LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN

LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
March 21/09

Bible Reading of the day.
As Jesus passed by from there, two blind men followed him, calling out and saying, “Have mercy on us, son of David!” When he had come into the house, the blind men came to him. Jesus said to them, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” They told him, “Yes, Lord.” Then he touched their eyes, saying, “According to your faith be it done to you.” Their eyes were opened. Jesus strictly commanded them, saying, “See that no one knows about this.” But they went out and spread abroad his fame in all that land. As they went out, behold, a mute man who was demon possessed was brought to him. When the demon was cast out, the mute man spoke. The multitudes marveled, saying, “Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel!” But the Pharisees said, “By the prince of the demons, he casts out demons.” Jesus went about all the cities and the villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the Good News of the Kingdom, and healing every disease and every sickness among the people.

Free Opinions, Releases, letters & Special Reports
Aoun: The new Machiavelli. Future News 20/03/09
Israeli report: Iran pays hundreds of millions to Hezbollah,Hamas and Jihad. 20/03/09
March 8 acknowledges defeat. Future News 20/03/09
More must be done to create a just electoral system in Lebanon-The Daily Star 20/03/09
The UK chats up Hizbullah again. By: Michael Glackin. 20/03/09

Latest News Reports From Miscellaneous Sources for March 20 /09
Army To Implement New Field Measures At Nahr al-Bared Camp-Naharnet
Jordan and Syria discuss Arab rapprochement-Reuters
Berri Praises Parliament's 'Two-Way Gift'-Naharnet
Murr: Coordination With Tashnag Ongoing-Naharnet
Khoja: Positive Atmosphere between Riyadh, Damascus Will Have Good Impact on Lebanon-Naharnet
Budget Crisis Made Significant Stride-Naharnet
Al-Assad accelerates the pace of negotiations with Israel. Future News
Obama reaches out to Iran/A.P/ynetnews
Obama seeks 'new beginnings' in surprise message to Iran. Future News
Iranian defector tipped Syrian nuke plans. AP. Israeli News
Berry criticizes Aoun’s insistence to nominate candidates in Jezzine and eastern Saida.Future News
Major Drug Dealer, 3 Others Arrested in Drug Bust on Airport Highway-Naharnet
Vincent: Progress Made toward Witness Protection Program-Naharnet
Berri Praises Parliament's 'Two-Way Gift'-Naharnet
Report: Syria Urges Ban to Stop Roed-Larsen's Meddling in Syrian-Lebanese Ties-Naharnet
Kouchner to Saudi Arabia, Joyandet to Lebanon-Naharnet
Parliament Votes on Draft Law to Lower Voting Age to 18-Naharnet
UNIFIL Celebrates its 31st Birthday-Naharnet
Suleiman: Patriotism, Resistance for All … No Mideast Peace Deal at Lebanon's Expense-Naharnet
Khoja Meets Political Leadership in Farewell Tour-Naharnet
Report: Riyadh and Damascus Agree to Remain 'Neutral'-Naharnet
Hizbullah praises Sleiman's stance during Paris visit-Daily Star
Lebanese Parliament lowers voting age to 18, delays other legislation-Daily Star
Security team to protect tribunal judges-Daily Star
Accused Paris synagogue bomber gets second trial-(AFP)
US donates $1.5 million for removing ordnance as cluster bomb kills civilian-Daily Star
Beirut conference promotes trade ties with China-Daily Star
UNIFIL ceremony marks mission's 31st anniversary-Daily Star
Tariq Ramadan raps 'colonial mindset' toward Muslims-Daily Star
Restaurant, pub owners say new curfews unfair-Daily Star

Report: Syria Urges Ban to Stop Roed-Larsen's Meddling in Syrian-Lebanese Ties
Naharnet/Syria has asked U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon to prevent his special envoy Terje Roed-Larsen from interfering in Damascus' relations with Lebanon and stick to his mandate, al-Akhbar newspaper reported Friday. The daily said that Syria's ambassador to the U.N. Bashar al-Jaafari delivered an official letter to Ban accusing his special envoy for the implementation of Security Council resolution 1559 of "misinterpreting the logical framework of his mandate."
Furthermore, the letter objected to expanding Roed-Larsen's mandate to include implementation of some articles of resolutions 1701 and 1680.
Al-Jaafari complained that expanding the mandate to include some articles of resolution 1701 would lead to duplicity because another envoy is tasked with implementing the resolution that ended the Israel-Hizbullah war in 2006. About Syrian-Lebanese relations, the letter said: "The establishment of diplomatic ties and demarcation of the border between Syria and Lebanon are issues linked to the sovereignty of countries and are solved through agreement between the Syrian and Lebanese governments." It said Resolution 1680 does not call for any help by the U.N. general-secretariat to help in efforts to improve Lebanese-Syrian ties.
The 2006 resolution strongly encourages Syria to respond positively to the request made by Lebanon to delineate their common border and establish full diplomatic relations, as such measures would be a significant step towards asserting Lebanon's sovereignty, territorial integrity and political independence.
The letter, according to al-Akhbar, also accused Roed-Larsen of disregarding Israel's continued violations of Lebanese airspace and occupation of parts of southern Lebanon, in violation of resolution 1559 which calls upon Lebanon to establish its sovereignty over all of its territory and urges "foreign forces" to withdraw from Lebanon. Al-Jaafari said in his letter that Syria has implemented all articles of resolution 1559, by withdrawing its armed forces and security apparatuses from Lebanon in April 2005. "The continued (efforts) to hurl the name of the Syrian Arab Republic in unacceptable explanations … hurts the neutrality of international employees tasked with implementing resolution 1559," he added. Beirut, 20 Mar 09, 08:57

Berry criticizes Aoun’s insistence to nominate candidates in Jezzine and eastern Saida
Date: March 19th, 2009 Source: Future News
Al Markaziya news agency quoted what it called “sources of House Speaker Nabih Berry” that he criticized the insistence of leader of the Change and Reform bloc MP Michel Aoun to nominate candidates in Jezzine and eastern Saida. Berry’s sources asked “does the change Aoun talks about mean changing the people within the same political approach, or changing the approach and method within authority?”

