LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
ِJuly 24/2010

Bible Of the Day
Romans 8:28/And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.
Today's Inspiring Thought: All Things Work for Good
Not everything that comes into our lives can be classified as good. Paul didn't say here that all things are good. Yet, if we really believe this passage of Scripture, than we have to acknowledge that all things—the good, the bad, the sunshine, and the rain—are somehow working together by God's design for our ultimate well-being. In my own life, when I look back on the trials and those difficult things that seemed far from good at the time, I can see now how they were working for my benefit. If we could see our lives in reverse order, this verse would be so much easier to accept.

Free Opinions, Releases, letters, Interviews & Special Reports
Are we fools to expect indictments soon?/By: Michel Young/23 July/10
Egyptians must join in support of equality for all religions/By Yasser Khalil/
July 23/10
The fight that just won’t end/Matt Nash/July 23/10
Abu Adal’s prophecies/By: Elie Fawaz/July 23/10

Latest News Reports From Miscellaneous Sources for July 23/10
Haaretz: Hariri Needs Hizbullah for Survival which he Considers More Important than Family Honor/Naharnet
Top U.N. Official: Tribunal Findings Will Cause Turmoil in Lebanon/Naharnet
Hariri reassures Lebanese: No internal conflicts/Now Lebanon

Suleiman Meets Geagea, Arslan, Qahwaji, Hardan: Lebanon Salvation Only Through People's Unity/Naharnet
Soaid: Only Hizbullah's Abidance by State Conditions Saves Lebanon from Strife/Naharnet
Marouni: Nasrallah was a Successful Lawyer in a Case We Paid for in Blood/Naharnet
Israel Warns U.N. it Will Not Allow Aid Ships from Lebanon to Gaza/Naharnet
Nadim Gemayel: We Won't Allow Nasrallah to Devastate Lebanon Again/Naharnet
Nasrallah says UN Tribunal will indict Hizbullah members/Daily Star

Hezbollah Leader Expects Hariri Indictments/Wall Street Journal
/Naharnet
Israeli Army to simulate invasion of south Lebanon/Daily Star

Zahra: LF Will Not Accept Any STL Ruling that is Unfair toward Some Parties/Naharnet
Williams Lauds Suleiman's Initiative, Stresses to Hariri U.N. Support for Stability in Lebanon/Naharnet
France Telecom to Help Lebanon Repair Underwater Cable/Naharnet
Tawheed Movement Responds to LF: Are Wahhab's Cautionary Statements against Strife Attacks against the Law?/Naharnet
Abdullah: Hizbullah Fears about Spies, Tribunal 'Normal'/Naharnet
LF Urges Prosecutors to Act over Wahab's Threats/Naharnet
Mustaqbal Movement to Appoint New Leader/Naharnet
Bustani Visited Damascus to Set Stage for Assad's Trip to Beirut Within Days/Naharnet

Top U.N. Official: Tribunal Findings Will Cause Turmoil in Lebanon
Naharnet/A top U.N. official has said Lebanon will be hit by turmoil when Special Tribunal for Lebanon Prosecutor Daniel Bellemare issues his findings next fall.
Lebanon will be hit by a "moment of unrest and turmoil," the high-ranking official in New York told An Nahar daily in remarks published Friday.
In reference to Hizbullah, he said a certain party in Lebanon whose members could be tried has sent a message that "it has the means to make a counter-reaction" against U.N. peacekeepers in the south. The official also warned that the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon will not accept to be "paralyzed and humiliated" urging the Lebanese government to deploy an additional 5,000 troops in the south. During his meeting with several journalists, the diplomat said the last skirmishes between southerners and peacekeepers were "organized" by a side that "used women and children" to pelt the international troops with rocks. Turning to Israel, the U.N. official said the Jewish state should withdraw from the Lebanese part of the border village of Ghajar and end its violations of Lebanese airspace. Beirut, 23 Jul 10, 07:44

Nadim Gemayel: We Won't Allow Nasrallah to Devastate Lebanon Again

Naharnet/Phalange party MP Nadim Gemayel on Friday warned Hizbullah Secretary General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah against destroying Lebanon another time.
In response to a question concerning the internal strife Nasrallah warned against, Gemayel said he believed Nasrallah's remarks, instead, "signaled off sectarian rift." "We will not allow Sayyed Nasrallah to devastate the country like he did in July 2006 and in 2008," Gemayel warned. "Moreover, we will not allow any international ruling to cause internal strife," he said in an interview with MTV channel. Addressing Nasrallah, Gemayel stressed that March 14 coalition options are "Lebanese." He wondered whether Nasrallah wanted March 14 to adopt "Iran first" or "Syria first." Beirut, 23 Jul 10, 15:01

Haaretz: Hariri Needs Hizbullah for Survival which he Considers More Important than Family Honor

Naharnet/Prime Minister Saad Hariri's political survival depends on Hizbullah's consent, something more important to him than his family honor, Israeli daily Haaretz said Friday.
"I was personally informed by Prime Minister Saad Hariri before his visit to Washington (in May) that the tribunal will accuse some undisciplined members" of Hizbullah, Nasrallah said in a press conference on Thursday. Hariri may have concluded that if he supports the international tribunal's rulings in ex-Premier Rafik Hariri's assassination, "he will share his father's fate - or, alternatively, that doing so could risk renewed civil war between Hizbullah and his own March 14" alliance, Haaretz said. "In such a face-off, Hizbullah would certainly win. Thus Hariri hopes to resolve the problem by distinguishing between the operatives and the organization," the newspaper added. Nasrallah said Hariri had assured him he would publicly avow that it was undisciplined members of Hizbullah, and not the party itself, who were implicated in the murder. However, according to Haaretz "Hizbullah is well known for its rigid hierarchy, iron discipline and involvement of senior officials in all decisions at the field level. That makes it highly unlikely that Hizbullah operatives would have been involved in such an incident without the senior leadership's knowledge." Beirut, 23 Jul 10, 12:18

Suleiman Meets Geagea, Arslan, Qahwaji, Hardan: Lebanon Salvation Only Through People's Unity

Naharnet/President Michel Suleiman said Wednesday that Lebanon would only recover through the unity of its people over national issues that constitute the backbone of stability in the country. "Lebanon's salvation would only come through the unity of its people and their united stance particularly towards national causes that constitute the backbone of political and security stability," Suleiman told a delegation of Armenian clergymen and heads of political parties. Armenian Orthodox Bishop Kegham Khatcherian stressed, in his turn, the unity of the Armenian sect on national issues and its support for the presiden Also Friday, Suleiman met with Head of Syrian Social National Party MP Assaad Hardan as part of his consultations with leaders of parliamentary blocs in an effort to contain the tension over the anticipated indictment of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon. Suleiman discussed with Army chief Gen. Jean Qahwaji the security situation in the country and met with delegations of expatriates.Later Friday, the president held separate talks on the current political developments with each of Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea and Lebanese Democratic Party leader MP Talal Arslan. Beirut, 23 Jul 10, 14:47

Israel Warns U.N. it Will Not Allow Aid Ships from Lebanon to Gaza

Naharnet/Israel has warned the United Nations that it will not allow two aid ships sailing from a Lebanese port to break Israel's blockade of Gaza. Israel said it "reserve its right, under international law, to use all necessary means to prevent these ships from violating the naval blockade imposed on Gaza." The Israeli warning came in letters sent to U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon and the Security Council by Israel's U.N. Ambassador Gabriela Shalev. A deadly Israeli commando raid on a Turkish ship trying to bring aid to Gaza on May 31 killed nine Turkish activists and focused international attention on Israel's blockade of Gaza, imposed after the Islamist militant and anti-Israel Hamas violently overran the Palestinian territory in June 2007.
Shalev called on the Lebanese government "to demonstrate responsibility" and prevent the two ships, Junia and Julia, from departing. Israel and Lebanon remain "in a state of hostility," Shalev said, and "such action will prevent any escalation." She said it can't be ruled out that the Junia and Julia are carrying weapons "or individuals with provocative and confrontational intentions." The killing of the eight Turks and one Turkish-American on May 31 put Israel under growing pressure to open Gaza's borders. Under the old blockade rules, only basic food and medicine were allowed into Gaza. In a first step after the flotilla raid, Israel decided to let in most consumer goods but said Gazans would continue to be banned from travel and exporting goods for the time being. Beirut, 23 Jul 10, 11:16

