LCCC
ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
April 02/09
Bible Reading of the day.
Luke11/37-52: Now as he spoke, a certain Pharisee asked him to dine
with him. He went in, and sat at the table. When the Pharisee saw it, he
marveled that he had not first washed himself before dinner. The Lord said to
him, “Now you Pharisees cleanse the outside of the cup and of the platter, but
your inward part is full of extortion and wickedness. You foolish ones, didn’t
he who made the outside make the inside also? But give for gifts to the needy
those things which are within, and behold, all things will be clean to you. But
woe to you Pharisees! For you tithe mint and rue and every herb, but you bypass
justice and the love of God. You ought to have done these, and not to have left
the other undone. Woe to you Pharisees! For you love the best seats in the
synagogues, and the greetings in the marketplaces. Woe to you, scribes and
Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like hidden graves, and the men who walk over
them don’t know it.” One of the lawyers answered him, “Teacher, in saying
this you insult us also.” He said,
“Woe to you lawyers also! For you load men with burdens that are difficult to
carry, and you yourselves won’t even lift one finger to help carry those
burdens. Woe to you! For you build the tombs of the prophets, and your fathers
killed them. So you testify and consent to the works of your fathers. For they
killed them, and you build their tombs. Therefore also the wisdom of God said,
‘I will send to them prophets and apostles; and some of them they will kill and
persecute, that the blood of all the prophets, which was shed from the
foundation of the world, may be required of this generation; from the blood of
Abel to the blood of Zachariah, who perished between the altar and the
sanctuary.’ Yes, I tell you, it will be required of this generation. Woe to you
lawyers! For you took away the key of knowledge. You didn’t enter in yourselves,
and those who were entering in, you hindered.”
Free Opinions, Releases, letters &
Special Reports
Another summit, another non-event.By
Hasan Abu Nimah/Jordan Times
01/04/09
Man's plea for wife held in
Syria.BBC 01/04/09
The summit of shame/Future News
01/04/09
Latest News Reports From
Miscellaneous Sources for April
01/09-Naharnet
March 14: Aoun Violated All the Red Lines by Targeting the Sanctity of Martyrdom-Naharnet
Aoun
Releases Names of Beirut 1 Candidates-Naharnet
Tashnag Rejects Hariri's Offer, Future Movement Leader Reacts-Naharnet
Special Tribunal for
Lebanon Officially Asks Lebanon to Hand Over Hariri Case-Naharnet
Bassil Declines Giving
Information on Phone Card Used by Teenager Kidnappers-Naharnet
Syria: 'Barack Obama Has Changed Everything'
Interview with. Buthaina Shaaban -ABC
News
Netanyahu sworn in as Israel's
prime minister.Future news
Syria: American Language Centre Re-Opens-Global
Voices Online
Aoun’s egocentrism and empty
propaganda-Future
News
Rafsanjani: Extremism destroys our
accomplishments-Future
News
Hariri meets Jumblatt, el Murr and
Mikhatirian-Future
News
Chamoun: electoral list in Chouf
almost ready-Future
News
Gemayel: we have no electoral
interests in the South-Future
News
Maronite Bishops: Atmosphere of
Uncertainty will Reflect Negatively on Elections-Naharnet
Lebanon Receives Request
from International Tribunal to Relinquish Authority in Hariri-Naharnet
Bassil Declines Giving Information on Phone Card Used by Teenager Kidnappers-Naharnet
Nasrallah to Announce His Candidates, Jezzine List Awaits Agreement on Catholic
Seat-Naharnet
Jumblat's Shouf List
without Khoury, Boustani, Seat for Arslan in Aley-Naharnet
Saniora Did Not Receive
Damascus Invitation-Naharnet
Hariri-Jamaa Islamiya
Alliance Awaits Decision on Saniora's Candidacy in Sidon-Naharnet
Arabs, Latin Americans
Praise Suleiman's Efforts to Consolidate Stability-Naharnet
Court Bails Alleged
Canadian-Lebanese Paris Bomber-Naharnet
Nayla Tueni Accuses Aoun
of 'Radical' Shifts-Naharnet
PSP Denies Jumblat
Quitting March 14 Alliance-Naharnet
Netanyahu names government, says he will talk peace-AFP
Sleiman holds talks with Venezuelan, Brazilian leaders in Doha-Daily
Star
'Syria's doors open to Siniora' - Mikdad-Daily
Star
UNIFIL, LAF, Israeli army discuss 1701-Daily
Star
PSP
denies Jumblatt wanted to quit March 14-Daily
Star
Phalange urges March 14 to finalize election lists-Daily
Star
Interior Ministry asked to rule on mukhtars' travel-Daily
Star
Israeli soldier wounded in 2006 war out of hospita-Daily
Star
Rumors about Israel-Syria talks circulate-Washington
Times
Mafia
controls fuel oil in Lebanon, says speaker at Tabourian lecture-Daily
Star
Lebanon 65th most affordable country in ICT-Daily
Star
Aridi: Economic crisis will impact transport sector-Daily
Star
Veteran Lebanese diplomat Nadim Dimechkie dies of pneumonia-Daily
Star
LGU
becomes exclusive representative of CII-Daily
Star
Students hone oratory skills in speaking contest-Daily
Star
Another bombing rattles Ain al-Hilweh camp-Daily
Star
Teenager's kidnappers demand $1.5 million ransom-Daily
Star
Arabs, Latin Americans Praise
Suleiman's Efforts to Consolidate Stability
Naharnet/Arab and South American leaders welcomed on Tuesday the Doha agreement
that ended Lebanon's political crisis last year and backed President Michel
Suleiman in his efforts to consolidate stability through dialogue. Leaders of
the 22-member Arab League and 12 South American states staged their second
summit in four years in the Qatari capital, Doha. They agreed that financial
speculation needs to be fought to tackle the global economic crisis. The final
declaration said that "in addition to international efforts, instruments of
financial cooperation should be put in place." The participants insisted on the
"necessity of establishing an international financial system that prevents
financial speculation and takes into account adequate regulations" of the
markets. The declaration did not include any mention of Omar al-Bashir,
president of Arab League member state Sudan, wanted by the International
Criminal Court for alleged war crimes in Darfur, but simply called for "an
urgent solution to the crisis in Darfur." The final declaration also mentioned
Lebanon by welcoming the May 2008 Doha agreement that ended the country's
crisis, backing Suleiman's efforts to bring bickering politicians closer through
dialogue and stressing the important role of U.N. peacekeepers in the country.
