LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
August 04/08

Bible Reading of the day.
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 14,13-21. When Jesus heard of it, he withdrew in a boat to a deserted place by himself. The crowds heard of this and followed him on foot from their towns. When he disembarked and saw the vast crowd, his heart was moved with pity for them, and he cured their sick.  When it was evening, the disciples approached him and said, "This is a deserted place and it is already late; dismiss the crowds so that they can go to the villages and buy food for themselves." (Jesus) said to them, "There is no need for them to go away; give them some food yourselves." But they said to him, "Five loaves and two fish are all we have here." Then he said, "Bring them here to me," and he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, he said the blessing, broke the loaves, and gave them to the disciples, who in turn gave them to the crowds. They all ate and were satisfied, and they picked up the fragments left over --twelve wicker baskets full. Those who ate were about five thousand men, not counting women and children.

Free Opinions, Releases, letters & Special Reports
Lebanon: Hezbollah may fight Israel to recover land-Ha'aretz 03/08/08
Hezbollah solidifying its already-strong position in Lebanon.By: W. Thomas Smith Jr. 03/08/08
Ignoring the State. By: Manuela Paraipan 03/08/08
Provocation and responsibility-Ha'aretz 03/08/08

Latest News Reports From Miscellaneous Sources for August 03/08
UN border assessment team wraps up two-week mission to Lebanon-Business Intelligence Middle East (press release)
Top Syrian Army Officer and Liaison with Hizbullah Killed, Report-Naharnet
Lebanon Seeks Interpol Help on Susanne Tamim's Murder-Naharnet
Ahmadinejad, Assad Back Lebanese National Entente-Naharnet
Israel Set to Free Palestinians in Final Stage of Deal with Hizbullah-Naharnet
Moussa Urges Lebanese to Shield Themselves from Region's Dangers
-Naharnet
Saniora's Cabinet to Tackle Policy Statement Draft Next Week
-Naharnet
Army Experts Dismantle Bomb in Tripoli
-Naharnet
Hizbullah: National Dialogue to Discuss How to Benefit from the Resistance
-Naharnet
Hizbullah: The Policy Statement Outlined the Government's Role
-Naharnet
MP Hamadeh: Major Appointments Might Not Be Possible Before 2009
-Naharnet
MP Franjieh: Who Would Strike First, Israel or Hizbullah?
-Naharnet
Ban Committed to the Hariri Tribunal
-Naharnet
March 14 to Discuss How to Confront an Armed Faction
-Naharnet

Hezbollah solidifying its already-strong position in Lebanon W. Thomas Smith Jr.
02 Aug 2008
By W. Thomas Smith Jr.
http://www.analyst-network.com/article.php?art_id=2309
Hezbollah – as I’ve said before, the most-dangerous Talibanesque terrorist-army on the planet — is wrangling its way into becoming a legal part of the Lebanese Defense establishment: Positioning itself in such a way as to make it nearly impossible to ever outlaw and disarm Hezbollah in Lebanon.
This despite the fact that Iranian-Syrian-supported Hezbollah – which fancies itself a legitimate arm of resistance – launched multiple deadly attacks against the Lebanese government and citizenry in May and numerous isolated attacks nationwide since.
In the wake of the attacks – through force and intimidation — Hezbollah has achieved unprecedented political power in Lebanon (which we have written about extensively, and analysis may be accessed here).
Now the Lebanese cabinet is on the verge of adopting a draft statement, permitting Hezbollah to keep its weapons (technically banned by the United Nations Security Council) and incorporating Hezbollah into the Lebanese defense apparatus under the binding role of “resistance,” something Hezbollah has claimed for some time, enabling the terrorist organization to skirt the country’s – and the United Nations’ – ban on armed militias in Lebanon.
“Hezbollah will now be capable of further intimidating UN forces in the south of Lebanon,” says Tom Harb, secretary general of the Committee for the Implementation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1559. “They will also be able to keep the [already porous] Syrian-Lebanese border open to unfettered weapons smuggling [from Iran and Syria to Hezbollah].”
Harb adds, “This draft policy if adopted will prevent the Lebanese government from implementing UN Security Council Resolutions 1559 and 1701. And the international community might one day be facing a situation with Lebanese Pres. Michel Sleiman that is not unlike that which we are witnessing with Omar al-Bashir [the Sudanese president alleged by the International Criminal Court to be responsible for genocide and other war crimes in Darfur].”
The draft policy must be approved by Lebanon’s Parliament.
— Visit W. Thomas Smith Jr. online at uswriter.com.

