LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
ِMay 25/2010

Bible Of the Day
The Letter from James 2/1-13
2:1 My brothers, don’t hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ of glory with partiality. 2:2 For if a man with a gold ring, in fine clothing, comes into your synagogue, and a poor man in filthy clothing also comes in; 2:3 and you pay special attention to him who wears the fine clothing, and say, “Sit here in a good place”; and you tell the poor man, “Stand there,” or “Sit by my footstool”; 2:4 haven’t you shown partiality among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts? 2:5 Listen, my beloved brothers. Didn’t God choose those who are poor in this world to be rich in faith, and heirs of the Kingdom which he promised to those who love him? 2:6 But you have dishonored the poor man. Don’t the rich oppress you, and personally drag you before the courts? 2:7 Don’t they blaspheme the honorable name by which you are called? 2:8 However, if you fulfill the royal law, according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,”* you do well. 2:9 But if you show partiality, you commit sin, being convicted by the law as transgressors. 2:10 For whoever keeps the whole law, and yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all. 2:11 For he who said, “Do not commit adultery,”* also said, “Do not commit murder.”* Now if you do not commit adultery, but murder, you have become a transgressor of the law. 2:12 So speak, and so do, as men who are to be judged by a law of freedom. 2:13 For judgment is without mercy to him who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment

Free Opinions, Releases, letters, Interviews & Special Reports
Decade on, SLA kids want to return to Lebanon/Ynetnews/May 24/10
The Southern Lebanon "Security Zone" until 2000/By: Walid Phares/May 24/10
Not “acceptable”/Now Lebanon/May 24/10

Latest News Reports From Miscellaneous Sources for May 24/10
Obama likely to raise Syria-Hezbollah arms transfer in talks with Lebanon PM/Ha'aretz
Germany urges Syria to support Mideast peace talks/Ynetnews
Assad says US has lost Mideast peace influence/Ynetnews
Omar Suleiman meets Barak: Need stable, calm region/Ynetnews
Barak: W. Bank can't be another Lebanon, Gaza/Jerusalem Post
Peres sends message of peace to people of Lebanon/Ynetnews
Iran, IAEA meet to discuss uranium deal/Ynetnews
Israel Insists a Drill Is Just a Drill/New York Times
Drill simulates missile attack/Jerusalem Post
Eisenkot: IDF prepared for all-out war within hours/Ynetnews
Chomsky: Hezbollah has right to fight aggression/GulfNews
MESS Report / No real threat of war despite Hezbollah's threats/Ha'aretz (blog)
Iranian finances: From Washington, via Tehran, to Gaza/Ynetnews
Defying Western pressure, Syria refuses to 'police' Hezbollah for Israel/Ha'aretz
Syria defies Western pressure over Hezbollah/Reuters
Syria: West must stop Israeli aggression in the Mideast/Ha'aretz
Minister Peled plans aid program for SLA veterans/Ynetnews
Chomsky visits villages in south/GulfNews
Obama focused on oil spill, Mideast/The Associated Press
Lebanon inflation rises to 4.7 pct y/y in April/Reuters
Border tension/BBC
Williams meets with Aoun, describes talks as “very good”/Now Lebanon
Ashouri resigns from STL/Now Lebanon
Mustaqbal Wins Violent Municipal Elections in Sidon/Naharnet
Sayyed: Syrian Authorities Sent a Letter to the UAE Inquiring about Siddiq's Fate /Naharnet
Berri: May 23 Turning Point in Democratic Process in Face of Israeli Intimidation /Naharnet
Williams Urges Restraint, Says Lebanon's Voice to be Heard at U.N. with Hariri Speech/Naharnet
March 14 Member Calls for Declaring Syrian Withdrawal Date a Holiday/Naharnet
March 14 Beats SSNP in Very Own Stronghold/Naharnet
South Election Day: 52% Voter Turnout, 18 Wounded, 90 Arrested, 1036 Complaints/Naharnet
60 Villages in Bint Jbeil District Won Uncontested/Naharnet
Syria Denies Scuds Transfer: They Are not Suited to Hizbullah Tactics/Naharnet
Kouchner Meets Suleiman: Assad Confirmed No Scuds in Lebanon/Naharnet
STL Prosecutor's Spokeswoman Achouri Resigns/Naharnet
Israel Kicks Off Defense Drill, Southerners Hear Explosions from Inside Jewish State/Naharnet
FPM Scores Victory in Jezzine Municipal Elections/Naharnet

