LCCC
ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
ِJuly
04/2010
Bible Of
the Day
Luke12/22-38: "He said to his
disciples, “Therefore I tell you, don’t be anxious for your life, what you will
eat, nor yet for your body, what you will wear. 12:23 Life is more than food,
and the body is more than clothing. 12:24 Consider the ravens: they don’t sow,
they don’t reap, they have no warehouse or barn, and God feeds them. How much
more valuable are you than birds! 12:25 Which of you by being anxious can add a
cubit to his height? 12:26 If then you aren’t able to do even the least things,
why are you anxious about the rest? 12:27 Consider the lilies, how they grow.
They don’t toil, neither do they spin; yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his
glory was not arrayed like one of these. 12:28 But if this is how God clothes
the grass in the field, which today exists, and tomorrow is cast into the oven,
how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith? 12:29 Don’t seek what
you will eat or what you will drink; neither be anxious. 12:30 For the nations
of the world seek after all of these things, but your Father knows that you need
these things. 12:31 But seek God’s Kingdom, and all these things will be added
to you. 12:32 Don’t be afraid, little flock, for it is your Father’s good
pleasure to give you the Kingdom. 12:33 Sell that which you have, and give gifts
to the needy. Make for yourselves purses which don’t grow old, a treasure in the
heavens that doesn’t fail, where no thief approaches, neither moth destroys.
12:34 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also".
Free Opinions, Releases,
letters, Interviews & Special Reports
They are scared of Hezbollah/By:
Hanin Ghaddar/July
03/10
The Hariri tribunal is so inept,
it almost seems deliberate/By:Michael Young/July
03/10
Political Lightness in Lebanon/By:
Walid Choucair/ 02 July 2010
Ahmadinejad and Netanyahu, Did They
See the Picture?/By Tariq Alhomayed/July
03/10
Latest News
Reports From Miscellaneous Sources for July 03/10
UN: New Lebanon-Israel
conflict possible/AP
Washington for Disarmament of
Militias, Demarcation of Border with Syria/Naharnet
Iran Moves Radar to Syria: US
Official/AP
West Urges Army to Curb Attacks on
UNIFIL Amid Insistence Military has Enough Troops in the South/Naharnet
Hezbollah's controlled villagers
disarm UN patrol in South Lebanon/Now Lebanon
4 Injured in Renewed Clashes
between UNIFIL and Southern Residents/Naharnet
Lebanese army, Hezbollah officials
meet with French peacekeepers to defuse tensions in the south/Now Lebanon
Hezbollah's MP Ali Fayyad says
UNIFIL should have been accompanied by army patrols in latest maneuvers/Now
Lebanon
Hezbollah's Qassem urges UNIFIL to
change its conduct in the South/Now Lebanon
Hezbollah's Raad: U.N. Troops Don't
Have Absolute Authorities in the South/Naharnet
Williams: We Insist Full Respect
for UNIFIL's Freedom of Movement/Naharnet
LaHood: I Look Forward for Sfeir's
Advice on Lebanon/Naharnet
Fadlallah Suffers Anew from
Internal Bleeding/Naharnet
Moussa Advises Caution But Says No
War on Lebanon's Doorsteps/Naharnet
Moussa: There are a Lot of Fears
over the Region, All Efforts Undertaken are Not Achieving Progress/Naharnet
Sami Gemayel Warns Humanitarian
Aspect of Palestinian Issue Delays Return to Homeland/Naharnet
Baroud Promises State Action but
Admits to State Negligence in Fighting Drug Use/Naharnet
Obama Signs Iran Sanctions
Legislation/Global
Security Newswire
Police wiretapped conversations,
lawyer of accused spy says/Ha'aretz
Making the World More Dangerous/National
Review Online (blog)
Hezbollah's spiritual leader in
critical condition/CNN
The U.S. Military 'Mainstreams' Hezbollah and Hamas/Huffington
Post (blog)
Israel's Foes Adopt New Protest
Tactics/Wall
Street Journal
Israel Attacks Iran In July 2010/Before
It's News
UN protests obstruction of peacekeepers' movement in south Lebanon/Earthtimes
US-Iran dynamic: Why US effort to leverage Syria is flagging/Christian
Science Monitor
Syria Steps into Latin America/AS/COA
Online
Hariri Reiterates Commitment to
Equal Christian-Muslim Powersharing, Tells NDU Graduates They're Lebanon's 'Real
Oil'/Naharnet
They are scared of Hezbollah
http://www.nowlebanon.com/NewsArticleDetails.aspx?ID=182731
Hanin Ghaddar , July 3, 2010
United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701 was passed to ensure that
Lebanon enjoys full sovereignty and control over all its territories. However,
the incidents that occurred in South Lebanon earlier in the week have proved
that certain parties are set on undermining the resolution’s aims.
One day before UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon issued his 13th report on UNSCR
1701, residents in 22 villages in the South took to the streets, blocked roads
and attacked UNIFIL troops with stones to protest the increased presence of the
UN peacekeepers in the South.
The countries contributing to the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon are
concerned that their freedom of movement has been compromised. According to
Michael Williams, the UN’s special coordinator for Lebanon, “UNIFIL’s exercise
in the area was carried out as part of its normal operations and with full
respect of its mandate.”
UNSCR 1701 calls on Hezbollah to disarm and authorizes UNIFIL to “take all
necessary action in areas of deployment of its forces and as it deems within its
capabilities, to ensure that its area of operations is not utilized for hostile
activities of any kind, to resist attempts by forceful means to prevent it from
discharging its duties under the mandate of the Security Council…”
But as the Lebanese army failed to issue a statement on the incident to clarify
the situation, Hezbollah declared its dissatisfaction with UNIFIL. In an
interview with As-Safir newspaper on Friday, Hezbollah Deputy Secretary General
Sheikh Naim Qassem said that “UNIFIL must pay attention to what it does and
realize that any excess only serves to cause worry and harm trust between the
force and residents,” adding that if the government cannot protect border
village residents, then they will have to find a way to protect themselves.
His comments came after the head of Hezbollah’s Executive Council, Sayyed Hashem
Safieddine, said during a commemoration ceremony on Thursday evening that the
Resistance and its history cannot be erased by anyone’s resolution. What
happened this week is a clear sign that Hezbollah is in total control of the
area south of the Litani. The party can boost its weaponry, smuggle arms, carry
out maneuvers and interpret 1701 as it wishes, while UNIFIL is attacked and the
Lebanese army looks on impotent. So what would have satisfied Hezbollah? Should
UNIFIL send a letter to Hezbollah, instead of the Lebanese army, to inform it of
their activities? Hezbollah feels it must be aware of, and approve, any UNIFIL
movement, and that it is master of the South and to hell with the UN and UNSCR
1701.
