LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
ِSeptember 15/2011

Bible Quotation for todayBible Quotation for today
Peter's Second Letter 1/1-11: " Simon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who have obtained a like precious faith with us in the righteousness of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ: 1:2 Grace to you and peace be multiplied in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, 1:3 seeing that his divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and virtue; 1:4 by which he has granted to us his precious and exceedingly great promises; that through these you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world by lust. 1:5 Yes, and for this very cause adding on your part all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence; and in moral excellence, knowledge; 1:6 and in knowledge, self-control; and in self-control patience; and in patience godliness; 1:7 and in godliness brotherly affection; and in brotherly affection, love. 1:8 For if these things are yours and abound, they make you to be not idle nor unfruitful to the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 1:9 For he who lacks these things is blind, seeing only what is near, having forgotten the cleansing from his old sins. 1:10 Therefore, brothers, be more diligent to make your calling and election sure. For if you do these things, you will never stumble. 1:11 For thus you will be richly supplied with the entrance into the eternal Kingdom of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Chris
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Latest analysis, editorials, studies, reports, letters & Releases from miscellaneous sources
For the sake of the Lebanese-Syrian future/Now Lebanon/September 14/11
Lebanese Christians react to Patriarch Rai’s Syria statement/By: Aline Sara/September 14/11

Latest News Reports From Miscellaneous Sources for September 14/11
Syria behind Bashir Gemayel assassination: Kataeb MP
Nadim Gemayel calls for strong state

French ambassador Denis Pietton to Visit al-Rahi Amid French Disappointment with his Remarks

Geagea: Cloud of Uncertainty on al-Rahi’s Statements Has Passed

Debate over Rai remarks lingers

Jumblatt to meet Rai following row

Rai seeks to calm storm over Syria, arms stance

Al-Rahi Says his Paris Statements Don’t Reflect his Personal Stances

Al-Jamaa al-Islamiya MP Imad Hout criticizes Rai’s stances

Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblatt tackles defense strategy, Patriarch’s comments
March 14 General Secretariat coordinator Fares Soueid commends Jumblatt, slams Aoun

Miqati to Snap Back at Aoun through Acts of Good Deeds
Tripartite meeting held in South

STL: Cassese trying to reach accused with call to take part in trials

STL: Victims Seeking to Take Part in Trial Must File Applications before Oct. 31

March 14 Urges Govt. to Determine Position on STL Funding

Hezbollah tight-lipped about Jumblatt’s remarks on arms

Aoun: Prime minister protecting unlawful state employees

Report: Syria Freezes Ties with Jumblat as Hizbullah Accuses him of Shattering Cabinet

Jumblat Says Recent Stances Not a New 'Realignment'

Mustaqbal: Democratic System Arabs Aspire for Respects Religious Freedoms

Franjieh: Al-Rahi’s Statements Reflect Christians’ Concerns

Lebanon: Hotels devastated by poor tourist season

Ethiopian Airlines denies report on plane crash finalized

Berri Says Parliament Will Meet ‘Soon’ to Discuss Electricity Project
Michel Aoun's Press Conference of September 13/11
Deputy Speaker Farid Makari commends Jumblatt’s “unchanged” principles
Antelias bombing not terrorism related, judge says

Arab League says Syrian bloodshed must end

Erdogan receives hero’s welcome

Netanyahu Says 'Direct Talks' Only Way to Peace

Netanyahu to convene senior ministers to discuss Israel-Turkey crisis

In Syria, U.S. ambassador drops diplomatic niceties

Qatar PM Says Syria Must Pull Army Out of Cities before Dialogue

U.S., French Envoys Join Condolence Ceremony for Slain Syrian Activist

Syrians rally against Russian support for Assad’s ‘killing machine’

U.S. envoys to visit region in last-ditch effort to avert Palestinian statehood bid

Natasha Mozgovaya / U.S. Congresswoman to Haaretz: We need to stop Palestinian ‘dangerous scheme’

Zvi Bar'el / Erdogan is no Turkish Obama
Taliban Attack NATO HQ, Mount Assault on Kabul

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Rai seeks to calm storm over Syria, arms stance
September 14, 2011
By Hussein Dakroub/The Daily Star
BEIRUT: Maronite Patriarch Beshara Rai, currently at the center of a nationwide controversy over his statements on Syria and Hezbollah’s arms, sought Tuesday to calm a brewing political storm that has threatened to deepen divisions in the Christian heartland. Rai said his statements that linked the fate of Hezbollah’s arms to an overall Middle East peace settlement and called for giving embattled Syrian President Bashar Assad a chance to carry out political reforms were taken out of context. He said he regretted the uproar caused in Lebanon by his statements during his one-week visit to France last week. “Forget my statements in France which were taken out of context probably deliberately which have nothing to do with my personal basic positions,” Rai told a crowd of people, including Baabda lawmakers, mayors and heads of municipalities, who came from nearby villages to welcome the patriarch during his tour of the town of Arbaniyeh in the district of Baabda.
“Don’t be influenced by what is transmitted by the media and headlines taken out of context. Go to the core, not to the fountain. I am one of those who believe that 99 percent of the people’s differences are caused by misunderstanding and lack of frankness,” Rai said. “My style is based on frankness and objectivity and telling the truth without siding with anyone. We are brought together only by the truth and clarity which make us live in confidence,” the patriarch said, adding: “Be confident that I will not back off from partnership and love for all the people, groups, parties, movements and sects. Our faith is in Lebanon, a Lebanon with one people and diversity.” Rai said the Maronite patriarchate cannot relinquish any party and does not want to eliminate or marginalize any party. “Lebanon is in need of its entire people, its parties, movements and sects to build a national partnership,” Rai said, adding: “I want to tell you something that I regret as a result of what happened after the visit to France. But I want to reassure you that partnership and love remain.”Despite his controversial statements, Rai said he will not abandon the church’s historical principles.
“I want to reassure all who are listening to me that I would never give up, along with our bishops, people and church, partnership and love,” he said. “We do not enter into any individual disputes neither in Lebanon, nor outside Lebanon. We are for peace and joy for everyone.”Rai also lamented the state of “paralyzed state institutions” in Lebanon, questioning how the country can be run with such paralysis. Speaking to reporters in Paris and in an interview with the Dubai-based Al-Arabiya satellite channel last week, Rai linked the fate of Hezbollah’s arms to the termination of Israeli occupation of Lebanese territory and the return of an estimated 350,000 Palestinian refugees to their homes in Palestine.
Rai also said that Assad should be given a chance to carry out political reforms in the face of protesters demanding his ouster. He also warned that the rise of the Muslim Brotherhood in Syria would threaten the presence of Christians there.
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. However, Rai’s statements won praise from Hezbollah and its March 8 allies.
In an attempt to clarify his statements, Rai has begun a series of consultations with Christian politicians from the March 8 and March 14 parties. He met Monday with Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) leader MP Michel Aoun who has praised the patriarch’s remarks on Syria and Hezbollah’s arms. Aoun said Tuesday he agreed with Rai’s political assessment of the Middle East conflict. “Our vision is identical with his vision. This conformity comes from a comprehensive analysis of the facts, history, the present and the future. It is a firm position that carries a foresight,” Aoun told reporters after chairing a meeting of his parliamentary Reform and Change bloc.
Commenting on Rai’s statements on the unrest in Syria, the parliamentary Future bloc of former Prime Minister Saad Hariri reiterated its support for the Syrian people’s demands for “freedom, dignity, reform, progress and expansion of political participation.”
“Fulfillment of these demands is inevitable,” said a statement issued after the bloc’s meeting chaired by former Prime Minister Fouad Siniora.
“Lebanon, with its Muslims and Christians, has a real interest in promoting and spreading the culture of moderation and forgiveness based on the principles of the democratic system,” it said. “The democratic system, which the Arab peoples are trying to achieve, stresses the respect of religious, individual and political freedoms and human rights without [taking into account] the sensitivities of the number, minorities or majorities. This system contains and affirms the recognition of all the social and spiritual components in our Arab region and ensures the freedom of an effective political participation without any obstacles facing any party.”It added that the democratic system also confirms the principle of the rotation of power in a peaceful way, ensures freedom of expression and at the same time enhances commitment to the rules of accountability and transparency.
Marada Movement leader MP Suleiman Franjieh said Rai’s “deep and serious” stances reflected the Christians’ concerns and fears, especially amid the current developments in the region.
“The patriarch’s fears are not based on presumption but on facts. The best example is what happened [to Christians] in Iraq,” Franjieh said. He added that extremist regimes put the Christians before two choices: Emigration or becoming second-class citizens.
Kataeb (Phalange) bloc MP Sami Gemayel lashed out at those who criticized Rai through the media outlets.
“Whoever has reservations over the attitudes of Maronite Patriarch Beshara Butros Rai must convey them to the patriarch’s seat instead of attacking him via the media outlets and TV screens,” he said during a Kataeb ceremony Tuesday. “The Maronite Patriarchate is an institution that has protected the Christians in Lebanon for more than 2,000 years. It is the backbone of our community. We must preserve its dignity and holiness,” he added.

