LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
September 09/08

Bible Reading of the day.
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 1,1-16.18-23.
The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. Abraham became the father of Isaac, Isaac the father of Jacob, Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers. Judah became the father of Perez and Zerah, whose mother was Tamar. Perez became the father of Hezron, Hezron the father of Ram,  Ram the father of Amminadab. Amminadab became the father of Nahshon, Nahshon the father of Salmon, Salmon the father of Boaz, whose mother was Rahab. Boaz became the father of Obed, whose mother was Ruth. Obed became the father of Jesse, Jesse the father of David the king. David became the father of Solomon, whose mother had been the wife of Uriah. Solomon became the father of Rehoboam, Rehoboam the father of Abijah, Abijah the father of Asaph.
Asaph became the father of Jehoshaphat, Jehoshaphat the father of Joram, Joram the father of Uzziah. Uzziah became the father of Jotham, Jotham the father of Ahaz, Ahaz the father of Hezekiah. Hezekiah became the father of Manasseh, Manasseh the father of Amos, Amos the father of Josiah. Josiah became the father of Jechoniah and his brothers at the time of the Babylonian exile.
After the Babylonian exile, Jechoniah became the father of Shealtiel, Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel, Zerubbabel the father of Abiud. Abiud became the father of Eliakim, Eliakim the father of Azor, Azor the father of Zadok. Zadok became the father of Achim, Achim the father of Eliud,
Eliud the father of Eleazar. Eleazar became the father of Matthan, Matthan the father of Jacob, Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary. Of her was born Jesus who is called the Messiah. Now this is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about. When his mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found with child through the holy Spirit. Joseph her husband, since he was a righteous man, yet unwilling to expose her to shame, decided to divorce her quietly. Such was his intention when, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home. For it is through the holy Spirit that this child has been conceived in her. She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins."
All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: Behold, the virgin shall be with child and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel, which means "God is with us."

Saint Nicholas Cabasilas (c.1320-1363), Greek lay theologian
Homily for the Nativity of the Mother of God, 16,18; Patrologia orientalis, vol.19
"Behold, I make all things new" (Rev 21,5)
When the time had come for human nature to encounter the divine and to be so intimately united to it that the two would make but one person, it was necessary that each should already be manifested in its integrity. God, on his part, revealed himself in a manner befitting God, but it was the Virgin alone who threw light on human nature... For it truly seems that if God assumed human nature, not at its origin but in the fullness of time (Gal 4,4), this was because before that time this nature had not yet been fully brought to birth, whereas now, in Mary, it appeared in its integrity for the first time...All this is what we have come to celebrate so festively today. The Virgin's birthday is likewise that of the whole world since this day saw the birth of the first fully human being. Now «the earth» has truly «yielded its fruit» (Ps 67[66],7), the earth that, with its thorns and thistles, always yielded before the corruption of sin (Gn 3,18). Now heaven knows that it was not set up in vain since humanity, for whom it was created, sees the light of day...Hence the whole creation raises an endless song of praise to the Virgin; every tongue sings her glory with one voice; men and all the choirs of angels never cease to compose hymns to the mother of God. And we, too, sing her and offer her our praises together... To you alone, O Virgin worthy of all praise, as to your love for humankind, does it belong to value the blessing of the graces gained, not through us but through your generosity. Chosen from our race as a gift to God, you adorned with beauty the rest of humanity. Sanctify the hearts that have conceived the words we speak to you and prevent the earth of our souls from bringing forth the least evil, through the grace and goodness of your only Son, our Lord God and Saviour Jesus Christ.

