LCCC
ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
ِMay
26/2010
Bible Of
the Day
John 21/18: " Most
certainly I tell you, when you were young, you dressed yourself, and walked
where you wanted to. But when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and
another will dress you, and carry you where you don’t want to go.”
Free Opinions, Releases, letters, Interviews & Special Reports
Moscow’s opportunism in the Middle
East/By: Tony Badran/May
25/10
Latest News Reports From Miscellaneous Sources for May 25/10
Geagea: Suleiman's Statement on
Defense Strategy Contradicts Inaugural Speech/Naharnet
Feltman Reiterates Support for STL,
Says No Regional Solutions 'at Lebanon's Expense'/Naharnet
Hariri Meets Obama, Says Peace Only
Way to Reach Secure Mideast/Naharnet
Israeli General Calls for Ignoring
Lebanese Reactions on Drills/Naharnet
Qawouq: One Image in Damascus
Altered Regional Scene, Israel's Threats are Collapsing/Naharnet
Suleiman Says Israel Scud Claims
Aim at Gaining 'World's Sympathy'/Naharnet
Ban: I Will Discuss Illegal Arms
Transfers In-depth with Hariri/Naharnet
Hizbullah Maneuvers in Baalbek
Coincide with Israeli Drills, Hariri's US Trip/Naharnet
Hariri Discusses Weapons Threat
with Obama, Pushes U.S. President for Mideast Peace Deal/Naharnet
Fatfat: Israeli is an Aggressor
State that Can Use Internal or External Excuses to Wage a War/Naharnet
Melhem Karam Laid to Rest/Naharnet
Sami Gemayel Urges Government to
Ask Syria to Provide Documentation Proving Lebanese Identity of Shebaa/Naharnet
Qamati: Obama told Lebanese
Official Enough of Hizbullah Weapons/Naharnet
Franjieh: Moawwad Cares Less about
Zghorta Residents/Naharnet
Report: British PM Stressed to
Hariri Support for Lebanon, Concern over Arms/Naharnet
Kataeb: Messages Carried by Foreign
Envoys Don't Justify Full Reassurance/Naharnet
Abu Zeinab: Syria will never return
to Lebanon/Now Lebanon
Clinton says Iran’s letter to IAEA
has gaps/Now Lebanon
Change and Reform bloc leader MP
Aoun speaks after bloc meeting in Rabieh/Now Lebanon
Qaouk: Meeting between Nasrallah,
Ahmadinejad, Assad changed region’s political landscape/Now Lebanon
Sfeir Worried over Apprehensions that Curb Lebanon's
Freedom of Speech
Naharnet/Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Sfeir voiced on Monday his concern with
the "apprehensions that curb Lebanon's freedom of speech."He stressed that
Lebanon distinguishes itself for having a freedom that its neighboring countries
lack, noting however that "freedom has limits" so that chaos does not reign. He
added: "We should be wary of these apprehensions" and prevent those who seek to
stifle Lebanon's freedom from doing so. Lebanon should always remain a country
of "freedom and discipline where people can live in a spirit of freedom,
harmony, and mutual respect," Sfeir stated. Beirut, 24 May 10, 18:39
STL Prosecutor's Spokeswoman Achouri Resigns
Naharnet/The spokeswoman of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon's prosecutor,
Radhia Achouri, has announced her resignation. In a statement issued Sunday,
Daniel Bellemare's spokesperson said it was time for her to resign after a year
of work with the STL. She said she was leaving The Hague, where the tribunal is
based, on May 29 "to return home."
Achouri added that her experience at the prosecutor's office was beneficial.
