LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
DECEMBER 23/2006Bible Reading of the day
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 1,46-56.
And Mary said: "My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; my spirit rejoices in God my savior. For he has looked upon his handmaid's lowliness; behold, from now on will all ages call me blessed. The Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name. His mercy is from age to age to those who fear him. He has shown might with his arm, dispersed the arrogant of mind and heart. He has thrown down the rulers from their thrones but lifted up the lowly. The hungry he has filled with good things; the rich he has sent away empty. He has helped Israel his servant, remembering his mercy, according to his promise to our fathers, to Abraham and to his descendants forever." Mary remained with her about three months and then returned to her home.Free Opinions & Studies of the Day
Michel Aoun: A psychotic Lust For The Presidency.By: Elias Bejjani- World Forum - USA
http://www.theworldforum.org/story/2006/12/21/161225/25
Assad will abandon Iran if Israel talks peace with him -By Yossi Beilin
Lebanon's justice system on trial -By Irene KhanAmerica's Double Standard on Democracy in the Middle East-TIME - USA
Latest news from miscellaneous sources for December 23/06
Christmas cheer descends on tent city in Beirut-Washington Post
Moussa Winds Up Mediation over Lebanon Crisis-Naharnet
Following Arrests, Raids, Qanso Says his Party Not Connected to Gemayel's Murder-Naharnet
Parliament Executive Refuses to Receive Petition Over Tribunal-Naharnet
Harper won't talk to Hamas, Hezbollah-Edmonton Sun
Lebanon seizes explosives from pro-Syrian group-Washington Post
Arms seized with pro-Syria group-United Press International
Sunni Mufti tells Iran's Ayyatollah to leave Lebanon alone-Ya Libnan
US Readies Security Aid Package To Help Lebanon Counter Hezbollah-Washington Post
Arab plan may be last resort for Lebanon-United Press International
Lebanon at a Tripwire-International Crisis Group
Peres predicts eventual peace with Syria-Jerusalem Post
Exclusive: Syria builds 'death trap' villages along border in ...-Jerusalem Post
Cracks begin to appear in support for Hezbollah-San Jose Mercury News
Egyptian FM calls on Lebanese reconciliation-People's Daily Online
Olmert hit for snubbing Syria-Monsters and Critics.com
New contexts for Syria's peace call-Gulf News
Exclusive: Documented patrol off Lebanon coast-Ynetnews
UN wants access to Iranians extradited by Syria-Reuters
Three Hotspots in the Middle East! Palestine, Lebanon & Iraq-Newropeans Magazine
US readies $500 million Aid Package to help Lebanon military-Ya Libnan
Lebanon's People's Revolt-PEJ NewsLebanon seizes explosives from pro-Syrian group
Thu Dec 21, 2006 11:30 AM ET
By Tom Perry
BEIRUT (Reuters) - Lebanese police seized large quantities of explosives, detonators and timers in the homes of members of a pro-Syrian group in north Lebanon on Thursday, security sources said. Police surrounded some of the Beirut offices of the Syrian Social Nationalist Party (SSNP) -- an opposition group which responded by accusing the authorities of harassment and warned against more raids.
Seven SSNP supporters or activists were arrested in the northern Koura province, including a senior member.
The SSNP said most of the weapons seized dated back to the 1980s -- the height of Lebanon's 1975-1990 civil war.
"The party calls for an immediate halt to raids and the pursuit of National Socialists," party leader Ali Qansou told a news conference. "The National Socialists' patience has limits."A police statement confirmed the seizure and some arrests but did not say to which group the detainees and the explosives belonged. "A force from the Internal Security Force raided these houses and found inside them a large quantity of explosives, electrical detonators and timers in addition to a large cache of weapons," the statement said.
The SSNP was founded in 1932 and called for a greater Syrian state which would have included Lebanon. It is allied to the Hezbollah-led opposition, which is demanding veto power in Prime Minister Fouad Siniora's cabinet. Opposition supporters have been holding a round-the-clock protest in central Beirut since December 1 calling for Siniora to quit and pressing the opposition's demand for veto power in government.
Qansou said the arrests raised "questions about whether the authorities' intention is to harass the opposition forces, which are moving in the street peacefully and democratically".Siniora's anti-Syrian government came to office after the withdrawal of Syrian troops from Lebanon last year.
The withdrawal was brought about by international pressure and mass protests triggered by the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri in February 2005. Many Lebanese blame Syria for the killing. Damascus denies involvement.
Since then Lebanon has been shaken by 15 major explosions, assassinations and attempted assassinations aimed at anti-Syrian figures. A U.N. team is probing all those attacks.An anti-Syrian Christian cabinet minister, Pierre Gemayel, was shot dead by gunmen near Beirut last month.
(Additional reporting by Leila Bassam and Nadim Ladki)
UNIFIL adds Santa role to peacekeeping duties in South
By Mohammed Zaatari -Daily Star staff
Friday, December 22, 2006
SOUTH LEBANON: The commander of the United Nations Interim Force in South Lebanon (UNIFIL), Major General Alain Pellegrini, monitored the distribution of thousands of gifts to students in the Southern region of Naqoura on Thursday on the occasion of Christmas and New Year.
Since their original deployment in the South in 1978, French troops are accustomed to distributing gifts to children in different parts of the South, a source told The Daily Star.
For their part, Polish troops handed out some 80 gifts to students at Tibnin's official school. In a separate development, Pellegrini said he "hopes security and tranquility will prevail in the region." Pellegrini told reporters the situation "is stable," and added: "There are no problems yet."
Asked about an Israeli withdrawal from the border region of Ghajar, Pellegrini said: "The Israelis might pull out by the end of the year ... But we have to wait."And with Christmas coinciding with Eid al-Adha this year, both Christians and Muslims across the South have decorated their houses with colorful lights, put up Christmas trees, and are set to exchange gifts.On the road from Sidon to Jezzine, Christmas trees, tinsel, fairy lights and snow-sprayed messages carrying Christmas greetings are visible among the Eid al-Adha messages.At the entrance of eastern Sidon, an 8-meter Christmas tree laden with lights greets visitors to the city.
