LCCC
ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
February
23/2010
Bible Of the
Day
Matthew 6/22-26: “The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is
sound, your whole body will be full of light. 6:23 But if your eye is evil, your
whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is
darkness, how great is the darkness! 6:24 “No one can serve two masters, for
either he will hate the one and love the other; or else he will be devoted to
one and despise the other. You can’t serve both God and Mammon. 6:25 Therefore I
tell you, don’t be anxious for your life: what you will eat, or what you will
drink; nor yet for your body, what you will wear. Isn’t life more than food, and
the body more than clothing? 6:26 See the birds of the sky, that they don’t sow,
neither do they reap, nor gather into barns. Your heavenly Father feeds them.
Aren’t you of much more value than they?
Free Opinions, Releases, letters & Special
Reports
Assyrian Priest Arrested in
Iran/AINA/February 22/10
Learn To Deceive Hezbollah/By Tariq AlhomayedAsharq
Alawsat/February
22/10
Dubai: Confronting Thieves and
Spies/By: Abdul Rahman Al-Rashid/February
22/10
Time
to vote for democracy/Daily Star/February
22/10
Latest News Reports From
Miscellaneous Sources for February 22/10
Voting Age Bill Not Passed in
Parliament/Naharnet
3 Men Charged in Florida
with Financing Hizbullah/Naharnet
3 Lebanese Plane Crash Victims
still Not Identified/Naharnet
Qaouq: Resistance Project
is a National and Strategic Necessity/Naharnet
Hamadeh: Granting right to vote to
emigrants and youth is equally important/Now
Lebanon
Berri: Those who abstain from
Article 21 vote bear responsibility for consequences/Now
Lebanon
Aoun,
Jumblatt stress national coexistence after FPM leader's visit to Chouf/Daily
Star
Sleiman
urges Libya cooperation in Sadr case/Daily
Star
Three
more plane crash victims laid to rest/Daily
Star
Trial of
Hizbullah members in Egypt plot postponed/Daily
Star
MPs
unlikely to support voting-age reform/Daily
Star
Hariri
says Israel just 'looking for excuses' to launch another war on Lebanon/Daily
Star
Electricity constraints take toll on Lebanese economy/Daily
Star
Mother
fights for custody of 4-year-old boy severely abused by his own father/Daily
Star
NGO
stresses need for environmental strategy/Daily
Star
Rahhal
launches reforestation project in Qaraoun/Daily
Star
UNIFIL
review says no radical change in mission/Daily
Star
Sidon
School Network holds education forum/Daily
Star
Lebanon's outnumbered Maronites pull stops on voting age reform/AFP
Ansar
loses as Ahed strolls to top of division title table/Daily
Star
3 Men Charged in Florida with
Financing Hizbullah
Naharnet/Three men were charged in an indictment unsealed with illegally
exporting electronics and video games to a South American shopping center that
U.S. officials claim funnels money to Hizbullah. The men, along with a fourth
still being sought in South America, are accused of violating a U.S. ban on
transactions involving people or entities on a Treasury Department list of
suspected terrorist fundraising networks. Hizbullah is considered a terrorist
group by the U.S.
The shopping center, Galeria Page in Ciudad del Este, Paraguay, was included on
the banned list in December 2006 along with owner Mohammed Yosusef Abdallah.
Abdallah is described as a senior Hizbullah leader in a region of South America
long considered a haven for counterfeiting, smuggling, piracy and other crimes.
The suspects arrested in the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement
investigation were identified in court documents as Khaled Safadi, 56, and
43-year-old Emilio Gonzalez, both of Miami; and 46-year-old Ulises
Talavera-Campos, a citizen of Paraguay. Attorney Michael Tein represents
Safadi, whom he said is innocent.
"Terrorism?" Tein said. "More like 'The Great Sony Playstation Caper.' The
indictment literally charges them with selling Playstation 2 video games to
Paraguay. That's some weapon of mass destruction." It wasn't immediately
clear if the other two had attorneys, and a bail hearing was scheduled for
Wednesday.
The men also face charges of conspiracy and smuggling. They face a maximum of 35
years each in prison if convicted.
According to the indictment, the three men ran companies that used the Port of
Miami to move goods including Sony Playstation video game consoles, digital
cameras and other items that eventually wound up at the Paraguay destination.
About $1 million in exports were identified by ICE, the FBI, Treasury officials
and other investigators with Miami's Joint Terrorism Task Force. The men
allegedly used fake invoices, false addresses and phony names to mask the true
destination of the goods. The companies involved also were indicted.
