LCCC
ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
June 12/09
Bible Reading of the day.
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 10:7-13. As you go, make
this proclamation: 'The kingdom of heaven is at hand.' Cure the sick, raise the
dead, cleanse lepers, drive out demons. Without cost you have received; without
cost you are to give. Do not take gold or silver or copper for your belts; no
sack for the journey, or a second tunic, or sandals, or walking stick. The
laborer deserves his keep. Whatever town or village you enter, look for a worthy
person in it, and stay there until you leave. As you enter a house, wish it
peace. If the house is worthy, let your peace come upon it; if not, let your
peace return to you.
Free Opinions, Releases, letters & Special
Reports
FACTBOX: What is Hezbollah?-Reuters
11/06/09
Lebanon's Election-New York Times
11/06/09
The
Lebanese decide to go West again-By
Paul Salem 11/06/09
Now that
the Doha Accord is obsolete, 'Doha II' should be on the table-By
The Daily Star 11/06/09
Latest News Reports From
Miscellaneous Sources for June
11/09
Damascus: Our Stance From The Next
Lebanese Cabinet Built on Relations With the Resistance and US-Naharnet
Saniora: I Nominate Hariri
to Head Next Cabinet-Naharnet
Hariri Poised to Become
Lebanon's New Prime Minister-Naharnet
Geagea: My Hand is
Extended to Other Christian Parties-Naharnet
Sudan, Hamas and Hezbollah-EuropeNews
Hariri Poised to Become Lebanon's
New Prime Minister-Naharnet
2 Hand
Grenades Near Jdeideh School, Mortar in Sidon-Naharnet
Mitchell in Beirut as U.S. Steps Up Diplomatic Engagement with Syria-Naharnet
Franjieh Moving to Beirut-Naharnet
Gueant: Paris Urged
Damascus to Facilitate Lebanese Electoral Process-Naharnet
National Dialogue toward
Expansion-Naharnet
Qassem Says Hizbullah
'Prepared' for New Page with Majority; Sees Hariri a 'Strong' Candidate for
Premiership-Naharnet
Aoun, Murr Contest
Election Results-Naharnet
Special Tribunal for
Lebanon Amends Some Rules of Procedure and Evidence-Naharnet
Aoun Demands 45%
Representation in New Government-Naharnet
Indian Students Protest
Alleged Racial Attacks by Lebanese Gangs in Australia-Naharnet
Carter from Beirut to
Damascus-Naharnet
Gemayel: True Democracy
Means One Group Rules, Another Oversees and Hold Accountable-Naharnet
Obama Calls Suleiman to
Congratulate Him on Elections-Naharnet
Assad: National Accord
Necessary for Next Phase-Naharnet
March 14: Poll Results
Revealed where Real Majority Lies-Naharnet
Geagea: Nasrallah's
'Popular Majority' Inconsistent with Taef-Naharnet
Hezbollah still potent despite Lebanon vote-Reuters
US wants Israel to make peace with
all neighbors - envoy
Carter in Syria talks ahead of US envoy visit-AFP
Hezbollah claims it won popular vote-United
Press International
Former Hezbollah cleric praises Obama for
reaching out to Muslims-Ha'aretz
Barak: US military aid may reach Hezbollah-United
Press International -
Lebanon's
Winning Coalition Unwilling to Give
Hezbollah Veto-Bloomberg
Fear of Iran,
Obama's words swayed Lebanon
vote-The
Associated Press
Obama and Assad praise success of
Lebanese
polls-Daily
Star
Sunni bloc turned Zahle into March
14
district-Daily
Star
Arab state 'to host talks' between
Lebanon,
Syria-Daily
Star
Voters mostly stuck to party lists
in Sunday's
polls-Daily
Star
Italy praises Lebanon's 'spirit of
democracy-Daily
Star
Qassem says Hizbullah ready to open
new page
with rivals-Daily
Star
Three more suspects charged with
spying for Israel
By
Agence France Presse (AFP)
Argentina calls on Lebanon to
arrest suspect in 1994 bombing
By
Agence France Presse (AFP)
Barak fears Hizbullah will get US
military
aid-Daily
Star
Lebanon
ranks 39th globally, 6th in the MENA region on Capital Access Index-Daily
Star
Lebanon raises fuel prices as oil
climbs on international marketsDaily Star
Special
Tribunal adopts amendments on evidence-Daily
Star
Blank,
invalid ballots could have swung Metn race-Daily
Star
Hariri Poised to Become Lebanon's New Prime Minister
Naharnet/MP Saad Hariri is now the man most likely to become the new prime
minister of Lebanon. Hariri himself no longer denies this possibility and there
seems to be general consensus on him, too. An Nahar newspaper on Thursday said
traditional consultations will be launched June 20 – the day parliament term
expires -- to name the new prime minister who will form the next cabinet and
appoint a new parliament speaker. The daily As Safir, for its part, quoted
Hizbullah circles as saying the Shiite group "does not object to Hariri becoming
prime minister."
