LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
June 1/2007
Bible Reading of the day
Holy Gospel
of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 1,39-56. During those days Mary set out
and traveled to the hill country in haste to a town of Judah, where she entered
the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary's
greeting, the infant leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth, filled with the holy
Spirit, cried out in a loud voice and said, "Most blessed are you among women,
and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And how does this happen to me, that the
mother of my Lord should come to me? For at the moment the sound of your
greeting reached my ears, the infant in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed are you
who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled."And
Mary said: "My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; my spirit rejoices in
God my savior. For he has looked upon his handmaid's lowliness; behold, from now
on will all ages call me blessed. The Mighty One has done great things for me,
and holy is his name. His mercy is from age to age to those who fear him. He has
shown might with his arm, dispersed the arrogant of mind and heart. He has
thrown down the rulers from their thrones but lifted up the lowly. The hungry he
has filled with good things; the rich he has sent away empty. He has helped
Israel his servant, remembering his mercy, according to his promise to our
fathers, to Abraham and to his descendants forever." Mary remained with her
about three months and then returned to her home.
Free Opinion
The Hariri court is out of Lebanon's
hands - but a healthy debate is not.Daily Star. June 1/07
Bush and 'Plan B-H,' meaning it's back to
Baker-Hamilton.By David Ignatius. June 1/07
Exploiting Ali Larijani's notable idea.By
Michael Young. June 1/07
Supporting the Democratic Opposition in Syria.By Joseph Puder.
May 1/07
Latest News Reports
From Miscellaneous Sources for June 1/05/07
G8 Backs
'Legitimate' Lebanese Government-Naharnet
U.N. Sets Up Tribunal to Try Hariri's
Killers-Naharnet
Hariri Supporters
Dance in Streets After U.N. OKs Tribunal-Naharnet
Emotional Saad
Hariri Urges Lebanese to Join Hands-Naharnet
20 Suspected Fatah Islam Militants Charged
with Terrorism-Naharnet
U.N. Probe
Commission Collecting Samples from Saudi Arabia-Naharnet
France, Britain:
1757 Reveals There Shall Be No Impunity for Killers-Naharnet
Hezbollah has returned to positions near the Israeli border
with ...Jewish Telegraphic Agency
Rice to Israel: Don't push Syria peace.Jerusalem Post
Damascus tells UN Lebanon smuggling weapons into
Syria.Ha'aretz
Lebanon: Hezbollah Might End Protest.Stratfor
Brief lull in fighting allows aid into Nahr
al-Bared-Daily
Star
UN approves Hariri court-Daily
Star
ISF beefs up patrols across country, especially
Beirut-Daily
Star
Politicians voice mixed reactions to Lahoud's
'salvation' initiative-Daily
Star
Committee 'improving' Palestinians' lives-Daily
Star
Fadlallah accuses US of 'spoiling' internal accord-Daily
Star
Nahr al-Bared refugees balk at UN proposal for
temporary shelters-Daily
Star
Beirut? Beyrouth? Conference tackles transliteration-Daily
Star
Sidon engineer laments loss of children 'kidnapped'
by wife-Daily
Star
Hariri Hospital commits to training BAU students-Daily
Star
'A movement to promote emotional stability'-Daily
Star
Called to account: Young activists target graft in
high places-Daily
Star
U.N. Sets Up Tribunal to Try
Hariri's Killers
The U.N. Security Council voted Wednesday to set up an international tribunal to
prosecute suspects in the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri
which shook Lebanon two years ago. Fire works lit up the night sky over Beirut
in celebration of the court's establishment. A concussion bomb exploded near Mar
Mikhael Church in Beirut's Shiyyah district just as news of the court's creation
was announced around 11 p.m. The 15-member council adopted a legally binding
resolution that sets June 10 as the date for the entry into force of a 2006
agreement between the United Nations and the Beirut government to establish the
court.
Ten countries voted in favor, with veto-wielding members Russia and China as
well as South Africa, Indonesia and Qatar -- three non-permanent members --
abstaining. Hariri and 22 other people were killed in a massive bomb blast in
February 2005, widely blamed on Syria, which was then forced to end nearly 30
years of military and political domination in Lebanon. An initial U.N. inquiry
into the Hariri slaying implicated Damascus, which has denied any involvement.