Williams Lauds Suleiman's Initiative, Stresses to Hariri U.N. Support for Stability in Lebanon

Naharnet/Prime Minister Saad Hariri held talks Friday at the Grand Serail with U.N. Special Coordinator for Lebanon Michael Williams, in attendance of PM's advisor Mohammed Shatah.
"I briefed the Prime Minister about my recent visit to New York -- I came back two days ago-- and in particular I discussed with the Prime Minister the Security Council session held last week on Security Council Resolution 1701," Williams said after the meeting. "That meeting in New York was a very good meeting in which all members of the Council emphasized that Resolution 1701 has stabilized the situation in South Lebanon and along the Blue Line and that the existing cessation of hostilities must be maintained," Williams added.
The U.N. official noted that a smooth implementation of Resolution 1701 "requires calm and stability inside Lebanon." "I shared with Prime Minister Hariri the United Nation's support for any efforts in that direction," he added. Williams welcomed the initiative of President Michel Suleiman "who has been meeting with the participants in the National Dialogue in order to defuse recent political tensions in the country and resolve differences in a calm and constructive manner." Beirut, 23 Jul 10, 19:35

Zahra: LF Will Not Accept Any STL Ruling that is Unfair toward Some Parties

Naharnet/MP Antoine Zahra said Friday that the Lebanese Forces will not accept any international tribunal ruling "that is unfair toward some parties in Lebanon."
He pointed to an appeal made by Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah during his Thursday evening press conference in which he urged the Lebanese government to suspend STL operations in the event it targeted Hizbullah. "We stress as Lebanese Forces that we will not accept any ruling if it is unfair toward some parties in Lebanon," Zahra told LBC satellite channel. Beirut, 23 Jul 10, 11:44

France Telecom to Help Lebanon Repair Underwater Cable

Naharnet/The Telecommunications Ministry announced Friday that Franc Telecom is preparing to send a ship to help Lebanon repair the malfunction in the underwater cable that caused the recent cuts in the landline service between Beirut and the South. The cable lies about 4 to 5 miles off the coast of Saadiyyat situated between Beirut and Sidon. Beirut, 23 Jul 10, 18:02

Marouni: Nasrallah was a Successful Lawyer in a Case We Paid for in Blood

Naharnet/Phalange MP Elie Marouni stated Friday that Hizbullah Secretary General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah acted as a "successful lawyer in a case we paid for in blood."
He told Future News that Nasrallah defended the opposition as if "we were the ones who ruined the country, we should remind him that we took Lebanon towards freedom, independence, and the end of Syrian occupation."Marouni urged the Hizbullah leader to seek the truth with the others because the problem does not lie in the indictment, but in failure to issue one, and the U.N. will not succumb to intimidation. "Nasrallah mustn't forget Syria's violations of Lebanese rights for 30 years and he should appreciate Hariri's visit to Syria," the MP added. Beirut, 23 Jul 10, 15:47

Tawheed Movement Responds to LF: Are Wahhab's Cautionary Statements against Strife Attacks against the Law?

Naharnet/The Tawheed Movement condemned on Friday the Lebanese Forces' press office for alleging that the Movement's leader, Wiam Wahhab, had recently made threats against the official Lebanese legal and military institutions after holding talks on Thursday with a Hizbullah delegation. The Movement asked; "Are we the ones who targeted the state's institutions and executed officers in the Sarba barracks? Are we the ones who imposed taxes on restaurants, hotels, and checkpoints? Are we the ones who killed Rashid Karami, Dany Chamoun, General Khalil Kanaan, Elias Yazbek, and hundreds of other Christians whose views opposed ours?" "If all this isn't an attack against the state and the law, then are the Tawheed Movement leader's cautionary statements against internal strife an attack against the law?" it continued. It said: "We urge the Lebanese Forces and its members, many of whom we respect, to advise their leaders not to get too carried away in a battle whose consequences they can't afford." Beirut, 23 Jul 10, 16:55

Abdullah: Hizbullah Fears about Spies, Tribunal 'Normal'

Naharnet/Youth and Sports Minister Ali Abdullah said that the clarification requested by Hizbullah Secretary General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah from the Police Intelligence Bureau- concerning the Alfa spy suspect is very normal. Abdullah owed this to the slow rate in tracking down Charbel Qazzi's movements by the police. He said that "what was published in the media about the police stalling his arrest for one year has left a lot of unanswered questions."In an interview with Kuwaiti al-Anbaa daily, he expressed his regrets about the aggressive statements made by some in reaction to Nasrallah's speech, describing them as "unfair." He added that Nasrallah "did not mean to attack the police intelligence nor any of the Lebanese factions."Abdullah considered that Nasrallah raised "logical and intuitive questions in light of the large amount of spies of the Zionist entity on Lebanese territory."
Regarding Nasrallah's doubts about the international tribunal, the minister drew attention to Hizbullah's fears of "politicization" of the court asserting that it is his right to express these fears in front of the Lebanese public and officials. He also noted the importance of curbing a Sunni-Shiite strife that Israel is trying to enforce. Beirut, 23 Jul 10, 15:12

Mustaqbal Movement to Appoint New Leader
Naharnet/Mustaqbal Movement will select a new leader at a founding conference to be held at Biel Exhibition Center in downtown Beirut on Saturday. The Conference will also elect political figures and a Control and Supervision Secretary. It will be attended by 600 affiliates in their capacity as active members. Alsp participating at the conference are about 100 observers. Beirut, 23 Jul 10, 11:33

Larijani: Israel Very Afraid of Hizbullah

Naharnet/Iranian Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani said the Israeli government is "very afraid" of Hizbullah following the July 2006 war. "There is no doubt that Israelis are very afraid from Hizbullah's strength and its capabilities," Larijani was quoted as telling Hizbullah's al-Manar TV channel. "Israeli officials know very well that this force stems from the party's symbol, Hassan Nasrallah," he added. Beirut, 23 Jul 10, 06:45

Hariri reassures Lebanese: No internal conflicts

July 23, 2010 /During an interview published in Al-Hayat newspaper on Friday, Prime Minister Saad Hariri said that there would not be any internal conflicts in Lebanon after the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) issues its indictment in the 2005 assassination of former PM Rafik Hariri. This comes after several figures predicted renewed conflicts and a new string of assassinations should the indictment accuse Hezbollah members of being involved in the murder. Hariri said that Lebanese parties’ achievements will not be wasted because of a few disagreements, adding that he would serve the country’s national interests after the indictment is issued, reportedly in September. He touched on his Syria visit during which he met with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Monday, saying that “Assad was very positive and cooperative.” When asked whether Syria requested he severs his relations with Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea, Hariri said that Damascus did no such thing and added that Syria did not try to interfere in Lebanon’s domestic matters. The PM added that he intended to visit Iran, however he postponed his visit after Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad announced that he would visit Lebanon soon. -NOW Lebanon

