LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
October 08/09

Bible Reading of the day
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 11:1-4. He was praying in a certain place, and when he had finished, one of his disciples said to him, "Lord, teach us to pray just as John taught his disciples."He said to them, "When you pray, say: Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread and forgive us our sins for we ourselves forgive everyone in debt to us, and do not subject us to the final test."
  -Naharnet

Free Opinions, Releases, letters & Special Reports
Danger/Future News/October 07/09
Ain al- Remmaneh, Shiyyah residents clash/Now Lebanon/October 07/09
20,000 educated Lebanese leave per year/UNDP report warns exodus contributes to crippling ‘brain drain’/By Patrick Galey/07.10.09
Editorial: Breaking the ice/Arab News/October 07/09

Latest News Reports From Miscellaneous Sources for October 07/09
Fresh Wave of Violence Erupts in Tripoli-Naharnet
Aoun: Ain el-Rummaneh Motorcycle Incident Not Another Ain el-Rummaneh Bus-Naharnet
1 Killed, 5 Wounded in Knife Fight in Ain el-Rummaneh-Shiyah-Naharnet
Berri: Lebanon Crucial Item on Saudi-Syrian Summit Agenda-Naharnet
March 14 Condemns Ain el-Rummaneh Knife Attack Aimed at 'Inciting Strife'
  -Naharnet
U.S.: We Support State Institutions so that Lebanese Do Not Resort to Hizbullah
-Naharnet
Opposition Mulls Package Deal on Cabinet Lineup
  -Naharnet
5 Years in Jail for Saudi who Bragged about Sex Life on LBC
-Naharnet
Najjar: Motorcycles are Easy Way to Discord … They Must be Stopped
-Naharnet
France Notifies Israel of its Fears of Security Imbalance in Sout
-Naharnet

Kataeb Baabda Sector: preemptive security measures must be taken/Future News
Free Shiite Movement, for firmness with ‘motorcycles bandits/Future News
Souaid calls for fixed army check points in sensitive areas/Future News

Sassin: calm allows the army to perform is duty/Future News
March 14 request arrest of insurgents/Future News
Najjar demands arresting Ain el-Rimmaneh incident assailants/Future News

STL behind request for university student details/Daily Star
First lady Sleiman honors Francophone winners/Daily Star
Journalists blast press-union indifference over layoffs/Daily Star
France 'prepared' to mediate in Lebanon cabinet impasse/Daily Star
Baroud says Gulf 'terrorists' on valid visas/Daily Star
Armenian protesters gather against Turkey ties/Daily Star
20,000 educated Lebanese leave per year/Daily Star
Lebanon's budget deficit reaches 24 percent in first eight months/Daily Star
Lebanese businesses must look for global opportunities/Daily Star
Lebanon considers buying new electricity generators/Daily Star
Website sheds unprecedented light on public opinion of Lebanese politicians/Daily Star

Baalbek garden to honor Haidar, prince of poets/Daily Star
New school built for Al Buss camp refugee children/Daily Star
Forum urges greater female participation/Daily Star
Clinton describes Iran nuclear talks as 'positive' step/AFP
Nothing tangible between Hariri, Aoun yet/Now Lebanon
Aoun informs Hizbullah and Amal of his meeting with Hariri/Future News
Coppola's “eyes are open” on first Lebanon visit/Now Lebanon

Danger
Date: October 7th, 2009
Future News
Nothing is as dangerous as coping with the idea of the state’s absence. The various security incidents, which are mostly individual with the exception of some organized and pre-arranged incidents carrying certain messages, indicates that the Lebanese have become in the danger zone of the state’s absence. The absence of the state means that the individuals have dropped the Social Contract which organizes their relation with the state, and are thus living as groups and tribes without a political context which manages their existence and their inter-relations. The Lebanese now live the idea of an absent state. They seek to attain their rights from each other through bullying and resorting to the powerful figures and to street confrontations which in the political sense form sectarian ghettoes. If this pattern persists, the whole concept of a state will be discarded, rather than developed. The thing the Lebanese currently share – within the severe division- is one question: where is the state? The viability of such a question is displayed through the traffic, and through the deadly bureaucracy within the state’s official administration, and in the deteriorating living, cultural and social conditions. A state is not an item of luxury as much as it is a political and social requirement implied by the human desire to progress within the human, political, and economic evolution. The current political facts indicate that the country’s chances to promote towards further horizons have become quite slim. The no-state condition means that the Israeli danger is just around the corner and so are regional aspirations and empiric ambitions.
The only exit out of this situation is in moving forward with the government formation process and returning to the constitutional and political practice, upon one fixed factor: Lebanon is a state and not a hotel which residents fight to get the best service with the least prices.

