LCCC
ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
ِJune
16/2010
Bible Of
the Day
The Good News
According to Matthew 5/21-26: "5:21 “You have heard that it was said to the
ancient ones, ‘You shall not murder;’* and ‘Whoever shall murder shall be in
danger of the judgment.’ 5:22 But I tell you, that everyone who is angry with
his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment; and whoever
shall say to his brother, ‘Raca!’ shall be in danger of the council; and whoever
shall say, ‘You fool!’ shall be in danger of the fire of Gehenna. 5:23 “If
therefore you are offering your gift at the altar, and there remembered that
your brother has anything against you, 5:24 leave your gift there before the
altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and
offer your gift. 5:25 Agree with your adversary quickly, while you are with him
in the way; lest perhaps the prosecutor deliver you to the judge, and the judge
deliver you to the officer, and you be cast into prison. 5:26 Most certainly I
tell you, you shall by no means get out of there, until you have paid the last
penny."
Free Opinions, Releases,
letters, Interviews & Special Reports
Umbilically yours, says Nasrallah
to Iran/By: Tony Badran/June 15/10
Road
to Damascus requires reform/Daily Star/June14/10
Bilateral priorities/Now
Lebanon/June 14/10
Latest News Reports From Miscellaneous Sources for June
15/10
Geagea Meets Kouchner, Says Right
of People-Army-Resistance to Liberate Land is New War Project/Naharnet
Suleiman-Assad Summit Focuses on
Bilateral Ties, Regional-Global Challenges/Naharnet
Bassil, Sison Sign $27.5 Million
Grant to Support Lebanon Water Sector/Naharnet
U.S.: Lebanon Doesn't Fully Comply
with Minimum Standards for Human Trafficking Elimination/Naharnet
NATO Watches Syria Smuggle Weapons to Hizbullah/Arutz
Sheva
Sfeir visits France to 'bolster ties'/Daily
Star
Geagea thanks Moussa for playing mediating role/Daily
Star
Remembrance mass held in Ehden for Franjieh/Daily
Star
Reform, Change bloc lawmakers to protest fines against OTV/Daily
Star
LU
professors announce strike on Wednesday, call for better pay/Daily
Star
Cabinet makes progress on passing 2010 budget/Daily
Star
Fatfat resignation deals blow to Future party's structure/Daily
Star
Sleiman, Assad to discuss stalled peace process/Daily
Star
Lebanon, UNDP sign MOU on energy-saving initiative/Daily
Star
Lebanon's capital inflows up by 16 percent - report/Daily
Star
Deutsche Bank, Bader to launch creative awards in Lebanon/Daily
Star
Cabinet putting final touches on the 2010 budget/Daily
Star
Fires across country ravage forests, fields/Daily
Star
Baroud bans roadside vending without permits/Daily
Star
Domestic worker 'kidnaps' employer's son/Daily
Star
Green Party holds Phoenicia Hotel banquet/Daily
Star
Artistic genius of Lebanon celebrated in New York/Daily
Star
Unemployment still plagues Palestinian community/Daily
Star
Germany kicks the World Cup into life/Daily
Star
Soccer fans in south fly flags of every team but US, England/Daily
Star
Report: North Mustaqbal Officials
to Submit Resignations, Fatfat Quit Due to Movement's Pressure/Naharnet
Phalange Party: Lebanese-Syrian
Talks Gradually Taking on Traits of Talks between Two Independent
Nations/Naharnet
Parliament Scheduled to Vote on Law
that Could Curb Online Freedom/Naharnet
Jumblat Calls for Reviewing
Agreements with Syria during Better Circumstances/Naharnet
NATO
Watches Syria Smuggle Weapons to Hizbullah
by Hana Levi Julian/Israel news
NATO submarines have been watching the Syrian coastline and searching for ships
suspected of smuggling weapons to terrorist organizations – among them,
Hizbullah in Lebanon.
