LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
August 20/09

Bible Reading of the day
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 20:1-16. The kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out at dawn to hire laborers for his vineyard. After agreeing with them for the usual daily wage, he sent them into his vineyard.  Going out about nine o'clock, he saw others standing idle in the marketplace,  and he said to them, 'You too go into my vineyard, and I will give you what is just.' So they went off. (And) he went out again around noon, and around three o'clock, and did likewise.  Going out about five o'clock, he found others standing around, and said to them, 'Why do you stand here idle all day?' They answered, 'Because no one has hired us.' He said to them, 'You too go into my vineyard.' When it was evening the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, 'Summon the laborers and give them their pay, beginning with the last and ending with the first.' When those who had started about five o'clock came, each received the usual daily wage. So when the first came, they thought that they would receive more, but each of them also got the usual wage.  And on receiving it they grumbled against the landowner, saying, 'These last ones worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us, who bore the day's burden and the heat.' He said to one of them in reply, 'My friend, I am not cheating you. Did you not agree with me for the usual daily wage? Take what is yours and go. What if I wish to give this last one the same as you? (Or) am I not free to do as I wish with my own money? Are you envious because I am generous?' Thus, the last will be first, and the first will be last."

Free Opinions, Releases, letters & Special Reports
The very silly season/Now Lebanon/August 19, 2009
A glowing testimony to Lebanon/By: Hazem Saghieh, Now Lebanon/August 19, 2009
Talal Arslan/Now Lebanon/August 19, 2009
Neighbors/A country without a government-By Zvi Bar'el/Ha'aretz 19/08/09
The Lebanese are out of style when it comes to the environment- The Daily Star 19/08/09
Syria Shows it Can Be a Useful Partner in Dealing With Iran.TIME 19/08/09

Latest News Reports From Miscellaneous Sources for August 19/09
Ahmadinejad tells Assad Iran, Syria are 'on same front'-Ynetnews
Lebanese Army Recaptures Fatah Islam Fugitive after One Day on the Run-Naharnet
March 14: Aoun's Escalation of Words Came with Hizbullah Consent-Naharnet
Baroud: Political Motives are Behind Criticism-Naharnet
Regional Influence Eyed as Cabinet Formation Efforts Come to Standstill-Naharnet
Qassem: We are Determined to Avenge Mughniyeh's Killing, Dialogue Only Solution to Cabinet Crisis-Naharnet
Sfeir to the Vatican on September 19 then to Paris to Meet Sarkozy-Naharnet
Al-Mustaqbal Urges Return to 'Calm' Dialogue-Naharnet
Interior Minister Orders Sacking of Police Officers Over Prison Breakout-Naharnet
Calm Response to Aoun's Demands-Naharnet
Berri Frustrated from Tit-for-Tat Wrangling over Government-Naharnet
Khalife: 500 Swine Flu Cases in Lebanon-Naharnet
Mubarak firm on final-status push in Obama talks-(AFP)
Fatah al-Islam militant escapes from prison-Daily Star
Hamade: No links to illegal Internet firm-Daily Star
Number of swine flu cases rises to 500 after dozens of new infections-Daily Star
Aoun's remarks take center stage as political rivals lash out at demands-Daily Star
Top Lebanese advertiser projects higher revenues for sector in 2009-Daily Star
Israel's cluster bomb maps useless, says head of Army demining center-Daily Star
Lebanon high emitter of greenhouse gases-Daily Star
Israel says U.N covering up Iran's nuclear arms drive/Future News
Alloush: Syrian demands hinder government birth/Future News

Neighbors / A country without a government
By Zvi Bar'el
Haaretz 19/08/09
While Israel is sounding the alarm about Hezbollah's rearmament and warning Syria not to send it "balance-breaking" weapons, whereas the organization's leader Hassan Nasrallah is scoffing at Israel, describing it as a dog that is "all bark and no bite," Lebanon continues to function without a government. Even the word "function" is perhaps a bit of an exaggeration - without a prime minister or any other government ministers, there are no projects and no budget management. Nonetheless, the celebrations and festivals carry on as usual and more tourists have come to Lebanon this summer than ever before.
The upshot is that Israel doesn't really have an "address" in Lebanon that it can hold responsible for what goes on on that country's southern border and, more to the point, the citizens of Lebanon have no one running their country.
The reason for this lies in a political dispute that has erupted around one person, whose name is Gebran Bassil. Bassil, the communications minister in the outgoing government, is married to Rosa, the daughter of Christian military commander Michel Aoun, leader of the Free Patriotic Movement political party, which has formed an alliance with Hezbollah.
Bassil was a candidate in this past June's parliamentary election, and he lost. However, his defeat has not prevented his father-in-law from demanding that he once again receive the communications portfolio, a task for which he did not demonstrate impressive abiilties in the previous government. His greatest "achievement" was his success in preventing the privatization of the Lebanese mobile phone company, which, among other things, denied considerable income from Fouad Siniora's government, of which he was a member. His other accomplishent was the establishment of media "normalization" with Palestine. Last year he opened Lebanon's communications lines to country code 970 - the dialing code for the territories - and thus for the first time Palestinians in Lebanon were able to make direct calls to their relatives in the territories. Incidentally, the lines from Israel and the territories to Lebanon were opened many years earlier.
In any case, prime minister-elect Saad Hariri is opposed to giving the post to Bassil on the grounds that a ministerial position should not be given to someone who lost in the elections. Though this reasoning has no constitutional basis, it does sound good to the Lebanese public.
Hariri's resistance, however, has reasons that go beyond the murky relationship between him and General Aoun. The formula whereby the new government is to be established determines that the majority bloc, headed by Hariri, will have 15 ministers on its behalf; the minority bloc, whose partners are Hezbollah, Nabih Beri and Aoun's party, will have 10 seats; and the president, Michel Suleiman, will appoint five ministers on his behalf. This structure is intended to ensure balance between the coalition majority and the opposition in a way that the coalition will not have an absolute majority, the opposition will not have the power to impose a veto on government decisions and only the president, whom both sides trust, will be able to decide.
Hence the importance each side is attributing to the political leanings of each of the ministers. A "defection" by just one minister from the opposition lines during a crucial debate - say, on the budget - would suffice to upset the balance and the coalition would be able to chalk up a success. Therefore Hariri prefers someone who isn't necessarily Aoun's devout disciple, who might be ready to "defect" from time to time. Bassil does not fit this criterion.
The problem of manning the portfolios has been exacerbated by Druze leader Walid Jumblatt's decision to resign from the majority bloc. Jumblatt, and not for the first time, has displayed his talent for political acrobatics and has shaken up the political mechanism that Hariri is trying to fashion.
Hezbollah is taking full advantage of this fragile situation. It is backing Aoun's demand to appoint Bassil, both because Bassil is an important supporter of Hezbollah and also because his appointment as communications minister would give Hezbollah a great deal of freedom of action in this sensitive area that caused a government crisis two years ago. Moreover, in the meantime Hezbollah can depict itself as not holding up the establishment of the government since Bassil would not be one of its ministers.
Nor is Syria displeased with the delay, since ostensibly it is a matter of "internal Lebanese politics" and this time Damascus can't be blamed for thwarting the establishment of a government. In the end, it is only the citzens of Lebanon - and the State of Israel - that still don't have "a responsible address."

