LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
ِApril 18/2010

Bible Of the Day
Matthew 5:23 & 24: “If therefore you are offering your gift at the altar, and there remember that your brother has anything against you, 5:24 leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift."

Free Opinions, Releases, letters, Interviews & Special Reports
Lebanon, a hostage of SCUDs/By: Hanin Ghaddar/April 17, 10

The Iran Pretense/Obama's diplomacy depends on Iran's goodwill/BY Stephen F. Hayes/April 17/10
Reform Dialogue to address chronic woes/Daily Star/April 17/10
Toe belonging to Tutankhamun's father returns to Egypt/By Shlomo Fischer/April 17/10

Latest News Reports From Miscellaneous Sources for April 17/10
Al-Hayat: Lebanese Presidency Circles Told France that Cutting STL Funds Helps in Preventing Unrest in Lebanon/Naharnet
Maronite Bishop Rahi says cabinet should control Hezbollah’s arsenal/Now Lebanon
Geagea Says LF 1st Defender of Lebanese State against Hijacking its Strategic Decision by Internal, External Forces/Naharnet
UNIFIL Accuses Lebanon of Violating Blue Line as Beirut Rejects Recognizing it in Abbasiyeh/Naharnet

Khoury comments on various Lebanese-Syrian agreements/Now Lebanon
France accuses Iran of shunning dialogue on nuclear program/AFP
Two arrested in wake of dispute among Majdalyoun locals/Daily Star
10 Wounded in Army Clashes with Jaafar Clan/Naharnet
Von Hebel Says STL Determined to Achieve Justice Despite Fears of Violence/Naharnet

Travel chaos as cloud of ash drifts over Europe/Daily Star
Southern Lebanese remove barbed wire installed by Israel along technical fence/Daily Star
Security and Defense: On the brink?/Jerusalem Post
US sources say unclear of Syria sent Scuds to Lebanon/Ynetnews
SYRIA: Damascus denies Israeli allegations it transferred Scuds to Hezbollah/Los Angeles Times (blog)
Lebanon: No Comment on Missiles/New York Times
Syria, Lebanon, Iraq back Iran nuclear program/iloubnan.info
Lebanon: Hezbollah supporters amassing along Israeli border/Ynetnews
Hariri tribunal official says justice necessary/The Associated Press
Analysis: Israel fears US wants to impose peace/The Associated Press
Iran supreme leader: Islam forbids use of nuclear weapons/Ha'aretz
Nicolas threatens to unveil alleged fraud at MEA/Daily Star
Lebanon at early stage of developing information society - ESCWA/Daily Star
Non-residents buying bulk of Lebanese real estate/Daily Star  
Sfeir to take Imam Musa Sadr case to Vatican/Daily Star  
Aoun on the fight against drugs/Now Lebanon
Torsarkissian: FPM cannot impose conditions on candidate list/Now Lebanon
Lebanon, Syria, Iraq back Iran’s nuclear program/Now Lebanon
Gemayel Surprised by Aoun's Preference of Hizbullah's Arms over the Army's/Naharnet
Jumblat Returns from Syria, Calls for Facing Conspiracy of Fragmenting Region/Naharnet

Al-Hayat: Lebanese Presidency Circles Told France that Cutting STL Funds
/Naharnet/Helps in Preventing Unrest in Lebanon
Circles close to the Lebanese presidency have voiced their fears to a visiting French Foreign Ministry delegation that the repercussions of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon may destabilize the country, according to the pan-Arab al-Hayat daily. These circles hinted that the best way to avoid the possible unrest lies in having donor countries stop their funding for the tribunal, al-Hayat added.The delegation's visit occurred amid the intense circulation by Lebanese dailies of reports about the STL interrogating members from Hizbullah and the later televised interview of Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah during which he confirmed that "witnesses" from Hizbullah had collaborated with the tribunal, the thing that contributed to playing down speculations. The tribunal's administrative committee is expected to meet in the fall to discuss the tribunal's budget. Lebanon is supposed to provide 51 percent of the budget, with the donor states providing the rest. These states have voiced their readiness to continue with their funding, according to al-Hayat. Beirut, 17 Apr 10, 11:50

