LCCC ENGLISH NEWS BULLETIN
December 9/06

Bible Reading For the Day
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 1,26-38.  In the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town of Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the house of David, and the virgin's name was Mary. And coming to her, he said, "Hail, favored one! The Lord is with you." But she was greatly troubled at what was said and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. Then the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father, and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end." But Mary said to the angel, "How can this be, since I have no relations with a man?" And the angel said to her in reply, "The holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God. And behold, Elizabeth, your relative, has also conceived a son in her old age, and this is the sixth month for her who was called barren; for nothing will be impossible for God." Mary said, "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word." Then the angel departed from her.

Free Opinions
Recommendations of the Iraq Study Group Catastrophic for Lebanon
A diagram for defeat: assessing the Iraq Study Group's report -By Michael Young 09.12.06
Will Lebanon again become a casualty of American expediency? Daily Star 09.12.06
Open letter to President George Bush from the World Council of the Cedars Revolution 09.12.06
General Michel Aoun's Alliance with Hezbollah: By: Elias Bejjani-Canada Free Press - 09.12.06
Will the region become 'Davos vs. the militias?' By Rami G. Khouri 09.12.06

Latest News from the Daily Star for Decembe 9/06
Hizbullah MP pays rare visit to Maronite patriarch
Pro-opposition Sunni sheikh leads prayers for protesters in Beirut
Mubarak says opposition protests 'not reasonable'
Siniora accuses Hizbullah of plotting coup d'etat
UNIFIL says Lebanese, Israeli officers will meet Monday to discuss Ghajar handover
Draft Security Council resolution in reaction to Annan letter
UN draft reiterates support for Siniora
Friday sermons tackle mounting political crisis
Jumblatt appeals to socialist leaders for pressure on Syria to change its ways
'Most sluggish performance' in 10 years is economic legacy of war - Banque Audi
Outlying malls might gain from crisis in Beirut
Trip to Lebanon's film vault reveals gangsters and expatriates everywhere,
Livni begins American trip amid fears that US policy shift will cut Israel down to size
Latest News from miscellaneous sources for Decembe 9/06
Saniora Snubs Nasrallah-Naharnet
Mubarak Warns Protests Could Split Lebanon
Top Iran Cleric Hopes Hizbullah Will Win 'Political Conflict'
Jumblat Warns Against Turning Lebanon Into 'Iranian Satellite'
Bush Tells Syria in Bluntest Terms to Stop Destabilizing Saniora's Cabinet
Nasrallah Attacks Saniora in Fiery Speech, Draws Criticism
U.N. Speaks of 'Arms Movements' on Syria-Lebanon Border
France to Send Drones to Support Peacekeepers in Lebanon
South Americans Deny Hizbullah Finance Activity in 'Tri-Border Area'
Protests could lead to violence, Lebanon's Catholic patriarch ...Catholic Online
Jumblatt: Hezbollah wants Lebanon to be 'Iranian Satellite'-Ya Libnan
Lebanon prime minister derides Hezbollah AP
Hezbollah 'coup attempt' will fail, says Lebanese PM AFP
Lebanese 'martyr' part of a long tradition 
A barrage of accusations-Ha'aretz - Tel Aviv,Israel
Lebanon's 'Second Revolution'- Ha'aretz -
Bush tells Iran,Syria how they can join Iraq talks-IranMania News - Iran
Israel says it won't hold talks with Syria-Euronews.net
Hizbollah leader's speech fuels tensions in Lebanon-Euronews.net - Lyon,France
Sunni-Shi'ite rift grows in Lebanon-Detroit Free Press - United States
Annan urges Lebanon talks in hope of ending crisis-Reuters
Turkey, Iran and Syria share position on key issues: Erdogan-NTV MSNBC - Turkey
Syria Willing to Assist USA in Iraq-Arutz Sheva - Israel
US can't count on Iran or Syria-Boston Herald - United States
Hezbollah vows end to Lebanon government-The Benton Crier -
Lebanon feels heat of Sunni-Shiite friction-USA Today - USA
Gulf FMs meet ahead of summit with Iraq, Lebanon issues ...People's Daily Online
MK Taha visits Syria: Right of return must be guaranteed-Ynetnews - Israel
PM: Time not ripe for talks with Syria-Jerusalem Post - Israel
Gingrey rejects Iran, Syria consults-Rome News-Tribune -
A Century of Elusive Arab Nationhood-Middle East Online - London,UK
The United States and Lebanon's Civil Strife-Foreign Policy In Focus - USA
Talking to Iran, Syria, is diplomacy, not conceding-Chicago Sun-Times - United States
Lebanon puts on show of unity-Gulf News
Hezbollah accuses Lebanese government of collusion with aggressors-Arab Monitor - Italy
Lebanese opposition puts on show of Muslim unity-Swissinfo - Switzerland
Nasrallah's orange revolution-Ha'aretz - Tel Aviv,Israel
Pelosi Faces Ethics 'Litmus Test' With Mollohan Case-CNSNews.com - Alexandria,VA,USA

Saniora Snubs Nasrallah
Premier Fouad Saniora on Friday lashed out at Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah pledging to foil a "coup d'etat" the Shiite leader was charged with staging.
Saniora, addressing sympathizers at the Grand Serail, said Nasrallah's televised address Thursday was "noisy and nervous…and the Lebanese do not accept this attitude."The premier's unprecedented sharp reply to Nasrallah's address reflects the mounting tension between the Hizbullah-led camp, staging the ongoing eight-day protest to topple the government, and supporters of the parliamentary majority backing Saniora.
Addressing Nasrallah, Saniora asked: "who gave you the authority to say I am right and who do not agree with me are wrong?"
"You are not our Lord and the party (Hizbullah) is not our Lord … Who appointed you to say I am right and all else is wrong?" Saniora asked Nasrallah.
"This is a democratic country where the various groups make their points and discuss them … This is a nation of entente, a nation of dialogue," the smiling and calm Sunni premier stressed. He said Hizbullah's resistance, because of the party-led protest in Beirut, was "losing the backing of all Arabs and Muslims, asking: "Are the streets of Beirut the terrain for the resistance? Is Israel here in Beirut?"
Nasrallah in his Thursday address vowed to call for early parliamentary elections, predicting that the present majority would lose it.
Saniora satirically asked if Nasrallah was "a fortune teller. He declared the outcome of the forthcoming elections, formed a government and named its premier … he declared himself the ruler of the whole of Lebanon."Nasrallah, according to Saniora, was "trying to launch a coup d'etat, or at least, threatening us with a coup d'etat and defining its outcome in advance. He is applying the ancient Lebanese saying 'he beats me, he cries and rushes to complain."
Saniora, however, stressed that Nasrallah's attitude "does not lead to results."Commenting on Nasrallah's pledge to his supports that they will achieve "victory" in their effort to topple the government, Saniora said: "There can be no victory by one Lebanese group on the other. Lebanon should be victorious."
He stressed that the "endless series of insults (targeting government members) should stop" and denied charges by Nasrallah that members of the March 14 coalition that makes up the parliamentary majority asked the United States to pressure Israel into attacking Hizbullah last summer.
He noted that the Lebanese Army Command, in an official statement, also denied allegations by Nasrallah that Saniora had ordered the regular force to intercept and confiscate weapons sent to Hizbullah fighters during its 34-day confrontation with Israel which ended Aug. 14.
Saniora's reaction came a few hours after the Hizbullah-affiliated Sunni cleric Fat-hi Yakan led prayers in a public square across the street from government offices in downtown Beirut, pledging that "this massive protest will continue ... until the defeat of the American plot ... in the heart of the (Lebanese) capital."
Deep political tensions in Lebanon and street fights in Beirut have left one person killed and 22 people wounded, raising fears of a return to sectarian strife in a country still reeling from the 1975-1990 civil war.Some newspapers even hinted that protestors may be planning to paralyze the airport, sea ports, and roads in a civil disobedience campaign that could be launched Monday.Nasrallah pledged in his fiery speech Thursday that the anti-government alliance will not "surrender," but he also said "the doors are still open for negotiations."Saniora also vowed that "we will continue the search for a settlement … but we will not dig trenches in the streets of Beirut and the Lebanese will live together."Nasrallah, on his part, had cautiously welcomed an initiative proposed by the Maronite church to settle the ongoing crisis, which Saniora, too, supported.
Meanwhile, Iran declared support for Hizbullah in the current confrontation, hoping that the Shiite party will emerge victorious.
"What Hizbullah says is quite rational: that the acting government does not represent all Lebanese people," hardline cleric Ahmad Khatami said in his Friday prayer sermon."Every group, Shiite, Sunni and Christian, should have a share in the cabinet according to their size," he said, expressing the hope that Hizbullah "will come out of this political conflict victorious and proud."(Naharnet-AFP) Beirut, 08 Dec 06, 16:24

