LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
January 29/2012
Bible Quotation for today/The Parable of the Rich Fool
Luke 12/13-21: "A man in the crowd said to Jesus, Teacher, tell my brother to
divide with me the property our father left us. Jesus answered him, Friend, who
gave me the right to judge or to divide the property between you two? And he
went on to say to them all, Watch out and guard yourselves from every kind of
greed; because your true life is not made up of the things you own, no matter
how rich you may be. Then Jesus told them this parable: There was once a rich
man who had land which bore good crops. He began to think to himself, I don't
have a place to keep all my crops. What can I do? This is what I will do, he
told himself; I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, where I
will store the grain and all my other goods. Then I will say to myself,
Lucky man! You have all the good things you need for many years. Take life easy,
eat, drink, and enjoy yourself. But God said to him, You fool! This very night
you will have to give up your life; then who will get all these things you have
kept for yourself? And Jesus concluded, This is how it is with those who pile up
riches for themselves but are not rich in God's sight.
Latest analysis,
editorials, studies, reports, letters & Releases from miscellaneous sources
Michael Aoun In his new maze/By:
Hazem al-Amin/January 28/12
Gingrich won't win, and Bibi will be in a lose-lose
situation/By Yossi Sarid/January 28/12
The rise of Qassem Suleimani/By Dr. Amal Al- Hazzani/ January 28/12
Latest News Reports From Miscellaneous Sources for
January 28/12
Argentina nabs Iranian-Hizballah cell, aborts third Habad
attack
Israeli officials think Iran
retaliation threat is a bluff, NYT reports
Barak: World must act against Iran before it's too late
U.S. bombs not strong enough to destroy Iran's nuclear
program, report says
U.S. plans to send 'floating commando base' to Mideast,
documents show
IAEA officials head to Iran seeking cooperation on nuclear
issue
Khaled Meshal abandons Hamas' Damascus headquarters
UN Security Council discusses violence in Syria
Arab League suspends
monitoring mission in Syria
Syria activists: Assad forces dump bodies of 17 'executed'
men
Nigerian Military Kills 11 Islamists in Northeast
IMF leads global push
for euro zone to boost firewall
Thousands Protest Conservative Islam in Tunisia
Security Forces chief Ashraf Rifi : Assassination Attempt
Was Targeting Hassan
Prime Minister Najib Miqati Requested from Bellemare Delay
in Announcing Hamadeh, Murr Indictments
Asarta hands over
UNIFIL helm to Italian successor
Lebanon's Interior
Minister, Charbel: Steps taken to protect security chiefs
Lebanon:
Prisoner escape attempt at Roumieh thwarted
Iran says willing to help Lebanon end power cuts
Case of abducted Syrian to go to U.N. Human Rights Committee
Lebanon:
Second fire at Sin el-Fil mall
extinguished
Syrian probe into Arida contradicts
witnesses
Hariri heads to Paris home following
treatment
Sleiman seeks to restart
dialogue in February
Hamade, Youssef accuse Bassil of suspicious deals
Iranians abducted in Syria in Dec. moved to Lebanon:
report
Italian defense minister:
Lebanon vital to regional security
Mufti
Qabbani Condemns Attempts to Destabilize Lebanon
Report: Sadr Was Alive until 1994, Arab States Hindering
Capture of his Kidnappers
Hizballah cell, aborts third Habad attack
http://www.debka.com/article/21689/
DEBKAfile Exclusive Report/ January 28, 2012/Argentina has captured a three-man
Iranian-Hizballah cell and is hunting for the rest of the network, according to
exclusive debkafile sources. Its counter-terror police were a step ahead of
attacks plotted against several of the 10 Habad centers in the country, part of
a worldwide joint terrorist offensive against Israeli and Jewish targets. Two
strikes were thwarted earlier this month in Thailand and Azerbaijan.
The three-man cell was captured in the Argentine resort town of San Carlos de
Bariloche, 1,680 kilometers from Buenos Aires, a favorite starting-point for
Israeli backpackers touring Patagonia and the Andes. The town is situated on the
banks of Lake Naheil Huapi, a major tourist attraction of the Rio Negro district
which is famous for its beauty.
Argentina's anti-terrorist Federal Special Operations Group, known as T4,
waylaid the three terrorists on tips from US and Israeli intelligence. In their
possession were incriminating documents and maps.
Habad hospitality centers and Jewish institutions in the country were then shut
down and given extra security guards, as was the Israeli embassy in the capital.
In 1992, the embassy was attacked by Iranian terrorists killing 29 people and
injuring 242. debkafile's intelligence and counter-terror sources reveal that
one of the things the investigation seeks to discover this time is whether the
captured Iranian-Hizballah cell was given a safe house, guidance and aid by
family members of World War II Nazi criminals who won sanctuary in Argentina..
At the time of the Israeli embassy bombing twenty years ago, the Iranian and
Hizballah terrorists were suspected of working hand in glove with local pro-Nazi
elements. Argentina, Germany and Israel never confirmed this.
However, San Carlos de Bariloche is known as a post-1945 Nazi haven. Two books
by British writers published in 2011 even claimed that Adolf Hitler and Eva
Braun had managed to escape from Berlin and reach safety in this region. This
rumor was always denied.
The terror alert Buenos Aires declared this week was also communicated to Chile,
Peru, Uruguay and Mexico, in case additional Iranian-Hizballah teams were
heading for Israeli and Jewish targets there too.
The plot Argentina foiled after Thailand and Azerbaijan indicates that Iranian
intelligence and Hizballah's special security arm are in the midst of a
worldwide terror offensive against Israel and Jews. Habad centers were picked
out because their doors are always open to travelers, easily identifiable and
accessible. They are often packed with large numbers of Jewish and Israeli
visitors. The attackers are therefore assured of a big splash in the
international media – if they pull off an attack.
In November 2008, Lashkar e-Taiba, the Pakistani arm of al Qaeda, seized Habad
House in Mumbai and murdered eight Israelis and American Jews before blowing the
building up. The rabbi's small child was the only survivor, rescued from the
captured building by his Indian nanny.
In Bangkok, a member of the Iranian-Hizballah terrorist team, on his way with at
least two confederates to blow up the Habad center after holding its occupants
hostage and killing them, was captured two weeks ago, thwarting the attack.
Then, on Jan. 19, Azerbaijani authorities nailed an Iranian intelligence-Hizballah
cell in Baku in time to save the local Habad community center in the city.
Joint Iranian-Hizballah terrorist tentacles have already reached into three
continents for an all-out drive to reach their prey – so far without success,
owing to the cooperation among counter-terror agencies which remain on sustained
high alert.