The vote comes at a time of high tensions in Lebanon, exacerbated by a deadly
standoff between the army and an Al-Qaida-inspired Islamist militia, and a spate
of bomb attacks in and around the capital Beirut. Britain's U.N. Ambassador Emyr
Jones Parry told reporters the aim of the resolution was to "send the right
political signal in Lebanon that there cannot be impunity and that the U.N.
stands behind those people who want to see justice."
Resolution 1757 was sponsored by the United States, Britain, France, Belgium,
Slovakia and Italy, and introduced at the request of Prime Minister Fouad
Saniora.
It came after U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon reported that rival Lebanese parties had
failed to agree on ratifying the 2006 accord. The Hizbullah-led opposition
objects to the way the Saniora government has handled plans to create the court
under U.N. auspices and has so far blocked all moves to set up the court.
The government in turn accuses allies of Syria of bowing to pressure from
Damascus to try to prevent the creation of the tribunal. Jones Parry said while
a domestic solution would have been the "preferred route," the Security Council,
in view of the deadlock, needed "to take its responsibility so that there can be
a resolution."
Russia, a veto-wielding council member and a close ally of Syria, South Africa
and Qatar had all voiced reservations to the parts of the text and had sought
more time for the rival Lebanese parties to find a home-grown solution.
To mollify them, the sponsors agreed to set June 10 as the deadline for the
entry into force of the tribunal convention to give the Lebanese factions a last
chance to find common ground. The resolution states that "the tribunal shall
commence functioning on a date to be determined by the secretary general in
consultation with the government of Lebanon, taking into account the progress of
the work" of the U.N. panel probing the Hariri murder. In any case, the tribunal
is not likely to be up and running until several months after the treaty enters
into force, diplomats said. The U.N.-Lebanon deal envisages a mixed tribunal
composed of two chambers, a trial court composed of three judges -- one of them
Lebanese alongside two foreigners -- and an appeals court with five judges,
including two Lebanese.
For reasons of security, administrative efficiency and fairness, the tribunal
would be located outside Lebanon. Cyprus, Italy and the Netherlands have been
mooted as possible sites, diplomats said.(AFP-Naharnet) Beirut, 30 May 07, 23:15
20 Suspected Fatah Islam
Militants Charged with Terrorism
20 suspected militants from the Fatah al-Islam group fighting Lebanese troops at
the northern refugee camp of Nahr al-bared have been charged with terrorism
offences, court officials said. The Lebanese military has been fighting Fatah
al-Islam militants at Nahr al-Bared since May 20. The camp is ringed by hundreds
of soldiers backed by artillery and tanks in place to storm the camp. Fatah
al-Islam has claimed to have between 600-700 fighters with automatic weapons,
mortars and rocket-propelled grenades inside the camp. The Lebanese government
has vowed to crush the militants.
Fighting between the army and militants resumed shortly after sunset Wednesday
at the camp on the outskirts of the port city of Tripoli. Army artillery blasted
militant positions inside the camp to silence the source of fire. There was no
immediate word on casualties. Several Fatah al-Islam suspects have been arrested
in army raids on apartments in Tripoli in the past two weeks. It was not clear
where the 20 militants -- including 18 Lebanese, a nonnative Lebanese and a
Syrian -- were arrested.
All were charged with committing terrorist acts that resulted in the deaths of
soldiers and civilians, the officials said. The charges against them also
include forming a gang with the aim of committing crimes against the people and
undermining state authority. All 20 are in custody and if convicted, they could
face the death penalty.(Naharnet-AP) Beirut, 31 May 07, 10:35
U.N. Probe Commission
Collecting Samples from Saudi Arabia
The U.N. commission investigating ex-Premier Rafik Hariri's assassination was on
Thursday reportedly collecting water and soil samples from Saudi Arabia's Zalim
area. An Nahar newspaper said that the Saudi al-Watan daily has reported that a
team of investigators collected the samples on Monday from Zalim which is about
250 kilometers northeast of Taef city. Al-Watan also said that the team, made of
Saudi specialists as well as German, Canadian and Egyptian geological experts,
had already began work in Zalim and will take samples from three other regions
in the country.
