LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
July 13/08

Bible Reading of the day.
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 10,24-33. No disciple is above his teacher, no slave above his master. It is enough for the disciple that he become like his teacher, for the slave that he become like his master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more those of his household! Therefore do not be afraid of them. Nothing is concealed that will not be revealed, nor secret that will not be known. What I say to you in the darkness, speak in the light; what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops. And do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather, be afraid of the one who can destroy both soul and body in Gehenna. Are not two sparrows sold for a small coin? Yet not one of them falls to the ground without your Father's knowledge. Even all the hairs of your head are counted.
So do not be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. Everyone who acknowledges me before others I will acknowledge before my heavenly Father. But whoever denies me before others, I will deny before my heavenly Father.

Free Opinions, Releases, letters & Special Reports
Canada Welcomes New Lebanese Government 12/07/08
Interview with MP. Walid Jumblatt, euronews 12/07/08
Are Turkey's generals more faithful democrats than Lebanon's politicians? The Daily Star 12/07/08
Battle Scars-NowLebanon.com 12/07/08
HEZBOLLAH - LEBANON-France24 - Paris,France

Latest News Reports From Miscellaneous Sources for July 12/08
Assad to Establish Ties with Lebanon, Break isolation in Paris-Naharnet
Hizbullah Setting the Stage for Swap Celebration-Naharnet
Saniora: National Unity Protected Lebanon against Israeli Aggression-Naharnet
Arab League welcomes formation of Lebanon's new cabinet-Xinhua
Assad is no Ahmadinejad-guardian.co.uk
Zoaiter Vows to Work for Cabinet Success-Naharnet
Sarkozy Praises Harri-Naharnet
Shamseddine: Relations with Hizbullah, AMAL Good-Naharnet
Baroud Pledges Security and Stability-Naharnet
Qanso Respects Saniora-Naharnet
Canada Recognizes Saniora Cabinet, Boycotts Hizbullah Minister-Naharnet
Geagea for Building State Structure-Naharnet
Report: Israel-Hizbullah Prisoner Swap Next Week-Naharnet
Suleiman and Assad to Meet in Paris-Naharnet
Iraqi Ambassador Dies from Heart Attack-Naharnet
World Welcomes Formation of New Lebanese Cabinet-Naharnet
Political Factions Represented in the New Cabinet-Naharnet
EU Welcomes Formation of New Lebanese Government-Naharnet
Saniora Sets Cabinet's Priority-Naharnet
Lebanese Cabinet Listed-Naharnet
Lebanon's president wants diplomatic ties with Syria, exchange of ...International Herald Tribune
Assad to Establish Ties with Lebanon, Break isolation in Paris-Daily Star
Hezbollah: 2nd Lebanon War was greatest defeat of Israel ever-Ha'aretz
Saniora: National Unity Protected Lebanon against Israeli Aggression-Daily Star
Sarkozy Praises Harri-Daily Star
Shamseddine: Relations with Hizbullah, AMAL Good-Daily Star
Baroud Pledges Security and Stability-Daily Star
Qanso Respects Saniora-Daily Star
Geagea for Building State Structure-Daily Star
Iraqi Ambassador Dies from Heart Attack-Daily Star
World Welcomes Formation of New Lebanese Cabinet-Daily Star
Political Factions Represented in the New Cabinet-Daily Star
EU Welcomes Formation of New Lebanese Government-Daily Star
Hamas, Hezbollah websites hosted by Canadian... CBC
New Lebanese Cabinet born after five weeks of labor-Daily Star
Canada welcomes new Lebanese cabinet-AFP
Death toll from Tripoli clashes rises to five-AFP
UN chief hails formation of national unity gov't in Lebanon-Xinhua
Boycott lifted as France hosts Syria's president-guardian.co.uk
Iran, Syria and nuclear weapons-guardian.co.uk
Divided Lebanon forges new future-BBC News
Instant Greater Israel –Just Add Water-The People's Voice
Hezbollah gains veto power in new Lebanon Cabinet-The Associated Press
Lebanese Army enters unoccupied part of Shebaa Farms-AFP
Israeli generals urge 'diplomatic disarmament-Daily Star
Olmert's war went badly from the start-Daily Star
Salameh touts plan to sell MEA, Intra Investment Co.-Daily Star
Maroun ar-Ras still bears scars of Israeli onslaught-AFP
Arrest warrant to be issued for Sudan's Bashir-AFP

Canada welcomes new Lebanese cabinet
OTTAWA (AFP) — Canada on Friday said it welcomed Lebanon's new national unity government, hoping it will spell an end to the country's long political crisis, but would have "no contact" with the Hezbollah-led opposition. "Canada congratulates Prime Minister Fuad Siniora on forming a new Lebanese cabinet, and offers our full support to him and his government," Foreign Affairs Minister David Emerson said in a statement. He called the new administration "another important step ... toward ending the political crisis" in Lebanon. However, Emerson said Canada would abstain from any contact with the Lebanon's Hezbollah opposition, because it is "an organization listed as a terrorist entity under our Anti-Terrorism Act." "While Canada will have full contact with Prime Minister Siniora and non-Hezbollah ministers, we will maintain our principled policy of having no contact with Hezbollah officials," he added.
Lebanon announced a 30-member national unity government on Friday after weeks of negotiations between the country's political rivals, and more than a year-and-a-half into Lebanon's political crisis. A May 21 accord allocates 16 cabinet seats to the Western-backed parliamentary majority and 11 to the opposition led by Hezbollah, giving it veto powers. The Iranian- and Syrian-backed Shiite militant group Hezbollah was allocated three seats in the cabinet, with Mohammed Fneish of Hezbollah to serve as labor minister alongside two allies.

