LCCC
ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
ِMarch
21/2011
Biblical Event Of The
Day
Luke 8/40-56:"It happened, when
Jesus returned, that the multitude welcomed him, for they were all waiting for
him. 8:41 Behold, there came a man named Jairus, and he was a ruler of the
synagogue. He fell down at Jesus’ feet, and begged him to come into his house,
8:42 for he had an only daughter, about twelve years of age, and she was dying.
But as he went, the multitudes pressed against him. 8:43 A woman who had a flow
of blood for twelve years, who had spent all her living on physicians, and could
not be healed by any, 8:44 came behind him, and touched the fringe of his cloak,
and immediately the flow of her blood stopped. 8:45 Jesus said, “Who touched
me?” When all denied it, Peter and those with him said, “Master, the multitudes
press and jostle you, and you say, ‘Who touched me?’” 8:46 But Jesus said,
“Someone did touch me, for I perceived that power has gone out of me.” 8:47 When
the woman saw that she was not hidden, she came trembling, and falling down
before him declared to him in the presence of all the people the reason why she
had touched him, and how she was healed immediately. 8:48 He said to her,
“Daughter, cheer up. Your faith has made you well. Go in peace.” 8:49 While he
still spoke, one from the ruler of the synagogue’s house came, saying to him,
“Your daughter is dead. Don’t trouble the Teacher.”
8:50 But Jesus hearing it, answered him, “Don’t be afraid. Only believe, and she
will be healed.” 8:51 When he came to the house, he didn’t allow anyone to enter
in, except Peter, John, James, the father of the child, and her mother. 8:52 All
were weeping and mourning her, but he said, “Don’t weep. She isn’t dead, but
sleeping.”
8:53 They were ridiculing him, knowing that she was dead. 8:54 But he put them
all outside, and taking her by the hand, he called, saying, “Child, arise!” 8:55
Her spirit returned, and she rose up immediately. He commanded that something be
given to her to eat. 8:56 Her parents were amazed, but he commanded them to tell
no one what had been done"
Latest
analysis, editorials, studies, reports, letters & Releases
from
miscellaneous
sources
Is this the Syrian spark?/By
Tariq Alhomayed/March
20/11
Arab Spring: Is the Revolution
Starting up in Syria?/Time/March 20/11
Report: No Regional Green Light Yet
onLebanese Cabinet Formation/Naharnet/11
Latest News Reports From Miscellaneous Sources for March
20/11
Remains of Gaddafi's force
smoulders near Benghazi/Reuters
India, China, Russia oppose air
strikes on Libya/Agencies
Gaddafi vows 'long war' after US,
allies strike/AFP
Mullen: Initial Part of
Operation in Libya 'Successful'/Naharnet
Gadhafi Vows 'Long War' after
Western Attack
/Naharnet
Syria-bound Iranian Cargo Plane
Forced to Land in Turkey/Naharnet
Nasrallah Says Ready to Aid Arab
People: Arms Uproar Won't Affect Us, Resistance to Keep Arming/Naharnet
March 14 Snaps Back at Nasrallah:
He Abolished the Constitution/Naharnet
Majdalani: No "green light" yet
from Syria to cabinet formation/iloubnan.info
Syrian committee to investigate
Friday's deadly clashes/CNN
Raad Calls March 14 Officials
'Filthy,' Hints Cabinet Formation Waiting for Regional Developments/Naharnet
March 14 Snaps Back at Nasrallah:
He Abolished the Constitution/Naharnet
Lebanese
Health Minister Vows to Take
Action Over Alleged Tainted Cooking Oil/Naharnet
Lebanon Files U.N. Complaint
over Attack on Embassy in Libya, Miqati Briefs Suleiman on Govt Formation
Consultations/Naharnet
Aoun in Dubai as Government
Formation still Stuck over Interior Ministry Portfolio/Naharnet
WikiLeaks: LAF seized Hezbollah
rockets during war/J.Post
Syria
proves not immune to pro-democracy calls/Haaretz
Remains of
Gaddafi's force smoulders near Benghazi
BENGHAZI-AJDABIYAH ROAD, Libya (Reuters) - Muammar Gaddafi's wrecked tanks and
other army vehicles smouldered on a strategic road in east Libya on Sunday after
Western powers launched air strikes that galvanised embattled rebels. Rebels who
had been driven back to their stronghold of Benghazi by the Libyan leader's air,
sea and land offensive in the past two weeks were returning in 4x4 pick-ups to
the town of Ajdabiyah, the hard fought over gateway to east Libya. The road the
rebels drove was a scene of devastation. This correspondent counted at least 16
corpses, though the scale of the bombardment made identifying bodies difficult.
"This is all France ... Today we came through and saw the road open," said rebel
fighter Tahir Sassi, surveying one area where blackened vehicles lined the road
to Ajdabiyah, about 150 km (90 km) south of Benghazi. Lamp posts were broken in
two or bent double.
About 14 tanks, 20 armoured personnel carriers, two trucks with multiple rocket
launchers and dozens of pick-ups -- all destroyed -- were visible, indicating
the strength of the force sent to retake Benghazi from rebels. One tank was a
blackened wreck with its turret blown off. Another tank, a tank transporter and
armoured personnel carriers smouldered. A few hundred metres (yards) ahead,
munitions were still exploding as flames licked around vehicles and stores.
Rebels had pleaded for military intervention as they were were pushed back and
after Gaddafi vowed "no mercy, no pity" as he advanced towards Benghazi where
the interim rebel National Libyan Council has its headquarters.France led the
calls for intervention and its planes were the first into Libyan airspace to
launch raids, before U.S. and British warships and submarines fired Tomahawk
missiles overnight against air defences. About 70 km (45 miles) out of Benghazi,
rebels faced small arms fire. Mortar rounds launched by Gaddafi's forces to the
south landed on either side of the road. Rebels fired back.
'NO MORE RETREAT'
"Gaddafi is like a chicken and the coalition is plucking his feathers so he
can't fly. The revolutionaries will slit his neck," said Fathi Bin Saud, a
52-year-old rebel carrying a rocket propelled grenade launcher and surveying the
wreckage."There is no more retreat, we are going forward from now on," he said.
"Not all of this is the coalition. We did some of it as well. They encourage us.
We were fighting even before they came. This has raised our morale."Rebels, who
have mainly relied on 4x4 pickups with machine guns, were heavily outgunned by
Gaddafi before the West acted. They reached the town of Bin Jawad about 525 km
(330 miles) east of Tripoli before being driven back to Ajdabiyah, more than 700
km from the capital.
Battle debris on the road out of Benghazi showed Gaddafi's forces had nearly
breached the inner parts of the city. Near Tarria village about 20 km south of
Benghazi on the highway to Ajdabiyah, locals said they had advanced up the road
early on Saturday and were only beaten back by the first foreign air strikes
after fighting reached the suburbs.