The Saudi daily quoted Saudi Interior Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen Mansour al-Turki
as saying the team's work was "part of the kingdom's cooperation with
international resolutions' requirements as well as to back the commission's
efforts in finding the culprit or culprits" in Hariri's murder. A Saudi security
source also told al-Watan that the panel's collection of samples "does not mean
that it is suspecting any Saudi citizen" of involvement in Hariri's killing, but
that its work could help in identifying the suspected suicide bomber. Chief U.N.
investigator Serge Brammertz said in the commission's seventh report on March
that DNA tests of body parts in the blast scene revealed that the suicide truck
bomber did not spend his youth in Lebanon and arrived in the country two or
three months before his death. The report said that "the man had significant
exposure to lead pollution in an urban environment up to the age of about 12,
and that such exposure was low during the last ten years of his life, possibly
indicating that he lived in a more rural environment during this
period."Brammertz also wrote that "the commission has collected a total of 112
samples from 28 locations in Syria and Lebanon. Over the coming weeks, it will
collect samples in three other countries in the region, and further countries
are identified for another series of sampling missions."(AP photo shows a man in
front of a poster showing the scene of the bomb which killed Hariri) Beirut, 31
May 07, 10:01
Syria: Establishing Court
Could Worsen Lebanon Situation
Syria said the U.N. Security Council vote to establish an international tribunal
to try suspects in the murder of ex-Premier Rafik Hariri was a violation to
Lebanese sovereignty and could worsen the country's situation. "Syria's position
regarding the special tribunal on Lebanon has not changed," said the state-run
news agency, SANA. "Setting up the court under Chapter 7 (of the U.N. Charter)
violates Lebanese sovereignty and could result in further deterioration of the
situation on the Lebanese arena," SANA said. A U.N. commission investigating
Hariri's murder and related crimes has implicated senior Lebanese and Syrian
security officials.
Syria denied involvement in Hariri's killing, but was forced to withdraw its
troops from Lebanon, ending its 29-year domination of it smaller neighbor.
Syria's U.N. Ambassador Bashar Ja'afari criticized the resolution. "Definitely
this is something that goes against the interests of the Lebanese people and
Lebanon as a whole," he told reporters after the vote.
But Lebanon's acting Foreign Minister Tarek Mitri, who spoke in the council
after the vote, told reporters "going the road of justice does not mean going
the road of division." "I think all Lebanese seek justice," he said. "I think
the Lebanese should rebuild their national consensus -- a national consensus
that has always existed as far as this tribunal is concerned."(Naharnet-AP)
Beirut, 31 May 07, 11:37
France, Britain: 1757 Reveals
There Shall Be No Impunity for Killers
France and Britain have hailed a U.N. vote to set up the international tribunal
that would try ex-Premier Rafik Hariri's suspected assassins, saying the
resolution shows that there will be no impunity for murderers. "I welcome the
adoption today by the United Nations Security Council of resolution 1757 on the
establishment of an international tribunal for Lebanon," French Foreign Minister
Bernard Kouchner said in a statement.
"In line with the wishes of the Lebanese people, of all sides and all religious
beliefs, there will be no impunity" for Hariri's killers, he said.
"This shows the will of the international community to reinforce the stability
of Lebanon," he added, saying the Security Council had "fulfilled its
responsibilities faced with the institutional dead end in Lebanon." The
resolution voted on by the 15-member council was sponsored by the United States,
Britain, France, Belgium, Slovakia and Italy and brought in at the request of
Premier Fouad Saniora. "By adopting this resolution, the Security Council has
demonstrated its support for the government of Lebanon and its commitment to the
principle that there shall be no impunity for political assassinations, in
Lebanon or elsewhere," British Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett said in a
statement. "The tribunal has been a politically sensitive issue. I hope that all
parties in Lebanon will now be able to move forward to establish a broad-based
government that can make decisions on the basis of consensus," she
said.(AFP-Naharnet) Beirut, 31 May 07, 10:24
Hariri Supporters Dance in
Streets After U.N. OKs Tribunal
Fireworks lit up the night sky above Beirut and supporters of assassinated
former Premier Rafik Hariri poured into the streets, dancing and cheering, the
moment the U.N. Security Council approved an international tribunal to prosecute
their slain leader's suspected killers. They also lit candles before the U.N.
Security Council's voting on the resolution late Wednesday. On Thursday, Hariri
followers were out on the streets, handing out white roses and candy with a
label reading "justice."
Meanwhile, Hariri's son, Saad, choking back tears, said in a televised statement
shortly after the U.N. Security Council voted to unilaterally establish the
tribunal that the U.N. resolution was a turning point in Lebanon that would
protect the country from further assassinations.
He called it a "victory the world has given to oppressed Lebanon and a victory
for an oppressed Lebanon in the world." The vote on Resolution 1757 at around 11
p.m. Wednesday was 10-0 with five abstentions -- Russia, China, South Africa,
Indonesia and Qatar. That was one more than the nine votes needed for passage.
