LCCC
ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
June 10/09
Bible Reading of the day.
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 5:13-16. You are the salt
of the earth. But if salt loses its taste, with what can it be seasoned? It is
no longer good for anything but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. You are
the light of the world. A city set on a mountain cannot be hidden. Nor do they
light a lamp and then put it under a bushel basket; it is set on a lampstand,
where it gives light to all in the house. Just so, your light must shine before
others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father.
Free Opinions, Releases, letters & Special
Reports
Victory and the Price-By: Ghassan
Charbel 09/06/09
Elias
Zoghbi: Elections put
Christians back on track.
09/06/09
State’s Majority/Future
News 09/06/09
Lebanon's June 7 polls mean that the time for excuses has passed-
The Daily Star 09/06/09
Lebanon's elections: an early inquest-By
Michael Young 09/06/09
Cutting Edge Terrorism Analyst.By
Walid Phares
09/06/09
More uranium found in Syria-American
Thinker.09/06/09
Latest News Reports From
Miscellaneous Sources for June
09/09
The Regional Significance of Election Results in
Lebanon-Vatican Radio
Lebanese Victor Faces Tough Dilemma-CBS
News
The US must help Hariri-guardian.co.uk
Marouni:
Aoun
no longer represents 70% of the Christians-iloubnan.info
Saudis gleeful at Lebanon vote, now look to Iran's-Reuters
Suspicious silence of March 8…Syria
loses its bet to the “strongest democracies-Future News
Saudi Arabia congratulates the
Lebanese of winning the elections-Future News
Mufti Kabbani: New parliament
represents the Lebanese willpower-Future News
Jumblatt: we are against secluding
any party-Future News
Fatfat: We do not accept the power
share veto-Future News
Washington: Not to deal with a
Hizbullah-affiliate foreign minister-Future News
Nasrallah Accepts Defeat, Says No
Need to Worry About Poll Results as Resistance a Popular Choice-Naharnet
Franjieh: Aoun Fought Everything and We Stand by Him-Naharnet
U.S.
Prefers a Lebanese Foreign Minister who is Not a Hizbullah Ally-Naharnet
New Lebanese government to face economic reality-Ynetnews
Foreign Ministry: Hizbullah still controls
Lebanon-Ynetnews
More political strife in Lebanon expected after victory of US ...Los
Angeles Times
A Measured Victory in Lebanon-Newsweek
On Lebanon-Atlantic Online
Syria reiterates willingness to resume
Turkish-mediated
peace talks-Jerusalem
Post
Damascus: Lebanon Can Only be Ruled by Consensus-Naharnet
France: Veto Power Only
Justified through Deal-Naharnet
Jumblat against
Elimination, Veto Power-Naharnet
Hariri Pleased with
Nasrallah Stance, Disappointed by Raad's-Naharnet-Naharnet
Mitchell in Beirut Sunday
to Discuss Peace Process with Suleiman-Naharnet
Britain and Italy Welcome
Peaceful, Exemplary Elections-Naharnet
Obama congratulates Lebanese on vote, cites 'courage, commitment ...Los
Angeles Times
Hezbollah chief accepts Lebanon election defeat-WashingtonTV
Obama pledges support for new Lebanon government-Reuters
Israel cautiously hopeful on Lebanon-Jerusalem
Post
'Obama's Cairo speech was not a factor in Lebanese elections'-Jerusalem
Post
Obama praises Lebanon vote-Boston
Globe
Lebanese voters prevent Hizbollah takeover-Independent
Syria Claims Vote Fraud In Lebanon-CBS
News
Hezbollah's Defeat: A Victory For Obama?Atlantic
Online
International observers praise Lebanon's 'peaceful' elections-Daily Star
Nasrallah accepts election results, calls for 'solidarity-Daily Star
Sleiman urges all parties to join reform drive after March 14 victory-Daily Star
Christian votes mattered less than expected in elections, analysts say-Daily
Star
World
leaders laud Lebanese democracy, Israel calls for disarming Hizbullah-Daily Star
Turk
observers praise 'peaceful' election day-Daily Star
March
14 win boosts short-term confidence in Lebanese economy-Daily Star
Fireworks and champagne as March 14
celebrates win-(AFP)
Mitchell hopes to pave way for
Palestinian-Israeli talks-Daily Star
Hezbollah chief accepts Lebanon election defeat
Monday, June 08, 2009
Washington, 8 June (WashingtonTV)—Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah on Monday
accepted the results of Lebanon’s parliamentary election, in which his
opposition alliance was defeated by a pro-Western bloc.
