LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS
BULLETIN
March 09/08
Bible Reading of the day.
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to
Saint John 7,40-53. Some in the crowd who heard these words said, "This is truly
the Prophet."Others said, "This is the Messiah." But others said, "The Messiah
will not come from Galilee, will he? Does not scripture say that the Messiah
will be of David's family and come from Bethlehem, the village where David
lived?" So a division occurred in the crowd because of him. Some of them even
wanted to arrest him, but no one laid hands on him. So the guards went to the
chief priests and Pharisees, who asked them, "Why did you not bring him?" The
guards answered, "Never before has anyone spoken like this one." So the
Pharisees answered them, "Have you also been deceived? Have any of the
authorities or the Pharisees believed in him? But this crowd, which does not
know the law, is accursed." Nicodemus, one of their members who had come to him
earlier, said to them, Does our law condemn a person before it first hears him
and finds out what he is doing? They answered and said to him, "You are not from
Galilee also, are you? Look and see that no prophet arises from Galilee." Then
each went to his own house,
Free
Opinions, Releases, letters & Special Reports
Hezbollah gets a billion dollar subsidy from Iran.
By: Dr. Walid Phares.International Analyst Network 08/03/08
Slaughtering civilians does nothing to serve the Palestinian
cause-Daily Star- 08/03/08
Syria's summit hopes-Al-Ahram Weekly. 08/03/08
International Christian Concern (Release): Muslim Radicals Kill Three Christians
and Wound Dozens in Southern Ethiopia 08/03/08
Latest News Reports From
Miscellaneous Sources for March 08/08
Washington Ready for War with Syria to Defend Lebanon?Naharnet
Egyptian official: Syria may be behind Jerusalem attack-Jerusalem
Post
Franjieh's Barter Deal: 1960 Law for President-Naharnet
Syria Accuses US of Destabilizing Lebanon and Saniora Advises ...Naharnet
Lebanon: Middle East microcosm-Globe and Mail
Hezbollah accuses US of declaring war on Lebanese opposition-Xinhua
N. Korea Hopes for Friendship With Syria-The Associated Press
Jumblat: Jerusalem
Raid is Normal Reaction to Gaza Crime-Naharnet
Fatfat: Lebanon May
Elect President on March 25-Naharnet
Justice Minister Discusses International
Tribunal with U.S. Diplomat-Naharnet
Geagea On Official
Visit to United States-Naharnet
Welch Attacks Syrian Regime, Says Damascus
Working Against Peace-Naharnet
Muslim Spiritual Leaders Denounce Israeli
Crimes-Naharnet
Qabalan for the Election of President-Naharnet
PM Saniora: Lebanon to be Invited to Arab
Summit after March 11-Naharnet
Fadlallah Calls Jerusalem Attack 'Heroic'-Naharnet
US to place ships stopping in Syria on watch list-AFP
Hamas claims responsibility for Jewish school
shooting-Star Staff
Two Israeli warplanes fly over Beirut -Daily Star
French foreign minister says Lebanon crisis can 'only be blamed on the
Lebanese-Daily Star
SYRIA - LEBANON-France24
Stop war” = “back Hezbollah”?Workers' Liberty
Council of churches slams abduction of bishop in
Iraq-Daily Star
'March 14 refuses to deal with Syria constructively'-Daily
Star
'Lebanon must agree on representation at Arab summit-Daily
Star
Arab Human Rights Fund launched in Beirut-By
Anthony Elghossain
Women stabilizing an insecure world -By
Benita Ferrero-Waldner and Margot Wallstrem
Controversial editor of Hezbollah’s newspaper, Ibrahim Mousawi ...gair
rhydd - Cardiff,UK
The Care and Feeding of an Angry Territory-National Review Online
Middle East: Gunman who killed students previously arrested for for Hezbollah
ties-Âßí - Italy
Arab leaders threaten to boycott Damascus summit-International
Herald Tribune
Drought-hit Cyprus seeks water from Lebanon-AFP
Total non-life premiums in Lebanon see 8 percent rise to $482.65 ...Daily
Star
Credit Suisse, Bank Audi wrap up $875 million Eurobond for Lebanon-Daily
Star
Iranian cleric says sanctions aimed to disrupt polls-AFP
ISF officer commits suicide while on duty-Daily
Star
Putting political differences aside, Lebanese rally
against 'Zionist terrorism' in Gaza-By Alexandra
Sandels
Muslim clerics slam Israeli attacks on Palestinians-Daily
Star
LAU ceremony pays tribute to Mai Ghoussoub-Daily
Star
Lebanese women still suffering under outdated laws-AFP
Muslim
clerics slam Israeli attacks on Palestinians
By Maher Zeineddine
Daily Star staff
Saturday, March 08, 2008
BEIRUT: Lebanon's leading Muslim figures denounced on Friday Israel's ongoing
military operations in Gaza, calling on the UN to consider the attacks "war
crimes." "We also denounce the US coverage of the crimes being committed by
Israel and attempts to justify them and therefore hamper Israel's conviction by
the UN Security Council," said a statement issued following a meeting of top
Sunni, Shiite and Druze clerics.
Grand Mufti Sheikh Mohammad Rashid Qabbani, senior Shiite cleric Sayyed Mohammad
Hussein Fadlallah, the vice president of the Higher Shiite Council Sheikh
Abdel-Amir Qabalan, and Druze community leader Sheikh Naim Hassan met at the
Druze sect's headquarters in Verdun to discuss the situation in Gaza.
"We urge the international community to call Israel to account and punish it for
committing crimes in Gaza," the statement added.
An Israeli air and ground operation in Gaza has left more than 130 dead, roughly
half civilians, since last week.
Meanwhile, Fadlallah said in his weekly Friday sermon from the Imam Hassanayn
Mosque in Haret Hreik that the attack on a Jerusalem religious school which left
eight dead the previous day was "heroic."
"The heroic operation in Jerusalem has proven that the mujahideen in Palestine
are capable of hitting the Zionists hard," Fadlallah said.
"The attack was a natural reaction to the barbaric Israeli violence in the Gaza
Strip," Fadlallah added.
Fadlallah also slammed the US administration for its "full" support of Israel
and its dispatch of a destroyer to international waters off the coast of
Lebanon. "Warships deployed facing the Lebanese coast constitute an attempt to
cover the US political and security failures in pressuring the resistance in
Lebanon and Palestine," he said. "They also aim to confirm the US' complete
support of the Zionist enemy in conducting barbaric massacres against civilians
in Gaza and the West Bank."For his part, Qabalan urged the Lebanese to protect
their country and work in favor of its interests. "You have to elect a consensus
president to represent you in the Damascus meeting," he said in his Friday
sermon, addressing Lebanese politicians. "I don't think a certain party wants to
marginalize the other. Everybody wants to serve the interests of the Lebanese."He also said officials ought to implement projects to limit unemployment and
migration. - The Daily Star, With AFP
Washington Ready for War with Syria to Defend Lebanon?
Naharnet/A recent electronic mail leaked by Egypt unveils U.S. readiness to launch
wide-scale military offensive against Syria if the Assad regime sticks to its
policy towards Lebanon, Germany's DPA news agency reported.
DPA on Friday quoted reliable sources as saying "the e-mail leaked a few days
ago by Egypt to Syria reveals that the U.S. is ready to launch a wide-scale
military offensive against Syria if (Damascus) holds onto its current position
towards the Lebanese crisis."
"This is the main reason behind (the deployment of) the (USS Cole) destroyer off
the Lebanese and Syrian coasts," the sources added.
A U.S. Navy official said earlier this week that the Cole had been relieved by
the guided missile destroyer USS Ors and the guided missile cruiser USS
Philippine Sea.
Adm. Michael Mullen, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, told reporters
last week that the deployment should not be viewed as threatening or in response
to events in any single country in the volatile region.
