LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
ِJune 17/2010

Bible Of the Day
Matthew18/7 “Woe to the world because of occasions of stumbling! For it must be that the occasions come, but woe to that person through whom the occasion comes! 18:8 If your hand or your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off, and cast it from you. It is better for you to enter into life maimed or crippled, rather than having two hands or two feet to be cast into the eternal fire. 18:9 If your eye causes you to stumble, pluck it out, and cast it from you. It is better for you to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes to be cast into the Gehenna of fire. 18:10 See that you don’t despise one of these little ones, for I tell you that in heaven their angels always see the face of my Father who is in heaven. 18:11 For the Son of Man came to save that which was lost. 18:12 “What do you think? If a man has one hundred sheep, and one of them goes astray, doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine, go to the mountains, and seek that which has gone astray? 18:13 If he finds it, most certainly I tell you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine which have not gone astray. 18:14 Even so it is not the will of your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish.
 

Free Opinions, Releases, letters, Interviews & Special Reports
The Chouf flag war/By: Ana Maria Luca/June 16/10
Stop the slavery in Lebanon/Daily Star/June 16/10

Latest News Reports From Miscellaneous Sources for June 16/10
A day before talks, March 14 takes clear stance on defense strategy/Now Lebanon
Assad in Beirut Soon after Hailing the Presidency as 'Guarantee for Lebanese Civil Peace/Naharnet
Suleiman, Assad Stress Importance of Solidarity, Describe Turkey's Stances Against Israel as Honorable/Naharnet
Geagea: No Fear from Lebanese-Syrian Agreement since Hariri is Personally Following up on it/Naharnet
Williams Meets Hariri: I Warmly Welcome Progress on Delineation of Borders/Naharnet
Egyptian PM in Beirut at Head of Delegation in Meetings for Lebanese-Egyptian Higher Council/Naharnet
Morin Promises Murr to Support Lebanese Army with Modern Weaponry/Naharnet
Moussawi says Hezbollah critics fueled by bribes/Now Lebanon
Geagea discusses sovereignty during Kouchner meet/Daily Star
Israel warns it will block Lebanese Gaza aid boats/AFP
Sfeir pays tribute to Issam Fares during Paris visit/Daily Star
Lebanon, Syria to start demarcating borders/AFP/andDaily Star
Aoun slams judiciary over 'politicized' OTV lawsuit/Daily Star
Lebanese flotilla: No link to Hamas, Hezbollah/Ynetnews
Lebanese women to send aid ship to Gaza: organisers/AFP
US Deploys Tech Firms to Win Syrian Allies/Wall Street Journal
US trade delegation head to Syria/UPI.com
Iran's intelligence ops spook the gulf/UPI.com
Syria, Lebanon presidents want borders demarcated quickly/AFP
500 Islamic and Christian scholars in Syria to Support Gaza, Palestine and/MEMRI (blog)
Lebanon, Turkey oppose Israeli raid probe/Ynetnews
Turkey turns east to form free trade zone/National
Parliament divided on granting Palestinian rights/Daily Star
Israeli hot air balloons spotted over Lebanese waters/Daily Star
Jumblat Frustrated and Sad: Right-Wing Insists on Making Same Mistakes/Naharnet
March 14 Calls for National Dialogue Timeframe/Naharnet
Hariri Optimistic about Lebanon's Ability to Become Regional Financial Center/Naharnet

Interpol Arrests Suspected Hizbullah Financier in Paraguay
Naharnet/Interpol has said it arrested a Lebanese national suspected of funneling money to Hizbullah in Paraguay in the tri-border area with Argentina and Brazil.
Moussa Hamdan, 38, was arrested in Ciudad del Este, part of the Triple Frontier, a region the United States has repeatedly cited as being exploited by militant groups that "finance terrorist activities."Local media, citing local security officials, said Hamdan was financing Hizbullah. The Interpol chief in Paraguay, Jose Chena, said justice officials would decide within about six weeks whether to extradite Hamdan to the United States, where an arrest warrant has been issued against him. A cosmopolitan area and significant tourist spot, the Triple Frontier is also considered a major spot for smuggling and other organized crime. Brazil, Paraguay and Argentina deny their shared region is a hotbed for terror financing.
The three countries have refused to cooperate in the production of Oscar-winning director Kathryn Bigelow's latest project in a film tentatively titled "Triple Frontier" over concerns the movie could damage their countries' reputation with tourists. A significant Arab population lives in the region, with a big presence in Ciudad del Este.(AFP) Beirut, 16 Jun 10, 07:17