Top Iran Cleric Hopes Hizbullah Will Win 'Political Conflict'
A top Iranian cleric on Friday said he hoped that Hizbullah would emerge "victorious" from its protests aimed at toppling Premier Fouad Saniora's government.
"What Hizbullah says is quite rational: that the acting government does not represent all Lebanese people," hardline cleric Ahmed Khatami said in his Friday prayer sermon, carried live on state radio. "Every group, Shiite, Sunni and Christian, should have a share in the cabinet according to their size," he said, expressing hope that Hizbullah "will come out of this political conflict victorious and proud."The March 8 forces and Gen. Michel Aoun's Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) have been camping outside the Grand Serail in downtown Beirut since December 1 and have pledged to escalate actions with a massive demonstration on Sunday.
Khatami said the unrest was the continuation of the 34-day Israel-Hizbullah war in July-August, and that "America, Israel and Britain are seeking to obtain what they could not get in the war by supporting the Lebanese government."Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah on Thursday accused "some members" of the ruling majority of asking the U.S. to urge Israel to launch war against Hizbullah last summer.But pro-government politicians were quick to retort to Nasrallah's allegation, urging him to present evidence to support his accusations against leaders from the ruling majority.Nasrallah also accused Saniora of continuing the war launched by Israel against Hizbullah.The Lebanese government and the ruling parliamentary majority have urged a return to the dialogue table but have been so far ignored by the March 8 forces and the FPM which want to bring down the government and form a national unity cabinet.(AFP-Naharnet) Beirut, 08 Dec 06, 14:28

Jumblat Warns Against Turning Lebanon Into 'Iranian Satellite'
Hizbullah's campaign of mass protests calling for Premier Fouad Saniora's government to resign is part of a wider strategy to turn Lebanon into an "Iranian satellite," Druze leader Walid Jumblat said Thursday. "The government is under siege by Hizbullah. Syria and Iran want to reverse this democratically elected government to turn Lebanon into a satellite of Iran," he told a congress of European socialists being held in Portugal. Jumblat, the leader of the Progressive Socialist Party, said the fall of the government would also prevent those responsible for the killing of ex-Premier Rafik Hariri and other anti-Syrian politicians over the past two years from being punished.The anti-Syrian parliamentary majority accuses Syrian intelligence services of being involved in the assassinations and a series of other bombings in Beirut and its suburbs.Jumblat also accused Hizbullah of jeopardizing the democracy in Lebanon."Lebanon's democracy is in danger because there is a fully armed state within a state," he said.He urged a unified socialist policy towards Syria to change its behavior "because dialogue with criminals is useless."
His comments came the same day Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah vowed not to "abandon the streets," where thousands of predominantly Hizbullah protestors have been camping for an eight straight day to topple Saniora's cabinet.The seventh congress of European socialists was also attended by Telecommunications Minister Marwan Hamadeh and leaders of left-wing governments in Spain, Italy and Portugal as well as by party leaders from across Europe.(Naharnet-AFP) Beirut, 08 Dec 06, 08:18

Bush Tells Syria in Bluntest Terms to Stop Destabilizing Saniora's Cabinet
U.S. President George Bush demanded in blunt terms Thursday that Syria stop destabilizing Fouad Saniora's government and slammed "Shiite extremists" for working to undermine the Lebanese prime minister. "To Syria: stop destabilizing the Saniora government. We believe that the Saniora government should be supported, not weakened…Don't provide safe haven for terrorist groups. We've made that position very clear," Bush told a joint press conference with British Prime Minister Tony Blair at the White House. "They're supporting Hizbullah, which recently declared its intention to force the collapse of Prime Minister Saniora's democratically-elected parliament and government," Bush said about what he called Shiite extremists.
Bush's meeting with Blair came a day after the Iraq Study Group headed by former Secretary of State James A. Baker III and former Democratic Rep. Lee Hamilton issued a stinging report saying the Bush policies in Iraq had failed and a major course correction was needed, including beginning to withdraw combat troops.The report, which warns that the situation in Iraq is "grave and deteriorating," contains 79 separate recommendations. They call for a gradual withdrawal of U.S. combat forces during the next year to ramp up the training of Iraqi security forces. There are currently some 135,000 U.S. soldiers and 7,100 British soldiers serving in Iraq. Another recommendation from the study group calls for enlisting diplomatic help from Iraq's neighbors, including Iran and Syria — not only to resolve problems in Iraq but to find an end to the long-running conflict between Israel and the Palestinians.
One of the study group's central recommendations was for the administration to reach out to Syria and Iran for help in stabilizing Iraq, a course Bush has rejected in the past and confronted skeptically on Thursday. "Countries that participate in talks must not fund terrorism, must help the young democracy survive, must help with the economics of the country," Bush said. "If people are not committed, if Syria and Iran is not committed to that concept, then they shouldn't bother to show up."(Naharnet-AP) Beirut, 07 Dec 06, 21:33

Nasrallah Attacks Saniora in Fiery Speech, Draws Criticism
Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah has attacked Prime Minister Fouad Saniora's government in a fiery speech, accusing "some members" of the ruling majority of asking the U.S. to urge Israel to launch war against Hizbullah last summer, drawing sharp criticism from anti-Syrian politicians who dared him to reveal names."Some of the March 14 Forces, whom I will not reveal their names, sat with the Americans and urged them to ask Israel to launch war against Hizbullah," Nasrallah claimed in a speech broadcast by several Lebanese and Arab television stations Thursday evening.
"Those are the ones responsible for the war, not the resistance," Nasrallah charged.
But Sports and Youth Minister, Ahmed Fatfat, quickly retorted to Nasrallah's allegation, urging him to "present the names and evidence to support his accusations against the prime minister and leaders from the ruling majority." Nasrallah also accused Saniora of continuing the war launched by Israel against Hizbullah, pledging "to keep on defending Lebanon."During the speech, Nasrallah repeatedly promised the thousands of predominantly Hizbulllah supporters who have been camping outside Saniora's offices in downtown Beirut since Dec. 1 that they would eventually bring down the government.
The demonstrators, vowing not to give up until Saniora steps down, listened to Nasrallah as he gave the speech, which started at 8:30 p.m., from two huge screens installed in downtown Beirut for the occasion. His one-hour live speech appeared to be an attempt to rouse supporters for a massive rally planned in central Beirut at 3 p.m. Sunday. While stressing that the protests would continue until Hizbullah's demands are met, Nasrallah did not rule out the opportunity for negotiations.
"We are a people that will not be defeated in the battle of wills," he said to roars from the crowd. "We will not leave the streets before achieving the goal that saves Lebanon." "We will leave our doors open for talks or initiatives, but we, definitely, don't need wobbly roundtable dialogue," which he labelled as "waste of time."
Nasrallah welcomed an earlier statement by the Maronite Church which called for early presidential elections and the formation of a "reconciliation government that ensures wide participation at the national level." The anti-Syrian March 14 coalition, in a statement released shortly after Nasrallah's speech, also hailed the church's statement and called on the Hizbullah-led March 8 Forces to "abandon the streets … and return to dialogue."
On Hizbullah arms, Nasrallah said the Shiite group would use arms only against Israelis.
Addressing warnings from politicians as well as army commander Gen. Michel Suleiman that the mass protests could drag Lebanon back to the sectarian civil war of 1975-1990, Nasrallah said: "We will not lift our weapons in the face of anyone. We will defeat you with our voices." The army, overstretched with keeping Beirut's streets clear of blockades and clashing protesters, called for calm for the second time in four days. "Offering sacrifices for the sake of the nation is not a duty of soldiers only, but it is a duty of all the nation's sons, specifically their political and spiritual leaders," the army said in a circular to soldiers that also addressed the politicians. Nasrallah accused Saniora of ordering the Lebanese army, during the July-August war with Israel, to "confiscate the resistance weapons that are being carried to south Lebanon." In separate statements released by Saniora's office as well as the Lebanese army command, both dismissed Nasrallah's allegations as untrue. "It appears that Sayyed Nasrallah …has fallen victim of conspiracy and rumors spread by external intelligence," Saniora's statement said. Nasrallah also accused Saniora of continuing the war launched by Israel against Hizbullah, pledging "to keep on defending Lebanon."Addressing the Arab world, Nasrallah raised the question of whether "any Arab citizen would accept that his prime minister acts to block the resistance supply lines?" Nasrallah wondered. Fatfat, who was acting interior minister during the war, dismissed Nasrallah's accusations as "false stories about the war." He told AP Television News the charges would strengthen the government's resolve. Saniora, emboldened by international support for his government, insisted he would not give in to protesters. He spoke to hundreds of sympathizers outside the Grand Serail, where he has been hold up, ringed by troops, riot police and barbed wire.
"We are standing fast, believing in the justness of our position," Saniora said. A Sudanese envoy, who arrived in Beirut on Thursday for talks with the rival factions, said the street protests should end, but supported the opposition's call for a broader-based government. "The basis of a solution must be founded on the formation of a national unity government and withdrawal of dialogue from the street to parliament," said Mustafa Osman Ismail, the envoy of Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir. Thousands of protestors have been camping outside Saniora's offices for a second week Friday, and tents have sprung up in the Riad Solh and Azarieh squars, shutting down shops and paralyzing the heart of the capital.(Naharnet-AFP-AP) Beirut, 08 Dec 06, 09:53

