LCCC
ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
June 03/09
Bible Reading of the day.
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ
according to Saint Mark 12:13-17. They sent some Pharisees and Herodians to him
to ensnare him in his speech. They came and said to him, "Teacher, we know that
you are a truthful man and that you are not concerned with anyone's opinion. You
do not regard a person's status but teach the way of God in accordance with the
truth. Is it lawful to pay the census tax to Caesar or not? Should we pay or
should we not pay?" Knowing their hypocrisy he said to them, "Why are you
testing me? Bring me a denarius to look at." They brought one to him and he said
to them, "Whose image and inscription is this?" They replied to him, "Caesar's."
So Jesus said to them, "Repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what
belongs to God.' They were utterly amazed at him.
Free Opinions, Releases, letters & Special
Reports
Why Assad Won't Break
with Iran-By Professor
Rabbi Daniel M.
ZuckerWorld Defense
Review 02/06/09
Raise your Vote/Future
News 02/05/09
June 7 is a decisive day… March 8
win will end Lebanon/Future
News 02/06/09
Psychology and Iran's nuclear program-
By
Sadegh Zibakalam 02/06/09
Latest News Reports From
Miscellaneous Sources for June
02/09
Report: George Mitchell in
Beirut June 14/Naharnet
Obama: U.S. to be 'honest' with
Israel on settlements/Haaretz
'Russia to demand Iran nukes
program be for civilian use'/Haaretz
Experts express concerns over Canadians flying
to Lebanon to vote-CBC.ca
5
Lebanese on Board Missing Air France Plane Identified-Naharnet
Franjieh Demands Two-Thirds
Cabinet Majority if Opposition Wins Elections-Naharnet
2nd
Detained Colonel Confesses to Spying, New Arrests Include School Teacher-Naharnet
Airport Road Blocked Overnight to Protest Death of Wanted Man-Naharnet
Assiri: Saudi Will Deal
with Various Lebanese Parties Regardless of Election Results-Naharnet
Lebanese Shot in Nigeria
Thwarted Kidnap Attempt-Naharnet
Hariri files complaints against
Syria for arresting his supporters in West Beqaa/Future
News
Sayegh: where was Iran’s support
during Nahr el-Bared battles?/Future
News
Aoun declines advice to visit
Patriarch: I receive visits and do not visit/Future
News
Habib: Aoun’s tense rhetoric, a
sign of weakness/Future
News
Zahra: Let Aoun read Hizbullah’s
oath/Future
News
Surveys in Lebanon, Arab
Nations Show Obama Ratings up in Arab World-Naharnet
Cabinet Not to Discuss
State Budget-Naharnet
Hariri to Protest Arrests
of Lebanese in Syria 'Just for Meeting Me'-Naharnet
Contacts Underway to Solve
Hizbullah's Violation of Doha Accord in Beirut 2-Naharnet
Another Army Colonel
Arrested on Suspicion of Spying for Israel-Naharnet
No New Date Set for Next
Dialogue Session Amid Calls for Calm-Naharnet
First Firefighting
Helicopter Arrives in Beirut-Naharnet
Comprehensive Security
Plan to Guarantee Electoral Success-Naharnet
Raad: Resistance No
Substitute for Army-Naharnet
Shiite-Christian alliance shakes Lebanon
politics-The Associated
Press
Lebanon awaits decisive parliamentary election-Monsters
and Critics.com
Who's who in Lebanese politics?-Monsters
and Critics.com
2
Lebanese among 228 missing Air France passengers-Daily
Star
Rival
politicians shelve defense strategy talks as polls draw near-Daily
Star
Petraeus: Hizbullah will have no reason to exist-Daily
Star
Police free Lebanese abducted in southeast Nigeria-Daily
Star
Second colonel arrested on suspicion of spying for Israel-Daily
Star
Azerbaijan court confirms two Lebanese on trial for terror plot-(AFP)
US
keeps Lebanon on 'Watch List' for piracy, copyright infringement-Daily
Star
Egypt
signs deal to supply Lebanon with natural gas-Daily
Star
AUB
professor gets a Beirut street named after him-Daily
Star
First
firefighting helicopter arrives in Beirut-Daily
Star
Refugee children photograph their lives in camp-Daily
Star
Some
Lebanese pick highest bidder to be their next oppressor-Daily
Star
University students launch independent media outlet-Daily
Star
Beirut municipality halts plans to build parking lots under gardens-Daily
Star
2 Lebanese among 228 missing Air France passengers
Tuesday, June 02, 2009/Estelle Shirbon/Reuters
PARIS: An Air France plane with 228 people, including two Lebanese, on board was
presumed to have crashed into the Atlantic Ocean on Monday after hitting stormy
weather during a flight from Rio de Janeiro to Paris. The airline offered its
condolences to the families of the passengers, making clear it did not expect
any rescue.
"It's a tragic accident. The chances of finding survivors are tiny," French
President Nicolas Sarkozy said at Paris's Charles de Gaulle airport after
meeting some of the relatives.
The 216 passengers included seven children and one baby, Air France said. Most
of them were French or Brazilian but they included around 20 Germans, two
Lebanese and several other nationalities. Twelve crew members were also on
board. The names of the Lebanese citizens had not been released by the Foreign
Ministry at the time The Daily Star went to press.
The Airbus jet flew into storms and heavy turbulence four hours after takeoff
from Rio and 15 minutes later sent an automatic message reporting electrical
faults, the airline said.
There was no sign that the crew had sent a mayday message or any indication that
signal-emitting emergency locators had activated on impact as is normally the
case in crashes.
A company spokesman said several of the plane's mechanisms had malfunctioned.
"It is probably a combination of circumstances that could have led to the
crash," he said, adding that the airliner might have been hit by lightning.
Aviation experts said lightning strikes on planes were common and could not
alone explain a disaster.
The Brazilian air force said the plane was far out over the sea when it went
missing. If no survivors are found it will be the worst loss of life involving
an Air France plane in the firm's 75-year history. Military planes took off from
the island of Fernando de Noronha off Brazil's northeast coast to look for it
and the Brazilian navy sent three ships to help in the search.
France sent one of its air force planes from west Africa and several ships.
Sarkozy said Paris had asked the US to assist in locating the crash site using
US satellite data.
"It is going to be extremely difficult because this is a huge area, hundreds of
kilometers, and obviously this tragedy happened in the middle of the night over
the Atlantic," Sarkozy said.
The plane left Rio de Janeiro on Sunday at 2200 GMT.
On its flight northeast from Rio, the aircraft would have had to pass through a
notorious storm patch shifting around the equator known as the Intertropical
Convergence Zone.
"It is a zone in the tropics where you can have particularly deep thunder
clouds," said Barry Gromett, a meteorologist at the London Weather Centre.
The last incident with major loss of life involving an Air France plane was in
July 2000 when a Concorde supersonic airliner crashed after taking off from
Paris, bound for New York. At least 113 people died.
