LCCC ENGLISH NEWS BULLETIN
September 17/06

Reading
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 6,43-49.
A good tree does not bear rotten fruit, nor does a rotten tree bear good fruit. For every tree is known by its own fruit. For people do not pick figs from thornbushes, nor do they gather grapes from brambles. A good person out of the store of goodness in his heart produces good, but an evil person out of a store of evil produces evil; for from the fullness of the heart the mouth speaks. Why do you call me, 'Lord, Lord,' but not do what I command? I will show you what someone is like who comes to me, listens to my words, and acts on them. That one is like a person building a house, who dug deeply and laid the foundation on rock; when the flood came, the river burst against that house but could not shake it because it had been well built. But the one who listens and does not act is like a person who built a house on the ground without a foundation. When the river burst against it, it collapsed at once and was completely destroyed."
 

Opinions

The Discourse is Relevant.By: Walid Choucair 17.09.06
A Mini Cold War is starting in the Middle East.By:Amir Taheri  
 

Latest New from Miscellaneous sources for September 17/06

World must solve Middle East, says Annan-RTE.ie 

Hizbullah Sends U.N. Troops Veiled Warning, Army Pursues Deployment-Naharnet

Israeli FM: I Expect the Lebanese Government to Prevent Hizbullah's Rearmament-Naharnet

Livni says she expects Lebanon to enforce UN arms embargo against Hezbollah-Ynetnews

G8 parliament speakers discuss Lebanon situation-RIA Novosti

Rice: Lebanon, Israel Could Be Partners in Fighting Terror-Naharnet

Lebanon Must Disarm Hezbollah, Israeli Foreign Minister Warns-Washington Post

Darst: Syria remains threat to US-MetroWest Daily News

Syria: US Policy Options-Council on Foreign Relations - New York,New York,USA

Muslim anger over papal comments grows-AP

Annan calls for Mid-East solution-BBC News

Some Muslim Leaders Want Pope to Apologize-New York Times 

Lebanon Must Disarm Hezbollah, Israeli Foreign Minister Warns-Washington Post - United States

Counting the Cost of Destruction in Lebanon-Ya Libnan

EU considers deployment of troops on Lebanon-Syria border-People's Daily Online

Israeli official hopeful on arms embargo-Houston Chronicle

Hezbollah minister lashes out at Germany's stance towards Lebanon-Monsters and Critics.com

Hezbollah is part of the problem-Toronto Star

Hezbollah war reveals inequality of Arabs-Miami Herald

US report on Iran misleading: IAEA-ABC Online 

Ottawa to censor portions of Arar report-Globe and Mail

Lebanon: Uneasy truce holds-Mail & Guardian Online

Syria seeks release of Cyprus-held defence systems-Cyprus Mail

Jordan's king admits difficulties in Syria ties-Reuters

UN refugee agency appeals to Syria for release of three Iranian-UN News Centre

Lebanon: UNIFIL press release, 15 Sep 2006-ReliefWeb (press release) - Geneva,Switzerland

