LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS
BULLETIN
March 11/08
Bible Reading of the day.
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to
Saint John 8,1-11. while Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. But early in the
morning he arrived again in the temple area, and all the people started coming
to him, and he sat down and taught them. Then the scribes and the Pharisees
brought a woman who had been caught in adultery and made her stand in the
middle. They said to him, "Teacher, this woman was caught in the very act of
committing adultery. Now in the law, Moses commanded us to stone such women. So
what do you say?"They said this to test him, so that they could have some charge
to bring against him. Jesus bent down and began to write on the ground with his
finger. But when they continued asking him, he straightened up and said to them,
"Let the one among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at
her."Again he bent down and wrote on the ground. And in response, they went away
one by one, beginning with the elders. So he was left alone with the woman
before him. Then Jesus straightened up and said to her, "Woman, where are they?
Has no one condemned you?" She replied, "No one, sir." Then Jesus said, "Neither
do I condemn you. Go, (and) from now on do not sin any more."
Free
Opinions, Releases, letters & Special Reports
Toward Changing the Rules of Conflict-Abdullah Iskandar-10/03/08
Latest News Reports From
Miscellaneous Sources for March 10/08
Presidential Election Postponed to March 25-Naharnet
March 14 to Launch its
1st Conference on Friday-Naharnet
Kuwait Detains
Pro-Hizbullah ex-MPs, Cleric-Naharnet
Report: Syria Will
Invite Lebanon to Arab Summit on Wednesday-Naharnet
Moussa Sounds Alarm, Egypt Points
Obstruction Finger at Syria's Allies-Naharnet
Lebanon's Economy Hit Hard by Decline in
Number of Gulf Tourists-Naharnet
Ahmadinejad: Israelis Don't Dare Confront
Lebanese, Palestinian Fighters-Naharnet
Hizbullah, Hamas Cooperated on Jerusalem
Attack, Report-Naharnet
Saudi Arabia Invited to Damascus Summit-Naharnet
Intelligence paints grim picture for Israel-AFP
Destruction of Iran's
Nuclear Program 'Less Embarrassing' if Done by Israel, Kuwaiti Analyst-Naharnet
U.S. military: Recent Attacks in Iraq
Don't Represent Upward Trend in Violence-Naharnet
Peres: Iran 'Greatest Problem' in the
World-Naharnet
Lebanon set to delay presidential vote again-Daily
Star
Sfeir calls on politicians to end 'adventures-Daily
Star
Ban informs Siniora preparations under way for
Hariri tribunal-Daily
Star
Islamic Labor front splits over Syrian, Iranian
stance-Daily
Star
Lebanese Army denies extraditions to US-Daily
Star
Franjieh touts 1960 electoral law to end impasse-Daily
Star
Political impasse keeps Beirut bourse in doldrums-Daily
Star
New study says Beirut property market offers
plenty of bargains-Daily
Star
March 14 sweeps early election cycle at Order of
Architects and Engineers-Daily
Star
Forbes lists 10 Lebanese among world's
billionaires-Daily
Star
New AUB minor treats part of hangover from Civil
War-Daily
Star
UNIFIL's Indonesian unit hosts day of sports,
games-Daily
Star
Lebanese NGO looks to alter norms of participation
and accountability in country's political culture-Daily
Star
Spain's ruling Socialists win second
term in general elections-AFP
Broad Israeli Operation
on Gaza Could Lead to Violence with Hizbullah-Naharnet
Mussa confirms Saudi attendance in upcoming summit in Syria-Earthtimes
Iranian reformers decry Ahmadinejad's
nuclear rhetoric-AP
Ahmadinejad: Israelis
Don't Dare Confront Lebanese, Palestinian Fighters-Naharnet
Hizbullah, Hamas
Cooperated on Jerusalem Attack, Report-Naharnet
Presidential Election Likely to be Delayed
Again-Naharnet
Saudi Arabia Invited to Damascus Summit-Naharnet
March 14 sweeps early election cycle at Order of Architects
and Engineers
Daily Star staff
Monday, March 10, 2008
BEIRUT: March 14 candidates swept through primaries held by the Order of
Engineers and Architects at its headquarters in Bir Hassan on Sunday, with the
opposition coalition securing a sole victory in a close contest in the
agricultural branch. The primaries were held for the First and Seventh divisions
as well as the Delegate Committee of the order and precede a final election
process that will be held on April 13.
