LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN

LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
October 20/09

Bible Reading of the day
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 12:13-21. Someone in the crowd said to him, "Teacher, tell my brother to share the inheritance with me."
He replied to him, "Friend, who appointed me as your judge and arbitrator?" Then he said to the crowd, "Take care to guard against all greed, for though one may be rich, one's life does not consist of possessions." Then he told them a parable. "There was a rich man whose land produced a bountiful harvest. He asked himself, 'What shall I do, for I do not have space to store my harvest?' And he said, 'This is what I shall do: I shall tear down my barns and build larger ones. There I shall store all my grain and other goods and I shall say to myself, "Now as for you, you have so many good things stored up for many years, rest, eat, drink, be merry!" But God said to him, 'You fool, this night your life will be demanded of you; and the things you have prepared, to whom will they belong?' Thus will it be for the one who stores up treasure for himself but is not rich in what matters to God."

Free Opinions, Releases, letters & Special Reports
Iran…Terrorism Returns Home/By Tariq Alhomayed/19.10.09
Unnecessary duel/By Haaretz Editorial/19.10.09
Did Khamenei’s role vanish?/Future News/October 19th, 09
The statements maid by Lebanese President Michel Sleiman during his meeting with Arab ambassadors in Spain/19/10/09

Latest News Reports From Miscellaneous Sources for October 19/09
Yemen President Accuses Hizbullah of Training Rebels-Naharnet
Yemen's Saleh blames Iran for funding Shiite rebels/AFP
Hizbullah: UNIFIL Position on Israeli Spy Devices 'Unacceptable Bias'-Naharnet
Gemayel: Ministerial Statement to Guarantee Lebanon's Sovereignty-Naharnet
Jumblat Calls for Building a Common Lebanese-Syrian Memory-Naharnet
Chamoun: Those abiding by Syrian opinion are obstructing cabinet formation/Now Lebanon
Britain rejects claim of involvement in Iran attack/Now Lebanon
Pietton says France supports Lebanon’s sovereignty/Now Lebanon
Israel says Hizbullah maintains presence along border/Future News
Beydoun: Berri’s silence is a part of roles-distributing game/Future News
Aoun meets Shibani in a farewell visit/Now Lebanon
Sader Reportedly Alive, Not Kidnapped by Hizbullah and Likely to be Freed Soon /Naharnet
Hizbullah Takes Credit for 'Thwarting' Israeli Spy Surveillance as Lebanese Army, UNIFIL Go on Alert /Naharnet
Suleiman: Lebanon's Role in Security Council Will Serve Arabs /Naharnet
Ciccia from Bkirki: Cabinet Picture Remains Murky, Christian Immigration should Reduce /Naharnet
Same Old 'Telecoms' Crisis … Government Situation Better /Naharnet
Security Source: We've Destroyed Israel's Spy Structure, Restructuring Needs 5-6 Years /Naharnet
Shooting near Bahia Hariri House, Mustaqbal Offices in Sidon /Naharnet
Williams: Arms Outside State Control Should be Dealt with Through National Dialogue /Naharnet
President Suleiman: Lebanon Will be the Voice of all Arab Countries /Naharnet
Iran vows to 'retaliate' against U.K., U.S. after bombing/Reuters
Israel may have planted spy gear in Lebanon: U.N/Reuters
Hariri says "breakthrough" in cabinet formation a matter of days/Monsters and Critics.com
Three Israeli 'spy devices' blo wn up in Lebanon/AFP
Cabinet talks on hold as Sleiman in Spain/Daily Star
Top French officials weigh in on cabi net formation/Daily Star
Fadlallah urges all Arabs to fight Israeli enemy/Daily Star
UN envoy: Lebanon arms 'in ternal' issue/Daily Star
Azour takes part in Buttonwood Gathering/Daily Star
Insead director says downturn a good time to study/Daily Star
Merrill Lynch keeps Lebanon's debt at 'Market Weight/Daily Star
Baroud praises ISF after abducted Saudi girl freed/Daily Star
Schools urged to stop calling resistance terrorism/Daily Star
Hand grenade wounds three children in Rashidieh/Daily Star
Death penalty sought over 2008 Tripoli attack/Daily Star
Work-hungry Palestinians take to taxis/Daily Star
Aridi visits south to check up on project works/Daily Star
Lebanon's teaching methods leave youth at risk/Daily Star
World's 'last man' calls for action on climate change/Daily Star
Syria, Russia calls for a new push to resume Mideast peace process/Xinhua

Iran…Terrorism Returns Home
19/10/2009
By Tariq Alhomayed
Editor-in-Chief of Asharq Al-Awsat,
The Iranian regime raised its voice in condemnation of terrorism and cast accusations against the West following the suicide bombing that targeted Revolutionary Guard leaders and others in the Sistan Baluchestan province, which is near Iran’s border with Pakistan. We could say here that terrorism has returned home, i.e. to Iran. There is also another lesson [to be learnt] from this operation.
Whilst the Iranians tried to use extremist groups in our region to realize the Islamic Revolution’s goals, whether they are Al Qaeda or other similar groups in Iraq, Lebanon, Yemen and Saudi Arabia, Iran was a stopover on the way to joining “Al Qaeda” for some members who surrendered themselves recently in Riyadh, such as Fawwaz al Otaibi. In fact some of those who cut through Iran to join Al Qaeda in Pakistan or Afghanistan admitted that people wearing security uniform facilitated their journey through Iran!
From all of the above we can understand why Tehran talks about its regional role with such confidence, and [states] that the return of stability to the region is in its hands. But the hand of Iran, which claims to be able to establish stability [in our region], was burnt yesterday following the explosion that claimed the lives of over 40 people, including the deputy commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards’ ground forces [Nur-Ali Shustari] and other leaders, as well as leading figures of the Al Quds Force, which has the upper hand in Iraq.
The second lesson to be learnt from this suicide operation – for which the Iranian group Jundullah claimed responsibility – is the danger of tampering with the sectarian issue. This is something that we have warned of time and time again and something that many rational-minded people have also warned against. But these warnings fell on the deaf ears of Iran and those in our region affiliated to it. In fact, they accused all of those who warned against sectarianism of having sectarian attitudes.
The sectarian issue that Iran exploited and continues to exploit in our region blew up in the face of the Mullah regime and did so violently. At a time when Yemen diplomatically rejected receiving the Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki, who announced he would travel to Sanaa to mediate in the conflict with the Houthis, and following attempts to exploit sectarianism in Lebanon under the banner of the Muslim Brotherhood (Iran supporters) in order to present fake Sunni-Shia reconciliation, (we say “fake” because it aims to wipe the slate clean for Iran-affiliated Hezbollah in Lebanon), along came a suicide operation in Sistan Baluchestan during a meeting that was said to be aiming to strengthen “unity between the Shia and the Sunnis.”
Exploiting terrorism politically, or for security reasons, and tampering with sectarianism are fires that burn the hands of all of those who play with and exploit these issues. This is what we have seen with regards to all matters of conflict in our region for years.
Therefore, it is apparent from the suicide operation that took place yesterday in Iran that it involved two matters that usually please Iran – suicide operations and the sectarian dimension. These are two issues from which we have suffered a great deal in Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Jordan and even Lebanon, Yemen, and Egypt and of course the list goes on!

