LCCC
ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
ِNovember
17/2010
Bible Of The
Day
The Good News According to
Matthew 09/09-13: "9:9 As Jesus passed by from there, he saw a man called
Matthew sitting at the tax collection office. He said to him, “Follow me.” He
got up and followed him. 9:10 It happened as he sat in the house, behold, many
tax collectors and sinners came and sat down with Jesus and his disciples. 9:11
When the Pharisees saw it, they said to his disciples, “Why does your teacher
eat with tax collectors and sinners?” 9:12 When Jesus heard it, he said to them,
“Those who are healthy have no need for a physician, but those who are sick do.
9:13 But you go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice,’*
for I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”
Free Opinions,
Releases, letters, Interviews & Special Reports
Reshuffle strengthens French
foreign policy/Daily Star/November
16/10
Stand by Lebanon/By: By Olivia
Ward/New York Times/November
16/10
Oh little town of Ghajar/By: Paige
Kollock/November
16/10
State of injustice/Now
Lebanon/November 16/10
Latest News
Reports From Miscellaneous Sources for November
16/10
Suleiman in Sudden Visit to
Damascus for Talks with Assad/Naharnet
Lebanese
police Chase Escaped Fatah
al-Islam Inmate/Naharnet
Hariri
from Moscow: In Lebanon, We Represent a Model of Moderate Islam/Naharnet
Russia
Donates Helicopters, Tanks, Cannons to Lebanese Army/Naharnet
Britain
to Give STL Further $1.6 Million/Naharnet
Qabbani: We Want Both
Justice and Stability, We Must Not Use Language of Threat to Intimidate Others/Naharnet
Sfeir to The Vatican: I
Don't Intend to Resign/Naharnet
Israel Defense Forces chief of
staff/Hezbollah might take over Lebanon, Ashkenazi warns/Now Lebanon
Russia Donates Helicopters,
Tanks, Cannons to Lebanese Army/Naharnet
Feltman and Kouchner told Lebanese
Officials that Israel's Threats are Serious/Asharq
Al-Awsat
IDF chief: Hezbollah
could initiate Lebanon coup in wake of UN Hariri report/Haaretz
Syrian FM: We Are Working With
Saudis On Solution For Lebanon/MEMRI
Preparing for Lebanon's Next
Earthquake/Huffington Post
Mad Mullah Omar Bakri Arrested
In Lebanon: Hezbollah Might Laugh/Anorak.co.uk (satire)
Arrested cleric picks Hezbollah
MP as his lawyer/Ya Libnan/Asharq Alawsat
Tehran Times: Argentina 'leveled
false allegations against Hezbollah and Iran/Buenos Aires Herald
Robert Fisk: Lebanon can't escape
the shadow of Hariri's murder/Belfast Telegraph
Hariri secures significant military
aid from Russia/Daily
Star
Bakri appoints Hizbullah MP as
lawyer/Daily Star
MPs defend Siniora Cabinet's record
during 2006 war/Daily Star
Politicians trade blows over Nahhas
remarks/Daily Star
Aoun blasts 'politicized justice'
in talks with French president/Daily Star
Moussawi: False Witnesses
Include Top Officials, Indictment to Divide Lebanese between Murderer,
Murdered/Naharnet
Lebanon on brink as tribunal
moves to name suspects/Toronto Star
Hizbullah Appointed MP Nawwar
Sahili as Sheikh Omar Bakri's Defense Lawyer
Arslan says ulterior motives behind
delays in “false witnesses” issue/Now Lebanon
Opposition Official: Sfeir
Didn't Care about Justice when He Supported Amnesty for Geagea/Naharnet
King Abdullah Advisor in
Damascus Soon to Draft Final Solution to STL Crisis/Naharnet
Ammar Moussawi: False
Witnesses Include Top Officials, Indictment to Divide Lebanese between Murderer,
Murdered/Naharnet
5-Point Compromise in
Which Hariri Likely to Declare Hizbullah Innocence/Naharnet
Top Secret Report
Submitted by Police Intelligence to UN Investigation Committee/Naharnet
Berri: Should Follow up on
Saudi-Syrian Efforts and Stay Away from Tense Political Rhetoric/Naharnet
Sayyed: Hariri Made
Incorrect Statements on False Witnesses
/Naharnet
Hizbullah: Feltman,
Kouchner Informed Lebanese Officials that Israel is Serious in its Threats
/Naharnet
Nawaf Moussawi: No One Can
Threaten Nahhas, Whoever Harms him Harms us
/Naharnet
Hezbollah
might take over Lebanon, Ashkenazi warns
November 15, 2010 /Israel Defense Forces (IDF) chief of staff Gabi Ashkenazi
said Monday that Hezbollah might take over Lebanon if the Special Tribunal for
Lebanon (STL) issues its expected indictment, Israeli daily Haaretz reported. He
also said that he was worried by Iran’s influence in the region. In a Thursday
speech, Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said that Hezbollah
will “cut off the hand” of anyone who tries to arrest any of its members in the
murder case of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. On October 28, he called on
all Lebanese to boycott the STL and to end cooperation with its investigators.
Tension is high in Lebanon amid unconfirmed reports that the STL will soon issue
its indictment for the 2005 Rafik Hariri murder. There are fears that should the
court indict Hezbollah members, it could lead to clashes similar to those of the
2008 May Events – when gunmen led by the party took over half of Beirut.-NOW
Lebanon
Sfeir to The Vatican: I Don't Intend to Resign
Naharnet/Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Sfeir said on his way to the Vatican
Tuesday that he does not intend to resign."Now one has asked me to resign, and I
don't intend to resign now," he told reporters at Beirut airport. Sfeir
reiterated that the Special Tribunal for Lebanon must do its duty. Beirut, 16
Nov 10, 09:13
Qabbani: We Want Both Justice and Stability, We Must Not Use Language of Threat
to Intimidate Others
Naharnet/Grand Mufti of Lebanon Sheikh Mohammed Rashid Qabbani said Tuesday that
justice is required alongside stability. "We want justice for martyr Rafik
Hariri," Qabbani said during Eid al-Adha sermon at Mohammed Amin mosque in
downtown Beirut. "Both justice and stability are simultaneously required. Our
duty and responsibility is to achieve justice and stability together, not to
lose both," he stressed. He said while stability is the duty of the State, it is
the responsibility of the society in all its elements to preserve it. Qabbani
called on Lebanese to "adopt dialogue to resolve whatever problems." "We must
not use the language of threat and violence as means to intimidate others," he
warned. Qabbani wondered how a nation can be built "if Lebanese exchanged
threats." He said parity should be maintained among the Lebanese.Beirut, 16 Nov
10, 08:29
FPM: Sarkozy open with Aoun
November 15, 2010 /French President Nicolas Sarkozy was open during his meeting
with Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun in Paris on Monday, said a
statement issued by the FPM. According to the statement, Sarkozy and Aoun
addressed ways to resolve current Lebanese disputes. Aoun also met with French
National Assembly Speaker Bernard Accoyer on Monday, during which the latter
voiced his concern regarding the current Lebanese situation, the statement said.