Free Opinions, Releases, letters & Special Reports
Syrian Special Forces in Lebanon?.By: W. Thomas Smith Jr. 08/09/08
Seven years after 9/11, Al-Qaeda is one the rise again - analysts-AFP 08/09/08
The Middle East and Russia's return as a 'post-ideological' power. The Daily Star 08/09/08

Latest News Reports From Miscellaneous Sources for September 08/08
Report: Cheney Tells Peres Russia Supplying Arms to Hizbullah-Naharnet
From Rivalry to Reconciliation … Sunni-Alawite Reunion Sees Light Monday-Naharnet
Nasrallah: Hizbullah Open to Al-Mustaqbal, Ready for Unconditional Dialogue-Naharnet
Report: Israeli Army Better Prepared for Another War-Naharnet
Shooting in Bakhoun Did Not Hinder Tripoli Reconciliation-Naharnet
Hizbullah, FPM Deny Aoun, Bassil Spent One Night at Southern Suburbs-Naharnet
Iranian MP touts cooperation in Sadr investigation-Daily Star
Sfeir prescribes unity in face of tense speeches-Daily Star
UN chief 'urges Israel to pay Lebanon $1 billion-Daily Star
A war of words between resistance and Israel-Daily Star
Hizbullah, FPM Deny Aoun, Bassil Spent a Night at Beirut's ...Naharnet
Assad's 'advice' to Sleiman: Did he or didn't he?Daily Star
UN chief 'urges Israel to pay Lebanon $1 billion'Daily Star
Lebanese politicians engage in verbal wrestling over 2009 ...Daily Star
Nasrallah reaches out to Future, wants dialogue today-Daily Star
Hariri tours North in bid to ease strife between Sunni, Alawite communities-Daily Star
Sidon adds new attractions to traditional Ramadan fare-Daily Star
German naval officer outlines bilateral aid-Daily Star
Tour guides host hike to promote Chouf Nature Reserve-Daily Star
Beirutis divided on effect of violence in North-Daily Star
Peres says he opposes attack on Iran-AFP

Report: Cheney Tells Peres Russia Supplying Arms to Hizbullah
Naharnet/U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney has reportedly told Israeli President Shimon Peres during a meeting in Italy that Russia is selling arms to Syria and Iran knowing that they are being channeled to Hizbullah. The Israeli news agency Ynetnews reported that aides to Israel's president said Cheney told him Russian leaders are aware Tehran and Damascus are buying weapons for "terrorist groups" in Iraq and Hizbullah. "Russian arms-dealing has endangered the prospects for peace and freedom in the region," Cheney was quoted as saying at the Ambrosetti Conference in Cernobbio, Italy on Saturday. He also criticized during the conference of political and business leaders Russia's "aggressive moves and diplomatic reversals" and its recent invasion of Georgia to protect the breakaway region of South Ossetia. Beirut, 08 Sep 08, 06:35

Report: Israeli Army Better Prepared for Another War
Naharnet/Senior Israeli army officers have rejected criticism that the military is not ready for future challenges, asserting that training programs are preparing troops for the possibility of another war with Lebanon, Haaretz daily reported. "Tremendous work has been done to repair shortcomings revealed during the last war. The preparedness, fitness of the units, equipment…a radical improvement has been made in all of this," sources in the general staff told the newspaper.
The officers were responding to comments by Major General Moshe Ivri-Sukenik, who resigned as commander of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Northern Corps earlier this year. Sukenik had found flaws in the way the Israeli army is training. His criticism was legitimate but the real condition of the army was much better than he had described it, the sources told Haaretz.  "We are not training enough," Sukenik, who led an IDF in-house probe after the 2006 war with Hizbullah, said Thursday. Beirut, 08 Sep 08, 04:58

Syrian Special Forces in Lebanon? W. Thomas Smith Jr.
07 Sep 2008
By W. Thomas Smith Jr.
Kuwait’s Alseyassah newspaper is reporting: “Syrian Special Forces are entering Lebanese Alawite villages.”
According to the report – which we have yet to independently confirm – “hundreds” of Syrian commandos, preceded by “dozens” of Syrian intelligence operatives, have crossed into northern Lebanon near the Lebanese village of Hekr el Dahr a few kilometers from the Mediterranean coast.
The incursions reportedly have been taking place since Wednesday-Thursday of last week. Syrian helicopters have been observed operating on the Syrian side of the border, and tanks and artillery pieces have been spotted and reported.
“The objective of the Syrian soldiers would be to reach Baal Mhesen, an Alawite sector in Tripoli, under the guise of protecting the Alawites [a Syrian-rooted Islamic offshoot — neither Shiia nor Sunni – but whom are allied with Hezbollah] who have been fighting Sunnis in the north for months,” say our sources.
The border crossings, if the published report proves accurate, “would be the largest Syrian incursion into Lebanon since Syria withdrew its forces in 2005,” say sources. We also spoke by phone with Tom Harb, secretary general of The International Lebanese Committee for United Nations Security Council Resolution 1559, who says: “If this is true, it is a complete violation of UNSCR 1559, and the UN must send a team to investigate and demand all Syrian forces withdraw immediately.”
The Alseyassah report follows a story yesterday published by the Reform Party of Syria that said, “a secret delegation” of Iran’s Quds (Jerusalem) force arrived in Beirut last week for meetings with senior leaders of Hezbollah. The Quds force is the extranational special-operations arm of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Quds commandos are Iran’s most committed fighters, trained to conduct terrorist operations worldwide.
Our sources have confirmed that both Iranian Quds fighters and Syrian intelligence agents were in Lebanon, operating with Hezbollah forces during the fighting in May.
Additional information will follow.
— Visit W. Thomas Smith Jr. online at uswriter.com.

