LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
March 03/2010

Bible Of the Day
Metthew 5/11-20: “Blessed are you when people reproach you, persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely, for my sake. 5:12 Rejoice, and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven. For that is how they persecuted the prophets who were before you. 5:13 “You are the salt of the earth, but if the salt has lost its flavor, with what will it be salted? It is then good for nothing, but to be cast out and trodden under the feet of men. 5:14 You are the light of the world. A city located on a hill can’t be hidden. 5:15 Neither do you light a lamp, and put it under a measuring basket, but on a stand; and it shines to all who are in the house. 5:16 Even so, let your light shine before men; that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven. 5:17 “Don’t think that I came to destroy the law or the prophets. I didn’t come to destroy, but to fulfill. 5:18 For most certainly, I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not even one smallest letter or one tiny pen stroke shall in any way pass away from the law, until all things are accomplished. 5:19 Whoever, therefore, shall break one of these least commandments, and teach others to do so, shall be called least in the Kingdom of Heaven; but whoever shall do and teach them shall be called great in the Kingdom of Heaven. 5:20 For I tell you that unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, there is no way you will enter into the Kingdom of Heaven.

Free Opinions, Releases, letters & Special Reports
That was a war council in Damascus/The National/March 02/10 
Europe can't afford to go soft on Iran/By Fiorello Provera/March 02/10
Now Lebanon/Nasrallah says Iranian-Syrian summit good response to US/ March 02/10

Latest News Reports From Miscellaneous Sources for March 02/10 
Aoun to Nasrallah Critics: Who Authorized You to Bear Arms in the '70s? /Naharnet
Karami Declares Withdrawal from March 8 Alliance, Expects Dialogue Failure 'Unless It Protects Resistance/Naharnet
Wahab Describes Dialogue Committee as 'National Entertainment Committee'/Naharnet
Report: Syria Ready for Peace, 3-Phase Normalization Plan with Israel /Naharnet
Suleiman Discusses Dialogue Committee with March 14 Delegation, Lauds UNIFIL Belgian Contingent Performance /Naharnet
Families of Plane Crash Victims File Lawsuit against Boeing /Naharnet
Moussawi: Every Lebanese and Arab Must Deal with Holders of Foreign Passports as Potential Spies /Naharnet
1Killed, Another Wounded in Border Shootout between Lebanese Troops and Arms Smugglers /Naharnet
Libya Threatens to Expel Lebanese if Beirut Boycotted Summit/Naharnet
Nasrallah: Damascus Summit a Message to Beirut, Other Capitals/Naharnet
Phalange Party: Nasrallah-Assad-Ahmadinejad Meeting Annuls Ministerial Statement Article VI/Naharnet
Hariri: Lebanon Won't Be Battleground for Anyone, We Doubt Israel's Intentions Not Nasrallah's/Naharnet
Suleiman Describes Dialogue Table as 'Crucial', Reveals It May Convene Next Week/Naharnet
Hezbollah chief issues tough warning to Lebanon 'spies'/France24
Hezbollah links Mossad spy to 2004 assassination/Ynetnews
Iran's Banks Sued By Hezbollah Victims/Philadelphia Bulletin
Bail granted in Fla. Hezbollah finance case/The Associated Press
Harb: State should pay medicine costs for terminally ill/Daily Star
Officials hold urgent meeting on US 'spying' attempt/(AFP)
Hizbullah boosts own security, urges government to tighten transit controls/Daily Star
Ban: Lebanon, Israel should profit from 'stability' by inking permanent ceasefire /Daily Star
Nasrallah: It's 'dangerous' to give US Embassy information/Daily Star
Sleiman wants defense talks to resume next week/Daily Star
Lebanon's foreign reserve accumulation 'supports financial stability/Daily Star
Rahal: Protect the environment to protect tourism/Daily Star
Hassan's hard choices: raise taxes or lower government spending/Daily Star
LAU seminar urges Lebanon to act on climate change/Daily Star
Businessman in shootout says Sehnaoui responsible/Daily Star
Western-educated women caught in clash of cultures/Daily Star
Contest encourages students to think of ways to conserve wate /Daily Star
Air crash victims likely knew of impending deaths/Daily Star
Riyadi back to winning ways after defeating Moutahed/Daily Star
Report: Syria willing to consider gradual approach to peace/Ha'aretz
Ban appoints new STL Registrar/Now Lebanon