Canadian PM rules out talks with Hizbullah and Hamas
By Agence France Presse (AFP)
Friday, December 22, 2006
OTTAWA: Canada will not hold negotiations with called "genocidal" groups like Hamas and Hizbullah to try to secure Middle East peace, Prime Minister Stephen Harper said in an interview with broadcaster CTV to be aired Saturday. "We will not solve the Palestinian-Israeli problem, as difficult as that is, through organizations that advocate violence and advocate wiping Israel off the face of the Earth," Harper said.
"It's unfortunate because with Hamas, and with Hizbullah in Lebanon, it has made it very difficult to have dialogue - and dialogue is ultimately necessary to have peace in the long term - but we are not going to sit down with people whose objectives are ultimately genocidal," he added. "I think all of the civilized world is agreed - and it's not just Canada - we can't deal with organizations whose principle and only objective is terrorism and the eradication of the other side." The comments were published Thursday in the Globe and Mail newspaper. Harper's Conservative government was the first to withdraw financial aid to the newly sworn-in Hamas-led Palestinian government in March, even ahead of the United States.
Canada also suspended its $7.3 million in annual direct aid to the Palestinians. The European Union and the United States also suspended all direct aid - and instituted stringent economic sanctions - after the Hamas-led government took power, demanding that the Islamists renounce violence, recognize Israel and agree to abide by past peace deals. - AFP
Canada's Premier: We Won't Deal with 'Genocidal' Hamas, Hizbullah
Canada will not hold talks with "genocidal" groups Hamas and Hizbullah to try to secure Middle East peace, Prime Minister Stephen Harper said in an interview with broadcaster CTV, to be aired Saturday. "We will not solve the Palestinian-Israeli problem, as difficult as that is, through organizations that advocate violence and advocate wiping Israel off the face of the Earth," Harper said.
"It's unfortunate because with Hamas, and with Hizbullah in Lebanon, it has made it very difficult to have dialogue -- and dialogue is ultimately necessary to have peace in the long term -- but we are not going to sit down with people whose objectives are ultimately genocidal.""I think all of the civilized world is agreed -- and it's not just Canada -- we can't deal with organizations whose principle and only objective is terrorism and the eradication of the other side."The comments were published Thursday in the Globe and Mail newspaper, affiliated with CTV. Harper's Conservative government was the first to withdraw financial aid to the newly-sworn-in Hamas-led Palestinian government in March, even ahead of the United States.
Canada also suspended its 7.3 million dollars in annual direct aid to the Palestinians, prompting admonition from former U.S. president Jimmy Carter. The European Union and the United States also suspended all direct aid to the Palestinian government after the Hamas-led government took power, demanding that the Islamists renounce violence, recognize Israel and agree to abide by past peace deals.
Hizbullah is leading an open-ended sit-in in downtown Beirut aimed at toppling the government of Premier Fouad Saniora. The group and its allies have rejected repeated calls by pro-government groups to go back to the dialogue table.(AFP-Naharnet)
Beirut, 22 Dec 06, 07:52Moussa Winds Up Mediation over Lebanon Crisis
Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa was expected to wind up his mediation mission on Friday, hoping he would "penetrate the wall" in the long-running political crisis in Lebanon. The leftist daily As Safir said Moussa is scheduled to hold a news conference at midday Friday at the Grand Serail, where he will likely announce "suspension" of his efforts during the Christmas holiday provided that he will resume his mission at the beginning of the New Year. Moussa on Thursday said Syrian President Bashar Assad gave his full support to the Arab League mediation to end the crippling political impasse. "We are moving toward reaching a Lebanese reconciliation," Moussa said after meeting with Assad. He did not elaborate.
Hizbullah-led protestors have staged an open-ended sit-in in a bid to topple Prime Minister Fouad Saniora's government. But Saniora has refused to step down, accusing the opposition of attempting a Syrian-backed coup.
Moussa's visit to Lebanon was his second in less than a week amid plans by Hizbullah and its allies to escalate its open-ended street protests against the Saniora government. "I feel relieved," Moussa told reporters. "What is important is to salvage the Arab world from the woes of divisions and threats of what we are seeing in the region." Assad "supports my efforts, the initiative I am making and the efforts of the Arab League in this regard," Moussa said. Syria was for decades the powerbroker in Lebanon until public outcry over the February 2005 slaying of ex-premier Rafik Hariri led to the exit of Syrian troops months later. Lebanon has "a problem of multiple dimensions, whether the government of national unity or the tribunal", Moussa said, referring to the U.N. court Saniora's government is trying to help establish to judge Hariri's killers.
An initial U.N. probe implicated high-ranking Syrian and Lebanese officials in the Beirut seafront bombing that killed Hariri and 22 others, but Assad has denied any involvement. "We are moving forward to reach a Lebanese agreement" on these matters, Moussa said, alongside Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Mouallem. "The Syrian president expressed his support for Amr Muossa's efforts and his initiative ... to bring security and stability to Lebanon without any foreign intervention," said Muallem.(Naharnet-AP-AFP) Beirut, 22 Dec 06, 09:07
Police Display Confiscated Explosives Designed for 'Terrorist' attacks
Police on Friday said explosives, fuses and detonators confiscated in house raids that resulted in the arrest of seven members of the Syrian Social National Party (SSNP) are weapons designed for "Terrorist" attacks. The confiscated explosives were displayed to reporters at police headquarters in Beirut and an explosives expert told reporters such weapons were designed for "terrorist attacks and assassinations."
The weapons included electronic detonators, pull-trigger fuses and rigged alarm clocks. The Police sapper, who cannot be identified in line with standing rules, explained that the pull-trigger fuses can be "tied up to doors, car doors or any doors, and pulling the doors open would detonate bombs." He said the weapons were locally made. Large quantities of TNT paste also were displayed, and the sapper explained that they can be used in the making of "explosives with a variety of shapes."The SSNP is a Syrian-backed party which is part of the Hizbullah-led ongoing protest trying to topple Premier Fouad Saniora's majority government. The weapons were confiscated Thursday in a major police bust of SSNP hideouts in the northern Koura province. Also confiscated was a four-wheel car owned by an SSNP member who had reported to police that his red vehicle was stolen.The suspicious car, was repainted in black and the serial numbers of its body and engine were changed, although it remained in the possession of its owner who was arrested Thursday. That, according to security sources, indicated that the vehicle was to be used in a major terrorist attack, either in an assassination attempt by a squad of gunmen or by rigging it with explosives and detonating it against a chosen target. Beirut, 22 Dec 06, 15:56
Parliament Executive Refuses to Receive Petition Over Tribunal
Parliament Secretary-General Adnan Daher has refused to receive a petition signed by the majority legislators calling for an emergency session to ratify a draft law setting up an international tribunal to try suspects in the 2005 assassination of ex-Premier Rafik Hariri and related crimes.
