LCCC
ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
ِOctober
06/2010
Bible Of The
Day
Luke 6/20-26: " He lifted up his
eyes to his disciples, and said, “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the
Kingdom of God. 6:21 Blessed are you who hunger now, for you will be filled.
Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh. 6:22 Blessed are you when men
shall hate you, and when they shall exclude and mock you, and throw out your
name as evil, for the Son of Man’s sake. 6:23 Rejoice in that day, and leap for
joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven, for their fathers did the same
thing to the prophets. 6:24 “But woe to you who are rich! For you have received
your consolation. 6:25 Woe to you, you who are full now, for you will be hungry.
Woe to you who laugh now, for you will mourn and weep. 6:26 Woe,* when* men
speak well of you, for their fathers did the same thing to the false prophets".
Free
Opinions, Releases, letters, Interviews & Special Reports
An arresting development/By:
Michael Young/October 05/10
Arrest warrants put pressure on
Hariri/By: Mitchell Prothero/October 05/10
Syria's warrants add to the
chaos/By Jamil K. Mroue/October 05/10
Latest News Reports From Miscellaneous Sources for
October 05/10
Tehran, Damascus tell
Hizballah to grab of Beirut right after Ahmadinejad's visit/DEBKAfile Special
Report
Growing skepticism over US terror
alert for Europe/DEBKAfile Exclusive Report
France Calls on Hariri Tribunal to
Continue its Work to Uncover the Truth/Naharnet
Bellemare's Official Spokeswoman: All Attempts at Politically Pressuring
International Tribunals have Failed/Naharnet
Saudi, Egypt Underline Support for Hariri Tribunal/Naharnet
Mubarak: Lebanon's Fate Must Not Depend on Indictment/Naharnet
Cabinet Assigns Najjar to Follow
Up on Arrest Warrants Issue with His Syrian Counterpart/Naharnet
Syria's Ambassador: Warrants have
No Effect on Assad-Hariri Ties/Naharnet
Syrian Judiciary Summons 'Four
Generals' for Hearing in False Witnesses Case/Naharnet
Mehlis Visited Lebanon, Met March
14 Officials/Naharnet
U.S.
Embassy: Updated Travel Warning for Lebanon to Be Released Soon/Naharnet
Najjar: We Haven't Received
Syrian Arrest Warrants, We'll Deal with them on Basis of One State Dealing with
Another/Naharnet
Kataeb Says Responding to Syrian Warrants Responsibility of Lebanese State
before Anyone Else/Naharnet
Williams after Meeting Berri: We
Welcome Local and Regional Tensions to End Tensions/Naharnet
Future Movement MPs question timing of warrants ties between Hariri, Syria still
open/Daily Star
Arms trade on rise as tensions over STL soar - reports/Daily Star
Mubarak warns of 'deteriorating situation' in Lebanon if Hizbollah is
indicted/Al-Masry Al-Youm
Report: UNIFIL helped prisoners flee IDF/Ynetnews
Jumblat: I Don't Understand Why the March 14 Forces Went Crazy over the Arrest
Warrants/Naharnet
Najjar: We Haven't
Received Syrian Arrest Warrants, We'll Deal with them on Basis of One State
Dealing with Another/Naharnet
Williams after Meeting
Berri: We Welcome Local and Regional Tensions to End Tensions/Naharnet
Oghassabian: Hariri
Still Convinced of Openness towards Syria and he Will Not Back Down from it/Naharnet
Suleiman Wishes Warrants
Were Never Issued/Naharnet
Mehlis Visited Lebanon,
Met March 14 Officials/Naharnet
U.S. Delay in Approving
Syria, Turkey Ambassadors Has 'Impact' on U.S. Policy in Lebanon, Region/Naharnet
Sayyed: Arrests Could
Include Hariri if False Witnesses Case Found Him to be Guilty/Naharnet
Cabinet Assigns Najjar
to Follow Up on Arrest Warrants Issue with His Syrian Counterpart/Naharnet
Oghassabian: Hariri Still
Convinced of Openness towards Syria and he Will Not Back Down from it/Naharnet
Bellemare's Official Spokeswoman: All Attempts at Politically Pressuring
International Tribunals have Failed
/Naharnet/Olga Kavran, official spokeswoman for the Special Tribunal for Lebanon
prosecutor, noted on Tuesday that political pressure is exerted on international
tribunals in third world countries, but they have all failed to reach their
objective. She stressed in an interview in L'Orient le
Jour newspaper the importance of Lebanon's cooperation with the Special Tribunal
for Lebanon as "this cooperation is vital for its functioning."
There is a difference between pressuring a court to alter the course of
justice and between pressuring a government over cooperating with the tribunal,
Kavran added. Beirut, 05 Oct 10, 16:53
U.N. Stresses: Hariri Tribunal Moving Ahead Regardless of Lebanon Funding
Naharnet/ecretary-General Ban Ki-moon's spokesperson Martin Nesirky stressed
that the Special Tribunal for Lebanon was moving forward regardless of whether
Lebanon will approve or disapprove Court funding. Nesirky said the STL will
continue to work regardless of attempts by the Lebanese Opposition to block
Lebanon's share of funding, He reiterated that Court work is "significant" for
Lebanon. Asked about financing of the Tribunal in the event the Opposition
succeeded in blocking Lebanon's funding, Nesirky said: "We reaffirm the
importance of the Tribunal work for Lebanon," he said, pointing out that the
Court has a mandate from the Security Council "and we will strongly seek to make
sure it will work." Beirut, 05 Oct 10, 07:29
Saudi, Egypt Underline Support for Hariri Tribunal
Naharnet/Egypt and Saudi Arabia stressed their support for the U.N. tribunal on
the assassination of Lebanon's ex-premier Rafik Hariri and said efforts to
sabotage it will fail, the foreign ministry said. Ministry spokesman Hossam Zaki
was speaking after a brief trip to Jeddah with Egypt's Foreign Minister Ahmed
Abul Gheit, who had talks with his Saudi counterpart Prince Saud al-Faisal
focusing on Lebanon. The two ministers underlined "the necessity for all parties
to engage in stabilizing Lebanon and supporting its government and the Special
Tribunal for Lebanon" (STL) created by the United Nations in 2007, Zaki said.
