LCCC
ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
ِNovember
10/2010
Bible Of The
Day
We are God's live temple
Paul's Second Letter to the Corinthians 06/12-18
6:11 Our mouth is open to you, Corinthians. Our heart is enlarged. 6:12 You are
not restricted by us, but you are restricted by your own affections. 6:13 Now in
return, I speak as to my children, you also be open wide. 6:14 Don’t be
unequally yoked with unbelievers, for what fellowship have righteousness and
iniquity? Or what fellowship has light with darkness? 6:15 What agreement has
Christ with Belial? Or what portion has a believer with an unbeliever? 6:16 What
agreement has a temple of God with idols? For you are a temple of the living
God. Even as God said, “I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be
their God, and they will be my people.”* 6:17 Therefore “‘Come out from among
them, and be separate,’ says the Lord. ‘Touch no unclean thing. I will receive
you.* 6:18 I will be to you a Father. You will be to me sons and daughters,’
says the Lord Almighty.”*
Free Opinions,
Releases, letters, Interviews & Special Reports
There is no hope for
Lebanon unless the U.N. and the West will enforce the tribunal's findings on the
Hariri ssassination/By
WALID PHARES/09.11.10
A question of ethics/By: Ana Maria
Luc/November
09/10
Latest News
Reports From Miscellaneous Sources for November
09/10
Senator Kerry urges Lebanese to
accept Hariri court/Ynetnews
Sfeir calls for unity amid STL
indictment fears/Now Lebanon
Gates: Heart of al-Qaida in
Afghan-Pakistan Border/Naharnet
Late-Night March 14 Meeting
Stresses Commitment to STL, Lebanon Stability/Naharnet
United Nations Special Coordinator
for Lebanon Michael Williams: Dialogue is the only way to safeguard
Lebanon/Daily Star
March 14 unifies ranks on false
witnesses/Daily Star
Energy and Water Minister Jibran
Bassil says Hizb al-Tahrir threatens country's image/Daily Star
Jumblat to Damascus: No Blame on
Geagea, but on Those who Support him/Naharnet
Berri: False Witnesses' Issue Must
be Resolved This Week Even If Cabinet is Required to Vote/Naharnet
Gul: We
Do Not Comment on STL's Functioning, Lebanon's Stability Should Not Be Destroyed/Naharnet
Sfeir Calls for Unity in
the Face of Indictment/Naharnet
Netanyahu Informs UN of
Plan to Pull Out from Ghajar/Naharnet
Cabinet Convenes under
Suleiman Wednesday/Naharnet
Moussawi Says Indicting
Hizbullah Members Undermines Civil Peace/Naharnet
Hariri will boycott
cabinet session if March 8 to win “false witnesses” vote, source says/Now
Lebanon
UNIFIL commander Asarta: We count
on everyone’s cooperation on Resolution 1701/Now Lebanon
UN-backed tribunal set to
indict up to six senior Hezbollah members in assassination of former Lebanese
prime minister/Now Lebanon
United
Nations Special Coordinator for Lebanon Michael Williams: Dialogue is the only
way to safeguard Lebanon
By The Daily Star /Tuesday, November 09, 2010 /BEIRUT: United Nations Special
Coordinator for Lebanon Michael Williams met Monday with Hizbullah Minister
Mohammad Fneish and said dialogue was the only option for Lebanon. “Only
collective engagement of all Lebanese through the existing institutions will
enable [them] to find solutions to the problems facing their country,” said
Williams. “I expressed … concerns of the UN about the possibility of escalation
and stressed the importance of maintaining all channels of communication and
dialogue,” he added. Fneish, minister of state for administrative reform, is
reported to have informed Williams about the ongoing political tensions in
Lebanon as well as the wider situation in the Middle East. The pair also
discussed the implementation of UN Resolution 1701, which ended the 2006 war
with Israel. Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman announced Sunday his
ministry had drawn up and wanted to execute plans to withdraw from the Lebanese
side of the occupied village of Ghajar in line with the resolution’s demands.
