LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
ِSeptember 10/2010

Bible Of the Day
Luke 17/6-10: " The Lord said, “If you had faith like a grain of mustard seed, you would tell this sycamore tree, ‘Be uprooted, and be planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you. 17:7 But who is there among you, having a servant plowing or keeping sheep, that will say, when he comes in from the field, ‘Come immediately and sit down at the table,’ 17:8 and will not rather tell him, ‘Prepare my supper, clothe yourself properly, and serve me, while I eat and drink. Afterward you shall eat and drink’? 17:9 Does he thank that servant because he did the things that were commanded? I think not. 17:10 Even so you also, when you have done all the things that are commanded you, say, ‘We are unworthy servants. We have done our duty.’”

Psalm 147:3/He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.
Today's Inspiring Thought: Healer of Broken Hearts
Jesus healed broken hearts. He drew wounded people to himself and comforted them. He did this by entering into their pain and identifying with their needs. Mary and Martha were brokenhearted when their brother Lazarus died, and Jesus identified with their grief. He wept with them. Did you know that we are called to do the same? To become a healer of broken hearts, you don't need to know how to fix someone's brokenness. All you need to do is come along side them and identify with their pain. (about.com)

Free Opinions, Releases, letters, Interviews & Special Reports
Canada's PM Mr. Harper: Christ is tolerant/CP/September 09/10
Witnesses for the dissolution/By: Michael Young/September 09/10
It's Security Council time for Bellemare/By Michael Young/
September 09/10

Hariri exonerates Syria over father's murder/By Sami Moubayed/September 09/10
Democracy remains a tool to make careers/By Jamil K. Mroue/September 09/10
Nawwaf al-Moussawi attacks Sami Gmayel/LNA/September 09/10

Latest News Reports From Miscellaneous Sources for September 09/10
Iran woman's stoning suspended after global outcry/Agencies
Israeli Army boosts training to preempt possible Hezbollah confrontation/Now Lebanon
Sfeir Condemns Call to Burn Quran: It's Aimed at Deepening Divide between People around the World/Naharnet
Obama calls Quran-burning an Al-Qaeda recruitment bonanza/Naharnet
Florida pastor refuses to back down on Koran burning/AFP
Lebanon's House Speaker, Berri praises Hariri's honesty regarding Syria/Daily Star
Lebanon: Lebanon's draft 2011 budget predicts 18-percent deficit drop/Daily Star
LBCI: France to re-enact Hariri murder/Now Lebanon
France Likely to Abolish Hariri Crime Re-Enactment/Naharnet
Hizbullah Demands Arrest of 'Big Shots' Behind False Witnesses/Naharnet
Qomati: Hariri's Positions Put STL Debate on Right Track/Naharnet
Aoun: Essence of My Positions 'Reform of Institutions, Improve Performance'/Naharnet
Hizbullah Defends Aoun ... Keen on President Seat/Naharnet
Ahmadinejad in Beirut Oct. 13 to Give Lebanon Ultimate Support against Israeli Threats/Naharnet
Hariri-Nasrallah Meet Right After Eid al-Fitr/Naharnet
Suleiman Sources: We Are Beyond what Happened with Aoun/Naharnet
Aoun: I Will Continue to Support the President/Naharnet
'Israeli Spy' Ahmed Nasrallah Reportedly Living in Israel/Naharnet
Khoury: Baroud, Aoun reach implicit agreement/Now Lebanon
Abi Ramia: Sleiman is being used to confront Aoun/Now Lebanon
Torsarkissian to Aoun: Do not bother/Now Lebanon

LF condemns Quran-burning/Now Lebanon
Iran blames Israel for planned US Quran-burning/Now Lebanon


LBCI: France to re-enact Hariri murder

September 9, 2010 /LBCI television quoted on Thursday an unnamed French source as saying that France is not moving towards cancelling its decision to re-enact the 2005 explosion that killed former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. As-Safir newspaper quoted earlier Thursday an unnamed French source as saying that Paris was considering cancelling the re-enactment.
-NOW Lebanon

France Likely to Abolish Hariri Crime Re-Enactment

Naharnet/France was considering abolishing the re-enactment of the crime of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri after giving it a second thought, As-Safir newspaper reported Thursday.
"After reviewing its accounts following questions over the need for and the benefit behind the reenactment on French territory, Paris was moving toward abolishing reenactment of the Hariri crime," A French source told As-Safir. The source said that the decision to approve the U.N. request to reenact the crime in France was made without consulting the concerned sides or providing a thorough assessment of the impact on French interests in the region. He said that an argument has developed inside security and diplomatic circles about the possibility of revoking the decision especially that the crime scene has been completed and, therefore, dismantling it will leave negative impacts on the reputation of France and its commitments to the United Nations. Paris also risked appearing as though it has abandoned support for the International Tribunal, the French source added. LBC television on Thursday, however, quoted French sources as denying that Paris is likely to abolish reenactment of the Hariri crime. The sources said such a decision is linked to the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, not France.
Beirut, 09 Sep 10, 07:50

Qomati: Hariri's Positions Put STL Debate on Right Track

Naharnet/Hizbullah politburo member Mahmoud Qomati said Thursday that the party was satisfied with Prime Minister Saad Hariri's recent positions in which he admitted that false witnesses misled the investigation in the assassination of former Premier Rafik Hariri. He told the Kuwaiti al-Anbaa newspaper that Hariri's statements are a "bold and brave step that put an end to those attempting to defend the false witnesses." "These stands, even though they are a bit late, will serve to place the political rhetoric on the right track regarding the international investigation," the Hizbullah official added. Qomati praised Hariri and said his positions should pave the way for a stable relationship with the Mustaqbal bloc, noting that a meeting between Hariri and Hizbullah Secretary General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah is possible at any moment. Beirut, 09 Sep 10, 14:23

Hizbullah Defends Aoun ... Keen on President Seat

Naharnet/State Minister for Administrative Development Mohammed Fneish defended Free Patriotic Movement leader Michel Aoun after the former army general slammed President Michel Suleiman. He said Hizbullah was "very keen" on the President seat. Fneish pointed out that Aoun has "self-esteem and a role." "Any stance made by him (Aoun) or any other national leader should not pass by unnoticed," Fneish said in remarks published Thursday by As-Safir newspaper. "We won't allow any (political) team to take advantage of such stances and invest them negatively or aggravate the problem under the pretext of supporting the President," he warned. Hizbullah is "keen that Suleiman and Aoun maintain a good relationship," Fneish stressed. "We will do what we can to improve this relationship," he added, noting that Aoun's remarks expressed frustration at a certain situation and demands that must be taken into account. Aoun's comments were "not directed against President of the Republic," Fneish insisted. Beirut, 09 Sep 10, 09:04

Sfeir Condemns Call to Burn Koran: It's Aimed at Deepening Divide between People around the World

Naharnet/Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Sfeir condemned on Thursday the call by a U.S. pastor to burn the Koran, saying it will further deepen the divide between people of different religions and cultures. He said: "We want the coexistence in Lebanon to be an example for others, and Muslims and Christians should renew their commitment to unity" and distance themselves from such calls. The Patriarch also congratulated the Lebanese on the occasion of Eid al-Fitr.

