LCCC
ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
ِJuly
28/2011
Bible Quotation for today
The Good News According to John 15/22-27:
"If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have had sin; but now they
have no excuse for their sin. 15:23 He who hates me, hates my Father also. 15:24
If I hadn’t done among them the works which no one else did, they wouldn’t have
had sin. But now have they seen and also hated both me and my Father. 15:25 But
this happened so that the word may be fulfilled which was written in their law,
‘They hated me without a cause.’ 15:26 “When the Counselor has come, whom I will
send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father,
he will testify about me. 15:27 You will also testify, because you have been
with me from the beginning"./Naharnet
Latest
analysis, editorials, studies, reports, letters & Releases
from
miscellaneous
sources
Najib Mikati, between a rock and a
hard place/By:
Ana Maria Luca/July
27/11
The Syrian regime's worst enemy/By
Tariq Alhomayed/July
27/11
Latest News Reports From
Miscellaneous Sources for July 27/11
Lebanese Forces head Samir Geagea:
Cabinet will bring Lebanon back to dark years/The Daily Star
Future Movement lashes out at
Hezbollah over media campaign/The Daily Star
Syria activists allege
political assassinations/The Daily Star
Diplomacy is key to
maritime border dispute
between Lebanon &
Israel/The Daily Star
Peres: Iran Creating Unrest in
Middle East through Hizbullah and Hamas/Naharnet
Nasrallah warns Israel against
“stealing” Lebanon’s offshore resource/Now Lebanon
March 14 Legal Meeting Urges
Ban, Arab League to Maintain Support for STL/Naharnet
Lawyer Says Norway Gunman May Be
'Insane'/Naharnet
Five French UNIFIL Troops Hurt
in Sidon Blast/Naharnet
Aoun: Rifi’s Numerous Violations
Makes him Ineligible to Remain in his Position/Naharnet
78 Dead in Morocco Military
Plane Crash/Naharnet
Analysts: Hizbullah on Edge in Face
of Syria Revolt/Naharnet
Assad, Bassil Discuss Situations
in Lebanon, Bilateral Ties/Naharnet
Mustaqbal: Hizbullah is
Eliminating Results of Dialogue before it is Even Held/Naharnet
3 People Arrested for Opening
Fire Near Home of Arab Democratic Party Official/Naharnet
Five French UNIFIL Troops Hurt in Sidon Blast
Naharnet /Five French soldiers serving with the United Nations Interim Force in
Lebanon (UNIFIL) were wounded on Tuesday, one seriously, in a roadside bomb
attack in the southern city of Sidon, a UNIFIL spokesman told Agence France
Presse. "According to preliminary reports, at around 6:00 pm today (1500 GMT) an
explosion targeted a UNIFIL convoy along the highway at Sidon," said UNIFIL
spokesman Neeraj Singh. "Five UNIFIL peacekeepers were injured in the explosion.
Three of the injured were transported to hospital for treatment."
For its part, state-run National News Agency said the explosion occurred near
the Siniq Bridge at Sidon’s southern entrance. One of the soldiers taken to
hospital was in serious condition with burns to his face and shrapnel in one
eye, an official at Hammoud Hospital in Sidon told AFP. The second soldier was
slightly wounded in his left eye, the official added, asking not to be named.
The third soldier was released and sent back to base, he said. An army spokesman
told AFP the bomb was placed on the side of the road and was triggered as the
vehicle -- a troop carrier -- drove by. The front of the vehicle was badly
damaged and several parts were blown 20 to 30 meters by the force of the blast.
Several French peacekeepers could be seen covered in dust near the site of the
explosion. UNIFIL forensic experts rushed to the scene along with Lebanese
troops, who cordoned off the area and began gathering evidence.
"We are working in coordination with the Lebanese army to determine the
circumstances of the incident," Singh said.
Prime Minister Najib Miqati, who is vacationing in France, telephoned Interior
Minister Marwan Charbel and Justice Minister Shakib Qortbawi, asking them to
open an immediate probe into the bombing, his office said. Miqati also called
French Ambassador to Lebanon Denis Pietton to condemn the attack.
On May 27 six Italian peacekeepers were wounded -- two of them seriously --
along with two civilians in a similar roadside bomb explosion near Sidon.
The UNIFIL, a multinational force which currently has 12,000 troops stationed in
south Lebanon, was initially set up to monitor Lebanon's border with Israel.
It was expanded after a devastating 2006 war between the Jewish state and
Hizbullah. The force has been the target of three other unclaimed attacks, the
latest in January 2008 when two Irish officers were wounded by a roadside bomb.
In the deadliest incident, three Spanish and three Colombian peacekeepers were
killed in June of 2007 when a booby-trapped car exploded as their patrol vehicle
drove by.
