LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
June 18/08

Bible Reading of the day.
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 5,43-48. You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I say to you, love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your heavenly Father, for he makes his sun rise on the bad and the good, and causes rain to fall on the just and the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what recompense will you have? Do not the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet your brothers only, what is unusual about that? Do not the pagans do the same? So be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect.

Free Opinions, Releases, letters & Special Reports
Actions and words. NowLebanon.com 17/06/08
Rice's own background should help her understand Lebanon- The Daily Star 17/06/08
Our World: Bush's rhetoric, Bush's policies-Jerusalem Post 17/06/08
Old ties exist between Iran and Lebanon's Shiites-By Sadegh Zibakalam 17/06/08
A Lebanese dilemma: to fight or leave.By Rabeh Ghadban 17/06/08

Latest News Reports From Miscellaneous Sources for June 17/08
3 Killed, 4 Wounded in Renewed Violence in Bekaa-Naharnet
Suleiman, Aoun Reject Each Other's Cabinet Offer-Naharnet
Rice: Washington Ready to Cooperate with 'Very Fine' Suleiman, Backs Government and Berri-Naharnet
Prisoner Exchange Likely Next Week-Naharnet
Muslim-Christian Summit in Baabda June 24-Naharnet
Muallem: Syria Contributed to Doha Accord, Backs Unity Cabinet-Naharnet
Harb For an Immediate Declaration of Government-Naharnet
Allawi for Renewing Lebanon's Role in the Middle East-Naharnet
Moussawi For Shifting Differences to State Institutions-Naharnet
Suleiman for Thorough Middle East Peace Settlement-Naharnet
Saniora's Five Requests to Rice-Naharnet
Aoun Visits Suleiman: No Agreement on Cabinet Yet-Naharnet
EU Agrees to Boost Ties with Israel-Naharnet
Senior Israeli Official: Indirect Talks with Syria will Continue-Naharnet
Three dead in Lebanon clashes-AFP
envoy criticizes Israel for talks with Syria-Ha'aretz
Syrians say they dream of peace with Israel-Chicago Tribune
Muallem: Syria Contributed to Doha Accord, Backs Unity Cabinet-Naharnet
'Syria won't end Hizbullah, Hamas ties'-Jerusalem Post
Syria, Israel decide to hold more talks-Al-Bawaba
UNIFIL Soldier Killed, 2 Wounded in Road Accident-Naharnet
Israel, Syria "extremely satisfied" with talks-AFP
Rice says Hezbollah still listed terrorist organization-Xinhua
Lebanese leaders, Hezbollah-led opposition in dispute over Cabinet ...CNN
Aoun: Distribution, not names, holding up cabinet formation-Daily Star
Rice urges UN to address Shebaa Farms issue during Beirut stop-Daily Star
Sleiman to host inter-sect religious meeting next week-Daily Star
Organized terror activities on the rise in Lebanon - report-Daily Star
Families of captured Israeli soldiers told of pending prisoner swap - report-Daily Star
Butros proposals include lower voting age, diaspora role-Daily Star
EFG Hermes sings praises of Lebanese banks-Daily Star
Lebanese Autism Society hosts event to raise funds - and awareness-Daily Star
Smoking ban on AUB's campus sees lax compliance-Daily Star
Illegal dumping mars Metn forests-Daily Star
Home for elderly at Palestinian camp has become sanctuary for all ages-Daily Star
Migrant workers face special hardships in Lebanese jails-Daily Star
UK to toughen Iran sanctions, bolster troops in Afghanistan-AFP-Daily Star
Youssef Chahine flown to France after lapsing into a coma-AFP-Daily Star

Rice urges UN to address Shebaa Farms issue during Beirut stop
Top US diplomat lauds sleiman as 'very fine man'
By Hussein Abdallah -Daily Star staff
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
BEIRUT: President Michel Sleiman has asked the United States to help Lebanon restore its sovereignty over the Israeli-occupied Shebaa Farms and Kfar Shuba Hills, according to a Presidential Palace statement. Sleiman said during a meeting with US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice in Beirut that reaching a permanent and comprehensive solution for the ongoing crisis in the Middle East would reflect positively on the situation in Lebanon.
The president told Rice that a fair solution to the crisis in the region could not be achieved without guaranteeing the right of Palestinian refugees' right to return to their homeland.
Rice made an unannounced visit to Lebanon Monday to bolster the troubled country's new president, as rival politicians still struggle to form a new cabinet.
Rice said she made her lightning trip to express US "support for Lebanese democracy, for Lebanese sovereignty."
Rice's visit, under tight security, came amid persistent bickering between the parliamentary majority and the opposition over the promised formation of a broad cabinet of national unity. An Arab-brokered agreement in Doha last month led to the election last month of Sleiman as a compromise choice, putting an end to 18 months of political deadlock that had brought the country to the brink of renewed civil war. But the promised formation of a unity government in which the opposition would have 11 seats to the majority's 16 has yet to be implemented.
Rice congratulated Sleiman on his election and handed him an invitation from US President George W. Bush to visit the United States.
She told Sleiman the US "appreciates his national positions and supports his presidency." She also assured the president that the US backs reaching a solution to the issue of the Shebaa Farms in accordance with Security Council resolutions. Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Rice described Sleiman as "a very fine man."
Commenting on Lebanese-Syrian relations, Rice called for the establishment of diplomatic ties and the demarcation of borders between the two countries.
She also met Premier Fouad Siniora, Speaker Nabih Berri and March 14 Forces leaders MP Saad Hariri, MP Walid Jumblatt, former President Amin Gemayel and Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea at Hariri's residence in Beirut.
After talks with Berri, Rice said she hoped the disputes over nominations for the key defense, interior, finance and foreign affairs portfolios which have delayed the new cabinet's formation would be swiftly resolved. "We hope the composition of the government proceeds and proceeds rapidly," she said.
"We talked of ... the US commitment to a Lebanon that is truly sovereign and independent where foreign interference and foreign intimidation should never be permitted," she said after that meeting. Rice rejected accusations of US interference in Lebanese politics, saying: "We support the democratically elected government of Lebanon ... That is what we support." Rice, who was in Beirut after a two-day visit to Israel and the Occupied West Bank, rejected charges that the Doha deal was a slap in the face for US policy in the region as it had given the Iranian- and Syrian-backed opposition veto power over government decisions.
"Obviously in any compromise there are compromises," she said. "But this was an agreement that I think serves the interests of the Lebanese people and since it serves the interests of the Lebanese people, it serves the interests of the United States." Asked about the US position regarding Hizbullah's participation in the next government, Rice said the United States' policy toward Hizbullah remained unchanged. "We still perceive Hizbullah as a terrorist group," she added.
"But it is up to the Lebanese to choose the composition of their government," she said. Hizbullah is on the US State Department's list of "terrorist organizations" and as such Washington has no dealings with the group. When asked to comment to The Daily Star on Rice's remarks, Hizbullah officials refused to comment pending an official response by the party. After meeting Siniora, Rice called for UN action on the disputed Shebaa Farms, a district that remains occupied by Israel but which Hizbullah has pledged to liberate and the Lebanese claim to which the parliamentary majority backs.
"The United States believes that the time has come to deal with the Shebaa Farms issue ... in accordance with [UN Security Council Resolution] 1701," Rice said after discussing the issue with Siniora
She told reporters Washington intends to press UN chief Ban Ki-moon to "lend his good offices" to resolve the dispute over sovereignty over the area where the Lebanese, Syrian and Israel borders meet. "The [UN] secretary general should intensify his efforts," Rice said. Siniora's adviser, Mohammad Shattah, who attended the meeting, told The Daily Star on Monday that the US was pressing the United Nations to speed up its efforts to resolve the issue of the Shebaa Farms.
"We noticed that the Americans are encouraging the UN to work on a speedy solution for this issue," Shattah said. Resolution 1701 brought an end to a devastating 34-day war between Israel and Lebanon in the summer of 2006 and called for the UN secretary general to propose a border demarcation for the Shebaa Farms.
Rice last visited Lebanon during the devastating 2006 conflict that left more than 1,300 people dead, most of them Lebanese civilians. At the time, she drew widespread criticism in the Arab world and elsewhere for describing the conflict as "the birth pangs" of a new Middle East. Monday's visit came amid a thaw in relations between France and Syria, respectively Lebanon's former colonial power and its longtime powerbroker until Damascus pulled out its troops in 2005.
Rice last week expressed some reservations about the rapprochement, but over the weekend said she was confident that France would send the right message to Syrian President Bashar Assad when he visits Paris next month. - With AFP

