LCCC
ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
ِSeptember
29/2011
Bible Quotation for today/Teaching
about Revenge
Matthew 5/38-42: "You have heard that it
was said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth. But now I tell you: do not
take revenge on someone who wrongs you. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek,
let him slap your left cheek too. And if someone takes you to court to sue you
for your shirt, let him have your coat as well. And if one of the occupation
troops forces you to carry his pack one mile, carry it two miles. When someone
asks you for something, give it to him; when someone wants to borrow something,
lend it to him."
Latest
analysis, editorials, studies, reports, letters & Releases
from
miscellaneous
sources
Now Lebanon: Extensive
Interview with Lebanese Kataeb MP, Sami Gemayel/September 28/11
Syria’s
campaign of torture/By: Laura Andary/September
28/11
Latest News Reports From Miscellaneous Sources
for September 28/11
Maronite
Bishops Appeal for Unity and Honest Dialogue to Renew Trust
Hizbullah Lauds
Spiritual Summit: Its Statement is Tantamount to National Document for Lebanese
March 14: STL
Cornerstone for Lebanon’s Civil Peace
Future Movement
official Mustapha Allouch: Hezbollah is Lebanon’s “biggest militia,
Ki-Moon to Miqati: Keen
on Seeing Lebanon Secure STL Fund
Leaks controversy
overshadows spiritual summit
Spiritual Summit: All
Sides Must Adhere to State, Reject Foreign Meddling
Al-Rahi:
We Asked France to Eliminate Hizbullah’s Excuses to Retain Arms
Mikati: I want to
protect Lebanon
Miqati: We are Trying
to Distance Lebanon from Developments in Syria
Miqati Chairs U.N.
Security Council: Not Funding STL Harms Lebanon
Aoun: Seeing as Miqati
is so Rich, Why Doesn’t he Fund STL?
Jumblat Says he Met
Assad Twice Lately Advising him to Avoid Bloody Crackdown
Lebanon lacks energy
strategy, says group
Lebanese must wake up
to endemic corruption
Angola expels 16
Lebanese nationals
Dialogue ongoing
between grand mufti and Future Movt: source
U.S. presidential
candidate says Cuba sponsoring Hezbollah
Estonia denies paying a
ransom for cyclists
Authorities arrest
Syrian-Lebanese porn gang
France: Iran faces high
risk of military strike. Russia practices Iranian reprisal
The end of Ahmadinejad.
His cronies barred from election
9 Killed as Syrian
Forces Mount Raids on Dissent
Turkish Ship Close to
Cypriot Gas Search Zone
Erdogan: UN sanctions
on Israel could aid Mideast peace process
Blast destroys Egypt
gas pipeline to Israel for sixth time
Israel decides to
support Quartet plan for renewed talks with Palestinians
U.S. condemns Israeli
plan for new construction beyond Green Line
Obama hails
“unshakeable” US-Israeli ties
Iran Plans to Send
Ships Close to U.S. Waters
Maronite
Bishops Appeal for Unity and Honest Dialogue to Renew Trust
Naharnet The Council of Maronite Bishops on
Wednesday appealed to Maronites to support the patriarch and urged the Lebanese
to join hands and sit at the dialogue table to renew trust in each other.
Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi believes that “unity is force,” an appeal
issued by the bishops following their monthly meeting said. “He calls everyone
for dialogue and understanding and rejects the logic of war.”“Let us all return
to our roots as Lebanese, join hands and sit at a friendly, honest and
transparent dialogue table … to renew our trust in each other,” they said. The
bishops stressed that al-Rahi’s visit to France was aimed at asking the
international community to assume its responsibilities in ending injustice and
spreading equality among people by monitoring the implementation of U.N.
Security Council resolutions in a just way. They hoped that all peoples would
enjoy freedom and equality of rights and would cooperate to accept each other’s
existence. Al-Rahi’s statements from Paris have sparked controversy. He has
linked the fate of Hizbullah’s arms to the liberation of the remaining occupied
Lebanese territories and said Syrian President Bashar Assad should be given the
chance to introduce reform for fear that the presence of Christians in the
region would be threatened if the Muslim Brotherhood rose to power.“The
patriarch has become an essential partner in the formation of the Lebanese
nation,” the proclamation said, adding that “it hasn’t ceased to consolidate
this historic role.” Turning to the Islamic-Christian summit held at Dar
al-Fatwa on Tuesday, the bishops said al-Rahi attended two spiritual summits
since his election because “the Christian presence in this region of the world
won’t last unless there is openness between all religions at the level of
spiritual and civilizational dialogue.” The first summit was held in Bkirki.
