LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
ِMarch 16/2011

Bible Of The Day
Matthew 7/1-12: “Don’t judge, so that you won’t be judged. 7:2 For with whatever judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with whatever measure you measure, it will be measured to you. 7:3 Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but don’t consider the beam that is in your own eye? 7:4 Or how will you tell your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye;’ and behold, the beam is in your own eye? 7:5 You hypocrite! First remove the beam out of your own eye, and then you can see clearly to remove the speck out of your brother’s eye. 7:6 “Don’t give that which is holy to the dogs, neither throw your pearls before the pigs, lest perhaps they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces. 7:7 “Ask, and it will be given you. Seek, and you will find. Knock, and it will be opened for you. 7:8 For everyone who asks receives. He who seeks finds. To him who knocks it will be opened. 7:9 Or who is there among you, who, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? 7:10 Or if he asks for a fish, who will give him a serpent? 7:11 If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him! 7:12 Therefore whatever you desire for men to do to you, you shall also do to them; for this is the law and the prophets."

Latest analysis, editorials, studies, reports, letters & Releases from miscellaneous sources
Iran 'using child soldiers' to suppress Tehran protests/By: Robert Tait/March 15/11
These are not humans/By: Hanoch Daum/March 15/11
The capacities of the caretaker cabinet/By: Shane Farrell/March 15/11
Video Shows Egyptian Army Personnel Attacking Christian Demonstrators/AINA/March 15/11
Muslim Brotherhood Sticks to Ban on Christians and Women for Presidency/AINA/March 15/11

Latest News Reports From Miscellaneous Sources for March 15/11
Beshara al-Rahi Succeeds Nasrallah Sfeir as Lebanon's New Maronite Patriarch/Naharnet
Rai’s election is a national moment, says Hariri/Naharnet
Eddé and Hamade congratulate new Patriarch Rai/Now Lebanon
Sayegh: Newly-elected Patriarch Rai will follow Bkirki’s path/Now Lebanon
Israeli Navy seizes freighter of Iranian weapons headed to Gaza/J.Post
Saudis send 3,500 troops to Bahrain: two brigades plus tank battalion/DEBKAfile
Saudi and UAE troops go into Bahrain, Kuwaitis on the way/DEBKAfile
Soueid says church believes in one army in Lebanon/Now Lebanon
March 14 will struggle to disarm Hezbollah/Daily Star
Baroud keeps 34 records from STL/Daily Star
MP Sakr: Anyone who allies himself with Aoun should remain silent/Ya Libnan
Optimism Fades in Lebanon as Cabinet Formation Still Awaits Deal on Fate of Interior Ministry Portfolio/Naharnet
Report: Baroud Procrastinating on Bellemare's Request for 10 Fingerprints and 24 Birth Certificates/Naharnet
Gafo: We Expect the Formation of a Cabinet Soon/Naharnet
Aoun: Hariri Waging a Losing Battle/Naharnet
March 14 Sources: Next Step after Sunday Rally is to Form National Council/Naharnet
Jumblat Meets Hizbullah Delegation, Urges Hariri to Prevent Strife/Naharnet
Phalange Party: Renewal of Cedar Revolution Message to its Leaders to End Concessions/Naharnet
Allouch comments on Jumblatt’s statement/Now Lebanon
LDP criticizes attacks on Resistance’s arms/Now Lebanon

Maronite church in Lebanon elects new patriarch
(AFP) – BEIRUT — Bishop Beshara Rai was elected patriarch of the influential Maronite church in Lebanon on Tuesday to succeed Nasrallah Sfeir, a church official told AFP. "Our joy has no limit," Monsignor Boulos Nasrallah, of Rai's archdiocese in Jbeil, north of Beirut, said as church bells tolled. Rai, 71, was elected to succeed the 91-year-old Sfeir, who resigned recently after serving for 25 years as Patriarch of Antioch for the Maronites. Monsignor Youssef Tawk said a church service would be held on March 25 to mark Rai's inauguration. The head of the Maronite church, which has a following of some 15 million people worldwide, has a lot of influence in Lebanon where Christians make up about 30 percent of the four million population. Sfeir during his tenure played a key role in Lebanon's fractious political scene, often adopting stances that earned him stiff rebukes from some of the country's rival factions and Christian leaders. He asked the Vatican to relieve him of his duties because of his age and Pope Benedict XVI accepted his resignation last month. Rai was elected by Lebanon's Maronite bishops who began meeting last week at the church's headquarters in Bkerke, northeast of Beirut. "He is a very qualified person from a spiritual standpoint," Nasrallah told AFP. "He listens to everyone and greets everyone the same, whatever their background. "He is one of the pillars of the church (in Lebanon) and is open to all the communities," he added.

Maronite church in Lebanon elects new patriarch
Now Lebanon/March 15, 2011 /Bishop Beshara al-Rai was elected patriarch of the influential Maronite church in Lebanon on Tuesday to succeed Nasrallah Boutros Sfeir, a church official told AFP."Our joy has no limit," Monsignor Boulos Nasrallah, of Rai's archdiocese in Jbeil, north of Beirut, said as church bells tolled.Rai, 71, was elected to succeed the 91-year-old Sfeir, who resigned recently after serving for 25 years as Patriarch of Antioch for the Maronites. Monsignor Youssef Tawk said a church service would be held on March 25 to mark Rai's inauguration. The head of the Maronite church, which has a following of some five million people worldwide, has a lot of influence in Lebanon where Christians make up about 30 percent of the four million population. Sfeir during his tenure played a key role in Lebanon's fractious political scene, often adopting stances that earned him stiff rebukes from some of the country's rival factions and Christian leaders. He asked the Vatican to relieve him of his duties because of his age and Pope Benedict XVI accepted his resignation last month.
Rai was elected by Lebanon's Maronite bishops who began meeting last week at the church's headquarters in Bkerke, northeast of Beirut. "He is a very qualified person from a spiritual standpoint," Sfeir told AFP. "He listens to everyone and greets everyone the same, whatever their background. "He is one of the pillars of the church [in Lebanon] and is open to all the communities," he added.-AFP/NOW Lebanon