Ahmadinejad in Beirut Oct. 13 to Give Lebanon Ultimate Support against Israeli Threats

Naharnet/Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is scheduled to make a two-day visit to Lebanon Oct. 13-14 for talks with his Lebanese counterpart Michel Suleiman and other Lebanese officials. The daily An-Nahar, which carried the report, said Ahmadinejad will discuss Iranian readiness to provide "unequivocal" support for Lebanon to face Israeli threats.
Sources taking part in Ahmadinejad's trip preparations told An-Nahar that the Iranian President will also renew his offer to provide military assistance to the Lebanese army.
The sources said Ahmadinejad has expressed his wish to visit south Lebanon to inspect the scene of fierce clashes between Hizbullah and the Israeli army and the victory achieved in the July 2006. Beirut, 09 Sep 10, 08:17

Hariri-Nasrallah Meet Right After Eid al-Fitr

Naharnet/Prime Minister Saad Hariri will return from Mecca next Wednesday after having performed Omra. Al-Liwaa newspaper, citing a ministerial source, on Thursday said a meeting between Hariri and Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah will take place right after Eid al-Fitr. Beirut, 09 Sep 10, 10:22

Jumblat in Paris on Political Trip

Naharnet/Druze leader Walid Jumblat has left for Paris on a "political trip," Al-Liwaa newspaper said Thursday. State-run National News Agency said Jumblat headed to Paris on Wednesday on board of a private jet. The daily An-Nahar, however, said Jumblat is in Paris on a private visit that could include talks with some French officials. Beirut, 09 Sep 10, 10:01

Hizbullah Demands Arrest of 'Big Shots' Behind False Witnesses

Naharnet/Hizbullah has maintained its campaign against false witnesses in ex-PM Rafik Hariri's assassination case, demanding arrest of the architects behind the fake witnesses.
"It is required to open the case file of the false witnesses so that there will be no distractions … but to get to the 'big shots' whom we demand to go down when it is established that they had fabricated and made (their confessions)," Hizbullah's number two Sheikh Naim Qassem said in remarks published Thursday. "Therefore, we will follow-up on this issue which will lead to the arrest of the 'big shots,'" Qassem added. "It is time to hold accountable the perpetrators regardless of their beliefs or sects," he stresses. Qassem said Hizbullah awaits the "mechanism" to be decided by Cabinet following findings to be put forth by Justice Minister Ibrahim Najjar. Beirut, 08 Sep 10, 21:13

Khoury: Baroud, Aoun reach implicit agreement

September 9, 2010 /Change and Reform bloc leader MP Michel Aoun met Interior Minister Ziad Baroud and reached an implicit agreement, Change and Reform bloc MP Walid Khoury told MTV on Thursday. In a fiery speech on Sunday, Aoun criticized the government – including ministers Ziad Baroud, Ibrahim Najjar, Tarek Mitri and Elias al-Murr – and President Michel Sleiman, asking if the president has done anything other than weeping. Aoun also said that the ISF-Information Branch is an “illegitimate branch that has no law, kidnaps people for months and spreads rumors about them.” Aoun and Baroud met during Change and Reform bloc MP Alain Aoun’s wedding on Wednesday, Khoury added.
-NOW Lebanon

Abi Ramia: Sleiman is being used to confront Aoun

September 8, 2010
Change and Reform bloc MP Simon Abi Ramia told OTV on Wednesday that some parties are trying to exploit President Michel Sleiman and use him to confront Change and Reform bloc leader MP Michel Aoun. In a fiery speech on Sunday, Aoun criticized the government – including ministers Ziad Baroud, Ibrahim Najjar, Tarek Mitri and Elias al-Murr – and Sleiman, asking if the president has done anything other than weeping. Several political rivals of Aoun responded to the latter’s criticism. “We will remain the fiercest defenders of the constitution and of the president,” Abi Ramia said. He also said that Lebanon First bloc MP Okab Sakr criticized the Lebanese Army Intelligence Branch on Wednesday.
Abi Ramia responded to Sakr by saying that the army intelligence was legally established. -NOW Lebanon


Obama calls Quran-burning an Al-Qaeda “recruitment bonanza”

September 9, 2010
US President Barack Obama warned on Thursday that a Florida church's plan to burn Qurans would bolster Al-Qaeda as the church at the center of the storm defied a growing chorus of global outrage.In his first reaction to the planned torching by the evangelical church on Saturday, the ninth anniversary of the September 11 attacks, Obama said it would be a "recruitment bonanza" for the Islamists behind the plane bombings. "You could have serious violence in places like Pakistan or Afghanistan," Obama told ABC television in an interview.
"This could increase the recruitment of individuals who would be willing to blow themselves up in American or European cities," said Obama, who slammed the plans to burn the Quran as "destructive" and dangerous. The president's remarks followed global outrage against the plans of the tiny Dove World Outreach Center, a small church in Gainesville, Florida, to go ahead with the Quran burning. -AFP/NOW Lebanon

Torsarkissian to Aoun: Do not bother

September 9, 2010 /Lebanon First bloc MP Serge Torsarkissian told Al-Ousbou Al-Arabi magazine on Thursday that Change and Reform bloc leader MP Michel Aoun should not bother if he is seeking to overthrow the current cabinet through his criticisms. In a fiery speech on Sunday, Aoun criticized the government – including ministers Ziad Baroud, Ibrahim Najjar, Tarek Mitri and Elias al-Murr – and President Michel Sleiman, asking if the president has done anything other than weeping. “Aoun should not even bother because there is a strong will to keep Prime Minister Saad Hariri as the country’s premier,” Torsarkissian said. He also rejected the attempts to target Sleiman, saying that “we support increasing the powers of the president.”
“Aoun pointed the finger at Sleiman, although he knows that the president has [minimal] powers,” Torsarkissian added. -NOW Lebanon

IDF boosts training to preempt possible Hezbollah confrontation

September 9, 2010 /Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Head of Operations Unit, Brigadier General Sami Turjeman, said on Thursday that the IDF is boosting its training to be ready for a possible military confrontation with Hezbollah, the Voice of Israel radio station reported. “Hezbollah constitutes a military challenge to the IDF,” Turjeman said, adding that it was the first time the army decided to carry out a live ammunition drill.-NOW Lebanon

LF condemns Quran-burning

September 9, 2010 /The Lebanese Forces (LF) condemned on Thursday a Florida church's plan to burn Qurans, the National News Agency (NNA) reported. The evangelical church is planning to torch Qurans on the ninth anniversary of the September 11 attacks on Saturday.The LF said that the attacks were not related to the Muslim religion, adding that the move to burn Qurans is against Christian principles.-NOW Lebanon

