Gunmen kill three soldiers in east Lebanon
Nowhere safe for Hezbollah, warns Syria rebel chief
FSA Chief of Staff Gives Lebanon 24-Hour Ultimatum to Stop Hizbullah Intervention in Syria
Unknown Gunmen Kill Three Soldiers in Arsal
Mustaqbal Says Hizbullah 'Toppled Disassociation Policy,' Warns of Attempt to Cause Strife between Army, Arsal Residents
Berri to Calls Parliament Bureau to Session on Wednesday
Israel 'Will Know What to Do' over Russia Missiles
Saniora Meets Berri: Parliament May Convene Friday, We'll Reach Agreement that Appeases All Sides
Iran Decries Bahrain Move to Ban Contacts with Hizbullah
More Syrian Rockets Land on Hermel, Several Wounded
Al-Rahi Reiterates Calls for Adoption of New Electoral Law
Officials Denounce Assault against Army in Arsal
Charbel: Fate of Candidacies Linked to Extension of Parliament's Term
Geagea Considers Holding Elections Based on 1960 Law a 'Treason'
Salam Holds onto Cabinet Formation after Dropping Election Bid 
Rivals in Lebanon near deal on Parliament extension: Siniora
West fears postponement of Lebanon’s elections
Rifaat Ali Eid Accuses Suleiman of Failing to Support Tripoli, Warns Unrest Will Spread throughout Lebanon
Aoun: I Won't Extend Term of Parliament that Has Usurped My Rights
Israeli Soldiers Treat Civilians in Simulated Attacks
Kerry wants major Israeli concessions for Palestinians, including sovereign northern Dead Sea coast
Buildings Collapse as Train Derails in Maryland
Syria Slams EU Arms Decision as Peace 'Obstruction'
Suspicious Bag Forces Closure of Roads near Cite Sportive
Russia, EU clash over arming regime, rebels
U.N. Rights Body Mulls Resolution on Foreign Fighters in Qusayr

Brig.-Gen. Salim Idris, the head of the Western-backed Syrian rebel group: We will chase down Hezbollah even in hell’
By ARIEL BEN SOLOMON, REUTERS 05/29/2013 Syrian rebel group head: Unless Hezbollah halts attacks, we would "chase them down"; 3 Lebanese soldiers killed near border.
Brig.-Gen. Salim Idris, the head of the Western-backed Syrian rebel group, said on Tuesday that unless Hezbollah attacks were halted within 24 hours, the rebels would “chase down” the terrorist group.
“I tell Lebanese President [Michel Suleiman], Arab League Secretary-General [Nabil Elaraby] and UN Secretary-General [Ban Ki-moon] that if Hezbollah’s attack against Syrian territories does not stop within 24 hours, then we will take all measures and reach Hezbollah even in hell,” Idris told Al-Arabiya TV on Tuesday, as quoted by the Lebanese Daily Star.Unknown assailants killed three Lebanese soldiers on Tuesday near the eastern town of Arsal, which is an area used by Syrian rebels to smuggle weapons from their supporters in Lebanon. The military was searching for the gunmen who may have fled into neighboring Syria, Defense Minister Fayez Ghosn said.
Suleiman and Hezbollah condemned the killings. Also on Tuesday, rockets were fired at the Lebanese Shi’ite town of Hermel, killing a woman and wounding two others. This follows the rocket attack on the Shi’ite Hezbollah stronghold of southern Beirut on Sunday, a day after Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah’s speech, in which he declared his party’s unwavering support for the Syrian regime.
It is widely believed that Lebanese Sunnis allied with the Sunni rebels in Syria fired the rockets on Beirut
 

Will Hassan Nasrallah invite Bachar Al Assad to Beirut?
By: Tariq Alhomayed/Asharq Alawsat

