LCCC ENGLISH NEWS BULLETIN
NOVEMBER 28/06Biblical Reading For today
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 21,1-4.
When he looked up he saw some wealthy people putting their offerings into the treasury and he noticed a poor widow putting in two small coins. He said, "I tell you truly, this poor widow put in more than all the rest; for those others have all made offerings from their surplus wealth, but she, from her poverty, has offered her whole livelihood."
Latest New from miscellaneous sources for November 28/11/06
Investigations into Gemayel murder focus on fingerprints, surveillance footage-Daily Star
Franjieh pays condolences to Amin Gemayel in rare Bekfaya visit-Daily Star
From Paris to Toronto, fears of a new Lebanese civil war abound-Daily Star
All parties need to urge restraint in the midst of a gathering political storm-Daily Star
Selection of writings by Kamel Mroue focuses on history of conflict with Israel-Daily Star
Solana: Now is not the time to change the government-Daily Star
In Lebanon, a crisis for Christians-Christian Science Monitor
Iran and Syria stole freedom from Lebanon-NCR-Iran.org
Agricultural damage from summer conflict in Lebanon reaches $280 ...UN News Centre
Tueni: Lahoud's Resignation Cornerstone to Salvation-Naharnet
Lebanon political wrestling to rise-United Press International
EU voices support for embattled Lebanese government-Reuters.uk
Lebanon on knife-edge-Kuwait Times
Sfeir Urges Christian Unity but Shows no Optimism-Naharnet
Hizbullah to 'Surprise' Government with Street Protests-Naharnet
A divided Lebanon-7DAYS - Dubai,United Arab Emirates
Hizbullah, Allies All Set to Carry Out Threatened Street Protests-Naharnet
Hezbollah issues warning-Globe and Mail - Canada
'Dark tunnel' ahead, Hezbollah warns-Globe and Mail - Canada
Hezbollah Vows Lebanon Street Protests-Washington Post
The assassination in Lebanon should not derail dialogue-Financial Times
Time for real dialogue in Lebanon-Ya Libnan
Chilling Echo for Lebanon, Mirror of Regional Tension-New York Times
Hezbollah plans Lebanon protests-Gulf News
Turkey's hard choices ahead-New Anatolian
Gemayel's death provides new ammunition for all sides-San Jose Mercury News
Lebanon takes a step nearer the precipice-The West Australian
Lebanon and Jim Baker-Washington Times
Pierre Amin Gemayel: A Syrian Crime-Guysen Israel News
LEBANON. The coffin of slain Christian politician Pierre Gemayel-U.S. News & World Report
Report: Iraq Study Group Recommends Talks With Syria and Iran-abc7.com
Syria: 'A moderate country'-WorldNetDaily
Panel to urge US talks with Syria, Iran, Times says-ReutersSfeir Urges Christian Unity but Shows No Optimism
Patriarch Nasrallah Sfeir has urged Lebanon's Christians to close ranks although he acknowledge that such a unity is difficult to achieve.
"We are going through miserable days, but we hope they will be followed by happy days in which the Lebanese will reunite…We mean by that the Christians who are divided," Sfeir told his visitors in Bkirki Sunday. "It seems that their reunification has become hard," Sfeir added.
He said the Lebanese should join hands since "our leaders are being killed one after the other."On Tuesday, Industry Minister Pierre Gemayel was gunned down in the north Beirut suburb of New Jdeideh. Lebanon's Christians are divided between those who support Fouad Saniora's government and those who are calling for the toppling of the prime minister. Among Bkirki visitors Sunday was Lebanese Forces legislator George Adwan who said that it is unlikely Christians will change their positions. "Today there is a big difference of opinion among the Christians and I don't think anyone will change positions easily because it is about major issues like Hizbullah's weapons and the future of Lebanon," Adwan said after meeting Sfeir.Lebanon political wrestling to rise
BEIRUT, Lebanon, Nov. 27 (UPI) -- Lebanon's Cabinet approval of a controversial international court to try the killers of a former premier is expected to increase political wrestling. Prime Minister Fouad Siniora's Cabinet, dominated by the anti-Syria March 14 Coalition, approved the U.N.-ratified court draft despite opposition by pro-Syrian Shiite ministers from Hezbollah and Speaker Nabih Berri's Amal movement who had resigned 10 days ago. The approved document legally needs ratification from pro-Syrian President Emile Lahoud before being referred to Parliament for final endorsement. "We definitely don't expect the president to sign the document within the 15-day constitutional period," legislator Samir Franjieh from the March 14 Coalition told United Press International Monday. Once the period expires, the Cabinet can refer it to Parliament. However, the House cannot convene without a summoning by the speaker. "The Speaker can refrain from summoning Parliament on the grounds that the Cabinet is illegitimate, though constitutionally legal, due to the resignation of the Shiite ministers," Franjieh said. He stressed that Speaker Berri is under tremendous pressure from both the March 14 Coalition and the Hezbollah-led camp. He said Berri might resist referring the court document to Parliament for voting. "One thing that might make him change his mind is if the United Nations decides to deal with the matter under Article Seven," Franjieh added. Under the U.N. article, the Security Council has the right to set up the court for prosecuting the killers of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri without getting the approval of the Lebanese government. Franjieh downplayed Hezbollah's threats to stage imminent street protests to bring down the government, noting that the situation is very tense and no one would want to take responsibility for any possible frictions in the street.
