LCCC NEWS BULLETIN
MARCH 3/2006

Below news from miecellaneous sources for 3/3/06
Jihadists committed to conquering western culture -By Warner M. Montgomery 3.3.06
Below news from the Daily Star for 3/3/06
Families angry over UTA plane crash verdict
Aoun calls for dialogue, not diatribes
Landmark dialogue breaks the ice among Lebanese leaders
Nasrallah and Hariri's pre-dialogue meeting bodes well for results
Bomb blast hits Jounieh court offices
Lebanese Army seals Syrian border
Sidon, Chouf sign up for Lahoud resignation
Judges return from Hariri tribunal discussions at UN
Air traffic controllers' strike affects 120 flights per day
All politics are local - except in Lebanon
Soueid warns failure in talks will have repercussions
Downtown deserted as dialogue opens.By Hadi Tawil
High-schoolers to try their hands at diplomacy.By Meris Lutz
Murr's bombshell is sharpest indictment of Syrian regime to date
Ahmadinejad: Iran has 'inalienable rights' to nuclear technology
 

Aoun calls for dialogue, not diatribes
'Factions can easily solve all standing issues,' fpm chief says
By Adnan El-Ghoul -Daily Star staff
Friday, March 03, 2006
Interview
"The national dialogue is not the type of conference during which one party has to admit its defeat or surrender its will to the dictates and decisions of one winner; we have no winners or losers," Free Patriotic Movement leader Michel Aoun told The Daily Star in an interview.
Speaking of the national dialogue that kicked off Thursday, Aoun added that the success or failure of the dialogue depends on whether the parties carry with them preset conditions and ready-made decisions, or whether they go to the negotiating table free of all presumptions regarding any controversial issue.
"These issues must be discussed openly, honestly and with transparency with the aim to reach national consensus on how to advance and save the country; one cannot be serious about reaching consensus without being ready to find common ground on all issues," Aoun said.
The March 14 Forces had already declared they would not discuss the presidency issue inside the conference, which they said must not assume the function of Parliament.
Aoun said he could not agree more. "However, if they want to solve the presidency issue through Constitutional means and not through national dialogue, let them try again. They will still need two thirds of Parliament to amend the laws or elect a new president."
Some parties and groups have voiced their support for Aoun as the only "accepted candidate" under the circumstances to replace President Emile Lahoud in case the latter decided to resign voluntarily. The majority, on the other hand, accept Aoun as one of several candidates.
"I am ready to delay announcing my candidacy until the so-called majority names its candidate," Aoun said. "They cannot agree on one candidate while insisting on ousting Lahoud first; probably they want to have a vacant presidency to pass some decisions and laws without anyone checking."
The only option available to the majority, according to Aoun, would be to dissolve Parliament, call for early elections and let the new legislative council amend the Constitution or elect the new president.
"Instead of continuing to pursue blind alleys," Aoun said, "the only alternative is to participate seriously in the national dialogue, in which the Lebanese factions can easily solve all standing issues in a short time."
Although representing a large section of Christian Maronites, Aoun said the presidency needs a national consensus; it does not belong to one sect but to the Lebanese people.
Aoun believes he has "the best chances to be the next president, and that the U.S. and France or any other foreign power cannot veto" his candidacy because the presidency is an internal affair only the Lebanese should handle.
Referring to the petition which was signed by MPs saying they were forced to extend Lahoud's term, Aoun recalled his famous statement "during hard times," when he said: "They can crush me but they cannot force me to sign against my will.
"Contrary to firm dedication to the country and people, some gutless legislators signed a petition admitting they have betrayed their constituencies' trust and worked against their will under foreign pressure," he said.
Aoun defended his joint pact with Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, saying the manner in which the FPM reached a joint understanding with Hizbullah had set an example for any similar dialogue on the national level.
"We were far apart from Hizbullah's position on many crucial issues, but we managed to bridge the gap and reach a documented agreement," Aoun said. "Unlike other parties, who claim to be allies and leave things between them vague and unclear, we developed the idea of writing down what we agree about."
He stressed that the joint understanding was neither an alliance nor a battle against any other party. "In this agreement, the FPM foiled all attempts by some parties to corner Hizbullah and form a front against the resistance," he said. "Fronts would lead to confrontation, whereas round tables lead to dialogue and mutual understanding."
"We discussed the role and fate of Hizbullah's weapons, the relations with Syria and the remnants of the last epochs of the war, namely the fate of the Lebanese detainees in Syrian prisons and the criteria to be used to facilitate the return of the Lebanese families who took refuge in Israel following the liberation of South in may 2000," Aoun said.
"Some critics focus on Hizbullah's regional ties and commitments, but I believe the party's leadership when they say they will only use the arms in defending Lebanon and not Iran or Syria," Aoun said.
He added that following the liberation of Shebaa Farms and the freeing of Lebanese prisoners, Hizbullah does not object to granting the central authorities full control over all defense issues.
He added that Hizbullah's attachment to other regional parties does not bother the FPM. "Walid Jumblatt's Progressive Socialist Party has ties with the International Socialist organization and sits with members from the Israeli Labor Party; why should we deny Hizbullah to have good relations with other parties?"

Families angry over UTA plane crash verdict
Daily Star staff-Friday, March 03, 2006
BEIRUT: The families of the Cotonou plane crash victims slammed the decision issued against Tony Helou, the Head of the Department of Civil Aviation Safety, and the other defendants involved in the crash, saying that it "overlooked all basic facts of this national disaster."
In a statement released on Thursday, the families expressed outrage because Chief Investigating Magistrate in Beirut Abdel-Rahim Hammoud asked on Monday that a sentence be passed against the director-general of the Union de Transports Africains (UTA) flight, Darwish Khazen, for 15 years in prison with hard labor according to article 770 of the Penal Code.
The decision also included the other defendants, the co-owners and employees, to be sentenced for three years. The families said they were outraged with this decision, saying they "should have been sentenced with a harsher punishment since they caused the deaths of so many people."
On December, 25, 2003, a Boeing 727 operated by the UTA airline crashed during take-off from Cotonou, Benin, claiming the lives of 87 Lebanese nationals out of 160 passengers. Only 22 people survived, of which 16 were Lebanese.
The families also regretted that the decision did not specify who was responsible for allowing the plane to leave to Lebanon.
"It did not clearly reveal how the plane was allowed to come to Lebanon 25 times before crashing on December 25, nor did it reveal who allowed the plane to take off and who is responsible for bringing the plane to Lebanon," the families' statement said.
The families called on Prime Minister Fouad Siniora and Justice Minister Charles Rizk and the relevant ministers to examine the decision and appoint an attorney to defend their rights. - The Daily Star