http://www.aawsat.net/2013/05/article55303375

If you think the title of this piece is ironic, you are mistaken. Following a speech by the leader of Hezbollah on Saturday evening, Hassan Nasrallah is now protecting Bashar Al-Assad—not the other way around. Nasrallah’s speech was a complete coup against the Lebanese state and the political balance in the region that has been in place since the founding of Hezbollah. Nasrallah proclaimed in his latest speech, which was addressed to all the Lebanese, that he “is” Lebanon. He also announced that Lebanon is a Shi’ite protectorate, and divided the region into two camps in precisely the same manner that Bin Laden did. Nasrallah considered himself to be leader of a velayat-e faqih (Guardianship of the Jurist) axis, confronting a takfirist axis allied to the US and Israel—meaning the Sunnis in Syria and Lebanon and regional Sunni states, particularly Saudi Arabia. Interestingly, in an attempt to distance himself and his party from suspicions of sectarianism, Nasrallah noted that Hezbollah had acted in defense of the Sunnis by participating in “jihad” in Bosnia. He seems to be forgetting that those he now describes as “takfirists,” “grave-robbers” and “heart-stabbers” also took part in the Bosnia jihad. Nasrallah has divided the Middle East into two axes; he has announced that the toppling of the Assad regime would be to stab the “resistance” in the back. In doing so, he has nullified the historic political balance in Hezbollah’s relationship with Syria. In the days of Hafez Al-Assad, Nasrallah would be invited to Damascus—even disciplined, if necessary, as if he were any other politician. Today, the situation is different. Hezbollah—not Iran—is now the official protector of Assad and it is publicly promoting itself as such. According to Nasrallah’s speech, Assad is under his protection. He lauded this position, claiming that he is able, with just two words, to mobilize a larger number of Hezbollah fighters without needing to call for jihad in Syria. All this, of course, could ignite a sectarian war throughout the region, whether Assad stays or goes. Nasrallah’s speech was a suicidal one. He has lost his popularity among those who were deluded by him, and the party has now become shrouded in sectarianism and is completely without legitimacy. Therefore, the part of the speech directed at his followers was emotional and laced with a tone of supplication, unlike the condescending tone he used when talking about Lebanon and Syria, and even Assad. This could be seen when Nasrallah said that “the man is offering you reforms”: he did not say “president,” but rather “the man.” As such, it is not surprising that Nasrallah may invite Assad to the southern suburbs of Beirut in order to tell him what actions must and must not be taken. This is similar to what Assad senior did with some Lebanese politicians, including Hassan Nasrallah himself. The Hezbollah leader has ignited a sectarian fire in the region that he will, by no means, survive.

Brave Shi’ites criticize Nasrallah
By: Abdul Rahman Al-Rashed/Asharq Alawsat

http://www.aawsat.net/2013/05/article55303385

It is not easy for the Shi’ite scholar Sayyed Ali Al-Amin to stand alongside the few who are against the prominent Shi’ite figure Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah. Nasrallah leads 70,000 fighters, owns an arsenal of weapons greater than that of any militia in the world, and receives USD 1 billion from Iran in addition to funds from the religious organizations supporting him. Despite this, Ali Al-Amin reiterated his criticism of Hezbollah’s actions and involvement in the Syrian conflict. He frankly and eloquently spoke his mind regarding Nasrallah entangling Lebanon’s Shi’ites in the protection of the Assad regime. Sheikh Subhi Al-Tufayli, another Lebanese Shi’ite leader, did the same. He addressed Nasrallah, claiming that Shi’ite fighters “are not defending Sayyidah Zaynab [granddaughter of the Prophet Muhammad, whose shrine is located in Syria] but President Bashar Al-Assad, as Iran directs them into any war it wants.”Two Shi’ite leaders, Mohammad Al-Amin and Hani Fahs, preceded Amin and Tufayli in this response to Nasrallah. Last year, they signed a statement condemning Assad’s crimes and criticizing support for the regime on behalf of any party, particularly Hezbollah. They also expressed their support for the Syrian people. The response to this moral stance was a campaign launched by Assad and Hezbollah media outlets accusing them of practicing “Wahhabi Shi’ism.” Had religious leaders Mohamed Hussein Fadlallah and Sheikh Mohamed Shamseddine been alive, they would have taken similar stands against Hezbollah, given their reputation for being moderate and brave. They were also known for encouraging co-existence with all religions and sects and for dismissing all historical myths used to ignite hatred and clashes among different sects.
For this reason, their actions are greatly appreciated. Anyone who speaks the truth despite the opinion of the majority and the intimidation of arms is brave, with firm principles, and should be appreciated.
Nasrallah does not hesitate to send his support to Shi’ites to Syria. Thousands of them currently fight in the suburbs of Damascus, namely in Tartus and Qusayr. This is all in favor of the Iranian regime, which claims that the downfall of the Assad regime will lead to its own downfall. When Sayyed Ali Al-Amin addressed millions of Arabs—both Sunnis and Shi’ites—he frankly announced his condemnation of Nasrallah’s actions and Assad’s crimes, bridging the huge gap that widens consistently between the Sunni and Shi’ite sects. However, the wars currently taking place have nothing to do with Shi’ites or Sunnis; they are simply a result of political exploitation. Saddam Hussein was not a Sunni as much as he was an opportunistic dictator. The same goes for Assad, who is not an Alawite so much as he is a criminal who happens to be president. Hassan Nasrallah is not a Shi’ite leader as much as he is a leader of a militia and an employee of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard’s office. The sectarian war is stimulated and mobilized in order to send those deceived by it to die in Syria for the personal goals of the leaders. Late Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden killed Sunnis in the same way that Assad did. Nasrallah caused the death of thousands of Shi’ites during absurd confrontations with Israel and civil wars, not out of his love for Palestine or to defend the prophet Hussein, but simply out of his desire for leadership and personal glory.