The Southern Lebanon "Security Zone" until 2000
Ten Years ago, Hezbollah takes over South Lebanon
By Walid Phares
Today is the 10th anniversary of the Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon, from what was known then as a "security zone." That geographically limited event has had significant strategic consequences since 2000. A decade after Counter Terrorism and Middle East experts are looking again at the circumstances and effect of that move on today's Hezbollah's expansion and widening arsenal.
During that winter-spring of 2000, discussions were underway at the UN by Lebanese NGOs to enable southern Lebanon to maintain its own local force under international auspices to replace the Israeli forces, which were potentially to withdraw from the area. The idea was to provide protection to the populations of the borders areas from an advance by Hezbollah all the way to the international demarcation lines. Such takeover by the Jihadist militia was expected to provoke an exodus by thousands of civilians who would have been subjected to Hezbollah's persecution. However suddenly on May 23, the Israeli Government then under Prime Minister Ehud Barak ordered a quick pull out from the security zone without waiting for the local force, at the time known as 'South Lebanon Army' (SLA) to be transferred under the United Nations or to operate as a local force to stop Hezbollah until the UN would decide what to do.
The Southern Lebanon "Security Zone" until 2000
The population of the "security zone" was about 150,000 counting the district of Jezzine; and its local forces were about 3,000 strong. the make up of the population was Christian, Shia and Druse with some Sunni villages to the East. To their north Hezbollah had massed its forces backed by Iranian Pasdaran advisors. Between 1984 and 2000 Hezbollah launched several offensives against the SLA positions but was unable to overrun them permanently. Evidently Israel's Airforce and artillery provided the strategic counter balance. However in its ground attacks, Hezbollah would reach the SLA positions only to be driven back later. The southern Lebanese militaries were trained by the Israelis but knew the Hezbollah's tactics first hand as they hailed from the same villages and had learned the tricks. Hezbollah most lethal weapon were the suicide attacks but in a local intra-Lebanese fight, suicide bombing doesn't work. The southern Lebanese weren't intimidated by the pro-Iranian Lebanese militias. Hence for almost 20 years, the SLA fended off the Iranian backed militia, as did the Northern Alliance in Afghanistan or the Kurds in Northern Iraq.against their respective enemies.
No one expected the small SLA to "liberate" areas north under Hezbollah control. The latter was also well entrenched, determined and supported by Syria and Iran. On a Lebanese scale Hezbollah and the SLA were locked in a trenches war. On a wider scale it was a balance of power between Israel on the one hand and Iran and Syria on the other. Israeli Governments had continuously pledged to support the SLA and not to allow Hezbollah to march south all the way to the international borders. In 2000, the Ehud Barak Labor Government opted for another choice, that is to withdraw from the security zone, dismantle the SLA and regroup behind the international border. The talks behind the scene and the agreements reached with the Clinton Administration and the UN are still not fully uncovered.
On May 23, the IDF evacuated fast and in a matter of hours, the SLA was dismantled. The last few skirmishes between the southern Lebanese and Hezbollah left the latter with casualties. But the situation has changed irreversibly. Learning that the UNIFIL, an obsolete force funded by the UN, won't take over from the Israelis, and that the Lebanese Army is controlled by the pro-Syrian Government in Beirut, the southern Lebanese villagers drew heir conclusion fast: either fall under Hezbollah's wrath or escape to Israel. Thousands of them crossed the borders south in an exodus away from the advancing Jihadi forces.
The fall of the southern security zone is naturally celebrated in Syrian and Hezbollah dominated Lebanon a "victory and liberation." But to the indigenous populations who resisted Hezbollah's forces, many among whom found asylum in Israel, this was their worse day. Strategically, the last buffer zone between Israel and an Iranian controlled ground force was gone. The rest is history and events as we know them.
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Dr Walid Phares is the author of The Confrontation: Winning the War against Future Jihad

