LCCC
ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
June 25/09
Bible Reading of the day
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 1:57-66.80.
When the time arrived for Elizabeth to have her child she gave birth to a son.
Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown his great mercy toward
her, and they rejoiced with her. When they came on the eighth day to circumcise
the child, they were going to call him Zechariah after his father, but his
mother said in reply, "No. He will be called John." But they answered her,
"There is no one among your relatives who has this name." So they made signs,
asking his father what he wished him to be called. He asked for a tablet and
wrote, "John is his name," and all were amazed. Immediately his mouth was
opened, his tongue freed, and he spoke blessing God. Then fear came upon all
their neighbors, and all these matters were discussed throughout the hill
country of Judea. All who heard these things took them to heart, saying, "What,
then, will this child be?" For surely the hand of the Lord was with him. The
child grew and became strong in spirit, and he was in the desert until the day
of his manifestation to Israel.
Free Opinions, Releases, letters & Special
Reports
New Jersey man sentenced to 17 months for aiding Hezbollah-Reuters
24/06/09
Christians reject Aoun’s political
orientation. Future News 24/06/09
Syria’s history of hypocrisy and
lies. Future News 24/06/09
Stuck in the middle…detainees out
and not yet! 24/06/09
Analysts
see continued instability in Iran eventually rattling Hizbullah-By
Patrick Galey 24/06/09
We must
stand with liberty, this time in Tehran.By
Mark Perry 24/06/09
Masquerade In Iran-By
Rob Miller/American
Thinker 24/06/09
Latest
News Reports From Miscellaneous Sources for June
24/09
Hariri Supports Berri
Re-Election
-Naharnet
Aoun
Insists Opposition Wants Proportional Representation 'Not' Veto Power
-Naharnet
Berri Calls for 'Fusion' of March 8 and March 14 into National Unity
-Naharnet
Lebanon First' Parliamentary Bloc Meets Under Hariri's Chairmanship
-Naharnet
Sfeir
Stresses on Adoption of Policy of Extended Hand-Naharnet
Commemoration of the four martyr
Judges at the Justice Palace/Future News
Syrian-Saudi Rapprochement Imminent
amid News Hariri Received Damascus' Blessing-Naharnet
Israeli
Air Force Keeping Close Watch on Hizbullah-Naharnet
Aoun accuses President Sleiman of
partiality -Future News
Hammoud: Hariri’s decision to head
the government depends on March 8 stances
-Future News
Witnesses in the Hariri case need
protection -Future News
Nasrallah: Our decision is based on
the personality nominated for premiership
-Future News
Berry optimistic about Syrian-Saudi
negotiations -Future News
Gemayel hails the release of 23
Lebanese detained in Syria/Future News
US to Return Ambassador to Syria After 4-Year
Absence-Washington Post
Berlin wouldn't give
Syria, Iran trucks-Jerusalem
Post
Najjar: We Must Agree on a
Compromise on Hizbullah Arms-Naharnet
Fattoush's Zahle
Parliamentary Bloc Split-Naharnet
Baroud Supports Lebanese
Mother's Nationality Case-Naharnet
General Security and
Customs at Aboudiyeh Border Crossing Moved-Naharnet
Crisis Challenges Mideast Landscape-Wall
Street Journal
Obama Assails Iran for Violent Response to
Protests-New York Times
Syria ready for peace based on land-for-peace
principle: official-Xinhua
Syria reportedly buys new MiG 29 fighter jets from
Russia-Jerusalem Post
Arab successions a touchy issue-United
Press International
Iranian
authorities vow to teach 'exemplary lesson' to protesters
-Daily Star
Reports
emerge of Lebanese freed from Syrian jails
-Daily Star
Sleiman,
Hariri optimistic about post-election phase
-Daily Star
SSNP and
Baath party form parliamentary bloc
-Daily Star
Israeli
Army operations 'outside UNIFIL jurisdiction
-Daily Star
Turkey
extends troops' mission in Lebanon by a year
-Daily Star
Fadlallah urges Sarkozy to reconsider stance on burqa
-Daily Star
Siniora's duty 'was to ensure tribunal is formed
-Daily Star
Syria
sets conditions for cooperation with UN court-By
Agence France Presse (AFP)
AUB's
medical center earns recognition for international excellence in nursing
-Daily Star
Petition
calls for keeping Baroud on as interior minister
-Daily Star
Lebanese
society honors groups that have provided assistance to autistic children
-Daily Star
Students
'check in' to learn how to manage hotels
-Daily Star
Red
Cross opinion survey highlights impact of world's armed conflicts on civilians-Daily
Star
Rihani
among 'Outstanding Intellectuals'-Daily
Star
NJ man sentenced to 17 months for aiding Hezbollah
Tue Jun 23, 2009 NEW YORK (Reuters) - A New Jersey-based man was sentenced on
Tuesday to 17 months in prison for helping the broadcasting of Hezbollah
television channel Al Manar, which the United States deems a terrorist
organization. After initially pleading innocent, Saleh Elahwal changed his plea
to guilty and said that between about September 2005 and August 2006 he helped
provide satellite transmission services through New York-based HDTV Ltd to the
Beirut-based channel in return for thousands of dollars in payment.