Ain al- Remmaneh, Shiyyah residents clash
October 7, 2009 /Now Lebanon
Lebanese are all over again concerned about their security after yesterday night’s incident in Ain al- Remmaneh – where a clash broke out between Shiyyah and Ain al-Remmaneh residents, resulting in the death of one person and the injury of four others. Such an incident might hold a series of messages, especially when it comes to the area that is notorious for its “fighting incidents” during the civil war. The clash took place following another fight – in which a resident from Shiyyah was beaten up in Ain al-Remmaneh by a group of men, reported An-Nahar. It added that young men on motorcycles from Shiyyah, armed with knives, headed to Ain al-Remmaneh, where they killed George Abu Madi. Ain al-Remmaneh residents have gone on strike today until all assailants involved in the clash are arrested, Kataeb official Sassine Sassine told the Voice of Lebanon radio station. He said that he, along with March 14 General Secretariat Coordinator Fares Soueid, met with Army Commander Jean Kahwaji at dawn to urge the army to track down and arrest the assailants. Kahwaji, in turn, told the two men that the army is fair with all parties and will make sure to fulfill its responsibilities, said Sassine. According to a security source, the Voice of Lebanon also reported that the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) deployed in the region and arrested four people allegedly involved in the incident, including a member of al-Merhi family. Kataeb MP Sami Gemayel condemned the incident in an interview with his party’s official website, saying that the army should always be present at the Sanin intersection, where the fight broke out.
People from Shiyyah on motorcycles have been roaming the streets of Ain al-Remmaneh and hassling its residents for the past 10 days, said Gemayel, adding that the LAF has not taken any security measures. As tension in Ain al-Remmaneh increases, the cabinet-formation process is slowly progressing. Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri met with Kataeb Party leader Amin Gemayel Tuesday night in downtown Beirut to discuss the recent developments on the government formation, which has been in the works since July 2009. During an interview with LBC, Gemayel called for Hariri to preserve his alliances within the March 14 alliance and to establish fair Christian representation in the upcoming cabinet. On the other hand, the other Christian pole in the March 14 alliance, Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea called on President Michel Sleiman to sign the decree of “any government proposed by Hariri,” saying that if genuine intentions to form a national-unity cabinet are not shown within the next week or 10 days, the president should act fast to avoid leaving the state without a cabinet. Meanwhile, Syrian newspaper Al-Watan reported that Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdel Aziz will arrive in Damascus today in a two-day visit in which he is expected to hold a closed meeting with President Bashar al-Assad followed by another sit-down that will include both countries’ delegations. The daily reported that diplomatic and media reports said the talks will end in signing an agreement on taxes between the two countries.

Kataeb Baabda Sector: preemptive security measures must be taken

Date: October 7th, 2009/Source: NNA
The Baabda sector of the Kataeb party issued a statement on Wednesday in the aftermath of Tuesday night mishap that erupted between young men from Ain el-Rummaneh and others from Shiyah. George Abou Madi was killed in the incident, according to medical sources. An official report stated that the mishap came in the aftermath of a quarrel with a young man from Shiyah who was beaten up by a group of guys near Sannine Roaster in Ain el-Rummaneh. The incident developed when dozens of knife-yielding young men from Shiyah rode their bikes to the quarrel scene in the adjacent Ain el-Rummaneh neighborhood, attacking a crowd of men. “Security can only be maintained by taking preemptive measures to hinder the occurrence of such incidents and not buy intimidating the victims of these incidents,” the statement said. “Can we accept that a young man gets out of his house only to be killed by a knife-yielding coward who does not have the guts to face him unarmed?” it added. “The recurrence of such incidents is inacceptable,” it maintained. “The attacks will only lead us to hold even more to our areas because this is our duty to our cause and martyrs,” it concluded.

Souaid calls for fixed army check points in sensitive areas

Date: October 7th, 2009/Source: LBC
Coordinator of March 14 General Secretariat Fares Souaid called Wednesday for fixed army check points in sensitive areas including Shiyah-Ain El-Remmaneh, stressing over an agreement with the army command on a series of measures to arrest the criminals. Souaid told LBC that his visit to Major General Jean Kahwaji “is essentially motivated by the complaint from people in Ain-El-Remmaneh for being harshly treated by the army, calling the security forces to be fair in dealing with citizens equally “without discrepancy under the same roof.”
He stressed that the army must perform its duty in arresting the aggressors immediately, considering that “it is too soon to know the background of the dispute which negatively reflect over the general atmosphere.” A clash broke out between Shiyyah and Ain al-Remmaneh residents resulting in the death of George Abu Madi and the injury of four others. March 14 coordinator welcomed the Arab-Arab rapprochement, hoping that Syria would re-engage in Arab diplomacy for the peace process, adding: “we still do not know the ability of the Syrian President to cooperate with Egypt and Saudi Arabia in this context.”