Moussawi: Every Lebanese and Arab Must Deal with Holders of Foreign Passports as Potential Spies
Naharnet/ecurity must be stepped up for all foreigners entering Lebanon as they could be secret agents like those who murdered a top Hamas official in Dubai, Hizbullah MP Nawwaf al-Moussawi said on Tuesday. "We must tighten foreign passport control at the airport and elsewhere in the country," Moussawi told AFP. "Every Lebanese and Arab must deal with holders of foreign passports as potential spies." Mahmoud al-Mabhouh, a founder of the military wing of the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas, was found dead in his luxurious Dubai hotel room on January 20. Dubai police have said he was drugged then suffocated in what they say was a Cold War-style hit carried out by Israel's Mossad secret service. British, Irish, French, Australian and German passports were used in the murder, the police said. Moussawi slammed European states for failing to "assume responsibility for the violation of their sovereignty" over the use of their passports by Mabhouh's killers in Dubai. "If European countries do not respect their own passport-holders... then they must expect they will be treated with suspicion," he said. Moussawi said Israeli journalists with EU passports had also entered Lebanon in 2006 during the devastating war with the Jewish state.
"It happened in Lebanon in 2006, so the risk of it happening again is more than likely," said the MP. Lebanese authorities have made dozens of arrests in an expanding crackdown on Israeli espionage rings launched last year. Lebanon and Israel remain technically at a state of war, and convicted spies face life in prison with hard labor or the death penalty if found guilty of contributing to Lebanese loss of life. Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah on Monday called for any Lebanese citizens convicted of spying for the Jewish state in a series of trials in recent months to be hanged. A Lebanese arrested last month on suspicion of spying for Israel on Monday also confessed to his involvement a 2004 bomb attack that killed Hizbullah official Ghaleb Awali, a security source told AFP. Israel has made no public comment on the arrests.(Naharnet-AFP) Beirut, 02 Mar 10, 16:15

Suleiman Discusses Dialogue Committee with March 14 Delegation, Lauds UNIFIL Belgian Contingent Performance
Naharnet/President Michel Suleiman on Tuesday met with visiting Belgian Defense Minister Pieter De Crem at the Baabda Palace.
The Belgian minister informed the president on the issue of Belgian weapons and ammunition requested by Lebanon and about those already delivered by Belgium as aid to the Lebanese army. De Crem noted that there is a direction to extend the mandate of his country's contingent working within UNIFIL forces in south Lebanon until the end of the year 2011.
He stressed that bilateral cooperation will be fortified with Belgium assuming the presidency of the European Union next July and through Lebanon's presence as a non-permanent member state in U.N. Security Council for the next two years. For his part, Suleiman welcomed the Belgian minister and the accompanying delegation, noting at the positive bilateral relations between the two countries and lauding the performance of the Belgian contingent in general, and the good relation with local residents in particular.
As Suleiman thanked Belgium for its permanent support for Lebanon, he asked De Crem to convey his greetings to Belgian King Albert II and Crown Prince Philippe, wishing them and their country welfare and prosperity.Suleiman discussed with a delegation from March 14 general-secretariat the current political situations and the contested structure of the national dialogue committee. Beirut, 02 Mar 10, 16:41

Wahab Describes Dialogue Committee as 'National Entertainment Committee'
Naharnet/Former minister Wiam Wahab on Tuesday said that "what was recently formed is not a dialogue committee but rather a national 'entertainment' committee."After meeting with former premier Omar Karami in Tripoli, Wahab said: "This table was initiated in circumstances different than what we are living today. Back then, Speaker Nabih Berri was seeking to move the dialogue from the street to the table, but today we have institutions, and any step of this kind implies the termination of institutions, the parliament, and the cabinet."
"How many members understand what a defensive strategy is? This strategy requires a committee formed of four to five officers, and many army officers comprehend this matter and may prepare a defensive strategy and submit it to the cabinet for approval," he added. Beirut, 02 Mar 10, 20:37

Karami Declares Withdrawal from March 8 Alliance, Expects Dialogue Failure 'Unless It Protects Resistance Arms'
Naharnet/Former premier Omar Karami on Tuesday said that "the dialogue committee will have no 'flavor,'" and warned it "would be defused faster than you may think, unless the mulled defensive strategy aims at preserving resistance's arms in the face of Israeli threats." After meeting with former minister Wiam Wahab, Karami said: "The viewpoints of the March 14 camp, especially its Christians, are well-known: They want to offer an immediate service to Israel." However, he added: "This won't happen." "It is well-known that U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is a U.S. agent and the U.S. only cares for Israel," he added. "One day after Ban's report, President Michel Suleiman announced the dialogue table committee, which is noteworthy." On the other hand, Karami declared his withdrawal from the March 8 alliance, noting: "I'm in an 'independent' opposition and I hold onto my principles."
Beirut, 02 Mar 10, 20:15