*Source Agence France Presse
Aoun: Rifi’s Numerous Violations Makes him Ineligible to Remain in his Position
Naharnet /Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun stated on Tuesday that
Internal Security Force chief Major General Ashraf Rifi’s several violations
“make him ineligible to remain in his position in office.”He said after the
Change and Reform bloc’s weekly meeting: “His statement that he was born out of
the March 14 camp’s womb is one of his violations because this is not part of
the ISF law.” “Whoever covers up his violations does not want the rise of the
state and its institutions,” he added. On the dispute over land ownership in the
town of Lassa, the MP said that this dispute dates back to 1939 when a land
survey took place and quarrel broke out over it.
A meeting recently took place under Bkirki’s sponsorship in order to settle the
affair, Aoun noted. This issue is no longer a dispute, but a matter that should
be settled in court, he stressed.
“This is a dispute among brothers” and whoever tried to portray it as a
Shiite-Christian problem is attempting to create unrest, he emphasized.
A few weeks ago, a delegation from the Maronite League was prevented from
conducting a land survey in Lassa and few days afterwards an MTV crew was
attacked by a party as it was attempting to film in the area. On upcoming
Christian meetings under the sponsorship of the Maronite Patriarchate, Aoun
said: “No one is forcing any one to take part in the meeting.”
He made his statement in response to Lebanese Force leader Samir Geagea’s recent
statements that “he would think twice before attending such meetings in the
future.”
“No one is forced to remain silent when his rights are violated. We are not
defending Hizbullah as it doesn’t require anyone to defend it,” Aoun continued.
“Its arms should be studied through a defense strategy,” he stressed. “The
decision of war and peace is in Israeli and American hands, not in Lebanon and
Hizbullah’s control,” the MP noted.
“We are the ones who were attacked and we defended ourselves. An occupied people
have the right to liberate their land through any means available,” the FPM
leader declared.
“Hizbullah did not direct its weapons to the internal scene except in response
to a decision by the Lebanese government,” Aoun said.
On the trial of retired general Fayez Karam, the MP stated: “I think the next
trial will be the last one. I have looked at the case and I hope the judges
would assess it without being affected by media campaigns.” Regarding the March
14 legal conference held at the Bristol Hotel on Tuesday, he remarked:
“Respecting U.N. resolutions takes place through the parliament, cabinet, and
presidency, but in the past agreements were illegally adopted and therefore, we
are not obligated to cooperate with the U.N.”
March 14 Legal Meeting Urges Ban, Arab League to Maintain Support for STL
Naharnet/A conference for March 14 legal figures called on United Nations
Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon and the Arab League to maintain their support for
the Special Tribunal for Lebanon “until justice is achieved.” The conference was
held at the Bristol Hotel in Beirut bringing together a number of the camp’s
legal officials.
The final statement, recited by lawyer Fadi Saad, stressed that the March 14
forces “are not seeking revenge, but rather truth and justice.”“We don’t have
any enemies in Lebanon to seek revenge from, but we have partners in this
nation,” it added. “The justice we are aspiring for will prevent political
assassinations and achieve stability and reconciliation with various parties,”
it said. The conferees announced the formation of a legal office that will
follow up on the affairs of the STL. “We call on the Lebanese authorities to
shoulder their responsibilities towards international resolutions, especially
U.N. Security Council resolution 1757, and to cooperate with the STL’s requests
without any procrastination,” the statement said. Concerned sources told al-Mustaqbal
daily in remarks published on Tuesday that the conference is aimed at following
up on the STL’s work and demonstrating to those who are “targeting the tribunal,
especially Hizbullah,” that the court isn’t politicized. “The conference will
hold all those concerned with the tribunal responsible, among them President
Michel Suleiman, Prime Minister Najib Miqati, the justice minister, and General
Prosecutor Saeed Mirza,” they added.
Lebanese
Forces head Samir Geagea: Cabinet will bring Lebanon back to dark years
July 27, 2011/The Daily Star /BEIRUT: Lebanese Forces head Samir Geagea slammed
the government of Prime Minister Najib Mikati saying it brought back Lebanon to
the “dark years.”
“This government is not the least interested in the daily needs of the Lebanese
it doesn’t want to solve the electricity crisis, or work on alleviating the
public debt, or fight corruption,” he told supporters during a ceremony to
launch LF’s web television. “This government wants to bring Lebanon back to a
past time that has ended.”
Geagea said the factions that dominate the government, in reference to Hezbollah
and its allies in the March 8 coalition, were not concerned with the daily needs
of the Lebanese but were rather tied to a larger regional project. Geagea also
blasted Hezbollah, saying the party’s political and ideological program “served
Iranian interests.”
“Hezbollah’s political and ideological program only aims to serve Iranian
interests and to fortify Iran’s influence in the Middle East so that Iran
becomes the chief regional power,” he added.
Geagea said the Lebanese must not be “held hostage” to Hezbollah and Iran’s
ambitions. He added that the Mikati government was formed to serve Iran and
Hezbollah’s interests. “How can the Lebanese trust such a government?” Geagea
asked, adding that promises of reform were “groundless.”
