LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
April 08/09

Bible Reading of the day.
Proberbs1/7-9 The fear of Yahweh is the beginning of knowledge; but the foolish despise wisdom and instruction.  My son, listen to your father’s instruction, and don’t forsake your mother’s teaching:  for they will be a garland to grace your head, and chains around your neck.

Free Opinions, Releases, letters & Special Reports
Lebanon can benefit from both Obama's vision and Erdogan's regional policy. The Daily Star 07/04/09
Will Pakistani officers ever help advanced US policy in Afghanistan? By Irfan Husain 07/04/09
Coalition building in Lebanon-The National - Abu Dhabi,United Arab Emirates 07/04/09
Rivals turn allies in Lebanon’s election-The National - Abu Dhabi,United Arab Emirates 07/04/09

Latest News Reports From Miscellaneous Sources for April 07/09
Frattini: Italy Supports Elections, Wants to Resolve Gajar File-Naharnet
Hizbullah Official: US Ambassador Interfering In Lebanon's Affairs-MEMRI
Qaouq: The Minority Adheres to Rule of Consensus-Naharnet
MTV to go back on air/Future News
Murr vows MTV will not take sides in political rivalry-Daily Star
Elias Murr in Washington/U.S. Security Support to Lebanon Ahead of Elections.Naharnet
Aoun for Open-Ended Battle with Berri if Speaker is Ready-Naharnet
Syria: Obama's message positive, but how will it coincide Israel's ...Ynetnews
Consensus Fails in Kesrouan-Naharnet
Knots in Tripoli Election Coalition: Maronite, Orthodox, Alawite Seats-Naharnet
Lebanon's MTV Returns After Seven Years Off Air-Naharnet
Saniora's Nomination Settles Hariri-Jamaa Islamiya Coalition-Naharnet
Hizbullah Launches Electoral Platform, Vows to Work for Elimination of Political Sectarianism-Naharnet
Abbas Reshuffles Fatah in Lebanon in Aftermath of Medhat's Killing-Naharnet
Murr: We Are Committed to the President's Political Plan-Naharnet
Aoun Names 4 Candidates in Chouf, 1 in Koura-Naharnet
Gemayel: Jumblat Did Not Give Us Seat in Aley-Naharnet
Hariri: Electoral Nominations Have Largely Been Finalized-Naharnet
Saniora Announces Himself Candidate in Sidon-Naharnet
Lack of Quorum Postpones Parliamentary Session-Naharnet
Israel carries out missile test: Defense Ministry-Reuters
Hezbollah Prepares for Vote, Takes Aim at United States-CNSNews.com
Ambassador: No US raids in Syrian territory-Washington Times
US will never be at war with Islam, Obama tells Turkey-(AFP)
Hizbullah takes aim at confessional system-Daily Star
Siniora: Lebanon 'operating on short leash'-Daily Star
Spain willing to work with any Lebanese government -Daily Star
Iran ready to keep helping Lebanon's post-war reconstruction - ambassador-Daily Star
Security officials discuss measures for election day-Daily Star
Communist party chief says opposition cannot save Lebanon-Daily Star
US studies Hizbullah tactics to prepare troops for war-Daily Star
Qabalan: Vote for those who 'truly represent' you-Daily Star
Hoss raps campaign promises of some candidates-Daily Star
MPs agree on law to give expatriates nationality-Daily Star
Hizbullah says US, Arab states interfering in polls-Daily Star
British minister: US 'comfortable' with UK move to engage Hizbullah-Daily Star
Lebanon's life premiums rise 4.4 percent in 2008-Daily Star
Sison visits Tripoli NGO to highlight US support for education-Daily Star
E.Guinea frees Lebanese jailed over coup attempt-Daily Star
Authorities arrest three over Khansa kidnapping-Daily Star
Father of 'lateral thinking' offers suggestions for Beirut-Daily Star

MTV to go back on air
Date: April 7th, 2009 Future News
The Murr Television Station or MTV will go back on air this evening after nearly seven years of closure, the President of the affiliation Michel Murr said Tuesday. « We have broken the wall of fear during the Syrian occupation and we will now break the wall of Silence, » Murr said in his statement distributed to media outlets. Murr said the station maintains the stances of neutrality and objectivity despite its biased position to March 14 coalition and the Cedars Revolution which broke out after the assassination of Premier Rafic Hariri in 2005. The station was shut down on September 4, 2002 by Lebanese authorities after it broadcast live coverage of arrests and questioning of youth protesting Syrian hegemony over Lebanon. Lebanese Army troops stormed the station that evening, under the watchful eyes of Syrian intelligence and asked the employees to vacate the building immediately. The doors were sealed with chains. Ghayath Yazbek, the station’s political programs director said the station will go on air at 19.30 this evening with news bulletins and talk shows for the time being. « We are determined to give free speech to all parties, we have done it before and will continue to do so, » Yazbek said.

