LCCC
ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
ِJuly
21/2011
Bible Quotation for today
Isaiah
59/1-11: " Behold, Yahweh’s hand is not shortened, that it can’t save; neither
his ear heavy, that it can’t hear: 59:2 but your iniquities have separated
between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you, so that
he will not hear. 59:3 For your hands are defiled with blood, and your fingers
with iniquity; your lips have spoken lies, your tongue mutters wickedness. 59:4
None sues in righteousness, and none pleads in truth: they trust in vanity, and
speak lies; they conceive mischief, and bring forth iniquity. 59:5 They hatch
adders’ eggs, and weave the spider’s web: he who eats of their eggs dies; and
that which is crushed breaks out into a viper. 59:6 Their webs shall not become
garments, neither shall they cover themselves with their works: their works are
works of iniquity, and the act of violence is in their hands. 59:7 Their feet
run to evil, and they make haste to shed innocent blood: their thoughts are
thoughts of iniquity; desolation and destruction are in their paths. 59:8 The
way of peace they don’t know; and there is no justice in their goings: they have
made them crooked paths; whoever goes therein does not know peace. 59:9
Therefore is justice far from us, neither does righteousness overtake us: we
look for light, but, behold, darkness; for brightness, but we walk in obscurity.
59:10 We grope for the wall like the blind; yes, we grope as those who have no
eyes: we stumble at noonday as in the twilight; among those who are lusty we are
as dead men. 59:11 We roar all like bears, and moan bitterly like doves: we look
for justice, but there is none; for salvation, but it is far off from us".
Latest
analysis, editorials, studies, reports, letters & Releases
from
miscellaneous
sources
Al-Arabi and the “Shameful
Statements” in Damascus/By:
Jameel Theyabi/July
20/11
Erdogan plans provocative Gaza
visit next week /DEBKAfile/July
20/11
Latest News Reports From
Miscellaneous Sources for July 20/11
House Bill to Cut U.S. Aid to
Miqati’s Government/Naharnet
STL Releases Public Service
Announcement Video for Victims /Naharnet
Gaza-Bound French Yacht Towed to
Ashdod by Israel Navy/Naharnet
EU Foreign Affairs
Council backs STL/The
Daily Star
Italian newspaper: Istanbul
blast was Hezbollah attempt on Israeli consul's life/Haaretz
Syrian military assaults intensify
on Homs, 13 killed/The
Daily Star
As Assad Hangs Tough, Syria's
Opposition Seeks Unity -- and a Viable Strategy/Time
Refugees flee Syria unrest into
Lebanon/The Daily Star
Arab League chief says Syria trip
was for 'reform/The Daily Star
Is Syria's uprising taking a
sectarian turn?(VIDEO)/Christian Science Monitor
Nasrallah: Hezbollah to emerge
stronger from STL 'conspiracyThe Daily Star
Nasrallah Welcomes Suleiman's
Dialogue Call: 100 Indictments Won't Change a Thing/Naharnet
All of Israel a target if Lebanon
attacked: Hezbollah/The Daily Star
Hezbollah open to unconditional
dialogue/The Daily Star
MTV channel crew assaulted while
reporting from Lassa/The Daily Star
Media Against Violence condemns
“assault” against MTV/Now Lebanon
Maronite Patriarch Beshara Rai:
Maronite leaders’ next talks to tackle election law/The Daily Star
Cutting US aid to Lebanon no
harm to country:
Aoun/The Daily Star
Aoun: Doesn’t Matter Who Heads
General Security as Long as his Performance is Good/Naharnet
Mustaqbal: Hizbullah’s Arms Must Be
Only Article on National Dialogue’s Agenda /Naharnet
Lebanon First bloc MP
Khaled al-Daher against dialogue with agreement-breaking parties/Now Lebanon
Appeals Chamber Rules Sayyed’s
Appeal Admissible, Refers File Back to Fransen/Naharnet
Qassem Praises Miqati’s Trip to
South: All Countries Will Cooperate with this Cabinet /Naharnet
President Amin
Gemayel Urges Phalangists to Defend
Lebanon Borders in Int'l Forums /Naharnet
Nightmare' in Homs as Death Toll
Rises to 50/Naharnet
Netanyahu: People of Syria deserve
a better future/Haaretz
Report: Lassa Became a Hizbullah
Military Base
/Naharnet
U.S.to Determine Position on
Cabinet Based on Miqati’s Handling of STL Arrest Warrants
/Naharnet
Lebanon's Arabic press digest -
July 20, 2011/The Daily Star
Hezbollah official calls for
rotation in public posts /1The Daily Star
France Says Gadhafi Could Stay
in Libya if Quits Politics
/Naharnet
Berri Urges Officials Not to
Impose Conditions on Dialogue, Slams Mustaqbal Bloc
/Naharnet
Harb: All What Nasrallah
Presented in 2006 was his Viewpoint Not Defense Strategy
/Naharnet
MP al-Hajjar to Question Cabinet
Over Mystery of Estonians’ Release
/Naharnet
House Bill to
Cut U.S. Aid to Miqati’s Government
Naharnet/AP/ A House panel unveiled a bill Monday that would block U.S. aid to
Lebanon, Egypt, Pakistan and the Palestinian Authority unless the Obama
administration reassures Congress that they are cooperating in “battling
terrorism.” The legislation is a direct challenge to President Barack Obama and
his foreign policy authority, and comes as the House is looking at significant
cuts in the annual budget for the State Department and foreign assistance.
The House Foreign Affairs Committee will consider the bill authorizing the money
on Wednesday. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, the Republican chairwoman of the panel,
released an initial draft on Monday. While the House is likely to approve the
bill, its prospects in the Democratic-controlled Senate are dim. Senate Foreign
Relations Committee Chairman John Kerry, a Democrat, is likely to reject many of
the bill's provisions. But if approved, no U.S. assistance would be made to
Premier Najib Miqati’s cabinet given that it includes Hizbullah members. In
other words, no foreign military financing or international military education
and training (IMET) funding for Lebanon would be permitted if this bill were to
become law.