Report: Syria Ready for Peace, 3-Phase Normalization Plan with Israel
Naharnet/Syria is willing to consider peace and a 3-phase gradual normalization plan with Israel, according to Gabrielle Rifkind of the Oxford Research Group, who met with Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem in December. In remarks published by the Israeli daily Haaretz, the conflict resolution specialist said that following an Israeli withdrawal from half the territory it holds on the Golan Heights, the two states would declare an end to the state of enmity between them as a first step. "There could be stages of withdrawal," Muallem reportedly told Rifkind.
"Half of the Golan could lead to an end to enmity; three quarters of the Golan, to a special interest section in the U.S. embassy in Damascus: a full withdrawal would allow a Syrian embassy in Israel," the Syrian FM reportedly stated. "Syria does not see direct talks taking place through Turkey, but Ankara could play a part," Muallem reportedly added. However, the British specialist added that Muallem stressed the need for U.S. involvement in talks "to address the security concerns." "The key issue here is U.S. flights over the Golan in order to provide security," Muallem reportedly said. Answering a question about Damascus' relation with Iran and Hizbullah in light of such progress in talks with Israel, Muallem reportedly told Rifkind that Syria is a sovereign state and that it would reconsider that relation "only after Israeli withdrawal from Golan." Beirut, 02 Mar 10, 14:31

More Spies Uncovered, Michel Abdo Confesses to Hizbullah Killing
Naharnet/Police chief Brig. Gen. Ashraf Rifi said a Lebanese man arrested last month on suspicion of spying for Israel has confessed to involvement in a 2004 bomb attack that killed senior Hizbullah official Ghaleb Awali. Rifi, in an interview published Tuesday by the daily As-Safir, said Michel Abdo was tasked with securing and facilitating the transportation of Mossad agents to Awali's home in Hay Moawwad in Beirut's southern suburbs. He said Abdo came out to greet Mossad agents upon their arrival at the Lebanese coast off Naameh and led them to the crime scene. Meanwhile, more spies have been uncovered, latest of which was identified as B.Y.B. in the southern town of Mary. A security source told As-Safir that the detainee was a former member of Antoine Lahd's militia. Beirut, 02 Mar 10, 10:00

Nasrallah: Damascus Summit a Message to Beirut, Other Capitals
Naharnet/Hizbullah Secretary-General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah on Monday described the meeting that gathered him to Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Syrian President Bashar Assad as "a message that has echoed in Beirut and other capitals.""Israel does not expect any response from the Arab street nor from the Arab governments. It rather takes into account the minority found in Lebanon and Palestine as to peoples; and in Iran and Syria as to governments," Nasrallah said via video link to his supporters massed in Hizbullah's stronghold in Beirut's southern suburbs to commemorate the birth of Prophet Mohammed. "The entire Arab Nation … has to thank Syria and Iran for standing by the resistance and to emulate these two nations," he added. "I tell (Israeli President Shimon) Peres who declared Israel's failure and its final withdrawal from Lebanon: You will never return to Lebanon." Nasrallah addressed the Lebanese politicians who criticized his last speech by saying: "When Israel was confronted with a stern and unyielding rhetoric, it was forced to change its tone and to seek pacification on its northern border."
"The resistance is strong because it is embraced by its people, the thing that frightens Israel." Nasrallah called on the Lebanese State for "official defiance," rejecting "what's being circulated that the announcement of national dialogue committee (by President Michel Suleiman on Sunday) resulted from responding to U.S. pressures or to the request of U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon."
Hizbullah number one warned the Lebanese government against sharing telecommunications information with the United States, saying "any such move would be tantamount to collaborating with the Israeli enemy." "The U.S. embassy is sending letters to ministries and security forces asking for information," Nasrallah added. "This is dangerous as it is a violation of Lebanon's sovereignty, but its real danger lies elsewhere," he said. "Because of the strategic relationship and unity between the United States and Israel ... any information gathered through such requests, like spy rings, reaches Israelis. "In other words, it is giving Israel information by proxy on a silver platter, and we hope there are no Lebanese citizens collaborating with the U.S. embassy in the matter," he said. A U.S. request for confidential data on Lebanon's telecommunications sector prompted an emergency meeting of Lebanese MPs and top officials on Monday, after local media accused Washington of spying. The request by the U.S. embassy in Lebanon was submitted in April last year but was turned down by then-energy minister Jebran Bassil, reports said. Bassil on Monday confirmed that he had turned down the embassy's request for "very detailed information on the mobile phone service providers in Lebanon -- the stations, the antennas, technical information." Nasrallah also demanded the death penalty for convicted spies as Lebanese authorities press on with an expanding crackdown on suspected Israeli spy rings launched last year.  "I have said before, and I repeat today, yes to the death sentence for these spies. They should hang, and not just rot in jail for life."(Naharnet-AFP) Beirut, 01 Mar 10, 23:13