Syria Helps France in Dealing with Iran
By Bruce Crumley / Paris Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2009
Fars News / REUTERS
Will history one day point to a shy, soft-spoken French academic as the key to the return of Syria as a respected member of the international community? The next several days could provide an answer, as Damascus ups its efforts to help Paris gain the freedom of Clotilde Reiss, 24, an assistant teacher of French at Isfahan University, who has been detained in Iran since July 1 on charges of espionage.
Reiss was one of two French nationals — among several Europeans — arrested amid the street protests that rocked Iran following the disputed June re-election of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. After a month in Tehran's notorious Evin prison, Reiss was one of scores of demonstrators, reformers and bystanders who stood mass trial this month for allegedly inspiring the unrest and undermining the regime. On Aug. 16, Reiss was released on bail on the condition that she remain under house arrest at the French embassy until the announcement of the case's verdict. Last week, Franco-Iranian national Nazak Afshar, who worked in the French embassy in Tehran and was held on similar charges, was released to the embassy to await a verdict in her trial. In both cases French officials attributed the release of the women to intervention by what an official in Paris called "our Syrian friends."
President Nicolas Sarkozy, Foreign Affairs Ministry officials say, has repeatedly spoken by phone with his Syrian counterpart, President Bashar Assad, in recent weeks, requesting that Syria use all its influence with Tehran to free Afshar and Reiss. French officials now suspect Iran will mete out some symbolic legal ruling allowing the pair to return to France — perhaps before the start of Ramadan on Friday, Aug. 21. International media reports say a hastily organized visit by Assad to Iran has been planned for this week — presumably to secure Reiss and Afshar's freedom.
Why would the leader of a rogue state the U.S. still lists as a sponsor of terrorism want to play do-gooder for a Western power? In large part to repay Sarkozy for the French leader's decision to reach out to Assad in 2008 with an invitation to France's Bastille Day events. Late last year, Sarkozy renewed that embrace with a visit to Damascus, and in January he sought Assad's help in ending the fighting in Gaza.
Now it appears Syria is ready to return Sarkozy's favors. "Although the Americans have been slowly reaching out to Syria — especially since Barack Obama's election — Assad is aware Sarkozy was the first Western leader to truly see him as an ally and even a friend," says a French diplomat who asked not to be named. Sarkozy's trust, he adds, was especially appreciated by Damascus given the hatred former French President Jacques Chirac reserved for Assad — whom he blamed for the 2005 assassination of Lebanese Prime Minister and Chirac intimate Rafiq Hariri. "There's some genuine gratitude at work right now," the diplomat says.
(Read "Did Hizballah Kill Rafiq Hariri?") Perhaps, but there's also a good deal of Syrian pragmatism in Damascus' actions — especially in seeking to normalize its position in the international community. Katerina Dalacoura, an international-relations lecturer at the London School of Economics, says that while Damascus is keen to end its pariah status once and for all, it still needs to balance a lot of conflicting regional relationships in doing so. "Syria's improved relations with France, as well as the U.S., is in many ways aimed at allowing it to operate more freely in the complex Middle Eastern system that requires having influential Western allies," Dalacoura says. "So it lowers its tone in Lebanon, sends signals to Israel via Turkey that it's willing to negotiate, and continues using its influence with Iran — all as a part of its increasing ties with the West. And this intervention in support of the French detainees is part of that."
(Read "France's Fling with Syria.") What's more, Syria doesn't risk much going to bat for Paris now, since Iran is likely to spring Reiss and Afshar anyway. Tehran has used the women in the way it wanted to: as symbols of the supposed foreign planning behind the postelection protests. The bigger question is, Could Syria now be a useful interlocutor on the nuclear deal?

Lebanese Army Recaptures Fatah Islam Fugitive after One Day on the Run
Naharnet/Lebanese troops re-arrested Wednesday Fatah al-Islam fugitive after one day on the run as reports said Lebanese intelligence had warned the interior ministry that a plot was being prepared at Roumieh jail five days before the breakout took place. Local media said Taha Ahmad Haji Suleiman, who has dual Syrian and Palestinian nationality, was arrested in the outskirts of Bsalim near Roumieh prison. No other details were given. Press reports had said the slackening in measures led to the use of the Koran as means to smuggle sharp tools that facilitated the breakout by eight Fatah Islam convicts early Tuesday. Security forces succeeded in thwarting the escape attempt and re-arrested seven prisoners. Only one inmate, however, managed to stay on the run. As-Safir daily wondered how the prisoners managed to saw bars off their cell windows over a period of nearly two weeks.
"Or are there collaborators from within the prison?" As-Safir asked. "If true, this is a disaster." As-Safir quoted well-informed security sources as saying that they tend to believe that the group which attempted to break out from Roumieh prison had coordinated its escape with someone outside the jail.
The eight members of the al-Qaida-inspired Fatah al-Islam group sawed bars off their cell windows, scaled down the building using blankets tied together, then stood on each other's shoulders to help one jump over a wall and escape. Ad-Diyar newspaper said Wednesday that Army Commander Gen. Jean Qahwaji had called both the interior ministry and Police Chief Gen. Ashraf Rifi three days ago to warn them that the military command has obtained information of the "possibility that something could happen at Roumieh prison."
A police officer quoted by daily Al-Akhbar, however, denied that the Internal Security Forces command had been tipped off by Lebanese intelligence a week before the attempted escape took place. Beirut, 19 Aug 09, 08:08

March 14: Aoun's Escalation of Words Came with Hizbullah Consent
Naharnet/The March 14 general-secretariat slammed on Wednesday Hizbullah and its ally Free Patriotic Movement leader Gen. Michel Aoun for the latest escalation of words.
The coalition said following its weekly meeting that Hizbullah had agreed on the 15-10-5 formula with Aoun's consent, adding that the Shiite party had shown readiness to deal with any problem on the matter. Aoun's demands for a key ministry are nothing but an attempt to weaken the president, the statement said. "Therefore, the March 14 forces believe that MP Aoun's latest escalation couldn't have happened without Hizbullah consent," it added. The alliance reiterated its support for PM-designate Saad Hariri in his efforts to form a coalition government and called for the quick distribution of portfolios. "The authority in the cabinet issue is the Constitution which clearly indicates the premier-designate's powers," the statement added.
Beirut, 19 Aug 09, 13:42

