LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
ِSeptember 06/2011

Bible Quotation for today.
Matthew 22/15-22-15: " Then the Pharisees went and took counsel how they might entrap him in his talk. They sent their disciples to him, along with the Herodians, saying, “Teacher, we know that you are honest, and teach the way of God in truth, no matter whom you teach, for you aren’t partial to anyone. Tell us therefore, what do you think? Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?” But Jesus perceived their wickedness, and said, “Why do you test me, you hypocrites?  Show me the tax money.”They brought to him a denarius.  He asked them, “Whose is this image and inscription?”They said to him, “Caesar’s.” Then he said to them, “Give therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” When they heard it, they marveled, and left him, and went away.

Latest analysis, editorials, studies, reports, letters & Releases from miscellaneous sources
Reassuring the Shia in Lebanon/By: Hazem Saghiyeh/September 5/11
The Assad regime cracks down on dissidents abroad/By: Aline Sara/September 5/11
Window of opportunity allows Mikati to defy Hezbollah/By Elias Sakr /September 05/11
Who’s next?/Now Lebano/September 5/11

Latest News Reports From Miscellaneous Sources for September 05/11
Lebanese Maronite patriarch meets with Sarkozy in Paris
Lebanese Forces bloc MP Joseph Maalouf to Hezbollah's Raad: Lebanese are not school children
Lebanon warns UN: Israel's proposed maritime border threatens peace and security
Turkey: Israeli diplomats must leave country by Wednesday
Jumblat: Turkey’s Position on Israel to Alter Regional Balance of Power
U.S. envoy: Mideast stability impossible without Israeli-Palestinian peace
Egypt builds concrete wall around Israeli embassy in Cairo
Iran ready for 'full' UN oversight of nuclear program if sanctions lifted
Iran runs nuclear missile payload tests, moves onto 60 pc fuel enrichment
Abbas: I met recently with Barak to discuss Israel-Palestinian ties
ICRC granted access to prison in Damascus for first time
WikiLeaks Says Berri Backed Attack on Hizbullah, Speaker Denies and Slams al-Mustaqbal
Syrian Forces Raid Central Cities, Kill Two
Reports: Miqati Met with STL Delegation
Hush-hush meeting between Mikati, STL
Lebanon: Tension lingers over controversial electricity bill
Lebanon warns Israel sea border threatens peace
Al-Rahi Meets Sarkozy: Change Must Not Be Hastily Introduced to Arab World
Events in Syria could lead to genocide: Rai
8 Dead as Syrian Forces Raid Hama, Homs, Idlib
Syria forces raid central cities, kill two: activists
Optimistic’ Jumblat Makes Final Clarification to Hizbullah, Amal on Stance from Electricity Project
Bassil Boycotts Ministerial Meeting on Electricity Ahead of Crucial Sept. 7 Cabinet Session
Hezbollah: Patience running out
Algerian Man Accused of Lebanese Imam Murder in London
Chirac Absent for Health Reasons as Graft Trial Opens
Mubarak’s Trial Postponed as Clashes Erupt Outside, Inside Court

WikiLeaks Says Berri Backed Attack on Hizbullah, Speaker Denies and Slams al-Mustaqbal 11
Naharnet /Speaker Nabih Berri encouraged a military and a political strike against Hizbullah during the 2006 war so that the Israeli aggression against Lebanon doesn’t last long and so that the operation doesn’t have any repercussions, revealed a leaked U.S. Embassy cable published in al-Mustaqbal newspaper on Monday.The WikiLeaks cable dated August 18, 2006, reported about a meeting between the speaker and then U.S. Ambassador Jeffrey Feltman during which Berri described Syrian President Bashar Assad’s speech on Aug. 15, 2006 as “stupid and unreasonable… because people forgot everything related to Israel.” Speaking before the Fourth Annual Conference of the Syrian Journalists Union in Damascus, Assad declared in his speech that he viewed the results of the battles between Israel and Hizbullah as an important, and even historic, victory for Hizbullah.
He supported Arab resistance as the new paradigm of Arab nationalist struggle against a weakened Israel and criticized Arab leaders as "half men" who brought humiliation to the Arab world, reaffirming Syria's support of the "legitimacy of the central role of resistance as a viable alternative to conflict resolution when peace negotiations fail.”
Berri criticized during the meeting with Feltman “the obvious Syrian attempt to meddle in Lebanon’s affairs.”Concerning the monitoring of the Syrian-Lebanese border to stop weapons smuggling, he wondered why doesn’t “the Lebanese cabinet order the army to deploy there. Suggesting that then United Nations chief Kofi Annan heads to Damascus and Tehran where the root of the problem is.” According to the cable, Berri sought to use the money from the Council of the South, the main channel to distribute reconstruction funds in the south, so that he begins with the process of reconstruction.
He warned that any failure by the government to reconstruct the south will enable Hizbullah to carry out this mission. In addition, Berri described the idea of an Israeli attack on Hizbullah to weaken its military forces and political role as a “positive development,” said another cable date July 17, 2006. “Hizbullah underestimated the kidnapping of the Israeli soldiers… We want the implementation of (U.N. Security Council Resolution) 1559, this is what was stated in the national dialogue… we need to implement it…,” Berri said. Feltman said that Berri expressed irritation from the prolonged Israeli aggression on Lebanon that might develop some sympathy from the Lebanese towards Hizbullah. The U.S. official quoted him as saying: “The Israelis have additional four or five days (to carry out their attack on Hizbullah) after that people will turn against them.”
However, the speaker’s press office issued a statement on Monday denouncing the report. Berri noted that the “report that is published over and over again proves the incredibility (of the report) and the bad intentions behind the timing of the publishing.”The statement added: “AMAL never changed its position especially during the 2006 war from the Israeli enemy, and will remain an ally for the resistance and Hizbullah in particular.”Berri sarcastically thanked al-Mustaqbal newspaper and the “former leaders” that are standing behind it for “publishing facts” even if they were false like holding onto the false witnesses. The statement remarked that Berri’s press office submitted a request at the U.S. State Department through its embassy in Beirut to provide them with the original cables published by WikiLeaks, however, when the request wasn’t met “we were sure that it was a conspiracy.”
“This is why (Berri) refused to meet with (Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs) Feltman when he recently visited Lebanon.”