John Morton, assistant Homeland Security secretary for ICE, said the arrests
will disrupt a network involved in "the illicit trade of commodities that
support terrorist activities and ultimately threaten the national security of
the United States."(AP) Beirut, 22 Feb 10, 07:05
Trial of Hizbullah members in Egypt plot postponed
Defense lawyers claim there is not enough ‘good evidence’
By Patrick Galey /Daily Star staff
Monday, February 22, 2010
BEIRUT: The trial of 26 suspected Hizbullah members accused of planning attacks
in Egypt was postponed until further notice on Saturday, as defense lawyers
called for charges to be dropped. Defense attorney to Lebanese suspect Mohammad
Mansur, Emile Rahmeh, told judges that any plans his client and two other
suspects may have had were motivated by resistance to Israel. Marada Movement MP
Rahmeh added that the men did not seek to exact acts of sabotage on Egyptian
soil, the Cairo-based Al-Ahram newspaper reported on Sunday. A lawyer close to
the trial told sources in Cairo that the delay was authorized as there was
insufficient evidence to try the men along current charges.
“The government continues to push back the real trial because they know they
don’t have enough good evidence on these people,” he told sources in Cairo.
“They want to link Egyptians to the alleged Hizbullah cell, but have been unable
to do so because there isn’t any evidence to do so.”
The source added that many trials in Egypt looked to indict several accused
under blanket charges, rather than on an individual basis. “They want to convict
groups of people, not individuals so they can get them to admit and then pardon
them,” said the lawyer. “It is how they make the government look good. But it
won’t work here.”
The 26 – made up of 18 Egyptians, 5 Palestinians, 2 Lebanese and a Sudanese –
stand accused of plotting attacks against ships in the Suez Canal and other well
known tourist sites as well as spying. Most of the men were arrested between
late 2008 and January 2009. Mansur maintains that he and other suspects have
been tortured, allegations denied by Egyptian police.
Hizbullah Secretary General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah had admitted after the
arrests were publicized that he had sent Mansur – identified by his code-name
Sami Shihab – to Egypt to support Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip. He
said the cell comprised no more than 10 people and denied they planned attacks
in the country. Last week Israel’s Counterterrorism Bureau warned Israelis that
they might be targeted by Hizbullah and other groups when traveling outside of
Israel. A bureau statement advised against Israelis visiting Arab states,
including Egypt, as the government fears retribution for the death of
Hizbullah’s military commander Imad Mughniyeh, who was killed in a Damascus bomb
attack in 2008. – With AP, additional reporting by Wassim Mroueh
3
Lebanese Plane Crash Victims still Not Identified
Naharnet/Lebanese army divers on Monday continued to search for more victims of
the deadly Ethiopian plane crash after retrieving several bodies over the
weekend.
Media reports on Monday said only three Lebanese victims have not been
identified.
Beirut, 22 Feb 10, 09:44
Hamadeh:
Granting right to vote to emigrants and youth is equally important
February 22, 2010 /Democratic Gathering bloc MP Marwan Hamadeh told the Voice of
Lebanon radio station on Monday that he supports linking the draft law to lower
the legal voting age to granting Lebanese living abroad the right to vote from
their countries of residence. He added that the granting Lebanese emigrants the
right to vote is as important as allowing Lebanese youth to cast their ballots.
“Abstaining from voting [on the draft law pertaining to lowering the legal
voting age] is not to drop the proposal, rather it is to maintain the voting
rights of Lebanese youth and emigrants,” Hamadeh said. -NOW Lebanon
Berri:
Those who abstain from Article 21 vote bear responsibility for consequences
February 22, 2010 /Parties that abstain from voting on the draft law to lower
the voting age from 21 to 18 during Monday’s parliamentary session will bear
responsibility for the consequences, including the obstruction of political
reforms and the increase in sectarian tension, said Speaker Nabih Berri in an
interview published in As-Safir’s Monday edition.
Blocs – including the Change and Reform, Lebanese Forces, Kataeb and Future –
will abstain from voting, according to various reports. However, the Development
and Liberation, Loyalty to the Resistance, Progressive Socialist Party, Syrian
Social Nationalist Party, and Baath Party MPs will all reportedly vote in favor
of amending Article 21 of the constitution pertaining to the legal voting age.
Refusing to vote and voting against the draft law are the same difference, said
Berri, adding, “Let each bloc shoulder its responsibility toward the younger
generation.”
