LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
February 3/2007Bible Reading of the day
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 2,22-40. When the days were completed for their purification according to the law of Moses, they took him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord, just as it is written in the law of the Lord, "Every male that opens the womb shall be consecrated to the Lord," and to offer the sacrifice of "a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons," in accordance with the dictate in the law of the Lord. Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon. This man was righteous and devout, awaiting the consolation of Israel, and the holy Spirit was upon him. It had been revealed to him by the holy Spirit that he should not see death before he had seen the Messiah of the Lord. He came in the Spirit into the temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus to perform the custom of the law in regard to him, he took him into his arms and blessed God, saying: Now, Master, you may let your servant go in peace, according to your word, for my eyes have seen your salvation, which you prepared in sight of all the peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and glory for your people Israel." he child's father and mother were amazed at what was said about him; and Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, "Behold, this child is destined for the fall and rise of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be contradicted (and you yourself a sword will pierce) so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed."There was also a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was advanced in years, having lived seven years with her husband after her marriage, and then as a widow until she was eighty-four. She never left the temple, but worshiped night and day with fasting and prayer. And coming forward at that very time, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were awaiting the redemption of Jerusalem. When they had fulfilled all the prescriptions of the law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth. The child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom; and the favor of God was upon him.Free Opinions
Between Nasrallah's Address and the Performance of His Aids-By: Walid Choucair 03.02.07
hosts of the past. By: Lucy Fielder-Al-Ahram Weekly 03.02.07
Pulling the Palestinian Cause Out of the Iranian Maneuvers and. By: Raghida Dergham. Dar Al-Hayat 03.02.07Latest News Reports From miscellaneous sources For 3/02/07
Some rays of hope for peace and reconciliation in Beirut-AsiaNews.it
Berri: Brammertz to Quit in June Without Making 'Final Charges'-Naharnet
Feltman Informs Berri of Washington's Support for Inter-Lebanese Dialogue-Naharnet
Berri: Hariri's Commemoration 'For All Lebanese'-Naharnet
Italian General Commands UNIFIL-Naharnet
Yakan Wants Opposition To Mark Hariri Assassination-Naharnet
Lebanese Priest Accused of Beating Soloist at Las Vegas Church Arrested-Naharnet
Lebanon Spent $3 Billion on Debt Interest Last Year-Naharnet
Gemayel to Washington Monday-Naharnet
Saniora: Only the Government Should Have Weapons-Naharnet
Joint Lebanese-UNIFIL War Games in South Lebanon-Naharnet
Olmert Tells Investigative Committee, 'Israel Won Lebanon War'-All Headline News
Lebanon's Sunni, Christian leaders caution against bloodshed-International Herald Tribune
Israeli diplomat goes public on secret talks with Syria-Ya Libnan
Test of Syria's intentions-Ha'aretz
Anti-semitic attacks hit record high following Lebanon war-Guardian Unlimited
Lebanon crisis a mix of complex issues-People's Weekly World
Iraq invites Syria, Iran to regional security talks-Baltimore Sun
High-powered debate shows Syria's economic problems-Washington Post
Israeli media says Syria has tested Scud-France24Latest News Reports From the Daily Star For 3/02/07
America has another opportunity to show goodwill toward Lebanon
CDR reroutes Beirut traffic to reduce congestion
Divisions emerge over details of Lebanese reconciliation
Olmert sits for 6-hour interrogation over war
MP Kanaan informs state prosecutor of phone threats
Lebanese Roman Orthodox League elects new cabinet
MP Khazen rejects local impact of regional conflicts
Miknas appointed honorary ambassador to Brisbane
Qabbani-led council targets rioting
Fatah leader vows Palestinians will stay out of conflict
Hoss describes divisions in country as 'stupidity'
US Embassy alters processing of visas
Moscow 'seeks guarantees' on Hariri court
Expatriates issue 'wake-up call' for Lebanon
March 14 Forces debate site for Hariri memorial service
NGOs kick off 3-day conference on impact of cluster munitions
Arab forum launches environment program
Consumers feel pinch as prices head north in Lebanon
AUB Alumni Association mulls expansion
11 people to face charges over clashesNew Poll Shows Worry Over Islamic Terror Threat, to Be Detailed in Special FNC Report
Friday, 02 Feb 2007
The roar of “Death to America” chants from thousands of militants eager to cause destruction in the U.S. has become a staple of television in Islamic countries — and the vast majority of Americans think Washington should take that threat seriously.
That’s the finding of a new FOX News Poll, which asked Americans to rate the threats emanating from broadcasts in the Arab world.
In a sample of 900 registered voters nationwide, 64% said the threats should be taken “very seriously” and another 24% thought they should be taken “somewhat seriously.”The poll was conducted for a FOX News documentary, “Radical Islam: Terror in Its Own Words,” which premieres Saturday Feb. 3 at 9 p.m. and at midnight on the FOX News Channel.
The program contains a shocking variety of rarely seen news clips, interviews and Al Qaeda video purportedly of suicide bombers as they prepare for their missions and blow themselves up in bids to kill Americans in Afghanistan and Iraq. One of the videos was aired on Al Jazeera, the most-viewed Islamic news station. The other was posted on an Islamic web sight. (FOX News was unable to independently verify whether the suicides actually took place.) Alongside those harrowing images are interviews with the mothers of terrorists who rationalize the loss of their children in bombing attacks, film clips of Islamic clergy urging further murderous assaults, and even video of children being taught to hate and kill Americans and Jews.
