LCCC
ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
ِSeptember
12/2010
Bible Of The Day
Psalm
116/1-19/: "I love Yahweh, because
he listens to my voice, and my cries for mercy.
Because he has turned his ear to me,
therefore I will call on him as long as I live. The cords of death surrounded
me, the pains of Sheol got a hold of me. I found trouble and sorrow. Then I
called on the name of Yahweh: “Yahweh, I beg you, deliver my soul.” Yahweh is
Gracious and righteous. Yes, our God is merciful. Yahweh preserves the simple. I
was brought low, and he saved me. Return to your rest, my soul, for Yahweh has
dealt bountifully with you. For you have delivered my soul from death, my
eyes from tears, and my feet from falling. I will walk before Yahweh in the land
of the living. I believed, therefore I said, “I was greatly afflicted.” I said
in my haste, “All men are liars.” What will I give to Yahweh for all his
benefits toward me? I will take the cup of salvation, and call on the name of
Yahweh. I will pay my vows to Yahweh, yes, in the presence of all his people.
Precious in the sight of Yahweh is the death of his saints. Yahweh, truly I am
your servant. I am your servant, the son of your handmaid. You have freed me
from my chains. will offer to you the sacrifice of thanksgiving, and will call
on the name of Yahweh. I will pay my vows to Yahweh, yes, in the presence of all
his people, in the courts of Yahweh’s house, in the midst of you, Jerusalem.
Praise Yah!
'John 10:27–28/"My sheep
hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life,
and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand."
Today's Inspiring Thought: True Sheep
In this verse Jesus gives us a clear and easy-to-understand description of a
true Christian. A true believer hears the voice of God (the Word of God) and
responds to it. God knows the sheep who are truly in his fold. Genuine sheep
follow and obey the true Shepherd and will not be fooled by the voice (or
message) of a false shepherd.
True believers have eternal life and will never die. Though sheep are prone to
wander and, thus, in need of a Good Shepherd for protection and guidance, God
will never lose one of his true sheep. (About.com)
Free
Opinions, Releases, letters, Interviews & Special Reports
Disarming Lebanon's
PalestiniansPalestinian/Ahmed Moor/September 11/10
Syrian influence in Lebanon on the
rise again/By ZEINA KARAM/AP/September 11/10
Canada Condemns Terrorist Attack
in Russia/September 11/10
Latest News Reports From Miscellaneous Sources for
September 11/10
US marks 9th anniversary of
September 11 attacks/Agencies
Arabs Seek Scrutiny of Israel's Nuclear Work/Wall Street Journal
Hizbullah Website to be Sued for Threatening Sami Gemayel with Crucifixion
/Naharnet
Geagea: International Tribunal will
Continue to Exist until Justice is Done /Naharnet
Saqr Calls on Hizbullah, Aoun to
Agree on 'Israeli Spy' Issue /Naharnet
Hariri, Nasrallah Meet to 'Clear
Hearts' /Naharnet
Baroud, Rifi in Touch … Dispute Has
No Political Overtones /Naharnet
Abu Jamra: Army's Counter-Espionage
has Power over Police to Investigate Israeli Spies /Naharnet
Iran Launches Free Entertainment
Channel for Viewers in Lebanon, Syria, UAE /Naharnet
Hariri Prays with Saudi King
Abdullah in Mecca /Naharnet
Gaza missiles strike Israel/Now
Lebanon
Soueid: March 14 not irritated by
Hariri’s statement/Now Lebanon
US marks
9th anniversary of September 11 attacks
Amid religious tensions, US President Obama says, 'We are not at war against
Islam. We're at war against terrorist organizations.' Adds: Government is
determined to kill or capture Osama bin Laden
News agencies Published: 09.11.10, 10:59 / Israel News
Nine years after the September 11 attacks, President Barack Obama said the US
has forced Osama bin Laden "deep underground" but Americans will face an
expanded terror threat for years to come from other al-Qaeda extremists "willing
to die to kill other people."
The government is no less determined to kill or capture the September 11
architect, Obama said. But Americans must remember the fight is with al-Qaeda
terrorists, not the much wider world of people of Muslim faith.
Families of more than 2,700 people killed at the World Trade Center will mourn
their loved ones by reading their names at an anniversary ceremony Saturday
morning to be attended by Vice President Joe Biden. Obama will attend a service
at the Pentagon.
But a debate over a planned mosque near ground zero that has polarized the
nation could mar the ceremonies.