 

French ambassador Denis Pietton to Visit al-Rahi Amid French Disappointment with his Remarks
Naharnet /French ambassador Denis Pietton unveiled on Wednesday that Paris was disappointed with the statements made by Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi following talks with top French officials.In remarks to AlKalima Online website, Pietton said that the officials were “surprised and disappointed” with the remarks of al-Rahi who linked the fate of Hizbullah’s arms to the liberation of the remaining Israeli-occupied Lebanese territories.The patriarch also expressed fear on the fate of Christians in Syria if the Muslim Brotherhood rose to power. He called for giving Syrian President Bashar Assad the chance to introduce reform. Al-Rahi’s “statement did not reflect the stance of French authorities regardless of the patriarch’s personal point of view and his way of thinking,” Pietton said.He also unveiled that he would visit the patriarch soon upon the request of French authorities to inquire him about his statements.
The dispute that erupted among Lebanese parties over his remarks, led to “unsatisfactory expectations among the Lebanese, particularly that they see the patriarchate as a moral authority in addition to being a political and religious” authority, the ambassador added.Pietton stressed to the website that following talks with Premier Najib Miqati he didn’t describe al-Rahi’s visit to Paris as “successful.” He said the trip was “important.”

Al-Jamaa al-Islamiya MP Imad Hout criticizes Rai’s stances

September 14, 2011 /Al-Jamaa al-Islamiya MP Imad Hout said on Wednesday that Maronite Patriarch Bechara Boutros al-Rai made a mistake by supporting the Syrian regime.“Rai put the Christians in a weak position,” he told As-Sharq radio. “[The Patriarch’s] speech incited sectarian feelings that oppose his slogan of ‘partnership and love’,” Hout added.
However, the MP added that the Patriarch knew he committed an error and is trying to retreat from his position. The patriarch has faced criticism by some figures of the March 14 coalition after his recent statements in France supporting the Syrian regime and Hezbollah’s arms. He also condemned Change and Reform bloc leader MP Michel Aoun’s latest comments about Prime Minister Najib Mikati. “Aoun has a complication with the Sunnis, he is attacking the PM and every Sunni in an important post,” Hout added. Aoun on Tuesday accused Mikati of “protecting” government officials who are “violating” regulations. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s troops have cracked down on protests against almost five decades of Baath Party rule which broke out mid-March, killing over 2,600 people according to the UN Human Rights Committee, and triggering a torrent of international condemnation.
-NOW Lebanon

Nadim Gemayel calls for strong state
September 14, 2011 /Kataeb bloc MP Nadim Gemayel on Wednesday called for the formation of a strong state that is able to protect its citizens.“It is time to implement the slogan of [former President] Bashir Gemayel to build a strong state that is able to protect its citizens’ security and stability,” he told Voice of Lebanon (93.3) radio.“We can’t remain silent amid the injustice that the Lebanese people are facing while Hezbollah’s illegal arms are still present.” Gemayel also ruled out that the role and presence of Christians in the Middle East is diminishing. Bashir Gemayel, Nadim’s late father, was assassinated on September 14, 1982 only 22 days after being elected president.
-NOW Lebanon

Syria behind Bashir Gemayel assassination: Kataeb MP
September 14, 2011 /The Daily Star
BEIRUT: Kataeb Party MP Elie Marouni on Wednesday accused Syria of involvement in the 1982 assassination of President-elect Bashir Gemayel. “Syria stands behind the assassination of late Bashir Gemayel and we have known this from the beginning,” Marouni said in remarks marking the 29th anniversary of the assassination of Bashir Gemayel, who was a senior member of Kataeb (or Phalange) party during the 1975-90 Lebanese Civil War.Gemayel was elected head of state on Aug. 23, 1982 while Lebanon was under Israeli occupation and Syrian hegemony. He was assassinated Sept. 14, 1982, along with 26 others, when a bomb exploded in the Beirut headquarters of Kataeb. Marouni said that the bomb was planted by Habib Shartouni, a member of the Syrian Social Nationalist Party (SSNP).“Syria is protecting Habib Shartouni who carried out the crime,” Marouni said, adding that the killer is wandering around in Syrian areas and in some parts of Lebanon.Marouni pointed out the case in to the assassination was never appropriately handled by judicial authorities and it has not been closed.
He said that justice will only be served when those behind the attack are captured and tried for their crimes.

Geagea: Cloud of Uncertainty on al-Rahi’s Statements Has Passed
Naharnet /Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea on Wednesday expressed relief at Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi’s confirmation that his statements on Syria and Hizbullah’s arms were taken out of context. In remarks to Free Lebanon radio, Geagea said that he faced “uncertainty” when he heard al-Rahi’s remarks during his visit to Paris. “I know well the church’s stance and al-Rahi’s stand from humanitarian principles, core values, human rights, humanitarian dignity, the freedom of people, democracy and the right of self-determination.”
Geagea also said that the church believes a society cannot rise if it doesn’t have control on the defense strategy and the weapons. The controversy that erupted over al-Rahi’s statements is “a cloud of uncertainty that has passed,” he said. The patriarch is “the guardian of Bkirki’s heritage and this is comforting.” Asked about the situation in Syria, Geagea said that the rejection of the Syrian regime of the Arab League initiative proves that Damascus doesn’t want to introduce reform. He expressed regret at the Lebanese state’s official stance, wondering whether Lebanon supports the violent crackdown in Syria. Geagea advised President Michel Suleiman and Premier Najib Miqati to review the foreign ministry’s policy because Lebanon shouldn’t appear as a state that supports violence against the Syrian people.