Media reports have claimed that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was to submit
this plan to UN chief Ban Ki-moon Monday during their meeting in New York.
While all sides have welcomed the claims, more remains to be done. Even if
Israel pulls out, it is unlikely to halt its breaches, like the constant
violations of Lebanese airspace, which it justifies on the basis of Hizbullah’s
continued amassment of weapons, itself also a violation of Resolution 1701. “We
exchanged views on what still is needed to improve the implementation of the
resolution,” said Williams. – The Daily Star
Report: Mugniyah among top suspects in Hariri murder
UN-backed tribunal set to indict up to six senior Hezbollah members in
assassination of former Lebanese prime minister, Wall Street Journal
News Agencies Published: 11.08.10, 09:02 / Israel News Imad Mugniyah,
Hezbollah's operations officer who was killed in a 2008 car bombing in Damascus,
was one of the key figures behind the 2005 assassination of former Lebanese
Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, the Wall Street Journal reported Monday. According
to the report, Mugniyah and his brother-in-law Mustafa Badreddine are two out of
possible six senior Hezbollah members that will be indicted for the murder by
the UN-backed Special Tribunal for Lebanon, in charge of investigating the
assassination. Hariri and 22 other people were murdered on February 14, 2005 in
a suicide attack in the Lebanese capital of Beirut. An international tribunal
was established in 2007 in order to probe the attack and indict those
responsible. Badreddine, one of the candidates to replace Mugniyah as
Hezbollah's operations officer, is the main suspect in Hariri's murder. Members
of the tribunal have faced difficulty during the investigation, culminating with
a recent event in which some 30 furious women managed to chase them away during
a visit to a local clinic. Lebanese prosecutor general Said Mirza instructed to
investigate the incident, but Hezbollah officials were quick to deny any
involvement.
Senator Kerry urges Lebanese to accept Hariri court
Foreign Relations Committee chairman says Beirut 'doesn't have the power' to
change tribunal probing assassination of former PM 'because it was created by UN
at Lebanon's request'
11.08.10, 18:30 / Israel News Lebanon cannot change the course of a
tribunal investigating the killing of statesman Rafik al-Hariri, a leading US
senator said on Monday in comments acknowledging sectarian tensions over
expected indictments. Shiite, Iranian-backed Hezbollah is trying to block the
tribunal, attempting to curb its financing and calling on Lebanese to halt
cooperation with it after it emerged that members of the group may be indicted
for the 2005 attack. UN-backed tribunal set to indict up to six senior Hezbollah
members in assassination of former Lebanese prime minister, Wall Street Journal
reports Sunni, Western-backed Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri supports the
UN-backed court investigating his father's death, and cooperation with the
tribunal is enshrined in the policy statement of the government, of which
Hezbollah is a member.
Diplomats and politicians have previously said indictments may surface by early
next year. As they approach, sectarian tensions have risen and political
disputes between the Hariri and Hezbollah camps have escalated. "Prime
Minister Hariri doesn't have the power to change the tribunal," said John Kerry,
chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
"Lebanon doesn't have the power to change the tribunal because it was created by
the United Nations at the request of this country," Kerry said after meeting
Hariri and before heading on to Damascus. Hezbollah, which considers the court a
tool of US and Israeli policy, has called on Hariri to repudiate the tribunal,
whose investigation first pointed the finger at Syria. Hariri has refused to
yield to the pressure, though he has mended relations with Damascus. Hoping to
shore up Hariri's position, the United States last week pledged $10 million for
the tribunal, bringing American donations for the court to $30 million. Kerry
also suggested the indictments should not be taken as a pointed attack on
Hezbollah. "So for those who are trying to make it (the tribunal) an issue,
those who oppose it, they need to think carefully about rule of law," Kerry
said. "Nobody knows what the findings will be. I don't know the findings. I
think whatever those findings are, they are not directed at a whole group of
people. They don't reflect one sectarian, or one religious or other point of
view."