The fight that just won’t end

Matt Nash, July 23, 2010
Now Lebanon/
Edward Shimon stirred from an afternoon nap to greet two reporters on Wednesday. Sitting comfortably on a couch in his boxer shorts, Shimon explained how he and a few other guys locked up the Lebanese Forces office, mostly decorated more like a house, Tuesday night after watching LF boss Samir Geagea speak the previous evening.
The party wants to make the office, in Hay as-Siryan, Achrafieh’s Assyrian Christian neighborhood, a dental clinic. They bought some equipment – including the familiar patients’ chair every dentist has – but sometime between 1:30 and 2 Wednesday morning, someone torched the chair.
“We know who it was,” Shimon said, refusing to divulge his secret, which he said the party only shared with the police. “Some people hate the LF.” In Achrafieh, there’s little doubt who he meant.
In the later years of the Lebanese civil war, the eastern half of Beirut took a drumming – with hundreds killed and countless properties damaged if not destroyed – as Geagea and then-Lebanese Army Commander Michel Aoun battled for supremacy. The scars from that fight run deep to this day, with supporters of each party harboring bitter animosity toward the other.
While Shimon and others in the office said they are not pointing any fingers and will wait for the police to investigate, it could not have been clearer that they suspected the Aounists (just as Aounists would no doubt blame the LF if the situation were reversed).
Neighbors quickly noticed the fire – likely started through an open window less than a meter away from the chair – and put it out almost immediately (a wooden desk next to the chair was not even singed), two of those directly involved in extinguishing it said in separate interviews on the condition of anonymity for fear of stoking tension.
The fire came in the midst of an ongoing verbal spat between Aoun and Geagea. Aoun said any future sectarian fighting would involve the Christians – in contrast to the battles in Beirut, the Mountain and Tripoli in May 2008 – to which Geagea replied that any violence in Christian areas is Aoun’s fault.
This rhetorical skirmish between the two who once tried so hard to kill each other – ending numerous innocent lives in the process – is but a mere reflection of their continuing push to be recognized as the most popular leader of the Christian community, Habib Malik, a professor of History at the Lebanese American University, told NOW Lebanon.
“It’s brinkmanship,” he said of their comments, dismissing the threat of actual skirmishes any time soon. As the Special Tribunal to find former PM Rafik Hariri’s killers is sparking a tempest in the teapot of local Lebanese politics, Malik sees the men merely ratcheting up the rhetoric in a bid to win more support.
Oussama Safa, director of the Lebanese Center for Policy Studies, agrees. The tribunal – expected to soon issue an indictment against what Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah called “undisciplined” members of his party – is bringing Lebanon to a crossroads, he said.
The country, he said in an interview on Thursday, will either go “toward compromise or confrontation.”
In the lead up to what increasingly looks like an impending compromise – Nasrallah said Hariri told him he will dismiss any indicted Hezbollah members as rogue elements not representative of the party – Safa said both Geagea and Aoun are working to position themselves aside their allies to get the most in the event of any political realignments (which Aoun clearly wants to include a new government).
Indeed, before the tribunal became the news of the week, Geagea was the loudest of the small number of (mostly Christian) March 14 members defending it. This, Safa said, was an indication of the LF working hard to show loyalty to March 14’s largest party, the Future Movement.
The LF seems to still be pursuing this strategy. Shortly after former Future Movement MP Mustafa Allouch on Friday said the party will change its position on the tribunal should it issue an indictment not backed by proper evidence, LF MP Antoine Zahra told LBC that his party will not accept an unjust ruling from the tribunal against any Lebanese faction.
Aoun, meanwhile, is standing firm in his alliance with Hezbollah and would not abandon the party he inked an agreement with in early 2006, regardless of what the tribunal says, Safa said. In fact, Aoun first distanced himself from the court in May 2009, saying, “I was the first to support the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, but when I saw it was being politicized I withdrew my support."
So as Lebanon waits for a new political reality that may – or may not – come with a tribunal indictment before year’s end, the epic and now decades-old Geagea-Aoun struggle will continue.
**Nadine Elali contributed reporting to this article.

Are we fools to expect indictments soon?

Michel Young, July 23, 2010
Now Lebanon/
Special Tribunal Prosecutor Daniel Bellemare may not have enough evidence for an indictment. (AFP photo)
The furor continues over the recurring attacks directed against the Special Tribunal for Lebanon by Hezbollah’s secretary general, Hassan Nasrallah. The prevailing view in Beirut is that the prosecutor, Daniel Bellemare, will issue indictments this fall, and that these may point the finger at low-level Hezbollah members.
Politics aside, how likely is it that indictments will come before the end of 2010? Leading foreign diplomats in Beirut believe they will. Lebanese politicians believe so, too. The media is electric with information and disinformation on the potential consequences. However, no one has stopped to ask whether Bellemare actually has enough to issue airtight legal accusations.
Then comes news that this coming fall investigators will be replicating the explosion that killed Rafik Hariri at a military base in Bordeaux, an item confirmed by the Special Tribunal itself. If investigators are still engaged in analyzing, or re-analyzing, the bomb blast, this is either chaff to cover for the absence of any significant progress or it might imply that there is uncertainty surrounding the original findings, which means the investigation needs time to reassess. This makes it more difficult to assume that indictments will land this year.
We also have to bear in mind something else: Nothing stipulates that Bellemare must necessarily issue indictments at all. He may well do so, but that is not a foregone conclusion. Ultimately, the prosecution’s case will be determined by the specific evidence Bellemare has, and while he must have a clear idea of how Hariri was murdered, there are wide gaps that are the result of the failure of his predecessor, Serge Brammertz, to carry out a police investigation between 2006 and 2008, particularly in Syria, which controlled security in Lebanon at the time the former prime minister was assassinated.
Here’s what we know, or think we know. Investigators allegedly have telephone analyses indicating that one of the members of the circle of individuals observing Hariri’s movements on the day of his assassination (and even earlier) communicated with a Hezbollah official. We also know that several months ago investigators came to Beirut to interview a number of individuals, most of them Hezbollah members. Some showed up, but apparently those who might be named suspects did not, and their whereabouts remain unknown.
We also know that when the tribunal began operating last summer, Bellemare did not have enough to indict the four generals, even though he and Brammertz had repeatedly reconfirmed their detention when asked by the Lebanese judiciary. This suggested, at the least, that Brammertz and Bellemare had suspicions about the generals’ guilt, but did little to consolidate the legal charges against the four.
Since that point the investigation does not appear to have made major strides, while Bellemare has asked Western governments to lend him additional investigators. The prosecutor could have telephone data, perhaps phone taps, but also little testimony from those involved in the crime or who might shed light on it. It’s not certain whether this constitutes enough to prepare indictments. An effective indictment must establish a hierarchy of decision-making, illustrate who told whom to do what, then determine who did what when.
We know Bellemare is incapable of elucidating all of that today because tribunal representatives have declared in foreign capitals that the prosecutor intends to publish his indictments in two stages. In other words, he seems to be planning for a first wave of indictments to act as a wedge allowing him to issue a second wave that is more comprehensive. This is a risky strategy. It confirms that Bellemare doesn’t have enough information to issue a hard legal blow in one go; and the presumption that a first flourish of indictments will facilitate a second is by no means guaranteed, particularly if the Lebanese state, fearful of the repercussions of the opening indictments, slows or suspends its cooperation with Bellemare as a consequence.
But once again, this begs the question: If Bellemare has been unable to put together indictments until now, what does he need to add to his file to be able to do so in the coming months? The telephone information has been available for a long time, so it’s unlikely that investigators have made a breakthrough on that front. Bellemare collected little testimony from those persons he recently sought to question, and even if he does have enough to indict some participants, plainly he saw the interviews as necessary to bolster his case.

