LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
January 18/08

Bible Reading of the day
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Mark 1,40-45. A leper came to him (and kneeling down) begged him and said, "If you wish, you can make me clean."Moved with pity, he stretched out his hand, touched him, and said to him, "I do will it. Be made clean." The leprosy left him immediately, and he was made clean. Then, warning him sternly, he dismissed him at once. Then he said to him, "See that you tell no one anything, but go, show yourself to the priest and offer for your cleansing what Moses prescribed; that will be proof for them." The man went away and began to publicize the whole matter. He spread the report abroad so that it was impossible for Jesus to enter a town openly. He remained outside in deserted places, and people kept coming to him from everywhere.

Releases, Editorials, and reports
Iran and Syria Move Fast to Crush Democracy as Washington Dithers. By Walid Phares. January 17/08
Why not the patriarch's moment? By Michael Young. January 17/08
Only time will tell whether Bush's stated goals are genuine or not-The Daily Star. January 17/08
 

Latest News Reports From Miscellaneous Sources for January 17/08
Sfeir: 'Father, Forgive them, for They Don't Know what They're Doing'-Naharnet
Franjieh Continues Attacks on Sfeir, Urges him to Resign-Naharnet
4 Students Jailed for Crude Remarks on Facebook-Naharnet
Geagea Demands 'Answer' from Opposition, Not 'Dialogue'-Naharnet
Qassem: March 14 Rejecting Partnership in Favor of U.S. Agenda-Naharnet
FBI Agents to Beirut to Probe Karantina Bombing-Naharnet
Lebanon, Cyprus Sign Search-and-Rescue Agreement-Naharnet
Muallem Discusses Lebanon in Germany Thursday-Naharnet
Was a Terrorist Attack Aborted On Beirut Airport Road Prior to Moussa's Arrival?-Naharnet
Moussa Trying to Arrange Hariri-Aoun Meeting-Naharnet
US Suggests Embassy Car in Lebanon Was Target-New York Times
Russian govt. approves bill to settle Syria's $3.6 bln debt-RIA Novosti
Grand Mufti of Syria Threatens Europeans at EU Parliament-Brussels Journal
Stolen Honda used in attack on US vehicle'-Daily Star
Syria says it has Lebanese allies, not 'tools'-Daily Star
Feltman voices admiration for friend and foe alike-Daily Star
'Unclaimed' attacks fail as messages - analysts-Daily Star
Thai satellite broadcaster ends Al-Manar test-Daily Star
ISF, army step up security measures across Beirut-Daily Star
Managing Lebanon's Palestinian dilemma-Daily Star
AUB resolves allegations of sectarian insults-Daily Star
Italy, UN to help area near Nahr al-Bared-Daily Star
Palestinian couple find marital bliss in Nahr al-Bared rubble-Daily Star
Green groups plan joint venture to prevent, contain forest fires-Daily Star
UNIFIL chief warns 'major challenges' still await peacekeeping force-Daily Star
Was a Terrorist Attack Aborted On Beirut Airport Road Prior to Moussa's Arrival?-Naharnet
Gen. Suleiman's Efforts to Defuse Lebanon's Time Bomb-Naharnet
MP Ibrahim Kanaan Attacks Hariri, Advises Sfeir, Blames Regional-International Powers for Lebanon's Misery-Naharnet
Syria Regards Pressuring its Allies an 'Insult'-Naharnet
PPP Demands Hariri-Style Probe into Bhuto Murder-Naharnet
Washington: Embassy Car was Possible Target-Naharnet
Syria rejects Saudi criticism over Lebanon role-Reuters
Syria: Bush trying to scare Arab nations to sell weapons-Jerusalem Post
LEBANON: Al-Qaeda now unleashed and targeting internationals, warn ...Reuters