Furthermore, it called for the full implementation of Security Council
Resolution 1701 and condemned Israel's violations of the resolution. The leaders
reiterated their full support for Lebanon's sovereignty and national unity.
Beirut, 01 Apr 09, 09:34
Aoun Releases Names of Beirut 1
Candidates
Naharnet/MP Gen. Michel Aoun announced on Wednesday his bloc's parliamentary
nominations for Beirut 1 district, which includes Ashrafiyeh, Rmeil and Saifi.
The candidates, who appeared next to Aoun at his press conference, were
identified as deputy premier Issam Abu Jamra, Nicolas al-Sehnawi, Massoud al-Ashkar
in addition Tashnag's nominees Freij Saboungian and Krikor Kaloust. Aoun said
the list was reached through "consensus" and urged supporters nad partisans of
the Free Patriotic Movement to "put their weight behind the list and exert the
necessary effort to ensure its success." He said his bloc's complete ticket will
be made public "once it has been finalized." He said Tashnag's alliance with MP
Michel Mur in the Metn district was "unilateral." Beirut, 01 Apr 09, 19:43
March 14: Aoun Violated All the Red Lines by Targeting the
Sanctity of Martyrdom
Naharnet/MP Michele Aoun's accusations to slain MP Gebran Tueni of being
"seasonal" merely reflect the general's own mood swings, March 14 Forces said in
a strong worded statement. "Aoun is trespassing all the red lines of political,
and even social, decorum by targeting the sanctity of death and the holy nature
of martyrdom," the group said following a weekly meeting of its general
secretariat. The statement considered that the general's tirade against the late
Tueni "completely reveals a state of u-turns embodied in Aoun (and shows that)
his unrelenting attempts to throw accusations at others are based on what he
sees reflected in the mirror."
The Forces accused Aoun of committing "a hideous and unprecedented act" by
targeting Tueni's martyrdom and "his blood which was spilled in defense of
Lebanon's independence, freedom and sovereignty." "He volunteered, on behalf of
his new master, to belittle this martyrdom and to smear (Tueni's) untarnished
reputation," the statement said.It warned that a persistent campaign of attacks
against "the system of values on which social ties are founded" will lead to a
"degeneration of ethics."
The statement concluded by saying Aoun's "behavior has gone beyond mere
political disagreement to form an ethical flaw which the country has never
witnessed in its entire history, even during times of war." Beirut, 01 Apr 09,
16:36
Tashnag Rejects Hariri's Offer, Future Movement Leader Reacts
Naharnet/The Armenian Tashnag party announced officially on Wednesday that it
has refused MP Saad Hariri's offer of four parliamentary seats in return for
voting for March 14 alliance's full list of names in Beirut 1, the Metn and
Zahle districts.
"After studying this offer … and during our second meeting with MP Hariri (last
night), we informed him about the (executive) committee's decision to form an
Armenian MPs bloc that will include five legislators" whose names were announced
on Sunday, the party said in a statement.
The five candidates are: Arthur Nazarian, George Qassarji, Hagop Pakradounian,
Vrej Saboungian and Krikor Kaloust.
"The bloc will have free political decision-making and will play a nationalistic
legislative role," according to the statement.
It said the party will have the freedom to vote in Beirut 1, the Metn and Zahle
based on its own convictions, to which Hariri did not react favorably.
The statement reiterated that Tashnag will be allied with Gen. Michel Aoun's
Free Patriotic Movement in all districts and Minister Elie Skaff in Zahle,
adding that the party will continue to reach out to all sides before and after
the June 7 elections.
Later, Hariri's press office stated "for the record that Tashnag has reneged on
the position it officially relayed to us during yesterday's meeting.
The statement said Tashnag promised during the talks with Hariri to "completely
commit to political neutrality between March 8 and March 14 forces following the
legislative elections." "We were surprised that Tashnag announced, through a
media release, its stance on the dialogue taking place between us, Michel Murr
and (the Armenian party)," it said. The statement explained that the three sides
had agreed "during the last two meetings to keep political deliberations amongst
them."
It said Tashnag appeared to suggest it is being offered "a number of seats for
its candidatesin return for its supporters to vote for March 14 nominees across
Lebanon."
