LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS
BULLETIN
December 09/08
Bible Reading
of the day.
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 1,26-38. In the sixth month,
the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town of Galilee called Nazareth, to a
virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the house of David, and the virgin's
name was Mary. And coming to her, he said, "Hail, favored one! The Lord is with
you." But she was greatly troubled at what was said and pondered what sort of
greeting this might be. Then the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for
you have found favor with God. Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a
son, and you shall name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called Son of
the Most High, and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father,
and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will
be no end." But Mary said to the angel, "How can this be, since I have no
relations with a man?" And the angel said to her in reply, "The holy Spirit will
come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore the
child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God. And behold, Elizabeth,
your relative, has also conceived a son in her old age, and this is the sixth
month for her who was called barren; for nothing will be impossible for God."
Mary said, "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me
according to your word." Then the angel departed from her.
Saint Ephrem (c.306-373), deacon in Syria, Doctor of the Church
Marian hymn
«You allowed no stain of Adam's sin to touch the Virgin Mary. Full of grace, she
was to be a worthy mother of your Son» (Proper preface of the Mass)
Son of God, grant me your own admirable Gift that I may celebrate the wondrous
beauty of your beloved Mother! The Virgin gave birth to a son while preserving
her virginity; she suckled him who gives nourishment to the peoples; in her
immaculate breast she bore him who carries the whole world in his hands. She is
Virgin and Mother, what will she not be hereafter? Holy in body, all beautiful
in soul, pure of mind, upright in intelligence, perfect in feeling, chaste and
faithful, pure of heart and filled with virtue. May the hearts of virgins
rejoice in Mary since of her was born the one who set humankind free from
dreadful slavery. May the old Adam, wounded by the serpent, rejoice in Mary; it
is Mary who gives Adam a posterity that allows him to crush the accursed serpent
and who cures him of his mortal wound (Gen 3,15). Let priests rejoice in the
blessed Virgin; she has brought the High Priest into the world who gave himself
as a victim, putting an end to the sacrifices of the Old Covenant... Let the
prophets rejoice in Mary, since in her were fulfilled their visions, in her were
realized their prophecies, in her were confirmed their oracles. Let all the
patriarchs rejoice in Mary since she received the blessing promised to them, she
who, in her son, has brought them to completion...Mary is the new tree of life
who, instead of the bitter fruit picked by Eve, gives to mankind that sweet
fruit on which the whole world is fed.
Free Opinions, Releases, letters & Special
Reports
Flirting with Syria-By Hussein Shobokshi/Asharq
Alawsat 08/12/08
Interfaith dialogue, hypocrisy and
private lives-By
Talal Nizaneddin-
Daily Star
08/12/08
Aoun
has become that which he long claimed to disdain-
The Daily Star 08/12/08
Lebanon as seen through a warped looking glass-By
Marc J. Sirois -Daily Star 08/12/08
Trouble in the Other Middle East-By ROBERT D.
KAPLAN-New York Times
08/12/08
Latest News Reports From
Miscellaneous Sources for December
08/08
Miqdad: Syria Wants Ties
with Entire Lebanon, Not Individuals-Naharnet
Security Forces Defuse Explosives
in Sidon-Naharnet
Gunbattles between Hamas, Fatah in
Mieh Mieh,(North Lebanon) 1 Killed-Naharnet
Hezbollah Meeting on the Agenda for Jimmy Carter?CNSNews.com
Qabbani: Divergence from Fundamentalist Views of Taef is A Walk into Chaos-Naharnet
Saniora
to Visit Iran after Drawing Up Frame for Bilateral-Naharnet
Security Forces Defuse Explosives in Sidon-Naharnet
Army Vows to Uproot Terror
on 1st Anniversary of Hajj's Killing-Naharnet
Syria Demands Apology from
Murr as Precondition to Meeting Assad-Naharnet
Moussawi: Hospitality in
Receiving Aoun is a Celebration of the Resistance-Naharnet
Aoun from Aleppo: No Need
for Christian Reconciliation, Differences are Part of Democratic Process-Naharnet
Jumblat: Syrian Regime Poses Danger
to Independence Movement-Naharnet
Makram Obeid: Syria's
Ambassador to Lebanon, Michel Khoury: Lebanon's Ambassador to Damascus-Naharnet
Sarkozy in Beirut Soon to
See What Happened to Syria's Commitments toward Lebanon-Naharnet
Sfeir Urges Young
Christians to Join Lebanese Army-Naharnet
Rmeish honors Hajj on first anniversary of murder-Daily
Star
Jumblatt repeats warning that Syria imperils Lebanon's independence-Daily
Star
Interfaith dialogue, hypocrisy and private lives-Daily
Star
Verdict expected in trial of Lebanese for botched German bomb plot
(AFP)
No
political conditions on Russian arms supplies for Lebanon - officials-Daily
Star
Beirut bourse tracks losses abroad-Daily
Star
Lebanese economy evades effects of global crisis - report-Daily
Star
UNESCO taps media to bolster youth policy-Daily
Star
Southern farmer harvests monster potato-(AFP)
Lebanese consul urges Philippines to drop travel ban for migrant workers-Daily
Star
Situation in Somalia Seems About to Get Worse-New
York Times
Wahhab Threatens Jumblat with
Retaliation following Chouf Shootout-Naharnet
Flirting with Syria
08/12/2008
By Hussein Shobokshi/Asharq Alawsat
It was hard to believe the recent news reports that General Michel Aoun had
landed in Damascus especially for those who had followed the ongoing and severe
hostility between Aoun and Syria over many years. This is a new chapter in a
series of turnarounds, which has become something of a Lebanese specialty, and
today General Michel Aoun is setting a new example of Machiavellian political
philosophy, which states that the end justifies the means.
