U.S. Official: Hizbullah Arms Threaten Lebanon, Region Stability
Naharnet/A State Department official said the presence of Hizbullah arms cache poses a threat to stability in Lebanon and the region. In an interview with pan-Arab daily al-Hayat, the official said the Teir Felsay incident stressed the "urgent need to put arms control under state authority."He also stressed the need for the international community to fully support U.N. peacekeeping forces in southern Lebanon. Beirut, 14 Oct 09, 10:35

UAE Tells Berri: We Act against Lawbreakers Only
Naharnet/UAE President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed al-Nahayan informed Speaker Nabih Berri that the Emirate has the "sovereign right to take action against those who violate the country's laws," the state-run WAM news agency reported. He was referring to the thousands of expelled Lebanese Shiites from the UAE that are believed to have links to Hizbullah.
"The UAE was exercising its sovereign right in taking decisions it saw necessary and, in so doing, the country does not target any nationality, religious sect or faction," Sheikh Khalifa told Berri. "Whatever measures the country took were only restricted to those violating the laws of the state," WAM quoted Sheikh Khalifa as telling Berri. Sheikh Khalifa reiterated UAE commitment to the support of Lebanon, WAM reported. Berri reassured from the UAE that the issue of the expelled Lebanese "is in safe hands." Berri said his meeting with Sheikh Khalifa was an occasion to express Lebanon's gratitude and appreciation towards UAE. He also expressed his deep thankfulness toward "the major initiatives presented by the UAE." Berri described his meeting with Sheikh Khalifa as "more than successful." Beirut, 14 Oct 09, 11:27

Israel Airs Video of Hizbullah Blast Site
Naharnet/Israel on Tuesday aired a video of the explosion that ripped through the home of Hizbullah member Nasser Issa in the southern Lebanese village of Teir Felsay late Monday.
The images show Hizbullah fighters removing dozens of rockets out of Issa's home after the explosion took place around 8:30 pm Monday and moved to another location.
Hizbullah removed the rockets from the scene in two trucks before allowing in U.N. investigators. The video, shot by an unmanned drone, also showed the removal of a particularly large piece of equipment that could be a large rocket or a type of launcher.
The Lebanese army and U.N. peacekeepers in southern Lebanon continued Tuesday to investigate the causes of the blast that wounded Abdel Nasser Issa, a Hizbullah member.
Following the blast, Israel army warned that Hizbullah members were still hiding arms inside their homes in violation of U.N. Resolution 1701.
The Israeli army said the blast "proves again the presence of weapons forbidden in southern Lebanon" under 1701, which ended the 2006 summer war between Israel and Hezbollah.
The 34-day war killed more than 1,200 Lebanese, mostly civilians, and more than 160 Israelis, mostly soldiers.
Resolution 1701 called for the removal of weapons in southern Lebanon from the hands of everyone except the Lebanese army and other state security forces.
Israel has repeatedly accused Hizbullah of rearming, and an Israeli army spokesman claimed on Tuesday night the group has "dozens of arms caches containing hundreds of rockets."
"The Israeli army considers that this explosion demonstrates once more the presence in southern Lebanon of prohibited arms," a statement said, adding that it had called on U.N. peacekeepers to open an investigation. Israel demanded a U.N. probe into the blast. Israel's ambassador to the United Nations, Gabriela Shalev, called for an urgent meeting of the Security Council to deal with what she called a "grave violation" of the resolution, the foreign ministry said. "This is the second time in three months that an explosion has occurred in a Hizbullah arms depot, which proves that the movement has illegal arms south of the Litani River and is rebuilding its military structure," the statement said. The resolution stipulates in particular that the area between the River and the Israeli border to its south must be free of all armed groups except for Lebanese security forces and U.N. peacekeepers.(Naharnet-AFP)
Beirut, 14 Oct 09, 07:11

Mehlis Not Aware of Arrest Warrant against Him
Naharnet/Former head of the U.N. independent investigation commission Detlev Mehlis said he was not aware that an international arrest warrant has been issued against him. "Frankly, I have no idea what you're talking about," Mehlis said when asked to comment on remarks made by former detainee Brig. Gen. Jamil Sayyed. Sayyed's office had said that an international arrest warrant had been issued against Mehlis. "I heard years ago by the Lebanese press that Mr. Sayyed had filed a lawsuit against me," Mehlis told pan-Arab daily al-Hayat in a telephone interview. "But where, how, and on what, and whether this was true? I have no knowledge of this. Plus, I am not interested in this issue." Beirut, 14 Oct 09, 12:06

