LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
July 14/08

Bible Reading of the day.
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 13,1-23. On that day, Jesus went out of the house and sat down by the sea. Such large crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat down, and the whole crowd stood along the shore. And he spoke to them at length in parables, saying: "A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seed fell on the path, and birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky ground, where it had little soil. It sprang up at once because the soil was not deep, and when the sun rose it was scorched, and it withered for lack of roots. Some seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it. But some seed fell on rich soil, and produced fruit, a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold. Whoever has ears ought to hear." The disciples approached him and said, "Why do you speak to them in parables?" He said to them in reply, "Because knowledge of the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven has been granted to you, but to them it has not been granted. To anyone who has, more will be given and he will grow rich; from anyone who has not, even what he has will be taken away. This is why I speak to them in parables, because 'they look but do not see and hear but do not listen or understand.'
Isaiah's prophecy is fulfilled in them, which says: 'You shall indeed hear but not understand, you shall indeed look but never see. Gross is the heart of this people, they will hardly hear with their ears, they have closed their eyes, lest they see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and be converted, and I heal them.'
But blessed are your eyes, because they see, and your ears, because they hear. Amen, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it. Hear then the parable of the sower. The seed sown on the path is the one who hears the word of the kingdom without understanding it, and the evil one comes and steals away what was sown in his heart. The seed sown on rocky ground is the one who hears the word and receives it at once with joy. But he has no root and lasts only for a time. When some tribulation or persecution comes because of the word, he immediately falls away. The seed sown among thorns is the one who hears the word, but then worldly anxiety and the lure of riches choke the word and it bears no fruit.But the seed sown on rich soil is the one who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and yields a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold."

Free Opinions, Releases, letters & Special Reports
Hezbollah wages on-air war against US-Los Angeles Times 13/07/08
Hezbollah gains clout in Lebanon but at a cost-USA Today 13/07/08

Latest News Reports From Miscellaneous Sources for July 13/08
Lebanon and Syria For Diplomatic Ties after 64 Years of Independence-Naharnet
Shiite Mufti: No need for Diplomatic Ties with Syria-Naharnet
Hizbullah Wants to Forget the Past, Maintain Weapons-Naharnet
Adwan: March 14 Ranks United-Naharnet
MP Hassan Khalil for National Dialogue After Policy Statement-Naharnet
MP Franjieh: Assad's Indications Exceptionally Important-Naharnet
Skeptical Soaid for Correcting Relations with Syria-Naharnet
Shamseddine: Cabinet Should Tackle Hizbullah Weapons-Naharnet
Fatfat: Border Demarcation More Important than Diplomatic Ties-Naharnet
Paris: Tribunal is Not a Topic for Discussion with Damascus-Naharnet
Israeli Officials: Hizbullah Believes Arad is Dead-Naharnet
West Hails Establishment of Beirut-Damascus Diplomatic Ties, But U.S. Expects More from Syria-Naharnet
Lebanese face upcoming challenges despite cabinet formation-Xinhua
Embassies in the Works For Lebanon and Syria-Washington Post
Lebanese political crisis not over with new cabinet: analysts-Daily Times
US welcomes establishment of diplomatic ties between Lebanon, Syria-Xinhua -
Israeli officials say report on airman delivered-The Associated Press
US welcomes Syria-Lebanon breakthrough, says more needed-AFP
Hezbollah to Israel: Missing airman believed dead-The Associated Press
Syria, Lebanon to open embassies-CNN International
Sarkozy: Syria and Lebanon will open embassies-The Associated Press
Iran is not seeking nuclear weapons: Assad-Economic Times
No direct Syria-Israel peace talks for six months says Assad-Reuters
No talks with Israel until after US elections: Syria's Assad-AFP
Suleiman Supports Diplomatic Ties with Damascus-Naharnet
Hizbullah Setting the Stage for Swap Celebration-Naharnet
Zoaiter Vows to Work for Cabinet Success-Naharnet
Saniora: National Unity Protected Lebanon against Israeli Aggression-Naharnet