Murr vows MTV will not take sides in political rivalry
Station to target viewers who aren't allied with either camp
By Michael Bluhm
Daily Star staff
Tuesday, April 07, 2009
BEIRUT: The former heavyweight Lebanese television station MTV will relaunch broadcasting Tuesday, more than four years after the state shut down the stridently anti-Syrian broadcaster and two months to the day before pivotal general elections. However, station CEO Michel Murr, who controls a majority of MTV with his three brothers, said the channel's new incarnation would not tilt toward the anti-Syrian March 14 political camp and the timing of the station's return amid the campaign fever was only a coincidence.
"We're not there to influence in any way the Lebanese audience," Murr told The Daily Star. "We're probably the only TV station in Lebanon that is not biased or that is not being used as propaganda tool for a political party."
"We're giving the right for anyone to say out loud his conviction ... and we don't have any veto," said Murr, who added that Parliament renewed the station's license in late 2005 but he chose not to resume broadcasting after the summer 2006 war with Israel and the ensuing economic nosedive. "The media shouldn't have any political orientation.
"We're here to show them, to tell them the truth so they don't have to zap anymore from one TV to the other to understand what's happening. We are the only ones who are doing our job as professionals."
At the same time, political programming will dominate MTV's prime-time schedule until the elections, Murr said; the station's alleged violations of campaign-finance provisions in the former electoral act led the government - then under Syrian control - to shut down the network in September 2005. Murr continues to hold strong opinions, which will likely seep into the station's editorial stance, said Hilal Khashan, head of the department of political studies and public administration at the American University of Beirut.
"Michel Murr may be neutral for a few days - he cannot be neutral indefinitely," said Khashan, who was a guest analyst a number of times during MTV's first run. I wouldn't really hold it against him if he took sides. Taking sides is not a bad thing. He can condemn both sides [of the political divide] - that's taking sides. It should not undermine the professionalism of MTV.
"He doesn't need to be neutral. In the Lebanese context, being neutral means being bland. Let the BBC be neutral."
The station's ultimate success with viewers will depend on the quality of its editorials and analysis, not on its political leanings, Khashan added.
"I don't think he would back off [broadcasting] the points of view of his enemies," said Khashan, who added that March 14 politicians would try to take advantage of the station's closely followed return to score votes in the potentially decisive upper Metn district home to MTV. "The man is audacious, and we need to give him credit for that. MTV will be successful under his leadership."
Murr, for his part, said he still adhered to the ideas that brought Lebanese people together on March 14, 2005, for a mass demonstration that helped lead to the exit of Syrian troops after a 29-year presence here, but he did not share all the tenets of the political faction that took its name from that day.
"We have the same principles as those of March 14 because all of us were there on March 14, like more than two-thirds of the country," Murr said. "We don't believe in taking the arms of Hizbullah by force. We don't believe we should destabilize the regime in Syria. It's not our concern. We believe that no one has to have a say in Lebanese politics anymore, neither the Syrians nor the Israelis. [We believe in] a lot of things that differ from March 14 as a party. That's why we're not March 14.
"We're targeting mostly the Lebanese that believe in Lebanon the way it is - open to all the world - and not the Lebanon that Iran and Syria want it to be."
MTV will target viewers who are not disciples of either political camp, a market that Murr said made up a majority of the Lebanese population.
"We speak for the silent majority of Lebanese, the silent majority being people maybe in the March 14 or even in the March 8 - but they're fed up with it. They're not satisfied either with this one or the other one. This is the majority," Murr said. "Our role is to try to bring them all together and to try to unify them."
Indeed, a "critical mass" of independent Lebanese may well exist and could propel the network to high ratings, said Oussama Safa, executive director of the Lebanese Center for Policy Studies
"They will have a substantial number of independent viewers who are willing to give them the benefit of the doubt," said Safa, adding that it was too early to say whether the channel would be impartial. "It's an open niche. The country really needs that kind of programming." Lebanon's media landscape, ruled by political patrons, reflects the polarized political dynamic as stations cater almost exclusively to the far reaches of the political spectrum, he added. "It's an extremely partisan media, very sectarian in its coverage and protection of parties and vilification of others," Safa said. "They want [their viewers] to be believers." Almost all Lebanese broadcasters futilely try to ignore opposing views, and against such low-level competition MTV hopes to recover its former standing and challenge LBC's ranking as the local market's ratings leader by next year, Murr said. "Every party has its TV station. No one is really playing the role of journalism. There's no ethics at all. It's just cursing," said Murr. "I can promise [MTV viewers] that in the worst-case scenario we're going to be the second [most-watched station] in Lebanon. Hopefully in 2010 we're going to be number one, if everything goes well.

Qaouq: The Minority Adheres to Rule of Consensus
Naharnet/A senior Hizbullah official said Tuesday that the minority is certain that Lebanon can only be governed by consensus and partnership.
Hizbullah's official in south Lebanon Sheikh Nabil Qaouq told a social gathering that the party will use June 7 to "reaffirm its pledge to our people and to honor the path of martyrs and hajj Imad Mughniyeh." "The opposition is completely aware that Lebanon can only be governed by consensus. It is also aware of the need for a national partnership in order for the Lebanese formula to remain viable," he said. Qaouq warned that a policy of "monopolization and marginalization will only harm the banner of Lebanon First and turn it into Lebanon Tenth." He criticized the majority for "readying itself to take Lebanon from one state of disunity to another, thus placing foreign dictations first." Taking a swipe at Hizbullah's arch-foes, Qaouq accused the American and Israeli intelligence of trying to "weaken the opposition's electoral tickets in order to exhaust the resistance's strategy." Israel's attempt to target the minority's standing in the elections is a sign the Israeli military "has lost hope in a direct military confrontation." "Lebanon's sole response to all the Israeli challenges is to strengthen the resistance's strategy on the public, political and military levels."
Beirut, 07 Apr 09, 18:08

