LCCC NEWS BULLETIN
June 8/2006
Below News From the Daily Star for
8/6/06
Beirut talks get down to thorniest issues
Erdogan implores Siniora to find Hariri's killers
Brammertz releases Hariri blast site for repairs
Women's groups want more House seats
Higher Shiite Council: Israelis prove need for
resistance
Nasrallah wants to keep others' hands off his arms
Watchdog panel says LBC broke law by poking fun at Nasrallah
Shiite scholars call for unity with Sunnis
Lebanese don't have to look abroad to explain
problems at home
Lebanese ration power after Syria cuts off supplies
Tripoli's Karami complex may get new lease on life
EDL announces greater summer rationing
Conference looks at root causes of sectarian strife
Below News From miscellaneous
sources for 8/06/06
Lebanon "mass grave" was 17th-century cemetery-Reuters AlertNet
UNIFIL: Hezbollah border posts destroyed-United
Press International
Give 'em More Rope-American Thinker
Hezbollah - A Possible Tool in The Service of Iran-NewsBlaze
A look at the leader of Hezbollah-Pierceland
Herald
Syria issues arrest warrant against critic-Aljazeera.net
US oil firms eeks pulloution from Syria-Middle East Newsline
Marathon Leaving Syria, Fears US Sanctions-Arutz Sheva
Karami Says First Priority of New Front is Toppling Government-Naharnet
Syrian writer jailed for insulting President Assad-Jerusalem Post
UNIFIL: Hezbollah border posts destroyed
BEIRUT, Lebanon, June 7 (UPI) -- The commander of UNIFIL in south Lebanon said
Lebanon asked for a cease-fire with Israel on May 21 to stop fierce clashes with
Hezbollah. Gen. Alan Pelligrini was quoted in Beirut's daily Al-Mustaqbal
Wednesday as saying Israel destroyed most of Hezbollah's border positions in
raids and cross-border fighting that went on for hours on that day. The clashes,
which were described as the most serious since Israel pulled out from south
Lebanon in May 2000, were sparked by rockets fired at Israel from Lebanon. The
rocket attack on May 21 came 48 hours after an Islamic Jihad official and his
brother were killed in an explosion in the south Lebanese city of Sidon, which
the Palestinians and Hezbollah blamed on Israeli agents. Pelligrini said "the
identity of those who fired the rockets at north Israel is unknown, although
Palestinian fingerprints are very obvious."
"The attack, also, would not have happened without flexibility by Hezbollah if
not its consent," Pelligrini added.
He said the Lebanese side contacted the commander of the U.N. peacekeepers known
as UNIFIL, to arrange a cease-fire with Israel. "We have arranged a cease-fire
without conditions although the Israelis said they will stop fire when Hezbollah
stops it," he said. Pelligrini said three UNIFIL positions were hit by the
Israeli bombardment, due to their proximity to certain Hezbollah positions.
"There are Hezbollah positions and observation posts just a few meters from our
positions and this exposed the security of our troops to danger," Pelligrini
said. Pelligrini also noted that most of Hezbollah's positions and observation
points along the Blue Line demarcating the Lebanese-Israeli border were
destroyed during the confrontation. He asked Hezbollah and the Lebanese state
not to rebuild the posts near UNIFIL positions "in order to protect themselves,
because this is unacceptable and the security of our troops is a priority."
Give ‘em More Rope
June 6th, 2006
One thing can be said for Iranians – they’ve sure come up with a novel method of
running a secret nuclear program.
The U.S. ran the Manhattan Project (more in hope than execution, it turned out)
as one of the most secret programs of the Second World War. The USSR’s first
bomb test in 1949 might have remained hidden if the U.S. hadn’t detected
radioactive debris over the Bering Strait. Israel played its program so close
the vest that no one is quite certain when the threshold was breached. Even
North Korea has been very circumspect with any detailed information concerning
weapons.
But not Iran. The Iranians have done everything but put up a billboard on Times
Square with a mushroom cloud on it. They may silkily insist they’re interested
only in power reactors, but the accompanying threats, missile tests, and leave
little doubt as to actual intentions.