Sfeir calls for unity amid STL indictment fears
November 9, 2010 /Former Minister Wadih Khazen quoted Maronite Patriarch
Nasrallah Boutros Sfeir on Tuesday as calling on Lebanese parties to unite
regardless of the content of Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL)’s pending
indictment. According to Khazen, Sfeir warned against “any foreign exploitation
of a [Lebanese] cabinet stalemate,” the National News Agency (NNA) reported. The
patriarch also praised President Michel Sleiman and Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF)
Commander General Jean Kahwaji’s efforts to confront attempts to destabilize
Lebanon. Sfeir called on all Lebanese parties to have awareness and engage in
dialogue. He later met with Saudi Ambassador to Lebanon Ali Awad Assiri who
voiced Riyadh’s hope that calm would be fostered in Lebanon, the NNA added.
Tension is high in Lebanon after unconfirmed reports indicated that the Special
Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) would soon issue its indictment for the 2005
assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. March 8 parties are calling
for the abolition of the tribunal.-NOW Lebanon
UNIFIL commander Asarta: We count on everyone’s cooperation
on Resolution 1701
November 9, 2010 /UNIFIL commander General Alberto Asarta Cuevas said Tuesday
the peacekeeping forces count on everyone’s cooperation to implement UN Security
Council Resolution 1701. He also reiterated UNIFIL’s commitment to achieving
peace and stability in the South in cooperation with the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF),
the National News Agency (NNA) reported. -NOW Lebanon
Hariri will boycott cabinet session if March 8 to win “false witnesses” vote,
source says
November 9, 2010 /LBCI television quoted Tuesday an unnamed source at the Grand
Serail as saying that Prime Minister Saad Hariri will not attend any cabinet
session if March 8 will win the vote on the transferring of the “false
witnesses” file. The source said that President Michel Sleiman can postpone the
session if he finds an appropriate excuse. Ministers are expected to discuss on
Wednesday the issue of witnesses who gave unreliable testimonies to the
investigation of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri’s 2005 assassination. March
8 politicians have called for the cabinet to task the Justice Council with
investigating the issue of “false witnesses,” however, March 14 figures have
said that the regular judiciary should handle the matter.-NOW Lebanon
Late-Night March 14 Meeting Stresses Commitment to STL, Lebanon Stability
Naharnet/eaders of the majority March 14 coalition held a late-night meeting
under Prime Minister Saad Hariri at Center House ahead of Wednesday's Cabinet
meeting.
A statement from Hariri's office said the leaders "reviewed the latest
developments in Lebanon and the region." Those who attended the meeting at
Hariri's mansion in downtown Beirut, better known as Center House, were Phalance
Party leader Amin Gemayel, Deputy Speaker Farid Makari, ex-PM Fouad Saniora,
Ministers Boutros Harb, Michel Pharaon, Salim Warde and Jean Oghassabian,
Lebanese Forces boss Samir Geagea, as well as MPs Sami Gemayel, George Adwan,
Dory Chamoun, Ahmed Fatfat, Sebouh Qalbakian, Antoine Zahra, Tony Abou Khater
and Sethrida Geagea. March 14 General Secretariat Coordinator Fares Souaid, and
former MPs Bassem Sabeh, Samir Franjieh, Solange Gemayel, Nayla Moawad, Ghattas
Khoury, Mansour Ghanem el-Bone and Elias Atallah also were present. March 14
parliamentary sources said that the "comprehensive debate was not over."
"We stressed commitment to the fundamental principles of March 14 and (the need)
not to compromise on key issues," one source told the daily Al-Liwaa in remarks
published Tuesday.
Ad-Diyar newspaper had said the meeting was designed to discuss a "peaceful
confrontation plan" launched by March 14 leaders from Bkirki.