Yemen President Accuses Hizbullah of Training Rebels
Naharnet/Yemen president Ali Abdullah Saleh said that the Shiite northern rebels appear to have gone through combat training similar to that of Lebanon's Iran-backed Shiite Hizbullah militia, which fought a fierce guerilla war with Israel in the summer of 2006 in south Lebanon. "They have been trained in the same manner followed by Hizbullah in South Lebanon," he said, pointing to unconfirmed reports of the presence of "trainers from southern Lebanon in Saada," the rebels' stronghold. Saleh said that the Zaidi rebels are trying to establish a "Shiite zone" along the Yemen-Saudi border with the aim of harming both countries by taking money from Iranians. "These are outlaws and terrorists... who are in the pay of foreign forces and execute a foreign agenda," Saleh said, according to a text issued on Monday by state news agency Saba of a television interview. "Their finances come from certain Iranian dignitaries... but we do not accuse the government," he said, citing documents seized and confessions of rebels captured during the fighting between the army and the rebels, which has been raging since early August.
The Zaidi rebels, known also as Huthis, have repeatedly denied being backed by Tehran. Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki postponed a scheduled visit to Yemen on Sunday due to a scheduling problem. Saleh also claimed that the Huthi rebels have ties with the Al-Qaida regional network, which has recently regrouped in Yemen, and with separatists in the south who are demanding their own breakaway state. A link exists between Al-Qaida and the Huthis, and between them and the southern movement," he said. "I do not think that they have the same agenda or the same principles, but they share the same adversary: the political system of the Yemeni republic," he added. Hundreds of people have been killed or wounded since the army launched Operation Scorched Earth on August 11 with the aim of crushing the five-year rebellion. Tens of thousands have fled their homes in the mountainous northern districts where fighting is fiercest, resulting in a humanitarian crisis complicated by a dire shortage of food and other basic necessities.(AFP) Beirut, 19 Oct 09, 18:41

Hizbullah: UNIFIL Position on Israeli
Spy Devices 'Unacceptable Bias'
Naharnet/The member of Hizbullah's "Loyalty for the Resistance" parliamentary bloc MP Hassan Fadlullah considered on Monday that UNIFIL's position of announcing that Israel has planted the "spy devices" during its war on southern Lebanon in the summer of 2006 was an "unacceptable act of bias". During a phone interview with Agence France Presse, Fadlullah said that "what the UNIFIL's spokesman said regarding the devices that were detected and the date of planting is a presumption of the joint Lebanese Army-UNIFIL investigation that is examining the spy devices planted by the enemy". Fadlullah added that UNIFIL's new stance does not help it to perform its role, being an unacceptable act of bias and a stance on the political side of things. Hizbullah's MP announced the rejection of Hizbullah for UNIFIL's bias and its demand for a clarification from UNIFIL. Fadlullah added: "I believe that official Lebanon was also surprised by that (UNIFIL's) position because it came instantly after the devices and bombs were discovered and before waiting for a Lebanese International investigation, knowing that there is an investigation conducted by a Lebanese Army-UNIFIL committee,". "On which basis did the UNIFIL's spokesman claim that the bombs and devices have been planted since 2006 and how was this fact discovered before any investigation?", concluded the Hizbullah's MP. Beirut, 19 Oct 09, 17:06

Gemayel: Ministerial Statement to Guarantee Lebanon's Sovereignty
Naharnet/Phalange Party Leader Amin Gemayel said that the Ministerial statement will guarantee building up an independent and democratic Lebanon based on a national-unity government.
The Cabinet formation has been one of the main topics of the meeting held between former president Amin Gemayel and the newly appointed French Ambassador to Lebanon Denis Pietton on Monday afternoon in Gemayel's residence in Bikfaya. They both discussed the recent developments in the country stressing on the importance of the Ministerial statement in preserving the sovereignty of Lebanon. Pietton stressed on the historical friendship between both countries and offered France's support and hopes for speeding up the cabinet formation.
"Many French officials have recently visited Lebanon in an attempt to strengthen relations between both countries," added Pietton who also confirmed the near visit of the French foreign minister Bernard Kouchner to Lebanon. From his part, President Gemayel pointed out that Lebanon is still the focus center of all countries "especially now that our country has been elected non-permanent member of the U.N. Security Council". Gemayel feels positive towards a series of "concurrent international decisions regarding the economic and developing accomplishments affecting Lebanon". Regarding the latest developments in the South, Gemayel said that the only solution lies under the title of "understanding and of having a national-unity government that bears the total responsibility of the situation". Beirut, 19 Oct 09, 20:29

Iran threatens Britain and U.S. after Guard bombing
By Fredrik Dahl and Hossein Jaseb
TEHRAN (Reuters) - The head of Iran's Revolutionary Guards on Monday vowed to "retaliate" against the United States and Britain after accusing them of backing the perpetrators of a suicide bombing that killed six Guards commanders.
Iranian media say the Sunni Muslim insurgent group Jundollah (God's soldiers) has claimed responsibility for Sunday's bombing in Sistan-Baluchestan province, which killed 42 people in all.
The incident threatened to overshadow talks between Iran and global powers in Vienna on Monday intended to tackle a standoff about Iran's nuclear ambitions.
Guards commander-in-chief Mohammad Ali Jafari said Iranian security officials had presented documents indicating "direct ties" from Jundollah to U.S., British and, "unfortunately," Pakistani intelligence organizations, the ISNA news agency said.
"Behind this scene are the American and British intelligence apparatus, and there will have to be retaliatory measures to punish them," Jafari was quoted as saying.
Jundollah, which has been blamed for many attacks since 2005 in the desert province bordering Pakistan, says it is fighting to end discrimination against Sunni Muslims by Iran's dominant Shi'ites. Its leader is Abdolmalek Rigi.
"This person himself and his plans are undoubtedly under the umbrella and the protection of these (U.S., British and Pakistani) organizations," Jafari said.
"TRAINED BY U.S. AND BRITAIN"
Iranian television quoted General Mohammad Pakpour, commander of the Guards' ground forces, whose deputy was killed in the bombing, as saying:
"The base of the terrorists and rebels has not been in Iran. They are trained by America and Britain in some of the neighboring countries."
The United States, Pakistan and Britain have all condemned the bombing, the bloodiest attack in Iran since the 1980-88 war with Iraq, and denied involvement.
"We reject in the strongest terms any assertion that this attack has anything to do with Britain," said a spokeswoman at Britain's Foreign Office. "Terrorism is abhorrent wherever it occurs."
The bombing of a mosque in Zahedan, capital of Sistan-Baluchestan, reportedly also claimed by Jundollah, killed 25 people in May.
The underdeveloped desert province, mostly populated by Sunni Muslims, borders both Pakistan and Afghanistan and has frequently been the scene of clashes between security forces, ethnic Baluch Sunni insurgents and heavily-armed drug smugglers.
The victims of the bombing in the city of Sarbaz included two employees of the state broadcaster IRIB, the company said, and number of tribal chiefs who were due to hold a meeting with the Guards to promote Shi'ite-Sunni unity. The Guards said the attack was aimed at fomenting sectarian strife.
VIENNA TALKS
The incident raised tension between Iran and major powers ahead of nuclear talks at the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna.
On the agenda was a proposal that Iran send low enriched uranium abroad for further enrichment, to be used in a reactor where it produces medical isotopes.
Ali Shirzadian, spokesman for Iran's Atomic Energy Organization, said on Monday that Tehran would carry out the supplementary enrichment itself if there was no agreement in its talks with Russia, France and the United States.
Analysts say Iran's governing hardliners may use the bombing incident as an excuse to further clamp down on moderate opponents of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, whose disputed re-election in June sparked huge opposition protests.
The Guards force, whose influence has increased since Ahmadinejad came to power in 2005, played a key role in suppressing the street protests after the election.
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev offered Moscow's cooperation in fighting terrorism and extremism in a letter to Ahmadinejad, Medvedev's press service said.
"We are ready to cooperate with Iran in countering these threats," he wrote.
Ahmadinejad urged Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari in a telephone call to help find the perpetrators of the attack, Iran's IRNA news agency reported.
Pakistani Foreign Ministry spokesman Abdul Basit told the Daily Times newspaper: "Pakistan is not involved in terrorist activities ... we are striving to eradicate this menace."
Pakistan has backed armed Sunni Muslim groups in the past, particularly in Afghanistan.
Relations between Iran and Pakistan have been generally good in recent years and the neighbors are cooperating on plans to build a natural gas pipeline link. But Iran has in the past said Jundollah members have been operating out of Pakistan.
Some analysts believe Jundollah has evolved through shifting alliances with parties including the Taliban and Pakistan's ISI intelligence service, who saw it as a tool to use against Iran.
(Additional reporting by Parisa Hafezi and Hashem Kalantari in Tehran and Augustine Anthony in Islamabad; Editing by Kevin Liffey)