Moussa Urges Lebanese to Shield Themselves from Region's Dangers
Naharnet/Arab League chief Amr Moussa has urged the Lebanese to stay away from the region's "bad conditions" to avoid letting their country become an arena of disputes. "There are opportunities and (at the same time there are) dangerous predictions in the region. There are also positive points. That's why we hope that the Lebanese will stay away from bad conditions so that Lebanon doesn't become a battleground for these differences," Moussa told Future News TV on Saturday. "The more the Lebanese agree (among themselves), the more the crisis" dissipates, he said. "There are (now) more opportunities than before. I hope there would be no disagreement…so that things work out as agreed upon," Moussa said a day after a ministerial committee tasked with drafting a cabinet policy statement reached agreement. He said the Arab League will have a presence during the national dialogue that will be launched in Baabda Palace under the sponsorship of President Michel Suleiman. "The most important thing is for Lebanese to accept dialogue with a positive and nationalistic spirit," he told the TV network.
Beirut, 03 Aug 08, 09:23

Army Experts Dismantle Bomb in Tripoli
Naharnet/Lebanese army explosives experts on Saturday dismantled a bomb found in Tripoli, the state-run National News Agency said. It said the bomb was found at the entrance to a building opposite Khaled Bin al-Walid mosque in the Tabbaneh neighborhood of Tripoli. NNA said an army unit cordoned off the area as explosives experts worked on dismantling the bomb which was said to be a left over from the war. Beirut, 02 Aug 08, 20:07

Saniora's Cabinet to Tackle Policy Statement Draft Next Week
Naharnet/Premier Fouad Saniora's national unity cabinet is to tackle next week a policy statement outlining its agenda for a nine-month term during which it should set the stage for parliamentary elections, normalize relations with Syria and determine the fate of Hizbullah's weapons.
Meanwhile, Hizbullah is to maintain its weapons in line with the policy statement draft that gave its resistance along with the people and the army, the right to "liberate or recover" the Israeli-occupied Shebaa Farms, Kfarshouba Hills and the Lebanese sector of the Ghajar village.
The controversial issue of the relationship between state authority and Hizbullah weapons has been sliced into three sub-issues dealt with by three separate clauses of the policy statement draft. Clause Seven said the "government emphasizes on its adherence to the principle of state unity and its authority over all issues related to the general policy of the country to safeguard Lebanon and its national unity and regulate the paths, decisions and commitments made by the government. This principle governs all clauses of the policy statement." Clause Eight said the government also "emphasizes on adherence to the concept of President Michel Suleiman's oath address and his call for dialogue, commitment to the constitution and the national charter."

Clause 26 was made up of an intro and three sub clauses.
Naharnet/The intro stated that "in line with the state responsibility in safeguarding Lebanon's sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity in line with the constitution, the government emphasizes on:
Sub-Clause one: "The right of Lebanon, its people army and resistance, to liberate or recover the occupied Shebaa Farms, Kfarshouba Hills and the Lebanese sector of the Ghajar village; and defend Lebanon against any aggression and adhere to its right in its waters by all legitimate and available means."
Sub-Clause 2: "The government adheres to UNSCR 1701 and all its requirements."
Sub-Clause 3: "Proceeding to work out a comprehensive national strategy to protect Lebanon and defend it, to be agreed on during dialogue sponsored by the president of the republic with the participation of the Arab League after the government wins a vote of confidence."
Information Minister Tareq Mitri told reporters late Friday some ministers tried to add to the clause the phrase "this right is to be practiced under the state wing" but it was not agreed on.
Cabinet Minister Nassib Lahoud, talking to reporters, said he expressed reservation over the clause related to the resistance because it did not include clear reference to the "army's right to resist."
Cabinet Minister Jubran Bassil said the draft included the topic of "refugees to Israel" and the missing Lebanese citizens in Syria.
Bassil also said a compromise "satisfactory to us and to Premier Fouad Saniora has been reached" regarding Paris-3. Beirut, 02 Aug 08, 09:34