FSA Chief of Staff Gives Lebanon 24-Hour Ultimatum to Stop Hizbullah Intervention in Syria
Naharnet/Free Syrian Army chief of staff Salim Idriss warned on Tuesday that if fighters from Hizbullah do not stop their military intervention in Syria, where they are backing government troops, "we will take all measures to hunt" them, "even in hell." "If the attacks of Hizbullah against Syrian territory do not stop within 24 hours, we will take all measures to hunt Hizbullah, even in hell," he told Al-Arabiya news channel, addressing President Michel Suleiman, Arab League chief Nabil al-Arabi and U.N. chief Ban Ki-Moon. "I will no longer be bound by any commitments I made, if a decision to stop the attacks... is not taken and implemented," said Idriss, who heads the supreme military council of the Free Syrian Army. "I can no longer restrain the fighters" of the FSA, he added without saying what concrete action they might take. "We are being subjected to a genocide conducted by Hizbullah," charged Idriss. "I hope that everyone will excuse the Free (Syrian) Army" for retaliating, he said. Four people were wounded on Sunday morning in a rocket attack on Beirut's southern suburbs, a Hizbullah stronghold.FSA's Central Media Department head Fahd al-Masri condemned the attack “in the strongest terms,” disavowing an earlier threat by FSA secretary Ammar al-Wawi that the “fire raging in Syria will spread into Lebanon.” “Should the Lebanese government fail to stop Hizbullah, there will be repercussions against Beirut, Tripoli and the Rafik Hariri International Airport,” Wawi said. But Masri said he will ask Wawi to withdraw his statement, “because we have nothing to do at all with the launching of the rockets.” One person was killed and several others were wounded in rockets attacks from Syria on Monday and Tuesday on the Lebanese border region of Hermel. The military support of Hizbullah has helped Syrian regime forces gain the upper hand in the battle for control of Qusayr, a key town for both the regime and the insurgents, where an army assault began ten days ago. Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah had previously justified the group's involvement in Syria by saying they were defending Lebanese-inhabited border villages inside Syria and Shiite holy sites.
But the offensive on the mostly-Sunni town of Qusayr forced the movement to change its argument. "Syria is the rear guard of the resistance (Hizbullah's fight with Israel), its backbone, and the resistance cannot stay with its arms folded when its rear guard is exposed," Nasrallah said on Saturday in a speech for the 13th anniversary of Israel's withdrawal from Lebanon.
"We are idiots if we do not act," he added. Nasrallah stressed that Hizbullah will win the battle against the “United States, Israel and the Takfiris just like it emerged victorious in previous wars.”

Mustaqbal Says Hizbullah 'Toppled Disassociation Policy,' Warns of Attempt to Cause Strife between Army, Arsal Residents
Naharnet/Al-Mustaqbal parliamentary bloc on Tuesday accused Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah of toppling the policy of disassociation and denying the articles of the Baabda Declaration, warning against attempts to cause a strife between the army and the people of the Bekaa town of Arsal.
“Nasrallah overthrew the fragile stability in the country because of his involvement in the fighting in Syria, he also buried the policy of disassociation and denied the articles of the Baabda Declaration which Hizbullah has agreed to abide by, in addition to violating the Resolution 1701,” al-Mustaqbal MPs said in a released statement after the bloc's weekly meeting at the Center House.
Responding to the speech Nasrallah gave on Saturday during the commemoration of the South's liberation, the bloc condemned the “criminal activities” Hizbullah is involved in "against the interests of both the Lebanese and the Syrian people," saying that Nasrallah subjected Lebanon to the “fires of the Syrian war."
“The party has transformed itself from a resistance to a militia working under Iranian orders.”
"We urge the parents of the martyrs and those of the wounded to break the silence and voice out their rejection to driving their children to death in Syria and transforming their country into a battlefield,” the statement said.
“Nasrallah has abandoned protecting religious shrines and protecting Lebanese in (the Syrian border town of) al-Qusayr,”
“Instead, he announced now an open war on the Syrian people in general, and on the neighboring country's opposition fighting against the regime in particular,” they MPs stressed.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights announced on Thursday that 104 Hizbullah members had been killed in Syria since last autumn.
Hizbullah combatants have become increasingly involved in Syria's conflict, fighting alongside President Assad's forces.
Nasrallah said before that his party's involvement in Syria's war aimed at defending 13 Syrian villages along the border where Lebanese Shiites live, and the Sayyeda Zeinab shrine, revered by Shiites around the world.
But on Saturday, however, the Hizbullah chief pointed out that Syria is “the backbone of the resistance, assuring that he will not let this bone break.”
Commenting on the attack that killed three soldiers Monday overnight in the town of Wadi Hmeid in the eastern border town of Arsal, al-Mustaqbal bloc considered that this aimed at causing a strife between the people of the village and the military institution.
Al-Mustaqbal also condemned launching rockets towards the southern suburb of Beirut on Sunday morning, calling on the security forces to reveal the perpetrators and penalize them.
“This crime is suspicious and surrounded with many questions,” the MPs noted.
Four people were wounded on Sunday morning in a rocket attack on Beirut's southern suburbs. The Lebanese army said in a statement that a rocket was fired at a car dealership near the Mar Mikhael church and another landed in the Maroun Misk neighborhood.



