LCCC ENGLISH NEWS BULLETIN
October 16/06
Biblical Reading For today
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Mark 10,17-30.
As he was setting out on a journey, a man ran up, knelt down before him, and asked him, "Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?" Jesus answered him, "Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone. You know the commandments: 'You shall not kill; you shall not commit adultery; you shall not steal; you shall not bear false witness; you shall not defraud; honor your father and your mother.'" He replied and said to him, "Teacher, all of these I have observed from my youth." Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said to him, "You are lacking in one thing. Go, sell what you have, and give to (the) poor and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me." At that statement his face fell, and he went away sad, for he had many possessions. Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, "How hard it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!"The disciples were amazed at his words. So Jesus again said to them in reply, "Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to pass through (the) eye of (a) needle than for one who is rich to enter the kingdom of God." They were exceedingly astonished and said among themselves, "Then who can be saved?" Jesus looked at them and said, "For human beings it is impossible, but not for God. All things are possible for God." Peter began to say to him, "We have given up everything and followed you." Jesus said, "Amen, I say to you, there is no one who has given up house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands for my sake and for the sake of the gospel who will not receive a hundred times more now in this present age: houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and eternal life in the age to come.
Latest New from miscellaneous sources for October 16/06
Rockets, Not RPG as Initially Reported, Hit Downtown Beirut, Slightly Injuring 6-Naharnet
Aoun Accuses Saniora of Corruption, Squandering the State and People's Money-Naharnet
Israeli Defense Minister: Iran Holds Key to Missing Airman Arad-Naharnet
Spanish Foreign Minister Hails 'Positive' Syrian Attitude to Truce Resolution 1701-Naharnet
Italy Hands Over to Germany U.N. Naval Force Tasked with Intercepting Arms Shipments to Hizbullah
Saniora Says Tensions Will Not Bring About a 'Single Loaf of Bread'-Naharnet
Billboards in Lebanon comment on Israel-Hezbollah war, clamor for share in reconstruction-AP
Aoun Cancels Rally, Citing Bad WeatherNaharnetShiite Mufti criticizes Hezbollah's call for government changes-Ya Libnan
Grenade Explosion Injures 4 in Beirut-Washington Post
INTERVIEW-Syria stirs trouble in Lebanon - interior minister-Reuters
IRAN, SYRIA CONTINUE TO HELP INSURGENTS-Middle East Newsline
Spanish Defence Minister visits troops in Lebanon-Typically Spanish
Lebanese man killed by stray bullet at Palestinian refugee camp-International Herald Tribune
Syrian president Assad meets Spanish foreign minister-Raw Story
Israel, Lebanon and your own backyard-The Dominion
Bulgaria's Frigate Starts Lebanon Mission-Sofia News Agency
IDF: Syrian army in battle positions-Ynetnews
Olmert: Iran nukes could reach Hizbullah-Ynetnews
Amnesty wants inquiry into detainee cases-CTV.ca - Canada
Aoun Cancels Rally, Citing Bad Weather
Naharnet: The head of the "Reform and Change" Bloc in parliament MP Michel Aoun canceled political rally due Sunday, citing bad weather.
The political rally was due to be held in commemoration of the 16th anniversary of the victims of a 1990 Syrian onslaught on Lebanon.
Aoun was defeated by Syrian and allied Lebanese forces in October 1990 and forced into exile. He returned to Lebanon on May 7, 2005, eleven days after the withdrawal of Syrian troops from the country. Hundreds of Lebanese were harshly arrested and taken to Syrian jails during the Damascus offensive. The whereabouts and fate of many of them remains unknown. In a clear about-face, Aoun claimed he was not seeking the overthrow of the government, requesting instead an inquiry into corruption. This was a far cry from earlier remarks, insisting that he will go all the way, irrespective of the cost, to oust Prime Minister Fouad Saniora from office. In an interview with ANB channel Saturday, Aoun said he is no longer interested in demanding the overthrow of the government, An Nahar daily reported Sunday. Aoun and Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah have been repeatedly calling for the resignation of Premier Saniora's cabinet and the formation of a national unity government.
The head of the Free Patriotic Movement requested instead an inquiry into corruption provided he participates in the process of choosing the judges for this goal, the daily said. Aoun rejected any Christian conference sponsored by Bkirki, the seat of the Maronite Catholics, calling on the "Christian minority" to "respect the Christian majority." The former commander considered the Christian position "democratic and normal," describing his party's relations with the Lebanese Forces as divergence "but there is no antagonism." He renewed his criticism for Premier Saniora. He said Hizbullah can not establish an Islamic state and "there is no risk from that." Aoun confirmed that a secular state is the only solution in Lebanon.
Beirut, 15 Oct 06, 09:40
Rockets, Not RPG as Initially Reported, Hit Downtown Beirut, Slightly Injuring 6
Naharnet: Six civilians were slightly hurt when rockets smashed into a building next to the U.N. headquarters and Prime Minister Fouad Saniora's offices in downtown Beirut early Sunday, police said. "Unknown assailants fired on Sunday at 2:25 am (2325 GMT Saturday) three rockets from an assault rifle, and not RPG rockets as initially reported, towards a building near U.N. House," a police officer told AFP.
"Six civilians were slightly wounded by one of the rockets which exploded against a building next to the U.N. offices," the officer added.
Police said one rocket smashed through a window of the building and injured people inside, a second exploded against a wall leaving a black impact while a third exploded on the sidewalk, damaging two cars. The building hit by the rockets houses the offices of several companies, two restaurants and the headquarters of the charity foundation of Saudi billionaire Al-Walid bin Talal. It was the third security breach in Beirut in the last 10 days, following two hand-grenade attacks which earlier targeted police stations without causing casualties.
Sunday's attack was the first to target the downtown area where tight security has been in place since the February 2005 massive car bombing that killed former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. The area houses the sand-bagged U.N. House, the prime minister's offices and foreign diplomatic missions.