Separately, the LF chief hoped that the newly launched LF Web TV will meet the
aspirations of the Lebanese and the Arabs in light of the changes witnessed in
the Arab world.
“I truly hope that the Web TV will contribute to spreading the culture of
freedom, democracy and human rights,” he added.
Future Movement lashes out at Hezbollah over media campaign
July 27, 2011 /By Hussein Dakroub/ The Daily Star
BEIRUT: Former Prime Minister Saad Hariri’s Future parliamentary bloc slammed
Hezbollah Tuesday for orchestrating what it called “a provocative media
campaign” against Hariri, warning that such tactics would further heighten
political tension in the country.
A statement issued after the bloc’s weekly meeting said Hezbollah’s weapons,
which liberated the country from Israeli occupation in 2000, have lost their
legitimacy after they had been used against fellow Lebanese and after the party
protected four of its members accused of involvement in the 2005 assassination
of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.
The bloc’s statement came three days after Hariri accused Hezbollah leader Hasan
Nasrallah of sponsoring “hatred media campaigns” against the Hariri family, in a
reflection of escalating political tension between the March 8 and March 14
parties that cast a pall of gloom over President Michel Sleiman’s call for
national dialogue. A statement issued by Hariri’s press office Saturday said the
media campaigns were aimed at distorting the image of Rafik Hariri, his family
and his political and national path.
During its meeting Tuesday, the Future bloc discussed the “continuing
provocative media campaign” launched by the March 8 media outlets against Hariri
personally.
“The aim of this campaign has become clear to everyone. It is an attempt to
shatter the personal and leadership image of [former] Prime Minister Saad
Hariri,” said the statement read to reporters by Future MP Atef Majdalani.
“It has become clear that this campaign is launched at the request of Hezbollah
specifically in order to protect the present government and mount a preventive
attack with a view to weakening the political image of the Future Movement and
the March 14 parties,” it added.
“Hence, the Future bloc sees that concentrating personally on [former] Prime
Minister Hariri by raising personal matters is a proof of bankruptcy in logic
and political argument on the part of the other side,” the statement said.
Warning of the consequences of this campaign on the country’s stability, the
statement added:
“In this context, the bloc warns that such methods might take the country to a
different atmosphere that would cover everyone and whose consequences would not
be confined to one side.”
Media outlets close to the Hezbollah-led March 8 alliance said recently that the
Hariri-owned Saudi Oger Company was facing financial difficulties.
Referring to Sleiman’s call for national dialogue, the Future bloc said that by
rejecting that its arms be the topic of discussion, Hezbollah wanted to
confiscate the results of dialogue even before it began.
“Hezbollah has forgotten that the resistance’s arms, which liberated the south,
have lost their legitimacy after they were used against fellow Lebanese in the
capital and [other] areas and after they protected those accused of
assassinating martyr [former] Prime Minister Rafik Hariri and his companions,”
the statement said.
“Therefore, what was permissible in the past is no longer permissible following
violations that made arms lose their previous legitimacy and put them in the
position of accused and suspected with the aim of taking control of authority
and imposing opinion [on others] as was proven by the coup staged to change the
[Parliament] majority and form the current government,” it added.
The U.N.-backed Special Tribunal for Lebanon issued its indictment on June 30,
accusing four Hezbollah members of involvement in Hariri’s assassination and
demanded their arrest. Nasrallah has rejected the indictment, vowing that the
accused would be not arrested “even in 300 years.”
The bloc’s statement came amid a heated controversy set off by President
Sleiman’s call for national dialogue between rival leaders to end their
political divisions which are threatening to destabilize the country.
While Speaker Nabih Berri, Prime Minister Najib Mikati, Nasrallah and March 8
parties endorse Sleiman’s call, Hariri and his March 14 allies have voiced
skepticism, insisting that Hezbollah’s arms should be the only topic for
discussion, or else they will not attend. Hezbollah has declared that its arms
will not be the topic of any dialogue but is ready to discuss a national defense
strategy to protect Lebanon against a possible Israeli attack.
Meanwhile, Free Patriotic Movement leader Michel Aoun defended Hezbollah’s arms,
saying the arms were “a normal reaction” to Israeli occupation. “Hezbollah’s
arms can be discussed through a defense strategy,” Aoun told reporters at the
weekly meeting of his Parliamentary bloc.
Najib Mikati, between a rock and a hard place
Ana Maria Luca/Now Lebanon/July 26, 2011
He said he was an independent politician, but he is called “Hezbollah’s prime
minister.” He said he wanted national unity, but he became the first Lebanese
prime minister to head a cabinet controlled by the March 8 forces. He said he
would continue “exactly the same [policy] as the previous government” in terms
of Hezbollah’s weapons, but the topic is still far from being on the cabinet’s
agenda.
While he might aspire to walk in former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri’s
footsteps, Tripoli billionaire Najib Mikati ended up trapped between a rock and
a hard place, analysts and former political adversaries say.
