LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS
BULLETIN
March 05/08
Bible Reading of the day.
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ
according to Saint John 5,1-3.5-16. After this, there was a feast of the Jews,
and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. Now there is in Jerusalem at the Sheep (Gate) a
pool called in Hebrew Bethesda, with five porticoes. In these lay a large number
of ill, blind, lame, and crippled. One man was there who had been ill for
thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had been ill
for a long time, he said to him, "Do you want to be well?" The sick man answered
him, "Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up;
while I am on my way, someone else gets down there before me." Jesus said to
him, "Rise, take up your mat, and walk." Immediately the man became well, took
up his mat, and walked. Now that day was a sabbath. So the Jews said to the man
who was cured, "It is the sabbath, and it is not lawful for you to carry your
mat." He answered them, "The man who made me well told me, 'Take up your mat and
walk.'" They asked him, "Who is the man who told you, 'Take it up and walk'?"
The man who was healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had slipped away,
since there was a crowd there. After this Jesus found him in the temple area and
said to him, "Look, you are well; do not sin any more, so that nothing worse may
happen to you."The man went and told the Jews that Jesus was the one who had
made him well. Therefore, the Jews began to persecute Jesus because he did this
on a sabbath.
Free Opinions, Releases, letters & Special Reports
Iraq could be a venue for Iran to build a new relationship with America-Daily
Star. 04/03/08
Foreign players in Lebanon-Al-Arabiya - Dubai,United Arab.
04/03/08
Iran is growing again-Radio Netherlands. 04/03/08
Report: Syria Urged to Postpone Arab Summit-The Media Line.
04/03/08
Latest News Reports From
Miscellaneous Sources for March 04/08
Reports about 'New Plan' to End Lebanon Crisis-Naharnet
Israel Says Hezbollah Has 30000 Rockets-The Associated Press
Lebanon tourism losing 'billions'-ArabianBusiness.com
Reports about 'New Plan' to End Lebanon Crisis-Naharnet
Egypt Ignores Israel
amid Lebanon, Arab Outrage over Gaza Killings-Naharnet
Saudi Not Attending
Arab Summit Unless Lebanon Goes-Naharnet
Israel Tightens Security of Top Officers
on Hizbullah Alert-Naharnet
Suleiman Orders Army to
Prevent Israel from Occupying Lebanon or Attacking Syria From Lebanon-Naharnet
Aoun: Destroyers Never Support Stability and Don't Make War-Naharnet
U.N. approves new sanctions against Iran-AP
Harbingers of war?GulfNews
UN: Hezbollah not rearming in Lebanon-United Press
International
Hezbollah spokesman can speak in Britain-Jewish Telegraphic
Agency
Prominent Arab ex-MK meets with Syrian President in Damascus-Ha'aretz
Hezbollah rally calls for resistance in Gaza and not surrender-Earthtimes
Insists Israel killed Hezbollah commander-Al-Arabiya
Gaza Pitfalls in Every Path-New York Times
The Northern Front-New York Sun
'USA and Israel, the same face of terror'-Independent Online
Gulf boycott looms over Damascus summit-Daily
Star
Interior Ministry calls for end to celebratory gunplay-Daily
Star
Shamseddine's son leans on Berri to hold
presidential vote-Daily
Star
Cairo blames opposition for logjam in Lebanon-Daily
Star
Sfeir lashes out at leaders' 'negligence' in deadlock-Daily
Star
Hand grenade explodes in Tripoli-Daily
Star
UNRWA opens new school at Nahr al-Bared-Daily
Star
Father and son team up to write comic book-Daily
Star
Activists call for controls on bird hunting-Daily
Star
No damage as aftershock rumbles through South-Daily
Star
Kuwait: no plan to deport Mugniyeh mourners-Daily
Star
Volunteers get ball moving on study of air pollution in Lebanon-Daily
Star
Ex-minister says Syria will not betray allies-Daily
Star
Jumblatt condemns Israeli assault on Gaza Strip-Daily
Star
Local demonstrations flay Israel over Gaza onslaught-Daily
Star
One man's mess is another man's mountain: Sidon
struggles to cope with seaside dump-Daily
Star
Suleiman Orders Army to Prevent Israel from Occupying Lebanon or Attacking Syria
From Lebanon-Naharnet
Saudi Warning to
Citizens Based on Threats Received by Embassy in Beirut-Naharnet
Wahab: Syria Preparing for War and Won't Sell Out Lebanon Allies-Naharnet
Lebanon Survives
Despite Political, Security Instability-Naharnet
U.S. attacks
'known al-Qaida terrorist' in Somalia-AP
Rice:
Lebanese Majority Should Rule
Naharnet/U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Tuesday the Lebanese
majority should "rule" and stressed that the deployment of the USS warship Cole
off the coast of Lebanon was to show support for "our allies." Her remarks came
at a joint news conference in Cairo with Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmad Abul
Geith. Rice declined to draw comparisons between Israel's response to the
rockets fired from the Gaza Strip, considered disproportionate by much of the
international community, and the war launched by Israel against Hizbullah in the
summer of 2006 during which it refused to call for a ceasefire, sparking U.S.