Hizbullah takes aim at confessional system
Siniora remains coy about possible candidacy in sidon race
By Therese Sfeir /Daily Star staff
Tuesday, April 07, 2009
BEIRUT: The battlelines in the June 2009 elections started to take shape on Monday as electoral lists and programs were nearly finalized ahead of the constitutional deadline for submitting candidacy on Tuesday. While Hizbullah already announced its candidates last week and presented its electoral program on Monday, other parties were waiting for the last minute before announcing their final lists.
Meanwhile, speculation surrounded the possible candidacy of Premier Fouad Siniora, who some sources insisted would not run, while others said he may enter the race early Tuesday.
Hizbullah
Hizbullah announced its electoral program on Monday during a press conference held in Beirut's southern suburbs.
The party pledged to commit to economic, judicial and political reforms, including abolishing political confessionalism and combating corruption.
Hizbullah's electoral campaign, which is entitled "Resist with Your Vote," stressed the party's adherence to a strategy of "partnership, consensus and state-building based on the rule of law, institutions and combating corruption," Raad said.
Raad added that "the 2009 elections represent an opportunity to revive Lebanon's political life."
The head of the Loyalty to the Resistance bloc said the party would call for the formation of "a higher committee that would work for the abolition of political sectarianism, draft a modern electoral law based on proportional representation, lower the voting age to 18 and separate parliament from Cabinet," which means prohibiting deputies from becoming ministers.
Concerning Hizbullah's weapons, Raad said that "the resistance places its resources and capabilities in the service of Lebanon."
He added that Lebanon's national defense strategy should benefit from Hizbullah's "expertise and capabilities ... in order to help the army confront the Israeli threat against our territories and water resources."
Raad stressed the need for dialogue and national unity to safeguard Lebanon, pointing to the successful alliance between Hizbullah and the Free Patriotic Movement.
In a separate statement on Monday, Raad criticized those who "call for independence and sovereignty and reject any intervention in the affairs of the country but at the same time accept with a smile the statements of US ambassador to Lebanon Michel Sison."
Raad's remarks came during a gathering in Nabatieh.
"Who is Sison to say that Hizbullah represents a threat to Lebanon and the region?" Raad asked, adding that Hizbullah was a threat to "all the Israeli schemes, plans and projects against Lebanon."
Raad reiterated that the opposition was keen on sharing power with all Lebanese parties after the parliamentary elections, stressing the need to form a vetoing third in the Cabinet, regardless of the outcome of the vote.
MP Michel Murr
MP Michel Murr launched his electoral program for the Metn district during a news conference held on Monday.
Murr said that his electoral ticket would be completed within the coming hours and called on Metn citizens not to be influenced by political slogans.
"You should all remember who was behind all the fighting and instability in the country," he added.
Murr also said that Aoun's Change and Reform bloc had "failed to meet its national and Christian role."
As for his electoral program, Murr said that it would focus on "supporting and equipping the Army," as well as other issues.
Future Movement
The head of the Future parliamentary bloc MP Saad Hariri said on Monday that the March 14 Forces' electoral tickets would soon be revealed.
Following a visit to Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia Aram Kashishian in Antelias, the majority leader said the March 14 Forces' lists have been "largely finalized."
"I want to reassure all the Lebanese ... that the March 14 Forces will participate in the elections together," he added.
Sources told The Daily Star that Hariri would formally submit his candidacy on Tuesday.
Progressive Socialist Party
Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblatt highlighted "the need to establish domestic calm before and after the elections to enable [the Lebanese parties] to rebuild the bridges of confidence, which were ruined by disputes that marked the last period."
In his weekly article in Al-Anbaa magazine to be published on Tuesday, Jumblatt said: "Re-establishing confidence in the domestic arena lays the foundations for stability that enables the Lebanese to make decisions on economic and social issues."
Domestic stability "paves the way for administrative reform, because the situation of the public administration has reached a level that requires urgent measures," the PSP leader said.
He also stressed Lebanon's Arabism, saying that the "Arab identity protects the country and the Lebanese formula established by the Taif Accord.
He added that uniting the Arabism and "Lebanon first" concepts marked the beginning of a new stage that should be "marked by abolishing political confessionalism."
Free Patriotic Movement
The head of the Reform and Change bloc, MP Michel Aoun, announced on Monday the names of four candidates in the Chouf district in addition to one candidate in Koura.
Addressing reporters after the bloc's weekly meeting, Aoun said the Free Patriotic Movement nominated Abdo Monzer, Antoine Boustani, Nassif Azzi and Mario Aoun for the Chouf district and Georges Atallah in Koura.
Asked whether the FPM would reconcile with the Phalange party, Aoun said such reconciliation was impossible because of "great differences" that divide the two sides.
"The Phalange accused us of being behind the murder of [late former minister] Pierre Gemayel and we were repeatedly denied permission to convey our condolences," Aoun said.
Aoun lashed out at Hariri, accusing the head of the Future Movement of harming the country's economy.
He said the Future Movement and "all those who contributed to the budget deficit are worried that people might discover the reality of their political and economic performance."
The FPM leader added that MP Michel Murr "can never be part of the FPM's ticket in the Metn district."
Calm atmosphere
President Michel Sleiman said he hoped that the upcoming elections would be held in a calm atmosphere.
Sleiman added that the necessary reforms were on the right track, including the reform of the electoral law, and called on Lebanese MPs to launch extensive reforms following the elections.
Sleiman met on Monday with a delegation from the European Union, headed by EU parliamentarian Beatrice Patrie.
During the meeting, Sleiman said "the Lebanese Constitution guaranties a full participation of Lebanese electorate through a proportional-based electoral system."
He added that Arab, regional and international reconciliation would reflect positively on Lebanon and its relations with the world.
Siniora in Sidon?
Well-informed sources told The Daily Star that Siniora would soon announce that he would not participate in the upcoming parliamentary elections in Sidon.
The sources added that "Siniora's close allies asked him to postpone his decision until
Tuesday to conduct further talks concerning his candidacy."
But well-informed ministerial sources said that Siniora would make a final decision on his candidacy tomorrow morning at the latest. The sources added that there was an 80 percent chance that the prime minister would submit his candidacy.
Meanwhile, Education Minister and MP Bahia Hariri said that she had submitted her candidacy on Saturday away from the media. Sources said that Hariri asked Future Movement members in Sidon to submit their candidacy as a "preventive measure."
Opposition candidate in Sidon, MP Osama Saad, said that the coastal city would witness an electoral battle, adding that he was ready for it.
Commenting on Siniora's possible candidacy, Saad said: "This is not a game ... to run in the elections or not ... what is he waiting for?"
Saad said that there was no agreement between him and Bahia Hariri, adding that he decided to run in the elections solo.
Several meetings were held between the Future Movement and Al-Jamaa Al-Islamiya on Monday in Qoreitem to discuss their alliance in the June elections. The meetings were still ongoing by the time The Daily Star went to press.
Parliament and Cabinet
Parliament will convene on Tuesday to discuss 27 remaining items on the agenda of an earlier session held in March. Speaker Nabih Berri had stressed during the session held on March 25 that he would keep holding the parliamentary session until an agreement is reached over pending issues.
Parliament failed to discuss several points on the agenda, including the prosecution of presidents and prime ministers and the liberation of prices of diesel, because of a lack of quorum.
The Cabinet will hold a session on Wednesday at Baabda Palace to discuss 34 items on its agenda.
Other opposition forces
Agriculture Minister Elie Skaff on Sunday launched his election campaign in the Bekaa town of Kefraya, accusing the March 14 forces of seeking to amass money.
"We are committed to our people and our choices," Skaff said. "There is a group which is seeking to collect money and another that cares for Lebanon

