LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN

LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
March 17/2010

Bible Of the Day
Mark 6/47-52: "When evening had come, the boat was in the midst of the sea, and he was alone on the land. 6:48 Seeing them distressed in rowing, for the wind was contrary to them, about the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea,* and he would have passed by them, 6:49 but they, when they saw him walking on the sea, supposed that it was a ghost, and cried out; 6:50 for they all saw him, and were troubled. But he immediately spoke with them, and said to them, “Cheer up! It is I! Don’t be afraid.” 6:51 He got into the boat with them; and the wind ceased, and they were very amazed among themselves, and marveled; 6:52 for they hadn’t understood about the loaves, but their hearts were hardened. 6:53 When they had crossed over, they came to land at Gennesaret, and moored to the shore. 6:54 When they had come out of the boat, immediately the people recognized him, 6:55 and ran around that whole region, and began to bring those who were sick, on their mats, to where they heard he was. 6:56 Wherever he entered, into villages, or into cities, or into the country, they laid the sick in the marketplaces, and begged him that they might touch just the fringe of his garment; and as many as touched him were made well. /Naharnet

Free Opinions, Releases, letters & Special Reports
Iran took a hit in Iraq, but will Obama profit?/By:Tony Badran/March 16, 10
Iranian women rally against a law to permit polygamy/By Sahar Sepehri/March 16/10

Latest News Reports From Miscellaneous Sources for March 16/10
Syria Extends Reconciliatory Hand to Jumblat after Nasrallah Played Key Mediation Role/Naharnet
Arabs Step Up Mediation in Effort to Quell Lebanon-Libya Crisis/Naharnet
Moussawi calls for freeing Lebanon from US militia/Now Lebanon
Fneish: Hezbollah ready for municipal elections/Now Lebanon
Lebanese Embassy in Damascus Turns Down Libya's Invitation to Arab Summit/Naharnet
Lebanese University Teachers Set to Strike on Monday/Naharnet
Lebanese citizen Arrested for Allegedly Spying for Israel/Naharnet
Jumblat: I Have a Lot to Tell Assad When I Meet Him/Naharnet
An-Nahar: Jumblatt to head to Damascus before March 25/Now Lebanon
Hariri after Meeting Merkel: Peace Process Not Advancing Because of Extremists/Naharnet
Syria agrees to receive Druze leader/Ynetnews
Does Mideast Peace Run Thr ough Damascus?/FOXNews (blog)
Net Censorship Said to be Worsening/CBS News
Syrian fears execution for H ariri murder/National
Committee for appointments holds first meet/Daily Star
Gemayel: March 14 needs to adjust its procedures/Daily Star
Lebanon won't send representative to Arab League summit in Libya/Daily Star
Nasrallah announces Jumblatt's visit to Syria/Daily Star
Hariri says no progress has been made on Middle East peace/AFP
Ministry to launch board to boost Lebanon's image abroad/Daily Star
Hariri, Mikati family members make Forbes list of billionaires/Daily Star
Ministry to launch board to boost Lebanon's image abroad/Daily Star
Consumer protection penalties up 60 percent/Daily Star
Sandal worm poison 'won't harm' other c reatures/Daily Star
Beirut MPs discuss development in capital/Daily Star
Roads to close for constr uction in Mazraa, Mar Elias/Daily Star
Judge charges detainee with spying for Israel/Daily Star
Four arrested at airport for drug possession/Daily Star
Restaurant shoot-out suspects questioned/Daily Star
Palestinian with Fatah al-Islam links apprehended in Zahra ni/Daily Star
Cassesse vows to identify Hariri's killer s/Daily Star
Italian troops help safeguard Tyre ruins/Daily Star
Tycoon Carlos Slim given honorary welcome in his hom etown of Jezzine/Daily Star
EU vice-president's visit aims to 'deepen ties' with Arab world/Daily Star
Assaf makes history with win for Lebanon at international motor racing event/Daily Star