Aoun’s visit to France will last until Thursday, during which he will meet with
several officials from the country, the statement added. Tension is high in
Lebanon amid unconfirmed reports that the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL)
will soon issue its indictment for the 2005 assassination of former Prime
Minister Rafik Hariri. There are fears that should the court indict Hezbollah
members, it could lead to clashes similar to those of the 2008 May Events – when
gunmen led by the party took over half of Beirut. -NOW Lebanon
Suleiman in Sudden Visit to Damascus for Talks with Assad
Naharnet/President Michel Suleiman arrived in Damascus on Tuesday on a sudden
visit for talks with President Bashar Assad. A statement issued by Baabda Palace
said Suleiman will discuss, in addition to regional developments, a number of
issues of concern and interest to both countries. The brief statement said
Suleiman will also congratulate Assad on Ein al-Adha.
The Syrian National News Agency, SANA, said the two leaders discussed the latest
developments in Lebanon. It said talks also tackled bilateral relations and
latest developments on the Arab and regional arenas. Beirut, 16 Nov 10, 12:26
Hizbullah Appointed MP Nawwar Sahili as Sheikh Omar Bakri's Defense Lawyer
Naharnet/Hizbullah MP Nawwar Sahili said Hizbullah has appointed him as defense
lawyer for radical Islamist preacher Omar Bakri. Bakri was arrested by Lebanese
police in Tripoli on Sunday, just days after the formerly Britain-based cleric
boasted he would "not spend one day" of a life sentence behind bars. On
Monday, Bakri appointed Sahili as his lawyer for the retrial. Bakri now faces a
retrial before a military court in line with Lebanese law as he was sentenced in
absentia. Police said Bakri tried to flee in a car as the patrol closed in on
his house in Tripoli, prompting an officer to open fire to prevent him from
escaping. Bakri, a Sunni Muslim fundamentalist, has appealed to Hizbullah leader
Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah for help.
Beirut, 16 Nov 10, 11:08
Oh little town of Ghajar
Paige Kollock, November 15, 2010
Now Lebanon/A school girl walks past an Israeli army military vehicle on her way
back home from school on November 7, 2010 in the disputed village of Ghajar on
the border with Lebanon and Syria's Golan Heights. Israel is planning to
withdraw its troops from the northern sector of the divided village, which it
seized from Syria in the 1967 Middle East war and annexed in 1981, and hand over
control to a UN peacekeeping force. (AFP PHOTO/JINI/JALAA MAREY)
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu recently made a bold and unexpected
announcement that Israeli will finally pull out of Ghajar, the embattled village
on the Lebanese-Israeli border that has been occupied by IDF soldiers since
1967. Curiously, the declaration was made just two weeks before UN Secretary
General Ban Ki-moon is set to give his next report on Security Council
Resolution 1701.
Some speculate the move is a way to score points with the US and UN at a time
when Netanyahu is becoming increasingly ostracized for Israel's settlement
building, which continues despite international pressure to halt construction.
Others say it is a way to force Lebanon to hold up their end of UN resolution
1701.
The history of the mountainous town of approximately 2,200 is an intriguing one.
Inhabited by Alawite Muslims, who share the same religion as the Syrian ruling
family and consider themselves Syrian, the village has bounced between Syrian,
Israeli and Lebanese control for nearly half a century.
Residents of the village, which has the unfortunate destiny of being nestled
between Syria, Lebanon and Israel, were given the chance to choose their
nationality in 1932: Lebanese or Syrian (Israel didn’t yet exist). They chose
Syrian. But when Israel captured the Golan Heights (including Ghajar) from Syria
in 1967 during the Six-Day War, Ghajar became part of Israel, and eventually,
most villagers accepted Israeli citizenship.
The United Nations complicated matters in 2000. After the Israeli army pulled
out of Southern Lebanon, UN cartographers drew the Israeli withdrawal line, also
known as the Blue Line, right through the village, dividing it and its residents
so that the southern side of the village fell on Israeli territory, the north,
on Lebanese soil.
“Israel pledged to leave Ghajar under the U.N. resolution ending the 2006 war,”
said Neeraj Singh, UNIFIL’s spokesperson. “Israel is obliged to withdraw from
northern Ghajar and an adjacent area north of the Blue Line in accordance with
UN Security Council resolution 1701.We have been actively engaged with both the
parties on the basis of UNIFIL's proposal to facilitate the IDF withdrawal from
the area.”
Prime Minister Netanyahu was in New York last week to present his withdrawal
plan to Mr. Ban, but no details came out of their meeting, namely a timeframe,
leading some to believe that Netanyahu is merely paying lip service to
international community, and has no real intention of pulling out.
“It’s possible that they made this announcement now, when Netanyahu was once
again humiliating the Obama administration during his trip to Washington,” said
Nicholas Blanford, an author on several books about Lebanon.
“But in the end, Ghajar is small change compared to the bigger issue of building
settlements on the West Bank and East Jerusalem, and even if Netanyahu is
offering it up as a sop to the Americans, it’s not going to cut ice...they were
supposed to have pulled out four years ago, so they’re not going to be rewarded
for it now.”
Since President Barak Obama was elected, the US administration has been
pressuring Israel to withdrawal from the village as “a sign of goodwill towards
the more moderate forces in Lebanon,” said Asher Kaufman, a professor of History
and Peace Studies at Notre Dame University in the US. Up until now, those
tactics have been “basically unsuccessful” he said.
“Now if you look at the deterioration of diplomatic engagement between Israel
and the US due to collapse of peace talks and announcement of new settlements,
maybe this might be a way to bring something positive to the forefront…a gesture
to the United States and to the UN.”
Other analysts say the pullout is not at all related to Middle East peace talks,
but rather a way to pressure Hezbollah to shed their weapons.
“The issue of Ghajar is more related to the subject of disarming Hezbollah
through omitting the pretext that these arms are to liberate occupied Lebanese
land,” said Randa Haidar, Israeli media analyst at An Nahar. “If Israel
withdraws from Ghajar, Lebanon would have regained all the territories that
Israel had occupied.” This would force Lebanon to hold up its end of 1701, one
aspect of which is the disarmament of “armed groups”.
