LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
December 21/2011
Bible Quotation for today/No One Knows the Day and Hour
Matthew 2/36-44: "No one knows, however, when that day and hour will
come—neither the angels in heaven nor the Son; the Father alone knows. The
coming of the Son of Man will be like what happened in the time of Noah. In the
days before the flood people ate and drank, men and women married, up to the
very day Noah went into the boat; yet they did not realize what was happening
until the flood came and swept them all away. That is how it will be when the
Son of Man comes. At that time two men will be working in a field: one will be
taken away, the other will be left behind. Two women will be at a mill grinding
meal: one will be taken away, the other will be left behind. Watch out, then,
because you do not know what day your Lord will come. If the owner of a house
knew the time when the thief would come, you can be sure that he would stay
awake and not let the thief break into his house. So then, you also must always
be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you are not expecting
him.
Latest analysis, editorials, studies, reports, letters & Releases from
miscellaneous sources
Syria: A new trick/By Tariq Alhomayed/December
20/11
Agents/By: Hazem Saghiyeh/December 20/11
Aoun, More Jong-il than Havel/Now Lebanon/December 19/11
Hamas on the move/By: Hussein Ibish/December 20/11
Latest News Reports From Miscellaneous Sources for
December 20/11
US Secretary of Defense Leon
Panetta: Iran is just months away from a nuke - a red line for US and Israel
GCC Urges Syria to End Violence, Asks Iran to 'Stop
Meddling' in Gulf
Iran Invites U.N. Nuclear Inspectors
Hezbollah Deputy Secretary General Sheikh Naim: Syria’s
approval of Arab monitors foils chaos plans
Arab League: Observer advance team to Syria Thursday
100 Syrian Deserters Killed or Injured, Monitors to Arrive
Thursday
Syria imposes death penalty for arming “terrorists”
25 Civilians Dead as Dozens of Syria Deserters Killed
Fleeing
President Michel Sleiman welcomes Syria’s agreement to
Arab observer mission
De Riviere Stresses French Unit to Remain in UNIFIL
Body of Missing American Mountain-Climber Found in Sannine
Roknabadi Discusses with al-Rahi Christian-Islamic
Dialogue Conference
Rai meets Iranian
ambassador, discusses developments
Nasrallah Discusses Latest Developments with Maronite
Delegation
Hezbollah: U.S. accusations of money laundering false
Aoun Hopes All Sides Would Study Orthodox Gathering
Proposals
Brigadier General Fayez Karam’s trial postponed
Cautious calm in Ain al-Hilweh
Future bloc MP Ammar Houri: Our demand is to disarm all
Beirut, including Dahiyeh
Future bloc MP Nabil De Freige criticizes Orthodox
electoral law proposal
Phalange: Agreement on Orthodox Proposal Paves Way for
Christian Understanding on National Values
Gunfight in Tripoli’s Qobbeh Area over Illegal
Construction
Mentally ill prisoners
fall through the cracks
Lebanese Army arrests ring of ID forgers
Watkins Meets Mansour: Lebanon, Israel Must Do More to
Implement Remainder of Resolution 1701
Lebanon’s Mufti appoints representative in Australia
Kim Jong Il's Body Displayed as Son Visits Coffin
US Secretary of Defense Leon
Panetta: Iran is just months away from a nuke - a red line for US and Israel
DEBKAfile Special Report /December 20, 2011/
Despite the efforts to disrupt the Iranian nuclear program, they have reached a
point where they can assemble a bomb in a year or potentially less," said US
Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta in a CBS interview Tuesday, Dec. 20, marking a
radical change in US administration policy, he added: "That's a red line for us
and that's a red line, obviously for the Israelis. If we have to do it we will
deal with it."
debkafile notes that as recently as Dec. 2, the US defense secretary in a
lecture at the Brookings Institute in Washington warned Israel that a military
attack on Iran's nuclear facilities would hold back its bomb program by no more
than a year or two and seriously damage the world economy. He said then that a
nuclear-armed Iran would be an existential concern for Israel, but the red line
for America would be the disruption of Persian Gulf oil trade. In the CBS
interview he gave on his way back from trips to Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya, he
drew no distinctions between America and Israel on the Iran issue.
Asked by anchor Scott Pelley if Iran could have a nuclear weapon in 2012, he
answered: "It would probably be about a year before they can do it. Perhaps a
little less." That would depend on their having "a hidden facility somewhere in
Iran that may be enriching fuel."
Pelley then asked: If the Israelis decide to launch a military strike to prevent
that weapon from being built, what sort of complications does that raise for
you?Panetta: We share the same common concern. The United States does not want
Iran to develop a nuclear weapon. That's a red line for us and that's a red
line, obviously, for the Israelis. If we have to do it we will deal with it.
Asked if "it" included military steps, the US defense secretary replied: There
are no options off the table. A nuclear weapon in Iran is unacceptable.
He added that he has no indication yet that the Iranians have made the decision
to go ahead.
Until now, debkafile's Washington sources note, the Obama administration stood
firmly by sanctions, which could be made tougher, as the only course of action
for putting the brakes on Iran's weapons program. However, Panetta made no
mention of sanctions in this interview – not even of the ultimate penalties of
an embargo on its oil trade and blacklisting its central bank.
debkafile's intelligence sources link this radical change of posture, and its
implied open door to joint US-Israeli military action, to the discussion on the
Iranian nuclear issue President Barack Obama had with Israeli Defense Minister
Ehud Barak in Washington last Friday, Dec. 16. It took place at about the same
time as Leon Panetta was meeting with Turkish leaders in Ankara. (The night
before, the Turkish military council met urgently to review preparations for war
hostilities on two fronts: Syria and Iran.) Both meetings, say debkafile's
Washington sources, addressed the reality of Iran having a nuclear bomb within
months.
The administration's change of course finds expression in six areas:
1. Panetta has tossed aside the various intelligence estimates of a
three-to-four year timeline for Iran to have a nuclear bomb. He now accepts that
Tehran may be only months away from this target.
2. His reference to "a hidden facility somewhere in Iran that may be enriching
fuel" reflects the growing conviction among Western and Middle East intelligence
experts that Iran has fast-tracked its high-grade uranium enrichment in
underground facilities.
