LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
September 19/08

Bible Reading of the day.
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 7,36-50. A Pharisee invited him to dine with him, and he entered the Pharisee's house and reclined at table. Now there was a sinful woman in the city who learned that he was at table in the house of the Pharisee. Bringing an alabaster flask of ointment, she stood behind him at his feet weeping and began to bathe his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them, and anointed them with the ointment. When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this he said to himself, "If this man were a prophet, he would know who and what sort of woman this is who is touching him, that she is a sinner." Jesus said to him in reply, "Simon, I have something to say to you." "Tell me, teacher," he said. Two people were in debt to a certain creditor; one owed five hundred days' wages and the other owed fifty.
Since they were unable to repay the debt, he forgave it for both. Which of them will love him more?" Simon said in reply, "The one, I suppose, whose larger debt was forgiven." He said to him, "You have judged rightly." Then he turned to the woman and said to Simon, "Do you see this woman? When I entered your house, you did not give me water for my feet, but she has bathed them with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You did not give me a kiss, but she has not ceased kissing my feet since the time I entered. You did not anoint my head with oil, but she anointed my feet with ointment. So I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven; hence, she has shown great love. But the one to whom little is forgiven, loves little."He said to her, "Your sins are forgiven." The others at table said to themselves, "Who is this who even forgives sins?"
But he said to the woman, "Your faith has saved you; go in peace."

Saint [Padre] Pio de Pietrelcina (1887-1968), Capuchin friar
CE, 18.16; AD, 54/"Who is this who even forgives sins?"May our hope in God's mercy uphold us amidst the tumult of passions and contradictions. Let us run confidently to the sacrament of penance where Our Lord is always waiting for us with infinite tenderness. And once our sins have been forgiven we should forget about them because Our Lord has already done so before we do. Even if you were to confess you had committed all the sins in the world, yet the Lord assures you: «Your many sins have been forgiven because you loved much.»Lord Jesus, you are all sweetness: how could I possibly live without you? Come, Lord, take sole possession of my heart.

Free Opinions, Releases, letters & Special Reports
Another attempt at dialogue.By: Lucy Fielder 18/09/09
Syrian skills-By: Mustafa Labbad-Al-Ahram Weekly 18/09/08
A place under the sun. By: Bassel Oudat. Al-Ahram Weekly 18/09/09
To contain Jihadism you need Pluralism.By Walid Phares 18/09/08
No dialogue in Lebanon's mean streets-By Michael Young 18/09/09

Latest News Reports From Miscellaneous Sources for September 18/08
Hezbollah Begins Formation Of Navy. The Bulletin
Rights groups urge Syria to halt dissidents' trial-Reuters
Lebanese Politicians Interviewed by Investigation Commission Into Hariri Crime-Naharnet
Jouzou for a New Resistance Faction Affiliated with the Army-Naharnet
Khoury: Tensions Prevent Nasrallah-Hariri Meeting-Naharnet
Sheikh Qabalan Rejects Weapons-Naharnet
Hariri-Nasrallah Reconciliation in the Making?-Naharnet
Resistance Tension in South-Naharnet
Geagea Ready for Reconciliation with Franjieh-Naharnet
Germany Extends its UNIFIL Troops Mandate-Naharnet
Aoun for Militia-Resistance Merger-Naharnet
PSP, Hizbullah for Scholastic Calm-Naharnet
Two Civilians Wounded in Chtaura Grenade Attack-Naharnet
Hariri: Stability Conditional to Prosperous Economy-Naharnet
PSP Reassures Christian Allies-Naharnet
Franjieh Gives Ultimatum to Government on Bsarma Shooting Attack-Naharnet
Families of missing Lebanese urge factions to stop politicizing issue-Daily Star
Far-right Euro-MPs bid to have Hizbullah blacklisted as terrorist organization-Daily Star
Grenade attack heightens tensions in Ain al-Hilweh-Daily Star
Two die in clashes between Marada, Lebanese Forces-Daily Star
Sleiman predicts official ties with Syria by end-2008-Daily Star
No dialogue in Lebanon's mean streets-Daily Star
Special US bombs for Israel already aimed at Lebanon?Daily Star
Couple uses wedding day to plant more than 1000 trees in Lebanon-Daily Star
Speaking volumes about underclass life in Lebanon and Palestine-Daily Star
Lebanon 'to get 4000 more phone booths'-Daily Star
Aoun for Militia-Resistance Merger-Naharnet
Fadlallah prescribes reconciliation as cure for instability-Daily Star
Special US bombs for Israel already aimed at Lebanon?-Daily Star
Tabourian calls for Beirutis to get fairer share of power cuts-Daily Star

Far-right Euro-MPs bid to have Hizbullah blacklisted as terrorist organization
By Andrew Wander -Special to The Daily Star
Thursday, September 18, 2008
BEIRUT: Members of the European Union's Parliament launched a campaign this week to have Hizbullah listed as a terrorist organization by the 27-member bloc. A coalition of Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) circulated a "written declaration" on Tuesday seeking to have Hizbullah added to the EU terror list, which includes Al-Qaeda and several Palestinian groups.
Hizbullah is not currently considered a terrorist group by most Western countries. Only four countries - the United States, Israel, Canada and Holland - have officially listed the Shiite political group as "terrorist organization." Australia and Britain label only the armed wing of Hizbullah as "terrorist."
Some other countries do not keep an official list of designated terrorist organizations, but have expressed concerns over the group's activities.
The proposal comes at a delicate time in Lebanese politics. Hizbullah is currently engaged in national dialogue talks with rival political parties aimed at clarifying the relationship of its armed wing to the state. The group has pledged to never give up its weapons, saying they are needed to defend Lebanon from possible future Israeli attacks.
Aside from its military activities, Hizbullah's political wing has representatives in Parliament and holds one seat in the Cabinet. It also participates in municipal government and undertakes many social development projects. The group was responsible for much of the reconstruction work that took place in the South, Beirut's southern suburbs and the Bekaa Valley after the July 2006 war with Israel.
But some EU Parliament members argue that Hizbullah's political power in Lebanon is precisely the reason it should be added to the list. "If it was only a number of lunatics, it would not be as dangerous," Portuguese socialist MEP Paulo Casaca told reporters in Brussels on Tuesday.
Czech MEP Jana Hybaskova released a statement on behalf of the largest single grouping in the Parliament, the far-right European People's Party, warning that Hizbullah represented a serious threat to European citizens. "Since the 1980s, more than 90 European citizens have been killed in terror attacks committed by the terrorist organization Hizbullah," she charged. She offered no evidence to support her claim.
"Experts on terrorism say that Europe is at risk of a terrorist attack and I wonder why Hizbullah is only on the UK and Dutch lists of terrorist organizations and not on the EU's," Hybaskova said.
She added that those who opposed her views were "jeopardizing the lives of European citizens." Hybaskova chairs the European Parliament's delegation to Israel and co-sponsored the written declaration.
A written declaration is an expression of opinion rather than a legislative document and they are usually used by MEPs to raise awareness of causes that they or their sponsors feel strongly about. Due to the labyrinthine political structure of the European Union, even if a written declaration is adopted by the Parliament it does not become law, but is sent to the European Commission, the executive branch of the EU, for consideration.
Campaign members say they are trying to build a "critical mass" to turn the motion into EU policy. But only 44 of a possible 785 MEPs have signed the declaration so far and experts say it is unlikely to become law.
The European Union's counterterrorism coordinator, Gilles de Kerckhove, told the European Jewish Press Web site that he didn't think it was likely that Hizbullah would be added to the list. "It plays a role on the Lebanese political scene and several countries think that this could bring them closer to the democratic process," he said. If Hizbullah were designated a terrorist organization by the bloc, it would see its financial assets in Europe frozen and its fundraising activities in EU member states disrupted.  But experts say that based on available information, it is unlikely that such measures would have a major impact on Hizbullah. Amal Saad Ghorayeb, who has written a book about the group, said: "If this became EU policy it would have a political rather than a financial impact."
She said that given the current political climate in Lebanon, the motion was unlikely to become law. "There have been many such initiatives and they have failed," she said. "I don't think that it is good timing, with the national dialogue taking place, for such measures to be implemented."
There have been previous attempts to persuade the EU to list Hizbullah as a terrorist group. Last year, the bloc came under pressure from US lawmakers to make such a designation. Some member states supported the move, but EU rules require a unanimous decision from all 27 member states that has not been possible to secure. When contacted by The Daily Star, Hizbullah said that it had no comment on the motion.