Israel's foot-dragging on the UN obligation stems from a fear that removing an
Israeli presence from Ghajar would lead to a Hezbollah takeover of the northern
part of the village, which in the past has been used by the ‘Party of God’ as a
strategic base.
But Blanford says those fears have dwindled. The situation has changed since
2006 and Hezbollah has other priorities. “They’re not going to try and rub up
against UNIFIL to get their guys into Ghajar,” he said.
Which leads to the question of control. Israel has proposed that UNFIL (United
Nations Interim Force in Lebanon) fill the IDF’s shoes, but Haidar says it would
most likely be the Lebanese army, which could lead to a situation in which
Israel’s fears are realized.
“The Lebanese army is who will be deployed in Ghajar after the withdrawal, and
it is known that army units that are deployed in the south have a close
relationship with Hezbollah, therefore in my opinion, the party [Hezbollah] will
benefit from this opportunity to increase its intelligence information about the
movement of Israeli soldiers near the Lebanese border,” she said.
All Ghajar residents hold Israeli passports, which allow them to work in Israel
and take advantage of Israeli services like schools, sports facilities and
medical care. They fear that any changeover –be it UNIFIL or the Lebanese Army -
would render it increasingly difficult for them to, for example, walk to their
brother’s house across the Blue Line or get to their jobs in Israel. But then
again, nobody has asked them.
Stand by Lebanon
Published: November 15,
Tensions have risen dangerously in Lebanon, as Syria, Iran and Hezbollah try to
pressure Prime Minister Saad Hariri to repudiate an international investigation
into the 2005 assassination of Mr. Hariri’s father, Rafik Hariri, a former prime
minister. The inquiry is likely to issue indictments implicating Hezbollah, and
perhaps its Syrian sponsors, in the crime.
LebanonSyria and Hezbollah’s top leader, Hassan Nasrallah, have bluntly warned
the Lebanese government to halt cooperation with the investigation or risk
violent reprisals. Syria also has issued arrest warrants for senior Lebanese
police officials and prosecutors for allegedly giving false testimony in the
inquiry and has opened the border to an even larger than usual flow of Syrian
and Iranian arms to Hezbollah.
This behavior blatantly violates United Nations Security Council resolutions
upholding Lebanese sovereignty and explicitly calling on the Syrian government
to restrict arms flows. Mr. Hariri, to his credit, has held firm.
The Obama administration has offered strong rhetorical support to the Lebanese
government. It now has the chance to provide more substantive backing, after
Representatives Howard Berman of California and Nita Lowey of New York lifted
the holds they placed in August on $100 million in military aid to Lebanon.
Congress was right to raise concerns at a time of rising tensions between
Lebanese and Israeli troops that culminated in a deadly cross-border shooting.
United Nations investigators later found Lebanese soldiers to blame for the
clash. The Obama administration then sought and received assurances from
Lebanese military leaders that such incidents will not be repeated.
The restoration of aid should give Lebanese authorities an immediate, symbolic
boost. The administration should build on it with additional statements of
support for Prime Minister Hariri and Lebanon’s institutions in the difficult
weeks ahead.
The military aid is vital for Lebanon’s long-term stability. Under President
George W. Bush and now President Obama, Washington has spent $670 million trying
to build up the Lebanese Army as a nonsectarian national institution. This money
is supposed to help the army take full control of the southern regions bordering
Israel, formerly dominated by Hezbollah.
The White House is going to have to press Lebanon’s case with the new Republican
leadership in the House. Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen of Florida, the
likely new chairwoman of the Foreign Affairs Committee, has been critical of the
aid program, suggesting that Hezbollah could be the ultimate beneficiary.
A stable Lebanon, with a government that can stand up to outside intimidation
and a national army in control of all its territory, is clearly not what
Hezbollah wants. It is in the clear interest of the United States.
Lebanon on brink as tribunal moves to name suspects
Mon Nov 15 201
By Olivia Ward/Foreign Affairs Reporter
New York Times
With bullet holes still scarring its buildings from recent wars, Lebanon is
heading toward a crisis that could derail its unsteady progress to stability.
And at the centre of the storm is a Canadian-led tribunal that some fear is
pushing it toward the edge.
The UN-backed tribunal to investigate the 2005 assassination of former Lebanese
prime minister Rafik Hariri is expected to indict up to six members of the
militant group Hezbollah within a month. But the backlash from the powerful
Shiite military and political faction — which controls a large army and
stockpile of weapons —raised anxiety that the fragmented country could slide
back to the wars that have devastated it in the past.
“Mistaken (are those) who think that we will allow the arrest or detention of
any of our fighters,” Hezbollah leader Sheik Hassan Nasrallah told a cheering
crowd last week. “Any hand that will touch any of them will be cut off.”
Although Lebanon is a small country, its volatile neighbors Iran, Israel and
Syria have strong strategic interest in what happens within its borders. The
U.S. and Israel are especially keen to head off challenges to Western-leaning
Prime Minister Saad Hariri, son of the murdered billionaire premier.
In a sign of Washington’s concern, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton
warned Hezbollah against resorting to violence, saying that “if the goal . . .
is to stop the tribunal it won’t work.” Western officials emphasize that the
probe was created by the UN and is not under Lebanon’s control. France has
joined the chorus calling for “no impunity” for those guilty of the truck
bombing that killed Hariri and 22 others on Beirut’s fashionable waterfront.
“The country could be on the brink of civil war, and the tribunal is at the
heart of it,” said Chibli Mallat, a Lebanese-born law professor at University of
Utah who was involved in the creation of the international probe. “Its silence
is adding to the rumours. We’ve been waiting five years and nothing has
happened. The lack of information is making it worse.”
The investigation is headed by former Canadian prosecutor Daniel Bellemare, who
has kept out of the spotlight since he took over the job, and the tribunal has
said that revealing information would jeopardize the case. But it was
politically loaded from the start, in a country where up to 250,000 people died
in a bloody civil war involving Shiite, Sunni, Druze and Christian factions,
resulting in near-anarchy and a military occupation by neighboring Syria.
Hariri was a vocal opponent of Syria’s three-decade military presence, and angry
protests after his death led to withdrawal of Syrian troops. Early reports from
the tribunal pointed a finger at Syrian intelligence agents, and four Lebanese
generals known to be close to Syria were arrested and eventually released.
