LCCC
ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
ِDecember
29/2010
Bible Of The
Day
Exodus 20:12: “Honor your father and your
mother, that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving
you".
Free Opinions, Releases,
letters, Interviews & Special Reports
Column One: The wars of 2011/By
CAROLINE B. GLICK/J.Post/December 28/10
Latest News Reports From Miscellaneous Sources for December
28/10
Sfeir: We are Living in
Hard Times/Naharnet
Bolton: Bellemare's
Indictments to be Issued Soon, He Will Accuse Syrian and Hizbullah Officials/Naharnet
Iranian Foreign Ministry:
A Tribunal that Becomes a Political Tool Loses its Legitimacy/Naharnet
Assad to Riyadh: You Should
Oppose the Indictment if you Want Lebanon to Remain Strong/Naharnet
Geagea calls Sleiman’s actions
responsible/Now Lebanon
Zahra: Sleiman does not need
permission to act in his jurisdictions/Now Lebanon
Suleiman Inspects 5th Brigade,
Meets Asarta in Tour to the South/Naharnet
Assad welcomes murderer
Kuntar/Ynetnews
Israeli Air Force
commander
commander: We are prepared to counter all threats/J.Post
Israel's Prime minister rejects
Labor’s call to punish his FM/J.Post
Al Qaeda sends Palestinian terrorists from Lebanon to strikes in Europe/DEBKA
file
Cable: Syria backed embassy attacks/Aljazeera.net
Sleiman: Political bickering
harming citizens/Daily Star
Commander General Jean Kahwagi says
Lebanese army ready to handle any emergency/Daily Star
Iran hangs “Mossad spy”: state
media/Now Lebanon
Syrian vice president discusses
relations with Khoury/Now Lebanon
Fatah official: Sahmarani’s death
does not have any repercussions/Now Lebanon
Israeli Air Force chief says they
are getting ready for any possible attacks/Now Lebanon
State
Security Seizes Weapons in Western Bekaa Farm/Naharnet
Iranian Official:
Hizbullah Alone will Decide Stance from Indictment/Naharnet
3 Fishermen Missing Off
Arida/Naharnet
Report: Suleiman Avoiding
Cabinet Voting to Prevent Saudi-Syrian Initiative Setback/Naharnet
Report: Sahmarani Killed
for Personal Reasons/Naharnet
Hamas Reveals Efforts to
'Neutralize' Refugee Camps from Repercussions of Indictments/Naharnet
WikiLeaks: Israeli Troops
would Face Leb. Army in Any Conflict with Hizbullah/Naharnet
Barak: Hamas, Hizbullah,
Iran form Threat that Needs to Be Confronted/Naharnet
Al-Lino: Investigations
Have Uncovered Sahmarani's Murderer/Naharnet
Sfeir: We are Living in Hard Times
Naharnet/Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Sfeir on Monday acknowledged that Lebanese
citizens were living in hard times and prayed to God to ease the
situation."Circumstances are tough, but we have high hopes that things would be
better with the efforts by our countrymen," he told visitors. Beirut, 27 Dec 10,
18:16
Bolton: Bellemare's Indictments to be Issued Soon, He Will Accuse Syrian and
Hizbullah Officials
Naharnet/Former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations John Bolton revealed that
Special Tribunal for Lebanon Prosecutor Daniel Bellemare will release the
indictments in the investigation into the assassination of former Prime Minister
Rafik Hariri soon. He said in an article published in the pan-Arab daily Al-Hayat
Monday: "It is almost certain that prominent Syrian officials and Hizbullah
members will be accused of the crime." The U.S. official did not rule out the
possibility of the eruption of a war between Hizbullah and Israel in light of
the indictments, adding that it is possible that Syria would participate in the
war. Beirut, 27 Dec 10, 16:29
Israeli Air Force
commander
commander: We are prepared to counter all threats
By YAAKOV KATZ/J.Post
12/28/2010 17:31
Nehushtan says 2011 is a "critical year" for stopping Iran's nuclear program;
"We are always tracking what is happening around us so we can be ready";
comments follow weekly training flight in South. The Israeli Air Force is
prepared to counter all of the threats and challenges that Israel currently
faces including those from Iran, Israeli Air Force commander Maj.-Gen. Ido
Nehushtan said on Tuesday amid predictions that 2011 is a “critical year” for
stopping the Islamic Republic’s race to develop a nuclear weapon.
“The IAF has an important job to be prepared for anything it might be required
to do,” Nehushtan told reporters during a briefing at the Ramon Air Force Base
in the South. “We are always tracking what is happening around us so we can be
ready.”
Nehushtan was at Ramon for his weekly training flight like all IAF pilots in
active service and the reserves who are required to fly at least once a week.
His flight on Tuesday was in a F-16I – called “Sufa” (Storm) in the IAF – which
he flew in a dogfight training scenario against another aircraft.
The IAF’s greatest challenge, he said, was the military buildup on all of
Israel’s different fronts – by Hamas in the Gaza Strip, Hizbullah in Lebanon and
in Syria and Iran.
“We prepare for the different scenarios on a daily basis by analyzing the
different fronts and thinking what the IAF can do to counter each one,” he said.