Elahwal was sentenced in Manhattan federal court. U.S. prosecutors said Elahwal
worked with Javed Iqbal, a Pakistani living in New York who owned the small
satellite television company. Iqbal received five years in prison in April. Both
men initially pleaded innocent then changed their pleas to guilty on a charge of
providing material support to Hezbollah. Both faced a maximum of 15 years in
prison. Legal observers and lawyers for both men have said it was the only
terrorism-related case in the U.S. courts they knew of that had been brought
against persons providing satellite services and that it raised questions of
whether constitutional free speech rights were violated. Hezbollah, an Iranian-
and Syrian-backed Shi'ite Muslim group with a powerful guerrilla army, was
designated by the U.S. State Department as a terrorist organization in 1997. The
U.S. Treasury Department branded Al Manar a terrorist organization in March
2006, saying it supported Hezbollah's fund-raising and recruitment activities.
(Reporting by Christine Kearney, editing by Michelle Nichols and Vicki Allen)
Sfeir Stresses on Adoption of
Policy of Extended Hand
Naharnet/Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Sfeir hoped on Wednesday that the next
stage would be better than the past four years. Sfeir also said there is a need
for agreement among Lebanese in order to get out of problems that "have cost us
a lot in the past." According to MP Ziad al-Qadri, the patriarch also stressed
on the adoption of the policy of extended hand and upgrading the role of state
institutions without obstacles. Beirut, 24 Jun 09, 12:53
Najjar: We Must Agree on a Compromise on Hizbullah Arms
Naharnet/Justice Minister Ibrahim Najjar said the performance of the Lebanese
judicial system at present scores 6-10. Najjar, in an interview published by the
daily Al Akhbar on Wednesday, said judicial appointments were the most difficult
tasks he faced during his era. Regarding judicial issues related to Hizbullah
activities in Lebanon and the region, Najjar said: "The Lebanese need to be
reassured that this military force would not have political attraction on the
ground to an extent that it disrupts the rules of the game in Lebanon," Najjar
said, stressing the need to reach a compromise on Hizbullah weapons. Beirut, 24
Jun 09, 12:09
Commemoration of the four martyr Judges at the Justice
Palace
Date: June 24th, 2009
Future News/A ceremony was held Wednesday at the Palace of Justice of Beirut for
the commemoration of the four Judges Hassan Osman, Imad Chehab, Walid Harmoush
and Assem Abou Daher who were assassinated in Sidon on June 8, 1999. Present at
the ceremony were Justice Minister Ibrahim Najjar, the ministry’s general
director Judge Omar El Natour, head of the Higher Judiciary Council Judge Ghaleb
Ghanem, Prosecutor General Judge Said Mirza and the Beirut Bar syndicate
president Ramzi Jreij in addition to the members of the Judiciary Council while
the martyr Judges families and the investigative judge looking into the case
Rashid Mezher did not attend the ceremony. After a minute of silence for the
martyrs’ souls, Najar, Natour, Ghanem and Jreij put a wrath on the commemoration
shield located at the center of the palace’s main hall.
El-Saad: Setting conditions for reelecting Berry is not
accepted
Date: June 24th, 2009 Source: Voice of Lebanon
Fouad El-Saad, of the Democratic Gathering parliamentary bloc, said Wednesday
that his bloc decided to nominate Berry for Speaker. El-Saad told Voice of
Lebanon radio: “The Gathering decided to nominate Berry for Speaker, however
putting conditions for reelecting him is unacceptable.” Nabih Berry’s mandate
for Speaker ended on the 20th of June. On the controversial issue of the
obstructing third El-Saad said: “The power to veto government decisions is
useless; it is a constitutional heresy that has nothing to do with the
constitution or the Taëf agreement. The 1989 agreement negotiated in Saudi
Arabia provided the basis for ending the 15-year civil war and returned
political normalcy in Lebanon. “The regime in Lebanon is a constitutional
democratic one, where the majority governs and the minority opposes,” added Al-Saad.
On releasing Lebanese detainees from Syrian prisons, he said: “I have no details
on this issue. I read in the papers that the 23 persons released were prisoners
sentenced to a civil penalty, they are not the same missing Lebanese persons in
Syria whom we have been demanding to know their fate.”
Syria’s history of hypocrisy and lies
Date: June 24th, 2009 Future News
The history of the Syrian regime in lies is still the same, and nothing will
make it change the way it tackles bilateral relations with Lebanon, because it
insists to address the country as an arena and not an autonomous state. The
Syrians are resuming the same approach obstinately without any variation since
the 29 years of occupation to our soil, but its methods and techniques varied
with the years. Those who believed the Syrian regime has vaporized where
unfortunately wrong, as it still lingers before our eyes. The dishonesty and
treachery of this regime is still the same and the most recent is the
declaration or leaked information via the media that Damascus released 23
Lebanese detainees including 8 who were considered missing, knowing that Lebanon
has not officially received any of those which indicates that the release
occurred outside the official channels.
