LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
ِOctober 15/2010

Bible Of The Day
13:6 He spoke this parable. “A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came seeking fruit on it, and found none. 13:7 He said to the vine dresser, ‘Behold, these three years I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree, and found none. Cut it down. Why does it waste the soil?’ 13:8 He answered, ‘Lord, leave it alone this year also, until I dig around it, and fertilize it. 13:9 If it bears fruit, fine; but if not, after that, you can cut it down.’”
 

Free Opinions, Releases, letters, Interviews & Special Reports
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad,s Speech on 13 october/10
Is Iran changing its approach?/By Jamil K. Mroue/October 14/10

Latest News Reports From Miscellaneous Sources for October 14/10
Ahmadinejad from Dahiyeh: Any Adventure by Zionist Entity Will Only Shorten Its Lifespan/Naharnet
Nasrallah Welcoming Ahmadinejad: Tehran Wants Lebanon Free, No Iranian Scheme in Lebanon/Naharnet
Berri: Iran's Backing of Resistance is a Support for All Lebanese/Naharnet
Geagea Says Ahmadinejad's Remarks 'Moderate': If Only Everyone Would Emulate Him and His Speeches/Naharnet
US Says Ahmadinejad Visit Proves Hizbullah Favors Iran over Lebanese People/Naharnet
Clinton on Ahmadinejad's Visit: We Reject Any Efforts to Destabilize Lebanon/Naharnet
Iranian interests in Lebanon/Daily Star
Ahmadinejad: 'Friends are being framed',US: Hizbullah cares more about Iran than people of Lebanon/Daily Star
Ahmadinejad 'proud' to be among brothers as he arrives in Beirut/Daily Star
Two Lebanese judges among STL appeals chamber panel/Daily Star
Kazzi and other liberal judges sidelined - NGOs/By Simona Sikimic/Daily Star
Iran chief ideological, financial backer of Hizbullah's struggle against Israel/By Agence France Presse (AFP)
Ahmadinejad arrives to fanfare of rose petals in Beirut's southern suburbs/Daily Star

Ahmadinejad arrives to fanfare of rose petals in Beirut's southern suburbs
Iranian President delivers speech from behind bulletproof glass on first day of state visit
By Patrick Galey /Daily Star staff
Thursday, October 14, 2010
BEIRUT: President Ahmadinejad ascends the stage to the cheers of tens of thousands, a swell of noise shuddering off surrounding high rises. Every square inch of Dahiyeh’s dust-filled square is crammed with supporters. Some hold aloft pictures of Iran’s supreme leader, most wave Iranian or Lebanese flags, and all sing their esteemed visitor’s praises. He delivers a long, winding speech, the highlight of his first day in Lebanon, a day that saw him meet the president, the prime minister and the speaker of Parliament. “Nejad,” as his partisans fondly refer to him, also met with Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah.
The build up to the mass gathering has been peppered by rumors that Hizbullah’s leader, in hiding since 2006, will break his long underground exile to pay tribute to the president by delivering a speech in public, in open air, in line of fire. Sat squat in the middle of the stage, and framed by an improbable oversized collage of Israeli soldier helmets, is a podium rimmed with bulletproof glass. The crowd, whipped into near frantic voice by patriotic songs and video montages of Ahmadinejad juxtaposed with landscapes of Al-Aqsa, waits impatiently for Nasrallah to appear. If they are disappointed when the quotidian video link flickers onto the giant screens, they don’t show it. Taking to its feet – men and women in separate areas – the crowd chants lines ranging in sentiment from “Allahu Akbar” to “Death to Israel.”
Even getting to Al-Raya is a struggle. After relinquishing passports and press cards to local officials, The Daily Star is bundled to the event in an armoured army vehicle, its windows pitched black. Buses form impromptu roadblocks as hundreds of men in suits poke earpieces, casting suspicious looks at passers-by. Even without the star attraction, security tonight is especially tight. Those who haven’t made it into the arena swarm surrounding alleyways. Those lucky enough to live in a flat with a view perch on rooftops or hang precariously from balcony edges. Shouting among the loudest are the men seated close to the stage, yellow banners draped around their necks. These are the wounded of 2006; their voices are undimmed.
Twelve hours earlier, journalists crowd the red carpet laid at Beirut’s airport in anticipation of Ahmadinejad’s arrival for his first Lebanese state visit. Two hulking, antiquated jets veer into view as army helicopters swirl overhead.
First off the president’s plane is his private security entourage. Personal bodyguards cut slick figures in tailored suits, their brevity belied by mini submachine guns slung at the hip. A pair of sunglassed men emerge, bedecked in black jumpsuits, cargo pockets stuffed with pistols and knives, Kalashnikovs held languidly by their sides. Iran’s fearsome security guards at least keep out of the way as the president meets emissaries.
As Ahmadinejad’s motorcade – a collection of blacked out luxury saloons, reinforced all terrain vehicles and trucks clasped by three mounted gunmen – makes its way to Baabda, the convoy slows to a crawl. They say Nejad passed on the helicopter option. He wants to see his people. Hundreds of men, women and children line the highway in Burj al-Barajneh. Schools of youngsters, draped in Iranian tricolor, sing “Khosh Amedeed,” or “Welcome” as Nejad is showered with petals and rice flung from bridges, balconies and shells of buildings.
Although the visit has been denounced as provocative by Washington, and opposed by several Lebanese politicians, the president is nearly universally welcomed to south Beirut. Jallal, 25, has taken the day off work to show his appreciation. “We wanted to see the President. All Lebanese love Ahmadinejad because he is a good and righteous man. He doesn’t want war here, only to help Lebanon,” he says. “This visit will only bring good things. Lebanon is not stable but this will help.”
Ibrahim, a 40-year old taxi driver, preparing for an airport run to west Beirut, is not so sure, however. “I hope it all goes as planned but I really don’t know,” he says. “Iran won’t let us do what we want and they want to prevent Lebanon’s actions. I have four children and today I haven’t brought them to school because I am afraid something bad will happen.” Another person who had school today was Zeinab, 16. She is missing classes for reasons rather different. “We came to see Nejad because he is a strong man and he will help Lebanon,” she says. “Things will start to get better from now on.”