Raise your Vote
Date: June 2nd, 2009 /Future News
One gets confused when listening to the statements of the eloquent leaders of
‘March 8’ minority alliance, should he laugh for their “credibility” about
holding on to truce, or should he cry for what has become of our country? Those
eloquent did not spare the ‘March 14’ coalition of independence any description
or accusation, as they consider that “the majority in Lebanon was harnessed with
a huge potential from the United Nations, the Security Council, and Media
Empires”. Thus ‘March 8’ leaders threaten that things will not stay the same and
notify about the possibility of changing the situation through a new ‘May 7’.
Intimidation no longer works with the free Lebanese, who have experienced the
meaning of the victory of freedom, independence, and sovereignty and the
pleasure of rejecting disgrace and refusing to submit to the Syrians
intelligence. Those Lebanese righteously and democratically defeated the fragile
security empire established by the Syrian regime over 29 years of hegemony
against Lebanon and its people.
Thus, ‘February 14’ marks the political establishing moment for a nationalistic
action that crossed sects, tribes, and the coiled outdated mentalities, crushing
the barrier of fear and terrorism, and announcing the launch of the mission of
building Lebanon the democratic diversified and Arab country. Lebanon, part of
the Arab world with Palestine the cause not the bazaar at its core.
This phase also paved the way for a serious national reconciliation that
declares publicly that the Lebanese have reached political adulthood. It
declared that the Lebanese will no longer accept any trusteeship or hegemony of
any nature and any identity, and that this people is not involved in the
American, Syrian, and Israeli conspiracies, and that their country will not be a
battle field because their right to live is more sacred than any other thing in
this world.
The glamour of what we achieved is that it is based on a system of moral values.
The children of the Cedars Revolution did not carry weapons or practice
violence. They just screamed out for “justice”, they worked for maintaining
civil peace and making it prevail over the grudges of the Syrian hegemony and
some sectary dreams of those who claim nationalism.
My fellow Lebanese: the fruit of all of our sacrifices have become around the
corner. Let us all raise our voices refusing the death they wanted for us, for
our values and for our rights in our homeland. Let us raise our voices against
turning Lebanon into a pedestal for launching the Iranian-Syrian “missiles of
negotiations” with the International community, including the Zionist enemy. Our
participation in the 7th of June is exceptionally significant because all what
we’ve worked for will be at stake if we held up from protecting our revolution.
June 7 is a decisive day… March 8 win will end Lebanon
Date: June 2nd, 2009
Future News
The seventh session of the national dialogue table looked like a relief moment
during a tense electoral week, and a new calm station that will hopefully put an
end to the nervous speech of March 8 four days ahead of the parliamentary
elections. This democratic competition the pro-Syrians used to describe as
normal before reconsidering it crucial, strive to win for the interest of the
Syrian-Iranian axis that is procuring them with arms and “neat and clean money.”
This support Iranian President Mahmud Ahmadinejad is betting on wining the
elections to change the regional situation and to support the resistance in
Lebanon, just like the bet of Syrian President Bashar El Assad to change “the
Lebanese political map.”
This meeting that both MP Michel Aoun and MP Ghassan Tueni did not attend,
called on the Lebanese “to meet their electoral duty and to calmly vote at the
polls,” renewing the commitment to the dignity charter agreed on previously.
Then, the leaders decided that their next meeting will be postponed till after
the elections, and asked President Michel Sleiman to ensure the continuity of
the dialogue.
Complaints about the Syrian intervention in the elections
At the end of the dialogue session, and following the exposed Syrian
intervention in the parliamentary elections in the Bekaa valley, leader of
Almustaqbal Movement MP Saad Hariri announced that his movement decided to send
a complaint letter to the Syrian ambassador to Lebanon Ali Abdel Karim Ali. This
complaint, he said, is against the kidnapping of a number of Lebanese citizens
from the Bekaa, the issue he raised at the dialogue table as well.
On the other hand, leader of the Lebanese Forces Samir Geagea said that the
Lebanese leaders committed to ensure the security of the elections. As for the
potential scenario where March 8 wins these elections, Geagea said ironically:
If they win, the era of right would end and the false era would begin.
Murr attacks Aoun
As for the electoral picture, while MP Michel Murr announced at the end of the
session that he did not miss Aoun who usually does not participate in the
dialogue, he responded to him later during the festival of his Metn list,
pointing to those who breached the ethical borders, and asked: “What did they do
for Lebanon while they were in power in 1989, and what did they do with the
Lebanese flag since 2005?”
Murr accused them of emptying during the past four years the Presidency which is
the first Maronite post in the country, and would have caused an armed battle
among the Christian community, in addition to their attacks against Bkerki and
the destruction of the economy which led to the immigration of the Lebanese
youth. If they return, he added, Lebanon would be finished.
Jumblatt… and the decisive day
Meanwhile, leader of the Democratic Gathering MP Walid Jumblatt asserted that
the day of the elections on June 7 is a decisive day, and said: “The Lebanese
are urged next Sunday to participate in crucial elections where they will choose
between two project, policies and logics.”
In his editorial in the Anbaa newspaper, he called on the Lebanese to stick
confidently to their convictions on June 7 without fear, adding that the March
14 coalition made a lot of accomplishments but its way is still long and
difficult. He also considered that no worst situation will occur, and stressed
on the commitment to the patriotic path, the social security and the national
unity.
Aounis… and their lies
Additionally, Nayla Tueni, March 14’s candidate for the Orthodox seat of
Beirut’s first district, responded to the accusations saying that she left her
religion, saying that the other team is lying to the audience may remember some
of them. She added that some are propagating that on their websites that Nayla
Tueni left her religion, and made 50,000 flyers to be distributed, asserting
that she will present a complaint to the Attorney General regarding this issue.
Aoun declines advice to visit Patriarch: I receive visits
and do not visit
Date: June 1st, 2009 /Future News/El Diyar newspaper reported Monday that MP
Michel Aoun intended to prove that he is an eastern political reference through
his visits to Christian districts, in contrary to what Bishop Bshara el Raahi
said during a televised interview where he considered that the third republic
which Aoun demands might threaten the current status. The daily added that some
considered Bishop Raahi’s statement represents the stance of the Church, which
annoyed Aoun. Diyar said when one of Keserwan’s MP advised Aoun to visit the
Maronite Patriarch to ease tensions, the latter replied “I am a Levantine
Christian leader and I want to get rid of the heresy of ‘religious leaders’ and
I represent patriarchs Sfeir, Hazim and Lahham and in politics I receive visits
and do not visit.”