Thousands are expected at protests both for and against the proposed Islamic
center and mosque north of ground zero. Some victims' family members are torn
about whether to engage in a political rally on the anniversary of their loved
ones' deaths.
On the eve of the anniversary of the 2001 attacks, a day magnified by heightened
tensions over a planned mosque near Ground Zero and a Florida pastor's threat to
burn Korans, Obama sought on Friday to reinforce the country's founding belief
of religious tolerance.
Saturday, he said, should be a day not only to mourn but to show that "we are
not at war against Islam. We're at war against terrorist organizations that have
distorted Islam or falsely used the banner of Islam to engage in their
destructive acts."
Speaking to reporters in the White House East Room, Obama was blunt about the
enduring terror threat that has gripped the country since al-Qaeda terrorists
slammed planes into New York's World Trade Center towers, the Pentagon in
suburban Virginia and the central Pennsylvania countryside.
"It's just a reality of today's world that there are going to be threats out
there," Obama said. "I think, ultimately, we are going to be able to stamp it
out. But it, it's going to take some time."
Al-Qaeda leaders 'holed up'
Conceding that efforts to capture or kill bin Laden have so far failed, Obama
said that al-Qaeda leaders are "holed up" in a way that has made it difficult
for the group to operate.
Counterterrorism officials concur that the core al-Qaeda leadership - believed
to be in hiding in Pakistan along the mountainous border - has been hurt and
degraded over the past nine years, and has been struggling for funding.
Obama, describing the pursuit and pressure on bin Laden, said that "we have the
best minds, the best intelligence officers, the best special forces, who are
thinking about this day and night. And they will continue to think about it day
and night as long as I'm president."
Getting bin Laden, said Obama, though extremely important to the country's
national security, would hardly solve all problems.
He said homeland security has improved in the past nine years. But, with a nod
to the foiled December 25 attempted airliner attack and the botched Times Square
car bombing in May, Obama added, "There is always going to be the potential for
an individual or a small group of individuals, if they are willing to die, to
kill other people. Some of them are going to be very well organized and some of
them are going to be random."
A report issued Friday by a group led by the two former 9/11 Commission chairmen
said the terror threat has become more complex, as al-Qaeda and an array of
affiliates and allies in countries like Yemen and Somalia take on a broader
strategy.
"I think the American relationship with the Islamic world is one of the really
great foreign policy challenges of the next decades," said former 9/11
co-chairman Lee Hamilton. "We're not going to solve it in a year or two or five
or even 10 years."
Obama said the country should observe the September 11 anniversary as a day of
"service and remembrance." Americans should find a way to serve their fellow
citizens and rekindle the spirit of unity and common purpose felt in the wake of
the 2001 terror attacks, he added.
The president is expected to attend a service at the Pentagon on Saturday, Vice
President Joe Biden will go to New York while first lady Michelle Obama will
appear with former first lady Laura Bush in Shanksville, Pennsylvania.
The ceremonies will be held in the backdrop of an ultimatum set by Florida
Pastor Terry Jones.
On Friday, he demanded that Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf cancel his plan to build a
mosque near ground zero within two hours, or else he will carry out his plans to
burn copies of the Koran.
Jones flew to New York, despite not receiving an answer from the Imam, in the
hopes of meeting with him. Meanwhile, protests against the initiative attended
by thousands resumed in northeast Afghanistan.
U.S.
Marks 9/11 Anniversary amid Islam Tensions
Naharnet/Remembrance ceremonies, marred by global tensions over a Florida
pastor's threat to burn the Koran, were to take place Saturday in New York and
at the Pentagon on the ninth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. The rituals
honoring the nearly 3,000 people killed on September 11, 2001, when Islamist
terrorists flew hijacked planes into the US defense headquarters and New York's
World Trade Center towers, unfold almost unchanged each year. In New York at
Ground Zero the names of the 2,752 victims who died there are read out against a
background of somber music, with moments of silence marking the times when the
two airliners slammed into the Twin Towers -- and again when the towers
collapsed.
President Barack Obama was to attend the memorial service at the Pentagon, while
Vice President Joseph Biden was to be in New York. A third service was taking
place in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, where the fourth hijacked airliner crashed
into a field. This year the dignified and simple events are overshadowed by a
row over a renegade Florida pastor's threat to publicly burn hundreds of Korans
on Saturday if plans are not dropped for a proposed mosque near Ground Zero.