Decade on, SLA kids want to return to Lebanon
Less than half of South Lebanon Army members who fled Lebanon in 2000 remained in Israel. Those who stayed dream of returning to the land of the cedars. In ceremony held in Nahariya, fighters' children promise to continue fight for right to return for those who fell defending their homes
Hagai Einav Published: 05.24.10, 09:30 / Israel News
Ten years since they left Lebanon and started a new life in Israel, some 150 South Lebanon Army (SLA) members gathered Sunday in Nahariya. During the ceremony, the names of SLA members who fell during battle in Lebanon were projected on a screen. Following this, the fighters' children, members of the second generation, took the stage with Israeli and Lebanese flags. They sang the anthems of the two countries and did not hide their desire to return to the land their parents left.
Of the 6,500 fighters and their families who left their family members and belongings in Lebanon, just 2,700 have remained in Israel. Over the years, many of them decided to return home to Lebanon, while others left for Europe and the US. Those who stayed in Israel live mainly in the north – Nahariya, Kiryat Shmona, Tiberias, Maalot, and Haifa.
SLA children read poems, in which they extolled the warm relations between then and the State of Israel alongside the longing to return to the lands which, according to them, they were forced to leave against their will. They promised their parents to fight for the right to return to Lebanon for their sake and for the sake of those who fell defending their homes in southern Lebanon and the towns on Israel's northern border.
Minister Yossi Peled, who has been working closely with SLA members in Israel for more than a decade, said, "At the end of the month, I intend to bring a resolution to the cabinet that provides an apartment in Israel to every SLA family. The State of Israel has done a lot to this day for the SLA members, but, unfortunately, it has not been enough. My conscience, as a Jew and as an Israeli who arrived in Israel as a child, is to give to them, even if it is as little as a roof over their heads in Israel."
During the IDF's withdrawal from Lebanon, Peled served as the head of the coordinating task force in charge of the SLA. Last August, he came full circle when he was appointed as a minister heading the ministry that attends to SLA members.
'Lend us a shoulder'
In the audience were SLA members who were wounded during battle, and have since been wheelchair-bound. Minister Peled approached them and spoke with them for minutes.
Yosef, an SLA member, said, "For us, the withdrawal day is not a day that comes once a year. We live this every day, every hour. Coming to a foreign country is hard, also for new immigrants who arrive from the former Soviet Union and Ethiopia. It is even more difficult for us. What connects us is keeping our religion, our tradition, and our family and friends who are here. We believe in Israel and hope that after 10 years there will be a brave government to make the decision to lend us a shoulder after what we gave it for years."
Nahariya Mayor Jacky Sabag spoke at the ceremony and mentioned the night he arrived at the resort village in Rosh Hanikra and saw 200 fighters and 100 women and children, all tired and covered with dust.
"I won't forget that night. The residents of Nahariya donated clothing, food, and toys. Ever since, we have welcomed you. We set up nursery schools and schools for your children, and ultimately, they were well-integrated into the municipal education system. I, and many like myself, new immigrants from Morocco, understand what you have been through and promise not to forget you even 10 years on."
Kiryat Shmona Mayor Rabbi Nissim Malka said, "The residents of Kiryat Shmona will not forget until their dying day how the SLA people protected the shelled city with body and limb and fought to protect our homes."