Iran blames Israel for planned US Quran-burning

September 9, 2010
Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki on Thursday condemned the plan by a US church to burn the Quran on the anniversary of the September 11 attacks, saying the event was masterminded by Israel. The plan was "orchestrated by the Zionist regime after being defeated in its efforts against Muslims and the Islamic world," the official IRNA news agency quoted Mottaki as telling foreign ambassadors in Tehran. He also urged the US administration to stop what he called a "despicable" project. "This action will provoke the reaction of all Muslims as well as that of the faithful of other religions," IRNA quoted him as saying. The Dove World Outreach Center in Florida is planning to burn dozens of copies of Islam's holy book on the anniversary of the September 11, 2001 attacks on New York and Washington. "American statesmen should carry out their obligations in providing the basic and fundamental rights of American Muslims and should prevent the promotion of such obscene and indecent plans," Mottaki said. World leaders, Muslim and non-Muslim, have condemned the Quran-burning project, with US President Barack Obama calling it "destructive" and dangerous, saying it could trigger a wave of extremist violence. But Terry Jones, the Dove World Outreach Center's pastor, has vowed to go ahead with the ceremony on Saturday. -AFP/NOW Lebanon


Nawwaf al-Moussawi

September 8, 2010
On September 7, the Lebanese National News Agency carried the following report: Member in the Loyalty to the Resistance Bloc Deputy Nawwaf al-Moussawi held a press conference in his office in Tyre and responded to the recent statement of Deputy Sami Gemayel. He said:
“What we heard yesterday reveals that some are still insisting on committing the sins they have previously committed, and instead of feeling shame, remorse and regret, they are going even further in their second sin after we and the Lebanese thought that this dark page was turned once and for all. The statements that were issued yesterday clearly give the impression that this dark page was not turned and that this deputy who is new to political life revealed underlying secrets in the team to which he belongs.
“The statements of a certain deputy, who is supposed to be monitoring the ratification and implementation of the laws and respecting the constitution, go against the Lebanese laws in place and are in violation of this constitution. The statements featured the flaunting of collaboration with Israel that is an enemy in accordance with the Lebanese constitution and the National Pact, [and this] represented a blow to this Pact and undermined coexistence. It also confirmed that the person who issued these statements, the side he represents and those behind him, cannot be trusted to issue a decision or be part of the national decision, not to mention that the Lebanese law stipulated the sanctioning of the collaborators with Israel. How should the Lebanese people who were subjected to the Israeli crimes in terms of massacres, killings, kidnappings, arrests and the ongoing occupation of their land feel when they see a deputy bragging about his collaboration with Israel and about receiving support from it, as though the enemy was a charity offering aid to those affected by natural disasters?
“This talk aims at justifying collaboration with Israel under the pretext of receiving support to face a rival or an enemy. Any agent among those arrested today can therefore defend himself and justify his collaboration by saying he wanted to achieve a specific goal or purpose to defend the Lebanese national interests. What this deputy said is a justification of the logic of collaboration, and this is what we meant when we talked about an environment that harbors collaboration in Lebanon, not what others among the members of this deputy’s party tried to portray by twisting the facts, falsifying what was stated and turning it into a sectarian conflict.
“The environment harboring collaboration with Israel is the one that is based on two foundations: non-hostility toward [Israel] and a hatred of the Resistance. These two foundations are seen in the political thinking of this deputy and the political forces standing behind him. How did the known media machine which exaggerates every small incident deal with this dangerous development? Why did it not give it the sufficient importance, especially since it is a dangerous statement that cannot be disregarded? [I wonder about] the role of the Lebanese security apparatuses that are pursuing Israel’s agents at the level of this talk. Are these apparatuses not concerned with the monitoring of this deputy and the political team behind him, as the announcement of the absence of any shame in collaborating with Israel concealed an existing or possible collaboration and not a previous one?...
“The Lebanese judiciary which is investigating the spies and agents and trying them in court also has a responsibility to pursue the person who issued these statements. Immunity does not cover the crimes stipulated by the law and it is known that if a deputy is caught red-handed, his immunity is lifted. The danger posed by the deputy’s statements also lies in the fact that he compared the Palestinian situation in 1975 and the Resistance in Lebanon, thus justifying the reception of support from Israel in the face of the Palestinian situation and Syria. He is talking about his total commitment in the face of the Resistance, and it is only natural for us to expect him to repeat his sin by receiving support from Israel under the pretext of confronting the Resistance and the headline of supporting Lebanon.
“This requires the utmost mobilization by the entire Lebanese political class, while the silence of the political team to which he belongs means that this team approves all that the deputy said and adopts all its elements, whether in terms of the flaunting of the collaboration with Israel, the establishment of an environment favoring collaboration, justifying it and being willing to do it once again while wagering on a new Israeli attack.”

Berri praises Hariri's honesty regarding Syria
Speaker calls for national unity and focus on ‘important, not trivial, issues’

By Wassim Mroueh /Daily Star staff
Thursday, September 09, 2010
BEIRUT: Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri described Prime Minister Saad Hariri’s remarks to pan-Arab daily Ash-Sharq al-Awsat as “a window to truth and an important window especially regarding false witnesses.”
Speaking to reporters after holding his weekly meeting with President Michel Sleiman at Baabda Palace on Wednesday, the speaker said that the recent situation required the unity of the Lebanese to create immunity for Lebanon.
Hariri said Monday he made a mistake when he accused Syria of involvement in his father’s murder and condemned false witnesses for misleading probes and “politicizing the murder.”
Figures from the March 8 coalition praised Hariri’s comments, saying they stressed the need to probe false witnesses.
Hizbullah has been repetitively calling for the formation of a Lebanese committee to investigate false witnesses whom it said have derailed probes pursued by a UN-backed tribunal investigating Hariri’s murder.
Also, Hizbullah dismissed the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) as an “Israeli project” targeting the resistance.
However, Hariri reiterated his support for the STL.
Asked about recent criticisms against Sleiman, Berri reiterated his call for creating immunity for Lebanon, saying it was not the time to focus on trivial issues, but on more important ones. Sleiman and a number of ministers were subject to fierce criticism by head of the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM), Kesrouan MP Michel Aoun.
Aoun asked on Sunday whether the president did anything “other than crying” when dealing with his repeated calls for a breakdown of government spending over the previous five years. He also criticized the Information Branch that operates under the Internal Security Forces (ISF), saying it arrested and interrogated people illegally, spread rumors and leaked information about its detainees.
Aoun held Interior Minister Ziyad Baroud and Defense Minister Elias Murr responsible for the behavior of the Information Branch, and said Information Minister Tarek Mitri and Justice Minister Ibrahim Najjar were responsible for spreading rumors and leaks.
“What do ministers do? Are they sleeping? What are they waiting for before resigning?” asked Aoun.
The FPM says the Information Branch has no authority to continue detaining retired General Fayez Karam, a senior FPM official. Karam was arrested on suspicion of collaborating with Israel. His defense attorneys have been calling for transferring him to a legitimate prison.
Meanwhile, the director of the ISF, Major General Ashraf Rifi, issued a statement in which he praised the recent achievements of the Information Branch. “An active and enthusiastic section that performed its duties … especially in combating terrorist crimes where it made an unprecedented unique achievement in the history of the Arab-Israeli struggle through dismantling 23 Israeli spy networks since 2009, ” said the statement.
Also, the Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Butros Sfeir asked Wissam Baroudi, the president’s son-in-law, who visited him at his summer residence in Diman on Wednesday to relay to Sleiman his “full support” for the latter’s “national stances.” Berri also warned that the re-launched Middle East peace talks could raise tensions on the border with Israel and ignite clashes in Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon. “These talks will no doubt cover [Palestinian] refugees, water and oil in the region,” said Berri. “All of this may … ignite clashes inside Lebanon’s refugee camps and affect security in the south,” he added. Lebanon has not issued an official reaction to re-launched peace talks in Washington last week, the first in 20 months.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas are due to meet again on September 14 in Egypt, as part of a series of meetings to be held every two weeks that negotiators hope will lead to a final peace agreement within a year. Transport and Public Works Minister Ghazi Aridi said that Hariri’s stance reflected “a responsibility that surpassed words,” adding that such remarks should be the basis for building a “strong state capable of confronting challenges.” He called for building on the “political base” proposed by Hariri so that all parties could pass in the direction leading to “firm, clear and honest Syrian-Lebanese relations” as stipulated by Hariri.