Asked about the recent announcement that the United States was selling $60
billion worth of military systems including over 80 F-15 fighter jets to Saudi
Arabia and its effect on Israel, Nehushtan said that the IDF’s job was to ensure
that it retained a qualitative military edge in the region. In October, Israel
signed a $2.75 billion deal to purchase 20 F-35 Joint Strike Fighters, a
fifth-generation stealth fighter jet.
“A guiding principle for the IAF has been to ensure that we have a qualitative
edge,” he said. “To do this, we rely on our people who provide us with that edge
as well as ensuring that we receive the most advanced planes and systems that
exist.”
Nehushtan referred to Hamas and Hizbullah’s military buildup and the possibility
that in a future, war missiles will land in IAF bases throughout the country.
“There have been developments in the amount of missiles and rockets that are in
our enemies’ hands,” he said. “We assume that in the future, IAF bases will be a
target. We are aware of this and are preparing accordingly.”
At the Hatzor IAF base, for example, airmen have carried out 25 drills since the
beginning of the year, compared to just 12 last year. The drills vary and
include scenarios that involve missile attacks on the base’s runway, living
quarters and plane storage facilities.
During Operation Cast Lead last year, a number of rockets were fired in the
direction of Hatzor, which is located near Gedera, as well as at Hatzerim, near
Beersheba. During the Second Lebanon War in 2006, Hizbullah also tried to target
the Ramat David base in the north.
Assad to Riyadh: You Should Oppose the Indictment if you Want Lebanon to Remain
Strong
Naharnet/Syrian President Bashar Assad has reportedly informed Saudi Arabia that
if it wanted Lebanon to remain strong, it should reject the indictment that will
be issued by the international tribunal in ex-Premier Rafik Hariri's
assassination case. "If you want Lebanon to remain strong, the indictment should
be rejected and we should work together to stop its release," informed sources
quoted Assad as telling Riyadh during the "strenuous negotiations." Assad
reportedly said that the Saudi-Syrian initiative had reached semi-final results
but the delay in the announcement came as a result of Saudi King Abdullah's
illness and his travel to New York. The sources told As Safir newspaper that the
Syrian president also said that confronting the "politicized indictment" would
be an achievement as important as the collapse of the May 17 Agreement of 1983,
which was a failed U.S.-backed attempt to create peace between Lebanon and
Israel. Assad also reportedly had conditioned his visit to Beirut along with
Saudi King Abdullah on an agreement to postpone the release of the indictment,
the daily said. During his phone conversations with Abdullah to inquire about
his health following his back surgery in New York, Assad was avoiding to discuss
the settlement of the Lebanese crisis over fears of U.S. wiretapping, As Safir
reported. Assad was addressing the king with codes whenever he wanted to propose
a political solution, the newspaper added.
As Safir said that the two leaders held a long telephone conversation on Sunday.
Premier Saad Hariri's visit to New York came after the phone call, it said.
According to the newspaper, Abdullah will inform Hariri about the stage that
dialogue with Damascus has reached. Well-informed sources also told As Safir
that the Lebanese prime minister's trip to New York hints that improvement was
made in the Saudi-Syrian initiative. Beirut, 28 Dec 10, 07:59
Suleiman Inspects 5th Brigade, Meets Asarta in Tour to the South
Naharnet/President Michel Suleiman on Tuesday inspected Lebanese army troops
deployed in southern Lebanon and met with UNIFIL commander Maj. Gen. Alberto
Asarta Cuevas there. Suleiman was accompanied by Army chief Gen. Jean Qahwaji
and top officers when he met with fifth brigade commander Brig. Gen. Bassam al-Daoud
and several officers at their headquarters in the border area of Bayyada. He
then headed to the coastal town of Naqoura where he held talks with Asarta and
other peacekeeping officials. "Suleiman expressed the appreciation of the
Lebanese people for the peacekeepers, particularly that there is consensus on
supporting UNIFIL," said a press released issued by UNIFIL's Public Information
Office.
Asarta welcomed the president to UNIFIL, saying that his visit was "a
demonstration of Lebanon's support and commitment to United Nations Security
Council Resolution 1701 and to our strategic partnership with the Lebanese
Army," according to the press release. "The achievements reached so far are
testament to the excellent relations and cooperation that exist between the
Lebanese Armed Forces and UNIFIL," the press release quoted Asarta as saying.