An Nahar daily, however, quoted on Saturday diplomatic sources as saying that
"the American message delivered to Damascus means Syrian and Iranian domination
on Lebanon is prohibited."An Nahar also said that newspapers in the Gulf have reported that Russian and
Iranian naval forces in the Mediterranean sea have been put on alert. Beirut, 08
Mar 08, 07:08
'Syria may be thwarting cease-fire'
By JPOST.COM STAFF
Syria may be attempting to deflect international scrutiny of its actions in
Lebanon by thwarting Egyptian attempts to moderate a cease-fire between
Palestinian factions and Israel, the London-based newspaper Al-Hayat reported on
Saturday.
According to the report, a senior Egyptian official told the paper that "Syria
may be interested in focusing international attention on the situation in Gaza
and the West Bank, instead of the situation in Lebanon."
"The current escalation on the Palestinian front is in the interest of the
Syrians," the official added. "Indeed the continuation of this situation may
embarrass leaders in the Arab world, and force them to go back on their decision
to send low-level officials to the Arab Summit, which is set to take place in
Damscus."
Asked whether Hizbullah was responsible for the Jerusalem shooting spree, the
official responded that "there is not enough evidence, but an investigation is
ongoing."
The official then went on to insinuate that Syria may have had a hand in the
attack.
"Senior Hamas and Islamic Jihad leaders who are able to decide on a cease-fire
were in Syria [at the time], and we won't forget that when we hear who was
behind the terror attack," he said. The official added that all cease-fire
negotiations were frozen following the meeting in Damascus.
Meanwhile, Egyptian Intelligence chief Omar Suleiman has postponed a planned
trip to Israel following the shooting attack, Army Radio reported on Saturday.
This was the second time in two weeks that Suleiman postponed his trip. Last
week, Egyptian officials announced that the trip would be postponed due to the
IDF operation Hot Winter, which left over 110 Palestinians dead while aiming to
curb Kassam rocket fire against western Negev communities.
Franjieh's Barter Deal: 1960 Law for President
Naharnet/EX MP Suleiman Franjieh, who leads the Marada Movement, said the Hizbullah-led
opposition is ready to facilitate presidential election if the majority accepted
re-adoption of the 1960 general elections law.
"Give us the 1960 law and take whatever you want. I can convince my allies in
the opposition," Franjieh said in a television interview aired Friday evening.
Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Sfeir and several leaders of the March 14
opposition had rejected re-adoption of the 1960 parliamentary elections law,
insisting on a new law based on the concept of one county one constituency.
By pledging to facilitate presidential elections in return for re-adoption of
the 1960 law, Franjieh dropped a traditional demand by the opposition to control
veto powers in the forthcoming government.
Franjieh, a staunch Syrian ally, accused the majority of placing bets on a
strike targeting Syria "but they do not realize that whoever strikes at Syria is
Lebanon's traditional enemy."The Christians, according to Franjieh, "cannot behave as if Syria and Iran do
not exist or as if the west doesn't exist. We are part of the Arab-Israeli
conflict and we are part of the conflict between religions and we are part of
the orient."
Franjieh concluded by admitting that "the general atmosphere is ready for war.
The war may not break out, but if a major political personality was assassinated
in light of the ongoing tension, then there would be war. That is why we have to
consolidate the national unity." Beirut, 08 Mar 08, 10:33
Syria Accuses U.S. of Destabilizing Lebanon and Saniora Advises Against
Provoking Israel
Naharnet/Syria has accused the United States of threatening Lebanon's stability at a time
Premier Fouad Saniora advised against provoking the "injured tiger" Israel into
launching war.
The daily al-Akhbar said Damascus made the charge in a message to U.N. Secretary
General Ban Ki-moon presented by its U.N. ambassador Bashar al-Jaafari.
The Syrian message said the deployment of "five U.S. naval vessels off the
Lebanon coast under the pretext of safeguarding Lebanon's stability threatens
stability in Lebanon and foils UNIFIL's efforts," in reference to the U.N.
Interim Force that mans a demilitarized zone south of the Litani River in
terrain abutting the Jewish state.
The Syrian message said a recent report by Ban on implementation of UNSCR 1701
included "Israeli allegations … regarding the smuggling of weapons from Syria."As for criticism by the Ban report of Palestinian bases in Lebanon, the Syrian
message claimed that "Palestinian presence in Lebanon is governed by the 1969
Cairo agreement between Lebanon and the Palestine Liberation Organization and
Syria is not involved in such arrangements."
Lebanon abrogated the Cairo Accord nearly 20 years ago.
The Syrian message said all Palestinian "positions are on Lebanese territory and
Syria is not responsible for any flaw (in the relation) between the two sides."
Syria, the message claimed, is ready to demarcate the joint borders with Lebanon
"from the north to the south."It accused Ban of trying to "stir up differences" between Lebanon and Syria,
claiming Damascus is ready for normal relations with Beirut "if the Lebanese
government is willing."Meanwhile, Saniora was quoted as advising against provoking Israel to launch
war, terming the Jewish state an "injured tiger.""It is important not to give Israel any pretext though this doesn't mean that we
face an aggression and remain silent," Saniora said.
In a related development, government sources said Syria would invite Lebanon to
the forthcoming Damascus Summit and that a stand would be adopted on such an
invitation after receiving it.
Meanwhile, it was reported that Saniora would represent Lebanon at the summit of
the Organization of Islamic Conference scheduled for March 13 in Dakar, capital
of Senegal. Beirut, 08 Mar 08, 09:16
Lebanon: Middle East microcosm
RAYYAN AL-SHAWAF
March 8, 2008
It is quite fitting that A Mirror of the Arab World: Lebanon in Conflict should
be the latest offering by veteran Middle East journalist Sandra Mackey. Her
timing is propitious for two reasons: Lebanon is much in the news these days due
to continuing domestic turmoil, while the larger Arab world risks being rent
asunder by deepening political and sectarian divisions.
Mackey, who has authored previous books on the Arab world, Saudi Arabia, Iraq,
Iran and Lebanon itself (Lebanon: A House Divided), now comes full circle,
attempting "to observe through the lens of Lebanon many of the dynamics at work
in all Arab states." Though the author points out that "Lebanon is not a perfect
microcosm of the Arab world," she explains how it alone has experienced almost
all the major crises to bedevil the region since the First World War. These
include the propensity of sectarian loyalties to trump national identity, the
disruptive influence of Palestinian guerrillas, the radicalization of the
historically marginalized Shiites, and the widening Sunni-Shiite rift. Alongside
her account of the manner in which such enduring phenomena have impinged upon
Lebanon's stability, Mackey provides a strident critique of negative
characteristics unique to Lebanon.
Chief among these "Lebanonisms" is the role of "a coterie of political bosses"
wielding inordinate influence and power. "In Lebanon prior to the civil war of
1975," Mackey writes, "the elite was composed of the zuama, who were to Lebanese
society what the feudal lords were to medieval Europe and the ward heelers to
American politics." The author notes that even rival zuama would close ranks
when faced with any attempt to strengthen the state, which they had effectively
supplanted by establishing elaborate patron-client relationships with members of
their sect or region.
Yet Mackey is overly critical of Lebanon's confessional system of governance, to
which she unfairly ascribes most of the country's ills. Though admittedly skewed
in favour of Christians for decades, and always abused by the zuama of all
sects, the practice of allocating political office on a sectarian basis ensures
the representation of minorities; if anything, it should be broadened to include
a quota for women.
Discontinuing institutional confessionalism without replacing it with secularism
(rejected by the majority of Lebanese Muslims and some Christians) could easily
lead to a measure of Islamization, as the country's Muslim majority would face
no restraints on injecting Islam into politics. The real tragedy is that many
critics of Lebanon's confessional system depict the 1975-1990 civil war as its
logical outcome. This becomes a handy excuse for neighbouring Arab countries -
where minorities are often woefully underrepresented - to dismiss proposals
aimed at achieving proportional sectarian and ethnic representation.