Lebanon and Syria For Diplomatic Ties after 64 Years of Independence
Naharnet/Syria and Lebanon agreed in Paris to exchange diplomatic ties for the first time in 64 years of independence from French mandate.
The historic agreement was declared Saturday evening by presidents Bashar Assad and Michel Suleiman, in a joint press conference with their French and Qatari counterparts, Nicolas Sarkozy and Sheik Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, respectively. The agreement, that has to be approved by the constitutional institutions of both Syria and Lebanon, harvested immediate welcome from the Arab World and international community. Sarkozy described the move as "historic. It reflects the joint will to develop relations between the two states."However, he said, the move requires "settling some legal issues."
"But what matters is that this is an historic declaration that reflects the will of all parties and the majority of Lebanon's communities."
"This is a major indication that we are pleased it was launched from France, which has strong relations of friendship with all the Lebanese," a smiling Sarkozy said.
Assad declared: "Our mission is to support Lebanon in this era."The Syrian President said the election of president Suleiman and the formation of a national unity cabinet in Lebanon are "major accomplishments. But this is not enough."
"More support (for Lebanon) is needed so that all (factions) would rest assured that past confrontations would not be repeated," Assad said.
Assad recalled that he had taken the decision to establish ties with Lebanon in 2005. Suleiman said the legal and administrative arrangements needed to implement "this agreement would be taken as soon as possible in coordination between the two capitals," Beirut and Damascus.
"We look forward to tackling the topic of demarcating the Lebanese-Syrian borders through the required mechanism based on the brotherly relations between the two sisterly states," Suleiman noted. He said Lebanon is "committed to regaining its full sovereignty over the Shebaa Farms."
In answering a question as to whether Lebanon would go into peace talks with Israel, Suleiman said: "We expect Israel to implement international resolutions, especially U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701 that was adopted two years ago and Israel has not pulled out of the Ghajar (village) Shebaa Farms and Kfar Shouba hills." Beirut, 13 Jul 08, 09:18

Shiite Mufti: No need for Diplomatic Ties with Syria
Naharnet/Shiite Mufti Sheikh Ahmed Qabalan on Sunday criticized as "silly" the setting up of diplomatic ties between Lebanon and Syria. "Isn't it silly to have diplomatic relations between Lebanon and Syria?" Mufti Qabalan asked. "Since when brothers need mediation to deal with each other? And who said that even relations need diplomatic relations?" he added. He said calls for normalizing relations and setting up diplomatic ties with Syria are "nonsense."
The Shiite Mufti praised Syria as the "heart of pan-Arabism and objection."The new cabinet, he added, should "restructure cooperation with sisterly Syria without … hypocrisy.""It is the duty of the new cabinet to adopt and protect the resistance agenda in its policy statement," he added. Beirut, 13 Jul 08, 14:14

Hizbullah Wants to Forget the Past, Maintain Weapons
Naharnet/Hizbullah called Sunday for launching "a new era" based on "forgetting the past, despite all its pain and wounds."
Hizbullah's Politburo member Mahmoud Qmati made the call in a rally in south Lebanon marking the second anniversary of the party's "divine victory" over Israel in the 34-day war of 2006. However, Qmati said that "even if the prisoners were liberated, as well as the Shebaa Farms and the Kfar Shouba Hill, the resistance would persist.""Its role is not over," Qmati stressed.

Adwan: March 14 Ranks United
Naharnet/MP George Adwan, deputy head of the Lebanese Forces, said Sunday March 14 factions are united in their march to achieve goals of the "Cedar Revolution." Adwan, during a tour of the Chouf region, said "ranks and stands of the March 14 factions are united, especially those of the Lebanese Forces and the Progressive Socialist Party." He emphasized on the need to safeguard the "joint existence" in Mount Lebanon.  "The March 14 team that operates in harmony and solidarity would save no effort to facilitate success of the cabinet," Adwan said. Facilitating success of President Michel Suleiman's term is a "priority for March 14," he stressed. "Any success achieved by any March 14 faction is success for all of March 14," he concluded. Beirut, 13 Jul 08, 13:23

MP Hassan Khalil for National Dialogue After Policy Statement
Naharnet/MP Ali Hassan Khalil of the Hizbullah-affiliated AMAL movement on Sunday sparked a new conflict with the March 14 majority, saying national dialogue should be launched only after the cabinet's policy statement. Furthermore, Khalil said main lines of the policy statement adopted by the previous cabinet after the 2005 elections should be included in the new statement. Khalil's remarks aim at including recognition of such items as the "resistance" and Hizbullah weapons in the new cabinet policy statement, a move rejected by the March 14 majority. Majority leaders want national dialogue launched prior to discussing the new policy statement in an effort to settle the dispute over Hizbullah weapons. Beirut, 13 Jul 08, 12:56