Hezbollah is pressuring him to cut ties with the Special Tribunal for Lebanon,
which just indicted some of the party’s members and close collaborators in the
probe into Rafik Hariri’s murder in 2005. Now politicians in the March 14
opposition, his former electoral ally, are accusing him of “deception, double
standards, trickery and lack of commitment to his promises.” Yet Mikati keeps
stressing that he wants dialogue with the opposition and that he supports
Lebanon’s commitment to the STL.
Lawyer and political analyst Marwan Sakr says Mikati has nothing to gain
politically from being in the middle of this political faceoff. “He didn’t have
to [become prime minister now]; he definitely didn’t need it [financially or
politically]. I can’t explain it other than through the attraction of power,”
Sakr told NOW Lebanon. Mikati, a Harvard graduate, made his way into politics in
1998, after he had made his fortune. As teenager and later a Business student at
the American University of Beirut, Mikati longed to be part of the Lebanese
political scene and would often go to the parliament building to watch MPs
debating.
The richest man in Lebanon, he made his fortune together with his brother, Taha.
The family businesses—which include real estate, fashion and airline
ventures—operate in 20 countries.
But he said he liquidated his businesses in Lebanon once he became the
Transportation minister in 1998 to avoid conflict of interest.
Seen as a moderate pro-Syrian politician due to his business ties with Damascus,
Mikati stayed in his cabinet position under three consecutive governments until
2004. In the meantime, he became an MP in 2000, prime minister in 2005 after
Rafik Hariri was assassinated, and was reelected as an MP in 2009, after an
electoral deal with March 14 in Tripoli. But three years after his alliance with
March 14, Mikati was designated prime minister by March 8, replacing his former
ally, Saad Hariri, whose government the alliance overthrew.
Former Tripoli MP Mosbah al-Ahdab, who lost his bid for MP in the 2009 elections
after March 14 made the deal with Mikati, says the latter’s shift might seem
bizarre to some, but in fact is not. “I think Mikati, like many businessmen,
thought that Rafik Hariri made his way into politics because he was rich. But
money is not enough; you can’t just be a businessman and become a politician.
Even for Rafik Hariri it wasn’t easy—I was there in parliament since 1996, and I
followed his behavior as a politician. I saw how much he learned,” he told NOW
Lebanon. “What Mikati is doing now is exactly the opposite of what he [said he
stood for] in parliament in 2009. It was very clear at the time that he was
supporting the STL, and his rhetoric was very radical in this respect,” he
added. Ahdab believes that in the current political context, Mikati doesn’t have
many chances to survive as prime minister. “The question is who actually makes
decisions in the government, and it is obvious that Mikati does not decide,” he
said. “If he thinks he can get away with his constituency just by making
positive speeches, while the implementation would be exactly what Hezbollah
wants… it won’t work.”
Sakr says that Mikati does not have many options if he wants to survive as
premier. “One choice is to resign, and the other is to terminate [Lebanon’s]
memorandum of understanding with the STL. I don’t see him doing either of
these,” he said.“The only way to escape from making this choice, which is
short-term policy in my opinion, is to make an agreement. The PM says he
supports the STL and Lebanon’s agreements, Hezbollah keeps quiet but refuses to
cooperate. This is going to buy him some time,” Sakr added.
Sakr also says that the “buying time” strategy will prove that Mikati holds no
power over the cabinet. “The only solution would be for him to resign, but he
won’t do that easily, because he struggled a lot to reach [the premiership], and
he seems to have his mind set on being a second Rafik Hariri.”
Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah
July 26, 2011
Now Lebanon
On July 26, Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah delivered a
televised address in an event marking the 2006 July War:
“In the name of God, the holy, the merciful. Peace and mercy be upon you all. We
thank God for the victory, his support, his mercy and kindness.
In the beginning, I commend you all and thank you for attending this
anniversary, which marks the divine victory [of the Resistance against Israel in
the 2006 July War]. I would like to praise the families of the martyrs of the
Resistance and Lebanese army. I salute the people who were displaced as well as
the states, parties, individuals and organizations [who supported us] and stood
behind Lebanon to achieve this victory.
If we return to the phase of the war, it would be to take it as an example for
the future. [The 2006 July War] constituted a smashing victory of the Resistance
and the defeat of the [Israelis]. In that war, there was a resistance, that of
Lebanese army, security forces and especially the resistance [of the Hezbollah]
fighters that constituted a real miracle.
The fighters who had no aerial support, were resisting in all Lebanese areas and
were capable of confronting [Israel] as everything around them was being
destroyed. In parallel, the Israeli enemy launched the war on Lebanon with
arrogance… but [Israel] soon became confused, weak, frustrated and lacking in
confidence in the ranks of its army, government and people. We can talk about
the collapse of [Israeli] confidence and [the Jewish State’s] deterioration.
This war left dangerous residues [on Israel]. In parallel, the confidence of the
resisting forces in the Arab and Muslim world was bolstered.