Unknown Gunmen Kill Three Soldiers in Arsal
Naharnet /Three soldiers were killed overnight Monday in an attack on their checkpoint in the town of Wadi Hmeid in the eastern border town of Arsal.“A group of gunmen in a black jeep assaulted an army checkpoint and clashed with the soldiers at 3:30 a.m.,” said a communique issued by the army command. The statement pointed out that the army is carrying out a wide search operation in the area to detain the armed men who fled to the nearby outskirts. Security sources told Voice of Lebanon radio (100.5) earlier that the gunmen fled into the Syrian territories after the attack. Arsal municipal chief Ali al-Hujairi denied in comments to VDL (100.5) that the residents of Arsal are not involved in the attack. “The incident took place on the outskirts of Arsal and some residents pursued the Hummer that opened fire at the army checkpoint before it entered Syria,” he pointed out.
He described the relations between the army and the residents of Arsal as “very good.”Army units in the area were on high alert swiftly after the incident. Schools and shops were closed in the area to condemn the attack, LBCI said. State Commissioner to the Military Court Judge Saqr Saqr tasked the army intelligence and the military police with carrying out the initial investigation into the shooting. Two Lebanese soldiers were killed in February when members of an armed group ambushed their patrol that was in the area of Arsal to pursue a suspect wanted on terrorism charges.The ambush raised tensions between the residents and the army after they accused it of approaching the town in civilian vehicles.

Berri to Calls Parliament Bureau to Session on Wednesday
Naharnet /Speaker Nabih Berri called on Tuesday parliament's bureau to convene on Wednesday morning. The session will take place at 11:30 a.m. He is likely to call for a parliamentary session on Thursday to vote on an 18-month extension of the legislature's mandate despite the rejection of President Michel Suleiman. An Nahar daily quoted informed sources as saying on Tuesday that a formula to extend the parliament's four-year term for 18 months began garnering the majority's support. It said al-Mustaqbal movement gave its initial consent on condition that it receives answers to some of its questions regarding the extension.
Amal movement and Hizbullah have also tried to convince Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun, who later on Tuesday announced his rejection of the extension. Al-Mustaqbal bloc chief Fouad Saniora told As Safir newspaper that his bloc was holding consultations with Berri and would wait for the results of the negotiations with Aoun. Asked whether al-Mustaqbal backed a six-month extension or more, Saniora said: “These are details.”
The FPM leader rejected to attend any parliamentary session that would take such a move, reiterating his demand for holding a general assembly to vote on the so-called Orthodox Gathering proposal or the hybrid vote law.
The support for the extension of the legislature's term that expires on June 20 began growing after the rival parties failed to agree on a new electoral law despite the adoption of the Orthodox plan by the joint parliamentary committees. The plan considers Lebanon a single district and allows each sect to vote for its own lawmakers under a proportional representation system.
But its criticism paved way for another proposal that combines the winner-takes-all and proportional representation systems. Despite all the efforts no agreement was reached to replace the 1960 law, which adopts the qada an electoral district and is based on the winner-takes-all system. The negotiations ahead of Thursday's expected session come as Suleiman informed his visitors that he would only give consent to a short extension during which the rival parties would agree on a new law or introduce amendments to the 1960 law. The president has warned that he would challenge any extension that goes beyond six months.
But Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblat reiterated that an extension was necessary. He stressed to As Safir that it was impossible to hold the June 16 elections under the deteriorating security situation in the country.


Israel 'Will Know What to Do' over Russia Missiles
Naharnet/Israel "will know what to do" if Russia delivers anti-aircraft missiles to Syria, its defense minister said Tuesday, in an apparent allusion to another air strike on the war-torn neighboring country.
"The deliveries have not taken place, and I hope they do not. But if, by misfortune, they arrive in Syria, we will know what to do," Moshe Yaalon said. His comments came after Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said providing the missiles to the regime of President Bashar Assad would be a "stabilizing factor" aimed at deterring any foreign intervention in Syria.
Speaking in Moscow, Ryabkov said "we consider these supplies a stabilizing factor and believe such steps will deter some hotheads from considering scenarios that would turn the conflict international with the involvement of outside forces." Earlier this month, Israel launched air raids inside Syria targeting what sources said were arms destined for its arch foe, Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, whose fighters have entered the conflict alongside the Syrian army. The strikes ramped up regional tension, with Syria threatening to hit back. Israel and Russia's opposing standpoints over Syria surfaced shortly afterwards, with the Jewish state criticizing Russian arms deals with Assad, and Moscow appearing to warn against further Israeli strikes. The minister also stressed that the weapons were purely defensive, insisting that they were designed to protect the regime against outside forces, rather than serving to crush the domestic opposition. Ryabkov reiterated that Russia's arms deliveries to Assad's forces were legitimate because they were conducted under pre-war agreements that were reached with an internationally recognized government. Nations such as Israel are concerned by Russia's reported decision to supply S-300 surface-to-air missiles that could help Damascus eliminate incoming warplanes and missiles over a radius of dozens of miles. Ryabkov also argued that the fractured opposition's failure up to this stage to appoint a single representative at the proposed conference was the biggest existing stumbling block to peace.
"The fragmented nature of the groups fighting the government and the inability of our partners including the United States and the EU to ensure a sufficient level of representation by the opposition at the conference are the main stumbling block today."The European Union agreed late Monday to lift its embargo on arming the opposition after much debate and a strong push for the measure by France and Britain.
Source/Agence France Presse.