Iran chief ideological, financial backer of Hizbullah's struggle against Israel
By Agence France Presse (AFP)
Thursday, October 14, 2010 /Rita Daou
BEIRUT: Iran, a mainly Shiite Muslim nation whose president began his visit to Lebanon on Wednesday, is the ideological and financial backer of the small country’s powerful Shiite movement Hizbullah in its fierce stand against Israel. Hizbullah, Arabic for the Party of God, was founded in the 1980s under the auspices of Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards in response to Israel’s invasion and occupation of Lebanon. The party speaks often of Tehran’s “political and social support” for it and its activities. But the US, which lists Hizbullah as a terrorist organization, and Israel, accuse Iran of more tangible support: of feeding weapons to the group through close ally Syria in contravention of a UN Security Council ban.
“In 1982, in the middle of an Israeli invasion of Lebanon, members of the Revolutionary Guards formed the nucleus of Hizbullah in Baalbek, training armed militants, who began operating secretly,” says Wadah Sharara, author of the 2006 book “The State of Hizbullah.” “The party grew, and the Pasdaran (Revolutionary Guards) continued training, financing and arming it,” he adds. With that support and materiel, and with top-notch organization, Hizbullah led a resistance that eventually drove Israel to withdraw its troops from southern Lebanon in 2000, after 22 years of occupation. Hizbullah, which has refused since then to disarm and is estimated to have an arsenal of tens of thousands of rockets, maintains a powerful presence in the south.
Having achieved what some call a “balance of terror” with Israel, the group managed to hold the Israelis to a stand-off in 2006 after they invaded in response to a cross-border Hizbullah raid that captured two soldiers.
But the price was steep. Some 1,200 Lebanese, mostly civilians, died in the 34-day summer war, and much of the country’s infrastructure, particularly in the Hizbullah strongholds outside Beirut and in the south, was destroyed or severely damaged. The group’s arsenal, which includes rockets that can reach deep inside Israel, has been a thorn in the side of the current parliamentary majority, but Hizbullah insists its weapons are needed to resist Israel. Today, Sharara says, the party is “an essential element at the heart of Iranian strategy in the region,” a view shared by the United States and Israel. “The core of this strategy is [support for] the Palestinian cause, but the ultimate objective is to spread Iranian influence in the Arab world.”
Hizbullah’s adversaries in Lebanon accuse the party of being a vassal of Iran and of having made the country a card in Tehran’s negotiating hand, as Iran faces off against Western countries over its controversial nuclear program. Hizbullah, whose ideology and politics are deeply rooted in Shiite Islam, sees its allegiance in a different light.
“Hizbullah is committed to the principle of Wilayat al-Faqih,” a system practiced in Iran that confers on religious leader’s primacy over political power, the party’s number two, Sheikh Naeem Qassem, has said. “For us, the ultimate authority with respect to religion and to the Umma [the worldwide Islamic “nation”] is the Wali al-Faqih, or supreme guide [in Iran],” who is currently Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. However, Sheikh Qassem insists that in practice, Hizbullah acts on the basis of what it believes to be correct.
“The Wali al-Faqih sets the broad guidelines, such as, for example, the duty to combat Israel, which occupies Muslim lands, but he does not tell us how we should fight.”
“There is a difference between the legitimacy conferred on us by the supreme guide, which assures us that we are conforming our actions with Islam, and political practice, which is linked to the specifics of Lebanese politics.” Over years of political and military turmoil, Hizbullah has won widespread grassroots support through an extensive social welfare network.
Its critics say it has become a “state within a state,” an accusation the group rejects. And in the West, Hizbullah is still regarded as the chief suspect in the bombings and Western hostage-takings that shook Lebanon in the 1980s, including an attack on US troops in Beirut. The resistance movement is omnipresent and widely popular in south Lebanon, an impoverished region largely neglected by the central government that has seen wave upon wave of Israeli aggression, including successive invasions. Although it has Islamist roots, the movement insists that it does not seek to impose an Islamic regime in Lebanon, saying that such a change could only come about through the will of the people. The party currently has 11 seats in the 128-member Parliament and two portfolios in the 30-member Cabinet.

Two Lebanese judges among STL appeals chamber panel
By The Daily Star /Thursday, October 14, 2010
BEIRUT: The identity of the four appeal judges, set to preside over the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL), were confirmed on Tuesday, amid growing rumors that the UN court was preparing to issue its indictment. Lebanese judges Ralph Riachy and Afif Chamseddine, will serve alongside Swedish counterpart, Kjell Erik Bjorberg and New Zealander, David Baragwanath, in the appeals chamber of the UN court, headed by Italian Judge Antonio Cassese. Ever since its inception, the STL has been plagued by high-profile resignations. Last month, the prosecution office’s spokesperson, Henrietta Aswad, departed after only two weeks citing “unforeseen personal reasons.” The Special Tribunal is tasked with investigating the 2005 assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, who was killed when a car bomb tore through his motorcade near Beirut’s downtown, killing him and 22 others. Syria was long suspected of orchestrating the killing but a string of supposed media links earlier this year have indicated that the STL is gearing up to indict Hizbullah members in the crime. The issue has caused heightened tensions in Lebanon. – The Daily Star

Kazzi and other liberal judges sidelined - NGOs
By Simona Sikimic /Daily Star staff
Thursday, October 14, 2010
BEIRUT: Liberal judges, ruling on issues of women and family law, are being threatened with dismissal for their progressive views, a collection of Lebanese NGOs said on Tuesday.
Those advocating gender equality, civil liberties and human rights have been purposefully targeted in last week’s judicial reshuffle, the NGOs said. They have been sidelined professionally and reassigned to less influential positions, putting their continued tenure at risk, they added. “Judges who gave just verdicts and promoted human rights were just eliminated,” said KAFA: Enough Violence and Discrimination director, Zoya Rouhana, who is leading the civil society solidarity drive. “We give our respect and appreciation to the judges that have given out just verdicts in the name of the Lebanese people and that respected human rights without discrimination.”
The most notable case – receiving extensive media attention – is that of Judge John Kazzi, who attracted widespread attention last year for his controversial ruling, contradicting restrictions preventing Lebanese women from passing citizenship on to their children. The first ever judge to be awarded the Lebanese Foundation for Human and Humanitarian Rights human rights prize, Kazzi has made waves with his mantra – reiterated across many university campuses – that it is the judiciary’s duty to “make justice out of injustice.”
Last week’s reshuffle, however, has seen Kazzi forcibly reassigned away from the courtroom and stripped of much of his decision-making power, in spite of his renown and over 18 years of experience. Senior judges, quoted by al-Akhbar newspaper, claim the move was made because of his arrogance and disregard for judicial precedent, but activists assert that the move was clearly political and done to quiet judicial dissent. “His verdicts on citizenship, alongside his long track record on human rights shows that he has been a firm, long-time supporter of progressive ideals,” Rouhana told The Daily Star. “[But] he is now being punished for promoting equality among all Lebanese; as promised in our Constitution and in our commitment to international treaties.” Lebanese laws, especially those pertaining to family, are known to be unclear and open to interpretation. They are often criticized for being outdated, but the many ambiguities they leave also include scope for judicial interpretation, allowing, in principle, for a degree of modernization from within the system.
But liberal judges, who have made legal rulings that do not necessarily conform with tradition, have also come under scrutiny. Judge Fauzi Khamis, who contravened religious court rulings on juveniles, has been similarly reassigned in the reshuffle. Nor is he thought to be the only one. “There are many other judges that have been subjected to the same treatment,” said Rouhana. The recent move is merely indicative of a larger problem of continuing political interference in judicial affairs, activists said. The NGOs – conducting their campaign independently of the judges out of fear the campaign could lead to further discrimination – are now also in the process of formulating a national committee to promote judicial independence. Once established, it is expected to monitor and investigate instances of external pressure of political meddling in the judiciary. They have also sent an open letter to the Higher Council of Judges, responsible for guarding impartiality and independence, insisting that judicial independence be maintained and judges allowed to rule as they see fit within Constitutional limits. The Constitution, however, allows the justice minister to enjoy “a certain number of prerogatives allowing him, under certain circumstances, to interfere in the management of judicial affairs” a European Commission report said this year. The minister continues to appoint the majority of the council and can in turn heavily influence their judicial appointments.