The plan, which aims at mobilizing Christians and the civil society against
threats in the event the International Tribunal issued an indictment against
Hizbullah members accusing them of killing ex-PM Rafik Hariri, was launched from
Bkirki following a broad weekend meeting of Christian leaders.
Ad-Diyar said March 14 plans to expand its peaceful mobilization reach to
include civilians where 300 personalities, including media and judicial
representative as well as members of parliament, will meet on Tuesday at Hotel
Gabriel in Ashrafieh under the slogan "Beirut Initiative" to discuss a peaceful
confrontation against efforts to shake stability.
As-Safir newspaper, for its part, said Hariri was firm during the meeting at
Center House: No compromise on the International Tribunal or the Taif Agreement.
It quoted an official who attended the meeting as saying that the conferees did
not give much focus on a Cabinet meeting to be held Wednesday.
He said Hariri stressed in this regard his unshakable stance toward recognition
of the existence of false witnesses and refusal to refer the issue to the
Judicial Council.
The official said the conferees tasked Hariri with following up on contacts
based on the fundamental principles of March 14.
He pointed to the importance of the timing of the meeting following the
Christian gathering in Bkirki "in a clear message that shows Hariri's support
for the declaration made from Bkirki."
The Christian meeting, held under Patriarch Nasrallah Sfeir on Friday, declared
Lebanon is in "grave danger" and called on the International Community to
implement its commitments toward Lebanon. "Lebanon as an entity and a democratic
system is in grave danger – a danger on all Lebanese, Christians and Muslims,"
said a statement at the end of the Bkirki meeting which included officials from
the March 14 coalition and independent figures. "We call on all Lebanese who
have faith in their country to get up and defend Lebanon," the statement urged.
Beirut, 09 Nov 10, 07:15
Jumblat to Damascus: No Blame on Geagea, but on Those who Support him
Naharnet/Druze leader Walid Jumblat will visit Damascus on Tuesday for talks
with Syrian Vice-President Maj. Gen. Mohammed Nassif.As-Safir newspaper quoted
Jumblat as saying that there is a "historic moment" represented in talks between
Syrian and Saudi Arabia."Let us profit from this meeting between Damascus and
Riyadh in order to avoid the damaging outcomes of the indictment," Jumblat said.
He accused the United States of seeking to torpedo the Syrian-Saudi
rapprochement, pointing to the"clear" visit by US Senator John Kerry. Kerry's
statements "aim to torpedo this rapprochement as if they (US) don't want to help
Lebanon and strengthen its stability," Jumblat said, stressing that stability
comes before justice.
He criticized statements made by Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea following
his meeting with the U.S. ambassador. "He (Geagea) is not to blame, but blame
should fall on those who support him," Jumblat believed.On Monday, Geagea said
that if he had to choose between the Government and the Special Tribunal for
Lebanon, then he would choose the Tribunal. Beirut, 09 Nov 10, 09:03
Berri: False Witnesses' Issue Must be Resolved This Week Even If Cabinet is
Required to Vote
Naharnet/Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri said the false witnesses' issue must not
remain pending. He stressed the need to put an end to procrastination or delay.
"The method of procrastination and delay must stop. Cabinet should be decisive
regarding the false witnesses' issue," Berri stressed in remarks published by
the daily Al-Liwaa on Tuesday.
"This issue should be resolved in Cabinet's next meeting even if ministers are
required to vote," he said. Cabinet is due to meet at 5:00pm Wednesday. even if
it had to resort to voting," Berri told the daily Al-Liwaa in remarks published
Tuesday. Beirut, 09 Nov 10, 06:38
Gates: Heart of al-Qaida in Afghan-Pakistan Border
Naharnet/Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Tuesday the "heart" of Al-Qaeda
remained in the Afghan-Pakistan border area even as it spread its influence to
the Arabian peninsula and northern Africa./As Al-Qaeda's leaders continued to
operate out of the border area, "they provide the guidance, they provide the
priorities, they provide legitimacy to other Al-Qaeda affiliates that are
developing in other places, including in the Arabian peninsula, in Yemen in
particular and in northern Africa, in the Maghreb," Gates told reporters.