EU voices support for embattled Lebanese government
Mon Nov 27, 2006
TAMPERE, Finland (Reuters) - European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana on Monday voiced strong support for Lebanon's embattled government, which is facing growing pressure from pro-Syrian opposition groups to resign.
"As you know our position is to support the government of Prime Minister (Fouad) Siniora of Lebanon, which is a government which has worked with tremendous dignity in this difficult period of time," he told reporters at an EU-Mediterranean foreign ministers' forum in Finland.
He said the Beirut government had a very important commitment in the middle of January, a conference in Paris on the reconstruction of Lebanon following the war between Israel and Hezbollah in July and August. "And that has to be well prepared, and we think that the last thing that should be done now is to start fooling around with governments in Lebanon when they have a very important task to do to prepare for the conference in Paris," Solana said. Six pro-Syrian ministers have resigned from Lebanon's cabinet after national unity talks broke down, saying the government refused to give the opposition, led by the powerful Hezbollah Shi'ite movement, a decisive say in government.
The government said the ministers quit so as not to approve a special U.N. tribunal to try suspects in the 2005 assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik-Hariri. Early reports from a U.N. inquiry implicated Syrian security officials and their Lebanese counterparts. Syria denies any role.
Hezbollah, Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, who heads the pro-Syrian Amal faction, and pro-Syrian Lebanese President Emile Lahoud now say the government is illegitimate and its decisions unconstitutional. Hezbollah and its allies have said they will take to the streets to overthrow the government, which they see as a puppet of Washington, after it rejected its demands.Syria's critics also accuse it of Tuesday's killing of anti-Syrian minister Pierre Gemayel. Damascus denies any such role. Solana said the presence of Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moualem at the Finland meeting was "very important".
Lebanon on knife-edge
BEIRUT: Hundreds of Lebanese mourners pressed yesterday to touch the coffin of minister Pierre Gemayel whose assassination, blamed by his allies on Syria, stoked fears of more killings and a surge in factional violence. Anger and apprehension gripped the country as it prepared to bury Industry Minister Gemayel, a Christian gunned down as he drove through a Beirut suburb on Tuesday. He was the sixth anti-Syrian politician to be killed in nearly two years. Several prominent anti-Syrian leaders said his death was the work of Damascus and they expected the murders of more politicians who had spearheaded protests that led to Syria's military withdrawal from Lebanon in 2005.
"It seems the Syrian regime will continue with the assassinations. I expect more assassinations but no matter what they do, we are here and we will be victorious," Druze leader Walid Jumblatt said. Gemayel's assassination turned Lebanon's Independence Day yesterday into a sombre occasion. All festivities, including a military parade, were cancelled. The murder also heightened tensions between the anti-Syrian government and the pro-Damascus opposition led by Hezbollah, the powerful Shi'ite Muslim guerrilla group determined to topple what it regards as a pro-US cabinet. Syrian envoys denied the accusations of its involvement in the killing and joined the wave of international condemnation.
US President George W Bush called Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Siniora to offer his support after the assassination and pledged "to support Lebanese independence from the encroachments of Iran and Syria", a White House spokesman said. Bush also called Gemayel's father, former president Amin Gemayel, to offer condolences. Gemayel's funeral will take place today and the anti-Syrian coalition has urged a large turnout. The 34-year-old's body was driven from a hospital near Beirut to his hometown of Bikfaya, northeast of the capital, where hundreds of weeping mourners walked behind the coffin, waving white-and-green flags of his Phalange Party.