Merkel Reassures Saniora About German Support for Lebanon
Naharnet/Chancellor Angela Merkel has stressed Berlin's continued support for Lebanon during talks with al-Mustaqbal parliamentary bloc leader Fouad Saniora. Saniora's press office said that the former premier met with Merkel at the headquarters of the German chancellery on Tuesday. An Nahar daily reported Wednesday that there was a "positive trend" to renew the mandate of UNIFIL's German contingent. Earlier this month, Germany's cabinet agreed to extend by one year Berlin's participation in the United Nations mission in Lebanon but reduced the maximum number of troops deployed from 800 to 300. This decision requires parliamentary approval. Beirut, 16 Jun 10, 07:36

Egyptian PM in Beirut at Head of Delegation in Meetings for Lebanese-Egyptian Higher Council
Naharnet/Egyptian Prime Minister Ahmed Nazif is expected to arrive in Beirut on Thursday on a two-day visit during which he will head a ministerial delegation in a new round of meetings for the Lebanese-Egyptian Higher Council. The meetings are set to focus on issues of cooperation between the two nations, especially in the economic, investment, and trade fields.
The talks will also address bolstering political, economic, youth, sports, and educational ties, and a number of new agreements between Lebanon and Egypt are set to be signed.
The issues of Egypt supplying Lebanon with natural gas and electrical power through Jordan and Syria will also be tackled. Beirut, 16 Jun 10, 16:06

Assad in Beirut Soon after Hailing the Presidency as 'Guarantee for Lebanese Civil Peace'
Naharnet/Syrian President Bashar Assad might visit Beirut soon following an official and written invitation from his Lebanese counterpart Michel Suleiman.
During talks in Damascus Tuesday, Suleiman and Assad agreed to promote bilateral ties between economic, social and educational institutions of both countries ahead of an upcoming meeting of the Lebanese-Syrian Higher Council. Lebanese sources expected the meeting to take place in Beirut. They told al-Liwaa daily that there are two possibilities. The first option is for Assad to make an official visit to Beirut and agree on holding the Council meeting in the Lebanese capital or Damascus. The second possibility would be for the meeting to take place the day after Assad's visit to Beirut, meaning the Syrian president would spend the night in the Lebanese capital. Sources from the Lebanese delegation that traveled with Suleiman to Damascus on Tuesday, expressed to An Nahar daily their relief about the result of the summit between the two presidents. The sources and other media outlets hailed Assad's support for the Lebanese presidential post as "a guarantee for Lebanese civil peace." They said the statement was the first in which the Syrian president clearly declared such a stance. The sources said that during the meeting with Suleiman, Assad praised the Lebanese president for his role as army commander and head of state. Beirut, 16 Jun 10, 08:30

Williams Meets Hariri: I Warmly Welcome Progress on Delineation of Borders
Naharnet/Prime Minister Saad Hariri held talks Wednesday at the Grand Serail with U.N. Special Coordinator for Lebanon Michael Williams, in attendance of advisor Mohammed Shatah.
After the meeting, Williams said: "The main focus of our discussions was the implementation of (U.N.) Security Council Resolution 1701. I informed the Prime Minister that the next report would be due with the Council at the end of June. And we discussed today some of the provisions of the Resolution that require further progress and also greater effort."
"This applies to both Lebanon and Israel: We hope both sides exert more efforts to help push the current cessation of hostilities towards a long-term ceasefire. Both sides must do their best to respect the Blue Line, and Lebanon, as the Prime Minister assured me, would be doing this, respecting the Blue Line in its entirety," he added.
Williams hoped to see an end to violations, "including the daily violations by Israel, of Lebanese airspace and its continued occupation of the northern part of the village of Ghajar."
The U.N. official lauded the "notable progress in recent days in Lebanese-Syrian relations." "I was pleased to hear that President (Michel) Suleiman and (Syrian) President (Bashar) al-Assad discussed yesterday the delineation and demarcation of the common borders and expressed their intention to make progress on this issue. I warmly welcome progress on such bilateral issues, which are of direct relevance to the implementation of Resolution 1701," Williams added. He hoped the national dialogue table, which will reconvene Thursday, would be able to make progress on the development of a national defense strategy "to address the issue of arms outside state control as stipulated in Resolution 1701." Beirut, 16 Jun 10, 15:52