3. He is no longer warning Israel against attacking Iran and appears to be
taking the opposite tack: We must stop Iran crossing the shared red line to an
"unacceptable" nuclear weapon. "If we have to do it we will deal with it," he
said, referring to the military option.
4. It is the last moment for the US to avert the Middle East's plunge into a
nuclear race.
Dec. 5, the former Saudi intelligence chief, Prince Turki al-Faisal said that
after failing to persuade Israel and Iran to give up their nuclear weapons,
Riyadh had no option but to develop its own; and Turkish leader have been saying
to the Obama administration that if Iran has a nuclear weapon, so too will
Turkey.
The administration is now facing the bleak realization that a disastrous nuclear
race in this volatile region can be deflected only by military action to cut
down and destroy Iran's nuclear weapons program.
5. Iran's capture of the American RQ-170 stealth drone on Dec. 4 brought home to
US military and intelligence planners that a military showdown between the US
and Iran is no longer avoidable and if America does not take the initiative,
Iran will keep on driving it into corners until there is no other option but to
hit back.
6. The sudden death of the North Korean leader Kim Jong II and the period of
uncertainty facing his successor Kim Jong-un could potentially lead to Pyongyang
- or factions fighting for power – stepping up its involvement in Iran's nuclear
weapon and missile development programs.
Syria: A new trick!
By Tariq Alhomayed
Asharq Al-Awsat
The Syrian opposition is entirely right when it says that the al-Assad regime
signing the protocol to send observers to Syria is nothing but an evasion
attempt. This is absolutely true; the al-Assad regime only deals in tricks and
procrastination. The signing of the protocol has taken nearly a month of tricks
and evasions, whilst around 50 Syrians per day have fallen at the hands of the
al-Assad regime’s killing machine throughout the month of negotiation, or rather
circumvention. Given all of the above, what will the situation be like, with
regards to implementing what has been agreed upon, particularly as Walid Muallem
will be busy convincing the followers of the al-Assad regime, in their narrow
circles, that the agreement was only signed after amendments stipulated by the
al-Assad regime itself? What Muallem wants to convey to those circles is that
the al-Assad regime is strong and coherent, and the regime signing the agreement
is not a sign of weakness. The al-Assad regime is not committed to the safety of
the Syrians; rather it wants to protect its shaky image internally, in these
narrow circles. Muallem’s comments show that the al-Assad regime is still the
same regime that has always been preoccupied with petty matters, thinking with a
conceited mentality rather than being compelled to do what’s right!
To say that the al-Assad regime signing the protocol is a new trick that will be
exposed in the coming days, and that the al-Assad regime will also procrastinate
over the implementation of this agreement; this is also true. Just as the regime
delayed for one month in the negotiations, it will delay for approximately
another two months with regards to the implementation [of the agreement]. Yet
there is little time for more delays, as it is expected that more demonstrations
will emerge in Syria now, especially as the protocol agreement sought to ensure
the freedom to demonstrate. Here we will see whether the al-Assad regime abides
by the agreement or not. As noted above, all indications suggest that there is
no hope in this regime, especially as the al-Assad killing machine mowed down
more than 100 Syrians on the day that the regime announced it had signed the
Arab protocol!
Thus, the Arabs should get ready for another round of evasions, procrastination
and delays, which will be undertaken by the al-Assad regime in the coming days.
Arab observers will now taste bitterness in its dealings with the regime, and
the al-Assad regime will drown them in endless details. However, the Syrian
people themselves can shorten matters considerably, despite the suffering of the
unarmed civilians. As is expected, the demonstrations in Syria will now be
bigger, and will engulf many Syrian regions. It is noticeable today that
Damascus and Aleppo have decided to break their silence, and participate in the
popular demonstrations against the al-Assad regime. This will ensure the failure
of the regime’s tricks to thwart the Arab initiative, stipulating the withdrawal
of the regime’s troops and the Shabiha [militia]. This will also put the al-Assad
regime to the test, for if it withdraws its troops there will be mass
demonstrations, and if the regime is to be believed even for once, and actually
allows Arab observers to enter Syria, their presence will certainly strengthen
the protest movement. What the al-Assad regime does not understand is that the
issue is not what the West or the Arabs want from it, but rather what the
Syrians have done and are doing, for this will neutralize all the never-ending
tricks of the al-Assad regime.
GCC Adopts Saudi King Call for Formation of Gulf Union
by Naharnet /In response to the region's unprecedented upheaval, Gulf
Cooperation Council chief Abdul Latif al-Zayani said Tuesday that the group's
six members agreed to "adopt Saudi King Abdullah's initiative to make the GCC
countries a single entity." King Abdullah on Monday asked the GCC leadership to
"move from a phase of cooperation to a phase of union," arguing the region's
"security and stability are threatened" and that such challenges require
"vigilance and a united stance." He did not elaborate on what form such a union
might take, or any proposed steps to create it. The GCC -- comprised of Saudi
Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman and the United Arab Emirates -- was formed
in 1981 as a security alliance to counter post-revolution Iran.
GCC Urges Syria to End Violence, Asks Iran to 'Stop Meddling' in Gulf
by Naharnet /The six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council called on arch rival Iran
on Tuesday to "stop meddling" in the internal affairs of the group's members and
urged Syria to "immediately halt its killing machine." "Stop these policies and
practices ... and stop interfering in the internal affairs" of the Gulf nations,
said a statement released at the end of the GCC annual summit in the Saudi
capital Riyadh.
The Sunni-led GCC also expressed concern over attempts by Shiite Iran to
"instigate sectarian strife." The GCC also called on Iran to "fully cooperate"
with the International Atomic Energy Agency and work to resolve regional
conflicts "peacefully," adding that the GCC nations were still committed to a
Middle East "free of weapons of mass destruction." The West fears Iran's nuclear
program masks a push to develop an atomic weapons capability, a charge Tehran
denies.
Saudi-Iranian relations have deteriorated since 1,000 Gulf troops entered the
tiny kingdom of Bahrain to help the Sunni monarchy there crush a Shiite-led
uprising in February and March.