“We accept these results… with sportsmanship and in a democratic way and we
accept that the ruling camp has achieved the parliamentary majority,” he said in
a televised address a day after the polls, according to Reuters. Nasrallah also
congratulated his political rivals, and urged the new lawmakers to “preserve the
faith” of their electors. “All of them must know that they have a responsibility
towards the people and this nation,” he was quoted by AFP as saying. Nasrallah
said that opposition leaders would meet soon to agree on a joint position on the
formation of a new government, according to Reuters. Some analysts say that the
election was a blow to Iran and Syria, which support Hezbollah, and welcome news
for the United States and its moderate Arab allies. The pro-Western bloc, headed
by Saad al-Hariri, won 71 of parliament’s 128 seats, against 57 seats for
Hezbollah and its Shiite and Christian allies.
Sources: Reuters, Agence France-Presse © WashingtonTV 2009. All rights reserved
Zoghbi:
Elections put Christians back on track
Date: June 9th, 2009 Source: Future News
March 14 member, Elias Zoghbi stated Tuesday that the parliamentary elections
have put Christians back on track after the serious glitch the sect suffered
from during the past four years.
Zoghbi stated that “statistics show that support for MP Michel Aoun declined
from 73% in 2005 to less than 40%, especially in Beirut, Chouf, Metn, Batroun,
Koura, Akkar and Bcharri.”
He assured that this decline reflects “Christian healing” and hoped that the
March 14 majority win would help in righting the Christian situation.
Zoghbi stressed that the most important outcome of the parliamentary elections
is “stabilizing the historic track of Christians through opposing Aoun,” leader
of the Free Patriotic party and a sturdy ally of March 8.
State’s Majority
Date: June 9th, 2009/Future News
The parliamentary elections proved that the majority that emerged from the
elections of 2005 is a true and real majority and not an illusionary majority.
The Lebanese said which Lebanon they want through casting their ballots, and
were biased totally and completely to the state draft based on the Taëf
agreement.
Today, Lebanon and its people enter a new phase; a phase encountered with
threats starting from the Zionist extremism to the settlements which several
countries in the region are trying to stick down on Lebanon the battle field and
not the state.
The results of elections smeared all settlement projects at the expense of the
country, as it consolidated the state draft which ‘March 14’ coalition has
launched in 2005 within the context of Taef agreement which settled the conflict
with Israel and refused nationalization and declared Lebanon a country governed
through equal sharing between its people regardless of sizes and weights. The
results of the June 7 polls indicate that the logic of the state must prevail
rather than that of security hubs, the logic of the state combining all of the
Lebanese who have won for their democratic right against weapons displayed in
slums and against the flaming tires amidst rods blocked with sand bumps.
It is about time to get out of the tunnel of tension and disturbance and to
reclaim the political and constitutional institutions on the basis of the
Lebanese higher interest and hanging on to Lebanon’s features, its freedom,
independence and Arabism.
The logic of political choice prevailed over the legislative elections; this
means that the Lebanese have settled their decision to assume democracy as their
life style as it means that the majority is the ‘majority’ of the state. Thus,
we should all work on enhancing and activating the elements of the national
unity to confront all conspiracies raiding our country.
Suspicious silence of March 8…Syria loses its bet to the
“strongest democracies”
Date: June 9th, 2009 Future News
Nothing could be done anymore now that the Lebanese spoke out and are back to
their regular lives waiting for the aftermath of the elections that the March 8
group is preparing meticulously for the new phase with the aim of reinstating
the political scene that reigned during the past four years, the one that the
Lebanese confronted in the ballots in a civilized and democratic manner.