Barak:
World must act against Iran before it's too late
By The Associated Press
Defense Minister says Iran is soon reaching a point where even a 'surgical'
military strike could not block it from acquiring nuclear arms.
Defense Minister Ehud Barak said Friday the world must quickly stop Iran from
reaching the point where even a "surgical" military strike could not block it
from obtaining nuclear weapons.
Amid fears that Israel is nearing a decision to attack Iran's nuclear program,
Barak said tougher international sanctions are needed against Tehran's oil and
banks so that "we all will know early enough whether the Iranians are ready to
give up their nuclear weapons program." Iran insists its atomic program is only
aimed at producing energy and research, but has repeatedly refused to consider
giving up its ability to enrich uranium. "We are determined to prevent Iran from
turning nuclear. And even the American president and opinion leaders have said
that no option should be removed from the table and Iran should be blocked from
turning nuclear," Barak old reporters during the annual meeting of the World
Economic Forum.
"It seems to us to be urgent, because the Iranians are deliberately drifting
into what we call an immunity zone where practically no surgical operation could
block them," he said.
Barak called it "a challenge for the whole world" to prevent a nuclear-armed
Iran but stopped short of confirming any action that could further stoke
Washington's concern about a possible Israeli military strike. Separately, UN
Secretary General Ban Ki-moon urged a resumption of dialogue between Western
powers and Iran on their nuclear dispute.
He said Friday that Tehran must comply with Security Council resolutions and
prove conclusively that its nuclear development program is not directed to
making arms.
"The onus is on Iran," said Ban, speaking at a press conference. "They have to
prove themselves that their nuclear development program is genuinely for
peaceful purposes, which they have not done yet."
Ban expressed concern at the most recent report of the International Atomic
Energy Agency that strongly suggested that Iran's nuclear program, which it long
has claimed is for development of power generation, has a military intent. IAEA
chief Yukiya Amano said at a Davos session that "we do not have that much
confidence if Iran has declared everything" and its best information "indicates
that Iran has engaged in activities relevant to nuclear explosive devices." "For
now they do not have the capacity to manufacture the fuel," he said. "But in the
future, we don't know."
In spite of his tough words to Iran, Ban said that dialogue among the
"three-plus-three" … Germany, France and Britain plus Russia, China and the
United States … is the path forward.
"There is no other alternative for addressing this crisis than peaceful ...
resolution through dialogue," said Ban.
Ban noted that there have been a total of five Security Council resolutions so
far on the Iranian nuclear program, four calling for sanctions.
As tensions have been on the rise recently, some political leaders in Israel and
the United States have been speaking increasingly of the possibility of a
military strike to eliminate, or at least slow down, what they allege is a
determined effort by Iran to obtain nuclear weapons.
U.S. bombs not strong enough to destroy Iran's nuclear program, report says
By Haaretz/Speaking to the Wall Street Journal, Defense Secretary Panetta,
Pentagon officials say Washington seeking new weapons that would overcome depth
of Iranian enrichment facilities, recent fortifications. The United States does
not possess conventional armament powerful enough to destroy Iran's deeply
hidden nuclear facilities, U.S. officials told the Wall Street Journal late
Friday, with American Defense Secretary Leon Panetta saying Washington was
"still trying" to develop more powerful bombs. Late last year, Bloomberg
reported that the U.S. Air Force received new 15-ton bombs capable of destroying
deep underground bunkers, ahead of a possible attack on Iran's nuclear plants.
The bombs, designed to be delivered by B-2 stealth bombers and called Massive
Ordnance Penetrators (MOP), "will meet requirements for the current operational
need," U.S. Air Force spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Jack Miller said in a
statement in November. However, speaking to the Wall Street Journal on Friday,
U.S. officials estimated that even the 15-ton bombs would not be powerful to put
a full stop to Iran's nuclear program, either because of some of the facilities'
depth or their newly added fortifications. One unnamed officials said Pentagon
analysts estimated that currently held conventional bombs would not be effective
against Iran's enrichment plant in Fordo, adding that a tactical nuclear would
be the only option if Washington sought to destroy the facility. "Once things go
into the mountain, then really you have to have something that takes the
mountain off," the official told the Wall Street Journal. Speaking of the
uranium enrichment plant in Natanz, one official indicated that the U.S.' MOPs
could suffice, adding, however, that "even that is guesswork." In an interview
with the Wall Street Journal on Thursday, the U.S. defense secretary referred to
the need to develop bombs potent enough to pierce Iran's defenses, saying:
"We're still trying to develop them," Mr. Panetta said. Should Washington decide
to use the MOP anyway, Panetta added, it could cause "a lot of damage" to Iran's
hidden facilities, adding, however, that the bunker busters wouldn't necessarily
destroy them outright. "We're developing it. I think we're pretty close, let's
put it that way. But we're still working at it because these things are not easy
to be able to make sure that they will do what we want them to," Panetta added,
saying: "But I'm confident, frankly, that we're going to have that capability
and have it soon."
Despite questions regarding the MOP's ability permanently damage Iran' nuclear
facilities, one U.S. security official speaking to the Wall Street Journal said
that "the Massive Ordnance Penetrators are by no means the only capability at
our disposal to deal with potential nuclear threats in Iran."
Another official said that the U.S. make up for the MOPs' current inability by
using them in tandem with other guided weapons against a bunker's entry and exit
points—provided, however, that U.S. intelligence is aware of the position of
those openings. New reports about the current American inability to end Iran's
nuclear ambitions with a conventional strike came after, earlier Friday, Defense
Minister Ehud Barak said that the world must quickly stop Iran from reaching the
point where even a "surgical" military strike could not block it from obtaining
nuclear weapons.
Amid fears that Israel is nearing a decision to attack Iran's nuclear program,
Barak said tougher international sanctions are needed against Tehran's oil and
banks so that "we all will know early enough whether the Iranians are ready to
give up their nuclear weapons program." Iran insists its atomic program is only
aimed at producing energy and research, but has repeatedly refused to consider
giving up its ability to enrich uranium. "We are determined to prevent Iran from
turning nuclear. And even the American president and opinion leaders have said
that no option should be removed from the table and Iran should be blocked from
turning nuclear," Barak old reporters during the annual meeting of the World
Economic Forum. "It seems to us to be urgent, because the Iranians are
deliberately drifting into what we call an immunity zone where practically no
surgical operation could block them," he said. Barak called it "a challenge for
the whole world" to prevent a nuclear-armed Iran but stopped short of confirming
any action that could further stoke Washington's concern about a possible
Israeli military strike.
