LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
ِOctober 18/2010

Bible Of The Day
Matthew 25/1-13: "Then the Kingdom of Heaven will be like ten virgins, who took their lamps, and went out to meet the bridegroom. 25:2 Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. 25:3 Those who were foolish, when they took their lamps, took no oil with them, 25:4 but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. 25:5 Now while the bridegroom delayed, they all slumbered and slept. 25:6 But at midnight there was a cry, ‘Behold! The bridegroom is coming! Come out to meet him!’ 25:7 Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps. 25:8 The foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ 25:9 But the wise answered, saying, ‘What if there isn’t enough for us and you? You go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.’ 25:10 While they went away to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was shut. 25:11 Afterward the other virgins also came, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open to us.’ 25:12 But he answered, ‘Most certainly I tell you, I don’t know you.’ 25:13 Watch therefore, for you don’t know the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming".
 

Free Opinions, Releases, letters, Interviews & Special Reports
Hopeless helpless Lebanon/By: Aline Sara/October 17/10

Latest News Reports From Miscellaneous Sources for October 17/10
Nasrallah Lied to Ahmadinejad About Gun Gift, Report/Naharnet
Al-Markaziya: Geagea and Hariri assessed Ahmadinejad’s Beirut visit/Now Lebanon
Chatah: STL will not be cancelled/Now Lebanon
Urgent Lebanon-Syria Summit in Damascus/Naharnet
Suleiman Postpones Switzerland Trip to Ensure No Vote on False Witnesses/Naharnet
Oghassabian: Tribunal Creats Calls for Arab Action/Naharnet
Dynamite, C-4 Explosives Found in South Lebanon/Naharnet
Jumblat, Baroud, Franjieh Exerting Efforts to Maintain Calm/Naharnet
Bellemare's Office: Evidence Alone can Lead to an Accusation/Naharnet
LF Sources: Hariri and Geagea Agreed on Need to Keep Lebanon Away from Any Axis/Naharnet
Aoun Slams Those Who Take Up Arms against Resistance/Naharnet
Assad Reportedly to Discuss Tribunal Exit Strategy with Abdullah in Riyadh/Naharnet
World Powers Have No Choice but Talk with Iran: Ahmadinejad/Naharnet
Karam did not confess to collaborating with Israel, Kanaan says/Now Lebanon
Nasrallah, Aoun stress importance of Ahmadinejad’s Beirut visit/Now Lebanon
Ahmadinejad thanks Lebanese officials for warm reception/Now Lebanon

Netanyahu: Lebanon Rapidly Becoming Iran Satellite, It's a Tragedy for Lebanon
Naharnet/Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday that Lebanon was quickly becoming a "satellite" of Tehran after Beirut hosted a controversial visit by Iran's president.
Netanyahu's remarks came after Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad again predicted Israel's destruction, speaking at a packed rally in the southern Lebanese city of Bint Jbeil, just a few kilometers from the border with Israel. "In the last few days we have heard slurs and insults directed at Israel," he told a weekly cabinet meeting held in northern Israel in honor of the 100th anniversary of the establishment of the first kibbutz, or communal farm, at Degania Alef. "Lebanon is rapidly becoming a new satellite of Iran. It's a tragedy for Lebanon," he said, in remarks carried by army radio. On Thursday Ahmadinejad toured the southern Lebanon border region, the heartland of Hizbullah, and addressed a crowd of some 15,000 supporters waving Iranian and Hizbullah flags. "The whole world knows that the Zionists are going to disappear," he said to thunderous applause in Bint Jbeil, which was devastated during the 2006 war between Israel and Hizbullah. "The occupying Zionists today have no choice but to accept reality and go back to their countries of origin," he added. His visit to the south brought Ahmadinejad the closest he has ever been to Israel and was seen as a joint show of defiance with Hizbullah. The border area remains tense, with both Israel and Hizbullah having vowed a massive reprisal to any attack. Israel has long viewed Iran as its biggest threat because of Ahmadinejad's hardline rhetoric, his country's controversial nuclear enrichment program and its support for Hizbullah and the Islamist Hamas movement ruling Gaza.(AFP-Naharnet) Beirut, 17 Oct 10, 17:40