Sassin: calm allows the army to perform is duty

Date: October 7th, 2009/Source: voice of Lebanon
Sassin Sassin the advisor of Al-Kataeb leader Amin Gemayel called all political groups to act according to the policy of calm so that President Michel Sleiman could perform his required role to prevent the occurrence of security events. Sassin described the mishap in Ein-El-Remmaneh late Tuesday as “security quake and blackmail.” Georges Abou Madi, a citizen from the area was stabbed to death during a quarrel with elements from the Chiah opposing area. Sassin pointed Wednesday during an interview to Voice of Lebanon radio station that “there is a strike in Ein-El-Remmaneh until all aggressors are arrested,” stressing that calm is requires to allow the army to perform its duty. He emphasized that the meeting held with the army command and Major General Jean Kahwaji stressed that the security forces are neutral and take its duties to reassure the residents of the region and make necessary measures.

March 14 request arrest of insurgents

Date: October 7th, 2009/Future News
A March 14 alliance delegation met Wednesday, Army Commander Gen. Jean Kahwaji to discuss Tuesday’s late night street incidents in the Ain Al-Rimmaneh region demanding the arrest of the perpetrators, the government-run National news agency reported. The delegation which included the Coordinator of the General Secretariat of March 14, former MP Fares Soaid and Sassin Sassin, Advisor to Kataeb party leader Amin Gemayel emphasized the necessity to arrest the insurgents responsible for Tuesday’s evil incidents. The Voice of Lebanon Radio quoted a security source that spoke on condition of anonymity that four individuals found to be involved in the Ain el-Rimmaneh street night battles were arrested leaving one man dead and four wounded. An official report stated that the mishap came in the aftermath of a quarrel with a young man from the Shiyah region who was beaten up by a group of guys near Sannine Roaster in Ain el-Rimmaneh. The argument quickly developed after dozens of knife-yielding young men from Shiyah rode their bikes to the quarrel scene in the adjacent Ain el-Rimmaneh neighborhood, attacking a crowd of men. State-run National News Agency said the victim, George Abu Madi, had nothing to do with the mishap. The Lebanese army dispatched troops to the area and arrested four suspects. One of them was identified as Hussein Merhi.

Najjar demands arresting Ain el-Rimmaneh incident assailants

Date: October 7th, 2009/Source: Voice of Lebanon
Outgoing Justice Minister Ibrahim Najjar demanded Wednesday the immediate arrest of insurgents behind Tuesday’s street night battles that left one man dead and four wounded, the Voice of Lebanon radio reported. “It is a criminal act that cannot be ignored. The assailants must be brought to justice,” Najjar told the radio station. “I believe that there is no political faction that encourages or even covers up any side that might lead to turmoil and tragic results,” he maintained. Najjar demanded the security forces to “limit the use of motorcycles in Lebanon because they facilitate riot in the country which might lead to sedition.” He denied that the incident might be “aiming at delivering a message from one political side to another.”
An official report stated that the mishap came in the aftermath of a quarrel with a young man from Shiyah who was beaten up by a group of guys near Sannine Roaster in Ain el-Rummaneh.
The argument quickly developed after dozens of knife-yielding young men from Shiyah rode their bikes to the quarrel scene in the adjacent Ain el-Rummaneh neighborhood, attacking a crowd of men. State-run National News Agency said the victim, George Abu Madi, had nothing to do with the mishap. The Lebanese army dispatched troops to the area and arrested four suspects. One of them was identified as Hussein Merhi. The mishap drew reactions from political quarters and prompted a visit by a delegation from the March 14 coalition to Army Commander Gen. Jean Kahwaji. Kataeb party MP Sami Gemayel condemned the attack and questioned “why Lebanese troops are not deployed 24/7 at the Sannine intersection, given the significance of that junction.”

