LCCC
ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
ِJanuary
26/2010
Bible Of The
Day
Psalm 113/1-9: "113:1 Praise Yah! Praise, you servants of Yahweh, praise the
name of Yahweh. 113:2 Blessed be the name of Yahweh, from this time forth and
forevermore. 113:3 From the rising of the sun to the going down of the same,
Yahweh’s name is to be praised. 113:4 Yahweh is high above all nations, his
glory above the heavens. 113:5 Who is like Yahweh, our God, who has his seat on
high, 113:6 Who stoops down to see in heaven and in the earth? 113:7 He raises
up the poor out of the dust. Lifts up the needy from the ash heap; 113:8 that he
may set him with princes, even with the princes of his people. 113:9 He settles
the barren woman in her home, as a joyful mother of children. Praise Yah! "
Latest
analysis, editorials, studies, reports, letters & Releases
from
miscellaneous
sources
Najib Mikati/By: Matt Nash/January
25/11
The Lebanese Supreme Guide/By
Tariq Alhomayed/January
25/11
Iran rounds
off grab for Lebanon with figurehead prime minister/DEBKAfile/January
25/11
Division is
not in anybody's interests- Mikati/By
Tha'ir Abbas/January
25/11
No US aid if Hezbollah candidate
leads government/By
Tha'ir Abbas/January
25/11
Latest News Reports From Miscellaneous Sources for January
25/11
Clinton warns Hezbollah-backed
government may alter U.S. ties with Lebanon/Reuters/Haaretz
Nasrallah: Hezbollah will not
control next Lebanon government/Haaretz
Muftis
Council Visits Miqati: We Asked Him to Take Appropriate Stand to Thwart Strife/Naharnet
Sarkozy
Warns Syria: Lebanon is an Independent Country, STL Must Complete Its Work/Naharnet
Feltman to Paris Wednesday
for Talks on Lebanon, Tunisia/Naharnet
U.N.
Stresses Dialogue but Remains Mum on Political Makeup of Lebanon Cabinet/Naharnet
US Warns against Leading
Hizbullah Role in New Government/Naharnet
STL
Registrar Says Accused Names May Be Made Public in '6 to 10 Weeks'/Naharnet
France
Calls on Miqati to Form Govt 'via Dialogue, without Interference'/Naharnet
Hariri Denounces Violence, Says
Citizen Dignity More Important than Any Post//Naharnet
Mustaqbal: Way Miqati was Appointed Made Him Imposed on the Lebanese/Naharnet
Protests Turn Violent in
Lebanon: Demonstrators Torch Al-Jazeera Van, Attack Safadi's Office/Naharnet
Army Ready to Handle Any
Emergency: Security is a 'Red Line'/Naharnet
Jumblat Holds Hariri
Responsible for Street Protests: Democratic Game was Your Choice/Naharnet
Berri Calls for National
Salvation Cabinet/Naharnet
Miqati Says Only Committed to
'Protecting Resistance' after Hizbullah Nomination/Naharnet
Nasrallah: The Greatest Lie is
Accusing us of Seeking to Control State, Intimidating Miqati is Useless/Naharnet
Syria among worst for rights abuses: HRW report/Reuters
Hezbollah's Choice Set to Lead Lebanon/Wall Street Journal
A Hezbollah-Run Lebanon, but No Panic in Israel/New York Times
Former Lebanon President Gmayel: Syria wants Egypt out of Lebanese
politics/Al-Masry Al-Youm
Hezbollah's Choice Set to Lead
Lebanon/Wall Street Journal
Fury After Hezbollah Picks Lebanon Leader/New York Times
Protesters take to the streets in Lebanon/CNN
Hariri backers protest, accuse Hezbollah of trying to control Lebanon/CNN
Lebanon's road to crisis/Telegraph.co.uk/Naharnet
Aoun:
Asking us to Choose between Hariri and Civil Strife is Not a Democratic Approach/Naharnet
Clinton
warns Hezbollah-backed government may alter U.S. ties with Lebanon
25.01.11
White House accuses Hezbollah of using 'coercion, intimidation, threats of
violence' to achieve its political goals, after its candidate was tapped as
Lebanon's new PM-designate.
By Reuters /U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on Tuesday that a
Hezbollah-dominated government in Lebanon would affect the country's relations
with the United States, which regards Hezbollah as a terrorist group. Hezbollah
is on the official U.S. blacklist of terrorist groups, a designation that
carries various financial and travel restrictions.
"A Hezbollah-controlled government would clearly have an impact on our bilateral
relationship with Lebanon," Clinton told reporters in an appearance with Spain's
visiting foreign minister.
"Our bottom lines remain as they always have been," Clinton said. "We believe
that justice must be pursued and impunity for murder ended. We believe in
Lebanon's sovereignty and an end to outside interference." U.S. Secretary of
State Hillary Clinton meets with Lebanon's Prime Minister Saad Hariri in New
York, January 7, 2011.
The White House on Tuesday accused the Shi'ite Muslim group of using "coercion,
intimidation and threats of violence" to achieve its political goals and said
the country's new government must abide by the Lebanese constitution and
renounce violence. Clinton said Washington was monitoring moves to form a new
government in Lebanon, where Hezbollah-backed politician Najib Mikati has been
named prime minister in a move that shifts the balance of power in the country
toward Iran and Syria. "As we see what this new government does, we will judge
it accordingly," Clinton said. Hezbollah's enhanced political strength appears
likely to alarm Israel, Washington's chief ally in the region, which in 2006
fought a five-week war in a failed effort to destroy the Iran-backed movement's
formidable military capacity. U.S. officials said earlier this month that
Lebanon's political turmoil would not trigger an immediate cut in U.S. aid to
the Lebanese Armed Forces, but suggested that the ties would come under speedy
review. Clinton has accused Hezbollah, whose decision to pull out of a coalition
toppled the government of former Prime Minister Saad Hariri, with attempting to
subvert justice before expected indictments against the group over the February
2005 killing of his father, Rafik.
U.S. officials have also accused the movement of seeking to advance the
interests of Iran. "It is hard to imagine any government that is truly
representative of all of Lebanon would abandon the effort to end the era of
impunity for assassinations in the country. In the meantime, we call on all
parties to maintain calm," White House spokesman Tommy Vietor said in a
statement.
The United States ramped up assistance to Lebanon's military after the 2006 war
with Israel and has given the Lebanese Armed Forces an estimated e650 million to
pay for such things as helicopter maintenance, weapons and ammunition,
night-vision goggles and anti-tank missiles. In a country with a long history of
sectarian militias, the United States also hoped to help professionalize the
army, reinforce the concept of civilian control of the military and, diminish
the influence of Hezbollah's forces -- all goals that look harder to achieve
following the latest political crisis. Republicans, who following November
elections have taken control of the House of Representatives, have already
pledged to examine U.S. aid for Lebanon more closely.
Iran rounds off grab for Lebanon with figurehead prime minister
DEBKAfile Special Report January 25, 2011, The two days Iran's new foreign
minister Ali Salehi spent in Damascus from Saturday night, Jan. 22, were enough
to keep Syrian president Bashar Assad in place for Tehran's final steps in its
grab for Lebanon: the installation of a puppet government in Beirut, debkafile's
intelligence sources report.
Hizballah leader Hassan Nasrallah's performance Sunday, Jan. 23, was a crucial
piece of misdirection: He stepped out of character to call in dulcet tones for a
unity government in Beirut. This sounded as though he was following Assad's
orders last week to go for a broad coalition which left the prime minister he
toppled Saad Hariri out in the cold and strengthened Syrian influence in Beirut.
