LCCC
ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
ِSeptember
20/2010
Bible Of The
Day
Paul's
Letter to the Galatians 6/1-10: "Brothers, even if a man is caught in some
fault, you who are spiritual must restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness;
looking to yourself so that you also aren’t tempted. 6:2 Bear one another’s
burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. 6:3 For if a man thinks himself to be
something when he is nothing, he deceives himself. 6:4 But let each man test his
own work, and then he will take pride in himself and not in his neighbor. 6:5
For each man will bear his own burden. 6:6 But let him who is taught in the word
share all good things with him who teaches. 6:7 Don’t be deceived. God is not
mocked, for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. 6:8 For he who sows to
his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption. But he who sows to the Spirit
will from the Spirit reap eternal life. 6:9 Let us not be weary in doing good,
for we will reap in due season, if we don’t give up. 6:10 So then, as we have
opportunity, let’s do what is good toward all men, and especially toward those
who are of the household of the faith'.
Free
Opinions, Releases, letters, Interviews & Special Reports
Lebanon Will Only Go If Damascus
Goes/By Tariq Alhomayed/September 19/10
Egyptian Muslim Radicals Fabricated
Story of Priest's Wife Conversion/AINA/September 19/10
A shout amid the clamor/By: Hazem
al-Amin/September 19/10
Latest News Reports From Miscellaneous Sources for
September 19/10
'Iran detains 7 US soldiers trying
to enter country/J.Post
'Syria welcomes US push for peace
talks with Israel/J.Post
Top Mideast officials fly to US as
peace talks crisis looms/Now Lebanon
Hizbullah Gunmen Escort Sayyed
from Airport Runway in Move Described as 'Invasion' of the Facility/Naharnet
Prime Minister Saad Hariri’s
advisor Mohammad Chatah: No logic in “dragging the country to the abyss”/Now
Lebanon
Hizbullah Threatens to Cut
'Unjust Hands' that Would Harm Sayyed/Naharnet
President Amin Gemayel: Some are
pushing Lebanon toward collective suicide/Now Lebanon
Ogassapian: Sayyed’s reception is a
desecration of the airport/Now Lebanon
Sakr: Hariri sickened by political
performance/Now Lebanon
Maalouf: Sayyed’s conditions are
tantamount to cancelling state institutions/Now Lebanon
Madness may result from
“bankruptcy” in confronting facts, Raad warns/Now Lebanon
Fayyad: Obstructing the truth
targets the Resistance/Now Lebanon
Sayyed Warns Hariri upon Arrival in Beirut: We Will Settle Score against False
Witnesses in the Street if We Were Prevented by the Law/Naharnet
Rifi
Hits Back at Sayyed: Prison is Made for You and People Like You/Naharnet
Hizbullah Rejects Hariri's Alleged Seclusion/Naharnet
Berri Mum but Active in Solving Latest Crisis/Naharnet
Qassem Attacks Mustaqbal: It is Shameful to Propose Slogans to Incite
Sectarianism/Naharnet
Moussawi Threatens from Airport: Hizbullah Won't Allow Sayyed to Be Re-Arrested/Naharnet
Oqab Saqr Hits Back at
Sayyed, Attacks Hizbullah/Naharnet
Franjieh: Situation in
Lebanon 'Very Delicate'/Naharnet
Clinton Repeats 'Comprehensive
Peace' Hopes, Mitchell in Syria/Arutz Sheva
Report: Syria welcomes US push
for peace talks with Israel/J.Post
Israel threatens to sell arms to
Russia's enemies/Ynetnews
Report: Syria wants talks, but
Golan first/Ynetnews
Rifi tells Sayyed: Prisons are made
for you/Ya Libnan
News Analysis: Hariri's
indictment hints political unrest in Lebanon/Xinhua
Aoun
Asks for Personal Apology from Hariri, Says he is Carrying Out Intellectual
Revolution/Naharnet
Tripoli MPs Reject Threats
against Hariri/Naharnet
Lebanese Maronite Order
Sends Election Results to Vatican/Naharnet
Jumblat Urges 1948 Arabs,
Golan Residents Not to Join Israeli Army/Naharnet
Aridi after Meeting Aoun:
Warrant against Sayyed Can be Handled on Governmental Level/Naharnet
'Iran
detains 7 US soldiers trying to enter country'
By JPOST.COM STAFF /09/19/2010 14:21
Semi-official Iranian news agency says 2 Iranians also detained, gives no
further information; comes as released American hiker makes her way home. Iran
reportedly detained seven US soldiers who were trying to enter the country on
Sunday morning. The semi-official Iranian news agency Fars did not say where the
incident took place, and had no further information. The BBC reported that there
are no US troops usually stationed in the area, noting that the Fars news agency
is "known to be close" to the Revolutionary Guards. Al-Jazeera also cited the
Fars report, which added that "Two Iranians accompanying the troops were also
arrested."The incident came as an American woman released from Iran after more
than 13 months in custody began her journey back to the United States on
Saturday. Sarah Shourd and two other Americans were detained in July 2009 along
the Iraqi border. Iran has issued espionage-related indictments, which could
bring trials for the two men and proceedings in absentia for Shourd. Their
families say that if they crossed the border, they did so unintentionally.