The circles also said that Hizbullah has informed all those concerned that
current Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri is the "natural" candidate for the
speakership.
It quoted Democratic Gathering bloc leader MP Walid Jumblat as telling the
newspaper that he would support calls for Hariri's nomination to the premiership
"if he decided to take this responsibility." As Safir, according to the same
Hizbullah circles, said channels with Qoreitem remain open and increased the
likelihood of a meeting between Hariri and Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan
Nasrallah in the "immediate future." Al-Akhbar newspaper agreed, saying
preparations were underway for an "urgent and immediate" meeting between Hariri
and Nasrallah.
It pointed to a series of meetings that took place over the past few days, most
notably between Nasrallah's political aide Hajj Hussein Khalil and Berri and
between Free Patriotic Movement leader Gen. Michel Aoun and MPs Suleiman
Franjieh and Talal Arslan. Al-Akhbar said similar meetings are in the works,
pending a formal offer from the parliamentary majority with regards to "forms of
participation" in the new government. Meanwhile, al-Liwaa daily said a Hariri-Berri
meeting is likely to take place "soon" prior to the Hariri-Nasrallah
get-together.
It quoted a source from the majority March 14 forces as saying the coalition
would meet as soon as possible to "outline its goals for the next phase."
Well-informed sources told al-Akhbar that opposition participation in the
government would "not be at any price," and that it totally rejects to be dealt
with "not as part of a coalition." Beirut, 11 Jun 09, 08:44
2 Hand Grenades Near Jdeideh School, Mortar in Sidon
Naharnet/Two hand grenades were found on Thursday at the entrance to Sagesse
school in Jdeideh, north of Beirut. Voice of Lebanon radio said a student found
a black plastic bag containing the grenades and brought them inside the school
thinking they were toys. Security forces, who arrived to the school, inspected
the grenades and transported them to an army post for further inspection. In
another security development, an old mortar not set to explode was found
Thursday morning at the southwestern area of the southern port city of Sidon's
garbage dump, the National News Agency reported. A percussion bomb also exploded
around midnight near the house of an Imam in the Western Bekaa town of Kamed al-Lawz.
Security forces opened an investigation after the windows of Imam Mohammed
Majzoub's vehicle were shattered. In another incident in Hermel, Hanan Hassan
Hashem,15, was killed during a gunfight between Issa Hussein Shehab Allaw and
Ali Jaber Hamadeh. Beirut, 11 Jun 09, 12:05
Mitchell in Beirut as U.S. Steps Up Diplomatic Engagement with Syria
Naharnet/U.S. peace envoy George Mitchell is to visit Lebanon for the first time
on Thursday as part of President Barack Obama's commitment to work to advance a
comprehensive peace in the region. Mitchell is also scheduled to visit Syria on
Friday in the first such trip as the Obama administration steps up its
diplomatic engagement with key regional player Damascus, a senior official said.
Mitchell's trip follows stops in the Palestinian West Bank city of Ramallah.
Local media said Mitchell will meet President Michel Suleiman, Prime Minister
Fouad Saniora and Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, in addition to Foreign
Minister Fawzi Salloukh and MP Saad Hariri. The daily Al Mustaqbal on Thursday
said Mitchell's talks aim at "exploring the developments in Lebanon" following
the victory of the March 14 coalition. Officials in Beirut said Mitchell would
arrive in Lebanon with EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana.
State Department spokesman Ian Kelly said Mitchell's trip to Syria and Lebanon
is partly a "follow-up" to President Obama's speech in Cairo last week aimed at
improving ties with Arabs and Muslims. He declined to link the timing of the
envoy's visit to Damascus with the Lebanon election aftermath, saying only it
was an "appropriate time" to make such a trip and the administration rated it a
"very high priority."
