LCCC
ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
ِMarch
26/2011
Biblical Event Of The
Day
1/26-36: "Now in the sixth
month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee, named Nazareth,
1:27 to a virgin pledged to be married to a man whose name was Joseph, of the
house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 1:28 Having come in, the angel said
to her, “Rejoice, you highly favored one! The Lord is with you. Blessed are you
among women!” 1:29 But when she saw him, she was greatly troubled at the saying,
and considered what kind of salutation this might be. 1:30 The angel said to
her, “Don’t be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 1:31 Behold, you
will conceive in your womb, and bring forth a son, and will call his name
‘Jesus.’ 1:32 He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High. The
Lord God will give him the throne of his father, David, 1:33 and he will reign
over the house of Jacob forever. There will be no end to his Kingdom.” 1:34 Mary
said to the angel, “How can this be, seeing I am a virgin?” 1:35 The angel
answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High
will overshadow you. Therefore also the holy one who is born from you will be
called the Son of God. 1:36 Behold, Elizabeth, your relative, also has conceived
a son in her old age; and this is the sixth month with her who was called
barren. 1:37 For everything spoken by God is possible.” 1:38 Mary said, “Behold,
the handmaid of the Lord; be it to me according to your word."
Latest
analysis, editorials, studies, reports, letters & Releases
from
miscellaneous
sources
Hezbollah, at home alone/By:
Michael Young/March
25/11
Morally empty,
constitutionally illegal/Now
Lebanon
Canada Condemns Violence in Syria/March
25/11
Canada Condemns Rocket
Attacks Against Israel/March
25/11
Canada Announces New Contribution
to Special Tribunal for Lebanon/March
25/11
Syria protests highlight absurdity
of ruling regime/International Business Times/March
25/11
Latest News Reports From Miscellaneous Sources for March
25/11
Al-Rahi: Sfeir Struggled against
Occupation, Hegemony, Lebanon Monopolization by a Group is Scorn against Us All/Naharnet
Syria unrest has wide
ramifications in Lebanon, analysts say/Now
Lebanon
Syrian opposition-in-exile
says regime must fall/AFP
Thousands March to Protest Syria Killings/New
York Times
Syria's Assad willing to lift emergency
law/Christian Science Monitor
In Syria: 'Difficult To Know Exactly Which Way
It Will Go'/NPR
Israeli and Saudi leaders in Moscow
as Palestinians ramp up missile strikes/DEBKAfile
Syria's Bashar al-Assad faces
most serious unrest of his tenure/Washington Post
Obama administration condemns
Syria crackdown/Reuters
Syria: security forces fire on
protesters outside mosque/Telegraph.co.uk
Thousands continue protests in
Syria/Los Angeles Times/International Business Times
Syria opposition dismiss Assad
response to protests/Ynetnews
Middlebury College student
missing in Syria/NECN
Kurds in Syria 'waiting to take
to the streets,' academic says/CNN
Russians still intend to go through
with
Syria missile sale/J.Post
'Assad using Hezbollah to
suppress civil unrest'/Ynetnews
Gulf states 'to deport Hezbollah,
Iranian agents'/AFP
Gulf states 'to deport Hezbollah,
Iranian agents'/AFP
Cycling tourists kidnapped in
Lebanon/UPI
Suspect
Arrested as Search for Kidnapped Estonians Continues/Naharnet
Analysis: Syria Unrest has
Wide Ramifications in Lebanon/Naharnet
Berri Responding to
WikiLeaks: Statements Attributed to Me are Very Accurate/Naharnet
WikiLeaks: Feltman Says
Should Beat Iran in Reconstructing Lebanon/Naharnet
WikiLeaks: Elias Murr Says
Army Presence in South Should be Bolstered to End Nasrallah's Arrogant Rhetoric/Naharnet
WikiLeaks: Saniora Feared
Hizbullah Would Topple his Cabinet/Naharnet
WikiLeaks: Hariri Promised
Feltman to Abolish Hizbullah/Naharnet
Berri Says Government
Formation Process Begins to Heat Up/Naharnet
Unknown Assailants Toss
Grenade in Blat Jbeil, Causing Damage/Naharnet
Geagea Hits Back at
Nasrallah: Ready to File Lawsuits on Arms' Breach of Constitution/Naharnet
Assad, Jumblat Urge Return
to 'Calm, Rational Political Dialogue'/Naharnet
Hariri Meets Geagea: We're
Seeking to End Arms Hegemony, Not to Eliminate Anyone/Naharnet
Al-Rahi: Sfeir
Struggled against Occupation, Hegemony, Lebanon Monopolization by a Group is
Scorn against Us All
A ceremony to inaugurate Beshara al-Rahi as the 77th patriarch of the Maronite
church was held Friday in Bkriki, in the presence of the country's top leaders
and Arab and Western envoys. President Michel Suleiman, Speaker Nabih Berri,
caretaker premier Saad Hariri and Prime Minister-designate Najib Miqati
participated in the ceremony. Cabinet ministers, MPs, party leaders, diplomats,
heads of the country's different sects and other dignitaries also attended the
event which was followed by a dinner banquet thrown by al-Rahi in honor of a
number of participants. MTV reported that the banquet gathered Suleiman, Berri,
Miqati and Hariri, in addition to 77 public figures and 17 members of al-Rahi's
family. A March 8 source has told The Daily Star that Miqati and Free Patriotic
Movement leader Michel Aoun were expected to meet on the sidelines of the dinner
to try to end the rift over the interior ministry portfolio. "Lebanon is the
country of partnership, which is built on parity between Muslims and
Christians," said al-Rahi after he was ordained by outgoing patriarch Nasrallah
Sfeir. Al-Rahi's inauguration sermon carried an emotional message to Sfeir which
highlighted the fact that he was the one who had ordained al-Rahi as a bishop in
1986 and the one who ordained him as a patriarch Friday. Reminiscing the history
of his predecessors, Al-Rahi said that "Sfeir struggled to liberate Lebanon from
all occupations and hegemonies."
Addressing President Suleiman, the new patriarch said: "We ask God to guide your
steps and my steps in service of the country and the church." "The glory of
Lebanon lies in its message, and it had been said in the past that the glory of
Lebanon is given to the Maronite patriarch. "The glory of Lebanon diminishes
through isolationism and grows with openness towards the Orient and the world.
Glory would rather be given to Lebanon and its people if we were all for the
country," al-Rahi added. He said that "through partnership and love," he would
cooperate with the country's leaders – "Berri, Hariri and Miqati and all the
ministers and MPs." "The country is not for a sect, a party or a group and it
shall not be monopolized, because the monopolization of Lebanon by a single
group would represent scorn against us all," al-Rahi stressed. As to the unrest
sweeping the Arab region, the new patriarch said he was "worriedly following up
on the events in our Arab countries." "We express our regret over the deaths and
injuries and pray for peace in those countries," he added.
"You may be wondering about my agenda for the coming days and you have expressed
your expectations and concerns. My agenda represents a continuation of the
history of my predecessors throughout 1,600 years," al-Rahi declared.An Nahar
daily reported Friday that al-Rahi decided to spend his weekend at one of the
Maronite archdioceses and would later start a tour to other countries. Syria
might be the new patriarch's first stop, the newspaper said. It quoted him as
telling his visitors that he would spend two days in each Lebanese region.
Asked if he would visit southern Lebanon, which is a Hizbullah stronghold, al-Rahi
reportedly said: "I will not exclude any area."
Beirut, 25 Mar 11, 21:38
Lebanon Celebrates al-Rahi's
Inauguration with Participation of High-Ranking Officials
Naharnet/The inauguration mass of Beshara al-Rahi, the country's 77th Maronite
patriarch, is scheduled to be held in Bkirki on Friday afternoon with the
attendance of the country's top leaders. President Michel Suleiman, Speaker
Nabih Berri, caretaker Premier Saad Hariri and Prime Minister-designate Najib
Miqati will participate in the ceremony that is scheduled to start at 5:00 pm.