Obama likely to raise Syria-Hezbollah arms transfer in talks with Lebanon PM
Published 10:24/Jerusalem Post
Hariri's first official visit to U.S. takes place against a backdrop of tensions in Mideast, U.S. efforts to restart Israeli-Palestinian peace talks and growing momentum against Iran.
U.S. President Barack Obama is expected to raise Washington's concerns about Syria arming Hezbollah guerrillas in Lebanon when he meets Lebanese Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri on Monday, a U.S. official said last week.
Hariri's first official visit to the United States takes place against a backdrop of tensions in the Middle East, U.S. efforts to restart Israeli-Palestinian peace talks and growing momentum toward new international sanctions on Iran.
Analysts expect Obama to be more encouraging in tone than demanding of results when he meets Hariri, who heads a national unity government that includes Hezbollah - a Shi'ite Islamist guerrilla group which is backed by Syria and Iran and is listed as a terrorist organization by the United States.
White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said on Friday the two leaders would discuss a "broad range of mutual goals in support of Lebanon's sovereignty and independence, regional peace and security."
Lebanon and Syria have said they fear a possible attack by Israel after President Shimon Peres accused Syria in April of supplying Hezbollah with long-range Scud missiles capable of hitting Israel. Damascus has denied the charge and accused Israel of fomenting war.
Some U.S. officials have expressed doubt that any Scuds were actually handed over in full to Hezbollah, although they believe Syria might have transferred weapons parts.
"We obviously have grave concerns about the transfer of any missile capability to Hezbollah through Lebanon from Syria," a senior Obama administration official told Reuters, saying the issue would likely be raised in Monday's talks.
Another official said Washington would ask Hariri to continue to support efforts "toward comprehensive regional peace."
Hariri has also denied Israel's accusations, while his government has said it backs the right of the guerrilla group to keep its weapons to deter Israeli attacks. Israel, which fought a 34-day war with Hezbollah in 2006, has not signaled any imminent plans to strike.
The war of words heightened tensions in the region, but the UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon, Michael Williams, noted on Friday "that recent tension is now diminishing."
Williams, who held talks with Hariri in Beirut, was quoted by the prime minister's office as saying he was pleased "that all sides have scaled back the rhetoric."
Obama and Hariri are also expected to discuss U.S.-led international efforts to isolate Iran over its disputed nuclear program, officials said. Lebanon holds the rotating presidency of the U.N. Security Council through May 31.
Diplomats said Beirut had quietly asked the permanent members of the Security Council - Britain, France, Russia, China and the United States - not to push for a vote on a new Iran sanctions resolution while it held the presidency.
Lebanon is expected to abstain in any vote because Iranian-backed Hezbollah is in its government, diplomats said.
Jon Alterman, a Middle East expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, said Lebanon no longer enjoyed the status it had under the Bush administration, when it was the "fulcrum" of efforts to spread democracy in the Middle East.
The Obama administration's Middle East policy is more focused on the nuclear stand-off with Iran, war in Afghanistan, and reviving the Middle East peace process, he said.
Nevertheless, the United States has expanded military assistance to Lebanon to strengthen its armed forces as a counterweight to Hezbollah, allocating $500 million to training and equipping Lebanese security forces since 2005.

Qassem Hashem: Hariri knows what to say to Obama
May 24, 2010 /Development and Liberation bloc MP Qassem Hashem told the Akhbar al-Yom news agency on Monday that Prime Minister Saad Hariri knows what to say to US President Barack Obama because the PM is aware that Israel poses the greatest danger to Lebanon. His remarks come as Hariri arrived in Washington for talks with Obama on Monday. The talks are likely to cover, among other topics, the tension in the region arising primarily from last month’s Israeli accusations that Syria supplied Hezbollah with long-range Scud missiles. Hashem added that the Obama administration has given Israel “a new push in bolstering its military capabilities and system.”The MP rejected Lebanese calls for US military assistance. “What kind of assistance will we ask from the Americans amid these double standards and bias toward [Israel] at all levels?” he said. -NOW Lebanon

March 14 Member Calls for Declaring Syrian Withdrawal Date a Holiday
Naharnet/Head of the Change Movement and member of the majority March 14 forces Elie Mahfoud on Monday called on the government to declare April 26, the day Syrian troops pulled out from Lebanon, an official holiday. "We urge the government to declare April 26 an official holiday just like it did by declaring May 25 an official holiday to mark the withdrawal of Israeli occupation troops," Mahfoud said. Mahfoud said the request "does not in any be taken as a hostile stance or that we are standing in the way of efforts exerted by the Lebanese Government toward correction of bilateral relations." Beirut, 24 May 10, 12:14