DR. Walid Phares comment on Beirut bombing reports
Written by Mideastwire, CRNews
Wednesday, 16 January 2008
Mideast Newswire and CRNews, January 16, 2008
In a first report issued by Stratfor on January 15, 2008, the intelligence report wrote:
"The possibility remains that the attack was the work of jihadists operating in Lebanon. Many of these jihadist groups, which steadily are building up their presence in the country, are handled by Syrian military intelligence officers who might have an interest in destabilizing Lebanon and making life difficult for the U.S.-backed government of Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora — who is resisting demands by Syria and Hezbollah in Lebanon’s ongoing political stalemate"
Asked by Mideast Newswire to comment, Professor Walid Phares, the director of the Future terrorism Project at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies in Washington said: "When we say the work of Jihadist on the strategic level, it should mean that the decision is taken by al Qaeda and its chapters independently from a Tehran Damascus decision. For it is always possible, that a decision to carry out attacks is taken by the "axis" and transferred to the "hands" of the Jihadists for execution, with or without their knowledge.
In a second report Startfor added: "We earlier discounted the idea that Hezbollah would be behind the attack if U.S. diplomatic personnel were indeed the target, as Lebanese officials have alleged. Hezbollah is heavily focused on its internal political situation in Lebanon and is not looking for what would inevitably be a major confrontation with the United States over the killing of a U.S. government employee."
Dr Phares commented that "Hezbollah is not uni-dimensional" It can deal with Israel, the United States, the Lebanese Government and Arab Governments at the same time. For behind Hezbollah you have the powerful Iranian Revolutionary Guards with their worldwide networks. Besides, the so-called internal situation in Lebanon is part of the regional web stretching from Iran. And an attack against a minor US asset in Lebanon doesn't lead directly to a major confrontation with the US. It is a message and a test.
The Statfor report said also that: "In recent days, the militant Shiite group also has sent special forces into Beirut for key operations, which could include an attack like the most recent incident. The fighters reportedly are equipped with state-of-the-art communications gear and report directly to a security officer codenamed Abu Jafaar, who maintains his operations in the Ain al-Abed neighborhood in the southern suburbs."
Commenting on this information, Dr Phares said: Isn't interesting to see how back in the fall of 2007 Western-based media, friendly to hezbollah, attacked an American journalist reporting from Beirut, Tom Smith, for daring to mention that Hezbollah has ever deployed forces in Beirut, while according to this report, the organization is sending in -not only regular militiamen, but special forces. This report, unless proven false too vindicates Smith, I believe.
Startfor also added that "These jihadist factions have a working relationship with a number of Syrian military intelligence officers operating in Lebanon. Many of these jihadist groups work with a Syrian security official brigadier named Ali Mamluk, who collaborates with Islamist militant sympathizers in the Syrian cities of Aleppo, Hama, Homs and Deir al-Zur. Syria is unlikely to run the risk of ordering attacks against Western targets. Despite its deep involvement in mafia-style violence in Lebanon, the Syrian government is far more cautious in its dealings with the West. Stratfor has observed how Damascus has been playing with fire in working with these jihadist factions, however, and that it was only a matter of time before Syria began to lose its grip."
Phares said: "If anything these information underline the reality that the Syrian regime has its hands in the Jihadist networks and pushes them into a clash with the US and moderate Arabs. This is not playing, this is sponsoring.
The Startfor report concluded that Shiite militant group Hezbollah would be unlikely to take the risk of drawing attention from the United States by carrying out such an attack. The likely perpetrators of this bombing are jihadists who have been funneled into Lebanon in increasing numbers over the past several months. According to a source in the Lebanese military, a new group of al Qaeda-linked militants, numbering about 15 men, have recently entered Lebanon via Syria.
Dr Phares, who teaches Jihadist strategies at the National Defense University said: "What is strange in the analysis is that it says that Hezbollah is unlikely to carry an attack against US target, but Jihadists controlled by Syria are very likely to do so. But these are two arms from one Terror body, the Syro-Iranian axis."
Last Updated ( Wednesday, 16 January 2008 )

