LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN

LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
March 31/2010

Bible Of the Day
Luke13/22-30: "He went on his way through cities and villages, teaching, and traveling on to Jerusalem. 13:23 One said to him, “Lord, are they few who are saved?” He said to them, 13:24 “Strive to enter in by the narrow door, for many, I tell you, will seek to enter in, and will not be able. 13:25 When once the master of the house has risen up, and has shut the door, and you begin to stand outside, and to knock at the door, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open to us!’ then he will answer and tell you, ‘I don’t know you or where you come from.’ 13:26 Then you will begin to say, ‘We ate and drank in your presence, and you taught in our streets.’ 13:27 He will say, ‘I tell you, I don’t know where you come from. Depart from me, all you workers of iniquity.’ 13:28 There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and all the prophets, in the Kingdom of God, and yourselves being thrown outside. 13:29 They will come from the east, west, north, and south, and will sit down in the Kingdom of God. 13:30 Behold, there are some who are last who will be first, and there are some who are first who will be last.”

Free Opinions, Releases, letters, Interviews & Special Reports
For a change, the Arabs were divided/Tony Badran/March 30,10
Where is Beirut's cogent defense plan?/By Mara E. Karlin/March 30/10

Latest News Reports From Miscellaneous Sources for March 30/10
Sfeir Torpedoes Resignation Speculation, Says Some Want to Overthrow Suleiman, While Others Want Syrian Comeback /Naharnet
Information Minister Tarek Mitri briefs media following cabinet session/Now Lebanon
Future bloc condemns speculations on STL’s work/Now Lebanon
Hariri says fighting terrorism joint responsibility during phone call to Putin/Now Lebanon
Suleiman Defends 'Honest' Assad, Says Need for Hizbullah 'Pressing' /Naharnet
Baroud Officially Calls on Voters to Participate in Municipal Elections /Naharnet
Aoun: Municipal Elections on May 2, Stalling Aimed at Misleading People /Naharnet
Municipal Elections Likely to Be Postponed 1 Year /Naharnet
Mkhaiber: Syrian-Lebanese Higher Council Not suitable for Development of Ties /Naharnet
Transport Strike in April after Government Ignored Development Plan /Naharnet
Report: Nasrallah Will Stress that Accusations Against Hizbullah Would 'Lead to Political May 7'/Naharnet
Nasri Khoury: Presence of Embassies Doesn't Contradict with Higher Council /Naharnet
Assad keeps Europe waiting/The Guardian
Iranian military reaching into Lebanon with hardware, training/WND.com
Sleiman: Arab League behind peace process while Israel rejects reconciliation/Daily Star
LADE fears certain 'parties' stalling electoral reforms/Daily Star
Municipal elections to be held under old law/Daily Star
Lebanese will accept STL conclusion regardless of findings - Harir/Daily Star
Syrian Kurd shot by police during New Year/Daily Star
Minister Hassan urges better female representation/Daily Star
Lebanon's advertising market to reach $280 million by 2013/Daily Star
Kuwaiti, Lebanese national news agencies sign accord/Daily Star
Activists urge Lebanon to ink conservation pact/Daily Star

Iranian military reaching into Lebanon with hardware, training
Posted: March 29, 2010
10:15 pm Eastern
© 2010 WorldNetDaily
http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=133569
Elements of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, or IRGC, have re-entered Lebanon to provide training to Hezbollah's military wing in preparation for any renewed armed conflict between Hezbollah and Israel, according to a report from Joseph Farah's G2 Bulletin. The training also would include introducing new weapons in Iran's arsenal to Hezbollah – and IRGC training on how to use them. Hezbollah and Israel engaged in a 34-day military conflict in August 2008 following Hezbollah's kidnapping of three Israeli soldiers. There already are concerns in Israel that its defenses may not be adequate to deal with a surge of missiles and rockets that Hezbollah could fire into Israel. The quiet reintroduction of IRGC troops follows the recent signing by Iran of security agreements with Syria and Qatar that could allow the introduction of Iranian troops into those countries. Qatar also is the overseas headquarters of the U.S. Central Command. While Qatar belongs to the Sunni, Saudi Arabian-backed Gulf Cooperation Council, it has a population that is 60 percent Shiite and is close to Iran.

