LCCC ENGLISH
DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
August 24/07
Bible Reading of the day
Holy Gospel of Jesus
Christ according to Saint Matthew 22,1-14. Jesus again in reply spoke to them in
parables, saying,The kingdom of heaven may be likened to a king who gave a
wedding feast for his son. He dispatched his servants to summon the invited
guests to the feast, but they refused to come. A second time he sent other
servants, saying, 'Tell those invited: "Behold, I have prepared my banquet, my
calves and fattened cattle are killed, and everything is ready; come to the
feast."' Some ignored the invitation and went away, one to his farm, another to
his business. The rest laid hold of his servants, mistreated them, and killed
them. The king was enraged and sent his troops, destroyed those murderers, and
burned their city.Then he said to his servants, 'The feast is ready, but those
who were invited were not worthy to come. Go out, therefore, into the main roads
and invite to the feast whomever you find.' The servants went out into the
streets and gathered all they found, bad and good alike, and the hall was filled
with guests. But when the king came in to meet the guests he saw a man there not
dressed in a wedding garment. He said to him, 'My friend, how is it that you
came in here without a wedding garment?' But he was reduced to silence. Then the
king said to his attendants, 'Bind his hands and feet, and cast him into the
darkness outside, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.'Many are
invited, but few are chosen."
Security Council French
Draft Text
Draft Security Council resolution on Lebanon. Thursday,
August 23, 2007
Opinions
Aoun and Christian
Marginalization.By:
Hassan Haydar.Dar
Al-Hayat. August 23/07
Outrage forces removal of pro-Hezbollah
billboard.By
RON STANG, CJN. August 23/07
Spare the army
fatal factional politics.By
Michael Young. August 23/07
Lebanon's presidential
hopefuls can do three simple things.By
The Daily Star.August 23/07
Latest News Reports From Miscellaneous Sources
for August 23/07
German troops to remain in Lebanon.ReliefWeb (press release)
Jumblat for a President By Simple Majority, Amal Hits Back-Naharnet
France Renews Lebanon Mediation-Naharnet
Two Arrested in Connection with UNIFIL Bombing-Naharnet
Iraq Rejects French Conference A La Libanaise-Naharnet
Lebanon crisis threatens presidential vote.Reuters
Lebanon Bans Political Performance Art.ARTINFO
UNIFIL troops in Lebanon unlikely to get greater authority.Ha'aretz
Every one can see that the king has no clothes on. Alarab online
US presses for
presidential polls free of interference.Daily
Star
Lebanese Army awaits reply
from militants on arranging evacuation of civilians.Daily
Star
Phalange demands armed group
attacking members be dealt with.Daily
Star
LOG speaks out against
Syrian comments.Daily
Star
MP dispels rumors of PSP
assassination plot.Daily
Star
Berri invites 'all sects' to
rally honoring Musa Sadr.Daily
Star
Rights group condemns
treatment of Palestinian detainee who died in custody.Daily
Star
Kadima MP highlights
'achievements' in summer war.Daily
Star
Draft Security Council
resolution on Lebanon.Daily
Star
France pushes UN resolution
to extend UNIFIL's mandate.Daily
Star
Foreign investors lose taste
for Lebanese Eurobonds.Daily
Star
Lebanese association demands
transparency in reconstruction.Daily
Star
Seaside dump in Sidon
teeters on edge of disaster.Daily
Star
Maliki lashes
out at US criticism of Iraqi Cabinet's progress.Daily
Star
France Renews Lebanon Mediation
Top French envoy Jean-Claude Cousseran returns to Lebanon on Thursday on a new
mission to try to break a nine-month deadlock among Lebanon's feuding political
parties, a diplomatic source told Agence France Presse. Cousseran's visit comes
as the country prepares for a presidential election due to be held between
September 25 and November 24, when the mandate of current pro-Syrian President
Emile Lahoud ends. During his three-day mission that ends on Saturday Cousseran
is due to meet Prime Minister Fouad Saniora and parliament speaker Nabih Berri,
who is allied with the Hizbullah-led opposition backed by Syria and Iran.
France's envoy is also due to hold talks with other Lebanese leaders. His visit
comes amid efforts by Paris to broker an end to the political standoff in
Lebanon that threatens to scuttle the upcoming presidential ballot and plunge
the divided country further into disarray. French Foreign Minister Bernard
Kouchner met Lebanese leaders in Beirut at the end of July but failed to make
significant headway. The resignation last November of six pro-Syrian ministers,
five of them Shiites, sparked the current political standoff, the country's
worst since the end of the 1975-1990 civil war. Hizbullah, bolstered by what it
called its victory during last year's 34-day war with Israel, is pushing for the
opposition to be better represented in government in order to give it veto
power. But the majority insists that this can only happen if Hizbullah agrees to
stop blocking parliamentary sessions in order to ensure the quorum needed for
the presidential election. Failure by the parties to resolve their differences
in the coming weeks could spark a dangerous power vacuum or even the creation of
two rival governments.
France has taken the lead in trying to resolve the crisis, gathering all the
parties for a conference near Paris in July and sending Cousseran to the region
for consultations with the key players.(AFP) Beirut, 22 Aug 07, 18:30
Jumblat for a President By Simple Majority, Amal Hits Back
Druze leader Walid Jumblat declared Wednesday that the March 14 majority
alliance would elect a new president by simple majority at any venue outside
parliament and rejected the principle of choosing a head of state by consensus.
Jumblat, in an interview with the youth supplement of the daily an-Nahar to be
published Thursday said "We will elect a president for the republic from the
March 124 ranks by simple majority and in any venue outside parliament because
the constitution permits this after the 14th of October."Amal MP Ali Hassan
Khalil hit back at Jumblat, saying his "words mean a total coup against the
constitution and the political institutions."
Khalil said Jumblat's comments were also a clear indication that the Druze MP
was "imposing a status quo that is contrary to the covenant."
Excerpts of Jumblat's interview were distributed by the state-run National News
Agency (NNA). Jumblat stressed on rejecting a new head of state by consensus
saying: "If we accept the principle of consensus with the other side, which I
term the foe that doesn't believe in the principles of the Cedars Revolution, we
would waste the sacrifices of all our martyrs." He accused Hizbullah of seeking
to establish "a mini state" through purchasing property by "Iranian backing."