"The position of Egypt and Saudi Arabia is clear: attempts to ensure the failure
of the tribunal's work will not succeed," added Zaki of two of the United
States' closest Arab allies in the Middle East. Monday's meeting came with
tensions high in Lebanon over unconfirmed reports the U.N. tribunal is set to
indict members of the Shiite group Hezbollah, which is backed by Syria and Iran,
in connection with Hariri's murder in 2005. Former head of Lebanon's General
Security Department Maj. Gen. Jamil Sayyed has alleged the U.N. probe is based
on fabricated testimony aimed at implicating Syria and its supporters in Lebanon
in Hariri's killing. Damascus has consistently denied any involvement in the
assassination, and last month, in a stunning about-turn, Lebanon's Prime
Minister Saad Hariri said he had been wrong to point the finger at Syria. Sayyed
was one of four security generals who served four years in prison on suspicion
of involvement in the murder. All four were released last year for lack of
evidence.(AFP-Naharnet)
Beirut, 05 Oct 10, 06:52
Mubarak: Lebanon's Fate Must Not Depend on Indictment
Naharnet/Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak warned of the dangers facing Lebanon
and asked God to protect Lebanese from the evil.He said activity on the Lebanese
arena now revolves around the expected indictment of the International Tribunal
in the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.
"The fate of Lebanese consensus and coexistence should not become hostage
to this indictment regardless of its content," Mubarak said in an interview
published Tuesday by the Armed Forces newspaper. Mubarak also warned that the
Middle East peace process "cannot afford a new failure."
"It also cannot afford escalation of violence and terrorism in the region
if negotiations collapsed," he said. Mubarak believed any progress on the
Israeli-Palestinian track opens the way for similar progresses and agreements on
both the Lebanese and Syrian tracks." On Iran, he said Tehran "can become part
of a solution to the Middle East crises, rather than being one of the causes of
problems." Beirut, 05 Oct 10, 08:11
Sayyed: Arrests Could Include Hariri if False Witnesses Case Found Him to be
Guilty
Naharnet/Former head of Lebanon's General Security Maj. Gen. Jamil Sayyed said
arrest warrants could include Prime Minister Saad Hariri if he was found to be
guilty in the false witnesses' case. "I'm convinced that the false witnesses'
case is being steered by Hariri personally with his money and everything,"
Sayyed told Al-Jadid television. "During the investigation, police intelligence
chief Wissam Hasan or State Prosecutor Saeed Mirza could testify that they
brought the false witnesses to meet Hariri's desire," Sayyed said, "At this
point, Hariri is likely to be included in the arrest warrants. Beirut, 05 Oct
10, 07:22
Cabinet Assigns Najjar to Follow Up on Arrest Warrants Issue with His Syrian
Counterpart
Naharnt/During a cabinet session on Monday, President Michel Suleiman welcomed
the upcoming visit of his Iranian counterpart Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to Lebanon,
noting that hosting foreign presidents is part of any country's sovereignty "and
Israel is not entitled to reject or accept it," Information Minister Tareq Mitri
announced after a cabinet session held at the Baabda Palace to discuss the 2011
draft state budget and other urgent articles.Suleiman also "wished Syrian
(arrest) warrants for Lebanese journalists, judges and officers weren't issued,
especially that we referred the false witnesses issue to the justice minister."
The president started the session by demonstrating the latest
developments and briefing the cabinet on the talks he held during his trips to
New York and Mexico. For his part, Prime Minister Saad
Hariri voiced dismay over the Syrian warrants, hoping the Lebanese-Syrian
relations would not be affected by such a step. He reiterated his adherence to
the Special Tribunal for Lebanon. The premier briefed
the cabinet about the outcome of his visit to Saudi Arabia and the meetings he
held with the kingdom's leadership. On the other hand,
the cabinet stressed its keenness on strengthening the Lebanese-Syrian ties and
assigned Justice Minister Ibrahim Najjar to follow up on the arrest warrants
issue with his Syrian counterpart.
The justice minister distributed his report on the false witnesses issue to the
ministers to enable them of examining it before debating the issue during the
next cabinet session.
The session was preceded by a closed-door meeting between Suleiman and Hariri
that tackled the general situations and the latest developments.
A number of ministers made statements as they entered the session.
Foreign Minister Ali Shami was asked by reporters about the objections over
Ahmadinejad's visit to Lebanon. "We're a democratic
nation with a parliamentarian system, and we welcome all leaders of friendly and
brotherly nations," said Shami. For his part, Health
Minister Mohammed Jawad Khalife noted that "the main topic is the false
witnesses issue, given that it is an object of consensus and a gateway toward
treating the crisis, and it's an essential topic," adding that "if that topic
had been tackled at the beginning, we wouldn't have witnessed the repercussions
happening today." Hizbullah's State Minister for
Administrative Development Mohammed Fneish said: "If what's required is a
political handling of he arrest warrants, so be it, but we can't dictate on the
Syrian judiciary what to do.""The decision was issued by the Syrian authorities
and they know how their judiciary functions, and there's what regulates the
judicial relation between Lebanon and Syria. I don't share the opinion of those
who say that the warrants are an insult," Fneish added.
He voiced surprise over the objections to the Iranian president's visit,
saying: "Why should we raise this issue as the Israelis are speaking of the same
matter, this rhetoric harms Lebanon's interest." Beirut, 04 Oct 10, 21:40
Syria's Ambassador: Warrants have No Effect on Assad-Hariri Ties
Naharnet/Syrian Ambassador Ali Abdul Karim Ali on Monday said arrest warrants
ordered by Syria against 33 people over false testimony given in the U.N.-backed
probe into the assassination of ex-PM Rafik Hariri "have no effect" on relations
between Syrian President Bashar Assad and Prime Minister Saad Hariri. "The
arrest warrants are a pure judicial matter and not related to bilateral
relationship between Mr. Hariri and Syria," Ali told reporters following a
meeting with Druze leader Walid Jumblat in Clemenceau. When asked what the
impact was given that the arrest warrants include Wissam al-Hasan, who acts as
liaison between Hariri and the Syrian leadership, he said: "I don't think this
issue is mixed with other cards. Things are purely judicial. " Beirut, 04 Oct
10, 12:34
U.S. Commenting on Arrest Warrants: Syria Should Respect Lebanon's Sovereignty
Naharnet/U.S. State Department spokesman Philip Crowley, commenting on the
arrest warrants ordered by Syria against 33 people over ex-PM Rafik Hariri's
murder probe, said "Syria and other countries should continue to respect
Lebanon's sovereignty." He stressed his country's support for the Special
Tribunal for Lebanon. "STL work is ongoing, and we believe it is the best path
to end the era where political assassinations were tolerated," Crowley said.