But meanwhile, a parliamentary majority had been put together to install as
prime minister Najib Mikati, a 55-year old Lebanese tycoon, who was willing to
pledge in advance to cut Beirut's ties with the UN tribunal – STL –
investigating the 2005 assassination of Rafiq Hariri and declare its summonses
and rulings null and void.
Mikati has built a business empire in Europe, Africa and the Middle East through
his personal connections with the Syrian president and Hizballah leader and the
use of their intelligence facilities to promote his interests. He was awarded
the premiership in return for a commitment to disqualify the STL as his first
order of business, thereby saving Iran, Damascus and Hizballah the embarrassment
of a head-on clash with the international court over its summonses – not only
for the extradition of Hizballah's top security officials, but also against
Iranian and Syrian regime officials suspected of complicity in the Hariri
assassination.
By having the duly appointed Lebanese prime minister delegitimize the tribunal,
all three can insist they are obliged to disobey court decrees against the will
of the Lebanese government and its people and barred from following the orders
of a body declared illegitimate and operating at the behest of Washington and
Tel Aviv.
By a single stroke, therefore, Tehran has checked one of President Barack
Obama's most critical Middle East policy moves, one which hinged on support for
the Hariri tribunal and the strengthening of a pro-West administration in
Beirut. Instead, Washington wakes up to find an Iranian puppet ruling Lebanon.
Tehran accomplished this two days after fatally stalling the world powers'
attempt to bring Iran around to a diplomatic resolution of its drive toward a
nuclear bomb. In two days of talks with six powers in Istanbul, ending Friday,
Jan. 21, the Iranian delegation refused to budge an inch.
A day later, Iran's foreign minister was already ensconsed in Damascus tying up
the ends of its grab for Lebanon.
Monday night, realizing the Mikati appointment was in the bag, supporters of the
ousted prime minister Saad Hariri and his March 14 alliance, were out in the
streets, burning tires, firing off shots and trying to block the highways from
Beirut to the north, south and east to Damascus. They declared Tuesday, Jan. 25,
a day of anger and called for mass rallies in support of their pro-Western
leader, accusing the Hizballah of "a coup to put the office of prime minister
under the control of Wilayat al Fakih (Iranian clerical authority).
But there is not much they can do beyond this for three reasons:
1. The Sunnis and Christians having been thrust into opposition to a
Shiite-dominated government will be loath to go all the way and ignite another
civil war of which Lebanon has had more than its fill – especially when the
national army will obey the pro-Iranian government. 2. Although the Obama
administration pledged its support for Saad Hariri in his struggle against
Hizballah, Tehran and Damascus, and Friday, Jan. 21, the USS Strike Force with
6,000 marines and sailors aboard moved into place opposite Lebanese shores, not
a single marine has landed in Beirut to save the day.
Tehran was not impressed by the American show of strength. Two days later, the
Islamic Republic dared the US, Israel and Egypt to do their worst by
provocatively announcing the dispatch of an Iranian war fleet to the Red Sea,
Suez Canal and Mediterranean. (Click here for debkafile report.)
3. The Netanyahu government, though aware of the tectonic strategic change which
is making its northern neighbor an Iranian vassal, refrained from even a
demonstrative step that might have made Iran and Syria hesitate before going
through with the total subjection of Lebanon. Saudi Arabia and Egypt likewise,
though heading the moderate Arab Sunni bloc of nations committed to curbing
radical Iran's domination of the Middle East, have held silent and not lifted a
finger to help their Arab ally survive the pro-Shiite tide swamping Lebanon.
The Lebanese Supreme Guide
25/01/2011
By Tariq Alhomayed/In America, or Britain, the president or prime minister, will
come out to give a 30-minute speech, and following this news channels will bring
out a panel of analysts who will decipher and interpret this speech for 60
minutes. This is not to mention what appears on television, or what is written
in the newspapers. Every word that was used by the president or prime minister
in the speech is explained, and people are also reminded of what officials
previously said [in this regard]. However in our region, the opposite is true,
and so we see the Hezbollah leader appearing to us to give a long speech, with
the satellite channels allowing him the opportunity to accuse, justify, and
twist history as he wishes, without analyzing this speech which is full of
propaganda and deception.
[In his speech] Nasrallah praised former Lebanese Prime Minister Omar Karami for
his refusal to accept the post of prime minister, however this was not the whole
story, for in fact Nasrallah was the one who telephoned Karami and asked him to
nominate himself for this post, which means that Nasrallah is the one who is
forming the Lebanese governments. This is the news, particularly since Nasrallah
has not been elected by anybody; he is a leader by force of arms alone!
When Nasrallah says that he will not respond to a killer, he is referring to Dr.
Samir Geagea, [who he accused of being responsible for the death of former Prime
Minister Rashid Karami]. This can be seen in the ruling that was issued against
Geagea. The question that must be asked here is: Geagea accepted the law and the
ruling issued against him, why does Nasrallah then reject the international
tribunal? Why doesn't he call on the international tribunal to reveal who is
responsible for the deaths of [former Lebanese Prime Minister] Rafik Hariri and
his colleagues? Why have those who killed Lebanese citizens when Hezbollah
occupied Beirut not been brought to trial? When Nasrallah says that talk about
the division of Lebanon is nothing more than intimidation, then we must ask him:
who dares to enter the southern suburbs [of Beirut?]
We have noticed that there are numerous inaccuracies and deceptions [in
Nasrallah's] speech, and there is another blatant example of this. Nasrallah
said that there is no Iranian project in Lebanon, but anybody can view the
YouTube clip of a speech given by Nasrallah in September 1986. In this clip,
Nasrallah said "we do not believe in a nation called Lebanon, but rather in the
grand Islamic nation. Lebanon and this region are for Islam and Muslims, and
must be ruled by Islam and Muslims. We do not have a draft system [for rule] in
Lebanon, we must first remove the Israeli colonial situation and then we can
talk about implementing our project. There is no other option but this project,
because we are ideological believers, and this is the project of an Islamic
state and Islamic rule, with Lebanon not being a single Islamic state, but
rather part of the grand Islamic nation that is ruled by Sahib al Zaman [twelfth
imam] and his legitimate deputy the Wali al-Faqih [Guardian of the Jurists] Imam
al-Khomeini. I could not, for a moment, be affiliated to the Hezbollah movement
if I was not certain that this movement was connected to the Wali al-Faqih,
whose rulings must be followed." The satellite television channels were, of
course, capable of revealing this truth to the Lebanese and Arabs.
The other issue is that whilst Nasrallah calls for respect of the Lebanese
constitution and the state institutions, we must recall that it was his allies
that blocked and obstructed the previous government with their veto power, as a
Lebanese official informed me. This is something that turned Saad Hariri into
the Mohammed Khatami of Lebanon.
Therefore Nasrallah's speech is one that reveals a coup, and in which he
announces that he is the Supreme Guide of Lebanon, despite the constitutions,
and all the sects in Lebanon…so have you noticed the extent of his deception?
Division is not in anybody's interests- Mikati
25/01/2011
By Tha'ir Abbas/Beirut, Asharq Al-Awsat – Lebanese Prime Minister-Designate
Najib Mikati, who is today preparing to form a new Lebanese government, told
Asharq Al-Awsat that there is no benefit from Lebanese division. He stressed
that he is a "candidate for harmony, and that so long as the goal is the same,
we will not disagree on the means [of achieving this]." He also denied that
there was any "terms or conditions" imposed upon his nomination. Prime
Minister-Designate Najib Mikati, who previously served as prime minister of a
caretaker government from April to July 2005, stressed that "I have always
called for reconciliation and worked to unite the Lebanese ranks." He also
stressed that "there is no benefit from division; this will not benefit the
country, or the sects…we want to unite, we will not disagree with one another so
long as calm is the objective."