The pastor, Terry Jones, seemed to have abandoned his Koran-burning plan by
Friday after pleas from Obama, the Vatican and several other world leaders
warning of a catastrophe for Western-Muslim relations. However, tensions
remained high and Jones's stunt ensured that the related controversy over the
proposed Ground Zero mosque took center stage.
Rival rallies by groups supporting and opposing the disputed mosque project were
to take place nearby soon after the official ceremonies at Ground Zero, breaking
an unwritten taboo on open politicization of the anniversary. Police said they
would ensure the two groups were kept apart.
The still un-built mosque and Islamic community center was originally proposed
by New York's Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf as a chance to heal post-9/11 wounds just
two blocks from Ground Zero. However opponents -- led by rightwing radio DJs and
politicians campaigning on patriotic tickets ahead of November 2 congressional
midterm elections -- accuse the imam of seeking to honor the Islamist terrorists
responsible for the attacks. Tensions at the site started building up late
Friday when about 2,000 people rallied near Ground Zero to support a proposed
mosque. The mosque standoff and Jones's Koran burning plans have created such a
toxic atmosphere for US Muslims that Obama pleaded Friday for Americans "to make
sure that we don't start turning on each other."
Amnesty International, the human rights watchdog, warned Friday of "persecution"
against US Muslims and calling on the government to protect their rights.
Jones's plans on Saturday remained unclear. The obscure pastor, who leads a tiny
evangelical congregation of about 50, insisted his truce depended on being at
least able to meet with Rauf.
He flew to New York late Friday. But it was unclear whether the imam behind the
project, Feisal Abdul Rauf, planned to meet with Jones. The imam has already
denied any deal that would see the planned cultural center and mosque moved
further away from the site of the World Trade Center destroyed in the 2001
attacks. Whatever happens, damage to the US image in the Muslim world may have
already occurred. Anger spilled in Afghanistan on Friday where thousands of
people threw stones and demonstrated outside a small NATO military base.
Obama's Defense Secretary Robert Gates earlier had made a personal call to
Jones, saying US troops in Afghanistan would face revenge attacks if the Koran
burning went ahead.
There were also protests in Pakistan and Indonesia. Najib Razak, prime minister
of Muslim-majority Malaysia, warned that a "single act of abhorrence" could
"ignite the feelings of Muslims throughout the world, the consequences of which
I fear would be very, very costly."(AFP)(AFP photo shows Pakistani lawyers
carrying a burning U.S. flag during a protest in Multan against plans to burn
the Koran.) Beirut, 11 Sep 10, 09:21
Koran
burning will accelerate Israel's fall, annihilation'
By JPOST.COM STAFF
09/11/2010 01:51
Ahmadinejad says plan a "Zionist plot," Israel, its "supporters are on the path
to collapse and decline and such desperate acts will not save them."
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Friday that the planned Koran burning
by Florida Reverend Terry Jones will bring the destruction of Israel, according
to a PressTV report.
According to the report, Ahmadinejad said that the plan to burn Korans was a
"Zionist plot, and against the teachings of all divine prophets."
NYC imam says has no plans to meet Florida pastor
The book burning was scheduled for the anniversary of the September 11th terror
attacks on Saturday.
"The Zionists and their supporters are on the path to collapse and decline and
such desperate actions will not save them, but will accelerate their fall and
annihilation," Ahmadinejad said at a Teheran meeting with Ayatollah Seyyed Ali
Khamenei and other leading Iranian officials.
On Thursday Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said Israel is behind
the planned Koran burning, according to the official Iranian news agency IRNA.
“The software for this plan was made by the Zionists following their defeats
against Muslims and the Islamic world,” Manouchehr said in a meeting with
foreign diplomats in Iran.
According to the report, the foreign minister also blamed former US President
George W. Bush and said Bush's rhetoric after the September 11 terrorist attacks
led to the increase of Islamophobia in the country.
“The current US administration should fulfill its duties in guaranteeing the
basic rights of American Muslims for avoiding the spread of such inappropriate
and devilish moves,” added Mottaki.
Senior Iranian clergyman Ayatollah Safi Golpaygani also commented on the planned
event, according to the DPA news agency.
"On behalf of a half billion Muslims, I condemn this savage plan and warn of its
consequences," Golpaygani said in a statement on Iran's state television
website, IRIB. "This pastor should be immediately arrested and his church closed
down."