Beshara al-Rahi Succeeds Nasrallah Sfeir as Lebanon's New Maronite Patriarch
Naharnet/Archbishop of Jbeil Beshara al-Rahi was on Tuesday elected the 77th Patriarch of Antioch for the Maronites to succeed Nasrallah Sfeir, Monsignor Youssef Toq announced from the seat of the church in Bkirki. The election of al-Rahi, 71, will be celebrated during a mass on Friday, March 25 at 10:30 am on the feast of the Annunciation (eid al-beshara), Toq said.
The new patriarch will receive well-wishers for three days starting Wednesday from 9:30 am till 12:00 pm and from 4:00 pm till 6:00 pm, Toq added. Maronite churches across Lebanon tolled bells from 12:00 pm till 12:30 pm upon the request of Bkirki's secretariat. Al-Rahi said after his election that Sfeir is the "permanent patriarch" and vowed to "preserve his patrimony." "Our joy has no limit," Monsignor Boulos Nasrallah, of Rahi's archdiocese in Jbeil, north of Beirut, said. The Synod of bishops gathered in a spiritual conclave in Bkirki last Wednesday in isolation from the outside world to elect the new patriarch. Al-Rai was elected after winning more than two thirds of the votes of the 38 bishops. He is known as a moderate with good relations with all Lebanese factions. Last month, Pope Benedict XVI accepted the resignation of Sfeir who had said he resigned to allow for a "younger bishop" to assume the responsibility.
Beirut, 15 Mar 11, 11:35

Rai’s election is a national moment, says Hariri
March 15, 2011 /Outgoing Prime Minister Saad Hariri issued a statement on Tuesday congratulating the Lebanese people, the Maronites in particular, for the election of Bishop Bechara al-Rai as the new patriarch. He added that “Rai’s election is a national moment par excellence.”Hariri wished the newly-elected patriarch luck in his “national and religious responsibilities during this critical stage that Lebanon is witnessing.”Al-Rai, 71, was elected to succeed the 91-year-old Nasrallah Boutros Sfeir, who resigned recently after serving for 25 years as Patriarch of Antioch and the Levant for the Maronites.-NOW Lebanon

Eddé and Hamade congratulate new Patriarch Rai
March 15, 2011 /National Bloc leader Carlos Eddé on Tuesday said that the election of Bechara al-Rai as the new Maronite patriarch “is important for Lebanon and not only the church.”“The new patriarch will not only defend the Maronite sect but also the nation’s politics,” Eddé told Future News television. Meanwhile, former Minister Marwan Hamade congratulated the Lebanese people, Maronites in particular, for the election of the new patriarch, adding that “the church gave us lesson on how to elect [someone] in a fast and smooth way.”“The new patriarch will stay like his predecessor in [defending] independence and sovereignty,” Hamade told OTV. “Rai is a [strong] patriarch,” Hamade added. Al-Rai, 71, was elected to succeed the 91-year-old Nasrallah Boutros Sfeir, who resigned recently after serving for 25 years as Patriarch of Antioch and the Levant for the Maronites.
-NOW Lebanon

Sayegh: Newly-elected Patriarch Rai will follow Bkirki’s path
March 15, 2011 /Social Affairs Minister Selim Sayegh said on Tuesday that newly-elected Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rai should be a powerful figure, adding, “The new patriarch is one of the important figures [in Lebanon] and will follow Bkirki’s path.”“Rai will have the duty to expand Bkirki’s influence,” Sayegh told Future News television.Al-Rai, 71, was elected to succeed the 91-year-old Nasrallah Boutros Sfeir, who resigned recently after serving for 25 years as patriarch of Antioch for the Maronites.-NOW Lebanon

IDF seizes freighter of Iranian weapons headed to Gaza
By YAAKOV KATZ AND JPOST.COM STAFF
03/15/2011 12:25
The "Victoria" departed from Turkey, destined for El-Arish, where weapons from Iran would be smuggled to Hamas; ship boarded by Naval Commando 13, expected to arrive in Ashdod.
The IDF seized a freighter ship with dozens of tons of weaponry from Iran headed for Hamas in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday.
The ship, known as Victoria, was flying a Liberian flag, and was seized by the navy in the Mediterranean Sea, 200 miles off of Israel's coast.
The Victoria was boarded by commandos from the Israeli Navy's Flotilla 13, also known as the Shayetet, and is expected to arrive in the Ashdod port on Tuesday evening.
An initial inspection of the cargo revealed the ship was carrying weapons. The exact amount is to be determined.
The crew, questioned by the Navy Commando, was not aware that the cargo contained weaponry.
The ship set sail last night from Turkey, and was expected to dock in Alexandria. There, it was supposed to unload the weapons, which would travel by land to Gaza. The IDF's assessment is that the weapons did not originate in Turkey, but that the containers were unloaded there and transferred onto the Victoria .
"The operation was approved as necessary in accordance with government directives in light of Chief of the General Staff Lt. Gen. Benny Gantz's recommendations," an IDF statement read.
Gantz updated Defense Minister Ehud Barak about the findings on-board the vessel earlier in the morning.
"The IDF and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs alerted German authorities about the interception of the "Victoria" due to the German ownership of the ship," the statement said.
In addition, the government of Liberia, whose flag it was flying under, was notified, as well as France, due to the French shipping company.
The Israeli Navy has conducted numerous operations over the years against Iranian smuggling to Hamas and Hezbollah.
Foreign reports attribute bombings of truck convoys in Sudan as well as arms ships in the Red Sea in recent years to the IDF.
In November 2009, the Israeli Navy seized the Francop cargo ship, which was carrying 500 tons of weaponry from Iran to Hezbollah in Lebanon, including Katyusha rockets and grenades. At the time, IDF officers said the amount was enough to sustain Hezbollah for several weeks of war.