Jumblatt to meet Rai following row

September 14, 2011/The Daily Star
BEIRUT: Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblatt said he would soon meet Maronite Patriarch Beshara Rai following a row over the patriarch’s remarks about Syria and Hezbollah's weapons. “I will visit Rai in the next couple of days,” Jumblatt said in remarks published Wednesday by Al-Joumhouria newspaper. The PSP leader was quoted by the newspaper as saying his response to Rai’s comments were merely a reminder of what had been agreed upon during previous national dialogue sessions, and should not be interpreted as a form of political realignment with the March 14 coalition. Some officials in the Hezbollah-led March 8 coalition have compared the PSP leader’s recent statements to those made by Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea. Jumblatt Monday criticized Rai’s linking of Hezbollah’s arms to the defense of Lebanon from Israel and wider Middle East conflict and referred to agreements made in the 2006 National Dialogue conference which sought to integrate the party's arsenal into a wider national defense strategy. He also disputed Rai’s warning that a regime change in Syria and the possible emergence of the Muslim Brotherhood would pose a threat to the Christians there. Al-Liwaa newspaper reported Wednesday that Damascus has decided to freeze ties with Jumblatt over his recent remarks regarding the unrest in the neighboring country. The Syrian newspaper Al-Watan has reported that Jumblatt’s positions have annoyed March 8, and that Jumblatt is reportedly upset with his new allies in the alliance and no longer on the same wavelength. In response to a question from the newspaper about reports saying that Damascus has refused to receive him, the PSP leader said he had not sought a visit to Syria. Jumblatt also dismissed comparisons to comments made by Geagea, saying: “What have [my comments] to do with [his]?” When asked if he would be meeting with Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah, the PSP leader said he had not requested a meeting with the Hezbollah chief. Rai’s remarks last week drew harsh criticism from the March 14 parties, while gaining praise from Hezbollah and its March 8 allies and the patriarch Tuesday sought to calm a brewing political storm that has threatened to deepen divisions in the Christian heartland, saying his statements had been taken out of context.

Debate over Rai remarks lingers

September 14, 2011/By Thomas El-Basha/ The Daily Star
BEIRUT: The debate over Maronite Patriarch Bechara Rai’s controversial statements on Syria and Hezbollah lingered Wednesday, a day after the religious leader stressed his remarks had been taken out of context. In what appeared to be the first negative consequence of Rai’s remarks on attempts to reconcile Christian political parties, the Lebanese Forces hinted that it might reconsider taking part in a top-level meeting of Christian political leaders at Bkirki. A LF source told Al-Liwaa newspaper that “all options are on the table,” concerning the gathering at Bkirki, “especially given that what Patriarch Beshara Rai said constitutes a dangerous turning point, one that contradicts Bkirki’s national stances.” Speaking to reporters in the French capital and in an interview with the Dubai-based Al-Arabiya satellite channel last week, Rai warned that the rise of the Muslim Brotherhood in Syria would threaten the presence of Christians there. He said that President Bashar Assad - once the arch-enemy of Lebanon's Maronites - should be given a chance to carry out political reforms in the face of protesters demanding his ouster. Commenting on Rai’s remarks that a Sunni regime in Syria would escalate Sunni-Shiite tension in Lebanon, al-Jamaa al-Islamiya MP Imad Hout said the Maronite patriarch had realized he had made a mistake. Rai “has realized his mistake with the remarks he made in France and is now gradually backing down on his statements,” Hout told Asharq radio station Wednesday.
Hout said Rai’s statements had “fueled sectarian sentiments that contradict the patriarch’s motto: ‘partnership and love.’” On Tuesday, the Maronite patriarch said his statements in the French capital had been taken out of context and stressed that he would not abandon his church’s historical principles."It was a big mistake for the patriarch to go to France, which has a history of hundreds of years of support for Maronites, and say the Assad regime must be protected at a time when the Assad regime is breaking down," said political commentator and author Elias al-Zoghbi. In an interview to be published Thursday in As-Sayyad magazine, Deputy Parliament Speaker Farid Makari, another member of the March 14 coalition, voiced his hope that the patriarch would repair the impression left by the statements he made in Paris. Rai’s statements last week sparked an almost immediate debate between the country’s rival March 14 and March 8 coalitions, the former voicing surprise, concern and regret, the latter solidarity. However, the most prominent criticism of Rai’s statement came from Progressive Socialist Party Walid Jumblatt, who said he seeks to remain a centrist in a wide alliance with March 8. Jumblatt Monday assailed Rai’s controversial statements on linking the fate of Hezbollah’s arms to a Middle East peace settlement, saying Lebanon could not remain hostage to regional conflicts. The PSP leader also disputed Rai’s warning that regime change in Syria and the possible emergence of the Muslim Brotherhood would pose a threat to the Christians there. In remarks to Al-Joumhouria published Wednesday, Jumblatt said he would meet Rai in “in the coming few days.”

Report: Syria Freezes Ties with Jumblat as Hizbullah Accuses him of Shattering Cabinet
Naharnet /Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblat denied that he has asked to meet with Syria President Bashar Assad although informed sources said that Damascus froze its ties with the PSP chief. In remarks to reporters on Tuesday, Jumblat said he hasn’t asked for a meeting with Assad or Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah.
Informed sources told al-Liwaa daily however that “Damascus has decided to freeze its relations with Jumblat over his latest stances from the developments in Syria.”
A high-ranking Syrian official has also informed a former PSP official, who continues to have ties with Jumblat, that he should cut his relations with the Druze leader.
The Syrian official also confirmed that Damascus has shot its doors at Jumblat, al-Liwaa said. Meanwhile, ministerial sources told the newspaper that Nasrallah delegated Minister Mohammed Fneish and MP Ali Ammar to meet with Premier Najib Miqati on Tuesday night. The two envoys told Miqati that Hizbullah is frustrated at Jumblat’s latest stances, mainly his statements on the Shiite party’s weapons. The PSP chief’s remarks are in violation of his commitments and the cabinet policy statement, they allegedly said.
Fneish and Ammar added that Jumblat was seeking to shatter the government. Miqati informed Minister Wael Abou Faour, who is loyal to Jumblat, about Hizbullah’s frustration. But the minister, in his turn, visited Speaker Nabih Berri, who is Hizbullah’s ally, to express Jumblat’s regret at remarks made by former Minister Michel Samaha.
Samaha said that Jumblat and U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Jeffrey Feltman have resumed contacts. When the Druze leader was asked to comment, he quipped, saying: “I haven’t heard Samaha’s remarks and I think he knows about the issues of China better.”Hizbullah has so far remained mum about Jumblat’s remarks on its arms and his rejection to link their fate to the liberation of remaining Israeli-occupied Lebanese territories.As Safir daily said that Hizbullah is not seeking to engage in a media dispute with Jumblat.