Bishops Slam Delay in Cabinet
Formation, Accuse 'Some' Politicians of Seeking Own Interests
Naharnet/The Council of Maronite Bishops on Wednesday condemned delay in the formation of a national unity government and accused "some" Lebanese political leaders of seeking their own interests. "We regret that the government has not been formed after three months of efforts to form one," said the Bishops in a statement at the end of their monthly meeting. "Governments are made to serve the people. But in Lebanon, people's interests are put off and no one cares about them while politicians are turning their attention to achieve their goals and their own interests," added the statement read by Monsignor Youssef Tawk. The Bishops stressed that "loyalty to the homeland should not be mixed with the loyalty of others." Beirut, 14 Oct 09, 12:10
 

Zahra accepts reappointing Bassil as minister to resolve cabinet impasse
October 14, 2009 /Now Lebanon
Lebanese Forces bloc MP Antoine Zahra told LBC television on Wednesday that reappointing Telecommunications Minister Gebran Bassil, who was defeated in the 2009 parliamentary elections, will be allowed if it resolves the cabinet impasse. This option remains a possibility, but nothing is final yet, he said. He added that An-Nahar newspaper’s Tuesday report that the Free Patriotic Movement was granted five ministerial portfolios is “incorrect” and praised FPM leader MP Michel Aoun for clarifying the issue. Zahra commented on the election of the parliamentary commissions, saying it “might be determined today, but we prefer to have a cabinet before electing the commissions

Naharnet Exclusive: Hariri in Bkirki Soon to Discuss Cabinet Outlook with Sfeir
Naharnet/According to information received by Naharnet, PM-designate Saad Hariri will visit Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Sfeir in the next few hours to inform him about the results of his latest consultations on the formation of a new government. Hariri will also put Sfeir in the picture of the Saudi-Syrian summit's results on Lebanon. Naharnet also learned that the premier-designate will discuss with Sfeir his outlook regarding the cabinet lineup in terms of representation of political parties that back Bkirki's stance on the government. The outlook includes four ministers from the share of the Phalange and the Lebanese Forces and MP Boutros Harb. Hariri will also give three ministers to the Free Patriotic Movement and one for Marada, a move that would make the number of former Qornet Shahwan personalities equal to the ministers that the Change and Reform bloc would get. As for Armenians, they would be represented by a minister from the Tashnag party and another from the March 14 forces although the Tashnag is now moving closer to the Phalange and the majority coalition and is not fully allied with the FPM. From Bkirki, Hariri will head to Maarab to meet with LF leader Samir Geagea to find out if the LF chief agrees to get two ministers from outside the Maronite share – a Catholic and Orthodox – Imad Wakim and MP Tony Abou Khater. Beirut, 14 Oct 09, 15:55

Naharnet Exclusive: Nasrallah-Jumblat Meeting Produced Agreement that Gives Aoun Telecoms Ministry
Naharnet/According to Naharnet's political correspondent, a recent meeting between Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah and Druze leader Walid Jumblat has apparently produced a deal that would give Gen. Michel Aoun the telecoms ministry provided that Jebran Bassil takes charge of the post.
Our correspondent said Jumblat's latest remarks which came 24 hours following his meeting with Nasrallah reflect an agreement between the two sides to give Aoun the telecommunications ministry provided the post is personally handled by Bassil.
He quoted an official who took part in Friday night's meeting as saying that Nasrallah urged Jumblat to contribute towards "easing the pressure on Aoun by giving him the telecoms ministry" so he could face up to his allies' demands, particularly Talal Arslan, MP Suleiman Franjieh and former MP Elias Skaff who want Aoun to give them ministerial seats.
Nasrallah believed that concessions made by Jumblat would help keep Arslan and Skaff off Aoun. Earlier press reports said Cabinet formation process remained stuck at the distribution of portfolios stage with Jumblat holding onto the public works ministry and Aoun refusing to accept Jumblat's offer to take the ministry of the displaced in return for the public works. Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri had suggested that Jumblat be granted the telecommunications ministry, but the Progressive Socialist Party leader refused what he called was a "poisoned gift." Jumblat has, in turn, proposed giving Aoun the ministry of the displaced instead of the public works, an offer that was rejected by the FPM leader.
Hariri also has suggested that Aoun and Speaker Nabih Berri swap portfolios such as the health ministry goes to Aoun while Berri would get the telecoms.
Press reports said Hariri would discuss this issue at an imminent meeting with Berri. Al-Liwaa daily, meanwhile, quoted sources as denying that Hariri had suggested granting Aoun the ministries of education, public works, energy, justice and labor. Hariri met Tuesday night with Haj Hasan Khalil, Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah's political aide, to discuss developments regarding government formation. On Wednesday, the premier-designate was readying for another round of consultations that would include a meeting with Berri who has returned home from a visit to the UAE and with Marada Movement leader Suleiman Franjieh. The Franjieh-Hariri meeting is due to take place at midday Wednesday at Center House. Beirut, 14 Oct 09, 14:20