A New Hezbollah-like Organization in Lebanon
RPS Staff - March 15, 2010
In an ominous sign for Lebanon and of what Assad's influence means, Naharnet reported this morning that new leaflets have been distributed in the Shouf Mountains (Druze stronghold) by a new organization calling itself "Free Druze". The leaflets mocked Walid Jumblatt, the traditional Druze leader in Lebanon. Jumblatt is one of the founders of the Cedars Revolution and has been critical of the Assad regime. He recently apologized publicly to Assad, which was refuted by al-Watan newspaper. The Assad regime has a history of "Divide and Conquer" policies that it resorts to every time it wants to start trouble, spark civil wars, or gain political advantages. Assad has divided the Christians of Lebanon by allegedly buying Michel Aoun, he divided the Palestinians by supporting Hamas, and now Assad is dividing the Druze of Lebanon by creating and supporting a new organization that may easily spark a small civil war in the Shouf mountains known for its revolt against outsiders. All of this taking place under the watchful eyes of the White House, which has managed to lose Lebanon so easily without batting an eye.

Syria Extends Reconciliatory Hand to Jumblat after Nasrallah Played Key Mediation Role
Naharnet/Syria has finally agreed to stretch out its hands and turn a page on the long-standing crisis with Druze leader Walid Jumblat after Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah played a key role in resolving the standoff. "Sayyed Nasrallah was the key mediator in this issue as he helped resolve the obstacles on my way to Damascus," Jumblat said in remarks published Tuesday by the daily An-Nahar. He reiterated that he will announce the date of his Damascus trip when he gets an official invitation. A statement issued by Hizbullah late Monday said Nasrallah "has advised Jumblat that given recent developments, the Syrian authorities will forget the past and open a new page." "President Assad will receive him in Damascus during a visit on a date to be announced in the coming days," said the statement. The announcement came two days after Jumblat admitted he had used "improper words" against Assad "in a moment of anger and at a time of internal tensions and extreme division within Lebanon." The Jumblat-Assad meeting will be an end of an era between the two neighboring Arab leaders that lasted more than five years -- from the extension of President Emile Lahoud's term to the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri all the way to Jumblat's "inappropriate language" according to his own words. In an interview with Al-Jazeer satellite channel on Saturday, Jumblat said his remarks against Assad were "unworthy and unusual, unsuited to the ethics of politics even during a squabble." Beirut, 16 Mar 10, 08:05

Arabs Step Up Mediation in Effort to Quell Lebanon-Libya Crisis
Naharnet/Arab governments have reportedly stepped up efforts to quell a crisis between Lebanon and Libya over Lebanon's representation at the Arab summit. Al-Liwaa newspaper on Tuesday said Arab League chief Amr Moussa will visit Beirut on Wednesday in a bid to help resolve the crisis. Citing Arab diplomatic sources, al-Liwaa said Moussa is likely to shuttle between Beirut and Damascus in an effort to ensure "adequate" Lebanese participation in the Arab summit scheduled to be held in Tripoli, Libya end of March. Lebanon has rejected "for administrative reasons" Libya's invitation to the upcoming Arab summit, the foreign ministry said on Monday. "The invitation was received by the Lebanese embassy in Damascus, which is not authorized to receive and respond to this invitation for administrative reasons," the ministry said in a statement. President Michel Suleiman will not attend the summit following demands by the Shiite community to boycott the meeting. Beirut, 16 Mar 10, 10:28

Lebanese Embassy in Damascus Turns Down Libya's Invitation to Arab Summit
Naharnet/Lebanon has rejected "for administrative reasons" Libya's invitation to the upcoming Arab summit, the foreign ministry said on Monday. "The invitation was received by the Lebanese embassy in Damascus, which is not authorized to receive and respond to this invitation for administrative reasons," the ministry said in a statement. Earlier Monday, the Voice of Lebanon radio station quoted well-informed sources as saying that Lebanon's ambassador to Damascus Michel Khoury expressed reservations at the way the invitation was sent. President Michel Suleiman will not attend the summit following demands by the Shiite community to boycott the meeting. Sources from Speaker Nabih Berri's Development and Liberation bloc has told An Nahar daily that "Lebanon's participation in the summit is a very dangerous issue and would worsen the situation in the country." Shiites have been demanding Lebanese authorities to boycott the summit over the disappearance of Imam Moussa al-Sadr. Sadr -- who is still regarded by Lebanon's Shiite community as a key spiritual guide -- vanished on August 31, 1978, and the circumstances of his disappearance are still a mystery. He was last seen in Libya. In 2008 Lebanon issued an arrest warrant for Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi over the disappearance of the imam while he was in Tripoli with two companions, who also went missing with him. Libya has denied involvement in Sadr's disappearance, saying he left the country for Italy. But the Italian government has always denied he ever arrived there. In 2004, however, Italian authorities returned a passport found in Italy belonging to the imam.(Naharnet-AFP) Beirut, 15 Mar 10, 16:48