Zahra: Let Aoun read Hizbullah’s oath
Date: June 2nd, 2009 Source: NNA /Antoine Zahra, of the Lebanese forces bloc,
said Tuesday that it is necessary for General Michel Aoun to read and be
acquainted with the theory of Wilayat al-Faqih and the project of an Islamic
state introduced by the Shiite Hizbullah party. Zahra, a candidate for one of
the two Maronite seats in the northern Batroun district, told the National News
agency: “Aoun must read well the oath pledged by those who want to join
Hizbullah. He must be aware of the theory of Wilayat al-Faqih. “Today, Aoun
defends the non-state weapons owned by Hizbullah and accuses the Lebanese forces
of stealing his electoral slogans, but everyone knows that Aoun does not
sacrifice anything, he just takes the credit of national struggle.”Zahra
expressed relief for the course of the electoral battle in Batroun, he said:
“There will be no competition in this district since the competing sides are not
equally powerful. “Minister of telecommunication, Gebran Bassil was unable to
cheat the people despite the media campaign he launched, taking advantage of
each detail and paper he signed in the ministry. Telephone bills are more
expensive now.”
Aoun “unwelcomed” in Batroun
Date: June 1st, 2009
Future News/Al-Diyar newspaper displayed some of the differences that
accompanied MP Michel Aoun during the series of his electoral visits to Batroun
district:
The Free Patriotic Movement leader decided to perform his religious duties and
attend a funeral sermon in Douma, but the family of the deceased refused to
receive Aoun in order to prevent him from transforming a sad religious event
into a political rally, according to informed sources of the pro-government.
Consequently the family adjourned the funeral for another day to avoid the
presence of Michel Aoun. The martyrdom of pilot Captain Samer Hanna has greatly
and negatively influenced the citizens in Tannourine, and General Aoun was not
satisfied by the welcome during his visit. it was confirmed that Archbishop
Boulos Saadeh did not attend any meeting with General Aoun in Tannourine, and
the Mass held in the Assumption Church was only attended by a small number of
worshippers, mostly from the Younes family. First Lieutenant Samer Hanna’s
helicopter came under fire from “armed elements” on August 2008 while on a
training mission over Iklim al-Touffah district - mountainous ridge north of a
zone where UN peacekeepers have a mandate to operate. The aircraft was hit and
had to crash land near the village of Sujud. Iklim al-Touffah is believed to be
a stronghold of Hizbullah militants.
In one of the electoral rallies held in Tannourine MP Michel Aoun defended
Hizbullah and the Iranian saying “The other party intends to scare you by
inventing stories that the Persians will conquer us, and Wilayat Faqih will
attack Lebanon.” Has one member of Hizbullah attacked your relatives?” “Those
who frighten you are the same who killed you, detained you and bombed you in the
past,” Aoun argued. He predicted that “the United States would be the first to
engage in negotiations with the opposition if it won the election." The
organizers employed to coordinate the agenda of Aoun’s electoral visit failed to
secure a decent reception for the General in Deirhboub. But as usual Aoun would
never bend and succumb to the people’s will with a sportsmanship spirit, instead
he was determined to pilgrimage in one of the churches to give his visit a
Christian attribute after his name was notoriously linked to Hizbullah. When he
insisted on his visit to Deirhboub the monastery apologized and refused to
receive the General due to the deteriorating relationship with Bkirki, and due
to the despicable attacks Aoun launched against the Patriarch. Former Minister
and Marada leader Sleiman Franjieh delivered a speech in which he defended
Aoun’s eroded popularity within Christian’s communities; he said "We are
determined to abolish the ideology of Christian division despite their will, and
confirm that the Maronites are capable of achieving an understanding."
Sayegh: where was Iran’s support during Nahr el-Bared
battles?
Date: June 2nd, 2009
Mohammad Fouad Shbaro
Vice Kataeb leader Salim Sayegh cautioned Tuesday against the growing strength
of the pro-Iranian Hizbullah and feared it would eventually impose its ideology
over the Lebanese if it wins the June 7 parliamentary elections. Sayegh, a
staunch ally of the pro-government March 14 coalition made his comments in an
interview to the Almustaqbal.org. He expressed his fear over the Lebanese
especially the Christians doctrines and the Lebanese diversity. “The Lebanese in
general and the Christians in particular cannot live in a totalitarian state and
the March 14 would not allow depriving the Lebanese of their freedom,” Sayegh
said.
Sayegh explained that the “the real project of the March 8 coalition
particularly Hizbullah was uncovered by the Iranian president Mahmoud
Ahmadinejad’s recent declaration.”
“The project is to wipe out the Lebanese culture in order to replace it with the
Iranian ideology and they will start to execute it immediately after their
winning the elections.”
He denounced the campaign on the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) accusing it of
being incapable of maintaining the countries’ security and deterring possible
Israeli attacks saying “why has not Iran supplied the LAF with weapons during
its battle in Nahr el-Bared?”
The Lebanese army waged a bloody battle against the terrorist Fatah Al- Islam on
May 20, 2007 after the group had attacked Lebanese soldiers in the north and
resorted to the Palestinian camp of Nahr el-bared. The battle lasted for about
three months and the LAF declared victory on September 7. Sayegh spoke of
reports of possible March 8 camp destabilizing the country’s security. “We are
preparing to deal with all possibilities especially after we received
information that our rivals intend to destabilize the country during elections
in the districts that support the March 14 alliance,” he said.
“We rely on the state’s institutions and particularly the ministry of interior
to maintain the safety of people and deal firmly with any security violation,”
he added.
Sayegh expressed fear that the candidates’ delegates in polling stations as well
as voters might be subject to all forms of pressure so that they would refrain
from heading to polls.
“The March 14 and independent candidates had placed repeated demands to the
ministry of interior to move the Christian polls located in sensitive areas,
especially in Baabda, to safer areas, and I wonder why our request was not met,”
he said.
“We have also received information that the March 8 coalition intends to create
tension in Zahleh around the areas that include polling stations at which March
14 supporters are known to cast their ballots,” he added.
Sayegh called on the March 8 coalition led by Hizbullah to “accept the results
of the elections even if it does not come in its favor. On our behalf, we pledge
that if we lose the elections, which is unlikely, we will be a constructive
opposition that abides by the rules of the democratic system.”
Sayegh added: “Lebanese people will vote against Hizbullah’s project and its
allies in June 7. During the past four years, March 8 prevented the forces of
the majority -March 14 alliance- from practicing their legitimate role to rule.
They disrupted the state’s institutions and disabled the economic cycle by
occupying Down Town Beirut.”
The sit-in camp lasted for 18-months blocking central Beirut businesses.
He added: “When March 14 wanted to practice its role and govern, its ministers
and deputies were killed and harassed, March 8 even threatened the security in
the country under the banner of the resistance. The policy pursued by the
opposition stemmed from their aim to disrupt the international tribunal looking
into assassination crime of Premier Rafic Hariri.
“Being an armed party, Hizbullah is stronger than the state and will therefore
impose its own beliefs and principles which are against the Christian doctrine
and against the Lebanese Christian existence. He addressed the voters saying:
“Free will is our principle, but that would be confiscated if Hizbullah won the
elections because the latter’s principles are totalitarian, authoritarian and
marginalizing. “The Christian leaders must sit together and offer to help the
Aounist youth, because a unified Christian stance will make Hizbullah unable to
implement its project but pushes it to commit to the principles of the state.”
