LCCC NEWS BULLETIN
MAY 11/2006

Below news bulletins from the Daily Star for 11/05/06
Anti-reformists march on Downtown Beirut
Lebanon to press ahead with oil exploration
Economic forum draws regional crowd
Beirut picks up easy credit to help defray cost of oil by-products
Beirut backs World Bank report on reform
Lebanon's reform program: toward achieving the economy's potential
Salameh paints rosy economic picture
Lebanon must plan beyond Bush and Chirac
Conference to explore freedom of speech, rights
U.S. will wait to see if Iran listens to Europeans
Below news bulletins from miscellaneous sources for 11/05/06
Lebanese PM Visits Asharq Al-Awsat-Asharq Alawsat - London,UK
Labor unions demonstrate in Beirut-United Press International
LEBANON: tens of thousands rally against planned reforms-AKI - Rome,Italy
Thousands protest govt reform plan in Beirut-Scotsman
Lebanon takes border plea to UK-BBC News
The national dialogue and its perspectives-Monday Morning
Hezbollah on the Tigris?Salon
Lebanon, Syria on menu as top US, French diplomats meet-Baku Today
A sharper political cleavage-Monday Morning
Bouncing Back-By Ghayth N. Armanazi
While Fouad Siniora seeks British military help-Arab Monitor
Syria tells Western countries not to meddle in its internal-Xinhua
SYRIA: Amid rising poverty, local charity assists poor-Reuters

Anti-reformists march on Downtown Beirut
Tens of thousands join protest despite concessions from cabinet
By Raed El Rafei -Daily Star staff
Thursday, May 11, 2006
BEIRUT: Tens of thousands of Lebanese took to the streets of Beirut Wednesday, calling on Premier Fouad Siniora to cancel economic reform plans they fear will increase taxes and deprive civil servants of their benefits and employment security. State employees, students and schoolchildren, as well as Hizbullah, Amal and Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) partisans marched to Downtown Beirut, sending a warning to Siniora and expressing their rejection of his economic blueprint.
"No to reforms. Siniora listen to the people: Keep your reforms to yourself," some protesters shouted. "Hunger will push the people to devour the leaders."FPM sources estimated the size of the crowd at 500,000, but security officials said participants numbered between 200,000 and 250,000.Hizbullah and the FPM both claimed that the aim of the demonstration was not to topple Siniora's government, but the March 14 Forces slammed the protest as "politicized" and accused parties supporting it of following a Syrian order to destabilize the government. Unions of teachers and current and former state employees called for the demonstration to protest against a reform program that includes a plan for short-term employment contracts and higher taxes. Speaking in the name of the organizing unions, Hanna Ghoraib urged the government to "totally cancel the contract plan and not shelve it momentarily." He also called for the scrapping of a series of proposals that would affect the legal rights and employment conditions of civil servants and retirees. Earlier Monday, despite the government's decision to shelve the controversial contract plan, unions insisted on going ahead with the march in protest against the government's economic reform policies.Ghoraib criticized the government majority's reform plans, claiming that "the same policies led to the country's substantial public debt." He also accused the majority of implementing the conditions of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund at the expense of the people. "If you want real reforms, start with the banks and big companies," he said. "Improve state revenues and resources ... Stop political interference in state institutions."Some of the banners carried by marchers included slogans like "Hunger and thirst for the oppressed people," and "Are you a Lebanese citizen? Be ware of Siniora flu."
Participants chanted refrains against taxes, corruption, and the "sabotage" plan, in reference to the economic blueprint proposed by Siniora and his team. Siniora hopes to present the reform package to international lenders at an aid conference he plans to hold in Beirut this year designed to help lower the cost of debt servicing.Many of the protesters screamed insults at March 14 leaders; others chanted their support for Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, Nabih Berri and Michel Aoun, the heads of Hizbullah, Amal and the FPM, respectively. Others expressed admiration for Syria and pro-Syrian President Emile Lahoud.
Several groups of youths were seen running through the demonstration shouting: "Syria, Syria, Syria ..."
Some marchers waved loaves of bread as a symbol of poor living conditions.
While Lebanese flags were largely carried at the protest - due to a request from the unions that party flags remain at home - many demonstrators decided to show their loyalty to the FPM by wearing orange T-shirts, holding posters of Aoun and waving FPM flags.An impressive body of soldiers and policemen, some holding batons and shields, encircled the protest site as large numbers of Hizbullah organizers wearing beige caps helped maintain order. No major violent incidents were recorded.
Speaking in an interview with Hizbullah's Al-Manar TV station Tuesday, Aoun accused the majority in the government of misleading the Lebanese public by saying that protesters were pro-Syrians and troublemakers. He said officials would be better off working to resolve the country's economic problems. Aoun called on the government to "adopt comprehensive plans for development and reform by promoting productive sectors and creating jobs."But Interior Minister Ahmad Fatfat said the protest was "purely political." He accused the parties that backed it of having failed to propose alternatives to the economic blueprint. Speaking to reporters on Tuesday about the tight security measures taken to ensure the safety of the protest, he said the government's majority was open to solutions to the country's problems.
"The economic reform plan was launched to solve the economic crisis," Fatfat said, adding that the plan had not yet been seriously discussed by the Cabinet.

Bakers union to meet to discuss general strike
Daily Star staff-Thursday, May 11, 2006: The general assembly of the union of bakery owners is expected to meet on Thursday to discuss the issue of the general strike called for by the union last week. The strike was the result of Economy Minister Sami Haddad's failure to fulfill his promises to bakers, the statement Wednesday said. Kazem Ibrahim, who heads the union, said that the final decision to hold the strike "is in the hands of the general assembly." Ibrahim reiterated the union's refusal of any increase in the price of the pack of white bread, as well as liberalizing the bread market.

Israeli warplanes violate Lebanese airspace
Daily Star staff-Thursday, May 11, 2006: The National News Agency correspondent in Hasbaya reported on Wednesday that four Israeli F-16 jets violated Lebanese airspace at noon, hovering above the areas of Arqoub, Hasbaya, Rashaya al-Wadi, the central and western Bekaa, Iqlim al-Tuffah and Mount Lebanon. A Lebanese Army statement reported that eight Israeli warplanes flew over Lebanon around noon as well. Two of them reached Jbeil, Chekka and the Cedars in North Lebanon whereas the two others flew over the southern port cities of Tyre and Sidon. The warplanes left around 12.45 p.m. A reconnaissance jet was also spotted above the areas of Markaba, Bint Jbeil and Aitaroun at as early as 6 a.m., before returning to its base at 9.17 a.m.