"The U.N. House was not hit. We don't believe that the U.N. House was the target of this regretful incident," a U.N. official told AFP.
Lebanese soldiers cordoned off the area and were seen picking up shrapnel. One soldier told AFP that the assailants probably fired on the building from a nearby parking lot, close to U.N. House. Acting Interior Minister Ahmed Fatfat told LBCI television on Sunday that "this the first time that civilian buildings (have been) hit in central Beirut.""It is a clear attempt to breach security," he said, without elaborating
Beirut, 15 Oct 06, 07:58
Aoun Accuses Saniora of Corruption, Squandering the State and People's Money
Naharnet:Christian opposition leader General Michel Aoun on Sunday accused the current leadership of corruption and called for a government of national unity and balanced relations with neighboring Syria. Aoun told a news conference that the government of Prime Minister Fouad Saniora was "corrupted and is squandering the money of the state and the people. It lacks representativeness". He also called for "just" relations with neighboring Syria, which should be "without tutelage" and involve diplomatic representation. He was speaking at a news conference to mark the anniversary of the Syrian-led military offensive that ousted him from power on October 13, 1990, after he fought an abortive "war of liberation" against Syrian forces at the end of the 15-year civil conflict. Aoun canceled political rally due to be held Sunday to mark this occasion, citing bad weather.
Aoun returned from 15 years of exile in France in May 2005, weeks after Syria was forced to pull out troops from Lebanon and end its political domination of its tiny neighbor. The Christian leader has no representatives in the cabinet but maintains a political alliance with the pro-Syrian Hizbullah which participates in the current government. Aoun and Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah have been repeatedly calling for the resignation of Premier Saniora's cabinet and the formation of a national unity government. Most members of the Saniora government represent the anti-Syrian parliamentary majority headed by Saad Hariri, son of the former premier Rafik Hariri who was assassinated in February last year.
U.N. enquiries have blamed Syrian officials and their Lebanese allies for the murder of Hariri, which led to domestic and international protests that forced Damascus to end its 29-year military domination in Lebanon. The calls for a national unity government that would embrace pro-Syrian groups, which are in the opposition now, have been strongly rejected by Hariri and his allies.
In March, Aoun announced his bid for Lebanon's disputed presidency by claiming support from both the Muslim and Christian sides of the religious divide.(AFP-Naharnet) Beirut, 15 Oct 06, 18:20
Saniora Says Tensions Will Not Bring About a 'Single Loaf of Bread'
Prime Minister Fouad Saniora said that extreme tensions, with which the behavior of some is characterized, will not bring about "a single loaf of bread."
"We agree that harsh criticism is useless. Criticism is a right and a democratic action. But severe tensions which characterize the behavior of some will neither bring about a single loaf of bread, solve any problem, nor will it lead to the improvement of political, social or economic circumstances for the citizens," An Nahar daily reported Sunday. Saniora's statement came in a press conference he held to announce the payment of $53,000 in compensation to families whose homes were destroyed in Beirut's southern suburbs during the Israeli war on Lebanon.
Israel launched its war on Lebanon after a deadly cross border raid by Hizbullah on July 12. South Lebanon and Beirut's southern suburbs have borne the brunt of Israel's 34-day-offensive. "We have issues that accumulated for the past 30 years of wars, invasions and occupations. This recent onslaught came to deepen these problems that can not be solved through tension but rather through sitting (the Lebanese) on the table of dialogue," the daily quoted Saniora as saying. In response to a question about the decree of the judicial appointments, the Premier said that he signed it Thursday without getting acquainted with the names and he send it Friday. "I accomplished what was agreed on by the judiciary officials. God is my witness, I haven't seen the decree since I took on myself to respect this judicial authority," Saniora said.
Meanwhile, Saniora is visiting Saudi Arabia to perform the Umra and attend an Iftar banquet thrown by King Abdullah. Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri visited the Kingdom last week, where he met with Saudi King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz and Crown Prince Sultan Bin Abdul Aziz, seeking their political support in the face of imminent challenges Lebanon is facing. Berri said such assistance had to start with the normalization of the relationship between Syria and Lebanon. These visits by Lebanese officials come at a time where consultations are ongoing to follow up on the implementation of U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701 which ended the Israeli offensive on Lebanon. Beirut, 15 Oct 06, 11:46
Israeli Defense Minister: Iran Holds Key to Missing Airman Arad
Naharnet:Israel thinks that Iran holds the key to the whereabouts of its airman Ron Arad, who has been missing for 20 years after disappearing in Lebanon in 1986, Israeli Defense Minister Amir Peretz said Sunday. "We are working under the hypothesis that Ron Arad is alive and we consider Iran as the country that holds the key to his fate," Peretz said in Jerusalem at a ceremony marking two decades since the airman first went missing.
"Israel will continue to work to put an end to this sad affair and get the return of Ron Arad to his family," he said. Arad, an Israeli air force navigator, went missing after he ejected from an F-4 Phantom fighter-bomber during the country's 1975-90 civil war. He was captured by Speaker Nabih Berri's Amal movement. Israel engaged in lengthy negotiations for the release of the airman but contact was terminated when the Israeli military bombed the south Lebanon village of Maydoun in 1996. There are various scenarios of the circumstances under which communication was lost -- a central one being that Arad was taken by a member of the Amal security service, who transferred him to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, or to parties close to the guard, in exchange for money. Tehran has denied that its forces ever held Arad.
Another is that Arad was turned over to Hizbullah, which reportedly held him in the Bekaa Valley. The party also denies ever holding the airman.
In 2003, Mustafa Dirani, who was still imprisoned in Israel, asserted that a contingent of Iranian Revolutionary Guards based in the Bekaa kidnapped Arad from him in 1988. But in January 2006, Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said Arad was probably dead, even though he had no proof.