Hezbollah, Lebanese govt in fierce struggle after war
BEIRUT: A month after fighting ended in Lebanon, hostilities with Israel have given way to a fierce internal struggle between the Western-backed government and Hezbollah as Lebanese troops try to take control of the guerrillas' long-time stronghold in the south. The outcome could prove crucial to the stability of the cease-fire with Israel and to the future of Lebanon's fragile central government- at a time when Syria, a key patron of Hezbollah, is trying to claw back the influence it lost last year. Prime Minister Fuad Saniora on Thursday vowed to impose army control over the south, a day after Hezbollah's leader Sheik Hassan Nasrallah boasted that his armed fighters remained in villages and towns on the border with Israel. "We want this area to be under the army's and the Lebanese state control," Saniora said. Neither the 15,000 Lebanese troops nor an equal number of UN peacekeepers who are to patrol a buffer zone in the south have the mandate or willpower to forcibly disarm Hezbollah. But the presence of 30,000 soldiers to enforce the truce will prevent Hezbollah from openly touting their weapons and is likely to severely limit the guerrilla force's activities. Hezbollah has all but run a state within a state in the south, with its armed wing, extensive role in local government and strong social network providing education and other services.
Another possible source of friction is the drive to stop Hezbollah from bringing in new weapons to rebuild its arsenal. Iran is believed to be its main arms supplier and financial backer After years of the government turning a blind eye to shipments, the Lebanese are now increasing checks at the borders, European warships are patrolling Lebanese waters and EU personnel are to monitor Beirut international airport and Syria's border with Lebanon to stop weapons. There are signs Hezbollah is already chafing and turning its anger at Saniora. At a huge rally this week in a destroyed part of Beirut's southern suburbs, tens of thousands gathered at Hezbollah's first public show of strength since the war to hear speakers denounce the government and call for it to resign. The militant group's leader Sheik Hassan Nasrallah, in an interview with Al-Jazeera, also lashed out at Saniora's administration, saying it had done nothing to defend Lebanon during the Israeli assault and branding it an American tool.
Nasrallah's criticism followed angry protests at the warm welcome extended this week to British Prime Minister Tony Blair, who was accused of tacitly backing the Israeli offensive by supporting US President George W Bush's refusal to call for a quick cease-fire. Support for Hezbollah among Shiites is soaring after it put up tough resistance throughout the devastating 34 days of fighting, when the guerrillas continued to pound Israel with rockets despite heavy Israeli bombardment. It then increased its popularity by jump-starting rebuilding efforts, offering initial cash payments of up to US$12,000 for families who lost their homes, including Christians. Hezbollah and its backer Syria see the current government as a threat to their position, and Damascus wants to engineer a change to an administration more to its liking, said Edmond Saab, executive editor of Lebanon's leading daily An-Nahar. "We are seeing a hidden struggle between Syria and the forces in Lebanon which oppose its influence. Hezbollah is trying to bring with it more allies to the Cabinet in order to protect itself," Saab said.
Hezbollah has two ministers in Saniora's Cabinet. It now wants a new unity government that would include Hezbollah ally, Christian opposition leader Gen Michael Aoun, a harsh critic of the Saniora government that is backed by the anti-Syrian parliamentary majority. But Saniora's backing is also growing. His image has benefited from his success in negotiating a cease-fire by promising to deploy the 15,000 troops in the south, Saab said. At the same time, many Lebanese are privately critical of Hezbollah's role in provoking the fight with Israel by snatching two of its soldiers in July- sparking a conflict that killed hundreds of people, destroyed roads, bridges and thousands of homes and cost billions of dollars to the economy. Saniora, a pro-Western Sunni Muslim, came to power after the so-called Cedar Revolution last year that saw a million people take to the streets to demand that Syria respect Lebanon's sovereignty and pull out its troops. The protests followed the Feb. 14, 2005, assassination of former Lebanese premier Rafiq Hariri in Beirut, an attack that his supporters blamed on Syria and led to the ending of Syria's 29-year military presence in Lebanon two months later. Syria has denied any role.
The parliament elected in May and June 2005 is dominated by anti-Syrian forces led by the assassinated ex-premier's son Saad Hariri, which are strongly in favour of Hezbollah's disarmament. But Hezbollah is a powerful force, with a bastion of support among the historically disadvantaged Shiite Muslims -Lebanon's largest sect- in the south and the eastern Bekaa Valley. It counts parliament speaker Nabih Berri, a mainstream Shiite Muslim, as an ally. The battle for influence is likely to intensify as the September 2007 presidential election approaches. Under Lebanon's power-sharing constitution adopted after bitter sectarian strife in the 1980s, the presidency is reserved for a Maronite Christian and Aoun is likely to stand with the support of Hezbollah. "Hezbollah is still extremely popular among the Shia community. Their power base is intact. There is no way you can disarm Hezbollah, neither the government, nor anyone else," said Farid Al-Khazen, a lawmaker from Aoun's bloc. - AP

Hizbullah Sends U.N. Troops Veiled Warning, Army Pursues Deployment
Hizbullah said Saturday it would have no problem with U.N. peacekeepers as long as they stick to defending Lebanon against Israel, two days after the French general who leads the troops hinted they would disarm the group if the Lebanese army does not. The U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon "is here to protect the Lebanese and Lebanon's sovereignty, and we want its mandate limited to that," in which case there "will be no problems," Nabil Qaouk, the group's chief in the south, told Agence France Presse. "We want the new UNIFIL to do its work in conformity with" U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701, which led to an August 14 truce in the war between Israel and Hizbullah. "Israel is seeking to have this force play a new role, in other words, to place it under its control," Qaouk said. "We hope that Europe and the French will not be under American control and will be the closest friends of the Lebanese and the Arab world."
Resolution 1701 calls for establishing "an area free of any armed personnel, assets and weapons other than those of the government of Lebanon and of UNIFIL" between the Israeli border and the Litani River, a strategic waterway that runs between five and 30 kilometers north of the border.
It stipulates that UNIFIL should "assist the Lebanese armed forces" in achieving that. Hizbullah has agreed to abide by the ceasefire, but has resolutely refused to lay down its arms until it is satisfied that Israel has ended its occupation of Lebanese territory. Its chief, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, said this week that his forces are present "in the whole south of Lebanon" and that nobody "can prevent us from being present on our territory or from defending our territory, our honor and our homeland."But in an interview Thursday in the French daily La Croix, General Alain Pellegrini said UNIFIL would act on its own if necessary.
"If the (Lebanese army) fails to act, we must assume our responsibilities as a U.N. force," he said. "Someone will have to intervene, with all the consequences that this might have for the Lebanese authorities."Resolution 1701 does not spell out how south Lebanon should be freed of illicit arms, but says UNIFIL should "assist the Lebanese armed forces in taking steps towards" that end. It also builds on the foundations of Resolution 1559, adopted in late 2004, and 1655, adopted in January. As the debate grew over what UNIFIL should be doing, Lebanese troops continued their deployment in the south on Saturday, a military spokesman said. An unspecified number of troops were taking up positions in the coastal town of Naqoura, where UNIFIL is headquartered.
Another 400 men, backed by a dozen tanks, were deploying in Aita al-Shaab, some 20 kilometers inland and just one kilometer from the Israeli border. Soldiers were also preparing to enter six other villages evacuated by Israeli troops under the terms of the truce. Israel has said it will complete its withdrawal once there are at least 5,000 UNIFIL troops on the ground. According to an AFP count, there are about 4,500 of them in the country now. Hizbullah has said, however, that its definition of withdrawal will include the Shabaa Farms, a small but strategic patch of land at the juncture of Lebanon, Israel and Syria. The Jewish state captured the area from Syria in 1967, and Beirut now claims it with the consent of Damascus. Resolution 1701 calls for steps to be taken to resolve the issue.(AFP) (AP photo shows a Spanish U.N. peacekeeper cleanings her automatic rifle, in the provisional camp for the Spanish troops in the southern port city of Tyre) Beirut, 16 Sep 06, 19:07
 

