LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN

LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
October 04/09

Bible Reading of the day
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 10:17-24. The seventy (-two) returned rejoicing, and said, "Lord, even the demons are subject to us because of your name." Jesus said, "I have observed Satan fall like lightning from the sky. Behold, I have given you the power 'to tread upon serpents' and scorpions and upon the full force of the enemy and nothing will harm you. Nevertheless, do not rejoice because the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice because your names are written in heaven."
At that very moment he rejoiced (in) the holy Spirit and said, "I give you praise, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for although you have hidden these things from the wise and the learned you have revealed them to the childlike. Yes, Father, such has been your gracious will. All things have been handed over to me by my Father. No one knows who the Son is except the Father, and who the Father is except the Son and anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal him." Turning to the disciples in private he said, "Blessed are the eyes that see what you see. For I say to you, many prophets and kings desired to see what you see, but did not see it, and to hear what you hear, but did not hear it." /future news

Free Opinions, Releases, letters & Special Reports
Hezb must take its own to heart/By Ahmed Al-Jarallah/Arab Times/03/10/09/(Arabic & English)
The Arabs Trapped Between Either Sanctions or Deals with Iran/Raghida Dergham/AlHayat/03/10/09
World Must Sustain Push Against Iran's Human Rights/By: Dr. Walid Phares/History News Network/03.10.09

Latest News Reports From Miscellaneous Sources for October 03/09
Geagea: Hezbollah’s arms will draw other fundamentalist movements to Lebanon/Now Lebanon
National Liberal Party: Syrian media injects toxins into Lebanon/future news
Cautious optimism’ pending Saudi-Syrian summit/future news
Archbishop Raei: Implementation of Taëf needs commitment /future news
Hariri met Hizbullah secretary general’s political advisor/future News
Zahra: LF insists on Taef accord/future news
Sarkozy Sends Envoys to Beirut, Damascus Amid Demands for Cabinet Formation Without Delay-Naharnet
Lebanon President of Arab Ministerial Tourism for Two More Years-Naharnet
No Cabinet Solution Looms in the Horizon, Hariri Meets Aoun over Lunch-Naharnet
Solana Reassures Saniora About Developments in Iran's Nuke Talks-Naharnet
ISF Patrol Attacked with Stones in Qusaybeh-Naharnet
Security Source Denies 'Extremist Invasion' after Report on Disappearance of Gulf Tourists-Naharnet
Police Demand Details About Students at Private Universities in 2003-2006-Naharnet
U.S. Demands Syria Establishes Normal Ties with Lebanon-Naharnet
Bassil Denies Requesting Hizbullah Help in Detaining Ezzedine-Naharnet
Mashaal: We will kidnap more so ldiers/Jerusalem Post
Hariri embraces unity government/United Press International
Politicians provide few clues on progress as Hariri continues talks-Daily Star
Lebanon stalemate reflects strength of Syrian influence-Daily Star
UNIFIL's Korean troops aid chil dren with special needs-Daily Star
Hizbullah praises Turkey's p erformance at UN-Daily Star
Pan-Armenian tour in Lebanon t o talk Turkey ties-Daily Star
Qabalan: Lebanon must un ite to form government-Daily Star
Fadlallah: Lebanon ready t o hear US peace plan-Daily Star
Experts discuss new ways o f maintaining growing population-Daily Star
Hizbullah demonstrates against Al-Aqsa unrest-Daily Star
Argentine asks for Lebanon, Columbia help in J ewish charities bombing case-(AFP)
Salameh predicts more than 7 percent GDP growth/Daily Star
Road closures for Francophone marathon-Daily Star
Family questioned in spy-suspect brothers case-Daily Star
Sardinia to start developments in South, Bekaa-Daily Star
Italian UNIFIL celebrate 82nd anniversary in Bint Jbeil-Daily Star
Festival reflects success of Lebanon wine industry-Daily Star
Palestinian women denied rights even in camps-Daily Star

Geagea: Hezbollah’s arms will draw other fundamentalist movements to Lebanon
October 3, 2009 /Now Lebanon
Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea said in an interview with Al-Sharq Al-Awsat newspaper that will be published on Sunday that Hezbollah’s weapons will draw other fundamentalist movements and their weapons into the Lebanese arena. He added that Hezbollah is still continuing with its project and it has a comprehensive program for the Middle East that is larger than Lebanon. “For us, Lebanon is the project and this is where we differ with them,” he said. Geagea also said Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun is only claiming to defend the rights of Christians, adding that “maybe this is his intention.” He stated that Aoun is actually guaranteeing the rights of Hezbollah and Iran, rather than those of the Christians.
Geagea said that Aoun rejected the cabinet lineup Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri presented during his first stint as PM-designate, not because it did not serve the best interests of the Christians but because it did not serve his allies who “want the Telecommunications Ministry at any cost and for known reasons.”He said it is well know that whoever gets the Telecom Ministry controls wiretapping in Lebanon. He stated that current Telecom Minister Gebran Bassil has taken the rights and powers of both the Interior and Defense Ministries by insisting on his control of the tapping issue, even though the constitution does not grant him that right. Geagea also stressed that Bassil’s role should be “nothing but a post box for the Interior and Defense Ministries, and the security services,” but that he is currently working for his allies, specifically Hezbollah.
The LF leader also told the daily that Iran, which is heading toward negotiations with the West, needs to use Lebanon as a bargaining chip. He added that forming the cabinet at this point is not in Iran’s best interests as it would not help it in negotiations. Hezbollah, he said, is holding firm on the issue of the cabinet formation and pushing Aoun to complicate any possible resolution while also affirming to him that they will not take part in any cabinet without him. Geagea also said that Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdel Aziz’s upcoming visit to Syria is designed to reorganize internal Arab affairs and work on Arab rapprochement, things which will reflect positively on Lebanon without necessarily resolving its problems.