Ahmadinejad 'proud' to be among brothers as he arrives in Beirut
Berri: visit important to friends, even more important to our enemies
By Wassim Mroueh /Daily Star staff
Thursday, October 14, 2010
BEIRUT: Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad arrived in Beirut Wednesday for a two-day official visit on the invitation of President Michel Sleiman. Upon his arrival at the Rafik Hariri International airport, the Iranian president was received by Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri on behalf of Sleiman, Foreign Minister Ali Shami, Sports and Youth Minister Ali Abdallah, Minister of State for Administrative Development Mohammad Fneish and an array of MPs, military figures and state officials. Berri and Ahmadinejad inspected a presidential guard detachment before heading to the VIP lounge in the airport. Berri welcomed the Iranian president. “Prior to the landing of your plane, I said this visit is very important with respect to friends, but it gained more importance thanks to our enemies, for the enemy sometimes serves more than the friend,” said Berri. “Your excellency, you have been the topic of all conversations in Lebanon from the minute this visit was announced. Thank God for your safety, Lebanon, all Lebanon, and especially the south is longing to see you,” added the speaker.
Ahmadinejad thanked Berri, saying he felt “proud” to be among his brothers.
“This day is a different day for us, especially when we are in the service of our brothers and beloved, we have a Persian saying stating that if God wants, the enemy becomes a reason for goodness,” he said. “Enemies become savage when they see friends enjoying time with each other,” he added. Later, Ahmadinejad headed to Baabda Palace.
The Iranian president was greeted by huge crowds along the Rafik Hariri International Airport highway, after Hizbullah called upon its supporters to gather in the area and welcome the guest. Giant posters and banners welcoming Ahmadinejad were hung along the highway and in other Lebanese areas. The Iranian president will visit the south on Thursday.
Following his arrival at Baabda Palace, Ahmadinejad and Sleiman held talks, after which the two leaders joined Prime Minister Saad Hariri along with Lebanese and Iranian delegations in an expanded meeting that saw the inking of several bilateral agreements, memorandums of understanding and executive programs between Lebanon and Iran.
Sleiman and Ahmadinejad headed to the garden of presidents where the Iranian president planted the cedar of Lebanese-Iranian friendship. The two leaders later held a joint news conference attended by the two delegations. Sleiman said the discussions were “deep, touching on the state of bilateral ties and means to develop and enhance them on a state-to-state level.” Sleiman said he thanked Iran for “always standing beside Lebanon in the face of Israeli aggressions and threats,” and for its support for Lebanon during Israel’s deadly war against the country in summer 2006. Sleiman said he stressed with his Iranian counterpart the need to “preserve national unity and coexistence.”
The president said he emphasized to Ahmadinejad Lebanon’s keenness to continue efforts aimed at forcing Israel to comply with international resolutions, especially the requirements of 1701, including the complete and unconditional withdrawal from occupied Lebanese territories “while retaining our right to liberate them with all legitimate means.”
Also, both leaders highlighted the importance of committing to the Arab right to reclaim all occupied Arab territories and reject the naturalization of Palestinians, stressing their right to return to their land along with the need for continuous work to reach a just and comprehensive resolution to the Middle East conflict in line with Arab Peace Initiative.
Sleiman said a number of bilateral agreements were inked in the fields of agriculture, communications, health, environment, education, tourism, energy and water resources.
Meanwhile, Ahmadinejad voiced his country’s readiness to always stand beside the Lebanese government and people, saying Lebanon “has altered equations imposed by one side, by the enemy, for the interest of the region and its people.”
He added that Lebanon occupied a unique position on the international level and in the region. “The steadfastness capable of strengthening the Lebanese people, government and army in face of Israeli aggression is the source of our pride, we all the states of the region,” said the Iranian president. “All free people of the world thank Lebanon for this courageous position,” he added. Ahmadinejad stressed the “need to cement unity among the Lebanese followed by development, to enable the Lebanese people to persevere in face of Israeli aggression.” Ahmadinejad said that bilateral cooperation between Lebanon and Iran was unlimited, adding that the two countries objected to “aggressions, occupations, and crimes committed by the Zionist enemy and sides supporting it.” “We agree with Lebanon on the need to resolve the Palestinian conflict on the basis of justice and the return of Palestinians to Palestine, their occupied nation … and all Palestinian territories shall be liberated,” he added. “We want a one united Lebanon, developed and strong, we will continue to stand beside the Lebanese government and people to achieve its goal,” he noted.
“We believe that the Lebanese people and all people of the region can handle their matters by themselves with each other on the basis of justice, and they are not in need of the interference of regional and international forces,” continued Ahmadinejad. He described Sleiman as “courageous,” saying he stood behind developing and constructing Lebanon.
Ahmadinejad gave Sleiman a Nanoscope for scientific research, saying it had a complicated technology possessed by only five or six countries in the world.
“It is an extremely necessary device and it was manufactured by Iranian scientists and technicians,” he said. The Iranian president attended a lunch banquet held by Sleiman in which Hariri and an array of ministers and top Lebanese leaders participated. Prior to the dinner, Sleiman delivered a speech in which he thanked Iran again for standing beside Lebanon against Israeli aggressions, and for contributing to reconstruction efforts following Israel’s 2006 summer war against Lebanon. Sleiman added that while Lebanon was working on forcing Israel to implement Security Council Resolution 1701, it retained its right to liberate its occupied territories through all legitimate means.
“And we still exercise complete alertness in face of Israeli conspiracies … and we know that strengthening our national capabilities is achieved through committing to our principles and national unity, legal institutions, and the basis of coexistence and national consensus,” Sleiman said. Ahmadinejad said “the memorandums of understanding and agreements that were signed today demonstrate the political will of our countries in enhancing and developing bilateral ties.” “Lebanon has an important role in equations, development, peace and stability on the regional level,” he added. Ahmadinejad said a developed, strong and united Lebanon was important for the sake of all states in the region, and for the sake of peace, security and international stability. In the afternoon, Ahmadinejad laid a wreath on the Martyrs statue at Martyrs Square in Downtown Beirut.