Naharnet Exclusive: Majority Informed of Content of Saudi-Syrian Agreement
Naharnet/Information obtained by Naharnet said the majority March 14 coalition has been notified of details of the Syrian-Saudi summit on Lebanon and that PM-designate Saad Hariri has discussed these points during a meeting with March 14 leaders. The meeting which took place Monday evening was attended by Lebanese Forces chief Samir Geagea, Phalange party leader Amin Gemayel as well as Mustaqbal Movement officials and members of the March 14 Secretariat General. According to the information made available to Naharnet, the Syrian-Saudi agreement provides the following: 1- Facilitation of Cabinet formation and the intervention of both sides with their allies in Lebanon in order to offer reciprocal compromises that would bring about a new government. 2- Normalization of Syrian-Lebanon ties. 3- Dealing with the issue of Palestinian weapons outside refugee camps. 4- Demarcation of the Lebanon-Syria border. The conferees assessed the implications of this agreement on the Lebanon situation in general and particularly on the March 14 alliance.  The major viewpoints emerging from that discussion included fears that implementation of the agreement would be restricted to the first two items only such as a government would be formed after concessions have been made by the majority and normalization of ties would take place during Hariri's anticipated visit to Damascus without implementation of the last two clauses which lack operational mechanism in light of the Syrian-Lebanese dispute. The second viewpoint has stressed the importance for March 14 forces to face up to upcoming events from within and not outside the government. The conferees agreed to support Hariri in his bid to improve conditions for the implementation of the Syrian-Saudi agreement. Beirut, 14 Oct 09, 08:10

Phalange, Tashnag 'Turn the Page on the Past'
Naharnet/Former President Amin Gemayel said the Phalange and the Tashnag party have "turned the page on the past" and vowed the two sides would cooperate to consolidate democracy in Lebanon. "We and the Tashnag party work for Lebanon's interest. We have a lot of things in common that we could work on to build a Lebanese state and consolidate the role of institutions and democracy," Gemayel said after meeting a delegation from the Tashnag headed by its Secretary-General Hovig Mekhitarian and MP Hagop Pakradounian. Gemayel described the meeting as "positive" and stressed that his party "turned the black page on the past."Minister Elie Marouni, MPs Sami and Nadim Gemayel, Phalange Second Vice-President Salim al-Sayegh and politburo member Albert Gostanian also attended the talks. "We visited (former) President Amin Gemayel to stress on the historic ties between the two sides and stress that what happened during the elections was a passing cloud," Mekhitarian said after the meeting. He said both parties would cooperate on adopting a joint statement.
Beirut, 14 Oct 09, 15:37

Hariri adviser praises Sfeir's national stance
By Maroun Khoury /Daily Star correspondent
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
BKIRKI: Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri’s political adviser delivered to Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Butros Sfeir on Tuesday a message of appreciation and friendship for his firm national stance. Daoud al-Sayegh, who visited Sfeir in Bkirki, said he delivered to the patriarch “a message of appreciation, friendship and goodwill for his firm and constructive national stances.” On behalf of Hariri, Sayegh also lauded Sfeir for his defense of democracy in Lebanon and call for respect for constitutional norms. Sayegh told reporters that Hariri has described Sfeir more than once as “Lebanon’s conscience.”/Daily Star

