jumblat in Mukhtara on Feb. 20/Naharnet
Murr to Ban: Some Incidents in South Cannot be Compared with Thousands of Israeli Violations/Naharnet
Obama Updated on Afghan Offensive/Naharnet
Burns in Beirut Next Week/Naharnet
Accused Canadian-Lebanese Bomber to Face June Extradition Hearing/Naharnet
Qassem: We Will Avenge Mughniyeh's Assassination 'at the Appropriate Time'/Naharnet
Franjieh: Our Participation in Aleppo Mass Paved Way for Maronite Church Expansion/Naharnet
Ban: U.N. Committed to Uncovering Truth in Hariri Slaying/Naharnet
Syria helps Iran divert attention from nuke drive: Israel/Times LIVE
A U.N. Betrayal in Beirut/New York Times

Huge rally in Beirut marks Hariri's 2005 killing
By ZEINA KARAM (AP) –
BEIRUT — Thousands of flag-waving Lebanese gathered in Beirut's main square Sunday to mark the fifth anniversary of the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, a killing that sparked a cascade of political turmoil in the Middle East.
As in previous years, tens of thousands of people from across the country took part despite a serious rift within the ranks of the pro-Western ruling coalition, now headed by the slain Hariri's son, the current prime minister.
It also comes after Prime Minister Saad Hariri reconciled with neighboring Syria, whom he has openly accused of killing his father in the 2005 truck bombing. The 40-year-old Hariri now heads a unity government that includes Syrian-backed politicians who had been part of the political opposition.
Rafik Hariri had close ties with Western leaders and was credited with helping rebuild Lebanon's capital after the 1975-1990 civil war. In the last few months before his assassination, he had tried to limit Syria's influence over Lebanon, and many accused Syria of involvement in his killing. Syria denies those accusations.
His death was followed by the rise of a U.S.- and Saudi-backed alliance that became known as the March 14 coalition, named after a day of massive anti-Syrian protests dubbed the "Cedar Revolution."
The demonstrations eventually led to the withdrawal of Syrian troops from the country, ending a 29-year military presence.
An international tribunal based in the Netherlands was set up a year ago to prosecute the killers, but no one has been charged and there are frustrations and concerns that the case is languishing.
Two high-level departures from the court in recent weeks have increased the worries of Hariri's backers, but the tribunal's head said during a visit to Beirut this month that the resignations were "normal" and that the investigation is on track.
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon reaffirmed the United Nations' commitment to the tribunal's efforts to uncover the truth, "so as to bring those responsible to justice and end impunity in Lebanon," U.N. spokesman Martin Nesirky said this week at the world body's New York headquarters.
President Barack Obama also assured Hariri in a telephone call that he strongly supports the work of the tribunal, according to Hariri's office.
Sunday's rally in Beirut's Martyrs' Square is an attempt by Saad Hariri and his allies to regain some of the political momentum lost after a major rift within its ranks.
Druse leader Walid Jumblatt — once a key figure in the March 14 alliance and a vehement critic of Syria who even called for Syrian President Bashar's Assad's overthrow — quit the Western-backed coalition in August and moved closer to the rival Hezbollah-led camp.
He now calls for "distinctive relations" with Syria and says he's prepared to also visit Damascus, the Syrian capital.
Jumblatt grudgingly said he will accompany Hariri to Sunday's rally but will not be one of the speakers.
Jumblatt's defection, as well as Hariri's landmark visit to Syria in December, gave the impression of a weakening alliance, and Sunday's rally is seen as an occasion to try to regroup.
Hariri said in a televised interview this week that the massive rally would prove that the March 14 coalition "still exists."
"We will show that we want to continue in the path of Rafik Hariri," he said.
Copyright © 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