As part of the body's Active Endeavor anti-terrorist operation, the Spanish
submarine Sirocco S-72 snapped a photo of a ship sailing from the Syrian port of
Tartus on March 2, bearing dozens of military vehicles. The ship's flag, and its
destination, were deemed classified information, and are not available to the
media.
However, the Defence Forum of India noted that it took less than a month for
Israel's President Shimon Peres to announce to reporters that Syria had
transferred Scud missiles to Hizbullah.
That message, noted the report, was quickly followed up by one from King
Abdullah II of Jordan, who began to talk of the “high risk” of a looming
conflict in the region.
Last month the British newspaper The Times claimed to have access to satellite
images showing a Hizbullah complex near the Syrian town of Adra, northwest of
Damascus. The images allegedly revealed shelters, weapons and a fleet of trucks,
presumably to be used for transfer.
Israeli intelligence sources have maintained for more than a year that Hizbullah
has rearmed its weapons stockpile to levels significantly higher than the group
possessed prior to the 2006 Second Lebanon War. The weapons allegedly are being
sent to the group from Iran, through Syria, and are also being supplied by
Damascus as well.
The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) warned from the outset,
when the Second Lebanese War ceasefire Resolution 1703 was signed, that it could
not enforce the document, which calls for the disarmament of Hizbullah and any
other “foreign armed force” in Lebanon. The document also stipulated that UNIFIL
was to ensure that no arms were smuggled in to Hizbullah.
Syria has repeatedly denied that it has transferred weapons to the terrorist
organization – but Israeli military intelligence has continued to emphasize the
group is receiving Scud missiles and Syrian-made M-600 mid-range missiles from
Damascus.
The M-600 is an improved version of the Iranian Fatah-110 missile, carrying a
1,000-pound warhead. It is fitted with a GPS-aided inertial navigation,
upgrading it from a simple terrorist weapon to an outright military threat.
Moreover, because it is solid-fueled, it can be fired without preparation, as
opposed to the Scud missile, which must be protected from air strikes during
fueling because it requires liquid fuel.
According to an article published in the May 17 issue of Aviation Week, the
latest Syrian variant of the Scud missile is equipped with a 500-meter CEP
(complex event processing) system – meaning that the missile can identify and
proceed to the most meaningful target among thousands of possible options within
a 500-meter range. The same article noted that the CEP of the M-600 was
approximately 200 meters – nearly Scud class.
The ranges of both reportedly extend to at least 600 kilometers, enabling them
to reach beyond Tel Aviv or Jerusalem from southern Lebanon.
Up to this point, Syria has operated the Hwasong-6 upgrade to the Scud-B.
According to Jane's, the Hwasong-6, also known as the Scud-C, was developed by
North Korea in 1984 as an improvement of the R-17 SS-1 Scud-B missile, which it
had received from Egypt. Among the changes made by the North Koreans was an
expansion of the missile's range from its original 300 kilometers to 500
kilometers. A quiet discussion spotted recently between defense and military
personnel on an Internet military aviation forum posed the question, “Has anyone
even considered what it would take for Hizbullah to manage and launch such
weapons?” The writer went on to note that even though the terrorist group had
“used that cruise missile a while back.... still, does anyone really think a
third-world terrorist group has sufficiently trained personnel to handle such
weapons? Methinks one will find more than a few Syrians, Iranians and North
Koreans among the service personnel. And if that is true, why isn't a bigger
fuss being raised over such support of terrorism?” (IsraelNationalNews.com)
Next
Hizbullah War May Be Over Israel’s Gas and Oil Fields
by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu/Arutz Sheva
Hizbullah has laid claim to a huge oil and gas field that Israel discovered off
its northeastern Mediterranean Coast -- and which Lebanon already has claimed as
well.
The terrorist organization warned that it will not allow Israel to take
possession of the offshore fields, which could make the Jewish State energy
self-sufficient for the first time in history.
The As-Safir Lebanese newspaper told its readers that the gas field “was located
between Israeli and Cypriot territorial waters and stretches toward the Lebanese
coast.”Lebanese newspapers also reported that previous Israeli gas finds “were
either taking place in areas stretching to Lebanese territorial waters or other
spots far away from the Israeli coast.”
