LCCC
ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
ِSeptember
13/2011
Bible Quotation for today
1 Corinthians 13/01-07: "If I speak
with the languages of men and of angels, but don’t have love, I have become
sounding brass, or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy, and
know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove
mountains, but don’t have love, I am nothing. If I dole out all my goods
to feed the poor, and if I give my body to be burned, but don’t have love, it
profits me nothing. Love is patient and is kind; love doesn’t envy. Love
doesn’t brag, is not proud, doesn’t behave itself inappropriately, doesn’t
seek its own way, is not provoked, takes no account of evil; doesn’t
rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things,
believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never
fails. But where there are prophecies, they will be done away with. Where there
are various languages, they will cease. Where there is knowledge, it will be
done away with. For we know in part, and we prophesy in part; but
when that which is complete has come, then that which is partial will be done
away with. When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I felt as a child, I
thought as a child. Now that I have become a man, I have put away childish
things. For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I
know in part, but then I will know fully, even as I was also fully known.
But now faith, hope, and love remain—these three. The greatest of these is
love."
Latest analysis, editorials, studies, reports, letters & Releases from miscellaneous sources
Bashar should listen to the
voice of reason/By Antoine Ghattas/September 12/11
Anti-Hezbollah cleric languishes in
jail/By: Shane Farrell/September 12/11
Attempts to revive the al-Assad regime/By Tariq Alhomayed/September 12/11
We all could use a bit of
remembrance/Now Lebanon/September 12/11
Reassuring the Shia – Part II /By:
Hazem Saghiyeh/ September 12/11
Latest News Reports From Miscellaneous Sources for September 12/11
Turkish frigates to confront Israeli vessels, disable their weapons
Fierce Clashes between Hizbullah,
Palestinian Elements near Borj al-Barajneh
With funereal grief, America marks
10th anniversary of 9/11 attacks
Up to 89 US special troops injured
in Taliban suicide attack in Afghanistan
U.S. official criticizes Rai’s
comments on Syria: report
Rai defends stance on Syria,
weapons
Rai’s comments on resistance draw
March 14 criticism
Interview: U.N. envoy tells
Lebanon: Prepare for storm from Syria
EU diplomats: Abbas won't turn to
UN Security Council for Palestinian statehood
Report: Israeli ambassador was
advised to stay home ahead of attack on Cairo embassy
Shots fired from Egypt toward IDF
vehicle on Israel border
U.N. failure to agree on Syria
position a 'scandal': France
The Gulf Cooperation Council: Syria
must stop 'killing machine'
Mikati hints Cabinet will
pay STL dues, sure Hezbollah innocent
Hezbollah says Future's talk is
"stench of strife"
Minister of Foreign Affairs Adnan
Mansour: Lebanon will not support decisions condemning Syria
Lebanon joins cluster bombs
convention
Jumblat: Fear-inciting Remarks on Islamists a 'Scarecrow'
Assad to Ghosn: Coordination between Two Armies Foiled Arms Smuggling Bids
Fierce Clashes between Hizbullah, Palestinian Elements near
Borj al-Barajneh
Naharnet /Fierce machinegun clashes between a Lebanese group and a Palestinian
group are still ongoing since 7:00 pm in the “Kurds neighborhood” on the
outskirts of the Beirut southern suburb of Borj al-Barajneh, state-run National
News Agency reported. “Security forces have not been able to reach the place due
to the intensity of the clashes,” NNA added. Meanwhile, security sources told
MTV that “10 Hizbullah members were wounded in a clash with a Salafist group
near Borj al-Barajneh.” Future News television, for its part, said clashes
erupted between “Hizbullah members and Palestinian elements in Borj al-Barajneh.”
Later on Monday, around 8:25 pm, Al-Jadeed television said that the clashes were
contained and that a meeting between Hizbullah officials and representatives of
the Palestinian factions in the Borj al-Barajneh refugee camp was underway.
FAl-Rahi: My Statements from France Were Taken Out of Context
Naharnet /Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi asserted on Sunday that the
statements he made in France “were taken out of context and therefore they were
misinterpreted,” reported the daily An Nahar on Monday. He announced upon his
return to Lebanon from his visit to France that his talks with French officials
focused on reform in the Arab world.
He added: “We oppose violence against the people regardless of the source of the
violence and we don’t support or oppose ant regime.”
On the Patriarchate’s position on Syria, he stated: “It never announced its
opposition to the Syrian regime, but it opposed Syrian presence in Lebanon.”
“We voiced a fear that dictatorial regimes would transform into fundamentalist
ones, that a civil war would erupt in Syria, and that Christians would fall
victim to sectarian tensions,” al-Rahi clarified. He revealed that the French
officials took his concerns into consideration and “French President Nicolas
Sarkozy did not voice any reservations over them.”
An Nahar reported that President Michel Suleiman will hold talks on Thursday
with the Patriarch and Prime Minister Najib Miqati is scheduled to meet him on
Friday.
Meanwhile, a leading Christian source told the daily al-Liwaa in remarks
published on Monday that al-Rahi’s political performance “is jeopardizing
Bkirki’s efforts to unite the Christian ranks.” “This unity cannot be achieved
through contradictory statements,” it added. Al-Rahi’s remarks from France had
created controversy in Lebanon when he said: “Syrian President Bashar Assad must
be given a chance because he is implementing reforms in Syria.” He also called
on the international community to force the implementation of resolutions issued
by the U.N. Security Council in order to strip Hizbullah of excuses to possess
arms. “The international community must pressure Israel to withdraw from the
occupied Lebanese territories … and fulfill the Palestinians’ right of return,
and consequently Hizbullah will have to lay down its arms,” he told al-Arabiya
television on Thursday. He also warned that the Christians will pay the price if
the Muslim Brotherhood succeeded Syrian President Assad. “If the regime changes
in Syria, and the Sunnis take over, they will form an alliance with the Sunnis
in Lebanon, which will worsen the situation between the Shiites and the Sunnis,”
al-Rahi noted.
U.S. official criticizes Rai’s comments on
Syria: report
September 11, 2011 /The Daily Star /BEIRUT: The position of Maronite Patriarch
Rai on Syria is “unjustified and reckless," an unidentified senior U.S. official
told An-Nahar newspaper.
Following the patriarch’s return from Paris, the U.S. official expressed
surprise and disappointment over Rai’s statements, saying it “hurt his
reputation and his job,” the newspaper reported Sunday. In comments made during
a visit to Paris last week Rai voiced caution over the fall of Syrian President
Bashar Assad’s government, suggesting that its collapse could pose a threat to
Christians in the country, and urging the international community to give Assad
more time to implement reforms. Later in the week, the patriarch was seen to
indirectly defend Hezbollah’s weapons when he linked the arsenal to the defense
of Lebanon from Israel. According to the An-Nahar, the U.S. official also
criticized Hezbollah for its refusal to relinquish its weapons, adding that it
did not defend Lebanon, but was rather an extension of Iran.
Rai
defends stance on Syria, weapons
September 12, 2011/By Hussein Dakroub/The Daily Star
BEIRUT: Maronite Patriarch Beshara Rai hit back Sunday at his critics, defending
his controversial remarks on Syria and Hezbollah’s arms, which drew harsh
criticism from the opposition March 14 parties, but were widely welcomed by
Hezbollah and its March 8 allies.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Najib Mikati came out in support of Rai’s stance on
the need for Hezbollah to keep its arms as long as Israel still occupied a
parcel of Lebanese territory.
“The Maronite patriarch spoke about a part [of the problem]. No one is against
the resistance’s arms as long as [Israeli] occupation continues. There is
Lebanese unanimity on the resistance’s arms in the face of [Israeli]
occupation,” Mikati said in an interview with Al-Jadeed television Sunday night.
Mikati refused to take a stand on Rai’s warning of the emergence of the Muslim
Brotherhood in Syria if President Bashar Assad is brought down by the popular
uprising there. He said he will meet this week with Rai to seek clarifications
from him on this issue.