Kahwaji: We will not go easy on Ain-al-Remmaneh suspects
Daily Star staff
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
BEIRUT: Lebanese Army Commander General Jean Kahwaji said Tuesday that the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) will not allow violators to take advantage of security lapses to achieve their goals, a reference to last week’s incident in Ain al-Remmaneh. The clash that broke out between Shiyyah and Ain al-Remmaneh residents led to an inspection by LAF troops stationed in the south Metn area Tuesday morning.
“The army will not go easy on the perpetrators and will stand in their way,” Kahwaji said. He added he was happy with the security measures taken by the army in the areas affected by last week’s incident. On Monday, State Prosecutor Saeed Mirza transferred the ten detainees involved in the Ain al-Remmaneh incident to the office of the Prosecutor General of the Court of Appeals in Mount Lebanon.
Interior Minister Ziyad Baroud on Monday defended his ministry’s decision to ban the use of motorcycles in the wake of a spate of security incidents involving the vehicles. As of Wednesday, it will be illegal to use a motorcycle from 6:30 p.m. to 5 a.m. Last week’s altercation involved youths from Shayyah coming into Ain al-Remmaneh on motorcycles.
In other news, Sada al-Balad newspaper reported on Tuesday that the Lebanese security forces were assisting Palestinian groups in shutting down all entrances to the northern Beddawi refugee camp in order to control fugitives suspected of using the entries.
According to the daily, the Palestinian groups are establishing a joint Palestinian security force, camp patrols and checkpoints. The security forces were also informed that fundamentalists involved in attacks against Lebanese political figures as well as security forces were present and using “advanced devices” inside the camp.
Palestinian refugee camps cannot be accessed by Lebanese security forces. – The Daily Star

UAE president insists expulsions targetted only lawbreakers
Daily Star staff/Wednesday, October 14, 2009
BEIRUT: Emirati President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed al-Nahayan emphasized on Tuesday that his country’s decision to expel foreigners only touched those who violated the law while Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri stressed that Lebanese expatriates were “in safe hands.” Last week it was announced that dozens of Shiite Lebanese expatriates were to be deported from the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Khalifa stressed on Tuesday his country’s right to act against foreigners “violating the law,” a reference to the recently expelled Lebanese Shiites.
“Whatever measures the country took was limited only to those violating the laws of the state,” Khalifa said.
Following a meeting with Berri, Khalifa expressed the emirates’ commitment to support Lebanon. “This is the UAE’s permanent policy,” he added.
“The UAE was exercising its sovereign right in taking decisions it saw as
necessary and, in so doing, the country does not target any nationality, religious sect or faction,” Khalifa told Berri according to the Emirates News Agency (WAM).
Last week’s decision to deport the dozens of Shiite Lebanese expatriates – whose reported numbers range from 50 to 300 – was allegedly motivated by political reasons.
Authorities in the emirates had previously not commented on the expulsions from the mainly Sunni Muslim oil-rich state that is home to about 100,000 Lebanese.
For his part, Lebanon’s speaker told reporters that the meeting had been more than successful as he stressed Khalifa’s insistence that the emirates remain always open to the Lebanese people. Berri added that the Emirati leader was keen on preserving the rights of all Lebanese along with Emiratis residing in the the seven-member federation.
“In brief, rest assured that everyone remains in safe hands,” the speaker added, a reference to Khalifa’s role in resolving the issue.
A source close to the Lebanese speaker told The Daily Star that the Emirati president “would personally take the necessary steps to solve the situation in accordance with the Emirati state laws.” – The Daily Star, with AFP

Hezbollah continues to operate as a state within a state
October 13, 09
Progressive Geopolitics Examiner
Andrew E. Mathis/
Yesterday I wrote on Northern Ireland and the ongoing power-sharing negotiations going on there. Today, I notice that it's likely Hezbollah is arming in southern Lebanon, no doubt to prepare for any contingency in its ongoing conflict with Israel. Here's where the situations in Northern Ireland and Lebanon overlap: The Irish National Liberation Army (INLA), a rejectionist front, had announced its intention to disarm. Before then, we may fairly say, any organization operating against the stating intentions of the government is operating as a "state within a state." Hezbollah, which has quite obviously not disarmed, is continuing to act as a state within a state. This serves the best interests of nobody. There is no question that, during the conflict in 2006, Israel used disproportionate force against Hezbollah, but their excuse for doing so (while the ends do not justify the means) was that the central Lebanese government did not have the power to force Hezbollah to stop border attacks against Israel. This assessment, for better or worse, was true. Since 1992, Hezbollah has been participating in national politics in Lebanon. The problem with this is that they are doing this while maitaining their own militia. This is dangerous on a bunch of different levels, not the least of which is that Hezbollah could find itself in conflict with the Lebanese Army, re-igniting civil war in a country that has seen far too much of that. But there's another analogy: Germany in the 1920s and 1930s. A large mistake made by the leaders of the Weimar Republic was not outlawing the militias of different parties, whether it was the Red Front of the KPD (Communist Party of Germany) or the SA of the Nazis. In not having done so — indeed, the SPD-led government in 1919 called in right-wing Freikorps to crush the German revolution in Bavaria and Berlin — the Weimar leaders left open the possibility for the paramilitary groups to eventually take control. Hezbollah's ability to do such a thing is checked by Israel, but that balance of power is inherently problematic, as shown in 2006. That being said, let's return to the Northern Ireland analogy. Sinn Fein, the political wing of the IRA, was forbidden to participate in political activity until it disarmed. This should be a fundamental condition for participating in party polics in any democratic republic. If Lebanon wants to put an end to Hezbollah's endangerment of its security, it should demand that Hezbollah disarm. If Hezbollah refuses, it should do its disarming for them.