Iran and Syria Move Fast to Crush Democracy as Washington Dithers
Guest Column | By Walid Phares |
December 18, 2007
According to Reuters and other agencies, Iranian Police closed down 24 Internet cafes over the past 24 hours and arrested 23 youths.
While Petrodollars Propaganda showers networks in North America, the Middle East and Europe in order to weaken the resolve of democracies to confront the Iranian and Syrian regimes; and while "lobbies" in the West accelerate their campaigns to break the isolation of Damascus and Tehran; these two regimes confronted their oppositions in several attempts to crush them as long as the "window of opportunity is open", according to insiders.
The Khamenei and Assad regimes, relying on the Baker-Hamilton report which caused confusion throughout the West, took advantage of the findings of the NIE and rushed to clamp down on what they consider the real dangers emerging from the inside their countries. While the Iranian propaganda machine uses oil-generated revenues to place favorable stories in the international media to impact think tanks around the world, Syrian Mukhabarat and Pasdaran operated swiftly over the past few days to shut down dissident groups and youth activities deemed "dangerous". Read: getting too close to provoke political changes.
Syrian Mukhabarat arrest dissidents
According to news agencies and the reformist site Aafaq, "Syrian security forces last Wednesday raided the home of Riad Seif and broke up a meeting of the Secretariat of the "Damascus Declaration for National Democratic Change in Syria." Those who were present at the time of the raid were threatened with arrest if they did not leave the house immediately. This was just two days after the government launched a campaign of arrests across Syria sweeping up leading members of the political opposition.
Among those present at the meeting, reports Aafaq and other dissident news agencies, were: Dr. Fada' Al-Hourani, President of the National Council of the Damascus Declaration, Secretariat members Riad Seif and Riad Turk, Nawaf Al-Bashir, Suleiman Al-Shammar, Walid Bunni (a detainee of the Damascus Spring), Ali Al-Abdullah, Ismail Omar, and Abdul Ghani Ayyash, Amin Sheikh Abdi, Ghassan Al-Naggar, Gabra'il Koreah, Abdul Karim Al-Dahhak, and Muwaffaq Nirbeh.
Syrian security services carried out a campaign of mass arrests on Sunday evening and Monday that covered all Syrian "governorates", and arrested members of the National Council of the Damascus Declaration, who held their convention in Damascus last week. Most of the arrested have been released, but Akram Bunni, Ahmad Tomeh and Jabar Shoufeh remain in custody. The Syrian Human Rights Committee (SHRC) said Sunday that the Amn al Dawla State Security in the city of Hama summoned Dr. Fida'a al-Horani, the president of Damascus Declaration for National Change, that same day, Sunday December 16. She was arrested at the time of her arrival at 11.00 a.m. and hurriedly moved to the headquarters in Damascus.
The SHRC immediately condemned this arrest and requested the immediate release of Dr. Horani, and the release of her colleagues Akram al-Bunni, Ahmad To'ma and Jabr al-Shoofi. According to Syrian opposition sources, the campaign aims at "breaking the backbone of the democratic opposition, while taking advantage of the American so-called dialogue with the Assad regime. The latter," added the source "took advantage of the invitation to Annapolis by the US to claim that a US-Syrian dialogue is underway. Hence under the aegis of such perception, Bashar Assad instructed his Mukhabarat to hit the iron while it is hot." Every time Western media talks about "talking with Syria" the secret services comes to "talk" with us, said a dissident.
Pasdaran stikes at internet cafes
According to Reuters and other agencies, Iranian Police closed down 24 Internet cafes over the past 24 hours and arrested 23 youths. The Police commander Nader Sarkari said his troops burst into 435 cafes looking for anti-revolutionary elements. Iranian opposition sources said 11 young women were arrested. In addition security forces searched 275 restaurants and closed down 17.
According to Iranian opposition sources, the Pasdaran were instructed by Ahmadinejad to sweep the capital and other cities for the "potential threat of growing pro-democracy youth." In fact, the Internet cafes have become bases for the "revolutionary anti-Khomeinist youth" in the country. Thousands of high school and college students meet in these locations and also communicate among each other across the country. Per Iranian dissidents appearing in chat rooms in cyberspace, a "real revolutionary force is mushrooming in Iran." They said "how sad it is to see Western media and academics siding with the fascist regime in Tehran as we are on the brink of a formidable uprising." Iranian young scholars said in the chat rooms that "because of Internet we can read what these journalists are writing in defense of the regime. What they don't know, is that while they are covering up for the Ayatollah and their Petrodollars, we are becoming the majority among the youth."
Last week a main Iranian opposition group, based in Iraq and Europe, the "People's Mujahidin" organized small demonstrations on several campuses in Tehran. The group, known as MEK is still designated as Terrorist in the United States while its status is now changing in Britain and other European countries. Tehran's regime, designated as Terrorist by Washington, considers the MEK as terrorist. This puzzling situation is due to the fact that pro-Iranian pressure groups consider the Mujahidin Khalq as a real threat to the regime and thus put significant pressures internationally to keep the designation of the MEK as is.
"Axis" strikes at Lebanese Army
The Syro-Iranian move to crush their opposition using the "window of opportunity", created by the NIE and the "talk-to-Syria-and-Iran" campaign in Washington and Brussels, is not confined to these countries. This week, the "axis" war room delivered a deadly blow to the Lebanese Army, which is considered by Hezbollah as the only native force capable of engaging its militias at some point. The assassination of Brigadier General Francois Hajj is increasingly perceived as a preemptive strike by the Pasdaran-controlled Hezbollah against a future commander of the Lebanese Armed Forces. Hajj was the chief operations officer who planned and led the campaign to defeat Fatah al Islam in Nahr al Bared. A growing opposition inside Lebanon is building against this Iranian-funded organization. In today's issue of the Kuwait Al Siyassa, several Lebanese NGOs called on the UN to investigate with Hassan Nasrallah at the Hague. "The only military force capable of perpetrating these terror acts, other than the Lebanese Army and the UNIFIL is none [other] than Hezbollah" said these groups in al Siyassa.
As events are unfolding, the two terror regimes of Iran and Syria are sprinting to eliminate the democratic opposition rising inside their public and the Cedars Revolution in Lebanon. They feel they can strike fast while the Beltway debate is still trying to figure out if the power elite in Tehran and Damascus can become good partners in peace and stability.
The original article can be found at http://www.familysecuritymatters.org/

