LCCC
ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
ِOctober
29/2010
Bible Of The
Day
James 3/13-18: The Heavenly Wisdom
"Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show by his good conduct that
his deeds are done in gentleness of wisdom. 3:14 But if you have bitter jealousy
and selfish ambition in your heart, don’t boast and don’t lie against the truth.
3:15 This wisdom is not that which comes down from above, but is earthly,
sensual, and demonic. 3:16 For where jealousy and selfish ambition are, there is
confusion and every evil deed. 3:17 But the wisdom that is from above is first
pure, then peaceful, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, without
partiality, and without hypocrisy. 3:18 Now the fruit of righteousness is sown
in peace by those who make peace".
Free Opinions,
Releases, letters, Interviews & Special Reports
WikiLeaks and the myth of a
“Lebanonized” Hezbollah/By: Tony Badran/October 28/10
Is Lebanon any longer Switzerland
of Mideast/By Claudia Schwartz/October 28/10
Ahmadinejad: The Poorest President
in the World/By Abdul Rahman Al-Rashid/October 28/10
Latest News Reports From Miscellaneous Sources for
October 28/10
American-Pakistani Man Arrested
in Washington Metro Bombing Plot/Naharnet
Security Council to Take Firm Position Regarding 1559 Regardless of Dahiyeh
Attack/Naharnet
Men Disguised as Women Likely
Involved in Attack on UN Investigators in Dahiyeh/Naharnet
Hizbullah: We Are Not Involved
in Attack on STL Investigators/Naharnet
Al-Manar Describes Dahiyeh
Incident as 'Moral Scandal', Says Women's Reaction was 'Firm'/Naharnet
STL 'undeterred' after investigators harassed/Daily Star
Allouch: Dahiyeh incident is
message from Hezbollah/Now Lebanon
Hajjar: Dahiyeh attack is clear
message of non-cooperation with STL/Now Lebanon
Nahhas: STL indictment should
consider Israeli telecom penetration/Now Lebanon
Lebanese Army discovers weapons
cache in Majdel Aanjar/Now Lebanon
32 people sentenced to prison for collaborating with Israel/AFP
UN Hariri Tribunal Undeterred By
Attack on Its Investigators in Lebanon/Bloomberg
Lebanon: UN Workers Attacked/New
York Times
Activist Convicted of Spying for
Hezbollah/Voice of America
Lebanese Army Arrest Man after Confiscating Bombs, Explosives/Naharnet
Siddiq Not Shot and
Wounded, Brother Says/Naharnet
March 14 Slams Attack
against STL Investigators, Calls for Avoiding Dragging Lebanon into Reckless
Adventures/Naharnet
Bellemare's Office:
Investigation Will Continue, Violence Won't Deter OTP from Pursuing Its Mission/Naharnet
Washington Condemns Attack
on STL Investigators in Dahiyeh/Naharnet
STL Describes Dahiyeh
Incident as 'Deplorable Attempt to Obstruct Justice'/Naharnet
Zahraman Says Dahiyeh
Incident May Be Attempt to Disrupt Security/Naharnet
Makari: Method of Using Ordinary
People in Attacks is Hizbullah's Trademark/Naharnet
Arab-Israeli Rights
Activist Convicted of Spying for Hizbullah/Naharnet
Berri Tells France
Lebanese Believe STL is Politicized as Paris Reaffirms Support for Tribunal/Naharnet
Saudi, Iran Vow to Help
Boost Lebanon Security, Stability/Naharnet
Houri: Lebanon has
Conceded All Privileges to STL/Naharnet
Hariri Hails Assad Remarks/Naharnet
Unknown group breaks into Church
cemetery and beats corpse/Now Lebanon
Report: US drawing up new,
tougher nuclear deal for Iran/Ynetnews
Iran to sit on UN women's
rights board/Ynetnews
Iran would surrender
Egyptian Islamists for Cairo's aid in Iraq and Lebanon/DEBKAfile Exclusive
Report
Security Council to Take Firm Position Regarding 1559 Regardless of Dahiyeh
Attack
Naharnet/The U.N. Security Council will reportedly move toward adopting a "firm
position" regarding Resolution 1559 regardless of Wednesday's attack on U.N.
investigators at a clinic in Beirut's southern suburbs.An-Nahar newspaper quoted
a Western source in Washington as saying that a number of the 15 member states
in the Security Council were considering taking a "firm position" regarding what
is happening in Lebanon during a closed-door session scheduled for Thursday to
discuss U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon's latest report on resolution 1559.
Meanwhile, Ban voiced concern about the recent escalation in political tensions
in Lebanon and urged all parties to focus on strengthening the country's
sovereignty and security and on resolving outstanding issues such as the
presence of armed militias. "Lebanon is currently experiencing a domestic
climate of uncertainty and fragility," Ban wrote in his 12th semi-annual report
on the implementation of Security Council resolution 1559.
Adopted in 2004 amid concern about high tensions within Lebanon, the resolution
calls for free and fair elections, an end to foreign interference and the
disbanding of all militias.
"It is therefore imperative that the spirit of entente and respect for the
principles of security prevail. The country's political leaders must focus on
strengthening its sovereignty and independence as well as its institutions," Ban
said. "I urge all political leaders to transcend sectarian and individual
interests and to genuinely promote the future and the interests of the nation."
Ban said that more needs to be done to fully implement the resolution, citing
the presence of Lebanese and non-Lebanese militias, as well as a "worrisome
pattern" of armed incidents that continue to pose a threat to the stability of
the country and the region.
"I remain keenly aware that the combination of mistrust among the parties and
the continued presence of militias could lead to tensions and possible
insecurity and instability in Lebanon and beyond," he says. "The country should
not be used as a staging ground for furthering regional aspirations or promoting
conflict." Ban said Hizbullah's "significant military arsenal creates an
atmosphere of intimidation and poses a key challenge to the safety of Lebanese
civilians and to the Government's monopoly on the legitimate use of force," and
calls on the group's leaders to transform it into a solely Lebanese political
party and to disarm.
The best guarantee that calm will be maintained and dialogue promoted in Lebanon
is the functioning of the Government of national unity, chaired by President
Michel Suleiman and which brings together the country's main political leaders,
remains an important tool towards this goal, Ban wrote. "I emphasize that the
main goal of the Dialogue should clearly be to bring all arms in Lebanon under
the sole control of the Government. I urge the participants in the National
Dialogue to demonstrate seriousness in addressing these critical questions of
sovereignty and national defense." Ban notes that recent security incidents
highlight the need for Lebanese security forces to do more to prevent and
respond to acts of violence, and for the Government and all relevant political
leaders to make clear that such acts will not be tolerated. "While the Lebanese
security forces are careful not to inflame sectarian tensions by appearing to
take sides in armed clashes, they clearly have a duty to enforce Lebanese law
and to protect Lebanon's civilian population from harm." Deploring the continued
Israeli violations of Lebanon's sovereignty and territorial integrity, the
Secretary-General called on Israel to adhere to its obligations under relevant
Security Council resolutions and withdraw from the northern part of the village
of Ghajar and cease its overflights of Lebanese airspace. Beirut, 28 Oct 10,
08:33
Washington Condemns Attack on STL Investigators in Dahiyeh
Naharnet/The United States condemned "in the strongest possible terms" an attack
on staffers of a UN court investigation the 2005 killing of former Lebanese
premier Rafk Hariri in Beirut on Wednesday. A security source earlier told AFP a
group of angry women charged at two male investigators and their female
translator who were on a scheduled appointment at a Beirut clinic, shouting
insults at them, and managed to wrangle a briefcase from them. "The United
States condemns in the strongest possible terms this morning's attack in Beirut
on three members of the staff of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon," U.S. State
Department spokesman Philip Crowley said in a statement. "This attack is yet
another attempt to create a false choice between justice and stability and to
prevent the independent Tribunal from carrying out its Security Council
mandate." He said that "efforts to discredit, hinder, or influence the
tribunal's work serve only to increase instability and tensions in the country
and should not be tolerated." The U.N.-backed court was formed by a 2007 U.N.
