LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN

LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
March 29/09

Bible Reading of the day.
John12/44-50 Jesus cried out and said, “Whoever believes in me, believes not in me, but in him who sent me. He who sees me sees him who sent me. I have come as a light into the world, that whoever believes in me may not remain in the darkness. If anyone listens to my sayings, and doesn’t believe, I don’t judge him. For I came not to judge the world, but to save the world. He who rejects me, and doesn’t receive my sayings, has one who judges him. The word that I spoke, the same will judge him in the last day. I spoke not from myself, but the Father who sent me, he gave me a commandment, what I should say, and what I should speak. I know that his commandment is eternal life. The things therefore which I speak, even as the Father has said to me, so I speak.”

Free Opinions, Releases, letters & Special Reports
Let the games begin. By: Omayma Abdel-Latif/Copyright Al-Ahram Weekly 28/03/09
Setback Vandalism/Future News 28/03/09

Latest News Reports From Miscellaneous Sources for March 28 /09
Mubarak will not attend Doha Summit
Suleiman Warns against Consequences of Attacks on Army-Naharnet
Aoun: I Don't Care about Presidency… Hizbullah Not a Terrorist Group-Naharnet
Berri: Israel, Deprivation: Lebanon's Enemies-Naharnet
Bassil under Fire for 'Concealing' Data-Naharnet
Army Heightens Security Measures after Coming under Attack-Naharnet
Berri, Shatah Give Different Views on Budget-Naharnet
Berri, Nasrallah Hold Crunch Talks on Polls-Naharnet
Williams: Israel Should Provide Maps Regarding Cluster Bombs-Naharnet
Israel Successfully Tests System Against Lebanon, Gaza Rockets-Naharnet
Jumblat to Support Berri against Challenges in Western Bekaa-Naharnet
American Language Center to reopen in Syria.The Associated Press
New Israeli gov't must stick to two-state solution: EU-Xinhua
With eye against Iran, Arabs wooing Syria-The Associated Press
Bassil under Fire for 'Concealing' Data-Naharnet
Press: British Talks with Hizbullah Linked to Prisoners' Swap Deal.Naharnet
Three soldiers wounded, drug baron dead in Bekaa bust-Daily Star
With full plate, Israel won't bother Lebanon -Daily Star
UN envoy: Israel must hand over maps of cluster bomb locations -Daily Star
Berri slams refusal to earmark south funds -Daily Star
Indonesian warship set to join UNIFIL naval force.Daily Star
Fadlallah slams attempts to pardon collaborators -Daily Star
Mitri looks to boost ethics, standards of media-Daily Star
Attack on judges comes as 'message to judiciary--Daily Star
Britons 'to be traded for Hizbullah leader-Daily Star
Lebanese tribunal offers future direction-United Press International
Salameh sees $683 million balance of payments surplus -Daily Star
Daylight saving on Saturday night -Daily Star
US donates $1.5 million for demining mission -Daily Star
Music Hall owner opens free restaurant -Daily Star
Youth activists start bid to urge citizens to remove religion from ID-Daily Star
Lebanese to shut off lights for Earth Hour -Daily Star

To Win In Afghanistan, Obama Must First Defeat the Taliban
By Walid Phares
The administration’s plan to send 4,000 additional U.S. troops to Afghanistan is a step in the right direction. The fight against the jihadi war machine in that region must meet the strategic threat posed by the Taliban network and the Al Qaeda organization. They threaten not only NATO troops and the government in Kabul, but also Afghan civilians and, just as importantly, the democratically elected government in Pakistan. These Army trainers, along with the 17,000 Marines and Army personnel the president wants to deploy into combat operations in Afghanistan, should be part of a global campaign to defeat the terror forces strategically. In that sense, I support the decision. But the administration must not fall into the trap of striking militarily and failing politically. President Obama must understand that he needs to defeat the Taliban on the ground to be able to engage with the country’s civil society. I am afraid some adviser will convince him to just do the opposite: that is, to believe that he can strike a deal with “moderate Taliban” while he is pushing back against the “bad Taliban.” That would be a disaster. The president must remained focused on winning the war against the jihadist hydra while engaging the forces of civil society.