Israeli
officials think Iran retaliation threat is a bluff, NYT reports
By Haaretz /New York Times says some
officials think estimates that a strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities would cause
catastrophe are 'partly a bluff,' and that this is accepted at top government
levels.
Israeli officials and academic experts think that Iran’s threats of retaliation
to a possible strike against it are a bluff, the New York Times reported on
Friday. Citing a number of officials and reports, the New York Times said that
estimates that a strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities “would set off a
catastrophic series of events” is considered by some to be “partly a bluff,” and
that these estimates are accepted at the top levels of the Israeli government.
The newspaper said it had spoken with eight current and recent top Israeli
officials, and that these conversations suggest that “since Israel has been
demanding the new sanctions, including an oil embargo and seizure of Iran’s
Central Bank assets, it will give the sanctions some months to work; the
sanctions are viewed here as probably insufficient; a military attack remains a
very real option; and postattack situations are considered less perilous than
one in which Iran has nuclear weapons.” One retired official told the New York
Times that based on past scenarios including threats from Saddam Hussein to
“burn half of Israel,” and threats from Hezbollah which resulted in limited harm
to Israel, “If you put all those retaliations together and add in the terrorism
of recent years, we are probably facing some multiple of that.” “I’m not saying
Iran will not react. But it will be nothing like London during World War Two,”
the New York Times reported the official as saying, citing an internal report.
The newspaper also said that an upcoming paper by Tel Aviv University’s National
Center for Security Studies claims that Iran’s threats to close the Strait of
Hormuz are also “a bluff.”
The paper, written by former Chief of Military Intelligence Amos Yadlin and Yoel
Guzansky, who was head of the Israel National Security Council’s Iran desk until
2009, says that closing the Strait would be against Iran’s interests, and that
it would not be able to do this for a significant length of time, the New York
Times reported. “If others are closing the taps on you, why close your own?” the
New York Times reported Guzansky as saying. The newspaper also cites a paper
recently published by the Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies arguing that
Israeli fears of Iranian missiles are exaggerated, as these would not be able to
cause significant physical damage. A former senior official said he was
concerned that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Ehud Barak
want to attack Iran, and that this would be a military and diplomatic
catastrophe, the New York Times reported. The official said that Israel’s
defense establishment prefers sanctions and diplomacy as the means for stopping
Iran’s nuclear program, and that any military steps, if needed, would preferably
come from the U.S., the New York Times reported. “Imagine Israel’s isolation
after it attacked. For what? A delay of a year and a half? We are successfully
delaying them with other methods,” the New York Times cited the official as
saying. On Thursday, former IDF chief Gabi Ashkenazi said that Israel must do
all it can to operate under the radar against Iran, but should simultaneously
prepare for a possible strike against Tehran's nuclear facilities. Earlier in
the week, European Union foreign ministers approved an oil embargo against Iran
in a bid so stop its nuclear program. The measure included an immediate embargo
on new contracts for Iranian crude and petroleum products while existing ones
will be allowed to run until July. In response, two Iranian lawmakers stepped up
threats their country would close the strategic Strait of Hormuz, through which
a fifth of the world's crude flows.
Gingrich won't win, and Bibi will be in a lose-lose situation
By Yossi Sarid/Haaretz
We'll have to be careful of Obama, who is gritting his teeth to hold back his
grudge, and we'll have to be careful of Romney, who won't soon forget the
bloodbath prepared for him by Newt and Bibi's friends.
Newt Gingrich won in South Carolina and that's good, very good. What's so good
about the victory of an egomaniac who has compared himself to Churchill, de
Gaulle and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu? It's good because it's bad
for the Republican Party, which is drunk not on wine but on tea. That's how the
wild party will continue until the summer, and they'll all swallow each other
alive.
They will reach the end of the race for Republican presidential candidate
bruised and battered, increasing U.S. President Barack Obama's chances of being
reelected by the skin of his teeth. In spite of all the disappointment with him,
he behaves like a normal and well-meaning human being, and that's no small thing
nowadays - both in the United States and here. Another term in office - without
the fear of big donors and AIPAC - may repair what has been broken.
From here, we will wish Gingrich good luck on his future path, where every patch
of greenery he touches turns yellow. This is the man who has a reputation for
making a fool of himself. This is the man who was thrown out of Congress in
disgrace - the House Ethics Committee handled dozens of complaints filed against
him when he was chairman, and fined him hundreds of thousands of dollars for
"irresponsible use" of public funds.
He was the one who pushed for the impeachment of President Bill Clinton because
of Monica, while he himself was having a secret affair with his platinum-blonde
assistant, Callista. He informed his first wife that he was divorcing her while
she was still bedridden with an illness, and to his second he suggested an "open
marriage," according to her testimony. Sara Netanyahu would not be pleased with
such behavior. I have absolutely nothing against a womanizer. So why do I feel
like vomiting when he of all people preaches the sanctity of the family and
family values? The nausea increases when he publicly displays the indulgence he
receives from his new church; Gingrich is now a devout Catholic. And the
observer will wonder, how is such a historic and important party running such
dubious candidates, who are infuriated by welfare and bought by wealth?
With all his character traits and views, Gingrich is the natural candidate of
the "International Likud," as we learned in a conversation with journalist Yaron
Dekel. Don't we finally deserve to have a president after our own heart, who
considers the Palestinians an invented people, brings down the Iranian
government with one shot, transfers the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem, frees
Jonathan Pollard and crushes the elites and the media? Although Netanyahu is not
interfering, we know whom he really likes - anyone but Obama. That's all he
requires. The freebie daily newspaper Israel Hayom also wants Gingrich, because
that's what the boss wants. The paper's patron, Sheldon Adelson, had good reason
for contributing $10 million and rescuing his friend at the last moment. Our
Sheldon knows how to gamble, that's his profession. Didn't he bet on Bibi
Netanyahu and win? Didn't we lose? I'm also tempted to gamble, but without
chips. Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney is not a great bargain, but
he still has a chance despite his unctuousness and evasiveness - only this week
did he deign to reveal his absurd tax payments, as well as his Swiss bank
account. But he is still the preferred candidate of the Republican
establishment, major donors and independent voters. He, rather than the
hypocritical Gingrich, whom Obama will make mincemeat of.
And that's how the experts on the United States - Netanyahu and his gang of
advisers - have entangled us in a situation of almost certain defeat or, as they
say in the Prime Minister's Office in an American accent, a lose-lose situation.