But a State Department official who asked not to be named said Mitchell, who
applied for a visa to Syria weeks ago, preferred to make the trip to both Beirut
and Damascus after the elections in Lebanon. The Obama administration has been
cautiously pursuing diplomatic engagement with Syria, which has long had
strained ties with Washington, in a bid to promote Arab-Israeli peace. Jeffrey
Feltman, the acting assistant secretary of state for Near Eastern Affairs, and
National Security Council Senior Director Daniel Shapiro visited Damascus last
month. It was their second visit to the Syrian capital since Obama took office
in January pledging to engage with all Middle Eastern countries, including
Washington's foes such as Syria and Iran. Ties between Washington and Damascus
worsened sharply after the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003, and the
assassination of Prime Minister Rafik Hariri in 2005 which was blamed on Syria.
Washington recalled its ambassador in February 2005 following Hariri's murder
and no decision has yet been taken on his replacement.
Damascus has denied any involvement in Hariri's killing, but withdrew its troops
from Lebanon two months later, ending almost three decades of domination.
The United States accuses Syria and its non-Arab ally Iran of giving material
support to the radical Palestinian movement Hamas and Lebanon's Hizbullah in
their conflicts with Israel.
It also charges that Syria has turned a blind eye to Islamist militants entering
Iraq through its border. In Jerusalem, Mitchell said Washington wants the
stalled Middle East peace talks to resume soon and wrap up quickly. Mitchell,
whose visit comes just days before hawkish Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu is due to outline his cabinet's peace policy, sought to play down the
rising tensions between the two close allies over Washington's peace drive. "We
all share an obligation to create the conditions for the prompt resumption and
early conclusion of negotiations," Mitchell said.(Naharnet-AFP) Beirut, 11 Jun
09, 10:20
Franjieh Moving to Beirut
Naharnet/MP-elect Suleiman Franjieh has decided to move to live in Beirut in
preparation for the launch of a new kind of political activity following
parliamentary elections, al-Akhbar newspaper reported Thursday. It said Franjieh
plans to stand alongside Gen. Michel Aoun "in the face of the war launched
against them by Christians." Beirut, 11 Jun 09, 12:23
Gueant: Paris Urged Damascus to Facilitate Lebanese Electoral Process
Naharnet/Claude Gueant, the general secretary of the French presidency, has
unveiled that President Nicolas Sarkozy had contacted Syria several times to
facilitate the holding of the Lebanese parliamentary elections. "The French
president and I made several calls and we asked Syrian authorities to make an
effort to have free Lebanese elections," Gueant told pan-Arab daily al-Hayat in
remarks published Thursday. He said Damascus agreed and vowed to make every
effort to comply with the French demands.
Gueant told the newspaper that the formation of the next cabinet will be an
opportunity for Lebanese President Michel Suleiman to play his role as a
mediator between the March 8 and 14 forces. Al-Hayat quoted a source in the
majority as saying that Syria dealt positively with the results of Sunday's
elections after Damascus and Tehran were expecting a victory by the Hizbullah-led
opposition. The source said that Syria quickly accepted the March 14's victory
due to a Saudi-Syrian agreement that came after the policy of openness between
the two Arab countries on the one hand and Damascus and Washington on the other.
Al-Akhbar newspaper, in its turn, said that "Syria is now looking positively at
the consensus atmosphere prevailing in Lebanon." The daily quoted Syrian
officials as saying that Damascus is not embarrassed by the loss of Hizbullah or
the possible appointment of MP Saad Hariri as Lebanon's new prime minister.
Beirut, 11 Jun 09, 10:16
National Dialogue toward Expansion
Naharnet/President Michel Suleiman tends to expand national dialogue to include
representatives of economic and labor organization in addition to a personality
representing the Lebanese civil society, the daily As Safir reported Thursday.
It said the measure took into account the weights produced by the parliamentary
elections. It also aims at achieving both political and sectarian balance. This
means that dialogue will exclude certain participants and include new figures,
As Safir explained. It quoted ministerial sources as saying that Suleiman also
plans to expand the agenda to include, in addition to the defense strategy,
socio-economic issues. Beirut, 11 Jun 09, 12:06
Qassem Says Hizbullah 'Prepared' for New Page with Majority; Sees Hariri a
'Strong' Candidate for Premiership
Naharnet/Hizbullah's second in command Sheikh Naim Qassem said Wednesday the
party is waiting to see what the other team had to offer before "making a
decision" on whether to join the new government. Maintaining Hizbullah's
reconciliatory tone since the poll outcome, Qassem told Reuters that MP Saad
Hariri "was a strong candidate for the post of prime minister in the new
government. It is up to the majority to decide." The deputy secretary general
reiterated that Hizbullah was prepared to "open a new page" with the winning
majority.