Archbishop Raei: Implementation of Taëf needs commitment
Naharnet/Date: October 3rd, 2009/Source: Voice of Lebanon
Archbishop Bshara Raei said Saturday that the sharing logic is absent in Lebanon, noting that the 1989 Taëf needs commitment to be fully implemented.
In an interview with Voice of Lebanon radio station, Raei stressed on building confidence between the Lebanese counterparts as the country suffers from a radical division between March 14 and March 8. The Christian cleric also stressed on the importance of the equal sharing of authority between Christians and Muslims according to the Taëf agreement, noting that the sectarian challenge remains over who is going to govern Lebanon. Archbishop Raei called for the formation of a consensual government, and advised Premier-designate Saad Hariri to submit his resignation to win popular sympathy. He also said that the role of the Christian community is divided, urging the formation of parties that regroup many communities.
Raei also said that the Lebanese civil war is a result of the ongoing Israeli and international project that aims at creating many sectarian states in the Middle East.

“Liberals”: Syrian media injects toxins into Lebanon
Date: October 2nd, 2009/Source: NNA
Higher Council of the National Liberal Party denounced the negative intervention led by the Syrian media, which carries the views of the regime and its leaders, “and even became specialized in broadcasting its toxins into Lebanon in an apparent attempt to support the position of the Syrian-Iranian axis.
The Council said in a statement issued Friday after its weekly meeting that the Syrian media “went to far to call for regime change as a result of diagnostic conducted on its account related it to its allies.” The statement pointed that the position of the party which calls to respect the constitution and democratic principles is based on the results of the elections and the will power to fail the impediments fabricated by the minority to gain portfolios and oblige President Michel Sleiman and Premier-Designate Saad Hariri to name whom it wants.
The Council said that the opposition must not hide behind positive declarations, and it is required to accept participating in the government on the basis of the election results, or to perform its role by practicing opposition from outside the government. Free Liberals called to adopt rationality even in municipality elections, as an absolute solution to all issues and disputes, warning from “the fragmentation of issues that must be one basket through the expanded administrative decentralization law.”

Hezb must take its own to heart
By Ahmed Al-Jarallah
Editor-in-Chief, the Arab Times
DO the Hezbollah leaders in Lebanon realize the extent of the havoc they have wrought on the lives of some of their compatriots who reside in the GCC and serve as their representatives? Do they understand that thousands of these compatriots migrated abroad in search of greener pastures due to the economic hardship which they have created?Hezbollah has developed the habit of planting several innocent people to serve as agents of Iran since the 1980s, after its creation by the Iranian “Revolutionary Guards.” It has continued to send these people to several countries inhabited by a large number of Lebanese such as Brazil, Uruguay and some GCC states. Members of this group have committed unforgivable crimes without considering the strong support received by Lebanon from the GCC. Most of their supporters have concentrated on Southern Lebanon, in addition to spending a large amount of money on construction activities after a series of Israeli attacks caused by the “Iranian Agents Party.”
The outcry of Hezbollah over the so-called UAE deportees was not needed if the reason leading to the incident is considered. They did not react to the deportation of their compatriots from some African nations due to a few security lapses in these states. Why did they publicize the issue? Why did the Assistant Secretary General of the Hezbollah take up the issue on which he sent a series of messages? The issue was not limited to the occupation of the UAE islands by Iran without regard for the constitutional rights of the UAE. A minority of the Lebanese citizens serving as Hezbollah agents were those who endorsed its principles to tarnish the radiant political and economic image of the UAE. The action taken by the UAE was also based on constitutional violations and money laundering, and the group reacted because it lost a major source of funding and information.
The UAE took a decisive step because those who are hurt once do not fall into the same pit twice. It, therefore, retaliated to a series of crimes committed by Hezbollah members in some GCC states including Kuwait in the 1980s, to prevent the recurrence of such events. The UAE deported the bad elements, who could have destroyed others, back to their sources. Hassan Nasrallah spoke about the so-called “clean” money he had collected from his adventures in 2006 and which was pocketed by the group’s leaders while the masses continued to live in hardship. The GCC did not hesitate in the least before extending a helping hand to Lebanon. They rebuilt villages and covered the education expenses of students across Lebanon.
Now, Hezbollah faces the litmus test of sincerity. Why did it not compensate those it had intended to place in the GCC, if it really meant to ensure a life of peace and tranquility for these citizens? Is its role limited to using people and then dumping them without a backward glance? Don’t the agents in the GCC deserve a share of the compensation received by billionaire Salah Ezz Al-Din for the so-called victims of bankruptcy?
Email: ahmed@aljarallah.com