Cabinet Ministers, MPs, party leaders, diplomats, heads of the country's
different sects and other dignitaries will also attend the event which will be
followed by a dinner to be hosted by al-Rahi. A March 8 source told The Daily
Star that Miqati and Free Patriotic Movement leader Michel Aoun are expected to
meet on the sidelines of the dinner to try to end the rift over the interior
ministry portfolio. Bishop Roland Abu Jawdeh invited all Lebanese, Christians in
particular, to attend the mass. He told Voice of Lebanon radio station on Friday
that there was no need to show invitation cards to take part in the ceremony. An
Nahar daily said that al-Rahi decided to spend his weekend at one of the
Maronite archdiocese and would later start a tour to other countries. Syria
might be the new patriarch's first stop, the newspaper said. It quoted him as
telling his visitors that he would spend two days in each Lebanese region.
Asked if he would visit southern Lebanon, which is a Hizbullah stronghold, al-Rahi
reportedly said: "I will not exclude any area." Beirut, 25 Mar 11, 08:56
Syria
unrest has wide ramifications in Lebanon, analysts say
March 25, 2011/Now Lebanon
Lebanon, which for nearly 30 years endured Syria's military and political
hegemony, is closely eyeing developments in Damascus which will undoubtedly have
ramifications on the local scene, analysts say. "Any change in Syria will have a
huge impact on the balance of power in Lebanon," said political analyst Raghid
al-Solh, an expert on the Arab world.
Syria has historically viewed Lebanon as part of its territory and for 29 years
had a troop presence there until it was forced to end its military domination in
April 2005.
The pullout was spurred by massive international pressure over the killing two
months earlier of Lebanese ex-Premier Rafik Hariri who died in a massive bomb
attack that many blamed on Syria, which has denied involvement.
But while its soldiers have pulled out, Damascus today still exerts great
political influence in Lebanon where rival camp are divided on the issue.
One camp is backed by the United States and Saudi Arabia while the other, led by
the powerful Shia Hezbollah, is supported by Syria and Iran.
"Hezbollah will be adversely affected should the uprising in Syria expand," Solh
told AFP. "An escalation, on the other hand, will give hope to those opposed to
Syrian hegemony in Lebanon."
Zyad Maged, political science professor at the American University of Paris,
said should the revolt in the southern town of Daraa spread throughout Syria,
that would weaken the regime and destabilize its allies in Lebanon.
"Hezbollah is hoping the domestic unrest in Syria ends quickly even if it's
through repression," Maged said. "The Syrian regime offers a guarantee for them,
geographically at least."
Damascus has been accused of smuggling missiles and other sophisticated weapons
to the militant party which in 2006 fought a devastating war with Israel.
Maged said the current uprisings shaking the Arab world and the evolving
geo-political scene in the region greatly limit Syria's capacity to meddle in
Lebanese politics.
"In the past Damascus used to divert attention from its internal problems by
keeping Syrian public opinion focused on various crises it would ignite
elsewhere,' he said, referring to Syria's role in the conflicts in Iraq, Lebanon
and as concerns the Palestinians.
Lebanon today has been without a government since January, when Hezbollah
toppled the Western-backed Premier Saad Hariri over his refusal to cut ties with
a UN court probing the 2005 assassination of his father Rafik.
The court is expected to indict members of Hezbollah in connection with the
murder.
Analysts said a solution to the current political vacuum in Lebanon hinges to
some extent on Syria, which may be too preoccupied by its internal troubles to
focus on its neighbor.
"The unrest could also spur Damascus to quickly push for the government to be
formed in Lebanon so that it can then concentrate on its own problems," Maged
said.
For now, both rival camps in Lebanon have kept mum on developments in Syria but
their media outlets clearly reflect their diverging positions.
Television stations and newspapers close to the Western-backed camp are giving
great importance to the unrest in Daraa while those close to Hezbollah are
underplaying it.
As for the Lebanese, their opinions on the unrest next door are visible on
social networking sites. "Heroes of Daraa, Spring is coming your way," reads one
message on Facebook.
But Jamal Safieddin, a resident of the mainly Shiite southern coastal city of
Tyre, held a different view. "The Syrian president implemented many reforms," he
said. "Those blowing the events in Syria out of proportion are nothing but
troublemakers."-AFP/NOW Lebanon
Suspect
Arrested as Search for Kidnapped Estonians Continues
The army arrested a Lebanese citizen on Friday on suspicion of being involved in
the kidnapping of the seven Estonian tourists earlier this week, reported the
National News Agency.
The search for the tourists is ongoing as the army conducted comprehensive
sweeps of the Deir Zannoun and Masnaa roads near Majdal Anjar – Sweira, as it is
suspected that the captives may be held in that area. Army and police set up
checkpoints and raided several places in the mountainous area of Kfar Zabad
where the gunmen were seen headed after abducting the group, an army spokesman
said. "We have set up an operations center in the region and we are searching
any place that looks suspicious," the spokesman told AFP, speaking on condition
of anonymity. The Estonians, all men between the ages of 25 and 40, had crossed
legally into Lebanon from Syria on Wednesday and were intercepted at about 5:30
pm (1530 GMT) by two white vans and a dark Mercedes with no license plates in
the industrial part of the city of Zahle, officials said. "They were forced at
gunpoint into the vans which headed toward the eastern Bekaa village of Kfar
Zabad," a security official said. The Popular Front for the Liberation of
Palestine-General Command (PFLP-GC) has a military base in the area, but a
spokesman for the pro-Syrian group said it had nothing to do with the
kidnappings. However, a security official said without elaborating that "the
three vehicles carrying the seven Estonians were seen entering Ain al-Baida," a
PFLP-GC position not far from its main base. Estonia's foreign ministry said it
had been in touch with families of the missing tourists and would be sending an
envoy to Lebanon where the Baltic country has no embassy.(naharnet-AFP)
30-Member Cabinet to Witness Light Soon Amid Reported Deal on Interior Ministry
Portfolio
Naharnet/The Lebanese were optimistic on Friday that the new government would be
formed within days after a new draft lineup proposed by Premier-designate Najib
Miqati reportedly received the consent of major political parties. "Lebanon will
have a government before the end of the month. The next few days are decisive
and crucial," a source close to Miqati told several Lebanese dailies. He said
the draft 26-member cabinet lineup presented by Miqati to President Michel
Suleiman on Tuesday was turned down for "sectarian reasons."
The new draft 30-member lineup includes mainly politicians and some technocrats
and is expected to appease Free Patriotic Movement leader Michel Aoun, An Nahar
daily said.
Sources following up the consultations said Miqati is now discussing with
involved parties the names of ministers and distribution of portfolios. They
said the premier-designate met on Thursday night with Progressive Socialist
Party leader Walid Jumblat and Caretaker Minister Ghazi Aridi following their
return from Damascus. Jumblat informed Miqati about Syrian keenness to speed up
the formation of the cabinet, As Safir daily reported. Miqati also met with
Speaker Nabih Berri in Ain el-Tineh. Berri's advisor MP Ali Hassan Khalil
attended the meeting on Thursday. An Nahar said that a delegation from the March
8 forces would visit Rabiyeh on Friday to discuss with Aoun the cabinet
formation. The newspaper hinted that optimism on the formation of the government
in a few days came after Marada leader Suleiman Franjieh, an ally of Aoun,
agreed to be given the interior ministry portfolio. It said making the portfolio
as part of Franjieh's share in the government was the only solution to the
ongoing bickering between Aoun and Suleiman, who were both holding onto the
interior ministry. Beirut, 25 Mar 11, 08:13
Report: Hizbullah Advises its Leadership to Avoid Making Syria Visits
Naharnet/The leadership of Hizbullah has informed its officials not to travel to
Syria after the recent violent events in the southern city of Daraa, according
to An Nahar daily on Friday. The newspaper said that the Shiite party's advisory
on Thursday night came because Hizbullah organizes weekly trips to Damascus to
visit the Sayyeda Zainab shrine. Human rights activists called for
demonstrations around Syria on Friday in response to a crackdown that protesters
say killed dozens of anti-government marchers in Daraa. The coming days will be
a crucial test of the surge of popular discontent that has unseated autocrats in
Tunisia and Egypt and threatens to push several others from power.