March 8 acknowledges defeat
Date: March 20th, 2009 Source: Future News
The defeat of ‘March 8’forces in the upcoming parliamentary elections scheduled on the 7th of June has become an inevitable fact acknowledged by its leaders as well as its partisans.
Each of ‘March 8’’s leaders is declaring his indulgence to this reality in his own way and in his political language.
So far, ‘March 8’forces still didn’t thrive to announce their electoral program whereas the parliamentary majority was able to declare that the elections are a referendum in favor of its preferences through the unified program it announced on the 14th of March.
The flow of the statements of “Thank you Syria” intellects, and their insistence on the “blocking third” to guarantee their share in the government to be formed after the elections, affirm their acknowledgment of defeat.
The most prominent of these statements was those of leader of the Free Patriotic Movement MP Michel Aoun and Hezbollah’s chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah.
Aoun seemed to have lost his mind, as he always does, and let out all kinds of curses against his opponents without going through any political discussion.
Nasrallah, on the other hand, talked about the difference between the “parliamentary majority” and the “popular majority”, knowing that this formula is more than just a blatant admission of defeat as it involves the political regime and implicates an attempt to modify it.
Furthermore, Aoun who has earlier assigned himself a Patriarch and a magistrate, now claims to be a specialist in the science of Racial Purity as he has allowed himself to decide who has the ‘royal blood’ or the sectary legitimacy to run for the parliamentary elections.
It is noteworthy to mention that this ‘dual’ campaign has coincided with the crusade launched by the Syrian regime through its President Bachar El Assad under the headlines of “consensus” and “partnership”.
El Assad has proposed his “brilliant theories” on the peace of Lebanon and the Lebanese as he said that elections do not threaten Lebanon’s security but abandoning ‘partnership’ and ‘consensus’ does, without explaining the meaning of those two words.
‘March 8’ forces could have made a difference in the national unity if it had offered something to the domestic arena other than intimidation and mistrust.

Israeli report: Iran pays hundreds of millions to “Hezbollah”, “Hamas” and “Jihad”
Date: March 19th, 2009 Source: Shark al Awsat
An Israeli report showed that Tehran is mainly funding Hezbollah, Hamas, and al-Jihad movement, in fixed annual budgets, in addition to payments for a one-time in special cases. These payments are for the service of Iran's political agenda and strategy, and at a certain stage to influence the political negotiations.
One of the contributors in the report pointed out, that "Hamas" contributed in the bombing the peace negotiations between Israel and Syria on last December, when it stepped up rocket fire against Israeli towns during the Israeli-Syrian negotiations through the Turkish mediation.
The report also noted that Iran pays 200 million dollars per year to Hezbollah in addition to 300 million dollars payment during the Israeli war on Lebanon, July 2006, and that the Iranian Republican Guard troops trained 3000 members of “Hezbollah”.
Hamas movement gets 20 million dollars per year, and Tehran also gave Hamas 50 million dollars to fund its electoral campaign year 2006. After the elections, Iran increased its yearly payment to Hamas to 30 million dollars and an additional payment after the last war on Gaza.
According to the same Israeli source, Iran gives al-Jihad Islamic movement 2 million dollars per year, and trained 900 members of Hamas movement and provided the movement with about 200 rockets of Katyusha type Grad 122 mm, which “Hamas” fires on Israeli cities, in addition to Iranian-made mortar bombs caliber 120 mm, which dozens of it target Israel.
The report says that Iran supports terrorism against Israel and Jews since years, and the example is the bombing of the Israeli embassy in Buenos Aires in Argentina in 1992, which killed 29 people and wounded 242 others. The reports adds that an American judge said on February 2008, that “Hezbollah” and Iran are responsible for the bombing and issued a sentence to pay a compensation to the David Ben-Rafael’s family, one of the victims of the attack, who was born in the United States of America, worth 63 million dollars, with interest.
The report gives another example of an incident in which 85 people were killed and 300 wounded in the AMIA bombing (AMIA) in Buenos Aires Jewish Center year 1994. The prosecutor in Argentina accused Hezbollah on October 2006, in executing the bombing and the Iranian government of giving instructions to the party.
The accusations targeted seven Iranians, including former Iranian President Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, and accused Imad Moghniyeh the military commander in “Hezbollah”, who was assassinated in February 2008 in Damascus. The report also states that there are 70 thousand Iranian volunteer suicide bombers to attack Israel, and that “Hezbollah” is active in 40 countries and 5 continents.
The report also mentioned the Iranian nuclear program in several pages, pointing out that “the Iranian state is developing its nuclear program since 22 years and there are 5412 centrifuges to enrich uranium since February 2009. The report adds that there are 125 additional centrifuges being installed but are not being used at the present time and Iran has more than one ton of low-enriched uranium, which is enough to produce nuclear weapons.

