LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS
BULLETIN
September 07/08
Bible Reading of the day.
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint
Luke 6,1-5. While he was going through a field of grain on a sabbath, his
disciples were picking the heads of grain, rubbing them in their hands, and
eating them. Some Pharisees said, "Why are you doing what is unlawful on the
sabbath?" Jesus said to them in reply, "Have you not read what David did when he
and those (who were) with him were hungry? (How) he went into the house of God,
took the bread of offering, which only the priests could lawfully eat, ate of
it, and shared it with his companions."Then he said to them, "The Son of Man is
lord of the sabbath."
Aelred of Rievaulx (1110-1167), Cistercian monk
The Mirror of Charity (cf. trans. Geoffrey Webb)/"The Son of Man is lord of the
sabbath."
In spite of their marvels, none of the days of
creation can be compared with the seventh day on which no work was done and God
rested after completing his handiwork. «And on the seventh day,» the book of
Genesis tells us, «God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the
seventh day from all his work which he had done» (Gen 2,2). Here we are told the
two requirements of the Sabbath: it must be a day, and at the same time there is
to be rest. This seventh day, however, does not seem to me to be measured in
time between sunrise and sunset, to be bright in the morning and dusk in the
evening (cf. Gen 1,5)...Listen to him who welcomes us into his rest: «Come to
me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest» (Mt 11,28).
This is the preparation for the Sabbath. As for the Sabbath itself, listen once
more: «Take my yoke upon you and learn of me, for I am meek and humble of heart;
and you will find rest for yourselves» (v.29). Here indeed is rest, calm and
true Sabbath. For this yoke does not weigh us down but unites; this burden lifts
us up, it does not press on us. This yoke is charity and this burden, brotherly
love. There we find rest; there we celebrate the Sabbath; there we are delivered
from slavery... And if it happens that our weakness succumbs to some fault, the
feasting of this Sabbath has no interruption, since «love covers a multitude of
sins» (1Pt 4,8).
Free
Opinions, Releases, letters & Special Reports
Assad is
sending all of the wrong messages to the Lebanese-
The Daily Star 06/09/08
Russia and the Caucasus-Al-Ahram Weekly
06/09/08
Latest News Reports From Miscellaneous Sources for September
06/08
Hariri In Tripoli after Warning
against Syrian Comeback Attempts-Naharnet
The Art of Middle East Survival-Wall
Street Journal
Assad Annoys France-Qatar Over Lebanon-Naharnet
Report: US to take part in Israel-Syria talks-Ynetnews
MP Nicola: Aoun is Lebanon's Safety Pin-Naharnet
Miqati: Reconciliation Efforts Underway in Tripoli-Naharnet
Najjar: Assad's Style
Targeted the dignity of Lebanon's leaders-Naharnet
Bassil Doesn't Want to
Teach Assad How to Speak-Naharnet
Hizbullah Attacks March 14
for Criticizing Assad-Naharnet
Sarkozy to Assad: No
Turning Point for the International Tribunal-Naharnet
Hariri Warns Against
Attempts by Syria to Make a Military Comeback to Lebanon-Naharnet
Geagea: Hizbullah Wants to
Avoid Dialogue, Assad's Stand on Lebanon Hasn't Changed-Naharnet
MP Kabbara Declares
Tripoli Capital of Lebanon's Sunnis-Naharnet
Gemayel: Aoun Covers Up
the Hizbullah State-Naharnet
MP Harb: No Coexistence
Possible Between Army and Hizbullah-Naharnet
MP Makari Warns Against
Possible Syrian Military Comeback to Lebanon-Naharnet
March 14 Snaps Back at
Assad, Says Syrian President Keeps Interfering in Lebanon's Internal Affairs-Naharnet
Saniora Discloses
Tentative Agreement on Pay Raise-Naharnet
Rice
hails Libya visit as message to America's enemies-
(AFP)
Gemayel: Aoun Covers Up the Hizbullah State-Naharnet
US official voices concern about arms smuggling-Daily
Star
Reports of Abbsi's arrest in Syria not yet
verified - Najjar-Daily Star
Jumblatt explains why he chose to tone down
rhetoric-Daily Star
Global agency calls for stricter copyright
enforcement in Lebanon-Daily
Star
March
14 Forces rap Syria's 'flagrant interference-Daily
Star
Efforts 'under way' to take down political posters-Daily
Star
Aoun comes under fire for remarks
on newspaper headline-Daily Star
Nasrallah's would-be assassins acquitted in court-Daily
Star
Italy
approves $23.76 million grant for local projects-Daily
Star
Global agency calls for stricter copyright enforcement in Lebanon-Daily
Star
Solidere expects 2008 profits to mirror 2007 returns-Daily
Star
Salvodorian troops arrive to aid Israel's Ghajar pullout-Daily
Star
Gemayel: Aoun Covers Up the Hizbullah State
Naharnet/Ex-President Amin Gemayel on Friday accused Free
Patriotic Movement leader Michel Aoun of "covering up efforts by Hizbullah to
set up a state within the state."Gemayel, chairman of the Phalange Party, made
the remark during a visit to offices of the French Language newspaper L'Orient
Le Jour to declare solidarity with the publication that has been attacked by
Aoun. Aoun's attacks against the publication in defense of Hizbullah "remind us
of the dark days of Syrian hegemony," Gemayel said. He said Aoun's attacks
against the French-language daily are "similar to his methods that had been used
to terrorize the media."