Civilians and fighters clambered on the ruined tanks, taking photos and picking
through the pockets of the dead. Mohamed Joma, who said he was a pharmacist,
said the planes had struck about 4 am (0200 GMT) that morning.
"Look, the tanks were pointing to Benghazi. They wanted to go to Benghazi. They
did not escape," he said.Some of the bodies on the road were charred, others
were already covered with blankets. Some were beside vehicles and one lay inside
a destroyed ambulance, with no sign of those who would have attended him.
Flesh and blood was smeared on the ground at one spot, where there were bandages
scattered on the floor. Gaddafi's forces about 20 km south of Benghazi appeared
to have been taken by surprise by one air strike on their camp. Enough bedding
and clothes for hundreds of men littered the area for 200 metres on either side
of the road, along with boots, body armour, cigarettes and cassette tapes. "Tell
the West to destroy Gaddafi slowly, piece by piece by piece, the way he did to
us for 40 years," said Jamal al-Majbouri, who owns a farm nearby.
(Additional reporting by Angus MacSwan; Writing by Edmund Blair in Cairo,
editing by Mike Peacock)
Mullen:
Initial Part of Operation in Libya 'Successful'
Naharnet/The initial part of an international operation to enforce a no-fly zone
over Libya "has been successful" and the government's offensive on Benghazi has
been stopped, top U.S. military commander Michael Mullen said Sunday. The
initial part of an international operation to enforce a no-fly zone over Libya
"has been successful," Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told ABC's
"This Week" program. "They are no longer marching on Benghazi," Mullen added.
The comments came after the United States unleashed a barrage of strikes against
the Libyan regime's air defenses, but ruled out using ground troops in what
President Barack Obama called a "limited military action." In a dramatic show of
force, U.S. warships and a British submarine fired at least 110 Tomahawk cruise
missiles into Libya against Gadhafi's anti-aircraft missiles and radar Saturday,
the U.S. military said. Admiral William Gortney told reporters at the Pentagon
that the cruise missiles "struck more than 20 integrated air defense systems and
other air defense facilities ashore." Earlier Sunday, three U.S. B-2 stealth
bombers dropped 40 bombs on a major Libyan airfield in an attempt to destroy
much of the Libyan Air Force, U.S. military officials said. In all, 19 U.S.
planes, including the stealth bombers took part in dawn raids Sunday on targets
in Libya, U.S. Africa Command, based in Germany, told Agence France Presse.
"What we are doing, with our coalition partners, is the initial phase of an
operation to try to create the conditions to be able to set up a no-fly zone,"
spokesman Kenneth Fidler said.(AFP) Beirut, 20 Mar 11, 14:26
US:
No-fly zone effectively in place over Libya
By REUTERS
03/20/2011 13:53
WASHINGTON - The top US military officer said on Sunday that US and allied
forces have effectively established a no-fly zone over Libya and halted an
offensive by Muammar Gaddafi's forces on rebels in Benghazi.Admiral Mike Mullen,
chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, said in an interview with NBC's "Meet
the Press" that air strikes that began Saturday "took out" Gaddafi's air
defenses and hit Libyan air fields while Western forces established combat air
patrols over the rebel stronghold of Benghazi.
"Operations yesterday went very well," Mullen said. "He (Gaddafi) hasn't had
aircraft or helicopters flying the last couple days. So effectively that no-fly
zone has been put in place."
But Mullen emphasized that the mission was narrowly focused on protecting
civilians and aiding humanitarian efforts under a UN Security Council
resolution, and not on ousting Gaddafi from power.Mullen also said he has seen
no reports of civilian casualties resulting from Western air strikes. Libyan
state television said 48 people had been killed and 150 wounded in the allied
air strikes.
Gaddafi vows 'long war' after US, allies strike
20/03/2011
TRIPOLI, Libya, (AP) – The U.S. and European nations targeted Muammar Gaddafi's
forces with airstrikes and dozens of cruise missiles, shaking the Libyan capital
with explosions and the sound of gunfire early Sunday. The Libyan leader vowed a
long war "with unlimited patience and deep faith."State television said 48
people had died in the strikes, which marked the widest international military
effort since the Iraq war. They were aimed at enforcing a U.N.-mandated no-fly
zone in support of rebels who have seen early gains reversed by the regime's
superior air power and weaponry.In Benghazi, the rebel capital and first city to
fall to the uprising that began Feb. 15, people said the international action
happened just in time. Libyan government tanks and troops had reached the edges
of the city on Saturday.
"It was a matter of minutes and Gaddafi's forces would have been in Benghazi,"
said Akram Abdul Wahab, a 20-year-old butcher in the city.
In the phone call to state television, Gaddafi said he would not let up on the
rebel-held city and said the government had opened up weapons depots to all
Libyans, who were now armed with "automatic weapons, mortars and bombs."
The U.S. military said 112 Tomahawk cruise missiles were fired from American and
British ships and submarines at more than 20 coastal targets to clear the way
for air patrols to ground Libya's air force. French fighter jets fired the first
salvos, carrying out several strikes in the rebel-held east, while British
fighter jets also bombarded the North African nation.
President Barack Obama said military action was not his first choice and
reiterated that he would not send American ground troops.
"This is not an outcome the U.S. or any of our partners sought," Obama said from
Brazil, where he is starting a five-day visit to Latin America. "We cannot stand
idly by when a tyrant tells his people there will be no mercy."
Thousands of regime supporters, meanwhile, packed into the sprawling Bab al-Aziziya
military camp in Tripoli where Gaddafi lives to protect against attacks.
Explosions rocked the coastal cities, including Tripoli, where anti-aircraft
guns could be heard firing overnight.
Libyan TV quoted the armed forces command as saying 48 people were killed and
150 wounded in the allied assault. It said most of the casualties were children
but gave no more details.
The International Committee of the Red Cross said it was "deeply concerned"
about civilians and called on all sides work to distinguish between civilians
and fighters and allow safe access for humanitarian organizations.
Gaddafi, who has ruled Libya for 41 years, said in a telephone call to Libyan
state TV that he was opening weapons depots to allow his people to arm
themselves in defense.
He said the international action against his forces was unjustified, calling it
"simply a colonial crusader aggression that may ignite another large-scale
crusader war."
His regime acted quickly in the run-up to the strikes, sending warplanes, tanks
and troops into the eastern city of Benghazi, the rebel capital and first city
to fall to the rebellion that began Feb. 15. Then the government attacks
appeared to go silent.
Operation Odyssey Dawn, as the allied assault has been dubbed, followed an
emergency summit in Paris during which the 22 leaders and top officials agreed
to do everything necessary to make Gaddafi respect a U.N. Security Council
resolution Thursday calling for the no-fly zone and demanding a cease-fire,
French President Nicolas Sarkozy said.