That said, Hezbollah does not want UNIFIL to leave Lebanon; this would expose
Lebanon and the South to danger. It does, however want to send a message to the
international community that it is in control. And it has worked. UNIFIL halted
its maneuvers on Thursday. Another thing: UNIFIL would be in charge in the
occupied Ghajar village in the event of an Israeli withdrawal, and the attack
against the UN troops has raised concerns in light of the Israeli cabinet’s
recent approval of withdrawing from the northern part of the village. There are
fears that these attacks are linked to a possible withdrawal from Ghajar. The
Resistance’s cause would be harmed if it appeared that diplomacy had achieved
better results than armed confrontation. Indeed, Hezbollah needs to justify its
arms and highlight the need for its presence as a more significant force than
UNIFIL.
But that is not it. In the past few weeks, Hezbollah has launched a number of
drives indicating that all is not well with the party walls.
Two weeks ago, Loyalty to the Resistance bloc MP Nawwaf Moussawi launched a
campaign against Lebanese media outlets and other organizations that he said had
been funded by the US to undermine Hezbollah’s image to the tune of $500
million, adding that other Arabs who are US allies have paid twice as much to
the same cause.
Then Hezbollah MP Kamel al-Rifai promised that the party would soon “confront
American defamation campaigns” and prepare a list of individuals, parties and
clubs collaborating with the US. Then there was news of the arrest of an
employee from the Alfa mobile telecom company for allegedly spying for Israel,
allowing Hezbollah to imply that Israel controls the Lebanese telecom network
and is, according to Hezbollah MP Mohammad Raad, capable of “sowing strife.” It
also means that any future indictments based on cell phone data analysis can be
easily dismissed as an Israeli conspiracy. So UNIFIL and 1701 are not the only
targets. All international resolutions, as well as the Special Tribunal for
Lebanon, are under attack, now and in the future. Some would also link these
attacks to the recent Security Council sanctions against Iran. The main
peacekeeping troops targeted during these attacks were the French and the
Spanish. According to sources in the French Embassy, these attacks were
organized by Hezbollah to send a message to European countries in reaction to
the sanctions.
The Lebanese government has not reacted in a way to suggest this kind of
behavior will not be repeated. Hezbollah proved its strength, and UNIFIL has
yielded.
It’s not that no one cares. It’s just that everyone appears scared of Hezbollah.
**Hanin Ghaddar is managing editor of NOW Lebanon
Washington for Disarmament of Militias, Demarcation of Border with Syria
Naharnet/A U.S. official said that Washington was committed to consolidate
Lebanese state institutions to build peace and stability in Lebanon and
reiterated support for the demarcation of the border with Syria. The official
also told As Safir newspaper's correspondent in Washington that the Obama
administration wasn't informed by the Israeli government about a possible
pullout from the northern part of the border village of Ghajar. He reiterated
U.S. and international community support for the implementation of Security
Council resolutions 1559, 1680 and 1701 "including the disarmament of militias,
the demarcation of the Lebanese-Syrian border and the deployment of Lebanese
Armed Forces across Lebanon."
The official told As Safir that the U.S. backs UNIFIL's operations. He also
touched on the issue of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, saying "we are sure
that it would continue its productive and professional work." "The court is a
clear sign that Lebanon's sovereignty is not up for discussion," he said.
About Hizbullah, the official reiterated that U.S. policy towards the Shiite
group is clear: "We won't deal with Hizbullah or any other terrorist
organization and we don't distinguish between its military and political
wings."Hizbullah's arms still constitute a big danger on Lebanon's stability and
the region, he said. The U.S. official also said that U.S. assistance to the
Lebanese army and the Internal Security Forces since 2006 have reached $600
million. Such assistance was "out of conviction that the Lebanese people only
need the army and police to protect them and that militia activities risk more
violence inside Lebanon and with Lebanon's neighbors." Beirut, 03 Jul 10, 07:59
US official says Iran deployed radar system in Syria
July 3, 2010 /Iran has deployed a radar system in Syria to detect a possible
Israeli attack on Tehran's nuclear facilities, a US Defense Department official
told AFP on Saturday.
The Pentagon official, who requested anonymity, said that the Iranian detection
system was deployed in Syria last year. He voiced Washington's increasing
concern, saying that he does not think Iran's plans in the region are in
Damascus' best interest.
-NOW Lebanon
Villagers disarm UN patrol in South Lebanon;
LAF-UNIFIL-Hezbollah meeting held afterwards
July 3, 2010 /Villagers disarmed a French patrol UNIFIL patrol Saturday and
attacked them with sticks, rocks and eggs in South Lebanon, in the latest in a
string of such incidents, a Lebanese army spokesperson said. After the incident,
senior Lebanese army officers and a Hezbollah security official met with French
UNIFIL officers in the southern village of Toulin in an attempt to defuse
tensions between southern villagers and the UN peacekeepers, NOW Lebanon’s
correspondent reported. The Lebanese army spokesperson said that the residents
in the south “disarmed the [UNIFIL] soldiers and briefly took control of their
vehicle before the army intervened and made them move away from the patrol.”
"The arms were returned to UNIFIL and the incident is closed," he also said. The
spokesperson said the peacekeepers had earlier arrested a young man in Kabrikha
who opposed their presence in his village. In Tuline, local residents attacked
the patrol, demanding the man be released, the spokesperson and witnesses said.
According to an AFP correspondent at the scene, a French soldier suffered a
minor eye injury while a young man was seen with a bloody face. Two UN vehicles
appeared to have been hit by eggs and rocks. The National News Agency (NNA) said
the disturbances broke out after a French patrol hit a car and a motorbike in
Kabrikha. UNIFIL was unavailable on Saturday to comment on the incident.
Hezbollah has urged the peacekeepers in south Lebanon to stick to their mandate,
following a wave of protests by villagers. -AFP/NOW Lebanon
West Urges Army to Curb Attacks on UNIFIL Amid Insistence Military has Enough
Troops in the South
Naharnet/A Western diplomat has reportedly urged Lebanese authorities to "curb"
recent attacks on U.N. peacekeepers in the south, warning about a
"deteriorating" situation in the area of their deployment. According to An Nahar
daily on Saturday, the diplomat said UNIFIL does not need a permit to carry out
its activities although it informed the Lebanese army that it would conduct
patrols inside several Lebanese villages earlier in the week. "That's why we
expected the Lebanese Armed Forces to guarantee the security of our contingent,"
he said. "We ask the LAF to deploy more troops in the south." "We have
obsessions in Lebanon because incidents of stone-throwing on UNIFIL contingents
are taking place while they are conducting patrols," the diplomat told the
newspaper. "Such incidents make UNIFIL's movements more difficult in south
Lebanon." "We will ask the army to be more effective in cubing such incidents,"
he said. The diplomat admitted that there was "tension" but said the "atmosphere
wasn't so bad." "We're not saying that there is a major crisis but we believe
that there is some kind of deterioration in the atmosphere in south Lebanon," he
added. In an attempt to overcome the repercussions of the villagers' attack on
the peacekeepers, a meeting was held on Friday at the army command headquarters
in Yarze between UNIFIL commander Maj. Gen. Alberto Asarta and deputy army
intelligence chief Brig. Gen. Abbas Ibrahim.
