LCCC
ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
ِJune
25/2010
Bible Of
the Day
Isaiah 5/1-7: Let me
sing for my well beloved a song of my beloved about his vineyard. My beloved had
a vineyard on a very fruitful hill. 5:2 He dug it up, gathered out its stones,
planted it with the choicest vine, built a tower in its midst, and also cut out
a winepress therein. He looked for it to yield grapes, but it yielded wild
grapes. 5:3 “Now, inhabitants of Jerusalem and men of Judah, please judge
between me and my vineyard. 5:4 What could have been done more to my vineyard,
that I have not done in it? Why, when I looked for it to yield grapes, did it
yield wild grapes? 5:5 Now I will tell you what I will do to my vineyard. I will
take away its hedge, and it will be eaten up. I will break down its wall of it,
and it will be trampled down. 5:6 I will lay it a wasteland. It won’t be pruned
nor hoed, but it will grow briers and thorns. I will also command the clouds
that they rain no rain on it.” 5:7 For the vineyard of Yahweh of Armies is the
house of Israel, and the men of Judah his pleasant plant: and he looked for
justice, but, behold, oppression; for righteousness, but, behold, a cry of
distress.
Free Opinions, Releases,
letters, Interviews & Special Reports
More 'hate' on speakers' list of
Toronto Islamic Conference/By: Kathryn Blaze Carlson/National Post/June
24/10
ICC/Pakistani Christian Man Faces Death After False Blasphemy Accusation/June
24/10
Did you say McChrystal or
MacArthur?/By
Michael Young/June 24/10
Latest News
Reports From Miscellaneous Sources for June 24/10
Secret Arms Trafficking to
Hizbullah from Balkans, Report/Naharnet
87 US Senators Support Israeli
Self-Defense against Hamas, Hizbullah, Iran/Naharnet
Netanyahu: Hizbullah, Iran Planning
to Send Missiles, Weapons to Gaza/Naharnet
Two missing in six-storey factory collapse in
Lebanon/AFP
French MPs urge Paris to link Syria
ties to its progress on Lebanon relations/Daily Star
Obama fires McChrystal, names
Petraeus as replacement/Daily Star
U.S. Urges All Parties to 'Act
Responsibly' over Lebanon Gaza-bound Aid Ships/Naharnet
Israel Army Readies to Confront
Lebanon'Threats/Naharnet
Israel: Flotillas aim to get weapons to Gaza/The
Associated Press
Northern Command chief: Hezbollah has increased capabilities/Ynetnews
Lebanon blocking new bid to break Gaza sea
blockade/Ha'aretz
Lebanon to cancel
flotillas/Jerusalem Post
Second Flotilla Backed by Syria and Hezbollah?/Right
Side News
Barak: Lebanon responsible for any act against
Israel/Ynetnews
Syria jails leading rights lawyer/BBC
News
US urges ships from
Lebanon to send Gaza aid via land/AFP
Hezbollah says it may sue Washington/UPI.com
Israel lofts new satellite to spy on Iran/UPI.com
When Will the White House Finally Consider the
Fight Against Terror a War?/FOXNews
Ahmadinejad: Syria-Iran Cooperation Thwarted
West's Plans/MEMRI
(blog)
Turkey, 12 others
denounce flotilla/Jerusalem
Post
The Next Lebanon War/Tablet
Magazine
Time to change our thinking/Ynetnews
Why Palestinians are second-class citizens in
Lebanon/The Guardian
Fate of 44,000 Lebanese students
remains unknown as cabinet continues to Ignore teachers' demands/Naharnet
Army Raids Following Renewed
Shooting in Fanar/Naharnet
Lebanese Policeman Wounded in
Shootout with Burglars in Jounieh/Naharnet
Sfeir says he wants to avoid a
showdown with any party/Now Lebanon
Zahra voices concern over marine
border demarcation/Now Lebanon
Nadim Gemayel lashes out at Sfeir’s
critics/Now Lebanon
Ban: Israel agreed to my proposal
to withdraw from Ghajar/Now Lebanon
Sfeir says he wants to avoid a
showdown with any party
June 24, 2010
Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Boutros Sfeir said from Bkirki on Thursday that he
does not want to complicate matters in the country, “but wants to take them as
they are,” NOW Lebanon’s correspondent reported. This comes after Hezbollah took
insult to Sfeir’s term that dubbed the party last week “so-called Hezbollah.”
Tension between the patriarch and Hezbollah has recently escalated after Sfeir
reiterated his criticisms of the party’s arms during his Paris visit last
week.“Lebanon today needs all his sons,” Sfeir said. -NOW Lebanon
Nadim Gemayel lashes out at Sfeir’s critics
June 24, 2010 /NOW Lebanon’s correspondent reported that Kataeb Party bloc MP
Nadim Gemayel lashed out at Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Boutros Sfeir’s critics
after the MP met with Sfeir in Bkirki on Thursday. Those who criticize the
patriarch’s stances are against any person who supports Lebanon’s sovereignty,
freedom and independence, Gemayel said.