Ahmadinejad: 'Friends are being framed'
US: Hizbullah cares more about Iran than people of Lebanon
By Elias Sakr /Daily Star staff
Thursday, October 14, 2010
BEIRUT: Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Wednesday launched a thinly veiled attack on the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL), accusing outside powers of trying to deal a blow to the Lebanese resistance. Ahmadinejad made his remarks during a rally held in his honor in Beirut’s southern suburbs, where Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah addressed thousands of supporters via video link prior to the Iranian president’s speech, denying any Iranian ambitions to dominate the Middle East. Ahmadinejad, who is on a two-day official visit to Beirut, received a warm welcome upon his arrival as tens of thousands of Hizbullah supporters lined the streets and waved Iranian flags. They showered his motorcade with rice and flowers on its way from the airport to the presidential palace, where he met his Lebanese counterpart.
During the rally, Ahmadinejad said “friends were being framed” for the murder of “a friend and a patriotic man,” a reference to former Premier Rafik Hariri’s 2005 assassination.
Endorsing Hizbullah’s position for the first time in public, Ahmadinejad said accusations being fabricated aimed to instigate strife among the Lebanese as to empower Israel, a reference to reports that the STL’s indictment is set to implicate Hizbullah members in the murder. The STL has been the focus of controversies between March 14 parties and Hizbullah since the latter condemned the tribunal as an Israeli project aimed against the resistance in Lebanon. “In Lebanon, a friend and a patriotic man was assassinated. They are trying to sow strife and conflict … by manipulating the media to accuse our friends and fulfill their aims in the region,” Ahmadinejad said. In a sharp tone, Ahmadinejad warned Israel against sparking new regional conflicts in the Middle East, saying it could signal the end of the Jewish state. He also accused Israel of imprisoning four Iranian diplomats abducted in Beirut in 1982, stressing that Iran held proof the diplomats were still alive as he demanded their release.
Ahmad Motevasselian, Seyed Mohsen Mousavi, Kazem Akhavan and Taqi Rastegari of the Iranian Embassy in Beirut were abducted in 1982.
“Lebanese brothers and sisters, your affairs and the affairs of the Iranian people are one. Therefore we are present with you in one front. The glory and development of Lebanon is for us as well,” he concluded. The Iranian president’s speech followed a short address by Nasrallah via video link on a giant screen that was setup at the Raya stadium.
“We are proud of our deep belief in Wilayat al-Faqih, the just, the wise and the courageous,” Nasrallah said, but added that “Iran has no particular project since its project in Lebanon is that of the Lebanese while its project for the Arab region is that of Arab states.” Several Lebanese parties have repeatedly voiced concerns over Hizbullah’s loyalty to Wilayat al-Faqih, a system of governance that confers on a supreme religious leader primacy over political power, arguing that Hizbullah sought to serve the interest of Iran at Lebanon’s expense.
“Iran always supported us and still never asked us at any point to adopt a certain position gave us orders but rather we were the one to ask Iran and make demands,” he added.
Later in his speech, Nasrallah stressed that Iran was a guarantee to resistance movements in the region that counter Israel and the US but refuted “publicized delusions” that the Islamic Republic was developing a confrontational scheme against Arab states. Nasrallah also echoed Ahmadinejad’s calls for Israel to disappear.
“President Ahmadinejad is right when he says Israel is illegitimate and should cease to exist,” Nasrallah said.“The Zionist regime will continue its downfall and no power can save it because of the resistance in Lebanon, Syria, Palestine, Iraq, Turkey, Iran and the rest of the region,” he vowed. During an honorary dinner banquet organized by Speaker Nabih Berri at his residence in Ain al-Tineh following the rally, the speaker highlighted Iran’s willingness to unconditionally equip the Lebanese Army. Berri added that Iran’s support to the resistance supported all Lebanese rather than Shiites. “Iran’s support to the axis of resistance is defending the Arab and Palestinian rights,” he said.

Iranian interests in Lebanon
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Daily Star/BEIRUT: Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s visit to Beirut has put a spotlight on Iran’s increasing interests in Lebanon. Here are examples of Iran’s deep-rooted influence in the country: Iran and Hizbullah share the same Shiite Islamist ideology. Tehran’s ties with the group stretch back to 1982 when Iran’s Revolutionary Guards set up the resistance group to fight Israeli forces that invaded Lebanon. The West accuses Iran of supplying Hizbullah with weapons, most recently used in a 2006 war against Israel. Fighters fired 4,000 rockets into the neighboring state in a 34-day offensive that ended in a stalemate. Hizbullah has since rearmed and group is rumored to have an arsenal of more than 30,000 rockets. These are widely believed to be hidden across southern Lebanon, where Hizbullah enjoys a strong presence and a sympathetic population.
Last year Israeli officials said naval commandos had seized a ship carrying hundreds of tons of Iranian-supplied arms, including rockets, to the Shiite resistance group. Hizbullah denied any connection with the shipment. Earlier this year Israel’s foreign minister said 35 tons of North Korean weapons seized in Thailand in 2009 were headed for Islamist groups Hamas and Hizbullah. The Iranian-Hizbullah alliance was especially apparent when Lebanon, a non-permanent Security Council member, was forced to abstain in a vote on a new round of sanctions against Iran in June after pro-Iranian and pro-Western ministers in government failed to reach an agreement on how Lebanon should vote.
Hizbullah’s alliance with Iran has angered members of the largest parliamentary bloc, the March 14 Forces, which is headed by Sunni Prime Minister Saad Hariri. Some of them have accused Ahmadinejad of regarding Lebanon as “an Iranian base on the Mediterranean.” Lebanese officials close to Hizbullah say they have spent about $1 billion of Iranian money since 2006 on post-war aid and reconstruction. Washington has in the past accused Iran’s Bank Saderat of supplying funds to Hizbullah.
The United States has designated Hizbullah’s construction arm, Jihad al-Binaa, as a terrorist organization and has said it receives funding from Iran. Jihad al-Binaa oversaw the majority of reconstruction in southern Lebanese villages destroyed by Israeli bombing during the 2006 war.
Jihad al-Binaa and other Hizbullah institutions such as the Martyr Foundation have branches in Iran. In a speech on Saturday, Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said Iran had given “generous” amounts directly to Hizbullah rather than through government institutions to help rebuild the southern suburbs, Hizbullah’s stronghold, and to fund projects.
The Iranian ambassador has met a number of Lebanese officials in the run-up to Ahmadinejad’s visit. The health and energy ministers have both travelled to Iran in recent weeks. Nasrallah met Iran’s energy minister last week to discuss ways to develop the energy and power sector in Lebanon where people face daily cuts. Ahmadinejad is due to sign an agreement for a $450 million loan to fund power and water projects, and an accord on energy cooperation. Lebanon is keen to build pipelines to transport natural gas it expects to find in its Mediterranean basin. Iran has also offered assistance to the Lebanese military after a cross-border clash between the Lebanese and Israeli armies in August sparked Israeli concern that weapons provided by Western countries were being used against Israel. Lebanese political officials don’t expect the army to accept Iranian weapons, which would alarm the country’s Western-backed leaders, like Hariri, and Iranian foes Israel and the United States. Diplomats say UN sanctions also bar Iran from exporting weapons. – Reuters

Is Iran changing its approach?
By Jamil K. Mroue/Daily Star
Publisher and editor in chief
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Editorial
After weeks of mounting hype, unrelenting public debates, and extensive speculation in the run-up of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s trip to Lebanon, the Iranian president’s motorcade finally rolled through Beirut on Wednesday, bringing an end to the sense of anticipation for the visit that has recently almost taken over the Lebanese people’s lives.
Pundits and commentators have overwhelmingly attempted to portray Ahmadinejad’s visit as an affirmation of Iran’s unexpected increasing influence over Lebanon. In truth, however, the visit of an Iranian president to this country – or indeed Iran’s influence here – should not come as a surprise. The nexus between communities in Lebanon and Iran goes back centuries, and Iran’s role today in funding the country’s resistance, Hizbullah, and in assisting in its reconstruction has only deepened long-existing ties.
There is one sentiment, however, that Ahmadinejad has not often expressed when speaking of his country’s relationship with Lebanon: his support for the Lebanese national project.
Yet, at a joint press conference with President Michel Sleiman Wednesday, Ahmadinejad conveyed a very different message than usual, highlighting the country’s unity and, by the same token, igniting a sense of expectation that our diplomatic relationship with Tehran may be reaching a new, constructive, plateau.
Lebanese should rejoice at Ahmadinejad’s words: His newly expressed posture – if it is translated into an actual foreign policy – could go a long way toward stabilizing our country. To begin with, Ahmadinejad’s call for the resurrection of the Lebanese state could signal the beginning of a new age for Hizbullah’s role in this country. The party has been an essential contributor to Lebanon’s wellbeing, but Lebanese are eager to see Hizbullah become a full signatory of the national project of building a strong state.
As a politician the caliber of Ahmadinejad knows well, a strong state cannot come to life unless it is well-rooted in the rule of law. The Iranian president’s support of the Lebanese state, we hope, will pave the way toward an official endorsement of this principle. Most importantly, Ahmadinejad’s words hint of a shift in political thinking that – if developed further – could herald an era of lasting peace in Lebanon. Too often, our weak sense of unity has made Lebanon into a battleground for competing regional powers. A strong Lebanese state would imply that it is the Lebanese authorities alone who choose the struggles we wage. We have long anticipated Ahmadinejad’s visit. But nothing compares to our eagerness to see the Iranian president confirm and reiterate his support for the bedrock of our national unity – the Lebanese state – during the rest of his stay, and after.
**Jamil K. Mroue, Editor-in-Chief of THE DAILY STAR, can be reached at jamil.mroue@dailystar.com.lb