The pro-government faction secured a sweep in the Civil Engineering division,
although the opposition returned the favor in the Agricultural Engineering
division.
The Delegates Committee vote saw March 14 gain control of 123 out of 131
possible seats in what media reports indicate was a very high turnout.The order is currently headed by Samir Doumit of the Future Movement, and the
April 13 election will determine the next head in what looks to be a square-off
between Amal and Future Movement candidates. - The Daily Star
Kuwait Detains Pro-Hizbullah
ex-MPs, Cleric
Naharnet/Kuwait's public prosecutor ordered two former MPs and three activists
of the Shiite minority remanded in custody on suspicion of membership of an
alleged underground opposition group. Police also arrested prominent Shiite
cleric Sheikh Hussein al-Maatouq on the same accusation and he is expected to be
brought before prosecutors on Monday, defense lawyer Abdulkarim bin Haider said.
Several hundred Shiites held a protest outside the secret service headquarters,
south of Kuwait City, where Maatouq is detained. The crowds dispersed peacefully
after hundreds of Special Forces were called in.
The two former MPs in custody are Abdulmohsen Jamal, who turned himself in on
Sunday, and Nasser Sorkhouh who was arrested last Tuesday. Also in custody is
municipal councilor Fadhel Safar. The crackdown on Shiite activists follows a
rally last month to mourn Hizbullah military commander Imad Mughniyeh, who was
killed in a car bombing in Damascus Feb. 12. However, Haidar said prosecutors
did not question the suspects about the rally but instead focused their
questioning on allegations that they joined a previously unknown group the
authorities say is called Hizbullah Kuwait, which is believed to be linked to
Lebanon's Hizbullah.
"They accused them of joining Hizbullah Kuwait to spread ideas for the
destruction of the basic foundations of the society through illegal means, which
amounts to overthrowing the government," the lawyer said. "They were also
accused of spreading false reports that weaken Kuwait's foreign position,"
Haider added.
So far, seven activists have been questioned. All have denied the accusations.
Formal charges will only be pressed when prosecutors have completed their
inquiries.
Haider said most of the suspects were questioned and cleared of similar
accusations about two decades ago at the height of the 1980-88 war between then
Sunni-dominated Iraq and Shiite Iran. The rally and subsequent arrests have
fuelled sectarian tensions in this oil-rich Gulf state where about a third of
the citizen population of one million are Shiites.(AFP-Naharnet) Beirut, 10 Mar
08, 09:27
Presidential Election Postponed to March 25
Naharnet/House Speaker Nabih Berri on Monday postponed a parliament session to
elect Lebanon's new president to March 25 amid no signs of a breakthrough in the
ongoing political crisis. Berri's spokesman Ali Hamdan said the Speaker has
decided to postpone the session to Tuesday, March 25 at noon (1000 GMT.
The postponement was the 16th time since September that a vote to elect a
successor to pro-Syrian President Emile Lahoud has been put amid a standoff
between Prime Minister Fouad Saniora's government and the Syrian- and
Iranian-backed opposition, spearheaded by Hizbullah. Parliament was scheduled to
meet Tuesday. Some Arab states blame Syria and its Lebanese allies, particularly
Hizbullah, for the presidential deadlock. In January, Arab foreign ministers --
including Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem -- unanimously adopted a
three-point Arab League plan to end Lebanon's political impasse.The plan calls
for the election of Army commander Gen. Michel Suleiman as Lebanon's next
president, formation of a national unity government and adoption of a new
election law. Syria fears that a poor showing at the Arab Summit scheduled in
Damascus March 29-30 will further isolate President Bashar al-Assad's regime,
already accused of interfering in Lebanon. Beirut, 10 Mar 08, 12:01
March 14 to Launch its 1st Conference on Friday
Naharnet/The March 14 coalition announced on Monday it was
launching its first conference at the Beirut International Exhibition and
Leisure Center (BIEL) on March 14. The conference under the title "The Spring of
Lebanon 2008," aims at reaffirming March 14's "existence and spirit," MP Ghazi
Youssef said at a press conference held at Beirut's Bristol Hotel. "It is high
time for us to meet on the 14th and put forth our vision for building a solid,
peaceful democracy in Lebanon," he said. Beirut, 10 Mar 08, 11:24
Israeli Operation on Gaza Could Lead to New War with Hizbullah
Naharnet/Israeli intelligence agencies cautioned that a wide-scale offensive by
the Jewish state on the Gaza Strip would likely lead to an outbreak of violence
with Hizbullah, as was the case in 2006. "If Israel launches a broad operation
in Gaza, that could lead to violence on other fronts, most notably from
Hizbullah," a senior official quoted intelligence chiefs as telling the weekly
Israeli cabinet meeting on Sunday. Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, however,
ruled out the possibility of a new Israeli assault against Lebanon. In
remarks published by the daily As Safir on Monday, Berri stressed the need for a
"swift" solution to the ongoing political crisis in Lebanon. He also assured the
Lebanese that renewal of "sectarian strife" was impossible.