Baroud: Political Motives are Behind Criticism
Naharnet/Interior Minister Ziad Baroud said he has a "clear conscience" after the prison breakout from Roumieh jail in which eight inmates tried to run away. "My conscience is clear. I will let the people hold me responsible for my actions," Baroud said in remarks published by the daily As-Safir on Wednesday. Baroud said he understands why he is being criticized. "Political motives are behind the criticism," he pointed, stressing that he did not wish to "present himself as a victim under the banner 'I'm a target.'" "I reject being accused of neglect because the truth is opposite what we're seeing," Baroud said. "My honor comes before the (interior) ministry and professionalism comes first," he added. Beirut, 19 Aug 09, 09:15

Regional Influence Eyed as Cabinet Formation Efforts Come to Standstill
Naharnet/All eyes are turned to Syrian President Bashar Assad's meeting with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in Tehran on Wednesday, as media reports said the results of the talks could impact the formation of the Lebanese cabinet. An Nahar daily said sources following up the government formation process are speculating in what ways the Damascus-Tehran ties would affect the distribution of portfolios in Beirut. Meanwhile, MP Michel Aoun hasn't yet replied to an invitation by PM-designate Saad Hariri for lunch. Sources following up the issue told the newspaper that the Hariri-Aoun meeting hasn't been held because the FPM leader insists on delegating caretaker Telecommunications Minister Jebran Bassil to negotiate with the Mustaqbal leader and Hizbullah. Furthermore, Aoun insists on giving Bassil, who is his son-in-law, a portfolio in the next cabinet. As Safir daily said Aoun is not likely to accept the invitation of Hariri who is no longer insisting on the meeting following the FPM leader's press conference on Monday. Sources following up Hariri's efforts to form the cabinet told pan-Arab daily al-Hayat that the premier-designate is also not likely to accept Aoun's conditions to give the FPM a key cabinet portfolio and bring back Bassil to the new government.
Al-Mustaqbal sources told As Safir that Aoun's conditions are complicating the cabinet formation process and making a possible meeting with Hariri over lunch unsuitable.
Also on the cabinet crisis, Nabih Berri's visitors said the speaker was pessimistic because "things have taken a personal tone," in reference to media and political campaigns between Aoun and Hariri. Berri did not make a statement after his weekly meeting with President Michel Suleiman at Baabda palace on Wednesday. Beirut, 19 Aug 09, 09:54

Qassem: We are Determined to Avenge Mughniyeh's Killing, Dialogue Only Solution to Cabinet Crisis
Naharnet/Hizbullah deputy leader Sheikh Naim Qassem reiterated that Hizbullah would avenge Imad Mughniyeh's assassination and said the solution to the cabinet crisis is through dialogue and not media campaigns. "All sides have demands. The premier-designate should put a plan and find a way to remove obstacles," Qassem told the Iranian Al-Alam news channel on Tuesday. "The issue does not require mediation between the PM-designate and the different (parliamentary) blocs. Let there be openness, solutions and alternatives," the top Hizbullah official said. "Problems won't be solved through media campaigns. Throwing the ball in (Free Patriotic Movement leader Gen. Michel) Aoun's court is part of media campaigns that complicate issues," Qassem added. On the assassination of Hizbullah commander Mughniyeh in a Damascus car bombing last year, Qassem said: "Hizbullah has kept its promise. The decision to avenge Imad Mughniyeh's murder has been taken. The place and time would be known during execution (of the plan)." He reiterated that Israel was behind the Hizbullah commander's killing. Turning to the issue of Sami Shehab, who was arrested for being a member of an alleged Hizbullah cell planning attacks in Egypt, Qassem said: "We are determined not to bring up the issue politically or through the media which might create tension between Hizbullah and Egypt." Beirut, 19 Aug 09, 08:48

Sfeir to the Vatican on September 19 then to Paris to Meet Sarkozy
Naharnet/Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Sfeir will visit the Vatican on September 19 to attend the yearly meeting of Catholic cardinals and bishops and is then expected in Paris, following an invitation from President Nicolas Sarkozy, al-Markazia news agency reported Tuesday. The French President's invitation comes "in the context of his policy to support Lebanon and President (Michel) Suleiman, in addition to reinforcing the relations between the countries," al-Markazia added. Talks between the two leaders are expected to cover the latest political developments in Lebanon and the patriarch's "vision regarding the upcoming phase." While in the French capital, Sfeir will also meet with a number of French officials.
Beirut, 18 Aug 09, 18:26

The very silly season
August 19, 2009 /Now Lebanon
FPM leader Michel Aoun looks toward the scores of journalists attending his press conference in Rabieh. (AFP/Charbel Nakhoul)
The media calls this time of year the “silly season”. Politicians in Europe and the US are on their summer recess, while news editors, desperate to fill space, are forced to run what they call “human interest” stories: “Mouse rescues cat stuck in tree” or “Villagers queue to worship turnip in the image of the Virgin Mary”.
Lebanese news gathers have had no such worries this summer. Politics is in full swing and, although Walid Jumblatt may have stolen the headlines with his stunning Damascene conversion, the horse trading over the allocation of cabinet seats has also taken top billing.
Leading the charge is Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) leader Michel Aoun, who is trying to secure a place in the new government for his son-in-law, the former telecom minister Gebran Bassil. As far as we can tell, his only achievement has been to reduce the cost of a mobile phone call, and yet his Aoun, himself no stranger to overblown historical comparisons, once compared his accomplishments to that Emir Fakhreddine II.
But the standards of today’s truly mediocre political class and Aoun’s habit to descend into hilarious hyperbole, the comparison is outlandish. Bassil, after all, was only doing his job. If today, this is enough to warrant comparisons with the good and the great of Lebanon’s past then we truly are all sunk in mediocrity.
To be fair, with the battle for cabinet seats really heating up, it is easy to see why has chosen to champion Bassil. He and outgoing Interior Minister Ziad Baroud were the star pupils of the outgoing administration. Aoun has a knack for being able to tap into the frustrations of his supporters, most of whom have hitched their fortunes to the unpredictable former army commander because he rode into town on a ticket that promised change.
Still, Aoun, who has a habit of comparing himself to the great men and women of world history, should spend less time sprinkling historical stardust on his family members and spend more time worrying about the ideas some of his allies are peddling.
Last week, Loyalty to the Resistance bloc MP Mohammad Raad warned that the proposal to appoint a cabinet of technocrats in the absence of a consensus was unworkable because such men would be unable to handle the complex political issues currently facing Lebanon.
Raad should re-examine his motives for entering public life. His statement highlights the warped priorities of Lebanon’s so-called political elite. Raad clearly believes that selecting qualified men and women, people who could start addressing the mountain of malaises Lebanon has accrued since the end of the war, would send Lebanon to hell in a hand basket; that the daily needs of Lebanese – the economy, health, education, transport, environment to name a few– are secondary to consolidating power or fawning to regional masters.
When considering his words, it is worth remembering that an oft-cited example of a post-war government actually having done something is that one can reach Rafik Hariri International Airport from the center of Beirut in just under ten minutes.
This and the new downtown are probably the only memorable achievements of any government since the end of the 1975-90 civil war (if any of our readers can list more please feel free to comment). Sure, there have been a few infrastructure projects, many subsidized by foreign governments, but the fact that 20 years later our roads are still being rebuilt, water is still rationed and electricity does not surge through the national grid 24/7 is a woeful indictment on successive administrations.
Then again Mr. Raad would say that we don’t really understand the complex issues facing Lebanon today. That takes a man of his caliber.