Saudis send 3,500 troops to Bahrain: two brigades plus tank battalion
DEBKAfile Exclusive Report March 15, 2011
The Saudi force that went into Bahrain Monday, March 14, along with UAE and Kuwaiti units, to stabilize the royal regime is larger than reported, consisting of a National Guard brigade, a mechanized brigade of the Saudi army and a tank battalion – altogether 3,500 men. Official spokesmen in Riyadh said the units were put up by the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council to guard Bahrain's oil facilities and the financial district of downtown Manama.
Our military sources report that the incoming troops are clearly arrayed ready for clashes, including fire fights with the demonstrators who have seized control of key points in the capital. The Saudi contingents quickly took up positions on the island-kingdom's main roads and traffic hubs, including the routes to the King Fahd Causeway link to Saudi Arabia to ease the passage of reinforcements should they become necessary.
debkafile reported Monday:
Saudi and United Arab Emirates troops crossed into Bahrain Monday, March 14 to support the king against escalating anti-throne demonstrations and Kuwait soldiers are on the way. A Saudi official said the units come from a special force within the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council. debkafile reports that the Saudis also sent tanks.
By this action, both Arab kingdoms flouted US President Obama's policy of boosting popular movements against autocratic Arab regimes. Saturday, US Defense Secretary Robert Gates visited Bahrain to hold the ruler's hand against using force to suppress the uprising against him.
The Shiite opposition leading the demonstrations in Bahrain denounced the entry of any foreign troops into the country as an “occupation” and “conspiracy” against unarmed civilians and appealed to the United Nations to take action.
Saudi Arabia and the UA are the second and third Arab regimes to intervene militarily in the uprisings sweeping the Arab world after Syria sent military assistance to Muammar Qaddafi, as debkafile revealed Sunday, March 13.Rulers regarded as US Middle East allies have turned against President Obama, encouraged by the upper hand Qaddafi has gained against Libya's rebels and Washington's constraints from stepping in militarily to support them.
In Riyadh and Manama, Saudi King Abdullah and Bahrain's King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa have joined forces to put down any popular uprising against their regimes and are no longer listening to advice from Washington to offer their opponents more concessions. The Saudis have stamped down hard not only on minority Shiite disturbances in the oil regions of the east, but in their capital and other cities too. King Abdullah blames Obama's policy for unseating Hosni Mubarak in Egypt and has no intention of following the American line.
The Bahraini King Hamad believes that the unrest in his kingdom was aggravated by the Gates visit Saturday. Although the American visitor was shown Bahraini-Saudi intelligence attesting to Iran's meddling hand stirring up the unrest in order to replace their regimes with Revolutionary Islamic Republics, Gates kept in insisting that they must promise more reforms to the protesters and allow them a role in governance.
The Obama administration has made known to the US media its concern about the prospect of Saudi and other Gulf nations buttressing the Bahraini throne – not just with a grant of at least $10 billion, but military contingents, lest it start a fire across the entire region.
Our military sources report that these reports have been overtaken by events. Saudi tanks have been in Manama for almost two weeks guarding King Hamad's palace. More Saudi tanks and special forces were kept in a state of preparedness at the Saudi end of the King Fahd Causeway, the 25-kilometer bridge that links the two kingdoms by a 40-minute drive.
These forces, joined by UAR units, rolled into Bahrain Monday after protesters blockaded the financial center.
In Sanaa, Yemeni soldiers still loyal to President Abdullah Ali Saleh are battling protesters turned insurgents. In Amman, too, Jordanian King Abdullah II is casting about for a protector against insurrectionists after finding the American shield full of holes. According to rumors circulating in the Jordanian capital, the king paid a secret visit to Tehran. debkafile's sources have not confirmed this rumor but believe he is desperate enough to seek protection in Tehran and/or Israel.
Damascus made it clear where Bashar Assad stood in relation to the Obama administration by becoming Muammar Qaddafi's foremost armorer.
Cairo remains the only Arab capital still keeping faith with Washington.
Field Marshal Mohammed Tantawi and the rest of his military junta have excellent relations with Washington and are closely coordinating their actions with the Obama administration. How long this will go on is anyone's guess. If they accede to an American request to intervene military in Libya against Qaddafi, for instance, or if internal security declines further, the protesters are poised ready to go back to the streets of Egypt's cities.
debkafile's sources report that from the outside Egypt looks stable since Hosni Mubarak's departure, but it must be taken into account that the world's TV cameras are gone from Tahrir Square to hotter stories in other places and both the police and soldiers are scared to show their faces for maintaining law and order. The army is therefore crumbling from within. In these circumstances, the military's affinity with Washington is loosening its control of the Egyptian street, a growing gap that cannot be sustained much longer.

Allouch comments on Jumblatt’s statement
March 15, 2011 /“The one who speaks of principles should tell us who is the one who said that illegitimate arms are of those principles?” Future Movement official Mustafa Allouch said on Tuesday in response to Progressive socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblatt’s remarks. Jumblatt said that late former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri was the one who set great national principles on who enemies and friends are and on how Lebanon must be strengthened. Following the forced collapse of Saad Hariri’s unity government, the March 14 coalition held a rally on Sunday to demand Hezbollah be disarmed. Najib Mikati was appointed to the premiership in January with the March 8 coalition’s backing. March 14 figures have repeatedly said that intimidation from the weapons of the Syrian- Iranian-backed Hezbollah helped secure the parliamentary majority for his nomination.-NOW Lebanon

Soueid says church believes in one army in Lebanon
March 15, 2011 /Head of the March 14 General Secretariat Fares Soueid told Future News television on Tuesday that one of the church’s principles is that there is only one army in Lebanon. He also said that newly-elected Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rai is patriotic, adding that he was the best candidate to succeed Nasrallah Boutros Sfeir.
Al-Rai, 71, was elected to succeed the 91-year-old Sfeir, who resigned recently after serving for 25 years as patriarch of Antioch for the Maronites. March 14 held a rally in Beirut’s Martyrs Square on Sunday “to reaffirm its commitment to the principles of the Cedar Revolution.” Rejection of non-state weapons was the central component of the coalition’s campaign in the run-up to the rally.-NOW Lebanon

Report: Baroud Procrastinating on Bellemare's Request for 10 Fingerprints and 24 Birth Certificates
Naharnet/Special Tribunal for Lebanon Prosecutor Daniel Bellemare has narrowed down his requested fingerprint records to only 10 individuals and 24 birth certificates for identified individuals from the interior ministry, a source close to the probe into ex-Premier Rafik Hariri's murder told The Daily Star. Despite Bellemare's new move, caretaker Interior Minister Ziad Baroud was still procrastinating, the source told the English language daily in remarks published Tuesday. Last month, the newspaper said that Baroud and three other caretaker ministers turned down requests from Bellemare to provide information and documents, in breach of the cooperation protocol signed with the U.N. A new document obtained by The Daily Star and a source close to the investigation said Bellemare's office had initially requested access to Lebanon's fingerprints records in 2009 but later refined his request to 900 records before narrowing it down to just 10 records and 24 birth certificates by late last year. An interior ministry source confirmed that the ministry had not responded to the initial request "because it concerns individuals and it was highly sensitive." The majority of Bellemare's requests were about interviewing some witnesses in several departments that were affiliated to the ministry. These requests were answered with reservation and the STL was only given copies of some documents and not the originals, said the daily. Other requests concerning the Department of Personal Civil Status Affairs at the ministry, which were more complex, especially those in two letters sent by Bellemare's office on Nov. 6, 2009, and Nov. 11, 2010, were still pending, sources told The Daily Star. Beirut, 15 Mar 11, 08:31

March 14 Sources: Next Step after Sunday Rally is to Form National Council
Naharnet/The main objective of the March 14 coalition after Sunday's rally was to establish a National Council and consolidate its parliamentary bloc, the alliance's sources told An Nahar daily in remarks published Tuesday. According to the sources, the current objective is: "Accomplishing what they (March 14) had vowed in the Bristol document, forming a National Council that expresses the diversity (of the coalition), in addition to finding ways for the civil society … to function." The sources also said that the March 14 forces should work on organizing the alliance's general structure and "consolidating its parliamentary bloc's role in parliament." The Central News Agency said Monday that the March 14 leaders could meet in the next few days to draw the roadmap for the next stage. The agency said March 8 could in its turn hold a large demonstration to counter the rally held by March 14 at Beirut's Martyrs Square. Beirut, 15 Mar 11, 08:56