The leading daily An Nahar said the petition, signed by 70 lawmakers of the 128-member legislation, was sent to Daher on Thursday. It calls on parliament Speaker Nabih Berri to summon the house to vote on the plan. An Nahar said the document was later mailed to Berri via Liban Post, Lebanon's express mail service. The draft law was published by the official gazette on Dec.14, following the refusal of President Emile Lahoud to sign it in 15 days in accordance with the nation's constitution. Lahoud had refused to sign the document because it was referred to him by what he regards as a non-constitutional government. Six ministers had resigned from the cabinet of Premier Fouad Saniora that enjoys the backing of a parliamentary majority. Daher said that he rejected the plan "because the draft law was not submitted to Parliament." Beirut, 22 Dec 06, 14:36
Following Arrests, Raids, Qanso Says his Party Not Connected to Gemayel's Murder
Seven members of the Syrian Social National Party (SSNP) have been arrested and large quantities of weapons, explosives, fuses and timers have been confiscated in house raids in the northern province of Koura, police said.
SSNP leader Ali Qanso condemned the police action, telling a press conference hours after the raids on Thursday, that it was unjustified and that the party had kept the cache since the early 1980s when it took part in fighting Israeli forces in south Lebanon.
"Stop your campaigns against us. We are not a militia and we are not a party of murderers," Qanso said, referring to the mysterious campaign of bombings and assassinations conducted in Lebanon during the past two years. Nobody has been charged with the attacks, which are being investigated by the U.N. team looking into the killing of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. It could not be determined whether the raid and arrests were related to the Nov. 21 assassination of Industry Minister Pierre Gemayel in Beirut's northern suburb of Metn, an SSNP traditional stronghold.
Qanso said the SSNP had nothing to do with the Gemayel murder.
Police, in a brief statement, said "after receiving information about a quantity of explosives in houses in a number of villages and towns of the Koura province, and in accordance with instructions from Attorney General Saeed Mirza, a police unit busted these houses and found a large quantity of explosives, electrical detonators, timing equipment and a large number of weapons. The related persons were arrested."
It said investigations were "underway."Qanso said the weapons "which we have kept since the 1980s, even after suspending our resistance activities against Israel... were for eventual possible use in resistance" against Israel.
The leftist daily As Safir on Friday quoted a police source as saying that the weapons and explosives were "not stocked up, but modern."
He called the weapons "individual guns which every member of the party currently needs given the insecurity" in Lebanon.
Qanso accused the security services of engaging in a campaign against the Hizbullah-led opposition, which has since Dec.1 staged an open-ended sit-in in the heart of Beirut aimed at bringing down the government of Prime Minister Fouad Saniora.
Lebanese militias were obliged to hand in their arms following the end of the 1975-90 civil war, apart from Hizbullah which continued to fight the Israeli occupation.
However, a U.N. resolution passed in 2004 called for all militias including Hizbullah to be disarmed.
Created in 1932, the SSNP is a secular ultranationalist party advocating a greater Syria that encompasses Lebanon, Jordan, Palestine, Iraq, Kuwait and Cyprus. The party once fielded street fighters during Lebanon's 1975-90 civil war and was active in south Lebanon, fighting against Israeli troops in the 1980s. In the last 20 years, however, the party became increasingly pro-Syrian. Police sources told Naharnet that the SSNP office in the Lebanese capital's plush Ras Beirut district was surrounded by police, while members of the Syrian-backed party evacuated another office in the city.
They said the bust was aimed at arresting "suspects in the ongoing investigations in a series of assassination attempts." He refused to elaborate.
The sources said police also confiscated two stolen cars and a "truck load of weapons and explosives."(Naharnet-AP-AFP)(An Nahar photo shows Qanso during his press conference) Beirut, 22 Dec 06, 10:12
French Drones in Lebanon Await U.N. Green Light
France is waiting for United Nations authorization to deploy several unmanned drone aircraft in southern Lebanon, the defense ministry said in Paris Thursday. "The means are ready and can be implemented very quickly if the U.N. so asks and decides," a spokesman said.
Earlier in the month France said it was in a position to deploy the drones to strengthen the observation capacities of the U.N. interim force in Lebanon (UNIFIL). The French offer followed successive overflights by Israeli aircraft, which the Jewish state justified by claiming that the arms embargo laid down in U.N. Security Council resolution 1701 was being breached. "The drones left (the French Mediterranean port of) Toulon a few days ago and have arrived in Lebanon," the spokesman said without giving details of their location or number. If put into operation, the French drones will take part in the surveillance of a possible arms smuggling, in particular along the borders between Syria and Lebanon and between Israel and Lebanon. The drones are of the SDTI type and carry two cameras, one conventional and the other infra-red.(AFP) Beirut, 22 Dec 06, 07:45
Assad will abandon Iran if Israel talks peace with him
By Yossi Beilin
Commentary by
Friday, December 22, 2006
The Iraq Study Group report reached a series of obvious conclusions. Everything is linked. The United States cannot remain in the Iraqi swamp much longer; nor can it abandon Iraq and leave it in its current chaotic state. In order to leave Iraq gradually there is a need for a pragmatic Arab coalition that assists the shaky Iraqi government. The cooperation of the pragmatic Arab states can be ensured if they can justify themselves in the eyes of their publics, and for this to happen the US must make a major effort to reach an Israeli-Palestinian peace agreement.
Baker and Hamilton are the answer to six years of an American foreign policy march of folly, particularly in the Middle East. For President George W. Bush to accept their recommendations he must admit serious mistakes. Hence, he almost certainly will not accept them unless American public opinion forces him to. The ISG's co-chairmen, James Baker and Lee Hamilton, understand the extent of the damage caused by the American boycott of Syria, Hamas and other actors in the Middle East and beyond. They are right to propose holding talks with those actors and trying to develop genuine dialogue with them. Personally, I doubt whether talks with Iran would bear fruit; in contrast, I believe that talks with Syria could contribute to a change in the regional map.
