LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN

Bible Of the Day
Paul's First Letter to the Corinthians 15/35-55
15:35 But someone will say, “How are the dead raised?” and, “With what kind of body do they come?” 15:36 You foolish one, that which you yourself sow is not made alive unless it dies. 15:37 That which you sow, you don’t sow the body that will be, but a bare grain, maybe of wheat, or of some other kind. 15:38 But God gives it a body even as it pleased him, and to each seed a body of its own. 15:39 All flesh is not the same flesh, but there is one flesh of men, another flesh of animals, another of fish, and another of birds. 15:40 There are also celestial bodies, and terrestrial bodies; but the glory of the celestial differs from that of the terrestrial. 15:41 There is one glory of the sun, another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars; for one star differs from another star in glory. 15:42 So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption. 15:43 It is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness; it is raised in power. 15:44 It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body and there is also a spiritual body.
15:45 So also it is written, “The first man, Adam, became a living soul.”* The last Adam became a life-giving spirit. 15:46 However that which is spiritual isn’t first, but that which is natural, then that which is spiritual. 15:47 The first man is of the earth, made of dust. The second man is the Lord from heaven. 15:48 As is the one made of dust, such are those who are also made of dust; and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly. 15:49 As we have borne the image of those made of dust, let’s also bear the image of the heavenly. 15:50 Now I say this, brothers, that flesh and blood can’t inherit the Kingdom of God; neither does corruption inherit incorruption.
15:51 Behold, I tell you a mystery. We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed, 15:52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we will be changed. 15:53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. 15:54 But when this corruptible will have put on incorruption, and this mortal will have put on immortality, then what is written will happen: “Death is swallowed up in victory.”*
15:55 “Death, where is your sting? Hades, where is your victory?”*
15:56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 15:57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 15:58 Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the Lord’s work, because you know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.

Lebanese nationals allegedly financed Iranian spy cell in Kuwait
May 2, 2010 /Kuwaiti newspaper Al-Qabas on Sunday quoted an anonymous security source as saying that two Lebanese nationals allegedly financed an Iranian spy cell that Kuwait uncovered. The paper added that the two Lebanese nationals—who lived in Kuwait, but are currently at large—played a leading role in the network’s operations. One was financing the network’s members, while the other received and transmitted information through the cell’s liaison officer, who is a member of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards.
Six Kuwaiti employees of their country’s Defense Ministry as well as two other military personnel—whose nationalities were not disclosed—worked for the cell, the paper also reported.
However, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Ramin Mehmanparast rejected the report. -NOW Lebanon

Gemayel trusts security forces will apprehend perpetrators of SSNP grenade attack
May 2, 2010 /After voting on Sunday in Bikfaya’s municipal elections, Kataeb Party leader Amin Gemayel said that he fully trusts security forces will apprehend the perpetrators who threw a grenade at the Syrian Social Nationalist Party’s (SSNP) office in Bikfaya on Friday. Gemayel also said he hopes the winners of the Bikfaya elections will fulfill their promises to develop the Metn town. -NOW Lebanon

Arab League backs peace talks
Amr Moussa says Arab League will endorse indirect negotiations between Israel, Palestinians; but chief Palestinian negotiator says support hinges on total freeze of West Bank construction. 'One house will halt talks,' he says
Reuters and Ali Waked Latest Update: 05.02.10, 06:51 / Israel News
Arab League nations on Saturday endorsed a resumption of negotiations on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, raising hopes that indirect talks brokered by the United States could revive the stalled peace process.
PA official: Obama to act if Mideast talks derailed / AFP
Palestinian official says US envoy George Mitchell handed President Abbas letter containing US commitment to take steps against Israel, PA if either side undermines indirect peace talks
Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa told reporters after a meeting of Arab officials in Cairo that the regional body would back indirect negotiations between Palestinian and Israeli officials.
"The timeframe of indirect talks will not change from what was agreed to in March, and there will be no change from indirect talks to direct talks until after the outcome of indirect talks has been assessed," he said.
But Saeb Erekat, the chief Palestinian negotiator, said that without a total freeze on construction in the West Bank proximity talks with Israel would not begin as scheduled next week.
"If Israel builds one house in the West Bank, Palestinians will immediately stop the negotiations," he said.
Speaking to Reuters by phone after the meeting, Erekat said a final decision would be made by the Palestinian Liberation Organisation executive committee next week.
"It was a very positive meeting and they made a consultative decision on engagement in proximity talks for four months," he said.
Nir Hefetz, head of the National Information Directorate, said in response that "Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said time and again that Israel wants to renew peace talks with the Palestinians at any time and any place, as long as this is done without preconditions." He said no change had been made in this stand.
A source close to the prime minister added, "Those who are really serious about their intentions to launch the peace process should refrain from talking about preconditions which never existed and clearly will never exist."
'Israel must efrain from one-sided decisions'
Sources in the Palestinian Authority confirmed to Ynet that one of the major points of negotiation would be construction in settlements. They said that Israel would have to agree to extend the construction freeze past September as a basis for the talks.
The sources said there was no word yet on the negotiating teams, but Ynet has learned that the US envoy to the Middle East, George Mitchell, may be replaced during the talks.
They added that so far the US was keeping Israel from violating the temporary freeze but that the PA planned to demand the establishment of a team to supervise this throughout the negotiations.
The Palestinians say that their main demand is for Israel to refrain from making one-sided decisions during the resumption of talks. Sources say the negotiations will probably kick off after Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas returns from a visit to the US.
They added that contrary to the original plan, proximity talks would not last for four months but rather for a number of weeks at most, and then the sides will move to direct talks on a permanent agreement.
The Arab League's announcement came just a day after US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton declared that proximity talks between Israel and the Palestinians would resume next week.
"Ultimately we want to see the parties in direct negotiations and working out all the difficult issues," Clinton said during a meeting with visiting Kuwaiti Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammad al-Sabah.
"They've been close a few times before," Clinton said. "So we are looking to see the resumption of those discussions."
Roni Sofer and Roee Nahmias contributed to this report First Published: 05.01.10, 21:25