Forum on Lebanon
By: Sean Singer
September 14, 2006
With Lebanon’s infrastructure devastated after a month-long war with Israel, the United States and the rest of the international community are investing billions of dollars to rebuild the roads, bridges and lives of the Lebanese people. And just as the Lebanese must adjust to a severely altered landscape within their country, the United States must also adapt to the Middle East’s transformed geopolitical landscape.
Yesterday, Geoffrey Kemp, the Nixon Center’s director of Regional Strategic Programs, moderated a panel discussion on Lebanon’s future that featured Fouad M. Makhzoumi of the National Dialogue Party of Lebanon, the Washington Post’s David Ignatius and Deputy Assistant Secretary for Near Eastern Affairs Robert Danin. Danin spoke off-the-record. The most contentious issue the panel tackled was U.S. diplomacy in the region—or lack thereof. To save Lebanon, the United States must engage the two most important players on the Lebanese scene, Iran and Syria, Makhzoumi argued. On the Iranian front, the Islamic Republic’s uranium enrichment program and the defiance of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad have largely isolated the country. But, despite the West’s megalomaniac depictions, Ahmadinejad is a highly skilled politician who is inspiring both domestic support and discontent.
“There’s lots of opportunity to be in contact with people who oppose Ahmadinejad [in Iran]”, said Ignatius, who recently visited Tehran. “It’s not like a situation where he has totally grasped the levers of power.”
Iran’s power may be growing as U.S. influence wanes, Ignatius said. The insurgency in Iraq has undermined America’s reputation and credibility, emboldening Ahmadinejad to raise his profile domestically and internationally, as evidenced by his denunciations of Israel, his vocal support for Hizballah and his recent offer to debate President George W. Bush.
“Iranians of every political persuasion feel that: ‘this is our moment, and we should be recognized as the great power that we are’”, Ignatius said.
On Iraq’s western border, despite its early cooperation with the United States in its War on Terror, Syria’s support for Hizballah and Hamas—as well as its accommodation of insurgents entering and leaving Iraq and its suspected role in the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri—have frozen bilateral relations with the United States. Following Hariri’s death, the United States recalled its ambassador from Damascus in February 2005 and the post remains vacant. Ignatius suggested that Syria’s foiling of a terrorist attack on the U.S. embassy in Damascus on Tuesday could provide the impetus for a renewed dialogue.
“It’s crazy for the United States to not have an ambassador in Damascus”, Ignatius said.
The United States and its Sunni allies initially perceived this summer’s war as an opportunity for Israel to unilaterally implement un Security Council Resolution 1559 by forcibly disarming Hizballah. Ironically, Israel’s failures in strategic planning and execution further empowered Hizballah, Syria and Iran. The chronology of events exposed America’s faint diplomacy, criticized by both Ignatius and Makhzoumi.
Makhzoumi called on the United States to appoint a diplomatic special envoy for the Middle East, something the recent conflict in Lebanon and continuing hostilities between the Israelis and Palestinians necessitates. Kemp added that U.S. struggles in Iraq demonstrate that the path to Middle East stability may first and foremost go through Jerusalem.
But Lebanon’s plight cannot be completely dismissed in favor of larger regional concerns. The March 2005 Cedar Revolution’s promise remains unrealized, and as Lebanon begins the rebuilding process, Makhzoumi warned against repeating the past’s mistakes. Following the Lebanese Civil War’s conclusion in the early 1990s, $40 billion in reconstruction aid poured in from around the world, with little reaching the people in greatest need. It was during these years that Hizballah invested in social, human and military infrastructure, advancing its status above that of the government in southern Lebanon. Now, transient foreign aid without a sustained commitment to political reform could lead to an equally dangerous outcome. “Instead of giving [Lebanon] money, [the international community needs] to work with the people in power to make sure that we move this country forward based on political reform”, Makhzoumi said.
Makhzoumi acknowledged the Sunni and Maronite failure to recognize Lebanese Shi‘a as full partners in Lebanon’s future. Addressing the Shi‘a community’s grievances is a key to moving Lebanon forward. Simultaneously, Lebanon’s neighbors, especially its fellow Arab states, must treat Lebanon as a unit instead of using sectarian groups as proxies to advance foreign interests. As for Hizballah, even Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah has admitted surprise at Israel’s intense response to the abduction of two soldiers from Israeli territory on July 12. Prior to the eruption of hostilities, Hizballah acted under the presumption that it was most effective operating through state mechanisms. The toll of this summer’s conflict confirmed the value of that mechanism, Ignatius said. Furthermore, Israel now knows Hizballah’s capabilities. “Hizballah was always seen as the sharp point of the spear of Iranian backed Shi‘a power in the Middle East, but in a sense now, that spear has been thrown—it’s a card that’s already been played”, Ignatius said. While Hizballah has played that card, many others are still being held. The two Israeli soldiers remain captive, the efficacy of the UN force is unclear, Shebaa Farms remains contested and Syria’s intentions remain ambiguous. The panelists aptly described the present as a fluid moment in Middle Eastern politics, a moment the United States must seize.
 