Gates, who met Defense Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, is in Malaysia for a one-day
visit to bolster defense ties amid concern in the region over China's growing
economic and naval power. However, in its fight against the Al-Qaeda terror
network, the US had "strong friends", including France and predominantly Muslim
Malaysia, he said.
"We're not in this fight by ourselves. We have some strong friends who see their
own self-interest in dealing with this threat of extremist terrorism. So I'm
confident that we will have the resources and the capability to continue to deal
with it," he said. "When we point to the Maghreb, France is very much involved
and when we are taking about Asia, this is one of the areas which the US and
Malaysia are co-operating in. So we are not in this fight by ourselves."(AFP)
Beirut, 09 Nov 10, 12:28
A question of ethics
The Sukleen contract and public money
Ana Maria Luca, November 9, 2010
On Sunday morning, around 28,000 runners from across the world, flanked by
cheering supporters, gathered in central Beirut for one of the biggest Lebanese
sports events of the year: the Beirut Marathon. The event attracted people from
86 countries who ran, marched and even walked through Lebanese capital. The
races concluded not only with a celebration of the winners, but also with a
Sukleen headache; tons of plastic bottles and garbage scattered on the streets.
After the race was over, it was Sukleen employees who evacuated the garbage,
clearing the littered highway for cars in just a few hours, a sign that Beirut’s
cleaning company is doing what it was hired to do 16 years ago: make Beirut a
cleaner city. Sukleen employees typically gather around 2,200 tons of waste
daily from Beirut and Mount Lebanon, according to company’s manager, Mohammad
Ali Hodeib.
While few would contest the quality of the service, the renewal of Sukleen’s
contract with the Lebanese government has been at the core of a cabinet row over
how much the Lebanese state should pay for its services. If March 14 ministers
had their way, they would renew the contract without questioning it, but March 8
opposition ministers asked to see it before signing it.
Currently, the terms of the deal between Sukeleen and the government are secret,
as are the fees the company charges, despite the fact that they are paid from
public money. Both opposition ministers and NGO workers who advocate for
transparency find the situation unacceptable.
“It’s not only the Sukleen contract, it’s the principle of access to
information, to disclose all contracts with companies in Lebanon and outside
Lebanon linked to fields that affect our lives,” Yehya Hakim, managing director
of the Lebanese Association for Transparency, told NOW Lebanon. He also stressed
that in Lebanon the law does not oblige the authorities to disclose expenditures
to the public. Rumor has it that Sukleen’s services are some of the most
expensive in the world, but few people in Lebanon know for sure how much it
costs to clean Beirut’s streets. Minister of State Jean Ogassapian, who is
responsible for dealing with the contract, refused to speak to the media about
it.
Sukleen was founded in 1994 just before the cabinet signed a contract with
Averda group, Sukleen’s parent company, which includes both Sukleen and Sukomi,
a waste treatment company. Sukleen’s contract was renewed in 2006. However, it
has since expired, and there is no consensus in the cabinet to renew it.
Ministers are divided over whether or not to renew the contract for another four
years because of debate over the firm’s fees. With cabinet also bitterly
fighting over the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, Sukleen’s contract is not likely
at the top of the list of cabinet’s priorities.
Following an October 20 cabinet meeting, Energy Minister Gebran Bassil
complained to As-Safir newspaper about the lack of transparency in the debate
over Sukleen’s contract.
“We asked for information on the contract, but did not get any. This signifies
that trash is important for some, and it seems that their destinies are related
to it,” Bassil said.
Telecommunications Minister Carbel Nahhas told Al-Manar that “we cannot vote on
an issue [if] we do not know [its details] and the overall past spending.”
March 8 ministers also demanded the government organize a public bidding process
for awarding the contract, but the proposal was rejected by March 14 ministers.