The UNIFIL commander briefed Suleiman on the work of the peacekeepers and
stressed the importance of the ongoing coordinated operations between UNIFIL and
the Lebanese Army. He stressed that "UNIFIL will continue working in pursuit of
the common shared mandate for peace and security in southern Lebanon." Media
reports had said that Suleiman was expected to reiterate Lebanon's commitment to
U.N. Security Council resolution 1701 during his tour of the south.As Safir
newspaper said that Suleiman would stress "commitment to resolution 1701 with
all its details and the importance of preventing any side that is hurt from
stability from seeking to thwart Lebanon's commitment to international
resolutions linked to the conflict with Israel." Beirut, 28 Dec 10, 17:02
State Security Seizes Weapons in Western Bekaa Farm
Naharnet/State security seized machineguns and rocket-propelled grenades during
a raid of a farm in the western Bekaa town of Hawsh al-Harimi on Tuesday. Also
Tuesday, fishermen found old weapons off Mina in the northern port city of
Tripoli. Navy divers are working to bring the arms back to shore. Beirut, 28 Dec
10, 14:45
Report: Suleiman Avoiding Cabinet Voting to Prevent Saudi-Syrian Initiative
Setback
Naharnet/Sources close to President Michel Suleiman said politicians welcomed
his latest stance that the constitution compels him to encourage consensus
within the cabinet and resort to voting as a last option. The sources told
pan-Arab daily al-Hayat in remarks published Tuesday that Suleiman made it clear
through this stance that his role and his authority compel him to be keen on
political unity. "Why would he be conditioned to put the issue of false
witnesses up for voting if there was still no consensus on it?" the sources
wondered. "He believes that there is still time to (achieve) consensus even if
it takes more sessions." Suleiman is keen on avoiding to make steps that would
target the Arab initiative that was launched during the Saudi-Syrian-Lebanese
summit held at Baabda palace last July, the sources told al-Hayat. Any division
as a result of voting inside the cabinet would lead to a setback for the
Saudi-Syrian initiative, they said. Beirut, 28 Dec 10, 08:57
Geagea calls Sleiman’s actions responsible
December 28, 2010 /Now Lebanon
President Michel Sleiman is acting responsibly in his handling of the current
Lebanese impasse, Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea said following his Tuesday
meeting with Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Boutros Sfeir in Bkirki. “We feel that
the president is bearing proper responsibility for the first time in 20 years,”
he told the press, in reference to Sleiman’s recent on comments on the “false
witnesses” issue. On Saudi-Syrian talks to resolve the Lebanese political
crisis, Geagea asked “with what logic do Lebanese parties throw their problems
on foreign states and expect a solution from [nowhere]?”“What kind of logic is
it to obstruct the national dialogue sessions [with the excuse of] waiting for
the outcomes of Saudi-Syrian talks?”
“The logic of threatening [others against the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL)]
is over…. I do not have any information about the date of the issuance of the
STL’s [upcoming] indictment.”The LF leader called on the Lebanese to commit to
state institutions.In an interview with As-Safir newspaper published on Monday,
Sleiman rejected being instructed by anyone regarding the parties calling on him
to put the issue of “false witnesses” up for a vote in the cabinet.The cabinet
has met once since its November 10 session and has not tackled institutional
work in depth as March 8 and March 14 ministers have been deadlocked over how to
resolve the issue of the witnesses who gave unreliable testimonies to the
international probe into the 2005 assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik
Hariri.Tensions are high in Lebanon amid reports that the STL may soon indict
Hezbollah members in its investigation of the Rafik Hariri murder, a move the
party repeatedly warned against.-NOW Lebanon
Zahra: Sleiman does not need permission to act in his jurisdictions
Now Lebanon/December 28, 2010 /Lebanese Forces bloc MP Antoine Zahra said on
Tuesday that President Michel Sleiman does not wait for permission from any
domestic or foreign political party to exercise authority in his jurisdictions,
according to a statement issued by the LF’s press office. A solution to any
Lebanese problem must be an all-Lebanese solution, Zahra said, adding, however,
that Lebanon is not isolated from the world. The LF and the March 14 coalition
will not accept transforming Lebanon into an arena for struggles or allow it to
be used as a tool for any regional schemes, the MP also said. In an interview
with As-Safir newspaper published on Monday, Sleiman said “I do not accept being
instructed or controlled by any party,” in response to figures calling on him to
put the issue of “false witnesses” up for a vote in the cabinet. The cabinet has
met once since its November 10 session and has not tackled institutional work in
depth as March 8 and March 14 ministers have been deadlocked over how to resolve
the issue of the witnesses who gave unreliable testimonies to the international
probe into the 2005 assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.
Tensions are high in Lebanon amid reports that the Special Tribunal for Lebanon
(STL) may soon indict Hezbollah members in its investigation of the Rafik Hariri
murder, a move the party repeatedly warned against. Saudi and Syrian officials
have reportedly been communicating in efforts to reach a compromise that would
resolve tensions.-NOW Lebanon
Syrian vice president discusses relations with Khoury
December 28, 2010 /Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) reported on Tuesday that
Syrian Vice President Farouk al-Sharaa discussed bilateral relations and means
to improve them with Secretary General of the Lebanese-Syrian Higher Council
Nasri Khoury. Sharaa and Khoury also discussed the regional and international
situation, the agency added.