"It someone was holding him, they would have tried to get a deal in return" for his release, Hassan Nasrallah said. "He could have fled into a mountainous area or a ravine. Maybe he is dead and all trace lost, but there is no proof," he added. Unconfirmed reports also say Arad escaped from Hizbullah during an Israeli bombardment. The Arad family has established an association that is offering a 10 million dollar reward for information on the airman's fate. In early September, the LBCI and Israeli television aired footage of the missing airman, thought to be filmed in 1988, two years after he was captured.(AFP-Naharnet) Beirut, 15 Oct 06, 19:16
Spanish Foreign Minister Hails 'Positive' Syrian Attitude to Truce Resolution 1701
Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos Sunday hailed what he described as a "very positive" Syrian attitude to a two-month-old truce in Lebanon which Spanish troops are helping police. "We got a very positive response from the Syrian authorities that they want to cooperate and be constructive in the consolidation of implementation of (U.N.) Security Council Resolution 1701," Moratinos said, referring to the truce resolution that came into force on August 14. "They will cooperate in all fields in order to make the situation in Lebanon a real success," he added, after talks with both President Bashar al-Assad and his counterpart Walid Moallem. Syria and its regional ally Iran are the main backers of Hizbullah which fought a devastating 34-day war with Israeli forces in Lebanon in July and August. Under the Security Council truce resolution, an expanded U.N. peacekeeping force including Spanish troops is deploying in Lebanon to oversee the ceasefire. Moratinos, a former EU Middle East peace envoy, visited the Syrian capital on the bloc's behalf during the negotiations that led up to the August truce. The Spanish minister, who also came to Damascus in March, is the most senior Western official who continues to visit the Syrian capital and drew strong U.S. criticism earlier this year for his defiance of Washington's efforts to sideline the Syrian regime. Moratinos again insisted that Damascus could not be left out of any lasting Middle East peace settlement. "There will not be a final solution in the Middle East if there is not a solution of the Syrian-Israel relationship, so we need a comprehensive peace," he said. "They (Assad and Moallem) conveyed to me the genuine wish and will to work in a constructive and positive manner," he added.(AFP) Beirut, 15 Oct 06, 18:01
Billboards in Lebanon comment on Israel-Hezbollah war, clamor for share in reconstruction
The Associated Press
Published: October 13, 2006
BEIRUT, Lebanon A giant billboard east of Beirut shows a dapper figure with a top hat and cane, striding across a broken bridge with the slogan: "Keep Walking."The advertisement is for Johnnie Walker scotch whiskey, and the bridge is a reference to the more than 90 bridges destroyed by Israeli airstrikes last summer. The billboard is just one of dozens of biting or witty ads providing commentary on the Israel-Hezbollah war by companies clamoring for a share in Lebanon's reconstruction.
Many of the new billboards were erected by banks advertising low-interest loans — and touting the country's entrepreneurial spirit and resiliency despite the devastation of war. "No matter how cloudy it gets, Lebanon's sun will shine again," reads an ad for Bank Audi, one of the country's leading financial institutions. "Rise up, we're behind you," says another bank ad that shows a man pole-vaulting from a rubble-strewn scene into a colorful frame with a new house and car. The country's leading manufacturer of electronics has issued special offers on washing machines, refrigerators and other home appliances. "Our contribution to the reconstruction of your homes," one ad says. More than 850 Lebanese, mostly civilians, were killed by Israeli airstrikes. About 160 Israelis also died in the fighting, which started when Hezbollah captured two Israeli soldiers in a cross-border raid on July 12.
The primary battlefield was south Lebanon, where thousands of homes, roads and other infrastructure were destroyed. Prime Minister Fuad Saniora has said more than 90 bridges were wrecked. Bridges feature prominently in the new war-inspired billboards.
A popular yellow Hezbollah banner in south Lebanon reads: "You destroyed the bridges, so we crossed through people's hearts." And a local bank promises: "Together we will rebuild the bridges between today and tomorrow."An account executive with Pikasso, Lebanon's leading outdoor advertising company, said it was normal for ads to reflect the mood of the nation. "I think this sort of advertising sends a very positive message ... The aim is to raise morale at a very difficult time," she said on condition of anonymity, in keeping with company rules.
"It's very clever — it creates a bond between the client and customer. I like it," said Mona Hosri, 32, a graphic designer who has worked on some of the ad campaigns. The Johnnie Walker advertisement was by far the most popular — and most criticized. It was circulated widely on e-mail distribution lists, but some Internet bloggers said it was "in poor taste."
"I think it is terribly crass. I believe Johnnie Walker will have burned more bridges than one with this ad," wrote one unnamed blogger.
Others heralded the ad as an example of brilliantly targeted advertising. "I think this is awesome and shows that Johnnie Walker knows people in the countries they're advertising in," wrote another anonymous blogger. Nayla Mubarak, creative director at the Beirut division of Leo Burnett Inc., the U.S.-based advertising agency which created the Johnnie Walker ad, said the attention the campaign received was a sign of its effectiveness.
"The message we wanted to get across is that life will go on, despite all the destruction," she said.
Even Hezbollah has joined the advertising blitz. The guerrilla group paid a public relations firm US$140,000 (€111,358) to design a campaign called "Divine Victory." Hundreds of billboards have sprung up across the country — in Arabic, English and French — glorifying what many in Lebanon see as a Hezbollah victory over Israel in the 34-day war that ended with a U.N.-brokered cease-fire on Aug. 14.
Posters line the road to downtown Beirut from the country's only international airport. Some of them feature Hezbollah fighters launching Katyusha rockets, presumably toward Israel, with the words "Divine Victory" — which in Arabic is almost an exact translation of Hezbollah leader Sheik Hassan Nasrallah's name.Other posters show scenes of destruction, death and wounded Lebanese children with the words: "Made in U.S.A." and "Extremely Accurate Targets."
IRAN, SYRIA CONTINUE TO HELP INSURGENTS
WASHINGTON [MENL] -- The U.S. military has determined that Iran and Syria continue to help insurgents in Iraq.