Security Council resolution to find and try the killers of Hariri, who was
assassinated in a massive car bombing on the Beirut seafront on February 14,
2005. Tensions are mounting in Lebanon over the tribunal as unconfirmed reports
indicate it is set to accuse members of Hizbullah. Hizbullah has confirmed
several of its members, both male and female, have been interrogated in
connection with the murder of Hariri, a Sunni. The Syrian- and Iranian-backed
party has accused the United Nations of interfering in Lebanese affairs and
called instead for a local investigation. But Prime Minister Saad Hariri, the
son of the slain ex-premier, has vowed to see the U.N. tribunal through.(AFP)
Beirut, 28 Oct 10, 06:52
Men Disguised as Women Likely Involved in Attack on UN Investigators in Dahiyeh
Naharnet/Men disguised as Muslim women clad in burqa (black veil and top to toe
gown) were reportedly part of the group of women that attacked U.N.
investigators at a Beirut clinic who were on a mission to obtain phone numbers
of between 14 to 17 people. On Wednesday, a group of women stormed into a
gynecologist's clinic in Beirut's southern suburbs and clashed with
investigators from the Special Tribunal for Lebanon. They snatched the briefcase
of one of the two male investigators who were talking to gynecologist Iman
Sharara.
The investigators, who were accompanied by a local female translator, were
trying to obtain phone numbers of between 14 to 17 people who visited Sharara's
practice since 2003.
MTV television station quoted a soldier who was in charge of the security of the
U.N. investigators said he was grabbed and bitten by an attacker who seemed to
have the strength of a man. The hand which attacked him looked more like a man's
hand than a woman's, the soldier said. Saudi newspaper Okaz, for its part,
quoted Sharara's secretary as saying she had never seen the women attackers
before. She said men clad in burqa were likely to have been among the crowd of
women.Pan-Arab daily al-Hayat quoted sources as saying that the stolen briefcase
contained a laptop and some documents of special use by members of the team of
investigators to jot down responses to questions during their interview with
doctor Sharara. Doctor Sharara, who runs the private obstetrics and gynecology
clinic, told reporters a team of two male investigators and their female
translator arrived at her practice mid-morning on a scheduled appointment. "They
asked me for the phone numbers of between 14 and 17 patients since 2003 and I
told them it would take me some time to review my files," she said at her clinic
in the Hizbullah-controlled southern suburbs of Beirut. When she opened the door
to inform her secretary of the files needed, Sharara said she was surprised to
see a crowd of some 30 women had stormed the waiting room although she had
cancelled all appointments for the morning. A security source told AFP the angry
women rushed towards the interrogators, shouting insults at them, and managed to
snatch a briefcase from the pair who escaped unscathed.
"The Office of the Prosecutor takes this incident very seriously and we are
currently looking into it," the media relations unit of The Hague-based Special
Tribunal for Lebanon told AFP by email. Sharara's lawyer Mustafa Shoqeir told
reporters his client had sought legal advice and conferred with the medical
practitioners' union before agreeing to meet the investigators.
"We are still willing to cooperate with Lebanese authorities and investigators
representing the tribunal as per international decree and procedure," Shoqeir
said. State prosecutor Saeed Mirza has opened an investigation into the
incident. Meanwhile a judicial source speaking to AFP on condition of anonymity
said that some women also stole mobile phones from two plainclothes security
forces who were escorting the investigators.
The parliamentary majority March 14 coalition, for its part, denounced
Wednesday's incident as an attack on international law.
"We condemn this attack on a team of investigators and the theft of their files
by civilian troops loyal to Hizbullah," March 14 said in a statement at the end
of their weekly meeting.
"This... marks an attack on international laws and decrees." AMAL movement MP
Yassin Jaber said, however, the incident was a sign the tribunal was "not
welcome" in Lebanon.
The U.N.-backed court was formed by a 2007 U.N. Security Council resolution to
find and try the killers of Hariri, who was assassinated in a massive car
bombing on the Beirut seafront on February 14, 2005. Lebanon is facing a
full-blown crisis over the tribunal as unconfirmed reports indicate the STL is
set to accuse members of Hizbullah.
Hizbullah has confirmed several of its members, both male and female, have been
interrogated in connection with the Hariri murder. The Syrian- and
Iranian-backed party has accused the United Nations of interfering in Lebanese
affairs and called instead for a local investigation. But Prime Minister Saad
Hariri, the son of the slain ex-premier, has vowed to see the U.N. tribunal
through.(Naharnet-AFP) Beirut, 28 Oct 10, 09:05
Hizbullah: We Are Not Involved in Attack on STL Investigators
Naharnet/Hizbullah said it had nothing to do with Wednesday's clash between a
group of women and investigators from the U.N.-backed Special Tribunal for
Lebanon. "We are not responsible for what happened at the physician's clinic in
the southern suburbs," a source close to Hizbullah told An-Nahar newspaper.