The five countries that abstained objected to establishing the tribunal without
approval of Lebanon's parliament and to putting the resolution under Chapter 7
of the U.N. Charter which deals with threats to international peace and allows
militarily enforcement. But none opposed the tribunal itself.
As Russia's U.N. Ambassador Vitaly Churkin said, Moscow "has been consistently
advocating" that Hariri's killers "need to be brought to justice." But "given
the deep rift in Lebanese society ... that should not lead to negative
consequences," he said. The resolution, Churkin said, "essentially is an
encroachment upon the sovereignty of Lebanon." China's U.N. Ambassador Wang
Guangya said "we are all united in doing justice to those who have committed
political assassination in Lebanon."
But he warned that only a tribunal supported by all Lebanese factions can be
effective.
The council's move "will give rise to a series of political and legal problems,
likely to add to the uncertainties embedded in the already turbulent political
and security and situation in Lebanon," Wang said. A massive suicide truck bomb
in Beirut killed Hariri and 22 others in February 2005. The first U.N. chief
investigator, Germany's Detlev Mehlis, said the complexity of the assassination
suggested Syrian and Lebanese intelligence services played a role. Four Lebanese
generals, top pro-Syrian security chiefs, have been under arrest for 20 months,
accused of involvement.
The issue of the tribunal has sharply polarized Lebanon. It is at the core of a
deep political crisis between Prime Minister Fouad Saniora's government and the
Syrian-backed opposition led by Hizbullah. The tensions have taken on an
increasingly sectarian tone and have erupted into street battles in recent
months, killing 11 people.
Saniora asked the Security Council earlier this month to establish the tribunal.
He cited the refusal of opposition-aligned Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri to
convene a session to ratify statutes to create the tribunal, already approved by
his government and the United Nations.
The resolution gives the Lebanese parliament a last chance to establish the
tribunal itself. If it does not act by June 10, the U.N.-Lebanon agreement will
"enter into force," creating a tribunal outside Lebanon with a majority of
international judges and an international prosecutor.
The tribunal will be established under Chapter 7, which the U.S., Britain,
France and other resolution supporters insisted was essential to make it
binding, as Saniora wanted. The Russians, Chinese, South Africans, Indonesians
and Qataris objected, saying Chapter 7 is unnecessary because all Security
Council resolutions are legally binding.(Naharnet-AP) Beirut, 31 May 07, 07:32
Emotional Saad Hariri Urges
Lebanese to Join Hands
Legislator Saad Hariri welcomed the U.N. vote on Wednesday to set up the
international tribunal that would try ex-Premier Rafik Hariri's suspected
assassins.
"Let's all join hands in defending the international tribunal ... as an
opportunity for all Lebanese to unite," said Hariri, in a televised statement.
"Enough is enough with division ... Let's join hands to serve the interests of
our nation," he said, addressing the Hizbullah-led opposition which was against
the U.N. Security Council vote. "This tribunal is for all Lebanon ... putting an
end to the criminal terror intimidating Lebanon," said Hariri choking back
tears. "We are seeking justice to hold to account the perpetrators." Seconds
after the vote, watched on satellite television, celebratory gunfire was heard
as Hariri's supporters gathered at the downtown graveside of the former premier
near Al Amin mosque. Saad Hariri also headed to his father's graveside where he
lit a candle and put a rose.
Premier Fouad Saniora, also on local television stations, said the trial for the
murder of Hariri that has been widely blamed on Syria would allow for "the
truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth" to be revealed. It is not
directed "against sister Syria," he insisted. Saniora also urged the Lebanese to
join hands and overcome their differences after the vote in New York. "Lebanon
is not the homeland of any party, group, sect, or religion, it is the country of
all Lebanese," Saniora said.(AFP-Naharnet) Beirut, 30 May 07, 23:37
G8 Backs 'Legitimate'
Lebanese Government
Foreign ministers from the Group of Eight most industrialized countries have
pledged their "unlimited" support for Premier Fouad Saniora's government.
In the final communique after a day-long meeting in Potsdam Wednesday, the G8
ministers also called on the region's countries, including Syria, to stop
interfering in Lebanon's internal affairs. "The G8 gives its unlimited support
to the legitimate and democratic government of Lebanon and strongly calls for a
rapid solution to the current political standstill and to make progress towards
national reconciliation," the statement said. The G8 ministers also supported
the establishment of the international tribunal that would try ex-Premier Rafik
Hariri's suspected assassins. The court is at the heart of a political crisis
that has paralyzed the Lebanese government for months.
