LCCC
ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
ِJuly
14/2010
Bible Of
the Day
1 Peter 4:8
Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of
sins.
Today's Inspiring Thought: Love Covers
In one area or another, we're all blind when it comes to our own sin. It's much
more comfortable to look at someone else and point to their transgressions.
Selfish love covers our own sin, while true unconditional love will look more
honestly at our own sin and overlook the offenses of others. Where love is in
abundance, people are quickly forgiven. /Naharnet
Free Opinions, Releases,
letters, Interviews & Special Reports
Jamil as-Sayyed’s special
request/By: Arthur Blok/July 13/10
Latest News
Reports From Miscellaneous Sources for July 13/10
Sfeir urges better ties with
diaspora/Daily Star
Sfeir Urges Deir al-Ahmar
Residents to Remain Steadfast in their Lands/Naharnet
Alloush: Security around Beirut
Airport 'Off-Limits' to State Authorities/Naharnet
Hariri to Deal with Airport
Security after Security Chief Resignation over 'Dead Man' Scandal/Naharnet
DNA Samples Taken from Haidar's
Parents to Confirm Identity/Naharnet
Head of Airport Security
Requests to Be Relieved of Duties, Sources Doubt Haidar was Mentally Unbalanced/Naharnet
Shuqeir's Resignation Opens Door
to Security Appointments/Naharnet
Lebanese general seeks court record
in Hariri case/The
Associated Press
UNIFIL continues reconciliation
efforts in the south/Daily Star
Beirut authorities identify
stowaway/Daily Star
our years on, Israeli troops learn
from summer war/AFP
Hariri Leads Delegation to Syria
Soon/Naharnet
Meeting over Security Agreement
Adjourned After Hizbullah MPs Walk Out/Naharnet
Jumblat Hails Shuqeir's
'Unprecedented Move,' Says 2008 Events Were a 'Misunderstanding/Naharnet
Abboud Urges Not to Exaggerate
Airport Incident as Height of Tourism Season Approaches/Naharnet
Israeli Victims of 2006 War Sue
al-Jazeera for Allegedly Aiding Hizbullah/Naharnet
Sayyed Before Appearing for
Hearing: I'm a Plaintiff, Not a Defendant/Naharnet
PLO's Lebanon Representative:
March 14 Draft Law Enough, Provided It is Implemented/Naharnet
Gunfight in Sabra over Parking
Space/Naharnet
Israeli Concern over Hizbullah
Use of Tunnels to Attack Border Community or Army Post/Naharnet
March 8 to Demand Modification
or Annulment of Security Agreement with France/Naharnet
Ahmadinejad Postpones Beirut
Visit/Naharnet
Kuwait's Interior Minister
Visits Beirut/Naharnet
Aoun, Jumblat Discuss Palestinians
Rights Issue over Dinner/Naharnet
Sfeir
urges better ties with diaspora
By The Daily Star /Tuesday, July 13, 2010
BEIRUT: Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Boutros Sfeir called for a strengthening of
Lebanon’s ties with the diaspora during a meeting held in the village of Diman
late Sunday. The prelate also held talks with the Palestinian ambassador on
Monday. Sfeir met with a delegation from the congregation of Diman, the
patriarch’s summer residence, and was informed of the situation of Lebanese
expatriates in Halifax, Canada. The patriarch showed concern for the
relationship expatriates had with their home country and urged the necessary
authorities to nurture a love of Lebanon’s heritage among the diaspora. “Each
person should seek, from his own place, to strengthen the ties between Lebanon
and its expatriates and he should provide convenient circumstances for
expatriates to return home and participate in national Lebanese life,” he said.
Lebanon’s consul in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia, Wadih Fares, informed
the patriarch that most of Diman’s 150 families lived in Halifax and a large
number of these families have returned to Lebanon for the summer. He also
presented his consulate’s project “Preserving Identity and Heritage,” which is
aimed at registering Lebanese newborns and encouraging the youth to maintain
connections with their homeland. “Young Lebanese expatriates should love
Lebanon’s spiritual and national heritage. Concerned bodies should take on this
task because the diaspora is an essential part of Lebanon,” Sfeir added, hoping
the country’s political and security situations would help expatriates return,
even if only temporarily. On Monday, Sfeir received several figures in Dimian,
including Palestinian Ambassador Abdullah Abdullah. The two figures discussed
Palestinian affairs as well as the proposals to provide labor laws for
Palestinian refugees. The proposals will be presented to Parliament on July 15.
After the meeting, Abdullah voiced his optimism. “Sfeir was very understanding.