Beirut, 05 Sep 08, 19:56
MP Harb: No Coexistence Possible Between Army and Hizbullah
Naharnet/MP Butros Harb said Friday the attack on the army
helicopter and killing of its captain is "evidence that coexistence is
impossible between the regular force and (irregular) armed forces" in reference
to Hizbullah. Hizbullah, by maintaining its weapons, has encouraged a wave of
arming up throughout the country by weary citizens seeking "self defense," Harb
noted. "This would detonate the (explosive) situation sooner or later," he
warned. He called for the speedy launching of the National Dialogue Conference
to tackle the issue of adopting a defense strategy "controlled by the Lebanese
Army." Beirut, 05 Sep 08, 20:08
March 14 Snaps Back at Assad, Says Syrian President Keeps
Interfering in Lebanon's Internal Affairs
Naharnet/The ruling March 14 coalition has slammed Syrian
President Bashar Assad, saying he is interfering in Lebanon's internal affairs
and not recognizing the country's sovereignty. Assad's request from Suleiman
"for sending Lebanese army units to the north is interference in Lebanese
internal affairs and results from non-recognition of Lebanon's sovereignty and
independence," the March 14 forces said in a statement Thursday night. Such an
advice is also "an insult to the Lebanese president," the March 14 leaders said
after a late night meeting in Qoreitem. Assad said during a press conference in
Damascus Thursday that he had told President Michel Suleiman during the latter's
visit to Damascus that the Lebanese head of state should send more army units to
northern Lebanon to stop the clashes between Sunnis and Alawites in Tripoli and
some villages of the Akkar Province. Assad also said during the quadripartite
summit in Damascus that the situation in Lebanon remains fragile because certain
states back fundamentalism. He said he discussed with Suleiman last month the
need for Lebanon to "take part in negotiations with Israel, but only when we
reach the stage of direct negotiations."
"The Syrian president's invitation for entering into talks with Israel, is part
of the same rejected meddling in Lebanon's internal affairs and a disregard for
the Taef agreement which clearly states that Lebanon is committed to the
armistice accord with Israel," the March 14 statement said. Assad's comments are
"totally rejected. Only Lebanon's political leadership decides on Lebanese
national interest," it said. "Lebanon will be the last Arab country to sign a
settlement agreement with Israel after reclaiming all Arab rights," the March 14
leaders stressed. They also rejected all attempts to silence Lebanon's free
press and criticized pressure on the French-Language newspaper L'Orient Le Jour.
Earlier Thursday, the March 14 coalition accused Free Patriotic Movement leader
Gen. Michel Aoun of attacking media outlets in a bid to "cover up" for the
helicopter shooting attack that killed Capt. Samer Hanna. It was responding to
remarks made by Aoun on Wednesday in which he said the Sujud attack on the army
helicopter should not reflect on the resistance and the defense strategy. Aoun
also called for suing L'Orient Le Jour for its headline on the Sujud attack,
which had said it was a premeditated action by Hizbullah.Beirut, 05 Sep 08,
08:24
MP Makari Warns Against Possible Syrian Military Comeback
to Lebanon
Naharnet/Deputy Speaker Farid Makari on Friday criticized Syrian
President Bashar Assad's recent remarks on Lebanon saying they reflect "Syria's
insistence on persisting with interfering in Lebanon's affairs." "Setting up
diplomatic ties between two states means respect for each state's sovereignty
and independence at a time Assad deals with Lebanon as a supplement, interferes
in our security and political affairs and in our foreign policy " Makari said.
He called for a "decisive Lebanese stand at the official and popular levels to
reject intervention attempts by Syria." "We fear that he (Assad) would later
order his army to interfere … under the pretext of confronting fundamentalism
and terror," Makari added. Beirut, 05 Sep 08, 17:54
Hariri In Tripoli after Warning against Syrian Comeback
Attempts
Naharnet/Mustaqbal Movement leader Saad Hariri arrived in Tripoli
Saturday for talks with leaders of north Lebanon aimed at launching development
projects and facilitating stability. Hariri is to meet representatives of
Tripoli and the provinces of Dinniyeh, Minyeh and Akkar in an effort to tackle
challenges facing north Lebanon. The visit came a few hours after Hariri hit
back at Syrian President Bashar Assad saying the side that "exports terror to
north Lebanon has no right to fear the spread of fundamentalism in Lebanon."He
urged the Lebanese people, the Arab League and the international community to
guard against attempts by Syria to make a comeback to Lebanon. Hariri made the
remark in an Iftar banquet at his Beirut residence. "Lebanon faces a variety of
threats. We have lately heard someone saying the situation in Lebanon remains
fragile and no settlement is available for Lebanon before solving the crisis of
fundamentalism," Hariri said in reference to a statement made by Assad. "We say
the side that exports terror to north Lebanon has no right to fear the spread of
fundamentalism in Lebanon," Hariri added. The Lebanese people, Hariri said,
"realize who exported Fatah al-Islam to Nahr al-Bared and north Lebanon and know
very well who organizes and finances terrorist activities." "Lebanon is a
sovereign and independent Arab state and no one has the right … to treat Lebanon
as a non mature state," Hariri said. Beirut, 06 Sep 08, 11:47
Geagea: Hizbullah Wants to Avoid Dialogue, Assad's Stand on
Lebanon Hasn't Changed
Naharnet/Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea on Friday accused
Hizbullah of seeking to avoid going into national dialogue.
Geagea criticized as "not accepted" remarks by Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan
Nasrallah that the party would maintain its weapons even if Shebaa Farms were
liberated from Israeli occupation. He urged President Michel Suleiman to call
for holding the proposed national dialogue as soon as possible.
