LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
ِJuly 14/2011

Bible Quotation for today
The Good News According to Mark 6/45-52/“Cheer up! It is I! Don’t be afraid".
Immediately he made his disciples get into the boat, and to go ahead to the other side, to Bethsaida, while he himself sent the multitude away. 6:46 After he had taken leave of them, he went up the mountain to pray. 6:47 When evening had come, the boat was in the midst of the sea, and he was alone on the land. 6:48 Seeing them distressed in rowing, for the wind was contrary to them, about the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea,* and he would have passed by them, 6:49 but they, when they saw him walking on the sea, supposed that it was a ghost, and cried out; 6:50 for they all saw him, and were troubled. But he immediately spoke with them, and said to them, “Cheer up! It is I! Don’t be afraid.” 6:51 He got into the boat with them; and the wind ceased, and they were very amazed among themselves, and marveled; 6:52 for they hadn’t understood about the loaves, but their hearts were hardened.

Latest analysis, editorials, studies, reports, letters & Releases from miscellaneous sources
Only timing, trigger unknown in next Hezbollah-Israel war/By Nicholas Blanford/July 13/11
Syria and the U.S. Embassy attack/By Tariq Alhomayed/13 July/11
Saad Hariri's  Intewrview with MTV/Now Lebanon/13/11
Blockage/Hazem Saghiyeh/July 11/11
Five years after Second Lebanon War, Hezbollah steps up claims of Israeli espionage/By Jack Khoury/Haaretz/July 13/11
 

Latest News Reports From Miscellaneous Sources for July 13/11
Security Council Condemns Attacks on U.S., French Embassies in Syria/Naharnet
UN strongly condemns attacks on US and French embassies in Syria/Washington Post
Surveillance must be under auspices of Parliament: Aoun/The Daily Star
Lebanon in Political, Diplomatic Campaign Against Israel's Proposed Maritime Line/Naharnet
Berri for Appointment of Shiite as Army Leader Over Bickering on General Security Chief/Naharnet
Aoun: Wissam al-Hasan’s Position at Head of Intelligence Bureau Violates ISF Law/Naharnet
Attack on US embassy “not acceptable,” White House says/Now Lebanon
EU renews push for UN condemnation of Syrian crackdown/Now Lebanon
Thousands rally for Egyptian military chief's ouster/Now Lebanon
Former PM Saad Hariri speaks in an interview with MTV/Now Lebanon
The US has gotten tough with Syria; now it needs to get tougher/W.P
Lebanon's Hariri Blames Hezbollah, Assad for Government's Fall/Bloomberg
False Witnesses Issue to Make Comeback?Naharnet
Hariri: Nothing Will Be Changed in Indictment Even If Nasrallah Holds 300 News Conferences/Naharnet
Murder of Afghan President's brother parades Taliban capabilities/DEBKAfile
Report: Iran missiles can now hit targets at 2,000 km range/Haaretz
US, French envoys to visit more protest hubs. Syrian oil pipeline bombed/DEBKAfile
WikiLeaks: Jumblat Said Mirza is Weak, Doesn’t Deserve his Position/Naharnet
March 14 gear up on work to topple Mikati Cabinet/The Daily Star
Lebanon's Arabic press digest - July 13, 2011/The Daily Star
Obama Sharpens Rhetoric Against Syria's Assad/VOA
Activist: Bomb hits gas pipeline in eastern Syria/AP
Only timing, trigger unknown in next Hezbollah-Israel war/The Daily Star
Arab League tells U.S. to stop interfering in Syria July 13, 2011/The Daily Star
Hariri’s remarks show hatred: March 8 MP/The Daily Star
MP Ahmad Fatfat: Hezbollah's arms the only issue in dispute/The Daily Star
Lebanon, Israel, UNIFIL meet to discuss Blue Line violations/The Daily Star
Williams Urges Lebanon to Commit to Resolution 1701/Naharnet
SSNP Slams Saudi Report: It is Aimed at Covering up Real Criminals/Naharnet
Charbel Says Cabinet Won’t Discuss Interior Ministry Appointments on Thursday/Naharnet

WikiLeaks: Jumblat Said Mirza is Weak, Doesn’t Deserve his Position
Naharnet/Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblat described in a leaked U.S. Embassy cable General Prosecutor Saeed Mirza as weak, adding that he doesn’t deserve his position.The WikiLeaks cable dated March 22, 2008, spoke of the MP’s fear of a Hizbullah and Syria-led campaign to release the four generals who were imprisoned for allegedly being involved in the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. “The release of all or any one of the generals will harm the Special Tribunal for Lebanon’s credibility,” he added.
“The Lebanese judges don’t have the courage to wage a confrontation,” he stressed. Jumblat also voiced his concern that the STL is not working at a fast enough pace.

Lebanon, Israel, UNIFIL meet to discuss Blue Line violations
July 13, 2011 /The Daily Star
BEIRUT: A tripartite meeting between Lebanon, Israel and the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon took place Wednesday to discuss breaches of the border separating the two countries, reported the National News Agency. The meeting, which lasted from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., centered on the continuous breaches by Israeli troops of the Blue Line that separates Lebanon and Israel. The two neighboring countries are technically in a state of war. In 2009, Lebanon filed a complaint with the United Nations, presenting over 7,000 documents pertaining to Israeli violations of Lebanese territory

MP Ahmad Fatfat: Hezbollah's arms the only issue in dispute
July 13, 2011/The Daily Star
BEIRUT: The remaining contentious issue between Lebanon’s rival political camps is Hezbollah’s arms, Future Movement MP Ahmad Fatfat said, an issue Hezbollah would not discuss in a national dialogue committee. “The only disputed issue is the possession of arms and [Hezbollah] MP Mohammad Raad has refused to discuss this issue with the national dialogue committee,” Fatfat told Voice of Lebanon radio station Wednesday, adding that everything the committee had agreed on in previous meetings had been reversed.
Fatfat’s criticism of the committee casts further doubt on the possibility of a resumption of dialogue to discuss dividing issues between the Hezbollah-led March 8 alliance and the March 14 coalition. The MP’s comments came the day after the head of the Future Movement and former Prime Minister Saad Hariri said he was committed to national dialogue on the condition that it discusses the issue of Hezbollah’s arsenal. In a television interview on MTV Tuesday night, Hariri also ruled out discussion of the issue of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, another issues which sharply divides the two blocs. Fatfat reiterated the March 14 coalition’s commitment to peaceful opposition, saying: “It is the Lebanese people's right and duty to resist any political decisions in a democratic, political way.” The March 14 coalition has launched a fierce campaign against Prime Minister Najib Mikati’s government following the collapse of Hariri’s Cabinet, forced by the resignation of March 8 ministers in January this year. Fatfat described Mikati as a “tool” for Hezbollah and reiterated Hariri’s allegations that Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah and Syrian President Bashar Assad had brought down Hariri’s Cabinet. “There is no communication with Prime Minister Najib Mikati who is acting like a tool for a decision that was made by President Bashar Assad and Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah. Therefore, the major decision making is not in the hands of Mikati, but [of Nasrallah].”
March 14 lawmakers had repeatedly described Mikati’s arrival to power as an armed coup, claiming that his Cabinet is a Hezbollah-Syrian government.

Hariri’s remarks show hatred: March 8 MP
The Daily Star /BEIRUT: Hezbollah-led March 8 coalition politicians hit back Wednesday at Future Movement MP Saad Hariri’s late night interview, with some saying his comments exhibited signs of hatred. “Remarks by former Prime Minister Saad Hariri show hatred as a result of his exit from power,” Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) member MP Nabil Nicola said.
“In his remarks, Hariri ascertained the lack of credibility of the international tribunal," Nicola told Al-Manar television, referring to the Special Tribunal for Lebanon probing the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri in 2005. Breaking a nearly four-month silence, Hariri launched a blistering attack Tuesday night on Hezbollah and Prime Minister Najib Mikati, whom he described as “Hezbollah’s surrogate,” vowing to topple his government through “a strong opposition” by the March 14 coalition, during an interview with MTV television.
Nicola said the March 14 had already pre-judged Hezbollah in the assassination of Hariri. “They [March 14] want to accuse Hezbollah and kill it, and then open its case,” he told the Hezbollah-owned television station. Asked to comment on Hariri’s position that he would only hold a meeting with Hezbollah chief Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah in the presence of witnesses, Nicola vouched for Nasrallah’s honesty, saying that he “does not err.” Criticizing Hariri’s alliance with members in the March 14 alliance, the FPM official said Rafik Hariri, Saad’s father, was the one who threw Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea in jail. During his interview Tuesday, Hariri reiterated that he would not sever ties with his allies in the March 14 coalition.
“How can Saad Hariri consider himself carrying on his father’s march while at the same time he is strengthening his alliance with Geagea?” Nicola asked.
Free Patriotic Movement MP Naji Garious also commented Wednesday on Hariri’s interview, which was broadcast live from his residence in Paris.
“Hariri did not yet get used to his new status,” Garious said, referring to Hariri’s exit from power earlier this year.
“I did not understand what he meant by mini-states,” Garious told a local radio station. The March 14 coalition accuse Hezbollah of seeking to establish a smaller state within a state.
Garious said he would not respond to Hariri’s comments in which he undermined former Lebanese Army commander Gen. Michel Aoun by describing him as “non-commissioned officer.”
"Gen. Aoun cannot be described in this way,” he added. His colleague in the FPM, MP Alain Aoun, for his part, said Hariri’s remarks did not come as a surprise.
“These statements were already made during the Bristol [Hotel] meeting,” Aoun said, referring to March 14 coalition gathering on July 4 in which participants said they would topple the government of Mikati using democratic means.