Aoun chose to take an old and traditional route of Lebanese politics; that
decisions in Lebanon must pass through Damascus first. Aoun is not the first
(nor will he be the last) to take this route. General Aoun caused sadness and
pity as he tried time and again to explain his position and clarify his
objectives and the reasons behind the change in his stance concerning Syria. Yet
this anxious and emotional explanation lacked any conviction and logical
acceptance.
There is no enduring animosity, but there are enduring interests. This is a
slogan of the USA foreign policy, and today we can see its effects on the
political approach of General Michel Aoun. The impact of his visit to Damascus
on the complex reality of
Lebanon, and specifically on the forthcoming elections, are yet to materialize.
There is talk of possible future deals with various scenarios and dimensions
being mentioned whilst many remain ignorant to the specifics of such deals.
However, they cannot be denied altogether.
Michel Aoun was the spiritual father of the Syria Accountability Act [Syria
Accountability and Lebanese Sovereignty Restoration Act, December 12, 2003]
which was passed by the United States Congress, and which Aoun personally
pursued along its various stages. Aoun built up his reputation as a leader in
Lebanon through his firm stance of rejecting Syrian presence in any way, shape,
or form on Lebanese territory. However he has now become a representative of
this approach.
Since General Michel Aoun’s return to Lebanon following his 15 year exile in
France, his position has changed, puzzling all those who knew and supported him.
General Aoun reminds me of two novels by the great Colombian author Gabriel
Garcia Marquez, entitled ‘The General in his Labyrinth’ and ‘No One Writes to
the Colonel’ both of which deal with the realities of soldiers in search of a
new life. Michel Aoun is a political riddle, but one which is typical within the
Lebanese political structure. He is not the first to have performed a U-turn
with regards to his political position, as there are others like him. The coming
days will clarify the dimensions of Aoun’s visit to Damascus and what it means
for the Lebanese political scene.
Miqdad: Syria Wants Ties with Entire
Lebanon, Not Individuals
Naharnet/Syrian Deputy Foreign Minister Faysal
Miqdad stressed that Syria wants ties with entire Lebanon, not just with
individuals.
Syria "does not want to personalize relationships … we want these ties to be
established with entire Lebanon," Miqdad said in remarks published by the daily
As Safir on Monday. He said it was "normal" for Free Patriotic Movement leader
Gen. Michel Aoun to "be in Syria and so should our entire Lebanese brethren."
"In return, it is normal for the Syrian people and Syrian officials to be across
Lebanon," Lebanon added. On the issue of missing Lebanese in Syrian jails,
Miqdad said that Damascus "will not leave one stone unturned in order to clarify
everything related to the so-called missing Lebanese." He suggested that
Lebanese authorities and former warlords in Lebanon exert every effort to reveal
information about those missing, "the majority of which perished during the
civil war." Beirut, 08 Dec 08, 10:29
Gunbattles between Hamas, Fatah in Mieh Mieh, 1 Killed
Naharnet/Militants from Palestinian President
Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah faction and rival Islamist movement Hamas fought gunbattles
in the southern refugee camp of Mieh Mieh on Monday, killing a youth and
wounding two more people. The Lebanon commander of the Palestinian Armed
Struggle Command Munir Maqdah said the two sides used automatic rifles and
rocket-propelled grenades in the Mieh Mieh camp near the southern port city of
Sidon. He said Walid Zaidan, the younger brother of Fatah commander in Mieh Mieh,
was killed in the fighting. Maqdah said fighting is dying down after the camp's
security forces intervened in an effort to halt the violence. The army does not
enter the camps, leaving security responsibility to Palestinian factions.
Beirut, 08 Dec 08, 14:33
Rmeish honors Hajj on first anniversary of murder
'The assassins will be uncovered'
By Mohammed Zaatari /Daily Star staff
Monday, December 08, 2008
RMEISH: A memorial Mass was held in the Southern town of Rmeish on Sunday to
commemorate the first anniversary of the assassination of Brigadier General
Francois al-Hajj. The memorial was held at the Church of the Apparition in the
presence of state officials, as well as military and spiritual delegations and
was sponsored by President Michel Sleiman, who was represented by his wife Wafaa
Sleiman. MP Ali Bazzi and Interior Minister Ziad Baroud represented
Parliament Speaker Berri and Prime Minister Siniora respectively. Other public
figures also attended the Mass, which was headed by Bishop Shukrallah al-Hajj,
representing Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Butros Sfeir. General Hajj was
assassinated on December 12, 2007, when a car bomb exploded as he drove to work
in Baabda.
His death was considered a grave loss for the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) as he
had been a candidate to become the next LAF commander.