Israel may have planted spy gear in Lebanon: U.N.
Sun Oct 18,
BEIRUT (Reuters) - A U.N. investigation into explosions in south Lebanon indicated on Sunday that Israel had planted spy devices on Lebanese land in what a senior U.N. official said would be a violation of a ceasefire agreement. The UNIFIL peacekeeping force in Lebanon said its preliminary probe into two explosions in the south showed they had been caused by the detonation of underground sensor devices. The units were apparently buried by Israeli forces during the 2006 war with the Lebanese Shi'ite group Hezbollah, it said.
"These do look like some sort of espionage device," Michael Williams, the U.N. special coordinator for Lebanon, told Reuters. If confirmed, the devices would represent violations of Security Council resolution 1701 which halted the 34-day war. A first explosion was reported on Saturday evening and a second on Sunday morning. No injuries were reported. The devices had been placed some 2 km inside Lebanese territory between the villages of Houla and Meiss al-Jabal. "Preliminary indications are that these explosions were caused by explosive charges contained in unattended underground sensors which were placed in this area by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) apparently during the 2006 war," UNIFIL said in a statement.
UNIFIL was investigating what had caused the devices to blow up. A Lebanese security official said they appeared to have been detonated by remote control from Israel after their discovery by Lebanese security forces. Israel did not respond specifically to the Lebanese assertion. But an Israeli military statement said Sunday's incident proved Hezbollah's military presence in south Lebanon, especially in rural Shi'ite areas along the border with Israel.
PROTEST OVER DRONES
UNIFIL said it had protested to the Israeli military about overflights by drones while the Lebanese army and the peacekeepers were investigating on the ground. Lebanese army troops opened fire on the drones with machine gun and small arms fire, the UNIFIL statement said. Williams said the use of drones was an obvious violation of Lebanese sovereignty and resolution 1701 "and not particularly helpful at a time of obvious tension in the south." UNIFIL is also investigating another incident in south Lebanon last week at the village of Tayr Filsi, a UNIFIL spokesman said. The Lebanese army and Hezbollah said one person was wounded when a shell exploded in the garage of a Hezbollah member in the village on Monday.
Israel has said the blast showed munitions were being stockpiled in violation of resolution 1701 and has complained to the United Nations about the incident.
The next report on Security Council resolution 1701 is due to be filed later this month. The 2006 war broke out after Hezbollah, an anti-Israeli Shi'ite group backed by Iran, launched a raid into Israel, capturing two soldiers. More than 1,000 people, mostly Lebanese civilians, were killed before the United Nations brokered a ceasefire.
(Reporting by Tom Perry in Beirut and Jerusalem bureau; Editing by Angus MacSwan)

Cabinet talks on hold as Sleiman in Spain
Daily Star staff
Monday, October 19, 2009
BEIRUT: President Michel Sleiman arrived in Madrid Sunday afternoon, leaving all deliberations related to formation of a government on hold pending his return later in the week. However, all groups in Lebanon seemed to agree on Sunday that conditions to form a government were ripe. Over the weekend, politicians from across the political spectrum voiced optimism that the government could be formed within the next 10 days. A series of meetings to discuss cabinet formation took place over the weekend, and the outcomes of all those were described as “positive.” Sleiman held talks over the weekend with Prime-Minister-designate Saad Hariri at the Baabda Palace. Sources close to Sleiman said the president thought the meeting was “positive and good and the atmosphere is better.” Following the talks, Hariri told reporters that the discussions over the makeup of the cabinet “will continue through the next three or four days and a breakthrough is imminent.” Hariri added that the results of his meetings with Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) leader MP Michel Aoun “will materialize soon.”
“These meetings are held for Lebanon’s sake,” he added. Aoun and Hariri held their most recent meeting on the government formation late Friday evening. While the meeting was described as positive by Aoun’s circles, media reports said that the dispute over the Telecommunications Ministry was still a source of controversy. Aoun insists that the ministry remain part of his share in the next government. Media Reports on Saturday said one suggestion to solve the controversy over the Telecommunications Ministry was to have President Sleiman give Aoun the Interior Ministry. Opposition sources told An-Nahar newspaper that French President Nicolas Sarkozy has suggested to Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem that Sleiman takes charge of the Telecommunications Ministry and appoint a minister that pleases Aoun.
Caretaker Deputy Prime Minister and FPM politburo member Issam Abu Jamra stressed that giving the Telecommunications Ministry to a candidate appointed by Sleiman, even if the candidate was accepted by Aoun, would not be a solution that satisfies the ambitions of the FPM. Abu Jamra also told the Central News Agency on Saturday that the new government would not be formed before Sleiman’s return from Spain. Regarding the Telecommunications Ministry, Abu Jamra said the issue was “still under negotiation.” Media reports over the weekend said Hariri was currently working out the details of the distribution of portfolios. Pan-Arab daily Al-Hayat, meanwhile, quoted diplomatic sources in Beirut as saying that the Syrian leadership had informed Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, who visited Syrian and Lebanon last week, that it expected the Lebanese government to be formed within 10 days. Sleiman traveled to Madrid Sunday on a three-day visit for talks with King Juan Carlos and top Spanish officials. During his stay in Madrid, Sleiman will meet Juan Carlos, Zapatero and heads of the Congress and Senate. Foreign Minister Fawzi Salloukh, Defense Minister Elias Murr and Tourism Minister Elie Marouni are part of Sleiman’s delegation to Spain. First lady Wafaa Sleiman is also accompanying the president. On Saturday, Sleiman urged security forces to work on preserving Lebanon’s stability. Speaking at the opening of “Decentralization in the Middle East” conference in the northern coastal city of Tripoli, Sleiman said administrative decentralization should be a major item of the new government’s policy statement. “We want real administrative decentralization that gives financial and economical independence to local councils and does not deny the central state its role,” he added. The president stressed that the next government “should not be based on shares but should rather serve the interests of citizens.”
Meanwhile, Speaker Nabih Berri voiced hope on Saturday that the premier-designate would soon announce the formation of a government.
Speaking during a ceremony to mark the inauguration of Sheikh Bahaeddine al-Aamili Library in the Beirut southern suburbs, Berri said a spirit of tolerance should be promoted in Lebanon, “allowing us to present our country as a model for coexistence in the region.” Berri called on the Lebanese to rise above sectarianism and “not fall victim to mutual mistrust.”
The speaker stressed that the Lebanese should protect their country starting with the south, saying that the nation that does not protect its borders cannot protect its capital. “The resistance and the army should be preserved in addition to anything that makes our country more immune,” he said.
Meanwhile, Interior Minister Ziad Baroud said Sunday if the cabinet formation continues to be delayed then “we will enter the danger zone,” adding that the municipal elections might be postponed for technical, not political reasons. Speaking to LBC television, Baroud said the 2010 municipal elections in May “require legal, logistical and security efforts that cannot be achieved if Lebanon remains without a government.” Baroud said there was no alternative to the municipal elections, but the Parliament can decide to postpone them and extend the mandate of the incumbent municipal councils. In other news, Deputy Russian Foreign Minister and Middle East envoy Alexander Sultanov, who visited Lebanon over the weekend, denied any Russian mediation in the formation of a new government. Sultanov stressed that talks he held with President Sleiman and Foreign Minister Salloukh on Saturday covered regional issues and the future of the Middle East peace process. “We agreed to double the efforts with the concerned parties and the international community to contribute to the resumption of [peace] talks as soon as possible,” Sultanov told reporters. – The Daily Star