Lebanese Official Censures Hizbullah Follow Virtual Jerusalem on and
Date Posted: 2010-03-01
Senior Lebanese politician Samir Geagea has responded to Hizbullah's latest threats against Israel, saying the group has "no right" to cause conflict. "The Lebanese people have not granted [Hizbullah head Hassan] Nasrallah the right to declare war with Israel," Geagea said, according to the Hizbullah news service Al-Manar.
He said that only Lebanon's elected government has the right to determine the fate of the Lebanese people, and that no single party may make unilateral decisions on pressing national issues.
Nasrallah threatened Israel last week at a memorial event for assassinated Hizbullah leaders. "I say to the Israeli leaders that if you bomb the Rafik Hariri Airport in Beirut, we will bomb Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion airport... We will bomb your buildings if you bomb ours, your power plants if you bomb ours... I announce this challenge and we accept this challenge," he said.
Geagea leads the Lebanese Forces party and militia and is a senior member of the pro-Lebanese-independence March 14 Alliance. He was sentenced to multiple life sentences for crimes committed during the Lebanese Civil War of 1975-1990, but was pardoned in 2005. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has reportedly warned that the United States will not stand in Israel's way in the wake of Hizbullah's stockpiling of advanced weapons

Libya Threatens to Expel Lebanese if Beirut Boycotted Summit
Naharnet/Libya has reportedly threatened to oust Lebanese nationals if Beirut decided to boycott the Arab League summit in Tripoli. The daily Al-Liwaa on Tuesday quoted a well-informed Libyan source as saying that the Libyan government is closely following up developments in the Lebanese stance regarding its participation in the Arab League summit scheduled to be held in Tripoli later this month. The source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Libya has prepared the "appropriate response" should Lebanon decide to boycott the summit.
He said the "painful" step-by-step measures to be taken include a decision to expel Lebanese nationals working and living in Libya, who number about 20,000.
The source said the measures will not only have "negative repercussions" on Lebanese-Libyan relations frozen for a long time over the disappearance of Imam Moussa Sadr, but will also have harmful effects on Lebanon's economy. Sadr disappeared in 1978 along with two companions after departing to Libya for talks with government officials.
Libya has been widely perceived as being responsible for Sadr's disappearance while he was on a trip to Tripoli some 30 years ago.
Sadr was a towering figure in Lebanon as he was trusted by political leaders from across the spectrum. He personified the essence of Lebanon's national unity and many believed that Lebanon could have been spared the agony of Civil War had Sadr been there. Sports and Youth Minister Ali Abdullah on Tuesday recalled that there was an arrest warrant against Gadhafi.
In August 2008, a Lebanese magistrate signed an arrest warrant for Gadhafi accusing him of inciting Sadr's abduction. Gadhafi has ignored previous summons from the Lebanese courts to answer questions about Sadr. "Lebanon should not participate in the Arab League summit whatsoever," Abdullah warned. Beirut, 02 Mar 10, 08:01

Phalange Party: Nasrallah-Assad-Ahmadinejad Meeting Annuls Ministerial Statement Article VI
Naharnet/Phalange Party on Monday said that the Damascus meeting that gathered Syrian President Bashar Assad, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, and Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah "took the direction of a tripartite summit during which Lebanon was represented by the head of a party as Lebanese legitimacy was totally alienated, the step that represents blatant sequestration of the Lebanese State." "As if this meeting-summit has terminated article six of the ministerial Policy Statement that Phalange Party rejected back then. Instead of denoting the responsibility to defend the country to the people, the army, and the resistance, that article was reduced and limited to the resistance alone represented by Hizbullah's secretary-general and no-one else," a statement issued after Phalange's politburo weekly meeting said. "The dangerous thing about this summit is that it forces Lebanon to stand at the forefront of the military Arab-Israeli conflict in absence of any official Lebanese decision in this regard; and the absence of any Arab official stance to lead this confrontation, the thing that contradicts with the Arab League Charter, the Arab joint defense treaty, Arab summits' resolutions, and international resolutions related to Lebanon," the statement added. "Lebanon seems to be the only Arab battleground while Syria is trying, with all means possible, to shift its conflict (with Israel) from the arena of war to the arena of diplomatic negotiations." Beirut, 01 Mar 10, 22:36