Some March 14 politicians said they will meet Rai this week to seek
clarifications on his statements on Syria and Hezbollah’s arms which sparked a
political storm in the Christian heartland.
Apparently referring to March 14 politicians who have criticized his remarks,
Rai said he regreted that some people addressed issues superficially. He said
his comments were misinterpreted by some March 14 Maronite politicians.
Rai spoke to reporters at Beirut airport upon his return from a one-week visit
to France, where he had talks with President Nicholas Sarkozy and other senior
French officials on Lebanese-French relations, the situation in Lebanon and the
popular upheavals in the Arab world.
He praised Sarkozy for displaying great concern about the situation in Lebanon
and the Christians in the Middle East countries.
“Our presence in France was organized at the security level and included
questions and consultations. This gave us a big value which is that we must be
like them [French] serious and responsible and to look into matters deeply
rather than superficially, and not to be opportunists, but to be objective,” Rai
said.
Referring to March 14 Maronite politicians who criticized him for linking the
party’s arsenal to the termination of Israeli occupation of Lebanese territory,
Rai said: “I don’t want to say anything on what I have heard or read. But I
regretted that most of us look at matters superficially.”
The Maronite patriarch said his statements on Hezbollah and Syria were
misinterpreted in a way that did not conform at all with the seriousness and
responsible view at matters that prevailed before his visit to France.
“Yes, my brothers the [Maronite] bishops and I have felt responsibility that we
can only address matters seriously and responsibly,” he said.
“All this hospitality displayed by France calls on us, by virtue of respect of
this great country, to continue a responsible line with them and to look into
matters deeply and seriously as they did,” Rai added.
“In fact, I return with joy in my heart and a will to work seriously,
energetically and responsibly, hoping that all of us can address matters in
Lebanon with the required seriousness and responsibility as this friendly
country, France, has known us,” the patriarch said.
Rai said Sarkozy and other French officials he met knew that the Maronite
patriarch spoke objectively without taking any interest into account.
“I am faithful to the motto I have raised: Partnership and love. I respect
everyone, I love everyone and I wish good for everyone. I am not a complaining
man,” he said. Rai called on media people to be objective and report matters
thoroughly. “People should read the entire story and not just the headline,” he
said.
Rai’s remarks drew harsh criticisms from some March 14 politicians who said that
the patriarch’s comments on the divisive issue of Hezbollah ran contrary to the
concept of state building and contradicted with the Maronite Church’s
long-standing position in support of state authority.
In an interview with the Dubai-based Al-Arabiya satellite channel broadcast
Thursday night, Rai said: “Hezbollah’s arms are linked to several issues. We
have said this to the authorities in France. Everyone says why is Hezbollah
carrying arms? We responded that the international community did not exert
pressure on Israel to withdraw from Lebanese territory. As long as there is an
occupied Lebanese territory, Hezbollah will maintain that it wants to carry arms
in defense of its land. What will we say to it then? Isn’t it [Hezbollah]
right?”
Rai also linked Hezbollah’s arms to the return of an estimated 350,000
Palestinian refugees in Lebanon to their homes in Palestine.
Rai was also criticized for saying that Assad should be given a chance to carry
out political reforms in the face of protesters demanding his ouster and for
warning that the rise of the Muslim Brotherhood in Syria posed a threat to the
Christians there.
Kataeb (Phalange) bloc MP Nadim Gemayel told MTV that March 14 parties will meet
with Rai to seek clarification on his statements on Syria and Hezbollah’s arms.
“Rai’s positions on Hezbollah and the Syrian regime forced March 14 parties to
respond and not wait until [Rai] returns [from France],” Gemayel said.
However, Rai’s remarks won praise from Hezbollah. “Patriarch Rai’s stance is not
biased toward Hezbollah. It is biased toward the all-embracing national interest
in general, and in the interest of Christians in particular,” Hezbollah MP Ali
Fayyad told a rally in the southern town of Taloussa Sunday.
Rai’s
comments on resistance draw March 14 criticism
September 10, 2011/ By Hussein Dakroub/The Daily Star
BEIRUT: Maronite Patriarch Beshara Rai came under fire Friday from the
opposition March 14 parties but won praise from March 8 politicians for
indirectly defending Hezbollah’s arms and linking the party’s arsenal to the
termination of Israeli occupation of Lebanese territory.
Both Lebanese Forces MP George Adwan and Fares Soueid, coordinator of the March
14 Secretariat General, rejected Rai’s remarks on the divisive issue of
Hezbollah, saying they ran contrary to the concept of state building and
contradicted with the Maronite Church’s long-standing position in support of
state authority.
In an interview with the Dubai-based Al-Arabiya satellite channel broadcast
Thursday night, Rai, who was in Paris on an official visit, said: “Hezbollah’s
arms are linked to several issues. We have said this to the authorities in
France. Everyone says why is Hezbollah carrying arms? We responded that the
international community did not exert pressure on Israel to withdraw from
Lebanese territory. As long as there is an occupied Lebanese territory,
Hezbollah will maintain that it wants to carry arms in defense of its land. What
will we say to it then? Isn’t it [Hezbollah] right?”
Soueid said Rai’s comments on Hezbollah’s arms were “surprising” for the
majority of the Lebanese people and the Christian community because they
“undermined the concept of the state.”“Patriarch Rai’s statement is coming in
contradiction with the [principles] of the Maronite Church which has since 1943
been supporting the project of state building,” Soueid told The Daily Star. “The
Maronite Church is condemning the presence of non-legitimate weapons in the
hands of any of the communities in Lebanon, Christian or Muslim.”
Soueid reiterated the March 14 parties’ position that rejected the presence of
illegitimate arms in Lebanon.
“Since the Israeli withdrawal [from south Lebanon] in 2000, Hezbollah’s project
has been extra-national … Hezbollah has a regional project linked to Iran and is
supporting the Syrian regime,” he said.
The opposition March 14 parties, including former Prime Minister Saad Hariri’s
Future Movement, have launched blistering campaigns against Hezbollah, calling
on the party to hand over its arms to Lebanese authorities. They also accused
Hezbollah of running its own mini-state at the expense of state authority.“The
state, and not any other Lebanese party, is responsible for defending Lebanon.
It is the state that takes charge of forcing Israel to leave Lebanese territory
and not any Lebanese party,” Soueid said.
Bsharri MP Adwan criticized Rai’s comments, saying they contradicted the concept
of the state and justified the presence of non-state arms.
“We demand that the state defend Lebanon … Patriarch Rai’s remarks give a
justification for the presence of non-state [arms] and the establishment of a
mini-state within the state,” Adwan told LBCI television. “We have sacrificed a
lot to have a strong state … Our respect and appreciation of Bkirki [the
Maronite patriarch’s seat] is firm and permanent.”
Rai, whose remarks were published by some Lebanese newspapers Friday, also said
that the estimated 350,000 Palestinian refugees in Lebanon have arms and they
want to return to their homes in Palestine and that Hezbollah wants to help them
return.
Rai emphasized that only when the international community exerts pressure on
Israel to vacate a parcel of Lebanese territory – the Shebaa Farms, Kfar Shouba
hills and the Lebanese part of the disputed border village of Ghajar – and
Israel allows Palestinians in Lebanon to return to their homes, can Hezbollah be
asked to disarm.
“The international community must exert pressure on Israel to help them
[Palestinians] to return to their lands,” Rai said, adding: “[When this
happens], we can then tell Hezbollah, ‘Surrender your arms because they will no
longer be needed.’”
Rai’s remarks on the six-month-long popular uprising in Syria against President
Bashar Assad have also caused a stir in the Christian heartland, when the
patriarch warned that the emergence of the Muslim Brotherhood in Syria posed a
threat to the Christians there.
“If the situation further deteriorated in Syria and we reached a more radical
rule than the current rule, like the rule of the Muslim Brotherhood, Christians
there would pay the price, either in the form of killings or displacement. Here
is the picture of Iraq is front of us,” Rai said during a news conference in
Paris.
Christians and churches in Iraq have been targeted in the past by militant
Muslim groups linked to Al-Qaeda.
