LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS
BULLETIN
January 30/08
Bible Reading of the day.
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to
Saint Mark 3,31-35. His mother and his brothers arrived. Standing outside they
sent word to him and called him. A crowd seated around him told him, "Your
mother and your brothers (and your sisters) are outside asking for you."But he
said to them in reply, "Who are my mother and (my) brothers?" And looking around
at those seated in the circle he said, "Here are my mother and my brothers.
(For) whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother."
Free Opinions, Releases, letters & Special Reports
Thoughts on the riots.
NOW Lebanon. January 29/08
Divide and Rule’ in the Mideast-Arab News.
January 29/08
Hezbollah's dark hand. By Tom Harb- Washington Times. January 29/08
A new chance to solve Lebanon's crisis-Gulf News. January 29/08
Lebanon's opposition leaders have a
duty to put out the fire-The
Daily Star. January 29/08
The door has closed on Syrian-Israeli negotiations.By
Itamar Rabinovich. January 29/08
Latest News Reports From Miscellaneous Sources for January 29/08
Bush Slams Lebanon's Freedom-Fighting-Naharnet
Suleiman Stresses to Nasrallah, Berri Need for Investigating Riot Deaths-Naharnet
Jumblat Accuses West of Abandoning
Lebanon-Naharnet
Probe into Sunday's Incidents Launched, 23
Arrested-Naharnet
Lebanon's New Civil War Recipe-Naharnet
Lebanese Army Dragged into Trouble-Naharnet
Syria Doubts
Suleiman's Nomination as Consensus Candidate-Naharnet
Probe into Sunday's
Incidents Launched, 23 Arrested-Naharnet
Berri: Sunday's
Riots Aimed at Stirring Christian-Muslim Discord-Naharnet
Geagea: No One Could
Hold the Army Responsible For What Has Happened-Naharnet
Hizbullah Launches
Vehement Attack on Army-Naharnet
Cabinet Calls on
Lebanese to Support Security Forces-Naharnet
Kouchner Pessimistic-Naharnet
Moussa Fires Warning
Shots-Naharnet
Saniora Is 'Allah's
Enemy' To Mourners-Naharnet
Gemayel Warns
Against Attempts to Topple Lebanon's Regime-Naharnet
Syria Doubts Suleiman's Nomination as Consensus Candidate-Naharnet
Jumblat: Democratic Lebanon cannot Coexist with Syria's ...Naharnet
Kouchner Pessimistic-Naharnet
Rights Group: Syria Arrests Dissident-The
Associated Press
US Should Provide Help to Lebanon-Wheeling
Intelligencer
Loans that shape Lebanon's bottom line-Los
Angeles Times
Geagea calls for a code of honor that bans street riots in
Lebanon-Ya
Libnan
Lebanon's opposition buries its dead-Euronews.net
Moussa warns rival Lebanese parties to
accept compromise-Daily Star
Suleiman promises speedy probe into riot deaths-Daily
Star
Filipinos in Lebanon advised to stay off streets-Daily
Star
Canada deplores assassination of ISF investigator-Daily
Star
Mehlis accuses Brammertz of dithering-Daily
Star
Riots damage Suleiman's chances at top post, pose
conundrum for army-AFP
Rioting is just a symptomof Lebanon's societal
illness-Daily Star
Olmert prepares to defend conduct of 2006 war-AFP
Political violence strains Lebanese healthcare system-By
IRIN News.org
Fadlallah, Qabalan demand army inquiry into Sunday's
shootings-Daily Star
USJ teams up with Georgetown-Daily
Star
NATO hopes to boost cooperation with Arab states-AFP
Tehran warns of 'serious consequences' if Security
Council backs new sanctions-AFP
Geagea: No One Could Hold the Army Responsible For What Has
Happened-Naharnet
Ghanem Expects Persisting Void … Assassinations Threatening Lebanon's Existence-Naharnet
Saniora Is 'Allah's
Enemy' To Mourners-Naharnet
Jumblat: Democratic
Lebanon cannot Coexist with Syria's Dictatorship and the Death Culture-Naharnet
Cabinet Calls on
Lebanese to Support Security Forces-Naharnet
Gemayel Warns Against Attempts to Topple Lebanon's Regime-Naharnet
Berri, Suleiman Agree to Investigate
Sunday's Deaths-Naharnet
The dangers of speaking out in Syria-Amnesty
International
Cabinet Calls on Lebanese to Support Security
Forces
Naharnet/The Lebanese government urged on Monday all political factions
to shoulder their responsibilities during this critical period expressing full
support to security forces and the army. Information Minister Ghazi Aridi said,
following a cabinet meeting in the Grand Serial, "What happened yesterday serves
the interests of those who plan to prolong the presidential void." "We reiterate
our full support for the security forces and especially the Lebanese Army,"
Aridi added.
Sunday's violence broke out after youths protesting power cuts in the Shiite
district of Chiyah entered the nearby Christian area of Ein el-Rommaneh and
began throwing stones and setting cars on fire, newspaper reported. The
situation quickly escalated after a member of Amal partisans were shot. Youths
turned out in several neighborhoods, setting tires ablaze and briefly shutting
down the main road leading to the airport. Aridi said "we call on the Lebanese
to embrace the security institutions and shun all attempts that aim at plunging
the country into unrest." Beirut, 28 Jan 08, 22:11
Bush Slams Lebanon's
Freedom-Fighting 'Terrorists'
Naharnet/U.S. President George Bush, standing before
Congress one last time, has said "terrorists" are "fighting" to deny the
Lebanese the freedom they want to enjoy. "The terrorists oppose every principle
of humanity and decency that we hold dear….In the long run, men and women who
are free to determine their own destinies will reject terror and refuse to live
in tyranny. And that is why the terrorists are fighting to deny this choice to
the people in Lebanon, Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and the Palestinian
Territories," Bush said Monday. "That is why, for the security of America and
the peace of the world, we are spreading the hope of freedom," he added in his
final State of the Union address. Bush reiterated his administration's resolve
to fight extremist forces.