Israelis warned of Hezbollah threat abroad
By Barak Ravid, Haaretz Correspodent
Israel's Counterterrorism Bureau on Sunday issued travel advisories ahead of the upcoming Passover holiday, warning Israelis that they are targets for potential attacks by Hezbollah and other militant groups. The advisory warns that Hezbollah has vowed recently to avenge the killing of its military commander Imad Mughniyeh and that Iran has also blamed Israel for the assassination last month of a nuclear scientist in Tehran, making Israelis susceptible to attacks.
"Hezbollah blames Israel again and again for the death of Imad Mughniyeh and Iran blames Israel for the death of the nuclear expert in Tehran," read the advisory. "These allegations increase the threat of terror against Israelis abroad." The warning went on to stress that Israelis, especially businessmen who have contact with Arab states, are targets for attacks or kidnappings abroad. The Counterterrorism Bureau urges Israelis to avoid traveling to Arab states, including Egypt and the Sinai Peninsula, Jordan, and other high-risk countries like Pakistan, Cote D'Ivoire, Indonesia, Malaysia, Togo, Mali and Burkina Faso. Israelis residing in those countries are being asked to leave.
Israelis are also being advised to postpone unnecessary trips to other countries, including Bangladesh, Kenya, Tajikistan and Nigeria due to threats of possible attacks

Israel to step up efforts over new sanctions on Iran
By Barak Ravid, Haaretz Correspondent
Israel will step up its diplomatic activity in the coming weeks, in an effort to persuade the international community to launch a fourth round of United Nations Security Council sanctions against Iran by the end of next month. Mike Mullen, the chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, will arrive in Israel today for talks on Iran's nuclear program, while Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will travel to Moscow in a bid to convince Russia to support new sanctions on Tehran.
Israel and the United States will hold strategic talks on the issue next week, the first such talks since Netanyahu took office. A senior Israeli official said yesterday that the U.S., France, Britain and Germany have been updating Israel continuously on developments at the UN and in major world capitals on drafting new measures against the Islamic Republic.
"As far as we know, efforts are being made to reach a decision on sanctions, and to have them approved in the Security Council by mid- to late March," the official said, adding, "The sanctions are expected to focus on the Revolutionary Guards and bodies linked to the nuclear program, and less on the Iranian population."
Jerusalem and Washington have held several high-level consultations on Iran in recent weeks. Last month U.S. National Security Adviser James Jones visited Israel for talks with Israeli colleagues, and two weeks ago Central Intelligence Agency Director Leon Panetta paid a secret visit to the country. The U.S. officials briefed their counterparts on sanctions the Obama administration intends to levy against Iran, but reportedly asked them to keep a low media profile and to "act responsibly."
Today Mullen will meet his Israeli equivalent, Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi, with whom he reportedly enjoys a close working relationship. Mullen and Ashkenazi met several weeks ago at a NATO summit in Brussels and on several other occasions over the past year, and speak regularly by phone.
Mullen will meet with Deputy Chief of Staff Benny Gantz tomorrow, as well as Military Intelligence chief Amos Yadlin and Amir Eshel, head of the army's Planning and Policy Directorate. Mullen will also meet with Defense Minister Ehud Barak for talks on Iran and on maintaining Israel's "qualitative edge" over other regional military forces.
Russia is the focal point of current international efforts to impose new sanctions on Tehran, a high-ranking Israeli official said, and Netanyahu's trip to Moscow will be heavily dedicated to the issue. Netanyahu will meet with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev tomorrow and with Prime Minister Vladimir Putin the following d
Russia is believed to support sanctions targeting governmental bodies directly involved in Iran's nuclear program, but not those aimed at striking the country's economy as a whole. "If Russia agrees to sanctions, China will find itself alone and may be forced to line up with the Western powers," the Israeli official said. "That's why persuading the Russian leadership is so important."
Netanyahu is expected to try to convince Russian leaders to implement "crippling sanctions" against Tehran, and to receive assurances that the Kremlin is committed to freeze its supply of advanced S-300 surface-to-air missiles to Iran.
A high-level U.S. delegation will visit Israel next week for strategic talks on Iran and a number of other issues. In contrast to the original plans, talks will not be held between Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman and U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, but will instead be held at the deputy-minister level.
The Israeli negotiators will be headed by Deputy Foreign Minister Daniel Ayalon of Lieberman's Yisrael Beiteinu party. The U.S. team will be led by Deputy Secretary of State James Steinberg, and include presidential advisers Dennis Ross and Daniel Shapiro and other National Security Council, Defense Department and CIA officials. Meanwhile, leading U.S. foreign-policy officials will also arrive in the region this week. Deputy Secretary of State Jacob Lew will visit Israel, Jordan, Egypt and the Palestinian Authority, and Under Secretary of State William Burns will travel to Syria and Lebanon