As Safir daily said Saturday Asarta stressed during the talks that the incident
was now from the past. Ibrahim, in his turn, informed the UNIFIL commander that
the army command was keen on cooperation and full coordination with the
peacekeepers. The newspaper quoted high-ranking military sources as saying that
"the army sets the level of cooperation and coordination with UNIFIL in
accordance with resolution 1701 and not the mood of some diplomats or the
interests of some countries."He stressed that the army alone had the authority
to assess the number of troops deployed in the south, saying the military had
enough soldiers there and were perfectly playing their role. Beirut, 03 Jul 10,
08:44
4 Injured in Renewed Clashes between UNIFIL and Southern Residents
Naharnet/Four people were lightly injured in a clash between French U.N.
peacekeepers and residents of the southern town of Toulin on Saturday. Voice of
Lebanon radio said that when several youth asked a patrol not to take
photographs of the area, UNIFIL members opened fire in the air to disperse the
crowd. The move angered the youth who attacked the peacekeepers and took away
their guns. Two U.N. troops and two locals were lightly injured, the station
said. The Lebanese army interfered to contain the incident, VDL said. In another
related development in a neighboring town on Saturday, Qebrikha residents hurled
stones at a UNIFIL patrol. The National News Agency said, however, that a French
patrol hit a parked vehicle and a motorcycle at the entrance of Qebrikha,
angering residents who hurled stones on the peacekeepers. Nearby Toulin
residents waited for the patrol to pass by and hurled stones on it too. The
coordinated attack continued as the peacekeepers reached the town of al-Sawwaneh,
NNA said. A UNIFIL source told Agence France Presse that the command sent a team
to investigate the incident. The tension came after several similar incidents in
southern villages earlier in the week. Beirut, 03 Jul 10, 12:29
Lebanese army, Hezbollah officials meet with French peacekeepers to defuse
tensions in the south
July 3, 2010 Senior Lebanese army officers and a Hezbollah security official met
with French UNIFIL officers in the southern village of Toulin on Saturday in an
attempt to defuse tensions between southern villagers and the UN peacekeepers, a
NOW Lebanon correspondent reported. Earlier Saturday, residents of the village
of Toulin as well as some villagers from nearby Kabrikha blocked the road to a
UNIFIL French patrol and disarmed them, attacking the peacekeepers with sticks,
rocks and eggs. "The citizens disarmed the soldiers and briefly took control of
their vehicle before the Lebanese army intervened and made them move away from
the patrol," a military spokesman said. "The arms were returned to UNIFIL and
the incident is closed," he said. The villagers were apparently reacting to an
earlier incident in which the French patrol arrested a man in Gabricha who
opposed UNIFIL's presence and photography of his village. In response, local
residents attacked the patrol, demanding the man be released, according to the
spokesman and witnesses.
The NOW Lebanon correspondent added that the army has beefed up its military
presence in Toulin and Gabricha.-NOW Lebanon/AFP
Hezbollah's MP Ali Fayyad says UNIFIL should have been accompanied by army
patrols in latest maneuvers
July 3, 2010 /In an interview with Future News television on Saturday, Loyalty
to the Resistance bloc MP Ali Fayyad said that UNIFIL should have been
accompanied by Lebanese army patrols in its latest maneuvers to avoid public
protests that happened in South Lebanon this week. "The people, the army, the
government and Hezbollah understand that UNIFIL's role is to help Lebanon extend
its authority, strengthen its stability and prevent Israeli attacks," Fayyad
said. In the interest of this collaboration, UNIFIL's movements should have been
accompanied by army patrols, he added. Fayyad further said there are some, whom
he did not name, who want UNIFIL to act unilaterally in South Lebanon- an idea
that contradicts UN Resolution 1701 which ended the 2006 Israeli war on
Lebanon.The MP's remarks come amid rising tensions between UNIFIL and the people
in South Lebanon after UNIFIL’s 36-hour maneuver launched on Monday, which
incited protests by residents in the South. A French peacekeeper was reportedly
injured in a stone throwing incident during the protests.
-NOW Lebanon
Williams: We Insist Full Respect for UNIFIL's Freedom of Movement
Naharnet/U.N. Special Coordinator for Lebanon Michael Williams called for full
respect of UNIFIL's freedom of movement after peacekeepers came under attack by
stone-hurling residents in several southern villages earlier this week.
Following talks with Speaker Nabih Berri in Ain el-Tineh on Friday, Williams
said he expressed to the Lebanese speaker his "concern over incidents that
occurred in south Lebanon earlier in the week." "UNIFIL's freedom of movement
was violated and U.N. troop-contributing countries are quite concerned. We must
insist that the freedom of movement of UNIFIL is fully respected," he said.
Williams stressed that the patrols in the area were carried out as part of its
normal operations and with full respect of its mandate. "The speaker and I
agreed that we should work hard to prevent any recurrence of the problems of the
past week and that all parties must be involved in trying to defuse these
tensions," he told reporters.Williams said Berri assured him that Lebanon was
determined to maintain the best relations and cooperation with the peacekeepers
at the official and popular level. "Berri also raised with me finally today the
issue of the delineation of Lebanon's maritime borders. I assured him that I
will raise this in New York with relevant U.N. officials, including with the
United Nations Legal Department," he said. Beirut, 03 Jul 10, 07:31
Qassem urges UNIFIL to change its conduct in the South
July 3, 2010 /In an interview with Ad-Diyar newspaper published on Saturday,
Hezbollah Deputy Secretary General Sheikh Naim Qassem urged UNIFIL to change its
conduct following a wave of protests by residents of South Lebanon. This comes
amid rising tensions between UNIFIL and the people in South Lebanon after
UNIFIL’s 36-hour maneuver launched on Monday incited protests by residents in
the South. A French peacekeeper was reportedly injured in a stone throwing
incident during the protests. "These protests reflect the residents' concern
about a change in [UNIFIL] ground movements without coordination with the
Lebanese army," Qassem said. "The situation can be cooled off by a change in the
UN force's conduct," he added. -NOW Lebanon
Raad: U.N. Troops Don't Have Absolute Authorities in the South
Naharnet/Hizbullah MP Mohammed Raad said U.N. troops in Lebanon did not have
absolute authorities saying the peacekeepers were welcome in Lebanon as part of
their mission set by Security Council resolution 1701. "UNIFIL troops are not
troops that have absolute authorities or are not mandate forces. They are
peacekeepers whose missions and authorities have been set by resolution 1701 in
backing the Lebanese army," Raad told As Safir daily in remarks published
Saturday. He said attacks by stones on the peacekeepers in several southern
villages earlier in the week should pave way for the alteration of the
peacekeepers' performance within their mission set by 1701. The lawmaker
stressed that southerners have proved that they could coexist with the U.N.