Geagea Says LF 1st Defender of Lebanese State against Hijacking its Strategic Decision by Internal, External Forces

Naharnet/Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea on Friday stressed that "the LF has never been the outcome of temporary situations." Speaking at the launch of the Preparatory Seminar Workshop for the First Conference of the Lebanese Forces, Geagea said: "We will make April 16 a milestone along a long historical path, which is being organized according to clear and civilized foundations in order to rise to the challenges of the future and its horizons." "The Lebanese Forces are the forces of March 14 and the forces of the Cedar Revolution and its spearhead," Geagea addressed his party members. "The LF has been given the honor of preserving the heritage of the resistance and it has been given, along with others, the honor of defending freedom and independence," he added. Geagea called on his comrades to be the defenders of the Lebanese State "in shadow of the hijacking of Lebanon's strategic decision by some of the internal and external forces." Beirut, 16 Apr 10, 18:22


Rahi says cabinet should control Hezbollah’s arsenal

April 17, 2010 /Maronite Bishop Bechara al-Rahi told the Voice of Lebanon radio station on Saturday that the cabinet should have control over Hezbollah’s weapons arsenal.
The bishop voiced concern over the party’s armament, and called for a unanimous decision regarding the general use of weapons in Lebanon. Rahi also said that contentious issues should be discussed in state institutions guarded by the constitution, not in alternative forums like the national dialogue. -NOW Lebanon

Lebanon, Syria, Iraq back Iran’s nuclear program

April 17, 2010 /The foreign ministers of Lebanon, Syria and Iraq backed Iran's atomic program on Saturday at the opening of a two-day nuclear disarmament conference hosted by Tehran.
"We back Iran for pursuing peaceful nuclear technology," said Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Mouallem in a speech, according to the ISNA news agency. Lebanon’s Foreign Affairs minister, Ali Shami, said Iran was seeking "nuclear energy for peaceful aims and it was not deviating from the treaty," the official IRNA news agency reported. Iraqi FM Hoshyar Zebari said that his country rejects any threat against Iran and insists on Iran's rights to use peaceful nuclear energy. The three ministers also insisted that Israel be stripped of its nuclear arsenal and join the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). According to Mouallem, Israel is the major threat in the Middle East. Israel must join the treaty and take quick steps to destroy its nuclear weapons, which number over 200 warheads, he added. Shami said there is more need to strip Israel of its nuclear arsenal as the international community is aware of its nuclear weapons capability. The Israeli regime has defiantly declared it will use these weapons whenever it wants, he added. He called on Israel to join the NPT without any conditions. He warned against the danger of using the atomic weapons because they are not inspected. Zebari said Israel must allow UN inspectors in to its nuclear facilities, the state television website said.