Suleiman Says Elections Well Managed at Security Level, Promises Gradual Reforms
Naharnet/President Michel Suleiman said Sunday that the electoral process was about rotation of powers and praised Interior Minister Ziad Baroud for organizing elections that are fully "controlled at the security level."
"I went to Amsheet to prove the importance of voting," Suleiman said from the interior ministry hours after voting in his hometown of Amsheet.
The president held talks with Interior Minister Ziad Baroud before talking to reporters.
"We haven't been notified about any disorders yet because the elections are fully controlled at the security level," he said in response to a question.
Some 20,000 security personnel have been mobilized for the polling, Lebanon's first local elections since 2004.
"Reform comes gradually … We made everything possible to hold organized elections, Suleiman said.
With the parliamentary elections in June last year and the current municipal polls "there is now more possibility to make reforms," he added.
After casting his ballot at a polling station in Amsheet on Sunday morning, Suleiman told reporters: "I wanted the elections to be held based on reforms. However, the first reform is rotation of power."Holding elections on time is also the first step toward reform, he said. Suleiman promised to work after the elections on several reform plans including decentralization, the anti-corruption draft law and the right of Lebanese expatriates to vote. He told reporters that the electoral battles are mainly developmental in nature although they include some political bickering in certain towns and cities. The most important thing is for the winners to work in favor of the town, Suleiman stressed.
The president said he would "support all the winning councils" urging them to unify and work in their town's interest rather than "standing idle."Beirut, 02 May 10, 10:43

Ketermaya's Locals: Bringing Suspect to Crime Site Led to Boiling Rage
Naharnet/Head of Ketermaya Municipality Mohammed Najib Hasan and the residents of the town issued Saturday a statement about slaughtering the suspect "in the gruesome crime that led to the death of four of Ketermaya's residents on April 28, 2010 – which occurred in the middle of the day in a brutal and awful manner that shook the feelings of the residents of Ketermaya and its surroundings."
The residents reminded that bringing the suspect to the crime scene, before burying the four victims, "led to boiling rage among the ranks of the locals due to the terrible sight of their victims' bodies which were drowning in their blood and mutilated in a horrible fashion."
They stressed that "what happened was not preplanned and did not have any indications."
"Ketermaya is neither above the law nor a refuge for terror, bandits or criminals," the residents stressed in their statement.
They urged "all the officials of all sectors of the Lebanese State, topped by President Michel Suleiman, to give special emphasis to the issue and to deal with this painful incident according to a humanitarian and responsible approach which preserves the feelings of our people and their dignity."
Ketermaya's residents urged the officials to open a comprehensive investigation to clarify the facts before the public opinion. They also urged the officials to shoulder the responsibility of "the future of Ketermaya's residents."
The lynching took place on Thursday as police escorted Mohammed Salim Msallem, an Egyptian expatriate and the prime suspect in the murder of an elderly couple and their two granddaughters, aged seven and nine, to re-enact the crime.
Video footage showed a mob of angry villagers surrounding the police vehicles, dragging out the suspect, and beating and stabbing him to death.
They then stripped him down to his underwear and socks and dragged him through the streets as villagers stomped on his bloodied corpse.
His body was also paraded on the bonnet of a white Mercedes before being hoisted on to an electricity pole with a butcher's hook through his chin.
He was left there for about a half hour as onlookers clapped or took pictures with their mobile phones and village women ululated.
Police officers escorting the suspect watched the scene helplessly. At one point they managed to wrest him from the seething crowd only to be overpowered by the villagers.
The army finally intervened in force and took away his corpse. DNA results on Friday linked the suspect to the murders. Beirut, 01 May 10, 21:04