Lebanese will accept STL conclusion regardless of findings - Hariri
By The /Daily Star
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
BEIRUT: Prime Minister Saad Hariri stressed Monday that the Lebanese would accept verbatim any conclusion by the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) regardless of the verdict.
“Finally, a tribunal will try those who murdered and assassinated for political and terrorist reasons and we will accept any decision by the STL and deal with it as it is,” Hariri said during a joint news conference with his Bulgarian counterpart in Sophia.
The Lebanese premier also stressed that uncovering the truth behind the assassinations would be a key factor in Lebanon’s stability while highlighting the tribunal’s professionalism and credibility. “This tribunal works based on proof and facts in order to turn over the black page in Lebanon’s history. The truth is a big part of stability since it reassures people by revealing the truth behind the assassinations over the past 30 years,” Hariri said. Asked whether he feared that domestic civil strife would be instigated by the STL progress, Hariri stressed that any attempts to tamper with Lebanon’s security would be struck, by the armed forces, with an iron fist.
“The military, and internal security forces are trusted to preserve the Lebanese people security … there is no room to play with the country’s security and we will stand firm against attempts to abolish the STL,” Hariri said. Media reports leaked information over the past week regarding questioning of Hizbullah members by the STL prosecutor’s office in Lebanon as opposition figures warned against politicizing the investigations. Analysts fear that claims of Hizbullah’s involvement in the assassination of former Premier Rafik Hariri’s in 2005 would lead to a Sunni-Shiite civil strife. Hizbullah Secretary General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah vowed on Sunday to respond to allegations.
“I will most probably speak in the few coming days about the reports and circulations concerning the international investigation and questioning of Hizbullah members as well as the path of the investigations and all things related to this issue,” Nasrallah was quoted as saying by the Al-Manar news website. Hariri also discussed with Bulgarian Premier Boyko Borisov the latest developments in the Middle East while stressing that diplomatic failure to reach a resolution to the Arab-Israeli conflict would have implications all over the world.
“Every day a new settlement is build in East Jerusalem, a new extremist is born; every time we fail to bring parties together we succeed in pushing away a moderate individual, thus the results will be catastrophic,” Hariri added. The Lebanese premier also said Bulgaria, as a member of the EU, can play an important role in pushing further peace process.
On another note, both Hariri and his counterpart stressed the importance of promoting cooperation on economic levels between both countries as well as with regard to the private sector.
He also called for boosting Lebanese-Bulgarian tourism relations by adopting an open-sky policy and ratifying bilateral deals For his part, the Bulgarian premier said that in addition to attracting investments from Lebanon, his government would provide adequate atmosphere to protect the private sector.
“We will encourage Bulgarian companies to participate in Lebanon’s reconstruction,” he added. – The Daily Star

Sleiman: Arab League behind peace process while Israel rejects reconciliation
By The Daily Star /Tuesday, March 30, 2010
BEIRUT: Lebanese President Michel Sleiman said Monday that the Arab summit’s decision to keep the Arab peace initiative on the table indicated that Arabs have chosen permanent and comprehensive peace while Israel rejected this choice. “The fact that the Arab summit in Libya has held to the Arab peace initiative indicates clearly the will of Arabs in achieving permanent and comprehensive peace. “But the Israeli government rejects such a choice and goes on with building settlements and Judaizing occupied Jerusalem regardless of the will of the international community, which stresses the necessity of starting negotiations to place a peaceful settlement on the right track,” Sleiman said. Sleiman highlighted the positive reconciliatory atmospheres that characterized the Arab summit, especially between Egypt and Syria, and which were complementary to previous reconciliations.
He added that all such efforts enhanced the relations between Arab states. Concluding its works on Sunday, the Arab summit in Libya renewed support for the land for peace initiative with Israel, rejecting pressures from Syria and Libya on the Palestinians to abandon talks with Israel and resume armed resistance. The Arab League firmly opposed Israeli plans for new 1,200 Jewish settlements in East Jerusalem. Calls from Damascus and Tripoli to quit peace efforts reflected the depth of frustration and anger over the stalled peace process and continued Israeli construction in areas claimed by the Palestinians, particularly East Jerusalem.
They also revealed the deep division among Arabs over how to deal with the frozen Mideast talks. Arabs blame the sides’ failure to return to the negotiating table on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. For his part, Progressive Socialist Party (PSP) leader MP Walid Jumblatt said in his weekly editorial in Al-Anbaa magazine that the Arab Summit in Libya revealed the “ongoing descending and regressing Arab track.” “This was manifested in the abstention from taking major decisions regarding the historical struggle in the region between Arabs and the Israelis in spite the current increase of Judaization projects in Occupied Jerusalem and parts of the West Bank,” Jumblatt said.
“As if all that is happening on the ground in Palestine doesn’t require taking basic and strategic decisions enabling us to get out from the dark tunnel that we entered decades ago,” Jumblatt added. The PSP leader said that no one expected strategic breakthroughs in this summit but “ it was possible to address less acute issues like combating illiteracy poverty, deforestation, enhancing economic cooperation, inter-Arab trade, and expanding the Arab investment base of the Arab region.”
Jumblatt added that such issues benefited the Arab people and societies that were still in need of developmental, social, educational and humanitarian efforts. “The poor results of the Arab summit reminded us of the days when the Arab role was effective on the international level through addressing the issues of Africa and Third World Countries. However, today we are unable to take a unanimous decision achieving the minimum regarding the struggle existing in the region and its central cause, the Palestinian cause,” Jumblatt said. – The Daily Star