For years, the majority Shiite population has complained of economic and
political inequality. In February, inspired by the revolutions in Tunisia and
Egypt that tossed out long-time autocrats there, thousands of Bahrainis took to
the streets demanding democratic reforms. Government security forces, boosted by
the Saudi-led Gulf troops, brutally quashed the Shiite-led protests, infuriating
Iran.
The already tense Saudi-Iranian relations took a turn for the worse when U.S.
justice officials announced in October that they had foiled an alleged Iranian
plot to assassinate the Saudi ambassador to Washington.
Though the Iranian intelligence chief was in Riyadh last week to clear up
"misunderstandings" regarding the alleged assassination plot, tensions between
the two nations remain high.
On Monday, the last of American troops withdrew from Shiite-dominated Iraq,
further heightening Gulf concerns over growing Iranian and Shiite influence in
the region. The Gulf Arab nations, with the exception of Bahrain, for the most
part evaded the uprisings of the Arab Spring. In Saudi Arabia, however,
Sunni-Shiite tensions have risen in recent weeks as several Shiite demonstrators
from the kingdom's Eastern province were killed in anti-government protests.
Saudi Arabia, like Bahrain, accuses Iran of instigating the unrest among the
Shiites in their country.
Addressing the Syrian crisis, the GCC urged Syria's government to immediately
halt its "killing machine" as a first step towards implementing an Arab peace
deal. Gulf states called on Syria to "immediately halt its killing machine, put
an end to bloodshed, lift all signs of armed conflict and release prisoners, as
a first step towards implementing the (Arab) protocol" that Damascus agreed to
on Monday.
GCC states urged "the Syrian government to implement all points of the Arab
initiative and the protocol on sending Arab League observers" to the restive
country.
Syrian Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal al-Muqdad signed the accord on Monday
after weeks of prevarication in the hope that now the Arab League will lift
sweeping sanctions imposed on the Damascus regime. The plan, endorsed by Syria
on November 2, also calls for a complete halt to the violence, releasing
detainees and the complete withdrawal of the military from towns and residential
districts.
Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal told reporters: "If there is
goodwill when the protocol was signed then these steps must be immediately taken
in order to implement the remaining steps of the protocol."*SourceAgence France
Presse.
Iran Invites U.N. Nuclear Inspectors
by Naharnet/AFP/Iran has invited the U.N. atomic watchdog for a visit, but it is
unclear whether inspectors would have access to sites where covert nuclear
weapons activity is suspected, Western diplomats said Tuesday. "Our
understanding from our conversations with the IAEA is that... Iran has made a
sort of general invitation, but there is nothing specific in there," one
diplomat to the Vienna-based agency told Agence France Presse on condition of
anonymity. "We don't know how the agency is going to reply yet. To us it seems
in keeping with Iran trying to mollify the IAEA without really offering anything
substantive." A second diplomat said it was unclear whether the Iranian letter
dated December 14 addressed any of the issues raised in November's hard-hitting
report from the International Atomic Energy Agency. "I doubt the letter contains
any offer of engagement" on such issues, the diplomat told AFP. "I am very
skeptical on that." The IAEA published a report on November 8 expressing
"serious concerns" that the Islamic republic "has carried out activities
relevant to the development of a nuclear explosive device". Iran, already
subject to four rounds of U.N. Security Council sanctions, rejected the report
as "baseless". Ten days later the IAEA board passed a resolution submitted by
all five U.N. Security Council permanent members condemning Iran but stopping
short of reporting it to New York or setting a deadline for Tehran to comply.
Iran's ambassador to the IAEA, Ali Asghar Soltanieh, angrily called the move
"unprofessional, unbalanced, illegal and politicized" and said it put future
cooperation with the agency in doubt. Soltanieh was not immediately available
for comment.
Arab League: Observer advance team to Syria Thursday
December 20, 2011 /An advance team of Arab observers will head to Damascus on
Thursday to set the ground for monitors overseeing a deal to end months of
bloodshed, the Arab League said on Tuesday. "An advance team headed by Arab
League Assistant Secretary General Samir Seif al-Yazal will head to Damascus on
Thursday," Assistant Secretary General Ahmed Bin Helli told reporters.
The advance team will include security, legal and administrative observers, with
human rights experts expected to follow, the League said.
The Arab bloc has also named General Mohammed Ahmed Mustafa al-Dabi – former
head of Sudanese military intelligence and state minister for security
arrangements – to head the observer mission, Bin Helli said. Dabi, who
coordinated between the Sudanese government and the joint United Nations-African
Union peacekeeping troops in the western Sudanese region of Darfur, is expected
in Cairo in the coming days. Dabi "will head to Cairo to meet Secretary General
Nabil al-Arabi to receive the necessary instructions and go over the details of
the mission's mandate, and will head to Damascus within days," Bin Helli said.
After weeks of stalling, President Bashar al-Assad's embattled regime signed a
deal at the Arab League headquarters in Cairo on Monday to accept observers to
monitor a plan to end the bloodshed. -AFP/NOW Lebanon
Syria imposes death penalty for arming “terrorists”
December 20, 2011 /Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has signed into effect a law
imposing the death penalty on anyone arming "terrorists," state media said on
Tuesday amid mounting clashes with rebel troops."The law provides for the death
penalty for anyone providing weapons or helping to provide weapons intended for
the carrying out of terrorist acts," the official SANA news agency said.
The decree also imposes life imprisonment with hard labor for arms smuggling
"for profit or to carry out acts of terrorism," and 15 years' hard labor for
arms smuggling for other purposes.
The Syrian authorities contend that protests raging since March are the work of
"armed terrorists" not civilian demonstrators as maintained by Western
governments and human rights groups.