Therefore, we find that Israel, which is supported by the United States, has
worked since the end of the 2006 War to restore the lost confidence in its
people, command and army. [It is also] attempting to restore its military
strength [in preparation for a possible campaign to] be conducted against the
Palestinians, Lebanon or Syria. The Israelis are making efforts on military
levels, including with training, empowerment of their artillery and [other
efforts] to fill gaps. The goal of these maneuvers is to train their people on
how to act in case war occurs. One of these goals is to restore confidence back
to the Israeli community.
Did this succeed? I look at the polls conducted by the Israelis and see that
they admit [there are still gaps]. The Israeli command is telling its people
that it is not capable of protecting the domestic front. They are not capable of
stopping Hezbollah’s [rocket attacks]. The second factor is based on the media:
Some of the Israelis have started [minimizing] the results of the July War.
At first, the Israelis said that they erred during the July War. However, now
they are starting to look for ‘positive outcomes’ and important ones. I will
take the example of Shimon Peres, the head of the state, who said that two
achievements were made during the July War: The first was making me [hide] in a
bunker, and the second was [that they consider] that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF)
are capable of protecting the northern borders of the occupied Palestinian
territories. Peres said that the world support them because ‘we were weak’… and
that ‘Israel has lost deterrence.’
I want to comment on this. First, making someone [hide] in a bunker was not the
purpose of the attacks [that was launched by Israel]. Also, none of the goals of
Israel’s war succeeded. Their goal was to weaken Hezbollah, but [we] grew
stronger. They wanted to have the captured Israeli soldiers back without
negotiations, [but that failed too]. The border between Lebanon and [Israel] was
calm. This calm was secured thanks to the victory of the Resistance after the
[withdrawal] of [the IDF from South Lebanon].
The Resistance is not a war project. Its goal is to defend its country and the
dignities of its people. A lot of Israeli [officers and figures] are warning
their command to not take part in any [new] adventures. Since the end of the
2006 War, efforts have been exerted to question the goals and distort the image
of the Resistance.
Millions were paid to carry this out, including accusing the Resistance of
murdering former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.
To conclude this part, I would like to tell the friend and enemy that our faith
cannot be shaken. It is stronger than before. I also tell you that the strength
of the Resistance today in Lebanon is higher and better than any other time
since its establishment. The enemy today is [conducting a] psychological war. It
is trying to restore its confidence. [The enemy] was surprised that the
Resistance… has advanced weapons. I tell the Israelis to listen to their
generals who experienced defeat in Lebanon. The Israelis will only taste defeat
in Lebanon.
After all the developments and events, if someone asks me, ‘Are you ready to
repeat the phrase that you keep saying?’ I [will respond to them] that knowing
this enemy and knowing my people, ‘Like I promised you victory before, I promise
you victory again.’ Thus, I tell the Zionists: Do not approach Lebanon. Give up
your greed.
The second topic I want to discuss is the oil issue between Lebanon and the
occupied Palestinian territories. First of all, the Lebanese people should know
that they are dealing with an golden opportunity. Lebanon today has national
assets in its regional waters.
There are official reports that say we have hundreds of billions of dollars’
worth of natural assets in our waters. If the Lebanese know how to act and deal
with this issue with maturity and responsibility, we will have the opportunity
to pay our debts and improve our economy. The current cabinet has drafted an oil
bill. We expect that beginning in 2012 serious work would begin [regarding oil
exploration]. There are around 22,500 square kilometers [that belong to Lebanon]
and have huge amounts of oil resources. Out of those, there is a border maritime
area between Lebanon and occupied Palestine that is about 850 square kilometers.
We consider this area to belong to Lebanon, while the Israeli demarcated its
borders and included those 850 square kilometers as theirs. This area is large
and has oil resources that amount to billions of dollars. It is for Lebanon, and
the Israelis have no right to make it theirs or make any oil exploration there.
We are ahead of an opportunity for a radical solution, we must not waste it.
I would like to voice our position, as a Resistance on this issue. As the
Resistance, we first believe that the responsibility to demarcate the borders is
that of the Lebanese state and its institutions. When the Lebanese state
considers that a territory is Lebanese, the Resistance will act as if it is
Lebanese maritime territory. Perhaps, this [new] cabinet is an opportunity for
Lebanon to retrieve its maritime territory. The Lebanese cabinet is asked to
speed up the work to start the exploration process. Time is very important. This
should be a priority for the government.
Those who put a hand on the Lebanese [territories] that have [oil] assets will
have their [territories harmed] in return. Lebanon has a certain region that is
being assaulted. We warn the Israelis against stealing Lebanon’s resources. We
call on the Lebanese government to retrieve 850 square kilometers that were
demarcated [by Israel] as belonging to [the Jewish State], but are [actually]
Lebanese. The most important combination that is a [threat to Israel] is that of
[the unity of the Lebanese] “army, people and Resistance” formula to defend
Lebanon. Lebanon, after the July War, has entered a new phase. The most
important thing is to preserve its strength.