Hizbullah’s claims were stated by the party’s executive council chief Hashem
Safieddine, who was quoted by the Tehran Times as saying it would not allow
Israel to “loot” Lebanese gas resources. Lebanese parliamentary speaker Nabih
Berri previously said, “Israel is racing to make the case a fait accompli and
was quick to present itself as an oil emirate, ignoring the fact that, according
to the maps, the deposit extends into Lebanese waters. Exploring our options in
this field is our best bet to pay off Lebanon's debts.”
The Israeli government immediately responded to the Lebanese claims, saying they
are totally unfounded and that all of the gas and oil fields are off the coast
of Israel and not Lebanon.
Dr. Yaakov Mimran, director of energy exploration for the National
Infrastructures Ministry, called the claims "nonsense.” He added, "These noises
occur when they smell gas. Until then they sit quietly and let the other side
spend the money.”Marine law expert Amir Cohen-Dor told the Globes business news
service that the Dalit and Tamar gas fields are within Israel's contiguous
economic zone, and that United Nations regulations clearly state that Israel can
develop them.
Geagea Meets Kouchner, Says Right of People-Army-Resistance to Liberate Land is
New War Project
Naharnet/Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea on Tuesday criticized the policy
statement's sixth clause as a new war project in Lebanon that throws the country
into the unknown.
During a press conference at the end of his visit to Cairo, Geagea said there
was a point of contention between the LF and President Michel Suleiman over the
6th clause which states the right of "Lebanon, its government, its people, its
army and its resistance" to liberate all Lebanese territory. He said such a
suggestion is a "new project in Lebanon or a doorway that exposes the country to
the unknown." Asked about Lebanon's ties with Syria, the LF leader said: "We
hold talks with the Syrians through the prime minister. I was among the first
who encouraged him to enter into dialogue with them.""If all pending issues with
Syria were solved, then everyone could visit Damascus the same way we visit
Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait and France," Geagea told reporters. After a
several day visit to Cairo where he met with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak,
other top government officials and Arab League chief Amr Moussa, Geagea traveled
to Paris. He discussed latest local and regional developments with French
Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner. A statement issued by Geagea's office said
the two sides stressed the need to preserve stability in Lebanon. "This can only
be achieved if the decision to defend Lebanon was put in the hands of the
Lebanese government." Beirut, 15 Jun 10, 13:38
Suleiman-Assad Summit Focuses on Bilateral Ties, Regional-Global Challenges
Naharnet/President Michel Suleiman arrived in Damascus Tuesday and went straight
into summit talks with Syrian President Bashar Assad. State-run National News
Agency said talks aimed at strengthening bilateral ties between the two
countries. It said the two leaders will also discuss "regional and global
challenges as well as coordinate stances."Local media said Suleiman and Assad
will tackle regional developments as well as the stalled peace process and the
growing role of Turkey and Iran in the region and the impact this could have on
Lebanon. They said the two men will also discuss the 15 agreements that were
reached over the weekend during meetings of the Lebanese-Syrian Committee. The
memorandums included environment, economics, agriculture, education and high
education, vocational training, consumer protection, justice, tourism and
culture. Health Minister Mohammed Jawad Khalife and State Minister Adnan Qassar
accompanied Suleiman on his visit. The Presidency's Director General Naji Abi
Assi and a number of advisers also escorted Suleiman to Damascus.