Landmark dialogue breaks the ice among Lebanese leaders
First session sees agreement on international tribunal, truth behind hariri killing
By Nada Bakri and Majdoline Hatoum -Daily Star staff
Friday, March 03, 2006
Lebanese national Dialogue - Day 1
BEIRUT: Lebanon's historic national dialogue, expected to last a week, saw a positive start on Thursday despite threats from three of the main players of the March 14 Forces to abstain over political differences, and the first session emerged with the first item on the agenda resolved. After about an hour's delay in the morning, the country's leading politicians began to trickle into Downtown Beirut under the watchful eyes of the Lebanese people, walking into Parliament and the first ever Lebanese-Lebanese dialogue.
Belying all dismissive expectations that the dialogue would collapse in the first two hours, Speaker Nabih Berri said in a news conference following the morning session: "The atmosphere was not only positive, but we have reached a consensus on the issue of the investigations and the need to continue with an international probe and an international tribunal."
"Participants accepted that the government would pursue this matter," added Berri, the main instigator of the dialogue as well as its organizer. The issue of forming an international tribunal had caused a governmental split last December, with pro-Syrian ministers from Hizbullah and Amal movement boycotting the Cabinet sessions for over a month in protest of a majority decision by Cabinet to ask for the formation of such a tribunal. The second and more controversial topic on the agenda, UN Security Council Resolution 1559 was discussed in the second session with a heavy focus on the presidency issue, according to Berri.
However, no final decision regarding the presidency was reached and each clause in the resolution will be subject of thorough discussions during Friday's session starting at 3 p.m. Sources close to the March 14 Forces told The Daily Star the dialogue is only expected to resolve the presidency issue and the issue of Palestinian arms outside Palestinian refugee camps.
"The participants will also agree on the necessity of ousting Lahoud and will discuss a successor. But this person has to be someone who will not threaten Hizbullah or the Amal movement," said the source.
"They will also disarm the Palestinian factions based outside the camps," the source said, adding however that Hizbullah is exerting efforts toward disarming the pro-Palestinian factions, in return for preserving the resistance's weapons.
Talking late at night to the Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation International, Aoun said he was not in favor, nor against ousting Lahoud."As long as this is an issue of dialogue, I am not going to make any comments," he said. "I want to see where the dialogue will go, and I want to see the conditions they [March 14 Forces] are setting for a new president before I make a comment," he added.
Following the afternoon session Berri said: "The ice has melted, and we can say that any feeling of enmity is now gone."
The evening session ended around 9:30 p.m. As the heads of the March 14 Forces, the March 8 Forces and most other Lebanese sects and parties sat down at the round table, UN chief Kofi Annan voiced his support from New York and his hope that such a dialogue would contribute to the country's political stability. "The secretary general congratulates the speaker of [the Lebanese] Parliament for this crucial and timely initiative and wishes it every success," Stephane Dujarric, Annan's spokesman, said in a statement. In addition to the investigations into Hariri's killing and Resolution 1559 and all it entails of militias' arms and the presidency, the Syrian-Lebanese ties remain to be discussed, with fierce discussions anticipated over disarming Hizbullah and ousting Lahoud, both stipulations of Resolution 1559.
Fourteen groups were represented through their leaders for the first time in talks without the auspices of any foreign power.
Druze leader MP Walid Jumblatt, Parliament majority MP Saad Hariri, Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun, Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea and Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah all sat together at the same table for the first time in Lebanon's history. Fears of hindering the dialogue had ascended in the morning, as political disagreement over who should represent the Greek Orthodox Christians persisted, parallel to a new emerging obstacle, which was a decision by Berri to allow the participation of a representative on behalf of three pro-Syrian parties. However, both issues were solved, as both MPs Michel Murr and Ghassan Tueni represented the Greek Orthodox sect on the roundtable following extensive meetings between the March 14 Forces and Berri. Berri also held a brief closed-door meeting with Geagea, after conferring with Jumblatt and Hariri. The step came as a compromise between March 14 Forces, who asked for Tueni to represent the sect as he is the most honorable politician from the sect, and Berri, who had initially asked Murr to attend the dialogue as a representative of the Greek Orthodox, based on a contention that he represents the majority of Greek Orthodox voters.
However this solution still came under fire from deputy Speaker MP Farid Makari, who said he had more right to represent the sect than Murr, and added that by inviting Murr, Berri had treated him in an "irresponsible" way, and that the speaker's behavior "aims at marginalizing the sect."
The presence of a representative from the coalition of three pro-Syrian parties - the "Syrian Social Nationalist Party," the "Baath" party and the "Popular Nasserite Organization" - was also terminated upon a request by Jumblatt and Hariri.
But a statement issued by MP Osama Saad, head of the PNO, stressed the MP had personally decided not to take part in the dialogue, and was not asked to stay away like media reports said. "As we were preparing for the dialogue, several issues that may have made our position weak emerged, so we preferred not to take part in such a dialogue," Saad said in the statement.
"What some media outlets reported, that we did not participate because some political factions objected to our participation, is not true," he added. Siniora, who said following the first session that the meeting was "very positive," reportedly called Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak to inform him of the developments. Mubarak expressed his hope that the dialogue would accomplish the stability Lebanon was hoping for. The 14 politicians gathering around the table were: Berri, Siniora, Hariri, Jumblatt, Aoun, Geagea, Nasrallah, former President and higher leader of the Phalanges Party Amin Gemayel, MP Mohammad Safadi, MP Elias Skaff, MP Butros Harb, MP Hagop Pakradonian, MP Michel Murr and Tueni.

Nasrallah and Hariri's pre-dialogue meeting bodes well for results
By Zeina Abu Rizk -Special to The Daily Star
Friday, March 03, 2006
On its inaugural day, the national dialogue at Nijmeh Square raised high hopes but also a good deal of doubt about the possibility of its success. Although the outcome of this round table, scheduled to end in one week, is neither controllable nor certain, some events that preceded it indicate the minimum has been secured to prevent it from turning into a dud dialogue.
One of those was the long and important meeting earlier this week in Qoreitem, between Hizbullah chief Hassan Nasrallah and head of the Future Movement, Saad Hariri. Regardless of what it ultimately leads to, the meeting in itself has been seen as a positive step, helping appease the latent Sunni-Shiite tension and recreating the lost "chemistry" between the two sides.
The session was also an occasion for the two men to catch up - which obviously took time, considering the seven hours the meeting lasted - and express some mild mutual grievances.
The mere fact that the meeting took place days before the national dialogue proved that the two sides are committed to enhancing the round table's chances of success and did not want to engage in such an endeavor unprepared.
Judging from the positive climate that prevailed in both the Future Movement and Hizbullah circles following this lengthy meeting, it is safe to conclude that some kind of understanding over the departure of President Emile Lahoud has been reached. This is more than likely as it is the main item on the agenda of the March 14 Forces, and of Hariri in particular.
If Hizbullah were to go along with the plan to oust the president, as it is expected to, following the Tuesday discussions in Qoreitem, the resistance will naturally regain the lost national consensus over its arms.
This will be aided by the fact that the topic that originally caused Hizbullah to lose the support of some of the March 14 Forces - the establishment of an international tribunal into the assassination of former Premier Rafik Hariri - is no longer an issue of dissent. What could, however, delay the plan to force Lahoud out of Baabda is the fact that the president's successor has yet to be chosen. While Lahoud's departure was certainly discussed and an agreement over its necessity agreed upon during the Qoreitem meeting - a meeting which in itself further isolated the president - it is unlikely that choosing Lahoud's successor has been included on the national dialogue agenda.
The order of priority between these two issues - Lahoud's departure and Lahoud's successor - is not necessarily the same for both Hizbullah and the Future Movement. Whereas it is important for Hizbullah to know who will be the next inhabitant of Baabda, in particular because of the need to know the guarantees the next president will be ready to offer the resistance, there seems to be less interest in the Hariri circles. There, emphasis is placed on Lahoud's departure above all else, and the choice of the new president is being left to the majority's Christian allies and even moreso to Bkirki.
Based on this divergence, it may have appeared wiser to delay discussions about Lahoud's successor. Moving away from the presidential question and focusing on the Nasrallah-Hariri meeting will inevitably have positive repercussions on Shiite-Sunni relations. In both circles, those of Hizbullah and of the Future Movement, there is evident relief about the mutual determination to ward off any attempt to create a Sunni-Shiite division from which some parties or countries could benefit.
In itself, the meeting at the highest levels of the Shiite and Sunni leadership is an effective move to contain the latent tension prevailing in the ranks of the two communities. Furthermore, the sense of calm that both sides emitted following the meeting leads to the conclusion that the two sects are ready to cooperate in all possible ways in order to avoid any traps or attempts to create turmoil that could provoke dangerous inter-communal strife. It is believed that future cooperation will include an exchange of information between the two sides, in particular the same kind of information which has already helped abort dangerous plots to create Sunni-Shiite turbulence, and has led to the arrest of their instigators.

Bomb blast hits Jounieh court offices
Daily Star staff-Friday, March 03, 2006
BEIRUT: A bomb exploded late Wednesday in Jounieh's Judicial Palace, causing fears that the string of bombings had returned with the start of Lebanon's national dialogue, but security sources said the attack was part a personal dispute and only caused slight material damage.Security sources said the 100 grams of dynamite was attached to a stopwatch and placed behind one of the doors in the building's main highway, used by lawyers to access the court rooms.
The sources added that the palace's guards did not hear the explosion and knew about it only after the concierge opened the gates in the morning. The security sources said the dynamite exploded near the traffic court and might have been placed by someone who has been sentenced by the court. Police suspected a person who was attending one of the sessions on Wednesday and who was under threat of being declared bankrupt in a session held early Thursday. The person had given the judge a false name. But when the judge asked him to present his ID, he said he wanted to go to his car to retrieve it. The judge ordered security personnel to accompany him but the suspect pretended to be going home to get the ID and ran away.
After determining the true identity and the location of the suspect, police officers were sent to arrest him but could not find him.
Sources said the suspect might have placed the dynamite to hamper Thursday's session.
Sources also said that 32 employees in the palace had the key to the main door. They added that earlier in the day, a security official demanded to know the identity of all the employees who had a spare key and decided that the lock should be changed.
Security forces said the incident could have led to more serious damage if the explosion had occurred after 9 a.m., when the lawyers and the judges usually arrive to the palace. The government's delegate to the military court, Magistrate Jean Fahd, inspected the explosion site and ordered the start of the investigations. Fahd also asked the Qaimaqam of Kesrouan-Ftouh Raymond Hitti to place video cameras in the area surrounding the palace.
The attack against the Judicial Palace was the first since its restoration in 1996. Sessions on Thursday were resumed after the inspection of the site. - The Daily Star