Sayegh condemned the verbal attacks against Bkerke, the seat of the Maronite
Patriarch Mar Nasrallah Boutros Sfeir and the silence to the statement issued by
the Iranian President Ahmedinejad where he meddled in Lebanese affairs.”“Bkerke,
the Presidency and the army are for all the Lebanese. Free people prefer to live
in a powerful state rather than in a totalitarian one. Supporters of March 14
criticize their leaders sometimes, but that does not mean they would turn
against the principles of the Cedar Revolution. He criticized Hizbullah’s
Secretary-General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah’s statement where he said that Iran
would arm the Lebanese Forces in case they won the elections.
Akl: Bassil should stop lying
Date: June 2nd, 2009 Source: NNA
Former MP Sayed Akl called Tuesday on telecommunication Minister Gebran Bassil
and the Free Patriotic Movement’s media outlets of renegade general Michel Aoun
to stop falsifying truth trying to win the parliamentary elections slated for
next Sunday. “They are lying to people in their campaign,” Akl told the national
news agency, Lebanon’s official news bulletin.
“Minister Bassil has to stop using his erroneous rhetoric,” noted Akl, a
moderate Maronite Christian, and a prominent Batroun politician who advocates
the sovereignty and independence of Lebanon against Aoun and his political
partners of the opposition camp. “The best advice to him at the beginning of his
career is to take lessons from the honest political school before he launches
false political claims that would take him nowhere.” With five days ahead of the
elections in which the March 14 coalition will take on the Hizbullah-led March 8
opposition camp backed by Iran and Syria, Akl considered that “the electoral
battles cannot be built at the expense of people’s dignity.” Bassil, Aoun’s
son-in-law, is running along with Fayek Younes on the FPM list for the two
Batroun districts Maronite seats against March 14’s candidates MPs Boutros Harb
and Antoine Zahra.
Rival politicians shelve defense strategy talks as polls draw near
Leaders issue joint call for calm during elections
By Therese Sfeir /Daily Star staff
Tuesday, June 02, 2009
BEIRUT: Lebanon's rival political leaders on Monday adjourned to an unspecified
date talks aimed at forging a national defense strategy and called for calm
ahead of the June 7 polls.
"We urge the Lebanese to head to the polls calmly and responsibly and to respect
the principles of freedom and democracy, to refer to security forces in case of
any problems and to accept the outcome of the vote in a civilized manner," a
statement issued by the president's office at the end of the session said.
Monday's session, which was presided over by President Michel Sleiman, was the
seventh round of talks aimed at reaching agreement on issues of national
dispute, primarily Hizbullah's arms and the need for a national defense
strategy. Free Patriotic Movement leader (FPM) MP Michel Aoun did not attend the
session. FPM sources said his absence was due to a "long electoral day" spent in
Batroun Sunday. MP Ghassan Tueni was also absent during the session. In remarks
following the meeting, Future Movement leader MP Saad Hariri said the March 14
alliance would win the June 7 parliamentary polls, stressing that it would
welcome partnership with the opposition.
Hariri added that the Future Movement would send a letter of protest to the
Syrian authorities through the Syrian Embassy or Lebanese Foreign Ministry to
express Lebanon's objection to detaining individuals from Majdel Anjar in Syria.
MP Michel Murr, for his part, said that participants agreed to ease tensions,
adding that he was comfortable about the position of his Metn ticket.
Lebanese Forces (LF) leader Samir Geagea said the attendees voiced their
commitment to preserving security during the polls.
Geagea added that the president would set a date for the next dialogue session
and "re-arrange its participants" following the elections.
The LF leader warned that if the opposition won the parliamentary majority, "we
will enter an era in which wrong principles prevail." But he added: "However, I
think the Lebanese people will vote for the right choice."
In other developments, Prime Minister Fouad Siniora asked all his supporters on
Monday to remove his posters and banners.In a statement, Siniora urged his
supporters to remove his posters and to avoid violating Article 25 of the
electoral law. The prime minister spent the day campaigning in Sidon, along with
Education Minister Bahia Hariri.
Meanwhile, Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblatt said that
"voting for the March 14 Forces would promote the March 14 Forces' Arabism
project that faces the Israeli project." In his weekly article to Al-Anbaa
newspaper, Jumblatt said that on June 7, "the Lebanese people will choose
between establishing a state for all and forming a state and a quasi-state." He
added: "It is the day when we choose between respecting democracy and diversity
stipulated by the Taif Accord or trusting dubious proposals that do not take
into account the delicate balance set by the Taif."
Also on Monday, Murr accused the opposition of wasting public money "during
their presence in Parliament." "We hope we could open the files in our
possession so that they [the opposition] could be held accountable," Murr said
during an electoral rally for the March 14 and Independent alliance running in
the Metn district. "During their presence in Parliament, they [the opposition]
kept the presidency vacant for almost a year, and blocked and hampered
constitutional institutions and the Cabinet. This led to national paralysis," he
added.
Meanwhile, the Lebanese Army launched a comprehensive security plan that would
accompany the parliamentary elections.
As-Safir newspaper quoted Lebanese military sources on Monday as saying that the
security plan would be implemented in coordination with the Internal Security
Forces.
The newspaper said 42,000 army soldiers and 12,000 ISF members would cooperate
under the supervision of a unified operation room that would continue its work
for a period extending till after the elections in order to resolve any
resulting problems. As-Safir also said that army commander General Jean Kahwaji
asked both army officers and soldiers to disregard accusations addressed to the
military institution, stressing the need to remain at the same distance from all
political parties
Kahwaji also called for rigor and impartiality "regardless of the perpetrator's
identity, since military men are asked to provide security and to be up to the
expectations of the Lebanese."
