LCCC NEWS BULLETIN
FEBRUARY 23/2006

Below news from miscellaneous Sources for 23.2.06
 Petition nullifying Lahoud mandate signed -UPI 23.2.06
 Chirac to the rescue. DNA Openion: By: Dileep Padgaonkar 23.2.06
 Below new from Daily Star for 23/2/06
 14 MPs claim they were coerced to back Lahoud
Siniora's office accuses head of Media Council of misleading quotation
 Fadlallah says leaders harming country
 Pharoan: Riot compensation nearly complete
 Hoss unimpressed by anti-Lahoud campaign
 Geagea prefers to delay national dialogue
 EU to sanction suspects in Hariri murder
 Amal will not vote to oust Lahoud
 Lahoud warns against protests at palace
 U.K. donates $356,000 to UNRWA project to aid refugees
 Judges to present tribunal proposal to UN
 Here's how to tame the volatility of 'connectedness'
 Can you sidestep Aoun in ousting Lahoud?

Can you sidestep Aoun in ousting Lahoud?
By Michael Young -Daily Star staff
Thursday, February 23, 2006
One can sympathize with the Maronite patriarch, Nasrallah Sfeir. He will likely have the honor of kicking Emile Lahoud into the abyss if the so-called March 14 coalition can wrestle the struggling president to the edge of the cliff. But Sfeir also knows that much is at stake in the still-hazy effort to rid Lebanon of Lahoud's decaying presence, with the only serious guarantee of success being - fortunately or unfortunately - broad national endorsement of Michel Aoun as his successor.
That is, of course, Aoun's calculation. The general has played his cards well, opening a dialogue with Hizbullah to better impose his will on Walid Jumblatt and Saad Hariri. That did, however, require averting his gaze from Hizbullah's strategic alliance with the Iranian and Syrian regimes, at the expense of Lebanese national sovereignty; signing off on an agreement with Hassan Nasrallah so vague that Hizbullah will insist it has the right to bear arms until Israel sinks into the sea; and senselessly insulting the memory of Rafik Hariri last week by refusing to participate in the one-year commemoration of his death. But Aoun, for all the animosity he has provoked in the parliamentary majority and, reportedly, in Washington and Paris, must remain the favorite as presidential candidate, because there is no obvious alternative to get rid of Emile Lahoud.
Here's the rationale. For Lahoud to go, Sfeir must acquiesce. But for Sfeir to call for Lahoud's removal, he needs a nominee everyone can agree upon. But he will not approve of someone opposed by Aoun, whatever his personal reservations about the general, because that would split the Christians. Without Sfeir and Aoun on their side, the March 14 forces will have a mountain to climb in sponsoring a new president.
Walid Jumblatt and Ziad Majed of the Democratic Left have argued, correctly, that on March 14, 2005, the then-opposition missed an historic opportunity by failing to march on Baabda and evict the president. However, it also missed an historic opportunity to liquidate the remnants of the Syrian order when it later agreed to re-elect Nabih Berri as speaker of Parliament. At the time, I had argued that Jumblatt's and Hariri's acceptance of Berri would come back to haunt them; that in justifying the speaker's return on the grounds that he was the favored candidate of the Shiites, they had objectively created a situation advantageous to Aoun, who is indisputably the most popular of Maronite politicians.
Now, March 14 must deal with Aoun, and for all the criticism leveled at the general in this space, he has made himself indispensable to his former comrades in opposition. Both Jumblatt and his parliamentarian Wael Bou Faour have agreed that Aoun is a legitimate candidate, but have also watered this down by saying that whoever is anointed must emerge from a process of dialogue between the various political forces. Is this being constructively ambiguous, or just a way of implicitly rejecting Aoun?
Most would argue the latter. Even after the improvement in relations began between Jumblatt and Aoun in January, the Druze leader was still wondering whether the general could be trusted, given that his homecoming followed negotiations with senior Syrian officials and with Lahoud (a fact confirmed in a television interview by Fayez Qazzi, who mediated between Syria and Aoun). However, Jumblatt is caught in a dilemma: Unless he gets Aoun on board, he will have little Christian backing for taking Lahoud down; but bringing Aoun on board basically means fulfilling the general's presidential ambitions.
So, does this mean Jumblatt is on the verge of backing Aoun? Most probably not, but don't put this beyond the Druze leader if he finds all other paths closed - knowing full well that his preference is for a president who is more pliable. The Aoun-Jumblatt match is potentially made in hell. But Aoun alone, because of the communal support he enjoys, can cut the Gordian knot around the presidency; he alone can bring the reluctant Shiites on board, even though Nasrallah is as reluctant to see Aoun in power as is Jumblatt; and he alone can discredit all other Maronite candidates whom the opposition might choose in his place (including the most interesting one of all, lawyer Chibli Mallat, the only contender who has had the gall to organize a full-fledged campaign, and who has doggedly harped on the imperative of removing Lahoud). Jumblatt, ever the realist, might yet decide that it's better to swallow the bitter pill of Aoun now and break Syria's hold over the presidency than to allow stalemate to persist - stalemate that could facilitate his own assassination by Syrian agents. Moreover, deep down Jumblatt may calculate that once Aoun is president, he would have no choice but to confront Syria and Hizbullah.
There is something else that Jumblatt won't tell us. While his alliance with Saad Hariri remains a cornerstone of his endeavors, the Druze leader has little faith that the head of the Future Movement can stand up to Saudi Arabia when it comes to compromising with Syria. For example, amid efforts in the kingdom last month to agree on a formula that would have allowed Shiite ministers to re-enter the government, Hariri signed off on a shoddy accord that effectively granted Hizbullah a wide margin to indefinitely pursue the armed struggle. Jumblatt, along with Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea, torpedoed the initiative and a subsequent version modified by Prime Minister Fouad al-Siniora, despite Hariri's plea for support.
Given that his Sunni partners are wobbly, Jumblatt had little choice but to strengthen his ties with the Christians, particularly Aoun. That's why the Druze leader sought to avoid a clash between Aoun and Geagea in the Baabda-Aley by-election; and why Geagea accepted a compromise over Pierre Dakkash's candidacy, knowing that without Jumblatt's electoral support, his chances of winning with May Chidiac were negligible.
Nabih Berri has scheduled a dialogue session for March 2, and the table has already been fashioned to include the leaders of the large parliamentary blocs. This could be a double-edged sword. It's always bad news when a party to a dispute pretends to be a mediator, and there is little ambiguity that, for the moment, Berri, though keen to increase his margin of maneuver, will remain on Hizbullah's and Syria's side when it comes to the myriad disputes today dividing Lebanon - from the presidency to the Hariri investigation to relations with Syria.
In order to abort such an effort and deny Berri and Hizbullah an opportunity to kill the momentum to oust Lahoud, Jumblatt must think fast. From one vantage point, the only option he may end up having is backing Aoun, even if he uses the delay in admitting to this as leverage to extract concessions from the general. If you have doubts, remember the Druze leader has more shocking reversals under his belt.
***Michael Young is opinion editor of THE DAILY STAR.