ISF Patrol Attacked with Stones in Qusaybeh
Naharnet/An Internal Security Forces patrol was attacked with stones in the town of Qusaybeh on Saturday after police tried to arrest two youths who had caused disturbances the previous night. ISF officers arrested one of the assailants, Hussein Mustafa al-Maaz, while the others escaped. Qusaybeh residents denounced the attack on the ISF patrol and called for punishing all those involved in the incident.

Sarkozy Sends Envoys to Beirut, Damascus Amid Demands for Cabinet Formation Without Delay
Naharnet/French President Nicolas Sarkozy's top advisor Henry Guaino brought to Lebanon on Saturday a message of support for the country's sovereignty, freedom and independence.
Guaino, who arrived in Beirut the day before, met with Suleiman at noon Saturday. During his three-day visit, Sarkozy's top advisor will also hold talks with Speaker Nabih Berri, Caretaker PM Fouad Saniora, PM-designate Saad Hariri, Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Sfeir and most probably other clerics. An Nahar daily quoted diplomatic sources as saying that Guaino will inform Suleiman about Sarkozy's keenness for cabinet formation "without delay" and express worries about any new obstacles facing Hariri. Guaino's meetings with Lebanese officials come in parallel with Elysee Secretary-General Claude Gueant's visit to Damascus on Sunday on a mission linked to Lebanese cabinet formation and Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem's stay in Paris. The diplomatic sources said Gueant's mission in Syria includes following up the results of contacts between Syrian officials and some Lebanese leaders and urging Damascus to facilitate cabinet formation in not more than 10 days. The sources said French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner will also travel to Beirut on a cultural mission. However, he will hold talks with Lebanese officials on the political situation. They added that Sarkozy is making every attempt to help end the cabinet crisis and will not stop efforts until agreement is reached among bickering parties on a government lineup. Meanwhile, the French foreign ministry spokesman described Muallem's visit to Paris as important on Friday. "We discussed the Lebanese file and French authorities expressed hope that all Lebanese parties would agree on cabinet formation," the spokesman said adding France reiterated its commitment to Lebanon's unity and sovereignty. Beirut, 03 Oct 09, 09:16

Lebanon President of Arab Ministerial Tourism for Two More Years
Naharnet/Lebanon was re-elected president of the Arab Ministerial Council for Tourism for two additional years until end of 2011. The voting took place during an international conference in Kazakhstan in which Tourism Minister Elie Marouni represented Lebanon. Marouni met the Secretary General of the UN World Tourism Organization Talib Rifai and they discussed President Michel Suleiman's upcoming visit to the organization's headquarters in Madrid on October 18. Beirut, 03 Oct 09, 17:43

Geagea: No Favorable Regional Circumstances for Cabinet Formation
Naharnet/Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea said Hizbullah's arms will drag the weapons of extremist movements to Lebanon and warned that there are no favorable circumstances in the region for government formation. "The presence of Hizbullah particularly after May 2008 unfortunately nurtures in an indirect way Sunni extremism in Lebanon," Geagea told pan-Arab Asharq al-Awsat newspaper in an interview to be published Sunday. "As long as there are arms outside the control of the state … other groups would carry weapons," he said.
However, he expressed no fear on the security situation "unless the other party wants to go back to (the stage of) series of bombings and assassinations." Geagea also warned that cabinet formation will reach a dead end if obstacles persist. "I call for a majority cabinet if the coalition government was impossible to form," he told his interviewer. Turning to MP Michel Aoun, Geagea said: "Those who claim defending the rights of Christians are obstructing (cabinet formation) not for their rights but for the rights of their allies Hizbullah and Iran." He accused Aoun of rejecting PM-designate Saad Hariri's first cabinet lineup "because the telecommunications ministry was no longer under their (his allies') control." "Those who get this ministry control wiretapping," he said. Geagea believed there are no favorable regional circumstances for cabinet formation. Beirut, 03 Oct 09, 15:57

No Cabinet Solution Looms in the Horizon, Hariri Meets Aoun over Lunch
Naharnet/PM-designate Saad Hariri met with the Hizbullah leader's political assistant, Hussein Khalil, late Friday as part of bilateral meetings with heads of parliamentary blocs over a new government. The meeting was held at 11:30 pm at Center House. Mustafa Nasser and Nader Hariri also attended the talks. Hariri's media office said the two sides discussed latest political developments, in particular the issue of the government crisis. However, sources close to Hariri told Asharq al-Awsat newspaper that no progress has been made on cabinet formation and denied any government lineup before a possible visit by Saudi King Abdullah to Damascus. An Nahar also said that Hariri was still in the process of discussing names and distribution of portfolios. As Safir and al-Akhbar dailies said Hariri will meet with Aoun over lunch at Center House on Saturday. Telecommunications Minister Jebran Bassil will most probably attend the meeting. Beirut, 03 Oct 09, 10:18