"If the majority decides on a platform, a vision statement and performance
management that is different from the previous phase and that opens new
horizons, then the opposition will be on its side. If not, we will have a
different position," he said in the interview posted on al-Manar website. But he
declined to comment on whether the opposition's demand for veto power will be a
'precondition' for Hizbullah's participation in the government. Qassem
said deliberations over the future of Hizbullah's arsenal were "linked to the
national dialogue and do not need to be a subject of debate" by the new
government.""The new government will not have (on its agenda) a debate titled
weapons arsenal," he insisted. "Hizbullah's endorsement of the poll result
proves that the weapons arsenal was not an active and influential factor in the
elections," Qassem said. "On the contrary, (Hizbullah's reaction) is testimony
that the arsenal is that of resistance and is not related to political details,
elections and the daily lives of the people," he said. Beirut, 10 Jun 09, 20:15
Aoun, Murr Contest Election Results
Naharnet/Both MP Michel Aoun and Free Patriotic Movement leader and MP Michel
Murr have contested election results. Aoun on Wednesday announced he planned to
contest the elections before the Constitutional Council. "We will challenge the
elections before the Constitutional Council and we will surely contest MP Michel
Murr's membership in parliament on charges of intimidation and threats," Aoun.
"This will be the Constitutional Council's first task and we will see if it will
perform its duty," he added. On June 7, OTV broadcast a video showing Murr
threatening clerics by making use of his son's position as defense minister. In
another incident, OTV reported that Syriac Orthodox priest Elias al-Akari filed
a complaint with the attorney general's office against armed supporters of Murr
for detaining him. Murr was quick to respond. The daily An Nahar said on
Thursday said that Murr's Metn electoral list will file a contestation of the
election results in three polling centers in Borj Hammoud. Al-Anwar and al-Liwaa
newspapers, meanwhile, said Murr was preparing to file a contestation lawsuit
against five FPM members in the Metn constituency. Agriculture Minister Elie
Skaff also announced he planned to contest election results in the Zahle
constituency, accusing the intelligence bureau of interference in the polls.
Beirut, 11 Jun 09, 11:06
Aoun Demands 45% Representation in New Government
Naharnet/Free Patriotic Movement leader Gen. Michel Aoun said he would take part
in the new government on the basis of "proportional representation," meaning
this would give him veto power. He demanded a share not less than 45 percent of
seats in the new Cabinet. "Our bloc should get 7 out of 30 ministers given that
it has 27 MPs," in the new parliament, Aoun said in a late Wednesday night
interview with OTV. On election results, Aoun said: "Opportunity has been lost
because we were unable to obtain the majority." "The difference in votes was the
result of the increasing numbers of voters by more than 100,000, especially from
abroad," he added. Aoun called on the Lebanese people, however, to "keep an eye
on our performance."
He said that he has "thousands of complaints" about the March 14 forces'
"violations" of the election law. "Laws and traditions were violated.
Regretfully, Patriarch Sfeir's Saturday statement took a tragic tone about the
dangers posing to Lebanon which caused fear among people," Aoun went on to say.
Aoun said he will contest the election of MP Michel Murr in Metn, adding that he
is mulling contesting the election of Sami Gemayel who was declared MP in the
2009 parliamentary polls. "That decision, however, goes to Ghassan al-Ashqar,"
Aoun said.
He said contesting Zahle elections was very possible, too. Aoun said that he
spoke to Cabinet Minister Elie Skaff with this regards. The former army general
accused the United States of 'eliminating" the Christian role. "They accept all
sectarian leaderships except for the Christian leadership because it looks like
America has eliminated the Christian role since the 70's," Aoun charged. "That's
why they reject me." He dismissed talk about Wilayat el-Fakih and the like as "coverup
for naturalization" of Palestinians in Lebanon. Beirut, 11 Jun 09, 09:41
Special Tribunal for Lebanon Amends Some Rules of Procedure and Evidence
Naharnet/The international tribunal's judges have unanimously adopted amendments
to 14 rules in the Rules of Procedure and Evidence, the Special Tribunal for
Lebanon announced Wednesday.It said in a statement that the court's president
proposed these amendments in view of the first procedural steps taken by the
tribunal, and following consultations with the office of the prosecutor, the
office of the defense and the registrar. The amendments are designed to further
enhance and facilitate proceedings before the court that will try ex-Premier
Rafik Hariri's suspected assassins, the statement said. "The amendments relate
to the investigation stage of the proceedings (rules 16, 18, 77 and 96); the
effect of non compliance by states with tribunal requests and orders (rules 20,
21); the senior management board and the functions of the registrar (rule 38 and
48); service of judicial documents (rule 75bis); warrants of arrest (rule 79);
detention on remand (rule 101); and disclosure of confidential information (rule
117-119)," according to the statement. "The judges adopted these rules pursuant
to rule 5(F) of the rules of procedure and evidence – this procedure allows
amendments to be adopted other than at plenary sessions, provided they are
unanimously approved by the judges," the statement added. Beirut, 11 Jun 09,
08:30
Indian Students Protest Alleged Racial Attacks by Lebanese Gangs in Australia
Naharnet/Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd warned against vigilante action
and called for calm on Wednesday after Indians protested in Sydney against
Lebanese gangs for allegedly racially motivated attacks. "I fully support
hard-line measures in response to any act of violence toward any student
anywhere - Indian or otherwise," Rudd told Fairfax Radio in Melbourne. "We also
need to render as completely unacceptable people taking the law into their own
hands."
