LCCC
ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
March
28/2010
Bible Of the
Day
John 12/1-12: "Then six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where
Lazarus was, who had been dead, whom he raised from the dead. 12:2 So they made
him a supper there. Martha served, but Lazarus was one of those who sat at the
table with him. 12:3 Mary, therefore, took a pound of ointment of pure nard,
very precious, and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet with her hair.
The house was filled with the fragrance of the ointment. 12:4 Then Judas
Iscariot, Simon’s son, one of his disciples, who would betray him, said, 12:5
“Why wasn’t this ointment sold for three hundred denarii, and given to the
poor?” 12:6 Now he said this, not because he cared for the poor, but because he
was a thief, and having the money box, used to steal what was put into it. 12:7
But Jesus said, “Leave her alone. She has kept this for the day of my burial.
12:8 For you always have the poor with you, but you don’t always have me.” 12:9
A large crowd therefore of the Jews learned that he was there, and they came,
not for Jesus’ sake only, but that they might see Lazarus also, whom he had
raised from the dead. 12:10 But the chief priests conspired to put Lazarus to
death also, 12:11 because on account of him many of the Jews went away and
believed in Jesus.
Free Opinions, Releases, letters, Interviews & Special
Reports
Lebanon’s dishonorable laws/By:Matt
Nash/Now Lebanon/March 27, 10
Latest News Reports From
Miscellaneous Sources for March 27/10
Pope decides to beatify
Venerable Estephan Nehmeh/Now Lebanon
Ban worried over Hizbullah arms,
Sleiman raps Israeli breaches/Daily Star
Tribunal prosecutor dismisses media
rumors as unhelpful/Daily Star
Geagea: Lebanon's Protection Can't
be Based on 1 Party's Control over Decision to Defend Lebanon/Naharnet
Sleiman withdraws Najjar from LF
event, who stays in personal capacity/Now
Lebanon
HRW:
Libya Must Reveal Fate of Moussa Sadr/Naharnet
Nasrallah may comment on STL
developments soon/Now Lebanon
Hariri
Seeks Serious Ties with Syria, Stresses on Solid Alliance with Jumblat/Naharnet
Patriarch Hazim Expresses Concern over Lebanon, Rejects Attacks on Presidency/Naharnet
Jumblat: Assad Remarks Positive, Nothing Positive in Proportionality/Naharnet
Ban Says He Won't Annul
UNSCR 1559, Reveals Barak Will 'Seriously' Consider Withdrawing from Ghajar,
Shabaa/Naharnet
Wahab: Leaked Tribunal Info Says Mughniyeh Involved in Hariri Murder/Naharnet
Bellemare's Office: Speculations on Investigation Unhelpful, STL Doesn't Argue
its Case Through the Media/Naharnet
Arslan responds to Ban:
National dialogue will consider Resistance’s arms/Now Lebanon
Pope decides to beatify
Venerable Estephan Nehmeh
March 27, 2010
Pope Benedict XVI decided on Saturday to beatify Venerable Estephan Nehmeh and
publish confirmation of his miracle in the official Vatican newspaper
L'Osservatore Romano, the National News Agency (NNA) reported. This comes after
the Vatican’s Congregation for the Causes of Saints unanimously voted in favor
of beatifying the Nehmeh earlier this month.
The agency added that the secretary of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the
Faith Archbishop, Angelo Amato, will meet with the agent of the Lebanese
Maronite Nunnery in Rome, Priest Boulos Kazzi, on Monday to prepare for the
beatification ceremony, which is expected to take place in Lebanon at the end of
June. -NOW Lebanon
Ban Says He Won't Annul UNSCR 1559, Reveals Barak Will 'Seriously' Consider
Withdrawing from Ghajar, Shabaa
Naharnet/U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon stressed that "he does not plan to
annul U.N. Security Council Resolution 1559," noting that Terje Roed-Larsen is
still his special envoy tasked with following up on the implementation of the
resolution. As Ban said that a progress has been achieved in implementing UNSCR
1701, he stressed that "several important elements should be fully implemented."
In an interview with the al-Hayat pan-Arab daily, Ban voiced his concerns on
Hizbullah's armed presence, lauding the initiative of President Michel Suleiman
to convene the national dialogue committee. However, Ban expressed his dismay
over the failure of the previous dialogue rounds to reach a solution to the
issue of Hizbullah's arms.