A New Message from Lawson Kass Hanna/Subject: Subject: The poor people of Lebanon
Date: Wed, 16 Jan 2008
To Mr. Hassan Nasrallah and Mr. Ibrahim Al-Amine, If you really feel with the poor people of Lebanon and especially the Shiite, I would like to ask you to have the courage to request from all your corrupted allies, Mikati, Franjieh, Aoun, Dalloul and Murr, who took the money from Lebanon and sent to European banks, to return it back so you can distribute on the poor Lebanese. Please ask these allies, whom you are protecting with you missiles, to offer their palaces to the poor shiites so they can stay warm during the cold weather. Please show the world that you really believe in Imam Ali and that you have read the book of "Nahj Al-Balagha" and the whole world will call you Heroes.

A New Message from Lawson Kass Hanna/Subject: Explosion in Beirut
Wed, 17 Jan 2008/Dear Patriots: The Axis of Evil (Syria, Iran and Hezbollah) is behind Tuesday's explosion in Beirut. The Axis of Evil planned and Hezbollah executed . The Terrorist Sheik Hassan Nasrallah asked M.P, Michel Aoun a week ago to attack the Americans in order to cover what his terrorist organization (Hezbollah) wants do. Due to the fact that Nasrallah was not brought to court in the 80's after his terrorist attacks on the USA Marines and American Embassy in Beirut, He is now deluding himself that he can hit the Americans again and again anytime he likes. I can assure you that this time Nasrallah will be brought to justice. Meanwhile the Demagogue and derailed Michel Aoun will ultimately face the same fate of General Boulanger , who too was a demagogue like Aoun. Boulanger finished up (by the end of the 19th century), exiled to Belgium where he died