troops and "they are aware of the soldiers' missions and watchful of their own
interests." "They don't have a negative stance from UNIFIL," Raad said about the
residents of the south. Beirut, 03 Jul 10, 09:44
LaHood: I Look Forward for Sfeir's Advice on Lebanon
Naharnet/U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said on Saturday that he
always looked forward for advice from Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Sfeir over
the situation in Lebanon. Following talks with Sfeir in Bkirki, LaHood said the
patriarch is a wonderful friend. He told reporters that it was good to meet with
Sfeir and know that he is in good health. "He is interested in what we are doing
during our visit to Lebanon," LaHood said about Sfeir. Beirut, 03 Jul 10, 14:19
Fadlallah Suffers Anew from Internal Bleeding
Naharnet/Lebanon's top Shiite cleric Grand Ayatollah Mohammed Hussein Fadlallah
suffered from internal bleeding again on Saturday, medical sources told Naharnet
denying reports about his death.Bahman hospital was urging for B+ and B- blood
donations on Saturday. However, it was not clear if the blood was meant for him.
His health condition "was very critical but he is stable and we hope he would
get better," Khalifeh told An Nahar daily in remarks published Saturday.
Fadlallah was being treated at Bahman hospital since Friday. His office denied
in a statement reports about his death and said on Saturday morning that he was
"relatively stable." The hospital administration asked media outlets to check
with it or with Fadlallah's media office to inquire about his health condition.
Beirut, 03 Jul 10, 09:12
Sami Gemayel Warns Humanitarian Aspect of Palestinian Issue Delays Return to
Homeland
Naharnet/MP Sami Gemayel warned on Saturday that giving the issue of
Palestinians a humanitarian aspect risks keeping them in Lebanon rather than
helping their return home. "It is natural for the situation of Palestinians in
Lebanon to become a source of concern for the Lebanese," he told LBC TV network.
"However, the way it was proposed by Democratic Gathering bloc leader MP Walid
Jumblat was not sound," he said. "The proposal didn't come at the appropriate
time." Gemayel told LBC the Palestinians should be aware that their integration
into the Lebanese society is an Israeli and U.S. demand to prevent their return
to their homeland. He stressed that the situation of Palestinians should not be
turned into a humanitarian issue because it has a political nature. On the issue
of property ownership by foreigners, Gemayel said that Lebanon is one of the
countries with the highest number of foreign ownership relatively to its size.On
Friday, Gemayel said the Phalange party cannot accept giving non-Lebanese rights
that the Lebanese themselves are not enjoying. Beirut, 03 Jul 10, 11:49
Moussa Advises Caution But Says No War on Lebanon's
Doorsteps
Naharnet/Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa reiterated on Saturday that
there was no new war on Lebanon although he warned that the danger was always
present.
"There is a general atmosphere of danger in Lebanon which is not based on
information," Moussa said after talks with President Michel Suleiman at Baabda
palace. "Caution is advised but I don't see war on (Lebanon's) doorsteps." He
told reporters that he discussed with Suleiman latest regional developments
which he said were more negative than positive.
Moussa added that his talks with the Lebanese president focused on the situation
in the south and peace in the region. The Arab League chief met with Premier
Saad Hariri and Foreign Minister Ali al-Shami on Friday. Beirut, 03 Jul 10,
14:45
Baroud Promises State Action but Admits to State Negligence in Fighting Drug Use
Naharnet/Interior Minister Ziad Baroud has admitted to negligence in fighting
drug use in the country but vowed to combat drug traffickers as a "state duty
towards its citizens."
During a dinner hosted in Jbeil by a drug rehabilitation center, Baroud said
that such centers and other non-governmental organizations were more active than
the state in creating citizen awareness on the issue. "As an official in the
Lebanese state, I tell you that there is a chronic negligence by the state," he
told the NGOs. "The rehabilitation centers that you are establishing are the
state's responsibility in the first place."While saying that drug trafficking
and abuse was a challenge that goes beyond the Lebanese border, Baroud said the
interior ministry will not back off from attempts to fight such a phenomenon.
Beirut, 03 Jul 10, 12:57
Hariri Reiterates Commitment to Equal Christian-Muslim
Powersharing, Tells NDU Graduates They're Lebanon's 'Real Oil'
Naharnet/Prime Minister Saad Hariri on Friday reiterated commitment to equal
Christian-Muslim powersharing in Lebanon "embodied in the Taef Accord and which
always makes Lebanon as we want it to be." Speaking at a graduation ceremony at
Notre Dame University (NDU), Hariri told the graduates: "We want you to stay in
our land, your land, in our homeland. We want you to use all your knowledge,
creativity, energy to benefit the economy of Lebanon and not any other economy."
"The ongoing discussions today about the oil draft law and the exploration
projects of this oil, prompts me to tell you proudly that you are the real oil
of Lebanon. Your minds, thoughts, ambitions and dreams are our inexhaustible
oil. Express yourself in your community and in your economy. Express yourself in
the great land of Lebanon and everyone will see the precious metal we are made
of and they will see the rare oil we are talking about," the premier added.
Hariri called for preserving the "unique formula and unique message" of Lebanon.
"The message of moderation and of coexistence between Christians and Muslims,
the message of dialogue, reason and education embodied in the educational
establishment, like this university, the message of individual, public,
intellectual, religious and political freedom." Beirut, 02 Jul 10, 21:43
The Hariri tribunal is so inept, it almost seems deliberate
Michael Young
http://www.thenational.ae/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100701/OPINION/706309964/1080/FOREIGN
June 30. 2010
Recently, one of the men arrested in the investigation of the 2005 assassination
of Lebanon’s former prime minister, Rafiq Hariri, pursued a revealing legal
manoeuvre. He demanded that the special tribunal set up by the United Nations a
year ago to try those suspected of the murder show him the evidence used to
arrest him.
The man is Jamil alSayyed, the former head of Lebanon’s General Security
directorate and one of four generals arrested on the advice of United Nations
investigators a few months after the Hariri murder. Mr al Sayyed spent four
years behind bars, until he was released last year along with his colleagues by
the tribunal prosecutor, Daniel Bellemare, because there was not enough evidence
to indict them. Mr al Sayyed’s request shows how one time suspects are now
willing to take the tribunal on, largely because it has lost all momentum.
Mr al Sayyed’s innocence is a matter of conjecture. He was a main cog in the
Syrian-dominated security network in Lebanon during the time Damascus ruled
directly over the country. It was this network that investigators believe was
behind Mr Hariri’s killing. The detention of Mr al Sayyed and his associates was
repeatedly reconfirmed by the body set up to investigate the killing, the United
Nations International Independent Investigation Commission (UNIIIC), whose last
head was Mr Bellemare, before he became tribunal prosecutor. Yet it is also true
that the investigators did not turn their suspicions about Mr al Sayyed into
indictable offences. Therein lies the tribunal’s difficulties.