"They want to establish political, military and economic control over the
nation," Jumblat said of Hizbullah. He said the "great battle" would be fought
over choosing the team of Lebanese judges to the international tribunal that
would try suspects in the 2005 killing of ex-Premier Rafik Hariri and related
crimes. He accused Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri of becoming a "mail box for (Hizbullah
leader) Hassan Nasrallah.""Unfortunately Berri has finished himself with his own
hands," he added. Beirut, 22 Aug 07, 19:58
Two Arrested
in Connection with UNIFIL Bombing
Lebanese authorities arrested two persons suspected of involvement in the July
16 bombing of a U.N. peacekeeping patrol in south Lebanon, the daily An Nahar
reported Thursday. It said their detention came after security forces found and
seized a "remote control" that had been used and left behind in the roadside
bomb that targeted a UNIFIL patrol on Qassmiyeh Bridge near the southern port
city of Tyre. There were no casualties from the attack on the vehicle belonging
to the Tanzanian contingent, which was slightly damaged. A preliminary
investigation showed that the two detainees were Palestinians with links to Jund
al-Sham, An Nahar said.
It said authorities were still hunting for a third suspect. Information obtained
by An Nahar revealed that immediate investigation of a Fatah al-Islam member
arrested on Wednesday as he tried to escape the Palestinian refugee camp of Nahr
al-Bared by sea was labeled "very important."
The daily identified the captive as Abu Omar al-Attar, a Palestinian.
It said Attar made "significant" confessions about Fatah al-Islam, saying they
are "near collapse."Attar also uncovered that Fatah al-Islam leader Shaker Abssi
was still alive, standing side by side with his comrades. Beirut, 23 Aug 07,
07:48
Iraq Rejects French Conference A La Libanaise
Iraqi President Jalal Talabani has rejected a French proposal for a Paris
conference to promote dialogue between rival factions, Le Monde reported on
Wednesday.
Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner discussed the proposal during a three-day
visit to Baghdad, hoping that France could do for Iraq what it did for Lebanon
last month when it hosted a conference of politicians from all of Lebanon's
political parties. "I do not believe that a national conference, like the one
for Lebanon, is necessary for Iraq," Talabani told the French daily. "In
Lebanon, there are different parties who are unable to talk and sit at the same
table. In Iraq, we talk and meet every day." "Every community takes part in the
dialogue. We will be able to pull together without a conference," said the Iraqi
president. Kouchner's visit to Baghdad, which ended Tuesday, was the first by a
senior French official since Paris led opposition to the U.S. invasion of Iraq
in 2003. The foreign minister met with Iraqi leaders from across the political
spectrum and said France was ready to play a role to help stabilize the
country.(AFP) Beirut, 22 Aug 07, 19:37
Spare
the army fatal factional politics
By Michael Young
Daily Star staff
Thursday, August 23, 2007
On Monday, the dean of Lebanese journalists, Ghassan Tueni, wrote a column in
Al-Nahar that turns much else written on the same subject into annotation. The
subject in question is the prospect that yet another military man might be
elected president of Lebanon, this time Army Commander Michel Suleiman. Tueni's
headline played on a slogan popularized after the start of the Nahr al-Bared
fighting that was favorable to the army: "The order is yours to give." Tueni
turned this around to say, "The order is yours to give, in war not in
government."
Tueni's point was a simple one. The Lebanese are grateful for what the army has
done in the past three months, and can only sympathize with the troops who have
suffered a horrendous casualty rate. When considering that the armed forces have
only some 2,000 or so well trained combat troops, the toll is far more onerous
than many realize. However, the lives of the soldiers do not translate into a
blank check to hand power over to the military establishment through the
election of Suleiman. For too long the Arab world has been a victim of
immoveable military regimes. As Tueni concluded, it is now up to Suleiman to
focus not on the presidency, but on helping his army recover from a devastating
battle.
In recent days a story has begun circulating that Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri
is thinking of a plan to bring Suleiman in as interim president for two years -
an idea similar to what Michel Murr proposed several weeks ago. Such an
initiative would be rejected by March 14 and probably by Maronite Patriarch
Nasrallah Sfeir. But that misses the point. What Berri is probably thinking of,
if he makes his proposal public, is to provoke a conflict between the army
commander and the parliamentary majority. If that's the case, then both the
Suleiman and March 14 should avoid a head-on collision at all costs. The
majority has absolutely no interest in painting the army as a villain. That's
one confrontation that March 14 will not win, and, worse, it will wreak havoc
within the Sunni community, whose sons in the Akkar have been at the forefront
of the army's efforts to crush Fatah al-Islam in the Nahr al-Bared camp.
Suleiman's merits or demerits notwithstanding, the general is not finding it
easy being a stealth candidate. He received a boost from Sfeir last week when
the patriarch was persuaded by As-Safir to say the magic words: that he would
not oppose a constitutional amendment if this could help save Lebanon. With
respect to Suleiman specifically, Sfeir remarked: "If the army commander can
save the country, then welcome to him."
By the following day the Lebanese Forces leader, Samir Geagea, and the justice
minister, Charles Rizk, had ascended to the patriarchal summer home in Diman to
qualify what Sfeir had said. The patriarch, for all the respect he invites, has
constrained March 14 in recent weeks, as has the Maronite church. A Maronite
bishops' statement was critical of the Siniora government because it had signed
an accord on the rights of the Muslim child and agreed to remove Good Friday as
a holiday; Bishop Bishara Rai then accused the government of "Islamizing" the
country; and Sfeir publicly insisted there needed
to be a two-thirds quorum for Parliament to elect a president, effectively
endorsing the opposition's position, although he seemed to hedge on this in an
interview published on Wednesday in the Kuwaiti newspaper As-Siyassa.
The patriarch's statement to As-Safir on an amendment, while it may have been a
slip of the tongue, was more likely a reflection of Sfeir's state of mind. He
does not trust March 14 much more than he does March 8 or Michel Aoun, and was
likely sending a clear message: that it is preferable for the presidency to be
filled, even by someone like Suleiman who is acceptable to March 8, than leaving
the office vacant, which would mean the Maronites find themselves without their
paramount representative.
If that's Sfeir's reasoning, it is worth mulling over, because the signs for now
are that Lebanon will have no president at the end of November. Suleiman may
become inevitable, whether the majority likes it or not. But if the patriarch
sees the army commander as someone who can appeal to March 8, he should examine
more closely whether he's acceptable to March 14. Samir Geagea spent 11 years in
a cell at the Defense Ministry, so his enthusiasm for a dominion of officers
cannot be high. The first time I met Walid Jumblatt in February 2005, military
helicopters were patrolling over his palace at Mukhtara. In the past 15 years,
while the army undoubtedly remains a nationalist institution, the reality is
that the officer corps has been filled with individuals screened by Syria,
Hizbullah, Emile Lahoud or Michel Murr, with many of the earlier holdovers being
Aounists. For all the respect Suleiman imposed by remaining neutral during the
Independence Intifada, more will be needed for the majority to consider altering
the Constitution to bring him into office.