As the procession made its way to Gemayel's family home, women on balconies threw rice and flower petals. Hundreds scrambled to touch the coffin as it passed and some mourners were so hysterical they could barely walk. "What can I say? They killed the hero of heroes. They are killing Lebanon's dream. The suspicion points towards Syria," said Rizkallah Gemayel, 45. Gemayel's supporters vented their anger at Syria, and Christian leader Michel Aoun for his alliance with the Syria-backed opposition. Aoun posters were burned in Christian areas and his offices were targeted by protesters. There was a heavy police and army presence in Bikfaya and in Christian neighbourhoods of Beirut.
In the Gemayel home, nuns and priests said prayers around the closed coffin as the relatives received condolences. Standing next to Amin Gemayel was Pierre's cousin, Nadim Gemayel, who lost his father, President-elect Bashir Gemayel, in a bomb explosion in 1982. Bikfaya's main street and square were festooned with white ribbons, the color the party flag. And pictures of Pierre, with a black stripe, were posted on walls and car windows. Young men and women, many carrying Lebanese and Phalange flags, walked through the narrow alleys of the town to the family house in sombre mood. "What a loss," said one woman, bursting into tears. A younger girl leaned on her shoulder, weeping.
Pope Benedict called the assassination a brutal attack and urged the country's people to beware "the dark forces who are trying to destroy the country". Lebanese Maronite Christian Patriarch Cardinal Nasrallah Sfeir urged restraint. Many Lebanese also believe Syria was responsible for the 2005 killing of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq Al-Hariri, the catalyst for Syria's military withdrawal. The UN Security Council on Tuesday approved plans for a special international court to try suspects in Hariri's murder, but the tribunal has been a divisive issue in Lebanon.
The Security Council's action, in the form of a letter to UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, will enable the plans to be submitted to the Lebanese government for its formal approval. Gemayel, 34, was among cabinet members who voted last week to tentatively approve the UN plans submitted to Saniora's government. Six mostly Hezbollah opposition ministers had resigned before the vote. Lebanon's pro-Syrian President Emile Lahoud called the cabinet action illegitimate. A UN investigation has implicated Lebanese and Syrian security officials in Hariri's murder. Syria denies any links.
Hariri's son Saad and his allies quickly accused Damascus of killing Gemayel in an attempt to derail the UN tribunal. The death or resignation of two more ministers would now bring down Saniora's government. The Gemayel assassination followed a devastating July-August conflict in south Lebanon between Israeli forces and Hezbollah, which accused the pro-US government of backing its opponents in order to weaken the group as a political and military force. Hezbollah and its allies have threatened to take to the streets to topple Saniora's government, saying it has lost its legitimacy since Shiite Muslims were no longer represented. A political source close to Hezbollah said Tuesday's murder would force it to revise its plans and delay the protests. - Agencies
Hizbullah to 'Surprise' Government with Street Protests
Hizbullah has announced it will "surprise" the government with threatened street protests aimed at toppling the anti-Syrian government of Premier Fouad Saniora. "The timing of the populace (street) actions will be a surprise," said Hizbullah Deputy Secretary-General sheikh Naim Qassem.
He told Hizbullah's Al-Manar television Sunday evening that the group would not reveal details of planned activities beforehand. "There is no specific time frame and no final plans. There is a basket of ideas … which we will use the way we see fit for achieving our goals," he cautioned, saying that would make the actions "more effective." The leading daily An Nahar said Monday that while Hizbullah and allied opposition forces were likely to launch "street actions as of Tuesday," it quoted sources as saying that last week's assassination of Industry Minister Pierre Gemayel led the opposition to "calm down" its threats of street demonstrations. But As Safir said a "gradual, diverse, surprising and peaceful" action plan was in the works by opposition leaders, led by Hizbullah.
Qassem warned that the "basket of ideas" may include, in addition to street protests, "civil disobedience, sit-ins and union actions."
His comments came a day after the cabinet approved a plan for the creation of a Special International Court for Lebanon to try suspects in the assassination of ex-Premier Rafik Hariri, defying Hizbullah and other opposition factions allied with Syria, which many Lebanese blame for the killing.
The cabinet vote deteriorated the political crisis in the country, already divided between opponents and supporters of Syria, which dominated Lebanon for nearly 30 years until mass street protests and international pressure forced Damascus to withdraw occupying troops after the Feb. 2005 Hariri murder.
The anti-Syrian March 14 coalition, made up mainly of Christians and Sunni Muslims, dominate parliament and the cabinet, but Syrian protégé President Emile Lahoud and Damascus' predominantly Shiite allies are stepping up resistance to the government.