Beirut, 05 Oct 10, 07:53
Syrian Judiciary Summons 'Four Generals' for Hearing in False Witnesses Case
Naharnet/The Syrian military judiciary on Tuesday summoned the four Lebanese
generals -- who served four years in prison on suspicion of involvement in the
murder of ex-PM Rafik Hariri – for hearing as witnesses in the case against "the
two false witnesses" Mohammed Zuheir Siddiq and Fares Khashan.The Four Generals
are Jamil Sayyed, Ali al-Hajj, Raymond Azar and Mustafa Hamdan who respectively
headed the General Security Department, the Internal Security Forces, Military
Intelligence and the Presidential Guards Brigade.
Abdul Razzaq Homsi, the first investigating military judge in Damascus, noted
that the four generals have been summoned for hearing "because of what they
possess of detailed information which may benefit the investigation."The Syrian
military prosecutor had called for prosecuting "the two false witnesses" after
lawyer Hussameddine Habash filed a lawsuit requesting to face the two witnesses
"who were behind accusing Syria of being involved in the murder of Lebanese
ex-PM Rafik Hariri." Beirut, 05 Oct 10, 07:53
U.S. Embassy: Updated Travel Warning for Lebanon to Be Released Soon
Naharnet/An updated Travel Warning for Lebanon is being drafted and is expected
to be released in the coming days, in line with the requirement to update such
warnings every six months, the U.S. Embassy in Lebanon announced Tuesday.
"The current Travel Warning for Lebanon was issued on March 29, 2010,"
the embassy said in a statement.
"The U.S. Department of State issues Travel Warnings when long-term, protracted
conditions that make a country dangerous or unstable lead the State Department
to recommend that Americans avoid or consider the risk of travel to that
country," the statement added. U.S. regulation requires that Travel Warnings be
reviewed continually and updated at least every six months "to ensure that the
most current safety and security information is shared with the American
public." Beirut, 05 Oct 10, 15:42
Najjar: We Haven't Received Syrian Arrest Warrants, We'll Deal with them on
Basis of One State Dealing with Another
Naharnet/Justice Minister Ibrahim Najjar revealed on Tuesday that he had not yet
received the Syrian arrest warrants against a number of Lebanese individuals,
calling for dealing with the matter with caution. He stressed to LBC that he
will tackle the warrants on the basis of one state dealing with another.
Furthermore, the minister emphasized the need to "clear the air with Damascus".
Beirut, 05 Oct 10, 15:14
Williams after Meeting Berri: We Welcome Local and Regional Tensions to End
Tensions
Naharnet/U.N. Special Coordinator for Lebanon Michael Williams stressed on
Tuesday the U.N.'s interest in the ongoing tensions in Lebanon, adding that it
had called on all Lebanese sides to avoid matters that may deteriorate the
situation. He made his statements after holding talks
with House Speaker Nabih Berri that focused on latest developments in Lebanon.
The U.N. official expressed his support for Berri's efforts in ending the
tensions, as well as those of President Michel Suleiman, Prime Minister Saad
Hariri, Syria, and Saudi Arabia. "It is now important that all sides in Lebanon
tackle difficult issues in an atmosphere of calm and rationality," Williams
added. Berri also held talks with Interior Minister Ziad Baroud on local
developments. Beirut, 05 Oct 10, 15:02
Sayyed Warns of 'Political, Security Unrest' if Hizbullah was Indicted
Naharnet/Former head of Lebanon's General Security Department Maj. Gen. Jamil
Sayyed warned of "political and security unrest" in the event the Special
Tribunal for Lebanon indicted Hizbullah in the 2005 assassination of ex-PM Rafik
Hariri. "If the indictment accused Hizbullah, this will change Lebanon," Sayyed
said in an interview with the French newspaper, Liberation, adding that "power
today is based on national consensus." "The system will collapse from top to
bottom and this would lead to political and security unrest, and everything is
likely to happened," he added. Hizbullah expects the STL to issue an indictment
in December that is likely to accuse Hizbullah "unjustly" of involvement in
Hariri's assassination.
Hizbullah has demanded trial for those involved in the issue of false witnesses.
Syria on Sunday ordered the arrest of 33 people over false testimony given in
the UN-backed probe into Hariri's murder. Sayyed said the top investigating
judge in Damascus had issued arrest warrants "against judges, security officers,
politicians, journalists and other Lebanese, Arab and foreign officials and
individuals." Among those named in the warrants is Detlev Mehlis, the German
prosecutor who led the early stages of the UN investigation into Hariri's
assassination in a massive bombing, Sayyed said in a weekend statement. The
Lebanese defendants include police chief Gen. Ashraf Rifi, deputy Marwan Hamadeh,
State Prosecutor Saeed Mirza and former justice minister Charles Rizk. Sayyed's
office on Tuesday said the 33 arrest warrants do not include Judge Ralph Riachy
and former Cabinet minister Bassem al-Sabaa.
Beirut, 05 Oct 10, 14:00
Jumblat: I Don't Understand Why the March 14 Forces Went
Crazy over the Arrest Warrants
Naharnet/Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblat wondered on Tuesday
why the March 14 forces "went crazy" over Syria's issuing of arrest warrants
against Lebanese individuals.He asked after meeting with U.S. Ambassador to
Lebanon Maura Connelly: "What's wrong in issuing warrants?" "I don't understand
the March 14 forces. Whenever we take one step forward in relations with Syria,
their positions take us ten steps backwards," he stated. Jumblat stressed that
the arrest warrants can be tackled politically and legally.
Beirut, 05 Oct 10, 15:27
Mehlis Visited Lebanon, Met March 14 Officials
Naharnet/Former investigator Detliv Mehlis visited Lebanon 10 days ago and met
with officials from the majority March 14 coalition, Ad-Diyar newspaper reported
Tuesday.