This comes after Hezbollah took insult to Sfeir’s term that dubbed the party
“so-called Hezbollah” last week. -NOW Lebanon
87 US Senators Support Israeli Self-Defense against Hamas, Hizbullah, Iran
Naharnet/Eighty-seven of the U.S. Senate's 100 members have voiced support for
Israel's right to self-defense in the face of threats from Hamas, Hizbullah and
Iran, the Senate said.
The lawmakers wrote in a letter to U.S. President Barack Obama that they "fully
support Israel's right to self-defense. "In response to thousands of rocket
attacks on Israel from Hamas terrorists in Gaza, Israel took steps to prevent
items which could be used to support these attacks from reaching Gaza," they
said, referring to Israel's four-year naval blockade of the Palestinian
territory. Israel last week announced it was easing its siege to allow all
strictly "civilian" goods into Gaza, after a crisis exploded when Israeli forces
killed nine activists during a May 31 raid on a flotilla of aid ships attempting
to run the blockade. The lawmakers, from both sides of the political aisle, also
stressed that "it is our national interest to support Israel at a moment when
Israel faces multiple threats from Hamas in Gaza, Hizbullah in Lebanon, and the
current regime in Iran." The lawmakers brought particular attention to the
Turkish Muslim charity involved with organizing the aid flotilla, and urged
Obama to consider branding the IHH -- the acronym for the Turkish Humanitarian
Relief Foundation -- as a terrorist organization, as Israel did earlier this
month. They also commended Obama for the action he took "to prevent the adoption
of an unfair United Nations Security Council resolution (about the deadly raid)
which would have represented a rush to judgment by the international community."
A U.N. Security Council statement condemned the attack, but fell short of a call
for an independent investigation, with the United States backing an Israeli
probe.(AFP) Beirut, 24 Jun 10, 06:27
Sakr defends Sfeir’s positions
June 24, 2010 /Lebanon First bloc MP Okab Sakr told the press following his
meeting with Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Boutros Sfeir on Thursday that there
is no need to misconstrue or fabricate Sfeir’s positions. “[Sfeir] voices his
positions with boldness in a way that preserves national unity. He is clear
about having the Lebanese army [as the sole armed group in Lebanon],” Sakr said.
This comes after Hezbollah issued a statement last Friday saying that Sfeir’s
term “so-called Hezbollah” is an insult to the party. Sakr touched on the
possibility of granting Palestinians in Lebanon civil rights, saying that Sfeir
supports the initiative, “however, he has reservations over any procedure that
would harm Lebanese [interests].”Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid
Jumblatt proposed last week to grant Palestinians civil rights, a move that
stirred controversy in the parliament. -NOW Lebanon
Ban: Israel agreed to my proposal to withdraw from Ghajar
June 24, 2010 /In an interview with An-Nahar newspaper published on Thursday, UN
Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said that Israel agreed to his recent proposal
regarding Tel Aviv’s withdrawal from the disputed Ghajar border territory in
South Lebanon. “I asked Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to take
tangible steps and achieve this goal,” Ban said. He voiced hope that Israel
would withdraw soon from the northern part of the Ghajar Village, adding that
the UN will keep pressuring Israel to do so. The daily also reported that the
Lebanese military delegation that was sent to the UN last week met with several
high-ranking UN officials and briefed them on Lebanon’s position regarding the
implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701 as well as Israel’s
recurrent violations of Lebanese airspace. -NOW Lebanon
Israel Army Readies to Confront Lebanon 'Threats'
Naharnet/Israeli military commander of the north Gadi Eizenkot said the Israeli
army is preparing to confront threats by Lebanon "appropriately." Lebanon said
on Tuesday it would hold Israel responsible for any attack, in response to
Israeli warnings that it would use "all necessary force" to stop aid boats
planning to sail to blockaded Gaza. "The Lebanese side is issuing threats
against Israel and we are confident that the Israeli army is preparing to
confront these threats in an appropriate manner," said Eizenkot. Beirut, 24 Jun
10, 09:41
Netanyahu: Hizbullah, Iran Planning to Send Missiles, Weapons to Gaza
Naharnet/Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Iranian and Lebanese
organizers planning to send aid ships to Gaza no longer had "any justification"
to attempt to break the Israeli blockade. He said both Iran and Hizbullah were
planning to send missiles and weapons to Gaza. "I call on all the human rights
and peace activists in the enlightened world - go to the places where they
oppress women, go to the places where they hang homosexuals and deny rights to
minorities, go to places where there is no freedom of speech, no press freedom,
no independent courts of law, no human rights organizations. Go to Tehran,"
Netanyahu told an evening press conference in Jerusalem. "I heard about plans by
Iran and Hizbullah to send additional flotillas to Gaza. If anyone had any
doubt, today there is no longer any reason or justification to organize those
flotillas," he said. Iran's Red Crescent said two shipments of relief aid were
due to set sail for a 14-day journey to Gaza by week's end. The Iranian vessels
are expected to follow a Lebanese assistance ship due to set sail for Gaza via
Cyprus or Turkey. "These flotillas are not organized by peace supporters, but by
peace opponents, Iran and Hizbullah," Netanyahu claimed. He charged that the
activists' "true intention was to provoke Israel and breach -- not its civilian,
but its security blockade of Gaza," accusing organizers of the Lebanese ship of
making an "absurd" and "cynical use" of women to cover those true intentions.