Unknown
Assailants Toss Grenade in Blat Jbeil, Causing Damage
Naharnet/Unknown assailants tossed at dawn Friday a grenade at the house of
Aqoura town mayor Butros al-Hashem in Blat Jbeil, causing material damage only,
the National News Agency reported. NNA said the glasses of an apartment in the
building were shattered. The assailants also opened fire on three vehicles that
belong to the mayor, parked outside the building, the agency said. It added that
Jbeil's police station launched an investigation to identify the assailants.
Beirut, 25 Mar 11, 10:52
Geagea Hits Back at Nasrallah: Ready to File Lawsuits on Arms' Breach of
Constitution
Naharnet/Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea stated on Thursday that the March
14 camp does not deny what was reported in the recently published WikiLeaks
cables. He said during a press conference: "All that was said in the cables, I
repeat every day. All that we stated is true and we are free to perceive them as
we wish." He added in an indirect reference to Hizbullah that the cables are
impressions dictated by an ambassador to a writer who then sends them to the
U.S. State Department. There, they are archived and then released to a Lebanese
newspaper where they are translated and published, he said. Geagea noted: "They
say that the documents are terrible and they want to condemn people based on
them. The other camp is using WikiLeaks in order to intimidate us and others who
don't think the way they do." "It's as if they want to set up a ministry
dedicated for trying all who do not see things their way," he remarked. He asked
Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah without naming him: "Who appointed you
as the resistance?""We consider you to be an armed Lebanese party and you cannot
force us to believe that you are a resistance. Hizbullah cannot govern the
Lebanese based on its perception of affairs," he stressed.
"No one appointed Hizbullah to protect Lebanon and we don't want them to make
sacrifices for us. Let the army present the sacrifices," he continued. In
addition, he said: "If you want to file lawsuits, then our files are ready as
well." He asked: "Does Hizbullah's military power answer to the President as
stipulated by article 49 of the constitution, or is it subject to Cabinet? Does
the state oversee the party's military operations or not?""The government has
the right to announce a state of emergency and end it, while Hizbullah does the
same, including staging a prisoner swap with Israel, which the government is not
even involved in," he noted.
"This is a violation of the constitution," Geagea stated. "Is there still any
need for the constitution and laws?" he asked. Addressing Hizbullah's recent
positions on Bahrain and Egypt, he remarked: "A state's foreign policy should be
declared by the government and not a party within the country.""They say that
the ministerial statement discusses resisting Israel, but who said that that
resistance means you?" he asked. The statement stipulates that the government is
the sole authority concerned with Lebanon's defense strategy, he
stressed.Furthermore, Lebanon's penal code states that punishments should be
laid down on armed groups existing outside the state, he noted. "The situation
in Lebanon cannot persist and we can no longer be held responsible for other
people's actions," Geagea said. Beirut, 24 Mar 11, 19:08
Berri Responding to WikiLeaks: Statements Attributed to Me are Very Accurate
Naharnet/Speaker Nabih Berri did not deny the recent WikiLeaks reports that have
been published exclusively in Al-Akhbar newspaper. An MP had asked the speaker
of his opinion on the cables, to which he responded: "All I know is that what
was attributed to me are very accurate." Al-Akhbar reported on Friday that the
MP wanted Berri's position on caretaker Health Minister Mohammed Jawad
Khalifeh's statements that were reported in the leaked cable. Berri had stated
in one cable that the liberation of the Israeli-occupied Shabaa Farms would
eliminate Hizbullah's excuse for maintaining its possession of arms. Another
cable reported Khalifeh as saying that the speaker was upset with Hizbullah
chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah's victory speech at the end of the July 2006 war.
The speaker also deceived two Hizbullah ministers when he agreed to the August
16 government decision to deploy the Lebanese army in southern Lebanon, which
according to Khalifeh violated some "red lines" that Nasrallah and Berri had
agreed upon, said the cable. Beirut, 25 Mar 11, 12:46
WikiLeaks: Feltman Says Should Beat Iran in Reconstructing Lebanon
Naharnet/A leaked U.S. Embassy cable published exclusively in Al-Akhbar on
Friday revealed that then U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon Jeffrey Feltman had
presented the American administration with a list of suggestions for
reconstructing Lebanon after the July 2006 war. According to the WikiLeaks
cable, dated August 14, 2006, the ambassador said that despite the ceasefire
between Hizbullah and Israel, the situation could easily spiral out of control
should either of them cross any red lines, which would discourage countries from
sending troops to the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon. He added that the
U.S. administration should take the initiative to uncover the cluster bombs
Israel dropped over Lebanon at the end of the war given that the U.S. is
responsible for arming Israel. Feltman's suggestions included providing housing
for the displaced residents, reopening hospitals, and facilitating
transportation in the South.In the long run, he said, the U.S. should be
prepared to reconstruct the most heavily damaged areas of fighting in order to
beat Iran's funding of such projects.
He stressed that the U.S. needs to be generous, flexible, and swift in its
action.
WikiLeaks: Elias Murr Says Army Presence in South Should be Bolstered to End
Nasrallah's Arrogant Rhetoric
Naharnet/Defense Minister Elias Murr stressed that the Lebanese army cannot
properly establish itself in the South alongside Hizbullah's armed presence,
reported a leaked U.S. Embassy cable published exclusively in Al-Akhbar on
Friday. He added that the army's position in the South should be bolstered "as
soon as possible" in order to destroy Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah's
"rude and arrogant" rhetoric displayed during his August 14, 2006 speech, said
the WikiLeaks cable dated August 15, 2006. In addition, the minister informed
then U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon Jeffrey Feltman of the proceedings of the
Naqoura meeting between Lebanese and Israeli army officers aimed at coordinating
Israel's withdrawal from the South at the end of the July 2006 war. Murr told
the ambassador that the Israelis were "friendly, asking if the Lebanese army
would deploy in the South" as soon as possible."The Israeli army's performance
during the war was weak, especially during the past two days when tens of
Israeli soldiers were killed, which left Hizbullah with a sense of victory," he
noted. "The Israeli army has left us in a difficult position … They are the
worst army in the world," Murr added.a Beirut, 25 Mar 11, 11:48
WikiLeaks: Saniora Feared Hizbullah Would Topple his Cabinet
Naharnet/Former Premier Fouad Saniora reportedly said after the 2006 war that he
feared Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah would topple the government.
In a WikiLeaks cable dated August 16, 2006, Saniora told then U.S. Ambassador
Jeffrey Feltman that he was making every effort to deploy the Lebanese army as
quick as possible in the south. Furthermore, the deployment of UNIFIL in the
area further consolidates the army, he said. Saniora expressed fears, however,
that Nasrallah would seek to topple his cabinet, achieving what he failed to
accomplish during the war with Israel. According to the cable, the former PM saw
Nasrallah's claims of victory as "empty words" given the large number of
casualties in Lebanon. Beirut, 25 Mar 11, 11:08
WikiLeaks: Hariri Promised Feltman to Abolish Hizbullah
Naharnet/Caretaker Prime Minister Saad Hariri has reportedly told former U.S.
Ambassador Jeffrey Feltman that he would abolish Hizbullah once the Lebanese
army is consolidated.