Hezbollah Begins Formation Of Navy
By: David Bedein, Middle East Correspondent
09/18/2008
Jerusalem - The Middle East Newsline has confirmed the Israeli intelligence community has determined that the Iranian sponsored Hezbollah was forming a navy.
The report said Hezbollah has been working with Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps for naval training and procurement.
And, it said, Hezbollah has developed a naval capability designed to attack Israeli ports and coastal facilities.
"They have operational war ships," said Israel Navy Rear Adm. Ram Rutberg and the commander of the Haifa Naval Base. "We are currently studying their capabilities and maintaining readiness."
Adm. Rutberg, in a Sept. 16 briefing to President Shimon Peres, did not cite platforms acquired by Hezbollah. He said Hezbollah has also been armed with Iranian-origin cruise missiles that could strike Israeli warships.
Sources in Israeli intelligence also confirm that Hezbollah has also been helping Hamas develop a naval capability, so that Hamas could also form a navy in 2009 comprised of fast patrol boats and rubber platforms.
David Bedein can be reached at bedein@thebulletin.us. His Web site is www.IsraelBehindTheNews.com
http://www.thebulletin.us/site/index.cfm?newsid=20126581&BRD=2737&PAG=461&dept_id=576361&rfi=8

Lebanese Politicians Interviewed by Investigation Commission Into Hariri Crime
Naharnet/The U.N. commission investigating the 2005 assassination of ex-Premier Rafik Hariri and related crimes has recently sped up efforts and interviewed a number of Lebanese politicians. Such politicians have been reportedly interviewed for the first time since the Feb. 14, 2005 crime. The commission, according to a western diplomatic source, appears in a hurry to conclude its mission and finalize all its files, especially in light of the non-cooperation by several states with its mission. Canadian Judge Daniel Bellemare, who heads the commission, was reportedly heading to concluding his mission by preparing a charge sheet before yearend. The charge sheet, better known as the final report by the investigation panel, would be referred to the international tribunal's prosecutor, a step that would practically activate activities of the special court on the Lebanon crimes. Bellemare has been offered the post of the tribunal's prosecutor when the investigation commission's term expires late in December. Beirut, 18 Sep 08, 08:52

Gunmen Shoot Lebanese Citizen Near Sidon
Naharnet/Unidentified assailants on Thursday opened fire from a speeding car at Lebanese citizen Eid Harb in the Kfar Falous area east of Sidon, wounding him seriously. Harb was admitted to Jbaily hospital near the southern port city of Sidon for treatment, and his condition was termed "serious."
Identity of the attackers could not be established immediately. However, security sources said Harb is the father of a young man who opened fire nearly three days ago at two Shepherds in the Jezzine region, killing one and wounding the other. The shepherds were affiliated with Hizbullah that controls the region near the Sujud Hill where a Lebanese army helicopter had been attacked and its captain killed. Beirut, 18 Sep 08, 13:48

Jouzou for a New Resistance Faction Affiliated with the Army
Naharnet/Mount Lebanon Mufti Sheikh Mohammed Ali Jouzou said Thursday he would apply with the interior ministry for a permit to set up a resistance faction affiliated with the army command. Jouzou, addressing an Iftar banquet hosted by the Sunni Religious Institute, said setting up the resistance faction under army auspices "would allow us to possess weapons like others." The Mufti was apparently referring to Hizbullah. Jouzou said "we all back Jihad against the Israeli enemy and we all support weapons that fight Israel … but when these weapons are pointed at the Lebanese people they result in catastrophe." "Do we want to build a homeland for all its people or we want to tear it apart?" he asked. Beirut, 18 Sep 08, 13:21

Khoury: Tensions Prevent Nasrallah-Hariri Meeting
Naharnet/Mustaqbal Movement official Ghattas Khoury on Thursday said persisting tensions block reconciliation with Hizbullah. Khoury, in a television interview, said President Michel Suleiman had proposed a meeting between Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah and Mustaqbal Movement leader Saad Hariri. "We had informed the president that he can proceed with the required contacts to facilitate the meeting," Khoury said. However, he said: "But if they don't want to apologize to Beirut, there is no need to open old wounds." He criticized Nasrallah for defending in a recent statement the May attack on Beirut.
If the Hariri-Nasrallah meeting is to be held "there should be agreement on a number of principles, because using weapons for domestic purposes strips the resistance of its reason to exist." "No resistance faction uses weapons domestically," Khoury noted. "If using weapons for domestic purposes is permitted, then Hizbullah, which is at odds with Mustaqbal movement today, could use its weapons against the Progressive Socialist Party tomorrow and after that against the Free Patriotic Movement," he concluded. Khoury made the remarks a few hours after the pro-Hizbullah daily al-Akhbar said preparations were underway for a Hariri-Nasrallah meeting. The report said aides to both leaders would hold discussions to agree on the venue of the proposed meeting that would be the last in a series of reconciliation efforts that started in Tripoli. Hariri had called for an "honorable reconciliation," stating that such move requires "valiant men." Beirut, 18 Sep 08, 12:44

Sheikh Qabalan Rejects Weapons
Naharnet/Lebanon's highest Shiite Muslim cleric has called for disarming all militias, saying "our words are our weapons."
Sheikh Abdul Amir Qabalan, Deputy Head of the Higher Islamic Shiite Council, made the call in an iftar banquet attended by Premier Fouad Saniora and Grand Mufti Sheikh Mohammed Rashid Qabbani. Addressing Saniora, Qabalan said: "We have great confidence in you and we call upon you to close all offices manned by gunmen in Beirut and to confiscate weapons spread throughout Lebanon.""Our only weapon is unity, solidarity and cooperation," Qabalan added.
"We reject attacks on anyone," he stressed. Beirut, 18 Sep 08, 12:09

Hariri-Nasrallah Reconciliation in the Making?
Naharnet/The daily al-Akhbar, which is close to Hizbullah, reported that preparations are underway for a reconciliatory meeting between Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah and Mustaqbal Movement leader Saad Hariri. The report said aides to both leaders would hold discussions to agree on the venue of the proposed meeting that would be the last in a series of reconciliation efforts that started in Tripoli. Hariri had called for an "honorable reconciliation," stating that such move requires "brave men." Beirut, 18 Sep 08, 11:44

Resistance Tension in South
Naharnet/Lebanese Army units contained a quarrel between partisans of the Lebanese Communist Party and AMAL movement in the southern village of Kfar Rumman overnight. The quarrel started after AMAL partisans tried to knock down a monument erected by the LCP to commemorate "martyrs" of the Lebanese National Resistance Front (LNRF), the leftist alliance that fought invading Israeli troops in the 1980s. Kfar Rumman was a main base for LNRF resistance fighters before Hizbullah established control over south Lebanon in the early 1990s. Several LNRF fighters were killed in combat against Israeli troops and several others were liquidated in serial assassinations that targeted leftist activists in Beirut and south Lebanon in the late 1980s. The bodies of at least nine LNRF fighters remain in Israel and have not been included in the recent swap between Hizbullah and the Jewish state. Beirut, 18 Sep 08, 09:16

