LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
ِJune 15/2010

Bible Of the Day
Luke 12/56-59: " He said to the multitudes also “When you see a cloud rising from the west, immediately you say, ‘A shower is coming,’ and so it happens. 12:55 When a south wind blows, you say, ‘There will be a scorching heat,’ and it happens. 12:56 You hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of the earth and the sky, but how is it that you don’t interpret this time? 12:57 Why don’t you judge for yourselves what is right? 12:58 For when you are going with your adversary before the magistrate, try diligently on the way to be released from him, lest perhaps he drag you to the judge, and the judge deliver you to the officer, and the officer throw you into prison. 12:59 I tell you, you will by no means get out of there, until you have paid the very last penny.”
 

Free Opinions, Releases, letters, Interviews & Special Reports
Toni Nissi Fighting for Freedom in Lebanon/By:Joseph Puder/FrontPagemag.com/ June 14/10
Dr. Samir Geagea after President Hosni Mubarak/June 14/10
Albania, Hezbollah and the labyrinth of international illegal arms trafficking/International Analyst Network/ June 14/10
The Shifting Sands in the Middle East/By: Ted Belman/International Analyst Network/ June 14/10

Latest News Reports From Miscellaneous Sources for June 14/10
Sfeir Welcomes Improved Beirut-Damascus Ties, Says Dialogue is Necessary/Naharnet
Battle of 2 Kheirs Ends with Mustaqbal Backed Candidate's Victory in Minieh-Dinniyeh/Naharnet
Geagea: We Are Making Efforts to Keep Lebanon Away from Conflicts/Naharnet
Deal on 15 Agreements Gives Fresh Impetus to Suleiman-Assad Summit/Naharnet
Budget Discussions Drag on as Finance Ministry Snaps Back at Berri/Naharnet
Israel OKs Flotilla Raid Panel, Turkey Thinks There Won't Be Any Impartiality/Naharnet
Lebanon and Iran's sanctions: intensifying the internal political dispute?/Global Times
Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Boutros Sfeir to visit Paris, bishops hope for lasting stability/Daily Star
Makhoul: Arab's every move seen as security offense/Ynetnews
Thinking of Robert Stethem/New York Sun
Geagea: Lebanese need to embrace state/Daily Star
Turkey invites Nasrallah to visit - reports/Daily Star
Future keeps seat in Minyeh-Dinyeh by-election/Daily Star
Lebanese-Syrian committee inks 15 deals/Daily Star
Israel, Syria and Turkey unite against invaders of the Mediterranean/Ha'aretz
Lebanese MP Fatfat resigns from parliament/Now Lebanon

Sfeir Welcomes Improved Beirut-Damascus Ties, Says Dialogue is Necessary
Naharnet/Ahead of a five-day official visit to Paris, Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Sfeir welcomed improved ties between Lebanon and Syria and said national "dialogue was necessary."
Lebanon and Syria "are two neighboring countries and such relations should be established between them," Sfeir said at Rafik Hariri international airport. Asked about the national dialogue session scheduled to take place at Baabda palace on Thursday, Sfeir said: "Dialogue is necessary and should always turn out well." He told reporters that despite the absence of several officials from the all-party talks, "they have people following up the dialogue." During his visit to France, Sfeir will ask President Nicolas Sarkozy for more efforts to protect Lebanon against any settlement in the region, An Nahar daily reported Monday. It said Sfeir will also ask Sarkozy for more French support for a better Lebanese future. The prelate is scheduled to meet the French president on Wednesday. He will discuss with him the situation in Lebanon and the region and the repercussions of international developments on the Lebanese interior. Sfeir is also scheduled to hold talks with French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner. Beirut, 14 Jun 10, 07:59