Syrian President Bashar Assad has proposed negotiations with Israel. The latter, for the second time in its history, has set preconditions (the first time was about two years ago, when then-Prime Minister Ariel Sharon turned down the Syrian offer). Assad is apparently doing so because his country's economic situation is becoming increasingly difficult - in four or five years its oil reserves will run out - and because Syria's talks with the European Union have been frozen and he feels isolated. Peace with Israel would offer him an opening to the world.
Assad holds "negative cards" in his hand: a war option with Israel, patronage of terrorist organizations as the host of their headquarters, and the ability to transfer weapons from Iran to Hizbullah. He won't forego those cards if Israel sticks to its conditions for opening negotiations (particularly as long as Israel's prime minister declares up front that as long as he's in office we won't give up the Golan Heights). Yet there can be no doubt that he will have to give up those cards in order for negotiations to conclude successfully.
An Israeli-Syrian peace, which would of course comprise an Israeli withdrawal from the Golan Heights, would deprive the extremist Palestinian organizations of Syrian backing, just as it would neutralize Hizbullah's power. And it would constitute a setback for the Syrian-Iranian alliance - a pact of convenience between two very different actors: Baathist secular Syria and Shiite Islamist Iran. An Israeli-Palestinian peace signed by the government of Israel and the leadership of the Palestine Liberation Organization and backed by a Palestinian referendum, together with an Israeli-Syrian peace, would pave the way for Israel and Lebanon to make peace and facilitate realization of the Arab initiative - ushering in normalization of relations between all the Arab countries and Israel. This would leave Iran all alone facing an unprecedented coalition, and would render it very difficult for Tehran to pursue its current policies.
Granted, these are not easy steps. Yet I am convinced they are doable. It will not be easy to reach agreement with the Palestinians when Hamas is so significant and so opposed to peace. Nor will it be easy to persuade Israelis to concede the Golan Heights and the West Bank. But it is possible.
The alternative is as obvious to us all as the Day of Judgment: the dangers for the Middle East are far greater than the internal controversies over the extent of the price to be paid for peace. The message of the Baker-Hamilton report is another opportunity to create an alliance of the sane against the lunatics of our region. The report's publication reverberated widely, yet this does not guarantee its implementation. Politicians in the US and the region can render it a mere passing event, just as they can cite it as justification for change. They bear a huge responsibility, one that in recent years they have not proven worthy of. Now they have a second chance. For the peoples of the region this is a fateful opportunity.
**Yossi Beilin is a member of Israel's Knesset and chair of the Meretz-Yahad party. This
commentary first appeared at bitterlemons.org, an online newsletter that provides different views of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
Lebanon's justice system on trial
By Irene Khan
Friday, December 22, 2006
During my visit to Lebanon in early December, I was struck by the display of freedom of expression represented by peaceful anti-government demonstrations in Beirut, a rare event in the region. At the same time, the protracted political crisis has justifiably raised fears that the country may descend into political violence leading to human rights abuses all too familiar to the Lebanese.
One issue at the center of the political crisis is the proposed tribunal agreed by the Security Council to try those suspected of having assassinated former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, and possibly those involved in other political killings, most recently that of Industry Minister Pierre Gemayel. In my discussions in Lebanon I listened carefully to the arguments of those both in favor and against this tribunal. I believe that the tribunal, or any other similar form of internationalized court, is a positive step; but it is also only a partial first step toward the goal of fighting the impunity that for far too long has plagued Lebanon.
The establishment of the Hariri tribunal is a positive step because the Lebanese criminal justice system is currently not sufficiently robust to withstand the security and political pressures that would surround a trial for political assassinations. The tribunal, with its mixed composition of Lebanese and international judges - with the latter in the majority - should be able to resist the political interference that has, for example, undermined the Iraqi tribunal set up to try Saddam Hussein and others. Given the time it takes to establish this kind of a tribunal, it is important that the process toward its establishment begin now, while the United Nations commission investigating the Hariri murder continues its work. In the meantime, anyone detained in connection with the crime should be treated properly according to Lebanese law and international human rights standards.
However, the long-term goal for justice in Lebanon must be to build a judicial system which has the capacity to deliver justice for all rather than for a select few. The Lebanese government and the other constitutional authorities in the country should signal their commitment to a comprehensive approach to justice by adopting a number of steps additional and complementary to the Hariri tribunal. In Amnesty International's view such steps should include the following.
First, Lebanon should become a party to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court. Lebanon played a very active role in the drafting of the statute. By ratifying it, Lebanon could also allow the ICC's jurisdiction to cover war crimes and crimes against humanity perpetrated in Lebanese territory since July 2002. This would allow the court, for example, to investigate war crimes committed in the summer war with Israel. Contrary to a perception that I often encountered while in Lebanon, the ICC can exercise its jurisdiction over the war even if Israel does not ratify the Rome Statute.
Second, the Lebanese government should commit itself to a wide-ranging program of judicial reform. This would include, among other measures, the abolition of the jurisdiction of military courts for all non-military offences. Military courts do not offer guarantees of independence or impartiality, and their procedures fall below fair-trial standards. In line with international trends, military courts should not try civilians at all, and should not try soldiers accused of crimes under international law or other human rights violations. Cases currently before these courts should be referred to the ordinary civilian judiciary.
In addition, Lebanon's Justice Council should be abolished. It is a special tribunal activated by order of the Cabinet and as such is seen inevitably as operating on the basis of political considerations rather than impartial justice. In addition, the Justice Council does not provide for the right of appeal - a fundamental fair-trial safeguard - even in death penalty cases. The ordinary judiciary, properly reformed, should have jurisdiction over the types of cases that currently may go before the Justice Council.
Third, the legacy of the crimes of the past must be addressed. This requires the repeal of the amnesty laws which have ensured impunity for crimes committed in the context of the 1975-1990 Civil War, and in the period since. Amnesties and similar measures that lead to impunity for serious human rights violations are contrary to international law.
I am aware of the widely felt fear that reopening the issue of the crimes of the Civil War may lead to a resumption of violence. However, without holding perpetrators to account, the families of the thousands of ordinary people who have "disappeared" and the other victims and survivors of that Civil War would be denied their right to truth and justice. Also, future perpetrators would not be deterred by the knowledge that one day they, too, might face justice.