Officials said Sunni insurgents have been training in Syria for operations in Iraq. They said Sunni insurgents recruited throughout the Middle East and Europe were entering Iraq from Syria. Gen. George Casey, the commander of the U.S.-led coalition in Iraq, said Syria continues to harbor the leadership of the former Saddam Hussein regime. Casey said Syria also remains the primary route for foreign fighters coming into Iraq. In an interview with the American Armed Forces Press Service, Casey said Iran has also been helping Shi'ite insurgents in Iraq. He said the Iranian aid has been used by Shi'ite militias to kill Sunni civilians.
INTERVIEW-Syria stirs trouble in Lebanon - interior minister
BEIRUT, Oct 15 (Reuters) - Syria is bent on destabilising Lebanon, whose security forces are not yet strong enough to prevent more possible assassination attempts, Lebanese acting Interior Minister Ahmad Fatfat said. Fatfat told Reuters in an interview on Saturday that he had recently received a message from someone close to the Syrians, telling him and Prime Minister Fouad Siniora to "take care".The message had said the Syrians were "more angry than before February 14, 2005", the date of former Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri's assassination, Fatfat said. He did not spell out what had riled Damascus, but tensions have risen in recent weeks amid Syrian criticism of Siniora's government as unrepresentative and as serving Israel's interest. Syria denies any involvement in Hariri's killing or in a subsequent series of assassinations and attacks on Lebanese politicians and journalists hostile to Syria's role in Lebanon. Fatafat, a Sunni Muslim member of the anti-Syrian Future Movement led by Hariri's son Saad, said he was sure Syria still had informants in Lebanon, despite its troop pullout last year. "The (Lebanese) security services are more powerful now, but not enough to control everything," he added.
He said last month's attempted assassination of a senior Interior Ministry intelligence officer was likely to have been "a political message related to the (Hariri) investigation".Street protests in Beirut and international pressure forced Damascus to end its 29-year troop presence after Hariri's death, but relations between the two countries have remained sour. Asked if Syria sought to destabilise Lebanon, Fatfat said: "Yes...they are doing it so clearly, it is not camouflaged."
Fatfat cited what he said were demands by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad for a change of government in Beirut. "He's the president of another country, what does he have to do with it?" Fatfat asked, asserting that Syria still refused to open diplomatic relations or demarcate its border with Lebanon. "We are not looking for a change of regime in Syria, it is not our business," the soft-spoken minister said. "Our business is to push Syria to accept Lebanon as a country, not more."Fatfat said the Internal Security Forces (ISF), which are controlled by his ministry, had expanded its tasks since the Lebanese army took on new roles after a truce halted Israel's 34-day war with Hizbollah guerrillas on Aug. 14. Thousands of troops are newly deployed in Hizbollah's strongholds in south Lebanon and along the border with Syria.
Fatfat said the ISF now had 24,000 men, an increase of 45 percent in the past 18 months, but only 11,000 assault rifles. Arab and Western countries were expected to help fill shortfalls in weapons, vehicles and other equipment. "Until a month ago, 40 of our police stations did not have cars," he said, adding that the United Arab Emirates had since supplied hundreds of cars for the ISF. Fatfat, appointed temporarily nine months ago, said Syria was angered by progress made by the Western-backed government.
But he made clear that Lebanon, economically intertwined with Syria, would continue to support it in the conflict with Israel until there was an overall Middle East peace settlement.
Grenade Explosion Injures 4 in Beirut
By SAM F. GHATTAS
The Associated Press
Sunday, October 15, 2006; 3:59 AM
BEIRUT, Lebanon -- A small grenade exploded after it was fired at a building near U.N. offices in a downtown Beirut square early Sunday, injuring four people, police said. Police and army troops surrounded Riad Solh Square after the grenade was fired from a rifle and hit the building, which houses dance clubs. It could not immediately be determined who was behind the attack and whether it was politically motivated.
Speech of Former Prime Minister and Current MP Michel Aoun
At the Free Patriotic Movement Rally – October 15, 2006
October 15, 2006
Great people of Lebanon,
Today is the 16th anniversary of that tragic day: October 13, 1990. It is by far the most important landmark in the history of our struggle and in the contemporary history of Lebanon.
On that day, the Syrian army waged an all-out attack against the last beacon of freedom not only in Lebanon itself but also in the entire Middle East; and for the first time ever, an entire people was besieged from all sides and punished for its “crime” of daring to demand its natural and basic rights by shouting: sovereignty, freedom and independence. This military operation would not have happened without cover and green light from local and international sides. How ironic to witness the double-standard of seeing, at the same time, the entire world mobilize to liberate Kuwait while encouraging and giving a green light to the occupation of Lebanon!
The Lebanese people were subdued on that day and lost that battle… but that loss signaled the collapse of human values and all human-rights charters.
In our own consciousness, however, October 13th continues to represent until this very day the dignity of the defeated and the humiliation of the victorious.
It was a historical disgrace that will forever taint all those who stood idly watching… and a crime on the hands of all those who participated in the spilling of innocents’ blood.
On that day, the long journey of our struggle started. It was a journey marked by our strong will to persevere, resist and adapt to the new situation. It shifted our activities from inside Lebanon to the vast horizons of the world. The Lebanese Diaspora, everywhere it has a presence, engaged itself in our struggle and mobilized all its resources and, together, we completed what we had started at the Baabda Palace.
Our presence here today, standing on Lebanon’s soil and under its free skies, is but the culmination of this long struggle… it is also the realization of a promise I made as I was leaving Lebanon when I told you: “Today, as I am leaving Lebanon to France, I tell you after a long silence that the work you started will not end until it is fully realized... so, until we meet again.”
Here we are... We have met, and we will stand together.
Great people of Lebanon,
I address you today not to dig the wounds of the past but to strengthen together our absolute belief that the human being is indeed a value, and that our society cannot redress itself except on the basis of self-evident virtues at the forefront of which are the values of rightness, goodness and fairness.