"We're also standing against the forces of extremism embodied by the regime in
Tehran ... Wherever freedom advances in the Middle East, it seems the Iranian
regime is there to oppose it," he said. "Iran is funding and training militia
groups in Iraq, supporting Hizbullah terrorists in Lebanon, and backing Hamas'
efforts to undermine peace in the Holy Land," Bush added. The U.S. president
gave the example of the Cedar revolution, which led to the pullout of Syrian
troops from Lebanon in April 2005, to stress that people choose freedom when
given the chance. "We trust that people, when given the chance, will choose a
future of freedom and peace," he said. "We've seen citizens in Georgia and
Ukraine stand up for their right to free and fair elections. We've seen people
in Lebanon take to the streets to demand their independence. We've seen Afghans
emerge from the tyranny of the Taliban … We've seen jubilant Iraqis holding up
ink-stained fingers and celebrating their freedom," he said. Beirut, 29 Jan 08,
09:19
Kouchner Pessimistic
Naharnet/French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner has
expressed pessimism over the prolonged presidential crisis in Lebanon and
announced support for the Arab plan. Kouchner, who described the situation in
Lebanon as "very dangerous," said there was "no improvement" and that "new
obstacles" keep emerging to prevent a solution to the crisis which worsened
after President Emile Lahoud's term ended in November with no successor. "We are
with the Arab League in its attempts" to bring bickering politicians' views
closer and end the power struggle, Kouchner told EU foreign ministers meeting in
Brussels Monday. He doubted that Lebanon could come out of its crisis as long as
Syria was playing "the role of the obstructer."Kouchner also urged for a "common
European stance" against Syria. At the end of their meeting, the foreign
ministers issued a statement strongly condemning the series of attacks that
targeted U.N. peacekeepers on Jan. 8, the U.S. embassy vehicle on Jan. 15 and
Internal Security Forces Captain Wissam Eid last Friday. The statement also
urged all parties to implement the three-point Arab plan which called for the
election of Army Chief Gen. Michel Suleiman president, the formation of a
national unity cabinet in which no one party has veto power and the adoption of
a new electoral law. The EU foreign ministers also stressed support for
Lebanon's sovereignty and independence and announced their backing for Premier
Fouad Saniora's government and the Lebanese armed forces. Beirut, 29 Jan 08,
11:27
Moussa Fires Warning Shots
Naharnet/Arab League chief Amr Moussa has
warned that Arabs will decide on the next move if the Lebanese failed to elect
Army Chief Gen. Michel Suleiman president in February. "The Arabs will have
another stance if Gen. Suleiman were not elected president on Feb. 11," Moussa
told reporters in Cairo.
Moussa did not say what steps would be taken but Arab diplomatic sources told
Agence France Presse that the prolongation of the Lebanese crisis could
negatively affect "Arab presence" during the March 28 summit. In remarks
published in the Lebanese media on Tuesday, Moussa also predicted further
violence if Lebanon did not elect a head of state during the scheduled
parliamentary session. "If blood spills over into the streets, chaos will
prevail and there will be different positions and many forcers will interfere,"
he said. He warned that the Arab leadership summit scheduled for March 28 in
Damascus might be put off if the Lebanese crisis remained unresolved. He said
that Arab foreign ministers have set "a deadline for Lebanese parties to choose
a president for Lebanon."Moussa said that the Arab plan which has called for
Suleiman's election was the "only solution on the table now," and that failing
to implement it would put Lebanon in jeopardy. Meanwhile, An Nahar daily said
that the Arab League Secretary General told Premier Fouad Saniora and Speaker
Nabih Berri during telephone conversations that he will return to Lebanon after
the African Union summit that will be held in Addis Ababa Jan. 31-Feb.
2.(Naharnet-AP-AFP) Beirut, 29 Jan 08, 10:48
Suleiman Stresses to Nasrallah, Berri Need for
Investigating Riot Deaths
Naharnet/Army commander Gen. Michel
Suleiman said that the military has launched a "serious" investigation into the
deaths of seven people killed during Sunday's riots in Beirut's southern
suburbs. Suleiman also stressed during separate meetings with Hizbullah leader
Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah and Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri that he "did not and
will not cover up for any culprit no matter where he was." A statement issued by
Hizbullah said Nasrallah stressed during his meeting with Suleiman Monday
evening the need to launch a "swift, serious and complete investigation away
from pressures and politicizing" the issue. Well-informed sources said that
Suleiman and Berri agreed in Ain el Tineh on a "serious, effective and swift"
probe into Sunday's incidents which broke out after stone-wielding protesters
blocked several roads in Dahiyeh with burning tires. The protests against power
cuts quickly degenerated into street violence and the army deployed to prevent
the unrest from spreading into other areas.It was unclear how the deaths
occurred.
The sources said Berri expressed willingness to help Suleiman by handing in any
suspect from his Amal movement or from Hizbullah to facilitate the probe.
Suleiman, who was accompanied by military intelligence chief Brig. Gen. George
Khoury, conveyed condolences to both Nasrallah and Berri.
The Lebanese Army Command, in a communiqué, also expressed sorrow over the
deaths in Sunday's riots.
The communiqué said the incidents, which "only serve the enemy, were directed
against both the army and the citizens."It said that "very serious"
investigation was underway to determine what happened, pinpoint those
responsible and take the necessary measures. The military also urged those
protesting against worsening living conditions to "exercise self restraint while
demanding their legitimate rights." Suleiman's meetings were preceded by harsh
stances from Hizbullah against the military command. Hizbullah politburo member
Mahmoud Qammati said that his group "will not let this issue (pass) because it
has crossed the red lines."