Aoun: I Don't Care about Presidency… Hizbullah Not a Terrorist Group
Naharnet/Free Patriotic Movement leader Gen. Michel Aoun said he does not want to become president, but rather he is seeking to make reforms.
"My main concern now is to make a reform plan in Lebanon because since 1920 to date we have been living under a regime that has not changed," Aoun told Euronews television. He said Hizbullah is not a terrorist group. "Hizbullah did not carry out any world-wide terrorist attack, not abroad and not inside the Lebanese border," Aoun explained. "Hizbullah carried out resistance activities against the occupying force in conformity with the U.N. charter."
"This is why we did not accept to call Hizbullah a terrorist organization," Aoun went on to say. The former army general believed that abolishing sectarianism would facilitate change and reform. "Whenever we criticize a government official he would accuse us of attacking his sect. Therefore, our prime aim is to have a civil government where sectarianism is replaced by citizen rights," he added. On chances that Lebanon would cut a deal with Israel if a settlement was reached over Shebaa Farms, Aoun said: "The secret to peace with Israel is a solution to the issue of Palestinian refugees, not Shebaa Farms." Beirut, 28 Mar 09, 16:54

Suleiman Warns against Consequences of Attacks on Army
Naharnet/President Michel Suleiman on Saturday warned against the consequences of attacks on the Lebanese army.
His remarks came in a telephone call to Army Commander Gen. Jean Qahwaji a day after three Lebanese army soldiers were wounded when their military post came under rocket fire. Suleiman congratulated Qahwaji for his efforts to keep peace and warned against the consequences of attacks against army troops "while carrying out their duty." Beirut, 28 Mar 09, 17:37

Berri: Israel, Deprivation: Lebanon's Enemies
Naharnet/Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri on Saturday said that as long as Lebanon does not benefit from all the water rights, the country will remain vulnerable to Israeli harassment."Giving southerners their compensation right is a right that won't be lost to government procrastination," Berri told a popular delegation that visited him at his residence in Musaileh in south Lebanon. "You are an essential part of the resistance and Arabism in Lebanon," he added.
Berri stressed that the conflict in Lebanon "was not and will never be a sectarian dispute, but a political one." "Lebanese -- Christians and Muslims, Shiites and Sunnis -- are all the same. They come from the same source," he said. "Everybody here has to know that Israel and deprivation are Lebanon's enemies," Berri went on to say, pointing to Israeli ambitions in Lebanon. Beirut, 28 Mar 09, 17:12

Three soldiers wounded, drug baron dead in Bekaa bust
By The Daily Star
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Lebanese soldiers killed a drugs baron traveling in a stolen car after he refused to stop at an army checkpoint in the eastern Bekaa Valley on Friday, the military said. Ali Abbas Jaafar, who had 172 outstanding arrest warrants against him, was killed along with an aide outside the Bekaa city of Baalbek after they refused to stop, the army said, though witnesses told AFP the army ambushed him.
Relatives of the two men shot at an army vehicle later in the day when the bodies were brought to Baalbek, witnesses said. Three soldiers were lightly wounded when a rocket exploded near the vehicle. Senior security source revealed on Friday that a rocket-propelled grenade targeted a Lebanese Armed Forces tank in Baalbek, ANB television reported. The Voice of Lebanon radio station added that an armed "gang" launched the RPG, injuring three soldiers, who were transported to nearby hospitals. The state-run National News Agency (NNA) reported on Friday that the fighting occurred at dawn between a group of criminals wanted for various offenses and security forces in the Baakbek area of Dar al-Wasea.
The report said the clashes erupted when a Green range Range Rover carrying four gunmen refused to stop at an army checkpoint and the car's occupants opened fire at soldiers who returned fire and killed the two men.
The army later chased the vehicle's two other occupants and arrested them, according to the NNA. The military also seized an M16 rifle, a Rocket Propelled Grenade launcher, other ammunition and cannabis on board of the Range Rover. LBCI television station reported that army was conducting extensive patrols in the Dar al-Wasea region Friday evening. Jaafar was wanted on a variety of charges, including drug trafficking, opening fire on military positions, attempted murder of soldiers and civilians and carrying false documents. On Thursday, another drug dealer, Ali Zeaiter, was killed after he opened fire at an army unit during a military raid in the Beirut suburb of Dekwaneh. Three other members of Zeaiter's gang were also arrested.
Historically known as Lebanon's breadbasket, the Bekaa Valley was also synonymous with production of illegal drugs, chiefly hashish, during the 1975-1990 Civil War. The multi-billion-dollar industry was halted under pressure from the United States after the Civil War, but the number of cannabis plantations has increased over the past two years amid political unrest. The Cabinet discussed in its Thursday session recent security incidents this week, namely the attack on Lebanese Magistrates Wednesday and Monday's assassination of top Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) official Kamal Medhat.
Palestinian Ambassador to Lebanon Abbas Zaki criticized in an interview with LBC television on Friday the way Lebanese security services dealt with the assassination of his aide, Medhat. "If this issue will not be taken seriously, there will be further assassinations, but if there is a will to stop the bloody events, this crime will not be repeated," he said. In other security news, the NNA correspondent in South Lebanon reported that in light of recent security incidents that took place in the southern port city of Tyre, security forces patrols carried out a sweeping long-day operations as of 4:00 a.m. On Monday, a policeman was attacked and perpetrators remain at large. According to the NNA report, security forces set up 24 check points in the southern towns of Tyre and Nabatieh and also detained four individuals in the coastal city of Sidon suspected of carrying out a number of armed robberies. The four suspects were transferred to the south Lebanon attorney general for interrogation. - The Daily Star, with AFP

