LCCC
ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
ِJuly
03/2010
Bible Of
the Day
Metthew 5/11-20: “Blessed are you when
people reproach you, persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you
falsely, for my sake. 5:12 Rejoice, and be exceedingly glad, for great is your
reward in heaven. For that is how they persecuted the prophets who were before
you. 5:13 “You are the salt of the earth, but if the salt has lost its flavor,
with what will it be salted? It is then good for nothing, but to be cast out and
trodden under the feet of men. 5:14 You are the light of the world. A city
located on a hill can’t be hidden. 5:15 Neither do you light a lamp, and put it
under a measuring basket, but on a stand; and it shines to all who are in the
house. 5:16 Even so, let your light shine before men; that they may see your
good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven. 5:17 “Don’t think that I
came to destroy the law or the prophets. I didn’t come to destroy, but to
fulfill. 5:18 For most certainly, I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away,
not even one smallest letter or one tiny pen stroke shall in any way pass away
from the law, until all things are accomplished. 5:19 Whoever, therefore, shall
break one of these least commandments, and teach others to do so, shall be
called least in the Kingdom of Heaven; but whoever shall do and teach them shall
be called great in the Kingdom of Heaven. 5:20 For I tell you that unless your
righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, there is no way you
will enter into the Kingdom of Heaven.
Free Opinions, Releases,
letters, Interviews & Special Reports
Gulf between Lebanon's rich and
poor getting deeper /Monsters
and Critics.com/02 June/10
Arabs and Israelis misread
Turkey/Daily Star/02 June/10
Mr. Baroud, again, please stop the
killing/By: Michael Young/July 2/10
Latest News
Reports From Miscellaneous Sources for July 02/10
Iran Sent Radar Defense System to Syria/FOXNews
(blog)
Iran Arms Syria With Radar/Wall
Street Journal
Qassem: Spies' Underestimation of
Passed Verdicts has Produced a New Generation of Agents/Naharnet
Alfa spy breech 'dangerous
aggression'/Daily Star
The new spy charges / Hezbollah's
work? Not so fast/Ha'aretz
Israel, Lebanon both claim same
energy fields in eastern Mediterranean/World
Tribune
The new spy charges / Hezbollah's work? Not so fast/Ha'aretz
Israeli soldier among arrested 'Hezbollah spies'/Ya
Libnan
Hezbollah's link to Hariri murder
causing concern in Lebanon/Ya
Libnan
Geagea repeats demand for state
control over weapons/Daily Star
New conflict virtually assured if
proposal moves forward/WND.com
The two truths that we see from the
new Pal/Lebanese rights movement/EuropeNews
Arab media: Top officials to be
arrested for spying for Israel/Ha'aretz
UNIFIL: The UNIFIL says Protests
in South Lebanon were the result of/Ya
Libnan
Hezbollah urges UN to stick to
Lebanon mandate/Khaleej
Times
Ecstasy a growing rave in Lebanon
drug market/AFP
U.S. Intelligence Team to Integrate
Hizbullah, Hamas/Naharnet
Grand Ayatollah Fadlallah in
Hospital Due to 'Internal Bleeding/Naharnet
Qazzi's Arrest Puts End to Issue on
Lebanese Living in Israel, Report/Naharnet
Moussa in Beirut: Arab Peace
Initiative Still on the Table/Naharnet
Houri: March 14 Meeting on
Palestinian Rights a 'Step in the Right Direction/Naharnet
French Embassy Circles: Multiple
Messages behind Attacks on U.N. French Troops/Naharnet
The new spy charges / Hezbollah's work? Not so fast
By Amos Harel
:21 02.07.10/Haaretz
There is a simple way to gauge the gravity of the offenses allegedly committed
by the noncommissioned officer who is suspected of giving information to the
Lebanese. The fact that the Shin Bet security service did not launch its own
investigation, but instead left it to the regular police and the Military
Police, implies that Hezbollah's involvement in the affair is minor, if it
exists at all. Had the Shin Bet suspected it was dealing with a
sophisticated spy ring operated by Hezbollah with the goal of gaining access to
sensitive Israeli military sites, it would have insisted on taking part in the
investigation itself. The suspicions in the case relate at least
indirectly to drug trafficking. The narcotics route from Lebanon to Israel
remains active even 10 years after the Israel Defense Forces withdrew from south
Lebanon.
Smugglers will do nearly anything to avoid getting caught, and therefore eagerly
track down any information they can get on troop movements along Israel's
northern border, security cameras and lookout posts. A career NCO hoping to pad
his pockets can give them all the information they need. From a security
standpoint, the primary concern is the possible connection between drug dealers,
terrorists and spies.
Hezbollah is deeply involved in the Lebanese drug trade and often recruits
criminals to collect intelligence and even carry out violent attacks.
Information obtained by drug smugglers about troop routines can easily be used
by Hezbollah to infiltrate Israel or kidnap more of its soldiers.
The incident made public yesterday is the second case this week of security
offenses allegedly committed by Israeli Arabs in the Galilee. Earlier this week,
several members of a group suspected of links to Al-Qaida were charged with
killing a Jewish taxi driver last year. And two months ago, two Arab residents
of the north were held over suspected ties to Hezbollah.