The Israeli official said that arch-foe Iran and its controversial nuclear
program remain the main threat seen by Israel, while rocket fire from Hamas-run
Gaza is the most active front it is facing. "The main strategic threats are from
Iran through its nuclear program and the pivotal role it is playing as a leader
of the radical axis in the Arab and Muslim world," the official quoted the
annual report as saying. The Islamic republic, whose President Mahmoud
Ahmadinejad has repeatedly called for Israel to be wiped off the map, is also
increasing its cooperation with other foes Syria, Lebanon's Hizbullah and
Palestinian militant groups, he said.
In late June 2006, Israel launched a major operation in Gaza after militants
tunneled out of the coastal strip and seized a soldier in a deadly raid.
Two weeks later, Hizbullah seized two soldiers in a separate deadly cross-border
raid in Israel's north, leading the Jewish state to launch a massive 34-day
offensive inside Lebanon. Its stated aims were to recover the soldiers and halt
rocket attacks into northern Israel. Neither was achieved.
Sunday's assessment comes just days after a Palestinian gunman shot dead eight
students, mostly teenagers, at a Jewish theological school. The attack on
Thursday was the deadliest in the Holy City since February 2004. Israeli police
on Sunday remained on a state of alert, while the army maintained a closure of
the West Bank that it imposed after the shooting. In the wake of the attack, a
hardline minister called for the revocation of the residency permits of the
family of the man who carried out the attack, a Palestinian from east Jerusalem
with the blue Israeli identity card that allowed him free movement across the
country.
"We should pass a resolution or change the law if necessary so that the family
of anyone who carries out an attack... should have their residency permit
immediately revoked and their homes destroyed," Eli Yishai, trade and industry
minister from the ultra-Orthodox Shas party, said in a statement.
During the annual intelligence assessment, the head of the Shin Beth internal
security services said that 25 Arab Israelis had been arrested in 2007 over
suspected links to militant groups in the West Bank.
Israel's Prime Minister Ehud Olmert had linked the deadly gun attack on
Jerusalem's theological school with rocket firing into Israel from the Gaza
Strip.
"There is a direct link between the firing of rockets and the attack," Olmert
said. "In both cases the terrorists, which belong to Hamas or another
organization of assassins, have the goal of making life impossible. But they
will not reach it," he vowed. Olmert said Israel had already demonstrated "its
dissuasive capacity against Hamas" as it had against Hizbullah in Lebanon,
pointing to the relative peace along the Lebanese border since the end of the
summer 2006 conflict.(AFP-Naharnet) Beirut, 10 Mar 08, 08:13
Moussa Sounds Alarm, Egypt Points Obstruction Finger at
Syria's Allies
Naharnet/Arab League chief Amr Moussa has said the continued
presidential vacuum will worsen the political situation in Lebanon as Egypt
urged Syria to convince its Lebanese allies to help solve Beirut's crisis. "The
delay in electing a president will increase political tension" in Lebanon,
Moussa said Sunday, adding that the election of a new head of state will help
solve several local, Arab and regional issues.
He stressed that "it was not a good time to discuss about candidates for the
premiership" and that "legislative consultations based on the constitution
decide this matter."He said current discussions with bickering Lebanese
politicians are only focusing on the election of a new head of state and
"probably the general make-up of the (future) cabinet."Meanwhile, Egyptian
Foreign Ministry Spokesman Hussam Zaki hinted that the Hizbullah-led opposition
was obstructing Arab efforts to help solve Lebanon's political deadlock.