A joint Arab force against Terror is needed
By Walid Phares
http://counterterrorismblog.org/2010/02/a_joint_arab_force_against_ter.php
In a discussion with American and European legislators as well as with counter terrorism experts from the Arab world I suggested the formation of an "Anti-Terror Joint Force" as appropriate response to the expansion of Terror organizations both al Qaeda and Iranian backed, throughout the region. Over the past few years I gave briefings to the Anti-Terror Caucus of the US House of Representatives as well as to several defense agencies on how can such an initiative start among Arab Governments and expand later to Muslim countries. These countries in the Arab world are already fighting Terrorism in general and al Qaeda in particular. Yemen, Saudi, Egypt, Jordan, Morocco, Tunisia, Iraq, and several Gulf states. They are already confronting al Qaeda and Jihadi Takfiris in their homelands and in some cases they are fighting networks backed by the Iranian regime, as is the case in Yemen, Iraq and Saudi Arabia. Hence an Arab leadership on counter terrorism is the best idea to put all these resources together. The creation of an Arab special forces corps would benefit all countries involved and would be backed by many Western countries.
An Arab joint effort against terrorism is not only beneficial on military and security levels but also and mainly on ideological levels. For Arab intellectuals and NGOs, when approached and supported seriously, can be efficient in countering radicalization and indoctrination by Jihadi Salafis and Khomeinists.
Furthermore, such a Trans Arab effort against Terrorism would enhance the image of Arab countries and societies in the West and at the international stage. After 9/11 connections were made between the Jihadists and entire Arab societies. With the rise of a common Anti Terror Arab force, these connections will be reversed as the international public opinion would then see these important efforts on behalf of several countries coming together to defeat a common enemy, al Qaeda and resist a global threat: Terrorism.
The new Iraq particularly, if successful in resisting al Qaeda and Iranian penetration, can become a leading regional force against Terrorism. This is a country which is attacked every week by al Qaeda and constantly infiltrated by Iranian networks. In a sense Iraq is at the forefront of the War with the Terrorists, particularly the Jihadi Salafists and the Khomeinists. Hence as US and Coalition forces are withdrawing, Iraq must be enabled to defend itself and resist future attacks. If such a regional Arab force against Terror is established, Iraqi forces from all ethnic groups should take center stage in the missions to come. For Iraqi society and armed forces have been battling this menace on a daily basis for many years now
*******
Dr Walid Phares is an advisor to the Anti-Terror Caucus of the US House of Representatives and the Director of the Future Terrorism Project at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. He is the author of The Confrontation: Winning the War against Future Jihad.

Lebanon Marks Hariri's 5th Assassination Anniversary with Vows to Carry on Cedar Revolution
Naharnet/Martyrs' Square readies Sunday to celebrate the fifth anniversary of the assassination of former Premier Rafik Hariri with calls to carry on with the Cedar Revolution or the Independence Intifada. These calls will be made during speeches to be delivered by Phalange Party leader Amin Gemayel, Ex-PM Fouad Saniora, Lebanese Forces chief Samir Geagea and Prime Minister Saad Hariri. Crowds from all over Lebanon began moving toward Martyrs' Square in downtown Beirut where the rally will start with music festival to be followed by speeches at midday.The mass, waving Lebanese flags, shouted slogans as "hurriyya, Siyada, Istiqlal" which is Arabic for freedom, sovereignty and independence. "I agreed with Hariri to accompany him in his car to Martyrs' Sqaure," Jumblat said in remarks published by the daily An-Nahar on Sunday. He said he would then go together with Hariri to the tomb where the late Hariri was buried in to pray to his soul and leave. Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, who is also leader of the AMAL Movement, dispatched on Saturday a delegation to put a wreath on Hariri's tomb in downtown Beirut while a Hizbullah delegation visited the prime minister late Saturday on that occasion. Beirut, 14 Feb 10, 08:03