It said the visit was kept hush-hush and wondered about the reasons behind the
trip of a man who is "accused of conspiring against the country and its people
and known for his corruption and his close relationship with the Israeli
intelligence." Beirut, 05 Oct 10, 09:01
Kataeb Says Responding to Syrian Warrants Responsibility of Lebanese State
before Anyone Else
Naharnet/The Phalange Party on Monday noted that "the step made by Syria --
through issuing arrest warrants for Lebanese, Arab and foreign individuals – is
a political escalation more than it is a judicial measure, due to all the
factors surrounding this case."After the monthly joint meeting of its politburo
and central council, Kataeb stressed in a statement that "responding to this
step is not the task of the Lebanese political parties only, but also the
responsibility of the Lebanese State before anyone else, the cabinet in
particular, given that the Lebanese State through its various levels have showed
more than good will gestures toward Syria.""It is also the responsibility of the
international community and those in charge of the Special Tribunal for
Lebanon," the statement added. "This recent Syrian act
represents a direct challenge to the Lebanese legitimacy, parliament and
judicial, security and political bodies. In any case, it contradicts with all
the Lebanese and international laws, regulations and norms."
The party reiterated "adherence to justice in order to identify who
killed the martyrs, and the Phalange Party is among those directly concerned
with this matter." "All the current attempts to terrorize the Lebanese will not
discourage" the Phalange Party "from adhering to this stance," the statement
went on to say. Kataeb called on the Lebanese State to "respect its commitments
toward the international tribunal," warning of the repercussions of any
"financial delay" on Lebanon's relations with the international community.
The party said that it would be "wise" to keep Lebanon away from regional
and global conflicts, noting that "calling an emergency meeting for the national
dialogue committee to discuss the public national affairs would be beneficial in
these circumstances." Beirut, 04 Oct 10, 20:02
Lebanon heading toward crisis over Hariri killing -
analysts
Escalation ‘likely’ after Ahmadinejad’s visit, one observer warns
By Agence France Presse (AFP)
Tuesday, October 05, 2010
Rita Daou
BEIRUT: Lebanon is facing a full-blown crisis as tensions over a UN-probe into
the murder of its ex-premier mount with Syria, and a standoff between rival
parties escalates, analysts warned on Monday.
The crisis which has been brewing for weeks is linked to unconfirmed reports the
Special Tribunal for Lebanon, or STL, is set to accuse members of Hizbullah of
being implicated in the 2005 assassination of ex-Premier Rafik Hariri.
Syria added fuel to the fire at the weekend by issuing arrest warrants against
33 people, among them several Lebanese officials, over alleged false testimony
given in the case.
“The situation has taken a dangerous turn and the arrest warrants can be likened
to a pressure cooker that has had its lid blown off,” said Hilal Khashan,
political science professor at the American University of Beirut.
“There is really nothing to stop things from escalating further,” he added. “The
road ahead is very bumpy and it’s clear that the Syrians want the Lebanese
government to discredit the STL and to stop cooperating with the court.”
Paul Salem, the director of the Carnegie Middle East Center in Beirut, said he
expects strains between Hizbullah and Prime Minister Saad Hariri – son of the
slain ex-premier – to worsen and the real trouble to start after Iranian
President Mahmud Ahmadinejad visits Lebanon October 13 and 14.
“I think that ahead of Ahmadinejad’s visit, the situation will remain relatively
calm because Hizbullah does not want to sabotage the visit,” Salem told AFP.
“The escalation will likely start after the visit,” he said. “The war of words
will continue and then be replaced by a paralysis of the government and
institutions. Finally we could see street demonstrations and road blocks coming
up as was the case in the past.”
Salem was referring to the protracted political crisis that paralyzed the
Lebanese government for 18 months between November 2006 and May 2008 bringing
the country close to civil war. That crisis was resolved following Qatari
mediation that led to the formation of a national unity government.
Analysts said Monday it was clear the arrest warrants issued by Syria, which
along with Iran backs Hizbullah, were a message to Hariri that he must make a
concession on the STL.
“The prime target of these warrants is the tenant at the Grand Serail,” said the
Arabic-language daily Al-Akhbar, referring to Hariri.
But the Sunni premier, who in a stunning about-turn last month said he was wrong
to blame Damascus for his father’s killing, has made clear the issue of the
tribunal was a red line he was not willing to cross.
There are fears that should the STL implicate Hizbullah, that could lead to a
sectarian conflict between Lebanon’s Sunni and Shiite communities.
“Saad Hariri will not bend in this case and Hizbullah is not going to back off,”
said Rafiq Khoury, editor-in-chief of the independent daily Al-Anwar.
“It’s like a Greek tragedy where the heroes reach a point of no return and must
face their destiny,” he added.
“It’s like two trains heading toward each other and that will inevitably crash.”
Future Movement MPs question timing
of warrants
ties between Hariri, Syria still open
By Elias Sakr
Daily Star staff
Tuesday, October 05, 2010
BEIRUT: Future Movement MPs questioned on Monday the timing of the Syrian
judiciary’s issuance of arrest warrants against prominent Lebanese officials but
maintained that the relationship between Premier Saad Hariri and the Syrian
leadership remains open pending further developments. However, LBC TV quoted on
Monday sources close to Hariri as saying that they regarded the warrants as
personally aimed against him. As of Monday, the Lebanese judiciary had not been
informed through official channels of the arrest warrants. Future Movement MPs
said Hariri’s parliamentary bloc would decide on the appropriate response after
recieving clarification from the Syrian leadership. While some Future Movement
MPs condemned the warrants as a political move aimed against the Special
Tribunal for Lebanon (STL), March 14 Christian MPs slammed the warrants as an
unacceptable violation of Lebanese sovereignty and an attempt to corner Hariri.
“Despite this surprise step, we hold on in the Future Movement to the new page
in Lebanese-Syrian ties as a strategic decision regardless of flaws that will
not influence our direction,” MP Ammar Houri said. “The source of the news is a
press office in Lebanon, but we were not informed of any official statement
issued by the Syrian side so we must be sure of the integrity of the news,”
Houri added. According to former Major General Jamil al-Sayyed, some 33 arrest
warrants had been issued by the first investigative magistrate in Damascus based
on the lawsuit he presented before the Syrian judiciary. Sayyed filed his
lawsuit against individuals who allegedly misled UN investigations into the
assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri with false evidence that led
to Sayyed’s arrest in 2005 by the UN probe committee. Sayyed was released by the
STL in 2009.