Gafo: We Expect the Formation of a Cabinet Soon
Naharnet/Spanish Ambassador Juan Carlos Gafo expected the Lebanese government to be formed soon and stressed his country's support for the course of justice in ex-Premier Rafik Hariri's assassination case. In remarks to An Nahar daily published Tuesday, Gafo said that Premier-designate Najib Miqati told him that the cabinet would be formed a few days after the rally at Martyrs Square on March 13. The ambassador unveiled that Spanish Foreign Minister Trinidad Jimenez arrives in Beirut on Wednesday on a two-day official visit aimed at expressing support for Lebanon's sovereignty and stability. Jimenez is scheduled to hold talks with President Michel Suleiman, Caretaker Premier Saad Hariri, Miqati and Foreign Minister Ali al-Shami. She won't be able to meet with Speaker Nabih Berri given her tight schedule. Gafo said that Jimenez will stress to Lebanese leaders that Spain is keen on a balanced Lebanese cabinet that respects Lebanon's international commitments, including the Special Tribunal for Lebanon. Beirut, 15 Mar 11, 10:38

Nawaf Salam Says he's Pessimistic but Vows to Protect Libya's Civilians
Naharnet/Lebanon's U.N. Ambassador Nawaf Salam, who called for a Security Council meeting on imposing a no-fly zone over Libya, vowed to protect civilians in the country "as swiftly as possible." Lebanon is the only Arab nation on the 15-member council. "Unfortunately, I am relatively pessimistic about the situation on the ground," said Salam on Monday.
"We would like the council to act as swiftly as possible and would like consensus on the no-fly zone," he told reporters in New York after the meeting.
"It's not only the matter of rebels," he said of the Libyan government's military action. "There are hundreds of thousands of people under fire from (Moammar) Gadhafi's planes or mortar shells. So our message to them is that we are going to do our utmost to protect the civilian populations in Libya as swiftly as possible." Salam said he expects some questions from council members to be answered in the draft resolution, which Lebanon is now working on with the British and French. The swift approval that Salam is seeking is unlikely because of questions raised by Russia and other council members.(AP-AFP-Naharnet) Beirut, 15 Mar 11, 07:50

Aoun: Hariri Waging a Losing Battle
Naharnet/Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun criticized the March 14 rally held on Sunday saying that the movement will be short lived and that its slogans against the resistance's arms "lack longevity".He told As Safir in remarks published on Tuesday: "No matter what caretaker Prime Minister Saad Hariri does, he will realize that he won't achieve anything because he is waging a losing battle."Addressing his recent statements that slain former PM Rafik Hariri is a "loss for the Hariri family", Aoun responded that the Mustaqbal movement and its allies "have been accusing us for years of something we haven't done.""They turned the people against us during the last parliamentary elections under the claim that whoever votes for us is voting for murderers," he said."This mentality of assumptions is still ongoing under various guises," the MP continued. Beirut, 15 Mar 11, 11:36

Jumblat Meets Hizbullah Delegation, Urges Hariri to Prevent Strife
Naharnet/Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblat on Monday noted that "forming the new cabinet is the best way to confront social and economic challenges" in the country.
After talks with a high-ranking Hizbullah delegation at his residence in the Beirut neighborhood of Clemenceau, Jumblat added: "I'm surprised that some are speaking of impossibilities as the Shebaa Farms are still occupied (by Israel), as well as the Kfarshouba Hills and the Ghajar village." "The so-called international community is doing nothing to return them to Lebanon," Jumblat went on to say. At a mass rally commemorating the 6th anniversary of the Cedar Revolution on Sunday, caretaker premier Saad Hariri said "it is impossible that any of us here accept tutelage over Lebanon again, whether foreign domination or the domination of arms within Lebanon working for foreign interests."
"It is impossible to accept that these weapons ... continue to be turned against the democratic will of the people," Hariri added.
Jumblat reminded Hariri that he is "the son of (slain premier) Rafik Hariri, with whom we had defined the major national principles that distinguish between the enemy and the friend, call for a special relation with Syria and highlight the need to immunize Lebanon." "Sheikh Rafik Hariri was the one behind the April 1996 (ceasefire) agreement (between Lebanon and Israel), because there are constants, not impossibilities." As he declined to comment on the speeches delivered during Sunday's rally, Jumblat went on to say: "Sheikh Saad must endorse the constants, as amidst the toughest of crises we had chosen to prevent civil strife." "We had also accomplished reconciliation in Mount Lebanon in cooperation with Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Sfeir, which is as important as the reconciliation with the brothers and comrades in Hizbullah, after performing self-criticism on May 11, 2008" following the infamous May 7 clashes. "I would've liked to hear a courageous voice" during yesterday's rally, Jumblat added, calling on the rival March 8 and March 14 camps to "return to principles and dialogue."
Earlier, Jumblat saluted the residents of Mount Lebanon for not participating in Sunday's rally and their "complete understanding of our political positions that protect peace and internal stability." In his weekly column in his party's mouthpiece Al-Anbaa magazine, Jumblat said: "If some sides criticize us for setting stability as a priority over all else in order to avert strife, we say that this choice is a product of convictions we have followed during the hardest periods of division."
"These convictions have been deepened after a self assessment of all our political positions from the beginning of the division and culminating in the May 2008 government decisions," he added. "We have and still look forward to the time when we see all political leaders revise their choices and actions in order to pave the way for trust after which we can solve all our problems instead of remaining in this atmosphere of incitement," he noted. "We fear strife and have worked to end it … but unfortunately some sides are continuing on increasing the tensions through statements of incitement that pave the way for strife that only serve Israel's interest," the MP stressed. Addressing the criticism against the possession of arms outside the state's authority, Jumblat said: "No one wants to use arms on the internal scene because it will destroy national unity and all the achievements that followed the Taef Accord."
"Everyone knows that the foreign parties that claim that they are keen on the rise of the Lebanese state in fact support Israel and its daily violations against Lebanon," he continued.
He renewed his rejection of the use of arms domestically, adding that there is a need to acquire "all elements of strength in confronting Israel." The PSP leader called for re-launching national dialogue in order to devise a defense strategy that would protect Lebanon. He also called for integrating Hizbullah's arms with those of the Lebanese army "under the suitable conditions." Beirut, 14 Mar 11, 22:00