Suicide bomber kills at least 35 in attack on Iran Guards
Senior General among six commanders slain
Monday, October 19, 2009
Fredrik Dahl and Reza Derakhshi /Reuters
TEHRAN: A suicide bomber killed at least six senior Revolutionary Guards commanders, including two of its top officers, and 29 other people on Sunday in one of the boldest attacks against Iran’s most powerful military institution. The attack highlighted deepening instability in a southeastern region of mainly Shiite Muslim Iran bordering Pakistan and Afghanistan. Many minority Sunnis live in the impoverished area, which has seen an upsurge in bombings and other violence.
State media said a local rebel Sunni group called Jundollah (God’s soldiers) claimed responsibility for the attack, the deadliest on the elite Guards in recent years, which also wounded about 30 people ahead of a unity meeting with tribal chiefs.The talks were part of efforts to foster Shiite-Sunni unity and the Guards said the attack was aimed at fomenting sectarian strife in Sistan-Baluchestan Province, media said. About 10 senior tribal figures were among the dead. Iranian officials also accused the United States and Britain of involvement, a charge rejected by Washington. Tehran says the United States backs Jundollah to stir trouble in the border area and has also linked the group to Sunni Islamist Al-Qaeda.
The armed forces’ headquarters issued a statement warning of “revenge,” the semi-official Fars News Agency reported.
It was unclear whether the promised revenge would be carried out against forces in Sistan-Baluchestan or against Jundollah’s perceieved American backers elsewhere in the region.
The southeastern province is the scene of frequent clashes between security forces, ethnic Baluch Sunni insurgents and heavily-armed drug traffickers.
Jundollah, which accuses Iran’s Shiite-led government of discrimination against Sunnis in the remote desert region, has been blamed for many deadly incidents over the last few years.
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said those behind the attack would be “seriously dealt with” and called on Pakistan to help catch and hand them over. Iran has in the past said Jundollah members were operating from its neighbor. “We were informed that some security agents in Pakistan are cooperating with the main elements of this terrorist incident,” Fars News Agency quoted him as saying.We ask the Pakistani government not to delay any longer in the apprehension of the main elements in this terrorist attack.”
The Foreign Ministry summoned a senior Pakistani diplomat in Tehran and said there was evidence the perpetrators came to Iran from Pakistan. “The Pakistani official assured Tehran his country would take all measures to secure its border with Iran,” state television said.
The deputy head of the Guards’ ground forces, General Nourali Shoushtari, and its commander in Sistan-Baluchestan Province, General Rajabali Mohammadzadeh, were among the dead. Shoushtari was also a senior official of the Guards’ elite Qods force. “Rigi’s terrorist group has claimed responsibility for the attack,” said state television, referring to Abdolmalek Rigi, leader of Jundollah which is linked by some analysts to the Taliban in Pakistan. Television showed footage of three bodies covered with blood-stained clothing and of wounded people being taken to the hospital. The US condemned the attack. “We condemn this act of terrorism and mourn the loss of innocent lives. Reports of alleged US involvement are completely false,” US State Department spokesman Ian Kelly said. Most people in Sistan-Baluchestan are Sunni Muslims and ethnic Baluchis. Iran rejects charges by Western rights groups that it discriminates against ethnic and religious minorities. The Revolutionary Guards is an elite force seen as fiercely loyal to Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. It handles security in border areas.
The bombing and allegations of foreign involvement risk overshadowing talks between Iranian and Western officials in Vienna on Monday intended to help resolve a standoff with the West over Iran’s nuclear ambitions.
“It could damage that dialogue,” defence analyst Paul Beaver said. He said a suicide bombing could indicate links to al Qaeda but he dismissed allegations of a US or British role: “I think it is highly unlikely.”Citing a witness, state television said Sunday’s attack occurred when senior Revolutionary Guards officers attending a conference in the southeastern city of Sarbaz went to talk to a group of tribespeople making baskets. English-language Press TV said the suicide bomber was a tribesman who “detonated his explosives strapped to his body.”Among those killed were also the Guards’ commanders in the cities of Sarbaz and Iranshahr.Jundollah, which claimed responsibility for the bombing of a Shiite mosque in May that killed 25 people in the same region, says it is fighting for the rights of minority Sunnis in Iran.Some analysts believe Jundollah has evolved through shifting alliances with parties including the Taliban and Pakistan’s ISI intelligence service, who saw the group as a tool against Iran. In London, Saman Zarifi, Amnesty International Asia-Pacific Director, told Reuters: “We are very concerned that the Iranians will respond by executing Baluchi detainees. That has been their response to previous such incidents, simply taking people out of prison and killing them.” Iran executed 13 alleged Jundollah members in July. – with The Daily Star

Israel says Hizbullah maintains presence along border
Date: October 19th, 2009
Future News/Tension and cautiousness prevailed on both sides of the Lebanese-Israeli border Monday in the aftermath of the explosions of two Israeli devices inside a border village in south Lebanon over the weekend.
Security sources said Lebanese military were reported on a state of alert in search for additional Israeli spying devices possibly littered by the enemy’s army throughout the border with the Lebanese Army and UN interim force serving in south Lebanon carrying joint patrols along that area.
Pro-Iranian Hizbullah militants claimed they found and detonated Saturday two Israeli espionage devices in Khallit al-Onq between Houla and Meiss al-Jabal on the edge of the border separating Lebanon with the occupied Palestinne. A third was detonated by army troops the second day.
But an Israeli army communiqué said its troops detonated by remote control two spying devices it planted a while ago.
But a UNIFIL statement said preliminary indications showed that these blasts were caused by "explosive charges contained in unattended underground sensors" which were placed in that area by Israeli forces "apparently during the 2006 war.
Upon joint initial investigations carried out by the Lebanese Army and UNIFIL, it appeared as though the devices were planted to monitor Hezbollah’s private ground communications network, the security sources added speaking on condition of anonymity.
The Lebanese army also fired land-based anti-aircraft rounds at a drone Israeli plane hovering over the region where the devices were discovered.
Mechanized Israeli Patrols were seen this morning across the border. The enemy soldiers were examining fences from different locations at the border villages of Ramtha in occupied Shebaa Farms, while others moved in heavily army patrols northwards to Ghajar overlooking the Wazzani village.
Al Wazzani is a small Lebanese village in the Hasbaya District of the Nabatieh Governorate, just north of the Israel-Lebanon border, on the banks of the Hasbani River.
A Lebanese project to use the water of al-Wazzani River in south Lebanon, has long been an issue Israel had always threatened to make a "reason for war" with Lebanon out of it.
On the other hand, The Lebanese Army Forces and the UNIFIL motorized patrols from Shebaa to Hasbaya, extending to Marjayoun, Mays al-Jabal and Aitaroun villages in the south.
An Israeli military source announced on Sunday that Lebanon’s accusations regarding the two explosions should not be blown out of proportion.
The source asserted that the incident confirms Hezbollah’s military presence in South Lebanon, specifically in the Shiite villages along the Lebanese-Israeli border.
“Israel will continue working to maintain calm along its northern border,” the source said.
It added: “Hezbollah is once again trying to direct the attention of the international community away from its recurrent violations of UN Security Council Resolution 1701.”