G8 parliament speakers discuss Lebanon situation
15:00 | 16/ 09/ 2006
ST. PETERSBURG, September 16 (RIA Novosti) - Parliaments' heads of the G8 group of industrialized countries discussed Saturday in St. Petersburg the situation in Lebanon in the context of the fight against terrorism, a Russian parliamentarian said. Southern Lebanon was devastated after Israel launched attacks following the seizure of two Israeli troops in early July on the border with Lebanon by Lebanon-based radical group Hizbollah. "Lebanon was mentioned as the issue of common concern since it is connected with the fight against terrorism," Alexander Kozlovsky, a deputy chairman of the State Duma Foreign Affairs Committee, said. The G8 heads of parliaments met at the Tavrichesky Palace in St. Petersburg. In July St. Petersburg hosted a G8 summit as Russia holds this year a rotating chair in the organization. He said the fight against new challenges and threats, particularly against terrorism, was one of the key issues on the meeting agenda. Before the August 14 truce, Israeli military operations claimed the lives of about 1,000 Lebanese civilians, forced nearly a quarter of the country's population to flee, and demolished large parts of the country's infrastructure. About 160 Israelis were also killed in the fighting. The UN deployed troops in southern Lebanon and has said it hopes to increase its contingent in the region to 15,000.

Rice: Lebanon, Israel Could Be Partners in Fighting Terror
Naharnet: U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has said Lebanon and Israel could be partners in fighting terrorism and that the U.S. is helping Premier Fouad Saniora's government to cope with the war's aftermath. "You have a Lebanese government that wants to fight terror and that is the beginning of a democratic government that could be actually a partner for Israel in fighting terror," Rice told Rush Limbaugh, host of radio's Rush Limbaugh Show on Friday. "Now we're trying to help the Lebanese government deal with the effects of a Hizbullah that launched that attack without Lebanon even knowing," Rice said about the July 12 cross-border raid by Hizbullah fighters that ignited the 34-day Israeli offensive on Lebanon. She said the best way to fight terror is through dealing with a moderate government that is committed to defeat terrorists. "No terrorist can be supported or understood or negotiated with. What you can do is to find moderate governments -- moderate leaders in those countries that are suffering from terrorism themselves and enlist them in the fight to help defeat terrorists," Rice said.
"The way to think about what happened in Lebanon is that we're going to fight terror, but we need to do it with a Lebanese government that is devoted to fighting terror," she added. The U.S. has blamed Hizbullah, described by Washington as a terrorist organization, for triggering the war after the group kidnapped two Israeli soldiers in the deadly cross-border raid without the government's knowledge. When asked about the significance of the U.N.-brokered ceasefire with a Lebanese government that didn't know about the July 12 attack, Rice said the Saniora cabinet should be made stronger.
"Well, you have to strengthen that government. It's a weak government, and -- but it is getting stronger. It's finally deployed its military forces throughout its whole country for the first time in more than three decades," she said. In the interview, Rice said Saniora's government came to power after "extremists" killed ex-Premier Rafik Hariri in February last year. "This is a government that came to power when the extremists assassinated the reformist Prime Minister of Lebanon Rafik Hariri. And so this is a government that comes from the right set of values and the right set of principles. It's just not very strong. We're trying to help build it up, build up its security forces," she said. Beirut, 16 Sep 06, 08:12