World powers have no option but talk with Iran, Ahmadinejad says
October 17, 2010 /World powers have no option but to talk with Iran over its nuclear program, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Sunday. "We said from the start that the best way is to talk to Iran. You don't have any other option. All other ways are blocked," said Ahmadinejad, commenting for the first time since the dates for the negotiations between the six world powers and Iran were fixed. The six world powers—the United States, Britain, China, France, Russia and Germany—are to hold talks with Iran from November 15 to 18 to address Western concerns over Tehran's nuclear program. The powers led by Washington suspect Iran is masking a weapons drive under the guise of what it says is a purely civilian atomic program. The talks have been deadlocked since October 2009 when the two groups met in Geneva.-AFP/NOW Lebanon

Al-Markaziya: Geagea and Hariri assessed Ahmadinejad’s Beirut visit
October 17, 2010 /Al-Markaziya news agency quoted on Sunday an unnamed Lebanese Forces source as saying that Prime Minister Saad Hariri discussed Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s Beirut visit with LF leader Samir Geagea during their Friday meeting. The Iranian president arrived in Beirut Wednesday morning on an official visit that took him to Lebanon’s border with Israel. He left the country on Thursday night. Hariri and Geagea said that Lebanon will not be a part of any axis and its position regarding current issues will agree with Arab consensus, the source said. The PM and the LF leader also tackled the Lebanese situation, particularly the issue of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL), the source added.
Tension has run high in Lebanon after reports said that the STL would soon issue its indictment for the 2005 assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. There are fears that should the court indict Hezbollah members, it could lead to clashes similar to those of the 2008 May Events. -NOW Lebanon

Ahmadinejad thanks Lebanese officials for warm reception
October 17, 2010 /Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad thanked President Michel Sleiman, Speaker Nabih Berri, Prime Minister Saad Hariri and Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah for their generous hospitability during his visit to Lebanon, according to a statement issued by the Iranian Embassy in Lebanon on Sunday. Ahmadinejad arrived in Beirut Wednesday morning on an official visit that took him to Lebanon’s border with Israel. He left the country on Thursday night. -NOW Lebanon

Chatah: STL will not be cancelled
October 17, 2010 /Prime Minister Saad Hariri’s advisor, Mohammad Chatah, told New TV on Sunday that the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) will not be cancelled, even if the premier wants to stop the tribunal. He added that it would be impossible to clear Hezbollah of involvement in the 2005 assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri if the tribunal is cancelled. “There are fears regarding Lebanon, and not just regarding the cabinet,” Chatah warned. “The crisis of institutions will not lead anywhere and will make it more difficult to resolve any repercussions of the STL’s [pending] indictment,” the political advisor added. Tension has run high in Lebanon after reports said that the STL would soon issue its indictment for the Rafik Hariri murder. There are fears that should the court indict Hezbollah members, it could lead to clashes similar to those of the 2008 May Events. Hariri does mind meeting certain figures despite his disagreements with them, Chatah said, possibly referring to a potential meeting between Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah and the PM. Chatah added that Hariri’s policies in Lebanon are based on communication with everyone. -NOW Lebanon

Nasrallah, Aoun stress importance of Ahmadinejad’s Beirut visit
October 16, 2010 /Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah held a meeting with Change and Reform bloc leader MP Michel Aoun on Friday, during which they stressed the importance of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s visit to Beirut this week, according to a statement issued by Hezbollah on Saturday. Energy Minister Gebran Bassil, Nasrallah’s political aide Hussein Khalil and Hezbollah official Wafiq Safa took part in the meeting, the statement said. “The members of the meeting highlighted the success of [Ahmadinejad’s visit]… [and discussed the] latest domestic and regional developments,” the statement added.The Iranian president arrived in Beirut Wednesday morning on an official visit that took him to Lebanon’s border with Israel. He left Lebanon on Thursday night.-NOW Lebanon