So, to put it bluntly, Bellemare appears to have an incomplete case, which he hopes to energize through his strategy of a two-phase indictment process. He also possibly has questions about the bomb explosion that killed Hariri and those with him. That makes you wonder whether investigators are again checking whether the bomb blast was an above-ground explosion carried out by a suicide bomber, or a below-ground explosion, which would presumably implicate the team observing Hariri in all phases of the assassination.
In May, the president of the Special Tribunal, Antonio Cassese, told the Daily Star newspaper that he expected indictments to be filed by the end of this year. A day later he retracted his statement, surely at Bellemare’s request. Cassese’s efforts to raise the heat on the prosecutor show that he is worried about the future of the tribunal, particularly its financing, if indictments don’t arrive this year.
If Cassese is worried, and if Bellemare told the tribunal president to withdraw his comment, you have to wonder on what grounds everyone in Lebanon seems so confident that indictments are imminent. The latest rumpus could be much ado about nothing.
Michael Young is opinion editor of the Daily Star newspaper in Beirut. His book, The Ghosts of Martyrs Square: An Eyewitness Account of Lebanon’s Life Struggle (Simon & Schuster), was recently published.

Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah
July 22, 2010
Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah held a press conference on Thursday night to address reports on the upcoming Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL)’s indictment.
“We have to be aware that Lebanon was dragged into a very sensitive and delicate phase. But Lebanon is going through this new phase in light of the pending Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) indictment.
Some were surprised why we addressed the issue of the STL. We have discussed our right to defend ourselves, but some have considered that those who defend themselves are condemning themselves, and this is a Lebanese creation. All facts that Hezbollah has obtained since 2008, even before [some of its] members were called in for interrogation [by the STL], the court’s indictment was [decided on] but [not announced] for political reasons. All talks that [STL Prosecutor General Daniel] Bellemare held in Washington and France point out that the indictment’s content was written.
Before he traveled to Washington [in May], Prime Minister Saad Hariri visited me. Out of his keenness to ensure national unity, Hariri told me [during the meeting] that an STL indictment will be issued and will accuse some members of Hezbollah, but the party is not connected [to the 2005 assassination of former PM Rafik Hariri].
Everyone is talking about the upcoming indictment and agrees that [Hezbollah members will be accused], even before the indictment is issued. No one should simplify things and act as if he is unaware of [the content of the indictment]. The US, along with other countries, started talking about what will happen in Lebanon [after the indictment is issued].
All those who objected to my speech last Friday know that they want Hezbollah to remain silent [about the STL]. We reject the idea that Hezbollah members might be indicted. We consider that there is a huge plan targeting Lebanon, the Resistance and the Middle East. This project directly targets the Resistance. I do not confirm that an indictment will be issued in September. The Resistance in Lebanon is an obstacle for the US, and [the US] believes this obstacle needs to be eliminated.
There are two [possible] STL indictments: the first is that it will not accuse anyone in Syria nor any of the four Lebanese generals [previously held in custody]. The second will accuse undisciplined Hezbollah members.
I call on the March 14 leaders to reconsider the choices they made. This is my first demand from March 14. The only one who had the courage to review his stances and admit [his mistakes] was Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblatt. Second, March 14 politicians should be open to their public and speak with it. They should tell Syria that in 2005, we were very wrong and we almost dragged this country into destruction. No one is asking [March 14] for an apology. When Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun called for normal relations with Syria, [March 14] considered him a traitor. Before I continue with the rest of my ideas, I would like to remind [the March 14 alliance] that in February 14, 2005, it accused and denounced Syria [for killing former PM Rafik Hariri] straight away.
Where did [March 14] take the country? What is the guarantee they won’t drag Lebanon into other ventures. What do Hezbollah, the Shia sect, Syria, Aoun have to do with [March 14’s] accusations and campaigns? I have told PM Saad Hariri that I will accuse Syria of killing [former PM Rafik Hariri] if there is evidence. Syria was isolated [by the West] for years over such accusations.
The March 14 alliance should take responsibility for killing several Syrian workers [after 2005]. Do [March 14 parties] remember they wanted [former] President Emile Lahoud to step down by force in 2005? There is no evidence of Syria’s involvement [in the Hariri assassination]. The bet was that Syria and its allies [in Lebanon] will collapse, after which not only they will be indicted but will be [legally] condemned. I hope [March 14] will stress on turning a new page between Lebanon and Syria and look forward to good relations with Damascus.
I also ask [March 14 figures]: you don’t want to try false witnesses, but those who you accused and treated unjustly, don’t they deserve compensation? The four generals [held in custody over their alleged involvement in Hariri’s murder], don’t they deserve to return to their posts since it was proven they were not linked to the killing? To the Lebanese and the March 14 alliance in particular, [March 14] leaders dragged Lebanon into the most difficult phase ever [between 2005 and 2009]. There was a possibility of civil war everyday in Lebanon. [March 14] want to take Lebanon to the worst places. Do [people] want to keep supporting them?
I also want to say that Hezbollah is not afraid of anything. Those who conspire against the Resistance and against Lebanon are the ones who should worry. I would like to tell some people, who always miscalculated, to make the correct calculations this time.”
Reporters ask questions following the conference:
Can the STL indictment be annulled before even being issued?
Nasrallah: Yes, [March 14] can tell the world that the country cannot bear a crisis, and it can prevent [the indictment from being issued].
Did Aoun ask you to “change the rules of the game” in Christian areas?
Nasrallah: Aoun never addressed the issue when he met me [last week]. This is something I heard from Christian figures last year, warning to be cautious. Aoun never said anything about changing the cabinet or the rules of the game.
Before you said that you respect STL decisions, but now you are voicing your concerns over the STL’s possible indictment?
Nasrallah: [Hezbollah] never said it respected the STL’s decisions. Everyone knows that Hezbollah and the Amal Movement were not given the chance to reflect on the STL issue [before it was approved in the cabinet and before the ministers resigned]. I do not accept anything from the STL unless it has tangible evidence.
What is your take on changing the cabinet?
Nasrallah: Hezbollah will not address the issue of cabinet change before the STL issues its indictment. After the indictment [is issued], we will see what happens.
The Internal Security Forces (ISF) said that three Hezbollah members were collaborating with Israel, then the report changed saying that the three members were “targeted by Israel.” Why did the ISF announce false information at first?
Nasrallah: To be fair, the ISF Information Branch bases its reports on data analysis of phone calls. The Information Branch, as well as the Army Intelligence, called in the suspects and investigated with them but later released them because there was no proof they were collaborating with Israel. The ISF’s Information Branch was wrong. It told Hezbollah that the phone numbers of three Hezbollah members could be [being used to collaborate with Israel]. In Hezbollah, we do not tolerate such issues. We investigated with these three people, and we were certain [they were not involved with Israel].
There are reports that Hezbollah might be engaging in an external war to avoid a domestic one. What is your response?
Nasrallah: We never launched any external war, not before the STL indictment nor after it, even in the 2006 July War. We are a resistance, we defend our territories. Such [reports] are unfounded.