Lebanon Must Disarm Hezbollah, Israeli Foreign Minister Warns
By Glenn Kessler
Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, September 16, 2006; Page A16
The Lebanese government must fully implement a recent U.N. resolution requiring the disarming of the militant Shiite group Hezbollah or Israel will be less reluctant to attack the Lebanese state if Hezbollah resumes hostilities, Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni said yesterday.
Livni, in an interview with editors and reporters of The Washington Post, said that when the fighting began in July after Hezbollah seized two Israeli soldiers, Israel heeded calls from world officials not to undermine the government of Prime Minister Fouad Siniora because the formation of the government and the subsequent withdrawal of Syrian troops was an "achievement of the international community." Israel launched attacks across southern Lebanon, Hezbollah's base, and it demolished bridges to Syria and bombed Beirut's airport. Livni said Israel's efforts to keep the military campaign limited made it more difficult to achieve its objectives. "The result is it was more difficult to find these terrorists among civilians, compared to attacking a weak Lebanon," Livni said. "We could have done Lebanon in a few days, I think, if we had decided to attack Lebanon as a state."
"Now there is a need to implement fully and completely 1701," Livni said, referring to the resolution passed by the U.N. Security Council that led to the cease-fire between Israeli and Hezbollah forces. "If Israel will be attacked, this is the Lebanese responsibility."
Since passage of the resolution, 4,000 international troops have moved into southern Lebanon, as has the Lebanese army, and U.S. officials say arms shipments have been halted. But Hezbollah's leader, Hasan Nasrallah, said this week that Hezbollah fighters are still in southern Lebanese towns near the border with Israel.
If Israel is attacked again, "we are not looking again to find these terrorists among the civilian population," Livni added. "We are going to face a state which does not implement its responsibility or maybe does not exercise its sovereignty. And so in French, they say tant pis " -- which translates as "too bad."
Asked specifically if Israel would attack Lebanon, Livni replied: "It is the responsibility of the state of Lebanon. I don't want to say so clearly that next time this is what we will do. But we will take it into consideration that this is part of their responsibility."
Separately, Livni expressed concern that a proposed unity government in the Palestinian territories will not explicitly recognize Israel. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, who supports peace talks with Israel, is attempting to reach a deal with the radical Islamic Resistance Movement, or Hamas, which won legislative elections earlier this year. The victory of Hamas led to a broad cutoff of international aid, leaving much of the Palestinian territories increasingly destitute.
Hamas won on a platform of reform against the increasingly corrupt Fatah movement, which had long led the Palestinians. But Livni said the aid cutoff has greatly weakened the appeal of Hamas -- which is dedicated to the destruction of Israel -- making it imperative for other nations to insist that the new government renounce terrorism and accept Israel's right to exist.
The Quartet -- a coordinating group for Middle East peace made up of the United States, the European Union, the United Nations and Russia -- will meet on Wednesday at the United Nations. Livni said next week will be an important test of the international community's resolve.
"Hamas has to decide what they will do. Abu Mazen has to take some decisions," Livni said, using Abbas's nom de guerre. "They are looking outside; and if the international community will show some hesitation, we will face a unity government, which will be the most dangerous situation."
Livni said "it is easy for us to see something black, Hamas, and white, Abu Mazen, but sometimes the in-between, the gray, is sometimes the most dangerous" because it will appear legitimate through the presence of Abbas while Hamas continues to be an anti-Israeli militia movement. "They can get legitimacy and get the checks, but we cannot end the conflict."
Asked if the Israeli government would refuse to deal with a unity government, Livni said: "The question is not the formation of the government but its platform."
Livni said it was a mistake to believe that elections would transform terrorist groups. "I believe deeply in democratization, but the question is what is the best way to implement it," she said. "The idea is not only voting, one vote for one person, but the acceptance of the values of democracy."
She said that some have argued that governing will transform militants into responsible parties, but she noted that she believes that "if you are political party which believes in an extreme Islamic ideology, when you have the power you will use it in order to force your ideology. It will look like something which is legitimate because it won the election."She noted that many nations are working to strengthen the Lebanese army in an effort to transform Lebanon into a normal state. But Hezbollah is a minority in the Lebanese government now, she said, so one day "we may face Hezbollah winning the election and it would have the legitimate control of the Lebanese army."

Darst: Syria remains threat to U.S.
By Guy Darst/ Boston Herald columnist
Saturday, September 16, 2006
The second-day story about that unsuccessful attack on the U.S. Embassy in Damascus reported statements from U.S. officials in Washington that the only gunman captured alive "has been cooperating with Syrian authorities."That turned out to have been wrong. The third-day stories said he died before he could be questioned. But the interesting question remains: Had he (or his group) cooperated with Syrian authorities -- before the attack (on Sept. 12)?
President Bashir al-Assad is a devious character. His regime has let the capital city serve as headquarters for terrorists of all kinds. It helps Iran supply the Hezbollah terrorists in Lebanon. It helps jihadists get into Iraq. Wouldn't it be convenient for an incident to happen that would demonstrate to the Americans that Syria, too, was a terrorist target? And maybe earn a little credit with the Americans for helping them?
"A couple of things like this have happened before," said a scholar at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, David Schenker. He told the New York Sun that the Syrian government had facilitated attacks on the embassy in 1998 and 2000. Another expert, Tony Badran of the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies, said, "Every time the regime wants to show that it is embattled or that it shares the same enemy as the United States, there is an incident like this."
Syria says the attackers came from the Lebanon-based terror organization Jund al-Sham. Badran said he was "not even sure they are a legitimate organization."
While the State Department has to make appropriate thanks for Syrian protection -- a Syrian officer was killed -- we hope nobody there is losing sight of the fact that Syria helps our enemies.