Hariri Meets Obama in 1st Visit to U.S. as Lebanese PM
Naharnet/Prime Minister Saad Hariri is scheduled to hold talks with U.S. President Barack Obama and other top officials in Washington on Monday.
Hariri arrived in Washington Sunday night, in his first visit to the U.S. as Lebanese premier.
White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said on Friday the two leaders would discuss a "broad range of mutual goals in support of Lebanon's sovereignty and independence, regional peace and security."Hariri is also scheduled to meet with Vice President Joe Biden, National Security Advisor James Jones, Defense Secretary Robert Gates and U.S. Middle East peace envoy George Mitchell. Given Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's Asian tour, the Lebanese PM would most likely meet with her deputy, James Steinberg, in addition to Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Jeffrey Feltman. Hariri could also meet with Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other members of Congress before heading to New York to address the U.N. Security Council. The Lebanese embassy in Washington will hold a ceremony in Hariri's honor on Monday night. The prime minister will also make a speech at the Rafik Hariri building of the Robert Emmett McDonough School of Business, at Georgetown University. The building was opened last September and the Hariri family has contributed $20 million out of its total cost of $82.5 million. Saad Hariri graduated from the university in 1992. A ministerial delegation comprising Ministers Elias Murr, Ali al-Shami, Rayya al-Hassan, Tareq Mitri, Salim al-Sayegh and Wael Abou Faour is accompanying Hariri. The prime minister and the delegation will leave New York on May 27. Beirut, 24 May 10, 07:42

South Election Day: 52% Voter Turnout, 18 Wounded, 90 Arrested, 1036 Complaints
Naharnet/At a news conference after the closure of polling stations in the South on Sunday, Interior Minister Ziad Baroud announced that the average voter turnout in all southern areas recorded 52 percent. "Voter turnout recorded 56% in the city of Sidon, 56% in Sidon District's villages, 62% in the city of Jezzine, 52% in Jezzine District's villages, 42.5% in Bint Jbeil, 55% in Hasbaya, 52% in Nabatiyeh and 62% in Tyre," Baroud announced. "It's not a minor detail that the voices of the southerners today were higher than the sounds of the Israeli drill," he added. Baroud thanked "everyone who contributed and is still contributing to the electoral process which has not ended yet and which will not end until the completion of the vote count."
"The electoral process was accomplished without any interventions by the ministry and some quarrels took place during the day and were contained by the security forces," Baroud said.
"Spilling blood for the sake of defending the border against the enemy is reasonable while it is inappropriate in the context of an electoral competition among brothers," the interior minister added, commenting on the series of security incidents that accompanied the heated electoral process in the city of Sidon. Baroud declared that 18 people were wounded in 14 security incidents that marred the electoral process in the provinces of South and Nabatiyeh. "90 people were arrested and most of them were later released upon an order by the public prosecution," Baroud added. "The number of complaints received by the Hot Line reached 1,036, among them 45% of security nature and 55% of administrative nature, leaning more toward inquiries, compared to 1,200 complaints recorded during Beirut and Bekaa election day and 1,300 complaints in Mount Lebanon." Beirut, 23 May 10, 22:59

March 14 Beats SSNP in Very Own Stronghold
Naharnet/The majority March 14 alliance defeated the Syrian Social Nationalist Party (SSNP) in its very own stronghold. The alliance between the SSNP and the Progressive Socialist Party of Walid Jumblat won municipal "Syrian Social Nationalist Party" has recorded victory in municipal elections in Hasbaya. The biggest irony, however, was that the alliance backed by the ruling March 14 forces won against the SSNP-supported coalition in Rashaya el-Fukhar, the hometown of SSNP MP Asaad Hardan. In Marjayoun province, the alliances backed by March 14 forces in Qlaiaa, Kawkaba and Deir Mimes also won. In Jabal al-Raihan, the election atmosphere was very quiet where consensus-reached alliances won uncontested mayor and city council seats. Beirut, 24 May 10, 10:11

Mustaqbal Wins Violent Municipal Elections in Sidon
Naharnet/The alliance backed by Mustaqbal Movement scored a landslide victory in municipal elections in Sidon against the list supported by Popular Nasserite Organization head Osama Saad. Advanced results showed that the Consensus and Development list headed by Sidon businessman Mohammed al-Saudi was taking a huge lead in elections.
Al-Saudi supporters flocked to Shafiq Hariri's home in Sidon to congratulate Mustaqbal Movement on their victory. MP Bahia Hariri, whose son Ahmed Hariri won a seat in Sidon's city council, also congratulated al-Saudi, saying: "No one won and no won lost. Sidon won because people's willpower is a valuable tool."  "We and Dr. Osama (Saad) are fellow citizens and surely one day all of us will meet to build the city together," Bahia added. Al-Saudi told the Voice of Lebanon radio station on Monday that that Sidon municipality "belongs to all" and urged Saad to "reassess his previous positions." Sidon witnessed fierce election battles and Interior Minister Ziad Baroud said 18 people were killed during 9 violent incidents in the southern province and 5 in Nabatiyeh, while the number of detainees reached almost 90. During elections, Mustaqbal Movement members and Osama Saad traded accusations of vote buying and provoking security mishaps to intimidate voters. Saad attacked authorities for turning a blind eye on vote buying, accusing them of "conspiring" with the Future Movement against the alliance backed by the Popular Nasserite Organization. (Photo shows a scuffle between Mustaqbal Movement supporters and others backed by Saad's party at a polling station in Sidon.)
Beirut, 24 May 10, 07:23