Berri Slams 'Distasteful' Confessional Divide in
Parliament, Vows Quick Action on Palestinian Rights
Naharnet/Speaker Nabih Berri vowed to put back MP Walid Jumblat's proposal to grant civil rights to Palestinians on the parliament agenda within a month following what he called "distasteful" sectarian divisions among lawmakers over the issue."How could we improve the country amid such an atmosphere," Berri wondered. He expressed regret to As Safir daily that members of each political team turned against each other based on their sectarian affiliations. During a parliamentary session on Tuesday, MPs from the Phalange, Lebanese Forces, the Free Patriotic Movement and some Christian al-Mustaqbal lawmakers opposed Jumblat's proposal to give civil rights to Palestinians. On the other hand, al-Mustaqbal's Muslim MPs, Hizbullah, Amal and Jumblat's Democratic Gathering pushed for the adoption of the proposal. Berri told As Safir that he transferred the four proposals on Palestinian rights to the parliamentary administrative and judicial committee to give MPs the chance to study them in order "to garner possible national consensus." However, he set a one-month timeframe to study the proposals. "I insist the subject to be brought to a close" within a month, Berri said. Beirut, 16 Jun 10, 09:33

A day before talks, March 14 takes clear stance on defense strategy
June 16, 2010 /Following its weekly meeting, the March 14 General Secretariat issued a statement on Wednesday saying that a national defense strategy should give the Lebanese state control over the means to defend the country. Lebanese officials will meet during Thursday’s national dialogue session to discuss details of the defense strategy.
“It is important to set a timeline to achieve the goals of the national dialogue committee,” the secretariat said. The statement added that Lebanon and Syria both benefit from bilateral relations based on mutual interest and respect for state sovereignty. March 14 voiced hope that “the visits by Lebanese officials to Damascus would be made under such a framework.”
President Michel Sleiman met with Syrian counterpart Bashar al-Assad on Tuesday in Damascus to coordinate on regional and international affairs and discuss bilateral ties.-NOW Lebanon