Samir Geagea
June 14, 2010
On June 13, the website of the March 14 forces, 14march.org, carried the following report:
President Hosni Mubarak received the head of the Lebanese Forces Executive Committee Samir Geagea at the presidential headquarters in New Egypt on Sunday morning. During the meeting, they addressed the latest developments on the Lebanese arena based on Egypt’s interest in supporting stability in the brotherly Lebanon... Following the meeting with Mubarak, Geagea expressed in statements to journalists his gratitude and great appreciation for Egypt, its president, government and people for all the support they have offered and are still offering to Lebanon as a people and a government, assuring that this confirmed Egypt’s alignment alongside Lebanon in good and bad times.
Geagea stated: “The discussions that took place during the meeting focused on the situation in the Lebanese arena, especially in light of the troubled regional climate,” indicating that the discussion tackled all angles. He added: “The best way to defend Lebanon in the face of threats is by seeing people rallying around its government and its legitimate authority and limiting the decision to defend Lebanon to the constitutional institutions, especially the Lebanese government, so that the government can assess the situation on a regular basis in the right way and consequently make the appropriate decisions.” He thus stressed the importance of seeing these steps on the ground “considering that the situation in Lebanon cannot tolerate any tampering or any badly studied or misplaced steps.”
He assured that “the entire peace process is directly linked to the Palestinian reconciliation process,” saying in this context it was unfortunate reconciliation has not been secured until now, despite intensive Egyptian efforts and the efforts deployed by some Arab sides. Geagea believes that certain sides were trying to hinder this reconciliation, stressing “the importance of achieving this reconciliation because without it, there will be no real and serious progress in the Middle East peace process. As long as there is no serious progress in the peace process, the situation in the region will remain unstable and will continue to revolve within the current vicious circle.”
Asked whether or not he was still upholding his opinion in regard to the fact that Hezbollah was a state inside a state in Lebanon, Geagea said: “The state has features which are recognized by all in order to enjoy stability and continuity. The states’ entities are composed of a society, of people, a land and an authority.” He added: “Therefore, although we appreciate Hezbollah’s efforts I the past, the situation for the time being is different. There is a state in Lebanon and all efforts must be exerted from within the state and coordinated inside the legitimate framework and constitutional institutions. We cannot imagine the presence of a state which respects itself while there is a party brining in weapons without the knowledge of this state.”

Geagea: Lebanese need to embrace state
By The Daily Star /Monday, June 14, 2010
BEIRUT: Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak held talks on Sunday with Lebanese Forces (LF) head Samir Geagea at the Presidential Palace in Cairo. Following the meeting, Geagea told reporters his talks with Mubarak focused on Lebanon, amid the tense regional situation. Geagea voiced his belief that the best way to defend Lebanon against threats was for its people to embrace the government and legal authority, along with restricting major decisions to constitutional institutions, especially the Lebanese government. Geagea stressed that the situation in Lebanon was too fragile to witness any reckless act. The LF chief underlined that the success of the Mideast peace process depended on achieving Palestinian reconciliation.
The LF leader accused some parties of hindering efforts aimed at brokering Palestinian reconciliation, stressing that as long as the peace process witnessed no serious progress, the situation in Lebanon would continue to be unstable, “and we will remain in the vicious circle we are in today.” Asked whether he still considered Hizbullah as a state within a state, Geagea said the Lebanese government and constitutional institutions should have monopoly on decisions regarding war and peace. “I can’t imagine that a party brings arms to a state without the latter’s knowledge or takes other actions that breach its sovereignty,” said Geagea, in reference to Hizbullah. Geagea thanked Mubarak, the Egyptian people and government for their ongoing support to Lebanon.
On Saturday, Geagea held talks with Egyptian Foreign Minster Ahmad Abu al-Gheit at the Egyptian Foreign Ministry. In attendance were LF MPs Streeda Geagea and Antoine Zahra.
Geagea and Abu al-Gheit touched on the situation in the Middle East, as they agreed the sanctions imposed on Iran aimed at pushing the latter for negotiating seriously over its nuclear program. The two voiced their fears that the region would witness more escalation if such efforts hit a dead end.
Geagea and Abu al-Gheit endorsed the Lebanese decision in the UN Security Council regarding the sanctions on Iran, labeling it as “a natural position given Lebanon’s structure, role in the region and the world.” Last week, Lebanon, currently a non-permanent member in the Security Council, refrained from voting on a UN resolution imposing a new round of sanctions against Iran over its disputed nuclear program. Geagea and Abu al-Gheit praised efforts pursued by the Lebanese government to preserve stability in Lebanon.
Abu al-Gheit voiced “Egypt’s full support for Lebanon, its legal authority, the Taif accord, along with democracy and freedom.” – The Daily Star