"Syria's stance towards finding a way out of the Lebanese crisis is basic and
fundamental. Syria has said that it has friendly ties (with Lebanon) and has
allies" there, Zaki told Future TV. "Those allies had stances that developed and
which were not responsive enough. While the majority (adopted) welcoming
stands," Zaki said. "We hope that Syria continues in its role of non-stop
discussion with its allies to convince them into accepting the Arab effort," he
told the TV network. "Syria might have made an effort but it is a minor attempt
which requires intense dialogue and persuasion and real effort with the parties
that have ties with Syria so that they accept" the Arab initiative, Zaki said.
Beirut, 10 Mar 08, 05:54
Sfeir calls on politicians to end 'adventures'
By Maroun Khoury
Daily Star correspondent
Monday, March 10, 2008
BKIRKI: Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Butros Sfeir blamed local politicians for
the numerous "adventures" they have been embarking the Lebanese on in his Sunday
sermon at Notre Dame Church in Bkirki. "Some of us have been hungry for bread
since the country has been going through a depression" the prelate said.
He then asked how many people, nowadays, "worship" someone other than God,
referring to the cult of political figures in Lebanon. Sfeir ended his sermon by
demanding an end to these "adventures."
Following the Mass, Sfeir received a number of social and religious figures from
around the country. He also met with a delegation of Civil Defense volunteers
who have been working for seven years within the Civil Defense without being
considered permanent employees by the directorate.
"We ask of the government to recognize you, as you sacrifice your lives in order
to help people ... and represent an essential element for the country in these
hard times" Sfeir told the delegation, assuring his guests that he will be
talking about this problem to the specific authorities.
In separate events, the vice president of the Higher Shiite Council, Sheikh
Abdel-Amir Qabalan, gave a speech celebrating women for International Women's
Day, celebrated on Sunday. He invited women to "attain [their] position as
perfect mothers, righteous sisters and good daughters."
Qabalan also stressed the importance for women to get the right education and
jobs in the "right environment ... so she can help men reinforce the society."
In addition, he stressed the importance for women to raise sons who would
eventually become the "pillars of a healthy society."
He also denounced exploitation of the female figure as "advertising material
making her lose her chastity and purity.""On this day, women should go back to
those who preceded them and learn from them... in order to become examples of
chastity, purity, patience, sacrifice and honor" he said.
Qabalan asked all Lebanese mothers to teach their children the love of their
country as well as openness to others, so that "Lebanon can remain the country
of togetherness and national unity."
Ban informs Siniora
preparations under way for Hariri tribunal
Syria blasts lack of criticism of Israeli violations in UN report
Daily Star staff-Monday, March 10, 2008
BEIRUT: UN chief Ban Ki-Moon informed Prime Minister Fouad Siniora during a
phone conversation Saturday that preparations for the international tribunal to
try suspects in the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri
were under way. Ban also told Siniora that during the last few days, a UN
administrative committee has inspected a potential site for the tribunal in the
Netherlands.
An-Nahar newspaper quoted well-informed sources as saying on Sunday that there
were widespread expectations that the next two months would see an announcement
of the composition of the tribunal. Justice Minister Charles Rizk renewed his
support for the international tribunal and said he expected positive
developments soon. Rizk said following a meeting with US Charge d'Affaires
Michele Sison on Friday that the clearest indication of the tribunal's progress
was the general recognition of the trial as a fait accompli by all sides in
Lebanon. He also insisted that the court was not a political tool against any
particular regime.
Sison in turn said that the rule of law and judicial administration were crucial
to the development of democracy and governance in any society.
"I congratulate Minister Rizk and the legitimate government in Lebanon for
setting up such cooperation and productive coordination over the next few
years," Sison added. In separate developments, Damascus replied to Ban's recent
report on the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701 by asking
the Security Council to inquire into the "almost daily" Israeli "violations of
the international resolution." Syria called for appropriate punishment of such
defiance of the will of the international community.
In February Ban accused Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah of having
threatened "open war" on Israel in the sixth report on Resolution 1701, which
covers the period from October 2007 until the present time. He said the
"threats" went against "the spirit and intentions of Resolution 1701, which
aimed at achieving a lasting cease-fire." Nasrallah said during a speech after
the assassination of top Hizbullah commander Imad Mughniyeh that if Israel
wanted "open war," the resistance was ready. In a letter from Syria's permanent
representative to the UN, Bashar al-Jaafari, Damascus said that the Security
Council had not once held Israel accountable for "Lebanese complaints of
violation," despite calls from countries that are active members in the
council."