In a WikiLeaks cable published by al-Akhbar daily on Monday, Hariri told Feltman
during a meeting in Qoreitem on August 20, 2006 that as long as the army is
weaker than Hizbullah, then it should be in a less threatening position. Hariri
stressed to the former ambassador that the international community had kept the
Lebanese military weak which made it become a Hizbullah subordinate. The U.S.
administration should consolidate Lebanese state institutions, particularly the
army, he added. Beirut, 25 Mar 11, 10:06
Al-Seyassah: Gulf to Deport Hizbullah, Iran Guards Agents
Naharnet/Arab states in the Gulf plan to deport thousands of Lebanese Shiites
over their alleged links to Hizbullah and Iran's elite Revolutionary Guard
force, a Kuwaiti newspaper reported on Thursday. Al-Seyassah, quoting
London-based Arab diplomatic sources, said the measure was being considered
because of intelligence reports that Lebanese Shiite activists had been involved
in protests in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia. Based on the assessments by the United
States, France and Bahrain, alleged Hizbullah and Revolutionary Guard agents
were leading the protests along with local Shiite clerics in Bahrain and Saudi
Arabia's Eastern Province, it said. It said Bahrain's decision to suspend
flights to Iran, Iraq and Lebanon and its condemnation of remarks by Hizbullah
chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah had "paved the way for the deportation of
thousands of Lebanese Shiites from the Gulf." "No Lebanese Shiite linked to or
suspected of being associated with Hizbullah and the Revolutionary Guards will
remain in the Gulf," the diplomatic sources said, citing high-ranking Bahraini
officials. Bahrain is preparing to deport 90 Lebanese Shiites, most of them
arrested during the Shiite-led, pro-democracy in the kingdom, and is examining
the status of 4,000 Shiite families living in the Gulf kingdom, the sources
said. Last week, Bahraini authorities carried out a bloody crackdown on the
protesters who have been demanding political reforms since February 14 in the
tiny Shiite-majority, Sunni-ruled kingdom. The crackdown came hours after a
Saudi-led joint Gulf force rolled into Bahrain to back up the regime, a move
condemned by Shiite Iran and the head of Hizbullah who has offered to help the
demonstrators.(AFP) Beirut, 24 Mar 11, 11:24
Cycling tourists kidnapped in Lebanon
BEIRUT, Lebanon, March 24 (UPI) -- Seven tourists, including a number of
Estonians, were kidnapped during a cycling trip to Lebanon, authorities said.
The cyclists reportedly were confronted Wednesday in Lebanon's Bekaa Valley by a
group of masked gunmen who leaped out of a minivan and forced them inside,
leaving the bicycles behind, the Baltic Times reported. The Lebanese army has
initiated a widespread search, the newspaper reported. In Estonia, an
interdepartmental crisis commission led by Foreign Minister Urmas Paet convened
late Wednesday, a Foreign Ministry statement said. "There has been no message
from those who kidnapped the Estonians in Lebanon," Paet said. Paet has been in
contact with Lebanese authorities who have confirmed they will help Estonia in
any way possible, the statement said. "We have no idea about the motives of
those who kidnapped the Estonians," Paet said. The Foreign Ministry said it has
been in contact with the families of all the kidnapped citizens.
Syrian activists: Death toll in anti-gov't protests 100
Roee Nahmias, agencies Published: 03.24.11, 13:33 / Israel News
Opposition figures say Hezbollah members working alongside Syrian security
forces to quell Deraa riots; local hospital says bodies of 25 protestors brought
in, 'all with gunshot wounds'
At least 25 bodies of protestors who were killed in clashes with Syrian security
forces were evacuated to the main hospital in the southern city of Deraa, a
medical official reported Thursday. "They all had gunshot wounds," the official
said. Activists said the death toll in the anti-government protests has climbed
to 100.
Meanwhile, Syrian opposition leaders have accused President Bashar Assad of
using Hezbollah to suppress the anti-government protests. Abd el-Razek told BBC
Arabic that Hezbollah operatives were working alongside Syrian security forces
to quell the riots in Deraa. Other opposition leaders have made similar claims.
'Corrupt government is butchering us' An independent Syrian human rights
organization condemned the wave of arrests of anti-government activists in the
country. The group reported that blogger and communications student Ahmad Hadifa
was detained in Damascus Thursday by secret police. Last month Hadifa was held
in police custody for six days.
According to the organization, Hadifa was arrested due to his "activity on
Facebook in support of the protest in Deraa."
Amnesty International published the names of 93 activists it claims were
arrested this month in cities throughout Syria. It said the actual number of
those arrested was much higher.
A video posted on YouTube showed an activist pleading with Arab and foreign news
networks to "Save us, there is a massacre in Deraa. This corrupt government is
butchering us. There are tanks and other armored vehicles here. Save us. Deraa
calls out to you; Deraa is dead; I beg of you."
The official Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) reported that late Wednesday an
"armed gang attacked an ambulance crew that drove by the al-Omari mosque in
Deraa, resulting in the deaths of a physician, medic and ambulance driver."SANA
said security forces would "continue to hunt down armed gangs that terrorize
civilians and murder, steal and torch public buildings and homes in Deraa."
Syria opposition dismiss Assad response to protests
Published: 03.24.11, 19:48 / Israel News
Senior opposition figures dismissed on Thursday a committee formed by President
Bashar al-Assad in reaction to mass protests in the south of Syria as falling
short of the aspirations of the Syrian people. Top dissidents in Syria and in
exile said Assad failed to take immediate measures to meet growing demands to
free thousands of political prisoners, allow freedom of expression and assembly
and scrap emergency law that govern Syria, giving the security apparatus a free
reign. (Reuters)
Gulf
states 'to deport Hezbollah, Iranian agents'
(AFP) KUWAIT CITY — Arab states in the Gulf plan to deport thousands of Lebanese
Shiites over their alleged links to Hezbollah and Iran's elite Revolutionary
Guard force, a Kuwaiti newspaper reported on Thursday. Al-Seyassah, quoting
London-based Arab diplomatic sources, said the measure was being considered
because of intelligence reports that Lebanese Shiites activists had been
involved in protests in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia. Based on the assessments by
the United States, France and Bahrain, alleged Hezbollah and Revolutionary Guard
agents were leading the protests along with local Shiite clerics in Bahrain and
Saudi Arabia's Eastern Province, it said. It said Bahrain's decision to suspend
flights to Iran, Iraq and Lebanon and its condemnation of remarks by Hezbollah
chief Hassan Nasrallah had "paved the way for the deportation of thousands of
Lebanese Shiites from the Gulf." "No Lebanese Shiite linked to or suspected of
being associated with Hezbollah and the Revolutionary Guards will remain in the
Gulf," the diplomatic sources said, citing high-ranking Bahraini officials.
Bahrain is preparing to deport 90 Lebanese Shiites, most of them arrested during
the Shiite-led, pro-democracy in the kingdom, and is examining the status of
4,000 Lebanese families living in the Gulf kingdom, the sources said. Last week,
Bahraini authorities carried out a bloody crackdown on the protesters who have
been demanding political reforms since February 14 in the tiny Shiite-majority,
Sunni-ruled kingdom. The crackdown came hours after a Saudi-led joint Gulf force
rolled into Bahrain to back up the regime, a move condemned by Shiite Iran and
the head of Lebanon's Shiite militant Hezbollah who has offered to help the
demonstrators. On top of the suspension of flights to Beirut by its two national
carriers, Manama has advised Bahraini citizens to avoid travel to Lebanon, a
popular destination for wealthy Gulf Arabs.m"Due to threats and interference by
terrorists," the Bahraini foreign ministry said on Tuesday it "warns and advises
its citizens not to travel to the Republic of Lebanon as they might face dangers
threatening their safety."
Canada Condemns Violence in Syria
http://www.international.gc.ca/media/aff/news-communiques/2011/120.aspx
(No. 120 - March 24, 2011 - 6:50 p.m. ET) The Honourable Lawrence Cannon,
Minister of Foreign Affairs, today issued the following statement regarding the
recent violence in Dara’a, Syria: “Canada is deeply concerned by reports that
peaceful demonstrators in Dara’a have been subject to arbitrary arrests and to
violent crackdowns that have resulted in numerous deaths.
“We offer our condolences to the families and friends of the victims.
“We urge the Syrian authorities to take all necessary measures to ensure the
safety of demonstrators and to protect the human rights of all Syrian citizens.
“We also consider the communications lockdown around the city of Dara’a to be
extreme and unjustified. Freedom of assembly and freedom of the press are
fundamental pillars of democracy. Syrians are looking to achieve the rights that
we Canadians take for granted. The courage of these citizens who are seeking
their rights must be commended.
“Canada stands by the Syrian people in this time of turmoil and grief.
“As the security situation in Syria is deteriorating, we strongly urge all
Canadian citizens currently in the country to register with the Registration of
Canadians Abroad service in order to receive the Government of Canada’s latest
updates and advice. “Canada notes the reform initiatives pledged by President
Bashar al-Assad on March 24. We hope the Government of Syria will follow up with
genuine consultations with the Syrian people.”