News in Briefs Published in the Daily Star on 23/02/2006
 Briefs
Qatari minister aims to mend Beirut-Damascus ties
Qatari First Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jabr al-Thani arrived in Lebanon on Wednesday on an official visit that aims to restore the relations between Lebanon and Syria.
During his meeting with President Emile Lahoud, talks focused on the situation in the Middle East and Qatar's role in mending the Lebanese-Syrian bilateral relations. The Qatari minister said his country was "determined to help Lebanon consolidate its security and stability." Addressing the journalists following the meeting, Thani assured that his visit was not aimed at proposing a Qatari initiative but at finding ways to ease tension in the Arab world, especially between Lebanon and Syria."
Thani had also visited Damascus, where he met with Syrian President Bashar Assad. He also met with Speaker Nabih Berri.
UN says Syria transferring weapons to militias
UN Secretary General Spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said "weapons are being transferred from Syria to armed militias in Lebanon," adding that this "violates UN Security Council Resolution 1559, which calls for disarming the militias."
During an interview with Lebanon's daily Al-Hayat published on Wednesday, Dujarric said discussions with UN envoy Terje Roed-Larsen and several Lebanese officials confirmed that "weapons were transferred across the Lebanese borders to armed militia groups." He added that "Lebanese officials assured the United Nations that they will take all necessary measures to put an end to the flow of weapons."
FPM delivers copy of Hizbullah accord to Bahia Hariri
MP Bahia Hariri met Wednesday with a delegation from the Free Patriotic Movement, headed by the FPM's General Coordinator Pierre Raffoul. The delegation delivered to Hariri a copy of the memorandum of understanding signed between the FPM and Hizbullah. Hariri said that while she supported any agreement between the Lebanese, "the memorandum disregarded the Taif Accord, which should be the basis of dialogue."Hariri added that the government and the resistance "complete each other," adding that the "liberation of the Lebanese occupied territories could not have happened without unity."
Sierra Leone authorities seize 18 false passports
FREETOWN: Immigration authorities have seized Sierra Leonean passports from 18 Lebanese nationals claiming to be citizens of the west African country, an official said Wednesday. "These men are suspected to be noncitizens and we are investigating the issue," Michael Baion, chief immigration officer of southeastern Bo city, 350 kilometers from the capital, said.
The travel documents were confiscated on Monday. Some Lebanese businessmen in Sierra Leone are believed to be involved in illegal diamond trading, particularly in the interior of the country. - AFP
Abi Nasr: Decision to oust Lahoud requires consensus
Reform and Change bloc MP Naamtallah Abi Nasr said that ousting President Emile Lahoud is a "critical decision" that should not be made by one party alone. "If it should be made, it should be decided by all the Lebanese people," he said. Abi Nasr was speaking on Wednesday following a meeting with Beirut's Archbishop Elias Aoude. Abi Nasr had led a delegation from the bloc that included MPs Elias Skaff, Ghassan Mokheiber and others. He said the bloc doesn't oppose having demonstrations in the country, but "sometimes they get out of control and things happen unintentionally." When asked if the bloc will sign the petition to oust Lahoud, he said that his bloc was not asked to sign, adding that "we will cross that bridge when we reach it."