The Chouf flag war
Ana Maria Luca, June 16, 2010
Now Lebanon/
The entrance to Aramoun, where a Hezbollah banner hangs. (Ana Maria Luca)
“Welcome to Aramoun,” says the sign at the entrance of the municipality in Mount Lebanon, around 40 kilometers southwest of Beirut. A yellow Hezbollah flag flaps in the wind above the welcoming board, and a big banner showing Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah and assassinated Hezbollah military leader Imad Mugniyah inform you that you are in the Party of God’s territory. The party’s flags are also hung on electricity poles on both sides of the street.
The scene might not seem strange to an outsider, but for the locals in this traditionally Druze-Christian town, the presence of the flags and banners makes a strong political statement that has led to clashes among townsfolk. Most of the population in Aramoun and neighboring Choueifat used to be Druze, with a smaller percentage of Christians, until around 10 years ago, when Shia families started to move into the area. There was no sectarian friction whatsoever, Aramoun officials told NOW Lebanon, until political parties started displaying their paraphernalia, stirring territorial disputes.
The Hezbollah flags started to show up in both the Aramoun and Choueifat municipalities after the so-called “little war” in May 2008, when March 8-backed Resistance fighters attacked the area and fought with locals loyal to the March 14 coalition over a government decision to prevent the Party of God from operating its own private telecommunications and security systems. Although municipal officials tried to quell anger and resentment following the May events, there is still tension in the area between March 8 and March 14 supporters, the latter of whom want the flags taken down, according to March 14’s website.
Though Mount Lebanon is where the changes in population and the ensuing political friction is most obvious, there are other parts of the country going through the same phenomenon, according to Lokman Slim, the head of Hayya Bina, a pro-democracy organization that works with the Shia community in Lebanon.
“The Shia presence is also seen in Sin al-Fil, Nabaa, Bourj Hammoud and other areas of the Metn,” he said. “It is a matter of real estate displacement... But it is also more complicated than that, because it leads to political claims too. In Nabaa, for example, it was suggested that the municipality would be split in two, one half for the Shia and the other for Christian Armenians.”
But part of this expansion is also a Hezbollah quest for land in places like Jezzine or the West Bekaa village of New Burghul, where the Party of God has a colony. “It’s a normal development when people produce the money they are buying land with. But this expansion is not necessarily part of the Lebanese economic cycle. There might be other kinds of money, which comes from abroad, used in this process of buying land,” Slim said.
In Aramoun things have been relatively quiet for the past couple of months, a young Shia man sitting on the sidewalk in the town told NOW Lebanon. “But around three months ago it was awful here. It was mostly young teenagers fighting over these flags, but it turned serious because they were shooting at each other,” he said. “The March 14 people were taking them down, and the March 8 supporters were putting them back up. Now they seem to have calmed down.”
“We know that Shia live here now, we get along very well, and they are our neighbors,” a Christian woman who owns a shop next to the Hezbollah banner told NOW Lebanon. “But these flags cause problems. They create a political issue and don’t let us live peacefully.”
According to the municipal councils in Mount Lebanon, this fight has been brewing since around 1996, after the Israeli attack on South Lebanon forced many Shia families to move to the area.
“It is a convenient location here for everybody. It’s close to Beirut, where most of the jobs are, and it’s also in the mountain, a great region to live in,” Melhem Souki, the Choueifat municipality president, told NOW Lebanon. The population changed radically in his municipality, growing from 13,000, most of whom were Druze and Christians, to 400,000, with the majority of newcomers being Shia.
But the way politics is officially played did not change with the demographic shift. “Only the 13,000 people whose origins are here are allowed to vote in the municipal elections, according to the Lebanese law,” said Choueifat municipality council member Marwan Abifaraj. “The newcomers don’t have the right to vote. There are people who feel they are being taken over by the newcomers, but in the end the vote is the same as always.”
“They are hanging flags, both March 8 and March 14, and they quarrel about it,” Abifaraj said, “but that is not the municipality’s problem. It’s the army that has to intervene to take the flags down.”
In Aramoun, however, where the recent flag clashes took place, the municipality is more involved in the problem. “I wrote to everybody in Beirut to help us with the situation: the Ministry of Interior, the army. We held talks with the party leaders. No one replied to me,” Fadil Jawhari, the Aramoun municipality president, told NOW Lebanon. Since Hezbollah has an office in Aramoun, the freshly-reelected Jawhari contacted the people in charge several times asking them to take the flags down, but they did not cooperate, he said.
In Choueifat, however, things have been more peaceful after March 14 became a minority in the area when Druze leader Walid Jumblatt switched to March 8 last August.
“We still feel that it is a sensitive issue, especially after May 2008. It’s too soon to ask them to take the flags down, “Abifaraj said.

Moussawi says Hezbollah critics fueled by bribes
June 16, 2010 /Now Lebanon/Loyalty to the Resistance bloc MP Nawwaf Moussawi told New TV on Wednesday that Hezbollah critics are being funded by the US. He said $500 million has been used to bribe people into attacking the party. He said he believes Arab figures who were US allies have paid twice as much to give Hezbollah a bad image. “I called on forming a commission to investigate the [$500 million in bribes],” Moussawi said. Free Patriotic Movement MPs were not the ones who firmly objected to Democratic Gathering bloc leader MP Walid Jumblatt’s proposal to grant the Palestinians their civil rights on Tuesday, he added. “The FPM [MPs] made a practical suggestion when they called the parliament to study the proposal [on a more detailed level],” Moussawi said. The parliament met for an extraordinary session on Tuesday and discussed Jumblatt’s proposal. MPs from the Loyalty to the Resistance bloc and the Development and Liberation bloc voted in favor of Jumblatt’s bill. Kataeb, Lebanese Forces and FPM MPs voted against it. Speaker Nabih Berri transferred the draft law to parliament’s Justice and Administration Commission for review. -NOW Lebanon