At the sermon, Bishop Hajj offered Sfeir's condolences to the general's family
and loved ones, adding that the patriarch supported all efforts to forge
reconciliation among the Lebanese. The sermon was followed by a public ceremony
which started with a documentary in commemoration of Hajj, after which General
Tanios Manujian gave a speech on behalf of the LAF's current commander, General
Jean Kahwaji. Manujian spoke about Hajj's life, love for his country, and
attachment to his land, adding that "the day will come soon when the assassins
of Hajj will be uncovered and sent to trial."He also said the strength and unity
of the LAF had allowed it to overcome all obstacles and endure difficulties,
such as the one caused by the murder of Hajj. A word of gratitude for the
participants followed from the mayor of Rmeish. The memorial concluded with a
speech by the General Hajj's son, Elie al-Hajj, in which he cited the patriotic
role of the president and emphasized protecting the freedom and sovereignty of
Lebanon by supporting the military. Hajj ended his address by demanding that his
late father's killers be brought to justice.
At the end of the ceremony, a memorial statue of General Hajj was uncovered in
the town's main square, after which the establishment of the General Francois
Hajj Foundation was announced
Jumblatt repeats warning that Syria imperils Lebanon's
independence
Psp chief says Damascus has divided Palestinians, too
By Hussein Abdallah
Daily Star staff
Monday, December 08, 2008
BEIRUT: Progressive Socialist Party (PSP) leader MP Walid Jumblatt said on
Sunday that the Syrian regime posed a danger to Lebanon's "independence
movement," referring to his anti-Damascus March 14 Forces. "The Syrian regime is
the first and last danger that the independence movement is facing," he told his
party's general assembly, which was held in the town of Baakline in the Chouf
Mountains, southeast of Beirut.
Jumblatt said that next year's parliamentary elections would decide Lebanon's
fate in the near future.
"If the March 14 Forces lose the elections, the country will return to the
period of Syrian tutelage," he said.
The PSP chief called on his comrades not to lose faith in their cause and to
stay committed to the principles of the March 14 alliance.
"The real reconciliation between the Lebanese people was that of March 14,
2005," he said, referring to the mass gathering in Martyrs Square one month
after the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. "We should stay
focused to face challenges, especially after the Syrian regime has succeeded in
ending its international isolation as heads of states will be rushing to visit
Damascus."
Remembering his late father Kamal Jumblatt, the PSP leader told his comrades
that he would not change course.
"The Syrians killed Kamal Jumblatt because they wanted to kill the PSP, but in
fact nothing changed as I will continue to be my father's son," he said.
Kamal Jumblatt was killed in 1977 and many Lebanese blame his death on Syria.
The PSP chief also accused Damascus of "destroying the unity of the Palestinian
people."
"My father was one of the first to fight for the Palestinian cause ... Both
Kamal Jumblatt and Yasser Arafat died while trying to keep the Palestinians
united," he said referring to the late Palestinian president.
The general assembly was concluded by the re-election of Jumblatt as party
leader, a post he has held since the assassination of his father.
Also Sunday, Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) leader and MP Michel Aoun returned to
Beirut after a five-day visit to Syria. Aoun wrapped up his trip by visiting
Saint Maroun's grave in the city of Aleppo. Saint Maroun is the founder of the
Christian Maronite faith, to which the majority of Lebanese Christians adhere.
Speaking to reporters after attending a Mass, Aoun said Lebanon and Syria were
destined to have normal relations.
"I came here to call for purifying our souls ... I hope my call will reach other
Lebanese as well," he said, adding that reconciliation among Christian parties
in Lebanon was not necessary. "It is normal to have political differences among
Christians ... This does not require a reconciliation," he said.
On Saturday, Aoun told Syrian state television that he could not have delayed
his visit to Damascus any further.
"I waited for a long time, hoping some parties would change their positions, but
I realized in the end that some were retarded and had rigid minds," he said.
Aoun added that there were two camps in Lebanon; a national one which was
committed to having good relations with its surrounding environment as opposed
to a "mobile one which is like a taxi cab that moves from one place to another."
Aoun also visited Christian memorials on Saturday before joining a banquet held
in his honor by Syrian President Bashar Assad.
March 14 MP Marwan Hamadeh said Aoun had taken to Damascus "the dignity of the
Lebanese people and will come back with nothing."
Speaking to Voice of Lebanon radio, Hamadeh said he "regretted Aoun's
transformation of the Free Patriotic Movement into a second Syrian Socialist
National Party or even less."
In contrast, Hizbullah's senior official in the South, Sheikh Nabil Qaouk, said
Aoun's visit to Syria would empower Lebanon to face "foreign guardianship" and
Israeli threats. He also said that while the resistance had given diplomacy "a
chance," the international community had failed to liberate the Shebaa Farms and
Kfar Shuba Hills from Israeli occupation.
Separately, Speaker Nabih Berri said Sunday that amendments to the Taif Accord
that ended the 1975-1990 Civil War, as suggested by Aoun, were only possible if
there was national consensus on the issue.
"Taif is not a holy book," Berri told the pan-Arab Ash-Sharq al-Awsat newspaper.
"But any amendments to it can only be achieved through Lebanese consensus."
Also Sunday, Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Butros Sfeir urged young Christians to
enlist in the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF).
Speaking during his weekly sermon, Sfeir said military service was "a national
duty" around the world.
"It is necessary in order to preserve the nation and make it prosper," he said.
Sfeir's remarks came after a senior military official said that the number of
Christians joining the LAF was decreasing.