Canada Welcomes New Lebanese Government
July 11, 2008
The Honourable David Emerson, Minister of Foreign Affairs, today issued the following statement regarding the formation of a new Lebanese government:
“Canada congratulates Prime Minister Fouad Siniora on forming a new Lebanese cabinet, and offers our full support to him and his government. This is another important step in the implementation of the Doha Agreement, negotiated in May, and a move toward ending the political crisis. We hope the appointment of this new cabinet will lead to increased harmony in the region.
“Canada takes note of the participation in the cabinet by Hezbollah, an organization listed as a terrorist entity under our Anti-Terrorism Act. While Canada will have full contact with Prime Minister Siniora and non-Hezbollah ministers, we will maintain our principled policy of having no contact with Hezbollah officials.
“We are hopeful that all Lebanese will unite to support this government as it meets the challenges ahead. Canada has always enjoyed good relations with the Government of Lebanon and we look forward to continuing to work with it to build upon our already strong bilateral ties.”
To view previously released statements on developments in Lebanon, please consult the following websites:
www.pm.gc.ca/eng/media.asp?category=3&id=2121
http://w01.international.gc.ca/MinPub/Publication.aspx?isRedirect=True&Language=E&publication_id=386200&docnumber=121
- 30 -
For further information, media representatives may contact:
Lynn Meahan
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of Foreign Affairs
613-995-1851
Foreign Affairs Media Relations Office
Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada
613-995-1874
www.international.gc.ca/index.aspx