Hariri: Lebanon Won't Be Battleground for Anyone, We Doubt Israel's Intentions Not Nasrallah's
Naharnet/Prime Minister Saad Hariri on Monday stressed "the maintaining of constant contacts with the Syrian leadership," adding that "serious efforts are being made to build a vital Lebanese-Syrian relation." "We are working on developing the relation with Syria and other Arab countries, especially that Lebanon exists at the heart of the Arab region," Hariri told reporters in Doha. As to his trip to Qatar, Hariri noted that "a special relation gathered between the martyr premier Rafik Hariri and Qatar, and today's visit aims to fortify bilateral relations."
Answering a question on Israeli threats against Lebanon, Hariri stressed that "the government is strictly following up on Israeli steps."
"We won't accept a war waged at our expense and Lebanon won't be a battleground for anyone. Whether Israel is going to attack Hizbullah, the South, or Dahiyeh, we have to fortify internal national unity to face any possible attack," he added. "Israel is taking Hizbullah's participating in the government as a pretext to justify its aggression. Hizbullah has been a part of the government since 2005, while Israel attacked us in 2006 and is still threatening Lebanon," Hariri said, adding: "Do those who threaten to wage war want peace?"
Commenting on Hizbullah Secretary-General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah's latest speech, Hariri said: "No one doubts Sayyed Nasrallah's intentions, and some considered that the speech created a state of deterrence in the face of Israel. We know that Israelis are seeking an alibi, so we shouldn't show any division in our ranks. We, on the other hand, doubt Israel's intentions, and therefore we should enhance internal unity." As to the national dialogue table, Hariri noted that "President Michel Suleiman is the one who puts the criterions," adding: "When I return (to Lebanon), I will meet my allies to define our stance." Earlier Monday, Hariri met with Qatari Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani at the Emiri Diwan to discuss bilateral ties and developments in the region in light of recurrent Israeli threats. Beirut, 01 Mar 10, 20:46

Europe can't afford to go soft on Iran
By Fiorello Provera /Daily Star
Tuesday, March 02, 2010
This year will be a crucial and uncertain one for the Islamic Republic of Iran – and for its relations with the European Union. The domestic hostility toward the regime that erupted in the aftermath of the disputed presidential elections last June has not died away; in fact it has become stronger and more determined.
The Ashura riots of last December and the violent suppression of protests during the recent anniversary to mark the 31st anniversary of the Islamic Revolution were some of the fiercest to date. The Iranian regime’s sharp crackdown ahead of the anniversary did not stop thousands from marching in the streets, despite the threat of swift retribution. The likelihood of more arrests, trials, and bloodshed is a concern for many in the international community.
More ominously, following riots the regime put 16 opposition members on trial for taking part in the demonstrations, with prosecutors indicating that some would be charged with the offense of mohareb, or “making a war against God” – a capital crime.
The heavy-handed approach adopted by the regime is causing friction among even its loyalists. A former member of Iran’s Parliament, Javad Ettaat, argues that the “government is contravening the principles of Islam by using an iron fist against protesters.” Mohammad Taghi Khalaji, a cleric and devoted follower of Ayatollah Ali Khomeini, was arrested on January 12 after saying at a Tehran mosque that Iran’s leaders should repent for their actions.
Moreover, an Iranian diplomat in Oslo, Mohammed Reza Heydari, resigned in protest against the regime’s behavior after the December riots. Other Iranian diplomats also are reportedly resigning from their posts and seeking asylum abroad.
The European Parliament has been paying close attention to the deteriorating situation in Iran. There has been pressure to impose targeted sanctions aimed at impeding the financial operations of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, which holds a virtual monopoly over strategic industries such as banking, defense and construction. Many European companies have profited from investing in such firms, which means deciding on the terms of sanctions could prove cumbersome.
On the issue of Iran’s nuclear ambitions, the Iranian government’s equivocal position also is a source of growing concern. Many European lawmakers are worried by the prospect of a nuclear-armed Iran on Europe’s doorstep, and are not convinced by the regime’s claim that it seeks only nuclear energy.
It is critical, therefore, that the European Union demonstrate its commitment to the Iranian people through actions, rather than words – a complaint that many Iranians level against Western powers – by taking a tougher stance against the regime in Tehran. Targeted sanctions aimed at the Revolutionary Guards would be an important step, but so is clearly expressing solidarity with the millions of Iranian men and women who are fighting for a democratic and pluralist society.
Europe should stand with Iran’s civil society, and the European Parliament has already paid tribute to the courage of all those Iranian men and women who are defending their basic freedoms and democratic principles. A concrete demonstration of its commitment is the request to make better use of the European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights.
Eighty members of the European Parliament, including the body’s former president, Hans-Gert Pottering, and former Belgian Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt, are urging the European Parliament to honor its commitment to human rights by remembering the life of Neda Agha Soltan, the young woman who was killed last June in Tehran while standing up for her rights. We believe that the European Parliament should commemorate her sacrifice by hanging a poster of her image on the external wall of the its premises in Brussels, beside the poster of Aung San Suu Kyi, the leader of Burma’s democratic opposition.
Neda Soltan has become the symbol of the desire for freedom of a people that Europe must help. This simple act could demonstrate the importance of Europe’s soft power, which frightens the Islamic Republic more than the threat of military force by keeping the media spotlight on the regime’s human rights record and emphasizing its growing isolation.
Such an act would also foster stronger ties between Iran’s civil society and the outside world, while setting an example to the international community that the EU is committed to the principles enshrined in its own Charter of Fundamental Rights.
Europe’s policy for Iran is not regime change, but when human rights and democracy are at stake, we cannot simply close our eyes.
**Fiorello Provera is vice-chairman of the European Parliament’s Committee on Foreign Affairs. THE DAILY STAR publishes this commentary in collaboration with Project Syndicate © (www.project-syndicate.org).