-NOW Lebanon
Israeli Air Force chief says they are getting ready for any possible attacks
December 28, 2010 /Israeli Air Force (IAF) Commander Major General Ido Nehushtan
said on Tuesday that the air force is getting ready to face Hezbollah and Hamas
in case Israeli military bases are attacked, NOWLebanon’s correspondent Amal
Shehadeh reported on Tuesday.-NOW Lebanon
Fatah official: Sahmarani’s death does not have any repercussions
December 28, 2010 /Head of the Fatah military wing in Ain al-Helweh refugee camp
Colonel Mahmoud Abdel Hamid Issa, also known as “Lino”, said on Tuesday that the
murder of Jund al-Sham leader Ghandi Sahmarani does not have any repercussions
on the security of the Ain al-Hilweh refugee camp and its surrounding. Issa also
said that those accused of the explosion that took place on Sunday in the camp
will be handed to the Lebanese security authorities, the National News Agency (NNA)
reported. NOW Lebanon’s correspondent reported on Sunday that an explosive
device detonated at 5 a.m. in the Ain al-Hilweh Palestinian refugee camp in
Saida.Sahmarani was found shot dead execution-style on Saturday in Ain al-Hilweh.
-NOW Lebanon
Iran hangs “Mossad spy”: state media
December 28, 2010 /Now Lebanon/
Iran on Tuesday hanged a man found guilty of feeding Israeli spy agency Mossad
with Iranian military secrets and information on its missile program over a
period of six years, news agency IRNA reported. Ali Akbar Siadat was hanged in
Tehran's Evin prison after being condemned to death for "working for Mossad,"
IRNA quoted the Tehran prosecutor's office as saying.
Siadat was found guilty of having had links with Mossad for six years. "He had
received 60,000 dollars to give classified information to the Zionist regime,"
the state news agency said.
IRNA said Siadat had been sentenced to death on charges of "strengthening the
Zionist regime, opposing the Islamic republic and [spreading] corruption on
earth."
Siadat had acknowledged having established contacts with one Israeli embassy
overseas and that he had been giving information "about missiles belonging to
the Revolutionary Guards."
He was also transferring information "to the enemy of military bases, fighter
jets, the number of training flights, airplane accidents and air systems of the
Revolutionary Guards," the report said. The Revolutionary Guards, Iran's
powerful ideological army, controls the country's sensitive missile program,
including the Shahab-3 missile which Tehran says can reach Israel and US bases
in the Gulf. Three years ago Siadat had received a computer and other equipment
for his work. He used to meet his contacts from the Israeli intelligence service
in hotels in Turkey, Thailand and the Netherlands, IRNA said. It added that he
was found with 29 pages of classified information when arrested two years ago
with his wife while trying to leave Iran.
Iranian media on Sunday announced that another Iranian had also been sentenced
to death for working as a spy for Israel.
In November 2008, Iran executed an Iranian telecom salesman convicted of spying
for the Jewish state. In the same month Iran said it had busted a ring of
Iranians who spied for Israel after being trained in Tel Aviv. It was unclear
whether Siadat was among those arrested in November 2008. Iran routinely accuses
arch-foe Israel of carrying out hostile activities against the Islamic republic,
including espionage against its armed forces and its nuclear programs.-AFP/NOW
Lebnaon
Report: Sahmarani Killed for Personal Reasons
Naharnet/Initial investigation into the murder of Jund al-Sham leader Ghandy
Sahmarani at Ain el-Hilweh Palestinian refugee camp revealed that the militant
was killed over a personal dispute, well-informed Lebanese security sources
said. They told As Safir daily in remarks published Tuesday that other militant
groups in the camp could have killed Sahmarani for personal reasons because
there was no tension after the discovery of his body in a garage inside the
camp. Lebanese security forces have previously questioned the militant and
discovered that he had no major information about several terrorist activities,
the newspaper said. The security situation in Ain el-Hilweh remained calm
following the murder and the Lebanese army took standard measures at the camp's
entrances, As Safir added. Beirut, 28 Dec 10, 09:39
3 Fishermen Missing Off Arida
Naharnet/The Lebanese navy is scouring the sea off the northern coastal town of
Arida after three fishermen went missing along with their boat, the National
News Agency reported Tuesday. NNA identified the fishermen as Haitham al-Salloum
and his son Mohammed from Arida and Massoud Iskandar from Hekr al-Dhaheri border
village. The agency said the navy until now found no sign of them or their boat.
Beirut, 28 Dec 10, 10:13
Iranian Official: Hizbullah Alone will Decide Stance from Indictment
Naharnet/Iranian Deputy Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council Ali
Bagheri has said that Hizbullah alone decides how it will confront the
indictment that will be released by the international tribunal. "Lebanon's
enemies are targeting the stability of Lebanon. As for Hizbullah, it alone will
decide what decision and stance to take," Bagheri told a news conference at the
Iranian embassy in Damascus following talks with Syrian President Bashar Assad.
"The party said its word to the court and its decision," he said.