'Syria welcomes US push for peace talks with Israel'
By JPOST.COM STAFF, TOVAH LAZAROFF AND HILARY LEIL
09/19/2010 08:47
Syrian officials praise American efforts to renew diplomatic track with Israel
but question if it is "willing and able to make peace." Syria welcomed
Washington's latest efforts to facilitate renewed peace talks between Israel and
Damascus, London-based Arabic language daily Asharq al-Awsat reported on Sunday.
Syrian sources considered the US push for peace a "declaration of good
intentions" by the Americans, but questioned if in Israel there was a partner
"willing and able to make peace." The comments came after US envoy to the Middle
East George Mitchell met with Syrian President Bashar Assad in Damascus on
Thursday to explore the possibility of restarting an Israeli-Syrian diplomatic
track. Following Mitchell's visit to Damascus, however, Assad was visited by
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. The back-to-back trips underscored the
battle for influence in Syria between Washington and Teheran. Seeking to isolate
Iran, US President Barack Obama has tried – unsuccessfully – to pry Syria away
from its alliance with the Islamic Republic. Speaking in Damascus, Ahmadinejad
appeared to brush aside US efforts to forge a peace deal between Israel and its
neighbors. He warned that countries in the region would “disrupt” American and
Israeli plans to introduce change to the Middle East, but did not elaborate.
“Those who want to change the political geography of the region must know that
they will have no place in the future of the region,” Ahmadinejad was quoted as
saying by Iran’s state-run news agency, IRNA. “The waves of free nations to join
this resistance are spreading every day.”Ahmadinejad said before his visit to
Syria that he and Assad would discuss key areas of conflict and tension in the
Middle East, including Iraq, Lebanon and the Palestinian territories. He also
told Iranian state TV on Friday that he and Assad would discuss “the Westerners’
moves in the region,” an apparent reference to the United States. “We have to be
ready and in harmony,” he said in an interview, without elaborating. The US
began reaching out to Syria soon after Obama took office in January 2009, and
has made repeated overtures to Damascus this year, including nominating the
first US ambassador to Syria since 2005 and sending top diplomats to meet with
Assad. Mitchell said during his visit to Damascus on Thursday that the US was
determined to reach a comprehensive peace in the Middle East, and that the
administration’s efforts to resolve the Palestinian-Israeli conflict did not
conflict with making peace between Israel and Syria.
Lebanon Will Only Go If Damascus Goes
19/09/2010/By Tariq Alhomayed
Editor-in-Chief of Asharq Al-Awsat
It was wrong of Lebanon to reject the call from U.S. Special Envoy Senator
George Mitchell, to participate in the ongoing peace negotiations, currently in
their second stage, under the auspices of the United States, with the
participation of Egypt and Jordan, and of course the Palestinians. The renewed
rejection was an error, especially because Mitchell had suggested that
participation would lead to progress on other paths. He had confirmed the United
State’s respect for “Lebanon’s sovereignty and its role in the comprehensive
peace effort”, and had clarified that “the United States does not and will not
support the resettlement of Palestinian refugees in Lebanon”.
The Lebanese error lies in the way it handled the situation. The Lebanese
government’s official excuse, namely that it would not go to the negotiations
“except within an integrated Arab framework”, and ‘under the roof’ of an
internal consensus, is simply inconceivable. Regarding an ‘integrated Arab
framework’, it is well known that the negotiations are indeed proceeding under
Arab supervision. As for an internal consensus, we all know that when the
Syrians go to the negotiations, [the issue of] Lebanon will be one of the points
that they will use for negotiating. Therefore, when Syria instructs Beirut to
join the negotiations, very few people would have the courage to say no.
Therefore, an ‘internal consensus’ is not a convincing excuse.
It is true that the Lebanese government, working in an atmosphere of
intimidation and blackmail, courtesy of Hezbollah and others, is afraid to
assume a position of this kind. It is afraid to agree to participate in the
peace negotiations, even though progress has been made in some paths, as they
were told by George Mitchell. However, it was incumbent on the Lebanese
government to take advantage of this opportunity to firstly restore what remains
of the Lebanese territories occupied by Israel, and also to put the ball in the
court of Hezbollah and other groups. It is expected that the Lebanese government
would say that it would go to the negotiations if Syria were also to go, thus
the roof over Beirut becomes a Syrian roof. It is not Iranian blackmail through
Hezbollah [that is influencing Lebanese decisions]. The Lebanese government
would undoubtedly benefit from the liberation of Lebanon, however that matter is
in the hands of the Syrians, and others. Why are the Syrians allowed to
negotiate, which is of course their legitimate right, whilst the Lebanese are
not?
The other point of concern is Hezbollah. It claims that its weapons are ‘weapons
of resistance’, in order to liberate the occupied land. All past events confirm
that Hezbollah’s weapons are first and foremost for internal use, and secondly
to support the Iranian agenda. The state of peace protects Lebanon from becoming
a region of conflict, both in relation to outside forces, and the power of the
internal militia. Therefore, these peace negotiations are a calculated endeavor,
much like going to war, and are not simply a misadventure. If Hezbollah
genuinely cared about the integrity of Lebanon, and its unity, then it must not
be detrimental to the peace process. Hezbollah did not dare say its opinion of
Syria’s clear desire to resort to a peaceful option in dealing with Israel,
either through Turkey or France [in the past], or through America today.