Sfeir to visit Paris, bishops hope for lasting stability
By Maroun Khoury /Daily Star correspondent
Monday, June 14, 2010 /BKIRKI: Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Boutros Sfeir is scheduled to visit Paris on Monday after participating at the Maronite bishop’s yearly retreat in Bkirki, which ended on Saturday. Sfeir is heading to France at the invitation of President Nicholas Sarkozy and is expected to hold political and pastoral meetings while there. Over the weekend, Sfeir received Premier Saad Hariri’s political adviser Daoud al-Sayegh to discuss local political developments. Sayegh also informed Sfeir of Hariri’s movements and contacts inside and outside Lebanon. Sfeir had earlier presided over the yearly retreat of Lebanon’s Maronite bishops from Monday to Saturday. The retreat coincided with the 1,600th anniversary of the death of Saint Maroun, patron saint of the Maronite Church. After their spiritual getaway, the bishops issued a statement hoping for Lebanese stability. The statement, read out by the Patriarchy’s Secretary Monsignor Youssef Tawk, hoped Lebanon’s stability would continue throughout the summer, especially as this year promises to be a prosperous tourist season. “This will help keep the economic wheel turning,” Tawk said. He urged government to take more effective public policy measures and to hurry in adopting the budget, filling vacant government seats and improving infrastructure and public services. The statement said the gathered bishops discussed liturgical issues and were briefed about the details of Sfeir’s May visit to Jordan. Concluding the retreat, Sfeir presided over a Mass and addressed the bishops at a sermon. “We hope to keep what we have gained in spiritual growth for the years to come so we can better fulfill our duties,” he said. Sfeir also expressed his regret that some clergy members were raising doubts among Christians. He urged everyone to pray for them. – The Daily Star

Battle of 2 Kheirs Ends with Mustaqbal Backed Candidate's Victory in Minieh-Dinniyeh
Naharnet/The candidate backed by al-Mustaqbal movement, Kazem al-Kheir, defeated his rival Kamal al-Kheir in the Minieh-Dinniyeh parliamentary by-elections with reportedly a 6,000-vote difference. Media reports said Monday that Kazem al-Kheir garnered around 20,000 votes while his relative, who was backed by the March 8 forces, received around 14,000.
Voting was held to fill the seat vacated by the death of MP Hashem Alameddine. The Interior Ministry, in a statement late Sunday, said voter turnout reached 34 percent. "Polls took place in a quiet atmosphere," the statement said. Following Kazem al-Kheir's victory, al-Mustaqbal movement official Ahmed Hariri, who was overseeing the campaign in the district, said the electoral battle was a confirmation of the people's loyalty to the Hariri family. "We confronted all attempts to tumble this region's history," Hariri said. Beirut, 14 Jun 10, 07:27