Lebanon's draft 2011 budget predicts 18-percent deficit drop

No tax hikes in new proposal which has yet to be approved by Cabinet
By The Daily Star /Thursday, September 09, 2010
BEIRUT: The 2011 draft budget, which was submitted by Lebanese Finance Minister Raya Haffar Hassan on Wednesday, projects total deficit in spending next year to reach LL5.411 trillion ($3.6 billion) compared to LL6.658 trillion in 2010, a drop of 18.73 percent or LL1.247 trillion.
The new budget, which has yet to be approved by the Cabinet and Parliament, does not call for higher taxes or value-added tax (VAT) but the minister stressed that she was working on a more acceptable and fair tax system, a clear reference to the comprehensive tax.
The draft budget for 2011 – LL19.773 trillion – compares to LL19.538 trillion in 2010, an increase of 1.2 percent only.
Total projected government revenues in 2011 are set at LL14.361 trillion compared to LL12.880 trillion in 2010, an increase of 11.5 percent.
“This budget will see spending on infrastructure increase by LL104 billion compared to 2010 and all the money allocated for investment last year will hopefully be used this year.
“Higher government spending on infrastructure will boost the economic growth in Lebanon,” Hassan told reporters during a news conference at the Finance Ministry.
The 2010 draft budget is expected to be discussed and approved by Parliament at the end of this year following heated debate over every item in the budget between Hassan and Telecom Minister Charbel Nahhas in Cabinet. The 2010 budget has seen spending rise by little more than $1.1 billion due to the increase in the budgets of the Energy and Water Ministry as well as the of Public Works and Transport Ministry. Hassan said that the budget had allocated sufficient money to build a power plant with a 700 MW capacity, adding that this plant would run on natural gas which is much cheaper than fuel oil or gas oil.
Energy and Water Minister Jebran Bassil submitted a bold plan to rehabilitate the troubled electricity sector at a cost of $5 billion.
According to the new plan, electricity production will rise to 4,000 MW, up from the current 1,500 MW, within four years’ time.
“It is the first time in many years the Finance Ministry was able to send the budget to the Cabinet one week before the constitutional deadline. This by itself is a great achievement,” Hassan said proudly. She hopes that the new budget will be sent to the Parliament in October at the latest, once the Cabinet endorses it.
Lebanon has been without an approved budget since 2005, following the withdrawal of some opposition ministers in 2006 and the political standoff between March 8 and March 14 political groups.
She added that according to the Central Bank, the nominal gross domestic product (GDP) in Lebanon is expected to reach 6 percent in 2011.
Central Bank Governor Riad Salameh said that the balance of payments achieved a surplus of more than $1 billion, while gross foreign-currency reserves have reached $30 billion.
The finance minister added that all these new figures would boost the confidence of investors in Lebanon.
Hassan emphasized that growth was not confined to one area but spread across construction, financial services, tourism and trade.
She noted that the size of debt servicing, considered the biggest government spending item, has fallen this year.
According to the new projections of the budget, inflation will reach 2.8 percent in 2011, 2.2 percent in 2012 and 2.2 percent in 2013.
Lebanon’s GDP is expected to reach $40.081 billion in 2011, $42.722 billion in 2012 and $45.538 billion in 2013.
She expected the cost of debt servicing in 2011 to decline to 32.2 percent of Lebanon’s GDP and to 29.8 percent in 2013.
She added that the budget deficit in 2011 will reach 27.37 percent compared 34.08 percent in 2010.
Total public debt in 2011 is expected to reach LL83.045, trillion or 129.24 percent of the GDP, LL88.246 trillion in 2012, or 129.21 percent of the GDP, and LL91.706 trillion, or 126.33 percent in 2013. – The Daily Star

Democracy remains a tool to make careers

By Jamil K. Mroue
Publisher and editor in chief
Thursday, September 09, 2010
Lebanese pride themselves at the relative freedom of speech and action that characterizes their political system. So MP Michel Aoun’s recent attempt to justify the aggressive campaign he has been waging against President Michel Sleiman and a handful of ministers on grounds that questioning their “performance” is no more than a prerogative of MPs has struck a chord among those Lebanese attached to the tenets of their constitutional democracy.
But while Aoun’s motives appear, at a first glance, reasonable – the right to freely express one’s opinion is enshrined in Lebanon’s Constitution – a closer look at the substance of his remarks exposes an alarming flaw in the general’s understanding of his role in Lebanon’s political arena.
While constitutions do grant essential rights – such as that to which the former army general alludes to – whose respect is key in giving politicians the necessary space to exhibit their creativity and agility, such rights are meaningless if they are not coupled with a clear sense of responsibility.
For private individuals, this responsibility may imply setting limits to one’s own rights, in an effort to avoid interfering with those of others.
For elected representatives such as Aoun, the right to express oneself is inseparable from the duty to use the public space he is granted to voice propositions and ideas that are unmistakingly constructive, and ultimately benefit the people.
This is a feat that Aoun’s recent diatribe, for all the media coverage that it has generated, has critically failed to achieve.
In a country that struggles year after year to adopt its budget, the general’s request for a breakdown of the government’s spending since 2005 is at best absurd, and certainly far from being constructive.
At the helm of a parliamentary bloc, one that counts Cabinet members among its people, Aoun could come close to claim a majority if it rallied its allies.
With such a strong political force behind him, shouldn’t the general instead channel his efforts toward gathering the 10 signatures required to lodge proposals in Parliament, rather than engage in an unending war of words?
Aoun’s performance, sadly, appears to have been prompted by another, less altruistic, aim – that of recapturing an electorate that has been critical of him following recent charges of espionage filed against a member of his close circle, Fayez Karam, and his endorsement of unpopular stances toward Hizbullah.
Aoun’s leadership could have quenched the thirst of Lebanese for solutions to their problems. But sadly, the episode may be no more than another sign that, for many, Lebanon’s democracy remains a tool to make a career, rather than one that makes a country.
**Jamil K. Mroue, Editor-in-Chief of THE DAILY STAR, can be reached at jamil.mroue@dailystar.com.lb