According to the bill, aid to Lebanon would be contingent on the secretary of
state certifying to Congress that no member of Hizbullah serves in a policy
position in a ministry, agency or entity in the government.The bill would also
bar aid to Pakistan unless the secretary can certify to Congress that Islamabad
is "fully assisting the United States with investigating the existence of an
official or unofficial support network in Pakistan for Osama bin Laden." Aid to
the Palestinian Authority would be contingent on the secretary certifying that
no member of Hamas or any other terrorist organization was serving in a policy
position in a ministry, agency or other entity. The Obama administration has
requested some $550 million in aid for the Palestinian Authority. Assistance for
Egypt would be based on whether its new government "is not directly or
indirectly controlled by a foreign terrorist organization." The bill would also
direct the administration to reassure Congress that Egypt is searching out and
destroying any smuggling network and tunnels between the country and the Gaza
strip.(AP-Naharnet)
Italian newspaper: Istanbul blast was Hezbollah attempt on
Israeli consul's life
Until now Turkish authorities had assumed members of the Kurdish resistance
group, PKK, were behind the attack.
By Saviona Mane and Amos Harel /Haaretz
A bomb that exploded near an Istanbul market in May, injuring six, may have been
an attempt by Hezbollah and Iran to assassinate Israel's consul general to
Istanbul, according to the Italian daily Corriere della Sera. Until now Turkish
authorities had assumed that members of the Kurdish resistance group, the PKK,
were behind the booby-trapped scooter that exploded on May 26. Hezbollah
fighters parade during the inauguration of a cemetery for fighters who died
while fighting Israel, in southern Beirut on Nov. 12, 2010.
The Italian newspaper, basing its story on "Middle Eastern sources," reported
yesterday that the target of the attack was Moshe Kimchi, Israel's consul to
Istanbul. It said the explosives were placed by three men who have ties to
Iranian intelligence. The assassination attempt was meant to be in retaliation
for the killing of an Iranian nuclear scientist in Tehran in November 2010,
which Iran attributes to the Mossad. The attempt on Kimchi, the report says,
failed because of the security measures protecting the Israeli diplomat and the
local security detail.
"It appears that the mission was carried out by three Lebanese members of
Hezbollah who entered the country with 'clean' Iranian passports, and received
local logistical support," the report states. According to a Washington-based
source quoted by the newspaper, the agents went to Turkey from Beirut using
Iranian passports and had the Israeli consul under surveillance for some time.
They studied the route taken by Kimche from his home to his office for many days
before acting.
According to the report, on the day of the attack, Kimchi's car drove slower
than usual and he was uninjured. No group claimed responsibility for the attack.
The predominant assumption in Turkey was that it was the work of the PKK, and
was intended to affect the upcoming Turkish parliamentary elections.
Intelligence sources in Ankara denied the report in the Italian daily, calling
it Israeli propaganda. "Israel releases false information once in a while for
disinformation purposes," the source said. The attack had been preceded by
unusual warnings by Israeli intelligence.The Counter-Terrorism Bureau issued a
number of travel warnings, noting that terrorists are planning to target
Israelis and Jews abroad. The announcement referred to specific countries,
including Turkey, Greece, Malta and Cyprus.
EU Foreign Affairs Council
backs STL
July 20, 2011/ The Daily Star
BEIRUT: The European Union’s Foreign Affairs Council has reiterated its support
for the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, saying that it “expects all parties to
fully cooperate with the tribunal.
”The council adopted several conclusions about Lebanon at a Monday meeting in
Brussels, on topics that include the country’s new government, the STL, which is
probing the 2005 assassination of Lebanese former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri,
and Lebanon’s relationship with Europe. A statement on Monday’s conclusions said
the council is concerned by the lack of an “explicit commitment to cooperate
with the Special Tribunal for Lebanon” in the government’s policy statement, and
that it calls upon the government to “respect and fulfill all its obligations
and commitments stemming from UNSCR 1757.” UNSCR 1757 established the STL in
2007. The statement also said the EU “welcomes the formation of a new government
in Lebanon. It expects that the new government will ensure promotion of
stability, unity, sovereignty and independence of Lebanon in full respect of the
constitution and the rule of law.” Further, the council stated that it expects
the new government will be committed to the full implementation of “all relevant
UNSC Resolutions,” including 1559, 1680, 1701, and 1757
MTV channel crew assaulted while reporting from Lassa
July 20, 2011/The Daily Star
BEIRUT: An MTV crew was assaulted Tuesday in a village in north Lebanon, several
days after locals from the same village accosted a delegation from the Maronite
Patriarchate preventing it from carrying out a land survey.
A number of individuals in the predominantly Shiite village of Lassa in the
district of Jbeil smashed a camera belonging to an MTV crew, which was reporting
from the village, forcing it to halt its work. Last week, locals from the
village confronted a delegation from the Maronite Patriarchate, accompanied by
topographical experts, who were surveying lands belonging to Jounieh’s Maronite
archdiocese in line with a judicial order. The delegation’s visit came following
news that illegal structures were being built on archdiocese property. The
residents made insults against the delegation, preventing it from surveying a
certain area, which prompted security forces to step in.
Fares Soueid, the general coordinator of the March 14 General Secretariat, said
that Tuesday’s incident was “political par excellence,” accusing Hezbollah of
responsibility by allowing some people to infringe on the property of others.
“Rudeness has reached a level by which they assaulted the press today,” Soueid
told the Central News Agency.
“Condemnation is not enough in this regard and authorities are invited to take
measures, chief among them is the arrest of those who assaulted reporters on
orders by Interior Minister Marwan Charbel,” Soueid added. Free Patriotic
Movement leader Michel Aoun said that municipalities and the Interior Ministry
have to step in to resolve the disputes.
“As for the incident of Lassa, we have given a chance for relevant authorities
to survey [the land]. The Interior Ministry bears responsibility because a
skirmish has broken out, but this does not prevent a meeting to resolve the
dispute,” Aoun told reporters, after chairing the weekly meeting of his Change
and Reform bloc.