LADE fears certain 'parties' stalling electoral reforms
By Patrick Galey and Carol Rizk /Daily Star staff
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
BEIRUT: The head of a leading electoral-reform campaign group criticized parliamentary committee members Monday, who he claimed might be stalling amendments to municipal voting laws for political gain. Ziad Adbel-Samad, secretary general of the Lebanese Association for Democratic Elections (LADE) once again called for this year’s municipal elections – scheduled for May but already delayed for one month – be held on time “Some political parties might not really want to hold the elections on time for several reasons,” Samad told reporters at a news conference at Beirut’s Riviera Hotel. Samad urged electoral committees to speedily agree upon necessary action which would see proposed reforms endorsed by the Cabinet come into force before the upcoming vote.
“The reforms guarantee a reasonable amount of democracy and freedom,” he said. He said that little discernable progress had been made by parliamentary committees tasked with discussing voting reform. “Discussions are still where they are and parliamentary committees have still not reached a final and conclusive stance,” said Samad. “We at LADE, after following up directly on this matter, believe that the discussions that were held by the Cabinet and parliamentary committees were very serious and expressed an actual desire to agree on some reforms.” Also present at the conference was Woman’s Council envoy Donia Fayyad Taan and other civil society activists.
Samad said that LADE had had representatives in some of the committees’ deliberations in order to voice the interests of citizens when it came to changing electoral law.
Although the general mood during discussions was positive, Samad said that certain individuals wanted to stymie changes to voting mechanisms. “We believe that the majority of participants in the debate expressed their fears directly or indirectly in order to reach some answers,” he said. “However, other participants seem to have expressed their fears only to prolong the discussions and to stall reforms, to keep the elections from being held on time. “All the statements and reports of parliamentary committees contradict what we heard in closed meetings with representatives and ministers who are very keen on holding elections on time with reforms,” he added. Samad added that electoral reform was being deliberately drawn out by some committee members and parliamentarians. “The pace with which the parliamentary committees worked did not show any conclusive desire for deputies to make the draft law succeed and to hold the elections on time, including all the reforms, which is again very worrying,” he said and lashed out at “threats aimed at postponing reforms” from certain elected members.
With a committee session scheduled for Wednesday, presided over by Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, Samad reiterated the hope felt by civil society actors that both the municipal vote and necessary reforms be implemented in time. “LADE considers that there is still a chance to adopt the reforms and hold the elections on time,” he said. “Electoral reforms should not in any way be part of any deal that serves the interests of politicians, because the rights of citizens do not belong to anyone.”

Where is Beirut's cogent defense plan?
By Mara E. Karlin /Commentary by
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
One year ago, my first effort after leaving the US Defense Department was to publish a piece in a major Israeli newspaper explaining why Israel should support a strong Lebanese military. As one of the architects of the United States’ program to re-build the Lebanese Armed Forces, a concept Israel has resisted, I thought it vital that the Israeli public understand how important this effort was for regional security.
I now realize that I was wrong, not in terms of substance, but in my audience. Instead, I should have written a piece for the Lebanese media explaining why Lebanon should support the effort.
After a host of meetings I held in Beirut this month, it is painfully clear to me that the American program to train and equip Lebanon’s armed forces is misunderstood. Its purpose, substance, and pace were criticized by nearly every political or military leader with whom I met while on my trip.
“Lebanon has not received anything from the United States,” argued one individual. Because of this lack of support, explained another, the Lebanese Army “fights with its bodies.” Overall, the criticism could be summarized in three words: more, better, faster. However, this reaction demonstrated a fundamental misunderstanding of how and why Washington has provided Lebanon with half a billion dollars in military aid since 2006.
After the withdrawal of Syrian troops in April 2005, the United States began assessing how to rapidly build Lebanon’s armed forces in an effort to allow the Lebanese government to impose its sovereignty nationwide. This is essentially a domestic defense mission to allow the authorities in Beirut to establish security – and therefore stability – throughout Lebanese territory. Further, such an effort would help diminish the ability of external actors to interfere in domestic Lebanese affairs, making it possible for Lebanon to focus on containing the destabilizing impact of domestic armed groups.
From the start, the United States strived to build Lebanon’s armed forces in a prudent and appropriate manner by providing it with the capabilities it required. When the program first began, a thorough assessment of the army’s needs demonstrated that the two most important priorities were mobility and ammunition. A military unable to maneuver throughout its territory and equipped with three-five bullets per soldier (each year) can play, at best, a negligible national role. In sending Lebanon hundreds of vehicles, spare parts, and millions of rounds of ammunition – followed later on by more sophisticated equipment – Washington gave Lebanon what its military required.
This may not have been the sexiest sort of military equipment, but until the Lebanese Armed Forces attain a base level of capability, it would be, simply, shortsighted to provide them with materiel they are incapable of using.
The criticism that the American security assistance program is painfully slow and outdated is well-understood throughout Washington. To alleviate this shortcoming, however, creative authorities have been employed to allow the United States to deliver training and equipment to key allies more rapidly.
Lebanon has benefitted significantly from these programs, which have enabled hundreds of millions of dollars in military aid to reach Lebanon since 2006. It is important to add that at a critical moment such as when the Lebanese Army battled Fatah al-Islam in Nahr al-Bared in 2007, the US surged its assistance to the armed forces, racing more than 40 airplanes full of equipment to Beirut.
While US aid to the Lebanese Armed Forces should have begun sooner than it did (the first tranche did not arrive until the middle of 2006), the pace of delivery since that time has been as rapid as possible, given important competing requirements in Iraq and Afghanistan.
There are, however, important responsibilities incumbent on Lebanon as well. Almost half a decade has passed since the Syrian military presence in Lebanon came to an end, and yet Lebanese investment in the armed forces has stagnated. More importantly, it is time for the authorities to provide a real vision for the military and better define its mission, not simply prepare wish lists of goods that they would like to see delivered.
Of course, the effectiveness of the army reflects political will in Lebanon, and the current national dialogue has demonstrated little desire on the part of the Lebanese to outline a sensible defense strategy. But if the United States is investing substantial time, energy, and effort into supporting Lebanon’s armed forces, it is surely entitled to expect that Lebanon do the same.
**Mara E. Karlin served as the Pentagon’s
Levant director and special assistant to the under secretary of defense for policy. She is an instructor and a doctoral candidate at the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced
International Studies in Washington DC. She wrote this commentary for THE DAILY STAR.