I am confident the patriarch’s blessing and his support for human and fair
demands, such as the demands we are making for the benefit of refugees in this
land, will lead to positive results in the near future,” he said. The two
figures also tackled the statement issued by the Maronite Bishops Council last
week, which approved granting Palestinians civil rights, provided weapons inside
and outside camps were controlled by the state. Abdullah said the statement was
“a positive step.” Abdullah also congratulated Sfeir for receiving the Elias
Hrawi Award for 2010. – The Daily Star
Sfeir Urges Deir al-Ahmar Residents to Remain Steadfast in
their Lands
Naharnet/Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Sfeir urged Tuesday residents of Deir al-Ahmar
to remain steadfast in their lands as a testimony to coexistence.
During a meeting with a delegation from the Maronite Diocese of Deir al-Ahmar,
Sfeir hailed the "strong belief" the villagers enjoyed. Beirut, 13 Jul 10, 13:05
Alloush: Security around Beirut Airport 'Off-Limits' to State Authorities
Naharnet/Mustaqbal Movement official Mustafa Alloush said Tuesday that security
around Beirut airport is "off-limits" to state authorities.
"Security around the airport does not fall under the state's jurisdiction,"
Alloush told LBC satellite channel. He said the presence of houses blocking the
view from the airport has been a chronic problem for the airport's Control
Tower. Alloush said political forces and parties are providing "cover" for some
officials and government personnel. "This political cover is the reason for the
problems in the government," he argued. Beirut, 13 Jul 10,
Shuqeir's
Resignation Opens Door to Security Appointments
Naharnet/The resignation of Beirut airport security chief Brig. Gen. Wafiq
Shuqeir has opened the door to the long-awaited security appointments.
An-Nahar newspaper on Tuesday said consultations will be carried out before
approval of Shuqeir's resignation in light of other factors, mainly that he was
approaching his retirement age. Beirut, 13 Jul 10,
Hariri to Deal with Airport Security after Security Chief Resignation over 'Dead
Man' Scandal
Naharnet/Prime Minister Saad Hariri will preside over a meeting at Beirut
airport on Tuesday following the resignation of airport security chief Brig.
Gen. Wafiq Shuqeir over the death of a man who sneaked onto the runway
undetected and hid on the tire of a Saudi-bound plane.Shuqeir's resignation came
on the eve of a meeting set for Tuesday at Beirut Rafik Hariri Airport.
Hariri will head the meeting which will be attended by Cabinet ministers and
security chiefs in charge of Beirut airport security.Shuqeir on Monday submitted
a written resignation to Interior Minister Ziad Baroud a day after Firas Hussein
Haidar, 20, was found dead stuck to the jet's wheel. Shuqeir has met with Baroud
to ask that he be relieved of his duties as airport security chief. Baroud,
however, rejected his resignation pending completion of investigation. An-Nahar
newspaper on Tuesday said Shuqeir handed over to Baroud a report on the
discovery of the dead man and the investigation carried out with him. Shuqeir,
however, refused to take the sole blame on the scandal, saying that he was
target of a "campaign." An-Nahar said action may not be taken immediately, but
that Shuqeir is likely to be a vacation. Baroud is set to head an "ordinary"
meeting of the Central Security Council on Tuesday at the office. Beirut, 13 Jul
10,
Head of Airport Security Requests to Be Relieved of Duties, Sources Doubt Haidar
was Mentally Unbalanced
Naharnet/The head of airport security Brigadier General Wafiq Shqeir submitted a
request on Monday to Interior Minister Ziad Baroud asking him to be relieved of
his duties, Lebanon's state-run National News Agency reported Monday. The
resignation came in the wake of Saturday's discovery of human remains on the
rear tires of a Nas Air jet that flew from Beirut to Riyadh. A government
source, on condition of anonymity as he was not authorized to speak to the
media, would not confirm to AFP whether the resignation was directly linked to
the accident. Separately, neither Shqeir nor Baroud could immediately be reached
for comment. The remains were identified as those of Firas Hussein Haidar, a
mentally unbalanced resident of south Beirut's Borj al-Barajneh neighborhood
which is very close to the airport. Justice Minister Ibrahim Najjar said that
the state of Haidar's mental condition could not yet be confirmed.
A Lebanon airport official said Haidar had somehow managed to grab hold of a
wheel of the jet in Beirut late Friday night without the control tower noticing
before the jet took off.
The body was then found by a maintenance worker who inspected the right rear
landing gear of the Saudi-owned Nas Air Airbus 320 after it touched down at
Riyadh's King Khaled International Airport early on Saturday morning, according
to the Saudi General Authority of Civil Aviation.
"When approaching the aircraft he discovered the body of a person who had tried
to hide in the wheel bay while the plane took off from Beirut International
Airport," the Jeddah-based authority said in a statement.
Passengers on Nas Air Flight XY 720 reported seeing a man in a cap with a
backpack make a dash for the plane as it prepared to taxi, according to the
Lebanese media. He stumbled once and then continued towards the aircraft. NNA
has reported that passengers and flight attendants informed the pilot, who did
not take any action and continued to take off without informing the control
tower. Nas Air is yet to comment on the report. Meanwhile, security sources
following the investigation doubted that Haidar may have been mentally unstable
saying that his actions indicate the opposite, the Central News Agency reported.