Al-Riyadi team makes triumphant return
Daily Star staff-Thursday, May 11, 2006: The Al-Riyadi basketball team returned to Beirut on Tuesday after succeeding in preserving the Champions of the Arabs title for the 2006 season, by clinching the cup of the 19 Pan-Arab Basketball Federation's Cup at the expense of Ittihad Jeddah from Saudi Arabia with a difference of 24 points. The final game was held on Fatah Gazawi stadium in Sala, in the north capital of Rabat, Morocco, in front of approximately 3,000 fans. Sports and Youth Minister Ahmad Fatfat, who welcomed the team at the Rafik Hariri International Airport, described Al-Riyadi's victory as a "great achievement for Lebanon." He regretted that sports in Lebanon are promoted by individual and private initiatives because "the capacities of the government in the field are limited at the moment." Al-Riyadi is expected to play in the semi-final round of Lebanese championship against Champville.

Aoun holds meeting with mayor of Sidon
Daily Star staff-Thursday, May 11, 2006: Reform and Change Bloc leader MP Michel Aoun met Wednesday with Sidon Mayor Abdel-Rahman Bizri and discussed the ongoing developments. Speaking following the meeting, Bizri said that "unions have the right to hold demonstrations and every political party having an interest in the civil servants' problems must participate in them." He added that May 10 demonstration aimed to "ameliorate people's conditions" and show that the government is "incapable of resolving their problems." Bizri also said that Premier Fouad Siniora's economic plan must be undermined and replaced by another project.

Press Release
Boston, Massachusetts – May 9, 2006
New England Americans for Lebanon – NEAL
The organization New England Americans for Lebanon (NEAL) held a meeting this past Sunday May 7, 2006 with Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, one of the authors of the Syria Accountability and Lebanon Sovereignty Restoration Act in the presence of the officials of the organization, Bechara Sfeir, Nabil Khoury, Ali Jabak and Ziad Al-Khoury. The President of the Washington-based sister organization, Lebanese American Council for Democracy (LACD), Mr. Toni Haddad, joined the meeting from Washington, D.C., as did a select number of leaders from the Lebanese-American community of the New England area. During the gathering, discussions centered on Lebanon, the means to assist Lebanon and promote genuine democracy in it, and work to effect change and reform and build a free Lebanon. The Congresswoman, who is slated to become the Chairwoman of the House Committee on International Relations in the US Congress, shared her opinions with the attendees on the role of the Committee and the means to energize the Lebanese American community in working with the Committee in support of the issues pertaining to protecting Lebanese sovereignty and promote democracy and human rights in Lebanon. The meeting was followed by a luncheon in honor of Congresswoman Ros-Lehtinen.

Thousands protest govt reform plan in Beirut
BEIRUT (Reuters) - Tens of thousands of Lebanese marched through the streets of Beirut on Wednesday condemning the anti-Syrian government and demanding it scrap economic reform plans that have split the country.
A year after mass protests brought down a pro-Syrian government and helped end Syria's 29-year military presence in Lebanon, security officials said at least 100,000 people poured into downtown Beirut in a politically charged labour protest to say "no to taxes, no to corruption."
Anti-Syrian forces were absent from the protest which drew state employees, students, schoolchildren and pro-Syrian Hizbollah and Amal loyalists, as well as orange-clad supporters of Christian opposition leader Michel Aoun.
"The people who go hungry eat their rulers," read one banner carried through the crowd. "No to the sabotage plan," chanted some demonstrators.
Original plans by pro-Syrian politicians to push for the government to resign were set aside after it caved into the main trade union demand and dropped tentative plans to introduce shorter term contracts for public sector jobs, which would have cut the number of state "jobs for life" amid high unemployment.
But union bosses decided to go ahead with the protest, complaining that the reform package, drawn up by the government to help cut a public debt above $36 billion, would harm working people through a series of tax increases.
"We want the government to withdraw the entire reform plan and cancel the plan to grant state employees contracts with limited duration," Mahmoud Qomati, politburo member of the Shi'ite Muslim Hizbollah guerrilla group, told Reuters.
The government, led by a former finance minister, hopes to present the reform package to international lenders at a debt aid conference it plans to hold in Beirut this year.
But the conference has been delayed as fractious Lebanese politicians squabble over reforms that include privatisation of the telecommunications and power sectors, increases in income and value-added tax and cuts in public sector spending.
Anti-Syrian politicians say the protests are premature as the cabinet has yet to approve the proposals.
"This country needs a reform plan. We have yet to seriously discuss the plan," Acting Interior Minister Ahmad Fattfat told a news conference. "If people have a different vision that is fine. This plan is for discussion."
(c) Reuters 2006. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of Reuters content, including by caching, framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters. Reuters and the Reuters sphere logo are registered trademarks and trademarks of the Reuters group of companies around the world.

Lebanon takes border plea to UK
Siniora is pushing for Israeli withdrawal from the Shebaa Farms
Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora says he has asked Britain to help put pressure on Israel to withdraw from the disputed Shebaa Farms area.
Mr Siniora made the plea during talks in London with the British Prime Minister, Tony Blair.
Lebanon claims the area as its territory but according to the UN, the area is part of the Syrian Golan Heights occupied by Israel since 1967.
UK officials said the leaders spoke about a number of regional issues.
Mr Siniora, who is a member of the anti-Syrian coalition in Lebanon, said he asked Mr Blair "to exert pressure on Israel so that the Israelis can withdraw from Shebaa Farms".
He said he had also asked for help in getting the UN to recognise the area as Lebanese rather than Syrian.
Mr Blair's office said only that the two men addressed several regional issues and that any peace in the Middle East must come through a negotiated solution, Reuters news agency reported.
The water-rich Shebaa Farms lie at the convergence of Israeli, Lebanese and Syrian territory.
Israeli troops have retained control of the area since they withdrew from southern Lebanon in 2000.
Lebanese Hezbollah guerrillas conduct sporadic raids against the Israeli forces there. They and the Lebanese government say the Shebaa Farms should have been included in the withdrawal.
Israel - backed by the UN - maintains the zone was captured from Syria in 1967 and its fate should be determined via the stalled Syrian track of peace talks.