However, "what we are really proposing is to try to secure the votes of March 14
supporters for Tashnag candidates in return for the ballots of the (the Armenian
party's) supporters in favor of March 14 contenders in the same districts."
Beirut, 01 Apr 09, 15:01
Special Tribunal for Lebanon Officially Asks Lebanon to
Hand Over Hariri Case
Naharnet/A U.N. tribunal announced Wednesday that it had asked Lebanon to hand
over the case involving the 2005 murder of prime minister Rafiq Hariri.
A Special Tribunal for Lebanon judge's decision dated March 27 and made public
Wednesday requested Lebanese authorities hand over the case to the U.N. court.
The ruling from the Special Tribunal for Lebanon also asks Beirut to hand over
the results of its investigation within two weeks and provide a list of those
detained in connection with the case. The detainees should continue to be held
until a decision on whether they will be transferred to the U.N. court is made,
it said.Local media said the request was made by Belgian pre-trial magistrate
Daniel Fransen in a letter sent on Monday to Lebanon's ambassador to the
Netherlands Zaidan Assaghir.
Justice Minister Ibrahim Najja told the daily An Nahar that in light of the
court's request the international tribunal will have "exclusive jurisdiction"
over the detainees, including the four generals held since 2005 in connection
with Hariri's murder.(Naharnet-AFP) Beirut, 01 Apr 09, 08:22
Bassil Declines Giving Information on Phone Card Used by
Teenager Kidnappers
Naharnet/Telecommunications Minister Jebran Bassil has reportedly denied giving
information on a telephone card used by the men who abducted a teenager on
Monday, demanding $ 1.5 million ransom. The Voice of Lebanon radio station on
Wednesday said security services investigating the kidnapping of Amin Jihad al-Khansa
were declined access to a telephone card used by the kidnappers. It said that
when security services requested from Bassil to provide them with data, the
telecommunications minister only gave information on the telephone card,
refusing to give "full data." Khansa, 14, was kidnapped on Monday while waiting
for a school bus outside his house in Beirut's Ghobeiri – airport highway
district. The kidnappers made two telephone calls to the boy's parents from two
separate public phone booths – one at midday Monday from the eastern Bekaa
Valley and another on Tuesday likely from al-Jedeideh area. Beirut, 01 Apr 09,
11:30
Man's plea for wife held in Syria
Date: April 1st, 2009 Source: BBC
A mother has been missing for more than two weeks since her arrest in Syria, her
British husband has said.
Maryam Kallis, 36, was handcuffed on a busy street in Damascus in front of her
young son and has not been seen since, her husband Masood told the BBC.
They were brought back to her apartment where their passports were taken, then
she was forced to leave, he added.
Amnesty International says it has "serious concerns" about her safety. The
Foreign Office is investigating.
The mother-of-four had three of her children, aged five to eight, staying with
her at her sister's home in Syria.
Torture fears
Mr Kallis says the youngsters, who all have British passports, have been left
traumatized by events.
Masood Kallis described his wife's 'arrest "These are British citizens in a
vulnerable state in a vulnerable area and nobody has bothered to go round and
say 'listen, we're here for you, be patient' - comforting words."
Mrs Kallis first moved to the Syrian capital with her family in 2002 to study
Arabic.
She came back to the UK in 2008 but returned to Damascus in March this year to
collect her children and bring them home.
Her husband says he has no idea why she was detained on 15 March but thinks the
Syrian security services may have been responsible.
"Her sister who lives with her opened the door and saw her handcuffed, with
eight to 10 men with them," he said.
"They were barging into her house, took the passports off the children, off
Maryam, off her sister as well as other documents and took Maryam away by force
in front of the children."
He said she has not been seen since.
Human rights group Amnesty International has expressed serious concern about her
safety and welfare and fears she may be in danger of torture.
The Foreign Office says it has asked the Syrian authorities for access to Mrs
Kallis as a matter of urgency.
The Syrian embassy in London said in a statement: "We have been approached by
the Foreign Office to look into the alleged disappearance.
"We are taking this matter seriously and we are in the process of looking into
it... with the relevant authorities in Syria."
Maronite Bishops: Atmosphere of Uncertainty will Reflect
Negatively on Elections
Naharnet/The Council of Maronite Bishops criticized on Wednesday what it called
an atmosphere of uncertainty in the selection of candidates, saying such a
situation hurts the election process. "This atmosphere of uncertainty and lack
of clarity in choosing candidates will reflect negatively on the election
process and harm it," the Bishops said in a statement at the end of their
monthly meeting. "Focusing on the qualities of the candidate is an important
matter. That's why votes should be given to those who deserve" them, Monsignor
Youssef Tawq, who read the statement, said. He said it is the voter's
right to know programs of candidates, adding, "those who buy you, will sell
you."The statement also hoped the Lebanese would shoulder their responsibilities
and cast their votes on June 7 "away from suspicious deals."
"We ask God … to keep them (the Lebanese) away from wrangling," it added.