I address you today to reaffirm our convictions and way-of-life, the essence of which are honesty, integrity, transparency, courage and loyalty; these convictions and way-of-life have formed the solid foundation and the spotless sphere for our long struggle in defense of Lebanon as a final country for all its people and its sacred right to sovereignty, freedom, and independence.
I address you today, as always, after you have put your valuable trust in me in the last parliamentary elections, to reaffirm one more time our relentless endeavor in uniting the Lebanese, all of the Lebanese, within the framework of a consensual democracy we are intent on realizing after long years of separation, alienation, oppression, arrests and banishment caused by three decades of Syrian occupation of Lebanon. We will make this happen away from all aspects of sectarianism, discrimination or anything that might set the people of this country apart; this is indeed what hardened our positions on all issues of national interest, always giving prevalence to dialogue over tensions and to the Constitutional recourse over temperamental decision-making as a means to resolve any dispute.
We had our strategic vision embodied in the principles enumerated in the Charter of the Free Patriotic Movement Party and the inaugural speech. It was also spelled out in the Memorandum of Understanding we signed with Hizbullah which, while important and a worthwhile goal to accomplish in itself, we intended it to be a springboard for the serious and constructive dialogue we have long sought to have with all the Lebanese parties, even before my return to Lebanon on May 7th 2005, with the aim of seeking together final solutions to all disputed issues.
Great people of Lebanon,
In celebrating this dear memorial today, we are recalling all what sacrificing for one’s country and for humanity means. This remembrance day is a solemn tribute of respect to the noble souls who fell on the altar of the nation to preserve the unity of Lebanon and the honor of its people. Today, our thoughts go especially to those we lost and whose fate is still unknown due to the neglect and procrastination of consecutive governments of Lebanon from 16 years ago to the present day.
Today, we pay a solemn tribute to those who drenched our nation’s soil with their blood in defense of their country’s sovereignty, honor and dignity against the Syrian occupation.
We also pay tribute to the heroes who defended Lebanon against all Israeli aggressions.
Do you know, dear compatriots, that some of those who monopolize power and work on marginalizing you today are the same people who worked against your will back then and endeavored to marginalize you and humiliate you?
This is why I proudly declare, here in front of you, that owing to the sacrifices of our martyrs whom we remember today and to your perseverance in our struggle, Lebanon is finally free.
Yes, Lebanon is free indeed… We regained our sovereignty and our independence… We regained our free decision-making; but this decision-making ability we dread losing again because of the political deviation we’re witnessing and because of political tourism in foreign capitals.
Dear compatriots, now that the war has ended, how we long for working together to rebuild our country; yes, we who believe in the will to live and transcend all the negativities of the war and feelings of revenge, grudge, and hatred. But unfortunately, we were surprised to see that what we freed ourselves from in Anjar has reappeared somewhere else… We see the Constitution being ignored and violated, as is all that points to the existence and viability of the state… The ministerial program declaration remains empty unimplemented words.
Thus is the current government, emanating from a fictitious majority, legitimizing indifference toward the concerns and needs of the people, spreading corruption and misusing and misappropriating public funds, and taking the country back to the concept of polarization. This government, in the way it is formed, falls quite short on comprehensive representation of the Lebanese and thus does not instill confidence. Many of this government’s decisions fall short of comprehensively benefiting all sectors of society and thus it is selectively denominational. Crucial decisions that relate to the fate of the country are taken unilaterally, let alone that they paralyzed all oversight, accountability and supervisory bodies that are, in democratic systems, at the core of the state.
They tell you that there will be a constitutional vacuum if there is a change in government but in reality you are living in such a vacuum now, since no item in the ministerial program declaration has been implemented and also because of the degradation in performance that exceeds any logical explanation and which has reached levels of intentional provocation. That’s why we have never hesitated nor will we hesitate to hold this government accountable for every setback Lebanon might go through.
This vacuum was evident when the government refrained from carrying out its duties in the latest Israeli aggression against Lebanon and just acted as a go-between between the resistance and the United Nations. The government even evaded carrying out its humanitarian and relief duties, and had it not been for the solidarity shown by the civil society, a major catastrophe would have befallen us.
In this context, it was necessary to meet with you as always to get inspired by your staunch will and unshakable determination. And as at every crucial juncture in our national life, we make decisions that you inspire, you the free people of Lebanon, not from masters and custodians. We make these decisions away from personal interests and temptations just as we refuse to yield to any pressure, no matter how intense it might get, especially those pressures that might sow the seeds of turmoil in the country.
Today, with your massive turnout to this rally and your unshakable belief in the need to save Lebanon from its floggers, you have proven to the entire world, once again, that the yearning for change and reform has spread to every corner of the country and no obstacle of any kind shall stop it.
Great nations are those that can couple their political discourse with real application.
With this in mind, we affirm that change and reform will only find its way to implementation according to the following principles and beliefs:
- We believe in democracy as a system of governance and a way-of-life, and we consider it to be the sole system that preserves the dignity of man, empowers the individual and frees his abilities, and allows him to be the master of his destiny.
- We declare that we adhere to human rights as stipulated in international charters, and to public freedoms which constitute the foundation of democracy, and ascertain that men and women are equal in terms of rights and duties, and that the woman is a partner in building society and in decision-making.
- We long to achieve a more comprehensively humane and fair society; a society in which the concept of citizenship is given its true dimension; a society that stands in solidarity with its weak and marginalized groups; a society that does not sacrifice its youth for its elderly.
- We pledge to preserve national unity, based on true partnership and balance, as a guarantee to the survival of Lebanon as a nation and a mission.
- We emphasize modern Arabism that is open to and interacting with all cultures and to which Lebanon has contributed greatly.
- We consider that Lebanon, a land of dialogue and interaction, has a prominent role in spreading the culture of peace in its environs and in the world.