Aoun: The new Machiavelli …
Date: March 19th, 2009 Source: Future News
Lebanese elections are invariably riddled with political intrigue and murky backroom deals. But according to some political analysts, opposition leader Michael Aoun is snared in stratagem that almost defies belief.
According to these sources, with parliamentary elections that will decide the future of Lebanon less than three months away, Aoun, leader of the Free Patriotic Movement that is a key component of the March 8 opposition bloc, is seeking to restructure his party.
Aoun’s objective, we are told, is to dump his lifelong buddy and former army comrade Issam Abu Jamra, the deputy prime minister, as his political heir and replace him with Telecommunications Minister Gebran Bassil, Aoun’s son-in-law.
This power struggle is heating up as polling day approaches and may yet cause divisions within the FPM. Bassil and Abu Jamra are at each other’s throats, according to political sources. Other FPM leaders are aghast at Aoun’s plotting and the implications it has for the party and the opposition as a whole. And, it is said, they wonder if Aoun will turn on them one of these days.
Abu Jamra is the FPM candidate in the Beirut district of Achrafieh, and his prospects do not look good. Abu Jamra is from South Lebanon and he had been scheduled to stand for election in Marjayoun, a safe Orthodox seat. But Aoun switched him to Achrafieh, where he has little support among the district’s Orthodox.
His main rival there is Nayla Tuenie, an Orthodox and daughter of the late Gebran Tueni, publisher of the An-Nahar newspaper who was assassinated in 2005. That makes her hard to beat.
Conspiracy theorists believe that Aoun’s desire to ditch his old friend by bringing him into a contest that would in all likelihood involve what amounts to political suicide is the only way to explain why Abu Jamra is fighting the Achrafieh seat.
But the plot thickens. If the account of what is happening in the FPM is true, it would mean that Aoun was prepared to sacrifice the Achrafieh seat just to get rid of Abu Jamra. And in an election that is widely expected to be a close-run thing the consequences of the opposition throwing away Achrafieh are potentially immense.
Aoun, a former army commander who fought the Syrians in a quixotic “war of liberation” in the final phase of the 1975-90 civil war, is aware that Abu Jamra has all the qualifications to be his successor.
He was with the former general when he holed up in the Presidential Palace in 1989-90. He fought at his side and accompanied him into exile in France after the Syrians crushed the Aounist forces. Over the years, it is said, Abu Jamra made many sacrifices for “the general.”
Sources in the Aoun camp say that the general has wanted to get rid of Abu Jamra for some time, so that he can keep the leadership of the FPM and its institutions firmly within the family, but could not find a pretext for doing so – until Achrafieh presented itself.

Kouchner to Saudi Arabia, Joyandet to Lebanon
Naharnet/French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner will not be visiting Lebanon in the near future, the French Foreign Ministry said in a statement Thursday denying reports of an imminent trip. It said Kouchner is expected in Saudi Arabia on Sunday while State Minister for Cooperation and Francophonie Alain Joyandet will be arriving in Lebanon on Friday. Foreign Ministry spokesman Eric Chevalier said Joyandet will represent France during the International Day of Francophonie, taking place in Beirut on Friday and Saturday. He will also hold talks with Lebanese officials on boosting bilateral cooperation. Beirut, 19 Mar 09, 16:59

Major Drug Dealer, 3 Others Arrested in Drug Bust on Airport Highway
Naharnet/A major drug dealer was arrested after being wounded in a drug bust on the Beirut airport highway early Friday. A policeman was also injured in the shootout. Security sources said anti-drug police arrested major drug dealer, identified as Ibrahim Hassan Allaw, after being dragged by drug suspects into the airport highway at dawn Friday. They said Allaw showed up in his Nissan Sunny with three other companions. A police patrol busted him as he attempted to conclude a heroin deal with the sellers. It was at this point that one of his aides shot and wounded a policeman. Allaw was wounded when policemen returned fire. He was taken to hospital for treatment. The sources said three other drug dealers were arrested. Police also confiscated a quantity of drugs and weapons from Allaw's car. Thirty-one people have been arrested over various crimes as a result of random checkpoints in Beirut and Mount Lebanon overnight. Beirut, 20 Mar 09, 09:53

Berri Praises Parliament's 'Two-Way Gift'
Naharnet/Speaker Nabih Berri has called the proposed constitutional amendment to lower the voting age to 18 "a two-way gift," benefiting both the Lebanese people and the government.The amendment to allow 18-year-olds to vote was passed unanimously in Thursday's parliamentary session. Berri described this change to An-Nahar and As-Safir newspapers in remarks published Friday as "a two-way gift, first from the current parliament to the youth of Lebanon and second from the youth of Lebanon to future parliaments."He added that this was a significant step in Lebanon's history and a positive moment in the month of March which saw significant political division between March 8 and 14 forces. The head of the Amal movement continued to say that it was up to the people of Lebanon to consider next a law to lower the age for running for political office from 25 to 21 so that "youths vote for youths toward building a new Lebanon."
Interior Minister Ziad Baroud, for his part, told An-Nahar that a false impression prevailed after parliament voted earlier in the day to lower the voting age to 18.
The view that 18-year-olds would not be able to vote until elections in 2013, Baroud contended, was incorrect. He clarified that the constitutional amendment would become effective immediately following the completion of the amendment process and that those 18 years and older would be eligible to vote in the municipal elections next year. The reason why 18-and-ups would not be allowed to vote in the June 7 elections stems from issues surrounding electoral lists and their timetables which cannot be changed for this year but will be adjusted in 2010. The law next needs to be approved by the cabinet and finally adopted by parliament before it becomes official. Beirut, 20 Mar 09, 09:39

Vincent: Progress Made toward Witness Protection Program
Naharnet/Registrar of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon Robin Vincent said that progress has been made toward the Witness Protection Program that would protect witnesses before, during and after the trial in the assassination case of ex-Premier Rafik Hariri. In an interview with the daily Al Mustaqbal published Friday, Vincent said "significant progress" has been made in ongoing negotiations with a number of countries toward the Witness Protection Program.
He indicated that a number of agreements would soon be signed in this regard. Vincent said the international tribunal has witnessed "tangible progress" since it got underway March 1, stressing that "this court would prove to be effective." He promised to circulate a report, still under preparation, among the media in a period not later than a week. The report is to include official data about the court since its launch until this day. Beirut, 20 Mar 09, 08:47