"The world's darkest forces - Iran, Hizbullah -- which want to take the world
back to the days of the Middle Ages, which do not enable women to dress, work
and express themselves freely -- of all are organizing a ship of women as a
propaganda tool against Israel," Netanyahu added. Beirut, 24 Jun 10, 06:45
Secret Arms Trafficking to Hizbullah from Balkans, Report
Naharnet/Yugoslav and Albanian media have published reports about illegal arms
trafficking and smuggling originating from the Balkan region toward several
countries, including Iraq and Lebanon. The reports accused officials in both
governments – Iraq and Lebanon – as well as Hizbullah of involvement. The
Yogoslav-based Serbianna newspaper said Israeli intelligence monitored late in
2009 the sale of 6,000 Katyusha rockets type 107mm by the Albanian government to
Chad and Iraq, before it turned out that a large number of these missiles had
been in the hands of groups fighting Americans in Iraq. This raised doubts that
Hizbullah may have obtained some of these rockets. The Gazeta Tema, a
pro-opposition Albanian daily, meanwhile, accused Albanian Prime Minister Sali
Berisha and former Defense Minister Fatmir Mediu of involvement in buying a
quantity of anti-aircraft missiles worth $4 million from the Ukraine and Albania
without Albania's need for them. Beirut, 24 Jun 10, 13:14
U.S. Urges All Parties to 'Act Responsibly' over Lebanon Gaza-bound Aid Ships
Naharnet/The United States on Wednesday urged "all those wishing to deliver
goods to do so through established channels so that their cargo can be inspected
and transferred via land crossings into Gaza." "As we continue to make clear to
involved parties, mechanisms exist for the transfer of humanitarian assistance
to Gaza," the U.S. State Department said in a statement.
It warned that "direct delivery by sea is neither appropriate nor responsible,
and certainly not effective, under the circumstances." "There is no need for
unnecessary confrontations, and we, along with our partners in the (Middle East)
Quartet, call on all parties to act responsibly in meeting the needs of the
people of Gaza," the statement added. Transport Minister Ghazi Aridi has given
permission to the aid ship "Julia" to leave the northern port city of Tripoli
for Cyprus. Cypriot authorities said a ban on ships sailing from its ports to
Gaza still applies, in response to Lebanon's permission. The ship, carrying
humanitarian aid and pro-Palestinian activists from various countries, will
reportedly sail to Cyprus in the coming days before heading to Gaza. Cypriot
Foreign Minister Marcos Kyprianou said the ship will not be allowed to proceed
to Gaza. "The prohibition on ships to reach Gaza from Cyprus is still
applicable," Kyprianou said commenting on Aridi's statement. A Cypriot police
spokesman said that the police had contacted the Foreign Ministry and would act
accordingly. On Tuesday, Lebanon said it would hold Israel responsible for any
attack, in response to Israeli warnings that it would use "all necessary force"
to stop aid boats planning to sail to blockaded Gaza. "Israel will be held fully
responsible for any attack on Lebanon," the foreign ministry said in a letter to
the United Nations. Lebanon "cannot prohibit a ship from leaving its ports if
its cargo, passengers and destination all comply with Lebanese law," it said in
the letter. Israel's ambassador to the United Nations warned the world body last
week that the Jewish state was entitled to use "all necessary force" to stop the
Lebanese activists' boats. On Monday, Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak also
reiterated a warning that Lebanon would be responsible for any "violent and
dangerous confrontation" with vessels sailing to Gaza from its shores. Israel
came under international censure over its May 31 seizure of a six-ship aid fleet
bound for Gaza, in which nine Turkish activists were shot dead by Israeli naval
commandos. A Lebanese freighter which tried to deliver aid to Gaza last year was
intercepted by Israeli warships. Beirut, 23 Jun 10, 19:39
Army Raids Following Renewed Shooting in Fanar
Naharnet/Lebanese troops carried out house raids following renewed shooting in
Fanar Thursday morning, the state-run National News Agency said. It said the
crackle of machine gun fire was heard in Zoaiteriya neighborhood in the northern
Metn area of Fanar. Zoaiteriya was the scene of heavy armed clashes Wednesday
evening between members from the Zoaiter clan. A number of cars were destroyed
in the clashes in which machine gun fir and rocket-propelled grenades were used.
The clash was sparked after Sobhi Zoaiter, shortly after his release from prison
on Wednesday, accused members from the Zoaiter family of reporting him to the
authorities, the thing that landed him in jail. The Lebanese army cordoned off
the area and managed to contain the fight. Beirut, 24 Jun 10, 11:32
Two missing in six-storey factory collapse in Lebanon
(AFP) – BEIRUT — A six-storey aluminum factory collapsed on Thursday in a
northern suburb of Beirut, trapping three people under the rubble, two of whom
remain missing, a civil defence official said. "The building crumbled to the
ground at 6:15 am (0315 GMT) in an industrial area in Zouk Mosbeh," some 15
kilometres (nine miles) north of the capital, Brigadier General Darwish Hobeika
told AFP. "We have found a 35-year-old Lebanese man who was trapped in the
building," he said. "Our team has maintained communication with him and we
expect him to be pulled from the rubble shortly." Hobeika, who is overseeing the
rescue efforts, said civil defence forces were still looking for two Indian
labourers who were in the factory when all six storeys suddenly caved in, adding
that they might be trapped in the basement. He did not rule out shoddy
construction as a possible reason for the collapse but said officials would wait
until the investigation was complete before announcing the cause. "We are also
concerned about the surrounding buildings, which are all factories and are
subject to continuous shaking and vibrations," Hobeika said. "If there is ever
an earthquake in the area, not one building would be left standing."