The IDF is paying a high price for preserving the ideal of the "people's army."
Since nearly all Israelis serve in the military, and the IDF does not
meticulously check the background of every recruit, it is impossible for it to
properly supervise every man or woman in uniform who may veer off the straight
and narrow path.
Thousands of soldiers and NCOs are regularly exposed to sensitive information.
If some of them decide to use it for illicit purposes - whether political,
criminal or other - the army's ability to stop them is minimal.
Arab
media: Top officials to be arrested for spying for Israel
By Yossi Melman and Jack Khoury/Haaretz/02.07/10
Senior Lebanese government officials may be arrested on suspicion of spying for
Israel, several Lebanese and pan-Arab newspapers reported yesterday.
Some reports on this "dramatic development" even said that Beirut prosecutors
would seek to lift the immunity of some of the suspects, indicating that they
may include members of parliament. However, no new arrests were reported as of
last night.
The new developments appear to stem from the recent arrest of a senior official
of the government's cellular communications provider, Alfa. Charbel Kazzi, 56, a
Lebanese Christian, had worked at the company for 14 years, and in his last
position was responsible for the network's transmission stations.
According to Lebanese reports, Kazzi's handlers provided him with chips that he
installed in the transmission stations, thus effectively wiretapping the
network. This allegedly allowed Israeli intelligence to receive extensive
information on what was happening in Lebanese political and military circles, as
well as to collect information on cell phone users and their whereabouts in real
time.
The Lebanese media said that Lebanon's military intelligence branch launched a
wide-ranging investigation of both Alfa and competitor MTC to try to discover
further security breaches. Beirut officials were quoted in the reports as saying
they were certain Kazzi did not act alone, and Hezbollah's Al-Manar television
channel quoted an intelligence official as saying that the investigation would
continue until Israeli intelligence in Lebanon was deaf and blind.
The Lebanese media also reported yesterday that UNIFIL, the international
peacekeeping force, had canceled its patrols of south Lebanon following severe
clashes with local residents. The residents reportedly blocked roads and hurled
rocks at UNIFIL's armored vehicles. Seven peacekeepers were reported injured,
and UNIFIL property was damaged.
Hezbollah’s link to Hariri murder causing concern in Lebanon
July 1, 2010//Ya
Libnan
The Der Spiegel report of May 2009 in which it revealed a link between Hezbollah
and the assassination of Lebanon’s former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri is in the
news again.
The reason according to media reports is the fact that Special Tribunal for
Lebanon ( STL) is reportedly getting ready to issue some indictments. Former
minister Wiam Wahhab, a staunch ally of Syria and Hezbollah told LBCI television
on Thursday that the cabinet should stop cooperating with STL. “From the
beginning, I said that the project of the STL is intended to harm Lebanon,”
Wahhab said, adding that the tribunal was politicized. Wahhab also said that STL
Prosecutor Daniel Bellemare and his predecessor, Detlev Mehlis, were “liars,”
adding that the tribunal aims at “distorting Hezbollah’s image” to hold it
responsible for past assassinations. Similarly MP Walid Jumblatt waned during an
interview with As Safir about “severe repercussions if the ruling comes as per
the Der Spiegel report” which revealed that Hezbollah was behind Hariri’s
assassination. The STL said Tuesday it would hold a public hearing to allow
former chief of the General Security Brigadier General Jamil as-Sayyed, who was
detained for four years over alleged links to Hariri’s assassination, to
challenge the court.
Qazzi's
Arrest Puts End to Issue on Lebanese Living in Israel, Report
Naharnet/The arrest of an alleged Israeli spy working for Alfa mobile network
operator will reportedly bring the issue of Lebanese living in Israel to an end.
The daily Ad-Diyar on Friday, citing a political source, said Charbel Qazzi's
arrest, will put end to this issue which has been raised by Free Patriotic
Movement leader Michel Aoun demanding a settlement to the problem. Beirut, 02
Jul 10, 08:06
UNIFIL: The
UNIFIL says Protests in South Lebanon were the result of misunderstanding
June 30, 2010
/Ya Libnan
Neeraj Singh, UNIFIL spokesman said on Wednesday that protests by residents in
South Lebanon were the result of a misunderstanding, National News Agency (NNA)
reported.
http://www.yalibnan.com/wp-admin/media-upload.php?post_id=10357&type=image&TB_iframe=true
Residents on Tuesday blocked the Odaissi-Kfar Kila-Tayba road to prevent UNIFIL
vehicles from passing through. In Kherbet Selem, a UNIFIL soldier was injured in
a stoning attack on the vehicle he was riding in. UNIFIL reportedly was
conducting a drill aimed at testing its capacities, and so deployed a large
number of soldiers over a 36-hour period , NNA reported.
“There weren’t any special operations made by UNIFIL . The forces that were
deployed were only asked to pursue the same routine activities UNIFIL does,”
Singh said.
