LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN

Bible Reading of the day
Isaiah 3/:4-5: I will give boys to be their princes, and children shall rule over them. The people will be oppressed, everyone by another, and everyone by his neighbor.
The child will behave himself proudly against the old man, and the base against the honorable. /Naharnet

Soldiers say suspect shouted 'Allahu Akbar!' before shooting rampage that left 13 people dead
By Jeff Carlton, The Associated Press
Lt. Gen. Robert Cone said officials had not yet confirmed that the suspected shooter, Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, made the comment, which is Arabic for "God is great!" before the rampage Thursday, which left 30 people wounded, including the gunman. An imam from a mosque Hasan regularly attended said Hasan, a lifelong Muslim, was a committed soldier, gave no sign of extremist beliefs and regularly wore his uniform at prayers. Cone said Hasan was hospitalized in stable condition and that investigators hope to interrogate him as soon as possible. In the early chaos after the shootings, authorities believed they had killed him, only to discover later that he had survived.
Cone said Hasan was not known to be a threat or risk. He acknowledged that it was "counterintuitive" that a single shooter could kill and injure so many people. But he said the massacre occurred in "close quarters." "With ricochet fire, he was able to injure that number of people," Cone said. Authorities are investigating whether Hasan's weapons were properly registered with the military. The motive for the shooting wasn't clear, but Hasan was apparently set to deploy soon and had expressed some anger about the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, a Texas Republican, said generals at Fort Hood told her that Hasan was about to deploy overseas. In Washington, sources said he would be sent to Iraq.
Lee said Hasan had hoped Obama would pull troops out of Afghanistan and Iraq and got into frequent arguments with others in the military who supported the wars.
Officials are not ruling out the possibility that some of the casualties may have been victims of "friendly fire," that in the mayhem and confusion at the shooting scene some of the responding military officials may have shot some of the victims.
The gunfire broke out around 1:30 p.m. at the Soldier Readiness Center, where soldiers who are about to be deployed or who are returning undergo medical screening. Nearby, some soldiers were readying to head into a graduation ceremony for troops and families who had recently earned degrees. Pastor Greg Schannep had just parked his car along the side of the theatre and was about to head into the ceremony when a man in uniform approached him. "Sir, they are opening fire over there!" the man told him. At first, he thought it was a training exercise - then heard three volleys and saw people running. As the man who warned him about the shots ran away, he could see the man's back was bloodied from a wound.
Schannep said police and medical and other emergency personnel were on the scene in an instant, telling people to get inside the theatre. The post went into lockdown while a search began for a suspect and emergency workers began trying to treat the wounded. Some soldiers rushed to treat their injured colleagues by ripping their uniforms into makeshift bandages to treat their wounds. Video from the scene showed police patrolling the area with handguns and rifles, ducking behind buildings for cover. Sirens could be heard wailing while a woman's voice on a public-address system urged people to take cover. Schools on the base went into lockdown, and family members trying to find out what was happening inside found cellphone lines jammed or busy. "I was confused and just shocked," said Spc. Jerry Richard, 27, who works at the centre but was not on duty during the shooting. "Overseas you are ready for it. But here you can't even defend yourself."
The wounded were dispersed among hospitals in central Texas, Cone said. Their identities and the identities of the dead were not immediately released. The bodies of the victims would be taken to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware for autopsies and forensic tests, said a U.S. official who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss matters that were under investigation. There also will be a ceremony at the air base to honour the dead. For six years before reporting for duty at Fort Hood in July, Hasan worked at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center pursuing a career in psychiatry, as an intern, a resident and, last year, a fellow in disaster and preventive psychiatry. The 39-year-old Army major received his medical degree from the military's Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Bethesda, Maryland, in 2001. But his record wasn't sterling. At Walter Reed, he received a poor performance evaluation, according to an official who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the case publicly. And while he was an intern, Hasan had some "difficulties" that required counselling and extra supervision, said Dr. Thomas Grieger, who was the training director at the time. Faizul Khan, a former imam at a mosque Hasan attended in Silver Spring, Maryland, said "I got the impression that he was a committed soldier." He said Hasan attended prayers regularly at the mosque and was a lifelong Muslim. He spoke often with Hasan about Hasan's desire for a wife.
In an interview with The Washington Post, Hasan's aunt, Noel Hasan of Falls Church, Virginia, said he had been harassed about being a Muslim in the years after the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks, and he wanted out of the Army. "Some people can take it and some people cannot," she said. "He had listened to all of that and he wanted out of the military."
At least six months ago, Hasan came to the attention of law enforcement officials because of Internet postings about suicide bombings and other threats, including posts that equated suicide bombers to soldiers who throw themselves on a grenade to save the lives of their comrades. Investigators had not determined for certain whether Hasan was the author of the posting, and a formal investigation had not been opened before the shooting, said law enforcement officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to discuss the case.
The FBI, local police and other agencies searched Hasan's apartment Thursday night after evacuating the complex in Killeen, said city spokeswoman Hilary Shine. She referred questions about what was found to the FBI. The FBI in Dallas referred questions to a spokesman who was not immediately available early Friday morning.
*Associated Press Writers Lara Jakes and Devlin Barrett in Washington, April Castro in Fort Hood and Matt Curry in Dallas contributed to this report.