Navy Vice Adm. William E. Gortney, director of the Pentagon's Joint Staff, told
reporters in Washington that U.S. ships and a British submarine had launched the
first phase of a missile assault on Libyan air defenses.
Gortney said the mission has two goals: prevent further attacks by Libyan forces
on rebels and civilians, and degrade the Libyan military's ability to contest a
no-fly zone.
Defense officials cautioned it was too early to fully gauge the impact of the
onslaught. But a senior defense official, who spoke on condition of anonymity
because the mission was ongoing, said the Americans felt that Libya's air
defenses had been heavily damaged given the precision targeting of the cruise
missiles.
Mohammed Ali, a spokesman for the exiled opposition group the Libyan Salvation
Front, said the Libyan air force headquarters at the Mateiga air base in eastern
Tripoli and the Aviation Academy in Misrata had been targeted.
About 20 French fighter jets carried out "several strikes" earlier Saturday,
military spokesman Thierry Burkhard told The Associated Press.
"All our planes have returned to base tonight," he said, and denied a Libyan TV
report that a French plane had been hit.
He would not elaborate on what was hit or where, but said French forces are
focusing on the Benghazi area and U.S. forces are focused in the west.
The U.S. has struck Libya before. Former President Reagan launched U.S.
airstrikes on Libya in 1986 after a bombing at a Berlin disco — which the U.S.
blamed on Libya — that killed three people, including two American soldiers. The
airstrikes killed about 100 people in Libya, including Gaddafi's young adopted
daughter at his Tripoli compound.
The rebels said earlier that they had hoped for more, sooner from the
international community, after a day when crashing shells shook the buildings of
Benghazi and Gaddafi's tanks rumbled through the university campus. "People are
disappointed, they haven't seen any action yet. The leadership understands some
of the difficulties with procedures but when it comes to procedures versus human
lives the choice is clear," said Essam Gheriani, a spokesman for the opposition.
"People on the streets are saying where are the international forces? Is the
international community waiting for the same crimes to be perpetrated on
Benghazi has have been done by Gaddafi in the other cities?"
Saturday's fighting galvanized the people of Benghazi, with young men collecting
bottles to make gasoline bombs. Some residents dragged bed frames and metal
scraps into the streets to make roadblocks. "This city is a symbol of the
revolution, it's where it started and where it will end if this city falls,"
said Gheriani.
Gadhafi Vows 'Long War' after Western Attack
Naharnet/Libyan leader Moammer Gadhafi said Libya's people have been armed and
are ready to fight a "long war" to defeat Western forces attacking his country,
in a televised audio message on Sunday. "All the Libyan people are united. The
Libyan men and women have been given weapons and bombs ... You will not advance,
you will not step on this land," said Gadhafi. "We promise you a long, drawn-out
war with no limits," said the Libyan leader, who was speaking on state
television for a second straight day without appearing in front of camera.
The leaders of Britain, France and the United States would "fall like Hitler ...
Mussolini," he warned. "All tyrants fall under the pressure of the populist
masses." "America, France, or Britain, the Christians that are in a pact against
us today, they will not enjoy our oil ... You are aggressors, you are animals,"
said Gadhafi. He added that his forces will not retreat from the battlefield.
The U.S., Britain and France bombarded Libya with missiles from air and sea
overnight Saturday in a multi-national action against Gadhafi's forces under a
United Nations Security Council resolution authorizing a no-fly zone. Libyan
state media said Western warplanes had bombed civilian targets in Tripoli,
causing casualties. An army spokesman said strikes also hit fuel tanks feeding
the rebel-held city of Misrata, east of Tripoli. Meanwhile, medics and Agence
France Presse correspondents said at least 94 people were killed in an assault
launched two days ago on the rebel-held city of Benghazi by forces loyal to
Gadhafi."Yesterday we had about 50 (bodies of civilians and rebel fighters) and
just today we issued about 35 death certificates," Doctor Khaled Mugasabi, a
forensic pathologist at Benghazi's Jala hospital, told AFP.(AFP-Naharnet)
Beirut, 20 Mar 11, 12:42
WikiLeaks:
LAF seized Hezbollah rockets during war
By MICHAEL OMER-MAN
03/20/2011 12:50
Lebanese defense minister told US ambassador his army willing to strike
Hezbollah; intercepted arms at height of 2nd Lebanon War, cable says.
During the height of the Second Lebanon War, the Lebanese army (LAF) seized a
shipment of rockets destined for Hezbollah, according to a leaked US State
Department cable, furnished by WikiLeaks and published by Lebanese newspaper Al-Akhbar
on Sunday. According to the cable, in a meeting with US Ambassador to Lebanon
Jeffrey Feltman, Lebanese Defense Minister Elias Murr claimed that during the
first week of August 2006, the LAF had intercepted and seized a container of
rockets bound for Hezbollah.The admission sheds light on the turbulent
relationship between the Lebanese government and Hezbollah, who was responsible
for starting the 2006 war with Israel. It shows the LAF actively restraining and
preventing their countrymen from resupplying arms in wartime.Earlier in the
meeting, the Lebanese defense minister said he believed that Syria had been able
to resupply Hezbollah with 2,500 rockets before Israel destroyed supply roads
linking Syria and Lebanon.Discussing the possibility that the war would escalate
further, Murr told Feltman that he did not believe Hezbollah would follow
through on threats to attack Tel Aviv. He said that the order for such an
escalation would need to come from Tehran. In order for that to happen, he
explained, Israel would have to strike downtown Beirut, which he didn't believe
would happen. He said that the only way the IDF would strike the center of
Lebanon's capital was if Hezbollah moved rocket launchers there, something he
dismissed as "impossible," saying, "I have too many soldiers there."Addressing
the impending cease fire, Murr told the US ambassador that the LAF was willing
to actively confront Hezbollah elements in southern Lebanon.According to the
American ambassador, "Murr stated clearly that the LAF was prepared to hit back
at Hezbollah if they attempted to fire at Israel or tried to draw Israeli fire
by placing launchers near to LAF positions."Asked by Feltman if he believed
Hezbollah would accept an LAF presence in the south of the country, the Lebanese
defense minister said, "Let them play with the Lebanese army. When we're in the
South, anyone who moves, we'll shoot at. No joke."In order to prevent further
Hezbollah rearming, Murr supported the idea of UNIFIL or other United Nations
forces deploying at Lebanese air and sea ports, "in order to reassure the
Israelis that Hezbollah will not be resupplied."The meeting between Murr and
Feltman took place just hours before a Lebanese cabinet session, which approved
the deployment of 15,000 LAF troops in southern Lebanon as part of a cease-fire
that would only later materialize as part of UNSC Resolution 1701.
Is this the Syrian spark?