In this context, one could envisage a phased approach, for example by starting with a comprehensive, impartial and independent commission of inquiry into the cases of disappearances and other abuses since 1975. At least two commissions of inquiry into such cases have been set up in recent years in Lebanon, but their results were never fully disclosed. A third inquiry, to be conducted by a joint Lebanese-Syrian Committee, looking in particular at the issue of Lebanese who have allegedly disappeared in Syria, does not appear to have made much progress.
A proper commission of inquiry, one that would build on work that has already been done and could possibly involve international advice or participation, would offer the opportunity to establish the fate of individual victims and the types of crimes committed, paving the way for bringing perpetrators to account in a second stage. It would be critical for such a commission to operate in a transparent and participatory manner, and make its findings and recommendations public.
In this context, the experience of the Equity and Reconciliation Commission in Morocco, which looked at grave human rights violations committed between 1956 and 1999 and solved some 740 cases of disappearance by the time it ended its work in 2005, is worth considering.
Finally, another important signal of Lebanon's commitment to the protection of human rights would be ratification of the Optional Protocol to the UN Convention against Torture, which has entered into force in June 2006. The protocol requires signatories to establish a national mechanism to regularly monitor places of detention to assess the treatment of those detained. It would also ensure that independent international experts also conduct visits to places of detention.
These measures may appear ambitious, particularly in the current context of political turmoil. However, an all-encompassing solution to the issue of justice may actually contribute to end today's political deadlock and climate of deep mistrust and suspicion, fuelled at least in part by the feeling that selective approaches are being pursued as political tools.
Justice cannot be fragmented. It must be comprehensive, whether in dealing with abuses committed by Israel, Syria or by the Lebanese state or groups. Ordinary Lebanese have long aspired to that, as I have been repeatedly reminded during my visit. Lebanese political leaders should rise to the challenge.
**Irene Khan is secretary general of Amnesty International. She wrote this commentary for THE DAILY STAR.Christmas cheer descends on tent city in Beirut
By Yara Bayoumy
Reuters-Friday, December 22, 2006
BEIRUT (Reuters) - Three weeks ago central Beirut's most dominant fixture was the blue-domed Mohammed al-Amin mosque. Now, a 15-meter cheerfully adorned Christmas tree has sprung up among the thousands of tents just a few steps away.
Thousands of protesters answered the call of the Lebanese opposition, led by Hezbollah, and have camped in the heart of Beirut, to try to topple the government on Prime Minister Fouad Siniora which is backed by the United States.
Shi'ite Muslim Hezbollah, which is backed by Iran and Syria, and the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) of Christian leader Michel Aoun make strange bed fellows to some, but in downtown Beirut supporters of both groups appear to live in harmony.
Miniature Christmas trees propped outside tents of Christian protesters alongside images of militant Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah make for a surreal image at the already unusual tent camp which has overtaken the trendy city center.
Christian protesters said they were adamant on celebrating the holiday as they do every year even if it was in the middle of their open-ended protest.
"We have the Christmas tree so people won't feel like they're not celebrating as they would at home," said Emile Hashem, 43, a festivities organizer. "It's the same but this time around tents."
STARS AND BAUBLES
The large Christmas tree, decorated with golden stars and baubles, lies in the middle of the Christian part of the camp and is encircled with flower pots and spotlights."I think the (decoration) they've done is very pretty. Even some Muslims put Christmas trees in their homes," said Amna Yaseen, 45, who works in public relations for Hezbollah."Us and them are one," said Bassam Nassar, 18, a Hezbollah supporter.
Some protesters have erected their own smaller Christmas trees outside their tents, mostly decorated with orange baubles, depicting the FPM's color. Some trees lining the pavements around the camps are also linked with fairy lights.
"We're going to celebrate to show everyone that we can live our normal life out here. We'll have a traditional dinner and celebrate the way we would at home," said Hoda Franjieh, 50. The opposition is demanding a veto power in cabinet and has also called for early parliamentary elections but Siniora and his anti-Syrian allies are refusing to give in.
The tents are spread out on two main squares in central Beirut -- one mainly housing Hezbollah and the other housing the FPM. To show unity between the two camps, Hashem said a string of tables with at least 250 cakes on it will link the camps from beginning to end.
A midnight mass is also scheduled on Christmas Eve although it is still unclear whether it will be held in the downtown St Georges Maronite church or at the camp. Hashem also said there would be a children's play on Saturday and gifts for around 5,000 children would be handed out.
"Of course every head of family wishes he could celebrate Christmas at home with his family. But this year, we'll celebrate here in order to achieve our target," said Shahwan Habeeb, 53, a businessman.
Syria building 'death trap' villages
By YAAKOV KATZ
Warning that Israel may face a "Syrian intifada," a high-ranking officer in Northern Command has told The Jerusalem Post that villages recently built by Syria along the border are planned to be used as "death traps" for IDF troops in Hizbullah-inspired attacks.
Since this summer's war in Lebanon, Syria, the officer revealed, has invested large amounts of money in replicating Hizbullah military tactics, particularly in establishing additional commando units and fortifying its short- and long-range missile array.
The idea is to draw Israel into an asymmetric war, the officer said, like the warfare the IDF encounters in combat against the Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip as well as against Hizbullah in Lebanon. Over the past two years, Syria has built a number of villages along the border with Israel, some inhabited and some not. At first, the IDF was not sure of their purpose. But now, following the war, the officer said, it was understood.
"Syria drew motivation from Hizbullah's surprise success this summer," the high-ranking officer said. "They now want to copy that type of guerrilla warfare." While for years it was assumed that Israel had a major edge against Syria's military with regard to a conventional war - tank versus tank, jet versus jet - in an urban setting, the Syrian military would be able, the officer said, to wreak havoc against IDF infantry and armored units like Hizbullah did. According to the officer, Syria has drawn three major lessons from the war and has begun to implement them. The first is that rockets - 4,000 struck northern Israel during the 33-days of fighting - can paralyze the home front. The second is that antitank missiles can penetrate the Merkava tank and force infantry units to abandon armored personnel carriers and trek into enemy territory by foot. And the third is that in villages and cities the Israeli Air Force's abilities are limited and IDF ground forces can be defeated. During the war, the IDF fell into several deadly ambushes in southern Lebanese villages; one in Bint Jbail killed eight soldiers from Battalion 51 of the Golani Brigade.
The Syrian military, the officer said, was conducting urban warfare exercises in preparation for the possibility of a war with Israel. The IDF has also dramatically increased its training regiments and has, at all times, between two-to-three brigades training in the Golan Heights.