That reluctance is valid. Here is Lebanon, a rare Arab country which has not run
to the barracks to resolve its every crisis, suddenly considering electing a
second army commander in a decade. Meanwhile, a third military man, Michel Aoun,
lurks in the background, insisting he's the redeemer that no one wants to
acknowledge. The unfortunate fact is that Lahoud's politicization of the
military very nearly ruined its credibility and effectiveness before 2005, and
is a reason why the troops are so ill-prepared today for Nahr al-Bared. Nor do
we need dispense much effort to show what a calamity Aoun's two years in power
were. The general not only destroyed the armed forces, he destroyed the
Christian community as well. That such a man should have the insolence to again
want to "save" Lebanon is testimony to our capacity for amnesia.
Lebanon is not a laboratory for military rule, and should not become one. Michel
Suleiman has not declared his candidacy, nor is he permitted to. But what would
greatly help is for him to say plainly that he opposes the politicization of the
army, and can prove it by refusing to accept the presidency even if it is
offered to him on a silver platter. In the past nine months the military's
neutrality is what has allowed Lebanon to contain the discord in the streets. If
Suleiman were elected president, that neutrality would be lost. The army,
through the president, would become a full-time political actor, and could be
torn apart in the process.
In 1998, the Syrian regime sought to transform its way of doing business in
Lebanon. Through Emile Lahoud's election it hoped to militarize rule in the
country, so that Damascus could operate by way of a military hierarchy capable
of marginalizing powerful politicians. The point was to centralize authority in
Beirut, much as it is in Syria. The project was an abject failure, however,
proving that the Syrian regime was always too contemptuous of its Lebanese
possession to understand its inner workings. In the 2000 elections, Lahoud and
the army suffered a withering defeat at the hands of the political class. The
Lebanese can champion the army for a time, they can admire the bravery of its
soldiers, but when push comes to shove, they prefer a traditional mode of
diffuse leadership to centralization brought about by military muscle.
Suleiman is sensitive to this reality, and should remember this again when the
presidential election period begins next month. The army never wins for long in
Lebanon. The country is not Syria, Iraq or Egypt. That's why it would be best
not to amend the Constitution, and why Suleiman should reject such an option on
the grounds that the best way to reward the army is by keeping it outside the
fatal reach of factional politics.
**Michael Young is opinion editor of THE DAILY STAR.
Lebanon's presidential hopefuls can do three simple things
By The Daily Star
Thursday, August 23, 2007
Editorial
Back in 2005, when Lebanon was emerging from decades of Syrian domination and
forming its first post-occupation government, The Daily Star was among the many
media outlets, organizations and individuals around the world expressing
optimism about the country's future. Under the guidance of a new and independent
government, it was believed, Lebanon would quickly rise to become a country
based on the twin pillars of democracy and the rule of law. Since then, The
Daily Star has published numerous editorials imploring politicians to design
serious policy papers that would pave the way toward far-reaching reforms,
including the full implementation of the Taif Accord, the elimination of the
destabilizing impact of sectarianism and the creation of mechanisms to guarantee
an independent judiciary. However, during the two years since then, Lebanon's
political class has made no progress on any of these fronts, nor have any of
their foreign sponsors made democratic reform a genuine priority.
It is evident by now that we have been shouting into a well. Surprisingly,
instead of finding ourselves in a better Lebanon, we are observing what must be
the most absurd presidential contest the world has ever witnessed. None of the
candidates or their supporters are debating the means of state-building or
issues that are of concern to Lebanese citizens. On the contrary, the
discussions - including the contributions being made by representatives of
foreign capitals - have focused on this or that candidate's relationship with
other countries. The conclusion that our leaders are forcing us to draw is that
our most august statesmen are mere pawns of bigger players in foreign capitals,
that Lebanon will always be a protectorate overseen by non-Lebanese, and that
the country really has no recourse at all, except to choose which power it will
blindly follow.
Our response to this sad state of affairs is to issue a public challenge to all
of the leaders who aspire to take over the helm of state when Emile Lahoud
leaves office. Under the current circumstances, we no longer hope for a leader
to emerge with a bold and visionary reform plan, but we can still identify three
simple things that a president can do that would go a long way toward creating a
functional Lebanese state: propose a fair electoral law, draft a law defining
the role of the president, and suggest a law that outlines the role of Cabinet.
Right now, these three cogs of state are absent, making the state an amorphous
entity with no real structure.
Most of the debate over the presidency until now has failed to address the
structural problems in our governing system. And without addressing these key
issues, the players appear to be battling for control over a non-existent state.
Solutions to these problems will not come from abroad, because foreign players
are only concerned about their own interests. The Lebanese will need their own
leaders to do the work to make Lebanon a strong state. Each of the candidates
has the hope of leading Lebanon. Right now is the time to tell us exactly where
they want to lead us.
Every one can see
that the king has no clothes on
By
Bouthaina Shaaban*
August 22/07
After few years of serving as an ambassador of The United States of America to
Lebanon Mr. Jeffrey Feltman has finally reached an acceptable understanding on
one of the common denominators among Arab people. But, unfortunately, he thought
that his discovery is an accusation that he levels against some important Arab
personalities. Hence, the need to take a moment with him and explain to him the
true meaning of his understanding, especially as he has become an expert in
Middle Eastern affairs whose opinion counts in Washington not only as far as
Lebanon is concerned but as far as all the Arabs are concerned. Responding to a
question about an interview conducted with the head of FPM Free Patriotic
Movement, Mr. Michael Aoun, MP in the French Le Monde he described the interview
as "amusing" and added "Had I seen what was said in this interview without
knowing who said it; I would've thought it was said by Bouthaina Shaaban in
Tishreen newspaper (Syrian paper) or something of that kind and I wouldn't have
thought it was said by a Lebanese MP who fought for the independence of Lebanon
for years".