"Shouldn't privacy be respected?" the source asked. On Wednesday, a group of
women stormed into a gynecologist's clinic in Beirut's southern suburbs and
attacked investigators from the Special Tribunal for Lebanon. They snatched the
briefcase of one of the two male investigators who were talking to gynecologist
Iman Sharara. The investigators were on a mission to obtain phone numbers of
between 14 and 17 people who visited Shara's practice since 2003. Al-Manar
television described the Dahiyeh clash as a "dangerous precedent." "It seems it
will not be the last in a series of violations of the country and its
sovereignty under what is said to be investigation and truth," Al-Manar
television news anchor said. Beirut, 28 Oct 10, 07:02
Makari: Method of Using Ordinary People in Attacks is Hizbullah's Trademark
Naharnet/Deputy Speaker Farid Makari on Wednesday described "the assault on the
team of international investigators in Dahiyeh today as dangerous", noting that
"it falls within the context of the all-out war being waged by March 8 forces on
the Special Tribunal for Lebanon". In a statement he issued, Makari described
this assault as "dangerous, abominable, and causes a major embarrassment for
Lebanon, in addition to putting it in a confrontation with the international
community, since it directly targets the international legitimacy as well as
those investigators representing it and performing a task according to its
decisions." He added that "the method of using ordinary people at times to
attack UNIFIL and throw stones at its patrols or at other times to attack the
international investigators has become a well known method and it is Hizbullah's
registered trademark". Makari pointed out that "it is a new chapter in the
all-out war being waged by March 8 on the STL, to be added to the continuous
attempts to obstruct its work". He concluded by saying: "Once again they indict
themselves, for those confident that they have nothing to do in the
assassination of former PM (Rafik) Hariri, would not send a group of women to
attack the investigators to prevent them from performing their work. Instead
they would be very transparent if they have nothing to hide." Beirut, 27 Oct 10,
21:11
-Manar Describes Dahiyeh Incident as 'Moral Scandal', Says Women's Reaction was
'Firm'
Naharnet/Hizbullah's mouthpiece Al-Manar television on Wednesday described the
clash between a group of angry women and U.N. investigators at a Dahiyeh
gynecologist clinic as "a moral scandal … under the banner of searching for
truth, and a blatant attack by the international investigation commission on a
gynecology clinic."Al-Manar started its evening news bulletin by wondering
"whether truth is hidden in the file of some patient," stressing that
Wednesday's incident sets "a dangerous precedent and apparently it won't be the
last in terms of violating the country under the banner of investigation and
truth.""The dangerous thing is that violations have reached this low level of
privacy infringement," Al-Manar added, noting that "the women's response was
spontaneous and firm." Beirut, 27 Oct 10, 23:41
American-Pakistani Man Arrested in Washington Metro Bombing Plot
Naharnet/A Pakistani-American was arrested Wednesday for plotting to cause
carnage on Washington's subway system by carrying out bomb attacks with people
he believed were tied to al-Qaida, officials said.Farooque Ahmed, 34, had been
allegedly observing, videotaping and photographing Metro stations in the
Virginia suburbs of Washington, including stations at the Pentagon and Arlington
National Cemetery, since April to plan the attacks, which would have been
carried out next year. He is alleged to have told contacts whom he met over the
course of six months, and believed to be linked to al-Qaida, that he wanted to
"kill as many military personnel as possible" and suggested where bombs should
be planted on Metro trains "to kill the most people."
"Farooque Ahmed is accused of plotting with individuals he believed were
terrorists to bomb our transit system, but a coordinated law enforcement and
intelligence effort was able to thwart his plans," David Kris, assistant
attorney general for national security told reporters.
Ahmed, a naturalized U.S. citizen who was born in Pakistan, appeared in a
Virginia court Wednesday afternoon to hear the charges against him.
They include attempting to provide material support to a terrorist organization,
collecting information to assist in planning a terrorist attack, and attempting
to provide help to carry out multiple bombings and cause mass casualties in the
Washington area. If convicted, he could be jailed for up to 50 years.
According to the indictment, Ahmed allegedly spent months doing the groundwork
for the attacks after an initial meeting in April with a courier he met at a
Virginia hotel, whom he believed had links to al-Qaida. On several occasions
over the next few months, Ahmed allegedly photographed, videotaped and drew
diagrams of Metro stations in Washington's nearby Virginia suburbs, including
the station at Arlington Cemetery, where military personnel and several U.S.
presidents are buried, and two stations at the Pentagon.
He allegedly gathered information about security and the busiest times at the
Metro stations, and handed the data last month to "an individual he believed to
be affiliated with al-Qaida," the indictment says. He allegedly suggested "where
explosives should be placed on trains at Arlington Cemetery, Courthouse and
Pentagon City Metrorail stations to kill the most people in simultaneous attacks
planned for 2011," and said the best time to carry out the attacks would be at
the start of the evening rush hour.
According to the indictment, Ahmed suggested that rolling suitcases be used
instead of backpacks to carry the bombs into the Metro stations, and suggested
an additional attack be mounted at another station near the Pentagon, saying he
"wanted to kill as many military personnel as possible." "It's chilling that a
man from Ashburn is accused of casing rail stations with the goal of killing as
many Metro riders as possible through simultaneous bomb attacks," U.S. Attorney
Neil MacBride said. The White House said the U.S. public was never in danger
from the alleged plot, and that President Barack Obama had been aware of it
before Ahmed's arrest.
White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said the Justice Department, the FBI and
national security officials had been on "top of this case from the beginning."
The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) which runs the Metro
also said the public and Metro employees were never in danger during the
investigation. "The FBI was aware of Mr Ahmed's activities from before the
alleged attempt began and closely monitored him until his arrest," WMATA said.
The US media ran headlines and stories indicating that the months-long operation
that led to Ahmed's arrest had been an FBI sting, but an official close to the
case refused to comment. Ahmed is being held by U.S. marshals and will appear in
court again on Friday for a detention hearing, said Carr. Ahmed's arrest adds to
the list of U.S. homegrown terrorists charged or convicted of terrorism crimes.
They include blonde, blue-eyed Colleen LaRose, who took the online name
JihadJane and wanted to use her looks to "blend in" in Sweden and kill a
cartoonist, and David Headley, the son of a former Pakistani diplomat and an
American woman, who has confessed to plotting the coordinated attacks in Mumbai
in 2008, which killed 166.(AFP) Beirut, 28 Oct 10, 06:42
Houri: Lebanon has Conceded All Privileges to STL
Naharnet/Mustaqbal MP Ammar Houri noted that voting on the false witnesses file
before Cabinet means that the matter is open for discussion, which is a step
back in the issue, he told Al-Liwa Wednesday. He said: "The other team's
insistence to tackle the false witnesses file at the justice council reflects
their intention to obstruct the Special Tribunal for Lebanon."He added that the
March 14 forces will refuse this proposal, stressing that Justice Minister
Ibrahim Najjar's report on the false witnesses file was very clear in defining
the justice council's jurisdiction.
"Cabinet cannot commit a legal and constitutional mistake," Houri emphasized.
Beirut, 27 Oct 10, 13:56
Saudi, Iran Vow to Help Boost Lebanon Security, Stability
Naharnet/Saudi and Iranian ambassadors gathered in a rare meeting during which
they vowed to help boost Lebanon's security and stability. A statement by the
Iranian embassy said the meeting took place Tuesday between Iranian ambassador
Ghazanfar Rokn-Abadi and Saudi ambassador Ali Awad Asiri. "The two sides
expressed their willingness to help strengthen security and stability in
Lebanon," the statement said. It said the two sides also "stressed the need for
unity among Lebanese parties." "They also stressed the good relations between
Tehran and Riyadh, and the need to use all possibilities to strengthen these
relations to serve the issues of the Islamic nation," the statement added. Asiri
said Lebanon was the key issue discussed at the meeting. "I sensed from the
Iranian ambassador the same desire to maintain stability in Lebanon, and to make
efforts to reinforce national unity in Lebanon," Asiri told As-Safir newspaper
in remarks published Wednesday. "This is a Lebanese responsibility in the first
place." The embassy meeting in Beirut coincided with a similar meeting in Tehran
between Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki and the Saudi ambassador to
Iran. Mottaki said that talks between Tehran and Riyadh have "positive impact on
regional issues."