US, French envoys to visit more protest hubs. Syrian oil pipeline bombed
DEBKAfile Exclusive Report /July 13, 2011,
After Hama, US and French ambassadors to Damascus, Robert Ford and Eric Chevalier, plan a second round of visits to protest centers Friday, July 15, when they will try to reach the eastern Syrian oil town of Deir al-Zour on the Iraqi border to meet opposition leaders, although debkafile's intelligence sources report government forces are poised to stop them. Wednesday, July 13, an oil pipeline connecting al-Omar field and al-Taim oil station belonging to the Euphrates Oil Company in the Deir al-Zour province was bombed - the first attacks on Syria's energy infrastructure since the uprisings erupted four months ago.
Friday, Deir al-Zour's half a million dwellers will be staging their fifth consecutive weekly anti-Assad rally, braving the two 9th Division tank brigades and commando units besieging the city and using live ammunition against them. If the ambassadors gain entry to Deir al-Zour, they will also make for another flashpoint Euphrates Valley city, the much smaller Abu Kemal (100,000). The decision to finally challenge Assad's rule was approved in frantic consultations Tuesday, July 12, between Presidents Barack Obama and Nicolas Sarkozy, putting Ambassadors Ford and Chevalier on the front line after the success of their solidarity gesture in Hama.
Sources in Washington and Paris said that the White House and the Elysée are well aware of the dangers the diplomats will be running from trigger-happy Syrian troops, but both envoys have offered to face danger for the sake of challenging the Assad regime and its brutal methods of repression.
The "national dialogue" staged by the Syrian ruler earlier this week broke down after most of the opposition representatives walked out and the street protesters boycotted it. A senior US source described the project as a farce. Tuesday, after four months of holding back, President Obama finally came out with a statement condemning the Syrian ruler by name: "You're seeing President Assad lose legitimacy in the eyes of his people," he said in a CBS interview, although he still refrained from telling him outright to resign like Egypt's Hosni Mubarak and Libya's Muammar Qaddafi. Monday, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton declared: "President Assad is not indispensable and we have absolutely nothing invested in him remaining in power." She spoke after pro-Assad thugs smashed into the US and French embassies following the ambassadors visit to Hama on July 8.
The French Prime Minister Francois Fillon said the pro-Assad loyalists attacks on the embassies made it increasingly difficult for Syrian ruler to stay in power.
US officials predict that having crossed a key threshold, the White House will be more outspoken against Assad in the days to come and is already preparing new sanctions for hitting Syria's only source of foreign currency revenue, the oil industry. Sales estimated at $7-8 million a day bankroll Assad's military crackdown on dissent.
debkafile's sources note that the ambassadors' visit to Hama underscored US and French solidarity with the Sunni Muslim uprising in northern Syrias spearheaded by the Assad clan's traditional foe, the Muslim Brotherhood. In Deir al-Zour and Abu Kemal, they will be demonstrating support for a second opposition group made up of Sunni tribes dominated by the million-strong Shammar of eastern Syria and three million Kurds.
Deir al-Zourr is the largest city in the province and it has a mixed Shammar-Kurdish population.

Arab League tells U.S. to stop interfering in Syria
By Bassem Mroue/The Daily Star
BEIRUT: The Arab League said Wednesday that Washington overstepped its bounds by saying Syrian President Bashar Assad had lost the legitimacy to lead his country.
Speaking to reporters in Damascus, Arab League chief Nabil Elaraby said Assad assured him that “Syria has entered a new era and is now moving on the road of a genuine reform.” Syria came under withering international criticism Tuesday as the White House said Assad has “lost legitimacy” and the U.N. Security Council condemned attacks on the U.S. and French embassies in Damascus.
It was a sharp escalation in pressure on Assad and a sign that the Obama administration could be moving closer to calling for regime change in Syria over the violent crackdown on a four-month-old uprising. Previously, the U.S. position on Assad was that he should lead a transition to democracy or leave. Elaraby said nobody has the right to say that the president of any country has lost his legitimacy. “This issue is exclusively decided by the people,” he said after meeting Assad. Since the uprising began in mid-March, the Arab League has been mostly silent about the situation in Syria. Last month, Elaraby’s deputy, Ahmed bin Heli, said Syria was a “main factor of balance and stability in the region.” Elaraby repeated that position Wednesday.
Also Wednesday, Syria’s Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem said he regretted Monday’s attacks by government supporters on the U.S. and French embassies in Damascus.
“Whoever did that was wrong,” al-Moallem said, adding that Syria is responsible for protecting the embassies and their staff “and we bear full responsibility for that.” Hundreds of Syrian government supporters smashed the embassies’ windows and spray painted walls with graffiti.
Three French Embassy workers were injured. Earlier Wednesday, Syria’s Oil Ministry said fire damaged a natural gas pipeline in eastern Syria. It was unclear if the blaze was accidental or sabotage. No casualties were reported. Syria’s state-run news agency said production continued using other pipelines. Syria produces about 350,000 barrels of oil per day as well as natural gas. There were conflicting details about the fire late Tuesday in Deir el-Zour province, near the border with Iraq.
Witnesses said they heard an explosion, raising concerns that there had been an attack. But Syria’s Oil Ministry denied any explosion and said a fire erupted on a pipeline that was under maintenance. Syria’s oil exports are among the main earners of foreign currency to the government, particularly now that the country’s four-month-old uprising has hit the tourism industry. Last year, tourism accounted for roughly 12 percent of GDP and brought in $8 billion in hard currency. Reports of an explosion at the Al-Furat Oil Company’s pipeline raised concerns of an attack, which would be the first of its kind as the country tries to quell the revolt against President Bashar Assad’s regime.

March 14 gear up on work to topple Mikati Cabinet
July 13, 2011 /The Daily Star
BEIRUT: The Future Movement-led March 14 coalition announced Wednesday it had begun working to topple the government of Prime Minister Najib Mikati.
“The work for toppling the government of Najib Mikati by peaceful and democratic means got under way,” said a statement issued by the alliance following its weekly meeting.
It said March 14 MPs as well as political parties that make up the coalition “will do their work – not only to topple the Mikati government, but to restore normality to Lebanon so that the government will commit to legitimate decisions and can take control over weapons.” The statement by the new opposition came a day after former Prime Minister Saad Hariri launched a scathing attack Tuesday on Hezbollah and Prime Minister Najib Mikati, whom he described as “Hezbollah’s surrogate,” vowing to topple his government through “a strong opposition” by the March 14 coalition. Breaking a nearly four-month silence, Hariri blamed Syrian President Bashar Assad and Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah for the toppling of his Cabinet on Jan. 12 when March 8 ministers resigned in a long-running dispute over a U.N.-backed court seeking to uncover the killers of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.
Saad Hariri also pledged not to compromise on truth and justice in the 2005 assassination of his father, saying that Hezbollah’s rejection of the U.N.-backed Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) would not stop its work.