Solana Reassures Saniora About Developments in Iran's Nuke Talks
Caretaker PM Fouad Saniora has reportedly discussed with EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana during a telephone conversation the results of talks between major powers and Iran over its nuclear program. An Nahar daily said Saturday that Solana informed Saniora the day before about the meeting between top envoys from the United States, Russia, China, Britain, France and Germany, known as the P5-plus-1 partners and Iran's senior nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili. Solana informed Saniora that "the atmosphere is encouraging" but "should be improved."
Naharnet/The EU official's stance comes after Tehran's approval in principle Thursday on uranium being sent to a third country to be enriched and used for a research reactor in Tehran. Such an atmosphere has positive repercussions on Lebanon and helps facilitate cabinet formation, An Nahar said. Beirut, 03 Oct 09, 09:40

Police Demand Details About Students at Private Universities in 2003-2006
Naharnet/Police have reportedly asked presidents of private universities in Lebanon to provide them with a list of names of all students registered at their institutions between 2003 and 2006. As Safir daily quoted a university president as saying that the lists will be sent to the international commission investigating ex-Premier Rafik Hariri's murder and related crimes. The newspaper said police sent letters via the public prosecutor's office to all presidents of private universities asking them a list "of all Lebanese and foreign students registered at their institutions and all their branches between the period of 2003 and 2006." The request also includes personal details about the students, including their addresses and telephone numbers.
State-run Lebanese University's president denied receiving such a letter. However, a large number of private university heads confirmed such a report. Some decided to cooperate with police while others rejected the request, according to As Safir. The university official who talked to the daily said that police want the information on CDs and will send them to the investigation panel based upon the request of Special Tribunal for Lebanon prosecutor Daniel Bellemare. Beirut, 03 Oct 09, 11:47

Lebanon stalemate reflects strength of Syrian influence
Saturday, October 03, 2009
Hussein Dakroub /Associated Press
BEIRUT: When Syria’s vice president recently boasted that his country is now stronger than ever in Lebanon, many Lebanese dismissed his words as wishful thinking. Months of political stalemate in Beirut may show how right he was. Lebanon’s Western-backed politicians have been unable to form a government since winning June elections, and many of them blame Damascus, saying it is using its allies in Lebanon – led by Hizbullah – to stymie negotiations and show that nothing can get done without its say-so.
The US tried for the past four years to keep Syria out of Lebanon’s politics and largely failed. Now the administration of President Barack Obama has sought to improve ties with Damascus, and Syria’s allies and opponents here say that has given it a freer hand to exercise influence in its smaller neighbor.
The Obama administration’s outreach has resulted in “the invigorating of Syria’s role in the region, including Lebanon,” said Wi’am Wahhab, a pro-Syrian Lebanese politician.
Syria has “has influence in Lebanon as do Saudi Arabia, America and Iran. But by virtue of its geographical location, Syria has greater influence in Lebanon than other countries,” Wahhab told The Associated Press.
The wrangling over the government is a sign of how deeply the fate of Lebanon is dependent on outside powers. While Western-backed politicians accuse Hizbullah and its allies of carrying out the will of Damascus, they in turn are accused of taking orders from their strongest foreign supporters, the United States and Saudi Arabia.
Now hopes for a breakthrough center on Syrian President Bashar Assad and Saudi King Abdullah. The two met last week in Saudi Arabia. Lebanese papers reported on Wednesday that they are expected to meet again in Syria next week, raising expectations for an end to the impasse. Neither country has confirmed a second meeting.
Damascus is hungry for an end to its international and regional isolation and a recognition of its regional weight – particularly in Lebanon, which it has historically considered under its sphere of influence. The United States is trying to push it away from its alliance with Iran and its support for militants like Hizbullah and the Palestinian Hamas.
Washington had hoped since 2005 to break the hold of its regional rival Syria over Lebanon. Damascus directly dominated Lebanon for nearly 30 years, keeping about 35,000 troops on its soil. In 2005, mass protests and international pressure following the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri forced Syria to withdraw its military from Lebanon, and anti-Syrian parties were swept to power in subsequent elections.
But Syria maintained its hand through Hizbullah, which is the strongest military force in the country and the main representative of its Shiite community, roughly one-third of the population of 4 million.
Recent months have seen gains for Syria.
Lebanese Christian leader Michel Aoun, a retired general who fought Syrian troops in Lebanon two decades ago, made his first visit to Damascus in December, meeting with Assad. Aoun has been allied with Hizbullah since 2006, but had kept some distance from Syria, so the visit marked a significant reconciliation with his former rival.
Druze leader Walid Jumblatt – once a vehement critic of Syria who even called for Assad’s overthrow – quit the Western-backed coalition on August 2. He now calls for “distinctive relations” with Syria and says he’s prepared to also visit Damascus.
Earlier this year, Syrian Vice President Farouk al-Sharaa boasted in a speech to the country’s leadership that Damascus is stronger in Lebanon than it was when it maintained troops in the country.
Weeks later, his words seemed hollow when the coalition led by Hizbullah and Aoun failed to win June elections as many had expected. Instead, the voting increased the slim parliamentary majority of the Saudi- and US-backed bloc, led by Hariri’s son, Saad Hariri.
But the stalemate since underlines how no one side is able to dominate Lebanon. Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri has been trying to bring Hizbullah and its allies into a unity government, but negotiations have stalled over who would receive which cabinet positions.
In particular, Aoun has demanded that his son-in-law, Jebran Bassil, retain the Telecommunications Ministry, a sensitive post because of its security connections. Hariri’s bloc has refused, but Hizbullah and its allies say they won’t join his government unless Aoun is satisfied.
Syria’s opponents blame Damascus for the impasse.
“After Syria imposed its domination over Lebanon for 30 years … it is now trying to stage a political comeback to Lebanon through its allies,” political analyst Emile Khoury wrote in An-Nahar, a leading Lebanese daily seen as anti-Syrian.
Sarkis Naoum, another An-Nahar analyst, said Lebanon will not be stable until “Syria has regained its full influence in Lebanon even without the return of its army.” Naoum said Syria wanted to show the Lebanese that it was the only power that could prevent a renewal of “sectarian and factional fighting” in Lebanon.
So far, the political standoff has not deteriorated into violence, but there is a constant fear that it could. While Shiites largely back the Hizbullah-led bloc, Sunnis mainly back Hariri, while Christians are divided between the two camps. In May 2008, fierce fighting erupted between Hizbullah and Hariri supporters, nearly tipping the country into a sectarian war.
Syria denies any role in the stalemate, but believes the politicking reflects a natural return by Lebanon to its influence.