Qassem says Scud missile claim is distraction tactic by Israel, US

April 17, 2010
Hezbollah Deputy Secretary General Sheikh Naim Qassem told As-Sharq al-Awsat newspaper in an interview published on Saturday that Israel’s claim earlier in the week that Syria is supplying Scud missiles to Hezbollah is just a distraction tactic being orchestrated by Israel and the US. Qassem said the two countries are trying to divert attention away from their tense relationship, Israel’s nuclear arms and the situation in Jerusalem and the West Bank. According to Qassem, “intensified Israeli actions along the Lebanese-Israeli border” are aimed at acquiring Lebanese land and turning the focus away from Israel’s daily breaches of Lebanese airspace.
“The Resistance is entitled to be powerful,” Qassem said. Referring to reports that Hezbollah increased its arms cache and members following the 2006 July War, Qassem said Hezbollah is comfortable with managing its situation and preparing to confront a possible Israeli attack. The role of the national dialogue is to look for the means and methods Lebanon can use to deter Israel, he added. Qassem said Hezbollah was founded on the notion that Lebanon needs to be defended. He said the party’s cooperation with the Lebanese army is enough to protect the country from Israeli occupation and from “paying heavy political prices.”
In response to critics who say Hezbollah should not be allowed to hold arms, Qassem said the “popular majority,” Prime Minister Saad Hariri, President Michel Sleiman and Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblatt, support the Resistance. He also cited the Ministerial Statement’s clause on the Resistance, army and people.
Hezbollah’s relationship with Hariri needs to be developed further, Qassem said. The party is holding ongoing deliberations with the PM, he added, citing recent meetings to reach an agreement on the annual state budget. Qassem said that Lebanon has reached a new phase on the local, regional and international levels. The first indication of this began with the 2008 Doha Accord, according to Qassem, and was further developed with the election of a president by consensus and through the 2009 parliamentary elections. The US is burdened with its mistakes in Iraq, Afghanistan, Lebanon and Palestine, while the resistance in Lebanon and Palestine is growing stronger, Qassem said. Hezbollah’s deputy secretary general said that the international approach to Syria, and the perception of its power, is different now. Additionally, the international approach to Lebanon has changed, Qassem said.“At this stage, Hezbollah feels more reassured than ever,” he added.
-NOW Lebanon

Lebanon, a hostage of SCUDs

Hanin Ghaddar,
April 17, 2010
Now Lebanon
A war between Israel and Hezbollah is “imminent” according to Jordanian King Abdullah II. Perhaps the statement itself is not that revealing, as similar warnings and threats of an imminent war have been made in the past year. But it is the timing of the statement that raises serious concerns that Lebanon seems to be the most fragile factor in the equation.
King Abdullah made his remarks during President Barack Obama's nuclear summit in Washington, immediately after Israeli President Shimon Peres accused Syria of supplying SCUD missiles to Hezbollah. The United States has voiced grave concern about the possible transfer of the missiles, warning that this not only might put Lebanon at significant risk, but also represent a failure by parties in the region to honor UN Security Council Resolution 1701.
Lebanon, being the country that should be the most concerned with a likely war, seems to be the most helpless in dealing with the threat. Governed by a so-called “national unity government” the reality is that Hezbollah is the only decision maker when it comes to matters of war and peace. In the meantime, Lebanon acts as a mailbox for messages between the West, Israel, Syria and Iran.
Can the Lebanese state do anything at all to regain control of its destiny?
It was certainly embarrassing to watch Lebanese leaders at Wednesday’s national dialogue session discussing the national defense strategy. There was really nothing to say or do; the statements from Damascus, Tel Aviv and Washington do not address the Lebanese state, damning proof that Lebanon is not in control of the crisis. All the discussions proved is that talking about Hezbollah’s arms is futile. The sad conclusion is that Lebanon is being treated as a failed state without being officially declared one.
So while Lebanese leaders were busy playing football on the 35th anniversary of the civil war, it appears another war is in the making. Whether the missiles have actually been transferred or whether the Israeli accusation was just an attempt to thwart Obama’s policy of openness with the Syrian regime, the threats are still valid. Israel can use them as a pretext to launch another war on Hezbollah (assuming Iran doesn’t preempt a war to divert attention away from the upcoming sanctions that may be imposed on it).
The Israeli accusations could also be part of a political agenda to hamper Obama’s peace plan. Or they could be used to distract the international community’s attention from more pressing issues, such as the building of settlements in East Jerusalem and Israel’s new measures to evict Palestinians from the West Bank.
In any case, war is a strong and looming possibility, and the only way Lebanon can avert the threat is to sort out its internal problems and focus all its attention on an international diplomatic campaign to show that one, Lebanon is genuinely concerned with developments, and two, convey to the international community the consequences of such a war on Lebanon and the region.
All other pending issues, such as security appointments, the state budget, and the small-minded campaign against President Michel Sleiman, the Internal Security Forces and Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea, should be either resolved or abandoned.
Furthermore, Hezbollah should make an official statement regarding the SCUD missiles, declaring that it has received them or not. Random statements made by “sources close to Hezbollah” to regional newspapers such as the one published by the Kuwaiti Al-Rai this week are simply not good enough.
And all the while Lebanon remains silent, despite the fact that the country is in serious peril. The government may have been imposed on the country but Hezbollah is part of it. The party can’t have it both ways by choosing to remain a shady autonomous entity whenever it wants. Israel will use the fact that it is part of the state to hold the Lebanese government responsible for any future war with Hezbollah. The president recently stated that he would do anything he can to protect the Resistance, while the head of the army and the defense minister have both encouraged coordination with the Resistance. But it is Hezbollah’s stubbornness that has seen the dialogue on a national defense strategy fail spectacularly. And what has been the price paid for this willingness to cooperate? It is simple: As far as the West is concerned, Lebanon’s military institutions and leaders have all endorsed Hezbollah and its arms. If war, as King Abdullah has predicted, is imminent, all of Lebanon will be involved. It is no secret that the Lebanese state is hostage to one party. If Hezbollah really wants to spare Lebanon from a war that would destroy its land, population and infrastructure, the party should act responsibly and put its arms and expertise at the disposal of the Lebanese state. By empowering Lebanese institutions and working under a national authority, Lebanon might be salvaged and no longer be considered a failed state. But so far, Hezbollah has only shown mistrust of the state and its army. In such a climate, Lebanon will have no choice but to wait for regional dynamics to play out, a scenario in which it will once again pay a high price.