They said that the victim had used a pair of scissors to make his way into the
wheel bay, which were later found on the runway. They also noted that he had
cigarette filters to use as earplugs while hiding in the plane, "which means
that he was aware of what he was doing."The sources also revealed that Saudi
officials and officers were onboard the Nas Air jet. Shqeir was one of the main
causes of a dispute in 2008 between the government, headed by then Prime
Minister Fouad Saniora, and the Hizbullah-led opposition, which spiraled into
the infamous May 7 clashes. The clashes erupted when Cabinet decided to remove
Shqeir from his post over his alleged links to Hizbullah, and after the
discovery of a private telecommunications network set up by the party on
Lebanese territory. Hizbullah rejected the decisions accusing the government of
launching a war against it.(Naharnet-AFP) Beirut, 12 Jul 10,
Abboud Urges Not to Exaggerate Airport Incident as Height of Tourism Season
Approaches
Naharnet/Tourism Minister Fadi Abboud said Tuesday that the discovery of a body
stuck to the tire of a jet bound for Riyadh should "not be blown out of
proportion."In an interview with ANB television, Abboud said that the airport
incident "happens in countries all over the world." He urged an end to the
political manipulation of this issue, "particularly since we are at the height
of the tourism season." Abboud said a meeting set to be held at Beirut airport
later Tuesday between the tourism ministry and airport security officials was
pre-planned. It aims to discuss "the implementation of previously discussed
issues and is not related to the airport incident," he stressed. The meeting
comes a day after the resignation of Airport Security Chief Brig. Gen. Wafiq
Shuqeir. Abboud thought that airport electronic management and control systems
would be a good idea, urging the installation of surveillance cameras at the
airport "to decrease such violations." Beirut, 13 Jul 10,
Beirut
authorities identify stowaway
Airport security chief submits resignation after aircraft incident
By The Daily Star /Tuesday, July 13, 2010
BEIRUT: While Lebanese authorities identified Monday the body found inside a
wheel bay of a passenger plane after it landed in the Saudi capital from Beirut
over the weekend, the security chief of the Rafik Hariri International Airport
submitted his resignation on Monday. Airport workers in Riyadh found a human
body on the landing gear of a flight from Beirut early Saturday, after a man
apparently tried to hitch a ride on the plane. The body was discovered when a
maintenance worker went to inspect the right rear landing gear of the Airbus 320
after it landed at Riyadh’s King Khaled International Airport on the flight from
Lebanon, the Saudi General Authority of Civil Aviation said in a statement. Nas
Air flight XY 720 took off from Beirut airport late Friday and landed Saturday
morning in the Saudi capital Speaking to AFP on Monday, Justice Minister Ibrahim
Najjar said “the man’s family was able to identify him through a photograph of
him provided by Saudi authorities.” “There are also reports that he was mentally
unstable, but we have yet to confirm them,” added Najjar. The man was identified
as Firas Haidar, 20, hailing from the southern village of Markaba in the qada of
Marjayoun.
Haidar, who according to the Central News Agency (CNA) snuck across the airport
runway’s barbed wire, had lived in the Beirut suburb of Burj al-Barajneh near
the airport.
The CNA reported Monday that Ali Haidar, Firas’ brother, visited the
headquarters of the airport security authorities where he identified the body of
his sibling after he had examined two photographs of the corpse which was sent
by authorities in Saudi Arabia. According to the CNA, Ali Haidar said his
brother had not been home for the last three days before the incident, adding
that he had been suffering from psychological problems and had shown a clear
change in his behavior over the past six months.
However, security sources told the CNA that the fact that two filterless
cigarettes believed to belong to Haidar were found on the airport’s runway
indicated that he was fully aware of the task he would undertake rather than
mentally disordered. The deceased man is thought to have intended to use the
cigarettes in order to protect his ears from intense noise during the plane’s
departure. The sources also raised concern over an iron cutter believed to
belong to Haidar as well, adding that prominent Saudi figures and officers had
been aboard the plane on which Haidar tried to hitch a ride. The information
provided by Ali Haidar was passed to Mount Lebanon’s Public Prosecutor Judge
Claude Karam, who is in charge of the ongoing investigations related to the
matter. CNA reported that Lebanese authorities Monday took DNA samples from
Haidar’s relatives to confirm the corpse’s identity. In other news, Rafik Hariri
International Airport’s Security Chief Brigadier Wafiq Choucair submitted his
resignation Monday to Interior Minister Ziyad Baroud. Reports said that
Choucair had forwarded a report to Baroud that included information about the
airport incident, along with a request for accepting his resignation. Baroud is
studying Choucair’s request with a final decision that has yet to be made. An
earlier decision by former Premier Fouad Siniora to sack Choucair from his post
along with dismantling Hizbullah’s telecommunications network sparked armed
clashes in Beirut and the Chouf between government supporters and pro-Hizbullah
fighters in May 2008. Calm was restored in the country following a
Qatari-brokered accord – the Doha accord – that led to the election of army
commander General
Najjar: Dead Man Found on Jet's Tire Appears to Be Mentally Unstable
Naharnet/Justice Minister Ibrahim Najjar said that family members had identified
the man -- who crept onto a plane bound for Riyadh and found dead under the
wheel -- as a Lebanese national through a photograph provided by Saudi
authorities. He identified the man as Firas Hussein Haidar. "There are also
reports that he was mentally unstable, but we have yet to confirm them," Najjar
told AFP.(AFP) Beirut, 13 Jul 10,
Hariri to
Deal with Airport Security after Security Chief Resignation over 'Dead Man'
Scandal
Naharnet/Prime Minister Saad Hariri will preside over a meeting at Beirut
airport on Tuesday following the resignation of airport security chief Brig.
