LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
ِFebeuary 28/2011

Bible Of The Day
The Good News According to Luke 16/19-31: "Now there was a certain rich man, and he was clothed in purple and fine linen, living in luxury every day. 16:20 A certain beggar, named Lazarus, was laid at his gate, full of sores, 16:21 and desiring to be fed with the crumbs that fell from the rich man’s table. Yes, even the dogs came and licked his sores. 16:22 It happened that the beggar died, and that he was carried away by the angels to Abraham’s bosom. The rich man also died, and was buried. 16:23 In Hades, he lifted up his eyes, being in torment, and saw Abraham far off, and Lazarus at his bosom. 16:24 He cried and said, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue! For I am in anguish in this flame.’ 16:25 “But Abraham said, ‘Son, remember that you, in your lifetime, received your good things, and Lazarus, in the same way, bad things. But now here he is comforted and you are in anguish. 16:26 Besides all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed, that those who want to pass from here to you are not able, and that none may cross over from there to us.’ 16:27 “He said, ‘I ask you therefore, father, that you would send him to my father’s house; 16:28 for I have five brothers, that he may testify to them, so they won’t also come into this place of torment.’ 16:29 “But Abraham said to him, ‘They have Moses and the prophets. Let them listen to them.’ 16:30 “He said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if one goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’ 16:31 “He said to him, ‘If they don’t listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded if one rises from the dead".

Latest analysis, editorials, studies, reports, letters & Releases from miscellaneous sources
Iran aiming to exploit anarchy in post-Mubarak Sinai/By: Yaakov Katz/February 27/11
Statement by Minister Cannon on Current Situation in Libya/February 27/11
Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Cannon to Speak to UN Human Rights Council and Conference on Disarmament/February 27/11

Latest News Reports From Miscellaneous Sources for February 27/11
Qaddafi is set to defy Obama's call to leave, broad UN sanctions/DEBKAfile
'Russian missiles could be passed on to Hezbollah/J.Post
UNIFIL and Lebanese army joint manoeuvres in South Lebanon/iloubnan.info
Iranian bus overturns in Syria, 6 pilgrims killed/ABNA.ir
Siddiqui: Shia-Sunni schism explained from Lebanon to Bahrain/Toronto Star
Abi Ramia: "12 ministers for the Free Patriotic Movement"/iloubnan.info
Majdalani: "Hezbollah is not interested in justice and truth"/iloubnan.info
Bassil Says he Caused Gasoline Crisis to Defend People's Rights, Lower Prices/Naharnet
Mustaqbal Lashes Out at Miqati: Justice Means Commitment to Tribunal/Naharnet
Army-UNIFIL Conduct Exercise in Natural Disaster Response/Naharnet
Israel Worried Russian Missiles Would End up in Hizbullah's Hands/Naharnet
Sfeir Reportedly to Have a Say in Election of New Patriarch Mid March/Naharnet
Rport: Hariri to Make Important Speech on Monday/Naharnet
March 14 Becomes Opposition on Sunday: We Don't See Anything New in Miqati's Positions/Naharnet
Berri Questions Slowness of Cabinet Formation: Isn't Energy Ministry as Important as Defense?/Naharnet
Judge Bert Swart of STL Dies/Naharnet
Miqati Wraps up Tripoli Visit: I will Study with Suleiman Available Options if March 14 Boycotts Cabinet/Naharnet
Scores of Lebanese Flee Libya Violence Via Amman, Urge for Help/Naharnet
Bassil Says he Caused Gasoline Crisis to Defend People's Rights, Lower Prices/Naharnet
Israel Worried Russian Missiles Would End up in Hizbullah's Hands/Naharnet
Report: Hariri to Make Important Speech on Monday/Naharnet