The suspicious silence of the opposition group was breached by MP Mohammad Raad
who asserted that the victory achieved by the March 14 coalition means a
continuation of the “crisis” while drawing to the majority the path it should
follow saying “the resistance is out of any debate” pointing that the victory of
March 14 in the elections was because of “sectarianism inciting, political
money, lobbying and a sectarian rhetoric that worked as a crane” in a direct
criticism to the statement of Maronite Patriarch Mar Nasrallah Boutros Sfeir on
the eve of the elections.
The Secretary General of Hizbullah Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah delivered a speech
Monday night declaring his acceptance to the elections results “we accept the
declared results, and that the opposing forces got the majority” asserting that
rescuing Lebanon needs the cooperation of ”everybody”.
Nasrallah added “as for naming the new Prime Minister and the formation of the
new cabinet, I do not want to give a final word now as I have to consult the
rest of the opposition forces”.
Continued US support
The electoral process that was watched carefully by the whole world was the main
subject of discussions during the meeting between the US transportation Minister
Ray Lahoud and head of Almustaqbal movement MP Saad Hariri. Lahoud asserted
after a visit to Koraytem that “the elections showed that Lebanon is one of the
strongest democracies in the region, where people can choose their leaders”
pointing that the US is looking forward to “continue its strong relations with
the Lebanese leaders in their efforts to apply a good program, form the new
cabinet and select their leaders, which is an important challenge facing the
whole region including the Peace Process”.
Hariri for his part, thanked Lahoud for “his personal support and that of the
United States and President Barack Obama, for this is a great day for Lebanon
after the elections day of Yesterday” hoping to “improve our relations with the
US in what serves the unity of Lebanon and the common interests of our two
countries”.
Berry outside the flock
While speaker Nabih Berry continued twittering outside the flock of the
old-renewed “minority” praising “the patriotic speeches we heard from head of
the parliamentary majority MP Sheikh Saad Hariri and head of the Democratic
Gathering MP Walid Jumblatt and the assertion of both of them on the national
unity and partnership”, President of the republic General Michel Sleiman
expressed his relief for “organizing the elections in a high spirit of democracy
and transparency” calling for “the cooperation between the various parties in
order to launch the reform process”.
They will not assassinate February 14
Minister of Education and Higher Education Bahia Hariri stressed that “they will
not be able to assassinate what was born on February 14 as it is implanted in
every Lebanese and whoever wants the salvation of this country”. She added
“today is a new day that witnessed the wisdom of President Sleiman in leading
this country.
Saudi Arabia congratulates the Lebanese of winning the elections
Date: June 8th, 2009 Source: Saudi news agency
Saudi Arabia congratulated Monday the Lebanese for winning the parliamentary
elections and called them to achieve further security and stability.
Saudi Culture Minister Abdul Aziz Khoja released a statement following the
weekly cabinet session headed by Custodian of the two Holy Mosques, King
Abdullah Ben Abdul Aziz, lauding the one-day successful electoral process and
asking for the preservation of Lebanon’s safety. The cabinet deemed US President
Barack Obama’s speech “a turning point in Saudi-American ties, which pave the
way for constructive dialogue.” King Abdul Aziz met with Obama earlier this
month to discuss bilateral ties and regional issues and the forefront was the
Palestinian cause. Khoja commended the “new phase” in Saudi-American ties, “that
pave the way for positive relations with the Islamic and Arab world.”
Nasrallah Accepts Defeat, Says No Need to Worry About Poll Results as Resistance
a Popular Choice
Naharnet/Hizbullah Secretary-General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah accepted the defeat
of the March 8 alliance in parliamentary elections but stressed that there is no
need to worry about the poll outcomes because the resistance is a popular choice
which was proved in the turnouts of the votes.
"We accept the official results with sportsmanship and in a democratic way,"
Nasrallah said in a televised address, a day after elections.
"The resistance choice is not a choice of an armed group, but a popular choice
proved in recent elections," Nasrallah said, pointing to a difference between a
"parliamentary majority" and a "popular majority."
Nasrallah stressed that the choice of a strong state is also the choice of the
resistance.
"We are facing all level challenges, the cooperation by all parties is needed
and this is related to the will of the other political groups," he added.
He congratulated his political rivals.