Bouncing Back
By Ghayth N. Armanazi *
Just a year ago, in April 2005, Syrian troops completed their hurried withdrawal from Lebanon. Despite all attempts to dress up that retreat as a mission accomplished, there was no escaping the view that it was nothing short of a humiliating reversal of major geopolitical significance. For decades Syria’s grip on Lebanon was a mainstay of its strategic landscape. The of repeated mantra ‘the unity of the two tracks’ – meaning the convergence of the two countries’ policies with regard to negotiating a final peace embodying the return of the Golan Heights, but also implying the closest coordination on all foreign policy issues – became irrefutable doctrine.
The late President Hafez Al Assad considered Lebanon a great strategic asset in the regional game of nations and his patience, perseverance, and tactical shrewdness paid off. Other claimants to a stake in Lebanon, Arab as well as non-Arab, beat a retreat, more often than not leaving behind a trail of blood and tears. Only the Syrians, it seemed, possessed the long-term leverage, and were prepared to put up with the cost of pacifying Lebanon. President Bashar Al Assad continued in the same vein, after succeeding his father, but gradually brought Syrian troop levels down in a bid to counter the growing vociferous protests of a Maronite-led opposition which became more forceful. These events happened in tandem with the coming to power in Washington of an administration heavily influenced by a neoconservative agenda, and, hence, less sympathetic to an inherited view of Syria’s benign influence in Lebanon.
This attitude was heavily reinforced by the mindset created by the attacks of September 11 2001, and especially by Syria’s stand regarding the war launched on Iraq. Nevertheless, until the middle of 2004, there was no serious hint that the Syrian position in Lebanon was under threat. The events since then are common knowledge, with France taking a leading role, and with Syrian miscalculations, such as an insistence on renewing Lebanese President Emile Lahoud’s mandate, resulting in the passing of Security Council Resolution 1559. In this the international community, reacting to heavy pressure from the newly re-formed Franco-US alliance, put Syria on notice that its days of monopoly power in Lebanon were numbered. GOING FOR THE JUGULAR The assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafic Hariri raised the level of pressure on Damascus, and Syria complied with the demand for withdrawal, in the hope that by doing so, the heat would ease. But it was not to be; the Americans immediately pounced on the opportunity to both tighten the screws on Damascus and thus neutralise its ‘spoiling’ role in Iraq and Palestine, while simultaneously basking in the glory of a ‘Cedar Revolution’ inspired by United States President George Bush’s vision of a Middle East on the path to democracy.
 France, for reasons of its own, one being the famously close relationship between President Jacques Chirac and the late Hariri, and another a near petulant reaction to the perceived dismissal by Damascus of French attempts to mastermind and co-opt the Syrian reform agenda, also went for the Syrian jugular. The mechanism for bringing Syria to its knees was the UN Commission investigating the Hariri killing. When the first of those reports was delivered to the Security Council last October, it was seen as a devastating document. The Head of the Investigating Commission Detlev Mehlis pointed the finger at Damascus and the Americans and French adopted ever more menacing tones about imminent sanctions, and enforcing international isolation. Meanwhile, despite Syrian efforts to control the border with Iraq – which neutral observers, diplomats and even US military spokesmen acknowledged – the barrage of accusations of Syrian involvement in the Iraqi insurgency continued, not to mention the standard charge of Damascus’ support for terror and its harbouring of Palestinian
extremist groups and, of course, its links with Hizbollah. Never in recent years had the situation looked more bleak for the Syrian leadership. The pressure from outside was formidable. It seemed that an internal opposition might be gathering pace as well, when on New Year’s eve, the former Vice-President Abdul Halim Khaddam, announced through the Saudi-owned Arabic satellite TV station, Al-Arabiya, that he had broken with the regime, which he accused of indeed being behind the assassination of Hariri. Increasingly, there was talk in the international and Arab media, as well as in political circles of a change of regime, as opposed to changing the policies of the regime – the hitherto favoured solution of Washington and its allies. Echoes of an Iraqi scenario, while played down by those who understood the folly of that road, nevertheless found ready resonance, and Syria entered this year seemingly cornered, friendless and staring at the abyss.
Barely four months on, the picture, at least from the perspective of Damascus, looks significantly less daunting. Events, even if the Syrians cannot claim to orchestrating them – at least not all of them! – have given some respite. Through a combination of playing for time, tactical maneuvering between overt defiance and pragmatic flexibility, and exploiting the errors and overblown judgments and expectations of those lined up in the opposing camps, they have arguably not just survived the worst, but could be preparing a comeback in the regional arena. Five crucial developments contribute to a new Syrian mood of confidence.
1. The original UN report has lost a lot of its sting – mainly as a result of two key witnesses retracting evidence that lay at the heart of the accusations directed at Damascus, in addition to the exposure of their flawed credibility. The final outcome of the Hariri investigation is not yet known. But with the German Mehlis now replaced by – in the eyes of Syrians – the much less abrasive Belgian investigator Serge Brammertz, there is a growing feeling Damascus may evade the worst scenarios. The most recent report, highlighting Syrian cooperation, was welcomed by Syrian officials who commended the chief investigator’s professionalism and objectivity.
2. Developments in Lebanon have undercut the once broad anti-Syrian front, united under the banner of expelling its forces and restoring sovereignty.
Political reconciliation is under threat, and alliances shifting again as the old political feudalisms reveal the brittle nature of the Cedar Revolution. Despite the heavyhanded drive by the Americans – and the French – to restructure Lebanese politics in their own image and to suit their Syrianbashing agenda, the Syrians can once again play the waiting game and seize the opportunities the quarrelling Lebanese political class invariably presents. The improbable alliance between Hizbollah, and the once fiercely anti-Syrian Maronite bloc led by General Michel Aoun, is one glaring example of how Syrian influence can unexpectedly manifest itself. A sign of the residual power-broking muscle of Syria emerges most clearly from open acknowledgement that if there is to be any progress on the most difficult items on the agenda of the Lebanese Conference of National Dialogue, convened in March under the speaker of the parliament, then Syrian cooperation and goodwill are essential. These include the future of the Lebanese presidency, controlling the armed presence of Palestinians, demarcation of the border in the Shabaa Farms’ area a critical issue which could legitimize Hizbollah’s continuing resistance to Israel’s occupation and the eventual disarmament of Hizbollah itself.
3. The Iraqi imbroglio shows no sign of easing the mounting strain on the American project for the Middle East. While Syria is now increasingly credited with doing what it can to police its border, and is more forthright in its support for a political process in Iraq and building bridges with various Sunni and Shiite factions, it becomes less and less tenable for Washington to blame Damascus for all that is going wrong in Iraq. In the absence of a serious risk of American forces reduced to ‘thrashing about’ like a wounded beast in a bid to avenge the disaster consuming them in Iraq, Syrian anxieties about American military action are fast receding. There seems to be little prospect of an Israeli attack by proxy; a scenario that would fuel regional instability, and complicate and possibly undermine its agenda of concentrating on unilaterally ‘separating’ from the Palestinians, which the newly elected Kadima-led government is pledged to achieve.
4. The victory of Hamas in the Palestinian legislative elections can only strengthen Syria’s hand as a potential moderating influence on the new Palestinian leadership. The Europeans – perhaps at some stage even the Americans – might think it sensible to engage Syria over the future conduct of Hamas. With Russia restored as an ally of Syria entering into dialogue with Hamas and warmly receiving the Syrian Foreign Minister, Walid al-Moualem, the American ‘message’ of an isolated Syria is fast losing credibility. Continuing to blame Syria for ‘harboring Palestinian terrorists’ loses its rationale when these very same ‘terrorists’ are sworn in as the legitimate, democratically-elected government of Palestine.
5. Syria has also managed to summon to its cause other Arab countries, particularly Egypt and Saudi Arabia, fearful of a destabilized Syria spreading out to cause further regional mayhem to exacerbate the running sore of Iraq. Syria shrewdly, if subtly, invoked the Iranian connection that could only be strengthened if Damascus was left with no other alternative in its search for regional support. Riyadh and the other Gulf capitals, would have clearly understood the strategic implications of pushing Syria irrevocably into Tehran’s arms. It may be premature to conclude with certainty that Syria has rebounded completely, or even substantially, from the heavy reverses and pressures that have had many analysts write it off as a spent regional force. But recent signs should lead them to review their rush to judgment.
* Ghayth N. Armanazi is the executive director, of the British Syrian Society. He is a writer and broadcaster specialising in Arab affairs and a former Arab League ambassador to the United Kingdom