The UN General Assembly on Monday overwhelmingly approved a resolution
condemning human rights abuses during the authorities' crackdown on the
protests, which the world body says has left more than 5,000 people dead.-AFP/NOW
Lebanon
100 Syrian Deserters Killed or Injured, Monitors to Arrive Thursday
by Naharnet /At least 100 Syrian army deserters were killed or wounded in new
clashes Tuesday as Damascus faced demands to halt its bloody nine-month
crackdown on dissent a day after signing an Arab peace plan. The Arab League
said an advance team of observers would head Thursday to Damascus to lay the
ground for monitors overseeing the plan, as Western powers and Gulf monarchs
piled the pressure on Syria. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said three
civilians were also killed Tuesday in addition to the military casualties in
northwestern Idlib province, in a second day of deadly clashes between loyalist
troops and deserters. "After clashes that broke out this morning with the
regular army, 100 deserters were besieged then killed or wounded between the
villages of Kafruwed and al-Fatira" in the Idlib district of Jabal al-Zawiya,
the rights group said. "Dozens of civilians, including many activists, are also
surrounded by the Syrian army in Kafruwed," the Observatory said in a statement
received by Agence France Presse, quoting activists on the ground. The
Observatory reported on Monday that up to 70 deserters were gunned down as they
tried to flee their military posts in the Idlib towns of Kansafra and Kafruwed.
The Britain-based organization also reported that three civilians were killed by
gunfire from security forces in Idlib province and the flashpoint central city
of Homs -- a day after reporting the deaths of 40 civilians. It also urged Arab
League chief Nabil al-Arabi to "intervene immediately to end this eventual
massacre."
Arabi's deputy Ahmed Ben Helli told reporters in Cairo that "an advance team (of
observers) will head to Damascus on Thursday."
The team would include security, legal and administrative observers, with human
rights experts expected to follow, and would be headed by fellow assistant
secretary general Samir Seif al-Yazal.
The Arab bloc has also named General Mohammed Ahmed Mustafa al-Dabi -- former
head of Sudanese military intelligence and state minister for security
arrangements -- to head the mission, said Ben Helli. After weeks of
prevaricating, Syria on Monday signed a deal at Arab League headquarters in
Cairo to allow in observers as part of a broader plan to end months of deadly
violence.
Damascus has pledged to cooperate fully with the terms of the agreement. But the
promise seemingly failed to persuade many world powers.
Rulers of the energy-rich Gulf Cooperation Council on Tuesday urged Syria to
immediately halt its "killing machine" as well as end the bloodshed and "lift
all signs of armed conflict."
The United States also expressed doubt that Syria was genuine in its promise to
allow in observers.
"A signature on a piece of paper from a regime like this, that has broken
promise after promise after promise, means relatively little to us," State
Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said Monday.
The observer mission is part of an Arab plan endorsed by Syria on November 2,
which also calls for a halt to the violence, releasing detainees and the
withdrawal of the military from towns and residential districts. But despite
signing the accord, Syria has failed to convince either the opposition or
Western governments pushing for tough U.N. action that it is willing to follow
up its words with action on the ground. "Violence must immediately end, the
military withdraw, political prisoners be released and unhindered humanitarian
access be granted," said German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle.
"We will therefore judge the agreement of the Syrian leadership with the Arab
League not by its words but only by actions, namely their immediate
implementation," he added.
Chancellor Angela Merkel was "deeply worried" about the violation of human
rights and has called on Damascus to stop violence against civilians as well as
against army deserters, the German government said. The opposition Syrian
National Council charged that Damascus's acceptance of observers was merely a
"ploy" to head off a threat by the pan-Arab bloc to go to the U.N. Security
Council.
"It's all about implementation," said Britain's U.N. ambassador Mark Lyall
Grant.
Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem pledged his government's full cooperation
with the observer mission and expressed hope the bloc would lift sweeping
sanctions it imposed on Damascus last month.
"Signing the protocol is the start of cooperation with the Arab League and we
will welcome the observers' mission from the Arab League," Muallem said on
Monday.
Syria blames the unrest on "armed terrorist groups" -- not peaceful protesters
as maintained by Western powers and rights groups -- and Muallem said he
expected the observer mission to vindicate that position. On Monday the U.N.
General Assembly overwhelmingly approved a resolution condemning human rights
abuses in Syria, where the U.N. estimates more than 5,000 people have been
killed in the crackdown since mid-March. Syria meanwhile introduced a law
imposing the death penalty on anyone arming "terrorists", state media reported
Tuesday.
SourceAgence France Presse/Naharnet.
President Michel Sleiman welcomes Syria’s agreement to Arab
observer mission
December 19, 2011 /President Michel Sleiman expressed on Monday his “relief”
over Syria’s acceptance of an Arab observer mission to monitor a deal for
halting nine months of bloody violence, the National News Agency reported.
Sleiman said that this step “would keep the solution [to the Syrian situation]
within the Arab frame” and would allow the Arab League “to regain it
nationalistic role.” Syria finally gave its agreement Monday to an Arab observer
mission to monitor a deal to end nine months of bloodshed, ending weeks of
prevarication that had prompted the Arab League to adopt sanctions.
-NOW Lebanon
Hezbollah: U.S. accusations of money laundering false
December 20, 2011/The Daily Star /BEIRUT: Hezbollah’s deputy leader Sheikh Naim
Qassem rejected Monday U.S. accusations linking the party to money laundering
and narcotics trafficking. He said Hezbollah does not follow a path that is
religiously prohibited. “The unjust accusations against Hezbollah will be
useless. The people will not be misled by America’s allegations of money
laundering or funding the party from the proceeds of narcotics [trafficking] or
similar acts. Hezbollah does not believe in and does not follow a prohibited
path to develop its capability,” Qassem said during a meeting with a delegation
from Jabal Amel Ulema Gathering. “They are invalid accusations and will not harm
the party’s reputation and its well known standing,” he added. U.S. Federal
authorities blamed Lebanese financial institutions last week for wiring more
than $300 million into the United States in a money-laundering scheme they said
used the U.S. financial system to benefit Hezbollah.
The U.S. government said in the lawsuit filed in a Manhattan federal court that
it seeks nearly a half-billion dollars in money-laundering penalties from some
Lebanese financial entities, 30 U.S. car buyers and a U.S. shipping company.
Prosecutors said the $300 million was wired from Lebanon to the United States
and used to buy used cars and ship them to West Africa.
They said Hezbollah money-laundering channels were used to ship proceeds from
the car sales and narcotics trafficking back to Lebanon.