Only timing, trigger unknown in next Hezbollah-Israel war
July 12, 2011 /By Nicholas Blanford/The Daily Star
BEIRUT: Five years ago Tuesday, a squad of Hezbollah fighters penetrated the border with Israel and blasted two Israeli army Humvees with rocket-propelled grenades and machine-gun fire, snatching two of the soldiers and killing another three.
Within hours, five more Israeli soldiers were dead, four of them the crew of a Merkava tank that was completely destroyed when it hit a massive bellycharge inside Lebanese territory.
Israel had suffered its highest single day fatality toll in Lebanon since the bungled naval commando raid in Ansarieh in September 1997.
Hezbollah believed it had mounted a highly successful kidnapping operation and was looking forward to negotiations with Israel to secure the release of Lebanese and Arab detainees. But Ehud Olmert, the then Israeli prime minister, decided instead to launch a war.
As Hezbollah miscalculated the response of the Israeli government to the kidnapping operation, so Israel misjudged the enemy it faced in south Lebanon. In the six years between Israel’s troop withdrawal from south Lebanon in 2000 and the outbreak of war, Hezbollah had evolved from a fluid guerrilla group skilled in hit-and-run operations into a crack infantry brigade that had learned how to control and defend ground and was armed with weapons and communications systems that would not look out of place in a medium-sized European army.
During the same period, the Israeli Army’s main focus was on suppressing the Al-Aqsa intifada where the enemy consisted of disorganized gunmen, suicide bombers and stone-throwing children. When Israeli troops were sent into south Lebanon in 2006, the vast majority simply were not trained to cope with a determined enemy that fired back and operated from hidden bunkers and tunnels.
Hezbollah today is described by military analysts as a “hybrid force” – a nonstate military group simultaneously employing both irregular and conventional weapons and tactics. The U.S. has shown particular interest in how Hezbollah fought the war, assessing that hybrid-style forces may present a challenge to its forces in the years ahead.
“The conflict … that intrigues me most, and I think speaks more toward what we can expect in the decades ahead, is the one that happened in Lebanon in the summer of 2006,” said General George Casey in May 2009 when he was U.S. army chief of staff.
The war ended inconclusively after a month of fighting. Hezbollah celebrated a “divine victory” over Israel, but it came at the cost of yielding the southern border district to the Lebanese Army and a strengthened UNIFIL.
Since then, Hezbollah has established new lines of defense, recruited and trained thousands of new fighters, devised fresh battle tactics and augmented its arsenal with guided rockets capable of striking almost any target in Israel. In a series of speeches over the past three years, Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah, Hezbollah’s secretary-general, has made the concept of reciprocity a cornerstone of the party’s deterrence strategy toward Israel.
Nasrallah has warned Israel that Hezbollah can demolish entire buildings in Tel Aviv with its rockets, strike shipping along the length of Israel’s coastline and dispatch its fighters into Galilee if the Jewish state should be so rash as to launch an attack on Lebanon.
As for Israel, it faced the humiliation of a poor military performance in 2006 and a weakened deterrence posture. It has since retrained its army and introduced new weapons systems geared toward the asymmetrical conflict with Hezbollah, including a multi-tiered anti-rocket shield and a tank protection system. It also has developed its own deterrence strategy, the so-called “Dahiyah doctrine” that promises the destruction of any area from which Hezbollah operates in the next war.
Furthermore, the Lebanon-Israel border has enjoyed its longest period of calm since the late 1960s which some Israeli politicians have cited to suggest that the 2006 war was not a complete failure after all.
Despite the upheavals roiling the region this year, particularly the unrest in Syria, the recent indictments targeting members of Hezbollah for their alleged role in the killing of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri and now renewed tensions over the maritime border between Lebanon and Israel, neither Hezbollah nor the Israelis have any appetite for another confrontation.
Both sides are aware that should another war break out, it will be of a magnitude unparalleled in the history of the Arab-Israeli conflict. Instead of confined to the traditional theater of south Lebanon and northern Israel, the next war will likely encompass the territories of both countries. The heart of Israel will become a front line for the first time since the 1948 war.
While this “balance of terror” helps preserve a modicum of stability, it remains inherently unstable and still prone to miscalculation, even if both sides have learned lessons about underestimating each other. Furthermore, none of the fundamental drivers that led to war in 2006 have been resolved.
“Deterrence is by default a [temporary] solution, not a lasting one,” said Bilal Saab, a Middle East analyst and expert on Hezbollah at the University of Maryland.
It has become customary in late spring and early summer for pundits and politicians in Lebanon and Israel to begin the annual speculation over whether the next war is imminent. So far both countries have survived four summers without another war. But many analysts believe that another confrontation between Hezbollah and Israel is all but inevitable in the absence of a major region-shaping development such as comprehensive Middle East peace or an entente between the U.S. and Iran.
Barring such developments, the only unknowns are the timing of the next war and the trigger factor

Fire damages gas pipeline in eastern Syria
By BASSEM MROUE, Associated Press
BEIRUT (AP) — Fire damaged a natural gas pipeline in eastern Syria, the Oil Ministry said Wednesday, but it was unclear if the blaze was accidental or sabotage. No casualties were reported. Syria's state-run news agency said production continued using other pipelines. Syria produces about 350,000 barrels of oil per day as well as natural gas.
There were conflicting details about the blaze late Tuesday in Deir el-Zour province, near the border with Iraq. Witnesses told the London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights that there was an explosion, but Syria's Oil Ministry denied that and said a fire broke out on a pipeline that was under maintenance.
The pro-government TV station Ikhbariyeh Souriyeh also reported an explosion, but said there were no casualties and that damages to the pipeline were minor.
Syria's oil exports are among the main earners of foreign currency to the government, particularly now that the country's four-month-old uprising has hit the tourism industry. Last year, tourism accounted for roughly 12 percent of GDP and brought in $8 billion in hard currency.
Reports of an explosion at the Al-Furat Oil Company's pipeline raised concerns of an attack, which would be the first of its kind as the country tries to quell the revolt against President Bashar Assad's regime.  On Wednesday, Assad was expected to discuss the crisis in Syria with visiting Arab League Secretary-General Nabil Elaraby.
Contact Bassem Mroue at http://twitter.com/bmroue
Copyright © 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

Canada’s Foreign Affairs Minister Expresses Canada’s Condolences after Large Explosion in Cyprus
http://www.international.gc.ca/media/aff/news-communiques/2011/201.aspx
(No. 201 - July 13 - 1:15 a.m. ET) John Baird, Canada’s Foreign Affairs Minister, today made the following statement after a large explosion in Cyprus:
“I wish to express, on behalf of all Canadians, Canada’s deep regret and most sincere condolences to those who lost loved ones in a deadly explosion at Mari, Cyprus.
“May the 12 brave souls who died rest in peace, and may those who were injured recover fully and quickly. “Canada hopes the after effects of this tragedy will be short lived. We stand with the people of Cyprus in spirit at this time of national introspection.”