Therefore, we can say that it would have been useful for the Lebanese government
to use this opportunity, to define the limits of its powers and its sovereignty.
Furthermore, it must cease to be primarily concerned with avoiding Hezbollah’s
blackmail, which is never ending.
Top Mideast
officials fly to US as peace talks crisis looms
September 19, 2010 /Top Israeli and Palestinian officials headed Sunday to the
United States where they were expected to seek ways to break a deadlock over
settlements which is threatening to sabotage peace talks. Israeli President
Shimon Peres left shortly after midnight for a four-day visit to coincide with
the UN General Assembly meeting in New York, and a few hours later, Defense
Minister Ehud Barak set off for top-level talks in Washington. Palestinian
president Mahmoud Abbas, currently in Amman, was also to fly to New York on
Sunday evening for the annual sitting, and later in the week was expected to
hold talks with US President Barack Obama, media reports said. So far, Israel
has stubbornly refused to extend the partial 10-month moratorium on new
construction, which expires next Sunday. The Palestinians have vowed to abandon
the talks if the building resumes.-AFP/NOW Lebanon
A shout amid
the clamor
Hazem al-Amin /Now Lebanon
September 17, 2010
Every time one decides to leave Michel Aoun be and move on to other matters of
life, the latter comes back and shoves one into a new wave of confusion. For in
the case of Aoun, we are facing a phenomenon we cannot say we understand or have
even got to the bottom of in terms of its figures and manifestations. The man is
made of a matter that is resistant to depletion, and the circumstances in
Lebanon undoubtedly help him to stay, and to be able to create what will bring
him right back to the circle of meditation.
Saying that we have other fish to fry is certainly true. We have March 14 and
their multiplying mistakes, and the case of political and cerebral sterility
that it suffers from. We also have Walid Jumblatt and his absurd changes; Saad
Hariri, who is always so suspiciously mysterious; and we have Hezbollah and its
never-ending adventures. Life also brings us something new every day, the last
of it certainly not being Jamil As-Sayyed. But among all these, Michel Aoun
incites one the most to study him, and he deserves a hats off for winning this
race.
To have a man who built his reputation and position on being the son of the
State, the Army and the Law come out and ask the citizens not to comply with the
orders of the official security apparatus – describing the latter as an armed
gang – and for his allegations to come in a context in which the country does
not seem to be going through a great explosion, is just confusing and scary. As
for the confusion, it comes from the phenomenon itself, i.e. Michel Aoun, and
from his ability to take his dilemmas to wherever he pleases, with no internal
sanction whatsoever. So what makes a man like him feel that he is capable of
saying what he said, or for his statements to be capable of attracting so many
enemies in just one week? Yes, in less than a week, this man’s attacks targeted
the president, the prime minister and the Internal Security Forces. Then he went
on to criticize politics, the same politics he is at the very core of,
describing it as a work of the mafia, and then enlarged his circle of targets to
include the speaker of parliament, his ally. He even leaked to an allied
newspaper that next week will be the week the parliament and the cabinet settle
scores with the Ministry of Finance. This came before he sent his son-in-law,
Gebran Bassil, to meet Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, and at the same time,
he unleashed Nematallah Abi Nasr to talk about the resettlement and
naturalization of the descendents of Lebanese, and Abbas Hashem to handle the
legitimacy of the Special Tribunal’s funding. We are not dealing with an aimed
vitality here; we are dealing with a never-ending moment of agony so long that
it gives the person going through it little hope of overcoming it. Yes, in the
case of Michel Aoun, we are facing the dilemma of the politically-dying leader,
the result of which is that the latter puts us in his circle of agony and turns
us into beings on the verge of the abyss. Nothing is positive; only a black
future awaits us; all this because we could not settle our debts to the man
through getting him to the position he had ambitions to get to. Yes, we are in a
rattrap, for we are not dealing with a nobody, but with the leader of the
largest Christian parliamentary block, and the years that separate us from the
next parliamentary elections are still long. But our moral and political states
cannot last this long. Besides, nobody can guarantee that his name will not be
slipped in the urns once again, because in the end, Aoun is not an unfamiliar
phenomenon of us constantly meddling with our future and with that of our
children.