Sfeir: 'Father, Forgive them, for They Don't Know what They're Doing'
Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Sfeir on Thursday responded to the vehement verbal attacks on him by quoting the Bible verse: "Father, forgive them, for they don't know what they are doing.""Anything is possible in this unfortunate period we are living," Sfeir told reporters from Bkirki. "This is not the first time and will not be the last," Sfeir added. His remarks were apparent response to Marada Movement leader Suleiman Franjieh and Free Patriotic Movement boss Gen. Michel Aoun who have strongly attacked the prelate. Franjieh on Wednesday urged Sfeir to resign, while Aoun had dubbed him "just an ordinary citizen who has the right to express his opinion."Beirut, 17 Jan 08, 13:26

4 Students Jailed for Crude Remarks on Facebook
Four Lebanese university students have been jailed for a week for making crude remarks on the Facebook social networking site about the singing talents of a woman they met at a party, media reports said on Thursday. Local newspapers reported that the students -- all male -- were ordered to be detained on January 10 after the young woman's father objected to the authorities in the eastern town of Zahle. The four were charged with slander and "violating public morality" and were ordered to be held in preventive detention despite objections by human rights groups.(AFP) Beirut, 17 Jan 08, 14:07

Geagea Demands 'Answer' from Opposition, Not 'Dialogue'
Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea said the Arab plan was "very clear" and demanded the opposition to clarify its position regarding the Arab initiative.
Geagea urged the opposition to "openly say that you reject it (the Arab plan) instead of wasting time in searching for pretexts." He accused the opposition of proposing a meeting between Gen. Michel Aoun and MP Saad Hariri, describing it a "maneuver" to waste time and divert attention from the initiative that was forged by Arab foreign ministers. "What is the need for a meeting in light of the Arab initiative?" Geagea asked. He told LBC television that there was nothing to discuss with the opposition. Beirut, 17 Jan 08, 12:34

Qassem: March 14 Rejecting Partnership in Favor of U.S. Agenda
Sheikh Naim Qassem, Hizbullah's second in command, accused the majority March 14 alliance of rejecting partnership in favor of a U.S. agenda.
Addressing March 14, Qassem said: "We advise you to accept partnership, because whatever you do, the Americans will not be pleased. They will demand more."
He said that if the pro-government camp rejected partnership "then this means it is involved in the American scheme."
Qassem also warned against internationalizing the political crisis "because the opposition will not abandon its right to defend Lebanon."
Beirut, 17 Jan 08, 10:45

FBI Agents to Beirut to Probe Karantina Bombing
The U.S. said a joint team of agents from the State Department's Bureau of Diplomatic Security and the FBI would travel from Washington to Lebanon to investigate the Karantina bombing.
State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said it was still unclear who was behind Tuesday's attack, but stressed that the U.S. would not back down on its support for Lebanon as a result.
The State Department said that "preliminary evidence" indicates that a damaged U.S. embassy car was the target of the bombing.
The blast left three young men dead and wounded 26 people, including the Lebanese driver of the embassy car and an American passer-by on a brief visit to the country.
McCormack said the U.S. car appeared to be the likely target because he "had not heard of any other potential targets in the vicinity" of the attack.
He added that the U.S. embassy has now taken "the appropriate security precautions" while FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation) agents and other security were sent from Washington to join the investigation.
McCormack also warned any individual or group would "be sorely mistaken" if they thought they could intimidate the United States or the Lebanese government.(AP-Naharnet) Beirut, 17 Jan 08, 09:05