"On the other hand, [Ban's] report was rife with tendentious Israeli allegations
of weapon smuggling from Syria, despite the fact that the delegated commission
confirmed the absence of any such activity in recent months," Jaafari's letter
said.
Damascus questioned the United Nations' inability to "demand that Israel
implement the relevant international resolutions and end the occupation" of the
Shebaa Farms, the border town of Al-Ghajar and the Golan Heights. Jaafari also
noted that the Palestinian presence in Lebanon was "ruled by the Cairo Agreement
signed in 1969 between Lebanon and the Palestine Liberation Organization" and
said that Syria was in no way responsible for any imbalance between Lebanon and
Palestine, as all Palestinian refugee camps clearly fell inside Lebanese
territory. Jaafari added that Israel's refusal to provide maps of land mines and
cluster bombs planted in South Lebanon was a clear rebuttal of Security Council
resolutions. Syria called on the UN secretary general to demand absolute Israeli
withdrawal from the Lebanese village of Ghajar and respect for Lebanon's
sovereignty, "an Arab neighbor which has suffered so much external
interference."
Syria also commented on the deployment of US warships off the Lebanon coast. The
US initially deployed the USS Cole, which was relieved by the USS Ross and the
USS Philippine Sea in the Eastern Mediterranean last Wednesday. While Washington
said the deployment was a show of support for the "legitimate government," Syria
has deemed it a "threat to the stability of Lebanon." Syria said that the
deployment was another means of pressuring Syria.
Jaafari expressed Syria's desire to establish good relations with Lebanon and
asked the UN secretary general to promote healthy ties rather than "attempt to
fuel differences - and create new ones - which serve the interests of no one but
those who seek to harm the historical relations between the two brotherly
peoples and countries." - The Daily Star, with agencies
Lebanese Army denies extraditions to US
Daily Star staff-Monday, March 10, 2008
BEIRUT: The Lebanese Army Command denied on Sunday media rumors "based on the
positions of some politicians and analysts" that the Lebanese Army had
surreptitiously extradited prisoners captured in Nahr al-Bared to the US. "No
handover of any of the detainees has happened outside the Lebanese judiciary,"
the statement said. The army added that the Nahr al-Bared arrests were performed
"under and in accordance" with Lebanese law. - The Daily Star
Lebanon set to delay presidential vote again
By Hussein Abdallah -Daily Star staff
Monday, March 10, 2008
BEIRUT: Both government and opposition MPs said Sunday that they expect
Lebanon's oft-postponed presidential vote, scheduled to take place in Parliament
on Tuesday, to be delayed for a 16th time. The country has been without a head
of state since Emile Lahoud stepped down at the end of his term, extended under
Syrian pressure in 2004, at midnight on November 23. "Tuesday's session, like
all previous sessions that were scheduled, will be delayed," opposition
Hizbullah MP Hassan Hoballah told AFP. MP Wael Bou Faour of the ruling March 14
Forces coalition made a similar prediction - and accused the opposition of
blocking a solution, especially mediation by Arab League chief Amr Moussa, under
orders from Damascus.
"The election is tied to a political agreement. I do not expect a session on
Tuesday because the same obstacles remain," he said. "The Syrian regime is
increasing its demands as occurred with Amr Moussa during his recent visit.
"There are efforts under way from an Arab party," the legislator added, "but
until now it is still impossible."Moussa has made several trips to Lebanon to
try to break the impasse between the majority, backed by the West and most Arab
states, and the opposition, backed by Syria and Iran. His efforts have failed
thus far, although the Arab initiative is still on the table.
Local press reports on Saturday said Moussa was not planning to visit Beirut
again any time soon. But Sports and Youth Minister Ahmad Fatfat said there was a
slight chance Lebanon would elect a president on March 25. He told The Daily
Star Sunday that his prediction was not based on his own personal analysis.
"It is more than that. It is based on information" from sources close to Speaker
Nabih Berri, Fatfat said. The speaker's media adviser, Ali Hamdan, was less
optimistic."We wish Fatfat's prophecy would come true," Hamdan told The Daily
Star.