Building the state and reforming it cannot be implemented except by strengthening the rule of law through the principle of separation of powers which will institute checks and balances and effective oversight and accountability mechanisms. As for sovereignty and independence, they can be preserved by coupling national unity with the rule of law. Thus we will no longer have powerful individuals who overpower a weak state, but a strong state through its competent administration and institutions and its recourse to the Constitution and laws.
As for effective democracy, it can be enabled through:
- The revival of the values and ethics that guide the right to dissent and the freedom of opinion and speech.
- The purification of political practice from all kinds of vices and abuses, which will put an end to media manipulation and misleading promises.
- Adhering to and strengthening the principle of national consensus so as to put an end to unilateral actions and decision-making and to the domination of a ruling majority over an oppressed and marginalized minority.
- The enactment of a modern electoral law that guarantees a true and just representation of the people, curbs the influence of political money and sectarian fanaticism, provides equal media opportunities, boosts political and party activism, establishes a mechanism to renew the political life, and guarantees the participation of the Lebanese Diaspora. Thus passing this law and its implementation mechanisms have become of utmost urgency to correct the actual flaws.
It is impossible to build a state on corruption and bribery. Thus it is our duty to make all efforts in view of separating money from authority, so that money turns into a productive economy and authority into a state where justice prevails.
It is also our duty to fight corruption and bribery through the revival of oversight and inspection bodies, financial and administrative auditing, passing all necessary laws, and applying the principle of accountability.
There will be no modern and competent administration without restoring respect to the civil service, modernizing it, improving its standards, and regaining the lost confidence between the Lebanese people and their state by putting an end to politicizing the administration and eradicating the practice of dividing spoils amongst politicians; and this will not happen without adopting the concept of citizenship, competence and qualifications in appointing and hiring public servants, and respecting the law and the authority of relevant institutions when it comes to appointment, promotion, and accountability.
True security is one that is based on proper relations between the components of Lebanese society. True security is not selectively denominational, as some depict it today; such security can only lead to collective confrontation and cannot inspire confidence and peace.
The security forces have the duty to fight crime, which is an anomaly in society. But what is more dangerous is the organized crime of terrorism which threatens all societies, crosses borders and breaks down all defenses; any leniency in dealing with terrorism, or any neglect in forestalling it, represents in fact, a cover for it.
The armed security apparatus that must be established and spread throughout Lebanese territory is one which will guarantee stability, protect our citizens, abide by the rule of law, and respect the rights and freedoms of the individual. This type of security apparatus is what can, at the same time, meet the challenges of fighting terrorism and crime, the formation of illegal armed groups and the practice of self-protection. This can only be accomplished by restoring the credibility of the Lebanese security apparatus by separating it from politics, and putting qualified and disciplined personnel in charge. Moreover, the security forces must be sheltered from external influence, from, sectarianism and from favoritism. They must be provided with modern and advanced weaponry so that they will be able to defend the country, and the dignity of our people.
A fair, incorruptible, and independent judiciary can be established only by divorcing the judiciary from political disputes and subjective affiliations, enabling it to implement justice ensure the respect of the law, and safeguard public and private rights and freedoms.
We must strengthen the judiciary as an independent constitutional institution, boost its immunity, activate its oversight bodies and improve the professional qualifications of the judges. We should look to the day when we no longer resort to special and exceptional courts, and we should revive the constitutional council to rule, once again, upon the constitutionality of laws and the legitimacy of the electoral process.
As to economic growth and social justice, we consider that these issues are not political ones or merely technical ones to be dealt with by technocrats, no matter how well-qualified they are; rather, they are core issues of life with regard to which major decisions should be taken with careful consideration of costs and benefits. These decisions should reflect the image of the society and state for which the Lebanese people long.
The Lebanese economy is ailing under the burden of ever-increasing debt, and economic recession, which has triggered massive emigration and has severely impacted our international trade balance. Thus the national economy is faced today with two major challenges: stalled growth, and a huge financial burden. These two challenges are not equally important, as the national economy must achieve three main things: growth, justice, and planning.
Achieving growth requires an improvement in the financial, technological, and marketing capacities of our productive sector, and on the serious management of the privatization process. It also hinges on fighting monopolies and centers of favoritism, no matter where they are, be it in the private or the public sector.
The main criterion for establishing economic justice is equality and balance between obligations and opportunities among all of our people. We can achieve this by re-writing our tax laws, by austerity in public spending, and by revisiting the meaning of balanced development throughout all areas of the country.
The economy of planning and prevention should ensure that tomorrow’s resources are not consumed today, and that the consequences of the past are not transferred carelessly to the future. This economy will require rational management with awareness of financial burdens and risks; it must be based upon the capacity of the Lebanese people, and the support of friendly-states, and international financial institutions. This economy’s main priority should be the support of institutions which promote social solidarity, especially those which deal with health, retirement, and the protection of the Lebanese peoples’ assets from any kind of threat or abuse. It should also preserve Lebanon’s natural, environmental, and cultural resources, and it should build strong ties with the Lebanese Diaspora and put its intellectual and economic capacity to good use.
National sovereignty and external challenges have proved that preserving independence is no less difficult than gaining it. Lebanon, which has regained its sovereignty, freedom and independence, has the right to use all means to face any aggression against its territory and people and any interference in its internal affairs.
Lebanon faces today numerous challenges, the most important of which is the July war and what it revealed.
Undoubtedly, what the Lebanese people have accomplished through resistance in all its forms, both military and civil, is a real victory that made the Lebanese cause regain worldwide importance. Thus Lebanon is no longer a consolation prize, and it is no longer a site for, or an easy victim of, conspiracies and compromises and deals cut at the expense its sovereignty, independence, and the dignity of its people.