Bassil, Sison Sign $27.5 Million Grant to Support Lebanon Water Sector
Naharnet/Energy and Water Minister Jebran Bassil and U.S. ambassador Michele
Sison singed Tuesday two grant agreements worth USD27.5 million to support the
water sector in Lebanon. Beirut, 15 Jun 10, 13:04
U.S.: Lebanon Doesn't Fully Comply with Minimum Standards
for Human Trafficking Elimination
Naharnet/The United States has said that the Lebanese government does not fully
comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of human trafficking
although it is making significant efforts to combat it. In its annual
Trafficking in Persons report, the State Department said Lebanon may be a
transit point for Eastern European women and children destined for forced
prostitution in other countries in the region. The report also said Asian and
African women, who voluntarily and legally come to Lebanon to work in domestic
service with the assistance of recruitment agencies, often find themselves in
conditions of forced labor. Turning to the issue of sex trade, the Department
said: "The Lebanese government's "artiste" visa program, which facilitated the
entry of 4,518 women from Eastern Europe, Morocco, and Tunisia in 2009 to work
in the adult entertainment industry, serves to sustain a significant sex trade
and facilitates sex trafficking." The report recommended the government to
criminalize all forms of human trafficking and enact the draft Labor Law
amendment extending legal protections to foreign workers. It also called for
developing and instituting formal procedures to identify victims of trafficking
among vulnerable populations, such as women holding "artiste" visas and domestic
workers who have escaped abusive employers. The State Department found 13
nations do not meet minimum standards on fighting trafficking and are not making
significant efforts to do so.
The countries in this lowest "Tier 3" category were Myanmar, the Democratic
Republic of the Congo, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Eritrea, Iran, Kuwait,
Mauritania, North Korea, Papua New Guinea, Saudi Arabia, Sudan and Zimbabwe.
Lebanon was in the "Tier 2" Watch List category. For the first time, the U.S.
was included in the Department's Trafficking in Persons report and was given
high marks. The report said that while trafficking is a problem there, the U.S.
is complying with all minimum standards. It placed the U.S. along with 27 other
mainly European countries in the top "Tier 1" category for compliance. "We
believe it is important to keep the spotlight on ourselves," Secretary of State
Hillary Rodham Clinton said in presenting the report. "Human trafficking is not
someone else's problem. Involuntary servitude is not something we can ignore or
hope doesn't exist in our own communities." Beirut, 15 Jun 10, 08:16
Bilateral priorities
June 14, 2010 /Now Lebanon
Under the cozy, not to mention vague, definition of strengthening bilateral
ties, Lebanese-Syrian diplomacy was in full throttle over the weekend with talks
in Damascus aimed at establishing closer relations in what appears to be the
full spectrum of areas of cooperation – defense to education and everything in
between.
It was also announced that a summit between Lebanese President Michel Sleiman
and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad would take place in Syria this week,
possibly as early as Tuesday. It would, the Lebanese media reported, “tackle
joint Lebanese-Syrian issues” and pave the way for a meeting of the
Syrian-Lebanese Higher Council (SLHC), the controversial body created in 1991
under Article 6 of the Fraternity, Cooperation and Coordination Treaty to
oversee the implementation of the treaties between the two countries, but which
has been dormant since 2005.
There is a worrying side to the diplomatic hoopla. Given what has passed since
2005, when Syria was forced by the Independence Intifada to withdraw its troops
from Lebanon after a 29-year presence, and the recent regional understanding
between Saudi Arabia and Syria, the Lebanese need to be reassured that Beirut is
not once again being absorbed into another one-sided relationship with Damascus.
They must be certain that when their country tackles “joint Lebanese-Syrian
issues” it does so as an equal partner and a sovereign state.
Even more crucial is Lebanon’s obligation to address outstanding issues of
national importance such as border demarcation, the fate of Lebanese detainees
in Syrian jails and the future of the SLHC, a body whose presence is a
continuous reminder of an era when Lebanese-Syrian relations were certainly not
on an equal footing.
In late April this year, UN Special Envoy for the implementation of Security
Council Resolution 1559 Terje Roed Larsen said that border demarcation, although
stipulated in the resolution, should be seen as a bilateral matter, one that
should be settled through a Lebanese-Syrian agreement. He said it was best that
the UN not interfere in the process, unless both parties request its
intervention. Indeed, in a letter to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, Syrian
ambassador to the UN Bashar al-Javari also stated the bilateral nature of the
issue, so what better time to address it than now?