The irony is that Syria has always denied the presence of any Lebanese detained
in its prisons. After the Lebanese President Michel Sleiman visited Damascus,
the Lebanese Judiciary Committee received from the Syrian side a list of 107
prisoners held in the Syrian prisons, but the bewildering issue is that only 23
out of 107 were released by the same regime that used to deny their presence for
decades.
The worst part of the whole story is that those released had infiltrated Lebanon
illegally shortly before the elections to provide assistance to the "Thank you
Syria forces," to succeed in the elections in the Beqaa district, but not
everything that Damascus aspires can be obtained. In principle, no one claims to
extradite any convicted criminal who broke the law within the Syrian territory
or in any other country, but on the contrary, any individual shall bear the
consequences of his deeds and shall respect the laws of the countries he visits
or works in. However should any of the extradition or detention occur it must be
organized with the judicial channels of both States and in accordance with the
rules that require bilateral respect!
What Lebanon demands from the Syrians is to resolve the issue of political
prisoners and missing persons not the thieves and smugglers, and it must be
resolved on the basis of normal ties between equal countries not less. The
Lebanese law grants the right to its citizens to express their political views
without being subject to an unknown fate, alike the Syrian regime that deprives
its citizens of their basic rights. The Lebanese government and people will
never ever forget the issue of political prisoners and missing in Syrian
prisons, not now not anytime in the future. Shouldn't we hear the message,
“Martha, Martha, you worry and fret about so many things and yet few are needed,
indeed only one”.
Unveiling the fate of the detained and missing on the basis of normal
relationship between both countries, and without resorting to any twisted
methods, trickery or lies to delude the international community that the
behavior of the Syrian regime has changed
Christians reject Aoun’s political orientation
Date: June 24th, 2009 Future News
Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) figures justified the deterioration of their
party’s popularity among Christians by laying the blame on the lack of solid and
organized political structure and on the malfunction of its popular and
management chain of command.
Yet, this analysis lacks objectivity in drawing conclusions since the data
collected about the performance of the FPM ranks and file during the 2009
parliamentary elections showed that there were no shortcomings in their
electoral campaign.
Political analysts believe that the FPM succeeded in spreading its electoral
machine all over the Lebanese territory in order to cope with the one-day
elections.
These analysts cited the southern district of Jezzine as an example of the
success of the FPM electoral machine which was able to mobilize hundreds of
supporters and thousands who were living outside the district for decades.
Moreover, the FPM drew lessons from the 2007 Metn by-elections and developed
ways to face the Mount-Lebanon district Tycoon Michel Murr and the Kataeb party
that have a big influence in the area.
The FPM had also received an unprecedented support from their Hizbullah and
Syrian Socialist Nationalist Party (SSNP) which facilitated its contacts with
figures considered as key players in elections which was evident in districts
such like Kora, Metn and Mid-Bekaa.
Furthermore, Hizbullah’s electoral machine, deployed for the first time in
Baabda, Jbeil and Keserwan Mount Lebanon districts, offered the FPM a major
support while that of the Progressive Socialist Party did not exert much effort,
and the electoral machine of the coalition between the March 14 and alliance
suffered confusion until the last minute before the elections.
The reasons for the deterioration in the FPM popularity are political.
So where does the FPM problem lay?
What caused the decline of its representation of Christians from 70% to 43%?
The problem is entirely political and is not related to any malfunction of its
electoral machinery. It is related to the way the Christian regard the Lebanese
entity and to their endorsement to the state and its institutions.
The deterioration of the FPM popularity started when the movement started
altering its political stances which came before the dissent of many figures of
the movement’s at the first organizational conference called to by the
movement’s leader Michel Aoun which witnessed a harsh debate that erupted
between the reformist wing led by Issam Abu Jamra and Alain Aoun on the one hand
and the conservative wing led by Minister Jebran Bassil and his supporters on
the other over voting on the internal system and the mechanism of selecting the
chairman and his two deputies.
Although the conference witnessed the dissent of many FPM supports but the
deterioration in the movement’s popularity escalated after Aoun signed his
famous agreement with Hizbullah in 2005 which included vague items that many
Christians regarded as unacceptable.
The other wave of the FPM popularity deterioration came after its leaders failed
to convince the Christians that the March 14 alliance was responsible for the
break of the Naher el-Bared battles between the Lebanese armed Forces (FPM) and
Fatah Al-Islam terrorist group in 2007.
Moreover, the language of civil war followed by FPM by Aoun when he laid the
responsibility of the Marmekhael violent clashes between the LAF and
demonstrators who were allegedly protesting the electricity situation, on some
Christian figures angered a wide scale of Christians.
The suspicious stances of the FPM reached the climax when Aoun justified the
killing of first lieutenant Samer Hanna whose helicopter was downed by Hizbullah
militants was killed in August 2008.