New Cabinet born after five weeks of labor
By Hussein Abdallah
Daily Star staff
Saturday, July 12, 2008
BEIRUT: Lebanon announced a 30-member national unity government on Friday after almost five weeks of disputes over the distribution of portfolios. The lineup was announced in a decree signed by President Michel Sleiman and Prime Minister Fouad Siniora following a short meeting between them and Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri.
The formation of the Cabinet came in line with the accord sealed in Doha on May 21 which allocated 16 cabinet seats to the parliamentary majority, 11 to the opposition, and three to the president.
The opposition took the coveted posts of foreign minister, telecommunications minister and deputy premier in the new Cabinet, while the ruling bloc kept the Finance Ministry.
The president, who himself only took office four days after the Doha accord, filling a post left vacant since November, made three appointments, including Elias Murr, who kept the defense portfolio despite opposition reservations.
He also appointed lawyer and electoral law expert Ziyad Baroud to head the Interior Ministry, which will be responsible for organizing legislative elections next year.
Finance Minister Mohammad Shatah, who was appointed by the ruling bloc, served as Siniora's senior adviser in the previous cabinet.
The government includes one woman, MP Bahia Hariri, sister of slain former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. She is to head the Education Ministry.
Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun, whose party had not been represented in the previous government, took four posts in the new one, plus the deputy premiership.
Hizbullah was allocated three seats in the Cabinet, but only one of them went to a Hizbullah member - Labor Minister Mohammad Fneish.
The two other seats were given to the resistance movement's allies in the opposition.
Berri also managed to keep two of his ministers in their posts (Health Minister Mohammad Jawad Khalifeh and Foreign Minister Fawzi Salloukh), while obtaining the Industry Minister for MP Ghazi Zeaiter.
Siniora told reporters after the announcement of the lineup that the new Cabinet would be "the government of all the Lebanese" and that it would have two key tasks."The government's first task is to restore confidence in political institutions and the Lebanese political system ... and to promote moderation," he said.
"The second task, which I want to focus on, is to assure that next year's parliamentary elections will be help transparently ... The duty of the government is to come out with a new electoral law that guarantees justice and true representation," he added.
Siniora said that the new government will help all political parties to resolve their differences within state institutions.
"Our differences will not be resolved overnight, but we have decided to resolve them through institutions and dialogue rather than in the streets," the premier said.
Siniora said he hoped that the new Cabinet will function harmoniously despite all the contradictions within it.
The government's inaugural meeting is scheduled to take place on Wednesday.
The prime minister also told reporters that his concern for the national interest made him change his mind on accepting the nomination of former Syrian Social Nationalist Party head Ali Qanso. Qanso was tipped by Hizbullah, but his nomination was strongly resisted by Siniora.
"I had to choose between my personal demands and national interest ... I chose national interest," Siniora said.
The premier also described as "good" an upcoming meeting between Sleiman and Syrian President Bashar Assad.
Sleiman will leave for Paris on Saturday to join a Paris summit of European and Mediterranean leaders, scheduled for Sunday. Assad was also invited to take part in the same summit. Siniora responded vaguely when asked if he was planning to visit Syria any soon. "I believe in bilateral relations between Lebanon and Syria that are based on mutual respect," he said. Meanwhile, parliamentary majority leader Saad Hariri contacted several ministers in the new government to congratulate them. In a statement released by Hariri's media office, the Future Movement leader also congratulated the Lebanese people, "who deserve to enjoy some stability, which will be brought about after the formation of the new government."
Hariri saluted all the former ministers who left their posts and thanked them for "sacrifices and outstanding performance while in office." The MP also thanked fellow Future Movement members for "making sacrifices and concessions in order to achieve national interest." "All Future figures proved again that they are ready to put their personal ambitions aside and make concessions in order to achieve Lebanon's best interest," he said. Earlier on Friday, Hariri said that the breakthrough after weeks of efforts to form a new cabinet followed a concession to Hizbullah. "I have asked Prime Minister Fouad Siniora to accept the nomination of Qanso" in the line-up, he said. "We are making sacrifices in the interests of the country," he added.
Siniora has struggled since the end of May to form a new government of national unity, under the Doha Accord between rival factions following deadly clashes. But the rivals were since locked in political bickering over the distribution of key portfolios. The formation of the new government means that the second item of the Doha Agreement would have been implemented only after almost five weeks of political bickering and rhetoric.
The first item was implemented on May 25 when Sleiman was elected as president. The third item of the Doha Agreement will be implemented when Parliament adopts an amended version of the 1960 electoral law for next year's parliamentary elections.
However, the breakthrough came after direct and indirect prodding by Qatari officials to form the government in keeping with their promise to help the Lebanese achieve a settlement to their 18-month old political crisis.
Separately, Lebanese Forces (LF) leader Samir Geagea responded on Friday to recent remarks by Berri, who hinted on Thursday that giving the Justice Ministry to the Lebanese Forces was equivalent to wasting or sacrificing it. Ibrahim Najjar, a veteran lawyer, was appointed as justice minister upon Geagea's request.
"I would like to point out that justice was mostly wasted and sacrificed between 1984 and 1988," Geagea said, referring to the period when Berri himself occupied the post of justice minister."Justice was further sacrificed between 1990 and 2005 during the period of Syrian presence in Lebanon when Berri occupied the post of Parliament speaker," he added. The LF chief said that giving the justice portfolio to the Lebanese Forces will put the ministry on the right track.
"The LF suffered from oppression in the past," he said, "and knows more than any other party what the real value of justice is." Also on Friday, the European Union's rotating presidency, currently held by France, welcomed the formation of the new Lebanese government. "The formation of a unity government marks an important step in the implementation of the Doha Agreement," French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner said. He said it was "essential" to stick to the deal which had "put an end to the political and institutional impasses that paralyzed Lebanon for too long."
EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana also welcomed the announcement. "After the huge difficulties that the country has been through during the past months, this is a key achievement," he said. "Important decisions need to be taken in the coming weeks and there is a lot of work to be done."
"Prime Minister Siniora can be assured that the EU will continue to offer its full and sincere support to his decisive action and to the Lebanese people," he said.
In Washington, the State Department praised the creation of the new government as a critical step in restoring democracy to Lebanon but stressed that, as in the past, it would not have contact with Cabinet members who belong to Hizbullah. "We welcome the formation of this new Cabinet," spokesman Sean McCormack told reporters. "It was a long political process that has led us to this point, and it was a process that ultimately was a Lebanese one."
Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki also welcomed the new, saying in Tehran that he hoped it would result in the strengthening of national unity among Lebanese and bring internal stability to their country. - With AFP
Lebanon's new cabinet line-up
BEIRUT: The following is the line-up of Lebanon's new 30-member government of national unity announced on Friday:
- Prime minister: Fouad Siniora
- Deputy prime minister: IssamAbu Jamra
- Defense minister: Elias Murr
- Foreign minister: Fawzi Saloukh
- Interior minister: Ziyad Baroud
- Finance minister: Mohammad Shatah
- Minister of state for administrative development:
-Ibrahim Shamseddine - Telecommunications minister:
-Gibran Bassil- Information minister: Tareq Mitri
- Justice minister: Ibrahim Najjar
- Public Works and Transport minister: Ghazi Aridi
- Sports and youth minister: Talal Arslan
- Education minister: Bahia Hariri
- Minister of the displaced: Raymond Audi
- Energy and water minister: Alain Tabourian
- Labor minister: Mohammad Fneish
- Agriculture minister: Elie Skaff
- Health minister: Mohammad Khalifeh
- Social affairs: Mario Aoun
- Industry minister: Ghazi Zeaiter
- Tourism minister: Elie Marouni
- Culture minister: Tammam Salam
- Environment minister: Antoine Karam
- Economy and Trade minister:Mohammad Safadi
- Minister of state: Youssef Taqla
- Minister of state: Wael Bou Faour
- Minister of state: Ali Qanso
- Minister of state: Nassib Lahoud
- Minister of state: Jean Hogassapian
- Minister of state: Khaled Qabbani

UN chief hails formation of national unity gov't in Lebanon
www.chinaview.cn 2008-07-12 03:56:55 UNITED NATIONS, July 11 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Friday welcomed the announcement of the formation of a national unity government in Lebanon. "He believes that this important event reflects Lebanon's continuing emergence from the political crisis and the revitalization of its constitutional institutions," Ban's spokesperson said in a statement. The secretary-general urges the Lebanese to continue working for the full implementation of the Doha Accord," the statement added, referring to an agreement reached in late May ending the protracted political stand-off in the country.
The UN chief said he will continue to ensure the UN's support for the consolidation of Lebanon's stability and sovereignty in accordance with the Taif Accord and the relevant Security Council resolutions.