Meanwhile Hezbollah provoked a 2006 war with Israel which devastated parts of
Beirut and south Lebanon, and Lebanese anger against the militants rose. But
Hezbollah — also backed and armed by Iran — invested large sums in
reconstruction and turned the disaster into a propaganda victory. It has since
reportedly beefed up its arsenal and manpower, as well as consolidated its
political power. In 2008 at least 80 people were killed in fighting between
Hezbollah and pro-government factions, when the militants took over part of
Beirut.
Since then Saad Hariri has mended fences with Syria, and Hezbollah has entered a
“unity” government. Zeal for the tribunal’s work has ebbed and Syria has called
for an end to the probe, insisting it would defend Hezbollah if members were
indicted. Nazrallah denounced the tribunal a tool of the U.S. and Israel, and
demanded an investigation of “false witnesses.”
The list of indictments may include Mustafa Badreddine, a senior Hezbollah
military commander. Suspects who flee may be tried in absentia.
“The situation is very serious,” said Murhaf Jouejati, a Middle East expert at
George Washington University. “Hezbollah views the entire affair as an
instrument of American power, and it doesn’t want to be dragged down that road
(to indictment). It’s urged all Lebanese to resist co-operating with the
tribunal.”
The warning is taken seriously by Hezbollah’s opponents. Since Hariri’s murder
journalists, politicians and army officers have been attacked and killed by
unknown assailants.
But supporters of the tribunal say that its existence is a victory for justice
in a country that is struggling to rebuild the rule of law.
“Its presence means that you can’t take justice into your own hands,” said Nadim
Shehadi of Chatham House in London, who just returned from Beirut. “People put
their faith in the tribunal. It was a useful instrument that allowed (Saad)
Hariri to resume normal relations with Syria, and drop all the political
accusations. It’s been an alternative to civil strife. It’s not just the
assassins of Hariri who are on trial — it’s the whole international justice
system.”
State of injustice
November 15, 2010
Now Lebanon
Like this prisoner in Roumieh, refugees who come to Lebanon are often held in
detention beyond their sentences and in defiance of judicial orders to release
them. (AFP Photo/HO Al-Akhbar/Haitham Mussawi)
Last week General Security beat and then deported an Iraqi refugee after holding
him in detention for months, even after a judge had ordered his release. Sadly,
this is neither the first time, nor likely the last, that such a shameful turn
of events comes to pass. General Security’s policy of detaining, beating and
deporting refugees – seemingly endorsed by a government that has yet to condemn
the policy or censure those who execute it – violates Lebanon’s constitution and
makes a mockery of the judiciary.
NGOs that monitor and work with refugees report that on November 10, General
Security officers beat Ala As-Sayed, a 24-year-old Iraqi refugee who was
recognized by UNHCR, until he lost consciousness. When he came to, they put him
on an airplane and sent him home to an uncertain future in his war-ravaged
country. Sayed was forcibly deported after repeatedly refusing to sign
“voluntary” repatriation documents while he was in General Security’s custody.
Parliament’s Human Rights Committee is supposed to be writing a national action
plan to improve the way the country treats refugees, but the committee has not
met for months, and recognized refugees and asylum seekers languish in
detention, enduring beatings and deportation like Sayed.
Defenders of Lebanon’s treatment of refugees note that because Lebanon never
signed the UN’s 1951 Convention on Refugees or its 1967 protocol, it is not an
asylum country. Therefore, Lebanon is allowed to treat asylum seekers as illegal
immigrants. While it may be true that Lebanon did not sign the convention,
Paragraph B of Lebanon’s constitution says the country “abides” by the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights.
Article 9 of the declaration says “no one shall be subjected to arbitrary
arrest, detention or exile.” The UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention – which
has condemned Lebanon – partially defines arbitrary detention as “when a person
is kept in detention after the completion of their prison sentence.”
The Lebanese Judiciary ordered Sayed’s release in March of this year, but he was
not released until his forced deportation last week. As of mid-September, there
were 45 refugees and asylum seekers detained in Lebanon beyond the completion of
their sentences, six of whom, like Sayed, had Lebanese judges specifically order
their release, according to UNHCR.
That General Security thumbs at its nose at the judiciary should give us all
pause. Not only do these policies clearly contradict Lebanon’s commitment to
upholding human rights – and by extension violate the country’s constitution –
they also undermine the concept of the Rule of Law, a fundamental base on which
any functioning state must be built.
How do those in power expect the people to have any respect for a country where
judicial authorities and the constitution are simply disregarded?
General Security – and the political class who refuse to reign it in – must not
be allowed to continue acting above and beyond the law. Giving a security
apparatus carte blanche to overrule the judiciary is a recipe for disaster.
Without laws and a respected – as well as respectable – judiciary, there is
little hope for building the state so many claim they want to build.
It is surprising and supremely disappointing that the opposition – which claims
to value resistance against “Israeli-American projects” – has not said a word
about Lebanon’s deplorable treatment of the victims of the American-led invasion
of Iraq, thought it never misses a chance to condemn the war. It is equally
reprehensible that the majority, which talks ceaselessly about respecting state
institutions, sits idly by as law and order are treated with such disdain. Until
General Security submits to the law – and begins to treat human beings with the
rights and dignity the constitution recognizes they all deserve – this is yet
one more reason to be despondent about this country’s chances of becoming a
state.
Arslan says ulterior motives behind delays in “false witnesses” issue
November 15, 2010 /Lebanese Democratic Party leader MP Talal Arslan said on
Monday that delaying the transfer of the issue of “false witnesses” to the
Justice Council reflects some parties’ “aims to gamble on time,” a reference to
the March 14 alliance. He told Al-Manar television that the reason behind
delaying the issue of witnesses who gave unreliable testimonies to the
international investigation of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri’s 2005
assassination is “political par excellence.”He also warned against “the risks of
the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL)’s [pending] indictment.” Tension is high
in Lebanon amid unconfirmed reports that the STL will soon issue its indictment
for the Rafik Hariri murder. There are fears that should the court indict
Hezbollah members, it could lead to clashes similar to those of the 2008 May
Events – when gunmen led by the party took over half of Beirut.-NOW Lebanon
Mohammad Raad
November 15, 2010
On November 14, the Lebanese National News Agency (NNA) carried the following
report:
Hezbollah organized two ceremonies in the Mleeta Jihadist touristic site and the
town of Adchit in Nabatiyeh where the memorials of Martyr Ali Saleh, the
defeater of the legend of the Israeli Merkava tank, and the other martyrs of the
town were unveiled in the presence of the families of the martyrs. During the
ceremony, Loyalty to the Resistance bloc leader MP Mohammad Raad stated, “Those
conspiring against us and against our country and people are aware of the extent
of our commitment [to the resistance course] and are trying to undermine our
Jihad and our path using terrorization and incitements at times, strife at
others or even fabricated accusations which are acting as knives in our backs.