Hezbollah Deputy Secretary General Sheikh Naim: Syria’s
approval of Arab monitors foils chaos plans
December 20, 2011 /Hezbollah Deputy Secretary General Sheikh Naim Qassem said
that the Syrian government’s approval to allow Arab observers to monitor a deal
to end the unrest “foiled some bets that were seeking to wreak chaos.” “The
signing of the [Arab] protocol is like an announcement of the failure of some
plans that sought the destruction of Syria,” Qassem said according to a
statement issued by Hezbollah. He added that the move “should positively affect
Syria and its surroundings.”However, Qassem warned against “the US-Israeli
project that aims to wreak havoc [in the Middle East].”
Syria agreed Monday to allow Arab observers to monitor a deal to end a
nine-month protest crackdown, in a move dismissed by the opposition as a ploy
and followed by even more reports of bloodshed.
-NOW Lebanon
Roknabadi Discusses with al-Rahi Christian-Islamic Dialogue Conference
by Naharnet/Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi and Iranian Ambassador Ghazanfar
Roknabadi discussed the preparations for the inter-religious dialogue that is
scheduled to be held next month.
My “visit was aimed at discussing the Christian-Islamic dialogue conference that
will be held on January 17, 2012 with the participation of delegations from the
different countries in the Middle East and North Africa,” Roknabadi said after
meeting al-Rahi in Bkirki. The ambassador also said that he discussed with al-Rahi
the latest developments in the region and the world, in addition to bilateral
cooperation between Iran and Lebanon. He told reporters that they focused in
their talks on “the failure of the Zionist project backed by the U.S.” Asked
about Syria’s signature of a deal to accept observers to monitor a plan to end
the bloodshed, Roknabadi said: “We consider this a very positive step.” “Iran
stresses that the problems of any country in the region, amid these
circumstances and particularly in Syria, should be resolved by the people and
the regime,” he added.
Nasrallah Discusses Latest Developments with Maronite Delegation
by Naharnet /A delegation from the Maronite Patriarchate visited Hizbullah chief
Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah on Monday and discussed with him the latest developments
locally and regionally.
The conferees “discussed the latest developments locally and regionally and
agreed to continue their coordination on different issues,” a statement issued
by Hizbullah’s press office said on Tuesday.
The meeting was held in the presence of Hizbullah’s political council official
Ghaleb Abou Zeinab while the delegation included Maronite Archbishop of Beirut
Boulos Matar and the members of the Bkirki committee for dialogue with Hizbullah,
Father Samir Mazloum and Hareth Shehab.A delegation from Hizbullah visited
Bkirki to congratulated Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi on his election in March.
It included Ghaleb Abou Zeinab and MPs Mohammad Raad, Ali Ammar, Ali Fayyad, and
Nawar al-Sahili.
Watkins Meets Mansour: Lebanon, Israel Must Do More to
Implement Remainder of Resolution 1701
by Naharnet /U.N. Special Coordinator for Lebanon ad interim Robert Watkins
welcomed on Tuesday Lebanon’s continuing commitment to U.N. Security Council
resolution 1701.
He said after holding talks with Foreign Minister Adnan Mansour: “Lebanon and
Israel should be doing more to ensure that the remaining requirements of the
resolution are met.” He also reiterated the concern of the United Nations over
recent incidents in southern Lebanon, particularly over the attack against the
U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon on December 9.“I expressed the hope and
expectation of the United Nations that the Lebanese authorities will take the
necessary measures to bring those responsible to justice,” Watkins said. The
meeting also addressed the different areas of cooperation between Lebanon and
the United Nations, in particular the follow-up on the Convention on Cluster
Munitions since Lebanon has been President of the conference since last
September. Watkins continued: “We also agreed today with Mansour on the
importance of safeguarding Lebanon’s security and stability, particularly in
light of the dramatic developments in the surrounding Arab region.”On December
9, a French UNIFIL unit was the victim of a bomb attack in the southern city of
Tyre. Seven people, including five soldiers, were wounded in the attack.
Body of Missing American Mountain-Climber Found in Sannine
by Naharnet /Security forces found on Tuesday the body of the American, John
Redwine, in the Zahta area in Sannine after he was reported missing on Monday,
reported the National News Agency.
Redwine frequently carried out mountain-climbing trips in the area. He had
reportedly headed to the region on Saturday. His wife Irina was contacted on
Monday after contact with him was lost.
She promptly headed to Beirut from Morocco to assist the security forces in
finding her husband.
Several Internal Security Forces patrols and army units conducted searches in
the outskirts Keserouan and nearby towns.
After failing to find him, the American Embassy employed some of its personnel
to find Redwine after reports that his vehicle was located in the Wata al-Joz
area in the outskirts of Keserouan.
His body was found at 12:30 pm Tuesday between two hills near some of the caves
in the mountainous Zahta Sannine area. An army helicopter helped retrieve the
body and transport it to hospital to determine the cause of death.
De Riviere Stresses French Unit to Remain in UNIFIL
by Naharnet /The director for United Nations and international organizations in
the French Foreign Ministry Nicolas de Riviere renewed on Tuesday France’s
support to Lebanon and its commitment to maintaining the stability and security
of the South. The French Embassy said in a statement: “De Riviere informed
Lebanese officials during his trip to Lebanon that France will remain part of
the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon in order to preserve the stability
of Lebanon and the region.” De Riviere arrived in Lebanon on Monday as part of a
two-day visit where he met with President Michel Suleiman, Prime Minister Najib
Miqati, Speaker Nabih Berri, Defense Minister Fayez Ghosn, and Foreign Minister
Adnan Mansour. His talks focused on the revision of UNIFIL’s strategy, which is
also being addressed by the peacekeeping unit at the United Nations. The
revision is aimed at studying ways in which progress can be achieved in the
implementation of U.N. Security Council resolution 1701, said the embassy
statement. Julian Harston, a veteran British diplomat and U.N. peacekeeping
expert, is carrying out the review which is focusing on operational
configuration and strategy of the mission, U.N. peacekeeping spokesman Kieran
Dwyer told Agence France Presse last week. Harston will complete his work in
January or February and the U.N. Security Council will then decide what changes
to make to the force. De Riviere also reiterated French demands that the sides
behind the December 9 attack against a French UNIFIL unit be uncovered and
brought to justice. Seven people, including five French soldiers, were wounded
in a bomb attack that targeted the French patrol in the southern city of Tyre.