That was a war council in Damascus
The National
March 01. 2010
UAE / February 28. 2010
http://www.thenational.ae/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100301/OPINION/702289930/1006
The three-party meeting that took place in Damascus on Friday gathering the Syrian president Bashar al Assad, the Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and the Hizbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah was a war council to devise counterattack plans and assign tasks in the event of an Israeli offensive on one or all parties, wrote Abdelbari Atwan, the editor-in-chief of the pan-Arab newspaper Al Quds al Arabi.
“The timing of the meeting, the way it was undertaken and the ensuing press conference that was held at its conclusion, all point to a strategic coalition being reinforced. This is the build-up of a new front that will spearhead the confrontation with the US-Israeli alliance and whichever Arab countries that may, expressly or implicitly, be affiliated with it.”
The Iranian president said he expects war to break out somewhere between spring and summer of this year. Meanwhile, the Hizbollah chief vowed to strike the Israeli capital, its airports and power stations if Israel dared to attack Beirut’s critical infrastructure.
“Indeed, we are being exposed to a new discourse here, an unprecedented sense of self-confidence and an unheard-of preparedness for retaliation.”
For its part, the Syrian leadership appears to have made up its mind to close off the US administration’s “trite and cheap” flirtation with Damascus and opted for bolstering its tactical partnership with Tehran.
Clatter over Iraqi vote is good news
It is a matter of several days before the Iraqi people go to the polls and have their say on their country’s political future. These national elections may bring Iraq great opportunities to thrive and develop, but they may also be the country’s last elections, commented Abdul Rahman al Rashed in the London-based newspaper Asharq al Awsat.
“The clatter we’re hearing and the heated media battles and polemics currently happening in Iraq in the lead-up to the elections prefigure a decisive outcome of the ballot polls. I don’t think that the past four years, during which an elected government was in power under Nouri al Maliki, will be reduplicated even if Mr al Maliki himself is reappointed prime minister.”
That’s because a number of factors on the ground will be changing as of next year. Most important of all, US troops will pull out of the country. And the US presence, besides the protection it offers to the opponents of the post-occupation regime, has had a political influence balancing out the competing forces.
“Doubtless, the new foundations that were laid after the fall of Saddam’s regime won’t be easy to preserve in the absence of a US umbrella.”
Still, whichever leadership ends up with the majority of the votes, the upcoming elections carry the hope that the rocking Iraqi ship will finally berth safely.
The uncertain fate of Arab Christians
Two months ago, Christians from Jerusalem, mostly clergymen from various sects, issued a statement about the dreadful conditions that Jerusalem and all Palestinian territories are facing under the Israeli occupation, wrote Redwan al Sayid, a professor of Islamic Studies at the University of Lebanon, in the UAE newspaper Al Ittihad.
Another statement then came from the Vatican diagnosing the status of “Eastern Christians”, as it labelled them, according to four main factors: the declining numbers of Christians in the Levant region due to intensive immigration; pressure Christians are subjected to in Israel, the Palestinian territories and Iraq; marginalisation and violence they are facing in other Arab states due to the rise of fundamentalist ideologies; and major schisms within the Arab Christian community resulting from the indifference of Christians of the western world.
A one-day conference was then convened under the theme of “Living Together: Christians and Muslims in the Middle East.”
“I noted that Christians and Muslims in the Levant suffer from three main issues: the rise of fundamentalism, the perpetuity of the totalitarian state and the dreadfulness of the Zionist regime.”
True, Israeli occupation has oppressed and humiliated Muslims and Christians alike, but Christians felt it most, precisely because they are a minority.
The effect of 10,000 detained Palestinians
“Israel holds in captivity more than 10,000 Palestinians as part of a scheme that no imperial power has undertaken before,” wrote Rimonda Hawa al Taweel in the comment pages of the Palestinian newspaper Al Quds.
Locking up such a large number of Palestinians has multifarious implications. First, it bespeaks Israel’s ill will regarding any peace initiative.
“It seems that Israel wants to make peace with itself rather than with its ‘enemies’. For peace would cost it the critical foe that unifies it internally.”
Second, with so many of their loved ones in jail, Palestinians will quite naturally never stop their resistance or relinquish their struggle for freedom. Israel wrongly thinks those 10,000 Palestinians are “hostages” that will dishearten the resistance, but the exact opposite is true.
These inhumane incarcerations rather sow the seeds of a deeper hatred for Israel in the next generations. If Israel doesn’t care about love because, as it claims, it can always command respect through intimidation, it can never root out abhorrence.
“Let’s open the Palestinian prisoner files to the whole world, so it may read, learn and then decide.”
* Digest compiled by Achraf A El Bahi /aelbahi@thenational.ae