We'll have to be careful of Obama, who is gritting his teeth to hold back his
grudge, and we'll have to be careful of Romney, who won't soon forget the
bloodbath prepared for him by Newt and Bibi's friends
Iranians abducted in Syria in Dec. moved to Lebanon: report
January 28, 2012/The Daily Star /BEIRUT: Five Iranians kidnapped in Syria in
December have been moved to north Lebanon, Iran’s English-language Press TV,
quoting a source in north Lebanon, reported Saturday. The Iranian media outlet
described the source as a tribal figure in north Lebanon who spoke on condition
of anonymity. On Dec. 21, Press TV reported that five Iranian technicians
working in Syria were kidnapped by unidentified gunmen in the city of Homs.
According to Press TV, two other Iranians, who were trying to obtain information
about the missing men, were also kidnapped. Their whereabouts are still unknown.
Syria's state news agency SANA had said that eight engineers "of different
nationalities" disappeared after heading by bus to their work at a power plant
in Homs province.
In early January, a previously unknown Syrian opposition group claimed
responsibility for the kidnapping and warned both Iran and Hezbollah of the
consequences of supporting Damascus.
The previously unheard of group, calling itself the "Movement against the Shiite
tide in Syria,” made the claim in a fax sent to the Nicosia offices of Agence
France Presse. “We warn Iran and Hezbollah that their members will face the same
fate as the five Iranians if they don’t immediately stop providing all forms of
support to the criminal regime,” the group said in the fax.
Arab League freezes mission in Syria
News agencies
The Arab League halted its observer mission to Syria on Saturday, sharply
criticizing the regime of President Bashar Assad for escalating violence in
recent days that has killed at least 80 people across the country.The rising
bloodshed has added urgency to new attempts by Arab and Western countries to
find a resolution to the 10 months of violence that according to the United
Nations has killed at least 5,400 people as Assad seeks to crush persistent
protests demanding an end to his rule.
But the initiatives continue to face two major obstacles: Damascus' rejection of
an Arab peace plan which it says impinges on its sovereignty, and Russia's
willingness to use its UN Security Council veto to protect Syria from sanctions.
Syrian government forces clashed with anti-regime army defectors across the
country on Saturday. At least nine were reported killed in the clashes and other
violence. The new deaths come after two days of bloody turmoil killed at least
74 people, including small children.
The month-old Arab observer mission in Syria had come under widespread criticism
for failing to bring a halt to the regime's crackdown. Gulf States led by Saudi
Arabia pulled out of the mission Tuesday, asking the UN Security Council to
intervene.
League Secretary-General Nabil Elaraby said in a statement that after
discussions with Arab foreign ministers, the organization decided to halt the
observers' work immediately because of the increasing violence, until the
League's council can meet to decide the mission's fate.
He blamed Damascus for the spike in bloodshed, saying the regime has "resorted
to escalating the military option in complete violation of (its) commitments" to
end the crackdown, Elaraby said. He said the victims of the violence have been
"innocent citizens," in an implicit rejection of Syria's claims that it is
fighting "terrorists."
Syrian forces claim they found Israeli weapons in rebels' possession
Elaraby's deputy, Ahmed Ben Heli, told reporters that the around 100 observers
will remain in Damascus while their mission is "reevaluated."
Ben Heli suggested the observers could resume their work later. Asked if the
mission would be withdrawn, he said the halt was "forced by events" and aimed to
ensure the observers' safety, but he spoke of a possible "new map" of places
where the teams would visit, and said the mission would wait to see what new
personnel and logistical help the League would give it.
Elaraby and the prime minister of Qatar were set to leave for New York on Sunday
to seek UN support for the latest Arab plan to end Syria's crisis. The plans
calls for a two-month transition to a unity government, with Assad giving his
vice president full powers to work with the proposed government.
Syria has rejected the proposal, saying it violates its sovereignty.
In the bloodiest incident reported on Saturday, Syria's state-run news agency
SANA said "terrorists" ambushed a bus carrying army officers near the tense
Damascus suburb of Douma, killing seven of them.
Although Damascus has been relatively quiet since the uprising began, its
suburbs have witnessed intense anti-regime protests and army defectors have
become more visible and active in the past few months.
Syria's state-run media blamed anti-government "terrorists" for the attack,
saying the fire was extinguished four hours later.
*Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report
What Will Happen to Syria's Weapons?
Farid Ghadry/Reform Party of Syria
"The Syrian street will ignore all pleas not to retaliate against the Alawites
the way the world ignored their pleas to save them from Assad. Ultimately, two
innocent civilian communities will pay the heaviest of price and that's when we
recognize how appeasement fails humanity the way it failed six million Jews in
WWII." There are two opinions prevailing on Syria today as to what will happen
to Assad. Many seem to agree that his end is near, but some believe he will
survive this tragic episode in Syrian history to remain in power. In either
case, what will happen to the large depository of conventional weapons in Syria?
How does their use today affect the future of Syria within the context of the
Alawite minorities taking control of the weapons for self-protection? Syria is
one of the largest weapon depots in the world; all in the service of few members
of one family. Much is antiquated if it had to face the modernity of the weapons
of today but still deadly if used against civilians or an army with similar
weaponry. Here is a detailed accounting of the conventional weapons Syria
possesses, almost all were provided by the old Soviet Bloc. Whether Assad
believes he can survive or not, he will need easy access to these weapons. We
should not count on the regime making any contingency plans to neutralize this
large arsenal because it still believes it can survive this Revolution. That's
the real tragedy facing Syria in the near future. But the Iranians, with a
clearer mind, may move some to Lebanon to augment the pile Hezbollah already has
acquired illegally and some will be moved to the Sahel region where the Alawites,
already heavily armed, will control as a defensive measure in an uncertain
future. One has to assume, however, that the sudden fall of Assad will mean the
arsenal he controls may fall in the hands of a young Sunni population trained in
its use and out for revenge. That's the main reason why NATO must find a way to
control these weapons if Syria is to be saved from a looming civil war. Don't
count on the Syrian civilians, under duress, to obey any rules. The jungle brute
war Assad started will continue after the Syrian street wins this battle no
matter the efforts exercised today by the world community and the US State
Department.
Let's be realistic about the deep anger Syrians feel. Not only because they were
systematically butchered by Assad but also because the international community
and the Arab League abandoned them to the Assad killing machine for too long.
The Syrian street will ignore all pleas not to retaliate against the Alawites
the way the world ignored their pleas to save them from Assad. Ultimately, two
innocent civilian communities will pay the heaviest of price and that's when we
recognize how appeasement fails humanity the way it failed six million Jews in
WWII. In this violent world of ours, only determined use of force saves lives in
the long run. Had the Bush administration moved swiftly to change the Assad
regime in 2003-2004, Iran would be weaker, less Americans would have died in
Iraq, and Syria would be far better today than the dim prospects ahead of us. I
hope former Secretary Condi Rice reads this Blog.