MP Franjieh: Assad's Indications Exceptionally Important
Naharnet/MP Samir Franjieh said Sunday Syrian President Bashar Assad's declared intention to set up diplomatic ties with Lebanon is an "exceptionally important indication."Franjieh, in a radio interview, said the Doha Accord settlement being applied in Lebanon was reached after Hizbullah's agenda got deadlocked.
"The invasion of Beirut (in May) was bigger than what Hizbullah is capable of containing," he stressed. Pressures exerted after the Doha accord and the election of President Michel Suleiman were aimed at "speeding up efforts to form the cabinet," according to Franjieh. Meanwhile, Free Patriotic Movement leader Michel Aoun "practiced blackmail in an effort to achieve gains and Hizbullah tried to the last moment to block efforts to form the cabinet by nominating Ali Qanso," he added.
The 2009 parliamentary elections would not be feasible if Hizbullah maintained its weapons, according to Franjieh. "If someone believes that the elections would be held under the existing circumstances then he is wrong," Franjieh stressed. "How can elections be organized while one party is armed and the other is not?" he asked. "The invasion of Beirut exposed the fact that not all factions are armed," Franjieh noted. He said Lebanon is heading towards major changes, including "the topic of arms and placing them outside the frame of the internal balance (of powers)." Beirut, 13 Jul 08, 12:01

Skeptical Soaid for Correcting Relations with Syria
Naharnet/March 14 coordinator Faris Soaid said Sunday "correcting relations with Syria requires more than just setting up diplomatic ties." "It is not true that confidence has been established with the declaration of intentions to set up diplomatic ties," Soaid said in a television interview. He said some circles believe that Syria is "trying to buy time pending outcome of the U.S. Presidential elections." "This is a very delicate era. We should be very careful," he said. The March 14 majority alliance should "adhere to the Doha Accord that had placed Hizbullah weapons on the dialogue agenda and (therefore) on the agenda of the recently formed Cabinet," Soaid explained. He warned against going into the 2009 general elections "with an armed party and a non-armed party." Beirut, 13 Jul 08, 11:25

Shamseddine: Cabinet Should Tackle Hizbullah Weapons
Naharnet/Cabinet Minister Ibrahim Shamseddine said Sunday the government should tackle the controversial topic of Hizbullah weapons.
Shamseddine, in a radio interview, also welcomed the Paris declaration on setting up diplomatic ties between Syria and Lebanon, emphasizing that "we hope it would be implemented in line with international norms." "The change in presenting the Syria-Lebanon relations does not mean that the relations have changed," he noted.Shamseddine said the 2009 parliamentary elections are "important … and should be held on schedule."The elections "should not be marred by trouble or submission," he stressed. Beirut, 13 Jul 08, 10:53

Fatfat: Border Demarcation More Important than Diplomatic Ties
Naharnet/MP Ahmed Fatfat hailed the declaration on setting up diplomatic ties between Syria in Lebanon as a "major accomplishment for the March 14 forces and the Cedar Revolution.""This is a first step. Most important would be demarcating the joint borders and halting Syria's intervention in Lebanon's affairs," Fatfat added. Setting up diplomatic ties at embassy level "would not dissuade us from following up implementation of the international tribunal's justice," he added.
Establishing diplomatic ties with Damascus and demarcating the joint borders have topped demands by the March 14 majority alliance since the 2005 assassination of ex-Premier Rafik Hariri. The Paris Declaration relays a "very important political message that involves positive" impacts, Fatfat explained.
"What is important though," Fatfat said, "is setting up relations between two states, not between a state and a subject."He said Syria should "respect Lebanon's special character and its freedom of expression." Beirut, 13 Jul 08, 10:27

Paris: Tribunal is Not a Topic for Discussion with Damascus
The international tribunal that would try suspects in the 2005 assassination of ex-Premier Rafik Hariri was not a topic of discussion between French President Nicolas Sarkozy and his Syrian counterpart Bashar Assad. A French Presidential source also said the tribunal is "not a topic linked to French-Syrian relations. France has nothing to say (to Syria) in this regard." "The international community, through the U.N. Security Council, handles this issue in cooperation with the Lebanese authorities," The source said. "We did not discuss this topic because there is nothing to discuss," he stressed. "The tribunal was formed in line with a UNSCR resolution … and France has made a six-million Euro donation" to finance it, he added. Beirut, 13 Jul 08, 09:57