Mr. Feltman is right. If you take out the name the interview could've been
ascribed to any Arab writer or politician who truly cares about the future of
Lebanon and the unity of Lebanon. What General Awn said in that interview is
similar, in essence, to what is said by so many Arabs from Morocco to Kuwait,
who all agree that the United States is trying to destabilize Lebanon just as it
did in Afghanistan, Iraq, Somalia and Sudan, as part of its announced plan for
"Creative Chaos" in the Middle East. Had Mr. Feltman been a reader of Arabic he
would've read similar statements to what General Michael Aoun said about the
role of the U.S. in Lebanon in many Arab papers, both inside and outside the
Arab world. But because Mr. Feltman sits with only one Lebanese group and
listens only to this group, he mistakenly thought that only this group
represents Lebanon and anything else, said by anyone else, is a sign of foreign
influence and interference, and I hope no one ever thinks that the role of Mr.
Feltman is a clear sign of foreign interference as he seems to consider himself
part and parcel of the Lebanese political matrix! Upon hearing the statement of
Mr. Feltman a Lebanese friend of mine called me and said if the U.S. were to tap
our telephones and listen to our conversations at home, as they do to American
people after 9/11, they would discover how much we loath their policies towards
Lebanon and the entire Arab world.
The Question is how does an ambassador to a country dare criticize an important
public figure? His statement is a proof that he behaves as a high commissioner
to Lebanon rather than an ambassador and is another evidence of what Mr. Aoun
said in his interview that the U.S. is working hard to divide the Lebanese ranks
and prevent them from reaching agreement.
The second question is how could Mr. Feltman feel the deep and various factors
which make the Arabs one people. When he and his Secretary of State were giving
Israel extra time to kill more Lebanese, the Syrian people went out to the
borders to receive, with love and compassion, their Lebanese brothers and
sisters fleeing Israeli criminal attacks using American arms and bombs. While
Mr. Feltman finds the virtual agreement in opinion between a prominent Lebanese
leader and a Syrian writer "amusing", American forces continue to kill 30.000
Iraqis every month (The Lancet, the most prestigious British medical journal,
October 12, 2006). Juan cole, the most visible American Middle East scholar,
summarized the Lancet study in a particularly vivid comment: "The US
misadventure in Iraq is responsible, in a little over three years, for setting
off the killing of twice as many civilians as Saddam managed to polish off in 25
years". Yet the U.S. offered refuge to less than a thousand Iraqis whereas Syria
welcomed almost two million Iraqis with whom we share our schools, hospitals,
food and houses, because we are one people, share the same life and look forward
to a better future.
I don't expect Mr. Feltman to feel what we feel when we see a Palestinian man
fatally wounded by an Israeli bullet, creeping and his blood behind him moaning
his youth, or to have any of our feelings when we watch an American soldier
standing with his boots on the bed of an Iraqi woman trying to cover herself as
a stranger has violated the sanctity of her home only to see her daughter killed
in front of her eyes. If Mr. Feltman wants to know more about the behavior of
American occupation forces in Iraq I advise him to read the study entitled: Is
the United States Killing 10.000 Iraqis Every Month? Or Is it More. By Prof.
Michael Schwartz in Global Research August 13, 2007 and if he wants to know how
the 30 billion Dollars given to Israel will be spent he should look at the
Israeli B'tselem Website to have an inkling of one Israeli apartheid regime
against Palestinians and the genocide against Palestinian people in Gaza and the
West Bank. Hence Mr. Feltman may start to see the reasons which make the Arabs
have a similar reading of the U.S. role in Lebanon and the Arab World although
they have never met before. He did not read Arab history or literature nor was
he born to a civilization that embraced and spread the three monolithic
religions and granted humanity the products of excellent creative minds and
built, for example, two thousand years ago an amphitheatre in Bosra al Sham that
hosts fifteen thousand viewers. What most Americans need is to understand this
very important fact. All the Arabs, Mr. Feltman, see that the king has no
clothes on and it would be good for the U.S. and for every one that you see that
too.
* Dr. Bouthaina Shaaban is Minister of Expatriates in Syria, and writer and
professor at Damascus University since 1985. Before assuming her current
ministerial position, Dr. Shaaban was Director of the Press Office at the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Syria. She received her Ph.D. in English
Literature from Warwick University in England in 1982, and joined the Ministry
of Foreign Affairs as an advisor in 1988. Since then, she has represented Syria
as a spokeswomen on an international level. In 2005 Dr. Shaaban was nominated
for the Nobel Peace Prize, and in the same year, was presented with "the Most
Distinguished Woman in a Governmental Position" award by the Arab League. Dr.
Shaaban has published four books, and contributed to numerous other. She may be
reached at: bouthaina@bouthainashaaban.com
US
presses for presidential polls free of interference
'We are concerned about Syrian influence in lebanon'
By Hani M. Bathish
Daily Star staff
Thursday, August 23, 2007
BEIRUT: The United States wants to see presidential elections in Lebanon held on
time in accordance with the Lebanese Constitution, but most importantly wants
elections free of external interference, according to Deputy Chief of Mission at
the US Embassy in Beirut William Grant, who spoke to the Lebanese Broadcasting
Corporation on Wednesday.
Grant said that the United States will not negotiate with Syria at Lebanon's
expense, calling for relations between Lebanon and Syria to be based on mutual
respect. "We are concerned over Syrian influence in Lebanon, directly or through
proxy," Grant said. "We are concerned over threats to Lebanon's democracy and
sovereignty, from the assassination of MP Walid Eido to terrorist attacks
against Lebanon's army in the North and talk of a second government by Syria's
allies in Lebanon."
Grant said the US has several tools at its disposal to use in response to what
it considers threats to Lebanon and its institutions. He said the US wants a
president for Lebanon who will put Lebanon's interests first ahead of all
foreign interests, including those of the United States.
French Envoy Jean-Claude Cousseran returns to Lebanon on Thursday to resume his
mission to try to break a nine-month-old political deadlock, a French Embassy
source told The Daily Star Wednesday.
During his three-day visit, which ends on Saturday, Cousseran plans to meet
Prime Minister Fouad Siniora and Speaker Nabih Berri and other political
leaders, according to an AFP report which quoted diplomatic sources.
The visit comes as France aims to double efforts to broker an end to the
political standoff that threatens to scuttle presidential elections scheduled
for September 25. French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner met Lebanese leaders
in Beirut in July but failed to make significant headway toward resolving the
political impasse.
French Charge d'Affaires Andre Baran met Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Boutros
Sfeir at his summer residence in Diman on Wednesday and emphasized the
importance of holding presidential elections on time. Baran told reporters after
the meeting that presidential elections "represent an historical opportunity for
the Lebanese and the Maronites in particular, to save their country." Baran said
that respecting the Constitution creates a political atmosphere conducive to
ending the political crisis.