A glowing testimony to Lebanon
Hazem Saghieh , August 19, 2009 /Now Lebanon
One of the factors that most benefitted Israel and most harmed Arab societies was the exodus of Arab Jews. Despite our [Arab] societies being so close to achieving religious and ethnic purity, [as it were], we have lost many talented and capable people, people like the Egyptian playwright Yaacoub Sannou’ (aka Abu Naddara). More importantly, the departure of Arab Jews supports the claim which the enemies of the Arabs have continually referred to and which has always been beneficial to Israel: that different religions and sects cannot coexist in Arab and Islamic countries.
If we take into account the personal tragedies of the individuals who were compelled to leave their countries, without having any connection to the Israeli state and its plan whatsoever, and if we consider how Israel has consolidated its population, strengthened its army and benefitted from these emigrants’ being forced to take refuge within its borders, the scope of the problem and the damage become clear.
Needless to say that what began with the Arab Jews was resumed, at subsequent times, with other communities, among them Arab Christians, a succession which has symbolic and undeniably real significance. This introduction was necessary before looking at two events in as many weeks. The first took place in Palestine with the election of an anti-Zionism Jew, Uri Davis, to the governing body of the Fatah Movement. This is a symbolic gesture that warrants praise for the Fatah congress and its results. The second occurrence took place in Beirut where a workshop was begun to restore the Maghen Abraham synagogue, one of the last symbols of Jewish presence in Lebanon. Inside this place of worship, according to the press, archways engraved with religious writings in Hebrew have once again been shown the light of day, having remained out of sight for roughly thirty years.
One newspaper reported quite a saddening scene: “After the dense vegetation had long obscured the synagogue’s entrance from the eyes of those curious to see it, the main, rust-covered door has come into sight and the crumbling tiles have been removed from the ceiling so it can be replaced.” It is known that the last rabbi left Lebanon in 1977, two years after the start of the Civil War. Lebanon recognizes Judaism as one of its eighteen official religious confessions and the Jewish presence in the area that would eventually become present-day Lebanon goes back two thousand years. It has been estimated that the number of Lebanese Jews has dwindled from 22 thousand before the war to approximately 300 today, the war in 1982 being a major factor contributing to this decrease.
It is worth mentioning that the synagogue, which was built in 1920 in the Wadi Abu Jmil area – an area known at that time as Wadi al-Yahoud [Yahoud is the Arabic word for Jews] – is but one of several other synagogues in Lebanon, others being located in Saida, Aley and other places. These other synagogues are also set to be restored. Such restorations would be a glowing testimony to the Lebanon that the advocates of plurality want to see. Unfortunately, these sorts of testimonies are becoming rarer and rarer.
**This article is a translation from the original, published on the NOW Arabic site on Monday August 17

Talal Arslan
Now Lebanon/August 19, 2009
On August 18, the Lebanese National News Agency carried the following report:
Deputy General Michel Aoun received in his house in Rabieh Minister Talal Arslan, who said following the meeting:
“We are part of the Change and Reform Bloc and our meetings with General Michel Aoun are always excellent. We have been meeting to discuss all issues on the regional and international levels, especially in terms of the enhancement of our national unity and the enhancement of the opposition’s stance.”
He was asked: “A Kuwaiti newspaper said yesterday there was a dispute between you and General Aoun and that you will exit the Change and Reform Bloc. How true is that?” to which he answered: “This talk is provoked. It has not been fruitful in the past and will not be fruitful in the present or the future.
This is mere media talk that has nothing to do with reality.
Certainly, there has been a major misunderstanding at the level of our participation in the government and many people wrote about it.
However, we are an inherent part of the Change and Reform bloc and are entitled to be represented in the opposition’s quota in the government. This will not be the object of blackmail or outbidding between us and President General Michel Aoun, for what links us is much deeper and much more stable than that.”
“He was then asked: “Will the opposition and the majority remain the same and what stage has the governmental formation reached?” To which he said: “We are still insisting and hoping that the government will be formed as soon as possible. This government should be a national unity and partnership one to uphold the true representation of all the Lebanese. We should secure the governmental formation based on partnership to exit the stalemate which we have been witnessing for over two months.” In response to a question, Minister Arslan added:
“The equations are intertwined in a much clearer way, while the talk is ongoing about the 15-10-5 formula. We do not know how long this formula will last. This is part of the things hindering the governmental formation.”
“Did you agree with General Aoun on this issue?
“General Aoun understands our commitment to seeing the Lebanese Democratic Party represented as part of the Change and Reform Bloc.
“Some are saying that the recent shift of Deputy Walid Jumblatt served personal interests between you and him.
“This is shameful. True, what we have started with Deputy Jumblatt proved that our position was the right one on the overall Lebanese arena and we believe we are key at the level of unifying the positions of the Lebanese people. Deputy Jumblatt’s statements were logical and wise and in line with the internal balances to secure the unity of the Lebanese and alleviate the acute Lebanese division. I must recognize the role he played in this regard and is but greater than a personal issue. His position must therefore be met with a positive attitude.
“Will the security situation continue to be stable?
“The situation requires attention, caution and unity. It also requires us to rise above personal issues and I hope that the prime minister-designate will take that into consideration and does not consider himself to be at the service of one team, rather at the service of all the Lebanese people.
“In response to a question, he said: “The problem is not over a Druze or non-Druze minister. We want the Party to be represented as part of the Change and Reform bloc headed by General Michel Aoun.” He was finally asked: “Do you accuse the opposition of obstructing the governmental formation, especially since it wishes to impose certain names?” to which he replied: “There are many obstacles facing this governmental formation, which is why I believe that the issue should be tackled solely through national partnership.”