Six pro-Syrian ministers resigned from the government earlier this month after Saniora decided to convene cabinet to approve the U.N. document on the international tribunal. The government has also refused a demand that Hizbullah and its allies be given veto power over key decisions.
Qassem renewed his threat, calling on Saniora to resign, saying the government's meetings were "worthless and unconstitutional" because of the resignation of the ministers. Saniora's opponents, including the president, argue the current cabinet doesn't meet a constitutional requirement to broadly represent all of Lebanon's main religious and ethnic communities. That means its actions, including the tribunal vote, are invalid, they say.
"We hold them (government) responsible for political instability and economic deterioration and any failures that may take place in administering the country," Qassem said. The Syria-backed camp seemed to get support from Russia's deputy foreign minister, who was in Damascus on Sunday for meetings with officials in the Syrian regime, which is allied with the Kremlin. Although he didn't specifically cite the cabinet's vote on the international tribunal, Alexander Sultanov told reporters: "Moscow's stand is obvious on the necessity of this court to be clean, legally and constitutionally."
On Friday, Syria's government sent a letter to the U.N. Security Council, on which Russia is one of five veto-wielding members, suggesting it might not cooperate with the tribunal because it was not consulted on the plan.
A U.N. investigation into the truck bombing that killed Hariri and 22 others has said the killing's complexity suggested the Syrian and Lebanese intelligence services played a role in the assassination. Syria denies involvement.(Naharnet-AP) Beirut, 27 Nov 06, 08:05
UNIFIL Troops Bring Calm to the South Despite Challenges
Three months into their mission of enforcing a cease-fire, U.N. peacekeepers have succeeded so far in keeping the peace at the Israeli-Lebanon border that previously had been a Mideast flashpoint for decades. No shooting incidents have been reported across the international border since the U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon began beefing up with the arrival of French forces Aug. 19, shortly after a U.N. cease-fire ended this summer's Israeli-Hizbullah war.
But the peacekeepers' mission remains far from complete: Israel's warplanes continue to fly over Lebanon, and Israeli troops continue to hold on to the divided border village of Ghajar. Perhaps most troubling to the world community, Hizbullah has so far kept its weapons, albeit hidden, despite a handful of small seizures in south Lebanon since the war's end. That raises troubling issues as Lebanon faces a political crisis that could plunge it into greater instability and violence. Nevertheless, the period since the cease-fire has been "one of the longest periods of calm" on the border, said senior U.N. official Milos Strugar. "In general, significant progress has been made," Strugar, senior adviser to the force commander, said in a recent interview.
Despite the successes, the peacekeepers have had to worry about their backs in a Lebanon increasingly driven by political turmoil.
The political instability in Beirut, where the government is divided between a pro-Syrian camp and an anti-Syrian camp, could affect the troops' long-term mission, which is to assist Lebanon's government in spreading its authority throughout the country.
The latest violence -- the assassination of Industry Minister Pierre Gemayel -- already has plunged the country into even more uncertainty.
The force of just under 10,000 peacekeepers patrols alongside an estimated 17,000 Lebanese soldiers in the buffer zone between the Lebanese-Israeli border and the Litani River, which is 30 kilometers away at its farthest point. The force is mandated to go up to a maximum of 15,000. The smallest contributor, Luxembourg, has two engineers, and the largest, Italy, has over 2,000 soldiers.
The Lebanese army's deployment in the buffer zone, for the first time in three decades, is one of the positive developments Strugar cites since the war's end, along with a buffer zone largely free of visible unauthorized weapons. But the country needs a political settlement, Strugar said.
Hizbullah so far has hidden its guns and pledged cooperation in the south. UNIFIL and the Lebanese army "have not encountered any Hizbullah armed personnel in the area, nor detected any hostile action during this period," peacekeepers said in a statement a week ago.
Since September, UNFIL has reported seven instances where its units have discovered unauthorized arms or related materials and informed the Lebanese army, which took action to either confiscate or destroy the weapons. Most significant were two seizures of Katyusha rockets like those that rained on northern Israeli towns during the fighting and improvised explosive devices that have been used against Israeli armor.
In both cases, UNIFIL said a total of 24 Katyusha rockets were discovered. But significantly, the areas where they were found are known as hideouts of radical Syrian-backed Palestinian guerrillas, and not of Hizbullah. Hizbullah has said it possesses over 30,000 rockets and most are believed to be Katyushas. Israel has insisted that more should be done. It calls its Lebanese overflights necessary to monitor the situation, but both UNIFIL and Lebanon have called them violations of the U.N.-demarcated border. On two occasions, French peacekeepers have come close to firing on Israeli aircraft overflying Lebanon. "Our troops barely avoided a catastrophe," French Defense Minister Michele Alliot-Marie said after the first incident.(AP-Naharnet) Beirut, 27 Nov 06, 10:02
Israel Bombed Lebanon's Infrastructure for 'Destruction Sake'; Report
The U.N. Human Rights Council, analyzing the various aspects of the impact on life of this summer's Israel-Hizbullah war on Lebanon, said it was convinced "that damage inflicted on some infrastructure was done for the sake of destruction."