He warned that Hizbullah "will take a political stance in light of what the army
was going to announce." Hizbullah MP Ali Ammar, in turn, demanded that the
Lebanese army command "acts responsibly as this heinous crime was premeditated."
He said that the "blood of the Lebanese, particularly that of Dahiyeh, is not a
passageway towards the presidency." Beirut, 29 Jan 08, 09:21
Jumblat Accuses West of Abandoning Lebanon
Naharnet/Druze leader Walid Jumblat accused the West of
abandoning Lebanon, saying "dictators" like Iranian President Mahmoud
Ahmadinejad and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad should be toppled. "The two
dictators ought to be overthrown," Jumblat said in an interview with the French
daily Le Figaro.
Jumblat stressed that Syria and Iran as well as their Lebanese allies "want to
create void so they can slowly and steadily impose control over (Lebanon)."
He said that "we might not be able to stop that," vowing, however, not to give
up. Jumblat also pointed the finger at Hizbullah for the series of car bombing
attacks that have hit Lebanon recently. "I accuse Hizbullah directly … when you
are capable of possessing rockets with a 300-kilometer range, you own
everything," Jumblat told Le Figaro. He also accused Hizbullah of facilitating
the job for the Syrian intelligence service. "You cannot have the power to
devastate and assassinate without having deep-rooted allies in the territory,"
Jumblat added. He said Hizbullah "facilitates the work of the Syrian
intelligence and desperately defends the Syrian regime as well Iran's expansion
policy."Jumblat said in a separate interview with the Russian news agency,
Novosti, that it was "impossible for democratic Lebanon to coexist with Syria's
dictatorship."Jumblat, who is on a visit to Moscow, renewed charges to Syria
with responsibility for differences between the majority and opposition over
distribution of power in Lebanon's forthcoming cabinet.
Russia "being a superpower that has clear interests in the region has an
interest in stability in Lebanon, with which it has deeply-rooted cordial
relations," he noted.
Jumblat said electing Army Commander Gen. Michel Suleiman president would be a
"major accomplishment."The Progressive Socialist Party leader said he would
discuss with officials "the help and support" Moscow could provide to settle the
presidential election issue. Electing a president, Jumblat said, is the "base
for overcoming internal disputes and regaining national unity." He explained
that there are no calls for changing Syria's regime, but the discussion focuses
on the ability by Russia and the West to "convince the Syrian leadership to halt
its intervention in Lebanon's internal affairs and focus on its own problems."He
said the opposition performance "indicates that it aims at making partnership
impossible. They often use partnership as a slogan to hide their aims.""They
want to change the whole democratic regime of Lebanon," the PSP leader said.
"How can we go into partnership with forces that control areas which are off
limits for state security?" Jumblat asked in his weekly article published
Tuesday by the PSP mouthpiece, al-Anbaa. "How can partnership be achieved with a
side that has an arsenal of missiles and a side that lacks such weapons? How can
partnership be achieved with forces that adopt a culture of death and preach
death?" Beirut, 29 Jan 08, 11:24
Probe into Sunday's Incidents Launched, 23 Arrested
Naharnet/Military police have begun
investigations into Sunday's incidents that left seven people killed in violent
riots in Beirut's southern suburbs.
A security source said the probe "will continue very seriously and quickly to
uncover the circumstances" of the deaths. He said outcome of the investigation
will be formally announced "so that measures against the military institution as
well as against those proven to be involved in beyond-the-limit acts can be
taken." A judicial source, meanwhile, said the army has arrested 23 persons
pending investigation. The source said there was no confirmation that snipers
were involved in Sunday's incidents despite the fact that some people were
arrested from rooftops. He said investigators were trying to determine whether a
"third party" was involved in the shootings and raised fear that the use of
gunfire was intended to stir up trouble on the ground. Prime Minister Fouad
Saniora labeled the eight victims who fell in Sunday's unrest "martyrs of the
entire nation." Information Minister Ghazi Aridi urged the various political
factions to "be aware of the delicate period the country was going through."He
said after a late Monday ministerial meeting that the government backs both
security forces and the army command, adding that the cabinet was awaiting
outcome of the investigations. Aridi said no mercy will be shown to those found
responsible for the shootings Sunday. Beirut, 29 Jan 08, 12:38
Lebanon's New Civil War Recipe
Naharnet/Army commander Gen. Michel
Suleiman is no more accepted by the Hizbullah-led opposition as a presidential
candidate and the army itself is no more trusted by the opposition to maintain
security, as-Safir's managing editor Sataa Noureddine wrote Tuesday. "This is
the primary outcome of (last Sunday's) Mar Mikhael battle. This is the most
significant indication that civil war is now a fait accompli," Noureddine added.
"Lebanon's history tells us that when a major sect loses confidence in the army
it opts for auto security as a legitimate alternative. Its collision with other
sects becomes inevitable," he noted. However, "safeguards still prevent the
outbreak of civil war. The army has not fallen totally, and would not be
fragmented soon. Its commander, theoretically, remains a consensus candidate for
president," he wrote. Nevertheless, Noureddine added, "the opposition's
insistence on pacifying him (Suleiman) in the presidential race cannot but
inflict major harm on the military institute.""The Mar Mikhael battle was
neither accidental, nor was it a protest, but also it did not reflect a decision
to launch civil war now," he wrote. Noureddine concluded by noting: "It was the
first step in a long and winding path that would end only when Syria is
reassured regarding its internal security that is threatened by the
international tribunal" that would try suspects in the 2005 assassination of
ex-Premier Rafik Hariri and related crimes.