 

LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
August 20/09

Bible Reading of the day
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 20:1-16. The kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out at dawn to hire laborers for his vineyard. After agreeing with them for the usual daily wage, he sent them into his vineyard.  Going out about nine o'clock, he saw others standing idle in the marketplace,  and he said to them, 'You too go into my vineyard, and I will give you what is just.' So they went off. (And) he went out again around noon, and around three o'clock, and did likewise.  Going out about five o'clock, he found others standing around, and said to them, 'Why do you stand here idle all day?' They answered, 'Because no one has hired us.' He said to them, 'You too go into my vineyard.' When it was evening the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, 'Summon the laborers and give them their pay, beginning with the last and ending with the first.' When those who had started about five o'clock came, each received the usual daily wage. So when the first came, they thought that they would receive more, but each of them also got the usual wage.  And on receiving it they grumbled against the landowner, saying, 'These last ones worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us, who bore the day's burden and the heat.' He said to one of them in reply, 'My friend, I am not cheating you. Did you not agree with me for the usual daily wage? Take what is yours and go. What if I wish to give this last one the same as you? (Or) am I not free to do as I wish with my own money? Are you envious because I am generous?' Thus, the last will be first, and the first will be last."

Free Opinions, Releases, letters & Special Reports
The very silly season/Now Lebanon/August 19, 2009
A glowing testimony to Lebanon/By: Hazem Saghieh, Now Lebanon/August 19, 2009
Talal Arslan/Now Lebanon/August 19, 2009
Neighbors/A country without a government-By Zvi Bar'el/Ha'aretz 19/08/09
The Lebanese are out of style when it comes to the environment- The Daily Star 19/08/09
Syria Shows it Can Be a Useful Partner in Dealing With Iran.TIME 19/08/09

Latest News Reports From Miscellaneous Sources for August 19/09
Ahmadinejad tells Assad Iran, Syria are 'on same front'-Ynetnews
Lebanese Army Recaptures Fatah Islam Fugitive after One Day on the Run-Naharnet
March 14: Aoun's Escalation of Words Came with Hizbullah Consent-Naharnet
Baroud: Political Motives are Behind Criticism-Naharnet
Regional Influence Eyed as Cabinet Formation Efforts Come to Standstill-Naharnet
Qassem: We are Determined to Avenge Mughniyeh's Killing, Dialogue Only Solution to Cabinet Crisis-Naharnet
Sfeir to the Vatican on September 19 then to Paris to Meet Sarkozy-Naharnet
Al-Mustaqbal Urges Return to 'Calm' Dialogue-Naharnet
Interior Minister Orders Sacking of Police Officers Over Prison Breakout-Naharnet
Calm Response to Aoun's Demands-Naharnet
Berri Frustrated from Tit-for-Tat Wrangling over Government-Naharnet
Khalife: 500 Swine Flu Cases in Lebanon-Naharnet
Mubarak firm on final-status push in Obama talks-(AFP)
Fatah al-Islam militant escapes from prison-Daily Star
Hamade: No links to illegal Internet firm-Daily Star
Number of swine flu cases rises to 500 after dozens of new infections-Daily Star
Aoun's remarks take center stage as political rivals lash out at demands-Daily Star
Top Lebanese advertiser projects higher revenues for sector in 2009-Daily Star
Israel's cluster bomb maps useless, says head of Army demining center-Daily Star
Lebanon high emitter of greenhouse gases-Daily Star
Israel says U.N covering up Iran's nuclear arms drive/Future News
Alloush: Syrian demands hinder government birth/Future News

Neighbors / A country without a government
By Zvi Bar'el
Haaretz 19/08/09
While Israel is sounding the alarm about Hezbollah's rearmament and warning Syria not to send it "balance-breaking" weapons, whereas the organization's leader Hassan Nasrallah is scoffing at Israel, describing it as a dog that is "all bark and no bite," Lebanon continues to function without a government. Even the word "function" is perhaps a bit of an exaggeration - without a prime minister or any other government ministers, there are no projects and no budget management. Nonetheless, the celebrations and festivals carry on as usual and more tourists have come to Lebanon this summer than ever before.
The upshot is that Israel doesn't really have an "address" in Lebanon that it can hold responsible for what goes on on that country's southern border and, more to the point, the citizens of Lebanon have no one running their country.
The reason for this lies in a political dispute that has erupted around one person, whose name is Gebran Bassil. Bassil, the communications minister in the outgoing government, is married to Rosa, the daughter of Christian military commander Michel Aoun, leader of the Free Patriotic Movement political party, which has formed an alliance with Hezbollah.
Bassil was a candidate in this past June's parliamentary election, and he lost. However, his defeat has not prevented his father-in-law from demanding that he once again receive the communications portfolio, a task for which he did not demonstrate impressive abiilties in the previous government. His greatest "achievement" was his success in preventing the privatization of the Lebanese mobile phone company, which, among other things, denied considerable income from Fouad Siniora's government, of which he was a member. His other accomplishent was the establishment of media "normalization" with Palestine. Last year he opened Lebanon's communications lines to country code 970 - the dialing code for the territories - and thus for the first time Palestinians in Lebanon were able to make direct calls to their relatives in the territories. Incidentally, the lines from Israel and the territories to Lebanon were opened many years earlier.
In any case, prime minister-elect Saad Hariri is opposed to giving the post to Bassil on the grounds that a ministerial position should not be given to someone who lost in the elections. Though this reasoning has no constitutional basis, it does sound good to the Lebanese public.
Hariri's resistance, however, has reasons that go beyond the murky relationship between him and General Aoun. The formula whereby the new government is to be established determines that the majority bloc, headed by Hariri, will have 15 ministers on its behalf; the minority bloc, whose partners are Hezbollah, Nabih Beri and Aoun's party, will have 10 seats; and the president, Michel Suleiman, will appoint five ministers on his behalf. This structure is intended to ensure balance between the coalition majority and the opposition in a way that the coalition will not have an absolute majority, the opposition will not have the power to impose a veto on government decisions and only the president, whom both sides trust, will be able to decide.
Hence the importance each side is attributing to the political leanings of each of the ministers. A "defection" by just one minister from the opposition lines during a crucial debate - say, on the budget - would suffice to upset the balance and the coalition would be able to chalk up a success. Therefore Hariri prefers someone who isn't necessarily Aoun's devout disciple, who might be ready to "defect" from time to time. Bassil does not fit this criterion.
The problem of manning the portfolios has been exacerbated by Druze leader Walid Jumblatt's decision to resign from the majority bloc. Jumblatt, and not for the first time, has displayed his talent for political acrobatics and has shaken up the political mechanism that Hariri is trying to fashion.
Hezbollah is taking full advantage of this fragile situation. It is backing Aoun's demand to appoint Bassil, both because Bassil is an important supporter of Hezbollah and also because his appointment as communications minister would give Hezbollah a great deal of freedom of action in this sensitive area that caused a government crisis two years ago. Moreover, in the meantime Hezbollah can depict itself as not holding up the establishment of the government since Bassil would not be one of its ministers.
Nor is Syria displeased with the delay, since ostensibly it is a matter of "internal Lebanese politics" and this time Damascus can't be blamed for thwarting the establishment of a government. In the end, it is only the citzens of Lebanon - and the State of Israel - that still don't have "a responsible address."