Geagea Ready for Reconciliation with Franjieh
Naharnet/Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea on Wednesday called for banning weapons in north Lebanon and gatherings by partisans of all political factions to avoid undesired repercussions of the Bsarma shooting. Geagea, addressing a press conference at his residence in Meerab, also said he is ready for reconciliation with Marada Movement leader Suleiman Franjieh provided no other faction takes part in it to "avert political investment." Geagea disclosed that Lebanese Forces partisans in Bsarma had lodged a complaint with the police station in the city of Amyoun at 11pm Tuesday against "threats." He asked why Marada official Youssef Franjieh, who was killed in the shooting, was dispatched from Bnashii to Bsarma although he is in charge of Franjieh's security guards. The Bsarma shooting, according to Geagea, was not spontaneous "it dates six months back and I had sent messages to Franjieh asking him to cool down his people particularly in Bsarma to avoid trouble because they were constantly attacking our flags and placards."Geagea, after calling for wisdom and self-restraint, said the state of Lebanon should be the only authority that protects its citizens. "The Lebanese Forces in the north and the rest of Lebanon is protected first by God and the state of Lebanon."
However, Geagea said: "If the state ceased to exist we would find a way to protect ourselves." The ban he called for on gatherings by partisans of political factions does not include a mass scheduled for Sunday in remembrance of Lebanese Forces "martyrs," Geagea explained. Beirut, 17 Sep 08, 19:07

Germany Extends its UNIFIL Troops Mandate
Naharnet/The German parliament voted Wednesday to extend the mandate of its troops in the naval component of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon for 15 months. The maximum number of personnel Germany can contribute to the UNIFIL mission will fall to 1,200 from 1,400, however, due to what Berlin describes as progress made by the Lebanese military in building up its own naval force. The new mandate approved by the Bundestag lower house runs until December 15 next year. There are currently 230 German sailors deployed off the Lebanese coast. Germany held the command of the force from the start of its mission in October 2006 until the end of February, when Italy took over. Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier and Defense Minister Franz Josef Jung both appealed to deputies to extend the mission, to prevent arms being smuggled to Hizbullah by sea. The UNIFIL mission marked Germany's first military foray into the Middle East since World War II.(AFP) Beirut, 18 Sep 08, 05:02

Aoun for Militia-Resistance Merger
Naharnet/Free Patriotic Movement leader Michel Aoun on Wednesday proposed a defense strategy based on merging the "various militias and the resistance."
Aoun made the proposal in remarks broadcast by Orange TV, mouthpiece of his FPM. The resistance should "not be restricted to Hizbullah, let them expand it to include all the Lebanese" factions, Aoun said. "Guerrilla warfare is necessary to defend Lebanon," he added. "Those who speak of two armies and two states probably do not believe that the resistance is carrying out a defense mission," Aoun added. He said the meeting that has been held between the Progressive Socialist Party and Hizbullah is "not an alliance, it only aims at avoiding violence." He said it "appears that politicians have lost control of the security situation." Beirut, 17 Sep 08, 22:48

PSP, Hizbullah for Scholastic Calm
Naharnet/The Progressive Socialist Party and Hizbullah on Wednesday reassured parents that the scholastic year would be calm. The pledge was made in a joint statement issued after a coordination meeting between PSP MP Akram Shohayeb and the Hizbullah official in charge of security Wafiq Safa to consider banning confrontations between students of the two sides. The two sides held a rapprochement meeting on Monday in an apparent effort to contain possible tension.
Beirut, 17 Sep 08, 22:18

Two Civilians Wounded in Chtaura Grenade Attack
Naharnet/Two civilian pedestrians were wounded when unidentified assailants hurled a hand grenade at a location near a Lebanese Army outpost in the Bekaa Valley town of Chtaura on Wednesday. A security source said the grenade was hurled at a location between the Shams commercial center and the Army outpost.
However, it could not be determined if the outpost was targeted by the attack. The two civilians were wounded by shrapnel and admitted to hospital for treatment. Their conditions were described as "satisfactory." Beirut, 17 Sep 08, 22:01

Hariri: Stability Conditional to Prosperous Economy
Naharnet/Mustaqbal Movement leader Saad Hariri on Wednesday told businessmen that Lebanon's political stability is a precondition to achieving economic growth. Such stability, Hariri added, can be reached by achieving reconciliation. Hariri made the remarks at an Iftar Banquet for businessmen at his residence in Beirut. He said those who "threaten peace and stability are responsible for threatening interests of the Lebanese people and their standard of living."
"Investing in civil order is a national target that would boost the economy and achieve social justice," Hariri said. Political differences, according to Hariri, should be "settled peacefully to help in inviting foreign investment.""We should safeguard our country against regional shocks," Hariri noted. Beirut, 17 Sep 08, 21:50

PSP Reassures Christian Allies
Naharnet/The Progressive Socialist Party on Wednesday briefed Phalange Party leader Amin Gemayel on a rapprochement meeting it has held with Hizbullah.
MPs Wael Abu Faour and Akram Shohayeb visited Gemayel at his residence in Bikfaya within the framework of similar talks with leaders of the March 14 forces to assure them that Walid Jumblat's PSP is not headed to a bilateral alliance with Hizbullah that leads the March 8 group. Abu Faour, talking to reporters after the meeting, said they also discussed with Gemayel sporadic tensions and repercussions they might have on national dialogue. He expressed hope that reconciliation efforts started by Mustaqbal Movement leader Saad Hariri in Tripoli and proceeded through the mountain would "spread to other areas." Abu Faour was apparently referring to the possible reconciliation between Hariri and Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah. In answering a question about a remark by Nasrallah that he doesn't trust the state, Abu Faour said: "We should all work for consolidating trust in the state." He also denied reports that a PSP delegate has visited the Iranian embassy to Beirut.Beirut, 17 Sep 08, 21:32

Franjieh Gives Ultimatum to Government on Bsarma Shooting Attack
Naharnet/Marada Movement leader Suleiman Franjieh on Wednesday gave an ultimatum to the Lebanese government on the Bsarma shooting attack in north Lebanon. "I give the government a 15-day to one-month ultimatum to reveal the truth behind the shooting incident in Bsarma," Franjieh told a news conference.
His ultimatum came a few hours after two people were killed and three wounded in clashes between the Lebanese Forces and Marada Movement in the town of Bsarma in the northern province of Koura. Lebanese Forces (LF) supporter Pierre Ishaq and Youssef Franjieh, head of Marada's Bsarma office, were killed in the fight. Three other people were wounded. "What a coincidence that Youssef Franjieh was killed in the shooting attack, only two months after he announced on OTV that he had opened fire on Samir Geagea during the Ehden Massacre," the Marada leader said.A statement by the Lebanese Forces, however, said the clashes erupted when Marada members in Bsarma tore down banners the LF had put up. It said that when LF members came back to replace the shredded banners they were "surprised by an armed ambush that targeted them followed by heavy gunfire."Marada sources, in return, accused the LF of assassinating Youssef Franjieh. They said Lebanese Forces members provoked the fight with Youssef Franjieh when they tried to put up banners near Marada's office in Bsarma. "This action was a deliberate provocation aimed at dragging our members into a fight so the assassination of official Youssef Franjieh could be carried out," one Marada source said. He said that Pierre Ishaq was killed and three bodyguards of LF official and MP Farid Habib were wounded in self-defense. While holding Habib "directly responsible" for the Bsarma attack, Franjieh held the Lebanese Forces responsible for provoking the shooting incident. "Let the judiciary then decide," he concluded. News reports said security forces raided the house of Syrian Social Nationalist Party (SSNP) member Ghassan Ghazi -- suspected of causing the Bsarma clashes – and arrested him. The said the force – made up of police and army troops -- confiscated a collection of weapons from his house. The SSNP, however, denied in a statement that Ghazi had been arrested for this reason. The statement said Ghazi was detained against the backdrop of a lawsuit filed by LF's Bsarma official accusing him of making threats against him. Beirut, 17 Sep 08, 14:33