There is an attempt to hold a spiritual summit at the level of the entire
region, the proclamation said. It lauded al-Rahi’s visit to Lebanese regions and
said the trips inside and outside Lebanon will “continue on the same pace.” The
patriarch is scheduled to make a three-week visit to the U.S. on Saturday.
Hizbullah
Lauds Spiritual Summit: Its Statement is Tantamount to National Document for
Lebanese
Naharnet /Hizbullah praised on Wednesday the spiritual summit that was held at
Dar al-Fatwa on Tuesday, saying that its concluding statement reflects national
principles and protects Lebanon. It said: “The summit statement is tantamount to
a national document that reflects the Lebanese people’s expectations.”It
highlighted the significance of the attendance of the major spiritual leaders at
the meeting given the unrest in the region and American meddling that serves
Israeli interests. “The spiritual summit asserted national principles and
uncovered the agendas that are seeking to harm Lebanon,” added Hizbullah in a
statement. It praised the summit for advocating dialogue and national unity as a
means to confront attempts to create strife in Lebanon. “This position is
necessary for the Lebanese to determine their fate freely, away from foreign
hegemony and Israeli agendas,” it continued. “We hope the summit would return
those sides who have lost the right path” back to the Lebanese fold, concluded
Hizbullah. The Dar al-Fatwa spiritual summit stressed on Tuesday the importance
of historic and current cooperation between Christians and Muslims in Lebanon.
It said that all sides in Lebanon “should adhere to the civil state, frank
dialogue, and reject foreign meddling in Lebanon.”
“The country’s stability is based on the principles of mutual coexistence, as
well as respecting the constitution and sovereignty of the state,” it added.
“Preserving the Lebanese people’s unity requires them to firmly oppose foreign
meddling,” it stated. The summit was headed by Grand Mufti Mohammed Rashid
Qabbani and attended by Vice President of the Higher Islamic Shiite Council
Abdul Amir Qabalan, Druze spiritual leader Sheikh Naim Hassan, and Maronite
Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi.
March 14 says
STL guarantees “peace, state-building”
September 28, 2011 /The March 14 General Secretariat on Thursday said that the
UN-backed Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL), which linked Hezbollah members to
the 2005 murder of ex-Premier Rafik Hariri, guarantees “peace and
state-building.” In a reference to the Shia group, March 14 said that the STL
ensures the implementation of laws for not only “unarmed civilians, but also for
those who have weapons and think they are strong.” The secretariat called on
Prime Minister Najib Mikati’s government to be committed to handing over those
indicted by the court. It also urged the cabinet “to honor its commitments to
international resolutions… and provide its annual share of funding to the STL.”
The STL indicted four Hezbollah members for ex-Prime Minister Rafik Hariri’s
assassination. However, the Shia group denied the charges and ruled out the
arrest of the suspects. The Hezbollah-led March 8 parties – which currently
dominate Lebanon’s cabinet – have opposed a clause in the Lebanese annual state
budget pertaining to the funding of the tribunal. Lebanon contributes 49 percent
of the STL’s annual funding. -NOW Lebanon
Future Movement official Mustapha Allouch:
Hezbollah is Lebanon’s “biggest militia,
September 28, 2011/Future Movement official
Mustapha Allouch said on Wednesday that the Syrian-Iranian-backed Hezbollah
group is “the biggest militia” in Lebanon. “The situation in Lebanon cannot
improve [unless] all militant parties are dissolved… and Hezbollah, for sure, is
the biggest militia,” Allouch told New TV. He criticized the Shia group, saying
that its arms “do not foster coexistence in the country, but harm it.” Allouch
added that he was convinced by the evidence unsealed by the UN-backed Special
Tribunal for Lebanon (STL), which linked Hezbollah members to the 2005
assassination of ex-Premier Rafik Hariri. “I think Hezbollah considered Rafik
Hariri its enemy,” the Future Movement official said, voicing support for UN
Security Council Resolution 1559, which calls for the disarmament of Lebanese
parties. Four Hezbollah members have been indicted by the STL. However, the Shia
group strongly denied the charges and refused to cooperate with the court.-NOW
Lebanon
Lebanon must provide its share of STL funding, Ban tells Mikati
September 27, 2011 /UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon met with Prime Minister
Najib Mikati in New York on Tuesday and told the latter that the Lebanese
government must “provide [its share of] funding for the Special Tribunal for
Lebanon (STL)” probing the 2005 assassination of former PM Rafik Hariri. The
National News Agency reported that Ban also voiced the “UN’s support for
Lebanon’s prosperity and territorial integrity,” as well as the organization’s
“relief over the cooperation between the Lebanese army and the UNIFIL.” Mikati,
in turn, said that “Lebanon is proud to be a founding member in the UN,” and
reiterated Lebanon’s “respect for international resolutions, including the STL.”