"Arms are being smuggled into Lebanese territories and that should stop through
monitoring Lebanese-Syrian borders," he added. As to the continued violation of
the Lebanese airspace by Israeli warplanes and drones, Ban said that this act
"undermines the work of UNIFIL and Lebanese Armed Forces, not to mention its
violation of Lebanon's sovereignty."
He stressed that the Israeli army should "immediately" pull out from the
northern part of the Ghajar village and from the occupied Shabaa Farms.
Ban revealed that he had discussed all of the pending issues when he visited
Israel, noting that Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak promised him to
"seriously" mull these issues.
As to the mission of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, Ban expressed hope "for
some progress to be achieved."
"We expect achieving progress in the nearest time possible, although there is no
timeframe or deadline for its mission," Ban told al-Hayat.
On Thursday, Ban said that Israeli officials have "expressed frustration with
the situation in south Lebanon," where allegedly Hizbullah is rearming "at an
alarming rate."
"I understand Israel's legitimate security concerns and the importance of
addressing them, along with the concerns of all parties, as efforts continue to
achieve the implementation of U.N. resolutions on Lebanon," Ban said in his
briefing to the Security Council on his recent trip to the Middle East to attend
the Arab League summit scheduled for Saturday.
"At the same time, I conveyed my belief that a genuine and viable peace process,
leading to the end of the Arab-Israel conflict as envisaged in other resolutions
of this Council, is the key to long-term stability in the region," the
Secretary-General added. Ban later told reporters that he would ask Arab leaders
to back U.S.-brokered indirect peace talks between Israelis and Palestinians
despite a chill over Israel's plan to build new settler homes in east Jerusalem.
Beirut, 26 Mar 10, 10:26
Bellemare's Office: Speculations on Investigation Unhelpful, STL Doesn't Argue
its Case Through the Media
Naharnet/The Office of the Prosecutor of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon on
Friday responded to ongoing speculations on its work.
"The Office of the Prosecutor takes note of the flurry of speculations on its
work reported by the media and attributed to 'unidentified sources,' some of
which are described as 'well informed sources' and 'sources close to the
investigation.' The Office of the Prosecutor considers speculations on the state
of progress of its work and the date of issuance of an indictment quite
unfortunate and unhelpful as they can only confuse the public," said a statement
issued by Radhia Achouri, spokesperson for STL Prosecutor Daniel Bellemare.
"The Office of the Prosecutor takes strong exception to any allegation or
insinuation that it is deliberately leaking information to the press and
strongly emphasizes that the communications policy of the Prosecutor is a
disciplined and responsible one that places paramount importance on the
integrity of the work of his Office and the process he is leading as well as on
public confidence," the statement added. "As a matter of principle, the Office
of the Prosecutor does not argue its case in or through the media. If the Office
wants to share information with the public, it does so publicly and on the
record." OTP stressed that anything reported by individuals other than the
Prosecutor or his official spokesperson "are mere speculations and should be
treated as such.""Nobody else is authorized to speak on behalf of the Office of
the Prosecutor," the statement warned. "The Office of the Prosecutor underlines
that any unauthorized disclosure by anyone entrusted with the confidential
details of the work of the Prosecutor is a very serious matter and those found
to be in violation of this trust will be held accountable." Beirut, 26 Mar 10,
12:41
Wahab: Leaked Tribunal Info Says Mughniyeh Involved in Hariri Murder
Naharnet/Tawheed movement leader Wiam Wahab said Thursday that according to
leaked information, the Special Tribunal for Lebanon is accusing slain Hizbullah
commander Imad Mughniyeh of involvement in ex-Premier Rafik Hariri's
assassination. In remarks to al-Jadeed TV station, Wahab said he wasn't the
Syrian ambassador's "worker."
Wahab also commented to LBC about his recent call for President Michel Suleiman
to resign, saying his stance was a "political viewpoint" that did not deserve
"the intellectual terror" practiced against him. He reminded the Lebanese that
late President Fouad Shehab resigned after his political team didn't cooperate
with him.
Wahab denied that he would visit Suleiman in Baabda on Friday. However, he
expressed readiness to meet with the president anytime. Beirut, 25 Mar 10, 12:38
Geagea: Lebanon's Protection Can't be Based on 1 Party's
Control over Decision to Defend Lebanon
Naharnet/Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea said Saturday that Lebanon could
not be protected if the state was excluded and one party took control over the
decision to defend Lebanon.
"Lebanon's protection cannot be based on one Lebanese party's control over the
decision to defend Lebanon and the exclusion of the state and all others,"
Geagea said on the 16th anniversary of the LF's banning at the Beirut
International Exhibition and Leisure Center.