Sidon, Chouf sign up for Lahoud resignation
By Maher Zeineddine and Mohammed Zaatari -Daily Star correspondent
Friday, March 03, 2006
BEIRUT: Hundreds of Sidon citizens signed the March 14 forces' petition Thursday calling for the resignation of President Emile Lahoud, as Public Prosecutor Magistrate Said Mirza prohibited the petition organizers of placing the petition board in the courtyard of the Judicial Palace in Beirut to be signed. A statement issued Thursday by the National News Agency said "Mirza, in cooperation with the president of the Beirut Bar Association Butros Doumit, prevented the organizers of the petition from setting up a bureau in front of the Judicial Palace, which is a public institution." The statement also said Mirza "prevented photographers from entering the palace, while the organizers chanted the national hymn in the square before heading to the Lawyers' House." The petition campaign launched Sunday by the forces of March 14 demanding that Lahoud step down moved to Sidon's Martyrs' Square, where a petition board was erected next to pictures of late former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri and his son, MP Saad Hariri. After adding her name to the petition, citizen Fatima Sayyad said: "I signed this petition to save Lebanon from this tyrant Emile Lahoud ... Signing the petition is part of the solution we hope to reach ... because we want a president who can feel the sufferings of the people."
But some citizens had different opinions and refused to the sign the petition.
Mohammad Qteish said: "I support the slogan of 'Lebanon first' but I believe that the new president will not be better than Emile Lahoud who backs the resistance." He added: "May Rafik Hariri's soul rest in peace."
Petition boards were also set up by the Progressive Socialist Party in the Chouf town of Baaqlin. Citizens chanted national songs and slogans calling for the president's resignation.
A ceremony was also held in the town of Daraya in Iqlim al-Kharroub, in the presence of Democratic Gathering MP Alaeddine Tirro and Future MP Mohammad Hajjar. Meanwhile, a tent was erected Thursday in Achrafieh near the house of late journalist Samir Kassir, who was assassinated on June 5, 2005. Petition boards have been erected at several locations throughout Achrafieh, especially in areas hit by bombings over the past year. Citizens flocked to the tent to add their names to the petition, in the presence of security forces personnel, who were tasked with preserving security.
A delegation from the March 14 Forces' youth committees visited Thursday the National Liberal Party headquarters in Beirut and met with its president Dory Chamoun. After signing the petition, Chamoun urged Lahoud "to preserve his dignity," adding that the president "will resign soon." Tourism Minister Joe Sarkis, who is also a Lebanese Forces member, is expected to sign the petition Friday at Saint Nicolas stairs in Gemmayzeh.

Judges return from Hariri tribunal discussions at UN
By Leila Hatoum -Daily Star staff
Friday, March 03, 2006
BEIRUT: Two top Lebanese judges will return to Lebanon Friday after conducting discussions with United Nations, French and U.S. officials on the tribunal that will be formed to try the perpetrators of the assassination of former Premier Rafik Hariri.
"Magistrates Ralph Riachi and Choukri Sader will arrive in Beirut Friday, and they will conduct a meeting with Justice Minister Charles Rizk this Saturday to brief him on the results of their visit to the UN headquarters in New York," a source from the judiciary told The Daily Star Thursday. Both magistrates headed to New York last Thursday to meet with UN officials and present suggestions on the form and place of the tribunal and the procedures which it would follow.
Aside from meeting with Nicolas Michel, UN's under-secretary for legal affairs, "Riachi and Sader also met with officials from the French and the U.S. delegations at the UN," the source said.
Michel visited Beirut late January to discuss and assess suggestions on matters related to the tribunal with Lebanese officials and representatives, pursuant to the UN Security Council's Resolution 1644 passed in 2005,
regarding the nature and scope of the international assistance needed to apprehend and try the perpetrators.According to a statement issued by the spokesman for the UN Secretary General, Kofi Annan, late Wednesday both "Michel and his Lebanese interlocutors believe that the discussions significantly advanced the mutual understanding of the international assistance needed to bring those responsible for Hariri's assassination to justice before a tribunal of an international character."
The discussions with Michel were held over "three days at the UN headquarters" according to the statement which continued that "based on the consultations with the Lebanese authorities, [Annan] will submit a report to the UN Security Council as requested in Resolution 1644."

Air traffic controllers' strike affects 120 flights per day
By Leila Hatoum -Daily Star staff
Friday, March 03, 2006
BEIRUT: Around 120 flights per day at Beirut's Rafik Hariri International Airport, (BIA), might be affected after 42 air traffic controllers decided to go on strike in protest against official neglect of their "rightful demands." Some 48 air traffic controllers work at BIA and have been demanding fair treatment from the authorities and compensation for overtime.
Reacting to the demands, the authorities forced the controllers out of their office, confiscated their work IDs, and brought in military controllers to fill in the gap, pushing the controllers to start a strike on Wednesday night.
A member of the Air Traffic Controllers' Committee (ATCC) told The Daily Star Thursday that the "11 military controllers do not have enough expertise to aid the landing and take off of aircraft, which might put in aviation danger at BIA."
The controller added that two ATCs are currently helping the military controllers guide an average of 60 planes landing and 60 taking off every day at BIA, but that one of the two controllers has told BIA authorities that he will be leaving soon.
"The military controllers don't do anything, and everything is dumped on the shoulders of the two remaining controllers," said the controller. He added that out of the 48 ATCs "one has retired, three are traveling, and two have continued to work while the rest are on strike."Marc Baumgartner, the President of the International Federation of the ATCs' Association based in Switzerland, sent Premier Fouad Siniora a fax in which he expressed "a great deal of disappointment" that the "relationship between Lebanese ATCs and [Siniora's] administration has suffered a major blow as the controllers are encountering difficulties in their continuing efforts to improve their working conditions."
The fax added: "Equally disturbing is the alleged plan ... to use unqualified military personnel ... We view this action to be in direct violation of ICAO, Annex 1-Personnel Licensing, Chapter 4 and it has a negative impact on safety."
Baumgartner asked Siniora to "re-engage the representatives of ATCs in Lebanon in an effort to resolve this unfortunate impasse and move forward." Some officials have tried to act as mediators to find a solution to the problem, but "the authorities didn't offer to fulfill our demands," the controller said.
"A BIA official told us that he is ready to apologize for forcefully kicking us out late Wednesday, but said that he cannot grant us our demands," the controller added. The 48 ATCs at BIA have been providing navigation services at all hours, including Sundays and holidays, putting in about "240 hours per month of hard work," the controller said. "Most of the time they exceed official hours but are not paid accordingly."
The controllers are seeking a 50 percent increase in overtime and night-shift wages as well as end-of-service indemnities.
They have also demanded a solution to the current staff shortage and compensation for the overtime they have worked since January 1, 2001. Tensions between the government and the ATCs have been ongoing since December 2003. The ATCs have threatened to strike several times since April 2004, but have backed down after officials promised to meet their demands.
According to the ATCC, the authorities "never kept their promises to look into controllers' wages and overtime compensation."
In October 2004 the controllers staged a six-hour strike which affected around 20 flights. Plans to strike one day per week were put aside after the resignation of the late former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.