Gen. Wafiq Shuqeir over the death of a man who sneaked onto the runway
undetected and hid on the tire of a Saudi-bound plane.
Shuqeir's resignation came on the eve of a meeting set for Tuesday at Beirut
Rafik Hariri Airport. Hariri will head the meeting which will be attended
by Cabinet ministers and security chiefs in charge of Beirut airport security.
Shuqeir on Monday submitted a written resignation to Interior Minister Ziad
Baroud a day after Firas Hussein Haidar, 20, was found dead stuck to the jet's
wheel. Shuqeir has met with Baroud to ask that he be relieved of his duties as
airport security chief. Baroud, however, rejected his resignation pending
completion of investigation.
An-Nahar newspaper on Tuesday said Shuqeir handed over to Baroud a report on the
discovery of the dead man and the investigation carried out with him.
Shuqeir, however, refused to take the sole blame on the scandal, saying that he
was target of a "campaign." An-Nahar said action may not be taken immediately,
but that Shuqeir is likely to be a vacation. Baroud is set to head an "ordinary"
meeting of the Central Security Council on Tuesday at the office. Beirut, 13 Jul
10,
Jumblat Hails Shuqeir's 'Unprecedented Move,' Says 2008 Events Were a
'Misunderstanding'
Naharnet/Druze leader Walid Jumblat on Tuesday hailed airport security chief
Brig. Gen. Wafiq Shuqeir over his decision to resign, saying it was an
unprecedented move by a security official. Jumblat said in a statement that
Shuqeir's decision to submit a written resignation to Interior Minister Ziad
Baroud over the infiltration of a man to the airport runway was "the first of
its kind for a security official in Lebanon." The leader of the Progressive
Socialist Party said he called Shuqeir on Monday night, adding he hoped his
statement would be a compensation for his demands in 2008 to sack the security
chief for allegedly allowing Hizbullah to place cameras in the airport area.
"What took place in the past was a misunderstanding … which led to moral
damage," the statement said. Jumblat called for a "serious and speedy"
investigation into the airport incident to "preserve the dignity" of Shuqeir.
Beirut, 13 Jul 10,
Meeting over Security Agreement Adjourned After Hizbullah MPs Walk Out
Naharnet/A meeting of joint parliamentary committees was adjourned on Tuesday
due to lack of quorum after Hizbullah MPs backed by some Free Patriotic Movement
lawmakers withdrew from discussions following a quarrel on a security agreement
with France. MP Mohammed Qabbani said that following 2-hours of talks there was
lack of quorum. He did not confirm media reports about the quarrel between March
14 MPs and Hizbullah lawmakers. However, Voice of Lebanon radio said a dispute
erupted during the meeting between MPs Oqab Saqr and Nawaf al-Moussawi. Qabbani
said that despite different suggestions over the treaty on cooperation with
France in internal security, there was agreement among conferees to sign such a
deal. Beirut, 13 Jul 10,
DNA Samples Taken from Haidar's Parents to Confirm Identity
Naharnet/DNA samples were taken from the parents of Firas Hussein Haidar whose
body was found in the rear tire of a Saudi plane which took off from Rafik
Hariri international airport early Saturday. The samples will be compared with
the 20-year-old's DNA test, the National News Agency said, adding results will
be issued within 48 hours.
Media reports have said Haidar was mentally unstable.He resided in southern
Beirut's Borj al-Barajneh neighborhood, which made it easy for him to infiltrate
the airport runway and hide in the right rear landing gear of the Saudi-owned
Nas Air Airbus 320. Beirut, 13 Jul 10,
Four years on, Israeli troops learn from summer war
New Training utilizes knowledge of terrain gained during conflict
By Agence France Presse (AFP) Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Patrick Moser
ELYAKIM TRAINING BASE, Israel: Four years after its devastating war in south
Lebanon, Israel says it hopes peace will hold but keeps its troops at the ready,
claiming Hizbullah is stockpiling weapons in villages.