Ottawa to censor portions of Arar report
JEFF SALLOT
From Saturday's Globe and Mail
Maher Arar in the terraced garden of the backyard of his new home in Kamloops, B.C. (Jeff Sallot/The Globe and Mail)
"could hurt diplomatic relations with countries that provided...
The official report on the torture case of Maher Arar will be censored because of government fears that publication of some of the evidence could hurt national security, federal sources say. The long-awaited report, which is to be released Monday by a judicial commission of inquiry, will have parts deleted that officials fear could identify informants or could hurt diplomatic relations with countries that provided Ottawa with intelligence reports in confidence, the sources say.
However, lawyers for the commission plan to take the government to court to force the eventual release of information that Mr. Justice Dennis O'Connor, the head of the inquiry, wants disclosed because it is in the public interest. The deletions will not prevent the commission from completing one of its chief objectives, determining the extent of Canadian government complicity in Mr. Arar's 2002 arrest in New York and deportation to Syria as a suspected terrorist, according to the federal sources who cannot be identified because they have not been authorized by the Conservative government to speak to reporters.
The commission agreed to the release of a censored version of the report next week — and to fight the deletions issue later in court — rather than delay publication of its conclusions and recommendations any longer. Lawyers for the commission and government have been at loggerheads for 17 months about what must remain secret for reasons of state security. They have narrowed their differences considerably, but a number of issues will have to be thrashed out in the courts, the sources said. The previous Liberal government set up the public inquiry Feb. 5, 2004, to determine whether any Canadian officials were complicit in the deportation of Mr. Arar, an Ottawa software engineer, from the United States to Syria where he was brutally interrogated by military intelligence officers. Then-prime-minister Paul Martin said, "I want to get to the bottom of this."
But national security issues arose almost immediately. Judge O'Connor, the associate chief justice of Ontario, has conducted a number of hearings in camera because of government objections to the disclosure of some of the evidence.
The issue came to a head in April last year when Judge O'Connor tried to publish a summary of in-camera evidence from the Canadian Security Intelligence Service and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. He had already vetted the material and removed references he had decided might cause a legitimate security problem.
But the Justice Department and the Privy Council Office threatened to go over the commissioner's head to get an order from the Federal Court to block publication.
Anticipating a lengthy legal battle that could stall commission work, Judge O'Connor agreed to withhold that summary of evidence for the time being and litigate disputes after writing his report. Meanwhile, he appointed an expert in diplomacy and security, Reid Morden, to advise him on what might safely be released publicly and what disclosures might harm Canadian interests. Mr. Morden is a former deputy minister of foreign affairs and former CSIS director.
The censorship issue has prevented Mr. Arar, 35, from testifying at the inquiry. Judge O'Connor ruled that it would be unfair to subject him to cross-examination by government lawyers who had access to confidential information that had not been seen by Mr. Arar or his own lawyers. Mr. Arar, who was held in Syrian military intelligence prisons for more than a year without being charged, says he fears that a heavily censored commission report will make it hard to fully clear his name.

Syria seeks release of Cyprus-held defence systems
A SYRIAN government delegation was in Cyprus yesterday seeking the release of Syria-bound aircraft defence systems from North Korea impounded by the island, authorities said. Acting on an Interpol alert for arms smuggling, Cyprus found truck-mounted radar systems on board the Panamanian-flagged Gregorio 1 last week. It was billed as meteorological equipment on the ship's manifest. There are no UN restriction on weapons supplies to Syria – widely regarded as a conduit for arms to the Lebanese Hizbollah group. However, Cyprus has refused to release the cargo because the papers were not in order.
Releasing the shipment, now under arrest by customs, would require a new export licence. "The whole matter is controlled by the law of the land, and as things stand right now it is in the hands of the Attorney-general," said Commerce Minister Antonis Michaelides. "This ministry can be involved if there is a request for the re-export of these items which we would examine," Michaelides told Reuters. Until yesterday afternoon such a request had not been filed. Privately, Attorney-general Petros Klerides met a Syrian delegation yesterday. "There was a visit to the attorney general's office. From what I know there was full accord between them," Michaelides said. Discovery of the shipment put the island in a bind at the risk of upsetting friendly relations with Damascus. In addition to the apparent discrepancy in paperwork, Cyprus says it should have been informed about any military hardware passing through its territorial waters. The Gregorio 1, which experts say has changed name and flag five times over the past five years, was detained when it called at Limassol port for refuelling just after visiting Port Said. It is not clear why the vessel would have required refuelling in Cyprus for the relatively short journey between Port Said and the Syrian port of Latakia, which was its final destination.
Copyright © Cyprus Mail 2006

Jordan's king admits difficulties in Syria ties
Sat Sep 16, 2006 3:59 PM IST
CAIRO (Reuters) - Jordan's King Abdullah said in remarks published on Saturday he had struggled to improve ties with Syria since Bashar al-Assad became president in 2000. Syria's relations with Jordan deteriorated in 1994 when Jordan signed a peace deal with Israel. Abdullah said he had wanted to improve ties in 2000, when former president Hafez al-Assad died and was replaced by his son. "Frankly, I cannot say that they are excellent," Abdullah told the London-based al-Hayat newspaper when asked about ties with his northern neighbour. "I was intent, since President Bashar al-Assad became president, to turn a new page with Syria, the title of which would be confidence and working for what is in the interest of the two brotherly countries," he said. "But unfortunately we did not find a translation on the ground to the good intentions we were hearing," he said. Relations were strained again in April this year when Jordan discovered an arms cache that it said belonged to Palestinian militant group Hamas and had been smuggled across the border from Syria.
 