Footage shows the violence is not intended to just stay in the Middle East. The FOX News documentary also contains never-before-broadcast video of Islamic clerics in the United States predicting and even threatening violence against Americans at home.
As one of those Islamic clerics put it as he took a stage on the campus of the University of California at Irvine just two days before 9/11, “If you don't give us justice, if you don't give us equality, if you don't give us our share of America,” he said. “We're gonna burn America down.”
That speech was caught on tape by staffers for The Investigative Project, a Washington, DC-based organization, which has been tracking the spread of radical Islam in this country since 1995. The Investigative Project’s research, along with film and video from the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI), also based in Washington, feature heavily in the documentary, hosted by FOX News anchor ED Hill. Other footage was obtained by FOX producers and cameramen, and from other news sources.
Hill's investigative report shows dozens of shocking clips from Islamic television of Islamic clerics and leaders openly advocating violent attacks on the U.S. and Israel. The documentary also shows TV programs where young children literally sing the praises of violent jihad, and speak of their own desire to become suicide bombers. “What are you holding in your hand?” a small boy is asked by a reporter in one TV clip.
“A rifle,” the boy answers, matter-of-factly.
“What are you going to do with it?” the reporter asks.
“Shoot the Jews,” says the boy.
“To see videos of young kindergarten kids singing odes to suicide bombers is— is one of the most— shocking images I can recall watching in the last 15 years of doing this work,” says Steve Emerson, who launched The Investigative Project.
The FOX program also shows shocking excerpts from Islamic children’s cartoon shows that not only glorify violence against America and Israel, but clearly encourage children to take part. The images are graphic and bloody.
“We must not allow these bloodthirsty Zionists to take even one inch of our holy land. If necessary we will die this way,” one cartoon character says before detonating his bomb belt.
“What is really upsetting is the fact that some of these channels say that they are part of the national education system of prominent countries, including countries that are allies to the United States, like Egypt, Saudi Arabia,” says Walid Phares, a Senior Fellow at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies.
Arab media experts interviewed by Hill point to the videos as stark proof that, though Islamic terrorists have not successfully attacked the American homeland since 9/11, they are still determined to do so.
“I had hoped that September 11th was a wake up call to the United States, but it was not,” says Brigitte Gabriel, a former Arab news anchor. “Americans hit the snooze button and went back to sleep. And right now our enemy is telling us exactly what they want to do.”
FOX also queried Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf, founder of the American Society for Muslim Advancement, which describes itself as an organization dedicated to creating bridges between the American public and American Muslims.
Feisal described the violent images and indoctrination as “political,” rather than religious. Feisal also likened the statements by radical Muslims in the FOX documentary to outrageous statements he says are made by some Christians and Jews.
“There is something in the human psychology which— which believes in the superiority of it's own individual faith. And wants to impose it on everybody else. There are those who are Christians who are like this. There are those who are Muslims who are like this.”
And why don't more moderate Muslims condemn the radicals who preach hate in the name of Islam?
“Muslim spokesmen are caught between a number of objectives,” Feisal told Hill. “Part of it is to express the principles of their faith, which they are bound to. But part of what they feel also is to express the sentiments of their community on the issues which the community feels passionate about.”
That’s not good enough for Emerson.
“In the United States I think we need to force the Islamic — quote — mainstream leadership — to unequivocally condemn Islamic terrorist organizations by name.”
That’s more important now than ever, Emerson says, because as the radical elements of Islam are a lot closer then Americans think.
Among the other video clips to be shown on television for the first time:
*Members of a Radical Islamic group screaming “Death, death to the American army!” outside the Indian Consulate in New York City, June 2002. In 2003, suicide bombers linked to that group, Al-Muhajiroun, killed three in an attack in Tel Aviv.
* A May 2002 rally in California in which an Imam, speaking of a confrontation with the American government vowed, "We’re going to use force. And whatever was taken by force can only be retrieved by force.”
*In yet another California rally, the speaker tells his American audience: “One day you will see the flag of Islam over the White House. Allah Akbar! “
Berri: Brammertz to Quit in June Without Making 'Final Charges'
Speaker Nabih Berri said Friday that Chief U.N. investigator Serge Brammertz will quit in June without making "final charges" in ex-Premier Rafik Hariri's murder, leaving the international tribunal attorney general to complete the probe if Lebanon did not "swiftly" ratify the court. In an interview with the daily Al Akhbar published on Friday, Berri said Brammertz will present a "technical report" concerning the probe before he quits in June. Berri said that French ambassador to Lebanon Bernard Emie had told him that it was necessary to "swiftly" endorse the international tribunal to try suspects in Hariri's 2005 assassination before Brammertz refers the probe file to the court's attorney general ahead of his departure in June, where he will resume his previous job with the international criminal court. Berri quoted Emie as saying that Brammertz has assured "concerned parties in and outside Lebanon" that once he quits he will have "no role" in the Special International Tribunal for Lebanon, and that he will not "accept an attorney general position in it (court)."