Hariri: Only Death Would Separate Me from March 14 Allies
Naharnet/Premier Saad Hariri has said that a mass rally scheduled for Sunday in Beirut's Martyrs Square to mark his father's 5th assassination anniversary would prove that the March 14 forces "still exist."In an interview Friday evening broadcasted live on MTV and Future TV, Hariri stressed "the popular force of the March 14 (coalition) still exists."
"Sunday is coming," he said. Hariri stressed that "only death" would separate him from his allies in the March 14 Forces. Hariri described his visit to Damascus late last year as part of efforts to build relations between two states and two peoples. "There are positive contacts with (Syrian) President Bashar Assad" who also wants state-to-state ties. Hariri said Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblat remained a "main ally" to al-Mustaqbal movement, adding it was his "democratic right" to hold a different political opinion. Hariri also vowed to follow in his father's footsteps. "Rafik Hariri opted for the path of coexistence between the Lebanese and was keen on preserving the unity, stability and development" of the country, he told visitors Friday. Urging supporters to participate in the downtown event on Sunday, he said the mass rally "will show that we are keen on continuing Rafik Hariri's path." Beirut, 13 Feb 10, 10:14

Nazik Hariri Says UN Earmarked Prize Bearing Rafik Hariri's Name
Naharnet/Nazik Hariri, wife of late Prime Minister Rafik Hariri who was assassinated by a powerful bomb that targeted his motorcade Feb. 14, 2005 said the United Nations has established a prize bearing her husband's name. She told pan-Arab daily Al-Hayat in remarks published Sunday that the U.N. has earmarked the award in honor of Hariri's memory.The Rafik Hariri UN-Habitat Memorial Award is a joint initiative of the Rafik Hariri Foundation and UN-Habitat that seeks to reward individuals and organizations who have followed and built upon the exemplary achievements of the late Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. The Award consists of: cash award of $ 200,000, a trophy and a certificate. The award recipients will be determined by an International Jury of eminent persons with particular knowledge and experience in the award categories and shall be presented to the winner during the World Urban Forum Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 22-23 March 2010. Beirut, 14 Feb 10, 08:21

Qassem: Hizbullah Still Seeking Revenge for Mughniyeh's Assassination
Naharnet/Hizbullah's second-in-command Sheikh Naim Qassem said Hizbullah was still seeking revenge for the Feb. 12 assassination of the party's top military commander Imad Mughniyeh. In remarks published Sunday by An-Nahar newspaper, Qassem said that avenging Mughniyeh's death was "the minimum Hizbullah could do." "Commitment exists. The (attack) period and specifications, however, will be come in due time," Qassem said. Beirut, 14 Feb 10, 09:03

Lebanese Guns Fire on Israeli Warplanes
Naharnet/Lebanese anti-aircraft guns opened fire Sunday on Israeli warplanes flying at medium altitude over Rashaya as well as western, eastern and central Bekaa and Iqlim al-Tuffah.
State-run National News Agency said Israeli troops were seen patrolling the border off Mtelleh, Shebaa Farms and Ghajar.
Beirut, 14 Feb 10, 11:32

Burns in Beirut Next Week
Naharnet/Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs William Burns will visit Beirut and Damascus mid next week, informed U.S. sources told An Nahar newspaper. Burns will discuss with Lebanese and Syrian officials bilateral ties and series of regional issues such as tensions between Israel and Syria and between the Jewish state and Lebanon, Iraqi elections and Iran's role in the region. Burns' stop in Beirut before his visit to Damascus indicates that Washington will continue in its commitment to Lebanon despite efforts to improve ties with Syria, the sources said. Beirut, 13 Feb 10, 11:50