“The law and the government are the judge, every person has his papers and
arguments,” Aoun said. Separately, Maronite Patriarch Beshara Rai held talks
with committees from the endowment of the district of Jbeil.
Netanyahu: People of Syria deserve a better future
Haaretz /In interview broadcast on al-Arabiya, PM Netanyahu says Israel
concerned about events taking place in Syria.Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
said in an interview broadcast on the al-Arabiya television network on Wednesday
that Israel is not involved in the unrest currently roiling Syria but that
Israel is concerned about the events transpiring in that country. Netanyahu also
said that Israel hopes to establish peace with Syria and that he believes that
the young people of Syria deserve a better future. The regime of Syrian
President Bashar Assad is currently attempting to suppress a four-month-old
uprising. The Assad family has ruled Syria for four decades. According to human
rights groups, more than 1,600 people have been killed in the crackdown by the
Assad regime
Report: Lassa Became a Hizbullah Military Base
Naharnet/The predominantly Shiite town of Lassa in the Jbeil district has been
transformed into a Hizbullah military base, informed sources told al-Joumhouria
daily on Wednesday.
The sources said that the Shiite party dig tunnels, set up shelters in the town
and installed cameras that would take photos of vehicles and drivers.The
region’s people consider Lassa a Hizbullah settlement particularly that the
party’s secretary-general, Naim Qassem, hid in the town during the Israeli
offensive on Lebanon in 2006, the sources said. The town is also considered a
link between the district of Baalbeck, which is mainly Shiite, and the district
of Jbeil, they said, adding that Free Patriotic Movement MPs and Shiite lawmaker
Abbas Hashem have set up a network of roads that link Hadath Baalbeck with the
Jbeil district all the way to the coastal town of Amsheet without passing
through any Christian village or town. On Tuesday, a team from MTV was planning
to shoot a news report in Lassa when Hizbullah fighters broke its cameras and
prevented it from carrying out its task. The director of political programs at
the station Ghayyath Yazbek said that this was not the first time that a crew
from MTV was being assaulted. He said the network would not file a lawsuit
against anyone but would wait for the state and security agencies to solve the
issue.
U.S.to Determine Position on Cabinet Based on Miqati’s Handling of STL Arrest
Warrants
Naharnet/The American administration will likely determine its strategy towards
the Lebanese government during the upcoming weeks based on Prime Minister Najib
Miqati’s handling of the arrest warrants issued by the Special Tribunal for
Lebanon, revealed official American sources to the pan-Arab daily Al-Hayat on
Wednesday.
They added that the U.S. is adopting a “calm tone” in tackling the Lebanese file
“seeing as it has other foreign priorities in the Arab world, such as the peace
process and the situation in Egypt, Syria, Libya, and Yemen.”The American
administration had voiced its disappointment with the new Lebanese government
line-up, saying that the cabinet’s position on the STL will determine the
administration’s stand on Lebanon, continued the sources.
The daily quoted an American official as saying that Miqati’s handling of the
arrest warrants and the cabinet’s commitment to the cooperation protocol with
the STL will serve as tests for the Lebanese government. The STL issued its
indictment at the end of July along with arrest warrants against four Hizbullah
members suspected of being involved in the 2005 assassination of former Premier
Rafik Hariri. Meanwhile, on Monday, a House panel unveiled a bill that would
block U.S. aid to Lebanon, Egypt, Pakistan and the Palestinian Authority unless
the Obama administration reassures Congress that they are cooperating in
“battling terrorism.”The legislation is a direct challenge to President Barack
Obama and his foreign policy authority, and comes as the House is looking at
significant cuts in the annual budget for the State Department and foreign
assistance.
The House Foreign Affairs Committee will consider the bill authorizing the money
on Wednesday. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, the Republican chairwoman of the panel,
released an initial draft on Monday. While the House is likely to approve the
bill, its prospects in the Democratic-controlled Senate are dim. Senate Foreign
Relations Committee Chairman John Kerry, a Democrat, is likely to reject many of
the bill's provisions. But if approved, no U.S. assistance would be made to
Miqati’s cabinet given that it includes Hizbullah members. In other words, no
foreign military financing or international military education and training (IMET)
funding for Lebanon would be permitted if this bill were to become law.
According to the bill, aid to Lebanon would be contingent on the secretary of
state certifying to Congress that no member of Hizbullah serves in a policy
position in a ministry, agency or entity in the government.(AP-Naharnet) Source
Associated Press
Hezbollah official calls for rotation in public posts July 20, 2011/ 1The Daily
Star
BEIRUT: Mohammad Fneish, one of Hezbollah’s representatives in Prime Minister
Najib Mikati’s government, called Wednesday for a system of rotation in public
positions “so that no one can rule his empire.”“The constitution states that no
job is reserved for a certain sect,” Fneish told a local radio station. “Is is
important to adopt the principle of rotation in administrative reforms so that
no one can rule his empire," said Fneish, a state minister for administrative
reform. Fneish held the same post under the previous government of Prime
Minister Saad Hariri. Public appointments in the Lebanese system are based on
sectarian quotas. Fneish, however, said an agreement was needed for a system
based on sectarian rotation, pointing out that he had submitted a draft
administrative reform plan to Cabinet. The Hezbollah minister said he has
suggested that public employees not remain in office for more than five years.
Fneish refused to be drawn on rumors Hezbollah had backed the appointment of
Brig. Gen. Ali Shahrour for the deputy intelligence chief post, to replace Brig.
Gen. Abbas Ibrahim who was appointed Monday as head of General Security. “I have
no information on this matter,” Fneish said, adding that the matter "falls
within the jurisdiction of the Lebanese Army.”