Unlike his colleague Houri, Tripoli MP Samir Jisr condemned the warrants as
politically driven, saying “it is clear that the issue is an attempt to push the
Lebanese Cabinet to back down on the STL, a step that is impossible.” Jisr added
that, from a legal perspective, the arrest warrants were void because the Syrian
judiciary lacks territorial jurisdiction with regard to “a crime that happened
on Lebanese territories.”
However, Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblatt, who on Monday
moved closer to endorsing the position of Syria and Hizbullah vis-a-vis the STL,
voiced support for the warrants following a meeting with the Syrian Ambassador
to Lebanon Ali Abdel Karim Ali. On Sunday, Jumblatt said that “if the STL is
going to lead to blood in Lebanon, then we are better off without it.” “There is
no problem as we mentioned before, and as Premier Hariri said, that the issue of
false witnesses should be resolved,” Jumblatt said when asked to comment on the
arrest warrants, including one against MP Marwan Hamadeh, a member of Jumblatt’s
Democratic Gathering bloc. “Finally, the judiciary is handling the case of false
witnesses. The guilty should be punished and the innocent should be declared so.
What happened is very good,” Jumblatt said following his meeting with Ali. Asked
whether the warrants would affect Hariri’s relations with the Syrian leadership,
Ali said that “the question should be directed to the judiciary since issues
should not be mixed up.”
“Matters are only judicial,” he added.
For his part, Hamadeh said earlier Monday that the warrants were void from a
judicial point of view.
“These warrants are medals of honor for those who were issued one,” Future
Movement MP Ahmad Fatfat said. “If the decision was a judicial and independent
one then we would not have any problem with it, either in form or content.”
Arms trade on rise as tensions over STL soar - reports
By Patrick Galey
Daily Star staff
Tuesday, October 05, 2010
BEIRUT: Looming indictments in the United Nations probe into the death of former
premier Rafik Hariri has lead to a resurgent weapons trade in Beirut, with
political parties as well as individuals arming themselves in the event of
renewed civil unrest, according to media reports. The pan-Arab daily Ash-Sharq
al-Awsat, quoting an unidentified arms dealer, featured a report over the
weekend suggesting scores of guns and rocket launchers were flooding the
capital, with the market rising again following a two-year fall in demand.
M4, M16 and K47 rifles are among the most popular firearms entering Lebanon, the
paper wrote. “Today, prices are going up where the M4 with a launcher was being
sold for $12,000 an M16 [for] $1,500 and the Kalashnikov [for] between $750 and
$1,000,” said the dealer. He added that most of the weapons, particularly the
M4, were being channeled into Lebanon via smuggling routes from Syria and
Israel. August clashes between Hizbullah fighters and the Association of Islamic
Charitable Projects – better known as Al-Ahbash – which left several dead in the
Burj Abi Haidar district of Beirut was the latest reminder of potential for a
rapid deterioration in street-level security. The incident prompted some
politicians and civil society groups to demand an “Arms Free Beirut.” The
stymied National Dialogue sessions are designed to construct a coherent Lebanese
defense strategy but continually suffer from delays over the issue of
Hizbullah’s weapons, which the party insists are not up for discussion. Last
year, following a series of injuries caused by celebratory gunfire, Speaker
Nabih Berri headed a list of high-profile politicians calling for restraint on
citizens using weapons. The Ash-Sharq al-Awsat report comes amid a backdrop of
potentially violent disagreement over the fate of the Special Tribunal for
Lebanon (STL), established to try Hariri’s killers. Hizbullah had previously
claimed the court to be an “Israeli project” and last week vowed to block the
probe’s Lebanese funding.
Prime Minister Saad Hariri has vowed not to be intimidated by threats of
fighting on the streets and insists the court will be allowed to issue
indictments – many assume against some Hizbullah members – no matter the
consequences.
The dealer also fuelled speculation that several political parties are training
partisans in anticipation of armed clashes, similar to those which took hold in
the capital in May 2008, when pro-government and opposition gunmen battled for
control of Beirut’s streets. “[Opposition] March 8 Forces are being trained in
the Bekaa [Valley in east Lebanon],” he said “while the others are being trained
in the Cedars on the use of the Russian BKC and the American MAG and small
mortars.” The paper added that small arms trades were on the rise again
following a marked decline in the wake of the 2008 Doha Agreement. Retired
Lebanese Army General Elias Hanna told The Daily Star that while the possibility
of political bickering boiling over into violence remained, it was unlikely that
more weapons were entering the capital in anticipation of civil disorder. “I
don’t think that they need more weapons in Beirut, having small weapons here is
a cultural thing,” he said. “Everybody is watching everybody and as we saw from
Burj Abi Haidar, in one second hell can come up.
“The situation can turn from a something political to something military very
quickly.”
Mubarak warns of 'deteriorating situation' in
Lebanon if Hizbollah is indicted for Hariri killing
Staff Mon, 04/10/2010 -Photographed by AFP
President Hosni Mubarak on Monday warned that the anticipated indictment by a UN
Special Tribunal of a senior Hizbollah official as the main suspect in the 2005
assassination of Lebanese Premiere Rafik Hariri could aggravate the
already-tense situation in Lebanon.
"Activities in the Lebanese arena now revolve around the expected indictment by
the UN Special Tribunal on the Hariri assassination,” Mubarak said in an
interview with the official Armed Forces newspaper on the occasion of the
thirty-seventh anniversary of the October 1973 war.
“The harmony of Lebanon and the coexistence of all its communities and peoples
should not be held hostage to this indictment--whatever its content," the
president added.
The relationship between Egypt and the Shia resistance movement has come under
strain recently after Hizbollah officials accused Egypt and Jordan of training
Sunni militias tied to the Lebanese Future Movement, which is led by the slain
Lebanese leader's son Saad Hariri.
Lebanon's former General Security chief, Major-General Jamil al-Sayyed, also
recently accused Egypt of attempting to destabilize Lebanon.
Egypt, for its part, has strenuously denied the allegations.
"These reports are totally unfounded," Egyptian Foreign Ministry spokesman
Hossam Zaki said on Monday. "We are well aware of their purpose, which is to
hinder the Egyptian role in achieving stability in Lebanon.”