**This is a translation of the original, which appeared on the NOW Arabic site
on Friday September 17, 2010
Hizbullah Gunmen Escort Sayyed from Airport Runway in Move Described as
'Invasion' of the Facility
Naharnet/Vehicles with Hizbullah gunmen inside have reportedly welcomed former
General Security Department chief Maj. Gen. Jamil Sayyed at a tarmac at Beirut
airport and took him to the VIP lounge that he used without a previous permit
from the foreign ministry, in what was described as "an invasion of the
airport."An Nahar newspaper said Sunday that following a press conference at the
lounge during which he unleashed his rage on several officials, Hizbullah took
private security measures to escort Sayyed to his home in Beirut's Jnah
neighborhood. According to the daily, no one asked the foreign ministry to open
the lounge which is usually earmarked for cabinet ministers, MPs and high-level
state employees if they were tasked with carrying out missions abroad. Head of
Hizbullah's Security and Liaison Committee, Wafiq Safa, and his bodyguards were
inside one of the vehicles which took Sayyed from the runway to the VIP lounge
and then to this home, An Nahar said. Sayyed arrived in Beirut from Paris on
Saturday afternoon. During his press conference at the lounge, the former
security chief launched a vehement attack against Prime Minister Saad Hariri,
State Prosecutor Saeed Mirza, Police Chief Maj. Gen. Ashraf Rifi and Detlev
Mehlis, former head of the U.N. investigation into the assassination of ex-PM
Rafik Hariri. Beirut, 19 Sep 10, 07:59
Hizbullah Threatens to Cut 'Unjust Hands' that Would Harm Sayyed
Naharnet/Hizbullah has threatened to cut the hands of those who would seek to
harm former General Security Department chief Maj. Gen. Jamil Sayyed. "The party
will cut the unjust hands that would attack Maj. Gen. Sayyed," Hizbullah sources
told pan-Arab daily Asharq al-Awsat in remarks published Sunday. "Sayyed and
Hizbullah abide by the law … We are very keen on the state and its apparatuses
but we are aware that some judges are politicized and dishonest, (something)
that we oppose," the sources said. Asked about the welcoming of Sayyed at Rafik
Hariri international airport on Saturday, they said the event was aimed at
"removing injustice off him." "There would either be a law that is implemented
on everyone in this country or we would adopt the policy of each person
according to his stance," the sources added. Beirut, 19 Sep 10, 08:19
Hizbullah
Rejects Hariri's Alleged Seclusion
Naharnet/Hizbullah circles have urged Premier Saad Hariri to speed up his return
to Beirut from Saudi Arabia to contain the crisis gripping the country. "What is
being said about Hariri secluding himself is totally rejected," the circles told
pan-Arab daily Asharq al-Awsat in remarks published Sunday. "Hariri doesn't have
the right to take such a decision at this time after parliament has given him
confidence with the majority of its members," they said. Their comment came as
Ad-Diyar daily said the prime minister would return to Beirut on Sunday.
Beirut, 19 Sep 10, 11:12
Berri Mum but Active in Solving Latest Crisis
Naharnet/Speaker Nabih Berri, who has remained mum on the crisis that erupted
after former General Security Department chief Maj. Gen. Jamil Sayyed's
controversial remarks, is in continuous contact with President Michel Suleiman
to contain the situation, sources told pan-Arab daily al-Hayat. The media on
Sunday put under the spotlight the absence of Berri's Amal movement from the
ceremony welcoming Sayyed at Beirut airport. Among those who welcomed the former
security chief at the airport were Hizbullah, Free Patriotic Movement members
and MP Assem Qanso representing the Baath party. When asked by a reporter about
the reason behind Amal MPs' absence from the welcoming ceremony, Hizbullah
lawmaker Nawaf Moussawi said: "Hizbullah and present MPs represent Amal and
Speaker Nabih Berri." Moussawi made his comment during a press conference at the
VIP lounge at the airport ahead of Sayyed's arrival from Paris. Beirut, 19 Sep
10, 09:21
Aoun Asks for Personal Apology from Hariri, Says he is Carrying Out Intellectual
Revolution
Naharnet/Free Patriotic Movement leader Michel Aoun has asked for a personal
apology from Prime Minister Saad Hariri for reportedly persecuting him for four
years.
In an interview with Arab satellite network al-Jazeera on Saturday night, Aoun
accused Hariri's media of spoiling his image. He denied that the March 8 forces
were seeking to carry out a coup in the country. "On the contrary, we are trying
to give back some apparatuses legitimacy and preserve the rights of the people."
"We are carrying out an intellectual revolution against corruption," Aoun said.
When asked about the presence of FPM representatives at Beirut airport on
Saturday to welcome former General Security Department chief Maj. Gen. Jamil
Sayyed, Aoun said: "Our presence was aimed at standing by the judiciary to
liberate it from the political pressure that is preventing him from achieving
justice." He also defended Sayyed by saying his statement about Premier Saad
Hariri was not a threat. About the arrest of top FPM official Fayez Karam on
charges of spying for Israel, the MP said: "The Intelligence Bureau, even if it
was legitimate, it has the right to arrest someone for a period of maximum 4
days and then refer the issue to the judiciary." Beirut, 19 Sep 10, 10:35
Qassem Attacks Mustaqbal: It is Shameful to Propose Slogans to Incite
Sectarianism
Naharnet/Hizbullah Deputy Secretary General Sheikh Naim Qassem condemned on
Saturday the ongoing political rhetoric adopted by the March 14 forces and
Mustqbal movement saying that they are creating confusion in the country. "It is
very shameful that members of the Mustaqbal movement and March 14 forces would
propose sectarian slogans in order to influence the public and create
instability," he said. He accused them of seeking to destroy the political calm
in order to "confuse the internal scene by violating the media calm and
highlight topics that out of place at the moment." He made his statements after
holding talks with the deputy head of the Higher Shiite Islamic Council Sheikh
Abdel Amir Qabalan. Qassem stressed the need for unifying political positions
because they protect national unity, while political chaos will only "increase
the tension, create more confusion, and divert matters from the people's central
issues." Beirut, 18 Sep 10, 14:06
Tripoli MPs Reject Threats against Hariri
Naharnet/Tripoli MPs on Saturday rejected threats against Prime Minister Saad
Hariri and calls to inflict harm on State institutions. "This approach is
unacceptable … and leads to discord and fragmentation of the country," the
lawmakers warned in a statement following their monthly meeting. "This is far
from political ethics and Lebanese values," the statement said.
