LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
ِJUNE 17/2011

Bible Quotation for today
Peter's Second Letter 1/16-21: "For we did not follow cunningly devised fables, when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. 1:17 For he received from God the Father honor and glory, when the voice came to him from the Majestic Glory, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”* 1:18 We heard this voice come out of heaven when we were with him on the holy mountain. 1:19 We have the more sure word of prophecy; and you do well that you heed it, as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns, and the morning star arises in your hearts: 1:20 knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of private interpretation. 1:21 For no prophecy ever came by the will of man: but holy men of God spoke, being moved by the Holy Spirit. 2:1 But false prophets also arose among the people, as false teachers will also be among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, denying even the Master who bought them, bringing on themselves swift destruction"

Latest analysis, editorials, studies, reports, letters & Releases from miscellaneous sources 
With allies like these, Beirut will not be able to rule itself/By: Michael Young /June 16/11
Obama keeps Ford parked in Syria/ By: Tony Badran/June 16/11
Canada Leads Way in Condemning Syria at UN Human Rights Council/June 16/11
Zvi Bar'el / Turkey's fallout with Syria overshadows the Gaza flotilla/Haaretz/16 June/11
The threat of attack on Iran is needed to deter it/By Ari Shavit /June 16/11
March 14 may regret boycotting Mikati/By: Michael Young/June 16/11

Latest News Reports From Miscellaneous Sources for June 16/11
U.S. Warns Lebanese Cabinet from ‘Consequences’ if it Doesn’t Respect its Commitments/Naharnet
Israel Ready for Negotiations if Lebanon Recognizes its Existence/Naharnet
Israel warns Lebanon against violating 1701 June 16, 2011/Daily Star
US condemns “outrageous” use of violence in Syria/Now Lebanon
Secretary general of the alliance, Anders Fogh Rasmussen: NATO to help Arab revolts “blossom/Now Lebanon
Hezbollah busts Wahhab’s bodyguard for espionage/Now Lebanon
Wahhab denies 'Israeli spy' is personal bodyguard/Daily Star
Citing widespread abuses, UN human rights office urges probe into Syria/UN News Centre
Russia, China oppose outside interference in Arab unrest/Now Lebanon
Al-Zawahri named new al-Qaida chief, vows to continue jihad against Israel/Haaretz/AP
Suspected Israeli spy declared himself Muslim to get Egypt visa/Haaretz
'Assad forces make sweeping arrests in Syria's northwest'/J.Post
Civilians Flee Another Northern Syria Town, Fearing Vengeful Military Assault/New York Times
Syria's opposition takes dose of realism/Financial Times
Alleged Hezbollah operative was paid to suppress Syrian revolution/Telegraph
Jihadi Missile Crisis/FrontPage Magazine
Syrian Tactics Estrange Media Supporters In Lebanon/NPR
Nasrallah meets Jumblatt, Aridi/The Daily Star
UN Syria failure shows declining power of the West/BBC News
Shadow Government: Learning from Lebanon's cabinet/Foreign Policy
Pull aid to Lebanon, U.S. lawmaker says/UPI.com
Never Mind Political Risk, Who Can Afford a Syria Intervention?/TIME
Syria Faces Unusual Critic: Assad's First Cousin/NPR
Government made in Lebanon: Sleiman/The Daily Star
Hezbollah busts Wahhab's bodyguard for espionage/Now Lebanon
AFP Protests after Jordanian office trashed by gang/Now Lebanon
Geagea says new cabinet seeks “Lebanon’s isolation”/Now Lebanon
Mikati vows to make people’s needs his cabinet’s priority/Now Lebanon
Lebanon's Arabic press digest - June 16, 2011/Daily Star
President Sleiman insists Cabinet made in Lebanon/Daily Star
New Lebanese interior minister will follow govt on STL/Daily Star
Shadow Lebanese government/Daily Star
Two Dutch diplomats abducted in Lebanon, freed in Syria/Ya Libnan
Faisal Karami Snaps Back at Geagea: Killer Has no Right to Discuss Sunni Representation/Naharnet
Jumblat Meets Miqati, Denies Govt. 'One-sided, Imposed by Outside Forces'/Naharnet
Miqati at Grand Serail after 6 Years: Lebanon Committed to International/Naharnet
Miqati-Aoun Bicker over International Resolutions, False Witnesses/Naharnet

Israel warns Lebanon against violating 1701
June 16, 2011 /By Patrick Galey The Daily Star
BEIRUT: Israel warned Lebanon’s new Cabinet Wednesday to respect its international legal and border agreements, including the cessation of hostilities between the two one-time belligerents. A statement released by Israel’s Foreign Ministry also appeared to indicate that it was prepared to negotiate with Lebanon, should the latest government in Beirut recognize Israel’s right to exist.“Israel hopes that the new Lebanese government will contribute to reinforcing regional stability and respect for the law along its border,” the ministry said. “Israel expects the Lebanese government to apply U.N. Security Council resolutions, in particular Resolution 1701, and it calls for the resolution of all outstanding issues through negotiations and with mutual respect.”
Resolution 1701, drafted in the wake of the devastating 2006 war between Hezbollah and Israel – a conflict that killed more than 1,200 Lebanese and 160 Israelis – stipulates that the Blue Line be respected. Pre-existing U.N. resolutions demand the eradication of all non-state arms in Lebanon, an obligation Israel accuses Hezbollah of ignoring.
Israel routinely violates Lebanese airspace with near daily reconnaissance flights and mock air raids and has been accused by the Lebanese Army countless times of crossing the Blue Line into southern territory. The Blue Line is not the border between Lebanon and Israel. Rather, it is the U.N. delineated boundary of Israeli military withdrawal from south Lebanon.
U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon spokesperson Neeraj Singh said that both Lebanon and Israel had made a commitment to respect a cessation of hostilities, even before Resolution 1701.
“In 2000, when Israel withdrew from south Lebanon, both the parties agreed to respect the Blue Line,” he told The Daily Star. “UNIFIL’s mandate doesn’t touch upon a long-term solution [between Lebanon and Israel]. That’s something that has to be addressed through political means.”
Prime Minister Najib Mikati’s Cabinet, formed after nearly five months of negotiation, contains 18 ministers from Hezbollah’s March 8 bloc. Announcing the conclusion of the talks Monday, Mikati said the new government would work on “defending Lebanon’s sovereignty and its independence and liberating land that remains under the occupation of the Israeli enemy.”
The new Cabinet has been endorsed by Iran, Hezbollah’s prime regional backer, and Syrian President Bashar Assad. A senior U.S. lawmaker has threatened to withdraw financial assistance to Lebanon, and France, which still wields influence over a country it used to have a mandate on, has urged Beirut to adhere to its international obligations, including cooperation with the U.N.-backed court probing the killing of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesperson Yigal Palmor said his ministry’s statement did not constitute a call for immediate negotiations with Lebanon.“The way to solve everything, one day, is through negotiations,” Palmor told the German Press-Agency DPA.
“We call on the Lebanese government to adopt the negotiating approach. If they agree to negotiate, then yes, of course we would. If the other side agrees to recognize Israel and to negotiate with Israel and to solve problems through negotiations, then yes, we will negotiate with them,” Palmor said.

Israel Ready for Negotiations if Lebanon Recognizes its Existence
Naharnet /Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesperson Yigal Palmor said that if the new Lebanese cabinet recognizes the existence of the Israeli state then “negotiations will be launched immediately,” the al-Rai Kuwaiti newspaper reported on Thursday from the German Press Agency-DPA. He noted that the Israeli Foreign Ministry statement, issued on Wednesday, “doesn’t signify a call for immediate negotiations.” The newspaper said that Palmor called on the Lebanese government to adopt the negotiations approach. “If Lebanon recognizes Israel’s existence and decided to negotiate with it and solve disputes, then we will definitely negotiate with it,” the spokesman stressed. On Wednesday, the Israeli foreign ministry hoped that Lebanon's new government will respect international laws and borders and contribute to regional stability. "Israel expects the Lebanese government to apply United Nations Security Council resolutions, in particular resolution 1701, and it calls for settling all outstanding issues through negotiations and mutual respect," the statement added.