Michel Aoun
June 16, 2010
The National News Agency carried the following report on June 15:
Change and Reform bloc leader MP Michel Aoun headed his bloc’s weekly meeting at the OTV building on Tuesday. Following the meeting, he said, “Today was an exceptional day for us, and we wanted the meeting of the Change and Reform bloc to be held in the building of OTV because it was the main issue we discussed. The issue features numerous problems affecting our political, economic and electoral community and in the end turned into a crime against freedom to cover up for crimes which preceded it. The first time we raised a topic related to Societe Generale, it was about the dismissal of employees from the bank for political reasons. The Syndicate of Bank Employees thus responded to us by saying that no one had filed a complaint. Of course no one will file a complaint if the man of the house is the one terrorizing the people in it.
They will definitely not complain for several reasons: Firstly, because banks do not like employees complaining against their institutions, and because the employees wish to find other jobs. Secondly because the employees are linked to loans with the bank and this is also a hassle because they are all living on a limited wage. However, this should not stop the state that wishes to pursue the issue with the Justice Ministry and the Labor Ministry to use its inspection and intelligence apparatuses that know the identities of the employees and why they left their jobs. This was the first time we alluded to this issue and we have a complaint against this bank at the Central Bank. We have another complaint in regard to the distribution of the film Project Aoun via the bank’s private mail. This movie was used against us during the elections. This institution has political inclinations and is politically protected by those opposing us. Had we wished to hurt it as it was claimed, we would have called on all the partisans and supporters not to put their money in this bank or withdraw their money from it. This is how we hurt it not by issuing first, second and third warnings saying that things are being conducted the wrong way.
As for the second time we raised the issue, it was when a crime occurred and when it turned out that everyone in Lebanon knew its details except for the investigator. Everyone knows the details because there were 200 witnesses from at least 200 families that are friends with another 200 families. The news circulated throughout Lebanon but the investigators still know nothing. No one is talking about the issue and the entire case was sealed. Why was that? Because we are living in an era of protected crime, similar to the one during the mafia days all over the world. They call it ‘Omertà’ which means that you know, I know, the people know, the judge knows, the president knows and everyone knows but no one will speak about it… It is as though this crime was not committed in Lebanon a while ago. In reality, our station belongs to the people and is owned by 11,000 Lebanese citizens. They are a sample representing the entire population, and it is neither tied up nor linked to any wealth, bank or state.
We established OTV as the voice of those without a voice. This is not only a slogan, it is seen on the ground because all the media outlets in this country are either contained or owned, except for this one. It is owned by the people and since it always speaks the truth, the ones opposing it are often from the Free Patriotic Movement because it does not always represent them, speaks on behalf of all and hosts all sides… Political shows are either instigative or satirical. There is a show on OTV called Ovrira. It is a satire which tackled the incident and instead of instigating by saying shoot those who shot you, made jokes and said that Society Anti General was born anti-general, is acting anti-general but also anti-social. When someone shoots at 200 people in a public place, brings them to their knees and kills them, what should a satirical television show do? Give him a medal? They were thus mobilized and filed a lawsuit before the judiciary… and the station stopped airing the advertisement of the show.
However, this ad was broadcast on the air and any channel that picked it up around the world can take it and air it. This is especially true online since it was posted on Youtube for example. Now we are being pursued because of Youtube although we did not air the show. Therefore, legally-speaking it would be wrong to pursue us since OTV did not post the ad and committed to the judge’s decision. In terms of the prerogatives and the content, it is not up to the judge of urgent matters. The job of the latter is to stop a lurking threat or ongoing damage and what they consider to be as such as been stopped. Whether there was damage or not, that is something to be decided by law and the other courts. We were not the ones that harassed the judiciary who politicized it.
We are the first defenders of the judges and the judiciary but we demand the autonomy of judges so that ‘politicians do not ride on their backs’ and impose things similar to the ones that are currently seen. Today, protected crime is prevailing and money and influence are used to cover it up… We are living in a broken and defeated country because we do not have the courage to speak and say a free word in the face of thieves, killers and the corrupt. Legally speaking, there are no grounds for this lawsuit which has a political backdrop, whether or not they are willing to recognize it. They introduced a billion dollars to ensure the loss of the FPM in the elections and everyone participated. Has no one seen even one million out of this billion? The latter are the same ones wishing to violate the law.
What would prevent those who covered up the use of a billion dollars in political bribes from covering up a fabricated crime against OTV? ... We have spent our lives staging sit-ins, demonstrations and protests and are willing to continue our lives down the path of confrontation. We are not scared of anyone. Today, I was astonished by the questions of the people asking if OTV will be closed. Who will close it and how will they do it? You are the pride of the nation.”