The Discourse is Relevant
Walid Choucair Al-Hayat - 15/09/06//
The worst that could have resulted from the domestic political escalation in Lebanon is that it led to the opposite of what the involved parties wanted. The most dangerous element in this escalation, of which Hezbollah is the main drive, is that Hezbollah, and its allies associate their call for a change of government with a negative position toward the new UNIFIL forces, against which Hezbollah is threatening to resort to violence. The escalation has been particularly reinforced by Secretary General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah's unprecedented lashing on the government and its partisans (the March 14 Forces), as well as his 'treason' rhetoric in an interview with 'Al Jazeera'.
Despite the negative impact of the violent verbal contentions over the past few days on Lebanese domestic affairs, and in spite of the gravity of the frustrating impact of the rhetoric used on Lebanese society and the public opinion in all the Lebanese sects, one can assume that the Lebanese political powers are able to absorb this level of escalation, the Lebanese way, and to contain its results. Although he is usually described as courteous and skillful, these characteristics were lacking in Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah this time. Although his calm state of mind, which accompanies his exceptional charisma, constitutes one of the main attractive features in his unique character, it was inexcusably replaced with agitation. Nasrallah's adversaries are capable of overcoming the condescending tone he used in addressing "this head of government we have", because what happened still does not cancel the man's pioneering struggling, his history or his reserved gentleness, equal to the wisdom of his character and what it represents.
Even if the assumption that the Lebanese are capable of overcoming all this is naïve in the face of the political elite's pessimism toward the dimensions of the emulation Lebanon is currently witnessing, this 'naivety' is betting on previous experiences in which Nasrallah and his adversaries were able to handle previous escalations, over weeks and months, before the Israeli war on Lebanon. Although the accusations and names Hezbollah hurled at the government and its Prime Minister are the kind that one cannot take back, the 'naivety' of those who are relying on the fact that the accusations can be overcome, rests on Sayyed Nasrallah's ethics which allow for this. For Nasrallah has previously praised the government, thanking it twice for its approach to the Israeli war on Lebanon in televised messages broadcast by Hezbollah's Secretary General's channel, 'Al Manar'. He also expressed his appreciation of its role in a press speech.
In all cases, Chairman of Parliament Nabih Berry's wisdom and insight will enable him to find a way out. Siniora's wisdom and patience paved the way in his silent response to the attack he had been exposed to, maintaining his attribute of a major Statesman of which no one, whether major or minor, can deprive him. It has become an innate attribute, registered on his identification card or passport, not to mention the attribute of genuine Arabism.
In brief, the most dangerous aspect of this ongoing emulation is linking Hezbollah's attacks on the government to a readiness to take a stance against the UNIFIL forces. One of Hezbollah's leaders said: "These forces learnt from experiences not to make mistakes if some want to turn them into their own army to defend a government unworthy of its people." In the 'National Gathering', which includes personalities supporting and currently opposing Damascus, Hezbollah's allies called on "the Lebanese people to defend their sovereignty and refuse any foreign presence coming in the form of a play about monitoring ports or a farce about guarding bridges." In the meeting, the 'governing group' was warned from its pursuance of 'foreign tutelage'.
Since International Resolution 1559 was passed on September 1, 2004, Hezbollah and its allies have derided it and the possibility of its implementation. Although a part of it has not been implemented, the part concerning Syrian redeployment has been. On referring to the archives, one finds a number of resolutions that have been passed concerning Lebanon over the past few years. These resolutions are consolidated by a wide consensus, proven by the participation of States which not many had expected to come to Lebanon.
It is true that UNIFIL came to Lebanon to implement Resolution 1559 (upon which rests Resolution 1701), but it is also true that UNIFIL came to protect Lebanon from Israeli barbarism. Hezbollah would be mistaken if it links its position with its internal adversaries to the presence of UNIFIL, because this would pave the way for the emergence of a new international resolution.
Was it not Hezbollah who advised the different strata of the Iraqi society to observe reconciliation until the departure of foreign forces?
The discourse is relevant.