The national dialogue and its perspectives
 A more violent opposition coupled with a balance of terror
Monday Morning: After the deadlock of the dialogue conference on two points of the agenda: the presidential dossier and the weapons of the Resistance, its postponement until May 16 raises a question on the fate that may be in store for it, the more so since the regional situation -- the conflict in Iraq and the Iranian-American conflict over Teheran’s nuclear program -- is becoming increasingly somber, a fact that will not fail to have negative repercussions on the Lebanese scene. We must therefore expect disturbing developments in the future as certain sides threaten to have recourse to the street in the event of the current discussions. The three coming months therefore promise to be unquiet, especially if the political formations which contest the (extended) mandate of President Emile Lahoud continue their cabal in order to obtain satisfaction.
Elie Skaff: ‘Certain dialoguers are acting in a superficial way’
MP Elie Skaff, head of the Zahlé Popular Bloc, affiliated to the Current of Reform and Change (Aounist), accuses certain sides taking part in the dialogue of behaving in a superficial, unserious way.
“They’re demanding that the term of President Emile Lahoud should be ended even though no consensus has been reached on his successor.
“We asked the ‘forces of March 14’ to designate their candidate for the highest office, but they replied that the Constitution does not require a candidate for the Presidency to declare his candidacy in advance.
“The Lebanese Forces have put forward four presidential possibilities, arguing that they don’t want to embarrass Cardinal Sfeir, giving full latitude to Parliament to choose the candidate it judges to be most representative”.
Should one expect the failure of the national dialogue?
It’s urgently important to build a state of institutions in a well-planned way, since we must not proceed in the same way as during the Syrian presence. The public debt has reached an astronomical level, which means that drastic economic and financial measures will have to be taken. No state can bear a public debt of such size, especially if its resources are limited.
That is why the national dialogue conference must change mentalities by reforming the administration and rationalizing expenditure. The parliamentary majority is called on to radically modify its methods of action, which requires the setting up of a cabinet of national unity representing all political forces.
Ali Bazzi: ‘No settlement of the presidential dossier without a consensus’
Ali Bazzi, Amal Movement MP for Bint-Jbeil, in South Lebanon, thinks that the post-dialogue stage should be able to benefit from it.
“The dialoguers have reached results that are an augury for a better phase of consultations, especially if the intentions of all sides are sound. The dialogue conference constitutes a turning point in the contemporary history of Lebanon and was able to settle a certain number of ‘hot’ issues, notably those related to the Shebaa Farms, to diplomatic relations with Syria, to the delineation of the frontier and to Palestinian arms.
“Two others remain to be settled, namely the presidential issue and the weapons of the Resistance. The second can and should be settled in the framework of a strategy of defense because the Israeli enemy continues to occupy portions of our territory, as well as violating our air space and territorial waters. The subject of the arms of the Resistance is therefore linked with agreement on the strategy on whose basis we can protect our country against Israeli aggression”.
What about the presidential dossier?
A solution must be found to this difficult subject, despite the attachment of each side taking part in the dialogue to its viewpoint and its desire to have someone from its side elected president.
What about delineation of the frontiers?
This subject needs to be discussed in its natural framework, without causing political wrangling that will only further complicate it. Speaker Nabih Berri stresses the term “delimitation”, in preference to “delineation” of the frontier in the Shebaa sector. The most important thing is to be able to confirm that this sector is Lebanese territory, in agreement with the United Nations. This is preferable to raising a controversy with Damascus or other parties, since it will lead to nothing positive and will result in envenoming the atmosphere even more on the political, media and popular levels.
Najah Wakim: ‘The regional crises are becoming ever worse’
Former MP Najah Wakim notes that the dialogue conference is taking place in the context of an unfavorable regional situation which is rapidly developing and changing.
“The regional crisis is fomented by the United States to impose Israel as the sole force, while Iran is trying to impose itself as the second actor in the region. Syria, meanwhile, plays a role between Iran and Saudi Arabia and is for them a regional necessity”.
How can we escape from the crisis?
The confessional system can no longer guarantee the future. The confessional communities have frameworks that provoke discord. Today we need a political movement capable of rescuing us from confessionalism. The first thing leading to this objective consists in carrying out legislative elections on the basis of a non-sectarian law, enabling the Lebanese people to express themselves far removed from confessional considerations. I have proposed a law permitting election to parliamentary seats on the basis of a single constituency. I hold to this proposal, which constitutes a prelude to the abolition of confessionalism.
Antoine Zahra: ‘After the dialogue, all the parties will recover their freedom of action’
Antoine Zahra, a Lebanese Forces member of Parliament, says, “Despite the fact that we have reached deadlock concerning the Presidency, this doesn’t mean that we accept the legitimacy of President Emile Lahoud. Each side has the right to coordinate with its allies, and the forces of March 14 will adopt a frank and decisive position on the extended term of Lahoud after the dialogue, since his continued presence in Baabda Palace signifies the persistence of unbalance and crisis”.
Does this signify a return to the street?
Not necessarily. We’ll continue to call for the resignation of Lahoud and we’ll have recourse to the means necessary to attain this objective. As Speaker Berri has acknowledged, there is a “crisis of power” in terms of the Presidency, and if we don’t find a solution to it, each side has the right to take the decisions it feels appropriate.
What about delineation of the frontier, and what of the Shebaa Farms?
It is necessary to prove that the Farms are Lebanese territory, through the United Nations, which is calling on the Lebanese and Syrian parties to cooperate in tracing the frontier in accordance with international rules.