Syria Helps France in Dealing with Iran
By Bruce Crumley / Paris Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2009
Fars News / REUTERS
Will history one day point to a shy, soft-spoken French academic as the key to the return of Syria as a respected member of the international community? The next several days could provide an answer, as Damascus ups its efforts to help Paris gain the freedom of Clotilde Reiss, 24, an assistant teacher of French at Isfahan University, who has been detained in Iran since July 1 on charges of espionage.
Reiss was one of two French nationals — among several Europeans — arrested amid the street protests that rocked Iran following the disputed June re-election of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. After a month in Tehran's notorious Evin prison, Reiss was one of scores of demonstrators, reformers and bystanders who stood mass trial this month for allegedly inspiring the unrest and undermining the regime. On Aug. 16, Reiss was released on bail on the condition that she remain under house arrest at the French embassy until the announcement of the case's verdict. Last week, Franco-Iranian national Nazak Afshar, who worked in the French embassy in Tehran and was held on similar charges, was released to the embassy to await a verdict in her trial. In both cases French officials attributed the release of the women to intervention by what an official in Paris called "our Syrian friends."
President Nicolas Sarkozy, Foreign Affairs Ministry officials say, has repeatedly spoken by phone with his Syrian counterpart, President Bashar Assad, in recent weeks, requesting that Syria use all its influence with Tehran to free Afshar and Reiss. French officials now suspect Iran will mete out some symbolic legal ruling allowing the pair to return to France — perhaps before the start of Ramadan on Friday, Aug. 21. International media reports say a hastily organized visit by Assad to Iran has been planned for this week — presumably to secure Reiss and Afshar's freedom.
Why would the leader of a rogue state the U.S. still lists as a sponsor of terrorism want to play do-gooder for a Western power? In large part to repay Sarkozy for the French leader's decision to reach out to Assad in 2008 with an invitation to France's Bastille Day events. Late last year, Sarkozy renewed that embrace with a visit to Damascus, and in January he sought Assad's help in ending the fighting in Gaza.
Now it appears Syria is ready to return Sarkozy's favors. "Although the Americans have been slowly reaching out to Syria — especially since Barack Obama's election — Assad is aware Sarkozy was the first Western leader to truly see him as an ally and even a friend," says a French diplomat who asked not to be named. Sarkozy's trust, he adds, was especially appreciated by Damascus given the hatred former French President Jacques Chirac reserved for Assad — whom he blamed for the 2005 assassination of Lebanese Prime Minister and Chirac intimate Rafiq Hariri. "There's some genuine gratitude at work right now," the diplomat says.
(Read "Did Hizballah Kill Rafiq Hariri?") Perhaps, but there's also a good deal of Syrian pragmatism in Damascus' actions — especially in seeking to normalize its position in the international community. Katerina Dalacoura, an international-relations lecturer at the London School of Economics, says that while Damascus is keen to end its pariah status once and for all, it still needs to balance a lot of conflicting regional relationships in doing so. "Syria's improved relations with France, as well as the U.S., is in many ways aimed at allowing it to operate more freely in the complex Middle Eastern system that requires having influential Western allies," Dalacoura says. "So it lowers its tone in Lebanon, sends signals to Israel via Turkey that it's willing to negotiate, and continues using its influence with Iran — all as a part of its increasing ties with the West. And this intervention in support of the French detainees is part of that."
(Read "France's Fling with Syria.") What's more, Syria doesn't risk much going to bat for Paris now, since Iran is likely to spring Reiss and Afshar anyway. Tehran has used the women in the way it wanted to: as symbols of the supposed foreign planning behind the postelection protests. The bigger question is, Could Syria now be a useful interlocutor on the nuclear deal?

Lebanese Army Recaptures Fatah Islam Fugitive after One Day on the Run
Naharnet/Lebanese troops re-arrested Wednesday Fatah al-Islam fugitive after one day on the run as reports said Lebanese intelligence had warned the interior ministry that a plot was being prepared at Roumieh jail five days before the breakout took place. Local media said Taha Ahmad Haji Suleiman, who has dual Syrian and Palestinian nationality, was arrested in the outskirts of Bsalim near Roumieh prison. No other details were given. Press reports had said the slackening in measures led to the use of the Koran as means to smuggle sharp tools that facilitated the breakout by eight Fatah Islam convicts early Tuesday. Security forces succeeded in thwarting the escape attempt and re-arrested seven prisoners. Only one inmate, however, managed to stay on the run. As-Safir daily wondered how the prisoners managed to saw bars off their cell windows over a period of nearly two weeks.
"Or are there collaborators from within the prison?" As-Safir asked. "If true, this is a disaster." As-Safir quoted well-informed security sources as saying that they tend to believe that the group which attempted to break out from Roumieh prison had coordinated its escape with someone outside the jail.
The eight members of the al-Qaida-inspired Fatah al-Islam group sawed bars off their cell windows, scaled down the building using blankets tied together, then stood on each other's shoulders to help one jump over a wall and escape. Ad-Diyar newspaper said Wednesday that Army Commander Gen. Jean Qahwaji had called both the interior ministry and Police Chief Gen. Ashraf Rifi three days ago to warn them that the military command has obtained information of the "possibility that something could happen at Roumieh prison."
A police officer quoted by daily Al-Akhbar, however, denied that the Internal Security Forces command had been tipped off by Lebanese intelligence a week before the attempted escape took place. Beirut, 19 Aug 09, 08:08

March 14: Aoun's Escalation of Words Came with Hizbullah Consent
Naharnet/The March 14 general-secretariat slammed on Wednesday Hizbullah and its ally Free Patriotic Movement leader Gen. Michel Aoun for the latest escalation of words.
The coalition said following its weekly meeting that Hizbullah had agreed on the 15-10-5 formula with Aoun's consent, adding that the Shiite party had shown readiness to deal with any problem on the matter. Aoun's demands for a key ministry are nothing but an attempt to weaken the president, the statement said. "Therefore, the March 14 forces believe that MP Aoun's latest escalation couldn't have happened without Hizbullah consent," it added. The alliance reiterated its support for PM-designate Saad Hariri in his efforts to form a coalition government and called for the quick distribution of portfolios. "The authority in the cabinet issue is the Constitution which clearly indicates the premier-designate's powers," the statement added.
Beirut, 19 Aug 09, 13:42