A Mini Cold War is starting in the Middle East
15/09/2006
By: Amir Taheri
The way things look now, Lebanon may be at the start of a long trek towards where it has always wanted to be: a median position from which it can maintain its Arab personality but also forge strong ties with the West. That, in turn, means that all eyes will now be on Syria as the next nation in the region to have reached a crossroad.
At first glance, Syria has already decided which direction to take. President Bashar al-Assad's address to the Syrian journalists last month sounded like a strategic agenda designed to crate a new "Rejection Front", this time called "The Front of Defiance", under Iranian leadership.
After the withdrawal of his army from Lebanon last year, Syria's President Bashar al- Assad had an opportunity to switch sides, that is to say distance himself from Iran, join the emerging Arab mainstream, and use the United Nations investigation into Rafiq Hariri's murder as an opportunity for purging his regime of hard-liners.
Assad did not take that opportunity, but moved in the opposite direction. Last June, he dispatched his Defence Minister to Tehran to sign a military agreement with the Islamic Republic. We now know that the timing was not accidental. The war triggered by Hezballah started almost exactly a month later. President Assad also stalled the UN investigation, thus encouraging his regime's radical elements.
As things stand there is little likelihood that Syria will alter course to help the US impose its vision on the Middle East.
Syrian leaders speak with bitterness about the Bush administrations' alleged failure to offer them inducements to change course. They had hoped for a role in reshaping Iraq, but received none. They also wished to retain a major presence in Lebanon but found out that Washington sought their total exclusion. Worse still, Washington appeared tilting towards a policy of "regime change" vis-à-vis Damascus, as signalled by the passage of the Syria Accountability Act by the US Congress.
There were other signs that Washington wanted regime change in Damascus. Last June, State Department officials attended a series of meetings held in Brussels and London by Syrian opposition leaders in exile, ostensibly as observers but, as it turned out, as active participants.
The emerging coalition of Syrian opposition groups has already agreed on a six-month transition during which the constitution, imposed in 1973, would be replaced by the one in force in 1950. A caretaker government would prepare for elections. It would also free political prisoners, dissolve special tribunals, and lift the State of Emergency imposed in 1970.
The growing perception that Syria may be targeted for regime change has encouraged opposition groups inside the country as well. Ethnic Kurds have already flexed their muscles in a number of demonstrations while secular intellectuals have published petitions criticising the regime. Last month a hunger strike by 14 prominent political prisoners in Damascus received much publicity thanks to samizdat distributed throughout Syria.
As more and more people find the courage to hold anti-regime meetings in their homes, mosques, and the "zawiyah", places where Sufi fraternities meet, more of the darkness created since the mid-1960s begins to dissipate. Since 1960, successive military-dominated regimes have built a system modelled on the traditional Damascus houses. These are structures with high walls that isolate the inhabitants from the surrounding neighbourhood. In these houses, all windows open on an inner courtyard allowing the inmates no view of the outside. No wonder, the rising level of dissident activity both fascinates and frightens the Syrians.
Like neighbouring Iraq, Syria is a mosaic of ethnic and religious communities. The current regime is controlled by Alawites, a quasi-Shiite sect that accounts for some 11 per cent of the population but has dominated the army and the security forces since the 1950s. Arab Sunnis, accounting for 60 per cent of the population believe they can form an alliance with Christians, Kurds, Turcomans and other minorities to challenge the Alawite hold on power.
For years, Assad vacillated between endorsing reform and leading a new crackdown. Initially, he had convinced some that he might opt for reform- among them British Prime Minister Tony Blair who invited Assad and his British-born wife to a red carpet reception in London and a banquet with the queen.
Now, however, Blair is convinced that Assad is no longer a partner for the West in reshaping the Middle East. That view is shared by France's President Jacques Chirac who has campaigned to bring Hariri's assassins to justice. In July, Chirac broke diplomatic habits by publicly branding Assad as "an obstacle to peace and stability" in the region.
Why is President Assad taking such a gamble?
He appears to have bought into Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's strategy of "waiting Bush out" as discussed when the two met in Damascus last January. The current Iranian policy is based on the assumption that once Bush is out of office, the US will revert to its traditional policy of accommodating the status quo rather than seeking to change it.
Iran has thrown its support behind Assad by supplying him with cut-price oil, cash gifts worth $400 million, a range of weapons including missiles, and a contingent of Islamic Revolutionary Guards that could, if needed, act as a Praetorian Guard.
The Assad strategy is also backed by Russia, which is seeking special mooring rights for its navy in the Syrian port of Tartus to replace the base leased from the Ukraine in Sebastopol on the Black Sea. That lease will end in 2017 after which Sebastopol may become a NATO base. Incidentally, Tartus is the stronghold of the Alawites and the "capital" of the Alawite statelet that was briefly envisaged after the First World War.
"Israel's aggression against Hezballah is part of a broader strategy," President Ahmadinejad said last month. "Those who launched the aggression think that if Hezballah falls, other dominos will fall, including Syria."
The Syrian leaders share that analysis. This is why they will do nothing to "restrain" the Hezballah, as the UN's Secretary General Kofi Annan has demanded. They know that by helping disarm the Hezballah they would only encourage "regime change" against themselves. A new version of the Cold War is taking place in the Middle East. The question is: how long will it last and how much damage it could do all those involved?
**Amir Taheri
was born in Iran and educated in Tehran, London and Paris. Between 1980 and 1984 he was Middle East editor for the London Sunday Times. Taheri has been a contributor to the International Herald Tribune since 1980. He has also written for The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, and The Washington Post. Taheri has published nine books some of which have been translated into 20 languages, and In 1988 Publishers'' Weekly in New York chose his study of Islamist terrorism, "Holy Terror", as one of The Best Books of The Year. He has been a columnist Asharq Alawsat since 1987