"I would like to congratulate all those who won, those in the majority and those
in the opposition," he said.
"We accept the fact that the competition won a majority while the opposition
retained its presence in parliament," Nasrallah said.
He thanked the "popular support" for the resistance from southerners living in
"dangerous" border towns.
Nasrallah said opposition leaders would meet soon to agree on a joint position
on the naming of a new prime minister and the formation of a new government.
He vowed that the reform project which the opposition has placed will be
"followed if the opposition is in the next government or not."
Washington renewed its support for Lebanon after the election victory by the
anti-Syrian March 14 coalition. President Barack Obama said the U.S. would
"continue to support a sovereign and independent Lebanon, committed to peace."
"It is our sincere hope that the next government will continue along the path
toward building a sovereign, independent and stable Lebanon," Obama said in a
statement.
U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon called on Lebanese to respect the results and hoped the
process to start forming a cabinet would begin immediately, his spokesman Farhan
Haq said.
Hizbullah sees veto rights as vital to ward off any challenge to its status as
an armed organization resisting Israel.
Hizbullah and AMAL Movement of Speaker Nabih Berri swept to victory in
predominantly Shiite districts. A defeat, however, by Christian ally Gen. Michel
Aoun in the major districts of Zahle and Ashrafiyeh deprived the opposition of
the majority it had sought. Nasrallah pledged to "follow up on the reform plan"
which the opposition has placed "whether the opposition is in the next
government or not."The head of the Shiite militant movement urged the new MPs to
"preserve the faith" of their electors. "All of them must know that they have a
responsibility towards the people and this nation," Nasrallah said. He declined
to discuss the formation of a new government, saying it "needs consultations
with all the members of the opposition."
Beirut, 08 Jun 09, 21:48
U.S. Prefers a Lebanese Foreign Minister who is Not a Hizbullah Ally
Naharnet/Washington welcomed the victory of the March 14 forces in Lebanon's
parliamentary elections, and said it preferred a foreign minister who is not
allied with Hizbullah.
A high-ranking State Department source told As Safir newspaper that there was "a
clear choice between March 14 and independents on the one hand and Hizbullah and
its allies on the other" in the parliamentary elections.
However, the opposition "will play an important role in political life"
because the majority's victory was "not absolute," the source added.
He said Free Patriotic Movement leader Michel Aoun will have "an important voice
in parliament" with the 21 MPs he now has in his bloc. While Hizbullah's
11-member bloc is not strong in terms of membership, the official added.
He said the U.S. and Lebanon's friends were not comfortable with the
experience of veto power in the government because many issues were frozen in
the previous period. A high-ranking State Department
source also told pan-Arab daily Asharq al-Awsat that it would be easier to
cooperate with a Lebanese foreign minister who is not allied with Hizbullah.
About U.S. aid to Lebanon, the source said: "Washington's assistance to
Lebanon depends on what it wants and what it expects from the Lebanese
government in terms of its partnership with the U.S."
Aid also depends on the upcoming cabinet's formation and policy statement, the
official added. Meanwhile, U.S. Assistant Secretary of
State for Near Eastern Affairs Jeffrey Feltman said Lebanese voters declared
that the government should be responsible for security and sovereignty which is
in compliance with resolutions 1559 and 1701. He told
al-Arabiya TV network that Hizbullah's rejection to give up its weapons and
become a political party puts Lebanon in danger. Beirut, 09 Jun 09, 09:35
Franjieh: Aoun Fought Everything and We Stand by Him
Naharnet/Marada Movement leader Suleiman Franjieh vowed to continue to stand by
Free Patriotic Movement chief Gen. Michel Aoun.
Aoun "fought everything. The church was against us. So was the presidency to
some extent," Franjieh said following the outcome of parliamentary elections.