Troubling portrait emerges of Army psychiatrist suspected in rampage at Fort Hood, Texas Module body
By Brett J. Blackledge, The Associated Press
WASHINGTON - His name appears on radical Internet postings. A fellow officer says he fought his deployment to Iraq and argued with soldiers who supported U.S. wars. He required counselling as a medical student because of problems with patients. There are many unknowns about Nidal Malik Hasan, the man authorities say is responsible for the worst mass killing on a U.S. military base. Most of all, his motive. But details of his life and mindset, emerging from official sources and personal acquaintances, are troubling.
For six years before reporting for duty at Fort Hood, Texas, in July, the 39-year-old Army major worked at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center pursuing his career in psychiatry, as an intern, a resident and, last year, a fellow in disaster and preventive psychiatry. He received his medical degree from the military's Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Bethesda, Md., in 2001. While an intern at Walter Reed, Hasan had some "difficulties" that required counselling and extra supervision, said Dr. Thomas Grieger, who was the training director at the time. Grieger said privacy laws prevented him from going into details but noted that the problems had to do with Hasan's interactions with patients. He recalled Hasan as a "mostly very quiet" person who never spoke ill of the military or his country. "He swore an oath of loyalty to the military," Grieger said. "I didn't hear anything contrary to those oaths."
But, more recently, federal agents grew suspicious.
At least six months ago, Hasan came to the attention of law enforcement officials because of Internet postings about suicide bombings and other threats, including posts that equated suicide bombers to soldiers who throw themselves on a grenade to save the lives of their comrades. They had not determined for certain whether Hasan is the author of the posting, and a formal investigation had not been opened before the shooting, said law enforcement officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to discuss the case.
In an interview with The Washington Post, Hasan's aunt, Noel Hasan of Falls Church, Virginia, said he had been harassed about being a Muslim in the years after the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks and he wanted out of the Army. "Some people can take it and some people cannot," she said. "He had listened to all of that and he wanted out of the military."
She said he had sought a discharge from the military for several years, and even offered to repay the cost of his medical training. A spokesman for the Army, Lt. Col. George Wright, told the Post he could not confirm that Hasan had sought a discharge. Noel Hasan said her nephew "did not make many friends" and would say "the military was his life."
A cousin, Nader Hasan, told The New York Times that after counselling soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan with post-traumatic stress disorder, Hasan knew war firsthand.
"He was mortified by the idea of having to deploy," Nader Hasan said. "He had people telling him on a daily basis the horrors they saw over there."
Federal law-enforcement agents ordered an evacuation of the apartment complex where Hasan lived in Killeen, Texas, Thursday night and conducted a search of his home, said Hilary Shine, director of public information for the city. She didn't say what was found during the search.
Officials said earlier that federal search warrants were being drawn up to authorize the seizure of his computer. Retired Army Col. Terry Lee, who said he worked with Hasan, told Fox News that Hasan had hoped President Barack Obama would pull troops out of Afghanistan and Iraq. Lee said Hasan got into frequent arguments with others in the military who supported the wars, and had tried hard to prevent his pending deployment. Hasan attended prayers regularly when he lived outside Washington, often in his Army uniform, said Faizul Khan, a former imam at a mosque Hasan attended in Silver Spring, Maryland. He said Hasan was a lifelong Muslim. "I got the impression that he was a committed soldier," Khan said. He spoke often with Hasan about Hasan's desire for a wife. On a form filled out by those seeking spouses through a program at the mosque, Hasan listed his birthplace as Arlington, Virginia, but his nationality as Palestinian, Khan said. "I don't know why he listed Palestinian," Khan said, "He was not born in Palestine."
Nothing stood out about Hasan as radical or extremist, Khan said. "We hardly ever got to discussing politics," Khan said. "Mostly we were discussing religious matters, nothing too controversial, nothing like an extremist." Hasan earned his rank of major in April 2008, according to a July 2008 Army Times article. He served eight years as an enlisted soldier. He also served in the ROTC as an undergraduate at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg. He received a bachelor's degree in biochemistry there in 1997.
Associated Press writers Lara Jakes, Pam Hess, Lolita C. Baldor and Brett Zongker in Washington and Alicia Chang in Los Angeles contributed to this report.

Fort Hood: The largest "Terror act" since 9/11
Dr. Walid Phares
http://www.analyst-network.com/article.php?art_id=3213
05 Nov 2009
The Fort Hood killings, perpetrated by Major Malik Nadal Hasan, a psychiatric by training, no matter what the judiciary reports will conclude is for now the largest single Terror act in America since 9/11. This quantitative finding will take into consideration dramatic change in the data released by authorities. The shooting inside a US military installation that led to the killing of many personnel compels us to ponder. Over the past few years and months authorities have stopped attempts on similar attacks. The Fort Dix Jihadi plot, dismantled in 2006, aimed at performing a killing of military personnel inside the base. Other cells, dismantled in Georgia, New York and North Carolina also had plans for attacking military installations on US soil. But more importantly a number of lone wolves have also expressed intentions to attack military personnel. This year, a person by the name Abdulhakim Mujahid Muhammad, 23, shot two US military at the Army-Navy Career Center in a shopping center in west Little Rock, killing one. In cyberspace Jihadi threats against US military in the homeland and against American cities has been ongoing. Information collected by authorities, including from suspects and indicted individuals has shown a pattern by the Jihadists (militants or propagandists) indicating their intentions to strike at military and security installations. Such incident in Fort Hood, whatever is the personal motive, falls in the category of demonization of the US and its military. Meaning, whatever were the causes of the individual aggression, the latter was legitimized by the perception that America is the "enemy." Investigation will show quickly if the motives are strictly personal or ideological, or a hybrid set of motives. All depends on the early investigation made available to the public. According to Retired Colonel Terry Lee, who was interviewed by Fox News and who knew Major Malik Nadal Hasan, the latter has made several statements indicating his ideological attitude such as: “The killing of the soldier in Arkansas and any attack against US military inside the homeland is legitimate because of American military involvement in the Middle East.” Terry detailed remarks made by the killer “against US policy and in support of potential suicide attacks inside the country.” Obviously, these statements by former Colonel Terry needs to be analyzed and verified. While waiting for these investigations to be released, analytical projection based on the historical context, on the specific circumstances of engagement between the Jihadist propaganda and the United States for the past eight years and the type of attack involving an individual in the military leaves us –at this point- with the projection that the ideological factor is part of the motives leading to the shooting. Psychological factors are to be looked at seriously but the ideological component –legitimacy of attacking US military- needs also to be investigated: For the latter element was the alibi fueling the psychological factor, if indeed that was the case. Although I would place this attack within a wider context involving the evolution of what we call homegrown radicalization, I would recommend waiting for at least the early findings of investigators. This is where the judicial investigation and expert analysis may depart for a little while until more information is made available and correct the analytical projections. Meanwhile, if indeed it has any link to ideology or its derivatives, it will then be the single largest Terror attack in America (regardless of its homegrown origin or not, of the psychological reason or not) since 9/11. In that case, what the world has seen and is eager to learn about cannot be described just as “horrific outburst of violence” performed on American military, rather is part of an ideological war, generated by radicalization, and inciting individuals to perform such acts. Lone wolf or not, organized or not, fully self aware perpetrator or not, influenced by overseas or not, this massacre of servicemen has moved America from stage to another. --------------
**Dr Walid Phares is the Director of the Future Terrorism at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies and author of Future Jihad: Terrorist Strategies against America.