Beirut, 27 Oct 10, 07:24
Arab-Israeli Rights Activist Convicted of Spying for Hizbullah
Naharnet/A prominent Arab-Israeli human rights activist was convicted on
Wednesday of spying for Lebanon's Hizbullah, a statement from the Israeli
justice ministry said. In a plea bargain submitted to the Haifa district court,
Amir Makhoul "confessed to and was convicted of ... espionage and aggravated
espionage," the statement said. He also pleaded guilty to charges of "contact
with a foreign agent and conspiracy to aid the enemy in time of war." The state
dropped a charge of assisting the enemy in time of war. The ministry said
prosecutors were seeking a 10-year prison term while the defense sought a
maximum of seven years. He will be sentenced in December. According to the
revised charge sheet, a copy of which was provided by the justice ministry,
Makhoul met Hasan Janna, a Lebanese-born Hizbullah recruiter living in Jordan,
during a trip there "around the year 2004." The two remained in touch and in
2008 Makhoul agreed to help Hizbullah against Later that year, the document
says, he met another Hizbullah agent in Copenhagen who installed a
communications program on Makhoul's laptop computer through which he could send
messages to the organization. It said Makhoul subsequently filed reports on the
location of installations of the Shin Bet and Mossad -- Israel's domestic and
foreign intelligence agencies -- an army base and the Rafael military
industries. Makhoul provided details on access and security arrangements at the
Shin Bet headquarters in the northern port of Haifa, it added. Makhoul, whose
brother Issa is a former Arab-Israeli lawmaker, heads Ittijah (the Union of Arab
Community-Based Associations), a group based in Haifa that fights discrimination
against Israeli-Arabs. He was arrested in early May, shortly after fellow
Israeli-Arab activist Omar Saeed was detained over similar allegations. Charges
against Saeed were reduced in a plea bargain and he was freed in September after
serving a seven-month jail term.
Details about the case were initially subjected to a gag order. When it was
lifted the Arab-Israeli watchdog Adalah said the men's arrest and questioning
were conducted "in gross violation of their fundamental rights to due process."
"The illegal methods employed against Amir Makhoul during the initial days of
his interrogation include protracted sleep deprivation and continuous
interrogation, while being shackled tightly to an undersized chair that was
bolted to the floor to prevent it from moving," Adalah said in July.
Saeed was interrogated for prolonged stretches of time and allowed little sleep,
and neither man was allowed to see a lawyer for about two weeks after being
arrested, it said.
Israel's 1.3 million Arab citizens, who make up 20 percent of the population,
are Palestinians who remained in the country following the creation of the
Jewish state in 1948, along with their descendants. Hizbullah is blacklisted by
Israel as a "terrorist organization." In 2006, Israel and Hizbullah fought a
devastating war that killed more than 1,200 people in Lebanon, most of them
civilians, and more than 160 Israelis, mostly soldiers.(AFP) Beirut, 27 Oct 10,
18:25
Zahraman Says Dahiyeh Incident May Be Attempt to Disrupt Security
Naharnet/Mustaqbal bloc MP Khaled Zahraman on Wednesday noted that the assault
on a team of international investigators in Dahiyeh was "alarming," adding that
"it might be the beginning of chaos in the country or the beginning of an
attempt to disrupt security." He stressed that it represents an "obstruction of
the Special Tribunal for Lebanon's work."
After visiting Lebanon's Grand Sunni Mufti, Sheikh Mohammed Rashid Qabbani,
Zahraman hoped that the relevant authorities would investigate this issue "since
this attempt appears to be non-spontaneous." He also expressed "insistence on
adhering to the STL, and on knowing who killed former PM Rafik Hariri, as well
as achieving justice." Zahraman pointed out that all the talk about the
indictment and the STL being aimed at undermining stability and causing sedition
is "intimidating and illogical because justice contributes to achieving
stability and security for the people." Beirut, 27 Oct 10, 21:16
Siddiq Not Shot and Wounded, Brother Says
Naharnet/The so-called key witness in the 2005 assassination of former Prime
Minister Rafik Hariri Zuheir Siddiq was not shot and wounded in Germany, his
brother Imad said. The website "Beirut Observer" on Tuesday quoted sources as
saying Siddiq survived an assassination attempt a "few days ago." It said Siddiq
was hit by three bullets and was taken to hospital in "critical condition." The
website said authorities identified one of the assailants as a resident from
southern Lebanon. The report could not be independently verified. "It is not
true. Zuhair unlikely left the Gulf region because he was unable to enter Europe
after being deported from France," Imad Siddiq said in remarks published
Thursday. He said Zuhair's wife also contacted him after news of the
assassination attempt and reassured him that he's fine. Beirut, 28 Oct 10, 10:23
Lebanese Army Arrest Man after Confiscating Bombs, Explosives
Naharnet/A man was arrested on Thursday after Lebanese troops raided his house
in Majdal Anjar and confiscated a cache of bombs and explosives, the state-run
National News Agency said. It said a cache of weapons, ammunition and military
equipment also were seized in the morning raid. Beirut, 28 Oct 10, 13:02
STL 'undeterred' after
investigators harassed
Crowd of women assail court personnel
By Tamara Qiblawi /Daily Star staff
Thursday, October 28, 2010
BEIRUT: The Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) vowed Wednesday that it would
continue with investigations “undeterred” after a crowd of women harassed its
investigators at a medical clinic in Beirut’s southern suburbs. Police sources
and witnesses say the assailants snatched a briefcase from an investigator,
shortly before he, his colleague and their Lebanese interpreter were escorted
out of the building by security forces.
Police sources report that nearly 150 women were hauled over to the clinic’s
building, situated near the airport road. Thirty of the women proceeded to
charge on the clinic, while more than 70 monitored the premises’ parking lot,
they said.
However, in an address to the media, the clinic’s legal representative put the
number of attackers at less than 10. The representative added that no one had
been hurt during the clash.
The investigators are part of the UN-backed STL, probing the 2005 assassination
of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. They left the clinic without having
acquired the documents they had come in search of.
March 14 forces have blamed Hizbullah for the ambush.
High-ranking Hizbullah officials told several media outlets that the group was
“not concerned and has no relation” with the incident at the gynecologist’s
clinic.
“I think this [incident] sends a clear message that Hizbullah will not cooperate
with the international tribunal,” political science professor Sami Haddad at
Notre Dame University, told The Daily Star. However, he urged the international
community to question “whether it can enforce cooperation on organizations in
Lebanon.” “I don’t think that it can,” he added.
In a press release late Wednesday, the STL’s Office of the Prosecutor (OTP)
detailed the incident. The court’s statement said the meeting between
investigators and the clinicians had been conducted “in accordance with legal
safeguards,” but that in spite of this “a large group of people” appeared and
“violently attacked the investigators and their female interpreter.” “The
investigation into the Hariri attack will continue and this incident will not
deter the OTP from pursuing its mission,” the statement concluded.
Shortly after the incident, Sharara, the clinic’s chief practitioner, told
reporters she had encountered a crowd of screaming women as she was about to
direct the officials and their interpreter that accompanied them to request the
files.
She said the women were “unknown” to her and that she had canceled all
appointments for that day in anticipation of the investigators’ arrival.
The international tribunal has formed the bone of contention in recent disputes
between Lebanon’s opposing political camps, with the March 14 coalition throwing
its political weight behind the tribunal, and March 8 alleging that the STL is
politically motivated by international actors.
March 8 forces believe the tribunal plans to indict members of Hizbullah. The
group’s leader, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, questioned in recent months the
integrity and neutrality of the tribunal, arguing that its credibility has been
belittled by investigators’ reliance on “false witnesses” and questionable
telephone records.