Lebanese patriarch meets with Sarkozy in Paris
September 5, 2011/Lebanon’s Maronite Patriarch Bechara Boutros al-Rai met with French President Nicolas Sarkozy on Monday as part of the former’s official visit to Paris.
The National News Agency reported that an official ceremony was held at the French Elysee Palace to receive the patriarch. It added that Rai was accompanied by a delegation. The patriarch traveled to France on Saturday for an official visit expected to last until September 10. Rai, 71, was elected earlier this year to succeed the 91-year-old Nasrallah Boutros Sfeir, who resigned after serving for 25 years as patriarch of Antioch for the Maronites. -NOW Lebanon

Events in Syria could lead to genocide: Rai
September 05, 2011/he Daily Star
Rai: “Are we heading in Syria toward a Sunni-Alawite civil war?"
BEIRUT: Maronite Patriarch Beshara Rai warned the international community that change in the Arab world, especially Syria, might lead to genocide rather than democracy if sectarian divisions grow. “I say and look toward France to think seriously of what would be next. Are we heading in Syria toward a Sunni-Alawite civil war? This, then, is a genocide and not democracy and reform. Are we heading toward a division of Syria to mini sectarian states?” Rai said in an interview with France 24. Rai said the international community must do more than simply “inflame wars” in Arab countries, and consider what might follow political change. “What we are asking the international community and France is not to rush into resolutions that strive to change regimes,” Rai added. The bloody crackdown on the five-month anti government uprising in Syria has been met with heavy criticism from the international community and calls for President Bashar Assad to step down. The United Nations Security Council issued a statement on Aug. 4 condemning violence there, which Lebanon later disassociated itself from.
There are also fears that the toppling of Assad's government could be followed by increased sectarian tension and conflict between the Sunni Muslim majority and the minority Alawite sect to which Assad belongs.
Rai, who is scheduled to meet French President Nicolas Sarkozy during his eight-day visit to France, voiced fears over the fate of minorities, particularly Christians, in the Arab world in the event of regime change, citing Iraq as an example. “They wanted a democracy in Iraq and this democracy claimed many lives … the international community and France should think about where we are heading. Is it toward extremist, violent governments or toward dividing the Arab world?” Rai said. Following the invasion of Iraq in 2003 which toppled President Saddam Hussein’s government, the country experienced sectarian conflict coupled with an insurgency that has so far left more than 60,000 Iraqi civilians dead, according to NGOs.
“We are worried about Christian presence [in some Arab countries] because we don't want them to be treated as foreigners, we are not foreigners. And if Arab regimes are religion-based, meaning that Islam is the state's religion ... then we live in constant danger,” Rai added. The patriarch said that the international community and the church should help Christians in Syria as part of an endeavor to protect all minorities, whether Christians or Muslims.