Death toll from Tripoli clashes rises to five
By Agence France Presse (AFP)
Saturday, July 12, 2008
BEIRUT: The death toll from gun battles between rival sectarian factions in Lebanon's Northern port city of Tripoli has risen to five, a security official said on Friday. He said the body of a man who had been shot dead was found inside a house in Jabal Mohsen, one of the districts in the country's second city that was the scene of two days of clashes this week which also wounded 58 people. Jabal Mohsen and Bab al-Tebanneh, where the fighting was fiercest, were calm on Friday after army reinforcements moved in on Wednesday to separate the combatants. But businesses remained closed.
Fighting centered on a main road separating Bab al-Tebbaneh - where most residents are Sunni supporters of the parliamentary majority - and Jabal Mohsen, a largely pro-opposition area of Alawites. The latest unrest followed the eruption of similar firefights two weeks ago in Tripoli that killed nine people and wounded dozens.  In other security-related developments, a Lebanese woman by the initials of F.M. and a man named Mohammad al-Shaweech were wounded when four people traveling in a BMW sedan opened fire randomly from their car near the Fregate Ouras sea resort near the coastal village of Jadra in the Chouf region late Thursday evening, a security report said.
According to the report, a Lebanese Army patrol pursued the shooters, who opened fire in the soldiers' direction.
The soldiers fired back, wounding two of the perpetrators before arresting all four of them. The army has begun an investigation in the incident.
Meanwhile, the US Embassy in issued a statement on Friday announcing continued training for the Lebanese Army.
"During this past week, US military trainers conducted an Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Seminar for the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF)," the embassy's statement said. According to the statement, more than 35 students participated "in this specialized training which increases the LAF's abilities to handle explosives of all kinds safely and effectively." "The overall goal of US military assistance to Lebanon is to strengthen the LAF and increase its capacity to defend Lebanon's borders," the statement said. It added that since 2006, the US has allocated over $378 million to the LAF. "The US is committed to building the capabilities of the LAF and it will continue to support the government of Lebanon and the LAF as they continue their efforts to safeguard the peace, unity and sovereignty of Lebanon," the embassy's statement concluded. - AFP, with The Daily Star

HEZBOLLAH - LEBANON
What political future for the last Lebanese detainee ?
Saturday 12 July 2008 -France24 - Paris,France
Samir Kuntar will soon be liberated after spending 29 years in an Israeli jail. Considered a terrorist by the Israelis and celebrated as a hero by the Lebanese, the longest-serving Lebanese detainee may have a future in politics. Saturday 12 July 2008
By Tatiana el Khoury (text)
The longest-serving Lebanese prisoner will be soon liberated as part of a prisoners’ exchange between Hezbollah and Israeli authorities.
Kuntar will be set free after long and difficult negotiations led by the Lebanese Shia movement. Many wonder whether the former leftist activist and fierce advocate of secular society in Lebanon can start a political career.
For the last three decades, Kountar has been following the news in the Arab world from his cell. He regularly makes himself heard on the Lebanese landscape through letters addressed to his fellow countrymen and high-profile politicians.
In an interview done in Hebrew and published in Maariv on July 8, 2005, Kuntar revealed that he had been given an offer through his lawyer to be a candidate in the 2002 parliamentary elections. Kuntar rejected the offer, refusing to “take advantage of his suffering to win a seat in Parliament.”
A resistance hero
In Lebanon, many consider it too early to discuss a possible political career while Kuntar is still away from Lebanon. But some already see him as an MP or as a leading figure of the opposition. “As a hero of resistance and a model of persistence, Kuntar is destined to play a role on the political stage,” said Nazih Hamzé, Secretary General of the People’s Democratic Party, to which Kuntar used to belong in his youth. The conditions of Kuntar’s introduction to a political stage known for its complexity still needs to be defined.
Although he is a Druze, Kuntar owes his freedom to the Shia Hezbollah – not an easy position to be in when you want to compete in elections based on the religious makeup of each Lebanese region. According to Sayyed Franjieh, a Beirut-base political analyst, “it wouldn’t be surprising to see Kuntar as a Druze candidate on the opposition list in the Baabda district.” This district, located in the Mount Lebanon region, has an important Shia and pro-Hezbollah electorate as well as numerous Christian supporters of General Michel Aoun, two pillars of the Lebanese opposition.
Sentenced to 542 years in jail Born in 1962 in a Druze family from Mount Lebanon, Kuntar joined the left-leaning People’s Democratic Party as a teenager before entering the ranks of the Palestine Liberation Front (PLF).
He was captured the first time in January 1978 by Jordan authorities while trying to cross the Jordanian-Israeli border with two other PLF members. He subsequently spent 11 months in a Jordanian prison until his release in December 1978. In April 1979, he was caught by Israeli police while heading a commando known as “Operation Nasser.” He was only 16. He was sentenced by an Israeli court to five consecutive life terms and 47 years in prison – a total of 542 years behind bars.