However, these methods will not undermine our commitment to the resistance
because this choice protected our existence, forced the enemy to fear us and
taught all the arrogant powers to take into consideration the fact that the
Lebanese people cannot be harmed or their determination diminished with
pressures, invasions and occupation. We are masters in our own land. We are free
and honorable and it is the resistance which upheld all this glory. And since
the resistance is the one feared by the enemy who always takes its reaction into
account, it constitutes a defense power for our country, dignity and independent
national decision.
[Those seeking sovereignty and independence in the diplomatic hallways of the
Western and arrogant powers] are linking Lebanon to the will of these states and
powers that want to pillage our wealth and control our fate. However, the one
wagering on the will of its resisting people is the one capable of imposing the
equation that would serve the interests of the Lebanese and the populations of
the region with all confidence and modesty. The Resistance in Lebanon toppled
the New Middle East project and buried it during the July War. It is the one
that defended all the capitals of the Arabs and Muslims. Had the enemy been able
to use Lebanon as a gateway for the New Middle East project, the entire
political map in our Arab and Islamic world would have changed. However, the
Resistance fighters blocked the way before humiliation and submission which
would have been seen due to the collapse of the wills of the regimes in our
region, but also due to political powers that wagered on humiliating settlements
and infertile negotiations to regain their dignity and some of their occupied
lands.
[All those who relied on direct talks failed to even get] a commitment from the
enemy to discontinue the settlement activities during the negotiations.
Consequently, the Israeli enemy is trying to impose new facts on the ground, is
expanding the settlements and building new ones and calling on the Arab
negotiators to resume the talks and recognize the legitimacy of the Israeli
occupation of Palestine to get the recognition of the Jewish character of the
state of Israel. In the meantime, the Resistance deterred the Israeli enemy
which has no regard for any power around the world except for the resistance in
Lebanon.
Neither the international resolutions and the UN charters nor human principles,
morals and values are preventing the enemy from attacking Lebanon. Today, the
only ones deterring it are those who defeated its attack and the readiness of
the Resistance which is awaiting the joyful moment in which the enemy will
commit any foolish act against Lebanon. The enemy is probably taking into
consideration the fact that any war might be the last step in the history of its
entity since it will not be able to assume its failure once again. The
Resistance will certainly come out victorious from any new confrontation and
this is a promise from God. It would not harm the Resistance if some of those
wagering on Western projects to control Lebanon’s fate were to cast fabricated
accusations affecting its reputation, because our resistance is way too
honorable and pure to see the blood of its fighters and martyrs soiled by those
collaborators.
We are giving a chance to an effort to settle the situation and uphold Lebanon’s
stability based on the non-harming of the Resistance and the non-acceptance of
any accusation made against it, and we hope that this effort will lead to
positive results. At the same time, we are very sorry to see this Resistance,
which offered what is most precious to it for this country and the dignity of
all the Lebanese, being targeted at the level of its reputation by Lebanese. We
hope that the effort to spare Lebanon from a crisis with unforeseen results will
be fruitful, but also say – with all confidence – that we will not undertake
prohibited acts and that our options are open and will have specific goals that
will be reached easily and rapidly in order to protect the resistance and spare
the country Sunni-Shia strife or a clash between the Resistance and what the
others want. Still, our options will be clear and decisive if the others were to
conduct any miscalculation, and we hope they will not make that grave mistake.
If our crime is that we faced, resisted against and defeated the occupation, the
others must give us medals of honor, pride and patriotism... We do not trade
with these words on the streets of Beirut which witnessed development thanks to
our steadfastness and our defense of Lebanon and its soil… We did not ask for a
price and we will not ask that we be thanked or compensated. However, we will
not allow some to align behind the project of the enemy – whether intentionally
or unintentionally – and blame us for what we have done as though we implicated
the country when we secured its sovereignty and independence. If they want a
weak Lebanon, they will see it transformed into a tool in the hands of the
arrogant powers and put on sale in their markets. As for the Lebanese people,
they will be transformed into servants for their projects and interests.
We want a strong and powerful Lebanon that holds its own decision-making powers
and can defend its sovereignty, with strong people who are ready to maintain its
existence and role in the regional and international equation… We have offered
pure blood for that purpose and will not allow anyone – no matter how high up he
may be – to soil the purity of this blood, neither with a fabricated accusation
nor with an indictment being used as a knife to stab the Resistance in the back…
We thus warn whoever tries to betray our path or stab us in the back that we are
capable of responding to this stab with a much more painful one.”
Reshuffle
strengthens French foreign policy
Daily Star
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Editorial
As the signs pile up that France has launched a serious push to play a greater
role in Lebanon, it appears that the effort could well represent a boon to the
tenuous situation in this beleaguered country.
France evidently recognized – correctly, one might add – that it was becoming
nearly devoid of genuine weight in a country which it ruled for over two decades
in the previous century and still wishfully considered within its sphere of
influence. At the same time, President Nicolas Sarkozy undertook a reshuffle of
his Cabinet, booting out more centrist ministers for electoral reasons focused
on the presidential election in 2012.
The ouster of Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner, however popular and active he
had been, does in fact strengthen Paris’ foreign policy, for the simple reason
that France will no longer seem to have two foreign policies, one pursued by
Sarkozy and the other by Kouchner. Not just Lebanon, but also Iraq and Palestine
witnessed differing positions taken by the French head of state and its head of
diplomacy.
While Sarkozy officially named the new Cabinet only Sunday, it also looks as
though he has selected Lebanon as the target of the new administration’s first
major foreign-policy endeavor. Michel Aoun met with Sarkozy Monday, and other
Lebanese political leaders are slated to follow. While France appears to be
formulating a new and more active approach to Lebanon, it would behoove Paris to
meet with Lebanese politicians from all sides of the spectrum. France, if it
succeeds, can find many areas where its role would be welcome in Lebanon: beyond
the political arena, France has ties with Lebanon in the fields of business,
education and culture. Paris has also sent some 2,000 troops to UNIFIL’s roughly
14,000-strong contingent.
What Sarkozy and his new Foreign Minister, Michele Alliot-Marie, should do in
the political sphere is to ascertain where the interests of France and Lebanon
intersect. One would hope that they discover a shared interest in stability and
healthy consensus. France, though not the power it once was or might still fancy
itself to be, can make an important contribution to enhancing stability in
Lebanon – which, to be honest, has at this juncture nearly unraveled.