Two die in clashes between Marada, Lebanese Forces
Franjieh accuses LF of 'assassination'
By Hussein Abdallah
Daily Star staff
Thursday, September 18, 2008
BEIRUT: Tensions soared in Lebanon on Wednesday after two people were killed and three others wounded in clashes between the Lebanese Forces and the Marada Movement in the Northern province of Koura. Lebanese Forces (LF) supporter Pierre Ishaq and Marada's Youssef Franjieh were killed in the violence in Bsarma, a village some 10 kilometers from the port city of Tripoli.
A security official said the clashes broke out after Marada members tried to prevent a banner from being put up for a ceremony September 21 to be held by the Lebanese Forces.
"The Lebanese Forces had put up the banner the day before and it was taken down and they came back overnight to display it again," the official said.
The Lebanese Army immediately intervened and set up checkpoints in the area.
Marada Movement leader Suleiman Franjieh on Wednesday urged authorities to bring the perpetrators of the Bsarma attack to justice within a month.
"I give the government and judicial authorities a 15-day-to-one-month ultimatum to reveal the truth behind the shooting incident in Bsarma," Franjieh told a news conference. The Marada leader singled out LF MP Farid Habib as being responsible for the killing of Youssef Franjieh, who headed the Marada office in Bsarma.
Franjieh said that a member of Habib's security personnel had opened fire during the fight, killing both Youssef Franjieh and Ishaq.
"Is it normal for LF supporters to erect posters outside the Marada office in Bsarma?" he asked. "In fact, the clash was not a random one ... They stirred a fight to create a distraction, but their real aim was to kill Youssef."
"What a coincidence that Youssef Franjieh was killed in the shooting attack, only two months after he announced on OTV [Orange television] that he had opened fire on LF chief Samir Geagea during the Ehden massacre," he added, referring to the killing of Toni Franjieh, Suleiman's father, and dozens of family members in a raid on his residence in Ehden in 1978.
The killing was blamed on the Lebanese Phalange Party, for which Geagea was still a fighter at that time. Geagea was a member of the "military squad" which was ordered to carry out the operation, but he was allegedly wounded before he reached Franjieh's residence. However, Marada sources maintain that Geagea was shot in front of the house. Later on Wednesday, Geagea accused Franjieh of threatening Habib, describing the Marada leader's remarks as "irresponsible and unacceptable." Habib said on Wednesday that "Franjieh's threats against me should be dealt with by the concerned judicial authorities."
Geagea offered his condolences to the families of both Ishaq and Franjieh and said that issuing accusations ahead of investigations was "improper."
The LF boss rejected the Marada leader's claim that Franjieh's death was premeditated. "As far as I know, Youssef Franjieh is in charge of Suleiman Franjieh's security at his residence in Bnashei ... The question is: Why was he dispatched from Bnashei to Bsarma where the shooting took place?" Geagea asked.
The LF leader added that he had asked the security and armed forces to take all the necessary measures to ban arms as well as political gatherings in the North in a bid to avoid further escalation. Also on Wednesday, March 14 MPs Nayla Mouawad and Jawad Boulos expressed "regret" for the Bsarma clash, calling for "relentless efforts to contain this accident and its repercussions."
"We urge the security and armed forces and the judiciary to speed up the investigation into the Bsarma incident," the two MPs said in a statement.
The Defense Ministry meanwhile ordered an indefinite ban on gun permits starting Wednesday, with the exception of weapons carried by the bodyguards of diplomats, Cabinet ministers and lawmakers. The order was made after President Michel Sleiman headed a meeting of the Central Security Council at the Presidential Palace. The meeting was attended by the commander of Lebanese Armed Forces, General Jean Kahwaji, the head of military intelligence, Brigadier General Edmond Fadel, and Internal Security Forces director General Ashraf Rifi.
Interior Minister Ziyad Baroud also headed another Central Security Council meeting at the Interior Ministry. In a separate development on Wednesday, unknown assailants threw a grenade at a Lebanese Army base in the Bekaa town of Chtoura. Security sources told The Daily Star that the resulting explosion had caused a number of injuries, though it was not clear whether the wounded were soldiers or civilians. The latest violence came after a string of security incidents across Lebanon that have raised fears of a return to the sectarian violence that left 65 people dead in May. It also broke out a day after rival Lebanese factions launched reconciliation talks aimed at resolving their differences. - With AFP

Sleiman predicts official ties with Syria by end-2008
By Hussein Abdallah
Daily Star staff-Thursday, September 18, 2008
BEIRUT: President Michel Sleiman said Wednesday that Lebanese-Syrian relations were on the right track, adding that Beirut and Damascus were likely to exchange ambassadors by the end of 2008. Sleiman's remarks came during a meeting with a delegation from the French-Lebanese Friendship Committee at the Presidential Palace. The meeting was attended by French Ambassador Andre Parrant, Minister of State Wael Abu Faour, and MPs Michel Murr, Assem Araji, Walid Khoury, and Michel Pharaon. Sleiman told the delegation that France had played a major role in helping Lebanon out of its 18-month political crisis.
The president also praised France's role in improving ties between Lebanon and Syria. Sleiman was quoted as telling his visitors that the "atmosphere" of the national dialogue's opening session on Tuesday was "excellent." The first session of dialogue was chaired by the president and brought together 14 leaders to discuss several issues, principally Hizbullah's arms and the formulation of a defense strategy for Lebanon. The next dialogue session has been set November 5.
Sleiman will be heading to the United States later this month to attend the UN General Assembly and meet US President George W. Bush. Washington praised the attempt at dialogue. "Lebanon has started a national dialogue and this is a Lebanese effort designed to move that country forward," US State Department Spokesman Sean McCormack said late Tuesday. "We understand the dialogue as an attempt to try to move the country beyond the existing political divisions," he added. Asked about the controversial issue of Hizbullah's weapons, McCormack said that all Lebanese parties should abide by UN Security Council resolutions that govern the flow of arms into Lebanon. Also Wednesday, the Loyalty to the Resistance parliamentary bloc called for an increase in the number of participants in the national dialogue, reiterating a similar recommendation by Hizbullah's leader, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah. "Increasing the participants in the national dialogue would broaden the spirit of national reconciliation," the bloc said in a statement. The bloc also urged all participants to agree on a unified vision of the country's national defense strategy. In another development on Wednesday, Future Movement leader Saad Hariri said that political stability was a prerequisite for economic growth in.Speaking during an iftar banquet at his residence in Beirut, Hariri called for holding an economic conference to discuss solutions for the country's financial problems. Hariri said that Lebanon should attract more investment in the near future, stressing that the government has to commit to the promises made at the Paris III donor conference.