Tripartite meeting held in South
September 14, 2011/A tripartite meeting was held on Wednesday at the southern Naqoura border crossing between UNIFIL, Lebanese and Israeli army officials.According to the National News Agency, “The meeting aims to discuss the Jewish State’s ongoing violations of the Blue Line” along the Lebanese-Israeli border.The officials in the meeting will also address and the Israeli decision to withdraw from the northern part of Ghajar village, the NNA added.Israel's security cabinet in November 2010 backed plans to withdraw Israeli troops from the northern part of Ghajar and hand over control to UNIFIL.-NOW Lebanon

March 14 General Secretariat coordinator Fares Soueid commends Jumblatt, slams Aoun

September 14, 2011 /March 14 General Secretariat coordinator Fares Soueid said on Wednesday that Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblatt’s latest stances reflect the agreements reached in previous national dialogues.Jumblatt, in his weekly article in Al-Anbaa newspaper, refused to “link Lebanon’s fate with the liberation of Shebaa farms or with regional conflicts.” “We are passing through a political situation that exceeds the political [division] between March 8 and March 14 [positions],” Soueid told Free Lebanon radio.
The March 14 figure added that “Jumblatt is saying that the Syrian regime is not protecting minorities, but protecting itself behind minorities.”The former MP also slammed Change and Reform bloc leader MP Michel Aoun’s recent statements. “Aoun’s accusations against Prime Minister [Najib] Mikati and the Sunnis are an attempt to attract the Christian community,” he added.Aoun on Tuesday accused Mikati of “protecting” government officials who are “violating” regulations. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s troops have cracked down on protests against almost five decades of Baath Party rule which broke out mid-March, killing over 2,600 people according to the UN Human Rights Committee, and triggering a torrent of international condemnation.-NOW Lebanon
 

Antelias bombing not terrorism related, judge says
September 14, 2011/Government Commissioner to the Military Court Judge Saqr Saqr on Wednesday said that last month’s blast in the Metn suburb of Antelias was not linked to “any terrorist activity.”The explosion “was caused by a hand grenade, and not a [rigged] explosive device,” the National News Agency quoted him as saying.  Two men were killed in Antelias in a parking lot when explosives they were previously said to be handling detonated, causing a huge blast. March 14 figures speculated that the circumstances of the blast differed from Interior Minister Marwan Charbel’s statement that the incident was caused by a “personal scuffle.”-NOW Lebanon

Deputy Speaker Farid Makari commends Jumblatt’s “unchanged” principles

September 14, 2011/Deputy Speaker Farid Makari said in an interview to be published on Thursday that Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblatt’s recent comments on Hezbollah’s arms’ use “prove that his principles have not changed.”“Jumblatt’s comments prove that his principles and convictions have not changed, despite the political circumstances that led to his repositioning [with March 8 parties in 2009],” Makari told As-Sayyad magazine.Asked about Maronite Patriarch Bechara Boutros al-Rai’s statements on the Syrian crisis, Makari voiced hope that the latter would “correct [the patriarchate’s] image and follow its principles.”“It is inappropriate to link the fate of the Middle East’s Christians to that of dictatorships,” he added, after Rai called for granting Syrian President Bashar al-Assad “a chance” to implement reforms in his country.Lebanon's political scene is split between supporters of Assad regime, led by Hezbollah, and a pro-Western camp headed by former Prime Minister Saad Hariri.Assad’s troops have cracked down on protests against almost five decades of Baath Party rule which broke out mid-March, killing over 2,600 people, according to UN Human Rights committee, and triggering a torrent of international condemnation.Meanwhile, Jumblatt refused “linking Lebanon’s fate with the liberation of Shebaa Farms or with regional conflicts,” a move which triggered criticism from the Hezbollah-backed March 8 parties.
-NOW Lebanon

Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblatt tackles defense strategy, Patriarch’s comments

September 14, 2011 /Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblatt said in an interview published on Wednesday called for the “calm” discussion of a defense strategy and warned against the theory of “alliances between minorities.” The minorities’ alliance theory has destroyed our country and the Christians,” Jumblatt said in reference to Maronite Patriarch Bechara Boutros al-Rai’s recent statements on Syria.“The Christians can play an important role and constitute a separation force between Sunnis and Shias, whereas the Druze cannot play such a role for demographic reasons,” he told Al-Akhbar newspaper.The PSP leader also confirmed that he asked his supporters to participate in the reception of the Patriarch during the latter’s visit to Aley and Chouf. Jumblatt also addressed the issue of a defense formula, saying, “It is true that we agreed in the ministerial statement on the formula of the unity of the ‘Resistance, people and army’, but it is necessary to discuss the defense strategy and this is what we agreed upon in the Doha agreement in 2008.”
The patriarch has faced criticism by some figures of the Western-backed March 14 coalition after his recent statements in France supporting the Syrian regime and Hezbollah’s arms.
-NOW Lebanon