U.S. Warns Lebanese Cabinet from ‘Consequences’ if it Doesn’t Respect its Commitments
Naharnet /A high-ranking U.S. official said that Premier Najib Miqati’s cabinet is “disappointing” warning that it would face “consequences” if it does not abide by Lebanon’s international commitments. The official said in remarks published in several dailies on Thursday that the consequences “won’t be limited to U.S.-Lebanese ties but (would involve) Lebanon’s international relations particularly (issues) linked to the operation of the international tribunal.” The formation of the new government “came at a critical or inappropriate time,” he said, adding that Lebanon was consolidating its alliance with Syria at a time when the Assad regime is suppressing its people. The official also expressed disappointment at the ministers who were named to the defense, and foreign and internal affairs posts. Defense Minister Fayez Ghosn and Foreign Minister Adnan Mansour represent the Hizbullah-led March 8 forces in the cabinet. As for the interior minister, Marwan Charbel, he is part of the president’s share but was nominated after a deal struck between Michel Suleiman and Free Patriotic Movement leader Michel Aoun. “All aspects of our ties with Lebanon, including assistance, stand on our assessment of the government,” the U.S. official said. He reiterated the Obama administration’s stance that it would judge the new cabinet based on its makeup, policy statement and actions. The official added that the key to better ties with the U.S. is Lebanon’s respect for its international commitments, mainly Security Council resolution 1701 and the Special Tribunal for Lebanon.

Miqati at Grand Serail after 6 Years: Lebanon Committed to International
Naharnet/Prime Minister Najib Miqati, who on Thursday entered the Grand Serail for the first time in six years, reiterated that his cabinet will not confront the international community.
“Lebanon is not in a confrontation with the Western community nor the international community,” Miqati told pan-Arab radio station Sawa.
“Lebanon is a founding member of the U.N. and a member of the Security Council … Lebanon is part of this world and abides by international resolutions,” he said.
According to Miqati, Lebanon is facing economic and social challenges and ways to confront them. “Based on what we’ve heard from foreign western countries, they will judge the cabinet over its actions. They are not concerned with local issues,” he told Sawa. Asked about comments that the life of his cabinet was linked to Syrian President Bashar Assad’s tenure, Miqati said: “No one can say how long this cabinet would live. This is a Lebanese government that would stay (in power) if we were able to draft the policy statement and receive parliament’s vote of confidence.” “I only follow the Lebanese constitution and my allegiance is only to my nation and citizens in this nation which is strongly in need for the minimum (effort) to improve living conditions,” the billionaire businessman said. Miqati emerged as a leader in the wake of ex-PM Rafik Hariri's murder, when he headed a three-month interim technocrat government in 2005 during the worst political turmoil to grip Lebanon since the 1975-1990 civil war. The 55-year-old magnate first entered local politics in 1998 and was last elected to parliament in 2009 as an ally of ex-Prime Minister Saad Hariri.  Miqati, who hails from the Sunni bastion of Tripoli in north Lebanon, was first appointed minister of transport and public works in 1998.
His nomination by the Hizbullah-led alliance in January this year to form the cabinet sparked a resentment by Hariri who along with the March 14 forces accused him of turning against them and allying himself with the Shiite party. Born on November 24, 1955, Miqati is a graduate of the American University of Beirut's business school and also studied at the prestigious universities of INSEAD and Harvard. He is married with three children

Faisal Karami Snaps Back at Geagea: Killer Has no Right to Discuss Sunni Representation
Naharnet /Youth and Sports Minister Faisal Karami on Thursday slammed Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea, saying he is the “killer” of his uncle former Prime Minister Rashid Karami. Geagea said during a press conference Wednesday that Shiite politics is dominating Premier Najib Miqati’s cabinet, while the Sunni majority is not included in the government and half of the country’s Christians are not represented. Asked by reporters about the LF leader’s remark, Karami said: “We know whom we represent.”“But what does he represent,” Karami wondered. “The killer of a prime minister does not have the right to talk about this subject.” The minister made his remark after visiting former President Emile Lahoud. Karami also snapped back at the March 14 forces, saying “let them be patient until the policy statement is issued. They can judge on our deeds and not words.” The March 14 general-secretariat has accused Miqati’s cabinet of seeking to take Lebanon back to the era of Syrian hegemony and integrate the country’s institutions into Hizbullah’s statelet.

Jumblat Meets Miqati, Denies Govt. 'One-sided, Imposed by Outside Forces'
Naharnet /Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblat on Wednesday described the new government as a “broad national coalition,” stressing that “it was not imposed by outside forces as some have claimed” and that it is not “one-sided.” Following talks with Prime Minister Najib Miqati in Beirut’s Verdun district, Jumblat added: “The atmospheres are excellent despite the delay in forming the cabinet … Each of us has made sacrifices, each in his own way.” Jumblat also thanked Miqati for “his patience and efforts” and lauded Speaker Nabih Berri’s “central and essential role.”Asked whether he rejected to describe the new cabinet as “Syria’s government,” the Druze leader said: “The government is diverse and contains all democratic opinions, and others must accept power rotation.” “As to what happened with (Lebanese Democratic Party leader) Prince Talal Arslan, I say maybe it was a misunderstanding,” Jumblat added, describing Arslan’s verbal attack against Miqati as “inappropriate.”Shortly after the long-awaited line-up of Miqati’s cabinet was announced on Monday, Arslan resigned from his post as state minister, lashing out at the premier and describing him as a “liar.”“In line with my convictions, I announce before the Lebanese people my resignation from the government of the so-called Najib Miqati whom I am not honored to be seated next to,” said Arslan, who was hoping to get a key portfolio in the new cabinet. For his part, Miqati said he was “surprised by the remarks of Prince Talal, the heir of a major political dynasty.”

Miqati-Aoun Bicker over International Resolutions, False Witnesses
Naharnet /The differences between PM Najib Miqati and Free Patriotic Movement leader Michel Aoun during the process of the cabinet formation might be reflected on the policy statement, al-Liwaa daily reported Thursday. It said Miqati wants to include a statement that Lebanon remains committed to international resolutions, including 1701, in the ministerial statement but the FPM rejects a reference to any Security Council resolution. Aoun accused Miqati during the government formation process that he was delaying the lineup but the two sides eventually reached an agreement on the MP’s demands. Another dispute lately rose between the two sides over the Special Tribunal for Lebanon. The FPM wants to include in the ministerial statement a clause on false witnesses in ex-Premier Rafik Hariri’s assassination case while Miqati totally rejects such a move, al-Liwaa said. It quoted sources as saying that the issue of the tribunal is still a point of contention between the two sides

Al-Zawahri named new al-Qaida chief, vows to continue jihad against Israel
By Haaretz and The Associated Press
Al-Qaida has selected its longtime No. 2 to succeed Osama bin Laden following last month's U.S. commando raid that killed the terror leader, according to a statement posted Thursday on a web site affiliated with the network. Al-Qaida gave no details about the selection process for bin Laden's successor but said that it was the best tribute to the memory of its "martyrs."
The Islamic militant group issued a statement saying that Al- Zawahri plans to continue al-Qaida's fight against Israel and the United States, according to a report by Aljazeera on Thursday.
"We seek with the aid of God to call for the religion of truth and incite our nation to fight ... by carrying out jihad against the apostate invaders ... with their head being crusader America and its servant Israel, and whoever supports them," the statement said. Al-Zawahri, who will turn 60 next week, met bin Laden in the mid-1980s in Pakistan, where both were aiding guerrillas fighting the Soviets in Afghanistan. He is the son of an upper middle class Egyptian family of doctors and scholars. His father was a pharmacology professor at Cairo University's medical school and his grandfather was the grand imam of Al-Azhar University, a premier center of religious study. His current whereabouts are unknown. In a videotaped eulogy released earlier this month, al-Zawahri emphasized his commitment to continuing bin Laden's mission. "The Sheikh [bin Laden] has departed, may God have mercy on him, to his God as a martyr, and we must continue on his path of jihad to expel the invaders from the land of Muslims and to purify it from injustice," he said in the video. The Islamist leader warned that America faces not just individual terrorists or groups but an international community of Muslims that seek to destroy it and its allies. "Today, praise God, America is not facing an individual, a group or a faction," he said, wearing a white robe and turban with an assault rifle leaned on a wall behind him. "It is facing a nation than is in revolt, having risen from its lethargy to a renaissance of jihad."

'Suspected Israeli spy declared himself Muslim to get Egypt visa'
By Haaretz /Haaretz/Ilan Grapel, the Jewish American citizen detained in Egypt under suspicion of espionage for Israel, declared he was Muslim in order to get a visa, the Egyptian newspaper Al-Ahram reported Thursday.  According to the report, Egypt security forces claim that Grapel, who holds both American and Israeli passports, tried to collect information on the Fatah-Hamas reconciliation agreement signed in Cairo, and Grapel may face trial as early as next week. Ilan Grapel in Tahrir Square in a picture taken from his Facebook account.
The report states that Grapel identified himself as Muslim when he requested a visa for Egypt at the Egyptian consulate in Tel Aviv. The newspaper also claims that Grapel is a Mossad agent who tried to recruit Egyptians and spark a conflict between the Egyptian people and the army. The U.S. State Department issued a statement last Sunday reacting to Grapel's detention, saying that the U.S. Embassy in Cairo "is providing Ilan Grapel, an arrested U.S. citizen, with the same assistance it provides to all U.S. citizens arrested overseas." The statement said that consular officers have already visited him and the embassy will be in contact with local Egyptian authorities to ensure that he is "being treated fairly under local law". Grapel will be provided with information about the legal system, and will be allowed communication with family and friends in the U.S. Grapel met with an American consular officer in Cairo on Monday to check on him and put him in touch with family members in the United States. The Foreign Ministry said that Grapel entered Egypt using his American passport, and therefore Egyptian authorities initially contacted the American Embassy in Cairo and not the Israeli Embassy.