Mirror also suffers from factual errors. Apart from a brief remark placing the
mutasarrifiyya, an Ottoman administrative unit for Mount Lebanon, in the 17th
century instead of 1861-1914, Mackey makes several mistakes when discussing
recent and contemporary issues. For example: Hezbollah's unprovoked attack on
Israel in the summer of 2006 did not occur in the disputed Shebaa Farms region,
but in Israel proper; Syria's iron-fisted ruler is named Bashar (not Bashir)
Assad, while his father Hafez died in 2000, not 2002; Lebanon's speaker of
parliament, Nabih Berri, attended the public Lebanese University, not the
private Beirut University College; Armenian citizens of Lebanon are best
described as "non-Arab," rather than the author's "non-Lebanese"; and Ragheb
Alameh is not "the Lebanese Madonna," but a male pop idol.
Nevertheless, the author's undeniable erudition infuses the book with a depth
sorely lacking in most journalistic accounts of the Middle East. Mackey excels
when providing historical background to the myriad competing interests that,
from 1975 until 1990, turned Lebanon into "a multi-layered battleground on which
Christian fought Muslim, the political left combatted the political right,
Lebanese engaged Palestinian, Syria sent in its army, Israel ravaged the PLO, a
covey of Western countries blundered as peacekeepers, and Iran further
politicized the Shia." Postwar Lebanon, characterized by Syrian hegemony until
the assassination of former prime minister Rafic Hariri in 2005, also receives
detailed coverage, replete with all-too-timely warnings that Lebanon could yet
again become the staging ground for inter-Arab conflicts.
Strangely, for all her talk of Lebanon reflecting its neighbours' struggles and
dilemmas, Mackey ignores one particularly obvious reflection in the Lebanese
mirror: Israel. Though even the most pro-Western Lebanese would likely shudder
at the analogy, Lebanon's predicament clearly resembles that of the Jewish
state, which "is geographically part of the Arab world and culturally entwined
with the West." Yet whereas Israel's politico-cultural leanings have few if any
external ramifications (Arab hostility toward Israel stems from its oppression
of the Palestinians, not its westward orientation), Lebanon's choices in this
arena are often fraught with danger.
Lebanon, after all, is an Arab country whose alliances are of no small
importance to its neighbours. A decision to align itself with the West
politically or even culturally would provoke the wrath of anti-Western Arabs
both inside and outside Lebanon. In the 1950s, '60s and '70s, this meant Sunni
Arab nationalists; today, the culprits are Shiite Islamists backed by Syria and
non-Arab Iran, or Sunni Islamists inspired by al-Qaeda.
Imagine being embattled Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora, tentatively
inching his country closer to the West. In order not to offend the powerful
Sunni establishment in the Middle East, you must co-ordinate your move with its
two pillars: Saudi Arabia and Egypt. Yet to your neighbour Syria, its backer
Iran and your own sizable Shiite population - all already uneasy about your
overtures toward the West - such a strategy appears to place you squarely on the
side of Sunnis and against Shiites in the ever-widening chasm between the two
sects. Consequently, you must make concessions to the Syria-Iran-Hezbollah
triumvirate.
The result is admittedly very little movement in any direction, but a more
single-minded approach would almost certainly trigger conflict. So whatever you
do, don't do much, and try to keep everybody happy; directly above you, the Arab
Sword of Damocles hangs precariously by a thread, and there are plenty of folks
with scissors.
**Rayyan Al-Shawaf is a writer and freelance reviewer based in Beirut, Lebanon.
Hezbollah accuses U.S. of declaring war on Lebanese opposition
www.chinaview.cn 2008-03-08 18:36:50 Print
BEIRUT, March 8 (Xinhua) -- A Hezbollah official for international affairs Nawaf
Moussawi on Friday accused the United States of declaring war on the Lebanese
opposition, vowing to defeat any aggression, state-run National News Agency
reported on Saturday.
"The U.S. declares an unveiled war on the opposition which represents the
majority of the Lebanese people," Moussawi said, stressing that the opposition
is capable of confronting any aggression "whether it is political or non
political."
"The opposition has managed to stop Israel military aggression, and prevented
American hegemony," he added, pointing to the July2006 war when Israel, backed
with the U.S., launched 33 days of air and land military operation against
Lebanon in retaliation to Hezbollah kidnapping of two Israel soldiers from
Israeli boarders with Lebanon.
"The American hegemony is cracking," he said, and this is why the U.S. sent navy
vessels off the Lebanese coast. Hezbollah is considered a main group in the
Lebanese opposition, and is accused by the U.S. and its allies to be the primary
ally of Iran and Syria in the region.
N. Korea Hopes for Friendship With Syria
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korean leader Kim Jong Il hopes for stronger
friendship with Syria, the North's official news agency reported Saturday, amid
lingering suspicions of a secret nuclear connection between the two countries.
Kim expressed the hope in a message to Syrian President Bashar Assad on the
anniversary of a 1963 coup that brought Syria's Baath Arab Socialist Party to
power, the North's Korean Central News Agency reported.
"I express my firm belief that the friendly cooperative relations between the
two countries will be further expanded and strengthened in various areas," Kim
said in the message.
The North's No. 2 leader, Kim Yong Nam, sent a similar message to the Syrian
president, KCNA said.
North Korea has been suspected of helping Syria with a secret nuclear program.
But Pyongyang has strongly denied the accusations, saying it has never spread
its nuclear expertise beyond its borders. Syria has also denied receiving any
North Korean nuclear help.
The alleged nuclear link is believed to be a sticking point stalling
international talks on the North's nuclear programs, along with the communist
nation's suspected uranium enrichment program.
Under last year's agreement with the United States, China, Japan, South Korea
and Russia, the North is required to give a full account of its nuclear
programs, including whether it spread nuclear technology beyond its borders.
Pyongyang claims it gave the nuclear declaration to the United States in
November, but Washington says the North never produced a "complete and correct"
declaration.
North Korea and Syria established diplomatic relations in 1966.
Jumblat: Jerusalem Raid is Normal Reaction to Gaza Crime
Naharnet/Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblat said Saturday that Israel has
no alternative but to recognize the Hamas movement and engage it in dialogue to
achieve a settlement.
Israel's "persisting efforts to avoid engaging Hamas would yield no results,
exactly like striking at Gaza that is not yielding results," Jumblat told the
daily as-Safir.
He said the attack on the Jewish religious school in Jerusalem was "a normal
reaction to the ugly crime committed by the Israeli Army in Gaza."
The March 14 majority alliance, of which he is a prominent leader, would adopt a
"unified stand in the few coming days" regarding the general election law,
Jumblat said without further elaboration on the remark.
He refused to comment on decisions adopted by Arab foreign ministers in their
latest meeting at the Egyptian capital of Cairo. Beirut, 08 Mar 08, 10:44
Fatfat: Lebanon May Elect President on March 25
Minister of Youths and Sports Ahmed Fatfat said Saturday he is hopeful Lebanon
could elect a president on March 25, but failed to back his prediction.
"there is a possibility to elect a president on the 25th of this month. A
Miracle could occur that day," Fatfat said in a radio interview.
"Lets wait for what would be issued by parliament Speaker Nabih Berri in the
next couple of days. If he postpones the forthcoming session to after the 25th
it means that I am wrong in my expectation," he added.
Fatfat denied reports of a split within Premier Fouad Saniora's Cabinet.
"My relations with the cabinet and the premier are more than excellent … as for
the relation with the Mustaqbal Movement I do not see myself in the political
spectrum outside the Mustaqbal Movement," Fatfat added.
He expressed concern that Israel "might be preparing for a major (war) thing,
and our only option to confront it is by consolidating our domestic front and
electing a president."He criticized the "American style" in declaring the mission of the USS Cole off
the Lebanon coast as "useless political stupidity."