He said "stability in Lebanon depends on consolidating national unity and the
Resistance.""Any attempt or act to harm this national unity or the Resistance is
an advantage to the enemies," he added. Beirut, 28 Dec 10, 07:59
Assad welcomes murderer Kuntar
Roee Nahmias Published: 12.27.10, 17:14 / Israel News /Naharnet
Syrian President Bashar Assad warmly welcomed Monday an unusual guest at his
palace – Samir Kuntar, who murdered an Israeli family and was released from
prison in 2008 in the framework of the swap for the bodies of IDF soldiers Eldad
Regev and Ehud Goldwasser. Media outlets in Damascus reported that Assad and
Kuntar discussed the latest political developments in Lebanon ahead of the
publication of the Hariri probe conclusions, as well as "the role of the
resistance in defending Lebanon against the dangers threatening its security and
stability." The two stressed the importance of "the resistance mode of thinking
as a basis for regaining Arab rights." During the meeting, Kuntar gave the
Syrian president a copy of his book, "my story," which details his life in the
30 years he spent in Israeli prisons. The visit marked Kuntar's second trip to
Damascus since being released by Israel. In the first meeting with Assad, held a
few months after Kuntar's release, the Syrian president honored the Lebanese
killer with a prestigious Syrian distinction and praised him, saying "Kuntar was
not only the most senior prisoner during his time in jail, but also the most
senior free and honorable man."
Israel's Prime minister rejects Labor’s call to punish his FM
By GIL HOFFMAN /12/28/2010 00:48
J.Post
Despite being upset over Lieberman’s public statements on PA and Turkey,
Netanyahu says ‘we won’t cause coalition chaos.’ Prime Minister Binyamin
Netanyahu does not intend to take any disciplinary action against Foreign
Minister Avigdor Lieberman for expressing independent views about the
Palestinians and Turks in speeches at the Foreign Ministry and the UN, sources
close to Netanyahu said on Monday. Netanyahu’s associates revealed that he was
upset by Lieberman’s speech to Israeli diplomats at the Foreign Ministry on
Sunday, in which he dismissed any chance of achieving a peace accord with the
current Palestinian leadership and mocked recent anti- Israel statements by the
prime minister and foreign minister of Turkey.
They said the remarks rekindled anger sparked by a controversial speech
Lieberman delivered at the UN General Assembly in September.
But they said the prime minister would not accept the request of Labor cabinet
members and the advice of critics of his administration to warn Lieberman that
he and his Israel Beiteinu Party could face consequences for continuing to cross
red lines. “We know there are many people who want there to be chaos in the
coalition, but we don’t intend to supply it,” a Netanyahu associate said. “The
prime minister is not happy about Lieberman’s statements, which are not helpful,
and he would be happy if Lieberman spoke differently, but there are coalition
realities.”
Sources close to Netanyahu denied that a factor in the prime minister’s
restraint toward Lieberman was Attorney- General Yehuda Weinstein’s pending
decision on whether to indict the foreign minister for corruption.
“It’s not because he thinks the investigation will get rid of him,” a Netanyahu
associate said. “No one is building on that. Lieberman says things we don’t
like, just like [Defense Minister] Ehud Barak and [Interior Minister] Eli Yishai
do. This couldn’t happen in the American political system, but here in our
coalition system, it can.” When Channel 10 asked Netanyahu about Lieberman in an
interview on Monday night, he said, “Everyone knows that what matters are the
views of the prime minister.”The Labor faction issued a statement condemning
Lieberman’s statements, which it said were incorrect, did not represent the view
of the government and its coalition guidelines, and did great damage to Israel
when they came from its foreign minister.
Industry, Trade and Labor Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer went further, calling
Lieberman’s statements “crazy” and saying that Netanyahu must “deal with the
Lieberman problem.”
“Lieberman is consistent,” Ben-Eliezer said. “The problem is with Bibi, who
appointed him foreign minister. The foreign minister is supposed to speak for
the country. He doesn’t speak for me. If I were prime minister, I would tell
Lieberman, ‘Enough is enough. It’s not a circus.’”
Opposition leader Tzipi Livni told Army Radio that Netanyahu was not correct in
saying that the foreign minister did not represent the government’s position.
Rather, she said, Netanyahu was responsible for Lieberman, and his refusal to
take action against him indicated that Israel required a more courageous leader.
Lieberman responded to his critics at a meeting of the Israel Beiteinu faction,
saying that his speech had been at a Foreign Ministry forum in which several
politicians were summoned to explain their personal belief system.
He defended his criticism of the Palestinian and Turkish leadership and vowed
that Israel would not absorb blows from either one.
“One can say that you don’t have to respond to everything loudly, but by the
same token, you shouldn’t ignore everything and allow yourself to become a
punching bag,” Lieberman said. “We hear the other side can get away with
everything and that we can’t do anything and that we have to be quiet. At this
rate, we should invite the British Mandate back.”
Lieberman said that everything he said in his speech on Sunday was part of the
coalition agreement Israel Beiteinu had signed with Likud.
“We are not looking for reasons to create a crisis, but we will not give up on
the interests and constituency we represent, or our beliefs,” he said. “I stand
behind every piece of paper I have ever signed. I hope no one is looking for
reasons for complications and problems.”