US condemns “outrageous” use of violence in Syria
June 16, 2011 /The United States on Thursday condemned Syria's "outrageous use of violence" in response to a popular uprising, saying it must come to an immediate end.
"The international community has been shocked by the horrific reports of torture and arbitrary arrests, and widespread use of violence against peaceful protesters," State Department spokesperson Victoria Nuland said after nearly 1,300 civilians have been reportedly killed in the regime's bloody crackdown. Her statement was issued a day after the United States joined 53 other countries at the UN Human Rights Council in piling pressure on Damascus to allow its investigators in to examine the situation in Syria. "The United States condemns in the strongest possible terms the use of force by the Syrian government against peaceful demonstrators. This outrageous use of violence to quell protests must come to an end now," said Nuland.
In a joint statement at the UN Human Rights Council, states supporting the move urged Syria to "immediately allow the mission of the High Commissioner unfettered access to investigate and establish the facts and circumstances surrounding all violations and abuses of international human rights law."
The council had ordered a probe into the bloodshed in Syria during its April 29 special session on the country.
Since then, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay has repeatedly sought access to Syria from President Basher al-Assad's regime, to no avail.
Nuland said the council's statement "further demonstrates the international community's resolve to highlight the ongoing campaign of violence by the Syrian government."
"The Syrian government must demonstrate that it is serious about addressing the Syrian people's desire for freedom and a transition to democracy," she said in urging the regime to uphold individual rights and allow people to protest peacefully.
"The United States strongly supports the universal rights of the Syrian people, including the rights of peaceful assembly, freedom of expression, and the ability to determine their own destiny."
Meanwhile, UN investigators are collecting information from outside Syria, with a team currently in southern Turkey where thousands of Syrians have sought refuge in the past week.
The joint council statement read by Canada pointed out that "credible observers provide daily reports of killings, arbitrary detention, and torture of men, women, and children."
"These reports must be independently verified," said the statement, which urged Damascus to "launch a credible and impartial investigation and bring those responsible for unlawful attacks against civilians to justice." The crackdown in Syria is continuing in the north of the country, with more civilian deaths reported.
The United States has accused Iran of backing Damascus's assault on pro-democracy protesters. According to a toll released by the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights on Tuesday, the violence has claimed the lives of 1,297 civilians and 340 security force members in Syria since the unrest erupted mid-March.-AFP/NOW Lebanon

Secretary general of the alliance, Anders Fogh Rasmussen: NATO to help Arab revolts “blossom
June 16, 2011 /NATO is ready to help the so-called Arab Spring revolts to "well and truly blossom", the secretary general of the alliance, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, said on Thursday.
"The changes we have seen in North Africa and the Middle East were unexpected," he said in a speech to Spain's Senate entitled "NATO and the Mediterranean: the changes ahead."
"But they are welcome. And they make me optimistic about the future," he said. "It is for the people of the region to shape the future of their nations. "However, the international community should stand ready to assist them in the transition to freedom and democracy. The United Nations should coordinate and lead that work. And if called upon, NATO can help." The former Danish prime minister outlined changes he believed were necessary in order to make NATO's help most effective. These included improving its capabilities, increasing practical support to the region and enhancing political dialogue with those countries. "I am confident that we can make those changes successfully. And by doing so, we can help the Arab Spring to well and truly blossom." "NATO member states form a unique community of values, committed to individual liberty, democracy, human rights and the rule of law. "We consider these to be universal principles that apply to all people of the world, including in North Africa and the Middle East. That’s why NATO Allies support the legitimate aspirations of people throughout the region."Spurred by democratic aspirations and hostility towards deeply entrenched governments, the Arab Spring uprisings over the past six months have toppled Tunisia's Zine El Abidine Ben Ali and then Egypt's Hosni Mubarak. But so far the leaders of Libya, Syria, Bahrain and Yemen have refused to step down, responding to popular unrest with brute force. NATO allies are conducting an 11-week aerial war against the Libyan regime. The NATO chief earlier held talks with Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero.-AFP/NOW Lebanon

Russia, China oppose outside interference in Arab unrest
Russia and China oppose outside interference in the unrest in the Arab world, the two presidents said Thursday in a declaration, as the West seeks their support in increasing pressure on Syria."The sides believe that the search for settling the situation in the countries of Middle East and North Africa should take place in the legal field and through political means," said the declaration signed by Presidents Dmitry Medvedev and Hu Jintao. "Outside forces should not interfere in internal processes in the countries of the region."The two presidents also expressed concern over the situation in Libya, calling for an end to hostilities. Russia has said it opposes the UN Security Council adopting any resolution on Syria, risking a major dispute with the West over the response to the crackdown on Syrian protestors.-AFP/NOW Lebanon

Geagea says new cabinet seeks “Lebanon’s isolation”
June 16, 2011 /Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea said on Wednesday that the new cabinet headed by Prime Minister Najib Mikati “seeks to isolate Lebanon from its Arab surrounding and from the international community.”“Where is this cabinet heading to? What can it achieve if it was rejected by more than half of the Lebanese people the minute it was formed?” Geagea asked, according to a statement issued by his office. The LF leader added that the cabinet formation “was met with a full Arab silence, except for the welcoming of Iran and Syria.”
The new cabinet was formed on Monday after almost five months of deliberations between the March 8 parties.NOW Lebanon

Hezbollah busts Wahhab’s bodyguard for espionage
June 16, 2011 /The Military Court charged on Wednesday the personal bodyguard of Arab Tawhid Party leader Wiam Wahhab with espionage, after Hezbollah suspected his involvement with Israel. Pro-Hezbollah Al-Akhbar newspaper reported on Thursday that Wahhab’s head of security – identified as Jalal A.D. – was suspected by Hezbollah to have dealt with Israeli intelligence. Hezbollah took the suspect to Beirut’s Southern Dahiyeh suburb –which is the party’s stronghold –for investigation following information it had acquired that he was collaborating with the Jewish state, the daily said. “The suspect confessed that he had been collaborating with Israel since 1994. He said that he visited the occupied Palestinian territories more than once, and was trained by [Israeli] operatives there,” the daily added. The man also admitted to providing Israeli intelligence with information regarding offices and locations of Lebanese army troops and Hezbollah members, the paper also said. Al-Akhbar added that the suspect might have been involved in the 2006 killing of high-ranking Islamic Jihad Movement official Mahmoud and Nidal al-Majzoub in a car bomb in South Lebanon’s Saida city. “His house in his hometown of Jahiliyya was thoroughly searched, after which several communication devices supplied by Israeli intelligence were recovered,” the daily said. It also said that “Hezbollah coordinated with Wahhab” – a fierce supporter of the Shia group and Syria – in the investigation of his bodyguard. Several suspects were arrested over the past year in a probe into an alleged network of Israeli spies employed in Lebanon.-NOW Lebanon

Wahhab denies 'Israeli spy' is personal bodyguard
June 16, 2011 /The Daily Star BEIRUT: Head of the Arab Tawheed Party Wiam Wahhab denied Thursday that a man charged with spying for Israel was his personal bodyguard.
Describing him as Wahhab’s “head of security and personal bodyguard,” a security source told The Daily Star Thursday that Military Prosecutor Saqr Saqr on Wednesday charged Jalal Abou Thiab with spying for Israel’s Mossad secret service. The sources said Saqr referred Jalal, who hails from Jahliyeh in the Chouf, to military investigative Judge Riad Abu Ghida. Jalal could face the death sentence if found guilty on the espionage charges.Wahhab is also from Jahliyeh. “He [Jalal] comes from an environment close to Wahhab and had used this [position] as cover-up for his spying,” said a statement issued Thursday by Wahhab’s media office. The statement said the Arab Tawheed Party had coordinated with Hezbollah which led to Jalal’s arrest and the confiscation of equipment from his apartment. he security source said Jalal, who had been interrogated by Hezbollah, was handed over to the Lebanese Army intelligence about 10 days ago