According to a statement by Hizbullah’s media office, Nasrallah will tackle the
“performance and behavior” of UN investigators during a televised speech
Thursday.
The March 14 Secretariat General issued a statement saying it was puzzled by the
attack on the UN investigators by what they described as “a group of residents
affiliated with Hizbullah.” They added that Wednesday’s incidents reminded them
of “attacks against UN peacekeeping troops [in south Lebanon].” This represents
an attack on the international community’s legitimacy and its resolutions, and
particularly [UN resolutions] 1701 and 1757,” said the March 14 statement.
UN Resolution 1701 is credited with ending the Lebanon’s war with Israel in
2006., while Resolution 1757 established the Special Tribunal in 2007.
Initial reports of the women’s charge on the clinic offered conflicting versions
of the events. Estimations of the number of women involved varied widely,
ranging between eight and 150.
State Prosecutor Saeed Mirza has launched a preliminary probe into the events,
and said the case would be referred to the military court. A security source
told The Daily Star the briefcase that was confiscated during the attack
contained important state documents.
32 people sentenced to prison for collaborating with Israel
By Agence France Presse (AFP)
Thursday, October 28, 2010 /BEIRUT: A military court sentenced Wednesday 31
Lebanese citizens and a Palestinian to 15 years in prison for collaborating with
Israel and acquiring Israeli citizenship, a judicial source said. All 32,
including a dozen women, were sentenced in absentia as all had left Lebanon for
Israel in 2000 when the Israli Army evacuated all its troops from the country
ending a 22-year occupation, the source said. There were no further details and
it was not clear if those sentenced were charged with collaborating with Israel
during its occupation of Lebanon. More than 100 people have been arrested on
suspicion of espionage since April 2009, including telecom employees, members of
the security forces and active duty troops. Five of those tried have been
sentenced to death for spying for Israel’s Mossad overseas intelligence service.
Lebanon and Israel remain technically in a state of war, and convicted spies
face life in prison with hard labor or the death penalty if found guilty of
contributing to Lebanese loss of life. – AFP
Is Lebanon any longer Switzerland of Mideast ?
By Claudia Schwartz/daily Star
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
How prosperous is Lebanon vis-à-vis Switzerland today and what does it actually
mean to be prosperous? When measuring this aspect of a country, it is important
to consider that it is not just low public debt and high GDP that makes for a
prosperous nation, but also factors of wellbeing and quality of life. How happy,
healthy and free are the societies of rich countries? And how rich are the
countries of happy, healthy and free societies? The oil-rich Gulf countries for
example may have high GDPs but how free are their citizens? The Legatum
Prosperity Index 2010 (www.prosperity.com) launched Tuesday seeks to answer that
very question. As the world’s only global assessment of wealth and wellbeing, it
measures holistically the prosperity of 110 countries.
The eight foundations, or sub-indexes, measured are economy, entrepreneurship
and opportunity, governance, education, health, safety and security, personal
freedom and social capital. Each sub-index includes both wealth and wellbeing
dimensions. The entrepreneurship and opportunity sub-index, for example, looks
at how meritocratic and enterprising societies contribute to economic success
and citizens’ satisfaction with their lives.
Lebanon’s overall prosperity index ranking is 84 – landing in the bottom
quartile. It fares especially badly on governance, safety and security, and
social capital, and places above the global average only on education, at 51st.
It is placed in the lowest sixth of the index with respect to governance. This
sub-index assesses how effective, transparent, and accountable governments are
and it shows the level of confidence people have in state institutions and their
policies.
An area in which Lebanon fares better but still not well overall is the economy
sub-index, a characteristic of most of the Middle Eastern and North African
(MENA) nations featured in the prosperity index. It is telling that the Lebanese
were not very optimistic with respect to attitudes toward local employment
prospects. This no doubt has a great deal to do with the fact that the country
is a challenging place for citizens who are looking for opportunities to advance
in life, as evidenced by its score of 83 on the entrepreneurship and opportunity
sub-index. In fact, this sub-index above all others corresponds most strongly
with overall prosperity. Lebanon’s low ranking in both governance and
entrepreneurship is problematic for the future development of the country, as
these two factors are needed above all for investment, which drives economic
growth.
At 99th place, Lebanon’s lowest ranking is on the social capital sub-index. The
proportion of Lebanese people who think that, in general, others can be trusted
is very low, placing Lebanon in the bottom 10 countries on this measure of
social cohesion, contributing to Lebanon’s overall poor ranking. Indeed, the
prosperity index finds that prosperity is found in entrepreneurial democracies
that have a strong social fabric, making the two inexorably linked when it comes
to determining how prosperous a country is.
The relatively strong performances in the health and economy indexes for the
MENA countries raise the levels of prosperity in the region. But most of the
countries in the region display one disturbing trait: pervasive limits on
personal freedom. Iran, for example, has solidly mid-range rankings on the
health and education sub-indexes – 60th and 57th – but that is offset by an
extremely low ranking of 108 on the personal freedom index.
Overall, the index strongly suggests that many of the Middle Eastern countries
would benefit from adopting more open and tolerant institutions that allow for
citizens to freely choose the course of their lives. While governments by
themselves cannot create or mandate prosperity, they can help create an
environment that is conducive to entrepreneurship, earned success, and human
flourishing. Switzerland is ranked as the eighth most prosperous country,
illustrating a significant disparity between Lebanon’s ranking and its formerly
held title as the Switzerland of the Middle East. In order for Lebanon to
reclaim its title, the government has much work to do, in all areas.
**Claudia Schwartz is a researcher at the Legatum Institute – www.li.com. This
commentary was written for The Daily Star.
LAF discovers weapons cache in Majdel Aanjar
October 28, 2010
Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) units discovered a heavy weapons cache in a house in
the town of Majdel Aanjar on Thursday morning, NOW Lebanon’s correspondent
reported.
The house’s owner - identified only as “B.Sh.” - was arrested and the weapons
were transported to nearby barracks, the correspondent said.
The weapons amounted to around one truckload and included hand grenades and
rockets, he added.
-NOW Lebanon
Hajjar: Dahiyeh attack is clear message of non-cooperation with STL
October 28, 2010
Hezbollah likely knew beforehand that Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL)
investigators were coming to Dahiyeh, and the attack on them is a “direct
message of non-cooperation with the tribunal,” Lebanon First bloc MP Mohammad
Hajjar told New TV on Thursday.
A group of women charged at STL investigators at a Beirut gynecology clinic in
Dahiyeh on Wednesday morning and grabbed a briefcase from them. Afterward the
STL condemned the attack and said that its investigators had arranged to
interview clinic owner Dr. Iman Charara with approval from the Lebanese
authorities, the Doctors Syndicate and Dr. Charara herself.
It is illogical to expect the investigators to announce publicly the names of
those whom they are going to investigate, Hajjar said, adding that according to
media reports Charara was given the choice of meeting with investigators at the
STL’s office, but preferred to have them come to her clinic.
The investigators took the necessary legal steps and were doing their job, he
added, suggesting that rather than asking why they were in Dahiyeh, attention
should be paid to the fact that groups are telling the international community
clearly that they do not want the tribunal.