Turkey boosts ties with Syria amid renewed Israel row
By Agence France Presse (AFP)
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Rim Haddad
Agence France Presse
ALEPPO, Syria: Turkey boosted its ties with Syria on Tuesday at the first meeting of a newly formed cooperation council, only days after Ankara’s relations with Damascus foe Israel took a downturn. The foreign, defense, interior, economy, oil, electricity, agriculture and health ministers of the two countries attended the strategic talks in the northern Syrian city of Aleppo. Their agenda called for a series of meetings between respective ministers in their fields and the signing of diplomatic and The foreign ministers signed a deal on scrapping visa requirements for each other’s nationals.
Turkish-Syrian relations have improved after decades of mistrust based on Ankara’s accusations that Damascus supported Turkey’s banned Kurdistan Workers’ Party. But Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem told a news conference with Turkish counterpart Ahmet Davutoglu that Damascus regarded the PKK as a “terrorist organization banned” in his country.
Turkey’s ties with Israel took a turn for the worse on Sunday when Israel announced Ankara had decided to exclude it from the “Anatolian Eagle” joint military exercises. The move came after Syria and Turkey signed an agreement in Istanbul last month to establish the cooperation council as part of efforts to forge closer links. Under the accord, the council will meet once a year. The air force exercises involving Turkey, Israel and members of the NATO military alliance had been due to be held near Konya in central Turkey from October 12 to 23.
On Tuesday, Israeli Vice Premier Silvan Shalom urged Turkey “to come to its senses” following the spike in tensions between the two allies.
“Turkey is an important Muslim state sharing strategic ties with Israel. I hope the Turks come to their senses and realize that the relationship between the two states is in their interest no less than ours,” he said. “The deterioration of ties with Turkey in recent days is regrettable,” Shalom said. In contrast,Moallem said “it is natural that we would welcome” Ankara’s decision to exclude Israel from the maneuvers. “The Turkish decision was taken because of Turkey’s position toward the Israeli aggression against the Gaza Strip” between last December and January, he said. Damascus “welcomes the cancellation, because Israel always attacks the Palestinian people, maintains an embargo on Gaza and rejects any Turkish effort to resume peace talks” between Syria and Israel, Moallem added. Syria and Israel began indirect peace talks through Turkey in May 2008. But they were suspended last December after Israel launched a 22-day war on the Gaza Strip that killed more than 1,400 Palestinians and 13 Israelis. In Aleppo, Davutoglu underlined the importance of the Aleppo meeting for the two Muslim neighbors. “Turkey is the gateway for Syria to Europe just as Syria is the gateway for Turkey to the Arab world.” – AFP