He said France will spare no effort to assist Lebanon and the Lebanese to
overcome difficulties and "create an atmosphere of trust in Lebanon," adding
that France will follow up its efforts to facilitate a solution to the crisis.
Baran said his government views with great importance its relationship with
Sfeir as well as the patriarch's stance on issues, his wisdom and outlook for
the situation in Lebanon.
Presidential hopeful and Democratic Renewal Movement leader MP Nassib Lahoud
said there is no bar to agreeing over a national unity government with the
opposition, but such a government should only take office after a new president
is elected.
Lahoud, in a statement issued Wednesday, said the Maarab meeting had laid the
cornerstone to ensuring the electoral process is "purely Lebanese." He said
during the meeting participants emphasized their unchanging position on the
elections concerning constitutional amendments and their relationship with
Bkirki.
"We wanted to express clearly that we reject any obstruction of this election
and that all the talk about Lebanon's president being chosen from abroad,
whether referring to history or to the present day, is rejected by us," Lahoud
said, adding that Lebanon's next president will be chosen in Lebanon.
He said that the Maarab meeting has decided on a mechanism for choosing the
March 14 presidential candidate, adding that an expanded meeting for all March
14 leaders shall be held to choose their presidential candidate.
"We will all support this candidate and present his name to other political
factions to seek consensus," Lahoud said, adding that the participants expressed
support for the Maronite patriarchate's position and its national principles.
Lahoud said the insistence of March 8 forces that a national unity government be
set up even "half an hour" before presidential elections lacks objectivity.
"However, agreement over a national unity government to be set up with the
election of a new president and after the president assumes his constitutional
duties, is a realistic and just demand," Lahoud said, adding that everyone would
be willing to discuss such a demand.
Lahoud added that rejecting amending the Constitution is a primary position
March 14 has had at all similar junctures, regardless of the individuals
involved, adding that such a position is not aimed against army commander
General Michel Suleiman nor is it aimed at anyone who would stand to benefit
from such an amendment. "On the contrary we respect them and recognize the major
role they play, however we feel respecting the Constitution at this juncture in
particular is akin to respecting our Lebanese institutions," Lahoud said.
Change and Reform Bloc leader MP Michel Aoun, following a meeting of Christian
opposition figures at his home Tuesday evening, said his opposition Christian
politicians speak on behalf of Lebanon's Christians, not March 14 Christian
politicians.
"They have no right to speak on behalf of the Christian majority as they have no
right to nominate [a candidate] for president while he does not represent the
majority of the Christians," Aoun said.
"We declare stances ... We have the right to speak on behalf of the majority of
Christians." The meeting tackled, among other issues, the upcoming presidential
elections.
Lebanon Bans Political Performance Art
Published: August 22, 2007
BEIRUT, Lebanon—Lebanon's Interior Ministry censorship board has banned artist
Rabih Mroué's performances of the piece How Nancy Wished That Everything Was an
April Fool’s Joke, which was to have premiered this weekend, the New York Times
reports. Written by Mroué with Fadi Toufic, Nancy, which will take the stage in
Paris, Rome, and the capitals of Tunisia, Morocco, and Egypt over the next three
months, presents an episodic history of Lebanon’s 15-year civil war through the
experiences of four fighters who served in different militias. Although Mroué's
works have been controversial in Lebanon in the past, he said this is the first
time a performance has been outright banned. “The margin of freedom is getting
smaller and smaller,” he said. “The vision is becoming so narrow, and there is
no more room for different voices.”
Outrage forces removal of pro-Hezbollah billboard
By RON STANG, Special to The CJN
Thursday, 23 August 2007
WINDSOR, Ont. — Many in Windsor are breathing a sigh of relief after a
controversial billboard depicting Lebanese Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah,
erected in the heart of the city’s Arab Middle Eastern community, came down
within days of being put up.
The billboard showed Nasrallah alongside smaller images of four other Lebanese
leaders. The sign had both English and Arabic text. In English, it read,
“Lebanese and Arab communities in Windsor city congratulate the Lebanese people
for their steadfastness and endeavour to establish peace in Lebanon.”
But the person who first brought the billboard to the public’s attention, Edy
Haddad, a University of Windsor student and a Lebanese-born Canadian, said the
Arabic wording contained a reference to “fight” in it.
“There are two different sayings,” Haddad, the former North American youth
representative for Kataeb, a Lebanon-based, pro-democracy party, said of the
sign. He said that in English the text stressed “the whole peace thing.” But in
Arabic, “they were trying to say this is our army, but they did it in a very
nonchalant way, but there is a… [phrase] that had the word ‘fight’ in it.”
Haddad, who lives two blocks from the billboard, put out a press release Aug. 10
and demanded that the “despicable” billboard, located along one of Windsor’s
busiest streets, be taken down. The release said Hezbollah “is on the terror
watch list by Canada” and “has murdered countless numbers of civilians.”
Since that time, Haddad said in an interview, he has received death threats and
some people “were threatening to come to my house and beat me up.”
The billboard raised alarm in Windsor generally, chiefly among the city’s Jewish
community, which made immediate efforts to contact elected politicans and the
city’s mayor to seek the sign’s immediate removal.
Harvey Kessler, executive director of the Windsor Jewish Federation and
Community Centre, said the “primary concern” was that the poster depicted an
individual who “represents a terrorist organization that’s banned in Canada.” He
said police, including the RCMP, were investigating.
By midday on Monday, Aug. 13 – three days after the billboard went up – the sign
had been removed and replaced with an advertisement for a local auto dealership.
Kessler suggested that Windsor Mayor Eddie Francis, who is of Lebanese descent,
was instrumental in having the poster taken down.
“He told me he was going to do everything in his power to make sure that
billboard came down as quickly as possible,” Kessler said. “I assume someone put
pressure on the billboard sign company to take it down.”
The billboard became a national news story. Kessler and the mayor’s office
received phone calls from across the country, mostly condemning the sign.
The incident appears to be unprecedented in Canada.
“The only situation I can recall that is at all analogous to this is the Jews
for Jesus billboard that was put up at the corner of Bathurst [Street] and
Wilson [Avenue in Toronto] a few years ago,” said Len Rudner, national director
of Community Relations for Canadian Jewish Congress (CJC). “The billboard,
offensive in its presentation of a Holocaust survivor who had ‘found’ Jesus, was
quickly taken down.”
Rudner added that since the Canadian government has deemed Hezbollah to be a
terrorist organization, “it is entirely inappropriate that the leader of
Hezbollah should be portrayed in such an adulatory fashion.” CJC commended the
Windsor Jewish Federation and the mayor’s office for having “this material
removed from the public square.”