20/03/2011
By Tariq Alhomayed/Asharq Al-Awsat
Demonstrations emerged after the Friday prayers in several cities in Syria:
Damascus, Homs, Baniyas, and in Daraa, in the south of the country on the border
with Jordan. These demonstrations resulted in deaths, injuries and arrests, so
are we now witnessing the Syrian spark?
Syria is by no means immune to what is happening in our region, in terms of
demonstrations and uprisings, yet of course at the same time, Syria is not like
other Arab states. As I have said repeatedly: Tunisia is not Egypt, and likewise
Bahrain is not like either of those states, because there are sectarian motives
there, and Yemen is also unique, for Sanaa is a highly complicated ticking time
bomb, especially with the intransigence of the Yemeni president, whilst Libya
remains open to all types of intimidation. As I noted above, Syria is not immune
to what is happening in our region, but Damascus has always tried to avoid
reality, using all tricks and excuses to postpone facing the truth. The problem
it faces now concerns the internal situation and the Syrian people, rather than
foreign affairs, which are somewhat favorable at the moment especially with the
calm on the Israeli border. Indeed, the Syrian-Israeli border is currently less
eventful than the Egyptian-Israeli border throughout the years of the Mubarak
regime.
Syria's problems are similar to those of other states which avoid reality and
believe that time stands still, and that their tricks always succeed. Their
modern history reminds us of empty slogans, yet the reality must be dealt with,
before an uprising becomes inevitable. The facts cannot be overlooked by
patronizing or lecturing the people, in the manner of Bouthaina Shaaban's
articles, who writes as if she's based out of Switzerland. The best way to deal
with the facts is to confront them. It is true that Syria is not like other
troubled Arab countries, but the Syrians have arguably greater cause for
grievance and resentment. Syria is the most deplorable example of a lack of
balance between the minority and the majority, something the international
community staunchly advocates these days. Yet some media, and likewise certain
news agencies, have not been as engrossed with the Syrian protests as they have
been with Bahrain for example. This is either because they have been prevented
from doing so, or because Syria does not have the readily available sectarian
motives and background as we saw in Bahrain, especially as depicted by some
photographers and many biased sources.
If this is the Syrian spark, then the coming situation will be very difficult,
especially after the Security Council resolution against Libya, and the
international emphasis on the relationship between the minority and majority.
There is a lack of international confidence in the Syrian approach, which is the
product of years of erroneous Syrian policies, and Damascus' historic hostility
towards the Muslim Brotherhood. We can add the critical internal situation to
this, both politically and economically, and the wider crisis facing Arab
republics in general. Thus the forthcoming era will be a difficult one, for
experience tells us that citizens will continue to defy their repressive
regimes, such as in Tunisia. When internal resentment is evident, the outcome is
usually explosive. What is happening in Syria must be seen as a good
development, for we must be aware of the anxiety and tension now evident in both
Iran and Hezbollah, whilst noting the extent of their extremism, and lack of
credibility. Will they condemn, for example, the use of violence against the
Syrians, and support the protestors' right to demonstrate peacefully, in the
same way in which they criticized Bahrain? I think the reader knows the answer!
Syria-bound Iranian Cargo Plane Forced to Land in Turkey
Naharnet/An Iranian cargo plane en route to Syria was forced to land in Turkey's
southeastern Diyarbakir airport for an inspection, security forces said Sunday.
The plane, a civilian Ilyushin, landed on Saturday night on the orders of the
Turkish authorities. Military fighter planes were on standby in case the plane
refused to comply. An inspection of the plane is on-going to check whether the
aircraft has any illicit or military material on board, security sources added.
Turkish authorities forced another Syrian-bound Iranian plane to land in
Diyarbakir on Wednesday last week. After a search lasting several hours, the
plane was found to be carrying 150 tons of food but "no material contrary to
international standards," security sources said. The plane was then allowed to
continue on to its destination. Anti-nuclear, biological and chemical material
unit of civilian defense teams also took part in the inspection of the plane,
Anatolia news agency reported. The U.N. nuclear watchdog agency has been probing
allegations since 2008 that Syria had been building an undeclared reactor at a
remote desert site called Dair Alzour until it was bombed by Israeli planes in
September 2007. Damascus granted U.N. inspectors one-off access to the site in
June 2008 but no follow-up visits. Earlier this month, the head of the
Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency, Yukiya Amano, complained that
Syria "has not cooperated with the agency since June 2008."(AFP) Beirut, 20 Mar
11, 10:24
Report: No Regional Green Light Yet on Cabinet Formation
Naharnet/Free Patriotic Movement leader Michel Aoun continued over the weekend
to hold onto his demands for 12 ministries, including the interior ministry
portfolio, in a 30-member cabinet, Premier-designate Najib Miqati's circles told
An Nahar daily in remarks published Sunday.Aoun's demands have further delayed
the formation of the government, the circles said.
Miqati is now waiting for answers from the envoys of Aoun, the speaker and the
Hizbullah leader over his proposals on their shares in the new cabinet.
An Nahar expected another meeting between Miqati from one side and Ali Hassan
Khalil, Hussein Khalil and Jebran Bassil on the other upon the latter's return
from Dubai.
Despite reports that the government deadlock is caused by Aoun's demands,
informed sources told An Nahar that the actual impasse was due to a lack of a
regional green light on the cabinet formation. A Syrian decision on the
government is inevitable, they said, adding that Damascus wouldn't give any
green light to Miqati before agreeing with Riyadh. "But this hasn't happened
yet." Pan-Arab daily al-Hayat also quoted informed sources as saying that Syria
should interfere to facilitate the cabinet formation. They did not rule out a
possible Syrian meddling in the next few days. Other sources told the newspaper
that the meeting between President Michel Suleiman and Miqati on Saturday was
aimed at mainly discussing the difficulties that the premier-designate is
facing. Beirut, 20 Mar 11, 09:19
Nasrallah Says Ready to Aid Arab People: Arms Uproar Won't Affect Us, Resistance
to Keep Arming
Naharnet/Hizbullah Secretary-General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah on Saturday
stressed that "all this uproar" in Lebanon over his party's arsenal of weapons
"will not affect the performance of the Resistance which will carry on with
training and arming" its fighters. "We have to deal calmly with everything being
said, as the Resistance's arsenal of weapons is fine and it will always be
pointed at the (Israeli) enemy, but let no one try to harass us," Nasrallah
added. In a televised address during a rally organized by Hizbullah in Beirut
Southern Suburbs in solidarity with the uprisings in the Arab world, Nasrallah
noted that the rally organized by the rival March 14 camp to commemorate the 6th
anniversary of the Cedar Revolution "went on without any violent incident."