Saad Hariri's  Intewrview with MTV
July 12, 2011 /Now Lebanon
On July 12, former Prime Minister Saad Hariri spoke to MTV from Paris in his first public appearance since March:
“Good evening, hopefully the next interview will be in Beirut. I shall return to Beirut soon. I chose to be absent [from Beirut] and let [March 8] form the new government and the Ministerial Statement. There [have been] threats [against me] since 2005. I was absent from Beirut [not because I was threatened], but willingly. The Future Movement and the March 14 coalition are strong. Every time March 14 proves that it is there. We have struggled for independence, for achieving the truth. We won [the 2009] parliamentary elections although the use of arms changed the results of elections afterward.
There are people who tell me that they want me to be back as a target, but there are also people who do not want me to be back in Beirut. I will come back to Lebanon when I see that I need to be back, and hopefully it will not take too long. I decided to speak in order to put an end to the distortions taking place regarding all matters. If [Hezbollah chief] Sayyed Hassan [Nasrallah] holds 300 press conferences, he will not change anything about the Special Tribunal for Lebanon’s (STL) indictment. If [I was still the country’s premier], [my] cabinet would have made efforts to search for the four suspects indicted by the tribunal. Some are [accusing] us of provoking the international community. We are not. The press conferences held by [March 8] parties are the ones that incite the international community.
[The cabinet] might or might not cooperate with the international community, but in the end, Lebanon will pay the price. The STL is there and no one can bring it down. Sometimes [March 8] parties voice commitments to international resolutions and other times they don’t. What shall we believe? Nasrallah stood behind the four indicted men. Why? Those are individuals [charged by the STL]. There is no stability without justice. Let [Hezbollah] put itself in our shoes. Don’t they have martyrs? Don’t they consider [Hezbollah slain official] Imad Mugniyah to be their martyr? Where is the truth behind his killing?
For the first time in Lebanon a tribunal is being established to try the murderers of politicians. Who is threatening stability? The indictment has been released. Did instability occur in the country? What happened? Neither Saad Hariri nor anyone in the Future Movement or March 14 is allowed to accuse a certain sect in the killing [of Rafik Hariri]. I want to ask you a question, why did the March 8 ministers resign [from my cabinet in January 2011]? Didn’t they do so because of the [issue of the] witnesses who gave unreliable testimonies [to the international commission investigating Rafik Hariri’s 2005 assassination?]
I supported Saudi-Syrian talks to end disputes in Lebanon truthfully and for the sake of Lebanon. I do not want to rule. I am very relieved that I am not taking part in it. I wanted reconciliation. Those who want to rule are the parties who did everything [to force the collapse of my cabinet], not me. We want a mechanism to disarm [non-state] parties, including those of the Palestinian factions.
If there is nothing there to serve Lebanon, then I do not want to rule. I wanted to build a state, not a statelet, like what the current cabinet is doing. I knew deep inside that some parties in Lebanon were maneuvering [to foil Saudi –Syrian talks] and bring down March 14. When I negotiated, I was bearing something that was bigger than I am, and I never knew that this will break my back. I knew I was losing political and in popularity.
Nasrallah is the one who rejected the Saudi-Syrian talks. Rafik Hariri stood by the [1989] Taif Agreement. What we have is our truthful word and honesty. We offered our hand to cooperate with the others. The main problem in the country is [the use of non-state] arms. I engaged in serious dialogue [with March 8 parties], but next time I will do it on camera and in public so that they won’t accuse me of selling my father’s blood. Arms have become Hezbollah’s problem and our problem with Hezbollah. Within March 14, we will not remain silent [about the arms issue]. I will never be separated from my allies in March 14.
Let us implement the Taif Accord. All I am saying is that throughout the past six years, despite our disagreements with parties, which happen in a democracy, the use of arms [has allowed some parties] to impose their will on others. We reject the logic of power-use. They either order us to abide by their will or they label us as traitors and Israelis. The Future Movement is the only movement that is not sectarian. I defy anyone in the March 8 parties that is like that. For us, the killers of [Rafik Hariri] are murderers, and not a sect.
We will go all the way toward uncovering the truth, there will not be any bargain. We are not armed, [the Lebanese Forces and the Kataeb] are not armed either. It seems that we are supposed to apologize for Rafik Hariri, Pierre Gemayel or Gebran Tueni being assassinated.
Today is the anniversary of [the beginning of the 2006] July War. We all know that [Israel] killed [Lebanese] in that war and we condemn it, but who killed our martyrs? We want to know. In any trial in the world, the accused are either proven guilty or innocent. Should we abolish the tribunal and [forget] about our martyrs just because we have doubt?
I want you to see past international tribunals. There have always been leaks, this is the media’s role… but eventually, one will prove if the accused has committed the crime or not.
[Asked if he is ready to meet with Nasrallah]: I am not against dialogue, but I want to have witnesses to be there next time I meet him so that [nothing is made up] about what we talked about.
[Asked why he sourly received PM Najib Mikati after the latter was nominated as premier]: The most important thing for me is honesty. I do not have a personal problem with Mikati, but today the current cabinet is that of Hezbollah and [it carries out] the project [of the party], and Mikati is the head of the government. When we allied with Mikati in Tripoli [during the 2009 parliamentary elections], did we ally on the basis that we want the truth [in Rafik Hariri’s murder] ‘in principal’?
The decision to bring down Saad Hariri from the premiership was made by two people: Nasrallah and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Mikati is only serving as a tool. I want to ask [Minister of Finance] Mohammad Safadi, [who backed Mikati], what did March 14 do to you? Is Mikati’s vow to commit to the STL written down [clearly] in his government’s Ministerial Statement?
I see that the current cabinet is that of Hezbollah. [I] am part of March 14. We are all one, and thus [March 8] saw that [I] made compromises and went to Syria and Iran... and picked the moment when it would be the easiest to bring down [my] cabinet.
[Progressive Socialist Party leader] MP Walid Jumblatt is not part of Hezbollah, he is a leader, and I respect him even if I disagree with him politically. [On March 13] I accused Mikati and Safadi of being responsible for the betrayal of the Lebanese people. Iran and Syria benefited from the formation of the new cabinet.
[Asked about March 14’s plans to deal with the cabinet]: We are a democratic opposition seeking to bring down the cabinet democratically. We can take to the streets in protests. We will negotiate with the allies [in March 14]. But I want to reassure the Lebanese that we will not burn tires or close the [Beirut] airport road. However, no one should think that March 14 will not keep track [of the cabinet’s performance]. I respect President Michel Sleiman and I have good relations with him, although I think his tenure should have been served better because he had a promising oath. We support any economic plan that benefits the country. The March 14 parties have projects for Lebanon. I did not see [anything] in the new cabinet’s Ministerial Statement.
March 14 parties and the Future Movement might have made mistakes out of their beliefs [that rival parties] act in good will. Many say that March 14 should not have made concessions, but I am against these statements. There is a project to take the country and abolish its independence.
I do not think that the cabinet will remain until 2013 [the date of the next parliamentary elections]. March 14 is a strong opposition, and I believe it can bring down the cabinet.
We are not afraid. [March 8] can be politically malicious. The problem is about how Lebanon will survive. [March 8] said in a Ministerial Statement clause that they will change the course of the economy. Do they think they can be smart? The era of communism is over.
[Asked about national dialogue]: We have no problem [to resume it] but if anyone comes to ask us to bargain on the STL, we will not attend [dialogue sessions]. I don’t know about my March 14 allies, but I will not be there if that’s the case. The next rounds of national dialogue will be different [if they are resumed]. The weapons that are pointed at their people will no longer serve [the armed] party. We have to have special relations with the Syrian government [under the framework] of respect for the independence and sovereignty of both countries.
[Asked about the Syrian uprising]: As an Arab citizen, I cannot not have a reaction toward what is going on. What is happening is unjust. The Syrian people are expressing their views. You cannot accuse them of sabotaging the country. The Syrian people know better about what is going on. On the humanitarian level, I see that there is oppression taking place [against the Syrian people]. The Future Movement is fully compassionate toward the Syrian people. There are crimes being committed in Syria… All I am saying is that we cannot not be compassionate with the Syrian people. How many people were killed so far in Syria? All those [reportedly] killed are terrorists? I, who am calling for justice in Rafik Hariri’s murder, cannot turn away from what is going on in Syria.
No one expected for [such revolts] to take place in the region. I am not worried about the changes that will occur in the Arab world. I tell Assad that no one is bigger than their country and that the Syrian people are the base of Syria. I tell Sleiman that he made a presidential oath and we would have hope he would carry on with it. I tell Speaker Nabih Berri that we want him as a partner in the country and not a partner in hiding the suspects [in Rafik Hariri’s murder]. I tell Jumblatt that I respect him. Some in March 14 might see that Jumblatt has made harsh statements against us. I disagree with Jumblatt on that… The rhetoric used between us and Jumblatt was never tense. Jumblatt took a position based on his fear of sectarian strife in the country, but we tell him as Sunnis that there won’t be strife in Lebanon.
I would have wished that [Free Patriotic Movement leader] MP Michel Aoun took part in the first ranks of March 14, but unfortunately he chose to be in the secondary ranks of Hezbollah. I tell [Kataeb Party] leader Amin Gemayel that the blood of martyrs will not go away for nothing. [His slain son] Pierre and [his other son MP] Sami are my brothers. I tell [LF] leader Samir Geagea that we will continue our path together. [Geagea] does not make mistakes and sticks to his word. His obsession is to preserve Lebanon’s sovereignty.
I tell the March 14 supporters that we are part of the project to preserve Lebanon’s independence. We tell them: The day you feel you are frustrated, be sure that there is tomorrow and there is a day after tomorrow. Be sure that there is a future for Lebanon. There will be a Lebanon of Pierre Gemayel and Gebran Tueini. We will continue this path to make Lebanon the democratic jewel of the Arab world. I am worried about the issue of the STL’s funding. I tell Nasrallah to [echo] Rafik Hariri and say that no one is bigger than Lebanon. To see Lebanon and not anything greater than it. All the Lebanese are resistant. I hope Sayyed Hassan [Nasrallah] would be a bit modest.
I tell Rafik Hariri that the truth has begun to surface. The family is fine and we are fine. He will see that Lebanon will become the way he wanted it to be. There is no way we will give up on the blood of Rafik Hariri. I tell March 14 that we sacrificed a lot. And it is forbidden to not be optimistic. I tell the Lebanese people all over the country that we do not have anyone but each other. We will be able to build a state if we agree together and not by resorting to the strongest party.”