West Hails Establishment of Beirut-Damascus Diplomatic Ties, But U.S. Expects More from Syria
Naharnet/Britain, Germany and the United States late Saturday welcomed a decision by Lebanon and Syria to establish diplomatic relations, but Washington urged Damascus to end its "destabilizing tactics" in the region.
"We continue to support the establishment of good relations between Lebanon and Syria on the basis of mutual respect (and) we join with France in reiterating the commitment to a sovereign and independent Lebanon," Rob McInturff, a State Department spokesman, told Agence France Presse.
But he added that Washington would "continue to limit our diplomatic engagement unless Syria takes concrete actions to end its destabilizing tactics in the region."
Lebanon and Syria said earlier Saturday that they had agreed to establish diplomatic relations, opening embassies in each others' capitals for the first time since their independence from colonial rule.
The State Department said Syria was "showing it is eager to engage with the international community."
McInturff said the United States and other Lebanon watchers "were waiting for a signal that the Syrians are ready to renounce their sponsorship of terrorism, to do more to end the flow of foreign fighters into Iraq, to expel the leadership of Palestinian terrorist groups, and to end human rights violations."
Washington continues to blacklist Syria as a state sponsor of terrorism.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy announced the landmark decision in Paris following talks with Syrian and Lebanese counterparts Bashar al-Assad and Michel Suleiman.
The two Middle East leaders confirmed the news at a joint press conference later in the day.
In London, a Foreign Office spokeswoman told AFP: "If it means that Syria is going to play a more constructive role in the region, that can only be a good thing."
Britain's Foreign Secretary David Miliband on Friday welcomed the formation of the national unity government in Lebanon, saying it was a "vital step forward" towards the implementation of the Doha agreement struck in May.
Praising Prime Minister Fouad Saniora and the president, he said they and the country had Britain's "full support in tackling the important political, security and economic challenges that lie ahead."
German European Affairs Minister Guenter Gloser welcomed the two countries' decision to establish ties as "considerable progress," the foreign ministry in Berlin quoted him as saying in Paris where he was to attend the launch Sunday of a union between Europe and its Mediterranean neighbors.
"It shows Syria's change of perspective and contributes to stability in the region," he added.
Ahmed Fatfat, youth and sports minister in the former Lebanese government, said the agreement reached in Paris ahead of the European-Mediterranean summit was a victory for the pro-Western forces which secured the pullout of Syrian troops following the 2005 assassination of former Premier Rafik Hariri.
"We've been demanding the opening of embassies for a long time and it's something that should have happened years ago," Fatfat said. Syria needs to start conducting its relations with Lebanon on a state-to-state basis and can no longer treat us as a fiefdom."(AFP) Beirut, 13 Jul 08, 04:42


Hezbollah transfers report on Arad
By Haaretz correspondents and AP , By Amos Harel and Yossi Melman
Israel yesterday received a report from Hezbollah on missing airman Ron Arad that could pave the way for a prisoner swap between the sides, officials said.
The report includes evidence collected by Hezbollah investigators from villagers in the areas in which Arad was held, as well as people connected to his captors in the Lebanese militia Amal until he disappeared in May 1988.  Israel's prisoner negotiator Ofer Dekel traveled to Europe a number of times over the past few weeks and picked up the document. Israel had transmitted various requests for clarifications from Hezbollah through German intermediary Gerhard Konrad, resulting in the report that landed yesterday. The report is to be presented today to the heads of the intelligence services for comparison with the information they have on Arad. Prime Minister Ehud Olmert is expected to bring the report for a vote before the cabinet on Tuesday, the officials said on condition of anonymity since no official announcement has been released. The Hezbollah report reached Israel after Israel had transmitted to Hezbollah via Konrad a report on the disappearance of three Iranian diplomats and journalists arrested by Christian Phalangist forces in 1982 during the first Lebanon war. In its report, Israel reiterated information given to Hezbollah four years ago after the Elhanan Tennenbaum swap. Hezbollah's report will also be given to Ilan Biran, the general coordinator for prisoners and MIAs. He is to give it to the Arad family.