Sfeir Reportedly to Have a Say in Election of New Patriarch Mid March
Naharnet/The oldest member of the Maronite bishops synod is expected to call for a conclave to elect a new patriarch within 15 days after Pope Benedict XVI accepted the resignation of Patriarch Nasrallah Sfeir on Saturday.An Nahar daily said Sunday that the synod would be held in Bkirki and could start with a three-day retreat and then followed by election sessions for 15 days.The new patriarch should get the votes of at least two thirds of the bishops meaning 27 out of 39, An Nahar said. However, it believed two bishops would not attend the synod for health reasons, decreasing the number of votes the patriarch should get to 25. The bishops synod would most probably be held 15-16 March and would be presided by 90-year-old Sfeir who has been patriarch since 1986, according to the newspaper.
Kuwait's al-Rai daily said Sfeir would have a say in the bishops' choice of the new patriarch who will be "someone close to him." Beirut, 27 Feb 11, 11:05

Pope Benedict XVI Accepts Sfeir's Resignation
Naharnet/Pope Benedict XVI accepted Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Sfeir's resignation, reported L'Obsservatore Romano newspaper on Saturday.
The Pope said in a letter to Sfeir: "I accept your free decision that reflects your humility.""I trust that you will always stand by the Maronite church in prayer, wisdom, and sacrifices," it concluded. In an interview with OTV in the Vatican on the sidelines of a ceremony to unveil the statue of Saint Maroun, Sfeir said: "They're free to say what they want, but the real reason is that I have reached the age of 90."The patriarch noted that "the biggest threat facing the Lebanese is their split." He added, however, that the Lebanese situation "is still better than the situation in neighboring countries."Sfeir submitted his resignation to the Vatican late last year, but it remains unknown whether the election of a new patriarch, if Sfeir's resignation is accepted, will take place before or after the election of a number of Maronite bishops to replace those who have reached the retirement age of 75. The bishops who have reached retirement age could still vote to elect a new patriarch as long Beirut, 26 Feb 11, 16:05

Army-UNIFIL Conduct Exercise in Natural Disaster Response
Naharnet/The Lebanese army and the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) conducted an exercise in large-scale disaster response over the weekend.
The two-day exercise entitled "United Beacon" was carried out in the southern city of Tyre in cooperation with a number of government and non-government organizations, said a statement issued by UNIFIL. "The exercise was based on a fictitious scenario in reaction to a large humanitarian emergency in the aftermath of an earthquake," it said. The drill was aimed at enhancing the oordinated capability of all the participating agencies to effectively respond to an unforeseen natural disaster.
UNIFIL Chief-of-Staff Brig.-Gen. Xavier Woillemont and the Lebanese army's South Litani Sector Commander, Brig. Gen. Sadek Tlais, attended the exercise on Sunday.
It involved 277 soldiers, 70 vehicles and two helicopters of the Lebanese army and UNIFIL. Woillemont said: "We have to be always prepared to respond to any natural disaster within our available resources and capabilities in order to be ready to mitigate the resulting damage to life and property. An effective and immediate first response is paramount to reducing the number of casualties, to save lives, treat the injured, and to prevent further injury and other forms of loss." "This exercise is an important step in the continued efforts of UNIFIL and the Lebanese army to enhance our combined ability," he added. Beirut, 27 Feb 11, 12:17

Mustaqbal Lashes Out at Miqati: Justice Means Commitment to Tribunal
Naharnet/Al-Mustaqbal bloc MP Samir al-Jisr snapped back at Premier-designate Najib Miqati, saying there could be no justice in ex-Premier Rafik Hariri's assassination case without Lebanese commitment to the international tribunal. "How could we talk about justice without the court?" al-Jisr wondered in remarks published by An Nahar daily on Sunday. "Justice comes through the tribunal." The lawmaker made the remark in response to Miqati's statement on Saturday that he holds onto justice and rejects making political gains out of it. Al-Jisr also accused Miqati of not extending his hand as he claimed in Tripoli on Saturday, saying his allies, including Speaker Nabih Berri and Free Patriotic Movement leader Michel Aoun publicly announced their rejection to grant the March 14 forces the one-third of cabinet seats. The prime minister-designate's alleged policy of openness should come through providing answers to March 14 demands on the commitment to the Special Tribunal for Lebanon and finding a solution to the illegitimate arms, the MP told An Nahar.Asked about his assessment of northern Lebanon's affiliations, al-Jisr said: "The north's spirit is with March 14. Everyone, including the premier-designate, knows that." Beirut, 27 Feb 11, 09:11