Iran’s game
Over the past few weeks the Iranians have shelled a Kurdish camp across the
Iraqi border, sent a condescending (not to mention insulting) letter to the
White House, proposed a totalitarian Islamic dress code for the country (and at
least debating—something they have not denied—requiring Jews and others to wear
colored insignia) and tested yet another Shahab-3 missile, a weapon that in
media stories always features as part of its name, “capable of reaching Israel.”
Even as these words were being typed, news came of 100 Iranians who “pledged
themselves as suicide bombers” in case of war. (We’ll make apoint of checking
back on that number after things get hot.)
Despite appearances Iran is not actually seeking a war. They are in no position
to fight one. Their last actual combat in 1988, which I have just now christened
the Lower Gulf War, ended with much of their naval forces sunk or crippled and
the U.S. Navy in absolute control of the Persian Gulf, a situation that it has
maintained to this day. The Iranian Army put in a wretched performance during
the Iran-Iraq War and has not improved since.
As for the superweapons they’ve been boasting about – the underwater rocket
torpedo of incredible speed and the totally stealthed missile—such devices may
be theoretically possible (the underwater jobbie apparently rides on a cushion
of its own air bubbles, reducing friction to a minimum), but not by way of the
Islamic Republic.
Which leaves Hezbollah, always brought up in hushed tones as the real Iranian
secret weapon, despite the fact that the organization has accomplished nothing
apart from bothering the Israelis for the past twenty years. The assumption
appears to be that the U.S. has no defense against terrorists, despite the fact
that last two men to put that belief into practice are currently on the run in
Iraq and living in a cave in Waziristan, respectively. In addition, Hezbollah’s
leaders have dismissed any thought of coming to Iran’s aid, on the grounds that
“Iran can take care of itself.” Hezbollah will go on, said Hezbollah leader
Sheik Kassem, “Whether Iran is there or not.” Not a very encouraging thought for
the ayatollahs.
So what are they up to? Readers of this site will not be unaware of the
contention that the entire business is a bluff, one designed to repel
international interference until a nuclear weapon is in hand and Iran can move
up a weight class into regional superpower status. But recent developments have
raised yet another possibility: Iran may also be hoping to deliver a stinging
humiliation to the U.S. without a shot being fired.
Two models
Much of the Iranian campaign is patterned after the successful North Korean
shell game, with its tantrums, walkouts, and negotiating ploys. But the Iranians
have added a number of variations of their own, among them the series of direct
threats and the strange behavior of their president (It’s as if Ahmadinejad was
trying to outpsycho Kim Jong-Il – the mind boggles.) North Korea tended to be
low-key in its threats, and Kim did not deign to write to anybody.
But North Korea is not the only model. Iran’s actions strongly resemble those of
another state that attempted to play the WMD card: Saddam Hussein’s Iraq. During
the buildup to the Iraq War, along with the same style of catch-me-if-you-can
diplomatic games, Saddam was also in the habit of tossing threats in the
direction of Israel and lobbing the occasional SAM missile at passing Coalition
jets, which helped keep the pot boiling merrily.
Granted, some skepticism may be warranted, considering Saddam’s current
situation. But look at it from the Iranian point of view: despite being
virtually isolated from the international system, Saddam succeeded in
undermining the sanctions regime, circumventing UN oversight, buying off a still
unknown but large number of UN and European diplomats, seriously shaking the
Coalition’s foundations, peeling off at least one crucial U.S. ally – that is,
Turkey—and more than once creating at least the illusion that any potential
attack was more trouble than it was worth. And this was accomplished by one of
the most despised rulers in the world. No doubt the ayatollahs think they can do
better.
Particularly since the underlying situation differs so drastically from 2002. At
that time, the U.S. was working with a deep ( though not as deep as hoped, or
deserved) reservoir of sympathy over 9/11. It was coming off the surprisingly
easy overthrow of the Taliban regime. Sympathetic center right governments were
in power across much of Europe.
Iran wants an American offensive
Much has changed, in large part due to distorted perceptions of the Iraq War. To
move against Iran today, the U.S. would very likely have to act almost alone,
fighting the open hostility of many allies, in a world in which anti-Americanism
has returned to its historical peak. It would be an uphill battle against an
under-the-table program of Iranian oil bribes, potential mischief from people
like Morales and Chavez, open hostility from the Muslim world, and interference
from both the EU and the UN. It’s just possible, under those circumstances, to
entertain a vision of the U.S. forced to back down, of a historic humiliation at
the hands of the Islamic Republic.