Assad's 'advice' to Sleiman: Did he or didn't he?
By Hussein Abdallah -Daily Star staff
Monday, September 08, 2008
BEIRUT: President Michel Sleiman was quoted by his visitors on Sunday as denying that his Syrian counterpart, Bashar Assad, asked him during their recent bilateral summit in Damascus to send the Lebanese Armed Forces' 10th Brigade to "fight extremism" in Tripoli. The visitors said that Sleiman also denied that he made any commitments to Assad regarding Lebanon's joining of peace negotiations between Syria and Israel.
Assad said last week that he had asked Sleiman, who visited Damascus in August, to "urgently send more troops" to North Lebanon to combat what he called "extremism." "Anything positive in Lebanon would be worthless without a solution to the problem of extremism and Salafists in North Lebanon who are officially supported by some countries," he said, without identifying them.
"We are worried about what is happening in Tripoli," he told a four-way summit that grouped French President Nicolas Sarkozy, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Qatar's emir, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani. The Syrian head of state also said that he had discussed with Sleiman the need for Lebanon to take part in negotiations with Israel when such talks reach the stage of direct negotiations. Syria and Israel are engaged in Turkish-sponsored indirect peace talks.
Sleiman's visitors quoted the president as saying that he was not planning to respond to any of Assad's remarks during the four-way summit.
Also on Sunday, news reports quoted diplomatic sources as saying that Assad's remarks on Lebanon annoyed both Sheikh Hamad and Sarkozy.
The reports said that the Qatari emir expressed reservations over Assad's assessment of the situation in Lebanon, which the latter had described as "fragile."
A senior French source was also quoted by the pan-Arab daily Al-Hayat as saying that Assad had complained to Sarkozy that some Lebanese factions were not ready to establish normal relations with Syria. The source said Sarkozy had told Assad that Syria needed to implements its commitments toward Lebanon in order to build confidence. On Saturday, Justice Minister Ibrahim Najjar described Assad's remarks as "insulting" for Lebanon's president and government. He told Voice of Lebanon radio that Sleiman had not informed Cabinet of any such comments by Assad during the summit in Damascus.
"I don't think that our president was hiding this information ... He is definitely not a keeper of Assad's secrets," Najjar added, implying that the Syrian leader's claims were untrue. - With AFP

Sfeir prescribes unity in face of 'tense speeches'
By Maroun Khoury -Daily Star correspondent
Monday, September 08, 2008
BEIRUT: Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Butros Sfeir on Sunday called for solidarity among various Lebanese groups. "The tense speeches and stances we hear are not assuring," he said during his Sunday sermon at his summer seat in the northern village of Diman. In their monthly statement last week, the Council of Maronite Bishops called on the Lebanese to achieve national reconciliation and to refrain from serving foreign interests. "Serving foreign interests by Lebanese people is an act of high treason," the statement said. "True citizenship stands for sacrifice," it added, "Lebanese citizens should unite to preserve the country from dangers that threaten its existence."The council also expressed hope for the speedy adoption of a "fair and just" electoral law and asked that the 2009 parliamentary elections be held in a secure atmosphere. "Citizens should be allowed to choose their representatives without pressures or temptations," the statement said.
The bishops praised the efforts of the Parliament in electing a new president, along with the formation of a national unity government and the appointment of a commander of the Lebanese Armed Forces, along the call for a national dialogue to be chaired by President Michel Sleiman.
The statement also urged speedy appointments in vacant governmental and administrative positions "on the sole basis of qualifications, honesty and experience."
However, the bishops also outlined many reasons for concern in Lebanon, adding that the unstable security situation topped the list.
"The security events that broke out in Tripoli and attacks against the Lebanese Armed Forces are a major source of concern," said the bishops.
The statement added that Lebanese living under the poverty line were vulnerable to recruitment by extremist groups aiming to create instability and spread fear.