"This proves that their allegations are false and that no weapons are pointed at
anyone's head," Hizbullah number one added. "Alongside the army and the Internal
Security Forces, the Resistance remained watchful throughout the night to
protect the security of those who were cursing it," he noted. As to political
rhetoric at the March 13 rally, Nasrallah said: "We didn't hear anything new to
comment." He stressed that Hizbullah will not be "dragged into any debates, but
if they have anything new we will respect it and discuss it."
"Should Israel threaten any Lebanese government that decides in the future to
start oil excavation off the southern coast, only the Resistance would force
Israel and the world to respect Lebanon's right," Nasrallah vowed. "How would we
defend our oil and gas? Through poetry and neckties?" he added, slamming the
March 13 speeches of Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea and caretaker Prime
Minister Saad Hariri, who took off his jacket and necktie and rolled up his
shirtsleeves as he addressed supporters gathered at Beirut's Martyrs Square.
Addressing the anticipated indictment of the U.N.-backed Special Tribunal for
Lebanon, Nasrallah said: "We consider it already released and no Sunni-Shiite
strife will erupt in Lebanon because of it." The tribunal -- tasked with
investigating the 2005 murder of ex-PM Rafik Hariri -- is reportedly readying to
implicate members of Hizbullah in the killing.
As to the process of forming a new cabinet in Lebanon following the January
felling of Saad Hariri's government by Hizbullah and its allies over a
long-running dispute over the STL, Nasrallah said that "despite the pressures,
the (new) majority will form a new cabinet headed by PM Najib Miqati." On the
other hand, Nasrallah said that Arab rulers cracking down on protesters should
listen to their people before it is too late. He stressed that the blood of the
people will eventually force their regimes to grant them greater rights.
"We tell the Arab peoples 'we are with you and we are ready to help you.'"
"The Lebanon of resistance calls on Arab peoples to be patient, steadfast and
confident of victory. God will grant you victory if you persist in your jihad,"
Nasrallah added. He said that Arab revolutions were started by "enthusiastic
youths who were later joined by the political elite and leaders." "A people
willing to offer this level of sacrifices cannot be defeated by the U.S., Israel
or anyone in this region," he vowed. "We will reevaluate our stance on the
United States' policies when it changes its stance on Palestine," Nasrallah said
of Washington's stances on the Arab uprisings. He called on the peoples of the
Arab nations not to be "fooled by the U.S. deceit and hypocrisy."
"Our peoples have become aware of the U.S. policies and they know that the
toppled regimes had been backed by the U.S. for tens of years," he added.
Nasrallah noted that foreign military intervention in Libya might make the North
African country "a victim of the game of nations."
"That's why we urge (Libyan) rebels there to be vigilant and from the Lebanon of
resistance we send our salutations to all jihadist fighters in Libya," he added.
Addressing the situation in Bahrain, Nasrallah said Gulf countries sent troops
into Bahrain to "defend a regime which no one is threatening to topple." "The
opposition in Bahrain is purely peaceful and yet Arab armies are being summoned
to confront it. This is a bizarre paradox. "I ask some in the Arab and Islamic
worlds: Why have you remained mum over the tyranny against our people in
Bahrain, is it only because they are Shiites?" Nasrallah wondered. Beirut, 19
Mar 11, 22:57
March 14 Snaps Back at Nasrallah: He Abolished the Constitution
Naharnet/A March 14 source criticized Hizbullah leader Sayyed Nasrallah, telling
An Nahar daily that the party chief spoke as if he was behind all freedoms in
Lebanon. "He abolished the constitution and the state."In remarks published
Sunday, the source mocked the Hizbullah chief, saying Nasrallah believes that
"all Lebanese should thank him for allowing them to express their
opinions."Nasrallah further believes that he is "the source of all authorities
and freedoms and that Hizbullah is the only authority and not the state," the
March 14 official said.
Nasrallah said during a rally in Beirut's southern suburbs on Saturday that the
sixth anniversary of the Cedar Revolution at Martyrs Square was violence free,
hinting that Hizbullah would not use its arms against the Lebanese as claimed by
the March 14 alliance."Alongside the army and the Internal Security Forces, the
Resistance remained watchful throughout the night to protect the security of
those who were cursing it," he noted. The March 14 source also said that
Caretaker Premier Saad Hariri would visit other Lebanese regions following his
trip to the northern port city of Tripoli where he campaigned against
Hizbullah's arms.Al-Mustaqbal movement official Mustafa Alloush told Voice of
Lebanon radio station on Sunday that if the Special Tribunal for Lebanon's
indictment had no value as claimed by Nasrallah, it wouldn't have been the major
"preoccupation" of the March 8 forces.Alloush considered a "threat" Nasrallah's
remark on "let no one interfere in the issue of arms." Beirut, 20 Mar 11, 10:00
Raad Calls March 14 Officials 'Filthy,' Hints Cabinet Formation Waiting for
Regional Developments
Naharnet/Hizbullah MP Mohammed Raad said Sunday that cables released by
WikiLeaks on the alleged conspiracy of March 14 officials against the resistance
would further unveil their "filthiness."During the opening of a conferences hall
and a public library in the town of Nabatiyeh in the south, Raad said: "The
upcoming leaks would probably show more filthiness from them."Al-Akhbar daily
has been lately unveiling what it says are WikiLeaks cables exposing secret
talks between anti-Hizbullah officials and U.S. diplomats.
The lawmaker also described the officials mentioned in the leaks as "midgets.""If
the resistance becomes strong, it wouldn't be at all like Rambo because it has a
cultural project and political, social and civilized awareness," he said.Raad
was referring to Caretaker Minister Butros Harb who has allegedly said that the
2006 war could turn Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah into a "Rambo
figure in the region." The lawmaker said the new Lebanese government should
include people who have an "independence and resistance vision" for the country.
Raad hinted that the cabinet formation process was awaiting developments in the
region. The government "should meet the expectations of the Lebanese who are
keen on being in harmony with developments in the region," he stressed. "It is
not right for us to be on a certain track and people in the region to take the
opposite direction," Raad added. Beirut, 20 Mar 11, 12:02
Lebanon Files U.N. Complaint over Attack on Embassy in
Libya, Miqati Briefs Suleiman on Govt Formation Consultations
Naharnet/President Michel Suleiman condemned on Saturday the attack on the
Lebanese Embassy in Libya and the burning of the Lebanese flag.
He said: "It is a blatant attack on Lebanon's sovereignty." The president urged
caretaker Foreign Minister Ali Shami to file an urgent complaint to the United
Nations in protest to the "blatant" violation of international law and the
Vienna Convention on diplomatic relations. Meanwhile, the Lebanese charges
d'affaires in Libya Nazih Ashour denied to MTV that the Lebanese Embassy in
Libya was attacked, saying that the Lebanese flag was taken down and replaced by
the Libyan one. "I assure that there are no injuries among the embassy
employees," he said. Later Saturday, the Lebanese foreign ministry filed the
complaint via Lebanon's permanent mission to the United Nations. The ministry
described the attack as a "blatant violation" of the embassy's diplomatic
immunity and the stipulations of the Vienna Convention on diplomatic relations.