Fat Americans Pose a Threat to National Security, Generals Say
Naharnet/Increasing rates of obesity among young Americans could undermine the future of the U.S. military, with potential recruits increasingly too fat to serve, two retired generals said on Friday. "Obesity rates threaten the overall health of America and the future strength of our military," generals John Shalikashvili and Hugh Shelton, both former chairs of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, wrote in a commentary. Obesity disqualified more potential recruits for military service than any other medical factor, the two former commanders wrote in the Washington Post.
The two generals urged Congress to adopt legislation that would ensure better nutrition in schools, offering children more vegetables, fruits and whole grains while cutting back on foods with high sugar, sodium and fat content. "We consider this problem so serious from a national security perspective that we have joined more than 130 other retired generals, admirals and senior military leaders in calling on Congress to pass new child nutrition legislation," wrote the commanders, part of a non-profit group called "Mission: Readiness."
The warning came amid growing concern that childhood obesity has turned into an "epidemic," affecting a staggering one in three American youngsters.
A study released in March warned more American children are becoming extremely obese at a younger age, putting them at risk of dying decades younger than normal-weight children and of suffering old-age illnesses in their 20s. The U.S. military also faces a problem with troops already serving who are overweight, with some soldiers losing out on promotions because of their failure to meet fitness standards. Although the military enjoyed record-breaking recruitment levels last year, officials say the growing problem of obesity could present a serious problem for recruitment efforts over time. The two retired generals endorsed a plan by President Barack Obama's administration to increase funding by one billion dollars a year over ten years for child nutrition programs. Investing in nutrition made sense as the country was already spending 75 billion dollars a year on medical costs associated with obesity, they said.
Citing figures from the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, the commentary said the proportion of potential recruits who flunked their physical tests because they were overweight has jumped nearly 70 percent since 1995. Shalikashvili, who led the Joint Chiefs of Staff from 1993 to 1997, and Shelton, who held the same post from 1997 to 2001, cited school lunch legislation passed in 1946 as a model. Military leaders at the time recognized that poor nutrition reduced the pool of qualified candidates for the armed forces, they said.
"We must act, as we did after World War II, to ensure that our children can one day defend our country, if need be."(AFP) Beirut, 01 May 10, 16:33

Canada Expresses Serious Concerns over Iran’s Membership on the UN Commission on the Status of Women
(No. 149 - May 1, 2010 - 3:50 p.m. ET) The Honourable Lawrence Cannon, Minister of Foreign Affairs, today expressed serious concerns over Iran’s election to the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) at the United Nations Economic and Social Council:
“It is the Government of Canada’s understanding that Iran was acclaimed as a member of the UN Commission on the Status of Women as part of an uncontested slate endorsed by the Asian regional group, of which Canada is not a member.
“We deplore this development but will use Iran’s membership on this body to take the Iranian authorities to task for their systemic human rights violations. We have done so in the United Nations General Assembly. We have done so in the United Nations Human Rights Council, and at every opportunity will continue to do so publicly. The Iranian people deserve to live in dignity and free from persecution.
“The Government of Canada will always strive to promote the values of freedom, democracy, human rights and the rule of law. Canada expects all the people of Iran to be able to enjoy the rights and freedoms to which all people are entitled. Iran’s actions are an affront to the domestic and international human rights obligations all nations must respect.
“Canada remains extremely troubled by the human rights situation in Iran, including the rights of women, and will persist in urging the Government of Iran to improve its human rights record.”
- 30 -
For further information, media representatives may contact:
Ève Cardinal
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of Foreign Affairs
613-995-1851
Foreign Affairs Media Relations Office
Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada
613-995-1874