He also said UNIFIL’s work is transparent, and the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF)
was aware of the drills. As-Safir newspaper on Wednesday quoted an unnamed
security source who said the Lebanese army did not take part in the UNIFIL
drills because disagreements over the nature of the exercises had previously led
to delays.
Hezbollah
urges UN to stick to Lebanon mandate
(AFP)/2 July 2010,
Hezbollah urged UN peacekeepers in south Lebanon, a stronghold of the Shia
militant movement, to stick to their mandate, following a wave of protests by
villagers. “UNIFIL (United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon) should always carry
out its role... in a way so as not to arouse mistrust and worry of citizens as
was the case during the latest exercises,” Hezbollah’s number two, Naim Kassem,
said in an interview with As-Safir newspaper published on Friday. The protests
came during a maximum deployment exercise on Tuesday by the UN force charged
with overseeing a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah, which fought a
devastating month-long war in 2006. In one incident, protestors pelted stones at
UNIFIL vehicles, slightly injuring a peacekeeper. “UNIFIL must pay attention to
what it does and realise that any excess only serves to cause worries... and
harm trust between the force and residents,” said Kassem. He said the
peacekeepers “must stick to their mission as prescribed by (UN Security Council)
Resolution 1701. Then there will be a return to normal,” said the Hezbollah
official. Resolution 1701, which ended the Hezbollah-Israel war in 2006,
expanded the mandate of UNIFIL troops, which was originally formed in 1978 after
the outbreak of Lebanon’s 1975-1990 civil war. Michael Williams, the UN special
coordinator for Lebanon, said on Thursday that villagers had staged 20 separate
protests this week against UNIFIL, adding he was “very concerned.” UNIFIL
spokesman Neeraj Singh said Tuesday’s exercise was a “regular activity” with no
special operations and that the Lebanese army had been fully informed of the
exercise. But the Beirut government, in a statement, said the peacekeepers
should coordinate with the Lebanese military and “execute all exercises in
collaboration with the army.”
Gulf
between Lebanon's rich and poor getting deeper
By Weedah Hamzah Jul 2, 2010, //Monsters
and Critics.com
Beirut - Would you like the Hermes bag for 40,000 dollars, or perhaps the latest
Porsche? Or how about dinner in the sky?
Just book a ticket to Beirut to indulge in the lifestyle of the Middle East's
hub of the trendy super-rich.
In a country where a third of the population survives on less than 4 dollars a
day, it is hard to believe there is such a thriving market for luxury items. But
just take a walk in Beirut's luxurious downtown area, the ancient heart of the
capital that was completely renovated after the massive devastation of the
1975-1990 civil war. There, one can also indulge in the best 'foie gras' and
tasty wine served by French chefs flown in straight from Paris to serve a
sophisticated clientele conversing in French or English in the capital's posh
restaurants. In the shopping arcades, women in high heels and authentic Hermes
bags in a variety of colours and shapes swaying from their shoulders, can be
seen stepping out of sleek, brand-new cars.
Despite the handbags' high price - going as high as 40,000 dollars - they have
been selling like hot cakes since Hermes recently opened its first store in
Beirut. 'Many women love handbags and purses and Lebanese women love
brand-names. They can show a woman's wealth, style and taste,' Lebanese designer
Dalia Serhal told the German Press Agency dpa. Economists in the country believe
that the gap between the rich and the poor in Lebanon has widened notably.
'Seventy per cent per cent of the gross domestic product in Lebanon goes to only
30 per cent of the Lebanese,' one economist, Louis Hobeika, told dpa.
Fawaz Traboulsi a political science teacher at the Lebanese American University
said 'Lebanon has very strong social contrasts.' According to a recent study by
the United Nations Development Program, the number of poor in Lebanon increased
by at least 5 per cent between 2004 and 2007. More than 30 per cent of the
population, or about 1.2 million people, live on just 4 dollars per day, it
said. The study said poverty is heavily concentrated among the unemployed and
unskilled workers, chiefly from the construction and agriculture sectors, which
employ around 38 per cent of all the poor. But such figures do not stop wealthy
Lebanese who seem to be eager to stretch their imagination to search for more
ways to spend more money despite the country's worsening economic situation.
Lebanon suffers from chronic budget deficits and is repaying a spiralling public
debt which now exceeds 50 billion dollars, incurred from launching
infrastructure projects to rebuild the country after the civil war. Lebanon's
wealthy class seems to have had enough of the civil strife and subsequent wars
with Israel that inflicted much damage to the country. Now they want to enjoy
peace - and their wealth. After trying all available options on Lebanon's
territory, the high society this summer is going aloft - for dinners in the sky.
One such dinner for 20 people can cost as much as 10,000 dollars.
U.S. Intelligence Team to Integrate Hizbullah, Hamas
Naharnet/A team of senior intelligence officers at the U.S. Central Command,
known as CENTCOM, is trying to integrate Hizbullah and Hamas, the Foreign Policy
magazine reported.
It said a "Red Team" report issued on May 7, 2010, senior CENTCOM intelligence
officers question the current U.S. policy of isolating and marginalizing
Hizbullah and Hamas.
Instead, CENTCOM recommends a "mix of strategies" that would integrate the two
groups into their respective political mainstreams.