Chirac to the rescue
DNA Openion: Dileep Padgaonkar
Wednesday, February 22, 2006 22:29 IST
High on style, low on substance: this is generally how our media have summed up the outcome of President Jacques Chirac’s visit to New Delhi earlier this week. The reason for the lukewarm response is related, at least in part, to Laxmi Niwas Mittal’s bid to take over the European steel giant Arcelor. Chirac stuck to his guns when he called the bid ‘hostile’ and claimed that Europeans had ‘legitimate concerns’ about it.
That statement put in the shade the nine agreements that India and France signed at the end of Chirac’s official parleys with his hosts. They range from closer cooperation in the fields of defence, education and technology to the purchase of French aircraft and heightened commercial exchanges. The French leader also reiterated that France wants India to be a permanent member of the UN Security Council and that it should be regularly invited to take part in G8 meetings. None of this impressed our media.
Their reaction would have been even more acerbic had Chirac not resolved the controversy over the Clemenceau frigate on the eve of his departure for India. He ordered the ship to make an about turn and head for France. What the media’s coverage has achieved however is to detract attention from the crucial significance of the visit. It lies in the determination of India and France to conclude as swiftly as possible a bilateral agreement which would enable India to import French nuclear reactors and nuclear fuel for peaceful purposes.
Progress on this front obviously hinges on the success of current talks between New Delhi and Washington to strike a deal on Indo-US civil nuclear cooperation. But Chirac made it clear that France would like the international rules governing civil nuclear technology transfers and non-proliferation to be suitably amended to accommodate India’s nuclear energy needs. Coming as it does from an influential member of the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG), such a ringing endorsement could go some way to persuade the Bush administration to be more favourably disposed towards India’s ambitions.
Optimism on this score would have been unthinkable even a few months ago. France and the United States have been at loggerheads for decades starting from the Vietnam war to the occupation of Iraq. After the implosion of the Soviet empire it is the French who sought to forge all sorts of alliances to act as a counterweight to the coming together of the ‘Anglo-Saxon’ powers and New Europe i.e. the ex-communist satellite countries.
However, as Le Monde pointed out in its editorial on Monday, Chirac has chosen to strike an altogether different path over the past few months. No longer does he use the expression ‘multi-polar world’ which so galled the Americans. Anti-American rhetoric is a thing of the past. The French and the Americans still compete with each other in the commercial field, especially in the sale of aircraft and nuclear plants. But more and more they seem to share the same strategic goals.
The influential daily notes, for instance, that both of them seem to be adopting a similar, if not an identical stand on Iran’s efforts to develop nuclear weapons. The French continue to insist on negotiations, rather than on sanctions, to make the Iranian leadership see reason. But they are prepared to up the ante in case Tehran continues to be obdurate.
Equally revealing is the tough position that both Paris and Washington have adopted as regards Syria after the murder of the Lebanese prime minister Rafic Hariri. On Iraq as well the French no longer needle the Americans. In a far more important sense, however, both countries have begun to speak in one voice on the question of terrorism and on ways to combat it.
The new accents in French foreign policy are yet another indication that on critical issues the major power centres in the world will seek, at least in the foreseeable future, to ensure that their relations are not construed in confrontationist terms. This is India’s chance. No major player is opposed to its claim to be part of the nuclear club. And none objects to its multi-pronged efforts to enhance economic and security needs.
The opposition to such efforts comes from within New Delhi’s bureaucratic and political establishments. The former have not completely shed the Cold War mind-set while the latter are prepared to barter the national interest for short-term electoral gain. Both continue to cultivate a mindless animus against the United States at a time when long-term anti-Americans like France, and even China, seek to build bridges with it. Who gains in the bargain? Only those determined to keep India weak and rudderless. Email: dileep.p@apcaglobal.com