The Christians disappointment with Aoun was not limited to his stances on
security incidents but also to his support of the downtown Beirut sit-in
organized by the opposition and his stances concerning May 7 incidents, the
presidential elections, cabinet formation and attack on the Maronite patriarchy.
An FPM Source considers that the reason for their popularity is never
organizational, but is related to the policy pursued by the movement’s
leadership, which disregarded the reaction of the Christian public opinion on
General Michel Aoun's visit to Syria without resolving the issue of Lebanese
detainees in Syrian prisons and without providing clear answers to the Christian
public opinion on ways to resolve the outstanding issues between Lebanon and
Syria.
Yet FPM activists believe that the most important reason for the decline in the
movement’s popularity is that the majority of Christians reject the totalitarian
practices of Michel Aoun which he should have avoided.
Stuck in the middle…detainees out and not yet!
Date: June 24th, 2009 Future News
The domestic political panorama remains calmly and cautiously obstinate awaiting
the return of leader of Almustaqbal movement MP Saad Hariri who will meet with
House speaker Nabih Berry. Despite of the stubbornness of some member of ‘March
8’ alliance, things seem to be heading towards a consensus among all
counterparts,
However, within this panorama and prior to the beginning of the parliamentary
consultations to consign and then to form the government, the same scenario is
repeated over and over again: the minority group are constantly adding and
summing its MPs to form new parliamentary blocs to gain access to the dialogue
sessions and to send certain messages during the consultations.
Some of these messages are internal while others derive from foreign sources,
and the latest creation of the minority ‘March 8’ alliance is the unison of the
Syrian Nationalist and the Baathist party in one bloc.
International Support
Within this internal visionary, the International Community continues to assert
supporting Lebanon and its stability. President Michel Sleiman received a
telegram from the European Union council congratulating the Lebanese people for
conducting the parliamentary elections successfully. The EU considered the
elections, as portrayed by the EU and international observers, “a prominent and
fundamental step along the road for democracy”.
The EU council called the political groups to “cooperate with President Sleiman
who is protecting the constitution and Lebanon’s independence and unity in order
to for the new government.”
Hariri: we care for stability
At another level, leader of Almustaqbal parliament’s bloc MP Saad Hariri said
after meeting with Leader of the Arab League Amr Moussa, that deliberations
about Lebanon’s relation with the Arab league are ongoing, as well as
discussions about the Arab Peace Initiative and the steps the Arab League will
take in this issue.
He pointed that the region needs fair and fast peace in Palestine so it would
reflect on Lebanon and all concerned countries.
Answering a question about the presence of concerning indications about the
future of Lebanon’s political life, Hariri reassured that “the situation in
Lebanon is stable”, pointing that deliberations are ongoing to guarantee
Lebanon’s stability.
Almustaqbal and Berry
Member of the Almustaqbal bloc MP Samir El Jisr said the bloc tends to support
House Speaker Nabih Berry for leading the parliament and MP Saad Hariri for
chairing the cabinet to-be formed, during the meeting it will hold on Wednesday.
El Jisr said “whoever gets to power must deal with reality within the Arab
surrounding”, pointing that Syria “represents a strategic and vigorous aspect
for Lebanon.”
For his part, MP Robert Ghanem hoped the upcoming phase “would bring consensus
among national partners over the national values to form a government with a
preset program.”
Ghanem said the parliament’s blocs affiliated with the ‘March 14’ coalition will
hold a meeting on Wednesday to make their decision about forming the government,
pointing that House Speaker Berry is the only candidate for the post of Head of
Representatives.
Detainees’ news
In terms of the release of Lebanese detainees in Syrian jails, head of Solid
association Ghazi Aad and head of the association for Lebanese Political
detainees in Syria Ali Abu Dehn declared that 23 of the released were not
officially handed in to Lebanon and were not handed through diplomatic channels,
An-Nahar daily reported.
Aad told almustaqbal.org that the detainees were released between the 22nd of
April and the 24th of May, and that some of the released individuals were
released through a special amnesty and that they did not return to Lebanon
through official channels.
Gemayel hails the release of 23 Lebanese detained in Syria
Date: June 23rd, 2009 Source: Future News
Kataeb leader former President Amine Gemayel described on Tuesday the release of
the 23 convicted Lebanese nationals detained in Syrian prisons as “a positive
step.”
The Lebanese side of the Lebanese-Syrian committee tasked with following up
issue of missing and detainees in Syria has received a list of 23 Lebanese who
were recently freed from Syrian jails. In a televised interview Gemayel said the
release of the detainees is a prelude to bolster the bilateral relations between
both countries, and a step towards resolving pending issues with positively and
openness. “We have always reiterated our calls to normalize the Syrian-Lebanese
relations and it was depicted by exchanging embassies and releasing detainees,
especially that Syria denied the presence of any Lebanese prisoners,” he added.
Gemayel voiced hopes to the Syrian officials urging them to unveil the fate of
250 Lebanese whose presence in Syria is confirmed, and demanded the
establishment of a neutral committee to follow up and investigate if the
information is accurate. Syria always denied the presence of any Lebanese
detainees in its prisons.