Battle Scars
NOW Staff , July 12, 2008
On Friday, after six weeks of wrangling – particularly among the opposition – Prime Minister Fouad Siniora has finally succeeded in forming Lebanon’s 70th cabinet. The new line-up, though far from perfect, is at least in place for President Michel Sleiman’s trip to Paris for the Mediterranean Union Summit this weekend. Let’s face it, a new president – upon whom such high hopes were pinned – without a government would not have looked good.
But while Sunday’s ceremonies at the Elysée may have been the final spur, it is another event this weekend that really has more to do with where Lebanon finds itself today. Saturday, July 12, is the two-year anniversary of the start of the July War, a conflict unilaterally initiated by Hezbollah in its bid to secure the release of Lebanese prisoners, including Samir Kuntar, languishing in Israeli jails.
It was one of Hezbollah’s most outrageous rejections of state authority – not to mention a precursor to May’s armed takeover of West Beirut. In a recent interview with Al-Jazeera English, Ibrahim Moussawi played down the enormity of what happened two months ago, in a nutshell claiming all’s well that ends well and no harm was done. One wonders if the families of those who died – the mother and son caught in the withering crossfire for example – would buy into this cozy sentiment.
Not surprisingly, given the PR points it is eager to score, Hezbollah is currently preparing to attach their destructive 2006 misadventure to the “victory” of Kuntar’s release. Hezbollah will use his homecoming as “evidence” of how beneficial the war was for Lebanon. But surely, even if privately, most Lebanese would admit that the cost of such a reckless operation to free one man was not worth the huge loss of life.
Whatever glorious acts of resistance Kuntar performed in the name of fighting the Zionist entity on behalf his Palestinian brothers, is his freedom worth those of the 1,000-plus of civilians who perished that summer? Will his return to his family ease the grief of those whose loved ones were crushed by their falling homes or bombed on roads as they tried to flee?
In their planned celebrations to mark the anniversary of their “Divine Victory,” Hezbollah will undoubtedly not address the fact that, after two years, the rebuilding and the compensation to those who lost all remains unfinished. They will speak of how much they have accomplished and ignore the fact that it came on the backs of its people. As we recall the sacrifices and hardships endured by the Lebanese people for the past two years, let us resist the temptation to look back at Hezbollah’s actions as anything but destructive and self-serving. They may have put up a good fight against the Israelis, but they’ve proven lately that they care little who is at the end of the barrel of their guns.


Boycott lifted as France hosts Syria's president· Sarkozy meeting follows peace deal in Lebanon
· Assad will remain ally of Iran, despite US sanction
Ian Black, Middle East editor The Guardian, Saturday July 12, 2008 Article history
Syria's president, Bashar al-Assad, is coming in from the cold with a red-carpet reception in Paris today that could lead to new openings across the Middle East.
Assad, still shunned by the US as a backer of terrorists and a close ally of Iran, had been boycotted in France and cold-shouldered by the EU since the 2005 assassination of Rafiq al-Hariri, the former Lebanese prime minister, in a bombing that was widely blamed on Syria.
"This is for me a historic visit: an opening up to France and to Europe," Assad told Le Figaro earlier this week.
Nicolas Sarkozy, the French president, is meeting Assad at the Elysée Palace before tomorrow's founding summit of the Mediterranean Union, a new grouping linking the EU with 13 countries in the Middle East and North Africa, including Israel. The Syrian leader will stay on for Monday's Bastille Day celebrations - and will face exiles protesting about human rights abuses and lack of freedoms.
Sarkozy's shift on Syria reflects the constructive role Assad is deemed to have played in reaching May's Doha agreement ending the impasse in Lebanon between his ally Hizbullah and the western-backed Beirut government, as well as the re-launch of peace talks with Israel.
Israel had hoped for a symbolic handshake between prime minster Ehud Olmert and Assad. That would be sensational but seems unlikely. Still, it will be a first to have these long-standing enemies at the same table, though seated well apart.
Syria and Israel negotiated for several years in the 1990s but failed to reached agreement over the Golan Heights, occupied since the 1967 war. New talks, mediated by Turkey, began after Israel bombed what the US has said was a nuclear reactor built by North Korea in Syria. Israel hopes to weaken Syria's strategic alliance with Iran and its support for Hizbullah and the Palestinian Islamists of Hamas.
Assad has insisted he will not abandon these relationships. "If you want stability and peace in the region we must have good relations with Iran," he told Le Monde Diplomatique. Assad's rehabilitation in France raises questions about the UN tribunal set up to investigate the Hariri killing. The UN says it is "irreversible" but the Lebanese suspect justice could be sacrificed at the altar of realpoliltik.
Commentators argue that Assad has done well considering he has given so little away. "Syria is about to regain its good name without having to ditch Iran or water down its policies," said Salama Salama, a columnist with Egypt's al-Ahram.
Sarkozy's invitation to Assad was controversial in France, where Jacques Chirac was affronted by the killing of Hariri, a close friend. Sarkozy justified it by the "much more constructive role" Syria is now playing in Lebanon. Assad also sent a deputy foreign minister to last November's Annapolis peace talks in the US.
But the US remains suspicious, citing Iran, Hizbullah, Hamas and the movement of fighters from Syria into Iraq. The US has banned the export of some goods and frozen Syrian assets, only this week targeting officials engaged in "public corruption".
Damascus may find rapprochement with Europe takes time. But there is no mistaking its sense of triumph so far. "They must accept that we are part of the solution not just in Lebanon but also in Iraq and Palestine," Assad told Le Figaro.