The LF leader also slammed what he called an "all-out war on all constitutional
institutions."
"I urge everyone to close ranks behind constitutional institutions, from the
president, to the cabinet, all the way to the parliament and the army … There is
no turning back to slavery, to the security regime and to the semi-state."
"History has never gone back and it won't," he stressed.
"There is no protection to Lebanon and no defense strategy without the presence
of the state … We would be making the biggest favor for Lebanon's enemies,
mainly Israel, by making the state absent," Geagea said. Geagea said the
occasion paves way for a better future. He also thanked thousands of LF members
for their sacrifices.
"We owe our martyrs the truth and justice. We will never rest until victory is
achieved," he said.
On the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, Geagea wondered: "Why all these direct and
indirect campaigns against the international tribunal? How would the court's
functions threaten stability in Lebanon as some say?"
On the LF front, Geagea unveiled that the party's by-laws have been finalized
after four years of continuous work. He also announced that the LF will launch
the party's first general conference mid April.
Before his speech at the end of the rally, several officials took the stand and
addressed the crowds. MP Strida Geagea, the LF leader's wife, said: "We emerged
victorious … despite all the suffering." She also said that during this occasion
one cannot but to remember those who were martyred, mainly Fawzi al-Rassi and
Ramzi Irani.
Lawmaker Atef Majdalani, in his turn, hailed all officials killed since
ex-Premier Rafik Hariri's assassination in 2005 for the sake of justice. He also
praised officials and media figures who survived the targeted bombings.
Also during the LF rally, Journalist May Chidiac slammed Syrian President Bashar
Assad for calling the international tribunal a bazaar. She defended Prime
Minister Saad Hariri and LF leader Geagea against critics. "We will not kneel no
matter how much you try to undermine us," she said. "Thirty five thousand Syrian
soldiers went out (of Lebanon) and will not come back even if the price was
death and sacrifice," Chidiac told cheering crowds. MP Ahmed Fatfat, who was
among the guests who addressed the crowds in BIEL, said March 14 is a national
need based on Christian-Muslim unity. "We are in the March 14 forces for the
sake of Lebanon's independence and sovereignty," he said. Beirut, 27 Mar 10,
15:18
HRW: Libya Must Reveal Fate of Moussa Sadr
Naharnet/Human Rights Watch has urged Libyan authorities to reveal during an
Arab summit it is hosting this weekend the fate of missing people, including
prominent Lebanese Shiite cleric Imam Moussa Sadr. The New-York based rights
watchdog said Libya should also provide information about two of its own
citizens who went missing 20 years ago after they were returned home from Egypt
where authorities had arrested them. "One of the themes of this Arab League
summit is reconciliation," HRW Middle East and North Africa director Sarah Leah
Whitson said in a statement released late Friday.
"Libya should use this opportunity to inform the families who have been
suffering the pain of not knowing where their loved ones are," she added.
Lebanese President Michel Suleiman is boycotting the summit in Sirte amid a
lingering dispute with Libya over the disappearance of Sadr, and has sent his
country's ambassador to Cairo instead. Sadr, who is still regarded by Lebanon's
Shiites as a key spiritual guide, vanished on August 31, 1978, amid mysterious
circumstances and was last seen in Libya.
In 2008 Lebanon issued an arrest warrant for Libyan leader Moammer Gadhafi over
Sadr's disappearance while he was in Tripoli with two companions, who also went
missing.
Libya has denied involvement in Sadr's disappearance. It says the man left the
country for Italy, but the Italian government has always denied he arrived
there. However, in 2004 Italian authorities returned a passport found in Italy
belonging to the imam. HRW acknowledged that Libyan authorities began in 2008
"for the first time" to address the case of hundreds of people who disappeared
"in connection with a massacre at the Abu Salim prison in 1996." "Over the past
year, the authorities have informed at least 800 families that their loved ones
perished at the prison in 1996, offering compensation in exchange for
relinquishing any legal claims. But many other Libyan disappearance cases remain
unresolved," it said.
It specifically mentioned Libyan opposition figures Jaballa Hamed Matar and
Izzat al-Megaryef, who it said were arrested by Egyptian security forces in
Cairo in March 1990.