Fate of 44,000 Students Remains Unknown as Cabinet Continues to Ignore Teachers'
Demands
Naharnet/The government, surprisingly, did not deal with the teachers' crisis
during a Cabinet meeting held at under President Michel Suleiman in Baabda
Palace Thursday evening, leaving the future of some 44,000 students unsettled.
"Government ignored teachers ... And 44,000 students!" As-Safir newspaper said
in its headline. "Teachers' Crisis and (Exam) Corrections toward an open-ended
Fight," said the bold headline in An-Nahar. The crisis between the
government, which has rejected the teachers' demands for a level-7 pay raise,
and public secondary school teachers who are boycotting correction of official
Grade 12 exams has dragged on for weeks now. Education Minister Hasan Mneimneh
on Wednesday gave secondary school teachers a three-day ultimatum to end their
boycott before restoring to alternative options. Mneimneh, however, stressed
that dialogue with the Association of Teachers of Secondary Education was still
ongoing. The teachers' crisis was scheduled to be discussed during Thursday's
Cabinet meeting. Prime Minister Saad Hariri on Tuesday met with a delegation
from the Association of Public Secondary Education Teachers in an effort to end
the boycott, a measure which is devastating for Grade 12 students who spent long
hours of studying.
The daily Al-Mustaqbal on Wednesday said that while no breakthrough was reached
during the meeting, Hariri vowed to carry on negotiations until a settlement has
been found.
The teachers were said to have backed down on their demand for level-7 pay
raise, but insisted on getting a level-5 pay, a demand rejected by Hariri.
Hariri offered them level-4 pay pending agreement on a new salary scale. His
proposal was also ignored by the teachers. Beirut, 24 Jun 10, 08:29
Nawwaf al-Moussawi
June 23, 2010
On June 22, the Lebanese National News Agency carried the following report:
In a press conference held this morning at the parliamentary council, Deputy
Nawwaf al-Moussawi said in response to the statements of the American Embassy
spokesman regarding the fact that issues raised during the legislative session
conveyed accusations: “Public opinion knows that what we said was not an
accusation, rather a display of the clear recognition of the [American]
administration’s funding of campaigns to disfigure Hezbollah’s image in the
ranks of the Lebanese youth, made by Assistant Secretary of State and former
American Ambassador in Lebanon Jeffrey Feltman.
“The one who was transparent in his statements was Feltman and not the spokesman
of the American embassy. Therefore, if the embassy wishes to be transparent – as
it said in its statement – let it show the people and the media what the
American administration is doing, especially in the context of the so-called
offer of aid. If the American Embassy wants to be transparent, I ask it to
present a full list of the names who received more than $500 million, which it
said was aid to support the Lebanese people. Let it announce these names in
full, in a transparent and honest way, instead of hiding behind municipalities
in which the crumbs of this sum were spent and instead of concealing the names
of key figures, parties and media outlets.
“We are discussing the possible filing of a lawsuit against the American
administration against the backdrop of Feltman’s statement, in which he
recognized that his administration was violating the Lebanese community,
sovereignty and national security, and instigating campaigns which are bound to
affect Lebanese national unity. We are also discussing the filing of a lawsuit
against those who received these funds. If the embassy wishes to be transparent,
let it announce the names so that they are included in the lawsuit.
“Did the American administration offer Israel more than four million cluster
bombs which were dropped on Lebanon during the July 2006 war. At least 2.5
million of them are still present on Lebanese soil. As a deputy and a Southern
citizen, I address this question to the American Administration, it and the
whole world knows that it provided 25 countries around the globe with
internationally-banned cluster bombs. When I raise this question, I know that
the American administration will not answer it, considering that between 2006
and 2008, Senator Patrick Leahy asked Condoleezza Rice three times if the
administration offered cluster munitions to Israel, and each time she responded
by saying that the Department of State was very transparent and was still
investigating the issue.
“Yes, the American administration offered Lebanon 2.5 million cluster bombs in
aid, and they are still in our land claiming the lives of martyred children and
farmers on a daily basis. In this context, we reserve the right to file a
lawsuit against the American Administration before the Lebanese and
international judiciary, namely before the International Justice Court and the
War Crimes Court. We as Lebanese citizens and individuals were harmed by these
bombs and are still subjected to their threat. Moreover, as a Lebanese state, we
are entitled to file a lawsuit against the American administration due to its
full involvement in this crime, which is undeniably a war crime because it is
targeting civilians through the use of internationally-prohibited weapons. This
is what I wanted to present before the public.”
He was asked: “Did you sense official Lebanese cooperation?” to which he
responded by saying: “This issue has the full interest of the people and has
become the object of discussion in all sectors, regardless of their belonging.