FPM Scores Victory in Jezzine Municipal Elections
Naharnet/The municipal election alliance backed by Michel Aoun's Free Patriotic Movement won all 18 seats in Jezzine, advanced results showed. Jezzine witnessed calm elections on Sunday where the battle pitted "Jezzine is Beautiful" alliance headed by incumbent head Saeed Abou Aql and backed by the Lebanese Forces and ex-MP Samir Azar against the "Change List" which is supported by the Free Patriotic Movement. Jubilant FPM supports drove through the streets of Jezzine, honking their horns and flying Lebanese and the party's Orange flag.
The daily An-Nahar on Monday said Jezzine recorded the biggest turnout at 62 percent. Beirut, 24 May 10, 08:21

Sayyed: Syrian Authorities Sent a Letter to the UAE Inquiring about Siddiq's Fate
Naharnet/Former General Security chief General Jamil al-Sayyed revealed on Monday that the Syrian authorities had delivered a letter to the UAE inquiring about the fate of Mohammed Zuhair al-Siddiq after he had disappeared in "mysterious circumstances" after serving a jail term. Siddiq was in the UAE to serve a jail sentence for entering the country with a fake Czech passport. Sayyed said in a statement that last week, Syria issued, through its Justice Ministry, an official letter to the UAE asking about Siddiq since conflicting reports had emerged about his fate. Some reports said that he had been found killed at the side of a road leading to Abu Dhabi from Dubai and that authorities in the UAE have kept the issue under wraps out of fears of any repercussions it may have. Other information said that Siddiq disappeared after the UAE authorities had provided him with a temporary passport on April 30 and extradited him to Belgium that had agreed to harbor him as a refugee. Siddiq gained refugee status due to pressure by Arab and international intelligence and upon the request of Lebanese parties in power who were involved with him in his false testimony. Furthermore, Belgium agreed to harbor him because he may have faced the death penalty had he been handed over to Syrian authorities.
Sayyed added that until the UAE replies to the Syrian legal authorities' request "it is becoming clear day after day that Siddiq enjoys exceptional Arab and foreign attention, and funding and sponsorship through Lebanese sides in power." "At any rate, the international tribunal in the Hague should not take the role of spectator in this case that is harming its credibility day after day," he concluded. Beirut, 24 May 10, 16:24

Berri: May 23 Turning Point in Democratic Process in Face of Israeli Intimidation
Naharnet/Speaker Nabih Berri on Monday said May 23 was a "turning point in the democratic process in Lebanon in the face of Israeli intimidation." Berri thanked the Lebanese in general and southerners in particular who "showed yesterday a high degree of national responsibility." He saluted all municipal election candidates across villages and towns, particularly along the border "who made this day, May 23, a turning point in the democratic process in Lebanon in the face of 'Turning Point 4.'" Israel on Sunday launched a five-day nationwide defense drill to prepare the public for emergencies and test the response of soldiers and emergency crews, according to the Israeli military. The fourth annual drill, codenamed "Turning Point 4," will include a series of alerts as part of field training exercises in different areas and a 90-second siren throughout the country on Wednesday. Beirut, 24 May 10, 14:01