Abu Adal’s prophecies

Elie Fawaz, July 23, 2010
In 1986, I was waiting, along with many youths of my age, on the streets of Cyprus’ capital, Nicosia, for a visa that would take me away from Lebanon, where blind hatred was decimating the Lebanese and annihilating all signs of life in the country.
I was reading the prophecies of an editorial written by then-editor-in-chief of French-speaking Magazine Charles Abu Adal: “The youths are those who have the capacity and the will to build the nation and its economy. They are emigrating, and they are depressed. Only those who consider war their profession will remain in Lebanon.”
More than three decades have gone by since this editorial was written, and I wonder – as I skim through today’s papers or when I hear Lebanese politicians speaking – whether Abu Adal’s prophecy has not proven true after all.
Thirty years on, I am depressed when hearing Tawhid Movement leader Wiam Wahhab explain to us his passion for Germany’s policy because “it burned the Jews,” knowing that this amounts to the most blatant form of disdain for the sanctity of life. Does this man who hails from Jahiliyya (a town name that also conveniently refers to the pre-Islamic “state of ignorance”) know that Nazism would have had the same fate in store for him and his ancestors had it won the war? And I wonder: Can we build a nation with the likes of Wiam Wahhab and Nasser Qandil? The answer is: Absolutely not.
I also get in this depressed state when I hear journalist Ibrahim al-Amin contemptibly addressing the March 14 forces, which represent the majority of the Lebanese people, in those terms: “It is what it is, whether you like it or not.” Here, I realize that journalism is no longer an honest profession based on gathering news, checking its credibility and analyzing it objectively, and that it is impossible to build a nation with this breed of people.
However, I am most hopelessly depressed when former Minister Michel Samaha looks down onto us from his pedestal and nervously hands out lessons in patriotism and loyalty, knowing that he dubs as Syria’s ambassador in Lebanon is spite of Ali Abdel Karim Ali’s official nomination for the job and that he has done so on several occasions.
This covers the written press. As for the audiovisual media, this state of events is most obvious with each televised appearance by the champions of rejectionism and steadfastness with their strings of threats or swearwords and insults, as though the inspired leader cannot but address the Lebanese people in general, and his followers in particular, in this tone of screaming and insults.
I do not know whether the majority of the audience is pleased or provoked by what they are hearing. But what I do know is that all this talk does not help to build communication bridges between the various factions of a Lebanese society that is fractured to the point of collapsing. Rather, it drives those factions further apart, fuelling instinctive reactions and tensions up to a point where reason will no longer be able to prevent hatred from boiling over, especially since a nation is not built by hate-filled people or by those whose principles constantly change according to their personal ambitions.
There are undoubtedly some in Lebanon who speak with the voice of reason and disagree with others wisely, but is anyone of us listening to them? I mention former Speaker Hussein Husseini, Shia cleric Ali al-Amin, former MP Nassib Lahoud, former Minister Jihad Azour, and journalists Ziad Majed and Hazem al-Amin, so that it is not said afterwards that the Lebanese had no other choice but the bad ones they made.
Indeed, the nation envisioned by the aforementioned people and many others like them does not shut anyone out. It is wide enough to welcome all things regardless of their differences. It does not shout, threaten or pretend to have the absolute undisputable truth.
The question is: Will there be a day when I will be able to write that Charles Abu Adal was wrong and that only those who love wars have left this country?
**This article is a translation of the original, which appeared on the NOW Arabic site on July 21, 2010

Hezbollah members 'facing Rafik Hariri charges'By Jim Muir

BBC News, Beirut
Mr Nasrallah claimed the UN-backed tribunal was politically motivated The head of Hezbollah has said that some of its members will be among those charged with the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri in 2005.
Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of the militant Shia movement, said some of the group would be indicted by the UN-backed court within the coming months.
He has dismissed the move as part of a US and Israeli conspiracy.
Mr Hariri and 22 other people were killed in Beirut in a car bomb in 2005.
Hezbollah questioned over Hariri
Who are Hezbollah?
Hezbollah entrenched in Lebanon
Mr Nasrallah said he had been told by current Prime Minister Saad Hariri - the son of Rafik Hariri - that those indicted would be regarded as "rogue elements" rather than representative of the group.
Speaking by video link for security reasons, he said it was part of a plan by the US and Israel to impose their will on the region.
He said the international tribunal had lead Hezbollah to an "extremely sensitive phase", but that it knew how to defend itself.
'Political'
However, he advised Prime Minister Hariri and others to revise their positions, in the national interest.
There has been rampant speculation that indictments might be issued against Hezbollah members in September, and that tension and violence might result.
But Mr Nasrallah dismissed the suggestion that Hezbollah might start a war with Israel in order to divert attention from the affair.
He said that there were no Syrians among those expected to be indicted, despite numerous early accusations that Syria was behind the assassination.
He said this just went to show that the tribunal was highly political in nature.

UN probe quizzed Hezbollah members says Nasrallah

BBC/April 01/10
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/8598964.stm
Mr Nasrallah spoke to Hezbollah's al-Manar TV in an undisclosed location
The leader of militant group Hezbollah has confirmed that a UN investigation into the killing of a Lebanese prime minister questioned Hezbollah members.
Former PM Rafik Hariri and 22 other people were killed in Beirut in a massive blast in 2005. His allies accused Syria of involvement in the attack, which it denied. Hezbollah has close ties with Damascus. This is the first time Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah has confirmed that members of the group were questioned. He said they had been given assurances that they were being questioned as witnesses and not suspects. "Accusing individual members of our party is equivalent to accusing Hezbollah, that would take Lebanon to a very difficult place," Mr Nasrallah told Hezbollah's al-Manar television station. "We will not remain silent if we find we are facing political accusations," he said.
Speculation: In an official report published at the beginning of March, the UN tribunal, based in The Hague, said it was close to identifying the suicide bomber responsible for the killing.
That sparked press speculation the UN investigators were about to name Hezbollah operatives as suspects.
It was not until Thursday that Mr Nasrallah confirmed that 12 Hezbollah supporters had been interviewed in the past few weeks, and that six more had been summoned.
"We will co-operate, Hezbollah has nothing to fear," he said.
Last April, four Lebanese generals accused of Mr Hariri's murder were released from custody because the evidence against them was deemed to be insufficient.
In 2008, 100 people died in clashes between Hezbollah and supporters of Rafik Hariri's son Saad, now Lebanon's prime minister.

Hezbollah Leader Expects Hariri Indictments

Nada Raad , The Wall Street Journal, July 23, 2010
An indictment of Hezbollah, a Shiite political and militant group that is armed and funded by Syria and Iran, could increase political tensions here and in the region, and endanger the government of the largely untested new prime minister, Saad Hariri, the son of the slain man.
In an unusual, late-evening news conference by video link, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah denied his group was involved in the assassination, and sought to cast any indictment as politically motivated.
He said he was told about likely indictments—which he said could come as early as September—by Prime Minister Saad Hariri. Mr. Hariri's press office said a spokesman wasn't available to comment. A representative for the prosecutor, Daniel Bellemare, didn't respond to an email request to comment late Thursday. Mr. Bellemare's special U.N. tribunal, which began work in March 2009, has yet to issue any indictments.
Mr. Hariri has enjoyed support from the West and from Saudi Arabia. But since his political bloc won last year's elections here by a narrow margin, he publicly courted Hezbollah and agreed to a power-sharing deal with the Hezbollah-led opposition.
Mr. Hariri supported the formation of the U.N. tribunal, and will be under pressure to cooperate fully with any U.N.-sponsored indictment and court proceedings.
The car bombing of his father's motorcade in Beirut in 2005 and the subsequent investigation have had significant repercussions for the Mideast. In the months immediately following the incident, U.N. investigators publicly linked Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's government to Mr. Hariri's death.

Nasrallah says UN Tribunal will indict Hizbullah members
‘Those who are conspiring against Lebanon and resistance will fail’