Beirut, 09 Jun 09, 08:06
Christian votes mattered less than expected in
elections, analysts say
Monolithic voting by Sunnis, Shiites shaped outcome of polls
By Michael Bluhm /Daily Star staff
Tuesday, June 09, 2009
BEIRUT: Monolithic sectarian voting by Lebanon's Sunnis and Shiites decided the
results of Sunday's general elections, upending conventional wisdom that the
country's Christians would determine the vote's winner, a number of analysts
told The Daily Star on Monday. Christian-majority districts remained the crucial
electoral battlegrounds, but the unexpected weight of Sunni voters in the Zahle,
Koura and Beirut 1 precincts swung the poll in favor of the March 14 alliance,
which won 71 of 128 Parliament seats, said Hilal Khashan, head of the department
of political studies and public administration at the American University of
Beirut. Meanwhile, Shiite voters in the Christian-majority regions of Baabda,
Jbeil and Jezzine - as well as Armenian electors in the Metn - clinched
resounding victories for the lists of the March 8 coalition's Free Patriotic
Movement (FPM), Khashan added.
"The outcome of the election did surprise most of us," he said, adding that the
final tally also revealed the absence of reliable polling information about
voter preferences. "Contrary to expectations, it was not the Christian vote that
determined the outcome - it was the Sunni and Shiite voters. It was the Sunni
vote that ensured the defeat of the [FPM head] Michel Aoun electoral list."
The nearly uniform sectarian voting patterns also uncovered a deep democracy
deficit in the elections, trumpeted regionally and internationally as a model
for the largely undemocratic Middle East, said Shafik Masri, professor of
constitutional law.
"We can hardly speak of a Lebanese voter - we can speak of sect voters," he
said, adding that the absence of voters supporting independent candidates or
casting blank ballots also underscored the disturbing lesson. "This actually
deformed the individual right [to vote] into a crystallized sectarian voting.
The voting adjective is 'collective,' but not 'individual.'"
Even though March 14 emerged with a surprisingly large legislative majority, the
results did not alter the fundamental dynamic of the domestic landscape, with
the March 14 and March 8 factions deeply polarized and yet fated to cooperate in
creating the next cabinet, Khahsan said.
"March 14 can claim a majority - I would call it an honorary majority. Its value
is symbolic," he said. "In reality the [results] don't change anything."
March 14 parliamentary majority leader Saad Hariri, for example, continues to
offer the March 8 bloc a cabinet formula under which March 8 and President
Michel Sleiman would together have veto power with one-third of the ministerial
positions, Khashan said. At the same time, Hariri would be disappointing some of
his electoral base by giving March 8 such representation, meaning he might still
choose not to preside over the next administration, Khashan added.
"Can [Hariri] form a cabinet that would deny the opposition veto power? No,"
Khashan said. "He is in a most unenviable position."
Hariri's Sunni voters may have sealed Aoun's defeat, but the former general also
garnered fewer votes from Christian voters than in the 2005 elections, when he
raked in some 70 percent of Christian ballots. Aoun angered Christian voters by
tussling with Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Butros Sfeir and President Michel
Sleiman, the former head of the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF), said Masri. "There
are three sanctified symbols among Christians, which are the church, the army
and the president," Masri said. "These three symbols were not respected by the
opposition."
Aoun also turned off many Christians with his newfound closeness to Syria - as
head of the LAF, Aoun had led an abortive war of liberation against Syria in
1989-90, and many Christians remain profoundly suspicious
of their neighbor, said retired General Elias Hanna, who teaches political
science at Notre Dame University.
Tactically, Aoun also formed weak candidate lists, preferring partisan loyalists
and those willing to chip in large sums of campaign cash to respected local
politicians, said former Ambassador Abdallah Bou Habib, executive director of
the Issam Fares Center for Lebanon, a non-partisan think tank.
"His lists didn't have any added value," he said. "They were all partisan
people, yes-men. He depended on himself only. He overpriced himself."
"He has a bloc of 27 [MPs] with only three who are distinguished," Bou Habib
added, referring to Farid al-Khazen, Alain Aoun and Simon Abi-Ramia. Aoun will
also suffer from the electoral losses of his key allies - son-in-law and
Telecommunications Minister Jebran Bassil, as well as Deputy Prime Minister
Issam Abu Jamra, the FPM's unsuccessful Greek Orthodox candidate in Beirut 1
The key Zahle district also demonstrated Aoun's poor choice of allies, as he
teamed there with Agriculture Minister Elie Skaff, whose entire list for the
district's seven seats was swamped by Sunni voters whom Skaff had made little
effort to court, Bou Habib said. Sunnis "tipped the balance in Zahle,"he said. "Zahle
made the difference."