The fate of weapons, according to Geagea, is to be "decided by the Lebanese
people and not by a certain faction that controls the decision to go to war or
peace and outlines a strategy in line with its interests."He said the March 14
majority practiced "maximum self restraint" after the attack by Hizbullah
operatives on a Lebanese Army helicopter and the killing of its pilot Capt.
Samer Hanna. Geagea rejected a proposal by Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri to
form a joint Army-Hizbullah coordination committee. The Lebanese Forces leader
also rejected comments on Lebanon by Syrian President Bashar Assad saying they
"indicate that his stand on Lebanon has not changed." "Assad cannot interfere in
Lebanon's affairs ... President Michel Suleiman is an experienced person in army
deployment," Geagea said. The March 14 alliance is confident that France's stand
on Lebanon "would not change," Geagea concluded. Beirut, 05 Sep 08, 17:12
Miqati: Reconciliation Efforts Underway in Tripoli
Naharnet/Ex-Premier Najib Miqati said Saturday serious efforts
were underway to work out reconciliation between the various factions in the
northern city of Tripoli. Miqati's remarks coincided with the arrival in Tripoli
of Mustaqbal Movement leader Saad Hariri for talks with leaders of north
Lebanon.
"Today, field measures are being implemented," Miqati said. He did not disclose
the nature of such steps, however. "We have no other resort but the state. The
state has to provide protection for its citizens and provide them with their
basic needs," he noted. Beirut, 06 Sep 08, 13:49
Najjar: Assad's Style Targeted the dignity of Lebanon's
leaders
Naharnet/Justice Minister Ibrahim Najjar on Saturday criticized
Syrian President Bashar Assad for targeting the "dignity" of Lebanon's
president, foreign minister and government in his recent remarks on Lebanon.
Najjar, in a radio interview, said Assad's remarks on Tripoli meant that "Syria
approves a decisive approach in the north.""Syria is concerned by Sunni terror
in Tripoli and worried about the altering of the Sunni-Shiite formula in
Lebanon."He said "indications show that Syria cannot make a comeback to
Lebanon.""What testifies to this is that the Syrian President had asked the
Lebanese president for a decisive role by the army in the north," Najjar said.
"This is clear recognition of the Lebanese Army's ability to settle the
situation without Syrian intervention," he added. Najjar said that Assad, by
urging Lebanon to go into negotiations with Israel, was telling his allies in
Lebanon to "accept" such talks. He expressed fear that the proposed National
Dialogue Conference could be postponed until after the 2009 general elections.
Beirut, 06 Sep 08, 11:28
MP Nicola: Aoun is Lebanon's Safety Pin
Naharnet/MP Nabil Nicola on Saturday said his leader Michel Aoun
is the "safety pin … that prevents the partitioning of Lebanon." Nicola, a
member of Aoun's Change and Reform Bloc, made the remark in a television
interview. In answering a question about his comment on Syrian President Bashar
Assad's remarks on Lebanon, Nicola said: "I am not committed by words coming
from the outside (across the border), even if they were the words of the Syrian
president."
"Assad's statement could be an advise, and advises are accepted by brothers,"
Nicola added. He declared support for the ongoing visit to Tripoli by Mustaqbal
Movement leader Saad Hariri, expressing "hope it would lead to calm and thorough
reconciliation." Beirut, 06 Sep 08, 12:13
Bassil Doesn't Want to Teach Assad How to Speak
Naharnet/Minister of Telecommunications Jebran Bassil of the Free
Patriotic Movement indirectly criticized Syrian President Bashar Assad's recent
remarks on Lebanon. Bassil said: "We don't want to teach the Syrian
president how to speak, but I believe that had we heard him saying the issue
worries Syria and threatens its national security … we would have been ready to
see how the state of Lebanon can cooperate with the state of Syria to limit the
threat of fundamentalism."
"But how would the state of Lebanon handle this issue … would be for the state
of Lebanon to decide," he added. Bassil said the issue of negotiating with
Israel is "for the Lebanese state to decide on." Beirut, 06 Sep 08, 11:03
Sarkozy to Assad: No Turning Point for the International
Tribunal
Naharnet/French President Nicolas Sarkozy had reminded his Syrian
counterpart Bashar Assad that the International Tribunal on Lebanon is a "track
that has no point of return." The pan-Arab daily al-Hayat quoted a senior French
source familiar with Sarkozy's recent visit to Syria as saying he stressed to
Assad that the international tribunal would try suspects in the 2005
assassination of ex-Premier Rafik Hariri and related crimes. Sarkozy said
France would not accept that criminals enjoy impunity, the report added. Sarkozy
also reiterated France's commitment to Lebanon's "independence and sovereignty,"
according to the Paris-datelined report. The Israeli-occupied Shebaa Farms
should not be "an obstacle blocking progress in the demarcation of the
Syrian-Lebanese border," Sarkozy reportedly told Assad. Assessment of progress
in the Syria-Lebanon relations would be reviewed during the Mediterranean
ministerial conference in November, the source added. Beirut, 06 Sep 08, 09:17
Hizbullah Attacks March 14 for Criticizing Assad
Naharnet/Hizbullah said the March 14 majority alliance is worried
by Syria's success in breaking its isolation. Hizbullah outlined its stand in a
commentary broadcast by its al-Manar television station. "March 14 leaders found
no other way to express their concern over the future except by attacking Syrian
President Bashar Assad's stands," al-Manar said. "The factual approach is
related to harvesting the outcome of destructive policies adopted by some
(leaders) and they are still trying to repeat the example in Tripoli," the
report added. The Lebanon leader of the Baath Party Fayez Shokor said attacks by
March 14 leaders against Assad's stand on Lebanon "lead only to perdition in
Lebanon." Beirut, 06 Sep 08, 09:41
MP Kabbara Declares Tripoli Capital of Lebanon's Sunnis
Naharnet/MP Mohammed Kabbara on Friday declared the northern city
of Tripoli "the capital of Lebanese Sunnis" and called for a meeting of the
sect's religious leaders to tackle threats targeting the community. Kabbara made
the remark in a press conference declaring "Tripoli is targeted … because it is
the capital of the Sunnis in Lebanon." Kabbara was apparently responding to
charges by Syrian President Bashar Assad that north Lebanon has become a base
for fundamentalism.