Demarcating Lebanon’s border with its main neighbor would be a huge step forward
in Lebanon’s achingly slow journey to full statehood. It is however, an emotive
issue for a Syrian regime, which, despite having agreed to exchange ambassadors
in 2009, is historically reluctant to recognize Lebanon as a sovereignty entity.
The current diplomatic activity must also be seen as an opportunity to achieve
genuine cooperation on determining the fate of the roughly 600 or so Lebanese
from all confessions, as well as Palestinians, whose last know whereabouts were
thought to be Syrian custody. Roughly half are thought to still be alive. Syria
has an international obligation to come clean on their fate, and President
Sleiman should make this highly emotive issue conditional on any proposed
bilateral relations.
Finally, in a move that would go a long way to showing Lebanese that a new page
has been turned in the way their government deals with its neighbor, the SLHC
must either be disbanded, or, at the very least, the bilateral agreements that
were rubber stamped during the era of Syrian hegemony and that were designed to
benefit Syria’s security and economic interests must be annulled… not tweaked,
annulled. In 2008, Nasri Khoury, secretary general of the Syrian-Lebanese Higher
Council, told An-Nahar that “any attempt to cancel out the previous phase of
Syrian-Lebanese relations is an attempt to cancel a reality marked by history,
geography and the blood of martyrs.”Lebanon may have settled into a political
status quo that falls short of the expectations of many who put their weight
behind the 2005 Independence Intifada, but to recognize bodies such as the SLHC
as legitimate instruments of bilateral relations is also to deny, as he put it,
“history, geography” and, especially “martyrs’ blood.” Khoury should be aware
that such sentiments run both ways.
Umbilically yours, says Nasrallah to Iran
Tony Badran, Now Lebanon
June 15, 2010
Hassan Nasrallah, Hezbollah’s secretary general, has carefully cultivated a
personality cult, a central tenet of which is that his word is always true.
However, in a speech on the recent anniversary of the death of Ayatollah
Ruhollah Khomeini, Nasrallah engaged in dizzying revisionism as he explained one
of Khomeini’s most problematic doctrines: the export of the Islamic Revolution.
It was in itself telling, and natural, that this was the facet of Khomeini’s
legacy that Nasrallah chose to emphasize. After all, exporting revolution is
what lies behind Hezbollah’s very existence. And yet to hear Nasrallah describe
it, Iran’s policy was solely destined to spread universal values – “the values
of the great prophets of God,” as he put it – through preaching to the oppressed
of the earth, who would then be free to find inspiration in these values or not.
According to Nasrallah, “badly-intentioned people” have sought to distort
Khomeini’s position by claiming that he intended to dispatch Revolutionary
Guards and volunteers “in order to topple regimes and impose values and ideas.”
Nasrallah’s notion that there was a rigid dichotomy between Iranian
proselytizing and paramilitary activities was in striking contradiction to what
Iran’s constitution itself says.
Take this passage from the document’s preamble: “The Army of the Islamic
Republic of Iran and the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps [IRGC] … will be
responsible not only for guarding and preserving the frontiers of the country,
but also for fulfilling the ideological mission of jihad in God’s way; that is,
extending the sovereignty of God’s law throughout the world (this is in
accordance with the Koranic verse, ‘Prepare against them whatever force you are
able to muster…’)”.
So, the IRGC is, in fact, a central actor in exporting the revolution. Early on,
Mohammad Montazeri (whose father was among the leading Iranian figures behind
the idea of creating Hezbollah) and Mehdi Hashemi set up units and offices in
the IRGC that dealt with global revolution and the support for “liberation
movements” abroad. It was Montazeri who first organized the sending of
“volunteers” to Lebanon in 1979 – a prelude to the 1,500 Revolutionary Guards
members who followed in 1982. These Pasdaran units provided integrated military
and ideological training to Hezbollah’s cadres.
Indeed, the party’s flag once displayed the proclamation “The Islamic Revolution
in Lebanon” alongside the previously-mentioned Koranic verse quoted in the
Iranian constitution, which remains emblazoned on the Hezbollah flag (and on the
IRGC’s emblem) as a reminder of what Hezbollah’s origins and mission are.