Ahmadinejad's trip a symbolic gesture - analysts
By Michael Bluhm /Daily Star staff
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Analysis/BEIRUT: Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s visit to Lebanon, which began on Wednesday, aims primarily to serve Iran’s international strategies against Israel and the US, a number of analysts told The Daily Star on Wednesday. While the three-day stay also underscores the regional importance of Hizbullah as Iran’s proxy militia here, the visit will probably not result in any change in the domestic political dynamic, the analysts added.
The visiting president is using his enthusiastic reception to tell the US that its attempts to isolate the Islamic Republic and its leaders are failing, said Hilal Khashan, who teaches political science at the American University of Beirut. “Ahmadinejad came to Lebanon for his own reasons,” Khashan added. “Ahmadinejad is sending a dual message, one to the US and one to the Israelis.” The Iranian head of state will travel on Thursday to Bint Jbeil, a scant few kilometers from the Israeli border; that journey means to serve notice to Israel that Iran has forces on Israel’s frontier capable of striking Israel, said Khashan. Israel has for years threatened to take military action against the Islamic Republic’s controversial nuclear program, and Ahmadinejad’s presence near the border should drive home the possibility of retaliation from Lebanon for such an attack, Khashan added.
Ahmadinejad is saying to Israel that “the forward division of the Revolutionary Guard Corps is here, and they are awaiting my signal, so you better sober up – don’t so something rash,” Khashan said. “They see Lebanon as Iran’s first defense line. He will give the Israelis the impression that he is visiting his war front with Israel.”
From the Iranian perspective, the visit should also display Iran’s enhanced standing in the region, said Raghid al-Solh, political analyst and adviser to the Issam Fares Center, a non-partisan think tank. In the latest example, Ahmadinejad can point to the acquiescence of the US-led alliance to another term for Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, who was Iran’s choice for the post. Ahmadinejad’s stopover in Lebanon “has more to do with the status of Iran – Iran would like to consolidate its increasingly important status,” Solh added. “They are increasingly important in the region, especially with developments in Iraq.”
The intended display of power should also accrue some gains to Syria, which is Iran’s closest strategic partner and also had a hand in arranging Ahmadinejad’s trip to Lebanon, said retired General Elias Hanna, who teaches political science at various universities. “The Syrians OK’d this visit, because they are also reaping the benefit,” he added. In Lebanon, the Iranians “cannot go around Syria.” In addition, Ahmadinejad also wants to use his visit to show the so-called moderate Arab states such as Egypt and Saudi Arabia – longtime regional powers which enjoy good relations with the US – that a new Tehran-led axis including Iraq, Syria and Hizbullah has designs on regional leadership, Hanna said. Ahmadinejad’s trip also demonstrates the growing regional significance of Hizbullah, which has firmly ensconced itself as the strongest political actor and has reportedly expanded its military arsenal markedly since the 2006 war with Israel, Hanna said.
“This visit is really institutionalizing the importance of Hizbullah,” he said. “Lebanon, and in particular Hizbullah, represent the most important tool to project power, because of what Hizbullah has achieved in the last five years. It tells you how important Hizbullah has become,” Hanna added. The words of unwavering support for Hizbullah offered by Ahmadinejad should also make clear to the Shiite group’s domestic rivals the depth of the Islamic Republic’s commitment to Hizbullah, Hanna added.
With Hizbullah and Lebanon recently beset by instability over the rumored coming indictment of Hizbullah members by the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, Ahmadinejad is also here to express that Iran and its allies stand ready to defend Hizbullah over any possible charges – after all, charges against Hizbullah members would also damage Hizbullah’s patrons, Hanna said.
Beyond sending messages, however, Ahmadinejad’s visit will likely not lead to any resolution of the internal standoff between Hizbullah and the March 14 camp over the tribunal and other issues, Solh said. With or without the Iranian president, Hizbullah’s preeminent position in Lebanon remains obvious to all, Solh added.
“Do we need that visit to highlight Hizbullah’s status?” Solh asked. “Hizbullah’s status is very clear. Why should Hizbullah need this visit to show its potency?”
“Hizbullah, in realistic terms, is the strongest political party Lebanon ever had,” stronger than the Phalange Party at its peak decades ago, Solh said. The presence of Ahmadinejad could well raise tensions for a few days, and Hizbullah might take advantage of the gatherings to rally its base, but the visit will probably not result in any other tangible consequences, Solh added. “I don’t think it will have a kind of lasting effect; it won’t disturb the balance of power between existing parties,” he added. “It’s not something extraordinary. Its impact will remain for a couple days and that’s it.“Why exaggerate the significance of the visit? What gave it a kind of sensational nature is the conflict Lebanon is in.” The biggest impact might wind up being the boost to the confidence of the country’s Shiite population, Khashan said. Even though Iran might be using Hizbullah to achieve Iranian objectives, the Shiites are enjoying their position atop the country’s political heap, he added. “This is their moment, and they are celebrating it,” he said. In the end, Ahmadinejad’s visit might amount largely to a media circus drawing attention away from Lebanon’s seemingly intractable political deadlock, Khashan added. “The West is giving too much attention to this visit,” he added. “There is as much interest in the visit as in the 2006 war. “The visit itself is more symbolic than material. I don’t think anything will come out of it,” he added. “If anything, it will delay the issue of the tribunal and false witnesses,” Khashan said. “If there is one good thing about this visit, at least it is putting Lebanon’s problems on hold for one week.”


US Says Ahmadinejad Visit Proves Hizbullah Favors Iran over Lebanese People
Naharnet/The White House said on Wednesday that Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's "provocative" visit to Beirut proved that Hizbullah cared more about Iran than the people of Lebanon. Ahmadinejad earlier got a hero's welcome in Lebanon and on Thursday he planned to travel to a spot just a few kilometers from the Israeli border, a visit that has caused concern in Israel, due to his history of anti-Israel rhetoric. White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said that Ahmadinejad's visit showed that the Iranian president continued his "provocative ways" even as he led his country into more economic distress and turmoil under nuclear sanctions. "I think that it also suggests that Hizbullah values its allegiance to Iran over its allegiance to Lebanon," said Gibbs. Ahmadinejad was showered with rice and rose petals by tens of thousands of Hizbullah supporters who lined the streets and waved Iranian flags as his motorcade made its way from Beirut airport to the presidential palace. The two-day trip is seen as a key boost for the Shiite armed group Hizbullah but has prompted criticism by members of Lebanon's pro-Western parliamentary majority who see it as a bid to portray the country as "an Iranian base on the Mediterranean." U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton earlier denounced any effort by the Iranian president to undermine Lebanon's sovereignty. "We reject any efforts to destabilize or inflame tensions within Lebanon," Clinton said in Kosovo. "We would hope that no visitor would do anything or say anything that would give cause to greater tension or instability in that country."(AFP) Beirut, 13 Oct 10, 22:42