U.N. Speaks of 'Arms Movements' on Syria-Lebanon Border
The United Nations has been informed of "movements of arms" on the Syria-Lebanon border, but could not independently verify the report, the French foreign ministry said.A report into the implementation of Security Council Resolution 1701, which in August ended a month-long conflict between Israel and Hizbullah, "speaks of information concerning arms movements on the Syrian-Lebanese border," a spokesman said Thursday.
"But the report states that the U.N. has been unable to check the information," he said. The report, which has been drawn up by Secretary-General Kofi Annan, is to be discussed by the Security Council on December 11.Hizbullah is suspected by Israel of continuing to receive arms via Syria in breach of Resolution 1701.
The French daily Le Monde quoted a "senior U.N. figure" saying there was "a constant and massive rearmament of Hizbullah."
According to U.N. figure, the weapons are "for the most part Iranian" and are entering Lebanon "thanks to the complicity of Hizbullah supporters inside the Lebanese intelligence service." But Hizbullah denied the charges. "They are attacking the image of Hizbullah," said a Hizbullah spokesman.
Le Monde also quoted a "confidential document" sent to U.N. headquarters from an official in the region which alleged the existence of a "50-man squad of militants linked to Al-Qaida" charged by Damascus with killing 36 anti-Syrian Lebanese personalities. The militants were recruited among fighters in Iraq and infiltrated via Syria into Lebanon, where they are based in a Palestinian refugee settlement in the north of the country, Le Monde said.(AFP-Naharnet) Beirut, 08 Dec 06, 11:44

France to Send Drones to Support Peacekeepers in Lebanon
France was prepared to send drones flying over southern Lebanon to extend the observation capabilities of the U.N. peacekeeping force there, a defense ministry spokesman said. "It's an issue on which we are available to act, but we'll need a decision from the U.N. department for peacekeeping operations," spokesman Jean-Francois Bureau said Thursday. "These means will allow us to extend the observation capabilities of UNIFIL (the U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon) in the area," he said. France currently leads the UNIFIL force, to which it has contributed 1,650 soldiers and 13 modern Leclerc tanks. Other European countries, notably Italy, are also participating. The beefed-up force was sent to southern Lebanon following the July-August war between Israel and Hizbullah to keep the two sides apart and prevent further hostilities. Israel has been sending war routes along the Syrian border, but both Paris and Beirut have vehemently argued that the flights violate the U.N. resolution.The French foreign ministry said Thursday that the UN had been informed of "movements of arms" on the Syria-Lebanon border, though it added those have not been verified. The French daily Le Monde quoted a "senior U.N. figure" saying there was "a constant and massive rearmament of Hizbullah."(AFP-Naharnet) Beirut, 08 Dec 06, 12:01

South Americans Deny Hizbullah Finance Activity in 'Tri-Border Area'
Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay denied U.S. allegations that nine individuals and two organizations located in their border area were supporting Hizbullah.
In a joint statement issued Thursday by Argentina's foreign ministry, the South American neighbors said the U.S. Treasury Department allegations "do not bring new information that could allow it to confirm the existence of terrorist activities in the region, including the financing of terrorism."
The U.S. Treasury said Wednesday the nine individuals and two organizations were located in the so-called "Tri-Border Area" and have provided financial aid to a "specially designated global terrorist" named Assad Ahmad Barakat, who has been cited for his support of the Hizbullah leadership.
Barakat's assets were frozen in 2004 when he was listed as "one of the most prominent and influential members of the Hizbullah terrorist organization," according to the Treasury Department. "Assad Ahmad Barakat's network in the Tri-Border Area is a major financial artery to Hizbullah in Lebanon," said Adam Szubin, director of the U.S. Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control.A large community of Arab origin lives in the border area of Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay.(AFP-Naharnet) Beirut, 08 Dec 06, 08:25

The World Council of the Cedars Revolution
Representing the hopes and aspirations of many millions of Lebanese throughout the Diaspora
For Media Release
December 8, 2006 -Washington Bureau
President George W. Bush
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500
RE: Recommendations of the Iraq Study Group Catastrophic for Lebanon
Dear Mr. President:
Adopting the recommendations of the Iraq Study Group (ISG) regarding the engagement of Iran and Syria will be suicidal to America's interest in the Middle East and will be tantamount to accepting defeat in the War on Terror. America's allies in the region will be dealt with harshly and the Cedars Revolution will be left to fend for itself, virtually defenseless against the terrorist Hezbollah militia and their fascist sponsors, Iran and Syria. Lebanon will be lost to the axis of evil and the enemies of America and the free world will be emboldened and will step up their offensive.
Thee Cedars Revolution is under siege-at present the democratically elected government of Prime Minister Fouad Siniora is surrounded by the dark forces of Hezbollah and their allies of the rejectionist Palestinian groups, Iranian Revolutionary Guards, and agents of the Syrian intelligence. The actions of our government over the next few days and weeks will determine the fate of those 1.5 million Lebanese (and countless others in Lebanon and the Middle East) who bravely took to the streets on March 14, 2005 to show their love of liberty and freedom and their rejection of intolerance, hatred and occupation. Mr. President, what will our answer be to their pleas? Will we deliver them to their oppressors or continue to support them in their quest for freedom and democracy?
To the worldwide Lebanese community, it was like a breath of fresh air when you decried the former US policy of making deals with dictators and totalitarian regimes in the Middle East to achieve stability and peace. Coddling these tyrants has achieved neither goal as Mr. Baker should be well aware. Indeed, the last vestiges of free Lebanon were brutally overrun in 1990 in exchange for Syrian cooperation in the First Gulf War while Mr. Baker was acting Secretary of State. Fourteen trips to Damascus by Mr. Baker in his capacity as Secretary of State accomplished nothing. Does he think that now that the Syrian regime smells blood it will relent and stop brutally assassinating Lebanese leaders or stop sending Jihadis into Iraq to avoid domestic problems? Will the Iranians magically stop supporting their proxies Hezbollah and the Mahdi Army before or after it develops nuclear weapons?
What is needed is even stronger support for our allies in the region and a policy of regime change in both Iran and Syria. We must redouble our efforts to breathe new life into the dormant democracy in Lebanon, support the leaders of the Cedars Revolution, the NGO's that promote democracy and pluralism and civil society in general, which had been under the total control and occupation of the Syrian military and intelligence for nearly three decades. This occupation was sanctioned by the Taef Accord, sponsored by Saudi Arabia and Morocco, and adopted by the United States and France under the stewardship of none other than James Baker. An event in history that set Lebanon back fifty years. . Excuse the chill running down the back of every Lebanese throughout the world at the very thought of a possible solution for Iraq, Lebanon and the rest of the Middle East with the imprimatur of James Baker. James Baker has once before sold out Lebanon to the totalitarian Syrian regime, and must never be given a second chance . The people of Lebanon are fully aware of the consequences.
Can the United States turn its back on Lebanon again? If so, it would create a catastrophe of major proportions. It would embolden and encourage Iran, Syria, Hezbollah and all of their agents to regain total control of Lebanon, and continue on their reigns of terror worldwide. It would almost certainly spell the beginning of the end of US Middle East diplomacy. Appeasement only served to strengthen Hitler in World War II; it will do the same for Iran and Syria.
National Council of WCCR/USA
World Council of the Cedars Revolution

Lebanon prime minister derides Hezbollah
By SAM F. GHATTAS, Associated Press Writer
BEIRUT, Lebanon - Prime Minister Fuad Saniora denounced Hezbollah and its leader on Friday in an unusually personal attack, a day after the guerrilla group's chief renewed his pledge to bring down the U.S.-backed government. The prime minister and Hezbollah leader Sheik Hassan Nasrallah had traded barbs in the past, mostly through aides or supporters, but their recent remarks descended into direct attacks for the first time. The escalation of rhetoric marked a sharp turn in Lebanon's political crisis and further stoked the tensions between the two sides that threatens to tear the country apart. "What we've seen yesterday was an unnecessary fit of anger and rudeness that we don't accept," Saniora told hundreds of supporters at his heavily fortified office complex where he has been holed up since the opposition launched street protests on Dec. 1 to bring down his government. In a rousing speech delivered Thursday night on huge screens in central Beirut, Nasrallah accused Saniora of conniving with Israel during its monthlong war with Hezbollah last summer. He claimed Saniora ordered the Lebanese army to confiscate Hezbollah's supplies of weapons — his sharpest attack on the prime minister since the August cease-fire that ended the fighting.
"Didn't the prime minister of Lebanon work to cut off the supply lines?" Nasrallah asked.
He said government officials had asked American envoys to persuade Israel to destroy Hezbollah: "Those are the ones responsible for the war, not the resistance."
The crisis has taken dangerous sectarian overtones, with Sunni Muslims largely supporting the Sunni prime minister against the Shiite Hezbollah. Christians were split between the two camps.Earlier Friday in downtown squares, Muslim prayers were held to show unity between Sunnis and Shiites.
In his comments, Saniora singled out the Hezbollah leader's attitude toward his opponents.
"You are not our Lord and the party is not our Lord," the Sunni prime minister said of Nasrallah, a Shiite cleric. "Who appointed you to say 'I am right and all else is false?'"He accused Nasrallah of threatening a coup and said the protests will lead nowhere. Emboldened by international support for his U.S.-backed government, Saniora has repeatedly insisted he would not give in to the demonstrations.Despite the sharp words from both leaders, they say dialogue is still possible.
"We won't dig trenches in Beirut streets, we will build bridges of love among the Lebanese, Christian and Muslim," Saniora said, speaking calmly and occasionally smiling.Hezbollah has gained increasing political clout after the war, which began after Hezbollah guerrillas snatched two Israeli soldiers patrolling the south Lebanon border. Saniora's government has rejected its demands for forming a national unity government that would give the pro-Hezbollah factions veto power.
Saniora's allies, meanwhile, have accused Hezbollah of being influenced by Iran and Syria, which they claim want to destabilize Lebanon.
Responding to Nasrallah's speech on the confiscation of guerrilla arms, the Lebanese army issued a statement saying it received no orders from the government to block guerrilla weapons supplies during the summer war but said troops confiscated ammunition at one of the army's checkpoints. Hezbollah requested the ammunition be returned, but the army said it was up to the government to make that decision.The U.N. Security Council has demanded Hezbollah be disarmed, but the job was left up to the Lebanese.