Hezbollah-led March 8 parties – which currently dominate Lebanon’s cabinet –
have opposed a clause in the Lebanese annual state budget pertaining to the
funding of the tribunal.
Lebanon contributes 49 percent of the UN-backed STL's annual funding Four
Hezbollah members have been indicted by the STL. However, the Shia group
strongly denies the charges and refuses to cooperate with the court. The PM also
met with Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, who said following the
meeting that Ankara “favors peaceful and democratic change in [the Middle
East].” Prime Minister Najib Mikati arrived in New York on Sunday accompanied
with some of his cabinet’s ministers to chair sessions of the UN Security
Council, which Lebanon heads for the month of September.-NOW Lebanon
Mikati responds to Hariri on Iranian visa issue
September 27, 2011 /Prime Minister Najib Mikati’s office on Tuesday issued a
statement in response to former PM Saad Hariri’s comment earlier in the day that
the former’s government took the decision to exempt Iranians from requiring a
visa to enter Lebanon. “Iran and Lebanon agreed to cancel visas between Lebanon
and Iran, and former Foreign Minister Ali al-Shami submitted the draft law to
Saad Hariri’s cabinet. However, the cabinet could not convene and the discussion
was frozen.”The statement also said that “the [current] government discussed all
frozen files and adopted them successively.”Saad Hariri’s press office issued a
statement on Tuesday denying reported claims that his cabinet approved the
cancellation of visa requirements for Iranians entering Lebanon. As-Safir
newspaper reported on Tuesday that Mikati told US Secretary of State Hillary
Clinton that Hariri’s cabinet took the decision to exempt visa requirement for
Iranians travelling to Lebanon, not the current cabinet. -NOW Lebanon
Obama hails “unshakeable” US-Israeli ties
September 27, 2011 /US President Barack Obama praised the "unshakeable" bonds
between Israel and the United States Tuesday in remarks marking the start of the
Jewish high holy days. Obama paid homage to US-Israeli ties in a videotaped
statement said that the sacred Jewish holidays -- book-ended by the start of the
Jewish new year Rosh Hashanah on Wednesday and the day of atonement, Yom Kippur,
next week. The major Jewish holidays afford "an opportunity to reaffirm our
friendships, renew our commitments, and reflect on the values we cherish," said
Obama. "My administration is doing everything we can to promote prosperity here
at home and security and peace throughout the world -- and that includes
reaffirming our commitment to the State of Israel," the US leader said. "While
we cannot know all that the New Year will bring, we do know this: the United
States will continue to stand with Israel, because the bond between our two
nations is unshakeable," he added. Obama noted, however, that "the last year was
also one of hardship for people around the world," including for the people of
Israel, who, he said, "face the uncertainties of an unpredictable age." He made
his remarks with relations between the two allies strained over his call last
year for a Palestinian state and Israel's refusal to extend a moratorium on
construction of settlement housing in the West Bank. The State Department on
Tuesday said the United States was "deeply disappointed" that Israel had
approved construction of 1,100 homes in a Jewish settlement in East Jerusalem.
-AFP/NOW Lebanon
The end of Ahmadinejad. His cronies barred from
election
DEBKAfile Exclusive Report /September 27, 2011,
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the driving force behind Iran's nuclear program and the
most vocal of Israel's enemies, is on his last legs as president. Supreme Leader
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has stripped him of most of his powers and shut the door
against his having any political future.
debkafile's Iranian sources report his loyalists have been deserting him in
droves since he went to New York to deliver an address to the UN General
Assembly on Sept. 23. The Supreme Leader used his absence for the coup de grace:
The removal of the president's loyalists from the list of 4,000 contenders
running for seats in parliament (the Majlis) next March.