Free Shiite Movement, for firmness with ‘motorcycles bandits’

Date: October 7th, 2009/Source: NNA
Free Shiite Movement leader Sheikh Mohammad Hajj Hassan denounced Wednesday the assault on Ain el-Rummaneh calling on the security forces to adopt firmness in arresting the assailants who “were uses to incite sectarian sedition and instigate tension between Lebanese areas,” media outlets reported. An official report stated that the Tuesday night mishap came in the aftermath of a quarrel with a young man from Shiyah who was beaten up by a group of guys near Sannine Roaster in Ain el-Rummaneh. The incident developed when dozens of knife-yielding young men from Shiyah rode their bikes to the quarrel scene in the adjacent Ain el-Rummaneh neighborhood, attacking a crowd of men. A young man called George Abi Madi was killed in the incident, medical sources declared. The media office of Haj Hassan issued a statement commenting on the incident “it is disgraceful to continue to take advantage of the victims and to make reconciliations at the expense of their innocent blood.” It called on the de-facto forces in the Shiyah area to “cooperate with the army and the security forces in order to restrain motorcycle bandits who take refuge in security zones.” “Hizbullah and Amal must lift the cover off all those who participated in the premeditated crime and must help the state to grab control over all Lebanese areas. Moreover, they must stop inciting people against the state and its laws,” it said.

Nothing tangible between Hariri, Aoun yet
October 7, 2009
Now Lebanon/A source told As-Sharq al-Awsat newspaper on Wednesday that “there is nothing tangible” between Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri and Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun. The source said that the ministerial portfolios suggested by Hariri to Aoun will cause problems with the latter’s allies in the opposition as well as with Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblatt. The source told the daily that Aoun immediately refused Hariri’s proposal to be granted the Displaced, Health and Labor ministries – which fall within the shares of Jumblatt, the Amal Movement and Hezbollah respectively – in return for giving up his demand for the Telecommunications Ministry.

Sleiman, Berri hold weekly meeting in Baabda
October 7, 2009 /Now Lebanon/Speaker Nabih Berri arrived in Baabda on Wednesday for his weekly meeting with President Michel Sleiman to discuss the recent domestic developments and the results of the latest deliberations on the cabinet formation.

Coppola's “eyes are open” on first Lebanon visit

October 7, 2009 /Now Lebanon
Legendary US film director Francis Ford Coppola landed in Lebanon on Tuesday to say his eyes were open to the possibility of making a film about the country. "I don't know if you can expect a motion picture [on Lebanon] by Francis Ford Coppola, but my eyes are open," he told reporters. Coppola, 70, is the star attraction at the Beirut International Film Festival, which opens on Wednesday with a screening of his latest production "Tetro," the story of two brothers reunited after a 10-year separation. Best known for his trilogy "The Godfather," Coppola advised young local directors to find their own voices and tell their own stories. The multiple Oscar-winning director said he was particularly looking forward to trying Lebanese wine and food, especially the chickpea-based dip hummus, on his first trip to the tiny Mediterranean country. The October 7-14 festival will also host acclaimed filmmaker Ang Lee, 65, who will attend the screening of his latest film "Taking Woodstock" at the closing ceremony on October 14. Lee's works include award-winning films "Brokeback Mountain" and "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon." The film will showcase some 40 international films, including features, documentaries and short works by Arab directors. Experimental films are set to make a strong show this year alongside eight full-length feature films by directors from across the Arab world.

STL behind request for university student details
By The Daily Star
Wednesday, October 07, 2009
BEIRUT: The motive behind the demand by Lebanese police for a list of all students registered at Lebanese universities between 2003 and 2006 was based upon a request by the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL), a well-informed judiciary source confirmed to The Daily Star Tuesday. However, the source did not disclose the reasons behind the STL’s demand. The daily As-Safir on Saturday quoted senior university officials who said Lebanese police had asked for the information between the period of 2003 and 2006 based upon the special request of STL chief prosecutor Daniel Bellemare. On Monday, several heads of Lebanon’s leading universities told The Daily Star that they had yet to receive any request to divulge private information about their students. All schools and public universities have to give general information to the Education Ministry, but private universities are not obliged to divulge details of their students, as the Interior Ministry registers them upon entry, said Chafik Masri, professor of International Law at AUB. “If there is a legal investigation, no establishment has the right to obstruct the process. But private universities are not obliged to give information for a general request,” said Masri. “In this case, it seems like a specific request.” The STL was established in March 2009 to bring to justice the killers of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, who died along with 22 others in a car bomb attack in Downtown Beirut in February 2005. – The Daily Star

France 'prepared' to mediate in Lebanon cabinet impasse
‘I do not believe it’s reached the point of regime crisis’