Michele Erskine, marketing director for CBS Outdoor Canada, the company that
owns the sign, called the entire incident “an honest mistake.”
She said an employee at the firm’s Windsor office “didn’t recognize the full
content” of the sign or recognize the significance of the pictures before
putting it up.
“Since we realized the mistake was made, we’ve taken it down as fast as we
could.”
Attempts to reach the billboard’s supporters were unsuccessful. The Windsor Star
quoted Hussein Dabaja, who said various members of the Lebanese community took
up a collection to pay for the sign and had made their point.
“The Jewish are not the enemy,” Dabaja told the Star. “When Hezbollah fights the
Israeli army, they fight the Israeli occupation to Lebanon.”
The billboard went up just before the Aug. 12 one-year anniversary of Israel and
Hezbollah agreeing to a United Nations-brokered ceasefire following last
summer’s war between the Jewish state and the Lebanese-based Shiite Muslim
group.
Windsor’s Lebanese community, which Haddad estimated at between 15,000 and
20,000 people, is typical of many such communities in Canada, divided between
Christians and Muslims. He added that “it’s not all Muslims that support
Hezbollah.”Kessler said that while a sign such as the pro-Hezbollah billboard
increases tensions generally, “I think it’s going to increase tensions most in
the Arab and Lebanese communities, from what I’m hearing.” He added “there are
many different perspectives” within the Lebanese community “on the politics of
the Middle East.”Meanwhile, he said he will bring the matter to city hall’s race
and ethnocultural relations committee, hoping “protocols” will be developed in
the event another such incident occurs.Kessler said that on this occasion “the
community reacted.” But he said that in the event of a future incident, “we
would have some proactive strategies or protocols in place.”
France pushes UN resolution to extend UNIFIL's mandate
Germany extends naval presence for one year
Compiled by Daily Star staff
Thursday, August 23, 2007
France introduced to the UN Security Council on Tuesday a draft resolution to
extend the mandate of the UN peacekeeping force in southern Lebanon, UN
diplomats reported. The French draft resolution seeks to extend the present
mandate of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), which expires
on August 31st, for an additional year. The resolution commended the "positive
role" of UNIFIL, saying its deployment together with the Lebanese Army has
helped to "establish a new strategic environment in southern Lebanon."The
resolution also appeals "to all parties concerned" to "respect the cessation of
hostilities and the Blue Line in its entirety."
It also urges parties to "fully" cooperate with the Security Council and the UN
secretary general to achieve "a permanent cease-fire and a long term solution."
The resolution "emphasizes the need for greater progress in this regard."
The UN peacekeeping force first deployed to South Lebanon in 1978. It currently
has 13,500 troops along with 1,000 civilian employees, compared to only 2,000
troops before 2006.
UNIFIL monitors the separation of forces following the summer 2006 war with
Israel.
The force also helps the Lebanese Army deploy in the South, and makes sure
humanitarian assistance reaches civilians.
Following on France's footsteps, the German Cabinet on Wednesday approved a
one-year extension to the country's role in the UN peacekeeping mission in
Lebanon, where it has led naval patrols off the coast.
The Cabinet decided to extend the German military's mandate until September 15,
2008, at its regular weekly meeting. The extension still requires approval by
Parliament, which is expected to vote in mid-September.
Eight German ships joined the UNIFIL mission last year in Germany's largest
naval deployment since World War II. It currently has 960 sailors with the
mission, designed to prevent arms from reaching Hizbullah by sea.
Chancellor Angela Merkel's government ruled out sending combat troops to try to
ensure that German soldiers would not get caught up in any confrontation with
Israeli forces. Government spokesman Thomas Steg said the deployment so far had
not resulted in weapons being intercepted.
Steg said that, under the new mandate, the maximum number of German sailors
authorized to take part would be reduced to 1,400 from 2,400. He noted that
Germany never reached the current limit, and said it was only adapting the limit
"to the actual needs."
Steg said Germany was prepared to continue leading the mission until late
February, but was asking the UN to find another leader after that date. Other
countries involved in the patrols include Greece, Turkey and Norway. The head of
the German Parliament's foreign affairs committee said the mission has been a
success.
"That little incidents have happened is a sign that the deployment is
successful," Ruprecht Polenz, a member of Merkel's Christian Democrats, said on
local German radio. "The mission works preventively as well - potential weapons
smugglers know they barely have any chance of smuggling weapons into Lebanon by
sea," Polenz added. Also related to developments in the south of Lebanon, the
Jerusalem Post reported on Wednesday that the UN has decided to send a
cartographer within the next month to visit the occupied Shebaa Farms. According
to the daily, Israel is vehemently opposed to the UN's initiative to redraw
Israel's border with Lebanon.
Israel contends that it conquered the area located between Lebanon and the Golan
Heights, from Syria during the Six Day War in 1967.
"In the past, the United States and France have pressured Israel to concede the
territory as a gesture to bolster Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora," the
newspaper said. However, Israeli defense officials have warned against ceding
the area to Lebanon. "If the border is changed, then this could be dangerous for
Israel's national security," the paper quoted a senior official as saying. The
UN decision comes in the wake of Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak and other
top officials' frequent expressions of concern about the Israeli Army's
inadequate state. Officials have been meeting with greater frequency to discuss
methods for improving the country's defenses. According to another Israeli
daily, Haaretz, Barak had warned that "Israel is currently at less than half the
maximum order of battle it had in the past." "A military force is not merely
hardware and technology, but first of all confidence and fighting spirit. There
is no military force without training," he said. - Agencies
Lebanon crisis threatens presidential vote
Wed Aug 22, 2007 1
BEIRUT (Reuters) - Bitter rivalry between Lebanon's political camps and between
their respective foreign backers could torpedo next month's presidential
election, threatening a new constitutional crisis, instability and economic
paralysis.
The poll is the next battle in a struggle that pits the ruling coalition backed
by the United States and Saudi Arabia against a Shi'ite-Christian opposition
including the powerful Hezbollah group, which enjoys Syrian and Iranian support.
