LCCC NEWS BULLETIN
JANUARY 29/2006

Below News from Miscellaneous sources for 29/1/06
Bush Renews Support for Lebanon Democracy-AP 29.1.06
Egypt Will Mediate Lebanon-Syria Row-Arab News 29.1.06
The Dialogue in Lebanon-Abdullah Iskandar Al-Hayat - 29/01/06
Below News from Naharnet for for 29/1/06
Bombing Victim TV Anchorwoman Shoots for Seat in Parliament
U.N. Envoy Looking into International Tribunal for Hariri Case Ends Beirut Visit
Assad Urges Lahoud To Hold on to his Seat Despite Resignation Calls
U.S. Reportedly Seeks to Discourage Foreign Investment in Syria over Hariri Murder
Fadlallah Slams West for Calling on Hamas to Renounce Violence
U.S. Wants Lebanon Independent, Free of Syrian Intimidation, Bush Tells Hariri
Fatah Activists Protest Corruption, Demand Resignation of Officials
Bush: No Aid for Palestinians if Next Government Keeps No-Israel Policy
German Hostages in Iraq Plead for Lives, Berlin Appeals for their Immediate Release
Hamas Shocks Palestinians, World by Winning Majority in Parliament
Hamas' Election Showing Will Encourage Israel's Go-it-Alone Approach

Bush Renews Support for Lebanon Democracy
President Bush Meets With Assassinated Lebanese Leader's Son to Renew Support for Democracy
WASHINGTON Jan 27, 2006 — President Bush told the son of an assassinated Lebanese prime minister Friday that allowing Lebanon to be "free of foreign influence, free of Syrian intimidation, free to chart its own course" remains a priority for the United States. "It will be very important for the region for Lebanon's democracy to be able to reach its full potential," Bush said after meeting in the Oval Office with Saad Hariri, the head of the majority bloc in Lebanon's parliament. "There's no doubt in my mind, with the focused effort of the free world … we will be able to achieve the objective."
The assassination of Hariri's father, Rafik Hariri, in Beirut a year ago set in motion a United Nations campaign to stifle neighboring Syria's long domination of Lebanon. Under U.N. pressure, Syria withdrew its troops but its influence has not been entirely erased.
Hariri's father, who strongly opposed Syria's occupation of his country, was killed in February with 20 other people in a bomb attack as he was driven through the Lebanese capital. The U.N. investigation into the killing and whether Syria played a role continues. "We expect there to be a full and firm investigation," Bush said. "The people who are responsible for your dad's death need to be held to account."
Bush, who did not take questions, said he and Hariri discussed putting together a global donor's conference to raise funds to help Lebanon. Hariri did not speak while alongside Bush. Outside the White House, Hariri told reporters the president had expressed support for a donor conference, but that no date has been set.
**Copyright 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Egypt Will Mediate Lebanon-Syria Row
Arab News, CAIRO, 27 January 2006 ­—
Egypt’s intelligence supremo is to mediate between Beirut and Damascus on security issues including the weapons in Palestinian camps in Lebanon, Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Siniora said yesterday.
Speaking in Cairo after a meeting with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, Siniora told reporters that he expected intelligence chief Omar Suleiman to visit Syria and Lebanon in the coming days.
“Palestinian weapons in camps should be brought under control and should not leave these camps,” he said, in reference to the refugee camps in Lebanon which is home to an estimated 400,000 Palestinians.
“Lebanon expects Suleiman to play a part in solving this problem between Beirut and Damascus,” Siniora said. Activists from the Syrian-backed Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine-General Command (PFLP-GC) shot and wounded two Lebanese policemen near Beirut earlier this month. An army surveyor was killed by the same group in October. The Lebanese Army has positions around each of the 12 Palestinian refugee camps across the country but is not allowed to enter them.
A UN Security Council resolution passed in September 2004 called for all militias in Lebanon to be disarmed, a call rejected by PFLP-GC leader Ahmad Jibril despite an escalating crisis between Lebanon and his Syrian backers.
Siniora had already visited Cairo on Jan. 12 to discuss means of ending the crisis between Beirut and Damascus sparked by the assassination of former Lebanese Premier Rafik Hariri on Feb. 14, 2005.
Meanwhile, a top UN legal expert was in Beirut to discuss Lebanese calls for the creation of an international court over the murder of Hariri. Nicolas Michel, undersecretary general for legal affairs, is on a mission to “discuss the process for helping the Lebanese authorities to identify the nature and scope of the international assistance needed” in the Hariri probe, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said. His mandate covers “the killing of former Prime Minister Hariri and others to be tried by a tribunal of an international character,” Dujarric told reporters in New York on Wednesday. The mission is in line with UN Security Council resolution 1644 adopted last Dec. 15. Michel, due to stay until Saturday, is to meet Prime Minister Siniora and Justice Minister Charles Rizk, as well as the international and Lebanese investigators of the string of murders.
The visit comes shortly after Serge Brammertz, the new chief of the UN probe into the Hariri assassination, officially took up his duties on Monday in the Lebanese capital.