Prime Minister-Designate Mikati refused to acknowledge that he was a Hezbollah
or a March 8 Alliance candidate, saying that he considered such designations as
being inappropriate. He said "they [Hezbollah] helped me, and remembered me, and
called on me, but I nominated myself." He added "in 2005, it was said that I was
friends with [Syrian] President Bashar al-Assad, and that I am not neutral, but
when I became prime minister I worked conscientiously and morally in the
interests of Lebanon."
He added that his major objective now is to "achieve calm internally, and
preserve Lebanon's international and regional relations, especially with the
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Syria."
Mikati stressed that no "terms or conditions" had been imposed upon him by the
opposition with regards to their acceptance of his nomination, stressing that he
had not been tasked with putting an end to the UN Special Tribunal for Lebanon.
He also stressed that "all the problems can be solved by dialogue from within
the [state] institutions, including [the problems with regards to] the
constitution." Mikati promised that "nobody will take possession of the
decision-making process."
In response to the campaign launched against him, sources close to Mikati told
Asharq Al-Awsat that he is coming to the post of prime minister under the slogan
of partnership, and that he wants "a government for all of Lebanon." The sources
also expressed surprise about the "fears that have been expressed with regards
to his [Mikati's] nomination and the calling to account of his intentions." The
source, who spoke to Asharq Al-Awsat on the condition of anonymity, stressed
that Mikati's experience in power in 2005 "is the best response to what is being
said, and the actions that he takes [after he comes into power] are what must be
taken into account."
The source added that "we will not be dragged into marginal arguments, and we
will not enter into the logic of mistrust and accusing others of betrayal
despite the current political and media insanity." The source also told Asharq
Al-Awsat that "we are surprised by this campaign, and particularly that it is
being launched by those who would be expected to have a better memory than
others with regards to Mikati's characteristics." The source also questioned the
timing of this campaign against Mikati, particularly as things are moving
towards a solution, calling on everybody to look at Mikati's nomination as being
"an opportunity for rescue in light of the ongoing troubles."
No US aid if Hezbollah candidate leads government
24/01/2011
By Tha'ir Abbas/Beirut, Asharq Al-Awsat- A high-level US diplomat has warned
that the emergence of a government formed by the 8 March Forces, and led by
Hezbollah will create many obstacles for the cooperation with the United States.
The diplomat points out that the US Congress will refuse "to give military and
other aid to individuals who receive instructions from Hezbollah."As the
diplomat denies that his country is behind the hindrance of the Saudi-Syrian
pursuits, he stresses that his country has supported the Saudi efforts aimed at
preserving the Lebanese stability. However, on the other hand, the diplomat
"rejects any solution that is imposed on the Lebanese, as the solution ought to
come first from Lebanon."
The US diplomat says that his country is watching with interest what currently
is taking place; he says: "We are waiting to see what will happen." However, he
considers what now is taking place to be "a power game." It seems as if what is
taking place is an operation of frightening the others, or perhaps more than
that, i.e. blackmail to obtain results that the opposition cannot achieve by
other means.
The US diplomat expresses his hopes that "the democratic process will prevail,
and a peaceful solution will be achieved." He stresses: "The option of violence
is not acceptable; it is an option that worries us. It is an option that one
side always threatens to use." The diplomat says: "The question that has been
asked since September 2010 is whether or not Hezbollah will resort to violence."
It is clear blackmail to say: we will pursue the constitutional and legal means,
but if we do not get what we want we will resort to the street. "The use of
force is the option of one group, and we hope that this group will realize that
this option is not beneficial, and hence will not resort to it."
The source strongly denies that the United States interferes in the process of
selecting the prime minister, and uses pressure, fear, and enticement to compel
the Deputies to choose Al-Hariri as prime minister. The diplomat says: "We have
extensive relations with nearly all sides in Lebanon, and we are conducting
regular contacts with them. This is not at all interference. We talk to people
because we want to keep well informed." The source also denies that warships and
aircraft carriers have been sent to Lebanon, but he points out that there is an
extensive US naval presence in the Mediterranean Sea, and that US ships cross
the Suez Canal, but they do not go toward Lebanon.
The source admits that the United States is interested in the issue of the
formation of the new Lebanese Government on the basis that the 8 March Forces
group includes Hezbollah, and as the performance of this group shows that
Hezbollah is the driving force of the group. Hence, this undoubtedly worries us,
and if this group assumes power, this will put major difficulties in the way of
our joint programs with the Lebanese Government. This will lead to a hard-line
stance by the US Congress toward any proposed aid or programs; the US Congress
will oppose strongly giving military or any other aid to individuals who receive
their instructions from Hezbollah.
The source denies that the United States hinders the Saudi-Syrian pursuits. He
points out that his country has watched with interest the pursuits in which many
of the countries in the region have been engaged in order to help the Lebanese
to preserve stability. We have supported the Saudi pursuits which stem from the
same goals for which we aspire with regard to preserving the stability of
Lebanon.
However, the source stresses that any solution ought to come from the Lebanese
themselves first, and that it is inadmissible to impose any kind of agreement on
the Lebanese from outside.
The source refuses to reveal the way that will be adopted in dealing with a
government formed by the 8 March Forces under Omar Karami, and he prefers "to
wait and see what this selection might mean." The diplomat says: "Even if the
government is formed with Karami as prime minister, we will wait to see who the
ministers will be, who will occupy the fundamental seats, and who will take the
decision in the government." If Hezbollah is going to be the one to take the
decisions, we will face a huge problem.
The source says that the United States has a positive opinion of the way Prime
Minister Al-Hariri leads, and a similar positive opinion of the work of
President Suleiman. Prime Minister Al-Hariri is a person with whom it is
possible to deal in expanding the horizon of joint cooperation. We have worked
with him in preparing a distinguished aid system for the Lebanese Army and the
security forces, in addition to a large and costly development program. If
Al-Hariri leaves power, this will not be very good for us, because we will lose
a fundamental partner. We will not deal with this issue as a fait accompli
before we see what will happen next Tuesday (the date of ending the
parliamentary consultations).
The source calls for "a long-term vision" to identify how the United States can
help Lebanon. He stresses that the US constants toward Lebanon are "preserving
its stability, sovereignty, and prosperity." The source says: "What we are
trying to do is to help the national institutions to achieve these goals. This
cannot be done if we are dealing with Hezbollah."
The source wonders about the credibility of any new government that will ask for
the abolishing of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon [STL]. He stresses that the
problem of this government will not be with the United States, but it will be
with the United Nations and through it with the international community. The
diplomat says: "Any government, whose first act will be to rescind the agreement
with the United Nations over the STL, and to stop the financing of the STL, will
not give a good impression."
With regard to Hezbollah's belief that the STL is a US tool through which the
United States is trying to target the resistance, the source says that Hezbollah
has opted to consider the STL as a US tool, and convinced itself that some of
its members will be accused of the crime, and hence created for itself pretexts
to consider the STL as politicized. I believe that this proves that Hezbollah
does not understand very well the US system, and how it works. This claim does
not have any credibility outside Lebanon, because anyone who knows the United
States knows the disagreements and reservations the US Administration has over
some of the actions of the United Nations.
The source calls on Gen Michel Awn to understand that every political group
ought to be careful in dealing with a terrorist group or organization, and
Hezbollah according to US law is a terrorist organization.
Lebanon's road to crisis
A timeline of events after the assassination of Rafiq Hariri, Lebanon's former
Prime Minister
25 Jan 2011
2005
– Feb 14: Rafiq Hariri, the former premier, is killed in a bombing in Beirut
along with 22 others. Pro-Western leaders blame Syria but Damascus repeatedly
denies any role in the killing.