Aoun: Distribution, not names, holding up cabinet formation
By Hussein Abdallah and Nafez Qawas
Daily Star staff-Tuesday, June 17, 2008
BEIRUT: Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) leader MP Michel Aoun was adamant on his formula for the next cabinet despite a meeting with President Michel Sleiman aimed at eliminating differences and facilitating the formation of the new cabinet, well informed sources told The Daily Star on Monday.
Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Aoun compared the formation of the new government to piecing together a puzzle. "There is puzzle that needs to be pieced together ... a small piece is still missing." Aoun said that the main problem regarding the formation of the new cabinet lies not in the names of the different ministers, but in how to distribute cabinet portfolios in a fair and balanced way. "Allocating cabinet portfolios in a balanced manner is all that matters ... There is no veto on any candidate," Aoun said. He said the solution to the ongoing dispute lies in adopting his recent initiative, referring to his proposal on how to allocate the four sovereign portfolios in the new cabinet."If the president is to get two sovereign portfolios [defense and interior], he should appoint a Muslim candidate for one post and a Christian candidate for the other," Aoun told Orange television on Saturday.
The MP argued that giving two key Christian ministers to the president would lead to "neutralizing the Christian role in the new cabinet."
When asked to specify the obstacles facing the formation of the new government, Aoun said that speaking about such obstacles would complicate matters rather than help solving them. FPM lawmaker Ibrahim Kanaan told The Daily Star Monday that the meeting between Aoun and Sleiman was "positive."
Kanaan accused the parliamentary majority of trying to marginalize the "real representatives of Christians" in the new cabinet by pretending to side with the president."Despite our initial position on the presidency, we accepted that the post should go to a compromise candidate and therefore President Sleiman was elected, but we will not accept to apply the same criteria on the Christian ministers in the cabinet," Kanaan said.
"If the president is destined to tip two neutral candidates for his two sovereign portfolios, why should this be only at the expense of Christians?" he asked.
Kanaan said that the main purpose behind Aoun's meeting with Sleiman was to reach an understanding on how the Christian quota in the new cabinet should be treated. However, well-informed sources told The Daily Star that Sleiman did not succeed in convincing Aoun to accept keeping caretaker Defense Minister Elias Murr in his post. Earlier reports said the opposition was opposed to appointing Murr in any of the four sovereign portfolios and believed that accepting such appointment was equivalent to giving the parliamentary majority an additional minister in the cabinet.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister-designate Fouad Siniora's adviser, Mohammad Shattah, told The Daily Star that the meeting between Aoun and Sleiman was the most important development regarding the formation of Lebanon's new cabinet. Shattah expressed hope that the meeting would contribute to speeding up the formation of the next government. Also on Monday, Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblatt said that no party had the right to delay the formation of the new cabinet by sticking to certain demands.In his weekly commentary for his party's daily Al-Anbaa, Jumblatt said continuing to create obstacles to the formation of the new government was preventing the country from advancing to a new political phase.
Jumblatt stressed that the Doha agreement, which ended an 18-month political crisis in the country, had drawn a clear road map for Lebanon. "We already agreed on the percentage that each party would get in the new government ... Any further delay of forming the new cabinet is completely unjustified."
Rival parties agreed in Doha that the majority would get 16 ministers in the new cabinet, leaving 11 for the opposition - ensuring it veto power - and three for the president. Meanwhile, Lebanese Forces (LF) lawmaker Strida Geagea said after meeting Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Butros Sfeir on Monday that none of the LF lawmakers will become ministers in the new government.

3 Killed, 4 Wounded in Renewed Violence in Bekaa
Naharnet/Three people were killed and four others wounded in armed clashes that raged well into the early morning hours Tuesday in east Lebanon's Bekaa Valley between pro- and anti-government supporters. News reports said rocket-propelled grenades, mortars and machine gunfire were used in the fighting that took place in the villages of Taalbaya and Saadnayel. It was not known what triggered the clashes which began shortly before midnight and raged well into the morning hours.
Al Mustaqbal daily, however, said fighting erupted after a quarrel broke out between Hizbullah and AMAL fighters from one hand and Lebanese soldiers on the other. It said Hizbullah and AMAL fighters opened fire on Taalbaya and Saadnayel, engaging the "population in the clashes in an attempt to cover up their fight with the army." Among the victims was a school teacher identified as Samira Mahmoud Shukr who was killed by gunfire as she stood on the balcony of her apartment.
The other casualties included a man and his son whose car came under gunfire. The father was killed while his son sustained injuries. Another man was killed as he drove past Saadnayel and his two sons were wounded. News reports said fighting dwindled around 1:30 am after Lebanese army tanks ringed bases on the highlands of the villages of Tweiti and Qommal in the Bekaa and warned fighters they would silence the source of gunfire.
Fighting, however, broke out anew around 3:30am and stopped only two hours after the Lebanese army forced a cease-fire agreement, according to the Voice of Lebanon radio station. Schools, banks and other businesses were closed in Taalbaya and Saadnayel on Tuesday for fear of renewed fighting. More Lebanese troops, backed by commando units, were dispatched early Tuesday to beef up security in the embattled areas. Beirut, 17 Jun 08, 07:01

Suleiman, Aoun Reject Each Other's Cabinet Offer
Naharnet/President Michel Suleiman and Free Patriotic Movement leader Michel Aoun have reportedly rejected each other's offer on the new cabinet.
The pro-opposition daily Al-Akhbar said Suleiman has actually informed Aoun during a meeting on Monday that he rejected the FPM leader's offer.
Aoun has suggested that Suleiman pick one Muslim candidate and one Christian nominee for the two sovereign cabinet posts the president is entitled for – the interior and the defense ministries. Suleiman, citing the complicated Sunni-Shiite situation, insisted that Defense Minister Elias Murr, a Greek Orthodox, stays in his post, Al-Akhbar reported. It said Suleiman instead suggested that Aoun negotiate with him on naming the new interior minister and pressure Prime Minister-designate Fouad Saniora into giving his Reform and Change parliamentary bloc service-related cabinet posts. Al-Akhbar quoted opposition sources as saying that Aoun will send an official response to Suleiman's offer on Tuesday, informing him of his rejection of keeping Murr in his post and for not granting his bloc any key cabinet portfolio. The sources said Aoun, who informed his allies in the opposition camp about the outcome of his meeting with Suleiman, got support from Speaker Nabih Berri and Hizbullah who insisted that his bloc should be fairly represented in the new cabinet. Aoun said after visiting Suleiman at the presidential palace in suburban Baabda on Monday that the problem facing the cabinet formation was the question of who gets which portfolio. "We have no veto on the participation by any person. The problem is not related to who takes part in the cabinet, but to who gets which portfolio," Aoun told reporters. Beirut, 17 Jun 08, 09:48