Election winners have turned out to be the losers - Sfeir
Friday, November 06, 2009
BEIRUT: The Maronite patriarch expressed on Thursday regret that the outcome of the June 7 parliamentary elections wasn’t being respected in the attempts to form a cabinet, as politicians from rival camps continued to react to recent rhetoric from Bkirki. “I feel regret that the winners in the June 7 elections [haven’t turned out to be] winners, while the losers [haven’t turned out to be] losers,” said Cardinal Nasrallah Butros Sfeir. Sfeir’s recent statements provoked a heated debate among parties of the majority and the opposition as March 14 officials voiced support for the patriarch while opposition figures slammed Sfeir’s statements questioning the latter’s motives.
Sfeir said last week the minority and majority could not coexist in the same cabinet, adding that the issue of “weapons” is a pivotal concern that cannot be faced with silence, a reference to Hizbullah and the resistance. On Wednesday, the Council of Maronite Bishops said it adopted Sfeir’s stances as its own with regard to Lebanon’s domestic political issues.
In defense of Sfeir’s stances, the National Bloc slammed Free Patriotic Movement leader Michel Aoun and Hizbullah’s criticism of the patriarch, saying Sfeir’s positions aimed to defend Lebanon’s existence as an independent country. “The patriarch has always defended the glory of Lebanon and looked out for the welfare of the Lebanese entity,” the bloc’s statement said.
Slamming Hizbullah’s weapons, the bloc said the party imposed its opinion on the Lebanese people under the threat of arms.
“Two groups criticized the patriarch: Hizbullah, which defends its own interests and weapons as a tool to implement its will and that of Iran’s on Lebanon, as well as those who are benefiting from the weapons,” a reference to Hizbullah’s ally, Aoun. “We wonder how some Christians, who earned legitimacy from fighting militias, are now fierce defenders of the only remaining militia in the country,” the statement said a reference to Aoun’s role as a former Lebanese Army general who fought the Lebanese Forces (LF) during the Civil War.
On Wednesday, Aoun accused Sfeir of “protecting corrupt people” and “standing by corruption.” He also took issue with Sfeir for highlighting the issue of Hizbullah’s weapons in his recent rhetoric. Similarly, Chouf MP Marwan Hamade voiced support for Sfeir’s stances saying that democracy and weapons can only coexist if the Lebanese Army has monopoly over arms, a reference to the patriarch’s statement that “weapons and democracy cannot coexist.” On the other hand, the Gathering of National Lebanese Parties and Forces slammed the patriarch’s statements, saying they were aimed, along with recent positions by LF leader Samir Geagea, at abolishing the atmosphere of political consensus in the country. Geagea has accused Hizbullah of hampering the cabinet formation to serve Iranian and international interests. Following a meeting with Sfeir in Bkirki Thursday, Geagea slammed Aoun’s statements, saying they were unacceptable both in form and content. Separately, the Gathering of Islamic Organizations criticized Sfeir, saying “the Maronite Patriarchate has to make a decisive choice: either ‘Lebanon first,’ or protecting Lebanon first, or protecting Lebanon’s people first and last.”

American deported to Lebanon denies terror charges
Friday, November 06, 2009
Bassam Mroue /Associated Press
BEIRUT: An American citizen convicted on terrorism charges in the United Arab Emirates said on Thursday he confessed under torture and suspected that US authorities played a role in his detention and prosecution in the Gulf country. Naji Hamdan, an American of Lebanese origin, was deported to Lebanon last week after completing his 18-month sentence in Abu Dhabi.
The Emirates’ highest court convicted Hamdan on October 12 on terrorism-related charges, including having links to an Al-Qaeda-affiliated group in Iraq, and sentenced him to 18 months in prison. Hamdan, 43, was freed shortly afterward because the court counted time he served before his conviction. Speaking to The Associated Press in Beirut on Thursday, Hamdan called the charges against him “fabrications” that he admitted to during harsh interrogations by the Emirates’ state security agents. “The beating was so severe that I sometimes fainted,” he said. He said interrogators kicked him in the liver after he told them he had liver problems. Hamdan said he asked interrogators what they wanted to hear from him to stop the beatings, and they told him to admit to membership in Al-Qaeda. He agreed, he said. Rights groups, including the American Civil Liberties Union, have accused United States authorities of pushing Hamdan’s case in the Emirates because they lacked sufficient evidence for American courts. The ACLU asked a United States court to press for a halt to the case, but an American judge ruled in August that there was no authority to interfere in a foreign country’s criminal prosecution. Hamdan was arrested in the UAE in August 2008. Hamdan said that nearly Hamdan said that nearly two months after he was detained, Emirates authorities gave him new clothes, told him he’d be released within a week and that a US Embassy official would come meet him. He was ordered to say he had been treated well, he said. He said that he followed their orders, but tried to indicate to the American officer with gestures that he couldn’t speak freely. He told the AP he is “100 percent” sure UAE and US authorities cooperated in his detention. The American Embassy in the Emirates had declined to comment on the case during the trial except to say that Hamdan was given consular support. Hamdan moved to the US as a college student. He later became a citizen and ran a successful auto-parts business near Los Angeles, where he was active in the Islamic community. He said that the FBI began questioning him about whether he had terrorist ties in 1999, and he decided to move his family back to the Middle East in 2006. Hamdan said Lebanese authorities had detained him for a week in the past and questioned him about links to other militant groups. He plans to stay in Lebanon, he said, where he has three children and a family.