Canada Condemns Rocket Attacks Against Israel
http://www.international.gc.ca/media/aff/news-communiques/2011/122.aspx
(No. 122 - March 24, 2011 - 10:10 p.m. ET) The Honourable Lawrence Cannon,
Minister of Foreign Affairs, today issued the following statement on the rocket
attacks against Israel launched from the Gaza Strip: “Canada vigorously condemns
the rocket attacks on Israel launched from the Gaza Strip. These terrorist
attacks, which indiscriminately target civilian areas, are abhorrent and
criminal. Israel has a right to defend itself against such terrorist acts.
“Terrorism is never justified. We call on all parties in Gaza to cease these
criminal attacks. Those responsible should be brought to justice.”
Canada Announces New Contribution to Special Tribunal for Lebanon
http://www.international.gc.ca/media/aff/news-communiques/2011/121.aspx
(No. 121 - March 24, 2011 - 9:10 p.m. ET) The Honourable Lawrence Cannon,
Minister of Foreign Affairs, announces a new Canadian contribution to the
Special Tribunal for Lebanon:
“We are pleased to announce a contribution of $1 million to the Special Tribunal
for Lebanon. Canada has been a strong supporter of the Tribunal, having already
contributed $3.7 million to the voluntarily funded Tribunal since 2007. “We
reaffirm our support for the Special Tribunal as it endeavours to bring to
justice those responsible for the assassinations of former prime minister Rafiq
Hariri and others. We commend the Tribunal’s work in ensuring that the
perpetrators of these crimes are held accountable, thus contributing to ending
impunity for acts of terrorism. “We urge the future Lebanese government to
continue to support and cooperate with the Tribunal and to continue to uphold
its obligations under UN Security Council resolutions on Lebanon. Canada
strongly supports the Lebanese government’s efforts to strengthen democracy,
justice and security in Lebanon.”
Syria protests highlight absurdity of ruling regime and its
48-year Emergency
March 24, 2011 /International Business Times
http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/126605/20110324/syria-protests-emergency-law.htm
Before the Middle East unrest, most people in the West did know too much about
the regimes in that region. Now that protests have brought some of these regimes
to attention, their absurdities are revealed. According to the Associated Press,
after enduring a week of outcry from protesters, the ruling regime of Bashar
al-Assad said it would finally consider lifting the country's ongoing Emergency
Law, which was enacted 48 years ago. Under this rule, opposition political
movements are forbidden and quickly crushed by the ability of the government to
arrest dissidents at will. The justification for the Emergency Law is state
security and the "state of war" with Israel (Syria and Israel have a history of
conflicts, but to say that the countries have been at war for 48 years is
false). From 1963 until now, Syria has had only 2 presidents: the deceased Hafiz
al-Assad and his son Bashar al-Assad. Both were appointed by referendums that
offered no opposing candidates. That Syria’s regime pretends to be anything but
an iron-fisted dictatorship is absurd. Every Syrian knows that the Emergency Law
is designed to keep a lid on dissidents at home rather than for security reasons
against foreign powers. The presidential office of Syria clearly isn’t elected
by the people; it was passed on from father to son. People in Syria surely
realize the absurdities of this ruling regime and its unconvincing pretense of
democracy. An interesting point to ponder is what Syrians think of the West’s
perception of their country’s situation. Before the protests, most Westerners
probably didn’t know anything about Syria. Now, more and more people are
seeing the absurdity of the current regime. Tunisians, who overthrew their
former dictator back in January, knew of the absurdities of his regime. However,
they weren’t sure about the West. Then, cables published by Wikileaks revealed
that the US government also knew what was going on there. When Tunisians
realized that others knew of their absurd situation, they were simultaneously
embarrassed about their country and emboldened to demand change, according to
some experts.The exposure of other absurd Middle East regimes, then, may produce
a similar effect.
Israeli and Saudi leaders in Moscow as Palestinians ramp up
missile strikes
DEBKAfile Exclusive Report March 24, 2011,
As Russian, Israeli and Saudi leaders discussed the ramifications of the Arab
uprising in Moscow and US Defense Secretary Robert Gates talked to Israeli
military chiefs in Tel Aviv, the Palestinian Hamas continued to escalate its
missile offensive on Israeli cities. Thursday, March 24, heavy Grad missiles hit
the towns of Ashdod and Ofakim making it the worst day of a bad week, with
schools in the southern half of Israel shutting down one by one and bomb
shelters being opened.
In Moscow, debkafile's exclusive sources report that Russian Prime Minister
Vladimir Putin was working to set up a discreet meeting between two visitors –
Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud
Al-Faisal, failing which he will try and bring the Saudi Intelligence chief
Prince Muqrin bin Abdulaziz, who arrived with the foreign minister, together
with the Israeli leader. Muqrin has met Israeli leaders in secret before,
including the former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert.
According to our sources, the prospect of this landmark meeting was Netanyahu's
pretext for rebuffing the rising domestic clamor to let the IDF give the
Palestinian Hamas its deserts for the war it has unleashed against the Israeli
civilian population.
The very defense and military officials who keep on telling the public, against
all the evidence, that Hamas realy wants calm restored, have given a quite
different picture to the prime minister and defense chiefs. The radical
Palestinian rulers of Gaza are in fact raising the stakes, they say, and hoping
to goad Israel into an extreme response in the belief that a war clash with
Israel will elevate the Gaza Strip to the same regional level as the war in
Libya and the Arab uprisings, especially in Yemen and Bahrain.
They also believe it will help Syrian president Bashar Assad, who hosts a Hamas
center in Damascus, by distracting attention from the bloodbath he is inflicting
on protesters against his repressive regime. Thursday, Syrian soldiers were
reported to have shot 100 protesters dead in the southern town of Deraa. At some
point, the West which is punishing Muammar Qaddafi for killing his own people
might also take notice of Assad's actions against his.
Netanyahu's military chiefs have explained to him that abstention from a
military operation against Hamas could be interpreted by the Syrian ruler as an
Israeli signal of willingness to go an extra mile for the sake of peace talks.
debkafile's Jerusalem and Moscow sources note that this is the point at which
Israel's declining security situation becomes relevant to a possible
Israeli-Saudi dialogue. Neither Jerusalem nor Riyadh is at ease with the US role
in favor of the popular uprisings against veteran Arab regimes – and most
particularly the US-UK-French military intervention in Libya. Both find this
policy detrimental to the national and security interests of America's foremost
Middle East allies.
They also share resentment for the benefits accrued from this wave of unrest by
Tehran and the effect it has had to turn world attention away from its progress
toward manufacturing a nuclear bomb. The Saudi king and Israeli prime minster
are apprehensive, on the strength of their intelligence input, that Iran will
eventually seize control of the popular uprisings in Arab lands, especially
Egypt.
Riyadh alone took a substantial precautionary step against this menace by
sending military units into the Bahrain on Feb. 14 to pre-empt the
Iranian-backed Shiite threat to King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa and the tiny
kingdom's financial and oil assets at the back door of the rich eastern Saudi
oil center.
Israel's leaders in contrast have never struck any position or policy with
regard to the turbulence around its borders, ignoring the perils they pose to
its security.
Netanyahu's trip to Moscow, which opposes the US-British-French operation in
Libya, is his first attempt to explore a diplomatic option outside Israel's
alliance with the United States. The Russians, the Saudis and the Israelis too
see advantages in discussing such options and testing new paths of cooperation
to renew the direct exchanges Riyadh and Jerusalem maintained in the past
through back channels on the Iranian issue.
It is therefore not surprising to find US Defense Secretary Robert Gates
arriving in Israel Thursday. He flew in from Cairo after talks with Egyptian
military leaders about possible military participation in the coalition campaign
against Muammar Qaddafi. In his talks with Israeli defense and military chiefs,
Gates will no doubt stress the importance to Israel's security of the strong
ties between Jerusalem and Washington
Aoun:
Lebanon not to be affected by “sectarian spark from Middle East”
March 25, 2011 /“No sectarian spark will [spread] from Lebanon to the Middle
East, and Beirut will not be [affected] by any sectarian spark from the Middle
East,” Change and Reform bloc leader MP Michel Aoun said according to a
statement issued by his press office on Friday. Aoun voiced fear that Israel
achieves its aims through current struggles, and added that the current phase in
the region is “very hard.” Anti-regime protests have sparked in Libya, Yemen and
Bahrain in February after being inspired by a popular uprising in Tunisia that
ousted authoritarian leader Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali in January and another
uprising in Egypt leading to President Hosni Mubarak’s resignation earlier in
February. Syria this month also began to witness unprecedented protests
demanding major reforms in the country, which has been ruled by the Baath party
for close to 50 years.-NOW Lebanon
Dictator on the Edge: Who is Syria’s Bashar al-Assad?