sympathy for Lebanon. "I do not think we want to start drawing parallels between
what I consider to be two very different situations," Rice said. "But does the
United States want to see the violence stop? Yes. And are we concerned about
innocent people who have been caught in a crossfire in Gaza? Absolutely."
Rice has stressed her confidence in success for the Israeli-Palestinian peace
process launched in November at Annapolis, and blamed Hamas for the recent burst
of violence in the Middle East. "I continue to believe that they can get to a
deal by the end of the year if everybody has got the will to do it," Rice said
overnight Monday in the plane taking her to Cairo, the first leg of a new Middle
East tour, after the Palestinian president warned he was pulling out from all
peace talks.
"The Annapolis process is hardly underway. We are three months into trying to
resolve a conflict that has been going on for 50 years," Rice told journalists
accompanying her before making a stopover in Brussels. The secretary of state
refrained for criticizing Israel over its Operation Hot Winter which claimed
dozens of Palestinian lives in the space of two days in the Gaza Strip,
including women and children, recalling Israel's right to defend itself.
She blamed the radical Islamist movement Hamas for the worsening of the
situation in the Gaza Strip, which has been under a strict Israeli blockade
since January 17 in response to the firing of rockets at southern Israel.
"I am going to have discussions with the Egyptians and with the Palestinians and
the Israelis about how you might get violence to stop. But first and foremost
Hamas needs to stop firing rockets into Israeli cities," she said. "As to the
Israeli operation, I understand Israel's need to defend itself and the rocket
attacks need to stop."
"Obviously the situation in Gaza is one that is concerning," Rice went on. But
... we need to continue to work, first of all to make certain that everyone
understands that Hamas is doing what might be expected, which is using attacks,
rocket attacks on Israel to try to arrest a peace process in which they have
nothing to gain."
She called on the Israelis, however, to allow the resumption of humanitarian aid
into Gaza, saying: "One always has to think, in carrying out military
operations, about the day after." Asked several times about the possibility of a
ceasefire between Hamas and Israel, Rice refused to use the word, saying: "Call
it what you will. We want the violence to stop." Rice said she had made
telephone calls last weekend to Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak and Foreign
Minister Tzipi Livni, as well as to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
Recalling that Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert had committed
themselves at Annapolis to reach an agreement on a Palestinian state before the
end of President George Bush's mandate early next year, Rice called on them to
surmount the obstacles and return to the negotiating table.
"I do think that the negotiations ought to resume as soon as possible," she
said. "I understand that the situation has been complicated. But the longer the
negotiations are not ongoing or the longer they are suspended, if that is what
one wants to call it, the more it is a victory for those who do not want to see
a two-state solution."
"It is going to have its ups and downs. There will be good days and bad days and
even good weeks and bad weeks. But I am going to talk to the parties about
staying focused," the secretary of state said.(AFP-Naharnet) Beirut, 04 Mar 08,
11:49
Sfeir Opposes 1960 Election Law
Naharnet/Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Sfeir on Tuesday rejected a call by the
Hizbullah-led opposition for adoption of a 1960 election law. Sfeir, talking to
a delegation from the newspaper editors' syndicate, said the 1960 election law
"is no longer sound … a county constituency leads to better representation."He
cautioned that "Lebanon is not immune, its borders are loose and its citizens
are split … everything is possible."He noted that the USS Cole guided missile
destroyer is "not sailing in Lebanese territorial waters. Super powers act in
line with their interests. The Americans had been here before and you know what
was the outcome. We don't want to repeat miseries." Lebanon should be
represented at the forthcoming Arab Summit by "a president. This is the rule.
Let them elect a president to represent Lebanon," Sfeir concluded. Beirut, 04
Mar 08, 17:18
Reports about 'New Plan' to End Lebanon Crisis
Naharnet/As Syria is under growing pressure to facilitate Lebanon's presidential
elections, reports surfaced Tuesday about a "new plan" to end the political
crisis ahead of an Arab Summit to be held in Damascus later this month. Press
reports said "new ideas" were discussed in separate overnight telephone calls
between Arab League chief Amr Moussa and each of Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri,
Prime Minister Fouad Saniora and MP Saad Hariri.