Fadlallah slams attempts to pardon collaborators
Daily Star staff/Saturday, March 28, 2009
BEIRUT: Senior Shiite cleric Sayyed Mohammad Hussein Fadlallah blasted on Friday attempts by some political quarters to pardon criminals who collaborated with the Israelis during the occupation of south Lebanon. Speaking in his Friday sermon at the Imam Hassanayn Mosque, Fadlallah said it is shameful that some deputies occasionally try to free criminals, collaborators and outlaws. The scholar was alluding to a proposal by some lawmakers to introduce an amnesty law that would pardon some of the Lebanese who were convicted of certain crimes. These MPs argue that Taif Accord has pardoned all the crimes that were committed before 1991. Fadlallah said that amnesty in Lebanon has become part of the political game based on sectarian and confessional considerations. He accused some politicians of raising sensitive issues during the elections. "The problem in Lebanon is that collaboration has reached the levels of political leaders," Fadlallah said. He also commented on Israeli efforts to change the demographic composition of Occupied Jerusalem, criticizing the silence of the international community. - The Daily Star

Britons 'to be traded for Hizbullah leader'
Kidnappers of UK citizens in Iraq claim they reached deal to exchange captives
By Nicholas Kimbrell /Daily Star staff
Saturday, March 28, 2009
BEIRUT: A "Hizbullah leader" and nine other prisoners detained in Iraq will be released as part of a deal to free five Britons abducted in Baghdad in 2007, the kidnappers have claimed. In a statement released Thursday on the Iraqi news site, Elaph, the spokesman for the group that says it holds the UK nationals, declared that a deal had been struck with the British government to release the detained prisoners in exchange for the five British hostages.
"There is an agreement between Britain and the US and our group," Abu Ali, the spokesman for the Leagues of Righteousness, told the Web site.
The prisoners, who are in US custody, include nine men loyal to the Iraqi Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr and Ali Moussa Daqduq, a Lebanese explosives expert who was apprehended in Basra in early 2007. In the Thursday's statement, the kidnappers called Daqduq a "Hizbullah leader."
The Daily Star could not reach Hizbullah officials for a comment on the allegation.
Daqduq's name was widely circulated in the press earlier in the year when the Israeli daily Yediot Ahronot contended that information extracted from Daqduq by American interrogators in Iraq and passed on to Israeli intelligence agents led to the assassination of Hizbullah commander Imad Mughniyeh.
Mughniyeh was killed in a car bomb in Damascus in February 2008. No one has claimed responsibility for the attack.
The only British hostage to be named, Peter Moore, an IT consultant for the US company BearingPoint, was grabbed from the Finance Ministry with his four bodyguards in Baghdad in May 2007. The names of his bodyguards, working for the Canadian security firm, Garda World, have not been released.
Last week a video showing Moore, alive and apparently healthy, was released to the British Embassy in Iraq through an Iraqi lawmaker.
"One of the hostages will be released very soon after the British side carries out its promise to us to convince the American side to release 10 of our leaders," spokesman Abu Ali said in the Elaph interview. He added that the exchange of Moore and Daqduq would take place last after the others had been released.
Along with Daqdug and others, the Sadrist-aligned group wants Laith al-Khazaali, also known as Abu Sajjad, Hassan Salem, Rahim Al-Shamoosi, and Saad Sewar to be released. Khazaali's brother, Qais alal-Khazaali is, according to the report, negotiating the deal from a US detention facility outside Baghdad.
The British Embassy in Baghdad told AFP that while it was aware of the report it would not comment of "ongoing events."