Beirut, 24 May 10, 08:02
Ban: I Will Discuss Illegal Arms Transfers In-depth with Hariri
Naharnet/U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has said that on Wednesday he would
discuss with Premier Saad Hariri in detail the alleged transfer of arms to
Hizbullah. Ban told reporters in New York that he was looking forward to meet
again with Hariri. Expressing concern over the political and security situation
in Lebanon, including the alleged weapons transfer, the U.N. chief said such a
move "is clearly a violation of Security Council resolution 1701 … (which) must
be fully implemented and respected." "During my stay in Istanbul, I also had an
opportunity of discussing this matter with the Turkish leadership," he said at
his monthly press conference. "We hope that the situation will improve in
Lebanon. I will discuss this matter in-depth with Prime Minister Hariri," Ban
added. Beirut, 25 May 10, 08:16
Obama to Hariri: Smuggled weapons pose threat
May 25, 2010 /Now Lebanon
During his meeting with Prime Minister Saad Hariri on Monday, US President
Barack Obama stressed "the threat posed by the transfer of weapons into Lebanon
in violation" of UN resolutions, the White House said in a statement issued
after their talks. Regional tensions have been mounting after Israel claimed
last month that Syria was supplying Hezbollah with weapons in anticipation of
war. Tel Aviv warned that if a new conflict happened, it would consider Lebanon,
not just Hezbollah, its enemy.
Hariri urged continued US support "to help Lebanon's defense capability and to
help our security institutions exercise control over all Lebanese territories,"
he said in a statement.
He added that Beirut believed stability in Lebanon, which has seen decades of
political upheaval and civil unrest, "depends ultimately on the attainment of a
just peaceful settlement in the region.""The clock is ticking. And it is ticking
against us. Against all those who believe in a just peace," Hariri said.
"Failure will nurture more extremism and give birth to new forms of violence.
This poses great dangers to everyone in the Middle East and to the world at
large."
Obama said Washington would continue efforts "to support and strengthen Lebanese
institutions such as the Lebanese Armed Forces and the Internal Security
Forces."
The White House appeared to pressure Hariri to back growing moves to impose new
sanctions on Iran over its refusal to rein in its suspect nuclear program.
"The president stressed the importance of efforts to ensure Iran complies with
its international nonproliferation obligations," the White House statement said.
Lebanon is perceived to be one of the countries on the 15-member UN Security
Council opposed to new sanctions. The others are Turkey and Brazil. Hariri is
expected to chair a session of the Security Council during his US visit this
week. Lebanon currently holds the rotating seat of the council’s presidency.
-AFP/NOW Lebanon
Hariri
Discusses Weapons Threat with Obama, Pushes U.S. President for Mideast Peace
Deal
Naharnet/Prime Minister Saad Hariri discussed with U.S. President Barack Obama
the threat posed by arms smuggling into Lebanon and pressed Washington to secure
a peace deal in the Middle East. Hariri told Obama the "clock is ticking" on
Middle East peace and warned that failure to reach an agreement will lead to
more violence and radicalism in the region.
On his first official visit to the United States as prime minister, Hariri
conveyed the "pervasive frustration and skepticism" in the Muslim world
regarding this issue.
Hariri said he told Obama during an Oval Office meeting that Lebanon is hopeful
about his efforts to secure a lasting peace between the Palestinians and
Israelis. Israel and the Palestinians recently began participating in indirect
peace talks. "The clock is ticking ... against all those who believe in a just
peace," he told the U.S. President. Hariri said he thanked Obama for "supporting
Lebanon's sovereignty … I also stressed during the meeting the need to respect
the implementation of U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701 and to work on
enabling Lebanon to extend its authority over the Shabaa Farms and all occupied
territory."
He said talks focused on "peace in the region, because things in the region
won't be worked out except by peace and the U.S. must work with us to find a
solution in the region."
"Arabs are ready and they expressed their will in Madrid; and Arabs extended
their hands for peace and there is no better time for peace than now, and for
the Palestinians to have their (independent) state with Jerusalem as Capital,"
Hariri added. "Failure will nurture more extremism and give birth to new forms
of violence," Hariri said after the meeting with Obama. "This poses great
dangers to everyone in the Middle East and to the world at large. But the
rewards of success are even greater."
He stressed the importance of resumption of Mideast talks "in order to reach a
just and comprehensive peace."
Hariri was firm that discussions did not tackle the Scud hullabaloo.
"We didn't talk about the Scuds, our main topic was peace."
Hariri was expected to seek assurances during his five-day trip that the Obama
administration will use its influence with Israel to ease the mounting tensions.
Obama stressed "the threat posed by the transfer of weapons into Lebanon in
violation" of U.N. resolutions, the White House said in a statement issued after
the talks.
"The President stressed the importance of efforts to ensure Iran complies with
its international nonproliferation obligations," the White House statement
added.