Top Syrian Army Officer and Liaison with Hizbullah Killed, Report
Naharner/A senior Syrian army officer believed to be Damascus' liaison with Hizbullah in Lebanon has been assassinated, Arab media reported on Sunday.
The reports came almost six months after the killing in a Damascus car bomb of top Hizbullah military commander Imad Mughniyeh, Hizbullah blamed on Israel.
The pan-Arab daily Al-Hayat on Sunday, citing informed sources, said that a senior Syrian officer had been found dead.
"The circumstances of the incident are not clear," the London-based paper said in its report, which said the sources suggested that the slain officer had been "in charge of sensitive files and closely linked to the Syrian top brass."
Al-Bawaba, an Arab news website, named the officer as Mohammed Suleiman and said he was "Syria's liaison officer with Lebanon's Hizbullah movement."
It said he was killed by a sniper in the northwest Syrian town of Tartus and would be buried in his hometown of Driekesh on Sunday.
Al-Mustaqbal newspaper quoted a Syrian news site as saying Suleiman was the head of security at the presidential palace in Damascus and President Bashar al-Assad's "right-hand man." The paper made no mention of Hizbullah in its report. A Hizbullah official told AFP in Lebanon that he did not know Mohammed Suleiman and had not heard about any killing. Israel has denied the Hizbullah charge that it was behind the assassination of Mughniyeh in the Syrian capital on February 12.(Naharnet-AFP) Beirut, 03 Aug 08, 10:04

Israel Set to Free Palestinians in Final Stage of Deal with Hizbullah
Naharnet/The Israeli government was set to vote on Sunday on the release of several Palestinian prisoners as part of the final stage of a swap deal with Hizbullah, a spokesman in Jerusalem said on Saturday. "During Sunday's cabinet meeting the prime minister will raise for voting the issue of the release of Palestinian prisoners within the framework of the U.N.-brokered agreement with Hizbullah," Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's spokesman Mark Regev told Agence France Presse.
The cabinet was set to approve the release of five Palestinians under the deal, which saw Israel free five Lebanese prisoners, including Samir Qantar.
The Israeli daily Haaretz quoted a source in Jerusalem as saying that the five will be security prisoners, who are not included in the category of inmates with "blood on their hands," a reference to prisoners who have been involved in deadly attacks against Israelis.
Under last month's swap deal, Hizbullah returned the bodies of Israeli soldiers Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev who were captured on July 12, 2006, sparking a devastating 34-day war. Under the same deal, Hizbullah also handed Israel a report it had compiled on the fate of Israeli airman Ron Arad who went missing after his plane was shot down over Lebanon in 1986. Olmert has slammed the report as "completely inadequate."(AFP-Naharnet) Beirut, 03 Aug 08, 10:19

Ahmadinejad, Assad Back Lebanese National Entente
Naharnet/Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and his visiting Syrian counterpart Bashar Assad have stressed support to Lebanese efforts to reach national understanding, Syria's state-run news agency, SANA, reported. The two leaders "discussed the current regional conditions," SANA said Saturday, adding that they had "identical views" on the need to reach stability in Iraq. SANA hailed the two nations' rejection of "foreign dictates" and stressed the need for a "timetable for a withdrawal of foreign forces from" Iraq. The talks also focused "on the positive developments in Lebanon since the Doha accord," which ended the Lebanese political crisis, SANA said. Ahmadinejad and Assad "stressed their support to the path towards Lebanese national entente," the agency added.
Assad's two-day visit to Iran was also to focus on economic ties between Tehran and Damascus that have resulted in over a dozen projects in Syria, worth $896 million, SANA said, adding that both governments are "seriously seeking to increase the size of joint investments to more than $3 billion over the next years."(Naharnet-AP) Beirut, 03 Aug 08, 11:20