Former PM Saad Hariri speaks in an interview with MTV
July 12, 2011//Now Lebanon
- Good evening, hopefully the next interview will be in Beirut. I shall return to Beirut soon.
- I chose to be absent [from Beirut] and let [March 8] form the new government and the Ministerial Statement.
- There [have been] threats [against me] since 2005. I was absent from Beirut [not because I was threatened], but willingly.
- The Future Movement and the March 14 coalition are strong. Everytime, March 14 proves that it is there. We have struggled for independence, for achieving the truth. We won [the 2009] parliamentary elections although the use of arms changed the results of elections afterward.
- There are people who tell me that they want me to be back as a target, but there are also people who do not want me to be back in Beirut.
- I will come back to Lebanon when I see that I need to be back, and hopefully it will not take too long.
- I decided to speak in order to put an end to the distortions taking place regarding all matters.
- If [Hezbollah chief] Sayyed Hassan [Nasrallah] holds 300 press conferences, he will not change anything about the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) indictment.
- If [I was still the country’s premier], [my] cabinet would have made efforts to search for the four suspects indicted by the tribunal.
- Some are [accusing] us of provoking the international community. We are not. The press conferences held by [March 8] parties are the ones that incite the international community.
- [The cabinet] might cooperate or might not cooperate with the international community, but in the end, Lebanon will pay the price.
- The STL is there and no one can bring it down.
- Sometimes [March 8] parties voice commitments to international resolutions and other times they don’t. What shall we believe?
- Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah stood behind the four indicted men. Why? Those are individuals [charged by the STL].
- There is no stability without justice. Let [Hezbollah] put itself in our shoes. Don’t they have martyrs? Don’t they consider [Hezbollah slain official] Imad Mugniyah to be their martyr? Where is the truth behind his killing?
- For the first time in Lebanon a tribunal is being established to try the murderers of politicians. Who is threatening stability?
- The indictment has been released. Did instability occur in the country? What happened?
- Neither Saad Hariri nor anyone in the Future Movement or March 14 is allowed to accuse a certain sect in the killing [of Rafik Hariri].
- I want to ask you a question, why did the March 8 ministers resign [from my cabinet in January 2011]? Didn’t they do so because of the [issue of the] witnesses who gave unreliable testimonies [to the international commission investigating Rafik Hariri’s 2005 assassination?]
- I supported Saudi-Syrian talks to end disputes in Lebanon truthfully and for the sake of Lebanon.
- I do not want to rule. I am very relieved that I am not taking part in it. I wanted reconciliation. Those who want to rule are the parties who did everything [to force the collapse of my cabinet], not me.
- We want a mechanism to disarm [non-state] parties, including those of the Palestinian factions.
- If there is nothing there to serve Lebanon, then I do not want to rule.
- I wanted to build a state, not a statelet, like what the current cabinet is doing.
- I knew deep inside that some parties in Lebanon were maneuvering [to foil Saudi –Syrian talks] and bring down March 14.
- When I negotiated, I was bearing something that was bigger than I am, and I never knew that this will break my back. I knew I was losing political and popularity.
- Nasrallah is the one who rejected the Saudi-Syrian talks.
- Rafik Hariri stood by the [1989] Taif Agreement. What we have is our truthful word and honesty.
- We offered our hand to cooperate with the others.
- The main problem in the country is [the use of non-state] arms.
- I engaged in serious dialogue [with March 8 parties], but next time I will do it on camera and in public so that they won’t accuse me of selling my father’s blood.
- Arms have become Hezbollah’s problem and our problem with Hezbollah.
- Within March 14, we will not remain silent [about the arms issue]. I will never be separated from my allies in March 14.
- Let us implement the Taif Agreement. All I am saying is that throughout the past six years, despite our disagreements with parties, which happen in a democracy, the use of arms [has allowed some parties] to impose their will on others. We reject the logic of power-use.
- They either order us to abide by their will or they label us as traitors and Israelis.
- The Future Movement is the only movement that is not sectarian. I defy anyone in the March 8 parties that is like that.
- For us, the killers of [Rafik Hariri] are murderers, and not a sect.
- We will go all the way toward uncovering the truth, there will not be any bargain.
- We are not armed, [the Lebanese Forces and the Kataeb] are not armed either.
- It seems that we are supposed to apologize for Rafik Hariri, Pierre Gemayel or Gebran Tueni being assassinated.
- Today is the anniversary of [the beginning of the 2006] July War. We all know that [Israel] killed [Lebanese] in that war and we condemn it, but who killed our martyrs? We want to know.
- In any trial in the world, the accused are either proven guilty or innocent.
- Should we abolish the tribunal and [forget] about our martyrs just because we have doubt?
- I want you to see past international tribunals. There have always been leaks, this is the media’s role… but eventually, one will prove if the accused has committed the crime or not.
- [Asked if he is ready to meet with Nasrallah]: I am not against dialogue, but I want to have witnesses to be there next time I meet him so that [nothing is made up] about what we talked about.
- [Asked why he sourly received PM Najib Mikati after the latter was nominated as premier]: The most important thing for me is honesty. I do not have a personal problem with Mikati, but today the current cabinet is that of Hezbollah and [carries out] the project [of the party], and Mikati is the head of the government.
- When we allied with Mikati in Tripoli [during the 2009 parliamentary elections], did we ally on the basis that we want the truth [in Rafik Hariri’s murder] ‘in principal’ ?
- The decision to bring down Saad Hariri from the premiership was made by two people: Nasrallah and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Mikati is only serving as a tool.
- I want to ask [Minister of Finance] Mohammad Safadi [who backed Mikati], what did March 14 do to you?
- Is Mikati’s vow to commit to the STL written down [clearly] in his government’s Ministerial Statement?
- I see that the current cabinet is that of Hezbollah.
- [I] am part of March 14. We are all one, and thus [March 8] saw that [I] made compromises and went to Syria and Iran... and picked the moment when it would be the easiest to bring down [my] cabinet.
- [Progressive Socialist Party leader] MP Walid Jumblatt is not part of Hezbollah, he is a leader, and I respect him even if I disagree with him politically.
- [On March 13] I accused Mikati and Safadi of being responsible for the betrayal of the Lebanese people.
- Iran and Syria benefited from the formation of the new cabinet.
- [Asked about March 14’s plans to deal with the cabinet]: We are a democratic cabinet seeking to bring down the cabinet democratically. We can take to the streets in protests. We will negotiate with the allies [in March 14]. But I want to reassure the Lebanese that we will not burn tires or close the [Beirut] airport road. However, no one should think that March 14 will not keep track [of the cabinet’s performance].
- I respect President Michel Sleiman and I have good relations with him, although I think his tenure should have been served better because he had a promising oath.
- We support any economic plan that benefits the country.
- The March 14 parties have projects for Lebanon. I did not see [anything] in the new cabinet’s Ministerial Statement.
- March 14 parties and the Future Movement might have made mistakes out of their beliefs [that rival parties] act in good will.
- Many say that March 14 should not have made concessions, but I am against these statements.
- There is a project to take the country and abolish its independence.
- I do not think that the cabinet will remain until 2013 [the date of the next parliamentary elections]. March 14 is a strong opposition, and I believe it can bring down the cabinet.
- We are not afraid. [March 8] can be politically malicious. The problem is about how Lebanon will survive.
- [March 8] said in a Ministerial Statement clause that they will change the course of the economy. Do they think they can be smart? The era of communism is over.
- [Asked about national dialogue]: We have no problem [to resume it] but if anyone comes to ask us to bargain on the STL, we will not attend [dialogue sessions]. I don’t know about my March 14 allies, but I will not be there if that’s the case.
- The next rounds of national dialogue will be different [if they are resumed].
- The weapons that are pointed at their people will no longer serve [the armed] party.