Salam Holds onto Cabinet Formation after Dropping Election Bid
Naharnet /Prime Minister-designate Tammam Salam will seek to form a cabinet whether the current parliament's tenure was extended or the parliamentary elections took place. According to An Nahar newspaper published on Tuesday, Salam didn't submit his electoral candidacy because he is committed to the formation of a cabinet capable of overseeing the polls. The newspaper said that the formation process will kick off shortly after Speaker Nabih Berri calls for a parliamentary session to vote on the extension of the legislature's mandate. Salam has repeatedly said that he is seeking the formation of a government capable of staging the parliamentary elections that are set for June 16. He is holding onto the 24-member cabinet as it creates balance between the rivals and achieves the required balance between the political powers in the country. Salam is seeking the formation of a 24-member cabinet in which the Hizbullah-led March 8 alliance, the March 14 coalition and the centrists would each get 8 ministers.

Saniora Meets Berri: Parliament May Convene Friday, We'll Reach Agreement that Appeases All Sides
Naharnet/Head of the Mustaqbal bloc MP Fouad Saniora hoped on Tuesday that political powers would succeed in reaching an agreement over pending disputes linked to the parliamentary elections, including the possible extension of parliament's mandate. He said after holding talks with Speaker Nabih Berri at Ain el-Tineh: “We have the upcoming hours to reach an agreement over a proposal that enjoys the support of the majority of the factions.” “A large segment of the people oppose the 1960 electoral law, but we have not reached an alternative to it, especially since the Orthodox Gathering draft law is inapplicable and violates main principles Lebanon is built upon,” added the former premier. He told reporters after the meeting that parliament will likely convene on Friday. Discussions with Berri also addressed the various security incidents that have taken place in Lebanon over the past two weeks. Saniora stressed the importance of moderation in Lebanon and Muslim unity that will produce Lebanese unity. “We must exert all possible efforts in Lebanon and on the external scene in order to preserve this unity and avert strife that some sides are yearning for,” he remarked. Political powers have failed to reach an agreement over a parliamentary electoral law, which is threatening to postpone the polls and extend the term of the current parliament.Its mandate ends on May 31.

Arab Democratic Party chief Rifaat Ali Eid Accuses Suleiman of Failing to Support Tripoli, Warns Unrest Will Spread throughout Lebanon
Naharnet/..Arab Democratic Party chief Rifaat Ali Eid accused on Tuesday President Michel Suleiman of failing to properly tackle the situation in the northern city of Tripoli. He said during a press conference: “The unrest in the city will spread throughout Lebanon if the situation is not addressed.” He added: “Suleiman is not supporting Army Commander General Jean Qahwaji, but he is dragging him into the Tripoli unrest in order to stop him from taking his place as president.” Eid explained that fighters from Tripoli's Jabal Mohsen neighborhood were forced to wage a battle in the city on May 21 after the “provocations against it became unbearable.”
“The fighters only waged one battle, while the remaining unrest were just skirmishes,” he said of the clashes with the rival neighborhood of Bab al-Tabbaneh. In addition, he stated that the fighting intensified in Tripoli after gunmen that were seeking to take part in battles in Syria's al-Qusayr region decided to return to the city and take part in the clashes. He revealed a network from the Free Syrian Army was involved in the Tripoli unrest.
Moreover, he accused the army of being biased in tackling the situation, saying: “It responds to us with weapons, while it responds to the other side with words.” “We accuse the state of these shortcomings,” declared Eid.
“Why didn't Monday's cabinet session tackle the unrest in Tripoli?” he wondered. “Lebanon's borders are breached and terrorism is arriving in Tripoli from Syria,” warned the Arab Democratic Party chief.
“We want guarantees that our existence will be preserved should the unrest subside,” he demanded. Eid also announced that he will run in the parliamentary elections according to the 1960 electoral law.
Clashes between Bab al-Tabbaneh and Jabal Mohsen broke out on May 19. The sectarian fighting between the two main neighborhoods stretches back four decades to Lebanon's civil war, but it has become more frequent and increasingly lethal since the start of the Syrian conflict in 2011. The two districts support opposite sides. The latest round of gunbattles had been the bloodiest yet, leaving at least 31 dead and more than 200 wounded.