Lebanon Seeks Interpol Help on Susanne Tamim's Murder
Naharnet/Lebanese authorities have sought the assistance of Interpol to track down suspects in the murder of Lebanese singer Susanne Tamim, who was killed in the United Arab Emirates earlier this week. Tamim's body was found Monday in her apartment in the Dubai Marina area by a cousin and a police officer.
The office of Justice Minister Ibrahim Najjar said that Lebanon has officially sought the aid of Interpol. Tamim, 31, was stabbed and decapitated in her Dubai apartment where she had been living for the past few months. Tamim has reportedly had differences with her husband Adel Maatouk. Maatouk, in a statement, said that he wanted his wife to stop singing and devote her time to the family after their marriage.  Maatouk said his wife left Lebanon against his wishes and that the singer's parents had told her not to listen to him. In 2004, Lebanon's Prosecutor-General Adnan Addoum asked Egyptian authorities to extradite Tamim to answer a charge by her husband that she had stolen $270,000 from him. Beirut, 03 Aug 08, 12:09

5 Lebanese Arrested in Raid on Nigerian Separatist's Home
Naharnet/Nigerian security agents arrested five Lebanese and one Russian during a raid on the home of a militia leader, independent AIT television said Friday.
The report did not say what the foreigners were doing at the Abuja home of Mujahid Asari Dokubo, the leader of Niger Delta Peoples Volunteer Force (NDPVF), at the time of their arrest on Thursday. The five Lebanese and one Russian had been detained for questioning, said the report. Dokubo, who was not at home during the incident, told reporters he was shocked by the action of the security agents. The 44-year-old activist was released on health grounds last year after almost two years in government custody awaiting trial on treason charges. He had been arrested in September 2005 and charged with "treasonable felony" after he threatened to re-launch his armed campaign for an independent republic in the oil-rich Niger Delta. The charges have since been dropped. Dokubo was accused of leading an illegal militant group, NDPVF, which says it is fighting for a higher share of Nigeria's massive oil and gas resources for local people.(AFP-Naharnet)
Beirut, 02 Aug 08, 09:04

Hizbullah: National Dialogue to Discuss How to Benefit from the Resistance

Naharnet/Hizbullah said Saturday the cabinet's policy statement draft shows that Lebanon is "keen on maintaining" its resistance and the defense strategy discussions would focus on how to make use of its strength. The stand was outlined by Sheikh Naim Qassem, Hizbullah's deputy secretary general, in an address to immigrants visiting the homeland. "When dialogue sessions are held we would discuss future of the defense strategy and how to benefit from all the capabilities and resources," Qassem said. This reflects Hizbullah's concept of the policy statement draft. The party believes that by mere mentioning the resistance in the policy statement draft the government has legalized it and its mere existence is not a topic for further discussion. Beirut, 02 Aug 08, 14:59

MP Hamadeh: Major Appointments Might Not Be Possible Before 2009
Naharnet/MP Marwan Hamadeh on Saturday predicted difficulties in efforts to appoint commanders for security administrations and other main posts in the public sector. "It wouldn't be easy to appoint anyone to fill in the vacant posts before the parliamentary elections" of 2009, Hamadeh said in a radio interview.
He was apparently referring mainly to the posts of army commander, director of military intelligence and director of general security.
The post of army commander went vacant by the election of Gen. Michel Suleiman President. The post is held now by Chief of Staff Gen. Shawki al-Masri as acting army commander. Premier Fouad Saniora's cabinet would not achieve "miracles," Hamadeh said. He said the Phalange Party and the Lebanese Forces have expressed reservations over the cabinet's policy statement draft and "might practice such reservations through their ministers in the cabinet."
Beirut, 02 Aug 08, 12:44