Berri believed that raising this issue now means that there are some "external countries" that do not wish to see a "tentative understanding" reached between Iran and Saudi Arabia over the international tribunal materialize. He said the ambassadors of Saudi Arabia and Iran have conveyed to him the gist of the agreement, which calls for leaving the issue of the international court until the completion of the investigation in June 2007. Beirut, 02 Feb 07, 09:11
Italian General Commands UNIFIL
Italian General Claudio Graziano took over command of U.N. peacekeepers in Lebanon Friday and vowed to work with the local security forces to stabilize the volatile border with Israel. "I look forward to working with the Lebanese army and Lebanese authorities to support them in their effort to cement stability in the south of Lebanon, and working together with the people of Lebanon... to help in making this area a safer and better place to live for all the communities," he said. Graziano formally took over command of the U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) from French General Alain Pellegrini at a ceremony at the peacekeepers' base in the southern border town of Naqoura.Pellegrini, who had commanded the force for three years, cautioned that security remained "fragile" in the area, almost six months after a 34-day war between Hizbullah and Israel came to a halt.
Italy contributes 2.500 troops to the 12.000-strong UNIFIL, which was originally set up in 1978 to monitor the volatile Israel-Lebanon border>
The force was beefed up after the Israel-Hizbullah war was halted by U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701 on Aug. 14. Graziano served from July 2005 to February 2006 as commander of the multinational Kabul Brigade which forms part of the NATO-led international force in Afghanistan.
He last served as a deputy chief of staff for operations within the Italian military.(AFP-Naharnet) Beirut, 02 Feb 07, 17:36Joint Lebanese-UNIFIL War Games in South Lebanon
Lebanese commando and marine units carried out war games in south Lebanon Friday jointly with Italian troops of the U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon, the official National News Agency reported. The training focused on diving and scouting mooring sites for "small marine vessels," according to the terse report, which did not disclose further details. UNIFIL, which groups troops from over 25 states, patrols 23-kilometer deep zone of Lebanese territory abutting Israel. The International Force also operates a naval unit that patrols Lebanese territorial waters to intercept vessels suspected of smuggling weapons to Hizbullah. UNIFIL's mandate was outlined by U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701 which ended a 34-day war between Israel and Hizbullah Aug. 14. Beirut, 02 Feb 07, 14:55
Yakan Wants Opposition To Mark Hariri Assassination
Islamic Action Front Leader Fathi Yakan on Friday called on his allies in the Hizbullah-led opposition to organize a rally in downtown Beirut marking the second anniversary of ex-Premier Rafik Hariri's assassination. Yakan said the proposed rally should be organized at Riad al-Solh and Martyrs' Square, the only two public lots in downtown Beirut, which would strip the March 14 majority alliance, headed by Hariri's heir Saad, from organizing its own rally at the square where the slain premier is buried. According to Yakan, the "opposition is more keen than any other party on exposing the sides that are behind the (Hariri) crime."The opposition, he said, "has never opposed the principle of forming an international tribunal" to try suspects in the 2005 Hariri crime. The opposition's "condition" to accept the tribunal was to "guarantee its neutrality" and that its authority be restricted only to the Hariri assassination and does not cover related crimes, according to Yakan. Beirut, 02 Feb 07, 14:40
Feltman Informs Berri of Washington's Support for Inter-Lebanese Dialogue
U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon Jeffrey Feltman reiterated Friday to Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri Washington's support for a "democratic Lebanon," stressing the legislature has the sole right to determine the government's fate. Feltman, in a statement after the talks, said: "We hope the Lebanese People will choose dialogue over violence to move forward." He stressed that the United States "has no intention of stripping the right of the Lebanese People to determine their own future for themselves."Washington, he said, "strongly supports Arab and international initiatives to encourage peaceful resolution of Lebanon's political problems." "The Lebanese have a responsibility to talk and listen to each other directly, not simply through the media," the U.S. diplomat said. Feltman stressed that "Lebanon's democratically-elected Parliament –a made in Lebanon legislature- offers all of Lebanon's communities and political parties a voice in shaping their country's future."
He concluded that "it is Lebanon's democratically elected parliament alone that retains the constitutional right to offer and reject a vote of confidence in Lebanon's government."Feltman said he "reminded Speaker Berri of the significance of his leadership in bringing together, last year, representatives to the table of national dialogue.""I assured Speaker Berri that the United States, like other friends of Lebanon, is ready to do whatever it can to support a process by which the Lebanese themselves are freely able, without intimidation or outside interference, to exercise their own responsibility for Lebanon's future." Beirut, 02 Feb 07, 14:18
Berri: Hariri's Commemoration 'For All Lebanese'
Speaker Nabih Berri assured rivals of the March 14 Forces that February 14, the anniversary of ex-Premier Rafik Hariri's assassination, was a "commemoration for all Lebanese," dwindling fears that the Hizbullah-led sit-in near Hariri's graveyard in downtown Beirut would hinder a memorial service. "This tragic day should not be exclusively controlled by a sect or a political faction," Berri said in remarks published by several newspapers on Friday. "The commemoration is for all Lebanese."His statement came shortly after a similar declaration by Telecommunications Minister Marwan Hamadeh who said there was a general understanding between both sides of the political divide to maintain calm and peace on the occasion.
Amid the willpower by the Hizbullah-led Opposition to carry on its open-ended sit-in in downtown Beirut near the site of Hariri's graveyard at Al Amin Mosque, the March 14 camp has not yet decided where the memorial service would take place. "There is no final decision yet. We might hold it in Martyrs' Square and we might hold it in BIEL (Beirut International Exhibition and Leisure Center)," Al Mustaqbal MP Mohammed Qabbani told The Daily Star. "But we have to be cautious not to make a risky decision," Qabbani added.
Meanwhile, the Opposition said it was not willing to abandon downtown Beirut unless a political settlement was reached before Feb. 14.