Did Khamenei’s role vanish?
Date: October 19th, 2009/Future News
It does not matter that the supreme leader of Iran Ali Khamenei has departed this world, as news spread recently about his death after the coma according to sources from the Iranian opposition, or he is still alive exercising his functions as shown recently through Iranian media. The pivot here is that his departure or retirement from politics for health reasons represents a bluster that may destabilize the Iranian regime.
For twenty years ago, Khamenei undergoes a power struggle against some of the senior clerics who have taken the city of Qom as headquarter. Khamenei has abolished the post of Prime Minister and grabbed some of the powers of the President, and put the Parliament and Council of Ministers and the judiciary, the Revolutionary Guards, Iranian armed forces, intelligence, security services, the media and charities all under his tutelage and control.
In order to overcome rivals belonging to the pragmatic and liberal movements, Khamenei appointed a person representing a network of intersection between the conservatives and the Revolutionary Guards, who holds the reins of the country militarily and economically, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, as President of the Republic.
The unexpected surprise was Ahmadinejad arguing Khamenei in appointments at the Ruling Institution after the Guide of the Revolution supported him for a second mandate in the presidential elections held on June 12.
This might mean that the extremists behind Ahmadinejad no longer need Khamenei, who has exhausted his role they wanted, and it's time to search for an alternative.
The replacement of a supreme Guide is at the core functions of the Council of Experts, chaired by Ahmadinejad’s rival and the rival of Khamenei himself, former President Hashemi Rafsanjani, but the President and his aides of extremists and Revolutionary Guards are the ones who will decide this issue in practice.
Ironically, the religious regime of Iran is turning into a secular system which might lead to worsening the standoff between Iran and the rest of the world which will not find a pretext to prevent a “liberal” but nuclear Iran. This made the United States standing almost a spectator in the recent election crisis, and extracts from its archive, the charges of the opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi for "Marines" bombings in Beirut in the Eighties when he was prime minister of Iran during the Iran-Iraq war.
If Iran succeeds to develop its nuclear program and create long-range missiles and enter the NATO with those like Chavez of Venezuela though Russian-Chinese covering, it will not fear sanctions or international community. But what it will correspond to is the escalating fracture at its internal front, both in terms of the opposition, which did not get bored despite the arrest and trial of some leaders, or at the level of Kurdish separatists who move between the border with Turkey and Iraq while Iran recently bombs their strongholds inside the Iraqi border, in addition to the Ahwazi liberation fronts which call for secession and “Mujahideen-e-Khalq” who were responsible for the bombing in 1981 leading to dozens of death, and there also is the suicide bombing, which killed dozens, including 7 of the top leaders of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards in the Sistan-Baluchistan province which will have great implications at the internal level of Iran, especially in the largest military and security, economic and political institution of Iran, the Revolutionary Guard.
A large country such as Iran, needs a leader more assertive than Khamenei in his present situation, who could not exclude the Iranian President’s son in law Esfandiar Rahim Mashaee from the post of decision-making, despite his claim for that privately and publicly. Despite Khamenei’s will, Mashaei became the director of the presidential office after the first refused that he becomes the first deputy of the Iranian President, Khamenei remained silent and so did the conservatives, but the Revolutionary Guards and the opposition refused to remain silent, waiting for Iran's nuclear talks in Vienna today.

Beydoun: Berri’s silence is a part of roles-distributing game
Date: October 19th, 2009/Source: Al-Anbaa newspaper /Former MP Mohammed Beydoun said Monday that the minority, namely Hizbullah and Speaker Nabih Berri, did not facilitate Premier-Designate Saad Hariri’s task in forming the government and that Berri’s silence is a part of a game practiced within its ranks. Beydoun, in an interview with the al-Anbaa Kuwaiti newspaper, accused the minority camp of play-acting in order to weaken PM Hariri and make him a leader for the Sunni sect not a President of Lebanon’s cabinet. He said the government will be formed soon because Hariri approved the demands of Hizbullah, and the Saudi-Syrian summit paved the formation path. However, he considered that governmental practice may be irregular and unconstitutional, both in composition and form.According to Beydoun, the real dispute behind the Telecommunications portfolio is the general orientation towards the privatization of productive sectors, adding that the upcoming government will implement the results of Paris III economic conference which requires the privatization of productive sectors “while the opposition pushes MP Michel Aoun to adhere to the telecommunications portfolio, in order to impede this achievement.”Former MP considered that one of the issues discussed by Hariri and Aoun behind the scenes was the privatization of the telecommunications, adding that “if MP Aoun approved, the dispute concerning this portfolio will be resolved.”

Merrill Lynch keeps Lebanon's debt at 'Market Weight'
Performance of Lebanese Eurobonds down in September
Daily Star staff/Monday, October 19, 2009
BEIRUT: Merrill Lynch maintained its recommendation on Lebanon’s external debt to ‘Market Weight’ in its model portfolio of emerging markets debt and maintained Lebanon’s market weight at 5.5 percent in October after reducing it by 0.3 basis points in September from 5.8 percent in August, as reported by Lebanon This Week, the economic publication of the Byblos Bank Group. It increased it by 0.1 percentage points in July, after reducing it by 0.2 percentage points in June and by 1.4 percentage points in May, and raising it by 0.4 percentage points in March and by 2.2 percentage points last November due to the performance of Lebanese Eurobonds, specifically since the spread of financial turmoil to emerging markets in September.
Lebanon’s external debt rating of ‘Market Weight’ placed Lebanon in the same category as Colombia, Panama, Peru, Russia and Turkey.
Lebanon’s Market Weight is similar to the recommendation on the Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region but does not compare well to the Over Weight recommendation for similarly rated countries. Merrill Lynch reduced Lebanon’s weight in the portfolio to 5.5 percent in September compared to 5.8 percent in August, 5.9 percent in July, 5.8 percent in June, 6 percent in May, 7.4 percent in April, 7.3 percent in March, but still up from 5.5 percent in September.
Lebanon had just a 1.5 percent weight in March 2008, a higher allocation of only Iraq. Lebanon is represented in the portfolio by the Republic March 2013 Eurobond. Lebanon accounted for 17.4 percent of the allocations in the EMEA region in October, up from 17 percent in September and similar to 17.6 percent in August, but down from 20.4 percent in June, 24.8 percent in May, 25.6 percent in April, 25 percent in March, 21.8 percent in February and 24 percent in November, but up from 19 percent in September and from 14.6 percent in May 2008. The reason for the reduction in Lebanon’s allocation is the addition of Bahrain and Qatar to the portfolio in June. Lebanon’s allocation was the 9th highest among countries in the portfolio, unchanged from September and August, but down from 8th in July, 7th in June, 8th in May, 6th in April and 5th highest in March. Lebanon accounted for 23.4 percent of allocations to similarly-rated countries.
In parallel, Lebanon’s external debt posted the 14th highest return at 21.45 percent among 20 markets in the EMEA region in the first 9 months of 2009, as well as the 27th best return among the 40 emerging markets included in Merrill Lynch’s Sovereign Plus Debt Index.
Lebanon underperformed the EMEA returns of 26.73 percent and the overall emerging market returns of 25.62 percent in the covered period. Also, Lebanon’s external debt underperformed the 33.8 percent returns posted by similarly-rated sovereigns during the first 9 months of the year, while it posted the 11th best performance at 21.8 percent in the EMEA region and the 25th best performance in emerging markets in US dollar terms. But it underperformed significantly the 58.3 percent returns of US dollar ‘B’-rated bonds.
Further, Lebanon’s external debt posted the 7th highest returns among 8 countries in the Middle East & Africa region during the covered period, as it came ahead of Egypt with 9% but behind Iraq with 89.8 percent, Ghana with 88.05 percent, Gabon with 67.25 percent, Morocco with 32.16 percent, South Africa with 25.6 percent and Tunisia with 21.98 percent. Also, it posted returns of 1.34 percent in October, ahead of Egypt (0.43 percent) and Tunisia (1.32 percent), but behind Iraq (10.11 percent), Ghana (9.41 percent), Gabon (7.33 percent), Morocco (2.51 percent) and South Africa (2.3 percent). In parallel, Lebanon’s external debt posted the 18th highest return in the EMEA region and the 36th highest return in emerging markets during September 2009. It underperformed the EMEA returns of 3.71 percent, the emerging markets returns of 4.68 percent and the 5.05 percent returns of similarly-rated sovereigns for the same month. Merrill Lynch said the spread on Lebanese Eurobonds ended September 2009 at 417 basis points, 14th narrowest in the EMEA region and 26th narrowest among emerging markets compared to 11th lowest in the EMEA region and 21st lowest among emerging markets at the end of March 2009. It was wider than the EMEA spread of 305 basis points and the emerging markets overall spread of 310 basis points as at end-September 2009. Also, Lebanon’s spread tightened by 7 basis points in September, as spreads in the EMEA tightened by 45 basis points while spreads in emerging markets overall tightened by 50 basis points in the same month. – The Daily Star