Berri said that the best option would be for all MPs to vote for lowering the
voting age from 21 to 18 and implement it in the 2013 parliamentary elections.
He added that a mechanism to grant Lebanese living abroad the right to vote in
their countries of residence will have been established by then. Berri
criticized parties against amending Artice 21 and against abolishing political
sectarianism, saying, “Some [parties] say they support the constitution but fail
to act on it.” -NOW Lebanon
Sleiman urges Libya cooperation in Sadr case
By Dalila Mahdawi /Daily Star staff
Monday, February 22, 2010
BEIRUT: Lebanese President Michel Sleiman on Saturday urged Libya to disclose
the fate of a Lebanese imam who disappeared almost 32 years ago. “Where are Imam
Moussa al-Sadr and his companions? We need to answer this question,” Sleiman
said during an interview with reporters. Iranian-born Lebanese Imam Moussa al-Sadr,
together with his two companions Mohammad Yaqoub and Abbas Badreddine,
disappeared without trace during an official trip to Libya in August 1978. The
Lebanese widely blame Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi for ordering the men’s
disappearance, but Tripoli has denied the allegations. Libya has claimed Sadr,
who was also the spiritual and political leader of the Movement of the Deprived
(Amal) in Lebanon, had already left for Italy before going missing. The issue
remains a serious point of contention between the two countries. Gadhafi, who
has not visited Lebanon since Sadr went missing, was indicted in August 2008 by
the Lebanese government for the imam’s disappearance. Six other Libyans were
also indicted in the case.
Sleiman’s remarks come ahead of next month’s Arab League summit, which is to be
held in Libya for the first time. The choice of location has prompted a number
of Shiite religious and political figures, including Parliament Speaker Nabih
Berri, to urge a Lebanese boycott of the summit unless Libya is more cooperative
on the issue Sadr’s disappearance.
On Sunday, senior Amal official Khaleel Hamdan repeated his party’s demand for
the boycott, saying that Sadr’s disappearance “targeted all Lebanese, Arabs and
Muslims alike.”
Earlier this month, Berri, who is also the current leader of the Amal party,
said that while only Sleiman was entitled to decide whether Lebanon should
attend the summit, he “personally” favored a boycott. State Minister Adnan As-Sayyed
Hussein on Friday echoed calls for a boycott, telling Voice of Lebanon radio
station the Shiites were “committed to finding out the truth behind … Sadr’s
disappearance.” Last Thursday, Prime Minister Saad Hariri’s Future Movement said
they supported Lebanese participation in the summit, adding that any
developments in the delicate political situation in the Middle East would have
particular repercussions in Lebanon. In a visit to Beirut last week, head of the
Arab League Amr Moussa said that Lebanon would take part in the summit, but
noted Lebanese officials were still debating the level of representation. His
remarks drew criticism from Vice President of the Higher Shiite Council Sheikh
Abdel-Amir Qabalan, who on Friday said any Lebanese or Syrian participation
would be a “catastrophe.” “You came to demand from the government that it
participate in the summit,” Qabalan told worshippers during a Friday prayer
sermon addressing Moussa. “But why don’t you call for an Arab summit to resolve
the issue of Imam Sadr’s disappearance before demanding our participation?” He
added: “Lebanon’s only condition for participating in the summit, irrespective
of the level of representation, is that the issue of Sadr be discussed publicly
in the opening session and before the media.”
Aoun, Jumblatt stress national coexistence after FPM leader's visit to Chouf
By The Daily Star /Monday, February 22, 2010
BEIRUT: Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) leader Michel Aoun said Saturday that a
new page in relations with the Progressive Socialist Party (PSP) could lay the
basis for future understanding in politics, as PSP head Walid Jumblatt stressed
that Aoun’s visit to the mountains aimed to enforce coexistence.
Maronite and Druze militias fought bloody wars between 1982 and 1984 in Mount
Lebanon, forcing thousands of Christians to flee their villages in the Chouf and
Aley regions. The refugees were dubbed the “displaced of the mountain.” The two
men’s statements followed a closed-door meeting between them at the PSP leader’s
residence in Mukhtara.
Prior to his arrival at Mukhtara, Aoun paid tribute at Saint Mary church Deir
al-Amar to assassinated former Nationalist Liberal Party head Dany Chamoun after
National Liberal Party (NLP) supporters held a protest in front Chamoun’s tomb
preventing Aoun from paying tribute at the site.