US studies Hizbullah tactics to prepare troops for war
Pentagon fears soldiers not ready for conventional battle
By Andrew Wander /Daily Star staff
Tuesday, April 07, 2009
BEIRUT: Hizbullah's military performance against Israel in the summer 2006 war is being studied by US defense chiefs in a bid to prepare their armed forces for potential conflicts in the future. Israel launched a full scale military offensive in an attempt to destroy the Lebanese group in 2006, but their war plans were frustrated when they met fierce resistance from well armed and well trained Hizbullah fighters.
According to an article in The Washington Post published on Monday, US military chiefs were stunned by the effectiveness of Hizbullah fighters against a better equipped Israeli army, and concluded that the group's tactics had shifted from the low intensity conflict that had driven the Israeli military from Lebanon in 2000 to an approach that more resembled conventional warfare.
With the US military engaged in counter insurgency battles in Iraq and Afghanistan, concerns have been raised that it is no longer prepared to effectively fight enemies using conventional tactics.
To counter this, the newspaper reported, the US has sent more than a dozen teams to Israel to interview military officers who fought against Hizbullah in 2006 to glean as much information about their tactics as possible.
They have also organized several multimillion dollar war simulation exercises, in which the enemy was modeled on Hizbullah to prepare soldiers for different types of conflict. "I've organized five major games in the last two years, and all of them have focused on Hizbullah," Frank Hoffman from the US military's Warfighting Laboratory told the newspaper.The report also revealed that the US, which considers Hizbullah a terrorist organization, has developed hypothetical scenarios demonstrating how the latest military technology, Future Combat Systems (FCS), could be used to kill Hizbullah fighters at speed without losing many US soldiers in the process. "Hizbullah relies on low visibility and prepared defenses," a briefing slide from a presentation aimed at senior US officials says. "FCS counters with sensors and robotics to maneuver out of contact." One of the reasons that Hizbullah's stand and fight tactics may have been so successful in 2006 is that the Israeli military had spent the previous few years suppressing insurgent attacks against its occupation of Palestinian land and may have lost its edge in conventional warfare tactics.
Sections of the defense establishment in Washington are said to be fearful that a similar shift in emphasis within the US military in response to the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan could have left it vulnerable to tactics of the type employed by Hizbullah in 2006.
But others say that threat posed by Hizbullah is being exaggerated by US military chiefs who want to shift the emphasis away from counter insurgency and back to traditional methods of warfare. They argue the US would be better served by concentrated on defeating the waning insurgency in Iraq and its rising counterpart in Afghanistan. "The idea that you can do it all is just wrong," Stephen Biddle, a former adviser to the head of the US Central Command, General David Petraeus and senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, told the newspaper.