"There is one empty square for them to demonstrate in" said Gebran Bassil, an opposition member of Michel Aoun's Free Patriotic Movement. "We might even commemorate the anniversary with them." Beirut, 02 Feb 07, 11:51
Lebanese Priest Accused of Beating Soloist at Las Vegas Church Arrested
A Roman Catholic priest originally from Lebanon who is accused of beating, groping and choking a soloist at his Las Vegas church has been arrested , authorities said. The Rev. George Chaanine, 52, was taken into custody in Apache Junction, Arizona, about 50 kilometers east of Phoenix, said Deb McCarley, a spokeswoman for the Phoenix office of the FBI. Chaanine had been a fugitive since the alleged assault on Jan. 26 at the Our Lady of Las Vegas parish office. A judge issued a felony warrant Tuesday charging him with attempted murder, sexual assault, kidnapping and battery with a deadly weapon. 'News 3' channel reported on its website that the arrest report says the priest "fought in a Lebanese war" and that the only way to get out of Lebanon was to become a Catholic priest. McCarley said Arizona authorities located Chaanine after receiving information from agents in Las Vegas.
"He was stopped, he was taken into custody without incident, he did not give chase," McCarley said Thursday. According to a Las Vegas police report obtained Thursday by The Associated Press, the woman, who works at the parish office, told investigators she was sitting at her desk when Chaanine broke a full bottle of wine over her head, grabbed her hair and dragged her down a hall toward his office.
She fought back, lost consciousness and awoke with Chaanine groping her breasts and genitals, police said. She continued fighting until Chaanine straddled her and grabbed her throat, police said. The woman told detectives she began to pray for her life before her attacker suddenly stopped. He muttered that he was going to kill himself, told the woman to wait 15 minutes, said he would call an ambulance and left the parish office, according to the police report. Chaanine has been suspended with pay from his position as church administrative pastor.
In a statement from the Roman Catholic Diocese of Las Vegas, Bishop Joseph Pepe praised authorities for finding Chaanine.
"We are relieved that Father Chaanine has been found and now justice can be served through the legal process," Pepe said. "We have worked closely with the authorities and are hopeful that the information we provided proved helpful." Chaanine was ordained in 1996 and worked at churches in several U.S. cities before beginning work at Our Lady of Las Vegas in 2004, the diocese said.(AP-Naharnet) Beirut, 02 Feb 07, 10:06
Lebanon Spent $3 Billion on Debt Interest Last Year
Lebanon has spent some $3 billion, or about 62 percent of the country's revenues, to pay interest on its national debt last year, according to government economic figures released Thursday. A decline in revenues, partly because of the Israel-Hizbullah war, the Israeli siege of Beirut's airport and seaport and an increase in servicing the debt pushed the national deficit to 39 percent of total expenditure in fiscal 2006, which ended in December, the Finance Ministry said in a statement. Revenues totaled about 7.3 trillion Lebanese Liras ($4.86 billion), a drop from 7.4 trillion ($4.94 billion) in the previous year.
The country also spent about 11.88 trillion Lebanese Liras ($7.92 billion) in the 12-month period, a 16.4 percent over fiscal 2005.
Paying interest on the national debt accounted for 38 percent of spending -- about 4.6 trillion Lebanese Liras ($3.04 billion). The cost reflected a 1.02 trillion lira ($682 million) increase from the previous year. Lebanon is one of the world's most indebted nations, with a total of $40.5 billion in state debt. The amount is equivalent to about 185 percent of the country's annual economic output. The Paris III international donors' conference week raised $7.6 billion) in soft loans and grants to help the country's ailing economy. The government hopes an economic reform program and an influx of capital will help kick-start an economy ravaged by last summer's 34-day war and ongoing political tensions.(AP) Beirut, 02 Feb 07, 10:02
Gemayel to Washington Monday
Former President Amine Gemayel will embark on a private visit to Washington Monday for talks with top officials in the Bush administration, according to An Nahar newspaper. The daily's Washington correspondent said Friday that Gemayel will meet with top officials from the White House, the State Department, the National Security Council and members of Congress. An Nahar said that the former president, whose son Industry Minister Pierre Gemayel was assassinated in November, will also visit research centers in the U.S. capital. The newspaper quoted U.S. official sources as saying that Gemayel will "hold high-level talks" without naming names. Gemayel will also give a lecture at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars under the headline "Lebanon: Threshold for Regional Stability." Beirut, 02 Feb 07, 11:22
Saniora: Only the Government Should Have Weapons
Premier Fouad Saniora said Thursday the Lebanese government should have a "monopoly" right to possess weapons.
Saniora, in an interview with the Italian Rai Television network, was answering a question on the spread of weapons in Lebanon during the recent clashes between followers of the Hizbullah-led opposition and pro-government factions.
"In principle, the government is the only authority in the country that has monopoly right to weapons. It is a positive monopoly … The government should practice this monopoly," Saniora added. He said his majority government was "working on spreading its authority throughout Lebanon so that it can be the only authority in the country."
Saniora was referring to de facto semi-autonomous areas controlled by Hizbullah and Palestinian factions, both within and outside refugee camps.
He recalled that his government adopted "a strategic decision" last August sending the regular army to south Lebanon for the first time in three decades.