MP Franjieh: Who Would Strike First, Israel or Hizbullah?
Naharnet/MP Samir Franjieh on Saturday said the March 14 majority alliance achieved through the policy statement draft a "passive victory" because the text as adopted "mentioned the resistance linked to safeguards." Premier Fouad Saniora's cabinet "would be able to rule only if we managed to activate national dialogue quickly, otherwise it would be a non-governing government," Franjieh said in a television interview. He said the March 14 alliance would not adopt the option of "factional weapons to confront factional weapons." Hizbullah, according to Franjieh, launched "a political confrontation and a military battle, only to accept the minimum possible" agreement in the end. He said the United Nations has failed in preventing "the smuggling of weapons from Syria." "Part of Lebanon's problem is linked to the Iranian nuclear program. We face two probabilities: Either a strike by Israel against Iran and a response by Hizbullah, or a (preemptive) strike by Hizbullah against Israel to prevent the targeting of Iran," Franjieh concluded. Beirut, 02 Aug 08, 12:27

March 14 to Discuss How to Confront an Armed Faction
Naharnet/March 14 leaders are to tackle the issue of how to confront "an armed faction," among other topics, in a meeting to be held soon. The daily al-Liwaa said Saturday that March 14 leaders would meet "very soon" in an effort to adopt an "action plan … capable of correcting failures" that marred the alliance's march and reflected on its masses. It said major leaders of the March 14 majority "admit that certain defects have marred their management of the alliance." The leaders also would discuss a joint approach to the 2009 legislative elections to "guarantee majority share, or at least avoid changing into a minority bloc" in the forthcoming parliament, the report added. The March 14 leaders would tackle the issue of "how to confront an armed faction. Would it be through the state and army despite that such an option has not led to satisfactory results?" the report concluded. Beirut, 02 Aug 08, 11:18

Ignoring the State Manuela Paraipan
02 Aug 2008
Originally Published: July 10th on World Defense Review
http://www.analyst-network.com/article.php?art_id=2318
Over a month has passed since the agreement – between the Hizballah-led March 8 and the pro-democracy March 14 groups – was signed at Doha. The agreement came as a result of regional negotiations. In spite of the momentary euphoria, Doha merely managed to buy time, through outside intervention, without solving any of the matters that positioned the country on the edge of a precipice.
The negotiations over a new government are still in impasse. Prime Minister Fuad Siniora tries hard to find an acceptable solution for all parties involved, but that proves to be Sisif's work, when Hizballah's ally, Michel Aoun and his Free Patriotic Movement, demands are anything but reasonable.
In a country divided along sectarian lines, compromise is considered key (though no one should ever consider a compromise with terrorists). Either compromise or partition, and I doubt the latter is workable in practice: Not unless Lebanon goes back to the experience of ancient city-states.
Even so, would Hizballah accept partition unforced? Not likely.
The country now has a president, but without a government and a working parliament, the political deadlock continues. The core problem was and still is, Hizballah: Its arms, and its self-declared and imposed rule over Beirut's suburbs, the Beqaa, and southern Lebanon.
Hizballah sabotages the state of law, its institutions, and sovereignty by keeping a private army it calls "resistance," having parallel telecommunication lines, and a socio-economic extensive network, in and out of the country, in order to keep its popular base, offering enough for them not to leave, and too little to be of actual help. It replaced the state, where the state had a weak presence, while it continued to push for dominance in other areas.
All those who ask its disarmament are immediately labeled as pro-Zionists and pro-American imperialists who conspire against the all mighty resistance. Hizballah took the hypocritical rhetoric to a whole new level, by preventing negotiations with Israel, although, both Hizballah and Syria negotiate now with the Israeli government and have done so for decades.
If before 2000, Hizballah argued that it needed the arms to counter an Israeli invasion of the south, that problem is solved. The party hardly lacks imagination, thus the new excuse has been the liberation of the Shebaa farms and the Kfar Shouba hills. Not surprisingly, Hizballah never mentioned this piece of land before 2000. Recently, when Egypt and the United States suggested having the Shebaa farms placed under UN mandate, Hizballah rejected the idea.
Former Minister Mohammad Fneish (a voice of Hizballah) said that while the party welcomes the liberation of the Shebaa, the arms are part of their defense strategy, in the south, and at a country level. In other words, if Hizballah is needed at a national level, or so they'd like to believe, that means that disarmament is out of the question, although the party would be willing to discuss some kind of a creative solution as Fneish said, actually a partnership with the state.
This is absurd.
Hizballah refuses to obey the state's laws. They can't be disarmed by force, and they don't want to do it on their own.
The only possible way is to marginalize the group by breaking the monopoly it has over the community.
The downside is that such a change requires time, serious and constant work to earn the trust of the community.
In other words, what the Shiias and everyone else should do is cultivate citizenship. That is what is lacking, hence the divisions, the struggle for power, private advantages, and the allegiance to foreign powers. As long as the state is not sovereign, the army fears the split and stays on the sidelines, and various groups, Hizballah being the dominant, are allowed to share the monopoly over security and violence with the state, war in Lebanon remains a high probability.