Hizbullah says US, Arab states interfering in polls
By Mohammed Zaatari
Daily Star staff
Tuesday, April 07, 2009
BEIRUT: Hizbullah's former Foreign Relations Officer Nawwaf Moussawi said on Monday that US and Arab Intelligence services were not only financing the June 7 parliamentary elections, but also supervising the process and coordinating the electoral lists themselves. Moussawi quit his position as Hizbullah's foreign relations officer because he is running for election on Hizbullah's list in the district of Tyre. He was replaced by former MP Ammar Moussawi. During a political gathering in the southern village of Hanaway near Tyre on Monday, Moussawi said the opposition's victory in the elections would be the only way to preserve Lebanon as a free and independent country and as the model for coexistence and consensual democracy. "When they (the March 14 Forces) were the majority and the rule was in their hands, were they able to stop a military attack on Lebanon?" Moussawi asked, adding that the resistance was "much stronger" than it had been in 2006. Moussawi also said the US administration was acting like a "lord" of Lebanon, citing US Ambassador Michele Sison's attendance of a graduation for Lebanese Internal Security Forces. "For the fifth time, without any shyness, the US ambassador offends Lebanon's sovereignty and intervenes in its domestic affairs." After the elections, Moussawi said, it would be the "last time" the US ambassador "dares" to intervene in Lebanese issues with such "audacity."

Spain willing to work with any Lebanese government
By Mohammed Zaatari /Daily Star staff
Tuesday, April 07, 2009
SIDON: The Spanish Ambassador to Lebanon Juan Carlos Gafo said on Monday his country "would work with whichever Cabinet formed in Lebanon after the upcoming elections." Gafo said Spain was interested in seeing the elections be carried out honestly so that "Lebanon can live in peace."
After a meeting with Sidon Mayor Abdel-Rahman Bizri, Gafo said that his country's "mission is not only participating in the peacekeeping mission in the south, Lebanon but we are also executing health and education projects in cooperation with the municipalities in the region.""The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) has managed to achieve a big advance in calming the situation in the South and in the implementation of the UNSCR 1701, which we hope would be fully implemented." "Spain supports the legal rights of every country, and it is against Israeli over flights," the ambassador added

MPs agree on law to give expatriates nationality
Daily Star staff/Tuesday, April 07, 2009
BEIRUT: The administration and Justice parliamentary committee met on Monday to wrap up discussions on the proposed law to give Lebanese expatriates the nationality, according to the Interior Ministry's records prior to 1924. The commission unanimously agreed on the law. Interior Minister Ziyad Baroud and Justice Minister Ibrahim Najjar attended the meeting. After the meeting, head of the commission MP Robert Ghanem said that the Directorate of General Security was given a deadline to finish its surveys and present a report to the committee. Ghanem said that the commission would then decide if it approves or disapproves the law. "If the decision was positive, the Cabinet will issue a decree upon Minister Baroud's proposal, and if the decree was not issued within three months, the commission's decision will thus become effective." - The Daily Star

Lebanon's MTV Returns After Seven Years Off Air
Naharnet/A private Lebanese television shut down in 2002 by a then Syrian-backed government is to return to the airwaves on Tuesday, just two months before the parliamentary election. "MTV today returns as a podium for all Lebanese, for all parties, to speak out on what is best for the country," Ghayath Yazbeck, who heads the channel's news and political programs, told Agence France Presse (AFP). A court shut down MTV, or Murr Television, in September 2002 on the grounds it had violated a law on election broadcasts in Lebanon, where local media outlets can only survive through political patronage. Yazbeck said the channel had historically opposed Syria's 29-year military and political dominance of Lebanon, which ended in 2005 in the wake of mass protests following the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. But he said MTV had also supported the Syrian-backed Hizbullah militia in its fight to drive Israeli forces from Lebanon, but had concerns about its weapons. Television and radio stations and newspapers have been the target of numerous attacks in Lebanon, as have individual journalists, almost always critics of Damascus.(AFP) Beirut, 07 Apr 09, 12:36

Consensus Fails in Kesrouan
Naharnet/Nihmat Efram will announce that he will not run for a seat in Kesrouan in the upcoming parliamentary elections, a move that is seen as a failure to bridge the gap between President Michel Suleiman and Free Patriotic Movement leader Gen. Michel Aoun. "I made efforts for consensus which haven't been successful yet. But I hope that this happens at a later time," Efram told An Nahar newspaper. As Safir daily said on Tuesday that Efram's decision means failure of the "M-M" equation. Also in Kesrouan, Maroun Helou is expected to announce his candidacy on Tuesday in an alliance with Mansour al-Bon. Meanwhile, former MP Fares Boueiz, who is running for the Maronite seat in Kesrouan, told As Safir daily that negotiations are underway with the Free Patriotic Movement, adding "they have reached an advanced stage."But Boueiz is still in contact with parties that might run against the FPM. A possible alliance "with independents would be only an electoral alliance … As for politics, each one of us has his own choices and views," the former legislator said. Farid Haykal al-Khazen, for his part, said he is not against having party activists in the list of independents. But the list will not be political, he added. Al-Bon also spoke to As-Safir, saying the alliance atmosphere will be made clear after Tuesday, which is the last day to announce candidacies. On the party level, it is now clear that the Lebanese Forces will not have a candidate in Kesrouan and will back in one way or another Sajaan Azzi, the Phalange party's candidate. "We will put all our efforts to back the list that is running against Gen. Aoun's ticket," LF sources told As Safir. Beirut, 07 Apr 09, 10:07