“But this is not going to happen," stressed Zaki, "since Egypt is committed to
supporting the Lebanese state and its institutions."
Syria's warrants add to the chaos
By Jamil K. Mroue
Publisher and editor in chief
Tuesday, October 05, 2010
The political arena in Lebanon was flooded on Monday with reactions to the
Syrian arrest warrants, but the truth is that the warrants are not going to do
anything to untangle the confusion to which the Lebanese political scene has
succumbed; alas, they will only add to the chaos which threatens to drown the
country.
By issuing the warrants, Damascus sent a symbolic political message to Saad
Hariri, expressing Syria’s strong backing for Hizbullah and Jamil al-Sayyed.
Damascus and its allies are trying to squeeze Hariri, because they want the son
of Rafik Hariri to be the prime minister who withdraws the government’s support
for the Special Tribunal for Lebanon.
All the potential outcomes of this showdown would only exacerbate Lebanon’s
befuddled agony. Even if Lebanon abandons the tribunal, what happens? Can
Lebanon halt the funding and call its investigators, lawyers and judges home;
would that even do anything to slow or stop the court’s work? What if Saad
Hariri resigns – which Sunni politician would have the temerity to succeed
Hariri and pull the country out of that morass? And, let us ask, even if it was
Hizbullah as an institution that engineered Rafik Hariri’s killing, what does
that have to do with Lebanon? That would have been a decision made in Iran, and
it would completely change the narrative being flogged by so many.
The prime minister does not know where to turn for justice in his father’s
assassination, and he and his Cabinet are politically feeble. Hizbullah is the
strongest political actor, but the group is clearly nervous about possibly being
indicted and the global implications of such charges. Walid Jumblatt might think
he is the swing factor, but he is not operating from a position of strength. The
country’s Christians are deeply divided.
Even Syria is weak; Damascus has only tool to use in all its political dealings:
a hammer. Syria needs a strong Lebanon to build its own economy and to make
Damascus stronger as a regional player.
And that brings us to the reason why we are stuck in this shambles. After Rafik
Hariri’s killing, everybody disregarded the process of forming a consensual,
institutional response that would have built the foundation of a new state. The
March 14 camp looked abroad for guidance; Hizbullah could barely be bothered to
participate in the state’s institutions. Saad Hariri might want to avenge his
father’s killing, but his father was killed for his politics – and Rafik left
one major political legacy: No man is bigger than the country. Are today’s
politicians such lesser men that they cannot overcome their egos to actually do
something for their country – to clean up the mess they made?
**Jamil K. Mroue, Editor-in-Chief of THE DAILY STAR, can be reached at
jamil.mroue@dailystar.com.lb
Tehran, Damascus tell Hizballah to grab of Beirut right after Ahmadinejad's
visit
DEBKAfile Special Report October 4, 2010,
The presidents of Iran and Syria agreed in Tehran Saturday, Oct. 2, to support a
Hizballah military takeover of Lebanon's power centers, including the capital
Beirut, right after Mahmoud Ahmadinejad ends his controversial two-day visit to
the country on October 13-14.
Ahmadinejad and Assad also decided to continue to harass Lebanese Prime Minister
Saad Hariri by de-legitimization of his government, intimidation and humiliation
to force him to dissolve the Special Tribunal for Lebanon-STL which has brought
charges against Hizballlah officials for the murder of former Lebanese Prime
Minister Rafiq Hariri in 2005.
If this campaign disables the Hariri government, so much they better, because
then Hizballah will be able to walk in and set up a transitional administration
together with it allies, the Druze leader Walid Jumblatt and the Christian
ex-general Michel Aoun. This administration will rule the regions dominated by
Hizballah gunmen and proclaim its legality as a viable alternative to the failed
Hariri government.
As part of this Iranian-Syrian-Hizballah master plan, President Assad Sunday,
Oct. 3 released a list - referred to the former Lebanese head of internal
security Maj. Gen. Jamil Sayyed - of 33 international and Lebanese individuals
against whom the Syrian prosecutor general had issued arrest warrants on charges
of false testimony and perjury in the UN probe of the Hariri murder.debkafile
reports that this defiance of an internationally recognized UN court is
unprecedented and tantamount to a declaration of war on Lebanon.
Sources in Damascus said the list would be handed to Interpol for the execution
of international warrants.
Lebanese police chief Maj. Gen. Ashraf Rifi said the next day that Interpol
would not execute the 33 warrants, because they were politically motivated.
On that list are the first UN investigating prosecutor of the Hariri probe,
Detlev Mehlis and his deputy, Gerhard Lehmann. Both turned up evidence of the
complicity of high-ranking Syrian government and military officials' in the
crime. Syria also wants the two Lebanese judges on the special tribunal
arrested, together with most members of the Lebanese judiciary, the heads of
Lebanese security and intelligence services, leaders of the anti-Assad
opposition parties in Syria, especially the exiled former vice president Abdul
Halim Khaddam, and a string of Lebanese and Kuwaiti public figures and
journalists who are opponents of the Syrian and Iranian regimes.
This document was published in Damascus to scare Persian Gulf and Saudi rulers
from coming to the aid of the Lebanese prime minister or interfering with its
plans for bringing Hizballah to power in Beirut.
To ward off the threat Hariri travelled to Riyadh and asked Saudi rulers for
help - firstly, to block off the Iranian-Syrian conspiracy against his
government and secondly, for money to buy arms for Lebanese Sunni and Christian
militias to defend their fiefdoms against takeover by the Hizballah.
Hariri is planning an emergency government session to discuss the crisis. At the
same time, his energy minister Gebran Bassil, while visiting Tehran was told by
Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki: Stability and unity in Lebanon
would foil the plots of enemies."The Lebanese minister understood this to mean
that his government would enjoy stability if it united behind the master plan
designed for Lebanon by Ahmadinejad and Assad. It was therefore taken as a
threat rather than reassurance. "If the Zionist Regime [of Israel] attacks
Lebanon and Syria, all regional countries including Iran will stand behind
Beirut and Damascus," Mottaki said on Monday.