The Ukrainian lesson
Ana Maria Luca, Now Lebanon
February 14, 2010
Lebanese on March 14, 2005 (L) and a Ukrainian woman during the 2004 protests in Kiev. (photos by AFP)
Enthusiastic Western-backed opposition supporters raised tents in the center of the Ukrainian capital Kiev in November 2004 to protest the communist government’s fraudulent run in the presidential elections. They staged daily demonstrations and sit-ins for two months, a movement the Western press dubbed the “Orange Revolution”. In a historic and triumphant moment, in January 2005 the Orange Movement’s leaders took power in Ukraine with the hopes they could at last keep Russia at bay and install a Western-backed democracy.
Only a couple of months later a similar revolution took place in Beirut. After former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri was assassinated on February 14, 2005, the anti-Syrian opposition took to the streets of Beirut demanding Damascus withdraw its troops from Lebanon as part of the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1559, and for a court to be established to investigate Hariri’s murder. The largest demonstration took place on March 14, with supporters of most political parties in the country descending on Martyrs Square in a show of support. The Lebanese “Independence Intifada” became known as the “Cedar Revolution” after the iconic tree on the country’s flag, an image friendlier to the West.
The two parallel revolutions were born to achieve the same principles: democracy and sovereignty. Ukrainians had had enough of poverty and misery brought on by the corrupt communists backed by neighboring Russia. The Lebanese had had enough of the injustice and oppression brought on by the corrupt Syrian-backed government and military. The assassination of the prime minister had been the last straw. So both Ukrainians and Lebanese took the streets to get what they wanted.
But five years later, they are disappointed. Supporters of the Orange and Cedar revolutions are no longer filled with the same sense of hope and triumph. Although Ukraine and Lebanon have two very different political systems, the people who backed the revolutionary changes in both countries feel the same sense of disenchantment with their leaders.
The Orange Revolution has already been deemed a failure. Yulia Timoshenko, the opposition leader who won the hearts of Ukrainians in 2004 by calling for democracy and for joining the European Union and NATO, lost the presidential elections on February 7. After five years of ex-President Viktor Yushchenko’s corruption, political instability and lack of economic reforms, Ukrainians voted again for change.
The new Ukrainian president is Orange Revolution villain Viktor Yanukovich, leader of the Russia-backed Party of Regions. Unlike with the November 2004 elections that spurred the Orange Revolution, on February 7, 2010, international observers say they’ve seen no evidence of electoral fraud.
The Ukrainian Orange Revolution is a lesson Lebanon can learn from. Five years after the Cedar Revolution, the March 14 forces are calling on the Lebanese to take part in the rally marking the anniversary of Prime Minister Rafik Hariri’s assassination and the beginning of Lebanon’s sovereignty plea. February 14, 2010 is a test for the leaders of March 14.
Many Lebanese say they are choosing not to attend the February 14 rally because their political leaders failed to deliver the transparent democracy and sovereignty they promised. Rampant government corruption has landed Lebanon at 130th place out of 180 on Transparency International’s Corruption Perception Index. Bribery, nepotism, favoritism, patronage, embezzlement, kickbacks and vote-buying still exist at alarming levels, according to the Lebanese Transparency Association.
At the same time, Syria’s influence in Lebanon is still strong. Even though Damascus withdrew its army, Syria still holds a strong grip in Lebanon through its satellite political groups. Democratic reforms have been moving slowly and with great difficulty. Though the Special Tribunal for Lebanon has been established, the investigations are time consuming and there have been few concrete results. Though the March 14 coalition won the majority of seats in the parliamentary polls of June 2009, it had to make deep concessions to the Syrian-backed opposition in order to be able to form a government five months later.
This year, many Cedar Revolution supporters are not sure why exactly they should take part in the February 14 rally. They feel disappointed and forgotten. It is up to those who led the Cedar Revolution to admit to their mistakes and answer to their supporters. If they want to avoid further disillusion of their message and support base, they must learn from the Ukrainian failure.