This is not meant as any paean to the Gallic head of state; the man has
committed a cornucopia of missteps at home, but at the very least by bringing
the entire Cabinet under one flag – his own – the outside world should be able
to look forward to clearer and stronger positions on matters of global import.
Lebanon might represent only a test drive of the new French dynamic, while in
the best case this region could hope that Paris could lend whatever diplomatic
heft it still possesses toward pushing forward the wobbling Palestinian-Israeli
negotiations.
Feltman and
Kouchner told Lebanese Officials that Israel's Threats are Serious – Hezbollah
MP
15/11/2010/By Yousef Diab/Beirut,
Asharq Al-Awsat – Lebanese political spheres have been exchanging information
from the West, expecting sudden developments in Lebanon, perhaps exceeding the
current internal conflict resulting from the dispute surrounding the
international tribunal investigating the assassination of former Prime Minister
Rafiq Hariri and its expected decision. This information, derived from European
and international reports, talks about the possibility of Israeli military
aggression against Lebanon, after Tel Aviv completed its military and logistical
preparations for such an operation, something that would change the situation in
the region, and the regional priorities. This is what the Hezbollah
Secretary-General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, warned of in his speech last
Thursday, when he referred to an expected Israeli war to begin in conjunction
with the international tribunal issuing its expected decision. Information
indicates that US and French officials visiting Beirut discussed the prospect of
war with Lebanese leaders, warning of what could happen in the coming days and
weeks.
Hezbollah MP Kamel al-Rifai told Asharq al-Awsat that "the Israeli threats to
Lebanon are serious, and Lebanese officials have been notified of this by US
Assistant Secretary of State Jeffrey Feltman, French Foreign Minister Bernard
Kouchner, and Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Democratic
Senator John Kerry, during their visit to Lebanon".
Al-Rifai added that "the information indicates that the U.S. administration gave
Israel the green light to do whatever it wants in Lebanon. This message was
conveyed to the Syrian leadership by Kerry, and this means that the Americans
have a certain agenda that they are implementing against the resistance in
Lebanon and Palestine, using Israel [to achieve this] since they are unable to
intervene militarily. The objective of this is to impose a new reality on the
region following the failure of the Israeli-Palestinian negotiations".
The Hezbollah MP also told Asharq Al-Awsat that "the resistance will not give
Israel any excuse for aggression, although they (Israel) do not need
justifications for their wars. Yet the [resistance] is always ready to confront
any aggression, at any time". Al-Rifai added "Hezbollah’s main concern is
internal unity in confronting Israeli threats, contrary to Feltman and
Kouchner’s efforts with the March 14 Alliance to incite further escalation and
non-engagement in dialogue with the opposition, waiting to see what Israel will
bring them in Lebanon".
Meanwhile strategic expert, Retired Brigadier General Elias Hanna, told Asharq
al-Awsat that "the military's carried out by Israel for a possible war against
Lebanon and Hezbollah are the result of lessons learned from the [2006] July War
and the Winograd report”. According to Hanna, "Israel’s preparation, its threats
and posturing, and the operation it carried out in Deir al-Zour (in Syria), are
intended to convey the message that it has regained a military deterrent force."
Brigadier General Elias Hanna added: "It is true that Israel is ready for war,
but this war requires certain political conditions, and a green light from
America. This American authorization is not currently available, as the
priorities of the U.S. administration are totally different due to its
preoccupation with Iraq and Afghanistan, and the economic situation. Therefore,
Israel will not go to war alone, and will not accept a war where the results
will be similar to the 2006 invasion, because that was to akin to [becoming
trapped in] a spider’s web."
As for the different scenarios being put forward by political and military
leaders in Israel, Hanna told Asharq Al-Awsat that: "they are not scenarios;
they are merely campaigns, preparations, psychological warfare, and attempts to
weaken the ability of the opposition. For example, when Hezbollah threatens that
it has more than 40 thousand rockets, capable of targeting all Israeli cities
and positions, this corresponds with Israel’s talk of preparing a missile
shield, and completing the construction of shelters so that Israeli civilians
are not at risk in any future war. This means that (Israel) is trying to
discover the strengths of Hezbollah." He also added "preparations are in place
[for a war], but the conditions for battle are not currently in place."
In response to a question about the possibility of Hezbollah opting for open
confrontation with Israel in order to avoid the internet confrontation that is
likely to take place when the international tribunal indicts members of
Hezbollah for involvement in Hariri's assassination, Brigadier General Elias
Hanna said "Hezbollah will certain not be able to go to war with Israel in
response to the expected decision [by the international tribunal], unless there
was a regional Syrian-Iranian decision [permitting this] and this would not
improve [Hezbollah's] political situation whatsoever unless Iran was attacked."
Hariri
secures significant military aid from Russia
Putin notes potential for improved ties, conveys Russian firms’ desire for more
business in Lebanon
By The Daily Star
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
BEIRUT: Prime Minister Saad Hariri said after talks with Russian Prime Minister
Vladimir Putin that Russia would grant the Lebanese Army helicopter gunships,
tanks and munitions.
Hariri announced that Moscow would provide Lebanon with six MI 24 helicopters,
31 T-72 tanks, 36 cannons of 130 mm caliber, around half a million different
munitions for medium-sized weapons, and 30,000 artillery shells for free.
The Lebanese prime minister, who headed a delegation of ministers, highlighted
the importance of security and military ties between Russia and Lebanon.
“We also see that military and security relations are very important, as well as
military exchanges and training. We thank you for all the support you have
granted Lebanon in this area,” said Hariri, addressing Putin.
The prime minister also praised Russia’s role regarding the Middle East
conflict, reiterating Arab demands.
“We believe that Russia’s role is major, and your historical positions in
support of the Palestinian cause and the Arabs, as well as your support to the
international resolutions related to these issues, were fair. Russia has always
been the party that sees the problem from two sides,” he said.
“We hope that your role in this process will become stronger, because the region
needs Russia’s role … We must put an end to Israeli continuous intransigence,
because the region does not tolerate all this extremism that exists in it,” the
premier said.
Hariri also urged Russia to increase its investment in Lebanon. “Trade exchange
must be better than it is today because of the special political relations.
Therefore we welcome all Russian companies to participate in the tenders in the
areas of transportation, construction of dams, railways, and others.,” he said.
Meanwhile, Putin said he saw “good potential” for improving bilateral trade
links and spoke of the desire of Russian companies for more business in Lebanon.
“Two agreements are scheduled to be signed, the first is a cooperation agreement
between the Russian General Prosecutor’s Office and the Lebanese Justice
Ministry, and the other an agreement in the field of culture,” he said.