Downtown deserted as dialogue opens
By Hadi Tawil -Special to The Daily Star
Friday, March 03, 2006
BEIRUT: On the first day of the national dialogue, Downtown Beirut was a ghost of its former self, the change especially palpable in the unusual quiet of Thursday night. Army troops were everywhere while security forces in the thousands took the place of Lebanese citizens and tourists. The Daily Star checked on some restaurants and shops, where workers spoke of witnessing "an unusual day." A waiter at Al Halabi, one of the few restaurants that opened in Downtown Beirut on Thursday, described the activity as "Zero," speaking on condition of anonymity. Employees of the boutique Pointure also reported a null day. One said there are hopes for a "swift and happy ending to this dialogue because the shop is dealing everyday with drastic losses." But others added they are "willing to take the economic consequence if the end result would be positive."
A Buddha Bar employee said: "There are only 20 people with reservations for tonight," adding that the number of reservations was not expected to increase over the weekend.
Reactions to the dialogue were mixed. While some supported it, others were apprehensive, citing a lack of "faith in some of the leaders' true intentions." Greek tourists walking the deserted downtown streets said they were not aware of the national dialogue. "We weren't allowed in the center by the security forces," they said, adding that they had been treated very politely.
"We will continue our visit to Lebanon despite the current situation," they said. Meanwhile a new youth organization called "Loubnanouna," which is aligned neither with the March 14 nor March 8 groups, said, "There is no real agenda for the dialogue and the representation is based on the 2000 electoral law."
SIDON
People in Sidon also had mixed reactions to the dialogue, despite many being glued to their television screens as politicians walked into Parliament.
Abu Samir Sabaa-Ayoun, a taxi driver in Sidon, told The Daily Star: "I wish Speaker Nabih Berri had called for the initiative a long time ago, it is the best way to reach a solution for the country." Later, at a bustling vegetable market, some shoppers refused to comment to The Daily Star while others had no idea what was going on. "What dialogue are you talking about?" a surprised Afaf Dimassi asked The Daily Star. "Ask me what are you going to feed your children today? That is what is important for us!" Malak, another Sidon resident, hailed the fact that Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah had taken part in the dialogue. "It is an important sign that he showed up," she said. Some people attacked Samir Geagea, the head of the Executive Committee of the Lebanese Forces, for preventing Sidon MP Osama Saad from taking part in the dialogue as a representative of the Baath Party and the Syrian Social Nationalist Party.
"Sidon is not expecting much to come out of this dialogue," said Imad Hathitho, adding that it was a "shame that Sidon was not represented." What angered Imad most were the threats made by Geagea to withdraw from the dialogue if national parties (Baath and SSNP) participated. "Is it possible that a warlord controls the fate of the country by approving whether certain parties should participate in the dialogue or not?" Imad asked.
- additional reporting by Mohammed Zaatari

Soueid warns failure in talks will have repercussions
Hopes ride on first 'lebanese-lebanese' dialogue
Friday, March 03, 2006
BEIRUT: March 14 Forces member and former MP Fares Soueid warned Thursday of repercussions for Lebanon if the national dialogue doesn't succeed. The dialogue, launched by Speaker Nabih Berri, aims at easing the tense political situation in the country. Speaking during the LBC talk show "Naharkom Saeed," Soueid said the dialogue was necessary in order to "ease the tensions that started on February 14 with calls for President Emile Lahoud to resign."
Soueid praised the unprecedented step of a "Lebanese-Lebanese" dialogue, free of any foreign interference.
He went on to say that the reason the overall setting of the dialogue was "exaggerated" was because there was a need to "tackle the issue of Greek Orthodox representation, in terms of who would take the lead seat. Consequently, this would lead to dramatic repercussions in Lebanon."Even if the dialogue fails, Soueid said that "we are able to overcome this stage."
Meanwhile, President Emile Lahoud said he hoped today's "historic dialogue" at the Parliament would enable the Lebanese to settle all their disputes. "I believe that dialogue is the only way to resolve all pending matters. I also believe that consensus among the Lebanese would salvage the country," Lahoud said. Lahoud was speaking on Thursday before a delegation of the Chinese Communist Party currently visiting Lebanon.
He noted that believing in the logic of a "winner-loser" solution can't be accepted, recalling previous years when everybody lost and "no party conquered the other." Voicing support for the resistance, Lahoud said: "Lebanon's only enemy is Israel and the only way to face it is through supporting our resistance." The president further added that "calls made by foreign powers to disarm the resistance would only serve the interests of Israel and weaken Lebanon."
Meanwhile, Democratic Gathering member MP Antoine Saad said that he had hoped that "a new President would lead the dialogue session, because there is no leader in the dialogue today." He also believed that the dialogue "will not reach new common points without a new president of the republic."Saad was speaking in an interview on Thursday with Future Television. He said that the Democratic Gathering was supportive of the dialogue and had always demanded such an initiative.
Saad said that all issues should be tackled, "or else why are we holding the dialogue?"
Conveying the position of the Democratic Gathering, Saad said he hoped that a "political settlement and common points will be reached with this dialogue to end the ongoing disputes between political partners on crucial issues." Regarding the "problem" of the Greek Orthodox representation in the dialogue, Saad said "the Greek Orthodox sect is the fourth sect in Lebanon and the second among Christian religious sects." Saad said he wouldn't mind having either the deputy speaker (MP Farid Makari) or the defense minister (Elias Murr) represent the sect in the dialogue. When asked if the Greek Orthodox sect would boycott the dialogue, Saad said that if the representatives of the Greek Orthodox sect wanted to boycott "they should have announced that more than a day before the dialogue started."