The U.N. Security Council voted on Wednesday to set up the tribunal. The G8
meeting was aimed at preparing for next week's summit hosted by the G8 current
president, Germany, in Heiligendamm on the Baltic coast. The leaders of Britain,
Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia and the United States will attend
the summit.(AFP-Naharnet) (AFP photo shows US Secretary of State Condoleezza
Rice waving as she is welcomed by German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter
Steinmeier prior to the G8 Meeting of Foreign Ministers in Potsdam) Beirut, 31
May 07, 08:49
Supporting the Democratic Opposition in Syria
By Joseph Puder
FrontPageMagazine.com | May 31, 2007
It is rather amazing how little effort the U.S. administration seems to have
expended in probing the existence of a significant opposition to Bashar Assad,
the Baathist dictator of Syria. If the State Department, through the U.S.
embassy in Damascus, has in fact discovered an opposition group, it certainly
has not briefed reporters on this matter. And recent contacts by U.S. government
representatives with their Syrian counterparts are serving to bolster the Syrian
dictatorship rather than the opposition that most certainly exists within Syria.
In a frank conversation with Sherkoh Abbas, president of the Kurdistan National
Assembly-Syria (KNA-S), Mr. Abbas made distinct observations about U.S. policy
towards Syria and emphasized the weakness of the Assad minority regime. He also
described the KNA-S vision for the future democratic Syria.
Joseph Puder: Mr. Abbas, please describe the nature of the Syrian opposition and
why it has a chance to mobilize the Syrian nation?
Sherkoh Abbas: “First let me describe KNA-S. It is an umbrella organization for
the Kurdish political parties, NGO’s, human rights organizations, and
independent citizens from the Kurdish region of Syria.
The Syrian opposition consists of three types: the first is the classical
opposition represented by Muslim Brotherhood. It is Islamist in nature and Arab
in orientation. The second group is a Baath party derivative, and it is
represented by people who spent their careers serving the Assad regime, and now
found themselves out of favor. One such figure is former Vice President Khaddam.
The Kurdish opposition groups and their allies have become a formidable
opposition, and they represent the third type. In the case of the first two
opposition groups, they either share the regime’s ideology or have been
infiltrated by agents of the regime. The Kurds on the other-hand are the
strongest proponent of democracy and the most serious opposition to the regime.
They view democracy as their salvation from tyranny. The non-Kurdish opposition
making up the first two groups is less of a threat to the regime now.
The Syrian people will support our opposition group because it is inclusive and
addresses issues of human rights, freedom, democracy, national rights, peace,
and economic development. Therefore, a committee of the Syrian opposition groups
that is inclusive and have not been infiltrated must work on mobilization of
public opinion based on a democratic and inclusive Syria. The Kurdistan National
Assembly – Syria (KNA-S) is working to mobilize Syrians from the entire spectrum
of Syrian society: Kurds, Druze, Alawaite, Christians, Sunni Moderates, etc.
and, we have laid the foundation for a true democratic and inclusive opposition
that has the confidence of the Syrian masses.
Progress is slow however, due to financial limitations and lack of support from
the international community, but we are determined to succeed because we are
pursuing a democratic program where all Syrians will be winners. It is a
"win-win" policy instead of current "win-lose" policy.”
JP: Is the state of the Syrian economy a factor in the weakness of the Bashar
Assad’s regime?
SA: “The weakness of the Syrian economy may play a role depending on other
supporting factors. It can play a role if the international community supports
the opposition by issuing tough sanctions, and seek to remove the legitimacy
from the current regime by implementing travel bans on the regime's officials.
The Assad regime’s real weakness stems from the lack of public support for it.
The regime uses all means of force and authority to maintain itself by using
brutal methods such as murder, imprisonment, and torture. Simply put, the regime
has been using terrorism to cling to power. This cruel mentality is widespread
throughout the Middle East. In Syria's case, an economic embargo alone will not
work, just as it did not in Saddam Hussein’s case. The international community
needs to impose effective sanctions that coincide with full support of the
opposition, and the removal of legitimacy from the regime.
Syria’s centralized economy will help bring down the regime in the same way the
Eastern
European regimes fell in the 1990’s. The Syrian regime uses creative ways to
survive, employing the black-market, corruptions, drug profiting, and assistance
from enemies of the US such as Iran, China and Russia, to maintain its
existence. Recently, the Assad regime managed to convince some Gulf States to
invest in its economy. I am sure that the lack of a clear pro-democracy policy
by US and the west, helped lure many of the Gulf States investments to Syria.”