Sfeir Torpedoes Resignation Speculation, Says Some Want to Overthrow Suleiman, While Others Want Syrian Comeback
Naharnet/Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah accused "some" of wanting to bring down President Michel Suleiman and others of yearning for a Syrian comeback and warned that abolishing sectarianism means that one group will take control of the country.
"There are those who want to overthrow the President to take his place," Sfeir said in an interview published Tuesday by pan-Arab daily Asharq al-Awsat.
He was responding to a question about the political campaign against Suleiman in which some pro-Syrian leaders demanded the President's resignation for allegedly failing as consensus leader.
"The campaign did not come from nowhere because there are people who are planninig it," Sfeir said.
"There are some who have political and personal interests and others who want to topple the President to take his place, and perhaps there are some who have other plots," he added when asked whether the anti-Suleiman campaign was orchestrated by Syria or Free Patriotic Movement leader Michel Aoun.
Sfeir hailed Suleiman, saying he is seeking to unify Lebanese "as much as possible."
"Unification, however, cannot be done with a magic wand," he believed, adding that Lebanese will have to meet Suleiman's urge to unite.
"It seems, however, that so far there are those who do not want to respond to his (Suleiman's) call," Sfeir said.
When asked by the interviewer whether he thought Syria has started to return to Lebanon, even without its army, after it pulled out its troops nearly five years ago, Sfeir said:
"Syria has left Lebanon militarily, but continues to maintain a civilian presence in Lebanon. Syrians go and come whenever they want and it is clear that they interfere in Lebanese affairs."
Asked whether he thought Syrian influence began to grow again after withdrawal from Lebanon, the Patriarch said:
"There may be some Lebanese who want the Syrians to return for personal purposes, but this is not clear until now."
Asked whether he fears American openness to Syria, Sfeir said: "States seek to achieve their interests. Perhaps today it (U.S.) is with Syria and, possibly, future circumstances require that they (Americans) be against Syria. They work according to the needs and circumstances."
Sfeir, on the other hand, said it is in Lebanon's interest to forge "best relations with its neighbors, and the nearest neighbor is Syria."
"This is something normal, but there are events that create a distance between the two neighbors and others that bring the two neighbors closer," he explained.
"The exchange of ambassadors is a good thing, of course, but this is not everything. There are, of course, some desires. Turning to Druze leader Walid Jumblat, Sfeir said the PSP chief quit March 14 forces, "but March 14 will remain as it is."
Sfeir torpedoed speculation that he intends to step down or tender his resignation during his meeting at the Vatican April 21.
"Let them say what they want," Sfeir told Asharq al-Awsat.
Asked whether he will ever think of resigning or stepping down, Sfeir said: "When the time comes." Beirut, 30 Mar 10, 08:24

Baroud Officially Calls on Voters to Participate in Municipal Elections
Naharnet/Interior Minister Ziad Baroud on Tuesday officially called on voters to take part in municipal elections due this summer.
In line with the Constitution, Baroud is compelled to officially call on voters before Thursday to participate in the polls.
"A decision to hold the first phase of municipal elections in Mount Lebanon on May 2 has been sent to the official Gazette for publication," Baroud said.
Beirut, 30 Mar 10, 14:40