Lebanon: Hezbollah may fight Israel to recover land

By Yoav Stern and Barak Ravid
Haaretz
Lebanon's new government guidelines declare Hezbollah has the right to fight against Israel to "recover the land occupied by Israel." The document was drafted on Friday and will be brought before the government for approval tomorrow.
The Bush administration conveyed its serious dissatisfaction that President Michel Suleiman and Prime Minister Fouad Siniora had succumbed to a number of Hezbollah directives. While forces within Siniora's western-backed coalition demanded that military action to liberate occupied lands be carried out "under the aegis of the state," now the government guidelines state that Hezbollah has what is essentially an independent right to take action.
"Lebanon, its army, its people and its resistance [Hezbollah] have the right to take action to liberate lands that have remained occupied at the Shaba Farms, the hills of Shuba village and the northern portion of the village of Ghajar, with all legitimate means possible, and to resist Israeli aggression."
The new unity government in Lebanon was established after the parliamentary majority succumbed to the demands of the opposition, headed by Hezbollah, to take control of a third of the cabinet positions, effectively granting it veto power over government decisions. The new cabinet has 30 ministers, with 11 from the opposition.
Only Labor Minister Mohammed Fneish is a member of Hezbollah.
Finalizing the new government guidelines required 14 meetings of the ministerial committee charged with preparing the document.
Hezbollah welcomed the final version of the document and the deputy secretary general of the group, Naim Kassem, said, "it was a genuine expression of our situation, and an honest declaration that Lebanon insists that the means of its power remain in its control."
Suleiman announced Friday, during an address for Army Day, that "the countdown for the restoration of the Shaba farms and the hills of Shuba village has begun ... all means are possible and legitimate to this end."
In a strongly worded message to Suleiman and Siniora, the U.S. administration complained about the kid-glove treatment Hezbollah was receiving in Lebanon.
A political source in Jerusalem said that senior U.S. officials have stressed in talks with their Israeli counterparts that they are disappointed with the Lebanese leadership for succumbing to Hezbollah.
However, for the time being, the U.S. has not publicly withdrawn its support for Siniora. As part of the ongoing strategic dialogue between Israel and the U.S., the minister charged with conducting the talks on behalf of Israel, Transportation Minister Shaul Mofaz, said in Washington on Thursday that "Hezbollah is taking over the government in Beirut and gradually taking over the organs of power."