Prisoner escape attempt at Roumieh thwarted
January 28, 2012/The Daily Star /BEIRUT: Lebanese police thwarted earlier
this week an escape attempt by Roumieh prison inmates, including members from
militant Fatah Al-Islam, security sources told The Daily Star Saturday. The
sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said inmates from Fatah Al-Islam
planned to make their escape from Lebanon’s largest jail through a hole they
were digging in one of the cells at Bloc B of the facility. Their plan was
foiled after a prison guard, alerted by the sound of activity, went to inspect
the cell. In 2007, the Lebanese Army fought fierce battles with the militant
group at the Palestinian refugee camp of Nahr al-Bared in Tripoli, north
Lebanon. The hole, according to security sources, was 30 centimeters in length
and 40 centimeters in width. Had the hole been widened slightly more, some 220
prisoners could have made their way out of the prison that is located some 15
kilometers from the capital. Bloc B at Roumieh prison holds Fath Al-Islam
inmates and mostly convicts with “terrorist links.” The prison has built a
separate wall to seal the hole the inmates planned to escape through and the
number of security personnel at Bloc B has been increased.
Case of abducted Syrian to go to U.N. Human Rights Committee
January 28, 2012/By Hussein Dakroub/The Daily Star
BEIRUT: A senior U.N. official told the family of former Syrian Vice President
Shibli Aisamy Friday that the case of the leading Syrian dissident, who has been
missing since May last year, has been referred to the highest international
judicial authority. A delegation from the Aisamy family met with interim United
Nations Special Coordinator for Lebanon Robert Watkins at the U.N. headquarters
in Yarze, as part of their ongoing moves to determine Aisamy’s whereabouts more
than eight months after he was kidnapped in front of his house in Aley, Mount
Lebanon. Watkins told the family that the Aisamy case has been referred to the
“highest international judicial authority,” the state-run National News Agency
reported. The family’s delegation said that the U.N. Human Rights Committee was
“following up details linked to Aisamy’s kidnapping with a view to pressuring
the Syrian regime to uncover his fate and release him quickly.”Aisamy, who fled
Syria in 1966 over political differences with then-President Hafez Assad, was
abducted in May in Aley, minutes after leaving his daughter’s home for a walk.
The Aisamy family handed Watkins a letter addressedto U.N. Secretary-General Ban
Ki-moon urging the U.N. chief to intervene immediately to secure the release of
“our father, who is 88 years old and whose health condition is
deteriorating.”The letter pointed out that all local efforts made to determine
Aisamy’s whereabouts have led nowhere.It said that Aisamy, who was kidnapped in
Aley on May 24, had arrived from Washington with his wife to visit their
daughter.“Shibli Aisamy is one of the founders of the Baath Party (1947-92), a
former Syrian vice president and a leading Syrian politician. He held several
official posts in the Syrian government between 1950 and 1960, including the
Education Ministry and the Agriculture Ministry,” the letter said.
It also quoted Maj. Gen. Ashraf Rifi, director general of the Internal Security
Forces, telling a human rights committee in the Lebanese Parliament that Aisamy
was kidnapped by intelligence agents under the cover of the Syrian Embassy in
Beirut. Addressing Ban, the letter said: “Our family needs your help. We believe
that you will do your best to save him. We thank you for adopting our case and
for your defense of justice and human rights.” Aisamy’s daughter, Rajaa
Sharafeddine, has rejected comments suggesting that her father had been killed,
saying the family had received confirmation that their father in Syria.
Sharafeddine told The Daily Star in November, “We have received confirmation
from a number of sources that my father was kidnapped in Lebanon and taken to
Syria where he is being held.” She was responding to comments made by Baath
Party official and Baalbek-Hermel MP Assem Qanso in which he said it “is not
unlikely” that Druze leader Walid Jumblatt and Aley MP Akram Shehayeb “oversaw
the liquidation of Aisamy.”Meanwhile, a joint delegation from the March 14
secretariat general and the Association of Lebanese Prisoners in Syrian jails
met Watkins Friday and handed him a memorandum calling for U.N. action to
determine the fate of Lebanese held in Syrian prisons, a U.N. source told The
Daily Star. He spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the
issue.
Addressed to Ban, the memo urged the U.N. chief to intervene along with the Arab
League, and observers currently in Syria to follow up the case of Lebanese
detainees while they inspect prisons there.
“The continued detention of Lebanese in Syrian prisons is an international crime
that falls within the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court,” the
memo said.
Lebanese nongovernmental organizations say they have the names of 545 people who
went missing and are now believed to be in Syrian prisons, all of them victims
of forced disappearance during the 1975-90 Civil War. Separately, Watkins
discussed with Hezbollah official Ammar Musawi the U.N. Security Council
Resolution 1701 that calls for a cessation of hostilities between Lebanon and
Israel following the 34-day devastating war between the Jewish state and
Hezbollah in the summer of 2006. “We had a very good discussion about the
situation in Lebanon, particularly related to the implementation of Resolution
1701,” Watkins said in a statement released following the meeting with Musawi,
head of Hezbollah’s International Relations Department.
“We discussed the areas where 1701 has worked very well so far,” added Watkins,
“including the relative stability that has prevailed in south Lebanon, but also
the requirements of 1701 that still have to be met in order to be able to move
from the current cessation of hostilities to a permanent ceasefire.” Watkins
said he briefed Musawi on Ban’s visit to Lebanon, and the preparations for the
U.N.’s next report on the implementation of Resolution 1701. “I told Mr. Musawi
that the secretary-general expressed his expectation in all his meetings that
Lebanon would continue to meet all its international obligations under all
relevant Security Council resolutions,” Watkins said. He said that talks also
tackled developments in the region. “I reiterated the U.N.’s hope that Lebanon
would continue to seek to safeguard its stability and security, particularly in
light of the developments taking place in the surrounding Arab world,” Watkins
said.
Prime Minister Najib Miqati Requested from Bellemare Delay
in Announcing Hamadeh, Murr Indictments
by Naharnet /Prime Minister Najib Miqati had requested from Special Tribunal for
Lebanon Prosecutor Judge Daniel Bellemare that he delay the release of the
indictment in the assassination attempts of former ministers Marwan Hamadeh and
Elias al-Murr, reported al-Joumhouria newspaper on Saturday. He hoped that the
indictment would be revealed after Lebanon approves the renewal of its
cooperation protocol with the STL. There are fears that the protocol would not
be renewed over Hizbullah’s refusal to cooperate with the tribunal. For his
part, Bellemare reportedly told the premier that he could not link the
investigation to political matters, adding that once he has an indictment, he
will be obligated to release it. He therefore declined the Miqati’s request. The
prosecutor noted however that Pre-Trial Judge Daniel Fransen has the authority
to choose to publish the indictment at the time he deems appropriate.