"Their families later learned that Egyptian security forces had handed them over
the next day to Libyan security officials, who detained them in Abu Salim
prison," HRW said, adding they have not been heard of since. "Disappearances are
a continuous crime for which the Libyan government is responsible," Whitson
said. She urged Libya to "tell the truth about what happened to these victims"
and to "provide reparation and prosecute those responsible for their
disappearance."(AFP) Beirut, 27 Mar 10, 11:15
Patriarch Hazim Expresses Concern over Lebanon, Rejects Attacks on Presidency
Naharnet/Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch and all the East Ignatius Hazim IV
has expressed concern over Lebanon hoping that "everyone would work for the
Lebanese without any exception or segregation." During a visit to Our Lady of
Balamand Monastery, Hazim told As Safir newspaper's correspondent that he was
"always with legitimacy." He also rejected verbal attacks on the president and
constitutional institutions. "The Lebanese should love their country … and they
should unite to solve their social problems … such as power cuts," he said.
"Everyone should join hands to implement (development) projects in all regions."
On fears over a possible Israeli attack on Gaza or Lebanon, the patriarch said
such an aggression has "no justification." He also regretted that the people of
what is called a united Arab nation fight against each other. Hazim criticized
differences among Palestinians at a time when Israel continues to push ahead
with plans to build more settlements. Beirut, 27 Mar 10, 09:19
Lebanon’s dishonorable laws
Matt Nash, March 27, 2010
Now Lebanon
A Lebanese women protests against discrimination. AFP photo/Joseph Barrak
He shot her in the head. Twice.
A 28-year-old man in Akkar, Lebanon’s northernmost district, recently murdered
his sister, apparently because she had a boyfriend. He dumped her lifeless body
in the street, where authorities found it a few days before finding and
arresting him.
“[He] admitted shooting her twice in the head to cleanse the family honor,” a
security official told AFP.
In Lebanese courts, his defense – committing a crime to defend honor and decency
– could get him a more lenient sentence. So-called “honor crimes” – when men
kill or injure their wives or female relatives for “shaming” the family – happen
in Lebanon, but determining how frequently is tricky.
“We know they happen, but there are no official statistics,” said Nadya Khalife,
a Lebanon-based researcher with the Women’s Rights Division of Human Rights
Watch. Globally, the United Nations Population Fund estimates that men kill at
least 5,000 women each year in “honor crimes”.
Amnesty International reported in 2007 that, according to the Lebanese press,
two women per month were murdered in defense of “honor” during 2001.
Part of the problem with collecting data, lawyer and activist Marie-Rose Zalzal
told NOW Lebanon, is that a woman’s family members will report her death as an
accident even if it was a murder. The reverse, she and others interviewed for
this article said, is also true.
Men sometimes kill female relatives to get a larger share of an inheritance, or
for other reasons, and use “honor” as a defense to get a lighter sentence,
according to Faten Abou Chacra, a project coordinator with Kafa, a coalition
that works on domestic violence issues.
Zalzal said, however, that in the past decade or so, Lebanese courts have been
allowing “honor” to stand as a defense less and less.
“You have bad laws with good practices,” she said.
Like a number of countries, particularly in Latin America, the law in Lebanon is
discriminatory when it comes to “crimes of passion”.
Article 562 of Lebanon’s penal code says that if a man catches his wife or
female relative engaging in sex outside of wedlock, he can kill or injure her in
a moment of passion and receive a lenient sentence. This legal protection does
not, however, extend to a woman who happens upon her husband or a male relative
in a similarly compromising position.
Amended in 1999, Article 562 comes from a French law (Article 324 of the penal
code of 1810) repealed in 1975, according to Crimes of Honor: Between Reality
and the Law, a book published by the Lebanese Council to Resist Violence Against
Women. Affording only men a legal loophole for murder, the book argues, the law
contradicts Lebanon’s constitution, which guarantees that “all Lebanese are
equal before the law” (Article 7).
Three other articles of the penal code (193, 252 and 253) allow for crimes
committed in certain circumstances – including defending honor and decency
provided the criminal is not acting selfishly or for material gain – to receive
lenient sentences.
As early as 1970, activists lobbied to replace Article 562 with a less
discriminatory law with little success. The 1999 amendment abolished the section
of the article that said men can kill female relatives caught having illicit sex
with complete impunity and also removed a section that gave lenient sentences to
men who killed or injured female relatives merely suspected of sexual
impropriety.
That, women’s rights activists argue, is not enough.
For the past three years Kafa has been trying to pass a progressive new law
criminalizing domestic violence and other forms of abuse against women. The
process, however, has been slow, but Abou Chacra said she is hopeful it will
pass soon.