Friday, March 25, 2011
http://www.allgov.com/US_and_the_World/ViewNews/Dictator_on_the_Edge__Who_is_Syrias_Bashar_al_Assad_110325
Bashar al-Assad The anti-dictatorship movement spreading through the Arab world
has now reached Syria, a nation with which the United States has had a mixed
history—denouncing the Syrian government and military as supporters of
terrorism, while at the same time sending terror suspects kidnapped by the CIA
to Syria to be tortured on our behalf.
Latest reports from the Syrian city of Dara’a say that at least three dozen
anti-regime protestors have been killed by government forces, and that the
crowds of protestors are growing larger by the day.
When I wrote my book, Tyrants: The World's 20 Worst Living Dictators, I included
a chapter about Syria’s Bashar al-Assad, the accidental dictator who inherited
his dictatorship from his father. Here is that chapter, including some
background history.
THE NATION—Syria is the size of the state of Washington, but with more than
triple the population—about 21 million people. Since 1961, Syria has been ruled
by the Ba’ath Party, the same party that ruled Iraq until the fall of Saddam
Hussein. Almost three-quarters of the Syrian population are Sunni Muslims and
another 15% or so belong to other Muslim groups, most notably the Alawites, who
have held the leading political positions in Syria since 1966. Ten percent of
Syrians are Christians and they have traditionally been treated well.
A MAGNET FOR INVADERS—On the crossroads of history, Syria was occupied by
Akkadians, Amorites, Hittites, Canaanites, Phoenicians, Arameans, Hebrews,
Egyptians, Sumerians, Assyrians, Babylonians, Iranians, Greeks, Romans, Arabs,
European Crusaders, Mongols, Mamluks, and Turks. Syria is the site of the oldest
preserved Jewish synagogue and the earliest identified Christian church. What is
now Syria entered the twentieth century as part of the Turkish Ottoman Empire.
After World War I and the dissolution of the Ottoman Empire, nationalists
proclaimed the independent Arab Kingdom of Syria with Emir Faisal of the
Hashemite dynasty king. However, in July 1920, French troops defeated Faisal’s
Arab army at the Battle of Maysalun and imposed military rule. Faisal moved on
to Iraq, where he was king until his death in 1933.
INDEPENDENCE—In 1922, the League of Nations gave Great Britain control of
Transjordan and Palestine; and France was given what would evolve into
present-day Syria and Lebanon. Nationalist revolts, protests, and strikes
continued throughout the 1920s and 1930s, particularly among the Sunni majority.
After the Free French and the British drove out the pro-Nazi Vichy government,
Syria proclaimed its independence in 1943. In 1945, the French tried to
reestablish control, but pressure from the newly created United Nations forced
them to withdraw the last of their troops on April 17, 1946. Syria’s first
decade of independence was chaotic. It saw a failed invasion of Israel in 1948,
a military coup in 1949, twenty cabinets and four constitutions.
THE PARTY—The Ba’ath Party was founded in 1945 in Damascus by Michel Aflaq, a
Christian, and Salah al-Din al-Bitar, a Sunni Muslim. It was conceived as a
secular, pan-Arab nationalist party and it gained its greatest popularity in
Syria and Iraq. Democracy was restored in Syria in 1954 and Ba’athists won seats
in the next parliamentary elections. In 1959, when Syria joined Egypt to form
the United Arab Republic, the Ba’ath Party leadership, as part of the union
agreement, agreed to disband the party. This did not sit well with the party
rank and file, and the union with Egypt was not popular with Syrians in general.
A military coup in Syria put an end to the United Arab Republic in 1961.
Ba’athist military officers, with help from other nationalists, seized power on
March 8, 1963, a month after Iraqi Ba’athists gained control, albeit briefly, in
their country. In Syria the Ba’athists banned all other political parties, but
factions developed within the party itself. In June 1967, Syria lost the Golan
Heights to Israel during the Six-Day War and in 1970 Syrian forces failed in
their attempt to invade Jordan. On November 12, 1970, the minister of defense,
Hafiz al-Assad, led a bloodless military coup that removed Syria’s civilian
leadership. Assad and his son have ruled Syria ever since.
THE FATHER—Hafiz al-Assad would prove to be much less interested in ideology
than previous Ba’ath leaders. His main concern was securing personal power. The
Alawites, the religious minority to which Assad belonged, follow a syncretic
version of Islam that combines elements of Twelfer Shi’ism with Christian
practices. For example, in addition to observing Muslim holidays, the Alawites
also celebrate Christmas and Epiphany. They are considered heretics by orthodox
Sunni Muslims, some of whom refer to them as “little Christians.” The Alawites
are centered in eastern Syria. Because they constitute barely 10% of the Syrian
population, Hafiz al-Assad, in order to stay in power, had to create a coalition
of Syria’s non-Sunni minorities. During the final years of his life, five of his
seven closest advisors were Christians.
Within a few years of seizing power, Assad was supreme commander of the armed
forces, head of the Ba’ath Party, and head of the executive branch of the
government. He was responsible for choosing all government ministers and their
deputies, all senior civil servants, all military officers, and all judges.
Although he had allowed the legalization of friendly political parties and of a
basically impotent parliament, Assad retained the right to dissolve that
parliament.
TORTURE—In 1984, Amnesty International released a list of thirty-eight types of
torture used by Assad’s regime. In addition to the usual practices, Syrian
torture included “The Black Slave,” in which the victim is strapped onto a
device which, when turned on, inserts a heated metal skewer into his or her
anus, and “The Chicken,” whereby the victim is strapped to a revolving wooden
bar resembling a roasting spit and subjected to beating with sticks.
BRUTALITY AND TERRORISM—On October 6, 1973, Syria and Egypt attacked Israel in
an attempt to regain lost territory. A negotiated settlement ended the fighting
after three weeks, but the Golan Heights remained under Israeli control. In
1975, Assad sent Syrian troops into Lebanon, which was immersed in a complex
civil war. They remained there for thirty years. In 1982, 200 members of the
Islamist Muslim Brotherhood staged an insurrection in the northern city of Hama.
Assad responded with overwhelming force, pounding the city with mortars for
three weeks and killing more than 10,000 civilians.
Beginning in the 1980s, Assad used terrorism as a foreign policy tool. He
supported Abu Nidal’s Palestinian terrorist group, the Fatah Revolutionary
Council, and Abdullah Ocalan’s Kurdish Workers’ Party, among others. He was also
widely accused of supporting numerous terrorist organizations through
intermediaries so that he personally could deny involvement in their acts. The
terrorists who blew up the Khobar Towers barracks in Saudi Arabia in 1996,
killing nineteen U.S. soldiers, planned their attack in Syria.
Assad intended to pass on control of Syria to the oldest of his four sons, the
charismatic Basil, but on January 21, 1994, Basil was killed in a car accident
while driving to the airport in the Syrian capital of Damascus. Assad then
turned to his second son, Bashar.
THE SON—Bashar al-Assad was born in Damascus on September 11, 1965, and attended
the elite Fraternity School. Because Basil was the heir apparent, Bashar was
free to pursue a relatively normal life. More bookish and intellectual than his
flashy older brother, who went straight into military training, Bashar chose to
study medicine. This probably pleased his father, who, as a youth, had hoped to
become a doctor, but was prevented from pursuing his goal because his family
lacked the necessary financial resources. Bashar earned his medical degree from
Damascus University in 1988 and then met his military service requirement by
working as an army doctor. He moved to England in 1992 to do postgraduate
training in ophthalmology at the Western Eye Hospital in London. He would later
marry Asma Akhras, a Syrian who was raised in London.