Foreign Policy said among other findings, the five-page report entitled
"Managing Hizbullah and Hamas," calls for the integration of Hizbullah into the
Lebanese army and Hamas into the Palestinian security forces led by Fatah.
It said Red Team's conclusion, expressed in the final sentence of the executive
summary, is perhaps its most controversial finding: "The U.S. role of assistance
to an integrated Lebanese defense force that includes Hizbullah; and the
continued training of Palestinian security forces in a Palestinian entity that
includes Hamas in its government, would be more effective than providing
assistance to entities -- the government of Lebanon and Fatah -- that represent
only a part of the Lebanese and Palestinian populace respectively."
Red Team points out that while Hizbullah and Hamas "embrace staunch anti-Israel
rejectionist policies," they are "pragmatic and opportunistic."
The report, the Foreign Policy said on its website, opens with a quote from
former U.S. peace negotiator Aaron David Miller's book "The Much Too Promised
Land" which notes that both Hizbullah and Hamas "have emerged as serious
political players respected on the streets, in Arab capitals, and throughout the
region. Destroying them was never really an option. Ignoring them may not be
either." Beirut, 02 Jul 10, 07:30
Grand Ayatollah Fadlallah in Hospital Due to 'Internal Bleeding'
Naharnet/Lebanon's most influential Shiite cleric Grand Ayatollah Mohammed
Hussein Fadlallah was hospitalized on Friday due to "internal bleeding," his
media office told Agence France Presse. Fadlallah "was admitted to hospital with
internal bleeding," an official from his media office said, adding that doctors
were following up his case. He did not give further details.
Fadlallah was born in the Iraqi Shiite holy city of Najaf in November 1935. He
studied Islamic sciences at an early age. He returned to Lebanon in 1966 and
founded a religious school called The Islamic Sharia Institute. In addition to
the academic work that Fadlallah has done, he has opened schools, Islamic
centers, and orphanages. Beirut, 02 Jul 10, 13:54
Men Arrested for Slandering Suleiman on Facebook Released
Naharnet/Three Lebanese men arrested for slandering President Michel Suleiman on
the social networking website Facebook were released on bail on Friday. Judge
Ghassan Owaidat released Naim Hanna, 27, Antoine Ramia, 29, and Shebel Qasab, 27
on a LL100,000 each. The men were arrested on Monday after authorities
interrogated them on charges of libel, slander and defamation against the
president on Facebook. The justice ministry had said the case met the
requirements for a slander and defamation lawsuit, adding media freedom in
Lebanon and any civilized country reaches its limits when the content is pure
slander and aims at undermining the head of state. Beirut, 02 Jul 10, 11:48
Qassem: Spies' Underestimation of Passed Verdicts has Produced a New Generation
of Agents
Naharnet/Hizbullah Deputy Secretary General Naim Qassem stressed on Thursday
that the recent discovery of a spy working for Israel within a mobile phone
operating company is an example of Israel's penetration of Lebanon's internal
scene. He said that the Lebanese people, government, and judiciary should take a
firm position against spies, revealing that so far some 50 agents have been
arrested. He said: "If a number of agents were sentenced to death … then we will
put an end to those agents who underestimate legal verdicts."
He explained that previous sentences were not harsh enough, which has therefore
created a new generation of spies. Qassem added that recent developments "have
proven that the real danger against Lebanon is Israel, and no other issue has a
priority over this matter." "It repeatedly violates Lebanese sovereignty and no
one in the world opposes it. Israel is the real danger and if we don't confront
it with unity and the execution of the agents, then Israel will increase its
hostile acts and violations," he stressed.
Grand Ayatollah Fadlallah in Hospital Due to 'Internal Bleeding'
Naharnet/Lebanon's most influential Shiite cleric Grand Ayatollah Mohammed
Hussein Fadlallah was hospitalized on Friday due to "internal bleeding," his
media office told Agence France Presse. Fadlallah "was admitted to hospital with
internal bleeding," an official from his media office said, adding that doctors
were following up his case. He did not give further details.
Fadlallah was born in the Iraqi Shiite holy city of Najaf in November 1935. He
studied Islamic sciences at an early age. He returned to Lebanon in 1966 and
founded a religious school called The Islamic Sharia Institute. In addition to
the academic work that Fadlallah has done, he has opened schools, Islamic
centers, and orphanages. Beirut, 02 Jul 10, 13:54
LaHood Discusses with Baroud Reckless Driving, $50,000 to Kunhadi to Support
Traffic Safety Campaign
Naharnet/U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood discussed with Interior Ziad
Baroud on Friday public awareness campaigns in Lebanon and the U.S. to educate
drivers about the dangers of reckless and drunk driving, as well as driving
while texting, the U.S. embassy said in a statement. LaHood called driving while
texting "an epidemic in America and throughout the world." "As we enter the
United Nations' Decade of Global Road Safety, people need to remember that they
can't safely talk on a cell phone or text while driving," an embassy statement
quoted LaHood as saying at the interior ministry. "The risks are enormous."To
counteract this disturbing trend, government agencies and private companies in
the U.S. and Lebanon are using public service announcements and safety events to
raise awareness. Also present at the ministry were representatives from the
Lebanese Non-Governmental Organization Kunhadi, which is dedicated to promoting
road safety. The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) awarded a new
$50,000 grant to the organization which will help them produce 20 new TV clips
on important traffic safety issues and Lebanese traffic laws, the embassy said.