Hizbullah, FPM Deny Aoun, Bassil Naharnet/Spent One Night at Southern Suburbs
Naharnet/Free Patriotic Movement leader Michel Aoun and Telecommunications Minister MP Jubran Bassil reportedly spent the night prior to their last trip to France at the home of a Hizbullah official in Beirut's southern suburbs. The Kuwaiti Al-Rai newspaper reported on Sunday that Aoun and Bassil spent the night at Hizbullah official Ghaleb Abou Zeinab's home for security reasons. Hizbullah's press officer Hussein Rahhal denied the report in a phone call with Naharnet, labeling it "silly and not worth a comment." FPM official Alain Aoun, also in a phone call with Naharnet, said he was not aware of the news report and that Aoun spent the hours prior to his evening trip to France in prescheduled meetings. Beirut, 07 Sep 08, 22:18

Lebanese politicians engage in verbal wrestling over 2009 elections, Hizbullah's weapons
Baroud calls for electoral system that can effectively manage country's diversity
By Dalila Mahdawi -Daily Star staff
Monday, September 08, 2008
BEIRUT: Officials from Lebanon's rival political parties sparred over the weekend in differing takes on the internal political situation, the 2009 parliamentary elections, relations with Syria, and the future of Hizbullah's weapons. Progressive Socialist Party (PSP) leader Walid Jumblatt warned Saturday that a conflict between Lebanon's Sunnis and Shiites would give Syrian President Bashar Assad a "pretext to intervene in Lebanon."
Speaking to Saudi newspaper Okaz, Jumblatt condemned Syria's refusal to deliver to Lebanon a document that recognized its sovereignty over the Israeli-occupied Shebaa Farms, captured by Israel in 1967. Israel says the farms are Syrian, while Lebanon and Syria claim the area is Lebanese.
The PSP leader also called for reconciliation in Tripoli, which has been the site of deadly sectarian clashes since May, and rejected the possibility of Lebanese-Israeli peace talks. "Relations between Lebanon and Israel are governed by the 1949 Armistice Accord," he said.
Lebanon should not enter talks with Israel before a "viable" Palestinian state is created and "Israel accepts the right of the Palestinian refugees to return," added Jumblatt.
Also on Saturday, Lebanese Forces (LF) boss Samir Geagea urged his supporters to be vigilant as the government was "not yet stable." Speaking at a party meeting in Bsharre, he said: "Do not rest because our march as Lebanese Forces has just begun," adding that achieving the party's goals would require "a lot of effort and hard work."
Environment Minister and LF member Antoine Karam said meanwhile that honest discussions during the upcoming national dialogue would "affirm the powerful role" of the state. Addressing a party dinner in Faraya, he added that the 2009 parliamentary elections would define the fate of Lebanon and its Christian population. Karam also urged that the use of weapons be restricted to the Lebanese Armed Forces and the Internal Security Forces, so as to avoid further violence.
Meanwhile, the head of the Loyalty to the Resistance bloc, MP Mohammad Raad, said that the opposition was serious about helping to form an independent and sovereign Lebanese nation. Adding that certain parties within Lebanon were preoccupied with reconciling with Israel, he asked: "Is Lebanon's priority to confront Syria and Iran, or Israel?"Discussing the upcoming parliamentary elections, Interior Minister Ziyad Baroud said on Friday that one of the most important reforms to the electoral law was the principle of "proportionality," a reform he said would safeguard Lebanon's diversity.
"Our problem in Lebanon is not political or sectarian diversity, but the absence of a political system that manages this diversity in a positive manner," Baroud told Al-Afkar magazine.Baroud added that while he was hoping the parliamentary elections could be carried out in a single day, he was waiting for the army and other security institutions to confirm whether that would be possible.
Also addressing the elections, Tourism Minister Elie Marouni told Voice of Lebanon radio on Saturday that the upcoming polls would play a significant part in determining the fate of Lebanon. He accused Hizbullah of trying to undermine the Doha agreement, which ended an 18-month political standoff in May, by fomenting conflict throughout the country.
Echoing the words of Karam, Marouni said that Hizbullah's weapons were a significant problem and called for the use of arms to be restricted to Lebanon's military institutions. He called on Assad to end weapons smuggling to the group through effective monitoring of the Syrian-Lebanese border.
The coordinator of the Phalange Party's central committee, Sami Gemayel, likewise attacked Hizbullah, dubbing the resistance fighter responsible for the recent deadly attack on a Lebanese military helicopter a "criminal."
At a dinner in Roumieh on Friday, Gemayel said that Hizbullah secretary general Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah had "underestimated" the Phalange's contribution to the resistance, calling on Nasrallah to respect the identity, values, lifestyle and culture of Lebanon's other political parties.
On Saturday, Social Affairs Minister Mario Aoun responded to criticism from some quarters that he was working to undermine cooperation in the Cabinet, saying he was "more preoccupied" with the living conditions of the Lebanese people, adding that he fully supported an increase of the national minimum wage.
The minister added that the head of his Free Patriotic Movement, MP Michel Aoun, had encouraged positive political change through his involvement in the Doha agreement.