The Tripoli MPs stressed commitment to the Special Tribunal for Lebanon. Beirut,
18 Sep 10, 19:34
Franjieh: Situation in Lebanon 'Very Delicate'
Naharnet/Marada Movement leader Suleiman Franjieh on Saturday described the
situation in Lebanon as "very delicate.""We are going to see new events and more
pressure," he warned. "And the result would be new deals." Franjieh said "just
and comprehensive peace is the only thing that leads to rejection of
(Palestinian) naturalization and to disarmament and civil peace."
He pointed out that Lebanon is part of the Middle East and it suffers the same
conflicts and is committed to agreements" on Middle east peace. Franjieh said
Marada movement will expand. "We will have centers across Lebanon." Beirut, 18
Sep 10, 17:31
Oqab Saqr Hits Back at Sayyed, Attacks Hizbullah
Naharnet/Lebanon First MP Oqab Saqr on Saturday described Hizbullah's support
for Maj. Gen. Jamil Sayyed as a "symbol of fragmenting the State." He also
described as "outlaws" Sayyed as well as Hizbullah and its allies. "Today,
Beirut airport was occupied by an outlaw under the protection of groups of
outlaws," Saqr said. Beirut, 18 Sep 10, 18:05
Prime Minister Saad Hariri’s advisor Mohammad Chatah: No logic in “dragging the
country to the abyss”
September 19, 2010 /How is it beneficial if the Resistance remains and the
country is harmed? Prime Minister Saad Hariri’s advisor Mohammad Chatah asked on
LBCI television on Sunday. “There is no logic behind dragging the country to the
abyss and [criticizing Prime Minister] Saad Hariri because no one else can [put
an end] to the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL),” Chatah said, adding that
ending the tribunal is impossible. The scene in which a Hezbollah delegation
received former General Security chief Jamil as-Sayyed in Beirut’s Rafik Hariri
International Airport on Saturday was surreal, Chatah also said, adding that
some statements and actions would lead to a serious crisis. Hezbollah issued a
statement on Friday that Attorney General Judge Said Mirza’s request to summon
Sayyed was “political par excellence” and called on the judiciary to revoke the
decision. In a press conference last week, Sayyed warned Hariri to “give me my
right, [or] I swear on my honor that I [will] take it with my own hands.”Chatah
denied that Hariri is politically withdrawn, adding that the PM will soon return
to Lebanon. According to Ad-Diyar newspaper, Hariri will return from Saudi
Arabia on Sunday. Chatah also called on Hezbollah to clarify what the party
wants.
-NOW Lebanon
Ogassapian: Sayyed’s reception is a desecration of the airport
September 19, 2010 /Minister of State Jean Ogassapian told Future News
television on Sunday that the March 8 coalition, particularly Hezbollah’s,
reception of former General Security chief Jamil as-Sayyed in Beirut’s Rafik
Hariri International Airport was a “desecration of the airport.”Hezbollah issued
a statement on Friday that Attorney General Judge Said Mirza’s request to summon
Sayyed was “political par excellence” and called on the judiciary to revoke its
decision. In a press conference last week, Sayyed warned Hariri to “give me my
right, [or] I swear on my honor that I [will] take it with my own hands.” He
also called on the people to “revolt against authority and attack officials in
their houses.”Sayyed was detained from 2005 to 2009 on suspicion of involvement
in the 2005 assassination of former PM Rafik Hariri. In April 2009, the Special
Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) ordered his release due to lack of evidence.
“Does Hezbollah think that it is sending a message to [foreign countries] in
order to affect the STL and [prevent] its indictment?” Ogassapian asked.
Ogassapian also said that there is neither a regional nor an Arab decision to
change the government, and called for resolving issues within the state
institutions.-NOW Lebanon
President Amin Gemayel: Some are pushing Lebanon toward collective suicide
September 19, 2010 /Some are pushing Lebanon toward “collective suicide,” Kataeb
Party leader Amin Gemayel warned at a celebration on Sunday, according to the
National News Agency (NNA). Lebanon’s unity and its state’s sovereignty are
being tested, Gemayel said, adding that negative dealings with the Special
Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) will not change its path, and only expose Lebanon to
danger. In a press conference at Rafik Hariri International Airport on Saturday,
Sayyed said that the STL cannot be trusted until the Lebanese, Sunnis, and Arabs
learn why there was a conspiracy of witnesses who gave false testimonies about
the 2005 assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, adding that PM
Saad Hariri and the March 14 alliance used these false witnesses to take over
the government. March 8 political parties have requested that the UN abolish the
tribunal and March 8 MPs have opposed the 2010 state budget’s clause related to
Lebanon’s share of STL funding. -NOW Lebanon
Sakr: Hariri sickened by political performance
September 19, 2010 /In an interview with As-Sharq al-Awsat newspaper published
on Sunday, Lebanon First bloc MP Okab Sakr said that Prime Minister Saad Hariri
is not politically withdrawn and is sickened by the current political
performance. The MP considered Hezbollah’s reception of General Security chief
Jamil as-Sayyed in Beirut’s Rafik Hariri International Airport on Saturday to be
a “desecration to the [state] institutions,” which harms Arab efforts to
maintain a calm political atmosphere in the country.