The Dialogue in Lebanon
Abdullah Iskandar Al-Hayat - 26/01/06//
Dialogue between the Lebanese sides remains the internal safety valve, regardless of its mechanisms and level, and the goals each side seeks. The alternative is to push the country to the unknown as long as positions are escalating on a daily basis and to the extend of reaching a point of no return and clash. Dialogue is required because the disputes run deeper by the day, rather by every statement. Dialogue encompasses secondary and fundamental issues, thus means that the dividing point is not too far away. At this point, statements of good will, insistence on civil peace and rejecting the arms option will be worthless, especially since the internal issues of disagreement are tightly linked to the regional matters, expected to witness more escalation and tension. This in turn will draw interventions in a way that would prevent any Lebanese side from controlling the flow of events.
A mere dialogue does not guarantee a solution to the stringent problems, as it will not wipe off the deep-rooted conflicts. The governmental crisis expressed by the boycott of the Shiite ministers to the Cabinet sessions showed that despite the fact that its direct motives have vanished, it is not easy to find magic ways to synchronize conflicting opinions. Dialogue, however, gains further importance since the Cabinet crisis has not reached the point of resignation and remains within the limits of expressing a position without having a great impact on the administration of the State's affairs. A resignation of the Shiite ministers at this point, coupled with the incapability of the parliamentary majority to appoint Shiite substitutes would drown the country in a governance crisis because any Shiite representation will be flawed in the absence of the approval of Hezbollah and Amal. In such a case, the rift would deepen, bringing closer the clash setting off.
Thus, dialogue remains the sole safety valve even if the current controversy deals with national fundamentals and is related to the price that should be avoided whether for exposing the truth of the assassination of former PM Rafik Hariri, the Palestinian arms, the meaning of resistance or the relation with Syria and the position vis-à-vis the current Syrian regime. It is easier said than done to put an agenda for dialogue since these problems, seemingly unrelated, are closely linked and when one stance from one is considered as a message addressed to the other. The interlinks are deeper and the agreements are harder. This is what happened in the recent Arab action in quest of a solution. Each side understood one aspect of the crisis and considered that messages conveyed in each of the clauses covers the aspects therein.
Notwithstanding, the alternative to dialogue goes far beyond the political dispute, especially that the two sides of the current controversy, Walid Joumblat, representing his personal position and the parliamentary majority in general, and Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah representing both the positions of Hezbollah and Amal and their allies - from Lebanese parties to armed Palestinian factions in Lebanon- are getting closer to "personalizing" the dispute. In other words, the public disputes have intensified due to personal relationships making it more difficult to reach agreement. This might be what Nasrallah meant when he talked about "missing PM Hariri" in this crisis because the latter was keen on resolving public problems, by the strong personal relationship, even if the cost was sometimes at the expense of painful concessions or his personal pride.

U.S. Wants Lebanon Independent, Free of Syrian Intimidation, Bush Tells Hariri
The U.S. is committed to see Lebanon independent, democratic and free of Syrian intimidation, George Bush told Saad Hariri in an unprecedented meeting between the U.S. president and a member of the Lebanese parliament.
"We just had a very interesting and important discussion about our mutual desire for Lebanon to be free -- free of foreign influence, free of Syrian intimidation, free to chart its own course," said Bush after meeting with Hariri at his Oval Office Friday.
The U.S. president said he along with many U.S. citizens of Lebanese descent wanted to see "Lebanon flourish and thrive." "It will be very important for the region for Lebanon's democracy to be able to reach its full potential. There's no doubt in my mind, with the focused effort of the free world reminding Syria to uphold U.N. Resolution 1559, we will be able to achieve the objective" he added.
The talks concluded Hariri's week-long meetings in Washington where he conferred with top administration officials and congressmen. His 50-minute talks with Bush were also attended by U.S. Secretary of States Condoleezza Rice and National Security Advisor Steve Hadley.
Bush also expressed the U.S. determination to see that those responsible for the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri be brought to justice. "We expect there to be a full and firm investigation. The people who are responsible for your dad's death need to be held to account," Bush said.
A U.N. committee is investigating Hariri's assassination Feb. 14 in Beirut. The murder, largely blamed on Syria and its Lebanese allies, sparked an international outcry and led to the withdrawal of Syrian troops from Lebanon, ending 30 years of military presence.
However, anti-Syrian politicians accuse Damascus of continuing to intervene in the neighboring country and blame it for being behind a string of assassinations targeting politicians and journalists. Bush said he and Hariri discussed putting together a global donors' conference to raise funds to help Lebanon. "So I talked about a donors' conference -- he's going to work the world community to try to help organize a conference to help the Lebanese people get going," the U.S president said. Outside the White House, Hariri told reporters he had also discussed the conference with Vice President Dick Cheney and that a date would be set soon.
Hariri said the International Monetary Fund would send an envoy to the region February 7 to start working "seriously" on setting up such a conference.
He said he disused the security situation in Lebanon with the U.S. president who expressed concern about the killing of figures opposed to Syria, specially the murder of An Nahar General Manager Gebran Tueni, An Nahar said.
Hariri, who heads the parliamentary majority, said he asked Bush for U.S. assistance to the Lebanese police and military in terms of military and communication equipment.
With regards to Hizbullah's weapons, Hariri said the matter would be solved through national dialogue. The international community, led by the United States, is putting pressure on the Lebanese government to implement the remaining clauses of Resolution 1559, specially the one calling for disarming all militias in Lebanon.
Hizbullah argues that it is a resistance movement not a militia and wants the government to officially adopt its position.
"They want to be part of rebuilding Lebanon," Hariri said of the armed group.
Speaking of the U.N. investigation, Hariri said, "What we want to see in Lebanon is full cooperation with the commission. The faster Syria cooperates the better it is for them." "We are not after revenge. In our part of the world revenge is easy to achieve. We want justice," he added.(AP-Naharnet) Beirut, Updated 28 Jan 06, 11:12