It's Security Council time for Bellemare

By Michael Young
Daily Star/Thursday, September 09, 2010
We can say of Daniel Bellemare, the prosecutor of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, that he is like the proverbial ostrich. His head is stuck firmly in the sand while every day now the rest of his feathered body is being carved up for the feast.
It was, plainly, Saudi resolve that forced Prime Minister Saad Hariri to declare to the Saudi daily Ash-Sharq al-Awsat this week that the accusations directed against Syria for the murder of his father, Rafik Hariri, were “political.” More significantly, Hariri affirmed that so-called “false witnesses” were responsible for tensions between Beirut and Damascus. The prime minister knows who killed his father, but that’s of no concern to his political sponsors, who have been squeezing Hariri every which way recently to ease a Syrian return to Lebanon, which Riyadh imagines will help contain Hizbullah.
The phrasing of Hariri’s statement was revealing. After making his remarks about the politicized accusations against Syria, the premier added that the tribunal was continuing its work, lending it some legitimacy. It wasn’t much, but it was enough to dissatisfy Hizbullah. What Hariri did, or tried to do, was to implicitly repeat the Der Spiegel line from last year (which more than ever appears to have been the consequence of Syrian manipulation), namely that Damascus is innocent but that the tribunal is ongoing, therefore its conclusions, even if Hizbullah is named, are worth considering.
Hariri’s calculation was probably to retain some semblance of leverage over Hizbullah. The Syrians, playing both sides of the aisle in order to advance their own interests in Lebanon, have been encouraging their Lebanese megaphones to discredit the tribunal and call for its dissolution, even as they have avoided putting direct pressure on Hariri to end cooperation with the institution. The Syrians are still thinking of using an indictment in ways that expand their power, but they, like Hizbullah, ultimately want the tribunal to be killed from the Lebanese side, so that it won’t harm them. It is difficult to see how Hariri can come out of this convoluted maneuvering with anything in hand. His comments this week, particularly on the “false witnesses,” were early steps on a slippery slope that can only wreck the tribunal’s effectiveness. The prime minister may want to retain leverage, but his chances of succeeding are diminishing by the day, and the Syrians win either way. What weakens Hariri helps them; what weakens Hizbullah helps them; and a dispute between Hariri and Hizbullah helps them, too. Indeed, today they find themselves indirectly, and agreeably, mediating between the prime minister and Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah through Walid Jumblatt, whose reference point in Damascus is Mohammad Nassif, one of the late President Hafez Assad’s closest collaborators.
This brings us back to Daniel Bellemare. With admirable blitheness, the prosecutor continues to insist that he will not allow politics to enter his investigation. However, he is also an official in a mixed Lebanese-international tribunal, and to ignore the fact that Lebanese politics are steadily overwhelming his work, as they most definitively are, is a sign of his inexperience. Lebanese state institutions form the implementation arm of the tribunal; Lebanese judges sit on the panel; Bellemare’s deputy, Joyce Tabet, is a Lebanese magistrate. Of course the Canadian prosecutor can sit in a remote office and craft an indictment, as he should, but if the Lebanese state is not on board, his work could well end up being an empty intellectual exercise.
What can Bellemare do? That the Lebanese prime minister should cast doubt on his investigation by challenging the testimony of “false witnesses” is not something to be silently sucked up. Prosecutors, quite reasonably, avoid getting ensnared in the politics of their cases, but that doesn’t mean they don’t play a form of politics to build up indictments, protect their investigation, and keep the guilty on the defensive. A successful prosecutor in political crimes is one who can shape the legal environment in his or her favor. This requires a competent communications strategy, the astute handling of information, and a willingness to confront those trying to derail the investigation.
Don’t expect much. Bellemare’s communication skills have been appalling. His understanding of Lebanon and its complexities has been no less unimpressive. Three months after the departure of his spokeswoman, Radhia Achouri, Bellemare only yesterday named Henrietta Aswad as her replacement. In the interim, he ceded that role to Fatima Issawi, the tribunal spokeswoman, who often represented different institutional interests than the prosecutor’s.
Bellemare’s options in addressing Hariri’s comments are limited, but that doesn’t mean he can afford to do nothing. When a prime minister interferes in your inquiry, it’s really time to threaten to resign, and say so publicly. Of course, there is nothing that Hizbullah would like more, and it would be a mistake for the prosecutor to actually carry through on the threat, at least initially. But what Bellemare must do is cause a stink, then compel the Security Council to take a position and perhaps issue a resolution affirming confidence in his investigation.
At this stage, Bellemare is out of his league. His only hope for salvation is to return to the international body that created the special tribunal in the first place, and use that as a stick to warn the Lebanese of the consequences of failing to cooperate with his efforts. He should also fly to Beirut and verify on the ground, and publicly, where his Lebanese interlocutors stand, above all the president, the speaker and the prime minister. And Bellemare should use his new spokeswoman far more proactively than he did her predecessor.
The prosecutor can no longer pretend that there is an isolated, unadulterated judicial process on the one side and politics on the other. The two are bleeding into each other, and the politics are decisively contaminating Bellemare’s investigation. The trial process will be doomed unless the prosecutor acts. And the only card he really holds is to make the Security Council assume its responsibilities.
**Michael Young is opinion editor of THE DAILY STAR and author of “The Ghosts of Martyrs Square: An Eyewitness Account of Lebanon’s Life Struggle” (Simon & Schuster).