Israel warns it will block Lebanese Gaza aid boats
By Agence France Presse (AFP)
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
BEIRUT: Israel warned that it will not allow a Lebanese boat carrying aid to Gaza to pass, or for “Lebanon’s Hizbullah to use it to transport arms” to the besieged territory.
“We will not let Iran or an organization like Hizbullah bring weapons and rockets into Gaza which could kill Israelis,” a senior Israeli government source told AFP, insisting the boat would not be allowed to reach Gaza. A senior defense official, quoted by Israel’s army radio, said Israel would hold the Lebanese government accountable if Hizbullah was involved in any aid shipment. An all-female ship, transporting medical supplies to Gaza is to leave Lebanon in the coming days, organizers said. “We are all independent women who believe in breaking the [Israeli] siege on Gaza,” said Samar Hajj, who is coordinating the trip. Hajj stressed that the activists were not affiliated with Hizbullah or any other political group. “This has nothing to do with Hizbullah even though it is an honor for us to be supporters of the Resistance,” she said. So far 50 women have signed up for the trip on board the cargo ship “Mariam.” Among them 30 Lebanese and 20 foreigners. Other groups are also planning to send ships. – AFP

Lebanon, Syria to start demarcating borders
Sleiman, Assad call for strengthening bilateral ties
By Agence France Presse (AFP) and The Daily Star
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
BEIRUT: Syria and Lebanon say they will begin demarcating their maritime and land borders as soon as possible in order to guarantee both countries’ interests, the Syrian National News Agency (SANA) reported after talks between the Syrian and Lebanese heads of state. After meeting in Damascus, Syrian President Bashar Assad also stressed to his Lebanese counterpart Michel Sleiman Syria’s support for the Lebanese presidential post as “a guarantee for Lebanese civil peace,” the statement added. The two leaders “spoke of the common land and maritime borders” and agreed to call on technical committees to “continue to assemble information and data with a view to proceeding toward a delimitation and demarcation of the borders as soon as possible,” SANA said.Syria and Lebanon only established formal diplomatic relations in October 2008, more than 60 years after they both were granted independence from a French mandate by the League of Nations.
Assad and Sleiman had already announced in August of that year the creation of joint committees to work on the border question. One key bit of territory along the two countries’ shared border is known as the Shebaa Farms. This small enclave was captured by Israel during the 1967 Arab-Israeli war, and Lebanon claims it with the approval of Damascus.
Turning to other bilateral issues, the two presidents underlined the need to “overcome everything that is an obstacle to that.
Syrian troops entered Lebanon during its 1975-90 Civil War and remained there afterward, with Damascus exercising effective political control of the country. The troops were withdrawn in 2005 after the assassination of ex-Lebanese premier Rafik Hariri. Syria was widely blamed for that still-unsolved killing, but has vehemently denied any involvement.
Assad and Sleiman also reviewed “the dangerous developments in the Middle East and the importance of coordinating their positions in the face of Israeli threats,” SANA said.
In particular, they called for Arab and Islamic countries to adopt a “firm stance to break the unjust [Israeli] blockade imposed on the Gaza Strip.”
They also called for the “opening of an international inquest to sanction those responsible for the Israeli aggression against the Gaza aid flotilla.”
That was a reference to an attack by Israeli naval commandos on aid ships attempting to break the blockade, in which nine Turkish activists were killed.
Sleiman and Assad also agreed to promote bilateral ties between economic, social and educational institutions of both countries ahead of an upcoming meeting of the Lebanese-Syrian Higher Council. On Sunday, the committee ratified, in Damascus, 15 memorandums and two executive programs. The signed memorandums touched on the environment, consumer protection, agriculture, tourism, culture, justice, education, high education, economics and vocational training.
Quoting Lebanese parliamentary majority sources, the Central News Agency noted Tuesday that Sleiman’s visit to Damascus comes at a time when Lebanon and Syria face a dilemma regarding the implementation of UN sanctions on Iran. “Lebanon faces a dangerous issue since his position is squeezed between Hizbullah that prevents it from complying with sanctions on Iran on the one hand and the international community that would hold the country accountable on the other,” the CNA quoted sources as saying.
However, the CNA quoted opposition sources stressing that the Syrian-Lebanese summit was held at a very suitable political atmosphere after Turkey moved closer to resistance forces in the Middle East and thus stripped Israel of one of its key regional allies. – AFP, with The Daily Star