Saniora stressed that "we will disarm the militias, but only in full cooperation and coordination with the Lebanese resistance (Hizbullah). The Lebanese resistance is part of the Lebanese fabric and it does not include outlaws or criminals. Its members are Lebanese (citizens) who were fighting the Israeli occupation."Israel, according to Saniora, "still occupies part of Lebanon and we are trying to solve the Shabaa Farms problem, which our government deals with it as a priority."He stressed that "our government will keep working with our citizens until we reach a point by which the Lebanese state is the only authority in Lebanon."As for the two-month Hizbullah-led protest to topple his government, Saniora said the pluralist "nature of the Lebanese society does not accept solutions imposed by force, because there cannot be any conqueror or vanquished." The Hizbullah-led protest has failed to achieve its declared objective of toppling the Saniora majority government. "I will stay in power as long as I enjoy parliamentary confidence," Saniora declared, referring to the parliamentary majority that backs his government."The only solution is by returning to the dialogue table. Our hand is stretched to all," he added. Saniora said Lebanon wanted "good" relations with Syria and Iran, based on mutual respect and the non-interference in Lebanon's domestic affairs. "Lebanon wants good relations with sisterly and friendly states, but not at the expense of Lebanon's independence and sovereignty," he added.
Forming an international tribunal to try suspects in the 2005 assassination of ex-Premier Rafik Hariri and related crimes, remains a priority for the government, Saniora said. "We insist on the formation of this tribunal because Lebanon cannot afford to live in non-stop fear. Many Lebanese personalities have been assassinated, and we haven't found the culprits yet," he added.
Beirut, 01 Feb 07, 16:07
Ghosts of the past
By: Lucy Fielder reports from Beirut -Al Ahram
02/02/07
A fight in a university cafeteria was the spark that ignited Beirut's streets for the second day last week.
According to security sources, supporters of Sunni leader Saad Al-Hariri's Future Movement surrounded the Beirut Arab University after the fight turned into a brawl, refusing to allow Shia opposition supporters to leave. As the army tried to negotiate a lift of the blockade -- the university is in the Sunni area and Future Movement stronghold of Tarik Al-Jadida -- vanloads of Shia Amal supporters arrived.
Pitched street battles ensued between scores of rock and bottle-hurling youths. In the most worrying echo of the civil war, snipers appeared on roofs and picked off several opposition figures in the melee below.
Two days earlier, a crippling general strike called by the opposition descended into violence. Resulting in seven deaths, last week's clashes were the worst since the 15-year civil war that ended in 1990.
The opposition led by Shia group Hizbullah and popular Christian leader Michel Aoun says the Lebanese government must give it a veto-wielding share of power or go. It began as a campaign of protests in downtown Beirut 1 December, when its supporters set up camp outside the Grand Serail government building. The US-backed government of Prime Minister Fouad Al-Siniora has refused opposition demands and branded the campaign a coup attempt. Last week's violence overshadowed international donor pledges of $7.6 billion at a Paris aid conference hailed as a success for Siniora.
Mixed Sunni-Shia areas again flared up Thursday. Burning tires blocked roads in Mazraa and Mar Elias. In Basta, youths with wooden coshes and scarves covering their mouths turned rubbish bins in our path, forcing us to turn away after beating the bus in front with sticks. After the news coursed around the capital its streets filled with nervous workers heading home early and lines of people waiting on corners for suddenly scarce service taxis.
As night fell, the army imposed Beirut's first curfew since 1984 at the height of the civil war. The capital, more tense than it has been in years, was silent but for the occasional warning volley of gunshots from the army.
Armoured personnel carriers now stand on every major street corner in the capital. Lebanon's 40,000-strong army is stretched to the limit after its deployment of 15,000 troops to the far south under UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which ended the war between Israel and Hizbullah last year.
Army Commander General Michel Suleiman called for reason to return to Lebanese politics in an interview with the left-wing As- Safir newspaper. "The army has been bearing above its load for months and is ready to bear more on condition that officials and civilians also bear their responsibilities in preventing security disturbances," he said.
The army is formed from a cross-section of Lebanese communities, though Christians are represented more heavily among officers. It was widely praised last week for its neutrality and non-violent efforts to stop the clashes, though soldiers were shot at and had stones hurled at them.
The words "civil war" were on everyone's lips. An editorial in the Daily Star English- language newspaper echoed widespread fears that Lebanon was "too brittle" to survive another day of street battles. "Party leaders from across the board have dismissed these fears, vowing that they will never allow the country to be plunged, yet again, into internal strife. But as tensions soar -- largely as a result of their ongoing war of accusations -- their ability to rein in angry mobs diminishes."
Hizbullah's charismatic leader Sayed Hassan Nasrallah has appeared keenly aware of that risk over the past week. He has repeatedly forbidden his supporters from taking up arms against their Lebanese brethren regardless of any insult, injury or death dealt to them. But it is anybody's guess how long the angry, hooded, stick-wielding mobs that emerged on both sides of the political divide last week will be in the mood to listen to reason.
Like Hariri and Siniora, Nasrallah took to the airwaves to call his supporters off the streets on Thursday, issuing a rare fatwa edict. He has addressed crowds frequently during the 10 days of the Shia mourning ritual of Ashura, which commemorates the death in battle of Imam Hussein, Prophet Mohamed's grandson. On Tuesday, he delivered a speech that was at once fiery towards Israel and the US and calming on domestic matters.
"The most important message is this: that the resistance in Lebanon, through you, announces its resolve and desire for patience, for avoiding being dragged into internal fighting or civil strife," Nasrallah told vast crowds in Beirut's mainly-Shia southern suburbs.
"I say to all our people in Lebanon, in all Lebanon's regions, in Beirut and all its areas: no one is scaring you, no one is terrorising you, no one is using you. The resistance is your resistance, you are its people, and its arms are to defend you and your honour in the face of Lebanon's enemies."