Bellemare had arrived in Lebanon on Tuesday on a farewell tour of Lebanese
officials to mark the end of his tenure as prosecutor. He had held talks on
Friday with Interior Minister Marwan Charbel, Internal Security Forces chief
Ashraf Rifi, and General Security head Abbas Ibrahim. He revealed throughout his
talks in Lebanon that he had formed a “very strong” case in the assassination of
former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, one which he will be proud of for the rest
of his life, reported the daily An Nahar on Saturday. He had informed Charbel of
the tribunal’s insistence to pursue the investigation until the very end, adding
that there can be no backing down from investigating the crimes that had taken
place in Lebanon since 2004. As Safir newspaper meanwhile reported on Saturday
that Bellemare will leave his post in March. His successor has not yet been
revealed. The STL announced in December that Bellemare has informed U.N. chief
Ban Ki-moon that, for health reasons, he does not intend to seek reappointment
for a second term as prosecutor at the end February. As Safir said that he had
emphasized during his talks with various Lebanese officials the need to
disregard the accusations that the STL is politicized.
He explained that the attack against the tribunal is a sign that it is moving on
the right track.
He revealed that the next indictment to be released by the STL would concern the
assassination attempts against Murr and Hamadeh and the assassination of former
Lebanese Communist Party leader George Hawi.Bellemare did not rule out the
possibility that the accused in his first indictment concerning Hariri’s
assassination would be linked to these three crimes. On Friday, the prosecutor,
accompanied by his team, visited the office of State Prosecutor Saeed Mirza
where he met with Hamadeh, journalist May Chidiac, and Suzy Madayan, Hawi’s
widow. Last week, the pan-Arab daily al-Hayat published a report saying that
Fransen has made a progress in preparing the indictments in the Hamadeh, Murr,
and Hawi cases. According to the report, Bellemare has referred to Fransen his
probe into the three cases and that the pre-trial judge is preparing the
indictments pending their release. The court has already indicted four Hizbullah
members in Hariri’s February 2005 assassination. But Lebanese authorities have
so far failed to arrest them. Ministerial sources told As Safir that the
prosecutor was keen not to discuss key issues with Lebanese officials during a
three-day farewell visit before the end of his mandate at the end of February.
Bellemare expressed his gratitude to Lebanon, the sources said.He also discussed
the stages of his work with the STL as the head of U.N. International
Independent Investigation Commission (UNIIIC) to his appointment as the STL’s
prosecutor and the release of the indictment in Hariri’s assassination
Nigerian Military Kills 11 Islamists in Northeast
by Naharnet /Nigerian troops on Saturday killed 11 fighters from the Islamist
sect Boko Haram during a shootout in the northeastern city of Maiduguri, a
spokesman said. "Today, in an exchange of fire during a cordon-and-search
operation conducted by the JTF, 11 Boko Haram members were killed," Lieutenant
Colonel Hassan Mohammed told Agence France Presse by telephone, referring to the
army's Joint Task Force unit.Mohammed said no casualties were suffered by the
JTF, a specialized squad set up last year to crack down on Boko Haram, a shadowy
group that is blamed for the deaths of more than 200 people already this
year.Maiduguri, the capital of Borno state, was placed under a state of
emergency on December 31 by President Goodluck Jonathan along with other parts
of the country hard hit by Boko Haram's attacks.The city is seen as Boko Haram's
base.
Security Forces chief Ashraf Rifi : Assassination Attempt Was Targeting Hassan
by Naharnet /Internal Security Forces chief Ashraf Rifi confirmed on Saturday
reports of a foiled assassination attempt against security officials, reported
Voice of Lebanon radio.
He revealed that head of the ISF’s Information Branch Col. Wissam al-Hassan was
the target of the foiled attempt. He did not provide further details on the
manner in which the assassination was going to be executed, saying that the
appropriate measures have been taken to tackle the situation. A plan to
assassinate Rifi and Hassan was discovered, reported the daily An Nahar on
Saturday.
Security information obtained by the daily revealed that the Bureau received
information of a possible assassination attempt from two sources, which
confirmed the credibility of the reports and prompted the security forces to
deal firmly with the matter. The assassination was most likely going to be
executed through a car bomb near the ISF headquarters in Ashrafiyeh, said the
daily.
It added that there was a higher possibility that Hassan, not Rifi, was going to
be targeted. Al-Liwaa reported on Saturday that “very credible” foreign and
internal sources revealed the assassination plot against Rifi or Hassan. It also
said that “due to logistic and political reasons,” the Intelligence Bureau chief
was the likely target. Furthermore, it revealed that the assassination attempt
was in its preparation phase.President Michel Suleiman, Prime Minister Najib
Miqati, and Interior Minister Marwan Charbel were all informed of the attempt,
said the newspaper. In addition, it did not rule out the possibility that
political figures may have been targets in the assassination. This is not the
first time the media has reported an alleged plot to murder a security official
in Lebanon. Not long ago, Al-Manar television spoke of a plot to assassinate
General Security chief Maj. Gen. Abbas Ibrahim. Captain Wissam Eid, a top
communications analyst with the ISF Intelligence Bureau, was assassinated in a
January 25, 2008 car bombing outside Beirut. On December 12, 2007, Brigadier
General Francois al-Hajj, chief of the army operations directorate, was killed
in a car bomb attack in Baabda, along with three other people
The rise of Qassem Suleimani
By Dr. Amal Al- Hazzani/Asharq Alawsat
Lieutenant General Qassem Suleimani, leader of the Quds Force - the most
powerful militia in the Iranian Revolutionary Guard and now the unit closest to
the Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, recently issued bold statements befitting his
increasingly influential stature. These statements impacted beyond Iran's
borders, towards Iraq and Syria. In an announcement detailing his upcoming role
in the Iranian spheres of influence, Suleimani claimed that south Lebanon and
Iraq both fall under Iranian control. In fact, Lieutenant General Suleimani told
us nothing new with regards to south Lebanon, and the March 14 Alliance has no
right to object to such a statement, or claim that this is a violation of the
Lebanese state's sovereignty. Secretary-General of Hezbollah, the party that
controls south Lebanon, had previously declared that "the leadership, the will
and the decisions of war and peace all are in the hands of the Wilayat al-Faqih
[Guardian of the Jurists]”. This statement is an utterly explicit, doubtless and
affirmed declaration of loyalty [to Iran]. The Hezbollah ministers in the
Lebanese government, all being under the command of the party's
Secretary-General, and by extension the Wilayat al-Faqih, can be classed among
the decision-makers in the Lebanese state in their capacity as cabinet members.