“We met with the president, and he said he supports [the draft law],” she said.
Despite some hopeful signs, like the 2007 fatwa issued by revered Shia cleric
Mohammed Hussein Fadlallah banning “honor crimes”, Abou Chacra said the
country’s powerful religious institutions play the largest role in blocking the
law.
“The main issue is that [politicians] are afraid it will upset the religious
[authorities],” Abou Chacra said.
Lawyer Nada Khadifeh, however, told NOW Lebanon that the ruling class opposes
changes to the law so as not to offend “the dignity of men”.
Senator Andreychuk to Lead Canadian
Delegation to Arab League Summit
To view this document on the department website, please click on the following
link:
http://www.international.gc.ca/media/aff/news-communiques/2010/116.aspx
Minister of Foreign Affairs, today announced that Senator Raynell Andreychuk
will lead the Canadian delegation to the Arab League Summit in Sirte, Libya,
from March 27 to 28, 2010.
“Senator Andreychuk’s participation in the Arab League Summit reflects the
importance of Canada’s relations with the Arab world,” said Minister Cannon.
“Her presence at this international event will send a clear signal to the
organization and its members that Canada is committed to working with the Arab
world, specifically in the areas of peace and security, human rights, and
economic advancement.”Founded in 1945, the Arab League is an organization of 22
Arab states from across Africa and the Middle East. The annual leaders’ summit
brings together Arab leaders and observers to discuss the most important
regional issues. “The Arab League continues to play an influential role
throughout the Arab world and beyond,” said Minister Cannon. “Canada welcomes
this opportunity to engage with such a valuable international partner.”
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and foundation of our long-term relationship, but most importantly, from a
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strongest democracy and our most important military ally in the Middle East.
Unfortunately, this development is just another example of how the far left
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House Republican Leader
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Sit-Reeda marking 16 years of LF party dissolution
27/03/10 12:26/NNA - Marking 16 years following the dissolution of the Lebanese
Forces' party at the hands of pro-Syrian authorities then, LF first lady MP Sit-Reeda
Geagea, told a massive party rally at the Biel that the Lebanese regime's
protection cannot proceed by having only one group holding monopoly over defense
issues while keeping others out. Addressing a large following with
representatives of all three presidents and other leading political figures from
March 14 attending, Geagea criticized Hezbollah without naming it saying party
cannot exclude the Lebanese nation-state from defense making decisions. She
urged Christian followers to join and integrate into the fabric of the state to
correct what she termed as caveat and by doing this, the continued march of the
state could be ensured. She perceived in nation-state exclusion from decision-
making as rendering a big favor to Israel. The only way the state could be
defended, Sit-Reeda contended, is through constitutional institutions and
sovereignty of the law. On the verdict of the international tribunal looking
into Hariri's murder, she reassured that the party would be the first to condemn
such an outcome in event of politicized or fraudulant verdict as she said. She
also spoke about a war being waged by the opposition on state institutions as an
additional testimony over attempts at the theft what she termed as Lebanon's
second independence. She warned against no imminent solution to the Palestine
question saying, this would throw the gates of extremism wide open. Sit-Reeda
also spoke about the march of liberty of dignity and freedom, thanks to party
blood sacrifices as she said. She listed the main challenge facing the Lebanese
Forces as ensuring the survival of Geagea and his cause. Lastly, she saluted
Bkirki and commended Patriarch Sfeir for his courageous position.
MP Sami Gemayel signs anti-capital punishment petition.
27/03/10 12:26/NNA - Kataeb party parliamentarian Sami Gemayel
has signed a petition demanding the abolishing of capital punishment in Lebanon.
The PM put his initials to the petition format following a briefing by Melqart
Khouri head of the "Shaml" anti-capital punishment campaign in Lebanon. Khouri
indicated that petition-signing purpose was to pressure deputies into passing
amendment to the law such that capital punishment be abolished. Gemayel, who
contended that it is high time for joining the club of civilized communities who
abrogated that punishment pledged further moves to that effect to be announced
in due time.
Qaouk meets with Norwegian juridical and humanitarian
delegation
27/03/10 12:26/NNA - Senior Hezbollah official in South Lebanon, cleric Nabil
Qaouk, met at his Tyr office , with members of a visiting Norwegian Juridical
and Humanitarian delegation. Discussions reportedly bore on major developments
on both Lebanese and Palestinian scenes. Following the meeting, Qaouk said that
US policy, under the Obama administration witnessed no substantial change, and
he reiterated constant threats befalling Christian/Muslim holy sites in
Jerusalem at the hands of the Israeli government. Visiting Norwegian Hizbullah
guests, toured the southern Lebanese localities of Cana, Bint Jbeil and Khiam
where they spoke to local farmers and citizens.