REPORTERS WITHOUT BORDERS / REPORTERS SANS FRONTIERES
Press Release (http://www.rsf.org)
May 3, 2010
INTERNATIONAL
Forty predators of press freedom
The list of Predators of Press Freedom, released each year on 3 May, World Press Freedom Day, has 40 names this year – 40 politicians, government officials, religious leaders, militias and criminal organisations that cannot stand the press, treat it as an enemy and directly attack journalists. They are powerful, dangerous, violent and above the law.
Many of them were already on last year’s list. In Latin America, there is no change in the four major sources of threats and violence against journalists: drug traffickers, the Cuban dictatorship, FARC and paramilitary groups. Africa has also seen few changes. But power relationships have been evolving in the Middle East and Asia.
Several predators have been dropped from the list, as in Somalia, where intelligence chief Mohamed Warsame Darwish, the instigator of heavy-handed raids, arbitrary arrests and, in some cases, deliberate shooting on the country’s few remaining journalists, was dismissed in December 2008. In Nigeria, the State Security Service has been reined in while the Nigeria Police Force, led by Ogbonna Onovo, has emerged as the leading source of abuses against the press. The poorly-training police are encouraged to use violence against journalists so that no one is there to witness their operations.
In Iraq, journalists who do their job face real dangers from the conflicts that keep erupting but the situation is slowly improving and the violence is affecting the general population more than journalists in particular. That is why Reporters Without Borders has withdrawn Islamist groups from the ranks of the predators.
But, a little to the south, in the Persian Gulf, Yemeni President Ali Abdulah Saleh has been added to the list. Yemen’s authorities have become much more repressive in the past year, creating a special court for press offences, harassing newspapers and prosecuting a dozen journalists in an attempt to limit coverage of dirty wars being waged in the north and south of the country.
It was hard not to put the Philippines’ private militias top of the list after the local governor’s thugs massacred around 50 people, including 30 journalists, in Maguindanao province on 23 November 2009. The ensuing convoluted judicial proceedings betray a lack of political will to try those responsible, whose political support is too important for President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. Impunity is prevailing yet again.
Taliban leader Mullah Omar, whose influence extends to Pakistan as well as Afghanistan, has joined the list because the holy war he is waging is also directed at the press. In his war to control media coverage, around 40 attacks were directly targeted at journalists and news media in 2009.
Reporters Without Borders met Chechen President Ramzan Kadyrov, the list’s other new entrant, in March 2009. No one should be fooled by his confident pretence of tolerance and a benign view of press freedom. Two outspoken critics of Russia’s handling of the “Chechen issue,” Anna Politkovskaya and Natalia Estemirova, were both gunned down – Politkovskaya in Moscow in October 2006 and Estemirova in Grozny in July 2009. Both these murders had Kadyrov’s prints on them, as have many others that have taken place under the regime of terror he has imposed in Chechnya.
The three national leaders Kim Jong-il, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Muammar Gaddafi illustrate the new Reporters Without Borders campaign ad about the Predators of Press Freedom. The ad was conceived by the Saatchi & Saatchi agency and was designed by artists Stephen J Shanabrook and Veronika Georgieva.

INTERNATIONAL
40 prédateurs de la liberté de la presse
La liste des prédateurs de la liberté de la presse, publiée à l'occasion du 3 mai, Journée internationale de la liberté de la presse, comporte cette année 40 noms : 40 hommes politiques, dirigeants d’institutions d’Etat, chefs religieux, milices et organisations criminelles qui s’attaquent directement aux journalistes, qui font de la presse leur ennemi privilégié, leur bête noire. Puissants, dangereux, violents, ils sont au-dessus des lois.
Bon nombre d’entre eux confirment leur présence dans le classement depuis l’année dernière. En Amérique latine, les violences proviennent toujours du même quatuor infernal : narcotrafiquants, dictature cubaine, FARC et groupes paramilitaires. Le continent africain voit également peu de modifications. Certains rapports de force évoluent en revanche au Moyen-Orient et en Asie.
Plusieurs prédateurs ont disparu de la liste, comme en Somalie : Mohamed Warsame Darwish, le chef des services de renseignements, commanditaire de raids musclés, d’arrestations arbitraires et de tirs délibérés sur les rares journalistes du pays, a été révoqué en décembre 2008. Au Nigeria, le SSS, Service de sécurité d’Etat, a perdu son pouvoir. La police nationale, et plus particulièrement son responsable Ogbonna Onovo, apparaît depuis peu dans ce pays comme l’acteur central des exactions contre la presse. La police, déjà mal formée, est encouragée à user de violences contre les journalistes afin d’écarter les témoins lors de ses opérations.
En Irak, les professionnels de l’information sont confrontés à de réels dangers pour faire leur travail du fait de l’actuel conflit larvé. Mais la situation s’améliore peu à peu et les violences touchent plus la population en général et moins les journalistes en particulier. C’est la raison pour laquelle Reporters sans frontières a retiré les groupes islamiques des prédateurs. Un peu plus au Sud, dans le Golfe persique, Ali Abdallah Saleh, président du Yémen, fait lui son apparition dans la liste. Depuis un an, le pouvoir yéménite s’est raidi : création d’un tribunal spécial pour les délits de presse, une dizaine de journaux poursuivis, une douzaine de journalistes en cours de procès. Rien ne doit filtrer des deux sales guerres que le régime mène au nord et au sud du pays.
Il était difficile de ne pas faire une place de choix aux milices privées aux Philippines suite au massacre par les nervis du gouverneur local d’une cinquantaine de personnes, dont 30 journalistes, dans la province de Maguindanao le 23 novembre 2009. Les circonvolutions de la justice philippine montrent l’absence de volonté politique à juger les responsables, soutiens trop proches et trop importants pour la présidente Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. L’impunité prévaut.
Le mollah Omar, chef des taliban, dont l’influence s’étend d’Afghanistan au Pakistan, mène une guerre sainte également contre la presse libre, une guerre d’occupation de l’espace médiatique. Une quarantaine d’attaques ont visé directement les journalistes et les bureaux de rédactions en 2009. Le mollah Omar a gagné sa place dans la liste des prédateurs, tout comme Ramzan Kadyrov, président de la Tchétchénie, que Reporters sans frontières avait rencontré en mars 2009. Ses poses crânes sur sa supposée tolérance, ses vues faussement bienveillantes sur la liberté de la presse ne trompent personne. Anna Politkovskaïa et Natalia Estemirova, toutes deux ferventes dénonciatrices de la "question tchétchène" ont été abattues, la première à Moscou en octobre 2006, la seconde près de Grozny en juillet 2009. Ramzan Kadyrov n’est pas étranger à ces assassinats, comme à de nombreux autres en Tchétchénie où il a mis en place un régime de terreur.
Les trois chefs d’Etat Kim Jong-il, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad et Mouammar Kadhafi illustrent la nouvelle campagne de Reporters sans frontières contre les prédateurs de la liberté de la presse, conçue par l'agence Saatchi&Saatchi et réalisée par les artistes Stephen J Shanabrook et Veronika Georgieva.
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Soazig Dollet ( سوازيك )
Bureau Afrique du Nord & Moyen-Orient / North Africa & Middle-East Desk
Reporters sans frontières / Reporters Without Borders
47 rue Vivienne
F - 75002 Paris
Tél : + 33 1 44 83 84 78
Fax : +33 1 45 23 11 51
E-mail : moyen-orient@rsf.org / middle-east@rsf.org
http://www.rsf.org
"N'attendez pas qu'on vous prive de l'information pour la défendre"
Don't wait to be deprived of news to stand up and fight for it.
No espere a que le priven de la libertad de información para defenderla.
Avant d'imprimer, pensez à l'environnement. Before printing think about the Environment.