They have extensive authority over the Lebanese people, although they came to
power through coercion. Thus, Suleimani was only repeating what was already
known to the Lebanese people, and any attempt to feign surprise or anger will
not change the facts on the ground.
In Iraq, even Sunni politicians confessed meekly that the Quds Force is the
absolute master of Iraqi affairs, even before the withdrawal of US troops, and
even before the Quds Force’s presence and domination grew following this
withdrawal. The Iraqi Sunni politicians also feel that Qassem Suleimani in
particular still harbors the belief that the Iraq-Iran war that began in the
1980s has only just ended with Iran being victorious, and that he is among the
prominent leaders of this victory. As for Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, he
willingly submits to the Iranian domination that brought him to power, a
domination which is in fact his only way to survive. Suleimani's mission in
Lebanon and Iraq is a simple one; the Iranian interests there are guarded by
Hezbollah and the State of Law Coalition, whilst in Syria the task is harder
because the regime there is in need of emergency surgery to survive. If
Suleimani succeeded as planned in delaying the [Syrian] regime's downfall, such
a success, even if seemingly temporary and ultimately futile, would be an
indicator of the rise of Suleimani at the expense of President Ahmadinejad.
Suleimani could delay the fall of the the Syrian regime using all the customary
Iranian practices; by creating peripheral problems to sidetrack the
international community's attention, and distract it from the main issue. These
“peripheral problems” would be of great concern to the Europeans and America,
such as the kidnapping of foreigners, sabotage operations against Western
interests abroad, the assassination of political figures, or perhaps even going
beyond this and seeking the assistance of Al Qaeda elements to conduct terrorist
activities either inside Syria or in other Arab states. The Iranian regime's
persistence in trying to rescue the Syrian regime, despite the difficulty of
this task, reflects Khamenei's desire to show that he is not the sort of leader
who would give up on his allies easily. This persistence is also meant to
exhibit the strength of the Iranian regime, showing it to be as strong as its
determination to accomplish its nuclear project. The allies in question here are
its closest associates in Lebanon and Iraq, more specifically Lebanon, which has
been in a state of limbo ever since its independence. The Syrian regime's allies
in Lebanon are now feeling unprecedented concerns; General Aoun is more worried
about the collapse of the Syrian regime than Bashar al-Assad himself, for al-Assad's
fall would be an utterly unexpected political and moral defeat. Meanwhile,
Khamenei is deliberately moving Qassem Suleimani from the inner corridors of
power towards the limelight, in a message intended for those within Iran,
specifically Ahmadinejad. Khamenei is saying that the Iranian regime’s goals
have begun to diverge, and that its stances have begun to differ widely, so
decisions must take on a more practical dimension.
The lucky spy
January 27, 2012 /Now Lebanon
Former General Fayez Karam, seen here at his trial, is getting a lenient
sentence for espionage because of his ties to the powerful. (AFP photo)
The legacy of the Free Patriotic Movement’s controversial 2006 alliance with
Hezbollah once again popped its ugly head over the parapet of Lebanese politics
earlier this week. This time it was in the shape of the double standards
employed in the spy trial of retired army general and convicted “information
leaker” Fayez Karam, a close associate of the FPM’s leader Michel Aoun.
Karam was arrested in August 2010 and charged with “passing information” on
Hezbollah and the Free Patriotic Movement, of which he is a member, to Israel.
In September 2011, he was sentenced to two years hard labor. On Tuesday, after
an appeal, an army court—for those in Lebanon who are charged with spying are
subject to military law—upheld the sentence but restored Karam’s civil rights.
His time spent in jail since his arrest has been deemed retroactive, so Karam
now only has six months left to serve. Technically, once he is free, he can run
for president. Not a bad result for a convicted traitor.
Others have not been so lucky. As part of a wider investigation into the spy
networks that have allegedly honeycombed Lebanon, more than 100 people have been
arrested—mostly members of the security forces and hapless telecom employees—on
similar charges. (It is worth noting that special attention has been given to
the cases of telecom employees, no doubt in a bid to muddy the legal waters
ahead of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, the court charged with bringing to
justice the killers of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri and which has based
much of the evidence used in the indictments of four Hezbollah members on mobile
phone movements on the fateful day.)
In many of these cases, Hezbollah has asked for the death penalty. There have
been no such demands for Karam’s neck, even though he is a former head of the
Lebanese army’s anti-terrorism and counter-espionage branch. Significantly, even
though Karam passed information to Israel, he was not found guilty of spying,
merely of being in contact with the Mossad, the Israeli Institute for
Intelligence and Special Operations. In a country gripped with Israeli paranoia
and where sharing a cup of tea and discussing the weather with an Israeli, even
abroad, carries a prison sentence, it is extraordinary that such a lenient
distinction has been made. The reasons are as obvious as they are cynical. There
exists in Lebanon today a culture of hypocrisy that has nothing to do with our
so-called struggle against Zionist oppression and everything to do with
political expediency. Karam is Aoun’s man. Hezbollah needs Aoun for Christian
cover, and so it is worth a decent wager that a deal was struck. Given that in
Lebanon those with influence rarely, if ever, get to see the inside of a jail
cell—the four generals suspected of involvement in the Hariri assassination
being the most famous exceptions—it is unlikely that Karam made a genuine
mistake in the choice of company he kept. And yet Israel continues to be the
cattle prod that corrals us into a state of unquestioning acceptance that it is
the source of all evil and the misery that has bedeviled our lives for 64 years.
And yet when Syria violates our borders and shoots our young men (let us not
forget the three decades of corruption and repression) we let it go because they
are brother Arabs. No one is saying that we should make peace with Israel, and
we are not condoning espionage. But the Karam case has shown that the law has,
on the one hand, been hijacked for political ends, while at the same time is
being used as a tool to create the specter of an Israeli threat.There must a
full and transparent review of all those arrested for so-called collaboration
with Israel as well as a review of the law that defines our relations with our
neighbors. All our neighbors.