"We are doing everything we can to release the hostages and we encourage the hostage-takers to release them unconditionally so that they can be reunited with their families," it added. The UK newspaper The Guardian quoted a Foreign Office spokesman as saying, "We've seen the reports. This is a sensitive case. We are not going to comment on one media report on alleged remarks by people claiming to be hostage takers."
But the paper suggested that there have been backroom negotiations for the Britons release since their capture, contending that the deal to win their release was "a factor" in the UK's recent decision to open up dialogue with Hizbullah's political wing. The UK announced that is was re-establishing contact with the Hizbullah's political wing in March, a move said to have angered officials in Washington. US General David Petraeus told the London Times in a June 2007 interview, when he was the commander of US forces in Iraq, that the Britons were abducted by a group trained and funded by Iran, identifying the perpetrators as an elite group of the Sadr army. The Guardian noted that if the alleged deal turns out to be true it could represent a reversal of the UK's stated principle not to make "substantive concessions to hostage takers." - With AFP

Jumblat to Support Berri against Challenges in Western Bekaa
Naharnet/MP Walid Jumblat said Saturday he will reject the names of parliamentary candidates who might "present a challenge" for Speaker Nabih Berri in the western Bekaa and confirmed consensus over MP Anwar Khalil as a contender in the south. In an interview with ad-Diyar newspaper, Jumblat said he remains committed to the principles of March 14 Forces. He said he "not hamper (the Forces') positions to avoid causing its defeat.""We are discussing the best way to enhance representation with the main figures of March 14, taking into account the particularities of each region," he told the daily. As for nominations in the Chouf, Jumblat said the issue "can be quietly resolved." Beirut, 28 Mar 09, 10:05

Army Heightens Security Measures after Coming under Attack
Naharnet/The Lebanese Army was on high alert on Saturday following two days of bloody confrontations with wanted criminals in the Bekaa during which military posts came under rocket fire, three soldiers were injured and three suspects killed. On Friday, drugs baron Ali Abbas Jaafar, who had 172 outstanding arrest warrants against him, was killed along with an aide after they refused to stop, the army said. Three soldiers were lightly wounded when a rocket exploded near the vehicle, an army spokesman told AFP. The army said in a statement Saturday that Jaafar was driving a stolen Range Rover which contained a rocket launcher and other munitions in addition to a stash of hashish. Relatives of the two men shot at an army vehicle later in the day when the bodies were brought to Baalbek, witnesses said.
The Army put up permanent checkpoints and intensified patrols outside Baalbeck. Helicopters combed the area in search for the attackers.
The statement said soldiers exchanged gunfire with unknown assailants late Thursday after they refused to stop at one of the checkpoints in the eastern Bekaa Valley.
Jaafar was wanted on a variety of charges, including drug trafficking, opening fire on military positions, attempted murder of soldiers and civilians and carrying false documents. Historically known as Lebanon's breadbasket, the Bekaa Valley was also synonymous with production of illegal drugs, chiefly hashish, during the 1975-1990 civil war. A senior ministerial source told An-Nahar daily said the political leadership has adopted a unified position regarding attacks on the army. "Undermining security is a red line," the source said. "The army and security forces … have achieved commendable successes in order to safeguard stability in the country," including carrying out series of arrests in the past week, the source added.(Naharnet-AFP) Beirut, 28 Mar 09, 09:38