Nonetheless, he said there was hope that progress would be achieved during the
upcoming summit of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC), scheduled
for Thursday and Friday in Senegal. "Iran, Syria, Saudi Arabia and other Arab
states will be present in the summit. It will be a chance for them to hold some
talks, which might result in a breakthrough," Hamdan explained. He added that
possible talks during the OIC event might also help ensure that the Arab League
summit, scheduled for March 29 and 30 in Damascus, would not be a disaster.
Meanwhile, the saudi-owned Al-Hayat daily quoted Arab diplomatic sources as
saying that Iran wants "organized vacuum in Lebanon" by leaving the presidency
empty until the 2009 parliamentary polls."The Iranians prefer to delay Lebanon's
presidential election to after a new US president is elected," the sources said.
The current occupant of the White House, George W. Bush, leaves office in
January 2009 Also Sunday, a Syrian delegation delivered an invitation to
regional powerhouse Saudi Arabia to join the Damascus summit, the kingdom's
official Saudi Press Agency said. The invitation, which was delivered to Saudi
Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal, had been slow to come amid strained ties
between Riyadh and Damascus over the deep political crisis in Lebanon.
Lebanon is yet to be invited to the Damascus summit. Syrian Foreign Minister
Walid Moallem has said that Lebanon will be invited, but he has not specified
how and when the invitation will be delivered.
Earlier reports said the invitation would be handed over to Lebanon's
representative at the Arab League, but Prime Minister Fouad Siniora said last
week that the invitation should be formally delivered by a Syrian minister to
the Lebanese government in Beirut. Moallem and his Iranian counterpart,
Manouchehr Mottaki, discussed the situation in Lebanon at Damascus airport on
Saturday, the official Syrian Arab News Agency said.
Mottaki discussed the same issues with Prince Saud at Cairo's airport last
Wednesday. Moallem and Mottaki were joined by Omani Foreign Minister Youssef bin
Alawi and Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassem to discuss these and
other matters in Damascus on Saturday.
Siniora also discussed the latest developments on Lebanon's political scene with
Moussa and Saudi Ambassador Abdel Aziz Khoja on Sunday.
Also on Sunday, Progressive Socialist Party leader and March 14 stalwart Walid
Jumblatt discussed the latest developments in Lebanon and the region with US
Charge d'Affaires Michele Sison. - With AFP
Forbes lists 10 Lebanese among world's billionaires
Daily Star staff-Monday, March 10, 2008
BEIRUT: Forbes magazine's annual survey of the world's billionaires for 2008
included on its list 10 persons of Lebanese descent, among them six members of
the family of assassinated former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, two members of
the Mikati family, as well as cousins Said Khoury and Hassib Sabbagh, as
reported by Lebanon This Week, the economic publication of the Byblos Bank
Group. The survey ranked the leader of the parliamentary majority, MP Saad
HaririSaad-Hariri-Profile Sep-07 , in 334th place with an estimated fortune of
$3.3 billion, up from 407th place and $2.3 billion in 2007, followed by his
brother Bahaa Hariri in 349th place with a fortune of $3.2 billion, up from
432nd place and $2.2 billion. Forbes said the Hariri family's wealth is derived
from investments in Saudi Arabia and many other countries in Europe, Africa and
the Middle East in banking, real estate, tourism, telecommunications and media.
Former Prime Minister Najib Mikati and his brother Taha Mikati ranked in 446th
place with a net worth of $2.6 billion each, down from 407th place but up from
$2.3 billion each in 2007. The magazine said the Mikati brothers made their
fortune in telecommunications and have large holdings in the sector.
Ayman Hariri and his brother Fahd Hariri, the late Rafik Hariri's youngest sons,
came in 524th place with $2.3 billion each, up from 618th place and $1.6 billion
each last year. The late premier's widow Nazek ranked in 843rd place with a
fortune of $1.4 billion, up from 891st place and $1 billion in 2007, while her
daughter Hind came in 1,014th place with a fortune of $1.1 billion. According to
Forbes, that makes Hind Hariri the world's youngest billionaire.
This year's list included two newcomers from Lebanon who are the founders of the
Consolidated Contractors Company (CCC), one of the largest construction firms in
the Arab world. Saeed Khoury ranked in 962nd place with a net worth of $1.2
billion and his cousin Hasib Sabbagh came in 1062nd place with $1 billion.