These spots will be aired as public service announcements on major Lebanese
television stations, it said. Last year Kunhadi received two grants from the
U.S. government to support a public awareness campaign on road safety to focus
citizen attention on the need to obey driving laws.
Beirut, 02 Jul 10, 14:17
French Embassy Circles: Multiple Messages behind Attacks on U.N. French Troops
Naharnet/French embassy circles believed the attacks on French peacekeepers
serving as part of UNIFIL in southern Lebanon carried "multiple messages."
Ad-Diyar newspaper on Friday quoted French embassy circles as saying that 24 of
25 attacks targeted French troops over the past three days. They said among the
messages these attacks carried was one of an Iranian nature, given France's
stance in dealing with the Iranian nuclear issue at the U.N. Security Council
which imposed more sanctions on Tehran. Beirut, 02 Jul 10, 08:19
U.S. Voices Concern over Alleged Transfer of Technology to Hizbullah
Naharnet/The United States has voiced concern Thursday over cooperation between
Syria and Iran after reports Tehran had sent a radar system that would boost
defenses against Israel and consolidate Hizbullah. The Wall Street Journal,
quoting anonymous Israeli and U.S. officials, reported that Iran last year sent
the sophisticated radar that could help the Islamic republic detect an Israeli
strike on its nuclear facilities. State Department spokesman Philip Crowley said
it was "hard" for Washington to determine whether such a transfer had taken
place, but added: "We have concerns about the relationship between Iran and
Syria." "We don't believe that Iran's designs for the region are in Syria's best
interest," Crowley told reporters.
While acknowledging that all countries "have the right to protect themselves,"
the spokesman said the reported radar delivery would be of concern due to
Syria's relationship with Hizbullah.
"Our concern, obviously, in the case with Syria is the transfer of technology to
Hizbullah," Crowley said, noting the issue was "something that we do raise with
Syria in our periodic discussions with them." The Pentagon declined comment on
the Journal's report. A senior U.S. official said that even if Iran sent the
radar system, it was unclear if the transfer broke any international resolutions
as Syria is under only some military sanctions. "Radars are by definition a
defensive system by themselves," the official said. "The real issue is what are
they going to do with that and are those developments stabilizing or
destabilizing."(AFP-Naharnet) Beirut, 02 Jul 10, 07:43
Murr: All Details About Qazzi are Analyses and Predictions
Naharnet/Defense Minister Elias Murr expressed regret at the spread by media
outlets of alleged false information about Charbel Qazzi, an employee at mobile
phone operator Alfa, who has been arrested for collaborating with the Israeli
Mossad. Murr did not blame the news organizations for writing or broadcasting
stories about the suspect. "I can't hold any medium responsible given that
official authorities did not provide it with (accurate) information." The
minister made his remark on Wednesday after he presided over a meeting of the
ministerial committee tasked with studying a judicial agreement between Lebanon
and France. "All what has been written in newspapers and broadcasted on radios
and TVs except that he (Qazzi) is an Israeli agent working for a mobile company
are analyses and predictions," Murr told reporters. He vowed to keep the suspect
at the general directorate of the army intelligence until all information and
details of his spying and any possible other networks are available. Beirut, 01
Jul 10, 09:31
Suleiman Lauds Arrest of Spy, Man who Distributed Fliers in Sidon
Naharnet/President Michel Suleiman on Tuesday lauded the Lebanese army for
arresting an employee with a mobile network operator accused of spying for
Israel. Suleiman said in a statement that the seizure of Alfa's Charbel Qazzi
was part of a series of arrests that the army made in uncovering cells spying
for Israel's Mossad. The president also lauded the arrest of Mahmoud Bizri for
distributing provocative fliers in the southern port city of Sidon. Beirut, 29
Jun 10, 14:40
Alfa spy breech 'dangerous aggression'
By The Daily Star
Friday, July 02, 2010
BEIRUT: Bint Jbeil MP Hassan Fadlallah described Thursday the act of spying for
Israel by a mobile phone firm Alfa technician as “a dangerous Israeli
aggression,” urging the Cabinet to “take large-scale action” to thwart Israeli
threats. Fadlallah, who is a member of Hizbullah, made his comments following
talks with Alfa’s General Manager Marwan Hayek on the recent arrest of the
company’s suspected technician. The same matter was also discussed during a
meeting between Fadlallah and Telecommunications Minister Charbel Nahhas.
Fadlallah heads Parliament’s Media and Telecommunications committee. The
lawmaker met Nahhas and Hayek at the Parliament.
