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