One of our big challenges is to refrain from isolating Lebanon from its environs and from the world, because Lebanon is a country that has always enjoyed international credibility, has always abided by the decisions of the international community regarding the preservation of its sovereignty and regaining its independence, and was a founding member of the United Nations and the Arab league. In this context, we must be clear in our political relationships with the international community that our right to sovereignty and independence is indivisible, inalienable, and non-negotiable in all circumstances.
Those are the main principles of international policy that draw our approach to all thorny issues.
As for the relationship between Lebanon and Syria, we look forward to having natural and normal relations with Syria by reviewing the past, drawing lessons from it, by refusing its repetition, and by rejecting any kind of mandate. This relationship should be based on national sovereignty and independence, mutual respect, friendship, and the preservation of legal and mutual interests. To achieve this, Syria must acknowledge that the Shebaa farms are Lebanese, the borders between the two countries must be redrawn, and the fate of the Lebanese prisoners in Syrian jails must be revealed and they must be freed. Moreover, diplomatic representation between the two countries must be established, and the bilateral relations between Lebanon and Syria must be removed from the sphere of individual relationships and be placed within the official framework. It would then be possible to review bilateral treaties on the basis of balanced interests between the two countries.
As for the relationship between Lebanon and the Palestinians, it is our position that the failure of the international community to find a solution allowing the Palestinian refugees to return to their land will not cause Lebanon to transform their temporary status in Lebanon into a permanent one. We are determined to launch a serious and prompt dialogue with the Palestinian Authority and its representatives in Lebanon to find a final and comprehensive solution to the Palestinian issue with the aim of:
- Ensuring decent living conditions inside the camps and adopting necessary measures to allow free movement of Palestinians inside and outside of Lebanon in such a way that guarantees their return to their home land and which rejects categorically their settlement in Lebanon.
- Solving the issue of Palestinian arms since they are not justified and have actually become a national concern so as to eliminate these weapons, to straighten security issues inside the camps to impose the control of the state and guarantee the respect of Lebanese laws.
As for the conflict with Israel and the issue of the protection of Lebanon, we believe that Lebanon longs for real peace which goes beyond the cessation of hostilities and which lays the foundations for comprehensive justice acceptable by all people of the region. This peace is attainable by adopting the recommendations of the Beirut Summit. Lebanon has long suffered from occupations that cost us human sacrifices and material losses, and which required political and military resistance. Resistance is a sacred and legal right that the Lebanese people have exercised for the purpose of liberating their country relying in conformance with international law. This was proven in the last July war.
Since all the Lebanese people have contributed to the cost of liberation, all are invited today to protect Lebanon and to safeguard its sovereignty and its existence. They must together endeavor to maintain peace on the border and to restore control of the state over Lebanon in accordance with UN Resolution 1701 and thus by:
- Liberating Shebaa farms, the Kfarshouba Hills and the village of Ghajar.
- Liberating the Lebanese prisoners from Israeli jails.
- Demanding the cessation of Israeli violations of Lebanese airspace and territorial waters.
It goes without saying that the protection of Lebanon is a national responsibility which rests on the shoulders of all of the Lebanese people, and which should be agreed upon through national dialogue in which the parties develop a diplomatic plan and a strategic defense to be implemented by the state’s institutions. The weapons of Hizbullah must be included in this framework. These weapons, which have the sole aim of defending Lebanon, are temporary. We have endeavored to find the right framework and circumstances that would solve the weapons issue, which requires the establishment of a robust and righteous state. These principles were developed in our Memorandum of Understanding with Hizbullah and are at the core of our national beliefs and needs. Any assertions that do not fall under this umbrella are only attempts to dominate and to provoke tensions; allegations about the rise of an Islamic state and talk about coup d’etats and about the use of force and weapons are intended to promote fears and spread horror in the country, in order to keep the Lebanese people imprisoned in their cocoons, dreading peace, and content with isolation.
Therefore, we call for the establishment of a modern, democratic and just state that serves the interests of all the Lebanese people in terms of achieving justice and democracy.
We also look forward to establishing international relations which guarantee Lebanon’s independence and sovereignty, and we, along with all the Lebanon people, long to unveil the truth about the terrorist crimes that have shaken the lives of the Lebanese people and jeopardized their security.
We also call for the implementation of what remains of the Taef agreement, the return of the displaced to their villages and the return of the Lebanese refugees in Israel.
To emerge from the current crisis, we must begin building a national authority based on fair representation; this can only be done through the adoption of democratic processes that naturally bring about constitutional institutions.
And since in Lebanon, sovereignty can only be implemented by the people and entrusted to the parliament through free and honest elections under an electoral law that ensures accurate representation, then the natural starting point for building national consensus and a strong national authority is the formation of a government of national unity which will establish a new electoral law according to the criteria we mentioned today, and revive the constitutional council.
Then, the new parliament would elect a President of the Republic and the president-elect would form a new government.
It is absurd to give in to the legality of the current authority simply because it is supported by the international community comprised of countries that have always dealt with and are still dealing with de facto regimes without giving them any legitimacy. The legitimacy of a government’s authority cannot be given except by the people, and it is not yielded but from the will of the people. We will deal with reservation with all external powers that do not respect the principle of a just democracy, and which tries to cover up political tricks. We have explained to them thoroughly the painful and harsh reality that has prevented Lebanon from having a correct start for democracy; it is about time that everybody knows that we will not accept any violation of our rights.
Great people of Lebanon,
In the past, and while I was still abroad, I invited all parties to a table of dialogue on the eve of Independence Day in 2004. But my invitation was refused despite the fact that I warned them against rejecting my call because the responsibilities we face are crucial; what I feared the most happened and the stability of Lebanon received a major blow. But they lack any sense of responsibility.
Then, we engaged in the table of dialogue under the umbrella of the parliament, but that dialogue failed because they refused to deal with issues in such a way that would correct what the elections damaged in terms of building a free state; instead, they used the dialogue to cover up for the failure of the government.
Today I fear that they are losing the last chance they have to build the nation which can only be achieved through the formation of a government of national unity.