Geagea Considers Holding Elections Based on 1960 Law a 'Treason'
Naharnet/Lebanese Force leader Samir Geagea said on Tuesday that the parliament should convene to vote on an electoral law, describing attempts to hold elections based on the 1960 electoral law as “treason.”
“The caretaker cabinet session is unconstitutional and a charade,” Geagea said in comments published in An Nahar newspaper. But caretaker Prime Minister Najib Miqati snapped back, saying in a statement that he called for the cabinet session after consulting with President Michel Suleiman out of the conviction that the government should remain committed to the constitution. Geagea expressed surprise that Hizbullah, AMAL and the Free Patriotic Movement agreed to attend a meeting for the caretaker cabinet, which witnessed the formation of an independent authority to oversee the elections. “Two months ago the three parties threatened to topple the cabinet over the matter,” Geagea said. He pointed out that his party favors extending the parliamentary tenure for several months over holding the elections according to the 1960 law.
Geagea accused Hizbullah of seeking to extend the parliament’s mandate by two years as it is “deeply involved militarily in Syria while its ally the FPM thinks it would be able to win according to the 1960 law.”
On Friday, 26 members of the Lebanese Forces arrived at the Interior Ministry to submit their candidacies for upcoming elections based on the 1960 electoral law.
The support for the extension of the legislature's term that expires on June 20 began growing after the rival parties failed to agree on a new electoral law despite the adoption of the Orthodox plan by the joint parliamentary committees.The plan considers Lebanon a single district and allows each sect to vote for its own lawmakers under a proportional representation system. But its criticism paved way for another proposal that combines the winner-takes-all and proportional representation systems Despite all the efforts no agreement was reached to replace the 1960 law, which adopts the qada an electoral district and is based on the winner-takes-all system.

Aoun: I Won't Extend Term of Parliament that Has Usurped My Rights
Naharnet/Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun announced on Tuesday his rejection of the extension of parliament's tenure. He said after the Change and Reform bloc's weekly meeting: “I will not vote for the extension of the term of parliament, which is populated by lawmakers who have usurped my rights.”“There can be no such thing as constitutionality if justice is not ensured,” he added. “We do not need lessons from children to warn us of the dangers of extending parliament's term and of the 1960 parliamentary electoral law,” he said in a reference to Phalange Party MP Sami Gemayel. Gemayel had urged Aoun on Monday against holding the elections based on the 1960 law. “We have no problem in extending parliament's mandate, but we have a problem in extending the term of the current lawmakers,” remarked Aoun. The majority of the political blocs have voiced their rejection of the adoption of the amended version of the 1960 electoral law that was used in the 2009 elections.This has not however prevented officials from submitting their candidacies to the elections based on this law in order to prevent uncontested victories. The elections are set for June 16, but the failure to reach an agreement over a new electoral law is threatening their postponement and the extension of parliament's term.
Addressing the assault against the army in the Bekaa town of Arsal, Aoun said: “This bloodshed cannot continue without necessary measures to thwart attacks against the army.” “We have repeatedly warned of the recurrence of such attacks,” he declared, while holding the Higher Defense Council and government responsible for the assault. Three soldiers were killed overnight Monday in an attack on their checkpoint in the town of Wadi Hmeid in Arsal. “A group of gunmen in a black jeep assaulted an army checkpoint and clashed with the soldiers at 3:30 a.m.,”said a communique issued by the army command.
The statement pointed out that the army is carrying out a wide search operation in the area to detain the armed men who fled to the nearby outskirts. Two Lebanese soldiers were killed in February when members of an armed group ambushed their patrol that was in the area of Arsal to pursue a suspect wanted on terrorism charges.

Charbel: Fate of Candidacies Linked to Extension of Parliament's Term
Naharnet/Caretaker Interior Minister Marwan Charbel has said that a law on the extension of parliament's four-year mandate should include an article on the recent announcement of candidacies based on the 1960 law.
“The extension law should give the candidate the choice of keeping his nomination or withdrawing his candidacy,” Charbel told As Safir newspaper published Tuesday. His remark came when asked about the fate of around 706 candidates if the elections were postponed due to the extension of the legislature's mandate. Speaker Nabih Berri is likely to call for a parliamentary session on Thursday to vote on an 18-month extension after the rival parties failed to agree on a new electoral law that would replace the 1960 law that is based on the winner-takes-all system. Despite a support to extend the parliament's mandate, the caretaker cabinet decided to hold the polls on June 16 under the 1960 law by forming the authority that would supervise the elections and allocating funds for the interior ministry to organize the event. Some parties are backing a six-month extension while others support a long-term 18-month extension. Charbel told As Safir that if during that period the rival parties agreed on a new law, then the interior ministry would make a refund to the candidates because they had announced their nominations based on the 1960 law.