Fight over young woman leaves man hospitalised
July 20, 2011/The Daily Star
BEIRUT: A man was sent to hospital with fractures Tuesday night after a personal
dispute turned violent in Beirut’s southern suburbs, a security source said. The
source told The Daily Star that Hussein Abdo Faitrouni, 26, received multiple
bruises and bone fractures during a fight which developed overnight with a group
of men near Abbas City in Hay el-Sillum in Beirut’s southern suburbs, following
an original dispute regarding a young woman. He said Hezbollah members stepped
in and pulled the young woman from the crowd. Faitrouni fired gunshots into the
air in order to escape, the source said. Police opened an investigation to
determine the circumstances surrounding the incident.
Berri Urges Officials Not to Impose Conditions on Dialogue,
Naharnet /Speaker Nabih Berri slammed on Wednesday al-Mustaqbal bloc’s stance on
the national dialogue, saying its statement implies that the dialogue has ended
before it even began.
Berri’s visitors quoted him as saying: “Those who want to seriously participate
in the dialogue shouldn’t impose conditions and have previous expectations,” An
Nahar and As Safir dailies reported. Al-Mustaqbal welcomed on Tuesday President
Michel Suleiman’s call for national dialogue, but maintained that it should
tackle only the controversial issue of Hizbullah’s weapons, calling for the
participation of the Arab League. Berri blasted the call for the Arab League to
participate in the dialogue. “I am not diminishing its role and the goals it’s
trying to achieve,” the sources said. However, he said that as if people
requesting this are not aware of what’s going on around the Arab world, and that
the League needs to launch a dialogue among its members. Berri’s visitors said
that “the main request is that all parties meet at some point and discuss the
challenges that the country is facing.”
Harb: All What Nasrallah Presented in 2006 was his Viewpoint Not Defense
Strategy
Naharnet /March 14 MP Butros Harb snapped back at Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan
Nasrallah, saying the party’s chief never proposed a defense strategy to the
national dialogue conferees in 2006. “All what Nasrallah proposed at the time
was his point of view in anticipation of the proposal of the defense strategy
along with Speaker Nabih Berri,” Harb told An Nahar daily published Wednesday.
Nasrallah said in a speech on Tuesday that Hizbullah was the first party to
present its defense strategy at the national dialogue in 2006. He said the March
14-led opposition seems to have forgotten that a few days later the Shiite group
implemented the strategy presented at the dialogue table during the July war
“and we won.”
He was referring to the army, the people and the resistance equation in the
policy statement of several governments to defend Lebanon against Israeli
attacks.
Asked by An Nahar about his talks with President Michel Suleiman on Tuesday,
Harb said: “Discussions focused on the appointments, vexatious acts in some
institutions, the (international) tribunal and the elections law.” The MP said
that the way the new director-general of the General Security Department was
appointed consolidates the stage of Syrian hegemony.
Al-Arabi and the “Shameful Statements” in Damascus
By: Jameel Theyabi/AlHayat
Did the visit of the new Secretary General of the Arab League, Nabil al-Arabi,
to Damascus aim at supporting Al-Assad’s regime, at consoling the Syrian people
or at helping the “thugs” sever the limbs of the revolution? Did Al-Arabi go to
Damascus shyly or did he arrive in haste? Why did he not find a useful sentence
to say to the Syrian people – and the other “angry” Arab populations behind them
– during his visit to Al-Assad, except for “the Arab League rejects any
interference in the internal affairs of the Arab countries, and no one is
entitled to divest any Arab leader of his legitimacy because that is up to the
people to decide”? This was said in response to the statements of the White
House which said Al-Assad “lost his legitimacy.”
What was Al-Arabi hearing or watching on television and reading in the papers
and the news outlets about the actions of Al-Assad’s regime against the Syrian
people and the demands of the protesters? Were they not demanding the departure
of Al-Assad and his regime and the dismantlement of his party? Was Al-Arabi
trying to ignore, outsmart or disregard what is happening in the Syrian cities
and towns in terms of shedding innocent blood?
Unfortunately, during his first visit to Damascus after having assumed his
“pan-Arab” tasks in a League that is unable to do anything but talk, the new
secretary general of the Arab League brandished the guns to the heads of the
“peaceful” demonstrators in Syria.
The Arab populations were expecting Al-Arabi to issue thought-through
statements; to put forward a wise opinion that would stop the bloodshed and
uphold the dignity; to defend the legitimate demands of the Syrian people and
the other Arab populations and criticize the Baathist and absurd practices.
However, he turned the situation upside down. Al-Arabi did not come to Damascus
to stand alongside the popular demands, but to humor the Baath Party, disregard
its oppressive and brutal practices, and register an official visit in form.
“What decadence, Al-Arabi.” This was said by the demonstrators on the Syrian
street to the new secretary general before he left the Damascus Airport, after
they heard what he said and returned empty-handed. The Syrians were expecting
Al-Arabi to ask Bashar al-Assad what they did wrong to deserve being killed,
lynched, kicked and displaced, and to deserve having their homes destroyed over
their heads and be thrown in prisons. However, he disregarded the
“revolutionary” people and humored the ruling regime.
“What decadence, Al-Arabi.” This will not be said to Al-Arabi solely, but to all
those who do not value the people, their wishes, rights, security, dignity and
freedom.
Al-Arabi’s “Arabism” is not shown through the promotion of the “drug” of the
repetition of national slogans, at a time when the stomachs are empty and the
rights are wasted. Moreover, history will not forgive the new secretary general
for his humoring of Al-Assad’s regime and his “silence” toward the thugs of this
regime and the killing of the demonstrators. Was Al-Arabi not among those who
raised their voices to criticize Hosni Mubarak’s regime and condemn the killing
of the demonstrators in his own country during the January 25 revolution? Why
did he not do the same in Damascus? Does Al-Arabi not know that Mubarak’s regime
is “heaven” compared to that of Al-Assad? Moreover, why did he not condemn the
statements of the White House officials when they called on Mubarak to
immediately step down? In the Arab League’s articles, is there any difference
between the American interference in Cairo’s affairs and the interference in
Damascus’ affairs? Are the American statements directed at the Arab republics
not one and the same, despite the time and location differences and the degrees
of precedence at the level of the cables of the Oval Office? Does Al-Arabi know
how many innocent citizens Al-Assad’s “thugs” have killed so far? Are they not
by the hundreds and the wounded by the thousands, including women and children?