The state-run National News Agency said Berri and Moussa stressed the need to
maintain efforts by the Arab League prior to a March 11 parliament session to
elect a new president in Lebanon. NNA said Berri, who met on Monday with Arab
ambassadors to clarify his point of view vis-à-vis the Arab summit, discussed
"new ideas" with Moussa to resolve the deadlock that has left Lebanon without a
President since November. UAE Ambassador Mohammad al-Soueidi said Berri was
"very optimistic.""We hope Lebanon will have a President by March 11," Soueidi
said, adding that the Arab initiative still stands "and we have high hopes."
Future News channel said the Moussa was due in Beirut on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, leaders from the pro-government March 14 coalition and the Hizbullah-led
opposition were said to have headed to Cairo ahead of an Arab foreign ministers
meeting on Wednesday that is supposed to make the necessary preparations for the
Arab summit scheduled in Damascus March 29-30.
Media reports said a March 14 delegation arrived in Cairo to hand over a letter
to the Arab League Secretary General. They said the letter stressed that Syria
was "the source of defect."They said resigned Health Minister Fawzi Salloukh was
also in Cairo.Foreign Minister Tareq Mitri is due to arrive on Tuesday to take
part in the Arab FM meeting. Beirut, 04 Mar 08, 08:16
Israel Says Hezbollah Has 30,000 Rockets
By EDITH M. LEDERER –
UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Israel has said Hezbollah is rearming and has an arsenal
that includes 10,000 long-range rockets and 20,000 short-range rockets in
southern Lebanon, according to a report from Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.
Ban's report to the Security Council, obtained by The Associated Press on
Monday, did not confirm Israel's claim. But the U.N. chief reiterated his
concern about Hezbollah's public statements and persistent reports pointing to
breaches of a U.N. arms embargo, which bans weapons transfers to the militant
Islamic group.
Ban also expressed concern at "the threats of open war against Israel" by
Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah. Nasrallah has accused Israel of trying to
start a new war by assassinating a top Hezbollah commander and warned it would
be a battle the Jewish state would lose. Israel has denied involvement in the
Feb. 12 car bombing in Syria that killed Imad Mughniyeh. The secretary-general's
report focused on implementation of the U.N. cease-fire resolution that ended
the 34-day war between Israel and Hezbollah in August 2006. The resolution
reiterates a call for the disarming of all militias and bans arms transfers to
them.
"Reports of Hezbollah rearming are a cause of great concern, posing serious
challenges to the sovereignty, stability and independence of Lebanon," Ban said.
He told the council he continues to believe that the disarmament of Hezbollah
and other militias must be part of a Lebanese-led political process that would
fully restore the government's authority throughout the country. He expressed
regret "that the persistent deterioration of the political climate and the
prolonged deadlock" over the election of a new Lebanese president have made it
impossible to deal with the disarmament issue.
In his last report to the council in late October, Ban alleged that Hezbollah
had rearmed with new long-range rockets capable of hitting Tel Aviv and tripled
its arsenal of C-802 land-to-sea missiles since the 2006 war. He also drew
attention to alleged breaches of the arms embargo and the transfer of
sophisticated weapons from Iran and Syria — both strong backers of Hezbollah —
across the Lebanon-Syria border.
Syria disputed the claim countering that the allegations of weapons smuggling
are motivated by political rather than security considerations, Ban said, but
Hezbollah's leaders have acknowledged on several occasions that their military
capacity had been replenished since the war with Israel.
"I, therefore, remain concerned that this border remains vulnerable to such
breaches, which would represent serious violations of the resolution and
constitute a significant threat to the stability and security of Lebanon," he
said. After the 2006 war, a beefed-up U.N. force was stationed in south Lebanon,
partially to keep Hezbollah from smuggling weapons into the area. In Monday's
report, Ban said, Israel maintains that Hezbollah "is significantly rebuilding
its military presence" inside the U.N.'s area of operations. But he said U.N.
and Lebanese forces have found no evidence so far of new infrastructure.
"In addition to information provided in previous reports, the government of
Israel states that Hezbollah's arsenal includes some 10,000 long-range rockets,
in addition to some 20,000 short-range rockets," the secretary-general said.
He said Hezbollah denies transferring weapons to the area where the U.N. force
is deployed — a move that would violate the 2006 resolution.
Before the war, Israel estimates that Hezbollah had 13,000 rockets deployed.