Video Shows Egyptian Army Personnel Attacking Christian Demonstrators
GMT 3-15-2011 3:30:31
http://www.aina.org/news/20110314223024.htm
Assyrian International News Agency
(AINA) -- Coptic protesters who were in front of the TV building in Maspero, waiting for the curfew to end to go home, came under attack from the Egyptian Army, after Coptic representatives agreed yesterday to suspend their 9-day sit-in until March 25. The army also attempted to assault Father Filopareer Gamil, one of the leaders of the sit- in, but Coptic protesters shielded him with their bodies.
Father Filopateer said that a Coptic demonstration is gathering in front of the hospital where the wounded have been transferred. "An army official came to the hospital to pacify the Coptic youth but they refused to meet with him and are demanding an investigation by the military."
According to Dr. Gameel Ebeid of the Coptic hospital in Cairo where some of the wounded demonstrators are under medical treatment, 15 Copts have broken limbs, head wounds as well as burns from electrified batons. He said the patients told him that they had agreed with the army to evacuate the area in front of the TV building at 6 AM after the end of the curfew and after cleaning up after yesterday's demonstration. "Suddenly at 3:45 AM they were attacked heavily by the army unit present at the TV building. The youth started running and those who were caught were stripped of their mobile phones so as not to take photos, and their personal belongings were confiscated. I personally saw 15 patients, 14 of them had their feet broken, wounds in the head and were nearly unconscious from being beaten with electrified batons. One protester underwent an operation to put an implant in his arm."
Haytham Camil, an eyewitness interviewed by Mariam Ragy, said the army shot some Coptic protesters with live ammunition and there were wounded who were transferred by army ambulances. "We do not know their whereabouts, their names or even how many there are."
The Coptic advocacy group Katiba Tibya, headed by Father Mattias Nasr, who participated for 9 days in the sit-in, has asked Coptic families who are missing any family members to contact them urgently.
Lawyer Hany Ramsis, one of the organizers of the sit-in who was present at the time of the attack, told Coptic Free Voice "We were surprised by the army attack. The youth were cleaning the place and some families who came from the provinces were packing. There were around 500 people still there at the time of the attack." He said the soldiers cut the wire fences and started running towards the people, shouting "Allahu Akbar."
Ramsis was one of the 10 Copts representing the demonstrators who met on March 13 with the Prime Minister and members of the military council to present their demands. The sit-in afterwards was suspended "to give time to the government to meet all their demands," said the Coptic statement.
"We met with the authorities and we agreed to suspend the sit-in because of the situation of the country, and many Copts were against this decision. However, we cannot accept that our youth would be beaten and humiliated," Ramsis said. He demands an official apology for what happened, and the commander who gave the order for the attack to be prosecuted.
"We trust the army, but where are my citizenship rights, and where are my rights as a Copt?" Ramsis said he is in possession of video evidence and plans to pursue legal action against the army.
Coptic activist lawyer Sherif Ramzy, who was also assaulted, said that it is a big shame for the Egyptian army that its soldiers shout "Allahu Akbar" before attacking unarmed citizens. "This only shows that the army is infiltrated by Islamists."
By Mary Abdelmassih
Copyright (C) 2011, Assyrian International News Agency. All Rights Reserved. Terms of Use.

Muslim Brotherhood Sticks to Ban on Christians and Women for Presidency-
3-15-2011
http://www.aina.org/news/20110314215200.htm
A leading figure in the Muslim Brotherhood (MB), Egypt's largest opposition group, said on Monday that the MB's new "Freedom and Justice Party" would continue to stick by its view that Christians and women are unsuitable for the presidency.Saad al-Husseini, a member of MB's Guidance Bureau, the highest executive authority within the group, said the new party program will be announced late March after it is approved by the MB's Guidance Office and Shura Council. Al-Husseini said that although they stick by this view, they "respect all opinions".
"Our adherence to the jurisprudential opinion refusing the appointment of women or Christians as president does not mean we impose this opinion on the people, who have inherent jurisdiction in this regard," he said. "I personally accept for Copts to be appointed in hundreds of positions, including sensitive leadership positions in the country in accordance with the criterion of efficiency and competence, regardless of their proportion in society." Meanwhile, MB spokesman Mohamed Morsi said the group is pushing for a civil state, without the tutelage of the clergy. Morsi said the group does not call for a religious state. During an interview on state-owned television on Sunday night, Morsi said, "The civil state sought by Islam and the MB would ensure equal rights for Copts." He pointed out that the new party will not discriminate in its membership between Muslims and Christians, or males and females, and that it will represent the politically focused side of the group, while the MB will continue to practice all of its social and preaching activities.
www.almasryalyoum.com
© 2011, Assyrian International News Agency. All Rights Reserved. Terms of Use.

Iran 'using child soldiers' to suppress Tehran protests
By: Robert Tait
The Observer, Sunday 13 March 2011
Armed children as young as 14 are said to have been deployed alongside riot police
Iran's Islamic regime is using "child soldiers" to suppress anti-government demonstrations, a tactic that could breach international law forbidding the use of underage combatants, human rights activists have told the Observer.
The International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran says troops aged between 14 and 16 have been armed with batons, clubs and air guns and ordered to attack demonstrators who have tried to gather in Tehran. The youths – apparently recruited from rural areas – are being deployed in regular riot police roles and comprise up to one-third of the total force, according to witnesses.
One middle-aged woman, who said she was attacked by the youths, reported that some were as young as 12 and were possibly prepubescent. They had rural accents, which indicated they had been brought in from villages far from Tehran, she said.
Some told her they had been attracted by the promise of chelo kebab dinners, one of Iran's national dishes.
"It's really a violation of international law. It's no different than child soldiers, which is the custom in many zones of conflict," said Hadi Ghaemi, the campaign's executive director. "They are being recruited into being part of the conflict and armed for it."
The UN convention on the rights of the child requires states to take "all feasible measures to ensure that persons who have not attained the age of 15 years do not take a direct part in hostilities". The allegation comes amid efforts by Iran's opposition Green movement to revive the mass protests that challenged President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's re-election in 2009, which opponents say was rigged. Drawing encouragement from the uprisings in Egypt and Tunisia, organisers have vowed to stage demonstrations every Tuesday.
Protesters who gathered on 1 March and a week later were met by a blanket security presence, which activists say refined the tactics used to crush the post-election revolt, when smaller detachments of youths were used informally by the hardline Basij militia. Last Tuesday youthful riot squads formed along Valiasr Street, Tehran's central thoroughfare, and forced pedestrians to run an intimidating gauntlet. Protesters chanting anti-government slogans were attacked. Multiple arrests were reported. "They are very keen to display violence. Teenage boys are notorious for that," said Ghaemi. "They are being used to ensure there is a good ratio of government forces to protesters and because the average policeman in Tehran could have some kind of family connection to the people they have to beat up. It's a classic tactic to bring people from outside, because they have no sense of sympathy for city dwellers."
The renewed clampdown coincides with concern over the whereabouts of the Green movement's nominal leaders, Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi. Both were apparently placed under house arrest last month and then reported to have been taken into detention, despite official denials.
**Robert Tait is a senior correspondent for RFE/RL and a former Tehran correspondent for the Observer