That was easily arranged: Khameini handed his orders to Ayatollah Mohammad Kani,
head of the Assembly of Experts, which In the Islamic Republic of Iran is
responsible for screening all contenders for office. He was told to disqualify
all the president's associates. So, in the next Majlis, Ahmadinejad will be
shorn of a loyal faction and any buddies sticking to him when his second
presidential term runs out in May 2013 will be out of a job.
The Supreme Ruler degraded the president very publicly with one humiliation
after another.
He waited for Ahmadinejad to go on the air in a US NBC interview on Sept. 13 to
promise the release of Josh Fattal and Shane Bauer, the two American hikers
convicted of spying, before cutting him down by suspending their release until
the Iranian president was being booed by protesters in New York for reneging on
his promise.
Tehran's political, religious and military insiders were not surprised by his
downfall, our Iranian sources report. For some time he had been getting too big
for his boots, accumulating more powers than any president before him and only
getting away with it so long as he was Khamenei's fair-haired boy.
But then, the favorite, whose election in 2005 and reelection in 2009, Khamenei
engineered at the cost of violent anti-government protests in Tehran, rewarded
him with ingratitude. He increasingly flouted the master and in some cases began
chipping away at his authority - until Khamenei had had enough and decided to
reel him in.
At the last minute, he cancelled a live Ahmadinejad interview on Iran's second
television network wide publicized for the eve of his departure to the United
Nations.
The affronts followed him home to Tehran, where waiting for him were serious
criminal charges linking his name to the disappearance of three billion dollars
from Iranian banks. The name of the embezzler has not been released but our
sources in Tehran reveal him as Amir Mansour Arya, an entrepreneur who started a
business five years ago with Ahmadinejad’s encouragement and whose fortune grew
a thousand fold within a suspiciously short time.
Arya is accused of using his presidential connections to secure multi-billion
dollar loans from Iranian banks and then spiriting large sums out of the
country.
Ahmadinejad denies any complicity in the crime. He tried fighting back by
threatening to publish within 15 days "dozens of names" of rivals he claims are
guilty of financial crimes. The deadline came and went without publication.
The betting in Tehran is that the Supreme Leader will not actually sack
Ahmadinejad but let him last out his term as yesterday's man, lame duck in
political isolation.
debkafile's Iranian sources: Two frontrunners for future president most
mentioned recently are two hardliners, Majils (legislature) Speaker Ali Larijani,
a former senior nuclear negotiator with the West, and ex-foreign minister Ali
Akhbar Veliyati, who is a member of Khamenei's kitchen cabinet as senior adviser
on international relations.
Iran plans to send ships close to US waters, report says
September 27, 2011 /Iran's navy is going to deploy ships close to US territorial
waters, its commander in chief was quoted as saying on Tuesday. "As [the US] is
present not far from our maritime border ... our navy is going to have a strong
presence not far from US territorial waters," the Irna news agency quoted
Iranian Admiral Habibollah Sayyari as saying. On July 19 Sayyari also said that
Iran was going to send "a flotilla into the Atlantic". The remarks come as
another high-ranking Iranian appeared to reject a recent US request to establish
a "red phone" link between the countries to avoid unwanted confrontation between
their armed forces in the Gulf region. "When we are in the Gulf of Mexico, we
will establish direct contact with the United States," Ali Fadavi, commander of
the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy, was quoted in press reports as
saying. "In the view of the Islamic Republic of Iran, the presence of the US in
the Persian Gulf is illegitimate and makes no sense." The Iranian navy has been
developing its presence in international waters since last year, regularly
launching vessels in the Indian Ocean and the Gulf of Aden to protect Iranian
ships from Somali pirates operating in the area. Iran also sent two ships into
the Mediterranean for the first time in February, via the Suez Canal, to the
annoyance of Israel and the United States. And in July, leaders announced that a
Kilo class submarine had completed an inaugural mission in the southern Indian
Ocean and the Red Sea.-AFP/NOW Lebanon
EU calls on Israel to backtrack on new settlements
September 27, 2011/The European Union's chief diplomat lamented on Tuesday
Israel's approval of 1100 homes for settlers in East Jerusalem and urged the
government to reverse its decision. "It is with deep regret that I learned today
about the decision to advance in the plans for settlement expansion in east
Jerusalem, with new housing units in Gilo," said EU foreign policy chief
Catherine Ashton. "This plan should be reversed. Settlement activity threatens
the viability of an agreed two-state solution and runs contrary to the
Israeli-stated commitment to resume negotiations," she told the European
parliament. Ashton said she would continue to "make it clear" in future meetings
with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that the EU considers settlement
activity illegal under international law. "He should stop announcing them and,
more importantly, stop building them.”