Syrian-Saudi Rapprochement Imminent amid News Hariri Received Damascus' Blessing
Naharnet/Regional players once again swung into action amidst reports that a
Saudi envoy will soon visit Syria to discuss, apart from bilateral relations and
the Middle East situation, Lebanon in light of the upcoming speakership election
and formation of a new government. The daily As Safir on Wednesday said plans
were being made for a meeting in Damascus in the coming days with a Saudi envoy,
likely Prince Abdul Aziz bin Abdullah. The process of government formation will
now be set in motion with MP Saad Hariri's return from a visit to Riyadh and
Cairo. As Safir said Hariri is surely to become Lebanon's new prime minister
before Monday while parliament, which is scheduled to meet Thursday, will
re-elect current Speaker Nabih Berri for a fifth term in office. The paper
quoted Palestinian officials close to President Mahmoud Abbas as saying that
Saudi King Abdullah has expressed during a recent summit between them his wish
to visit Syria. The officials said Abdullah conveyed his wish to the Syrian
leadership.
They said the course of the birth of the new Lebanon cabinet headed by Hariri
"will be a decisive point in terms of setting a date for Abdullah's Damascus
visit."
As Safir quoted visitors coming from Syria as saying that Damascus welcomes
Hariri's nomination as Lebanon's next premier, adding that future relations
between the two neighboring countries await the new cabinet's policy statement.
The daily Al Akhbar, meanwhile, quoted Lebanese sources as saying a summit is
likely to take place between the Saudi monarch and Syrian President Bashar
al-Assad "in an effort to convince Damascus to cooperate with the Hariri
government."
It also quoted Arab and Egyptian sources as saying Egyptian President Hosni
Mubarak supports Hariri's nomination for the post "in the framework of a
Saudi-Egyptian consensus and non-objection from Syria." Al Akhbar said Mubarak
encouraged Hariri to "take a goodwill gesture toward Syria." The regional action
coincides with ongoing contacts that should culminate in a meeting between
Hariri and Berri ahead of Thursday's parliament session. Another meeting
is expected to take place within the coming days between Hariri and Hizbullah
chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah. Beirut, 24 Jun 09, 08:38
Israeli Air Force Keeping Close Watch on Hizbullah
Naharnet/Israeli Air Force Commander Maj. Gen. Ido Nehushtan said the Jewish
State was keeping a close watch on Syria and Hizbullah following reports about
the Lebanese party's continued rearmament. "We are always watching over (Hizbullah)
armaments in the north. We study the consequences and how we will need to deal
with them," Israeli media quoted Nehushtan as saying Tuesday. "Our assessment is
that the other side will do what it can to impair the air force's operational
abilities," he told a press conference.
The air force is aware of the role it may have to play in any possible military
operation against Iran, Nehushtan told reporters. "The air force is working and
preparing for a wide range of missions, both short and long distance, and will
remain prepared," he said. While the commander refused to say whether Israel
intended to attack Iran, he did say: "Any other solution is preferable. It is
the air force's position to create options." On Monday, Iran began three days of
airforce exercises in the Gulf and the Sea of Oman to raise operational and
support capability, Iranian media said. Beirut, 24 Jun 09, 08:34
Baroud Supports Lebanese Mother's Nationality Case
Naharnet/Interior Minister Ziad Baroud said he would not challenge a court
ruling that allowed dual nationality for the children of Lebanese mother Samira
Sweidan.
In remarks published by the daily As Safir on Wednesday, Baroud said the ruling
would become effective and in force once he has been officially informed of the
court decision.
Sweidan, who is the widow of an Egyptian man, has four underage children – Zeina,
Faten, Samir and Mohammed.
Under the law, a Lebanese mother does not have the right to give her nationality
to her children and husband.
Baroud also agreed to cross out the marital status on I.D. cards. Beirut, 24 Jun
09, 10:27
General Security and Customs at Aboudiyeh Border Crossing
Moved
Naharnet/At ten in the morning on Wednesday the al-Aboudiyeh border crossing
between Lebanon and Syria witnessed moving of the Lebanese General Security and
Customs check points closer to a new location point. The move is part of a new
plan for better controlling the Lebanese-Syrian border and developing the
infra-structure of official land border cross points qualifying them up to
international standards. This will include moving all military sectors to the
Qammar Bridge passage at the Wadi-Khaled area prior to launching a vehicle
crossing on July 1. The first phase for controlling the eastern borders includes
a 70 Km stretch from Wadi Fisan [west of the Hirmil] to southern Ersal. This
phase is scheduled to end in mid 2010 correspond with rehabilitation of the
Arida border crossing. The entire project is expected to fully complete in mid
2012. Beirut, 23 Jun 09, 21:18
Analysts see continued instability in Iran
eventually rattling Hizbullah
Resistance Group likely 'uncomfortable' with events unfolding
By Patrick Galey /Daily Star staff
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
BEIRUT: The ongoing unrest engulfing Tehran shows no sign of immediate
resolution. Iranian opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi's campaign office has
said that it will soon release a report on "fraud" in the June 12 presidential
election, despite the supreme leader's assertion that the vote was fair.