For the sake of the Lebanese-Syrian future

September 14, 2011
Following inter-Lebanese and Lebanese-Syrian dialogues, a number of Lebanese intellectuals and activists issued this document on the future they hope to see in Lebanon and Syria in light of the Syrian uprising and its goals. The document was also endorsed and signed by Syrian intellectuals and activists.
Hereunder is the document and the names of the signatories:
While it portends of a new future, the Syrian uprising is linked to questions and concerns pertaining to Syrian-Lebanese relations and to a vision we all yearn for and seek to achieve. The uprising commends our respect for the sacrifices offered by its sons and deserves all the support with which we can provide it. It promises to inaugurate an era in which human freedom and dignity replace violence and tyranny, one which we can reconsider all our relations and the issues pertaining to them with the spirit of free individuals and groups. It goes without saying that the intertwined affairs of the two countries and their imbricate histories and interests make this an even more pressing issue, knowing that it has already been addressed under different circumstances by the “Beirut-Damascus announcement – the Damascus-Beirut announcement.” Yet the complications characterizing these relations urgently call for renewing these efforts, especially since we are on the threshold of an era of transition, the early signs of which have been heralded by the uprising.
After all, the matter is about far more than solidarity between the Syrian and Lebanese peoples. The aim, naturally, is not to have one Lebanese point of view achieve victory over another. As far as Lebanon is concerned, this is about the long-term and thorough vision brought about by the Syrian uprising to those Lebanese who wish to have a better and more free future. With regard to Syria, this is about Syria’s vision of its own self and its future. Suffice it to say that the two countries have been ruled by the same regime for three decades. In Syria, this regime was direct; whereas it was indirect in Lebanon, where it commissioned the sectarian regime and exploited its poisoned returns.
Our aim drives us to propose what we perceive as general headlines for positive and peaceful relations between our two countries:
The Syrian uprising is a national uprising that is based, in great part, on the Syrian entity and the Syrian social and political environment following a long period of neglect and exploitation in order to secure the ruling regime’s stability on the domestic and foreign levels. This does not inevitably mean that Syria should isolate itself from its Arab and Levant environment (something that cannot be done), but rather that a new era in Syrian patriotism may well start soon and have repercussions in and on Lebanon. Syria will be busy for years to come with rebuilding what the current regime has ruined or what it may intentionally ruin when it falls apart. This means that we will have a different landscape in the Levant, and especially a certain dose of negative pressure or void in Lebanon, which had been filled by a more or less blatant Syrian presence. This goes without mentioning an even more painful and dangerous possibility, namely that the events in Syria may explode into domestic conflicts and regional/international interferences that cannot but exert a strong effect on Lebanon.
Accordingly, we anticipate all of this by showing an interest in Syrian affairs and standing by the Syrian people’s side in its struggle for a democratic and independent Syria. In short, our support for the Syrians’ liberation struggle is proportional to our support for an independent and unified Lebanon.
- The Syria of the future, which is expressed by the Syrian people’s uprising, does not perceive Lebanon as “torn part”, “weak sided” or a “bartering chip” used in regional and international struggles, or as an object of “tutelage” or subservience. The Lebanon of the future to which we all look forward does not look at Syria with superiority or racism, or with any kind of aggressiveness and fear.
- Genuinely “special” relations between Lebanon and Syria are, in reality, what normal, equal and balanced relations should be like between two states living in a common cultural space and sharing an intertwined economic life and deep-ranging social ties. These ties were harmed only by the same “tutelage” regime that imposed a dictatorship on Syria and hegemony over Lebanon.
- Syria’s definitive acknowledgement of Lebanon’s independence and the establishment of diplomatic relations may have been “forcibly obtained” against the Baath regime’s will. However, we believe that the consecration of this acknowledgement will be based on the Syrian people’s total conviction. In order to dissipate any illusion or misunderstanding, the two states will have to undertake a joint mission, i.e. the final demarcation of the border based on a joint will so as to remove all ambiguities. Unambiguous borders actually allow for the reassuring practice of mutual openness between the two sides and put an end to the policy of suspicion and caution.
Political and economic relations between a democratic Syria and Lebanon will not be easy given the various disparities in the two countries’ development. However, they will abide by a reasonable framework, as is the case with the problems we see between other democratic states. In contrast, the permanent tension between Syria and Lebanon stemmed from their contradictory systems of power and the major discrepancies in their view of the world.
- We believe that the establishment of a national state ruled by a democratic regime and the prevalence of the law is a Syrian-Lebanese ambition. The question in Syria is how to get rid of despotism without sinking into sectarianism; whereas in Lebanon, the question is the exact opposite. In both cases, the real question is how to build a developed democratic state. Of course, democracy is hardly fathomable without freedom of expression and of the media, which we are keen to promote in both countries away from intimidation or blackmail.
- Achieving the Syrian people’s ambitions to change and establish the state of freedom and justice and achieving the Lebanese people’s ambitions to establish a sovereign and independent state fuel the hope in the emergence of an Arab Levant where citizenship prospers, a place where no community dominates and no minority is wronged, where there is no persecution and discrimination by one national group against another … Such a pluralistic, culture-laden and resources-rich Levant would be capable of meeting the world on its own and rising up to the challenges of globalization, of joining in modernism and achieving development, prosperity and peace.
- We perceive a democratic Syria and a free Lebanon as a natural support for the Palestinian people’s ambitions to establish their own independent state with Jerusalem as its capital. This would also provide support for the causes of justice all over the world. If the Syrians and the Lebanese enjoy the freedom of self-determination, this would be a strong blow to Israel’s expansionist and arrogant policies, regarding which the world has remained silent partly because of the rotten state of the Arab world and the absence of a positive political model around Israel.
- In a display of solidarity, the two countries support their respective demands to recover their occupied territories the way their respective peoples deem fit.
- Taking relations between the two countries to the maximum based on democracy and joint interests and characteristics does not contravene with their respective acknowledgement to follow the economic system approved by their respective peoples. Nevertheless, we believe that neither the policy of open doors without any constraints nor that of closed doors with no way in are appropriate for sustainable economic development and for the special care that should be given to the most deprived classes and the poorest regions in the two countries.
- We believe that every act of racism against a Syrian worker in Lebanon is a crime against Lebanon and the Lebanese people before even being a crime against Syria and the Syrian people. Such a crime should be denounced and its perpetrators held legally accountable. In addition, it is necessary to draft modern laws regulating the movement and work and guarantees inherent to this aspect of relations. We are confident that a democratic Syria will be more mindful of its citizens’ dignity and of providing them with social and legal protection both in Syria and abroad.
- In our opinion, bilateral relations will not be restored to their former warmth as we want them to be without liberating the remaining Lebanese detainees in Syrian prisons.
On this occasion, it is necessary to warn against extremely harmful Lebanese positions that have recently been expressed and that ignore the Syrian uprising, labeling it as a passing or distant event. By handing over displaced Syrians to the Syrian regime’s security services, some of those who expressed such stances committed a blatant crime and clearly challenged human laws, customs and rights.
What was said and done by these people is far more than shortsightedness regarding the uprising; rather, it denotes that they view the future of our two countries as an extension of a vicious past shaped by the whims of hegemony and the emotions resulting from helpless fear. This goes without mentioning the unethical voices, which supported the Syrian regime one way or another by claiming that it is part of the “rejectionism” and “resistance” line or by citing fears regarding minorities. In reality, the issue of minorities and their future in the Levant is far greater than the frivolous manner with which some parties are addressing it. This holds true knowing that those calling for “an alliance of minorities” in the two countries offer nothing but enmity toward the religious majority in the region and may bring about a “majority alliance,” which may then carry the seeds of sectarian tyranny.
The Syrian uprising is writing the history of our two countries and peoples today. There is no justification for being absent, noncommittal or biased at this junction of our lives and the lives of those of future generations.
The Syrians’ freedom does not resolve the Lebanese people’s problems, but their enslavement is an additional source of complication and rottenness for Lebanon’s problems.
Lebanese signatories
Ahmad Ali al-Zein, Edmond Rabbat, Antoine Haddad, Imane Hmeidan, Bernard Khoury, Bashar Haidar, Bashir Hilal, Paul Shawul, Tamam Mroue, Jad Gharib, Jad Yatim, Jabbour Doueihy, Hazem al-Amin, Hazem Saghiyeh, Hussam Itani, Hassane al-Zein, Hassan Daoud, Hassan Mneimneh (Washington), Hanin Ghaddar, Dalal al-Bizri, Diana Moqalled, Rouba Kabbara, Rana Eid, Rayan Majed, Rim al-Jundi, Ziad Majed, Saad Kiwan, Saoud al-Mawla, Sanaa al-Jak, Souheil al-Qash, Shadha Charafeddine, Sabah Zouein, Talal Khoury, Tony Shakar, Abdo Wazen, Akl al-Awit, Ali al-Amin, Omar Harqous, Fadi Toufeily, Karim Mroue, Loqman Slim, Malek Mroue, Marlene Nasr, Moahmmad Abu Samra, Mohammad Soueid, Marwan Abi Samra, Mona Fayyad, Mirvat Abu Khalil, May Abi Samra, Michel Hajji-Georgiou, Nadia al-Sheikh, Najwa Barakat, Nadim Shehadeh, Nadim Machlawi, Hani Fahas, Hoda Barakat, Wissam Saade, Yahya Jaber, Youssef Bazzi, Samir Frangieh, Minah Al-Solh, Hareth Sleiman, Ayman Mhanna.
Syrian signatories
Osama Mohammad, Akram Katrib, Amira Abu al-Hesen, Imane Chaker, Badrkhan Ali, Borhan Ghalioun, Basma Qadmani, Bakr Sadqi, Hazem Nahar, Hussam al-Qatlabi, Hussein al-Sheikh, Khaled Hajj Bakri, Khalaf Ali al-Khalaf, Razan Zeitouna, Rustom Mahmoud, Samar Yazbeck, Sadek Jala al-Adhem, Saleh Diab, Sobhi Hadidi, Aref Jabo, Abdel Baset Sida, Ali Jazo, Ali Kanaan, Ammar Qorbi, Omar Koush, Ghalia Qabbani, Farouk Mardam Bey, Faraj Birqdar, Fahed al-Masri, Louai Hussein, Mohammad al-Hajj Saleh, Mohammad al-Abdullah, Mohammad Darious, Mohammad Ma’moun al-Homsi, Najib Georges Awad, Wahib Merhi, Yassin al-Hajj Saleh.
-NOW Lebanon