The ayatollah said US President Barak Obama would be held responsible if the
"gruesome and inhuman act" takes place.
Hizbullah Website to be Sued for Threatening Sami Gemayel with Crucifixion
Naharnet/The attorney of Kataeb official Sami Gemayel said he will take legal
action against a Hizbullah website for threatening the young MP with
crucifixion, the Phalange Party said on its website. "Gemayel has the right to
his own political opinions under the Constitution," the website said, quoting
Gemayel's lawyer Mark Habka as telling MTV.
Habka said he will file a suit against the Hizbullah website, called the Islamic
Resistance Forum, which described Gemayel as an Israeli spy and called for his
"crucifixion on a pole in the Pride and Dignity Square." Beirut, 11 Sep 10,
11:06
Saqr Calls on Hizbullah, Aoun to Agree on 'Israeli Spy' Issue
Naharnet/"Lebanon First" MP Oqab Saqr on Saturday called on Hizbullah and Free
Patriotic Movement leader Michel Aoun to agree on the Israeli spy issue. "Aoun
has demanded the death penalty for Israeli spies. Is it in Aoun's desire to
execute some of the spies and honor others?" Saqr asked in an interview
published by the Kuwaiti al-Anbaa newspaper. This was a reference to FPM
official Fayez Karam who was arrested last month on suspicion of spying for
Israel. "Hizbullah calls for the execution of Israeli spies while Aoun attacks
the State," Saqr said, urging Hizbullah and Aoun to agree on this issue. Beirut,
11 Sep 10, 10:17
Baroud, Rifi in Touch … Dispute Has No Political Overtones
Naharnet/There is no political overtones to a dispute between Interior Minister
Ziad Baroud and police chief Maj. Gen. Ashraf Rifi, a report said Saturday. The
report, carried by pan-Arab daily Al-Hayat, said Baroud and Rifi got in touch on
Thursday evening shortly after a statement issued by police triggered a dispute
between the two men. A statement issued Thursday morning by police was in
respond to criticism by Free Patriotic Movement leader Michel Aoun against
Internal Security Forces (ISF). Aoun had slammed the ISF, saying Rifi has gone
beyond the powers of the interior minister by issuing a statement praising the
role of the police's Intelligence Bureau for revealing a network of Israeli
spies. The ISF in a statement hit back at Aoun, without naming him, saying
criticism of the Intelligence Bureau was aimed at diverting attention from the
fact that senior FPM official Fayez Karam had been found guilty of spying for
Israel. The police statement said the Intelligence Bureau "operates within
the legal framework … under the supervision of judicial authorities. " Baroud on
Friday said he would take the necessary disciplinary action after the statement
was issued without his prior consent in accordance with applicable laws. The
sources said Baroud and Rifi maintained contact, stressing that differences
between the two men over the powers of the police chief "does not constitute an
obstacle to Karam's arrest." "The technical dispute in this regard will not turn
into a dispute on the issue of hunting suspects on suspicion of spying for
Israel," one source said. Beirut, 11 Sep 10, 09:00
Abu Jamra: Army's Counter-Espionage has Power over Police to Investigate Israeli
Spies
Naharnet/Retired Maj. Gen. Issam Abu Jamra on Saturday said the Lebanese army's
Counter-Espionage Department has powers over the police to investigate Lebanese
suspects with links to Israel's Mossad secret service. "The arrest of Brig. Gen.