Al-Rahi Reiterates Calls for Adoption of New Electoral Law
Naharnet/Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi reiterated on Tuesday from the airport that the Parliament should approve a new electoral law ahead of any technical term extension. “The stance that was taken by the Maronite bishops council and our agreement with officials states that the parliament should approve a new electoral law ahead of approving any technical extension for the legislature's mandate,” al-Rahi told reporters ahead of leaving to Poland on a four-day pastoral visit. He pointed out that extending the parliament's tenure without the approval of a new electoral law would be a “disgrace” after six years of discussions. “Nothing prevents the adoption of a new electoral law,” he added. The Maronite bishops council stressed on Monday the need for political powers to reach an agreement over a new parliamentary electoral law. They said in a statement after their monthly meeting: “We reject the extension of parliament's mandate without an agreement over a new vote.”The support for the extension of the legislature's term that expires on June 20 began growing after the rival parties failed to agree on a new electoral law despite the adoption of the Orthodox plan by the joint parliamentary committees. The plan considers Lebanon a single district and allows each sect to vote for its own lawmakers under a proportional representation system. But its criticism paved way for another proposal that combines the winner-takes-all and proportional representation systems Despite all the efforts no agreement was reached to replace the 1960 law, which adopts the qada an electoral district and is based on the winner-takes-all system.

Iran Decries Bahrain Move to Ban Contacts with Hizbullah
Naharnet/Iran on Tuesday said it regretted Bahrain's move to ban the kingdom's opposition groups from having contact with Hizbullah, a close ally of Tehran. "Bahrain's stance towards Hizbullah is regretful," foreign ministry spokesman Abbas Araqchi said at his weekly press conference. Bahrain on Monday banned opposition groups from all contact with Hizbullah in a bid to limit the movement's perceived influence on its restive Shiite majority. Last month the Gulf state branded Hizbullah as a "terrorist organization".Hizbullah, like Iran, is backing the regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad against rebels. The group has fighters on the ground alongside the Syrian army, in a conflict that has killed more than 94,000 people since it erupted more than two years ago. Hizbullah fighters are currently engaged in a fierce battle against rebels for control of the central Syrian town of Qusayr.Araqchi said Hizbullah has an "undeniable" role in ensuring Lebanon's security and stability and accused Bahrain of "deflecting its domestic problems on foreign groups". Relations between Shiite Iran and the Gulf kingdom, ruled by a minority Sunni dynasty, have been strained since February 2011 when Tehran backed anti-regime protests there which were led by the Shiite political opposition. Those protests were quelled by security forces that were assisted by Gulf troops led by Saudi Arabia. Iran vociferously condemned the move. Since then, Bahrain and other Gulf states have repeatedly accused Iran of meddling in their affairs, a charge that the Islamic republic categorically denies.
Source/Agence France Presse.

Officials Denounce Assault against Army in Arsal
Naharnet /Officials and spiritual leaders condemned on Tuesday a deadly attack that targeted three soldiers in the town of Wadi Hmeid in the eastern border town of Arsal, considering it as an attempt to create sedition in the country. President Michel Suleiman called for striking with an iron fist all those who attack the army and security forces. He told Army chief Gen. Jean Qahwaji that the attack was part of terrorist activities aimed at creating strife in the country. Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Miqati said that the assault would not deter the authorities in defending Lebanon's sovereignty. In a telephone conversation with Qahwaji, Miqati said: “Any attack on the army will not deter us from going ahead with preserving security and defending Lebanon’s sovereignty and independence.” He stressed that the Lebanese people back the army “at this difficult stage.” Armed men killed three Lebanese soldiers overnight and headed in their hummer to the Syrian territories. Miqati said the government and the Higher Defense Council had given the army the authority to take the appropriate measures against such attacks.
He condoled Qahwaji on the death of the soldiers. Furthermore, former Prime Minister Saad Hariri denounced, in a phone call with Qahwaji, the attack reiterating full support to the army and extending condolences to the families of the deceased soldiers. “All the Lebanese denounce the horrific crime, which is an indicator and warning of upcoming dangers threatening national peace,” he said. “The situation requires vigilance and wisdom on the part of political factions, and the army should be allowed to practice its duties in preserving civil peace,” said Hariri, stressing the necessity to distance Lebanon from the Syrian crisis. Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea later condemned the attack, urging against exploiting the incident for petty political interests. Hizbullah later issued a statement on Tuesday condemning the attack, saying that it tantamount to an assault against all Lebanese. “It targets their security and fate because it was directed against an institution that guarantees this security,” it said. It therefore announced its “complete solidarity” with the army, calling on the Lebanese people to support it and demanding that the concerned authorities take the necessary measures to avert similar attacks from taking place in the future. Grand Mufti Sheikh Mohammed Rashid Qabbani also condemned the assault against the army in a telephone call to Qahwaji and caretaker Defense Minister Fayez Ghosn. He said in a statement: “The assault and the daily security incidents are part of attempts to create strife and chaos in Lebanon, especially since the army and security forces are all that are left of Lebanon's state institutions that are capable of maintaining its stability and safety.”Later, Phalange Party leader Amin Gemayel denounced the attack against the army in Arsal, describing it as an “attempt to dirupt the role of the military and to intimidate it.”He warmed from politically exploiting the assault, pointing out that the army should be granted the “full political cover to enable it to carry out its national role amid these delicate conditions.”