Top French officials weigh in on cabinet formation
/Daily Star staff
Monday, October 19, 2009
BEIRUT: The secretary general of France’s Elysee Palace said, in comments published on Sunday that positive ties between France and Syria were beneficial for Lebanon. Claude Gueant noted that a number of Lebanese politicians have “softened their stances” concerning government formation following the meeting between Syrian President Bashar Assad and Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah in Damascus earlier this month. “Unfortunately the cabinet hasn’t been formed yet in Lebanon. However, there are some signs of changes in several stances,” Gueant told pan-Arab daily Al-Hayat in an interview published Sunday. He added that following the Syrian-Saudi talks, “Some demands that were hindering government formation have been removed.” “I hope the government will be formed quickly in Lebanon,” he said. Asked by the Saudi-owned newspaper about beliefs in Lebanon that he was close to Syria, Gueant said: “I visit Syria a lot because I have built up a relationship with the Syrians and we want preserve this important link. It is important for Lebanon and the region too. “I have a special relationship with Syria. But it is mainly in the interest of Lebanon.”Gueant said Syria did not have “a major influence on Lebanese political life or … political figures as some claim.”
Asked if he thought a new war would erupt between Israel and Hizbullah with Syrian consent Gueant said: “I don’t see any sign that would make me believe that Syria wishes something like that to happen. I believe that peace and stability in Lebanon are in Syria’s interest.” Gueant also confirmed to Al-Hayat that Assad would visit Paris but did not disclose a date.
Meanwhile, media reports this weekend said French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner was to visit Beirut to discuss the cabinet deadlock.
French diplomatic sources told Lebanon’s Central News Agency (CNA) that Kouchner will start his Middle East tour in Beirut, and will convey to Lebanese officials the French administration’s concerns about the current political situation in Lebanon. The sources quoted by CNA said Paris has, on many occasions, expressed its concerns about the delay in forming a government in Lebanon. According to the sources, such a delay will have negative repercussions on the security situation in Lebanon.
The sources added that a governmental void “makes way for dangerous security breaches and those who seek to undermine security may seize the chance.”
The CNA report said during his visit to Beirut, Kouchner would encourage the cabinet formation so that government officials could begin working to strengthen their position, “given that Lebanon will face major challenges in the near future.” Kouchner will also encourage Lebanese leaders to promote state institutions “to make them fit for facing the coming challenges,” the French sources said. – The Daily Star

UNIFIL, Hezbollah comment on espionage devices in Khallit al-Onq
October 19, 2009 /Naharnet/Hezbollah stated on Monday that the party discovered an Israeli espionage device in Khallit al-Onq in South Lebanon on Saturday, reportedly leading to its remote detonation by the Israeli army. Hezbollah specified in its statement that “Israel detonated the bomb, which was connected to the espionage device, after it was uncovered,” adding that the discovery of the spy device was a “significant” achievement for the Resistance. Saturday’s explosion prompted UNIFIL and the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) to deploy in the area and carry out searches for possible other devices. Two were found, one of which exploded and the other dismantled. UNIFIL issued a statement on Sunday following the weekend explosions, saying that “they were caused by explosive charges contained in unattended underground sensors.” The devices are thought to be placed in the area by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) during the 2006 July War, the statement said, adding that UNIFIL launched an investigation into the incidents to trace back the origin of the devices and “to establish how the explosions were triggered.”
The statement also said that Israeli drone planes hovered over the area for a prolonged period of time, in violation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701, noting the LAF responded with anti-aircraft fire and that the UNIFIL Command protested to the IDF and called them to immediately cease the air violation.-NOW Lebanon

Chamoun: Those abiding by Syrian opinion are obstructing cabinet formation
October 19, 2009 /Naharnet/ National Liberal Party leader MP Dory Chamoun said in a Monday interview on MTV that those “abiding by Syrian opinion” are obstructing the government-formation process, adding that it is “unfortunate” that the Lebanese were all awaiting the Saudi-Syrian summit for the cabinet impasse to be broken.He also said that the 15-10-5 cabinet formula, which grants the majority 15 ministerial seats, the opposition 10 and the president five, was imposed by foreign powers. According to Chamoun, the delay in government formation is causing political and security problems as well as negatively affecting Lebanon’s tourism and development. “We are not scared by all that Hezbollah is doing and its actions do not affect the Lebanese,” he said, adding that “Hezbollah does not want to listen to anyone because its project was, and still is, to establish an Islamic Lebanese Republic.”-NOW Lebanon

Pietton says France supports Lebanon’s sovereignty
October 19, 2009/Naharnet/French Ambassador to Lebanon Denis Pietton said that France “supports Lebanon’s sovereignty and independence” following his meeting with Speaker Nabih Berri in Ain al-Tineh on Friday. He said that French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner will soon visit Lebanon, stressing that the cabinet formation is a “Lebanese internal affair.”-NOW Lebanon