Hezbollah 'coup attempt' will fail, says Lebanese PM
by Nayla Razzouk
BEIRUT (AFP) - Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Siniora has vowed that a "coup" attempt by the Shiite militant group Hezbollah will fail as the opposition planned to escalate mass street protests aimed at bringing down the Western-backed government.
In a televised address on Thursday, Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah pledged that demonstrations, already in their eighth day, would continue until opposition demands on a new national unity government were met. "(Nasrallah's) position yesterday showed that he is trying to work on a coup, or at least he is threatening to carry out a coup," Siniora said. "He told us, 'We want a blocking minority share (in the government), or else we will take to the streets and we will not leave the streets until we get what we want,'" the premier told supporters inside the government's offices. "This style does not lead to results. Threats do not lead anywhere."
Siniora and other leaders of the parliament's anti-Syrian majority have called for a return to talks with the opposition, which no longer recognizes the government after six pro-Damascus ministers resigned last month. The calls come as tensions run high in the divided country, with the opposition, led by the pro-Syrian pro-Iranian Hezbollah, pledging a massive new sit-in on Sunday. The opposition, which also includes Christian factions, has held demonstrations since Friday outside Siniora's offices in central Beirut, where he and several ministers are holed up.
On Friday, thousands of Sunni and Shiite worshippers joined together in the city center for weekly prayers in sign of unity against the Siniora government.
"This massive protest will continue ... until the defeat of the American plot ... in the heart of the (Lebanese) capital," Sunni cleric Fathi Yakan told the worshippers.
Deep political tensions in Lebanon and street fights that have killed at least one Shiite sympathizer have raised concern of a return to sectarian strife in a country still reeling from the 1975-1990 civil war. Some newspapers even hinted that the opposition may be planning to paralyze the airport, ports, and roads in a civil disobedience campaign that could be launched Monday.
Opposition officials refused to comment.Nasrallah pledged in his fiery speech Thursday that the opposition will not "surrender", but he also said "the doors of negotiation are still open".Nasrallah hailed a proposal for a solution made by the influential Maronite Archbishops' Council which called Wednesday for the formation of an "accord government" and early elections to replace pro-Syrian President Emile Lahoud. The proposal "has a lot of positive elements and is worth considering," Nasrallah said. On Friday, a Hezbollah delegation led by the head of the movement's parliamentary bloc, MP Mohammed Raad, is due to visit Bkerke, the seat of the Maronite patriarchate northeast of Beirut, a Hezbollah spokesman said.
The "March 14" ruling majority also backed the archbishops' proposal in an overnight statement that called for resolving the crisis through dialogue.
"We hail the statement by the Maronite archbishops... which reflects the spirit of national unity," it said. "We reject any kind of violence and confrontations, and we believe that strikes and ongoing sit-ins will not help resolve the Lebanese problem." Siniora's coalition has accused the opposition of seeking to block implementation of a cabinet decision for an international tribunal to try suspects in the 2005 murder of former premier Rafiq Hariri, widely blamed on Syria. Newspapers close to the opposition said Friday that Nasrallah's speech aimed to "exert pressure in order to find a settlement". In Tehran, a top Iranian cleric said he hoped that Hezbollah would emerge victorious. "What Hezbollah says is quite rational: that the acting government does not represent all Lebanese people," hardline cleric Ahmad Khatami said in his Friday prayer sermon. "Every group, Shiite, Sunni and Christian, should have a share in the cabinet according to their size," he said, expressing the hope that Hezbollah "will come out of this political conflict victorious and proud".

Bkirki declaration finds some favor with opposition
Hizbullah official says presidency is not a main obstacle to solution
By Maroun Khoury and Therese Sfeir
Daily Star staff-Friday, December 08, 2006
BEIRUT: Lebanon's fragmented political class Thursday seemed able to agree, for the most part, in its support for a "declaration of principles" issued by the Maronite Church. Hizbullah politburo member Hajj Ghaleb Abu Zeinab described the declaration as "positive in its general aspect," but said it contained "a few details that should be discussed.""There are several meeting points between the opposition's demands and Bkirki's declaration," Abu Zeinab told the Central News Agency.He said those meeting points included the implementation of "a code of honor" that would apply to all parties, the creation of an international tribunal to try former Premier Rafik Hariri's killers, a new electoral law, and the formation of a "reconciliation" government that would hold early presidential elections.
But while Bkirki said a new electoral law should be based on the qada, "others have different views about the law," Abu Zeinab said.
But the Hizbullah official said the presidency was "not a main obstacle that would prevent us from resolving the crisis."
For its part, the Reform and Change parliamentary bloc offered its "full support" Thursday to the Church's declaration, saying it considered the declaration to be "the basis for a comprehensive solution to Lebanon's current crisis."
In an interesting turn of events, a statement from the bloc asked the judiciary about the status of official investigations into the assassinations of Industry Minister Pierre Gemayel and MP Gebran Tueni.
The March 14 Forces have repeatedly complained that President Emile Lahoud has refused to forward both cases to the Civil Judicial Council, the body that handles crimes against the state. MP Ibrahim Kenaan, a member of the bloc headed by MP Michel Aoun, met with Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Boutros Sfeir on Thursday. Kenaan said he hoped all political parties would abide by the declaration's principles and "implement them as soon as possible."
The Church's declaration "should be taken seriously and should be considered as a pact of accord between all the Lebanese," he added.
Sfeir urged the Lebanese to unify ranks and work for Lebanese interests.
"Nations are not governed by sticks but by dialogue and wisdom," the patriarch told a delegation from the Lebanese Forces Youth Committee in Bkirki.
Sfeir encouraged university students to "avoid political disputes that sometimes lead to fights." Several clashes have taken place at universities across Lebanon in recent weeks over political disagreements."We are required, in light of this crisis, to unify ranks in order to save our country and overcome lurking threats," he added. Speaking after a separate meeting with Sfeir Thursday, former MP Fares Soueid urged the opposition to end a week-long demonstration in the capital and abide by the declaration.
"The Maronite Church, through this declaration, wanted to achieve unity among all Maronites and Lebanese," he said.
Soueid urged the opposition to voice its support for the tribunal in the Parliament, while expressing his own support for early parliamentary elections.
Social Affairs Minister Nayla Mouawad also expressed support for the declaration after meeting with Sfeir Thursday, but said the March 14 Forces would not allow the opposition a "blocking third" in the Cabinet.
Echoing one of the declaration's suggestions, Mouawad urged Speaker Nabih Berri to convene a parliamentary session to discuss national issues.
Sfeir also met Thursday with Justice Minister Charles Rizk.
Meanwhile, Sheikh Abdel-Amir Qabalan, vice president of the Higher Shiite Council, accused the majority of being at the "core of the current crisis."
During a meeting Thursday with Belgian Ambassador Stephane De Loecker, Qabalan said: "The current crisis is political and not sectarian."
"Demonstrations are national par excellence because they include people from different sectarian and political backgrounds," he added.
Qabalan said all Lebanese should work together to form a national unity government to "resolve all political and socio-economic disputes."
In a separate development, former Prime Minister Salim al-Hoss said Thursday that statements made by Syrian officials about the Lebanese situation were "not reassuring." Hoss criticized Syrian Vice President Farouk Sharaa's comments Wednesday from Damascus that "conflicts will continue in Lebanon as long as some parties rely on international tutelage to remain in power." "Consequently, they won't be able to build a unified and independent state, and Syria has nothing to do with this problem," Sharaa added. "If Syria wanted to interfere in Lebanon's affairs, it would have settled the issue of street demonstrations on the first day."
"What does he mean by saying that Syria would have settled the issue?" Hoss asked. "If he meant it would have repressed the demonstrations, we tell him that we live in a democratic country where holding protests is a constitutional right." The former premier said that should a national unity government be formed, it must "put the international tribunal at the top of the ministerial agenda."