In comments to pan-Arab Al-Hayat newspaper, Interior Minister Ziyad Baroud
expressed his "confidence in the comprehensive security plan that was set by the
Lebanese army and the ISF.""Maintaining calm and security does not rely only on
the plan; it requires the cooperation of our partners who are the political
forces, the government, and citizens who are supposed to refrain from engaging
in clashes to avoid bloodsheds," he said. - With agencies
Petraeus: Hizbullah will have no reason to exist
Daily Star staff/Tuesday, June 02, 2009
BEIRUT: US Central Command Chief General David Petraeus told Al-Hayat newspaper
in comments published on Monday that the administration of US President Barack
Obama considered Hizbullah a terrorist organization, adding that the party did
not participate in fostering stability in Lebanon. "Hizbullah's justifications
for existence will become void if the Palestinian cause is resolved. Reaching an
agreement over a peace process in the Middle East will eliminate several groups'
justifications for existence," he explained. Petraeus added that resolving the
Palestinian-Israeli conflict will pave the way for Arabs and Muslims to help the
US in its war against terrorism. - The Daily Star
Police free Lebanese abducted in southeast Nigeria
Tuesday, June 02, 2009/ONITSHA, Nigeria: A Lebanese construction worker and his police escort were
rescued hours after they were abducted for ransom in southeastern Nigeria, a
spokesman said on Monday. The two men were traveling along the Aba-Port Harcourt
highway when they were seized by 18 gunmen in the state of Abia on Sunday, the
Nigerian Security and Civil Defense Corps (NSCDC) said. They were freed hours
after." During the rescue bid, the police escort was shot and the expatriate was
shot in the leg by the kidnappers before escaping," said Soji Alabi, a spokesman
for Abia state command of the NSCDC. The Lebanese man and his escort received
treatment at a hospital in the state capital Umuahia before the construction
worker was taken away by his employers who are based in the oil city of Port
Harcourt, Alabi said. Kidnappings for ransom, often of oil workers, are more
common in the creeks of the Niger Delta, a vast wetland region which is home to
Africa's biggest oil and gas industry. But abductions are relatively rare in
other part of Africa's most populous country. An Italian construction worker was
kidnapped in southeastern state of Ebonyi state in April. He was rescued by the
police after a few days in captivity. A Canadian woman was also abducted in
April in the northern city of Kaduna. She was rescued two weeks after. - Reuters
Azerbaijan court confirms two Lebanese on trial for terror plot
Suspects 'connected to Hizbullah And Al-Qaeda'
By Agence France Presse (AFP)
Tuesday, June 02, 2009
BAKU: Two Lebanese and four Azerbaijanis have gone on trial on terrorism charges
in Baku for planning an attack on the Israeli Embassy in Azerbaijan's capital,
an official said Monday.
The trial, which began on May 27, is being held behind closed doors and has been
adjourned until June 10, a spokesman for Azerbaijan's serious crimes court told
AFP on condition of anonymity. "According to the indictment, the citizens of
Lebanon ... arrived in Azerbaijan under orders to commit acts of terrorism," the
spokesman said.
He said they were "connected to" the Lebanese Shiite resistance group Hizbullah
and the Sunni Al-Qaeda network.
The two Lebanese were under orders to recruit Azerbaijani citizens and devise a
plan to attack the Israeli and US embassies, as well as the strategic Gabala
missile-detection radar station in the north of the country, he said.
He added that the suspects were also believed to have connections with Iran's
powerful ideological army the Revolutionary Guards.
They arrived in Azerbaijan through Iran and were assisted in crossing the border
by the Sepah," he said, using the Persian name for the Revolutionary Guards.
The two Lebanese men are identified in the indictment as Ali Karaki and Ali
Najmeddin.
The court spokesman said members of the group had visited areas around the
Israeli Embassy and the radar station in preparation for the attack.
He said two of the Azerbaijani suspects were initially detained and revealed
information that led to the arrests of the rest of the group.
The Los Angeles Times over the weekend quoted Israeli and Western officials as
saying the planned attack was part of broader efforts by Hizbullah and Iran to
target Israeli facilities abroad. Sources told the newspaper that the men had
been arrested in May 2008 and had earlier in the year travelled back and forth
between Baku to Iran as well as to Lebanon.
It reported that the group had planned to set off three or four car bombs
simultaneously around the Israeli Embassy, which is in a business tower that
houses other embassies and the offices of top foreign companies.
It said that a number of other suspects - including Lebanese, Iranian and
Azerbaijani nationals - escaped to Iran when police moved in to arrest the
group.
The newspaper quoted Western anti-terror officials as saying the attack was a
planned retaliation by Hizbullah for the killing of one of its top commanders,
Imad Mughniyeh, who died in a February 2008 car bombing in Damascus which the
militant group blamed on Israel.
Azerbaijan, a mainly Muslim country of 8.7 million on the Caspian Sea, has
warned of a rising threat from Islamic fundamentalists, though critics allege
the country also uses the potential threat of extremism as a cover for
persecuting political opponents.
In late 2007 authorities said they had foiled a planned attack by a radical
Islamic group against government facilities and diplomatic missions, including
the US Embassy.
Fifteen people were also convicted and imprisoned that year for plotting a coup
with the alleged backing of Iranian intelligence services.
Azerbaijan has accused Iran of trying to export its brand of political Islam to
the Shiite Muslim country. - AFP
Franjieh Demands Two-Thirds
Cabinet Majority if Opposition Wins Elections
Naharnet/Marada Movement leader Suleiman Franjieh has revealed that the
opposition plans to have a two-thirds majority if it wins parliamentary
elections, in a new stance that appeared to be surpassing the cabinet shares of
both the president and the other political camp. "The opposition wants a
two-thirds majority in the next government if it wins the majority of the seats
in the new parliament," Franjieh said in an interview with Marcel Ghanem's Kalam
el-Nass talk show late Monday. "We have the right to a two-thirds majority in
the event we win the elections," he stressed. "Whoever wants the one-third veto
power let him have it." Franjieh explained that in the event the March 14
coalition refused to take part in the next government the opposition would give
President Michel Suleiman veto power.He said Suleiman has the right to have a
parliamentary bloc."But in order to have a bloc he's got to be a leader,"
Franjieh added. He refuted claims that the opposition was seeking to shorten the
president's term. "When our team voted for him (Suleiman) we were aware that we
had elected him for a six-year-term," Franjieh stressed. He rejected to take
part in any new government, adding however, that Marada Movement would be
represented. Franjieh said he would join the Free Patriotic Movement after the
elections, stressing that standing alongside Gen. Michel Aoun "Is for the unity
of Christians and for its united decision."
He attacked MP Michel Murr, asking: "Do Christians still believe him?"Franjieh
said the entire Christian parliamentary blocs would "be on his part." Beirut, 02
Jun 09, 08:42
5 Lebanese on Board Missing Air France Plane Identified
Naharnet/At least five Lebanese passengers are feared among a missing Air France
jet carrying 228 people from Rio de Janeiro to Paris. The foreign ministry on
Tuesday identified the five missing Lebanese as Ahmad Fawzi, Bassam Murr,
Hussein Khalife, Sonia al-Muallem and Akram Ku.
The plane disappeared after it ran into lightning and strong thunderstorms over
the Atlantic Ocean, officials said. Brazil began a search mission off its
northeastern coast.
Chief Air France spokesman Francois Brousse said it is possible the plane was
hit by lightning.
Air France Flight 447, an Airbus A330, left Rio on Sunday at 7 p.m. local time
(2200 GMT, 6 p.m. EDT) with 216 passengers and 12 crew members on board, company
spokeswoman Brigitte Barrand. About four hours later, the plane sent an
automatic signal indicating electrical problems while going through strong
turbulence, Air France said.
The plane "crossed through a thunderous zone with strong turbulence" at 0200 GMT
Monday (10 p.m. EDT Sunday). An automatic message was received fourteen minutes
later "signaling electrical circuit malfunction." Brazil's air force did not
know where the aircraft disappeared, but a spokesman said it was searching near
the archipelago of Fernando de Noronha because if an accident had happened in
Brazilian waters, it would be in that area. The spokesman said there was no
immediate indication of what might have happened to the plane. He spoke on
condition of anonymity in keeping with department policy.