Five years after the Hariri assassination, we are nowhere closer to seeing the
guilty accused. Back in 2005, the decision of the UN Security Council to set up
an investigation of the Hariri killing was an innovation. It was the first time
that the international organisation had looked into a political assassination,
the rationale being that this would help deter such crimes in the future. UNIIIC
was set up, and its first commissioner was Detlev Mehlis, a German judge who had
investigated high-profile terrorist crimes in former West Berlin, including the
1986 LaBelle discotheque bombing.
Mr Mehlis had no doubt that the Hariri assassination was ordered by Syria, even
if Lebanese individuals or groups also participated in the operation. His team
began a police investigation, and interviewed Syrian officials and intelligence
officers inside Syria and abroad. On the eve of his departure in December 2005,
Mr Mehlis even recommended to his successor, the Belgian judge Serge Brammertz,
that he arrest the former head of Syria’s military intelligence apparatus in
Lebanon.
Mr Brammertz never did so. In fact he arrested no one during his two-year
tenure. While this may have been because one of Mr Mehlis’ witnesses appeared
unreliable, there were far deeper problems in the Belgian’s investigation. He
cut back on police officers and added analysts. Analyses can address details of
a crime, but only a police investigation, which entails taking suspects into
custody and using their testimonies to unravel the decision-making hierarchy,
can identify the guilty. In fact, Mr Brammertz did not investigate much at all
before handing over to Mr Bellemare.
Was this intentional on Mr Brammertz’s part? I contacted him in April of last
year for a book I was writing to give him an opportunity to respond to my
criticisms of his work. I also wanted him to reply to allegations levelled at
him by Mr Mehlis in an interview I conducted with the German for The Wall Street
Journal. Mr Brammertz declined. However, it was difficult not to notice that his
appointment after serving on the Special Tribunal for Lebanon – namely, as
prosecutor for the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia –
was a promotion by the UN, even though his performance in Beirut hardly merited
such an accolade.
Perhaps that was precisely what the UN liked in Mr Brammertz. As Mr Mehlis later
recalled, when he met Kofi Annan before starting his mission, the UN
secretary-general told him that “he did not want another trouble spot”. Mr
Mehlis did not oblige. He raised the heat on Syria and although he received
Security Council backing, which strengthened his mandate, the UN bureaucracy
must have winced at the tensions resulting from these confrontations.
Mr Bellemare has been a different kettle of fish. A Canadian judge, he had no
experience of terrorist crimes when he came in. His tenure as commissioner, then
as prosecutor, has produced little apparent progress. He seems to have
information pointing to on-the-ground involvement by Hizbollah in Mr Hariri’s
elimination, but two key questions remain: Does Mr Bellemare have enough to
indict? And if he does, who will the prosecutor point the finger at, low-level
operatives or higher-level decision-makers, including Syrian officials?
For now, we can only speculate. However, there seems less and less doubt that
the two-year tenure of Mr Brammertz damaged the prosecution’s case, perhaps
fatally. Mr Bellemare also discredited the tribunal by awaiting its formation
before releasing the four generals, when, aware that there would be no
indictments, he could have requested that the Lebanese authorities do so
earlier.
Worst of all, key figures have left the tribunal one after the other, including
Mr Bellemare’s chief investigator and two registrars. This implied, at the very
least, that these individuals did not expect indictments in the foreseeable
future; but in several specific cases the exits also hinted at Mr Bellemare’s
managerial shortcomings.
Indictments may come later this year, but it seems doubtful, given what we know,
that those who ordered the assassination will be charged. The zeal with which
the tribunal’s president, Antonio Cassese, has pressed for this deadline
indicates he is putting pressure on Mr Bellemare. Mr Cassese knows that the
tribunal’s funding is closely tied to signs of genuine progress. He is right to
be worried.
**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 has just been published.
Political Lightness in Lebanon
Fri, 02 July 2010/Naharnet
Walid Choucair/Al Hayat
http://www.daralhayat.com/portalarticlendah/158921
Some Lebanese political circles are dealing with the numerous events witnessed
in Lebanon with extreme lightness, thus mixing futile issues with crucial ones,
belittling the importance of major causes and exaggerating the small ones by
turning “a tiny kernel into a huge dome” as the popular saying goes. This
extends to the point where useless debates are opened, making so-and-so an
expert on security, another an expert on oil and a third an expert in
international relations, at a time when all of this reveals the existence of
hidden agendas in terms of personal or factional goals and interests, or in
terms of maneuvers in dealing with one file to target another that has nothing
to do with the first.
This light handling applies to many headlines, with confessions attributed to
arrestees suspected of collaborating with the Israeli enemy to target the
international tribunal and undermine the results that may have been reached by
the international investigation commission into the assassination of Prime
Minister Rafik al-Hariri. The issue thus appears to be prone for interpretations
from every direction. Whoever is making all these fabrications is not paying
attention to the fact that this will entail the covering up of the actual
actions that this suspect undertook in helping Israel infiltrate Lebanese
security to target the country and the resistance in it.
Also, this is how voices rose over the (alleged) Lebanese oil wealth and
accusations and responses escalated, placing some in the position of
collaboration with Israel after they were said to have delayed the extraction of
oil and gas. This showed unprecedented competence in using a topic which the
concerned state is addressing with secrecy, seeing how it affects its national
and economic security, as well as its long term interests. The voices then fade
away and the accusations go unheeded, after technical aspects get mixed up with
the political aspects and the resonating slogans, turning the debate into one
over a monetary fund and which sect should control it, while the hefty catch is
still elusive.
At this point, the big people slip toward the hallucinations of the small,
toward instinctive reactions, sectarian calculations and narrow interests, and
the commotion of outbidding fills the air while discussing a topic which
everyone claims is the object of unanimity (like other topics that are purely
controversial), such as the issue of the civil rights of the Palestinians
residing in Lebanon. Later on, the campaigns quiet down and those claiming
paternity over the human rights slogan recognize that the issue requires the
minimum level of calm debate far from all the frenzy, due to the depth and
seriousness of the file as a Lebanese and regional security and economic
requirement.
In that same context, the political mediator and some official circles are
dealing with the issue of the confrontations seen between UNIFIL troops in South
Lebanon and the citizens as being a technicality, thus costing the accumulating
daily incidents which are taking place their political, security and military
dimensions, and eliminating transparency and honesty at the level of Lebanon’s
relationship with these international troops. This is carrying a negative impact
on the positions of the thirteen United Nations member states that have units
positioned on Lebanese soil and whose presence should contribute to Lebanon’s
protection from any new Israeli adventure against it. In the meantime, Israel is
using these incidents to cover up for the loss of its credibility due to the
international campaign which is targeting it, against the backdrop of its attack
on the Freedom Flotilla a month ago, its ongoing blockade on the Gaza Strip, its
Jerusalem Judaization policy and the continuous settlement activities inside and
around the city. Moreover, some politicians are forgetting that such incidents
carry an impact on the discussions of the Security Council report over the
implementation of resolution 1701 and the renewal of the UNIFIL term at the end
of next month.