Argentine asks for Lebanon, Columbia help in Jewish charities bombing case
By Agence France Presse (AFP)
Compiled by -Daily Star staff
Saturday, October 03, 2009
An Argentine judge has asked Lebanon and Colombia to help arrest a man suspected of orchestrating the 1994 bombing of a Jewish charities building in Buenos Aires that killed 85, while former Argentine President Carlos Menem was charged Thursday with leading a cover-up in the bombing. The bombing of the Argentine Jewish Mutual Association, a Buenos Aires headquarters of Jewish charity groups, has gone unsolved for a decade and a half. Some 300 people were wounded in the attack.
Argentine investigators have blamed former top officials in Iran for being behind the bombing, and in mid-May they issued an international arrest warrant for Samuel Salman al-Reda, a Colombian of Lebanese descent, in connection with the bombing.
At the time of the bombing Reda lived in Buenos Aires, and according to Prosecutor Alberto Nisman, was the link between Iran and the Lebanon’s Hizbullah, who investigators say were behind the attack.
Reda lived in Buenos Aires until the day of the bombing – July 18, 1994. His current whereabouts are unknown, but his wife recently traveled to Lebanon, where Reda has relatives, officials said.
Judge Rodolfo Canicoba Corral, who is in charge of the case, is to send the representatives to Lebanon and Colombia to explain the case and to ask for help, a court source told AFP speaking on the condition of anonymity.
Canicoba Corral earlier called for the arrest of several former Iranian officials in connection with the bombing, including former President Ali Akbar Rafsanjani, former Security Minister Ali Fallahijan, former Foreign Minister Ali Velayati, former Revolutionary Guards chief Mohsen Rezai and Mohsen Rabbani, who worked at Iran’s embassy in Buenos Aires.
Officials in Tehran have rejected all charges related to the case and has also refused to collaborate with the Argentine investigators.
Meanwhile, Federal Judge Ariel Lijo charged Menem, 79, with “instigating” several crimes, including concealing and tampering with evidence and abusing authority to cover up what was then called a “Syrian connection” in the bombing.
Menem, who is involved in several corruption and arms smuggling cases linked to his 1989-99 presidency, enjoys congressional immunity shielding him from any arrest as senator from his home province of La Rioja.
Prosecutor Alberto Nisman asked Lijo last May to indict Menem and his former officials, accusing them of “aggravated concealment” of a “local connection” that provided the logistics to carry out the attack.Nisman alleged that Menem – who was born in Argentina to Syrian immigrants – and his former staff stole evidence to hide the involvement of Syrian-Argentine businessman Alberto Kanoore Edul in the AMIA bombing and destroyed evidence that would have incriminated him.
Former Judge Juan Jose Galeano, who was in charge of the investigation for 10 years but was dismissed from the case in 2004, had prosecuted Edul as an alleged participant but ultimately cleared and released him.
Galeano was also charged in the cover-up, along with Menem’s brother, former top intelligence officers and police.
Prosecutors claim that Edul was linked to Carlos Telledin, who served a 10-year prison term for having armed the car bomb that blew up the Jewish center but was then cleared of the charges in 2005. In May, the Supreme Court ordered a new investigation into Telledin.
Buenos Aires accuses Iran of having masterminded the car bombing and of using the Hizbullah to execute it.
Interpol has issued “red notices” at Argentina’s request seeking the extradition of a Lebanese national and five Iranians, including Ahmad Vahidi – the current Iranian defense minister and then-head of Al Quds, a branch of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps that operates overseas. The bombing was the worst attack of its kind in Argentina, which has the largest Jewish community in the Americas outside the United States, and the second large-scale anti-Jewish strike in Buenos Aires that decade.
In 1992, the Israeli embassy in Buenos Aires was leveled in a bombing that killed 22 people and wounded 200.
As part of his investigation of irregularities that took place during the first government inquiry into the July 9, 1994 bombing, Lijo also charged the ex-president’s brother Munir Menem, former intelligence services chief Hugo Anzorregui and Galeano, the retired judge.
Other defendants included former deputy secretary of intelligence Juan Carlos Anchezar and former commissioner Jorge Palacios, who also headed the Antiterrorism Unit and was forced to resign from his post as Buenos Aires police chief on suspicion of concealing evidence in the AMIA case.
The government’s mishandling of the investigation came under fire in 2005 by Menem’s successor, Nestor Kirchner, a political rival whose wife is now president. – AFP