Rai also urged the international community to give Assad a chance to carry out
political reforms and launch dialogue with opposition parties. He said Assad is
an “open-minded person who studied in Europe but he cannot make miracles.”
Criticizing Rai’s comments on Syria, Adwan said: “Seeking protection from any
party does not protect the Christians. Portraying the Christians as if they are
a party [to the conflict] in Syria does not serve the Christians or Bkirki’s
historic line.”
Soueid accused Rai of supporting Free Patriotic Movement leader Michel Aoun at
the expense of Christian unity.
“The Maronite patriarch should support the idea of unity of Maronite Christian
leaders and not be against the point of view of other Maronite leaders,” Soueid
said. “He who wants the unity of the Christian community as Beshara Rai pretends
should be impartial and not support the point of view of one political camp
inside the Christian community,” Soueid said. Asked to elaborate, he said that
Rai is supporting Aoun.
Meanwhile, Rai’s remarks on Syria and Hezbollah won praise from the
Hezbollah-led March 8 parties.
Aley MP Talal Arslan hailed Rai’s declared position in France as the peak of
wisdom and responsibility, saying it was designed to “restrain the Western
states’ colonialist ambitions.”
“It is the duty of every wise man and patriot to respond favorably to Patriarch
Rai’s move. A national voice should be raised in the face of colonialist forces
which are coveting the region’s resources and which seek to solve their economic
and social problems at our expense even if this led to the destruction of our
countries,” Arslan said in a statement.
Marjayoun-Hasbaya MP Qassem Hashem from Speaker Nabih Berri’s parliamentary
Development and Liberation bloc, called on Lebanese factions to adopt Rai’s
position.
“The patriarch’s position is the essential way to preserve and protect Lebanon
amid what is happening in the region. This is the wise policy that can save the
country and confirms the all-embracing national principles and choices,” Hashem
said.
However, Al-Jamaa al-Islamiya criticized Rai’s comments on Syria. The group
rejected Rai’s comment that a Sunni regime in Syria would escalate Sunni-Shiite
tension in Lebanon.
“This has been disputed by history which [has proven] that Lebanese families
have lived together for decades without fearing each other,” the statement said.
It called for reviving Muslim-Christian dialogue to reassure all the country’s
communities.
The Gulf Cooperation Council: Syria
must stop 'killing machine'
September 11, 2011/The Gulf Cooperation Council on Sunday urged Syria to
immediately stop its "killing machine" against anti-regime protesters, and
reiterated its demand for serious reforms.Ending a meeting in Jeddah, the six
GCC foreign ministers issued a statement calling for "an immediate end to the
killing machine" in Syria.The group of oil-rich Arab monarchies also urged "the
immediate implementation of serious reforms that meet the aspirations of the
Syrian" people. Last month, GCC states Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Bahrain recalled
their envoys from Damascus to protest against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's
crackdown on anti-regime protests that erupted in March. The United Nations says
more than 2,200 people have been killed since then. -AFP/NOW Lebanon
U.N.
failure to agree on Syria position a 'scandal': France
September 11, 2011/ Daily Star/CANBERRA: France has described as a "scandal" the
failure of the United Nations so far to agree on a resolution against the
violent crackdowns on dissidents in Syria. "I think it's a scandal not to have a
clear position of the U.N. in such a terrible crisis," French Foreign Minister
Alain Juppe told a reporter on Sunday on a visit to Australia. He made the
comment when asked about Russian resistance to a draft resolution late last
month that called for sanctions against Syrian President Bashar Assad.
"We think that the regime has lost its legitimacy. We think that it's too late
to implement a level of reform. We should adopt in New York a very clear
resolution condemning the violence," Juppe added. Syrian demonstrators have
demanded international protection to stop civilian killings in what has become
one of the most violent responses to protest of the "Arab Spring" uprisings
sweeping the Middle East and North Africa. France, Britain, the United States,
Germany and Portugal circulated a draft resolution that called for sanctions
against Assad, influential relatives and close associates, but it met strong
resistance from Russia and China.
Minister of Foreign Affairs Adnan Mansour: Lebanon will not
support decisions condemning Syria
September 11, 2011 /Minister of Foreign Affairs Adnan Mansour said on Sunday
that Lebanon will not support any decision that condemns Syria, in reference to
a potential UN Security Council draft resolution against the Damascus regime.
The cabinet’s decision is “clear” and Lebanon will not support any decision that
harms Syria’s stability and security, Mansour told New TV. He also commended
Maronite Patriarch Bechara Boutros al-Rai’s recent statements on Syria, calling
them responsible. The Patriarch said on Thursday that Syrian President Bashar
al-Assad is “open-minded” and should be given more chances to implement reforms.
“Rai’s statements are those of a responsible man who maturely looks into the
future.”
Commenting on criticisms against the Patriarch, Mansour said Lebanon is a
democratic country and others’ opinions should be accepted. Many figures,
particularly March 14 Christians, have criticized Rai’s statements that Syrian
President Bashar al-Assad is “open-minded” and should be given more chances to
implement reforms. Assad’s troops have cracked down on protests against almost
five decades of Baath Party rule which broke out mid-March, killing over 2,200
people and triggering a torrent of international condemnation.-NOW Lebanon
Hezbollah
says Future's talk is "stench of strife"
September 9, 2011
Hezbollah MP Mohammad Raad slammed the Future Movement on Thursday and said that
its “political rhetoric smells of stagnancy and strife’s stench.”
“What we hear and read in Future’s media and [and from] its officials and MPs,
at least [recently], contradicts the logic and morals of its founder,” Raad said
on Thursday in reference to late former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. He added
that the Future Movement has been “distressed” over not being in power and “no
longer wants a state, the constitution and the law.”
Raad also accused the party of “deceit… and misleading [the public].”“Today,
their opposing rhetoric has turned to insults… and their performance is
malicious [and aims to] obstruct and sabotage.” The Loyalty and Resistance bloc
leader also said that the Future Movement’s “snippiness” has addressed religious
as well as political figures.
“What credibility do they still have? What state do they claim to build?”The
“immorality” of their political rhetoric has “driven them today to destroy the
remaining communications bridge with Lebanese patriots” by targeting Speaker
Nabih Berri, who has always “tolerated the burden of opening dialogue between
political opponents,” Raad added.“We confirm that [Berri’s] role in negotiating
during the 2006 July War supported the Resistance, protected the country’s unity
and disappointed the hopes of those betting on the fulfillment of US-Israeli
goals.”Al-Mustaqbal newspaper, owned by opposition leader Saad Hariri’s family,
published a leaked US cable quoting Berri as saying that former President Emile
Lahoud is a “bastard.” Another leaked cable said that Berri, a seemingly
unshakeable ally of the powerful Shia Hezbollah, drew pleasure from Israel's
deadly raids on the militant group in 2006. The speaker denied both cables. Also
in the news, the Lebanese subsidiary of Societe Generale (SGBL) announced
Thursday the central bank had approved its plan to acquire assets of the
Lebanese Canadian Bank, accused by Washington of money laundering and ties to
Hezbollah.
"SGBL obtained on September 7, 2011 the final approval of the central bank of
Lebanon for the acquisition of certain assets and liabilities of the Lebanese
Canadian Bank (LCB)," SGBL said in a statement. "Finalization of the acquisition
was subject to a preliminary review process of accounts and transactions
implemented by local and international authorities, SGBL and three international
audit firms." In February, the US Treasury Department accused LCB of laundering
hundreds of millions of dollars on behalf of a drug lord with alleged links to
the powerful Shiite militant party Hezbollah, blacklisted as a terrorist
organization by Washington. The bank has denied the charges.
Central bank governor Riad Salameh had said the institution complied with
anti-laundering laws. Salameh in March announced SGBL had won a bid to acquire
assets and liabilities of LCB, but would not disclose figures. Banking sources
in Lebanon have put it at about half a billion dollars. Thursday's acquisition
brings SGBL's total assets to $11 billion, deposits to $8.6 billion and loans to
$3 billion. Meanwhile, a United Nations-backed court set up to try the killers
of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri announced the names of the five judges who
will make up its trial chamber with effect from September 20.