Obama stressed that the U.S. would continue efforts "to support and strengthen
Lebanese institutions such as the Lebanese Armed Forces and the Internal
Security Forces."
Following the meeting with the U.S. President, Hariri met with Obama's Special
Envoy to the Middle East George Mitchell, who stressed the importance of
"comprehensive peace to Lebanon and to its people." "We have made it clear and I
repeated to prime minister Hariri today that comprehensive peace cannot be
reached at the expense of the people of Lebanon or of the sovereignty of the
Lebanese republic," Mitchell said after the meeting. "We made it clear,
and I repeated it to prime minister Hariri today also, that comprehensive peace
cannot and must not include the forced naturalization of Palestinian refugees in
Lebanon," he added. Beirut, 25 May 10, 07:24
Geagea: Suleiman's Statement on Defense Strategy Contradicts Inaugural Speech
Naharnet/Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea on Tuesday said President Michel
Suleiman's latest statement regarding the defense strategy is in contradiction
with the inaugural speech.
"President Michel Suleiman's position on the defense strategy issue represents
the stance of one group of Lebanese and not everybody's view," Geagea told
reporters during a chat from his home in Maarab. "This position is in
contradiction with the inaugural speech," Geagea stressed. He believed a
consensus President "should not speak on behalf of a group of Lebanese and adopt
its position." Suleiman should have expressed "the opinion of the vast majority
of citizens," Geagea thought. Ban: I Will Discuss Illegal Arms Transfers
In-depth with Hariri
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has said that on Wednesday he would discuss
with Premier Saad Hariri in detail the alleged transfer of arms to Hizbullah.
Ban told reporters in New York that he was looking forward to meet again with
Hariri. Expressing concern over the political and security situation in Lebanon,
including the alleged weapons transfer, the U.N. chief said such a move "is
clearly a violation of Security Council resolution 1701 … (which) must be fully
implemented and respected.""During my stay in Istanbul, I also had an
opportunity of discussing this matter with the Turkish leadership," he said at
his monthly press conference."We hope that the situation will improve in
Lebanon. I will discuss this matter in-depth with Prime Minister Hariri," Ban
added.
Hizbullah Maneuvers in Baalbek Coincide with Israeli Drills, Hariri's US Trip
Naharnet/Hizbullah has conducted an experimental military maneuver in Wadi al-Seil
in Baalbek, inspired after a 1996 attack against an Israeli outpost in Shabaa
pond that led to the arrest of two Israeli soldiers. The daily As-Safir said the
exercises, which took place on Monday, were attended by Agriculture Minister
Hussein Haj Hasan, local mayors and various party officials as well as
residents. It said Hizbullah fighters as well as Hizbullah civil defense squads
took part in the 90-minute maneuver. "Lebanon will restore the past glory of
both the army and resistance strength, as well as the level of preparedness and
might similar to that of July 2006 in terms of quality and quantity," Hasan said
just before the maneuvers were launched.
"We will defend Lebanon without hesitation or fear," he added. Hizbullah's
maneuvers coincided with a weeklong Israeli defense drill which kicked off
Sunday with the aim to prepare the public for emergencies and test the response
of soldiers and emergency crews. The fourth annual drill, codenamed
"Turning Point 4," will include a series of alerts as part of field training
exercises in different areas and a 90-second siren throughout Israel on
Wednesday. They also coincided with a five-day trip by Prime Minister Saad
Hariri to the U.S.
Qawouq: One Image in Damascus Altered
Regional Scene, Israel's Threats are Collapsing
آNaharnet/Hezbullah official Nabil Qawouq said on Tuesday that the meeting
between Hizbullah Secretary General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, Iranian President
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in Damascus earlier
this year altered the regional scene. He stated: "One image in Damascus changed
the regional scene and helped collapse Israeli threats and the American campaign
and intimidation of a war in the Arab capitals."He told al-Manar television that
U.S. President Barack Obama is adopting the same tactics as his predecessor
George Bush, saying that he is still occupying Iraq and Afghanistan and "his
main concern is protecting Israel."Qawouq added that the Resistance "is not
awaiting anything from the American administration because the Resistance is
strong" and the American project started to diminish since the July 2006 victory
and the failure of its plans for the formation of a great Middle East.