Karam did not confess to collaborating with Israel, Kanaan says
October 17, 2010 /Change and Reform bloc MP Ibrahim Kanaan told OTV on Sunday that retired Brigadier General Fayez Karam did not confess to collaborating with Israel, adding that Karam’s arrest aims to target Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun.
Karam—who is also an FPM official—was arrested August 5 on charges of spying for Israel.
“Karam was not arrested like others were,” Kanaan said, adding that the media began targeting the former shortly after his arrest.
Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea’s visit to Baabda to receive Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejnad was a positive step, the MP also said.
The Iranian president arrived in Beirut Wednesday morning on an official visit that took him to Lebanon’s border with Israel. He left the country on Thursday night.
-NOW Lebanon

Aoun Slams Those Who Take Up Arms against Resistance
Naharnet/Free Patriotic Movement leader Michel Aoun on Sunday attacked those who take up arms against the Resistance. "Anyone who takes up arms against the Resistance is cooperating with external sides against Lebanon," Aoun said during a graduation ceremony for Grade 12 students. "There is no discord in Lebanon and no sectarian war," he stressed. He pointed out that "today's conflict is between those who want to surrender and those who want the Resistance." "Do not listen to the sectarian rhetoric," he told students. "War today is not sectarian but sectarianism is a cover for an Israeli war on us to fragment Lebanon and bomb the remaining Palestinians outside Israel." Responding to a question on whether the war and peace decision was in Hizbullah's hands, Aoun said: "The war-peace decision is only in the hands of Israel and America." Beirut, 17 Oct 10, 13:44

Urgent Lebanon-Syria Summit in Damascus
Naharnet/An urgent summit on Lebanon is due to be held in the coming hours, An-Nahar newspaper said Sunday. It said the summit will take place in Damascus. It was not clear whether the summit, which was accompanied by phone calls between President Michel Suleiman and his Syrian counterpart Bashar Assad, will be held before or after Sunday's Syria-Saudi summit in Riyadh. An-Nahar quoted sources as saying that the Damascus summit was designed to follow up on the outcome of the July 5 tripartite summit in Baabda between Suleiman, Assad and Saudi King Abdullah. That summit, described as an Arab security umbrella for Lebanon, is also said to be aimed to avert tension over the expected indictment by the Special Tribunal for Lebanon. The summit comes at a sensitive time, with Prime Minister Saad Hariri in a standoff with Hizbullah over a U.N.-backed probe into the assassination of his father, former premier Rafik Hariri. The tribunal is rumored to be set to indict Hizbullah members over the 2005 assassination, and tensions have grown steadily, raising fears of renewed sectarian violence and the collapse of the hard-won national unity government. Beirut, 17 Oct 10, 07:34

Suleiman Postpones Switzerland Trip to Ensure No Vote on False Witnesses
Naharnet/President Michel Suleiman is seeking to maintain his centrist role and ensure Cabinet won't vote on the false witnesses' issue during Wednesday's meeting. In this respect, Interior Minister Ziad Baroud has conducted a series of behind-the-scene contacts aimed at guaranteeing no vote, An-Nahar newspaper reported Sunday. In parallel, according to the daily, external efforts were also being exerted to avoid a vote that could embarrass Prime Minister Saad Hariri and force him to quit. Meanwhile, the Central News Agency said Suleiman has postponed the travel date to Switzerland in a bid to preside over a Cabinet meeting scheduled for Wednesday. Suleiman was set to head to Switzerland on Tuesday to take part in the 13th Francophone summit to be held in the Lake Geneva town of Montreux. Beirut, 17 Oct 10, 09:07