In a press conference last week, Sayyed warned Hariri to “give me my right, [or]
I swear on my honor that I [will] take it with my own hands.” He also called on
the people to “revolt against authority and attack officials in their houses.”
Sayyed was detained from 2005 to 2009 on suspicion of involvement in the 2005
assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. In April 2009, the Special
Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) ordered his release due to lack of evidence. “The
issue is not a Sunni-Shia one. It is not about the March 8 and March 14
coalitions. The issue is between a party that wants to [destabilize] state
institutions and another that wants to protect them,” Sakr said, adding that the
March 14 alliance and some of the March 8 alliance are on one side, and
Hezbollah and Change and Reform bloc leader MP Michel Aoun are on another.
During a press conference on Tuesday, Aoun called on the Lebanese citizens to
not abide by requests of the Internal Security Forces (ISF)-Information Branch
or Attorney General Judge Said Mirza. Speaker Nabih Berri positively received
Hariri’s statements in As-Sharq al-Awsat newspaper, the MP also said, adding
that Hezbollah and Aoun’s stances do not contribute to any national
reconciliation. PM Hariri told the daily in an interview published on September
6 that some people misled the STL investigation and thereby damaged
Syrian-Lebanese relations. -NOW Lebanon
Maalouf: Sayyed’s conditions are tantamount to cancelling state institutions
September 19, 2010 /Lebanese Forces bloc MP Joseph Maalouf said in an exclusive
interview with NOW Lebanon that former General Security chief Jamil as-Sayyed’s
demands are tantamount to cancelling the state institutions’ work, or at least
limiting their roles. During a press conference held Saturday at Beirut’s Rafik
Hariri International Airport upon his return from Paris, Sayyed said that the
Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) and its pending indictment will not be
trustworthy until several figures including Internal Security Forces (ISF)
Director General Achraf Rifi, ISF-Information Branch head Wissam al-Hassan and
Attorney General Judge Said Mirza are imprisoned in the Hague or Lebanon. The MP
also rejected Hezbollah’s Friday statement because it criticizes the judiciary,
adding that summoning Sayyed is normal after the statements he issued.
Hezbollah’s Friday statement said that Mirza’s request to summon Sayyed was
“political par excellence” and called on the judiciary to revoke the decision.
In a press conference last week, Sayyed warned Prime Minister Saad Hariri to
“give me my right, [or] I swear on my honor that I [will] take it with my own
hands.” Sayyed was detained from 2005 to 2009 on suspicion of involvement in the
2005 assassination of former PM Rafik Hariri. In April 2009, the STL ordered his
release due to lack of evidence. -NOW Lebanon
Madness may result from “bankruptcy” in confronting facts, Raad warns
September 19, 2010 /Lebanon could face increased political clamor and madness in
coming days and weeks because of the “bankruptcy of some in confronting the
facts,” Loyalty to the Resistance bloc leader MP Mohammad Raad said at a
celebration on Sunday, according to the National News Agency (NNA). In a press
conference at Rafik Hariri International Airport on Saturday, former General
Security chief Jamil as-Sayyed said that the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL)
cannot be trusted until Lebanese learn why witnesses conspired to give false
testimonies about the 2005 assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri,
adding that PM Saad Hariri and the March 14 alliance used such false witnesses
to take over the government. Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah
said in July that the STL is an Israeli plot and will indict Hezbollah members.
March 8 political parties have requested that the UN abolish the tribunal, and
their MPs have opposed the 2010 state budget’s clause related to Lebanon’s share
of STL funding. Raad called for reason to predominate and for people to avoid
provoking sectarian division, adding that “the national political discourse has
sunk to the level of sectarian incitement.”-NOW Lebanon
Fayyad: Obstructing the truth targets the Resistance
September 19, 2010 /Loyalty to the Resistance bloc MP Ali Fayyad said that the
issue of witnesses who gave false testimonies regarding the 2005 assassination
of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri should be dealt with in order to uncover
the truth behind the murder, adding that obstructing the truth protects a
planned scenario to target the Resistance. Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed
Hassan Nasrallah said in July that the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) is an
Israeli project designed to target Hezbollah by stirring up sectarian strife in
Lebanon. -NOW Lebanon
Egyptian
Muslim Radicals Fabricated Story of Priest's Wife Conversion
http://www.aina.org/news/20100917220629.htm
GMT 9-18-2010 3:6:58
Assyrian International News Agency
(AINA) -- After the return of the missing priest's wife to her family by State
Security on July 23, Egyptian radicals sheikhs have spread rumors that she
converted to Islam, exploiting the issue for an outright smear campaign against
the Coptic Church and its Pope Shenouda III. The sheikhs paint an image of
"Their suffering Muslim sister in a monastery where she is tortured for having
chosen to convert to Islam."