**Rebecca Anna Stoil contributed to this report.
Commander General Jean Kahwagi says Lebanese army ready to handle any emergency
Commander assures Sleiman that army is coordinating closely with UN peacekeepers
By The Daily Star /Tuesday, December 28, 2010
BEIRUT: Commander General Jean Kahwagi said Monday that the Lebanese Army was
fully ready to confront any emergency situation and thwart attempts to undermine
the unity of Lebanon. Kahwagi made his remarks while visiting President Michel
Sleiman at the Baabda Palace, heading an army delegation to extend greetings for
Christmas. “We assure you that our institution is in good condition and worthy
of the confidence provided by the Lebanese people,” Kahwagi said, addressing
Sleiman. Kahwagi said Lebanese Army soldiers “are as usual dedicated to
performing their assigned duties, whether in confronting the Israeli enemy and
uncovering its agents and spying acts, or in continuing to root out terrorist
cells and nipping them in the bud.” The year 2010 has seen a nationwide
crackdown on suspected collaborators with Israel. More than 150 individuals were
rounded up in the campaign.
Kahwagi stressed that the army would confront any side that would try to
instigate strife.
Lebanon is seeing mounting tension over the disputed Special Tribunal for
Lebanon, amid fears that civil strife might break out if an impending indictment
by the Netherlands-based court points the finger at members from Hizbullah, as
is widely expected. The army has issued several statements assuring that it
would confront any attempt to destabilize Lebanon and easing concerns over its
unity. Kahwagi said that the coordination was ongoing between the Lebanese Army
and the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL).
“I assure you that coordination is ongoing in the best possible manner between
the army and UNIFIL and that the relation between this force and southerners is
getting more and more deep-rooted day after day,” said Kahwagi. Following UN
Security Council Resolution 1701 that ended Israel’s summer 2006 war on Lebanon,
the army deployed along Lebanese-Israeli borders for the first time in decades.
Resolution 1701 stipulates, among other things, that no armed presence should
exist in the area south of the Litani River except that of the Lebanese Army and
the beefed-up UNIFIL force. Kahwagi pledged to boost the capabilities of the
army. “I stress that we make all efforts possible to develop and enhance the
capabilities of the institution, benefiting and capitalizing on the achievements
that were made when you were an army commander, and on our own capabilities and
assistance provided by friendly states,” said Kahwagi. He said he was confident
that Sleiman was not sparing any effort to provide additional arms and
equipment, “despite our knowledge of the difficult economic conditions the
country is witnessing.” The Lebanese Army is badly in need of advanced arms and
equipment. After holding talks with Russia’s Prime Minister Vladimir Putin in
Moscow in November, Prime Minister Saad Hariri announced that Russia would
provide Lebanon with six MI 24 helicopters, 31 T-72 tanks, 36 cannons of 130 mm
caliber, around half a million different munitions for medium-sized weapons and
30,000 artillery shells for free. Also Monday, Sleiman received delegations from
other security and military commands who extended their congratulations. – The
Daily Star
Sleiman: Political bickering harming citizens
President expresses hope that work of state institutions can resume in 2011
By Hussein Dakroub /Daily Star staff
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
BEIRUT: President Michel Sleiman warned rival factions Monday that their
political bickering was harming the citizens’ interests, in an implicit call on
the March 8 and March 14 camps to end differences between them that have
paralyzed state institutions.
“The institutions must be allowed to do their jobs in such a way that the
citizens’ interests will not be affected by any political polarization,” he
said.
The president spoke during a meeting with delegations from the Army Command and
the Internal Security Forces who came to deliver good wishes for Christmas and
New Year’s Day.
Sleiman expressed hope 2011 would be the year of beginning work at state
institutions and overcoming the political crisis, despite tensions over
impending indictments in former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri’s 2005
assassination.
He called on the army and security forces “to double their efforts to safeguard
political, security and economic security,” according to a statement released by
the president’s office.
Despite the threat of instability hanging over Lebanon as a result of the
indictment to be issued by the UN-backed Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL),
widely expected to implicate Hizbullah members in Hariri’s killing, Sleiman
reiterated that the political crisis would be solved.
His remarks came as Saudi Arabia and Syria stepped up efforts to defuse
political tensions over the indictment.
The two countries, major power brokers in Lebanon, are trying to promote a
solution for the crisis acceptable to the March 8 and March 14 factions.
Political tension between the factions over the indictment have raised fears of
sectarian strife and led to paralysis in Cabinet. A dispute over the issue of
“false witnesses” in the UN probe into Hariri’s killing has crippled government
work for over a month.
At its last meeting on December 15, the Cabinet failed to settle the issue,
prompting Sleiman to defer discussions after the March 8 ministers demanded a
vote to refer the issue to the Judicial Council, the country’s highest court.
Both Sleiman and Prime Minister Saad Hariri oppose a vote so as to avoid a
further Cabinet split.
Meanwhile, the STL appears to have collected “irrefutable evidence” after nearly
six years of investigation, sources told The Daily Star.
The sources said no one except prosecutor Daniel Bellemare knows the date the
indictment will be issued. “The only thing that can be confirmed is that the
prosecutor general has concluded the investigation phase,” one source said.
Bellemare, according to the sources, has become familiar with all matters and
information relating to Hariri’s assassination and several other assassinations
that followed the February 14, 2005, bombing that killed Hariri and 22 others.
“Bellemare is now more satisfied than before with the decisive findings he has
reached. These findings will help him present accusations based on strong, solid
and irrefutable evidence that will be difficult, if not impossible, to challenge
or overturn during the trial,” the source said.