She recalled that the Middle East Quartet of peace negotiators -- the EU,
Russia, the United Nations and the United States -- have pleaded with Israelis
and Palestinians to "refrain from provocative actions" if talks are to resume.
Ashton briefed Euro MPs on her diplomatic efforts at the UN General Assembly
last week, which was marked by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas's bid for
full state membership of the UN despite Israeli and US objections. The
Palestinian leadership said Israel's approval of new housing units was a snub to
a Quartet call for the rival sides to return to the negotiating table within a
month, with the goal of reaching a deal within a year.-AFP/NOW Lebanon
Talking to MP Sami Gemayel
Hanin Ghaddar, September 27, 2011
MP Sami Gemayel has worked on progressive legislation during his time in the
parliament. (AFP photo/Joseph Barrak)
As a member of a political dynasty, Sami Gemayel has a lot of experience to fall
back on. He is the grandson of the Kataeb Party’s founder, the son of its
current leader, and the nephew of Bachir Gemayel, who was assassinated before
being sworn in as president of Lebanon in 1982. But despite his family’s long
history on the Lebanese political scene, the young MP has taken some progressive
stances since coming to office two years ago. NOW Lebanon talks to Gemayel about
hot-button issues facing the country—including the voting laws, Hezbollah’s
weapons, and creating an equal society—and what he plans to do to tackle them.
You’re a young politician, and many young people expect you to be open-minded
and dynamic. At the same time, you were born into a political dynasty. How do
you balance these two?
Sami Gemayel: The Gemayel family is not a traditionalist family; family members
were all involved in politics, but they were all revolutionaries in their own
way. At first, my grandfather, Sheikh Pierre, went by the logic of parties
against traditional families. When Bachir came, he also launched a revolt
against traditional politics and did away with many taboos. We believe we are
doing the same thing today.
There has been positive feedback, especially from the young generation and civil
society when you tackled honor crimes in parliament. So how did that come about?
Gemayel: We aim to have a modern and civilized country with a minimum of respect
for human rights. In our constitution and legal system, there are big gaps; we
are trying to find them and change basic things as a start. This was one of
them, and there are a lot of other things we will be working on at a later
stage.
Such as what?
Gemayel: There’s the issue of domestic violence and the whole issue of civil
laws pertaining to personal status.
Does this mean that you are going to target religious institutions and figures?
How will you do it?
Gemayel: A multicultural state is built on three layers: the individual, the
community and the state. We have to find a way where the three work in harmony
with each other rather than in contradiction with each other.
What about your constituency?
Gemayel: I don’t have a problem with my constituency. We have a problem with the
clergy.
But the clergy influences the community.
Gemayel: They do, but I believe that the people are much more aware of these
things than before—they are much less conventional.
What about the issue of women’s right to give their nationality to their
children and spouses? Is it part of your program?
Gemayel: This is part of our political program, but we understand the fears of
some people that it could lead to the naturalization [of many Palestinians].
That’s why we believe that the state should do a real survey to see if this is
true or not.
Now to the whole saga about the patriarch’s avoiding condemning the regime of
Bashar al-Assad in Syria because it protects Syrian Christians. How do you think
the Christian community should react?
Gemayel: I believe that there are some fears among Christians in the region that
are not being heard. I believe that it was his way to put these things on the
table, initiate a debate and warn everyone that there is a Christian problem in
the Middle East, especially after what happened in Iraq and all the persecution
against Christians in Egypt.
But do you think these fears are valid, especially when it comes to Syria?
Gemayel: I don’t want to argue. I think that everyone knows our position
concerning that point. We support the right of people to decide their future.
Are you worried about Christians in Lebanon, Syria and the region?
Gemayel: Of course we are worried. The Christian presence in Lebanon is very
substantial. This is not the case in Syria and Iraq.
I hope that the new parties in Syria, Iraq and Egypt will follow the Turkish
example of separating state and religion, believing in democracy, preserving
pluralism and providing civil and human rights to everyone.
Many believe that the fall of Assad would negatively influence March 8 and
Hezbollah. Do you agree? In this case, what strategy should the March 14
coalition adopt?