Hezbollah: Patience running out
September 05, 2011/By Hussein Dakroub The Daily Star
BEIRUT: Hezbollah said Sunday its patience was wearing thin with the opposition March 14 parties’ scathing campaigns against the resistance’s weapons and the military, warning that it would act to foil attempts to destabilize the country as a result of the current popular upheaval in neighboring Syria.
On a single day, three senior Hezbollah officials, including State Minister for Administrative Reform Mohammad Fneish and MP Mohammad Raad, head of Hezbollah’s parliamentary Loyalty to the Resistance bloc, hit back at March 14 politicians who have accused the party of playing havoc with the country’s security and stability by insisting on keeping its arms and refusing to cooperate with a U.N.-backed court probing the 2005 assassination of statesman Rafik Hariri.
Referring to the March 14 coalition which has launched a fierce campaign against the government of Prime Minister Najib Mikati, Raad said: “There is a backed opposition which has its subversive plan in the country and raises slogans that are in tune with the foreign policies which the outside [world] wants for Lebanon.”
“We say in all frankness: Those who aim to disarm the resistance and tarnish its [image] are part of the machine that serves the American-Israeli project in order to dominate Lebanon and bring it back under Israeli occupation,” Raad told a rally in the southern village of Kfarfila.
“Those do not know the value of the resistance … Therefore, they do not know the meaning of sovereignty and freedom at all,” Raad said, adding: “The only sovereignty they understand is an American sovereignty over our country so that they can gain a [government] seat that can protect their interests and their companies.”
The March 14 parties have repeatedly called for the disarmament of Hezbollah and shunned President Michel Sleiman’s recent call for national dialogue on a national defense strategy. Former Prime Minister Saad Hariri and his March 14 allies have maintained that the talks should focus solely on the issue of Hezbollah’s arms.
Raad also rejected attacks by some Future MPs against Lebanon’s army.
Raad accused the March 14 parties of seeking to destroy the country just because they were left out of the government. “When they left power, they became angry. Their most sacred goal is to destroy the country in order to return to power,” he said.
Raad warned the March 14 parties that Hezbollah’s patience and tolerance with their vehement campaigns have limits.
“We say there are some people who are taking advantage of our patience and forgiveness, but these have their limits … As long as we are able to maintain the unity and strength of our country with our patience, we will remain patient,” Raad said, adding: “However, if we see a hand extending from the outside into the country, we will cut it off.”
Hezbollah officials and their March 8 allies have accused the March 14 parties of counting on the collapse of the regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad as a result of the popular uprising as a chance to reclaim power in Lebanon after Hariri’s Cabinet was toppled by the Syrian-backed March 8 alliance in January. Hezbollah has also accused the March 14 groups of serving a Western agenda, which it says aims to target the resistance.
Fneish reiterated support for the tripartite equation – the army, the people and the resistance – as the best means to defend the country against a possible Israeli attack. He accused the March 14 parties of using the U.N.-backed Special Tribunal for Lebanon to tarnish the image of the resistance.
“There are some members from the other [March 14] camp who concentrate on the unity of the people by stirring up discord and inflaming sectarian sensitivities … There are some who unleash their hatred with a failed attempt to distort the resistance’s image and draw strength from the so-called international tribunal,” Fneish told a Hezbollah rally in the southern town of Al-Ghassaniyeh. He ruled out a split within the Cabinet over a controversial $1.2 billion electricity plan or funding for the STL. “Anyone who is betting on the possibility of a split in Cabinet ranks is betting on a mirage. This government will forge ahead with shouldering its responsibility,” Fneish said.
Sheikh Nabil Qaouk, deputy head of Hezbollah’s Executive Council, accused the March 14 parties of betting on the unrest taking place in Syria in order to return to power.
“The March 14 team’s latest sins against the country are that they are part of the aggression on Syria. They are today a dagger stabbing Syria in the back to serve the American project in the region,” Qaouk told a ceremony in the southern town of Toulin. “This team is betting on its return to power through the Syrian crisis. But it will reap only frustration and repentance.”
Meanwhile, Mikati returned to Beirut Sunday from Paris, where he attended an international conference on Libya following the collapse of Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi’s regime.
While in Paris, Mikati caused a stir in Beirut when he said in an interview with Al-Hayat newspaper that Lebanon would continue financing the STL.
Lebanon has not yet paid the 49 percent share of the court’s funding for 2011, amounting to $65 million, which it is obliged to pay under the U.N. Security Council resolution that established the STL.
The STL has created waves in Lebanon’s political landscape, particularly after the tribunal indicted four Hezbollah members for involvement in Hariri’s killing. The Hezbollah-led March 8 alliance has rejected the tribunal, describing it as a conspiracy against the country. Hezbollah has asked the government to sever ties with the STL, halt funding and withdraw Lebanese judges. However, Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblatt said the Cabinet had no option but to fund the STL. “The Cabinet that was formed committed itself and will abide by international resolutions. We cannot run away from these resolutions just like we cannot run away from funding the court,” Jumblatt said Saturday in an interview with LFTV, which belongs to the Lebanese Forces.

Hush-hush meeting between Mikati, STL
September 05, 2011/The Daily Star
A delegation made of STL Registrar Herman von Hebel, a lawyer from the Special Tribunal, Lisa Hartevelt, and French security officer Gwenael Groajou, arrived in Beirut late Friday evening coming from Paris. BEIRUT: A hush-hush meeting between Prime Minister Najib Mikati and a delegation from the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) took place early Monday at the Grand Serail, sources told The Daily Star. No facts were revealed due to the confidential nature of the meeting.
This is the first meeting between Mikati and an STL delegation since the release of indictments in June against four members of Hezbollah in the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri in the 2005. The meeting comes following a pledge by Mikati to fund the STL, which Hezbollah accuses of being part of a conspiracy to target the resistance group.
“It is in Lebanon’s interest to fund the tribunal and the government does whatever is in the interest of Lebanon,” Mikati said in an interview with Al-Hayat newspaper published Friday.
A delegation made of STL Registrar Herman von Hebel, a lawyer from the Special Tribunal, Lisa Hartevelt, and French security officer Gwenael Groajou, arrived in Beirut late Friday evening coming from Paris. It is not clear whether Mikati met the same delegation. Lebanon has not yet paid the 49 percent share of the court’s funding for 2011, amounting to $65 million, which it is obliged to pay under the U.N. Security Council resolution that established the court to investigate the assassination of Hariri. Hezbollah denies involvement in the assassination and has vowed not to cooperate with the U.N.-backed court, which it describes as a “U.S.-Israeli project” aimed at sowing strife in the country.