Despite those setbacks, the results still showed Aoun as a powerful vote magnet
among Christians - his lists swept the Kesrouan district and won five of seven
seats in the Metn district, and his Shiite allies secured him the second-largest
parliamentary bloc behind Hariri's Future Movement, Bou Habib added.
After the vote's surprisingly lopsided outcome, however, Aoun will have to
abandon years of basic rhetoric that the March 14 alliance did not represent the
real majority of Lebanese, Bou Habib said. "He lost the majority myth," Bou
Habib said. "It's not a myth anymore."
The March 8 parties will also have to forget their demand of a one-third ration
of cabinet seats because of the ringing defeat, Masri said. The unfavorable
results also should show March 8 the shortcomings of its campaign - for example,
Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, as head of the March 8 camp's
strongest faction, erred badly in referring to May 7 last year - when Hizbullah
gunmen seized large swathes of western Beirut - as a "glorious day," during a
speech last month marking the first anniversary of the clashes, Hanna said.
The electorate's rejection of the March 8 camp also puts Hizbullah in a position
where it would find little support for any more use of its arms against
Lebanese, Hanna added.
On an international level, Hizbullah backer Syria also felt the sting of
rejection from a plurality of Christian voters in the Christian-majority regions
nearest Syria - Zahle, Akkar and Western Bekaa, Hanna said. The results also
prove that Syria does not have the influence in Lebanon to conform electoral
results to its will, Masri said.
On the other hand, the March 14 victory will "reassure" the March 14's many
international supporters, such as the US, Europe and Saudi Arabia and other
so-called moderate Arab states, Hanna said. Ironically, the international
politician "most disappointed" by the outcome might be Israeli Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu, who has lost a bargaining card in his fraught relationship
with Obama, Khashan said.
"Mr. Obama has been relieved of pressure from Benjamin Netanyahu," Khashan said.
Netanyahu "was hoping Hizbullah would win. It will be more difficult for Mr.
Netanyahu to resist pressure from Mr. Obama for a two-state solution - he cannot
cry wolf and say that Hizbullah is in power."
Aside from the politicians who nabbed seats in Parliament, one of the poll's
biggest winners was Interior Minister Ziyad Baroud, who oversaw the surprisingly
placid vote, completed for the first time over a single day, Hanna said.
"It is a success for the Interior Ministry," Hanna said, adding that Lebanon's
economy might also benefit should the calm lead to a summer tourism boom. "Ziyad
Baroud has done a great job. I think he will return to this ministry." The
winning March 14 side also acquitted itself well by reining in its partisans
from any celebrations that could have provoked the March 8 parties, Masri said.
Like Baroud, Sleiman will probably also find his power enhanced, as the
continuing enmity between March 14 and March 8 creates space for him to act as a
force balancing the rival factions, Hanna said.
In the end, however, the stark sectarian voting patterns which defined the
elections also underscored how deeply confessional animosities remain
entrenched, regardless of the freshest scars still lingering from May 2008
clashes, Khashan said.
Lebanese voters "don't need Hassan Nasrallah to remind them that May 7 was a
'glorious day,'" Khashan said. "The Sunni vote would have been the same even
without the May 7 events."
"There is no affinity between Maronites and Sunnis," he added. "Maronite voters
voted for their own Maronite reasons and not because Hizbullah invaded West
Beirut last year. In fact, the Lebanese enjoy seeing one sect humiliate
another."
With the absence of any substantial campaign platforms, the elections showed
that Lebanese vote more out of a sectarian hostility than from any impetus to
build something positive, Khashan said.
"Lebanese voters vote out of resentment," he said. "They simply vote to see the
defeat of their adversaries."
Foreign Ministry: Hizbullah still controls Lebanon
Published: 06.09.09, 11:05 / Israel News
Head of assessment at the Foreign Ministry, Nimrod Barkan, told the Knesset's
Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee that Hizbullah's defeat in the Lebanon
elections did not hurt its military power, but noted that it was still unclear
how the results would affect its attitude towards Israel.
