LCCC NEWS BULLETIN
JULY 6/2006

Below News From the Daily Star for 06/07/06
Preparing a path to Christian disillusion
What are the explanations for Franjieh's campaign?
Franjieh insists his barbs are just retaliation
Consitutional Council chief asks members to convene
UN: Gaza siege tramples human rights
French envoy voices enthusiasm for dialogue
Tourists miss a lot by staying in Beirut
Police arrest suspects in Chouf killing
French magistrate arrives in Beirut to probe Kassir murder
Bank of Beirut, LAU announce new credit card
Sudan's foreign minister arrives
French envoy voices enthusiasm for dialogue
Iraq hopes to 'silence' Saddam's wife, daughter
Below News From miscellaneous sources for 06/07/06
Sfier-Syria pulled its army but left us its secret services and friends-AsiaNews.it
Answers to Mideast crises only create more problems-Ottawa Citizen
Convicted terrorist pleads poor health to avoid deportation-Globe and Mail
Lebanon's telecom strategy is shortsighted-Ya Libnan
Hariri Tribunal: Lebanese judjes off to the Hague and New York-Ya Libnan
Salloukh holds talks with UN representative-Bahrain News Agency
Palestinians score own-goal-Ynetnews
Iran uses Shiite bonds to position itself in Lebanon-NCR-Iran.org
Arab League fails again-ISN
Aging ex-Palestinian Hijacker Fights Against Deportation-Naharnet
Al-Arabia: Meshal Left Syria-Arutz Sheva
Lebanese Islamic Council Calls for Boosting Relations with Syria-SANA
Syria and France Sign Medical Twining Agreement-SANA
LEBANON: Slain Journalist's wife blames Syria for murder-AKI - Rome,Italy
Moussa embarks on tour to Spain, Iran, Syria-Kuwait News Agency

Higher Shiite Council wants dialogue decisions applied
Daily Star staff- Thursday, July 06, 2006: The Higher Shiite Council stressed Wednesday the need to implement the decisions being made during the national dialogue sessions and find a defense strategy to protect Lebanon, based on coordination between the resistance and the army. After its regular meeting, the council praised Sheikh Abdel-Amir Qabalan's efforts to hold a spiritual summit aimed at promoting national unity. It also praised Speaker Nabih Berri's efforts to restore Lebanese-Syrian relations, saying brotherly ties were the best route to follow.

Salloukh says Israeli offensive requires UN action
Daily Star staff- Thursday, July 06, 2006: Foreign Minister Fawzi Salloukh said Wednesday that Israel's escalating military offensive in the Occupied Territories requires a firm stand from the UN. After a visit to the UN secretary general's representative in Lebanon, Geir Pedersen, Salloukh said the meeting had focused on extending the UN Interim Force in Lebanon's mandate for another six months as of August 1. Pedersen said he would do everything possible to maintain stability in Lebanon. "I will convey to New York Lebanon's efforts to maintain a calm situation in the South and we will try our best to make the Israeli side do so," he added. - The Daily Star

Hoss stresses Syrian intelligence not alone in Lebanon
Daily Star staff- Thursday, July 06, 2006: Former Prime Minister Salim al-Hoss said Wednesday that "it is normal that Syria has allies in Lebanon and in all other Arab countries," adding: "It may be true that Syria still maintains intelligence services in Lebanon; but aren't also American, French and Israeli intelligence services in our country?"
Hoss' remarks came in reply to statements made recently by Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Butros Sfeir, who said that although Syria withdrew its forces from Lebanon, its intelligence services are still active here.

Alfa increases supplies of prepaid lines
Daily Star staff- Thursday, July 06, 2006: Alfa, the Lebanese mobile operator, said Wednesday that its official stores were providing their direct clients with prepaid lines for the official price of 50$ (including VAT). Due to the increased demand on prepaid lines in summer, Alfa has already quadrupled the number of lines delivered to the market, it said in a statement in response to Lebanese media reports saying that some resellers of prepaid mobile lines were operating in a black market, refraining from delivering prepaid cards to the market at the official price.