Bassil Says he Caused Gasoline Crisis to Defend People's Rights, Lower Prices
Naharnet/aretaker Energy Minister Jebran Bassil admitted on Sunday to causing the gasoline crisis that has engulfed Lebanon but said there wasn't any other way to defend the people's rights and lower prices. During a press conference he held at his hometown in Batroun, Bassil said he received phone calls from state officials during his visit to Rome on Friday urging him to issue the updated price list of gasoline. However, Bassil said he refused to do so and asked the officials to put pressure on Caretaker Finance Minister Rayya al-Hassan and the Higher Customs Council to lower taxes on gasoline first. The dispute between Bassil and al-Hassan began earlier this month when customs authorities refused to lower gasoline tariffs in accordance with a proposed tax cut by the energy minister. Pro-Hassan officials argue that only the finance ministry has the authority to pass tax cuts. The crisis eased over the weekend when the finance ministry received the green light to lower gasoline prices by LL5,000 temporarily. Snapping back at accusations that he took advantage of the crisis to make political gains, Bassil said: "If people think that way, then let it be." Beirut, 27 Feb 11, 11:12

Miqati Wraps up Tripoli Visit: I will Study with Suleiman Available Options if March 14 Boycotts Cabinet
Naharnet/Premier-designate Najib Miqati stressed on Sunday that the participation of the March 14 forces in his government was "necessary" but said he would study with President Michel Suleiman other available options if the coalition decided to boycott the cabinet. Miqati made his remark as he wrapped up a two-day visit to the northern port city of Tripoli. The prime minister-designate hadn't visited his hometown since his nomination a month ago. The March 14 participation in the government is "necessary" to "cooperate in solving a lot of problems," Miqati said. "If the March 14 team decided to boycott (the cabinet), then I would study with the president all other available options and choose the most appropriate."He said he prefers to form a technocrat government but it would be "the last option."Asked about the country's banking sector, Miqati said: "The Lebanese banking sector is not being targeted."Central Bank governor Riyad Salameh is solving the issue of the Lebanese-Canadian Bank ,which earlier in the month was designated by the U.S. Treasury Department a "primary money laundering concern," he added. Beirut, 27 Feb 11, 14:16

Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Cannon to Speak to UN Human Rights Council and Conference on Disarmament
(No. 86 - February 26, 2011 - 9:25 p.m. ET) The Honourable Lawrence Cannon, Minister of Foreign Affairs, will travel to Geneva, Switzerland, on February 28, 2011, to attend the 16th session of the UN Human Rights Council to address the issue of human rights in the Middle East and North Africa and to make an address to the Conference on Disarmament.
“The 16th session of the UN Human Rights Council takes place at a turning point in the history of the Middle East and North Africa,” said Minister Cannon. “The citizens of the region are courageously standing up for their fundamental human rights and freedoms. Canada supports the legitimate demands of citizens throughout the region for a freer, more democratic future.”
“In Libya, protesters face cruel repression and appalling abuses by the security forces,” the Minister added. “Canada unequivocally supports the demands of the Libyan people for freedom, democracy, human rights and the rule of law. We continue to call on the Libyan authorities to protect their own people, to stop the violence against peaceful demonstrators and to respect the rights to freedom of expression and assembly.” Minister Cannon’s speech at the Conference on Disarmament will come after the end of Canada’s presidency of the multilateral treaty-negotiating forum, which has been deadlocked in recent years.“The longer the stalemate in the Conference on Disarmament lasts, the more trust is lost among its members and the harder it becomes to build the spirit of compromise—so necessary if states are to begin negotiations,” said Minister Cannon. “Canada will continue to press to get the Conference on Disarmament back to work in 2011, and to commence negotiations on a fissile materials cut-off treaty.”