Knots in Tripoli Election Coalition: Maronite, Orthodox, Alawite Seats
Naharnet/The formation of an election coalition ticket in the northern city of Tripoli seemed to need more contacts as local media spoke of a setback in efforts to reach an agreement. According to the daily Al Liwa, the obstacles facing the establishment of a tripartite alliance between MP Saad Hariri, former Cabinet Minister Najib Miqati and Economy and Trade Minister Mohammed Safadi focused on three parliamentary seats.
They are:
1- Maronite seat which Miqati wants to give for former MP Jean Obeid.
2- Greek Orthodox seat which Safadi wants to give for former Bar Chairman Fadi Ghantous.
3- The Alawite seat which Mustaqbal Movement is seeking to preserve for MP Badr Wannous.
As Safir newspaper said a second meeting held on Monday between Hariri, before heading to Riyadh, and Safadi marked the renewal of Mustaqbal Movement "veto" on Ghantous due to protests led by Deputy Parliament Speaker Farid Makari in cooperation with a number of close Hariri aids, putting the issue back to square one.
According to information obtained by the daily, Mustqbal Movement is likely moving toward replacing MP Qassem Abdul Aziz in Dinniyeh with former MP Ahmed Karami who was previously agreed upon with Miqati.
Hariri's movement, the report said, also favored including MP Mesbah al-Ahdab to the Tripoli coalition list despite agreement earlier agreement on Karami, which further shook the coalition. Al Akhbar newspaper, however, said the door to Hariri-Safadi dialogue has not yet been closed, adding that the tripartite coalition still existed for a simple reason: Willingness to agree. It said contacts are ongoing to remove the obstacles of seat-sharing. Regarding Omar Karami, Al Akhbar, citing sources close to the former PM, said he announced his intention to run in the upcoming elections without hesitation."Al Liwa said Karami, who planned to engage in the Tripoli electoral battle, headed to Damascus for consultations. Beirut, 07 Apr 09, 10:36

Murr in Washington … U.S. Security Support to Lebanon Ahead of Elections
Naharnet/Military and security assistance to Lebanon will be the focus of discussions in Washington on Tuesday between Defense Minister Elias Murr and senior U.S. officials. Local media said Murr is scheduled to meet Tuesday with President Barack Obama's Counterterrorism and Homeland Security Advisor John Brennan.
They said the two sides will discuss ways to bolster security and strengthen Lebanese-U.S. relations. The daily An Nahar said Murr's trip penned a "message of support" to the Lebanon government ahead of the June 7 parliamentary elections. Murr arrived in Washington on Monday in response to an invitation by U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates. He is also expected to meet, in addition to Gates, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and senior U.S. officers. On Wednesday, Murr will meet with Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Michael Mullen and Gen. David Petraeus, head of the U.S. Central Command. An Nahar said it is likely that the U.S. will announce the arrival of heavy military assistance to Lebanon, including M-60 tanks, in the two months ahead of Election Day. It said Murr will discuss military ties between the two countries with State Department official David Hale and Colin Kahl, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Middle Eastern Affairs. Beirut, 07 Apr 09, 08:29

Saniora Announces Himself Candidate in Sidon
Naharnet/Prime Minister Fouad Saniora on Tuesday announced he will run for the Sunni parliamentary seat in Sidon. Saniora vowed to carry the banner of "coexistence, reform, socio-economic development and improvement of living conditions." He pledged in a brief statement before entering a Parliament session that he will "defend the freedom and sovereignty of Lebanon." He also vowed to "protect the republic and its constitution and safeguard Lebanon's right to liberate its territory." Saniora called upon Sidon residents to support him, saying "I rely on you, after God." His nomination for the general election write-in candidates filing came on deadline day. Local media said Saniora's decision would settle the election scene in Sidon.
As Safir newspaper had earlier said Saniora found himself in a daunting position. It said he would have preferred if Mustaqbal Movement leader Saad Hariri had nominated him within Beirut Constituency 3. Hariri's insistence that Saniora run for the Sidon parliamentary seat made him play the waiting game till today in light of contradictory reports about what would the PM's position be. Al Liwa said Saniora's nomination would leave "huge impact" on Sidon's overall relations with the neighborhood as well as the rest of southern Lebanon, particularly since Education Minister Bahia Hariri is considered a "key element of Sidon's political structure."As Safir pointed that Saniora is under pressure from his family who are against the premier running for the Sidon seat. "The premiership is good enough for me," the paper quoted guests who visited Saniora on Monday as saying. Beirut, 07 Apr 09, 11:39

Lack of Quorum Postpones Parliamentary Session
Naharnet/Speaker Nabih Berri postponed a parliamentary session till next Wednesday for lack of quorum. News reports said 35 minutes after the start of the session, MPs began leaving the parliament building. The session's agenda included 27 controversial items including bringing heads-of-state and ministers to trial, a draft law to grant a general amnesty for crimes committed before April 27, 2005 and eliminating taxes on gas. Every time there is no quorum, a new session will be scheduled and "I won't add any new draft law to the agenda," Berri warned. Beirut, 07 Apr 09, 12:57