Two Brazilian Air Force planes were searching the waters about 300 kilometers
northeast of the coastal city of Natal near the archipelago of Fernando de
Noronha, a Brazilian air force spokesman said, speaking on condition of
anonymity in keeping with air force policy. The region is about 1,500 miles
northeast of Rio. A police official on Fernando de Noronha said the weather was
clear last night into this morning. "It's going to take a long time to carry out
this search," Douglas Ferreira Machado, head of investigation and accident
prevention for Brazil's Civil Aeronautics Agency, or ANAC, told Globo news. "It
could be a long, sad story. The black box will be at the bottom of the sea."
Air France-KLM CEO Pierre-Henri Gourgeon, at a news conference in Paris, said
the pilot had 11,000 hours of flying experience, including 1,700 hours flying
this aircraft. No name was released. Aviation experts said it was clear the
plane was not in the air any longer, due to the amount of fuel it would have
been carrying. "The conclusion to be drawn is that something catastrophic
happened on board that has caused this airplane to ditch in a controlled or an
uncontrolled fashion," Jane's Aviation analyst Chris Yates told The Associated
Press. "I would suggest that potentially it went down very quickly and so
quickly that the pilot on board didn't have a chance to make that emergency
call," Yates said, adding that the possibilities ranged from mechanical failure
to terrorism.
Barrand said the airline set up an information center at Paris' Charles de
Gaulle airport for the families of those on board. That center said 60 French
citizens were on the plane. Italy said at least three passengers were Italian.
"Air France shares the emotion and worry of the families concerned," she said.
The flight was supposed to arrive in Paris at 0915 GMT (5:15 a.m. EDT),
according to the airport. Airbus declined to comment until more details emerge.
The Airbus A330-200 is a twin-engine, long-haul, medium-capacity passenger jet,
and is 58.8 meters (190 feet) long, according to Airbus. It is a shortened
version of the standard A330, and can hold up to 253 passengers. It first went
into service in 1998, there are 341 in use worldwide today. It can fly up to
7,760 miles (12,500 kilometers).
French President Nicolas Sarkozy expressed his "extreme worry" and sent
ministers to Paris' Charles de Gaulle airport to monitor the
situation.(AP-Naharnet) Beirut, 01 Jun 09, 17:31
2nd Detained Colonel Confesses to Spying, New Arrests Include School Teacher
Naharnet/Arrested Col. Shahid Toumiyeh has admitted in his interrogation that he
was recruited by Israel in the mid-1990s and entrusted with spying on both the
Lebanese and the Syrian armies as well as on Hizbullah. The daily Al Akhbar on
Tuesday quoted well-informed sources as saying that communication devices –
which were being used by Toumiyeh to stay in touch with his Israeli employers --
had been confiscated from his house. The sources said Toumiyeh and Mansour Diab,
also a Lebanese army colonel arrested last week, work independently of each
other. In a related development, Lebanon's General Security Department known as
Surete Generale arrested an Egyptian in the southern village of Aita al-Shaab on
suspicion of spying for Israel. They said a security force raided his house and
seized a computer set and a number of CD ROMs. A police patrol also arrested a
school teacher in the southern town of Qsseibeh. The teacher, in his 60s, was
not identified. But media reports said a computer set was confiscated from his
house. Beirut, 02 Jun 09, 10:01
Airport Road Blocked Overnight to Protest Death of Wanted
Man
Naharnet/Angry protestors briefly blocked Beirut airport highway overnight to
protest the death of Ali Rashid Zoaiter who died Monday evening from injuries he
suffered during a shootout with police the day before. Lebanese troops, however,
reopened the road shortly after protestors blocked it with burning tires around
9:15 pm Monday.
Security sources said a police force from the counter-terrorism and anti-drugs
bureau on Sunday raided the house of Hussein Sh. On the airport highway and
arrested him on charges of car thefts and of stealing drugs. About five kg of
Hashish was confiscated from his house. They also arrested nine other people,
including Ali Zoaiter who was shot and wounded in the leg. But he died Monday
night in hospital. Beirut, 02 Jun 09, 09:01
Assiri: Saudi Will Deal with Various Lebanese Parties
Regardless of Election Results
Naharnet/Saudi ambassador Ali al-Assiri stressed that the kingdom is at an equal
distance from the various Lebanese political parties. "Saudi Arabia respects the
choice of the Lebanese people," Assiri said in an interview published Tuesday by
Asharq al-Awsat daily. He said Riyadh hopes that Lebanese parliamentary
elections would serve to establish "a new phase of political cooperation among
the various political parties so that a comprehensive reform program could be
launched and Lebanon would regain its reputation as 'crossroads of various
civilizations.'" Assiri stressed that Saudi will "deal with the various Lebanese
parties no matter the election results."He denied accusations that Saudi was
meddling in Lebanese internal affairs. Beirut, 02 Jun 09, 11:13
Lebanese Shot in Nigeria Thwarted Kidnap Attempt
Naharnet/A Lebanese construction worker and his police escort have been shot and
wounded in southern Nigeria by armed men in a foiled kidnap attempt, a senior
security official said on Monday. "The Lebanese, working for ... a construction
engineering company in Port Harcourt, was shot and wounded on Sunday by a group
of about 16 armed men who wanted to kidnap him for a ransom," Idris Haruna,
zonal commander of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), told
AFP. "They are kidnappers, for sure," he said. "The armed men, travelling in a
bus along Aba-Port Harcourt highway, fired several shots at the Lebanese man's
car, and he was shot in the leg. He was briefly held hostage until men of the
NSCDC swooped on them. They fled leaving their bus behind and the Lebanese was
rescued," Haruna said. He and the policeman were later taken to a government
hospital for treatment and both are responding well to treatment, the official
said. The police spokesman for Abia State, where the shooting took place, said
he was unaware of the incident.(AFP) Beirut, 02 Jun 09, 07:29
Cabinet Not to Discuss State Budget
Naharnet/The 2009 state budget will not be on the cabinet agenda Tuesday, one
week after the government failed again to adopt it.
However, there are 88 other items on the agenda, including draft laws to protect
women against domestic violence and regulate the profession of nursing in
Lebanon. Last Tuesday, the cabinet approved the appointment of the remaining
five members of the Constitutional Council but failed to adopt the budget.