In a statement issued Sunday, the NLP said its opposition to Aoun’s visit to the
Chamoun family graves did not stem from a personal conflict but rather reflected
the family’s commitment to the principle of sovereignty and independence. “We
kick off a new phase of national coexistence that will lay the foundation for
centuries of peace after we realized that wars do not build countries but rather
harmony and normal ties among all communities achieve that goal,” Aoun said at
Mukhtara. Aoun also stressed that Sunday’s meeting should be translated into
understandings on the popular level if such a visit is not to go in vain.
Tackling the issue of the displaced, Aoun said the problem had been settled
earlier and did not await Sunday’s meeting.
Asked whether reconciliation in the mountains required meeting other Christian
political parties, a reference to the Lebanese Forces (LF), Aoun said political
competition and divergence was a reflection of democracy. Asked whether the
meeting had laid the foundations for a future political alliance with the PSP in
the municipal elections, Aoun said the issue was not discussed but was possible.
“From now on, we can discuss in politics and thus agree but today’s visit aims
to crown all potential relations in the future,” Aoun added.
Jumblatt stressed that the meeting aimed to enforce and strengthen
reconciliations and peace after years of disasters. “We have a responsibility
together to leave future generations with peace, love and national coexistence
in accordance with Lebanon’s diversity,” Jumblatt added. Later, both leaders
moved to Beiteddine’s Maronite Diocese where they were received by Bishop Elias
Nassar. “We made a final reconciliation and turned a new page in 2001 with
Patriarch Nasrallah Sfeir when general Aoun was outside Lebanon and his
supporters were under arrest and assault; we should teach future generation not
to fall into the trap of foreign powers’ struggle which almost cost us the
mountain’s unity,” Jumblatt told reporters.
Similarly, Aoun stressed the need to learn from past mistakes, adding that civil
strife was not an inevitable fate but rather could be avoided if justice was
left to be decided by the state’s institutions. “We are living today in a state
of calm … thus we have to restructure our political thinking and relations among
each other,” Aoun said. Commenting on Aoun’s visit, LF MP George Adwan
downplayed Sunday its significance saying it did no concern the LF. “True
reconciliation already took place during Patriarch Sfeir’s visit to the area in
2001,” Adwan said. – The Daily Star
Hariri says Israel just 'looking for excuses' to launch another war on Lebanon
By Elias Sakr /Daily Star staff
Monday, February 22, 2010
BEIRUT: Prime Minister Saad Hariri said on Sunday that Israel’s repeated threats
to wage war on all of Lebanon because of Hizbullah’s participation in Cabinet
were just a pretext to launch an aggression against Lebanon. “Hizbullah
participated in the government in 2007, 2008 and 2009 so why now [is Israel]
raising the issue? Because Israel is looking for excuses for war,” Hariri said
in an interview with the Italian daily Corriere Della Sera. On Saturday, Hariri
stressed during talks with Pope Benedict XVI the need to promote peace and
dialogue in the Middle East as he highlighted the importance of coexistence
among Christians and Muslims, particularly in Lebanon.
“We also tackled instigating religious tourism to Lebanon and we want the pope
to encourage Christians to visit Lebanon since the country possesses many
important religious sites,” Hariri told reporters after closed-door talks with
the pope. “The pope expressed a major interest in Lebanon and the
Christian-Muslim situation in the region as he encouraged continued dialogue and
new initiatives to reach peace through talks,” Hariri added.
Asked whether the pope had expressed any concerns about the Christian presence
in Lebanon, Hariri said he had not. He also stressed that the Lebanese
Constitution guaranteed parity between Christians and Muslims. Hariri told the
Italian paper on Sunday that parity would remain forever in Lebanon while
stressing that the only way to fight extremism was through establishing
stability, security and peace in the region. “Why do Christians leave the
region? Because of a lack of stability and peace,” Hariri said. Tackling his
relations with Syria, Hariri stressed that he had visited Damascus to establish
state-to-state relations with Syria rather than establish a personal relation
with President Bashar Assad, adding that “good ties with Syria is a vital issue
for Lebanon.”