Fatfat said Arab foreign ministers have "acknowledged the Lebanese-Syrian
problem … this is new."He said Lebanon should not be represented at the forthcoming summit in Damascus
unless it managed to elect a president prior to the March 29 schedule.
"Our absence (at the summit) wouldn't be a wise policy and our participation
without a president is risky," Fatfat said.
He said the Arabs "want to help Lebanon because they realize that its collapse
means that Iran would have a base in the Mediterranean and because they have no
interest in Syria's dominance over Lebanon." Beirut, 08 Mar 08, 14:18
Justice Minister Discusses International Tribunal with U.S.
Diplomat
Justice Minister Charles Rizk discussed with U.S. Charge
D'affaires Michele Sison on Friday the international tribunal that would try
suspects in the 2005 assassination of ex-Premier Rafik Hariri and related
crimes. Rizk, in a statement distributed by the state-run National News Agency (NNA)
said the discussion "covered the international tribunal that has become a fact,
which all should recognize and consider it a means to unite the Lebanese rather
than splitting them."
Those who support the tribunal should regard it a judicial institute distanced
from politicization while former opponents have started recognizing it as a fait
accompli. This is a positive development" Rizk said. The talks with Sison also
covered financial backing by USAID to the Lebanese judiciary, the minister
added.
Sison said she is "pleased with the level of cooperation and coordination"
between the United States and the Lebanese judicial system. She explained that
USAID backing to the Lebanese judiciary aims at supporting the "rule of law"
that is important to bolstering "democracy and good governance." Beirut, 07 Mar
08,
Stop war” =
“back Hezbollah”?
Submitted on 7 March, 2008 - 20:01 SWP Iran Iraq Solidarity
3/128, 6 March 2008
Author: Jack Staunton
Hezbollah were among the organisations represented at the “World Against War”
rally in Friends’ Meeting House, London on 25 February, with the Stop the War
Coalition seeing fit to give a platform to the clerical fascist Lebanese
militia.
Reflecting the StWC’s eclecticism, this utter reactionary was speaking alongside
Tony Benn, who gave his usual upper-class liberal speech about why the United
Nations should be stronger and why we should learn from the Bible’s lessons of
contrition.
Introduced by Communist Party of Britain member Andrew Murray to rapturous
applause from the 250-strong audience, Ibrahim Mousawi shied away from the
misogynistic, homophobic, anti-semitic rhetoric which his organisation peddles
in the shanty towns of Beirut. Instead, he told us that Hezbollah are oh-so
reasonable — “why do the Americans ignore the real terrorists at the expense of
us, the bridge-builders?”. Hezbollah are not led by a bunch of gangsters, but
“engineers, lecturers and people from all walks of life”.
Indeed, Hezbollah are fully willing to arrange a lash-up with the rest of the
Lebanese ruling class, for example the pro-Western parties behind Prime Minister
Siniora, to resolve the political crisis which has seen the country without a
president for three months. He said that all Hezbollah want is to be able to
veto anything the government tries to do - isn’t that reasonable? Along with
this, Hezbollah are strong proponents of Lebanon’s sectarian political order,
whereby seats in parliament are distributed according to religious group and
politics is staged at the level of horse-trading between the leaders of
competing faith and ethnic communities.
Crashing full frontal into Bond villain-esque self-parody with his long leather
coat and black shirt, the speaker — editor of a Hezbollah newspaper and former
manager of a TV station which put out soap operas about the Jewish World
Conspiracy — claimed that the problem in his country was the lack of a strong
government, and argued that since the Lebanese government cannot be relied on to
keep order and stand up to the Israelis, Hezbollah have every right to arm
themselves and patrol the streets. At pains to deny that he hated the Jews (the
western Trots don’t really like that kind of thing, but it’s fine for Lebanese
TV), he appealed to “a man’s right to protect his family” from Zionism.
The other speeches were rather less spicy. Lindsey German, the Socialist
Workers’ Party candidate for the London mayoral election, gave a dull talk about
the hypocrisy of the British establishment and echoed much of Benn’s liberal
sentiment. For example, she talked at length about the “dodgy dossier” used by
Tony Blair to make the case for war, and why he should be “taken to a war crimes
trial in the Hague”.
But who does she think polices “international law”? Last time I checked, the
United Nations was a cartel run by the imperialist powers victorious in World
War Two. Making no reference to socialism or workers in the Middle East, she did
however attempt a “radical” pitch — “Those who support the right of Hezbollah
and Hamas to fight back are characterised as extremists. If opposing the
government is extremist, then we’re all extremists”.
The only person on the platform whose views were worthy of respect was Hassan
Jumaa, leader of the militant Iraqi Federation of Oil Unions which has waged
several strikes against privatisation and looting of Iraq’s major resource,
demonstrating the potential of the working-class movement despite nightmarish
circumstances. Although the union is non-sectarian and organises all oil
workers, Jumaa seems to be influenced by the soft-Islamist Shi’ite Fadila group,
and so said little about the workers’ movement’s opposition to clerical reaction
in Iraq.
Instead, he focused on the question of the invasion and occupation of Iraq and
the destruction the US and UK have unleashed. He commented that “the Iraqi
workers will win victory for the oppressed Iraqi people” — given that the
American mission’s success is reliant on stable control of Iraqi resources,
strikes represent a significant challenge for the occupiers. Indeed, Jumaa’s
attitude to the troops was stark, “you should not be taken in by those who say
that the withdrawal of troops will bring death and destruction. The longer they,
the source of death, stay, the worse it will get”, and said that at the last two
May Days the union had raised a call for the troops to leave Iraq. Without
doubt, this was an optimistic characterisation of events, but Jumaa’s
understanding of the situation is certainly worthy of our attention.
Unfortunately, the audience was not allowed to ask any questions or make any
comments, so we could not find out more about Jumaa’s support for political
Islam or how workers organise against the home-grown bourgeoisie. After all, in
the eyes of the Stop the War Coalition and its SWP and Stalinist leadership,
letting activists talk to the leading trade unionist in Iraq is not as exciting
as giving a platform for a fascist to rant in defence of Hezbollah. It seems
that for these “socialists”, the workers’ movement is just one part of the
cross-class spectrum of “The Movement”, and so giving a token ten minutes to
someone like Hassan Jumaa is sufficient to cover their left flank.
Spokesman for terrorists” makes student address · Issue 864, by Portia Nicholson
Controversial editor of Hezbollah’s newspaper, Ibrahim Mousawi, speaks at
Cardiff as part of a national anti-war campaign
Cardiff University hosted an evening with controversial speaker Ibrahim Mousawi,
the editor of Hezbollah’s newspaper, in a World Against War event last week.
The event, which had been criticised beforehand by local media reports, saw
leaders of social movements in the Middle East and Britain come together to
discuss the occupation of Iraq. Chris Nineham, from the Stop the War Coalition,
Hassan Juma’a, the President of Iraqi Oil Workers’ Union, and Prof. Justin
Lewis, from Cardiff University School of Journalism, also spoke to an audience
of over 200 people.
Held in the Law Building on Monday March 3, the speakers called for a complete
end to the occupation of Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as urging for opposition
to be voiced concerning any attack against Iran. The speakers also discussed the
broader struggle against war around the world and against continuing threats
from the US administration. But the event had been submerged in negative media
attention due to Mousawi’s attendance, focusing on how he had been previously
dubbed “a spokesman for terrorists”.
In a national tour of the World Against War movement, which culminates in a
worldwide day of protest, Mousawi left a trail of media upset in many of the
towns he visited. One newspaper in Liverpool wrote: “A Middle East activist
accused of defending the murder of women and children is coming to Liverpool.”