No dialogue in Lebanon's mean streets
By Michael Young
Daily Star staff
Thursday, September 18, 2008
The national dialogue is on track again, albeit with its next session delayed until November 5, no doubt so that everyone can first absorb the results of the United States presidential election. But on the ground, far from the eyes of the politicians but not their reach, the situation is more troubling. As President Michel Sleiman prepares for the next round of talks, his priority must be to address what is happening in the streets, otherwise this could jeopardize the dialogue itself.
Take this incident last week on Mar Elias Street. A friend had gone there with someone to have an after-movie dessert. As the pair was ordering, a young man came up and demanded that they show him their identification cards. My friend refused, and the young man called out to several comrades. Within minutes my friend was surrounded, his friend was being hit, and the two were being shouted at. Only when the stranger realized that my friend knew people from the Sharafeddine family, which he said he belonged to, did he calm down and try to make amends for his belligerent behavior. He said he belonged to the Amal movement and that "conditions" made it necessary for him and his men to be vigilant.
One could dismiss this as an isolated event, were it not for the fact that there is an increasing number of stories circulating in western Beirut describing similar such behavior. In Ras al-Nabeh, there are problems almost every day of that nature. In the strip of mixed Sunni-Shiite quarters between Mar Elias and the Bishara al-Khoury boulevard, groups of young men, clearly those who fought in the street battles last May, spend their evenings on the sidewalks checking out whoever walks by. A surprising number of journalists or writers who sympathize with the March 14 coalition, most of them Muslims, have moved to eastern Beirut because they feel unsafe in the other half of the capital. And some March 14 activists cannot even live in their own homes because people regularly drive by, inquire about their whereabouts, and insult them.
Since May, the streets of western Beirut have been effectively controlled by those parties that won the round of fighting at the time. That doesn't mean that a night out on the town is fraught with danger. By and large everything appears normal on the surface, particularly in the quarters around Ras Beirut. But when a journalist from a pro-Hariri newspaper tells you that two unidentified men boldly sat in on a recent interview with him conducted at a cafe in the early evening on Hamra Street, his point is more subtle: Those who want to engage in intimidation can do so with no fear that the security forces or the army will intervene.
The leaders of the political parties controlling western Beirut may or may not be actively encouraging their partisans to apply coercive behavior, but it is plain that they are doing nothing to prevent it. The reason appears to be that in the run-up to parliamentary elections, the March 8 parties, particularly Hizbullah, Amal, the Syrian Social Nationalist Party and the Marada, want to be sure they can shape electoral outcomes in their favor. This may come by exerting pressure on voters, or by creating tension to prevent voting. The reality is that even outside western Beirut, in districts that will decide the balance in Parliament, including Sidon, Koura, the Western Bekaa, Zahleh and Baabda, the opposition has great leeway to manipulate developments on the ground to get the results it seeks.
The politicians may spend months discussing a "defense strategy," but conditions in Lebanon will be determined to a large extent by those strains little seen or heard. For example, the reason that Walid Jumblatt's Progressive Socialist Party and Hizbullah met under the auspices of Talal Arslan earlier this week was to normalize a worrisome relationship between the two Shiite villages in the Aley district, Qomatiyeh and Kayfoun, and the Druze communities around them, particularly in Baysour where Saleh al-Aridi was assassinated last week. The Druze will not forget that last May Hizbullah temporarily took over Hill 888 overlooking Aley because its combatants were infiltrated through Kayfoun.
The brief breakout of fighting this week in Taalbaya, on the road between Shtaura and Zahleh, showed how another tinderbox has been left to fester. The army is present in Taalbaya, but the disposition of the communities makes enforcing security difficult. Shiites and Sunnis live among each other in much of the town, with Shiites controlling the high ground and able to reinforce themselves militarily from the village of Hazzerta, located above Zahleh. There is no easy way to prevent youths from insulting each other in Taalbaya's streets, when those streets happen to be right outside their homes. That is why small incidents can transform themselves into major confrontations at the drop of a hat.
The only way to neutralize these and other similar flashpoints is to go to the source of the problem, at least where this is feasible. Resolving the problem in Taalbaya will not force thugs off the streets of western Beirut. However, if the March 8 parties, who are the ones flaunting their militias, agree to a national plan to bring calm to the country, then places like Taalbaya and Kayfoun will fall in line. But all the signs are that the parties' aim is precisely the opposite. After all, it is useful to deploy men with guns close by when discussing such issues as the "defense strategy," Palestinian weapons outside the camps, relations with Syria, Lebanese financing for the Hariri tribunal, parliamentary elections, and a host of other contentious issues sure to divide politicians in the months ahead.
That's why if Sleiman wants to sponsor a truly successful national dialogue, he will have to, first, prove that the state controls the streets, all the streets. But if the state cannot do so, if it cannot even impose its writ in areas of Beirut, then what credibility will it have when presenting its army as a legitimate alternative to Hizbullah's independent army? Of course that's precisely the question Hizbullah wants us to ask.
**Michael Young is opinion editor of THE DAILY STAR.

America can help in the Middle East - but only if it changes course
By The Daily Star
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Editorial
Whoever America's next president is, the Middle East will continue to present a series of difficult challenges. Thus far neither Barack Obama nor John McCain has either demonstrated an understanding of all that is wrong with this part of the world, or acknowledged that some very different approaches are required. Obama has expressed greater openness to a change in direction (e.g. by suggesting talks with Iranian leaders), but what is required is nothing less than a complete overhaul.
The foregoing is not to suggest that Arabs and Muslims have not played a large part in this long season of their own discontent. To the contrary, the prototypical Middle Eastern state is little more than a ramshackle incubator designed to sustain the dominance of military and security apparatuses and to funnel money toward a few privileged business interests. The citizen has little or no voice, and the state is regarded at best with apathy and/or disdain and at worst with fear and/or hatred. Once consequence of this fact is the growing influence of non-state actors. Parties like Lebanon's Hizbullah, Palestine's Hamas, and Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood have stepped in to provide services that people need and that governments have ignored. Until the region has better leaderships, therefore, such organizations will continue to grow in size and strength. They will also tend overwhelmingly to be anti-American in their outlooks - and they will have good reason to do so. From the 1953 coup that overthrew an elected prime minister in Iran to the collective punishment of the Palestinian people for having elected Hamas in 2006, Washington has worked relentlessly to prevent and/or undo the rise of popular political forces.
In order to sustain this project, the United States continues to subsidize an ugly collection of despotic regimes. These sclerotic governments grow more out of touch with their peoples every day, necessitating greater exertions to maintain their grips on power - and adding more appeal to opposition parties, virtually all of which blame the United States for their predicaments.
The next US president might start by becoming deeply and determinedly engaged in the Syrian-Israeli peace process, and by working to abet reconciliation rather than revanchism in Lebanon, both of which would serve as accelerants for any effort to solve the Palestinian-Israeli riddle. Diluting Washington's traditional pro-Israeli bias would also increase US credibility for the necessary role of supporting economic and political reforms aimed at democratizing the Middle East. Phenomenons like civil strife in Lebanon, genocide in Darfur and terrorism in Yemen are not linked, but they stem from many of the same causes. America's next president will have to recognize this fact - and acknowledge America's partial responsibility for it - if he is to have any hope of turning the tide.

Special US bombs for Israel already aimed at Lebanon?
Weapon too small for Iranian targets - analysts
By Nicholas Kimbrell
Daily Star staff-Thursday, September 18, 2008
BEIRUT: New bunker-buster bombs, which the United States Defense Department plans to sell to Israel, may be of little use in attacking heavily fortified Iranian nuclear sites but could be used effectively against underground arsenals in Lebanon and the Gaza Strip, according to military analysts. The bunker-busters are small-diameter GBU-39 bombs developed by the Integrated Defense System unit of Boeing Company. The bombs are equipped with Global Positioning and inertial navigation systems and can penetrate underground and hardened targets. According to a news release by the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) last week, "It is vital to the US national interests to assist Israel to develop and maintain a strong and ready self-defense capability. This proposed sale is consistent with those objectives."
A DSCA spokesman told The Daily Star Wednesday that "The US is deeply committed to Israel's security." But he added that it could take up to six months, pending Congressional approval, for a contract to be hammered out with Israel. Implementation of the sale could take an additional three years.
Starting from September 9, Congress has 30 days to reject the proposed sale of 1,000 GBU-39s, worth an estimated $77 million.
According to an e-mail received Wednesday from Boeing's IDS Weapons Programs Communications, the GBU-39 is a 130-kilogram, 1.8 meter by 19 centimeter "multipurpose, penetrating, blast-fragmentation warhead for stationary targets." The weapon has a penetration of more than 1 meter of reinforced concrete and can travel over 100 kilometers thanks to deployable wings.
Shlomo Brom, the Israeli military's former chief of strategic planning spoke of the weapon in relation to the 2006 summer war. "One of our problems," he told the Associated Press, "had been that they put many of the rocket launchers in bunkers and fortifications underground. And for use there, [the GBU-39] is an ideal weapon." It was widely reported that Israel received shipments of older bunker-buster bombs during the conflict. "This bomb is going to be the general purpose bomb of the next generation," Yitzak Shapir, a military analyst at the Institute of national Security Studies in Tel Aviv, told AP. He added that the bombs could take out Katyusha launchers in Lebanon and Qassam launchers in Gaza. When contacted on Wednesday, a Hizbullah spokesman had no comment.
Regarding the potential use of GBU-39s in an aerial attack on nuclear sites in Iran, Shapir and Brom seemed unconvinced. Iranian development sites are thought to be protected by meters of reinforced concrete. "You would need something a lot heavier," Shapir said. "1.8 meters is not enough."
There has been speculation that US sales of aerially delivered penetrating bombs might be seen as a tacit endorsement of an Israeli strike against Iran; but the US has allegedly vetoed that option. The weapons could nonetheless be used against Israel's neighbors in Lebanon and Gaza.
According to Boeing, the GBU-39 "has been in combat use on the F-15E since October 2006." Israel has, since 1997, been equipped with specially designed F-15Is. - With agencies