Also speaking on the eve of Muslim holiday of Eid Al-Adha, Druze spiritual
leader Sheikh Naim Hassan hoped that dialogue would prosper under the auspices
of President Michel Sleiman.
On the security front, security forces defused 750 grams of explosives that were
placed in a Sidon neighborhood.
The TNT was connected to an electric wire and placed on the side of a road that
leads to the residence of Sidon Mayor Abdel Rahman al-Bizri. The same road also
leads to the southern city's Justice Palace
Saniora to Visit Iran after Drawing Up Frame for Bilateral
Cooperation
Naharnet/Prime Minister Fouad Saniora has agreed with Iranian ambassador
Mohammed Riza Shibani to draw up a frame for bilateral cooperation between
Lebanon and Iran ahead of a possible visit by Saniora to Tehran. The
pan-Arab daily Al Hayat on Monday said Shibani – during a visit to the prime
minister over the weekend -- renewed his invitation for Saniora to visit Tehran.
Al Hayat, however, said the renewal does not mean the trip is going to take
place anytime soon, pending a visit by an Iranian delegation to Beirut to draw
up the frame of bilateral cooperation between the two countries. Sources told Al
Hayat that Saniora had no objection to visiting Iran. "A positive atmosphere of
success, however, has got to be provided for such a visit." Saniora on Saturday
discussed with Shibani the outcome of President Michel Suleiman's recent visit
to Tehran. Shibani told reporters after the talks that the discussion covered
"the best practical methods … to implement what has been agreed on by the
Iranian and Lebanese presidents." "We also discussed political developments in
the region and the ordeal of the Palestinian people in Gaza due to the Israeli
siege," he added. Beirut, 08 Dec 08, 09:12
Qabbani: Divergence from Fundamentalist Views of Taef is A
Walk into Chaos
Naharnet/Grand Mufti Sheikh Mohammed Rashid Qabbani warned Monday that
divergence from fundamentalist views of the Taef Accord would lead to chaos.
"Peace among the Lebanese … cannot be achieved without state institutions and a
nation of law capable of imposing peace, security and safety," Qabbani said
during Eid el-Adha sermon. He stressed that the strategy of the state is one of
"liberation, freedom, construction as well as national and human coexistence."
"While contradictory strategies," Qabbani went on to say, "are strategies of
partition, subordination, fear, confrontation and conflicts as well as
destruction."
He reminded the people of the Taef agreement which was the result of a "national
and popular Lebanese will that stood against calls for partition and
separation."
"Divergence from fundamentalist views of the Taef Accord is a walk in the
unknown, a walk into chaos," Qabbani warned from Mohammed al-Amin Mosque in
downtown Beirut. Beirut, 08 Dec 08, 10:46
Wahhab Threatens Jumblat with Retaliation following Chouf
Shootout
Naharnet/Former cabinet minister Wiam Wahhab has threatened Druze leader Walid
Jumblat with retaliation over an overnight shooting incident in the Chouf
mountains which he claimed was an assassination attempt on his life. The
state-run National News Agency said a shootout took place around 9 pm Sunday
between Wahhab supporters and members of Jumblat's Progressive Socialist Party
in the town of Kfarhim. It said the Lebanese army immediately intervened and
deployed troops in the area to halt the ongoing violence. The daily An Nahar,
however, on Monday quoted PSP sources as saying that during a visit by Wahhab to
his sister's house in Kfarhim, a large number of bodyguards took up positions on
rooftops and balconies as well as on the town's main street. The sources said
the scene – which annoyed Kfarhim residents -- triggered a verbal attack that
quickly developed into shooting in the air. An Nahar said Jumblat quickly
stepped in, holding intensive contacts with local clerics and influential
figures to resolve the dispute.
The Lebanese army command said in a communiqué that troops intervened and
contained the incident which resulted from a shootout between two political
parties.
"The situation returned to normal," the communiqué added. Wahhab, however,
considered the incident an assassination attempt, saying that while attending a
kid's birthday party at his sister's house, bullets showered upon the mansion,
targeting him. "Revenge it shall be if he (Jumblat) goes beyond the red lines,"
Wahhab warned. Beirut, 08 Dec 08, 08:36
Security Forces Defuse Explosives in Sidon
Naharnet/Lebanese security forces have defused 750 grams of explosives in the
sourthern port city of Sidon. The TNT was connected to an electric wire and
placed in the Wostani neighborhood a few meters from Maarouf Saad elementary
school. The security forces defused the bomb at 6:00 pm Sunday. Beirut, 08 Dec
08, 06:31
Army Vows to Uproot Terror on 1st Anniversary of Hajj's
Killing
The Lebanese army on Sunday vowed to continue its fight against terrorism as it
marked the first anniversary of Maj. Gen. Francois Hajj's assassination.
The army insists on "tearing out the malignant roots of terrorism wherever they
were found," the army command said. A mass service was held in Hajj's memory in
his hometown of Rmeish in south Lebanon. "The day will come when the killers
will be uncovered and put on trial," said Brig. Gen. Panos Manoujian who
represented Defense Minister Elias Murr and Army chief Gen. Jean Qahwaji at the
mass. "Terrorists thought that by killing one of the pillars of the military
institution, they could confuse the army and hinder its national role. However,
the military tree is more solid and much higher with the martyr's blood," he
said.