LDP criticizes attacks on Resistance’s arms
March 15, 2011 /The Lebanese Democratic Party issued a statement on Tuesday that the attack on the Resistance’s arms is an action that came as a result of a political decision coordinated with foreign parties. “The escalatory rhetoric of March 14’s parties did not surprise the Lebanese people. [March 14] parties are biased [working for] an agenda that contradicts our liberal causes,” the party said following its weekly meeting. The party also called for holding on to the Resistance and its arms. March 14 held a rally in Beirut’s Martyrs Square on Sunday “to reaffirm its commitment to the principles of the Cedar Revolution.” Rejection of non-state weapons was the central component of the coalition’s campaign in the run-up to the rally.-NOW Lebanon

These are not humans
Hanoch Daum
Op-ed: Israel must kill inhumane terrorists on Palestinian side before they kill our children
Hanoch Daum Published: 03.14.11, 11:00 / Israel Opinion
Are they members of the family of nations at all? Would a human being stab a three-month-old baby girl in her sleep and kill a tender four-year-old child sleeping peacefully in his bed next to his parents’ bedroom? And until when will communities like Itamar be so vulnerable to any terrorist who wishes to kill Jews? How much cruel terror will this battered community continue to sustain, a community that is still licking the wounds of the last Intifada? This is the worst terror blow of all: Eliminating the parents and some of their children, thereby leaving several siblings along in the world, without a future and without hope. The community enlists for the cause, remaining family members pull together, and the State also tries to offer its help. But those who follow families that faced a similar fate know the bitter truth: It is very difficult and maybe impossible to recover from such tragedy. What can we tell a 12-year-old girl who runs over to the neighbors’ house late at night to let them know her family was butchered? What can we explain to her? What kind of comforting words can we come up with after such pogrom is perpetrated? Regardless of our diplomatic vision, security must be above all else. We can keep talking at length about painful concessions, but as long as on the other side we have blood-thirsty psychopaths capable of knifing an 11-year-old child, a four-year-old boy, and a baby who was just born, such talk would mostly be futile. We have to recognize the following fact: Inhumane elements exist in the other camp. These are terrorists that Israel must eliminate, before they kill our children.

Saudi and UAE troops go into Bahrain, Kuwaitis on the way
DEBKAfile Exclusive Report March 14, 2011,
Saudi Arabia UAE Saudi Special ForcesSaudi and United Arab Emirates troops crossed into Bahrain Monday, March 14 to support the king against escalating anti-throne demonstrations and Kuwait soldiers are on the way. A Saudi official said the units come from a special force within the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council. debkafile reports that the Saudis also sent tanks. By this action, both Arab kingdoms flouted US President Obama's policy of boosting popular movements against autocratic Arab regimes. Saturday, US Defense Secretary Robert Gates visited Bahrain to hold the ruler's hand against using force to suppress the uprising against him. The Shiite opposition leading the demonstrations in Bahrain denounced the entry of any foreign troops into the country as an “occupation” and “conspiracy” against unarmed civilians and appealed to the United Nations to take action.
Saudi Arabia and the UA are the second and third Arab regimes to intervene militarily in the uprisings sweeping the Arab world after Syria sent military assistance to Muammar Qaddafi, as debkafile revealed Sunday, March 13.
Rulers regarded as US Middle East allies have turned against President Obama, encouraged by the upper hand Qaddafi has gained against Libya's rebels and Washington's constraints from stepping in militarily to support them.
In Riyadh and Manama, Saudi King Abdullah and Bahrain's King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa have joined forces to put down any popular uprising against their regimes and are no longer listening to advice from Washington to offer their opponents more concessions. The Saudis have stamped down hard not only on minority Shiite disturbances in the oil regions of the east, but in their capital and other cities too. King Abdullah blames Obama's policy for unseating Hosni Mubarak in Egypt and has no intention of following the American line.
The Bahraini King Hamad believes that the unrest in his kingdom was aggravated by the Gates visit Saturday. Although the American visitor was shown Bahraini-Saudi intelligence attesting to Iran's meddling hand stirring up the unrest in order to replace their regimes with Revolutionary Islamic Republics, Gates kept in insisting that they must promise more reforms to the protesters and allow them a role in governance.
The Obama administration has made known to the US media its concern about the prospect of Saudi and other Gulf nations buttressing the Bahraini throne – not just with a grant of at least $10 billion, but military contingents, lest it start a fire across the entire region.
Our military sources report that these reports have been overtaken by events. Saudi tanks have been in Manama for almost two weeks guarding King Hamad's palace. More Saudi tanks and special forces were kept in a state of preparedness at the Saudi end of the King Fahd Causeway, the 25-kilometer bridge that links the two kingdoms by a 40-minute drive.
These forces, joined by UAR units, rolled into Bahrain Monday after protesters blockaded the financial center.
In Sanaa, Yemeni soldiers still loyal to President Abdullah Ali Saleh are battling protesters turned insurgents. In Amman, too, Jordanian King Abdullah II is casting about for a protector against insurrectionists after finding the American shield full of holes. According to rumors circulating in the Jordanian capital, the king paid a secret visit to Tehran. debkafile's sources have not confirmed this rumor but believe he is desperate enough to seek protection in Tehran and/or Israel.
Damascus made it clear where Bashar Assad stood in relation to the Obama administration by becoming Muammar Qaddafi's foremost armorer.
Cairo remains the only Arab capital still keeping faith with Washington.
Field Marshal Mohammed Tantawi and the rest of his military junta have excellent relations with Washington and are closely coordinating their actions with the Obama administration. How long this will go on is anyone's guess. If they accede to an American request to intervene military in Libya against Qaddafi, for instance, or if internal security declines further, the protesters are poised ready to go back to the streets of Egypt's cities.
debkafile's sources report that from the outside Egypt looks stable since Hosni Mubarak's departure, but it must be taken into account that the world's TV cameras are gone from Tahrir Square to hotter stories in other places and both the police and soldiers are scared to show their faces for maintaining law and order. The army is therefore crumbling from within. In these circumstances, the military's affinity with Washington is loosening its control of the Egyptian street, a growing gap that cannot be sustained much longer.