Report: Syria Urges Ban to Stop Roed-Larsen's Meddling in Syrian-Lebanese Ties
Naharnet/Syria has asked U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon to prevent his special envoy Terje Roed-Larsen from interfering in Damascus' relations with Lebanon and stick to his mandate, al-Akhbar newspaper reported Friday. The daily said that Syria's ambassador to the U.N. Bashar al-Jaafari delivered an official letter to Ban accusing his special envoy for the implementation of Security Council resolution 1559 of "misinterpreting the logical framework of his mandate."
Furthermore, the letter objected to expanding Roed-Larsen's mandate to include implementation of some articles of resolutions 1701 and 1680.
Al-Jaafari complained that expanding the mandate to include some articles of resolution 1701 would lead to duplicity because another envoy is tasked with implementing the resolution that ended the Israel-Hizbullah war in 2006.
About Syrian-Lebanese relations, the letter said: "The establishment of diplomatic ties and demarcation of the border between Syria and Lebanon are issues linked to the sovereignty of countries and are solved through agreement between the Syrian and Lebanese governments."
It said Resolution 1680 does not call for any help by the U.N. general-secretariat to help in efforts to improve Lebanese-Syrian ties.
The 2006 resolution strongly encourages Syria to respond positively to the request made by Lebanon to delineate their common border and establish full diplomatic relations, as such measures would be a significant step towards asserting Lebanon's sovereignty, territorial integrity and political independence.
The letter, according to al-Akhbar, also accused Roed-Larsen of disregarding Israel's continued violations of Lebanese airspace and occupation of parts of southern Lebanon, in violation of resolution 1559 which calls upon Lebanon to establish its sovereignty over all of its territory and urges "foreign forces" to withdraw from Lebanon. Al-Jaafari said in his letter that Syria has implemented all articles of resolution 1559, by withdrawing its armed forces and security apparatuses from Lebanon in April 2005. "The continued (efforts) to hurl the name of the Syrian Arab Republic in unacceptable explanations … hurts the neutrality of international employees tasked with implementing resolution 1559," he added. Beirut, 20 Mar 09, 08:57

Parliament Votes on Draft Law to Lower Voting Age to 18
Naharnet/Parliament threw the ball into the government's court on Thursday after it unanimously approved a draft law to lower the voting age to 18 effective in the 2010 municipal elections. The changes will not take effect in time for the June 7 parliamentary elections since voters' lists have already been drawn up and there will be no time to enter, edit and revise any new names. Those over 18 will be allowed to vote in the 2013 legislative polls. Speaker Nabih Berri said during the session that he will call for another legislative session to discuss parliamentary investigation into corruption. "Let no one think that this will be the last legislative session," he said. Hizbullah MP Hassan Fadlallah said after the vote that the "ball is now in the cabinet's court." "The cabinet should promptly review the proposal, issue a law and then return the proposal to parliament for adoption," Fadlallah told reporters. Some press reports speculated that Thursday's parliament session would face difficulties, particularly since the proposed law requires a two-thirds majority. Berri later postponed the parliament session to March 26 due to a lack of quorum to discuss other items on the agenda. Beirut, 19 Mar 09, 14:15

Obama reaches out to Iran
US president releases video message with Farsi subtitles telling Iranian people, leaders that his country wants to engage with their country, end decades of strained relationship. 'This process will not be advanced by threats,' he says
Associated Press Published: 03.20.09, 07:50 / Israel News
US President Barack Obama told Iran's people and leaders that the United States wants to engage with their country and end decades of strained relationship, but not unless their officials stop making threats.
Obama on Friday released a video message with Farsi subtitles that urged the two countries to resolve their long-standing differences. His video was timed to the festival of Nowruz (no-ROOZ), which means "new day." It marks the arrival of spring and is a major holiday in Iran.
Dispute
Iran dismisses sanctions, launches gas project / Reuters
Day after US President Barack Obama announces extending economic sanctions against Tehran, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad calls such sanctions 'childish idea and a big mistake' "So in this season of new beginnings I would like to speak clearly to Iran's leaders," Obama said in the video. "We have serious differences that have grown over time. My administration is now committed to diplomacy that addresses the full range of issues before us, and to pursuing constructive ties among the United States, Iran and the international community." Obama has signaled a willingness to speak directly with Iran about its nuclear program and hostility toward Israel, a key US ally. At his inauguration last month, the president said his administration would reach out to rival states, declaring "we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist."
It's been a rough start for Obama.
Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has criticized Obama as merely a continuation of President George W. Bush's policies toward Tehran's enemy, Israel. Khamenei has called Israel a "cancerous tumor" that is on the verge of collapse and has called for its destruction.
In his message Friday, Obama had a warning for Tehran: "This process will not be advanced by threats. We seek instead engagement that is honest and grounded in mutual respect."
'You, too, have a choice'
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has said Iran would welcome talks with the US — but only if there was mutual respect. Iranian officials have said that means the US needs to stop accusing Iran of seeking to build nuclear weapons and supporting terrorism, charges Tehran has denied.
Obama and his foreign policy team are looking for opportunities to engage Iran and help reduce tensions between the two countries, which increased during Bush's time in office. "You, too, have a choice. The United States wants the Islamic Republic of Iran to take its rightful place in the community of nations," Obama said. "You have that right, but it comes with real responsibilities, and that place cannot be reached through terror or arms, but rather through peaceful actions that demonstrate the true greatness of the Iranian people and civilization." The White House said the United States still has serious differences with Iran, particularly on the threat a nuclear-armed Tehran poses to the region. But aides said the president's message was a way to speak directly to Iranians about the US commitment to work with the country.
The video also was an attempt to bypass government leaders. Obama has said there are unelected leaders in Iran who could change the countries' position of hostility.
The White House said a Farsi subtitled version of the video would be given to select news outlets in the region. At the same time, the video would be available online in English and with Farsi captions. The holiday Nowruz is not Islamic; Iranians of all religions celebrate the 12-day event. Traditionally, the US president and secretary of state release statements for Nowruz. "For nearly three decades relations between our nations have been strained," Obama said in his video message. "But at this holiday we are reminded of the common humanity that binds us together."