Rice: Washington Ready to Cooperate with 'Very Fine' Suleiman, Backs Government and Berri
Naharnet/U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice made a five-hour unscheduled visit to Lebanon on Monday, declaring support to the nation's president, government, parliament speaker and democratic system. After talks with President Michel Suleiman, Rice declared Washington's support for a demarcation of Lebanon's borders with Syria and the establishing of diplomatic ties between the neighboring states. Lebanon and Syria are two neighboring states and their relations should be between two peoples, Rice noted. Washington, according to Rice, declared support for the Doha Accord, seen as a chance to settle the Lebanese crisis that has lasted so long. "We expressed support to the president, to Lebanon and the Lebanese government," Rice said stressing that Washington is ready to cooperate with President Suleiman. She described Suleiman as a "very fine man."
Rice, talking to reporters at Ain al-Tineh said Speaker Nabih Berri realizes that he enjoys the backing of the United States.
"I congratulated Speaker Berri for reopening parliament gates," Rice said. In answering a question as to whether Washington would recognize a Lebanese government that included representatives of Hizbullah, Rice reiterated that the United States had long ago listed Hizbullah as a terrorist organization and nothing has changed in this regard. However, forming a government in Lebanon is a Lebanese issue, she added. "We hope that the composition of the government proceeds and proceeds rapidly," she said.  Prior to meeting Berri, Rice held talks at Qoraitem Palace with the March 14 majority alliance represented by Mustaqbal Movement leader Saad Hariri, Democratic Gathering leader Walid Jumblat, Phalange Party head Amin Gemayel and Lebanese Forces chief Samir Geagea.
After the talks, rice reiterated Washington's commitment to the cause of Lebanon and praised its steadfastness against external pressures.
Rice said she made her unscheduled trip to "express the United States' support for Lebanese democracy, for Lebanese sovereignty."
She also met Prime Minister-designate Fouad Saniora and reiterated to reporters "the United States' commitment to a Lebanon that is truly sovereign and independent where foreign interference and foreign intimidation should never be permitted."
She rejected accusations of U.S. interference in Lebanese politics saying: "We support the democratically elected government of Lebanon. That is what we support."Rice, who was in Beirut after a two-day visit to Israel and the occupied West Bank, rejected charges that the Doha deal was a slap in the face for U.S. policy in the region as it had given the Iran- and Syrian-backed opposition veto power over government decisions.
"Obviously in any compromise there are concessions," she said. "But this was an agreement that I think serves the interest of the Lebanese people and since it serves the interest of the Lebanese people, it serves the interest of the United States."
Rice called for U.N. action on the disputed Shebaa Farms, a district that remains occupied by Israel.
"The United States believes that the time has come to deal with the Shebaa Farms issue... in accordance with (U.N. Security Council Resolution) 1701," Rice said after discussing the issue with Saniora. She told reporters Washington intends to press U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon to "lend his good offices" to resolve the sovereignty dispute over the Shebaa Farms. "The secretary general should intensify his efforts," she said. Rice last visited Lebanon during the devastating 2006 Israel-Hizbullah war that left more than 1,300 people dead, most of them Lebanese civilians.(Naharnet-AFP) Beirut, 16 Jun 08, 18:45

Prisoner Exchange Likely Next Week
Naharnet/An exchange of prisoners between Israel and Hizbullah is likely to take place as early as next week, the daily Haaretz quoted Israeli security sources as saying. Under the deal, Hizbullah would return captured soldiers Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev in exchange for Lebanese prisoner Samir Qantar and other detainees. The two Israeli soldiers were kidnapped by Hizbullah on July 12, 2006 in a cross-border attack that triggered a retaliatory war against Lebanon.
Haaretz quoted a senior political source as saying that Israel is still waiting for a final response from Hizbullah and "nothing is final yet."
The daily reported that Regev's father, Zvi Regev, said the family had recently been told about a swap deal. Regev told Israel radio that Ofer Dekel, who has been charged by Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert with managing the deal over the prisoners, "told us … that there is a deal, that's it," Haaretz said on its website. Miki Goldwasser, mother of Ehud, however, told Haaretz the family has no official information about the deal or about when it might take place. "We met Ofer Dekel a week ago and he said there is dialogue but he did not tell us that the deal is done," she said. Despite reports that the two soldiers are dead, Haaretz quoted Goldwasser as saying: "We assume the boys were taken while still alive." Dekel is due back in Israel Thursday, according to Haaretz, presumably from Germany where Berlin has been mediating a deal with Hizbullah. Meanwhile, Haaretz said the family of missing air force navigator Ron Arad, announced Monday evening it would not take part in a meeting with Olmert scheduled for Tuesday. Haaretz said Qantar has remained in Israeli prison, in part as a result of pressure by the Arad family, because he is considered to be the "final" bargaining chip for information on the fate of Arad, who was captured after ejecting from his aircraft over Lebanon in 1986. Beirut, 17 Jun 08, 10:14

Muslim-Christian Summit in Baabda June 24
Naharnet/A summit of Christian and Muslim spiritual leaders is expected to take place at the presidential Palace in Baabda June 24 as part of the reconciliation process. Meanwhile, President Michel Suleiman's political advisor Nazem Khoury was busy finalizing invitations to Lebanon's main Christian and Muslim religious leaders. News reports said Khoury visited Grand Mufti Sheikh Mohammad Rashid Qabbani on Monday in order to invite him to the spiritual summit.
Beirut, 17 Jun 08, 12:02

Muallem: Syria Contributed to Doha Accord, Backs Unity Cabinet
Naharnet/Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem has said Damascus backs the formation of a Lebanese national unity cabinet away from foreign interference.
"Syria has actively contributed to reaching the Doha accord out of its (Damascus') concern for the security and stability of Lebanon," Muallem told the People's Council Monday. He also said that Syria still backs the formation of a government of national unity in Lebanon without interference.
He said the election of Lebanese President Michel Suleiman, who backs Hizbullah against Israeli occupation, is the guarantee for Lebanon's stability and independence. About Syrian-French relations, Muallem said: Improvement of ties between the two countries "came after France realized that Syria was right in its stance towards finding a solution to the Lebanese crisis." On Sunday, France and Syria agreed on the need to strengthen relations and work together for peace in Lebanon and the Middle East. "Syria will continue to coordinate with France to discuss issues that concern the two countries and the region," the Syrian FM told the People's Council. Beirut, 17 Jun 08, 06:16

Harb For an Immediate Declaration of Government
Naharnet/MP Butros Harb said Monday it was time for President Michel Suleiman and Premier-Designate Fouad Saniora to declare a new cabinet "immediately."
"Whoever opposes the cabinet formation would be violating the Doha Accord," Harb noted. "It is not normal to remain in a persisting status of waiting," Harb added. He urged the people to hold politicians accountable for their behavior. Beirut, 16 Jun 08, 21:07