Iran aiming to exploit anarchy in post-Mubarak Sinai
By YAAKOV KATZ
02/27/2011 04:21
Iran is working to bolster its weapons-smuggling infrastructure in the Sinai Peninsula as anarchy continues to prevail in Egypt following the toppling of the Mubarak regime earlier this month.
According to information obtained by Israel, Iran has been working to build new infrastructure in the Sinai that can be used to smuggle advanced weaponry in large quantities into the Gaza Strip. “Iran wants to take advantage of the current anarchy in Egypt and establish a stronger foothold in Gaza,” a senior defense official said. “They are building new capabilities, upgrading smuggling mechanisms and studying the new military presence there to see how it will affect them.”
While weapons have been regularly smuggled into Gaza even before Mubarak’s resignation, the Egyptian security forces were working to crack down on the smuggling efforts by building an underground steel wall and by using American tunnel-detection technology. One known smuggling route for Iranian weapons to Hamas begins in Sudan or Eritrea where ships unload weaponry, which is then loaded onto trucks that travel up through Sudan and Egypt until they arrive at the Gaza-Egypt border. The weaponry is then smuggled into Gaza via one of the hundreds of tunnels along the Philadelphi Corridor.
In addition the concern about an increase in smuggling, Israel also fears that the Sinai will turn into a launch pad for attacks into Israel.
Egyptian police authorities have abandoned dozens of police stations throughout the peninsula after they were attacked by Beduins armed with missiles and assault rifles, according to information that has arrived in Israel. This concern was behind Israel’s decision to permit close to 1,000 Egyptian soldiers to deploy in Sharm e-Sheikh and Rafa.
In recent years, the Sinai has turned into a platform for attacks against Israel including by Hamas, which several months ago launched Katyusha rockets into Eilat from the Egyptian territory. The Egyptian military has for years encountered difficulty in controlling the Beduin population that does not hold allegiance to the Egyptian government in Cairo.
Meanwhile Saturday, the Israeli Air Force attacked a number of targets throughout Gaza in retaliation to continued rocket fire on the western Negev.
The IAF bombed Hamas and Islamic Jihad targets throughout southern and central Gaza, including a tunnel that the IDF said was being dug into Israel to be used by terrorists who planned to infiltrate to carry out an attack.
The aircraft attacked two terrorist targets in the south of the Gaza Strip.Specific targets were hit and all IAF planes returned safely to their base. “The strike was in response to rocket attacks on Israeli territory and the IDF will continue to work against terrorist activity that threatens the State of Israel,” a statement by the IDF read. Palestinians in Gaza reported on Saturday that IDF planes hit targets in Gaza belonging to Islamic Jihad west of Khan Yunis. Earlier in the day Palestinians reported that four people had been lightly injured as a result of IDF activity in the Gaza Strip, including a baby. Overnight Friday, the IDF confirmed that IAF planes attacked two Islamic Jihad and Hamas targets in the central Gaza strip, in response to Kassam rockets fired on the Sdot Negev Regional Council earlier in the day.The IDF spokesman confirmed direct hits on the targets. No Palestinian casualties were reported.
In addition to the Kassam rocket fired into Israel, another Kassam was fired that landed in Palestinian territory. No one was injured and no damage was reported in the attack

Qaddafi is set to defy Obama's call to leave, broad UN sanctions
DEBKAfile Special Report February 27, 2011, Early Sunday, Feb. 27, US President Barack Obama called on Libyan ruler Col. Muammar Qaddafi to leave now, having lost the legitimacy to rule since "his only means of staying in power is to use violence against his own people," and the UN Security Council's 15 members unanimously slapped down wide-reaching sanctions on members of his family and regime commanders, calling for an immediate International Criminal Court probe of Qaddafi, his seven sons and daughter and military commanders, on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity. In Libya, former Libyan Justice Minister Mustafa Abdul Jalil has established a provisional government in Benghazi.
President Obama, having issued his statement after a long telephone conversation with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, cannot expect Qaddafi's removal to be easy or quick. American, European and possibly Arab forces may need to enforce the Security Council resolution because, unlike Egypt's Hosni Mubarak, the Libyan ruler, according to debkafile's military and Middle East sources, is not about to go willingly.
He was fully prepared militarily for the challenge of popular dissent to his rule by creating a well-armed and trained paramilitary force of 20,000 loyal troops outside Libya's conventional army. He also laid up a war chest of many billions of petrodollars stashed out of reach of sanctions enforcers.
Living under the pressure of sanctions is not a new experience for Qaddafi who survived them for 20 years of his 41 years in power over his sponsorship of international terrorists. He also withstood an American bombardment of his residence in April 1986.By dismantling and passing to Washington his nuclear weapons program in 2003, the Libyan ruler won another eight years in power. He believes he can escape international and American ire once again, although for the first time he has lost half his country and Western armies may appear on his doorstep at the invitation of the transitional government of Cyrenaica. Libya's final chapter under Qaddafi rule is still to come.