Hamas' Election Showing Will Encourage Israel's o-it-Alone Approach
(AP- by Steven Gutkin)
Hamas' apparent victory in Palestinian parliamentary elections has dramatically shaken up the political landscape of the Middle East, elevating Islamic militants who call for Israel's destruction and most likely encouraging Israel's go-it-alone approach to Mideast peacemaking. It also raised questions about the U.S. policy of promoting democracy in the Middle East. Though Wednesday's vote was an exemplary exercise in democracy, with far fewer disruptions than expected and extraordinarily high turnout, rejectionists won the day.
Leaders of both Hamas and the ruling Fatah Party said Thursday that Hamas won an outright majority of parliamentary seats, though official results were not yet available. The Islamists now have a right to form the next Palestinian government, though it was not clear if they would choose to do so.
Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas, a moderate, will remain head of the Palestinian Authority and the Palestine Liberation Organization, which is responsible for dealings with Israel.
But Hamas is sure to take a leading role in Palestinian decision making and the initial statements from Hamas leaders were not promising for peace. Mushir al-Masri, a senior Hamas official, said recognizing Israel and negotiating with it are "not on our agenda." However, al-Masri also suggested Hamas would be willing to join a coalition with Abbas and Fatah, and several Hamas officials said before the vote that they would not seek to tie Abbas' hands in future dealings with Israel.
A day before the balloting, acting Israeli Prime Minister hinted that more unilateral moves -- like last summer's Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip -- could be in store if Israel feels there is no Palestinian leadership to talk to.
Israeli officials refused to comment shortly after it was clear Hamas had won the elections but there was a general feeling in Israel that peace prospects had suffered a significant blow.
The apparent Hamas victory "will weaken those in Israel or elsewhere who think we have a partner to negotiate with and it will strengthen those who don't think so, which means it will strengthen the inclination to either go it alone with more unilateralism or do nothing," said Israeli political analyst Yossi Alpher.
Olmert, who took over as acting prime minister after Sharon suffered a devastating stroke on Jan. 4, is the frontrunner in March 28 elections. But Hamas' legislative showing could hurt the electoral prospects of Olmert's centrist Kadima party, formed by Sharon in November to free his hands to pursue a peace deal with the Palestinians.
Whether peacemaking with Israel can go forward will now largely depend on whether Hamas joins Fatah in the government, and whether it will abandon the violent ideology that underpinned the dozens of suicide bombings it carried out against Israel before a ceasefire was declared a year ago.
If the elections pull the Islamic militants off the streets and into the corridors of power -- shifting their focus from terror to governance -- prospects for peace could actually be improved.
But in his first policy speech this week since taking over from the ailing Ariel Sharon, Olmert said Israel isn't taking any chances. He said the Jewish state will be "able to act in any circumstance, faced with any scenario, in order to preserve its security and political horizons."
Olmert described Israel's national interest as separating from the Palestinians in order to preserve a Jewish majority in Israel, and suggested more unilateral withdrawals were possible. Palestinians say this unilateralism threatens their statehood aspirations by allowing Israel to draw borders on its own.
Before the vote, Hamas leaders said they had no desire to take over the reins of power because they didn't want to have to talk to Israel, saying they preferred to limit themselves to service ministries such as health and education. But they're now apparently in a position to demand any ministerial portfolios they desire, and it's not clear if they will seek higher profile posts.
Both Israel and the United States have declared Hamas a terrorist group and refuse to deal with it. But a more nuanced policy now appears possible, with Israelis already debating whether it would be wiser to engage Hamas and a U.S. official refusing to rule out negotiations with a Palestinian government that includes Hamas.
Alpher said misguided U.S. foreign policy is largely to blame for the political rise of Islamists in several places, including Iraq, Lebanon and now the Palestinian territories.
"President Bush's democracy push is one of the primary factors that is responsible for what has happened because he has chosen to ignore the contradiction between electoral democracy which he's sponsoring and allowing armed Islamic movements to run."
Ismail Haniyeh, who led the Hamas parliament list, said that "the American administration called for democracy and always they are playing the symphony of democracy," and that the outcome of the vote must now be respected.(AP- by Steven Gutkin) Beirut, Updated 26 Jan 06, 12:44