Spate of Baghdad Car Bombings Kills 36
Naharnet/A spate of bloody car bombings in Baghdad on Monday recalled the blackest days of violence in the capital as at least 36 people were killed and nearly 130 were wounded. A total of six car bombs shattered the city's fragile security situation just as British business minister Peter Mandelson arrived in Baghdad.
Twelve people were killed in a market in western Baghdad when two car bombs exploded almost simultaneously, while 32 others were wounded, an Iraqi police official said. Burned hulks of cars and twisted metal were scattered across the marketplace, as Iraqi soldiers and police officers surrounded the bombing site, driving off onlookers and journalists. The day's violence started with a car bomb at 7:30 a.m. in the center of the capital that killed at least six people and wounded 17, said a police official, who said most of the victims were day laborers seeking work.
Later, a bomb in a parked car exploded at a market in the Shiite slum of Sadr City, also killed 12 people, including three women and four children, and wounded 37 others, said Iraqi police and medical officials. Within minutes, another bomb went off at another eastern Baghdad market, killing three more people and wounding 15, said a security official. A roadside bomb targeting a three-vehicle police convoy carrying an Interior Ministry official in eastern Baghdad killed three people, including two of the official's guards, and wounded 12 others, said another police official.
The attacks come after deadly clashes in Baghdad between Iraqi troops and former Sunni insurgents now turned anti-Qaida militants over the arrest of their leader on criminal charges. Despite improving security bombings remain all too common in the capital, and the latest attacks came as Mandelson led Britain's first official trade delegation to Baghdad for more than 20 years. The business delegation, on a one-day visit, will also visit Basra in the south, a British embassy official said.
Also on Monday, seven Iraqi soldiers were wounded when a man exploded a suicide vest inside the house they were raiding in Balad, about 70 kilometers north of Baghdad. In addition, an American soldier was killed on Monday in Diyala province northeast of Baghdad, a US military statement said.
Security in Iraq has improved dramatically since 2007, when Iraqi and U.S. forces launched offensives against al-Qaida militants with the help of local U.S.-financed and U.S.-trained militias. But insurgents are still able to strike with deadly results. A total of 252 Iraqis were killed in violence in March, almost the same level as the previous month.
Statistics compiled by the defense, interior and health ministries showed that 185 civilians, 14 soldiers and 53 policemen were killed across Iraq, while the total number of wounded stood at 647. The 258 Iraqis killed in February and the latest monthly toll were both higher than in January when 191 Iraqis were killed -- the lowest monthly tally since the U.S.-led invasion of March 2003. The U.S. army's second-highest ranking officer told reporters last month in Baghdad that recent "high-profile" attacks were not a signal that the overall security situation was worsening.  "In February 2008, the country was experiencing nearly 400 attacks a week nationwide," Lieutenant General Lloyd Austin said. "We have driven down the level of attacks by violent extremists and terrorists."(AFP-AP) Beirut, 06 Apr 09, 10:36

Aoun for Open-Ended Battle with Berri if Speaker is Ready
Speaker Nabih Berri and Free Patriotic Movement leader Gen. Michel Aoun are still at loggerheads over the districts of Jezzine and Baabda.
Indirect contacts between Berri and Aoun through Hizbullah in the past few days have reached a dead-end, according to As Safir newspaper on Tuesday.
It said Aoun refused to have MP Samir Azar on Jezzine's consensus list unless he got the Orthodox seat in Zahrani. "If Speaker Berri wants to have a battle, then let it be an open-ended battle between me and him," As Safir quoted Aoun as saying to his supporters and allies. In Baabda, the problem between Berri and Aoun is on the second Shiite name on the list, according to As Safir. The daily said Aoun refused to include Berri-backed Talal Hatoum in the list and gave priority to his FPM's candidate Ramzi Kanj or another candidate who will be decided by Aoun and Hizbullah. But Ad-Diyar newspaper said it is premature to judge on the differences between Berri and Aoun because there is still time to solve problems. Beirut, 07 Apr 09, 11:09

Gemayel: Jumblat Did Not Give Us Seat in Aley
Naharnet/Phalange Party leader Amin Gemayel on Monday stressed that his group has presence in Aley, adding that Progressive Socialist Party leader has not abandoned a seat for him in this mountainous town. "The Phalange is present in Aley and in the north. Neither Walid Jumblat gave us a seat in Aley nor did another give us a seat in Tripoli," Gemayel said in a interview with Future News television Monday evening. He was referring to remarks by Jumblat in which he said that he has abandoned three parliamentary seats in Baabda and Aley for March 14 officials. Gemayel also said that the Phalange party is present in the coastline all the way to the barren mountains "and we have a candidate –Tannous Qurdahi, a civil engineer."He stressed that he does not meet Gen. Michel Aoun in his march. "We believe in a neutral, positive Lebanon, not in a regional axis. While Aoun sees the Syrian-Iranian path as the cure for Lebanon," Gemayel said. Beirut, 06 Apr 09, 22:42

Saniora's Nomination Settles Hariri-Jamaa Islamiya Coalition
Naharnet/Repercussions of PM Fouad Saniora's decision to nominate himself for the Sunni parliamentary seat in Sidon would have a significant impact on the alliance which is in the works between Mustaqbal Movement leader Saad Hariri and Jamaa Islamiya, the daily As Safir reported Tuesday. A meeting is expected to take place on Tuesday between the two sides to settle the issue of their alliance. As Safir said Mustaqbal Movement had informed Jamaa Islamiya that chances of an alliance are restricted to Beirut and Sidon only. Consequently, Jamaa Islamiya asked its candidate, Imad Hout, who is running for Beirut Constituency 3, to wait until Tuesday to submit his candidacy for the group may want to transfer him to Beirut Constituency 2, pending Saniora's decision would settle Ali Sheik Ammar's nomination.
Meanwhile, Jamaa Islamiya had been informed that north Lebanon election tickets had been closed and that its alliance with Mustaqbal Movement "seemed impossible due to the congestion of candidates and commitments." Jamaa Islamiya Deputy Secretary-General Ibrahim Masri told As Safir in remarks published Tuesday that talks with Mustaqbal Movement have reached a "very advanced stage," hoping both sides would be able to come out with tangible results. Beirut, 07 Apr 09, 12:36