Bassil under Fire for 'Concealing' Data
Naharnet/Telecommunications Minister Gebran Bassil came under fire Saturday for "concealing data from security services" thus hampering progress in a number of investigations, including into the assassination of a top Palestinian leader. Ministerial sources close to parliamentary majority told an-Nahar daily that the services have been waiting since May 11 for the release of the data. "Security services have authorization to access the data until mid-May, under a Cabinet decree," they said. They pointed out that a "wire-tapping facility" at the Telecoms Ministry must be ready for use by mid-to-end of April. "It is still unequipped," they added. They warned that "unofficial parties are being granted uncensored and unlimited access to data linked to wire-tapping and telecommunications." In response, a minister close to Bassil told the paper that "readying the facility will not solve the problem, which is more a matter of principle rather than technicalities."The minister, who was unidentified, said "should Army Commander Gen. Jean Qahwaji request - at any time - access to the data, the minister will not hesitate to comply." During Thursday's Cabinet session, Bassil accused the government of "breaching the law and violating the privacy of the Lebanese." Beirut, 28 Mar 09, 13:43

Press: British Talks with Hizbullah Linked to Prisoners' Swap Deal
Naharnet/London has asked Hizbullah to mediate a prisoners' swap deal with the Iraqi Sadr movement in return for low-level talks between the British government and the Lebanese group's political wing, press reports said Saturday. Britain is proposing to free a group of Sadrists and a Lebanese national detained by British forces in Baghdad in return for the release of five Britons being held by Muqtada al-Sadr's movement since 2007, the Guardian newspaper said in a report published in al-Akhbar daily. The Lebanese national was identified as Ali Moussawi Daqdouq and was arrested on charges of belonging to Hizbullah.
In a statement released Friday, a spokesman for the hostage-takers said an agreement had been reached with Britain and the U.S. to free the Britons gradually.
Efforts to finalize the deal were a -factor in Britain's move to re-engage publicly with Hezbollah's political wing in Lebanon this month.
A spokesman for the kidnappers, who identified himself as Abu Ali, said the handing over of a videotape last week, which showed one of the hostages, computer consultant Peter Moore, alive and well, was the first phase of the release agreement brokered with Britain. The tape was handed to the British embassy in Baghdad by an Iraqi member of parliament. The spokesman said one of the hostages would be freed soon, along with up to eight men, all Sadrist loyalists, who are currently being held by the US army in Iraq. The first to be freed is expected to be Laith al-Khazali. The final stage of the deal would see Daqdouq, and Qais al-Khazali, Laith's brother and Sadr's former spokesman, freed in return for Moore.
A Foreign Office spokesman said: "We've seen similar reports. This is a sensitive case. We are not going to comment on one media report on alleged remarks by people claiming to be hostage-takers. "We continue to do everything we can to try and secure the safe release of the hostages and remain extremely concerned for their safety. We call on those holding the hostages to release them immediately and unconditionally so that they can be reunited with their families and friends."
Britain has always insisted it would not make substantive concessions to hostage-takers.
The U.S. has long objected to the release of Qais al-Khazali, whom it accuses of coordinating an ambush in January 2007 in Karbala during which five U.S. troops were killed. Daqdouq's future has been equally contentious. He is accused of being a 24-year veteran of Hizbullah's military wing. He is wanted by Israel, which claims he helped direct military operations against its forces throughout the 1990s and during the 2006 war in Lebanon.
The kidnappers on Friday for the first time acknowledged that Daqdouq was a senior member of the Lebanese organization, branding him a "Hizbullah leader."
The five Britons were seized in Baghdad two months later, on 27 May 2007, from a building linked to the Iraqi finance ministry.
A Sadrist MP who did not want to be named said two advisers in Iraqi Prime Minister Nour al-Maliki's office had been instrumental in brokering the deal. Sadr's spokesman could not be reached last night.(AFP-Naharnet) Beirut, 28 Mar 09, 12:14