The Forbes 2008 list of the world's richest people also included a list of
billionaires of Lebanese decent, including Carlos Slim Helu, Joseph Safra, and
Nicholas Hayek among others. The wealthiest man in the Middle East is Saudi
Prince Al-waleed bin Talal, who ranked in 19th place worldwide with $21 billion,
while the richest man in the world is American investor Warren Buffet with a
fortune of $62 billion, replacing Microsoft founder Bill Gates, who lost the top
spot for the first time in 13 years. - The Daily Star
Toward Changing the Rules of Conflict
Abdullah Iskandar
Al-Hayat - 09/03/08//
While the background of the attack on the Zionist religious institute in West
Jerusalem is yet to be known, signals from Israeli media and others leaked by
Hezbollah's media in Lebanon indicate that the conflict with Israel has entered
a new phase.
Despite the variation in views, the attack was seen as the outcome of an
intersection of resistance forces in Palestine, Lebanon, and the Arabs of 1948,
along with and material, logistic, and political support from Damascus and
Tehran.
Hezbollah's media was the first to call attention to this intersection when it
attributed the attack to the "Phalanxes of the Free People of Galilee-Martyr
Mughniyya and Martyrs of Gaza Group," in a direct reference to the fact that the
tripartite circle is complete.
The Israeli media, which usually relies on intelligence and military evaluations
on security matters, picked this reference to extensively discuss Hezbollah's
role and its regional dimensions, The discussions also pointed at the point that
targeting an ancient religious-political symbol in the Hebrew State, especially
in West Jerusalem, represents a response to bombing Syrian targets by the
Israeli air force and the assassination of Imad Mughniyya in Damascus. The
Israeli media also made significant discussions of the financing provided by
Iran to resistance activities inside Israel, whether through Hezbollah or Hamas
and their networks.
In other words, the issue is no longer about multiple-track negotiations as set
by the Madrid Conference on the principle of Land for Peace. Rather it is a
holistic confrontation inside and around Israel that goes away with the theory
that negotiation tracks cannot be controlled by their opponents.
The timing of the attack also supports such conclusions. It came in light of the
bloody Israeli campaign against the Gaza Strip and the consequential calls for
self-restraint on the one hand and calls for accelerating the negotiations on
the Palestinian track on the other. It concurred with an inter-Arab debate on
the Arab Summit and diverging Arab positions on the usefulness of maintaining
the Arab peace initiative and on the Lebanese crisis. It also came after the
border crossings crisis between Egypt and the Gaza Strip shifted the blockade
problem to the Egyptian side and forced the Egyptian involvement in the crisis
amidst a growing popular solidarity campaign supporting the people of Gaza and
opposing the peace process with Israel.
Simply put, the West Jerusalem operation showed that there is an ongoing attempt
to overturn the rules of engagement in the Arab-Israeli-conflict. Ehud Olmert's
government does not seem to be harmed by this attempt, especially given its
tough stance in the negotiations with the Palestinian Authority and its
continued aggressive stance toward the Palestinians in general, and the Gaza
Strip in particular. As a matter of fact, this government may now be in need of
changing its priorities to face international pressures calling for necessary
compromises to launch the peace process with the Palestinians and the American
pressures that aim at earning President Bush some of the credibility he is
hoping to achieve before his term in office expires.
On the other hand, given that its allies in Lebanon, Palestine and Iraq possess
the military and financial capabilities amidst the American confusion on the
military and political fronts in the region, the Syrian -Iranian alliance
believes the circumstances are adequate for changing the conditions and rules
that were set for the Arab-Israeli peace since the Oslo process and to end the
Palestinian negotiation track that was established according to these conditions
and rules. Hence, just as the Oslo process took the keys to the conflict out of
Syrian and Iranian hands, ending the Palestinian peace track would enable these
two sides to retrieve the keys to the conflict.
It is in this context that Damascus's announcement that it insists on holding
the Arab summit as scheduled and with whoever attends can be understood. As
Syria presides over the summit for the next year, this will be the opportunity
to claim the fruits of its efforts. This explains why Damascus dubbed it the
Palestine summit par excellence, that is, a summit to confirm the new Lebanese,
Palestinian, Syrian and Iranian dimensions of the conflict based on the
resistance and its culture. This also explains the lack of enthusiasm to resolve
the Lebanese presidential crisis on the eve of the summit, before it, and
perhaps after it. Given its domestic circumstances, Lebanon so far offers better
conditions than other Arab countries to remain an open arena for this culture
and a point of intersection that eliminates the rules of engagement set by the
Madrid Conference