Allawi for Renewing Lebanon's Role in the Middle East
Ex-Iraqi Prime Minister Ayad Allawi said Monday Lebanon plays a major role in Middle East stability. Allawi made the remark to reporters after talks in Beirut with Mustaqbal Movement leader Saad Hariri. He urged Lebanese leaders to exert "relentless efforts so that Lebanon can achieve stability and resume its role in the Middle East." Beirut, 16 Jun 08, 20:39

Moussawi For Shifting Differences to State Institutions
Naharnet/Hizbullah's Nawaf Moussawi has called for a new concept to manage political differences among the various Lebanese factions through state institutions.
Moussawi, speaking at a Hizbullah rally in the southern town of Jibsheet Monday, also called for a "halt to media agitation and field provocation."
The nation faces two options "either the path of provocation and agitation, or applying the Doha Accord," Moussawi said. Hizbullah "does not feel besieged by media agitation," Moussawi said. Beirut, 16 Jun 08, 20:28

Saniora's Five Requests to Rice
Naharnet/Premier-designate Fouad Saniora raised with visiting U.S. Secretary Condoleezza Rice five main topics, sources close to his office said Monday.
The first item discussed by Saniora focused on the need for U.S. pressure on Israel to withdraw from Shebaa Farms and place the territory under the guardianship of the United Nations. Saniora also asked for persisting U.S. backing to Lebanon, its independence, sovereignty and democratic system, the sources said.
The premier-designate asked for U.S. backing to the Lebanese army and internal security forces. Saniora also asked for economic support to Lebanon and support by donor states to the rebuilding of the Nahr al-Bared Palestinian refugee camp, the sources added. Beirut, 16 Jun 08, 19:39

Aoun Visits Suleiman: No Agreement on Cabinet Yet
Naharnet/Free Patriotic Movement leader Gen. Michel Aoun on Monday visited President Michel Suleiman and said the problem facing the cabinet formation is the question of who gets which portfolio. "We have no veto on the participation by any person. The problem is not related to who takes part in the cabinet, but to who gets which portfolio," Aoun told reporters. He said discussions "persist and we haven't reached a result." Beirut, 16 Jun 08, 19:13

EU Agrees to Boost Ties with Israel
Naharnet/EU nations on Monday agreed to strengthen relations with Israel but set no timeframe for negotiations amid fears of upsetting Arab states ahead of a Mediterranean summit next month. Dimitrij Rupel, foreign minister of Slovenia, which holds the EU's presidency, said the European Union and Israel were "elevating our relations to a new level of more intense, more fruitful, more influential cooperation."And Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni told a joint press conference with Rupel: "Today we mark a new phase in the relations between Israel and the EU." But nobody was saying how long the process would take.
Both Livni and Rupel stressed the shared values and interests of Israel and the EU and the importance of deeper ties for the Middle East peace process.
The Israeli minister, talking to reporters during a break in discussions of the EU-Israeli association council, added that the upgraded relations would cover the "political, economic, scientific, legal, cultural, educational and counterterrorism areas "and much more."
Upgrading EU-Israeli ties "doesn't mean that this is against somebody else," she added.
Earlier, EU External Relations Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner was asked whether the resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict was a condition of finalizing the deepening of ties. She underlined that the document adopted by ambassadors of the 27 EU nations was "rather ambiguous".
Ferrero-Waldner recognized that some Arab nations were critical of the EU initiative towards Israel while stressing that others remained "open".
She said the ambiguity in the EU document had nothing to do with the summit scheduled for July 13 in Paris to inaugurate the EU's Mediterranean Union.
The new group is aimed at raising the profile of EU relations with Mediterranean rim countries with a regular summit and ministerial meetings.
It will revamp the creaking Barcelona Process, launched in 1995 as a framework for political, economic and social ties, but whose aims have often been thwarted by confrontations between Israel and Arab countries.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy has invited the Israelis and several Arab leaders to the talks. Some diplomats have said that the swift launch of talks on boosting relations with Israel could dissuade some of the Arab leaders from attending.
Earlier this month Palestinian prime minister Salam Fayyad urged the European Union not to upgrade its ties with Israel until the Jewish state adhered to its obligations to promote peace. The EU should not act "until after Israel implements all of its commitments, especially those related to halting all settlement activities and other violations of human rights in Palestine," Fayyad said then.
An Israeli minister confirmed on Tuesday that a transfer of tax revenues to the West Bank had been delayed because the Palestinian premier had urged EU nations not to boost ties with the Jewish state. Israel is already party to an association agreement with the EU, which grants some non-members a high level of relations, although it is not quite as closely tied to the bloc as European non-members like Switzerland and Norway.(AFP) Beirut, 17 Jun 08, 04:42

Britain Warns of High Risk of Terror Attack in UAE
Naharnet/Britain has warned that there a high risk of a terror attack in the United Arab Emirates, according to a statement posted on its embassy website.
"There is a high threat from terrorism. We believe terrorists may be planning to carry out attacks in the UAE," said a travel advice posted online on Saturday.
"Attacks could be indiscriminate and could happen at any time, including in places frequented by expatriates and foreign travelers such as residential compounds, military, oil, transport and aviation interests," it said. It informed Britons in the oil-rich Gulf state that they should "maintain a high level of security awareness, particularly in public places." The embassy said that over a million British visitors traveled to the UAE in 2006, and more than 100,000 British nationals are resident there.(AFP) Beirut, 16 Jun 08, 09:44

EFG Hermes sings praises of Lebanese banks
Daily Star/Tuesday, June 17, 2008
BEIRUT: Regional investment bank EFG Hermes indicated on Monday that the Lebanese banking sector appears to be the least risky among non-Gulf Cooperation Council economies, followed by Morocco and Egypt. Further, Lebanese banks, along with Egyptian and Saudi lenders, appear to be the most attractive in terms of valuation based on 2008-2010 earnings growth forecasts as reported by Lebanon This Week, the economic publication of the Byblos Bank Group. The firm covered the banking sectors of Egypt, Lebanon, Morocco, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE in its analysis.
EGF Hermes said that Lebanon's recent economic performance has been sluggish, but the Lebanese financial system has proved extremely resilient to the political turmoil due to the banking sector's ability to grow its deposit base. It noted that domestic private sector credit growth has been low, averaging 10 percent over the last two years due to political instability. However, the largest Lebanese banks are benefiting from the improving macroeconomic environment and strong credit demand from corporations in the region as Lebanese banks utilize the high degree of domestic dollar balance sheet liquidity to play an important role in meeting the region's strong loan demand. Domestically, Lebanon's high loan-to-GDP ratio partly reflects economic output well below its potential. It also forecast the balance sheet of Lebanese banks to grow by 16 percent over the 2006-2008 period, lowest among the seven markets, with Qatar leading the way at 42 percent, followed by the UAE at 28 percent, Kuwait at 26 percent, Saudi Arabia at 23 percent, Egypt at 21 percent and Morocco at 19 percent.
EFG Hermes said the high ranking of Lebanese banks among regional players might look surprising, given Egypt's very strong momentum in economic reforms and Lebanon's much higher sovereign risk. It based its assessment on four key macroeconomic and sector indicators.
The bank assigned to Lebanon the lowest rating in the region on the political and economic risk indicators, reflecting its ongoing political instability and structural fiscal imbalances. However, Lebanon was the least risky among non-Gulf Cooperation Council countries in terms of banking industry risks. This category assessed the structure of the banking sector, barriers to entry as well as overall regulation and legal framework.
Also, Lebanon received the highest rating, reflecting lowest risk, in the entire Middle East and North Africa region in its "Bank Management" category.
The report said ownership structure and quality of management are important sources of shareholder value. Lebanon received the highest rating in the region due to Lebanese banks' entrepreneurial management and proven ability to expand outside their borders through start-up operations. - Byblos Bank's Lebanon This Week