Lebanon, Syria on menu as top US, French diplomats meet
NEW YORK 10/05/2006 12:01
Lebanon and Syria topped the agenda as US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and her French counterpart Philippe Douste-Blazy met on the sidelines of UN talks on Iran's controversial nuclear program.
The United States and France are cooperating closely on the common goal of a democratic Lebanon, Rice said as she met with Douste-Blazy at a swank New York hotel for a dinner late Tuesday.
The French foreign minister agreed that the two met often and worked closely, especially concerning Syria and Lebanon.
Rice and Douste-Blazy were to discuss a draft resolution on Syria that Paris and Washington want to present to the UN Security Council, according to officials traveling with the two.
Paris wants the resolution to remain focused on Lebanon and concentrate on three main objectives: the implementation of Security Council resolution 1559 calling for an end to Syrian influence on Lebanon, support for Lebanese dialogue, and a demarcation of borders between Syria and Lebanon.
Washington however is pushing for a resolution that puts broader pressure on Syria, and hopes to include pressure on Iran, which supports the Lebanese Shiite Muslim group Hezbollah.
Separately Washington has accused both Iran and Syria of taking insufficient action to prevent armed opponents of the US-led coalition from slipping into Iraq.
The text would require "parties and states" close to Lebanon to cease any interference in Lebanese affairs, according to a draft resolution which circulated among UN officials.
Rice, Douste-Blazy and a handful of advisers also discussed financial assistance to the Palestinians as well as Iran's controversial nuclear ambitions.
Douste-Blazy did not participate in discussions Tuesday held by the Middle East diplomatic quartet -- which comprises Russia, the United States, European Union and United Nations -- that endorsed the creation of a temporary mechanism to deliver badly needed assistance to the Palestinian people suffering under a cutoff of Western aid to their militant government.
The United States and EU have frozen aid to Hamas, which they consider a terrorist organization, until it renounces its armed struggle against Israel and recognizes the Jewish state's right to exist.
French President Jacques Chirac has earlier written to leaders of Israel and the quartet asking for the creation of a World Bank account to channel aid to the Palestinians.

A sharper political cleavage
President Lahoud: “I shall continue to assume my constitutional responsibilities, approving the decisions that serve the interests of Lebanon”The Council of Ministers in session last week: The old problem of reconciling competence with the confessional allocation of top posts The president and prime minister in conversation during last Thursday’s cabinet meeting. Despite their differences, the two men continue to cooperate within the constitutional framework
Speaker Nabih Berri has a word with MP Walid Jumblatt during the parliamentary session that passed the two contentious bills over the president’s objections
The Maronite bishops at their monthly meeting: A “disquieting” development
Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah speaking at the book fair: The matter of the Syrian embankments has been “contrived”
Lebanese soldiers sitting in front of a damaged building while UN experts (not shown) from the international probe into Rafik Hariri’s murder inspect the site of the assassination. Lebanon will request the UN to extend the mandate of the probe for another year
Assistant Secretary of State John Hillen is received by Prime Minister Fuad Saniora in the presence of Ambassador Jeffrey Feltman And by Foreign Minister Fawzi Salloukh
The postponement of the next session of the dialogue conference until May 16 has done little to cool the political atmosphere or bring points of view closer together among participants in the conference.
And a new issue surfaced last week to further irritate Lebanese-Syrian relations, in the form of sand embankments erected on Lebanese territory in the region of Arsal-Ras Baalbek, in the Bekaa Valley, on the pretext of catching smugglers. The action was condemned by the Council of Ministers and Parliament, as well as by the monthly meeting of Maronite prelates under the chairmanship of the patriarch, Cardinal Nasrallah Sfeir. In their final communiqué the bishops said the situation was “disquieting”.
The affair was also reproved at the United Nations, where a draft resolution was being drawn up for submission to the Security Council calling on Syria “to respect the sovereignty of Lebanon and to delineate without delay the joint frontier of the two countries”.
But Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah played down the matter of the embankments, forcefully denouncing the government for “contriving” the issue and claiming that certain members of the March 14 camp had a “project of war” with Syria. He went so far as to threaten to send his militants to join an anti-government demonstration on May 10.
Another matter to further envenom relations between Beirut and Damascus was the summons issued by a Syrian military court ordering Walid Jumblatt, Saad Hariri and Marwan Hamadé to answer charges of “inciting foreign powers against Syria”, and do so within seven days. There were reports that the Syrian government had taken exception to the visit to the Jumblatt family home at Moukhtara of a delegation of Muslim Brothers, an organization banned in Syria.
House passes controversial bills
The parliamentary majority passed two important legislative bills last week which had been opposed by President Emile Lahoud and other politicians.
There was a heated debate between the forces of March 14, which comprise the majority, and those of March 8 over the bill to amend the Constitutional Council, a body that ensures that legislation conforms with the Constitution and rules on disputes involving presidential and parliamentary elections. Its members are elected by Parliament and the cabinet. The president, the parliamentary speaker and the prime minister, as well as any 10 MPs, have the right to consult the council on the constitutionality of laws.
The leaders of religious communities also have the right to consult the council in regard to matters involving religious issues and personal status.
Council members are elected every six years. The term of the present incumbents ended three years ago but they remained in office. The parliamentary majority presented a bill to the legislature calling for the members to be changed, and it had been passed by Parliament. But when it was submitted to President Lahoud for his signature, he returned it to the legislature unsigned.
Another bill dealing with the structure of authority in the Druze community, also returned by Lahoud unsigned, was also voted again last week.
The president had said he returned the bills for national, legal and constitutional reasons, “not out of political considerations or a desire to side with one party against another”.
MPs of the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM), led by Michel Aoun, who is allied with Hezballah, a major component of the forces of March 8, voted against the law, charging that the reason the majority wanted to amend the Constitutional Council was to ensure that judges were appointed to it who would rule in favor of the majority on the question of challenges to the results of the May-June 2005 elections.
But Telecommunications Minister Marwan Hamadé said the present council had been much too accommodating to “political will” and “the tutelage authority”, and “that’s why we want it changed”.
The law on the Druze community was welcomed by MP Walid Jumblatt, leader of the mainly-Druze Progressive Socialist Party, includes a provision to replace Sheikh Bahjat Ghaith, an opponent of Jumblatt’s, as spiritual leader of the community.
Jumblatt was attending a sitting of Parliament for the first time in several months.

Nasrallah: Recourse to ‘the street’
The extent of the split between the March 8 and March 14 camps was made even plainer by an outburst on the part of Hezballah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, who criticized the majority over its complaints about the Syrian embankments in the Bekaa, accusing it of not wanting to demarcate the frontier with Syria “because some of them have a project of war” with Damascus.
He threatened that his militants would take to the streets along with members of the General Labor Confederation in a demonstration against the government’s proposed reforms.
He downplayed the importance of the embankments at a time when the UN Security Council was preparing to consider a resolution calling on Damascus to demarcate its border with Lebanon.
“Certain officials are provoking problems on a daily basis to hide the inability of the government to deal with serious matters. The problem of the embankments in the Bekaa has been contrived. Before they strike poses, those officials should sent people to inspect the situation on the ground… The matter will certainly not be settled by all this noise”.
Speaking at the opening of a book fair, he also rejected comparisons between Arsal and the situation of the Shebaa Farms, claimed by Lebanon but occupied by Israel, calling a remark to this effect by acting Interior Minister Ahmad Fatfat “shameful”.
He added, “They [the March 14 camp] want to begin a demarcation with the Shebaa sector, whereas we, with Syria, have proposed to start with the frontier in North Lebanon and the Bekaa, leaving the demarcation in the Shebaa sector till after its liberation. But they reject this. In fact, what they’re targeting is the weapons of the Resistance”, he said, accusing the forces of “February 14 of not respecting the decisions of the dialogue conference concerning relations with Syria”, indeed, of trying to increase tension between the two countries.
Denouncing the proposed reforms as “the worst that Lebanon has known”, he rejected suggestions that the demonstration had been “ordered” by Syria.
The prime minister’s office was quick to reply, expressing surprise at the “escalation contained in [Nasrallah’s] statements, notably on the government’s reform proposals, while the Hezballah general secretary only a few days ago underlined the need for dialogue and discussion before a determined position is taken.
“Why has the language of confrontation and threats taken the place of that of exchanges of ideas to come up with alternative solutions?” the office said, recalling that the proposals had not even been considered by the cabinet and could still be greatly or even totally modified.
The office decried the “unjustified recourse” to confrontation and wondered if the matter might actually go beyond the purely social and economic dimension.