During the war, Hezbollah bombarded Israel with nearly 4,000 rockets. The
rockets struck as far south as Hadera, 30 miles north of Tel Aviv. Since the
war, Nasrallah has boasted his group possesses an arsenal of rockets that can
reach all of Israel, including the main metropolis of Tel Aviv. Shortly after
the war, he said the guerrillas had 33,000 rockets. In the report, Ban also
expressed concern that Israeli air violations continue unabated "without any
regard for the levels of tension and anger that these actions trigger on the
ground."
Lebanon tourism losing 'billions'
by Tom Perry on Tuesday, 04 March 2008
CONTINUING TENSIONS: Lebanon stands to lose billion of dollars this year because
of the country's instability. (Getty Images)Lebanon's tourism industry stands to
lose billions of dollars this year because of tension that has prompted travel
warnings from Gulf states, the tourism minister said on Monday.
Joseph Sarkis said the 2008 outlook was "not encouraging" for a sector hit by
war, assassinations, bombings, a deep political dispute and civil strife over
the last three years.Gulf states Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Bahrain have all
advised their citizens against travelling to Lebanon. Riyadh went a step further
last week by advising its nationals to leave. "The losses could be huge," Sarkis
told newswire Reuters in an interview. The sector earned Lebanon some $1.5-$2
billion last year, well below the $4-$4.5 billion that it should be bringing to
the Arab country on the Mediterranean, he said.
"Without the visits of the Arabs, we will lose a great percentage," Sarkis said.
"If they stay away from Lebanon, what about the Europeans?" he added. Gulf Arabs
account for around a fifth of Lebanon's annual visitors. "Lebanon is losing
billions of dollars annually because of the conditions we are passing through,"
Sarkis said.
Visitors to Lebanon numbered around a million last year, when the country's
problems were compounded by an armed Islamist insurrection in the north.
"For 2008, our expectations, unfortunately, are not encouraging," Sarkis said,
listing political tension, security incidents and the recent arrival of a US
warship off the coast as factors that could scare off visitors. Washington backs
the anti-Damascus Beirut government which has been locked in a power struggle
with a Syria-backed opposition for 16 months. It is Lebanon's worst internal
crisis since the 1975-90 civil war. "We hope that this situation is exceptional,
that things return to their normal state... that the states of the Arab Gulf
lift this warning," Sarkis said. The tourism sector accounted for about a fifth
of Lebanon's gross domestic product (GDP) before the civil war and could
contribute up to 12% again were the country to enjoy a protracted period of
calm, Sarkis said.
"We cannot talk tourism and ask tourists to come to Lebanon while the situation
is not stable." (Reuters)
Reports about 'New Plan' to End Lebanon Crisis
Naharnet/As Syria is under growing pressure to facilitate Lebanon's presidential
elections, reports surfaced Tuesday about a "new plan" to end the political
crisis ahead of an Arab Summit to be held in Damascus later this month. Press
reports said "new ideas" were discussed in separate overnight telephone calls
between Arab League chief Amr Moussa and each of Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri,
Prime Minister Fouad Saniora and MP Saad Hariri.
The state-run National News Agency said Berri and Moussa stressed the need to
maintain efforts by the Arab League prior to a March 11 parliament session to
elect a new president in Lebanon. NNA said Berri, who met on Monday with Arab
ambassadors to clarify his point of view vis-à-vis the Arab summit, discussed
"new ideas" with Moussa to resolve the deadlock that has left Lebanon without a
President since November. UAE Ambassador Mohammad al-Soueidi said Berri was
"very optimistic.""We hope Lebanon will have a President by March 11," Soueidi
said, adding that the Arab initiative still stands "and we have high
hopes."Future News channel said the Moussa was due in Beirut on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, leaders from the pro-government March 14 coalition and the Hizbullah-led
opposition were said to have headed to Cairo ahead of an Arab foreign ministers
meeting on Wednesday that is supposed to make the necessary preparations for the
Arab summit scheduled in Damascus March 29-30. Media reports said a March 14
delegation arrived in Cairo to hand over a letter to the Arab League Secretary
General. They said the letter stressed that Syria was "the source of
defect."They said resigned Health Minister Fawzi Salloukh was also in Cairo.