According to the constitution, parliament should meet on September 25 to elect a
successor to President Emile Lahoud, a close Syrian ally whose term ends at
midnight on November 23. But the vote is unlikely to happen then or before the
end of Lahoud's term without a settlement of the political standoff which has
paralyzed Lebanon since November and triggered outbreaks of strife reminiscent
of the 1975-1990 civil war. "Everybody is awaiting the positions of the
Americans and the influential regional states," a senior Lebanese politician
said. "All the talk on the local level is just to pass time."Syria's insistence
on extending Lahoud's term in 2004 raised tension in Lebanon and provoked
U.S.-led pressure on Damascus. Replacing Lahoud with someone independent of
Syrian tutelage has been a priority for supporters of Prime Minister Fouad
Siniora's government since Syrian troops left Lebanon in 2005, amid an outcry
over the killing of ex-premier Rafik al-Hariri.
Hezbollah is equally determined to stop the presidency falling into the hands of
political adversaries it says are controlled by Washington.
Breaking the Lebanese impasse thus depends on easing wider tensions -- a slim
prospect right now, given U.S. sparring with Syria and Iran, recent animosity
between Syria and Saudi Arabia, and Sunni fears of Tehran's rising influence in
Iraq and beyond.
"There needs to be a regional thaw -- between Syria, Saudi and Iran and Saudi,"
said Lebanese political analyst Oussama Safa said. "I doubt there's a chance of
that soon."The pro-government majority bloc made up of Sunni, Christian and
Druze factions accuses the opposition of seeking to restore Syrian dominance in
Lebanon. Hezbollah sees Siniora's cabinet as a tool of U.S. policy in the Middle
East. Opposition leaders are demanding a national unity government in which they
would hold veto power before any vote on a new president, who they say must be a
consensus choice. "No national unity government, no presidential elections,"
leading Hezbollah cleric Sayyed Hashem Safieddin said this week. Druze leader
Walid Jumblatt, a fiery anti-Syrian politician, rejected any such government. "I
am against a compromise," he told Reuters. "It means political suicide for us."
Yet neither side can impose its own candidate. The pro-government bloc cannot
ensure a two-thirds quorum in parliament. The opposition would reject any
president elected without a quorum as unconstitutional. The president must be a
Maronite Christian in Lebanon's power-sharing system, but the Maronite community
is divided over the declared candidates, who include opposition leader Michel
Aoun and pro-government figures Boutros Harb and Nassib Lahoud.
The name of army chief Michel Suleiman has been floated as a compromise
candidate, although the constitution would need to be amended to let him assume
the post straightaway. Central Bank Governor Riad Salameh is also seen as a
possible neutral choice.
STEP INTO UNKNOWN?
Lahoud, like the opposition, disputes the legitimacy of the Siniora government
and says he will not turn over power to it if his term expires before a new
president has been elected. Some analysts say Lahoud may appoint a new
government in competition with Siniora's -- or even try to stay in office.
Jumblatt said it was too early to predict the outcome, but suggested that if the
deadlock persisted the ruling coalition could hold a vote outside parliament
without opposition MPs. A senior opposition source said such a step would "take
Lebanon to the unknown" and would be confronted "by all possible means". Even
some pro-government MPs have questioned whether such an unprecedented election
would have any legitimacy.
Amal Saad Ghorayeb, an analyst with the Carnegie Endowment's Middle East Center,
saw no prospect of polls taking place in the fraught atmosphere clouding
Lebanon. "Once Lahoud's term expires, he could hand power over to the army
commander," she said.
That would mirror a move in 1988, when former President Amin Gemayel named then
army chief Aoun to head a military government in conflict with the existing
cabinet. Syria drove Aoun from office in 1990, with a green light from
Washington. "The creation of two governments will recreate the dangers of civil
war and they (the opposition) are not ready to go with this alternative,"
prominent Lebanese columnist Sateh Noureddin said, pinning his hopes on foreign
pressure to secure a deal.
"We are only at the beginning of this political circus."
(Additional reporting by Laila Bassam)
Draft Security Council resolution on Lebanon
Thursday, August 23, 2007
The Security Council,
Recalling all its previous resolutions on Lebanon, in particular resolutions 425
(1978), 426 (1978), 1559 (2004), 1680 (2006) and 1701 (2006), as well as the
statements of its President on the situation in Lebanon, in particular the
statement of 3 August 2007 (S/PRST/2007/XX),
Recalling also the report of the Secretary General of 28 June 2007 (S/2007/392)
and the letter from the Secretary General to its President of 2 August 2007
(S/2007/XX),
Reaffirming its strong commitment to the sovereignty, territorial integrity,
unity and political independence of Lebanon within its internationally
recognized borders and under the sole and exclusive authority of its Government,
Reiterating its strong support for full respect for the cessation of hostilities
and the Blue Line in its entirety,
Reaffirming its attachment to the full implementation of all provisions of
resolution 1701 (2006), and aware of its responsibilities to help secure a
permanent cease-
fire and a long-term solution as envisioned in the resolution,
Emphasizing the need to address the causes of the conflict, including that the
abducted Israeli soldiers have not been released, nor has proof of life been
provided, and calling once again for their immediate and unconditional return,
Encouraging the efforts aimed at urgently settling the issue of the Lebanese
prisoners detained in Israel,
Welcoming the steps taken by the government of Lebanon to extend its authority
over its territory, through its own legitimate armed forces, such that there
will be no weapons without the consent of the government of Lebanon and no
authority other than that of the government of Lebanon, and encouraging it to
continue its efforts in this regard,
Welcoming also the tripartite arrangements referred to in the aforementioned
report, and encouraging the parties to coordinate further with UNIFIL, notably
to visibly mark the Blue Line and reach an agreement on the northern part of
Ghajar,
Condemning in the strongest terms all terrorist attacks against UNIFIL and
emphasizing the need for further coordination between UNIFIL and the Lebanese
Armed Forces in particular regarding the establishment between the Blue Line and
the Litani river of an area free of any armed personnel, assets and weapons
other than those of the Government of Lebanon and of UNIFIL and for UNIFIL to
enhance its investigative capacities in response to these attacks,
Underlining the importance of continued efforts to clear unexploded ordnance
from Southern Lebanon,
Reaffirming UNIFIL's authority to take all necessary action in areas of
deployment of its forces and as it deems within its capabilities, to ensure that
its area of operations is not utilized for hostile activities of any kind and to
resist attempts by forceful means to prevent it from discharging its mandate,
Recalling the relevant principles contained in the Convention on the safety of
United Nations and associated personnel adopted on 9 December 1994,
Commending the active role and dedication of the personnel of UNIFIL, notably of
its Commander, as well as of the Special Coordinator of the United Nations for
Lebanon,
Expressing its strong appreciation to Member states that contribute to UNIFIL
and underlining the necessity that UNIFIL have at its disposal all necessary
means and equipment to carry out its mandate,
Responding to the request of the Government of Lebanon to extend the mandate of
UNIFIL for a new period of one year without amendment presented in the letter
from the Lebanese Prime Minister to the Secretary General of 25 June 2007
(S/2007/396),
Determining that the situation in Lebanon continues to constitute a threat to
international peace and security,
Decides to extend the present mandate of UNIFIL until 31 August 2008;
Commends the positive role of UNIFIL, whose deployment together with the
Lebanese Armed Forces has helped to establish a new strategic environment in
Southern Lebanon, and looks forward to its increased cooperation with the LAF in
the discharge of its mandate;
Appeals to all parties concerned to respect the cessation of hostilities and the
Blue Line in its entirety;
Urges all parties to cooperate fully with the United Nations and UNIFIL and to
abide scrupulously by their obligation to respect the safety of the UNIFIL and
other United Nations personnel, including by avoiding any course of action which
endangers United Nations personnel and by ensuring UNIFIL is accorded full
freedom of movement within its area of operation;
Calls upon all parties to cooperate fully with the Security Council and the
Secretary General to achieve a permanent cease-fire and a long term solution as
envisioned in resolution 1701 (2006), and emphasizes the need for greater
progress in this regard;
Reiterates its intention to consider further steps to contribute to the
implementation of a permanent cease-fire and a long-term solution;
Welcomes the efforts being undertaken by the United Nations Interim Force in
Lebanon to implement the Secretary General's zero-tolerance policy on sexual
exploitation and abuse and to ensure full compliance of its personnel with the
United Nations code of conduct, requests the Secretary General to continue to
take all necessary action in this regard and to keep the Security Council
informed, and urges troop-contributing countries to take preventive and
disciplinary action to ensure that such acts are properly investigated and
punished in cases involving their personnel.