Suleiman Defends 'Honest' Assad, Says Need for Hizbullah 'Pressing'
Naharnet/After weeks of silence over a campaign targeting him, President Michel Suleiman said that he has "made tough decisions" taking into consideration the balance between Muslims and Christians and all other political factions. Suleiman told As Safir daily in remarks published Tuesday that he was "not hesitant" and his decisions did not result from weakness. "I will always keep my consensual stance … I don't take sides. On the contrary, I tilt towards all Lebanese sides." Suleiman reiterated that he was holding onto his stance in demanding more authorities for the president. "I will renew my demand at the appropriate time. I used to demand and still seek for the authorities that would allow the president to use the red card and show it to violators if there were any." Asked by As Safir about Hizbullah, the president said: "We need the resistance and our need for it is still pressing."About ties with Syria and President Bashar Assad, Suleiman said relations with Damascus were "special and strategic." "Assad is an honest man and does not take sides with anyone," the president added. Although Suleiman refused to make a direct comment on the campaign against him, he said: "I am in continuous contact with President Assad … All that is being said is nothing but useless soap bubbles."The president also hailed his Syrian counterpart's latest interview with al-Manar TV, saying "President Assad announced his stance with confidence and clarity … What he has said is more than positive." Beirut, 30 Mar 10, 09:16

Mkhaiber: Syrian-Lebanese Higher Council Not suitable for Development of Ties
Naharnet/Change and Reform MP Ghassan Mkhaiber said the Syrian-Lebanese Higher Council (SLHC) under its current form contradicts with the Lebanese Constitution and is "not suitable for the development of relations." Mkhaiber told LBC television that the SLHC comprises a mix of personalities that do not have powers to strike deals or relatiosn. He stressed the need to purify relations between Lebanon and Syria. Beirut, 30 Mar 10, 13:32

Nasri Khoury: Presence of Embassies Doesn't Contradict with Higher Council
Secretary-General of the Syrian- Naharnet/Lebanese Higher Council Nasri Khoury reiterated on Tuesday that the presence of embassies in Lebanon and Syria does not contradict with the functions of the council. In remarks to LBC TV network, Khoury said: "Until now, as a secretary-general my authorities did not interfere with the authorities of the Syrian ambassador Ali Abdul Karim Ali or the Lebanese ambassador in Damascus Michel Khoury."Khoury also said that as long as treaties between Lebanon and Syria are still valid, the council can continue its work and meetings pending the two sides' decision to make the necessary amendments. "Syria has made suggestions to amend the treaties of transportation and investments, while Lebanon suggested the transfer of convicted criminals between the two countries," he said. "We are now in a new stage in Syrian-Lebanese ties that herald in the return of things to their natural course, particularly after the two sides agreed on a new roadmap that governs such a relationship," he told LBC. Beirut, 30 Mar 10, 13:34

Report: Nasrallah Will Stress that Accusations Against Hizbullah Would 'Lead to Political May 7'
Naharnet/Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah will on Wednesday remind the Lebanese that any attempt to harm Hizbullah and its officials would be considered an attack much worse than attempts to remove the party's phone network, an informed source told al-Akhbar newspaper. A government decision to eliminate Hizbullah's communications network and a disciplinary measure adopted against commander of airport security Brig. Wafiq Shqeir in 2008 led to the infamous May 7 events. "The real message that Sayyed Nasrallah wants to send to everyone in Lebanon and the world is that involvement in the issue of accusation against the party will ultimately lead to a political May 7," sources told al-Akhbar.
Nasrallah will also stress during an interview with al-Manar TV on Wednesday that attempts to link the resistance with the results of the probe into ex-Premier Rafik Hariri's murder will be dealt with as Israeli-made lies, the source said. The interview would include "signs and messages that the party's leadership has carefully studied," according to the source. The messages would be sent to "all officials involved with the international investigation into Hariri's assassination locally, regionally and internationally."The Hizbullah secretary-general will reiterate his warning from "walking on the path of a strife planned by the U.S. and Israel which targets the resistance indirectly," the source added.
Beirut, 30 Mar 10, 11:09

Transport Strike in April after Government Ignored Development Plan
Naharnet/The General Union for the Land Transport Sector has unanimously agreed to stage a general strike and demos across Lebanon on Thursday, April 22 from 7am till 2pm.
The decision was taken at a meeting attended by President of the General Federation of Labor Unions to discuss the conditions of workers in the transport sector, including cars, vans, buses and trucks, particularly after the increase in fuel prices. The strike also comes following persistent violations of the sector by those who operate private cars with fake license plates and failure to implement decisions concerning the management of the sector in addition to ignoring the Transport Plan which was finalized by the Transportation and Public Works Ministry.
Beirut, 30 Mar 10, 11:31