Lebanese University Teachers Set to Strike on Monday
Naharnet/Contract teachers at the Lebanese University called for a strike Monday, March 22 to be accompanied by a sit-in at 11am outside the university's Central Administration building.
A statement issued by LU teachers said the professors will insist during Monday's strike that the university president submits their list of demands to the education minister so that Cabinet would take up the issue. Beirut, 16 Mar 10, 12:08

Lebanese citizen Arrested for Allegedly Spying for Israel
Naharnet/Authorities have arrested a Lebanese citizen after a hunt in the southern town of al-Fardis in the Yaqoub region. The suspect, who hails from Qrayyeh east of the town of Jezzine, was identified only by his initials as M.A.J. Meanwhile, Examining Military magistrate Saqr Saqr charged Jawdat Mohammed Khairallah, who has been in custody for about two weeks, of spying for Israel. Beirut, 16 Mar 10, 11:07

Jumblat: I Have a Lot to Tell Assad When I Meet Him
Naharnet/Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblat on Monday stressed that "the previous page with Syria has been turned.""I have a lot to tell Syrian President Bashar al-Assad when I meet him," Jumblat said in a phone interview with the Hizbullah-affiliated al-Manar TV network.Jumblat thanked Hizbullah Secretary-General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, Speaker Nabih Berri, Lebanese Democratic Party leader MP Talal Arslan and ex-minister Wiam Wahab "for everything they have done in this regards." Beirut, 15 Mar 10, 22:10

Syria agrees to receive Druze leader
03.15.10 / Israel News /Syria's President Bashar Assad will meet Druze leader Walid Jumblatt in Damascus after he made conciliatory remarks about the Syrian leader, Hezbollah, which had been mediating between the two, said on Monday. Jumblatt, once one of Syria's harshest critics, said in a televised interview with al-Jazeera on Saturday that comments he made about Assad three years ago had been "inappropriate." (Reuters)

Nasrallah announces Jumblatt's visit to Syria
By The /Daily Star
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
BEIRUT: Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah informed Monday Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblatt that Syrian President Bashar Assad will receive him in Damascus on a date to be scheduled in the upcoming few days.
“Part of Nasrallah’s mediation with the Syrian leadership is based on Jumblatt’s request and following his latest clear stances and courageous reconsideration of the past period developments and his endorsement of political principles particularly regarding Syria, the resistance and Palestine,” a statement by Hizbullah’s press office said.
“Sayyed Nasrallah informed Jumblatt that the Syrian leadership, based on its keenness to preserve the best ties with the Lebanese people and all its political parties and taking into consideration the latest developments, will open a new page,” the statement added.
Jumblatt said on Saturday that his criticism of Syrian President Bashar Assad was “improper” as he called for a new page in relations between the two countries.
Jumblatt’s harshest verbal attack against Assad came on February 14, 2007, in a speech marking former Premier Rafik Hariri’s assassination, calling the Syrian leader a “snake” and a “tyrant” and demanding revenge against him. “These comments were improper, unfamiliar and unsuited to political ethics,” Jumblatt said in a live interview with Al-Jazeera channel late Saturday. During a phone interview with Al-Manar TV later Monday, Jumblatt said he turned the past page with Syria, adding that he has “much to say to President Assad during their meeting.” Jumblatt also thanked Speaker Nabih Berri and Democratic National Party leader Talal Arslan. – The Daily Star