Franjieh Continues Attacks on Sfeir, Urges him to Resign
Marada Movement leader Suleiman Franjieh continued his attacks on Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Sfeir, urging him this time to resign "because archbishops who reach the age of 74 are asked to quit."Describing Sfeir as the "end of the Christians," Franjieh accused the prelate of working as a "cover for a critical scheme."
"Statements by Bkirki and the archbishops are not less decent than those (made) by some politicians who are known for their street talk," Franjieh said in an interview on NBN television Wednesday night. Franjieh asked why MP Saad Hariri's advisor Daoud Sayegh visits Sfeir only at the beginning of every month.
Sayegh swiftly retorted, saying Franjieh's remarks were part of a "campaign to pin down Lebanon."Franjieh on Tuesday accused Sfeir of acting as an employee for the U.S. and French embassies. "With due respect to our patriarch he is an employee for the U.S. embassy and for the French embassy," Franjieh said.
The March 14 follow-up committee said after meeting Sfeir that Franjieh's statements "are part of a framework that represents a complementary Syrian scheme to strike the free Christian entity in Lebanon."

Franjieh attacked Arab League chief Amr Moussa, accusing him of bias.
He charged that Moussa travels around in a Hariri-owned airplane and that his hotel fee is paid by al-Moustaqbal movement leader.
Franjieh also slammed army commander Gen. Michel Suleiman, saying that he does not trust him. "I don't have confidence in someone who trusts (cabinet) minister Elias Murr and wants him in the (new government) and at the same time he is regarded a (government) supporter." Beirut, 17 Jan 08, 08:24

Thousands of non-ID Palestinians to receive legal status
Lebanese government strikes quiet deal with Palestinian leaders
By William Wheeler -Special to The Daily Star
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
BEIRUT: The Lebanese government and Palestinian leaders have struck a quiet deal that would grant a new legal status to at least 3,000 Palestinians living in Lebanon without any identity documents, The Daily Star has learned. The plan was approved at a meeting last Friday that included representatives from the Interior Ministry, General Security, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), the Lebanese-Palestinian Dialogue Committee (LPDC) and the Palestine Liberation Organization, PLO consul in Lebanon Mahmoud al-Asabi said.
General Security officials are working out the details of the new status, such as the rights and the type of identity documents those affected - known as non-ID Palestinians - will receive, Ambassador Khalil Makkawi, head of the Dialogue Committee, told The Daily Star on Tuesday. Palestinian advocacy groups have pushed for the new legal standing to allow those concerned to work and travel like other Palestinians.
"UNRWA welcomes any initiative to legalize the status of these people and improve their conditions," said UNRWA Lebanon chief Richard Cook.
Those involved with the process have not yet made public the coming change, as the official status of Lebanon's roughly 300,000 Palestinians remains one of the nation's most volatile political issues.
"We are trying to tackle this problem at a low key," said Makkawi, adding that authorities wanted to avoid any potential influx of non-ID Palestinians seeking the new standing. Makkawi's LPDC was established in 2005 during a renewed push by Prime Minister Fouad Siniora to establish diplomatic ties with the PLO and to address the glaring lack of rights among Lebanon's Palestinians.
The change in status will affect between 3,000 and 5,000 Palestinians, a number which includes a large percentage of single men who came to Lebanon in the wake of 1970's Black September clashes with the Jordanian Army or to fight for the Palestinian cause during the 1975-90 Civil War. Lebanese officials want to verify the names of the non-ID Palestinians with authorities in Egypt and Jordan, Makkawi said.
Many of these Palestinians received support from the PLO during the Civil War and did not need assistance until the PLO's ouster from Lebanon in 1982 and when the state started to reassert itself as the war drew to a close. The category of non-ID Palestinians also consists of the children born to fathers without proper documentation, because Lebanese law mandates that children born here inherit the legal status of their fathers.
The people in this group face obstacles in traveling within and outside Lebanon, owning property, graduating from school, marrying or gaining access to adequate health and social services, said a 2007 report from the Danish Refugee Council.
"In practice, most non-ID children attend UNRWA schools; however, due to their lack of identification, they can not be granted official diplomas," the report said.
The plight of this class gained attention following the 2001 shooting death of a young Palestinian man who fled from soldiers at a military checkpoint near the Ain al-Hilweh refugee camp in Sidon because he had false identification papers.
With the new status, non-ID Palestinians "will be able to come out from the camps, [whereas] now they are apprehended by the police without any documentation," said Makkawi. The new status will not be the same as that given to Palestinians registered with UNRWA as refugees or registered with the government. Registering the non-ID Palestinians will not begin for at least two weeks, Makkawi said.
"General Security has promised to issue documents as soon as possible," added Asabi. "They are working very hard on it."
Refugees will then apply for the new status at regional registration centers around the country. The registration process will entail another challenge - convincing the undocumented Palestinians that "the government is serious and doesn't want to take their names and arrest them," said Samira Trad, an activist with the Frontiers Association, a non-governmental organization.  The initiative also comes at a sensitive time in the wake of US President George W. Bush's proposal that Palestinian refugees be compensated for the loss of their land. "There will be some people who accuse the Lebanese government of siding [with Bush's proposal], of selling their souls, so to speak," Trad said. The move to improve the status of the Palestinians also follows the apology issued on January 7 by PLO representative in Lebanon Abbas Zaki for the "burden" that the Palestinians had placed on Lebanon.
Zaki said he was sorry for "the harm we Palestinians have unintentionally caused you all through our stay here in Lebanon," and he added that the PLO opposed any permanent resettlement in Lebanon. Long aware of the difficulties obstructing the potential return of Palestinian refugees to any future Palestinian state, Lebanese from nearly every confessional group have spoken out against granting Lebanese citizenship to the 300,000 - mostly Sunni - Palestinians because it could reignite the smoldering tensions between the country's various sects. "Emotionally, in Lebanon, the idea of the right to return to be completely dropped is impossible - whether you are with the Palestinians or not," said Trad. "Both [sides] argue that Palestinians should not be integrated into Lebanon."