In the past, after the Syrian troops withdrew from Lebanon, we asked them not to refuse our call; we call on them today and again ask them not to reject our call.
Great people of Lebanon,
This is our vision and these are our principles for building the state. It is with your determination and your resolve that nations are built, and dreams are realized.
Long live Lebanon
A very powerful condemnation indeed. Please read the whole text.
Dikran Abrahamian
http://news.independent.co.uk/world/fisk/article1870851.ece
The Independent (London)
October 14, 2006 Saturday
First Edition
Let me denounce genocide from the dock
ROBERT FISK
This has been a bad week for Holocaust deniers. I'm talking about those who wilfully lie about the 1915 genocide of 1.5 million Armenian Christians by the Ottoman Turks. On Thursday, France's lower house of parliament approved a Bill making it a crime to deny that Armenians suffered genocide. And, within an hour, Turkey's most celebrated writer, Orhan Pamuk - only recently cleared by a Turkish court for insulting "Turkishness" (sic) by telling a Swiss newspaper
that nobody in Turkey dared mention the Armenian massacres - won the Nobel Prize for Literature. In the mass graves below the deserts of Syria and beneath the soil of southern Turkey, a few souls may have been comforted.
While Turkey continues to blather on about its innocence - the systematic killing of hundreds of thousands of male Armenians and of their gang-raped women is supposed to be the sad result of "civil war" - Armenian historians such as Vahakn Dadrian continue to unearth new evidence of the premeditated Holocaust (and, yes, it will deserve its capital H since it was the direct precursor of the Jewish Holocaust, some of whose Nazi architects were in Turkey in 1915) with all the energy of a gravedigger.
Armenian victims were killed with daggers, swords, hammers and axes to save ammunition. Massive drowning operations were carried out in the Black Sea and the Euphrates rivers - mostly of women and children, so many that the Euphrates became clogged with corpses and changed its course for up to half a mile. But Dadrian, who speaks and reads Turkish fluently, has now discovered that tens of thousands of Armenians were also burned alive in haylofts.
He has produced an affidavit to the Turkish court martial that briefly pursued the Turkish mass murderers after the First World War, a document written by General Mehmet Vehip Pasha, commander of the Turkish Third Army. He testified that, when he visited the Armenian village of Chourig (it means "little water" in Armenian), he found all the houses packed with burned human skeletons, so tightly packed that all were standing upright. "In all the history of Islam," General Vehip wrote, "it is not possible to find any parallel to such savagery."
The Armenian Holocaust, now so "unmentionable" in Turkey, was no secret to the country's population in 1918. Millions of Muslim Turks had witnessed the mass deportation of Armenians three years earlier - a few, with infinite courage, protected Armenian neighbours and friends at the risk of the lives of their own Muslim families - and, on 19 October 1918, Ahmed Riza, the elected president of the Turkish senate and a former supporter of the Young Turk leaders who committed the genocide, stated in his inaugural speech: "Let's face it, we Turks savagely ( vahshiane in Turkish) killed off the Armenians."
Dadrian has detailed how two parallel sets of orders were issued, Nazi-style, by Turkish interior minister Talat Pasha. One set
solicitously ordered the provision of bread, olives and protection for Armenian deportees but a parallel set instructed Turkish
officials to "proceed with your mission" as soon as the deportee convoys were far enough away from population centres for there to be few witnesses to murder. As Turkish senator Reshid Akif Pasha testified on 19 November 1918: "The 'mission' in the circular was: to attack the convoys and massacre the population??? I am ashamed as a Muslim, I am ashamed as an Ottoman statesman. What a stain on the reputation of the Ottoman Empire, these criminal people???"
How extraordinary that Turkish dignitaries could speak such truths in 1918, could fully admit in their own parliament to the genocide of the Armenians and could read editorials in Turkish newspapers of the great crimes committed against this Christian people. Yet how much more extraordinary that their successors today maintain that all of this is a myth, that anyone who says in presentday Istanbul what the men of 1918 admitted can find themselves facing prosecution under the notorious Law 301 for "defaming" Turkey.
I'm not sure that Holocaust deniers - of the anti-Armenian or anti-Semitic variety - should be taken to court for their rantings.
David Irving is a particularly unpleasant "martyr" for freedom of speech and I am not at all certain that Bernard Lewis's one-franc fine by a French court for denying the Armenian genocide in a November 1993 Le Monde article did anything more than give publicity to an elderly historian whose work deteriorates with the years.
But it's gratifying to find French President Jacques Chirac and his interior minister Nicolas Sarkozy have both announced that Turkey will have to recognise the Armenian death as genocide before it is allowed to join the European Union. True, France has a powerful half-million-strong Armenian community.
But, typically, no such courage has been demonstrated by Lord Blair of Kut al-Amara, nor by the EU itself, which gutlessly and childishly commented that the new French Bill, if passed by the senate in Paris, will "prohibit dialogue" which is necessary for reconciliation between Turkey and modern-day Armenia. What is the subtext of this, I wonder. No more talk of the Jewish Holocaust lest we hinder "reconciliation" between Germany and the Jews of Europe?
But, suddenly, last week, those Armenian mass graves opened up before my own eyes. Next month, my Turkish publishers are producing my book, The Great War for Civilisation, in the Turkish language, complete with its long chapter on the Armenian genocide entitled "The First Holocaust". On Thursday, I received a fax from Agora Books in Istanbul. Their lawyers, it said, believed it "very likely that they will be sued under Law 301" - which forbids the defaming of Turkey
and which right-wing lawyers tried to use against Pamuk - but that, as a foreigner, I would be "out of reach". However, if I wished, I could apply to the court to be included in any Turkish trial.
Personally, I doubt if the Holocaust deniers of Turkey will dare to touch us. But, if they try, it will be an honour to stand in the dock with my Turkish publishers, to denounce a genocide which even Mustafa Kamel Ataturk, founder of the modern Turkish state, condemned.