Williams Urges Restraint, Says Lebanon's Voice to be Heard at U.N. with Hariri Speech
Naharnet/U.N. Special Coordinator for Lebanon Michael Williams urged all parties to refrain from provocative statements that could lead to regional tension and said Premier Saad Hariri's speech in New York on Wednesday would help the international community hear Lebanon's voice. "I am reassured by the fact, which the General shares with me, that all parties are still committed to the implementation of Security Council Resolution 1701 and to the cessation of hostilities," Williams said Monday following talks with Free Patriotic Movement leader Michel Aoun in Rabiyeh. "I believe all parties must also refrain from any provocative action or statements that could lead to tension," he added. Williams unveiled that other than chairing a meeting of the Security Council on Wednesday, Hariri will meet with U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. "These are opportunities for Lebanon to make its voice heard at the international level and to contribute actively to the international efforts for promoting peace and stability in the Middle East and around the world," Williams said. He lauded Interior Minister Ziad Baroud, the Lebanese army and Internal Security Forces for their handling of the municipal elections. "The elections are testimony to the Lebanese people and to the way they exercise their democratic rights and I look forward to a successful conclusion of this process next week on Sunday, May 30, in the last round of the elections in the north," the U.N. official said.
Beirut, 24 May 10, 13:16

Assad says US has lost Mideast peace influence
Syrian president tells Italian paper Washington 'has no influence because they don't do anything for peace'
AFP Published: 05.24.10, 14:19 / Israel News
The United States has lost its influence in the Middle East peace process despite the hopes raised by President Barack Obama, Syrian President Bashar Assad said in an interview published Monday. Assad was quoted as telling the Italian daily La Repubblica that Washington "has no influence because they don't do anything for peace. But they remain the greatest power."
"Obama raised hopes but we cannot wait any more," he said, adding that a "new era has been born" in the Middle East including an understanding between its major powers that was reshaping the region. He pointed to a similar phenomenon throughout the world, with countries such as China and Brazil refusing to wait for the United States to "hand out roles."
Assad said there had been a realization that the United States and Europe had failed to resolve the problems of the Middle East, noting that Russia was trying to rebuild its own role in the region. On relations with Israel, the Syrian leader said that if Israel was ready to return the Golan Heights to Syria "we would not be able to say no to a peace treaty."
But he added that any deal would have to include a complete solution of the Palestinian issue and that he thought Israel was "not ready for an accord at the moment."
alestinian issue and that he thought Israel was "not ready for an accord at the moment."

Suleiman meets Barak: Need stable, calm region
Egyptian intelligence minister meets Israeli defense minister, says 'our friendship can resolve problems in future.' Barak: 'Egypt is largest, most important Arab country to forge peace with Israel'
Attila Somfalvi Published: 05.24.10, 13:48 / Israel News
Amid tensions with Syria and Lebanon, and stalled talks over the release of kidnapped soldier Gilad Shalit, Egyptian Intelligence Minister Omar Suleiman arrived on Monday for a visit in Israel. Suleiman met with Defense Minister Ehud Barak in his Tel Aviv bureau and said "we need a calm and stable region."
The intelligence minister said he was pleased to visit Israel and meet with its leadership. "Our friendship must aspire to peace – this is our common concern. We need our region to be calm and stable, so that everyone will have an opportunity to prosper," he said.
The senior official stressed that the two neighbors "must discuss all the issues that are bothering the Israelis, the Egyptians, and the entire region.
"I thank Minister Barak for inviting me, and believe that our friendship can resolve further problems in the future," Suleiman added.
Barak expressed his satisfaction with the Egyptian visitor, and said, "I am happy to host Minister Suleiman. Egypt is the largest and most important Arab country to forge peace with Israel, and is the central pillar of the reality in the Middle East and in Africa.
"We expect to hold practical and productive talks over political matters, as well as matters pertaining to regional challenges," he said.