Nasrallah says Iranian-Syrian summit good response to US
March 2, 2010
Now Lebanon/During a speech on Muslim Unity week, Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said yesterday that last week’s meeting in Damascus between Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was “enough of a response” to all US and foreign messages.
This comes after recent US calls urging Syria to move away from its relationship with Iran.
However, the Syrian and Iranian leaders held a press conference last week reiterating their nations’ strong ties, the strength of the resistance movements in the Middle East, and the inevitable disappearance of Israel.
Nasrallah praised the cabinet’s role in facing Israeli threats, as well as President Michel Sleiman’s positions, but he added they are going to face pressure once US Ambassador to Lebanon Michele Sison begins relaying messages regarding possible wars against Lebanon.
“Israel did not stop its security war against Lebanon and other states,” he added, citing the January assassination in Dubai of top Hamas official Mahmoud al-Mabhouh.
The Hezbollah leader called for the execution of all Israeli collaborators in Lebanon.
He also condemned reports that the US Embassy in Lebanon requested from the Internal Security Forces information on communication in Lebanon, saying it is a breach of the country’s sovereignty.
There is no doubt that all data and information acquired by the US would be transferred to Israel, said Nasrallah, adding it will not only harm Hezbollah but all of Lebanon.
Loyalty to the Resistance bloc MP Hassan Fadlallah chaired a Media and Telecommunications Commission meeting at the parliament on Tuesday to discuss the US request.
“The committee will not jump to conclusions on such a dangerous and delicate issue,” said Fadlallah following the sit-down.
However, in an interview with AFP on Monday, Gebran Bassil confirmed turning down a US request for confidential data on Lebanon’s communication networks when he was telecommunications minister in 2009.
In his speech, Nasrallah also said that that foreign pressure from the US and the UN was not behind the formation of the national dialogue committee, which was finalized on Sunday. Instead, he said that President Sleiman had already been planning to make his appointments to the committee.
In an interview published Tuesday in As-Sharq newspaper, Sleiman said that the national dialogue might be held next week after the schedules of all its committee members are coordinated.
The president called for adopting a national defense plan that protects Lebanon and safeguards its abilities in light of the Israeli threats.
Lebanon has learned through diplomatic channels that Tel Aviv has no intention to attack, Sleiman said. However, he rejected complacency for Israeli threats and called for continued diplomatic efforts, readiness and safeguarding of national unity.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Saad Hariri said during a press conference in Doha that no one doubts Nasrallah’s intentions, adding, “We all doubt Israel’s.”
He said that the Hezbollah leader’s speech last month threatening to attack Israel if it attacks Lebanon was a response to the Jewish State’s threats.
“We all know that Israel needs a pretext to launch a war, therefore we should be united,” said Hariri, adding that if the Jewish State “attempted to attack southern Lebanon, Dahiyeh, or Hezbollah, we should join together to face Israel.”
According to Hariri, Hezbollah’s participation in the cabinet should not be an excuse for Israel to launch a war, noting the Resistance has been in the government since 2005.
-NOW Lebanon