Foreign Minister Tareq Mitri is due to arrive on Tuesday to take part in the
Arab FM meeting. Beirut, 04 Mar 08, 08:16
Egypt
Ignores Israel amid Lebanon, Arab Outrage over Gaza Killings
Naharnet/Egypt's powerful intelligence chief Omar Suleiman put off a trip to
Israel and Arab demonstrators took to the streets on Monday in protest at the
Jewish state's assault on Gaza. The state media in Cairo said Suleiman has
postponed the trip, due to take place on Wednesday, in protest at the "Israeli
escalation" in the impoverished and isolated Gaza Strip. Another date will be
set for the visit, aimed at discussing ways of lifting the crippling blockade of
Hamas-ruled Gaza, "depending on Israel's commitment to international
resolutions", said Al-Ahram newspaper. Suleiman's visit was announced Feb. 26
but Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Sunday suspended peace talks and all
contact with Israel amid the military assault on Gaza which killed 116
Palestinians in five days. Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert on Monday vowed
that Israel would continue its army operations in Gaza even as most troops
withdrew from the territory run by the Islamist movement Hamas. A crowd of
around 100 people circled by a heavy security presence demonstrated against the
Gaza offensive in front of the lawyers' syndicate in Cairo, which in 1979 became
the first Arab capital to make peace with Israel.
In Beirut, several hundred schoolchildren took part in a Hizbullah-organized
demonstration outside U.N. headquarters, calling on the world body to take
action.
The pupils held up pictures of Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah and of
some of the several children killed in Gaza during Israeli land and air strikes
over the weekend. "Where are children's rights?" asked one banner carried by the
demonstrators, some of whom wore Palestinian-style checkered headscarves.
Protests also took place in Palestinian refugee camps throughout southern
Lebanon on Monday. Demonstrators in Bass camp set ablaze portraits of U.S.
President George Bush and Olmert. "Ban Ki-moon, do you feel with Gaza's
children?" one banner read, referring to the U.N. chief. "Palestine's children
want protection and safety." Thousands of Syrians and Palestinians also held a
demonstration in Damascus on Monday, witnesses said. They marched through the
centre of the Syrian capital and in front of parliament.
"Save our children and our parents in Gaza," their banners read. "No to
organized terrorism." Many of the demonstrators chanted for Syrian President
Bashar al-Assad and Lebanon's Hizbullah leader Nasrallah to bombard Tel Aviv,
asking to be sent to join the fight in Gaza. State television carried live
pictures of the demonstration which it said were being broadcast "in anger over
the Israeli war of extermination in Gaza". In Baghdad, Iraq and Iran jointly
condemned the Gaza operation, in a statement issued after the end of a visit by
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Iraq and Iran "condemn the use of heavy
force by Israel in Gaza and reject any action that results in the death of
civilians," it said. "The two parties ... demand the lifting of the siege to
ease the suffering of the people of Palestine and secure their legitimate
rights." Saudi Arabia's cabinet, the official SPA news agency reported, said the
kingdom stood firmly beside the Palestinian people who were facing "mass
attacks, horrors, and destruction committed by Israel." Qatar's official QNA
news agency, meanwhile, said Doha was sending medical supplies to Gaza, while
demanding an end to the Israeli raids and a lifting of the blockade on the
territory.
The Kuwaiti cabinet strongly condemned the "brutal massacres committed by Israel
against Palestinians in Gaza," and called on the U.N. Security Council to "put
an end to these criminal acts and to lift the embargo."(AFP) Beirut, 04 Mar 08,
11:02
Saudi Not Attending Arab Summit Unless Lebanon Goes
Naharnet/Saudi Arabia and some other Gulf states will stay away from an Arab
summit in Damascus later this month unless Lebanon is invited, whether it has a
new president or not, a Gulf official said. "Saudi Arabia and some other Gulf
states are waiting for Syria to invite Lebanon to the summit in order to decide
their attendance. If Lebanon is not invited, (these) Gulf states will not show
up," the official told AFP. Lebanon, which has been without a president since
November, is in the throes of a political crisis that has strained relations
between Syria and regional powerhouse Saudi Arabia, casting a shadow over the
annual Arab summit Damascus is due to host from March 29 to 30. Syria, and its
ally Iran, back Hizbullah-led opposition. Saudi Arabia along with its Western
allies back the rump cabinet of Prime Minister Fouad Saniora which has been
unable to push through any of its legislative program since November 2006 when
six pro-Syrian ministers quit. The government accuses Damascus of blocking
efforts to elect a new president in Lebanon, which was under Syrian military
domination for 29 years until Damascus withdrew its troops in April 2005. A
Saudi official told AFP that Riyadh will "in principle" attend the Damascus
summit, although it is awaiting the outcome of an Arab foreign ministers meeting
in Cairo on Wednesday that is supposed to make the necessary preparations.