Lebanese political crisis not over with new cabinet: analysts
BEIRUT: Daily Times
While the formation of a national unity government is an important step towards stability in Lebanon, the country’s political crisis is far from resolved, analysts cautioned on Saturday.
A new 30-member cabinet that gives the Hezbollah-led opposition veto power on decisions and includes one minister from the militant group was announced on Friday, seven weeks after an accord which saved Lebanon from the brink of renewed civil war.
“The birth of the cabinet puts an end to one crisis, but it does not fundamentally resolve the political crisis... or eliminate political differences,” Paul Salem, director of the Carnegie Middle East Center, told AFP.
“The cabinet’s principal purpose is preparing for elections, which opens the door to negotiations, but it isn’t an easy challenge to face.”
The opposition had waged a campaign against the government that plunged the country into a debilitating political crisis, culminating in widespread clashes that killed 65 people in May and saw a Hezbollah-led takeover of large swathes of west Beirut.
An accord struck in Qatar late May put an end to the street fighting and called for the election of army chief Michel Sleiman as president after a six month vacuum and for the formation of a national unity cabinet.
Political wrangling between the anti-Syrian parliamentary majority and the opposition, backed by Iran and Syria, prolonged the cabinet’s formation.
The government’s first task in accordance with the constitution is to put out a political declaration which requires a parliamentary vote of confidence.
“The next battle is about the government’s statement which will entail some muscle flexing, especially when it comes to the arms of the resistance and respect of international resolutions,” said Nadim Shehadi, London-based Chatham House’s Lebanon expert.
“All this language is explosive.”The issue of Hezbollah’s weapons is controversial, especially after they were used domestically in the May clashes and in the devastating 2006 war the militant group fought against Israel. The war was sparked exactly two years ago Saturday when Hezbollah kidnapped two Israeli soldiers in a cross-border raid. In the ensuing conflict more than 1,200 people were killed in Lebanon, mostly civilians, and 160 Israelis were killed, mostly soldiers, before a UN-brokered ceasefire took effect on August 14.
“The Doha agreement deals with the matter of the weapons of the resistance vaguely and doesn’t address the relationship between the state and such organisations,” Salem said. “This implies that the agreement does not recognise the sovereignty of the state over these organisations, but rather places them on equal footing.”
The opposition refused to include the issue of Hezbollah’s weapons as part of the Doha accord.
According to Shehadi, “we will see another crisis with the question of all the decisions taken when the government was incomplete.”
Opposition ministers resigned from the cabinet in November of 2006, but Prime Minister Fuad Siniora’s government continued with business as usual after that.
“If the formation of the government took 45 days to come through, the governmental statement could take months to see the light of day,” Salem said.
The pro-government daily Annahar said Saturday that the new government is a “reservoir of all contradictions.”
“The distribution of the seats by political party and sect in the government reflects all the divisions and acute contradictions that have been facing the country,” the daily said. “This government seems like a mini-parliamentary grouping comprising not only all the political trends, but also all the personal hatred between some of its ministers,” the paper added. afp

Hezbollah to Israel: Missing airman believed dead
By LAURIE COPANS Associated Press Writer
© 2008 The Associated Press
JERUSALEM — Lebanon's Hezbollah has told Israel it does not know what happened to an airman missing for more than two decades but it believes he is dead, Israeli officials said Saturday. The report could clear the way for a prisoner swap between the two foes. Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert received the Hezbollah report Saturday on the fate of Ron Arad, an airman missing since he was captured alive after his fighter jet went down over Lebanon in 1986. Israel officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because no official announcement was released, said Hezbollah told Israel in the report it did not know what happened to Arad but believes he is dead.
The report was part of an Israel-Hezbollah deal in which Israel would hand over Samir Kantar, a Lebanese man serving multiple life terms for a 1979 attack in Israel's north; four Hezbollah prisoners; and dozens of fighters' bodies. In return, Israel was to get two soldiers captured by Hezbollah in a 2006 cross-border raid that set off a fierce 34-day war. Olmert has said that he believes the soldiers are dead. Israeli military officials say the exchange is likely to take place this week, pending final approval by the Cabinet. Olmert plans to bring it up for a discussion in his Cabinet on Tuesday, Olmert spokesman Mark Regev said. Arad's daughter, Yuval, urged authorities not to declare her father dead nor to give up the search for him.
"It sounds strange perhaps but you can't declare a person dead just because you don't know," Arad told Channel 10 TV Friday. She was an infant when he went missing. Arad was forced to parachute out of his fighter jet after one of its bombs apparently malfunctioned. The jet's pilot was rescued by Israeli forces, but Arad was captured by guerrillas from the Shiite Amal organization.
Letters and photographs from Arad were initially sent to Israel, but talks for his release failed not long afterward and the navigator was not heard from again.
A U.N.-appointed German official mediated the prisoner swap, which Israel had originally approved June 29. Israeli negotiator Ofer Dekel had recently traveled to Europe to pick up the document on Arad. In exchange for the report, Israel is to provide information on four Iranian diplomats who disappeared in Lebanon in 1982. Iran claims they were kidnapped by Lebanese militiamen allied with Israel and turned over to Israeli troops.
Israel denies holding them. Israel invaded Lebanon in 1982, taking over large areas as part of a military sweep to expel Palestinian guerrillas.
Kantar is serving multiple life sentences for one of the most gruesome attacks in Israeli history. He was convicted of shooting a policeman and then killing an Israeli man in front of his 4-year-old daughter before beating her to death.Kantar denies killing the girl.