“The judges of the Trial Chamber are Judge Robert Roth of Switzerland, the
Presiding Judge of the Chamber; Judge Micheline Braidi of Lebanon; Judge David
Re of Australia; Judge Janet Nosworthy of Jamaica, an alternate judge; and Judge
Walid Akoum of Lebanon, an alternate judge,” said a statement published on the
Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) website.
The chamber "may meet before the trial starts to engage in various matters, such
as holding an initial appearance with the accused ... [or] deciding whether a
trial in absentia [in the absence of the accused] is appropriate," the court
added. Last month, the court published a full indictment and said it had
enough evidence to put four members of Lebanon's influential Hezbollah on trial.
-NOW Lebanon
Mikati hints Cabinet will pay STL dues, sure Hezbollah innocent
September 12, 2011/The Daily Star /BEIRUT: Prime Minister Najib Mikati hinted
Sunday that his government will pay its $32 million share of funds to a divisive
U.N.-backed court, adding that he wishes Hezbollah would appoint lawyers to
defend four of its members who are suspected of plotting the assassination of
statesman Rafik Hariri.
Mikati urged the Lebanese to stay away from Syria’s domestic troubles, saying
Lebanon as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council will
not take any decisions against Syria. “Lebanon is a founding member of the
United Nations and we will not be selective in implementing international
resolutions; I will not give Israel a pretext to sack [Lebanon] from the
international community or to impose sanctions [on Lebanon],” Mikati told Al-Jadeed
television station when asked about his government’s stance on funding the
Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL). Many fear that the Mikati government, which
is dominated by Hezbollah and its allies, will refrain from paying its dues to
the U.N.-backed STL, which has implicated four members of the party in the 2005
Hariri assassination. Mikati said his government was mulling several scenarios
related to the funding of the court but refused to elaborate on those. “I will
not talk about solutions now, because I want the government efforts to succeed,”
he said.
Mikati argued that international resolutions that prove to be harmful to Lebanon
can be “altered or scrapped” through diplomatic contacts. “But as long as an
international resolution is still operational, Lebanon is committed to implement
it,” he added. The prime minister said he was convinced of Hezbollah’s innocence
and hoped that Hezbollah would assign lawyers to defend members who were named
in the first round of indictments issued by the Netherlands-based STL.
Tackling the six-month-old unrest in Syria, Mikati said his government’s policy
was to keep Lebanon at bay from the negative repercussions caused by events
witnessed in the Arab world, stressing that Lebanon will not interfere in the
internal affairs of Syria. “We wish for the Syrian people what they wish for
themselves,” he said, adding that the turmoil in Syria will be extensively
tackled at the U.N. Security Council, which Lebanon will head during the month
of September.
“Our decision is very clear: we will not take any decisions against Syria,”
Mikati said. The prime minister also said that both the international community
and Syria understood the “peculiar” nature of the relationship between Lebanon
and its neighbor. In the wide-ranging interview, Mikati hinted that there will
be an increase in taxes in the next budget, but that this will not affect low
income classes and also promised more social provisions. The prime minister
added that he supported proportional representation as an electoral system,
arguing that it guarantees maximum representation.“We are now waiting for the
interior minister to submit a draft electoral law, which will be examined by a
ministerial committee,” he added.
The new patriarch
Hazem al-Amin, September 9, 2011
Maronite Patriarch Mar Bechara Boutros Al-Rai’s visit to France has predictably
deepened the long-standing misunderstanding between Christians and their Western
mentor. It seems that Rai is not knowledgeable about Western political and
cultural sensitivities without which there can be no relation with the West.
Eastern Christians, particularly Lebanese Christians, who picked up the early
signs of this sensitivity long before everyone else, are these days afflicted by
a political, religious and social representation with little knowledge about the
relation with the West. Any observer of Rai’s visit to Paris might think for a
while that the man visited the French capital in his capacity as an envoy of the
Syrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. His statements on most legs of the visit all
emphasized one issue, namely “granting the Syrian regime a chance to complete
its reforms.” There were other variations around this same theme, including the
fear pertaining to an extremist alternative Syrian regime.
On another occasion before the patriarch went to the Elysée to meet with French
President Nicolas Sarkozy, news agencies distributed a mysterious statement
imputed to Rai, who reportedly said that “the events in Syria are genocide
rather than reforms.” The statement, however, was withdrawn from circulation as
soon as Rai went into the meeting!
We will not discuss here the dangers incurred by the Christians in Syria and
Lebanon as a result of the Maronite Patriarchate’s support for the Syrian
regime, nor will we tackle the implications of the intimate picture that brought
Rai with the Syrian ambassador to Beirut on the very day when the Syrian
regime’s forces were pounding Hama. Rather, we will tackle the implications of
the disparity between the Lebanese Christian stance and the Western/European
one, especially with regard to Syria and other related issues.
The local culture, colorful and enlightened though it may be, will not protect
regional minorities. Such a culture is the antidote of diversity and difference,
and the only hope for these minorities – especially Christian ones – lies with
Western protection. This clear statement, which would better not be made in
public, represents the genuine conviction of Christians, not to mention others.
The partisans of the “majority” culture and those who joined them as of late
might ask: In what case did the West protect minorities in the Middle East? The
question emanates, in this case, from a culture that is parallel to the majority
culture and that is inclined to diabolize the West and brandish “conspiracy” as
its main creed. There is no harm, however, in a sterile enumeration of stages
during which the West was involved in protecting minorities:
In Lebanon specifically, and in various stages of the civil war, the demarcation
line between fighting parties represented an imaginary line, which Islamist (and
leftist) organizations and militias supported by the PLO – and later on by Syria
– were banned from crossing by this same diabolized West. Had it been crossed,
which could have been easily feasible, this would have dealt a sure blow not
only to Christian parties, but also to the Christian presence.
In Iraq, Kurds would not have had their autonomous province were it not for the
West’s partiality to this option back in 1991. This started with [then-French
President] François Mitterand’s friendship with the Kurds and their mountains,
and was extended by the US direct intervention to protect the Kurdish
experience. In Turkey, European pressure on successive governments in Ankara was
the mainstay of Kurdish grievances in that country.
In states such as Syria and Saddam Hussein’s Iraq, governments were addressing a
Western mood with regard to their sponsorship of Christians. In other words, the
party to the discussion on the situation of minorities was not the Christian
conscience, but rather a wish to appear as an entity treating a minority with
fairness in order to express a majority grievance. The West emerges, in this
case too, as a protector of Christians one way or another.
Patriarch Rai’s stance on the Syrian uprising today is, once again, a far cry
from the conclusive Western and European stance on the Syrian regime. The
repercussions of this fact will affect, in turn, the Syrian presence since the
West’s growing feeling that Christians (or their representatives) are drawing
away from the values it cherishes is bound to eventually affect its relation
with them.
Still, Rai’s visit to Paris is characterized by other worrying implications.
Indeed, his discordant statements on more than one occasion revealed an
unprecedented confusion within the community he represents. For instance, let us
have a quick look at the Maronite patriarch’s statement on Hezbollah’s weapons.
It would be a losing bet for anyone endeavoring to define what the man meant
with these statements from Paris and whether the patriarch is in favor of having
Hezbollah retain its weapons or, on the contrary, of disarming it and
assimilating its weapons.
**This article is a translation of the original, which appeared on the NOW
Arabic site on Friday September 9, 2011
Anti-Hezbollah cleric languishes in jail
Shane Farrell, September 11, 2011/Now Lebanon
On his way to Mecca to perform the Umrah pilgrimage, Sheikh Hassan Mushaymesh
was apprehended and incarcerated in Syria on July 7, 2010. For the first few
months of his captivity, his family knew nothing of his whereabouts. Then, when
Syrian authorities revealed that he had been taken into custody, no explanation
was given for his arrest.