Christ is tolerant: Harper on Qur'an burning
Wed Sep 8, 9:08 PM
By James Keller, The Canadian Press
NANAIMO, B.C. - Prime Minister Stephen Harper has used his Christian faith to "unequivocally condemn" a Florida church that plans to burn 200 copies of the Muslim holy book.
"I don't speak very often about my own religion but let me be very clear: My God and my Christ is a tolerant God, and that's what we want to see in this world," he said.
Harper was adding his voice to the global outcry against a Florida preacher who plans to burn copies of the Qur'an in a bonfire Saturday to mark the ninth anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks.
Rev. Terry Jones, of the tiny Dove World Outreach Center in Gainesville, Fla., told a news conference Wednesday that he's received a lot of encouragement for his protest, with supporters mailing copies of the Islamic holy text to his church, which has about 50 followers.
"As of right now, we are not convinced that backing down is the right thing," said Jones, who took no questions.
But Harper was direct in his denunciation.
"I unequivocally condemn it," he said. "We all enjoy freedom of religion and that freedom of religion comes from a tolerant spirit."
"I don't think that's the way you treat other faiths, as different as those faiths may be from your own."
Earlier Wednesday, the man in charge of Canada's armed forces also voiced his disdain.
"This initiative is insulting to Muslims and Canadians of all faiths who understand that freedom of thought and freedom of religion are fundamental to our way of living," Defence Minister Peter MacKay said in a statement.
"We call on this pastor to bring people together, not break them apart."
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Defence Secretary Robert Gates echoed objections first raised by the U.S. commander in Afghanistan, Gen. David Petraeus, who warned that the proposed event would place the lives of American troops in jeopardy there and elsewhere.
MacKay said Canadian soldiers in Afghanistan are not fighting Islam or Islamic beliefs, but rather "an extremist and brutal enemy ... that condones public stonings, pours acid in the faces of Muslim schoolgirls who want a better future, and wishes to rule people by fear, intimidation and violence."
Canadians, MacKay said, take pride in their country's fundamental values of freedom of religion and thought.
"We are a country built on waves of immigrants who made Canada and who we are today," he said.
"Our values are what binds Canadians together during our hardest battles and our darkest moments. We recognized the strength of these attributes in our society on the morning of Sept. 11, 2001, and we rallied our spirits in the days that followed that terrible day with the knowledge that respecting our uniqueness brings Canadians closer together."
Jones has been under intense pressure from the White House and religious leaders to call off his plan to burn the book Muslims consider the word of God, but so far he's shown no signs of backing down.
Jones has said he's received more than 100 death threats and now wears a .40-calibre pistol strapped to his hip after announcing his plan to burn a book that's at the heart of the Islamic faith and that Muslims insist must be treated with the utmost respect.
Petraeus, the top U.S. and NATO commander in Kabul, took the rare step of commenting on a domestic matter when he warned that "images of the burning of a Qur’an would undoubtedly be used by extremists in Afghanistan — and around the world — to inflame public opinion and incite violence."
Petraeus spoke Wednesday with Afghan President Hamid Karzai about the matter, according to military spokesman Col. Erik Gunhus.
"They both agreed that burning of a Qur’an would undermine our effort in Afghanistan, jeopardize the safety of coalition troopers and civilians," Gunhus said, and would "create problems for our Afghan partners ... as it likely would be Afghan police and soldiers who would have to deal with any large demonstrations."
Clinton said that the pastor's plans were outrageous and urged Jones to cancel the event.
"It is regrettable that a pastor in Gainesville, Florida, with a church of no more than 50 people, can make this outrageous and distrustful, disgraceful plan and get the world's attention but that's the world we live in right now," Clinton said.
"It is unfortunate. It is not who we are."
Through Pentagon spokesman Col. David Lapan, Gates added his voice to the growing controversy.
"No one is questioning the right to do these things. We are questioning whether that's advisable considering the consequences that could occur," Lapan said. "Gen. Petraeus has been very vocal and very public on this, and his position reflects the secretary's as well."
In addition, Gen. Ray Odierno, the former top commander in Iraq, said Wednesday he feared extremists would use the incident to sow hatred against U.S. troops overseas.
In Iraq, where almost 50,000 American troops still are posted, U.S. Ambassador to Iraq James Jeffrey and the commander of U.S. forces in Iraq, Gen. Lloyd Austin, joined in the condemnation. They called the plan "disrespectful, divisive and disgraceful."
"As this holy month of Ramadan comes to a close and Iraqis prepare to celebrate Eid al-Fitr, we join with the citizens of Iraq and of every nation to repudiate religious intolerance and to respect and defend the diversity of faiths of our fellow man," they said in a joint statement released by the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad.
Clinton appealed for Jones to reconsider and cancel his plan. In the event that he carries it out, she suggested to laughter from the audience that the news media ignore it.
"We are hoping that the pastor decides not to do this," she said. "We're hoping against hope that if he does, it won't be covered as an act of patriotism."
"We want to be judged by who we are as a nation, not by something that is so aberrational, and we will make that case as strongly as possible."

Koran burning will boost Al-Qaeda: Obama

GAINESVILLE, Florida (AFP) - US President Barack Obama warned a Florida church's plan to burn Korans would bolster Al-Qaeda Thursday as the church at the center of the storm defied a growing chorus of global outrage.
In his first reaction to the planned torching by the evangelical church on Saturday, the ninth anniversary of the September 11 attacks, Obama said it would be a "recruitment bonanza" for the Islamists behind the plane bombings. "You know, you could have serious violence in places like Pakistan or Afghanistan," Obama told ABC television in an interview. "This is a recruitment bonanza for Al Qaeda," Obama said. Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari also condemned the plan as "despicable" while his Indonesian counterpart, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, said it would torpedo attempts to reconcile Muslims and the West.
"Indonesia and the US are building or bridging relations between the Western world and Islam. If the Koran burning occurs, then those efforts will be useless," Yudhoyono, leader of the world's biggest Muslim nation, wrote in a letter to Obama. Even Danish cartoonist Kurt Westergaard, who sparked Muslim outrage in 2006 with a drawing of the Prophet Mohammed, said the plans by the Dove World Outreach Center in Gainesville, Florida, to burn the Koran went too far.
But with condemnation raining down from top US officials, the military, the Vatican and other religious and world leaders, the church refused to halt plans to torch the Islamic holy book on Saturday. "As of this time we have no intention of canceling," Pastor Terry Jones told a press conference here Wednesday, adding his evangelical church had received numerous messages of support. Jones had indicated he was praying for guidance on whether to go ahead with the incendiary event after warnings from US Afghanistan commander General David Petraeus that US and allied troops could be targeted in revenge. "We understand the general's concerns and we are still considering it," Jones said, but swiftly added he had been contacted by a special forces soldier who told him "the people in the field are 100 percent behind us."
Petraeus renewed his public opposition to the plan Wednesday, telling NBC the act could be as harmful as the Abu Ghraib prison scandal in Iraq, in which images of naked prisoners abused by Americans went viral in 2004.
The Koran-burning images would "be in cyberspace forever, they'd be non-biodegradable," Petraeus warned.
After his press conference Wednesday, Jones reportedly met inside his church with a Florida imam, in a sign that the renegade pastor might be willing to tone down or even cancel his event.
According to the Gainesville Sun, the imam of the Islamic Society of Central Florida, Muhammad Musri, met with Jones for 40 minutes in the pastor's office.
"I told him the world would admire your courage if you come out and say, 'Because of my devotion to Christ and the Bible, I'm going to do the right thing.'" the Sun quoted Musri as saying.
The gun-toting pastor, who has received death threats, says the aim of Saturday's three-hour evening event is to send a message to radical Islamists that "it is possibly time for us in a new way to actually stand up and confront terrorism."
The planned torching of some 200 Korans comes amid an angry debate over plans to build an Islamic center in New York close to where the World Trade Center once stood.
Many fear if the Koran burning goes ahead it will further raise anti-Islamic sentiment.
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said he was deeply disturbed by the plans, while German Chancellor Angela Merkel decried them as "abhorrent."
Officials in the small university town of Gainesville -- reluctantly dragged into the global spotlight -- met Wednesday to draw up contingency plans.
City spokesman Bob Woods told AFP that church officials would be violating a ban on open-air burning and would be subject to a 250-dollar fine if they set fire to the books.
But there is little they can do to stop the event from going ahead, protected as it is by the First Amendment of the US Constitution, guaranteeing freedom of speech.