Israel has good reason to be deeply apprehensive of the civil war and violent
carving up of Lebanon most likely to result from the Iranian-Syrian plan with
serious upsets on the Lebanese-Israeli border, especially if the belligerent
Hizballah decides to go for Iran's "enemies" too - namely, Israel. So far there
is no sign of Israel taking any steps to prevent this happening.
An arresting development
Michael Young, October 5, 2010
Last week an amusing rumor circulated in Beirut. It went like this: The former
head of the General Security Directorate, Jamil as-Sayyed, irritated the Syrians
by using his meeting with President Bashar al-Assad to lend weight to his
subsequent public attack against Saad al-Hariri. Assad had not appreciated being
turned into a tool for the assault because he did not share Sayyed’s hostility
toward Hariri.
Now we know better, given that Syria’s judiciary issued arrest warrants on
Sunday for 33 people, most of them officials and journalists close to Hariri, as
well as against Detlev Mehlis, the first commissioner of the United Nations team
investigating Rafik al-Hariri’s assassination. Here is the other face of Syria’s
double game in Lebanon: On the one side it claims to support Saad Hariri and
appears reluctant to allow Hezbollah to politically cripple the prime minister;
on the other, Damascus has systematically undermined Hariri itself.
Those around Hariri have questioned what Syrian behavior says about the
Saudi-Syrian understanding over Lebanon finalized in meetings earlier this
summer between King Abdullah and Assad. However, this attitude is naïve. Syria’s
prime consideration in Lebanon for decades has been to rule alone, and the
Saudis signed off on the understanding to gain advantages elsewhere, above all
in Iraq, where Riyadh hoped that Syria might help it derail Nouri al-Maliki’s
prime ministerial bid. That the Syrians failed in this regard was never going to
make Assad reconsider the Lebanese part of the bargain.
The Syrian president sees open pastures ahead for resurrecting Syrian
domination. The arrest warrants represent a new level of Syrian escalation,
apparently in response to the Saudis’ inability or unwillingness to make Hariri
give up on the Special Tribunal for Lebanon. Playing the Sunnis off against the
Shia through the tribunal is Syria’s main ticket back into Lebanese affairs.
While Assad may not sanction a military strike by Hezbollah against Hariri, as
this would deny Damascus the latitude to continue playing the Sunni card, other
options are open, including provoking tension on the ground.
What does this tell us about the Syrian-Saudi understanding? Is it finished?
Things appear to be more complicated. The Syrians gain from the understanding
and are likely to preserve it since they are now able to continuously
reinterpret its guidelines to their own advantage. They have abandoned the anti-Maliki
scheme; they are keeping Hariri weak; and Damascus has just reaffirmed its
relationship with Tehran, days before Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is
scheduled to fly to Lebanon on an official visit.
The problem for the Saudis is that there is not much they can do about Syrian
behavior. They offered Assad a green light back into Lebanon, but never stopped
to ask what would happen if the Syrians failed to fulfill their end of the
bargain. As things stand today, the Saudis need Assad in Lebanon to stand as a
barrier between Hezbollah and the Sunnis, while Assad needs the Saudis far less.
Hariri is effectively Syria’s hostage, and his only means of leverage, a refusal
to give up on the tribunal, is proving highly contentious.
Making matters worse is that even if Hariri does what the Syrians want him to on
the tribunal, that will only invite onerous Syrian demands later. Once he loses
the tribunal, the Syrians could easily topple his government by asking more than
a third of ministers to resign (and Adnan al-Sayyed Hussein, supposedly from
President Michel Sleiman’s quota, would comply). Damascus could then compel
Walid Jumblatt to side with Hezbollah and the Aounists in parliament, turning
the minority into a majority. This would allow Assad to impose a Lebanese
government in which Hariri’s power is greatly reduced. If Hariri refuses, Syria
could bring in a more pliable prime minister, taking control of the state and
security apparatus.
It’s difficult to see how the Saudis, or all those who have publicly defended
Lebanese sovereignty, including the United States and France, might halt this
process. Onetime Arab powers such as Saudi Arabia and Egypt are no longer what
they used to be. If the Arab states give him trouble today, Assad can simply
shift direction and widen his margin of maneuver by dealing with Iran or Turkey.
The Lebanese have been worried about what might happen in the streets if Beirut
does not end its collaboration with the Special Tribunal. But that is only the
façade for a broader power play by Syria to reimpose its writ in Lebanon. The
Saudis feel duped, but is anyone particularly surprised? We could have told them
they would be long before Lebanese sovereignty was thrown on the auction block.
**Michael Young is opinion editor of the Daily Star newspaper in Beirut. His
book, The Ghosts of Martyrs Square: An Eyewitness Account of Lebanon’s Life
Struggle (Simon & Schuster), was recently published.
Arrest warrants put pressure on Hariri
Mitchell Prothero
Last Updated: Oct 5 , 2010
The National
http://www.thenational.ae/news/worldwide/arrest-warrants-put-pressure-on-hariri
A massive explosion killed the former Lebanese premier Rafik Hariri and 22
others in Beirut in February 2005.
BEIRUT // A Syrian judge has complicated the efforts of Lebanon's prime minister
to smooth relations with Syria by issuing arrest warrants for dozens of
prominent Lebanese officials.
The warrants were issued on Sunday night for 33 people associated with the
investigation of the murder in 2005 of Rafiq Hariri, the father of the current
prime minister, Saad Hariri.
Those named include advisers to Saad Hariri, some of Lebanon's most senior
police and judicial officials, and prominent journalists.
The warrants were issued on behalf of Jamil al Sayyed, a former intelligence
official who spent four years in jail in Lebanon on suspicion of having helped
Hariri's assassins.
He and three other men in custody were released in April 2009 because of
insufficient evidence.
Mr Sayyed alleges that Saad Hariri and his advisers conspired to place the blame
on Syria and its Lebanese allies, including Mr Sayyed and three other security
officials.
The "Four Generals", as they are commonly known, were jailed on charges that
they helped to assassinate the elder Hariri on behalf of Syria. The charges were
dropped.
The head of Lebanon's police, Ashraf Rifi, spent yesterday dismissing rumours
that Interpol would pursue extradition for any of those indicted, who include Mr
Rifi himself, Detlev Mehlis, the German prosecutor who once headed the Special
Tribunal for Lebanon (STL), and Hani Hammoud, an adviser to Saad Hariri.