Hajj, the army's chief of operations, was killed in a car bombing in Beirut's
suburb of Baabda Dec. 12, 2007. His son Elie spoke at the service on behalf of
the family, calling on the state to expose the killers and bring them to
justice. "The country strongly embraces the president, who is moving the
country towards safety, lead by chief of the armed forces Gen. Jean Qahwaji, and
all the leaderships loyal to Lebanon," he said. He said all officials should
work on preserving the country by supporting and equipping the military
institution. Lebanon's first lady Wafaa Suleiman represented the president at
the mass which was attended by political, military, diplomatic and religious
figures. Beirut, 07 Dec 08, 18:46
Syria Demands Apology from Murr as Precondition to Meeting
Assad
Naharnet/Syria has reportedly demanded an apology from Defense Minister Elias
Murr as a precondition to meeting with President Bashar al-Assad.
Press reports on Sunday said Syria wants Murr – if he wishes to meet Assad -- to
apologize for accusing Damascus of standing behind his assassination attempt.
The daily Ad Diyar said if Murr rejected, this means that the defense minister's
agenda would be restricted to talks with Syrian Defense Minister Hassan Turkmani.
The government, however, has set the agenda for Murr's coming visit to Syria,
restricting it to three topics only -- border control, combating smuggling and
implementing U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701. The decision was taken after
the government stressed that it has the sole power to decide on official visits
to foreign countries by members of the executive authority and public servants.
Beirut, 07 Dec 08, 12:01
Moussawi: Hospitality in Receiving Aoun is a Celebration of
the Resistance
Naharnet/Hizbullah's International Relations official Nawaf Moussawi said the
hospitality with which Gen. Michel Aoun was received in Syria is also a
celebration of the resistance and a salute to the general who stood by it. "To
those betting on a strike against Iran or the resistance, we say this won't
happen for the enemy is incapable of eliminating us militarily. If they strike
they will be the first to lose," Moussawi stressed on Sunday. He considered the
Lebanese to be governed by consensus regardless of the 2009 parliamentary
elections. To those wagering on achieving a parliamentary majority again,
Moussawi said: "It does not take a lot of reflection to know that their
reasoning is baseless." Moussawi expressed surprise at the international
community's continued silence over Israeli violations of the Blue Line and U.N.
Security Council Resolution 1701. Beirut, 07 Dec 08, 16:57
Aoun from Aleppo: No Need for Christian Reconciliation,
Differences are Part of Democratic Process
Free Patriotic Movement leader Gen. Michel Aoun ended his five-day visit to
Syria on Sunday and returned to Beirut aboard a Syrian jet.
"There is nothing between the Christians that calls for reconciliation, because
differences are part of the democratic process," Aoun said before leaving Syria.
"We are reconciled with ourselves and I don't think we will differ over St.
Maroun," he said. "We thought the distance between Mount Lebanon and Mount Syria
is far. However, it is much shorter than imagined," Aoun said after attending
mass at St. Maroun's in Aleppo. Aoun paid tribute to Muslims on the occasion of
al-Adha holiday. "Let us all share our feasts. This is common living, this is
the call of our common heavenly faiths," he said. On the 5th day of his trip to
Syria, Aoun visited the grave of St. Maroun at Brad, northern Aleppo, and
attended a large mass. He also visited various religious and archeological sites
some dating back to the second century A.D. Syrian Deputy Foreign Minister
Faisal Miqdad and the Governor of Aleppo accompanied him. Beirut, 07 Dec 08,
16:14
Jumblat: Syrian Regime Poses Danger to Independence Movement
Naharnet/Progressive Socialist party leader Walid Jumblat on Sunday said the
Syrian regime poses a danger to the independence movement in Lebanon.
"The Syrian regime poses the first and last danger to the independence movement
in Lebanon," Jumblat told the Progressive Socialist Party's General Assembly in
a meeting held in the town of Baakline, in the Chouf mountains southeast of
Beirut. Jumblat warned that if the ruling March 14 coalition lost the next
parliamentary elections Lebanon would return to Syrian tutelage. "If we lost the
2009 elections, it would be a great setback and Lebanon will officially go back
to the Syrian orbit," Jumblat said. He accused Syria of wiping out free
thinking. "The Syrian regime succeeded in destroying the independent Palestinian
decision," Jumblat said.
Beirut, 07 Dec 08, 11:19
Sfeir Urges Young Christians to Join Lebanese Army
Naharnet/Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Sfeir on Sunday urged young Christians to
join the Lebanese army. His plea came following remarks by a senior military
official that the number of Christians joining the army was decreasing.
"Military service around the world is a national duty," Sfeir said during his
Sunday sermon. "It is inevitable in order to preserve the nation and make it
prosper." Sfeir had told his guests earlier in the day that Lebanon "will remain
one country for all citizens regardless of differences." He expressed hope that
differences would be settled through "unity," calling on all Lebanese to be "one
hand, one heart." Beirut, 07 Dec 08, 12:10
Aoun has become that which he
long claimed to disdain
By The Daily Star
Monday, December 08, 2008
Editorial
Ever since he returned to Lebanon in 2005, Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) leader
Michel Aoun has professed a desire for sweeping reforms and a commitment to
working through the institutions of the Lebanese state. For much of that time,
the fact that he accomplished so little on either front could be explained away
by his party's absence from the government. Today, however, the FPM has a
significant presence in Cabinet to go along with its large representation on
Parliament, which means it no longer has so convenient an excuse.