May God bless us all on the occasion of the holy month of Ramadan, and peace and
mercy be upon you all.”
Analysts: Hizbullah on Edge in Face of Syria Revolt
Naharnet /The unprecedented revolt threatening the regime in Syria has placed
key ally Hizbullah in a tight spot and prompted the Lebanese group to adopt a
more measured attitude, analysts say. "Hizbullah's margin of maneuver is
currently very limited because the strategic Iran-Syria-Hizbullah axis is
threatened by the revolt and this forces the group to act prudently," said
Paris-based Middle East expert Agnes Levallois. The Shiite party, also backed by
Iran, is the most powerful military and political group in Lebanon and is a key
player in the new government formed last month. But the upheaval in neighboring
Syria caught Hizbullah off guard and threatens its position, analysts say.
When the revolt erupted in mid-March, "Hizbullah initially thought the Syrian
regime would be able to quickly put down the revolt and that it would not be
affected," Levallois told Agence France Presse. "But with the revolt showing no
signs of dying down, Hizbullah is realizing that it needs to protect itself by
commenting little on the situation in Syria so as not to be at odds with what is
happening on the ground and not to alienate itself," she added. The party,
blacklisted as a terrorist organization by Washington, has adopted the Syrian
regime's official line in blaming the unrest on armed extremist gangs and
outside agitators.
This has prompted anger among protesters in Syria who, in what would have been
unthinkable a few months ago, have torn down and burned pictures of Hizbullah
leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, according to images posted on YouTube.
Nasrallah has also been criticized for acting like a "Syrian television
presenter," prompting his party to adopt a more low-key approach.
"The Syrian regime became aware that Nasrallah's popularity was not serving its
interest in this case, but quite the contrary," said Paul Salem, head of the
Beirut-based Carnegie Middle East Center. The deep crisis threatening the regime
of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad could also impact Hizbullah's weapons supply
through Iran and Syria, analysts believe.
Intelligence officials estimate that Hizbullah has amassed an arsenal of more
than 40,000 short- and medium-range missiles which the party has said could
reach deep into Israel.
"There is no question that they are worried, because if the regime (in Syria)
collapses, that would affect them strategically speaking, especially if the new
regime that takes over is keen on exacting revenge on Iran and Hizbullah," Salem
said.
"If there is chaos, a new regime or a continuation of the current regime, which
has been weakened, all of these scenarios don't bode well for Hizbullah," he
added.
The party's image has also been dented given its support for the other
revolutions shaking the Arab world, including Tunisia, Egypt and Libya, but not
Syria.
"Nasrallah is torn between his support for Assad's regime and his image as a
resistance leader keen on defending the people's rights," Levallois said.
An Nahar summarized the dilemma facing the party in a editorial at the weekend.
"Tomorrow, when the Syrian regime falls -- and it will fall -- what will
Hizbullah, which supported those who assassinated women, children and the
elderly, say?" it asked.
Nadim Shehadeh, a fellow at the London-based Chatham House, said Hizbullah was
in a bind given the platform on which it has built support.
"Their power is based on such big words as freedom and liberation and their
constituency follows them blindly on this," he told AFP.
"But they supported the Arab spring in Egypt, Tunisia, Bahrain, Libya,
everywhere except Syria, and that is contradictory," Shehadeh said.
For now, analysts say, Hizbullah will probably continue to adopt a low-key
approach and avoid any confrontation.
"We thought that Damascus would ask Hizbullah to launch an attack against Israel
to divert attention," Levallois said.
"But the Syrian regime understood that it could loose on all fronts if it did so
because it is too weak."
*Source Agence France Presse
Peres:
Iran Creating Unrest in Middle East through Hizbullah and Hamas
Naharnet /Israeli President Shimon Peres accused on Tuesday Iran of seeking to
control the Middle East through Hizbullah and Hamas. He said in an address to
the Arab and Muslim world on the occasion of the month of Ramadan: “Tehran does
not want the establishment of a stable Middle East, but it wants to take control
of it through stirring tensions through Hizbullah in Lebanon and Hamas in the
Gaza Strip.”Tehran is providing these two groups with thousands of missiles and
“they are creating fear and despair in the hearts of the Lebanese and
Palestinian people”, the Israeli president stated.
Assad, Bassil Discuss Situations in Lebanon, Bilateral Ties
Naharnet /Syrian President Bashar al-Assad held talks Tuesday in Damascus with
Lebanon’s Energy and Water Minister Jebran Bassil on the situations in Lebanon
following the formation of the new government and the Syrian-Lebanese relations,
Syria’s official news agency SANA reported. Talks also dealt with the situation
in Syria and the region, SANA added. Over the past few months, Assad had met
with a number of Lebanese officials and heads of political parties and
movements.