Mad Politics of a Mad General Pierre A. Maroun
01 May 2010
Pierre Maroun
Since his return from exile in 2005, it has become quite evident that Michael Aoun and his followers, both in Lebanon and abroad have abandoned their principles to become convenient tools in the hands of the terrorist group Hezbollah and the Syrio-Iranian alliance. Thus, for a few million a month, this axis of evil has employed the neo-terrorist Aoun and his followers to be the forefront of their activities. Accordingly, Aoun has been active in manipulating public opinion by providing material support to Hezbollah. This not only allows them to implement their Khomeini style political agenda but also steer their wars against ideological challengers. Similar to the role he assumed during the 1980’s to support Saddam Hussein Baath Regime against others; Aoun has now taken on a parallel role in the Syrio-Iranian war against Arab Moderates and the West. Suffice it to say, he and his followers have in fact become contracted mercenaries in countries that sponsor terrorists and their affiliate groups. This is most certainly terrorism par excellence!
In order for Aoun to live up to his masters’ expectations, he needed to make some adjustments to his character and that of his followers who are also deeply involved in this new cunning and destructive “scheme.” Therefore, we have been witnessing striking similarities between the political speech of Aoun and that of his ally, Hezbollah’s leader Hasan Nasrallah.[i] For example, not too long ago, we heard Nasrallah vowing to “cut the hands and to chop off the heads of those who oppose him.” Soon after, Aoun recapped Nasrallah’s terror threats and slogans. Earlier, Nasrallah declared his pride to be a part of the Iranian Islamic Welayet. Aoun followed suit when declaring: “we (Free Patriotic Movement) are the defenders of the (Iranian) Revolution.” Moreover, during the Israeli assault on Gaza, Aoun repeated Nasrallah’s threats and insults against moderate Arab leaders and the Western world. He declared that he and Nasrallah “agree on the same principles of the [Islamic] Revolution Principles.”[ii]
Conversely, Aoun’s followers have been conducting their “business” in a manner similar to that of Hezbollah’s members at home and abroad. Thus, there is solid evidence that Aoun’s followers have been doing Hezbollah’s dirty work. For example, Aoun’s son in law, former Minister of Telecommunications, Jibran Bassil, who acquired his position due to Hezbollah’s influence and support, is a perfect example of how Hezbollah employs the use of new agents (lackeys) to conduct their leery business. Bassil has been hindering the efforts, not to say fighting, the UN International Tribunal’s investigations into the assassinations of PM Rafiq Hariri and other leaders of the Cedar Revolution. He also continues to hamper the criminal investigations, which are being conducted by the Lebanese Army and other security agencies . To add, he was also obstructing such investigations by preventing his ministry personnel from providing essential data and evidence to Lebanese and international investigators. Not only does his action hinder the officials’ efforts to uncover these crimes but it also cripples security agencies from preventing such recurring crimes.[iii] Recently, Bassil has been playing a similar role in order to harass US officials dealing with Lebanon in an attempt to alienate or even hinder relations between Lebanon and the US. In fact, Hezbollah may have been trying to equate the US with Israel. Thus, Hezbollah and Aoun are trying to make any dealing by Lebanese officials with American ones an act of treason. Therefore, it is clear that Bassil has been acting as a mole within the Lebanese government working for/and on behalf of Hezbollah and the Syrio-Iranian regimes.
Another example of Aoun’s extensive support of Hezbollah is through his followers’ activities abroad. The Daily Star reported previously that the US prepared a list of names of wealthy American Lebanese businessmen known to have various political and religious backgrounds, also identified with partaking in suspicious activities. Accordingly, some of Aoun’s representatives and relatives in the US have been questioned and in some cases arrested by the US Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) and other security agencies on charges related to theft of donations, tax evasion, and /or funneling money to terrorist organizations.
A perfect example of Aoun’s Mafia like work abroad is the case of the FPM representative in the US, Chairman of the Council of Lebanese American Organizations (CLAO), Mr. Nabil Sahlani. Sahlani is from Cleveland, Ohio. He is married to Aoun’s niece. According to the Daily Star and to sources from Ohio, the FBI arrested Sahlani on suspicion of theft of donations made by American-Lebanese citizens to CLAO. Sahlani had purchased land in North Carolina worth more than $10 million. The FBI charged that the salary of Sahlani could not support such expensive real estate and was aiming to find the source of the funds.