Extension of the mandate of the international probe
Meanwhile, the Council of Ministers decided to request the extension by one year of the UN investigation into the death of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, who was assassinated by a booby-trapped car with 22 other persons in Beirut on February 14, 2005. The decision on granting the request will be made by UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan and the Security Council.
It is generally felt that the investigating commission will not be able to complete its mission in the period currently allotted to it. In addition, the setting up of a tribunal of an international character to rule on the case will require several months of consultations between the Lebanese authorities and the UN.
Certain circles fear that such an extension would lead to further tension on the local political scene. Nothing indicates that the participants in the national round table dialogue will soon reach agreement on the main matters still in contention, namely the presidential issue and the arms of the Resistance.
In this context President Emile Lahoud explained a certain number of stances on current issues. He deplored the fact that the parliamentary majority -- which he described as “fictitious” -- is not capable of making its voice heard on the national level except through the media. Receiving a delegation representing women’s associations, he said, “You will hear certain people talk about what the majority of Lebanese people want. I however defy anyone to organize an opinion poll to find out what the Lebanese people, collectively, want”.
He continued, “They’re afraid of a new electoral law to regulate the holding of general elections, for at that time it will be the voters who make final decisions”.
Replying to a statement by US Ambassador Jeffrey Feltman, the president said, “He declared on leaving the patriarchal palace in Bkerki that his country will welcome a new president, not a president of the past… I reply by saying that the future president will follow the same line [that I have followed]”.
Welcoming the national dialogue at the Parliament House -- which will resume on May 16 --, the president added, “I shall continue to assume my constitutional responsibilities, approving the decisions that serve the interests of Lebanon and the well-being of its people and rejecting the promotion of projects that only advance the interest of private individuals.
“If those who are put out of countenance by my presence in Baabda Palace possess evidence of an error I may have made or of some act of negligence in carrying out the high responsibilities incumbent on me, or if they suspect me of high treason, let them bring a case against me in the courts. Otherwise -- which is the case -- they should stop attacking the Presidency and trying to discredit it. Let them respond to my calls for the opening of a new page in the interest of Lebanon and the Lebanese”.
The president spoke of a conspiracy against Lebanon “because it is the only Arab state that stood up to Israel and forced it to evacuate its territory. Our strength lies in our national Army and the Resistance, headed by Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah. Together we won the battle of liberation, and we will maintain the Resistance until we guarantee our rights to our water in the South, secure the freedom of Lebanese held in Israeli jails and ensure the return of the Palestinians to their land, for there is no question of implanting them in the countries where they now reside”.

Syrian embankments in the Bekaa
The subject of the Syrian embankments near Ras Baalbek was on the agenda of last Tuesday’s meeting of the Council of Ministers. Interior Minister Ahmad Fatfat made a presentation on the matter, noting the protests of local inhabitants, who were being prevented from working in their fields. Prime Minister Fuad Saniora, who was chairing the meeting, asked the governor of the Bekaa to contact his Syrian opposite number to normalize the situation. “If the earthworks are essential, let the Syrians build them on their own territory. We don’t want to face another problem like that of the Shebaa Farms”.
The area in question was militarized during the years of Syrian military presence (1976-2005) and local people were banned from entering it. When the Syrian forces withdrew in April 2005, the local farmers were free again to work their fields as they had done in the past. But since the construction of the sand embankments, they are again barred from their lands, and one of them was reportedly shot by a Syrian soldier when he tried to venture onto his property.
Saniora to London
On Monday the prime minister had made a quick trip to Kuwait accompanied by an official delegation of four ministers for discussions with the new emir, Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Sabah.
He also met with the director of the Kuwait Development Fund to request aid for completion of projects in North Lebanon. He also requested an increase in the supply of natural gas the emirate has promised to provide Lebanon with.
Returning to Beirut to chair a cabinet session, he also met with Speaker Nabih Berri, with whom he agreed to move the venue of the national dialogue conference from the Parliament House to the headquarters of the National Laboratory in the UNESCO area, so that the commercial area of downtown Beirut can resume its normal activity.
It was reported too that the premier would go to London on Monday (May 8) as part of a tour of foreign capitals in connection with the holding of the international conference to support Lebanon.
Prior to his departure, Saniora attended a session of the Council of Ministers chaired by the president at the headquarters of the Economic and Social Council.
The meeting was devoted to the comparatively uncontroversial matter of appointments to six senior posts in the National Social Security Fund (NSSF). No agreement was reached, the sticking point being the sectarian affiliation of certain proposed appointees. Observers said the problem was the old one of reconciling competence with the principle of allocating top posts in the civil service on the basis of sect -- a principle enshrined in the Constitution. Justice Minister Charles Rizk said it would be best to consider the matter in its ensemble as the best way of dispelling the fears of some, notably the Maronite bishops.
Al-Madina Bank
Meanwhile, an article in the US Fortune magazine threw light on an aspect of the Hariri case little considered so far, when it indicated that the former prime minister may have been murdered because he intended to “open the file” of the Al-Madina Bank when he returned to office.
In its article of May 15, the magazine, basing its allegations on banking documents and UN and Lebanese sources, disclosed a network of money-laundering built up around the bank in which, it indicated, important Lebanese and Syrian personalities might be involved.
But beyond the possible links between this network and Hariri’s death, the article unveils a world of extraordinary luxury, of yachts, palatial villas, and billions of dollars amassed over the years in the heart of the Lebanese capital.
Reacting to the magazine’s allegations, President Lahoud pointed out that no proof had been provided in the article, whose statements must therefore be regarded as no more than speculation, he said.
John Hillen in Beirut
Assistant Secretary of State for Political-Military Affairs John Hillen visited Beirut last week. US Ambassador Jeffrey Feltman hosted members of the Lebanese media at an informal gathering at the US Embassy in Awkar to meet with Dr. Hillen and learn more about his visit to Lebanon.
Assistant Secretary Hillen emphasized that his visit aimed to “strengthen Lebanese-US military relations and follow up on discussions held recently in Washington between US President George W. Bush and Prime Minister Fuad Saniora”. As Assistant Secretary for Political-Military Affairs, he worked to achieve symmetry between US foreign policy and military affairs while continuing the development of relations on the diplomatic level. Dr. Hillen noted the necessity of establishing security in Lebanon, and reaffirmed the firm US commitment to a lasting and non-negotiable free, independent and sovereign Lebanon. He noted that President Bush was committed to promoting democracy in the world, and Lebanon was an important focus of that policy. He acknowledged that his visit also comes within the framework of implementation of UNSC Resolution 1559.
The main idea behind US military assistance was “capacity building of a friend and ally such as Lebanon.” Hillen explained that equipping the Lebanese armed forces was also an issue on the agenda to be able to respond to an Al-Qaeda attack, for example. US assistance also includes training in dealing with crime scenes, such as the numerous bombings and attacks in the past year. “The US has lots of experience to share on the security level due to its multiple security services. There is a firm will to provide assistance to Lebanon and my meetings were aimed at hearing Lebanese views on the needs of the armed forces to ascertain what assistance we can provide in a holistic way.” Hillen noted the “willingness of the US to strengthen the ability of the Lebanese Army to deploy in South Lebanon.
On the political level Hillen explained the general political goals of the US. He emphasized that Hezballah must comply with UNSCR 1559 and not “behave as a state within a state.” He said the US recognizes that Hezballah is an issue that should be addressed by the Lebanese people. He said that the US supports a Lebanese defense policy that gives “the Lebanese the proper environment and means to deal with security situations on their own.” He said, “The US doesn’t define your enemies; that is Lebanon’s job. Lebanon’s military equipment should be updated, and the country should be capable of defending its borders. Lebanon shouldn’t close its doors to the US. The US is willing to increase funding to the Lebanese armed forces with equipment. The US is coordinating with France and the United Kingdom on the international level to support Lebanon.
On Iraq, Hillen pointed out that “US forces will not leave the country until the country is in a better situation than the one the forces found it in. Iraq should also no longer pose a threat to its neighbors.”
Hillen concluded the discussion by emphasizing that the US will not make any deal at Lebanon’s expense, nor is there a strategy of using Lebanon as a proxy. He noted that the US policy is clear, “There was a time when the US spoke about Lebanon to Syria or Israel, but now we are addressing the Lebanese directly. Lebanon is a focal point of our foreign policy and the president’s Freedom Agenda.”For the time being there is no US-Iranian dialogue, he indicated.
Hillen also met with Foreign Minister Fawzi Salloukh at the Palais Bustros.