Hizbullah, the armed Iranian-backed resistance group, fresh from a Lebanese
election defeat in which they won significant popular support, will be watching
events in Tehran with interest. What effect, if any, will the instability in
Iran have on Hizbullah and its supporters?
Amal Saad Ghorayeb has written a book on Hizbullah and is an expert on Iranian
regional ties. She said that the group's reticence to publicly comment on the
situation in Iran did not mean it wasn't monitoring events closely.
"Although Hizbullah has commented very little on [the Iranian unrest] for fear
of taking sides, I would imagine it is very uncomfortable with it," she said.
Irrespective of who ends up ruling Iran, Hizbullah's links with the Islamic
Republic will remain strong, according to Ghorayeb. "The Iran-Hizbullah
relationship transcends any political administration. It's tied with the
clerical establishment and, to a lesser degree, to the national Security
Council," she said.
Elias Hanna, a retired Lebanese Army Forces (LAF) general, said that Iranian
foreign policy was unlikely to change significantly, irrespective of its leader.
"First of all we have to wait and see what is going to happen in Iran: will it
end up conservative, liberal or somewhere in between?
"The foreign policy is not the issue for anyone in Iran. Neither [candidate]
differs much in that sense. Iran is more concerned in internal affairs," he
said.
However, regime change in Iran would have an effect on its ties with some
foreign groups, he added.
"Everything will be affected. [The outcome] will affect the regional protocol of
Iran, whether that [is] to do with Hamas or Hizbullah. If the main stance is
changing what about the proxy?"
What was true of the Iranian administration was not necessarily true of
Hizbullah, according to Ghorayeb. Although Hizbullah is supported by Iran, it
operates independently within Lebanese internal affairs.
"If you want to say 'If the Iranian regime looks repressive, then Hizbullah is
too,' I don't think one necessarily follows the other," said Ghorayeb.
Hanna said Hizbullah as a military group was particularly vulnerable to any
power shift in Tehran.
"The most difficult thing will be for Hizbullah. It is the most successful
aspect of the Islamic Republic outside Iran," he said.
Simon Haddad, a professor of politics at Notre Dame University, argued that is
was Syria, not Iran, which held most influence over Hizbullah.
He said Syria was "the main influencing factor on Hizbullah. When the
relationship [between Syria and Lebanon] deteriorates, the position of Hizbullah
follows.
"Syria is the one who uses Hizbullah to maintain its interest in Lebanon. The
political balance in Iran could be a factor but it affects Hizbullah as much as
the British government affects the US, for example," he added.
Iran's economy is in dire straits, with inflation still running at 15 percent
and an unemployment rate this year rising to more than 12 percent. Financial
constraints will have to be taken into account when the Iranian administration
considers its support for Hizbullah, according to Hanna.
"Hizbullah is a costly project for Iran, and since theirs is a country with
economic problems, we will have to wait and see if [Hizbullah] will keep getting
money."
He added that Hizbullah was "looking for other [forms of income] in order to
become self-sustaining," a sign that the group is readying itself for a cut in
financial support from Tehran.
Haddad agreed. "The issue of money has already been resolved for Hizbullah. They
have enough income from the Lebanese diaspora to survive without Iran," he said.
With the Lebanese electorate handing Hizbullah a parliamentary defeat, and
Mousavi's support appearing to grow daily, have voters in the two countries
indicated a popular disapproval of hard-line policy?
Ghorayeb thought not. "Whether we believe that Mousavi won 34 percent of the
popular vote [as official results show], or we accept Mousavi's claims that the
vote was rigged, that still doesn't [prove] that the Iranians are backing a
reformist candidate," she said.
Hanna however hinted that the moderate-leaning support for March 14 in Lebanon
coupled with the reformist agenda of Iranian protesters, could demonstrate an
advancement of liberalism in both countries.
He said that the situation "will open up the liberal Shiites, the supporters of
[Nabhi Berri's] Amal [Movement] for instance."
Last week, rumors circulating online claimed Hizbullah was sending personnel to
Iran in order to assist the Iranian Revolutionary Guards effort to subdue
protesters. Hanna dismissed the allegations that Hizbullah was helping the
current regime keep order in Tehran. "It would be like the LAF training the
American Army," he said.
We must stand with liberty, this time in Tehran
By Mark Perry /Daily Star
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
We in the "the West" have a special place in our traditions for anniversaries.
We celebrate two important ones just now. It was 20 years ago that thousands of
children arrived in China's Tiananmen Square to petition their leaders for
greater rights. They built a papier-mache statue of a white-clad lady that
looked familiar to us. They carted her around for a time, as a kind of icon for
their movement. Then one night they were murdered in their thousands, as the
world looked on. The US ambassador there, James Lilley, told me, "it is a sad
time for the Chinese people."
It was a sad time for all of us.