– April 26: International pressure and massive popular protests drive Syrian
troops out of Lebanon after a 29-year deployment
– July 19: First government including Hizbollah is formed.
– Oct 20: An initial UN probe implicates Syrian agents in Hariri's murder.
– July 12-Aug 14: A Hizbollah-Israel war kills nearly 1,200 Lebanese, mostly
civilians, and 160 Israelis, mostly soldiers.
– Nov 11: Shiite ministers resign from government as Hizbollah and its allies
demand greater political representation.
2007
– June 10: The UN-backed Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) is created.
2008
– May 7: Sectarian clashes leave 100 people dead as Hizbollah-led militants
seize large swathes of Sunni areas in Beirut.
– May 21: Rival leaders agree to a new power-sharing government formula. Michel
Suleiman, the army chief, is selected as next president.
– July 11: A government in which Hizbollah and its allies have veto power is
formed.
2009
– June 7: An anti-Syrian alliance wins legislative elections.
– June 27: Saad Hariri, son of Rafiq, is appointed prime minister.
– Nov 9: Hariri forms a unity government which includes Hizbollah.
2010
– July 22: Hizbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah says STL will indict Hizbollah
members in connection with the Rafiq Hariri murder. Hizbollah denies any role.
– Oct 28: Nasrallah calls on Lebanese to boycott the STL.
2011
– Jan 11: The Hizbollah-led alliance announces failure of Syrian-Saudi efforts
to defuse the STL crisis.
– Jan 12: Hizbollah forces the collapse of unity government when 11 ministers
resign.
– Jan 17: STL prosecutor Daniel Bellemare submits a confidential draft
indictment in Hariri's murder to a pretrial judge who will confirm the charges
before any arrest warrant is issued.
– Jan 19: Saudi Arabia abandons mediation efforts.
– Jan 21: Druze leader throws support behind Hizbollah, virtually guaranteeing
the party will be able to impose its choice as premier.
-Jan 24: Billionaire Najib Mikati announces his candidacy for premier, prompting
cries of "treason" from the Hariri camp.
– Jan 24-25: Hizbollah and its allies name Mr Mikati as their pick for premier
as hundreds of Sunnis protest.
Mustaqbal: Way Miqati was Appointed Made Him Imposed on the
Lebanese
Naharnet/The Mustaqbal movement condemned on Tuesday the manner in which Najib
Miqati was appointed prime minister-designate, saying: "It does not make him a
consensual premier, but one that has been imposed on the Lebanese by Hizbullah."It
said in a statement read by former minister Jean Oghassabian: "This practice has
destroyed what was left of Lebanon's free democratic system and the bloc affirms
that democracy cannot be rectified through weapons." Addressing Hizbullah's
arms, it stated: "Since the 2009 parliamentary elections, the party's arms that
should have been turned towards Israel have been turned against the Lebanese."
"The bloc turns with appreciation towards the March 14 supporters who have
expressed their anger over the attempt to forge the Lebanese' will when the MPs'
turned against the will of their voters," it stressed. It concluded by calling
on them to exercise restraint.
Beirut, 25 Jan 11, 18:54
France Calls on Miqati to Form Govt 'via Dialogue, without Interference'
Naharnet/Prime Minister-designate Najib Miqati must form a new Lebanese
government without outside "interference," France's foreign ministry said on
Tuesday. "It is essential that it is done within the framework of the
constitution ... and reflects the independent and sovereign choice of the
Lebanese people, without any interference and through dialogue," it said.
The statement added that "France takes note of the designation of Najib Miqati"
to succeed Saad Hariri, whose unity cabinet collapsed earlier this month. The
appointment has sparked widespread anger within Lebanon's Sunni community, who
view it as a bid by Iranian- and Syrian-backed Hizbullah to impose on them the
Shiite group's choice for the premiership. But Miqati, a political moderate with
good ties to Lebanon's former power broker Syria, has said he is a centrist and
emphasized that he intends to include all parties as he forms a government. "As
Lebanon falls prey to violent protests, France wishes to express its concern for
the stability of the country," foreign ministry spokesman Bernard Valero told
reporters earlier in the day. "All forms of violence should be avoided. France
calls on all sides for calm and restraint," he said. (AFP-Naharnet)
Beirut, 25 Jan 11, 17:03
Sarkozy Warns Syria: Lebanon is an Independent Country, STL Must Complete Its
Work
Naharnet/French President Nicolas Sarkozy warned Syria that Lebanon is an
independent country and that the international tribunal must complete its work
"until the end."
"Lebanon is Syria's neighbor and France relies on this friendship to tell Syria
that Lebanon is an independent country and must remain independent; and the
Special Tribunal for Lebanon must complete its work until the end," Sarkozy said
in remarks published Tuesday by pan-Arab Asharq al-Awsat newspaper. During a
press conference held on Monday at the Elysee Palace, Sarkozy reiterated
France's refusal that Lebanon be used to serve foreign interests. Sarkozy said
he was committed to an initiative he launched earlier this month that calls for
the formation of a "contact group" to resolve the Lebanon crisis. Beirut, 25 Jan
11, 08:06
STL Registrar Says Accused Names May Be Made Public in '6 to 10 Weeks'
Naharnet/The arrest warrants in the Hariri murder would be activated "in
cooperation with the government of Beirut, which is obligated to extradite -- if
necessary with the help of other states," Special Tribunal for Lebanon Registrar
Herman von Hebel has said. In an interview with the online version of German
weekly Der Spiegel, von Hebel said it is likely the names contained in the
arrest warrants will be made public in "six to 10 weeks" and that a trial could
start as soon as the beginning of September. "If necessary, a trial without the
presence of the defendants would be conceivable, the statutes allow us to judge
in absentia," he said. Hizbullah and its allies on January 12 brought down the
government of Saad Hariri after a long-running standoff over the STL probe into
the 2005 assassination of ex-premier Rafik Hariri, Saad's father. Hizbullah has
said it believes members of the party will be implicated by the
Netherlands-based court, which it has denounced as part of a U.S.-Israeli
conspiracy. On January 17, STL Prosecutor Daniel Bellemare submitted a
confidential draft indictment in Rafik Hariri's murder to STL Pre-Trial Judge
Daniel Fransen, who will confirm the charges before any arrest warrant is
issued. Beirut, 25 Jan 11, 18:19
Miqati Says Only Committed to 'Protecting Resistance' after Hizbullah Nomination
Naharnet/Prime Minister-designate Najib Miqati on Tuesday rejected attempts to
cast him as "Hizbullah's man" and said the dispute over a U.N. tribunal that
brought down his predecessor could only be resolved through dialogue. "Don't
prejudge me or my behavior, please, especially the international community," the
55-year-old billionaire businessman told Agence France Presse in an interview at
his Beirut home shortly after being appointed to form a new government.
"I say in all honesty that my nomination by Hizbullah does not mean I am bound
by any of their political positions except as concerns the protection of the
national resistance," he said, referring to the armed group's struggle against
Israel.
Miqati said he felt no shame in the fact that the Iranian- and Syrian-backed
Hizbullah had supported his appointment and wished outgoing premier Saad
Hariri's Western-backed party had done the same. "I say 'thank you to them', I
respect them as I respect those who did not vote for me," he said. "Now I will
work in the interest of all Lebanese. "Let my actions speak for themselves." A
centrist who has good ties with Syria, Miqati recalled that in 2005, when he
served briefly as premier, he had been labeled "a Syrian puppet" but was later
recognized as a capable statesman. "During my tenure ... I did everything in the
interest of Lebanon and everyone was surprised by what I achieved," he said.