Beirut, 02 Jun 09, 08:27
Hariri to Protest Arrests of Lebanese in Syria 'Just for Meeting Me'
Naharnet/MP Saad Hariri said he will submit a formal objection to Syria for
arresting 10 Lebanese in Syria "just because they met me." He did not say when
the men -- all from east Lebanon's town of Majdal Anjar --were arrested. Hariri
said they were later released. Beirut, 01 Jun 09, 16:43
Surveys in Lebanon, Arab Nations Show Obama Ratings up in
Arab World
Naharnet/President Barack Obama's popularity in Arab countires has risen sharply
compared to his predecessor George W. Bush, a poll showed Monday ahead of his
trip to the heart of the Arab-Muslim world. In seven out of 10 Arab countries
plus the Palestinian territories surveyed by Gallup, Obama's popularity saw
double-digit percentage increases compared with ratings for Bush compiled mostly
from last year, the poll showed. "These upsurges may reflect positive reception
to Obama and his administration's public outreach to the Muslim world," Gallup
analysts said in a report published with the poll results. "The president's
overtures toward pulling US troops out of Iraq and closing Guantanamo Bay prison
... also may have resonated with residents," said the report issued ahead of
Obama's departure for Saudi Arabia and Egypt. In Saudi Arabia on Wednesday,
Obama will hold talks with King Abdullah, seeking Arab support for US peace
efforts for the Middle East. The following day, the US leader will make a
personal address in Egypt to the world's Muslims, seeking to heal rifts and
rebuild Arab trust in the United States. Approval of the US president was up by
19 points to 25 percent in Egypt and up 17 points to 29 percent in Saudi Arabia
from ratings in May 2008 of six and 12 percent for Bush, the poll showed. But
the poll showed that Obama's popularity fell in the Palestinian Territories from
13 percent for Bush to seven percent and also declined in Lebanon, from 25 to 22
percent in May 2008. Gallup speculated that the drop in the Palestinian
territories was "perhaps related to Obama's silence during Israel's attacks on
Gaza shortly before he took office." Tunisia in north Africa saw the largest
percentage change, with Obama's ratings rising to 37 percent from a 14 percent
approval rating for Bush in June last year.
Obama also registered a double-digit rise in popularity in Syria, where 15
percent of those polled said they approved of the US president compared with
only four percent for Bush last year. In addition to Egypt, Lebanon, Saudi
Arabia, Syria, Tunisia and the Palestinian Territories, surveys were also
conducted in Algeria, Kuwait, Mauritania, Qatar and Yemen. Around 1,000 adults
aged 15 and older were polled in each country. (AFP) Beirut, 02 Jun 09, 07:10
Experts express concerns over
Canadians flying to Lebanon to vote
Last Updated: Tuesday, June 2, 2009 CBC News
Political watchers have differing concerns over dual Canadian-Lebanese citizens
flying to Lebanon this week on free tickets to vote in parliamentary elections.
As CBC News reported on Monday, corporations who support major political parties
in Lebanon are paying for expatriates to return to the country to cast ballots
in the June 7 election.
Hundreds of people in Calgary, as well as thousands from across Canada, have
been flying into Lebanon this week, backed by supporters of a pro-Western
alliance trying to take power away from a Hezbollah-dominated coalition. Dual
citizens must be physically present in Lebanon to cast a ballot in its
elections.
University of Calgary associate professor and terrorism expert Gavin Cameron
said the Canadian government should be concerned if it turns out that Hezbollah
is also paying for trips for its supporters.
'Lebanese who live abroad, who have another citizenship, who for all intents and
purposes will not have to be accountable or suffer the consequences of the
choice they make.'
—Marie-Joelle Zahar, political science professor"If you have an organization
that has been identified as a terrorist organization providing funding to
Canadian citizens, that's an issue for concern," he said on Monday.
The impact of foreign citizens voting in Lebanon's election can also be
problematic, said Marie-Joelle Zahar, a political science professor at the
Université de Montréal and a former journalist who covered the Lebanese civil
war.
"Lebanese who live abroad, who have another citizenship, who for all intents and
purposes will not have to be accountable or suffer the consequences of the
choice they make," she said in an interview with CBC News.
Louis Delvoie, a former Canadian ambassador to Algeria who worked for Foreign
Affairs in Lebanon, has similar concerns.
"There is a question of divided loyalties that does come into play," he said.
"Should you be required, on assuming Canadian citizenship, to renounce your
previous citizenship? In some instances it obviously poses major problems."
In 2006, the government of Canada spent about $94 million rescuing nearly 15,000
Canadians from Lebanon during prolonged violence between Israel and Hezbollah
militants.
Delvoie said he doesn't anticipate the federal Conservative government changing
citizenship rules any time soon: "This is highly politicized in Canada. They're
not going to frontally address the question of dual citizenship for fear of
alienating immigrant communities."
With files from Erin Collins
Why Assad Won't Break with Iran
by Professor Rabbi Daniel M. Zucker
June 02/09
http://worlddefensereview.com/zucker060209.shtml
World Defense Review contributor
The Obama administration and the U.S. Department of State share a delusion with
the former government of Israel led by the hapless Prime Minister Ehud Olmert
and elements within the Israeli Foreign Ministry: both groups believe that
President Bashar al-Assad can be convinced to break with the Islamic Republic of
Iran and be brought into the fold of civilized nation states, if only the right
selection of carrots can be offered to woo him away from the embrace of the
Iranian terror-masters. Maybe a combination of the Golan Heights, immunity from
prosecution for the Hariri assassination, or better yet, forgetting that it ever
happened [1], and a very healthy dosage of foreign aid, trade and
debt-forgiveness by the U.S. and the West might just do the trick…with control
of Lebanon thrown in as the cherry on top!
When pigs fly, and hell has frozen over several times, Assad still will not
abandon his alliance with Iran. Why? On what basis do I make such a tough
prediction? What makes me suggest that Obama and Olmert both have been naïve in
thinking an Israel-Syrian peace is achievable with Assad?
President (for life) Bashar al-Assad's number one goal is to continue living.
For Assad, that primary priority of longevity is assured only as long as he is
the ruler of Syria. For him, all other concerns pale in comparison. The early
February 2008 attempt at a coup d'etat [2] by Assaf Shawqat, Assad's own
brother-in-law and until then his Mukhbarrat chief (Syria's Intelligence
Agency), demonstrates that Assad's throne is not as securely anchored as was
that of his late father, Hafez al-Assad. For the foreseeable future, retaining
power remains priority number one for Assad. And since he lives in a very tough
neighborhood, it is only by allying himself with other bullies that he can stay
in control of his country. As a member of the minority Alawite [3] aristocracy,
Assad is feared and despised by most of his fellow Syrians, the vast majority of
which are Sunnis. Many of them are supporters of the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood
[4], and they only have contempt for the secular lifestyle of the Alawite
leadership and the Alawite connections to Shiism. It is only through repression
and the imposition of military law—based on the fact that Syria is still
technically in a state of war with Israel—that Assad and his fellow Alawites
maintain their control of the Syrian masses. If Syria signs a peace treaty,
Assad will not be able to keep Syria on a war-footing, and will have to relax
his control over the country. To do so—in his mind—is to invite a revolt that
could easily topple him from power and send him to his grave. For Assad, despite
all the patriotic pronouncements that he makes about regaining them, the Golan
Heights are not worth his life.