Sleiman to host inter-sect religious meeting next week
Daily Star/Tuesday, June 17, 2008
BEIRUT: A key meeting between President Michel Sleiman and spiritual leaders from Lebanon's main sects is due to take place at the presidential palace early next week, a well-informed source told The Daily Star on Monday. Nazem al-Khoury, a former MP and Sleiman's political adviser, visited Grand Mufti Sheikh Mohammad Rashid Qabbani on Monday, in order to invite him to the upcoming spiritual meeting, the source said.
Also Monday, Khoury and members of the Christian-Islamic Dialogue Committee, including Hareth Chehab, visited Abdel-Amir Qabalan, vice president of Higher Shiite Islamic Council, with whom they discussed the spiritual meeting. Chehab said that as the country was going into a new era with Sleiman's election, the meeting was a serious attempt for Lebanon to have "a fresh start and retrieve some unity." Qabalan called on Lebanese politicians to avoid fiery confessional speeches in order to preserve the country's unity. He also called on politicians to cooperate with the Lebanese president and support the different initiatives he is promoting, especially the national dialogue for Lebanon, which needs "a salvaging push to face the challenges" threatening it.
The cleric then gave a sermon in which he stressed the importance for the Lebanese diaspora to spread Lebanese culture and traditions, adding that the Lebanese people should cooperate and avoid communal tensions. Separately, senior Shiite cleric Sayyed Mohammad Hussein Fadlallah met with former Minister Jean Obeid, with whom he discussed recent developments on the Lebanese political scene.
Fadlallah slammed the role tribalism plays in Lebanese political life, saying that most Lebanese politicians "inherited" their political status, which they often then abused to serve personal interests. He added that these confessional problems also served foreign interference in Lebanese, issues which some politicians "justified while calling on sovereignty and independence." Fadlallah also denounced the impunity that the "political system developed toward Lebanon's bloody and criminal history, as it pushes all those who committed political murders to relapse into crime

Organized terror activities on the rise in Lebanon - report
Document cites steady infiltration over border with Syria
By Anthony Elghossain -Daily Star staff
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
BEIRUT: Organized terrorist activities in Lebanon are on the rise, according to a Western intelligence report quoted by Deutsche Presse-Agentur (DPA) Monday. The report cites an increasing rate of terrorist-like attacks and the steady, organized infiltration of Lebanon-Syria border areas as evidence of higher susceptibility to terrorism. The Bekaa Valley and North Lebanon have in particular witnessed a rise in terrorist-related activities and infiltration has often been facilitated by Syrian authorities, the report says. Because of the sensitivity of Syrian border areas, such aid requires approval from the political leadership in Damascus, the report adds.
According to the report, groups suspected of being linked to or inspired by Al-Qaeda, such as Fatah al-Islam and Osbat al-Ansar, apparently have come to view Lebanon as more fertile ground since an US-led security clamp-down in Iraq and since Al-Qaeda itself declared Lebanon to be an arena for its activities.
The report adds that local Sunni militants began advocating for the radicalization of their community to counteract Hizbullah's armed strength and consolidate their domestic political standing. Drawing funds from beyond the jurisdiction of Lebanese banks and courts, these groups have eluded efforts to estimate the amount of fiscal support available for their activities in Lebanon, although the report stressed that Lebanese security services have stepped up surveillance efforts in this regard.
Terrorism has remained a central issue in Lebanon since the summer of 2007, when the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) took on militant Islamists based in the Nahr al-Bared Palestinian refugee camp near Tripoli. The three-month-long campaign claimed the lives of 170 LAF soldiers and around 220 militants, destroyed much of the camp and resulted in the exodus of thousands of camp residents.
The Ain al-Hilweh Palestinian refugee camp has periodically witnessed clashes between militant Islamists and nationalist Palestinian factions within the camp and between militant Islamists and the LAF on its outskirts. Ain al-Hilweh, near the Southern city of Sidon, is the largest Palestinian camp in Lebanon, and remains at the center of a debate on the likelihood of another pitched battle between Lebanese authorities and camp-based factions.
At the end of May, the LAF foiled a would-be suicide bomber near Ain al-Hilweh, although the identity of the assailant remains unknown. In early June, a remotely detonated bomb went off near an army post in Abdeh, fueling fears of a deterioration of security and undermining stability in and around refugee camps in Lebanon.
Numerous security breaches, smaller clashes and terrorist attacks have slowed the move toward a less-fragile stability in Lebanon. Several LAF posts have been targeted by bomb attacks - not all of them successful - since the Doha deal and violence between partisans of various Lebanese parties has continued despite the resolution of an 18-month political crisis, making for an uncertain security situation in the country

Families of captured Israeli soldiers told of pending prisoner swap - report
'All the signs are that a deal is coming together' - lawyer
Compiled by Daily Star staff -Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Relatives of one of two Israeli soldiers captured by Hizbullah fighters in 2006 said on Monday they had been told by an Israeli negotiator that a German-mediated prisoner swap was coming together. "We had a meeting with [envoy] Ofer Dekel and he briefed us, not on the details, but he told us in general terms that there is about to be a deal," Zvi Regev, father of Eldad Regev, told Israel Radio.
He said the meeting with Dekel was two weeks ago.
But Regev's brother Benny later cautioned against expecting the imminent return of Eldad or fellow captive Ehud Goldwasser. "My father was not being accurate," he told Reuters. "We understand that we are in the direction of a deal. That's not to say it is a deal right now." Regev said the Goldwassers had also been briefed by Dekel. Israel waged a 34-day war in Lebanon after the two army reservists were seized in a Hizbullah ambush, but then entered indirect talks on retrieving them, albeit clouded by doubts over whether they were alive. Israel recently told Hizbullah via German mediators it would be willing to free jailed Lebanese fighters in exchange for the two soldiers. Topping the proposed release roster is Samir Kontar, who is serving a life sentence for a deadly 1979 raid and whom Israeli officials previously described as a "bargaining chip" for the return of a missing Israeli airman. Kontar's lawyer, Elias Sabbagh, told Army Radio on Monday that "all the signs and indications are that a deal is coming together," but cautioned he had not heard anything official.
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's spokesman, Mark Regev, said of a possible swap: "I cannot confirm it."Israel has yet to inform the family of the dead in Kontar's raid of an impending release, which is typically done in such cases, a family member said. Meanwhile, Lebanese officials reported of a significant turnaround in the US position regarding the Shebaa Farms and said that the Bush administration is now in favor of Israel's withdrawal from area adjacent to the Golan Heights in accordance with UN Security Council Resolution 1701, the London-based newspaper Al-Hayat reported on Monday.
Sources in Lebanon were quoted by Al-Hayat as saying that Israel's possible withdrawal from the Shebaa Farms area, which was occupied by Israeli forces during the 1967 war, was one of the focal points during recent meetings US President George W. Bush held in Europe.
The sources said Washington was more understanding of Lebanon's position on the issue, which is supported by the Arab League, the EU and UN chief Ban Ki-moon, and did not rule out the possibility that the US would press Israel to withdraw from the Shebaa Farms. Al-Hayat quoted other Lebanese officials as saying they were pleased with the recent diplomatic developments on the issue, which, according to them, indicated the possibility that the disputed region would be transferred to the supervision of UN peacekeepers. Recent reports said that British Foreign Minister David Miliband and French President Nicolas Sarkozy predicted that the Shebaa Farms dispute would soon be resolved. Last week the Lebanese government issued a statement saying it would not negotiate with Israel until the Jewish state withdraws from the Shebaa Farms. - Reuters, with The Daily Star