EU renews push for UN condemnation of Syrian crackdown
July 12, 2011 /Germany said Tuesday it would push for a UN Security Council resolution condemning Syria over the crackdown, after France renewed its demand the council take a stance. "We should not forget: hundreds of thousands normal people, young people demonstrating for their own freedom," said German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle.
"What has happened in the last days and hours shows us that the common language of the international community is necessary, is decisive, is crucial," he told journalists in New York.
Earlier, French Prime Minister Francois Fillon said: "France and other European countries have submitted a proposed resolution to the UN Security Council, which has been blocked by Russia and China. "This is no longer acceptable," he said, branding the attack on his government's Damascus embassy, in which three French personnel were wounded, "extremely violent" and warning Assad's regime was losing its grip. Over 1300 civilians have been killed in the Syrian government’s crackdown on protests that began in mid-March, rights groups have said.
-AFP/NOW Lebanon

Attack on US embassy “not acceptable,” White House says
July 12, 2011 /The White House on Tuesday slammed Syria for allowing "thugs" to overrun the US embassy in Damascus, saying it is "not acceptable" that the government failed to safeguard US lives and property there. "Letting thugs storm the embassy is not acceptable," spokesperson Jay Carney told reporters. "We've made that clear to the Syrian government. It's their responsibility -- as it is the responsibility of host nations around the globe -- to provide security for and maintain security for foreign embassies, in this case, the US embassy."
Carney echoed remarks one day earlier from US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton who said his violent crackdown on democracy protesters, coupled with the attacks on the western embassies, showed that he "has lost legitimacy" to govern. The White House spokesman's remarks were made with relations between Syria and the United States in free fall, after pro-regime crowds on Monday attacked the US embassy and that of its ally France. Syria's foreign ministry meanwhile accused Clinton of "incitement" and a flagrant interference of the United States in the internal affairs of Syria," as relations continued to spiral downward.-AFP/NOW Lebanon

Thousands rally for Egyptian military chief's ouster
July 12, 2011 /Thousands of people chanted Tuesday for the downfall of Egypt's military leader at a rally in Cairo, as anger mounts over the army's handling of a transition from the country's former autocratic regime. "The people want the fall of the Field Marshall," they chanted in unison in reference to Hussein Tantawi, ousted former president Hosni Mubarak's defense minister for two decades who now heads the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces. Demonstrators broke off from Tahrir Square -- the focus of protests that toppled Mubarak -- where they have camped out since Friday, marching down the main street of Qasr al-Aini to the cabinet headquarters. Military forces formed a wall to block protesters from reaching the building, as armored vehicles parked along the road. The march comes after pro-democracy activists vowed to raise the ceiling of protests and sit-ins amid warnings by the military council earlier that they were harming the national interest. Protesters who first took to the streets to demand Mubarak's resignation have increasingly directed their anger at the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces.
The army, which was hailed as heroes at the start of the January 25 uprising for not shooting protesters, has come under fire for using Mubarak-era tactics to stifle dissent and maintain an absolute and unchallenged grip on power. But the council insisted it will not cede control over the transition. -AFP/NOW Lebanon

UN strongly condemns attacks on US and French embassies in Syria
By Associated Press, Updated: Tuesday, July 12/11
UNITED NATIONS — The U.N. Security Council is condemning “in the strongest terms” the attacks against the U.S. and French embassies in the Syrian capital, Damascus.
A statement approved Tuesday by all 15 council members said the attacks damaged the embassies and injured diplomatic personnel. The council called on Syrian authorities to fulfill their obligation to protect “the inviolability of diplomatic missions” and staff as required under the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations. Syria’s U.N. Ambassador Bashar Ja’afari accused the United States and France of distorting and exaggerating the facts surrounding Monday’s demonstrations outside their embassies. Nonetheless, he said Syrian law enforcement authorities “made every effort to ensure the safety of those embassies” and is committed to protecting embassies and diplomats.
Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Surveillance must be under auspices of Parliament: Aoun
July 12, 2011/The Daily Star /BEIRUT: Change and Reform bloc leader MP Michel Aoun said Tuesday that the country’s surveillance agencies must be under the supervision of Parliament as the authority responsible for all ministries, including the Interior Ministry. Aoun was addressing recent questions about the post of Internal Security Forces Information Branch chief Wissam al-Hassan, an ally of the March 14 coalition who was accused by Hezbollah of leaking the names of four members of the group who were recently indicted by the Special Tribunal for Lebanon. Aoun said the post was outside the purview of the Interior Ministry, and the regulations of the ISF. “This post is against Article 8 [of the ISF’s organizational laws] pertaining to policies and procedures of the ISF,” Aoun said in a televised news conference after his weekly meeting Tuesday. “There is no institution called the Information Branch,” Aoun said.
Aoun, a close ally of Hezbollah, also noted that he has a pending lawsuit against Hassan for allegedly leaking sensitive information about Aoun and his party to the media.
“I will push the proper authorities to take action against [Hassan],” Aoun said. The FPM chief denied media reports that Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri had requested that the Lebanese Army commander post, which is traditionally allocated to a Maronite Christian, be given to a Shiite. “I am requesting to restore the position of the General Security chief to a Maronite. I have not met with Berri until now, and we are not in disagreement with Berri,” Aoun said. Berri reportedly suggested to Aoun that he was willing to give the General Security post to a Maronite in return for the army commander position, currently headed by Gen. Jean Kahwaji. When contacted by The Daily Star, Berri’s office declined to comment on the report.
Aoun also touched on rumors that there was friction within the new majority, saying that the infighting that was reported did not exist and that the March 8 coalition remained a cohesive body. When asked about March 14’s determination to topple the new government, Aoun said that restoring something was harder than defending it, implying the larger battle, which March 8 has already won, was a far more difficult task to undertake than the defending of the new government.

Lebanon in Political, Diplomatic Campaign Against Israel's Proposed Maritime Line
Naharnet /Foreign Minister Adnan Mansour has vowed to resort to the United Nations to resolve the conflict on Lebanon’s maritime border with Israel after the Jewish state’s proposal deepened the feud over offshore gas fields between the two states. "Israel's measures have created a new point of tension in the region and threaten peace and security across this region," Mansour told reporters in Beirut on Monday. He said the border as proposed by Israel cuts through Lebanon's economic zone.
Mansour told As Safir daily published Tuesday that he would swiftly study the issue with the energy ministry to assess the quantity of oil and gas that Israel would lay its hand on in the Lebanese economic zone. He said the cabinet should either on Thursday or as soon as possible take the appropriate decision to take the issue to the U.N.
Israel's cabinet on Sunday approved a map of the country's proposed maritime borders with Lebanon to be submitted for a U.N. opinion.
The proposed map lays out maritime borders that conflict significantly with those suggested by Lebanon in its own submission to the United Nations.
Energy Minister Jebran Bassil said Beirut will not give up its maritime rights, and accused Israel of "violations of (Lebanese) waters, territory and airspace, and today our oil rights."
Calling Israel's proposed sea border an "aggression," Bassil told al-Manar TV: "We are not attacking anyone but we should not accept that anyone attack us even if by one centimeter.”
He confirmed that Lebanon is studying a swift political and diplomatic campaign to face Israel's border claims.
In most cases, countries negotiate their maritime border, as Israel did several months ago with Cyprus. Because Israel and Lebanon have no diplomatic relations, the proposals are to go to the U.N. According to As Safir daily, Cyprus has vowed in a letter sent to Mansour that it would not make any move that would harm the interest of Lebanon or its international rights.
The island nation stressed that its agreement with Israel on defining their Special Economic Zones does not violate Lebanon’s sovereign rights. Cyprus reminded Mansour that an agreement it signed with Lebanon in 2007 includes arrangements to review the geographic line that demarcates the economic rights through other agreements.

Berri for Appointment of Shiite as Army Leader Over Bickering on General Security Chief
Naharnet /Speaker Nabih Berri has reportedly suggested giving the leadership of the General Security Department to a Maronite in return for appointing a Shiite as Army chief.
Al-Liwaa daily said Tuesday that Berri’s proposal came after the Free Patriotic Movement expressed the desire to return the seat of the General Security’s presidency to the Maronite sect rather than keeping it with Shiites. The speaker told FPM leader Michel Aoun that if the Sunni sect is holding onto the post of the Internal Security Forces head then the Shiite sect could drop its demand for the General Security chief in return for getting the post of Army leader which is currently filled by Maronite Gen. Jean Qahwaji.
Hizbullah and Amal are backing Maj. Gen. Abbas Ibrahim for the General Security leadership post. Al-Liwaa said that Berri was proposed to appoint Ibrahim as director of Army Intelligence but the speaker refused. The bickering between the FPM on one side and Hizbullah and Berri’s Amal movement on the other will likely postpone the appointment of the General Security leader. President Michel Suleiman’s visitors told al-Mustaqbal daily that the appointment will not be made at Thursday’s cabinet session which is expected to witness a series of appointments to other top posts. According to pan-Arab daily al-Hayat, Aoun hasn’t yet made a public announcement on the issue because he is hesitating into engaging in a political battle with the Shiite sect. Political sources told the newspaper that Shiites which gave up a minister from their share to facilitate the formation of the cabinet are not ready to make more concessions by giving up their demand for the leadership of the General Security Department. Informed political sources said, however, that the differences on the issue could be solved through intensified contacts between Hizbullah and Aoun

Aoun: Wissam al-Hasan’s Position at Head of Intelligence Bureau Violates ISF Law
Naharnet/Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun stated on Tuesday that Wissam al-Hasan’s position at the head of the Internal Security Forces Intelligence Bureau is a violation of the ISF laws seeing as there is no such thing as the Intelligence Bureau. He said after the Change and Reform bloc’s weekly meeting: “It is a branch that does not exist on the legal level and its violations were covered up by the then prime minister.” The MP made his statements in response to Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblat’s remarks on the issue on Monday. When asked about the Intelligence Bureau, Aoun responded that Hasan’s actions will be revealed when the false witnesses file in the investigation into the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri is addressed. On Speaker Nabih Berri’s proposal that the position of Army Commander be granted to a Shiite, Aoun said: “I am required to return the position of General Security chief to the Maronite sect.” He denied allegations that he was disputed with the speaker on the matter, saying that no one approached him with this issue.
“Disputes will not erupt among the new majority,” he stressed. Addressing the March 14 camp’s statements that it will topple the cabinet, Aoun replied: “Regaining something is harder than defending it.”