Assad also knows that if he makes peace with Israel, the United States will
quickly lose interest in Syria's welfare and the foreign aid and favorable trade
relations will soon enough disappear because Syria doesn't have natural
resources that interest the U.S. Given Syria's history of cycles of drought,
with the failure of last year's wheat crop due to drought [5], and its ongoing
economic difficulties [6], Assad knows that as the price of pita rises, so does
the general discontent among the Syrian Sunni masses. It actually makes more
sense for him to irk the U.S. and keep America trying to win him over than it
does to become its friend, because the U.S. has a poor record of helping those
friends that don't have something to offer in return.
Peace with Israel also would preclude Syria moving back into Lebanon to protect
her little neighbor from the "threat of a Zionist invasion". Peace with Israel
effectively would lock Syria out of Lebanon, a piece of real estate that
Damascus covets far more than it does the Golan Heights.
But perhaps a more crucial factor to remember about Syria's alliance with Iran
is that it gives Syria access to Iranian, Russian, North Korean, and Chinese
military and economic aid. Although Assad needs more aid and is very willing to
play "peace charades" to gain Western aid as well as to break out of the
isolation that was imposed after the Hariri assassination, he knows that it
would be suicidal to break the alliances that he has with Iran. The current
Iranian government is much like the Mafia: it will find a way to have its
revenge if it feels that it has been double-crossed. Assad sold his soul to the
Iranian devil [7]; he won't be willing to have Iran repossess it quite so
quickly.
Having allowed the Iranian government to take control of much of his defense and
his missile capabilities [8], Assad doesn't have the ability to remove Iran from
his doorstep. He is locked into supporting the rejectionists such as Hassan
Nasrallah's Hizballah and Khaled Mashaal of Hamas, and being supported by the
mullahs of Tehran, both as a bulwark against the West and as an anchor amidst a
sea of Syrian Sunnis. Small wonder that Nizar Abdel-Kader, former deputy chief
of staff of the Lebanese army wrote last year: "With such prospects, Iran seems
to remain the ultimate winner of this game, while the future role of Syria will
be reduced to serving as a conduit for Iranian logistical support to Hizballah."
[9] (italics mine) Having entered a relationship with Iran in which the Islamic
Republic agreed to underwrite Syria's purchase of new Russian military hardware
in exchange for Russia forgiving 73% of Syria's debt to the former-USSR [10],
Syria is not about to bite the hand that feeds her.
Although difficult to ascertain its exact effect, one cannot discount fear of
revenge as a factor binding Assad to his Tehran masters. Having seen how Tehran
has used its VEVAK [11]operatives to assassinate opponents and those who have
broken with the regime [12]—including but not limited to the assassinations of
Kurdish leader Abdel Rahman Qassemlou and two of his associates in Vienna in
1989, of dissident Dr. Kassem Rajavi in Geneva in 1990, of former Iranian Prime
Minister Shahpour Bakhtiar and his personal secretary in Paris in 1991, and of
the four Kurdish diplomats at the Mykonos Restaurant in Berlin in 1992 [13]—it
is doubtful that Assad would risk the wrath of a vengeful Supreme Leader Ali
Khamenei and his VEVAK minions for "double-crossing" the Imam. Dr. Bashar
al-Assad may not be as wily as his late father, Colonel Hafez al-Assad, but he
did learn a lot from the old fox of Damascus, and staying alive was the primary
lesson at all times.
Bottom line: until a mushroom cloud appears over Tehran or the current mullah
regime is removed, Bashar al-Assad will remain in Iran's corner, no matter how
large the carrot he is offered by the United States and/or Israel. Once you join
the Mafia, you're in for life; you don't quit it in this life.
– Professor Rabbi Daniel M. Zucker is founder and Chairman of the Board of
Americans for Democracy in the Middle-East, a grassroots organization dedicated
to teaching our elected officials and the public of the dangers posed by Islamic
fundamentalism and the need to establish genuine democratic institutions in the
Middle-East as an antidote to the venom of fundamentalism. He may be contacted
at contact@ADME.ws.
[1] Jonathan Spyer reports: "Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem beamed after
his [July 2008] meetings with French officials that the Hariri tribunal had not
even been mentioned." See Spyer's article: "Analysis: We'll take the dowry – you
keep the bride", The Jerusalem Post, July 31, 2008.
[2] Ynet, "German report: Assad's brother-in-law attempted coup", Ynet News,
June 7, 2008.
[3] The Alawites are an offshoot sect from Shiite Islam. For more information on
the Alawite sect of Shia Islam, see "Alawites" in Wikipedia, and John Pike's
article on "Alawi Islam" in Global Security.
[4] For background and basic history of the Muslim Brotherhood , see http://www.fas.org/irp/world/para/mb.htm,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muslim_Brotherhood, and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_Muslim_Brotherhood_in_Egypt.
[5] Abigail Fielding-Smith/ IRIN, "SYRIA: Bread subsidies under threat as
drought hits wheat production", Reuters/AlertNet, June 30, 2008.
[6] See Nimrod Raphaeli, "Syria's Fragile Economy", Middle East Review of
International Affairs (MERIA) 11:2, June 2007.
[7] Ewen MacAskill and Duncan Campbell, "Iran and Syria confront US with defense
pact", The Guardian, February 17, 2005, and Bilal Y. Saab, "Syria and Iran
Revive an Old Ghost with Defense Pact", The Daily Star, July 4, 2006.
[8] UPI, "Iran and Syria sign missile pact", UPI.com, June 2, 2008.
[9] Nizar Abdel-Kader, "At stake, the state of Lebanon", Bitter Lemons
International 20:6, May 22, 2008.
[10] Ariel Cohen, "The Russian Effect", Front Page Magazine, March 20, 2007. See
also: Yoav Stern, "Report: Iran to pay $1b for Syria to procure weapons",
Haaretz, July 22, 2007, Bassel Oudat, "Playing the Russian Card", Al-Ahram,
Issue No. 912, September 3, 2008, and "Russia forgives Syrian debt", Syria
Today, Issue 39, July 2008.
[11] VEVAK is the Farsi acronym for Vezarat-e Ettela'at va Amniat-e Keshvar, the
Ministry of Intelligence and Security (MOIS), Iran's version of the old Soviet
KGB. VEVAK has gained quite some notoriety for assigning Iran's Islamic
Revolution Guard Corps' Sepahe-e Qods (the Qods [Jerusalem] Force) the task of
carrying out clandestine targeted assassinations of the regime's opponents
abroad.
[12] See the following: John Pike, "Operations-Ministry of Intelligence and
Security…VEVAK", Global Security, (no date), and Kenneth R. Timmerman, "Alleged
Victims of Iranian government 'hit squads', 1979-1996" ( "A Special Report…"),
The Foundation for Democracy in Iran, May 6, 1996.
[13] Timmerman, op.cit.
© 2009 Daniel M. Zucker