Berri, Shatah Give Different Views on Budget
Naharnet/A delay to adopt a budget for the Council of the South is "a pretext to further holdup the state budget," Speaker Nabih Berri was quoted as saying Saturday; a sign that political wrangling over the two files has resurfaced. "The delay in setting the Council of the South budget is completely uncalled for," sources close to Berri quoted the speaker as saying. "Is the whole issue an indirect attempt to punish the south and the southerners?" Berri asked, the sources told as-Safir.
An agreement over the Council of the South was reached between Berri and Premier Fouad Saniora during a meeting this week under the auspices of President Michel Suleiman. However, "the provisions of the understanding have not been executed despite several meetings between the minister of finance and the Council of South presidency," they said. In an interview with the paper, Finance Minister Shatah called for "objectivity" in handling the issue of both budgets. Talks over the Council of the South budget "are proceeding on a positive track," he said, despite major delays in appropriating the 2009 state budget. However, sources from the parliamentary minority said the "holdback in the state budget was caused by Saniora's return to previous proposals, suggesting (the government) allocate a budget for the Council of the South one last time as a prelude to its complete dissolution." Shatah's office said in a statement: "The search for solutions must continue via the current debate with the hope that results can be reached soon." An-Nahar reported Saturday that Shatah and Council of the South officials have been trying to reach "the best estimation of funds for the council. Such a search takes time." Beirut, 28 Mar 09, 10:54

Berri, Nasrallah Hold Crunch Talks on Polls
Naharnet/Speaker Nabih Berri and Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah met in the past hours to settle the remaining unresolved issues in terms of minority tickets in both Shiite-populated and mixed districts, al-Liwaa daily reported Saturday. It said the two leaders were careful to safeguard the "share" of allied parties such as the Social Syrian Nationalist Party, Minister Elie Skaf and the Tashnag party. The daily reported that MP Gen. Michel Aoun was "delegated to form the Baabda and Jezzine tickets and to determine who will run for the Shiite seat in Jbeil. Skaf was assigned to form the list for Zahleh." Beirut, 28 Mar 09, 12:45

Williams: Israel Should Provide Maps Regarding Cluster Bombs
Naharnet/United Nations Special Coordinator for Lebanon Michael Williams said that Israel has to provide detailed maps indicating the location of cluster bombs in south Lebanon. He pointed that the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) have requested from Israel to provide such detailed maps more than once.
He added that United Nations Security Council resolution 1701 has not been fully implemented. Following a tour of the southern city of Tyre on Friday in which he met with the city's municipal head and members, Williams said the U.N. has continuously worked on cleansing the south of land mines and cluster bombs. "Work must continue, and Israel must provide maps showing the location of such bombs. The U.N. and the UNIFIL have called on Israel more than once to make these maps available," Williams said. He expressed his relief that Lebanon is enjoying calm adding: "there is a lot of work ahead that we have to do, particularly in returning the Ghajjar village and the Shebaa Farms (back to Lebanon)…ending the violation of Lebanese airspace that occurs daily." "This issue is always on our mind and under discussion, we are working with our colleagues at the U.N. to satisfy (Palestinian) needs without ignoring the greater goal of establishing the Palestinian state," Williams said after being briefed by Lebanese officials on the Palestinians' suffering. Beirut, 27 Mar 09, 18:39

Israel Successfully Tests System Against Lebanon, Gaza Rockets
Naharnet/Israel has successfully tested a high-tech system designed to protect civilians from rocket attacks by militant groups in Gaza and south Lebanon, the defense ministry said. Defense officials said Friday in the wake of the test that the Iron Dome system's development is on schedule and will likely meet its target date of 2010, when it is due to begin shooting down incoming rockets fired by Gaza militants. A ministry statement released Thursday evening said that in a series of tests this week the system faced rockets of the type fired by Palestinian and Lebanese militants, and "operated successfully regarding the targets of the test."
The statement termed the tests a "milestone." It did not say specifically what the tests entailed and stopped short of saying the Iron Dome had actually shot rockets down with an interceptor missile, which it is designed to do eventually. The officials, speaking on condition of anonymity in line with defense ministry regulations, said there has yet to be an intercept by the system. They have said in the past that the first intercept is expected at the end of 2009.
Developed at a cost of over $200 million, the system is intended to eventually fire missiles that home in on incoming short and medium-range rockets of the type used by Hamas and Hizbullah. Around one million Israelis live within range of Hamas rockets. Israel believes that Hizbullah possesses rockets that can reach the country's center in Tel Aviv, meaning that most Israelis are now in range of rockets from the north and the south. That makes the development of an anti-rocket system a priority for Israel.(AP) Beirut, 27 Mar 09, 14:15