Statement by Minister Cannon on Current Situation in Libya
(No. 85 - February 26, 2011 - 9:10 p.m. ET) The Honourable Lawrence Cannon, Minister of Foreign Affairs, today issued the following statement regarding the situation in Libya and the evacuation of Canadians from that country:
“The Government of Canada has suspended its diplomatic presence in Libya. All Canada-based staff, including the Canadian ambassador to Libya, departed the country on the C-17 flight that arrived in Malta this morning. The C-17 evacuated 46 people, consisting of 24 Canadians and 22 people of other nationalities.
“The evacuation operation is still ongoing. The C-17 aircraft will remain in Malta on standby until further notice to respond to the need to evacuate more Canadians and other nationals, if and when required.
“To date, we have facilitated the evacuation of 238 Canadians. The Emergency Operations Centre of Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada (DFAIT) has received over 1,700 phone calls and has made more than 4,000 outgoing phone calls and emails.
“We urge Canadians in Libya to consult DFAIT’s consular advice at travel.gc.ca regarding opportunities to leave the country from various points by sea or by air. This advice is continually updated. “The Government of Canada, in close cooperation with other countries, continues to investigate departure options for Canadians in Libya and is providing information as it becomes available. “The Emergency Operations Centre will make all efforts to contact Canadian citizens remaining in Libya who are registered with the Registration of Canadians Abroad service so as to determine their travel intentions. “Any friends and relatives in Canada seeking information on Canadian citizens believed to be in Libya should contact DFAIT’s Emergency Operations Centre by calling 1-800-387-3124 or by sending an email to sos@international.gc.ca.
“Canadian citizens in Libya requiring consular assistance should contact the Emergency Operations Centre in Ottawa at 00-1-613-996-8885 or send an email to sos@international.gc.ca.
“Due to the instability in the Middle East and North Africa region, we recommend that Canadians carefully read the country travel advisories available at travel.gc.ca and exercise increased caution when travelling in the region.
“The Government of Canada continues to condemn the use of force against the Libyan people. The outrageous abuse of power by government forces must stop.”
- 30 -
For further information, media representatives may contact:
Lynn Meahan
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of Foreign Affairs
613-995-1851
Foreign Affairs Media Relations Office
Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada
613-995-1874
Follow us on Twitter.