Future keeps seat in Minyeh-Dinyeh by-election
By Antoine Amrieh
Daily Star correspondent
Monday, June 14, 2010
MINYEH: The Future Movement underpinned its political authority in a highly politicized by-election in Minyeh-Dinnieh on Sunday, with exit polls indicating that the party emerged victorious against opposition parties in one of its strongholds.
As The Daily Star went to press, preliminary results showed that 60 to 65 percent of votes went in favor of the Future Movement-backed candidate.
The polls, which pitted Future Movement-backed candidate Kazem Kheir, son of former MP Saleh Kheir, against Kamal Kheir from the opposition camp, took place under a calm atmosphere marked by a low voter turnout compared to May’s municipal polls.
The elections aimed at finding a replacement for the late MP Hashem Alameddine.
The voter turnout rose gradually during the day to reach 33 percent by the time polling stations closed, compared to 62 percent in the municipal polls.
“Winning this battle holds political indications,” Minyeh-Dinnieh MP and Future Movement official Ahmad Fatfat said earlier Sunday.
Kamal Kheir has repeatedly expressed pride in his political alliance with Hizbullah but added on Sunday that Hizbullah partisans have no presence in the district.
Despite the politicized battle, polls saw only minor security incidents with many of the violations revolving around electoral advertising, the Lebanese Association for Democratic Elections (LADE) reported.
“The electoral process kicked off today as planned and in line with constitutional deadlines following the death of MP Alameddine; thus, we held the by-elections as soon as the municipal polls ended,” Interior Minister Zyiad Baroud said during a tour of polling stations.
Commenting on the absence of an Elections Supervisory Committee, Baroud said judgments of future appeals would be based on facts that took place during the electoral process.
“Despite the absence of a supervisory committee, violations and appeals would still be studied and judged by the Constitutional council,” he said.
“Some in the Cabinet say the Supervisory Committee should be present in the general elections rather than by-elections. I expressed my reservations but I will not comment further,” Baroud added. Among the 16 candidates who were running for the seat, many of whom support the Future Movement, 10 withdrew in favor of Kazem Kheir and one in favor of Kamal Kheir. Meanwhile two boycotted the elections and two announced that they stand at equal distance from both candidates.
Of the 16 candidates, six were from the Alameddine family.
For its part, the Alameddine family announced that it would leave Minyeh-Dinnieh voters the choice to vote for the best qualified candidate.
The Lebanese Forces, allies of the Future Movement, announced their support for Kazem Kheir while on the other side of the political divide, former MPs Jihad Samad, Asaad Harmoush and Mohammad Fadel supported Saleh. Economy and Trade Minister Mohammad Safadi along with MP Qasem Abdel Aziz backed the Alameddine family’s statement. The position of Safadi and Abdel-Aziz generated swift criticism, as the Future Movement criticized them saying they “would not have made it to Parliament if it wasn’t for Future Movement voters.”
During the 2009 polls, Safadi and Abdel-Aziz were victorious after allying with the Future Movement.
“We did not expect our calls for consensus to be faced with such a provocative reaction by the Future Movement,” a statement by the National Consensus bloc embracing Safadi and Abdel-Aziz said Sunday. “Claims that both MPs of the National Consensus bloc would have not reached Parliament if not for Future Movement supporters are rejected based on numbers and facts and re considered an insult to the families of Minyeh and Dinnieh,” the statement added. The nearly 99,000 voters registered in the district include a minority of Christian voters, while the majority is Sunni. On Saturday, Fatfat said the electoral battle was a political one aimed against the Future Movement in its stronghold.
“The late MP Hashem Alameddine was a member of the Future Movement bloc and thus the parliamentary position belongs to the Future Movement; we had hoped that a candidate from the family would run for the post but the large number of candidates within the family made it difficult,” Fatfat said. Last week, Kazem Kheir obtained the blessing of Prime Minister Saad Hariri as the latter convinced candidates running against Kheir to withdraw from the race.

Geagea: We Are Making Efforts to Keep Lebanon Away from Conflicts
/Naharnet/Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea said Monday that he and his allies were making efforts to keep the status quo in Lebanon in order to steer it clear of a potential conflict in the region. Geagea made the statement following talks with Arab League chief Amr Moussa in Cairo. The LF leader praised Moussa's efforts in Lebanon particularly during the crises in 2006, 2007 and 2008. The Arab League secretary-general, in his turn, said he discussed with Geagea latest developments in Lebanon and the region and future challenges.
He also promised to meet Geagea during his upcoming visit to Beirut. On Sunday, the LF leader met with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak. Beirut, 14 Jun 10, 12:53

Deal on 15 Agreements Gives Fresh Impetus to Suleiman-Assad Summit
Naharnet/The third summit talks between President Michel Suleiman and his Syrian counterpart Bashar Assad on Tuesday come against the backdrop of Israeli threats to both countries, the deadly raid on the Gaza-bound aid flotilla and new Security Council sanctions against Iran. The meeting between the two leaders also comes two days after the Lebanese-Syrian Preparatory Committee prepared the final drafts of 15 amended bilateral agreements to be signed between Lebanon and Syria. Ministerial sources told An Nahar that the weekend development would give fresh impetus to normalization of ties between the two countries. Head of the committee, Minister Jean Oghassabian, told An Nahar that "major progress" has been made pending the signing of the agreements during the upcoming visit of Prime Minister Saad Hariri and involved ministers to Damascus. "We were calling for Lebanese-Syrian ties to take place on the level of institutions. This is happening today. This is a constitutional work that confirms cooperation is between a state and another state," Oghassabian said. The 15 agreements are in the environment, consumer protection, agriculture, tourism, culture, interior, defense, education, economy and technical education fields. The two sides also agreed to continue discussions on eight more agreements which according to Oghassabian "require more technical talks." Beirut, 14 Jun 10, 09:39