“There is good potential for the development of our commercial relations,
especially in terms of implementing major projects in the areas of energy,
transport and communication as well as military cooperation,” Putin added. “In
these areas, there are serious and concrete projects, and you know the desire of
major Russian companies to participate in the tenders that will take place in
Lebanon and these issues will be discussed in details later on,” he said.
Hariri and the accompanying delegation later attended a dinner banquet held by
Putin.
The premier is set to hold talks with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev Tuesday,
the final day of his two-day official visit. Earlier Monday, Hariri discussed
with Mikhail Dmitriyev, the director of the Federal Service for
Military-Technical Cooperation, military cooperation between the two countries
along with Russian military assistance to Lebanon. Defense Minister Elias Murr,
and adviser Georges Chaaban participated in the talks.
Hariri also received the first deputy head of OAO LUKOIL Company, Sergey
Chaplygin. Talks focused on ways to expand the firm’s investments in Lebanon, as
well as the issues of rehabilitating the Tripoli oil refinery, and transporting
oil from Iraq to Lebanon for export it to other countries. Lukoil is Russia’s
biggest oil firm.
Hariri also held talks with Russia’s Roman Orthodox Patriarch Kirill at the
latter’s residence. Kirill said his church was “disgusted from the criminal act”
that targeted former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri – Saad’s father – and expressed
his support for the Special Tribunal for Lebanon. – The Daily Star
Bakri appoints Hizbullah MP as lawyer
By The Daily Star /Tuesday, November 16, 2010
BEIRUT: Omar Bakri, the militant Sunni cleric arrested over the weekend by
security forces after being sentenced to life imprisonment for “terrorism”
offenses, announced the appointment of Hizbullah MP Nawwar al-Sahili as his
lawyer Monday. Bakri was tried in absentia and handed a life sentence Friday for
supporting contraband groups and inciting an incident in 2007 which saw gunmen
clash with Lebanese Army soldiers in the northern Palestinian refugee camp of
Nahr al-Bared, near Tripoli. Bakri was arrested Sunday after fleeing his home in
the northern port city before surrendering himself to security forces after his
vehicle came under fire. He will face a retrial at the hands of a permanent
military prosecutor, who Monday requested that the cleric be handed over to the
court. Bakri is currently being held in Beirut by Internal Security Forces (ISF)
intelligence officers and has boasted that he will not spend “a day” in prison.
A judicial source said Bakri was likely to be retried after his arrest because
he was initially sentenced in absentia. The second decision might differ from
the first verdict.
Head of the ISF, Major General Ashraf Rifi, hailed the efforts exerted by his
agency’s Information Branch which led to Bakri’s arrest. “The Information Branch
is an active and enthusiastic division which has succeeded in all its missions
and performed them in a professional and honorable manner,” said Rifi in a
statement carried by the state-run National News Agency. – The Daily Star
MPs defend Siniora Cabinet's record during 2006 war
By The Daily Star /Tuesday, November 16, 2010
BEIRUT: More politicians from the March 14 camp defended Monday the role of
former Prime Minister Fouad Siniora’s Cabinet during the 2006 Israeli summer war
on Lebanon against Hizbullah’s accusations that the Siniora team had colluded to
prolong the fighting in an attempt to destroy the group. Hizbullah MP Nawwaf
Moussawi told the Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation this week that French
officials had during the war informed Hizbullah that Siniora’s Cabinet wanted
the fighting prolonged. Similar accusations were made by Hizbullah leader Sayyed
Hassan Nasrallah last week. But Siniora has dismissed the accusations as
“unfounded” and “shameful.”
In an interview with the Voice of Lebanon radio Monday, Information Minister
Tarek Mitri, who also served as acting foreign minister in the Siniora Cabinet,
rejected Hizbullah’s charges of treachery, saying that the government’s main
concern in the early days of the 34-day war was to insist on an immediate
ceasefire to stop the killing of more Lebanese civilians and prevent the
destruction of Lebanon. “The Lebanese government did its national duty in
defending Lebanon against Israel without sparing any effort,” Mitri said, adding
that “an attack from here and an allegation from there will not change this
fact.” MP Ammar Houri, a member of Prime Minister Saad Hariri’s parliamentary
Future Movement bloc, held the March 8 camp responsible for any harm that might
befall Siniora following Hizbullah’s accusations. In an interview with the ANB
television, Houri said: “The other side [March 8 camp] has gone too far in
attacking Hariri and [former] Prime Minister Siniora, which prompted limited
responses.” He said Siniora has asked Hizbullah to provide minutes and documents
to back up its accusations but it did not. “The language of treachery continued
in the same manner until it reached the level of calling for [former] Prime
Minister Siniora’s death by accusing him of responsibility for the death of the
2006 war martyrs,” Houri added. He was apparently referring to Nasrallah’s
demand in a televised speech last Thursday to pinpoint responsibility for the
death of 1,140 Lebanese civilians who were killed during the 2006 war. Houry
accused Hizbullah and its allies in the March 8 alliance of seeking to abolish
the United Nations-backed Special Tribunal for Lebanon, which is probing the
2005 assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. – The Daily Star
Politicians trade blows over Nahhas remarks
Hizbullah defends minister as March 14 camp calls for his resignation over
Hariri slurs
By The Daily Star /Tuesday, November 16, 2010
BEIRUT: The rival March 8 and 14 camps engaged in a new war of words Monday over
recent remarks by Telecommunications Minister Charbel Nahhas, with Parliamentary
Future bloc MP Riad Rahhal calling for Nahhas’ resignation for insulting Prime
Minister Saad Hariri. Hizbullah MP Nawwaf Moussawi, meanwhile, said attacks on
Nahhas were tantamount to attacks against his party. During last week’s Cabinet
session which deferred discussion of the controversial issue of “false
witnesses,” Nahhas, who belongs to the March 8 camp, was reported to have
accused Hariri of coming under pressure from Israel and the international
community for his tough position on the UN-backed Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL).
The STL is probing the 2005 killing of Hariri’s father, former Prime Minister
Rafik Hariri. Hariri rejected Nahhas’ accusation.Nahhas belongs to the
Parliamentary Change and Reform bloc headed by Hizbullah ally MP Michel Aoun.
The two camps are already locked in a war of words over the performance of
former Prime Minister Fouad Siniora’s government during the 2006 Israeli war on
Lebanon. Hizbullah has accused Siniora of seeking to prolong the war in a bid to
destroy the group’s military infrastructure, a charge strongly denied by Siniora.