One might have hoped that Aoun would use this enhanced position to advance his
agenda by using all of the legitimate avenues at his disposal. Instead of having
the FPM bring concrete legislative and policy proposals before Parliament and
Cabinet, however, the former general has continued to work outside the system -
and now, outside the country itself. He could not have picked a worse venue than
Syria to publicize his calls for amendments to the Taif Accord that ended
Lebanon's 1975-1990 Civil War.
He also could not have picked a worse cause than that of enhancing the powers of
the presidency: Taif has flaws and its implementation has been so spotty as to
obviate most of its qualities, but that only means there are several
high-priority changes that can and should be discussed via the proper channels
and at the proper time. Providing solutions in areas like the rule of law, the
independence of the judiciary, and ending sectarianism would benefit all
Lebanese. Instead, Aoun's emphasis on presidential powers looks a lot like a
cynical (not to say dangerous) ploy to capture the votes of Christians in next
year's parliamentary elections.
Taif and the presidency are not subjects to be trifled with, a fact evinced by
how little support has greeted Aoun's recommendations. The current president,
Michel Sleiman, has not demanded more authority - only more respect from foreign
governments accustomed to "dealing with Lebanon" via particular politicians.
Even the FPM's allies in the March 8 Forces have either offered no comment at
all on his plan or pointed out that it would open a Pandora's box of new demands
from several communities at a time when the country and its people are simply
not equipped to cope with destabilizing controversies.
Aoun's calls for a new way of doing politics in this country were once a breath
of fresh air. But his consistent failure to engage in the necessary legwork, his
frequent recklessness in pursuit of his own aggrandizement, and his penchant for
character assassination have combined to make him look and sound like something
he has always claimed to abhor: just another Lebanese politician with a
successful cult of personality but none of the discipline and vision demanded of
actual statesman.
Lebanon's history is littered with the detritus left behind by blowhards and
their hollow slogans. Aoun's best moments have been when he has assailed the
succession of unworthy grandees who have subjugated the national interest to
their own ambitions. His worst mistake, however, has been to follow in their
footsteps
Interfaith dialogue, hypocrisy
and private lives
By Talal Nizaneddin -Daily Star
Monday, December 08, 2008
I am suffering from a total state of agnosia. Is this the same Michel Aoun who
angrily vowed that he would break the head of the Syrian regime? Is this the
same Syrian regime that pacified the Lebanese Army soldiers fighting under
Aoun's command and waged a ruthless campaign for 15 years to marginalize the
idealistic Free Patriotic Movement supporters? At least I am almost sure that I
haven't been afflicted by amnesia. I remember when the Lebanese felt the thrill
of defiance when they beeped their car horns driving through the Nahr al-Kalb
tunnel leading to Jounieh from Beirut.
Letting bygones be bygones and forgiveness is a treasured feature of human
nature and being an optimist, I say whatever breaks the ice and allows people to
move on from a painful past should be welcomed with open hearts. But the process
of forgiveness is a long and arduous one. In Judaism, Christianity and Islam it
must begin with honesty, leading to confession and then as a final step
absolution becomes meaningful. On a human level, in a one-to-one conflict, a
discussion must take place that expresses the pain of each side so that there is
an understanding of the hopes and fears of the other side before saying sorry
reaches a level beyond words and touches the human within us.
It is said that since the end of the Cold War we have been living in the age of
the clash of civilizations and the dialogue of faiths. In the Western and
pro-Israeli media, Islam is the culprit, with the image of bloodthirsty mad
Muslims rampaging through Mumbai killing randomly all those around them the
latest episode of terror that does nothing to the great religion they claim to
be fighting for. Among Arabs and Muslims it is the Jews who have manipulated the
Holocaust tragedy to inflict suffering on Palestinians and Arabs. The Christian
West is also blamed for a low-burning decadence that over time has led to the
collapse of the world financial markets due to greed and the neglect of the
poverty and misery of the so-called Third World.
What is strikingly noticeable about Aoun's visit is the tour of the historic
churches of Syria. The message clearly states that Christianity is safe from the
harm of Muslim fanatics in secular Syria. But the manipulation of the clash of
civilizations idea has been even better fine-tuned because there is now a
distinction between Sunni Islam and Shiite Islam that has been dispersed in our
media outlets like a wave of cluster bombs. Thus we have inter and
intra-civilization clashes if we are to believe our political experts and TV
commentators. Aoun and his supporters have played further on Lebanese Christian
emotions, maliciously highlighting the difference between the Shiites, true
Lebanese patriots who are fighting Israeli occupation and the Sunnis, bad people
who are paid by the Saudis to turn Lebanon into a Wahhabi extension. Even by
local standards Lebanese politics has descended to a truly low level.
In fact, the Saudi monarch courageously endorsed a United Nations gathering to
promote dialogue among the world's great religions despite criticisms from no
other than Aoun and his comrades in March 8. Despite the good intentions, the
Saudis may however be wasting their time. By entering into such discussions the
world risks mirroring the same Lebanese facade that religious belief somehow
lies at the source of conflict. It evades the powerful economic explanations and
the fact that there is a huge gap in wealth between states and between
individuals in the world we live in. It also, and just as importantly, diverts
attention from the lack of representation, the lack of personal freedoms and the
lack of human rights most people in the world endure on a daily basis. Blatant
injustice, economic and political, creates extremism and not religions.