March 14 will struggle to disarm Hezbollah
By Hussein Dakroub /Daily Star staff
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Analysis
BEIRUT: The March 14 coalition is set to face major hurdles if it were to implement its slogan for Hezbollah’s disarmament since it lacks the political and military mechanisms, analysts said Monday.
“The March 14 coalition’s slogan called clearly for Hezbollah’s disarmament. This is a political slogan that does not have a mechanism for implementation,” Hilal Khashan, professor of political sciences at the American University of Beirut, told The Daily Star.
“This is a political campaign slogan. It is beyond [caretaker Prime Minister Saad] Hariri’s reach and beyond the reach of the March 14 coalition,” Khashan said.
Retired Lebanese Army Gen. Elias Hanna said the March 14 coalition’s call for Hezbollah to place its arsenal under state control amounted to a clear call for the party’s disarmament.
“The problem lies in implementing this slogan. Neither the mechanism, nor the capability to implement this slogan is available. The March 14 coalition does not have the political or military means to implement it,” Hanna told The Daily Star.
Hanna, currently a political sciences lecturer at AUB and Notre Dame University (NDU), stressed that in the absence of a political agreement between the March 8 and March 14 factions or a military decision, the call for Hezbollah to lay down its arms will not materialize.
At a mass rally Sunday marking the sixth anniversary of the movement’s founding, March 14 launched the second attempt at a “Cedar Revolution,” aimed at forcing Hezbollah to surrender its weapons to the Lebanese state in the same way the first revolution in 2005 led to a Syrian troop withdrawal, ending nearly three decades of Syria’s control over Lebanon.
Hundreds of thousands of flag-waving Lebanese filled Martyrs Square in Downtown Beirut, heeding calls by March 14 leaders to reject the supremacy of Hezbollah’s weapons over political life – which has become an increasingly explosive issue since the collapse of Hariri’s Cabinet in January. The crowd also expressed strong support for the U.N.-backed Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL), another explosive issue which has sharply divided the Lebanese into two rival camps. While the March 14 groups are upholding the STL, Hezbollah and its March 8 allies have been trying to abolish it altogether.
Hariri, the main speaker at the rally, sounded confident that the movement would eventually put an end to the presence of weapons outside state control in the same way it had succeeded in forcing Syria to pull out its troops from Lebanon.
Khashan said the March 14 coalition sent “a clear and powerful message” that they will not accept anything except the state arms and the national army. “However, the message they sent is unachievable,” he said. “The March 14 coalition cannot achieve today – when they are outside the government – what they could not achieve over the past six years when they were in control of the government,” Khashan said.
He added that the March 14 coalition’s message was not different from the messages in the past six years. “There was nothing new in yesterday’s message. Samir Geagea called for a Cedar Revolution No. 2, which means that there could be Cedar Revolution No. 3 and 4,” Khashan said. He added that Geagea and other Christian leaders have been calling for years for Hezbollah’s disarmament.
Khashan pointed out that the fast-moving regional developments, namely the popular uprisings that have toppled Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and Tunisian President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali, were not working in favor of the March 14 camp.
“Six years ago, the regional situation was more in their favor than it is today. Egypt has now been neutralized. Saudi Arabia is also concerned about the situation in the Gulf, especially in Bahrain and the Eastern Province. Egypt and Saudi Arabia do not have enough time to worry about the situation in Lebanon,” Khashan said.
“Right now, the March 14 coalition is on its own. Their objective is not disarm Hezbollah. Their real aim is to remain on the political map of Lebanon and maintain their constituency,” Khashan added. Hanna said the March 14 rally sent “messages” to both Prime Minister-designate Najib Mikati and Hezbollah and those standing behind the party – a clear allusion to Iran and Syria which back the group. “The message was that the March 14 coalition has decided to remove legitimacy from Hezbollah’s weapons and put them under state control,” Hanna said.
“The March 14 message to Mikati is that ‘you have seized the premiership by force, you have betrayed the trust and therefore you cannot rule,’” he said. The message also calls on Mikati to comply with the international tribunal and prevent the use of Hezbollah’s weapons in political life, Hanna said.
Hanna said that while the March 14 coalition lacked the mechanism to act on Hezbollah’s arsenal, the Hezbollah-led March 8 bloc lacked the mechanism to abolish the STL. “The tribunal and [Hezbollah’s] arms are part of a big regional and international game,” he said. Asked why Hezbollah has kept silent on Hariri’s fierce campaign against the party’s arsenal, Hanna said, “Hezbollah is waiting for regional developments as well as for the formation of the government. The party has majority and it can draft the government’s policy statement as it wishes.” Khashan, the AUB professor, said it will serve Hezbollah better if they keep silent. “If they issue a statement, that would start a debate with the March 14 coalition. Why should Hezbollah give the March 14 [coalition] a chance for a debate?” he said.