Siddiqui: Shia-Sunni schism explained from Lebanon to Bahrain
Published On Sun Feb 27 201
By Haroon Siddiqui/Toronto Star
http://www.thestar.com/opinion/article/945379--siddiqui-shia-sunni-schism-explained-from-lebanon-to-bahrain
Bahrain is the smallest Arab country. At 48 by 16 km., it is quarter the size of Manitoulin Island.
But its uprising has captivated the world. Not just because the U.S. navy’s nuclear-armed Fifth Fleet is anchored there to guard the oil-rich region. A fifth of its 500,000 citizens are out on the streets. And we are warned that a majority of them are the troublesome Shiites, as they indeed are on the island ruled by a Sunni sheikh.
Who’s afraid of the Shias and why? And what’s this resurrected talk of a Shiite Crescent, from Lebanon and Iraq to Iran, Bahrain and the eastern province of Saudi Arabia where Shiites dominate the oil fields?
A 23-kilometre causeway connects Bahrain to Dammam. It’s often described as the road to sin, for drinking and whoring Saudis escaping their puritanical land.
But its real reason is strategic: Saudi Arabia is the protector of Bahrain, which once belonged to (Shiite) Iran and, in theory, is still claimed by it.
So it was not just good manners that Bahrain’s beleaguered King, Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, turned up in the Saudi capital of Riyadh Wednesday to welcome Saudi King Abdullah home after back surgery in New York.
No sooner had the gilded ceremonial swords been flashed and qahwa, the uplifting cardamom-flavoured light green coffee, sipped than the two (Sunni) kings got behind closed doors to chart Bahrain’s immediate future.
Shia or Shiite is derived from Shiat Ali, the party of Ali, the fourth caliph of Islam. He was a cousin and son-in-law of the Prophet Muhammad, upon whose death in 632 A.D., he was passed over.
When he did become caliph, he was confronted with internecine warfare in Medina. After settling that, he moved to Kufa (in today’s Iraq) to take on a rival from Damascus. In 657, he had almost won a decisive battle when the Syrian sued for peace. Ali agreed. He was stabbed dead by a dissident in his ranks. The Syrian Ummayads regrouped and claimed the caliphate.
Ali’s son Hasan came to terms with the new rulers.
Upon his death in 669, his younger brother, Husayn, took on the Ummayads. But he and his 72 companions were cut down at Karbala, just south of Kufa. His head was presented on a golden platter to the caliph in Damascus.
For the Shiites, this is more than political history. The story of Ali, Hasan and Husayn is one of usurpation of the Prophet’s lineage, which was continued by other Imams, whom the Shiites now follow, guided by ayatollahs (signs of God) or, as in the case of one particular Shiite sect, the Aga Khan.
To the Sunnis — literally, those who follow the sunnah, sayings and deeds of the Prophet — all this is cult-hood. Muhammad was a human being. He died. He transmitted God’s message, which lives on. There need be no intercessors between humans and God.
Sunnis constitute 85 per cent or more of the world’s 1.3 billion Muslims. The Shiites form the majority only in Iran, Iraq, Bahrain and Azerbaijan. They are almost half the population of Yemen and the largest religious group in Lebanon.
There have been Shiite dynasties in the past, especially in Iran, where the 1979 Islamic revolution produced the biggest contemporary itineration of Shia power. That unnerved Sunni regimes as well as orthodox Sunni ulema.
Fatwas were issued declaring Shiites to be non-Muslims. Sectarian fires were stoked against Shiites in India, Pakistan, Afghanistan and elsewhere.
Saddam Hussein, a Sunni ruling over majority Shiites in Iraq (a post-World War I legacy of the British preferring Sunni minority in power) was bribed by the Saudis and the Americans to wage war on Iran (1980-88).
In 1991, following his routing from Kuwait, the Iraqi Shiites rebelled, heeding the call of George H.W. Bush. But Bush fell silent when Saddam massacred tens of thousands. We learned later that Bush had been urged by the Saudis, Kuwaitis and others to leave Saddam in power, to avoid the majority Shiites taking power.
Saddam was to be toppled by Bush Jr. Little did George W. know that he would not be able to plant hand-picked secular rulers. He would be outmanoeuvred by an ayatollah, Ali Sistani, an Iranian by birth, who settled in a dusty alley Najaf, by the mausoleum of Imam Ali.
The cleric insisted on one person, one vote. Proving himself a bigger liberator of women than Bush, he issued a fatwa that all women had to vote, ignoring their husbands if need be.
Thus was born the first Arab Shia state, with close ties to Iran. Millions of Iranian pilgrims poured into Kufa, Karbala and Najaf.
Iran was already riding high, helping Hamas and Hezbollah, while keeping close ties with Syria, ruled by the Alawites, a Shiite offshoot.
That prompted Jordan’s King Abdullah to warn of Shiite resurgence. Saudi King Abdullah and the rulers of the U.A.E., Bahrain and others sided with Israel and the U.S. in trying to curb Iranian nuclear ambitions.
Meanwhile, the ruling clerics in Iran have discredited themselves. Iranians are disillusioned by religion. They are demanding democracy. So are the people of Bahrain, not in the name of Shiism, but for the same reasons as Arabs elsewhere.
Just as democracy would lead to a better redistribution of power and wealth between the rulers and the ruled, it would also give Shiites their fair share of power in proportion to their populations.
I’ve drawn from these books: The Shia Revival, by Vali Nasr (W.W. Norton, 2006); No God But God, by Reza Aslan (Random House, 2005) and Arab Voices: What They are Saying to Us, by James Zogby (Palgrave Macmillan, 2010).
Haroon Siddiqu’s column appears on Thursday and Sunday. hsiddiqui@thestar.ca
Email Print Republish Add to Favourites Report an error Share4Rss