It is not so easy to stop the STL, he added, stating that the tribunal will
continue even if Prime Minister Saad Hariri renounces it or its funding is
withdrawn.
PM Hariri has denied Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah’s July
claim, in which the latter said that Hariri told him the STL’s indictment will
name members of Hezbollah, Hajjar also said.
-NOW Lebanon
Allouch: Dahiyeh incident is message from Hezbollah
October 28, 2010
The style of attack used against Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL)
investigators in Dahiyeh is nothing new and will likely be used again in the
future, Future Movement official Mustafa Allouch told MTV on Thursday, saying
the incident is a “clear message from Hezbollah to the STL.”
A group of women charged at STL investigators at a Beirut gynecology clinic in
Dahiyeh on Wednesday morning and grabbed a briefcase from them. Afterward the
STL condemned the attack and said that its investigators had arranged to
interview clinic owner Dr. Iman Charara with approval from the Lebanese
authorities, the Doctors Syndicate and Dr. Charara herself.
Allouch said the incident recalled attacks against UNIFIL. In July, tensions
rose between UNIFIL and southern residents when protests broke out during a
UNIFIL maneuver and several peacekeepers were physically attacked.
It is naïve to think that such incidents are spontaneous and unplanned, he
added, saying that “there is an attempt to eliminate the judicial process via a
popular approach.”
Asked about rumors that men disguised in niqabs were among the women who
attacked, Allouch said he could neither confirm nor deny such information, but
that “regardless of whether there were men or women, it was an attack.”
-NOW Lebanon
Nahhas: STL indictment should consider Israeli telecom penetration
October 28, 2010
If the Special Tribunal for Lebanon’s (STL) indictment is based on telecom
records, it must take into consideration the fact that Israel has penetrated
Lebanon’s telecom sector, Telecommunications Minister Charbel Nahhas said
Thursday after meeting with Loyalty to the Resistance bloc MPs Ali Ammar, Hassan
Fadlallah and Nawwar Sahili, according to a statement from Nahhas’ office.
Last week the International Telecommunication Union’s (ITU) conference in Mexico
condemned Israeli aggression against Lebanon’s telecom networks.
Tensions are high in Lebanon amid unconfirmed reports that the STL may issue its
indictment in the investigation of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri’s 2005
murder. In July Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said that
the tribunal will indict members of his party. The indictment is rumored to be
based in part on telecommunications records.
“The credibility of such evidence must be limited according to the actual extent
of these penetrations,” Nahhas said, adding that the Lebanese judiciary should
reveal the extent to which it believes the penetrations reached after
investigating suspected Israeli agents.
More than 100 people have been arrested since April 2009 on suspicion of spying
for Israel, including three telecom employees who were detained in June.
-NOW Lebanon
WikiLeaks and the myth of a “Lebanonized” Hezbollah
Tony Badran, October 28, 2010
Members of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Corps, which founded Hezbollah as an
extension of Iran’s Islamic Revolution in Lebanon. (AFP Photo/Mehdi Marizad)
The classified military documents obtained by WikiLeaks, which disclose
Hezbollah’s role in Iraq under the direct command of the Iranian regime, may not
be particularly surprising or even groundbreaking. However, they serve as a
reminder of the reality of Hezbollah – all myths aside – as a brigade of the
Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps. They also help keep in focus the nature of
the strategic threat facing the US in the region: the alliance system led by
Iran.
Fans of Hezbollah in the Western media are fond of asserting that the Party of
God has become “Lebanonized.” Consequently, and contrary to claims by the US,
according to this view the group does not possess “global reach” and has long
stopped being involved in attacks against American targets, being focused
instead on the narrower issue of Lebanon’s territorial dispute with Israel.
The documents, published by The New York Times, detail, among other things,
Iran’s and Hezbollah’s direct operational involvement in training and supplying
militias in Iraq. As such, they chronicle yet another chapter in the ongoing,
decades-long war by the Iranians against the US in the region – a war in which
Hezbollah has been the spearhead.
Specifically, the documents relate how Hezbollah has trained select Iraqi Shia
cadres in various combat tactics inside Iran. For instance, one document details
how a commander in Muqtada al-Sadr’s militia, Jaysh al-Mahdi (JAM), Azhar al-Dulaymi,
was trained in Iran by Hezbollah operatives under the supervision of the Islamic
Revolutionary Guards Corps’ Qods Force (IRGC-QF) to conduct military-style
kidnapping operations with the aim of abducting American soldiers. Although al-Dulaymi
was eventually killed by US troops, he succeeded in planning an operation that
resulted in the capture and execution of four US soldiers.
This type of Iranian involvement, including the use of Hezbollah operatives in
Iraq, has been repeatedly announced by US officials over the last four years,
and it has been reported often in the press. For example, in August 2007, The
Independent newspaper published an interview with a JAM militiaman in which he
openly discussed receiving training in Lebanon at the hands of Hezbollah
commanders in anti-tank ambush tactics, the use of explosively formed
penetrators (EFPs) and sniper operations.
In late February 2008, an Iraqi military intelligence official told the Iraqi
daily al-Zaman that the person who had supervised the movement of JAM fighters
to Lebanon was none other than Hezbollah’s senior military commander, Imad
Mughniyeh, who was assassinated earlier that month in Damascus, and who used to
run external operations in close collaboration with the IRGC-QF. Indeed, the al-Zaman
report noted that the training was also coordinated with Qods Force commander
Qassem Suleimani.
Another veteran Hezbollah military official, Ali Moussa Daqdouq, who was in
charge of observing the training of JAM and other so-called “Special Groups”
such as the notorious Asa’ib Ahl al-Haqq (AAH) group, was captured in Iraq in
March 2007 along with AAH commanders, the Khaz’ali brothers (who, regrettably,
were released in 2008-09 in what is suspected to have been a swap involving
British hostages).
According to a July 2007 briefing by Brigadier General Kevin Bergner, the
Multinational Forces spokesman at the time, “In May 2006,” Daqdouq “traveled to
Tehran with Yussef Hashim, a fellow Lebanese Hezbollah [member] and head of
their operations in Iraq. They met with the Commander and Deputy Commander of
the Iranian Qods Force Special External Operations,” and Daqdouq “was tasked to
organize the Special Groups in ways that mirrored how Hezbollah was organized in
Lebanon.” Bergner added, “It shows how Iranian operatives are using Lebanese
surrogates to create Hezbollah-like capabilities.”
Indeed, Iran’s preferred formula is to spawn and develop politico-military
movements in divided societies where the central government is weak. To date,
the only successful such implant has been in Lebanon, where Iran has embedded an
organic extension of its structures in the form of Hezbollah.
Observers have tended to mistake the grafting of Hezbollah onto the local Shia
community for “Lebanonization.” However, regardless of whether the group is
rooted in a local community, it is nevertheless a tool of the Iranian Islamic
Republic and one of its military apparatuses. In fact, Hezbollah’s architects
always saw their project in Lebanon as a springboard for furthering the reach of
the Islamic Revolution, and Hezbollah has indeed been fulfilling that role in
Iraq and elsewhere.
This leads to the implosion of another myth, popularized especially in the last
decade, and that is the notion of “non-state actors,” which is how Hezbollah is
often referred to. However, it’s always been clear that the group and its
mission were very much a state enterprise.