While Siniora seeks British help, Lebanon prepares for demonstration against the government
Beirut, 9 May - Lebanese prime minister Fouad Siniora headed off to London for a meeting with Tony Blair to ask for help with military equipment and training for the Lebanese armed forces. Siniora asserted that London had already promised help in reshaping the Lebanese armed forces and security services after key-commanders loyal to the Syrian-Lebanese alliance had been removed, in part with the help of the German investigator Detlev Mehlis' arrest warrants.
Speaking to the press, Siniora disclosed that he was also seeking Great Britains help to pressure Israel to withdraw from the Shebaa farms in order to remove the ideological obstacles that stand in the way of the Lebanese government to implement Western countries' request to disarm Hezbollah. Meanwhile, Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah, in a speech delivered in his name by Hassan Fadlallah during the 2nd Islamic Fraternity Conference in Kuwait, asserted that Lebanon is facing a US-led political invasion aiming at what the Lebanese National Resistance prevented the Israeli military invasion from achieving.
Nasrallah pointed out that Lebanon is determined to remain an Arab country resisting occupation and rejecting US hegemony while supporting the Arab nation's causes, first and foremost the Palestinian cause. For tomorrow a big popular demonstration organized by Hezbollah, Amal and the political forces led by Michel Aoun is scheduled to take place in protest against the government's proposal to overhaul the economy according to Western guidelines.

Syria tells Western countries not to meddle in its internal affairs
www.chinaview.cn 2006-05-10 12:45:25
UNITED NATIONS, May 9 (Xinhua) -- The United States and other Western countries should stop meddling in the internal affairs of Syria and Lebanon, Syrian Deputy Foreign Minister Fayssal Mekdad said on Tuesday.
The remarks came as France has worked out a draft resolution in the UN Security Council urging Syria to respond to Lebanon's call to establish formal diplomatic ties and demarcate their common border.
"I think what they have to do is to have Syria and Lebanon solve their own problems. They have nothing to do with Lebanon," Mekdad told reporters.
U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and her French counterpart Philippe Douste-Blazy were to meet at the UN late Tuesday to discuss the Syria-Lebanon issue.
"Lebanon is a sovereign, independent country. It should be guided by the results of (its) national dialogue and (has) no need whatsoever for Rice or Douste-Blazy to interfere with the internal affairs of Lebanon and the affairs between Syria and Lebanon," Mekdad said.
UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan recently presented a report on Syrian-Lebanese ties, in which he also called for the establishment of formal diplomatic ties between the two countries as well as on the demarcation of their common border to uphold Lebanon's sovereignty and independence.
Syria criticized the report, saying that it overstepped the mandate of a UN Security Council resolution on the withdrawal of Syrian troops from Lebanon, according to a letter released here Monday.
In line with Security Council Resolution 1559 passed the previous year, Syria withdrew its troops from Lebanon in 2005 after 29 years of military and political domination of the small country.
Syria also warned against adopting new resolutions that would enhance instability in the region. Enditem

CANADA WINS A SEAT ON COUNCIL TO COMBAT RIGHTS ABUSE
By Shawn McCarthy
Globe and Mail, May 10, 2006
UNITED NATIONS -- Canada won a seat yesterday on the new United Nations Human Rights Council, a body that is already being criticized as a haven for rights abusers.
Members of the UN General Assembly elected 47 countries to sit on the council, which has been given a more substantial mandate than the discredited Human Rights Commission that it has replaced.
While notorious violators such as Zimbabwe and Myanmar were kept off the council after having served on the commission, one critic pointed to the election of countries like Saudi Arabia, Cuba and Pakistan as an indication that the improvements are marginal at best.
"When Saudi Arabia can sit on a human-rights platform, it really makes a mockery of the whole thing," said Frank Dimant, executive vice-president of B'nai Brith Canada. "The only benefit is that Canada is part of the governing group and as such will have the onerous responsibility of keeping an eye on some of the other members to ensure that human rights are really human rights."
Mr. Dimant said he thinks the current government in Ottawa will be an effective monitor of other council members. "I think that it's a government that is a government of principle and is going to demand that these other countries live up to their moral commitments."
The United States opted not to run for membership on the body. Seats on the council were allocated by regional breakdown; candidates were chosen from a regional slate.
Lawrence Moss, special counsel for Human Rights Watch in New York, said the new council is a vast improvement over the old one, both in its makeup and its mandate.
Under the new system, each sitting member will have its own record reviewed in a comprehensive report. Those with egregious violations can face expulsion from the body, though critics such as John Bolton, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, have complained that it will be virtually impossible to remove a sitting member.