Mikati vows to make people’s needs his cabinet’s priority
June 16, 2011 /Prime Minister Najib Mikati vowed on Thursday that the priority of his newly-formed cabinet would be to tackle people’s needs. “We are one team in the service of all the Lebanese, we will work with this spirit as there will be no bullying or revenge [from rival parties],” Mikati was quoted by the National News Agency as saying. “The slogan of our cabinet is ‘All for the country, all for work,’ and we will work on implementing it through action,” Mikati added. He also said that the government must fulfill its responsibilities “so that the Lebanese people would feel that they [have] a state.” Mikati’s statement came before he chaired a meeting of the commission tasked with drafting his cabinet’s Ministerial Statement. The meeting was held at the Grand Serail in Beirut and included ministers Nicolas Nahhas, Ali Hassan Khalil, Nazem Khoury, Wael Abu Faour, Mohammad Safadi, Ali Qanso, Shakib Qortbawi, Mohammad Fneish, as well as Deputy PM Suheil Bouji. The NNA said that an agreement was reached to add ministers Gebran Bassil and Walid ad-Daouq to the commission.
-NOW Lebanon

AFP Protests after Jordanian office trashed by gang
June 16, 2011 /The global news agency AFP protested to the Jordanian government about a climate of intimidation against its staff on Thursday after a gang broke into its Amman office and destroyed equipment. Separately, the French Foreign Ministry expressed is concern over the incident, and warned states of their duty to protect press freedom.
Emmanuel Hoog, chairman and chief executive of the Paris-based agency, wrote to Jordan's Prime Minister Maaruf Bakhit to complain about Wednesday's attack, which followed criticism of AFP in Jordanian state media. On Monday, AFP was among several international media outlets to report that part of King Abdullah II's motorcade had been pelted with stones and bottles by a group of protesters during a visit to the town of Tafileh. Jordanian officials denied the report, and AFP and its bureau chief, Randa Habib, were criticized by state media and by a 300-strong crowd that massed in front of the office on Tuesday in the normally tightly-policed capital. On Wednesday, shortly after Habib had received a threatening telephone call, 10 men armed with sticks stormed the office. An AFP journalist escaped through a side door while the gang smashed computers and destroyed files. "Such behaviour is totally incomprehensible in a country that claims to follow the rule of law. These acts of physical and verbal violence have a serious impact on the work of journalists and therefore impact on the freedom of expression and information," Hoog wrote. Hoog criticized accusations of "subversive intrigue" leveled at AFP "on the grounds that it reported, as its duty to inform obliges it to do, events that were considered negative for the image of the country and its leaders."He also addressed the "verbal threats" made to Habib.
A spokesman for the French Foreign Ministry, Bernard Valero, said Paris is "concerned by the violent aggression" aimed at AFP in Jordan, and took note of the Jordanian government's vow to investigate the attack.On Monday, AFP quoted a security official as saying that "part of King Abdullah's motorcade was attacked with stones and empty bottles by a group of men in their 20s and 30s after the king's car entered Tafileh." Other international media organizations carried similar reports of Monday's incident. They were vigorously denied by the palace, government officials and lawmakers from the city. Since January, Jordan's government has faced a protest movement demanding political and economic reforms and an end to corruption.
-AFP/NOW Lebanon

Obama keeps Ford parked in Syria
Tony Badran, June 16, 2011
Now Lebanon/This past week, the Obama administration was once again questioned over the status of the US ambassador to Damascus, Robert Ford, as the reasoning behind keeping him there has become less tenable than ever. The Obama administration’s ever-shifting rationale, dubious to begin with, is now all but indefensible. In fact, by refusing to recall the ambassador, President Obama only continues to bestow legitimacy on the regime of Bashar al-Assad.
In late March, shortly after the uprising against Assad began, anonymous administration officials told the New York Times that Ford “has been quietly reaching out to Mr. Assad to urge him to stop firing on his people.”
Ford’s task was not only an obvious failure, but even the description of it struck a dissonant note. The administration had been insisting that it needed an ambassador to send “tough messages” to Assad. “Quietly reaching out” in order to “urge” Assad gave the impression of feeble reticence rather than forceful outrage.
That the message that Ford was delivering was hardly “tough” was evident in an interview he gave to Al-Arabiya in early May. Nothing in the substance of what Ford said could be characterized as “tough.” In fact, it was the embassy’s staff that was on the receiving end of the Syrian regime’s brand of “tough messages.” In late April, the Wall Street Journal reported that an “American diplomat based in Damascus” was “hooded by Syrian security agents and ‘roughed up’ before being released.” The State Department reacted by “formally protesting” the incident to the Syrian ambassador to Washington.
But that aside, there are questions as to when was the last time that Ford actually met with high-ranking Syrian officials, let alone Assad (whom he reportedly only met once). In late April, Jacob Sullivan, head of Policy Planning at the State Department, told reporters that Ford had met with “senior Syrian officials” whose actual rank he could not specify, and it was unclear whether that was before one of the major assaults on the city of Daraa or afterward.
Since then, Ford’s meetings seem to have been rather limited. The State Department’s spokesman, Mark Toner, has repeatedly told the press that Ford’s requests for meetings continue to be denied. In fact, a senior US official told the Washington correspondent for the Lebanese daily An-Nahar, Hisham Melhem, that the ambassador has not met with the Syrian Foreign Minister or his deputy “for some time,” and whatever meetings he’s had have been with “intermediaries.” As such, it’s difficult to make sense of Toner’s claim on Tuesday that having Ford in Damascus “sends a clear message” that the US is “going to continue to press the Assad regime to end its human rights abuses.”
That Ford hasn’t even been allowed to meet with Syrian officials has not been the only problem. The State Department also concedes that the ambassador’s movement is equally restricted, apparently confined to Damascus. This constraint calls into question the administration’s alternate argument that Ford’s continued presence is necessary in order to relay an accurate picture of what’s going on in Syria, given that international media is barred from entering the country. In addition, Ford and other officials have expressed reservations about relying solely on the videos streaming out of Syria by activists and dissidents.
However, at the time the Syrians “roughed up” the embassy’s diplomat, the State Department itself noted that such measures “have made it difficult for embassy personnel to adequately assess the current risks or the potential for continuing violence.” With all these constraints, one has to wonder what picture, exactly, the ambassador is relaying back to Washington.
Leaving aside why such a task requires an ambassador to begin with, there are more troubling questions surrounding Ford’s continued presence in Syria. Sources close to the Syrian opposition are claiming that the US ambassador has asked some dissidents (who, incidentally, are not even central players in the protest movement) what their conditions would be to lower the ceiling of demands to accept “reforms” rather than Assad’s toppling. The administration’s argument for keeping an ambassador was always problematic, but if this story is true, then all of its claims about Ford's role are exposed as utterly hollow. This posture – the logical outcome of President Obama’s call on Assad to “lead the transition” – only legitimates the murderous Assad regime at a time when the US should be publicly declaring it illegitimate. President Obama already lent American prestige to Assad when he decided to recess appoint Ambassador Ford. Awarding normal diplomatic relations with a superpower to a rogue regime is a legitimating act on its own. If the Obama administration is serious about ratcheting up the pressure against Assad, it should first state publicly that it is done dealing with the Syrian dictator, then follow that with a declaration that it is withdrawing the US ambassador from Damascus.
*Tony Badran is a research fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. He tweets @AcrossTheBay.

Turkey's fallout with Syria overshadows the Gaza flotilla
By Zvi Bar'el/Haaretz
The final decision on launching the Gaza flotilla may not have been made. The difficulties are clear - they reflect the complex fallout for Turkey from the situation in Syria. Turkey has almost completely changed its position on Syria in light of the regime's killings, torture and brutal repression of demonstrations. It used to be that President Bashar Assad was a "dear friend" in the words of Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. However, the Turkish prime minister has now changed his rhetoric in what may be a calculated and determined move. Erdogan now describes Syrian policies as barbaric - and has even declared that Turkey cannot come to Syria's aid in the U.N. Security Council if it continues with its repression, which is sending thousands of refugees into Turkey. Now, Syria has replaced Gaza - not just as a threat to Turkish foreign policy, but, more importantly, as a threat to Turkey itself.
Demonstrations against Syrian repression are held every day. Only days ago the Turkish public gave Erdogan and his party a sweeping reelection victory. And the Turks are wondering what their government will do in the face of what the Syrians are suffering. Thousands of Syrians have fled to Turkey, and there are fears that many thousands more will turn to Turkey as a refuge. It's the last thing the country needs. The government wants to go forward with its own internal policies, and not have to deal with Syria's problems. Turkey also needs to take into account another possibility: The Syrian regime might attack rebel Kurdish areas and send a stream of Kurdish refugees fleeing into Turkey.
Erdogan, who suffered an electoral blow at the hands of Turkish Kurds, cannot prevent Kurds in Syria from entering Turkey if they decide to flee after he granted asylum to other Syrian citizens. In this situation Turkey is being forced to take a consistent stand on Syria, to continue applying pressure on Assad and to join the U.S. and European stance - and not that of Russia and China - to force Assad to end the repression and enact reforms. Turkey, like the U.S. and the Europeans, no longer believes there is a possibility of reaching a compromise solution with the Syrian regime. Ankara justifiably fears the new Gaza flotilla is likely to distract public opinion in Turkey and the rest of the world from the Syrian question. But the flotilla has become a marginal issue in light of the main problem of enlisting support against the Syrian government. The Americans are applying pressure on the Turks to stop the flotilla, but such pressure existed before the revolt in Syria began. Meanwhile, Turkey stands fast in its demands for an Israeli apology and compensation for what happened to the Mavi Mamara.