Butros proposals include lower voting age, diaspora role
By Anthony Elghossain -Daily Star staff
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Editor's Note: This article is the second in a three-part series profiling the reform package proposed by the National Commission on Electoral Law in the draft law presented to cabinet on June 1, 2006. The particular reforms discussed in each article are clustered according to the topical arrangement of the three sessions of the National Conference on an Electoral Law Tailored for the Nation.
BEIRUT: While the electoral districting for the 2009 parliamentary elections based on a slightly modified 1960 electoral framework is more or less known, the broader electoral order will be shaped by parliamentary deliberations regarding the package of reforms put forth by the National Commission on Electoral Law.
The commission, a government-appointed panel of legal and political figures headed by former Minister Fouad Butros, labored over the course of nine months in 2005-06 to produce a comprehensive electoral framework, but the Doha agreement that ended an 18-month political stalemate has split the issue of reforms from districting and has in effect made each proposed overhaul subject to parliamentary discussion.
Proposed overhauls discussed at the second session of the National Conference last Wednesday include the lowering the voting age in Lebanon, granting franchise to the Lebanese expatriate community, instituting a candidacy quota for women and facilitating the voting of minorities and disabled persons.
Article I of the first chapter of the Butros draft expresses the commission's proposals regarding the broadening of mainstream suffrage in Lebanon. The article reads as follows: "Every Lebanese who has attained the age of 18 years, whether or not resident on Lebanese territory, shall be entitled to vote in accordance with [Article 23 of the Lebanese Constitution]."
These reforms represent a drastic departure from the current electoral order, which limits voting to Lebanese citizens above 21 and restricts the voting arena to Lebanese soil. It should be noted that, in theory, many expatriate Lebanese already enjoy the right to vote in parliamentary or municipal polls, but there currently is no mechanism for polling abroad, and this has linked expatriate voting to the ability or willingness to travel back to Lebanon and cast a ballot.
Articles 115-117 of the Butros draft focus on the voting process for Lebanese citizens residing abroad, with the process dependent on expatriate registration on voter rolls, the utilization of embassies and consulates as polling stations and the coordination of the Foreign Affairs and Emigration Ministry, although a specific approach to diaspora polling would be determined by the proposed independent electoral commission or any other regulatory body chosen by Parliament.
A possible reform mentioned in other contexts by members of the commission who worked on the Butros draft was automating the voting process in Lebanon.
Such a step would require the standardization of ballot sheets but a precise mechanism for such an overhaul has, again, been left to the discretion of the yet-to-be created independent electoral commission.
Politically speaking, lowering the voting age in Lebanon has traditionally proven to be a controversial issue since the Muslim community in the country has a wider "population pyramid," or younger demographic make-up than the Christian community, while expatriate voting remains contentious since most Lebanese abroad originate from the Christian community. As in other areas of reform, the commission chose to straddle the issue, attempting to reconcile politically divergent matters in order to promote legally constructed reform proposals. On the other hand, some reforms are agreed upon almost unanimously, like easing the voting process for the elderly and disabled communities, despite a slow move toward implementation.
With regard to the representation of women in Parliament, the draft law requires a 30-percent quota of women candidates for each electoral list competing in districts subject to proportional voting.
Even if the Doha agreement's adoption of modified 1960 electoral districting and a majoritarian voting process has effectively ended the prospect of adopting this reform as it exists in the Butros draft, since proportional voting is limited to mohafazat (governorates), the issue has been raised openly and, given the atmosphere at the National Convention, will likely feature strongly in deliberations over the next electoral set-up in Lebanon.
The reforms detailed here are by no means exhaustive, nor are they likely to be adopted as an entire package, yet it appears that a joint proposition made by MP Ghassan Tueni and MP Ghassan Mokheiber will push for a parliamentary discussion regarding each of the proposed measures, amid a broader realization of the Doha agreement.The author can be contacted at Anthony.Elghossain@dailystar.com.lb. For more information on electoral reform, please visit www.lebanon-elections.org.

Lebanese Autism Society hosts event to raise funds - and awareness
By Kenneth Changpertitum -Special to The Daily Star
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
BEIRUT: The Lebanese Autism Society (LAS) sponsored a day of bicycle riding for Lebanon's autistic children and their families at "Beirut by Bike" over the weekend. The festivities also included floats, music, snacks, ice cream, horseback riding, inflatable games, balloons, and trampolines. As well as providing an afternoon of fun and physical activity, the purpose of the event was to raise funds for LAS services and to promote awareness about Lebanon's autistic community.
Autism is a complex brain-development disorder that starts before the age of three. It causes restricted and repetitive behavior and impairs social interaction and communication. "Many people don't know how to react or deal with children who have autism," said Caroline Arbadji, fundraising and marketing manager at LAS.
Often the needs of autistic children can be misunderstood by schools, teachers, neighbors and sometimes even the child's parents. There can also be a social-stigma attached to a child afflicted with the disorder. Arbadji also mentioned that one of the biggest problems facing autistic children is their integration into Lebanese society. She said, "the hardest part is that there are few special classes in schools where the children's needs can be addressed."
Mais al-Hajj, a parent who brought her child to the event, mentioned that there were barriers between parents of autistic children and their neighbors. "Sometimes people around keep on asking 'what's wrong with your child?' They're not always accepted," she said.
As well as addressing the specific needs of children with autism, Norma Aoun Karam said there were also the typical economic hurdles parents faced in Lebanon. "We have work and it makes it difficult to raise children period. Even working all the time, we still have much trouble. The schools in Lebanon are very expensive and our children have special needs." Mohammad Fawaz a volunteer at the event said: "Many of these children don't interact well with people and they scare very easily. This event gives them social activities to be a part of." LAS was founded in 1999 by parents of children with autism and professionals who worked with autistic children. Money generated from the event went to services such as expanding educational programs for children and an early diagnosis center.

Rice's own background should help her understand Lebanon
By The Daily Star
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's visit to Lebanon on Monday was not announced beforehand, but the real surprise will come if and when her government develops a policy that is helpful for this country - all of it. Generally, Washington's approach to Lebanese affairs has been to pick sides regarding internal issues and to ignore Beirut's very real grievances against Israel on external matters. Both of these tendencies reinforce one another, making Lebanon even more vulnerable than usual to internecine tensions and foreign aggression.
Worse yet, when such policies have contributed to miscalculations and/or disaster, the US reaction has been to let its supposed friends twist in the wind. Unquestioning US support for the ruling March 14 Forces, for instance, helped intensify and prolong the power struggle that led to the bloody clashes of early May - and where were the Americans? Likewise, America's failure to get its Israeli allies out of the occupied Shebaa Farms was a key factor in the circumstances that led to the 2006 war between this country and the Jewish state - and the Americans cheered the Israelis on (and even replenished their arsenal) as the latter slaughtered hundreds of innocent people and wrecked billions of dollars worth of civilian infrastructure.
Rice and her boss, US President George W. Bush, have a chance to atone for what they and their predecessors have done, but first they have to understand why they have been so badly mistaken. Luckily, Rice's own personal history might be useful in this regard. She is the first African-American woman to serve as secretary of state, but she grew up in the shadow of her own country's struggle to extend the full rights of citizenship to people of color. As she recently noted, the Democratic Party's nomination of another African-American, Senator Barack Obama, as its presidential candidate demonstrates that America has come a long way. Can she be made to understand, though, that Lebanon's sectarian system literally bans that sort of progress - and encourages parts of the population to view their neighbors as a permanent underclass?
Rice can help. She can do so by granting Lebanon's recently elected president, Michel Sleiman, room for maneuver as he tries to steer the middle course entrusted to him as a consensus leader. She can also do so by getting her colleagues back in Washington to recognize that Lebanon is the last place where anyone should try to flog Bush's notorious assertion that people and governments are "either with us or against us." As part of an outgoing administration that is no longer subject to electoral considerations, she can lean on the Israelis, too, to end their occupation of Lebanese land once and for all. Most importantly, she should accept - no, embrace - the fact that some Lebanese are no longer willing to be second-class citizens.