Hariri exonerates Syria over father's murder

By Sami Moubayed
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/LI10Ak02.html
DAMASCUS - Lebanese Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri this week put an end to an ongoing saga in his country's relationship with Syria, saying that the Syrians had not killed his father, Rafik al-Hariri, on that fateful day on February 14, 2005. Those accusations, he noted, had been "political" adding, "We committed mistakes and were hasty in accusing Syria." Hariri added that bilateral relations between Syria and Lebanon were "historic and brotherly" and what harmed one country, by default, directly harmed the other.
He said that when visiting Damascus, he always felt he is in a "brotherly and friendly country". The thundering declaration, made during an interview with the Saudi daily al-Sharq al-Awsat, has ripped through Beirut like a forest fire and left a big smile on the face of the Syrians. Hariri's u-turn speaks volumes about what happened in Syrian-Lebanese relations over the past five years, and in the entire Middle East at large: conspiracy, fraud, and plenty of political manipulation.
Hariri, young and politically inexperienced at the time of his father's death in 2005, aged only 35, was made to believe that Syria was guilty of killing his father, who was killed when a bomb ripped through his motorcade as it drove past the St George Hotel in the Lebanese capital. A team of veteran politicians surrounding Hariri, headed by men like Druze leader Walid Jumblatt, former premier Fouad Siniora and former Telecoms minister Marwan Hamadeh, wanted him to believe, for political reasons, that Syria had killed their former patron.
Many took their cue from the George W Bush White House, whose relations with Damascus had plummeted after the war on Iraq in 2003. They reasoned that with Syrian-Saudi relations in turbulence, and Syrian-US relations reaching rock bottom, it was politically unwise to stand in the way of what Bush wanted for the Middle East.
The young Hariri, furious with the murder, seemingly swallowed the bait presented to him by trusted aides of his father and spearheaded a campaign against Damascus, which lasted until he became prime minister last December.
Today, five years down the road, Hariri has clearly matured, outgrowing the small group of politicians who helped bring him to power in 2005. He has proven to be a wise man, realizing that there is something fishy about the International Tribunal established to investigate his father's murder, given the resignation of judges in recent months.
A tremendous amount of false witnesses have also turned up over the years, and contrary to what the Hariri family wanted - a clean judicial investigation - the tribunal has been politicized by various international players.
Thanks to Saudi advice, Hariri is beginning to ask questions put forth by both Syria and Hezbollah since day one. Namely: why has there been no investigation into possible Israeli involvement? And why did Detlev Mehlis, the first commissioner of the United Nations-backed tribunal process, base his October 2005 report on the testimony of false witnesses?
The original Mehlis report read like an Agatha Christie crime novel, with imaginative stories of Syrian officials meeting at the Meridian Hotel in Damascus to plan the murder of Hariri. It added that a Mitsubishi van had been loaded with explosives in broad daylight, with no cover, at the summer resort of Zabadani, then sent to Beirut to carry out the attack.
Those reports have been completely discarded by all prosecutors who succeeded Mehlis in the Hariri probe, including the current chief judge, Daniel Bellemare. None of these witnesses have ever been arrested or brought to court and several of them, like central witness Zuhair al-Siddiq, have disappeared under the watchful eyes of the international community.
Also, why is that the four generals arrested in 2005, accused back them of involvement in the murder, were released four years later, declared innocent of the charges originally brought against them by the Hariri investigation? What kind of an investigation is this, Hariri suddenly seems to be asking himself.
Hariri reportedly is starting to see the tribunal, and his father's entire murder, as part of a large conspiracy targeting his country's relations with Syria. This is being repeated by those close to him, namely Walid Jumblatt, who did his own u-turn earlier in 2010, and King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia, who was opposed to internationalizing the Hariri affair from the start.
The King of Saudi Arabia is clearly no longer convinced that Syria had anything to do with the Hariri murder. Had he thought otherwise, simply, he would not have mended his country's relations with Syria in early 2009 and made two state visits to Damascus since then.
The same applies to French President Nicolas Sarkozy, who charted a new course with Syria after succeeding Jacques Chirac, one of the architects of the "Blame it on Syria scenario". Bush has left the White House, and his successor, Barak Obama, is clearly no longer interested in pursuing a crash course with Syria, vis-a-vis the Hariri affair.
For all practical purposes, the Hariri saga, as far as blaming it on Syria, is finally over. Neither the world community believes that Syria had anything to do with the case anymore, nor does the international tribunal, and nor does Hariri's own family.
It would be a mistake, however, to believe that the Hariri affair is over, given increased speculation that the upcoming indictment, originally earmarked for this September, will blame members of Hezbollah, Syria's prime ally in Lebanon, of the Hariri murder.
Hariri after all said that Syria was not guilty of killing his father, but said nothing about Hezbollah in his al-Sharq al-Awsat interview. As far as Syria is concerned, pleased as it may be by the Lebanese premier's recent statements, blaming Hezbollah is a red line that Syria will not tolerate.
It is as dangerous blaming Hezbollah as Syria. Contrary to what some in the West may believe, a trade-off with the Syrians is not an option for Damascus, which is firmly convinced of Hezbollah's innocence.
During the most recent summit in Beirut, Saudi Arabia pushed for postponement of the tribunal indictment, while Syria called for complete abolishment of the tribunal, because it had been "catastrophic" for Syria and Lebanon. Whatever transpires in that regard requires a lot of heavyweight diplomacy, by the Syrians, Saudis and Lebanese, and at this stage all options remain on the table on what direction the tribunal will take.
If Syria had nothing to do with the Hariri murder, then who exactly killed the Lebanese premier? The Syrians and Hezbollah believe that Israelis murdered Hariri. Another theory says Hariri was murdered by al-Qaeda-style terrorists. A third argument blames it on different players within Lebanon, who wanted to get rid of the Sunni heavyweight who had prevented the rise of anybody in Beirut politics who was not operating underneath his direct umbrella.
A fourth argument blames it on Hezbollah. A fifth - and the most probable - is that we will never know for sure who really killed Hariri, due to the complexity of the crime and the involvement of so many different and contradicting accomplices. That would place the affair side-by-side with classic mysteries like the murder of former US president John F Kennedy.
Forty-seven years down the road, we still don't really know if it was Lee Harvey Oswald who gunned Kennedy down on November 22, 1963. And we may never know who killed the former prime minister of Lebanon on February 14, 2005.
Sami Moubayed is editor-in-chief of Forward magazine.
(Copyright 2010 Asia Times Online (Holdings) Ltd. All rights reserved. Please contact us about sales, syndication and republishing.)