France has accused Syria of being behind the attack, saying that employed its
ally Hizbullah to execute it. Syria and the party have denied the allegations.
Brigadier General Fayez Karam’s trial postponed
December 20, 2011 /The trial of former Brigadier General Fayez Karam was
postponed on Tuesday to January 24, the National News Agency reported. Judge
Alice Shabtini postponed the trial because a requisite court officer was unable
to be present currently. Karam, a Free Patriotic Movement official, was arrested
by the Internal Security Forces (ISF) Information Branch in August 2010 and
sentenced to two years in prison for leaking information to Israel.-NOW Lebanon
Aoun Hopes All Sides Would Study Orthodox Gathering Proposals
by Naharnet /Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun hoped on Tuesday that
political parties would grant the Orthodox gathering proposals over the
parliamentary electoral an opportunity because its suggestions could probably be
adopted in the 2013 parliamentary elections. He said after the Change and Reform
bloc’s weekly meeting: “We are experiencing the reasons that prompted the
gathering to make its proposals in the first place.” “Everyone has the right to
launch a discussion over the parliamentary electoral law and I don’t understand
the disputes that have erupted over it,” he added.
“Why shouldn’t the Bkirki meeting agreement be discussed with other ideas?” he
wondered. Last week, a meeting of Maronite leaders at Bkirki reached an
agreement to adopt the Orthodox gathering’s proposals over the electoral law.
The proposals called for each sect to elect its own MP on the basis of
proportional representation. On the Beirut MPs’ demands for the establishment of
an arms-free Beirut, Aoun said: “What security incidents are they talking about?
What assassinations are they referring to?” “Did the government assume its
responsibilities when former Industry Minister and MP Pierre Gemayel was
assassinated in broad daylight in Jdeideh?” he asked. “We want to know what
crimes require the demand of the establishment of an arms-free city,” stressed
the FPM leader.
On Monday, Beirut MPs demanded that Beirut be transformed into an arms-free city
after the frequent armed clashes that have erupted in the city in recent years.
Addressing the Arab initiative to end the crisis in Syria, Aoun noted: “This is
a step in the right direction towards achieving calm in the country.”
Future bloc MP Ammar Houri: Our demand is to disarm all
Beirut, including Dahiyeh
December 20, 2011 /Future bloc MP Ammar Houri said on Tuesday that his bloc’s
demand to make Beirut a city free of arms “is not new, but it was never
met.”“Our demand is to disarm Beirut and its suburbs, including the southern
suburb Dahiyeh,” Houri told the Voice of Lebanon (100.5) radio station.He also
supported Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah’s demand to remove
small arms and light weapons, adding that “the heavy weapons must be discussed
in the national dialogue.”Beirut MPs met Monday at Nejmeh Square to discuss the
security situation in Lebanon’s capital and agreed to take action to disarm
Beirut. Monday’s meeting followed a “personal dispute” on Friday night that
escalated into gunfire, injuring one person in Beirut’s Zaidaniyeh neighborhood.
Future bloc MP Nabil De Freige criticizes Orthodox electoral law proposal
December 20, 2011 /Future bloc MP Nabil De Freige said on Tuesday that the
majority of the participants in the Bkirki Christian meeting were against the
Orthodox proposal on the electoral law.
“Eighty percent of the participants in the Bkirki meeting are against the
Orthodox proposal on the electoral law, but there has been a maneuvering on the
matter,” De Freige told LBC.
De Freige also said that the aforementioned proposal “is a sectarian” one, and
called for adopting Fouad Boutros’ draft electoral draft law. The Orthodox
proposal on the electoral law states that citizens should vote for candidates of
their own sects. The Fouad Boutros law called for a proportional representation
system with a mixture of caza-based votes and mohafaza-based votes; setting a
30% minimum quota for women on voting lists; lowering the voting age from 21 to
18; allowing registered Lebanese abroad to vote; giving the option of voting
near one’s place of residence; counting of votes at the caza-level rather than
the village or neighborhood level, which allows less room for vote-buying and
pressure to vote for certain lists; establishing an Independent Electoral
Commission (IEC); restricting campaign finance; and regulating media coverage
during electoral campaigns. -NOW Lebanon
Lebanese Army arrests ring of ID forgers
December 20, 2011/The Daily Star
BEIRUT: The Lebanese Army has arrested a ring of forgers who copied and sold
identity cards, university degrees and other legal documents, a military
communiqué said Tuesday.
“Army Intelligence in Beirut apprehended a gang made of three individuals
involved in forging documents, identity cards, university degrees and verdicts
issued by the military court in exchange for money,” said a statement released
by the Lebanese Army. The statement said forging machines were confiscated from
the detained men.
It did not say when the men were arrested.
Gunfight in Tripoli’s Qobbeh Area over Illegal Construction
by Naharnet/A gunfight erupted between the Internal Security Forces and Qobbeh
residents in the northern port city of Tripoli on Tuesday after a dispute over
efforts to curb illegal construction.
Voice of Lebanon radio station (93.3) said that Qobbeh residents in the area of
al-Bqar held a sit-in against attempts by the ISF to end the construction of
illegal buildings.They blocked the road with burning tires to prevent the ISF
from approaching the area, it said.But security forces came under fire, forcing
the ISF patrol to fire back, VDL added.The Army and other policemen, who were
dispatched to the area, interfered to contain the incident and disperse the
protestors.They later reopened the road that was blocked by burning tires.