Paul Salem, director of the Carnegie Endowment's Middle East Centre in Beirut, said the "14 March" ruling coalition knew Hizbullah did not want a civil war, which most analysts say would destroy the group's Lebanese and regional support. "So one of the responses that we saw last week was that there was some dynamic of pushing it in that direction in order to stop the opposition, because they don't want a civil war so once it begins to look a bit like that they pull back."He cautioned against seeing the clash as purely sectarian, though in Lebanon's confessional political system there is always an overlap.
"It's essentially a political conflict involving issues such as foreign policy, security policy, the tribunal [to try suspects in Rafik Al-Hariri's assassination], [UN Resolution] 1701, power and government, power-sharing, all the complex issues that are really on the table. But once things get politically out of hand and things begin to spill over into the street, it turns into something else," he said.
"Obviously, that's the case because the government has a major Sunni party and the opposition has a major Shia party."
The acrid cloud that hung over the capital last week may yet have a silver lining. Leaders on all sides appear spooked and diplomatic efforts have intensified. Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa was expected to return to Beirut later this week to try to bring leaders back to the dialogue table. Iran and Saudi Arabia are trying to work out a solution behind the scenes. But efforts have so far borne little fruit.
Lebanon's leaders, too, have made a flurry of contacts. Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea said his group, part of the 14 March coalition, was getting in touch with Aoun to try to put a long-running feud that flared up during the strike last week behind them.
Pulling the Palestinian Cause Out of the Iranian Maneuvers and Syrian Guardianship Arena
Raghida Dergham Al-Hayat - 02/02/07//
Davos - It is of a decisive importance for US President George W. Bush to grasp the extent to which his convictions influence the fate of the entire Middle East and the future of his country to immediately act and carry out what is expected from him.
The breakthrough proposals by key and influential States, as well as some previous proposals are expected to radically contribute to bail out the region from a looming disaster and save the US and its reputation that has been stained by the war in Iraq.
The leaderships of these States are working at the highest levels to come up with unprecedented initiatives aimed at pulling the Arab-Israeli conflict from the rock bottom it has reached, and setting the scene for the launch of a new process toward peace in the Middle East.
The main motive for these States' endeavor is concerns about the Iranian hegemony over the Arab region, as well as fears over reprisals against Iraq's Sunnis, the eruption of a sectarian war between the Sunnis and Shiites liable to spread further into the broader Islamic arena.
The goal of these States' endeavor is to fend off a Palestinian civil war, and attempt to reach a radical solution for the conflict with Israel, with the Palestinian track as a starting point, followed by the Lebanese and then the Iraqi issues.
The main obstacles these States are about to face will likely arise from the traditional ranks of extremism, led by Syria, whose rage over undermining and reducing its role in the peace process is expected.
The biggest bet, however, would be the one on the US president, who may come up with some historical surprises, as he finds himself unable to make history and to realize his vision of a Palestinian State living side by side with Israel, due to his religious beliefs. Should the ideology prevail over the vision, the costly penalty would be paid by the Americans as well, not just the Arabs of the Middle East.
The details of such ideas, the way to implement them and at what time, as well as their inter-connected links are all matters shrouded in the utmost secrecy, and may only be known to a handful of top leaders.
The main rationale for what is taking place, however, is the following: the bold and public scrutiny of the Arab stances with respect to Israel, and the corresponding Israeli stances with respect to Palestine are being negotiated between the Palestinian and Israeli leaderships.
The outcome of such scrutiny is not expected to take the form of the usual shaking of hands during summits and conferences, but will rather be in the form of carefully and meticulously prepared and executed scenarios that will come to crown radical understandings, as well as treaties signed as outlines but without losing any element of surprise. In other words, the objective of the efforts will be to produce a quality leap in the Middle East peace process.
This quality leap represents a declaration to all Arab States stating that whoever is not with the new Arab initiative has chosen to side with Iran. This announcement is mainly aimed at a number of Arab States, led by Syria and Qatar. While Syria is already in alliance with Iran, Qatar is hostile to the Saudi initiative, which was adopted by the rest of the Arabs following the Beirut Summit in March 2002.
Today, Saudi Arabia is a forerunner of the new bold initiatives, as it is working at various levels and files, along with Egypt, Jordan and other Arabian Gulf and Maghreb States.Within the framework of the Davos forum, during in one of the public sessions, Jordanian King Abdullah II was clear in focusing on the Arab initiative describing it as a 'historic juncture' that needs to be developed and benefited from in parallel with the current window of opportunity.
He said that 'peace structures' are built one block at a time and that 'this is really the last chance' to deal with the Palestinian issue. He also warned that unless the foundations of a Palestinian State were laid during the next six months, the 'price of missing this opportunity will be extremely costly'. He also underlined the US president's 'strong commitment' to the two-State solution and to reviving the US efforts, as well as the efforts exerted by the Quartet, currently in session in Washington, including the US, the UN, the EU and Russia.
King Abdullah stated that the current situation, based on the stances and alliances of the concerned States, makes it of paramount importance to deal with the region's hot spots, namely, Palestine, Lebanon and Iraq, in that order.
He added that Iran is imposing itself on the table of negotiation, or, rather, the table of non-negotiation through Hamas, therefore, resolving the Palestinian-Israeli conflict would imply weakening ran and its trump cards.
Also, in Davos, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas spoke in a closed session and agreed to be quoted. He was unequivocal in saying that talks were underway between US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert.