Efforts are underway to end Lebanon's street protests
Dec 6, 2006, 18:24 GMT
Lebanese women holding pictures of Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Siniora as they shout pro government slogans in Beirut, Lebanon, Wednesday 06 December 2006. After six days of protest, Hezbollah says it will continue its campaign until Siniora agrees to step down. EPA/ NABIL MOUNZER
Beirut - On the sixth day of an indefinite sit-in in the centre of Beirut, Lebanese pro-Syrian opposition forces appeared adamant in their demand to oust what they described as the Western- backed government. Their intransigence came in spite of signs of possible solutions in the offing by Arab mediators and Lebanese leaders. 'There are domestic and Arab efforts, like Turkey and Saudi Arabia, who are ready to extend their mediation to help end the crisis peacefully,' a government minister, who requested anonymity, told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa. According to the minister, Turkish Premier Recep Tayyip Erdogan planned to visit Beirut after visiting Damascus where he was holding talks with Syrian officials, including President Bashar Assad. Erdogan visited Iran last week.
According to the minister, Erdogan would 'seek to keep the region from sectarian and confessional (religious) conflicts.'
Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul was reported to have already contacted pro-Syrian House Speaker Nabih Berri regarding mediation on the Lebanese crisis.
Arab League Secretary General Amr Mussa, who was in Beirut over the weekend, said from Cairo 'there was a glimmer of hope' that the crisis might be defused.
Mussa said he had presented ideas on the issue of a tribunal into the 2005 assassination of former Lebanese premier Rafik Hariri, as well as on the formation of a new government and an international donors conference to help Lebanon's ailing economy.
On the domestic front, sources close to Premier Fouad Seniora told dpa that during a meeting late Tuesday with former member of parliament Fathi Yakan, the head of the Islamic Action Front, and a representative of the pro-Syrian opposition, Yakan presented to Seniora a proposal for reducing tension.
Yakan's proposed government would consist of 19 ministers representing the anti-Syrian coalition, nine ministers representing the pro-Syrian opposition, and two ministers who would be neutral. Yakan said he was opposed to using street action to force the government out of office.
Meanwhile, the representatives of Lebanon's largest Christian community, the Maronite bishops, on Wednesday called on Lebanese political leaders to resolve their differences in parliament. The bishops said 'street protests and fiery speeches' would not solve the political crisis engulfing Lebanon.
The bishops called for the formation of an international tribunal to try suspects in the 2005 assassination of former premier Rafik Hariri.
They also called for the formation of a national unity government. 'Our initiative starts with agreeing on the international tribunal which will bring justice and reject terrorism, then the formation of the national unity government which will include wide participation of the Lebanese factions and will find solutions for the deteriorating economy.' The statement included a call for early presidential elections 'amid all the internal and national boycotts' of the current pro- Syrian president Emile Lahoud. Lahoud's term was extended under Syrian pressure in 2004 by a controversial amendment of the constitution and is scheduled to end by November 2007. Lahoud is currently boycotted by Western countries. The Hezbollah led-opposition, made up of Shiite and Christian factions, has held demonstrations since Friday outside the governmental palace where Prime Minister Foaud Seniora's office is located. Despite the intensive talks, the opposition said in a statement late Wednesday that it would continue its indefinite sit-in and called on all its followers to participate in a massive protest on Sunday in central Beirut.
'No one could stay in power against the will of its people and even if its backed by all the foreign powers, a government which provokes confessional strife and allows murders is illegal,' the statement said. The statement said the opposition would announce 'all kinds of new peaceful protests' in the coming few days.
Tension on the streets across the capital remained as police reported fresh incidents in some Sunni Muslim sectors of cars and private property being damaged.
Two days of street fights resulted in the killing of a Shiite opposition follower. © 2006 dpa - Deutsche Presse-Agentur

Mubarak sees no wisdom in decision to protest
By Nada Bakri -Daily Star staff
Friday, December 08, 2006
BEIRUT: Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak on Thursday condemned the Hizbullah-led protests in Beirut that aim to force the government to resign, saying Lebanon is likely to lose if the situation deteriorates. "The decision to hold street demonstrations to protest against political issues or government issues was not a wise decision," Mubarak said in an interview published by Cairo's Al-Ahram weekly. "The true loser, if things deteriorate, will be Lebanon and the Lebanese people," he added. Mubarak urged all parties to resume their national dialogue to reach a solution.
Hizbullah and its allies, which include MP Michel Aoun's Free Patriotic Movement, have been staging street protests in Downtown Beirut aimed at forcing Prime Minister Fouad Siniora to resign or form a national unity government. Saudi Arabia's foreign minister, Prince Saud al-Faisal, also warned on Thursday of the dangers of the Lebanese situation and urged all parties to resume their talks. This came as the Saudi ambassador to Lebanon also continued his mediation efforts among Lebanese leaders Thursday, announcing after a visit to Berri his "optimism" that the crisis is about to be solved.
"As long as the engine is in the hands of Speaker Berri, I am optimistic," Abdel-Aziz Khoja told reporters.
Meanwhile, a Sudanese envoy joined the latest string of Arab diplomatic efforts to end Lebanon's deepening crisis before it spills over into violence.
Mustafa Othman Ismail, a special envoy of Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir who arrived in Beirut for talks with Lebanese officials, said the street protests should end, but he also supported demands for the formation of a national unity government.
"In our view, the basis of a solution must be founded on the formation of a national unity government and withdrawal of dialogue from the street to Parliament," the envoy said upon his arrival.Ismail met with former President Amin Gemayel, whose son, Industry Minister Pierre Gemayel, was assassinated in a shooting ambush last month in a Christian suburb of Beirut.  The Sudanese envoy also met with Berri and President Emile Lahoud, and is scheduled to meet later during his visit with Siniora, parliamentary majority leader Saad Hariri and Hizbullah's leader ,Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah.
"We have big hopes that [Lebanon] will be able to overcome this situation ... Although street protests are a democratic right, their cost can be worrying especially amid the developments in Iraq and Syria," Ismail said. He added that what is reassuring about the current Lebanese crisis is that it is a "political one" rather than a sectarian one like in Iraq. "We are very keen that this conflict remains political and not turn into a religious issue ... Therefore all efforts might be exerted to stop Lebanon's enemy from using these developments to destabilize it," he said. He also said that his mediation mission may take him to Syria if that can bring any benefit to Lebanon.Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa met with US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice in Washington for talks that were expected to focus on Lebanon, Iraq and Palestine. The outcome of the meeting was not known as The Daily Star went to press.
Ismail said he came to Lebanon to follow up on the suggestion floated by Moussa earlier this week which consisted of expanding Siniora's Cabinet to 30 ministers - 19 from the anti-Syrian coalition, 9 from the opposition and two independents.
It also suggested endorsing the international court to try suspects in the assassination of former Premier Rafik Hariri and holding early parliamentary and presidential elections. Moussa is now waiting for Berri to relay the opposition's response to his ideas, after the March 14 Forces expressed their initial approval.
Berri had dispatched MP Ali Hassan Khalil to Damascus on Wednesday to meet with Syrian President Bashar Assad. However, the outcome of that meeting remains unknown. Leading March 14 Forces MP Walid Jumblatt, speaking from Portugal during a conference for the European Socialist Parties and in the presence of French presidential candidate Segolene Royal, accused Syria and Iran of trying to regain control over Lebanon.
"Syria and Iran do not want peace for Lebanon or the Middle East," he said. "They are trying to hold Lebanon back after it was liberated from their hegemony and shackles." "Lebanon's democracy is in danger, because there is a state within a state - fully armed and attacking our democratic heritage," he added. - With agencies