Syria forces raid central cities, kill two: activists
September 05, 2011/Daily Star
Members of the Syrian community in Bucharest protest against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, on September 2, 2011, in Bucharest, Romania. Hundreds of people, mainly Syrians, took to the streets of Romania on September 2nd to protest against the Assad's regime. DAMASCUS: Syrian troops and security forces on Monday launched an assault on the central cities of Hama and Homs, where they shot dead at least two people, activists said. "More than 30 military vehicles and security forces raided Hama this morning and heavy gunfire was heard in the city," Omar Idlibi, spokesman of the Local Coordination Committees, told AFP in Nicosia by telephone. A similar operation was carried out in central Homs, where the security forces shot dead at least two people, he added. Troops backed by tanks had stormed Hama on July 31, on the eve of the start of the holy Muslim month of Ramadan, to fight "armed groups". At least 100 people were killed, and the troops withdrew 10 days later. The protest hub of Homs also witnessed violence Sunday as 15 people were wounded when troops and security forces opened fire in the central city as part of an operation launched Saturday night, activists said.
Elsewhere, at least 24 people were killed in violence across the country on Sunday as the visiting head of the Red Cross, Jakob Kellenberger, sought access to those detained in more than five months of anti-regime protests. Kellenberger, who arrived on Saturday on a trip including talks with President Bashar al-Assad and other senior officials, is due to leave the country on Monday afternoon. He is to be followed soon by Arab League secretary general Nabil al-Arabi, who said Sunday that Damascus had now agreed to a visit which he had announced a week ago after the 22-member bloc had met to discuss the Syrian crisis. "I will express Arab concerns and I will listen," he said.
Syria said an August 27 statement passed by Arab League foreign ministers on the country's deadly unrest contained "unacceptable and biased language," leaving Arabi to await a green light to visit. Damascus said it would act as if the statement had never been published.
The Arab foreign ministers called for an "end to the spilling of blood and (for Syria) to follow the way of reason before it is too late."
They also called for respecting "the right of the Syrian people to live in security and of their legitimate aspirations for political and social reform.
More than 2,200 people have been killed in Syria since almost daily protests began on March 15, according to the United Nations, while human rights groups say more than 10,000 people are behind bars. Qatar's emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani said Monday that Syrians are determined to keep protesting against Assad's regime despite the deadly crackdown.
"The killing is nearly daily. But it's clear that the Syrian people will not turn back on their demands," Sheikh Hamad told pan-Arab news channel Al-Jazeera.
"The question now is how to get out of this domestic standoff in Syria," he said.
In August, Sheikh Hamad criticised Syria's use of force against protesters demanding democratic change, describing the approach as fruitless and urging serious reforms.
Qatar had long enjoyed cordial relations with Damascus, but Doha-based Al-Jazeera television has come under strong criticism by the Syrian authorities for its coverage of the popular uprising. Tehran reiterated its hope Monday that the crisis in Syria, its main ally in the region, could be resolved "through dialogue and not violence."
Iran "is certain that the Syrian people and the government have the capacity to gain national development through dialogue and refraining from any violence," Hassan Ghashghavi, deputy foreign minister in charge of consular affairs, was quoted as saying by the official IRNA news agency. Iran is concerned about the possible collapse of its principal ally in the Middle East and has never condemned the violence of the regime in Damascus in suppressing mass protests. It accuses its traditional foes Israel and the United States of stirring up trouble in Syria.

Tension lingers over controversial electricity bill
September 05, 2011/The Daily Star /BEIRUT: Prime Minister Najib Mikati held talks Monday in an effort to find a compromise to the controversial plan to develop Lebanon’s electricity sector.At midday, Mikati held a meeting with Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblatt in the presence of Public Works and Transportation Minister Ghazi Aridi and Economy Minister Nicolas Nahhas.Earlier in the day, Mikati held private talks with Energy Minister Jibran Bassil, whose electricity proposal has drawn heavy criticism by the opposition, which claims lacks proper spending oversight.The Cabinet has on several occasions failed to approve Bassil’s draft bill. Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun, who originally proposed the bill in Parliament, has threatened to boycott Cabinet meetings unless the proposal is endorsed by the government.As part of a way out of the dispute, Jumblatt, who is represented in the government through three ministers, has suggested that a technical team to oversee the project’s spending be established.Speaking to reporters following the meeting, Bassil told reporters he would not be attending a ministerial meeting scheduled for 5.30 p.m. Monday. “I was not planning to attend the [ministerial] meeting any,” the frustrated-looking Bassil said.The ministerial meeting, which will further tackle the electricity bill that has dragged on for weeks, is open for any minister to attend. For his part, Nahhas said the meeting had been tense. “There are certain questions and uncertainties,” he told reporters after the meeting at the Grand Serail in Downtown Beirut. “We are entitled to ask [questions],” he added, refusing to answer further queries
In an informal discussion with the media, Mikati said the government “strives to reach an electricity plan under the best technical conditions so that we can reach positive solutions.”
Mikati hosted lunch for Jumblatt, who left the Grand Serail without giving any statements. Nahhas and Aridi attended lunch.