When Basil died, Bashar returned to Damascus for the funeral and found that his
life was about to be turned upside down. Having decided to groom Bashar to be
his successor, Hafiz al-Assad set to work to bolster his credentials with the
all-important military. Bashar, after his obligatory two years as an army
doctor, had left the service with the rank of captain. Now he was enrolled in a
course for tank battalion commanders and then put in charge of a tank unit in
November 1994. He was promoted to major in January 1995. The following year he
enrolled in the command and general staff course at the Higher Military Academy
and he graduated in July 1997. He was immediately promoted to lieutenant colonel
and put in charge of the same Republican Guard brigade that Basil had commanded.
Early in 1999 he moved up to the rank of staff colonel.
To further strengthen Bashar’s status, his father insisted that respected
members of the military praise him publicly. Even more important, Hafiz set
about eliminating from positions of power, in the military and in the
intelligence and security agencies, anyone who might challenge Bashar, including
Hafiz’s own brother, Rifa’t. They were replaced by trustworthy loyalists.
Bashar’s brother-in-law, Asif Shawkat, the husband of Bashar’s older sister,
Bushra, was given a position in Syrian Military Intelligence and quickly
promoted to second-in-command.
BUILDING THE BASHAR BRAND—Hafiz al-Assad also initiated a public relations
campaign to sell Bashar to the Syrian citizenry, blanketing the country with
posters of Hafiz, Basil, and Bashar with captions that read, “our leader, our
ideal and our hope.” Acknowledging the public’s cynicism about governmental
corruption, Hafiz put Bashar in charge of a highly visible anticorruption
campaign (just as he had done earlier with Basil) with offices throughout the
country where citizens could go to express their complaints. Of course real
anticorruption prosecutions were extremely selective, as possible challengers to
Bashar found themselves charged with various offenses, while regime loyalists
survived unscathed. Bashar was given the chairmanship of the Syrian Computer
Society, a position previously held by Basil. However, unlike his late brother,
Bashar, an academic, took the post seriously and is credited with promoting the
introduction of the Internet to Syria, a development that was rarely a foregone
conclusion in dictatorships.
Hafiz also gradually educated Bashar in Syria’s relationship with Lebanon, and
by late 1998, Bashar was handling the management of Lebanese affairs. He met
with a wide range of Lebanese political figures and took a particular liking to
Hassan Nasrallah, the secretary-general of Hezbollah. Combining his two
portfolios, anticorruption and Lebanon, Bashar targeted the Syrian business
associates of Lebanon’s billionaire prime minister, Rafiq al-Hariri, a Sunni
Muslim whom Hafiz al-Assad wanted removed from power.
DICTATOR BY DEFAULT—When Hafiz al-Assad died on June 10, 2000, the Syrian
parliament quickly lowered the minimum age for presidents from 40 to 34 and
Bashar was sworn in. Many Syrians and foreign observers found it hard to believe
that Bashar al-Assad could stay in power for long and considered him a
transitional president until the real powers-that-be decided who would take his
place. But Hafiz had done a good job of eliminating Bashar’s most dangerous
contenders. In addition, the most powerful players in the military, the
intelligence services, the government bureaucracy, and the Ba’ath Party were
content to leave Bashar alone—as long as he didn’t try to rock the boat.
FAKE REFORM—For example, Bashar convinced the parliament to pass a law
legalizing private banks, but not one private bank actually opened. More
significantly, Bashar released more than 600 political prisoners, and he
encouraged the formation of political and cultural forums where citizens could
discuss democracy. Syrian intellectuals were so refreshed by this climate of
openness that they called it the “Damascus Spring.” Soon hundreds of
pro-democracy advocates were meeting at these forums and circulating petitions
promoting a more open society. Even members of parliament were calling for an
end to the emergency laws that had been in place since December 1962. Then the
crackdown began. The authorities shut down the discussion forums and arrested
almost all of their most vocal members. It is unclear whether the dismantling of
the discussion groups was an example of the Syrian old guard overruling Bashar’s
reformist tendencies or if the creation of the forums in the first place was a
trick to identify regime opponents.
ANTI-SEMITISM—Bashar has been uncompromising in his anti-Semitism. When Pope
John Paul II visited Damascus in May 2001, Bashar used his welcoming speech to
denounce the Jews, saying, “They tried to kill the principles of all religions
with the same mentality in which they betrayed Jesus Christ and the same way
they tried to betray and kill the Prophet Muhammad.” At an Arab summit
conference in Beirut in March 2002, he declared that all Israelis were
legitimate targets for terrorist attacks.
GREATER SYRIA—Syrian troops invaded Lebanon in 1975 to “stabilize” the country
during its civil war. This action was not really that surprising considering
that Syrians had, for centuries, considered both Lebanon and Palestine part of
“Greater Syria.” In the current context, the Syrian occupation created a buffer
zone that allowed Syria to support anti-Israeli terrorist groups without having
them actually operate out of Syria. It also ensured that Lebanon remained a
closed market for Syrian products and a place of employment for more than one
million Syrians, most of whom would otherwise be unemployed if they had to
return to Syria. Assad maintained control of Lebanon through the use of 30,000
troops, an extensive military intelligence network, and financial support of
Shi’ite political parties, including Hezbollah, Shi’ites constituting one-third
of the Lebanese population.
On August 27, 2004, Bashar ordered Rafiq al-Hariri, the longtime enemy of the
Assad family, to have the Lebanese parliament amend its constitution to allow
the pro-Syrian president of Lebanon, Emile Lahoud, to remain in office after his
six-year term expired in November. Although Hariri was humiliated by the way the
young Bashar treated him, he pushed through the amendment anyway—in a ten-minute
legislative session. One week later, France and the United States co-sponsored a
resolution in the United Nations, which was passed by the Security Council,
demanding that Syria withdraw its 20,000 remaining troops from Lebanon and
disband the armed wing of Hezbollah. This was a stunning development for Bashar
and the Syrian leadership because France had always been Syria’s leading Western
supporter.
On October 20, Rafiq al-Hariri resigned as prime minister and began to make
plans for the May 2005 parliamentary elections, which would be monitored by
international observer groups. On February 2, 2005, Hariri and the Lebanese
opposition publicly called for the complete withdrawal of Syrian troops. Twelve
days later, Hariri was assassinated by a massive truck bomb in Beirut that also
killed nineteen other people. There followed a series of increasingly large
street demonstrations, starting with one for Hariri’s funeral. On March 8,
Nasrallah and Hezbollah mobilized 500,000 pro-Syrian demonstrators. Six days
later, the combined Sunni, Christian, and Druze opposition brought out one
million people for the largest demonstration in Lebanese history.
Following the release of a United Nations report that implicated the Syrian
leadership, including one of Bashar’s younger brothers and his sister’s husband,
in the assassination of Rafiq al-Hariri, or at least in a refusal to seek out
the perpetrators, Bashar al-Assad agreed to withdraw his troops. The last of the
Syrian troops finally left Lebanon on April 26, 2005. Although this was a blow
to Bashar’s prestige, Syria maintained major influence in Lebanon through its
intelligence presence, its deep involvement in Lebanon’s security forces and its
business connections.
DANGEROUS GAMES—It is still possible in Syria to be convicted of “opposing the
party’s revolutionary goals” or “harming the state’s reputation.” Torture
continues to be commonly used. For example, in a February 2005 trial of eighteen
Kurds for “activity against the authority of the state,” every one of the
defendants claimed that they had been tortured with electricity, and one said he
had been sodomized with a piece of wood.
Bashar, like ex-dictator Pervez Musharraf in Pakistan, has played a dangerous
and delicate game, balancing support for Islamist extremists with cooperation
with the U.S. government in its battle against terrorism. On the one hand, he
has allowed foreign fighters to cross through Syria on their way to join the
insurgency in Iraq. On the other hand, he has allowed the U.S. to send terror
suspects, such as Canadian Maher Arar, to his prisons to be interrogated and
tortured.
-David Wallechinsky
Hezbollah, at home alone
Michael Young, Daily Star
March 25, 2011
Walid Jumblatt apparently wanted Israel to severely damage Hezbollah in the 2006
war. Today the two are allies most likely because of Hezbollah’s coercion.