Lebanese state-owned mobile phone firm Alfa confirmed Wednesday that an employee
had been detained by the army on suspicion of spying for Israel, a case
Hizbullah said showed the country’s security was under threat. Alfa, which is
managed by Egypt’s Orascom Telecom, said in its first public statement on the
case that the employee was a technician responsible for maintaining equipment
that connects cellular network stations. Security sources had identified the man
as Charbel Qazzi and said he had worked at the firm for the last 14 years,
before which he had been with the Telecommunications Ministry. Lebanese
newspaper As-Safir reported on Monday that Qazzi confessed during investigations
that he had leaked sensitive data to the Mossad. Fadlallah stressed that “direct
responsibility falls on the [Israeli] agent only and all those whom
investigations prove are guilty.”
While calling for distancing Alfa and its employees from any offense, Fadlallah
said the present danger “was bigger than what is said.”
Hayek briefed Fadlallah on the “severe and dangerous” technical, economic and
moral damage Alfa had endured due to Israeli espionage. Alfa General Manager
detailed to Fadlallah immediate technical measures that the company had started
to limit the damage along with long-run steps taken to address the issue.
Meanwhile, Fadlallah and Nahhas discussed the “Israeli aggression on the
telecommunications sector manifested in spying via an agent,” along with the
“extremely dangerous damage” caused “to this active sector, to Lebanon and the
Lebanese.” Also, the two discussed steps that had been taken by the ministry to
identify the type of damage provoked by Qazzi along with immediate measures of
restoration. Fadlallah and Nahhas highlighted the need to take actions on
national level to protect telecommunications sector because it was targeted by
Israeli intelligence. – The Daily Star
Geagea repeats demand for state control over weapons
By The Daily Star
Friday, July 02, 2010
BEIRUT: Lebanese Forces chief Samir Geagea was quoted on Thursday as reiterating
that the state should have full control over Hizbullah’s arsenal.
“Weapons can stay where they are but the decision to use them should be in the
hands of the Lebanese government,” Geagea told the pan-Arab daily Al-Hayat.
“The Lebanese state is the decision-maker with regard to defending the country
from [potential] Israeli attacks, and not individual parties,” he said, in
reference to Hizbullah.
He added that he did not mean that Hizbullah should surrender its weapons to the
Lebanese Army but rather that the government should have full control over the
party’s arsenal, “in order to protect Lebanon from mounting tensions in the
Middle East.
Geagea said his party was eager to protect Lebanon’s offshore reserve as much as
Hizbullah and its allies were.
The discovery of major gas reserves by a US-Israeli consortium off the coast of
Israel has raised fears in Lebanon that its own potential reserves could be
affected by Israeli drilling. Lebanon and Israel, which are in a formal state of
war, have no agreed sea border.
Lebanon is currently accelerating efforts to introduce a new energy law in order
to open the way to international companies to bid for exploration rights in its
own waters.
Geagea also praised security forces for the arrest of an employee at a mobile
phone firm on suspicion of spying for Mossad. He said that Lebanon should seek
“serious and normal” ties with Syria, adding that relations should take place at
the level official institutions.
The LF head highlighted that his party was not an “isolationist one,” adding
that the March 14 Forces alliance still stands despites differences in views. –
The Daily Star
Arabs and Israelis misread Turkey
Friday, July 02, 2010
Editorial/Daily Star
Turkey has been in the news ever since a “Freedom Flotilla” trying to breach the
Israeli blockade on Gaza resulted in a bloody attack on civilian activists. The
assault prompted a deservedly large amount of media attention: wall-to-wall
coverage of the incident at sea, and much news about the political and
diplomatic repercussions.
There was also a stream of fanciful notions about Turkey’s newfound role in the
Arab world, based on its stance on Gaza: Whether it was Prime Minister Erdogan
or Turkey itself, we were seeing a new latest “Saladin,” or champion of
Palestine. There was a rush to judgment about Turkey that saw the country’s red
flag raised, applause delivered, and praise offered.
This week, Turkey is in the news again, but it won’t generate flag-waving in the
Arab world. Foreign Minister Ahmad Davutoglu, met “secretly” with an Israeli
minister, Benjamin Ben-Eliezer, in Switzerland. For those who were hailing
Turkey so vociferously, it should be apparent that Ankara has its national
interests, and carefully calibrates these interests and the policies used to
achieve them.
Rather than big changes being under way in Turkey, the Switzerland meeting
highlights how it is the Israelis, rather than the Turks, who have been messing
with the equilibrium of late, which prompted Erdogan and his government to react
the way they did after the flotilla massacre. Even before this, Erdogan and
Israeli President Shimon Peres faced off at Davos, in the famous verbal
explosion by the former.
For some reason, the Israelis have believed, and continue to believe, that they
can destroy Gaza and its people with no impact on their foreign policy, or on
public opinion in Turkey.
While Israel has misread the regional situation, the instant, pro-Turkey Arab
chorus that sprung up after the flotilla massacre was also guilty of a
misreading: the Turks aren’t going to suddenly solve the problems of the Arab
world, or necessarily effect a dramatic change on the central issue of
Palestine.
This week’s meeting in Switzerland contains a lesson for several parties. In
Gaza, Hamas should tread carefully; the movement must learn that it and the
Palestinian Authority have interests, not slogans; they need to take the same
carefully calibrated responses to issues that involve war and diplomacy.