Lebanese Army enters unoccupied part of Shebaa Farms
Rice has said issue should be dealt with
By Agence France Presse (AFP)
Saturday, July 12, 2008
SHEBAA: The Lebanese Army moved Friday into Bastara Farm, the only one of the occupied Shebaa Farms that the Israeli Army evacuated when it pulled out of most of South Lebanon in 2000, an AFP correspondent said. Lebanese Army vehicles could be seen moving for the first time into the farm, which lies some 300 meters away from other farms which Israel has occupied for more than 40 years. A road has been reconstructed to link this new position to other Lebanese Army posts in the southeast of the country. The Shebaa Farms, a mountainous sliver of land rich in water resources measuring 25 square kilometers, are located at the junction of southeast Lebanon, southwest Syria and northern Israel. Israel seized the Farms in the 1967 Middle East war when it captured the neighboring Golan Heights. Ever since, the Farms have been caught in a tug-of-war over ownership. Lebanon claims them, with the backing of Damascus, while Israel says they are part of Syria. US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, during a visit to Beirut last month, called for an end to the standoff.
"The United States believes the time has come to deal with the Shebaa Farms issue ... in accordance with [Security Council Resolution] 1701," Rice said at the time.
Resolution 1701 brought an end to a devastating 34-day war in the summer of 2006 and called for the UN chief to propose a border demarcation for the Shebaa Farms. Israel occupied South Lebanon for more than 20 years before withdrawing its troops in May 2000, but it held on to Shebaa. The UN ruled at the time that the pullout was complete and that the Farms were Syrian.
A seven-point plan drawn up by Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora and adopted by the UN envisages placing the territory under UN administration while waiting for the three countries to resolve the issue. Earlier this month, Lebanese daily As-Safir quoted French sources as ruling out "diplomatic breakthroughs" in the dispute concerning the Shebaa Farms. The sources confirmed that no agreement had yet been reached between the international community, Israel or Syria on a suggestion to place the area under UN guardianship. "This issue is not a priority, and we should not exaggerate the importance of it," As-Safir quoted one French source as saying. The source added that a settlement to the Shebaa Farms dispute "is not the key to peace and would not achieve a great breakthrough."
The source said that if Lebanon and Syria were serious about settling the Farms issue "then all they should do is submit a map to the UN" that acknowledges Shebaa is Lebanese. - AFP, with The Daily Star

Hezbollah gains veto power in new Lebanon Cabinet
By HUSSEIN DAKROUB –
BEIRUT, Lebanon (AP) — Hezbollah and its allies solidified their hold on Lebanon's government Friday with the formation of a national unity Cabinet that gives them veto power over government decisions. Still, the Western-backed parliamentary majority managed to deny the Hezbollah-led opposition any of the most important Cabinet positions, except for the one it had already held — foreign affairs.
The Cabinet's formation ends six weeks of wrangling over how to distribute the posts and is another step toward healing the country's deep political divide.
The unity government is the outcome of a deal brokered by the Arab League in May under which the opposition agreed to rejoin the government after its rivals gave in to demands to have a final say over all government decisions.
That deal came after Iranian-backed Hezbollah militants and allied gunmen fanned out across Lebanon's capital in May, clashing with government supporters. The violence killed at least 81 people and brought the country to the brink of another civil war.
"We have decided to manage our disputes through democratic institutions and dialogue, and not through force and intimidation," Prime Minister Fuad Saniora told reporters at the presidential palace in suburban Beirut after names of the new Cabinet ministers were announced. But Lebanon's problems "will not cease to exist overnight," he added.
In the new Cabinet, the parliamentary majority holds 16 seats and the opposition gets 11. Three others were distributed by the president.
Both the parliamentary majority and the opposition made concessions that cleared the way for the Cabinet's formation. The opposition dropped demands to take two of the four key ministerial portfolios: defense, interior, finance and foreign affairs.
In Washington, the State Department praised the creation of the new government as a critical step in restoring democracy to Lebanon but stressed that, as in the past, it would not have contact with Cabinet members who belong to Hezbollah.
"We welcome the formation of this new Cabinet," spokesman Sean McCormack told reporters.
Hezbollah's ascendancy is a setback for the U.S., which had strongly backed the outgoing Lebanese government for three years and is concerned that Iran's influence is spreading in the Middle East.
Iran also welcomed the new government. Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said he hoped it would lead to a "strengthening of national unity among the Lebanese," Lebanon's National News Agency reported.
The 30-member Cabinet is divided equally between Christians and Muslims in accordance with Lebanon's sectarian political system. It includes nine holdovers from the previous Cabinet and 14 newcomers.
Hezbollah, which was represented in the outgoing government by two ministers, has only one minister in this Cabinet: Mohammed Fneish was named labor minister.
As in the previous government, the new Cabinet includes only one woman. Bahiya Hariri, a sister of slain former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, was named education minister.
Saniora faces many challenges, chief among them trying to unify the fractious government.
He also faces the difficult task of improving Lebanon's economy, saddled with a debt of $43 billion, or more than 180 percent of the gross domestic product — making it one of the highest in the world.
"The Lebanese want a government that can lead them toward the future," Saniora said Friday. "We will put everything behind us to work as a united team."