Clinton on Ahmadinejad's Visit: We Reject Any Efforts to Destabilize Lebanon
Naharnet/U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Wednesday said she rejects any efforts to destabilize Lebanon after Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad arrived in Beirut for a controversial visit. "The United States supports the integrity and sovereignty of Lebanon. We reject any efforts to destabilize or inflame tensions within Lebanon," Clinton said in Kosovo where she was meeting political leaders on her two-day tour of the Balkans. "We would hope that no visitor would do anything or say anything that would give cause to greater tension or instability in that country," she added.(AFP) Beirut, 13 Oct 10, 16:46

Hariri meets Berri, Aoun
October 13, 2010 /Prime Minister Saad Hariri met with Speaker Nabih Berri, Free Patriotic Movement leader Michel Aoun, and Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) commander General Jean Kahwaji at Ain al-Tineh on Wednesday before a dinner in honor of visiting Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the National News Agency (NNA) reported. Ahmadinejad arrived in Beirut on Wednesday morning in an official visit that is expected to last until Friday.Berri and Aoun also met briefly, the report added.-NOW Lebanon

Ahmadinejad from Dahiyeh: Any Adventure by Zionist Entity Will Only Shorten Its Lifespan
Naharnet/Any new adventure by the Zionist entity will only be of use in shortening its lifespan, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad declared during the first day of his official visit to Lebanon on Wednesday.
Addressing a mass rally organized by Hizbullah in his honor, Ahmadinejad described Lebanon as "the school of resistance and steadfastness in the face of this world's tyrants."
"It is the university of heroism and jihad for the sake of the holy humanitarian goals," the Iranian leader told an ecstatic crowd of tens of thousands that gathered at the al-Raya stadium in Beirut Southern Suburbs. "They are seeking to create disputes in our region. In Lebanon we find that the vicious hand of crime had assassinated a dear friend and a dignitary who was loyal to his country," said Ahmadinejad in reference to slain Lebanese premier Rafik Hariri. The West "accused another friend (Hizbullah) of the murder," added the Iranian leader.
"And then we see how reports get fabricated." He declared that "a resistance front has been formed by the peoples of Lebanon, Palestine, Syria, Turkey, Iran, Iraq and all the region."
"Our world today is at the gateway of major change, whose elements have started to emerge from our region," added Ahmadinejad. He described Israel as "the embodiment of the deception of the capitalist world order and the materialistic ideas." Beirut, 13 Oct 10, 22:25

Nasrallah Welcoming Ahmadinejad: Tehran Wants Lebanon Free, No Iranian Scheme in Lebanon
Naharnet/Hizbullah Secretary-General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah on Wednesday stressed that Iran, his armed group's main ideological and military supporter, had no scheme of its own to implement in Lebanon.
Speaking via video link during a mass rally organized by Hizbullah in honor of visiting Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Nasrallah added: "There are those ... who speak of an Iranian scheme for Palestine, for Lebanon, for the Arab region ... and work to strike fear into governments and peoples."
"What Iran wants for Lebanon is what the Lebanese want. What Iran wants in Palestine is what the Palestinians want. That is the Iranian scheme."
"President Ahmadinejad is right when he says Israel is illegitimate and should cease to exist," Nasrallah told an ecstatic crowd of tens of thousands that gathered at the Raya stadium in Beirut Southern Suburbs.
Ahmadinejad, who has called Israel a "tumor," has denied the Holocaust and repeatedly said the Jewish state is "doomed to be wiped off the map."
As recently as last month, he said the people of the Middle East are "capable of removing the Zionist regime" from the world scene.
Chanting "death to America" and "death to Israel," Hizbullah supporters turned out en masse to welcome Ahmadinejad.
A beaming Ahmadinejad, who arrived in Lebanon Wednesday morning on a two-day visit, waved at the crowd before taking a seat next to Hizbullah number two Sheikh Naim Qassem.
The Iranian leader then broke into tears of joy as he watched the cheering crowd.
"The West can't put up with the Iranian president because he says the truth and declares that Israel must be eradicated. Iran's role in the Arab region is for the sake of the Arab Nation," Nasrallah stressed.
"I bear witness that Iran has never asked us to thank it, and that Iran is practicing its divine duty in line with its creed and religion," Hizbullah leader added.
He described Iran as "one of the most important guarantees in our Islamic and Arab worlds, and the greatest evidence on that is Iran's stance on the American pastor who wanted to burn the Koran."
The rally was held at an outdoor stadium where Iranian flags and photos of Ahmadinejad were hoisted alongside two life-sized pictures of overturned Israeli Merkava tanks.
A photo of a crying Israeli soldier bearing the message "Israel has fallen" was also on display as video footage of the 2006 war aired on a giant screen.
"Iran is the heartbeat of the resistance," said Hussein Khawi, 50, who was at the rally. "Israel won't dare come near south Lebanon anymore."
Added Hajj Hussein, a 65-year-old Lebanese who resides in Canada: "I came to thank Ahmadinejad for what he offered us.
"Iran stands by us and that means victory is ours." Ahmadinejad's trip is seen as a major boost for Hizbullah but has drawn criticism from members of Lebanon's pro-Western parliamentary majority who see it as a bid to portray the country as "an Iranian base on the Mediterranean." The highlight of Ahmadinejad's trip comes on Thursday when he will be just a few kilometers away from the Israeli border as he tours southern villages destroyed during the devastating 2006 war between Hizbullah and Israel. Iran has been a major donor in the reconstruction of southern Lebanon following the month-long war, and Ahmadinejad is set to receive a hero's welcome in the area.(Naharnet-AFP) Beirut, 13 Oct 10, 21:52

Berri: Iran's Backing of Resistance is a Support for All Lebanese
Naharnet/Speaker Nabih Berri on Wednesday stressed Iran's right to "the peaceful use of nuclear energy," echoing an earlier stance the same day by President Michel Suleiman. Speaking at a dinner banquet he hosted in honor of visiting Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Berri thanked Tehran for showing its willingness to equip the Lebanese army. "We do not see anything wrong in that, especially that Lebanon's friends have offered aid and the Iranian help would be unconditional," Berri added.He stressed that "Iran's backing of the Resistance in Lebanon is a support for all the Lebanese, rather than arming of the Shiites in Lebanon.""Iran provides support for defiance and for the Palestinian resistance," Berri said, rhetorically wondering "if that represents sectarian bias." Beirut, 13 Oct 10, 23:07

Geagea Says Ahmadinejad's Remarks 'Moderate': If Only Everyone Would Emulate Him and His Speeches
Naharnet/Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea on Wednesday described as "moderate" remarks made by visiting Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad during a joint press conference with his Lebanese counterpart Michel Suleiman."The important thing is that the remarks were made at the Baabda Palace ... if only everyone would emulate him and his speeches," Geagea added. In a chat with reporters before leaving the Baabda Palace, where he took part in a lunch banquet held by the Lebanese president in honor of his Iranian counterpart, Geagea said that "not putting a veto on any political party regarding participation" in the lunch banquet is "a positive thing." On the other hand, the LF leader described the phone talks Ahmadinejad held with Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz al-Saud on the eve of his visit to Lebanon as a "positive act."Asked about the reason he did not shake hands with Ahmadinejad, Geagea said: "When presidents Suleiman and Ahmadinejad entered the hall, everyone were seated, and it was not possible to shake hands."As to a possible meeting between Ahmadinejad and March 14 leaders, Geagea denied he was aware of any efforts in that regard; however, he added that he does not mind meeting the Iranian leader.Geagea rejected describing the current situation in Lebanon as a "truce," stressing the need to "abide by state institutions."He reiterated that "there are no false witnesses, but rather witnesses with no credibility or questioned credibility."As to the latest cabinet session, Geagea described it as positive, hoping "all sessions would go that way." Beirut, 13 Oct 10, 19:28