The threat of attack on Iran is needed to deter it
By Ari Shavit /Haaretz
First fact: Neither the West nor Israel can accept a nuclear Iran. A nuclear Iran would make the Middle East nuclear, threaten Western sources of energy, paralyze Israel with fear, cause Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Egypt to go nuclear and the world order to collapse. A nuclear Iran would make our lives hell.
Second fact: Neither the West nor Israel has to act militarily at present against Iranian nuclearization. A military attack against Iran would incite a disastrous regional war, which would cost the lives of thousands of Israelis. A military attack against Iran would turn it into a great vengeful power that would sanctify eternal war against the Jewish State. A military attack against Iran would cause a world financial crisis and isolate Israel from the family of nations.
Third fact: Out of a profound understanding of these two basic facts, the West and Israel have developed a joint strategy that can best be described as the third way. The third way has two dimensions: (covert ) activities and economic sanctions. Surprising even to those who have formulated this strategy, the third way is achieving results. It is not eliminating the Iranian threat, but it is postponing and weakening it. Britain, France and Israel, working in close alliance, are spearheading the effort. The United States is also doing its part. Germany and Italy are trailing behind. But the bottom line is that Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is under pressure. The still waters of the West and Israel run deep.
Fourth fact: A key element of the third way is the threat of a military attack against Iran. This threat is crucial for scaring the Iranians and for goading on the Americans and the Europeans. It is also crucial for spurring on the Chinese and the Russians. Israel must not behave like an insane country. Rather, it must create the fear that if it is pushed into a corner it will behave insanely. To ensure that Israel is not forced to bomb Iran, it must maintain the impression that it is about to bomb Iran.
Fifth fact: In order to conduct a sophisticated strategy vis-a-vis Iran, there must be total trust between the political and security leadership in Israel. That trust does not exist. Therefore, when the leaders of this country initiate certain moves, they create panic among their subordinates. Sometimes it seems to the subordinates that the leaders have gone crazy. What is meant to frighten the Iranians, Americans and Europeans frightens Israelis as well. Instead of the Israeli establishment conducting the policy of ambiguity in a disciplined manner, it becomes giddy. Everyone suspects everyone else, and the necessary cloud of ambiguity evaporates.
Sixth fact: Neither former Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi, nor former Mossad chief Meir Dagan, nor former Shin Bet head Yuval Diskin led the drive to restrain Israeli foolhardiness over the past two years. It was led by Strategic Affairs Minister Moshe (Bogie ) Ya'alon. Ya'alon is calm now. If Ya'alon is calm, Israeli citizens can be calm. There is no immediate danger at the moment that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will behave like Samson in Iran. The fact is that the prime minister - as of now - is behaving seriously and wisely toward the Iranians. If only he would behave the same way toward the Palestinians and the Israelis. Seventh fact: The success is partial, relative and temporary. True, Iran did not arrive in 2011 at the place where it had planned to be, but in 2011 Iran is in a place where it wasn't supposed to be. Therefore the dilemma is still with us. Therefore the discussion of the dilemma must be conducted clear minds and good judgment. Whichever way it goes, the final decision about Iranian nuclearization will be the most important decision of our generation. Eight fact: What is really disturbing about Iran is not what is hidden from the eye, but what is exposed. It is not clear why the West has so far failed to impose draconian sanctions on Iran that would lead to the fall of the regime. It is not clear why Israel is not preparing all its systems for a moment of truth that even if delayed, will certainly arrive. The real fault of the American, European and Israeli leadership is not related do what it is doing in secret. The real fault is related to what it is failing to do in the open political and diplomatic spaces.

Sleiman insists Cabinet made in Lebanon
June 16, 2011/By Wassim Mroueh The Daily Star
BEIRUT: President Michel Sleiman said Wednesday Prime Minister Najib Mikati’s Cabinet was “100 percent Lebanese,” indirectly rejecting March 14 claims that the government had been formed under Syrian pressure. For his part, Mikati said the Cabinet would work for all Lebanon and would not engage in vengeful acts. The two leaders made their remarks during the Cabinet’s first session, which was chaired by Sleiman at Baabda Palace and attended by all ministers except for Talal Arslan. Arslan, who was appointed minister of state, quit from Mikati’s 30-member Cabinet shortly after it was formed Monday, in protest against being assigned a ministry without a portfolio. Information Minister Walid Daouk told reporters after the meeting that Sleiman said Cabinet had been formed without foreign interference. “The Cabinet was born 100 percent Lebanese without any foreign interference and its agenda is 100 percent Lebanese.” Politicians were accustomed to turning to Syria “in the first 20 years following the Taif Accord, but Syria did not interfere this time and this is what we need. We proved we are able to resolve our matters by ourselves,” Sleiman said The president highlighted the need for solidarity among ministers.
“The Constitution stipulates that the Cabinet reach its decisions by consensus, and it resorts to voting only when it [consensus] cannot be reached,” said Sleiman. “This means that voting is the exception … but also a constitutional and democratic act.”
Sleiman said the Cabinet’s policy statement should be based on national principles, the Constitution and the Taif agreement, which ended Lebanon’s 1975-90 Civil War.
The president also said that the Cabinet would be productive, given the qualification of ministers.
Meanwhile, Mikati was quoted by Daouk as saying that “the Cabinet will work for all Lebanon and Lebanese and will not differentiate between pro-government and opposition groups.”
“We will play this role without revengeful acts and under law,” Mikati added.
The prime minister said that Lebanon was the winner in this Cabinet, given the sacrifices that were made to facilitate its birth. “Especially Speaker [Nabih] Berri’s initiative … this unprecedented move emphasizes unity among Sunnis and Shiites and indicates that strife cannot break out between these two sects.”
Berri helped break the deadlock over the representation of the former Sunni opposition by ceding a Shiite seat to Faisal Karami at the last minute. Karami, son of ex-Prime Minister Omar Karami, was granted the Youth and Sports portfolio.
Mikati also touched on the economic and social challenges awaiting the Cabinet, stressing that facing these problems would require cooperation under the principle of separation of powers. “The real challenge is to prove our ability to protect our country and distance it from troubles,” Mikati said, highlighting the “keenness of the Cabinet on maintaining Lebanon’s firm friendly ties with sister Arab states and especially those that stood by our side during difficult circumstances, and most importantly during the confrontation with the Israeli enemy in the south.”
Prior to the Cabinet session, a meeting was held between Berri and Sleiman, who were later joined by Mikati. The three officials posed with 28 ministers for a commemorative photograph at the palace.
The Cabinet established a ministerial committee to draft the Cabinet’s policy statement. The committee is headed by Mikati and includes Labor Minister Charbel Nahhas, Health Minister Ali Hassan Khalil, Environment Minister Nazim Khoury, Social Affairs Minister Wael Abu Faour, State Minister Ali Qanso, Finance Minister Mohammad Safadi, Minister of State for Administrative Affairs Mohammad Fneish, Justice Minister Shakib Qortbawi and Economy Minister Nicholas Nahhas.
The committee, which will formulate the government’s position on thorny issues like Hezbollah’s arms and the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, is set to hold its first meeting Thursday at the Grand Serail.
Sources close to Sleiman expected that a draft policy statement would be finalized “within a maximum of one week,” adding that it would stipulate that Lebanon’s army, people and resistance have the right to liberate Lebanese territories occupied by Israel and uphold Lebanon’s commitments to U.N. Resolutions, especially1701, which ended Israel’s 2006 war against Lebanon, and to the country’s protocol of cooperation with the STL. Meanwhile, March 14 officials continued their attacks on Mikati’s Cabinet.
Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea said the new government placed Lebanon in confrontation with the international and Arab communities, tying the country’s fate to that of the Syrian regime, which is at the opposite end of the democratic movement in the region. “The full association of this government to the Syrian regime represents the worst strategic choice for Lebanon at the current time,” Geagea told reporters at his residence in Maarab. The March 14 Secretariat General said in a statement that Damascus was behind the formation of the new government, in a bid to take Lebanon hostage. The secretariat said it would stand firm to prevent Hezbollah from turning military, security, social and economic state institutions into establishments affiliated with the party, turning Lebanon into an “Iranian base in the Arab world.” Separately, Mikati received at his Verdun residence Progressive Socialist leader Walid Jumblatt accompanied by the three PSP ministers. Following the meeting, Jumblatt told reporters that the atmosphere was “excellent.”“We thank Prime Minister Mikati for his patience and efforts. I praise the central and major role of Speaker Nabih Berri … taking into consideration President Sleiman’s [blessings],” Jumblatt said. He said that the Cabinet was neither one-sided nor imposed by others. “It is a diverse Cabinet which embraces all democratic opinions. Others have to accept the rotation of power,” he said. The PSP leader said a “misunderstanding” might have taken place regarding Arslan, saying however that the latter had made “inappropriate” remarks against Mikati which did not suit the Druze sect, of which both Jumblatt and Arslan are members. “We hope that a suitable formula will be reached,” he added. Efforts are being made to appoint an ally of Arslan in the post.
Earlier Wednesday, a statement by Hezbollah said Jumblatt held talks with the party’s Secretary General Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah.