Requests the Secretary General to continue to report to the Council on the
implementation of Resolution 1701 (2006) every four months, or at any time as
the Secretary General deems appropriate;
Stresses the importance of, and the need to achieve, a comprehensive, just and
lasting peace in the Middle East, based on all its relevant resolutions
including its resolutions 242 (1967) of 22 November 1967,338 (1973) of 22
October 1973, and 1515 (2003) of 19 November 2003;
Decides to remain actively seized of the matter.
Aoun and Christian
Marginalization
Hassan Haydar - Al-Hayat - 23/08/07//
Judging from the meetings of politicians in Rabieh and in Merab, Lebanon's
Christians - including the Maronites - seem more divided than ever. This
division threatens to undermine their future and historical role in Lebanese
political life as they appear increasingly divorced from the country's
sectarian-political scene - especially in light of the current Sunni, Shia and
Druze positions on politics in general and elections in particular.
Although pluralism is a welcome development integral to democracy, it has become
a source of weakness for Christians as compared to the solidarity among
Lebanon's other sects and the spirit of cooperation embodied in the Taef
Accords. If Lebanon's current division was purely political, it would be only
natural for a variety of Christian parties to emerge - each pushing their own
political and economic program. However, given the intense sectarian
mobilization on the parts of other sects, Christian leadership seems divided
into factions - each of which must follow the lead of other sects and - and does
not emerge as an equal partner capable of defending its own interests.
The blame for the Christian's predicament lies mainly with the sect's leaders,
many of whom brandish slogans that contradict their political positions. This
includes MP Michel Aoun, who continues to view the current situation through the
same lens as the 'war of cancellation' he fought almost two decades ago. Aoun
recognizes no representative of the Christians but himself and attributes any
opposition by others to "foreign influence." This thinking was behind Aoun's
statement following the Merab meeting in which he insisted that the
participants' decisions were not in their hands - apparently forgetting that
many of the meeting's attendees had fought hard against Christian
marginalization during the peak of Syrian hegemony and had paid a high price for
it.
Following each political assassination, all eyes are on Aoun as he scrambles to
craft a defense of Syria on the grounds that they have already "withdrawn from
Lebanon." The presidential contest has in Aoun's eyes become a battle for
survival: either Aoun becomes President or Lebanon enters a political vacuum as
elections are stalled. Thus, the 'defender' of Christian rights becomes their
violator - and a tool in the hands of those who wish to see a political vacuum
in Lebanon for their own reasons. However, it will be Aoun alone who will bear
responsibility for the crisis he creates - for the interests of his allies may
be guaranteed in international and regional negotiations, while his will not.
In his last role as head of an interim government, Aoun gifted the Lebanese with
two wars that resulted in the massive emigration of young Christians. Few are
eager to grant him another position of leadership, for there are no longer
enough young Christians remaining to don his orange shirts - unless he borrows
followers from other factions
Release from: Center For Democracy and the Rule Of Law (cdrl)
End the Lack of Transparency in the
Selection of Judges for the Hariri Court- By Publishing the Secret List of the
Nominees Immediately!
Beirut, August 23, 2007:
Dr. Muhamad Mugraby issued the following statement:
One month ago to the day, I called on the United Nations Secretary General and
the Lebanese Minister of Justice to adopt a transparent process in the
nomination for, and selection of, judges on the prospective Hariri Court. In
particular, I called on the Lebanese Minister to make public the list of names
of the Lebanese candidates he sent to the UN Secretary General under a secret
letter. This morning, "Nahar Ash-Shabab" published an interview with MP and
former minister Walid Jumblat in which he stated that he knew the names. He said
that the list of names is not a secret and is "booby-trapped". Jumblat added: "I
was astonished to discover that one of the judges is a Syrian agent".
I do not believe that Minister Jumblat did not know that Syrian General Ghazi
Kinaan was directly involved with the appointment and promotion of high judges,
including the president of the High Judiciary Council, and many of their
assistants. Most of those appointees still occupy their posts, although it is
possible that some of them may have changed the color of their allegiance due to
the change of circumstances.
But it is a very serious charge by such a knowledgeable and influential person
to say that the list of proposed judges is "booby-trapped" and consists partly
of Syrian agents. It makes it mandatory that the Minister of Justice publish the
list immediately. Minister Rizk had in the past published the full list of the
judicial re-appointments before it was issued and it has never been issued. If
Rizk should refrain from publishing the list of names I call on Jumblat to
publish the list he has.
Jumblat's charges are so serious that the list, once published, should be made
the subject of open debate and honest scrutiny.
Dr. Mugraby i the president of the Center for democracy and the Rule of Law and
the founder of the Campaign for Judicial Integrity
**For further information: E-mail info@cdrl.org and visit http://www.cdrl.org/.