Lacking clear intelligence regarding Syrian intelligence, the officer said that the Northern Command's "working assumption" was that there was a possibility of war and there was a need to prepare accordingly.
While defense officials have crisscrossed in recent weeks concerning the sincerity of Syrian President Bashar Assad's offer of peace, the top officer said that, according to "all the signs," Syria was preparing for war with Israel. The Syrian military has beefed-up forces along the Golan Heights and Israel has done the same. In the Hermon, for instance, the IDF has doubled the number of troops. "The feeling is unfortunately that another round is needed before we will be able to engage in a dialogue or peace talks with Syria," the officer said. "It is like with the Egyptians. The war in 1973 was what made it partially possible for [Egyptian president Anwar] Sadat to come to Israel." Syria, the officer said, has since the war ended, transferred truckloads of weapons and missiles to Hizbullah. Due to the convoys, Hizbullah, he said, was almost back at its full strength where it was before the war with Israel.
Cracks begin to appear in support for Hezbollah
By Tom Lasseter
McClatchy Newspapers
PAUL ASSAKER/MCT
A man sits on a mountain of rubble that once was a series of homes in Ayta al-Shaab near the Lebanese-Israeli border.
AYTA AL SHAAB, Lebanon - Hussein Rahmeh was standing with a group of friends in a pharmacy in this Hezbollah-controlled town when he uttered a string of words that brought the room to a standstill.
"If Hezbollah can't give us money to fix our homes, then people will begin to turn against them," he said, his voice lowered. Like thousands of others across southern Lebanon, Rahmeh lost his house last summer when Israel's campaign against the Shiite Muslim militia Hezbollah turned his neighborhood into a maze of crumpled buildings, charred cars and large craters.
The men around him sucked in their breath. One of Rahmeh's friends, Mohammed, broke the silence. "You cannot say these things," he said.
Hezbollah remains in firm control of southern Lebanon and enjoys overwhelming popularity here. The streets outside the pharmacy are plastered with posters bearing the faces of men killed in the name of Hezbollah - "The Party of God" - and recounting the sayings and proverbs of leader Hassan Nasrallah.
But fissures are beginning to creep across that support as winter comes, with crops destroyed, jobs scarce and the wreckage of war still unrepaired.
On the outskirts of Bint Jbail, a town that was pounded by Israeli artillery and bombs, an elderly man recently pushed a wheelbarrow full of branches and plywood scraps through the rubble. The neighborhood still has no electricity; he'll burn the wood for heat, he said.
"Hezbollah gave me $900 to rebuild, but it's going to cost me $10,000 to repair the entire house," said the man, who gave his name as Abdul Kareem. "Hezbollah sent consultants here, but so far they have done nothing."
Ali al Amine, a prominent Shiite cleric in the southern town of Tyre and longtime Hezbollah critic, said such comments are becoming more frequent.
"There is no doubt that the party most responsible for the destruction is Israel, but there are some who say this war wasn't necessary at all, that Lebanon wasn't ready for this war, that even Hezbollah wasn't ready for this war," he said. "The people are beginning to ask a lot of questions."
Some politicians and analysts said those questions may be part of the reason Hezbollah is pressing to overthrow, or substantially weaken, the central government in Beirut: to demonstrate strength to the party faithful.
"People are saying OK, it was a tremendous military performance, but at the end of the day, it was the Shiites who suffered," said Timor Goksel, a former senior adviser to the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon and an expert on Hezbollah. "By taking a very strong stand, it is a message to its own internal constituency that they are the winners." Since early December, Hezbollah has rallied tens of thousands of its supporters outside the downtown Beirut offices of U.S.-backed Prime Minister Fuad Saniora. The militia has promised that the demonstrators will stay until Saniora agrees to its demand for enough Cabinet positions to have the option of disbanding the government at a moment's notice.
U.S. officials have decried the standoff as a Syrian-backed effort to derail a U.N. investigation into the bombing death of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. The probe has implicated Syrian officials. American officials also said it's part of a plan by Iran, which too backs Hezbollah, to challenge the United States in the region. Some analysts, though, consider the confrontation more as an outgrowth of an internal Lebanese debate about the future of Hezbollah. At the core of that debate is a key question: With Israel gone from much of southern Lebanon and with talks of the remaining occupied land being handed over to the United Nations, what is the role of a group formed as "resistance" against Israeli forces in Lebanon?
Another key issue for Hezbollah is how it reacts to the 18,000 new Lebanese and U.N. troops in southern Lebanon who hadn't been there before last summer. Already there are signs that the new troops are crimping, however slightly, Hezbollah's autonomy: A U.N. official said those forces have uncovered and confiscated 20 Hezbollah weapons caches since August.
"Some in Hezbollah, unfortunately, seem to be locked into this view of defining themselves as a force in the south that faces the Israelis in a battle of rockets and guns," said Mohammed Chatah, a senior adviser to Saniora, whose government is pushing Hezbollah to disarm, allow its fighters to join the Lebanese army and convert itself entirely into a political party. "If you accomplish full liberation in the south ... then it's natural to have just one army and for Hezbollah to reshape itself, to refocus its efforts on other areas of public policy," Chatah said. "If we define Hezbollah only as a fighting force, then we have a serious problem." Many Hezbollah loyalists think such a result would be tantamount to handing Israel and its U.S. backers a victory that Hezbollah denied them on the battlefield.
"The war was meant to end the resistance," said Mohammed Fneish, a Hezbollah leader who resigned his post in Saniora's Cabinet last month. "Hezbollah is paying more attention to the internal situation here; it has more interest now in managing Lebanese politics."
At the end of last summer's war, Hezbollah was widely declared the victor. Israeli ground troops withdrew after encountering fierce assaults by Hezbollah fighters in towns such as Ayta al Shaab. Hezbollah's opponents in the Lebanese government appeared ineffectual - unable to get the United States to stop Israel's massive bombing and incapable of rendering assistance to the hundreds of thousands of Lebanese whose homes had been destroyed.
In a paradox befitting the complexities of the Middle East, however, the war's outcome also put the militia on shakier ground.
The U.N. resolution that ended the fighting paved the way for 20,000 Lebanese and U.N. troops to flood into the region south of the Litani River - Hezbollah's traditional stronghold - where previously there were no Lebanese soldiers and only 2,000 U.N. troops.