Baroud: Political Motives are Behind Criticism
Naharnet/Interior Minister Ziad Baroud said he has a "clear conscience" after the prison breakout from Roumieh jail in which eight inmates tried to run away. "My conscience is clear. I will let the people hold me responsible for my actions," Baroud said in remarks published by the daily As-Safir on Wednesday. Baroud said he understands why he is being criticized. "Political motives are behind the criticism," he pointed, stressing that he did not wish to "present himself as a victim under the banner 'I'm a target.'" "I reject being accused of neglect because the truth is opposite what we're seeing," Baroud said. "My honor comes before the (interior) ministry and professionalism comes first," he added. Beirut, 19 Aug 09, 09:15

Regional Influence Eyed as Cabinet Formation Efforts Come to Standstill
Naharnet/All eyes are turned to Syrian President Bashar Assad's meeting with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in Tehran on Wednesday, as media reports said the results of the talks could impact the formation of the Lebanese cabinet. An Nahar daily said sources following up the government formation process are speculating in what ways the Damascus-Tehran ties would affect the distribution of portfolios in Beirut. Meanwhile, MP Michel Aoun hasn't yet replied to an invitation by PM-designate Saad Hariri for lunch. Sources following up the issue told the newspaper that the Hariri-Aoun meeting hasn't been held because the FPM leader insists on delegating caretaker Telecommunications Minister Jebran Bassil to negotiate with the Mustaqbal leader and Hizbullah. Furthermore, Aoun insists on giving Bassil, who is his son-in-law, a portfolio in the next cabinet. As Safir daily said Aoun is not likely to accept the invitation of Hariri who is no longer insisting on the meeting following the FPM leader's press conference on Monday. Sources following up Hariri's efforts to form the cabinet told pan-Arab daily al-Hayat that the premier-designate is also not likely to accept Aoun's conditions to give the FPM a key cabinet portfolio and bring back Bassil to the new government.
Al-Mustaqbal sources told As Safir that Aoun's conditions are complicating the cabinet formation process and making a possible meeting with Hariri over lunch unsuitable.
Also on the cabinet crisis, Nabih Berri's visitors said the speaker was pessimistic because "things have taken a personal tone," in reference to media and political campaigns between Aoun and Hariri. Berri did not make a statement after his weekly meeting with President Michel Suleiman at Baabda palace on Wednesday. Beirut, 19 Aug 09, 09:54

Qassem: We are Determined to Avenge Mughniyeh's Killing, Dialogue Only Solution to Cabinet Crisis
Naharnet/Hizbullah deputy leader Sheikh Naim Qassem reiterated that Hizbullah would avenge Imad Mughniyeh's assassination and said the solution to the cabinet crisis is through dialogue and not media campaigns. "All sides have demands. The premier-designate should put a plan and find a way to remove obstacles," Qassem told the Iranian Al-Alam news channel on Tuesday. "The issue does not require mediation between the PM-designate and the different (parliamentary) blocs. Let there be openness, solutions and alternatives," the top Hizbullah official said. "Problems won't be solved through media campaigns. Throwing the ball in (Free Patriotic Movement leader Gen. Michel) Aoun's court is part of media campaigns that complicate issues," Qassem added. On the assassination of Hizbullah commander Mughniyeh in a Damascus car bombing last year, Qassem said: "Hizbullah has kept its promise. The decision to avenge Imad Mughniyeh's murder has been taken. The place and time would be known during execution (of the plan)." He reiterated that Israel was behind the Hizbullah commander's killing. Turning to the issue of Sami Shehab, who was arrested for being a member of an alleged Hizbullah cell planning attacks in Egypt, Qassem said: "We are determined not to bring up the issue politically or through the media which might create tension between Hizbullah and Egypt." Beirut, 19 Aug 09, 08:48

Sfeir to the Vatican on September 19 then to Paris to Meet Sarkozy
Naharnet/Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Sfeir will visit the Vatican on September 19 to attend the yearly meeting of Catholic cardinals and bishops and is then expected in Paris, following an invitation from President Nicolas Sarkozy, al-Markazia news agency reported Tuesday. The French President's invitation comes "in the context of his policy to support Lebanon and President (Michel) Suleiman, in addition to reinforcing the relations between the countries," al-Markazia added. Talks between the two leaders are expected to cover the latest political developments in Lebanon and the patriarch's "vision regarding the upcoming phase." While in the French capital, Sfeir will also meet with a number of French officials.
Beirut, 18 Aug 09, 18:26

The very silly season
August 19, 2009 /Now Lebanon
FPM leader Michel Aoun looks toward the scores of journalists attending his press conference in Rabieh. (AFP/Charbel Nakhoul)
The media calls this time of year the “silly season”. Politicians in Europe and the US are on their summer recess, while news editors, desperate to fill space, are forced to run what they call “human interest” stories: “Mouse rescues cat stuck in tree” or “Villagers queue to worship turnip in the image of the Virgin Mary”.
Lebanese news gathers have had no such worries this summer. Politics is in full swing and, although Walid Jumblatt may have stolen the headlines with his stunning Damascene conversion, the horse trading over the allocation of cabinet seats has also taken top billing.
Leading the charge is Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) leader Michel Aoun, who is trying to secure a place in the new government for his son-in-law, the former telecom minister Gebran Bassil. As far as we can tell, his only achievement has been to reduce the cost of a mobile phone call, and yet his Aoun, himself no stranger to overblown historical comparisons, once compared his accomplishments to that Emir Fakhreddine II.
But the standards of today’s truly mediocre political class and Aoun’s habit to descend into hilarious hyperbole, the comparison is outlandish. Bassil, after all, was only doing his job. If today, this is enough to warrant comparisons with the good and the great of Lebanon’s past then we truly are all sunk in mediocrity.
To be fair, with the battle for cabinet seats really heating up, it is easy to see why has chosen to champion Bassil. He and outgoing Interior Minister Ziad Baroud were the star pupils of the outgoing administration. Aoun has a knack for being able to tap into the frustrations of his supporters, most of whom have hitched their fortunes to the unpredictable former army commander because he rode into town on a ticket that promised change.
Still, Aoun, who has a habit of comparing himself to the great men and women of world history, should spend less time sprinkling historical stardust on his family members and spend more time worrying about the ideas some of his allies are peddling.
Last week, Loyalty to the Resistance bloc MP Mohammad Raad warned that the proposal to appoint a cabinet of technocrats in the absence of a consensus was unworkable because such men would be unable to handle the complex political issues currently facing Lebanon.
Raad should re-examine his motives for entering public life. His statement highlights the warped priorities of Lebanon’s so-called political elite. Raad clearly believes that selecting qualified men and women, people who could start addressing the mountain of malaises Lebanon has accrued since the end of the war, would send Lebanon to hell in a hand basket; that the daily needs of Lebanese – the economy, health, education, transport, environment to name a few– are secondary to consolidating power or fawning to regional masters.
When considering his words, it is worth remembering that an oft-cited example of a post-war government actually having done something is that one can reach Rafik Hariri International Airport from the center of Beirut in just under ten minutes.
This and the new downtown are probably the only memorable achievements of any government since the end of the 1975-90 civil war (if any of our readers can list more please feel free to comment). Sure, there have been a few infrastructure projects, many subsidized by foreign governments, but the fact that 20 years later our roads are still being rebuilt, water is still rationed and electricity does not surge through the national grid 24/7 is a woeful indictment on successive administrations.
Then again Mr. Raad would say that we don’t really understand the complex issues facing Lebanon today. That takes a man of his caliber.