For her part, Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni delivered a speech in Davos that implied that she is either out of the decision-making process, which she sought to impede on the undergoing efforts, or that she is simply preparing for elections in which she seeks to be nominated for the post of prime minister, or that finally, she is publicly saying what would take the impact of what she is secretly aiming for.
Abbas said: 'We discussed with Rice the political process that must be tackled in the final status of the Palestinian territories', adding that 'we must conclude talks on the final status, then lay down step-by-step plans for their implementation', which entails the creation of some sort of a framework that sets the objectives of final status negotiations, as well as plans for well defined, time-bound milestones toward the realization of this objective.
He added that he will be ready for back-channel talks with Israel and the Middle East Quartet after completing the framework, so that talks would not be public and embarrassing.
The head of the Palestinian Authority was very clear in stressing that announcing his determination to call for early presidential and legislative elections was not a tactical maneuver or a mere fiction. He said that the elections 'were not meant to pressure Hamas, but it would be an option should the talks on the national unity government fail', adding that 'we will definitely announce a special decree on the elections, when we reach such a stalemate or dead end'.
There are some indications that this might happen within the coming few weeks, as talks with Hamas do not seem to bear any fruit, and as Mahmoud Abbas' visit to Damascus and his meeting with Hamas politburo chief Khaled Mashal did not instigate any confidence in the Syrian intentions.
Abbas also said that 'we are close to saying "yes" or "no"; it is a matter of no more than two or three weeks. If we do not arrive at anything, we will issue a decree for the legislative elections'.
The government in office, be it Hamsa or any other national government, does not affect the negotiations with Israel, since, as stipulated by the Constitution, negotiations are the prerogative of the head of the Palestinian Liberation Organization and the head of the Palestinian Authority, not the Palestinian government, whether old or new. Therefore, the time frame for the negotiations does not depend on the formation of a new government.
Part of the basic concept held by the Palestinian side to launch a new peace process is according to the Palestinian president, based on 'immediately starting to discuss the final status stage, and when it is time for implementation, it will proceed one issue at a time until the end'.
These issues are the same ones being addressed in the Road Map, leading to a Palestinian State living side by side with the State of Israel, including George Bush's vision of a two-state solution. Hence, the guidelines are the Road Map, Bush's vision, the 2002 Arab initiative, and the related international resolutions, dealing with the final status of the Palestinian State, the issue of refugees, Jerusalem, and security agreements.
The feeling of the Palestinian president is that 'the Americans are serious this time in working on the Palestinian-Israeli track', and that Condoleezza Rice has reached an understanding and has agreed to rule out the concept of an 'interim Palestinian State', favoring the methodology based on starting from the final status plan. This is provided the implementation is undertaken following "stages" bound by a time frame. In case this leads to an outcome, 'then we seek a national referendum, which, if ratified by the people, will lead to a treaty on the final status'.
One of the most important elements of these new approaches is removing the Palestinian Cause from the Iranian maneuvers and Syrian guardianship, and putting the Cause before the Palestinian people, instead of keeping it as a slogan and pretext to stir up conflicts and extremism. This a major and key requirement, the importance of which must be grasped by the US administration and the Israeli government, who must also play an active role.
Otherwise, they will deliberately or inadvertently become accomplices to extremism, incitement, the Iranian maneuvering and Syrian sponsorship of Palestinian factions principally opposed to the negotiated solutions. The package being prepared by key Arab leaders, which, according to statements by one of those leaders, seeks to provide a win-win situation for everyone, involving an 'unprecedented offer to Israel', crowned by a 'revised Western initiative'. It would be logical to assume that Israel is about to be offered Arab and international guarantees for its recognition, peaceful coexistence, and forging a partnership with it once it really commit to the creation of a Palestinian State within the slightly modified lines of the 1967 borders. It will also be offered the chance to achieve these objectives over a number of stages and according to a set timeframe.
According to one of the key leaders, 'unless foiled by stupidity', everything is ready and set for ratification before next May.
According to these proposals, the Palestinian issue will be the starting point that will be followed by the Lebanese-Israeli track, which will require Israeli flexibility and a breakthrough concerning the Shebaa Farms that falls within the operation zone of the UN Disengagement Observers Force, deployed along the Syrian-Israeli borders, but Damascus claims they are Lebanese farms.
These farms serve as a pretext for Hezbollah to retain its militia and continue receiving arms and funding from Iran under the pretext that Hezbollah, not the Lebanese army, is tasked with resisting the Israeli occupation of the Lebanese territory. Therefore, the proposals include an Israeli withdrawal of the Shebaa Farms, followed by these Farms being placed under international guardianship, until their clear Lebanese or Syrian identity is resolved.
This deliberately, and for strategic and tactical considerations, places the Syrian track at the bottom of the priority list. It also sends a clear message to Damascus that says: 'There will be no return for the era in which Syria possessed the keys to both the Palestinian and Lebanese tracks so that these tracks could be put on the back burner of the Syrian-Israeli negotiations.'
This is because including the Syrian track in the new process now would only disrupt its progress, whereas achieving a successful breakthrough on the Palestinian and Lebanese tracks would force the Syrian leadership to reconsider its belief that it is holding the Palestinian and Lebanese trump cards.