At the Elyakim army base in northern Israel, a “village” of concrete structures,
done up to look like simple one- and two-story homes, is riddled with paint-ball
markings.
Burnt out trucks, a wrecked tank and earth-shaking blasts add a touch of
realism. Smoke rises to the cloudless sky.
Half a dozen soldiers crouch low as they silently scramble up a nearby hill, a
few meters at a time, using the foliage as cover. Suddenly they start firing
their automatic weapons at targets hidden in the trees. An acrid smell fills the
air, spent cartridges litter the ground.
It is here that troops are putting into practice what they learned during the
34-day war that started on July 12, 2006, when Israel retaliated for a
cross-border raid in which Hizbullah captured two Israeli soldiers and killed
three.
The war on Lebanon destroyed much of Lebanon’s major infrastructure and killed
more than 1,200 Lebanese, mainly civilians, and 160 Israelis, mostly soldiers.
The Elyakim course, mainly for infantry units, lasts about a week, and uses
paintball guns, blanks and live fire.
A large rock on a hillside suddenly takes on a life of its own and becomes a
heavily armed soldier, who quickly discards the grey tarp that covered him.
Camouflage netting covers Katyusha launchers and stocks of weapons, and a cable
snakes through the foliage, meaning a booby trap has been set. A fake rock hides
an explosive device, and a crevice in the ground is a firing position.
A couple of soldiers look up from an underground bunker which officers say is a
perfect replica of Hizbullah tunnels in southern Lebanon.
“The intent is to make the forces better prepared to fight guerrilla
organizations without harming civilians,” explains Captain Arye Shalicar, a
military spokesman.
This week, Israel published a series of photographs showing what it said was
evidence that Hizbullah had changed tactics since 2006 – shifting some
three-quarters of its estimated 40,000 rockets into villages in south Lebanon
from open areas. “They have warehouses of rockets near mosques, schools, medical
centers, in the middle of villages, and they look like any other building,”
military spokeswoman Lieutenant Colonel Avital Leibovitz said. During the war,
much of the fighting took place on open scrubland, but since then the militia
has gravitated toward built-up areas – in a bid to exploit Israel’s “sensitivity
towards civilians,” she claimed. “They know we put a lot of effort to avoid
hurting civilians. That is why they put their weapons in the middle of civilian
areas to make it difficult for us to act against them,” she said. Down at the
base, another officer, who asked not to be identified, said getting troops to
distinguish between civilians and “terrorists” was a key part of the training.
“Hizbullah know they can’t win, but they want to delegitimize Israel. The more
civilians are killed, the more Israel will be criticized – the same as with the
flotilla.” Israeli commandos killed nine Turkish activists when they stormed an
aid flotilla in May. The incident stirred a storm of international protests.
Israel claims the troops were forced to fire after being brutally attacked as
they boarded the Turkish Mavi Marmara ferry. Video clips show soldiers being
beaten with poles. Both sides regularly accuse the other of escalating tension
and violating UN Resolution 1701 which ended the war, with Israel conducting
military overflights of southern Lebanon and Hizbullah stockpiling weapons. But
despite sporadic flare-ups, with rockets fired at Israel which responds with air
strikes, the Israeli-Lebanese border has generally been calm since the end of
the war. “Right now it’s calm and we hope it will remain so,” said Shalicar.
“But in case they do again feel like provoking us, killing or kidnapping
soldiers as happened four years ago, we have to be ready to fight the
guerrillas, and be ready for the different terrains they use.”
UNIFIL continues reconciliation efforts in the south
By Patrick Galey and Mohammed Zaatari
Daily Star staff/Tuesday, July 13, 2010
BEIRUT: The UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) continued reconciliation
efforts with southern residents Monday, as the specter of renewed conflict
between Hizbullah and Israel hardened. UNIFIL Force Commander Major General
Alberto Asarta Cuevas met a delegation of local mayors and mukhtars to continue
discussions aimed at stemming the wave of antipathy toward the force, which
culminated in the injuring of three peacekeepers in two incidents earlier this
month.
“The force commander explained how UNIFIL operates in close coordination with
the LAF (Lebanese Armed Forces) and reiterated the points made in his open
letter to the people of south Lebanon last Thursday,” UNIFIL Spokesperson Neeraj
Singh said, referring to the letter in which Ceuvas asked residents to resolve
disagreements through dialogue.
“It was agreed that the good relationship that UNIFIL has always had with the
people of south Lebanon is vital to the effective implementation of our mandate
and all-round efforts should be made to maintain and build on it,” Singh added.