By Wassim Mroueh /Daily Star staff
Friday, July 23, 2010
BEIRUT: Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said his party expected the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) would charge some Hizbullah members with involvement in the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. Speaking via video link during a news conference he had called for in the Beirut southern suburbs on Thursday, Nasrallah said he had information that such an indictment had been decided upon before 2008, but its announcement was being postponed to await more suitable political circumstances.
He expressed surprise that the decision to indict had been made even before the STL had summoned some Hizbullah members for questioning in April.
“Our indicators are that the indictment will be announced in September or October, given what is being prepared in Palestine and the region,” he said.
He said the charges targeted the resistance, after the failure of previous attempts to achieve the same goal. Lebanon will be pushed into a sensitive period given that the indictment will be issued soon, added Nasrallah. Nasrallah said that Prime Minister Saad Hariri had visited him prior to his trip to the United States and informed him that “undisciplined” Hizbullah members would be indicted. He said Hariri has promised him to announce that Hizbullah had nothing to do with his father’s assassination, but that “undisciplined members in the party were involved.”
Nasrallah said Hariri’s move reflected his keenness on preserving stability in Lebanon. But Nasrallah rejected the indictment, stressing that his party was not afraid at all.
“Let them issue the indictment, those who are conspiring against Lebanon and the resistance, and whose projects have failed are the worried parties because their projects will fail again,” Nasrallah said. He said that in addition to accusing undisciplined Hizbullah members, the indictment would distance Syria and its allies from involvement in Hariri’s assassination.
He promised to comment on the drive to implicate Hizbullah in the assassination during a second news conference to be held soon.
Tackling the STL’s expected move to absolve Syria of the crime, Nasrallah called upon March 14 officials who had accused Syria of the assassination to reconsider their positions and to engage in a “real” self-critique, “because the results of their decisions had consequences on all the Lebanese.”
He touched on the stances of March 14 coalition following the killing of Hariri, saying they had instigated sectarian tensions in Lebanon, along with inciting Arab regimes, the international community and European states against Syria. He said the STL had tried to accuse Syria from the first day after Hariri’s assassination, despite the lack of witnesses.
“They came up with a political accusation of Syria, looked for evidence, and brought false witnesses,” said Nasrallah. He attributed the STL’s current intention to distance Syria from the crime to the country’s steadfastness in the face of regional, international, and Arab pressure. “It is demanded that you honestly talk to your people about your acts and mistakes, so that we open a new page [between Syria and Lebanon],” said Nasrallah, addressing the March 14 alliance, as he welcomed Syrian President Bashar Assad’s upcoming visit to Lebanon.
Also, Nasrallah demanded that March 14 figures rectify the “unjust” repercussions suffered by people whom they falsely accused based on the statements of false witnesses.
The Hizbullah chief said March 14 leaders have pushed Lebanon into the “most difficult four and half years in its history,” in reference to the period that followed the assassination of Hariri.
“Will you still support them [March 14 leaders] if they do not reconsider their stances and correct their mistakes?” he asked. “You are free and bear responsibility,” he added.
Earlier on Thursday, Nasrallah held talks with the head of the Lebanese Democratic Party, Aley MP Talal Arslan. Both leaders discussed latest political developments in Lebanon.

Israeli Army to simulate invasion of south Lebanon

By The Daily Star /Friday, July 23, 2010
BEIRUT: Israel will simulate moving machinery and personnel into south Lebanon amid fears that Hizbullah will target main transport arteries in any future conflict, Israeli media reported Thursday. The Jerusalem Post said that the test would be conducted in computerized simulations. “The [Israeli Army] is working under the assumption that most of the ground battle will be fought in an urban setting, inside the 160 or so villages throughout southern Lebanon where Hizbullah is believed to have hidden most of its military infrastructure,” the paper wrote. It added that “Hizbullah has heavily mined roads leading to southern Lebanese villages, aware that the ground offenses will include tanks and armored personnel carriers.”
Two weeks ago, the Israeli Army released military-intelligence images of southern Lebanese villages, including purported missile silos belonging to Hizbullah in Al-Khiam. The paper quoted an anonymous senior Israeli Army officer as saying that it expected Hizbullah to target transport lines in the event of another war. “Hizbullah will likely allow the [Israeli] military force to reach its target point and then begin striking at the supply lines which the forces in the field will need to secure,” the officer said. Talk of renewed aggression between Israel and Hizbullah – who last clashed in the devastating 2006 summer war which killed over 1,200 Lebanese, mostly civilian, and 160 Israelis, mostly soldiers – has reignited recently following Israeli claims that the party had received long-range Scud missiles from Syria. Damascus has denied the allegations and Hizbullah continues to abstain from commenting on the size and makeup of its arsenal, which Israel estimates to comprise 40,000 rockets. Earlier this week, Israeli Army Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi vowed to attack Lebanese urban centers in order to root out Hizbullah headquarters, which Israel believed to be extant in dozens of southern villages. – The Daily Star

Shalev: Lebanon Ships Will Not Be Allowed to Enter Gaza

by Elad Benari /Arutz Sheva
Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations Israel Gabriella Shalev warned on Thursday that two ships preparing to set sail from Lebanon to the Gaza Strip in order to bring aid to the Strip would not be allowed to reach their destination. In a letter addressed to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and current UN Security Council President Joy Ogwu, Shalev wrote: “The stated intention of these vessels is to violate the existing naval blockade of Gaza."
She added: “Israel reserves its right under international law to use all necessary means to prevent these ships from violating the aforementioned naval blockade. Furthermore, it cannot be ruled out that these vessels carry weapons or individuals with provocative and confrontational intentions.”
Israel recently eased the blockade of the Gaza Strip following international criticism which came after the IDF raid on the Gaza aid flotilla in May. Israeli soldiers who boarded one of the boats in a peaceful attempt to prevent its entrance into Israel's territorial waters killed nine Turkish citizens when attacked by passengers wielding knives and blunt weapons. The ship was found not to be carrying any aid.
Israel allows ample food and other aid into Gaza only via land crossings so as to control the passage of arms and materials that can be utilized for aggression against her. Israel allows Gazan to cross for medical aid as well, but. continues to maintain the legal naval blockade instituted after Hamas seized control of Gaza. Hamas-ruled Gaza is a hostile, terrorist entity that bombarded Israeli civilians with thousands of rockets until Israel reentered the area in December 2008 in Operation Cast Lead and holds Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit captive without adhering to international law. In her letter, Shalev noted the option of delivering aid to Gaza by land and added that sending ships to Gaza is meant “to incite a confrontation and raise tension in our region”.UN officials have urged countries not to attempt to break the Israeli naval blockade on the Strip. UN under-secretary-general for political affairs Lynn Pascoe was quoted in Reuters as having said on Wednesday that “such convoys are not helpful to resolving the basic economic problems of Gaza and needlessly carry the potential for escalation.”
Earlier this week, Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu met with Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal during a visit to Syria. During the meeting, Davutoglu said that Turkey will continue to devote efforts to breaking the siege on Gaza. He added that Turkey insists on an Israeli apology over the raid on the Gaza flotilla, as well as compensation for families of the casualties, and an independent international probe of the raid.