Israeli charges call for united rebuttal
By The Daily Star /Friday, November 06, 2009
Editorial
The seizure of an arms shipment allegedly heading to Lebanon this week comes as Israel seems to have embarked on a full-speed diplomatic campaign to establish that Lebanon is the source of the growing instability in the region. Lebanon, without a sitting government, has unfortunately been incapable of efficiently refuting this claim.
Israel’s allegations that the arms shipment it confiscated was headed to Lebanon remains to be proven. But added to a recent report by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon that criticizes Hizbullah of stockpiling arms, in contravention of UN Security Council Resolution 1701, Lebanon’s image has taken a battering in recent weeks. Israel’s strategy is clear: by accusing Hizbullah, Iran and its other adversaries of bellicose intent, it is reinforcing the perception that its aggressive policies are justified by an existential threat, and distracting observers from its own contributions to the tense regional security situation. The Lebanese political class, meanwhile, has shown a divided face, and has been incapable of effectively pleading its peaceful intentions. In the current climate of cut-throat politics, why would Lebanese politicians jump to the defense of their arch-rival Hizbullah in the international political arena when the resistance group could use its political capital to make gains in the process of the government formation? Such a pitiless political attitude has been serving political parties in their individual quests for power. These parties, however, should be alerted to the fact that their discord may end up costing the very citizens whom they “represent.” Political leaders may be foes at home, but in the grand scheme of things, their interests should converge against a common rival. It is only by forming a government and formally overcoming their differences that Lebanese politicians will find the required unity to speak up to the international community as a state defending its sovereign interests should do. Only then will Lebanon be in a position to present the complexities of its case. Meanwhile, Israel’s view that Lebanon is responsible for the current climate of insecurity threatens to gain more ground in the absence of a strong rebuttal, while its own culpability in compounding an inflammatory situation threatens to fade away from the public perception. The divisions in Lebanon made worse by ongoing squabbling around the process of forming a government could mean that the country will lose this diplomatic battle without ever having the opportunity to offer a true fight.

80-year-old bystander killed in crossfire in Burj Hammoud
Daily Star staff/Friday, November 06, 2009
BEIRUT: The plague of two-wheeled crime claimed the life of a man in Burj Hammoud on Thursday, when a shootout broke out between two thieves and a would-be crime-fighter. The incident took place when two men on motorcycles snatched the purse of a woman identified as Gretta George Abu Sleiman, according to security sources.
When Abu Sleiman screamed for help and pointed in the direction of the thieves, an unidentified man who was present at the scene rushed to intervene, firing at the suspected thieves.
Eighty-year-old Shakib Salim Eid had the misfortune of driving by as the gun Eid was the father of National Liberal Party (NLP) member Samir Eid and the incident was quickly condemned by the party, which issued a statement saying the number of armed robbery incidents has been on the increase lately.
It added that the crimes have been occurring in broad daylight and that innocent people have been falling victim to such incidents despite “promised security measures.”
A similar accidental death occurred in Lebanon in October when a man was killed by mistake as he was passing through the streets of Ain al-Remmaneh, where a clash had broken out between men on motorcycles. A ban on motorcycles was later enforced by Interior Minister Ziyad Baroud in the aim of strengthening security measures and preventing similar incidents from happening again. Earlier in the week, the ISF honored three individuals for intervening in similar attempted robberies, leading to the apprehension of the would-be thieves.
Meanwhile, security sources said Thursday that two thieves mounted on a motorcycle had been apprehended the day before in the Beirut neighborhood of Tariq al-Jadideh, thanks again to a citizen’s involvement. battle erupted, and was fatally They said a man noticed the two thieves on a motorcycle without a license plate trying to steal a motorbike at 1 p.m in the neighborhood. He immediately followed the two men and was able to stop them with the help of a number of locals.
The man then informed security forces of the situation and a patrol was deployed to arrest the two suspects. Ongoing investigations have revealed that one of the robbers was armed with a switchblade. – The Daily Starwounded in the exchange of fire. Internal Security Forces personnel cordoned off the scene of the crime and launched investigations into the incident, which saw the three presumed shooters – the two criminals and the bystander – escape.

Taif supporters call for action on 20th anniversary
Daily Star staff/Friday, November 06, 2009
BEIRUT: The Gathering for Taif and the Constitution stressed the need to implement the Taif Accord in a statement it released on Thursday, for the occasion of the 20th anniversary of signing the agreement. The statement said that the pact which ended the Lebanese Civil War in 1989, was the only serious document available to rebuild a permanent Lebanese Arab free country. It added that the current situation in Lebanon was against the interests of the Lebanese and of the country’s traditions, and that it did not relate in any shape to the Taif Accord. The statement also said that Taif was indispensable and that implementing it was a priority. “Articles can be amended and improved whenever necessary according to legislative procedures,” it said. “We worked hard to reach a fair agreement in impossible circumstances … but the agreement wasn’t implemented except by the first government,” the statement said. – The Daily Star