Let the games begin
By: Omayma Abdel-Latif
Lebanon is going to the polls in three months' time. The election circus, however, is already in full swing, writes Omayma Abdel-Latif from Beirut
Hardly a day goes by without a strike or a sit- in today in Lebanon. Last week witnessed a surge in street activities. Teachers, university professors, lorry drivers, fishermen as well as workers took to the street in different parts of the country to protest against the dire economic situation that is claiming a heavy toll on the Lebanese population. But as the country prepares for the 7 June parliamentary elections, the social question hardly features on the electoral platforms of the different political forces contesting the elections. While manifestations of social unrest have become a daily occurrence, Lebanon's political class has turned a deaf ear to the protests.
Last week, the Lebanese parliament convened to pass a law that lowers the voter eligibility age to 18 years old. The law was passed. The session was to proceed to address the economic situation. It lost its quorum when MPs slipped away showing little to no interest in addressing one of the most crucial questions to Lebanese citizens. Keeping the Lebanese population under the tight screw of the economic crisis appears intended to leave the population enslaved to an endless patron-client relation. This is the more relevant as the practice of buying votes in Lebanon has become a tradition.
Although none of the competing political coalitions (8 March and 14 March) have released their electoral lists as yet, the process is dogged with speculations of old alliances breaking up while new ones are born. Nonetheless, persistent factors are likely to shape the conduct of the elections and consequently their results. The 128 MPs will be elected according to 1960 law; a controversial basis that many civil society figures say is exacerbating the sectarian-based system. A national commission headed by the minister of the interior will monitor the elections and the conduct of candidates. This effort will be aided by hundreds of observers -- both foreigners and nationals. Unlike previous elections, the 2009 elections will take place on one day. Although the law sets a spending limit for candidates, it is unlikely that most will stick to it. As the June elections near, cracks are surfacing in the two main political coalitions (8 March and 14 March), threatening to challenge the unity and cohesion of each camp. Internal disputes over candidates have come out into the open. Attempts to suppress differences in order to appear as unified blocs have failed. Electoral competition will prove crucial in testing this unity. One possibility is that such disputes could end -- or at least minimise -- the bipolar political and social fracture that has taken root in the country and divided it since 2005.
Druze leader Walid Jumblatt has so far been the most vocal in criticising his allies along with members of his own bloc. He implicitly criticised attempts by Al-Mustaqbal (Future Movement, led by Saad Al-Hariri), the Lebanese Forces and the Nationalist Bloc led by Dori Shamoun over the Maronite seat in his electoral list in Chouf, his most important powerbase. Also there is a simmering conflict between Michel Aoun, head of the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM), and Nabih Berri, head of Amal movement and parliament speaker, over the Maronite seats in Zahrani and Jezzin in the south of Lebanon.
Hizbullah is negotiating with Amal movement to make Aoun name the Christian candidates in Jezzin constituency, a Christian-dominated area. In a press conference held in Rabyia Monday, Aoun was keen on downplaying reports of a dispute between him and Berri over the Jezzin seats. And while the picture is still not clear regarding the distribution of seats among 8 March allies, it is more likely that Hizbullah will have to give up some of its seats for its Christian ally.
Second, the 2009 elections is a Christian battle par excellence. The war is on between Aoun, on the one hand, and the rest of his Christian rivals, including Samir Geagea of the Lebanese forces, Michael Al-Murr, a former member of the FPM bloc who defected a few months ago and whose strongest base of supporters is in Al-Matn area, north of the country, as well as Al-Kataib, the Christian right-wing Phalanges headed by Amin Gemayel. Further, constituencies like Jbeil, Kesrwan, Al-Matn Al-Shmali, Alkour and Albatroun will witness the fiercest battles between FPM candidates and Lebanese Forces candidates.