By Elias Sakr
Daily Star staff
Wednesday, October 07, 2009
BEIRUT: The French president’s top adviser Henry Guaino expressed on Tuesday France’s readiness to mediate efforts between Lebanese political parties in order to resolve the cabinet-formation crisis.
“The government-formation crisis would be solved as soon as possible with France’s assistance through building bridges of trust with all parties because we want to be a factor that encourages dialogue and mediate efforts between opposing groups,” Guaino said. Following a three-day visit to Lebanon during which he held talks with Lebanese top officials, Guaino told reporters at the airport that the government formation was a domestic and regional issue, while stressing the impact of the Syrian-Saudi summit on the Middle East peace process.
Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdel-Aziz is expected to arrive in Syria on Wednesday “I am not an expert in the Lebanese situation but I do not believe the issue reached the point of a regime crisis,” Guaino said. Tackling Lebanon’s role as part of the international community, Guaino stressed the necessity to form a government soon in order to enable Lebanon to play a role on the international scene. Lebanon is expected to be elected to take a rotating seat in the UN Security Council for the next two years. Guaino also expressed France’s readiness to support Lebanon’s role in the Euro-Mediterranean partnership.
Meanwhile, doubt was cast regarding any progress on the cabinet-formation front as Lebanese Forces (LF) leader Samir Geagea downplayed the positive impact of the Syrian-Saudi summit while the Future Movement urged all parties to make compromises to facilitate the process.
Contradicting Geagea, Hizbullah officials reiterated their optimism saying that deliberations led by Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri moved on to tackle the distribution of ministerial portfolios. Loyalty to the Resistance bloc MP Nawwaf Moussawi expressed on Tuesday optimism regarding the cabinet-formation process as he stressed that current deliberations between Hariri and Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun tackled the distribution of ministerial portfolios. Moussawi emphasized that the improvement in Syrian-Saudi ties positively impacts the government formation while the US interference still hinders the process. Conversely, Geagea played down the odds regarding the formation of a national-unity cabinet anytime soon as he accused the parliamentary minority of hampering the process by imposing conditions that are impossible to meet to hold talks with Syrian President Bashar Assad; the talks would tackle Lebanon governmental crisis among other regional issues. “The cabinet issue is a Lebanese responsibility; Lebanon needs democracy but also national-unity,” Guaino said, a reference to calls by Lebanese parties to form a national-unity cabinet rather than a majority one. Guaino added that the government formation deadlock did not signal a regime crisis. “I do not believe that the odds of forming a cabinet are high because premier-designate Saad Hariri insists on a national-unity [cabinet] while the opposition holds on to a set of conditions and demands that cannot be carried by any government,” Geagea told Reuters.
Geagea called on President Michel Sleiman to sign a cabinet-formation decree based on any government line-up proposal to be submitted by Hariri if negotiations with opposition groups hit a dead end. “If no serious breakthrough concerning the formation of a consensus cabinet surfaces in a week or 10 days, we hope the president uses his pen in order not to leave the country without a government,” Geagea added. Geagea underlined that the opposition attempts to mislead the public into believing that they supported the prompt formation of cabinet, adding that there was no need to wait, if the improvement in inter-Arab ties does not positively influence the formation process. “The Syrian-Saudi summit should positively influence the regional situation but I doubt that the positive atmosphere would help enough to reach an agreement on the cabinet-formation,” Geagea added. Meanwhile, the Future Movement bloc urged on Tuesday all political parties to make compromises in order to facilitate the cabinet formation as to serve Lebanon’s best interests. “The Lebanese parties’ only option is to show flexibility in their positions and put the nation’s interests above any individual ones as to allow the premier-designate to form the cabinet as soon as possible,” the statement said, following the bloc’s weekly meeting headed by caretaker Prime Minister Fouad Siniora. The statement also praised the international and Arab efforts to support Lebanon and preserve its stability, adding that the country would benefit from improvements in inter-Arab ties.


20,000 educated Lebanese leave per year
UNDP report warns exodus contributes to crippling ‘brain drain’