The official did not specify whether King Abdullah or a less senior official
would lead the Saudi delegation to the summit, to which neither Saudi Arabia nor
Lebanon have yet been invited. But the Gulf official, who attended a meeting of
foreign ministers from the six Gulf States in Riyadh on Saturday, said some Gulf
governments believe that Lebanon must attend the summit. "Either a president is
elected on March 11 (when parliament is to convene in a new bid to elect a head
of state after 15 abortive attempts) and he is invited, or the invitation is
addressed to the legitimate government of Prime Minister Fouad Saniora," the
official said.
The Lebanese constitution stipulates that in the absence of a president, the
prime minister assumes his powers, but the opposition insists that Saniora's
cabinet lost all legitimacy when its ministers quit 15 months ago. "The
information exchanged by the Gulf ministers at their meeting indicated it will
be difficult to elect a president in Lebanon because Syria does not want this to
happen before it reaches an understanding with regional and world powers on two
issues," the Gulf official said.
He identified the issues as a planned international tribunal to try suspects in
the 2005 murder of five-time Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, in which
Syrian officials have been identified as suspects, and "the Syrian role in
Lebanon."
Gulf officials have concluded that Syria "is less concerned about who does or
does not attend the summit than about keeping the Lebanese card" for use in its
standoff with regional and world powers, the official said. Saudi Arabia
believes "Syria is blocking Arab solutions in Lebanon and elsewhere and has gone
too far in its relations with Iran at the expense of relations with Arab
states," a Gulf diplomat said. Damascus "is prepared to resist all pressures but
will not give up the Lebanese card," the diplomat told AFP on condition of
anonymity.
Hence, "it is in Syria's interest to perpetuate the political and constitutional
vacuum in Lebanon, because it cannot, under the present circumstances, guarantee
that a loyal regime will be installed in Beirut."(AFP) Beirut, 04 Mar 08, 10:38
UN approves new sanctions
against Iran
By EDITH M. LEDERER, Associated Press Writer
UNITED NATIONS - The U.N. Security Council approved a third round of sanctions
against Iran on Monday with near unanimous support, sending a strong signal to
Tehran that its refusal to suspend uranium enrichment is unacceptable and
becoming increasingly costly.
For the first time, the resolution bans trade with Iran in goods which have both
civilian and military uses and authorizes inspections of shipments to and from
Iran by sea and air that are suspected of carrying banned items.The vote was
14-0; Indonesia abstained.
Iran's U.N. Ambassador Mohammad Khazee told the council before the vote that the
government would not comply with the "unlawful action" against its "peaceful
nuclear program.""Iran cannot and will not accept a requirement which is legally
defective and politically coercive," he said. "History tells us that no amount
of pressure, intimidation and threat will be able to coerce our nation to give
up its basic and legal rights."
Iran insists its enrichment activities are intended only for peaceful civilian
purposes, but the U.S., the European Union and others suspect its real aim is to
make atomic weapons. Enriched uranium can be used as fuel for nuclear energy or
nuclear weapons.
The resolution introduces financial monitoring on two banks with suspected links
to proliferation activities, Bank Melli and Bank Saderat. It calls on all
countries "to exercise vigilance" in entering into new trade commitments with
Iran.
The resolution also orders countries to freeze the assets of 12 additional
companies and 13 individuals with links to Iran's nuclear or ballistic missile
programs — and require countries to report the travels of those Iranians. It
bans travel by five individuals linked to Iran's nuclear effort.
Most of the new individuals subject to sanctions are technical figures. But one,
Brig. Gen. Mohammad Reza Naqdi, is prominent in the Revolutionary Guards, an
elite military corps, and close to Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
The resolution says he has worked to get around previous U.N. sanctions.
Britain and France, who co-sponsored the resolution, delayed the vote until
Monday in hopes of winning over four non-permanent council members who had
raised a variety of concerns — Libya, Indonesia, South Africa and Vietnam.
One concern the countries raised is a recent International Atomic Energy Agency
report saying suspicions about most past Iranian nuclear activities had eased or
been laid to rest. The Libyan and Indonesian envoys had stressed that this
indicated Iranian cooperation, and questioned the need for more sanctions. The
resolution adopted Monday does welcome Iran's agreement with the IAEA, the
U.N.'s nuclear watchdog, to resolve outstanding issues about its past nuclear
program.
It also reiterates that incentives offered by Germany and the five permanent
council nations — the U.S., Russia, China, Britain and France — in 2006 remain
on the table if Iran suspends enrichment.
But the Americans and their European allies stressed that the report from the
U.N. nuclear watchdog confirmed that Iran has continued to enrich uranium and
demanded that Tehran suspend its uranium centrifuge program. The IAEA also
reported that Iran rejected new documents that link Tehran to missile and
explosives experiments and other work connected to a possible nuclear weapons
program. Iran called the information false and irrelevant, the IAEA said.