The Conservative Party, including leader David Cameron, has tried and failed to
have Mousawi banned from Britain, saying that he is a “vicious anti-semite” and
a supporter of terrorism. But Mousawi, who is banned from both France and
Ireland, has denied that he is anti-semitic. He said: “People have the right to
live in peace and without fear of their homes being invaded. “We must all
denounce war and we must all fight together to stop the killing.”
He also made direct reference to the terrorist label imposed on him by
government and media opposition, urging his audience to “make up their own
minds” and research him. Dr Paul Mason, from Cardiff University School of
Journalism, was critical of the event’s bad press. He said: “Had any of these
people bothered to attend, they would have witnessed a moving, human account of
what happens when a super-power chooses to invade your country on the spurious
grounds of ‘regime change’.” Dr Mason also stressed that journalists had
misinterpreted Mousawi’s visit.
He said: “This wasn’t a call to arms, or a rallying cry for the psychotic and
murderous, but two first-hand accounts of America’s and Israel’s brutal actions
in Iraq and Lebanon. There’s your terrorism.” One of the organisers, Max
Pettigrew, a PhD student at Cardiff University, was impressed with the turnout
at the evening.
Speaking to gair rhydd he said: “The rally indicated how many people want an end
to the wars on people in the Middle East and an end to the war on our minds in
the UK.” He urged students to “keep active on campus” and to attend the upcoming
anti-war demonstration in London on March 15.The rally will form part of a
global day of protests and marks the fifth anniversary of the invasion of
Iraq.For more information visit
www.stopwar.org.uk.
Middle
East: Gunman who killed students previously arrested for Hezbollah ties
Rome, 7 March (AKI) - The Palestinian gunman from East Jerusalem
who killed eight Israeli religious seminary students on Thursday, had been
previously arrested in Israel for alleged ties with Lebanese Shia militant group
Hezbollah. Ala Abu Dhein was arrested four months ago by Israeli forces in an
inquiry which lasted two months and was accused of having ties with Hezbollah,
an unnamed local source in the village of Jabal al-Mukabir told Adnkronos
International (AKI). The sources say Abu Dhein was later released because of a
lack of evidence against him. Also on Thursday, Israeli security forces arrested
members of Abu Dhein's family and friends.20-year-old Abu Dhein worked in the
seminary as a bus driver and was a resident of Jerusalem and thus held a blue
identity card allowing him to work and reside in Israel. Initially, the
Jerusalem attack against the seminary had been claimed by the Galilee Freedom
Battalions - the Martyrs of Imad Mughniyeh, reported Hezbollah Television
station al-Manar. Imad Mughniyeh was killed in a bombing in Damascus on 13
February and Hezbollah, Syria and Iran blamed Israel for assassinating him.
Hezbollah has vowed to avenge Mughniyeh's murder. Mughniyeh was the intelligence
chief of Hezbollah's shady military wing, the Islamic Resistance.
Meanwhile, Israel raised its terror alert and sealed off the West Bank until
Sunday, while the number of checkpoints in Jerusalem has been increased.
Analysis: Hezbollah gets a billion dollar subsidy from Iran
Dr. Walid Phares
06 Mar 2008
Beirut- A few weeks ago, articles published around the world reported that
Hezbollah is undergoing two major changes. Both portend greater violence from
the Iranian-sponsored global terrorist network.
The first change is a shift in leadership responsibilities. A report published
initially in the Saudi owned Sharq al Awsat said the office of Ayatollah
Khomenei appointed deputy secretary general Sheikh Naim Qassim as the new
supreme commander of Hezbollah forces and the personal representative of the
Ayatollah in Lebanon. Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah, according to this report remains
as secretary general of the organization. Sources said this change in control
and command is because of "differences in opinions" between Narsrallah and
Qassim.
The Hezbollah media arm rushed to deny the veracity of this shift. But observers
with direct knowledge of the organization's inside structure said Khamenei
indeed ordered changes in Hezbollah's structures, but not because of differences
between its leaders. They said it was in preparation for a potential massive
move by Hezbollah to seize more power in Lebanon and before a possible clash
with the Lebanese Government and the United Nations over the disarmament
process.
Sources believe the assassination of Brigadier General Francois Hajj, director
of operations in the Lebanese Army was another preemptive measure ordered by the
Pasdaran command in Lebanon. Hajj was slated to become the next commander of the
Lebanese Army. The latter was to deploy across Lebanon and eventually begin the
collection of weapons. Hence, believe the observers, a Syro-Iranian order was
issued to preempt and eliminate a man who could have become the military
commander to force Hezbollah to disarm. This would have been compared to the al
Qaeda elimination of Masoud Shah in September 2001 just before the 9/11 strikes.
Hence, the concerns that the assassination and the reshuffling within the
organization may be a prelude to dramatic move by the Iranian funded Terror
group. Which lead to the other important information revealed by al Shaq al
Awsat and published in the leading Lebanese Newspaper al Nahar.
The second major change according to these reports Hezbollah is a huge increase
in annual budget funded by Tehran. Hezbollah’s funding was elevated from $400
million US to $1 billion. This ballistic leap would enable the organization to
crush any opponent inside Lebanon and engage in worldwide operations against
Western Democracies and Arab moderates. According to experts in Lebanon, the
$400 millions figure was enough to pay for hundreds of social centers and
thousands of salaries enough to insure a full control over the Shia community,
its representatives in Parliament and buy significant influence inside the
Sunni, Druze and particularly Christian community. One hundred million dollars
alone, could pay for the activities of movements opposed to the Cedars
Revolution and the democratically elected Government of Siniora.
Hezbollah obtained support in the Christian districts and launched media outlets
across the country. Another thirty millions can put enormous pressures on
soldiers and officers of the various sectors of defense and security. In return
the Government branches and the military have been deprived from solid financial
support coming from outside the country. Those who rose against the Syrian
occupation were mostly from the deprived and oppressed segments of civil
society. And those who dared opposing Hezbollah's domination of the country
lacked the basic means of NGOs. The confrontation was totally unbalanced. Iran
was pouring 400 millions of Petrodollars to roll back the Cedars Revolution
while the latter was highly praised overseas but wasn't a recipient of freedom
funds.
But if $400 million can buy Hezbollah a magic place under Lebanon's sun, what
would a $1 billion do? Observers in Lebanon say: "anything anywhere." Indeed the
Moguls of the so-called "resistance" have been able to create alternative TV and
radio stations, launch multiple dailies, pay for a nonstop sit-in across
Downtown Beirut, and more importantly leap to hyper international power. Over
the past year the Iranian-funded hydra is said to have hired PR companies from
Beirut to major capitals to wage the mother of all wars of ideas not just
against the vulnerable Cedars Revolution in Lebanon but also in defense of
Ahmedinijad's nuclear strategy. Indeed, stories filed out of Tehran can't be
credible.
But reports and analysis sprayed from dozens of apparently neutral web sites or
forwarded from credible journalistic sources can do devastation in the West. And
what better launching pad than Beirut, cultural capital of the Arab world, to
use? All what the Iranian funded organization has to do is to "double" if not
"triple" the income of any person of interest in any sector of choice: media,
academia, military, consulting, intelligence, etc. both in Lebanon but also
around the world, including if needed in the United States.
One Billion dollars spent on Hezbollah in Lebanon can have ripple effects as far
as Detroit and Argentina. There is no native force in Lebanon that can match
this tidal wave nor even one tenth of it. This is Iran's Petro power deployed on
the Eastern Mediterranean not a local social movement building orphanages. A
month ago as I was participating in a cross fire program on al Jazeera facing
off with a coordinator of Iranian propaganda in the Arab world, I was asked why
the US maintains a Navy in the Middle East. "Where are Iran's fleets," he asked.
I replied that the Iranian regime maintains land fleets. "Hezbollah's 30,000
rockets and its millions of dollars is an Iranian fleet" I answered.