Provocation and responsibility
By Haaretz Editorial
Three dangerous statements, each complementing the other, were heard this past weekend in Lebanon. The new president, Michel Suleiman, who until recently served as army commander in chief, announced that the "countdown has begun to the liberation of our lands" in the Shaba Farms area. He also urged that Lebanese arms be aimed at Israel, and he celebrated the release of Samir Kuntar and others in the prisoner exchange with Israel.
The new unity government in Beirut, once again headed by Fouad Siniora and with Hezbollah as a main partner, issued guidelines recognizing Hezbollah's right to use all its means to liberate lands held by Israel. The Hezbollah commander in southern Lebanon, Nabil Kaouk, told Britain's Daily Telegraph that his organization is ready to confront Israel and is successfully deterring it.
The last statement is a mirror image of declarations issued by Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and other Israeli leaders pointing to the government's major achievement of the last two years: deterring Hezbollah. In both cases, their statements stem more from arrogance than facts. Since the war in the north ended, both sides have been deterred from renewing hostilities due to a complicated balance of factors. A violation of this balance by either side is possible at any moment.
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The Israel Defense Forces fears that given the consummation of the Kuntar deal; the installment of Suleiman as a compromise candidate acceptable to Syria, Hezbollah, and even the United States; and the formation of a government that reflects Hezbollah's growing political strength, pressure will swell within Hezbollah to return to the kind of attacks the Shi'ite organization has eschewed since August 2006. Without active "resistance," Hezbollah has no pretext for existence.
The other danger inherent in these statements is the apparent blurring of the lines of separation between Hezbollah and the government in Beirut. In a world of nation states that pretend to abide by the laws of the United Nations, there is no place for sub-state entities wishing to enjoy privileges without assuming any obligations. Every state bears ultimate responsibility for what takes place in its sovereign territory, and what emanates from it. A government's weakness does not absolve it from exercising its authority. This logic is what guided the Bush administration to topple the Taliban regime in Afghanistan, which had provided a safe haven for Al-Qaida. Yet, in July 2006, that same Bush administration denied Olmert the chance to follow through on then-IDF chief of staff Dan Halutz's reasonable proposal to respond to Hezbollah's aggression by striking at Lebanese government targets, thus challenging the Siniora government to restrain Hezbollah and move forward in implementing signed agreements calling for the decommissioning of all armed militias in Lebanon.
All groups abided by those agreements, with the exception of Hezbollah. Israel thus surrendered to the facade of the good Lebanon headed by Siniora alongside the bad one manipulated by Hassan Nasrallah and his patrons in Tehran. The result was a tie that was depicted as a victory for Hezbollah. Israel should only deal with one address in Lebanon: the government. Siniora's survival was of no benefit to Israel. He has made common cause with Hezbollah.
Suleiman, Siniora and Nasrallah play with fire in their display of belligerent arrogance. Perhaps this can be attributed to the twilight of the Bush and Olmert administrations. Lebanon must know that these provocations are dangerous, and that it will bear the cost of an unfortunate renewal of violence.

UN border assessment team wraps up two-week mission to Lebanon
Source: BI-ME , Author: Moussa Ahmad
Posted: 03-08-2008 Back Email Print RSS Feeds
LEBANON. The independent United Nations team dispatched by Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to assess the monitoring of the Lebanese border with Syria has wrapped up its two-week mission to Lebanon. This was the second mission for the Lebanon Independent Border Assessment Team (LIBAT), which was set up in April 2007 in response to a request from the UN Security Council. The four-member team, comprised of experts in border security, police, customs and military issues, met with a number of Lebanese officials and conducted several field visits along the country’s Northern and Eastern borders.
The aim of the mission was to examine progress made in enhancing border management and security, as called for in Security Council resolution 1701 which ended the 2006 conflict between Israel and the Lebanese group Hezbollah. That resolution also called for renewed respect for the Blue Line separating Israeli and Lebanese forces, the disarming of militias and an end to arms smuggling, among other measures. The team will submit a report on its findings and recommendations to the UN Secretary General shortly.