The same goes for Hizbullah and Lebanese state: Militarily, Hizbullah might be
able to counter Israeli aggression in the field, but a strong and credible
Lebanese state is also needed, to manage the political-diplomatic offensive, and
any negotiations that result.
Some might be disappointed by Turkey’s behavior this week, but it’s really a
lesson for the Arabs, to remind them of how important it is to have an effective
state that carefully fashions its policies after carefully gauging the country’s
interests.
Defendants accused of Sleiman’s defamation released
July 2, 2010 /Military Investigative Judge Ghassan Oueidat agreed to release the
defendants arrested last month for defamation of Lebanese President Michel
Sleiman on a bail of 100,000 L.L, reported the National News Agency (NNA) on
Friday. The three men, Naim Hanna, Antoine Ramia and Charbel Kassab, will be
tried later in Beirut by the relevant judge.
-NOW Lebanon
Mr. Baroud, again, please stop the killing
Michael Young, July 2, 2010
Now Lebanon
Interior Minister Ziad Baroud tackles big problems, but leaves day-to-day issues
untouched. (AFP photo)
The interior minister, Ziad Baroud, merits our respect, and in recognition of
this he seems to be accumulating one prize after the other. Still, some of us
are entitled to raise just a few reservations. So adept at addressing the big
issues, Baroud sometimes seems less taken by the everyday issues that would make
life a little easier.
Here are just two. Numerous people have complained bitterly this World Cup month
of the loud celebrations greeting the victories of football teams in the
tournament, Brazil and Germany in particular. This may seem a petty complaint to
raise, until you realize that what we’re really talking about is the
government’s duty to defend a basic right, namely the maintenance of public
order and safety.
Those who happen to live in areas where the happy youths converge after matches
know what this means. For the past two weeks they have been subjected every few
days to hours of honking horns and the detonations of extremely powerful
fireworks. It’s quite simple: In such areas this behavior prevents people from
sleeping before 2:00 a.m., when it doesn’t threaten to burn them out of their
house.
I’m afraid I haven’t read the legal code on these matters. Perhaps football
supporters really are entitled to make noise, behave like vandals, and unleash
potentially harmful firecrackers until the early hours of the morning in the
midst of high-density neighborhoods. But then again what kind of supporters are
these, and what kind of celebrations are these? Such wild enthusiasm for teams
that have nothing to do with Lebanon seems terribly contrived.
What are the Internal Security Forces doing about it? Frankly, what are they
doing about anything? I hope I’m not engaging in defamation here, opening me up
to some judicial assault by the public prosecutor. But surely the chaos of
explosions and commotion after football matches violates some law or municipal
ordinance, and surely there is more the security forces can do than nothing at
all.
But wait, the ISF did issue a statement on Tuesday remarking that people had
been injured in the World Cup celebrations, and even noting the irony that “such
practices ... are not taking place in countries actually participating in the
World Cup.” The statement went on to call on the Lebanese to celebrate in a way
that did not infringe on other people’s freedom. That was too subtle by half,
since “freedom” is such a vague concept. But I wager that nothing will change
the next time Brazil or Germany wins, God forbid.
It may seem small of me to involve the interior minister in the relatively low
matter of football festivities. However, there is another issue that the
authorities continue to ignore, for no understandable reason, that is killing
people on a daily basis: speeding.
Last October, I wrote a commentary for this site in the aftermath of the death
of two young men in a car crash while driving down from Faraya. One of them
happened to be the nephew of a friend. I didn’t expect any reaction from the
authorities, and of course I was right. Now two other parents have children to
bury, as it was reported on Thursday that 22-year-old Rachel Nassif and her
sister Stephanie, 19, were killed after colliding with two BMWs in Jdeideh.
Traffic continues to be a major Lebanese problem, and the state has done some
work on roads to try to facilitate circulation. By and large the results have
been mixed, but that’s not really the point here. Why has nothing whatsoever
been done to compel drivers to respect speed limits? Why, in an instant, should
the parents of Rachel and Stephanie Nassif have their lives wrecked because the
state, and in particular the ISF, never punishes anyone for driving recklessly?
Imposing speed limits is really not that complicated. In the past the ISF has
employed the most idiotic of schemes, namely setting up roadblocks and ticketing
those caught speeding by colleagues holding a speed gun. But all that did was
provoke gargantuan traffic jams. So on most nights the police are nowhere to be
seen, even though the ISF has purchased dozens of sparkling new vehicles that
would allow them to control traffic on Lebanon’s main thoroughfares.
It’s a disgrace that the ISF should be invisible on our highways, where driving
usually borders on the homicidal. Instead, the Lebanese will observe their
security forces on most nights cruising in pairs of two cars through Beirut’s
streets, looking splendidly useless. Surely they can be redeployed to the major
roads to pull cars over and give out tickets, the only proven way to coerce
drivers into slowing down. This is not rocket science; but what are required are
security officials and, quite honestly, an interior minister who make it a
priority.