Report: High-Level Syrian Personality Visited Beirut Last Weekend
Nahatnet/A high-level Syrian official visited Beirut for two days last weekend away from the media spotlight, informed sources told al-Liwaa newspaper.
The Syrian embassy in Beirut coordinated the visit with involved Lebanese authorities, which made sure to warmly welcome the official, the sources added. Beirut, 30 Mar 10, 10:14

Aoun: Municipal Elections on May 2, Stalling Aimed at Misleading People
Naharnet/Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun on Tuesday noted that the probability of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon issue turning into "a new political May 7" is related to how much the tribunal is politicized. A well-informed source told al-Akhbar Lebanese daily in remarks published Tuesday that the real message Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah intends to send to everyone in Lebanon and the world – in his televised interview Wednesday -- is that "involvement in the issue of accusation against the party will ultimately lead to a political May 7." After the weekly meeting of the Change and Reform parliamentary bloc in Rabiyeh, Aoun criticized the government for sending representatives to the rally commemorating Lebanese Forces' banning anniversary, saying that contradicts with the issued verdicts "given that (LF leader Samir) Geagea was not acquitted but released on a special pardon."
On the other hand, Aoun stressed that the municipal elections will be held on May 2 according to the date defined by Interior Minister Ziad Baroud in the official Gazette, adding that "the previous procrastination aimed at misleading people."The FPM leader reiterated that he opposes "holding elections without reforms.""But if the majority decided that, I won't boycott, because we have a month to adopt the reforms and I believe that is sufficient," he added. "Proportional representation is a reformist principle, and during municipal elections, proportional representation provides auto-supervision and prevents one group's acquisition of all seats in the municipal council." Aoun added that some parties are trying to avoid the unified preprinted ballot paper because it prevents manipulation attempts. "The procrastination that happened and the waste of time teach us not to place our confidence in anyone and I demand to put the draft law to the vote of parliament's general assembly for approval," he said. Beirut, 30 Mar 10, 20:43

Don’t delay
March 29, 2010
Now Lebanon
This week sees the parliament debate on reform of the electoral law ahead of the upcoming municipal elections, which should ostensibly take place in May. The situation is far from clear cut. It is unlikely that there will be time enough for any meaningful reforms – the deadline for the Interior minister to set the date of the polls is April 2 – but this may actually generate more of a consensus since many parties favor the old law. What is an important and unshakeable fixture in Lebanon’s institutional calendar should not become yet another sticking point for competing partisan interests.
It is an open secret that Hezbollah and Amal, allies at a national level within the March 8 coalition, would have preferred to avoid anything that will stir up rivalries at the local or family levels, while Michel Aoun’s Free Patriotic Movement is insisting on reform before any polling takes place.
In the Druze community, Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblatt was quoted over the weekend as saying that the elections should “be held on time.” Jumblatt is always twitchy about altering the delicate balance of power on his turf, but when the FPM is campaigning to introduce a system of proportional representation, he would prefer to see them held sooner rather than later under the old law.
Meanwhile, Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea is chomping at the bit to enter the fray. Geagea’s platform is built on the foundations of respecting state institutions, and he believes he can make gains at the municipal level, an opportunity that has been denied him since his release from jail in 2005. Indeed, over the weekend, at the 16th anniversary of the banning of the Lebanese Forces, he railed against those who would seek to undermine “all the constitutional institutions…threatening that there will be no municipal elections unless held on their terms.” So we all know where he stands.
President Michel Sleiman will also hope that elections go ahead as planned. Their execution falls within the remit of Interior Minister Ziad Baroud. More importantly, any delays will reflect badly, not just on the office of the president, but also on the personal stock of Sleiman himself, who has been under pressure recently with the campaign for him to step down.
The ground zero of the electoral debate is Beirut, where the FPM wants to redraw the boundaries. Aoun has declared, rather dramatically, that any elections held under the current law are a direct bid to “manipulate the political map of Lebanon.” Prime Minister Saad Hariri is also understood to be in favor of election reform, but he clearly would not mind if elections were held under the current law, which is tilted in favor of the Future Movement. The Hariris have always seen Beirut – the city Rafik Hariri rebuilt – as its power base. The elections will also enable him to consolidate his Sunni power base in the North, especially in Tripoli and Akkar.
Those are the agendas. The parliament has two options: agree to draft a new law and postpone the elections – there is no way that reforms can be passed by April 2 – or hold elections under the current law.
Simply, there can be no delays. All reforms, including proportional representation, would be welcome, but if they cannot be enacted in time, the priority should be for elections to be held according to the original schedule. Institutionally we should respect deadlines and not risk returning to the post-war era of Syrian influence, when tinkering with the national election timetable was the norm.
Given the prevailing political constellation, one in which Syria is in the ascendancy, it is doubly important to assure the Lebanese people that the first major deadline of the new government is respected and that the Lebanese are allowed to exercise their democratic right to vote.