Mustaqbal: Hizbullah is Eliminating Results of Dialogue
before it is Even Held
Naharnet/The Mustaqbal bloc noted on Tuesday that the recent positions of
Hizbullah and March 8 officials over President Michel Suleiman’s possible call
for dialogue revealed that they are seeking to eliminate the results of the
talks even before they are held. It said in a statement after its weekly
meeting: “Hizbullah rejected dialogue over its possession of arms … It appears
that it has forgotten that the resistance weapons that liberated the South have
lost their legitimacy after they were turned against fellow Lebanese and after
they harbored the accused in the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik
Hariri.” “What was permissible in the past is no longer acceptable today after
the series of violations that have stripped the weapons of their legitimacy,” it
added. “These actions have placed it in the position of the accused and
portrayed it as seeking to impose its opinion over the other as demonstrated in
the coup that altered the parliamentary majority and formed the new cabinet,”
continued the statement. On the March 8 camp’s “ongoing media campaigns against
former Prime Minister Saad Hariri,” the bloc said: “They are aimed at destroying
the image of Hariri on personal and political levels.” “These campaigns have
been launched at Hizbullah’s behest in order to protect the current government,”
it noted. “They are a sign that the other camp has reached political
bankruptcy,” it stated. The Mustaqbal bloc also offered its condolences to the
Norwegian government over Friday’s twin attacks that killed over 60 people.
3 People Arrested for Opening Fire Near Home of Arab
Democratic Party Official
Naharnet /Security forces have arrested 3 people for opening fire from a
speeding car near the home of Arab Democratic Party official Rifaat Eid in
Tripoli’s Jabal Mohsen neighborhood.
The party’s politburo member Abdel Latif Saleh told Voice of Lebanon radio
station (93.3) that the assailants opened fire on the house of ADP’s political
affairs officer Rifaat Eid.
No one was injured in the incident but Eid said that the attack was personal.
“If a certain party stands behind it, then we hold onto the resumption of
investigations to hold accountable those responsible” for the attacks, he added.
The Syrian regime's worst enemy
26/07/2011
By Tariq Alhomayed/Asharq Al-Awsat
Three separate Syrian news items were published yesterday; but if we read them
in a linked context, our vision will be clearer regarding how the regime in
Damascus is dealing with the unprecedented popular uprising.
The news was as follows: The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights revealed that
Syrian security services have continued to detain, since May 12th, the activist
brothers Ghassan, Bashar and Mohammad al-Sahyouni from Banias, who surrendered
under the presidential amnesty, issued in a statement from the Interior
Ministry. The second news item relates to the regime's announcement of a
parties' law, and the third is a statement from the so-called "Sunni Iraqi
Jihadists", declaring their support for the revolution in Syria.
The first piece of news, about the continued detention of the al-Sahyouni
brothers and the lack of information regarding their situation, indicates that
the regime's promise to pardon all those who surrendered themselves in May was
nothing but another in a long series of promises that the regime has not adhered
to.
With regards to the declaration of a parties' law, it is suffice to read only
the first condition of the terms of establishment to know the whole story, which
states that: "[new parties must] commit to the provisions of the constitution,
the principles of democracy, the rule of law, respect for freedoms and
fundamental rights, as well as international declarations on human rights and
conventions ratified by Syrian Arab Republic"! Is it not first and foremost
necessary that a new party commit to the Syrian authorities, before all these
other conditions, for they have the power and weapons, and the upper hand? How
can the regime tell this to its citizens, or the parties that are supposed to
launch, in a country where the constitution stipulates that the Baathists are
the ruling party, and following the deaths of 1,500 people, with thousands more
detained or displaced? How can the regime tell its citizens that they must
commit to democracy, the constitution, the rule of law, and respect human rights
and freedoms, whilst the Shabiha has a free reign to suppress and humiliate the
people? How sad and horrifying was the video showing the Shabiha abusing the
Imam of Abdul Qadir Gilani mosque in Homs?
The third news story was the statement issued from Iraqi Jihadists in support of
the Syrian revolution. This should be referred to as "the statement of Abu Adas
II" [in reference to the Lebanese citizen who appeared in a video allegedly
claiming responsibility for the assassination of Rafik Hariri, on behalf of an
obscure extremist organization]. The first [Abu Adas] statement came with a
Lebanese tint, to pervert the course of justice after the assassination of Rafik
Hariri, whilst the second statement comes with an Iraqi tint to mislead those
inside Syria. After terrorists infiltrating Iraq were used [by the Syrian
regime] in order to achieve foreign objectives, today they are being used for
internal objectives. Here we must remember that in October 2008 the Americans
carried out an operation in the Syrian region of Abu Kamal, which is besieged by
Syrian security forces today. At the time, the Americans were targeting what
they called terrorists, and arresting others, in a camp that was said to
facilitate the infiltration of terrorists to Iraq from Syria, under the eyes of
the Damascus regime. It was then revealed that the American operation took place
soon after the withdrawal of Syrian border guards from the region, which
explains what was considered at the time the launching of Syrian-American
security cooperation, to stop the flow of terrorists to Iraq from Syria!