All politics are local - except in Lebanon
'internal' skirmishes have increasing Regional and international reverberations
Friday, March 03, 2006
EXPERT BRIEFING INEGMA
The Lebanese arena continues to be the center of attention for many regional and international players as Lebanese factions struggle to retain an influential role in the country while at the same time dissociate themselves, if possible, from outside powers that have played a significant role in establishing them and in ensuring their survival over the years. In short, Lebanese politicians are learning for the first time in so many years how to rule themselves without outside influence. But so far, little progress has been achieved in exercising political independence. This is largely due to the continued presence of armed factions, Lebanese and non-Lebanese, that has allowed some outside parties to force themselves on the Lebanese scene in an attempt to secure their current and future interests inside Lebanon and the region. However, this policy of "security blackmail" is a double-edged sword that could have adverse consequences for the parties using it. The Lebanese situation continues to be influenced by regional developments, which in turn impact on the region as a whole.
The Shiite Dilemma
The reaction of the Shiite parties, Amal and Hizbullah, to the decision of the majority forces in government to call for an international tribunal into the investigation of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri's assassination took many people by surprise. The five Shiite ministers boycotted government sessions for nearly six weeks, but refused to resign, and Amal and Hizbullah leaders placed tough conditions on their return to the Cabinet. These conditions aimed at achieving two main objectives: to allow Hizbullah and Palestinian factions to retain their arms indefinitely, without internal or external pressure, until they themselves decide to give them up; and to replace the democratic process in governing Lebanon with one based on sectarian reconciliation, which some Lebanese politicians have compared to "federalism." Both demands, which faced strong opposition from other Lebanese parties, highlighted the Shiites' fear over their future status and exposed the underlying regional dimension, especially with regard to Iran and Syria, in Lebanese internal politics.
Shiite Fears: Ever since the formation of Lebanon as a governorate within the Ottoman Empire, sectarian groups have benefited from the support of external powers. While the Sunnis relied on the Ottomans, the Christians and Druze enjoyed support from Europe and Russia. Even after Lebanon took its current shape in 1920, Lebanese sects have, at one time or another during the 20th century, enjoyed external support from countries such as France, the United States, Russia, Egypt and Saudi Arabia. The Shiites, on the other hand, never had a true foreign ally able to use its influence to secure more power and rights for them inside Lebanon. The situation, however, started to change after the Islamic revolution in Iran in 1979. Exporting the Islamic Revolution and empowering Shiite communities in countries worldwide were among the main foreign policy objectives of the ruling mullahs in Tehran. While Iran failed in most cases to carry out these objectives and empower Shiite minorities in many countries, it did, however, succeed in Lebanon, largely due to the civil war that was raging in that country at the time.
Before Hizbullah appeared in 1982, Amal was the main Shiite faction in Lebanon. Although Amal was established as a grass-roots movement led by Imam Moussa Sadr, it transformed during the war and became more associated with the Syrian regime. Most of the founders of Hizbullah, including the current secretary-general of the party, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, used to be members of Amal and broke away for ideological reasons. Shortly afterwards bloody battles erupted between Amal and Hizbullah in a fight for political dominance. The Syrian regime at that time was not willing to share the Lebanese arena with any other external power, including Iran. But things changed following the end of the Cold War, the 1990-91 Gulf war, and the start of the Middle East peace process in late 1991. The international community gave the Syrian regime the mandate to disarm Lebanese militias and supervise the implementation of the Taif national reconciliation pact inside Lebanon. At the same time, Damascus found itself engaged in tough negotiations with the Israelis with no real leverage to convince them to surrender the whole of the Golan Heights. Meanwhile, Iran found itself isolated regionally and internationally as a result of Washington's dual containment policy that targeted both Tehran and Baghdad in the 1990s. Tehran therefore sought regional allies, as well as the means to force itself into any settlement reached at the Middle East peace talks. The Shiites of Lebanon were the common link between Tehran and Damascus.
After the 1992 parliamentary elections in Lebanon, the roles of Hizbullah and Amal were clearly defined by their foreign mentors: Tehran and Damascus. According to a senior Hizbullah official who asked not to be named, Hizbullah was given the military task of fighting Israel in south Lebanon, while Amal was given the lead political role. Amal, through its leader Nabih Berri, who is currently the speaker of Parliament, provided the main political cover to Hizbullah's military presence. But Lebanon's political system after Taif, which divided power between three main figures - the president, the speaker of Parliament and the prime minister - made it necessary for Syria and Hizbullah to have control over either the presidency or the premiership. The president's post seemed more vulnerable with the weakened role of the Christians in Lebanon after the Civil War, and thus became the second political pillar that gave support to Hizbullah. The Shiites of Lebanon therefore ensured their political power in the country through the coordinated support of their regional allies, Syria and Iran.
The success of Hizbullah in south Lebanon exceeded all expectations. Hizbullah leaders proved themselves sharp politicians, who also undertook successful guerrilla warfare in south Lebanon and gained the support and respect of the masses not only in Lebanon but also in the wider Arab and Muslim world. Moreover, Hizbullah leadership proved more capable than its regional mentors - Iran and Syria - in reading the global changes after September 11, 2001. According to the same Hizbullah official, the party leadership had advised Damascus against some of the "wrong moves" that led to the current situation, "especially the decision to extend the mandate of President Emile Lahoud, which triggered steps toward UN Security Council Resolution 1559." Since 1990 Hizbullah has managed to establish itself as a Lebanese national resistance movement, but this image and role has come under heavy scrutiny following Hariri's assassination on February 14, 2005, and Hizbullah has had to reconsider its strategy and alliances to meet the new challenges.
Hizbullah first moved to secure its internal political cover after the withdrawal of its Syrian allies. To do this, it allied with its arch foe, Amal, to form a united front, and this secured the post of the House speaker to Berri. Hizbullah then broadened its popular base by allying with leaders of other religious sects in Lebanon, especially those not on good terms with the government. Hizbullah therefore sealed a strategic alliance with Michel Aoun, leader of the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM), under the banner of fighting corruption and improving socio-economic conditions. The third move for Hizbullah was to establish legitimacy to its armed wing by portraying the Islamic Resistance as a national requirement, aimed at liberating Shebaa Farms as well as deterring Israeli ill intentions against Lebanon.
However, Hizbullah's designs seem to have been undermined by the weak political foresight of their Syrian allies. The assassination of Gebran Tueini in December 2005 generated a shock-wave in Lebanon that made conditions harder for pro-Syrian factions, including Hizbullah. Moreover, sending the fighters of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine - General Command, a known proxy group to the Syrian intelligence - across the borders to set up bases outside the refugee camps in the Bekaa Valley and Naameh (south of Beirut) has complicated Hizbullah's attempt to legalize its armed wing. The question being raised by many Lebanese politicians in public today is: What is the real purpose of Hizbullah's arms? Are they to liberate Lebanese territories, or are they to liberate Palestine and the Golan and help the Iranians?
The Regional Dimension: Iran and Syria are regarded today as the only two regional players who have remained on the U.S. list of so-called rogue states. Both countries face the strong possibility of coming under UN sanctions in the near future. While Iran is on a collision course with the international community over its nuclear program, Syria, in turn, is facing an international probe into Hariri's assassination. The Syrian regime faces a further challenge from former Vice-President Abdel-Halim Khaddam, who broke away from the Baath Party and announced intentions to form a broadly based government-in-exile. Khaddam has accused Syrian President Bashar Assad of ordering the killing of Hariri and has described him as an incompetent leader who is driving his country toward disaster.
Khaddam's television interviews on Arab satellite channels seem to have affected the credibility of the Syrian regime in the eyes of the Arab masses, as well as weakened the regime from within by placing it in more trouble with the international investigation into Hariri's assassination. Most importantly, Khaddam's revelations on how the Syrian regime ruled Lebanon undermined the pro-Syrian camp and strengthened the arguments of the anti-Syria forces. This development necessitated a robust response from Damascus on three fronts: first, the Arab front - by involving the Arab League, Egypt and Saudi Arabia in mediations with Lebanon; second, the internal front - by releasing some leading political prisoners from jail and renewing promises about internal political reforms; and third, by consolidating its alliance with Iran as well as the Lebanese Shiite parties. For this purpose Damascus hosted on January 20, 2006, a summit meeting with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad along with the leaders of Amal and Hizbullah.
Syria's attempt to win Arab mediation and support quickly failed after the United States and France moved to prevent any deal that would weaken the Lebanese government and compromise the UN probe into Hariri's assassination. Arab countries seem to have realized that the Syrian-Lebanese conflict has taken on an international dimension through the involvement of outside factors such as Iran and Iraq, thereby increasing the challenge - and the risk. On the internal front, the Syrian regime is becoming more vulnerable due to opposition forces, both internal and external, becoming emboldened and radicalized in their demands for political change and reform in the country. The spate of interviews given by Khaddam to Arab and foreign media over the past weeks, plus the continued almost daily coverage of the Lebanese-Syrian conflict and the international investigation into Hariri's murder, have all been factors that have exposed the Syrian regime on many levels. It has caused it to lose control over the flow of information to its people, and hence weakened its grip on power.
It is worth mentioning here that an authoritarian government, such as the Syrian regime, typically relies on four main pillars for survival: full control over the security apparatus; control over the flow of information to the people; control of the national economy and the country's resources; and international legitimacy. The Syrian regime has lost control of information due to the "media revolution" in the Arab world. Its international legitimacy has been shaken by measures such as the withdrawal of the American ambassador from Damascus, plus the UN reports that have implicated some senior Syrian security officials in Hariri's assassination. Demands for political and economic reforms could subsequently loosen the regime's grip over the country's weak economy, while possible UN sanctions could further devastate Syria's economy, weakening the regime's control. As for control over the security apparatus, this was severely shaken by the unexpected and humiliating withdrawal from Lebanon in April 2005, and the ongoing internal turmoil.
Lebanon's Political Scene
The strong defensive approach by the Syrian regime and the frequent assassinations of anti-Syrian figures in Lebanon, together with the dilemma of Palestinian arms outside the refugee camps, have contributed to undermining Hizbullah and isolating it on the Lebanese scene. The so-called "majority forces" or the "March 14 Forces" that include the Future Parliamentary bloc of Saad Hariri (son of the late premier), the Druze leader Walid Jumblatt's bloc, and the main Christian blocs of the Lebanese Forces and the Phalange Party, put on a powerful display on the first anniversary of the assassination of Rafik Hariri on February 14. They drew a crowd of hundreds of thousands of people to Beirut's Martyrs' Square, proving once again their popular strength vis-ˆ-vis the pro-Syrian factions. The boycott by Aoun's FPM of the public rally did not seem to have affected the show of force by the March 14th Forces, which appear to have agreed on a joint approach for dealing with Hizbullah based on the following:
1. To insist on the demarcation of the Lebanese-Syrian borders in order to prove that Shebaa Farms are Lebanese territory. The argument here is that in order for Lebanon to assert Hizbullah's role as a national resistance movement with the right to bear arms and fight the Israelis, it must be established legally and in accordance with international law that the Shebaa Farms are indeed Lebanese. If Lebanon fails to do so, Hizbullah would be viewed internationally as a militia.
2. To isolate the investigation into Hariri's assassination from any mediating attempts aimed at improving relations with Syria.
3. To insist on removing Palestinian bases outside refugee camps through the help of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) led by Fatah rather than the Palestinian Authority, especially after the outcome of the recent general elections that placed the Syrian- and Iranian-backed Hamas movement in power.
4. To increase the rhetoric on the grand axis involving Iran, Syria and Hizbullah, which would undermine the image of Hizbullah within its own popular base.
5. To search for neutral and independent Shiite figures that could establish a counterforce to Hizbullah within Lebanon's Shiite community.
Efforts to remove President Emile Lahoud from office seem to have become a priority for the March 14 Forces. This objective dominated speeches at the recent Hariri anniversary rally. Intensive consultations were reportedly underway behind closed doors to seek legal means to bring about a constitutional change that would lead either to deposing the president or to shortening his term of office, which in November 2004 had been extended under Syrian pressure for three more years. A constitutional amendment to shorten Lahoud's term in office would require an 85-vote majority inside the parliament. But the March 14 Forces only have a 71-vote majority and hence need the FPM's 22 votes to remove Lahoud. Therefore, if the March 14 Forces wish to shorten Lahoud's term they would have to either win over Aoun or convince members of his parliamentary bloc to break away and join them.
The Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between Hizbullah and the FPM has placed Aoun at a sensitive turning point that could "make him or break him." The MOU is a gamble based on Aoun's belief that he could give Hizbullah enough assurance to make it abandon its regional allies and focus more on national interests. In such a case, Aoun would hope to achieve two objectives. First, to establish himself internally and externally as a powerful player who can influence Hizbullah and the regional scene. Second, to work with Hizbullah and its allies to consolidate their alliance in order to force an early general election that could result in winning a bigger number of seats in Parliament, which in turn would improve his chances of becoming the next president of Lebanon. However, Aoun is taking a big chance in his bold move and risks alienating himself and losing a sizeable chunk of his Christian popular base.
Aoun still lacks a powerful media that could help him sell his case, while the ongoing campaigns by various powerful media outlets belonging to the March 14 Forces could undermine his public support. Aoun intends to open a radio station soon and has thus far shown strong faith in the unconditional loyalty of his supporters. But there are factors or events that could progressively diminish Aoun's popular base. For example, if more explosions take place in Christian areas or a prominent anti-Syrian figure is assassinated, fingers will likely be pointed at Damascus and its allies in Lebanon, Hizbullah included. Another damaging factor to Aoun is Hizbullah's continued operations in south Lebanon, which could spark a strong retaliation from Israel against Lebanese infrastructure in the northern and central parts of the country. The more people perceive Hizbullah as a proxy force to Syria and Iran, as is being announced by many Lebanese politicians and media outlets, the weaker Aoun will become. Thus, Aoun will be risking a lot if Hizbullah and regional developments do not come together to maximize the success of the MOU.
Al-Qaeda in Lebanon?
There has been increased talk within Lebanese circles over the actual existence of Al-Qaeda cells in Lebanon. While the Lebanese Army Command and the Judiciary, as well as pro-Syrian factions, have maintained that some armed foreigners arrested in Lebanon recently were members of Al-Qaeda sent to attack Western targets in the country and carry out cross border raids against Israel, politicians and leaders of the March 14 Forces have disputed this and maintained that the gunmen were part of cells hired by Syrian intelligence to undermine security conditions in the country and show the world what has happened since Syrian troops were forced out of Lebanon. Hariri said in a February 13 interview that Al-Qaeda in Lebanon was a Syrian fabrication aimed at showing the inability of the Lebanese authorities to control the situation in the country.
****INEGMA is a self-financed establishment that offers media, research and consultation services in the fields of defense, security and geo-politics.