Walid Phares: World Must Sustain Push Against Iran's Human Rights Abuses
By: Walid Phares (a copy can be found at Newsmax.com) (10-2-09)
As the United States and the international community meet Iran’s diplomats and hope for the nuclear crisis to be resolved, another critical front should be opened: an investigation into the Iranian regime for abuse of human rights of its own people.
I don’t understand how democracies stood by idly since last June as the Basij militia beat, tortured, and assassinated protesters. The U.S. administration claimed that its silence was meant to avoid being perceived as “meddling” in Iran’s internal affairs. But didn’t America and its allies “meddle” deeply in Yugoslavia, South Africa, and Haiti’s “internal affairs” when human rights were aggressed?
It seems that not siding with civil society in Iran as it is brutally oppressed by the Ayatollah Ali Khamenei regime is more about a commitment to cutting a deal with the Pasdaran within what has been announced an “engagement” doctrine by the administration. We’ll revisit this labyrinth.
Luckily, many legislators in the free world do not agree on deal cutting with oppressive regimes. On Sept. 22, members of Congress, the European Parliament, and the Canadian Parliament signed a historic document condemning Iran’s continued human rights abuses.
“This is historic because it is the first document signed by a group of international lawmakers addressing the Iranian regime’s human rights atrocities against the Iranian people,” said Rep. Sue Myrick, R-N.C., who is also the co-chair of the U.S. Bipartisan House Caucus on Counterterrorism. “We are keeping a close watch on the Iran nuclear weapons situation, but this will not cause us to forget the human rights atrocities committed by the Iranian regime. We say to the Iranian people who continue their fight for freedom, ‘We have not forgotten you. We stand with you.’ "
Jaime Mayor Oreja, who is vice president for majority party at the European Parliament, said "it is the first time that legislators from both sides of the Atlantic are coming together to address the threats of jihadi terror. We are pleased to have accomplished this first step and other important steps will follow."
Members of Congress who signed this declaration include: Myrick, Kay Granger, R-Texas, Paul Broun, R-Ga., Bill Shuster, R-Pa., Ed Royce, R-Calif., and former Congressman Bud Cramer of Alabama.
Members of the European Parliament who co-signed include: Oreja (Spain), a former Minister of Interior, Corien Worthmann-Kool (Netherlands), Timothy Kirkhope MEP (U.K.), Othmar Karas (Austria), Marian Jean Marinescu (Romania), and Ioannis Kasoulides (Cyprus), a former foreign minister.
Canadian MP Irwin Cotler, a former minister of justice, also joined the delegations and signed the declaration.
The letter will be co-signed by a wider range of lawmakers from the three legislatures in Europe, Canada and the United States, from members of parties on the conservative, liberal and progressive sides of the chambers.
The declaration calls on:
The government of Iran to put an immediate end to the abuses of its citizens’ human rights.
The U.N. secretary-general to dispatch a team of investigators to Iran to inquire about the human rights abuses and report their findings to the international community. We urge this team to visit political detainees in prisons and meet with the leaders of the opposition and the demonstrators to present a full picture of abuse.
The United States, European Union, Canada, and the United Nations, to investigate the so-called "Basij militia" for alleged abuse of human rights.
The United Nations Human Rights Council to freeze the membership of Iran until a full investigation by the council and the U.N. secretary-general on the mass scale abuse of human rights in Iran is completed; including the identification of those inside the Iranian regime responsible for issuing the orders to commit the atrocities. Iran should not be allowed to remain on the Human Rights Council when it does not defend human rights within its own border.
This is an important first step, as elected representatives within democracies on both sides of the Atlantic are reaching out to the oppressed Iranian people. This is the free world’s first move to investigate the Iranian regime on human rights abuse. In the end, as the world will be convinced that the oil-rich authoritarians in Tehran won’t budge on their expansionist agenda, what will be left would be a reliance on how Iranians will rise against this dangerous regime. All will depend on how and when the international community would help the forthcoming democratic revolution.
Posted on Friday, October 2, 2009
[Dr. Walid Phares is the author of the “War of Ideas: Jihadism against Democracy” and a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.]