The PM-designate added that the thorny issue of the Netherlands-based Special
Tribunal for Lebanon, which has been at the center of a long-running standoff
between Hizbullah and Hariri, would be tackled through dialogue. "Stopping the
tribunal today is no longer a Lebanese decision," he said. "Lebanon's
cooperation with the tribunal is something else.
"So before (jumping to conclusions) we have to look at the file again, study it
and if there is any issue of dispute, it will be solved through dialogue."
Hizbullah for months had been pressing Hariri to reject the tribunal which it
believes will implicate party members in ex-premier Rafik Hariri's 2005 murder.
Earlier Tuesday, President Michel Suleiman assigned Miqati to form the new
government. Miqati's appointment came in a presidential decree. "The president
informed me of the outcome of his consultations with parliamentarians, which
have resulted in my appointment as prime minister," Miqati told reporters from
the Baabda Palace. "I will cooperate fully with all Lebanese to form a new
government that protects their unity and sovereignty," he vowed. He also pledged
to maintain a centrist position. Miqati received the backing of 68 of
parliament's 128 MPs, who had been meeting with Suleiman since Monday after
Hizbullah and its allies brought down the unity government of Saudi- and
Western-backed Saad Hariri on January 12. The remaining 60 MPs backed Hariri for
another term. Miqati's appointment has sparked widespread anger within the Sunni
community. They view it as a bid by Hizbullah to sideline Hariri, the most
popular Sunni leader, and even take control of the government.(AFP-Naharnet-AP)
Beirut, 25 Jan 11, 19:56
Hariri Denounces Violence, Says Citizen Dignity More Important than Any Post
Naharnet/Outgoing Premier Saad Hariri denounced on Tuesday violent incidents
that erupted during protests by his supporters against the appointment of Najib
Miqati to head the new government. Demonstrators in Sunni stronghold Tripoli
attacked and burned a car of al-Jazeera television, and ransacked the office of
MP Mohammed Safadi.
In a televised speech, Hariri thanked "every free citizen ... who has denounced
the attempts of hegemony over our national decisions." "But it is also my duty
to express my total rejection of all forms of rioting …I deeply regret the
attack against the vehicle of al-Jazeera," he said. Hariri said the dignity of
citizens is more important than any post. "You are responsible for Lebanon's
safety despite your anger," Hariri told his supporters. "I understand your
feelings and cries of anger … But we resort to democracy in expressing our
political opinion," the Mustaqbal movement leader added.(AFP-Naharnet) Beirut,
25 Jan 11, 14:33
Aoun: Asking us to Choose between Hariri and Civil Strife is Not a Democratic
Approach
Naharnet/Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun condemned on Tuesday the
protests against the appointment of Najib Miqati as prime minister-designate,
saying: "Today's events have taken place between those seeking to burn the city
and those seeking to build it." He assured the Lebanese after the movement's
weekly meeting that they will witness financial and economic relief with
Miqati's appointment, hoping that all sides would cease their sectarian
incitement. The MP stressed that the problem with former Prime Minister Saad
Hariri was not restricted to the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, but "a number of
grave mistakes have been committed" such as the employment of martyrdom in
politics, the disregard of the resignation of Shiite ministers from cabinet a
few years ago, and the formation of the unconstitutional STL. "The other camp
has lost all its credibility before the Lebanese people and the world, and any
state that supports Hariri is doing so for its own interest," Aoun said. Asked
if the new government would halt the STL, he replied: "The tribunal will stop by
itself. This is not a pressing issue as there is an overwhelming popular
majority that opposes the STL, which has lost its transparency." Asked if he
believed that strife would erupt in Lebanon, he responded: "Strife requires two
sides, and we don't want to fight." Beirut, 25 Jan 11, 18:15
Hizbullah, Allies on Brink of Controlling Lebanon Government
Naharnet/Hizbullah moved to the brink of controlling Lebanon's government on
Monday after the Iranian-backed militant group secured enough support in
parliament to name its own candidate for the next prime minister. Nearly two
weeks after bringing down Lebanon's Western-backed government, the Shiite
militant group — considered a terrorist organization by Washington — has now
solidified its position as the main power broker in this volatile Middle East
nation on Israel's northern border. Protests erupted quickly in areas populated
by Hizbullah's Sunni rivals, who declared a "day of rage" Tuesday to express
their rejection of what they called "Persian tutelage" over Lebanon — a
reference to Hizbullah's Iranian patrons.
Hizbullah's candidate, billionaire businessman Najib Miqati, was set to clinch
the nomination after Hizbullah and its allies lined up the needed backing of at
least 65 of the 128 parliament members as voting began Monday. By securing an
ally at the helm of government, Hizbullah has capped its steady rise from
resistance force against Israel in the early 1980s to Lebanon's most powerful
military and political force today. Hizbullah has managed to show that the
pro-Western bloc can't run the country without it — and now could go a step
further to show it doesn't need its opponents, either. Hizbullah's
Western-backed opponents maintain having an Iranian proxy in control of
Lebanon's government would be disastrous and lead to international isolation.
The United States, which has poured in $720 million in military aid since 2006,
has tried to move Lebanon firmly into a Western sphere and end the influence of
Hizbullah, Syria and Iran. State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley warned Monday
that continuing U.S. support for Lebanon would be "problematic" if Hizbullah
takes a dominant role in government, though he declined to say what the U.S.
would do if Hizbullah's candidate becomes prime minister.
A Hizbullah-led government would also raise tensions with Israel, which fought a
devastating 34-day war against the Shiite militants in 2006 that left 1,200
Lebanese and 160 Israelis dead. Hizbullah briefly took control of Beirut's
streets two years later in sectarian clashes that killed 81 people, angering
many who accused the militants of breaking a promise to never use its arsenal
against the Lebanese. Then in 2009, Hizbullah joined the government with virtual
veto power over all its decisions. Hizbullah brought down that government on
Jan. 12 after Prime Minister Saad Hariri refused the group's demand to cease
cooperation with a U.N.-backed tribunal investigating the 2005 assassination of
his father, former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.
Hizbullah can either form its own government now, leaving Hariri and his allies
to become the opposition, or it can try to persuade Hariri to join a national
unity government. In a speech Sunday night, Hizbullah leader Sheik Hassan
Nasrallah said he favored a unity government. Hariri said Monday he will not
join a government headed by a Hizbullah-backed candidate.
Hariri's coalition issued a statement last week saying Hizbullah is trying to
turn Lebanon into an "Iranian base" and was using intimidation to get its way.
Hizbullah has emphasized that the group brought down Lebanon's government
democratically and without resorting to violence.
Hizbullah keeps a massive arsenal that outweighs that of Lebanon's national
army, saying it needs the weapons to ward off any threats from Israel. But the
movement's reputation has taken a hit in recent years among those who see it as
dragging the country into violent conflicts. Several hundred Hariri supporters
in the northern city of Tripoli, a predominantly Sunni area and a hotbed of
fundamentalists, staged protests Monday chanting anti-Miqati slogans. The
protesters carried pictures of Hariri, shouting, "Miqati you are not one of us,
leave and go away." Some carried banners that read: "The blood of Sunnis is
boiling." In the eastern Bekaa Valley, witnesses said the army fired tear gas to
dispel protesters.
Despite the strident opposition from the Hariri camp, Mikati is seen as a
relatively neutral figure who enjoys good relations with both Syrian President
Bashar Assad and with Hariri — putting the latter in the awkward position of
having to openly reject a candidate who has been an ally in the past. Miqati
emphasized Monday that he would represent all of Lebanon, even as he insisted he
would safeguard "the achievements of the national resistance," a reference to
Hizbullah.