Iranian defector tipped Syrian nuke plans
Swiss daily says retired Revolutionary Guards general Ali Reza Asghari told US Intelligence Tehran was financing secret nuclear project of Syria and North Korea; 'Israelis who were immediately informed also were completely unaware,' according to report, which is denied by Washington
Associated Press Latest Update: 03.19.09, 23:34 / Israel News
A top-ranked Iranian defector told the United States that Iran was financing North Korean moves to make Syria into a nuclear weapons power, leading to the Israeli air strike that destroyed a secret reactor, a report said Thursday.
Top-Ranked Defector
Iranian general's wife says Israel kidnapped him / Dudi Cohen
Wife of missing former Iranian Deputy Defense Minister Ali Reza Asgari says 90 percent of evidence shows Israel responsible for husband's disappearance
The article in the daily Neue Zuercher Zeitung goes into detail about an Iranian connection and fills in gaps about Israel's Sept. 6, 2007, raid that knocked out Syria's nearly completed Al Kabir reactor in the country's eastern desert.
The February 2007 defection to the United States of Ali Reza Asgari, a retired general in Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards and a former deputy defense minister, provided considerable information on Iran's own nuclear program, said the article, written by Hans Ruehle, former chief of the planning staff of the German Defense Ministry. "The biggest surprise, however, was his assertion that Iran was financing a secret nuclear project of Syria and North Korea," he said. "No one in the American intelligence scene had heard anything of it. And the Israelis who were immediately informed also were completely unaware."
Ruehle, who did not identify the sources of his information, publishes and comments on security and nuclear proliferation in different European newspapers and broadcasts and has held prominent roles in German and NATO institutions.
'Syrians were completely surprised'
US Intelligence had detected North Korean ship deliveries of construction supplies to Syria that started in 2002, and American satellites spotted the construction as early as 2003, but regarded the work as nothing unusual, in part because the Syrians had banned radio and telephones from the site and handled communications solely by messengers - "medieval but effective," Ruehle said.
Intensive investigation followed by US and Israeli intelligence services until Israel sent a 12-man commando unit in two helicopters to the site in August 2007 to take photographs and soil samples, he said. "The analysis was conclusive that it was a North Korean-type reactor," a gas graphite model, Ruehle said.
Other sources have suggested that the reactor might have been large enough to make about one nuclear weapon's worth of plutonium a year.
Just before the Israeli commando raid, a North Korean ship was intercepted en route to Syria with nuclear fuel rods, underscoring the need for fast action, he said. "On the morning of Sept. 6, 2007, seven Israeli F-15 fighter bombers took off to the north. They flew along the Mediterranean coast, brushed past Turkey and pressed on into Syria. Fifty kilometers (30 miles) from their target they fired 22 rockets at the three identified objects inside the Kibar complex.
"The Syrians were completely surprised. By the time their air defense systems were ready, the Israeli planes were well out of range. The mission was successful, the reactor destroyed," Ruehle said.
Israel estimates that Iran had paid North Korea between $1 billion and $2 billion for the project, Ruehle said. Israel has not commented on the strike, but after a delay of several months Washington presented intelligence purporting to show the target was a reactor being built with North Korean help.
Iranian officials were not available for comment because of a national holiday. In general, Iran has been silent about the Syrian facility bombed by Israel. Syrian officials could not be reached for comment. But Syria has denied the facility was a nuclear plant, saying it was an unused military building. It has also denied any nuclear cooperation with North Korea or Iran. The International Atomic Energy Agency earlier this year said UN Inspectors had found processed uranium traces in samples taken from the site.
Syria has suggested the traces came from Israel ordnance used to hit the site, but the IAEA said the composition of the uranium made that unlikely. Israel has denied it was the source of the uranium.
Syria has told diplomats that it built a missile facility over the ruins of the site.
However, a US Counter-proliferation official denied the report, saying "there is strong reason to believe that only two countries were involved in building the Syrian covert nuclear reactor at Al Kibar - Syria and North Korea."

Suleiman: Patriotism, Resistance for All … No Mideast Peace Deal at Lebanon's Expense
Naharnet/President Michel Suleiman said at the end of his visit to Paris that patriotism is for all, stressing that there would be no Middle East peace deals at "Lebanon's expense." "Enough accusations. We all know that patriotism in Lebanon is not an exclusive thing. It is not confined to one particular group," Suleiman told a packed news conference late Wednesday at the end of a three-day official visit to France where he met with President Nicolas Sarkozy and Prime Minister Francois Fillon.
"Loyalty, integrity and resistance also exist among the Lebanese people," he added. Suleiman said he opposed French calls for Lebanese-Israeli "bilateral and direct talks." "France called on Lebanon to engage in bilateral and direct negotiations with Israel. But we said we do not agree on bilateral talks," Suleiman stressed.
"Our position has not changed regarding both direct and indirect negotiations. We support a comprehensive and just peace based on the provisions of the Madrid conference," he explained. Suleiman said Lebanon was willing to take part in "any international conference for comprehensive and just peace provided it is based on international resolutions, the Madrid conference and the unconditional implementation of the Arab (peace) initiative." "I stressed (during talks with French leaders) that there would be no Middle East peace deal at Lebanon's expense or that contradicts with the interests of the Arab nations," Suleiman said.
He was unwavering on Lebanon's position regarding the occupied Shebaa Farms, saying that Security Council Resolution 425 "clearly calls for an unconditional withdrawal from all occupied Lebanese territories."
In his wide-ranging news conference, Suleiman vehemently dismissed insinuations that France had imposed conditions on Lebanon in return for arming the military.
In a question-answer session, a reporter pointed out that the French government had deferred a months-long request to provide Lebanon with French-made weapons.
Asked whether the delay was linked to disarming Hizbullah, Suleiman strongly denied being subject to pressure in return for military aid.
"Let it be clear to all, no country in the world has imposed conditions to arm the Lebanese military… not even in the middle of the Lebanese crisis," Suleiman said.
"Lebanon is not talking about disarming the resistance rather (these weapons) will become part of a national defense strategy, currently being debated…" he added.
"France has helped the Lebanese Army with what it can. Yesterday, the prime minister promised to fulfill requests related to ground-to-air missiles of Gazelle warplanes," the Lebanese leader said without elaborating.
On the upcoming legislative polls, he said the polls will "take place during a single day as scheduled on June 7."
In his usual optimistic tone, Suleiman designated June 8 as "the beginning of a journey to reform" and took a pledge to commit to reforms and to "safeguard the Constitution."
"It will be a good day for Lebanon and the Lebanese will know for sure they enjoy a unique system of democracy in the Middle East," he said.
France said it was willing to dispatch a delegation to monitor the elections, Suleiman said.
In his talks with Sarkozy, Suleiman said he pointed out to Israel's "repeated violations of Lebanon's airspace and its reneging on promises to hand over maps of landmines and cluster bombs in Lebanon."
He asked Sarkozy to help "ensure the full implementation of (Security Council) Resolution 1701, which Israel has so far failed to observe." He accused Israel of waging an "economic war" on Lebanon by "its flagrant breaches" of the resolution.
Sarkozy has also accepted an invitation to visit Lebanon on an official trip along with the first French lady, Suleiman added.
On regional developments, he also called on Sarkozy to adopt "a comprehensive approach to the Arab-Israeli conflict and to host an international peace conference based on international resolutions."
For his part, Sarkozy pledged France's support for the Lebanese reconciliation process and for "efforts to consolidate the independence and unity of Lebanon," Suleiman said Suleiman's trip coincided with the inauguration Monday of the first Lebanese Embassy in Damascus.
He said he assured Sarkozy that Lebanese-Syrian bilateral ties "were progressing on the right track for both countries." Beirut, 19 Mar 09, 08:28