The Arabs Trapped Between Either Sanctions or Deals with Iran
Fri, 02 October 2009
Raghida Dergham, New York
http://www.daralhayat.com/portalarticlendah/62114
The discourse of Arab leaders about Iran is noteworthy at this stage of Iranian-International relations, which at times seem to be headed towards diplomatic and economic confrontation, and perhaps later a military one, and at other times seem ready to strike deals and tacit agreements in various fields. Noteworthy as well is Iraqi President Jalal Talabani’s talk of an “unannounced agreement between US and Iranian stances over the necessity of strengthening and developing Iraq’s current situation, not changing it”, describing US and Iranian stances towards Iraq as “unified”. Also worthy of attention is what Egypt’s Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit said about “a US-Iranian concern with quelling Iraqi fears” in the crisis with Syria, and about the attempt of both to “convince Iraq not to push for” the establishment of an international tribunal to try those implicated in the terrorist attack which targeted Iraq’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki had demanded its establishment after accusing Syria of harboring terrorists. Aboul Gheit’s words are noteworthy because he said that “the US and Iran do not want Iraq to put forth its vision before the UN, nor Syrian-Iraqi relations to become more complicated as a result of such demands”, this despite the fact that Maliki sent a letter to the Presidency of the Security Council (which was the US during the month of September) requesting an investigation into the terrorist attack that struck the state institution, and the establishment of an international tribunal for this purpose. Arousing even more curiosity and questions were the words of Lebanese President Michel Suleiman, who said that he saw neither interference nor a role for either Iran or Syria in Lebanon, nor any interest in obstructing the formation of the Lebanese government cabinet, which the Prime Minister designate has been busy working on for nearly 90 days, only to be repeatedly thwarted by the pro-Syrian and pro-Iranian opposition. Even more surprising is the fact that the Iraqi President, while content with saying “no comment” over whether Syria played a role in attempts to destabilize Iraq, clearly asserted that “Iran is not training and arming [militias] in Iraq now”, although the US military leadership says otherwise, and is opposing his Prime Minister who has formally requested an investigation and a tribunal, regardless of whether the terrorist attacks in Iraq have come to it from Iran, Syria or any other neighboring country. Moreover, the words of Bahrain’s Foreign Minister Sheikh Khalid Bin Ahmed Al Khalifa are in turn noteworthy, not just in terms of the new tone towards Iran calling for understanding (rather than confrontation, as it had last year), but also in terms of the fear he expressed about the Arabs paying the price, not just in the case of a military confrontation with Iran, but also in the case of agreement deals with it. Not any less interesting were the words of Omani Foreign Minister and current President of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Yousef Bin Alawi Bin Abdullah, who held the George W. bush Administration responsible for what he considered to be the mistake of issuing the unanimously adopted Security Council Resolution calling for Iran to merely “freeze” uranium enrichment. Indeed, the five permanent members of the Security Council plus Germany are speaking the language of implementing Security Council resolutions and offering Iran all the incentives that would make it want to respond positively, including the offer to “suspend” sanctions in exchange for “suspending” uranium enrichment until an agreement is reached, while Oman’s Foreign Minister considers that the likely solution lies in returning Iran’s nuclear file exclusively to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), and taking the issue out of the Security Council by retracting previous resolutions. All of this is taking place in a climate of international, regional and Arab concern of another kind. Indeed, the Arabs, with their numerous stances and differences, are divided in fears as they are in stances. Yet what they have in common is the fear of the Arabs becoming trapped not only between the options of sanctions or a military strike, but also becoming trapped between agreements and deals. Alertness here would be well placed, yet excessive enthusiasm to please and to cover for Iran is not necessarily the best investment. Indeed, the opportunity is available now for the Arabs to contribute, demand and help without escalation or prostration.
What Arab leaders said while they were present in New York last week, in their discussions with the author of this article, contains messages to Iran and to the United States that can be summed up in: reach an understanding and the best of understandings, but please make sure that your deals are not at our expense. Some wanted to say: we are here; others sought to say: the price of wars in the Middle East is usually paid by an Arab country, so agree at any cost because the price of wars is high and no longer possible.
Many Arab countries will have an essential role to play in the policy of strengthening sanctions against Iran, if the five permanent members of the Security Council plus Germany agree to it or if the United States, Britain and France are forced to resort to a system of sanctions outside of the UN Security Council in case Russia and China refuse to join.
The United Arab Emirates is most prominent among the countries needed by the Security Council or by the American-British-French trio within the framework of strengthening sanctions, considering the nature of Iranian openness to the UAE and the depth of Iran’s financial interests there. Yet the sanctions, the nature of which was revealed by French President Nicolas Sarkozy in his speech before the Security Council, are financial, and also regard the energy sector. This means that the UAE, even if most prominent, is not the only country required to take measures.