Kim Jong Il's Body Displayed as Son Visits Coffin
by Naharnet/The body of North Korea's long-time ruler Kim Jong Il was laid out
in a glass coffin Tuesday as weeping mourners filled public plazas and state
media fed a budding personality cult around his third son, hailing him as "born
of heaven."North Korea's official television showed still photos of Kim in the
coffin surrounded by wreaths, his body covered with a red blanket and his head
on a white pillow. A giant red curtain covered a wall behind Kim. Kim Jong Un —
Kim's third son and successor — visited the coffin along with top military and
Workers' Party officials and held a "solemn ceremony" as the country mourned,
state TV said. One woman apparently wiped tears from her eyes. Kim died of a
massive heart attack caused by overwork and stress, according to the North's
media. He was 69 — though some experts question the official accounts of his
birth date and location. Although there were no signs of unrest or discord in
Pyongyang's somber streets, Kim's death and the possibility of a power struggle
in a country seeking nuclear weapons and known for its secrecy and
unpredictability have heightened tensions in the region. With the country in an
11-day period of official mourning, flags were flown at half-staff at all
military units, factories, businesses, farms and public buildings. The streets
of Pyongyang were quiet, but throngs of people gathered at landmarks honoring
Kim, footage from Associated Press Television News in Pyongyang showed. Kim's
body was in the Kumsusan Memorial Palace, a mausoleum where the embalmed body of
his father — national founder Kim Il Sung — has been on display in a glass
sarcophagus since his death in 1994. The state funeral is to be held there on
Dec. 28. North Korean officials say they will not invite foreign delegations and
will allow no entertainment during the mourning period. North Korean state media
have given clear indications that Kim Jong Un will succeed him. Since Kim's
death they have stepped up their lavish praise of the son, indicating an effort
to strengthen a cult of personality around him similar to that of his father and
— much more strongly — of Kim Il Sung. The Korean Central News Agency on Tuesday
described Kim Jong Un as a "a great person born of heaven," a propaganda term
only his father Kim Jong Il and his grandfather Kim Il Sung had enjoyed. The
Rodong Sinmun, the newspaper of the ruling Workers' Party, added in an editorial
that Kim Jong Un is "the spiritual pillar and the lighthouse of hope" for the
military and the people. It described the twenty-something Kim as "born of Mount
Paektu," one of Korea's most cherished sites and Kim Jong Il's official
birthplace. On Monday, the North said in a dispatch that the people and the
military "have pledged to uphold the leadership of comrade Kim Jong Un" and
called him a "great successor" of the country's revolutionary philosophy of
juche, or self-reliance.
SourceAssociated PressAgence/France Presse.
Aoun, More Jong-il than Havel
Now Lebanon/December 19, 2011
On a weekend that witnessed the passing of former Czech leader Vaclav Havel, a
man whom it was said “exposed the emptiness of a repressive ideology, and proved
that moral leadership is more powerful than any weapon,” Free Patriotic Movement
(FPM) leader MP Michel Aoun, a would-be pretender to such lofty values, called
on university students to “respect freedom of thought and expression.” Speaking
to the FPM’s student body at Baabda’s Antonine University, he also called on
them to “positively influence society” and “reject calls for extremism made by
some Lebanese parties.”
Aoun is not Havel. His words are, of course, nothing more than balloon juice,
political hot air, empty statements, call them what you will; designed puff from
a political party that claims to be fresh and modern and which would have us
believe has won the support of the nation’s brightest. The FPM may stand for
technocracy, changing the old guard and creating a Lebanon that is free of
corruption, cronyism and dark, sectarian cabals, but it is in reality a cynical
vehicle for the presidential aspirations of its leader.
Aoun’s followers might very well be made up of decent, hard-working, middle
class, Christian Lebanese who are sick and tired of the Kataeb’s dynastic line
or the wartime legacy of the Lebanese Forces, but they have been conned and will
continue to be conned by Aoun’s bullying exhortations.
One doesn’t have to go far to expose Aoun’s double standards. His alliance with
Hezbollah - a militant, autocratic theocracy that feeds its followers a
political and religious narrative designed to sustain the party’s role as a
ruthless and well-organized Iranian asset - is an “extremism” that Aoun, far
from rejecting, has snuggled up into bed with.
Aoun urges freedom of expression, and yet, where are his protests condemning the
censorship by General Security, most notably, the recent ban of Danielle Arbid’s
new film, Beirut Hotel? Until Aoun takes a stand, even against his allies
(General Security is essentially controlled by Hezbollah), then he had better
desist from calling for greater freedom of expression. It just makes him look
silly.
But there’s more. His constant refusal to decry the ongoing repression in Syria
and the deaths of thousands of pro-democracy activists, including women and
children, must also call into question Aoun’s credentials as a proponent of
freedom of expression. It is clear for the world to see that brave people are
dying by the bullets of the Syrian army, police and pro-regime thugs, but Aoun
simply tows the line of his allies in the pro-Syrian March 8 bloc, calling
events in Syria a foreign-backed plot. It is at a time like this that the ideals
of the FPM fall apart. The manifesto that was meant to herald a new dawn in
Lebanese politics has been exposed for its hypocrisy and self-interest.
Coincidentally, another world leader, Kim Jong-il, the North Korean dictator who
defied the world in his bid to make his country a nuclear power for all the
wrong reasons while his people starved, was announced dead on Monday. He was, by
most accounts, a megalomaniacal buffoon who demanded unthinking obedience from
his people and who followed a policy that put his country on an apocalyptic
collision course with the West. Sound familiar?
Hamas on the move
Hussein Ibish, December 20, 2011
Hamas is on the move, both literally and figuratively, but how far it can and
will go very much remains to be determined.
Hamas is in an impossible position, given the regional realignments following
from the Arab uprisings, and is frantically trying to adjust without paying too
high a price.
For more than a decade, Hamas’ strategy was based on being simultaneously allied
with both the Sunni Muslim Brotherhood network and the, essentially, Shiite,
Iranian-led alliance. This incongruous ideological contortion was made possible
by a narrative embraced by both of these broader anti-status quo alignments:
that the Middle East was the site of a trans-historic battle between a "culture
of resistance" and a "culture of accommodation."
This narrative has collapsed completely, and is rapidly being replaced by a new
sectarian order pitting Sunni actors, including both Arab governments and
Islamists, as well as Turkey, against what is now perceived as the non- or even
anti-Sunni alliance led by Iran. This realignment has been most starkly
illustrated in Syria, whose pro-Iranian government is now supported entirely by
non-Sunni forces in the Middle East and opposed by virtually all Sunni ones.