Michel Aoun's Press Conference of September 13/11
September 13, 2011
On September 13, Change and Reform bloc leader MP Michel Aoun spoke to the press following his bloc’s weekly meeting:
“A war is being launched on the [public] administrations in order to obstruct [their work] and prevent the people’s needs from being realized.
From April until today, there has been a loss in the electricity field that amounts to $ 2.6 billion, while [our political rivals] are happy and [wasting time].
We have heard the [verbal] attacks against Maronite Patriarch Bechara Boutros al-Rai [over his position vis-à-vis the Syrian crisis]. His views come [in harmony] with our perception of the events. These positions are not personal, but they are being issued after analyzing past and future events.
Political and economic pressure on Syria will amount, and we can live in poverty.
Concerning Prime Minister Najib Mikati’s [Sunday] interview with New TV: Every time [the PM issues a statement] he uses a sectarian rhetoric. He says that the Sunnis are targeted. No Mister Premier, the Sunnis are not targeted, you are protecting people [in the government] and you insist on violating [the law]. You will assume responsibility. You, [Mikati], are the one violating [the regulations] because you are the one who has the solution.
[Asked about funding the UN-backed Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL):] I have told [UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon] in 2007 that they are overly supporting [the case of slain ex-Prime Minister Rafik Hariri]. The ‘request’ to establish the STL was ‘smuggled’ [to the UN by the 2006 Lebanese government]. I do not know how it was established and violations have been committed.
I do not approve of the tribunal. Even if Hezbollah approves [of the court,] I do not. Why [should we allow] the UN to violate our constitution?
[Asked about the leaked US cables which said Speaker Nabih Berri encouraged a military strike against Hezbollah during the 2006 July War]: Conclusions are being drawn [against some figures] and some [statements] have been twisted around… We are [handling the] rumors.
How can [anyone] speak about human rights while the Palestinians have been homeless for 63 years and Israel is a racist state, living in disharmony with the international community?”

Arab League says Syrian bloodshed must end
September 14, 2011 /Now Lebanon
The Arab League on Tuesday demanded an end to the bloodshed in Syria, as activists there staged anti-Russia protests and a Western-led drive for UN sanctions over the regime's deadly crackdown ran into new opposition from Moscow and Beijing.
The US and French ambassadors travelled to the Damascus district of Daraya on Tuesday to attend a condolence ceremony for slain Syrian activist Ghiyath Matar, who reportedly died under torture, activists said.
The activists also posted a brief clip on YouTube, showing the US envoy Robert Ford and his French counterpart Eric Chevallier sitting on chairs at a large ceremony.
Matar, a key player in organizing protests against President Bashar al-Assad's regime, died in detention after being tortured, according to the international watchdog Human Rights Watch (HRW).
Activists said that the Japanese and Danish ambassadors also attended the ceremony, and that immediately after diplomats departed, security forces attacked the ceremony, launching tear gas and firing in the air to disperse the gathering.
Meanwhile, demonstrators burned Russian flags in the flashpoint protest hubs of Homs in the center and Daraa in the south in protest at Moscow's support for President Bashar al-Assad, activists said.
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned Syria could plunge into "civil war," as he began in Egypt a tour of Arab countries where uprisings have ousted autocratic leaders.
He expressed frustration with Assad's regime, with which he had built up close ties, for failing to "listen to the voice of the people."
Syrian Protesters have been demanding democracy in almost daily demonstrations for six months, with the United Nations saying 2,600 people have been killed in the regime's crackdown.
In Cairo, the Arab League called for "immediate change" in Syria.
"There must be an immediate change that leads to an end to the bloodshed and protection of the Syrian people from more violence and killings," said a statement read out by Qatar's Foreign Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim al-Thani, the chair of the meeting.
"We cannot accept this killing machine. We cannot allow people to be killed this way," Sheikh Hamad said at a press conference after the meeting.
"Do not support the killers," activists urged Russia in a message announcing Tuesday's action posted on The Syrian Revolution 2011, a Facebook page that has been a driving force behind the protest movement.
"We express our anger toward Russia and the Russian government. The regime will disappear but the people will live," the activists added.
Moscow has blocked Western-led efforts at the UN Security Council to impose sanctions against the Syrian regime and is promoting a rival draft resolution that simply calls on the government and the opposition to open direct talks.
President Dmitry Medvedev defended the Russian position on Monday, saying "this resolution must be strict, but it must not lead to the automatic application of sanctions."
On Tuesday, police and troops again deployed in force, carrying out search and arrest operations in a string of towns, activists said.
"Those arrested were severely beaten and abused. Their houses were ransacked," one activist said.
At least four people were killed Tuesday in Deir az-Zour province in the northeast and in Hama, while five were wounded when troops went house-to-house in Houla in Homs province, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights told AFP in Cyprus.
Also in Homs, two people were reported dead, one of whom was kidnapped four days ago and whose corpse was handed to the family and a second succumbing to injuries suffered during security operations Saturday, the Observatory said.
In addition, security forces arrested at least 34 people in the town of Zabadani west of Damascus, more than 160 in Edleb province near the Turkish border, and dozens more in Daraa, in towns around the capital, and in the Mediterranean coastal towns of Latakia and Banias, activist groups said.
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay said that, as of Monday, a total of 2,600 people had been killed in the Syrian government's crackdown.
But senior Assad aide Bouthaina Shaaban said on a visit to Moscow that 1,400 people had died since the demonstrations erupted in mid-March half of them security force personnel and half of them "rebels.
Damascus has consistently maintained that the protests are the work of armed groups, rejecting the reports of Western embassies and human rights groups that the great majority of those killed have been unarmed civilians.
In Brussels, diplomats told AFP Tuesday that the EU is set to adopt fresh sanctions against Syria that may include a ban on oil investment and on delivering cash notes printed in Europe to its central bank.
After talks in Beijing on Tuesday, French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe expressed disappointment that he had made little headway in persuading his Chinese counterpart Yang Jiechi to abandon its opposition to a sanctions resolution.
-AFP/NOW Lebanon