Nasrallah Lied to Ahmadinejad About Gun Gift, Report
Naharnet/Hizbullah chief Hassan Nasrallah deceived Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad by giving him a gun he claimed was taken from an Israeli soldier in the 2006 war, an Israeli newspaper said Sunday. The mass-selling Yediot Aharonot said the gun, which Nasrallah presented to Ahmadinejad in person on his controversial two-day visit to Lebanon, was a type of weapon not been used by the Israeli military since the early 1970s. The paper quoted a military spokesperson as saying the weapon was "most likely" a FNFAL 7.62 rifle that went out of use in 1974, meaning it could not have been taken from soldiers during Israel's more recent invasion of Lebanon. A military spokesman contacted by AFP declined to comment on the report. The devastating 34-day war in the summer of 2006 claimed the lives of some 1,200 Lebanese, mostly civilians, and 160 Israelis, mostly soldiers, and destroyed much of southern Lebanon. The war was widely seen as a victory for Nasrallah's Shiite Lebanese movement, which continued to fire hundreds of rockets on northern Israel until the end of the fighting and prevented Israeli forces from recovering two soldiers whose capture in a deadly cross-border raid had sparked the conflict. Ahmadinejad's visit to Lebanon, in which he again predicted Israel's demise from Bint Jbeil, a Hizbullah stronghold near the border, was condemned as "provocative" by the United States and Israel. Israel views Iran as its main strategic threat because of Tehran's harsh rhetoric, its controversial nuclear enrichment program and its support for both Hizbullah and the Palestinian Hamas movement ruling Gaza.(AFP) Beirut, 17 Oct 10, 13:11

Oghassabian: Tribunal Creats Calls for Arab Action
Naharnet/State Minister Jean Oghassabian said the Special Tribunal for Lebanon is the key issue drawing attention and creating calls for Arab action. "When President Assad visits Riyadh and Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal visits Cairo this indicates that the main focus of all meetings is the Special Tribunal for Lebanon," Oghassabian said in remarks published Sunday by An-Nahar newspaper. "The conclusion is that time is running out," he added. "This was clear in the stance taken by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in his speech at Raya Stadium, a position not far from the position of Damascus," Oghassabian believed. "In my opinion, Arab action is aimed at finding a way out of the STL crisis as a whole and not just find an exit from the false witnesses' issue," he believed. Beirut, 17 Oct 10, 08:33