New interior minister will follow govt on STL
June 16, 2011 /By Hassan Lakiss/The Daily Star
BEIRUT: Lebanon’s newly appointed interior minister, retired Brig. Gen. Marwan Charbel, said Wednesday that the Cabinet would make the necessary decisions in the matter of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon and his ministry would execute them.
During an interview with The Daily Star, Charbel also emphasized his independence in making appointments in the ministry.
Charbel, the father of three, was speaking at his house in Hazmieh, which was bustling with guests who had traveled from around the country to congratulate him on his appointment.
Charbel sees Lebanon as a pluralistic country with many parties and factors that need to be taken into consideration when a minister or official decides to organize his ministry or department.
“We are working on improving it [the security situation] to revive the people’s trust in institutions by … filling the vacant positions and appointing the right man in the right place,” Charbel said, adding that he didn’t have any specific names yet.
“We will look at these issues at the stage of filling positions and appointing people in administrative positions,” Charbel said. “I will not accept that any person be imposed on me and I will ask everyone to give me several names and I will choose the right person in the right place.” Charbel was proposed in May as a consensus candidate for the long-disputed Interior Ministry post. After his name was proposed, he said that his time as an adviser to former Interior Minister Ziyad Baroud had given him valuable experience in the work of the Interior Ministry. The dispute over the Interior Ministry portfolio has been reported to be the main cause behind the five-month delay in the formation of the new Cabinet. The ministry became an object of political desire largely due to the growing power of the Internal Security Forces and the fact that it will be tasked with drafting the electoral law for the parliamentary elections in 2013.
Speaking on the security situation in the country, Charbel said that the country did not have “private security zones as some have claimed,” indicating that any person can move freely in Beirut’s southern suburb at any time and in any area without any obstruction or objection from anyone.
“In all seriousness, there is surveillance for the resistance’s leadership which takes certain procedures without affecting the movement of any Lebanese citizen, thus you cannot describe these things as private security zones,” Charbel said. Charbel also said that he had an excellent relationship with Army Commander Gen. Jean Kahwagi as well as the army intelligence, and that he has been a friend of Defense Minister Fayez Ghosn for 15 years, when asked if he would cooperate with them during his service as interior minister.
Would he allow security forces officers to give media statements without consulting him? “Security forces officers take their statements to the Director General of the ISF, and the director seeks permission from the interior minister. These are the rules and they will be applied as such,” Charbel said.

March 14 may regret boycotting Mikati
June 16, 2011
By Michael Young/ The Daily Star
There is no doubt that President Bashar Assad’s regime played an essential role in accelerating the formation of the Lebanese government.
Only a Syrian nod could have compelled President Michel Sleiman to approve a Cabinet lineup that will thoroughly marginalize him, and could have made Speaker Nabih Berri surrender a Shiite seat to the Sunni community. Despite this, we have to wonder whether March 14 did well not to participate in the new team. From the moment that Saad Hariri’s government was brought down last January, the March 14 parties took an uncompromising position on Najib Mikati, the prime minister designate. Hariri, justifiably, felt betrayed by Mikati and there was much talk of a “coup.” Syria, Hezbollah and their allies did stage a coup, but a constitutional coup within the confines of state institutions. Mikati, whether by persuasion or compulsion, won over a majority of parliamentarians, which should have been a lesson to March 14: If institutions could be used against the coalition, March 14 could use institutions in its own favor. When you denounce a coup, your duty is to obstruct it.
Instead, the order came down that March 14 was to stand aside and isolate Mikati. There were exceptions. The former prime minister, Fouad Siniora, kept a low-key line open. The former president, Amin Gemayel, tried to find common ground with the prime minister designate.
However, to distance himself from the endeavor, Hariri flew to France. March 14 made unrealistic demands on Mikati, asking him to clarify in writing his position on Hezbollah’s arms and on the Special Tribunal for Lebanon. When he refused, this was portrayed as a lack of seriousness about integrating March 14 into the government.
Was that true? Had March 14 declared from the outset that it would participate in the government on condition that it be granted veto power, things might have been different. The veto provision had earlier been respected for March 8 and the Aounists, and March 14’s share in Parliament justified it.
Mikati would have resisted at first, but as his efforts to put together a government floundered, he might have reassessed in order to expand his margin of maneuver, accepting the conditions set by March 14. But had he persisted in his refusal, that would only have weakened him further, confirming that he was beholden to Hezbollah and Syria, damaging him among Sunnis.
Assume that March 14 did the right thing at the time. Did it do the right thing in not reconsidering its attitude once the situation in Syria began unraveling? Suddenly, the issue was no longer whether Najib Mikati would gain legitimacy if March 14 took part in his government.
It was no longer whether Hezbollah had staged a coup, since the signs, after weeks of deadlock over the Cabinet, were that the momentum of such a coup had been slowed by uncertainty in Syria. The issue was whether March 14 would be in the government or out at a critical juncture in Lebanon’s history, with the Assad regime facing an existential challenge. March 14 did not even debate the question.
So where are we today? Instead of adapting to developments in the region, March 14 is still locked into a very parochial reading of the political situation. It has criticized the government for being a Syrian creation, bolstered by Hezbollah.
Undeniably it is. No less true is that Damascus, through this government, intends to enlist Lebanon in the Syrian confrontation with the international community. The country is in for a bumpy ride in the months ahead, which will impact on the economy and on financial confidence in negative ways.
March 14 may welcome such circumstances for discrediting the Mikati government. However, this is short-sighted. The state, whose promotion March 14 has claimed as its principal concern, benefits not at all when the welfare of the Lebanese becomes a weapon in domestic disputes.
Nor is it obvious what national project March 14 offers in contrast to that of the current majority. During the months of stalemate the March 14 leadership did little to exploit the political bankruptcy on the other side, whereby alleged reformers haggled like fishwives over their share of ministers and lucrative portfolios.
The conventional wisdom is that the Mikati government is not long for this world; March 14 spokespersons have linked its longevity to that of the Assads in Syria. That may be true, but the Assads could linger for some time.
The view displays great passivity on the part of the former majority, giving a wide berth to Hezbollah and the Aounists to dismantle what March 14 spent years patiently building up. Remarkably, at the very moment when Syria’s allies and sympathizers appear most vulnerable, March 14 has managed to hand the reins of government over to them.
As the Lebanese look ahead, what they see is worrisome. On the one side a government bound to increase Lebanon’s misery, with a core of revanchist Aounists and an armed organization whose overriding preoccupation is to turn the country into a sandbag to protect its weapons and preserve its autonomy.
And on the other side, a coalition without a persuasive vision for a sovereign Lebanese state, whose paramount figure has been absent for weeks (reportedly because of death threats), which is presently wagering on the failure of the new government, regardless of how the Lebanese might suffer from this.
In this context, a government of national unity, no matter how mediocre, would have been better in carrying Lebanon through this period of transformation in Syria, and in managing the aftermath. We missed that opportunity and now we have a government that is infinitely worse, one that may not vanish as soon as we think.
*Michael Young is opinion editor of THE DAILY STAR and author of “The Ghosts of Martyrs Square: An Eyewitness Account of Lebanon’s Life Struggle” (Simon & Schuster), listed as one of the 10 notable books of 2010 by The Wall Street Journal.