High-schoolers to try their hands at diplomacy
600 students to attend FIrst UN Model in Lebanon
By Meris Lutz -Special to The Daily Star
Friday, March 03, 2006
BEIRUT: Some 600 students from 81 high schools across the country will have the opportunity to get a taste of real international diplomacy when the Lebanese American University hosts the Model United Nations High School Conference this spring. The two-day event, which will take place April 8-9, will simulate a real UN conference in which students representing member countries will debate a number of issues before writing and submitting resolutions to the secretariat, comprising volunteer LAU students. The conference is a joint project by LAU and UNUSA, which sponsors the Global Classroom program to train students in diplomacy skills for model UN conferences worldwide.
"What's exciting is trying to empower the students," said Anthony Torbay, the LAU 'Kofi Annan' of the conference. "We bring in head delegates and make them [the students] responsible for asking questions."
Torbay and 75 other LAU volunteers have their work cut out for them, as this is the first ever model UN to be held in Lebanon. The volunteers will devote seven consecutive Saturdays to training students in negotiation and diplomacy, UN procedures, resolution writing, and research and analysis techniques. "The response has been great; to have these students coming and giving up their Saturdays - we've had great attendance," Torbay said. Each country group will be asked to research two topics, ranging from nuclear-free zones and refugee rights and land mines to global development. They will then be asked to research and present their country's position to the committees, debate with other member countries, and finally come up with a resolution for the secretariat. The conference will culminate with a grand reception at the UNESCO Palace attended by representatives of the UN association in Beirut and the president of UNUSA. Awards will be given to those students and schools who best represent their country and exemplify the spirit of diplomacy.

Murr's bombshell is sharpest indictment of Syrian regime to date
Friday, March 03, 2006-Editorial- Daily Star
Just hours before the start of Lebanon's national dialogue, Defense Minister Elias Murr dropped a bombshell into the midst of an inflamed political arena. During a heated debate over the presidency, Murr accused Emile Lahoud, who is also his father-in-law, of "failing to protect" him from an assassination that had been ordered by Syrian intelligence. In front of the ministers, Murr, who survived an assassination attempt on July 12, 2005, said that the decision to kill him had come from Syrian intelligence headquarters, which gave Lebanese politicians the choice of being either "slaves or corpses."
The remarks are the most damning indictment of the Syrian regime to te. Others have come forth with similar accusations that Damascus has been behind a string of bombings in Lebanon, but Murr's personal plea is by far the most compelling. For example, former Syrian Vice President Abdel-Halim Khaddam cast a similar bombshell when he told Al-Arabiyya television that President Bashar Assad had directly threatened former Lebanese Premier Rafik Hariri just months before the latter's assassination. But Khaddam's remarks were diluted by the questions surrounding his motives. The former regime official has made no secret of his desire to overthrow the government in Damascus and has presented himself as an alternative for the seat of the Syrian presidency. But Murr is not a party to this struggle; he is not allied with either the pro-Syrian or the anti-Syrian camps in Lebanon. The new evidence which he has presented, while circumstantial, is incontrovertible. Lebanese leaders who are gathered for the national dialogue, particularly Syria's allies, need to re-evaluate Lebanon's relations with Syria in light of Murr's remarks. More importantly, Murr, who told Lahoud "you could not protect me from the security regime that you were accused of being involved in," also cast fresh doubt on Lahoud's ability to lead the country in a time of crisis. It has become even more clear that in the face of an external threat, Lahoud's hands are tied. It is therefore urgent that Lahoud plan for the end of his mandate, which was forcibly extended in September 2004. As his son-in-law respectfully advised: "Make the right choice to preserve your dignity and to go back to being my children's grandfather."

Ahmadinejad: Iran has 'inalienable rights' to nuclear technology
Compiled by Daily Star staff - Friday, March 03, 2006
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Thursday Tehran would refuse to negotiate over its "inalienable rights" to acquire nuclear technology, on the eve of last-minute talks between Iran and EU powers. "We believe that it is the right of all member nations to enjoy nuclear fuel and peaceful nuclear technology. We will not accept a scientific apartheid," Ahmadinejad told reporters in Kuala Lumpur. Ahmadinejad is in Malaysia for a three-day visit as part of Iran's efforts to garner international support before Monday's meeting.
"My nation has chosen its path. Having said that I also point out that we don't want to pick a fight with any country but we are very capable of defending ourselves and securing our national interests," Ahmadinejad said.
While Iran is ready to negotiate, "it is very clear that we are not open to negotiating on our inalienable rights," the Iranian president said, speaking in Farsi through an interpreter. In an effort to end the crisis, Russia has offered to enrich uranium for Tehran so that the West can be assured that it is not being diverted to build weapons Larijani, confirmed in Moscow that Tehran will negotiate with Britain, France and Germany before of a March 6 key meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency's governing board. A European diplomat said the talks will be held Friday in Vienna.
The IAEA board of governors could start a process leading to punishment by the UN Security Council, which has the authority to impose sanctions on Iran.
"The Iranians asked for this meeting. We are prepared to meet them tomorrow to listen to what they have to say," a British Foreign Office spokesman in London said Thursday. "There are no new proposals from the EU-3," the spokesman said. IAEA director general Mohammad al-Baradei, who is also due to meet the foreign ministers, also welcomed the EU3-Iran meeting.
"As negotiations proceed, it will be essential for all parties to specifically address the security, political and economic issues that underlie any future comprehensive settlement," he said in a statement.
European Union diplomats said Larijani would be again told Iran must return to complete suspension of enrichment-related work including conversions of uranium ore to win fresh negotiations on trade incentives.
Larijani said Iran sought another hearing with the EU as "we believe our programs are clear and defensible" but accused the United States of trying to "destroy" Russian efforts to reach a compromise, the Interfax news agency said. "The Americans' insistence on handing over the Iranian nuclear dossier to the UN Security Council means the destruction of the Russian proposal."
Larijani said his team had put forward a "package proposal" in Wednesday's talks in Moscow, denying that the discussions had ended in failure. "Negotiations with Russia were constructive and effective ... [but] the Russian proposal needs to become more mature ... ," Larijani said, apparently objecting to Moscow's insistence Iran re-suspend enrichment work as part of the deal. Larijani also said Tehran would accept inspections by the nuclear watchdog if the IAEA allows it to pursue its nuclear program.
Ahmadinejad also pledged to provide the "highest level of cooperation to the IAEA." In a speech to a business forum earlier, Ahmadinejad accused Western powers of trying to control the world's oil resources and creating a climate of fear that he said was forcing countries to stockpile weapons. "They want to control the oil and gas and energy resources of the world and have control of strategic points in the world," he said. "Many of the resources of nations are going to waste in a climate of fear, being pushed toward ... the production of arms and stockpiling of weapons," he said. - Agencies