"Targeting Tripoli aims at targeting the whole Lebanese Sunni sect so that it
succumbs to regional powers seeking to subdue all the Arabs," Kabbara said in
reference to Iran. He called Grand Mufti Sheikh Mohammed Rashid Qabbani to
convene the sect's religious authority in "Tripoli, not to only discuss the
Tripoli situation and threats targeting it, but also to review the status of the
Lebanese Sunni sect and threats targeting it." Beirut, 05 Sep 08, 19:38
Saniora Discloses Tentative Agreement on Pay Raise
Naharnet/Prime Minister Fouad Saniora said on Friday the finance
and labor ministers have agreed on a joint approach to the pay raise issue that
would be discussed in the cabinet's forthcoming meeting. Saniora, talking to
reporters at his office in Beirut, recalled that the cabinet has decided that
the pay raise would be retroactive as of May and "we are committed to this
decision." However, Saniora refused to disclose details of the promised raise
decision, the adoption of which has been confronted by differences between
private sector employers and employees. Labor Minister Mohammed Fneish
represents the private sector because his office is in charge of labor unions
while Finance Minister Mohammed Shatah represents the state treasury, which is
the employer of the public sector labor force.
Shatah said earlier in a television interview he hopes to raise the minimum wage
to 500,000 Lebanese pounds from its current level of 300,000.
Beirut, 05 Sep 08, 16:34
Contacts Underway to Remove Political Banners from Beirut
Streets
Naharnet/The Internal Security Forces (ISF) and the Lebanese army
are reportedly making contacts with various political parties to remove all
banners and posters of political figures from the administrative boundaries of
Beirut. The pan-Arab daily al-Hayat on Friday quoted ministerial sources as
saying that the cabinet discussed the issue during its last meeting and has a
tendency to instruct the security forces "to implement measures that pacify the
capital."
The sources revealed that if the government gives the green light, then the
banners and posters would be removed from all Beirut neighborhoods, the city's
entrances and the airport highway. Several clashes have erupted lately in some
mixed Beirut districts over the hanging of posters and banners of rival
political figures and parties. The ministerial sources expressed hope that the
move would be welcomed by all sides. Beirut, 05 Sep 08, 10:20
Aoun comes under fire for remarks on newspaper headline
March 14 coalition accuses fpm chief of 'threatening journalists
By Dalila Mahdawi -Daily Star staff
Saturday, September 06, 2008
BEIRUT: Charged remarks continued to pour out from pro-government politicians
and media outlets on Friday in response to comments made by MP Michel Aoun over
the attack on a Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) helicopter last week. A member of
Hizbullah shot at the LAF helicopter in Sujud on August 28, resulting in the
death of 25-year-old First Lieutenant Samer Hanna. Hizbullah later said that its
member had thought the helicopter was Israeli and dropping off soldiers for a
land operation. After admitting responsibility, the Hizbullah member, a
20-year-old described as having been an active fighter during the summer 2006
war with Israel, was handed over to the Leban-ese authorities by the group. Aoun
said on Tuesday that the shooting was an "accident that could have happened in
any army" and that Lebanon's French-language daily L'Orient Le Jour should be
sued for implying that the attack was premeditated by Hizbullah. On August 30,
the paper ran the headline, "Hanna was killed in cold blood," which Aoun said
misled the public and incited them to launch further clashes. Aoun's opposition
party, the Free Patriotic Movement, signed a Memorandum of Understanding with
Hizbullah in January 2006.
Former Lebanese president and head of the Phalange party, Amin Gemeyel, called
the controversy over the L'Orient Le Jour headline a return to "the dark days of
Syrian guardianship, which oppressed all free voices in Lebanon." Visiting the
offices of the paper on Friday, Gemayel said that Aoun was employing "the same
means [as Syria had] to intimidate journalists and the press and to impose his
positions on them."
He also said that the "tragic incident once again raises the subject of Lebanese
sovereignty," arguing that Aoun was covering up Hizbullah's attempts to create a
"state within a state."On Thursday, the General Secretariat of the March 14
coalition issued a press statement criticizing Aoun's attack on L'Orient Le
Jour, saying the former army general had "resorted to his preferable style of
threatening journalists, media, and public opinion. This time he threatened the
newspaper L'Orient Le Jour because it dared to describe the helicopter attack as
it was." It added that Aoun had underestimated "the blood and honor of the army
and the state's authority," and that his "threats" and efforts to cover up what
actually happened on August 28 would fail to stop the Lebanese public demanding
the truth. Calling his remarks "terrorizing," the March 14 statement added that
Aoun would not be able to "silence L'Orient Le Jour and other free media
institutions that he attacks as no previous official has ever done so, not even
during Syria's occupation of Lebanon."