Beirut, 01 Apr 09, 12:49
The summit of shame
Future News
The Doha Arab summit has proven to resemble the previous summits, and will
likely be as the ones that will follow, in failing to establish the political
frame that would be the most convenient to pull the Arab countries out of its
deteriorating reality. But what is most worrying is the conclusion of the Doha
summit which raises concerns about the coming days, as it was the “shame” summit
in some of its decisions. In the content, this summit was nothing of
“reconciliatory” rather than the summit to postpone the explosion of the
differences, which was clearly indicated by the Egyptian absence, justified by
some of Cairo officials as the host country is still “an Iranian incursion” to
the Arab landscape, and is meddling in the internal affairs of Egypt, which is a
contradiction to the aims of the summit that was convened under the slogan of
“confronting the Israeli threat and the Iranian challenge”. More surprising and
ridiculous was the declaration of Bashar el Assad who stressed on the
differences that should be “organized” giving the reconciliation the meaning of
an understanding on how to manage those differences and not agreeing on certain
matters. Assad mistakenly said that there are “disagreements” about certain
points of view and not “differences” while the nature of the relations with Iran
and what the latter is doing in matter of interfering in the internal affairs of
the Arab countries, is not just a “point of view” and should not be on the
“expenses of the Arab interests”. Then Assad talked about keeping the Arab peace
initiative alive and supporting the “resistance” without genuinely explaining
how would he support this stance while he is fully ready to go into direct
negotiations with Israel. The “genius” Assad said furthermore that the
“international legitimacy is not and should not be above the national
legitimacy” and this kind of speech is extremely dangerous and is aimed clearly
at the International Tribunal that will prosecute the assassins of PM Martyr
Rafic Hariri, not to mention his stance regarding Darfur and Sudan president
Omar el Bachir. This summit was truly the summit of Arab “shame” but turned to
be a consolidating summit on a unique subject which is challenging the
International Criminal Court.
Lebanon Receives Request from International Tribunal to
Relinquish Authority in Hariri Case
Naharnet/Lebanon has received a request to relinquish authority in the murder
case of ex-Premier Rafik Hariri to the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, it was
reported on Wednesday. Local media said the request was made by Belgian
pre-trial magistrate Daniel Fransen in a letter sent on Monday to Lebanon's
ambassador to the Netherlands Zaidan Assaghir. They said Fransen has asked the
Lebanese judiciary to hand over to the tribunal's General Prosecutor Daniel
Bellemare all documents and reports relating to the case. The request also calls
on Lebanese authorities to hand over the list of detainees in connection with
the 2005 assassination of Hariri.
Justice Minister Ibrahim Najjar, however, told the daily An Nahar that he has
not officially received the request. Najjar explained that in light of the
court's request the international tribunal will have "exclusive jurisdiction"
over the detainees, including the four generals held since 2005 in connection
with Hariri's murder. Lebanon faces a 14-day deadline to meet the demands after
official receipt of the request. Beirut, 01 Apr 09, 08:22
Bassil Declines Giving Information on Phone Card Used by
Teenager Kidnappers
Naharnet/Telecommunications Minister Jebran Bassil has reportedly denied giving
information on a telephone card used by the men who abducted a teenager on
Monday, demanding $ 1.5 million ransom. The Voice of Lebanon radio station on
Wednesday said security services investigating the kidnapping of Amin Jihad al-Khansa
were declined access to a telephone card used by the kidnappers. It said that
when security services requested from Bassil to provide them with data, the
telecommunications minister only gave information on the telephone card,
refusing to give "full data." Khansa, 14, was kidnapped on Monday while waiting
for a school bus outside his house in Beirut's Ghobeiri – airport highway
district. The kidnappers made two telephone calls to the boy's parents from two
separate public phone booths – one at midday Monday from the eastern Bekaa
Valley and another on Tuesday likely from al-Jedeideh area. Beirut, 01 Apr 09,
11:30
Nasrallah to Announce His Candidates, Jezzine List Awaits
Agreement on Catholic Seat
Naharnet/Lebanese opposition parties have nearly finalized their electoral lists
while Hizbullah is set to announce its full list of candidates on Wednesday.
Hizbullah Secretary-General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah will give a press conference
Wednesday at 8:30pm, according to Al-Akhbar newspaper, in which he is expected
to discuss electoral issues and announce the full list of names from Hizbullah
and others from the Loyalty to the Resistance Bloc.
Al-Hayat newspaper reported on Wednesday that leaders of the opposition parties
are very close to completing their electoral lists. All that remains is a final
agreement in Jezzine regarding the remaining Catholic seat. Al-Liwaa reported
that the lists in Jezzine would include Speaker Nabih Berri, Samir Azar (Maronite),
Ziad Aswad (Maronite), and Issam Sawaya (Catholic). Regarding recent reported
infighting between Berri and Free Patriotic Movement leader Michel Aoun, the
Amal head said: "I open the newspapers and read every morning about the
electoral battle… and about battles… between myself and others," adding, "I say
to everyone: I have no knowledge of these battles." Berri told An-Nahar
newspaper that there have been no new developments with regard to the electoral
lists and Al-Hayat reported that ongoing conversations between the speaker, Aoun,
and Hizbullah officials have yielded no results. In the Bekaa, Al-Akhbar has
reported that the nomination of MP Marwan Fares has led to the exclusion of
former Minister Albert Mansour from March 8's list in Baalbek-Hermel. Mansour
told Al-Akhbar that he "doesn't want to get into a battle with Hizbullah since
[there is] no political dispute with it." The newspaper also reported that MPs
Mohammed Yaghi and Hassan Yacoub have been semi-finalized on March 8's list in
Baalbek-Hermel and Zahle. Beirut, 01 Apr 09, 11:41
Jumblat's Shouf List without Khoury, Boustani, Seat for
Arslan in Aley
Naharnet/Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblat has settled his Shouf
electoral list, stressing allegiance to MP Saad Hariri's Mustaqbal Movement.