CANADA WINS SEAT ON NEW RIGHTS BODY
OTHER FOUNDING MEMBERS INCLUDE VIOLATORS
U.S. stayed out of vote to pick 47 countries
By Olivia Ward
Toronto Star, May 10, 2006
Canada is one of the founding members of the United Nations' new Human Rights Council, following a landmark secret ballot yesterday to elect the 47-member body.
But it will be in the company of Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Russia, China, Cuba and other accused human rights violators when the council meets for the first time in Geneva on June 19. However, Iran failed to get the necessary 96 votes from the 191-country General Assembly.
Canada won 130 votes, running against a regional group of European countries for a three-year term.
"I am pleased that the international community has recognized and reaffirmed Canada's long-term commitment to the promotion and protection of human rights both at home and abroad," Foreign Affairs Minister Peter MacKay said during a visit to Afghanistan. "With a seat on the council, Canada will make a valuable contribution to its important work in establishing and enforcing human rights standards."
The new council was created to replace the discredited Human Rights Commission, whose rotating membership included countries known for their flagrant rights violations. It was often attacked for focusing on political mudslinging, and defending the dubious records of the members rather than eradicating abuses during its short six-weeks-a-year session.
But the new council has been under fierce debate for months, hailed as a step in the right direction for UN reform by some rights activists, while critics insist that allowing abusers into its ranks undermines its credibility from the start. It will meet three times a year, and may call emergency sessions to deal with urgent rights issues.
Kenneth Roth, executive director of Human Rights Watch, said that it was a victory for the council that some of the world's worst rights violators didn't dare to run for membership.
"We are looking at a very different selection pool than we traditionally did for the commission and that's a big step forward," he told reporters.
New members must pledge to uphold human rights, and those who commit "gross and systematic violations" could be kicked off the council by a two-thirds vote of the General Assembly.
Some widely criticized countries opted not to run, including Sudan, North Korea, Zimbabwe, Libya, Congo, Syria, Vietnam, Nepal, Myanmar, Eritrea and Ethiopia. Kenya withdrew from the race at the last minute, and Venezuela, Iraq and Azerbaijan ran but were defeated. The United States, embroiled in a burgeoning torture scandal, also stayed out of the 63-country race, indicating that it was taking a "wait and see" position until the new body had proved its worth. Washington voted against setting up the new council last April, when the General Assembly passed a resolution to create it.
But the first members of the new body, including Canada, may be the most important, experts say.
"The new members will set a precedent for the way in which the council will operate," said Ayca Ariyoruk, a senior associate of the United Nations Association of the United States of America. "They will help to make it succeed or fail."
Membership candidates were elected in regional groups, and Canada's 130-vote total was the lowest for the seven winners in the Western Europe and Other category. Germany, with 154 votes, won the largest backing.
"While we are pleased that Canada has won a seat in the new U.N. Human Rights Council, its electoral victory is clearly marred by the successful bids of other states, such as Saudi Arabia and Cuba, well known for their repressive regimes," said Frank Dimant, B'nai Brith Canada's executive vice-president.
But Kathryn White, executive director of the United Nations Association in Canada, said that Canadians should be proud to be among the first members of the new council, which she said was a significant improvement over the old Human Rights Commission.
"It's a much better list of members, and that's important in terms of public perception," she said. "Before, the wolves were in charge of the henhouse. Now they're still invited to the table, but the hens should feel more comfortable."

CANADA PLEDGES TO UPHOLD RIGHTS
AS NEWLY ELECTED MEMBER OF UN COUNCIL
CBC News, May 9, 2006
UNITED NATIONS (CP) - Canada was one of the countries elected Tuesday to the new UN Human Rights Council that will have 47 member countries from all regions of the world.
In welcoming the news, Foreign Affairs Minister Peter MacKay said Canada is committed to working with the other countries to deal with human rights violations.
"With a seat on the council, Canada will make a valuable contribution to its important work in establishing and enforcing human rights standards," MacKay said in a statement released while he was visiting Afghanistan.
The council replaces the much politicized UN Human Rights Commission, which was discredited in recent years because some countries with poor human rights records had used their membership to protect one another from condemnation.
Under rules for the new council, members must be elected by an absolute majority of the 191 UN members, meaning 96 countries. For the sake of global representation, the UN resolution creating the council gives Africa and Asia 13 seats each, Latin America and the Caribbean eight seats, western countries seven seats and Eastern Europe six seats.
Canada has long been a proponent of UN reform and a strong supporter of the Human Rights Council.
Washington, on the other hand, did not seek a seat on the council but stated it would work with the new body. The United States was one of only four countries that voted voting against the council when the UN General Assembly approved its creation in March. The resolution passed with 170 countries in favour.
U.S. officials said not enough was done to prevent abusive countries from becoming members. The United States had lobbied unsuccessfully to have the new council elected by a two-thirds vote of the General Assembly to keep out rights abusers.
The General Assembly on Tuesday elected 44 of the 47 members to the new council. A second round of voting will be held at a later date to decide three Eastern European seats that were left unfilled. Only the Russian Federation, Poland and the Czech Republic won seats in the first round of voting.
Ghana topped the voting for the 13 African seats, which also included South Africa and Algeria. India garnered the most votes for the 13 Asian seats, which included China, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia.
Other countries winning seats were Brazil, Cuba, Uruguay, Germany, France and the United Kingdom.
Some of the selections drew criticism from B'nai Brith Canada, which expressed concern in a news release Tuesday.
"While we are pleased that Canada has won a seat in new UN Human Rights Council, its electoral victory is clearly marred by the successful bids of other states, such as Saudi Arabia and Cuba, well known for their repressive regimes," said the group's vice-president, Frank Dimant.
"It is inherently contradictory that the some of the world's worst human rights abusers will themselves be charged with monitoring and enforcing human rights situations around the globe."
The Canadian government noted that the new council will meet more regularly throughout the year, enabling it to better respond to urgent situations. The previous commission held just one session annually in Geneva.
It will establish a universal periodic review mechanism through which the human rights records of all UN member states will be considered. The council preserves the system of independent rapporteurs and the participation of non-governmental organizations.
Its first meeting will be held June 19.
B’nai Brith has been active in Canada since 1875 as the Jewish community’s foremost human rights organization. To learn more about its advocacy work and diverse community and social programs, please visit http://www.bnaibrith.ca.