To contain Jihadism you need Pluralism
By Walid Phares
Prague, September 16, 2008
As part of my current European lectures and briefings tour in Europe which began this week at the European Parliament in Brussels I presented a lecture to the Center for International Security in Prague on the war of ideas and global strategies of the Jihadist movements and regimes. I will be reporting on this tour in the near future. Following is an interview with the editor of the news center at (the US-funded) Radio Free Europe based in Prague based on a discussion centered on the ideological confrontation with the Jihadi forces worldwide. The exchanged was edited and sent to news desks in several languages to be broadcast. Below, find the interview and the link to the site.
DISCUSSION ON RADIO FREE EUROPE IN PRAGUE
The U.S. change of command in Iraq this week comes with violence levels at four-year lows and a slight reduction planned in U.S. troop figures. Although large-scale attacks remain a concern, many observers regard a weakening of Al-Qaeda in Iraq as a major reason for the reduction of bloodshed.
Walid Phares, a visiting fellow at the European Foundation for Democracy in Brussels and senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies in Washington, talks to RFE/RL correspondent Charles Recknagel about Al-Qaeda's setbacks in Iraq and the future of its ideology.
He says young Muslim minds must be offered "a model of pluralism and democracy" as an alternative to a "fighting caliphate."
RFE/RL: After many battles between Al-Qaeda and its former Sunni insurgent allies, and after the surge of U.S. troops in Iraq, terrorist attacks are markedly down. Now some U.S. commanders are speaking of reaching the end-game of the conflict. What has caused Al-Qaeda, which initially made such rapid progress in Iraq after the U.S. invasion, to lose so much ground?
Walid Phares: Well, No. 1, there were two stages in what seems to be a decline but not yet the end of Al-Qaeda. The first stage was that it lost its enclave and the first battle really was in Fallujah. Al-Qaeda's not being able to establish similar Fallujah-like enclaves was its first defeat. Then, it was able to survive through its networks and the foreign jihadists who poured through the borders and, of course, it was able to survive a longer period of time because of some of the support the local Salafist networks in Iraq have provided. The reason for why Al-Qaeda is on the decline today is first of all its own behavior, its own savagery with civil society, and that is a hallmark of the Salafi combat doctrine, which in Algeria in the 1990s also had similar activities and lost the trust of Muslim constituencies.
But again, the real Al-Qaeda defeat today is because of the surge that has operated over the past year, denying Al-Qaeda the initiative. But having said all that, I agree with the commanders on the ground that this is the endgame, but only of this stage. The big question would be if, after a redeployment of U.S.-led coalition forces, Iraqi forces would be able to deliver the same blow to Al-Qaeda. And the jury is still out on that.
PHARES SEES "TWO STAGES IN...A DECLINE BUT NOT YET THE END OF AL QAEDA"
RFE/RL: The level of violence Al-Qaeda is ready to use against civilians is, indeed, so horrific that it often is very hard to understand the movement's appeal at all. Yet, jihadists are able to recruit new members, partly because they claim to be working for the goal of a peaceful and just, almost utopian, world. Their stated goal is to liberate people from existing exploitive governments and recreate the harmonious society that existed in the earliest days of Islam between the Prophet Muhammad and his immediate followers. Does this appealing vision give jihadism an enduring appeal and perhaps assure that -- despite the setbacks in Iraq and Algeria -- jihadism will never entirely disappear?
Phares: That's what the jihadist message says in its propagandist dimension, meaning for soft eyes and ears before they are indoctrinated in the classroom, in the madrasahs. What they are talking about really is to bring down 21 Arab governments as we know them. They are not always democratic or efficient, but what the jihadists want to establish instead -- and I wouldn't say only 21 but 52 Muslim states if they can -- is the Taliban model. If you ask a Salafi jihadist or an Al-Qaeda supporter what is your ideal regime, they would say the Taliban, which means no rights for women, no rights for minorities, no religious rights -- remember what they have done with the Buddhist statues and with Shi'a or with Sunni who will not go by their ideals -- plus establishment of a very tightly interpreted Shari'a law, meaning blocking progress and liberalization within the Muslim world. If you ask a Salafi jihadist or an Al-Qaeda supporter what is your ideal regime, they would say the Taliban, which means no rights for women, no rights for minorities, no religious rights.
With all of that, obviously, the real message is going to be understood by the public only if there is an alternative thinking, meaning: In order to contain and reverse the agenda of the jihadists you have to have pluralism, you have to have the ability for young minds to get another message and let them make their choice. If they listen to a message that says, well, the future is for a "fighting caliphate," and at the same time they see a model of pluralism and democracy, then the choice will be theirs. I do not believe that reversing or defeating the jihadists intellectually is only by crushing their message. It is by offering another alternative and the choice will be a free choice.
RFE/RL: If jihadism has the potential to recruit people as a liberation theology, or liberation ideology, let's look more specifically at where that potential comes from in the Middle East. Is it due to great public disappointment with the region's self-named republican leaders who led the struggle against colonialism? Is there a sense that Western democracy does not offer the East a workable model? Is it due to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict? These are all reasons that are sometimes cited.
Phares: All these reasons are valid, or have some validity. But that alone does not explain the choice for another as oppressive, as suppressive movement. Meaning, that if young minds were able to choose they would choose to be away from oppression and not to choose one form of oppression over another one. The only way is for young minds, those who have not been indoctrinated, to see that there is a difference. And if you take societies where Al-Qaeda has been thriving, these are societies where the segments have been conditioned. Meaning, young people go to madrasahs because they don't have another opportunity. And once they are in the madrasah, don't blame them if they get only this one dominant ideology. It all goes back to providing a space for freedom -- democracy will come as a result of that. You cannot impose democracy, but you can open a space for freedom.
RFE/RL: An Arab analyst once remarked to me that the reason for the "war on terror" is, in his words, that "our fundamentalists are at war with your fundamentalists." That's a provocative way of saying the West shares blame for the "war on terror" due to the pursuit of its own interests in the Middle East, including making profitable alliances with autocratic regimes rather than making greater efforts to promote democratic groups. How do you react to this notion? We have seen what happened with many liberal elements in the Middle East who have been suppressed by authoritarian regimes allied with the West.
Phares: Yes, of course, U.S., Western, European foreign policies have made tremendous mistakes and among those most important mistakes in the past were to ally themselves with autocratic regimes in the region. We have seen what happened in Iran. We have seen what happened with many liberal elements in the Middle East who have been suppressed by authoritarian regimes allied with the West. Yes, I do accept partially that criticisms can be leveled against foreign policies.
But the only difference is that the West can correct itself. Not just the West, democracies can correct themselves. That's why there are opposition movements, that is why there are hearings in congresses and parliaments, that is why there are demonstrations and free press. If the Arab and Muslim world can reach the level whereby an opposition is tolerated, whereby women can vote and drive in some places, I think that would be a good agenda to follow.
September 17, 2008 02:09 