The announcement came following separate meetings Jumblat held overnight with
Hariri and Youth and Sports Minister Talal Arslan which followed talks earlier
Tuesday with National Liberal Party leader Dory Chamoun. In an interview
with the daily As Safir published Wednesday, Jumblat said the Shouf list "has
been finalized, but regretfully, without representation of my traditional al-Boustani
allies." "This was in the best interest of the March 14 coalition," Jumblat
explained. Local media said the Jumblat-Arslan meeting focused on "crisis
management in the mountain area to avoid tension and to strengthen the
reconciliation of May 11."
The daily An Nahar, however, said that it is almost certain that election in
Aley is going to be head-to-head between the Jumblat-supported March 14's list
and another led by Arslan. The paper said a seat for the Druze sect in each of
the majority and the opposition lists will be left vacant. In a related event,
An Nahar said Jumblat and Arslan have agreed to complete reconciliation in
Shweifat, which had witnessed on-again-off-again tension since the killing of
Arslan supporter Akram Arbid in 1996. Al Akhbar newspaper, meanwhile, said
Jumblat and Arslan did not tackle the June 7 parliamentary elections during
their talks Tuesday evening, saying this was "the prince's (Arslan's) wish."It
said Jumblat had earlier sent a message to Arslan informing him of his wish to
cut a deal with him over the seats in Aley and Baabda such as Jumblat would
leave a vacant seat in Aley for Arslan. In return, Arslan would ensure that
there is a seat available for MP Ayman Shqeir in Baabda. Al Akhbar said the
opposition rejected leaving a vacant seat in Baabda for any Jumblat-supported
candidate. Beirut, 01 Apr 09, 10:14
Saniora Did Not Receive Damascus Invitation
Naharnet/An official from the prime minister's office has denied that Premier
Fouad Saniora received an invitation to visit Syria. "Prime Minister Saniora did
not receive any invitation from Syria, as stated by Faisal al-Miqdad," the
source told An Nahar daily in remarks published Wednesday. His comment came in
response to Syrian Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal Miqdad's statement on Tuesday
that Damascus had invited Saniora. "Syria's doors are open to Saniora," Miqdad
told NBN television in an interview. He said Syria has sent Saniora multiple
invitations, "which remained unanswered." Miqdad also said he hoped Lebanon's
June 7 parliamentary elections would take place in a "calm atmosphere without
any foreign intervention be it Syrian or American or by any other state."
Beirut, 01 Apr 09, 10:41
Hariri-Jamaa Islamiya Alliance Awaits Decision on Saniora's Candidacy in Sidon
Naharnet/Contacts are ongoing between Mustaqbal Movement leader Saad Hariri and
Jamaa Islamiya, or the Islamic Grouping, to settle the issue over their
alliance, particularly since the nomination of Prime Minister Fouad Saniora in
Sidon seemed to be set on cruise. Local media said Wednesday that Hariri asked
Jamaa Islamiya during talks between the two sides late Tuesday to be "patient"
with regards to the electoral alliance until a final decision is made over
Saniora's candidacy. Both sides agreed to resume talks at a meeting to be held
on Wednesday. Deputy Secretary-General of Jamaa Islamiya Ibrahim al-Masri told
the daily As Safir in remarks published Wednesday that the "principle of
alliance" between Hariri and the Grouping "still exists, unless circumstances
arise that could impede this" process.
Beirut, 01 Apr 09, 09:08
Court Bails Alleged Canadian-Lebanese Paris Bomber
Naharnet/A Canadian-Lebanese man held for allegedly killing four people and
injuring 40 in the 1980 bombing of a Paris synagogue was ordered released on
bail Tuesday ahead of his extradition hearing. Judge Robert Maranger set "very,
very strict conditions" on Hassan Diab including that he remain in the home he
shares with his partner in Ottawa, and wear an electronic tag. Diab, a part-time
university sociology professor, can only leave the house with one of five people
who pledged to guarantee his good conduct and has to abide by a curfew, the
judge said. His guarantors posted a 290,000-dollar bond.
Diab, 55, was arrested in November in an Ottawa suburb at the request of French
authorities. He is wanted by France on charges of murder, attempted murder and
the destruction of property after the 1980 bombing. Prosecutors had argued
during the bail hearing that Diab posed a flight risk as it was alleged he had
previously traveled on false passports. But the defense countered Diab had not
sought to flee from arrest, even though he had known for a year, thanks to an
article in a French daily, that he was being sought in the case. In October
1980, a bomb planted in a motorcycle saddlebag outside the Copernicus Street
synagogue in Paris killed three Frenchmen and a young Israeli woman, injuring
dozens. It was the first fatal attack against the French Jewish community since
the Nazi occupation of World War II.
French authorities issued a warrant in November 2007 for Diab's arrest,
following a lead from German intelligence saying he was involved.