Hariri also urged Vatican State Secretary Cardinal Techizioni Pertoni and
Foreign Minister Dominic Mambiti to pressure Israel to halt its threats against
Lebanon. “I explained to them Lebanon’s concern over Israel’s continuous
threats, which impact the region negatively, and urged them to exert all
possible pressure with concerned countries to avoid any mistake in Lebanon or
the region in the upcoming period,” Hariri said. The premier also underlined the
importance of unity and coexistence in Lebanon against Israeli threats, saying
that schism and division weakened the Lebanese more than any war. “This is why
it is my duty to visit his holiness and the Vatican as every president and
premier in Lebanon should do to discuss with the pope any concerns,” Hariri
added. Asked about Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s call on the
Resistance to wipe out Israel of existence if it attacked Lebanon, Hariri
stressed that Lebanon was the master of its decisions. The phone call by
Ahmadinejad to Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah and President Michel
Sleiman “came in response to Israeli threats against Lebanon and we as a
Lebanese state are committed to the implementation of UN Security Council
Resolution1701,” Hariri said. Hariri also stressed that the Lebanese state was
making the necessary contacts with the US and several European to demand a halt
to Israeli threats. “We are not afraid of those threats and I tell you with
honesty that we should not live in paranoia that an upcoming war is inevitable,”
Hariri added.
Lebanon's outnumbered Maronites pull stops on voting age reform
Christians fear change might lead to ‘rethinking entire political structure’
By Agence France Presse (AFP)
Monday, February 22, 2010
Natacha Yazbeck /Agence France Presse
BEIRUT: In a country where 18-year-olds can drive, marry and serve in the army,
allowing them to vote would generally be applauded as a boon for democracy. But
not so in Lebanon.
A move to lower the voting age from 21 to 18 has sparked fears of a shake-up of
Lebanon’s political structure, a complex power-sharing system between Christians
and Muslims that has helped preserve a fragile peace since the end of the
1975-1990 Civil War. The fear resonates most strongly within Lebanon’s
once-dominant Maronite Christian community, today estimated at around 30 percent
of the 4-million population. “Christians fear the numbers,” Paul Salem, who
heads the Beirut-based Carnegie Middle East Center, told AFP. “Mainly it is a
fear that lowering the voting age might be the first step in rethinking the
entire political structure.”
The thorny issue may be put to the test at a Parliament session on Monday,
almost one year after MPs approved draft legislation to cut the age from 21 to
18.
But there are no guarantees that legislators will turn up for the vote. Once a
political and military force to be reckoned with, Maronites pride themselves as
being founders of Lebanon, which has not had an official census since 1932. But
their leverage has steadily eroded since the Civil War broke out 35 years ago as
low fertility and high emigration rates took their toll.
“Lebanon of the 20th century started with a heavy Christian presence, dropped to
a six-to-five ratio, then to a 50-50 [power] share” between Christians and
Muslims, Salem said.
“The next step is not so good for Christians.” The 1989 Taif Accord ended
Lebanon’s devastating Civil War and formalized the guarantee of a share in power
for the country’s many minorities. Taif gave Maronites the presidency but
stripped the post of many of its powers. It also allocated the premier’s post to
Sunni Muslims and Shiite Muslims the post of Parliament speaker. Seats in
Parliament and seats in government were evenly divided between the Christians
and Muslims. Prime Minister Saad Hariri’s office on Sunday highlighted comments
he made to Italy’s Corriere Della Sera newspaper during a weekend visit to the
Vatican, apparently aimed at soothing Christian fears. “We have parity between
Christians and Muslims, and it will stay forever. Lebanon is the only country in
the Arab world that has a Christian president … I want to reassure the
Christians that we are one,” Hariri said.
But experts say the Maronites today fear the voting age “reform” could be the
first step toward demands for direct popular representation in Lebanon, which
does not follow a “one person, one vote” formula. “Today, equal power-sharing is
still guaranteed constitutionally and Muslims are voicing support for that
guarantee,” columnist Edmond Saab wrote in the newspaper As-Safir. “But with the
realization that their community in Lebanon is shrinking, many Christians are
considering whether, in a few generations, Muslims will start questioning why
they should continue to give Christians half when they are a minority.”
Unlike Lebanon’s more politically homogeneous Shiite and Sunni Muslim camps,
Maronites divide their loyalty between an alliance led by Hariri and a Hizbullah-led
coalition backed by Syria and Iran. And while they disagree on many political
issues, Maronite MPs are united in one demand. Banking on their diaspora to
balance out shifting internal demographics, they are pushing for Lebanon to
allow expatriates to cast ballots abroad if the voting age is lowered. Lebanon’s
diaspora is estimated to number at least double its population. Expats above the
age of 21 who hold Lebanese citizenship are listed in the Interior Ministry’s
registry. Just over a third of them are Christian. Analysts estimate lowering
the voting age would add over 50,000 Christians to the electorate, mainly
Maronites, and some 175,000 Muslims, roughly equally split between Shiites and
Sunnis. While the change could tip the scale in a few swing districts, it would
make little difference in the overall election result and the reality of
Lebanese politics, according to analysts.