Lebanon's farmers criticize politicians for lack of support
Syndicate says industry could more than double its revenues
By Dana Halawi /Daily Star staff
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
BEIRUT: Lebanese Farmers Syndicate President Antoine Hwayek Tuesday criticized successive post-1989 governments for failing to adopt reliable strategies capable of maintaining a profitable agricultural industry in Lebanon. “The agricultural industry has never been a top priority for the various governments that came after the Taif Accord,” he said.
Hwayek said that the gross revenues generated by this industry in its current miserable state reached $1.5 billion. But the sector could generate some $3.5 billion yearly if the required infrastructure was made available.
“[The government] consider that the most profitable sectors in Lebanon are banking and service but never thought of the profits that could be generated from a healthy agricultural sector,” he said. “They are not aware of the fact that families belonging to 800 villages out of 1,000 in Lebanon depend on agriculture for their living.”
Hwayek’s remarks came during a conference held at the catholic center of information in Jal al-Dib to discuss the challenges faced by the agricultural industry in Lebanon.
Historically, the most challenging problems faced by the agricultural sector were natural disasters and wars where farmers’ losses were never compensated, said Hwayek.
“In the absence of wars and natural disasters and with the presence of good quality production, farmers are [still] not able to sell their products fairly because of the competition coming from the low cost products of nearby Arab countries,” he added.
However, according to an economic report prepared by Bank Audi, Lebanon’s agricultural exports amounted to $69 million in the first half of 2009, up by 4.5 percent relative to the same period of 2008. It stated that the Lebanese agricultural sector could be well diversified, thanks to the significant differences in altitude within the country. But Lebanese farmers are slowly learning how to make use of this advantage in order to improve the quality of their output.
The improvement in the quality of Lebanese products is very slow, which increases Lebanon’s dependency on agricultural imports. The report said this was clearly demonstrated by the fact that agricultural imports, worth $719 million in the first half of 2009, accounted for almost 10 times the value of agricultural exports during the same period Hwayek said that agricultural investments in Lebanon are extremely low, prompting many land owners to sell their property to speculators from abroad.
“When land is sold to non-Lebanese for $0.5 to $1 per-square-meter, then Lebanon will be fully owned by foreigners in the future,” he warned.
He added that the syndicate did not have great hopes even if a new government was formed.
“What we want is a government willing to support the various sectors of the Lebanese economy and not one which appoints ministers depending on their political affiliations and religion,” he said. Hwayek believes that the agricultural industry should be able to generate job opportunities for 300,000 Lebanese families which is equivalent to 40 percent of the Lebanese population.
“Agriculture can generate a huge amount of profit if support measures are adopted by the government, because advanced technologies are easily accessible in this industry. The money generated will be reinvested inside the country and not in other countries,” he said.
Former Finance Minister Demianos Kattar was clearly displeased with the performance of Lebanese banks which he says hike interest rates on customer deposits, depriving productive sectors such as agriculture from badly needed investments. Kattar criticized the government’s previous decisions for decreasing customs on agricultural imports from 22 to 9 percent quickly and randomly. “I also cannot understand the reason behind accepting the conditions imposed on us by the Euro-Mediterranean partnership which prevents us from exporting dairy products,” Kattar said. Kattar is against adopting quick strategies such as relying on the tourism sector and criticized plans to increase tourism’s contribution to GDP by 30 percent while neglecting other areas. “Paris – the [world’s leading] tourist destination – depends on tourism at a rate of only 3 percent of its GDP,” he said.
Kattar believes that the agriculture and manufacturing industries’ contribution to the Lebanese economy should reach 8 and 18 percent respectively instead of 5 and 13 percent.