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
October 13, 2010
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad arrived at Beirut’s Rafik Hariri International Airport on Wednesday morning for an official two-day visit. Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah delivered a welcoming speech in the evening at Al-Raya Stadium in Dahiyeh followed by an address by Ahmadinejad.
Nasrallah:
“I direct this brief word on behalf of you all to welcome Lebanon’s great and dear guest. Your Excellency the president, I welcome you in the name of the leaders and members of the Amal Movement and Hezbollah, in the name of all the departed Imam Moussa al-Sadr’s children, in the name of those who love the sacred Imam al-Khomeini, in the name of the secretaries general and members of the Lebanese parties present among us, who have welcomed this visit. I welcome you in the name of the victorious holy fighters, in the name of the men, women, and children – in the name of these people that resisted and fought in the [2006] July War and achieved a miraculous victory. I welcome you in the name of the most honorable and purest of people.
I bear witness as one of those who have an old relationship with the decision-makers in Iran. I say honestly and without flattery that what Iran wants in Palestine is that which the Palestinians want [themselves]: That the Islamic and Christian holy places return, that the land return from the sea to the river, and that these oppressed people live in their [own] state on independent land liberated by blood. This is Palestine’s project, and Iran’s project for Palestine. This is the project of Imam al-Khomeini and the decision of Imam al-Khamenei. This president’s guilt is that he expresses this with transparency and honesty, in the UN and wherever he goes. The West has set itself against him because he says that Israel is an illegitimate state and must disappear.
I want to bear testament before God and on your behalf because it is a duty upon my shoulders toward the Iranian leadership. There are those in Lebanon, Palestine, and our Arab region who speak about an Iranian project. They speak about an Iranian project for Palestine, Lebanon, and the region. They make assumptions about the appearance and content of this project from a negative position, and they work to make governments and peoples afraid of it.
In Lebanon Iran wants what the Lebanese people want: That it be an independent and sovereign people, present in the regional balance. There is no other Iranian project.
In my [position of] responsibility in Hezbollah, I bear witness before you that Iran, which has always supported us and still does, has never demanded of me that I take a [particular] stance. It has never issued a command and never expected thanks from us, although we take pride in our deep faith in the guardianship of the just, wise, and courageous jurisprudent.
Iran has no special project. Its project in Lebanon is that of the Lebanese, and likewise in Palestine and the Arab region. What Iran is doing in our region is its divine duty and is harmonious with our creed and religion.
There are those who continually spread [the idea] that Iran is a source of strife and strives to tear apart the ranks. Here we must testify that the Iranian Islamic Republic is one of the greatest guarantees for an end to wars and the support of the peoples in our Islamic world today.
When the American pastor said a while ago that he was going to burn the Quran, Imam al-Khamenei issued a historic statement [in which] he warned the Muslims and Christians that there are those who wish to incite [strife] among them. [Khamenei] said that it is impermissible for us to commit similar acts against Christian sacred [objects], and thereby dealt strife a heavy blow.
Some weeks ago, when a Shia unknown to the Shias gave a speech in London insulting [the Prophet’s wife] Aisha and some of the Prophet’s companions, and some of the strife-sowing Arab satellite channels broadcast this speech, Imam al-Khamenei issued [a statement] saying that this [kind of speech] about the Prophet’s wives is forbidden, and thereby dealt strife a heavy blow.
The conclusion that Iran affirms is that if a Muslim errs, all Muslims are not held accountable, and if a Christian or Sunni errs, [neither] are the Christians or Sunnis all held accountable. So why do we run so quickly toward the strife that America wants?
Iran is a guarantee for unity, Resistance, and the oppressed, from [its] stance of wisdom, responsibility, and historical [consciousness].
This [Iranian] republic in its leadership, people, and government is a grace from God for you. Take advantage of it and thank God for it. Do not listen to the Satans America and Israel, from whom we only see war and destruction.
The final word is a word of thanks to Iran. Your Excellency the president, we thank you for your visit and your love. We thank you for your courage and wisdom, for your tremendous humility and your service to your people and the affairs of our [Islamic] community. We thank you for your support amid all difficulties. You do not ask for thanks, [but] we thank you for your presence on the land of the Dahiyeh, on the land of Resistance and steadfastness.”
Ahmadinejad:
“I thank God Most High and Exalted and I praise Him unceasingly for blessing me with this visit with you, dear Lebanese people. Lebanon is the cradle of the worshippers and the free, a green oasis flourishing with flowers from which emanates the perfume of varied religions, sects, and denominations.
Lebanon is the school of Resistance and perseverance against the tyrants of this world. It is the streaming banner of glory and independence, and the brilliant pearl at the edge of this region.
The [Lebanese] people’s purity of thought, transcendence of spirit, and purity of soul matches the beauty of its home, and has grown into a fabric without equal.
Dear ones, visiting lofty Lebanon and meeting its fine people and their officials is for me a pure and beautiful vision.
I come from the land of Imam al-Khomeini, may God be pleased with him, carrying the finest salutations and the love of the Iranian people and their guiding leadership, dear and beloved ones.
May the peace and blessings of God most Mighty and Exalted be upon the Lebanese people and all its varied religions and sects.
May the peace and blessings of God most Mighty and Exalted be upon [Lebanon’s] religious scholars, cultural figures, and innnovators, and especially the Lebanese youth that has defended and continually defends Lebanon and its independence.
Dear ones, our world stands today on the threshold of a great change which began to take shape in our very own region.
You know well and the arrogant dominators have made use of material force, distortion, and violence for dozens – nay, for hundreds – of years in order to establish their control. They made of our region a platform for their subjugation of the entire world.
These [arrogant ones] did not stop at any limit, and they were not satisfied with anything less than bending the region to their will.
While they placed others in the position of debtor, they placed themselves in the position of accountant and creditor. Peoples’ souls, resources, capacities, dignity, and cultures – especially with our peoples – did not enjoy any sanctity before these [arrogant ones].
From the perspective of these [arrogant ones], the Muslim, Christian, and Jew, and every true monotheist calling for justice is considered equally and is looked upon as an enemy.
Their materialist ideas themselves contradict the divinely-given instinct that lifts humans toward the truth, exactly as ignorance and darkness contradict the light.
The truth is that the former colonialists and enslavers, after they met with bitter defeat, tried to change their skin and color their slogans. However, the objectives remain as they were.
Whereas justice, liberty, and care for the rights of others are captive in the hearts of the peoples, these [arrogant ones] clothed their immoral behavior in lustrous garments. Here I want to mention that first, through a pre-meditated plan, without regard for the region’s peoples and under the pretext of compensating for the losses of the world war, they occupied Palestine by force. They killed thousands and made millions homeless. They created a constant and continual threat to all the peoples and states of the world. Wherever they wanted hegemony they unleashed the indiscriminate and profligate force of this entity.
Look carefully. Do you find anything in Zionism’s record besides crimes? You see yourselves the murder of men, women and children in Palestine, the use of banned weapons and open assassinations. [You see yourselves] attacks on civilians and aid convoys in international waters, and war crimes in Lebanon and Palestine. All these ugly acts have become normal affairs and the daily bread of these people.
The Zionist entity is documentation expressing the insidiousness of the capitalist system and materialist ideas and embodying them. The obvious evidence for this is the consensus of the arrogant states in presenting absolute support to [it]. All these states consider this state to be an agent of their unity and a tool for their control over the world. Therefore they supplied it with nuclear weapons.