Lebanon weary of arduous talks to form government
By Agence France Presse (AFP) /Friday, November 06, 2009
Rita Daou
Agence France Presse
BEIRUT: Lebanese taxi driver William Hanna couldn’t care less that his country has been without a government for five months, a feeling shared by many fellow Lebanese sickened by the endless bickering of their politicians. “I gave up listening to the news a while back,” said the 52-year-old from the town of Jounieh, north of Beirut. “It’s business as usual anyway so why get a headache thinking about politics?”
The Mediterranean country of 4 million people has been without a government since a June 7 general election that saw a Western- and Saudi-backed coalition clinch victory over an alliance of parties headed by the militant group Hizbullah, which is supported by Syria and Iran. Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri, who heads the parliamentary majority, has since stumbled in efforts to put together a cabinet of national unity because of disagreement with his rivals over the distribution of portfolios and the choice of ministers.
The initial wave of optimism among the Lebanese that the government would be formed quickly has turned to cynicism amid empty promises every day that a solution was imminent.
The delay in the government formation has also become fodder for satirical television programs, newspaper editorials and letters by many a newspaper reader.
Even the politicians themselves are red-faced and at a loss for words when trying to explain the issue.
“Does Lebanon’s political leadership realize … that the government and the obstacles blocking its formation have become the least worry of the Lebanese?” asked an editorial Thursday by majority MP Nayla Tueni in the An-Nahar newspaper run by her family. “No one believes anymore what they hear, and what they are led to believe one day is contradicted the next,” MP Tueni added.
Rafiq Khoury, editor in chief of the independent Al-Anwar daily, likened the government formation process to being stuck in “the Tower of Babel where everyone speaks a different language.” Elias Chedid for his part wondered in a letter-to-the-editor published in the French daily L’Orient-Le Jour this week whether a government was really necessary.
“What have previous cabinets done to improve our economy?” he wrote. “We can live with a government but we’re so much better off without one.”
The daily Al-Akhbar, close to the opposition, summed up the feeling of many in a headline last week that warned readers: “What you are about to read is not old news nor a printing error but rather statements we keep hearing every day.”
One drawing by well-known cartoonist Stavro in the daily Al-Balad showed the author watching television and holding a piece of paper that read “government formation.”
The caption added: “Get it over with. We’re sick of you. Aren’t you sick of yourselves?”
A satirical television show meanwhile made light of the situation by featuring a 90-year-old man using a cane and walking into a health clinic where he introduced himself as the current outgoing premier Fouad Siniora Siniora turned 65 years old on Thursday.

French officials expect Israeli war on Lebanon in Spring 2010, Ad-Dustour reports
November 6, 2009 /Now Lebanon/Jordanian newspaper Ad-Dustour reported on Friday that French MPs and politicians have talked about a possible Israeli war on Lebanon in Spring 2010 after the “uncertain” outcome of Tel Aviv’s decision to attack Iran’s nuclear drive. A French MP, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told the daily that Israel will try to pressure the international community into confronting Tehran, especially after the US refused to take part of a military engagement against Iran. A meeting between French, US and Israeli military experts was held in France last month, during which Israeli military officials proposed possible plans of attack against Lebanon in Spring 2010, the MP added. He also said that Tel Aviv is trying to weaken Iran’s support for Lebanon and Gaza to pave the way for a possible Israeli attack on Tehran’s nuclear facilities without fearing a counterstrike from Hezbollah, Hamas or other Gaza militants. Another French military source stressed that UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon’s 11th report on the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701, “which blamed Hezbollah alone but exonerated Israel, makes us believe there is an attempt to legitimize a [future] Israeli military operation against Lebanon.” The source also highlighted that the report did not mention Israel’s espionage networks recently discovered in Lebanon or Tel Aviv’s recurrent violations of Lebanese airspace. The source said that repositioning of UNIFIL contingents or the withdrawal of French troops from the South “would be a clear sign that an Israeli war is imminent.”-NOW Lebanon

Bassil visits Syria; Aoun says cabinet would be formed end of the week
November 6, 2009
Now Lebanon/Telecommunications Minister Gebran Bassil headed to Syria on Thursday, while Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun said that the cabinet would be formed by the end of the week. Meanwhile, Speaker Nabih Berri was quoted by MPs as saying he might “go on strike” until the cabinet crisis is resolved.
A Lebanese security source told Al-Akhbar newspaper Bassil, along with former Minister Michel Samaha, travelled to Syria on Thursday. A Syrian source said the telecom minister went to offer his condolences to the Syrian president’s political aide, Bouthaina Shaaban, following her mother’s death. There has so far been no confirmation of Bassil meeting with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, however, both Bassil and Samaha refused to comment on their visit.
Meanwhile, in an attempt to end the cabinet impasse, Speaker Nabih Berri was quoted by MPs on Thursday as saying he has three proposals: the first is to re-launch the national dialogue sessions presided over by President Michel Sleiman; the second is to hold a general parliamentary session to discuss the cabinet crisis; and the third is for the speaker to go on strike until the crisis is resolved.
However, FPM leader Aoun told As-Sharq al-Awsat newspaper in an interview to be published on Saturday that the new government would be formed by the end of the week “if nothing unexpected occurred.”
“The cabinet-formation process has reached its final stages,” Aoun said, stressing he is in constant contact with Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri.
Deliberations on the cabinet formation were reportedly held last night, according to Al-Akhbar newspaper, adding that Aoun accepted a proposal to be granted the portfolios of the Industry, Tourism, Telecommunications, along with the Energy Ministry to be headed by Bassil. But, An-Nahar said that the Ministry of the Displaced – along with the Telecom, Energy and Tourism – was once again proposed to Aoun yesterday on the condition that the proper funding is provided to resolve the issue of the displaced.
The daily also reported that opposition leaders will hold a meeting today to determine their final position on its ministerial share and candidates, adding the meeting will be preceded by a Hezbollah-FPM sit-down. A meeting between PM-designate Hariri and Aoun would be scheduled before the former presents his cabinet lineup to the President, who would reportedly immediately issue the government decrees, said Al-Akhbar. The daily added that, according to a well-informed source, this whole procedure would be finalized in the next couple of days. -NOW Lebanon

Nasrallah Prepares for Major Hizbullah Reshuffle
Naharnet/Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah was reportedly preparing for a series of meetings with Hizbullah units and bodies to discuss organizational and administrative conditions ahead of a General Conference that is to be held before year's end. The daily Al-Akhbar on Friday said these discussions will be accompanied by new proposals related to the party's organization and responsibilities, in addition to a major reshuffle. Nasrallah is scheduled to make a television appearance Nov. 11 to touch on the latest regional and global developments on the occasion of "Martyr's Day." Beirut, 06 Nov 09, 11:31