In his bail decision, judge Maranger characterized the strength of the case
against him was "moderate to high." He noted Diab's "transient lifestyle,"
having lived in six other countries in the past 12 years, and his tendency to
"not be drawn to long-term commitment." The prosecution had argued several of
his bail guarantors barely know him and Diab had proven himself capable of
deceiving his partner by cheating on her behind her back. Maranger, however,
concluded: "I do not believe detention is necessary to maintain confidence in
the administration of justice" in this case.(AFP) Beirut, 01 Apr 09, 09:51
Nayla Tueni Accuses Aoun of 'Radical' Shifts
Naharnet/Parliamentary candidate Nayla Tueni said Tuesday the positions of MP
Michel Aoun have undergone "radical shifts" over the past years making him
"unqualified" to judge others, especially those who were killed for adhering to
their principles. Tueni was reacting to Aoun's remarks on Monday when he
described slain MP and An Nahar general manager Gebran Tueni as a man of
"seasonal" principles. Aoun also reiterated his view that the younger Tueni
possessed a "limited" understanding of politics and was undeserving of a
reaction to previous statements criticizing him. "General Aoun's position on
sovereignty underwent radical shifts in the past years making him unqualified to
categorize others, especially those who were martyred for their adherence to
their principles," she said in a statement.
Tueni, who is An-Nahar newspaper assistant general director, is running for the
Orthodox seat in Ashrafiyeh in the June 7 polls. She criticized Aoun for turning
the elections into a "personal" issue and for messing with "sanctities and
dignities." Tueni lamented Aoun's betrayal of his own principles, his movement
and "the advocates of sovereignty" recalling that he once shared a "with the
martyr Gebran Tueni a long era of common struggle."
She recounted Aoun's policies in the previous years including "his alliance with
those he accused of treason years ago, his defense of weapons he once said
threatened the pillars of the state, and last his visit to Syria, whose leader
he once wanted to crush." She said she will rise above Aoun's "redundant"
rhetoric, in which he described his opponents as "youngsters and sons of
prominent families." Tueni advised Aoun "not to slip to a level unfit for any
leader who speaks of martyr Gebran Tueni and describes him as seasonal," a
description she said was inaccurate given the late MP's "fearlessness" and
"adamant struggle.""Aoun's desperate attempt to distort the image of the martyr
Gebran Tueni might be due to the fact that he is being haunted by (Tueni's)
memory more than anything else," Tueni said. "He is trying – with no success -
to erase this memory as part of a new war of elimination, which forms the focus
of his electoral promise for residents of Ashrafiyeh and other Christian areas,"
she concluded. Beirut, 31 Mar 09, 19:02
Syria: 'Barack Obama Has
Changed Everything'
Despite Change, Foreign Policy Expert Says Syria Won't Budge on Iran, Hezbollah
By LARA SETRAKIAN
DOHA, Syria, April 1, 2009
http://abcnews.go.com/International/story?id=7225506&page=1
SHARE A top Syrian official tells ABC News that President Obama has "changed
everything in the world" and left the international community "more optimistic."
The longtime government official has been intimately involved in Syrian foreign
policy. Earlier this month she met with two U.S. diplomats, Ambassador Jeffrey
Feltman and envoy Daniel Shapiro, sent to Damascus by Obama to start mending
relations with the Arab state.
Syrian presidential adviser Dr. Buthaina Shaaban spoke with ABC News during the
Arab League Summit in Doha, Qatar.
U.S.-Syrian relations were strained under the Bush administration. America
withdrew its ambassador to Damascus in 2005 after the assassination of former
Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, widely blamed on Syria. President Bashar
al Assad denied any link between his government and the Beirut bombing that
killed Hariri.
More than four years later the United States is courting Syrian support for a
stable Iraq and encouraging efforts by Syria's regional rivals, Saudi Arabia in
particular, to welcome the long-isolated state back into the fold.
Shaaban spoke to ABC News about America's Middle East policy, Obama's Syrian
outreach and prospects for peace with Israel.
ABC News: What's your take-away from this one-day Arab summit? What do you think
was accomplished?
Shaaban: I think we're going away with the best results we could have hoped for.
We agreed on essential issues ...and the presence of President Omar Al Bashir of
Sudan was an important because most Arabs reject the indictment against him.
ABC News: Why? Why the Arab support for Al Bashir?
Shaaban: Because the negotiations for Darfur almost reached a result at the time
the indictment came down. I think they should have given the negotiations the
time and space to mature and to yield results. It's unprecedented to indict a
sitting president and it's like a slap in the face on all Arab leaders, not just
the president of Sudan.
ABC News: This is the first Arab League conference since President Obama took
office. Was that felt? Did it come up or change the substance or tenor?
Shaaban: I think the presence of Barack Obama has changed everything in the
world, whether consciously or unconsciously. I think everybody feels more
optimistic, more hopeful now that President Obama is speaking about dialogue and
not preemptive strikes as the previous administration. Most importantly, he
works on the basis of respect, I think this is what the Arabs need most.
Shaaban: I think it was a very good meeting. This is the natural course of
relations between countries, that Feltman said we are coming to engage, to
dialogue and to see what are the points we agree upon, what are the points we
differ about. That seemed to us like normal countries with normal relations,
approaching in a respectable fashion.
ABC News: What were the topics on the table? What did they ask for?
Shaaban: They didn't ask for anything specific. They just said let us see where
you stand on Iraq and where we stand, where you stand on Lebanon and where we
stand. Let us see what is the common ground on which we can work and let us see
where we differ so we can talk about our differences. The meeting lasted for
about 3½ hours and we all felt that it was a very good meeting.