To bring this off, the Iranians require a confrontation. A statement or action
that can be plausibly portrayed as an American threat to the peace. Viewed in
light of this scenario, recent Iranian activities fall into line – the constant
drumbeat of threats, the attacks on groups under American protection, even
Ahmadenijad’s famous letter, which can be seen as an attempt to persuade
interested onlookers (i.e., Europe) that Iran is truly interested in a
negotiated settlement.
Rash action by the U.S. would turn attention away from Iran, and rally
international opponents in Europe, the Muslim world, and the UN. If Israel could
be dragged in, so much the better. With the U.S. entangled, a deal – midwifed by
some useless European state—could be offered, one that would require only
cosmetic compliance while allowing the ayatollahs to keep whatever capabilities
they wished. It really wouldn’t matter whether the U.S. accepted it or not.
As a bonus, the exterior threat might well pull together the fractious ethnic
factions within Iran, solving, for the moment, the ayatollah’s internal domestic
problems.
The advantages of sitting tight
But what happens if the U.S. won’t play? That puts Iran into a bind. They’ll
have to keep upping the ante with more and more bizarre actions and statements.
After awhile these will tend to grow less than convincing – the letter, the
uranium dancers – even embarrassing, rendering it difficult for anyone to take
the Iranian government seriously, much less offer it anything in the way of
support.
Considering that it’s several years before a working nuke can be produced, the
lengths to which Ahmadinejad and his keepers may be forced take the breath away.
It’ll be well worth waiting for.
This takes Iranian behavior out of the realm of the grotesque into the rational,
and thus plausible. And if that’s the case, the U.S. is pursuing the best
possible strategy – say little, and that tempered by sheer diplomacy. Let the
Iranians hang. Keep them guessing. Make them offers (such as the recent U.S.
offer to join the EU 3 talks) that they can’t help but reject, and look theworse
for rejecting. Give Iranian labor, student, and ethnic unrest, which has been
seriously under-covered in the Western media, time to work.
If the U.S. is not sweating, we can be sure the Iranians are. They have no idea
what we have planned, and so can’t counteract it. As it stands, they’re
pressuring themselves, which is the way we want it. We simply need to keep
giving them more rope.
J.R. Dunn is a frequent contributor, and former editor of the International
Military Encyclopedia.
J.R. Dunn
Hezbollah - A Possible Tool in The Service of Iran
By Yoram East
The growing tension along the Israeli-Lebanese border, from Mount Hermon in the
east to the Mediterranean Sea in the west, is caused by the powerful Lebanese
organization and militia - Hezbollah - Party of God, and is directly linked to
the dangerous verbal and political game played by the president of Iran.
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's incitements, which are creating an international crisis,
have many facets. It is not only for the sake of angering the U.S. and to
intimidate Israel that the Iranian president is using a language of threats and
racism.
Iran of 2006 is not as strong as the government in Tehran would like to
demonstrate. The country is plagued by sectarian rivalry, which in some areas
such as along the Iranian-Turkish border, the northern Gulf and the southern
Balochistan region bordering Pakistan, has reached an insurgency level costing
the ayatollahs prestige and even a sense of anxiety. Kurdish insurgents
operating from bases in Iranian Kurdistan and supported by their brethren in
Turkey, initiate daily attacks on the Revolutionary Guard and against the
Iranian military.
Dozens are killed every month close to the Pakistani border and spectacular
attacks continue in the northern Gulf district of Khuzistan where Iranian Arabs,
predominantly Sunnis, are striving to create an independent region to be called
Arabistan. This grim reality is motivating the Iranian president's high-pitched
propaganda speeches while the real leader of Iran, the Supreme Leader and Chief
of State Ayatollah Ali Husseini Khamenei remains for the time being mostly
silent.