Also on Thursday, L'Orient Le Jour responded to Aoun's criticism, saying, "On
August 30, we published that Samer Hanna was shot when the helicopter landed,
and we received that information from ministerial sources." It added that in an
article published on Tuesday, the paper had emphasized that the Hizbullah member
had thought the helicopter in which Hanna was flying was Israeli.
A statement issued by Aoun's press office on Friday said that those who were
attacking him "had an attitude regarding the freedom of the press that was
well-known to all," but did not elaborate. Aoun's comments on the helicopter
incident did not "differ at all from the comments made by the President [Michel
Sleiman], the LAF chief [General Jean Kahwaji] and the Defense Minister [Elias
Murr]," the statement added.
The fatal incident has not only increased tensions between the rival political
blocs but has also brought the issue of Hizbullah's weapons back to the fore. In
remarks made on Wednesday, Aoun said the attack should not "reflect" upon the
Hizbullah-led resistance or a national defense strategy.
Meanwhile, in a televised speech on Thursday, Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassen
Nasrallah said opponents to the group were using the accident "to instigate
strife between the military and the resistance."
US official voices concern about arms smuggling
Daily Star staff-Saturday, September 06, 2008
BEIRUT: United States Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern
Affairs David Hale said in comments published Friday that the Bush
administration was worried about the "continued arms smuggling" to Lebanon and
warned that any crisis in South Lebanon could lead to negative consequences.
Hale also stressed in remarks published in Lebanese newspaper As-Safir the need
to demarcate the border between Lebanon and Syria.
He said that diplomatic relations are based not only on the exchange of
embassies but also on mutual respect. Hale said his visit to Beirut last week
was aimed at holding talks with Lebanese leaders after political life returned
to normal in the country, and to stress US commitment to Lebanon's independence
and sovereignty.
He told As-Safir that during his visit to Lebanon he also stressed the need to
implement Security Council Resolutions 1559 and 1701.
Hale called for the full implementation of the Doha Accord and holding the
national dialogue talks under the sponsorship of President Michel Sleiman at the
Baabda Palace.He describes next year's parliamentary elections "an opportunity
for the Lebanese to choose who will rule the country and on what grounds."
About French President Nicolas Sarkozy's attempts to forge better relations with
Syria, Hale said that the US and France have "a common objective" in the Middle
East "but the Bush administration prefers to see tangible progress by Damascus
in its regional policies before anything else." - The Daily Star
Assad is sending all of the wrong messages to the Lebanese
By The Daily Star -Saturday, September 06, 2008
Editorial
President Bashar Assad's comments on the security situation in the northern city
of Tripoli have drawn a flood of harsh criticism from Lebanese officials, who
have every right to be alarmed and outraged by what the Syrian leader said.
Assad recently opened - or at least put on the appearance of opening - a new
chapter in Syria's relationship with Lebanon, a country that Damascus dominated
militarily for nearly 30 years. But Assad's words in the Syrian capital on
Thursday were a throwback to a past that most Lebanese would prefer to forget.
Assad was correct in his observation that the situation in Tripoli constitutes a
serious threat to Lebanon's stability, and he would have been acting
appropriately had he merely expressed his concern. But the Syrian president went
too far when he told the entire world in front of his French, Qatar and Turkish
guests that he had asked President Michel Sleiman to "urgently" send more
Lebanese troops to the city. Surely, Sleiman has had enough experience as
commander of the armed forces to know when extra boots need to be put on the
ground. And even if Assad - whose former career as an opthamologist did not
require him to don a military uniform - wanted to give his Lebanese counterpart
some kind advice, he could have done so privately or through diplomatic
channels, not in front of the international media.
Assad's assessment that Lebanon is unstable was accurate, as was his conclusion
that more attention needs to be paid to what is going on in and around Tripoli.
But the primary reason that this country remains on the verge of completely
unravelling is that the state is still too weak to keep things tied together.
Yes, Lebanese leaders are to be blamed for this state of affairs, since they
have habitually abdicated their responsibilities to outside parties over the
years. But some of the blame must also be shared with the regime in Damascus,
which for nearly three decades trained Lebanese politicians to be inert by
imposing all decisions related to this country's national interest. Because
leaders in Damascus and Beirut have been partners in deconstructing the Lebanese
state, what is needed now is a sign that Syria is not working at cross purposes
with Sleiman in his mission to rebuild it.
There was a time not very long ago when it would have been a routine event for
Assad or his predecessor to openly issue orders relating to Lebanese troop
movements. That time has passed. If Assad is serious about turning the page on a
chapter of history that is not looked fondly upon by a large number of Lebanese,
he will need to be much more careful about sending all of the wrong messages.
Nasrallah's would-be assassins acquitted in court
Saturday, September 06, 2008
BEIRUT: The Military Tribunal acquitted 12 suspects accused of plotting to
assassinate Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah nearly two years ago, a
judicial report said on Thursday. It said the tribunal's decision came after it
didn't find enough evidence of the alleged involvement of the suspects in the
murder plot. However, the court sentenced some of the defendants to prison for
forming armed gangs, selling weapons to Lebanese citizens and trading in arms.
As-Safir newsppaer unveiled the assassination plot two years ago.The newspaper
reported at the time that authorities had foiled a plan to assassinate Nasrallah
on April 28, 2006, as he was on his way to attend a national dialogue session
held in the Parliament. While judicial sources had denied the reported
assassination plot, a military spokesman at the time said the plot was still
being processed at the time and had not reached "the phase of implementation."