"I don't distinguish between anyone," said Miqati, a Harvard graduate and
businessman whose wealth is estimated at $2.5 billion. "I extend my hand to
everyone without exception ... I say to Prime Minister Saad Hariri, let us all
work together for the sake of Lebanon." It is significant that Hizbullah chose a
relatively centrist candidate for prime minister — as opposed to a staunchly
pro-Syrian one, such as Omar Karami — even though the group has secured enough
power to govern on its own.
The move indicates that Hizbullah is at least paying lip service to the idea
that a unity government could be formed. It also corners Hariri, who will have
to reject an ally.
Since Hizbullah and its allies forced the government's collapse by resigning
from the Cabinet, both sides have been scrambling for the support of at least 65
lawmakers, the required number to form a government in Lebanon's 128-seat
Parliament. Hizbullah crossed the finish line first Monday, and voting was to
continue on Tuesday. Lengthy negotiations and an extended political deadlock
could lie ahead as Miqati seeks to win over Hariri's bloc into a unity
government.
Oqab Saqr, a lawmaker allied with Hariri, all but conceded defeat Monday. "We
may have lost the prime ministry but we will win the country and we will win
justice," he told reporters after he voted for Hariri for the post Monday.
Miqati, who served briefly as premier in 2005, overseeing the first parliament
elections following the withdrawal of Syrian troops from Lebanon, says he is
seeking the post as a candidate of "moderation and accord." But he dodged a
question about whether he would end Lebanon's cooperation with the international
court — a key Hizbullah demand — saying only that "any dispute can be solved
only through dialogue."(AP) Beirut, 24 Jan 11, 22:12
Protests Turn Violent in Lebanon:
Naharnet/Protests turned violent on Tuesday in Lebanon's Sunni bastion of
Tripoli as frenzied demonstrators torched an Al-Jazeera van while protesting the
likely appointment of a Hizbullah-backed premier. Angry demonstrators set upon
the vehicle, smashing the windshield and tearing down the satellite dish before
setting it on fire. The protesters accused the Arabic satellite Al-Jazeera
station of bias in favor of Hizbullah. The station said no one was injured.
Demonstrators also torched the mopeds of other media outlets considered close to
Hizbullah.
An AFP photographer witnessed similar incidents in the capital Beirut, where
media considered close to Hizbullah and its allies were attacked by
stone-throwing and baton-wielding demonstrators. There were no immediate reports
of injuries in the city, where there was a heavy security presence. A security
official told AFP shots were fired in the air in Beirut. Shots also rang out in
Tripoli. The demonstrators in Tripoli also attacked a building housing the
offices of Sunni lawmaker Mohammed al-Safadi, breaking windows, doors and
throwing furniture from the second-floor balcony. Safadi had been allied with
outgoing Premier Saad Hariri's Western-backed coalition but is now backing the
Hizbullah-backed candidate for premiership.
The incidents came amid a "day of rage" by the country's Sunni community to
protest the likely appointment of billionaire businessman Najib Miqati, who
hails from Tripoli, to head the next government. Hizbullah's opponents view
Miqati's candidacy as a bid by Hizbullah to impose on the Sunni community their
choice for the premiership. And because Miqati is a Sunni, protesters accused
him of being a traitor to his sect and betraying Hariri. The demonstrations
followed similar protests which broke out Monday afternoon as results showed
that Hizbullah-backed candidate Najib Miqati was winning the premiership against
caretaker PM Saad Hariri. Beside the largest demonstration in Tripoli, protests
took place across the country, mainly in Beirut and along the main highway
linking the capital with the southern port city of Sidon and in the Bekaa
Valley. After it was clear that Miqati won the support of a majority of
lawmakers Tuesday, Hariri thanked people for their support and called for
restraint. "I understand your emotions ... but this rage should not lead us to
what is against our morals, faith and beliefs," he said. According to Lebanon's
power-sharing system, the country's prime minister must be a Sunni
Muslim.(AP-AFP-Naharnet) Beirut, 25 Jan 11, 12:15
Najib Mikati
Matt Nash, January 25, 2011
Promising a hand “extended to all through dialogue” while speaking to reporters
moments after becoming Lebanon’s new prime minister, Najib Mikati said he will
begin consultations to form a government “particularly” focused on economic
issues Thursday. Many expect these consultations to drag on for weeks if not
months, as former Prime Minister Saad Hariri and his allies in the March 14
coalition may boycott the government. On Monday, Hariri said his Future Movement
would not participate in a cabinet “headed by a March 8 nominee.” Mikati, who
served for three months as Lebanon’s premier in 2005, announced Sunday evening
that he was seeking the position, following a speech by Hezbollah leader Hassan
Nasrallah in which the latter said that preferred March 8 candidate at the time,
former PM Omar Karami, declined being nominated.
In a brief address after being appointed prime minister by President Michel
Sleiman, Mikati portrayed himself as a middle-of-the-road politician, a stance
he’s taken throughout his political career. A Sunni from Lebanon’s northern port
city of Tripoli, Mikati said in a 2007 interview that he comes from a
middle-class family, though he was worth $2.5 billion in March 2010, according
to Forbes magazine.
Mikati, 55, earned degrees from both the American University of Beirut and
Harvard University, and in the 1960s founded M1 Group with his brother Taha. The
holding company first focused on construction before moving into
telecommunications through a firm called Investcom. The company focused on
building and buying mobile telecommunications networks, particularly in the
developing world. By 2006, when South Africa’s MTN bought and merged with
Investcom for $5.5 billion, the Mikatis’ company had network licenses in 10
countries, mostly in Africa and the Middle East but including Cyprus and
Afghanistan. Today the M1 Group is involved in a wide variety of businesses,
including real estate, fashion and commercial jets. Mikati’s passion, however,
has always been politics. In 2007, he told the Saudi magazine Arrajol that as a
child, he’d memorized the names of all Lebanon’s parliamentarians. He did not
actually enter politics, however, until after Lebanon’s 15-year civil war.
He jumped from the private sector to public service in 1998 when he was
appointed Minister of Public Works and Transportation, a post he held as part of
three consecutive governments until 2004. Mikati was also elected to parliament
in 2000 and 2009. The new MP enjoyed amicable relations with assassinated former
Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, though the two were not exactly friends, according
to Hilal Khashan, a Political Science professor at AUB. “They couldn’t be
friends. Thriving business people, if they have political ambitions and are from
the same sect, it’s a zero-sum game. Any gains have to be at the other’s
expense,” he said. Indeed, in 2004 as a presidential election was on the horizon
for Lebanon, Mikati said he would like to replace Hariri in any new government
formed after the election. That, however, never happened. Hariri did quit, but
then-President Emile Lahoud’s mandate was extended under pressure from Syria,
whose troops occupied many parts of Lebanon at the time. Mikati, who often
mentions his close personal ties to Damascus, opposed the term extension.
He has also touted his good relationship with Saudi Arabia, and rumors on the
street in Beirut since Sunday have it that Riyadh must have given him the green
light to nominate himself for PM now. Mikati last served as prime minister
shortly after Rafik Hariri’s assassination. Large-scale street protests pushed
then-PM Omar Karami to resign, and Mikati took charge in April 2005 with an
almost-singular focus on preparing the country for parliamentary elections which
began in late May of that year.
“He was running the show like you would run a private sector enterprise,” said
Alain Tabourian, who was a minister in Mikati’s slimmed-down, 14-member
technocrat government. “He used logic. Based on the case in question, he’d
listen, and then we could argue back and forth until we found the best
solution.”