Saad Hariri
March 1, 2010
On February 28, the Qatari-owned Al-Raya newspaper carried the following interview with Lebanese Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri:
In what context do you place your visit to the state of Qatar? Who will you be meeting and what are the issues you will discuss? Why did you choose this timing in particular?
I am visiting Qatar to meet with His Highness the prince of the state of Qatar Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalif the Second and the Qatari prime minister. This visit is very dear to Lebanon in light of what Qatar has offered us during the last stage, not only in terms of the aid on the cultural, social and reconstruction levels, but also on the political level through the Doha Accord which saved Lebanon from a great predicament and had a positive impact in bringing the election of a president of the republic, the formation of a national unity government and the staging of parliamentary elections... We are also thankful for the Qatari role and the way Qatar is hosting the Lebanese Diaspora with all due respect. Based on that, this visit aims at developing this relation on all political, economic and cultural levels and I would like to point to the fact that martyred Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri visited Qatar with the family all the time and I wish to maintain these good and exceptional relations...
In regard to the Israeli attacks to which Lebanon is being subjected, does this not need the summoning of an urgent Arab summit especially since the region is open to all possibilities?
The Arab summit will be held at the end of March and the issue of the attacks is certainly on its agenda. For our part, we will contact all the parties and Qatar is one of the states which will help at this level. We are contacting the Americans, Europeans and Russia. Today, the president of the republic visited Russia and secured economic and military cooperation...
To what extent is the Lebanese state prepared for an Israeli attack on Lebanon?
The main thing that should be secured by the Lebanese state at this level is national unity. War can destroy and entail many victims, but the only thing capable of immunizing the country is national unity through the solidarity of the people in the face of any attack. No one can be fully prepared, but through national unity, we will be prepared...
The summit of defiance was held in Syria between President Bashar al-Assad and Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad under the headline of the Israeli attacks and the way to deter them. How did you read into this summit in light of the statements issued from it?
Syria and Iran enjoy historic relations which were not established yesterday. Syria knows where its interest as an Arab country lies and knows how to read into the Israeli threats and challenges. Therefore, it must maintain its relations with Iran...
For its part, Iran is also facing major challenges, whether at the level of its nuclear dossier, its perception of the region and especially its problem with Israel. Nonetheless, the Israeli threats should be faced through the Arab League in a blunt way and the positions should be unified. We do not want war and let us be honest, will war entail peace? Certainly not. Wars do not entail peace and that is why we agreed along with the Arab officials in Beirut to ratify the peace initiative in which we pledged to seek peace and not war.
We want to open doors while Israel wants to close them. We do not wish to fall in the trap of escalation and should show the world that we are calling for peace. Based on that, the opening of the doors of peace is necessary each from his own region, whether through the Palestinians or through the Syrians. Each side knows what it wants from peace. Israel knows what to do in regard to the Palestinians and knows what it wants from Syria. Israel’s problem at this stage is the presence of a government of confrontation that does not want peace...
The summit which was held in Syria was a summit between two states to discuss the threats and the challenges facing Iran in regard to the nuclear dossier. This issue is related to the international community and Syria can help Iran at this level and talk to this community.
How would you describe the upcoming stage following your visit to Syria?
We in Lebanon have opened a new page with Syria and are convinced that these relations should be exceptional and built on ties between one state and another. There are also personal ties with President Al- Assad and my visit to him was important whether it was conducted by the prime minister of all of Lebanon or on the personal level based on the welcoming I received. This opened new doors for Lebanon’s interest and we hope that these relations will move forward.
Were there any contact with President Bashar al-Assad following this visit?
There were contacts and coordination and there is an ongoing dialogue between President Bashar al-Assad and I over the economic and social dossiers which are of interest to both countries among other dossiers. There were also contacts carrying a personal character.
Is there a crisis of trust between yourself and President Al- Assad especially after what was circulated by the Syrian websites?
Many sides were harmed by this relation, whether on the personal level or at the level of the Lebanese and Syrian states, and many people want to undermine it. However, I clearly stated that I undertook that step based on utter conviction and whenever I put my hand in anyone’s hand, I keep it there. I have put my hand in that of President Bashar al-Assad and this will be maintained.
How do you assess the current domestic situation?
In our ministerial statement, we have included the priorities of the people in terms of healthcare, education, security, roads and pollution. As a government which combines all the political sides, we have adopted competence in our nominations. Based on that, if we want to undertake whichever step, the state has many responsibilities. We must approach the different issues in a serious way, not to secure gains to Saad al-Hariri or a specific political party, but to move Lebanon to another location. There are several economic theories and we have been studying the economic plan for two years. Today, there is disagreement over the banking sector and I believe it is the main sector in Lebanon and the one that saved it. For our part, we have earned the vote of confidence of parliament on the basis of a clear program and if we do not respect it, we are considered to have exited the national unity government at which point each should assume his responsibility...