Petition nullifying Lahoud mandate signed
BEIRUT, Lebanon, Feb. 22 (UPI) -- Former and current Lebanese legislators signed a petition acknowledging that they were forced to extend the mandate of pro-Syrian President Emile Lahoud.
The petition was circulated Wednesday among several members of the 128-seat parliament and former legislators who served in the previous parliament, which extended Lahoud's mandate for three years at Syria's behest in September 2004.
The extension of Lahoud's mandate necessitated the amendment by parliament of the Lebanese constitution, which was then opposed by 29 legislators.
The petition, which has so far been signed by 13 former and current legislators, said they were "exposed to pressures and threats which forced them to agree" to the extension of Lahoud's mandate, a matter that makes their vote "null and void."
The signatories said "we were under pressure and threat by the Syrian and Lebanese security agencies to force us to endorse the amendment for extending President Emile Lahoud's mandate.
"Since the vote was basically undermined by the lack of free will, it is subject for cancellation and the whole voting process on the amendment of the constitution for extending the presidential mandate is totally void," the petition said.
"We have come out officially to inform you that we were against the amendment and extension of President Emile Lahoud's mandate."
The legislators called for taking the necessary constitutional measures to deal with the invalid results of the vote.
The petition will be relayed to parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, head of the Shiite Amal Movement, once all the legislators approving it place their signatures.
The battle for ousting Lahoud was launched on Feb. 14 during a million-people rally to mark the first anniversary of the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, blamed by many Lebanese and opposition groups on Syria and its allies in Lebanon.
The issue is dividing the Lebanese in two large camps, a multi-sectarian grouping of Christians, Muslim Sunnis and Druze, and another largely dominated by the Shiite Hezbollah.

Jumblat Fears Another Murder, Says Hizbullah Capable of Security Breaches
Naharnet: Druze leader Walid Jumblat has said he fears that Syria is planning another political assassination in Lebanon soon and that although he is taking all necessary precautions, Damascus ally Hizbullah is in total control of the security situation in the country. Jumblat, whose comments were published in An Nahar Wednesday, said he and Future Movement leader Saad Hariri are taking all the safety measures in their power to protect themselves.
"We made some arrangements with the security forces around the palace. In spite of that, I repeat that Hizbullah is capable of breaching any such measures," said Jumblat in the most serious accusation he has made against the group so far.
Since former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri was assassinated Feb. 14 2005, his son and political heir Saad and Jumblat have been at the top of a hit list of anti-Syria politicians targeted for assassination.
The Druze chieftain has restricted his movement and rarely leaves his ancestral palace in the town of Mukhtara located in the Chouf mountains southeast of Beirut. Hariri just returned to Lebanon this month after spending six months in self-exile out of fear for his life. He rarely ventures out of his heavily-guarded palace in the hilltop Beirut district of Koreitem.
"Hizbullah is in control of the security situation in all of Lebanon, not only the south. Anyway I do what I can. I do not leave Mukhtara and Saad Hariri who came back to Lebanon to stay in Koreitem, never leaves it," said Jumblat.
Relations between the Progressive Socialist Party leader and Hizbullah have deteriorated lately as Jumblat has stepped up the pressure on the group to lay down its weapons. However, his new accusations take the conflict between the two groups to a higher level.
The Druze chieftain commented on rockets that were found near the house of Bahia Hariri, the slain leader's sister, in Majdelyoun on the outskirts of the southern port city of Sidon. He said he saw this as a warning that an assassination would take place soon. Gebran Tueni, An Nahar's General Manager, was killed after a similar find in the Chouf, where ammunition was left in a plastic bag placed on the side of the road, Jumblat pointed out.
He wondered if Syria and its allies in Lebanon are setting the stage for another murder that would take place before March 2, the beginning of a national dialogue meeting that Speaker Nabih Berri is preparing for. He said the attack would not take place in Majdelyoun but at another location that he did not specify.
"Are Bashar and his agents preparing for a big assassination before Speaker Berri's initiative?" the staunchly anti-Syrian politician said.
Jumblat said that he did not see the point of holding a roundtable discussion unless it included on its agenda the removal of President Emile Lahoud, an issue that has dominated the country's fragmented political scene.
"No one can reject dialogue but holding a dialogue without specifying the disputed issues that are topped by the issue of the presidency, has no meaning," the leader said.
Berri has said that the subjects to be discussed at the meeting are the investigation of Hariri's murder, disarmament of armed groups in Lebanon under U.N. Security Council Resolution 1559 and relations with Syrian. Beirut, Updated 22 Feb 06, 10:48