Parliament divided on granting Palestinian rights
By Wassim Mroueh
Daily Star staff
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
BEIRUT: Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri chaired a legislative parliamentary session Tuesday that witnessed heated debates over laws to improve the civil rights of Palestinian refugees.
Tuesday’s was the second session to be held following the formation of Premier Saad Hariri’s Cabinet last November – the first session having being held in February. It kicked off with the members of the Higher Council to Try Heads of State and Ministers taking the oath of office.
Parliament saw fierce debates over the amendment of labor, social security and foreign property ownership laws, to the benefit of Palestinian refugees.
The proposal was forwarded by Democratic Gathering MPs Walid Jumblatt, Elie Aoun and Alaaeddine Terro.
Remarkably, the division among MPs over the issue did not reflect the typical political polarization between the March 8 and March 14 factions.
MPs from the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM), Phalange and Lebanese Forces (LF) parties expressed their fears that rushing the amendments was a prelude for the naturalization of Palestinians in Lebanon.
MPs from the Democratic Gathering, Hizbullah, Amal and the Future Movement called for approving the amendments.
Democratic gathering MP Akram Shehayeb urged the Parliament to approve the amendment. “I believe that this matter is essential in the Arab world, it is not acceptable not to grant social rights for the Palestinian individual,” he said.
Over 400,000 Palestinian refugees live in Lebanon in refugee camps all across the Lebanese territories. They are the descendants of refugees that fled Palestine in 1948, following the establishment of the state of Israel. Palestinians in Lebanon are denied major civil rights, including ownership of property, access to employment and social security services.
While many Lebanese parties call for improving the civil rights of Palestinian refugees, others raise concerns of naturalizing the mainly Muslim population and the disruption such a step might entail on Lebanon’s sectarian balance.
Phalange MP Elie Marouni called for referring the proposal to parliamentary committees for examination. “The Palestinian matter is a disputed issue and a source of fear, we have to figure out where our rights lies,” said Marouni.
FPM MP Alain Aoun, criticized “voting in numbers on sensitive issues,” as he called for reaching consensus on the issue.
Future Movement MP Nouhad al-Mashnouq endorsed the proposal as it had to do with the Palestinian’s human rights.
While stressing that he understood the concerns of Christian parties, Hariri said that the proposed amendment had nothing to do with naturalizing the Palestinians, but was dealt with from a humane perspective.
“Shall we deprive Palestinian refugees in Palestinian camps from their rights so that they become terrorists in the future?” asked Hariri. “We have a historical opportunity to vote on the proposal, there are people in need,” he added.
The discussions came to an end as Berri said he would refer the proposal to the Administration and Justice parliamentary committee that should finalize studying it during a one-month period before forwarding it to Parliament’s general assembly.
However, MP Walid Jumblatt slammed what he called the “Lebanese right,” labeling it as “stupid.”
“All right-wing movements in the world are stupid, since 62 years nothing has changed. If you want to postpone [voting on the amendments], then this would only postpone the problem,” he said. “I haven’t encountered a movement more stupid than the Lebanese right.”Meanwhile, the Parliament approved an agreement allowing Lebanon to buy gas from Egypt.
A law that granted financial compensation for investors in Consumer Coops was also passed by lawmakers.