Fayez Karam was on charges of spying for the Israeli enemy, which is responsible
for defending (Lebanon) against this enemy," Abu Jamra said in a statement
released Saturday. He said the Lebanese army's Intelligence Bureau
Counter-Espionage Department has powers over the police's Intelligence Bureau to
investigate and follow-up on the Israeli spies. Beirut, 11 Sep 10, 11:39
Geagea: International Tribunal will Continue to Exist until Justice is Done
Naharnet/Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea on Friday said the majority March
14 alliance will remain committed to the truth, stressing that the Special
Tribunal for Lebanon will continue to exit. "We will remain committed to the
full truth and the International Tribunal will last until justice is done,"
Geagea said during LF students' graduation ceremony in Maarab. "No one has the
right to speak about false witnesses before an indictment is issued," Geagea
warned. He stretched out his hand to the Opposition for them to come and join
the drive to build an "effective" Lebanese State. "I appeal to the other
(political) team to join the drive to build an effective Lebanese State,
opposite of what it is now," Geagea said. Beirut, 10 Sep 10, 18:36
Iran Launches Free Entertainment Channel for Viewers in
Lebanon, Syria, UAE
Naharnet/Iran has launched a 24-hour satellite television entertainment channel
to broadcast serials and films to audiences in the Arab world, media reported on
Friday. The state-run iFilm channel will broadcast programs dubbed into Arabic
for viewers in Lebanon, Syria and the United Arab Emirates, reports said. It
will show "documentaries on making of films, film reviews, feature films, and
short films," Iran's English-language Press TV said, adding that the channel
will be broadcast via the Arabsat and Nilesat satellites. The channel's launch
comes three years after the start of Press TV, which the Islamic republic says
is a bid to break the "stranglehold" of the West over the world media. Iran's
state-run broadcaster already operates Al-Alam, a 24-hour Arabic-language news
channel whose slick programming has won a loyal following from Shiite Muslims in
Lebanon and Iraq. It was launched at around the time of U.S. invasion of Iraq in
March 2003. The state broadcaster also runs Jam-e Jam, which airs Farsi programs
for Iranians living abroad, and the Arabic Al-Kawthar which broadcasts a mix of
news, religious talk shows and Iranian soap operas dubbed into Arabic. Although
Tehran uses satellites to broadcast its programming abroad, it is still illegal
to have satellite receivers inside the country, where officials frequently
denounce the "cultural decadence" spread by foreign channels. In recent years,
many Iranians have discreetly installed satellites in their homes, but these can
be the target of sporadic crackdowns by the police who confiscate illegal
dishes.(AFP) Beirut, 10 Sep 10, 15:47
Hariri, Nasrallah Meet to 'Clear Hearts'
Naharnet/The Kuwaiti newspaper al-Anbaa on Saturday said Prime Minister Saad
Hariri and Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah will meet to "clear the
hearts" after Eid al-Fitr.
It said a shift in Hariri's policy will only be complete in a "comfortable"
relationship with Hizbullah "which is the thread separating the relationship
with Syria."The paper said the Hariri-Nasrallah meeting to "clear the hearts"
would likely take place following Eid al-Fitr.
Canada Condemns Terrorist Attack in Russia
http://www.international.gc.ca/media/aff/news-communiques/2010/286.aspx
(No. 286 – September 10, 2010 – 7:00 p.m. ET) The Honourable Lawrence Cannon,
Minister of Foreign Affairs, today issued the following statement condemning
yesterday’s bombing attack in Vladikavkaz, Russia: /Naharnet
“Canada strongly condemns the act of terrorism that took place yesterday in
Vladikavkaz. We extend our condolences and deepest sympathy to the families and
friends of those killed in the bombing, and we wish those injured a swift
recovery.
“Canadians stand together with the Russian people in deploring this cowardly act
and the blatant disregard it shows for civilian lives. We reiterate our
commitment to work with Russia bilaterally and through appropriate multilateral
forums to combat terrorism.”
- 30 -
For further information, media representatives may contact:
Melissa Lantsman
Office of the Minister of Foreign Affairs
613-995-1851
Foreign Affairs Media Relations Office
Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada
613-995-1874
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Washington, DC September 10, 2010
The American Lebanese Coordination Council (ALCC) strongly condemns all the
senseless attacks and accusations made against MP Samy Gemayel and the blatant
intolerance for all Lebanese patriots who share the same values and visions for
building a resilient and peaceful Lebanon.
The ALCC defends the constitutional right of freedom of speech and believes Samy
Gemayel’s statements are an expression of historical truth rather than
provocation.
The ALCC considers any accusation made against Samy Gemayel is a direct assault
on a large portion of the Lebanese population who take pride in the
contributions and history of the Lebanese Resistance.
The ALCC salutes all those who defended their homes, their families, and
Lebanon’s existence against foreign aggression and occupation in the absence of
protection from a capable Lebanese state and armed forces. We honor the
thousands of Martyrs who died so Lebanon can live.
The ALCC vehemently denounces and questions the motives of all those individuals
who have launched the malicious onslaught of threats against a voice of Lebanese
patriots via an Official Political Forum and website.
Those who call to crucify Samy Gemayel are products of ignorance, hatred, and
fear and are remnants of an era we had hoped was left in the past.
The ALCC demands immediate action from the Lebanese State to identify and
prosecute those individuals responsible for threatening the life of a Lebanese
MP and attempting to incite violence among the Lebanese people.
End.