Sami Gemayel Urges Government to Ask Syria to Provide Documentation Proving
Lebanese Identity of Shebaa
Naharnet/Phalange party MP Sami Gemayel on Tuesday called on the Hariri
government to ask Syria to provide official documentation to prove the Lebanese
identity of Shebaa Farms.
Gemayel's remarks came on the occasion of Liberation Day. "We call on the
Lebanese government, which is responsible for the liberation of the land still
under Israeli occupation, like Shebaa Farms and Kfar Shouba Hills, to carry out
its duty of safeguarding Lebanon's independence, sovereignty and territorial
integrity," Gemayel said in a statement.
For Syria, the Shebaa Farms are Lebanese but the Damascus refuses to provide
official documents proving it. Syria alleges that it possesses documents that
prove the Lebanese identity of Shebaa. Beirut, 25 May 10, 14:09
Melhem Karam Laid to Rest
Naharnet/Head of the Editors Syndicate Melhem Karam was buried on Tuesday after
a funeral procession at St. George Cathedral in downtown Beirut.
Karam died on Saturday after suffering from a heart attack.
He was a renowned journalist and writer, who was voted head of the
Editors Syndicate in 1961, a mandate which was later renewed in 2009. Beirut, 25
May 10, 13:59
Fatfat: Israeli is an Aggressor State that Can Use Internal or External Excuses
to Wage a War
Naharnet/MP Ahmed Fatfat stressed on Tuesday that the Lebanese diplomatic
activity through Prime Minister Saad Hariri's Arab tour and visit to the United
States serves to protect Lebanon and provide it with political cover.
He added however that this should not change the Lebanese view that "Israel is
an aggressor state that can resort to any internal or external excuse" to launch
a war.
Furthermore, he said: "Israel cannot survive without stirring the internal scene
through excuses that it wishes to defend itself and by stating that there are
threats against it."
"I fear that when it says that there is no upcoming war against Lebanon, Syria,
or the Palestinians, it may be procrastinating over what it is preparing,"
Fatfat added.
Regarding Israel's recent military maneuvers, he said: "They are routine
activity that it carries out every month to affirm its military might" and the
sway of the army within its society.
Addressing the Resistance and Liberation Day, he stated: "Resistance will remain
a fundamental factor in our understanding and the weapons should only be used in
military confrontations and not on the internal scene as had happened in the
past."
Commenting on Hariri's visit to the United States where he met with President
Barack Obama, Fatfat stressed: "We should take advantage of the timing of the
trip because signs of division between the U.S. and Israel have recently emerged
and we should work on supporting Obama."
He noted that there has been a "development in American political rhetoric,"
adding that the diplomatic activity that was launched by Hariri and President
Michel Suleiman has started to bolster national and political ideals.
Fatfat continued: "The fact that an American official said that the U.S. refuses
naturalization in Lebanon is considered a major political victory for Lebanon …
and from this point, I believe that Lebanon has achieved political gains through
Suleiman and Hariri's diplomatic missions."
Turning to the upcoming municipal and mayoral elections in northern Lebanon, he
said that the Future Movement is looking forward to an electoral battle in most
towns on developmental and familial bases.
The MP added that the movement sought to reach agreements in the Dinniyeh region
but was only successful in Hazmieh and Qarhayah.
He stressed that the movement's efforts to reach consensus was met with an
insistence to wage an electoral battle "and let it be so, the people will make
their choices at the polling boxes as they did a year ago during the
parliamentary elections." Beirut, 25 May 10, 16:16
Moscow’s opportunism in the Middle East
Tony Badran, May 25, 2010
Now Lebanon/After a deliberately much-trumpeted visit by its president to Syria
last week, Russia has been heralded, for the umpteenth time in recent years, as
making a Middle Eastern comeback through Damascus. However, it would be more
accurate to say that Russia sees Syria for what it is, a chip with which the
Kremlin can play a game it masters with bigger players: perpetually leveraging
arms sales to rogue regimes to extort never-ending concessions and to maximize
its advantage at a time when the US, under the Obama administration, is entirely
missing in action.
The fact that every so often we revisit this narrative of Syrian triumphalism on
the back of a Russian regional resurgence ought to be enough to show that this
isn’t about Syria or tilting the regional balance of power to its advantage.