Budget Discussions Drag on as Finance Ministry Snaps Back at Berri
Naharnet/Cabinet convenes on Monday to continue discussions on the 2010 budget during a session that is expected not to be the last given detailed talks that will set the groundwork for next year's state budget. Well-informed ministerial sources told al-Liwaa newspaper that the cabinet session at Baabda palace would not be the last. Other ministerial sources said there are still pending issues and need time for a final agreement. They told As Safir daily that most remaining clauses would be settled on Monday and the cabinet would make the final drafting of the budget the next day. Monday's session will be held a day after the finance ministry snapped back at Speaker Nabih Berri over his remarks on the $11 billion spent above the ceiling that was set in the 2005 budget. In a detailed statement, the ministry said the spending was legal. "The difficult circumstances that Lebanon went through prevented the adoption of budgets in the past four years which naturally led consecutive governments to assume their responsibilities and meet the needs of the Lebanese." Beirut, 14 Jun 10, 08:32

Israel OKs Flotilla Raid Panel, Turkey Thinks There Won't Be Any Impartiality
Naharnet/Israel's cabinet on Monday backed the creation of an internal committee to probe its deadly raid on a Gaza-bound aid flotilla, in a move swiftly dismissed by Turkey.
The Israeli committee, which will include two foreign observers, was formed to conduct an investigation into the legal aspects of the operation in which Israeli commandos killed nine Turkish activists and wounded many more. But Ankara slammed the move, saying it did not believe the Israeli commission would carry out an "impartial" probe of the pre-dawn attack.
"We have no trust at all that Israel, a country that has carried out such an attack on a civilian convoy in international waters, will conduct an impartial investigation," Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu told reporters in Ankara. Turkey wants the circumstances surrounding the May 31 attack to be investigated by a commission "under the direct control of the United Nations... an impartial one with the participation of Turkey and Israel," he said. Hours after the announcement by the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, cabinet members voted unanimously to back the make-up and mandate of the inquiry committee. The committee, which will be headed by retired supreme court judge Yaakov Tirkel, will conduct an internal investigation into the legal aspects of the flotilla raid. In a move to boost the credibility of the probe, the government also named two international observers: Irish Nobel Peace Prize winner David Trimble and Ken Watkin, a former judge advocate general of the Canadian armed forces. But it was not clear what powers Trimble and Watkin would have, and the statement noted they would not able "to vote in relation to the proceedings and conclusions of the commission." And the two could also be denied access to documents or information if it was "almost certain to cause substantial harm to national security or to the state's foreign relations." Netanyahu's office said the commission's mandate was to examine the legality under international law, of Israel's naval blockade and of the actions taken to enforce that blockade. It would also examine "the actions taken by the organizers of the flotilla and its participants, as well as their identity." Speaking to cabinet members on Monday, Netanyahu said the committee would also seek "to give a credible and convincing answer" to the international community.
"I am convinced that uncovering the facts will prove that Israel acted in an appropriately defensive fashion in accordance with the highest standards. The committee will clarify to the world that Israel acts according to law with responsibility and full transparency," the hawkish premier said.(AFP) Beirut, 14 Jun 10, 13:12