Hezbollah remains, by far, the most capable military force in southern Lebanon. But its movements now are curtailed by U.N. and Lebanese army checkpoints, observation posts and small military bases spread across the south.
In addition to having confiscated some arms caches, which included mortar rounds and anti-tank missiles, U.N. and Lebanese troops are now so numerous that Hezbollah would find it difficult to retrieve rockets from hiding places, set up launch sites near the border and attack Israel without attracting notice, said Milos Strugar, director of political affairs for the U.N. mission in Lebanon.
"What's happening right now, for Hezbollah, is a matter of survival," said Hilal Khashan, an American University of Beirut political studies professor who has written extensively about Hezbollah. "They knew all along that Saniora's government is pro-American and wants to disarm them as a military organization. ... If Hezbollah were to disarm, they would become an indistinguishable political party."
Hezbollah officials bristle at any suggestion that their support may be waning, even slightly. "Go to the south, or here in the suburbs, and you will see that all the people are with the resistance, they are willing to suffer for the resistance," said Ghalib Abu Zaineb, a member of Hezbollah's political bureau, as he sat in his office in Beirut's Shiite suburbs.
Still, at least some have jaundiced views, with their homes in ruins four months after the fighting ended.
In Khiam, which straddles the Israeli border, a group of men crowded into a corner grocery store, rehashing the conversations that they'd had 1,000 times: America's policies have killed countless Muslims, the nation of Israel believes only in war, and Saniora is a traitor.
One of the men, who said his name was Amin Abu Abbas, looked at the crowd around him and said, "My building is completely destroyed, but I don't care if Hezbollah helps us rebuild - thank God for Hezbollah." Abu Abbas was being serious - he was happy to sacrifice his home and the attached businesses for the sake of Hezbollah. But after he spoke, one man laughed, and then another. And, quickly, they were all laughing.
"Everyone I know had their houses destroyed; dozens and dozens of houses were destroyed," Abu Abbas said, looking wide-eyed at the laughing men around him. "But thank God for Hassan Nasrallah."
Egyptian FM calls on Lebanese reconciliation
Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul Gheit Thursday called on Lebanese political powers to reach agreement on outstanding issues to defuse likely escalation of tension in the country. During a meeting here with visiting Lebanon top Sunni Muslim cleric Mufti Sheikh Mohamed Rashid Qabbani, Abul Gheit made it clear that it is necessary for Lebanese political powers to show flexibility to achieve a success for the Arab League mediating efforts and end the current crisis. He pointed out that suggestions to form a new government are logical compromises, calling on all the parties to cooperate to make it work, according to Egyptian news agency MENA. For his part, Qabbani urged an end to foreign pressure on his country, saying "Lebanon and its people should be left alone, free of any foreign pressure." Qabbani, who defends Lebanon Prime Minister Fouad Seniora's government, considered as flagrant interference in Lebanese affairs what Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said earlier that "Iran will defeat the U.S. on the Lebanese lands", adding that the Egyptian and Saudi initiatives are all included in the Arab initiative launched by the Arab League.
Egypt does not side with a certain party but it only wants to see stability and security in Lebanon, he noted, highlighting the important role of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and King Abdullah bin Abdel Aziz of Saudi Arabia in this respect, which is accepted by majority of the Lebanese people.
Seniora's government accuses Hezbollah of being backed by Iran and Syria, while the Shiite opposition charges that Seniora's cabinet is pro-America.
Earlier on Wednesday, after his meeting with Mubarak, Qabbani warned that the downfall of Seniora's government would lead to chaos and sectarian strife. Meanwhile, Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa is taking great efforts to mediate between Seniora's government and the Hezbollah-led camp that is trying to topple it.
Moussa left Beirut for Damascus on Thursday and met with Syrian President Bashar Assad to seek his help to end the long-running political crisis in Lebanon. Lebanese opposition,led by Hezbollah, has been camping out in the Lebanese capital for 20 days, calling for resignation of Seniora's government and even early parliamentary elections under a new electoral law. The country's sectarian tension in the cabinet began to escalate last month when six pro-Syrian ministers resigned after Seniora and the anti-Syrian majority in the parliament rejected the opposition's demand for a new national unity government. The opposition said that Seniora's government had lost its legitimacy since Shiite Muslims are no longer represented.
However, the anti-Syrian ruling parliamentary majority has accused the opposition of doing Damascus's and Tehran's bidding and seeking to undermine the formation of an international tribunal on the case of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri's killing. Source: Xinhua
New contexts for Syria's peace call
By Marwan Al Kabalan, Special to Gulf News
Published: 22/12/2006 12:00 AM (UAE)
Last week, the Dubai-based Al Arabiya satellite channel reported, according to Western diplomatic sources, that Syrian President Bashar Al Assad conveyed, through German channels, a message to Israel's Prime Minister Ehud Olmert. The message, it is said, expressed Syria's readiness to resume peace talks without conditions. The Syrian peace call is not new, one must say. Bashar has been calling for the resumption of peace talks with Israel for the past two years. The new thing this time, however, is the contexts within which the latest call has been made. Hezbollah's heroic resistance against the invading Israeli army during the 33-day war in Lebanon has, to an extent, changed the political scene in the Middle East in Syria's favour.
Compared to a year ago, when Syria was under huge international pressure for its alleged involvement in the assassination of former Lebanese prime mister Rafik Hariri, the war last summer demonstrated once again that Syria is a key regional player and that its interests cannot be ignored or disregarded. In addition, Syria, through local allies, seems to have retained considerable influence in neighbouring Lebanon. Few people today believe that the constitutional crisis in Lebanon can be resolved against Syria's interests.
In Palestine too, Syria has gained considerable influence through its ties to Hamas, which made a landslide victory in the Palestinian legislative elections last January. Khalid Masha'al, Hamas' de facto leader, runs the Islamic movement government in the Palestinian territories from Damascus and is said to have the final say concerning the fate of the Israeli solider, who was kidnapped last June by Hamas activists.