The results in homogeneously sectarian areas are almost a forgone conclusion. In Beirut, Sunni seats are most likely to go to Al-Mustaqbal while in Tripoli there is expected to be an electoral alliance between Al-Mustaqbal and former Prime Minister Najib Miqati. One stumbling block is whether or not there will be a place for Islamists. Salafis expect representation on Al-Hariri's list. Already posters are visible in Abu Samara neighbourhood in Tripoli in support of Dail Al-Islam Al-Shahal, a Salafi figure that allies with Al-Hariri and whose institutions are funded by Saudi Arabia. Shahal did not yet make clear his intentions, but there is anticipation within the circle of his supporters that he will be included on Al-Hariri's list. Another Salafi figure, Hassan Al-Shahal, expressed his intention to run independently, although he hopes to be included on Miqati's list.
Al-Jamaa Al-Islamyia is another Islamist group that seeks an alliance with Al-Mustaqbal, hoping to have three of its candidates -- one in Beirut, one in Tripoli and one in Dennyia -- on Al-Mustaqbal's electoral list. As for the Shia-dominated areas of the south, Hizbullah still secures the support of the majority of Shias. The 2005 result was a vote against UN Resolution 1559. Today, Hizbullah is standing on firmer ground. According to Mohamed Raad, Hizbullah's bloc leader in parliament, the resistance movement is confident that 22 out of 23 seats in the south are secure for the Hizbullah and Amal coalition. Raad insisted the battle would be over the percentage of voters turning out. Overall, the ideological and political polarisation that sharply divided Lebanon during the past four years appears to be losing its edge. Regional rivalry that helped sustain the polarisation is shifting to new grounds. Reconciliation is in progress between Saudi Arabia and Syria, ending years of political rivalry that reflected badly on Lebanon; the international tribunal on Rafik Al-Hariri's assassination has become a reality; the US is seeking dialogue with Tehran, and the West is opening up to Hizbullah; and the sectarian wave that hit the region following the 2003 US invasion of Iraq is calming down: all seem to be also affecting local actors on the Lebanese scene. Departing from the spirit of past years, when hitting at Syria was what the Western-backed 14 March coalition did best, this year that coalition has no harsh words for Syria. Sectarianism, nonetheless, will remain among the constants in Lebanese electoral politics. It is the main tool with which popular enthusiasm is fuelled. Jumblatt expressed his frustration with the ways in which some Christian leaders, in their attempt to mobilise their street, still hold him responsible for crimes against Christian villages in his area of influence during the civil war. For their part, Al-Mustaqbal candidates are expected to invoke the 7 May events during which they accuse Hizbullah of "invading and occupying Beirut", again in order to play on sectarian tensions. Such discourse will, undoubtedly, shape electoral campaigns. To what extent remains to be seen.
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Khoury accuses Feltman of misleading the majority
FPM site/Change and Reform bloc MP Camille Khoury on Friday said "What the majority did yesterday in the House of Representatives reflects their bad intentions towards the Lebanese people." “Khoury said the “real faces” of March 14 figures had been revealed. “They are seasonal traders who only seek their personal interests,” looking forward to their own interests";
During a meeting organized by the Free National Movement in Dekweneh, Khoury stressed at the importance of "the next phase, particularly the upcoming elections which will be fought on the various Lebanese territory." He added “"There are two different approaches, the first Approach that had ruled Lebanon since 1992,with the mentality of the company and brought Lebanon to the fiscal deficit and plunged it into debt, The other approach is doing all he can to change and the reform and the fight against corruption,” like what the General Aoun is doing..
Khoury criticized Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblatt, saying he had made the “worst” accusations against the Syrian regime, and “today he suddenly announced a positive position.” Khoury said that former MP Fares Souied had done the same thing.
“This is the difference between them and General Michel Aoun, who visited Syria after its army withdrew from Lebanon, as he said 18 years ago when the poles of the Cedar Revolution were rushing to please the Syrians to appoint them MPs,” Khoury said.
Khoury said that Acting Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Jeffrey Feltman was misleading the Lebanese parliamentary majority by saying America was waiting for the results of the upcoming parliamentary elections to adopt a clear position. “Let them take Feltman, we have US President Barack Obama,” he said.
FPM Coordinator
The Coordinator of the Free Patriotic Movement Amin Khoury stressed on the need to work hard to achieve victory in the next parliamentary elections, in Metn and other areas.