Lebanon's Resistance, People and Army against Iran Sanctions
Manar/12/06/2010 Hezbollah Deputy Secretary General Sheikh Naim Qassem said that the United Nations Security Council was flagrantly biased, noting that it cares for the Israeli interest against the free peoples and governments which seek to be independent, far from foreign interference. Sheikh Qassem said that UNSC turned to be an international official location for international injustice, adding that it wasn't anymore a site for justice, pointing out that it has become a puppet in the hands of the United States of America and an executive tool to colonialism of weak nations.His eminence said that the West's problem with Iran is not limited to the nuclear program of the Islamic Republic. "They don't want Iran to be independent, they don't want Iran to be developed and to help the weak nations," his eminence went on to say. "Because they're unable to halt the Iranian development and because they failed in driving Iran into their camp and because Iran turned to be a major state with very promising future horizons, they want to bomb it under the slogan of the nuclear weapons."
Hezbollah Deputy Secretary General stressed that official Lebanon should have voted against the UN sanctions on Iran especially after the Islamic Republic stood at the side of Lebanon and its Resistance. "Yet, the Lebanese status quo is stronger than the abstention picture," Sheikh Qassem said, concluding that "Lebanon through its people, army and resistance is against the sanctions on Iran." Earlier, member of the Loyalty to the Resistance parliamentary bloc MP Hasan Fadlallah criticized the Lebanese government for abstaining from a UN vote on an additional round of sanctions on Iran, which was passed earlier this week. In a televised interview, the Hezbollah MP said the decision to impose additional sanctions on Tehran was "unjustified", adding that Hezbollah commended "Turkey and Brazil's healthy logic". But Beirut, he said, had proved it was incapable of becoming an influential power in the world.

Sayyed Safieddin: Lebanon's Need for Resistance Increasing
’Manar/12/06/2010 The head of Hezbollah Executive Council Sayyed Hashem Safieddin shed the light on the importance of considering the region's situation, urging on hanging on to the resistance, especially in the light of repeated Israeli threats on Lebanon. "If Lebanon needed hundreds and thousands of missiles to confront the enemy, as a defense of our sovereignty, dignity and waters, then our need to defend our oil resources would push us forward to reinforce the resistance's abilities," Sayyd Safieddin said during a ceremony held by Hezbollah to launch the summer activities. Sayyed Safieddin considered Lebanon's need of the new Lebanese army, people, and resistance formula, is confirmed by the leaks that refer to the Israeli plans of taking over the estimated oil in the region. His eminence concluded that all what is happening now confirms that the resistance is on the right path, and there is no way to stop and confront the Israeli enemy but through the resistance and victory.