Recent attacks on Indians, including the stabbing of a 25-year-old Indian
student with a screwdriver in Melbourne last month, have sparked student-led
rallies in Sydney and Melbourne.
In Sydney, about 70 students chanting "We want justice!" took to the streets
Tuesday night to protest recent attacks, including the alleged assault of two
Indian men by a group of Lebanese on Monday. Three Lebanese men were later
attacked, apparently in retribution. Residents said tensions have grown in
Sydney's Harris Park neighborhood as more Indians moved in among a large
Lebanese population. But Elie Nassif, spokesman for the Lebanese Community
Council of New South Wales, said there had been tension between small sections
of the Lebanese and Indian communities in Sydney."Whether we like it or not, it
is happening, but as community leaders we should work together to wipe all this
(out)," he told ABC radio on Tuesday.
In Melbourne, Victoria state police announced Wednesday that they would increase
their presence at some train stations, including officers on horseback and with
dogs. Vasan Srinivasan, president of the Federation of Indian Associations in
Victoria, said attacks on Indian students have increased because their numbers
have soared fivefold in Melbourne in five years.
The series of attacks prompted a political response, with Indian Prime Minister
Manmohan Singh telling parliament in New Delhi that he would press Australia to
provide security for Indian students. "I spoke to Prime Minister Rudd, who
assured me that any racist attacks on Indian students will be strongly dealt
with," Singh told parliament. Beirut, 11 Jun 09, 09:24
Gemayel: True Democracy Means One Group Rules, Another Oversees and Hold
Accountable
Naharnet/Phalange Party leader Amin Gemayel on Wednesday said he will stand by
all constitutional establishments starting with the presidency. "True democracy
can only be achieved when one group rules and the other oversees and hold
accountable," he told a news conference. On poll results, Gemayel said: "without
a doubt, the Lebanese people have spoken in the elections and gave their vote to
March 14 forces.""The referendum confirmed the Lebanese people's position: no to
crippling constitutional establishments and no to weapons arsenal that are not
under the control of the Lebanese army," he added. Gemayel stressed that his
commitment to achieving "our national platform to solve economic and social
problems." "On the domestic level, we are betting on the inter-Christian
dialogue to reach Christian unity and national unity," he said."On the political
level, we will exert maximum effort to remove Lebanon from being part of an axis
by proposing positive neutrality," Gemayel added. Beirut, 10 Jun 09, 20:08
March 14: Poll Results Revealed where Real Majority Lies
Naharnet/The March 14 general secretariat said Wednesday that ballot boxes
revealed where the real majority lies and urged the minority to adopt a
democratic behavior.
"Ballot boxes showed where the real majority lies… In this regard, we call on
the minority not only to accept the results in form but also through commitment
to democratic behavior inside and outside legitimate institutions, away from the
logic of obstruction," the coalition's general secretariat said in a statement
after its weekly meeting. The election results, according to the statement,
revealed the objection of the Christian public opinion to choices that do not
match Lebanon's historic, national and cultural tracks. The Christian public
opinion "also stressed that it is holding onto its spiritual, moral and national
authorities," the alliance said. Following its victory in Sunday's parliamentary
elections, the coalition vowed to work for the creation of the state against the
statelet. It said the polls constituted a referendum on the choice of the free
and independent state. "The referendum of June 7, 2009 is a renewed expression
of the referendum of March 14, 2009." The statement also condemned attacks on
some candidates and their supporters before and after the elections, in
particular, Bassem al-Sabaa, Salah al-Harakeh and Ahmed al-Assaad. Beirut, 10
Jun 09, 14:48