[iv] Sources close to Sahlani confirmed that his assets were frozen and that he was out from prison on bail pending investigations. Lebanese American lobbyists believe that part of the money which Sahlani invested came from General Aoun who smuggled millions of dollars outside Lebanon during his reign as Prime Minister of an interim government in 1989-1990. Similarly, the millions, which Aoun was investing, came from donations given to Aoun by Lebanese patriots.[v] The Lebanese government charged Aoun with theft of public funds. However, Aoun never stood trial due to a deal he brokered with the Syrio-Lebanese regime prior to his return to Lebanon in 2005. The case was dropped and the donated/stolen money vanished into bank accounts belonging to Aoun and his family members. According to a White House official, the FBI move against Aoun’s followers came as a result of the US government’s effort to block property of persons undermining the sovereignty of Lebanon or its democratic process and institutions. Similarly, the UAE government expelled many Lebanese working or collaborating with Hezbollah in that country, some of whom were Aoun followers.
Back to Aoun’s misconduct, it is no secret that Aoun has become a mouthpiece for Hezbollah and to the Iranian Islamic Revolution in its war against the west, mainly the USA, and to the moderate Arab leaders. It’s been evident that whomever pays “petro-dollars” shall receive Aoun “BASHING” and “MANIPULATING” services. For example, since Qatar was very generous to Aoun during and after the Doha meeting, ($USD 50 Millions) Aoun has been bashing Egypt, and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA.). Syria, in turn, welcomed Aoun and appointed him a Patriarch on the Christians of the Orient. Aoun bought the title and, in return, bashed the TRUE Patriarch of the Orient, along with Syria’s opponents in Lebanon i.e. Future Movement, Saad Hariri, and President Amine Gemayel of the Kataeb Party, Lebanese Forces leader, Dr. Samir Geagea and their colleagues in the Cedar Revolution. Aoun pays special attention to media outlets and their personnel who speak out against Syria and who are critics of his politics and that of Hezbollah. It has become a habit of his to threaten journalists, writers, and media outlets that dare to critique his masters in Tehran and Damascus.
The list of Aoun’s impersonation of his masters’ speeches and stances on issues is a lengthy and diverse one. However, not everything that Aoun says or does is imitation. He shares most, if not all, of Hezbollah’s principles and ideology. Besides, they both fear freedom of speech. They both preach hate and violence. They both use violence to solve their differences with others. On many occasions, they threatened to burn, destroy, and kill their critics and opponents. However, in certain cases, it appears that Aoun and his followers have surpassed Hezbollah in terms of manipulating and terrorizing citizens by adding their own touch and technique to the “art of photo shop” by mix-matching and editing photos.
Having said that, one question lingers in mind: What happened to the young activists who once claimed to be resisting occupation, seeking freedom, and calling for change and reform in order to end corruption? Have they lost their compass? It is time for true FPM to take their party back from this madman and his new culprits. A wise man once said: “The best thing that Aoun has ever done was the founding of the FPM. However, the worst thing in the FPM is Aoun.”
It is ironic that the madman who claimed for years that he was fighting the Syrio-Iranian corrupt lackeys in Lebanon turned out to be a bigger lackey and a greater corrupter. Thus, after decades of struggle and death, the Lebanese people have replaced one criminal with another, a more ruthless one. As a result, Aoun has transferred the once patriotic movement (FPM) into a mafia of cunning experts and terrorist sympathizers who have been cashing in on the sacrifices of the people who fought and died in defense of their country. Furthermore, it has been evident that Aoun and his followers have adopted Hezbollah’s ideologies, speech, and terrorist techniques. Thus, he and his entourage have become the neo-terrorists of the Middle East. It is also evident that Aoun has become the new lackey of the Syrio-Iranian regimes implementing their policies in Lebanon and the Middle East. It is a pity that Aoun and his followers who once referred to themselves as the “civilized resistance” are now engaged in such criminal and terror activities. It is time that the Lebanese people clean their towns and villages in the next municipality elections. It is important to remind the Lebanese voters that these elections are important in the daily life of Lebanon and its people. It is an opportunity to correct the mistakes made in the previous parliamentary elections. Lebanon cannot afford to have Syrio-Iranian lackeys in its parliament, cabinet, or municipalities. It is time to close the door on the traitors, the lackeys and on the corrupt. Hence, the Lebanese voters are urged to VOTE consciously in the upcoming elections! VOTE according to principles. VOTE according to country’s best interest. VOTE according to children’s future. STOP this madman and his culprits by voting them out of public offices before they destroy what is left of this beautiful and once peaceful country and before they turn it into a Mullah state.