By Patrick Galey ظDaily Star staff
Wednesday, October 07, 2009
BEIRUT: “Staggering numbers” of highly skilled graduates are leaving Lebanon each year, severely hampering economic growth, according to new research.
Data published Tuesday in conjunction with the United Nations Development Program’s latest Human Development Report shows an annual migration of roughly 20,000 Lebanese, the majority of which are well-educated. This contributes to a crippling “brain drain,” and strains the national workforce, according to economic and social policy experts.
More than two-thirds of male and 45 percent of female university graduates opt to work abroad – a worrying trend according to assistant professor of economics at American University Beirut, Jad Chaaban.
“Most Lebanese migrants are highly skilled. Many of them are medical or engineering students and a significant proportion of those studying now – more than a third – say they want to leave,” he said. “These are not nice figures.”
Nearly 30 percent of emigrants head for the Gulf states with the US and Australia also hosting several thousand Lebanese expatriates.
The UNDP report, “Overcoming barriers: human mobility and development,” was launched on Tuesday under the auspices of Marta Ruedas, the UN deputy special coordinator for Lebanon
It contained 2009 rankings tables for levels of human development in individual countries. It ranked Lebanon as the 83rd most desirable place to live based on life expectancy, access to education and quality of life – a fall of five places since 2006.
In spite of what Ruedas termed a recent “overall positive trend” of human development, Lebanon has struggled to keep up with countries at similar stages of maturity.
“What is not so positive is that the rank of Lebanon has gone down. This means that Lebanon, in a comparative scheme, is going forward at a slower rate,” she said.
As for migration, Lebanon still struggles to keep its most talented individuals at home.
Chaaban pointed to domestic “push factors” which prompt young people to leave, which include political instability, the high cost of living within Lebanon and “cumbersome” legislation which discourages entrepreneurialism.
In addition, higher salaries and more rewarding working environments in adopted countries pull Lebanese workers to more attractive job packages abroad.
“Lebanon is not creating enough skilled labor opportunities,” he said. “We are losing talented individuals and paying locally for education that has its returns abroad.”
Almost 40 percent of the world’s migrants are from the Middle East and North Africa Region.
“Migration in this region is something that we really need to take a look at. There are positives and negatives,” said Ruedas.
She added that human-rights abuses among migrants in the region were rife and that many lack access to basic social provisions once settled in their adopted countries “[There are] a number of abusive and exploitative working conditions and the distinctive reaction for a country [receiving migrants] is to initially throw up barriers in terms of employment,” she said. “Migrant women in the Gulf countries are excluded in many places from normal worker protection. This changing slowly, but it is still a dominant factor of migration in this region.”
The report’s launch also discussed the potential benefits that migration offers to Lebanon, including the vast remittances sent by the Lebanese Diaspora.
“There are a lot of opportunities for Lebanon when it comes to migration,” said Ruedas. Lebanon is second only to India in the amount of remittances received, calculated as $4.5 billion in 2006, the most recent year on which data was compiled. Remittances now account for more than 20 percent of Lebanese GDP, but this is not always to the benefit of communities here. “Most money sent back home to Lebanon seems to be spent on daily consumption – up to 80 percent,” said Chaaban. Ruedas announced that the UNDP within Lebanon was working on initiatives that would see money sent from abroad used more for social development. “Most often remittances come, but they go directly to families,” said Ruedas. “They tend to be less directly connected to development than might be the case.” Chaaban said research done by the University of Saint Joseph, Lebanese American University and American University Beirut had unearthed a previously unexplored advantage of migration from Lebanon – an increased competitiveness among students. “When I know I have a potential to leave, I want to study more in my country, so I tend to learn more languages and skills. This expectation of migration creates a competition for learning,” said Chaaban. The phenomenon has lead to a generation of exceptionally well-skilled Lebanese, all of whom are competing for a relatively small amount of jobs to suit their qualification levels. Chaaban suggested that more skilled public sector jobs be created in order to accommodate graduates and prevent them leaving for pastures greener. “This is an idea applied in many countries. The private sector is not creating enough jobs – they are really limited to real estate and services – so the public sector needs to step in and upgrade their skilled workforce,” he said. “It needs to get these people back.”