Mr Rifi said in an interview he believed Interpol would not honour such
“politicised” indictments. He said a warrant issued by Syria for the arrest of
the Lebanese Druze politician Walid Jumblatt was never enforced internationally.
One Lebanese police officer said that if Syria wanted to “suddenly start
cooperating with Interpol, I have no doubt Israel would be happy to offer
warrants for the Hamas leader, Khalid Meshaal, or any of maybe 1,000 people
wanted in Israel, Europe or the United States that openly live in Syria”.
One person named in the warrants, Marwan Hamadeh, a member of the Lebanese
parliament who has repeatedly accused Syria of killing Hariri, said: “For me, at
the judicial and legal level, these warrants are equal to zero.”
The prime minister, Saad Hariri, did not respond publicly to what is widely seen
in Beirut as an attack on both his ruling coalition and his recent insistence
that the tribunal continue its work despite widespread concerns that it will
indict members of Hizbollah.
Mr Hariri, a Sunni, had recently apologised for statements in which he made
“politically motivated” accusations towards Syria in the wake of his father’s
death. But the issuing of the warrants was widely seen as a sign that the
reconciliation between Syria and Mr Hariri and his allies in Saudi Arabia has
not succeeded.
The decision to indict the officials stems from a belief in Damascus that while
Saudi Arabia has been willing to reconcile, its allies in Lebanon have not.
Anonymous Syrian officials, who appeared to be speaking on behalf of the regime,
said that the move was intended to push Mr Hariri into more decisive action to
investigate the “false witness” issue raised by Mr Sayyed and to stop Lebanese
support for the STL.
Many in the region believe that an indictment of Hizbollah for the murder of a
prominent and well-liked Sunni leader could lead to sectarian violence in
Lebanon.
A close ally of Mr Hariri, the MP Ahmed Fatfat, said that to be named in a
warrant by the Syrian regime was like having “medals on the chest” of any
patriotic Lebanese and that the timing of the warrants, which were issued on the
same day as Lebanon’s justice minister delivered a report on the issue to the
cabinet, was “political par excellence”.
A cabinet meeting last night in Beirut was expected to address this latest
development, as well as continue talks over the 2011 budget, which includes
Lebanon’s portion of the funding for the STL.
In a statement that went unnoticed at the time, a pro-Syrian newspaper based in
Beirut, Al Diyyar, warned more than a week ago that Syrian authorities were
running out of patience with the investigation by the justice minister, Ibrahim
Najjar, and might act on their own. In a story dated September 25, the paper
said Syrian officials were waiting for the proper time to indict much of
Lebanon’s political elite for failing to properly investigate the anti-Syrian
charges.
“If the Lebanese judiciary does not comply with the Syrian demand, then Syria
will take the appropriate measures to have Interpol issue arrest warrants for
those individuals,” the newspaper reported at the time. mprothero@thenational.ae
Growing skepticism over US terror alert for Europe
DEBKAfile Exclusive Report
October 5, 2010,
debkafile's counter-terror sources specializing in al Qaeda are increasingly
uncomfortable with and skeptical of the comprehensive, imprecise American terror
alert embracing all of Europe that was issued Oct. 3 by the US State Department.
Our European and Middle East intelligence agencies anti anti-terror organs
commented Tuesday, Oct. 5, that the blanket US call for US travelers to watch
out for terrorist attacks in public places and tourist sites has little relation
to their own data on existing terrorist threats
Even the countries which have raised their level of terror alert, such as
France, Japan and Sweden, have not received specific data from Washington
confirming reports of an imminent attack. For instance, the "Kilowatt Group" for
international cooperation among intelligence services on counterterrorism, which
has the biggest data base on al Qaeda and international terrorist organizations,
has not received any fresh updates on the US-sourced alert.
Furthermore, debkafile's sources stress, Israel's counter-terror center in
Jerusalem has not issued advisories about travel to Europe, threats to Jewish
centers or danger in the continent's transport systems and airports which are
frequented by Israeli tourists. Israel authorities, normally hypersensitive to
any hint of terrorism, have not advised Israeli or Jewish institutions in Europe
to raise their alert level like the Americans and the British.
Our intelligence sources, furthermore, cannot confirm that the suspected
terrorists cited in the last few days as sources of information for imminent
attacks are actually in possession of this information or have any relevance to
them.
From Sunday, Oct. 3, German intelligence and security services alone have made
their doubts clear, after consulting with Chancellor Angela Merkel. Monday,
Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere said thatGerman police and intelligence
services have no concrete evidence that a terror attack is imminent."
Similar reservations have been heard in other European capitals. They find
contradictions in the various reports from London, which maintained that
Mumbai-style multiple terror attacks planned in Pakistan threatened the UK,
France and Germany and other reports from Washington that the terrorists plan to
strike simultaneously at five major European airports.
One high-placed source commented dryly to debkafile that these contradictions
were another factor undermining the credibility of the American alert. He
pointed out that if as was claimed the attackers had already arrived in Europe
and were close to their targets, there was no point in intensifying US drone and
helicopter strikes on terrorist bass in Pakistan's North Waziristan. Hihad
groups don't operate like regular armies, he said. Once a network is launched
against a target it can't be turned around and if fellow terrorists come to
harm, they become more determined than ever to go through with their mission.
The only country which does face imminent terrorist action is France, but this
has nothing to do with the alert issued by the State Department for the European
continent at large or with the US offensive against al Qaeda and Taliban havens
in northwest Pakistan.
French special forces and air units have for some weeks been fighting Al Qaeda
in the Islamic Maghreb - AQIM, whose tentacles have gripped Algeria, Morocco and
countries of the Sahel and Sahara deserts. AQIM is trying to hit back on French
soil by using Islamists of North African origin living in Europe.
Overnight Monday, Oct. 4, French anti-terror police swooped on Muslims suspected
of being part of an Islamist cell in the southern towns of Marseille, Aubagne,
Marignane and Bordeaux. Among the weapons they captured were automatic rifles
and a quantity of explosives. Some of the cell members had undergone training on
the Afghan-Pakistan border.
The arrests followed the detention on Saturday of a 28-year-old Algerian man,
wanted by French police, at a train station in Naples, southern Italy. He was
allegedly carrying a bomb-making kit and is suspected of being the head of the
terror cell. France has filed for his extradition.