Michel Sleiman
April 30, 2010
On April 29, the Lebanese National News Agency carried the transcript of President Michel Sleiman’s interview on the LBC television channel:
Mr. President, criticisms - although they were not numerous - were addressed to you. Can the president not serve the Diaspora from the domestic arena and does he have to conduct all these trips?
These trips do not solely aim at serving the Diaspora despite its importance for Lebanon. They also have a diplomatic goal to explain Lebanon’s status, consecrate its presence on the international map and protect its interests...
It was said you were setting up some sort of institution or secretariat council for senior figures of Lebanese origins for economic consultations or to support Lebanon in the international forums. Is this information true or do you not want to reveal it too soon?
The idea is not actually mine. There are immigrants thinking about the establishment of a committee to support Lebanon on the economic level... I will not address the details of this issue and will offer any required help to ensure their success.
The wisdom which characterized these two years in the term of President Michel Sleiman was understood as being reluctance. Does this is not go against the wish of the people to see a strong president?
I believe that when talking about key choices and principles in the country, there is no reluctance. Quite the contrary, there is stringency and a clear and announced position which has existed in the past and which are still being upheld. However, democracy requires us to listen to the opinions of others over certain details.
This can sometimes lead to the changing or amendment of a certain position. However, the principles are unchanged...
The majority of the lists in the municipal elections are heading toward consensus. Do you encourage that or do you prefer to see elections, electoral battles and lists competing with one another?
This question is misplaced. Everyone encourages consensus.
Lebanon’s entire system is built on consensus. However, this does not mean that we should not stage elections. We must become accustomed to the fact that democracy is a practice and that whenever there are parliamentary, presidential, municipal, unionist or university elections, more momentum is given to democratic life and the process of the rotation of power is improved.
Will you be neutral in these municipal elections, especially in light of the talk saying that the president of the republic has certain inclinations and will interfere to retaliate for what happened during the parliamentary elections?
This is not true. Based on his responsibilities, the president does not retaliate and he was not affected by anything so that he retaliates. The elections must be subjected to democratic standards and it is my duty to prevent any interference by any institution or governmental official. It is also my duty to ensure that these institutions respect the results of the elections regardless of the winners. Therefore, this question should not be asked of the president of the republic...
The experience of the government formation revealed great flaws at the level of the constitution and the system. In the event of a governmental amendment, formation or reshuffle, do you not think we will also head toward a crisis which will require a Doha agreement or a foreign French-Syrian-Saudi intervention?
… Democracy in Lebanon is specific and is based on the national pact. We are thus able to form national unity governments in which the different categories are represented the right way. What happened however was that we were late in forming the government and this was a good test which showed that democracy is doing well.
But [this formation] only happened after a long period of debates and foreign intervention, namely the contacts that occurred along the Syrian and Saudi tracks. What can guarantee we will not face a similar crisis again?
We must seek the resolution of our problems without any interference. It is in this context that I said that after the Doha accord, we have reached a normal situation in which we should form our governments and elect our parliamentary and municipal councils without anyone meddling in our affairs. As for the Syrian-Saudi accord, it was reflected in a positive climate on Lebanon. However, no one interfered at the level of the choices, the names, the shares or any other issue...
In regard to the annulment of political sectarianism, do you think we can launch this project today...?
The annulment of political sectarianism is also constitutional and is based on the consensus which is stipulated by the constitution in regard to all topics, even the appointment of a general director.
The constitution clearly states that the decisions should be adopted consensually or with the two-thirds majority. The formation of a committee for the annulment of political sectarianism is necessary but it requires consensus. If formed, its goal will not be the annulment of the participation of the sects. Quite the contrary. The challenge that is seen today all around the world is related to the ability to ensure the participation of all the sides and components of the community in the political administration. This is a characteristic which we in Lebanon must not relinquish. However, we must distance it from political sectarianism or what was known in the past as being “Maronite politics,” “Shia politics” or “Sunni politics...”
The last few hours saw the surfacing of the issue of the Scud missiles and their possible delivery to Lebanon via Syria. How did you read into that development?
I previously addressed this issue. Israel should respect and implement the United Nations resolutions, starting with resolution 1701... The international community and the Security Council should force Israel to implement this resolution.
You have visited the United States and met with two American presidents, i.e. George Bush and Barack Obama. Did you not ask the current US president with whom you met a few months ago to force Israel to implement resolution 1701, at least at the level of the Ghajar issue and the daily Israeli violations targeting the Lebanese territories? And what did the Americans have to offer at this level?
Of course I asked him to do that and at a certain point, the Americans issued a position in regard to naturalization. After my last visit to Washington and my meeting with President Obama during which I addressed the Palestinian refugee issue and the necessity not to naturalize them and give them their rights, a clear American position was issued conveying the rejection of any solution imposing naturalization Lebanon...