Monday's council meeting was delayed for nearly two hours because of a dispute
over plans by Britain, France and Germany to present a resolution critical of
Iran before the IAEA board. Diplomats said Russia learned about the planned
resolution and complained about not being informed. Grigory Berdennikov, the
chief Russian delegate to the IAEA, said in Vienna that "we are not happy about
developments here in Vienna — we were not informed."
A European diplomat, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the Russians asked
that no resolution be presented in Vienna as a condition for voting on the
sanctions resolution in New York. The diplomat spoke on condition of anonymity
because the talks were private.
The resolution drafted by the Europeans would have praised progress made in the
IAEA investigation, but noted that the investigation was incomplete because Iran
had refused to answer questions about its alleged weapons experiments. It also
said the IAEA board — not the agency's leaders — had the final authority to
declare the investigation into Iran's past nuclear programs closed.
The council first imposed sanctions in December 2006, ordering all countries to
stop supplying Iran with materials and technology that could contribute to its
nuclear and missile programs. It also ordered countries to freeze the assets of
10 Iranian companies and 12 individuals.
Iran expanded its enrichment program, so the council imposed new sanctions in
March 2007, this time banning Iranian arms exports and ordering countries to
freeze the assets of 28 additional individuals and organizations.
Associated Press Writer George Jahn in Vienna contributed to this report.
Iran is growing again
by Middle East Specialist Bertus Hendriks*
03-03-2008
The US and some of its Arab allies are looking on in dismay as Iran increasingly
makes its presence felt in the surrounding region. As President Mahmud
Ahmadinejad of Iran is returning home, his visit to Iraq that began on Sunday
has already been dubbed historic. It was the first visit to Iraq by an Iranian
president since dictator Saddam Hussein launched a bloody war against Iran in
1980, leaving a million people dead.
Mr Ahmadinejad's visit to Iraq mainly emphasized that all the US attempts to
isolate Iran within its region, and to isolate it particularly from Iraq, have
failed. For Iran the visit is a welcome sign on the eve of a vote in the UN
Security Council, where a new resolution is likely to reinforce the existing
sanctions imposed on Iran because of its nuclear programme. Iran's increased
assertiveness is not only worrying the US, but also some of Washington's Arab
allies.
Different
All reports on the presidential visit to Iraq emphasized that Mr Ahmadinejad's
stay was quite different from a visit by President Bush or the British prime
minister. Their arrival is usually kept secret until the very last moment, they
stay for just a few hours and only move about by helicopter, fearing attacks. Mr
Ahmadinejad's arrival had been announced well in advance. His presidential
convoy proceeded along the land route, the treacherous road from the airport to
the centre of Baghdad usually seen as dangerous. The Iranian president allowed
himself to be received will all kinds of pomp and circumstance, and spent the
night in Baghdad. In short, it was a visit that exuded confidence.
Great Satan
Iran has every reason to be satisfied with the enormous shifts in the strategic
balance of power in the region. Ironically, these have all been caused by 'the
Great Satan', the US. The anti-Iranian Taliban regime in Afghanistan, which was
close to a war with Iran in September 1998, was toppled by American military
action. Then there is the fact that the regime of the hated leader Saddam
Hussein, Iran's worst enemy, who was responsible for the exhausting eight-year
war of the 1980s, was also driven out by the Americans.
Then, three years ago, there were the general elections in Iraq, held under US
protection, which yielded a majority for the Shi'ite parties, who are either
direct allies of Iran or at the very least want to maintain good relations with
it. While the US is accusing Iran of being responsible for training and arming
militias that attack American soldiers in Iraq - an accusation vehemently denied
by Iran - the Iranian president has been received by the prime minister of Iraq.
A prime minister who would not last in office very long without the support of
US troops. In other words, Iran, count your blessings.
Lebanon
The enormous shift within Iraq in favour of the Shi'ite population, and
regionally in favour of Iran, is being observed with concern by the Sunni Arab
neighbours of Iraq and its allies. They are doing whatever they can to halt the
growing influence of Iran. This can be seen most clearly in the case of Lebanon,
where the pro-Western government of Prime Minister Fuad Siniora is receiving
strong support, not just from the US, but also from Saudi Arabia and Egypt. They
are supporting Mr Siniora to prevent him from caving in to the Hizbollah
opposition among others, who are supported by Iran and Syria and are asking for
a right of veto in the government. This has caused an impasse, which is the
reason why Lebanon has now been without a president for months.