"Organized void is over and organized chaos has started, but it would last only
for a few weeks." Beirut, 29 Jan 08, 13:43
Lebanese Army Dragged into Trouble
Naharnet/Lebanon's political crisis has
taken a dangerous turn with the army being dragged into the conflict between
pro-and anti-Syrian camps following deadly riots that have raised fears of civil
war, analysts say. Sunday's unrest pitted angry demonstrators protesting power
cuts against the army of Gen. Michel Suleiman, who is tipped to fill the vacant
seat of the presidency. "The army has been dragged into the conflict... and is
now stuck between a rock and a hard place," particularly with Suleiman's name
linked to the presidency, said Amal Saad-Ghorayeb of the Carnegie Middle East
Center.
Two Hizbullah members were among six Shiite Muslims killed Sunday along the
former 1975-1990 civil war "Green Line" between Christian and Muslim areas of
Beirut. Hizbullah, and Amal movement, an ally which also lost two of its members
in the riots, have demanded a "serious" army probe into the bloodshed.
"Having (six) young men killed in one night, all of them from one religious sect
is not going to go down very easy," said Ousama Safa, head of the Lebanese
Center for Policy Studies. "There is some agent provocateur, somewhere in the
groups, trying to push this escalation further and... to squeeze Gen. Suleiman
and indirectly tarnish his image. "His chances to become president are getting
slimmer by the day," said Safa. Both analysts agreed that an investigation and
swift results would have to be a priority if the anger that swept the streets of
Beirut's mainly Shiite southern suburbs is to be defused.
But Saad-Ghorayeb warned of problems ahead, amid repeated accusations among the
opposition that army soldiers fired on demonstrators during Sunday's riots.
"If the army is responsible and admits its responsibility, it will be a problem
because it will mean that it is against the opposition," she said.
"If the army says 'it wasn't us', but does not uncover the culprits, then it
will appear biased in the eyes of the opposition because non-attribution will
basically mean covering up for the real culprits," she added. In any case the
army is facing a "real danger because it is increasingly seen, by whichever
side, as not being neutral," she said. Retired army general Wehbe Katisha
remained confident, however, that the army will survive the storm of unrest but
admitted that "all the incidents that we are witnessing are a reflection of the
political crisis." For Safa, Sunday's riots were meant as a political message to
a meeting of Arab League foreign ministers that urged Lebanese lawmakers among
the anti-Syrian ruling majority and the opposition to elect Suleiman.
"Unfortunately these messages are getting more and more dangerous, and they are
drawing us very close to the point of no return," he said.
Safa acknowledged there were fears of civil war but stressed that "is not in the
interest of any of the major mainstream political opposition groups to go down
the civil war path. "But I think they are being dragged into it against their
will," he said.
"What we saw (Sunday) is probably the beginning of things like this and unless
you get people around one table trying to deal with this you will not be able to
stop it," Safa warned. Saad-Ghorayeb agreed: "These things have a way of
snowballing and anger mounts," she said.
"It is inevitable that civil strife of this kind will continue and even increase
so long as there is no political compromise," she added.(AFP) Beirut, 29 Jan 08,
12:23
Syria Doubts Suleiman's Nomination as Consensus Candidate
Naharnet/Syria has doubted the nomination
of Army Commander Gen. Michel Suleiman for president, stating that he does not
enjoy the backing of all Lebanese factions, an-Nahar's Rosana Boumounsef wrote
Tuesday. Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem, according to Boumounsef, told
Arab foreign ministers meeting in Cairo last Sunday that "it is not correct"
that Suleiman enjoys the unanimous backing of all Lebanese factions. This, she
wrote, was meant to "cast doubt" on Lebanese and Arab backing for Suleiman's
nomination and calls to elect him president. Arab League Secretary General
Amr Moussa had warned that he would not return to Beirut to resume his mission
had the Arabs failed to "clarify the context of his report," Boumounsef wrote.
However, she added, Moussa could return to Beirut mainly to work on "preventing
an escalation in the security situation."Diplomatic sources were quoted as
saying Moussa would try to re-arrange a new meeting grouping ex-President Amin
Gemayel, MP Michel Aoun and MP Saad Hariri to "consider all controversial
issues."Boumounsef concluded by asking: "Did the Arab initiative pass away, or
is there still hope in repulsing it?" Beirut, 29 Jan 08, 12:41
Probe into Sunday's Incidents Launched, 23 Arrested
Naharnet/Military police have begun investigations into
Sunday's incidents that left seven people killed in violent riots in Beirut's
southern suburbs.
A security source said the probe "will continue very seriously and quickly to
uncover the circumstances" of the deaths.He said outcome of the investigation
will be formally announced "so that measures against the military institution as
well as against those proven to be involved in beyond-the-limit acts can be
taken."
A judicial source, meanwhile, said the army has arrested 23 persons pending
investigation. The source said there was no confirmation that snipers were
involved in Sunday's incidents despite the fact that some people were arrested
from rooftops. He said investigators were trying to determine whether a "third
party" was involved in the shootings and raised fear that the use of gunfire was
intended to stir up trouble on the ground. Prime Minister Fouad Saniora labeled
the eight victims who fell in Sunday's unrest "martyrs of the entire nation."
Information Minister Ghazi Aridi urged the various political factions to "be
aware of the delicate period the country was going through."He said after a late
Monday ministerial meeting that the government backs both security forces and
the army command, adding that the cabinet was awaiting outcome of the
investigations. Aridi said no mercy will be shown to those found responsible for
the shootings Sunday. Beirut, 29 Jan 08, 12:38
Berri: Sunday's Riots Aimed at Stirring Christian-Muslim
Discord
Naharnet/Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri
described Sunday's riots as "very serious" and said he believed they were aimed
at stirring a Christian-Muslim discord.