Syrian skills
Mustafa Labbad*
Al-Ahram Weekly
Against the odds, Damascus has emerged triumphant from attempts to isolate and diminish it.
Once again, Syria has moved to the regional centre stage following the recent summit in Damascus that brought the Syrian president together with the emir of Qatar, the Turkish prime minister and the French president. The four-party summit epitomised the current balances of power and intersecting interests in the region. Moreover, it established Damascus as the "counterpoise" on the regional scale and the "pacesetter" of the Levant.
Not only did this summit highlight Syria's geopolitical centrality as key to the equations in the Arab east, it also throws into relief the extraordinary bankruptcy of the "moderate axis" in the region. Moreover, the presence at this summit of Qatar, head of the Gulf Cooperation Council and a Washington ally yet with well-known connections with Iran; of Turkey with its regional weight and US links; and France with its obvious international weight, have made it palpably clear that the international and regional isolation that had been imposed on Damascus since the assassination of former Lebanese prime minister Rafik Al-Hariri is now definitely a thing of the past.
Syria has been and remains a fundamental part of the ebb and flow of regional tensions due to its capacity as that crucial link in the Iranian-led alliance that helps regulate Iranian influence in Iraq and connect that Iranian influence in Lebanon and the occupied Palestinian territories. Yet, in spite of its alliance with Iran, Damascus has succeeded in juggling regional divides and contradictions to its best advantage. Nothing makes this clearer than its alliances with two major regional powers, Iran and Turkey. For, in addition to being part of the Iranian axis, Syria is simultaneously the closest Arab country to Turkey in terms of mutual interests. It is via Ankara that Damascus is currently negotiating with Tel Aviv, enhancing Syria's ability to influence other issues of import in the region. We could thus say that Syria is effectively the pivot in the balance between all non-Arab forces in the region.
Syria's superb negotiating abilities are all the more impressive when we compare them to those of Saudi Arabia. In spite of the enormous surge in oil prices (earning it more than $1 billion a day) and its strong alliance with Washington, Riyadh could not sustain its drive to keep Syria regionally isolated. As a result, Syria was therefore eventually able to dismantle the regional and international alignment against it, the walls of which tumbled upon the visit by Sarkozy, representing both France and the EU. Clearly, Damascus would not have been able to achieve this breakthrough had it not been a brilliant tactician capable of capitalising on its importance to various regional parties so as to manoeuvre itself into increasingly better negotiating positions. In addition to such dexterity, it exhibited a thorough understanding of the language of mutual interests and its impact on international politics. Particularly indicative of this was its conclusion of a petroleum drilling deal with France's gigantic Total petroleum company, which forms the kernel of industrial capitalism in France.
The Arab Republic of Syria is a mosaic of the ethnic and sectarian blend of the Levant, as well as a miniature of that region's geopolitical balances. It is not a coincidence, therefore, that Syria was the heart and substance of the Sykes-Picot Agreement that drew the lines and set the fates of the Arabs of the Levant from 1916 onwards. Syria stands in Turkey's way to the Arabian Peninsula and in Iraq's way to the rest of the Middle East. At the same time, Syria is Lebanon's geographical breathing space, and the source of Lebanon's reverberating significance, and it is Palestine's geographical and historical lung. Indeed, in a strong sense, the concept of the nation state does not fully apply to Syria in view of the absence of the historical root to the modern Syrian state in its current borders.
This constitutional reality has compelled this state to cling to an Arab identity as a way to preserve itself as an abstract political entity. Arabism was not so much a political choice for Syria (as it was for Egypt, for example) as it was a geographical, historical and demographic fate. This fact leads us to an extremely important geopolitical realisation, which is that Syria is the lynchpin for playing a regional role in the Levant. Historical proof of this reality is to be found in the regional roles Egypt played from the age of Mohamed Ali to the present. Recently, however, Cairo seems to have -- for the first time since the creation of the modern Egyptian state -- abandoned its own regional ambitions and almost clashed with Damascus within the framework of the Saudi-led "moderate axis" that lacks both a project and legitimacy. Nevertheless, in spite of its considerable financial and international and regional strategic assets, Saudi Arabia lacked the necessary political and tactical skills to support so much as a minimal level of Arab interests in the region.
In the end, one can only go with the saying, "If you're not in the game, root for the best player." After all, to be fair, Syria's consummate adroitness in manipulating regional power balances and manoeuvring between its various polls has enabled it to safeguard its political regime and evade a barrage of international pressures. Who knows? Perhaps Cairo might be inspired by such dynamics, against the backdrop of recent developments and what awaits the region, to step out of the sidelines and back into the game. Perhaps, too, this would bring about a more equitable distribution of the cards in the regional deck.
* The writer is director of Al-Sharq Centre for Regional and Strategic Studies.
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A place under the sun
Bassel Oudat- from Damascus
Al-Ahram Weekly
Will Tartus be the first Russian military base in the Mediterranean or just a service and repair station?
Three weeks after President Bashar Al-Assad visited Moscow, Russia said that its ships will start using the seaport of Tartus once the latter is properly remodelled. Syrian and Russian navy chiefs, Taleb Al-Bari and Vladimir Vsotskiy, have already met in Moscow to discuss ways to "reinforce trust and understanding" between their countries. A Russian navy ship is currently involved in updating the facilities in Tartus.
Western media saw the Russian move as a symptom of the rising tensions between Russia and the West, a sequel of sorts to the Georgia crisis. But Syrian experts disagree. A Syrian Foreign Ministry source said that Damascus and Moscow were simply implementing previous military cooperation agreements. Tartus has been a common destination for Russian navy ships since the 1970s, and the current arrangements are in keeping with an agreement signed by Damascus and the Soviet Union back in 1971, according to the same source. The Syrian seaport, currently not equipped for receiving big ships, is expected to serve as a temporary station for small Russian ships and frigates.
Moscow's desire for a long-term navy presence in the region is in no doubt. The facilities in Tartus would give the Russian navy certain manoeuvrability and thus compensate for the loss of Romanian and Bulgarian ports to NATO. What makes the Syrian seaport even more significant is the quarrels Russia and Ukraine have been having about the Russian use of the Black Sea port of Sevastopol.
Edward Baltin, a former Russian admiral, said that a permanent seaport in the Mediterranean would mean that Russian ships patrolling the Mediterranean no longer need to travel back to the Black Sea for rest and servicing. Former first deputy commander of the Russian Navy Admiral Igor Kuznetsov agreed. Tartus, he said, has a geopolitical value for the Russians.
According to Jane 's Middle East editor David Hartwell, talks between Syria and Russia over the updating of the Tartus seaport have been ongoing for years, and cannot therefore be linked to the crisis in Georgia.
General Leonid Ivashov, a former senior official in the Russian Defence Ministry, said that the importance of Tartus must not be exaggerated. "The Syrian port has only one workshop for repairing military ships, and therefore it would be difficult to station ships there."
But the Russians are pleased to have a toehold in the Mediterranean. "From now on, there will be a permanent presence for the Russian navy in the Mediterranean," Igor Belyev, Russian ambassador to Damascus, said.
How far would the Syrians go in accommodating Russia's needs? For now, the Syrians deny any intention to deploy a Russian Iskander missile shield on their land. Damascus has a long-term policy of avoiding the creation of foreign military bases on its soil. It is also careful not to ruffle feathers in Europe and the US.
The Tartus seaport has been affiliated with the Russian fleet since Soviet times. It also contains a workshop and a dock set aside for Russian vessels. Some 50 Russian experts currently work in the harbour of Tartus, which has three docks, only one of which is in use. The harbour also has a dockyard for repairs, several warehouses and billeting quarters. It is believed that Damascus and Moscow are about to rehabilitate one of the docks to make it capable of receiving big Russian ships.
According to the independent Russian newspaper Nezavisimaia, Russia wishes to deploy strategic weapons in flashpoints around the world, just as the Soviet Union did in the past. What holds it back is that it has binding agreements with Washington preventing it from deploying such weapons abroad. Also, Syria doesn't want to host Russian military bases on its territory.
Cooperation between Syria and the Soviet Union started in the mid-1950s and developed steadily over the next few decades. The Soviet Union provided Syria with political and military support in its confrontation with Israel. The Syrians accumulated over $13 billion of debt because of their military imports from Russia. Moscow forgave 73 per cent of the debts in 2005. And the Syrians plan to pay the remainder, about $2.11 billion, through further cooperation.
Moscow denies that it offered to deploy Iskander missiles in Syria in reaction to the US deployment of a missile shield in eastern Europe. The most Moscow is willing to do, Russian sources say, is provide Syria with tactical anti-aircraft and anti-tank weapons and update its current missile system.
Last year, the US started enforcing a ban on the sale of weapons to Syria. However, the Russian Instrument Design Bureau sold Syria anti-aircraft guns worth $1 billion, which were financed in full by Iran. Last year, the US slammed a two-year trading ban on three Russian companies that exported weapons to Syria, including Ros-Orboron-Export, the Instrument Design Bureau, and the Kolomensky Heavy Engineering Bureau.
In return for the toehold they are giving the Russians in Tartus, the Syrians hope to get Russian backing in the UN and other international forums, as well as some weapons. But Damascus is hardly likely to turn the facilities in Tartus into a full-fledged Russian military base. Fearful of antagonising the West, the Syrians are keeping their cooperation with the Russians within well-defined boundaries.
© Copyright Al-Ahram Weekly. All rights reserved