The Annual Arab Summit Meeting: A Show of No Unity
April 7, 2009
Brom, Shlomo
INSS Insight No. 99.
On March 30, 2009, at the end of a fruitless day of discussions in Doha, Qatar, the annual Arab summit, normally attended every year by all members of the Arab League, came to a close. The summit ended earlier than planned because of the participants' inability to close the gaps between their positions. This was the end of a show of no unity.
The summit was characterized by deep differences of opinion between the two blocs that divide the Arab world: the bloc of pragmatic nations led by Egypt and Saudi Arabia, which works with the United States, and the bloc of nations with close ties to Iran, foremost among them Syria. The first manifestation of the split was the decision of some of the Arab leaders to decline to attend the summit. Only seventeen of the twenty-two leaders of the Arab League nations chose to participate. Prominently absent was Egyptian president Husni Mubarak, who sent a low ranking official to attend the summit in his stead. He was thus expressing his dissatisfaction with the host country, Qatar, which during Israel's recent military campaign in the Gaza Strip chose to side with the nations closely allied with Iran, and even tried to replace Egypt as the mediator between Hamas and Israel. Egypt's displeasure on this issue joined its anger at the unabated attacks by the Qatari al-Jazeera network on the Egyptian regime.
The summit did not succeed in reaching agreement on most of the main issues on the agenda, and therefore the concluding statement lacked even a single operative paragraph. The only clear agreement reached at the summit places Arab nations in outright conflict with Western public opinion. The summit defiantly expressed solidarity with Sudanese president Omar al-Bashir, who has been issued an arrest warrant by the International Criminal Court in The Hague for his involvement in the genocide in Darfur. The concluding statement ignored the divisions between the two streams of the Arab world, preferred not to deal with most of the issues, and satisfied itself with the general call for Arab nations to set aside their differences of opinion through dialogue and to focus on the interest of the Arab nation as a whole.
In the absence of agreements, it was the conduct of Libyan president Muammar Qaddafi that drew the attention of the Arab and international media. He first initiated a confrontation with King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia and then publicly reconciled with him, while presenting himself as the leader of the Arab world and all of Africa.
As is standard at Arab summits, the conflict with Israel occupied a central place on the agenda. The concluding statement repeated the usual Arab positions. It called for the establishment of a Palestinian state within the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital, as well as a just and agreed-upon solution (using the language of the Arab peace initiative) for Palestinian refugees without settling them in host countries. It also called for the return of the Golan Heights to Syria. The statement did not refer to the Lebanese demand that Shab'a Farms and the village of Rajer be returned to Lebanon, despite the intervention of the Lebanese president who sought to have these included.
There was no decision on the issue that in the months leading up to the summit was presented as central - the fate of the Arab peace initiative. For some time, Syria has been trying to spearhead a move that would set a time limit on the Arab peace initiative. At the special summit held in Doha during the fighting in the Gaza Strip, Syria's representatives contended that the Arab peace initiative had lost its validity because of Israel's conduct. Indirect reference to the Arab peace initiative was made in the concluding statement with reference to a commitment to peace as a strategic goal, to which was added a declaration that Israel must show willingness to move towards peace.
On the Palestinian issue, the summit also condemned the war in the Gaza Strip, reiterated its support for the Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas as the legitimate representative of the Palestinian people, and called for reconciliation among Palestinians and the establishment of a Palestinian unity government. The support for Abbas is significant because Hamas claims that according to the Palestinian constitution Abbas' term as president has expired. Furthermore, contrary to the special summit convened during the war in the Gaza Strip, Hamas was not invited to this summit and as in previous annual summits, it was attended only by state representatives and representatives of the PA.
The summit conference showed the weakness of the Arab world and the deep split within it. It demonstrated that the real players affecting central processes in the Middle East are those who do not participate in Arab League summits, namely Iran, Israel, Turkey, and the non-state players in the Arab world.
From Israel's perspective, one of the major significances of this Arab summit was the weakness of regional dialogue as a means for advancing the political process. From the agreements between Netanyahu and Barak that led to the Labor Party joining the coalition, it may be possible to infer that the Israeli government wants to base the political channel vis-à-vis the Arab states on the Arab peace initiative, while attempting to forge a regional dialogue. An analysis of the current state of the Arab world implies that this approach is an unsound basis for a political process, especially if it is seen as an attempt to bypass the bilateral channels of negotiations.
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The Institute for National Security Studies (INSS) is an independent academic institute that studies key issues relating to Israel's national security and Middle East affairs. Through its mixture of researchers with backgrounds in academia, the military, government, and public policy, INSS is able to contribute to the public debate and governmental deliberation of leading strategic issues and offer policy analysis and recommendations to decision makers and public leaders, policy analysts, and theoreticians, both in Israel and abroad. As part of its mission, it is committed to encourage new ways of thinking and expand the traditional contours of establishment analysis.