Khoury comments on various Lebanese-Syrian agreements

April 17, 2010 /Lebanon to date has not commented on the joint security agreement signed in the 1990s between Beirut and Damascus, Secretary General of the Higher Lebanese-Syrian Council Nasri Khoury told LBCI television on Saturday. Syria has nothing to say on the treaty and considers it valid, he added. Khoury commented on another bilateral agreement, on mutual exemption of air transport charges, saying it expired and is up for revision. He also said that Justice Minister Ibrahim Najjar recently suggested an accord to exchange convicts who are not in their country of citizenship between the two countries. He added that Syria approved the proposal, although he did not elaborate further. -NOW Lebanon

Torsarkissian: FPM cannot impose conditions on candidate list

April 17, 2010 /In a reference to the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM), Lebanon First bloc MP Serge Torsarkissian told MTV television on Saturday that the Beirut MPs will not allow the party that failed to be elected in the 2009 parliamentary elections to impose its conditions on the creation of a candidate list for municipal elections. Torsarkissian said deliberations with spiritual leaders and parties - including the Kataeb, the Lebanese Forces, the Henshag and the Tashnaq - over the selection of the 12 Christian candidates for Beirut’s municipal council have already begun. According to Torsarkissian, Minister of State Michel Pharaon is negotiating with the Tashnaq to reach an agreement over the council’s three Armenian seats. The Tashnaq cannot be separated from the FPM, he added, possibly referring to the two parties’ representation in Beirut’s municipal council. -NOW Lebanon

Aoun on the fight against drugs

April 17, 2010 /Change and Reform bloc leader MP Michel Aoun said on Saturday that Lebanon should not be a passageway or a base for drugs. He called for collective action to fight drugs in Lebanon. Every citizen should be an informant and report, without fear, suspected drug dealers, Aoun said. -NOW Lebanon