This prompted human rights watchdog Amnesty International to release a statement
calling for his whereabouts to be disclosed and for Mushaymesh to be released or
charged with a recognizable offence.“We only found out where he was being kept
once the [Syrian anti-regime] uprisings began [in March],” said his son Reda,
and that was only because Mushaymesh managed to pass on his whereabouts to a
third party, who then communicated it to his family.
Sheikh Mohammad Ali al-Haj al-Amili, vice president of the Convention of
Independent Shia Clerics, a group critical of Hezbollah that counted Mushaymesh
as one of its members, visited Mushaymesh two months ago and alleges that the
sheikh was badly treated in jail. “He told me about how he was being tortured
and beaten up,” Amili said. “He told me he ‘nearly saw death.’” Mushaymesh, who
suffers from a slipped disc in his back, was continuously thrown in the air by
prison guards and let fall on the ground, according to Amili.
The reasons for his arrest are disputed.
According to a Syrian judicial document obtained by Mushaymesh’s family, the
former Hezbollah member was alleged to have received $3,000 and promised
residency in Germany to investigate and gather information on the
party—including its weapons gathering, relations with Iran and on the
assassination of military commander Imad Mughniyeh—and pass it on to agents of
the Israeli intelligence agency Mossad.
However, Reda Mushaymesh says the charges are completely unjustified and
unfounded. Instead, he believes his father was specifically targeted because in
1997 he left Hezbollah, a close ally of the Syrian leadership, and has
frequently criticized the party ever since, specifically in his monthly
magazine, Difaf. He also feels the arrest was a warning to the Convention of
Independent Shia Clerics, as Hezbollah views the organization as a threat to its
authority and politics, especially in the party’s strongholds in southern
Lebanon.
A group called “Friends of Sheikh Mohammed Mushaymesh” supports this view, and
issued a statement on September 7 that said, “The Syrian government is
attempting to leverage Sheikh Hassan Mushaymesh's detention in an effort to
‘teach a lesson’ to the Shia who believe in free speech, particularly the Ulemas.”
The statement followed two major developments in Mushaymesh’s case.
The first occurred on August 21, when the First Referral Tribunal, which
examined the case, dismissed it on the grounds that the Syrian judiciary did not
have the authority to try such a case. This is because Mushaymesh is not a
Syrian citizen or resident, and his alleged crimes were neither directed at
Syria nor carried out there.
The second development was the appeal of this decision by the Syrian Public
Prosecutor on September 6, a move Reda Mushaymesh believes is politically
motivated. He feels his father’s release without charge would reflect poorly on
Hezbollah, particularly at a time when some are alleging the Party of God
negotiated with Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) leader Michel Aoun for a light
sentence to be imposed on former Brigadier Fayez Karam, an FPM member also
accused of passing information to the Israelis.
NOW Lebanon contacted the Lebanese Foreign and Judicial ministries to ask if
they were following up on the case and could ascertain the veracity of the
charges against Mushaymesh.
Foreign Minister Adnan Mansour revealed Friday that he is expecting to hear back
from the Syrian authorities by the end of the weekend. However, he added that it
is up to the Minister of Justice to follow up on the matter.
Justice Minister Shakib Qortbawi, meanwhile, said he is not aware of the details
of the case and since it is not in a Lebanese court, it is the Foreign
Ministry’s responsibility. He told NOW Lebanon that he plans to contact the
Foreign Minister for more information on the case.
**Nadine Elali and Amani Hamad contributed reporting.
Interview: U.N. envoy tells Lebanon: Prepare for storm from Syria
September 12, 2011 /By Mirella Hodeib/The Daily Star
Williams expects the Mikati government to fulfill its obligations towards the
STL. (Mohammed Azakir/The Daily Star)
BEIRUT: Lebanon’s top U.N. official, whose tenure ends this month, advised the
country to prepare for the looming “storm” the unrest in Syria might trigger,
while adding that Syrian President Bashar Assad was incapable of “any meaningful
reform.”U.N. Special Coordination for Lebanon Michael Williams said he expected
the government of Prime Minister Najib Mikati to fulfill its obligations toward
the Special Tribunal for Lebanon and warned that several European countries will
pull out their troops from the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon in the
event of future attacks. Williams explained that the implications of the unrest
in Syria, more so than the divisive STL, will constitute the biggest challenge
the country will face in the coming period. “The STL is another [challenge] but
if you ask me to rank them, I would say in the immediate future, in the
following year – Syria and what is happening there,” Williams, told The Daily
Star. He believes that Lebanon must “prepare for the storm” hailing from Syria.
“There are particularly difficult outcomes [from events in Syria] which may or
may not happen,” he said. “What if the Sunnis turned against Alawites or against
Christians? That could have consequences in Lebanon.”
Economy and the flow of refugees are other major challenges, according to the
U.N. special coordinator.
“Will Syria’s economy suffer badly for example? Will this impact Lebanon?” he
asked, adding that the flow of refugees was another issue. “So far numbers have
been relatively small, 2,000 to 4,000 or so, and Lebanon was able to handle them
well, but if there were bigger incidents, there could be larger movements – so
that’s a worry,” he said. But Williams believes that the key to avoiding
sectarian conflicts in the Levant region is not Assad staying in power. “Alas he
has shown himself incapable of any meaningful reform.”
Williams, who held talks about Lebanon and Syria in Cairo over the weekend with
Arab League chief Nabil al-Araby and Egyptian Foreign Minister Mohammad Amr,
said the Syrian government lacked any political purpose and any political
program. “The Lebanese Parliament has many problems, but when I go there I see
people debating and arguing and it reminds me of the British Parliament in many
ways,” said Williams.
“If you go to the Syrian Parliament – I don’t know – It’s like something from
the Soviet Union in the 1950s; everybody just applauds the great leader – there
is no real debate,” he added.
Williams said the Syrian government cannot deal with so many problems except by
violence, describing such an approach as a “way of the past.”
He added problems are dealt with by trying to develop political consensus behind
an issue, citing consensus reached by the Lebanese government over the reform of
the electricity sector as a typical example.
In fact, Williams seems satisfied with the months-old Mikati government, adding
that the latter was “interested in developing stronger ties with the
international community.”
“I think frankly the Mikati government has not done too bad, the electricity
bill was the first big challenge and if it goes ahead that would be good,” he
said, while advising the current government to focus more on issues affecting
the daily lives of the Lebanese such as public transport and the environment.
Williams added that the Mikati government was acting “wisely” on several issues,
namely those related to the search for suspects named in the indictments issued
by the Netherlands-based STL, which is probing the 2005 assassination of
statesman Rafik Hariri.
“One doesn’t know whether these people are here or whether they are gone or
whether they are here in inaccessible areas,” he said. “I don’t think that a
Saad Hariri government would have done a different outcome.”
Hezbollah, which dominates the government, was also acting “cautiously on the
whole,” according to Williams.
“Government does have to fulfill obligations to the court and for Hezbollah this
is a challenge but I don’t believe they want to see the government fall,” said
Williams. “It’s a bit like the electrical dispute; people have very strong
opinions but when it comes to it they usually compromise in a Lebanese way.”
The U.N. envoy who held multiple rounds of dialogue with Hezbollah officials,
describes the controversial group as a “party to the peace,” he also considers
their stance with regard to the STL as “quite interesting.”
“[Hezbollah] is not as remote from [STL] as we thought six months ago – we
thought that the publication of the indictments will bring demonstrations of
violence we’ve heard nothing of that,” he said.
He also urged the Lebanese government to start exploiting the country’s offshore
gas reserves “as soon as possible” and downplayed the possibility of a war
erupting between Lebanon and Israel over disputed zones.
Williams stressed that future attacks on U.N. peacekeepers or any humiliation of
these forces will not be tolerated, with European contributors threatening to
pull out their troops serving as part of UNIFIL.
“I think France and some of the others like Spain and Italy could not tolerate
another bomb attack – that would be unacceptable,” said Williams. “They also do
not like to see any humiliation of their forces [or to see them] held against
their will, their cameras and GPS [devices] taken away.”