Lebanese Among U.S. Researchers who Found New Drug that May Prevent Brain Damage
Naharnet/A new class of Alzheimer's disease drugs may prevent long-term damage from traumatic brain injury, according to a study by Georgetown University Medical Center researchers, including a doctor of Lebanese origin. The drugs -- gamma-secretase inhibitors -- are designed to target amyloid plaque that accumulates in the brains of people with Alzheimer's disease. "No one knows why it occurs, but abnormal amounts of amyloid plaque have been found during an autopsy in about a third of brain injury victims, some of whom were children who would ordinarily never have had these deposits," Mark Burns, a neuroscientist and assistant professor at Georgetown and the study's lead author, said in a university news release. "Remarkably, these deposits occur in less than one day after injury." It's also known that people who've suffered a brain injury have a 400 percent increased risk of developing Alzheimer's disease, according to the researchers.
"In this study, we show that the same pathways activated chronically in Alzheimer's disease are activated acutely in traumatic brain injury and that they appear to play a very important role in secondary injury," Burns said. He and his colleagues, including Lebanese researcher Charbel al-Hajj Moussa, first conducted tests that showed that brain injury in mice resulted in substantially more amyloid peptide than normal. They then found that amyloid peptide production after brain injury was reduced in mice that received an experimental agent called DAPT, one of the first gamma secretase inhibitors developed and the basis for some Alzheimer's disease drugs now in clinical trials. The researchers said that their findings, which are published online in Nature Medicine, suggest that this class of drugs could do something no other drug has been able to do -- prevent the long-term and continuing damage that often follows serious brain injury. Georgetown University Medical Center is an internationally recognized academic medical center with a three-part mission of research, teaching and patient care. The center includes the School of Medicine and the School of Nursing and Health Studies. Beirut, 19 Mar 09, 09:24

Hizbullah praises Sleiman's stance during Paris visit
By Therese Sfeir /Daily Star staff
Friday, March 20, 2009
BEIRUT: President Michel Sleiman returned to Lebanon on Thursday after a visit to Paris that won him accolades from Lebanese politicians. Hizbullah welcomed Thursday France's refusal to support any political party at the expense of another, as well as its call for political dialogue and consensus. "France's position was the correct and proper entrance for a European role in helping Lebanon," Hizbullah said.
Well-informed sources quoted by Al-Hayat newspaper on Thursday said that during his visit to France, Sleiman informed Paris of his hope to reach a solution regarding the presence of Palestinian bases on the borders with Syria and outside refugee camps after the legislative elections.
According to the sources, the president mentioned another issue - the Lebanese detainees in Syria - but described it as "more difficult to resolve."
French Minister of State for Cooperation and Francophonie Alain Joyandet will be arriving in Lebanon on Friday.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Eric Chevalier said in a statement on Thursday that Joyandet would represent France during the International Day of Francophonie, taking place in Beirut on Friday and Saturday.
He would also hold talks with Lebanese officials on boosting bilateral relations and cultural cooperation.
On a separate level, Democratic Gathering bloc leader MP Walid Jumblatt praised Saudi Arabia's efforts to foster Arab solidarity. Jumblatt's statements were made on Thursday following a meeting with Saudi Information and Culture Minister and former Ambassador to Lebanon Abdel-Aziz Khoja.
Jumblatt praised "Khoja's support for the Lebanese state and the Taif Accord."
Commenting on the upcoming parliamentary elections, the head of the Progressive Socialist Party said: "May the strongest argument in politics, economy and sociology win."Khoja also met on Thursday with Sleiman at Baabda Palace. A banquet was also held in the former ambassador's honor by MP Saad Hariri in Qoreitem.
Media reports said on Thursday that Syria and Saudi Arabia had agreed to remain "neutral" toward Lebanon's upcoming legislative elections.
A report published by As-Safir newspaper said the two states had stressed that Lebanon could only be governed through national consensus.
Last week, Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah hosted a meeting with Syrian President Bashar Assad, his Egyptian counterpart Hosni Mubarak and Kuwaiti Emir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah in Riyadh. The newspaper quoted Syrian sources as saying that the Syrian and Saudi sides agreed during the meeting "not to interfere in the legislative polls and to adopt a neutral approach to the elections."The two sides also stressed the need for Lebanon "to be ruled through consensus."Meanwhile, Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea met with the UN secretary general's representative in Lebanon, Michael Williams. The meeting focused on developments in Lebanon and the region. The Central News Agency reported that Geagea had stressed the important role of international monitors overseeing the elections in ensuring that voters cast their ballots in a "democratic atmosphere." According to the statement, both officials also discussed the need to resolve the issue of detainees in Syria prisons. Separately, in a radio interview on Thursday, former President Amin Gemayel said that there was continuous communication between the Phalange Party and the Armenian Tashnag. "The Tashnag are trying to distribute their voices among the different parties and this is complicating matters," Gemayel added. He said that the Armenian party's position would become "clearer" in the coming days.