Opposition Pressures Lebanon Government
By HUSSEIN DAKROUB 12.07.06,
The Hezbollah-led opposition called Thursday on its supporters to take to the streets this weekend in a massive show of force, stepping up the pressure on the U.S.-backed government that has vowed not to give in to protesters.
The move came as street demonstrations by Hezbollah and other pro-Syrian parties aimed at pressuring Prime Minister Fuad Saniora into quitting entered their seventh day with no end in sight to the deepening political crisis threatening to tear the country apart.
The opposition called on supporters to take part in "a historic and decisive" demonstration in central Beirut Sunday, hoping it would be "a day in which deaf ears and blind eyes would open by meeting the legitimate demands and replacing monopoly with participation and the one-color government with a national unity government," according to a statement published in Lebanese newspapers on Thursday.
Hezbollah's supporters also were expected to turn out in large numbers in central Beirut later Thursday night to listen to the militant group's leader Sheik Hassan Nasrallah, who was scheduled to address the crowd. It was not immediately known whether he would address the crowd live or by a video link.
The guerrilla group, which has gained increasing political clout after its summer war with Israel, wants to topple Saniora's government because it has rejected demands for forming a national unity government that would give the pro-Hezbollah factions veto power in the Cabinet.
Saniora's allies, meanwhile, have accused Hezbollah of being influenced by Iran and Syria, which they claim want to destabilize Lebanon by supporting the militant group's plans to oust the government.
Hezbollah and its allies brought hundreds of thousands of supporters to central Beirut last week for a protest to launch their campaign to crush the government.
Sunday's planned protest coincided with Saniora's appeal to Hezbollah and other factions to return to the negotiating table and help rebuild Lebanon.
It also came as Lebanon's influential Maronite Catholic Church warned that the political crisis had reached a dangerous level and called for parliament to convene to break the deadlock. The church also proposed the formation of a new government and holding early presidential elections.
In its statement Wednesday, the church avoided the term "national unity government," as demanded the Hezbollah-led opposition, and proposed the formation of a "reconciliation government that ensures wide participation at the national level."
But President Emile Lahoud on Wednesday rejected early elections, reiterating that the formation of a national unity government was the only solution to the political crisis, according to a statement issued by his office.
The pro-Syrian Lahoud has rejected repeated demands by Saniora and the parliamentary majority to step down. He has vowed to stay in office until his term expires in November next year.
Saniora, emboldened by Arab and international support for his U.S.-backed government, again vowed Thursday to stay in office despite Hezbollah protests.
"We are sticking to our position. We are standing fast, believing in the justness of our position," Saniora said to a group of supporters at his downtown office, which is ringed by barbed wire, troops and riot police. "We are open with our heart and extend our hands (to the opposition). We will stay on."
A Sudanese envoy, who arrived in Beirut on Thursday for talks with the rival factions, said the street protests should end, but supported the opposition's call for a national unity government. "In our view, the basis of a solution must be founded on the formation of a national unity government and withdrawal of dialogue from the street to parliament," said Mustafa Osman Ismail, a special envoy of Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir.
Syrian Vice President Farouk al-Sharaa, meanwhile, denied his country was interfering in Lebanon's internal affairs. Instead, he accused unnamed foreign powers of using Lebanon against Damascus. He added that Syria will not send back its army to Lebanon "no matter what happens."
Syria withdrew its troops from Lebanon last year under heavy international pressure, after the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. Syria's Lebanese opponents blamed Damascus for the killing, a charge it denies. Copyright 2006 Associated Press.

Germany Offers to Aid US in Building Ties to Syria, Iran
Großansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift: The newly published Baker Report is apparently selling like hotcakes
Germany has said it would like to support the US in creating a dialog with Iran and Syria and help it meet the recommendations in the newly released US Baker Commission's report on Iraq. A report by the high-level Baker Commission panel called for a new US strategy toward the conflict in Iraq, especially on the role of its neighbors. Germany has offered its help in making the recommendations a reality.
The panel's recommendations, issued on Wednesday, said only an urgent overhaul of the failed US policy in Iraq could halt the blighted nation's slide into anarchy.
"Given the ability of Iran and Syria to influence events within Iraq and their interest in avoiding chaos in Iraq, the United States should try to engage them constructively," said the report, among other key recommendations.
Germany could play mediator's role
Karsten Voigt, the German foreign ministry's coordinator for German-American cooperation, told the Berliner Zeitung newspaper he sees US dialog with Iran and Syria as absolutely necessary. He suggested that Germans and Europeans could help and mediate in talks.
Bildunterschrift: Großansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift: Karsten Voigt sees Germany in the mediator's role
He added that the Baker Report's recommendation for a strategy change in Iraq and the Middle East had met with international support.
"We should be happy that there is a course correction in the United States," Voigt said on n-tv television. "If we as Europeans and as Germans can help diplomatically, then we should. We are also ready to help with reconstruction in Iraq, if the security situation permits."
While Germans and Europeans could help and mediate, their actions could not replace direct talks between the US and Iran or Syria, Voigt added. Diplomats would just need to hope that Iraq's neighbors could contribute to stability there and need to be clear that they would not aid in military efforts.
"There will be no military engagement of Germany in Iraq, also not in the future," Voigt told the Nordwest Zeitung newspaper on Thursday. "This change of political course was urgently needed. There must be an organized withdrawal."
Syria stands behind report
Bildunterschrift: Großansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift: James Baker, the report's author, is a former US Secretary of State
On Thursday, Syria called the Baker Commission report "objective.""The report is objective, especially with regard to the role of Iraq's neighbors in achieving security and stability in the country," a foreign ministry official told AFP news service.The 160-page report recommends that the US government seek dialog with "all parties" in Iraq outside the terrorist al Qaeda organization. The panel also called for a major international conference to make peace between Israel and Syria, including the return of the Golan Heights to Syria, and to work on a final Israeli-Palestinian peace settlement.
Israel urged to pay attention. The Peace Now protest group came out in support of the report, saying Israel should study and implement its recommendations. Israel's Ynet news site quoted Peace Now as demanding that the Israeli government "not bury its head in the sand and ignore the explicit recommendations in the report."There has been no official Israeli reaction to the report.

Annan urges Lebanon talks in hope of ending crisis
07 Dec 2006 22:06:25 GMT
Source: Reuters
UNITED NATIONS, Dec 7 (Reuters) - U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan on Thursday urged Lebanon's Western-backed government to return to talks with Hezbollah and other pro-Syrian opposition members in search of a deal offering a way out of the country's current crisis.
With a little over three weeks left until he steps down as U.N. leader, Annan remained "very concerned" about the situation in Lebanon "and would renew his call for all the political parties, both the opposition and the government, to return to the table and find a political solution to the current impasse," said his chief spokesman, Stephane Dujarric.
Annan steps down at the end of the month, to be succeeded by South Korean Ban Ki-moon.
Dujarric spoke with reporters after the French daily Le Monde reported that a senior U.N. official in Lebanon had warned U.N. headquarters of an alleged plot by militants with ties to al Qaeda to sneak into the country to assassinate anti-Syrian leaders.
The spokesman said he could neither confirm nor deny the report but added that Annan was watching developments in Lebanon "extremely closely."
Lebanon has been shaken by a wave of political assassinations and other attacks targeting anti-Syrian politicians, journalists and others, starting with the February 2005 murder of former Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri.
Thousands of opposition followers have been camped out for the past week in squares near government headquarters in central Beirut to try to topple anti-Syrian Prime Minister Fouad Siniora from power.
CODED CABLE TO HEADQUARTERS
The protests began after talks aimed at giving Hezbollah a greater voice in the government fell apart without a deal.
Hezbollah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah vowed on Thursday to press ahead with his campaign to oust the government but promised his powerful Shi'ite Muslim group would not spark a fresh civil war. Le Monde said a top U.N. official had been told of the assassination plot by Abbas Zaki, the Palestinian Liberation Organization representative in Lebanon, who said some 50 militants calling themselves "Fatah Al-Islam" had entered Lebanon to assassinate 36 anti-Syrian figures.
PLO security agents later confronted the group and arrested six of them, releasing four and turning a Syrian and a Saudi Arabian over to the Lebanese military, the newspaper said. The official informed headquarters of the allegations in a top-priority coded cable sent directly to U.N. Political Affairs head Ibrahim Gambari, U.N. officials said, confirming the newspaper's account.
The U.N. officials added that headquarters received another cable from its mission in Lebanon three weeks ago, warning of a threat against U.N. facilities from an al Qaeda-related group.The allegations of an assassination plot first appeared in Beirut's al-Mustaqbal newspaper, owned by Hariri's son, Saad, the leader of the anti-Syrian coalition. Security sources said the Fatah group's offices have now been closed and its members restricted to a refugee camp in northern Lebanon. The group's background and goals have been exaggerated, they said. In New York, French U.N. Ambassador Jean-Marc de la Sabliere on Thursday asked the Security Council to adopt a statement extending "its full support for the legitimate and democratically elected government of Lebanon."The statement would also condemn any unlawful effort to topple the government or "intervene in Lebanon's internal affairs," according to a copy of the text obtained by Reuters.

U.S. can’t count on Iran or Syria
By Boston Herald editorial staff
Friday, December 8, 2006
President Bush yesterday left the door open a tiny crack to one of the most controversial recommendations in the Iraq Study Group report - direct talks with Iran and Syria. But before anyone gets any big ideas, both the president and British Prime Minister Tony Blair in a joint appearance made it abundantly clear - to our relief - that talks are out of the question without concessions by the two dangerous rabble-rousers.
That includes, among other things, a halt to support of the cross-border terrorism undermining Iraqi security and, in Iran’s case, verifiable proof it has ended its nuclear enrichment program. “One thing is for certain. If people come to the table to discuss Iraq, they need to come understanding their responsibilities - to not fund terrorists, to help this young democracy survive, to help with the economics of the country,” Bush said. “And . . . if Syria and Iran are not committed to that concept, then they shouldn’t bother to show up.” Indeed as the dust settles on the ISG report, that single recommendation has galvanized perhaps the greatest doubt and criticism. Columnist Ralph Peters notes on the facing page that neither Iran nor Syria has given any hint that they will be honest brokers. Iran has no interest in helping the U.S. to secure a democratic Iraq. And as a practical matter, when your back is against the wall as ours is, there is little room to negotiate.
Even ISG co-chairman and former Secretary of State James Baker acknowledges the talks would likely never get off the ground - because Iran has no intention of meeting the U.S. on our most important terms. The Bush administration has plenty to consider as it ponders “the way forward” in Iraq, evaluating both the ISG report as well as pending Pentagon and State Department reviews. Booking flights to Tehran and Damascus at this point seems a waste of that precious time.