Preparing a path to Christian disillusion
By Michael Young -Daily Star staff
Thursday, July 06, 2006
There were three reasons why former Minister Suleiman Franjieh compared Archbishop Youssef Beshara to Judas, accusing him of having betrayed Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Boutros Sfeir.
The first and most obvious one is that it allowed Franjieh to strike at Sfeir without suffering the backlash, particularly in his native Zghorta, of a direct assault on the prelate. The patriarch remains the last serious cornerstone of opposition to Syria in the Maronite community, at a time when Franjieh has teamed up with Michel Aoun to advocate improved ties with the regime in Damascus. Sfeir's isolation is a paramount Syrian objective, only underscored by the criticism the patriarch recently voiced against Hizbullah during his trip to the United States, where he is expected to meet with the American president, George W. Bush. A second reason for Franjieh's outburst was that Beshara is considered a favorite to succeed Sfeir. If the archbishop can be sufficiently tarred as a divisive Maronite figure, the former minister probably believes, that would lessen his chances of one day becoming patriarch. Franjieh's comrades in Damascus have long sought to play Maronite Church politics, and he is giving them a new opportunity to do so. As overseer of the late Qornet Shehwan grouping, Beshara wore his antagonism toward Syrian hegemony on his sleeve. Neither Syria nor its Lebanese satellites cares to see another Sfeir in Bkirki when the matter of succession arises.
A third reason is more convoluted, and has to do with the fact that Franjieh believes the Maronites can only be saved through a regional alliance of minorities - namely with the Shiites and Alawites - against the Sunni majority. It was no coincidence, in that context, that he denounced Beshara as being a lackey of the Hariris. This dovetailed nicely with the fact that the main Aounist rallying cry in recent months has also been open hostility to the power of the Hariri family - a circuitous means of denouncing purported Sunni domination.
Franjieh was peddling the alliance-of-minorities line when the Syrians were still running Lebanese affairs. It was a convenient way of justifying his fealty to an Assad regime that had systematically dismantled Maronite influence, leading to the community's political seclusion for much of the postwar period. However, far more bizarre has been the attitude of Aoun, whose exile was a major step in this Syrian effort at communal eradication. Franjieh stoutly supported Aoun's earlier removal and humiliation, and for a brief time after Aoun's return last year the general latched on to a sensible idea: Because Christians were on the decline, it made no sense for them to take sides in the Sunni-Shiite struggle over Lebanon's future. Christians would always be second fiddle, and suffer, in the event of a conflict between the two; and they would pay a high price if Sunnis and Shiites were in accord while Christians were outside the consensus.
Then something changed and Aoun took sides. He chose to establish a weird alliance with Hizbullah (one which hardly protected Christian neighborhoods from Shiite wrath after a satire show on LBC television made fun of Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah). The agreement brought Aoun almost no gains, not even implementation of a relatively modest stipulation that Christians who fled to Israel in 2000 might be able to return. It did, however, hand Hizbullah a valuable political life raft by widening the rift in the original March 14 coalition. It also allowed the party to reassert itself under the umbrella of a revived Iranian-Syrian partnership.
Why Aoun's sudden about-face? Inconsistency is the general's middle name, as anyone who looks back at his wretched efforts between 1989 and 1990 to liberate Lebanon from militia rule, then from Syrian rule, then again from militia rule, can conclude. One interpretation is that Aoun's omnipresent son-in-law, Jubran Bassil, is friends with Franjieh, shares his alliance-of-minorities theory, and persuaded the erratic general to go along. Whether this is true or not, Aoun's decision to side with the Shiites against the Sunnis is as foolish a scheme as the contrary would be. If there is one thing Lebanese minority relations have shown, it's that religious communities can build up strong ties with other communities, but that things become trickier when they focus their actions against other communities.
As for Franjieh, his salvoes against Beshara were exotic in that if anyone has hoodwinked Sfeir, it was the former minister. Last year, before parliamentary elections, Franjieh alighted in Bkirki with elections expert Kamal Feghali in tow. Their aim was to persuade the patriarch that the 2000 law, agreed between Saad Hariri, Walid Jumblatt, Hizbullah, and Amal, marginalized the Christians. The real intention, however, was to discredit a law that would almost certainly defeat Franjieh; but also to heighten sectarian polarization in order to break the Sunni-Christian-Druze alliance that was the basis of the anti-Syrian opposition.
The patriarch, understandably infuriated that Christians had been left out of the deal-making between Jumblatt, Hariri and the Shiite parties, bit on the bait. His protests pushed Christians to mobilize behind Michel Aoun, whom voters somehow regarded as a "strong Christian" and who had already decided to campaign against his former March 14 allies. Franjieh's duping of the patriarch would have made Judas blush.
There has been a misconception among Maronites that when the community is divided, it is weak. That may sometimes be true, but usually in the past when the Maronites avoided putting all their hopes in one leader, they came out of conflicts stronger, because alternatives emerged to replace those who were defeated. In 1952, Beshara al-Khoury's resignation led to a smooth transition to Camille Chamoun. Fouad Chehab was able to fill the vacuum left by Chamoun's departure in 1958. Because the Maronites had several rival power centers, the community did not face the full force of a principal leader's failure.
In October 1990, Aoun showed what happened when that wasn't the case. After hijacking the community and discrediting Sfeir, he was chased out of Baabda and ceded the Maronites 15 years of limbo. Only the patriarch was left behind to pick up the pieces. Aoun is taking his coreligionists toward new disillusionment if he believes there are legs to a fanciful, absurd alliance with the Shiites and Alawites. That's why the general's ties with Franjieh only bring Maronites more harm. But deep down Aoun cannot bring himself to renounce his Northern associate. The general resents that Sfeir is the most stubborn barrier standing between him and the presidency. That is why Aoun still imagines that he will be strengthened communally if the patriarch is weak. **Michael Young is opinion editor of THE DAILY STAR.