Five years after Second Lebanon War, Hezbollah steps up claims of Israeli espionage
The Lebanese media never seems to tire of exposing Israeli spy cells as news reports reflect a massive rise in arrests on suspicions of espionage.
By Jack Khoury /Haaretz
One of the issues most written about during and after of the 2006 Second Lebanon War was that of Hezbollah uncovering alleged Israeli agents and entire intelligence networks in Lebanon. News reports clearly reflected a massive rise in arrests on suspicions of espionage, especially from 2007 to 2009.
Israel has declined official comment on the reports, which received generous numbers of column inches in the Lebanese press, particularly in the pro-Hezbollah "As-Safir" and "Al Akhbar." They published numerous articles, often with quotes from Lebanese intelligence sources and the Lebanese military confirming the reports. Were all the reports true, they paint a picture of massive success for the Lebanese army and for Hezbollah, and of the collapse of the Israeli intelligence network in the country. The exposure of the espionage networks offers a glance at Israel's methods, from human intelligence to the hacking of cellular networks as well as the email accounts of senior officials.
Alleged Israeli spy equipment found in Lebanon in 2010.
In June 2006 Lebanon submitted to the UN Security Council the findings of an investigation into Lebanese citizens who allegedly carried out a number of assassinations at Israel's behest. The main suspect was Mahmoud Kassem Rafaa, 59, a retired Lebanese police officer. The Lebanese authorities claimed Rafaa was recruited in 1994 to the Mossad through an officer of the South Lebanon Army. He was arrested in the course of the investigation into the assassination on May 26, 2006 of the head of the Islamic Jihad military wing in Lebanon, Mahmoud Majzoub, and his brother Nidal.
In April 2009 Lebanese news outlets reported the arrest of members of an Israeli spy cell headed by a general in the Lebanese army reserve, Adib al-Alam, together with his wife, Hayat Saloumi, and their son ewphew Joseph. Al-Alam owned an agency that brought in foreign workers to Lebanon and that he allegedly used as a cover for his intelligence activities.
Hayat Saloumi told investigators he was recruited back in 1982. According to Lebanese news reports he was handled by Unit 504 of Israeli Military Intelligence, which is responsible for agents outside the country's borders. Lebanese reports also claimed that al-Alam was in possession of advanced communications equipment supplied by Israel, including a radio that was capable of transmitting signals in response to messages it received from his Israeli handlers.
A few months later 20 more suspects were arrested in Lebanon. Al Akhbar reported that as many as eight espionage rings were uncovered in May 2009 alone. One of those arrested was the deputy mayor of Saadnayel, Ziad al-Homsi. Hezbollah claimed Homsi was a member of Saad Hariri's March 14 alliance and that one of his missions was to monitor senior Hezbollah officials, beginning with the organization's leader, Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah.
In June 2009, two Lebanese army colonels were arrested. One of them, Mansour Diab, was head of the army's school for commandos.
In July the Lebanese government sent a letter to the UN Secretary General reporting the arrests of 35 suspected Israel spies between June 2006 and May 2009. "Israel is setting up terrorist cells that operate independently within Lebanon to carry out attacks," the Lebanese ambassador to the United Nations wrote.
In August 2009 several senior officials in telecommunication companies operating in Lebanon were arrested. Lebanese intelligence raided the offices of an Internet service provider that allegedly was supported by an Israeli company. "As-Safir" and "Al Akhbar reported that an antenna aimed at Israel was discovered in the course of the raid, and that further examination of the confiscated equipment proved an ongoing relationship with an Israeli company providing Internet services to Lebanese civilians and state institutions. Sources close to Hezbollah claimed at the time that Israel had taken over a central server in Lebanon and was using it to monitor the activities of senior state officials.
In June 2010 Lebanon was rocked by scandal with the arrest of Sharbel Qazi, a senior employee of Lebanon's Alfa cell phone carrier. Qazi was head of the company's communication and transmissions stations, and investigators claimed he was giving sensitive information to MI. According to Lebanese reports MI had provided him with electronic devices that he installed in the Alfa network, giving MI real-time access to location and other information about Lebanese political and military officials.
In August 2010 an employee from a rival Lebanese mobile provider, Ogero, was arrested. This came a few days after a former senior Lebanese military officer and four technicians, all of them Alfa employees suspected of being Israeli spies, fled to Germany.
In October 2010 there was a flurry of reports in Lebanese news outlets about Israeli equipment seized in several sites in Lebanon.
Last month Nasrallah announced that Hezbollah had uncovered three Israeli spies in the organization, but stressed that they were far from the first tier of decision-making.

Editorial Board Opinion/The U.S. has gotten tough with Syria; now it needs to get tougher
By Editorial, Tuesday, July 12, /Washington Post
AFTER MONTHS of hesi­ta­tion, the Obama administration has finally recognized what the people of Syria have been making clear for the past four months: that President Bashar al-Assad “has lost legitimacy” and “failed to deliver on the promises he has made,” as Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton put it on Monday. “President Assad is not indispensable and we have absolutely nothing invested in him remaining in power,” Ms. Clinton said. That qualifies as news: For months the administration behaved as if it wished to preserve Mr. Assad as a guarantor of stability in his country or a potential peace partner with Israel. Up until this week it has described political reforms led by him as a potential solution to the country’s crisis.
Sadly, the event that appeared to trigger the change in rhetoric was not the continuing slaughter by Mr. Assad’s forces of the courageous Syrians who have turned out in dozens of cities and villages to demand an end to his dictatorship. Instead, the tougher language followed an assault on the U.S. Embassy and ambassador’s residence in Damascus that was carried out by thugs who were bused in by the regime and that was orchestrated by one of its television stations. The mob smashed windows, hurled rocks and tomatoes and painted slogans before moving on to the French Embassy, which they also attacked.
Some Syrians may wonder why an ugly but non-lethal incursion on Western diplomatic property got a reaction that the slaughter of some 1,500 people with tanks and helicopter gunships failed to elicit. But we hope they will also remember the superb diplomacy of U.S. Ambassador to Syria Robert S. Ford, who, like his French counterpart, traveled last week to the city of Hama, which has been taken over by the opposition. Mr. Assad’s tanks ring the city, and many residents fear a murderous assault. The American ambassador’s presence may have forestalled such an attack; it also allowed Mr. Ford to observe and report that, contrary to the regime’s propaganda, the Hama protesters were unarmed and have not attacked government buildings or officials.
Mr. Ford’s mission was a demonstration that — despite what is frequently heard from administration officials in Washington — it is possible for the United States to help Syrians free themselves from the Assad dictatorship. Declaring Mr. Assad “illegitimate” is an important signal; it would have still more impact if President Obama, who has spoken publicly on Syria only twice in four months, were to give Mr. Assad the same rhetorical shove he delivered to Egypt’s Hosni Mubarak and Libya’s Moammar Gaddafi.
The administration should also be working to step up economic pressure on the regime, which is highly vulnerable to a collapse of foreign revenue. Nearly a month ago, State Department officials held a briefing to describe how they were preparing new sanctions, including efforts to block Syria’s exports of oil and gas. Nothing has happened since then. Turkey, to which the administration has ceded leadership on the Syrian crisis, continues to equivocate about whether Mr. Assad’s regime is redeemable; Ms. Clinton should press for a stronger stance when she travels to Istanbul later this week.
The administration appears to have recognized, belatedly, that Mr. Assad will never recover from the stain of the bloodshed he has caused. As Assistant Secretary of State Michael Posner testified to Congress on Tuesday, the “government continues to be the real source of instability within Syria.” It’s good that the Obama administration has finally spoken that truth. Now it must act on its words.