* Dr Walid Phares, author of Future Jihad: Terrorist Strategies against America,
of The war of Ideas: Jihadism against democracy and of the forthcoming book, The
Confrontation.
ICEJ
STATEMENT ON JERUSALEM YESHIVA ATTACK
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE FRIDAY, 7 MARCH 2008
ICEJ STATEMENT ON JERUSALEM YESHIVA ATTACK
The International Christian Embassy Jerusalem utterly condemns the appalling
terrorist attack on a landmark Jerusalem yeshiva on Thursday evening.
Like the Passover seder bombing of late March 2002, this despicable assault on
students at a revered institute of Jewish learning in the name of the
Palestinian cause has taken deliberate aim at sacred Jewish traditions, said
Rev. Malcolm Hedding, ICEJ executive director.
While Israel takes great care in keeping innocent civilians out of the conflict,
these Arab terrorist elements take direct aim at them, having no regard for the
weak, the unarmed and that which is holy to others, continued Hedding.
We extend our deepest condolences to the families of those who lost loves ones
in this horrendous shooting massacre, and pray for a speedy recovery of those
wounded. We also want to reassure the people of Israel of our abiding support
and concern as they struggle on against such callous terrorism amid a world that
rarely understands the evil you face nor appreciates how gallantly you confront
it, said Hedding.
Slaughtering civilians does nothing to serve the
Palestinian cause
By The Daily Star
Saturday, March 08, 2008
Editorial
The general right of Palestinians to resist occupation is enshrined in
international law, and the specific impulse to avenge the past week's atrocities
in the Gaza Strip is perfectly understandable, but those who exercise these
prerogatives have a responsibility to choose targets that will not undermine
their cause. Thursday night's shooting attack on a Jewish seminary in West
Jerusalem, which killed eight young civilians, did not meet that standard. Its
effect will be to damage the interests of the Palestinian people, including
those who, like the gunman, hold Israeli identification documents.
There are contrary arguments, but none are very realistic. Some will argue that
because military service is mandatory for virtually all Jewish citizens of
Israel, all of them are legitimate targets. But this approach ignores the fact
that the civilians in question were in a library, not waging war for the Jewish
state. Others will point out that while yeshiva students like those who were
killed on Thursday are commonly granted exemptions from conscription, they
contribute heavily to the conflict by helping to drive the so-called "settler
movement" which protects and expands Israel's illegal colonization of occupied
land. But killing them only causes more Israelis to acquiesce in the evil
settlement project itself - and to demand that their government refuse to accept
the compromises required if peace is ever to be achieved.
There are also those who will note that whatever tactics they use and whatever
targets they select, armed Arabs will always be painted as terrorists by a good
number of people in Israel and many other countries, especially the United
States. That prophecy is probably accurate, but there is no point in
guaranteeing its fulfilment by providing convenient propaganda to those who
would benefit from it. And in any event, attacking civilians only increases the
likelihood of yet another round of Israeli "retaliation" that can only result in
more innocent victims on the Palestinian side.
Those who want to change the world - or even a small corner of it - have to
accept a few of its practical realities or watch them become even solidly more
entrenched. One of these is that a dead Israeli attracts more media attention
than a dead Arab. Witness the war in Lebanon in 2006, when the lopsided civilian
casualties did not stop Western television stations from pursuing their dogmatic
version of "balanced coverage" by simply reporting the same Israeli ones over
and over and over again to accompany the never-ending stream of dead and wounded
innocents here.
These and other injustices will not be remedied by pretending they do not exist
or by feeding the machine that propagates them. Their decisiveness can be
eroded, however, by ensuring that when resistance is called for, it is carried
out in a disciplined and professional manner against genuine military personnel.
Admittedly, this can restrict one's operational flexibility and even make one
more vulnerable: As Hizbullah discovered even before but especially after the
1996 April Understanding that committed both the resistance and Israel's
occupation forces in South Lebanon to minimizing civilian casualties, the enemy
can and will use the rules to protect himself, and/or openly break them when it
suits him. In the long term, though, adhering to such standards increases the
credibility of what is an unshakably legitimate cause: that of defending one's
own land.
French foreign minister says Lebanon crisis can 'only be blamed on Lebanese'
By Hussein Abdallah
Daily Star staff
Saturday, March 08, 2008
BEIRUT: French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner on Friday blamed feuding
Lebanese parties for the failure to implement the three-point Arab initiative to
end Lebanon's protracted crisis. "The failure so far of different initiatives to
resolve Lebanon's crisis is not to be blamed on Arabs or France or any other
foreign party. It is only to be blamed on the Lebanese," Kouchner told a news
conference in France. Only three weeks ahead of an upcoming Arab summit,
scheduled for March 29 and 30 in Damascus, Lebanon has yet to be invited to the
gathering.
But Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora told local newspaper As-Safir on
Thursday that an invitation will be delivered to the Lebanese government after
March 11, the date of a scheduled House session to elect a new president for
Lebanon. Siniora said the invitation should be handed to the Lebanese government
in Beirut through a Syrian minister. He added that the Lebanese Council of
Ministers would collectively decide who will represent Lebanon at the summit.
Siniora played down the possibility that Moussa would return to Beirut soon and
predicted the Arab League chief would send one of his assistants instead to
tackle the issue of improving Lebanese-Syrian ties. Siniora on Friday contacted
the Egyptian and Saudi foreign ministers and discussed with them the latest
developments on the Lebanese and Arab scenes. Arab foreign ministers in Cairo on
Wednesday asked Moussa to work to improve ties between Beirut and Damascus.
Moussa met US Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs David Welsh
in Cairo on Thursday to discuss the ongoing Arab efforts aimed at ending
Lebanon's political crisis, according to Egypt's MENA news agency. After the
meeting, Welsh accused Syria of not committing to regional peace.
"Syria and peace do not go together," he told reporters. "The United States is
not concerned about changing the Syrian regime, but is worried about the Syrian
people," he added. Meanwhile, Hizbullah, a major ally of Damascus, accused the
United States on Friday of declaring war against the Lebanese opposition.
The party's senior official Nawaf Moussawi said Hizbullah will fight to prevent
US hegemony over Lebanon. Meanwhile, Moussa's assistant Hisham Youssef told Al-Arabiya
satellite news television that the Arab summit is only conditioned by the rules
set by the Arab League. "If a president is not elected on the due date, the
invitation will be sent to the Lebanese Cabinet," he said.
Youssef added that it is up to the Lebanese government to decide on whom
Lebanon's representative to the summit will be. "As far as I know, all Arab
states will participate in the summit. However, the level of representation
depends on the circumstances," he said. Youssef added that intensive efforts
will be made in the coming days to ensure a solution to the Lebanese crisis.
Leaders of Arab heavyweights Egypt and Saudi Arabia are not likely to attend the
Arab summit if a Lebanese president is not elected by the end of March. But
surprisingly on Thursday, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) said President Sheikh
Khalifa bin Zayed al-Nahayan will attend the Damascus summit. According to
Syrian official sources, the leaders of 12 Arab states have confirmed their
presence at the summit.
Meanwhile, an Arab diplomat in Beirut told the Central News Agency on Friday
that "mounting Arab and international pressure on Syria might force it to
facilitate the election of a Lebanese president ahead of the Damascus
summit."Also on Friday, Former President Amine Gemayel said he was still hoping
that a fresh Arab effort would help end Lebanon's protracted crisis. Gemayel had
said earlier this week that the Arab initiative had reached a dead end.
Meanwhile, Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea arrived in Washington on a
scheduled visit after receiving an invitation from the US administration. Geagea,
who is heading a delegation that includes Tourism Minister Joe Sarkis and MP
Strida Geagea, is expected to meet a number of senior US officials in the coming
days.