Barkan clarified that "Hizbullah continues to be the strongest organization in
Lebanon in military terms," noting that the Shiite organization still controls
the country although the parliament majority belongs to the anti-Syrian camp. (Amnon
Meranda
ACKERMAN CONGRATULATES LEBANON ON ELECTIONS
Congressman Gary L. Ackerman (D- Queens / Long Island), the Chairman of the
House Subcommittee on the Middle East and South Asia issued the following
statement today in response to the elections in Lebanon: “The people of Lebanon
have won a tremendous victory and set their nation’s course toward a future of
prosperity, stability and peace.
Lebanon’s destiny is for the people of Lebanon to decide, not anyone else. And
yesterday, the people of Lebanon spoke their will and the results must be
honored and respected. Ballots, not bullets were the means of change yesterday,
and I hope they will remain forever the sole method of deciding political
questions.
These elections hold out the hope that Lebanon will be what we all know it can
be: a place that respects all the different voices and religions and convictions
within it; a nation that exists with one foot in the West and the other in the
Arab world. And most of all, that Lebanon can simply be a normal country and not
a battleground for outside powers.
I look forward to working with the new Lebanese government to support its
efforts to establish its authority throughout the nation, to develop its
capacity for governance, and to strengthen the Lebanese Armed Forces and
Internal Security Forces to ensure the nation’s security. But today is a day for
celebration and I extend my warmest congratulations to the government and the
people of Lebanon. The day is coming, I hope, when all of Lebanon’s children can
grow up without fear of war or political violence
Good News
from Lebanon but crisis looms
By Barry Rubin
In Lebanon's election, the moderate March 14 coalition did well, gaining one
seat from its current total. Hizballah and its allies cannot claim they won a
victory at the polls. For the best analysis see Tony Badran's detailed
assessment.
But the very closeness of the outcome probably means another coalition
government between the two blocs. Most immediately, Hizballah will demand once
again veto power even if it has only one-third of the coalition. And Hizballah
has a way of backing up its negotiating strategy with guns. Whatever the result,
Hizballah and its allies, including Iran and Syria, will keep up the pressure on
the moderate regime, and this could mean crises ahead. One result could be that
an attack on Israel from Lebanon is less likely, at least over the next year, as
Hizballah and its allies don't want to disrupt their efforts to bring Lebanon
closer to their control. I hate to say this but political assassination--or at
least attempts--and other terrorism could continue to be a method of
intimidation. The West is going to be challenged to provide support for the
March 14 coalition government. Any sign of yielding to Hizballah is going to
have dangerous consequences within Lebanon and for the region as a whole.
FM Lieberman: Sunni-Shiite Nuclear Arms Race Possible
by Nissan Ratzlav-Katz/(IsraelNN.com) Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman warned
that Iran may precipitate a nuclear arms race with its Arab, Sunni Muslim
neighbors. However, the Foreign Minister believes, the international community
understands the need for cooperation in handling regional threats.
Addressing a meeting of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee on
Tuesday morning, Lieberman said, "Events around the world have forced the
international community into greater cooperation than could otherwise have been
expected. The European Union and the Russians both understand that it is not
possible to solve such problems without cooperation among all the international
actors."
In the case of Israel, the Foreign Minister said, "We are attempting to achieve
a regional network to reach a solution. Everyone understands that cooperation is
necessary."
The Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee meeting was open to the public, in
line with a decision made under the last Olmert administration. It was decided
at the time that the effort at transparency would occur intermittently,
circumstances permitting, due to issues of State security.
Addressing the Iranian nuclear weapons program specifically, Foreign Minister
Lieberman added, "The Arab Sunni [Muslim] world will not accept a situation in
which only Iran has nuclear weapons. If Iran achieves a military nuclear
capabilities, the entire region will enter an insane nuclear [arms] race with
consequences that I need not detail."
Regarding Iran's international activities, Lieberman cited the Islamic
Republic's intensive efforts to spread its influence and undercover cells in
Africa and South America. To counter this development, he said, Israel has an
obligation to invest in diplomatic initiatives in those regions.