For instance, after the 1983 bombing of the US Marine barracks in Beirut, the US
understood that this was an act of war by the Iranian and Syrian regimes.
Indeed, when President Ronald Reagan asked the Navy and the Joint Chiefs of
Staff to draw up target lists for retaliation, they included “the Syrian defense
ministry and other command targets in Syria” as well as “selected ‘snatches’ of
Syrian officers based in Lebanon who had helped carry out the operation.”
It was in that vein that former ambassador to the UN, John Bolton, called in
2008 for using “military force against a training camp to show the Iranians
we’re not going to tolerate this.” Yet the US did not pursue that option in
1983, nor has it done so today. That has allowed states such as Iran and Syria
to strike at American targets without fear of retaliation. So much so, in fact,
that, as detailed in the French Le Figaro on Monday, Syria feels confident
enough to host Hezbollah arms warehouses on its own territory.
Instead of analyzing the evidence and taking action, we have come to entertain
myths about the transformative powers of diplomacy that would ostensibly
“incentivize” America’s adversaries to adopt more “constructive” behavior.
Similarly, the myth of a “Lebanonized” Hezbollah persists, as does the legend of
it being a “non-state actor,” when all evidence shows that it continues to be
what it always has been: a division of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps.
Unknown group breaks into Church cemetery and beats corpse
October 28, 2010
A group of unidentified people broke into a church in Jiyeh on Wednesday night,
dug out a corpse buried in the church’s cemetery in 2002 and beat its head, the
National News Agency (NNA) reported on Thursday. Internal security forces as
well as the town mayor arrived at the scene, according to the report.
The report did not elaborate further.
-NOW Lebanon
Report: US drawing up new, tougher nuclear deal for Iran
New York Times says Washington, European partners to demand that Islamic
Republic ship out almost 2,000 kg of low-enriched uranium. 'We have to convince
them that life will get worse, not better, if they don't begin to move,' US
official says. Iran to hold military drill in November to test air-defense,
electronic warfare systems
AFP and Dudi Cohen Published: 10.28.10, 10:35 / Israel News
The United States and its European allies are preparing a new, tougher deal over
Iran's nuclear program, in a first test of the weight of broader economic
sanctions, The New York Times reported.
The offer would have Iran ship out more than 4,400 pounds (1,995 kilograms) of
low-enriched uranium, more than two thirds the amount rejected by Tehran under a
tentative deal struck in Vienna a year ago, senior officials told the daily.
AIPAC Convention
US diplomat: Iran affected by sanctions / Yitzhak Benhorin
Senior advisor Dennis Ross speaks before AIPAC convention in Florida, says
Tehran feeling strain of international sanctions; adds US-Israel relations 'rock
solid'
The increase reflects Iran's growing production of uranium over the past year
and US concerns that Iran has less than one nuclear bomb's worth of uranium on
hand, according to the officials quoted in an article posted on the newspaper's
website and published in Thursday's print edition.
"This will be a first sounding about whether the Iranians still think they can
tough it out or are ready to negotiate," a senior American official told the
newspaper.
"We have to convince them that life will get worse, not better, if they don't
begin to move."
Another senior US official said the United States and its European partners were
"very close to having an agreement" to present to Iran.
'Bullying powers have created brouhaha'
But the Islamic republic has yet to respond to a request by EU foreign policy
chief Catherine Ashton, who represents world powers in the nuclear dialogue with
Iran, to meet in Vienna in mid-November.
The Times said many US officials suspect the new initiative under development is
likely to fail, but would fulfill US President Barack Obama's promise to keep
negotiating even while the pressure of sanctions increases.
Iran has signaled it is ready to discuss a possible exchange of atomic fuel at
the upcoming talks for a Tehran-based research reactor after consultations broke
down last year between the Islamic republic and the Vienna group comprising
France, Russia, the United States and the UN atomic watchdog.
Under an initial proposal brokered by the International Atomic Energy Agency,
Iran would send more than 2,600 pounds (1,200 kilograms) of its low-enriched
uranium to Russia and France for conversion into the fuel rods required for the
Tehran reactor.
In May, Iran responded by its own counter-proposal brokered by Turkey and
Brazil, which was cold-shouldered by the West before the United Nations Security
Council slapped a fresh round of sanctions on Tehran less than a month later.
Several countries imposed further unilateral sanctions.
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said in New York last month that Iran was
willing to resume negotiations with the world powers, but a date for the
beginnig of the talks has yet to be set.
Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said this week that the Iranian
nation can overcome problems caused by sanctions.
Addressing a gathering of foreign theological seminary students and clerics in
Qom on Monday, he said, “The world bullying powers have created brouhaha about
sanctions on Iran, but this nation has overcome sanctions over the past 30 years
with its patience and resistance."
Military drill in November
Meanwhile, Iranian media reported that the country is expected to hold a
large-scale military exercise in late November.
The Mehr news agency said the drill will be held across the country in four
phases and Iran's Armed Forces, including the army and the IRGS, will take part
in the maneuver.
In the massive air, land and sea exercise, various defensive equipment including
tanks, personnel carriers, ballistic missiles and vessels will be put on
display, the report added.
In addition, various radar systems, modern anti-aircraft missile systems,
anti-armor and electronic warfare systems, fighter bombers as well as destroyers
will be showcased in the drill.
According to the report, Iran will also display its modern artillery systems,
including an anti-cruise missile 23 mm cannon with eight barrels and a high rate
of fire.
Iran to sit on UN women's rights board?
State that sentences adulterous women to death by stoning may help govern new UN
Women agency
Associated Press Published: 10.28.10, 07:53 / Israel News
Iran, where a woman convicted of adultery has been sentenced to death by
stoning, is likely to become a member of the board of the new UN agency to
promote equality for women, prompting outrage from the US and human rights
groups. Some rights groups are also upset that Saudi Arabia, where women are not
allowed to drive and are barred from many facilities used by men, is also vying
to join the governing body of UN Women.
The General Assembly resolution adopted in July that merged four UN bodies
dealing with women's issues into a single agency with greater clout to represent
half the world's population calls for a 41-member executive board, with 35
members chosen by regional groups and six representing donor nations.
Mark Kornblau, spokesman for the US Mission, said Wednesday that Iran's
membership "would send the wrong signal at the start of this exciting new
initiative."
"UN Women is a vital new agency tasked with promoting gender equality and
women's empowerment worldwide," he said. "We and many other countries are
concerned by the negative implications of Iran's potential board memberships,
given its poor record on human rights and the treatment of women.
"There are many qualified countries that would make positive and constructive
contributions as board members," Kornblau said.
The stoning sentence against the 43-year-old woman, Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani,
has raised an international outcry, embarrassing Iran.
A resolution adopted by the General Assembly last year expressed "deep concern"
at Iran's increasing use of executions, death by stoning, torture, flogging and
amputations, and its increasing discrimination against religious, ethnic and
other minorities.
'Saudi Arabia would add insult to injury'
Philippe Bolopion, UN advocacy director for Human Rights Watch, said it was
"puzzling that Iran would have the nerve to be a candidate for the board of UN
Women".