Hezbollah wages on-air war against U.S.
http://ca.f882.mail.yahoo.com/ym/ShowLetter?Search=&Idx=6&YY=25471&y5beta=yes&y5beta=yes&order=down&sort=date&pos=0&view=a&head=b
Hezbollah leader Sheik Hassan Nasrallah is seen on Al Manar. It "is very powerful in manipulating public opinion," one media expert said.
The militant group's Al Manar TV channel, accessible throughout the Middle East and online, uses its programs to criticize American policies daily.
By Raed Rafei, Special to The Times
July 13, 2008
BEIRUT -- Wearing a bright blue veil carefully wrapped around her head, the TV host smirked as she listened to her guest's comments about the lack of U.S. strategies in the Middle East.
"The U.S. administration has no policies," U.S. analyst and military expert Mark Perry said recently on the only English-language talk show on Hezbollah's TV station, Al Manar. "It is not that it has bad intentions, but [that it] has no intentions."
Screenshot from Al Manar websiteHezbollah and allies get key ministries in Lebanon's new Cabinet
The 33-year-old presenter, Zaynab Assafar, thumbed through her notes. In fluent and elegant English she quickly asked about the relationship between the U.S. and Israel, the future of peace talks and the prospects of a strike against Iran.
For the last year and a half, Assafar has been interviewing people such as Western intellectuals critical of Zionism, a former U.S. ambassador to the region and Irish peace activists. Her weekly program, "In Their Eyes," is part of Al Manar's attempt to broaden its global reach after Hezbollah's war with Israel in the summer of 2006.
"We started after the victory of 2006. We wanted a wider scope of people to discuss the regional implications and repercussions of this tremendous happening," Assafar said. "Our message has not changed. We are reacting to Israeli activities against us and exposing the consequences of the U.S. administration's full support to the Israeli entity."
Assafar's program is just one in a hodgepodge of talk shows, news bulletins and promotional clips that daily lambaste U.S. tactics in the region, including the military presence in Iraq and the nuclear standoff with Iran.
"Al Manar is very powerful in manipulating public opinion by using all the modern tools and techniques of propaganda," said Lawrence Pintak, director of the Center for Electronic Journalism at American University in Cairo. "As a mouthpiece for a political movement, it is one of the most effective TVs in the Middle East."
Al Manar, which calls itself the "Station of the Resistance," began broadcasting in 1989. The Shiite Muslim militant group Hezbollah regards it as part of the "psychological warfare" against Israel. But in addition to news and political programs, the channel broadcasts health and family programs, entertainment shows, educational programs for children and video clips glorifying the group's "martyrs."
Besides its domestic role of propagating and consolidating Hezbollah's ideas, Al Manar has increasingly focused on regional issues, especially in the Palestinian territories, since the addition of its satellite channel in 2000. That emphasis coincided with the withdrawal of Israeli troops from southern Lebanon, seen by Hezbollah as its first major victory.
The U.S. State Department listed the station as a terrorist organization in 2004, when Al Manar was accused of anti-Semitism for airing a controversial series about the Jewish diaspora. It was banned in North America and other locations. But since 2005, Al Manar can be viewed anywhere in the world through its website, which is in Arabic and English, and where viewers from various regions post comments.
The bans stirred a debate at Al Manar regarding its editorial line and led to the adoption of some rules, said Olfa Lamloum, a researcher specializing in Arab media at the French Institute of the Near East in Beirut.
"Al Manar has readjusted certain things since 2004. It was decided that the channel should adopt a position against the U.S. policies and not the American people," Lamloum said.
"Images such as those showing disrespect to American values were removed from air. We stopped seeing crowds stepping [on] and burning the U.S. flag or a clip showing the Statue of Liberty with tears of blood."
Likewise, a clear difference was drawn between Judaism and Zionism. On Al Manar today, reporters refer to Israel as the "Zionist entity" and never the "Jewish state." Al Manar also respects sensitivities in the Arab region. Its satellite channel has much less religious content than its broadcast station, to appeal to mostly Sunni Arab audiences. Even the call to prayer, different between Sunnis and Shiites, is not aired regionally. Although female presenters wear head scarves on the air, female guests are not necessarily veiled.
"Al Manar is widely viewed and respected in the Arab region," said Nabil Dajani, media professor at American University of Beirut. "The station adopts a wise policy that makes them popular. They don't attack Arab regimes, and they don't preach their religious ideology."
Just as Al Jazeera emerged as a major pan-Arab channel in the 1990s after the Persian Gulf War, Al Manar captivated Arab viewers during Hezbollah's war in 2006 by covering the conflict closely. It was also the target of an Israeli attack that destroyed its premises in the southern suburbs of Beirut. Despite the incident, Al Manar resumed its broadcast from a secret location within seconds. The station's viewership increased significantly that year -- Al Manar ranked fifth as a source of news in the Arab region, according to some studies. In March, as Syria prepared to play host to the annual Arab League summit, Al Manar led a campaign to bolster the image of that neighboring country as one of the pillars of resistance to U.S. policy in the region. In the opening of its news broadcast the day the summit started, the TV presenter declared: "It's the summit of the decency which thwarted the [U.S.] project for the 'new Middle East.' . . . It's the summit of crossroads, the summit of Arab defiance . . . of rejection to U.S. interference."