Lebanese Parliament lowers voting age to 18, delays other legislation
Berri says amendment made possible after expats given right to vote
By Therese Sfeir /Daily Star staff
Friday, March 20, 2009
BEIRUT: Lebanon's Parliament on Thursday approved a draft-law to lower the voting age from 21 to 18, but the measure will not come into effect in time for the June elections. Parliament convened in a session attended by more than 100 deputies, who showed strong support for the proposal, which calls for amending Article 21 of the Constitution to lower the voting age. Speaking on behalf of the Democratic Gathering bloc, MP Marwan Hamadeh said: "In this bad situation, the best thing to offer our youth is this proposal." MP Elias Atallah, for his part, said: "Today, we should all be proud of this proposal."
Lebanese Forces MP George Adwan said the draft-law was the right of the youth who had "made the Cedar Revolution and the Resistance."
Speaking on behalf of Hizbullah, MP Hassan Fadlallah called for "passing the proposal as soon as possible and transferring it to the Cabinet."
The law needs to be approved by the Cabinet within four months before being ratified.
Lebanon's electoral law was amended last September but MPs at the time refused to adopt some amendments, including lowering the voting age and introducing a quota for women in Parliament. The Central News Agency reported that Speaker Nabih Berri, when asked by some MPs about the reason why he waited until now to call for a vote on the proposal, said: "Now that the emigrants were given the right to vote, there are no longer concerns that this law might stir confessional disputes."
A delegation from a youth campaign to lower the voting age and another from the civil campaign for electoral reform were also present at the session.
Parliament also discussed other issues, including a proposal related to Palestinian resettlement, submitted by MP Boutros Harb.
Harb's proposal did not receive the requisite number of votes for ratification. In addition, a proposal to amend Article 70 of the Constitution in order to allow for the impeachment of presidents and house speakers also fell through as it was rejected by Berri because of complaints by a large number of MPs.
Meanwhile, a proposal to abolish taxes on the prices of gasoline and another to grant amnesty for crimes committed prior to April 27, 2005, put forth by Lebanese Forces MP Antoine Zahra, were not discussed by legislators. Another proposal on granting the government the authority to pass laws pertaining to customs did not receive the requisite number of votes for ratification due to lack of quorum.
In remarks during the session, Harb asked about the measures adopted by the government and the Interior Ministry to organize the electoral process.
He also criticized what he called government's failure to facilitate the travel of Lebanese living abroad to Lebanon to participate in the elections.
Prime Minister Fouad Siniora also replied to several questions raised by the MPs. He said that no information was announced so far on the abduction of MEA employee Joseph Sader. Fifty-year-old Sader worked as an Information Technology expert for MEA and was abducted on February 12 on his way into work at Beirut International Airport, allegedly by three unidentified assailants who bundled him into a sport utility vehicle.
Meanwhile, as MPs debated the proposed laws, the General Federation of Labor Unions held a protest outside Parliament building to call for abolishing taxes on gas and fuel. Contracted public school teachers and workers, as well as electricity bill collectors joined the unions' protest.
The Lebanese Democratic Youth Union also held a demonstration in front of Parliament, calling for lowering the voting age by amending Article 21 of the Constitution.
Berri postponed the Parliament session to March 26 due to a lack of quorum to discuss other items on the agenda.

More must be done to create a just electoral system in Lebanon
By The Daily Star /Friday, March 20, 2009
Lebanon's Parliament has finally committed itself to lowering the voting age from 21 to 18. It was certainly embarrassing to have a situation in which more than 100 MPs could sign a petition in support of the move, but do a mysterious disappearing act when it came time to stay in their seats and vote, as in the past. About Thursday's unanimous decision by MPs, it was relatively easy for a member of the "winning" side to say the ball is now in the government's court, since it now falls to the Cabinet to introduce official legislation to change the Constitution.
Actually, the ball is in the court of Lebanon's entire political class.
In principle, lowering the voting age is a good thing, and should be supported. However, in practice, as some MPs have pointed out, the move comes at a bad time, a time of rampant sectarianism and sectarian rhetoric, when each major group feels itself threatened and unwilling to make brave concessions. Bringing in more young voters, with their natural enthusiasm, will easily have a powerful, nearly-"nuclear" effect: combine this young fervor with the sectarian mobilization under way in Lebanese society, and you have a recipe for potential disaster.
The impact of lowering the voting age is huge, and in shorthand, one constituency - the Christians - is placed at a numerical disadvantage.
Electoral reform can also take place through allowing Lebanese who are outside the country to cast their ballots. Presumably, this would help the constituency that would be hurt by lowering the voting age, i.e. the Christians, but the point is that it's part of a comprehensive reform package.
Lowering the voting age and giving emigrants the right to vote won't be complete without the hat trick: establishing a system of proportional representation. If people are worried that the new groups of voters (18-21, the diaspora) are going to swing one way, that's what proportional representation is supposed to correct. The minority will obtain representation, unlike our current, lamentable winner-take-all system.
Proportional representation doesn't have a "constituency" behind it. But if our political class gets serious about passing it, along with the other items on the electoral reform agenda, they will be creating the best type of constituency - one that believes in the justice of the electoral system, and not the sectarian tribes of today.