Erdogan receives hero’s welcome
September 14, 2011
By Tulay Karadeniz, Yasmine Saleh/Daily Star
CAIRO: Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan said Tuesday it was time to run the Palestinian flag up over the United Nations in a rallying call to Arab states ahead of a Palestinian U.N. membership bid, which is opposed by Washington.
Speaking to Arab foreign ministers, he said Israel had undermined its legitimacy by irresponsible behavior. He made no specific accusations but has in the past criticized Israel for building settlements on occupied land envisaged as part of a Palestinian state.
He has also protested over Israel’s offensive against Gaza in 2008, which largely spelt the end of a close alliance between Turkey and Israel, and its attack on a Turkish ship heading for Gaza that killed nine people last year.
Erdogan’s recent criticism of Israel has drawn strong support in the Arab world, buttressing his campaign to promote Ankara’s blend of Islam and democracy as a model for movements that have toppled several Arab autocrats, including Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak.
“While Israel is trying to secure its legitimacy in our region on one hand, it is taking irresponsible steps which unsettle its legitimacy on the other,” Erdogan said.
With the souring of relations between Turkey and Israel, military cooperation has been frozen and diplomatic ties downgraded.
Erdogan’s tour will include Tunisia and Libya, which have all witnessed the fall of entrenched leaders to grassroots revolts this year, challenging the old order across the region.
“Erdogan, Erdogan!” cheered a group of demonstrators as the Turkish prime minister left the headquarters of the Arab League in Cairo where he had been speaking. They were calling for change in Syria, whose military is trying to stamp out popular unrest.
Displaying a populist touch, Erdogan stopped and shook the demonstrators’ hands.
He told an Arab League ministers meeting that international recognition of a Palestinian state was “not an option but an obligation.”
“It’s time to raise the Palestinian flag at the United Nations. Let’s raise the Palestinian flag and let that flag be the symbol of peace and justice in the Middle East. Let’s contribute to securing well deserved peace and stability in the Middle East,” he said.
Palestinians will bid for full membership of the United Nations later this month, a move opposed by the United States, which has a veto. Arab states endorsed it at the Cairo meeting.
Erdogan said Turkey offered its help to Arab nations facing turmoil but, in an apparent reference to Syria, he said some had turned down the offer.
“However, we continue to insist they meet their people’s demands.”
Arab League Secretary General Nabil al-Araby introduced the Turkish prime minister saying: “All the Arab peoples appreciate what you are doing. We consider that there is a strong friendly state who is always standing on the side of justice.”
Outside the League, Syrian protester Samer Zaher, 30, said: “Erdogan has turned into an Arab hero … We have not found a leader as powerful as him addressing [Syrian President Bashar Assad] and asking him to quit.” Turkey expelled the Israeli ambassador last week in a row over an Israeli raid last year that killed nine Turks on a flotilla bound for Gaza, the Palestinian enclave controlled by the Islamist group Hamas and under blockade by Israel. While winning over ordinary Arabs, particularly because of non-Arab Turkey’s tough line toward Israel, Erdogan’s growing popularity and clout could be a headache for more cautious Arab leaders who could see their own influence overshadowed. “Turkey wants to play a regional role, especially when Egypt is busy with the revolution. Turkey thinks it’s best placed to play this leadership role,” said Adel Soliman, head of Cairo’s International Center for Future and Strategic Studies.Egypt has traditionally seen itself as the leading diplomatic player in the Arab region. But its position has been eroded by wealthy Gulf countries, such as Qatar, and lately overshadowed by Turkey, with its fast expanding economy.
Erdogan met Field Marshal Mohammad Hussein Tantawi, who heads the military council that took over after Hosni Mubarak was ousted by mass street demonstrations in February.
Egypt has also been embroiled in a dispute with Israel after Israel shot dead five Egyptian border guards in repelling cross-border raiders it said were Palestinian militants.
But Egypt’s generals have faced popular criticism for not taking a firmer line. Cairo said it would expel Israel’s ambassador but did not follow through with threat.
Protesters attacked Israel’s embassy in Cairo last week, which prompted the ambassador to fly home and an embarrassed Egyptian government to affirm to Washington, its major aid donor, that it remained committed to a 1979 peace treaty with the Jewish state. Egypt has received billions of dollars in U.S. military and other aid since making peace with Israel, so the military council faces a difficult balancing act responding to public calls for an assertive policy toward Israel. Erdogan was cheered by a crowd when he arrived in Cairo. Many appeared to be from Islamist groups such as the Muslim Brotherhood, who approve of Erdogan’s bringing Islamists into mainstream Turkish politics.

STL: Cassese trying to reach accused with call to take part in trials

September 14, 2011
By Patrick Galey/The Daily Star
BEIRUT: President of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon Antonio Cassese’s call for the four men suspected of involvement in the 2005 assassination of statesman Rafik Hariri to take part in trials was part of efforts to reach the accused, the court’s spokesman told The Daily Star. Cassese, who previously urged the accused to come forward and defend themselves, repeated Monday night his call for the four suspects to take part in trials. “Judge Antonio Cassese reminds the accused of their right to participate in the proceedings. By participating, the accused can fully defend themselves against the charges and evidence presented against them,” the STL said in an audio announcement on its website.
Meanwhile, victims of the 2005 bomb attack will have until the end of October to register for participation in trials, a senior judge in the U.N.-backed court probing the crime said Tuesday.
STL’s Pre-Trial Judge Daniel Fransen ruled that, “barring exceptional circumstances,” those injured or who lost loved ones in the attack had until Oct. 31 to indicate their interest to get involved with court proceedings. “This deadline for filing the participation requests is aimed in particular at allowing those persons who have been granted the status of a victim [to participate] in the proceedings, [in order] to make known ‘their views and concerns’ from the start of the pre-trial stage of the case,” a court statement said.
The STL is the first international criminal court that allows victims to participate in trials.
Court Prosecutor Daniel Bellemare issued his first indictment against four Hezbollah members in June. Although Lebanon is obliged to assist the STL – including providing more than $32 million of funding in 2011 – Lebanese security forces have been unable to apprehend any of the suspects, who are also the subject of international arrest warrants. Hezbollah, which has called for a boycott of the court, has vowed that security services will not get their hands on its members.
“The Lebanese people – and especially the victims of this attack – deserve to know the truth about what happened on Feb 14, 2005,” the public announcement added.
The court stressed that the trial proceeding would be conducted to the highest international standards and that the “tribunal’s judge will never convict an accused unless guilt is established beyond reasonable doubt. Cassese himself has come under fire from Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, who accused the Italian judge of favoring Israel – much to the private chagrin of court staff. Monday’s message by Cassese followed the passing of deadlines of 30 days for Lebanese security forces to arrest the men. Cassese subsequently issued a 30-day public advertisement, calling for the suspects to turn themselves in. “This is one of the efforts to reach the accused and is part of the 30-day public advertisement,” STL spokesperson Marten Youssef told The Daily Star. “As for when trials begin, that is a decision that will be determined by judges alone. The date will clearly depend on if [the] accused are apprehended, preliminary motions such as dealing with in absentia proceedings if the accused are not arrested, the amount of evidence submitted during disclosure and the amount of time granted for the defense team to build their own case and review the material submitted by the prosecution,” he added. The court has previously suggested that trials may begin by mid-2012. Prime Minister Najib Mikati this week indicated that Lebanon would pay its share of court running costs.

Hezbollah tight-lipped about Jumblatt’s remarks on arms
September 14, 2011/The Daily Star
BEIRUT: Hezbollah refrained Tuesday from responding directly to remarks made by Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblatt the day before, when he rejected “linking the fate of Lebanon to the liberation of the Shebaa Farms.” “Let us wait a little bit until the picture is clear. The problem is that tension arises when Lebanese rush to comment on a stance, whether from this side or another, without examining its intentions,” said Nabatieh MP Mohammad Raad, the head of Hezbollah’s Loyalty to the Resistance bloc.“This is what happened when commenting on positions made by [Maronite] Patriarch [Beshara] Rai; they did not spend one moment to examine the dimensions of the stance taken by the patriarch,” Raad told reporters after holding a meeting, accompanied by two Hezbollah lawmakers, with former President Emile Lahoud at the latter’s house.
On Monday in his weekly editorial in PSP’s Al-Anbaa newspaper, Jumblatt assailed controversial remarks made by Rai last week during his visit to Paris urging the international community to work on liberating the Shebaa Farms, resolve the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and guarantee the return of an estimated 350,000 Palestinian refugees to their homes in Palestine in a bid to facilitate the disarmament of Hezbollah. “Linking the fate of Lebanon to the liberation of the Shebaa Farms and linking its future to all the region’s conflicts are rejected,” wrote Jumblatt.
“Therefore, the [Lebanese-Syrian] borders must be demarcated. This demand was unanimously approved at the National Dialogue [conference] in 2006,” he added.
Jumblatt argued that linking Hezbollah’s arms to the return of Palestinian refugees “will keep Lebanon held up indefinitely in the framework of regional conflicts.”
Hezbollah maintains that its arsenal is essential to defend Lebanon against any potential Israeli aggression and to liberate the Israeli-occupied Shebaa Farms, Kfar Shouba Hills and the northern part of the village of Ghajar in south Lebanon. For his part, Social Affairs Minister Wael Abu Faour, a PSP official, defended Jumblatt’s stances.
“Is it a sin that Jumblatt recalled decisions approved by the National Dialogue [Committee]?” Abu Faour asked reporters after holding talks with Speaker Nabih Berri at the latter’s residence in Ain al-Tineh. Abu Faour questioned whether Jumblatt’s remarks were new or contradicted earlier statements by the Druze leader.
“Has Walid Jumblatt ever said once that Hezbollah’s arms should be linked to the [return of Palestinian refugees] or to resolving all conflicts in the region? Did he ever say anything other than that he endorses the resistance’s arms as a strategic defense choice?” asked Abu Faour. Meanwhile, Phalange (Kataeb) Party leader Amin Gemayel said he was not surprised by Jumblatt’s remarks. “Walid Jumblatt maintains his national stances and if it happened that in a certain period and for certain reasons he adapted to a certain mood, this does not mean that he gave up the principles for which he struggled during a tough period in history,” Gemayel told reporters after meeting Druze spiritual leader Sheikh Naim Hasan.