JP: Why do you think that the current U.S. policy towards Syria is wrong?
SA: “The U.S. erred when it changed and softened its policy towards Syria. The
Assad regime sensed that and it became more radical. It increased its support
for terrorist organizations, strengthened its relationship with Iran, and has
worked openly against U.S. interests in the region. The regime in Damascus
realized that the U.S. is not committed to regime change. The absence of western
support for the democratic opposition in Syria further emboldened the Assad
regime. Today, the results of American inaction towards Syria is visible in
southern Lebanon, Iraq, and Palestine. Iran too is more defiant towards the
America and the west. The Syrian regime managed to outmaneuver the U.S. State
Department.”
JP: What is your vision for Syria’s future?
SA: “I envision a federal republic of Syria that is multi-ethnic,
multi-cultural, and multi-religious in nature, where democracy, human rights,
freedom, a free market economy and peace reigns. We are seeking to make Syria a
secular society where to be Muslim or Christian is a personal choice. Syria
occupies an important position in the Middle East by virtue of its proximity to
Europe, and because it serves as a bridge between Africa, Asia, and Europe. A
democratic Syria will also contribute to stability in the region especially with
regard to Lebanon, Israel-Palestine and Iraq.
A democratic Syria would prevent the Golan Heights from becoming the next front
in a Syria/Hezbollah war against Israel - similar to what happened in southern
Lebanon last year. The current regime in Damascus has ‘imported’ around 100,000
new ‘Syrian citizens’ from Iran who are poised to undermine the countries of the
region including Sunni-Muslim Jordan, Sunni-led Lebanon and Israel. Only a
democratic Syria has the potential for a ‘win-win’ formula that would bring a
lasting peace and mutual recognition between Syria and Israel.”
President George W. Bush may be remembered as the president who brought
democracy to the Middle East instead of being identified with the Iraqi
quagmire. For his legacy to become a reality; he must not be paralyzed by fear
of additional criticism over involving the U.S. in confronting Iran, or
supporting the democratic opposition in Syria. He must learn from President
Harry Truman that in the end, one must do what is right.
Rescue Government for Whom?!
Hassan Haydar Al-Hayat - 31/05/07//
The opponents of the international tribunal, whether those afraid of it or those
sympathized with them willingly or unwillingly, will never run out of
suggestions, even after the court is adopted by the Security Council under
Chapter VII. They will come out every now and then with a proposal and fabricate
a political or security complexities whose aim, first and foremost, is to
prevent this tribunal from becoming a legal international shield that protects
Lebanon from cross-border oppression, ends the cycle of 'fraternal' and regional
abuse of Lebanon, deprives the country of its attractive characteristics: 'mine'
and 'arena', and allows its people to live normally in their country without
sleeping cells or latent sedition and without 'ready-made' and 'on-demand'
organizations and parties spawned on their land.
President Emile Lahoud's proposal to form a 'rescue' government is part of this
approach, especially that he linked it to his call on the Security Council to
extend the 10-day respite to start implementing its new decision, like the
two-month ultimatum requested by Qatar's UN ambassador and possibly in
coordination with him, and to reconsider the tribunal's statute to take into
account the opposition's remarks.
Perhaps the president is expecting developments that he has never disclosed, so
as to finish his term without the election of a successor being made possible or
justify his formation of another government that further deepens the division
and throws the country into fatal duality that will affect the remaining
institutions. Security services, including the army, which has so far managed to
remain neutral, may not be able to avoid such duality.
If the president, the extension of whose term marks the beginning of the current
division, really wants to save the country, why does he wait until the date of
his departure in order to 'obey his conscience' before the master of Bkerke? Why
did not he listen to the advice of Patriarch Sfeir more than a year ago to step
down and spare the country further fragmentation? What is the difference between
the government of poles he is advocating today and the negotiating table, which
was held before the summer war and attended by representatives of the political
communities themselves? Back then, they reached understandings about the
relationship with Syria, the defense policy and the Palestinian weapons, but
these understandings did not last long, because the president's friends were
also expecting developments they knew would torpedo the dialogue and its
results.
The only difference is the endorsement of the tribunal in the Security Council
and turning the file of assassinations and bombings into an international case
in which the accused will be put to international justice after being a
controversial issue debated by the Lebanese for a long time.