Muslim Radicals Kill Three Christians and Wound
Dozens in Southern Ethiopia
Group Vows to Eradicate Christians from the Province
You are free to disseminate the following news. We request that you reference
ICC (International Christian Concern) and include our web address
www.persecution.org. Contact Darara Gubo, Regional Manager for Africa, 1-800-ICC
(422)-5441, darara@persecution.org.
(March 7, 2008) The Washington-DC based human rights group, International
Christian Concern (ICC) www.persecution.org has just learned that Muslim
radicals killed three Christians and wounded dozens more on March 3, 2008, in
the province of Nensebo in Southern Ethiopia.
To date, eight of the wounded have been taken to the town of Awassa in a
neighboring province for hospitalization, while those who were seriously wounded
were taken to Black Lion Hospital in Addis Ababa. Among the wounded are a police
officer and a Christian whose hand was cut off by the radical Muslims.
According to ICC sources, Muslim radicals recently made a covenant to wipe out
Christians from the Muslim-dominated province of Nensebo. As part of their
agreement, they vowed to destroy churches in the area and threatened to attack
any Christian group that does missionary work.
Christians and Muslims in Ethiopia had been living peacefully together until the
arrival of Wahhabi Islam from Saudi Arabia. The spread of Wahhabism, fueled by
financial support from Saudi Arabia and other Gulf States, is radicalizing
Muslims who are in turn increasingly hostile towards Christians.
Previous attacks by Muslim radicals have taken place further west in Ethiopia.
This most recent attack occurred in the South, showing an increasing spread of
Muslim radicalization throughout the country.
ICC would like to ask concerned parties to contact Ethiopian Embassies in their
respective countries and call for the protection of Christians in Nensebo and
other Muslim-dominated areas of the country, who are facing increased attacks
from radical Muslims.
Ethiopian Embassies:
USA: (202) 364-1200
Canada: (613) 235-6637
UK: (020) 7838 3897
# # #
ICC is a Washington-DC based human rights organization that exists to help
persecuted Christians worldwide. ICC delivers humanitarian aid, trains and
supports persecuted pastors, raises awareness in the US regarding the problem of
persecution, and is an advocate for the persecuted on Capitol Hill and the State
Department. For additional information or for an interview, contact ICC at
800-422-5441.
Lebanese Strong Transparent Democracy Organization (LSTDO)
Lebanese current events of 5 March, 2008.
Reflexions on the political and economic Lebanese news.
Call for a Neutral Lebanon without any interference
from neighboring countries.
I - Facts:
1
After three years of political terrorism in Lebanon since United Nations 1559
Resolution in 2004, it is established that the blockages of the Lebanon State is
organized by the dictatorial and hegemonic Syria regime, which uses the
indoctrinated and organized terrorists in Lebanon since the occupation of
Lebanon by Syria in 1976.
2
The democrats of the government group of March 14 have waited enough to preserve
security of the citizens, by yielding to a number of demands from the pro Syrian
armed Opposition under threats of civil war. But there is no good result. The
blackmail of terrorists continues. The functioning of the Lebanon STATE is
blocked. The population is terrorized. Lebanon 's economy is in ruins.
3
The draft of the Arab League to bring together heads of Arab States in Damascus
at the end of March, 2008, reveals serious problems for Lebanon . Indeed, heads
of political clans in Lebanon publicly declared they can’t find solution because
of irreconcilable demands of some Arab States which are allies of different
Lebanese factions who play with the lives of citizens inside Lebanon . The
government majority dare not apply the Constitution and laws for presidential
election because the pro Syrian armed Opposition threats creating a civil war
and it is supported by the Syrian regime, which wants to have his authority in
the functioning of the Lebanon STATE .
4
Mr. Bashar ASSAD, head of the Syrian regime, proposed to Mr Amr MOUSSA,
secretary-general of the Arab League, the election of General Michel SOLEIMAN to
the presidency of the Lebanese republic, but with a "neutral government" (Say
paralyzed), to create a new electoral law based on the law of 1960 (which
advantage Pro Syrians), and to organize early parliamentary elections in six
months. Let's say that a electoral campaign where half of the Lebanese territory
is terrorized by armed terrorist groups who murder Lebanese leaders does not
allow a free and democrat elections. In total, the Syrian regime linked to
assassinations in Lebanon want that the policy of Lebanese government be subject
to its veto by the use of the representation of the Opposition into Lebanese
government with a right to Blocking of any decision which would impede their
interests. The destruction of recent democracy and independence in Lebanon is
under way.
5
Mr. Amine GEMAYEL, the leader of the Kataeb Christian party, went to see the
king of Saudi Arabia , Mr. Abdallah BEN ABDEL AZIZE, and to discus the ongoing
Lebanese crisis and the blocking of the presidential election.
6
Mr. Ghafir SOLANA, European Union Safety Officer came to Beirut to explore the
ideas of political leaders, calling for dialogues. The French diplomacy had not
been able to find solutions of understanding before. All "Conciliators» finally
understood that the blocking came from the Syrian interference in the Lebanese
internal affairs.
7
Mr. AMR MOUSSA, after his failure findings in Beirut talks, receives these days,
some "Special envoys" of Lebanese political leaders, who flock to Cairo to
defend their "livelihood" policy in the sharing of the future Lebanese
government!
8
Mr. Nabih BERRY, Speaker of Parliament, inducted by the Syrian regime before the
withdrawal of the Syrian army from Lebanon, and the Pro Syrian armed Opposition
defendant, continues to launch proposals and blackmail " presenting himself like
a family father concerned for the public interests !", with his aim to protect
the weapons of Hezbollah and the acquisition of veto over government decisions
concerning United Nations resolutions on Lebanon. The Syrian regime is alarmed
by the international tribunal for the assassination of Rafik HARIRI. The
involvement of some leaders of the opposition in Lebanon is not excluded.
9
Mr. Samir GEAGEA, leader of the Lebanese Forces, declared his rejection of
Lebanese participation in the Arab League Congress in Damascus , scheduled for
the end of March 2008, whereas the Syrian regime is blocking the Lebanese
presidential election.
10
The Maronite Patriarch, SFEIR, said to be for an electoral law based on the
district, the 1960 election law has become outmoded in 2008. Half of the future
Christians deputies are likely to be chosen by a Muslim electorate. And the
rights of the Lebanese Christian culture will not be properly defended.
Imbalance into Lebanese State would create social tensions and mistrusts between
the communities.
11
The President, BUSCH, has reiterated its support for the Majority government in
Lebanon and expresses his hostility against interference of the Syrian regime in
the internal affairs of Lebanon . American President is on the side of Lebanese
Democrats and the independence of Lebanon .
12
Mr. Ban KI MOON, Secretary General of UN, said the lack of cooperation of the
Syrian regime in the Lebanese crisis. The UN troops in Lebanon are to assist the
restoration of State authority and the citizens Security.
It is a duty of legitimate interference of the United Nations to protect a
Democrat weak State.
13
The Foreign Ministers of Arab countries met in Cairo , on 5.3.2008. Their
statement on the Lebanese crisis shows, apparently, they deal, with the same
equality, Syrian regime who has murdered Lebanese in one hand, and the defenders
of the Lebanese independent democracy in the other hand. They call for the
abolition of the decision priority of the parliamentary and government Majority
in the Lebanese future governmental authority! This failure was predictable. In
fact, the differences are important between countries that support Lebanese
government of Fouad SANIORA and those who do not want to oppose against Syrian
hegemony in Lebanon .
14
On 5-3-2008, the Council of Maronite Patriarchs stated that the absence of
President Election since November 2007 is an unacceptable shame.
15
In total, at the beginning of March 2008, all Lebanese state institutions are
blocked. There is no Constitutional Council. Parliament is prevented to meet
since seventeen months. Government is harassed by the armed opposition with
threat of civil war. The President of the Republic post has been vacant since
November 2007. The President election is blocked by the opposition and the
Syrian regime interference. The heads of political clans accuse one the other
through the Medias. All attempts of conciliation or agreement have failed.