Aoun to Miqati: You are the One Committing Violations, Not Sunni Sect

Naharnet /Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun slammed on Tuesday Prime Minister Najib Miqati’s recent statements, stressing that he is not targeting the Sunni sect, but the premier himself over his violation.  He said after the Change and Reform bloc’s weekly meeting: “Your sectarian bias won’t prevent us from criticizing you.” Miqati had told al-Jadeed television on Sunday that cabinet Secretary General Suheil Bouji, General Prosecutor Saeed Mirza, Middle East Airlines director Mohammed al-Hout, Internal Security Forces chief Ashraf Rifi, and ISF Intelligence Bureau head Wissam al-Hassan have performed their duties to the utmost. Addressing Miqati, Aoun continued: “The Intelligence Bureau has committed violations and you have the authority to dissolve it.” “You have committed the violation and you are being targeted, not the Sunni sect,” he stressed. He gave the example of former Premier Omar Karami, “who abided by laws, adopted national stands, and did not exploit his sect for political gains.” Regarding the funding of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, the FPM leader said: “I have my own personal opinion on the tribunal.” “I had informed United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon that its adoption under chapter seven of the U.N. charter is a violation of Lebanon’s constitution,” Aoun noted. “I won’t support the tribunal even if Hizbullah does,” he stated. Addressing administrative affairs, the MP said: “They don’t want the country to advance.” “The bankruptcy of Electricite du Liban was deliberate and they destroyed houses in order to employ Solidere to rebuild them,” he added.
“They speak of privatization, but what does that mean? Ask Miqati if companies have paid their dues,” he continued. Aoun noted: “The state pays and the privatizers achieve the gains. Lebanon will become a state whether they like it or not.”

The shepherd divides the flock
Lebanese Christians react to Patriarch Rai’s Syria statement

Aline Sara, September 14, 2011
Patriarch Bechara al-Rai’s comments on the Syrian uprising have sparked controversy among Lebanon’s Christians. (NOW Lebanon)
During his visit to Paris last week, Maronite Patriarch Bechara al-Rai told France 24 that the situation in Syria, where over 2,600 people have been killed since the start of the anti-regime uprising in mid-March, was genocide. Though his statement was vague—he did not clarify whom the genocide was being committed against—he was clear about his conviction that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is capable of implementing reform, deeming him “open-minded.”
And while Rai later said his words had been taken out of context, his statement produced strong reactions among Lebanon’s political and intellectual classes, and among the larger Christian population, which is strongly divided along political lines.
NOW Lebanon asked members of the Christian community what they think about Patriarch Rai’s statement.
To Rosie Azzar, a woman in her 50s from Rabieh, what Rai said was not shocking. “As head of the Maronite Church, he knows things we don’t. Naturally, this doesn’t mean I approve of what is going on in Syria, but we need to think a little further than Achrafieh; we must think of the Christians who cannot speak up,” she said, referring to the Christians of Iraq and Egypt. “We saw how in the Western world, no one took care of them. Bachar [al-Assad] is not a saint, but if he’s out, who will replace him? As long as the opposition is not organized, then I support Rai’s claims.”
Tony, a resident of Achrafieh who, like most people interviewed did not want to give his real name due to the political nature of the topic, echoed Azzar’s thoughts. “It is undeniable today that if Assad falls, the Muslim Brotherhood will take over, and when the Muslim Brotherhood takes over, the Salafists will follow, and they are worse. Once that happens, the fate of Syrian Christians is clear, and Lebanon’s Christians will follow.”
“If he said what he said,” Tony added, “it means it reflects the opinion of a number of Christians in the region.”
Carole, a 26-year-old from Jbeil, is also worried about the spillover effect Assad’s fall would have. “One has to think about what comes after Assad. If he falls, and the Sunnis take over in Syria, it will spill into northern Lebanon.”
Her sentiments were echoed by Joseph, a shop owner in Achrafieh. “If Assad falls,” he said, “what will happen to the Christians in Syria?”
“It’s been a while we’ve needed a patriarch like Rai,” he added, “and I think he is very good.”
But for Soumaya, an Achrafieh resident in her 40s, Rai has disappointed her from the beginning, though she has more of a problem with the patriarch’s statements regarding Hezbollah’s arms than what he said about Syria.
Meanwhile Renee, an Achrafieh resident in her 70s, said she strongly disagreed with Rai, specifically on Syria. “I don’t see why Syrian Christians should fear a regime that will be more democratic and more open with regard to all of the country’s communities. Today, it is about a head of state who is harming his country and killing his people. He cannot stay in power, even if he manages to reconcile everyone.”
Maria, 32, from Baabda, said she was troubled by the idea that Christians in both Lebanon and Syria could accept that their security be provided to the detriment of other communities’. She also questioned if Rai, as a major representative of Arab Christians, realized the consequences of his statements. “He’ll be responsible, in large part, for the possible retaliation of the region’s Sunnis seeking revenge on Christians for watching their Syrian brothers be persecuted and tortured. Christians will be the scapegoats given they will have made their alignment with the Syria regime so clear [because of Rai’s statements].”
“He’d be better off advising Christians in the Syrian army, especially high-ranking ones, not to crack down on the protesters with such violence,” added Maria. “And the patriarch should stop fueling the sense of fear between Muslims and Christians but rather advocate reconciliation in order to establish a strategy for the post-Assad era.”
To Christopher, 32, from Metn, Rai comes across “as a bling-bling arriviste, without the wisdom expected from a man of religion.”
“What he said about Syria, because it made the situation appear unrealistically mild, contradicts fundamental Christian beliefs of non-violence, human dignity and liberty,” he said.
“I think he is trying to protect the Christian Syrians’ interests and making his own path in politics, trying not to stay in [former Patriarch Nasrallah Boutros] Sfeir's shadow,” said 28-year-old Michel from Awkar. “Too bad he isn't doing a good job.”
He added that Christian leaders have a history of keeping quiet over human rights violations if it means keeping their coreligionists safe. “A prime example is the Second World War,” Michel said. “So why expect different now? At the end of the day, Christians are a tiny minority in the Arab world. In a way, it’s self-preservation.”