The lady first appeared 220 years ago this July, in a painting by Jacques-Louis
David, a French painter and revolutionary. By most accounts he was not a
pleasant man, but he knew about mass appeal. Painters before him had focused on
the Messiah. But David took him down from his cross, clothed him in white, made
him a woman and placed a tricolor in his hand. Women who came to see the
painting sank to their knees, as Mary Magdalene once had before the empty tomb.
The painting changed the world: on one side of this new symbol of modernity a
boy surged into the future. All innocence, eyes ablaze, he understood the
meaning of freedom. On the other, a wounded veteran and patriot marched,
dedicated to the new catechism of freedom. Jesus no longer led the people; it
was a simple woman. Liberty.
Zhou En-lai, the former premier and foreign minister of China, got this right.
Asked once in the 1950s to assess the impact of the French Revolution, he
answered, "It's too soon to tell." She moves on, this woman, like a wave.
After Tiananmen the symbol was no longer Western, but universal, as was
democracy itself. Liberty led the people in South Africa and South America and
in Eastern Europe. The impossible happened through no agency of our own: the
Berlin Wall fell and the Politburo washed away so suddenly it left us
breathless. Ideas themselves did what no force could accomplish.
We anger history to ignore this, do violence to our ideals to reject it. They
are not simply "our" ideals, they are everyone's. Mother Courage bore witness to
what happened to the revolutionaries of France; they transformed a society of
nobles into a nation not of "peoples" but people. They bore witness to the
children of Tiananmen who stood helpless in the face of those who, acting on
behalf of "the workers" and "the party," shed their blood. We, in the name of
realism, stood silent.
What is it that President Barack Obama doesn't get about this?
The people in the streets of Iran are not protesting the outcome of a vote, but
the foundation of a system. It does not matter who won. The issue is not votes,
but the system. No recount will set it right. It is not a recount Iranians seek,
but freedom. They do not fear their leaders; they fear a future without liberty.
It does not matter to them whether we support them or not, and it will make no
difference to their inevitable victory. But it will matter to us. Our silence
will show complicity, especially from the current US president.
Obama is showing great care, because after a season of meddlesome politics, the
United States must show that nations and people must act on their own. And he
has said this. That's all to the good. But that's not enough. America did not
elect Barack Obama simply because we hoped he would be a realistic president -
though that is certainly what we wanted. We also elected him because he talked
in ideals. We believe in those ideals. We understand them. We would like to live
up to them, knowing we often do not. And so Obama must say the obvious: we will
not meddle, we will not interfere, and we will leave this to the Iranian people.
But in each and every instance, when the people speak we are with them. We are
for the people of Iran and we must hope they prevail.
Liberty is leading the people again, this time in Tehran. We must stand with
them and with her.
Mark Perry is a director of the Washington and Beirut-based Conflicts Forum and
the author of "Partners in Command: George Marshall and Dwight Eisenhower in War
and Peace." This commentary first appeared at bitterlemons-international.org, an
online newsletter that publishes articles on Middle Eastern and Islamic affairs.
Masquerade In Iran
By Rob Miller//American Thinker
June 24, 2009
Are Mousavi and his followers in Iran an actual reform movement and a positive
democratic change in Iran? The pictures of student demonstrators in Tehran being
brutalized by the basij and Iranian security forces present a heart-rending
spectacle. But there is very little evidence that the label of "democratic
reform," attached to Mousavi and many of his followers, is anything but a
masquerade.
Mousavi is not some democracy-minded reformer. All candidates for elective
office in Iran are handpicked and only allowed to run for office by the express
permission of the Supreme Council of Guardians and its leader Ayatollah Khamenei.
All candidates agree to follow orders. On issues that matter to the West --
Iran's quest for nuclear weapons, threats of genocide aimed at Israel,
interference in Iraq and Afghanistan, support for Islamist terrorism and any
reasonable compromises with the West on these issues -- the two candidates were
virtually the same.
Mousavi is a longtime proponent of Islamist triumphalism and terrorism, a
hardliner on Iran's illegal nuclear weapons program and an anti-Semite who has
called for Israel to be destroyed. He was a key aide to Ayatollah Khomeini
during the Islamic revolution in 1979 and played a part in the decision to
overrun our embassy and take American diplomats hostage. As Iran's prime
minister between 1981-89, Mousavi was vociferously anti-Western and
anti-American. He had a major hand in the creation of Hezbollah in Lebanon. His
handpicked interior minister, Ali Akbar Mohtashami, was Mousavi's liaison when
the Iranian government formed and funded that terrorist group. One of
Mohtashami's first major operations was the murder of 240 US Marines in Lebanon.
The reason Mousavi was on the ballot in the recent Iranian "election" was not
because he is a reformer. He was there because of political differences between
groups centered on Mousavi's chief patron in the Iranian government, Akbar
Hashemi Rafsanjani -- and loyalists to Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali
Khamenei. All sides have a long history of political rivalry. Aside from the
simple jousting of who's in and who's out, the main point of contention was
whether it would be advantageous to dump Ahmadinejad in favor of a new more
"moderate" seeming face to buy more time to complete Iran's nuclear weapons
program.