Petition Attesting to Forceful Extension for Lahoud Signed by 14 Deputies
Naharnet: A parliamentary petition attesting to the forceful extension of President Emile Lahoud's term has been signed by 14 deputies. Following is the text of the appeal addressed to Speaker Nabih Berri:
"We the undersigned, current and former members of parliament, wish to inform you the following:
Since we were subjected to pressures and threats by Syrian and Lebanese intelligence services to force us to endorse the draft law for the extension of President Emile Lahoud's mandate,
Since our vote was impaired by a basic flaw in consent and will, it is subject to nullification which in turn makes the draft law to amend the constitution and extend the president's mandate completely null,
Therefore,
We have come forth with this document to notify you officially that we were against the draft law for the extension of President Emile Lahoud's term that was endorsed by parliament on 3/9/2004 and that we were subjected to unbearable pressures and threats that forced us to agree against our will. This makes our vote null and void which aborts law number 585/2004 issued on 4/9/2004 on the basis that the two thirds majority vote required by the constitution was not ensured. We ask you to take our position into account and adopt the necessary constitutional measures to rectify the invalid results of this action. Beirut, Updated 22 Feb 06, 13:05

Feltman Welcomes Berri's National Dialogue
Naharnet: U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon Jeffrey Feltman has applauded Speaker Nabih Berri's national dialogue initiative to discuss thorny issues that have flung the country into a spiraling crisis.
Following a meeting with Berri Tuesday, Feltman said he offered his best wishes for the dialogue set to begin on March 2 between political parties represented in parliament.
"While I can only speak for the United States, I believe that all of Lebanon's friends in the international community recognize the importance of such a dialogue conducted through Lebanon's constitutional framework and institutions," he said.
The U.S. ambassador said Washington was a long-term supporter of the 1989 Taef accord that has put an end to the country's 15-year civil war.
"We Americans have full confidence that Lebanon's diverse population can address issues of national concern in ways that strengthen Lebanon's unity and that are consistent with international resolutions regarding Lebanon," he said.
The United States sponsored U.N. Security Council Resolution 1559 that calls on Lebanon to hold presidential elections without foreign interference and demands Lebanese and non-Lebanese militias to disarm.
Berri said Friday that the roundtable discussions would focus on the investigation of ex-premier Rafik Hariri's assassination, the disarmament of armed groups under the 2004 resolution and relations with Syria.
Beirut, Updated 22 Feb 06, 14:06

Franjieh Urges Hizbullah to Reject the March 2 Dialogue
Former Minister Suleiman Franjieh has called on Hizbullah to refuse taking part in a national dialogue sponsored by Speaker Nabih Berri, saying it aims at undermining the Shiite group.
"I think that Speaker Berri's only concern is to make his initiative successful and not to have a fruitful dialogue," said Franjieh, a pro-Syrian politician.
He accused Berri of bowing to the wishes of the March 14 groups by allowing only the parties represented in parliament to take part in the dialogue and barring small parliamentary blocs comprised of less than four members from participating.
Franjieh lost his parliamentary seat in North Lebanon's June elections to Christian candidates allied with legislator Saad Hariri.
Franjieh argued that the dialogue, which is set to begin on March 2, was deliberately organized to increase pressure on Hizbullah that would have to confront large parliamentary blocs demanding it to disarm.
"Hizbullah should reject such dialogue because it has allies that should not be excluded from the debates," he said.
Berri previously said that the dialogue would allow Lebanon's political forces to discuss thorny issues that have flung the country into a spiraling crisis.
The speaker said Friday that the roundtable discussions would focus on the investigation of ex-premier Rafik Hariri's assassination, the disarmament of armed groups under U.N. Security Council Resolution 1559 and relations with Syria. Beirut, Updated 22 Feb 06, 13:10