A tricky game
Ana Maria Luca, March 30, 2010
Now Lebanon
Azzat al-Ahmad, the head of Fatah's parliamentary faction in the Palestinian Legislative Council, who is in Lebanon to solve the military appointments problem (AFP/Abbas Momani)
The 38-year-old man laughs while lighting a king-size American cigarette. He talks more like a politician than a soldier. He wears a light summer shirt and black jeans, and only the small pistol hanging from his belt under his shirt betrays that he’s a military man.
But Mahmoud Abdel Hamid Issa has a fierce reputation in Ain al-Hilweh, Lebanon’s biggest Palestinian camp. Known as “Lino”, he’s the head of the Fatah military wing in the Saida region and is known for his anti-Islamist campaigns in Ain al-Hilweh and its satellite camp, Miyeh Miyeh.
Largely because of his anti-Islamist stance, Issa is one of the people to maintain their posts after an announcement came from Ramallah a month ago that it would reshuffle the ranks of the Fatah military wing in Lebanon, known as the “Armed Struggle”.
The leader of the Armed Struggle in Ain al-Hilweh, Mounir Maqdah, is also holding on to his post, as he is not willing to step down in favor of a new appointee, Ahmad Saleh. Saleh is close to Sultan Abu Aynayn, formerly Fatah's political chief in Lebanon and Maqdah's longtime rival.
Maqdah’s recalcitrance has caused a fissure in Fatah in Lebanon and may lead to the party splitting into two rival groups, one willing to work with Islamists and one more intolerant of them. Damascus, meanwhile, is trying to keep its people in the camp in charge.
The solution to the standstill should be in the hands of the head of Fatah's parliamentary faction in the Palestinian Legislative Council, Azzat al-Ahmad, who was sent by Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas to Beirut to negotiate with the “old guard” and reorganize Fatah in Lebanon.
Maqdah says he doesn’t know why the PA wants to replace him. “Ask the president why. Azzat is in town; he will figure it out,” he told NOW Lebanon.
Maqdah, a former commander in Yasser Arafat's elite Force 17, is seen as a renegade by Ramallah because of his reported closeness to Islamist factions. He was not offered a new position during the restructuring because of the February 15 incident in Ain al-Hilweh, when Fatah members got into a gun fight with Islamists from Osbat al-Ansar. Sources in the camp say it is known that because Maqdah wanted to keep things quiet, he did not crack down on Osbat al-Ansar, something Maqdah has vehemently denied.
Issa, on the other hand, is considered part of the “new wave” of camp leaders and is much less inclined to compromise with the radicals.
“I am a policeman in the camp,” Issa told NOW Lebanon. “The threats come from all sorts of radical groups that are trying to penetrate the camp and cause trouble with the Lebanese authorities. We want the people to live quietly in peace, and my duty is to protect them,” he said.
Issa, who is 12 years younger than Maqdah, is supported by many influential Fatah politicians in Lebanon, who appreciate his harsh stand against the Islamist groups in the camps, as they view them as a threat to security and therefore an impediment to any negotiation efforts with the Lebanese government.
Issa played a key role in the arrest of several wanted figures from Fatah al-Islam and Jund al-Sham in Ain al-Hilweh in 2008 and has been accused of ordering the killings of several Islamist group members. In 2006 he was even the target of an assassination attempt allegedly staged by Jund Al-Sham.
But according to some influential Fatah sources, the situation extends beyond just a personal rivalry between the two Fatah military leaders. Syria also wants control over the camps and supports certain radical Islamist factions, a Fatah source who wanted remain anonymous told NOW Lebanon. The source said that Fatah in Lebanon is facing a complicated situation and must not only be able to predict when to expect trouble with the radical Islamist groups but also foresee Syria’s moves.
According to the Arab media, Damascus claimed recently that it was asked by Western countries to intervene to control the explosive situation in the Palestinian camps in Lebanon. For Fatah it was a sign that there would be trouble in the camps in the near future, especially with the new appointments within its ranks.
“We can see the trouble coming, and we are trying to avoid that,” said another Fatah member who also wished to remain anonymous due to the sensitivity of the situation. “This is a formula Syria uses to control the camps and put pressure on Lebanon. We know that it was actually Syria who offered and told the Europeans a few weeks ago [it would] intervene in the Lebanese camps. Now they are doing whatever they can to show that stability in Lebanon is not possible without Syria,” he said.
Despite the possible dangers, Fatah is pressing on with the appointments anyway. “We need the new appointments, we need the change,” Fatah member Edward Kattoura said during an interview in his office at the Palestinian State Embassy in Beirut. “We need a new setup, to improve the security situation in the camps. But the priority is to sit with the Lebanese authorities and deal together with the security problems in the camps.” Kattoura said he believes that Fatah shouldn’t continue to make such a fuss over the restructuring of its military wing in Lebanon, but that in order to disarm the Lebanese government should stand united and engage in a dialogue with the Palestinians. “We need to revive the Lebanese Palestinian Dialogue Committee, because right now it is frozen,” Kattoura said. While Fatah and the Palestinian Authority grapple with their military appointments in the camp, the security situation there continues to heat up, and it is the residents who are caught between one group’s major reshuffling and the Syrian-backed Islamists bent on fighting it at every turn.