In a report released in Geneva Sunday by the Commission of Inquiry on Lebanon, the HRC said that Israel had justified its attacks on Lebanese civilian infrastructure by arguing its hypothetical use by Hizbullah. It said that while the Commission appreciates that some infrastructure may have had "dual use," this argument cannot be put forward for each individual object directly hit during the July-August fighting.
By using this argument, Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) "effectively changed the status of all civilian objects by alleging that they might be used by Hizbullah," the report said. "Further, the Commission is convinced that damage inflicted on some infrastructure was done for the sake of destruction," it added. It said there is some evidence that Hizbullah used towns and villages as "shields," and not "human shields," for their firings, when most of the civilian population had departed the area. However, the Commission said there was evidence of Hizbullah using the U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon and Observer Group Lebanon posts as deliberate shields for the firing of their rockets.The Commission held meetings with the President of the Human Rights Council, the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, the Permanent Missions of Lebanon and Israel, U.N. agencies and NGOs prior to releasing the report. It also made an extended tour of south Lebanon, in addition to visiting the southern suburbs, the Bekaa Valley and Byblos.
The Commission stressed that "generally respect for the principle of humanity and humanitarian considerations was absent during the conflict."
The report, which also presented the conclusions, recommendations and findings of the Commission, accused Israel of not giving "effective warning" as required under International Human Law (IHL). "And in any event, civilians were at risk of being attacked if they did leave and did not have access to safe humanitarian exit corridors," it said. The Commission has also documented various cases of direct attacks on medical and relief personnel.
In its findings, the Commission highlighted a significant pattern of excessive, indiscriminate and disproportionate use of force by the IDF against Lebanese civilians and civilian objects, failing to distinguish civilians from combatants and civilian objects from military targets.
It said one of the most striking aspects of the war was the massive displacement of civilians. According to Lebanese government estimates, nearly one quarter of the population was displaced between July 12 and August 14, with approximately 735,000 seeking shelter within Lebanon and 230,000 abroad. The report estimated that one third of the casualties and deaths were children. Many of the survivors will have to live with the trauma produced by the conflict. Women and the elderly were also particularly affected, as well as migrant workers.
The Commission said that major damage was inflicted on civilian infrastructure, including critical infrastructure. According to the Lebanese government, 32 "vital points" were targeted by the IDF, 109 bridges and 137 roads damaged.
It said the destruction of the land transportation network had a huge impact on humanitarian assistance and on the free movement of displaced civilians, adding that housing, water facilities, schools, medical facilities, numerous mosques and churches, TV and radio transmission stations, historical, archaeological and cultural sites also suffered massive damage. The economic infrastructure, particularly agriculture and tourism, was also targeted by aerial bombardment and 127 factories were hit by IDF strikes, the report added. The report made clear that the Commission's mandate does not allow for a full examination of all of the aspects of the conflict, nor does it permit consideration of the conduct of Hizbullah or IDF. The Commission has found no justification for the 30 direct attacks by the IDF on U.N. positions, including those which resulted in deaths and injury to protected U.N. personnel.The Commission considers that it will take years for Lebanon, with the help of the international community, to be able to rebuild all the damaged buildings and other facilities. It said, that in the meantime, solutions must be found for the civilian population to see their human rights, in particular their right to adequate housing and to the highest attainable standard of health, respected.(Filephoto of the damaged Mdeirej bridge which commands the main highway linking Lebanon with Syria) Beirut, 27 Nov 06, 12:30
Tueni: Lahoud's Resignation Cornerstone to Salvation
Lebanon's leading columnist, MP Ghassan Tueni, called for president Emile Lahoud's resignation as a step to pull Lebanon out of the ongoing political turmoil that threatens to lead the already stumbling nation into partition.
Under the headline: "The plan to climb out of the abyss starts with the resignation of the president-crisis" Tueni criticized the resignation of five Shiite ministers from premier Fouad Saniora's government and asked what would the fate of the country be if other ministers representing the remaining religious groups also resigned from the executive authority for various reasons.