Against this backdrop, as Ahmadinejad is preparing for talks with the European
community and probably also with the U.S., he needs to use all of his so-called
strategic cards. One of his Aces is the Lebanese Hezbollah. When the head of the
Shiite militant group, Sheikh Nassarallah, authorizes attacks on Israel, knowing
the IDF will react with artillery or air raids, he also knows that the situation
will be part of Ahmadinejad's bargaining chips since the overall Iranian
political strategy is to include in any negotiation a large variety of topics.
For example, the situation in Iraq, oil supplies, security in the Persian Gulf
and the oldest card held by the Iranians namely, the Hezbollah and its future.
Israel is apparently reacting with caution. The Israelis and the government in
Jerusalem are not impressed anymore by Iranian propaganda or Hezbollah threats.
They know the risks of tolerating more frequent rocket attacks, and even
infiltration raids, but at the same time they are certain that if necessary the
IDF can destroy all of Hezbollah's infrastructures in Lebanon from their TV
studios to their leaders' homes, and they might even go as far as killing them
in a fashion similar to the target killings in the Gaza Strip. Hezbollah leaders
certainly remember very well that such killings were initially used in Lebanon
in the 80s and the 90s.
Of major concern to Israel are not occasional rocket attacks from Lebanon but
rather Hezbollah's attempts to coordinate their moves with Hamas - The Islamic
Movement, with The Islamic Jihad and with the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, in Gaza
or a new ad hoc alliance between Hezbollah and the small but murderous Popular
Front for the Liberation of Palestine General Command of Abu Nidal (PFLP), one
of the last remnants of Palestinian dissident groups supported by Syria with
small bases in Lebanon.
As Ahmadinejad is preparing for almost certain negotiations he will continue to
use his Hezbollah allies whenever needed and in any way he chooses. Israel will
undoubtedly find a way to prove to the Iranian leader that anything he can do
Israel can do a lot better.Copyright © 2006, NewsBlaze, Daily News
A look at the leader of Hezbollah
Staff and agencies
03 June, 2006
By The Associated Press 1 hour, 8 minutes ago
A look at the leader of Hezbollah, Sheik Hassan Nasrallah:
BORN: 1960, in the East Beirut neighborhood of Bourj Hammoud.
CAREER:
_In 1975, the Lebanese civil war forced Nasrallah‘s family to return to their
ancestral home in Bazzouriyeh, a south Lebanese village. Nasrallah joined the
Amal movement, a political and paramilitary organization representing Shiites in
Lebanon. He later moved to Najaf, Iraq , to study at a Shiite seminary.
_In 1982, after the Israeli invasion, Nasrallah left the Amal movement and
helped form Hezbollah.
GOALS: The goals of Nasrallah and his organization are establishment of an
Islamic state in Lebanon and the destruction of Israel . He provides strategic
guidance and direction for the group, including its terrorist wing, the Islamic
Jihad Organization, and its conventional military fighters. Nasrallah has
reshaped Hezbollah from a purely terrorist and military organization to a major
political force in Lebanon, providing social services to the population. © 2006
The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
Syria seeks Khaddam's arrest
Tuesday 06 June
Khaddam has called for the Syrian regime to be toppled
A military prosecutor has issued an arrest warrant against Abdual-Halim Khaddam,
the former Syrian vice-president, for allegedly inciting the United States to
invade Syria, a lawyer has said. Hussam al-Deen Habash said that military
prosecutor Abdul-Razzak Homsi issued the in-absentia arrest warrant against
Khaddam on Monday, and that the warrant was sent to the Interpol office in
Damascus for distribution to all Interpol offices in the world.
Khaddam, a top member of the Syrian ruling elite for nearly 30 years, has lived
in self-exile in France since last year. Members of his family have joined him
there. Khaddam, 73, provoked an outcry in December when he told the Arab
satellite channel, Al-Arabiya, that Bashar al-Assad, the Syrian president, had
threatened Rafiq al-Hariri months before the former Lebanese prime minister was
assassinated in a massive car explosion in Beirut on February 14, 2005.
Khaddam repeated the charge in nearly a dozen television and newspaper
interviews.
Syria accusation
Syria denied the charges, while the Syrian state media denounced Khaddam, and
Syrian legislators called for his trial as a traitor.Khaddam already faces a
summons for himself, his wife and 23 family members - including sons, daughters
and grandchildren - to face questioning about corruption charges in a court in
the northern Syrian town of Banias on June 12.