Similarly, “jihad in the path of God” is what Hezbollah’s deputy secretary
general, Naim Qassem, has described as Hezbollah’s guiding project.
Needless to say, Nasrallah neglected to mention the IRGC’s role when discussing
Hezbollah’s establishment. And that was not the only thing he omitted. In
discussing the supposedly universal values exported by Khomeini, Nasrallah,
tellingly, failed to mention any of Lebanon’s senior Shia clerics, many of whom
openly took issue with several of Khomeini’s doctrines, especially that of the
Guardianship of the Jurist (Wilayat al-Faqih), whereby supreme political
authority is vested in the hands of a leading member of the clergy, or jurist.
For Nasrallah, there is only one source of religious reference for his party’s
actions, the jurist himself, and the secretary general vowed loyalty to
Khomeini’s legacy and to his successor, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Nasrallah’s devotion to Khomeini’s vision has led him to disregard not only
Lebanese Shia religious tradition, but also the Iranian people, who last year
revolted against their regime with chants of “Death to Khamenei.” Such
manifestations Nasrallah has dismissed as a “conspiracy” against what he has
dubbed a “modern Islamic system” whose “rope is connected to God.” In this
context, Nasrallah’s praise of Khomeini’s championing of the “oppressed” rings
rather hollow.
The Islamic Revolution’s pan-Islamic appeal has been largely limited to Shia.
Indeed, Hezbollah has proven to be one of the revolution’s only real success
stories. And that hasn’t been due to Khomeini’s ideas, but to Hezbollah’s
military power.
In his speech, Nasrallah emphasized one point to his audience. The secretary
general explained that “the most important value revived by the Imam was the
culture of resistance ... and the most significant major cause ... was that of
Palestine.” What was important was for “this culture to spread in our Arab and
Islamic countries.”
In tangible terms it is easy to grasp what this implies, and puts to rest the
idea that exporting the revolution has no military component, or that it poses
no threat to the security of Arab states. An illustrative test case would be
Hezbollah’s recent operations in Egypt.
As a hybrid ideological and military entity, Hezbollah is the embodiment of what
exporting revolution means. Hassan Nasrallah’s professed allegiance to the
supreme leader of the Islamic Republic and his total identification with its
institutions, discourse and politico-ideological objectives puts the lie to the
notion that Hezbollah is an independent Lebanese actor, let alone that it has
“evolved” from what it was intentionally created to be into something different.
**Tony Badran is a research fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies
Israel Under Fire after
Unveiling Flotilla Raid Inquiry Panel
/Naharnet/Israel's cabinet on Monday backed the creation of an internal
committee to probe its deadly raid on a Gaza-bound aid flotilla, in a move
swiftly dismissed by both Turkey and the Palestinians.
The committee, which will include two foreign observers, will look into the
legal aspects of the operation in which Israeli commandos killed nine Turkish
activists.
Ankara swiftly dismissed the move, saying that Israel was incapable of being
"impartial," and Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas said setting up an internal
committee did not comply with U.N. demands.
"The proposition made today for the inquiry committee does not correspond to the
request of the Security Council," Abbas said in Paris.
Turkey had also demanded a U.N.-led probe, and threatened to review its ties
with Israel if it did not heed calls for an independent inquiry.
"We have no trust at all that Israel... will conduct an impartial
investigation," Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said in Ankara.
U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon's proposal for a credible international inquiry is still
on the table, his press office said on Monday.
"A thorough Israeli investigation is important and could fit with the secretary
general's proposal which would fully meet the international community's
expectations for a credible and impartial investigation," his spokesman said.
Israel formally announced the three-man committee late on Sunday in a move
ratified by the cabinet early on Monday.
It will be chaired by retired supreme court judge Yaakov Tirkel, 75, who will
work alongside retired major general Amos Horev, 86, and international law
professor Shabtai Rosen, 93.
There will be two international observers: Irish Nobel Peace Prize winner David
Trimble, 65, and Ken Watkin, 55, former judge advocate general of the Canadian
military.