Soon the World Cup will be over and the noise forgotten. Yet so much goes on in
our country that – to borrow from the ISF statement – abuses the freedoms of
others and is patently illegal, and these activities will continue. The same
state that will go after Facebook users to defend the president’s honor will be
idle when it comes to combating other daily outrages. But it’s small things the
state must be more concerned with, and that the Lebanese have long been most
concerned with.
Then again, who is willing to say that the preservation of life on the abattoirs
that have become our roads is a small thing? Mr. Baroud, if you do nothing else
before leaving office, do one thing: stop the killing. Otherwise those prizes
you’ve received will mean so much less.
**Michael Young is opinion editor of the Daily Star newspaper in Beirut. His
book, The Ghosts of Martyrs Square: An Eyewitness Account of Lebanon’s Life
Struggle (Simon & Schuster), has just been published.
Adnan Sayyed Hussein
July 2, 2010
On June 1, the Lebanese National News Agency carried the following report:
Minister of State Adnan al-Sayyed Hussein said in statements to As-Sharq radio
station today that “Israel will continue to show arrogance as long as it is
supported from inside and outside the United Nations… Following the July war,
Lebanon was promised a withdrawal from Al-Ghajar village within a few days,
based on a statement delivered by the United Nations to Prime Minister Fouad al-Siniora.
However, four years have gone by and Israel has not respected its promises in
regard to its occupation of parts of Al-Ghajar village. Consequently, one can
say that Israel breached Resolution 1701 when it failed to pull out and is now
breaching it repeatedly through its ongoing violation of Lebanese airspace and
sovereignty.
“The Defense Ministry dispatched a Lebanese security delegation to explain all
those breaches. We will not settle for statements of condemnation or for saying
that Israel is breaching international resolutions, considering that such moral
stands do not apply in a world that only deals based on the balances of power.
Had international law been respected, Israel would not have stayed in even one
inch of Arab soil.” He stressed in this context the necessity to follow up on
the issues relating to Lebanon’s sovereignty, whether at sea, land or in the
air.” Regarding Israel’s agents, he said: “Yesterday, the Cabinet addressed this
issue in length. Israel has violated all the drawn up lines at the level of
relations between the states. To some, collaboration goes back to the nineties
if not before and this is a dangerous matter posing a threat to Lebanon. There
is a complaint at the Security Council in this regard and Mr. President also
issued a related position during yesterday’s Cabinet session.”
Regarding the investigations with the agents, he stated: “This will remain up to
military judicial authority based on the ruling in each case. The law must be
implemented without alleviating the sentences, because some may have returned to
collaboration due to such steps. What the president of the republic said
yesterday expresses the thoughts of all Lebanese,” calling for the “respect of
the president and his status which should be distanced from childish acts.” In
regard to the maneuvers of the enhanced international troops of UNIFIL in South
Lebanon, Minister Al-Sayyed Hussein said: “There is no detailed information. The
work of the international troops is subjected to the logic of Resolution 1701.
They do not support any specific side and should not do so.
“As a Lebanese, I hope that the UNIFIL troops support Lebanon’s sovereignty and
its right to liberate the remaining occupied territory. Any flaw in the
relationship between UNIFIL, the army and the Lebanese people can be resolved
through dialogue and tolerance and by going back to the reason for which it came
to Lebanon. The problem is with the army command because any act carried out by
the UNIFIL troops should be approved by the army command or conducted with its
participation. Lebanon is holding on to these international troops because they
are the guarantors of the implementation of Resolution 1701 that is being
breached by Israel. The effects of the dispute with the Lebanese people will
soon dissipate.”
Regarding the issue of the maritime border, he stated: “The land border between
Lebanon and Palestine is demarcated and the Lebanese army signed a truce
agreement with the Israeli army in 1949. This line has been demarcated since
1923 and there is no problem at the level of the land border. As for the
maritime border, it must be demarcated. Israel wants to start the demarcation of
the border from the Mtalleh region toward the sea, which would deprive Lebanon
of part of its territorial waters. This goes against the law and the Lebanese
government will send maps to the United Nations along with its decisions in this
regard.”
Aoun: I am Hizbullah’s sole candidate for the presidency
Date: July 2nd, 2010
Source: Future News
Change and Reform Parliamentary Bloc Leader MP Michel Aoun told one of his loyal
aides, who has been mediating with FPM protesting officials Issam Abu Jamra and
Nadim Latif, that he is Hizbullah’s sole candidate for the presidency, which he
is willing to do everything to reach.
“I’ve cut more than half way to the presidency, and it’s getting clear who’s the
next parliamentary majority,” Aoun said considering Hizbullah alone will
nominate the next President, of course, through Syria.
“Go and tell everyone, all is for the sake of His Excellency the President,”
Aoun told his aide, in reference to himself.
According to sources, the magazine reported Aoun was infuriated by Speaker Nabih
Berry’s attempt to take control over the oil file, through the parliament, and
considered he was targeted as his son in law, Gebran Bassil, is the Water and
Energy minister, the ministry supposed to be concerned in such file.
However, in an attempt to contain Aoun’s anger, and because Development and
Liberation Parliamentary bloc MP Ali Hassan Khalil does not want to "electrify
the general"; he targeted his arrows against Prime Minister Saad Hariri and
Almustaqbal movement.