Officially, you know that the topic was raised around the national dialogue
table, and I will follow it up to the end because what happened was truly
scandalous. The fact that the American administration instigated the Lebanese
against each other and tried to divide them, clearly shows how this
administration is using certain fronts with fictive names to gain political
influence. We will follow up this issue. I have called for an investigation in
this regard. If America wishes to be transparent as it claims, let it present a
full list of the names so that we know where these massive amounts went.”
In response to another question, Deputy Moussawi said: “We knew these names
before the Assistant Secretary of State made his statement. However, had we said
at the time that the American Administration was funding a campaign to disfigure
Hezbollah’s image, we would have been accused of treason. Today, we all heard
the blunt recognition of these acts and the American Administration distributed
the content of Feltman’s testimony in English. I thus call on you to read it
because what I said in parliament was an accurate delivery of what Feltman
said…” Also in response to a question, he stated: “When we decide to file the
lawsuit, the judiciary will launch its investigations. When this is seen, we
will present the information we have in this regard.”
IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT:
Jonathan Racho,/Naharnet
Regional Manager for Africa and South Asia,
1-800-422-5441, jonathan@persecution.org
Pakistani Christian Man Faces Death After False Blasphemy Accusation
The Accusation Caused by the Dispute Over Land
Washington, D.C. (June 23, 2010)– International Christian Concern (ICC) has
learned that a Pakistani Christian was imprisoned on June 19 and faces the death
penalty after a Muslim man accused him of blasphemy in Faisalabad, Pakistan.
Sajid Hameed Bajwa accused Rehmat Masih of blaspheming the prophet Muhammad.
According to article 295 C of Pakistan’s penal code, blaspheming Muhammad is
punishable by death.
Rehmat’s son, Boota Masih, told ICC that the family is fearful of attacks by
Muslim mobs. Female members of the family and their children have already left
their homes and moved to other areas because of safety concerns.
He also said that the real reason for the accusation stems from a land dispute
between his father and Muslims. This has been awaiting trial for sometime.
Rehmat is held at the District Jail Faisalabad. He has not been tortured or
mistreated by police.
Boota told ICC, “We want to make peace. We don’t want to leave our home. We have
been living here for long time. We own property in this place. We want peace and
justice and my father should be set free from jail.”
Several Pakistani Christians have been falsely accused of blasphemy by Muslims.
The charges have resulted in mob violence against the accused and other
Christians. In August 2009, 11 Christians were killed by Muslim mobs in Gojra,
Pakistan after accusation of blasphemy.
ICC’s Regional Manager for South Asia, Jonathan Racho, said “Once again, Muslims
are using the blasphemy law in order to settle a personal vendetta. We are
extremely concerned for the safety of Rehmat and his family as well as other
Christians in the area. We urge Pakistan to protect the Christians from any
attacks by Muslims and to immediately release Rehmat.”
Please contact the Pakistani embassy in your countries and politely ask the
Pakistani officials to release Rehmat and protect his family and property from
any attacks. When you call the embassies, give them the following information:
the name of the victim (Rehmat Masih), the name of the police station where he
is detained (District Jail Faisalabad) and the names of the police officers in
charge of the police station (Qaisar Mushtaq and Sardar Dogar).
Pakistani Embassies:
USA: (202) 243-3254 (phone), (202) 686-1534 (Fax)
Canada: (613) 238-7881 (phone), (613) 238-7298 (Fax)
UK: 0870-005-6967 (phone)
French MPs urge Paris to link
Syria ties to its progress on Lebanon relations
By The Daily Star
Thursday, June 24, 2010
BEIRUT: A French parliamentary committee recommended that the Paris
administration to tie its open policy toward Syria to Damascus’ cooperation to
key issues, including the demarcation of borders with Lebanon, as well as the
file of the missing and detained Lebanese there.
The French Parliament’s Foreign Affairs committee headed by lawmakers Elisabeth
Guigou from the Socialist party and Renaud Muselier from the Union for a Popular
Movement recently issued a report assessing French-Syrian ties in the past four
years.
Excerpts of the report were published in Arabic on Wednesday in Lebanon’s As-Safir
newspaper.
France and Syria’s tied suffered terribly following the 2005 assassination of
former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, who was a personal friend of
President Jaques Chirac. The attack was widely blamed on Syria who denied any
responsibility, though Damascus denies involvement.
However, a warming of ties took place following the election of Nicholas Sarkozy
in 2007.
In their report, Guigou and Muselier said diplomatic ties ought to be tied to
the extent to which Syria was willing to cooperate on certain crucial issues.
The report said ever since the Syrian-French ties were revived in 2007,
cooperation between the two countries on the political level “only witnessed a
limited development especially when it comes to border demarcation with Lebanon
and the issue of the Lebanese detained and missing in Syria.”
“France should not accept this. Damascus expects a lot from Paris and we should
only help based on progress made on key issues,” the French lawmakers wrote in
the report.
As-Safir said that while Guigou and Muselier presented their view on the state
of ties between their country and Syria, their recommendations work as a
precursor to what France’s diplomatic policy will look like in the upcoming
months.
The report said France’s demand to demarcate the Lebanese-Syrian borders was
tied to a need to establish a “regional security net” that includes Israel.
“Resolving border problems is crucial to enhance regional security and combat
the smuggling of weapons, which Syria uses to control Hizbullah,” the report
said.