Naturally, there is an awareness of the capacity to sabotage the new Middle East peace process, by States like Syria and Iran, or movements and organizations like Hamas and Hezbollah. The prevailing feeling of many, however, is that this camp is now much weaker, despite claims of power and victory. According to informed sources, Syria is not inclined to agree to this new initiative, and is rather seeking to be involved in a war of axes, based on the "Tripartite Axis" that includes Iran, Syria and Iraq, to 'establish a new order in an economic zone'. This is actually the reason behind the Syrian approaches in Iraq, in order to open a new chapter of relations and cooperation.
There are those within the Iraqi government who are sounding the alarms against the possible creation of this axis, saying: 'Do not push us in that direction'.
The truth of the matter, however, is that Iran is scared and Syria is very worried. Iran's biggest fear is a US withdrawal from Iraq that would leave it as the sole heir of the sectarian strife in Iraq and in an open confrontation with the militias. Hence, the pressures of the by the US Democrat party for a clear and imminent withdrawal of the US forces from Iraq are very beneficial; they send a clear message to Iran stipulating that the US troops in Iraq will not fight on its behalf, but will rather leave the country, broken as it is, to the Iranian care, if it does not re-examine and radically change its policies.
http://www.raghidadergham.com/
Between Nasrallah's Address and the Performance of His Aids
Walid Choucair Al-Hayat - 02/02/07//
Is it a coincidence that the leaders of the majority in Lebanon, in the midst of their escalating political crisis with the opposition, beat the leaders of Hezbollah to picking up on what Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah said in his address on the occasion of Ashura on Tuesday? That is, what he said about how the solution for Lebanon cannot be anything but political, and not through violence, assuring his rejection of being drawn into sectarian strife and civil war.
The leaders of the majority met Nasrallah's address with a similar one, also rejecting civil war, as the leader of the Future Movement, MP Saad al-Hariri, said that he would rather die than drift into civil war? The Lebanese Forces welcomed Nasrallah's positiveness, and then the president of the Democratic Gathering, Walid Jumblatt, called on him to renew the dialogue? Was this meeting of minds really so difficult for other leaders within Hezbollah, who launched from the pulpits stances that threaten and accuse some of the leaders of the majority of treachery and call for them to be killed; not to mention, insulting ministers in the government because they refused the opposition's request that they resign. And isn't the fact that Prime Minister Fouad Siniora noted what Hassan Nasrallah declared in the name of the opposition as a whole, a laudable assurance that the use of arms is prohibited? Does this not mean that what the Secretary General said reached and was heard by Siniora, but failed to reach some of the aids and leaders of his own party? Or were they perhaps late in grasping its meaning? And so they continued their verbal escalation and political mobilization that is awakening the sensitivities of the other group, as if Nasrallah had not said what he had.
In the experience of the past days, a contradiction emerged between the practices of some party officials and their party's affiliated media means, and what Nasrallah advocated in his last two speeches, before which he called for his supporters to take to the street, after Thursday's bloody clashes between them and some of the forces of the majority. This experience makes it necessary that these questions be asked.
Regardless of whether public positions of a moderate tone, after the serious clashes on Tuesday and Thursday, will lead to a radical solution to the political crisis or not; is it not a negative move on the part of some of the leaders of the party and some of its allies among the opposition leaders to get along with one another, if only to calm matters down, while waiting to see what will happen? That is, at least until the results are out regarding the foreign contacts going on in full swing, especially the Iranian-Saudi Arabia contacts, especially since Nasrallah himself praised the endeavors of Tehran and Riyadh to help the Lebanese reach solutions.
There are some interpretations about the contradiction in performance of some of the leaders of the Party with the General Secretary's speech that go so far as to talk about the inability of the party to appropriate between the needs of the Iranian ally and the Syrian ally. That is, the Iranians need some time to rest, amid the overlapping of several factors imposed on their higher interests at the regional level following the Security Council's issuance of Resolution 1737 on Tehran and with that the imposition of sanctions against it. This does not gel with Syria's need to maintain the ember of escalation, regardless of the regional circumstances. Despite these interpretations, explaining this contradiction nevertheless demands a more in-depth analysis of what the future direction will be regarding Iran's strategy, which will be drawn up in the next three weeks. On January 23, the 60-day grace period set by Resolution 1737 comes to an end. If Tehran is interested in reducing the rush of international pressure to unanimously implement the stipulations of this resolution, the line of communication that was opened with Riyadh following the resolution will fall within the context of this strategy. This strategy ideally should decide whether Tehran will continue to escalate by means of all its regional assets, including Lebanon, or whether it will seek to calm things down, starting with agreeing with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and in many areas, at the top of which is Lebanon?
There is a less complicated explanation for this discrepancy between the performance of the party leaders and the party's media with Nasrallah's speech. For if the latter was able to catch the scent of the need to wind down the pace of sectarian tension, knowing full well what this means - the party engaging in forbidden destruction - it seems that some of the party leaders are unable to adapt to this. These were forced to inflate their demands of participating in power, giving it fateful dimensions, and dragged themselves into the industry of inventing accusations of treason against their opponents, and they raised the slogan of toppling the ruling party. They did this in order to hide the implicit requirement for which they had made all these protestations. That is, obstructing the formation of any court of an international nature to try those accused in the assassination of Hariri. The declared slogan for this protest movement was a government of national unity to avoid the sectarian sensitivity caused by the demand to obstruct the tribunal. If events lead Hezbollah to sectarian strife in spite of all this, and if, additionally, the negotiations going on behind close doors brings the court back at the forefront of the discussion: is this what will make it difficult for some of the party's leaders to comply with a speech calling for cooling-off? Perhaps this is what requires revision.