Learn To Deceive Hezbollah
21/02/2010
By Tariq Alhomayed
Asharq Al-Awsat
The comments made by Ali Mekdad, a member of the Hezbollah parliamentary bloc on
the reactions of some of the March 14 Alliance leadership regarding the
telephone call between the President of Iran and Hezbollah Secretary-General
Hassan Nasrallah were extremely funny. In this telephone conversation,
Ahmadinejad spoke to Nasrallah about the necessity of resistance, being ready
against any possible aggression, and stressed that "this readiness must be at a
level that they (the Zionists) will be finished off and the region will be rid
of them forever if they want to repeat previous mistakes." Of course,
Nasrallah's answer to Ahmadinejad was clear and unequivocal, and he said that
"the resistance is in good condition and does not fear Israeli threats."
The Hezbollah parliamentary bloc member, MP Ali Mekdad, responding to some of
the March 14 Alliance fears, namely that Lebanon will be transformed into an
arena for Iranian interests, began be describing those who fear Lebanon being
exploited as being "mouthpieces." Mekdad also sarcastically and derisively told
them "if you are not proficient in political analysis, then we ask you to enter
any school or university and learn!"
The truth is that it is up to the Lebanese people who want to deal with
Hezbollah not to go to school or university to learn political analysis but
instead to learn deception, as this will allow them to better understand
Hezbollah and how to deal with them. The consequences of events does not require
that they be shared or analyzed, but that the Lebanese people be extremely aware
of everything that Hezbollah says, and of course everything that the Iranians
President says, because Ahmadinejad and Nasrallah are moving in the same
direction.
When Ahmadinejad appeared at a press conference in Tehran last Wednesday and
said that in the event of Israel launching a war against Iran "the resistance
and regional countries will finish them," Nasrallah appeared threatening and
menacing Israel the same day, indeed only a few hours later, saying that the
next war would see attacks on a [Lebanese] airport retaliated with attacks on an
[Israeli] airport, and an attack on [Lebanese] infrastructure would be
retaliated by attacks on [Israeli] infrastructure. What is strange and worth
mentioning here is that in his threat to Israel, Nasrallah did not say the
bombing of Beirut would be retaliated with the bombing of Tel Aviv, but rather
the bombing of [Beirut's] suburbs would be responded to with an attack on Tel
Aviv. This means that the suburbs have become the capital, and more important to
Nasrallah than Beirut whose Arabist history Walid Jumblatt pontificated on a few
days ago. Therefore Nasrallah's talk about the suburbs is very significant, and
dangerous.
The Lebanese reaction to the Ahmadinejad – Nasrallah telephone call can be
summed up by what I said in my article "Iran…Nor Our War" which was published on
Thursday [18/02/2010]. The Iranian embassy issued a statement of clarification
surrounding the details of the Ahmadinejad – Nasrallah call, but the fact
remains that Iran's war is not Lebanon's war, or Palestine's war, or the Arab's
war, but rather this is a factional war led by Tehran who wants to ignite a new
war in the region, in the same way that it has created sectarianism and
division. Therefore it is up to the Lebanese people to learn deception in
dealing with Hezbollah, rather than political analysis, and they must also
remember that Hezbollah's weapons, which are described as the arms of the
resistance, were the same weaponry that were turned against them the day that
Hezbollah occupied Beirut
Dubai: Confronting Thieves and Spies
21/02/2010
By Abdul Rahman Al-Rashid
Asharq Al- Awsat
Dubai is certainly a safe haven for many people looking for success or just a
quiet holiday destination, however not everybody has such noble aims. The city
also seems to be a safe haven to another category of people as well, since it is
easy to enter, work in, travel to and from, and live. The number of tourists who
visit Dubai surpasses those who visit the Great Pyramids of Egypt, and the
Tunisian and Lebanese beach resorts combined. In fact the number of tourists who
visit Dubai stands at five times the number of pilgrims who visit Mecca to
perform the hajj.
Dubai is a city visited by 15 million people a year, with foreigners
constituting 90 percent of its residents, and therefore it is only natural that
security would be a chief concern. Mahmoud al-Mabhouh, who was assassinated in
the Al Bustan Rotana Hotel and who was a leading Hamas figure working
undercover, entered Dubai using a forged passport. He was trailed by 11
professional who were members of an Israeli commando team. They entered Dubai
Airport at a corresponding time using forged passports. In order to confuse
Emirate authorities they each came on different flights, checked into different
hotels, and used different identities than the ones they used at the airport.