The meeting took place as reports of intensified Israeli military drills along
the Blue Line emerged. Israeli daily Haaretz, quoting unidentified army
personnel, reported that Israeli troops had stepped up their presence along the
de facto border following Hizbullah’s reaction to the publication of images
allegedly showing missile storage facilities inside Lebanon.
“The Israeli Army has been organizing intensified battles in recent months in
pockets beyond the border fence,” the paper quoted a northern Israeli Army
officer as saying. These “pockets” are of a depth of roughly 100 meters and
extend into Lebanon, the paper added. “Realistically, Hizbullah has been active
in those pockets, although that those are Israeli territory is without
question,” the military source added.
The paper reported that while Israeli military policy had shifted since the
summer 2006 war which Israel launched against Lebanon, Tel Aviv still maintains
a deliberately belligerent army presence close to Lebanese territory.
Haaretz’s source said the Israeli Army was “allowed to reach the last meter of
the Blue Line.”
UNIFIL, when contacted by The Daily Star, said they had received no information
about Israeli maneuvers.
Cuevas’ meeting came off the back of two incidents which saw angry Lebanese
residents attack UNIFIL patrols. The villagers pelted soldiers with stones and
confiscated weapons, injuring three peacekeepers.
Sunday night saw a discussion between UNIFIL officials and residents at the
village of Touline, the site of one such altercation.
UNIFIL Sector West Commander Brigadier General Giuseppe Nicola Tota addressed
assembled villagers in a bid to allay concerns that peacekeeping units had been
operating in the south independently from Lebanese Army patrols – something
forbidden by UN Security Council Resolution 1701.
“We might disturb citizens when passing with our vehicles, and if we committed a
mistake then we are sorry for that,” Tota said. “We will work on solving any
mistakes through talks with the mayor and the Lebanese Army. I hope that when a
mistake is made that we talk with each other in the hope that we won’t clash
with one another.”
Hussein Awali, the mayor of Touline, said that the reconciliation talks marked
the end of the crisis.
“UNIFIL soldiers are secure. They are our guests and there is no need for
reconciliation, as there was no dispute in the first place,” he told The Daily
Star.
The anti-UNIFIL protests prompted a series of domestic and international
responses, including the call of UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, who demanded
his peacekeepers be given freedom of movement within its mandated operations
area in his interim report on the implementation of Resolution 1701.
The report drew ire from Damascus on Sunday, as Syria’s permanent representative
at the Security Council attacked Ban for displaying Israeli bias in his request
that more effort be made to counter the threat of militants in Palestinian bases
straddling the Lebanon-Syria border.
Bashar al-Jaafari warned the UN against meddling in Lebanese domestic affairs,
“because this will threaten the achievements that have been made that were the
results of enormous efforts, made by several parties, including Syria.”
“The demand made by parties that have written this report calling for Syrian
cooperation in dismantling those headquarters was unfathomable because this
issue is being addressed by the National Dialogue which embraces Lebanese
parties,” the Syrian envoy added.
The report mentioned Israeli allegations that Hizbullah had received long-range
Scud missiles from Syria, something with which Damascus has already taken
umbrage.
“It is not acceptable that the secretary general’s report include claims and
lies with no evidence for its credibility,” Jaafari said. “The UN does not have
the means to confirm the claims and this issue precisely is a source of
questioning for us.”
Israeli Victims of 2006 War Sue al-Jazeera for Allegedly Aiding Hizbullah
Naharnet/On the fourth anniversary of the Israel-Hizbullah war, a group of 91
Israelis filed a $1.2 billion lawsuit in a U.S. federal court against the
Qatar-based satellite TV network al-Jazeera alleging its war coverage aided
Hizbullah, the Yedioth Ahronoth daily reported. The plaintiffs are Israeli
civilians who were wounded during the war or are relatives of victims of the
Katyusha rockets that were fired by Hizbullah on northern Israel in the summer
of 2006, the newspaper said. The Kaplan vs. al-Jazeera suit seeks compensatory
and punitive damages. "Al-Jazeera intentionally reported live coverage of the
locations of the missile strikes inside of Israel in violation of military
censorship regulations, in order to enable Hizbullah to aim the missiles more
accurately," the attorneys of the plaintiffs said. "Al-Jazeera camera crews in
Israel during the war were repeatedly detained by the Israeli police for
broadcasting real-time information regarding the location of missile strikes,
which Hizbullah utilized to more accurately aim their missiles at civilian
population centers," the attorneys added. The founder of Israel Law Center (ILC),
Attorney Nitsana Darshan-Leitner, said that without the assistance of al-Jazeera's
on-the-ground spotters, the Lebanese Shiite group would have been unable to
accurately aim its missiles into Israeli cities. Beirut, 13 Jul 10,
Sayyed Before Appearing for Hearing: I'm a Plaintiff, Not a
Defendant
Naharnet/The public hearing at the request of Jamil Sayyed for access to certain
documents will take place on Tuesday. "I'm a plaintiff in The Hague (court) and
not a defendant," Sayyed told the daily As-Safir in remarks published Tuesday.