French envoy voices enthusiasm for dialogue
Daily Star staff-Thursday, July 06, 2006
BEIRUT: French Ambassador Bernard Emie said Wednesday that his country supported the implementation of decisions made during Lebanon's national dialogue. Following a meeting with Prime Minister Fouad Siniora at the Grand Serail, Emie said he conveyed to the premier a letter from French Premier Dominique de Villepin concerning Siniora's call on the international community to support Palestinian refugees in Lebanon.
The government pledged in its policy statement to "make all efforts" in order to improve the living conditions of Palestinian refugees and grant them their basic rights. Emie said de Villepin understood the situation in the camps, noting that Paris doubled its contributions to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian refugees last year.
"I expressed ... our full support for the outcome of the national talks and the necessity to implement all the decisions," Emie said. Asked if France was pleased by the outcome of the talks, he said: "France is watching and encouraging the ongoing dialogue but cannot make judgments about it because it's an internal Lebanese affair."
"We support the dialogue's objectives and we are confident it will lead to solutions to the pending problems," he added.
Separately, Siniora called his Italian counterpart, Romano Prodi, to discuss bilateral relations in light of Siniora's visit to Rome earlier this month. Siniora also congratulated Prodi on Italy's victory over Germany in the semifinals of the FIFA World Cup on Tuesday. - The Daily Star

What are the explanations for Franjieh's campaign?
By Philip Abi akl -Thursday, July 06, 2006
Former Minister Suleiman Franjieh violated the code of honor when he waged an astounding campaign against Maronite Bishop Youssef Beshara, accusing the senior cleric of influencing Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Butros Sfeir and the Bishops Council's decisions. Franjieh's recent declarations also sparked outrage among Sunnis, who rejected his attack against the late former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri and his family. Franjieh had said that the Hariris wanted to spread claims that the bomb which killed the late premier was planted underground so that they could collect insurance money.
Some political analysts have said Franjieh's campaign is nothing new, and dates back to the friendship between Beshara and MP Samir Franjieh. Some say Franjieh's statements are aimed at distorting Beshara's image and keeping him away from Bkirki, since he is the main candidate to succeed the patriarch.
The Marada Party leader's attack against the March 14 Forces and Future Movement leader MP Saad Hariri are seen by many as a bid to gain new supporters, after he lost many followers over his dispute with the Maronite Church.
Sources said Franjieh was trying to destabilize the situation and added that Syria has provided its allies in Lebanon with the files of anti-Syrian politicians who had cooperated with Damascus in the past.
Observers say Franjieh's campaign is aimed at instigating sectarian tensions in order to form sectarian alliances, which Sfeir has rejected, insisting on the formation of national alliances.
Visitors to Qoreitem said Hariri refuses to respond to Franjieh. Hariri filed a libel and slander lawsuit Monday against the former minister, saying: "The judiciary will have the final say."Some politicians quoted Hariri as saying that those who killed his father wanted to kill his economic project. "That is why we will respond by clinging to that project," Hariri said.
"Our response to any heated statement will be to launch development projects," he added.
Franjieh's statements coincided with violent clashes between rival Druze factions in the Chouf village of Al-Jahliyeh this week.
Some say this incident aimed to increase tensions, which could delay the creation of an international tribunal to try those involved in Hariri's assassination. The tribunal is expected to be established in the coming months and start working at the beginning of next year. Observers say the establishment of an international court disturbs some local and foreign parties.
Justice Minister Charles Rizk has achieved great progress in this regard, and magistrates Ralph Riachi and Chukri Sader are currently visiting the International Court of Justice in The Hague to meet with senior international justices to discuss the tribunal's formation.In a nutshell, those who feel targeted by the creation of an international tribunal are trying to hamper it.