It slammed "the Libyan regime's disdain of international conventions and laws."
"This attack came after the efforts exerted by Lebanon – as the representative
of the Arab bloc on the U.N. Security Council and under the mandate granted to
it by the resolution of the Arab League's ministerial meeting – led to passing
Security Council resolutions 1970 and 1973, whose implementation will lead to
protecting civilians in Libya from the systematic violence practiced by the
Gadhafi regime," Shami said, for his part. The foreign ministry also filed a
similar complaint with the Arab League's general secretariat.
On a separate note, Lebanon's permanent mission to the U.N. filed a complaint
against Israel with the Security Council over the Jewish state's planting of spy
devices in the southern town of Shamaa, which is part of UNIFIL's area of
deployment. Lebanon's foreign ministry described the Israeli violation as a
"blatant breach of the Lebanese sovereignty, international laws and U.N.
Security Council Resolution 1701, which threatens international peace and
security." "It also represents an act of aggression against Lebanese territory
and confirms once again Israel's disdain of U.N. resolutions and the UNIFIL
force," the ministry added. According to a statement issued by the ministry,
Lebanon has called on the Security Council to shoulder its responsibilities in
maintaining international peace and security and to pressure Israel into
quitting its hostile and provocative policies against Lebanon. Lebanon also
urged the Security Council to force Israel to implement UNSCR 1701's
stipulations, respect the UNIFIL's mandate and withdraw immediately from all
Lebanese territory. Earlier Saturday, Suleiman held talks with Prime
Minister-designate Najib Miqati on the government formation process. Beirut, 19
Mar 11, 19:12
Aoun in Dubai as Government Formation still Stuck over Interior Ministry
Portfolio
Naharnet/The political consultations over the government formation have entered
a "truce" after Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun's departure for
Dubai on Friday, said a source monitoring the government formation process.The
consultations will resume as soon as Aoun returns from his trip, revealing that
the meeting between Prime Minister-designate Najib Miqati, Hizbullah official
al-Hajj Hussein al-Khalil, Speaker Nabih Berri's advisor MP Ali Hasan Khalil,
and caretaker minister Jebran Bassil on Thursday led to an agreement over
methods to end the deadlock over the government formation. It said that one of
the solutions lies in granting Aoun ten ministers instead of 12, including the
interior and education ministries portfolios.
He will have to relinquish the telecommunications ministry portfolio in favor of
a Sunni minister chosen by Miqati The other solution calls for granting a
centrist group 11 ministers whereby President Michel Suleiman will be given two
portfolios, National Struggle Front leader MP Walid Jumblat will be given three,
and Miqati will be granted six.
The FPM will be granted ten portfolios, the Marada Movement two, AMAL four, and
Hizbullah three. The two solutions include the formation of a 30-minister
Cabinet, added the source.
It noted that the last meeting between Aoun and caretaker Interior Minister Ziad
Baroud has not led to an agreement over who should acquire the ministry.
"Suleiman is committed to reappointing Baroud as a minister, whether in the same
ministry or not," it added. "The President is also keen on granting the defense
and interior ministries to a neutral minister," it said. Meanwhile, Miqati's
sources told the daily An Nahar in remarks published on Saturday: "The premier-designate's
primary concern is forming the government and nothing else." "Any camp has the
right to explain matters as it wishes, but they have no right to usurp the
opinions of the residents of Tripoli who have voiced their opinions on more than
one occasion," they noted. "Miqati's circles are adopting silence over
developments over the government as the process has returned to the stagnant
stage due to Aoun's insistence on acquiring the interior ministry portfolio,
meaning he is opposed to Baroud's reappointment to his position," they said. "He
is also insisting on naming 12 Christian ministers therefore exceeding the
number allowed for a blocking minority, which Miqati had stated is not even
allowed by the constitution … and he is not prepared to form a government that
does not adhere to his convictions," they stated. The Central News Agency
reported from new majority sources on Friday that it has set next week as a
deadline as the latest possible date to form the government.
Miqati was informed that should a Cabinet fail to be formed, then Aoun and
Hizbullah will discuss a solution with National Struggle Front leader MP Walid
Jumblat and Syrian officials "seeing as the delay in the formation has started
to take its toll in and outside Lebanon." Beirut, 19 Mar 11, 09:44
Why Not Yemen, Tunisia, Egypt, Bahrain, Jordan, Syria,
Saudi Arabia etc ?
Author: Paul I. Adujie | March 21, 2011
Today, France, Britain and the United States began a process which will
culminate in the overthrow of Moamar Gadaffi, the dictator and tyrant who has
dominated Libya’s political stage for far too long!
http://www.ngex.com/news/public/article.php?ArticleID=1840
In attacking Libya, western nations led by France, have argued that Moamar
Gadaffi already has or is at the verge of massacring “his-own-people” as he
repelled or took counter measures against legitimate uprising, rebellion and
revolution against his more than 40 years dictatorships, tyranny and repression
against the people of Libya.
The truth is, the world is witnessing the onset of the invasion and occupation
of Libya for her sweet crude oil. This is Iraq all over again, in which Weapons
of Mass Destruction or WMD was used as smokescreen or camouflage and cotton-wool
over the eyes of the gullible, in the lead up to the invasion and occupation of
Iraq. Libya is being attacked, Libya will be invaded and occupied with a regime
change, under the guise of protecting Libyan people. It is false pretense. A
dangerous and terrible precedent is being set, a slippery slope will ensue.
Libya is at cusp of experiencing a regime change, engineered by western nations
under some banal pretexts. Western nations have hated and loathed Moamar
Gaddaffi forever, as a real and phantom or imagined enemy. Gaddaffi’s preachment
and stance as anti colonialist, anti imperialist and anti apartheid endeared him
to me in my youth and college days. Gaddaffi’s contradictions and
inconsistencies were revealed to me, through an anti African migrant agreement
which he entered with Italy and other European nations, in which Libya would be
paid, to act as the gatekeeper for Europe against African citizens desperate to
migrate to Europe through Libya, and other nations of North Africa.
Secondly, Gaddaffi’s virulent anti African stance was proven to me beyond doubt,
when he publicly suggested that Nigeria should be split into several component
parts as separate nations, and along regional, ethnic or cultural and linguistic
lines! All believers in the unity in diversity and indivisible plural one
Nigeria, as I am were irked by Gaddaffi’s petulance and impertinence. Let it be
known therefore, that my opinion is not anchored on defending Gaddaffi and his
sons, as they are clearly indefensible, in equal measure as they are brutal,
violent, repressive! Gaddaffi epitomized the worst form of dictatorship and
tyranny in the world today.