Murder of Afghan President's brother parades Taliban capabilities
DEBKA file Exclusive Report July 12, 2011
Tuesday July 12, the day French President Nicolas Sarkozy arrived for an unannounced visit to Afghanistan and stated that a quarter of France's 4,000-strong contingent would be pulled out by the end of 2012, Afghan President Hamid Karzai's younger half-brother, Kandahar strongman Ahmad Wali, was shot dead by a bodyguard at his home.
This was no coincidence, debkafile's military and intelligence sources note: It was Taliban's way of refuting once again the accounts of the situation in Afghanistan presented by US, British and French leaders after more than a decade of relentless warfare as having little resemblance to reality. This was the object of four insurgent terrorist attacks in the two weeks since June 28, as demonstrated by the following six points:
1. America's signal feat in wiping out the al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden in Abbottabad, Pakistan on May 2 has very little bearing on the Afghan war because US intelligence has not made comparable progress in piercing the Afghan insurgents' inner counsels.
2. Taliban, in contrast, has attained a superior ability to plumb secret US and NATO (ISFA) moves.
3. On June 28, the insurgents struck one of the most heavily-guarded sites in the country, the Intercontinental Hotel in Kabul: Between 7 and 10 gunmen, some with bomb vests, and a bomb car, made their way past check posts and security inspections into the hotel, captured the building and killed several senior Afghan security officers preparing to attend a secret security conference the following day. This conference was to discuss the handover of seven areas including three provinces to the Afghan national security forces (ANSF) in the coming days.
Afghan security forces in several hours of combat failed to dislodge the Taliban fighters. In the end US attack helicopters were called in. By targeting the gunmen from above, the helicopter shooters ended the hotel siege.
By this incident, the Afghan army and police showed they are nowhere near ready to shoulder the burdens of security in the absence of foreign forces. Taliban for its part demonstrated the futility of US and NATO leaders discussing timetables for the security handover to President Karzai's regime because the insurgents were fully capable of derailing them.
4. A week after the hotel attack, British Prime Minister David Cameron arrived at Lashgar Gah, the British base in the southern province of Helmund. The date of his arrival, like those of other Western leaders' visits to this country, was kept secret. Nonetheless, a few hours before he landed, Taliban abducted a British soldier from that base and murdered him.
According to debkafile's sources, Taliban chose to prove by this act that it was in possession of top British secrets like Cameron's movements and that its combatants were able to make free of British bases at any time for terrorist attacks. The British government was meant to infer that it would be best advised to remove its forces from Afghanistan with all possible speed.
Cameron used the visit to announce that British forces faced "two more fighting seasons." In the face of evidence to the contrary, he also said the campaign against the Taliban in the Helmand province was having "success" and the transition to Afghani security control was "on track."
5. Saturday, July 9, three days after Leon Panetta moved from the CIA to the Pentagon, the new defense secretary paid his first unannounced visit to Afghanistan. As he landed in Kabul, one of the bodyguards of a high-ranking deputy of Afghanistan's National Directorate of Security opened fire on a group of US military advisers and killed two of them.
Here, too, the Taliban was directing a clear message to Washington: There was no way Afghans would be ready to take over the burdens of security and enable a US military drawdown in 2014.
6. Tuesday, June 12, French President Sarkozy was handed the same message in yet another deadly wrapping: The assassination of President Karzai's brother. This time, Taliban was demonstrating that no top member of the Karzai regime would ever be safe – even in his home, and that a single targeted murder could undo two years of strenuous US, British and Canadian efforts to draw even one stable front line against Taliban in South Afghanistan.

Syria and the U.S. Embassy attack
12/07/2011
By Tariq Alhomayed/Asharq Al-Awsat
Last Sunday, Damascus said it would prefer to keep the ball rolling with Washington, after the U.S. ambassador visited Hama last Friday. Then the Syrian regime sent its affiliates to attack the U.S. and French embassies in Damascus, so how can this be understood?
In order to easier understand the actions of the regime, I must share with the reader two important explanations I had previously heard from officials in the region, about the Syrian regime's way of thinking. One day an Arab official told me "when contemplating the actions of the Syrian regime, do not think in terms of political logic…this is a mistake, but always try to think the way the regime thinks of itself, in order to understand its nature", adding that "if the regime operates under the logic of the state, then the case with Syria would be different, or the case of the region with this regime". Likewise, another senior Arab official, who has been dealing with the subject of Syria since the days Hafez al-Assad, told me "the best way to deal with the Syrian regime is to build on its mistakes, there are many, and the regime is its own worst enemy".
By alluding to these two interpretations, we can say that the Syrian regime is no longer keen on the presence of the U.S. ambassador in Damascus, at least as much as the Syrian people and President Obama. With the presence of the U.S. ambassador, the Syrians have found protection from oppression, and this is what happened last Friday in Hama. Indeed, the Syrian opposition has now demanded that the rest of the foreign ambassadors do what their American and French counterparts have done. With regards to Obama, he is facing increasing pressure from congress to withdraw his Ambassador, along the lines of what George W. Bush did in 2005, when he withdrew his ambassador from Damascus after the assassination of Rafik Hariri. However, the Obama administration is defending the presence of its ambassador in Damascus, claiming it is the only chance to see what is really going on inside Syria, and this is true. Therefore the U.S. Ambassador has undertaken serious moves in Syria to prove a point to Congress, but he painfully stepped on the fingers of the Syrian regime.
Thus the reaction of the Syrian regime to the U.S. ambassador's visit to Hama is natural, although late. This regime is suffering extensively from it failure to take timing into account. The visit of the U.S. ambassador to Hama is a slap in the face of the Syrian regime not externally, but internally, particularly in front of the army. Indeed there are certainly senior officers, whatever their sect, who do not like what is happening today. This is a matter that concerns the regime, especially considering that historically speaking, coups in Syria have traditionally been conducted on the basis of "maintaining dignity", and so on.
The escalation of the Syrian regime today against the U.S. ambassador is merely evidence of the bewilderment of the regime, its weakness, and its fluctuating positions. As I have said previously, it is inconceivable that the U.S. ambassador would have gone to Hama without the knowledge of the Syrian regime, and it turned out that Damascus had been informed. However, the mass demonstrations that took place last Friday in Hama, and the Syrians welcoming the U.S. ambassador with flowers, caused the regime to lose its senses, as we see today. This is normal for a regime characterized by its many mistakes, far from having a real vision to deal with the crisis it is facing, which only increases its predicament.

SSNP Slams Saudi Report: It is Aimed at Covering up Real Criminals
Naharnet/The Syrian Social National Party condemned on Wednesday a Saudi report claiming that the party was behind the assassination of former Industry Minister Pierre Gemayel and attempted assassination of journalist May Chidiac.
It said in a statement: “The report is baseless. It should have investigated the facts by the concerned Lebanese judicial sides.”
“This story is part of a suspicious campaign aimed at defaming members of the SSNP and tarnishing its image before the public,” it added.
“The party is being victimized because of its history of struggle against Lebanon and the ummah’s enemies,” declared the statement.
“Al-Bilad’s report is worthless and its timing coincides with the escalatory campaign against the Resistance forces,” it stressed.
The party condemned Gemayel’s assassination and Chidiac’s attack, emphasizing the need to uncover the criminals and achieve justice.
Furthermore, the SSNP noted that accusing it of the crimes is an attempt to cover up the actions of the real perpetrators.
The party added that it reserves the right to pursue legal action against the newspaper.
On Tuesday, the Saudi al-Bilad newspaper quoted an official close to the Special Tribunal for Lebanon as saying that the vehicle used in the killing of Gemayel was found at one of the SSNP’s offices in the area of Koura in northern Lebanon.
The vehicle was allegedly owned by a Lebanese man who works at the U.N. in New York and was stolen shortly before the assassination in the Jdeideh suburb north of Beirut on November 21, 2006.
A lone assailant shot the minister in the head at point-blank range from a silencer-equipped gun after stepping out of the car.
The assassins had made changes to the vehicle to resemble the car of a former Lebanese Forces official who lives in the town of Roumieh not far from the crime scene.
The official also told al-Bilad that the STL will issue new arrest warrants that would end the ambiguity over the killing of Gemayel and the assassination attempt against former LBC anchorwoman May Chidiac on Sept. 25, 2005.
The warrants “accuse the SSNP of involvement in both crimes,” the official said.