The lawmakers also accused Syria of working as a “weapons cache” for Hizbullah
and a haven for Hizbullah and Hamas fighters to train and reside. Syria
repeatedly denied Israeli allegations that it was supplying Hizbullah with Scud
missiles. The report also raised question marks about a February meeting in
Damascus that grouped Syrian President Bashar Assad, Iranian President Mahmoud
Ahmadinejad and Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah. The lawmakers quoted
French diplomats as saying that Assad informed them that he wanted to play the
role of mediator between Iran and Hizbullah, on the one hand, and the West on
the other. They said Assad used the meeting to “prohibit” Ahmedinejad and
Nasrallah from launching any attacks on Israel.
The French report slammed Damascus for failing to appoint experts on the joint
Syrian-Lebanese border demarcation committee. In their meeting in Damascus last
week, Lebanon and Syria’s presidents called for steps to be taken toward fixing
their countries’ common border as soon as possible.
The report also quoted Lebanese President Michel Sleiman as expressing
dissatisfaction with the fact that his Syrian counterpart was holding talks with
Lebanese party leaders instead of limiting his meetings with Lebanese officials.
On Tuesday, Free Patriotic Movement leader Michel Aoun visited Assad in
Damascus.
Syria and Lebanon established formal diplomatic relations in October 2008, more
than 60 years after independence from a French mandate.
Syrian troops entered Lebanon during its 1975-90 Civil War and remained there
until 2005. – The Daily Star
More 'hate' on speakers' list of Toronto Islamic Conference
Kathryn Blaze Carlson
National Post, Toronto
http://www.nationalpost.com/More+hate+speakers+list/3188467/story.html
A massive upcoming Islamic conference in Toronto, which was to be headlined by
an Indian televangelist until he was recently banned from Canada for his
inflammatory statements, features a list of speakers whose past comments against
Jews, homosexuals and the West have raised red flags in other countries.
The Journey of Faith Conference -- billed as North America's largest Islamic
conference -- features such personalities as Abdur Raheem Green, who has
advocated "fighting jihad" and who was reportedly invited by the Christmas Day
airline bomber to address British students in 2007, and Sheikh Hussein Yee, who
once said Jews are the "extremists of the world" and will "go to Hell."
The chairman of the conference -- which is slated to attract upwards of 10,000
people to the city next month -- is Imam Saed Rageah, whose Toronto mosque, the
Abu Huraira Centre, made headlines last fall after several young worshippers
vanished and were feared to have joined a Somali militant group.
The National Post reported yesterday that the conference's main speaker, Peace
TV founder Dr. Zakir Naik, will not be allowed to enter Canada because of
concerns surrounding past statements such as "every Muslim should be a
terrorist," Jews are "our staunchest enemy," and "If [Osama bin Laden] is
fighting the enemies of Islam, I am for him."
But while Dr. Naik recently grabbed headlines around the world -- first for his
exclusion from the U.K. ahead of a speaking tour later this month -- the
conference itself has managed to keep a relatively low profile, despite its
controversial list of a dozen speakers and chairman.
Although the speaker bios posted to the event website are laudatory and
innocuous, the reality -- in some instances, and sometimes dating back two
decades -- reveals a less favourable portrait of some speakers.
Mr. Green, for example, was put on a "movement alert list" and barred from
entering Australia in 2005 after a government official accused him of "spreading
hate." And another Journey of Faith Conference speaker, Sheik Riaz Ansary, is
described as having worked with Dr. Bilal Philips, who was reportedly named by
the U.S. government as an unindicted co-conspirator in the 1993 World Trade
Center bombing and who was banned from entering the U.K. last weekend to attend
a conference, according to his blog.
"They appear to be competing against each other in their level of hate, and
Zakir Naik was the star performer," said Tarek Fatah, founder of the Muslim
Canadian Congress.
Dr. Naik's 16-year-old son, Fariq, is also listed as a speaker, and is described
on the website as the child of "an illustrious father and world renowned orator
on Islam and comparative religion."
Likewise on the event program is Abdullah Hakim Quick, who was reportedly
uninvited from an April conference in Sweden after it surfaced that, many years
ago, he said the Islamic position on homosexuality was "death."
"If these extreme voices are given a platform, then very easily people could
assume that these extreme views represent the whole Muslim faith, and obviously
they don't," said Rev. Brent Hawkes, of Toronto's Metropolitan Community Church,
who performed Canada's first same-sex marriage.
The chairman of the conference is Imam Saed Rageah, whose Toronto mosque, the
Abu Huraira Centre, made headlines last fall after several young worshippers
vanished and were feared to have joined a Somali militant group.
Imam Rageah also incited controversy last year after he used a prayer to call
for Allah to "destroy" the enemies of Islam from within.
Imam Rageah declined an interview request, but this week passed along a web
video via email of Dr. Naik defending his comments and promising to challenge
the U.K. ban.
According to the Journey of Faith event website, the "hope" of the July 2-4
conference at the downtown Metro Toronto Convention Centre is for Muslims to
"renew their forgotten relationship" with the Koran.