Egyptians must join in support of equality for all religions

By Yasser Khalil /Daily Star
Friday, July 23, 2010
Egyptians are tired of the problems that have persisted for decades: the corruption and bribery that paralyze Egypt’s law enforcement and legal system; the poverty that 20 percent of the population suffers from; the nearly constant 10 percent rate of unemployment; and a flawed educational system that has resulted in 27 percent illiteracy.
Change is on most Egyptians’ minds but are they ready for the democratic and practical changes that Mohamed ElBaradei, former director of the International Atomic Energy Agency and potential candidate for the 2011 presidential election, is promising?
A 2005 Nobel Peace Prize winner, ElBaradei saw his popularity explode a few months ago, especially among youth. His Facebook support group, “ElBaradei for Presidency of Egypt 2011,” has more than 240,000 members, 7 percent of the approximately 3.4 million Facebook users in Egypt. He is also supported by the 6th of April Youth Movement, a Facebook activist group started in 2008 to support striking industrial workers in a northern Egyptian town. The group is primarily comprised of young activists, bloggers and citizen journalists who rally online and in the streets for political causes.
ElBaradei is also respected among the older generation, as evidenced by the broad support for his National Association for Change, which advocates for a political system based on democracy and social justice. Supporters include the Muslim Brotherhood, Egypt’s largest opposition group. These constituencies support ElBaradei’s seven-point political reform plan, which includes, among other reforms, ending the state of emergency in effect since 1981, enabling the judiciary to supervise the polling process, simplifying voter requirements, and limiting the presidency to two terms.
Accomplishing these goals will require modifying various articles in the Constitution. And though many Egyptians view certain modifications as a necessary next step, ElBaradei – usually perceived as an open-minded liberal both in media and by Egyptians – stirred up a heated debate over Article II of the Constitution, which states that Islam is the official state religion and that Islamic law is the principle source of legislation.
Though he didn’t specifically mention changing the article, ElBaradei said that while he respects Egypt’s Muslim-majority, the rights of the Coptic Christian minority, and of every Egyptian, must be respected too, as Muslims and non-Muslims are equal under the Constitution. As a result, certain Islamic television channels, like the youth wing of the Muslim Brotherhood, turned against ElBaradei. Many people commented that they would no longer vote for him. And while the Muslim Brotherhood still supports ElBaradei’s candidacy, they disagree with his ideas for democratic change that includes the separation of state from religion.
These heated reactions are creating concern among some Egyptians who think the majority is not ready to embrace drastic change, which would force the issue of assuring equal rights to religious minorities and would no longer regard Islamic principles as the primary sources of legislation.
Many Egyptians believe that ElBaradei’s reforms would also include the removal of religion from identity cards, ending the application of Islamic family law to marriage and divorce processes for non-Muslims, the elimination of stumbling blocks discouraging religious minorities from constructing houses of worship, and an end to laws against proselytism. In fact, many also believe that if the country had truly free and fair elections, the Muslim Brotherhood – which rejects the notion of Christians and women running for the presidency – would be elected, pushed through by the conservative-leaning religious sentiments of the majority.
The probability that ElBaradei will win the Egyptian presidency is still limited by popular sensitivity to religion. If the debate surrounding ElBaradei’s religiosity dies down and he becomes an official candidate who wins the 2011 elections, some Egyptians fear he will be pressured into choosing between implementing his plan of widespread democratic change and risking being labeled an “Americanizer” or an “enemy of Islam;” or compromising with the social and political elite and not following through on some of his promises, such as giving equal rights to minorities. In order to bring about a future where Egyptians come to know true democratic reform as promised by ElBaradei’s seven-point plan, Egypt’s well-respected religious leaders – Muslims and Christians – must help him quell the current debate and become more vocal in their support for his campaign for a more equal, tolerant Egypt.
Egyptians must pool their efforts and advocate for ElBaradei within their own religious communities, helping to cultivate a culture of tolerance so that people accept equal rights for all, regardless of religious identity. Though shifting mindsets is a long process, support from renowned religious figures in the country could help ElBaradei recoup his losses and put him back on the campaign track for the 2011 election.
**Yasser Khalil is an Egyptian journalist. THE DAILY STAR publishes this commentary in collaboration with the Common Ground News Service (www.commongroundnews.org).

Lebanese Newspapers Opinions After Sayyed Nasrallah's Press Conference
Mohamad Shmaysani/Al Manar
23/07/2010 Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah’s press conference on Thursday occupied headlines and op-eds in some Lebanese newspapers issued Friday.
As-Safir newspaper pointed that Sayyed Nasrallah addressed the Lebanese people in a very calm and clear manner, yet strong in its context. “He called on the Lebanese to be aware of the game of the nations with all its regional and domestic intersections which sought to take Lebanon hostage of bigger calculations, and nearly took the country from its regional position to an opposite location and from internal stability to civil war.”
The daily said that the current phase that Lebanon is passing through imposed on Sayyed Nasrallah to single out a large portion of his speech to the so called March 14 audience “which was emotionally driven, after the assassination of martyr Rafiq Hariri, to raise anti-Syria slogans; whereas five years later, it turned out to be that Syria was the main factor for a stable Lebanon on both political and security levels.”
In his press conference Thursday, the Hezbollah chief stressed that Prime Minister Saad Hariri informed him that the international court’s indictment that will be issued sometime soon, with implicate “undisciplined Hezbollah members”, something that Sayyed Nasrallah categorically rejected. His eminence said that the resistance, not Syria, was the target. His eminence called on so called March 14 leaders to make a review of their stances and admit their mistakes in past five years; mistakes, he added, that could have led Lebanon and the Lebanese to the abyss of civil war. The Sayyed praised MP Walid Jumblatt courage to make his own review and change his position, knowing that the Democratic Gathering leader was one of the most aggressive March 14 critics of Syria and Hezbollah.
“Sayyed Nasrallah’s positions in his press conference did not ease down the tense reality that emerged following his speech last Thursday, but in fact, it did not aggravate it as well,” said An-Nahar newspaper.
The daily expected that Sayyed Nasrallah’s “lengthy try of March 14 leaderships and all the previous phase since 2005” will be followed by a new chapter of hot campaigns and dispute. According to An-Nahar, what caught the eyes of the commentators in Sayyed Nasrallah’s new positions was the tone of his decisive tone particularly when he tackled the Special Tribunal for Lebanon’s expected indictment “that was already inked and now awaits the time of issuance.”
Sayyed Nasrallah’s information and stances, the daily continued, were direct messages to three fundamental parties: Prime Minister Saad Hariri, the March 14 leadership, and Syria and its allies as he stressed Syria was no longer the target but the resistance is so, exclusively.
Sayyed Nasrallah told journalists that PM Hariri and Saudi Arabia can play a constructive role in preventing an internal sedition expected to accompany the STL’s indictment, exactly as Israeli Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi and Lebanese Forces chief Samir Geagea predicted.
“Indications of a preemptive stage-by-stage attack by Hezbollah lay stress on the party’s readiness to go as far as possible in facing attempts to aim at the idea of the resistance through demonizing its leaders and its arms. This is why Hezbollah is addressing the battle of the STL as life-or-death battle,” As-Safir’s Imad Marmal wrote.
“Lebanon will be hit by turmoil when Special Tribunal for Lebanon Prosecutor Daniel Bellemare issues his findings next fall,” An-Nahar quoted a “high-ranking UN official in New York” on condition of anonymity Friday.
At the end of his press conference Sayyed Nasrallah said: Sayyed Nasrallah concluded his speech saying that Hezbollah was not afraid of anything, even the indictment. “Let them issue it now and let us finish already. Those who conspire against the resistance and Lebanon – and have so far failed – ought to be concerned because more schemes will be foiled. We know the nature of the responsibility that we’re shouldering and we urge those who have so far miscalculated their moves to make the right calculations this time.”

When The Israeli Enemy Cares for Hariri Family's "Honor"!
Hussein Assi /Almanar
23/07/2010 Believe it or not, the Israeli enemy cares for Hariri family's "honor" more than all Lebanese!
Yes, while the countdown for the "already written" verdict of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon over the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri has started, Israel seems to be the most enthusiastic party in the world.
The slogans of "truth" and "justice" are concerning the Israeli enemy these days after the tribunal turned to be nothing but an Israeli scheme, the best "tool" to achieve the Israeli "unachieved" goals since 2006: disarming and dismantling Hezbollah.
Thus, Israel has the right to "regret" the stances of Prime Minister Saad Hariri and even to "justify" them by claiming that the young PM is just "scared" of reaching the same fate of his father or, at the least, embroiling Lebanon into a devastating and destructive civil war.
Yet, Israel was shocked on Thursday while listening to Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah speaking about the tribunal and its expected findings. The shock was not due to the strong arguments given by Hezbollah to deny any involvement in the assassination of the former Prime Minister, but simply due to the revelation made by Sayyed Nasrallah that Saad Hariri himself informed him of the content of the final verdict.
"It was expected that Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah devoted much of his speech yesterday to denying his organization's involvement in the 2005 murder of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri. What was less expected was his assertion that Hariri's son, current prime minister Saad Hariri, is the one who informed him that an international prosecutor planned to accuse Hezbollah operatives of responsibility," Israeli daily Haaretz said on Friday.
The Israeli daily quoted Sayyed Nasrallah as saying that Hariri had assured him that he, too, was convinced Hezbollah as an organization had not been involved. Haaretz couldn't agree. "If that is true, it just goes to show that politics is thicker than blood - for Hezbollah is well known for its rigid hierarchy, iron discipline and involvement of senior officials in all decisions at the field level. That makes it highly unlikely that Hezbollah operatives would have been involved in such an incident without the senior leadership's knowledge," the daily went on to say.
However, the most astonishing part of Haaretz article was its "justification" of Hariri's stances, as if it knew that the Prime Minister is not acting as he would like to. "Hariri's political survival depends on Hezbollah's acquiescence, something evidently more important to him than his family honor," the daily believed. "He may also have concluded that if he supports the international probe, he will share his father's fate - or, alternatively, that doing so could risk renewed civil war between Hezbollah and his own March 14 movement. In such a face-off, Hezbollah would certainly win."
The Israeli daily concluded that Hariri hopes to resolve the problem by distinguishing between the operatives and the organization, a distinction already rejected by the Resistance party.