Does he know how many displaced and refugees have eluded the hell of the
military machine and the “regime’s thugs”? Does he know how many are detained
and being tortured inside the Syrian prisons in opinion cases? Does he know what
the “thugs” of the regime did to the child Hamza al-Khatib and how they tortured
him and mutilated his body along with other children? Does Al-Arabi know what
Al-Assad’s regime did to Ibrahim Qashoush’s throat after he composed the song
“Come On, Leave Leave Bashar,” and how he was slaughtered in a barbaric way, had
his throat slit with a knife, and his body torn apart with bullets before being
thrown in the Assi River?
The oppressed and desperate Arab populations need all the support they can get
in favor of their rights, freedom, dignity and pride, whether from the White
House, the Elysee Palace, Downing Street or any other location – in light of the
“silence” and “absence” of the Arab capitals. Indeed, the latter failed to
condemn what is happening in Syria at the hands of a military and security
machine and a regime without mercy that is killing its people, burning their
skins, slitting their throats with daggers, digging graves for hundreds among
them and opening its prisons for thousands.
I believe that the least that could be said to Nabil al-Arabi by the
“revolutionary” Syrian people in response to his recent position is “Shame on
you.” You have failed in your task on your first official visit and must leave
with those who are departing, as there is no need for those who humor oppressive
regimes and adopt a rejectionist position in the face of the popular revolutions
demanding reforms and freedoms against the sultans of oppression and tyranny.
Media Against Violence condemns
“assault” against MTV
July 19, 2011/Media Against Violence issued a statement on Tuesday condemning
“Hezbollah’s security and [Lasa’s] residents” for “assaulting” MTV crews earlier
today. It also said that “Hezbollah’s violations [aim] to make the Lebanese
submissive through illegitimate arms,” and warned against the silencing of
media. MTV reported that its network’s crews were prevented from carrying out
their reporting tasks in the Jbeil town of Lasa and on the highway to Beirut’s
Rafik Hariri International Airport.-NOW Lebanon
Hezbollah to emerge stronger
from STL 'conspiracy': Nasrallah
July 19, 2011/ By Dana Khraiche The Daily Star
Nasrallah has repeatedly questioned the credibility of the STL probing the
assassination former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri in 2005, describing it as a
U.S.-Israeli tool aimed at targeting the resistance. BEIRUT: Hezbollah
leader Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah vowed Tuesday that the resistance would emerge
stronger from the “conspiracy of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon” and said he
fully supported the call by Lebanon’s president for a return to national
dialogue. “Is it possible for a movement that was not even shaken by the
strongest air force in the region to be shaken by [Special Tribunal for Lebanon
Prosecutor Daniel] Bellemare? … Hezbollah will emerge from the conspiracy of the
international tribunal stronger than it was and more highly regarded,” Nasrallah
said.
In July and August, Israel and Lebanon fought a 33-day war in which the Jewish
state relied heavily on air power.
The STL, established in 2007 to try those involved in the assassination of
former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri in 2005, handed Lebanon on July 30 sealed
indictments and arrest warrants against for members of the Lebanese resistance
group. Hezbollah strongly denies involvement in the assassination of Hariri and
has vowed not to cooperate with the international court, which it describes as
an “U.S.-Israeli project” aimed at targeting the resistance. Lebanon has 30 days
to serve out the arrest warrants.
“We are facing a conspiracy called the indictment in a calm and wise manner and
with documentation [to prove its lack of credibility] contrary to what others
are saying in the media,” the Hezbollah chief said in a televised speech aired
during a graduation ceremony in Beirut. Nasrallah also expressed support for
calls by President Michel Sleiman to restart national dialogue in order to mend
differences between the March 8 and March 14 coalitions. “Hezbollah supports any
calls for national dialogue or a Lebanese gathering over dialogue regardless of
the issues to be discussed … We have no reservations when it comes to dialogue,”
Nasrallah said. The Hezbollah chief also countered claims that his group had
refused to put forward a defense strategy during the previous dialogue sessions,
said: “Hezbollah was the first to present its own defense strategy and after a
few days, we implemented in the July war.”
All of Israel a target if
Lebanon attacked: Hezbollah
July 19, 2011/The Daily Star
BEIRUT: Hezbollah warned Tuesday that not an inch of Israel would be spared from
the rockets of the resistance, including the southern resort city of Eilat, if
the Jewish state launched an attack on Lebanon. “If Israel launches an attack,
rockets of the resistance will cover all of Israel: even the city of Eilat won’t
be spared,” Loyalty to the Resistance bloc MP Mohammad Raad said, referring to
the southernmost port city of the Jewish state. Raad’s statement came during a
celebration organized by the Islamic Institute for Education.
The Hezbollah lawmaker also urged that funding to the Special Tribunal for
Lebanon, which issued sealed indictments and arrest warrants against four
members of Hezbollah, should cease.
Hezbollah has blasted the STL – the U.N.-backed court probing the assassination
of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri in 2005 – describing it as part of a
“U.S.-Israeli project” aimed at targeting the resistance and sowing strife in
Lebanon. The Lebanese group has repeatedly denied involvement in the
assassination of Hariri. “Funding for the Special Tribunal for Lebanon should
stop because of its targeting of the resistance.” On Syria, which is one the
groups key backers in the country, Raad said interference by external forces
would not bring about true change. “True change comes from the will of the
people without interference by external powers,” Raad said, adding that “what we
are witnessing in Syria does not fall within the category of change.”Syria has
witnessed mass protests since March with demonstrators calling for the downfall
of Syrian President Bashar Assad, who has blamed the uprising on external
interference.
Lebanon First bloc MP Khaled al-Daher against dialogue with
agreement-breaking parties
July 19, 2011 /Lebanon First bloc MP Khaled al-Daher said on Tuesday evening
that he is against dialogue “with those who protect the accused and do not
commit to agreements.”