Sadat's nephew begins work in Israel
He was only three when his uncle signed historic peace treaty with Israel. More than 30 years later, Ahmad Sadat arrives in Israel to serve as diplomatic advisor to Egyptian ambassador
Itamar Eichner Published: 05.18.10,  / Israel News
Even nowadays, almost three decades after his assassination, Anwar Sadat is still a symbol of rare courage and ability to overcome obstacles and prejudice on the path to peace.
The legendary president would have been proud had he known that his family tree already produced likely successors, namely his nephew Ahmad Sadat, who arrived in Israel to serve as a diplomatic advisor at the Egyptian Embassy.
Yedioth Ahronot learned that the young Sadat arrived in Israel at the beginning of May and began his official post at the Tel Aviv embassy.
Sadat, 34, is married and was appointed as the country's political advisor to the ambassador. This is his second diplomatic mission so far, and his first visit to Israel.
As part of his role as an advisor in the political department at the embassy, Sadat will accompany the Egyptian Ambassador to Israel, Yasser Rida, on all his meetings at the Foreign Ministry and the Prime Minister's Office.
The wellborn nephew, whose father was a general in the Egyptian army, already had the opportunity to visit the Foreign Ministry twice, and held important meetings with Israeli elements – who were all excited to learn about his family relation to the famous president.
In the short time that has passed since his arrival to Israel, Sadat already had the opportunity to discover that his uncle is admired by both Jews and Arabs– as the one that managed to tear down the walls between Israel and the Arab countries.
Upon Sadat's arrival, the Egyptian ambassador noted that his appointment to the embassy in Israel was undoubtedly an indication of the good relations between the two countries.
Sadat was only 5-years-old when his uncle was shot to death by Egyptian Jihad assassins, while watching the annual parade marking Egypt's "victory in the October war," on October 6, 1981.

Not “acceptable”
May 24, 2010
Now Lebanon/
Apparently things in Lebanon are not as bad as they seem. Just ask French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner, who landed in Beirut after talks with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, who, in a joint press conference with Kouchner in Damascus, said that “the West should know that the region has changed and that the language, politics and approaches that it has used in the past are no longer acceptable.”
Armed with this sunny message, Kouchner told the assembled Beirut media that as far as he was concerned the situation in Lebanon is “acceptable, and nothing calls for worry.”
Maybe on his shuttle diplomacy he didn’t notice that on Sunday Israel began a five-day nationwide defense drill, prompting Hezbollah to declare that it, in turn, had put its fighters on high alert.
It was a response to which many Lebanese would not have given a second thought. If Israel applies pressure from its side, then Hezbollah surely would do the same to maintain its proud threat of deterrence. If they ever questioned why a political party and not the army, an instrument of state, was responding to Israel, they gave up years ago.
State? What state? Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri – who flew into Washington on Monday for a meeting with President Barack Obama that, apart from a photo op, will barely register on the regional seismograph – said that the maneuvers were not in the interests of peace. But if that were as depressing as it was trite, it was the statement issued by head of the Lebanese army General Jean Kahwaji – in which he said that the army, the Resistance and the Lebanese people all form a balance of power against Israel’s military might – that really made the heart sink.
It is all very well to rally the nation by saying that all its citizens are part of a united patriotic front against Israeli belligerence and its constant violations of Lebanese territorial integrity, but one felt that Kahwaji reflected his army’s impotence. The Lebanese military may be scoring minor PR successes by its increased cooperation with its US counterparts and having the odd cadet accepted at Annapolis Naval Academy, but the fact remains that Hezbollah still firmly controls the reins when it comes to decisions of war, not to mention our fate as a nation.
Just as worrying is the case for Lebanon’s international image. The perception is that Hezbollah’s reaction to Israel’s maneuvers is state-sanctioned, that the Party of God is Lebanon’s de facto army.
The world has forgotten, and who can blame it, that in June 2009, the Lebanese people voted for the pro-democracy and pro-sovereignty March 14 bloc, and in doing so said no to the existence and activities of Hezbollah’s armed wing. But March 14 has been silenced and its sovereign aspirations have been snuffed out.
Since then Lebanon has lurched from one crisis to another with a so-called national-unity government that in reality is a government of obstruction. And the talk is once again of conflict with Israel. The recent Scud missile crisis and the equally precarious situation surrounding Iran’s nuclear program have reawakened fears that Lebanon’s southern border will once again explode into violence. It should also be of concern that it was Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Mouallem who denied that Damascus had transferred Scud missiles to Hezbollah. Lebanon was a silent voice, another reminder of how it has once again allowed itself to become the region’s lackey.
Mr. Kouchner should be reminded that Lebanon is dominated by a party that will take the country into war without consulting the democratically-elected government, one that is hostage to regional diplomacy. This is not what we voted for, and it is certainly not acceptable.