The hearing will take place at the headquarters of the Special Tribunal for
Lebanon in The Hague. On Monday, Sayyed rehearsed the public hearing with his
lawyer Akram Azoury for more than three hours at the STL building on Dokter Van
der Stamstraat 1 in Leidschendam." We are not after suspense," Sayyed said in a
separate interview with Al-Akhbar newspaper. "But the whole issue may contain
surprises." Beirut, 13 Jul 10, 06:20
Israeli
Concern over Hizbullah Use of Tunnels to Attack Border Community or Army Post
Naharnet/Concerns are mounting in the Israeli defense establishment that
Hizbullah may be digging tunnels from southern Lebanon to northern Israel to
attack a border community or an Israeli army outpost, The Jerusalem Post
reported Tuesday. It said the Israeli military was in the past worried that the
Lebanese Shiite group would try to kidnap soldiers. However, "the latest fears
surround the possibility that terrorists will cross into Israel through tunnels,
enter a border community like Shlomi and barricade themselves inside a home with
civilians."It added there is concern that Hizbullah would use these tunnels to
plant explosives underneath and near Israeli army posts. Army commanders
deployed along the northern Israeli border worry that a future Hizbullah strike
would involve not only rocket and mortar fire but also a simultaneous attack
aimed at kidnapping soldiers and infiltrating a border community, The Jerusalem
Post said. Last week, the Counter-Terrorism Bureau issued a general travel
advisory warning Israelis worldwide to maintain a high level of alertness out of
fear that Hizbullah may try to kidnap Israeli civilians, specifically
businessmen in an attempt to avenge the assassination of its top military
commander Imad Mughniyeh in a Damascus car bombing in 2008. Beirut, 13 Jul 10,
Kuwait's Interior Minister Visits Beirut
Naharnet/Kuwaiti Interior Minister Sheikh Jaber al-Khaled al-Sabah was in Beirut
on Tuesday for talks with top Lebanese officials. Sheikh Jaber arrived in Beirut
Monday afternoon. His visit is to last several days during which he will discuss
bilateral ties and local and regional issues with the Lebanese officials.
Beirut, 13 Jul 10,
Ahmadinejad Postpones Beirut Visit
Naharnet/Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has reportedly postponed a visit
to Lebanon till after Ramadan, Al-Akhbar newspaper said Tuesday. Ahmadinejad was
said to be in Lebanon soon at the head of a 70-member delegation, Iran's Fars
news agency reported. It said the visit was unveiled during a meeting in Beirut
between Speaker Nabih Berri and head of Iran's National Security Committee Alaa
Boroujerdi. It quoted a member of Parliament's National Security and Foreign
Policy Commission Seyed Ahmad Avaei as saying that "all introductory steps and
arrangements have been made for Ahmadinejad's upcoming visit to Lebanon."
Beirut, 13 Jul 10,
Jamil as-Sayyed’s special request
Arthur Blok, July 13, 2010
Now Lebanon/General Jamil as-Sayyed is asking the STL for access to court
documents to prove his wrongful imprisonment in the Hariri murder case. (AFP
photo/Anwar Amro)
Leidschendam - Brigadier General Jamil as-Sayyed will receive a special hearing
at The Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) today in Leidschendam.
Sayyed, the former head of Lebanon’s General Security, filed a request in March
to the president of the STL, Antonio Cassese, to gain access to certain court
investigation files. In April Cassese directed the case to Pre-Trial Judge
Daniel Fransen, who, on June 29, issued a scheduling order for the public
hearing. Sayyed’s earlier request to the Lebanese courts to obtain these
documents had been dismissed, as the ruling judge found that the Lebanese courts
have no jurisdiction on the matter.
This case is unique, said Professor Mischa Wladimiroff, one of Holland’s most
prominent defense advocates, in that never before has an international criminal
court granted the right of a public hearing to a person who was held in custody
on suspicion of a crime.
Sayyed was placed in temporary detention by Lebanese authorities on August 30,
2005 for his alleged involvement in the murder of former Prime Minister Rafik
Hariri in February of that year. Due to a lack of evidence, the STL ordered his
release on April 29, 2009 along with three other generals: former head of the
presidential guard Mustafa Hamdan, domestic security chief Ali Hajj and military
intelligence chief Raymond Azar. No one has ever been formally charged by the
STL.
Sayyed began challenging the court the moment he was released, claiming he was
the victim of slander and that he was arbitrarily detained for four years.
Sayyed’s current demand for access to court documents is part of his quest to
prove his innocence and to support his demand for compensation. In 2008 Sayyed’s
attorney sued former UN investigator Detlev Mehlis in a French court, blaming
Mehlis for “distorting the investigation and calling false witnesses.” Sayyed
has also accused the Lebanese judiciary of being corrupt.