Hopeless helpless Lebanon
Talking to Lady Yvonne Cochrane of Sursock
Aline Sara , October 17, 2010
Lady Yvonne Sursock Cochrane has been fighting to preserve Lebanon’s heritage since 1960 when she founded the country’s first organization on the matter, the Association for the Protection of the Natural Sites and Ancient Buildings (APSAD). She presided APSAD from 1960 until 2002. Today, she continues in her battle, although pessimistic about prospects. NOW Lebanon spoke with Lady Cochrane in Sursock palace to address her concerns in more depth.
Tell us about your involvement in APSAD and the organization.
Lady Yvonne Sursock Cochrane: I founded APSAD at the end of the 1950s because, looking out of the windows of this house, I realized the view, which was absolutely magnificent, was becoming less magnificent due to anonymous building creeping up and taking up space, buildings that have absolutely no architectural value of any sort.
I noticed this was the trend, and something needed to be done about it. At the time, Beirut was still beautiful. We started as three [people], and gradually formed a committee of more people. We tried to get more people involved, but as you know, we’ve seldom had people of culture in our government.
At first, the government didn’t take us seriously and looked at us with a condescending kindness. To them, why should men deal with such futile questions? But, gradually they realized we meant business and became more cooperative. The problem is with parliament, which is a disaster.
We grew and formed a committee of 12 people, and we started trying to explain to people we had a magnificent heritage. We published the first book on the subject, “L’habitation au Liban” [lebanon's habitat]. Today, there’s almost a book a week on the subject. Unfortunately, it doesn’t translate on the ground because, to begin with, people in our parliament are uncultured. They just don’t understand what they are talking about, despite [the presence of] some very good ministers.
Can you name a few of them?
Lady Cochrane: Well there are good ministers, but nobody listens to them! [Former Culture Minister] Tamam Salam made a series of good proposals; none of them passed. [Current Culture Minster Salim] Warde said to me, “There is not one of my proposals being accepted. There’s nothing I can do. I’m just sitting there.” [Former Culture Minister Tarek] Mitri told me he tried to pass a law suppressing [the inheritance tax] on listed houses, four years ago. But these people [parliament] just don’t understand that we have very few listed buildings and that in most countries, you remove the [inheritance tax] on listed buildings so people have a possibility of restoring. There are so few listed buildings, how much could they lose anyway? Taxes are important they say. But they are losing heritage!
But now moving on to the second reason, you talk about municipality in Lebanon? It just doesn’t exist in this country! The municipality is a very complex organization. A permit to build should be subject to a team of architects, lawyers, doctors etc. Not just one person. And the teams all form a municipality. I have taken good use of what has been done in Bordeaux and reduced it into a proposal based on the French that I submitted.
So the bulk of the problem is the government and municipality. What are your thoughts about civil society initiatives such as Save Beirut Heritage?
Lady Cochrane: They are very good and work with APSAD and are trying to get all the different organizations together. It is very important to have the young actively involved. That is why I’ve been trying to get universities, like [the Lebanese Academy of Fine Arts] ALBA and Kaslik to organize to teach [students] about this. There are so many things they don’t know. Do any of the students know that in capital cities like Paris, there are no land prices? The speculation there is on the building, not on the land itself. In Lebanon, it is based on land prices. Most of our skyscrapers are empty. The Lebanese are so keen on copying. They copy Dubai, Manhattan. Lebanese copy and don’t realize that top society Americans live in old homes outside of Manhattan, for example.
Some architects have voiced criticism of Solidere’s work downtown. What are your thoughts?
Lady Cochrane: When Solidere started destroying Beirut, APSAD was upset. We sent articles in Europe, everywhere, about what was happening. Of course, this upset [former Prime Minister Rafik] Hariri, who, let’s face it, was a very intelligent man. And he wrote a book called Beirut Reborn which he sent to me and said, “I hope you’re satisfied.” What ended up happening was that some buildings that were going to be destroyed were restored. So he did a lot of restoration, which were the parts of the city that are the most popular today.
Lebanon is the only country in the region without a law to preserve our heritage. Is there any hope this will change?
Lady Cochrane: I know Warde and Mitri both tried to pass a law. But there is no hope; I think that in the next 20 years these empty skyscrapers will be taken by squatters. Look at what [MP Nicolas] Fattoush is doing with the quarries! That’s another problem. They also want to build a village on Sanine [mountain], one of our most important sources of water. Lebanon will just become a desert! We’ve tried to stop them from doing this, but they are decided to build.
If you had one recommendation for Lebanese youth, what would it be?
Lady Cochrane: I think people are realizing Beirut is becoming a monster. But it’s too late. It’s very difficult to change anything now. Beirut is overbuilt and destroyed. The only hope — I mean it’s a joke — but it’s to do what happened in Dresden, which was completely razed during the World War II. They took the paintings of this Italian painter who had represented Dresden and reproduced the city based on his work. In Beirut, you’d have to tear down all the skyscrapers. Or have a mixture. And rebuild Beirut according to the prints we have, Beirut as a garden city. It was a lovely garden city along the Mediterranean.
But practically speaking, what can young Lebanese activists do?
Lady Cochrane: What we need especially is a municipality. We should have trains. We’ve had them before. But Lebanese don’t go in the train. “Ayb” [Shame]. They don’t walk either.
Is there any hope for public transportation in Lebanon?
Lady Cochrane: No, because they make too much money with the cars coming into the country. Any time a car comes in, someone makes money. It means that in a few years, we won’t be able to get out of our houses. They don’t think of things like that. They are not interested.
Many have inquired about the tower being built over what used to be the Sursock gardens. Can you tell us a bit about this?
Lady Cochrane: It was neither me nor my son, who sold this land. It was the three daughters of my cousin, Linda Sursock. There was a garden between the Sursock Museum and the “Villa Linda” and the daughters sold it. I am very irritated by this and sadly, my cousins did not know how to preserve our heritage and our family treasure.