A Lebanese dilemma: to fight or leave
By Rabeh Ghadban
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
The dangers of Lebanon's subversive political order and its chronic invitation to conflict were brought to the forefront in early May, only to be eclipsed by euphoria following the Doha agreement and the election of a new president. This interplay between these opposite realities again proved that Lebanon suffers from a case of amnesia.
With the memory of the war seemingly forgotten, we Lebanese and our political leaders yet again may fail to learn the price of conflict, and this risks leaving the question of sectarianism without any clear solution. My experiences during the recent fighting demonstrate that although tensions may have been contained thanks to the Doha agreement, sectarian identity will supersede Lebanese statehood so long as the population remains uncertain about calls for change.
My parents grew up in Lebanon and I returned here a year ago to pursue a career in international development. Prior to my arrival in Beirut, I wrote a thesis about Lebanon studying the need to incorporate Hizbullah and Shiite aspirations more appropriately into the confessional system. Convinced that I was aptly prepared to contribute to the progress of Lebanon, I began working at a civil society institution concerned with reform.
As the fighting erupted in May, I watched what was unfolding in the streets below my apartment. Rare silence was broken by the sound of shooting and explosions. Beirut had once again slipped back into civil war. The bustling city was brought to a standstill and tormented by masked men and youths who, bereft of the memory of the previous civil war, were itching for a fight.
I spent much of the first night listening to the crackle of gunfire and awoke in the morning to a battle taking place one block away. I watched intently, then decided to go to my home village of Aley, located east of Beirut. There I thought I would be safer, but I quickly saw how wrong I was. Within hours of arriving in Aley, I heard gunshots and the sound of heavy weapons less than 50 meters away from my home. A few hours of quiet, a couple of skipped heartbeats, and a night of family members holding hands; the movie was over and I had survived my first war experience.
One day passed with relative calm, but the following day, a Sunday, was everything but. The fighting resumed on the mountain, and it became clear that there was a real threat. Unwillingly, I found myself stuck between two impulses: one informed by my educational background and upbringing, which taught me to use logic and reason instead of violence; and the other which recognized that my home, my family, and my people were under attack and that it was my duty to defend my land.
It was a disturbing transformation. I came to Lebanon with the idea of helping reform the society and threatened to leave it a militiaman. I had reached a crossroads. I was told I might have to kill the very people I had earlier recommended be better incorporated into the system. I was scared. That night the situation appeared irreversible. I was a fighter in a civil war, militia versus militia, and I had no choice. On that unforgettable night I put aside everything that I knew to be right and contemplated my capacity to kill.
Thankfully, the answer to that daunting dilemma was left unanswered as news came that our attack had been called off and an agreement reached. But if attackers had come to my home, what would I have done? Such questions can haunt us for a long time. To think that I might have picked up arms reveals the desperation I felt, left alone and unprotected by the state, willing to swap my humanity and my aspirations of reform for a weapon.
My transformation, like that of many others, is a chilling prospect for Lebanon's future. It illustrates the hostility that resurfaces with the passing of time and our capacity to forget what this may lead to. That night I found myself standing up for my coreligionists, my sect, before the interests of a collective people. I found myself adopting the obtuse mentality I was disgusted with when I first arrived in Lebanon. I found myself consumed by displeasure with this country, enraged that it had forced me to become a product of hatred.
Now I ask myself: Where do I go from here? I can only hope that this question is being asked by each and every citizen of Lebanon. However, I fear it is not. The often celebrated Lebanese spirit - one credited for enduring difficult circumstances and enjoying life even in the face of uncertainty - seems to be no more than a fa�ade. Disappointment shrouds my thoughts; not with the often-blamed politicians but with the people of this country. The silent majority that wants change and seeks a life free of conflict, free of communal bias, remains mute and unwilling to take action against Lebanon's crooked political dynasties.
Lebanon has lived a lie for too long, marked by the apathy of a majority of the population and a devious effort of the minority in power to manipulate our trust. Without recognizing that a state that offers no accountability in governance also offers little hope for mutual security, the Lebanese will increasingly be faced with the dilemma I experienced last month: to pick up arms and fight or to simply leave Lebanon.
**Rabeh Ghadban is a recent graduate of the University of California, San Diego, and works as a researcher in public policy in Beirut. He wrote this commentary for THE DAILY STAR.