Sader Reportedly Alive, Not Kidnapped by Hizbullah and Likely to be Freed Soon
Naharnet/MEA engineer Joseph Sader, who had been kidnapped by unknown assailants eight months ago, was reportedly alive and likely to be released soon, according to a report Monday in the daily al-Liwaa newspaper. Pastor of Sidon and Deir al-Qamar of the Melkite Roman Catholic Church, Bishop Elie Haddad, meanwhile, said in an interview with OTV that Sader was "still alive" and that he is being held by a Lebanese armed group that has nothing to do with Hizbullah. Haddad had visited Sader's house in Maghdousheh and met his family, reassuring them that Sader is alive, but that information obtained about him varied between "guilty or not guilty" of being an Israeli spy. "News of him (Sader) vary between (accusations that he is) an (Israeli) spy or not a spy," Haddad told the family. "I was told that he is a witness to some of the events that may have been the cause of the espionage," he added.
"It seems that the kidnappers are hesitant and divided. Some want to release Sader and hand him over to state authority while others are seeking to prolong his detention for further investigation," Haddad went on to say. Al-Liwaa, citing a religious authority in touch with Haddad, confirmed that the kidnappers were an armed Lebanese group. Haddad said Hizbullah was not behind Sader's abduction. Sader, an official at Middle East Airline's IT department, was kidnapped in February near Rafik Hariri international airport by unidentified assailants who sped away in a Sports Utility Vehicle. Beirut, 19 Oct 09, 09:34

Hizbullah Takes Credit for 'Thwarting' Israeli Spy Surveillance as Lebanese Army, UNIFIL Go on Alert
Naharnet/As Lebanese troops and U.N. peacekeepers were in a state of alert across the border for fears over the possibility that more spying devices could have been planted in various areas of south Lebanon, Hizbullah announced it was the side that "uncovered and thwarted the enemy aggression." A pre-dawn Hizbullah statement said the group has achieved a "major accomplishment" when its members "uncovered and thwarted an Israeli enemy aggression," a reference to three Israeli spy devices that have been blown up in south Lebanon over the weekend. Two of these devices were detonated remotely by the Israeli army and one destroyed by the Lebanese army, a Lebanese military official said. One explosion occurred before midnight Saturday in a hilly part of the Houla border zone and a second took place in the same district on Sunday morning, the official said. It "seems the two detonations were triggered by Israel which exploded two spying devices it had planted in the sector a long while ago," she said. Israel "feared for one reason or another that they might be discovered and proceeded to destroy them by exploding them remotely," the official said. The official said Lebanese troops located another device and exploded it on Sunday morning after going to the area on Saturday night with UNIFIL peacekeepers. The devices appeared to have been planted in the sector a long while ago, according to the official. A security official in south Lebanon said the devices were used for surveillance of communications by Hizbullah. The Hizbullah statement said Islamic Resistance members "managed to uncover a spy device planted by Israel between Houla and Mais el-Jabal that had been installed prior to the July 2006 war." It said the device was booby-trapped. It said the Israeli army blew up the devices after "realizing that they had been exposed." But a UNIFIL statement said preliminary indications showed that these blasts were caused by "explosive charges contained in unattended underground sensors" which were placed in that area by Israeli forces "apparently during the 2006 war." "UNIFIL immediately launched an investigation to ascertain all the facts and circumstances relating to the presence of these devices and to establish how the explosions were triggered," the statement added. Beirut, 19 Oct 09, 08:37

Suleiman: Lebanon's Role in Security Council Will Serve Arabs
Naharnet/President Michel Suleiman said from Spain that Lebanon's election as non-permanent member in the Security Council is "very important." "It not only concerns Lebanon but all Arab countries since Lebanon will defend Arabs during its two-year term," Suleiman explained. Lebanon will be an "influential voice of Arab countries in the service of the Arab rights at the highest international forum," he stressed. Suleiman also emphasized the need for "permanent coordination" between all Arab states on all issues in order to find a comprehensive, lasing solution to the Arab cause, namely, the central question – the Palestinian cause and their right to declare a state." He also stressed the need for "integration" between among those countries in the protection of the Arab citizen. Suleiman arrived in Madrid Sunday afternoon on a three-day official visit at the invitation of both Spanish King Juan Carlos I and the Spanish government. Beirut, 19 Oct 09, 10:13

Ciccia from Bkirki: Cabinet Picture Remains Murky, Christian Immigration should Reduce
Naharnet/Italian ambassador to Lebanon Gabriel Ciccia said Monday that the Cabinet formation picture remains murky. "The Cabinet is an internal Lebanese affair," Ciccia told reporters following talks in Bkirki with Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Sfeir. "The picture is still not clear," he said.Ciccia stressed the need to put an end to Christian immigration "in order to maintain a sectarian balance." Beirut, 19 Oct 09, 15:13

Same Old 'Telecoms' Crisis … Government Situation Better
Naharnet/While the obstacle remained the same for the telecoms ministry which Free Patriotic Movement leader Michel Aoun insists on having, a source close to PM-designate Saad Hariri said the atmosphere was "positive" regarding government formation process. "The situation is much better than before," the source told the daily As-Safir in remarks published Monday.
He pointed out that progress has been made with regard to the distribution of ministerial portfolios. The source expected the announcement of a new government by week's end or the beginning of next week. He said MP Butros Harb is likely to join the new Cabinet if caretaker Jebran Bassil had been reappointed telecommunications minister. Hariri on Sunday met Druze leader Walid Jumblat while his meeting with Aoun is expected to take place after the return of President Michel Suleiman from Spain, according to MP Salim Salhab. The daily al-Liwaa on Monday said a settlement to the Cabinet crisis represents two criteria: Either 7 major portfolios go to the majority and five to the minority or a Christian-Christian balance such as the Christian majority would get 50 percent just like the shares given to Aoun. Another source said Hariri was holding onto the energy ministry and that he offered Aoun either the education or culture ministries in exchange for the telecoms or energy. Beirut, 19 Oct 09, 11:11

Security Source: We've Destroyed Israel's Spy Structure, Restructuring Needs 5-6 Years
Naharnet/A security source said that the Lebanese intelligence war on Israel's spy networks has destroyed its "espionage structure" which took it years to build. In remarks published Monday by the daily An-Nahar, the source said the role of both police and the Lebanese army was not just restricted to uncovering 19 spy networks, "but we can also say that Israel would need five to six years to rebuild its spy structure that is if it was able to do so."Beirut, 19 Oct 09, 12:20

Shooting near Bahia Hariri House, Mustaqbal Offices in Sidon
Naharnet/Tension prevailed over Sidon Sunday following the attack near Education Minister Bahia Hariri's house and a building housing the offices of al-Mustaqbal in this southern port city.
Unidentified assailants opened fire Saturday night 500 meters from Hariri's house in Majdalyoun and not far from former Mufti of Sidon Sheikh Salim Jalaeddine.
Gunmen in a speeding car opened fire in the area and tossed a hand grenade before disappearing, witnesses told pan-Arab daily al-Hayat. Beirut, 19 Oct 09, 12:00

Williams: Arms Outside State Control Should be Dealt with Through National Dialogue
Naharnet/U.N. Special Coordinator for Lebanon Michael Williams said on Sunday that the issue of arms outside the control of the state should be dealt with on the national dialogue table.
In a letter on the occasion of the United Nations Day on October 24 read by Voice of Lebanon radio, Williams said the world organization was worried over lack of a cabinet in Lebanon, adding the country needs a government to face security, political, social and economic challenges. Williams also said that despite some incidents in the past three years, Security Council resolution 1701 guaranteed calm for southern Lebanon. He urged Israel to stop its violations of Lebanese airspace and said the U.N. was working to find a solution to the Shebaa farms area and the northern part of the southern village of Ghajar. Beirut, 18 Oct 09, 14:07