The Iran Pretense
Obama's diplomacy depends on Iran's goodwill
BY Stephen F. Hayes
April 26, 2010, Vol. 15, No. 30
On March 31, Admiral Mike Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, revealed that the U.S. military had discovered a “significant shipment” of arms from Iran to Afghanistan. Responding to a question at a press conference in Kabul, Mullen, the nation’s highest-ranking uniformed officer, said he was disturbed by Iran’s increasing influence in Afghanistan. “I was advised last night about a significant shipment of weapons, you know, from Iran into Kandahar not too long ago, for example.” How significant was the shipment? “I was taken aback,” Mullen said.
Any shipment of arms from Iran to Afghanistan is worrisome. But the timing of this one, shortly before the surge fighting shifts to Kandahar this summer, is particularly troubling. Mullen added that the Iranians’ “desire to be influential is increasing.”
Indeed. A week earlier, CNN reported that Iran was training Taliban fighters—in Iran. “We’ve known for some time that Iran has been a source for both materiel and trained fighters for Taliban elements in Afghanistan,” said Army Lieutenant Colonel Edward Sholtis.
Although the support from Iran is clearly growing, it is not new. Last fall, CBS reported that Iran had stepped up shipments of deadly EFPs (explosively formed penetrators) and armor-piercing bombs. “More worrying still,” the report continued, “U.S. intelligence believes Iran is supplying surface-to-air missiles to the Taliban—the very same weapon the United States supplied to the Afghan resistance to bring down the Russians.”
The level of Iranian support for the Afghan insurgency does not yet match the crucial support Iran has provided to Shiite militias and Sunni militant groups in Iraq. And the insurgency in Afghanistan would exist with or without Iranian backing. But Iran’s aggressive and deadly activity in Afghanistan is growing, and its support for insurgents in Iraq continues.
Iran is the only nation that is actively supporting the forces fighting against the United States in both places. This war—or proxy war—is not led by rogue elements of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard or military. It is directed by the Iranian government and approved at the highest levels. It is regime policy.
This shouldn’t be surprising. Iran has been designated for years by the State Department as the world’s leading state sponsor of terror. Tehran doesn’t hide its support for Hamas and Hezbollah. And it has long harbored senior al Qaeda leaders, including Osama bin Laden’s son.
All of which provokes two questions: Why doesn’t President Obama talk about Iran and terrorism? And why hasn’t this president, so quick to issue formal condemnations of Israeli apartment construction, ever once publicly rebuked Iran for arming and training those who are killing Americans?
Last week, world leaders gathered in Washington for a summit to address nuclear terrorism and proliferation. President Obama told them that nuclear terrorism is “one of the greatest threats to global security.” Iran—an active sponsor of terror now racing toward nuclear weapons—should have dominated the agenda. It didn’t. In fact, the most serious discussion of Iran came at the closing press conference, when reporters asked why it had been overlooked.
Clearly, talking about Iran and terrorism complicates Obama’s diplomacy. Since the first moments of his administration the president has chosen to believe that the Iranian regime might voluntarily give up its nuclear weapons program. To a great extent, his approach depends on maintaining that assumption.
It is hard to understand how Iran, in the context of its quiet war with the United States, will suddenly become a good faith negotiating partner on its nuclear program. And it becomes more difficult to pretend that the same Iranian leaders responsible for this aggression might willingly abandon a weapon that would instantly make their nation a regional superpower
For the past two months, administration officials have told reporters (on background) that China and Russia will eventually support sanctions. And each time, a representative of the Russians or the Chinese downplayed the claim and raised questions about the effectiveness or the desirability of tough sanctions. Or both. And two weeks ago, when reporters from the New York Times tried to get Obama to embrace Hillary Clinton’s description of the sanctions his administration was pursuing as “crippling,” he balked.
So the Obama administration, after allowing the mullahs to miss deadline after deadline while it waited for some sign of compromise, is no longer even pushing for tough sanctions. And Iran, its centrifuges spinning, continues to supply those who target Americans with impunity.This is not going to end well.—Stephen F. Hayes