Gaza
Iranian influence can also be seen in Gaza, where Israel's recent offensive
against Hamas has overshadowed the Arab political agenda. This may have
overshadowed Ahmadinejad's visit, but the Iranian factor was definitely there in
the Arab reactions to developments in Gaza. Or rather, in the absence of Arab
reactions. The passivity of Arab regimes towards Israeli violence in Gaza, much
criticized by Palestinians, is a direct result of the rather open desire of
those regimes to minimize the influence of Hamas, which also enjoys the support
of Iran. The Arabs, it seems, are even willing to accept that Israel is doing
the dirty work for them in this case.
Despite Gaza, Ahmadinejad's visit to Baghdad got a lot of attention in the Arab
media, for example in the shape of a special programme on the influential Arab
satellite station, al-Jazeera. A Sunni leader said on the programme that the
visit illustrates the increasing hold of Iran over Iraq. The Americans may rule
the streets, he said, but Iran rules the country's institutions. Exaggerated as
that may be, it is nevertheless an accurate reflection of the fear that Iraq's
Sunni opposition and Sunni Arab neighbours have regarding Iran's increasing
influence in the Gulf.
*RNW translation (rk/tpf)
Report: Syria Urged to Postpone Arab Summit
Written by The Media Line Staff
Published Monday, March 03, 2008
Arab League Secretary General 'Amru Mousa has told Syrian officials he wants
them to postpone an Arab League summit scheduled to take place in Damascus later
this month, for fear that Arab countries would boycott the meeting, according to
the London-based A-Sharq Al-Awsat
Mousa wrapped up a two-day visit to Syrian on Saturday, during which he
discussed with Syrian leaders the situation in Lebanon and the issues to be
discussed at the upcoming summit. Senior representatives of the 22-member Arab
League are scheduled to meet in Damascus on March 27-29.
Mousa said on Sunday the summit would take place as planned, but Arab diplomats
told the paper the secretary general asked the Syrian leadership to postpone the
meeting. Mousa, the diplomats said, was expecting many Arab countries to boycott
the summit because of the continuing power vacuum in Lebanon, which is expected
to be the main focus of the summit.
Syria withdrew its forces from Lebanon in 2005 following public pressure after
the assassination of former Lebanese prime minister Rafiq Al-Hariri.
However, many Lebanese believe Syria is still pulling strings behind the scenes
and influencing Beirut's political scene.
Critics say Syria is failing to use its influence to end the crisis in Lebanon
and that Syria's actions could cause security to deteriorate in the whole
region.
Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora has warned the summit will "lose its
importance" if Lebanon does not have a president by the time of the meeting.
Lebanon has been without a president since the end of November, when former
president Emile Lahoud's term ended. The anti-Syrian majority and the
Syrian-backed opposition have agreed on Army Chief Michel Suleiman as a
consensus candidate, but the parties are unable to agree on the power structure
of the new government. The parliamentary vote for president has already been
postponed 15 times.
Copyright © 2008 The Media Line. All Rights Reserved.
Freedom has a Price and does not come for free
By: Lawson Kass Hanna
to all Lebanese patriots,
Iran is proposing to the western (G7) countries and to Israel a deal in which
Iran is willing to do anything for these countries if they accept Iran to be the
military force of the middle east.
As an example, Iran is offering to Israel in this deal the Golan heights, "jabal
al-cheik" and the water of Litany river, any parts of south Lebanon in addition
to creating permanent Palestinian settlements in Lebanon and Syria.
In return, the Iranian would like Hezbollah to be in power in Lebanon and
Hezbollah's army to replace the Lebanese army.
Based on my readings, I'm confident that the western countries who believe in
freedom and democracy will not accept this deal.
In any case, let's assume that the countries who believe in freedom and
democracy accepted this deal even if I'm quite sure it will not happen.
The plan of the axis of evil in Lebanon is the following if this deal goes
through:
they will not accept Mr. Michel Aoun to become president in Lebanon because of
all the reports they get from psychologists about his personality. they know
that he is a demagogue and can not be trusted. at the same time the axis of evil
is controlling most of the members of parliament belonging to Aoun's political
party either by the mean of money or by promising a certain political power.
they will get to power a president who will persecute, kill and detain in prison
the patriotic leaders in Lebanon.
their presidential candidate is Mr. Suleiman Franjieh, but according to my
readings, President Bashar Assad will not do with Mr. Suleiman Franjieh the same
mistake when he appointed him the minister of interior before the Assassination
of Prime minister Rafik Hariri.