Gemayel: I believe that we should separate what’s going on in Syria from what’s
going on in Lebanon. I believe that Lebanon’s problem today is mainly Hezbollah
and its weapons. This is not going to change if the Syrian [regime] falls. It
will still have the same amount of money coming in every year from South
America, Africa and Iran. In the short run, Hezbollah will not be weakened,
neither politically, financially nor militarily.
How about the 2013 elections? If Assad falls, will his proxies in Lebanon be
weakened?
Gemayel: I think that if Assad is not there, Assad’s proxies in Lebanon will be
Iran’s proxies. They will shift from one reference to the other.
If we do not do something on our own, nothing will change. There is good will
within March 14, but [they have yet] to build something serious or to propose
something.
Do you think the fall of Assad will influence the status of March 14?
Gemayel: Yes. [Therefore,] they need to think ahead and stop waiting.
What about the STL?
Gemayel: That should have been our focus. We said, “Guys, this is our main
course, what we’ve been fighting for for six years.” The indictment was issued,
and no one said anything, except me. This is inadmissible.
Do you consider that the main problem in Lebanon is Hezbollah’s weapons?
Gemayel: No, there are two main problems that are equally important, and one of
them should be resolved before the other. The first one is Hezbollah’s weapons,
which are hampering the course of democracy in Lebanon and preventing us from
sitting down together and thinking about the future of the country. The second
problem is the lack of trust between the Lebanese, frozen institutions and the
manner of ruling the country. There is no balanced development and no economy.
Corruption and squandering is everywhere. Our political system and the way this
country is working are not viable for the future.
Do you think that the electoral law affects all that?
Gemayel: It does in order to have true representation of society.
Are we talking about proportionality?
Gemayel: There are several propositions. We are still examining each thoroughly,
and we have yet to make our final decision in this respect. Still, I believe
that the electoral law rectifies true representation, and parliament will be
able to lay the foundations for developing our political system and the state.
Yet all of this cannot happen under the threat posed by Hezbollah’s weapons. If
there are to be negotiations about developing institutions, you’d be sitting at
the same table as someone who has an arsenal. But even if Hezbollah is disarmed,
problems remain in Lebanon.
We are calling for consolidating the Lebanese domestic landscape so that
brothers do not quarrel anymore and send their neighbors to resolve their
problems for them.
This calls for Lebanon’s neutrality and decentralization. Neutrality would allow
Lebanon to stay neutral vis-à-vis everyone—Syria, Iran, Saudi Arabia. With
regard to decentralization, instead of having us all fight to lay our hands on
the state’s funds, let us distribute them to regions.
When you distribute central power to the regions, there would be nothing left to
quarrel about, as all communities would have their rights equally through local
committees in every region with their own budget and development plans. However,
we cannot discuss these issues as long as there’s someone who is out to get us,
threaten us with weapons.
If this does not work out, do you still believe that federalism is the solution
for Lebanon?
Gemayel: I have never said that federalism is the solution. All I’m saying is
that a complex state calls for a complex system. We believe we must examine the
array of available solutions and see what fits best for Lebanon. We do not have
to go to federalism at all. In our opinion, decentralization would resolve 90
percent of all issues.
What do you think of the current cabinet?
Gemayel: First, this cabinet was formed following political and military
pressure on some of the Lebanese.
Are you referring to the Black Shirts?
Gemayel: Yes. Second, for four years, they said that there can be no cabinet
without partnership and the blocking third. But they did just that. They are
entitled to a blocking third vote, but others not.
But they say that March 14 decided not to take part [in the cabinet].
Gemayel: They did not take part because no serious participation was proposed.
Had this happened, would March 14 have taken part in the cabinet?
Gemayel: Of course. We said many times, “Reverse the whole situation, give us
the same number of ministers you had and take the number we had.” But they did
not agree.
The electricity plan would not have been passed in that case?
Gemayel: They hampered the country for five years and blocked all projects and
waited until they took control of the cabinet to settle the issue. [Energy
Minister Gebran] Bassil has been in the government for four years. Why did he
not implement this plan before? It’s because he wants the current cabinet to
take credit for it.
Some people are now saying that a trade-off was made between electricity and the
Special Tribunal for Lebanon. PM Mikati has asserted that he is committed to the
STL. Do you expect that the STL financing will be secured?
Gemayel: We are already lagging six months behind payment schedule. This is a
great test for the cabinet. I do not understand how Hezbollah ministers—who do
not recognize the STL, attack it and say it is politicized—will vote.