NLB:
Syria's carrot and stick strategy.
27/03/10 12:26/NNA - Following its regular meeting, National Liberal Bloc (NLB)
party boss, Carlos Eddeh, stated that the Syrian regime has been implementing a
carrot and stick strategy in its dealings with Lebanese politicians and certain
top security operatives who allow themselves to be dictated to by Syria
The senior Bloc official concluded on a footnote stipulating that the best of
relations possible between Lebanon and Syria may only be conducted through
proper diplomatic channels. With respect to age of retirement bill of motion,
conferees added that the best retirement guarantee should be comprehensive in
covering all senior citizens without distinction.
Politics - Mufti Kabbani defends himself against media
27/03/10 12:26/NNA - The Information Bureau of Dar Fatwa issued a statement
denying what a certain local newspaper published as a quotation for Mufti
Mohammad Rashid Kabbani. The Bureau reminded the media that one must verify
his/her sources and print information with integrity.
Zahra: LF stems out of history and calls for a
united Lebanon
27/03/10 12:26/NNA - High ranking LF member, Deputy Antoine Zahra, commented on
House Speaker Nabih Berri's skills which bring together various members of
Lebanese political life to converse over national issues. Berri sent a delegate
to represent him in the anniversary of LF dissolution; a move which Zahra
appreciated. "The spirit of the Lebanese Forces does not compromise," Zahra
said, "the attempt at dissolving the LF was due to a lack of knowledge to the
ethos of the party." Zahra went on to describe the LF as a state of history
extended through time calling for united common living among all Lebanese. "LF
is solid and uncompromising. We stand for the ambitions of the Cedars
revolution."
Ban worried over Hizbullah arms, Sleiman raps Israeli breaches
By Patrick Galey and Wassim Mroueh
Daily Star staff
Saturday, March 27, 2010
BEIRUT: The continued presence of Hizbullah’s weapons in Lebanon threatens to
undermine any progress made by Lebanon and Israel in the implementation of
Resolution 1701, according to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon. “I am worried
about Hizbullah’s possession of arms. I hope this will be resolved,” Ban told
the pan-Arab daily Al-Hayat in remarks published Friday. Also on Friday,
President Michel Sleiman condemned Israel’s persistent breaches of Lebanese
territory. UN Security Council Resolution 1701 was drafted in 2006 to Israel’s
July-August war on Lebanon and stipulates, among other clauses, that there
should be no arms within Lebanon outside of state control. The UN has repeatedly
stated, through reports and speeches made by its Special Coordinator for
Lebanon, Michael Williams, that Hizbullah’s arsenal of rockets constitutes a
grave violation of international law.
In his most recent report on the implementation of 1701, Ban said that action
was needed to stem the flow of arms into Lebanon across its porous border with
Syria. Ban repeated the call for stricter border enforcement in his Friday
interview.
“There is arms smuggling into the Lebanese territories and this should be
stopped through patrolling the Syrian-Lebanese borders,” Ban was quoted as
saying. “I have called on the Lebanese and Syrian authorities to resolve this
issue through appointing a committee tasked with monitoring the borders. I know
borders are being breached and they should be watched.”
Ban praised the efforts of Sleiman to try and tackle the divisive issue of
Hizbullah’s arms in the recently reconvened National Dialogue sessions. The
dialogue was postponed until next month with opposing camps failing to reach
consensus over a national defense strategy or the resistance’s stockpiles.
“I appreciate President Sleiman’s initiative in convening National Dialogue and
I think that, unfortunately, this dialogue didn’t succeed in its last round in
solving the issue of Hizbullah’s arms,” Ban said.
Ban also tackled Israeli violations of the resolution, repeating previous
condemnations of Israel’s continued incursions into Lebanese territory. “There
is another issue, having to do with continuous Israeli flights in Lebanese
airspace, which hinders the work of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon
(UNIFIL) and the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) in addition to violating Lebanon’s
sovereignty,” Ban added.
The latest Israeli over flight was recorded in an LAF communiqué, released on
Friday, with jets flying at a low altitude across the areas of Kfar Shuba and
Shebaa Farms.