The diplomat, who will present his last briefing on Lebanon to U.N. Secretary
General Ban Ki-moon in early October, said the U.N. took “very seriously” the
roadside attacks on May 27 against Italian peacekeepers and on June 26 against
French ones, and expressed serious worries about many crimes going unpunished in
Lebanon.
Asked whether Islamist groups stood behind the attacks on UNIFIL peacekeepers,
Williams’ answer was a concise “maybe.” He explained that the road was quite
long from Beirut all the way down to the southern port city of Tyre, adding that
the Sidon area was particularly “vulnerable.”
Both attacks against UNIFIL this year happened in the vicinity of the port city
of Sidon, home to the Palestinian refugee camp of Ain al-Hilweh, a hub for
extremist groups and outlaws.
Williams called for a tighter security grip along the highway leading to south
Lebanon, urging for more checkpoints more standing patrols and more road
patrols.
“We can’t have a repeat of those [attacks] – that could easily lead to a lot of
Europeans going,” he added.
Williams revealed he was sad to be leaving “the only democracy in the Arab
world,” and one of the most satisfying mission he has done.
“The realities of Lebanon and its situation in the Middle East are that you will
never achieve everything,” he said.
“Lebanon is a small country and it’s flanked by two difficult neighbors, Israel
and Syria, but you can’t change geography,” Williams added.
He described his job as U.N. Special Coordinator for Lebanon as “tiring” as it
requires the ability to develop relationships with a vast array of people of
different confessional faiths and of different politics and backgrounds.
He also advises his successor to be patient: Having patience is required in
enormous quantities and trying to treat each [group] with respect and engage in
a real dialogue with them.”
Bashar should listen to the voice of reason
September 12, 2011/By Antoine Ghattas/Saab The Daily Star
Ministerial sources are pausing over the statements made by Maronite Patriarch
Beshara Rai in Paris calling on the international community to give Syrian
President Bashar Assad more time and opportunity to carry out reforms.
While the Lebanese opposition called the patriarch’s statements unacceptable, as
the remarks seemed to support the bloodshed in Syria, these sources believe that
Rai’s statements should be scrutinized before judgment is passed. According to
them, Rai was perhaps trying to balance his previous statements condemning the
violence in Syria, to show the Lebanese that they need to act in ways that
absorb the effects of the Syrian uprising with the least possible damage to
Lebanon.
These sources say that Lebanon is not isolated from events in the region and
political life in the country is bound to be affected by the changes in the Arab
world since the country is sensitive to people’s uprisings and their struggles
for freedom and democracy. The sources advise parties in Lebanon against
adopting uprisings in the region as extensions of their own political projects,
a tactic which, as experience has shown, could lead to violence. However, the
sources also noted the need to question whether the country has a greater
interest in having democratic or authoritarian regimes as neighbors.
Meanwhile, diplomatic sources in Beirut reveal their countries’ fear of the
coming weeks, which will be filled with challenges and dangers stemming from
developments in the region. They referenced their countries’ growing concerns
over the repercussions of Syria developments on the domestic situation in
Lebanon, whose parties are divided between those who are supportive of the
Syrian regime and those opposed to it. This division threatens to open Lebanon
to the dangers of armed confrontation between the protesters and regime.
The officials also mentioned the messages coming from beyond Syria’s borders,
such as the position of the Turkish prime minister who warned Assad that “He who
bases his power on bloodshed will end up leaving in a trail of blood.” The
Iranian president’s advice to his Syrian ally was to take notice of his people’s
demands and to stop using violence against them, while showing at the same time
his country’s willingness to host a meeting of Islamic countries who wish to
tackle the problems in Syria. These messages are means to pressure on Assad and
his regime – especially those in the military – to listen to the voice of reason
and to stop taking risks with regime, so that it won’t face the same fate as the
regimes in Egypt and Libya.
The officials were surprised that European and Arab efforts have not been able
to achieve tangible progress in resolving the crisis and they raised doubts as
to whether Russia – which, after receiving a delegation of the Syrian
opposition, is getting ready to meet with the Syrian presidential adviser,
Bouthaina Shaaban, Sunday in Moscow – can achieve anything to put an end to the
bloodshed and bring the two sides to the dialogue table.
The visit of the secretary general of the Arab League, Nabil al-Araby, to
Damascus did not serve its purpose, even thought Araby, after meeting with
Assad, made sure to express the league’s rejection of threats to Syria’s
stability and security, including foreign intervention in its internal affairs,
and their desire to help Syria overcome the present crisis. For the Syrian
leadership rejected all forms of initiatives targeting the regime and its role
as the leader of the resistance, and it didn’t offer any guarantees on its
intention to translate the promised reforms, such as adopting a new
parliamentary electoral law as well as a law for political parties, and
canceling Article 8 (which limits leadership to the Baath party) and canceling
the state of emergency. These are issues that Araby and Assad discussed but to
no avail, as the world awaits the intensification of Arab and European
diplomatic efforts in order to secure a transition of power to the opposition of
Syria.
Up to 89
US special troops injured in Taliban suicide attack in Afghanistan
DEBKAfile Special Report September 11, 2011,
A suicide bomber blew up a truck packed with 9,000 kilograms of explosives at
the entrance to a NATO Combat Outpost Sayed Abad base in central Afghanistan's
Wardak province Saturday, Sept. 10. The attack took place as America marked the
10th anniversary of 9/11and New York and Washington DC were on terror alert for
a vehicle-borne strike.
The base targeted serves US Special Forces in Afghanistan. The ISAF (NATO)
communiqué reported that at least 77 servicemen were injured in the attack at
the compound entrance without explaining the almost 24-hour delay in its
publication. The US Army spokesman Maj. David Eastburn later reported "89
wounded in action." There were no details of the injuries excepting that "all
are being treated and none is immediately life threatening."
US sources said the injury toll was one of the worst for foreign forces in a
single incident in the decade-long war.
The statement added: "The impact to the compound is readily repairable and
operations are continuing."
An Afghan police officer and four civilians were killed, including a girl in a
village half a mile away from the blast, and two Afghan police officers and an
intelligence officer wounded.
The Taliban statement said the attack was carried out by a Paktia resident from
east Afghanistan who "blew up his truck stuffed with some 9,000 kilos of
explosives" and that at least 50 US soldiers were killed or seriously injured.
Local witnesses were quoted as seeing helicopters landing at the blast scene and
taking off more than 16 times airlifting corpses and casualties.
debkafile's military sources add: The Sayed Abad region is the scene of the
Talban missile ambush which downed a US Chinook on Aug. 6 causing the deaths of
30 Americans, 6 of whom were members of the Seals unit which killed Osama Bin
Laden in Pakistan on May 2. Seven Afghan army commandos and a local translator
died in the helicopter crash.
The US reported at the time that the Seals aboard the Ch-47 were not necessarily
members of Bin Laden hit team.
debkafile's military sources: Talban has focused its most recent campaign on US
special operations forces who are bearing the brunt of the Afghanistan war.
At a conference on terrorism in Washington, Prince Turki al-Faisal, a former
Saudi intelligence chief and ambassador to the US and the US, said the Obama
administration should have used the bin Laden killing to declare victory and
quickly withdraw from Afghanistan. Today, it faces an increasingly nationalist
uprising.
The conference was held last week by the Center for Strategic and International
Studies for the 9/11 commemoration..
The Saudi prince said: "The killing of bin Laden has not gotten the accolades it
deserves…. It would have been the perfect moment when your president can say
we've done it… this is the timetable that we've set for withdrawal of troops…
But it hasn’t happened that way."
He went on to say: "I don't mean withdrawing your embassy, your economic aid or
your other support, but having troops on the ground in Afghanistan has never
succeeded."
He warned that the Afghan people will not accept foreign troops… It's not just
the Pashtuns who are fighting back against the Americans, now it is gaining a
nationwide complexion."
Asked if US efforts toward talks with Taliban leader Mullah Omar would bear
fruit, the Saudi prince replied: "I think now frankly Mullah Omar is extraneous.
…He is probably somewhere in Pakistan, not even in Afghanistan and it is
becoming more of a national resistance movement to the presence of foreign
troops. So Mullah Omar will be one of many… conducting the resistance."