U.S. welcomes establishment of diplomatic ties between Lebanon, Syria
www.chinaview.cn 2008-07-13 12:30:13 Print
WASHINGTON, July 12 (Xinhua) -- The United States on Saturday welcomed the decision by Lebanon and Syria to establish diplomatic relations, while urging Damascus to do more to "end its destabilizing tactics" in the region. Seeking to end decades of tensions, Syria and Lebanon announced in Paris on Saturday that they would normalize relations and set up diplomatic representations in each other's countries, according to media reports. Washington supports the "establishment of good relations between Lebanon and Syria on the basis of mutual respect," local media quoted State Department spokesman Rob McInturff as saying. He said Syria, which Washington says is destabilizing the region and meddling in Lebanese affairs, should "take concrete actions" to bring its ties with Lebanon to a full normalcy. He added that Washington would continue to keep its diplomatic relations with Syria at a limited level unless actions were made by Syria to "end its destabilizing tactics in the region." Syria has denied the U.S. allegations. The new Lebanese president, Michel Suleiman, and Syria's president Bashar al-Assad held face-to-face talks in Paris on Friday, presided over by French President Nicolas Sarkozy, media reports said. Bilateral ties between Syria and Lebanon have been chilled since former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri was assassinatedon Feb. 14, 2005, due to disputes over Syria's alleged involvement in the murder.