Joseph Hage
President
www.alcc-research.com
If I remind my own of our Phoenician forefathers,
It is because we were, at the gate of history,
Before becoming Muslims or Christians,
A single people united in the same glory.
Charles Corm
Gaza missiles strike Israel
September 9, 2010 /A mortar shell fired by Palestinian militants from the Gaza
Strip hit southern Israel on Thursday evening causing no casualties, the second
such attack of the day, the Israeli military said. The shell "struck wasteland
in the Shaar HaNegev region," near Gaza's northern border with Israel, an army
spokesperson said. Earlier, a rocket fired from the Palestinian enclave landed
in an open field in southern Israel, also causing no damage or injuries,
according to the spokesperson. The two attacks coincide with the second and last
day of the Jewish New Year celebrations in Israel and bring to five the number
of projectiles fired across the Gaza border since Monday. -AFP/NOW Lebanon
Soueid: March 14 not irritated by Hariri’s statement
September 9, 2010 /March 14 General Coordinator Fares Soueid told LBCI
television on Thursday that the March 14 alliance is not irritated by Prime
Minister Saad Hariri’s statements to As-Sharq al-Awsat newspaper this week, in
which the PM said that the accusations of Syria’s involvement in the 2005
assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri were political in nature.
“We were not upset with Hariri’s statements, but we are assessing the
circumstances that led him to voice such remarks,” Soueid said. He also said
that the parties who want to end March 14 are hoping for a cold war between the
Lebanese. Al-Liwaa newspaper reported on Thursday that the March 14 General
Secretariat understands Hariri’s statements, adding that it considered his
position to be a political one, which does not indicate that there might be
changes related to the STL. -NOW Lebanon
Syrian influence in Lebanon on the rise again
By ZEINA KARAM
The Associated Press
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/09/08/AR2010090801430.html
Wednesday, September 8, 2010; 6:15 AM
BEIRUT -- Five years ago, Lebanese thronged the streets of Beirut to protest
Syrian control over their country in a movement that quickly ended decades of
military domination.
Now, many Lebanese are wondering if much has really changed. Syria's soldiers
and the posters of its leader are gone but its influence is undeniably back.
Western-backed Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri has shuttled to Damascus five
times in the last nine months to try to repair relations that frayed after the
2005 Syrian withdrawal. For many in Lebanon, the trips harken back to times of
Syrian dominance when Lebanese leaders used to travel frequently to Damascus to
get marching orders.
Syria controlled Lebanon for nearly 30 years - something the U.S. opposed - and
kept about 35,000 troops on its soil. But everything changed in February 2005
when a massive truck bombing killed former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, a
billionaire businessman and father of the current prime minister.
Lebanon's anti-Syrian political bloc, which Saad Hariri eventually came to lead,
quickly accused Syria in the bombing. Millions of protesters turned out to
demand Syria get out of Lebanon, in what was dubbed the "Cedar Revolution."
Within months, Damascus pulled its troops out and Lebanese elections that
followed swept anti-Syrian parties to power.
Although officials have not said it openly, analysts say the current
rapprochement appears to be an acknowledgment that Hariri is too weak to govern
Lebanon without the support of his larger, more powerful neighbor.
Steadily rising Syrian influence in Lebanon culminated this week with a stunning
reversal by Hariri. He said it was a mistake to blame Damascus for his father's
assassination, adding the accusation had been politically motivated.
"Syria had been placed in the docket for the murder of (Hariri's) father ... and
for him to look the world in the eye and say 'I was wrong' - it's an
extraordinary about-face," said Joshua Landis, an American professor and Syria
expert who runs a blog called Syria Comment.
"We understand that the Cedar Revolution was a mirage," he added. "And so we
have returned to the much more cynical but perhaps more realistic world of
cutting deals and keeping all the local powers happy."
Since the pullout, Syria has maintained its hand in Lebanon through its ally,
the militant group Hezbollah, which has also been steadily gaining power.
Hezbollah, also backed by Iran, is the strongest military force in the country
and the main representative of its Shiite community, roughly a third of the
population of 4 million.
The group has gained so much influence in the past few years it now has virtual
veto power over government decisions.
Sectarian street clashes in 2008 pitting supporters of Hezbollah against Sunni
rivals in Beirut may have helped convince Hariri that he needed Syria's help.
He tried everything in his power to find a way of isolating Hezbollah and he
couldn't do it," Landis said.