U.N. Rights Body Mulls Resolution on Foreign Fighters in Qusayr
Naharnet/The U.N.'s top rights body will on Wednesday debate a draft resolution condemning the Syrian regime's use of foreign fighters in the besieged town of Qusayr. A draft resolution presented on Tuesday "condemns the intervention of foreign combatants fighting on behalf of the Syrian regime in al-Qusayr," an implicit reference to the involvement of fighters from Hizbullah in the fierce battle for the strategic town.The draft resolution, which was put forward by the United States, Turkey and Qatar and which if passed would be non-binding, cautions that the presence of the foreign fighters in the western town "poses a serious threat to regional stability".The text also calls on the Syrian authorities to "allow free and unimpeded access by the United Nations and humanitarian agencies to all civilians affected by the violence, especially in al-Qusayr." Hundreds of civilians have reportedly been killed in the rebel stronghold since the regime began its assault on May 19, while thousands could remain trapped there. The draft resolution stressed "the need to ensure accountability for those responsible for the massacre in al-Qusayr, (as well as for) all those responsible for the serious violations of international humanitarian rights law in Syria."Hizbullah has lost dozens of fighters in its bid to help the Syrian regime regain control of the town near the Lebanese border, and its involvement is threatening to draw Lebanon ever deeper into the Syria conflict, raising domestic tensions. On Monday, rockets fell for the first time in the southern suburbs of Beirut, a stronghold of the party, and gunmen killed three Lebanese soldiers near the Syrian border overnight to Tuesday. The Syrian crisis is also spreading in northern Lebanon, where fighting between Sunnis and Alawites, the sect to which Assad belongs, killed 31 people last week. Hizbullah's involvement in the fight has already stirred international condemnation, with U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon saying he was "deeply concerned" by the group's role. Source/Agence France Presse.

Kerry wants major Israeli concessions for Palestinians, including sovereign northern Dead Sea coast

DEBKAfile Exclusive Report May 28, 2013/US Secretary of State John Kerry put a package of proposals for reviving the moribund Israel-Palestinian peace process before Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and peace negotiator Justice Minister Tzipi Livni and then returned to Amman Monday, May 27.
He keeps the package's contents firmly under his hat. However, according to some of the details revealed here for the first time by debkafile’s sources, Kerry’s top-secret plan places on Israel the onus of major concessions including strategic and national assets, for the sake of buying the Palestinian leader’s consent to sit down and talk. Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen) is not required to pay anything real in return - although it was who stalled the peace negotiations in the first place.
As the first of these concessions, Kerry wants Israel to permit the Palestinians to build in Jericho for their prospective state an international airport for direct civilian flights to and from America and Europe. Those flights would cross Israeli air space and be coordinated with Israeli flight control authorities.
Our exclusive sources further disclose that, while Palestinian authorities would be in charge of security at the future Jericho airport, Israel would maintain control of passengers and freight traffic by means of computer and surveillance camera networks.
In 2006, a similar remote system was installed at the Gaza Strip’s Rafah border post under European controllers after Israel’s withdrawal from the territory. It soon broke down when the foreign controllers were scared away by Palestinian threats.
Kerry envisages the transformation of the entire Jericho region north of the Dead Sea and near the Jordanian border into a busy hub for galvanizing the economy of the future Palestinian state. He wants Israel to hand over to the Palestinians the Kalia region on the northern shore of the Dead Sea. Kibbutz Kalia, albeit part of sovereign Israel from its inception in 1948, is nonetheless one of the assets Kerry wants Israel to cede to the Palestinians.
The fate of the veteran Israeli kibbutz is left up in the air.
Israeli concessions would not end at the northern Dead Sea coast, according to the secret Kerry plan; it would be just the first in a series of land and sovereignty handovers granted the Palestinians in trilateral negotiations among Israel, the Palestinians and the United States.
The Palestinians would also be awarded by the process a three-year economic reconstruction program for boosting their Gross National Product by 50 percent and slashing unemployment from 21 to 8 percent.
The Middle East Quartet’s Special Envoy Tony Blair will head the program, Secretary Kerry reported to the world economic forum meeting in Jordan Sunday, May 26. His goal is to raise $4 billion for investing in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
“This is the biggest, boldest and most ambitious program ever granted the Palestinians since Oslo, 20 years ago,” Kerry told the forum.
Prime Minister Netanyahu has not divulged his views on the Kerry proposals - merely for winning Palestinian consent to talk peace. Since the payment of sovereign Israeli territory would be no more than the down- payment for pulling the Palestinians to the table, how many more high-value security and national assets will Israel will be required to part with along the road toward meeting the Palestinians’ ever-rising price tag?
Abu Mazen has gone on record as rejecting any economic proposals unaccompanied by political concessions. However, Kerry is still hard at his shuttle diplomacy and his talks with the Palestinian leader continue.