"Targeting unarmed civilians is a very serious issue which we should never go
past or keep silent about," Berri said in remarks published by several Lebanese
newspapers on Tuesday. "The blood spilled is not cheap, it is rather very dear,"
Berri said of the violent riots that left seven people killed in Beirut's
southern suburbs on Sunday. The demonstrations broke out after protesters
blocked several roads in the Mar Mikhael-Shiyah district with burning tires and
tossed stones at army troops trying to disperse the rioters. The protests
against power cuts quickly degenerated into street violence and spread to other
areas of Beirut.
"No one thinks that this issue … will be folded," Berri said, vowing that he
will "follow up the probe all the way."Berri said he believed there were three
objectives behind Sunday's riots: "Stirring Christian-Muslim discord, a matter
we don't accept,… foiling the nomination of Gen. Michel Suleiman for the
presidency, … and torpedoing the Document of Understanding" which was signed in
Mar Mikhael church between Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah and Free
Patriotic Movement leader Gen. Michel Aoun. Beirut, 29 Jan 08, 10:50
Saniora Is 'Allah's Enemy' To Mourners
Naharnet/To the crackle of automatic rifle fire and chants
of "Saniora is the enemy of Allah," the AMAL movement on Monday buried two of
its members who were killed in riots the day before. Mourners attacking Premier
Fouad Saniora and shooting automatic rifles in the air, to express anger, buried
the two, Ahmed Hamza and Ahmed Ajouz, in the Shahidein grave yard in south
Beirut amidst chants. AMAL politburo member Jamil Hayek accused the March 14
majority alliance, without mentioning it by name, of seeking to use the army
against the opposition. "You want to use the army as a stick ... to continue
with your dominance," Hayek said in his speech eulogizing the two victims. "You
know that security in Lebanon is a political issue that you keep blocking by
usurping powers," Hayek added. He called for a "swift, but not hasty,
investigation by security administrations" into the Sunday riots that resulted
in the killing of seven people and wounding more than 20. "We want the whole
truth about who attacked them … Only the truth can provide the rights for all,"
he added.
Other than the shooting-in-the air practice and anti-Saniora chants, the mood
was somber but peaceful as hundreds of people took part in the funerals.
Women threw rice, and Koranic verses blared from loudspeakers as three other
funeral processions got under way. Traffic was thinner than usual throughout
Beirut. In the troubled neighborhoods, troops were on the streets, shops were
closed and some residents were clearing broken glass and inspecting their
property. "Why did I have to bear the brunt of their anger?" Samir Adada said
Monday as he stood next to his gutted Cherokee Jeep that was damaged in Sunday's
riots.
Saniora had declared a day of national mourning, and calm returned to the Mar
Mikhael district, where riots initially broke out.
Sunday's death toll was the highest for a street disturbance since the country
plunged into a crisis three years ago with the assassination of former Prime
Minister Rafik Hariri, a turning point in Lebanese politics that sparked local
and international outrage and forced the Syrian army to withdraw after 30 years
of control.
What started as an angry protest by anti-government protestors against
electricity rationing quickly degenerated into street violence and clashes with
troops.
The fighting ignited memories of the 1975-90 civil war and came as Lebanon is in
the middle of a political fight over who will become its next president.
The clashes erupted along the war's former demarcation line between Christian
and Muslim areas and near a district where the bloody conflict, which killed
150,000, began. A hand grenade tossed by rioters into that district, Ein el-Rummaneh,
injured seven people. Lebanon is embroiled in its worst political crisis since
the civil war. Former President Emile Lahoud left office on Nov. 23 without a
successor, and parliament has so far failed to elect the army chief to replace
him amid bickering between the parliament majority and the opposition.(Naharnet-AP)
Beirut, 28 Jan 08, 21:06
Gemayel Warns Against Attempts to Topple Lebanon's Regime
Naharnet/Phalange Party leader Amin Gemayel
called for a thorough investigation into Sunday's acts of rioting, hoping it
could help "expose" culprits in the serial crimes in Lebanon. Gemayel blamed the
rioting on "political agitation … that has enabled the various intelligence
agencies to carry out their plots."
Commenting on a statement released by Arab foreign ministers meeting in Cairo,
Gemayel said: "What has happened provides evidence that what goes on in Lebanon
is much bigger than just a question of shares in a government." The issue,
according to Gemayel, is tantamount to "plots to topple the regime."
He stressed: "Credibility of Arabs is at stake."Gemayel said a thorough
investigation into the riots "could shed light on who planned and carried out
other crimes including crimes committed in daylight, like the killing of dear
Pierre," who was gunned down by unidentified assailants on Nov. 21, 2006.
He pleaded with residents of Shiyah and Ein Rummaneh to avoid sliding into
"confrontations that serve nobody's purpose and to coordinate with the Lebanese
Army and security agencies." Beirut, 28 Jan 08, 18:52
Ghanem Expects Persisting Void … Assassinations Threatening
Lebanon's Existence
By Dalia Nehme
Naharnet/MP Robert Ghanem said Monday he expects "persisting void … blasts and
assassinations threatening lebanon's mere existence." Ghanem, who heads
parliament's justice committee, told Naharnet: "I hope things would not go
beyond that." He criticized rioting Sunday as "non-spontaneous acts, that do not
reflect a protest. It was rioting carried out by Lebanese citizens … who stir
internal feud by attacking other areas, like what has happened in Ein
Rummaneh."Ghanem said he respects "freedom of expression and civilized peaceful
demonstrations, but not that kind of chaos that reflects hatred of … partners …
all this is due to political agitation that has been going on for over a
year."Such activities, according to Ghanem, "are similar to activities that
occurred in 1975, but even then, parties to the conflict used to maintain
contacts with each other, while now there are no contacts." He said Lebanon is
going through a "very serious era that targets the entity of this nation, its
independence and sovereignty as well as its pluralist and democratic nature."In
answering a question as to whether he fears renewed civil war, Ghanem said: It
is "Possible. What happened yesterday was a warning to all the Lebanese.""We
need a basket of principles rather than a basket of conditions to shield the
nation against whatever happens in the region and all challenges."