Window of opportunity allows Mikati to defy Hezbollah
September 05, 2011/By Elias Sakr /The Daily Star
Prime Minister Najib Mikati left no room for speculation over his personal position on the Special Tribunal for Lebanon Friday when he stressed the government’s commitment to pay Lebanon’s share of funding for the court. Though the prime minister is fully aware of Hezbollah’s refusal to fund a court that has indicted four of its members in the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, Mikati seems equally aware of the negative repercussions of surrendering to Hezbollah’s will. As the Future Movement-led March 14 alliance piles more pressure on Mikati to couple his statements with action ahead of the September deadline to pay Lebanon’s share amounting to $65 million, the prime minister chose to throw the ball in Hezbollah’s court. In his remarks to the pan-Arab Al-Hayat daily, Mikati delivered a dual message to Hezbollah and the international community.
On the one hand, Mikati conveyed to Hezbollah his determination to rally support within the ranks of his Sunni community, rather than defy its sentiment ahead of an electoral battle with the Future Movement in 2013. On the other hand, Mikati reiterated to the international community his government’s commitment to U.N. resolutions, which came after an interview on TIME magazine’s website that quoted one of the four accused Hezbollah members as saying his location was known by Lebanese security forces.
Whether the TIME interview, which Hezbollah described as fabricated, proves to be true or not, the bottom line is the same: Hezbollah has pledged to protect the accused and vowed to cut off the hands of those who try to arrest them. Debating the validity of the report serves no purpose as Hezbollah had asserted its military supremacy over Lebanese security institutions long before the suspect was quoted as saying that no security apparatus was capable of apprehending him.
Despite defying Hezbollah by pledging support to the court, Mikati is less likely to face the fate of his predecessor Saad Hariri, whom Hezbollah ousted after he refused to sever ties with the STL. When Hezbollah brought down Hariri’s government in January, it did so only after Syria gave its blessing, which came as a response to Hariri’s failure to implement the core of a Syrian-Saudi agreement that would have kept the leader in power while ending Lebanon’s cooperation with the STL.
Today’s circumstances are different. Damascus has more interest in maintaining an ally government in Beirut as domestic and foreign pressure mounts against President Bashar Assad’s regime.It was for this reason that a government in Beirut was formed when the popular uprising in Syria gained momentum, immediately ending months of seemingly endless political bickering between March 8 groups over shares in the Cabinet.And it is also for this reason that reports have recently emerged of Hezbollah’s ally, Free Patriotic Movement leader Michel Aoun, supposedly accepting a compromise over a government proposal to develop Lebanon’s electricity sector after the issue had developed into a dispute that threatened the government’s unity. Mikati appears to be well aware that Syria and Hezbollah lack options in the absence of an alternative to his government, and is playing this to his advantage.
Like Mikati, Hezbollah is aware that if the government collapses, Hariri’s March 14 alliance would be more likely to win a majority in consultations to designate a new prime minister as Druze leader Walid Jumblatt is expected to side again with Hariri. How will Hezbollah reconcile its interests and those of Syria without an alternative to Mikati’s government?
The prime minister appears to have the upper hand for now, but the bets of March 14 officials who are wagering on the collapse of the government in September might pay off if Hezbollah decides that a caretaker Cabinet would be better option, a decision that the party will take only if it is certain that a new government wouldn’t be formed.