Iranian women rally against a law to permit polygamy
By Sahar Sepehri
Commentary by
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Iranian women’s groups and other organizations are fighting a much-discussed proposed law which they say would encourage polygamy by allowing a man to take a second wife without the permission of the first under certain circumstances. The proposal comes at a time when the country has been rocked by protests, in which women have played a major part, following the disputed re-election last June of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
Although Islamic law permits a man to marry up to four wives (with strict restrictions), polygamy is not widely practiced in Iran. At present, an Iranian man needs his wife’s permission to take a second wife.
A so-called Family Protection Law, proposed by the government in 2008, stated that a man could marry a second wife on the condition that he could afford both wives financially. The Parliament dropped that clause following a wave of opposition from women. However, it is now reconsidering a different version of the same provision.
The spokesman for the Parliament’s Judicial and Legal Commission, Amir Hussein Rahimi, announced recently that the commission has now approved Article 23 of the proposed Family Protection Law that states, “A man can marry a second wife under 10 conditions.” The new version still requires the first wife to give her husband permission, though, much more controversially, this permission would not be required under certain conditions, such as if she is mentally ill, suffers from infertility, does not cooperate sexually or has a chronic medical condition or drug addiction.
Iranian women still oppose the legalization of polygamy, saying it weakens their role and status at home and in society.
The original plan was dropped after a group of intellectuals, religious, social and human rights activists created a movement to voice their opposition to the law. In September 2008, a group of 50 well-known women, including poet Simin Behbahani, politician Azam Taleghani and lawyer and Noble laureate Shirin Ebadi, met representatives from the Parliament to express their concerns about what they called “an anti-family protection law.”
Islamic organizations such as the Zeinab Association and the Women’s Organization of the Islamic Revolution also supported the movement. And the One Million Signatures campaign, which opposes discrimination against women, played a significant role in mobilizing public opinion.
The law was also controversial among government officials. Several reformists protested against it openly. Iran’s former president, Mohammad Khatami, called it “persecution.” And a leading cleric, Grand Ayatollah Yousef Sanei, stated, “If the first wife does not permit her husband to take another wife, the marriage will not be legitimate, even if a man can support both wives financially.”
Nevertheless, the Speaker of the Parliament, Ali Larijani, has declared that the legislature will consider a slightly amended version of the controversial article. To which a young member of the Center for Iranian Women, Taraneh Bani Yaghoub, replied, “The women’s movement will not remain quiet.”
Iran’s first law recognizing polygamy was passed when Reza Shah, who ruled between 1925 and 1941, was in power. In 1970, female activists demanded that the secular regime of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi outlaw polygamy, but despite the government’s positive reaction to their demand, clerics prevented it. In 1975, an alternative law was adopted, stating that polygamy was permitted under certain conditions, such as obtaining the first wife’s permission.
Much has changed in Iran since 1976, when only 36 percent of women were literate. Now, according to the Statistical Center of Iran, 80 percent of women are educated, and almost 1.6 million are university graduates – compared to 46,000 in 1976. Despite government restrictions on women, the number of female professionals has increased to around 6 percent a year, or 2.5 million women in 2006, according to official statistics. A large group of educated women has shaped today’s Iranian society. For years, these women have demanded legal and social rights and equal treatment with men. They have resisted any law that weakens their rights or degrades their position in society.
Women are angry with the proposed law, and they have been disappointed by the reaction of key figures of the opposition movement. A recent statement signed by a group of women activists accused defeated presidential contenders Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi of ignoring women’s rights and even their existence in their political manifestos. The women affirmed that “women’s issues are a major part of the current crisis and no solution will be achieved unless this issue is included.”
**Sahar Sepehri is a journalist and media analyst based in Washington DC. This abridged article is distributed by the Common Ground News Service (commongroundnews.org) with permission from the Institute for War and Peace Reporting. The full text can be found at www.mianeh.net.