Tueni, in his editorial front paged by the prestigious daily An Nahar, said that would be "worst than partitioning" Lebanon. Such a move, he wrote, would be tantamount to "splitting the constitution … and scattering the state which would set the stage for scattering the (common) ground, splitting population centers and changing them into areas of influence" within the nation.
He criticized president Lahoud, whose mandate in office was extended for three years under Syrian influence in 2004, for becoming the "cornerstone of the opposition to the constitution."Tueni sounded the alarm, asking what would happen if the Shiite community, led by Hizbullah, expanded the scope of its opposition to the constitution to include resignation from parliament as well as mass resignations of Shiite public servants from government institutions?"Would the remaining parliamentarians be then representatives of two thirds of the nation?" he asked.
And if other parliamentarians representing other religious factions also chose to resign from the legislative authority for various reasons, that would be tantamount to a "suicide of the state, its community and (national) accord," Tueni wrote, and held Hizbullah responsible for such a path.
That, he said, would change "the victory on Israel, which Hizbullah was created to resist … into a victory in the streets and alleyways in the capital Beirut achieved by a resistance that seeks to dwarf the government and its branches that are not controlled by Hizbullah."
After asking "Now, what to do?" Tueni stressed that "the source of the problem (Lahoud) should, for one last time, become the solution."
"The president is required to provide his allies with what is known in military studies as exit strategy."
Such an exit strategy, Tueni concluded, is made up of "one word: resignation." Beirut, 27 Nov 06, 12:20On Legality and Constitutionality
Hezbollah is now lecturing us about the government being "unconstitutional" and its actions being "illegitimate", yet; They carry arms in contravention to the Taef agreement, act as surrogates to foreign governments (Syria and Iran) which is unconstitutional, start wars without informing our legitimate army or government, complain about the government being puppets of outside powers while they receive smuggled arms and money from Iran and orders
from Damascus, support an unconstitutional president called Lahoud which was imposed on Lebanon by Syria, threaten us with their illegal weapons left and right, want to impose on us their Iranian style fundamentalist sick ideology, recruit and maintain an illegal militia, organize acts of terrorism against innocent civilians, attack army barracks with bombs thrown at night, steal electricity, disrupt traffic, attack innocent civilians as was done in Achrafieh not too long ago, verbally threaten anyone that opposes them, maintain dangerous arsenals of weapons in heavily populated civilian areas,
smuggle drugs in order to finance their activities, issue fatwas against their political opponents, use god's name in vain, illegally transfer money from Iran without going through the Lebanese Central Bank, cross internationally recognized borders in order to abduct Israelis, have developed a cult of personality toward their megalomaniac leader; his holiness Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah, enrich themselves and their leaders by diverting aid meant to go to the public into the pockets of their leaders, cheat, lie, steal, manipulate, disregard national interests, and sell out our nation for a bit of
Iranian blood money like prostitutes.
Whatever happened to the Sheb'aa Farms, or the Lebanese prisoners in Israel ? Did they all of a sudden forget their old excuses for starting the devastating war and are now busy implementing the evil Syrian plot of destroying Lebanon ? Now they want to surprise us with their basket of ideas.... the only surprise we will see is how much disgust, contempt and disdain the majority of Lebanon have for them. They are costing our economy more
damage with these threats and actions. They truly are not Hizballah, but Hizb "Syria/Iran"For them to be lecturing the rest of us about legality and constitutionality at this juncture while they steal our resources, destabilize our country and threaten the very existence of Lebanon is the ultimate arrogance. May they rot in hell, or their own version of hell called Dahiyeh.Please forgive my rant, but they are truly outrageous. Let us hope the majority of the Lebanese will stand up to them so thatwe can maintain our country's independence and sovereignty.Loubnani
Franjieh pays condolences to Amin Gemayel in rare Bekfaya visit
By Leila Hatoum -Daily Star staff
Tuesday, November 28, 2006
BEIRUT: Pro-Syrian former Interior Minister Suleiman Franjieh paid his condolences to Amin Gemayel on Monday for the assassination of his son, in a rare visit to the former Lebanese president's home in Bekfaya, north of Beirut. Speaking after the visit, Franjieh said that "even if we reach the worst feud with the Gemayel family, there are still things that link us. This family and ours have suffered enough on the national and Christian levels. We come here to show solidarity."The Gemayel family lost five of its members over the past 30 years, including the 34-year-old Industry Minister Pierre Gemayel last Tuesday. During Lebanon's Civil War Franjieh lost his parents and sister in an attack which the Lebanese Forces were accused of perpetrating.