Washington Calls for Commitment to Prevent Arms from Reaching Hizbullah
Naharnet/A State Department official said the Obama administration has expressed concern over the discovery by Israel of a vessel allegedly carrying Iranian arms to Hizbullah.
Washington expressed "concern over Iran's efforts and violation of Security Council resolutions," the official told pan-Arab daily al-Hayat in remarks published Friday. Although it is not clear yet what kind of weapons Israel seized (from the ship), we urge all countries to abide by resolutions 1701 and 1747" to prevent arms from reaching Hizbullah, the official said.
He did not mention Syria in his comments. Lebanese sources told al-Hayat that the ship's journey was Damietta in Egypt – Limassol in Cyprus – Beirut - Latakia, Syria – Damietta. "Nothing in the cargo certificate explains where the goods that Israel claims to be weapons were boarded," they added. Beirut, 06 Nov 09, 09:38

Fatah Islam Reportedly has Ties with Israel
Naharnet/The al-Qaida inspired Fatah al-Islam group reportedly has ties with Israeli sides, pan-rab Asharq al-Awsat said Friday.
It quoted a high-ranking Lebanese security source as saying that investigation into the Katyusha fired from the southern town of Houla showed that a "suspicious party" seeks to implicate Hizbullah through the penetration of a purely Shiite village. The source, however, said the investigation was not yet complete. "Hizbullah does not want to open a battle at this stage and this is made clear through its method of work," the source added, pointing that Fatah Islam has "something to do with" the firing of the Katyusha. The security source said he was convinced there was a "link between Fatah Islam and Israeli sides." He said Fatah Islam is inspired by the ideology of al-Qaida and is funded by extremists with the aim to employ its members by sides that want to use Lebanon as an arena for their own interests. The sources said Fatah al-Islam extremists are currently being brainwashed to hate Shiites as well as the United States and allied countries, "thereby, harming the moderate Islam and moderate Arabs while serving the interests of Israel through inciting sectarian strife." Beirut, 06 Nov 09, 10:03

Syria, Saudi Ask Each Other for Help on Lebanese Cabinet
Naharnet/Contacts between Syria and Saudi Arabia regarding a new Lebanese government reportedly intensified over the past hours, the daily As-Safir reported Friday.
It said Syrian President Bashar al-Assad urged Saudi King Abdullah to convince his allies in Lebanon to relinquish the energy ministry in favor of Free Patriotic Movment leader Michel Aoun after PM-designate Saad Hariri had agreed to give up the telecoms ministry. As-Safir said that after Hariri responded to the Opposition's request (telecoms and energy portfolios), Saudi Arabia in turn asked Syria to use its influence on its Lebanese allies to quell demands by Aoun. Beirut, 06 Nov 09, 11:59

New Wave of Optimism Could Produce Cabinet Deal by Week's End
Naharnet/A New wave of optimism over a Cabinet lineup appears in the horizon following reports that regional powers moved to help resolve a lengthy political crisis that has threatened to plunge Lebanon into chaos. Syria, Iran, Saudi Arabia and Qatar were said to have exerted intensive efforts to try to defuse a political impasse over Lebanese government formation, particularly in light of Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem's visit to Iran which also hosted the Emir of Qatar Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, in addition to contacts between Damascus and Riyadh, which have intensified in recent days. These contacts were crowned by a visit to Damascus by envoys of Free Patriotic Movement leader Michel Aoun that included a trip on Thursday by Caretaker Telecoms Minister Jebran Bassil and another by Karim Pakradouni.
The daily As-Safir said Bassil paid his condolences to Syrian Presidential Political and Media Advisor Bouthaina Shaaban for the death of her mother.
Sources in the majority hinted that Bassil, on the sidelines of his visit, met high-ranking Syrian officials. Opposition sources, however, denied the report, saying Bassil's visit was purely on social grounds. New TV reported that former Cabinet Minister Michel Semaha accompanied Bassil to Damascus where the two held a number of meetings with Syrian officials in an effort to settle the dispute over the ministerial portfolios allocated to Aoun.
Al-Liwaa daily, however, said Caretaker Social Affairs Minister Mario Aoun also went to Damascus along with Bassil. But in remarks to New TV later Friday, Mario Aoun denied that he visited Syria. Bassil, according to a source in Damascus cited by al-Akhbar newspaper, met Shaaban at her house and the two had lunch together at a Damascus restaurant.
The source, however, declined to confirm reports that Bassil met Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Bassil and Semaha also refused to comment on the issue.
Al-Liwaa said Aoun had summoned Pakradouni, who is known for his historic ties with Syria, and gave him a letter to convey to Damascus after Marada Movement leader Suleiman Franjieh called off his mediation. It said Pakradouni returned from Damascus with a letter that said the Lebanese government should be announced before Saturday. Meanwhile, An-Nahar daily said the latest progress on a Cabinet lineup was renewal of an offer that suggested giving Aoun the displaced people ministry, in addition to the telecomsn, energy and tourism. As-Safir, however, pointed out that Aoun's quota will include the ministries of industry, tourism as well as energy and telecommunications, in addition to a state minister. In a related development, pan-Arab daily Al-Hayat quoted sources in the majority as saying that PM-designate Saad Hariri is unlikely to accept to exchange the industry ministry for the social affairs seat. The sources stressed that Hariri was running out of offers and warned "let each party take responsibility for the delay in government formation." Beirut, 06 Nov 09, 08:12