Iran took a hit in Iraq, but will Obama profit?
Tony Badran, March 16, 2010
Now Lebanon/The emerging picture from last week’s parliamentary elections in Iraq points to the return of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki to office. Preliminary results also suggest that Iran’s allies have suffered a setback.
If these developments are borne out, they will have repercussions on the behavior of Iraq’s neighbors and will require that Washington engage more actively in Iraq to protect its gains, particularly against Tehran. However, by tying itself tightly to an August deadline for the withdrawal of US combat troops, the Obama administration is reducing its leverage and focus at a crucial moment when it simply cannot afford to do so.
Despite a months-long campaign by Syria (with the cover of other Arab neighbors of Iraq) and Iran (through local proxies) to undermine Maliki, the incumbent prime minister is making a strong showing in preliminary election returns. According to Iraq’s election commission, he appears to be leading, in some places by significant margins, the Iraqi National Alliance (which includes pro-Iranian parties or politicians such as the Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq, the Sadrist movement, and Ahmed Chalabi). This is not only the case in Baghdad, but also in predominantly Shia provinces like Najaf, Basra, Babel, Karbala and Muthanna. Such an outcome makes it more likely that he will head the next government.
If the results are confirmed, it would be the second recent election in the region, after the Lebanese elections in June 2009, in which Iran’s allies suffer a reversal at the polls. However, if Hezbollah’s actions in Lebanon are any indication, Iran will not let democracy get in its way. Indeed, there are already signs of an Iranian counterattack in Iraq.
For starters, the Iraqi National Alliance is lashing out against Maliki and attempting to impose its conditions on the formation of a new government—regardless of the final tally. In language reminiscent of Hezbollah’s in Lebanon, alliance officials are demanding that the next cabinet be one of “real partnership”, and that only someone who believes in “consensus” will have a chance at forming that government.
Maliki and his team appear to have other plans. Confident that they will win a large number of seats, they’re making it clear that they expect to form a “harmonious” government – in other words not a disjointed “national unity” government. Maliki exhibited similar strong-headedness during the campaign, when Iran tried to coerce him back into the fold of the Iraqi National Alliance, which the prime minister refused. However, things could get dicey. There have been unconfirmed reports of a failed attempt on Maliki’s life, requiring his brief hospitalization.
Whether the story is true or not, and a pro-Maliki official denied it, the threats to the prime minister cannot be underestimated. The problem is that by making withdrawal from Iraq the centerpiece of its policy, the Obama administration is not helping to stabilize the situation in Iraq. This is worrying officials with deep knowledge of the Iraqi situation.
Several times already, the top US commander in Iraq, General Ray Odierno, has voiced dissent on future troop levels. Last week, in an interview with Foreign Policy online, Ryan Crocker, the respected former ambassador to Iraq, was quite explicit: “I would have preferred to see us keep maximum flexibility with the Iraqis between now and 2011. [The August deadline] makes me nervous… I would be more comfortable, within the terms of the agreement we negotiated, with keeping a more robust force for a longer period of time.”
Crocker went on to say that Washington needed to remain “intensely engaged politically in Iraq,” even if this was done “quietly.”
The United States should also engage more with its allies among Iraq’s neighbors, especially Saudi Arabia. The Saudis have made it plain that they are uneasy with Maliki. Syria has seized on this Saudi suspicion to oppose the Iraqi prime minister, by many accounts facilitating a bombing campaign in recent months to destroy him politically. Now that Maliki may be set to return to power, Washington must persuade the Saudis to get over their skepticism, especially if he faces Iranian pressure.
A strong show of support for Maliki would not just be a message to American allies, but also enemies. Maliki has blamed the Syrians for the string of bombings, as has Odierno. The Syrian gambit to topple Maliki failed. The Obama administration must coordinate with the Iraqi prime minister, if he indeed returns, to issue a strong and united message that further Syrian destabilization of Iraq won’t be tolerated. At the same time, Washington should recalibrate accordingly its recent poorly-conceived, incompetently pursued opening to Syria.
The Iranians and the Syrians were able to abort the democratic process in Lebanon through violence. Iraq, however, is not Lebanon. Maliki has shown the ability and will to take on pro-Iranian militias such as the Mahdi Army. He has also proven that he can defeat Iran’s allies politically. However, Maliki cannot take on Iraq’s neighbors alone. If he returns as prime minister, he will need more robust American help.
The stakes are as significant for the Obama administration. Iraq is strategically important for US interests; its role far transcends the narrow aim to affect a military withdrawal. The country must be integrated into a coherent American strategic vision for the Middle East. Whether the administration is capable of such a readjustment remains to be seen.
**Tony Badran is a research fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.