Hezbollah vows end to Lebanon government
Staff and agencies-07 December, 2006
By SAM F. GHATTAS, Associated Press Writer BEIRUT, Lebanon - Hezbollah leader Sheik Hassan Nasrallah promised thousands of supporters Thursday that they would eventually bring down Lebanon‘s Western-backed government, but the prime minister vowed to stand firm against protesters.
In a rousing speech delivered on huge screens in two central Beirut squares, Nasrallah accused Saniora of conniving with Israel during its monthlong war with Hezbollah last summer. He claimed Saniora ordered the Lebanese army to confiscate Hezbollah‘s supplies of weapons — his sharpest attack on the prime minister since the August cease-fire that ended the fighting. "Those are the ones responsible for the war, not the resistance," Nasrallah said.
Ahmed Fatfat, who was acting interior minister during the war, dismissed Nasrallah‘s accusations as "false stories about the war." He told AP Television News the charges would strengthen the government‘s resolve. Saniora‘s allies have accused Hezbollah of being influenced by Iran and Syria , which they claim want to destabilize Lebanon by supporting the militant group‘s plans to oust the government. "We are a people that will not be defeated in the battle of wills," he said to roars from the crowd. "We will not leave the streets before achieving the goal that saves Lebanon." He addressed warnings from politicians and the army commander that the mass protests could drag Lebanon back to the sectarian civil war of 1975-1990.
The army, overstretched with keeping Beirut‘s streets clear of blockades and clashing protesters, called for calm for the second time in four days.
Saniora, emboldened by international support for his U.S.-backed government, insisted he would not give in to protesters. He spoke to hundreds of supporters outside his offices, where he has been hold up, ringed by troops, riot police and barbed wire.
Nasrallah‘s speech appeared to be an attempt to rouse supporters for a massive demonstration planned in Beirut on Sunday.
A Sudanese envoy, who arrived in Beirut on Thursday for talks with the rival factions, said the street protests should end, but supported the opposition‘s call for a broader-based government. "The basis of a solution must be founded on the formation of a national unity government and withdrawal of dialogue from the street to parliament," said Mustafa Osman Ismail, the envoy of Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir. Thousands of Hezbollah supporters have staged nightly protests in Beirut, and tents have sprung up in two city squares, shutting down shops and paralyzing the heart of the capital. Syrian Vice President Farouk al-Sharaa, meanwhile, denied his country was interfering in Lebanon‘s internal affairs. Instead, he accused unnamed foreign powers of using Lebanon against Damascus.
He added that Syria will not send back its army to Lebanon "no matter what happens." Syria withdrew its troops from Lebanon last year under heavy international pressure, after the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. Syria‘s Lebanese opponents blamed Damascus for the killing, a charge it denies.

A Century of Elusive Arab Nationhood
Beruit reflects the larger Arab world, and the long history of struggles - mostly in the streets - by citizens striving for stable statehood, says Rami Khouri.
DUBAI - You can physically get away from Lebanon and its turbulent politics for a few days, but you can never move around in this region without the symbols, causes and consequences of Lebanon's current confrontations following you like a shadow in every discussion. I discovered that this week in Dubai while participating in the three-day meetings of the Arab Strategy Forum. This annual gathering brings together officials, journalists, academics and business leaders from the Arab World, Asia, Europe and North America, for a rich series of panel discussions on trends and conditions in the Middle East.
Without fail, every public panel or private discussion inevitably points to Lebanon as a worrying and perplexing microcosm of a widely troubled region that is in the throes of significant upheaval and contestation. Yet there is little if any consensus on why Lebanon finds itself once again -- for the third time in half a century -- as a symbol of the stresses and uncertainties of a Middle East region that suffers similar dislocations in half a dozen countries.
The confrontations in Lebanon that broke out into a few scattered clashes Sunday are, at one level, a straightforward local contest between two forces that vie for political power and national ascendancy -- the Hizbullah-led camp vs. the government of Prime Minister Fouad Siniora. In Lebanon and Arab politics everywhere, though, this first tier of contestation never explains the entire story. The wider issues and many players in Lebanon reflect, rather, the cumulative consequences of the past century. An increasingly dilapidated state-centered Arab political order is slowly unraveling in places, and reconstituting under the banner of new identities and power centers.
That order has navigated a tortuous path: from post-colonial independence, to government-dominated sovereignties, to security-run state-building endeavors, and now to fragmenting and fracturing societies often dominated by non-state actors with an increasingly Islamist character. The recurring dynamics of this trend include local security systems, foreign interference, regional interventions and patronages, armed militias, ethnic- and religious-based communities, freewheeling economic interests, and, all the while, a spirited but elusive quest for stable statehood and satisfying citizenship anchored in constitutions and law.
All you need to do to appreciate this living legacy of political dynamics is to run through the litany of personalities that defines and drives the street confrontations in Beirut and other parts of the country: the legitimately elected and increasingly American-backed Prime Minister Siniora, the Iranian- and Syrian-backed Shiite leader of Hizbullah Hassan Nasrallah, the former army general and presidential aspirant Michel Aoun, Saudi-backed Saad Hariri who carries the mantle of his assassinated father and the Sunni community, Druze leader Walid Junblatt, the Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Butros Sfeir, and assorted Christian community leaders like Semir Geagea, Amin Gemayel and Suleiman Franjieh, to mention only the most prominent.
Here in this lineup of local and national leaders is a catalogue of half a century of Middle Eastern political movements that continue to confront each other in the street. Lebanon is not alone in suffering this bitter and frustrating legacy of nation-building that remains hostage to narrow local community interests alongside the sustained intervention of external powers, including Syria, Iran, Israel, the United States, France and occasional others.
Lebanon's stressed and discordant nationalism is now joined by others in the region who suffer similar pressures and fractures. Iraq, Sudan, Palestine, Somalia, Yemen and Algeria have experienced similar bumpy rides on the challenging road to national stability, coherence and prosperity. Other lands -- Syria, Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait -- have suffered and survived lesser traumas of strained statehood, denominated in the brutal currencies of civil wars, terrorism, violent challenges to state authority, and ethnic and communal tensions.
Everywhere we see the same signs that we witness in downtown Beirut: The post-Ottoman, post-European, independent Arab state is constantly confounded and occasionally shaken by erratic relations with the Western great powers, irresolute views of Israel as neighbor or nemesis, inconsistent perceptions of the role of religion in public life, imprecision on the limits of state power and the rights of ordinary citizens, and deep ambiguity on the need for clarity, transparency and accountability in managing the power and finances of the state.
Consequently -- Beirut reaffirms -- non-state actors become strong and trusted guardians of citizens' interests and aspirations. Hizbullah, Hamas, Muqtada Sadr, Mohammad Dahlan, and dozens of others like them become strong at the neighborhood level, and compete for national power because they affirm indigenous identities while offering a range of day-to-day services that ordinary citizens need to live a reasonable life. They do this in many realms, including ideology, religion, culture, security, identity, economy, health care and social services -- and armed struggles against colonialism, imperialism, and Israeli occupations.
Nearly a century after the end of the Ottoman Empire and the advent of nominal Arab sovereignty and independence, stability remains elusive, prosperity a distant dream, constitutional and democratic governance a teasing mirage. A mighty modern battle for power and national identity continues to be waged in the streets of many Arab cities, by frightened, vulnerable but determined citizens on both sides of the barricades.
***Rami G. Khouri is an internationally syndicated columnist, the director of the Issam Fares Institute at the American University of Beirut, editor-at-large of the Beirut-based Daily Star, and co-laureate of the 2006 Pax Christi International Peace Award.
Copyright ©2006 Rami G. Khouri / Agence Global