Foreign Ministry representative Hayim Vaksman told the Knesset committee that
"Iran is not cooperating with the IAEA. Iran is engaged in significant
development in the field of missile technology." The issue remains at the
highest priority level for the Ministry, he said.
Vaksman pointed out that the international sanctions on Iran have, thus far,
been ineffective. Not only that, but "in April, the Iranians received a proposal
for starting a dialogue, but they refused," he said. Negotiations with Iran,
under the April proposal, were to be conducted by the five members of the United
Nations Security Council and Germany.
"This is a global problem. The international community must present Iran with a
critical dilemma - cooperation or a heavy price it will have to pay," Vaksman
said. "Action must be taken now, so that we don't wake up one morning and
discover that it is too late."
Victory
and the Price
Wed, 10 June 2009
Ghassan Charbel
The election results spared the Lebanese opposition a tough test that could have
been brought about by its victory. It was difficult to convince the world that
Hezbollah is not the backbone of the government regardless of how much the
Aounist cover is extended. It was difficult for Hezbollah to spare the country
some costs that could be induced by international and Arab stances that fear to
see it seize the reins of decision. It was not easy for Hezbollah to be the
government’s effective cover and to maintain at the same time its role as a
resistance whose commitments sometimes go beyond the borders of the Lebanese
scene. However, all this does not negate the party’s weight and overwhelming
representation of its sect as well as the danger of isolating it and the
impossibility of achieving stability against it or in its absence. Hezbollah
needs to read the message of the ballot boxes, which reminds of the limits of
power in the Lebanese structure.
The results also spared General Aoun’s movement a tough test. His movement is
more of a broad protest than a ruling force or a partner in power. Its balance
is more a collection of criticisms and condemnations than one of visions and
solutions. Aoun excels at being in the opposition more than he is convincing in
power. He is more successful in politics than in the military world.
I heard those who were reading the results and saying many things. The General
can no longer say that the Presidential Palace was stolen from him; that he is
the leader of the Christians; that the Patriarch and the President of the
Republic are intruders and troublemakers; that he played with the corruption
card until it disintegrated and that he wouldn’t dare when in power to open wide
the doors of this mine. He can no longer say that he lost when he volunteered to
fight the martyrs and the tears of their relatives, waging the elections battle
to bring down the daughter, brother, or son of a martyr. I heard this talk,
which might be far from the truth. But this does not deny the fact that the
General is good at addressing a part of the people; that his reduced popularity
does not imply its fading; that the victors must invite him to dialogue instead
of marginalizing his movement.
The March 14 forces are entitled to celebrate their victory. The opposition can
no longer consider it an illusionary majority for sure. It went to the ballot
boxes and came back with a clear delegation. Saad Hariri returned with a wider
and stronger leadership than his father’s. The discourse of moderation that
characterized his recent appearances reflected the tough tests and trainings he
has gone through in recent years, especially that the Lebanese laboratory is a
stern teacher.
This image does not cancel out the fact that the March 14 forces have a flaw in
their Shiite representation, just as the opposition has a flaw in its Sunni
representation. Stability requires a settlement to mend this flaw through a
creative solution that is hard to refuse. The way to this can be a governmental
formula that can empower the President of the Republic to deal with the
bottlenecks, as need the majority and the opposition alike.
Victory is a tough test that entails difficult decisions. The future cannot stay
hostage to the past, even if it was rife with pain. The winner must reassure the
loser. The loser must acknowledge the rules of the game. The March 14 forces
must release themselves from the burden of the International Tribunal now that
the file has exited Lebanon. They must also admit that good or natural relations
with Syria are a prerequisite for stability, and that the respect of geographic
realities on one side of the border must be met with the other side’s respect of
Lebanon’s structure and realities.
Saad Hariri emerged from the elections as an undisputed leader of his community
and a great Lebanese pole. He emerged with enough power to take difficult or
painful decisions. Victory has a price. Stability has a price. The presidency of
the council of ministers has certain specifications and features. To alleviate
the country’s woes, he must curb his personal pain. Such conduct ushers him into
the club of the wise men after he entered the club of the strong men. The
Lebanese laboratory obliges the opposition to take decisions of the same
caliber. Any return to messing around with the ingredients would set the
laboratory to fire