In answering a question as to whether Lebanon's entity is in danger, Ghanem
said: "I suspect that there are conspiracies aimed at striking at Lebanon's
entity."
Such conspiracies, according to Ghanem, fall within the framework of "major
schemes in the region, or within schemes by those who benefit from keeping
Lebanon an arena for regional and international conflicts."
He said Sunday's riots aimed at "striking at the military establishment and an
attempt to drag the army into a dispute" He expressed "doubt" in the ability of
the Arab initiative to achieve success "unless the Arab League practiced real
pressure to settle the situation in the region."Such pressures, according to
Ghanem, should aim at achieving reconciliation between "Saudi Arabia and Syria
and between Syria and Egypt."He concluded that achieving such reconciliation is
"extremely difficult." Beirut, 28 Jan 08, 20:31
Geagea: No One Could Hold the Army Responsible For What Has
Happened
Naharnet/Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea said Monday the army should not be
held responsible for what happened the day before because its assignment is not
to stand idly by and watch.
"The army acted yesterday with a full sense of responsibility. The army's
behavior was honorable and no one could hold the army responsible for what has
happened," Geagea told a news conference.
"would it be acceptable for the army not to intervene? Is hurling stones at the
army acceptable?" Geagea asked.
Noting that he is not for opening fire on protestors, Geagea asked: "Would it be
acceptable for Lebanon to become anew an arena for chaos?"
What Lebanon is going through, according to Geagea, is an attempt to take the
situation back to what it used to be before the 2005 Cedar Revolution.
"Had the army been late in certain areas, things would have reached dangerous
turns," Geagea said.
He accused the Hizbullah-led opposition of trying to "paralyze the army after
they placed the presidency in vacuum and paralyzed the government."
He recalled that street lights were on in Beirut's southern suburbs on Sunday
evening as rioters claimed they were protesting against power failure.
"Would attacking residential districts in Ein Rummaneh bring power back to their
districts, that is if power was off in the first place?" Geagea asked.
In an attempt to counter claims by the opposition that the protest was
spontaneous, Geagea said: "There were no women, elderly men or children taking
part in what has happened. Spontaneous protests usually group people from
different ages and sects, not just the young people we saw."
In answering a question regarding charges that LF partisans opened fire at the
protestors from sniping nests, Geagea said: "Had their been snipers from the
Lebanese Forces the Army would have arrested them."
He expressed regret because a "Christian side" that he did not further identify,
is "covering up another side that is harming both the Christians and the
homeland."
Lebanon, according to Geagea, is facing a "major conspiracy. They are trying to
lead us to despair."
However, he noted: "The domestic, Arab and international balance of powers is
good and they would not manage to achieve their schemes."
He called for a "code of honor" that bans resorting to "chaos and street
(rioting)."
Geagea said "one of the targets that the March 8 forces seek is to maintain
presidential void."
Nevertheless, he stressed: "All our efforts would be made to support the
election of a president."
He criticized the statement issued by Arab foreign ministers on Sunday saying
that it failed to "mention things as they are."
He expressed condolences to families of victims who fell Sunday, urging them to
"prevent anyone from exploiting your children's issue."
Beirut, 28 Jan 08, 18:08
Hezbollah's dark hand
By Tom Harb- Washington Times
http://washingtontimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080128/EDITORIAL/300518265/1013/EDITORIAL
January 28, 2008
Like all international terrorist groups, Lebanon-based Hezbollah has always
relied on the classic methodology of terror: horrifying, grisly attacks and
detonations that produce mass casualties in order to garner as much press as
possible. In short, its goal is to terrorize the public as a means of
manipulating the same. Groups like Hezbollah, al Qaeda and others continue to
wage such blood-and-fire campaigns against civilian populations. They know it
works because the threat alone is often enough to manipulate the press, too,
thus frightening them so that they will act, or react, in a certain way as well.
Today, however, terrorist groups have become more sophisticated and their
tactics do not always begin with something so overtly terrorizing. In the case
of Hezbollah, there is a new and far more sinister weapon in its arsenal which
begins with the media itself and utilizes Hezbollah's ability to influence and
even control it. In recent years, Hezbollah has been able to influence much of
the Lebanese mainstream and alternative media, including national media and
international reporting. Increasing numbers of paid Hezbollah sympathizers have
insinuated themselves into traditional Lebanese print and broadcast media, thus
enabling them to present stories in a way they want them to be understood.
Western journalists in Lebanon have now bought into the same influence as well,
whether wittingly or not.
This has been deliberate on the part of Hezbollah: As some Lebanese citizens
would argue, "Hezbollah is trying to wash its public face." How do they do it?
With Syrian support, Iranian money and the infiltration of newsrooms. This is
also achieved by deceiving the Western media, showing international reporters
only that which Hezbollah wants them to see and destroying the credibility —
through the bought-and-paid-for media — of anyone who dares to say otherwise. To
tell the truth about Hezbollah and its activities can and does result in lethal
action.
A case in point: National Review's former stringer W. Thomas Smith Jr., a former
Marine, author and longtime reputable reporter whose good name and creditable
work has been sullied because he simply got too close — a quality which, under
normal circumstances, would be revered. In September and October, Mr. Smith was
in Lebanon blogging for National Review and reporting the truth about Hezbollah
developments and activities. He was blogging, so his first-person postings were
often subjective and without sourcing, as is normally the case with blogs.
Mr. Smith's enemies — including Hezbollah, Hezbollah's sympathizers and their
apologists in the West (many of whom wrongly view Hezbollah and other terrorists
as less threatening than they actually are) — had to shut him up. They tried, as
Mr. Smith has been savagely and widely accused of "lying" and "fabricating,"
though such accusations have absolutely no basis in fact.