INVITED SPEAKERS TO FAITH CONFERENCE
Among the personalities slated to speak at the upcoming Journey of Faith
Conference in Toronto are the following:
Abdur Raheen Green A British-based lecturer and convert to Islam from
Christianity. In an undated YouTube video calling for Muslims to assist the
jihad in anyway they can, Mr. Green also said: "Americans are worse terrorists
than what the Muslims could ever do. We know that. And the Jews they are worse
terrorists."
Abdullah Hakim Quick Director of the Discover Islam Centre of Cape Town, has
been an Imam in Los Angeles, Toronto, and Cape Town. According to a 2004
statement by the Broadcasting Standards Authority in New Zealand, Mr. Quick said
that homosexuals were dropping dead from AIDS and "they want to take us all down
with them." He has reportedly stated that the Islamic position on homosexuality
is "death."
Sheikh Hussein Yee President of the Al Khadeem Organization in Malaysia. In an
undated YouTube video, Sheikh Yee said: "The most extreme nation in this world
is the Jews. So if they use 'extremists,' it doesn't apply to Muslims. It
applies to the Jews. They are the extremists of the world. That's why they kill
Palestinians every day.... [Jews] go to Hell."
Sheikh Riaz Ansary Author and student at the International Islamic University of
Malaysia. On the Journey of Faith Conference website, Sheikh Ansary is said to
have "worked as a translator and editor with Dr. Bilal Philips." Dr. Philips was
reportedly named by the U.S. government as an unindicted co-conspirator in the
1993 World Trade Centre bombing and, according to his personal blog, was banned
last weekend from entering the U.K. to attend a conference.
Sheikh Saed Rageah Chairman of the Journey of Faith Conference and Imam at
Toronto's Abu Haraira mosque. At Abu Haraira mosque last fall, Imam Rageah used
derogatory language against Jews and Christians, and called on God to "damn" the
"infidels." He said: "Allah protect us from the evil agenda of these people;
Allah destroy them from within themselves, and do not allow them to raise their
heads in destroying Islam." Imam Rageah also made headlines last year after a
group of young worshippers from his mosque were feared to have joined a Somali
militant group.
Did you say McChrystal or
MacArthur?
By Michael Young
Daily Star
Thursday, June 24, 2010
By the time you read this article, President Barack Obama should have decided
whether to keep General Stanley McChrystal on as his commander in Afghanistan,
or accept his resignation. Whatever he settles on, the problem with the Afghan
campaign is not McChrystal, it’s that Obama has ensnared himself in a war he is
unlikely to win.
McChrystal put his career on the line because he and his advisers couldn’t keep
their mouths shut in the presence of a Rolling Stone writer, speaking critically
of Obama and senior members of his national security team. The general recalled
that the president seemed “uncomfortable and intimidated” at his first gathering
with military brass after taking office. More egregiously, a McChrystal adviser
noted that at the general’s first one-to-one meeting with the president, “Obama
clearly didn’t know anything about him, who he was. Here’s the guy who’s going
to run his fing war, but he didn’t seem very engaged. The Boss was pretty
disappointed.”
Still, what McChrystal and his entourage said was hardly unprecedented. Tension
between the military and civilian leadership is a staple of warfare,
particularly in democracies. General Douglas MacArthur was fired by President
Harry Truman during the Korean war, and McChrystal himself took over from
General David McKiernan, who had been fired by Defense Secretary Robert Gates.
From a command perspective, there appear to be two major obstacles in
Afghanistan: It’s not at all clear that Obama has the political and financial
means, or the public backing, to pursue the war in the long term in a way that
he and his generals would prefer; and, to an extent deriving from this, the
administration is bitterly divided over what to do next in the country, which
makes for considerable confusion all the way up the decision-making hierarchy,
civilian and military.
McChrystal was caught grumbling on the record, but what of the dozens of
administration civilians involved in Afghan policy who have leaked anonymously
against each other during recent months? They won’t be held accountable for
their actions, even though they have been no less responsible than the general
for undermining confidence in the war effort. But then again, is Afghanistan
worth the effort?
When Obama took office he made a point of saying that he wanted a Cabinet that
was full of individuals who could assert themselves. It was duly noted that he
had read Doris Kearns Goodwin’s book “Team of Rivals,” on Abraham Lincoln’s
Cabinet during the American Civil War. Lincoln was surrounded by headstrong men,
several of whom were openly contemptuous of the president, with political
agendas quite different than his. And yet by force of personality Lincoln
managed gradually to outmaneuver his Cabinet secretaries one by one and
manipulate them in ways that were advantageous to him.
Obama made the mistake of saying that he would seek to replicate this
experience, that he didn’t want pushovers in his administration either. Perhaps
he didn’t realize it at the time, but the statement was hubristic. The president
has not proven himself to be the equal of Lincoln, nor has he even managed to
impose unity in the ranks. The reason for this is that he has contradictory aims
in Afghanistan. Where Lincoln had one overriding purpose, to defend the union,
sometimes with great ruthlessness, Obama wants to win in Afghanistan, but within
a limited timeframe, after which he will reconsider his options, all the time
realizing that he is pursuing a narrow counter-terrorism program that has
somehow morphed into a major state-building enterprise, one he probably cannot
afford.