Another attempt at dialogue
By: Lucy Fielder
Al-Ahram Weekly
Lebanese leaders began another attempt at dialogue this week, but were poles apart on the only real item on the agenda: Hizbullah's arms, Raed Rafei and Lucy Fielder report from Beirut
"Who is trying to assassinate the dialogue?" asked the headline of French-language Beirut newspaper Orient le Jour after Sheikh Saleh Al-Aridi, a Druze politician close to Syria, was killed by a car bomb a week before Lebanon's divided leaders were slated to sit around the discussion table.
Al-Aridi was an aide to opposition figure Talal Arslan but had played a key role in reconciliation between Arslan and rival Druze chieftain Walid Jumblatt after clashes spread in May. He was the first pro- Syrian politician to fall prey to a chain of assassinations that have shaken Lebanon since October 2004.
Some blamed Israel. Jumblatt darkly alluded to "foreign intelligence apparatuses and all kinds of projects". But there was less open finger pointing than usual ahead of the scheduled national dialogue. The tiny Druze minority has closed ranks since May, and neither side seemed to want to escalate matters.
"Jumblatt is reaching out to the opposition because he understood after the May incidents that Hizbullah won," said Karim Makdissi, professor of political science at the American University of Beirut. "He is making peace with this."
According to Makdissi, as the mainstream parties in the country move towards consensus, it is normal to see resistance to a comprehensive agreement from minor, extremist elements, that were left out by the process of reconciliations. "Obviously, there is still instability in the country and no interest in total reconciliation," he said.
Nonetheless, reconciliation was breaking out all over Lebanon this week before the talks, with Arslan hosting talks between representatives from Jumblatt's Progressive Socialist Party and Hizbullah, the former foes' first meeting in two years. Meanwhile, Saad Al-Hariri has shuttled around Lebanon to bring his Sunni Future Movement together with its rivals in the tinderbox northern city of Tripoli and mixed Sunni-Shia areas of the eastern Bekaa Valley.
As the country awaits a high-profile meeting between Hizbullah's leader, Hassan Nasrallah, and Al-Hariri to appease ongoing tensions between Sunnis and Shiites, especially in Beirut, observers worry that security incidents will recur. Aside from the killing of Aridi, tensions were also recorded after a shooting in Taalbaya and Saadnayel in the Bekaa Valley. In a separate incident, deadly fighting broke out Monday evening in the Ain El-Helwe Palestinian Refugee Camp in South Lebanon between an Islamist group and the mainstream Fatah movement.
"I don't want to make any accusations, but there are regional and local players who have not been brought into the system yet. These elements are apparently not favourable for short-term stability," Makdissi said. He further pointed out that parties seeking to disrupt the current status quo could include elements within Saudi Arabia, militant elements of the Future Movement and Islamist entities who have their own agendas.
As the dialogue opened Tuesday, a gulf yawned between the main two sides -- Hizbullah and the parliamentary majority -- on what was widely seen as the only issue on the table: Hizbullah's arms. The dialogue was agreed upon as part of the May Doha deal, which ended a political crisis that had endured for 18 months and descended into severe clashes that same month. Hizbullah's swift seizure of parts of Beirut, with the help of its allies, intensified debate on its arms, with the group's critics perceiving that it broke its promise never to turn its weapons inwards.
"We must make sacrifices... for the nation," said President Michel Suleiman at the opening of the dialogue. President Suleiman, elected as part of the Doha package after a six-month vacuum in the Baabda Palace, surprised some in Lebanon by calling for the dialogue during the month of Ramadan instead of shortly after it. Previous attempts at dialogue have not touched on the weapons issue.
Timur Goksel, a strategic analyst and adviser to the southern UNIFIL peacekeeping force, said the agenda had not officially been set yet and expected the first day of talks to be a formality. "This will be like the first day of school, to decide the syllabus -- what they're going to discuss and when they'll meet etc," he said. The dialogue is expected to resume in October, after Suleiman's return from a visit to the US. "The positions are at two extremes," Goksel added.
So far talk has focussed on a "defence strategy" that will define the Syrian and Iranian-backed group's relationship with the largely supportive army. "The defense strategy is a general concept... We must create a strategy in which the state's powers are integrated -- the army, resistance and people," said President Suleiman. Hizbullah and its allies say its weapons are necessary to fight Israel, given the absence of a strong army and agreement on who constitutes Lebanon's enemy.
"Hizbullah would like to further legitimise its weapons with the official sanctioning of the state. Its definition of a defence strategy is broad, including such issues as the strength of the economy and national institutions," Goksel said. "The parliamentary majority simply sees this in terms of disarming Hizbullah and how it fits in with the army," he added.
Few expect a breakthrough from the talks. Hizbullah has long been Lebanon's most powerful faction and in effect it imposed its terms on the Doha deal. It now wields a veto in the new cabinet, enabling it to block any attempts to disarm it. Makdissi noted that Hizbullah was magnanimous enough to give rope to Al-Hariri so he could reassure his constituency that he is still politically relevant and managed to put Hizbullah's weapons on the table.
"There is a psychological element involved in the dialogue. After the humiliation in May on the ground and in Doha, Al-Hariri needs the appearance of a diplomatic victory," Makdissi said. "Hizbullah does not have any interest in weakening Al-Hariri's position as the main Sunni leader," Makdissi added, "because they see that this would fortify extremist Sunni elements. For the long-term, they also want to give an impression that the Lebanese system works by consensus."
Given universal expectations there will be no serious change to the status quo, many Lebanese see the dialogue as little more than a time-killing exercise. "At a time when all the participants in the dialogue know that the margin for reaching practical results is slim, they insist on sitting around the dialogue table because they are incapable of amending the internal balances of power until the parliamentary elections next summer," Hossam Itani wrote in the leftist As-Safir newspaper.
With all eyes on those elections, due in May, few expect their largely sectarian leaders to stick their necks out for any major policy changes before then, let alone concerning the resistance's weapons, which are at the heart of Lebanon's national defence and identity. Further, Lebanon, like the rest of the region, is holding its breath to see what the US presidential elections in November will bring. Any change in US policy towards Iran or Syria could have a direct bearing on Hizbullah and its relationship to the state.
But any attempt to settle differences through talks rather than projections of force on the street is generally welcomed. The six small explosions in Beirut's mixed Sunni-Shia Corniche Al-Mazraa district the day before the dialogue started, causing material damage but no casualties, were reminders, if any were needed, that as always in Lebanon the street could ignite at any minute.
Lebanese leaders began another attempt at dialogue this week, but were poles apart on the only real item on the agenda: Hizbullah's arms,
**Raed Rafei and Lucy Fielder report from Beirut
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