Baroud keeps 34 records from STL
Source close to probe says court sought far fewer documents from minister than reported
By Hussein Dakroub /Daily Star staff
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
BEIRUT: The Prosecutor-General of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) Daniel Bellemare has narrowed down his requested fingerprint records to only 10 individuals and 24 birth certificates for identified individuals from the Interior Ministry, but caretaker Interior Minister Ziyad Baroud was still procrastinating, a source close to the investigation told The Daily Star Monday. The number of fingerprints demanded by Bellemare disputed earlier media reports and a statement by Hezbollah MP Mohammad Raad that the prosecutor general had requested the fingerprints of four million Lebanese. Last month, documents obtained by The Daily Star showed that Baroud and three other caretaker ministers turned down requests from Bellemare to provide information and documents, in breach of the cooperation protocol signed with the United Nations. The other three ministers were caretaker Public Works Minister Ghazi Aridi, caretaker Energy Minister Jibran Bassil and caretaker Telecommunications Minister Charbel Nahhas.
A new document obtained by The Daily Star and a source close to the probe said Bellemare’s office had initially requested access to Lebanon’s fingerprints records in 2009 but later refined his request to 900 records before narrowing it down to just 10 records and 24 birth certificates by late last year.
Despite this, the Interior Ministry was still not responding to his requests.
A source at the Interior Ministry, commenting on Monday’s report, confirmed to The Daily Star that the ministry had not responded to the initial request “because it concerns individuals and it was highly sensitive.” Bellemare, according to the ministry source, later returned with a second request for “less than a thousand” fingerprint files, which were provided to the prosecutor’s office in Beirut. Concerning the request for the 10 fingerprints and 24 birth certificates The Daily Star has seen, the ministry source said that they “may refer to sets which for whatever reason needed re-sending.” “We don’t want to get into anything that could jeopardize the secrecy of the process. We are committed to [safeguard secrecy] in a professional way. That is why we replied [to requests] in writing,” the source said. The source said that leaks to the media were “harming the whole process and we feel an obligation to rectify what is going on without damaging the secrecy of the process.” “The minister has been doing his job for two years now. If there is anything that needs to be tackled, we are in regular contact with the office of the prosecutor and we can get through any obstacle that needs to be addressed,” the source said. According to the document made available to The Daily Star, Bellemare’s requests to the ministry went through Valerio Aquila, the head of the Investigations – Beirut Office in the STL.
The majority of those requests were about interviewing some witnesses in several departments that were affiliated to the ministry. These requests were answered with reservation and the STL was only given copies of some documents and not the originals. Other requests concerning the Department of Personal Civil Status Affairs at the ministry, which were more complex, especially those in two letters sent by Bellemare’s office on Nov. 6, 2009, and Nov. 11, 2010, were still pending, the sources said.
Regarding the 2009 request for assistance, which pertains to providing Bellemare with an electronic copy of the fingerprints maintained by the Interior Ministry and taken from the application forms presented by the Lebanese citizens in order to obtain identity cards, it was presented at a time when the investigation was still in its initial phase.
“That is why the request was broad and not specific in terms of the required information,” the source close to the investigation explained.
At Baroud’s request, Bellemare’s office limited the information required to 900 forms only. “So, investigators were provided with an electronic list containing the names of 600 individuals whose files were available at the Ministry of Interior and Municipalities. And they were provided with an electronic copy of only three forms as a specimen to study the possibility of using them,” the source said. But the investigation team found out that the electronic version of the fingerprint stored by the ministry was not suitable to make any comparison.
At an April 14, 2010 meeting, Aquila asked Baroud to enable him to see the original of these application forms but the minister responded that it was impossible since all original forms were packed in boxes deposited randomly in the warehouses of the ministry. Aquila told Baroud that investigators can handle under his supervision the subject of organizing the archives at the STL’s expenses, “provided for that we would take later on the applications that we need so we can scan them in a modern way that would enable us to invest them and compare them.”
“But the minister refused this offer since it is the duty of the ministry to handle such tasks and he promised to take care personally of the matter but only after the end of the municipal elections,” the source said.
After the elections, Aquila checked personally with the head of Baroud’s office General Pierre Salem and was told that the ministry did not have the qualified human power to do the job as well as the need to find funding for this project through grants which would require the approval of the Cabinet.
Then on Dec. 2, 2010, Bellemare sent a letter to Baroud, stressing on the need to implement this project because of its importance, the source said. Aquila met the minister later that day.
During the meeting, Baroud told Aquila that he has chosen the best offer among several offers for the implementation of the project and that he needs about a month to secure funding, the source said. Aquila informed Baroud that due to time constraints he only needed 10 fingerprints forms out of the 600 and 24 birth certificates, “especially since the investigation has progressed and we could limit the scope of our request,” the document obtained by The Daily Star said.
When Aquila asked Baroud to authorize investigators to have access to the archive warehouses in the presence of whomever he wanted from his office, the minister asked for some time to give his answer.
After checking with General Salem did not lead to any result, Aquila reminded him that because such a long time has elapsed, the STL was in the process of sending an official reminder in relation to the two requests, which are still outstanding.  After checking with Salem several times, Aquila was told that the documents were ready but that the minister had not signed them due to his intense schedule. Aquila was later informed that the ministry needed more time to prepare these documents. When Aquila reminded Salem that he previously had told him that the entire documents were ready and required only the minister’s signature on the letter of referral, Salem replied that the documents were not ready yet because they came from “sensitive municipalities.” – With additional reporting by Patrick Galey

The capacities of the caretaker cabinet
Shane Farrell, March 14, 2011
Now Lebanon/It has happened before, and it will probably happen again: a Lebanese government collapse is followed by a long period of negotiations before another one is ushered in. Since January 12, when Hezbollah ministers and their allies resigned from the cabinet over a UN probe into the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, the country has been without a government.
When a new government is expected to be formed remains unclear. Constitutionally, as expert in constitutional law Antoine Saad explains, “[There is no] limit on the timeframe for a new government to be formed.” And in light of what sources close to Prime Minister-designate Najib Mikati told The Daily Star, a new government is not likely any time soon.
Meanwhile, in the current interim period, the former cabinet has been stripped of its legislative powers and relegated to a caretaking capacity. But what are the parameters of the caretaker government’s power?
Constitutionally, a caretaker government’s powers are limited, except for the day-to-day management of state affairs and when circumstances are deemed to be “exceptional.”
The criteria behind what constitutes day-to-day management issues are clear in theory, but can be somewhat confusing in practice. “If the [caretaker] government is obliged to follow decisions by law, constitution or by any other legal obligation, this is a day-to-day management issue,” said attorney and lecturer in Law at St. Joseph University, Marwan Sakr. Put differently, the caretaker government must fulfill its obligations under existing laws but does not have the power to take measures that it is not bound to do by law or that are normally left to the government’s discretion.
An example of this, Sakr says, is Lebanon’s obligation to cooperate with the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL). “Both the UN resolution [that established the STL] and the Memorandum of Understanding which Lebanon signed with the tribunal prevail even over domestic laws,” Sakr said. “[Therefore] the caretaker government is bound to fulfill these obligations.”
In theory, this would mean that if the indictments by the STL were released before the formation of a new government, the caretaker cabinet would still be obliged to cooperate with the court and execute its requests, including handing over the people who were indicted, for example. This, however, is a controversial issue, as March 8 – the block that is set to dominate the incumbent government – rejects the STL.
Other management issues the caretaker government is responsible for include the continuation of the provision of social services, such as electricity, transport and the internet. But what if potential barriers to the provision of social services occur, such as the dispute between caretaker Energy Minister Gebran Bassil and caretaker Finance Minister Rayya al-Hassan over the lowering of the import tax on gasoline several weeks ago (a dispute that led to a fuel shortage in gas stations across the country)?
In such cases, the caretaker government can argue that they fall within the remit of “exceptional circumstances,” and therefore warrant exceptional measures.
What constitutes “exceptional circumstances” is, according to Lecturer in Political Studies at the American University of Beirut Hassan Krayem, “up for different interpretation [and] is very elastic and very subjective.” Krayem said that while a caretaker government requires these powers in times of crisis, such as a war or acts of aggression against the state, on issues of “ordinary living conditions like the price of oil or taxation,” it depends on the specific situation.
The case of the dispute between the Finance and Energy ministers was resolved by actions taken by President Michel Sleiman and outgoing Prime Minister Saad Hariri under powers given to them in times of crisis, said Minister Hassan in an interview with NOW Lebanon.
As for the role of the parliament in the current crisis, “Its work should go on as normal,” explained Sakr. As it is between sessions “the commissions, committees, sub-committees, joint-committees should [be working] normally and prepar[ing] draft studies and draft laws until the new session opens [on March 22].”
Meanwhile, draft laws that had not yet been passed at the time of the government collapse are shelved until a new government is formed. What happens to those draft laws depends largely on the actions of the new government. Theoretically speaking, Sakr told NOW Lebanon, proposed legislation at the time of the collapse of the former government can by withdrawn by a new government “because it is sent by virtue of decree, and the new government may always withdraw a decree.” However, in practice Sakr believes that the stage the draft law has reached in the legislative process is crucial to whether it can be withdrawn or not. “If it is already in the final stages of the legislative process – even if it hasn’t been passed yet – I think it would be difficult for the government to withdraw a draft law,” he said.
This is an important issue currently, as major draft legislation – such as the draft budget by Minister Hassan – can, in theory, be revoked by the new government.