Confused? Aren’t’ we all. And you can add to that that Obama’s promotion of
Afghanistan as the “right war” during his election campaign was primarily
brought on by his loathing for President George W. Bush. Whatever one thinks of
Bush, it was never a good idea for Obama to shape his policies as a counterpoint
to those of his predecessor. This impulse has pushed Obama to leave behind a
vacuum in the Middle East through his accelerated, ill-thought-out withdrawal
from Iraq; and it is sinking him in Afghanistan.
Obama’s choices with McChrystal were never good: If he accepted the general’s
resignation, this would have little helped the outcome in Afghanistan.
McChrystal is the architect of the American counter-insurgency plan, and with
deadlines so short it wasn’t easy for Obama to hand off to another commander,
who even if he applied the plan to the letter, by no means a certainty, would
have needed time to ease into his new post. And if the president kept McChrystal
in place, that wouldn’t alter the fact that Obama had to resolve his ambiguities
over Afghanistan in collaboration with two men he mistrusts, McChrystal and, of
course, the Afghan president, Hamid Karzai.
Similar confusion was present in Iraq, until Bush took the decision to order a
“surge” of troops in 2007, against the advice of many of those around him. His
administration, too, was a prisoner of clashing policies and ambitions, but in
that particular instance Bush showed he could lead, something he had failed to
do before then. The president also named a new commander, David Petraeus, to
direct the effort. Obama thought he had done all this by naming McChrystal and
ordering a surge of his own last year in Afghanistan. But the key question he
left unresolved was whether, like Bush in Iraq, he was as stubbornly committed
to seeing Afghanistan through as he said.
That uncertainty is why McChrystal and his people raised doubts about Obama’s
engagement, and it’s why Karzai has lately been reorienting himself toward
Pakistan, who he surely feels will outlast the United States in Kabul. Money is
a vital matter. Washington simply cannot pay for an indefinite Afghan war. No
wonder Obama was angry with McChrystal. The general only highlighted how weak a
hand the Americans hold. But in the end the president is to blame.
**Michael Young is opinion editor of THE DAILY STAR. His “The Ghosts of Martyrs
Square: An Eyewitness Account of Lebanon’s Life Struggle” (Simon & Schuster) has
just been published.
Obama fires McChrystal, names Petraeus as replacement
Compiled by Daily Star staff
Thursday, June 24, 2010
US President Barack Obama fired his top Afghanistan commander on Wednesday over
inflammatory comments that angered the White House and threatened to undermine
the war effort.
Calling it the “right thing for our mission in Afghanistan,” Obama relieved
General Stanley McChrystal of his command after a 30-minute meeting at the White
House and named General David Petraeus, head of the US Central Command, to
replace him.
McChrystal had been summoned by Obama to explain remarks he and his aides made
in a magazine article that disparaged the US president and other senior civilian
leaders.
“The conduct represented in the recently published article does not meet the
standard that should be set by a commanding general,” Obama said in the White
House Rose Garden. “It undermines the civilian control of the military that is
at the core of our democratic system. And it erodes the trust that’s necessary
for our team to work together to achieve our objectives in Afghanistan.”
The situation posed a dilemma for Obama. If McChrystal had kept his job, the
president could have been seen as tolerating insubordination from the military.
However, by firing him, Obama is shaking up the chain of command at a perilous
moment in the unpopular nine-year-old war.
Vowing not to tolerate divisions within his national security team, Obama said
the switch in generals was a “change in personnel but it is not a change in
policy.” There have been increasing doubts among US lawmakers about Obama’s
troop buildup strategy against a resurgent Taliban.
McChrystal first met Defense Secretary Robert Gates at the Pentagon before
entering the White House through a side door for his one-on-one meeting with
Obama. He left before Obama’s Afghanistan war council, which he had been due to
attend, convened in late morning.
Obama had been described by aides as furious about the Rolling Stone magazine
article, but said in his Rose Garden appearance he was not acting out of a
feeling of personal insult.
Amid harsh criticism over McChrystal’s contemptuous remarks, US officials had
said they expected the general, the US and NATO commander in Afghanistan and
architect of Obama’s war strategy, to offer his resignation and allow the
president to decide whether to accept it.
With his career on the line, the 55-year-old general apologized. “It was a
mistake reflecting poor judgment and should never have happened,” McChrystal
said in a statement.
Afghan President Hamid Karzai reacted by saying he respects the US president’s
decision to dismiss the US commander, but had hoped for another result, Karzai’s
spokesman said on Wednesday.
Since McChrystal took over as chief of US and NATO forces in Afghanistan in June
last year, he has formed a strong relationship with Karzai, accompanying him on
several tours of the country in a bid to show support for the government.
“We had hoped this would not have happened, but the decision has been made and
we respect it,” said Karzai spokesman Waheed Omer, referring to the dismissal.
“He looks forward to working with his replacement.”
McChrystal has also been credited with reducing civilian casualties caused by
foreign troops, which had been a major source of conflict between Karzai and the
West.
McChrystal’s strategy had entailed taking on the Taliban in their spiritual
homeland by improving security, alongside a push to boost local governance and
development, while training Afghan forces to take more control before the start
of a gradual US troop withdrawal beginning next year.
Karzai has simultaneously been making overtures to the Taliban, and had a modest
peace plan endorsed by a national gathering of tribal leaders and other notables
earlier this month. – Reuters