Iran runs nuclear missile payload tests, moves onto 60 pc fuel enrichment
DEBKAfile Special Report September 5, 2011,
The UN International Atomic Energy Agency Friday, Sept. 2 stressed its increasing concern "about the possible existence in Iran of past or current undisclosed nuclear-related activities involving military-related organizations, including activities related to the development of a nuclear payload for a missile, about which the Agency continues to receive new information."
The nuclear watchdog was also alarmed by three disclosures made by Fereydoon Abbas, head of Iran's atomic energy agency, Monday, Aug. 29, attesting to the speeding-up of its military nuclear program and preparations for a possible attack on its installations.
1. Abbasi boasted that Iran's nuclear fuel production already far exceeded its needs. debkafile's military sources report that this first public announcement meant that Tehran was about to move on from 20 percent enriched uranium to 60 percent – the last step before the 90 percent enrichment for weapons-grade fuel.
According to several sources, Iran has already stocked 4,500 kilograms of low-enriched uranium, which would be enough for four nuclear weapons after further enrichment.
2. Abbas pronounced "dead" the 2009 proposal for the West to supply Iran with new fuel for its small research reactor in return for an end to Iranian production of the fuel. “We will no longer negotiate a fuel swap and a halt to our production of fuel,” he said.
3. The head of Iran's atomic agency also revealed the imminent transfer of its critical enrichment facilities from Natanz to a heavily fortified subterranean facility near the holy city of Qom to keep it safe from air, missile and cyber attack. Tehran has made it clear that the facility will not be open to international oversight and will use the most advanced centrifuges – IR-4 and IR-2m - for speeding up the production of highly-enriched uranium. Western intelligence sources estimated Sunday, Sept. 4, that Iran's advances had brought forward to the spring of 2012 the potential completion of between two and four bombs and the ability to conduct a nuclear test. At the White House, Tommy Vietor, a spokesman for the National Security Council said that the Iranian plan “to install and operate centrifuges at Qom is a violation of their United Nations security obligations and another provocative act.” While demonstrating the arrogance of a would-be global nuclear power, Iran suffered an unexpected diplomatic snub Sunday, Sept. 4, when parliamentary speaker Ali Larijani was informed at the last minute that he would not get to meet the Chinese and North Korean heads of state when he visited Beijing and Pyongyang – only low-ranking officials. He thereupon cancelled his trips. China and North Korea appear to have decided to keep their distance from the nuclear miscreant in Tehran. Last Wednesday, Aug. 31, French President Nicolas Sarkozy warned, "Iran's attempts to build long-range missiles and nuclear weapons could lead unnamed countries to launch a pre-emptive attack."

Lebanese Forces bloc MP Joseph Maalouf to Hezbollah's Raad: Lebanese are not school children
September 5, 2011 /Lebanese Forces bloc MP Joseph Maalouf responded on Monday to Loyalty to the Resistance bloc leader MP Mohammad Raad’s statement which said that “every foreign hand that targets the country will be cut off,” and urged him to not address the Lebanese people with superiority. “[Raad is speaking] as if the Lebanese people are school children and need someone to tell them how to act regarding Lebanese issues,” Maalouf told Al-Akhbar al-Yawm news agency. The LF MP also said that “it is clear that [Hezbollah] is trying to eliminate [its opponents].” Asked about the Maronite Patriarch Bechara Boutros al-Rai’s statement that “what is happening in Syria is not democracy or reform, but genocide,” Maalouf said that it is normal for the church to regard the situation in Syria from a humane perspective.“The Christian faith is in harmony with people’s freedom and their right to decide on their own future,” he added. Regarding the energy project proposed by Change and Reform bloc leader MP Michel Aoun, Maalouf said that “the issue is technical and not political.”
The parliament earlier in August adjourned the discussion of the draft law proposed by the Change and Reform bloc to transfer $1.2 billion in funds to the Energy Ministry, while cabinet ministers have yet to approve the proposal. Change and Reform bloc leader MP Michel Aoun on August 16 warned that his ministers would withdraw from the cabinet if it does not pursue developmental projects.-NOW Lebanon

ICRC granted access to prison in Damascus for first time
September 5, 2011 /The International Committee of the Red Cross said Monday it was for the first time granted access to a Syrian detention center. "The Syrian authorities have granted the ICRC access to a place of detention for the first time," ICRC president Jakob Kellenberger, who held talks with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Monday, said in a statement. He said the ICRC was able to visit the Damascus Central Prison in the suburb of Adra on Sunday. "Initially, we will have access to persons detained by the Ministry of the Interior, and we are hopeful that we will soon be able to visit all detainees," Kellenberger said. "This is an important step forward for our humanitarian activities in Syria," he said. During talks with Assad, Kellenberger said he discussed the use of force by security forces and the need to respect the physical and psychological well-being of the detainees, as well as the latest developments in the country since his last visit in June. "The purpose of these visits ... is to ensure that detainees are treated humanely and that their dignity is respected and preserved," the ICRC said.
Kellenberger also said that his main concern was to ensure that the wounded and sick are able to obtain medical care.-AFP/NOW Lebanon