Moreover, his attackers created fancifully inaccurate stories about what he
actually wrote in order to discredit and destroy him. In short, it was Mr.
Smith's enemies who openly lied, not Mr. Smith, enabling others to repeat the
lies — classic propaganda — so that the reality of Mr. Smith's reporting was
wrongly negated in the process.
But they've failed because Mr. Smith continues to write. And the former Marine
told me in a recent phone conversation, "My opponents will never shut me up."
However, Hezbollah's propaganda and media manipulation doesn't end with simply
buying stories, influencing or coercing local journalists or international
correspondents and attempting to ruin the reputations of true opposition
reporters like Mr. Smith.
Hezbollah has its own Lebanese press outlets: television (Al Manar TV), print
media (Al Akhbar newspaper), smaller news sheets and radio stations. Hezbollah
also maintains Internet sites, and it closely monitors news reporting in the
West, including that on obscure Web sites and blogs. Hezbollah also controls and
monitors telecommunications. In fact, there are a few telephone hubs for
international calls into Lebanon, and Hezbollah has direct access to the hub for
Beirut. Thus, no information gleaned from international calls placed to confirm
stories there could ever be deemed reliable.
Simply put, Hezbollah is directly involved in virtually all aspects of Lebanese
government and society. Further, it has access to nearly every sophisticated
media tool available to us in the West, which it uses for purposes such as
crushing free speech, distorting facts or releasing only certain stories to an
unwitting public. It also continues to use the old standbys that have served so
well in the past: libel and character assassination; direct and indirect threats
of physical harm; and, yes, murder.
Until the West, especially its own media, wakes up to this enemy's clever
tactics of denial and deception, it is clear that the reporting of the more
fearless journalists like Mr. Smith will be silenced. Attempts will be made
(some successful) by some naive people to destroy their careers.
**Tom Harb is secretary-general of the International Lebanese Committee for U.N.
Security Council Resolution 1559.
A new chance to solve Lebanon's crisis
Gulf News
Published: January 29, 2008, 00:22
How many precious lives should be wasted for the Lebanese to understand their
country is heading towards dangerous territory? Seven people were killed in
clashes between protesters and the army on Sunday in the southern suburbs of
Beirut. The protesters were demonstrating against the frequent power outages.
They were mostly supporters of Hezbollah. Different sources and media reports
suggest that "a third party" shot at the protesters. But this should be left to
the army investigation to establish. But more important is what the Lebanese
leaders have learned from the tragic Sunday events.
The clashes took place in the background of a long running deadlock over the
presidential elections. The presidential post has been vacant since November 23
when the term of President Emile Lahoud expired.
Two high-profile attempts to broker a deal - one by France and the other by the
Arab League - failed to sway the increasingly rigid positions of the government
and its opponents.
Since then, both sides agreed on the army chief, General Michel Sulaiman as a
consensus candidate for the presidency. And the crisis was finally reduced to
differences over the number of cabinet seats each side is claiming in the new
government.
The ruling majority insists the opposition, led by Hezbollah, should only get
less than a third of the seats. The opposition demands the third, to get veto
power in the cabinet, which underlines the prevailing mistrust among Lebanon's
ruling elite. But as the crisis goes on, more lives are being lost and the
economy deteriorates, feeding cycle of poverty, a main reason behind Sunday's
tragic protest.
The signs of trouble have long been there. Curiously, Lebanese parties didn't
take them seriously. After the "Black Sunday" they should. And they have a new
chance to reach a deal. The Arab League has renewed its mediation and its chief
is coming to Beirut in a few days. This could be the last chance.
Divide and Rule’ in the Mideast
Arab News
Linda Heard,
sierra12th@yahoo.co.uk
http://www.arabnews.com/?page=7§ion=0&article=106205&d=29&m=1&y=2008
Both Lebanon and the Palestinian territories are in crisis. Superficially, their
respective problems appear very different, but, in fact, they are similar in
more ways than one. The troubles of both Arab nations in large part stem from
divisions deliberately engendered by major powers for their own ends.
Divisions in Lebanon have virtually paralyzed the country. The government is
rudderless, disunited and, according to the opposition, unconstitutional due to
the Shiite bloc’s walkout. It cannot even agree on who should fill the void left
when Emile Lahoud moved out of the presidential palace last November. The Hariri
coalition insists the army chief Gen. Michel Suleiman should be president.
Hezbollah is rooting for the Free Patriotic Party’s Michel Aoun, who accuses the
US of blocking his candidacy. Stalemate! Laws needing to be passed are left
pending while the economy totters. Rampant inflation has triggered strikes and
violent demonstrations. The capital’s beating heart, Downtown, has been taken
over by opposition protesters complete with tents and primus stoves. Tourism,
once a money spinner, is practically nonexistent. Donor countries that pledged
huge sums in aid to Lebanon at last January’s Paris conference are reluctant to
cough up due to the unstable environment.
The pro-Western March 14 coalition, led by Saad Hariri and Prime Minister Fouad
Siniora, blame Hezbollah and its foreign backers for the country’s woes.
Conversely, Hezbollah accuses March 14 leaders of being Washington’s puppets.
Stalemate!
It’s a similar story with the Palestinians, who, unlike the Lebanese, were
united against a common enemy until the death of their former president Yasser
Arafat in 2004.
Nobody can say he was faultless but he was the glue that kept Palestinians
together, perhaps because his patriotism and his credentials as a freedom
fighter were never in question. Arafat had, albeit reluctantly, anointed Mahmoud
Abbas as his successor and to the latter’s credit he managed a reasonably
seamless succession.
Then, in 2005, along came the so-called international community that takes its
marching orders from the US. Palestinians must have free, fair and
internationally monitored elections, said the Westerners.