Strong ties
Syria also retains strong ties with Tehran and has in the past few months developed its relations with the Islamic Republic to a near strategic alliance. Iran has stated in several occasions that it would come to Syria's rescue in case of an Israeli attack. Although, we must be cautious about Iran's commitment toward Syria's security and well being, the alliance with Tehran has contributed to strengthening Syria's regional role. Iran has also, through its financial handouts, tried to compensate Syria for its failure to sign the association agreement with the EU and for its isolation in the Arab world. In Iraq, Syria has positioned itself as a key player. It retains good relations with various Iraqi groups, all of which are resisting the US occupation. Syria enjoys strong ties with the strong Shiite leader Moqtada Al Sadr and with the most senior Sunni scholar in Iraq, Harith Al Dhari, head of the influential Association of Muslim Scholars in Iraq. These two leaders are indispensable to any political settlement in Iraq and through them Syria has presented itself as a crucial partner, without which any US attempt to stabilise Iraq is doomed to fail.
Syria has also welcomed the change in US domestic politics, resulting from the victory of the Democrats in November's mid-term elections. Syrian officials believe that president Bush is in a weaker position to order any military attack against their country.
Diplomatic offensive
Furthermore, Damascus has positively received the Baker-Hamilton report, which called for a new diplomatic offensive in the Middle East to build an international consensus for stability in Iraq and the region. It also urged President Bush to engage Iran and Syria, using incentives and disincentives and proposed a renewed commitment to a comprehensive Arab-Israeli peace process. Damascus believes that the report has added more pressure on the Bush administration to bring it in from the cold and offer more carrots than sticks.
All these cards which Syria retains in Palestine, Iraq and Lebanon, it must be said, are tactical and temporary, however. Any shift in the balance of power in any of these three countries could deem them useless. Hence, Syria must play these cards in a wise way. Otherwise the consequences could be dire indeed, wherein Damascus might end up calling for peace from a much weaker position.
**Dr Marwan Al Kabalan is a lecturer in media and international relations, Faculty of Political Science and Media, Damascus University, Syria.
Exclusive: Documented patrol off Lebanon coast
For Germany, this is a historic occasion. For the first time since World War II German soldiers are commanding an international UN force. The German Navy, which for the most part has only had experience in naval maneuvers, finds itself in one of the hottest war zones in the world – off the Lebanese coast. The naval component of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) currently includes about 1,500 troops serving on 19 battleships from seven countries. The dark grey color of the German destroyers, which are designed to sail the Atlantic Ocean, is prominent against the background of the light turquoise of the Mediterranean. "This is a desired effect. We want to be seen," explains the German forces' spokesman Frigate Commander Bardischewski. "We are here to deter, to foil and to assist, not to fight."
The role of UNIFIL's naval force, as defined in Security Council Resolution 1701, is simple: In clause 14 of the resolution, the Lebanese government is called upon "to secure its borders and other entry points to prevent the entry in Lebanon without its consent of arms or related materiel". UNIFIL was authorized to assist the government of Lebanon at its request. Admiral Andreas Krause, commander of the naval force, explained, "We are here to ensure that weapons are not transferred by sea." Krause, whose rank is parallel to that of a brigadier general, was certain that his soldiers will accomplish their mission. "I don't have any indication at the moment that we are not fulfilling our task," he said.On the face of it their task is simple. Along the Lebanese coast's 200 kilometers ( 124.2 miles ) there are only three major sea ports: Tripoli, Beirut and Sidon.
“In the past, our ships’ sophisticated radars have even located dead cows and television sets thrown into the sea. We see everything,” Bardischewski assures. However, the picture is more complicated than the motivated German soldiers are willing to admit.
“I don’t believe that they are able to track the movement of every little sea craft,” said Wolfgang Hentze, a retired German navy officer.
UNIFIL’s mandate facilitates weapon smuggling even further. The UN is in Lebanon’s territorial waters only in order to help if asked. Care was taken not to impinge on Lebanese sovereignty.
International force operating in Lebanon manages to locate Hizbullah weapons caches, destroy two. Israel-UNIFIL coordination improving; Israel emphasizes, overflights important in preventing Hizbullah re-entrenchment Full Story According to the formulated procedure, UNIFIL ships are merely “hailing” all ships headed to Lebanon, checking off a list of 14 questions. “Those who are suspicious are passed on to the Lebanese,” explains Lieutenant Colonel Oliver P, commander of the war room on board the force’s flagship.About 1,600 trade ships have been thus checked. Only three times has the suspicion of UN soldiers been raised so far. But all three cases turned out to be unrelated to terrorist activity.
However, this did not mean that Hizbullah is lying idle. The main supply routes have never led through Lebanese ports, but through the 375 kilometers of the winding and uncontrolled border with Syria. With this background in mind, it is obvious that the UN does not have the ability to fulfill its military assignment and stem the tide of weapons reaching Hizbullah. Stationing the ships is thus mainly a political statement, clearly stating that Europe acknowledges the importance of stability in the region for the sake of its own safety. “We are protecting Europe’s shores from here,” explains Captain Mike Jäger, commander of a fast patrol ship off the coast of Lebanon.
Not terror, ‘A-symmetric threat’
The Germans are well aware of the dangers facing their soldiers during their tour of duty in the Middle East.
Although Ynet was given permission to publish the names of senior officers in the special task force, the names of crew members remain confidential, as a lesson learned from previous threats made towards family members of soldiers serving in Kosovo on behalf of the UN.
The main fear is of an ‘asymmetric threat’, military vernacular for terror attacks. Part of their base of operations in Limasol, Cyprus, has become a full-fledged military basis, complete with armed German soldiers patrolling behind empty containers, with permission to open fire should anyone try to break in. The most likely scenario is a suicide commando attacking a warship with a bomb mounted on a speedboat, copying the infamous attack on the USS Cole in 2000, which injured 17 crew members were killed and injured 39. To prevent terror attacks, alert is constantly kept on its highest level. Target practices are carried out daily, anti-missile defense systems are scanning the horizon around the clock, the armed machine guns on deck can be manned within 30 seconds. However, the truly dangerous missions are left to the Lebanese Navy, the only one allowed to detain and inspect incoming sea crafts in its territorial waters. This is precisely the danger that the mission statement implies to Israel; even if the Germans express “full trust” and are impressed by the “professionalism and determination” of Lebanese officers, no one can guarantee that those, being themselves Shiites to a great part, will attempt to thwart the rearming of Hizbullah. Trade ships arriving directly from Iran pass UNIFIL ships unhindered if their papers are in order. Under these conditions, it is difficult to ensure that weapons do not make their way to Nasrallah after all.