As-Safir quoted security sources two years ago as saying that army intelligence
had arrested nine suspects including Lebanese and Palestinians who had been
tracking Nasrallah's movements for more than one month in order to assassinate
him. - The Daily Star
Reports of Abbsi's arrest in Syria not yet verified -
Najjar
By Nicholas Kimbrell -Special to The Daily Star
Saturday, September 06, 2008
BEIRUT: Amid speculation on Thursday and Friday that Fatah al-Islam chief Shaker
al-Abssi had been detained in Syria, Lebanon's Justice Minister said that if the
reports were verified, Lebanon might act to have Abssi extradited. Ibrahim
Najjar, the newly appointed justice minister, told The Daily Star that he could
not confirm the reports. "I have just asked yesterday about this news, [and] I
have to wait and see," he said. "We need to be sure," he added, "first, that
Shaker al-Abssi is in custody, and second, that the Syrians have released such a
statement."When asked if Lebanon may seek extradition of Abssi, if he has indeed
been arrested, Najjar said: "If the news is verified and the implementation of
the bilateral convention [for normalization between Lebanon and Syria] goes
through, then we might ask that he face justice in Lebanon ... if all the
prerequisites are verified." A news feed by Naharnet on Thursday reported that
Syrian officials had notified visiting French President Nicolas Sarkozy this
week that Abssi had been detained. According to Naharnet, "Sources, speaking on
condition of anonymity, said contacts were under way between security agencies
in Damascus and Beirut to determine whether Abssi would be extradited to Lebanon
or tried in Syria."Dubai-based Al-Bayan reported Thursday morning that Abssi had
crossed into Syria where he has been in custody for a month and half.Shaker al-Abssi
led Fatah al-Islam in their 15-week war against the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF)
in the Nahr al-Bared refugee camp outside the northern city of Tripoli in the
summer of 2007. The battle took the lives of hundreds of civilians and Fatah
al-Islam fighters, as well as 171 LAF soldiers. After rumors that Abssi had been
killed in the fighting, he was reported to have mysteriously escaped the camp.
Rice hails Libya visit as message to America's enemies
By Agence France Presse (AFP)
Saturday, September 06, 2008
TRIPOLI: US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice arrived in Libya on Friday on
the first such visit in more than half a century, marking a new chapter in
Washington's reconciliation with the former enemy state. Rice, who was due to
meet the oil-rich nation's veteran leader and one-time international pariah
Moammar Gadhafi, described her brief visit as "historic" and a sign that the
United States does not have permanent foes.
"Now that is not to say that everything has by any means been settled between
the United States and Libya. There is a long way to go," she told reporters
traveling with her. "But I do believe that it has demonstrated that the United
States doesn't have permanent enemies. It demonstrates that when countries are
prepared to make strategic changes in direction the United States is prepared to
respond." Diplomats said Rice wanted Iran and North Korea to take note
that they could benefit from rapprochement with the West, highlighting Libya's
commitment to abandon nuclear, biological and chemical weapons programs.
"It is a beginning, it is an opening, it is not, I think, the end of the story,"
Rice said. The visit underscores the warming of ties following Gadhafi's
dramatic 2003 announcement he was abandoning weapons of mass destruction
programs - a move which came just months after the toppling of Saddam Hussein's
government in Iraq. It comes less than a month after the two regimes reached an
agreement on a plan to compensate US victims of Libyan attacks and Libyan
victims of US air strikes. Rice was holding talks with Foreign Minister Abdel-Rahman
Mohammad Shalgam before joining Gadhafi for iftar - the meal marking the end of
the day's Ramadan fast.
"I look forward to listening to the leader's world view," she said of the
mercurial Gadhafi who has led the north African nation for almost four decades.
She said oil was a factor for her visit given Libya's vast reserves of oil and
gas, adding that conflicts in Sudan and Chad could also be raised and possibly
military cooperation. US-Libya ties were suspended in 1981 when Washington put
Gadhafi's regime on its list of state sponsors of terrorism. Libya, whose leader
was once dubbed a "mad dog" by former US president Ronald Reagan, was forced
even further into isolation after the bombing of a US airliner over the Scottish
town of Lockerbie in 1988.
The White House said Rice's visit marked a "new chapter" and that cooperation
could expand in areas including education and culture, commerce, science and
technology, and security and human rights. The last US secretary of state to
visit was John Foster Dulles in 1953, who met King Idris - the ruler ousted in a
bloodless military coup led in 1969 by Gadhafi, now the Arab world's longest
serving leader. Richard Nixon was the last top-ranking US official to make the
trip to Libya, as vice president in 1957.
Last year, Gadhafi proclaimed his love for "Leezza," telling Al-Jazeera
television in an interview: "I support my darling black African woman. I admire
and am very proud of the way she leans back and gives orders to the Arab
leaders." Gadhafi's December 2003 announcement followed secret talks with the
United States and Britain and returned Libya to the international fold after
years of isolation. Last Saturday, Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi
visited to formally apologies for damage inflicted by Italy during the colonial
era and to sign a $5-billion investment deal by way of compensation. For his
part, Gadhafi - who eschews the title president and prefers to be known as
"brother leader and guide of the revolution" - welcomed the end of his regime's
long estrangement from Washington.
"The whole business of the conflict between Libya and the United States has been
closed once and for all," he said this week. "There will be no more wars, raids
or acts of terrorism." But he also stressed that Libya was not desperate for US
friendship, saying: "All we want is to be left alone."