Therefore, the party Lahoud's proposal seeks to save is the staunch ally, who
has extended his term and who considers the tribunal "a threat to his national
security".
Up till now, Lebanon, the government and the army, managed to contain the
explosion caused by Fatah al-Islam and its grave repercussions. It managed,
through diplomacy and firmness, to separate this mine from the file of the
Palestinian camps so as not to turn into an excuse for any one.
Signs of this trend could be traced in Hezbollah's position on the ongoing
treatment, but the real success must be in preventing the explosion of the other
mines that are manifested in statements here or there.It is a race between
justice and the convicts
The Mediators
31/05/2007
Mshari Al-Zaydi
A Saudi journalist and expert on Islamic movements and Islamic fundamentalism as
well as Saudi affairs. Mshari is Asharq Al-Awsat’s opinion page Editor, where he
also contributes a weekly column. Has worked for the local Saudi press occupying
several posts at Al -Madina newspaper amongst others. He has been a guest on
numerous news and current affairs programs as an expert on Islamic extremism.
As evident to all those who are concerned about what is happening in northern
Lebanon today, the approach of tackling this issue should diffe¬r to the
stereotypical equation that is subject to the balances and limits of the
domestic political game in Lebanon.
As mentioned previously, each of the Lebanese opponents had sought to hurl the
burning ball of “Fatah Al-Islam” into the others court. Lahoud is enquiring
innocently about who actuates this group and stated that the aim behind
mobilizing it at this time and causing the Palestinian camp to burn is to impose
settlement [of the Palestinians in Lebanon], an idea that he contemptuously
rejected at the Beirut summit. This practically means that he is accusing the
other camp of treachery by serving Israeli and American interests as they are
proceeding with the settlement agenda whether they sense it or not.
Team Hezbollah and its affiliates, some of which hinted that the Al Mustaqbal
channel and Saad Hariri were reckless in dealing with the Dhinniyyah group, do
not fail to remind us of Israel’s role. This group challenged the army in 2000
and some of its members were arrested. Hezbollah reminds us that the Al
Mustaqbal channel had decreased the number of Dhinniyyah detainees and finally
instigated their release. This fact has been reiterated again and again by Emile
Lahoud over the past few days. He demanded severe imprisonment and asserted that
whoever is imprisoned after being proven guilty should not be released before
serving the full sentence. This is despite that Lahoud himself was bitter
towards the lengthy imprisonment of the four generals (Jameel Al Sayyed and his
companions).
With regards to Syria, there is no doubt that “Fatah al Islam”, at least at its
beginning stage, was closely linked to the Syrian regime whether through the
organization's overflow of Arab fighters in Iraq who stayed in Syria or were
stuck there, or through the misuse of the fundamentalist movement (as they see
it) and transforming it into a source of chaos and sabotage that could be used
later to penetrate religiously the Sunni north, especially the Salafist current.
This is because the Syrian regime was able to penetrate the Muslim Brotherhood
movement through the Islamic Action Front that was established by the leader of
the Muslim Brotherhood, Sheikh Tarablosi through Fathi Yakan who formed the
Islamic Action Front and used it to support the Syrian party in Lebanon against
the March 14 Movement. It is true that Bilal Shaaban, son of Said Shaaban and
founder of the famous Tawhid al Islami party that dominated Tripoli for a while
during the civil war, is now on Syria's side. The same applies to Hashem Minqara,
however the wider trend of Salafists, led by Daii al Islam al Shahal, do not
support Syria, in fact, they hold an inherent enmity towards Syria because of
its repressive policies towards them during the era of the Syrian mandate.
But all this talk, after the eruption of the battle at Nahr al-Bared, is now
history and now we have a new reality. This reality states that this group works
in accordance with the rules that govern Al Qaeda in Lebanon such as attacking
the “renegade” or “crusader” Arab countries such as Lebanon according to
fundamentalist definitions. Striking these systems, launching movements of
political chaos that create disorder in existing structures, and which are
exploited by fundamentalist military organizations in order to have more impact
on the ground, recruitment websites and rejecting the dominance of the central
state make the chaotic environment in which the authority of the state has been
destroyed the appropriate environment for the work of “jihadist” groups.
Therefore we must be very careful. The Al Qaeda movement (according to the
previous definition) is the movement that is currently operating in Lebanon. Let
us divert away from the internal Lebanese political talk to see the issue as it
actually is.