Government Formation Awaits Suleiman's Return from Spain
Naharnet/A wind of optimism is blowing on Lebanon following positive statements by the president, the speaker and the prime minister-designate on cabinet formation. Media reports said Sunday that the government could be formed after President Michel Suleiman's return from Spain on Wednesday. An Nahar daily said that the positive stances of Suleiman, Speaker Nabih Berri and PM-designate Saad Hariri on Saturday were a sign that the cabinet could be formed soon. Baabda circles quoted Suleiman as saying following his meeting with Hariri on Saturday that "the atmosphere is better. It is good and positive." Opposition sources also described the atmosphere as positive and told An Nahar that the approach to deal with obstacles is being taken "with a positive spirit from both sides." The sources, however, insisted that discussion is still underway between the two sides to find a solution that satisfies everyone. Al-Balad newspaper said Hariri is now dealing with the details and portfolios of the cabinet lineup and that negotiations with the opposition are on a basket of proposals and not each portfolio on its own. Pan-Arab daily al-Hayat, meanwhile, quoted diplomatic circles in Beirut as saying that the Syrian leadership informed Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, who visited Damascus last Thursday, that it expected the Lebanese government to be formed within 10 days. Beirut, 18 Oct 09, 11:11

Britain rejects claim of involvement in Iran attack
October 19, 2009 /Now Lebanon/Foreign Office spokesperson reported on Monday that Britain rejects "in the strongest terms" allegations that it aided rebels behind Sunday’s suicide attack on Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards near Iran's border with Pakistan. British Prime Minister Gordon Brown's spokesperson said, "It is extremely important that we continue with the diplomatic track with Iran," pointing notably to the talks on Tehran’s nuclear drive that are scheduled to take place during the week in Vienna and that are hosted by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).-AFP/NOW Lebanon

Michel Sleiman
October 19, 2009
On October 18, the Lebanese National News Agency (NNA) carried the following statements by Lebanese President Michel Sleiman during his meeting with Arab ambassadors in Spain:
Lebanese President Michel Sleiman assured that Lebanon’s election as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council was very important and did not only concern Lebanon, but all the Arab states. He added that during its two-year membership term, Lebanon will act as the influential voice of the Arab countries to serve the Arab causes in the most prominent international platform. He then corroborated the need for ongoing coordination between all Arab countries and over all issues to find a just, permanent and comprehensive solution to the pivotal Arab cause, which is that of Palestine and the right of the Palestinian people to have their state.
He also stressed the necessity for cooperation between these states at the level of the protection of the Arab citizens at this historical stage in which acute crises are hitting the Arab world in particular and the world in general.
“My visit to Spain is an important one and was made upon an official invitation from His Highness King Juan Carlos and the Spanish government. It aims at achieving two goals, the first being the enhancement of the existing historic relations between Lebanon and Spain and [the second is] shedding light on
Lebanon’s right and the Arab right in general at the level of the conflict in the Middle East. These are the goals I tried to achieve during my visits to the majority of foreign states, and are the ones I recently called for at the United Nations. I hope that cooperation between Lebanon and Spain will increase in the coming stage, as Madrid will assume the presidency of the European Union in 2010, so that Europe can play a more efficient role in the peace process.
We must all work hard and in a complementary way to convince the different states of the necessity to pressure Israel into implementing the international resolutions and responding to the Arab peace initiative that was adopted during the Beirut Summit in March 2002.”
Meanwhile, Sleiman pointed to the Israeli practices against the Palestinian people in Gaza and the West Bank. He condemned what Israel was doing in Al-Aqsa Mosque and the organized Judaization efforts through the destruction of homes, the changing of the names of the cities and villages and the targeting of the young Palestinians by divesting them of all hope and preventing them from working.
He also indicated that Israel was trying to plant sedition and disputes between the Arab countries, assuring on the other hand that no matter what Israel did, time was not playing in its favor.
“Even if it were to succeed in planting sedition between the Palestinians and the Arabs as it is currently trying to do in Lebanon, it will not succeed in the long run because the world is now aware of the fact that blind support for Israel is not helping peace in the region and is not leading toward [peace]. Today, there must be respect for people’s right to self-determination - a culture of justice is spreading throughout the world [as a result of] judicial decisions issued in some states to arrest certain Israeli political and military officials due to accusations related to inhumane practices against Palestinian civilians.”
The President then praised the adoption by the UN Human Rights Council of the outcome of the Goldstone report, which condemned Israel for the war crimes it committed during the last war on the Gaza Strip, attacking the Israeli official reaction toward the report and the committee which drafted it. He, on the other hand, addressed the Damascus summit between Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdel Aziz and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
“This summit was very special for it corroborated the Arab reconciliation which was launched during the Arab Doha Summit, in which Lebanon played a key role. I personally worked alongside Arab presidents and kings to secure this reconciliation, and we hope it will expand to include all those who should be included, so that we reach a unified Arab position that is more in line with the expectations of the Arab populations in all areas.”
And while he stressed that the Palestinians in Lebanon did not want naturalization, since that would waste their cause. He corroborated the necessity to secure complementarily over this issue between the different Arab countries, calling for the consecration of good inter-Arab positions that would serve the Arab countries, a large number of which need major investments. He thus indicated that Lebanon, which managed to distance itself from the effects of the global financial crisis thanks to the policies it adopted, [also] needed investments in all areas, revealing that several Arab countries were seriously considering an increase in their investments in Lebanon - [a country] that was ready to receive Arab investors.
“Lebanon is a safe place for investments and [it] witnessed this last summer exceptional economic activity. It represents a hub for inter-Arab relations and the management of reconciliation and dialogue between them. During my last speech before the United Nations General Assembly, I called on all the countries around the world to adopt Lebanon as a center for inter-religious and inter-cultural dialogue.
We must all work together to fight terrorism which could not be further from the foundations of Islam, the divine religious and the common Arab values. We must do so by monitoring the activities, contacts and movements of the terrorists, as well as the transfer of money to terrorist organizations. By doing so, we will be serving our countries and our people.”

Unnecessary duel
By Haaretz Editorial
Last update - 01:35 19/10/2009
Defying diplomatic good sense, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has announced that he opposes a resumption of Turkey's efforts to mediate between Israel and Syria in light of the Turks' recent behavior. In his view, Turkey can no longer be described as an "honest broker." This is an empty threat, mainly because the Netanyahu government has not shown any interest in resuming peace talks with Syria, with or without a mediator. Thus the real harm done by Netanyahu's words lies in his eagerness to repay Turkey, and especially its prime minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, in double measure for its criticism of Israel. This is an unnecessary duel that both sides, Turkey and Israel, ought to try to calm.
Turkey has close relations with Syria, Iran, Egypt and the Gulf states, and also with Israel. It succeeded in reviving the talks between Israel and Syria and has offered its services in resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and in the talks over Gilad Shalit's release. At the same time, Turkey is not the only friendly country that has joined the international outrage over the way Israel harmed innocent civilians during Operation Cast Lead in Gaza. The list of countries that supported the UN Human Rights Council's decision to adopt the Goldstone report is not limited to those that belong to the "automatic majority" against Israel. Even Britain and France opted to skip the vote rather than oppose the Goldstone report.
The implicit assumption in Netanyahu's remarks - that the leader of the only Muslim country that maintains truly normalized relations with Israel is supposed to close his eyes to the brutality of the Gaza operation - attests to Israel's blindness, above all.
The Turks do not deserve to be punished by Netanyahu, even if their prime minister has employed a crude vocabulary and attacked Israel publicly over its responsibility for the deaths of innocents. Good relations with Turkey are vital to Israel's security and economic interests. And Turkey deserves praise for its willingness to restart the negotiations with Syria.
In contrast to Israel, Turkey understands the need to distinguish between negotiations and rebukes. And it is not Turkey that will suffer if it is removed from the list of honest brokers. Rather, it is Israel, which is liable to lose an important channel of communications that could facilitate future talks with Damascus.