Israeli generals urge 'diplomatic disarmament'
Compiled by Daily Star staff
Saturday, July 12, 2008
According to a report published Friday in the Israeli daily Haaretz, top Israeli defense officials have said that Israel should recommence diplomatic efforts to end alleged Syrian arms smuggling to Hizbullah. Although Israel and Syria are currently engaged in indirect, Turkish-mediated peace negotiations, Israeli officials have said that Syria continues to transfer weapons to Hizbullah on a weekly basis. Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak spoke Thursday of the dangers of the continued weapons transfer, calling them a violation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701, drawn up to end the 34-day 2006 war on Lebanon.
Speaking at a meeting of his Labor Party on Thursday, Barak said that 1701 was slowly being eroded and that Hizbullah had "doubled and perhaps tripled the quantity of its missiles" since the 2006 war.
His comments came after members of the Israeli security cabinet were told Wednesday that Hizbullah was now in possession of 40,000 rockets, three times the amount they had before the war. Prime Minister Ehud Olmert had convened Wednesday's security cabinet meeting to discuss what he described as Hizbullah's violations of the resolution. Addressing world leaders, Barak warned of the "significance of disrupting the extremely delicate balance in Lebanon," and urged them to again "enforce on Hizbullah all that appears in1701."
Among other things, 1701 stipulates the disarmament of all non-state actors in South Lebanon. It also calls for the prevention of illicit weapons sales and arms smuggling to the resistance. - Agencies

Jumblatt talks about the Lebanese situation
11/07 20:25 CET interview
After years of political instability in Lebanon, the recent election of President Michel Suleiman has brought a renewed sense of hope to the religiously diverse country. Veteran politician, Walid Jumblatt, heads the Progressive Socialist Party of Lebanon, and is the most prominent leader of the Druze community. He spoke to euronews about his country’s current situation.
euronews: Mr Jumblatt, has Lebanon’s political life returned to normal?
Walid Jumblatt: Yes, sort of. Politics is back to normal. The opposition has dismantled its camp in the centre of Beirut. The republic has a president again, and life is returning to normal, but we still have to deal with a situation where the Lebanese state and a state of resistance co-exist. By that I mean the state of Hizbullah.
euronews: Does that mean that Hizbullah is a state within a state?
Walid Jumblatt: Absolutely. I’ve said it in the past, and I’ll say it again. The regional powers, Syria and Iran, have done all they can to ensure Hizbullah becomes an independent political and military force that we have to live with. It’s certainly a strange situation, but we have to put up with it.
euronews: Is Iran still pulling the strings in Lebanese politics?
Walid Jumblatt: I hope the Iranian leadership will recognise the Lebanese government instead of supplying Hizbullah with financial and military aid. I dare to hope that it’s time Iran supported the Lebanese state with money and weapons.
euronews: Are there obstructions preventing the formation of a new government?
Walid Jumblatt: There are always obstacles whenever a government needs to be formed, because in Lebanon we have a system of quotas for each community. In any case it’s a task Prime Minister Fouad Siniora is slowly but surely weaving together.
euronews: What are the possible scenarios if the new government isn’t put together quickly enough?
Walid Jumblatt: “It’s normal that there are problems. Having said that, I think the talks between Siniora and President Michel Suleiman will lead to a solution that satisfies everyone.”
euronews: You’ve said in the past that Lebanon needs Hizbullah’s armed wing to defend itself. Do you still think this?
Walid Jumblatt: I didn’t say that. I said it is important to establish a defensive strategy that allows Hizbullah’s weaponry to be integrated into the Lebanese state. No party should hold more sophisticated weapons than the state, or should be able to have a free hand in declaring war or peace whenever it likes. But this is of course linked to the regional situation. You know that Hezbollah is a political, military, and security phenomenon with a regional dimension embodied by Syria and Iran.
During the meeting between the Syrian President Bachar al Assad and the Emir of Qatar there were calls for Arab solidarity to reinforce Lebanese consensus. Can we understand by this that consensus is some way away yet?
Walid Jumblatt: What consensus?
The consensus within Lebanon, and Arab solidarity.
Walid Jumblatt: What is for sure is that I do not want the Syrian president visiting Lebanon. If it can’t be avoided, then I want it to take place on the Syrian border with Lebanon, just like in 1958, between President Gamal Abdel-Nasser and President Fouad Chihab. Of course, comparing President Assad with President Nasser doesn’t stand up. A meeting at the border could be a first step towards recognising Lebanon as a nation. However, in the current divided political climate, I personally would not be in favour of President Assad coming to Lebanon.
euronews: I understand from that that you are saying to the Syrian president: “Stay where you are. You have no business coming here!”
Walid Jumblatt: That’s my personal opinion. We’ve had deep disagreements with the Syrian regime since Damascus backed the extension of President Lahoud’s mandate. The price of this extension was the blood of Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, and the blood of all the martyrs in the movement for Lebanese independence. This is why my opinion hasn’t changed.
euronews: For some time there have been some theories supporting the idea that Syria wasn’t involved in Rafik Hariri’s assassination, and that regional powers or regional secret services were behind the murder.
Walid Jumblatt: All those who were against the Syrian presence, and the extension of Lahoud’s mandate, and who were calling for Lebanese independence, and who were calling for an equal relationship with Damascus, why have all these people been killed? Who else is behind it but the Syrian regime, which to this day still hasn’t recognised our independence?
euronews: Are there still fears within the political class that there will be more political assassinations?
Walid Jumblatt: I don’t know. Anything’s possible.
euronews: How is the international tribunal, investigating the assassination of Prime minister Rafik Hariri, progressing?
Walid Jumblatt: I’m hoping that it will begin its work quickly, but it seems that things are dragging on somewhat. I don’t know if this delay is political or technical.
euronews: And if it is political?
Walid Jumblatt: If it is political then the United Nations, or let’s say, elements within the UN security council are coming to terms with the Syrian regime at the expense of Rafik Hariri’s blood, and the blood of the other martyrs to Lebanese independence.
euronews: Let’s talk about the visit of the French president. What do you expect from President Sarkozy?
Walid Jumblatt: We’re hoping for a less ambiguous French policy towards the Palestinians, as was the case during the time of President Chirac.
We have also learned that the Syrian president has been invited to the July 14th parade, to stand next to President Sarkozy, in the context of the launch of the Mediterranean Union. If this is the case, I would say it’s an insult to the French people.
euronews: What do you think of the EU’s role in Lebanon? Do you think it’s absent, or, on the contrary, do you want it to be more involved?
Walid Jumblatt: There is no common European policy. There’s certainly an economic giant called Europe, but there is no single voice on foreign policy, and that doesn’t only concern Lebanon, but the whole Mediterranean region.
euronews: Do you think that the Mediterranean Union can bring a new outlook capable of isolating dictatorships in the Arab world?
Walid Jumblatt: No, I don’t think so. I think that, unfortunately, the Mediterranean Union is a way for France to isolate Turkey. And when we speak about the Mediterranean, Turkey is a part of that. There’s also Israel, which pursues a policy of racial discrimination and repression against the Palestinian people. I do not understand how Europe can divorce itself from the Palestinian question by adopting such an ambiguous position.
 