Hezbollah gains clout in Lebanon but at a cost
US Today
http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2008-07-13-hezbollah-future_N.htm
AITA AL-SHAAB, Lebanon (AP) — In this dusty village on the front lines of Israel's 2006 war with Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed guerrilla group looks as strong as ever. But even as it reaches the zenith of its power in Lebanon, Hezbollah is generating new perils along the way.
Tales of heroism by Hezbollah fighters still make the rounds in Aita al-Shaab, the streets are adorned with portraits of the group's "martyrs," and yellow Hezbollah flags fly from lampposts. Villagers, still rebuilding from the devastation of the war, profess unswerving devotion to the Shiite Muslim group and its charismatic leader, Hassan Nasrallah. "I am 90, but if they ask me to fight Israel, I will," said Hassan Marai, a tobacco farmer.
"Hezbollah is our only protector," Marai declared at his home, reduced to rubble in the war but now partly rebuilt with money from Hezbollah and the wealthy Gulf state of Qatar. Hezbollah, or the "Party of God," is both a military and political movement with members in Lebanon's parliament. A close ally of Iran and Syria, it emerged with a winner's swagger after holding off Israel's 2006 onslaught. Now, nearly two years into a power struggle with Lebanon's U.S.-backed government, the party is poised to gain what it long demanded — greater say in the politics of this fractured nation.
With this added muscle, Hezbollah could block any attempt to disarm its fighters, ensuring its hold along the border with Israel. Hezbollah also could better counter U.S. influence in Lebanon and increase the sway of Shiites, who are believed to constitute the country's largest sect but have long felt squeezed out by Sunni Muslims and Christians.
However, Hezbollah's gains come at a cost. Its violent methods have deepened the bitterness among its political opponents in Prime Minister Fuad Saniora's camp. Hezbollah's military also has less room to maneuver, given that Israel gained a better picture of the militia in the 2006 war and will likely answer any provocation with massive retaliation. And many Lebanese — perhaps even some Hezbollah supporters in south Lebanon — could blame the movement if there is yet another destructive war.
Meanwhile, Israel and Syria are holding indirect talks through Turkish mediators, and Israel would be unlikely to accept any deal that doesn't curtail Syria's backing for Hezbollah.
The two-year power struggle in Lebanon came to a head in May when Saniora's government ordered the dismantling of Hezbollah's private telephone network — which the group maintains is its warning system against Israeli attack — and fired the pro-Hezbollah security chief at Beirut's international airport.
Hezbollah reacted strongly. Its fighters seized Sunni districts in Beirut and battled militias loyal to the government in the hills above the city and in the country's north. Eighty-one people were killed, and Saniora was forced to rescind the two decisions in a humiliating defeat.
Under an Arab-mediated deal sealed in Doha, the Qatar capital, the government agreed to form a unity government that would essentially give Hezbollah a veto over Cabinet decisions. The U.S. considers Hezbollah a terrorist group, but faced with the prospect of more deadlock and bloodshed, gave the planned government its blessing. Hezbollah's new power was gained, however, by violating Nasrallah's long-standing pledge not to take up arms against other Lebanese factions, awakening memories of Lebanon's 15-year sectarian civil war that ended in 1990.
"Hezbollah did something it had vowed it will never do," said Mohan Abedin, a London-based expert on Shiite politics in the Middle East. "It will never get away with it. Its enemies in Lebanon have strong backers and access to massive funds," he added, referring to U.S. and Saudi support for Saniora.
In Tariq Jadidah, Beirut's largest Sunni district and scene of battles in May, signs abound of the sectarian rift widened by the clashes. Banners declaring "we will never forget our martyrs" stretch across some streets. Giant portrait posters of Saad Hariri, leader of the U.S.-backed parliament majority, are everywhere.
Hezbollah "turned Beirut into another Baghdad," said Tariq Jadidah resident Ahmed Hader. "They set up checkpoints and asked motorists and pedestrians about their sectarian identity."
More than a month after the Doha deal, negotiations have produced no agreement on divvying up Cabinet seats — a signal that Saniora's camp is still angling to limit Hezbollah's clout. Hezbollah has not made clear its next step but is busy trying to counter criticism of the May violence.
"The resistance's weapons should not be used to achieve political gains," Nasrallah said in a video address to tens of thousands of supporters in Beirut days after the Doha agreement. "This country cannot rise and continue except through cooperation, consensus and solidarity."
Hezbollah supporters insist the group was only defending itself against a government move to uproot it. Nasrallah said that had the government shut the group's telephone network, it would have then tried to disarm it. Hezbollah is believed to have nearly 30,000 missiles, including some that can hit Tel Aviv, as well as land-to-sea missiles.
Whatever Hezbollah does next, it will have to be careful. Its ties with some allies in the Sunni, Druse and Christian communities already have suffered because of the May violence, and it is hampered militarily in its stronghold of south Lebanon by the presence of 13,000 U.N. peacekeepers and 15,000 Lebanese army soldiers.
If another war with Israel breaks out, "The Israelis will come in massively," said Timor Goksel, who served as a spokesman and adviser to the U.N. force in southern Lebanon for nearly 20 years.
In 2006, many Lebanese complained that Hezbollah had dragged the whole country into war, and a repeat performance can only mean more anger and resentment, even among Shiite villagers in the south, many of whom are still reeling from the destruction.
In Aita al-Shaab, Hezbollah as the effective government has not come up with the cash to complete rebuilding. Marai and two of his daughters couldn't move back into their home until May, nearly two years after the war, and the upper story is still not rebuilt.
Paul Salem, director of the Carnegie Middle East Center, an arm of the Washington-based Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, said another war could be a political and military disaster for the guerrillas.
"Hezbollah is in a serious bind," Salem said. "It has entered the cycle of full wars with Israel."
*Copyright 2008 The Associated Press.