The Palestinians enthusiastically fell into line and the result was a massive
parliamentary victory for Hamas. Well done on your fair and free elections was
the international community’s verdict with the caveat ‘Sorry, we can’t accept
the result. Hamas is, after all, a terrorist organization’. Worse, it then
orchestrated a deliberate campaign to bring down Hamas based on bringing the
Palestinian people to their knees. It backed the losing side Fatah and
encouraged its leader Mahmoud Abbas to confront Hamas in a power struggle with
devastating results in terms of division and bloodshed.
The labeling of Hezbollah and Hamas as “terrorist” by Washington and its allies
is the crux of the problem in both Lebanon and the Palestinian territories. Both
are groups that emerged in answer to Israel’s respective occupation of Palestine
and southern Lebanon. Both are committed to freeing their lands from occupation.
Furthermore, both Hezbollah and Hamas boast large followings and cannot be
written off as inconsequential splinter organizations. So when they are treated
as terrorist, so are their followers, who make up a large percentage of Lebanese
and Palestinian populations.
Such Western-imposed labeling stands as a barrier to unity governments in
Lebanon and Palestine, and pits one side against the other without providing any
channels for dialogue. In both countries under discussion the side that is
backed by the US is either forbidden from accepting olive branches from the
other or decline to do so for fear they will be internationally tarred with the
same brush. Stalemate!
Political and economic inertia in Lebanon, and the separation of the West Bank,
governed by Fatah from the Hamas-run Gaza Strip plays right into the hands of
Israel. As long as the Lebanese and the Palestinians are busy warring against
one another, they remain perpetually weak and ineffectual.
Certainly keeping Palestinians divided is in Israel’s interests because it can
shore up international good will with gestures toward the creation of a
Palestinian state and, at the same time, bemoan the fact it doesn’t have a
credible peace partner. There also remains the possibility that Israel is
following another agenda: the creation of a nonthreatening mini Palestinian
entity on the West Bank with Gaza left to fend for itself or turned over to
Egypt.
There will be no light at the end of the tunnel for either the Lebanese or the
Palestinians unless they can free themselves from foreign interference and bury
their differences. Ideally, they need leaders in the mold of Nelson Mandela able
to inspire all factions and persuade them to adopt a policy of forgiveness and
reconciliation. If not, the crack between the secular progressives and the
religious ideologues will widen until it becomes an eternally impassable chasm.
When will people in this region learn that those lurking foreign powers are out
to further their own agendas? They care not one jot for the well-being of either
the Lebanese or the Palestinians. Theirs is a deceptive and deadly dance of
power with the soil of Lebanon and Palestine their chosen venues.
They tease the audience with their cash and weapons. Like sirens they sing out
unattainable promises of freedom and democracy or of helping to eradicate an
enemy. Their smiles are as empty as their hearts, while under their elaborate
cloaks hides a sword. In truth, they are the enemy and the only hope for the
peoples of Lebanon and Palestine is to quit internal squabbling and unite
against them...all of them.
The strategy of divide and rule, perfected by the British, is one of the oldest
known to mankind. It’s time Lebanese and Palestinians recognize they are
currently its victims before it’s too late to turn back the bloody tide of
hatred and despair.
Thoughts on the riots
http://www.nowlebanon.com/NewsArticleDetails.aspx?ID=28755&MID=10&PID=2
NOW Lebanon Staff , January 29, 2008
Sunday's multiple violent demonstrations once again resurrected the ghost of
conflicts past. That the biggest disturbance took place in Shiyyeh, one of
Beirut's traditional demarcation lines and a flashpoint in the 1975-1990 civil
war, made the event even more distressing for those old enough to recall that
period.
Only the very naïve will labor under the belief that the reason hundreds of
youths took to the streets was because of poor electricity supply. Youths, by
their very nature, are wont to leave protesting such everyday injustices to
their elders, who traditionally prefer to bang kitchen pots than reach for an
AK-47.
Civil disobedience, waged under the banner of fighting alleged
government-inspired neglect and corruption, has been a popular opposition tool
in its bid to erode Prime Minister Fouad Siniora’s credibility, and Hezbollah
has confirmed that it is prepared to initiate its own protests in its year-long
bid to "force the government to resign or submit to the opposition's demands."
It is a dangerous game and certainly not the best way to achieve "a state where
freedom, security and prosperity for all will prevail." Those were the words
used by Hezbollah's ally General Michel Aoun to defend last year's equally
disruptive and only marginally-less lethal acts of civil unrest.
If Aoun still stands by those words, it is hard to see how he has made any
headway in achieving any of his three aims: freedom means everything and nothing
and is an easy crowd pleaser to toss out, but if the general really wants
security – currently at an all time low – he should help resolve, rather than
obstruct, the election of a new president. Which brings us to his record on
prosperity, and one only has to look at his role in the BCD debacle to see that
it is a non-starter.
Elsewhere, it has been suggested that the disturbances were staged to undermine
the credibility of army chief and presidential candidate General Michel Sleiman
by gambling on his soldiers' heavy-handed approach to riot control and the
possibility of a few civilian deaths to fuel discontent.
If this is the case, the opposition would be wise to recall the embryonic stages
of the previous conflict that saw the country gradually unravel in circumstances
not unlike today: a bomb here and incident there, and before the Lebanese knew
what was happening, full-blown conflict reigned.
The greatest difference between today and 1975 is that the army has not
disintegrated and the state is still able to intervene and defuse a potential
powder keg. If the officers and NCOs erred in their handling of the situation,
let us not forget that armies are not police forces and sending troops onto the
street was a last resort.
Hezbollah has blamed the army for allowing the situation to deteriorate and has
called on the government to hold an inquiry to bring to book those responsible.
This is a splendid idea (if only Hezbollah would apply the same checks and
balances to its own activities), and if there was an abuse of power, it should
be addressed.
In the meantime, we should consider what Winston Churchill wisely suggested,
that "the farther backward you can look, the farther forward you can see."