Prime Minister Saad Hariri argued that it is too late to look for another
company because the contract with Sukleen has already expired. Hariri told
ministers the company agreed to reduce the amount it is paid by 4 percent, but
some members still insisted on examining the contract before approving it.
Minister of the Displaced Akram Chehayeb said that the debate over Sukleen’s
contract was political and raised by the March 8 ministers for political
reasons. Sukleen’s manager, Mohammad Ali Hodeib, could not be reached for
comment.
“Sukleen is a company. They can ask for how much they want. But it’s the
government’s duty to have the specialists who do their homework and choose the
right service for the right price,” Hakim, from the Lebanese Transparency
Association, said. “The citizens should be informed about the deals concerning
roads, electricity, school funding, cleaning etc. These are of public interest;
they are paid from public money. But this transparency principle is being
politicized, which makes it more difficult for us be to push for the law on
access to information to be discussed in the Parliament. This way we are accused
of taking sides,” he added.
March 14
unifies ranks on 'false witnesses'
Opposition to ‘push with all its power’ for decision on issue in next Cabinet
session
By Wassim Mroueh and Hassan Lakiss
Daily Star staff
Tuesday, November 09, 2010
BEIRUT: The March 14 coalition agreed on a joint stand to face the thorny issue
of “false witnesses” at a meeting Monday attended by top brass leaders at the
residence of Prime Minister Saad Hariri in downtown Beirut. The Cabinet is set
to convene Wednesday at the Presidential Palace in Baabda to debate the issue of
“false witnesses” with the March 8 coalition pushing for a vote on the issue,
which tops the meeting’s agenda. A March 14 source said the coalition discussed
the Cabinet meeting and issue of “false witnesses” among other challenges facing
Lebanon and agreed on common stands from the various issues but gave no further
details South Lebanon MP Ali Hassan Khalil, an Amal Movement official, told The
Daily Star that the March 8 coalition will “push with all its power to reach a
decision on the matter during the [Cabinet] session.”
“We agreed earlier with President Michel Sleiman to postpone raising this issue
during Cabinet discussions but today we consider the issue has seen enough
debate and it is time for a final decision,” he added.
The Cabinet is deadlocked over how to deal with the matter of “false witnesses”
in investigations into the murder of Former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.
The Hizbullah-led March 8 coalition insists the matter should be referred to the
Judicial Council where any pronounced verdict could not be appealed.
But rival March 14 parties led by Hariri endorsed a report prepared by Justice
Minister Ibrahim Najjar which said the issue could only be handled by the
judiciary.
Hizbullah has said that the indictment to be issued by the Special Tribunal for
Lebanon (STL) will implicate members of the group and labeled the court an
“Israeli project” designed to foment civil strife in the country.
Future bloc MP Ammar Houri told The Daily Star that ministers from the March 14
coalition would reiterate their position during the Cabinet in line with
Najjar’s report.
Asked how the ministers would react if the issue was put up for vote, Houri said
no final decision had been taken. “We prefer not to subject the matter to a
vote, as many sides including President Michel Sleiman and [MP] Walid Jumblatt
do not favor such a step,” he said.
March 8 coalition sources said the group would take escalatory measures if
Wednesday’s Cabinet session was postponed, adding that some of the future steps
might be announced by Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah who is to deliver
a speech Thursday.
Head of the Democratic Gathering Walid Jumblatt, however, is reported to be
trying with Sleiman to reach a consensual solution on the matter and avoid a
vote which threatens to torpedo the national unity government.
After a meeting with Sleiman, Jumblatt voiced confidence that Hariri was ready
to “discuss and in a consensual manner the issue of the indictment.”
Jumblatt said the STL could only be abolished by a UN decision. “We have to
differentiate between the indictment and the tribunal; the tribunal is the
result of an international resolution, and it can’t be rescinded except by a
decision issued by the United Nations,” he said.
“The indictment can be addressed through consensus and not through tension,” he
added.