In a statement carried by the state-run National News Agency (NNA) Monday,
Rahhal rejected threats, intimidation and accusations of treachery made by the
March 8 camp against Hariri and March 14 leaders. Addressing Nahhas, Rahhal
said, “Your bankrupt discourse only serves Israel’s interest. There are direct
[Israeli] agents and your statement gives you the capacity of an indirect agent
of the [Israeli] enemy.”
Calling Nahhas a failure at the Telecommunications Ministry, Rahhal said, “What
is required is the dismissal of the minister who dared to make dangerous
accusations during a session chaired by the president and insults against
presidents and all the ministers.” MP Ziad al-Kaderi, a member of Future bloc,
also lashed out at Nahhas Monday, accusing him of violating the law by spending
on the mobile phone operation from outside the state budget. “The spending on
[mobile phone] investment, worth more than tens of million dollars, is not
mentioned in the Telecommunications Ministry’s budget which is attached to the
state budget,” Kaderi told a news conference at Parliament. He said Nahhas takes
the money from revenue collected from the mobile phone sector.
“The minister is violating the Constitution and law. What’s surprising is that
he is violating the principle of a comprehensive budget which he has been
advocating, but which he does not apply at his ministry,” Kaderi said. “Why are
you spending on the mobile phone sector from outside the [state] budget, while
keeping a wide margin to use revenues before transferring them to the
Telecommunications Ministry?”
Meanwhile, Hizbullah declared solidarity with Nahhas in the face of the March 14
campaign against him, warning against attempts to harm the minister.
“We totally reject the threat against Minister Nahhas. We condemn the unfamiliar
threat which constitutes a coup against the logic of state and its traditions,”
MP Moussawi said in a statement Monday released by Hizbullah’s media office. “We
announce our full and absolute solidarity with Minister Nahhas. We consider that
any attempt to harm him is tantamount to harming the political line of our camp
with all its factions.”
Moussawi praised Nahhas as “a highly efficient and skilled” minister in running
his ministry and for his national commitment to the Resistance against the
Israeli aggression. “In this regard, we highly appreciate his role in protecting
the telecommunications sector against the ‘Israeli communications aggression,’”
he said, referring to communications employees who have been arrested by
Lebanese authorities on charges of collaborating with Israel.
Hizbullah MP Ali Fayyad also defended Nahhas, saying that the “systematic
campaign” against the minister reflected the “degradation of political
discourse” by March 14 politicians.
“It is regrettable that Minister Nahhas is met with an open attack for his role
in [securing] an international condemnation of the Israeli violations of the
telecommunications sector in Lebanon instead of praising him,” Fayyad said in a
statement Monday carried by the NNA. Nahhas said last month Israel has been able
to alter telecommunications-related data in Lebanon “for a very long time,” in
the wake of revelations that alleged Israeli agents had occupied sensitive posts
in the sector. Nahhas spoke at a news conference about the recent endorsement of
Resolution 75 by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), condemning
Israeli violations of Lebanon’s telecommunications infrastructure. Resolution 75
said Lebanon’s land and cellular networks have been and continue to be subject
to piracy, interference and obstruction by Israel. – The Daily Star
Aoun blasts 'politicized justice' in talks with French president
By Wassim Mroueh /Daily Star staff
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
BEIRUT: Head of the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) MP Michel Aoun held talks
Monday with French President Nicolas Sarkozy during which he reportedly
expressed his opposition to “politicized justice” in the assassination of former
Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. LBC TV quoted FPM sources as saying that Aoun had
told Sarkozy that he was not against achieving justice but against “politicized
justice that is built [on the testimony] of false witnesses which might
destabilize Lebanon.” Aoun said Christians in Lebanon and the Levant should not
be looked at as mere numbers but as major participants in the interaction of
civilizations. A statement issued by the FPM said Sarkozy had given Aoun a warm
welcome and expressed openness to all that was discussed during the talks.Aoun
also held talks with French Speaker Bernard Accoyer who expressed interest in
all issues related to stability in Lebanon.
The statement said the FPM leader would remain in France until Thursday and that
he was set to hold talks Tuesday with senior French politicians and Lebanese
businessmen.
According to the statement, Aoun would not comment to media outlets on his visit
before finalizing it Wednesday when he is set to meet with the President of the
French Senate Gerard Larcher. Meanwhile, Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri voiced
hope that all Lebanese could work on preparing “a suitable atmosphere to follow
up on honest Syrian-Saudi efforts aimed at enhancing stability in Lebanon on all
levels.”
“This requires avoiding political rhetoric in all what can instigate tension and
deepen divisions among the Lebanese,” Berri told reporters at his southern
residence in Msaileh.
Echoing Berri’s appeal, President Michel Sleiman said he hoped that Lebanese
could sacrifice their personal and private interests for the sake of the country
and its people as he extended his greetings to the Lebanese on the occasion of
Eid al-Adha. Last week, Hizbullah Secretary General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah
called upon all Lebanese to endorse Saudi-Syrian efforts which are trying to
reach a compromise over the controversial Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL).
In response, Prime Minister Saad Hariri praised Nasrallah’s stance regarding the
Arab efforts.
Hizbullah has called for a nationwide boycott of probes by the STL and has
labeled it as an “Israeli project,” stressing that members from the party are
likely to be named in an imminent indictment by the court.In a bid to derail the
STL, Hizbullah has called for referring the issue of “false witnesses” – whom it
says gave false testimony – to the judicial council where a pronounced verdict
could not be appealed. But March 14 parties say the matter should be handled by
the judiciary after the issuance of the indictment.
In other developments, Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Butros Sfeir reiterated his
support for the STL. Head of the Change Movement Elie Mahfoud, who visited Sfeir
at his residence in Bkirki, quoted the prelate as saying that “if we retreated,
said nothing and allowed the tribunal to stop its work, this means that, we are,
first, acquitting the criminals involved and second, telling them you can
continue to kill in the future because justice will not be served.” Sfeir, who
received US Ambassador to Lebanon Maura Connelly, is set to travel to the
Vatican Tuesday to take part in the promotion of cardinals appointed by Pope
Benedict XVI. Sfeir is also expected meet a number of officials.
In other news, MP Mohammad Raad, head of Hizbullah’s Loyalty to the Resistance
bloc, said Hizbullah was adamant on preserving “the blood of resistance
fighters.” Addressing a gathering to mark Hizbullah’s Martyrs Day in the
southern town of Harte Saida, Raad said: “That’s why we will not accept anyone,
no matter how powerful he is, accusing a member of the resistance based on a
fabricated accusation.”“If they lost hope in the effectiveness of other methods
to corner the resistance, tarnish its reputation or undermine its culture, then
their adoption of this method will make the resistance much more deep-rooted in
people … and they will never be able to defeat it,” added Raad.