Citizens’ impoverishment doesn’t interest anybody in the politicized Medias
which are servicing various political mafias. And, finally, most Lebanese
politicians make us believe today that we must wait decisions of "funds and
weapons regional Providers» to be able to hope for a solution.
In short, the Democrats among Lebanese leaders who want to apply the
Constitution and Run public utilities are prevented to work by political armed
mafia leaders who use blackmail and threats of Civil war.
II - LSTDO Position:
1
Simply, we are Lebanese citizens who want to work in peace to feed our families.
The only solution for us is a true, transparent and strong democracy. We want it
strong by its army, its security services, its judiciary apparatus, its
administrative institutions and policies capable to stop corruption into the
public services.
2
We strongly condemn the abandonment by the political representatives of the
Lebanese people of their independence vis-à-vis foreign States, and their lack
of simple application of the Constitution and other laws of the republic.
3
We condemn any bargaining and blackmail held with the mediation or interference
from any non-democratic country or any neighbouring country regime.
4
We condemn all dealings with the Arab League on the pretext of waiting for an
external response from non democratic country to solve the internal affairs of
Lebanon .
5
We call upon neighbouring countries only their neutrality and their non
interference in Lebanese affairs.
6
The functioning of the Lebanese State must begin with the daily opening of the
Parliament to allow MPs to consult between them and decide on various laws and
decisions in complete freedom.
7
The acceptable aids from foreign countries must be carried out only through the
Lebanese State , to help fairly all Lebanese, to improve independence, democracy
and the Lebanese living standards. The military support should be sought, if
necessary, from friendly democratic countries and the United Nations
Organization. No neighbouring country should have any influence on the Lebanese
government and any presence of its troops on Lebanese soil.
8
We condemn all solutions which leaves on Lebanese soil hotbeds of armed groups
without their direct and absolute control from the Lebanese state through its
political institutions and its army.
9
A real democracy requires an electoral law that allows total freedom of citizens
to choose a deputy well known in his territory. Deputy works only to defend the
needs of the public services and the quality of citizens’ life. The small
district, where only one MP represents several villages or small area of a city,
is an ideal cutting for a true democracy. The election is made by three
selecting rounds, at a simple majority. The most convincing and most trusted
will win. The first four candidates from the rank of the first round may compete
in the second round. The first two ranking for the second round compete in the
third round. No ad hoc alliances or electorate purchases, or compromises, or
corruptions are tolerated. The deputy will remain responsible for his
commitments to his voters and the judiciary apparatus. He’s not accountable to
the party leaders or clans or indoctrinated sects or religions.
10
Given the multi-cultural particularities in Lebanon , with ramification of
religious manipulation by countries in the Middle East , the removal of distrust
between citizens of different origins, on a racial or cultural or religious or
doctrinal plan, needs in the electoral law a balance between the numbers of
deputies of different denominational backgrounds. The two main religious
orientations are Islam and Christianity. The balance in Lebanon imposes equal
numbers of deputies between Christians and Muslims. We propose that the
parliament would consist of 25% of Maronite Christian deputies, 25% of non-Maronite
Christian deputies, 20% of Shiite deputies, 20% of Sunni deputies and 10% of
Druze deputies. The distributions on the land and subdivisions of religious
affiliations are to be organized by the parliament for the final text of the new
electoral law. Deputies are elected by the citizens regardless of religious
interference. The religious balance of the State leaders is not intended to
devote to the confessionals. Its sole aim is to remove mistrust between the
Lebanese who are concerned about the hegemony of a religious clan on the other
components of the multi faith Lebanese society.
11
Complete secularism in Lebanon is not possible, because of the current Lebanese
mentality. A democracy in a nation obsessed with religions lead to a power of a
dictator belonging to the largest religious community. The majority of Lebanese
currently prefer their religious and ethnic affiliation instead of the
geographical laic Phoenicia . Faced with ethnic threats, Lebanese prefer to take
refuge in religion and forget to defend the rest of social problems and living
expenses. This threatens to divide Lebanon as a result of different religious or
cultural extensions to the regional Middle Eastern countries.
12
We strongly condemn any proposal for proportional in the electoral law. The
proportional benefit is for the continuation of feudalism and their grip on the
state budget by heads of clans or political mafias. The proportional assured the
head of a clan or party its power to keep some power over the state and the
possibility of choosing his "collaborators" Deputies who become his servants
instead of the citizens services and the general interest of the country. The
proportional gives a carte blanche to the heads of political mafias who will
continue to fight for share looting of the state budget as some do it now. We
want deputies totally free to choose conscientious solutions and without
referring to the heads of clans. The heads of political groups in parliament
will be chosen by the members and not the contrary. The current paralysis of
parliament comes from the fact that political leaders had nominated their
candidates for the National Assembly. And, subsequently, Congressman feels
indebted to his chief of the clan in all circumstances!
13
The acceleration of democratic reforms depends on the degree of freedom of the
deputies compared to the hegemony of political and feudal current leaders in
Lebanon . If these leaders continue to influence the management of the Lebanese
State , we believe that the democratic revolution in Lebanon will be restrained
or lost.
14
A good electoral law as cited above will also reduce the risks of political
terrorism. Indeed, the key decisions for the country's future will be taken
collectively by all the deputies. Assassinations and blackmail no longer be able
to influence the choice of the Lebanese State policy.
15
We can also expect a democratic electoral law to reduce any risk of seizure of
power by a dictator, by avoiding power concentration into a few people hands.
16
The Cedar Revolution must resume its torch. Share the government in the current
situation with pro-Syrian Lebanese is a defeat for democracy in Lebanon which
could put Lebanon under Syrian domination.
17
We demand the closure of borders with Syria pending a diplomatic normalization
and respect for the independence of Lebanon by this country. Trade with the
Middle East countries should be organized by sea.
18
We condemn any presence of political representative of the Lebanese State at the
meeting of the Arab League in Damascus scheduled for late March 2008, even
though there has been elected president of the republic. We will not visiting
our murderers. We will await the opening of the Embassy of Lebanon in Damascus
before any negotiations with the government of Syria .
19
In response to the news where we learn that the Arab League was in the process
to ask Mr Bashar Assad, President of the Syrian regime, to resolve the political
crisis of the Lebanese deadlock of the presidential election by the armed
pro-Syrian Lebanese, we say that in a democracy, a neighbouring State has no
opinion to offer in all matters concerning Lebanon and its government. For
Lebanese who commit illegal actions, we call upon the United Nations, the
Lebanese army and friendly countries to prevent them from harming.
20
When the majority of political leaders in Lebanon today hope to elect General
Michel SOLEIMAN as a "neutral" or "consensus" president for the presidency of
the republic, the ignorance by the LSTDO of his political programme or his
project concerning the major questions posed currently does not allow us to be
supportive of that choice. He was appointed head of the army by the Syrian
regime at a time when Syria 's Secret Service murdered innocent Lebanese and
terrorized all Lebanese. To date, he gives the impression that he will not deal
with armed groups on Lebanese soil and especially Hezbollah. It will not restore
the Lebanese State authority without compliance with the Security Council
resolutions of the United Nations and the disarmament of all militias on
Lebanese soil.
21
We want a Democratic president from the majority in parliament, even if he is
elected by a simple majority that the text of the Constitution allows, in the
second round of balloting. The agreement is a good thing; a qualified majority
of two-thirds is also good. But we must not leave a people to drift because of a
handful of heads of political mafias who are struggling to preserve their power
with attracting foreign interferences. We are not ruled by a dictator, but by
many small local dictators who are fighting for their private interests.
Finally, the best democracies in the world accept the authority of a president
elected by 51% of voters. The real democratic rule must prevail in Lebanon . The
rule of selection by the democratic vote is the best option to choose the best
solutions in a free society without any blocking of the functioning of the
state.