ABC News: What do you think are the most promising areas for U.S.-Syrian
cooperation?
Shaaban: I think Iraq is one of the most promising areas, because we both feel
that Iraq's stability and security is very important, both for the U.S. and for
Syria. We would like to help in scheduling the withdrawal in any way so that
Iraq can go back to its normal life as an independent Arab country without
partitioning, without federation. This is an area in which we both agreed. We
both expressed our hope that the Lebanese elections are going to go well and
Lebanon will stay one united country, a democracy.
Syria on Talks With Israel
ABC News: Where do you think is the biggest rift?
Shaaban: It would be on the Arab-Israeli conflict. They always speak about the
security of Israel, but what about the security of Arabs? What about
settlements? We would like the U.S. administration to think of the Arabs as
valuable people as it thinks of Israelis as valuable people. We're no less
precious.
ABC News: Do you see Syrian talks with Israel picking up again, perhaps with the
U.S. as a mediator?
Shaaban: Peace is a strategic choice for Syria. Unfortunately until now the
Israeli side has not been accepting terms for peace, Security Council
resolutions or the "Land for Peace" formula. You hear them now talking about
economic peace or peace for peace. You hear people like [Israeli hard-liner]
Avigdor Lieberman saying we should use nuclear bombs against the Arabs. This is
not very promising. The Arabs would like to make peace but without giving up our
rights or any of our territories. The more we wait the harder achieving peace is
going to be.
ABC News: Do you see those talks resuming? Do they have any promise at this
stage?
Shaaban: They had promise. We were talking about the line of June 1967. But the
problem is every time we reach a promising point the Israelis back away from it.
That happened in Shepherdstown in 2000. I was there with [then-Israeli Prime
Minister] Ehud Barak. It happened with Olmert...that doesn't show real intention
for making peace. Does the Israeli side want to make peace? That is the real
question.
ABC News: What do you make of the [newly sworn-in Israeli Prime Minister
Benjamin] Netanyahu victory? How will it impact Syria's position?
Shaaban: I don't know. Netanyahu keeps speaking about economic peace as if the
Palestinian issue were a humanitarian issue. It's a political issue, it's about
land and water. It's about the future of millions of Palestinians. Unless he
recognizes that there's going to be no future prospect for peace.
ABC News: Could you see Syria engaging in talks, indirect or otherwise, with the
Netanyahu government?
Shaaban: It depends on then. If they were to recognize our rights, if they were
to acknowledge Security Council resolutions and what they dictate for Israel to
do, to withdraw to the lines of June 4, 1967, then when do mind.
On Hamas and Hezbollah
ABC News: But short of that, no talks?
Shaaban: No talks.
ABC News: Will Syria's relationships with Hezbollah and Hamas evolve as its
relations with the U.S. evolve?
Shaaban: Hamas and Hezbollah are two resistance groups. They are there because
of the Israeli occupation. This is a result, not a cause. You need to remove the
cause, which is the occupation, and then naturally you'd deal with the result.
ABC News: So there's no reason Syria's support for those groups would change?
Shaaban: No.
ABC News: Syria is being talked of in terms of strategic realignment, moving
away from Iran as it broadens its ties in the region and ties with the West.
Would that happen? What do you see as Syria's direction?
Shaaban: Syria has historic relations with Iran. It is an important neighbor and
our relation with Iran is good for us, just as our relation with Turkey is good
for us. I don't think anybody can put a condition on us that you have to have
this relationship with this country or that country. Imagine we say to Israel
you can't negotiate with us unless you give up your relation with the United
States. [During the Iran-Iraq War] we stood with Iran against Saddam Hussein
when the U.S. supported him. We were right, [America] was wrong. Who says we're
not right again?
Another summit, another non-event
By Hasan Abu Nimah
© Jordan Times 2009
01 April 2009
The Arab states meeting in Doha, Qatar, this week for their annual summit, face
a packed agenda. But the event is not generating much excitement, not even in
the Arab world.
The world media lost interest in Arab summitry long ago. In any case, when it
comes to this region, the international news media primarily pay attention only
to matters that concern Israel, directly or indirectly.
After Israel began its brutal crackdown on the Palestinian Intifada that started
in 2000, the Arab states decided to meet in March every year. Previously, calls
for such meetings, even for dealing with major political matters, were resisted
on the ground of lack of adequate Arab consensus or insufficiency of
preparation.
Arab leaders were indeed wise not to confront each other when prospects of
agreement or of joint effective action were doubtful. Meeting under such
circumstances would only expose the futility of such summits. Yet the inability
of the Arab leaders even to sit with each other to review the deteriorating
conditions of the region was not a viable alternative either, especially with
frequent and mounting crises confronting them.
While it is normal to have different views on and approaches to various issues,
Arab leaders' chances of establishing common positions and understanding could
only have been achieved as a result of regular meetings and serious discussion.
That was the hope the decision to meet annually was expected to realise.
Unfortunately, it did not. There have indeed been regular meetings but no
serious effort to resolve divisive problems and deep political conflicts.
This year there have been a number of Arab summits - some with limited
attendance - in Doha, Egypt, Riyadh and Kuwait. They were mostly dominated by
the Israeli attack on Gaza, which began last December, an issue on which the
Arab states were more divided than ever before.