There is staggering hypocrisy and screeching-loud double standards in the
actions of these western nations, particularly in the face of the massacre of
more than 40 peaceful protesters in Yemen yesterday by the government of Yemen
and it’s paramilitary or militia. Hypocrisies by western nations is legendary
and even brazen now, in view of the fact that the were scores of deaths in
Tunisia, Egypt, Bahrain, Jordan, Syria, Saudi Arabia etc, all of which have
witnesses protests and demonstrations and violence to varying degrees in these
North African, Arabian and Middle Eastern nations since onset of these political
upheaval in January
On the African continent, we witnessed and are still witnessing instances of
rebellions and reprisals against rebels. Somalia is the worst example. Somalia
is an anarchic nation state, a disintegrated and failed nation state which have
not had a steady government since 1991. And yet, western nations have not
intervened to save the lives of innocent civilians. If only Somalia had crude
oil!? Somalia has since 1991 garnered the attention of western nations
intermittently, only when pirates on Somalis waters, the Somali flank of the
India Ocean, interferes briefly, with western commerce and merchandizing with
ocean going vessels, have we noticed ad hoc reactions or seeming recognition of
the existence of human life in Somalia. Western nations have had this episodic
reactions to the humanitarian crises in Somalia which is the root cause of the
Somali pirate phenomenon
In 1994, there were massacres in Rwanda of almost a million persons, a
monumental disaster which was later adjudged to have been motivated by hatred
and ethnic cleansing, and therefore, genocidal horrors, which arose in schism
and chasm between Hutu and Tutsi. Western nations folded their hands, despite
the presence of the United Nations troops! Since then, there have other
genocidal horrors in Darfur Sudan, in which millions of Darfurians Sudanese met
their untimely death, based primarily on their religion, race and southern
origins in the Sudan. President Bashir’s government in Khartoum received
criticisms, but there were not interventions, and Sudanese oil flowed even while
the International Criminal Court indicted Bashir and Khartoum government. Libya
is being attacked and invaded and Gaddaffi slated for overthrow and regime
change, but Bashir is not!
There have been frequent reports from the Congo, reports which suggests that
civilians noncombatants have been massacred, raped and abused, with resultant
dislocations and no interventions has been suggested. Liberia and Sierra Leone
had their own shares of conflicts, gratuitous violence and dislocations visited
upon innocent civilians, but for ECOWAS led by Nigeria, during which Nigeria
spent billions of dollars on peace keeping and stability, there were not murmur
or hints of intervention on humanitarian grounds, to secure, protect and
preserve innocent civilians in Liberia and Sierra Leone, perhaps because
Liberia, and Sierra Leone, quite unlike Iraq and Libya, do not have hydrocarbon
or fossil fuel oils?
In recent times, France has corralled efforts and world opinion against Laurent
Gbagbo, the incumbent President of Ivory Coast; Ivory Coast suffered an election
impasse or deadlock. President Gbago petitioned the highest court of that
nation, which resolved the petition upon adjudication in his favor. But the
candidate preferred by France and other western nations, Alsance Qoutarra is
being promoted as the winner of the November 28, 2010 elections. There are plans
hatched outside Africa, to invade the Ivory Coast in order to install Alsance
Qoutarra as stooge, this invasion would use Africans as tools, Nigeria being the
arrow head or the apex of such military intervention in Ivory Coast.
As oppose to the extreme measure which is what military intervention-invasion
is, how about a recount of the ballots? Alternatively, why wasn't a repeat and a
redo of the elections in Ivory Coast considered? Why the haste and what are the
reasons for foreclosing these options in favor of the extreme measure of
military invasion over election stalemate? How about the humanitarian crises and
refugees and destabilization of the entire West African sub-region which will
probably result from the planned military invasion? A repeat election is more
cost effective and better for all parties concerned. Military invasion comes
with unintended consequences, even when such invasion had any justification...
there are the known and unknowable of wars! What if there are elections deadlock
in Nigeria in April 2011? What if there elections stalemate or impasse in Kenya
or South Africa in those nations' next elections, there will be outside military
interventions? How does this promote democracy, due process and the rule of law,
and other much vaunted democratic ideals?
Libya, Iraq before it, and perhaps Ivory Coast is next, are supposed to be
politically independent, sovereign nations with territorial integrity, inviolate
and sacrosanct. And only extraordinary circumstances ought to trigger external
intervention and interference in the internal affairs of a particular nation by
another or by several other nations. This affront and breach of international
law, conventions and protocols are particularly offensive in view of the fact
that it is deployed and used selectively. Even most egregious examples and apt
illustration of western nations’ staggering and jaw dropping hypocrisy and
double standards is the fact that the attack against Libya and the Gaddaffi
clan, is predicated, ostensibly, on the protection of “innocent-civilians” as
Gaddaffi and his sons, the undeclared royal family and unconstitutional monarchy
of Libya, have during the past several weeks engaged in violence and massacres
directed at Kaddafi’s “own-people”
The glaring contradictions and inconsistencies by western governments in these
matters are legendary! Yemen’s political leadership have through it’s militia
and paramilitary massacred peaceful protesters and their “own-people” even as
recent as yesterday, when over 40 Yemeni citizens were murdered by agents of the
government of Yemen. But no planned intervention, invasion, and occupation of
Yemen by western nations. After all, WikiLeaks and Julian Assange enlightened us
as to how the American government compelled the government of Yemen to deceive
it’s own people, by being the fall guy for American military operations inside
Yemen, which have led to scores of deaths in Yemen. All this, not in pursuit of
Yemen’s national or strategic interests. Yemen is a client nation state, eager
to serve interests of western nations, so, no intervention in Yemen, no invasion
and occupation or regime change for Yemen.
In Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Syria, Algeria and Tunisia and Egypt before
that, there were peaceful public demonstrations, and protests, in these nations,
which have been stereotyped populaces, culture and region with blood-lusts,
where folks are liable to and prone to engage in mindless violence without logic
or reason. Meanwhile, peacefulness have been the key word, and catchphrase in
these protests which began in Tunisia, then Egypt, Jordan, Bahrain, Yemen, etc.
Peacefulness have been exemplified in the tidal wave of revolutions, political
upheaval and demands for individual rights, freedoms and a further demand for
democracy, the rule of law and an end to political repressions. Mindless
murderers and Political Islam which is dreaded by western nations never
capitalized on these peaceful protest. And those who are supposed to be mindless
murderers for pleasure in the in Islamic-Arab World, and North Africa, were
nowhere to be found!