Shadow government
June 16, 2011 /The Daily Star
At long last, Lebanon’s Cabinet has been formed after months of arduous negotiations.
A new team is now set to assume responsibility for the executive branch of government, and irrespective of the circumstances under which this took place, a new phase has begun.
The next step involves the government’s drafting of its policy statement, and assuming that this is completed and the new Cabinet manages to win a vote of confidence, a new dynamic will appear. For the first time, the public will observe a majority and minority, or government and opposition. The “new opposition” of March 14 groups must take a page from counterparts elsewhere around the world, in functioning democracies, and perform as a cohesive and focused opposition. This type of shadow government is essential for a healthy democratic system, and it should not serve as a platform for launching empty rhetoric. The people must be given a chance to judge the new government’s performance based on its actual, stated policies.
A shadow government must closely monitor the drafting of the policy statement, and evaluate its final form. The opposition must keep pace with the government’s work and judge whether the promises are being kept. If there are loopholes or other problems in the policy statement, a shadow government must point this out, publicly, to enhance the people’s ability to make judgments about the Cabinet’s performance.
Meanwhile, the opposition cannot merely say no; it must create its own agenda and blueprint for managing the country’s affairs, should it return to the executive branch.
If this process – a majority that governs and an opposition that monitors – takes shape, it can only serve the country’s interest.
It is no secret that Lebanon is in dire need of accountability and transparency when it comes to the country’s political system. If a Cabinet can act transparently, it will allow the opposition to use the tools of accountability.
The point of the entire exercise is to allow the public to decide on which team can do a better job at managing its affairs, for everything from garbage collection to foreign policy. In the past, politicians have debated policy issues in the media, but since they were forced to share power, with no one taking ultimate responsibility, the efforts were wasted.
Today, with a clearly defined government and opposition, these debates will take on more importance, assuming that both sides behave seriously when they defend policies, or criticize them.
A round of parliamentary elections awaits in 2013, which might seem like a long way off. However, as people have seen in the Cabinet formation struggle, the eyes of some politicians are clearly focused on the next round of elections. In 2013, many people will vote based on the performance that they see unfolding today, and politicians have an opportunity to begin the process of winning votes, beginning now.

Lonely Hezbollah
The Daily Star
At a time when Hezbollah is as powerful in Lebanon’s political system as it has ever been, their own long-term security interest should drive them to reach out to their domestic rivals and rebuild their bonds. When ministers pose Wednesday at the Presidential Palace for the new Cabinet’s official photo, it will have brought full circle the move that began Jan. 12 when Hezbollah toppled former Prime Minister Saad Hariri’s unity government. Forcing Hariri out of power and replacing his administration with a government in which ministers aligned with the Shiite movement hold a clear majority completes the consolidation of a new political order.
Hezbollah, the most powerful group in Lebanon, embarked on the above plan after failing to agree with Hariri on a deal to avert the potentially devastating repercussions of any indictment that charged some of its members in the assassination of five-time former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. The group must have judged at the time that the risks to its existence from the indictment largely outweighed those of angering a large portion of the population and escalating sectarian tensions. Hezbollah appeared to have enough confidence in the positions of its main regional allies, Syria and Iran, to also risk the wrath of Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkey by walking away from the now-defunct Doha accord.
That, however, was then; now Hezbollah, the meticulous group which through careful planning, great discipline and a high level of readiness has stood up to Israel for decades, must realize that the regional situation has changed significantly with the winds of the Arab Spring swirling all around. If what some sources are saying is to be believed – that Hezbollah leadership is deeply worried by developments in Damascus to the extent that it recently moved what weapons and ammo it had stored on the Syrian side of the border into Lebanon to ensure full access to them should Israel attack – this shows that the group is fully aware of how much the dynamic has shifted since January.
As a new government of its allies holds its first meeting, Hezbollah would do well to concede that those regional changes require it to establish a safety net to protect itself, the resistance and Lebanon. Regional allies are weakening, and they might still face more dramatic developments. Theories abound that Israel might seize the opportunity and attack Lebanon. Hezbollah might be left facing such a war alone, deprived of much domestic and regional support.It might be time for Hezbollah leadership to rethink its domestic approach and launch an initiative to start mending fences with what remains of the March 14 bloc and the half of Lebanon – give or take a few – which supports it. Otherwise, Hezbollah might find itself unable to find a friend or an ally in Lebanon and the Arab world, should the going get rough.

With allies like these, Beirut will not be able to rule itself
Thursday, 16 June 2011
By Michael Young /The Naqtional
Syria’s President Bashar Al Assad may be struggling with problems at home, but he still has pull in Beirut. On Monday, Lebanon's prime minister designate, Najib Miqati, finally formed a government after a five-month delay. Syria’s fingerprints were all over it.
Confirming this, Mr. Al Assad immediately called Lebanese President Michel Suleiman to congratulate him, and did the same with Nabih Berri, the parliament speaker. Last week, in a meeting with the Druze leader Walid Jumblatt, the Syrian president had signaled his desire to see a new government soon. This sense of urgency pushed Mr Berri to break the logjam by conceding a Shiite seat to the Sunnis.
What is it that suddenly altered the mood in Damascus? After all, the Syrian leadership had not previously applied pressure on Mr Miqati and its friends in Beirut, strongly suggesting that it welcomed a Lebanese vacuum. One can only speculate, but the widening revolt in Syria and the regime’s growing regional and international isolation, particularly its divorce from states such as Turkey and Qatar, were surely factors. With so much shifting around Mr. Al Assad and his acolytes, they apparently concluded that it was preferable to employ Lebanon as a tool in their confrontation with the outside, by forming a favorable government, rather than exploiting the void in the country.
This does not bode well. Mr. Miqati insisted that his cabinet would represent all Lebanese, a reminder that the March 14 coalition led by the caretaker prime minister, Saad Hariri, has refused to join. That Mr. Miqati is not a national-unity government will create tensions in a country pathologically wedded to political balance. Aside from Syria, those bolstering the new team are Hezbollah and Michel Aoun, whose hostility to March 14 is profound. Mr. Miqati and his “centrist” allies in the government - Mr. Suleiman and Mr. Jumblatt - will labor to ensure that their partners do not settle political scores.
Mr Berri's decision, and more important that of Hassan Nasrallah, Hizbollah’s secretary general, to accept a smaller Shiite share of ministers was not fortuitous. It facilitated Mr. Miqati's task, therefore aiding President’s Assad regime. The lower Shiite profile also was destined to achieve two other objectives: it allows Mr. Miqati to say that his government is not controlled by Hezbollah, lending it Sunni legitimacy inside Lebanon while also reassuring Arab states and the international community. And, more perniciously, it places the onus of failure on the prime minister, even if Hezbollah knows that it will have great sway over cabinet decisions despite having few ministers.
Hezbollah has two priorities. The party wants a clear policy statement by the government officially sanctioning its weapons; and it wants the state to take its distance from the Special Tribunal for Lebanon dealing with the assassination in 2005 of Rafiq Hariri, the former prime minister. The tribunal is expected to issue an indictment within three months, and there have been indications that Hezbollah members will be accused of involvement. Indeed, the collapse of Saad Hariri's government in January was a consequence of domestic differences over how to address the indictment.
However, Hezbollah also has a more overarching ambition. The party anxiously realizes that Syria's regime is facing an existential threat, and that its collapse would transform power relations in the Levant to Iran's detriment, and therefore its own. It has no ready solution to this predicament, but Hezbollah will strive more than ever to anchor itself in the institutions of the Lebanese state, and to dominate them and marginalize its political adversaries in order to resist potentially disadvantageous change. That is why Mr. Miqati's government will hit turbulence, especially over whatever affects Hezbollah’s future.
The prime minister can already anticipate three major headaches. The first is that Hezbollah will push for the government not to cooperate with the special tribunal. It's difficult to see how Mr. Miqati, against the wishes of Syria, Hezbollah and Mr Aoun, will be able to resist this demand, despite his worries that it could place Lebanon on a collision course with the United Nations Security Council, which established the institution. Even Mr Jumblatt has little room to maneuver on the tribunal, having repeatedly denounced it as a “politicized” body.
Mr. Miqati was also obliged to accept an appointee of Suleiman Franjieh, a prominent Syrian ally, as defense minister. This will further discredit the Lebanese army in the eyes of the United States and many in the international community. American military assistance will almost certainly dry up. Equally worrisome is that several countries participating in the UN force in southern Lebanon believe the army to be under the influence of Hezbollah. This impression, not altogether unjustified, could well determine their continued commitment to maintaining troops in Lebanon, when some contingents have already expressed an intention to leave.
A third problem for Mr. Miqati will be internal political discord. The foes of March 14 today have wide latitude to dismantle the political, security and financial edifice the coalition put in place after the Syrian withdrawal in 2005. While Mr. Miqati will try to limit the damages, such measures will provoke a backlash from March 14, particularly the partisans of Mr Hariri, the dominant Lebanese Sunni figure. These conflicts, at a time of crisis in Syria and volatility in the region, could destabilize Lebanon in dangerous ways.
That's not to mention the myriad other challenges Mr. Miqati will wrestle with - above all a potentially serious decline in economic confidence and the strains following from the state's support for the Assad regime, when most Lebanese Sunnis sympathize with the Syrian opposition. Lebanon's new government may mean the country is out of the frying pan, but nothing suggests it will avoid the fire.(Published in the UAE-based THE NATIONAL on June 16)