Hamas can no longer have a foot in each of these camps when they are
increasingly at odds, often in existential ways. The movement’s political bureau
cannot long remain based in Damascus since the Syrian Muslim Brotherhood is a
core part of the uprising trying to overthrow the regime of Bashar al-Assad. The
break with Assad also means a break with Tehran.
Hamas needs not only a new home but also new sponsors and a new regional
profile, since the strategic landscape in which it operates has shifted so
dramatically.
Literally on the move, its de facto "prime minister" in Gaza, Ismail Haniyyeh,
is planning a tour of Arab states, beginning with Qatar and possibly including
Turkey. Khaled Meshaal, who heads Hamas’ political bureau, meanwhile, has been
trying to engineer a reconciliation with Jordan, and has been planning a trip
there that has yet to happen. Both sides insist this has not been canceled.
Figuratively on the move, Meshaal, according to Palestinian President Mahmoud
Abbas, has agreed that resistance to occupation must be nonviolent and must seek
to create a Palestinian state based on the 1967 borders. A spokesman for Hamas
leaders in Gaza appeared to confirm these commitments, but reiterated that Hamas
would not recognize Israel.
This apparently difficult readjustment has exposed latent tensions within Hamas.
The organization is divided along multiple axes, but the most obvious is the
division between many in the leadership in Gaza, which is entrenched in power
and only stands to lose from any changes, and the external leadership, which has
no choice but to urgently find new headquarters and patrons.
This squabble has been most publicly expressed in an ongoing feud between
Meshaal and the Hamas hardliner in Gaza, Mahmoud Zahhar. In May, Zahhar was
harshly critical of Meshaal for recognizing the authority of Abbas and the
Palestine Liberation Organization to negotiate with Israel. Worse still, he
questioned the authority of the political bureau itself, claiming, "the
leadership is here [in Gaza], and the part that is abroad is just a part of
that."
However, Meshaal reportedly retains the support of key Hamas leaders, including
Ahmed Jabari, the head of its paramilitary Ezzedine al-Qassam brigades. The
group reportedly imposed "severe disciplinary measures" against Zahhar in
response to his challenge to the authority of Meshaal and the political bureau.
The big question is whether Hamas’ need to adjust to the changing Arab political
order will compel the movement to moderate its positions. Probably not if Hamas
can help it, for it remains locked in a long-term power struggle with Fatah over
leadership of the Palestinian national movement. Yet its ability to remain a
viable contender for such leadership cannot be based on Islamist social
conservatism alone. If it cannot outbid the PLO when it comes to the struggle
with Israel, it’s hard to see what its broad appeal will be.
Hamas is hoping that the Arab uprisings will strengthen its hand by bringing its
Muslim Brotherhood allies to power in numerous Arab states. It has reportedly
recently formally joined an international umbrella group of the Brotherhood
movement. But as it has to abandon the Iranian-Syrian alliance and explore
deeper relations with Qatar, Egypt and even Jordan, Hamas will be dealing with
states that, at least for now, will not be willing to take responsibility for
the movement’s traditional policies and actions.
The outcome of the Arab uprisings and realignment writ large will probably
determine the future of Hamas. Fatah, too, will have to adjust to the emerging
strategic and political environment. These new regional realities will probably
affect the future of both organizations more than anything the Palestinian
groups decide independently or between themselves.
**Hussein Ibish is a weekly columnist for Now Lebanon and blogs at
www.Ibishblog.com.
“Agents”
Hazem Saghiyeh , December 20, 2011
Now Lebanon/The word “agents”, which sparked a rhetorical war in parliament
between MPs Nawwaf Moussawi and Sami Gemayel, deserves a short pause.
The use of this word, which comes out of the commercial dictionary (the agent of
a tradesman, etc.) is used derogatively as an expression of a backward stance
vis-à-vis urban and commercial life. Interestingly, those who use this
expression in a defamatory sense have borrowed many other terms from the same
commercial dictionary and turned them into political insults, such as
“representative”, “client”, “clientelism”, “consensual”, “clearing”, etc.
The use of this term in the abovementioned meaning went along with the breakdown
of parliamentary life in the Arab world ever since the Nasserite coup in Egypt
in 1952, especially after Abdel Nasser’s rise to power in 1954. Ever since then,
accusations of treason and collaboration began to reign uppermost in despotic
regimes and totalitarian movements, such as Baathists, Arab nationalists and
Communists. Those making them did not have any shred of doubt regarding the
veracity of their accusations. In the political rhetoric prevailing in the
pre-coup era, such terms were not in use and conflicts were merely labeled as
divergences or differences in social or civil representation.
This quick review allows us to say that the prevalence of treason accusations
was among the main signs of the breakdown of political life and the weak
capacity to establish political traditions in post-Independence societies. This
has gone hand in hand with the entrenchment of despotism and control of the
lives of individuals and groups.
Furthermore, this accusation is marred by two problems: first, one cannot prove
that someone is an “agent” in a sense that this person was caught calling a
foreign state or conveying information to it, i.e. a spy. The lack of evidence
consolidates the relation between this low-level political literature and the
demagogical awareness of totalitarian and semi-totalitarian movements. The
accusation, which is totally baseless, is thus made and becomes an integral part
of the “culture” of raging crowds.
Second, how can someone representing an opinion to which broad swathes of the
population are attached for historical and sociological reasons be labeled as an
“agent”? An individual or group communicating with a foreign state may
understandably be convicted of treason. However, how can this criterion apply to
a staunch section of the population, which has a political and social opinion
that contravenes the opinion of another group for historical and sociological
reasons as well?
Ultimately, the main practical difference between democracy and despotism may be
that such an accusation would, in a democracy, lead to a trial and to prison. In
contrast, under a despotic regime, its author becomes a hero.
This rhetoric is at a bottleneck in Syria today. And this stalemate is bound,
sooner or later, to affect Lebanon, the country with many groups and many
truths, the coexistence of which is linked to the life and continuity of the
country.
*This article is a translation of the original, which was posted on the NOW
Arabic site on Monday December 19, 2011