Despite all of this, they were quickly identified after the crime was committed.
One must remember that Dubai's hotels are always fully occupied during the
school holidays in the region, and this means that the UAE police had to look
through hundreds of thousands of images taken during a 48 hour period, and were
therefore able to observe the suspects' movements during the day they spent in
Dubai, even though they avoided using credit cards or anything else that might
reveal their identities.
Dubai is an open city to everybody, and so it is only natural that this would
also include some bad guys. More than 4 years ago we were shocked by a theft
that more closely resembled the plot of a Hollywood film than reality. An
international gang stormed the al-Wafi mall in two cars; they broke the windows
of a jeweler's shop before escaping with 4 million dollars worth of jewelry. The
Dubai police hunted down these fugitives in the same manner and arrested the
majority of this gang. The last member of this gang was arrested by Interpol in
Monte Carlo.
However not all big crimes are carried out with guns and a hit squad. In fact,
the most serious of crimes can be committed without shedding a single drop of
blood and are almost impossible to solve. In the al-Daira district of Dubai, the
police arrested 4 Africans at an internet café who had hacked into a bank
account and stolen 2 million dollars. Despite the precision of this crime, the
thieves were exposed transferring the stolen money from a fictitious bank
account to a real one.
The Israelis committed a crime against the UAE, not Hamas. Assassination is a
dangerous political crime that could open the door to secret wars that no
country in the world can tolerate. Dubai has smoothed the way for millions of
people seeking to work or holiday in the country, eliminating bureaucratic red
tape and creating a model of liberty in the region, but it is now being
threatened by such crimes and crimes committed by major gangs. It is only
natural for the authorities to track down the culprits so that everybody can
know that Dubai might be easy to enter, but it is not easy for violators to
leave. This is a fact, and Dubai even strictly deals with traffic violators who
think they can spend a week of restive holiday and escape without having to pay
speeding fines or other traffic offenses. However to their surprise, such
violators are greeted with a statement at the check-in desk of the airport
reading "Prohibited from traveling until fees are paid."
Israel has to understand that Dubai is not Cyprus, and as peaceable and simple
as life might seem, Dubai is in fact a jungle of cameras and advanced security
equipment, and it is difficult for one to notice the security vehicles on the
streets or the police informants in the hotels. At the Dubai Airport check-in
desk, everyday travelers are denied entry to the country for attempting to enter
using forged passports after being expelled from other countries for committing
crimes. When they are expelled [from Dubai] mug shots are taken of them, and
should they attempt to return their facial features are recognized through the
use of technology no matter how hard they might try to disguise themselves or
enter the country using forged documents.
The Israeli assassins strangled or poisoned al-Mabhouh, wiped any traces of
their fingerprints from the room, and bolted the door from the inside in order
to mislead even the most vigilant police in the world into thinking that he had
died of natural causes. However they have now been discovered and their pictures
are all over the world. They are being pursued politically, personally, and in
the media.
Assyrian Priest Arrested in Iran
2-22-2010
Assyrian International News Agency
The Farsi Christian News Network (www.fcnn.com) is reporting the arrest of the
Rev. Wilson Issavi, the Assyrian leader of the Evangelical Church of Karmanshah
in Iran.
The news source says that the pastor was arrested on February 2, 2010, by local
agents of state security while visiting one of his old friends in Shahin Shahr,
Isfahan, and moved to an undisclosed location.
"The security agents entered the house unannounced and took him and the host
couple and a visiting lady away," said the FCCN story. "Later on, the host's
wife was released. Since the day of the arrest it has been impossible for
friends and family to find out about the whereabouts or well being of Rev.
Issavi.
The story says that the Rev. Wilson Issavi is the serving pastor of the Assyrian
Evangelical Church in Karmanshah, which is an old and historical building in
dire need of repair, and is not been extensively used, except for weekly
Christian worship.
"On January 2, 2010, one month before the arrest of Pastor Wilson Issavi, after
forced entry into his house by a number of plainclothes local security agents,
the Kermanshah Church was sealed and ordered not to be reopened," the FCCN story
stated."
Despite the fact that FCNN correspondents had immediately become aware of this
"abhorring invasion of a small and only church in the west of the country,"
after a telephone and direct enquiry, Pastor Wilson had requested FCNN not to
publicize the news "lest the authorities are provoked into inflicting more harm
and hoping to find a reasonable dialogue and reopen the church!"
FCNN says that it had respected the wishes of Rev. Issavi and held back until
now on releasing the news.