Geagea discusses sovereignty during Kouchner meet
By The Daily Star
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
BEIRUT: Lebanese Forces (LF) boss Samir Geagea arrived in France on Tuesday where was scheduled to hold discussions with French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner.
France is Geagea’s second destination in his foreign tour which he began in Egypt.
According to a statement issued by Geagea’s press office, the LF head and Kouchner tackled the situation in Lebanon, stressing that stability could only be preserved by maintaining the sovereignty of the Lebanese state on all its territories along with restricting the decision of defending Lebanon to the Lebanese government.
Also, Kouchner and Geagea voiced hopes that efforts made by Prime Minister Saad Hariri would resolve pending issues between Lebanon and Syria.
Geagea and Kouchner highlighted the importance of reviving the Middle East peace process on all tracks.
Before his departure to France, Geagea held a press conference in Cairo that was attended by chief editors of major Egyptian newspapers.
The LF head said the situation in Lebanon was critical due to the tense regional atmosphere.
“Because of this, Lebanon is exposed to dangers which we are trying to evade along with defending Lebanon against a potential Israeli aggression,” said Geagea, highlighting that this was the main aim of his Sunday’s meeting with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak.
Asked whether he demanded anything from Mubarak, Geagea said his main concern was not to turn Lebanon into an open field for “any side to deliver a message here and there.”
He highlighted the weight that Egypt enjoyed especially regarding its regional and international relations with the US, Europe and major Middle Eastern states and which could be used to help Lebanon.
Geagea stressed that if Hizbullah shouldered the responsibility of defending Lebanon, “then Israel will emerge victorious, but if the confrontation took place between Israel and the Lebanese state, Lebanon will win regardless of the balance of power.
“This is because the international community acknowledges Lebanon’s right to defend itself,” he added.
Geagea stressed that breaching the balance between Muslims and Christians would lead to a new civil war in Lebanon and would drag the country to the unknown.
He added that the Doha Accord cannot be compared to the Taif Accord, describing the former as “transitory and no longer valid.”
While the Taif Accord ended Lebanon’s 1975-1990 Civil War, the Doha Agreement in 2008 put an end to almost four years of political deadlock and led to electing Michel Sleiman as president. – The Daily Star

Stop the slavery in Lebanon
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Editorial/Daily Star
The US State Department issued on Monday its annual Trafficking in Persons report, and the horrifying litany of abuses catalogued from Lebanon and throughout this region should be more than enough to push our legislators to finally enact a law against trafficking.
Yes, that’s right – Lebanon does not even have on the books the most basic legislation against trade in human beings. A draft amendment to the labor laws is waiting and waiting in Parliament, and we call without reservation on lawmakers to pass this bill as soon as possible.
That glaring absence of rudimentary legislation served as one of the failures that dumped Lebanon into second-tier status in the trafficking report, and Qatar also finished in that ignominious category, as far as other Arab states are concerned. Should the circumstances here further worsen, we could yet find ourselves in the third and lowest tier of countries – nations which are not even making significant efforts to combat human trafficking. Unfortunately, we would find there a number of our regional brethren: Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Sudan and Iran all lack laws against trafficking and any marked moves to address the problem.
In Lebanon, the violations of human rights through trafficking take a variety of forms. For instance, more than 4,500 visas were granted last year alone to allow the entry into Lebanon of “artistes” from Eastern Europe, Morocco and Tunisia. We never knew there was so much art in this country. But this is not a humorous matter – in Lebanon we have a visa category which exists only to let trade flourish in trafficked sex workers. The government must abolish this disgrace immediately.
In addition, we call on parliamentary deputies to grant legal protections to all foreign workers here and to reform the visa system, which essentially gives employment sponsors the status of slave masters. This sponsorship system creates the ideal conditions to foster trafficking and forced labor. Foreign workers – whether female domestic workers or male construction laborers – cannot change jobs or leave the country without the consent of their sponsors.
Over the years, we have recorded in these pages the nearly unavoidable consequences of such a system: Lebanese employers confiscate the passports of their foreign wards and subject them to the spectrum of abuse, from beatings and sexual harassment to the withholding of wages and confinement. A number of nongovernmental organizations have released countless reports – entirely verified and credible reports, we should add – of foreign workers driven to attack their employers, to flee unbearable conditions and even to commit suicide. We wholeheartedly condemn the abuse of our fellow humans through trafficking, and we demand that our legislature without delay approve the basic elements of international law in order to defend those who cannot defend themselves.