Siniora to meet with EU official
Daily Star staff-Thursday, July 06, 2006
BEIRUT: European Commissioner for External Relations Benita Ferrero-Waldner will be in Beirut next Friday to hold meetings with with Prime Minister Fouad Siniora and Foreign Minister Faouzi Salloukh, according to a statement issued on Wednesday. The Delegation of the European Commission in Lebanon said that Ferrero-Waldner will discuss the European Commission's commitment to supporting Lebanon's reform program and the implementation of the European Neighborhood Policy Action Plan recently agreed between the European Union and Lebanon and which lays the foundations for a deeper relationship between the two sides.
She will also sign an aviation agreement that will lay down official guidelines for the direct air-transport relationship between Lebanon and the EU. Ferrero-Waldner is also expected to hold a joint press conference with Siniora at the Grand Serail on Friday. On the occasion of her official visit, Ferrero-Waldner will receive an honorary doctorate degree from the Lebanese American University. - The Daily Star

Israelis won't be able to feel secure until their neighbors do
Thursday, July 06, 2006
Editorial
Despite growing international concern and condemnation, Israel's siege of Gaza looks set to continue and expand. On Wednesday, Israel's security Cabinet instructed the military to prepare for "gradual and lengthy military activity," which will include the creation of an occupation zone in the northern Gaza Strip. The Israelis insist that such a "security zone" is necessary to prevent rocket attacks on Israeli cities, but Palestinian leaders say that recent events have served as a "pretext to impose a fait acompli."
The Palestinian view of Israel's incursion is understandable, given that in the past, Israel's policies have often had little to do with identifiable threats. From the 1967 war until the first intifada in 1987, the Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and Gaza were a quiescent population. Although Palestinian militants were operating in Jordan and Lebanon, the vast majority of Palestinians in the Occupied Territories did nothing to defend themselves against their occupiers, who due to their own insecurities ruled Palestinian neighborhoods with an iron fist. It was only after enduring 20 years of Israel's brutal and racist occupation policies that the Palestinian population rose up in protest against their oppressors. Recent events serve to demonstrate that the Israelis are still grappling with an internal feeling of insecurity that is projected onto an entire Palestinian population, as if every Palestinian man, woman and child represents a menace and a threat to Israel's existence. Consider Israel's disproportionate response to the abduction of an Israeli soldier, a reaction that verges on hysteria: a two-front military incursion into Gaza, the abduction of Palestinian ministers and MPs, the bombing of Palestinian government offices, and the destruction of roads, bridges and a power plant that serves some 700,000 civilians.
Israelis, many of whom directly or indirectly endured the horrors of the Holocaust, are suffering from a feeling of existential insecurity. But the use of strong-arm tactics will not win them the sense of security that they desire. True, Israel can control northern Gaza and stamp out the militants who have recently launched rockets into Israeli territory. But each aggressive Israeli military action will ensure that new militants will emerge to take the place of those killed or jailed by Israeli troops. Just as the Palestinians will never gain statehood through the use of violence, Israelis will never gain security and recognition through military means.
Israel is now demanding that the Palestinian government recognize the right of Israelis to live in an independent and secure state. But what about the approximately 10 million Palestinian people living in the territories and in neighboring states, many of them in refugee camps? Do they not also have a right to live in an independent and secure state?
The only way to resolve this conflict is for both sides to return to the negotiating table and hammer out a solution that recognizes the rights and dignity of both peoples. Israel's current strong-arm approach will only ensure the continuation of a deadly conflict, with each act of aggression being met with retaliation. Little will change until the Israelis realize that the only way for them to achieve security is to recognize the rights of their Palestinian neighbors.