What will happen then?
Gemayel: There will be some kind of reaction. I hope that March 14 will have an
adequate reaction.
What about internationally? Do you think that some international players care
about the STL and will finance it if Lebanon doesn’t?
Gemayel: It has yet to come to that, but I believe that the United Nations will
not give up on Lebanon with regard to the STL. The STL is out of the realm of
Lebanon’s control and is ongoing whether or not financing is provided.
On another note, when was the last time you visited a Shia village or town?
Gemayel: Honestly, I have never been invited to visit a Shia village, but I
would gladly go. We are ready to visit any Lebanese region when anyone invites
us. But we do not like to impose our presence anywhere.
I mean to say that there’s a great gap between you and the Shia community.
Gemayel: This is because somebody is instigating this community against the rest
of the Lebanese. In my opinion, March 14 [should have] dealt with parties other
than Hezbollah and the Amal Movement as the Shia’s representatives. In
comparison, Hezbollah dealt with other parties, welcomed them.
They should have a reference entity. The Kataeb cannot reach out to them, though
we would love to. But it is difficult for us. It has to be someone close to
them, someone who knows them and is in contact with them.
*Hanin Ghaddar is managing editor of NOW Lebanon
*This interview was translated by Jennifer Berry and
has been condensed and edited.
France:
Iran faces high risk of military strike. Russia practices Iranian reprisal
DEBKAfile Special Report/September 28, 2011/France's UN Ambassador Gerard Araud
warned Wednesday, Sept. 28 that Iran runs a high risk of a military strike if it
continues on the path to nuclear proliferation. "Some countries won't accept the
prospect of Tehran reaching the threshold of nuclear armament," he said.
"Personally I am convinced that it would be a very complicated operation …with
disastrous consequences in the region."
Ambassador Araud's comment confirmed reports from debkafile's military sources
in recent months that US and European sanctions against Iran had been
ineffectual and the ayatollahs had no intention of slowing down on their drive
for a nuclear weapon.
The French diplomat was not the only one to raise the alarm this week about
regional war clouds circling over Iran.
Sept. 9-26, the Russian army, joined by Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan,
deployed 12,000 troops in a huge combined military exercise code-named
Center-2011 which simulated an Iranian attack on Caspian oil fields operated by
American firms in reprisal for a US strike against Iranian nuclear sites.
Russian intelligence postulated an instantaneous Iranian reprisal for this
strike and based the war game staged by Russian-led Collective Rapid Force and
the Collective Rapid Deployment Forces of the Central Asian Region –CSTO – on
this assumption.
Our military sources disclose that the forces taking part in the exercise were
briefed for a two-stage scenario:
Stage One: An naval attack on the Caspian Sea coast coming from the south
(Iran).
Stage Two: A large-scale air and ground attack from the south by 70 F-4 and F-5
fighter-bombers, namely, the bulk of Iran's air force, along with armored
divisions, marine battalions and infantry brigades landing on the northern and
eastern shores of the Caspian Sea.
The Russian briefing conjectured that the Iranian offensive would single out the
Kazakh oil field at Mangustan on the Caspian coast, a field which debkafile
reports Exxon Mobile is operating.
Moscow clearly attached the highest importance to the exercise and extreme
credibility to the hypothetical scenario. Russian chief of staff Gen. Nikolai
Makarov personally commanded the drills and on Monday, Sept. 26, President
Dmitry Medvedev toured the field commands and units.
Tehran was not idle: Tuesday, the day before the war game ended, Adm. Habibollah
Sayyari, commander of the Iranian Navy, stated that Iranian warships would be
deployed "close to US territorial waters," since the Islamic Republic of Iran
considers the US presence in the Persian Gulf "illegitimate and makes no sense."
After Tehran rejected a recent US request to establish a "red phone" link
between the countries to avoid unwanted confrontation between their armed forces
in the Gulf region, Ali Fadavi, Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) Navy chief,
commented enigmatically: "When we are in the Gulf of Mexico, we will establish
direct contact with the United States."
A significant remark on the intentions of another nuclear rogue government came
from Peter Hughes, the British Ambassador to North Korea, when he stopped over
in Seoul on his way home from a three-year tenure in Pyongyang.
"I have had discussions with high-level officials, who have made clear to me
their view that if Colonel Qaddafi had not given up his nuclear weapons, then
NATO would not have attacked his country," he said.