Reassuring the Shia in Lebanon
Hazem Saghiyeh, September 5, 2011 /Now Lebanon
The most blatant of mistakes made by the March 14 coalition may well be the fact that it did not try hard enough to address the Shia community. It abstained from doing so since 2005, citing certain difficulties and resorting instead to folkloric actions, such as pushing symbolic figures and public speakers to the forefront. Some of these figures are indeed courageous, but selling them in the absence of any public policy regarding the Shia community has made them even more vulnerable. This goes without mentioning the fact that the famous four-party alliance of the 2005 elections besieges Shia votes that are opposed to Hezbollah and the Amal Movement instead of seeking to develop them and bring them into the coalition’s fold.
March 14 leaders were supposed to develop relentless strategy and dialogue reaching out to seduce the Shia community into opting for a unifying national choice and to explain the danger threatening them before anybody else as a result of endorsing the suicidal project sponsored by Hezbollah.
Political ignorance is unlikely to be the sole reason that prevented this from happening. It is actually added to the sectarian character of the March 14 coalition, which comes as an extension of the sectarian structure of the Lebanese social fabric as it links two unrelated issues: the alliance between various communities within this coalition for the sake of the nation and the state, and the national and state vision that is supposed to be a supra-sectarian one. As a matter of fact, each community leader was more obsessed with addressing his community than with addressing Lebanese citizens, hence promoting a national project. Given such prevalence of sectarian monologue, it is no longer tempting to turn to other communities, especially if these communities are politically positioned in opposition to the national leader in question. Accordingly, blind escalation against another group becomes a condition for “consolidating” one community. Two new elements should now bring about a drastic change in the equation even if they are actually contradictory. The Syrian uprising and the indictment both create a chance for addressing and reassuring the Shia community and trying to dissociate it from the suicidal project that may well destroy this community, all of us and Lebanon as a whole. This dialogue must portray a life of coexistence as tempting while emphasizing the damage done by going in the other direction. Most importantly, perseverance [n this respect should be methodical rather than seasonal, and should take place seriously as a means to reestablish the nation’s foundations rather than be based on the usual folklore.
Some might say that this mission is difficult. This mission is indeed difficult because it must put an end to entrenched fears and, at the same time, convince the Shia that weapons are harmful for them and for others. This goes without mentioning the obstacle represented by the complex blend of fanaticism and interests. In contrast, Lebanon has certainly paid a dear price for President Sleiman Franjieh’s refraining from responding to the requests of Sayyed Moussa Sadr. It has also paid the price for the Muslim refusal to support Christian demands regarding Palestinian weapons in the 1970s, and for their marginalization in the 1990s. This is what the Lebanese must change if they really want to have a nation that is greater than the village of Lasa instead of communities, and if they want to have a common future instead of small and futile victories in a fleeting present moment.
*This article is a translation of the original, which appeared on the NOW Arabic site on Monday September 5, 2011

Assad’s boundless grip
The Assad regime cracks down on dissidents abroad
Aline Sara, September 5, 2011
A banner reading “He who kills his people is a traitor” at a pro-democracy protest in Paris by the same organizers who were attacked in late August by Assad regime loyalists. (NOW Lebanon) “Our friends had just finished filing their complaint. As soon as they came out of the precinct, a car of thugs—shabiha—pulled up.”
“They pushed one of the activists under the car—literally trying to kill him, and started attacking the others, even the girl. Some gang members were Algerian and Moroccans whom we suspect had been paid [by the Syrian regime],” said Syrian opposition activist Majd Eid. He wasn’t describing a crackdown on anti-regime protesters in Damascus, or in Beirut, where people demonstrating in solidarity with the opposition in Syria have been attacked. Eid was referring to a peaceful pro-democracy sit-in in Paris’ Place Châtelet, minutes away from the Louvre and the capital’s trendy Les Halles shopping district. The incident served as a reminder of the extensive reach of President Bashar al-Assad’s regime. Over 3,000 Syrians have been killed, another 3,000 have gone missing and over 15,000 have been detained since the uprising began in Syria six months ago. And while dissidents abroad are bypassing the media blackout at home, using social media to spread the word about the situation in Syria, they cannot escape retribution from the regime.
From Paris to Washington, London to Santiago, activists are being threatened and even attacked by thugs or members of Syria’s official diplomatic corps.
The incident in Paris, which took place late last month, was the first time a pro-democracy gathering was attacked in France. “We have been doing these sit-ins for over a month, with official authorization from the French government,” said Eid, who left his homeland five years ago, in part because he was being harassed by the regime because of his parents’ pro-democracy activism. The goal of the attackers, he said, is to wreak havoc and discourage authorities from allowing future protests.
According to Eid, several perpetrators were able to claim diplomatic immunity, while the people who attacked his friends near the precinct are in prison awaiting trial for attempted murder. In the meantime, the victims are in recovery after being hospitalized.
While French authorities have until now remained quiet about intimidation efforts against Syrian protesters, more action is being taken on the other side of the Atlantic.
In early August, the US State Department said it had received complaints from Syrian dissidents based in the country. “We received reports that Syrian mission personnel under Ambassador [Imad] Mustapha’s authority have been conducting video and photographic surveillance of people participating in peaceful demonstrations in the United States,” read the statement. The State Department condemned any attempts to intimidate US-based individuals “exercising their lawful right to freedom of speech as protected by the US Constitution,” and promised to investigate the claims.
The FBI is reportedly investigating, though it declined to comment on its involvement with the case, as it does not discuss current investigations with the press. But Mohammad al-Abdallah, a Syrian activist in Washington, DC, confirmed the FBI was looking into the claims.
“[Regime supporters] started to send people to film some of our activities like the weekly protest in front of the White House, the protests in front of the Syrian Embassy here in DC,” said Abdallah, who met with US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton alongside other members of the Syrian opposition last month. “The embassy is sending information to security agencies in Syria about the activists, and the government in Syria is harassing their families in Syria,” he added.
Meanwhile, in Latin America, Homs-native Naima Darwish was threatened for organizing an event in front of the Syrian Embassy in Santiago. The 30-year-old designer, who was honored in 2009 by Chilean President Michelle Bachelet for providing work to elderly women, was called into the embassy. After refusing to go in, she received a call from the charge d’affaires, Sami Salameh, who told her it was foolish to risk her youth and success with such “stupidities.”
“He ultimately told me I was a lesbian doing all this to legalize gay marriage [in Syria]” she told NOW Lebanon.
Darwish said that the majority of Syrians in Chile are too scared to protest against the Assad regime, “especially for their families who are still back home. So they pray in silence.”
That is a constant fear for Paris-based activist Sadik Harbat, who told NOW Lebanon he had not heard from his parents back in Syria in the days following the siege of his hometown, Horan, which is in the Daraa district. “I speak up because it’s chaos in my city, so I know it’s harder for [authorities] to directly crack down on my relatives,” he said.
But he has been concerned for his own safety in Paris after receiving Facebook messages telling him to stop his activism and move apartments. “I was told by fellow activists that I was on their radar… They told me to move out, to take all my information, PC, hard disks, just in case.”
Word has also spread that Syrian students abroad have been warned that if they take part in anti-regime demonstrations they could lose their scholarships. But Harbat said many students would be willing to engage in more activism if it was just about their funding. “It’s more a concern about their parents’ safety,” he said.
Both Harbat’s brother and sister in Syria have been warned about his activities. His brother was relayed the message, “We are busy now, but we’re coming for you later.”
When asked whether he had filed an official complaint with the French police about the harassment, Harbat said there was simply no time.
“We have too many other things on our mind. Threats via the parents and the family—that is the real problem, and we really just want our families to be safe.”