Attempts
to revive the al-Assad regime
By Tariq Alhomayed/Asharq Al-Awsat
There are regional models designed to revive the regime of Bashar al-Assad,
rather than save the Syrians. Some of these models have already failed, while
others are still trying with all their strength to the degree that it has become
blatant, but this is a good thing.
There is the Turkish model which has tried to appear friendly to both the people
and the regime in Syria, where it has sought to inject the wretched Baathist
body with the blood of the Muslim Brotherhood, in an attempt to revive the
al-Assad regime by placing a Brotherhood member in an influential position, such
as the Prime Minister. However, this attempt failed for several reasons, the
most important of which is that the al-Assad regime will not accept reforms.
Furthermore, the magnitude of crimes committed against the Syrians would make
the Muslim Brotherhood partners in blood with the al-Assad regime, and this
would be political suicide for the Brotherhood.
There is also the Arab model, which does not have a consensus but is represented
by several endeavors. First we can recall the Saudi monarch’s speech, which
continues to place the highest ceiling in defense of the Syrians. As the Arab
attempt is represented by several models, there have also been attempts to
neutralize the al-Assad regime away from Iran. This is like trying to make the
weather in the Arabian Peninsula like the weather in London, and therefore this
attempt failed and will continue to fail as long as al-Assad rules Syria.
Another Arab model has attempted to revive the al-Assad regime by trying to ward
off Iran altogether. Here it is suffice to consider the reasons behind the
failure of the latest Syrian opposition conference in Doha, the principal reason
being the attempt to pressure participants in the conference to adopt the Arab
initiative towards Syria, an initiative which the al-Assad regime acts as if it
does not exist, and deals with the Secretary General of the Arab League like he
is completely irrelevant!
Well, what’s left? What remains, of course, is the Iranian model. Tehran has
attempted to save al-Assad on the ground, through financial support for the
regime and providing it with equipment and security expertise, including the
famous Israeli plan of dividing cities into security quadrants. This is what has
happened today in Damascus and other cities. According to a statement by the
Iranian President, Iran today is also seeking to call for an Islamic conference
in Tehran, attended by influential Arab countries, in order to discuss the
Syrian crisis. The conference is also intended to be the nucleus of any other
emergency that happens in the Arab countries in the future!
This means that Iran is not only stoking flames, but it has also revealed the
extent of its own plight. The Iranian attempt, just like the Arab attempts
outlined above, means that everyone has become certain of the end of the
al-Assad regime, no matter how they try to revive it. This also means that Iran
wants to reduce the size of its losses from its grave political situation in the
region, due to the fragmentation of its ally, al-Assad. It is doing so by trying
to save the regime through an Islamic partnership, i.e. Saudi Arabia and Turkey.
Tehran hopes to either save al-Assad or appear friendly to the Syrian people.
This is reminiscent of how Iran morally compensated for the painful political
slap it received after the intervention of the Joint Peninsula Shield Force in
Bahrain. The Islamic conference has also been established to open a new window
for future Iranian interference in the Middle East, in the event of the fall of
the al-Assad regime, and Iran’s hand being cut off from the region.
The above reflects the failed attempts to revive the al-Assad regime, and all
are now convinced, including Iran, of the inevitability that it will come to an
end. Therefore, it is necessary now for the Arabs to move on to the next basic
and required stage, namely freezing the membership of Syria in the Arab League,
and demanding that the Security Council act to protect the defenseless Syrians
from the al-Assad regime.
Assad to Ghosn: Coordination between Two Armies Foiled Arms
Smuggling Bids
Naharnet /Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Monday held talks with Lebanon’s
Defense Minister Fayez Ghosn concerning “cooperation and coordination between
the Syrian and Lebanese armies,” Syria’s state-run news agency SANA reported.
“Assad expressed appreciation of the Lebanese army's great efforts in
coordination with the Syrian counterpart to monitor the borders between the two
countries, which helped foil several weapons smuggling attempts targeting the
two countries' stability and security,” SANA said.
Syrian Defense Minister Daoud Rajha also attended the meeting. On Saturday the
Lebanese army thwarted an attempt to smuggle tasers and individual communication
devices to Syria through an illegal border crossing at Deir al-Ashaer in the
Rashayya region, Lebanon’s official National News Agency reported. The
army stopped a pickup truck loaded with equipment as it was attempting to enter
Syria, NNA said. It confiscated the equipment and investigations are underway
into the case, the agency added.
We all could use a bit of remembrance
September 12, 2011 /Now Lebanon
Seen from a particular Arab perspective (we will discount the lunatic fringe
conspiracy theorists for the moment), the events of September 11, 2001 went
something like this: After nearly half a century of supporting Israel in the
Middle East, the US got a taste of its own medicine when al Qaeda mercenaries
hijacked four commercial airliners, three of which hit the two World Trade
Center towers and the Pentagon, while the fourth, supposedly destined for the
White House, plummeted into a field in rural Pennsylvania. Almost 3,000 people
died in the attacks, but this number, many Arabs will triumphantly declare, is
nothing compared to the many more thousands who died in Lebanon, Palestine and
other areas where US influence extended. It was a case of “You live by the
sword, so ye shall die by the sword.”
Those who partake of the same school of thought might look on Sunday’s 10-year
remembrance of the attacks with similar cynicism. Where, they might ask, are the
remembrance services for the hundreds of thousands of innocent civilians who
perished in Iraq and Afghanistan as a result of the US-led coalition’s reaction
to 9/11? Where are the services for the nearly 1,200 Lebanese who died as a
result of Israel’s disproportionate response to Hezbollah’s cross-border raid
that started the 2006 July War in Lebanon, a war the US did little to stop? But
surely these questions should be directed at Baghdad, Kabul, Beirut and even
Gaza. Why should we pour scorn on those who have suffered loss just because we
are apparently incapable of bestowing the same dignity on our own dead?
The Arab Spring, the Arab Awakening—call it what you will—has shown us that old
school Arab leaders, those recently toppled or who are teetering on the brink,
never really gave much of a fig for the dignity of their people, and Lebanon’s
reaction to what is arguably its own 9/11, the killing of Rafik Hariri—on 2/14,
if you like—was perhaps the harbinger to the new mood currently convulsing
across the region.
But many will still mock the day-long 9/11 ceremony and the fanfare accorded the
victims and their families, and this is because 60 years of authoritarian Arab
regimes have been characterized by the fomenting of hatred rather than the
cultivation of compassion. To rabble rouse and blame the other, in this case
Israel and the West, for misfortune has been the sine qua non of their rule.
In Lebanon, arguably the least authoritarian state in the region, but which has
issues for other reasons, we too have not been able to honor our own. Where are
the moments of silence for the victims of the 1975-1990 civil war, both for
those who died and those whose whereabouts are still unknown? Psychoanalysts
point to the fact that we are inherently unable to deal with pain and reality,
while others have argued that to embark upon a formal recognition of what
happened and create a monument to honor those who died is to enter a sectarian
minefield, one that is best left alone. So what do we have instead? Individual
ceremonies held by this and that party, events that only serve to widen the
sectarian divide. And so over 20 years after the guns fell silent, closure on
this painful period in our short history remains elusive.
It is easy to look at the ceremonies across America and other nations who lost
people on that day 10 years ago and cite the injustice and even hypocrisy. It’s
equally easy to ridicule what we want because we don’t have it. Because let’s
face it, we all could use a bit of remembrance.
Reassuring the Shia – Part II
Hazem Saghiyeh, September 12, 2011
Now Lebanon/The column I wrote and published on NOW Lebanon a week ago about
“reassuring the Shia” raised comments from readers who denounced this idea.
Clearly, most of these comments confused reassuring the Shia to dissociate them
from Hezbollah and reassuring Hezbollah itself. Needless to say what I meant is
that Hezbollah itself is required to reassure the others due to its excess of
strength.