After President Obama's self-abasing speech in Cairo and his clear signals that
he had no problem with a nuclear Iran, any changes were seen to be simply
unnecessary by the Mullahs. Khamenei was able to swing the majority of the
Supreme Council in his favor and get his man, Ahmadinejad, back in office.
If Obama's speech had been hard line and Mousavi -- or more accurately
Rafsanjani, his patron -- had taken power, absolutely nothing of importance
would have changed in Iran.
There is nothing about Mousavi or his supporters that particularly merits being
championed by Americans. We simply don't have a dog in this fight. And in any
case, Ahmadinejad is in and he will stay in as long as he does what the mullahs
tell him to.
If one looks at what actually passes for democracy in the Middle East, it
usually consists of one election where tribalism and Islamism always wins.
That's been true in the Palestinian territories, in Egypt (where Mubarak had to
curtail the vote to stop the Muslim Brotherhood from winning), in Turkey, and
everywhere else in the Muslim Middle East that has actually had an election. The
exception was in Lebanon -- where Hezbollah was defeated primarily by Christian
votes. And Islam still reigns in Iraq, although with some interesting
differences I will get to shortly.
While some of Mousavi's followers might actually be pro-democracy, their
viewpoint is not likely to be the one that would prevail in the event of a
second Iranian revolution. A great many Iranians who supported the ouster of the
Shah in 1979 learned that the hard way, when the revolution was co-opted by the
Ayatollah Khomeini and his hardliners into something very different than the
pro-democracy forces had imagined. Mousavi's supporters, who claim to be for
real democratic reform in Iran, may have forgotten that Mousavi and his patron
Rafsanjani were a key part of the process that turned the revolt from democratic
freedom against the Shah into Khomeini's Villayat-e faqih, a revolutionary
Islamic republic.
If Mousavi prevails, would he somehow split Iran's clerical establishment and
allow for the ascendance of a more open, less Islamist society? Mousavi's entire
history, the views he has openly expressed, and the basic structure of Iranian
society as it now stands, say no. Mousavi's followers may be Tehran
sophisticates, but they claim the Islamist color green as their emblem and shout
"Allahu akbar!" as a battle cry from the rooftops. There are Iranians who yearn
for liberty, but their number is dwarfed by the ones that embrace Islamist
piety.
Iran is a theocracy, ruled, ultimately, by Allah and his representatives here on
earth, the Mullahs. The Islamic revolution is what is important. The holy
revolution trumps everything. Hoping for any kind of reform through what passes
today for Iran's electoral process is an exercise in futility. True reform will
only happen if the Pasdaran and the armed forces either join a revolt against
the mullahs or stand aside, as they did in 1979.
The turning point of any revolution comes when the security forces of the regime
begin fence sitting and wait to see which way the wind blows. So far, there's no
evidence the wind has changed in Iran.
Khameini has spent years cultivating the "young guard" in the security forces,
which is how he became Supreme Leader rather than Rafasjani in the first place.
Given the continued patronage extended by Khameinei throughout the Iranian
security forces and the personal loyalty to the regime of the Pasdaran and the
basij, the idea of Iranian internal security abandoning the regime is highly
unlikely.
Still, if Iran's genuinely fascist, clerical regime isn't overthrown from
within, the whole sorry mess has had some value: the regime's true character has
been shown to the world. The election debacle might just give the Obama
Administration second thoughts about acquiescing so readily to idea of a
nuclear-armed Iran.
Is Iran ready for a truly democratic revolution? One indicator may be to compare
what's going on in Iran with what happens next door in Iraq. In fact, the
situation in Iraq might be fueling some of the unrest in Iran. Iraq is a Shiite
dominated Islamic Republic with a constitution based on sharia and the same
emphasis on tribalism and Islam found throughout the Arab Middle East, but with
important differences.
Largely because of the US occupation, the various factions in Iraq were able to
conduct relatively open elections. Even though those elections broke down on the
normal tribal lines, the US was able to grease the various players with enough
money so that America was able to midwife a federation agreement between the
various factions. Our money and military presence saw to it that the Sunnis and
the Kurds were never pushed to the point of violence and the ensuing break up of
the country. In many ways, what the US did in Iraq was similar to what the
French did in multi-ethnic Lebanon before they left. The French put together a
governmental framework that constitutionally shared power among various ethnic
groups. That arrangement worked quite well before Yasir Arafat and the PLO
arrived to wreck the system and spark a civil war.
How long the balance between Iraq's factions will survive after we leave is an
open question. But what many Iranians see when they look at Iraq is what they
might want in Iran: a government that has a huge dose of Islam but is run by
secular politicians, has transparent elections, and doesn't require the Iraqis
to give up some of their quaint prejudices against Jews, stop persecuting
Christians, and homosexuals or other "undesirables," and actually be a western
style democracy.
President Bush spent over a trillion dollars and over 4,000 American lives to
build what exists in Iraq today with the idea of creating a model for Muslim
democracy that would spill over into the rest of the region. What happens
ultimately in Iran could very well be a referendum on how well his idea actually
worked.