According to Wladimiroff– who was the amicus curiae of the court that tried
Slobodan Milosevic and the defense counsel of Dusko Tadic, a Bosnian Serb war
criminal who was sentenced to 25 years in prison by the Yugoslavia tribunal –
Sayyed’s demand for the court files in March forced the STL to face the
questions of whether or not it has jurisdiction in this matter, and whether it
is more important to grant Sayyed access to the documents than it is for
Prosecutor Daniel Bellemare to protect his files.
“Sayyed strongly feels his honor is at stake. His interest lays not in the
ongoing investigation; he just wants to know what was said about him, and by
whom,” Wladimiroff said. “He needs this in order to be able to file a civil suit
or a criminal complaint in Lebanon against those who told lies about him.”
As for the question of whether the tribunal has jurisdiction in the case,
“Formally no,” Wladimiroff said. “It is supposed to deal with matters between
the prosecutor and the suspects. Additionally, it is not to be forgotten that
Sayyed still could be a suspect in a future case.”
Wladimiroff says that Sayyed’s case in Lebanon only stands a chance if he gets
access to the documents. At the same time much depends on Bellemare’s overall
case. If the prosecutor, for example, only has two or three witnesses against
Sayyed, the general’s request might be granted. If, on the contrary, Bellemare
can convince Pre-Trial Judge Fransen he has more material against the general,
Sayyed will not stand a chance. “The pre-trial judge will never endanger the
ongoing investigation,” Wladimiroff said.
STL spokesperson Fatima el-Issawi said that after Pre-Trial Judge Fransen hears
both parties he may pronounce that the tribunal has jurisdiction over the issue
and that Sayyed has standing before the court. “And if Fransen considers it
appropriate, he will be in a position to rule on the merits of the application,”
Issawi said.
Fransen, incidentally, decided it was “in the interest of justice” to organize
the public hearing, even though Sayyed does not have the “absolute” right,
describing the hearing as “an indispensable guarantee of justice and
transparency.”
“It will also provide him an opportunity to ask for clarifications on some
angles or issues he considers important,” Issawi added.
At today’s hearing, Sayyed and Bellemare will each get 20 minutes, though
Bellemare has previously said that the hearing is unnecessary.
Wladimiroff warns not to expect anything spectacular, as both parties will only
briefly exchange their views and arguments. “Afterward, I expect it will take
Fransen two to three weeks to decide on the matter.”
“Basically it all comes down to how strongly Bellemare will present his case
Tuesday, and how strong his future case will be.”
The STL was established by a UN Security Council resolution in 2007 and is the
first international tribunal of its kind to deal with terrorism as a distinct
crime. The STL applies Lebanese law to acts of terrorism. In its first annual
report published in March, president Cassese announced that “significant
progress” had been made in putting together a case against Hariri’s killers. He
also stated that he was confident the STL would move to prosecution within 12
months.
For his part, Wladimiroff compares the proceedings of the court to the story of
the ugly duckling. “When justice will prevail in the end, the duck will grow
into a beautiful swan. I am convinced of that,” he said.
7. Lebanese Politician Likes Germans Because "They Burned Jews"
by Hillel Fendel
A former Lebanese government minister said last week that he likes Germany
because “they hate Jews and burned them.” He was speaking on Al-Jadid/New TV in
Lebanon on July 4.
The clip was found and translated by MEMRI (Middle East Media Research
Institute), and screened on its MEMRITV.org television monitor project.
MEMRITV.org television monitor project.
http://www.memritv.org/clip/en/2536.htm
Wiam Wahhab, known to be pro-Syrian, served as
Lebanon’s Minister of the Environment from 2004-5.
Asked whom he supports in the World Cup, Wahhab said, “ “I support Germany in
politics and Brazil in soccer. … I like the Germans because they hate the Jews
and burned them” – and then laughed heartily.
He also said in the interview that if the current situation in southern Lebanon
continues, UNIFIL could find itself under attack.
The MEMRITV project monitors over 100 Arabic and Farsi TV channels 24 hours a
day, and provides translations.
In another clip from four weeks ago, Hamas leader Mahmoud a-Zahar said that the
key to Hamas policy is to demand a state in the West Bank and Gaza, with its
capital in Jerusalem, “but without recognizing Israeli sovereignty over a single
inch of land. This is our plan for this stage – to liberate the West Bank and
Gaza – without recognizing Israel’s right to a single inch of land, and without
giving up the Right of Return for a single Palestinian refugee…"
"The next stage is to have Palestine in its entirety," A-Zahar continued.
He said that if Fatah – the PA – wishes to work towards establishing a state
“only” in the "West Bank" (Judea and Samaria) and Gaza, “it doesn’t mean that we
[Hamas] will give up the resistance [terrorism].”