The various meetings that preceded the Kuwait economic summit, on January 19,
reflected these divisions clearly. In Kuwait, however, King Abdullah of Saudi
Arabia astounded the opening session with what sounded like a sincere and
heartfelt call for Arab reconciliation. On the same day, the Saudi king invited
the leaders of Syria, Egypt, Qatar, Kuwait and Jordan (which has sought to avoid
such conflicts) to a lunch that was seen as an additional regional show of
unity.
That reconciliation meeting, promising as it was, did not achieve the desired
results, as the final communiqué of the Kuwait summit on the Gaza issue was a
clear reflection of deep disagreement.
Despite the lack of progress, the months preceding this week's summit witnessed
intensive efforts to reconcile the main conflicting parties, Syria, on one side,
and Egypt and Saudi Arabia, on the other. Qatar, as the host of the current
summit as well as of a January emergency summit on Gaza which several Arab
states boycotted, has been viewed as leaning more towards the "rejectionist"
camp, represented by Syria. Egypt strongly objected to Al JazeeraAl Jazeera's
coverage of Israel's crimes against humanity in Gaza, which was also strongly
critical of Egypt's handling of the crisis. Qatar, where the fiercely
independent Al JazeeraAl Jazeera is based, was blamed for Al JazeeraAl Jazeera's
coverage.
The hope was that the Arab leaders would head to Doha having already worked out
their disagreements. But that does not seem to have been accomplished either.
There has been concern that Qatar might invite Iranian President Mahmoud
Ahmadinejad to the summit; his attendance at the January emergency summit on
Gaza, angered Egypt, Saudi Arabia and others. There have been parallel efforts
to dissuade the Qatari hosts from inviting Ahmadinejad this time. The prime
minister of Qatar declared, quite sarcastically, last Sunday that neither Iran
nor Hamas would be invited to this summit. "We repent [for] what we did last
time and would not do it again," he said.
Indeed, Iran's regional role seems to be a key factor behind the Arab rift.
Syria, unsurprisingly, welcomed all initiatives from within and from outside the
region to reconcile strained relations. And although that was probably the
intention of the other parties as well, little or no progress has been achieved.
The reason is simple: as the price for reconciliation, Syria is required to
sever its strategic ties with Iran in the same manner as Iran would be required
to sever its support for Syria and for Hamas and Hizbollah resistance
organisations (labelled "terrorist" by the West) which were born from the
struggle against illegal Israeli occupation of Arab lands. The perception that
either Iran or Syria would accept to pay such a price is wrong despite recurring
speculation that Iran would cut a deal with the US at the expense of any of its
allies or that Syria, when faced with a firm offer, would chose to do the same.
For Egypt, Saudi Arabia and probably other Arab states, non-Arab Iran is seen as
an intruder interfering with Arab states' affairs and harbouring hostile
hegemonic ambitions in the region. Other accusations levelled against Iran say
that its support for Hamas and Hizbollah is deepening Arab divisions and
blocking peace, is fuelling violence in Iraq and instigating religious
sectarianism, and that it is pursuing a nuclear programme that threatens
regional security.
It is certainly no coincidence that these are precisely the allegations made by
Western powers with which some Arab states are closely aligned. To separate Iran
from its Arab allies and to remove any trace of its influence may, accordingly,
seem a logical quest, compatible with the accusing countries' national
interests. But things look very different from Syria, a large chunk of whose
territory under Israeli occupation, illegal annexation and colonisation since
1967.
Syria views Iranian support for its cause as a valuable strategic asset,
especially given the suspicion that the Bush administration wanted to overthrow
the Syrian regime, as it did in Iraq. Syria knows too well Israel's strategy of
trying to make separate peace deals with Arab parties in order to weaken the
collective stance. Until Syria recovers its lost territory (so far all peace
attempts have been rejected by Israel), it makes no sense for Damascus to
surrender the cards it has, which include support for the resistance and
relationship with Iran.
Accordingly, there is a stark contradiction between the vital national interests
of the two conflicting Arab camps. This is what needs to be reconciled first,
with respect to inter-Arab relations and then the intra-Palestinian rift, which
is a direct consequence and reflection of the larger Arab split.
Major Arab states support one Palestinian faction or another for the same
reasons cited above (as they also do in Lebanon). Hamas and Hizbollah are often
condemned as mere agents for Iran, as if without Iranian interference, the
Palestinians would acquiesce to Israeli aggression and occupation forever and
would not seek support for their struggle from elsewhere, as they used to do
from the same Arab states that now condemn them for accepting Iranian help.
Given these realities, it is unlikely that this summit, any more than earlier
ones, will lead to any tangible progress. Sadly, the Arab states are totally
powerless to effect any change to the deteriorating situation on the Palestinian
scene, except to recycle and redecorate the Arab Peace Initiative, putting it on
sale again (probably with the price dropping all the time as Israel refuses to
bite). They will certainly offer rumbling declarations condemning the
International Criminal Court for issuing an arrest warrant against the Sudanese
president. They will register verbal support for Iraq, Lebanon, Palestinian
Authority under Mahmoud Abbas, and they will condemn Israeli settlement
expansion and actions in the occupied Arab territories and Jerusalem. They will
also call for a Middle East free of weapons of mass destruction. All this has
been said time and again, without ever attracting any attention, let alone
making any difference.
Until Arab governments have a common view of what their interests are - as
indeed many of their peoples already do - there is not likely to be any change
coming from such regularly held summits.