Last month's compensation deal focuses on the families of the 270 victims of the
Lockerbie bombing as well as victims of US air strikes on Tripoli and Benghazi
in April 1986 in which 41 people were killed, including Gadhafi's adopted
daughter. However, the US-based Carnegie Endowment think-tank warned Washington
against falling into business-as-usual relations with Libya. "The regime remains
opaque, unpredictable, and, buoyed by its petroleum wealth, is increasingly
assertive in international negotiations," the think-tank said. - AFP
Russia and the Caucasus
Galal Nassa
Galal Nassar traces a seismic shift in international relations
Recent weeks have seen clear signs that the monopolar era is ending and the
world is returning to a multipolar order in international relations. Perhaps the
most important development was the Russian response to the American deployment
of components of an antiballistic shield in Poland. The Russian deputy military
chief-of- staff said that the deployment in Europe would jeopardise Russian-US
relations and elevate Poland's risk of nuclear attack "100 per cent".
On 14 July it was revealed that, for the first time since the end of the Cold
War, Moscow was drawing up plans to station missiles facing towards Europe.
According to British news reports citing defence sources in the Kremlin, Russia
felt that it had to take measures against the encroachment of the American
strategic arsenal towards Russian territory, which it regarded as a possible bid
to weaken Russia's deterrent capacity and, hence, a threat to its national
security. The London Times reported that the plan the Kremlin is currently
considering entails deploying ballistic missiles in Kaliningrad, a Russian
exclave located between Lithuania and Poland. Kaliningrad was declared a nuclear
free zone under an agreement concluded at the end of the Cold War.
The other significant development is the Russian military intervention in
Georgia, followed by Moscow's unilateral sponsorship of the secession from South
Ossettia and Abkhazia which was then followed by Ankara's support of the move.
Demons do not usually resurface unless summoned. Clearly, George Bush, Mikheil
Saakashvili and Vladimir Putin set the stage well. They all contributed, each
for their own reasons, to igniting the southern Caucasus.
Bush, as we know, had a holy mission to perform. He had been divinely instructed
to set off on the battle against the "axis of evil". This led to the US invasion
and occupation of Afghanistan and Iraq and to its sponsorship of the Israeli war
against Lebanon in the summer of 2006, all in the noble cause of changing the
map of the Middle East. It is quite likely that a voice from on high whispered
to him to plant the flags of America's victory in the Cold War around the
borders of Russia, the leader of another axis of evil that had been defeated but
that may still be lurking somewhere. These victory flags took the form of
spreading democracy into erstwhile Soviet territories, annexing Moscow's
neighbours into NATO and the EU, stationing star wars defence components in the
Czech Republic and Poland (the latter only metres away from the Russian pocket
of Kaliningrad), subduing the remnants of former Yugoslavia and supervising the
independence of Kosovo preparatory to building a military base in the Balkans
and, last but not least, playing with the glowing embers that constitute the
Caucasus.
The second protagonist in the Caucasus, Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili,
is the golden boy of democratic promise who one day led a demonstration,
carrying the red rose of "freedom", that stormed the parliament building in
Tbilisi and ousted President Eduard Shevardnadze. Shevardnadze had been the last
Soviet foreign minister. Like Mikhail Gorbachev he believed that the West would
reward him for helping end the Cold War by allowing him to remain as a local
president.
As young and inexperienced in government as he is, Saakashvili was quick to
realise that he owed his political survival not to the ballot box but to those
who brought him from the Institute for Democracy and Human Rights in Belgium. He
ignored the protests of tens of thousands of demonstrators who staged a sit-in
in front of the parliament building, dismissed his former foreign minister and
most dangerous rival and closed down two radio stations that had the nerve to
describe his foreign policy as reckless. Then, ignoring cautions from Moscow, he
proudly welcomed Israeli and US military units and conducted military manoeuvres
that were unmistakably exercises for taking control over Ossettia and Abkhazia,
both of which received direct protection from Russia in accordance with a
bilateral agreement between Moscow and Tbilisi. Sure enough, he followed through
on the exercise with a military assault against South Ossettia, taking Putin by
surprise as he was absorbed in the Olympics in Beijing and Dmitri Medvedev was
holidaying in Sochi.
Saakashvili may be hot-headed but he would not be foolish enough to set fire to
the southern Caucasus without approval from Washington. In fact, according to
one Parisian newspaper, US officers helped Georgian forces take aim at Russian
forces.
The Americans may have had several goals in helping Saakashvili in his
blitzkrieg against Ossettia. They may have wanted to weaken the Georgian
president's rivals by pushing a nationalist concern (Georgian territorial unity)
to the forefront of the domestic political agenda. Simultaneously, they were
testing how Russia would respond after the slap in the face it received on the
Kosovo issue. It could also have been a means to pressure the Europeans, who had
refused Georgia and Ukraine entry to NATO, and trigger an alarmist attitude
among eastern European countries which had recently emerged from the Soviet
fold, thereby smoothing the path for the spread of the US missile defence shield
in the region. Finally, it was probably also intended as a way to sap the
impetus the Kremlin had acquired recently by focussing on the defence of Russian
borders instead of attempting to expand Russia's influence across the seas in
the Middle East and Latin America. It could be that Saakashvili was aware of
these objectives when he lit the fuse in the Caucasus. It could equally be that
those who issued the order to open fire did not care the slightest what he
thought.