The Lebanese electoral bazaar
Ana Maria Luca/Now Lebanon
January 28, 2012
Lebanese voters can expect more differences and very little hope of change for
the 2013 general elections. For the experts working on drafts of the new
electoral law, hope is almost lost. “It is a political bazaar,” Rony al-Assaad,
coordinator of the Civil Campaign for Electoral Reform, told NOW Lebanon. “All
political leaders are negotiating for the sake of their community and not
thinking about the country.” A disagreement over a controversial report released
by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs this month, which stated that members of the
diaspora did not want to vote from abroad, brought attention back to the lack of
progress in drafting a new electoral law. The view of the Ministry of Foreign
Affairs is to be expected, according to constitutional expert Marwan Sakr, who
noted that “the ministry is Amal’s kingdom by tradition, [and] nobody knows what
is happening in there.”Assaad agrees. “Hezbollah and Amal are not happy to
implement the diaspora vote, even if it is a civil right. The government should
apply this right,” he said, adding that both Hezbollah and Amal are probably
afraid that they are unable to reach their networks outside the country,
especially since Hezbollah has been deemed a terrorist organization in many
countries. “There [was] a trend, especially among March 8 parties, to go back to
the 1960 law,” which was based on the simple-majority or winner-takes-all
principle, noted Sakr. “It was good for March 8 at some point [in 2009], but not
anymore. Now they want more than that.”
Assaad says that the proportional system is doomed, as nobody seems happy with
it. Druze leader Walid Jumblatt as well as the Future Movement have expressed
clear disagreement with it. “Deep down even Hezbollah and Amal are against
proportional representation, although they push for it in the media, because
this way they won’t be able to monopolize the Shia community,” he noted.
Meanwhile, the Future Movement has not come up with any proposal for a new law,
as, in Sakr’s opinion, the party is comfortable for now with the system used in
the 2009 elections, when March 14 took the largest number of seats in
parliament. There is some agreement, however, among Christian figures.
President Michel Sleiman, Patriarch Bechara al-Rai and Minister of Interior
Marwan Charbel seem to agree that there needs to be a change to the current
electoral law. “The question is how they can reinforce a center in the Lebanese
political landscape, a third stream in the government led by president Sleiman.
Their goal is to get at least a few members in the parliament,” Sakr said.
“[Christians] are under continuous stress; they are not able to forget what
happened in 2005, when the Muslims were allowed to elect some Christian MPs.”
Sources close to both the Kataeb and Lebanese Forces told NOW Lebanon that it is
still unclear which solution those parties favor. There was a time when they
were convinced that the best election system for the Christians would be having
single-seat constituencies, which send one representative to the parliament.
According to the sources, both Lebanese Forces and Kataeb are also studying the
proportional-representation system but have not yet tested it to see how it
would benefit them in practice. After Patriarch Rai came out in favor of the
so-called Orthodox proposal, which backs a proportional system wherein each sect
elects its own lawmakers to reach true representation, most Christian lawmakers
also voiced their approval of it.But “this would mean shooting themselves in the
foot, because this would mean losing two or three seats in favor of the
president’s interests, and it would divide their electorate even more,” Sakr
said, adding that the system is difficult to apply in districts that are not
fully Christian. “In Jbeil, it would not bother Hezbollah, because the March 8
candidate would be elected, but let’s try to apply this to Aley, Baada and the
Chouf. It becomes very complicated [due to the many communities living in the
areas].” Assaad also believes the idea would bring more division to the country
rather than appease the sects. “This is democratic, no doubt about that, but
only for the community. It won’t be democratic for the country as a whole. Each
confession [has] its own institutions, its own social life, now it would mean
that each sect will get its own parliament and we would reach several states.”
Instituting a female quota in parliament and lowering the voting age from 21 to
18 are also issues politicians cannot agree on.
With all the proposed changes, “Each sect acts in its own interest, and nobody
is considering the rights of the citizens,” Assaad said. “There is not much hope
of an agreement on any of these topics, but you know, we, as the civil society,
have to keep pushing them.”
Michael Aoun In his new maze”
Hazem al-Amin, /Now Lebanon
January 27, 2012
I have always felt uncomfortable about bringing back memories of the October 13,
1990 battle to confront General Michel Aoun with it. This is the day on which he
decided to leave the Presidential Palace and leave his soldiers to their own
devices. The decision to give precedence to one’s life over confrontation is a
self-evident human right that should not be invoked against whoever chooses it,
regardless of the level of adversity with that person. Yet Michel Aoun himself
is setting right the mistake I made on purpose by not convicting him, as he
reminds us every day of what he has not done. The latest such example was when
he said: “We do not shy away from confrontation … This is not part of our
habits.” This statement was made in another flimsier context but it can only
serve to remind one that he literally did the exact opposite. General Aoun did
shy away from the confrontation. He left his soldiers to die at the palace.
Running away cannot get any clearer than that, and the memory of that event is
unduly summoned back by the “hero general” who keeps on reminding of it by
imputing the exact opposite to himself. Therefore, one has got to stop
considering what General Aoun did on that day as a human act performed by
regular human beings like the rest of us cowards in this country. Against a
backdrop of what he is imputing to himself, one must remember the tragedy that
befell the troops at the Presidential Palace whom the General left to face their
gruesome fate. History tragically repeats itself, and memory is hardly helping
the General to remember what happened about two weeks ago, let alone 20 years
back! Aoun said yesterday that he will not shy away from confrontation in a more
blatant context, when he decided to confront the repeated power cuts by calling
for protests. Indeed, he called for protests against a government in which he
holds a third of members and in support of the energy minister, his beloved
son-in-law Gebran Bassil! There can be nothing more laughable than such a call.
Let us suppose that we decided to answer the General’s call for holding protests
against the repeated power cuts and brandishing posters of the Lebanese minister
in charge of the electricity issue and his father-in-law, who heads a
parliamentary bloc with 10 members in the cabinet that is targeted by the
protests.A local newspaper in Pakistan’s Punjab would undoubtedly deem such news
is worthy of taking precedence over the violence in that province, with the
title being: “The Lebanese energy minister leads a protest against himself.”
General Aoun, who reminds us every day that he does not shy away from
confrontation, treats us every day to a great escape from confrontation. The
problem is that the reasons underlying this escape are so varied that they make
it difficult to draw a clear pattern for this process. The General is, at times,
running away because he is a leader who fears death and, at other times, because
his alliance with Hezbollah calls on him to run away. This was the case about
two months ago when his allies blocked work at the Zahrani power plant, thus
depriving the Lebanese people of electricity while his son-in-law remained
glowing. At other times still, he ran away from confronting ministers in his
parliamentary bloc after he imposed on them compromises that undermined their
“reform” projects by giving precedence to a victory scored in his beloved
son-in-law’s favor.
Once again, the General is reminding us that politics is not enough reason to
justify our stooping to such lows in public service, and that we have to turn to
other fields of human sciences to understand what is going on in Rabieh.
*This article is a translation of the original, which appeared on the NOW Arabic
site on Friday January 27, 2012