National dialogue begins as bishops distance themselves from Lahoud
By: Youssef Hourani - 2 March, 2006
The president is a divisive factor among Lebanese and must “assume his responsibilities before God and History,” say the prelates.
Beirut (AsiaNews) – With downtown Beirut under tight security, a ‘national dialogue’ began this morning in the halls of the National Assembly involving 15 party caucus leaders. The goal is to address some fundamental issues such as amending the electoral law, implementing UN Resolution 1559 and deciding the future of President Émile Lahoud should he refuse to resign. The pro-Syrian Lahoud, who is already under pressure from the assembly’s majority to quit, now must confront Maronite bishops telling him to “assume his responsibilities” and realise that he is a “cause of division among the Lebanese”.
In their statement released at the end of their monthly meeting chaired by Patriarch Nasrallah Sfeir, the bishops said that whilst a section of the population backed President Lahoud “all the way” upholding the legitimacy of his mandate extended two years ago under Syrian occupation, another section wants him removed from office. This “has paralysed the political life of the country, caused great damage at all levels and has wrecked its political institutions”.
The bishops, who have always been in favour of a national dialogue, write that the president “is the only one who can judge whether staying is good for the country or harmful to reconciliation. He must assume his responsibilities before God and History”. Lahoud was not invited to the national dialogue meeting which might prove decisive for the country’s future. It is the first such event in the recent history of lebanon after the 1989 Arab League-sponsored meeting in Taif in Saudi Arabia that ended its 15-year civil war.
National Assembly Speaker Nabih Berri is chairing the meeting. Last year’s Hariri assassination is among the topics on the agenda, which also includes the findings by the UN commission of inquiry into the same affair; the future of the current president if he chooses not to resign; proposals to amend the electoral law, and the implementation of UN Resolution 1559 on disarming militias, i.e. armed groups under the command Hezbollah and its leader Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah.
According to some sources, the meeting of 15 party caucus leaders should last about a week. Police and army have deployed more than 3,000 officers and soldiers around the National Assembly Building in Star Square and banned traffic downtown Beirut to ensure maximum security.

Berri Describes Meeting as Positive After Discussions Over International Tribunal
Top political leaders discussed Thursday issues of disagreement related to ex-premier Rafik Hariri's assassination at a large-scale national dialogue meeting, according to Speaker Nabih Berri.
Following the first closed session of the long-awaited dialogue, Berri told reporters that politicians representing Lebanon's various parties and sects conferred about setting up an international tribunal to try Hariri's suspected killers.
Some 35 rival political leaders also discussed a government request to the United Nations to expand the mandate of an international commission investigating the massive bombing that claimed the former prime minister's life on Feb. 14, 2005.
Berri, who is sponsoring the dialogue, said politicians unanimously agreed to task the government with following up on this contentious issue that has divided the Lebanese.
The anti-Syrian coalition accuses Damascus in the Hariri slaying and wants to push ahead with the U.N. investigation into the assassination, which has already implicated Syrian officials. Syria's allies, however, say the investigation is political and aims at pressuring Syria.
The two sides also differ over an international tribunal to try the suspects. Hizbullah is concerned that such a tribunal could pave the way for a greater international (and particularly American) role in the country. The Shiite group is resisting international and U.S. calls to lay down its arms.
Berri told reporters that the roundtable discussions were serious and positive despite the differences in opinion among the participants, including Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, Druze leader Walid Jumblat, Future Movement head Saad Hariri, Free Patriotic Movement head Gen. Michel Aoun, Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea as well as Prime Minister Fouad Saniora.
The large-scale meeting is held in the Parliament building in downtown Beirut amid tight security measures and without Syrian, Arab or any foreign supervision.
Another topic that the participants will discuss at the meeting is U.N. Resolution 1559, including an article calling for Lebanese and non-Lebanese militias to disarm and the international call for fair and free presidential elections in the country.
The third topic is about the Lebanese-Syrian relations that are now at their lowest point.

National Dialogue Begins As Berri Warns Against its Failure
A long-awaited national dialogue meeting has started Thursday bringing together a wide array of political parties and leaders who have not met face-to-face for years.
The large-scale meeting is held in the Parliament building in downtown Beirut amid tight security measures and without Syrian, Arab or any foreign supervision.
Political heavyweights attending the meeting, including Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, Druze leader Walid Jumblat, Future Movement head Saad Hariri, Free Patriotic Movement head Gen. Michel Aoun, Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea as well as Prime Minister Fouad Saniora and Speaker Nabih Berri. The conference began at 11:55 a.m. with a two-hour delay after last-minute efforts were made to resolve a disagreement over who should represent the Greek Orthodox community. A solution was eventually reached and legislator Ghassan Tueni and pro-Syrian legislator Michel Murr were finally chosen to attend and sat next to each other. Tueni is the father of An Nahar General Manager Gebran Tueni, a prominent anti-Syrian legislator killed in a December bombing in Beirut.
Another reason for the delay was the insistence of three pro-Syrian groups to be represented at the meeting, but they were eventually left out at the request of the March 14 leaders. In an opening speech, Berri has set three main topics for the dialogue: uncovering the truth of Rafik Hariri's assassination, including a U.N. investigation into the 2005 killing of the former premier; U.N. Resolution 1559 and issues relevant to this 2004 international edict; and the Lebanese-Syrian relations, now are at their lowest point. Berri, who is sponsoring the dialogue, has previously said the call for President Emile Lahoud's resignation would also be discussed as it falls under the stipulations of Resolution 1559.
The struggle over the presidency has preoccupied all Lebanese for the past weeks as a stepped-up campaign by the March 14 coalition to oust Lahoud is faced with stiff resistance from pro-Syrian groups that want him to complete his mandate that ends in 2007. Geagea, a Christian leader from the anti-Syrian coalition that commands a slight majority in Parliament, has said removing Lahoud from office is a priority over any other issue.
Lahoud, who was not invited to the conference, has refused to resign and the anti-Syrian coalition does not have the two-third votes in the legislature to oust him. That's why the alliance's pillars Jumblat, Geagea and Hariri are expected to try to win over the support of political rivals such as Aoun or Nasrallah, who have so far refused to join the drive to remove the pro-Syrian president. Other articles of the 2004 resolution that will be discussed by politicians include the international call to disarm Lebanese and non-Lebanese militias.
Hizbullah, the only Lebanese group that continues to hold arms, is hoping to convince the March 14 leaders to keep the issue of its disarmament a domestic affair.
The Shiite group is under international and local pressure to disarm in accordance with Resolution 1559. But a day before the start of the dialogue, Hizbullah legislator Hassan Fadlallah said it was impossible to implement the international resolution that is strongly supported by Washington.
Meanwhile, Jumblat has said he will press for Hizbullah's disarmament. The factions taking part in the roundtable discussions also differ over the findings of a U.N. probe that implicated Syrian officials in Hariri's assassination.
The rigid positions adopted by the different political groups shortly before the start of the dialogue have led former Premier Salim Hoss, who has not been invited to the talks, to doubt that the sharp differences among various factions can be bridged.
"I am not exaggerating when I say that this dialogue will be futile," said Hoss, a three-time prime minister.
But Berri warned against failure. "Success is in the interest of all. Failure means that may God have mercy on the country and that all will drown without exceptions. No one will show mercy on us," Berri told As-Safir.
Addressing his words to pro- and anti-Syrian groups and independent politicians, the Speaker said in As-Safir: "There is no room for out-biddings at the dialogue table ... It is not permissible for dialogue to fail. It must succeed and let's put absurdities and out-biddings aside."While all political factions agreed on the conference's significance, there was skepticism that politicians who have traded sharp accusations in recent weeks and staged competing street protests would be able to agree.
The London-based daily Al Hayat said the success of the dialogue conference hinged on an Arab initiative to defuse tensions between Lebanon and Syria. Saudi Arabia, Egypt and the Arab League have so far sought but failed to mend relations between the two. Writing in the leading An-Nahar newspaper Wednesday, analyst George Nassif said the leaders "will either lay down the foundations of a solid national reconciliation or (let the country) slide toward a confrontation."
As-Safir newspaper said the conference can result in either "a compromise solution" to the political stalemate or in "an open political crisis."(Naharnet-AP-AFP) Beirut, Updated 02 Mar 06, 16:05