Aoun Says Cabinet by the End of the Week, Slams 'Saudi Guardianship'
Naharnet/Free Patriotic Movement leader Michel Aoun has reassured the Lebanese that the government will be formed by the end of the week but expressed pessimism at what he called lingering "Saudi guardianship.""We are in the last stages and on the verge of forming" the cabinet, Aoun told pan-Arab daily Asharq al-Awsat in an interview to be published Saturday.
He expected the government to be formed by the end of the week "if nothing extraordinary happened."
The MP said the negative atmosphere marketed in the past two days is proof that politicians involved in the formation of the government don't know what's going on.
Aoun stressed that he was in continuous contact with Premier-designate Saad Hariri denying reports that "contacts have reached a dead-end."He blamed the mentality of those bickering over top posts for the delay in government formation. Aoun also said his foes were attacking his FPM "as if we are rivals dueling in front of electorates rather than serving them."
Such a bickering "deprives the cabinet of its consensus formula," he added. Meanwhile, An Nahar daily quoted Aoun as saying on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the adoption of the Taef accord that he doesn't "regret anything" and would have done the same if he had gone "20 years backwards."
He said Syrian hegemony ended in 2005 with the withdrawal of Syrian troops from Lebanon. However, "Saudi guardianship remained and Americans came to take over Syrian guardianship.""The defense ministry and security ministries have been given to certain sides and the finance and economy portfolios to another side. It is forbidden for us to approach them," he lamented. However, "we still seek to regain our sovereignty and form a government," the FPM leader added. Beirut, 06 Nov 09, 08:26

Geagea Slams Aoun, Says He Doubts Cabinet Deal will Happen Anytime Soon
Naharnet/Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea cast doubt Thursday that a Cabinet deal will soon be announced. "I doubt that the government will be formed soon," Geagea said following a two-hour meeting with Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Sfeir in Bkirki. Geagea said remarks by Free Patriotic Movement leader Michel Aoun on Wednesday against Sfeir were "rejected." Aoun accused Sfeir of "protecting" those practicing corruption inside the state and asked the Patriarch if weapons have ever hurt him. Commenting on reports that Israel navy had intercepted an arms shipment allegedly bound for Hizbullah, Aoun said: "We are free to bring weapons whether the news were right or not," said the FPM leader. Aoun's "remarks about the weapons are totally unacceptable," Geagea said, adding that the FPM leader "wants to be the Napoleon of Lebanon." Beirut, 05 Nov 09, 14:26

Qassem: Peace Settlement in 'Clinical Death', U.S. Efforts Not Serious
Naharnet/Hizbullah's Deputy Secretary-General Sheikh Naim Qassem said that the peace settlement in the Middle East is in "clinical death", he added that "there is no seriousness from the United States for any solution, but rather more complicity with Israel for more complications and chaos."Qassem was speaking after a meeting with the Sudanese Ambassador to Lebanon Idriss Suleiman, the two men discussed the latest local, regional, and international developments as well as means to improve the relation between Lebanon and Sudan. Qassem urged all nations and forces to highlight Israel's crimes against humanity so that it would not be to deviate attention "through the false causes it creates every now and then." Hizbullah's number two hailed Sudan's stance on Arab and Islamic causes, stressing the "importance of the defiance front to remain staunch and to extend in order to face challenges.""We can accomplish a lot, resistance forces in Lebanon and Palestine are making achievements, and Sudan is standing still in front of challenges," added Qassem. On his part, the Sudanese ambassador conveyed "Sudanese people appreciation and interest in the Islamic resistance in Lebanon, and in the strategic change it achieved in the region". Beirut, 05 Nov 09, 20:43

Aoun the liberator
November 5, 2009
Now Lebanon
Say what you want about Saad Hariri: that Lebanon’s prime minister designate has been disappointing in his handling of the government crisis, that he has gifted too many concessions to the opposition and that he has been buffeted to and fro by his supposed regional allies who have cut deals over his head. All these accusations may contain some grains of truth, but when held up against the behavior of an opposition whose only modus operandi is to erase both the memory and the validity of last summer’s parliamentary elections in order to create regional leverage on behalf of the Islamic Republic of Iran, then Sheikh Saad and his merry men and women of March 14 are models of probity.
One only has to listen to the leader of the Free Patriotic Movement, Michel Aoun, at his weekly press conference, to get a whiff of the madness that has saturated the March 8 psyche. In response to the Patriarch Nasrallah Butros Sfeir’s reasonable view that genuine democracy cannot flourish as long as Hezbollah holds onto its weapons, the former army commander could only respond, using the kind of logic we have come to expect from a party that is gripped by schizophrenia, by asking the head of the Maronite Church if those weapons have ever harmed him. So full of chutzpah is Aoun these days that he even raised the stakes by further suggesting to Sfeir that he should decide if he wants to live in a secure Lebanon or as a refugee outside, presumably implying that Hezbollah’s guns, rather than those, say of the army, allow him to reside on his hilltop in relative safety.
Surely Aoun must realize – or maybe he doesn’t – that a secure Lebanon is one that that makes it illegal for anyone other than the army to possess, parade and use weapons of war. That these weapons have not been turned on Bkirki is neither here nor there. They are not part of the country most Lebanese voted for.
But these are details. Aoun can for some unfathomable reason use words like ‘security,’ ‘democracy,’ ‘rights’ and ‘protection of Christian interests’ – the latter from a man who claims he is secular – in any context and receive nothing but the sagest of nods from his supporters.
But that was not all. Commenting on the long delayed government formation process—a process he is being used by Hezbollah to prolong—Aoun, with startling candor, pointed out that Hariri would never form the cabinet if he waited for consensus. Was Aoun suggesting that Hariri just go ahead and exercise his constitutional right as head of the parliamentary majority to form a government? Surely we should seek clarification on this.
But it was the issue, once again, of the weapons that drew the most dramatic statement of the day. After dismissing reports that a ship stopped by the Israeli navy was carrying arms bound for Hezbollah (Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al Mouallem, on a state visit to Iran, also felt compelled to comment on the seizure; he called it ‘piracy,” while Aoun called it ‘pottery’), Aoun blurted out that he would arm himself, “if he had the money,” and liberate Palestine!
Again, are we to infer from this that he sees Hezbollah’s weapons as part of an ongoing struggle, the objective of which is to march victoriously into Jerusalem having kicked the Zionist entity into the Mediterranean? This will no doubt come as a surprise to many of his supporters who have tacitly accepted the presence, for the time being, of Hezbollah’s ‘defensive’ weapons on the condition that disarmament will be discussed as part of a national defense strategy. Was this not the condition under which they accepted Aoun’s so-called Memorandum of Understanding with Hezbollah? Now their leader is talking of a crusade. Next thing we know he’ll be asking for a restoration of the 1969 Cairo Accord.
Then again, we have stopped being shocked by Aoun.