Maritime siege may be one of the options, and it might be preferred over that of the military strike, if it is applied in the form of smart sanctions, knowing that a full-fledged siege is equivalent to a declaration of war. However, the ideas that are being put forth fall within a category requiring the contribution of Iran’s neighbors. The Iraqi President made it clear in his interview with Al-Hayat that Iraq would neither comply to nor obey the invitation to participate in strengthening sanctions against Iran. Many neighboring countries are being evasive and elusive because they fear vengeance and retribution from Iran.
Yet there are those in the Obama Administration who are informing Arab countries that there is an important relationship between Arab insistence on Palestinian-Israeli negotiations that would lead to stopping de facto settlement-building and to negotiating over the issues of Jerusalem, the borders, the refugees and security, and between Israel’s willingness to stop pushing for a military strike against Iran. Such a relationship, according to the reasoning of leaders in the US Administration, lies in strengthening the grip of pressures on Iran with a serious Arab contribution in order to prevent a military strike against it and to allow the US Administration to exert pressures on Israel so that it may respond positively by sincerely moving towards peace negotiations.
Then there is the Russian aspect of the Iranian issue, one which Barack Obama made sure to take into account when he announced abandoning the deployment of the missile shield system in Europe, which his predecessor George W. Bush had previously clung to. Such an initiative aims essentially at repairing and re-launching an American-Russian partnership with trust and cooperation in several fields, from Afghanistan to Iran through the joint war against Islamic violent extremism – or terrorism – in Central Asia, where extremism is spreading and threatening to lead to losing the battle against terrorism.
Iran is important in the ongoing battle in this respect in Afghanistan at Iran’s borders. Yet neither the US Administration nor the Russian Government wants to rely solely on Iran, especially if Tehran thinks that the trade-off will come in the form of implicitly approving its possession of the ability for nuclear armament. The role played by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in the Russian-American-Muslim partnership to reduce violent extremism is of the utmost importance, considering the influence held by Saudi Arabia in Pakistan and in the five republics of Central Asia. It is a role that can be relied upon, from an American and Russian point of view, knowing that Russia regards the issue as highly important because such violent extremism is spreading in its own backyard.
Russia tried to convince Iran to cooperate fully with the demands of the 5+1 ahead of the Geneva meeting, and Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov advised his counterpart Manouchehr Mottaki during their meetings in New York to “cooperate fully” and “present evidence” that prove the peaceful nature of Iran’s nuclear program. According to sources privy to the atmosphere of the meeting, Iran’s stance lacked the required consent and “they are making it difficult for us to help them”, in the words of these sources.
Indeed, the Iranian government is wagering on its worldly wisdom and on its skill at the art of negotiating and buying time, but it fears that bilateral Russian-American interests will at the end of the day overpower Russia’s interests with Iran. Iran’s leadership is afraid of sanctions that would touch upon energy and finance, not only because this would have a direct impact on Iran’s economy and on the tense internal situation, but also because such sanctions would bind hands and undermine the possibilities of foreign funding in these times of financial crises, as in Lebanon. This would mean reduced influence and perhaps a loss of control and the inability to fund militias or civilian organizations that rely on Iran’s treasury. The Iranians are afraid of isolation and seclusion, and they are also afraid of a military strike against their nuclear facilities.
For all those reasons, Arab countries and Arab leaderships should interpret the Iranian climate accurately and in depth. There is no need to be excessive in pleasing, humoring or sweet-talking Iran with statements asserting that it plays no role nor interferes in Iraq, Palestine and Lebanon. Indeed, absolving Iran of being held accountable comes at the expense of the peoples and the future of the countries whose leaders claim that they are safe from Iranian interference, while Iran interferes and undermines efforts to form a government or build an independent state, because it wants the likes of Iraq and Lebanon to be trapped in the corner of its influence, for its own interests and for the sake of its regional ambitions.
This most certainly does not mean that a military strike should be encouraged, but rather the opposite. Indeed, preventing a military strike against Iran requires Arab countries to help Iran by convincing it that its interest requires abandoning its regional plans and not just its nuclear plans, if they really are military.
There is room for trade-offs with Arab participation, such as Iran ceasing to interfere in Palestine, abandoning its plans against the Palestinian Authority and choosing negotiations for peace, ceasing to interfere in Lebanon through Hezbollah and ceasing to assume that it has a backyard in Lebanon in which it can maneuver against Israel and the United States for ends that serve it at the expense of the sovereignty of the Lebanese state.
The opportunity is available for Arab countries to say to Iran: we are here and are able to help in many ways, provided that Iran abandons its ambitions of regional hegemony and be content with its size within its borders. Even Syria, Iran’s friend and ally, is observing what is happening to it with fear and concern, and is taking steps to be prepared for what may come. It is seeking a place for itself in the developing US-Iranian relationship and sees neither an obstacle nor anything wrong in this. It is worried, despite its excessive show of confidence to conceal fear. Indeed, the Iranian issue has reached an important crossroad, and everyone is getting ready.