“There will be no dialogue with those that do not want to discuss Hezbollah’s
arms,” Daher told Future News television. The problem is not with Prime Minister
Najib Mikati’s cabinet, but with… the project of Iran’s extension in the Arab
world, the MP also said. He added that Hezbollah is “the Iranian Revolutionary
Guards’ son.”Commenting on events in Syria, Daher said that “the old Syrian
regime has ended. [The regime] presented reforms to the Syrian people in order
to keep the symbols of authority [in position], but the people insist on
overthrowing the regime’s symbols.”Syrian anti-regime protests erupted in
mid-March. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights puts the death toll since
protests erupted at 1,419 civilians and 352 members of the security forces, with
more than 1,300 people arrested. The STL indicted four members of the
Iranian-and Syrian-backed Hezbollah in connection to the 2005 assassination of
former PM Rafik Hariri, but the party’s secretary general, Sayyed Hassan
Nasrallah, ruled out their arrest. President Michel Sleiman has been calling for
a new national dialogue session, while March 14 figures have said they only want
to attend a session that tackles the issue of non-state weapons. -NOW Lebanon
Syrian military assaults intensify on Homs, 13 killed
July 19/11/Daily Star
AMMAN: Syrian troops and militiamen loyal to President Bashar al-Assad killed 13
people in attacks in the city of Homs on Tuesday, residents said, an escalation
of a crackdown against a focal point for pro-democracy protests. Among those
killed were three mourners at a funeral for 10 people who were killed by
security forces on Monday, the Local Coordinations Committee, an activists
group, said.
"We could not bury the martyrs at the city's main cemetery so we opted for a
smaller cemetery near the mosque, when the militiamen began firing at us from
their cars," one mourner, who gave his name as Abdallah, told Reuters by
telephone. He said the bodies had been taken to Khaled Ibn al-Walid mosque in
the eastern Khalidiya district of the city.
"Khalidiya is totally besieged by the military. We are cut off from the rest of
Homs as if we are a separate country."
Homs has been a major centre of protests against Assad's rule and tension has
run high between the majority Sunni inhabitants and members of the Alawite
minority, the same sect as Assad.
Khalidiya is inhabited by members of Sunni tribes from rural Homs while the
nearby Nozha neighbourhood is home to most of the country's security forces and
militiamen, from the Alawite sect.The six deaths reported in Homs' Khalidiya and
Bab Amr neighbourhoods on Tuesday brought the total death count since the
weekend to at least 30, activists and residents said.
Another resident said: "There are troops and armoured vehicles in every
neighbourhood. The irregular forces with them are death squads. They have been
firing indiscriminately since dawn with rifles and machineguns. No one can leave
their homes."
The Syrian authorities have expelled most foreign journalists, making it hard to
verify witness accounts or official statements.
PRIVILEGES FOR RULING MINORITY
Troops and tanks first entered Homs, 165 km (100 miles) north of Damascus, two
months ago and occupied the main square after large protests demanding political
freedoms.
Homs, the hometown of Assad's Sunni wife Asma, has seen an influx of Alawites in
the last 20 years as the community tightened its grip on security and public
jobs.
The Syrian National Human Rights Organisation said seven people were killed over
the weekend in attacks by security forces. The Syrian Observatory for Human
Rights said the bodies of 30 people were found in Homs over the weekend, and
that some were mutilated.
"After failing to ignite a sectarian civil war, the regime is expanding military
operations to subdue the mass protests in Homs," Observatory director Rami Abdel
Rahman told Reuters.
Syrian authorities blame "armed terrorist groups" with Islamist links for the
violence and say at least 500 policemen and soldiers have been killed since
March.
Human rights organisations say troops, security forces and militiamen killed at
least 1,400 civilians in Syria, adding that more than 12,000 Syrians and
security personnel who refused to fire at civilians had been shot dead. Assad
had described the uprising as a foreign conspiracy to sow sectarian strife. His
opponents argue that the president has been playing on sectarian fears to
maintain Alawite support and keep power for his family, which has ruled Syria
for 41 years. Once courted by the West as a possible moderate in the region,
Assad is becoming increasingly isolated internationally, with Iran's Shi'ite
clerical rulers maintaining their support, to the disquiet of Syria's majority
Sunnis.
Diplomatic pressure mounted on Assad on Monday after Qatar, previously a major
supporter, shut its embassy in Damascus and the European Union said it was
considering tougher sanctions. Qatar was a major backer of Syria until protests
broke out in March, but relations deteriorated when Sunni Muslims began to be
killed by Assad's security forces, whose leaders, like the president, belong to
the minority Alawite sect. In eastern Syria, residents of Albu Kamal, on the
border with Iraq, said security had eased its grip after holding talks with the
troops. Notables from the region want to avoid an assault after defections among
security forces who had tried to quell street demonstrations there, residents
said.
Cutting U.S. aid to Lebanon no harm to country: Aoun
July 19, 2011 /The Daily Star
BEIRUT: A U.S. bill designed to cut aid to Lebanon will not hurt the country,
said Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun Tuesday, saying that the U.S.
had never provided Lebanon with military equipment. “The U.S. aid is related to
defense and it only includes training rounds while we have never seen from them
any ammunition or tanks,” Aoun told reporters after his weekly meeting with his
Change and Reform parliamentary bloc. A U.S. House of Representative panel
unveiled a bill Monday that would block U.S. aid to Lebanon, among other
countries, unless President Barack Obama’s administration reassures Congress
that they are cooperating in the battling of terrorism. Aid to Lebanon would be
contingent on the secretary certifying to Congress that no member of Hezbollah
serves in a policy position in a ministry, agency or entity in the government.
The U.S. regards Hezbollah as a terrorist organization.
Aoun also touched on President Michel Sleiman’s calls to resume the national
dialogue committee in order to reconcile deepening differences between Lebanon’s
main political factions.