"Having on top of it Saudi Arabia, a country with a track record on women's
rights as horrendous as Iran's, would add insult to injury," he said.
Bolopion called their potential membership "an affront to women around the world
who are placing their hopes in UN Women," but he expressed hope that the board's
overall composition will ensure that neither country will be able to use their
position to undermine the agency's work.
Cora Weiss, president of the Hague Appeal for Peace, said that if board
membership "helps to influence Iran's attitude toward women then fine, but if
Iran uses it to hold back our dreams and vision for equality then it's a
disaster."
According to UN diplomats, the 10 countries selected by the Asian group for the
board are Iran, Bangladesh, India, China, Malaysia, Indonesia, South Korea,
Japan, Kazakhstan and Pakistan. Eastern Europe and Latin America have put
forward contested slates, the diplomats said, speaking on condition of anonymity
because the lists have not been made public.
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon chose former Chilean president Michelle Bachelet
to head UN Women, an appointment greeted with overwhelming approval by
governments and women's groups who campaigned for four years to streamline the
UN's activities promoting the status of women.
The resolution earmarks four seats from the 10 top donor nations and diplomats
said the candidates are the United States, Britain, Spain and Norway. It
allocated two seats to contributors from developing countries and diplomats said
the candidates are Saudi Arabia and Mexico.
Iran would surrender Egyptian Islamists for Cairo's aid in Iraq and Lebanon
DEBKAfile Exclusive Report October 27, 2010, To curry favor with Egypt, Iran has
offered to hand over 13 long wanted Egyptian Islamic Jihad terrorists in return
for Cairo's support for installing Shiite Nuri al-Maliki as Iraqi prime minister
and helping to find a way out of the impasse over the Hizballah's indictment for
the Hariri assassination. This is revealed exclusively by debkafile's
counter-terror sources.
Ayman al Zuwahiri, al Qaeda's second in command after Osama bin Laden, is the
leader of the Egyptian Islamic Jihad, which assassinated Egyptian President
Anwar Sadat in 1981.
His authority is beginning to surpass that of Osama bin Laden in Al Qaeda's
branches in the Arabian Peninsula and North Africa. He is also the patron of the
rising al Qaeda star, Sheikh Anwar Al-Awakli, who is on the run in Yemen after
inspiring US Major Hassan Malik Nidal to carry out a massacre at the US Ford
Hood base last November.
debkafile adds that until Tehran made this advance to Cairo, no Western
intelligence organization knew about the 13 or more Egyptian Islamic Jihad
terrorists given sanctuary in and allowed to stay in touch with their leader.
For Zuwahiri, their surrender to Egypt would be a serious blow.
But some of those circles suspect that Bin Laden's latest audiotape threatening
France, which was aired by al Jazeera Wednesday, Oct. 27, may be connected with
the mounting rivalry between him and his lieutenant and a bid use this setback
to steal Zuwahiri's thunder.
The Iranian offer to Egypt is a package that also includes an proposal to rename
the Tehran street honoring Sadat's assassin Mohammed Shawky al-Istambouli, which
has been a bone of contention between them for 29 years.
In return, President Hosni Mubarak is asked for two favors: One is to persuade
Saudi King Abdullah to accept Al-Maliki as Iraqi prime minister; Tehran will
arrange for the Saudi candidate for the post Iyad Allawi, who won the Iraqi
election by a slender majority, to be awarded a place of honor in the new
coalition in Baghdad.
The other is to persuade the Saudi king to go along with a compromise deal to
rescue Hizballah from indictment by the UN tribunal for the 2005 Hariri
assassination.
Tehran and Riyadh are already discussing a way out of the impasse because both
understand that the issue is a ticking bomb that could gravely destabilize
Lebanon and lead Hizballah to go for trouble on the Israeli border.
Tuesday, a high-ranking Egyptian diplomat, asked about the Iranian proposition,
said he had no idea what Tehran was after. debkafile can confirm Cairo knows
exactly what Tehran wants.
Ahmadinejad: The Poorest President in the World
28/10/2010
By Abdul Rahman Al-Rashid
AsarqAlawsat/As a critical day draws near in Iran, which will see subsidies on
basic commodities being lifted, Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has
launched a campaign to portray himself as a poor man, a man without a penny in
his pocket; Ahmadinejad claims to drive a 1977 Peugeot 504, and says that his
original salary as a university lecturer did not exceed $250 per month.
[According to this campaign] Ahmadinejad only owns a modest house in a poor
neighbourhood in southern Tehran, a house where he continued to reside until he
became president. Ahmadinejad claims to have resided in this modest home even
after he became Mayor of Tehran, refusing to move into the palace that is the
official residence for this post.
All that has been said about his modest lifestyle and poverty may be entirely
true, however this must also be subject to scepticism considering the position
that he currently holds. However Ahmadinejad cannot conceal aspects of his
lifestyle under the ragged coat that he is keen to wear in Iran when he is seen
dressed in elegant suits during his most recent visit to New York.
Ahmadinejad is not the only leader to try this; numerous leaders have been eager
to portray themselves to the populace as being poor and common people. However
this quickly becomes nothing more than propaganda, as was the case with Chinese
leader Mao Zedong. Mao pursued many who he deemed to be members of the
bourgeois, confiscating their property at the same time that he himself was
residing in a number of luxurious palaces. This was also the case with leaders
in the Kremlin during the Communist Era, who led a prosperous life enjoying
special privileges. All revolutionaries are keen to appear to the public as
being underprivileged. For example, prominent leaders in Hamas previously
distributed pictures of themselves, living in modest homes. However, following
this, they were responsible for the destruction of half of Gaza, contributing to
further poverty and fostering equality [amongst its people], albeit in terms of
destitution and suffering.
The underprivileged leader who is of the common people is a form of propaganda
that may convince the public for a while, and may help in bringing this leader
who lives in the palace closer to the populate for a time, however this is a
façade that does not last for very long and becomes irrelevant when he fails to
manage the state's affairs. This is a situation that Ahmadinejad finds himself
facing today. Ahmadinejad will not benefit from portraying himself as a poor man
who has an old Peugeot in his presidential garage. In the next few weeks, his
government will lift subsidies on meat, vegetables, fuel, diesel and other basic
commodities; people will suffer, and the poor will become even poorer. Will the
story of the poor president convince them to tighten their belts? I doubt it.
Many talk about the excessive wealth of their leaders, but they would talk about
this even more if their leaders were impoverishing them. I believe that
Ahmadinejad will face difficult days to come, regardless of his propaganda
machine promoting the story of the poorest president in the world, and in fact
he will need his suppressive forces and Revolutionary Guards. The people will
pay no attention to this story when they are no longer able to feed their
children.
US President Barack Obama was born into a middle-class family that was not rich
at all. Once he entered the White House, he immediately signed contracts to
write his biography in two volumes for $10 million.
Ahmadinejad could be both a great and wealthy leader at the same time, if he
could resolve the crisis in Iran whose people are living in hardship due to the
policies adopted by Iran's mullahs, who are eager to sit in front of television
cameras and boast of their poverty. Iran is in fact wealthier than the all of
the Gulf States, yet Iranians look to these states, envious of their wealth, and
wonder how the people of their country, which is rich in oil, gas, and
agriculture, live upon subsidies and cheap propaganda.