Rather, this is about Russian leverage against the US and Israel, and
opportunism at a moment of American fecklessness. Arms sales are Russia’s
instrument of influence in the region, not Syria.
Moscow sees a weak US administration in retreat from the region and is stepping
into the void to see what it can claim for itself. Russian diplomacy has so far
managed to balance the US, Israel and Iran, while safeguarding its commercial
interests, which in turn allows it to continue extorting all three states in the
future.
In return for effectively meaningless sanctions on Iran, the Obama
administration lifted sanctions on four Russian companies, including state arms
trader Rosoboronexport, which had been sanctioned for arms sales to Iran and
Syria. Russia continues to string along the Iranians over the delivery of the
S-300 air defense system, which Israel does not want to see in Tehran’s hands.
And the Israelis have something the Kremlin wants: airspace technology –
specifically in developing Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs). Moscow has purchased
15 Israeli drones for testing, and last month, state technology corporation
Rostekhnologii expressed interest in possibly establishing a joint venture with
Israel Airspace Industry to produce UAVs. According to media reports, Russia had
invested $172 million in developing a drone project of its own that was a bust.
In fact, Russian avionics are inferior and their products suffer from poor
quality control. Russia has teamed up with India to manufacture a
fifth-generation stealth fighter jet. Part of the avionics is sourced from
Israel, which is also one of India’s top defense suppliers. The final product
could rival the US-made F-35 fighter jet, which Israel has sought to buy. But it
also wishes to update it with Israeli avionics, which has caused some
complications (reportedly now resolved). So, Israel has been involved in a
delicate dance between its traditional ally, the US, and a potential future
partner: Russia.
Which brings us back to Syria. The Assad regime is clearly nowhere near this
league. For one, Syria is broke. Besides, Bashar al-Assad had tried to enter
this level of play in 2008 in the aftermath of the Georgia crisis with Russia.
He transparently urged the Russians to station Iskander-E batteries on Syrian
soil and was curtly turned down. Two years later, the type of weaponry discussed
with Syria remains the same: the Pantsyr-S1 air defense system, anti-tank
weapons and MiG-29 fighter jets, of which Syria already has 50. The
unreliability of the MiG-29 is causing nations to refuse or retire them, and
last year Russia had to ground them due to crashes. Syria wants but cannot
afford upgrades, nor do Syrian pilots stand a chance against the Israel Air
Force anyway, and so in many respects, this is a sucker deal.
As for the Pantsyr, it would be a nuisance especially if transferred to
Hezbollah (assuming they don’t have them already), but it would not seemingly be
a game changer.
This is the Russian game of leveraging arms sales for concessions that David
Samuels described so well last year. The fanfare of President Medvedev’s visit
to Syria could be in part Russia’s way of signaling displeasure or impatience
with Israel over avionics cooperation and drone technology.
A possible hint of this dynamic came in a report in As-Sharq al-Awsat. The
paper’s correspondent in Tel Aviv related disagreements between the Israeli
Foreign and Defense ministries over Russia’s move with Syria. The Foreign
Ministry, according to the report, blames Defense Minister Ehud Barak and his
aides, “for they have rejected proper military cooperation with the Russians,
and refused to modernize old Russian fighter jets, and refused to buy anything
for the Israeli Army from Russia.”
The Defense Ministry insists that since none of the weapons Russia promised to
Syria were game changers, there was little to worry about. It’s also arguable
that such a decision by Israel, if true, was a concession to the Pentagon.
If this is indeed the game being played, then it would be another instance of
Russian opportunism at its finest. Russia cannot rebuild its old empire any more
than it can bury the US. However, it sees local actors like Turkey and Iran
asserting themselves, while the US flounders and hemorrhages influence. So it
moves in to secure a cut for itself, gathering bargaining chips that, depending
on how the regional scenario plays out, it will cash with the US and Israel.
Last year, Asia Times columnist Spengler summarized this dynamic as follows:
“The game now is in the hands of the spoilers … and first among them is Russia.”
The Obama administration’s policy, Spengler wrote, is allowing “the unimaginable
to occur”: Russia’s influence in the Middle East rivaling that of the US.
This is what a world without American power looks like. Regional middle powers
trying to act like super powers, while opportunists move in like hyenas over the
carcass of the American order.
**Tony Badran is a research fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.