A glowing testimony to Lebanon
Hazem Saghieh , August 19, 2009 /Now Lebanon
One of the factors that most benefitted Israel and most harmed Arab societies was the exodus of Arab Jews. Despite our [Arab] societies being so close to achieving religious and ethnic purity, [as it were], we have lost many talented and capable people, people like the Egyptian playwright Yaacoub Sannou’ (aka Abu Naddara). More importantly, the departure of Arab Jews supports the claim which the enemies of the Arabs have continually referred to and which has always been beneficial to Israel: that different religions and sects cannot coexist in Arab and Islamic countries.
If we take into account the personal tragedies of the individuals who were compelled to leave their countries, without having any connection to the Israeli state and its plan whatsoever, and if we consider how Israel has consolidated its population, strengthened its army and benefitted from these emigrants’ being forced to take refuge within its borders, the scope of the problem and the damage become clear.
Needless to say that what began with the Arab Jews was resumed, at subsequent times, with other communities, among them Arab Christians, a succession which has symbolic and undeniably real significance. This introduction was necessary before looking at two events in as many weeks. The first took place in Palestine with the election of an anti-Zionism Jew, Uri Davis, to the governing body of the Fatah Movement. This is a symbolic gesture that warrants praise for the Fatah congress and its results. The second occurrence took place in Beirut where a workshop was begun to restore the Maghen Abraham synagogue, one of the last symbols of Jewish presence in Lebanon. Inside this place of worship, according to the press, archways engraved with religious writings in Hebrew have once again been shown the light of day, having remained out of sight for roughly thirty years.
One newspaper reported quite a saddening scene: “After the dense vegetation had long obscured the synagogue’s entrance from the eyes of those curious to see it, the main, rust-covered door has come into sight and the crumbling tiles have been removed from the ceiling so it can be replaced.” It is known that the last rabbi left Lebanon in 1977, two years after the start of the Civil War. Lebanon recognizes Judaism as one of its eighteen official religious confessions and the Jewish presence in the area that would eventually become present-day Lebanon goes back two thousand years. It has been estimated that the number of Lebanese Jews has dwindled from 22 thousand before the war to approximately 300 today, the war in 1982 being a major factor contributing to this decrease.
It is worth mentioning that the synagogue, which was built in 1920 in the Wadi Abu Jmil area – an area known at that time as Wadi al-Yahoud [Yahoud is the Arabic word for Jews] – is but one of several other synagogues in Lebanon, others being located in Saida, Aley and other places. These other synagogues are also set to be restored. Such restorations would be a glowing testimony to the Lebanon that the advocates of plurality want to see. Unfortunately, these sorts of testimonies are becoming rarer and rarer.
**This article is a translation from the original, published on the NOW Arabic site on Monday August 17

Talal Arslan
Now Lebanon/August 19, 2009
On August 18, the Lebanese National News Agency carried the following report:
Deputy General Michel Aoun received in his house in Rabieh Minister Talal Arslan, who said following the meeting:
“We are part of the Change and Reform Bloc and our meetings with General Michel Aoun are always excellent. We have been meeting to discuss all issues on the regional and international levels, especially in terms of the enhancement of our national unity and the enhancement of the opposition’s stance.”
He was asked: “A Kuwaiti newspaper said yesterday there was a dispute between you and General Aoun and that you will exit the Change and Reform Bloc. How true is that?” to which he answered: “This talk is provoked. It has not been fruitful in the past and will not be fruitful in the present or the future.
This is mere media talk that has nothing to do with reality.
Certainly, there has been a major misunderstanding at the level of our participation in the government and many people wrote about it.
However, we are an inherent part of the Change and Reform bloc and are entitled to be represented in the opposition’s quota in the government. This will not be the object of blackmail or outbidding between us and President General Michel Aoun, for what links us is much deeper and much more stable than that.”
“He was then asked: “Will the opposition and the majority remain the same and what stage has the governmental formation reached?” To which he said: “We are still insisting and hoping that the government will be formed as soon as possible. This government should be a national unity and partnership one to uphold the true representation of all the Lebanese. We should secure the governmental formation based on partnership to exit the stalemate which we have been witnessing for over two months.” In response to a question, Minister Arslan added:
“The equations are intertwined in a much clearer way, while the talk is ongoing about the 15-10-5 formula. We do not know how long this formula will last. This is part of the things hindering the governmental formation.”
“Did you agree with General Aoun on this issue?
“General Aoun understands our commitment to seeing the Lebanese Democratic Party represented as part of the Change and Reform Bloc.
“Some are saying that the recent shift of Deputy Walid Jumblatt served personal interests between you and him.
“This is shameful. True, what we have started with Deputy Jumblatt proved that our position was the right one on the overall Lebanese arena and we believe we are key at the level of unifying the positions of the Lebanese people. Deputy Jumblatt’s statements were logical and wise and in line with the internal balances to secure the unity of the Lebanese and alleviate the acute Lebanese division. I must recognize the role he played in this regard and is but greater than a personal issue. His position must therefore be met with a positive attitude.
“Will the security situation continue to be stable?
“The situation requires attention, caution and unity. It also requires us to rise above personal issues and I hope that the prime minister-designate will take that into consideration and does not consider himself to be at the service of one team, rather at the service of all the Lebanese people.
“In response to a question, he said: “The problem is not over a Druze or non-Druze minister. We want the Party to be represented as part of the Change and Reform bloc headed by General Michel Aoun.” He was finally asked: “Do you accuse the opposition of obstructing the governmental formation, especially since it wishes to impose certain names?” to which he replied: “There are many obstacles facing this governmental formation, which is why I believe that the issue should be tackled solely through national partnership.”