Siniora renews call for dialogue, 'however long it takes'
By Nafez Qawas -Daily Star correspondent
Friday, December 08, 2006
BEIRUT: Premier Fouad Siniora once more urged opposition parties Thursday to return to national talks, and chided the opposition for voicing their grievances on the streets of the capital instead of at the dialogue table. While supporting the rights of citizens to express their opinions freely, the premier said there was a way in which such expressions should be made. "The Lebanese are called on to express their viewpoints on condition that they do not attack the freedoms of others," he said. "The streets of Beirut are not for the resistance and for the Lebanese to express their discord."
Speaking to several delegations from villages in the Tyre region visiting the Grand Serail in a show of support to the premier and his government, Siniora urged the opposition to return to "national consultations" abandoned in November. "However long it takes, the Lebanese will have to sit back down together," he said, adding: "Why do we have to waste time and energy? We have to go back to dialogue. We have to find a solution by sitting down together, away from tensions and confessional incitement." Six opposition ministers resigned their posts in mid-November over claims their opinions were not being taken into consideration in the government's decision-making process.
But Siniora reiterated Thursday that he had not accepted the resignations.
"Our hands are extended. Our government is constitutional as we did not accept the resignation of our colleagues," he said. "We are staying and we are steadfast in our position."The premier said the government would not budge on the creation of an international tribunal, but "not only to try suspects in the killing of former Premier Rafik Hariri, but also to preserve the freedom of the Lebanese and deter further killings."
He also expressed the government's desire to recover the remaining Lebanese territories occupied by Israel, namely the Shebaa Farms and Kfar Shuba Hills, "by any means possible."However, the premier said Lebanon could not take on the Jewish state on its own.
"If all the Arab countries decide to fight Israel, then we will be the first to join, but we cannot load Lebanon - and especially the South - with more than it is capable of carrying," he said. "And if the Arab countries decide to sign peace with Israel, Lebanon will be the last country to do so," he added.
Siniora said he was also concerned by the deployment in the capital of army troops who "should be safeguarding Lebanon's borders after the July-August war with Israel." Siniora later met with Geir Pedersen, the UN chief's personal representative to South Lebanon, as well as with Saudi Ambassador Abdel-Aziz Khoja, who voiced optimism that the political situation in Lebanon would improve. "Intentions are good and things are alright," Khoja said, denying rumors that a prominent Saudi figure was headed to Lebanon. - With agencies, additional reporting by Ma-her Zeineddine

The United States and Lebanon’s Civil Strife
Stephen Zunes | December 6, 2006
The ongoing popular challenge to the pro-Western Lebanese government of Prime Minister Fouad Siniora marks yet another setback in the Bush administration's attempt to impose a new order on the Middle East more compatible with perceived U.S. strategic interests.
The success of the nonviolent people power movement against Syria's overbearing role in Lebanese politics during the spring of 2005—dubbed the Cedar Revolution—was an impressive triumph of popular democratic forces, forcing the withdrawal of Syrian forces and enabling the country to proceed with parliamentary elections without Syrian interference. However, despite claims by the Bush administration to the contrary, the elections—which, like all Lebanese elections, took place under the country's colonially-imposed confessional representation system—did not constitute a victory for “reformers.” Instead, the victors were primarily a group of corrupt pro-Western elite politicians from the same traditional political families who have ruled the country since independence.
Their credibility among the Lebanese people was reduced further this summer when the United States rejected their pleas to use its considerable influence to stop Israel's brutal 35-day military assault against their country which took the lives of more than 1,000 civilians and caused billions of dollars of damage to the country's civilian infrastructure.
Little Credibility
The recent U.S. assertion of “the unwavering commitment of the United States to help build Lebanese democracy and to support Lebanese independence from the encroachment of Iran and Syria” carries little credibility among the Lebanese: The United States has twice intervened militarily in Lebanon during the past 50 years to prop up unpopular minority governments, defended repeated Israeli incursions onto sovereign Lebanese territory—including a full-scale invasion in 1982—and supported Israel's 22-year occupation of the southern part of that country, which did not end until 2000. (See my article The United States and Lebanon: A Meddlesome History.)
The United States has also tried to blame Syria for the November 21 assassination of Lebanese Minister of Industry Pierre Gemayel. Yet, while the Syrians have likely been responsible for a number of assassinations of anti-Syrian Lebanese political leaders, there are serious questions regarding Bush administration assertions of Syrian responsibility for Gemayel's death. Given the heavy international scrutiny of Damascus over its likely role in the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri last year, it is improbable they would engage in such a high-profile murder. Furthermore, being assassinated by gunmen in broad daylight is more typical of the method used by rival Lebanese groups; Syrian intelligence has traditionally used timed or remote-controlled bombs as a means of more easily denying their responsibility.
Many Enemies
Perhaps more significantly, Gemayel had plenty of domestic enemies. He was a leader in the Phalangist Party, originally a fascist movement modeled after Hitler Youth, founded by his grandfather and namesake in the late 1930s, which vehemently opposed the left-wing Arab nationalism which swept the Middle East over subsequent decades. The Phalangist militia, led by his uncle, was responsible for the massacres of thousands of Lebanese and Palestinian civilians during Lebanon's civil war, including the infamous 1982 Israeli-backed massacres in the Palestinian refugee camps of Sabra and Shatilla. His father was soon thereafter installed as president under Israeli guns and was forced to suppress a popular uprising in large part through the deployment of thousands of U.S. Marines on the southern outskirts of the capital and U.S. air strikes against anti-government forces. As a result, there were plenty of Lebanese who did not wish to see the continuation of the Gemayal dynasty.
Though Syrian responsibility certainly cannot be ruled out, it is also quite possible that the eagerness by the Bush administration to affix blame on Damascus may be yet another attempt to take advantage of Lebanon's ongoing tragic political struggles to advance its regional political agenda of isolating the Assad regime.

Similarly, criticism of what the Bush administration refers to as “attempts by Syria, Iran, and their allies within Lebanon to foment instability and violence” bear little weight in a country against which the United States has supported decades of violent and destabilizing Israeli attacks which have taken many thousands of civilian lives, destroyed many billions of dollars worth of property, and have inflicted serious damage to the country's fragile environment.
Domestic Issues
Though Syria, and to a lesser extent Iran, undoubtedly hope to take advantage of the country's instability, the current political crisis is primarily rooted in domestic issues, specifically the ongoing under-representation in government by Lebanon's Shiites, the largest and poorest of the country's three major religious communities. The opposition is led by the country's two largest Shiite parties, the radical Islamist Hezbollah—backed by Iran—and the more moderate Shiite Amal Party, historically backed by Syria. Added to the mix are an assortment of Lebanese leftists and the Machiavellian retired general and former interim Prime Minister Michel Aoun, a Christian who, in previous political incarnations, had been backed by Iraq's Saddam Hussein and later by the United States.
What is most worrying to the United States is the leading role of Hezbollah in the opposition campaign. However, it should be remembered that the Bush administration itself is largely to blame for Hezbollah's ascendancy. The failure of the Lebanese government to fight this summer's Israeli onslaught, combined with the surprisingly tough resistance by Hezbollah's militia, shifted the allegiance of many Lebanese—even those who do not support Hezbollah's extremist brand of Islam—away from the pro-Western government and toward the Hezbollah-led opposition.
The United States, which for many months had goaded Israel into attacking Lebanon (see my article How Washington Goaded Israel), had hoped this summer's massive military assault would turn the Lebanese population against Hezbollah, which had failed to disarm its militia as required by both the 1990 Taif Accords and a 2005 United Nations Security Council resolution, and which had sparked the Israeli assault by its provocative July 12 attack on an Israeli border post and its seizure of two Israeli soldiers. However, as is usually the case when a powerful armed force wages a devastating air campaign against a guerrilla force and the country's civilian population, it actually strengthened Hezbollah's standing by allowing the radical Islamist group to assert its nationalist credentials as defenders of the nation against foreign aggression.
Few Islamist Slogans
Indeed, it is striking how the Hezbollah-led protests in the streets of Beirut have featured few Islamist slogans or Hezbollah colors and have instead been dominated by protestors displaying Lebanon's national flag. Bush administration officials and congressional leaders who try to lump Hezbollah with mega-terrorist groups like al-Qaida fail to recognize that it is Hezbollah's nationalist appeal more than its radical brand of Islam that is the basis of its power. And just as Hezbollah's opponents try to depict them as puppets of Iran and Syria, Hezbollah and its allies are having greater success depicting the Lebanese government as puppets of France and the United States.
As dangerous and reactionary as Hezbollah's brand of Islamist ideology may be, they represent an important departure from the traditional Lebanese politics of Western-backed Christian and Sunni Muslim elites by also offering a populist economic program that gives priority to the country's poor majority and challenges the endemic corruption of the government. Prime Minister Siniora, who has strong ties with international finance, is an outspoken supporter of free trade and big business, positions that put him in favor with Washington and Paris, but are not popular with most Lebanese.
In addition, Hezbollah—thanks in part to generous financial support from Iran—has been far more successful in leading reconstruction of the war-ravaged country than the corrupt and inefficient central government. Furthermore, while willing to provide Lebanon's relatively wealthy neighbor Israel with more than four billion dollars of unconditional aid annually, the Bush administration has offered Lebanon only $230 million in reconstruction aid in response to the estimated $3.6 billion in damage caused primarily by U.S. weapons and ordinance provided to Israel.
Thus, while the growing instability in Lebanon is indeed troubling and any undue Syrian and Iranian influence should indeed be challenged, it would be a mistake to over-simplify the complexities of Lebanese politics through the lens of the Bush administration's world view or to underestimate the United States' role in contributing to the conditions which have led to Lebanon's current crisis.
***Stephen Zunes is the Foreign Policy In Focus Middle East editor (www.fpif.org). He is a professor of Politics at the University of San Francisco and the author of Tinderbox: U.S. Middle East Policy and the Roots of Terrorism (Common Courage Press, 2003).