The third protagonist in the Caucasus war is Vladimir Putin, the man who raised
his country from the rubble of the Cold War, the victor in the war in Chechnya,
riding high on increased oil and gas prices that have allowed him to bring his
country back to centre stage in the international arena, benefiting from the
American administration's train of drastic failures in its so called war against
terrorism, in Afghanistan, Iraq and Lebanon, as well as from the series of
intractable crises that have defied the will of the West, from Darfur, Somalia
and Zimbabwe to Beirut, Pyongyang and Tehran.
Not only has Putin set the Russian house in order and revived its international
role, but the former Russian president and current prime minister also presided
over the rebirth of the Russian military-industrial complex. Russia now
manufactures the world's most advanced fighter plane and recently announced that
a super high- tech multi-warhead transcontinental missile capable of outwitting
the American antiballistic missile shield will soon be on the production lines.
In defiance of Washington, Moscow has concluded a major arms deal with the Bush
administration's outspoken Latin American adversary, Venezuelan President Xavier
Chavez, supplied Syria with advanced ballistic missiles and continues to help
Tehran with its nuclear programme. Moscow has also been increasingly nettlesome
to Washington in the chambers of the Security Council. It opposed a resolution
calling for tougher sanctions against Iran, lodged reservations over another
resolution to form an international tribunal to try the assassins of former
prime minister Rafik Al-Hariri and opposed yet another resolution to close the
Iraqi WMD file. It was vehemently critical of American policy in Kosovo and has
taken a firm stand against the European missile shield project, in response to
which Putin threatened to halt disarmament talks and cease cooperating on anti-
terrorist issues.
Not all of Putin's venom was directed against Bush. He also expelled four
British diplomats, refused to grant visas to British officials, suspended
cooperation with the UK on antiterrorism matters and refused to hand over a
Russian wanted for murder in the UK to British security officials on the grounds
that the Russian constitution prohibits the surrender of Russian citizens to
other countries. All the signs point to the resurgence of the Cold War, albeit
tempered by an element of pragmatism and the absence of ideological polarities.
It seems likely that the US administration, which is aware of how the Russian
game in the southern Caucasus could affect developments in Europe, particularly
in light of European dependency on Russian energy supplies, was keen not to give
Putin enough time to prepare the theatre of operations as he would have liked.
It therefore pre- empted Russia by means of the impetuous Georgian president
who, by lighting fire in the Caucasus, propelled Washington's European allies
into a win-or-lose test of strength.
Recent developments mark the threshold of a new era in international relations
and the end of that brief anomaly in which Yankee say-so in the international
decision-making process superseded international treaties and conventions. The
current transition underscores several facts that have governed the course of
history since the dawn of civilisation:
In international relations there are no permanent friendships. Relations are
governed by interests and disputes have nothing to do with misunderstandings or
"clashes of civilisations" and everything to do with clashes of will.
Secondly, partnership is a very loose term. Ultimately, it is also governed by
balances of power in the sense that the stronger partner generally has his way.
Thirdly, from the ancient empires of Egypt, Greece, Persia, Rome and Byzantium
through to the empires of today, international relations are ruled by the laws
of might and adversary. The rivalries of the multipolar order created climates
and conditions that contributed to subduing international tensions and to the
rise of treaties and conventions that bolstered movements for independence,
freedom and self- determination in the oppressed world. Among the fruits of this
process are the Declaration of Human Rights, the universal acceptance of the
principles of freedom, equality and social justice; the establishment of the
League of Nations and then the United Nations and the emergence of
non-governmental organisations that champion the rights of peoples and nations
against tyranny and injustice.
The monopolar order that arose after the Cold War was a dark period in human
history. It gave rise to a new and rabid form of McCarthyism, the most salient
features of which were a clampdown on the freedom of thought and other civil
liberties, the occupation of Afghanistan and Iraq and the attempt to transform
the Middle East into a series of ethnic/sectarian cantons through the creation
of fundamentalist identities, sparking civil wars (in Iraq, Algeria, Somalia,
Yemen and Lebanon) and precipitating social fragmentation in other Arab
countries.
If the occupation of Afghanistan and Iraq are the true manifestation of the
repercussions of the end of the Cold War and the rise of the monopolar order,
the events in Georgia and Russia's stance on the American missile shield
destined for Eastern Europe may prove the turning point. Perhaps we are on the
threshold of an era that will rehabilitate international treaties and
conventions, thereby reviving confidence in international law and the UN.
Perhaps, too, in this new era the map of international alliances will be redrawn
in a manner that will enable some countries to free themselves from an iron
grip.
© Copyright Al-Ahram Weekly. All rights reserved
The Threat of Hezbollah
Published: September 6, 2008
To the Editor:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/06/opinion/l06lebanon.html?ref=opinion
Re “Hezbollah Shrine to Terrorist Suspect Enthralls Lebanese Children” (Nabatiye
Journal, Sept. 3):
Hezbollah’s shrine to the slain terrorist mastermind Imad Mugniyah demonstrates
how terrorist groups use and indoctrinate children into their blood-soaked
culture of hatred, martyrdom and violence.
It also offers a real glimpse at the stark realities facing Lebanon, Israel and
the international community.
It is frightening that a group that perpetrates and venerates deadly terrorism
is set to take on a leading role in Lebanon’s transitional government, with
cabinet seats and veto power.
And if there was any doubt that Hezbollah is rebuilding its arsenal in the
aftermath of the 2006 Lebanon war, the high-tech rockets and other munitions on
display in Nabatiye should serve as a wake-up call to world leaders about the
continuing threat that this Iranian-backed group poses to Israel, Lebanon and
the entire region.
Abraham H. Foxman
Natl. Dir., Anti-Defamation League
New York, Sept. 3, 2008