An astute friend and I were talking about the recent publication by the daily
Al-Akhbar of American diplomatic cables circulated by WikiLeaks. Most of the
published documents purport to show how Lebanese politicians welcomed, or sought
to exploit, a Hezbollah defeat in the summer war of 2006. The party has used the
leaks to affirm that its political enemies were on Israel’s side. My friend, a
Shia journalist, had a different view. What they really showed, he said, was how
isolated and unpopular Hezbollah is.
Indeed, several of the cables, written by the former US ambassador to Lebanon,
Jeffrey Feltman, show not Hezbollah’s enemies, but its allies expressing
discomfort, or displeasure, with the party. They include two parliamentarians
from Michel Aoun’s bloc, Farid el-Khazen and Ibrahim Kanaan, and the former
health minister, Muhammad Jawad Khalifeh, who is close to the parliament
speaker, Nabih Berri (and who described Berri’s anger with Hezbollah).
It is not clear why Al-Akhbar decided to reveal these documents now. The net
effect of the decision will be to highlight tensions and settle scores within
the ranks of the new majority, amid reports that a new government is imminent.
For example, the leaks are particularly embarrassing to the Druze leader Walid
Jumblatt – in 2006 a March 14 stalwart, today an equally stalwart ally of
Hezbollah and Syria.
Of course, the leaks could be efforts by Hezbollah to keep their shifty
partners, Jumblatt and Berri, in line. They also serve, quite conveniently, to
discredit Kanaan and Khazen, at a time when Aoun’s son-in-law, Gebran Bassil, is
attempting to eliminate all rivals who might hinder his rise within the Aounist
firmament. Not surprisingly, Bassil is revealed in the publicized cables to have
been an ardent advocate of Hezbollah during the conflict with Israel.
Yet all this really just confirms what my comrade said. If Hezbollah and its
echo chambers need to warn even their allies to stay on board politically; if
the party is furious with the double language of the Lebanese political class,
whose members will readily spill the beans even to the Americans, then that does
not say much about Hezbollah’s capacity to unite Lebanon behind its resistance.
In fact, it tends to confirm something that we always suspected: the party has
managed to enforce a consensus solely through intimidation.
This poses potential problems for Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, Hezbollah’s secretary
general. His implicit contract with Iran is that his party be prepared to
protect and advance Tehran’s interests in the Levant, to the extent that
Hezbollah would retaliate against Israel if the Israelis were to bombard Iranian
nuclear facilities. But for such a project to be effective, for Hezbollah to go
to war with confidence that its countrymen are not working behind its back
against its interests, the party would have to enjoy widespread Lebanese
backing.
The blunt reality is that it doesn’t. Hezbollah long ago lost the Sunni
community. The Druze will follow Jumblatt, but not if that means they must pay a
heavy price on behalf of Hezbollah in a war against Israel that harms the
community in the mountains and in the West Bekaa and Hasbaya. As for the
Christians, Khazen and Kanaan reflected far more accurately the mood in the
community than Bassil; there is no Christian enthusiasm, and that includes among
Aoun’s followers, for seeing Lebanon suffer for a Hezbollah project.
That reluctance would be shared by many in the Shia community who yet express
their fondness for Hezbollah. Nasrallah’s rash support for the Shia opposition
in Bahrain last week has provoked a harsh backlash from the kingdom. We can
expect many more Shia in the Gulf to soon see their residency permits or visas
revoked and their financial interests and investments ruined. Add to this mix
the communal anger if Shia are made to endure another devastating war with
Israel in the South, and we can appreciate that Nasrallah’s margin of maneuver
is not as wide as he and his partisans claim.
If a government is formed, Hezbollah will be able to consolidate itself. Nor
will the government necessarily be as frail as many claim. It will enjoy a
parliamentary majority, Syrian and Iranian endorsement, and could last until the
next elections. However, by playing a dominant role in the government, Hezbollah
risks being identified with the state’s failures. A government of “one color”
will only heighten Lebanon’s contradictions, the very same that have denied
Hezbollah the broad blessing it has sought for its vanguard role as a
“resistance.”
That is not to suggest that Hezbollah is weakening, but rather that its ability
to impose its agenda on a majority of Lebanese is less reliant on persuasion and
more on coercion than at any time previously. The party has successfully
deflected much potential discontent onto Michel Aoun, whom it has pushed to the
front of the stage. Aoun has not disappointed. But in times of major crisis, or
conflict, that tactic doesn’t go far. If the situation in Lebanon were to shift
decisively, Hezbollah could suddenly find itself on its own, friendless.
**Michael Young is opinion editor of the Daily Star newspaper in Beirut and
author of The Ghosts of Martyrs Square: An Eyewitness Account of Lebanon’s Life
Struggle, which the Wall Street Journal listed as one of its 10 standout books
for 2010.
Morally
empty, constitutionally illegal
March 24, 2011 /Now Lebanon
Now Lebanon/On Tuesday, Prime Minister-designate Najib Mikati reportedly
presented his draft cabinet lineup to President Michel Sleiman. While many
Lebanese will surely be happy that the two-month deadlock looks like it might be
heading toward a resolution, many must still be questioning the moral and
constitutional legitimacy of Mikati and his cabinet, respectively.
Mikati is alleged to have financial dealings with the pro-Syria and
pro-Hezbollah Al-Akhbar daily newspaper as well as being involved with the
International Crisis Group, an NGO that has been critical of the Special
Tribunal for Lebanon (STL), the international court established to bring to
justice those responsible for the 2005 murder of former Prime Minister Rafik
Hariri and 22 others. These allegations should be cause for concern for those
who continue to fight for the legitimacy of the state and its institutions.
In 2005, Mikati was seen as a moderate, a man who took the helm during the
interim period between the collapse of Omar Karami’s disastrous 5-month puppet
government and the first March 14-led administration. But since January, he
appears to have shown his true colors.
The toppling of the March 14 parliamentary majority was a coup, pure and simple,
one that was carried out at gunpoint (by now only the most blinkered will not
accept that PSP leader Walid Jumblatt was given no choice but to abandon March
14 and tilt the parliamentary majority in March 8’s favor after threats to his
family and his community) and which showed scant regard for Lebanon’s
constitution.
So why would a man who has carefully cultivated a persona as a successful
businessman, an example to the private sector and a model of Lebanese industry,
energy and ingenuity suddenly throw his lot in with a parliamentary bloc that
has Lebanese blood on its hands and that takes its orders from Damascus and
Tehran? In fact, why would he lend his name to a government whose sole aim is to
fight international justice by ripping the heart out of Lebanese democracy?
It is bad enough that his government will have the tag “Hezbollah-led,” but to
make matters worse, Mikati could find himself heading a government of a country
that is well on the way to becoming a pariah state. Indeed, we have already seen
the dangerous mischief unleashed by Hezbollah’s secretary general, Hassan
Nasrallah, when he pledged support to the Shia population of Bahrain. No wonder
the rest of the world questions who really runs Lebanon today.
The reaction from the Bahraini authorities has been to cut off all diplomatic,
travel and telecommunication ties with Lebanon and brand Hezbollah a terrorist
organization (and this, we must bear in mind, is an allegation from a fellow
Arab state). Once Mikati’s government is formed, Hezbollah will no doubt throw
its weight around with even greater vigor, especially now that the political
situation in the region is one that Tehran can seek to leverage.
Mikati’s credibility must also be called into question when one considers the
inappropriate role Syria has played in this constitutional debacle. The last few
days have seen visits to Damascus, not only by Jumblatt, but also Amal MP Ali
Hassan Khalil on behalf of Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, Marada Movement
leader Sleiman Franjieh and even Mikati’s brother Taha. The March 8 press has
defended Syria’s role by explaining that Damascus merely wants to see a stable
Lebanon and bat away rumors that the delay is being orchestrated by the regime.
But again only the most naďve will today believe that Syria is a benign state
that simply wants what’s best for its neighbor. In a month when the dark side of
absolute rule has been exposed for the world to see, events in Syria over the
past week should be a harsh reminder of the true nature of the regime.
Mikati may be close to beginning his second term as prime minister, but it is
unlikely his government will be greeted with adulation. Instead, it will be seen
as one stripped of moral integrity, devoid of constitutional legitimacy and
lacking the popular support needed to sustain it.