Editorial: Breaking the ice

7 October 2009 ظArab Times
Political stalemate continues in Lebanon. Four months after the election won by Saad Hariri’s March 14 alliance, the country is still without a new government, its formation blocked by the pro-Syrian opposition Hezbollah, Amal and the Free Patriotic Movement led by Michel Aoun. Lebanese eyes are now on King Abdullah who will meet Syrian President Bashar Assad in Damascus. They hope that he can resolve the issue and enable Lebanon to get back to normal. The power vacuum is doing it no good whatsoever. Investors are afraid; the tourism industry has been seriously damaged and there are real fears that the stalemate could push the country into renewed sectarian war.
It is a sad reflection on the unstable state of affairs in Lebanon that it is outsiders who are called in to try and fix the situation. But that is a recognition of the influence outsiders still wield within the country.
Hariri’s supporters allege that Syria is behind the stalemate and that it wants a political vacuum in Lebanon in order to reinforce its influence and as a bargaining tool to ensure its voice is heard in international circles. Damascus denies this, although Syrian Vice President Farouk Al-Sharaa’s claim 10 months ago that Syria’s influence in the country is stronger than ever suggests otherwise. Many in Lebanon see in it an admission of interference.
Saudi Arabia’s position on Lebanon is very different. It is very much in the spirit of the 1989 Taif Accord which brought the civil war to an end and was based on the need for peace, stability and reconciliation in the country and a recognition that an unstable Lebanon was bad for the region.
Saudi Arabia supports Hariri not because he is a Sunni Muslim or because his family has had links with the country but because his alliance won the elections fairly and squarely. He is the man the majority of Lebanese want to be prime minister.
Events are coming to a head. This week Hariri finally met Aoun who has taken the lead in blocking a settlement with excessive demands, principally that his son-in-law remain in the security-sensitive post of telecommunications minister. Hariri is determined to have his own man in the job. He takes the entirely reasonable view that, as prime minister and being ultimately responsible for the performance of the government, he has to chose who works with him and who gets what job; he is not prepared to be a mere secretary who follows the orders of the parties in the coalition.
But, much as he might want to, Hariri cannot ignore Aoun. He is a major figure in the opposition and Hariri knows that if he does not stick to the agreed Cabinet formula of 15 ministers from his own alliance, 10 from the opposition and five appointed by the president, then there is a real chance of civil war breaking out again.
Aoun now says that a Cabinet will soon be formed. Will it include his son-in law as telecommunications minister? If it does, Hariri has lost and so has Lebanon. The opposition will have demonstrated that and that its masters are the real power in Lebanon. If Aoun’s son-in-law is not minister, then Hariri has won. But will the opposition accept that?

Website sheds unprecedented light on public opinion of Lebanese politicians

By Josie Ensor ظDaily Star staff
Wednesday, October 07, 2009
BEIRUT: We know what their approval ratings were in the June elections, but how have Lebanon’s top politicians faired in the court of public opinion over the last four months?
ElectionsMeter, an interactive online poll, has been monitoring the changing popularity of the country’s leaders since the June 7 elections earlier this year, using data generated by the site’s thousands of users. The survey reveals that March 8 politicians, on the whole, are currently figuring better than March 14 counterparts. The poll also shows that the public have all but lost faith in the country’s political situation as a result of the delay in forming a unity cabinet which is now entering its fourth month. The most popular politician according to the ongoing poll is Amal Movement head Nabih Berri, who scored the highest approval rating of any Lebanese leader. The speaker of Parliament, who is the highest representative in the country for Shiite Muslims, stood at 92 percent in early June, receiving an average of 15 percent more support than any March 14 politician. However, the results show he has not gained greater public support since he was re-elected for another term, with his rating remaining constant at 79 percent since mid-August. Future Movement head Saad Hariri’s results show the premier-designate’s departure notice little affected positive public’s opinion. Peaking in early June, opinion on Hariri has stayed at 72 percent, with little noticeable change between when he stepped down from his post in early September to when he was re-nominated soon after.
Hariri is considered one of the most influential Sunni Muslim leaders, receiving overwhelming backing from lawmakers for his re-appointment, and has been rated the top Sunni Lebanese politician and third overall in the ElectionsMeter poll. Meanwhile, Hizbullah’s Hassan Nasrallah, voted as second favorite by the online Lebanese public, is one of few leaders in the country who has actually been gaining in popularity since the June 7 elections, showing a 24 percent rise in approval since the party lost the election to March 14 earlier this year.
His rating was at just 56 percent immediately after the elections, but it had shot up to almost 80 percent by September. The Hizbullah-led March 8 faction lost to the March 14 Forces in June. The poll indicates that post election support for Hizbullah’s secretary-general has grown as a result of his sportsmanlike acceptance after the loss, and his “dogmatic leadership” in the intervening months, according to voters. Support for Walid Jumblatt, Progressive Socialist Party head and prominent leader in the Druze community, has fluctuated over the past four months. Renowned for his staunch anti-Syrian sentiment, Jumblatt has invoked strong reaction in the past. When Jumblatt quit the March 14 coalition on August 2 the decision cost him dearly; the ElectionsMeter poll saw a dramatic drop in public support the day he announced the decision. However, September saw him beginning to recover the difference as he took a greater role in cabinet formation. General Michel Aoun of the Free Patriotic Party, who has aligned himself with March 8 faction Hizbullah, has been received relatively favorably, slowly creeping up from the 61 percent approval rating he received after the elections to the 70 percent he reached at the end of September.
Hizbullah’s Christian ally increased his popular vote in the elections when his bloc picked up a total of 27 seats. The polls show the public was mostly satisfied with the party head’s performance since the election result. Outgoing Prime Minister Fouad Siniora has so far proved the least charismatic, remaining at a constant of 50 percent since the poll began in June. He was voted by the public as the “leader who has achieved the least” since the election four months ago.
The poll shows that Lebanese are quickly beginning to lose patience with the government, who have yet to agree on a line-up for the unity cabinet based on the 15-10-5 formula.
This make-up grants the majority 15 ministers, the opposition 10 and President Michel Sleiman 5 seats, guaranteeing him the tipping vote while both the majority and the opposition are respectively denied absolute majority or veto power. The figure for people satisfied with the overall political position slid from a lukewarm 40 percent the day after the election, to a dire 5 percent in October. The most dramatic change in opinion occurred in the third week of July – around the time the delay began to be increasingly referred to as a situation of political impasse, dropping over 20 percent in a week. This figure of 5 percent puts Lebanon among the world’s worst for global political satisfaction, according to ElectionsMeter polls, below Iran, Afghan­istan and Palestine, and just above Syria and South Africa.
Visit the website at: www.electionsmeter.com