Therefore, reading the three news stories in a linked context tells us that the
Syrian regime is doing all it can in terms of tricks to avoid the reforms which
it promised years ago, not today. This confirms that the Syrian regime's worst
enemy is itself, not terrorists, or Islamists, as the regime and its agents
claim. The reality is that the Damascus regime is far from reform. In fact, it
has continued with its tricks for a long time and does not even know the
language of reform.
Egypt: The revolutionaries and the remnants
26/07/2011
By Ali Ibrahim/AsharqAlawsat
Following the Egyptian 25 January revolution's success in overthrowing the head
of the former regime, we have seen the widespread use of the expression
"remnants of the former regime" in the analysis of who is behind many of the
incidents that have occurred to obstruct the revolution or incite chaos and
destruction [in Egypt]. There must also be a local equivalent to this expression
in Tunisia with regards to members of the former regime – if they are still
present on the scene – and there can be no doubt that a similar term will emerge
in Syria and Yemen if the two countries follows the same path [as Tunisia and
Egypt] and a "former regime" emerges there.
This is something that is natural and occurs following every revolution, and it
took place following the two most famous revolutions, namely the French
revolution and the Bolshevik revolution [in Russia], particularly as both sets
of revolutionaries practiced extreme violence against the "remnants" of their
former regimes, however we must also note that these revolutions took place in
the 18th century and the early twentieth century respectively. The same applies
to Egypt's 23 July 1952 revolution, which had its own expressions [for the
remnants of the former regime], such as "the extinct regime", and "the remnants
of the feudalistic state" and others.
However the current "remnants" of the former [Mubarak] regime are unlike the
former "remnants" [of the Egyptian monarchy], that had historic roots, their own
culture, and who accumulated their wealth over decades. As for the current
"remnants" they were ready to jump ship as soon as they were aware that the
regime would not make it, whilst they accumulated their wealth in just a few
short years, and their loyalty was primarily based on their own interests,
namely financial benefit. This was off-set by their fears of what would happen
[to them] following the collapse of the former regime, and their capacity to
change their [political] direction and follow any new regime.
Therefore, holding these remnants responsible for every problem that occurs in
the post-revolutionary era does not reflect the reality of what is taking place
on the ground, for these "remnants" lack the intelligence to organize all this.
In reality, everything that has happened is the result of the "moment of
confusion" that follows the collapse of any regime, and this is what we are
seeing today in Egypt. What we are witnessing is a clash between traditional
forces and mentalities that have become accustomed to a certain way of life and
a new [political] force that desires comprehensive [political] change.
When we talk about traditional forces, this does not necessarily mean political
and economic institutes or entities that prevailed under the former regime, but
also old opposition political parties. This includes the Muslim Brotherhood, the
primary organized political force on the ground which participated – albeit
during the latter days – in the revolution, as well as official opposition
political parties that were politically swept away during the previous era, like
the Al-Gama'a al-Islamiyya and the Salafists – if we expand the framework to
include ideological groups – who did not participate in the revolution and are
now trying to jump on the scene in any way they can.
The most prominent features of this state of confusion that can be seen in the
current phase in Egypt are the worrying scenes [of violence] that we have
recently seen in Cairo’s Abbasiya Square and the differences that have begun to
emerge between different revolutionary elements and movements. We have also seen
clashes between political movements in Tahrir Square and the Egyptian Supreme
Council of the Armed Forces that is governing the country until power is handed
over to a civilian government, in addition to the unanticipated scale of
accusations [against members of the former regime] since the 25 January
revolution.
All signs point to public opinion standing confused amidst such clashes, and
differences have emerged between the public and those calling for strikes,
particularly as the public want a measure of stability and a roadmap for the
future, although this has not reached the stage of the public renouncing its
support of the revolution. The Egyptian public was also not impressed by the
attempts of a certain political force to march on the Egyptian Ministry of
Defence, which may create friction and clashes between the revolutionary
partners, particularly as the army played a primary role in the protection and
success of the revolution. At the same time, the public was not impressed by the
accusations that was put forward by some military figures to the effect that
this political force had ties to foreign parties and agendas that were put
forward by some military figures against this political movement.
If we look at the other side of this worrying picture, we will see that there is
a silver lining, and that is that all the worried [political] forces at this
particularly time are learning politics following a long period of [political]
emptiness and inactivity [in Egypt] which led to the eruption of this leadership
revolution, and this is what opens the door to mistakes being made [in this
post-revolutionary period]. For with the exception of the Muslim Brotherhood and
Mohamed ElBaradei – who many believe served as an inspiration for the revolution
– almost all other parties are still learning politics, and this is why there is
a tug-of-war between all parties, and this is healthy so long as nobody cuts
this rope. Everybody should be allowed to participate in this [political]
tug-of-war, including even those “remnants” of the former regime that so desire.