Still, it would be useful to stress the current Lebanese paradox, namely the
fact that Hezbollah’s strength is gradually turning into certain weakness not
only because of the Syrian uprising or Iran’s engrossment in its local concerns,
but also as a result of the party’s very internal situation. Since the showdown
over alcohol sales in Nabatiyeh, hardly a week goes by without a clash between
the [arty and the inhabitants of a southern village. Furthermore, it is no
longer easy to prevent the spread of news regarding corruption among some of
Hezbollah’s leading officials. This goes without mentioning previous events,
such as Salah Ezzeddine’s bankruptcy and its repercussions, and the revelations
regarding the successful penetration of the party by spies and collaborators.
Nevertheless, the most important events in this respect are the trial of Fayez
Karam and the WikiLeaks revelations. In the first case, covering up for the fact
that a political ally turned out to be a collaborator shed an additional
highlight on a truth of central importance, namely that Hezbollah’s domestic
function is undoubtedly more important than its resistance function. Regarding
the second case, it turned out that Speaker Nabih Berri has more animosity
toward Hezbollah than March 14 leaders themselves. A previous batch of WikiLeaks
revelations had revealed how much the Free Patriotic Movement hated Hezbollah,
and this is enough for the party to take stock of its deep weakness and lack of
serious allies.
Still, there is another dimension, namely that Hezbollah’s strength and weakness
are growing in close harmony. This was supposed to facilitate, even if in
principle only, the disengagement between the Shia and the party. It also
provides ground to say that the failure to disengage exposes the Lebanese to the
danger of having both strength and weakness brought together, i.e. of being
exposed to strength at its purely suicidal moment. This danger should in no way
be underestimated. In contrast, it should provide a reason to focus, time and
again, on the need to address, reassure and seduce the Shia into believing that
there is a life worth living outside Hezbollah.
*This article is a translation of the original, which appeared on the NOW Arabic
site on Monday September 12, 2011
Turkish frigates to confront Israeli vessels, disable their
weapons
DEBKAfile Special Report September 12, 2011/The Erdogan government sharply
ratcheted up its threat of war on Israel Monday, Sept. 12 with a report that
three Turkish Navy frigates are to sail for the eastern Mediterranean "to ensure
freedom of navigation and confront Israeli warships if necessary."
As Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan was set to start a visit to Egypt,
Turkish naval sources reported: "If Turkish warships encounter an Israeli
military ship outside Israel's 12-mile territorial waters, they will advance up
to 100 meters from the ship and disable its weapon system."
The threat bluntly applied to Israel's naval enforcement of its UN-approved
blockade of the Gaza Strip.
debkafile's military sources report that this is more than a threat of
belligerence against Israeli naval shipping; it is also an attempt to dictate
the terms of its threatened military engagement at sea with Israel and
arbitrarily lay down the outer limits of Israel's territorial waters. One of its
goals is to deprive Israel's deep sea gas wells of naval protection.
Turkish naval sources report that the frigates assigned the mission against
Israel belong to its Southern Sea Area Command.
debkafile reported earlier Monday, Sept. 12:
While Egypt and Israel acted to cool the crisis in relations sparked by last
Friday's mob attack on the Israeli embassy, Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip
Erdogan threatened another inflammatory speech against Israel during his Monday
visit, Sept. 12 - this one from Tahrir Square in a bid to buy the popularity of
the Arab street. Jerusalem and Washington are concerned that it will have the
effect of stirring up anti-Israel riots in Egypt and Jordan, Israel' second
peace partner, as well as encouraging the Palestinian terrorist Jihad Islami
lurking in Sinai to proceed with its threatened cross-border attack.
Sunday, Sept. 11, the military rulers of Egypt instructed the local media to
tone down their coverage of the mob attack on the Israeli embassy Friday night.
They announced that 130 rioters would be put on trial. Israel too made every
effort to play the episode down by focusing attention on the "courageous stand"
taken by the six security guards "only a door away from death" in order to
distract attention from the absence of an Israeli ambassador in Cairo after
thirty years of normal relations.
debkafile's sources report that while Israel and Egyptian report efforts to
reinstate the envoy soon, it will be some time before the next Israeli
ambassador Yakov Amitai takes up his post. First, Israel will have to build a
fortified embassy building like US and British premises in Cairo and other world
capitals, for which the necessary Egyptian permission cannot be taken for
granted.
Political sources in Washington and Jerusalem are profoundly concerned by four
fraught developments
unfolding this week - all capable of sending Israel's ties with Egypt and Turkey
into another perilous tailspin:
1. The Turkish prime minister's Tahrir Square speech Monday afternoon. His
anti-Israel campaign has drawn from the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood an
enthusiastic welcome and the promise of a mass turnout. The MB declared the mob
attack on the Israeli embassy a legitimate protest operation in defiance of the
Egyptian government's position.
Above all, Erdogan will not stand for the Arab League foreign ministers' session
in Cairo on the same day – to approve the Palestinian bid for UN membership –
stealing the thunder of his official visit to Egypt.
Concern about the coming speech was heightened when the full, unedited text of
the Turkish prime minster's interview to the Arabic television station Al
Jazeera Thursday, Sept 8 reached Washington and Jerualme and was compared with
the adulterated version circulated by Ankara and TV channel.
It reveals that Erdogan actually called Israel's interception of the Mavi
Marmora in May 2010 (during which nine armed activists were killed) an Israeli
casus belli for Turkey and extended his threat of aggression to the off shore
oil and gas wells of Israel and Cyprus.
According the original text of the speech, Erdogan declared that Turkey will
never accept the accord Israel and Cyprus concluded last year marking out their
maritime zones for exploration. What Israel is doing, he said "will not happen"
– a phrase he repeated with great determination.
The adulterated version released by Erdogan's office Friday, Sept. 9, the day
after the interview read: "As long as Israel does not interfere in the freedom
of navigation, we do not plan on sending any warships to escort humanitarian aid
ships."
This is termed by debkafile's sources no more than a play on words leaving the
first threat to have Turkish warships escort aid vessels to the Gaza Strip and
visit the eastern Mediterranean fully in place. The potential for a
Turkish-Israeli clash at sea appears to be low but remains credible.
He knows Israel is determined not to lift the naval blockade on the Gaza Strip –
certainly not after the UN pronounced it legal and necessary. He also knows
therefore that his warships cannot avoid running into the Israeli Navy. His
purpose remains provocative, because Turkey is free to consign unlimited
humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip through Egypt – not to mention Israel.
debkafile's sources disclose that this "amended" statement was produced in
response to heavy pressure from NATO leaders to quit his belligerent stance
against Israel.
2. The Turkish prime minister said Sunday that his campaign against Israel has
five stages of which only two have been implemented.
Word has reached Jerusalem that Erdogan is preparing more sanctions against
Israel to be enforced in days. They include cutting off diplomatic ties, a ban
on Turkish trade with the Jewish state and acquitting Turkish businesses and
industrialists of their contractual obligations to Israel firms, including debts
totaling $400 million.
3. Israel's government and military leaders worry that the Palestinian Jihad
Islami terrorists lurking in Sinai for the past three weeks will choose this
moment to strike – whether to kidnap Israelis still vacationing on its beaches
or a cross-border attack in Israel. The gunmen have met no Egyptian military
interference and they will no doubt be encouraged to take advantage of the
incendiary climate generated by the Turkish prime minister and Cairo mob's
sacking of the Israeli embassy.
The Palestinian group's Iranian and Hizballah sponsors will not miss the chance
of further undermining Israeli security. Sunday night saw the first indications
of trouble when an Israeli border patrol north of Eilat came under fire from
Egyptian Sinai. No one was hurt but Israeli troops guarding that precarious
border are more on their toes now than ever.
4. The Muslim Brothers, Hamas and other radical Palestinian organizations in
Jordan have used Facebook to rally "a million-strong march" on the Israeli
embassy in the Jordanian capital of Amman for Thursday evening, Sept. 15, to
push for the expulsion of Israeli Ambassador Danny Nevo.
Jordan security forces are on alert to prevent the Israeli embassy sacking in
Cairo from being repeated in Amman.