Resistance declares right to defend itself
By Dalila Mahdawi
Daily Star staff
Thursday, April 29, 2010

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BEIRUT: Hizbullah Wednesday reacted to US claims it was stockpiling Scud missiles by saying it had a right to defend itself, as a senior UN official said tensions were expected to “dissipate” soon.

“The resistance has the right to use all legitimate means to build its capacity to defend Lebanon,” Hizbullah MP Hassan Fadlallah told AFP. He added that US arms were “annihilating” civilians in Palestine, Afghanistan, Iraq and Lebanon, and were the chief “cause of all suffering in the region.”

Last week, Israeli President Shimon Peres accused Syria of furnishing Hizbullah with Scud missiles. The charges were repeated late on Tuesday by US Defense Secretary Robert Gates, who said the military capabilities of the Shiite group undermined stability in the region. “Syria and Iran are providing Hizbullah with rockets and missiles of ever-increasing capability,” Gates said at a press conference with his Israeli counterpart Ehud Barak. “We’re at a point now where Hizbullah has far more rockets and missiles than most governments in the world,” Gates said, adding that Washington was monitoring the situation “very carefully.”

Gates did not, however, explicitly accuse Syria of supplying Hizbullah with Scud missiles. Barak also voiced concern over Syrian support for Hizbullah but did not repeat the claim that Damascus was supplying the group with Scuds. “We do not intend to provoke any kind of a major collision in Lebanon or vis-a-vis Syria,” he said.

The Scud charges have been denied by Syria, which says Tel Aviv fabricated the story to justify a possible military strike in the future. Lebanese Armed Forces chief General Jean Kahwaji has also dismissed the claims, noting the outdated 30-meter Scuds would be too hard for Hizbullah to conceal and too cumbersome to launch.

The charges showed the US was “waging a diplomatic and political battle” to help its ally Israel maintain superior military capabilities, Fadlallah said. “The US is asking us to accept Israel’s alleged superiority to ensure Israel remains capable of launching attacks at its will, while we are stripped of the ability to face these aggressions,” he told AFP. “We have no interest in acceding to these attempts to concretize Israeli superiority.” The US, rather than Hizbullah, was “the principle factor destabilizing the region, undermining its security and preventing development,” Fadlallah added.

At a meeting with Lebanese Premier Saad Hariri Wednesday, UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon Michal Williams said he expected regional tensions over the Scud controversy to subside.

“The last thing this region wants and needs is further conflict. It has had enough of that over the years,” he said. Williams added he didn’t believe another war was likely, saying there was “too much at stake to lose for all the parties.” “I expect all parties will do their part to maintain the stability in the south and across the Blue Line and that tensions will dissipate,” he added.

In comments published Wednesday by the Qatari Al-Watan daily, Hariri reiterated comments that by claiming Hizbullah had Scud missiles. Israel was trying to justify new war against Lebanon that it could launch whenever it wants.”

He asked whether there was any proof that Hizbullah possessed Scuds, adding that Israel possessed nuclear weapons.

He said he would refuse to ask the Shiite group to deny possessing the missiles. “Why put ourselves in the position of being accused, and why give Israel the right to make such accusations?”

Heightened tensions over the Scud missiles have prompted EU officials to urge Israel, Lebanon and Syria to avoid provocative acts. “The European Union is concerned by the public statements that have been exchanged recently between various parties to the Arab-Israeli conflict in the Middle East,” EU Foreign Affairs chief Catherine Ashton said in a statement Tuesday.

In July 2006, Israel launched a devastating 34-day war on Lebanon. Over 1,200 Lebanese, mostly civilians, and 160 Israelis, mostly soldiers, were killed during the conflict.

UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which ended the conflict, called for Israel to fully withdraw from Lebanese territory and for the disarmament of all armed groups in Lebanon outside the control of the government.

Read more: http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=2&article_id=114343#ixzz0mREaHOD4
(The Daily Star :: Lebanon News :: http://www.dailystar.com.lb)