Shami Backs Iran 'Peaceful' Program at Tehran Nuclear Disarmament Conference

Naharnet/Lebanon, Syria and Iraq backed Iran's atomic program on Saturday, which they said has "peaceful" aims, and insisted that Israel be stripped off its nuclear arsenal.
The foreign ministers of these three countries also stressed that Israel, the Middle East's sole but undeclared holder of a nuclear arsenal, must join the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).
In a speech at the opening of a two-day nuclear disarmament conference hosted by Tehran, Lebanese Foreign Minister Ali al-Shami said Iran was seeking "nuclear energy for peaceful aims and it was not deviating from the treaty," the official IRNA news agency reported. Shami said Israel needed to be "stripped" off its nuclear arsenal.
"There is more need to strip Israel off its nuclear arsenal, as the international community is aware of its nuclear weapons capability and that this regime has defiantly declared it will use these weapons whenever it wants," he said.
"Since the atomic weapons of the Zionist regime are not inspected, there is a danger of these weapons being used in future. This regime must join the NPT without any conditions."
For his part, Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem said: "We back Iran for pursuing peaceful nuclear technology." "The major threat in the region is Israel which has nuclear warheads. Israel must join this treaty and take quick steps to destroy its nuclear weapons which number over 200 warheads," Muallem said. And Hoshyar Zebari, foreign minister of former foe Iraq, said: "We reject any threat against Iran and insist on Iran's rights to use peaceful nuclear energy." The three leaders, however, strongly urged for Israel to join the NPT. Zebari said Israel must allow U.N. inspectors in to its nuclear facilities, the state television website said. Israel has not ruled out a military strike against Iran's nuclear facilities to stop its atomic program which the West suspects is aimed at making weapons. Tehran denies the charge.(Naharnet-AFP) Beirut, 17 Apr 10, 14:31

UNIFIL Accuses Lebanon of Violating Blue Line as Beirut Rejects Recognizing it in Abbasiyeh

Naharnet/UNIFIL has accused Lebanon of violating the Blue Line near the southern town of Abbasiyeh after residents removed Friday barbed wire and land mine signs set up by Israel earlier this week. An Nahar reported on Saturday that a number of residents crossed the Blue Line despite failed UNIFIL attempts to stop them and while the Israeli troops took combat positions. After removing the barbed wire, the residents, led by MP Qassem Hashem, placed two Lebanese flags on the Israeli side of the electronic fence. Lebanese military sources told As Safir newspaper that Lebanon does not recognize the segment of the Blue Line that was crossed by the residents at the Abasiyeh point because it was one of the disputed border points that Lebanon had voiced its reservations on after the Israeli withdrawal from the South in 2000. Andrea Tenenti, acting UNIFIL spokesman, said that at 10:45 Friday morning, twenty Abbasiyeh residents and MP Hashem crossed the Blue Line, penetrating 50 meters into to the area that witnessed Israeli activity earlier this week. After removing the barbed wire and signs, the residents placed the flags. Soon after, the Lebanese army persuaded the crowd to return to the Lebanese side of the border, added Tenenti. He continued that UNIFIL made the necessary calls to calm the concerned parties and avert unrest. UNIFIL's Chief of Staff Brig. Gen. Vincent Lafontaine commented on the incident, saying that no one needs any more tension in the region and stressing that U.N. peacekeepers are working on maintaining the calm. Meanwhile, after the residents left the area, an armored Israeli vehicle approached the fence and employed "two monkeys" to remove the Lebanese flags before withdrawing, according to An Nahar. Beirut, 17 Apr 10, 13:00

Jumblat Returns from Syria, Calls for Facing Conspiracy of Fragmenting Region

Naharnet/Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblat returned to Lebanon after a one-day visit to Syria, which he described as "positive."
"We discussed the need to keep up the confrontation against the conspiracy that is out to fragment Lebanon like it did in Iraq and Palestine," An Nahar daily on Saturday quoted Jumblat as saying. He added that "the Zionist plan aims at undermining any solidarity" that emerges among the countries of the region. During his trip, Jumblat met with the assistant of the Syrian Vice President, General Mohammed Nassif. Asharq al-Awsat newspaper on Saturday reported that Jumblat was accompanied on the trip by his son Timor and Transportation and Public Works Minister Ghazi Aridi. Jumblat told the newspaper that he also met with former Syrian Army Commander Hekmat al-Chehabi. Jumblat, Nassif, and Chehabi met over dinner during which they discussed current events in the region. Well-informed Syrian sources told Asharq al-Awsat that Syria has no comment on the trip, adding that future visits by the MP will be "regular and very normal." OTV revealed that Wafiq Safa, Head of Hizbullah's Coordination and Liaison Committee, accompanied Jumblat on his trip. Beirut, 17 Apr 10, 14:00