During his time as PM, he also presented what he called the “Beirut Pact,” an
economic plan written with input from the World Bank and the International
Monetary Fund. His comment that he will focus on economic issues as PM suggest
he might revive his plan. It is unclear, however, how Mikati will deal with the
Special Tribunal for Lebanon.The new PM did not mention the court following his
appointment, but Nasrallah has made it clear that Hezbollah and its allies want
a government that will annul agreements between Lebanon and the court, recall
the Lebanese judges serving on it and cut Beirut’s funding of it. Washington,
however, on Monday indicated any new government should continue to support the
tribunal and not be too close to Hezbollah. Mikati praised the court in April
2009, when the STL’s pre-trial judge ordered the release of four former Lebanese
security officials held for years on suspicion of involvement in Hariri’s
killing.
“[The release] proved that the Special Tribunal for Lebanon was not politicized,
and that it aimed to reveal the truth concerning the case,” he said at the time,
according to a statement on his website. However, when Nasrallah aired a video
presentation in August 2010 with what he described as evidence Israel committed
the crime – a theory rejected by March 14 – Mikati called the material “very
significant” and said “PM Saad Hariri should take it into account.”Before
deciding how his government will handle the STL, Mikati must first form it.
Nasrallah rejected painting Mikati as a PM appointed by Hezbollah, but it is
unclear if Hariri and his allies will join Mikati’s cabinet. A statement issued
by March 14 Tuesday afternoon did not address their participation in
consultations.Khashan, the Political Science professor, said he thinks ties
between Hariri and Mikati may have been irrevocably damaged.
“That’s it. You can say goodbye to” the relationship between Hariri and Mikati,
he said.
"The first 300 of the Second Cedars Revolution"
Tom Harb
CR News 24th Jan 2011
Washington DC
Last week Hezbollah staged a constitutional coup against the Lebanese Government
headed by Saad Hariri. The pro-Iranian militia and its allies are mobilizing to
seize the country on the ground as well. Few days ago Hezbollah deployed
thousands of its militiamen in Beirut and some districts in the mountain. Hassan
Nasrallah is acting like the Xerxes of Lebanon by ordering his forces to
position themselves to crush the Cedars Revolution.
Last time Hezbollah attacked Lebanon's civil society was in May 2008. His troops
entered Sunni West Beirut and seized media and Government buildings while
Khomeinist militia units marched against the Druze districts of the mountain.
There, as wrote then Walid Phares, the "300 hundreds of Lebanon" stopped them
and inflicted casualties on them. Hezbollah's ruthless forces under Iran's new
Xerxes (the Khomeinist usurper not the brave Iranian people) were stopped by few
hundred Druze peasants who like the 300 Spartans of Leonidas fought back against
Hezbollah and stopped the advance of the Iranian regime on the hills above
Beirut.
But tonight, three years later, a new 300 young men and women stood up in
Lebanon. This time coming from the Christian East Beirut, marching towards
downtown to meet up with other Lebanese youth from various communities. These
are the first 300 from what is going to be a second Cedars Revolution. Among the
first 300 walking at night, unarmed and determined, the children of President
Bashir Gemayel who like Rafiq Hariri was assassinated by the Syrians and their
allies in 1982. Member of Parliament Nadim Gemayel who was on a visit to
Washington last Summer
History in Lebanon is filled with irony and recurrence. I expect these new 300
to stand up to mighty Hezbollah and will be joined by hundreds and thousands of
youth who have decided to rise against the return of the age of terror.
When I read The Coming Revolution: Struggle for Freedom in the Middle East by
Walid Phares this last December I had no idea we will be witnessing the
unfolding of real revolutions against terror and oppression. But from Sudan to
Tunisia and from Iran to Lebanon, it is already happening
**Tom Harb is the Secretary General of the World Council of the Cedars
Revolution and the Chairman of the International Lebanese Committee for UNSCR
1550.
Sayyed
Hassan Nasrallah
January 25, 2011
Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah delivered a speech on
January 25, 2011, moments after Najib Mikati was appointed prime
minister-designate:
“Brothers and sisters. On this occasion, I would like to say a few words
regarding this occasion and the developments in the country and the region.
Regarding the occasion, Arba’een [a Shia Muslim holiday marking the passage of
40 days following Imam Hussein’s martyrdom] is a reminder of Ashura.
God wanted the Resistance to be established in 1982 to destroy every US and
Zionist project. The Islamic Resistance [was born] from the city of Baalbek to
scream: Hail Hussein! Hail Hussein!
We recall [the past] days when it was said that Israel beats everyone. We recall
the days in which our [leader] Abbas Moussawi came out and wore military garb
and called on men to take part in training camps and join the Resistance.
Brothers and sisters, on the day of the resistant, we must address the [events]
in the region. I hail the people of Tunisia who revolted and called for their
rights and refused to be oppressed. We call on the people of Tunisia to unite
and be aware [of dangers].
Yesterday, we heard that Mr. [Jeffrey] Feltman visited Tunisia. This is a bad
sign. There is a new US plot being made [in Tunisia]. This must be rejected,
because when the US and this sorcerer Feltman comes, there will be destruction.
People talks about [Gilad] Shalit [the Israeli soldier captured in Gaza] and
forget about the Palestinian people.
We say on this occasion… that from day one, we believed in Palestine and its
people, and we will keep on struggling with [them] and fight [against Israel].We
aim to cooperate with each other to cross this dangerous phase.
We sought to resort to constitutional institutions [in Lebanon]. In order to
face the Special Tribunal for Lebanon’s (STL) indictment, we practiced our right
and the [March 8] ministers resigned. Then we took part in consultations to name
a new premier for the country. A few moments ago, President [Michel Sleiman]
appointed former PM Najib Mikati as Lebanon’s new premier. The battle over the
premiership consultations was very strong. I would like to tell you that many
[foreign powers] interfered in it.
Imagine that US Vice President Joe Biden called one of the MPs to pressure them
[to vote for outgoing PM Saad Hariri]. We have reached this result, and I have
said that we understand the anger and feeling of [Hariri’s supporters]. But I
want to say something, let’s suppose the results were vice-versa and [March 8]
supporters took to the streets to protest, we would have witnessed a [US] and
global campaign to label [March 8] as coup seekers.
However, because [March 14] is behind the protests, they have refrained from
commenting on it. Why [does the West] respect the will of [March 14] and condemn
the opposition? This proves that [the US] is only bound to political
calculations and is backing one coalition [March 14] against the other. In all
cases, today, there is a new opportunity. Threats against [Prime
Minister-designate] Najib Mikati will be useless.
Some leadership groups who know what they are doing seem to have an experience
in forging facts, starting with the STL, false witnesses, [and now a] new
forgery. [March 14] wants to start saying that Mikati is Hezbollah’s candidate,
but in the 2009 [Parliamentary Elections] he was running [on Hariri’s list].
Saying that Mikati is Hezbollah’s candidate is a sectarian provocation.
In the last 48 hours, Mikati decided to run for premiership, so the opposition
found in him an opportunity for Lebanon because March 8 did not want to enter in
an battle [to abolish] March 14.The next PM will not be Hezbollah’s, nor will
the next cabinet. This is only said to provoke [foreign powers] against Lebanon,
[including] the US and Israel.
I wish for those to stop forging, because it will not yield results. We are not
power seekers. Until 2005, [Hezbollah] did not take part in any cabinet.
We never asked for a ministerial portfolio. All we asked for [we did as a
Resistance]. We did our best to defend the country and [liberate] its land.
We want two things from you: 1- Leave us alone, we do not want you to plot
against us or backstab us. We are going to die in the South… but leave us alone.
Let us be killed by gunshots pointed at our chest, not our backs. In the past
years, what did [the Hariri cabinet] do for the North, Akkar, etc.?
People go sleep while we train because we believe that there will be
transformations in the region, because we believe that the Palestinian people
are at the riskiest of phases [right now].