From Rivalry to Reconciliation … Sunni-Alawite Reunion Sees Light Monday
Naharnet/High-level Sunni and Alawite leaders will meet later Monday to sign a reconciliation plan for Tripoli to curb sectarian fighting in a move that could pave the way for further reunions between the country's feuding factions. The reconciliation meeting at the house of the Mufti of Tripoli and North Lebanon Sheikh Malek Shaar is expected to take place at 9:30 pm under the auspices of Prime Minister Fouad Saniora. The participants at the reconciliation meeting will sign what is to be called the "Tripoli Document" which offers, in addition to safeguarding civil peace, handing over the city's security to the Lebanese army. The document also calls for eliminating all armed presence in the north, allowing displaced people to return to their homes according to a set timetable and paying compensation for residents whose houses have been damaged during the fighting. The plan also calls for providing temporary homes for people who are unable to return to their damaged houses. The daily An Nahar on Monday said the various sides have approved the text of the agreement. Mustaqbal Movement leader Saad Hariri has launched the initiative which aims at ending the fighting in Tripoli.
Tripoli has been the scene of a spate of deadly clashes since May between Sunnis and rivals from the Alawite community who support Hizbullah.
In June and July, 23 people were killed in battles between the two sides. There has been tension between the two communities ever since Lebanon's 1975-1990 civil war. Hariri on Sunday, the second day of his tour to the north, met with former Premier Omar Karami, a longtime friend of his father, Rafik Hariri, assassinated by a massive car bomb in February 2005.  Meanwhile, Speaker Nabih Berri telephoned Hariri to "congratulate" him on his reconciliation efforts.
Hariri has met with Alawite leader Ali Eid who heads the Arab Democratic Party.
News reports said the Tripoli Document will be discussed during a cabinet session on Tuesday. The cabinet is also expected to look into the proposal of Finance Minister Mohammad Shatah to raise the minimum wage to LL 500,000. Hariri's initiative could pave the way for further reconciliations in light of Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah's announcement that he was open to Mustaqbal movement. "We are open to Mustaqbal movement, Dar al-Fatwa and all Sunnis and if a meeting with MP Saad Hariri is not possible for security reasons, nothing prevents holding meetings between the parties' officials," Nasrallah told an Iftar dinner on Sunday. Beirut, 08 Sep 08, 08:09