Habash said he has filed a separate lawsuit against Khaddam for providing
"pretexts" to a foreign country to invade Syria, and for establishing contacts
with Israel. He did not elaborate. After a conference of Syrian opposition
leaders in London, Khaddam on Monday described al-Assad's regime as oppressive
and corrupt, and called for him to be toppled. He urged the Syrian people to
oust al-Assad using acts of civil disobedience.
AP
Prime minister said to be target
By Beth Duff-Brown -ASSOCIATED PRESS
June 7, 2006
BRAMPTON, Ontario -- At least one member of a group of terror suspects plotted
to storm Canada's parliament and behead officials, including the prime minister,
if Muslim prisoners in Canada and Afghanistan were not released, according to
charges made public yesterday.
Authorities also charged that Steven Vikash Chand plotted to take over media
outlets such as the Canadian Broadcasting Corp.
"There's an allegation, apparently, that my client personally indicated that he
wanted to behead the prime minister of Canada," lawyer Gary Batasar said. "It's
a very serious allegation. My client has said nothing about that."
Mr. Chand is a 25-year-old restaurant worker from Toronto. Charges were expected
to be read against at least some of the other suspects yesterday.
Mr. Batasar spoke outside the courthouse, where bail hearings for 10 of the 17
suspects were postponed. He said the charges were based on fearmongering by
government officials.
"It appears to me that whether you're in Ottawa or Toronto or Crawford, Texas,
or Washington, D.C., what is wanting to be instilled in the public is fear," he
said.
The Ontario Court of Justice in Brampton, a small city just west of Toronto,
said Monday that the suspects faced charges including participating in a
terrorist group, importing weapons and planning a bombing. Details of the
charges were not made public until yesterday.
Police expect more arrests, and intelligence officers are probing possible ties
between the Canadian suspects -- 12 men and five teenagers -- and Islamic terror
cells in six nations, including the United States.
A Muslim leader who knew the oldest suspect, 43-year-old Qayyum Abdul Jamal,
said his sermons at a local mosque were "filled with hate" against Canada.
"These youth were very fun-loving guys, soccer-loving guys, and then all of
sudden they were not associating with guys they used to," said Faheem Bukhari, a
director of the Mississauga Muslim Community Center.
He said Mr. Jamal gave hateful, intolerant sermons at a storefront mosque in
Mississauga, a city near Toronto, where six of the suspects lived.
"People around him knew he was very extreme," Mr. Bukhari said, adding that Mr.
Jamal once told "the audience that the Canadian forces were going to Afghanistan
to rape women."
Canada has about 2,300 soldiers in southern Afghanistan to bolster Afghan
reconstruction and combat Taliban militants.
The adult suspects all are charged with one count of participating in a
terrorist group. Three of them also are charged with importing weapons and
ammunition for the purpose of terrorist activity.
Nine face charges of receiving training from a terrorist group, while four are
charged with providing training. Six are charged with intending to cause an
explosion that could cause serious bodily harm or death.
No information was released on the five teenagers who were arrested, owing to
privacy laws that protect minors.
English/Français/Español
The arabic version is attached/ La version en arabe est en pièce jointe
Reporters without borders
Press release
7 June 2006
JOURNALISTS MEMORIAL IN BAYEUX (FRANCE)
Reporters Without Borders asks for help in compiling a list of all journalists
killed around the world since 1944
The town of Bayeux, in Normandy, has decided to build a memorial (with the help
of Reporters Without Borders) to pay tribute to journalists killed while doing
their job.
The memorial, entirely devoted to journalists and press freedom, will be the
first of its kind in Europe. It will feature a landscaped walkway displaying
white stones bearing the names of journalists killed anywhere in the world since
1944.
To build it, Reporters Without Borders seeks the help of all those around the
world who value freedom of the press and opinion to draw up a list of
journalists so killed.
If you know the name of one or more journalists murdered or who died since 1944
in the course of their work, please e-mail all the information you have about
them (name, who they worked for and when and where they died) to us at memorial@rsf.org.
After we have checked their details, their names will be inscribed on the stones
at the memorial.