The protectors of this entity have delighted in insulting [God], the Prophets, and the holy places. As for resistance to aggressions and standing against the imposition of the Zionist enemy, this is an unforgivable crime in their opinion.
As for the grass in another place, the people in the West are offended by the idea of Zionism. If not for pressure and constraint, they would have expressed their opinion. Through divine generosity and the steadfastness of the region’s peoples, human waves have appeared against this aggressive entity through this world. These are worshipers of God who have united around faith in Him.
Secondly, [the arrogant ones’ crimes include] creating divisions in our region. In Lebanon, we find that the sinful hand of treachery has reached a dear friend and a personality zealous for its nation. Then we see how news is fabricated to direct accusations at the remaining friends in an effort to reach worthless aims by sowing seeds of division.
They want to divide peoples composed of varied religions and sects that have lived together in love. They want to harm brotherly relations among peoples, such as the relationship between the Lebanese and Syrian peoples.
My dear ones, look! Whenever the enemies occupy a country or conquer a people, they play the strings of sectarian sensitivity and denominational tension.
Creating division is the open style used by the regimes of hegemony. The enemies did not and do not want the people of this region to be united, independent, and developed. However, thanks to the peoples’ consciousness, these enemies’ divisive plans have been exposed. The region’s peoples know well that the symbol of might is unity. They are completely aware of the essence of the dividers and will cause the enemies to miss the mark.
Thirdly, they found in the painful September 11 a pretext to conquer Palestine, then they conquered Iraq with other excuses. They murdered and made homeless hundreds of thousands of people, and destroyed all the infrastructure.
When we look at the dimensions of what the occupiers have done in Afghanistan, Iraq, and recently in Pakistan, we realize well that their goal is not to discover who executed the September 11 events. Rather, these events were merely a pretext for presence in the region and pursuing colonial goals. Knowing the truth of what happened on September 11 and examining the black box [of the airplanes] for this purpose is the solution to many problems.
From here, I announce that the formation of an independent and neutral team to examine the facts and discover the truth of the September 11 events is the demand of all the peoples of the region and the world.
Let the American politicians and their allies note that relying on this matter forms a suitable exit for them as well, and every kind of opposition to this humanitarian demand makes clear that these events were executed through premeditated planning for the sake of expansionist goals.
I advise that the best exit for the occupiers of Afghanistan and Iraq is to leave the region, apologize to [its] peoples, and compensate for losses.
If they do not pay heed to this advice, the hand of these peoples will expel them from the region in a humiliating way and will place the criminals in the grip of justice.
Fourthly, there are free people from Palestine and all the other peoples who have been kidnapped in a cowardly way and yet we do not hear a voice raised in their defense. There are believing women and courageous youth whose wives and fathers the agents of Zionism kidnapped during their occupation of Lebanon. Hussein Moussawi and other Iranian diplomats are individuals of knowledge and love for humanity, truly committed to security and peace. They were present in Lebanon legally and are today illegally prisoners of the Zionist entity.
Based on confirmed documents and information, these diplomats are still alive and are prisoners in the sinful hand of the Zionist entity. The Zionist entity is responsible for their safety and most permit the delegates of the Red Cross to meet them as soon as possible and prepare for their exit along with all of the detainees.
Fifthly, the economic crisis, atmospheric pollution, and climate change. These factors cause poverty, backwardness, and many other problems for many peoples. They are also one of the results of the system of capitalism, which only aims to maximize profits without paying attention to moral values.
We would need hours to present a list of the destructive steps of the capitalist regime, but the facts are today plainly visible to people’s eyes.
This right which in 1982 occupied vast swathes of Lebanon until it reached Beirut in three stages, especially during the [2006] July [war], met with a bitter defeat. It was expelled through the zeal of the Lebanese people and its Resistance, and the heroic confrontations that the Lebanese army entered. The butchery of the Gazan people and their resistance made the weakness of this entity clearer than ever.
With the launch of the promise to return a small piece of the Palestinian lands without the return of the refugees and under the harshest conditions, they talk about peace. This at a time in which expansion and aggression continue without commitment to any of the international resolutions. All should know that the existence of this entity in any form, even on one inch of Palestinian land, gives opportunities to this entity. All should know that the Jewish state means a racist state. What is the way to solve this issue?
The only way to solve the Palestinian matter and establish peace rooted in the region is to admit the sovereign right of Palestine and the departure of all the occupiers to their original countries. It is in the interest of the Zionist entity’s leaders to return Palestine to its original owners. If not, then the wrath of the Palestinian people and the rest of the free peoples will leave little trace of them.
Here I ask some of the region’s countries to permit the people to express their opinions freely regarding these hegemonic powers and the crimes of the Zionist entity, and to permit people to present support to the oppressed Palestinian people. No doubt any country or person who in any way seeks to recognize the Zionist entity and give it an opportunity to renew its power will be ostracized and condemned by the region’s peoples.
If they feel indebted to Zionism then they should try to pay this debt from their pockets. No doubt the Palestinian people can practice its national sovereignty itself.
To the UN, I say: Enough negligence. The time has come to prove that it is an organization of united nations in reality, and not an organization of hegemonic states. Rather than recognizing occupation, let them recognize the legitimacy and right of the Palestinian people to practice its sovereignty. Let them compel Zionism to bow before the truth and the law. This is what the region’s peoples want.
The Resistance front formed in Palestine and in Lebanon, in Syria and Turkey, in Iraq and Iran and all of the region. I say with trust that the Zionist entity is headed for collapse and there is no power able to save it.
Dear Lebanese people, Lebanon is the homeland of the monotheists and the pure. However, the Satans do not delight in unity and harmony because from these the peoples draw power. Therefore they continually work to confuse. However, I say with trust that you are a symbol of victory and a word of unity. You have put despair in the hearts of the Satans.
Lebanese brothers and sisters, your affairs and the affairs of the Iranian people are one. Therefore we are present with you in one front. The glory and development of Lebanon is for us as well. We will always stay together and at each other’s side through thick and thin. During meetings with respected Lebanese officials we together laid down solid bases for development in brotherly relations in multiple fields.
No doubt the implementation of these agreements will bring benefit to each people. Here I can only extend great thanks to his Excellency President Michel Sleiman, and his Excellency Speaker Nabih Berri, and his Excellency Prime Minister Saad Hariri. I especially thank and appreciate the dear warrior and scholar [Hezbollah Secretary General] Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah. I also thank all the Lebanese officials and the Lebanese youth.
I also say loudly that the coming global system must be comprehensive and just, in order for peace and security to be rooted in a basis of love and justice in all parts of the world. Every state and people must be able to participate in the administration of this world’s affairs in a safe atmosphere, in order for human dignity to be allowed to crystallize in the shade of true justice and the essence of humanity. This is a divine promise and this promise will be fulfilled.
I would like to thank those in attendance and all the dignitaries and officials, the ministers and MPs, and the respected spiritual personalities.
Peace and salutations to human dignity and justice. Peace and salutations to lofty Lebanon. Peace to Palestine and Iran. The future is yours and there is no doubt that the enemies have no place in this bright future.”