Canada Leads Way in Condemning Syria at UN Human Rights Council
(No. 165 – June 15, 2011 – 6:20 p.m. ET) John Baird, Canada’s Foreign Affairs Minister, today instructed the Canadian delegation to the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva, Switzerland, to lead the way in condemning the current Syrian regime’s attacks on its own people. Canada delivered this condemnation on behalf of 54 countries from various regions.“The situation in Syria is completely unacceptable and Canada continues to demonstrate leadership on the world stage through efforts like the one today,” said Minister Baird. “I asked our delegation to the United Nations Human Rights Council to seek the support of like-minded nations to condemn the actions of the Assad regime in Syria as a gross violation of human rights.”Just weeks ago, Canada joined many other nations in imposing sanctions against the Assad regime in Syria. The world has been outraged by the regime’s brutal attacks on defenceless civilians, including children, journalists and human rights defenders.
“The Syrian regime must immediately end the killing and other acts of violence against peaceful protestors, the arbitrary arrests and the detention and torture of protestors and dissidents,” said Minister Baird. “The Syrian regime’s attempts at diverting domestic and international attention from its brutal crackdown on peaceful demonstrations are unacceptable.
“Prime Minister Stephen Harper recently stated that ‘moral ambiguity [and] moral equivalence are not options. They are dangerous illusions.’ Leadership means taking a stand and speaking out, and that is exactly what Canada is doing at the United Nations Human Rights Council.”

Citing reports of abuses, UN human rights office urges probe into Syria
High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay
15 June 2011 – The United Nations human rights office has called for a thorough probe into the allegations of widespread abuses committed by Syrian authorities during their violent crackdown against protesters, including the excessive use of force against civilians, arbitrary detentions and torture.
“The most egregious reports concern the use of live ammunition against unarmed civilians, including from snipers positioned on rooftops of public buildings, and the deployment of tanks in areas densely populated by civilians,” states a preliminary report prepared by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) that was released today.
“As of mid-June, the number of those killed during such incidents is believed to have exceeded 1,100 persons, many of them unarmed civilians; among them were women and children,” it added. Syrian authorities have been widely criticised for their bloody repression of the protests, which are part of a broader uprising this year across North Africa and the Middle East that has already toppled the long-standing regimes in Tunisia and Egypt and led to ongoing conflict in Libya.
Given that OHCHR has been unable to deploy staff on the ground in Syria, the report, which covers the period from 15 March to 15 June, is based on information received from UN partners, human rights defenders, civil society groups, media groups and a small number of victims and eyewitnesses from Syria.
In addition to the use of live ammunition, arbitrary detentions have been carried out by the Syrian authorities on a “massive” scale, with reports indicating that up to 10,000 people have been detained since mid-March. The report adds that while women and children were among those detained, human rights defenders, political activists and journalists were particularly targeted.
OHCHR has also received information indicating that Syrian security forces have perpetrated acts of torture and other cruel and inhuman treatment against detainees, resulting in death in custody in some cases. Reports of alleged violations of the rights to freedom of assembly, expression, and movement, and of the rights to food and health have also been received.
“The material currently before the High Commissioner is a matter of grave concern and reflects a dire human rights situation in the Syrian Arab Republic. The alleged breaches of the most fundamental rights on such a broad scale require thorough investigation and, with respect to the perpetrators, full accountability,” states the report.
High Commissioner Navi Pillay also renewed her call to the Syrian Government to grant access to the country for the fact-finding mission established by the UN Human Rights Council.

Civilians Flee Another Northern Syria Town, Fearing a Military Assault
By SEBNEM ARSU and LIAM STACK
Published: June 15, 2011
GUVECCI, Turkey — Hundreds fled a town in northern Syria on Wednesday that appeared to be the next target of a military seeking to crush a three-month uprising against President Bashar al-Assad, activists said, joining thousands already displaced in a growing crisis that has embarrassed the Syrian government.
In a succession of often bloody operations, the Syrian military has sent tanks and soldiers to the country’s most restive areas. This week, forces were deployed to eastern Syria, a region that borders Iraq and is knit by extended clans, as well as the northern town, Ma’arrat an Nu’man, which is on the highway between Damascus, the capital, and Aleppo, Syria’s second largest city.
Though the Syrian military said its forces had yet to enter the town, activists said hundreds of residents, and perhaps more, had already begun heading to other Syrian cities and the Turkish border. Insan, a Syrian human rights group, said that security forces detained 17 people on Wednesday as they left the town, a historic site in Syria.
“The regime will go to any Syrian city and village that witnesses demonstrations,” said a 50-year-old farmer in Ma’arrat an Nu’man who gave his name as Jamal.
An activist there who gave his name as Samih added, “It is time to punish us.”
Forces also entered Dayr az Zawr in the east and surrounded the border town of Abu Kamal, where clashes have erupted between demonstrators and government loyalists. Despite the military’s presence, activists said a protest still took place in Dayr az Zawr, one of Syria’s largest cities, over the deployment of the army in the city.
In the past week, the crackdown — and fear of more violence at the hands of the government — has uprooted thousands of Syrians. Nearly 8,500 are in three camps across the border in Turkey, and thousands more are stranded on the Syrian side. Most of them were driven from Jisr al-Shoughour, which the government retook Sunday.
Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu of Turkey toured the border on Wednesday, even stopping at the barbed wire to greet displaced people on the Syrian side. In the camps on the Turkish side, officials have sought to bar journalists from entering, though some people occasionally moved to the blue plastic sheets stretched along the compound to speak.
“Damn your legislation, laws and the state you have established,” one woman shouted from the camp, denouncing the government of Mr. Assad. “Men’s fingers are cut off, and the wounded are piled on top of each other.”
About 4,000 children in the camp staged their own protest, which was quickly quieted by Turkish police officers guarding the compound. “People want freedom,” the children chanted.
After a deluge of Syrians fleeing across the border, traffic slowed to a trickle near the frontier town of Guvecci, as Turkish authorities sought to quickly relocate refugees to the formal camps. Ahmed Jumaa, a 25-year-old smuggler from the Syrian town of Ain al-Baida, said he had traveled to Guvecci daily to deliver food for displaced Syrians hiding near the border.
He said crossing the border had become “very dangerous” because of a sharp rise in the number of Turkish soldiers and border police officers. He worried that he would not make it back.
“All they did in Jisr al-Shoughour was have a peaceful protest, and now they are in the middle of so many problems,” he said, carrying bags of bread.
The Syrian government has sought to persuade Syrians to return to Jisr al-Shoughour, where armed groups, military defectors or a combination of both seized control of the town for a while earlier this month. Syrian officials say 120 members of the security forces were killed by “armed terrorist groups,” and on Wednesday, they showed journalists a grave they said contained several bodies. Reports of the events there remain murky, though an American official said this week that armed groups were involved.
Adnan Mahmoud, the Syrian information minister, said that electricity, water and communications had been restored to Jisr el-Shoughour and that the area was safe. The Associated Press, citing its reporter who traveled there on a government-organized trip, said vans packed with families and their belongings appeared to be returning residents to their homes, though other residents reached by phone said the town remained largely deserted.
“They are telling people to return, but I don’t trust them,” said a 34-year-old resident who fled Wednesday after hiding for three days. “How can I trust them?”
The state-run Anatolia news agency said an envoy sent by Mr. Assad, Hassan Turkmani, arrived in Turkey on Wednesday for talks with Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey. Before the uprising, Turkey was one of Syria’s closest allies, but relations have badly deteriorated over a crackdown Mr. Erdogan denounced last week as savage.
Mr. Turkmani told reporters in Ankara, Turkey’s capital, that the Syrian refugees would be “hosted” in Turkey for a short while, the Anatolia news agency reported.
Mr. Davutoglu, the Turkish foreign minister, told reporters that he would convey his impressions of his trip to the border and his lengthy conversations with Syrians to Mr. Turkmani “in a friendly and frank manner.”
“There is a humanitarian situation,” Mr. Davutoglu said. “There are developments that concern us, and these concerns should be eliminated. What I observed is an established feeling of anxiety and fear. Everyone has to do his share in clearing out these feelings.”
In Damascus, thousands of government supporters lined one of the capital’s main thoroughfares and lifted a Syrian flag that stretched more than a mile. Waving pictures of the president, some shouted, “The people want Bashar al-Assad,” according to Syrian television.
Government news media, which covered the demonstration for hours, called it a show of national unity and “a rejection of foreign interference in Syrian internal affairs.”
**Anthony Shadid and Hwaida Saad contributed reporting from Beirut, Lebanon.