How can you stop the violence in Egypt?
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http://bikyamasr.com/?p=4265
BIKYa MAsr
Bikya Masr Staff
30 September 2009 in Featured Blogumnist, Morris Sadek
It is very hard to believe that in the 21st century, security and equality for Christians in Egypt is still a dream. The Copts are the largest minority in the world without rights!
According to the New York Times, in an article published on May 20, 1962, the Coptic population was around four million out of 27 million in Egypt. That is around 15 percent of the total population. According to a Freedom House report in 1999, the Coptic community of some 6 to 10 million is by far the largest Christian grouping in the Middle East.
What kind of discrimination face Copts living in Egypt?
1. Prevention of church construction, thereby suppressing Coptic worship and expression.
2. The absence of justice for persecuted Copts. Hundreds have been killed, injured or made victims of vandalized property in wide-scale attacks following Friday Muslim prayers. No one has ever been recognized, held accountable, or punished for these heinous acts against Copts.
3. The kidnapping, drugging and raping of Coptic girls as young as 14-years-old. Just in case, the aforementioned torture was not sufficient, they are forced to convert to Islam with the blessing and sponsorship of Al-Azhar (the largest Islamic institution in Egypt).
4. The publication of offensive, degrading anti-Christian material by publicly owned newspapers and television channels. Copts who demand the right to religious freedom in Egypt have been labeled traitors and infidels in public media outlets.
5. The unjustly withheld salaries of the Christian clergy by the regime, whereas mosques, Islamic institutions and universities are funded by taxpayers. Churches and Christian institutions are denied access to any government fund.
6. The fact that Copts are denied high profile jobs in the police, army, legal system, local authorities, etc. Additionally, since Muslims mostly own private businesses, Copts are denied occupations within the private sector as well.
7. Courts impose unfair sentences, along with enhanced penalties against Copts because of their Christian faith.
My opinion is if the discrimination continues and the Coptic community loses all types of protection from the Egyptian government and the global community, it will cause individuals to leave the country. In addition to leaving, there will be a lot of violence against Copts; so many people will become victims. These two factors will cause the future to fade away for the Coptic community in Egypt.
How can you stop the violence?
First, the education system needs a lot of improvement. Within the regular state system, problems arise in the general curriculum. For example, the history of the Copts in Egypt is almost entirely absent. Many ordinary Muslims know virtually nothing of the Copts and therefore assume they must be outsiders. The education system has to be updated to add the Coptic period in Egypt, so Muslims can know about Christians who share the classroom.
Second, the Egyptian government is complicit in creating a hostile atmosphere against Christians through the state-controlled media, schools and government agencies. The government needs to stop these acts, so Muslims can treat Christians friendly and without malice.
Many Egyptian Christians report that the police do not provide them with protection from violent attacks. Too often, the police are complicit with the local extremists who practice the jizya. The police have to offer justice and equality in dealing with all Egyptian citizens.
The legal system is increasingly incorporating Islamic law. For example, Sharia law in Egypt denies equal rights to Christians and Muslims in areas of conversion, marriage and parenting. Also, courts impose unfair sentences, along with enhanced penalties against Copts because of their Christian faith.
http://www.nationalamericancopticassembly.webs.com/ 
http://nacopticas1.blogspot.com/  
 
http://nacopts1.blogspot.com/