In addition, Ban once more called on Israel to withdraw from the northern part
of the occupied village of Ghajar, which straddles the UN-demarcated Blue Line –
the boundary of Israeli military withdrawal from Lebanon. “Israel should pull
out immediately from the area of Ghajar and Shebaa Farms,” Ban said. “I have
discussed all those issues when I visited Israel and which Israeli Defense
Minister Ehud Barak will address seriously.”
The National News Agency reported on Thursday that a team of Israeli soldiers
crossed the technical fence between Israel and Lebanon and planted espionage
devices in the vicinity of Wazzani, a move that prompted LAF and UNIFIL patrols
to be placed on high alert.
A statement from the Presidential Palace in Baabda criticized Israel for its
tension-heightening maneuvers. “The crossing by Israeli enemy forces of the
technical fence represents new, flagrant evidence of Israel’s continuing
violation of Resolution 1701 and reveals its aggressive intentions in direct
fashion, frustrating the orientations of the international community,” the
statement said.
Sleiman added that Israel’s recent misdemeanors ought to be viewed in a wider
context of shifting international opinion, demonstrated by Britain’s recent
expulsion of an Israeli diplomat in London. Ban said there were no plans afoot
to declare resolution 1559 abrogated. There had been calls from members of
certain political camps for the UN to consider the resolution complete as many
requirements had been fulfilled by relevant parties. “Any decision regarding the
implementation of this resolution, its future, or the person tasked with
following up on it will be taken by the Security Council and not by me,” Ban
added.
Tribunal prosecutor dismisses media rumors as 'unhelpful'
reports on investigators’ work ‘are mere speculations’
By Elias Sakr /Daily Star staff
Saturday, March 27, 2010
BEIRUT: Media reports on investigations by the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL)
in the Rafik Hariri assassination case amount to mere speculation, a statement
by the general prosecutor’s press office said Friday. “If the Office wants to
share information with the public, it does so publicly and on the record.
Anything reported by persons other that the Prosecutor or his Official
Spokesperson are mere speculations and should be treated as such,” the statement
said. The statement also denied that the office of the prosecutor was leaking
any information with regard to the progress of its work or when an indictment
might be issued. “The Office of the Prosecutor considers speculations on the
state of progress of its work and the date of issuance of an indictment quite
unfortunate and unhelpful as they can only confuse the public,” the statement
said. Media reports said Thursday that investigators recently questioned three
members of Hizbullah although they had requested to speak with 20 individuals.
Former Minister Wiam Wahhab, a pro-Syrian figure, began the latest commotion on
Saturday when he said that Hizbullah members were being questioned by the STL.
On Thursday, he claimed the investigation was targeting Hizbullah commander Imad
Mughniyeh, who was assassinated himself in Damascus in 2008. Media reports on
Friday quoted sources to Hizbullah as stressing that the party wouldn’t object
to being asked any questions, provided that it was based on a procedure
guaranteeing the security of its members and officials.
However, the sources were quoted as saying that Hizbullah also rejected any
forms of accusations, which they said should be considered an Israeli act. The
sources said that Hizbullah had the right to defend itself using all possible
means if the STL fails to follow procedures that were reassuring about the
investigation process.
According to UN Security Council Resolution 1757, the court can compel Beirut to
hand over Lebanese citizens wanted for questioning by investigators. Media
reports have claimed that Hizbullah rejected the questioning of the other 17
officials. Marjayoun-Hasbaya MP Ali Fayyad, from Hizbullah’s Loyalty to the
Resistance bloc, said on Wednesday Hizbullah would present its views on the
tribunal’s probe “in due time.”
The accusation of Hizbullah’s involvement in the murder could stoke political
and sectarian strife in Lebanon, analysts believe.
Asked about the summoning of Hizbullah members for questioning, STL Spokesperson
Radhia Ashouri said, “we informed the public of interviews with individuals and
it is very normal in the framework of investigations to meet people and talk to
them and the capacity in which we speak with them differs from one group to
another and that it is no secret.” Commenting on the issue, Batroun MP Antoine
Zahra said Friday his party would not comment on reports on the involvement of
Hizbullah members.
“We won’t get involved as politicians in leaks concerning the STL and we will
not have any comments since we do not wish to pressure the tribunal with
political stance that could influence its work,” said Zahra, a Lebanese Forces
official.
This week, STL investigators also began filming in 3-D the scene of Hariri’s
assassination on the Beirut seafront. A massive truck bomb killed Hariri and 22
others as the former premier’s motorcade drove along the Corniche near the St.