The West should not feel too self-satisfied about its state when there are calls
for more social justice and greater freedoms. In Britain, as an example of an
advanced European country, the state has been shown to fail time and time again
in protecting children with one in four children according to a recent study
suffering from sexual abuse. Crime is rampant and ethics are barely visible in
the business and political realms. As in the United States, a philosophy of
"grabbing hands grab what they can" has reigned for decades. Support for
oppressive regimes, particularly here in the Middle East, is justified in the
name of good diplomacy but the arming of parties fuelling regional conflicts is
also considered good business sense.
If most sensible people agree that finding a solution to the Palestinian
problem, which has nothing to do with religion, will make the Middle East and
the world a better place, why on earth has it been so difficult for the world's
only superpower to convince Israel to accept a neighboring viable Palestinian
state on the West Bank and Gaza? If the United States is truly a democracy, then
I must concur with the people I despise the most, the religious fanatics, that
blaming the elected leader of the United States is futile because the American
people must shoulder their moral responsibility to force their government into a
strategic change in their approach. The Palestinian-Israeli conflict is a
political problem with a human dimension. It is simply about national
self-determination and not religious fanaticism or civilizational clashes.
Palestinians and Jews belong to the same religious family chart, whether they
like to admit or not although undoubtedly their historic experiences have
diverged.
Nowhere has the mythology of sectarian and religious warfare been more prevalent
than in Lebanon. I am still surprised how many Western observers take for
granted the cliches about Muslim-Christian divisions characterizing Lebanese
society. In reality, Lebanon is more of a clan-based system, with chiefs of
clans or communities often but not necessary being defined by their religious
beliefs. It just so happens that the sect is an important form of
self-identification that is manipulated for conflicts, whether it is over land
or political power. That is why within Lebanese sects there are often more than
one chief. Take the Maronites as an example of multiple chiefs or zaims,
Suleiman Franjieh, Samir Geagea, Michel Aoun, Amin Gemayel and Dori Chamoun all
godfathering their own loyal communities. Even the ideological Hizbullah
recognizes the need to respect the independence of the unruly clans of Baalbek
in return for acknowledgement.
In Lebanon inter-communal relations and divisions are far more complex than
simple religious divides. The downside of this system is that the individual is
forced into belonging into a clan, because the collective of clans are far more
powerful than the formal state. Only the community can protect the individual.
In Lebanon, individuals do not have private lives, as is the case in the West,
because they are the property of the family, the village, the community. The
pattern is the same among all of Lebanese sects. But then again, free from the
regional political conflicts, the interference from outside and the flaws in the
internal political system, why should we accept that the community is a lesser
entity than the state in its value?
Some Western political theorists have even called for a return to communalism as
a result of the social failures of the modern state. The Lebanese model offers
the opportunity of creating a political system that safeguards communities and
also protects the rights of individuals living within them because the
hypocritical and simply false pretense of a unified centralized state has been
unworkable and shows no signs of succeeding. The Lebanese want their personal
liberty, social justice and their community at one and the same time. It is no
easy task but where there is a will there is a way and Lebanon could present the
world with an example to be emulated around the world. Lebanon's greatness and
loyalty from its citizens could be reinforced by the historic achievement of
harmonious and fraternal communal cohabitation. The first step is liberation
from the old slogans and working for the common good without playing on communal
fears to achieve personal ambitions. When a zaim such as Aoun tours with an open
heart the various neighborhoods of Beirut rather than the churches of Syria we
would have began reaching the final step toward that sacred goal.
**Talal Nizameddin wrote this article for THE DAILY STAR.
Trouble in the Other Middle
East
By ROBERT D. KAPLAN
Published: December 8, 2008
The New York Times
THE divisions we split the world into during the cold war have at long last
crumbled thanks to the Mumbai terrorist attacks. No longer will we view South
Asia as a region distinct from the Middle East. Now there is only one long
continuum stretching from the Mediterranean to the jungles of Burma, with every
crisis from the Israeli-Palestinian dispute in the west to the Hindu-Muslim
dispute in the east interlocked with the one next door.
Yet this elongated Greater Near East does not signify something new but
something old.
For significant parts of medieval and early modern history, Delhi was under the
same sovereignty as Kabul, yet under a different one from Bangalore. From the
16th to the 18th centuries, the Mughal dynasty, created by Muslims from Central
Asia, governed a sprawling empire encompassing northern and central India,
almost all of Pakistan and much of Afghanistan — even as Hindu Maratha warriors
in India’s south held out against Mughal armies. India’s whole history — what
has created its rich syncretic civilization of Turko-Persian gems like the Taj
Mahal and the elaborate Hindu temples of Orissa — is a story of waves of Muslim
invaders in turn killing, interacting with and ultimately being influenced by
indigenous Hindus. There is even a name for the kind of enchanting architecture
that punctuates India and blends Islamic and Hindu styles: Indo-Saracenic, a
reference to the Saracens, the term by which Arabs were known to Europeans of
the Middle Ages.