Who’s next?
September 5, 2011
Now Lebanon
In light of the trial of convicted spy Fayez Karam, the Lebanese need to reconsider the role of the military court in the Lebanese justice system. (AFP photo/Anwar Amro)
The case of convicted spy Brigadier Fayez Karam, who was sentenced to two years imprisonment with hard labor on Saturday for passing information to Israel, forces us to examine the apparent politicization of the trial, the very fabric of the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) and, last but not least, the sinister role of the military court in our justice system.
Clearly Karam’s sentence—he should be out in less than a year, given the time he has already spent in custody—is less severe than many of the other 100 or so people who, since April 2009, have been arrested on suspicion of spying for Israel. Indeed, some have been sentenced to death. Already there are accusations that a “deal” was made between Hezbollah and FPM leader Michel Aoun, hardening the long-held suspicion that Hezbollah is the overall grandmaster on such occasions.
This has not stopped FPM politicians from complaining that their man was “framed,” but the party cannot have it both ways. Aoun has been a staunch defender of Lebanon’s military institutions. To suddenly attack the methods of the ISF because one of their own has fallen foul of the law smacks of peevishness.
But let us assume that Karam is guilty. Not only does it suggest that Aoun surely must have known of his ties with Israel, it also begs the question as to what relationships the general and his entourage cultivated during their 14 years in exile, a period during which Aoun opposed both Hezbollah and Syria.
But arguably the most important part of this episode is the role of the military court and the influence Hezbollah appears to have on all matters regarding Israel. The court, which is currently headed by General Nizar Khalil, an ally of Speaker Nabih Berri, is closed and subject to military censorship, and as such removes fundamental legal guarantees ordinarily granted to Lebanese citizens in the regular courts.
Spying, treason, collaboration—call it what you will—has always been an emotive issue in Lebanon, a country in which there is only one “Enemy.” The Special Tribunal for Lebanon, the court tasked with bringing to justice the killers of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, has been labeled a Zionist construct, its evidence dismissed as the work of spies. Those who support it have at various times been cynically branded as pro-Israeli, as have those who continuously demand the disarmament of Hezbollah in the name of sovereignty.
At a time when there is a clear “either you are with us or against us” mood running through Lebanese politics, surely Karam and his fellow spies (and while we are at it, why not also the Fatah al-Islam radicals?) should have been tried in an open court, and the proof of their activities made known to the public.
Human rights activist Nour Merheb has found himself on the receiving end of the military court and bizarrely could find himself in jail after he was attacked by an off-duty member of the security services. In a statement published today, he claims, quite rightly, that the five conditions of a fair trial—independence, integrity, legitimacy, fairness and objectivity—are not present whenever the military court is in session.
Normally military courts deal with military matters when service personnel are concerned. To have a system where civilians cannot be guaranteed a fair trial just because an issue of national security has been invoked is not one that has a place in a modern democratic society.
That Lebanese politics smacks of hypocrisy is hardly news, but the activities of the military courts need to be reviewed and perhaps even a new law drafted to protect ordinary Lebanese from falling under its arbitrary and opaque remit. Who knows what powers it will next invoke?