Nasrallah: Hizbullah Open to Al-Mustaqbal, Ready for Unconditional Dialogue
Naharnet/Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah on Sunday renewed his call for holding the national dialogue as soon as possible, stressing his openness to al-Mustaqbal Movement and all Sunnis in Lebanon. Nasrallah made the remarks in a televised speech during an iftar in the eastern city of Baalbeck. "I renew my call for a national dialogue as of tomorrow if it is possible," Nasrallah said. "Let us sit and talk without any preconditions," he said. "We are open to al-Mustaqbal movement, Dar al-Fatwa and all Sunnis and if a meeting with (al-Mustaqbal leader) MP Saad Hariri is not possible for security reasons, nothing prevents holding meetings between the parties' officials," Nasrallah added. "We are ready to deal with all the wounds (sustained in the) past and I call on the Lebanese people to refrain from fanatic support of any political figure or party," the Hizbullah leader said. Nasrallah threw his support behind "everyone who contributes to bringing peace to Tripoli and we endorse all reconciliation efforts in the north in general." Hizbullah, Nasrallah said, "seeks national unity… and the demands for unarming it serve only the Israeli objectives." The resistance "doesn't target Muslims or Christians. It protects everyone," Nasrallah stressed. Beirut, 07 Sep 08, 22:53

Shooting in Bakhoun Did Not Hinder Tripoli Reconciliation
Naharnet/Six people were wounded during an exchange of gunfire between bodyguards of MP Ahmed Fatfat and supporters of former MP Jihad al-Samad in the town of Bakhoun in the north Lebanon province of Dinniyeh. Fatfat said that the vehicles which routinely scout roads before MP Saad Hariri travels came under fire, prompting response which led to casualties. "I personally turned over one of the bodyguards, Ali Fatfat, who responded to the shooting," Fatfat told the daily An Nahar, adding that police are handling the investigation. Meanwhile, al-Samad denied in a telephone call with An Nahar any involvement in the incident.
Samad said Fatfat's personal bodyguard, Mo'taz H. complained about banners criticizing Hariri and poured out his anger on a group of youths carrying the posters in Bakhoun and fired his pistol at them in front of policemen's eyes. He said other Fatfat bodyguards also took part in the shooting that wounded two youths, aged 12, another two aged 13. Samad said the injured also included a 17-year-old boy. Meanwhile, Hariri circles confirmed that his convoy did not travel across the area where the incident took place.The circles, who described the incident as "local" and had nothing to do with Hariri's convoy, said that the shooting occurred half an hour before Hariri arrived at an Iftar dinner in Dinniyeh. Beirut, 08 Sep 08, 10:13

Jouzou: Making Peace with Israel Rescues Syria from Hariri Tribunal
Naharnet/Mount Lebanon Mufti Sheikh Mohammed Ali Jouzou on Sunday attacked Syrian President Bashar Assad for saying that the Lebanon situation remains fragile because certain states back fundamentalism. "It's not President Bashar al-Assad's right to talk about terrorism in Tripoli and the north when he is the prime exporter of terrorism and still takes part in killing and assassinations and attacks against Lebanese civilians via his supporters in the south and the north and in Beirut and the mountains and the Bekaa," Jouzou said in a statement issued Sunday. "The Syrian president has forgotten that he left Lebanon due to the assassination of Premier Rafik Hariri … and that the era of (Syrian) tutelage was full of blood, destruction, killings, assassinations, turmoil and terrorism," Jouzou added.
"There is a long history of acts of terrorism on our territory during the (Lebanese) civil war; and Tripoli witnessed black days behind which Syrian intelligence stand."
He accused Assad of trying to get away with the tribunal to try suspects in the Feb. 2005 assassination of Hariri that was blamed on Syria. Damascus has denied involvement in the killing. "Syria today wants to get away with accusations by any means. This is why it is throwing itself into Israel's arms … thinking that it would save its head from the tribunal by making peace with Israel," Jouzou said. Beirut, 07 Sep 08, 13:21