One could understand the fact that the Lebanese politicians, or some of them,
are bored and lost because there are too many major developments in such a small
country and because the resolution of the crises has become linked to the
Iranian nuclear file, to the outcome of the confrontation between Tehran and the
superpowers and that of the attempts of Barack Obama’s administration to resume
the peace negotiations, and to the results of the US Congress midterm elections.
One could also understand the fact that whatever is featured in the indictment
of the prosecutor of the International Tribunal, Daniel Bellemare, is still
unknown in terms of its content and timing amid talk about dates which keep
getting postponed. However, all of this does not justify the lightness which has
started to require many Lebanese politicians to take a look in the mirror before
issuing any statement, in order to see that tending to the affairs and living
conditions of the people, i.e. “the smaller” issues, is much better than the
belittling of the big ones.
http://www.daralhayat.com/portalarticlendah/158921
Question: "What is repentance and is it necessary for salvation?"
Answer: Many understand the term repentance to mean “turning from sin.” This is
not the biblical definition of repentance. In the Bible, the word repent means
“to change one’s mind.” The Bible also tells us that true repentance will result
in a change of actions (Luke 3:8-14; Acts 3:19). Acts 26:20 declares, “I
preached that they should repent and turn to God and prove their repentance by
their deeds.” The full biblical definition of repentance is a change of mind
that results in a change of action.
What, then, is the connection between repentance and salvation? The Book of Acts
seems to especially focus on repentance in regards to salvation (Acts 2:38;
3:19; 11:18; 17:30; 20:21; 26:20). To repent, in relation to salvation, is to
change your mind in regard to Jesus Christ. In Peter’s sermon on the day of
Pentecost (Acts chapter 2), he concludes with a call for the people to repent
(Acts 2:38). Repent from what? Peter is calling the people who rejected Jesus
(Acts 2:36) to change their minds about Him, to recognize that He is indeed
“Lord and Christ” (Acts 2:36). Peter is calling the people to change their minds
from rejection of Christ as the Messiah to faith in Him as both Messiah and
Savior.
Repentance and faith can be understood as “two sides of the same coin.” It is
impossible to place your faith in Jesus Christ as the Savior without first
changing your mind about who He is and what He has done. Whether it is
repentance from willful rejection or repentance from ignorance or disinterest,
it is a change of mind. Biblical repentance, in relation to salvation, is
changing your mind from rejection of Christ to faith in Christ.
It is crucially important that we understand repentance is not a work we do to
earn salvation. No one can repent and come to God unless God pulls that person
to Himself (John 6:44). Acts 5:31 and 11:18 indicate that repentance is
something God gives—it is only possible because of His grace. No one can repent
unless God grants repentance. All of salvation, including repentance and faith,
is a result of God drawing us, opening our eyes, and changing our hearts. God's
longsuffering leads us to repentance (2 Peter 3:9), as does His kindness (Romans
2:4).
While repentance is not a work that earns salvation, repentance unto salvation
does result in works. It is impossible to truly and fully change your mind
without that causing a change in action. In the Bible, repentance results in a
change in behavior. That is why John the Baptist called people to “produce fruit
in keeping with repentance” (Matthew 3:8). A person who has truly repented from
rejection of Christ to faith in Christ will give evidence of a changed life (2
Corinthians 5:17; Galatians 5:19-23; James 2:14-26). Repentance, properly
defined, is necessary for salvation. Biblical repentance is changing your mind
about Jesus Christ and turning to God in faith for salvation (Acts 3:19).
Turning from sin is not the definition of repentance, but it is one of the
results of genuine, faith-based repentance towards the Lord Jesus Christ.
Recommended Resource: So Great Salvation by Charles Ryrie.
UN: New Lebanon-Israel conflict possible
By ASSOCIATED PRESS
07/03/2010 05:11
Ban speaks of increased tensions, mutual cease-fire violations.
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon warned Friday that an increase in tensions
between Lebanon and Israel could lead to a new conflict with potentially
devastating consequences.
In a report to the UN Security Council, Ban accused both countries of violating
the 2006 cease-fire resolution that ended the 34-day Second Lebanon War between
Israel and Hizbullah.
The UN chief said Hizbullah continues to maintain "a substantial military
capacity" in violation of UN resolutions and an arms embargo, and he again
called for Hizbullah and other militias to be disarmed "through a Lebanese-led
political process."
Ban said Israel continues to violate the cease-fire by conducting daily
overflights of Lebanon and refuses to withdraw from the disputed northern border
village of Ghajar.
The secretary-general said that both sides have violated the UN-drawn Blue Line
separating them.
Ban said Israeli accusations in April that neighboring Syria had provided Scud
missiles to Hizbullah — an allegation later raised by US officials — "greatly
increased tensions" between Israel, Lebanon and Syria. Lebanese and Syrian
authorities categorically denied any missile transfers.
Hizbullah's secretary-general would neither confirm nor deny that the militia
had acquired such weapons and stated that the militia was prepared to respond to
attacks from Israel, Ban said.
"Rhetoric escalated rapidly, creating a perception in the public that a
resumption of conflict was imminent," the secretary-general said.
For the moment, he said, tensions appear to have subsided, due mainly to
messages from Syrian and Israeli officials that "a confrontation was not
desired," as well as diplomatic actions by Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri,
several Arab and European governments, the US and the UN.
Nonetheless, Ban said, the increase in tensions "raised the specter of a
miscalculation by either party leading to a resumption of hostilities, with
potentially devastating consequences for Lebanon and the region." The summer
2006 war, which left some 1,200 Lebanese and 160 Israelis dead, ended in a
stalemate.
The secretary-general expressed concern at several attacks aimed at UNIFIL
forces. UN diplomats said at least one troop contributing country has asked the
Lebanese government to deploy more troops to the south. Ban said both sides have
a responsibility to address all outstanding issues "in order to reach a
permanent cease-fire and a long-term solution" as called for in the 2006
resolution.
Iran Moves Radar to Syria: US Official
http://aawsat.com/english/news.asp?section=1&id=21494
WASHINGTON (AFP) – Iran has moved radar to Syria that could provide
early-warning against a possible surprise Israeli air attack against Tehran's
nuclear sites, a US defense official said on Friday.
The radar transfer was first reported in the Wall Street Journal on Thursday and
prompted the State Department to voice concerns about cooperation between Syria
and Iran.
The sophisticated radar were deployed in Syria last year, the official, who
spoke on condition of anonymity, told AFP.