Camelia Shehata, wife of Father Tedaos Samaan, priest at St. Georges Church in
Deir Mawas, Minya Governorate, disappeared on July 19, resulting in Coptic
demonstrations against State Security for refusing to help her husband find her
(AINA 7-23-2010). Father Tedaos accused a Muslim teacher working with her in the
same school of being behind her abduction in order to force her conversion to
Islam. After 5 days of Coptic sit-ins and the intervention of members of
parliament, State Security found her and handed her back to her family.
According to the official version by State Security, Camilia had a row with her
husband and left home, staying with one of her relatives in Cairo. The Church
kept silent as usual, as per a tacit agreement with Security not to discuss
abduction cases.
What re-ignited the "Camilia Affair" a few days later was a video on the
Islamist website "Observatory of the Islamic Resistance to Christianizing" which
gave a different story. Influential Salafi sheikh Abu Yehya, from Samalut, who
is known for his paid activities in procuring Christians for conversion to
Islam, said that Camilia fled her marital home and went to him to convert to
Islam. He claimed that Camilia had proclaimed the shahada, or declaration of
Muslim faith, 18 months earlier and has secretly studied the Koran. Allegedly he
traveled with her to Cairo and went to Al-Azhar to register her conversion
officially, however, they were delayed there until the police arrived and
arrested them both.
The website showed Camilia clad in a veil but this was disputed by various
Coptic organizations, who claim the photo was reworked in Photoshop, in a
similar fashion to photos of Marilyn Monroe and Angelina Jolie, who are
portrayed wearing veils, though they have never worn them.
This story was taken up by other Salafi radical sheikhs who appeared on Islamic
TV channels, after adding to it that the church was imprisoning Camilia in one
of the Coptic monasteries in Ain Shams (there are none there), where she was
given mind altering drugs "until she became insane" according to Sheikh el-Howeiny.
The media joined in the smear campaign against the Church, accompanied by Muslim
demonstrations outside mosques during Ramadan in Cairo and Alexandria against
the Coptic Patriarch and Church and the infidel Christians, demanding that
Camilia, as a Muslim, should be "freed from her captivity in the Coptic
monasteries, to practice Islam" and calls for her appearance in public.
Previously Pope Shenouda had confirmed that Camilia never converted to Islam,
and no one had the right to know where she is.
There were also calls for Muslim siege of the Coptic Patriarchate in Cairo to
force her freedom. Islamist lawyers started filing cases against the church to
subject the monasteries to inspection either because they keep ammunition there,
or for keeping Christian women who have converted to Islam. Khalil said that
Muslims are known "to fabricate a mountain of lies and end up believing them."
To the surprise of many, Camilia appeared on September 8, in an 11-minute video
published on the website of the Egyptian daily El-Youm7, which had one of its
reporters present during the shooting of the video, and who confirmed the
authenticity of the video.
Camilia said that "she is a Christian with all her heart", denying rumors about
her conversion to Islam, adding "I'm talking to you in full freedom and without
any pressure or intimidation. I am appearing in order to defend my husband, my
child, my church and my religion which is Christianity." She denied having been
subjected to torture, brainwashing or being detained in a monastery or church.
"This is illogical because the Church teaches us to love, but I assure you that
I am in a safe and pleasant place."
Camilia stressed the Church does not force anyone to stay in or enter into
Christianity; it gives no electric shocks, drugs for hallucination or engages in
brainwashing, as was rumored. She refused to talk about her personal life,
stressing that what happened between her and her husband is personal and no one
has the right to interfere in it, also only her husband has the right to look
for her, and no one else is entitled to do so or demand her return.
This did not put an end to the sheikhs demands of seeing her in person, "because
the woman who appeared on the video is not Camelia but a "double" of her,
according to Zoghby, another Sheikh. A website dedicated to her said the woman
who appeared in the video had a different front tooth and her eyebrows were
thicker.
On September 9, for the first time on official Egyptian TV stations, State
Security sources confirmed that Camilia Shehata was the one who appeared on the
video.
Sheikh Saeed Amer, Chairman of the Committee of Declaration of Islam at Al-Azhar,
stepped-in and denied that Camilia ever came there or that her case came before
him.
After this information became known, Muslim lawyer Nizar Gorab filed a complaint
to the Prosecutor General against Abu Yehya for inciting sectarian strife by
fabricating false stories, reported AlArabiya.net on September 11. Ghorab had
previously championed Camilia's case by approaching the UN Human Right Council,
the EU and Human Rights Watch, asking for her release as she was held against
her will and deprived of becoming a Muslim by the authorities, which is against
her rights to religious freedom.
Observers believe this crisis is spiraling out of control despite efforts to
contain it.