Hariri's allies have not said much publicly on his new stance regarding a
possible Syrian role in his father's killing - an unusual silence suggesting
they are unwilling to publicly criticize the prime minister's position. A number
of his allies in the U.S.-backed coalition known as March 14, named for a day of
massive anti-Syrian demonstrations in 2005, declined to comment when contacted
by The Associated Press over the past two days.
Dory Chamoun, a March 14 politician, said Hariri's comments did not absolve
Syria but were meant to emphasize that the tribunal must have the final word.
"If such statements ensure a calm situation in Lebanon, then I'm all for it," he
said.
In contrast, Syria's allies in Lebanon came out with rare praise for Hariri.
Qassem Hashem, a legislator with close links to Syria, said his statements "help
remove all the stains that prevailed in the past years as a result of unjust
political accusations that were based on false witnesses and slander."
In Syria, state-run newspapers ran Hariri's comments on their front pages and
political analysts close to the Syrian leadership said Syria considered Hariri's
statements to be an apology.
"Such an apology is a courageous move by Hariri and we as Syrians regard his
statements as restoring some esteem for Syria after years of slandering it,"
said analyst Imad Shueibi. "What happened is in fact a positive thing," he
added.
Though Hariri has not explained his dramatic shift, analysts say he appears to
be putting aside his deeply personal feud with Syria for the good of his own
country as his Western-backed bloc struggles to maintain control.
He said as much in an interview with the Saudi-owned newspaper Asharq al-Awsat
published Monday.
"The relationship between the two countries, for me, is a strategic
relationship. ... As prime minister of Lebanon, I look to the interest of the
country," he told the newspaper.
For Syria, it is also a remarkable transformation from the days when Damascus
was isolated, ostracized and widely blamed for Hariri's assassination and other
politically motivated killings in Lebanon.
The United States tried under the Bush years to keep Syria out of Lebanon's
politics and largely failed. Now the administration of President Barack Obama
has sought to improve ties with Damascus, and Syria's allies and opponents here
say that has given it a freer hand to influence Lebanon.
And there have been signs that the Netherlands-based U.N. tribunal set up to try
those responsible for Hariri's killing may have shifted attention away from
Syria.
The tribunal has not yet named any individuals or countries as suspects. But in
July, Hezbollah's leader said he expected the tribunal to indict members of his
movement. He dismissed the allegations and said the tribunal has no credibility.
The first U.N. investigator into the Hariri assassination, Germany's Detlev
Mehlis, said the plot's complexity suggested a role by the Syrian intelligence
services and its pro-Syria Lebanese counterpart. But the two chief investigators
who followed Mehlis have worked quietly and have not named any individuals or
countries as suspects.
---
Associated Press writer Elizabeth A. Kennedy contributed to this report from
Beirut.
Disarming Lebanon's PalestiniansPalestinian refugees must be properly integrated
into Lebanese society if the country is to put the scars of civil war behind it
Ahmed Moor
guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 8 September 2010
Lebanon is regenerating. On balance, the country's collective sloughing off of
history has been more successful than not. It is only 20 years since the civil
war ended, and the memories of internecine atrocities remain; sporadic sectarian
violence is a fact of life here. Fortunately, the Lebanese have avoided
descending once more into civil war's morass but, despite all the healing, the
Palestinian refugee issue still festers.
I was visiting a friend of mine – a magazine editor – for coffee at her office
in east Beirut. The new labour law for Palestinians had just been enacted and we
talked about it for a while. I told her it didn't go far enough, and she
insisted that it ceded too much.
Her view was that the Palestinians in Lebanon have to offer more before making
demands on the Lebanese state. More specifically, Palestinian arms in and out of
the camps must be reined in. If the Palestinians want full rights and access,
they've got to give something in return. The fear is that guns and greater
access to economic opportunities will result in Palestinian dominance – which is
the way it used to be. So it's one or the other.
Palestinian guns – or more broadly, resistance – became an institutionalised
part of Lebanese life in 1969. That's the year that the Egyptian president,
Gamal Abdel Nasser, brokered the Cairo agreement between Yasser Arafat and
General Emile Bustani, the Lebanese army leader. The agreement's purpose was to
define the scope of Palestinian life in Lebanon. It ceded security control
within the camps to Palestinians, and affirmed their right to join in armed
resistance against Israel.
In practical terms, the agreement contributed to the continuous erosion of state
control in Lebanon, which led to its eventual abrogation by the state in 1987.