Peacefulness or no peacefulness, it is the case that citizens who have engaged
in legitimate demand for economic, political and constitutional reforms in the
aforementioned North African, Middle Eastern-Arab and Persian nations, have
subjected to brutal attack, extremely draconian and murderous attacks by the
various dictatorships and tyrannies in Tunisia, Egypt, Jordan, Bahrain, and more
particularly so, in Yemen. Western nations’ military armada are now engaged in
direct intervention, invasion and occupation of Libya, predicated on the
propaganda, neatly packaged, which insists that Moamar Gaddaffi and his sons are
engaging in massacres of “their-own-people” innocent civilians and all! But, it
must be pointed out, and these pretentious western nations should be reminded
that the innocent civilians in Libya, those engaged in uprising and revolution
or rebellion in Libya are not different in the plights, predicaments and fates
when compared to equally beleaguered peaceful protesters and demonstrators in
other North African Arab and Middle Eastern nations already mentioned above.
What exactly is the criteria for selecting Libya? And how can western nations
sustain reasonable argument which would convince anyone as to the difference
between Libya, and most of the North African and Middle Eastern nations with
similar uprisings? Why cherry pick Libya, as opposed to Yemen etc?
Why is it that western nations are splendidly disinterested in economic and
political reforms, or the establishment and promotion-advancement of democracy
in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Dubai, Bahrain, Yemen, Syria, Egypt, etc? These are
nations where single individuals and or families have dominated and colonized
political space for decades, with winks and nods and active encouragements by
and from western nations which are only interested in free flow of oil and the
protections and preservation of their parochial and myopic interests.
Western nations have historically and perennially mouthed so-called western
ideals a la democracy, due process, the rule of law and human rights etc, and
yet, when the chips are down, and when it is time for these same western nations
to put their monies where their mouths are, they have always preferred to
undermine, subvert and rather truncate democracy and good governance in the hot
pursuit of their national and strategic interests, based on expediencies and
exigent and ad hoc worldview. This repeated concave and shortsightedness have
often backfired historically. Think Cuba, Chile, Iran, Afghanistan etc
This shortsightedness, this myopia, this parochial worldview, measured only by
fleeting and fluid western interest is root causes of all the troubles in the
world. This invasion, occupation and regime change in Libya is again motivated
by land grab and the new scramble for resources, particularly oil in the Middle
East, Arabia, Persia, and in the case of Libya, you could say, North Africa,
perhaps it is time to raise our collective alert to the fact that there is a new
scramble for Africa and her resources, and Libya is the first step, and the
first salvo was fired today, led by the French, Britain and America, albeit,
with tacit and arguably feeble support from the Arab League and the African
Union.
It is extremely shameful to see how often expedient western interests trumps and
trounces so-called ideals
All things considered and particularly in view of the situations in the various
North African and Middle Eastern nations which are already referenced and
outlined above, many are curious to know, why there are no plans to similarly
intervene directly, invade, occupy and do regime changes in all the nations
which are currently undergoing tidal waves of political upheaval by way of
peaceful demonstrations and protests. Especially, as in Yemen where peaceful
protesters have been murdered and massacred in large numbers!
The question which should be on everyone’s lips, therefore, is, why Libya? If
Libya, why not Somalia, Sudan, Bahrain, Yemen, Syria, Saudi Arabia etc? I hold
all dictators and tyrants in equal contempt and disdain, and it is irrelevant
whether such dictatorships or tyrannies are theocratic, monarchical or military.
Libya possesses the highly valued crude oil, a particularly less sulfuric
version, known as the sweet crude, a West Texas Intermediate sibling or
equivalent. And only a fool and a communist would believe that crude oil in
Libya has anything to do with western nations’ attacks, intervention, and
planned invasion, occupation and regime change in Libya.
Only a floozy conspiracy theorist, would as fathom the silly idea, that Libya’s
resources and strategic geographic location, makes Libya a launching pad for the
new scramble for resource on the African continent and Middle East region by
western nations!
http://www.international.gc.ca/media/aff/news-communiques/2011/112.aspx
Statement by Minister Cannon on Protests in Syria
(No. 112 – March 19, 2011 – 7:30 p.m. ET) The Honourable Lawrence Cannon,
Minister of Foreign Affairs, today issued the following statement after the
deaths of several protestors in Syria: “Canada urges the Government of Syria to
respect the rights of its people to freedom of assembly and freedom of
expression. We call upon the Syrian authorities to fully investigate these
deaths.“We strongly urge all Canadian citizens currently in Syria to register
with the Registration of Canadians Abroad service in order to receive the
Government of Canada’s latest updates and advice.”
The
Guardians of the Cedars Party - The Movement for Lebanese Nationalism issued the
following message:
The election of the Maronite Patriarch has been a distinct hallmark of Lebanese
history across the ages, and had a local and regional dimension that transcended
the Maronite community and the nation. Locally, the role played by the holy
patriarchs was decisive in preserving Lebanon's independence and the freedom of
its people, and to firmly cement its geographic and political existence; they
truly deserved the title of "Lebanon's glory was given to them." Regionally,
they were active and influential players, which earned them the title of
Patriarchs of Antioch and all the East. For their piety, it was said about them,
"Their hearts are golden, and their staffs are wooden."
As is well known, the See of the Maronite Patriarchate in Bkirki, the Valley of
Qannubin, Yanouh, Meghayri, Eilij, Ehdin, or wherever those Patriarchs elected
to stay, was the first authority to which the Lebanese resorted during the
crises, strives, dangers and wars that would befall the country from time to
time, as well as the impervious rock upon which foreign conspiracies, invasions
and ambitions were shattered since the Arab Conquest, the Umayyad Empire, the
Mamalikes, the Ottoman occupation, the French Mandate, and through the
Palestinian-Syrian-Iranian occupation that continues to crush the nation to this
hour.
In this context, yesterday's election of the new Patriarch Mar Beshara Boutros
Al-Rai occurs in extremely dangerous and tenuous circumstances, which makes his
task all that much more difficult, particularly in the midst of an explosive
political situation, sharp divisions that have torn apart the rank and file of
the community and the nation, and a political shallowness that has hit rock
bottom in pettiness, decadence, and depravity.
Yet, despite this gloomy picture, a wave of joy and optimism engulfed the
Lebanese when they heard the news of Patriarch Al-Rai's election, and there is
no other explanation for this feeling than the people's sensing in it a
harbinger of better days ahead and the return of hope to their distraught souls
and of life to a nation tossing about on its death bed.
As we join our voice to the voices of the optimists who welcome his Beatitude to
the patriarchal seat, we pray to God to grant him many blessings, including the
blessing of wisdom to stand for right, the blessing of courage to stand up to
wrong and to evil forces, and the blessing of patience to bear the heavy – and
many – burdens awaiting him.
In view of the political bankruptcy across constitutional, governmental and
party institutions in Lebanon, the eyes of the Lebanese, in all their sects and
affiliations, are on Bkirki, hoping and wishing that it regains its historic
role in restoring what these cursed times have destroyed.
Lebanon, at your service
Abu Arz
March 18, 2011