“We will leave the freedom for everyone to determine their stance toward
[launching] the national dialogue. We prefer that the issue of false witnesses
be on the agenda since there is a new governing power that is capable of taking
a decision that concerns this issue,” Aoun said. The issue of “false witnesses”
is a contentious issue between the Hezbollah-led March 8 alliance and the March
14 coalition. It was also one of the main reasons behind the resignations of
ministers from former Prime Minister Saad Hariri’s Cabinet, forcing its collapse
in January.
Aoun also said that the post for secretary general of General Security should be
given to a qualified person. “The government is working swiftly to meet the
ambitions of the Lebanese people, especially that the projects that should be
implemented have all been already studied,” Aoun said.
Arab League chief says Syria trip was for 'reform
By Yasmine Saleh /Daily Star
CAIRO: Arab League head Nabil Al-Araby said Tuesday he has visited Syria to
discuss the “necessity of reform,” but declined to give details of a meeting
with President Bashar al-Assad, whose forces have used force to try to crush
months of protests. Araby met Assad as part of a regional tour last week and was
quoted by media as saying the League did not accept “outside interference in the
internal affairs of the Arab countries,” even as diplomatic pressure mounts on
Damascus.
The League has kept a low profile in discussing the Syrian protests and Araby’s
predecessor only voiced “worry,” signalling division in the 22-member body over
how to proceed.
“I met with President Bashar al-Assad ... I spoke to him about the necessity of
reform and I received a promise from him that he will work on that,” Araby,
named as the League’s new secretary general in May, said at its Cairo-based
headquarters. “This is all I will say and I cannot clarify more on that.”
Diplomatic pressure mounted on Assad on Monday after Qatar, previously a
supporter, shut its embassy in Damascus and the European Union said it was
considering tougher sanctions.
Assad has described the uprising as a foreign conspiracy to sow sectarian
strife. His troops and security forces have killed over 1,400 civilians and
arrested more than 12,000, according to rights groups. Analysts say the Arab
League’s reticence may be a reflection of fears of what the Middle East may look
like without Bashar, whose family has ruled Syria for 41 years.
“I found that, given the changing conditions in the region, I should start with
a tour to know the leaders and their visions for what the Arab League could do
in current conditions,” said Elaraby, previously Egypt’s foreign minister.
“I have been careful to emphasize the importance of listening and fulfilling the
demands of the Arab peoples,” he added, but declined to say what he was seeking
to do in Syria.
That reserve contrasts with the role the league played in paving the way for
NATO military strikes on Libya when it asked the U.N. Security Council to impose
a no-fly zone to protect civilians in a rebellion against Muammar Gaddafi. “On
Syria ... it has to be clear that the Arab League ... is a diplomatic
institution,” he said. “Not all that is being said inside closed rooms could be
discussed with the media.” The Arab League plans to ask the United Nations to
upgrade the Palestinians to full member status.
Araby defended the plan, which has gained momentum with the lack of progress in
Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations.
“The Palestinian people are the only people unable to determine their destiny,”
he said. “This is like a declaration from Palestine and the Arab states that
they want an end to this dispute.”
Araby reiterated the League’s calls for a political solution to Libya’s civil
war.
“As the head of the Arab League, I welcome and I am ready to go and meet any
leader ... or any other group part of a struggle whether in Libya or Yemen or
anywhere else,” Araby
Maronite Patriarch Beshara Rai: Maronite leaders’ next
talks to tackle election law
July 20, 2011 /The Daily Star /BEIRUT: Maronite Patriarch Beshara Rai said
Tuesday the next meeting of Maronite leaders will discuss a new election law.
“None of us ignores that Lebanon is in dire need of love amid the suffering,
differences and conflicts in which it is living. They are all the result of
political choices. We have talked about this with the four Maronite leaders
during our meeting in Bkirki,” Rai said during a dinner hosted in his honor by
Lebanon’s Ambassador to the Vatican Edmond Farhat at his residence in Jbeil
Monday. Rai is currently on a pastoral tour of the Maronite parish in Jbeil. He
said major issues facing the Maronites are the land sales by Christians and the
presence of Maronites in the public administration. “We will continue our work
and our meetings with the four [Maronite] leaders and the parliamentary
committee. There are other issues to be discussed, including the parliamentary
election law,” Rai said.
Hezbollah open to unconditional dialogue
July 20, 2011//By Hussein Dakroub/The Daily Star
BEIRUT: Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah declared Tuesday that his party
will defeat the “conspiracy” of a U.N.-backed court’s indictment that implicated
it in the 2005 assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, while
voicing support for President Michel Sleiman’s call for national dialogue
between rival factions.
Meanwhile, former Prime Minister Saad Hariri’s parliamentary Future bloc
welcomed Sleiman’s call for national dialogue as a “positive” move, but
maintained that it should be confined only to the contentious issue of
Hezbollah’s weapons.
Nasrallah’s and the Future’s positions were the latest in a series of mixed
reactions by the opposition March 14 coalition and the Hezbollah-led March 8
alliance since Sleiman issued a call for national dialogue last week.
While Speaker Nabih Berri, Prime Minister Najib Mikati and the March 8 parties
have generally endorsed Sleiman’s call, March 14 groups have voiced skepticism,
saying any dialogue should only discuss the issue of Hezbollah’s arms.
Nasrallah said Hezbollah would emerge stronger from the “conspiracy” of the
long-awaited indictment issued by the Special Tribunal for Lebanon on June 30,
which accused four party members, including a military commander, of involvement
in the massive bombing that killed Hariri and 22 others on Feb. 14, 2005. The
indictment issued arrest warrants for the four suspects.
“We are confronting the conspiracy of the indictment calmly and wisely … One
hundred indictments will not change anything ,” Nasrallah said in a televised
speech during a graduation ceremony in Beirut’s southern suburbs.
“Is it possible for a movement that was not even shaken by the strongest air
force in the region to be shaken by [STL Prosecutor Daniel] Bellemare and those
with him? … Hezbollah will emerge from the conspiracy of the international
tribunal stronger and more proud than before,” he added.
Nasrallah said of those who had hoped to see Hezbollah destroyed during the
devastating Israeli war on Lebanon in the summer of 2006 that their hopes to
achieve this goal through the indictment would be in vain.