Despite that, the Palestinian camps are still mostly self-administered and
heavily armed.
I've heard repeatedly from Palestinians in the camps that their guns are trained
only to the south – towards Israel. And, for a long time, they were.
Palestinians contributed heroically to guerrilla campaigns against invading
Israeli forces in the 1970s and 1980s. But the intervening decades have seen the
resistance mantle pass from the Palestinians to a strong and vibrant Lebanese
force, Hezbollah.
It was Hezbollah fighters, not the Palestinians, who were credited with
liberating most of southern Lebanon from Israeli occupation. And it was
Hezbollah that repelled the Israeli onslaught in 2006. Along with the Lebanese
army, Hezbollah claims to be part of the country's national defence – a claim
that few would dispute on factual grounds, regardless of whether it's a rightful
role.
Meanwhile, Lebanon's Palestinians live in the thrall of dark memories. They
commune with the spirits of Sabra and Shatila and clutch their weapons. They
recall the War of the Camps and grasp them more tightly. Theirs is an endless
insecurity. They exist outside the social fabric and rely on an illusion of
martial security.
I use the word "illusion" deliberately. When terrorists infiltrated the Nahr
al-Bared camp in 2007, the army simply razed the camp to eliminate them. Here
the Palestinians felt their second-class status acutely – a Lebanese village
would not have been razed – and saw that their guns were powerless to prevent
the destruction.
The Lebanese state has an interest in demilitarising its territory. Indeed, the
Taif agreement – which precipitated the end of the civil war – called for the
disarmament of all the militias in Lebanon. However, the issue of national
security still prevents its complete implementation.
The only party that ought to exercise martial control is the Lebanese army. But
while the army manages internal security effectively, it is Hezbollah's
intelligence services and strategic use of force that fends off Israel. So while
the Taif agreement and the disarming of militias is accepted in principle,
honouring it should not come at the expense of diminished national security.
If the Palestinians are to disarm, Lebanon must provide them with security
guarantees – which means that other historically antagonistic militias must also
be disarmed. Palestinians won't consent to relinquishing their arms so long as
the Lebanese Forces militia possesses the strength to massacre civilians in the
camps once again. Therefore, Palestinian disarmament has to occur within the
context of a greater Lebanese disarmament.
Simultaneously, the state ought to incentivise Palestinian disarmament by
increasing access to Lebanese society; it's not enough to say that Palestinian
security is guaranteed. In an ideal world, Palestinian rights – which are human
rights – would be unlinked to the issue of arms. But Lebanon's is a fractious
society, and one must take other communities' legitimate concerns into account
to realistically promote the country's progress.
To be sure, what I'm proposing here isn't feasible in the near term. The issue
of sectarian self-defence is not going to be solved overnight, or in the next
decade. But the status quo is inherently unstable – Lebanese leaders realise
that.
For the country to progress and succeed, it needs a strong central government,
and it needs to drastically improve the lot of its second-class population. The
Lebanese – all of them – along with the Palestinian refugees can only benefit
from a stronger state apparatus. Before Lebanon can move past the civil war, it
needs to neutralise the factors that contributed to its eruption.
Ministers Cannon and Toews Mark Anniversary of September 11 Attacks
http://www.international.gc.ca/media/aff/news-communiques/2010/287.aspx
(No. 287 – September 11, 2010 – 8:00 a.m. ET) The Honourable Lawrence Cannon,
Minister of Foreign Affairs, and the Honourable Vic Toews, Minister of Public
Safety, today issued the following joint statement marking the anniversary of
the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the United States:
“Nine years ago, the entire world watched in horror as the terrorist attacks
unfolded in New York City, Washington, D.C., and Pennsylvania. In Canada, we
grieved for our own losses, as we grieved for all the victims and heroes in the
New York towers, the Pentagon and the aircraft.
“These were cowardly attacks on our freedom and on our values. Canada stands
side by side with the United States in the battle against terrorism and
extremism worldwide. We stand for the protection of our citizens, our
fundamental freedoms and the building of a secure future for our children.
“On this day, we remember vividly those who lost their lives in this atrocity,
and those whose lives it changed forever. Canada has always stood for the values
of freedom, democracy, human rights and the rule of law.”
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For further information, media representatives may contact:
Melissa Lantsman
Office of the Minister of Foreign Affairs
613-995-1851
Foreign Affairs Media Relations Office
Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada
613-995-1874