It was not clear what powers Trimble and Watkin would have, but Israeli Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said they would be unable "to vote in
relation to the proceedings and conclusions of the commission." The inquiry will
run alongside another military probe into the events of May 31, which began last
week under retired brigadier general Giora Eiland. Its results will be submitted
to the so-called Tirkel Commission. The ages of the Israeli committee members
provoked a sardonic response from commentators, with Nahum Barnea of the
top-selling Yediot Aharonot saying the committee's structure proved the
government "has an excellent sense of humor."
"From the outset it was clear that the committee was only intended for export
purposes. According to the conditions dictated by the defense minister, the role
of the committee is not to investigate and clarify the quality of the decisions
made by the political and military echelons, but only to issue an academic
document in the field of international law," he wrote.
Netanyahu and senior ministers are expected to testify, along with Chief of
Staff Gabi Ashkenazi and top brass from military intelligence, the Mossad spy
agency and the Shabak internal security service, media reports said. But Israel
has made clear the committee will not hear direct testimony from troops involved
in the raid.
"I am convinced that uncovering the facts will prove that Israel acted in an
appropriately defensive fashion in accordance with the highest standards,"
Netanyahu told cabinet members on Monday. "The committee will clarify to the
world that Israel acts according to law with responsibility and full
transparency," he said.
Washington called the move an "important step forward," but stressed the inquiry
should be carried out promptly and its findings "presented publicly" to the
international community.
But Hamas, the Islamist movement ruling the tiny coastal Strip, said Israel's
continuing refusal to accept an international probe proved its guilt.
"By refusing the formation of an international committee to investigate the
massacre, Israel is condemning itself," Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhum told Agence
France Presse.
Israel is facing mounting pressure to end the blockade, imposed in 2006 after
Gaza militants captured an Israeli soldier.
In Luxembourg, an EU diplomat said on Monday Israel had indicated it was
"willing to go from a positive to a negative list" -- rather than continue with
its policy of listing permitted items, it would instead allow everything in,
except certain banned items.
But Israeli foreign ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor denied such a move had been
agreed.(AFP) Beirut, 14 Jun 10, 21:54
Jumblat Calls for Reviewing Agreements with Syria during
Better Circumstances
Naharnet/Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblat stated Monday that
the circumstances in the region are not suitable to reconsider agreements
between Lebanon and Syria given the major regional challenges and some Lebanese
demands that Lebanon remain neutral in the region. He said in his weekly
editorial in the PSP-affiliated Al-Anbaa magazine: "It is time for the two
countries to provide the suitable political conditions and atmosphere for the
serious implementation of all agreements, especially the economic ones."The MP
also addressed allegations of violations in the North by Lebanese security
forces against Palestinians, especially in the Nahr al-Bared Palestinian refugee
camp. He said: "Is it acceptable that there be a theoretical Lebanese commitment
towards the Palestinian cause while Palestinian refugees are discriminated
against in Lebanon?" "What is still preventing the Palestinians in Lebanon from
receiving their minimum civil rights?" he asked, adding that the next
parliamentary session should be the suitable opportunity for the political
powers that speak of supporting the Palestinians to vote on suggestions to grant
them their rights. Jumblat also addressed the issue of the 2010 state budget,
stressing the need to replace the loan policy with one that calls for limiting
spending in order to close the country's public debt. Turning to regional
developments, he said that it is time for the U.S. administration to reconsider
its policies in the Middle East, highlighting former U.S. ambassador to Iraq
Ryan Crocker's statements that the U.S. should hold direct talks with
Hizbullah.Addressing Turkey's increased support to the Palestinians and the
Arabs, the MP said that this development has helped the Arabs return to their