The UK chats up Hizbullah ... again
By Michael Glackin
Commentary by
Friday, March 20, 2009
How angry is the White House with the United Kingdom for opening talks with Hizbullah? Judging by the tirade of criticism that emanated from the US State Department last week, the answer is very angry indeed. Despite the fact that President Barak Obama is making overtures to those the Bush White House once deemed untouchable, it is clear from the comments coming out of Washington that this new policy has its limits.
The US of course has a particular problem with Hizbullah, which it believes was behind the bomb attack that killed 241 US Marines in Beirut in 1983. But you could be forgiven for thinking that perhaps the White House, to borrow a phrase from Shakespeare, "doth protest too much" and is privately content with the UK's attempts to fly solo. This would perhaps better explain why the UK suddenly appears to be abandoning its recent record of unquestioning acquiescence to US policy and is publicly cocking a snook at its ally, the special relationship and the most popular leader in the world at the moment.
It's worth pointing out that these latest talks, which were officially sanctioned in the summer of 2008, actually represent a resumption rather than an entirely new policy. UK talks with Hizbullah go back as far as 2001 and only stopped during the turmoil following the Hariri assassination. Therefore, over the last eight years or so the UK has spent more time talking to Hizbullah than ignoring it.
The catalyst for the current resumption was Hizbullah's decision to join Lebanon's national unity government in May 2008. A Foreign Office official told me this provided the British government with a "window of opportunity to engage Hizbullah by opening low level talks to encourage it to play a more positive role in politics." The Foreign Office insists it is talking to what it calls Hizbullah's "political wing," and will not hold discussions with the movement's "military wing."
Of course, this "window of opportunity" opened because Hizbullah, its "military wing" included, orchestrated a wave of civil unrest, followed by a military takeover of western Beirut, that substantially weakened the democratic government, including a parliamentary majority that had been targeted by a succession of (unsolved) murders of several of its members. It is this, among other things, that has apparently so annoyed the Americans. While the UK has opted to compartmentalize Hizbullah's political, social and military functions, Washington insists that Hizbullah's leadership is so integrated that any attempt to separate its various activities is foolhardy. But one cannot escape the feeling that the Obama administration is perfectly at ease with the UK's engagement of Hizbullah. In the space of a few months Obama has moved away from the Bush policy of isolating so-called rogue states to engaging them. Obama is preparing, according to The Los Angeles Times, to send a secret message to Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, inviting him to open a clandestine "back channel" for direct talks between Washington and Tehran. Indeed, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has invited Iran to this month's international conference on Afghanistan at The Hague. Meanwhile US officials, among them the acting US assistant secretary of state for Near East affairs, Jeffrey Feltman, have begun talks with Syrian officials.
Arguably, British policy is merely seeking to get a step ahead of the US, as opposed to its previous policy of following Washington's lead. The Foreign Office is keen to stress that the move to engage Hizbullah should be seen "purely within the context of Lebanon's political scene." However, insiders concede it is also part of a "wider approach" in the Middle East.
The British foreign secretary, David Miliband, has already broken bread with President Bashar Assad in Damascus. Last weekend a former minister, Clare Short, a left-wing Labor parliamentarian, also visited Damascus where she met with Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal and called for the UK to end its boycott of the Palestinian group. The meeting was well publicized, in contrast to several low-profile visits that other British politicians have made to Meshaal over the last year.
Short was not representing the government of course, and for the record the Foreign Office still insists there are "absolutely no plans" to open talks with Hamas. An official told me: "If there's a lesson for Hamas in our low-level talks with Hizbullah it is that if it decides to agree to the Quartet principles, the door would be open." Perhaps I missed Hizbullah's announcement that it was renouncing violence, throwing down its arms and recognizing Israel. But there is clearly a pattern emerging that a more softly softly approach, which for now includes contact with Hizbullah, but before long is likely to include Hamas too, is now central to UK policy.
The previous policy of isolating enemies and promoting liberal democracy is in pieces, broken by its own failure. The West has so far failed to thwart Iran's ambitions to become a nuclear power. Israeli military actions have strengthened both Hamas and Hizbullah. Security may have at long last improved in Iraq, or at least enough for coalition troops to depart, but Afghanistan remains a disaster and neighboring Pakistan is now a political basket case as well. Large parts of Pakistan's northwest are firmly under the control of the Taliban with tacit government approval. The West cannot allow Pakistan to become another Afghanistan any more than it can sit back and allow Iran to join the nuclear club.
The UK, like the US, wants to draw a line through what has gone on before and clearly feels the interlocking relationships between Iran, Syria, Hizbullah and Hamas is a good place to start. The fates of all four are inextricably entwined, and with them the future of Lebanon. The question that remains unanswered is what price Lebanon will pay for this change of policy, particularly in the run up to elections in June?
When I put this question to the Foreign Office the official said: "We don't seek to empower one movement over another. We are supportive of the Siniora government and our talks with Hizbullah do not change that."
So that's alright then. But official talks offer Hizbullah, or its political wing, an official sanction that may well undermine political parties that don't have a "military wing," those that rely on elections to bring down governments.
The government often cites the lessons learned through the peace process in Northern Ireland when discussing the Middle East. But it is worth remembering that the moderate political parties quickly lost ground to the extremists once the government opened a dialogue with them. The two moderate Northern Ireland politicians who won the Nobel Prize in 1998, John Hume and David Trimble, both lost their parliamentary seats to more extremist parties a few years afterward.
Of course the advances in Northern Ireland, notwithstanding the recent outbreak of violence, have been fantastic. But crucially the IRA leadership told the British government that "the war was over" before formal talks began. Has Hizbullah given a similar assurance? I doubt if it was even asked.
**Michael Glackin, a former managing editor of THE DAILY STAR, is a writer in London.