John Bolton, the former US ambassador to the UN, said in an article in Al-Hayat
newspaper that Bellemare would soon begin releasing indictments. “It is almost
certain that [the indictments] will name senior Syrian officials and other
Hizbullah officials,” Bolton said. He warned the indictments might lead to the
renewal of the 2006 war between Israel and Hizbullah and said Syria may
participate in it this time.
Bolton criticized US President Barack Obama, saying his policies had encouraged
Iran to fully rearm Hizbullah and to continue arming and funding the Palestinian
Hamas movement in the Gaza Strip.
Minister of Youth and Sports Ali Abdullah, of the March 8 camp, said he expected
a solution to be reached by Saudi and Syrian mediators next month. “As long as
there is a [Saudi-Syrian] initiative that has won the approval [of rival
factions], matters will take their normal course in January,” he told the Voice
of Lebanon radio station.
Environment Minister Mohammed Rahhal, from the March 14 camp, expected the
Cabinet to meet shortly after the Christmas and New Year holidays. “It is
shameful for the Cabinet not to meet to discuss the citizens’ affairs,” he told
Voice of Lebanon.
Hizbullah MP Ali Fayyad said Hizbullah was ready to cooperate with other
factions to reach a solution for the current crisis. “What Lebanon needs most
these days is a positive and calm discourse, extended hands and national
understanding that will converge with the Syrian-Saudi good offices,” Fayyad
said in an Ashura event speech in the southern village of Mheibib.
MP Ammar Houri, a member of Hariri’s parliamentary Future bloc, said the
Saudi-Syrian efforts sough to set up “a safety net to make sure that this issue
will not spill over to other areas from which no one will benefit,” Houri told
Asharq radio station.
Meanwhile, Sleiman will visit the south Tuesday to inspect Lebanese troops and
the UN peacekeeping force UNIFIL, the Central News Agency reported. It said
Sleiman will be accompanied by Army Commander General Jean Kahwagi.
Al Qaeda sends Palestinian
terrorists from Lebanon to strikes in Europe
DEBKAfile Exclusive Report December 27, 2010,
The 12 Al Qaeda terrorists, whose movements have put European security
authorities on high New Year alert, set out from Ain Hilweh, Lebanon, and belong
to three al Qaeda-linked Palestinian groups, the Syrian Jund al-Sham, the
Lebanese Army of Islam (which also operates in the Gaza Strip) and Fatah
al-Islam, debkafile's counter-terror sources disclose. All its members are
richly experienced in urban terror in various Middle East arenas.
Al Qaeda has taken of late to using Iraq, Lebanon and Somalia as starting points
for its terrorist plots to baffle the Western agencies keeping an eye on
terrorist bases in Pakistan, North Africa and Yemen.
The last bombing attempt in Europe, which took place in Stockholm on December
11, was the work of an Iraqi Arab dispatched and later claimed by Iraqi Al
Qaeda. Two other groups came from Somalia: the nine men charged at Westminster
Court, London, Monday, Dec. 26, with conspiracy to carry out bombing attacks on
the US embassy, the London Stock Exchange and political and religious figures
(12 were rounded up at four locations on Dec. 20 and three released.) and the
twelve men picked up in Rotterdam for plotting Christmas attacks in Holland.
It is now the turn of Lebanon. There, an elaborate smoke and mirrors exercise
was staged to conceal the next Al Qaeda assault, as disclosed here by debkafile.
On Dec. 25, Christmas day, Ghandi Sahmarani, the leader of the Syrian
Palestinian Jund Al Sham's Lebanese branch, was reported found dead in a back
alley of the Palestinian refugee camp of Ain Hilweh in South Lebanon with the
bullet wound in the back of his neck and his hands tied with barbed wire.
The dead man had never lived in this camp which is the fiefdom of the Fatah
strongman, Mounir Al-Maqda. It was therefore assumed he had been dragged to Ain
Hilweh by abductors and then put to death. Later that day, journalists were
invited to the Sidon hospital morgue to view his body.
However, according to debkafile's intelligence and counter-terror sources,
Sahmarani is still alive. The body exhibited was that of a man who resembled
him. The real Sahmarani eluded his watchers last week on the very day that 12
Palestinian terrorists went missing from Ain Hilweh. It is now believed that he
was put in command of the terrorist operations scheduled to take place in Europe
and the Middle East on or around the New Year and that he and the group's
members are already on their way to their targets.
European sources have traced the group travelling from Lebanon to Syria and
thence to Turkey, where they have split up into small sub-groups of two to three
men each. Part is heading for the Balkans to infiltrate Western Europe; part is
still in Turkey and may stay there or make for another Middle East destination
for a multi-casualty attack.
The three Palestinian groups involved often overlap operationally and are expert
at laying false trails to conceal the movements of their leaders and operatives.
In 2007, during the four-month battle Fatah Al Islam and the Army of Islam waged
against the Lebanese army for control of Nahr- Al-Bared, the big Palestinian
refugee camp near Tripoli in northern Lebanon, stories were put out about the
death of their leader Shaker al-Abssi. Then, too, reporters were shown his
remains. However Abssi has proved to have more than one life; although he was
reported dead more than once, he is still alive and fully active from a base in
Iraq.