Hindu-Muslim relations have historically been tense. Remember that the 1947
partition of the subcontinent uprooted at least 15 million people and led to the
violent deaths of around half a million. Given this record, the relatively
peaceful relations between the majority Hindus and India’s 150 million Muslims
has been testimony to India’s successful experiment in democracy. Democracy has
so far kept the lid on an ethnic and religious divide that, while its roots run
centuries back, has in recent years essentially become a reinvented modern
hostility.
The culprit has been globalization. The secular Indian nationalism of Jawaharlal
Nehru’s Congress Party, built around a rejection of Western colonialism, is more
and more a thing of the past. As the dynamic Indian economy merges with that of
the wider world, Hindus and Muslims have begun separate searches for roots to
anchor them inside a bland global civilization. Mass communications have
produced a uniform and severe Hinduism from a host of local variants, even as
the country’s economically disenfranchised Muslims are increasingly part of an
Islamic world community.
The Muslim reaction to this Hindu nationalism has been less anger and violence
than simple psychological withdrawal: into beards, skull caps and burkas in some
cases; self-segregating into Muslim ghettos in others. The terrorist attacks in
Mumbai had a number of aims, one of which was to set a fuse to this tense
intercommunal standoff. The jihadists not only want to destroy Pakistan, they
want to destroy India as well. India in their eyes is everything they hate:
Hindu, vibrantly free and democratic, implicitly and increasingly pro-American,
and militarily cozy with Israel. For Washington, this is no simple matter of
defending Pakistan against chaos by moving troops from Iraq to Afghanistan. It
is a whole region we are dealing with. Thus for the jihadists, the concept of a
9/11-scale attack on India was brilliant.
Just as the chaos in Iraq through early 2007 threatened the post-Ottoman state
system from Lebanon to Iran, creeping anarchy in Pakistan undermines not only
Afghanistan but also the whole Indian subcontinent. The existence of terrorist
outfits like Lashkar-e-Taiba that have links with the Pakistani security
apparatus but are outside the control of Pakistan’s own civilian authorities is
the very definition of chaos.
A collapsing Pakistan, and with it the loss of any real border separating India
from Afghanistan, is India’s worst nightmare. It brings us back toward the
borders of the Mughal world, but not in a peaceful way. Indeed, the route that
intelligence agencies feel was taken by the fishing boat hijacked by the
terrorists — from Porbandar in India’s Gujarat State, then north to Karachi in
Pakistan, and then south to Mumbai — follows centuries-old Indian Ocean trade
routes.
Trouble in the Other Middle East
The jihadist attack on India’s financial center not only damages
Indian-Pakistani relations, but makes Pakistan’s new civilian government — which
has genuinely tried to improve ties with India — look utterly pathetic. Thus,
the attack weakens both countries. Any understanding over Kashmir, the disputed
Muslim-majority territory claimed by Pakistan, is now further than ever from
materializing, with mass violence there a distinct possibility.
This, in turn, reduces the chance of an Indian-Pakistani rapprochement on
Afghanistan, whose government Pakistan seeks to undermine and India sends
millions of dollars in aid to help prop up. The Pakistani security services want
a radical Islamized Afghanistan as a strategic rear base against India, while
India wants a moderate, secular Afghanistan as a weapon against Pakistan.
Pakistan is not only chaotic but dangerously lonely. Islam has not proved
effective in bringing together its regionally based ethnic groups, and thus a
resort to a fierce ideology as a unifying device among fundamentalist Muslims
has been the country’s signal tragedy. Meanwhile, Pakistan’s military suspects
that Washington will desert their nation the moment the leadership of Al Qaeda
is, by any chance, killed or captured.
Making matters worse, every time the United States launches an air attack into
Pakistan from Afghanistan, it further destabilizes the Pakistani state. That is
why the Mumbai attacks bring true joy to the most dangerous elements of the
Pakistani security establishment: the tragedy has caused the world to focus on
India’s weaknesses — its lax security, its vulnerability to age-old maritime
infiltration and, most of all, the constant threat of caste and tribal violence
— that have been obscured by its economic success. See, many Pakistanis are
saying, your beloved India is not so stable either.
This is nonsense, of course. India, with all its troubles, is far more stable
than Pakistan. In the meantime, every day that goes by without riots in India is
a defeat for the Mumbai terrorists. Indeed, India’s own Muslims have
demonstrated against the attacks.
But India, not just Pakistan, desperately needs help. Just as solving or at
least neutralizing the Israeli-Palestinian dispute is a requirement for reducing
radicalism and Iranian influence throughout the Levant, the same is true of the
Indian-Pakistani dispute at the other end of the Greater Middle East. Our notion
of the “peace process” is antiquated and needs expanding. We need a second
special negotiator for the Middle East, a skilled diplomat shuttling regularly
among New Delhi, Islamabad and Kabul. (There has been some speculation, in fact,
that Barack Obama is considering Richard Holbrooke, the former United Nations
ambassador, for just such a job.)
The Middle East is back to where it was centuries ago, not because of ancient
hatreds but because of globalization. Instead of bold lines on a map we have a
child’s messy finger painting, as the circumvention of borders and the ease of
communications allow the brisk movement of ideas and people and terrorists from
one place to another. Our best strategy is, as difficult and trite as it sounds,
to be at all places at once, Not with troops, necessarily, but with every bit of
energy and constant attention that our entire national security apparatus — and
those of our allies — can bring to bear.
**Robert D. Kaplan is a national correspondent for The Atlantic and a senior
fellow at the Center for a New American Security.