Franjieh said Gemayel's killing "was aimed at increasing the division between the Christians in Lebanon ... on the national level, Christian solidarity is needed. I believe President Gemayel's wisdom is bigger than to allow this divide to increase."
Franjieh was accompanied by pro-Syrian former Minister Talal Arslan, who is Druze leader Walid Jumblatt's rival.
After leaving Bekfaya, Franjieh met with Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun in his Rabieh residence.
Aoun is one of the opposition's main leaders and Franjieh's ally. Speaking after the meeting, Franjieh said he had heard "very good words from both Aoun and Gemayel."
As The Daily Star went to press late Monday, it was unclear whether Aoun would be visiting Gemayel or even contacting him to pay condolences.
"So far, there has been no contact between Aoun and Gemayel. All the reports that Aoun will meet with Gemayel
within the next 48 hours remain just that ... reports. Nothing has been decided yet," a source close to Aoun told The Daily Star.
Aoun's bloc has already paid its respects and those of Aoun to the Gemayel family.
This came as Jumblatt and the head of the Future Movement Saad Hariri accused Syria on Monday of assassinating Pierre Gemayel.
Gemayel's allies in the March 14 Forces insisted Damascus had a hand in last week's murder and the others perpetrated in the country.
Hariri said he believed the motive behind the crime "is to foil the formation of an international tribunal" that is to try suspects in the assassination case of his father former Premier Rafik Hariri. "Once again the Syrian regime, known for its continuous terrorism, hits one of March 14 Forces' promising leaders," said Jumblatt in an interview with pan-Arab paper Al-Anba'a which is to be published Tuesday.
Jumblatt added that the coalition "will not stop until the international tribunal is formed ... this tribunal will constitute the future political immunity of Lebanon and all democratic forces ... that is why they are trying to thwart it."Meanwhile, political and diplomatic figures continued to flock to Bekfaya to offer their condolences to Gemayel. Iranian Ambassador to Lebanon Mohammad Rida Sheibani visited Gemayel on Monday, saying after the meeting that his country "condemns this horrible crime.""We believe that the enemies of Lebanon who aim to target the country's national unity are the ones who are behind this crime," he added. Gemayel received Monday a letter of condolence from the Italian government and a phone call from Sheikha Haya Rached al-Khalifa, the secretary general of the UN General Assembly.
He also received a phone call from State Mufti Mohammed Qabbani, in which Qabbani said he "hoped that Lebanon emerges from the dark tunnel it has entered." - Additional reporting by Maher Zeineddine
Give peace a chance by providing it with momentum
Tuesday, November 28, 2006
Editorial
It was not as detailed or as generous as most Palestinians would have preferred, but Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's rhetorical overture on Monday was certainly more than many observers had been expecting. Merely by ending his refusal to openly consider the massive prisoner swap that has been discussed behind closed doors for months, for instance, Olmert gave the impression of having adopted a more realistic view of his government's relationship with the people on whose land his country was established. Although the real test of Israeli intentions will come when the two sides sit down to negotiate, every effort should be made to avoid and/or prevent actions that might delay that test.
The Palestinian Authority has undertaken to do its part by using its security forces to keep militants from firing rockets into the Jewish state from the Gaza Strip. This is a vital step because regardless of who is to blame for the current state of affairs, Palestinian leaders need very much to regain the confidence and trust of both Israel and the international community. The same is true for the Jewish state, which could take a big step in this direction by, for example, offering to extend the Gaza cease-fire to the West Bank as well, and/or turning over Palestinian customs levies it has been withholding. If the current stage is to become more than a brief lull between rounds of bloodshed, it will need sufficient momentum to get through the inevitable rough patches. The principals - Olmert and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas - can say all the right things, but words will count for nothing unless each helps the other convince his own people that this time will be different.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb
This is particularly important for Abbas because he and his Fatah movement have recently been locked in a power struggle with Prime Minister Ismail Haniyya's Hamas grouping. Only by doing all they can to enforce the Gaza cease-fire can Abbas and Haniyya demonstrate to all and sundry that their dispute is in actuality a healthy, democratic one - and that Palestine speaks with one voice when it comes to its international commitments. To do this, they also need to address stubborn domestic problems like corruption and unemployment so that the Palestinian street sees both sides of the political divide working toward common, national goals.
Surveys show consistently that solid majorities of both Israelis and Palestinians want peace. Their visions of an agreement are very different, but that is less important than their shared desire to stop inflicting pain on one another. It is up to their leaders to start honoring the wishes of their respective peoples by being as resolute in a hopeful search for compromise as the warmongers have been in the disastrous and futile hunt for a military solution.