Hamas, Hezbollah websites hosted by Canadian servers
Last Updated: Friday, July 11, 2008 CBC News
Two websites operated by Hezbollah and Hamas were being hosted by a Canadian internet service provider even though the militant groups are banned from operating in the country, CBC News has learned.
Toronto resident Jonathan Halevi, who monitors websites on behalf of Israel's foreign ministry, discovered that the sites were being hosted in Canada.
Hamas and Hezbollah are designated as terrorist organizations by the Canadian government and are banned from raising money in Canada.
The groups have been responsible for deadly attacks and suicide bombings against Israel in recent years. The organizations also have political wings. Hamas won a majority in the 2006 Palestinian parliamentary elections and Hezbollah has seats in the Lebanese parliament.
"Hamas was designated as a terrorist organization in Canada. Even though it is a terrorist organization, it finds its way to use Canadian infrastructure to publish its website and forum," Halevi said.
Halevi wrote a letter of complaint to iWeb, the Montreal internet company that owns computer servers that play host to the websites.
The company replied the websites were inoffensive and just "an informational portal such as CBC.ca."
Halevi said he was shocked by the response.
"That was amazing because there is a big difference between CBC and the Hamas, al-Aqsa TV website. The messages are totally different."
CBC News translated some of the Arabic section of the Hamas website, a discussion forum.
One post included a list of instructions on how to conceal a bomb in a crowded market. Another posting explained how to make a roadside bomb look like a rock.
The site is also full of anti-Israeli rhetoric, and pages that glorify those who died in suicide attacks as martyrs.
"This is clear target, clear goal of these organizations. And by giving them support — any support — we are helping them to attack us," Halevi said.
But Bernard Dahl, a spokesman for iWeb, said the initial investigation only looked at the English part of the Hamas site, not the Arabic.
"The English version of the site, although it posted some things which some people might be opposed to, is in no way illegal or threatening or even against our terms of service," Dahl said. "What we later found out was that the version in another language was itself a little more edgy or controversial."
By late Friday afternoon, iWeb determined both sites contained questionable material and disconnected them from their servers.
Dahl said it's impossible for iWeb to know exactly what's on all 30,000 websites hosted on these computer servers.
He said their customers from 140 countries sign up and pay online, often reselling server space to third parties.
RCMP assistant commissioner Bob Paulso said that makes it difficult to file charges.
"To suggest that there is a direct link to the service provider because somebody may be using a website under control for illicit purposes is not an immediate link that can be made."
 

Elias Zoghbi: "followers of General Aoun don’t hold him accountable for his contradictions"
By George Eid
iloubnan.info - July 12, 2008
BEIRUT - In an interview to the Kuwaiti daily Assiyasa, Political analyst and member of March 14 Lawyer Elias Zoghbi commented on Aoun’s last political moves and said, “The funny thing is that the followers of General Aoun don’t hold him accountable for his contradictions. He tells them that Saniora is a ‘war project and a sign of corruption’ and then he pays homage to him as a savior and a distributor of portfolios.”
“This political schizophrenia among the Aounists might take a while to be healed because the difficult illnesses are not treated by pain killers…” he added