After of the charade at the Sidon morgue on Saturday, the Ain Hilweh chief
Mounir Al Maqda confirmed that a "group of fighters" belonging to Jund a-Sham,
the Army of Islam and Fatah al Islam, were no longer in the camp. Certain Middle
East intelligence watchers, aware of Al-Maqda's close ties with the three
Palestinian organizations and al Qaeda cells in Lebanon, don't exactly believe
him. They suspect he was part of the conspiracy to conceal Sahmarani's departure
on a mission of terror by faking his death.
The pros and cons of recognizing
Palestine
Hussein Ibish, December 28, 2010
Now Lebanon/The diplomatic effort to secure bilateral recognition of a
Palestinian state, especially in Latin America, or upgrades to the diplomatic
status of Palestinian missions in the West is a net positive, as long as it does
not undercut Palestinian relations with the United States.
Last week, Ecuador recognized Palestine in its 1967 borders, and Paraguay has
said it will soon join what looks to become a virtually unanimous South American
recognition of Palestine. Reports suggest that the United Kingdom is preparing
to upgrade the mission of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), the
international representative of the Palestinian people, joining France, the
United States, Portugal and Norway, which have all already done so.
The Latin American recognitions obviously embrace Palestine as, at least in
theory, a fully-sovereign state with fully normalized diplomatic relations, and
imply that it should be a member state of the United Nations. The Western
upgrades to PLO missions have raised the status of Palestinian officials to
ambassadorial or near-ambassadorial rank, thereby treating the representatives
of Palestine as if they were officers of an established fully-sovereign state.
All of this seems to have taken Israel by surprise. If that’s the case, it only
underscores the extent to which many Israelis are living in a state of denial
about the viability of the occupation and the plausibility of preventing
Palestinian statehood.
It is true enough that Israel has the military means to continue to deny
Palestinians independence, and to colonize East Jerusalem and the West Bank,
through force of arms. But what some Israelis appear to have failed to
comprehend is the international stake in ending the occupation.
The world has not turned against Israel. There is still an overwhelming
international consensus that it is a legitimate member state of the United
Nations. Even in the Arab world the appetite for a long-term project aimed at
the dissolution of the Israeli state has been relegated to the political
fringes. While many Israelis mistakenly conflate outside reaction to the
occupation with that toward their state, misrecognizing opposition to the
occupation as “delegitimization” of Israel, the rest of the world sees the
distinction more clearly than ever.
This point of view is most importantly being embraced in Washington, certainly
by the administration of US President Barack Obama and also by many important
members of Congress. There is a virtual consensus in the foreign policy
establishment surrounding the government that resolving this conflict by ending
the occupation is essential, not optional, for the United States. Many Israelis
do not seem to have understood or truly processed the extent to which the United
States now sees Palestinian statehood as essential to its own national interests
and therefore “inevitable.”
Israeli Industry, Trade, and Labor Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer recently tried
to warn his fellow Israelis that, “I wouldn’t be surprised if the US will also
recognize a Palestinian state in the coming year, and then we will have to
provide explanations as to how it happened.” This is probably an exaggeration as
the United States will almost certainly continue to push for an agreement, but
it recognizes the deep-seated American determination for the creation of
Palestine.
But it is also essential that Palestinians realize this as well. Pursuing
recognition in Latin America and mission upgrades in Europe is normal and
positive diplomatic activity. Insofar as it causes Israel discomfort, that is
largely beside the point. However, Palestinians need to be very careful to
protect their relationship with the United States and the emerging American
consensus in favor of ending the occupation and establishing a state of
Palestine.
For a start, the United States has been the single biggest donor to the
Palestinian Authority and increasingly used cash treasury-to-treasury transfers
meaning that the authority has been able to use much of this aid at its own
discretion. More importantly, Washington is the only country that under the
current circumstances could conceivably broker an agreement with Israel whereby
the Palestinian state is actually established. Palestinians will not be able to
force their independence on Israel; they will have to somehow get the Israelis
to agree to it. And for that, American support, cooperation and leadership is
indispensable.
Thus far the Obama administration doesn’t seem to be particularly bothered by
the Latin American recognitions, and earlier this year engaged in its own
diplomatic upgrade of the Palestinian mission in Washington. But it did not like
being put in the position of blocking PLO efforts to upgrade its status at
United Nations agencies. Apparently the United States understands the need for
Palestinians to pursue increased international recognition at the bilateral
level, but isn’t ready to allow the issue to become multilateral, for fear that
this might compromise, or supersede, the negotiations that Washington is
overseeing.
The bottom line is that Palestinians need to be extremely careful here.
Recognition from Paraguay and ambassadorial status in the UK is highly
desirable, but the American consensus in favor of ending the occupation and
establishing a Palestinian state is the only real, powerful and actionable
political leverage the Palestinians have that can actually achieve the goal of
independence.
**Hussein Ibish is a senior fellow at the American Task Force on Palestine and
blogs at www.ibishblog.com.