10 Wounded in Army Clashes with Jaafar Clan

Naharnet/Army clashes with the Jaafar clan in the eastern Lebanese city of Baalbek on Friday wounded 10 people, including five soldiers, a security official said.
An army patrol was fired upon by members of the Jaafar clan during a raid in the city's Sharawneh neighborhood to find fugitives in a court case, the official told Agence France Presse.
He said automatic weapons and RPGs were used in the exchange of fire. "Ten people were wounded -- five soldiers, four clan members and one passer-by," the security official said. A spokesman for the Lebanese military refused to give AFP a toll from the fighting, saying only: "We are continuing our raid on the area." A suspect in the incident of killing four soldiers in Bekaa's Riaq last year was reportedly among the wounded, according to An Nahar daily. On Friday, the army cordoned off all the routes into and out of Sharawneh, including the international highway at the Tal al-Abiad point on the northern outskirts of Sharawneh. LBC television reported that the army called in a commando regiment in order to besiege the Sharawneh neighborhood. The state-run National News Agency reported that the army declared the area a closed military zone and that soldiers started raiding the houses of the suspects. Beirut, 17 Apr 10, 16:01

Von Hebel Says STL Determined to Achieve Justice Despite Fears of Violence
Naharnet/The Acting Registrar of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, Herman Von Hebel, stressed that the investigation in the 2005 murder of ex-PM Rafik Hariri is making steady and positive progress. He told the Associated Press Friday, after a 5-day visit to Lebanon, that the tribunal is determined to achieve justice in spite of fears that the indictments may spark violent repercussions, adding that, in the long run, there can be no stability without justice. In an interview with An Nahar newspaper Saturday, von Hebel revealed that a witness protection program for the STL had been established. The witness protection program is very important because of the vital role the witnesses play in the work of the tribunal, An Nahar quoted von Hebel as saying. Commenting on reports that Hizbullah may have been involved in Hariri's assassination, he said that the tribunal is a judicial institution which only monitors what is being said in the newspapers and the political sphere without participating in it. He continued that the investigation is concerned with uncovering Hariri's murderers and it does get involved in the political discourse on this matter. Meanwhile, in an interview with As Safir newspaper on Friday, von Hebel said that any of those accused may bring up the issue of the tribunal's legitimacy and that STL's judges will address their concerns. However, von Hebel added that the system of the tribunal was agreed upon after thorough talks between Lebanon and the U.N. and therefore questioning its legitimacy will be very difficult through the judicial means.He also revealed that the courtroom where the trial will take place will be ready for use by next month, adding that it will be equipped with the highest technologies which are apt to guarantee the highest degree of efficacy for the judicial measures. Beirut, 17 Apr 10, 10:12

Gemayel Surprised by Aoun's Preference of Hizbullah's Arms over the Army's

Naharnet/Phalange Party leader Amin Gemayel on Friday criticized Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun's recent statements at Thursday's national dialogue session in which he threatened to withdraw from the talks if the issue of Hizbullah's arms was brought up for discussion. "It is surprising how the former army commander (Aoun) would overlook the role of the army and give a priority to illegitimate arms," he told al-Arabiyah television. He added: "It is unacceptable that a head of a parliamentary bloc who has his own ministers in cabinet would place such a condition at the national dialogue." Gemayel noted that the dialogue session was calm despite Aoun's statements. He said that the issue of the Palestinian arms outside the refugee camps in Lebanon was discussed during Thursday's session and that all sides were in agreement that the issue should be resolved. "All sides insisted on tackling it as soon as possible and that a proper mechanism should be reached so that the army may assume its role in those areas," he continued. He also revealed that Prime Minister Saad Hariri had brought up the issue of the Palestinian arms during his first meeting with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad during in Damascus. The Syrians were receptive of the idea and "voiced their readiness to deal with this issue," concluded Gemayel. Beirut, 16 Apr 10, 16:41