JATRAS: Kosovo prelude to Georgia?
James George Jatras
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2008/sep/07/kosovo-prelude-to-georgia/
Sunday, September 7, 2008
In anticipation of Russian President Dmitry Medvedev's recognition of the independence of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, President Bush said "Georgia's territorial integrity and borders must command the same respect as every other nation's."
Critics of Russia's action include Sens. Barack Obama, Joseph Biden and Joseph Lieberman; Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice; former United Nations Ambassador Richard Holbrooke; and many others in the bipartisan establishment.
Among the specific criticisms are Russia's violation of the sovereign territory of Georgia, a fledgling democracy and a member of the United Nations; a disproportionate response to Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili's attempt to settle South Ossetia's status by force, including Russian military operations well outside of South Ossetia; and Moscow's tardiness in withdrawing its forces under a deal brokered by French President Nicolas Sarkozy.
Evidently irony is not much appreciated in Washington. It seems critics have forgotten President Bush's recognition of the independence of Kosovo, a province of democratic, U.N. member Serbia. President Bush's reference to "every other nation" whose "territorial integrity and borders must command the same respect" apparently has at least this one exception. If he can violate the United Nations Charter and the Helsinki Final Act, which guarantee sovereign borders, what right does he have to accuse others of doing the same?
If Moscow stepped over the line in its crushing military response to Mr. Saakashvili's offensive, what do we call 78 straight days of NATO's bombing throughout Serbia, destroying most of that country's civilian infrastructure? If Russia is to be faulted for imperfect implementation of the Sarkozy agreement, what can be said about Washington's violation of U.N. Security Council Resolution 1244, which ended the 1999 Kosovo war and reaffirms Serbian sovereignty in the province?
The standard reasons cited for making Serbia an exception to the rule we demand in Georgia is that NATO intervened to stop genocide of Kosovo's Albanians and that they will never again accept being part of Serbia. But after the war actual casualties among all ethnic groups - whether by military action, atrocities committed by both Serbs and Albanians, and the toll of NATO's bombing - proved to be far fewer than those cited in justification for the war. Compared to South Ossetia's much smaller population, mutual accusations of genocide against South Ossetians and Georgians, respectively, are proportionally larger than those at issue in Kosovo. And are South Ossetians and Abkhazians less adamant that they will not submit to Tbilisi's rule than Kosovo's Albanians are with respect to Belgrade?
It also should be kept in mind that Kosovo's legal status is very different from that of entities in the former Soviet Union. Under the Yugoslav constitution - the same authority that justified the secession of Croatia, Slovenia, etc. - Kosovo, part of Serbia since before Yugoslavia was formed, has no legal claim to independence. In contrast, the 1990 Soviet law on secession - which was the legal basis of the independence of Union Republics such as Georgia - required that autonomous entities within their borders be allowed, via referenda, to remain in the Soviet Union, and by extension its successor, Russia.
Thus, while Kosovo's status as part of Serbia is unquestionable, South Ossetia and Abkhazia can make a good case they were part of Soviet Georgia but never the current independent state of Georgia. (The same would apply to Transdniestria with respect to Moldova and Nagorno-Karabakh with respect to Azerbaijan. When will they follow suit?)
By trashing the accepted international "rules of the road" on Kosovo, Washington has created what amounts to the rules of the jungle. Each power acts as it will, either to suppress restive minorities or to compromise other countries' borders: The United States tries to force Serbia to accept Kosovo's independence and pressures other countries (without much success) to recognize it; Georgia tries to subdue the Ossetians and the Abkhazians and fails; Russia moves to establish the Ossetians' and Abkhazians' independence and now also will try to secure wider recognition. In turn, the U.S.-supported separatist Kosovo Albanian administration itself threatens a miniature version of Mr. Saakashvili's South Ossetia offensive to subdue Serbian enclaves, where the remaining one-third of the province's prewar community finds refuge. Where does the logic of "big fish eat little fish" end?
In Kosovo, Washington sowed the wind, and now Georgia has reaped the whirlwind. Only a return to the negotiating table to address comprehensively Kosovo, South Ossetia, Abkhazia and similar trouble spots elsewhere can prevent this malignant precedent from spinning further out of control with incalculable consequences for global peace and security. With each step down this road it will be harder to put the genie of might-makes-right back in the bottle.
**James George Jatras is a lawyer and director of the American Council for Kosovo in Washington, an activity of Squire Sanders Public Advocacy, LLC, and Global Strategic Communications Group, which are registered agents for the Serbian National Council of Kosovo and Metohija. Mr. Jatras formerly served as a foreign policy analyst of the U.S. Senate Republican leadership.