This appeal is addressed to all journalists, professional associations, trade
unions and non-governmental organisations everywhere and is being sent out in a
dozen languages. Reporters Without Borders hopes you can circulate it widely
among your colleagues and friends.
The Journalists Memorial will be inaugurated in Bayeux on 7 October 2006.
_________________________________
MÉMORIAL DES REPORTERS À BAYEUX (FRANCE)
Reporters sans frontières fait appel à la mémoire de chacun pour établir la
liste des journalistes tués dans le monde depuis 1944
La ville de Bayeux, en Normandie, a choisi d'accueillir, en collaboration avec
Reporters sans frontières, un mémorial pour rendre hommage aux journalistes tués
dans l'exercice de leur fonction.
Ce lieu, entièrement dédié aux reporters et à la liberté de la presse, sera le
premier du genre en Europe. Le site sera constitué d'une promenade paysagère
ponctuée de pierres blanches sur lesquelles seront gravées les noms des
journalistes tués sur la planète depuis 1944.
Afin de mener à bien ce projet, Reporters sans frontières fait aujourd'hui appel
à la mémoire de toutes celles et ceux qui sont attachés à la liberté de la
presse et d'_expression, partout dans le monde, pour établir la liste des
journalistes tués.
Si vous avez connaissance d'un ou de plusieurs noms de journalistes tués ou
décédés depuis 1944 alors qu'ils exerçaient leur métier, prenez contact avec
Reporters sans frontières en envoyant toutes les informations à votre
disposition (nom de la victime, du média qui l'employait, date et lieu du décès)
par email à l'adresse memorial@rsf.org. Après vérification, les noms seront
ajoutés à la liste puis gravés sur l'une des pierres du Mémorial des reporters.
Ce communiqué est adressé aux rédactions, associations professionnelles,
syndicats, organisations non gouvernementales du monde entier. Il est traduit
dans une dizaine de langues. Reporters sans frontières vous remercie de le faire
circuler massivement auprès de vos collègues, confrères et amis.
Le Mémorial des reporters sera inauguré à Bayeux le 7 octobre 2006.
________________________________________________
MEMORIAL DE LOS REPORTEROS EN BAYEUX (FRANCIA)
Reporteros sin Fronteras hace un llamamiento a la memoria de todos para
establecer la lista de periodistas matados en el mundo desde 1944
La ciudad de Bayeux, en Normandía, en colaboración con Reporteros sin Fronteras,
ha decidido acoger un Memorial para rendir homenaje a los periodistas muertos en
el ejercicio de su trabajo.
El lugar, enteramente dedicado a los reporteros y a la libertad de prensa, será
el primero en su género, en Europa. El sitio consistirá en un paseo campestre
puntuado de piedras blancas, en las que irán grabados los nombres de los
periodistas a los que han matado en el planeta, desde 1944.
Con el fin de llevar a cabo el proyecto, Reporteros sin Fronteras hace hoy un
llamamiento a la memoria de todas y todos los que, en todo el mundo, tienen
alguna relación con la libertad de prensa y expresión, para establecer la lista
de los periodistas muertos.
Si usted conoce el nombre de uno o varios periodistas muertos o asesinados
cuando ejercían su oficio, desde 1944, póngase en contacto con Reporteros sin
Fronteras enviando toda la información de que disponga (nombre de la víctima,
del medio de comunicación en que trabajaba, fecha y lugar del deceso), por
email, a la dirección memorial@rsf.org. Tras la oportuna verificación, los
nombres se añadirán a la lista, y posteriormente se grabarán en una de las
piedras del Memorial de los Reporteros.
Este comunicado va dirigido a las redacciones, asociaciones profesionales,
sindicatos y organizaciones no gubernamentales del mundo entero. Se ha traducido
a una decena de idiomas. Reporteros sin Fronteras le agradece que lo haga
circular masivamente entre sus colegas, compañeros y amigos.
El Memorial de los Reporteros se inaugurará en Bayeux el 7 de octubre de 2006.
Maghreb & Middle-East Desk
Lynn TEHINI
Reporters Without Borders
5 rue Geoffroy-Marie
F - 75009 Paris
33 1 44 83 84 78
33 1 45 23 11 51 (fax)
middle-east@rsf.org
www.rsf.org
www.leblogmedias.com (en français)