Al Qaeda and its “methodology”, and what it does in each arena, the similar
interaction that it presents in all fields regarding political and media work
despite the country in which it operates, all reminded me of something. With
frequent talk concerning mediators in Lebanon between “Al Qaeda’s Fatah al
Islam” and the Lebanese army, I remembered the mediation issue, which we
experienced a while ago with the Al Qaeda movement in Saudi Arabia and whose
activities we had seen in Kuwait. Those mediators seek to pass on messages and
concerns from the organization to the state and vice versa.
The nature of the role of mediator requires that the mediator is not bias
towards any party and is acceptable to both sides. On occasion, mediation is
rejected at first by governments because this would mean that the two parties
are equal whereas the true picture is that on one hand there is the state and on
the other hand there are rebels or outlaws. There is no equality between both
parties however, as usual, in the end, and with the prolonging and complexity of
the battle, the need for mediators is emphasized, and perhaps that is not
well-known.
Mediators of terrorism have increased in recent years in more than one Arab
arena. In Saudi Arabia, many Saudi Islamists have offered to act as
intermediaries between Al Qaeda and the government and this even led to wanted
Al Qaeda criminals surrendering themselves such as Ali al Fuqasi who surrendered
himself to Sheikh Safar al Hawali who in turn handed him over to security
forces.
These attempts to mediate have not been fruitless or without a political or
ideological cloak to cover it, as it is not mediation that is devoid of the
political cloak. We recall how one Saudi Islamist cleric who was mediating
expressly stated that he discovered that the cause of extremism among Saudi
youth and the reason behind them choosing “Al Qaeda” is due to the “forbidden
acts” and religious violations within the state, for example the decision to
merge the institution for female education into the larger Ministry of Education
[formerly, separating its practices based on gender segregation]. In addition,
another reason for these young people turning towards terrorism lies in the
media criticism directed against the ideology. For the sake of efficient
mediation, the cleric called upon critics to stop writing against terrorist
ideologies and called for the state to retract its decision to merge the
institution for female education into the Ministry of Education; in addition to
other fundamentalist demands.
ِAfter some time, the mediation “trend” had stopped and Al Qaeda members and
leaders, such as Saleh al Oufi, did not approve of such intermediaries and
mocked the sheikhs of mediation in his magazine, “Voice of Jihad”.
The same thing happened in Kuwait regarding the ‘Peninsula Lions’ (Asood
Aljazeera) movement. Some Islamists offered to intervene between Al Qaeda and
the government, such as Sheikh Tariq al Tawari but due to the decrease of
terrorist cells and the speed with which they were countered, the need for such
efforts diminished.
In Lebanon today, some parties have offered their services as mediators, such as
Syria’s friend in Lebanon and Muslim Brotherhood member, Fathi Yakan. Although
the Lebanese army denied this claim, Yakan himself confirmed it at one point
then denied it at another. Among the individuals who had offered to mediate was
Sheikh Mohamed Al-Hajj, a member of the Association of Scholars of Palestine in
Lebanon. He stressed that mediation started some time ago before the battle of
Nahr al-Bared, with the emergence of the Fatah al Islam phenomenon. The aim of
this mediation was to ensure the safety of Arab combatants, other than
Palestinians and Lebanese fighters, in the ranks of the group (such as the Saudi
and North African fighters for example).
The problem with many of these mediations is that they are costly and that they
are conditioned to succeed where weapons failed. In such case, we are faced with
a real dilemma. No one wants war, no one wants young men who join these
organizations to die, who perhaps would remove themselves [from these
organizations] if they find a suitable opportunity to do so. But how can the
prestige of the state be preserved, how can peace be guaranteed and how do we
close the door to the spread of militias and movements and how can we ensure
that the terrorist threat is once and for all laid to rest? In other words, how
do we give terrorists a victory that they failed to achieve through the use of
arms but finally achieved with the use of intermediaries?!
The issue becomes more complicated with regards to the Nahr al-Bared
confrontations, as in this case, we face an extra dilemma which is how to ensure
the safety of women, children and innocent residents of the camp whilst not
allowing terrorists to exploit this concern?
Mediation and mediators are present in the crisis. Perhaps they would be useful
if the issue was confined to technical demands or to ensure wellbeing only and
so on. These mediators become more harmful than those who bear arms if they
accept the demands of armed groups even mildly.
Thus from amongst the congestion of mediators, we must distinguish between
politicized mediation and completely humanitarian mediation so that the former
would never be repeated in the Al Qaeda conflict with Saudi Arabia and Kuwait.
This is just a reminder