From Paris to Toronto, fears of a new Lebanese civil war abound
Feelings of anger, and concern dominate conversations
By Rym Ghazal -Daily Star staff
Tuesday, November 28, 2006
First Person
PARIS/TORONTO: During a recent trip through France and Canada one topic was on the minds of many Arabs whether they were sitting at a cafe in Paris, at a family gathering in Toronto, or even on a plane: Is Lebanon destined for yet another civil war?
The vaguest statements, usually made in passing, of living in Lebanon were sure to launch a lengthy debate - always begun and ended with "haram Lebanon" - over whether civil war was around the corner, and how one should be "very careful."
From a brutal summer war to a governmental crisis to the recent assassination of an industry minister, the reasons were many for those who argued Lebanon that was on the brink of destruction, while their more hopeful counterparts believed the tiny country would persevere despite the internal and external pressures.Both opinions were embodied in two men in a small Lebanese restaurant in central Paris.
Requesting that their family names be withheld to "protect" family members back in Lebanon, Antoine and Ahmad, owners of the Downtown Beirut restaurant located within walking distance of the grandiose L'Institut du Monde Arab in the French capital, seemed to reflect the current political divide in their homeland. Ahmad, who hails from South Lebanon, and Antoine, from Mount Lebanon, said in between servings of Lebanese cuisine and hospitality that several customers had expressed their sympathy with Lebanon during Israel's latest soiree.
"People, both French and non-French, came in during the July war to express their great regret over what was happening in Lebanon," Antoine said as he doled out heaping spoonfuls of fattoush and hummus.
"Now people that come in are expressing their regret over what will happen in Lebanon: another civil war," he added. Antoine's relatives in Lebanon were evacuated during the war with Israel this past summer, but "barely had time to settle back in Lebanon" before the next "disaster," he said, referring to the November 22 assassination of the late Pierre Gemayel.
Ahmad, keeping an open ear to the conversation as he rang in a client's bill, dismissed the idea that civil war would once again engulf Lebanon.
"It won't happen," he said. "Hizbullah won't allow such a thing to happen; they just came out of a war fighting for Lebanon's sovereignty," he added, stressing he is merely "a sympathizer, not a supporter or member" of the resistance group. The two men then fell into what appeared to be a common discussion of which party was to blame for the current political deadlock, who was behind the latest killing and whether the US and Israel were pushing for "another Iraq" in Lebanon. Arab clients enjoying their lunch were quick to join the discussion, with the vast majority expressing thinly veiled concerns that internal conflict was near inevitable after Gema-yel's assassination."It's not really about who was assassinated anymore but about symbols and messages," Antoine, who later divulged he was a member of the late minister's Phalange party, said.
"Whether it is Syria, the US or Israel or whoever behind it, it doesn't matter; Lebanon is being targeted and I hope the Lebanese people will withstand all the hits," he added. "Oh God, when will Lebanon rest?" added one customer.
Similar sentiments of fatigue, anger and concern were expressed by Lebanese-Canadians in Toronto.
"Our Eid was ruined by a war and now our Christmas might be ruined with a war," said Ghada Hajj, who had told her aunt and uncle in Lebanon to come stay with her over the Christmas holidays, "just in case." "I am telling you, there will be another civil war!" another young man was overheard saying at a Starbucks in the Canadian metropolis. Jumped in with their own analyses, some of his friends dismissed the concern as "naive" while others solemnly nodded their heads in agreement. But it's not just Arabs who are showing a keen interest in anything concerning Lebanon, security staff at international airports were certainly extra diligent in performing their duties in both countries after hearing "Beirut" in response to the standard "place of residence" query. Even more attention was paid once sensors detected residue of explosives on this reporter's shoes, and during the rapid-fire explanation of a tour the day before traveling through Beirut's southern suburbs, an area relentlessly pounded by Israeli warplanes during the summer war. It would seem word of Lebanon's woes have even reached customs officials at Toronto's Pearson International Airport, one of which offered a warm parting: "Good luck, I heard there is going to be another war in Lebanon."Whether it bodes ill or not for the country's future, the Lebanese continue to look to their political leaders for reassurance. On a return flight to Beirut packed with Lebanese citizens anxious to see the familiar sight of the Mediterranean crashing upon the capital's shores once more, conversations took on a hushed tone. In the first-class section sat Future MP Atef Majdalani, warmly receiving fellow passengers expressing their concern for their country, offering each the same advice: "Hope for the best."