Jumblatt said that evidence provided by Hizbullah that allegedly implicated
Israel in the killing was “very important.”
He also said efforts made by Telecommunications Minister Charbel Nahhas that led
to the condemnation of Israeli violations of Lebanon’s telecommunications
infrastructure by the International Telecommunication Union was an important
step as well. “All these facts are positive steps in the joint confrontation of
the indictment,” he said, as he lashed out at remarks targeting Sleiman.
He said that voting on the issue of “false witnesses” in the Cabinet should be a
“last resort.” “But we have to engage in a dialogue to reach the ideal formula
to confront the indictment and preserve the internal security,” he said. In
other developments, US Senator John Kerry who visited Beirut Monday and met
Sleiman and Hariri said the STL did not target a certain party or sect. “Nobody
knows what the findings will be … I think whatever those findings are, they are
not directed at a whole group of people. They don’t reflect one sectarian, or
one religious, or one other point of view. They reflect what some individuals
may have chosen to do,” he told reporters after holding talks with Hariri at the
Grand Serail.
The US official said Lebanon was unable to abolish the STL.
“Prime Minister Hariri and Lebanon don’t have the power to change the course of
the Tribunal because it was created by the United Nations at the request of this
country. It would take the votes of many countries to change what has been
adopted.” Kerry reiterated US support for the “work and independence” of the STL
along with the stability of Lebanon.
The US denator hoped that his country would send an ambassador to Syria “soon.”
Kerry explained that the US president had nominated an ambassador but that many
nominations “have been regrettably held up in partisan politics in the US.”
Meanwhile, Lebanese Force leader Samir Geagea said that “if having to choose
between the STL and the Cabinet, then it is better not to have a Cabinet.”
Energy and Water Minister Jibran Bassil says Hizb al-Tahrir
threatens country's image
By The Daily Star /Tuesday, November 09, 2010
BEIRUT: Energy and Water Minister Jibran Bassil warned Monday that the radical
Hizb al-Tahrir party endangered Lebanon’s fabric and undermined the country’s
foreign relations. Bassil was responding to a statement made earlier by Hizb al-Tahrir
in which the party said the Sharia law was the sole legal reference and any
system not based on Sharia was blasphemous. The statement also mentioned that
only Muslims should be allowed to occupy governmental positions, calling for the
creation of an Islamic Caliphate. Bassil warned that Hizb al-Tahrir asked
Muslims in Pakistan, South East Asia, Cyprus, the Caucasus, eastern Turkistan,
Russia and Turkey to rebel against their regimes in order to create Islamic
nations. Bassil said such ideas undermined Lebanon’s relations with other
countries. He asked the government about his demand to dissolve the party as it
constituted a danger to Lebanon’s fabric and undermined the country’s foreign
relations. – The Daily Star
Prosecute Hezbollah
There is no hope for Lebanon unless the U.N. and the West will enforce the
tribunal's findings on the Hariri ssassination..
By WALID PHARES
In the coming weeks, the United Nations will indict the killers of Lebanese
Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri in its first-ever tribunal to try terrorists. As the
international prosecutors of the Security Council's Special Tribunal for Lebanon
prepare to make their case on the February 2005 assassination, in which
Hezbollah features prominently, the "Party of God" and its backers in Tehran and
Damascus are once again taking off their gloves.
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad recently visited Lebanon to show support
for Hezbollah, indicating that Iran, and not only its minions, would act in the
event of an adverse ruling. In June, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah as well
as Iran and Syria threatened the Lebanese government and Prime Minister Saad
Hariri—son of the slain head of state—with dire consequences if they support
indictments of the organization. Hezbollah threatened to stoke civil unrest and
break up the government, which could spark another war with Israel and
destabilize the entire region.
In the past five years, Hezbollah has shown that it usually makes good on its
threats. Between July and December of 2005, a range of anti-Hezbollah lawmakers
and journalists died or suffered grievous injuries in attacks across Lebanon,
and bombings hit several anti-Syrian neighborhoods in Beirut.