Hariri: There Had Been Mistakes with Syria...Sedition in Lebanon Rejected

Nada Raad/Al Manar
23/07/2010 The Lebanese Prime minister Saad Hariri recognized that he had committed many errors in his relation with Syria during the last five years, and described the bilateral relations with Damascus as "serious, correct, fraternal, irrevocable, and based on real consultations with Syrian president Bachar Assad".
In his press conference Thursday, Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah called on so called March 14 leaders to make a review of their stances and admit their mistakes in the past five years; mistakes, he added, that could have led Lebanon and the Lebanese to the abyss of civil war.
Hariri, who was speaking to Al Hayat newspaper, said that he made a thorough revision to his relation with Syria, and called for drawing lessons from the past to build a better future. "I've learned a lot of things in the last five years, and the most important thing is to be sincere with ourselves and with other people. If we stay looking at the past, we'll not go forward".
The Lebanese prime minister refused to accuse Syria in interfering in Lebanese affairs, saying that "Syria, like many other Arab countries, receives political figures, and it's very normal. I think that the last Syrian interference was positive, because after its consensus with Saudi Arabia, we successfully achieved the national unity government".
According to Hariri, the Lebanese stability comforts Syria, adding that he doesn't have any problem to dialogue with anyone, at any moment, and over any subject.
On the other hand, Hariri confirmed that he will react as the Lebanese prime minister of Lebanon and the son of Rafiq Hariri when the Special Tribunal for Lebanon will issue its indictment. “Certainly, I'll put the national interest at the top level of importance, and the national interest is to know the truth about the assassination of my father.”
Sayyed Nasrallah said during his press conference Thursday that Hariri had told him the the STL will issue an indictment that will implicate “undisciplined members of Hezbollah,” something the Secretary General categorically rejected. Speaking to Al-Hayat, Hariri rejected division in Lebanon and assured that all the Lebanese people will stay united together in front of all schemes of sedition, division, and Israeli threats.

Lahoud to Al-Manar: Tribunal Targeting Resistance from Beginning

23/07/2010 Lebanon's former President Emil Lahoud urged on Thursday the new pro-Resistance majority to put an end to the politicization of the international tribunal issue, saying that the tribunal has been targeting the Resistance from the beginning. "At the beginning, when the assassination took place, I said that when one has a clear conscience he cannot be defeated," Lahoud said in an exclusive interview with Al-Manar Television. "Because whoever did this bombing did it to get to the Resistance which annoys them most," he added.
Lahoud slammed the head of the Phalange Party Amin Gemayel who said that the former President was the first to raise the issue of setting up an international tribunal to prosecute the killers of ex-PM Rafiq Hariri. "This is not true, I was the only one who refused the tribunal and they threatened me but I said let them accuse me, I'm comfortable," Lahoud said.

The wretched in Lebanon

Zuheir Kseibati
Israeli Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi did not link his threat of the “upcoming” war on Lebanon this time to an emergency factor or a change in Hezbollah’s approach for example. Rather, he insisted on UNIFIL’s inability to discover the weapons which he accused Hezbollah of storing in residential areas south to the Litani River. The “upcoming” [war] reflects Ashkenazi’s confidence that what used to be a possibility has become more likely to occur. Thus, the Lebanese should not be deceived by the ability of the Democratic Administration in the United States to prevent the war, assuming that it does not really want it.
It is important here to recall the public pledge that was made by President Barack Obama for the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu not to allow anything which the Hebrew State considers a threat to its security…i.e. giving it the freedom to determine the “security” and military priorities in the region, whose map Netanyahu does not see any hindrance in locating, starting from Bushehr, Esfahan, and all the Iranian nuclear program reactors, passing through south Lebanon and Hezbollah’s missile arsenal and Hamas’s tunnels in Gaza.
It is thus pointless to investigate the US Administration’s intentions and whether or not it abstains from giving Israel a green light for a war that could destroy the entire south again. But the presence of UNIFIL will be its first victims, and thus Resolution 1701 would be cancelled. It is pointless to assume that the Democratic Administration would have some mercy on the Lebanese, contrary to the Republicans’ keenness on extending the war in 2006.
While it is alarming after the wave of Israeli threats to launch a ruinous war this time, that the Hebrew State does not seem to be concerned about the 2006 lessons and maliciously points to new realities in Lebanon in the fall as a result of the Special Tribunal, it is even more alarming and also confusing that the United States, which incessantly renews its concern over the stability of the country, did not also draw lessons from the experience of the former Republican Administration’s approach for the nature of the relationship with a Lebanese group, even if it represented a majority (14 March), and the insistence of the same administration on reinforcing the doubts of the other group whether intentionally or not…For instance, its excessive praise of the government of Prime Minister Fouad Siniora appeared as an intentional act to provoke the opposition, or at least an act to offend the government and provoke its anger.
Democratic Senator John Kerry, the head of the Foreign Affairs Committee in the American House of Senate, classified what he described as the “threat of the military superiority of Hezbollah over the Israeli military superiority and its threat on the Lebanese domestic situation” as the most “annoying” issue for his country. If we recall Obama’s pledge for Israel, would the reasons of optimism which some sides rely on to rule out the possibility of a war still be valid?... Most importantly, at the domestic level, Kerry, who addresses “our allies in Lebanon” and commits himself to a long-term “partnership” with them, does not come up with anything better than former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice’s full verbal support and inability to secure Israel’s withdrawal from Al-Ghajar or put pressure [on Israel] to stop its violation of the Lebanese sovereignty.
In all cases, did the government of Saad al-Hariri consider itself an “ally” for the United States? Did Siniora’s government do so?...The support which Washington provides for the Lebanese has also become another controversial issue among the Lebanese political forces, simply because the American “cleverness” does not hesitate to give a pretext as usual, as revealed by the testimony of the new US Ambassador Maura Connelly before the House of Senates. She believes that among the objectives of the American military support for Lebanon is to “prevent the south from being used as a base to launch attacks on Israel.” It is left to the imagination to interpret the meaning: Protecting Israel!
Which diplomacy then? Even if there were arguments to support Kerry’s pessimism in his talk about the period of turmoil in Lebanon – which extended from the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafiq al-Hariri, to the July War in 2006 and the Nahr al-Bared camp war – it would have been more rational had Connelly linked Lebanon’s restoration of its complete sovereignty to the achievement of comprehensive peace in the region. But of course, she abstains from discussing what hinders this objective, while the pledges Obama made for the Arab at the beginning of his tenure are evaporating.
Behind all the clamor of the American-Israeli conflict over the settlements, Ehud-Barack meetings at the Pentagon were increasing, and the strategic military cooperation between Washington and Tel Aviv was given more momentum.
What the United States provides for the Lebanese is more pretexts for divisions, while the country is too small to contain the storms resulting from the regional balance of powers. Many have assumed that the Obama-Netenyahu conflict would end by twisting Israel’s arm…But the American President came out to promise with a stronger arm for it, and Israel plans to prevent a nuclear Iran and does not forget the stage of the American withdrawal from Iran and the new “map” of balances. When its ambassador to the United Nation says that the Hebrew State has become “the most isolated state in the world,” it will not tip the balance of peace to end this isolation.
As for the Lebanese, they will remain wretched forever if they risk their unity again, albeit a weak one.
*Published in the London-based AL-HAYAT on July 22, 2010.
http://www.alarabiya.net/views/2010/07/23/114620.html