Witnesses for the dissolution
Michael Young, September 9, 2010
Now Lebanon/Officials close to Syria are saying the leadership in Damascus has urged Hezbollah not to pursue the matter of alleged “false witnesses” who gave testimony to international investigators looking into the killing of Rafik al-Hariri, the former Lebanese prime minister.
Is that true? The information is difficult to confirm, but there may be a good motive for Syrian reluctance. The prosecutor of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, Daniel Bellemare, may conceivably have in his files affidavits indicating that Syria itself encouraged witnesses to give false testimony to the United Nations inquiry. If so, Hezbollah may effectively be pushing Bellemare to reveal information that Damascus prefers to keep under wraps, especially if the prosecutor does not accuse any Syrians in his first round of indictments.
What is the issue of “false witnesses” about? For starters, the concept itself is a misnomer. If individuals lied to international investigators, and in doing so falsely accused Hezbollah or Syria of Hariri’s murder, then they are guilty not of bearing false witness, which presumably is only something that can be done before a court of law, but of hindering the investigation. In other words, their tarnished testimony should be of less concern to Hezbollah or Syria than to Bellemare and the Lebanese judiciary, which is represented in the prosecution and is entitled to legally punish those obstructing justice.
And does Hezbollah want Syria to return one purported “false witness,” Hussam Hussam, to Lebanon, or perhaps The Hague, so that he can be questioned once more by Bellemare? Then again, to the best of my knowledge Hussam never officially withdrew his testimony, despite his press conference in Damascus in 2005, during which he said that he had been manipulated by the Hariri camp. And how did Hussam Hussam manage to get to Syria in the first place, when he was under scrutiny by Lebanon’s security services?
Then there are the others who might be accused of being “false witnesses,” those who are today Syrian allies. Take Walid Jumblatt. The Druze leader might retract what he told the first United Nations commissioner, Detlev Mehlis, but he hasn’t done so yet. And what of those like Saad Hariri or his entourage who offered testimony that Syria’s president, Bashar al-Assad, threatened Rafik al-Hariri in August 2004? What will they do? That’s not to mention the late prime minister’s widow, Nazeq, who has no intention of allowing the tribunal to turn into a whitewash – or more likely a washout.
The discussion over false witnesses can cut in many directions, not all of them to Syria’s advantage. But then why, in his interview this week with As-Sharq al-Awsat, did Prime Minister Saad Hariri declare that false witnesses had misled the investigation? It is unclear, but Hariri may not have had much of a choice. He couldn’t very well blame himself, or his political allies, for having told Mehlis the truth, so he had to blame false witnesses, in the hope that none would ever be brought before the Special Tribunal.
Hezbollah is unconcerned with these nuances. The party sees two advantages in forging ahead in its campaign against false witnesses: first, it is a useful tool to intimidate those individuals who spoke to international investigators, and who might now, quite reasonably, fear being brought before the tribunal as witnesses. And second, the false witness angle means Hezbollah can keep a knife to the neck of Lebanese politicians who gave testimony to UN investigators, regardless of whether, or perhaps because, they are close to Syria.
However, Hezbollah does run a risk with the false witness argument. The most obvious is that it does not know what Bellemare has in hand. Those who have been accused of lying to UN investigators have tended to be involved in what we might call the Syrian side of the case. But Hezbollah has implied that Bellemare will base his upcoming accusations against the party on false testimony as well. If the prosecutor does not produce such witnesses when he issues his indictment, then Hezbollah’s credibility could be damaged.
On the other hand, if Bellemare offers little witness testimony against Hezbollah, this could mean that his case is dependent on some solid evidence and a substantial amount of circumstantial evidence. It is very difficult to successfully prosecute a complex political crime like the Hariri assassination by relying heavily on circumstantial evidence. A good defense team could open up holes left, right and center. One thing is certain. By shifting discussion of the tribunal from an accusation against Hezbollah to one directed against supposed false witnesses, Hezbollah has succeeded in confusing everyone. Few are the Lebanese who will look at Bellemare’s indictment objectively when it comes out. The last thing a tribunal can afford to lose is the advantage of being recognized as a legitimate dispenser of justice. But Bellemare has lost the initiative and must correct this rapidly.
**Michael Young is opinion editor of the Daily Star newspaper in Beirut. His book, The Ghosts of Martyrs Square: An Eyewitness Account of Lebanon’s Life Struggle (Simon & Schuster), was recently published.

Beirut official: Talks may raise tensions

Lebanon's parliament speaker warns Mideast peace talks might spark tension on northern border, clashes in Palestinian refugee camps
AFP Published: 09.08.10, 23:28 / Israel News Lebanon's parliament speaker warned on Wednesday that the relaunched Middle East peace talks could raise tensions on the border with Israel and ignite clashes in Palestinian refugee camps."These talks will no doubt cover (Palestinian) refugees, water and oil in the region," speaker Nabih Berri said in a statement.
"All of this may... ignite clashes inside Lebanon's refugee camps and affect security in the south," said Berri, an ally of Lebanon's Islamic militant Hezbollah movement that opposes the peace negotiations. Lebanon has not issued an official reaction to relaunched peace talks in Washington last week that marked the first direct negotiations in 20 months between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas. They are due to meet again on September 14 in Egypt in a series of meetings to be held every two weeks that negotiators hope will lead to a final peace agreement within a year. The UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) estimates Lebanon today houses 400,000 Palestinians, but Lebanese officials estimate a figure of 300,000. A dispute over a patch of trees last month ignited a border clash between Lebanese and Israeli troops that killed two Lebanese soldiers and a journalist as well as a senior Israeli officer.

Iran woman's stoning suspended after global outcry

Tehran's state-run English-language Press TV interviews Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman who says authorities have decided to suspend execution of woman convicted of adultery
News agencies Published: 09.08.10, 23:40 / Israel News
Iranian authorities have reportedly suspended the death by stoning sentence inflicted on a woman convicted of adultery, the foreign ministry said Wednesday, after weeks of condemnation from around the world.Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani was convicted of adultery - a capital crime in the Islamic Republic – in 2006. She also has been charged with involvement in her husband's murder. Her sentencing sparked an international outcry and global condemnation, the most recent one by the European Parliament.
The EUP condemned the sentence, saying it "can never be justified or accepted." Wednesday's condemnation at the parliament in Strasbourg, France, comes on the heels of European Union Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso calling the practice "barbaric."
The resolution condemning Tehran won by a huge 658-to-1 margin with 22 abstentions.
The parliament also called for the overturning of several other cases in Iran that it sees as contradicting Western human rights standards.
"The verdict regarding the extramarital affairs has stopped and it's being reviewed," Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast told Tehran's state-run English-language Press TV.
Mehmanparast said the murder charge was "being investigated for the final verdict to be issued".
Iranian media have suggested that the stoning sentence, imposed for certain crimes under Sharia Law which Iran adopted after the 1979 Islamic revolution, would not be carried out, but that Ashtiani might still be executed by hanging.
"We think that this is a very normal case," Mehmanparast said. "This dossier looks likes many other dossiers that exist in other countries."
The Iranian FM blamed the United States for stirring the furore to hurt Iran's international image as it faces sanctions aimed at curbing its nuclear program.
According to Amnesty International, Iran is second only to China in the number of people it executes. It put to death at least 346 people in 2008.
Murder, adultery, rape, armed robbery, apostasy and drug trafficking are all punishable by death in Iran.
AP and Reuters contributed to this report