Because since 2005, [March 14] went to Washington and made commitments and are
plotting against the Resistance. You asked for the [2006] July War on Lebanon
and today comes the STL project to get rid of the Resistance, but you will fail.
The biggest forgery and lie is to accuse Hezbollah of wanting to control the
country… and impose the Persian project.
This talk will not yield results. As for Hezbollah, we have a vision. We support
Mikati and we ask him to form a national unity cabinet. We do not want a victor
or a loser. Rejecting to take part in the next cabinet means that [March 14]
wants to rule the country alone. We have a lot of problems regarding [March
14]’s fiscal projects. It is up to the Lebanese. If [we] do not seek to form a
national unity cabinet, where are [we] taking the country?
The world does not have a time for you. Let us not waste time. Regarding the
threats that the cabinet is being led by Hezbollah, what [do you think] Israel
will do in Lebanon [afterwards]?
The army, people and Resistance of Lebanon [protect the country]. [All three]
are there and ready. The balance of deterrence that [was created in Lebanon] by
the Resistance protects Lebanon. The chance is there for anyone. Those who do
not want to take part in the next cabinet should give Mikati at least a year.
But those who want to protest in the streets want to say: Me or no one else. You
are asked to be wise, patient… Hussein will keep on calling for you to confront
Israel and the US. We want to tell the Hussein that we will not be cheap in
bloodshed. Hail Hussein. Hail Hussein.”
Press Release
The State of Freedom of Association in Lebanon: What Prospects for the Future?
The Italian NGO COSV (Coordination Committee of the Organisations for Voluntary
Service) in partnership with three Lebanese NGOs: KAFA (Enough) Violence &
Exploitation, the Permanent Peace Movement (PPM) and the Lebanese Center for
Human Rights (CLDH), presented today the report on "The state of freedom of
association in Lebanon: what prospects for the future?". This report is part of
the “Multimedia Virtual Space for Human Rights” project, funded by the European
Union.
The report aims at presenting a summary of the state of freedom of association
in Lebanon from a human rights perspective with a special focus on disadvantaged
groups or associations. It provides a descriptive guide concerning the right of
freedom of association and information on categories still experiencing hurdles
to exercise this right, and makes clear recommendations to remove the remaining
obstacles preventing some associations or groups from equally enjoying this
right.
Among its findings the report illustrates how freedom of association has
improved in Lebanon in the last few years but it highlights that some categories
of the population or associations are still not equally benefitting from this
right. The report states that the imposed "de facto" authorisation system leads
often to arbitrariness and underlines the need to adapt the legislative and
administrative framework to fully consolidate the fundamental right to freedom
of association.
Also in the framework of the project "Multimedia Virtual Space for Human
Rights", COSV KAFA (Enough) Violence & Exploitation, the Permanent Peace
Movement and the Lebanese Center for Human Rights, are organising the 2011 Human
Rights Film Festival, which will take place under the patronage of H.E. Ziyad
Baroud, Minister of Interior and Municipalities from 27th to 30th January at
Cinema Metropolis Empire (Sofil Centre – Ashrafieh). The Festival will open on
Thursday 27th January at 6 pm with the film "My nationality is a right for me
and my family" by CRTD.A.
The 2011 Human Rights Film Festival will present a series of short film
screenings
focusing on human rights abuses in relation with women's rights (January 27),
rights of refugees (January 28), migrant workers and discrimination (January
29), detainees’ rights and enforced disappearance (January 30). The screenings
will be followed by discussions.
The Film Festival’s idea comes from the need to give voice to different NGOs
that work on human rights and independent filmmakers committed in the same
field, to show human rights violations in Lebanon through their camera.
For more information on the Festival please check at
www.humanrightsfilmfestival.com
بيروت"، في 25 يناير/كانون الثاني 2011
بيان صَحفي
وضع حرية تكوين الجمعيات في لبنان: ما التوقعات المستقبلية؟
قدّمت اليوم، لجنة منظمات الخدمة الطوعيّة، وهي منظمة ايطالية غير حكومية تقريراً
حول "وضع حرية تكوين الجمعيات في لبنان: ما التوقعات المستقبلية؟" بالاشتراك مع
ثلاث منظمات غير حكومية لبنانية ألا وهي منظمة كفى عنف واستغلال، وحركة السّلام
الدّائم، والمركز اللبناني لحقوق الإنسان. وتُشكِل هذه الدِّراسة جزءاً لا يتجزّأ
من مشروع "الفسحة المتعدِدة الوسائط لحقوق الإنسان" الذي يموّله الإتحاد الأوروبي.
ويهدف التقرير إلى تقديم موجز عن حالة حرية تكوين الجمعيات في لبنان من منظور حقوق
الإنسان مع تسليط الضوء على الجماعات أو الجمعيات المحرومة. ويقدم دليلاً وصفيًا
للحق في حرية تكوين الجمعيات ومعلومات عن فئات تكافح لممارسة هذا الحق. ويرفع
توصيات واضحة تُمكن من تذليل العقبات القائمة التي تحول دون تمتع بعض الجمعيات أو
الجماعات بهذا الحق على قدم المساواة.
تَوصّل التقرير إلى نتائج، تتناول بعضها كيفية تحسّن وضع حرية تكوين الجمعيات في
لبنان في السنوات القليلة الماضية لكنه يلفت الانتباه إلى بعض الفئات أو الجمعيات
التي لا تتساوى في هذا الحق. ويشير التقرير إلى أنّ نظام الترخيص المفروض بحكم
الامر الواقع، غالباً ما يؤدي إلى التعسف. كما وأنه يشدد على ضرورة تكييف الإطار
التشريعي والإداري حتى يعزّز يالكامل حرية تكوين الجمعيات، التي تعتبر حقًا أساسيًا.
وفي إطار مشروع "الفسحة المتعدِدة الوسائط لحقوق الإنسان"، تنظم كلّ من لجنة منظمات
الخدمة الطوعيّة، ومنظمة كفى عنف واستغلال، وحركة السّلام الدّائم، والمركز
اللبناني لحقوق الإنسان، مهرجان أفلام حقوق الانسان للعام 2011، برعاية معالي
وزيرالداخلية والبلديات زياد بارود. وسيُقام المهرجان في سينما "متروبوليس"، (في
مركز "صوفيل- في "الأشرفيه") وسيمتدّ من السابع والعشرين إلى الثلاثين من كانون
الثاني/يناير 2011. وينطلق المهرجان نهار الخامس الواقع فيه 27 كانون الثاني/يناير
2011 عند الساعة السادسة مساءً، مع فيلم " جنسيتي حق لي ولأسرتي" الذي تقدمه مجموعة
الأبحاث والتدريب للعمل التنموي.
وسيعرض مهرجان أفلام حقوق الانسان للعام 2011 عدداً من الأفلام القصيرة التي تسلط
الضوء على إنتهاكات حقوق الإنسان المرتبطة بحقوق المرأة (في 27 كانون الثاني/ يناير)
، وحقوق اللاجئين (في 28 كانون الثاني/ يناير)، والعمال المهاجرين والتمييز (في 29
كانون الثاني/ يناير)، وحقوق المعتقلين والاختفاء القسري (في 30 كانون الثاني/
يناير). وستلي العروض حلقات نقاش.
وتنبثق فكرة تنظيم مهرجان الأفلام هذا من الحاجة للإصغاء إلى مختلف المنظمات غير
الحكومية العاملة في مجال حقوق الإنسان و إلى صانعي الأفلام المستقلين الذين
يشاطرونها توجهاتها بغية تصوير انتهاكات حقوق الإنسان في لبنان.
لمزيد من المعلومات حول المهرجان الرجاء النفاذ إلى الموقع الالكتروني التالي:
www.humanrightsfilmfestival.com