Arabism, especially some Lebanese sides that have recently been calling for
isolating Lebanon from regional developments "under various slogans about
Lebanon's priorities." Beirut, 14 Jun 10, 18:00
Parliament Scheduled to Vote on Law that Could Curb Online Freedom
Naharnet/Parliament is scheduled to vote on a new ICT law on Tuesday that could
have negative implications for the Lebanese economy and curb individual
freedoms. To date, the private sector and civil society were not given a proper
chance to comment on the law. Some of the most notable points in the law include
Article 92 that demands that anyone providing online services must apply for a
license, which would result in more paperwork, bureaucracy, and delays, and
consequently discourage people from such services. Another point, Article 82,
allows for the search and seizure of financial, managerial, and electronic
files, including hard drives and computers. This grants the government powers to
raid a company and seize assets and information at will. Article 70 paves the
way for the establishment of the Electronic Signature & Services Authority, a
new regulatory and licensing body with wide powers over the ICT sector. Many
deputies are rallying against this law because it is seen as one-sided and holds
dangerous implications on the economic prospects of Lebanon. Activists have
called on people to contact MPs and urge them to postpone the vote, pending a
public review period. They have also mobilized on social media websites to
highlight the law's negative repercussions. Stop This Law Facebook Page. Beirut,
14 Jun 10, 18:20
Phalange Party: Lebanese-Syrian Talks Gradually Taking on Traits of Talks
between Two Independent Nations
Naharnet/The Phalange Party noted Monday that the Lebanese-Syrian talks are
gradually taking on traits of talks between two independent nations, and
expressed its comfort with the progress of talks aimed at reviewing existing
agreements between the two countries.It repeated in a statement after its weekly
meeting its demand that the Higher Lebanese-Syrian Council be reconsidered so
that its existence does not contradict with the diplomatic representation
between Lebanon and Syria.
On this note, the statement pointed out that the recent Lebanese-Syrian talks
took place in the absence of the Syrian ambassador to Lebanon.
Addressing last week's cabinet session to reach an agreement on Lebanon's vote
at the U.N. Security Council over new sanctions on Iran, the Phalange said: "A
clearer stand was needed that would embody positive neutrality that Phalange
Party leader former President Amin Gemayel had always called for."
This development, should it happen, continued the statement, would allow Lebanon
to play the role of mediator between various regional and international sides,
and therefore play a leading role in the region. Addressing the major nations
that voted for sanctions on Iran, it stressed: "They should act fairly and
quickly to make the Middle East a region devoid of nuclear weapons, as well as
place practical efforts in lifting the siege on not just Gaza, but the solutions
for the Arab-Israeli conflict."
Turning to the local Lebanese scene, the Phalange urged cabinet to devise a
comprehensive budget plan that would "include an economic program that would
place Lebanon on the right track," stressing the Lebanon should not get involved
in economic agreements with Syria, Jordan, and Turkey before it comes up with a
proper economic plan. Beirut, 14 Jun 10, 18:56
Iran's threats & Arab states'
al-taqiyya stances in the Media
By: Elias Bejjani *
http://www.10452lccc.com/elias%20english09/elias.e.arabstaqiyya14.06.10.htm
http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/printFriendly/162547
http://www.analyst-network.com/article.php?art_id=3483
http://al-ghorba6.blogspot.com/2010/06/irans-threats-arab-states-al-taqiyya.html
http://www.middle-east-online.com/english/opinion/?id=39536
http://canadafreepress.com/index.php/article/24225
http://medyanews.com/english/?p=2498
http://globalpolitician.com/26466-iran-arab
http://blogs.albawaba.com/bejjani/66411/2010/06/14/505401-iran-s-threats-arab-states-al-taqiyya-stances
http://www.middle-east-online.com/english/?id=39536=39536&format=0
http://eliasbejjani.blogspot.com/2010/06/irans-threats-arab-states-al-taqiyya.html
http://oneclick.indiatimes.com/article/0geFgzEdQN6bk?q=Iran
http://politifi.com/news/Irans-threats-Arab-states-altaqiyya-stances-1024403.html
http://iplextra.indiatimes.com/article/0geFgzEdQN6bk
http://friendfeed.com/bill-romanos-iran-news-search/2a6f0479/iran-threats-arab-states-al-taqiyya-stances
http://www.middle-east-online.com/?id=93874