The move could bolster Iran's position amid long-running speculation that Israel
might stage a bombing raid against Tehran's nuclear enrichment facilities.
Information from new radar also could potentially help the Lebanese Shiite
militia Hezbollah with its missile arsenal and air defenses.
Israel and the United States have refused to rule out military action against
Iran over its nuclear program, which Washington says is designed to secure
atomic weapons.
Iran has insisted its enrichment effort is purely peaceful and aimed at
generating electricity.
State Department spokesman Philip Crowley on Thursday said Washington had
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 Hezbollah.
President Barack Obama warned Iran Thursday it faced mounting isolation, signing
tough new US sanctions he said would strike at Tehran's capacity to finance its
nuclear program.
The measures, on top of new UN Security Council and European sanctions, aim to
choke off Iran's access to imports of refined petroleum products like gasoline
and jet fuel and curb its access to the international banking system.
Ahmadinejad and Netanyahu….Did They See the Picture?
03/07/2010
By Tariq Alhomayed/AlSarq Alawasat
http://aawsat.com/english/news.asp?section=2&id=21503
Two parties have without a doubt been provoked by the striking presence of Saudi
Arabia at the international level, especially when this representation is at the
level of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz. These
two parties are Iran and Israel. The height of this provocation came when they
saw the Saudi monarch representing the Arab world at the G20 Summit that took
place last week in Toronto, Canada, as well as later when they witnessed King
Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz receiving a warm welcome, and striking and deserved
praise, from US President Barack Obama. President Obama said that he fully
values King Abdullah's wisdom and insights, especially as the Saudi King – as he
is well known for – put forward a number of important issues to his American
host that relate to both Riyadh and Washington, including affirming the right
for the existence of a Palestinian State, Saudi Arabia's adherence to the Arab
Peace Initiative and the peace process as a whole, and the need for Iran to
adhere to international resolutions, as well as a call for a speedy formation of
an Iraqi government.
These all represent points which are not in Iran or Israel's interests. As a
result of this, we saw the Iranian President announce inaccurate statements from
Tehran – coinciding with the end of the G20 Summit in Canada and prior to King
Abdullah's meeting with President Obama in Washington – with regards to his
country's relations with Saudi Arabia. This was in the hope of embarrassing the
Saudi Arabians, and putting pressure upon them in the public sphere.
While today we see leaked information being reported in a French publications –
and coinciding with Ahmadinejad's statements – which have been denied by Saudi
officials. These leaks claim that King Abdullah said that Iran and Israel do not
deserve to exist, and these are statements that aim to disrupt the Saudi
monarch's visit [to Washington]. It seems that these allegations have come in
response to what was being discussed in Washington between King Abdullah and
Obama surrounding the issue of peace. Here we must remember that the Israeli's
have been planning to launch an international campaign against Saudi Arabia for
the past few months.
Accordingly, it is irrational to believe the comments that were attributed to
the Saudi monarch, for this is not the rhetoric of King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz.
How could King Abdullah use such rhetoric when he is the men who led the
rapprochement between Riyadh and Tehran, when he was Saudi Crown Prince and
Hashemi Rafsanjani was President of Iran? The Saudi monarch was also the leader
who put forward the peace initiative that today has been dubbed the Arab Peace
Initiative, so how is it possible for him to pursue any approach that calls for
war, escalation, or crisis?
As mentioned previously, the magnitude of this attempted disruption that took
place in the wake of King Abdullah's trip between Canada and the US reveals that
Iran and Israel are the major agitators responsible for this. Therefore, it
seems that Iranian President Ahmadinejad and Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu
did not sufficiently study the images of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques
in Toronto and Washington, while if they had seen these then it seems that the
provocation
prevented Tel Aviv and Tehran from understanding the clear and explicit
significance of these images. This is that Saudi Arabia is a genuine state, with
a genuine and effective presence; Saudi Arabia is a state that desires peace and
respects international laws, it is not a state that is seeking clamor and media
attention, not is it a country that sponsors [armed] militias, or is seeking to
evade the benefits of peace. This is what the images of King Abdullah at the G20
Summit and his meeting with the US President clearly show. It is true that a
picture is worth a thousand words, and the proof of this is that many have lost
their temper after seeing these images.
The Back Door into Syria
03/07/2010
By Hussein Shobokshi
Al Sark Alawasat
http://aawsat.com/english/news.asp?section=2&id=21500
The US State Department has made an extremely important gesture towards Syria,
very quietly and away from the clamor and excitement, and this is by deciding to
send a high-level delegation made up of senior executives from major US
technological companies like Microsoft, Dell, Cisco Systems, and Symantec Corp
to Damascus. It goes without saying that Apple founder Steve Jobs also received
an invitation, especially as his [biological] father is a member of the [Syrian]
al-Jandali family of the city of Hims. His father put him up for adoption to a
US family, and after Steve Jobs become famous and made his fortune, his
biological father tried to restore relations with him but to no avail.
What is strange about this "type" of delegation being sent is that to a large
extent its work is limited due to the restrictions placed upon them by the US
administration that prohibits the sale of such technology to Syria.
The US ban on high-tech goods prevents the majority of these companies products
being sold to Syria, however the White House has the right to lift the ban on
some of these products. This is what happened last year when the US
administration sold some civilian aircrafts spare parts to "Syrian Air"
airlines.
Hilary Clinton believes that modern high-tech goods are important, and she made
this a major part of her foreign policy [with regards Syria]. This is due to her
personal belief that modern high-tech goods, as well as modern digital and
telecommunication technology will positively and effectively contribute to
improving the climate of freedom and bringing in public participation in
political decision-making.
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is well known for his personal interest in the
digital and information field, and he used to be head of the Syrian Computer
Society, and he also launched the initial [technological] infrastructure in the
country. Al-Assad also expressed his keenness to develop high-tech tools in
Syria, sending signals to the US administration in this regard.
This visit is expected to include meetings with senior state figures, as well as
the [US] delegation visiting the two largest universities in Syria, and meetings
with leading [Syrian] businessmen and non-governmental institutions. This visit
comes during a period of tension after Israeli circles launched accusations –
that were not denied by the US administration – that the Syrian government is
providing Hezbollah with Scud missiles. This visit also coincides with US
Congress delaying its endorsement of the appointment of Robert Ford as US
Ambassador to Syria, due to the reservations voiced by a group of American
right-wingers that any endeavor to make progress in relations with Syria
represents a threat to Israeli national security.
However the new reality on the ground in Iraq and Lebanon confirms that the
option of US – Syrian rapprochement is a question of time, and the details of
how this will happen.
A large majority of the Lebanese opponents have visited Damascus, and now they
seem to be moving closer to Syria. The situation in Iraq is also improving with
regards to the security violations from the Syrian border. We also cannot over
look the grave economic crisis suffered by the US economy, something that means
that the US must "hunt" for new markets and promising opportunities. Therefore,
due to its international isolation, the Syrian market represents a tremendous
and promising opportunity for modern high-tech companies, as well as for
companies that specialize in mobile phones, interne services, internet security,
e-banking, e-learning, e-commerce, and others fields.