Coptic activist Magdi Khalil believes that "Egypt is on the verge of chaos and
change of regime and there is a plan for Copts to pay the price of this
predicted chaos, by directing the surplus violence, hate and barbarism towards
them."
Nearly 500 Muslims demonstrated in front of Amr Ibn-el-Ass Mosque in old Cairo
on their Eid-Feast on September 10 calling on President Mubarak to "free Camilia."
They chanted "If Camilia is still OK, then why have you used a double for her?"
They distributed computer CDs with her story.
On September 13, an association called the "Front of Al-Azhar Scholars," which
has been banned in Egypt and operates from Kuwait, issued a statement on its
website calling for the boycott of Coptic businesses, professionals and schools
"After the church became a source of Egyptian intimidation and terrorism to the
State and the Nation."
Magdy Khalil said that the main players in the forthcoming chaos in Egypt is an
interaction between political and Salafi Islam, a large portion of State
Security who are radicalized and who want to direct violence towards the Copts
and not the Regime. "Saudi Arabia is the main funder of what is happening to the
Copts in Egypt," he said.
He believes that those players who fabricated the Camilia story will surely
fabricate new ones, aiming at agitating and "heating up" the Muslim street and
creating mounting chaos. "When the real chaos takes place, they will go into the
field to destroy, loot and kill the Copts."
By Mary Abdelmassih
Lebanon Is Teetering
Fri, 17 September
2010Walid Choucair/Al Hayat
It is likely that Lebanon will continue to teeter in the coming months, between
calm and tension. The Lebanese will remain anxious as they see these
fluctuations in the daily political scene in their country, between placation at
times and escalation at others, in the political discourse.
Although many Lebanese leaders concerned in the reconciliation efforts that took
place during the past year have been congratulating themselves along with the
Lebanese for it, believing that reconciliation has brought or will bring
stability, the past few weeks of teetering are only indicative of one thing:
Instability.
The Saudi-Syrian agreement followed by the Saudi-Syrian-Lebanese Summit on July
30 promoted the formula of “stability is a red line”, and the survival of the
government headed by Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri as a necessity. This is in
return for working on postponing the indictment to be issued by the
international prosecution in the assassination of Prime Minister Rafik Hariri,
while it was agreed that the Special Tribunal for Lebanon would continue doing
its job. However, this agreement is incomplete.
While Iran is not part of this agreement, it believes that the great influence
it acquired in this contradiction-rich country over the past years requires its
involvement in any settlement over its issues. In parallel, the major countries
that some have counted on for the postponement of the indictment will never
consider this, until further notice.
Although some Lebanese accuse the other team of not “capitalizing on” the
Saudi-Syrian umbrella and is thus seeking to “destroy” the opportunity that it
provides, the “other team” is acting unabashed outside of this umbrella because
it has its very own one. This makes the “S-S” [Syria-Saudi Arabia]
understanding, as it is called by the Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, an
understanding with modest objectives and results that raise many questions
regarding their tangibility as well. I.e. that this understanding will survive
the process of managing this ‘instability’ so that it does not lead to an
explosion, rather than leaning on it to bring about stability. It is a modesty
mandated by the status quo.
The last few days have brought things back to square one, as evident from
Lebanese inflammatory attitudes, further proving that there is a reality that
cannot be overlooked. Lebanon continues to live the repercussions of that
earthquake resulting from the assassination of Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, and
is still witnessing the polarities and divisions of that complex political
situation sparked by the forced extension of former President Emile Lahoud’s
term. At the time, this event summarized all the oppression that affected the
various sects, political powers and communities over the years, culminating in
international intervention through UNSC resolution 1559. In this regard, both
the effort to bring back some of the figures that harbor hatred and tyranny by
those who falsely believe they have the ability for deception, and the talk
about reversing the phase that followed the assassination and its political
results in the government, institutions and the threat of prosecuting those that
represented this phase, both are an attempt to erase the collective memory of
the Lebanese.
This must be provoking the Lebanese and their feelings, instead of calming them,
because it reminds them of those few days that followed the crime when some
symbols of the former regime believed – back then – that the supporters of Rafik
Hariri will mourn him for one week but that after that, it will be water under
the bridge again. This belief in fact provoked feelings even further, as it is
doing now.
Some are acting as though Hariri was not murdered, by rejecting the political
repercussions for the crime as though the assassination was not politically
motivated, and by wanting to remove Hariri’s tomb under the same illusion that
these repercussions can be reversed. All of this suggested that some want the
settlement that the regional agreements might lead to over the assassination of
Rafik Hariri, in parallel with the work of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon and
regardless of what it will arrive at, some want it to be made on the basis that
no assassination has taken place. This is most definitely not a settlement.
The ‘blood avengers’, through the recent stances expressed by Saad Hariri, have
shown their readiness for this settlement. At least, this is how his moves were
interpreted over the past months, because there are many examples of settlements
happening in similar cases, imposed by political circumstances. Naturally, this
requires overwhelming great sacrifice and realism. But if there was a denial
that an issue exists in the first place, then with whom would the settlement be
made, so long that there is no other side that is willing to engage in it? There
is a difference between Saad Hariri sacrificing his rights and feelings, and
sacrificing himself