George Hotel.
Oh Canada, why so dry with the Arabs?
By Elie Nasrallah
Commentary by
Saturday, March 27, 2010
Canada is charting a troubling new course in the Middle East. Under the
Conservative prime minister, Stephen Harper, Canadian foreign policy is tilting
strongly toward Israel, a direction that is forsaking Canada’s past
even-handedness in the region. This is not only undermining the country’s
reputation and economic interests, it is at variance with its European allies
and even in some instances the United States.
Take the recent statement by Peter Kent, the junior minister of foreign affairs.
Kent told a Toronto newspaper that “an attack on Israel would be considered an
attack on Canada.” To the amazement of many observers, Harper did not publically
criticize or demand a retraction of that bizarre statement, which provoked a
sarcastic response from a commentator in The Ottawa Citizen. “Peter Kent goes to
War!” he titled his article.
More recently, there were further signs that Canada risks marginalizing itself
in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. The Harper government waited until late
last week for its foreign minister to mildly disagree with Israel’s announcement
issued several days earlier that it would expand settlements in East Jerusalem,
even though by then this step had led to a row between the Obama administration
and the Israeli government. Israeli actions were also condemned by the broader
Quartet – including the United States, the United Nations, the European Union
and Russia. Yet Harper, true to form, remained silent.
The Harper government’s position on Lebanon during the summer war of 2006
already showed the shape of policies to come. In the aftermath of the Israeli
onslaught, the prime minister described Israeli actions as a “measured
response.” While other countries have expressed similar sympathy for Israel,
Harper has compounded the perception that he is biased by neglecting to travel
to the Middle East, preferring to send ministers instead, even as he has made
numerous trips to Europe, South America, Africa and Southeast Asia. This is
damaging to Canada’s long-term interests in the region – economic, political,
even moral.
Canadian media have been focusing on this issue for some time now. The leading
television station, CBC, recently ran a documentary asking, “Is Stephen Harper
the most pro-Israeli prime minister ever?” The consensus among those interviewed
was that he is. Even James Clancy, the president of the National Union of Public
and General Employees, joined the chorus, writing last November that the
government had “severely weakened our moral and diplomatic influence in the
Middle East with its unqualified support of Israel during its brutally
disproportionate war with Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in the Gaza Strip.”
Consider the potential economic impact of Canada’s policies. In August 2007, the
Centre for International Governance Innovation published a study on Canada’s
economic interests in the Middle East. The report maintained that Canada could
benefit much more from booming Middle Eastern economies, and urged the
government to capitalize, as Australia had, on fostering trade ties with the
region.
The study affirmed that the “Gulf Cooperation Council – which comprises Bahrain,
Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE – was Canada’s fifteenth export
destination, outranking Brazil and Russia. Despite this ranking, current trade
with the Middle East represents only one percent of Canada’s imports and
exports.”
In its 2008 access report, Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada had a
similar beef. It noted that although the Middle East and North Africa included
20 countries numbering over 350 million people, Canadian merchandize exports to
the region totaled only $4.8 billion.
Why isn’t Canada doing more in the region? Ottawa’s political positions have
something to do with this, and this was acknowledged by the authors of the
Centre for International Governance Innovation report. “The challenges noted in
advancing trade in the Middle East, and most importantly in the GCC … are
political ones,” they wrote.
To revive the golden age of Canadian diplomacy, Harper would be well advised to
read the history of how his predecessors, the likes of Lester Pearson, Pierre
Trudeau and Jean Chretien, transformed Canada into a respected voice on foreign
affairs. Pearson, who won the Nobel peace prize in 1957, played an instrumental
role in introducing into the United Nations system peacekeeping forces, which
have assisted in the stabilization of countless international conflicts,
particularly in places such as the Sinai, the Golan Heights, and Lebanon.
Pierre Trudeau, in turn, publically questioned the legitimacy of Israeli
settlements. And Jean Chretien opposed the American invasion of Iraq in 2003. In
that way he strongly asserted the independence of Canada’s foreign policy from
the United States and the United Kingdom.
The present government in Ottawa is adrift in the Middle East. “Where there is
no vision, people perish,” says an engraving at the entrance to the Canadian
Parliament. It would be wise for Stephen Harper to read those words once in a
while, and act upon them.
**Elie Mikhael Nasrallah is a foreign affairs writer and commentator living in
Ottawa, Canada. He wrote this commentary for THE DAILY STAR.