Where’s the love?
Christian reconciliation again seems far off
Matt Nash , November 4, 2009
Now Lebanon/
Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Sfeir recently fired a shot at the opposition, highlighting disunity in the Christian leadership. (AFP/Ramzi Haidar)
Talk of reconciliation is over. Sunny statements of Christian rapprochement over the summer have once again given away to acrimony as winter approaches. Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Boutros Sfeir, long a critic of Free Patriotic Movement leader Michel Aoun, last week fired a shot at the opposition, and March 14 Christian politicians lined up to back him.
With that latest salvo, Lebanon’s perennially divided Christian leadership seems poised for further stalemate, even after the cabinet crisis comes to an end.
“I don’t see reconciliation at the top,” said Habib Malik, an associate professor of history at the Lebanese American University. “Neither the personalities nor the atmospherics are there [for reaching unity].” In the heat of July, a number of high-profile meetings between two Christian factions, the opposition-allied Marada Movement and the Kateab Party, which is part of the March 14 coalition, had some speculating that Christian leaders could soon bury their differences.
The short term goal of those talks was a meeting between Marada Movement leader MP Sleiman Franjieh and Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea, a member of March 14. Franjieh has long accused Geagea of playing a part in killing his mother, father and sister in 1978, though Geagea denies the charge. That meeting never happened, and the mood soured.
With unity off the table, what, then, will be the role of Lebanon’s Christian leaders? In the short term, they will continue to hold the balance of power, though that position is more a sign of weakness than strength, as the Christians are the only major sectarian group that has not lined up behind one political force. Divided, the Christians keep the majority-minority dichotomy in Lebanon alive. Were they to unite, Lebanon’s Christians could theoretically end Lebanon’s political schism and tip the scales decisively in favor of either March 14 or March 8, or they could attempt to create a third pole.
But as that seems unlikely, Christian parties appear prepared for internal machinations and moves to strengthen themselves within their own coalitions.
In fact, such move already appears to be taking shape within the opposition. The FPM and Marada are the primary Christian opposition parties, with FPM leader Aoun being the obvious heavy-weight. However, Franjieh increasingly looks like he is positioning himself for a more national role.
His grandfather and namesake was president of Lebanon, though his party now enjoys mostly local support, concentrated in Franjieh’s home base in North Lebanon’s Zgharta district. Following the June elections, Franjieh moved to Beirut’s suburbs and he recently began acting as a mediator between Aoun and Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri.
“Franjieh’s striving to build his own political stature independent from Aoun,” said Charles Chartouni, a professor of sociology and political science on sabbatical from the Lebanese University. “He’s not going to antagonize Aoun. He’ll show he’s willing to work with him, but he’s going to be showing himself as a more independent political actor.”
Aoun, for his part, has likely abandoned any hopes he once had of becoming president, Malik said, though he added, that Aoun, having garnered the most Christian votes of any the Christian leader in the elections, will continue to be a force in Lebanese politics. On the March 14 side, the LF is finalizing steps to officially structure itself as a political party – writing bylaws and delineating responsibilities among different positions within the party – while the Kataeb party is witnessing some internal competition between MPs (and cousins) Sami and Nadim Gemayel. However, renewed conflict between the LF and the Kataeb, of which there is a long and bloody history, seems unlikely at present.
“They’re fighting for the same political turf, but I think they are ready to accommodate each other since they have a common rival,” Chartouni said, referring to Aoun.
Moreover, the overall effect of such maneuvering among Christian factions, at least on a national level, is likely to be minimal. “We’ll coast along like this,” Malik said of future of Christian politics in the near term. Chartouni agreed, and both lamented the lack of unity and near impossibility of another option presenting itself. “Realistically speaking [an alternative to the existing parties] has to come about gradually, slowly. It can’t just be done by waving a magical wand,” Malik said. “For the foreseeable future, I see us just coasting along.”

Chatah to NOW: Ministerial Statement must not be vague; opposition in cabinet blow to democracy
November 6, 2009 /Now Lebanon/
In a NOW exclusive, Finance Minister Mohammad Chatah called for refraining from the use of “vague terminology,” which he said was being used as a substitute for national dialogue in the Ministerial Statement, highlighting the need to reach a national agreement over contentious issues such as Hezbollah’s arsenal. He stressed the “legitimate right to different [opinions]” in the country, rather than one party’s personal view, warning against using the statement for “domestic gains.” “The opposition’s presence in the government is a blow to the democratic system and a mechanism to obstruct cabinet decisions,” he added, saying that President Michel Sleiman and Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri should make the final decision about forming a majority cabinet if efforts for a national-unity cabinet fail. According to Chatah, forming a majority government – considering Lebanon’s political system of democracy – is “normal,” and the current process to finalize the new government violates the Taif Accord and constitution as well as misinterprets the National Pact and Doha Agreement. Chatah explained that forming a new cabinet, which includes all parties and grants them the right to veto the lineup, gives the opposition access to a “sectarian veto” to maximize their gains, and he said it is the reason that both delays finalizing the cabinet and makes governance ineffective. He warned against adopting the mechanism in future cabinet formations, saying it “endangers” presidential elections and the process of establishing the Ministerial Statement. He stated however that negotiations over cabinet formation have reached a “very advanced stage,” saying he expects the government lineup to soon be announced. -NOW Lebanon