LIC Statement on the Latest Criminal Explosion in Beirut
January 15, 2008
Savagery struck once again in Beirut Lebanon today. This time, the terrorists targeted both Lebanese civilians and American diplomats, with the obvious purpose of plunging Lebanon even deeper into crisis and sending a threatening message to nations that are trying to assist the Lebanese, especially the United States of America.
Regrettably, this kind of violence will continue as long as the Syrian- and Iranian-supported Lebanese opposition pursues its agenda of crippling the Lebanese Government; allowing the influx of arms and terrorists through the porous borders with Syria to strengthen the “islands of insecurity” controlled by Hezbollah and the Palestinians; and to turn those islands of lawlessness into havens for bombers and assassins and into launching pads for operations similar to this latest terrorist act.
Expressions of indignation and words of condemnation have proven futile if they are not followed by serious actions to confront and destroy the sources of this terror. While some policymakers are still betting on peace efforts to produce diplomatic solutions, the supporters of the terrorists who are killing our soldiers in Iraq and spreading death and destruction throughout the region are openly in a proxy state of war against America. Syria and Iran see the battle of Lebanon as a must-win in order for them to defeat the US. They realize that the stabilization of Lebanon would be detrimental to their ability to spread their influence and to protect their oppressive regimes.
It is imperative for the US, for its allies and for other friends of Lebanon in the Middle East and elsewhere in the world to devise a plan for immediate and decisive actions that leaves all options on the table. Syria and Iran represent a clear and growing threat to world peace. If the bleeding of Lebanon is not stopped, they will conveniently control the weakened country and turn it into a dangerous haven for extremism. The dictators of Syria and Iran are betting that their terror would erode the will of the Lebanese people and would shake the resolve of the free world. They should be faced with a strong determination to render them harmless as soon as possible.
The Lebanese Information Center in the U.S. extends its deepest sympathy to the families of the victims and wishes a speedy recovery for the injured. At the same time, we express our heartfelt appreciation for the United States Government, its Administration and Congress, for their noble commitment to uphold the sovereignty and freedom of Lebanon.