The ambassador therefore held out little hope of the long-stalled US-South Korea
talks with the North resumed lately getting anywhere on Pyongyang's
denuclearization.
All these ominous events – pointed comments by French and British diplomats and
the large-scale Russian-Central Asian war game – add up to widespread skepticism
about any chance of halting Iran's race for a nuclear weapon or disarming North
Korea.
.
Syria’s campaign of torture
NGO activist recounts being tortured
Laura Andary, September 28, 2011
A Syrian protester during an anti-Assad regime sit-in in downtown Beirut. The
Syrian regime uses torture to dissuade protesters from taking to the streets. (AFP
photo/Ramzi Haidar)
Thirty-year-old Syrian activist Amjad Baiazy wanted to help treat the
pro-democracy protesters who were injured during their demonstrations by the
violent responses of the Syrian police. But after the Syrian government shut
down the international medical organization he worked for, Médecins Sans
Frontières (MSF), Baiazy decided to leave.
On May 12, he was waiting in line at Damascus’ International Airport to leave
for London. As his passport was being checked, he was arrested by the political
security branch of the secret police, which deals with enemies of the regime of
President Bashar al-Assad. “I was never given any reason for why I was
‘wanted,’” Baiazy told NOW Lebanon. He believes the driver who was hired by MSF
was the one who reported him.
A few hours after his arrival at a secret police prison he was called to an
interrogation cell, where an officer cuffed him to the chair and asked him where
he got the money to come to Syria. “I did not answer but instead laughed a
vicious laugh,” Baiazy said. As a result, the officer “brutally beat me on the
face and then whipped me with a wooden stick.”
He was asked if he was a British citizen, since he had resided in the United
Kingdom, and if he had any “serious diseases.” “When I said no, I could
immediately tell how happy they sounded even though I was blindfolded,” Baiazy
said. The regime could torture him “without concern” as he was not a citizen of
a Western country—despite the fact that he worked for an international
organization. “I kept telling them that I [was working] with MSF and was on a
humanitarian mission in Damascus.”
This was the beginning of a 60-day stay in several of the notorious secret
police prisons of Syria.
“I was beaten and whipped for hours every day,” Baiazy said. “I was not allowed
to close my eyes for eight days. Security guards were instructed to watch me
every two minutes.” His physical condition started to deteriorate, and his feet
became swollen. “I was screaming from pain and asked to be hospitalized, but I
was denied medical treatment.”
“On the sixth day, I started hallucinating. On the eighth day, the interrogator
asked me if I had ‘anything to add’ to my statements. I told him no.” After days
of sleep deprivation, beatings and sitting in the dark isolation of his cell,
the guard “ordered I be taken to rest.”
Baiazy was transferred to the Central Jail of Adra, northeast of Damascus, after
having spent more than a month in solitary confinement. Three weeks later, he
was released on bail and escaped Syria.
Baiazy’s case is nothing new in Syria. According to Amnesty International, at
least 103 people are believed to have died in Syrian prisons during six months
of government crackdown on the pro-democracy protests. James Lynch, Amnesty
International’s press officer for Middle East and North Africa, told NOW Lebanon
that “In over half of these cases, there is evidence that torture has taken
place. The bodies have borne signs of beating, shooting and stabbing.” The Assad
regime’s use of torture, he said, amounted to “to crimes against humanity.”
According to Nabil Halabi, head of the Lebanese Institute for Democracy and
Human Rights, the Syrian government is “using torture as a systematic strategy
to punish and terrorize those who oppose the regime.”
Halabi explained that most of those held in detention are the relatives of
activists and are being used as “leverage.” “The Syrian people are being
tortured to be terrorized and not in order to be interrogated,” he said.
“There is a whole governmental system involved in the torture of detainees—not
just the Air Force Intelligence or Military Security branches… Many people don’t
make it; their bodies are either returned to their families or buried
someplace.”
Amjad Baiazy was one of the few who made it out alive. The regime eventually
charged him with “defaming the Syrian state” and “weakening the national
sentiment”—crimes punishable by 15 years in prison. And while he says he feels
he should be in Syria “to fight the crimes of the government,” he worries his
family will be targeted.
Despite the danger to protesters still in Syria, Baiazy still has a message for
those demonstrating against the regime. “Never abandon your rights. Fight for
them—whatever it takes. Leaving power in the hands of an unaccountable few will
make you enslaved and controlled.”