This initiative is a test, and reflects the need for mutual interests between
the two countries and there are numerous teams that are operating and
interacting on this initiative. The huge Syrian Diaspora that exists in the US
is divided on this issue, for there are those who support this in words and
actions, and there are those who reject this for diverse political reasons. In
the early 1980s, when the world was celebrating each new technological
invention, the US "Intel" Corporation invented a new microchip, the 386 [also
known as the 80386 or the i386] however the company made it clear that such
computer chips – along with other computer components – was banned from being
sold to specific countries, including Iraq, Iran, Libya, Sudan, and Syria. This
was because these microchips could be used in computers to launch missiles.
However smart-phones and laptops today include microchips that are much more
powerful and more technologically advanced therefore the more time changes, the
more things stay the same! And so this visit that is being undertaken by this
technological delegation to Damascus is extremely important, as are its results
on the Syrian – US economical and political scene.
There is a new US decision that has been made regarding Syria, and a new
relationship is being built, however what remains is to discover the nature and
details of this relations and its transparency on the surface.
Prosecuted Because of Facebook…A Lost Cause
02/07/2010/By Diana Mukkaled
Alsaq Alawsat
http://aawsat.com/english/news.asp?section=2&id=21491
I was unable to view the comments posted on the Facebook social networking
website by three young men in which they made negative remarks about Lebanese
President Michel Suleiman. The three young men have been arrested on charges of
slandering and defaming the character of President Suleiman, and their arrest
took place amidst a campaign to justify this in which politicians, MPs, and even
the Minister of Justice himself was involved. They said that the youths had
confused political and media freedoms with the crimes of libel and slander.
I found no traces of the alleged "crime" that was carried out by these three
young men, who posted [these remarks] on their own personal pages on the
Facebook social networking site. However I did come across a number of blogs and
tweets that criticize these three youths being arrested for merely publicly
expressing harsh and negative opinions of Suleiman.
Measures like those taken by the Lebanese authorities are not enough to
consolidate the [Lebanese] regime's position; firstly because this regime has
failed on a number of occasions to prove that it is neutral and in a position to
protect both individuals and society as a whole. Secondly, because this regime
will discover – as many others before it have – that its control and restriction
mechanisms have become ineffective in the face of the telecommunications
revolution whose capability of circumventing various types of control never
ceases to surprise us. This does not mean that the political forces will stop
surveillance and repression, for these forces view freedom as a threat and an
antithesis. They are in the grip of an obsession that will never end unless they
are able to take complete control of the public's tongues and actions.
As for the recent case of the three young men on Facebook, and regardless of
their remarks and the controversy surrounding them; this certainly represents
something that the Bureau of Information Crime need not place them under arrest
for. There can be no doubt that the Bureau of Information Crime, the General
Prosecution, and even the Minister of Justice, have many cases and issues that
are far more deserving of their time and effort than a lost cause such as this.
Others have tried to prosecute similar cases and failed to control the negative
consequences of this. The effort here lies not in drafting a law that suppresses
internet freedoms as is currently taking place behind closed doors in Lebanon's
parliament, but rather in technically activating this area [the internet] and
organizing it, rather than not suppressing it or having intelligence agencies
monitor it.
Whilst searching for the comments posted by these three youths, I found pages
that support the Lebanese president, and these pages included a lot of comments
that praise and commend President Michel Suleiman. One of these comments drew my
attention, and I will reproduce it for you here verbatim, "Mr. President, we
wish that you would rule Lebanon with an iron fist in the same manner that the
martyred leader Saddam Hussein ruled over Iraq."
I was a little confused upon reading the previous comment, as I believe that
wishing that an Arab president should utilize power following the Saddam Hussein
model is something of an insult. This comment was posted months ago and it seems
that nobody objects to it. Of course, my words are not a call for anybody new to
be arrested, but there seems to be confusion surrounding what is slander and
defamation.
In my opinion, this invariably contains a lot of confusion.
Israel is spying because it can't wage war - top Hizbullah
MP
Party urges Cabinet to hit espionage networks with ‘iron fist’
By Elias Sakr /Daily Star staff
Saturday, July 03, 2010
BEIRUT: Israel is attempting to infiltrate Lebanon’s domestic front because it’s
incapable of launching a costly war, Hizbullah’s Loyalty to Resistance bloc
leader Mohammad Raad said on Friday.
Raad made the remarks following the most recent discovery of a suspected Israeli
spy, who was working at the mobile phone company Alfa.
“The focus of the Israeli enemy to infiltrate our domestic front … which aims to
buy it time, since it currently lacks military readiness to launch a war, which
would be very expensive and put its very [existence] at risk,” Raad said.
A wave of arrests began in April 2009 as part of a widespread espionage
investigation in which dozens of people have been arrested on suspicion of
spying for Israel.
Since then, over 20 people have been formally charged, including an army
colonel.
Last week, a technician at the state-owned mobile phone firm Alfa, Charbel Qazzi,
was detained by the army on suspicion of spying for Israel. Qazzi was
responsible for maintaining equipment that connects cellular network stations.
In a statement on Friday, Hizbullah urged the Cabinet to strike the espionage
networks with “an iron fist,” in reference to earlier demands to impose the
death penalty on spies.
Speaking at a ceremony organized by Hizbullah to honor media professionals in
Sidon, Raad urged the Lebanese Army and its intelligence services to inspect all
of the country’s sectors for Israeli infiltration.
“The uncovering of the Israeli telecommunication spy is an achievement by the
Lebanese army and its intelligence services; however, the picture should be
completed because the Israeli infiltration isn’t restricted to the
telecommunication sector but also [extends] to banking, and many others,” Raad
said.
Raad added that the alleged Israeli espionage activities targeted the
foundations of the country’s institutions, community, security and stability.
“If the attack is of this magnitude, then our official and popular resistance
efforts should be of the same magnitude,” he said.
Raad did not spare the international community from criticism for failing to
halt Israeli violations to Lebanese sovereignty three years following the July
2006 war.
“We’ve learned much from our experience and our achievements, which were made by
relying on ourselves, promoting our capabilities and strengthening national
unity behind the Resistance,” Raad said.
Raad didn’t play down the importance of diplomatic resistance against Israel,
but added that it should be coupled with force. “Otherwise, diplomacy will not
produce anything and will turn our country to a mockery in the eyes of our
enemies,” he said.
Raad also slammed the US and NATO, which he said seek to “put their hands on
strategic routes as well as oil and natural resources in the Middle East.
“This enemy takes a base in occupied Palestine to crack down on the Arab and
Islamic region since its role is that of an advanced base for NATO forces,” Raad
said.