"This cowardly act was perpetrated by the security agents after they had called
him on his mobile [phone], enquiring about his whereabouts, and being sure that
he was not home to defend his house and his household," said the FCCN story. "As
stated by family members to friends, the security agents had ransacked the house
in his absence and had taken away much of his personal possessions."
The story went on to say, "The gray haired Rev. W. Issavi is known to friends
and foes alike as a meek, humble and tireless servant of the church leading a
very modest life and serving all those who needed his prayer and assistance. He
has served in the region for many years along with his family, hoping to keep
the beautiful and historic Kermanshah church building open as a house of prayer.
"He has lived and served in the region respecting all the pronounced laws of the
country and despite the suffocating and inhibitive yet unwritten rules enforced
by the government and despite numerous incidents of harassment kept a very low
profile not to give any excuse to the authorities to quench the dwindling lights
of this church and stop Christian worship for very small remaining minority of
Assyrian and Armenian Christians.
"No wonder that because of the content and unassuming character of Rev. Wilson,
there was no attention given to the church's many woes not the least its serious
financial need and its state of disrepair. The now sadly closed Kermanshah
church, one of the very few remaining open throughout the country, whose rulers
claim to rule with equality and justice, is remote from the attention given to
the capital and the many visiting Christian tourists. There were no wealthy
visitors to the church in Kermanshah!
"Rev. Wilson was tirelessly working on two fronts. First, with the authorities
and local government to receive necessary permission and, secondly, contacting
many parishioners who have immigrated to the west in order to raise the required
funds to do the repair. Progress on both fronts was slow to come!"
As thoroughly investigated by FCNN, the "cowardly act of invasion of the privacy
of his home and subsequent sealing and closure of the church and Rev. Wilson's
meekness and humility and longsuffering, not willing to publicize the news,"
had, said FCCN, "emboldened the authorities to seal the fate of this historical
church once and for all by frightening him off the region and then plotting to
completely take over the building. Is there any other reason to arrest him in
another city while he was serving transparently in his parish?"
Informed sources and friends told FCNN correspondent in Isfahan that before the
Islamic revolution, Rev. Issavi was employed by the Helicopter Industries of
Esfahan; hence he has many friends and acquaintances there which he kept his
friendship alive by visiting them irregularly.
"At the time of his detention, he was a guest in the house of one of his friends
in Shahin Shahr. The security agents swarmed into the house with no arrest
warrant or even showing their badges and took him away along with the host and
other guest and also took much personal possession of the host without any
explanation. His very distressed family have not been given any explanation
about this inhuman conduct or his whereabouts," added the FCCN story.
The Committee of Iranian Christians, which is part of the Iranian Human Rights
Campaign, is strongly protesting against this "inhuman and unlawful arrest" of
the pastor which they says "has been conducted without any legal or judicial
proceedings and indeed without any conceivable reason.
The director of the Committee of Iranian Christians has condemned what they
called "this deplorable act" and have demanded his immediate release
"considering his age and state of health."
A spokesperson said, "As a citizen of the country, albeit in the Christian
minority, he deserves to be respected and receive all the legal and judicial
care and protection."
FCCN said, "It is ironic that that in the last two months, while this act of
injustice is allowed and perpetrated against a small law abiding and praying
Christian minority, the Islamic Republic of Iran delegates at the United Nations
Human Rights Forum on Monday, February 15, 2010, advocated the testimonial of an
Assyrian delegate, whose true identity is yet undisclosed, that the Christian
minority in Iran enjoys full and unequalled freedom and lives in peace!"
The Committee of Iranian Christians says that it demands that the Iranian
Ministry of Justice disclose the whereabouts of the detainee and inform why he
has been arrested, meanwhile it says that "all Iranian Christians demand the
unconditional and immediate release of Rev. Issavi."
FCCN concluded its story by saying, "It is noteworthy that, in line with closure
of churches and also shortly before the inhibition imposed on 'Jamaate Rabani'
(Assemblies of God) church to stop Friday evening meetings (which have been
conducted from the day the church was inaugurated!), the Assyrian Pentecostal
church of 'Shahre Ara' district of Tehran was closed in March 2009 by direct
threats of the government and most regretful collaboration of 'Jonathan Beit
Kolia', the representative of the Assyrian minority in the parliament of the
Islamic Republic of Iran."
www.assistnews.net
This item is available as: html
Copyright (C) 2010, Assyrian International News Agency. All Rights Reserved.
Terms of Use.