For a change, the Arabs were divided
Tony Badran, March 30, 2010
Now Lebanon/
This past weekend was that time of year again when the Arab League holds its summit and Arab leaders try to scramble together some sort of consensus position on pressing issues. Usually an occasion for melodrama, grandstanding and little substance, this year’s summit in the Libyan city of Sirte deviated little from that norm.
The dispute over the future of Jerusalem was seized upon by Arab leaders, who labeled this year’s summit “the Jerusalem steadfastness summit.” Ultimately, however, the event did not come out with any earth-shattering resolutions. Instead, the Arabs appeared to be awaiting the outcome of the disagreement between the Obama administration and the government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Despite the veneer of unity, the summit was marred by continuing Arab divisions. This was manifest in the divergent positions over the Palestinian issue, in particular support for the “resistance” option. The chasm between Syria and Egypt, for example, reflected their conflicting positions toward Hamas and the Palestinian Authority. There was ample speculation in the Arab press in the lead-up to the summit that the Syrians and Egyptians would “reconcile” either before or at the summit. It was thought that the Saudis were pushing in that direction as well.
However, it became clear a few days ahead of the gathering that reconciliation similar to the one between Syria and Saudi Arabia at an Arab economic summit last year in Kuwait was not in the cards. The reason is that both sides remained far apart on a resolution to the inter-Palestinian conflict, with Hamas, which is backed by Syria, refusing to sign an Egyptian-sponsored reconciliation paper.
In an interview with Hezbollah’s Al-Manar television station last Wednesday, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad was open about the ongoing differences between his regime and Egypt, especially over the issue of inter-Palestinian talks. Syria, he said, supported the “resistance” option, which he called “the solution,” whereas the Palestinian Authority led by President Mahmoud Abbas did not. “There has not been a political dialogue between us and Egypt in past years, and we don’t know how Egypt thinks about this issue,” Assad remarked.
One of Hamas’ criticisms of the Egyptian reconciliation paper was that it doesn’t outright endorse the “right to resistance,” something which Iran and Syria are keen on pushing forward.
Although Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Mouallem told the Kuwaiti Al-Rai al-Aam that “differences with Egypt are on their way to being resolved,” Assad acknowledged that these differences remained, declaring to the press after the conclusion of the summit on Sunday that “the problem with Egypt should be resolved.” However, he noted that he would visit Egypt “only if [the Egyptians] want that.”
Syria presented a proposal for a “mechanism to manage inter-Arab differences” that was amended by Egypt. However, the main political divide remains between the two sides, even if economic relations continue and hostile media campaigns might well be curbed. This would avoid public escalation even as Egypt expands its crackdown on arms smuggling to the Gaza Strip. Meanwhile, Syria continues to complain about the “siege” of Gaza, but to little effect beyond rhetoric. Hamas, similarly, deplored the inability of the summit to “match aspirations” to end the isolation of Gaza with the reality of a changed policy.
The disagreement over “resistance” resurfaced between Assad and Abbas when the Syrian president urged the Palestinian leader in a closed session to “support resistance,” adding, “the price of resistance is not higher than the price of peace.” Abbas, who had earlier been snubbed by the Libyan leader, Moammar al-Qaddafi, and had threatened to leave Sirte, curtly rejected Assad’s advice.
At a meeting in Cairo on March 3, the Syrians had opposed the decision of the Arab Peace Initiative Follow-Up Committee to back proximity talks between Palestinians and Israelis. Mouallem reiterated Syria’s objection to any position adopted by the committee in that vein in Sirte. In contrast, Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmad Abu al-Gheit asserted that the committee’s decision had not been withdrawn at the summit.
Mouallem’s lament that the summit would not adopt the “option of resistance” was another expression of Syria’s limitations. Despite indications ahead of the summit that Damascus might propose, as it tried to at the summit in Doha last year, to pull the Arab peace initiative off the table, it was reported that Egypt and Saudi Arabia rejected such a step. Saudi Foreign Minister Saud al-Faysal held meetings with the Syrians in advance to ensure that there would be consensus over the peace initiative. In the end, the initiative was upheld and the “resistance option” was not endorsed. Evidently, the Syrians did not want to threaten their arrangements with the Saudis in Iraq and in Lebanon.
This year, the Arabs’ theatrics were overshadowed by the Obama-Netanyahu row. America’s Arab allies reinforced the status quo. However, given that the bar of expectations between Palestinians and Israelis has been set at the uninspiring level of “proximity talks,” the Arab summit seemed almost exciting by comparison.
**Tony Badran is a research fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.