In the first six months of 2006, Nasrallah claimed he was negotiating with
Lebanon's leaders to surrender his weapons, only to trigger a devastating war
with Israel. After the war, Hezbollah unleashed more violence at home, killing
Lebanese legislators, including the Sunni Walid Eido, the Christian Antoine
Ghanem and Minister of Industry Pierre Gemayel, son of former President Amine
Gemayel. In May 2008, Hezbollah mounted a full-fledged military invasion of West
Beirut and parts of the Druze Mountains, which crumbled Fuad Siniora's
pro-Western government and propelled Hezbollah to the fore of Lebanon's national
security policy. Since then, no domestic force has been able to confront
Hezbollah or pressure it into disarming.
Hezbollah has reason to fear the Special Tribunal, whose mandate covers more
than the Hariri murder. It includes prosecuting the assassinations of Cedar
Revolution leaders Samir Cassir, George Hawi, and Lebanese parliamentarian
Jebran Tueni, as well as the bloody attempts against former Telecommunications
Minister Marwan Hamade and journalist May Chidiac.
Associated Press
Rescue workers and soldiers stand around a massive crater after a bomb attack on
former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri in Beirut, Lebanon, Feb. 14, 2005.
.If the U.N. pins Hezbollah down on Hariri, the verdicts won't stop there. It
would criminalize Hezbollah's so-called "political" and "military" wings alike,
resulting in further investigations for the murders of Lebanese politicians and
political dissenters. The organization would be criminalized under international
law, and countries like the United Kingdom and France, which have begun to
engage it politically, would be forced to desist. Hezbollah could even face
international warrants for the arrest of its leaders. The consequences would be
cataclysmic for the group, destroying the image it cultivates as a legitimate
resistance movement.
The Iranian regime cannot afford to lose so precious an ally in Lebanon, and
Syria's Baathist regime knows all too well that if Hezbollah goes under, it will
drag many in Damascus down with it. So the Iranian-Syrian-Hezbollah axis has
locked the tribunal in its crosshairs.
The U.N. originally established the tribunal as an international criminal court,
comprised of judges from Lebanon and across the world, to prosecute the acts
relating to Hariri's assassination under Lebanese law. Under Chapter 7 of its
charter, the U.N. is required to provide force to execute its decisions, if
necessary, but it cannot do so without the support of the Lebanese government.
At the time, that would have been possible, as many Lebanese politicians
publicly accused Syria's Assad regime of the assassination, and observers
predicted that the tribunal could even result in the indictment of Syrian
officials. The Lebanese government was then headed by a pro-Western, anti-Syrian
majority, and was modestly willing to push back against Hezbollah.
When Hezbollah invaded Beirut and toppled then-prime minister Fuad Siniora's
cabinet in May 2008, it brought in a new government headed nominally by Saad
Hariri, but with a pro-Syrian President, General Michel Suleiman. It had also by
then penetrated Lebanon's security apparatus, giving Iran an implicit veto.
That's why when the tribunal issues its verdict, the Lebanese government is
unlikely to make any arrests. In preparation for the forthcoming showdown,
Hezbollah has been hyperactive in identifying and arresting anyone it believes
would support the indictments, branding them as Israeli spies, and agents of a
"vast Zionist conspiracy."
Thanks largely to bountiful Iranian aid, Hezbollah is winning its war against
international justice. The Turkish government even suggested that the Special
Tribunal postpone its decisions. And Lebanese officials, including traditionally
anti-Syrian politicians, have been bullied into saying that they would consider
any indictment of Hezbollah an act of aggression against the Lebanese Republic.
The message to those in the U.S. and Europe looking for "dialogue partners"
should be clear: There are no moderates in Hezbollah. When the Special Tribunal
issues its final verdict, let's hope for Lebanon and the region's sake that the
U.N. and the West will have the courage to enforce the prosecutors' findings.
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