Old ties exist between Iran and Lebanon's Shiites
By Sadegh Zibakalam
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Contrary to common perceptions, Iranian involvement in Lebanon did not begin with the Islamic Revolution in 1979. First contact between Iranian Shiites and Lebanese Shiites was established at the beginning of the 16th century when some of the senior Lebanese Shiite ulama, or clergy, were invited to Iran by the newly established and powerful Safavid dynasty. The Safavid rulers converted Iranians to Shiism and made it the official religion in Iran. They invited Shiite scholars from Oman, Yemen and Lebanon to help them construct the theoretical framework for a Shiite state in a country where Shiism had hitherto been only a minority sect. Jabal Ameli and Sadr were two senior Shiite scholars who went to Iran from Lebanon and stayed at the Safavid court for many years.
During the ensuing centuries, hundreds of Lebanese Shiite scholars and seminary students traveled to Iran to study Shiite jurisprudence. They mainly resided in the holy city of Qom, which gradually became the center for Shiite study in Iran. Many married into Iranian families. The Iranian rulers didn't interfere with the presence of Lebanese seminary students or scholars in Qom since they never got involved in domestic Iranian politics. Indeed, it was not only in Iran that the Lebanese Shiite scholars shunned politics; the same pattern was evident in Lebanon as well. In short, the Lebanese Shiite leaders were tolerated and were financially supported both by the Iranian ulama and by the Iranian regime, all the way through the monarchy of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi.
First political contacts between Iranian and Lebanese Shiites were established during the late 1960s by Mustafa Chamran, a physics PhD from Harvard University and a leading figure in the Iranian Islamic Student Movement in the United States that vehemently opposed the shah's regime. Militant opponents of the shah during that period normally joined Palestinian groups to receive military training for the armed struggle against the regime in Iran.
With the assistance of Lebanese Shiite leader Imam Musa Sadr, Chamran established the Amal organization. With generous financial help from the Shiite ulama in Qom, Amal supported poor, uneducated and unemployed Lebanese Shiite youth. During its early phase, Amal acted as a charity organization for poor and downtrodden Lebanese Shiites that no Arab regime or charity institution was prepared to care for. Chamran, however, didn't perceive Amal as merely a charitable institution. He cultivated the seeds of radical Shiite ideas among Amal members as well as providing some with military training. His "disciples" formed the genesis of the Lebanese Hizbullah.
Chamran subsequently came to Iran during the revolutionary upheavals of 1978-1979, bringing with him dozens of his Lebanese Shiite disciples. They assisted in forming the Revolutionary Guards in 1979 shortly after the fall of the shah. More Amal and Hizbullah cadres came to Iran after the revolution. Chamran was appointed minister of defense a few months after the revolution and led the fighting against the Kurdish armed uprising that challenged the newly formed Islamic regime in Iran.
Saddam Hussein's attack on Iran in September 1980 and the subsequent war with Iraq further strengthened the position of Chamran within the Islamic regime. He was trusted deeply by the late Iranian leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini and other Iranian revolutionary leaders. Chamran's Hizbullah "brothers" were with him both in the fighting in Kurdistan and during the early stages of the war with Iraq.
Meanwhile, hundreds of Lebanese Shiites came to Iran. Some went to Qom to study jurisprudence, some to university, and many more joined the Revolutionary Guards to receive military training. Among those who went to Qom was a teenager called Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah.
The arrival of Revolutionary Guard figures to Lebanon was the next stage of Iranian involvement there and went surprisingly unnoticed both by the Americans and Israelis. The latter were so concerned with the Palestinian presence in Lebanon and the perceived security threat it entailed for Israel that they completely failed to see the steady rise of Hizbullah in the South of Lebanon and the Bekaa. The Israeli invasion of Lebanon in 1982 to expel the Palestinian Liberation Organization proved to be a blessing in disguise for Hizbullah. The vacuum created by the PLO departure from the South enabled Hizbullah, with Iranian assistance, to establish a state within a state in South Lebanon.
Iranian involvement in Lebanon through Hizbullah seeks two fundamental objectives. The first is an extension of the long historical religious relationship between the two countries. The second is more complicated. For reasons that go beyond this analysis, Iran's leaders perceive an existential threat from the US and its regional ally Israel. To counterbalance that threat, Tehran has prudently decided to invest heavily among the Lebanese Shiites and use them as an effective "defense mechanism" against the US and Israel. The 34-day war in 2006 between Israel and Hizbullah demonstrated that the Iranian leaders have had some success in transforming Lebanese Shiites into an effective military force against Israel. In the words of a hard-line Iranian leader at the end of the war, "Islamic Iran demonstrated to all its enemies, particularly the Americans and Zionists, that if they came to Iraq and Afghanistan to impose military threats against us, we too have moved close to Israel to impose the same threat upon the enemies of Islam."
Strange as it may sound, Iranian involvement in Lebanon is first and foremost a defensive strategy adopted by the Iranian leaders against their powerful enemy, the United States. This leads us to an important question: If the Iranian leaders one day feel that the US is not seeking their overthrow, would they still insist on involvement in Lebanon?
***Sadegh Zibakalam is a professor of Iranian studies at Tehran University. This commentary first appeared at bitterlemons-international.org, an online newsletter that publishes commentaries on Middle Eastern and Islamic affairs.

Actions and words
NOW Lebanon Staff , June 16, 2008
US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, publicly at least, was not exactly verbose on her visit to Lebanon on Monday. While little has come out yet about the subject of her conversations with President Michel Sleiman, Prime Minister Fouad Siniora, Parliamentary Majority Leader MP Saad Hariri, former President Amin Gemayel, Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea, Progressive Socialist Party leader and MP Walid Jumblatt and, from the opposition, Speaker Nabih Berri, her statements to the press were concise and, by and large, predictable.
However, this visit was far more about presentation than content. Its stated purpose was to reaffirm American support for President Sleiman and March 14, but the real reason Rice made the unexpected trip was, simply, to prove that she could.
Since the July 2006 War, with the exception of President George W. Bush, no American politician has been has been so demonized by Hezbollah and their ilk as Rice. And it was during that war that Rice last visited the Lebanese capital.
The Hezbollah-led opposition’s May 9 invasion of West Beirut and its securing of the coveted blocking third in the cabinet were perceived by many as a US defeat by the Syrian-Iranian axis in Lebanon. By visiting Beirut today – arriving via the airport, and even pushing back Michel Aoun’s appointment at Baabda by two hours to accommodate her visit – Rice demonstrated that the Americans are still in the game.
This message was particularly crucial in light of recent openings between France and Syria. French President Nicolas Sarkozy, who seems to always have to learn – and relearn – things the hard way, announced ahead of his own visit to Beirut on June 7 that recent developments in Lebanon, such as Sleiman’s election and Siniora’s reappointment, were enough to reestablish the ties with Damascus he cut off in December. Not only did Sarkozy promptly call the Syrian president and dispatch his envoys, he also wasted no time inviting him to attend next month’s Summit for the Mediterranean Union, Sarkozy’s pet project, in Paris – and to Bastille Day festivities the following day. As far as France is concerned, good behavior is relative: Syria was apparently so sunk in shame that merely allowing its sovereign neighbor to elect a president and appoint a prime minister has earned it the right to return to the international fold.
Naturally, Rice expressed reservations over Sarkozy’s eagerness to forgive and forget, followed up by a lukewarm expression of her “confidence” that France would send Syria the right message. Still, Rice seems to have felt it necessary to send an implicit message of her own to Syria and its Lebanese allies, with this visit to Beirut serving as a counterweight to Sarkozy’s overture.
In fact, arguably the only spoken message of much interest from Secretary Rice on this stopover was her comment on the subject of the Shebaa Farms: echoing statements made two weekends ago by Sarkozy and British Foreign Secretary David Miliband, Rice declared that "The United States believes that the time has come to deal with the Shebaa Farms issue,” and urged UN Secretary Ban Ki-Moon to intensify his efforts towards its resolution.
Rice’s statement came amid reports from the local and Arab press that the Shebaa issue was also being raised by Bush with European leaders on his current tour. Bush has likely discovered that this is a point where he and his European counterparts readily agree: the EU and Arab States are broadly behind an Israeli withdrawal from the territory, although it would likely then be placed under UN control until the matter of its sovereignty is resolved.
While the Israelis may have largely brushed off Rice’s harsh criticism of expanded settlement activity in East Jerusalem and the West Bank last weekend, reassuring themselves that the clock is ticking down on the administration she belongs to, they’ll likely pay some attention to these latest comments. With international consensus pushing Shebaa to the fore – and mostly from leaders whose expiration date is in a more distant future – additional American urgency is not something the Israelis can ignore.
Odds are stacked against the Bush administration managing to broker an agreement between the Palestinians and Israelis before its successors take over in January of next year. It is unlikely, but perhaps – just perhaps – Washington is setting its sights on a more realistic goal for an 11th-hour Middle East victory: the liberation of the Shebaa Farms.
The Lebanese people’s feelings towards the second Bush administration have been something of a rollercoaster. Gratitude for American support in forcing the Syrians out and setting up the international tribunal was sharply undermined by US resistance to calling for an immediate ceasefire during the July War. Helping to return Shebaa to Lebanon, through diplomatic, peaceful means, would, for once, put the US on Lebanon’s side against both Syria and Israel, while concurrently undermining Hezbollah’s strategy of violent resistance.
That’s a gesture that would truly resonate, not only in Lebanon, but across much of the Arab world. And as we are only too well aware these days, actions speak a lot louder than words – especially in this neighborhood.