Lebanon's leaders meet amid sharp divisions to tackle crisis after Syria's withdrawal
02/03/2006 BEIRUT, Lebanon (AP) - Lebanon's rival leaders sat down together in an unprecedented political dialogue Thursday aimed at resolving the country's deep divisions since the end of Syrian domination, amid warnings that failure could worsen the slide toward instability.
Hours before the gathering in Beirut, a small bomb exploded in a courthouse before dawn in the Christian port of Jounieh, outside the capital, Beirut. Windows were broken but there were no injuries, since the building was empty at the time.
It was the latest in a chain of mysterious bombings in Lebanon that began in early 2005. Blasts have killed 32 people, including former prime minister Rafik Hariri in a Feb. 14, 2003 attack and three other anti-Syrian figures.
Other explosions have been in mainly Christian districts, often causing damage and fear but no casualties. The attacks have heightened concerns over the sharp splits in Lebanon in the wake of Syria's withdrawal from the country last year, the country's worst political crisis since the 1975-1990 civil war.
Thursday's gathering was the first of its kind since the end of Syria's control, which lasted nearly 30 years. Rival political leaders, Muslim and Christian, pro- and anti-Syrian, sat down together in the downtown Beirut parliament building in hopes of resolving their differences. The meeting could last up to 10 days, with a nearby hotel booked for the conferees. But it will be an uphill struggle to reach an agreement, since they are tackling some of he issues at the heart of the divisions, demands for the ousting of pro-Syrian President Emile Lahoud and the disarming of the militant Hezbollah group, as well as defining Lebanese-Syrian relations.
"We are doomed to success," warned Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, who called the meeting in the legislature. "Failure is forbidden because its consequences are grave," he told As-Safir newspaper Thursday. The meeting was closed and journalists were not allowed into the building. A spokesman for Berri, Mohammed Ballout, told reporters gathered near the legislature that the meeting began.
All participants, a total of about 35, stood up as the national anthem played. Then Berri had opening remarks before the conferees began talks behind closed doors. Saad Hariri, a Sunni Muslim who controls the largest parliamentary bloc, Walid Jumblatt, the Druse political leader, Shiite Muslim Hezbollah leader Sheik Hassan Nasrallah, Michel Aoun, a Christian who leads the parliamentary opposition, and Christian leader Samir Geagea were among the politicians who showed up for the talks. Nasrallah and Geagea are meeting for the first time.
The only major politican not invited was Lahoud, though Nasrallah, Aoun and others at the conference either back the president or do not support ousting him. Lahoud has resisted calls to step down by the anti-Syrian bloc, led by Hariri, the son of the slain former prime minister, and Jumblatt.
Other factions involved ranged from right-wing Christians like Geagea to militant Shiites like Hezbollah. The meeting bringing together in person such an array of political leaders was unprecendented since the civil war, although most factions have representation in Parliament and Cabinet and have regularly held bilateral meetings.
Newspapers likened it to the 1989 meeting in Taif, Saudi Arabia, that produced an accord that ended the civil war. Berri, a pro-Syrian politician, has set three main topics: pressing to uncover the culprits who killed Hariri; a U.N. resolution calling for disarmament of all militias; and Lebanese-Syrian relations, now are at their lowest point.
Other issues, such as the call for Lahoud's resignation, also could be discussed, he said. All the topics are deeply divisive. Hezbollah, the main focus of the U.N. resolution, has rejected local and international calls to disarm.
The anti-Syrian bloc accuses Damascus in the Hariri slaying and want to push ahead a U.N. investigation into the assassination, which has already implicated Syrian officials. Syria's allies say the investigation is political and aimed at railroading Damascus and undermining Syrian President Bashar Assad. The two sides also differ over an international tribunal to try the suspects.
The anti-Syrians are also pressing for Lahoud to resign, though they do not have the two-thirds votes in the legislature to oust him. The president is backed by Hezbollah and Amal, another pro-Syrian Shiite faction headed by Speaker Berri.
The meeting's opening was delayed by about an hour because of differences over representation, and even seating, on the table.
A small bloc of pro-Syrian factions representing the Lebanon chapter of Syria's ruling Baath Party, the Syrian Social Nationalist Party and a leftist independent wanted a seat on the table, according to local LBC TV. But the move was opposed by the anti-Syrian coalition, which commands a slight majority in the legislature. Both sides scrambled in side meetings to deal with this problem.
Ballout would not say how the matter was resolved, but TV stations reported the pro-Syrian faction was left out. While all political factions agreed on the conference's significance, there was skepticism that politicians who have traded sharp accusations in recent weeks and staged competing street protests would be able to agree. Media reports have speculated that the success of the dialogue conference hinged on an Arab initiative to defuse tensions between Lebanon and Syria. Saudi Arabia, Egypt and the Arab League have so far sought but failed to mend relations between the two.
Berri warned against failure. "Success is in the interest of all. Failure means that may God have mercy on the country and that all will drown without exceptions. No one will show mercy on us," Berri told As-Safir.
Addressing his words to pro- and anti-Syrian groups and independent politicians, Berri said in As-Safir: "There is no room for outbiddings at the dialogue table ... It is not permissible for dialogue to fail. It must succeed and let's put absurdities and outbiddings aside."

Explosion at Lebanon courthouse
A minor explosion went off Thursday inside a courthouse in the Lebanese town of Junieh, north of Beirut, police said, with no initial reports of casualties. A small amount of dynamite exploded on the first floor of the building in the Christian town but caused minimal damage, police said. Lebanon has seen a number of bombings over the last 18 months, often targeting anti-Syrian journalists or politicians, including former premier Rafiq Hariri killed just over a year ago in a massive Beirut car bombing.

Jihadists committed to conquering western culture
By Warner M. Montgomery
W. Thomas Smith, adjunct professor in the USC School of Journalism (l), introduces Dr. Walid Phares to the Columbia World Affairs Council. Photo by Warner Montgomery
Jihadists (radical Islamic fundamentalists) constitute only 1% of the Muslim World, but they are defeating moderate Muslims and the Western World in the clash of ideas. They are motivated solely by an ideology that predicts victory over the decadent Western World in the 21st century. They will confront us at every crisis, and, unless we change our policy, conquer us battle by battle. This was the message presented to the World Affairs Council Tuesday by Dr. Walid Phares who took time out from his appearances on MSNBC, NBC, Fox News, CNN, BBC, C–SPAN, and al Jazcera to speak in Columbia.
Dr. Phares was born in Lebanon, educated in Europe, practiced law in the Middle East, and moved to the US in 1990 where he received his Ph.D. from the University of Miami. Now an American citizen, he teaches at Florida Atlantic University, consults with the US Department of State, the UN Security Council, and the European Union. He has authored numerous articles and books on politics in the Middle East. His latest book is Future Jihad, Terrorist Strategies Against America.
Most Americans and Europeans don’t understand who we are fighting, said Dr. Phares. Since the fall of the USSR, which the Jihadists consider their major victory, we have failed to recognize the emerging Jihadist movement. “We just didn’t see it coming,” he said.
During two decades of clear warnings – attacks on American forces in Lebanon, civil war in Chechnya, genocide in Algeria and Sudan, terrorist attacks in Indonesia and Egypt, extremist control of Iran – we did not respond. When the Taliban seized Afghanistan and destroyed Buddhist statues, we did not respond.
In 1991, Osama bin Laden publicly declared war on the Western World, but we did not respond. After the first attack on the World Trade Center in 1993, we did not respond. Dr. Phares ex-plained our lack of understanding is based on our ill–conceived idea these terrorist activities are being committed by a small group of criminals when in actuality they are an organized group of international warriors who operate outside of the international community. Their indoctrination begins in the madrassa schools where young converts are trained to hate western ideology, modernity, materialism, and freedom. They are trained to follow a false vision of Allah. Every move by Western apologists verifies their beliefs.
According to Dr. Phares, there is no debate on the existence of the jihad in the Middle East. It is a well organized concept in Islamic theology. The debate since WWI has been whether a national state should adopt jihad as policy and whether to use it against infidels. The Taliban in Afghanistan were the first to adopt it, the Mullah government in Iran the second.
For the Jihadists of Al Qaeda, the Taliban, Hezzbolah, and Iran, the “Holy War” has begun. It is only a matter of time before Iran has the ultimate weapon. There are hundreds, perhaps thousands of young Jihadists prepared to ride a nuclear bomb to paradise.