In a defiant speech on July 2, Nasrallah rejected the indictment, vowing never
to hand over the the four suspects. He dismissed the STL as an “American-Israeli
court,” saying Lebanese authorities will not be able to arrest the four accused
“even in 300 years.”
In his speech Tuesday, Nasrallah also endorsed Sleiman’s call for dialogue.
“Hezbollah supports any national dialogue and any meeting that brings the
Lebanese together at a dialogue table, regardless of the topics of [discussion]
and the agenda,” he said.
Nasrallah rejected accusations by March 14 parties that Hezbollah was not
serious in previous dialogue sessions chaired by Sleiman because it did not
present its own defense strategy.
“The first [party] to present its defense strategy was Hezbollah. Those [March
14] groups forgot what happened. A few days later [in 2006], we carried out the
defense strategy we had presented at the table during the [2006] July war and we
won,” Nasrallah said. He was referring to the tripartite equation “the army, the
people and the resistance” that has been adopted by previous governments,
including Mikati’s Cabinet, in their policy statements as the best means to
defend Lebanon against any Israeli attack.
Meanwhile, the Future bloc discussed Sleiman’s call for dialogue during its
weekly meeting chaired by former Prime Minister Fouad Siniora.
“The bloc saw the president’s statement and intention to initiate a dialogue as
a positive trend. The bloc, which has called for dialogue as a means to solve
problems, sees that a return to the negotiating table to continue addressing the
issue of Hezbollah’s arms is a serious and positive matter,” it said in a
statement after the meeting.
However, the statement said that in order for the proposed dialogue to be useful
and to achieve its goals, it should be “confined to the issue of Hezbollah’s
weapons according to the main agenda of the National Dialogue Committee held on
March 2, 2006, with the aim of agreeing on an executive program to put the
weapons and all military potentials under the authority and command of the
Lebanese state.”
The bloc called for drawing up a timetable to implement the decisions agreed
upon in previous dialogue sessions. This was a reference to the agreement
reached by March 8 and March 14 leaders in national dialogue sessions chaired by
Berri in 2006 on the demarcation of Lebanese-Syrian borders and withdrawal of
Palestinian weapons from outside the refugee camps.
“It is necessary for Hezbollah to be clearly ready for dialogue on the issue of
arms,” the statement said. Calling for the participation of the Arab League in
the proposed dialogue according to previous understanding, the bloc demanded a
fixed date for reaching an agreement on the issue of Hezbollah’s arms.
Sleiman, voicing concern over the political schism, issued the call for national
dialogue between rival factions during a dinner he hosted at his residence in
Amsheet in honor of Maronite Patriarch Beshara Rai Saturday. Sleiman warned that
the political divisions threatened to destroy the country’s national fabric and
underlined the need for a genuine reconciliation between the feuding parties.
Mikati urged the feuding parties Monday to accept Sleiman’s call for dialogue,
stressing that it is the only solution to prevent Lebanon from drifting into
violence.
Hariri said last week that he will not attend a national dialogue conference if
it seeks to discuss the STL, but will attend if it discusses Hezbollah’s arms.
Erdogan plans provocative Gaza
visit next week
DEBKAfile Exclusive Report July 19, 2011/,Egyptian and Turkish officials are
trying hard to meet Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan wish to visit the Gaza
Strip next Sunday or Monday (24-25 July) as a gesture of defiance for the United
States and Israel, debkafile's Middle East sources report.
Two obstacles still stand in their way: Fear of an assassination attempt by the
al Qaeda groups operating in the Gaza Strip and Sinai; and strenuous objections
from Palestinian Authority chairman Mahmoud Abbas, who regards the visit as de
facto Turkish and Egyptian recognition of Ismail Haniya's Hamas government.
If the visit does go ahead, Abbas demands permission to enter Gaza City in time
to lead the Palestinian welcoming party for the Turkish Prime Minister. The
Egyptian military junta likes this plan, viewing it as an important step toward
reviving the moribund Fatah-Hamas reconciliation deal which they brokered.
However, the Hamas government is standing fast against Abbas' entry to the Gaza
Strip.
According to our Washington sources, the Obama administration has not decided
how to regard the Erdogan gesture. His plan reached US notice as an unexpected
extension of the Turkish prime minister's trip to the Turkish Republic of Cyprus
and Cairo, which they did knew about.
Erdogan broke the news himself Tuesday, July 19: "If conditions are right, I
will consider a visit to Gaza," he said.The Turkish foreign office is working on
the specifics, he said, and he was awaiting their decision.
Our military sources report that Turkish and Egyptian security agencies rule out
his reaching Gaza by convoy through Sinai because Cairo, it turns out, is not in
full control of the peninsula's main roads and cannot therefore guarantee his
safety.
Flying him in through Sinai by helicopter is another non-option because Israel
would have to be asked for permission under the terms of the Egyptian-Israeli
peace treaty and the flight would have to be coordinated with Israeli Air Force
flight control authorities. To this Turkey objected.
Rejected too on the same grounds was a fighter plane escort for the Turkish
prime minister's helicopter, which would be customary state leaders' travel
through or over hostile territory.
debkafile's political sources note that Israel's high hopes for better relations
with Ankara, active urged by the US. The Turkish leader keeps on winkling out
provocations to throw in Israel's face and show the Arabs he is keeping faith
with the Palestinian cause and willing to breach Israel's blockade of the Gaza
Strip. A visit to Gaza, from which terrorists fired at least 20 missiles in the
last two weeks, would derail the effort to mend the fences between Jerusalem and
Ankara.
He is partly motivated, they say, by the serious snub he has suffered over the
Libya conflict. Up until recently, he had been sure that President Barack Obama
would get him named mediator between Muammar Qaddafi and the rebels. Then, last
week, he discovered the US president had asked Moscow to assume this role and
had left Ankara to tag along.
Erdogan was moved to try to reach the Gaza Strip and visit Hamas can be arranged
as a loud signal of protest and an expression of his frustration