Politicians upbeat on cabinet prospects
Hariri, Aoun agree each party can nominate own ministers
By Elias Sakr /Daily Star staff
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
BEIRUT: Lebanese political parties sounded an upbeat not on Tuesday regarding the prospects of a breakthrough in the cabinet formation. Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri is expected to meet leaders of the parliamentary majority in the upcoming days. Hariri on Tuesday night held discussions with representatives of Hizbullah and the Amal Movement after progress during talks with Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) leader MP Michel Aoun on Monday. As The Daily Star went to press, the meeting between Hariri and the opposition representatives was still in progress. During talks a day earlier, Hariri and Aoun reached an agreement to grant each party the right to nominate its own ministers, the Central News Agency (CNA) reported Tuesday.
The CNA said the issue of nominating candidates who lost the June 7 elections was no longer an obstacle However, discussions on the distribution of portfolios remain open until the Hariri completes consultations with his allies before holding another round of talks with Aoun later this week. Aoun had demanded during previous negotiations that his party retain the Telecommunications Ministry and that his son-in-law caretaker Telecommunications Minister Jebran Bassil be assigned a portfolio in the cabinet. Bassil, who ran during elections for a seat in his hometown Batroun, lost to March 14 MPs.
Future Movement MP Ammar Houri told The Daily Star on Tuesday that no final agreement has been reached yet over the distribution of ministerial portfolios but that the atmosphere “leaned toward the positive.” Houri stressed that media reports claiming that the FPM was offered the Higher Education, Labor, Energy and Justice portfolios were inaccurate.
He added that the issue of rotating portfolios including the Telecommunications and Finance ministries was not settled yet and remain subject to deliberations.
“Media leaks regarding the distribution of ministries aim to hamper the ongoing negotiations,” he added. Echoing Houri, Lebanese Forces MP Antoine Zahra stressed that such media reports aimed to create confusion. “I am certain that all these portfolios will not be in the hands of one party nor with the majority or the minority.”FPM MP Youssef Khalil said on Tuesday the positive meeting between Aoun and Hariri had contributed in speeding up the cabinet formation. Khalil added that the dialogue had re-established trust between Lebanese parties. He also expressed hope that various groups would cooperate to promote stability and preserve national unity. Meanwhile, LF leader Samir Geagea said that recent positive indications could help facilitate the government formation process but rejected claims that “serious negotiation” over the cabinet started with Hariri and Aoun’s meeting on Monday.
“Serious negotiations started four months ago and what changed now is that obstacles are less than before,” Geagea said. Geagea emphasized the need to form a cabinet embracing a coherent ministerial team in order to ensure that political disagreements would not obstruct its work. As for the appointment of Bassil, Geagea said the LF rejected in principle granting candidates who lost the elections a cabinet seat, but he said his party would not obstruct the process.
Last week, Geagea called on President Michel Sleiman and Hariri to form a cabinet in accordance with constitutional norms if negotiations to reach an agreement over a national-unity government fail – a reference to forming a majority cabinet. LF’s Zahra, who also reiterated his call for Sleiman and Hariri to consider forming a constitutional cabinet based on a new formula if the deadlock persists. “We hope that these deliberations will not continue indefinitely as we must set a time frame for the ongoing consultations,” Zahra said.
Contradicting the LF stance, Progressive Socialist Party head MP Walid Jumblatt said on Tuesday that he would not participate in a majority cabinet, adding: “We cannot make such a gamble.” “I am part of a parliamentary majority but I am distinct from the March 14 Forces and I would not take part in a majority government,” Jumblatt said.
Following the June 7 elections, Jumblatt moved toward a more centrist position, distancing himself from March 14 and saying his alliance with the group was driven by necessity and must end. But the PSP leader has reiterated on several occasions his support for Hariri and has said that he was still part of the parliamentary majority.
Jumblatt added that his recent meeting with Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah on Friday was very positive and reestablished trust and good relations between the two parties after the absence of communication following the May 7, 2008 events. Separately, MP Boutros Harb said that failing to reach an agreement on the cabinet-formation following Hariri’s re-designation would lead to an open-ended crisis that would threaten the Lebanese political regime. Harb also slammed the threat of weapons by some parties, saying it prevented the formation of a majority cabinet based on democratic principles

US troops find Syria-bound weapons in Suez - report
Daily Star staff/Wednesday, October 14, 2009
BEIRUT: US soldiers discovered several containers of ammunition aboard a German ship bound for Syria and possibly Hizbullah earlier this month, German news magazine Der Spiegel reported on Monday. US troops stationed in the Gulf of Suez boarded the freighter Hansa India at the beginning of October and found eight containers of ammunition “apparently being shipped from Iran to Syria,” it claimed. Two US warships stopped the ship after receiving a tip-off from intelligence services. Seven of the containers were filled with 7.62 millimeter ammunition used in Kalashnikov rifles. The eighth contained cartridges suitable for making additional rounds. The shipment has caused discomfiture to Berlin, with the incident threatening to sour diplomatic relations with Washington. Der Spiegel quoted an unidentified German diplomat as describing the discovery of ammunition an “embarrassing affair.”
According to the magazine, investigators suspect the ammunition was part of an Iranian shipment bound for Hizbullah or the Syrian Army. After the German authorities intervened, Washington allowed the Hansa India to continue on to Malta, where the containers were “secured.” American officials have already decried the shipment as a violation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1747, which forbids arms shipments into or out of Iran. The 243-meter-long Hansa India has been under charter to the state-owned shipping company Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines for several years, Leonhardt & Blumberg said in a statement to the magazine. The staunchly pro-Israeli Der Spiegel made headlines in the Middle East earlier this year when it published a report suggesting that UN documents proved Hizbullah had been involved in the assassination of former Lebanese Premier Rafik Hariri, who was killed along with 22 others in a massive truck bombing in 2005. Both Hizbullah and the tribunal denied the allegation. – The Daily Star