Albania, Hezbollah and the labyrinth of international illegal arms trafficking
By: Ioannis Michaletos
International Analyst Network
13 Jun 2010
The Balkan region has a colorful recent history regarding the existence of Jihadist and terrorist networks that are directly related to the ones in the Middle East.
The issue has gathered importance in the beginning of 2010 when the Israeli foreign minister, made explicit remarks on the issue, whilst an interesting aspect has emerged through many information channels that relates to the existence of direct Hezbollah ties in the Balkans and most specifically in Albania.
At a meeting with FYROM's Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski in January, the Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman said that the Balkan states were the new target of global jihad.
"Current reports clearly indicate that the region of the Balkans is the new target of global jihad, which intends to establish infrastructure and recruit activists there," Lieberman said.
"That is seen from the attempts of certain Islamists, in particular Saudi organizations that are transferring their funds to Africa and South America in order to bring them to the regions inhabited by Bosnians and Albanians," he added.
Lieberman said that the Hezbollah group, which is backed by Iran, had penetrated South America and Al-Qa'idah and was well established in Africa.
He called on Gruefski not to allow those militants to strike roots in the Balkans.
After this statement there came the first reaction from the Bosnian Foreign Minister Sven Alkalaj, who phoned his counterpart Avigdor Lieberman to protest against his statement.
The Bosnian minister told his Israeli counterpart that statements of this kind were baseless and that they harmed his country's international reputation. He added that Bosnia was engaged in a struggle against terrorism and that its intelligence services had no information or data about terrorists being active in their country.
For its part, the Albanian side has not reacted to this statement yet.
As the Israeli minister stated, the Hezbollah is channeling money for the establishment of terrorist cells in Albanian-inhabited areas. From what it seems this argument was well-established and in fact it has a long history behind it.
The previous years there were quite a few reports in the Albanian media that Ukrainian anti-missile systems were bought by Albania and then illegally re-exported to Hezbollah, via several front companies.
Under the guise of the Albanian Army's modernization and the enhancement of its defense capability, former Defense Minister Fatmir Mediu and some officials of his ministry asked for the procurement of Igla-1 (SA-16-GIMLET) and Igla-2 (SA-18-GROUZE) land-to-air rockets. These were Soviet-patented rockets of the end of the 1980s, which had also been typed out by other countries. Igla, with capabilities similar to those of the US Stinger rockets, is very effective against planes, helicopters, and UAV drones flying up to a 5,000-foot altitude.
The history of the procurement of these rockets starts in the 2006 spring and also later after a series of feverish efforts to find potential buyers for these rockets. Among the states formally contacted by Albanian officials there are also such ones that pose a potential terrorist threat such as Iran and North Korea.
On 19.04.2006, Mr Rrahmani, marketing manager of the Iranian state firm MODELEX, is requested to procure Iranian SAM rockets of the MISAGH type-2. These rockets, however, are inferior to Igla-18, so they do not carry much favor with the Lebanese Hezbollah.
On 08.06.2006, contacts are established with the Ukrainian firm UKRSPETS EXPORT through its representative Mr. Mayevski. This firm transferred the orders to its branch SE SFTF PROGRES. Between the end of 2006 and the beginning of 2007, this firm sold the Albanian state 150 Igla-1 rockets together with their launchers. The transaction was done on the condition that, in the event these rockets were to be re-exported from Albania, the Ukrainian State Enterprise for the Armaments Export would have to be informed.
Soon after the procurement, the SA-16 and SA-18 rockets were hastily decommissioned from the armament of the Albanian Army. The practice carries the signatures of Prime Minister Berisha, former Minister Mediu, and Lieutenant General Hoxha. After this practice was concluded, the rockets were ready for export by the MEICO [Import-Export Company of the Defense Ministry].
The export of rockets was shrouded in mystery. They were sold to an off-shore Lebanese firm called IFC (International Contract & Enterprise) with address: Tabaris Building, Charles Malek Avenue, Beirut, tel. 0096113381888, with Mr Mawan K. Haddad as its representative.
According to information made public previously by the Israeli intelligence agency, the Lebanese firm serves as front for MOUNTAMAT AL-JIHAD AL-ISLAM, which is a Hezbollah branch. According to the Israelis, this firm has been helping Hezbollah traffickers to smuggle weapons from the former Socialist countries, including Albania.
Miami New Times paper notes on the issue, "Gjerg Thanasi, who broke the news for Gazeta Tema (Albanian newspaper), sent New Times copies of letters and contracts to substantiate the missile deal. Two letters -- written in pidgin English -- from March 2006 are addressed to the Iranian and North Korean governments. In them, Pinari, on behalf of Albania's government, asks to buy $4 million worth of SA-16 and SA-18 shoulder-fired missiles with a 3,500-meter range”.
(In the letter to Iran, he also asks for a cheap way to transport "1000 kg" Iranian explosives that seem to have already been ordered.)
Continuing, “In the documents provided by Gazeta Tema, another contract between Pinari and Marwan K. Haddad -- representative of a Beirut company, International Contracting and Enterprise -- suggests the Albanians shipped military product to Lebanon".
According to Albanian journalists, in many cases, consignments from Albania went to Bosnia-Herzegovina, but countries of the Middle East and Asia were their final destination. The name of Bosnian citizen Damir Fazlic appears in all these reports, just as his links to the main players in these transactions.
Moreover, Gazette Tema newspaper in Tirana, recorded in late 2009, that about eight months before the Gerdec blast, the Albanian Defense Ministry had stepped up the flow of consignments that now turn out to have gone out of control and to have fallen into "insecure hands." The Israeli state intelligence services have every reason to be alarmed, and reliable sources close to these services say that the Israelis have undertaken a monitoring and observing operation [Operation HAYEDID] on consignments originating from Gerdec and transited through Rinas [Tirana] Airport.
The HAYEDID codename is not accidental. In Hebrew this word means a very close friend (almost a family member) of the Israelis, but one who is not of Hebrew origin or nationality. The Gazeta Tema noted that, for some months in succession, Israeli intelligence services knew that consignments of ammunition from Gerdec were going to groups or circles that are basically the main enemies of Israel and an imminent danger to them.
Continuing, reports from Albania, documented during the summer of 2009, commented that 6,000 Katyusha missiles (107mm) were sold from the Albanian defense ministry to Iraq and Chad, nevertheless, quantities of those were found in the hands of terrorists groups in the Anbar and Nasiriyah regions in Iraq. The weaponry was exported from Albania through the company "BT" owned by the Swiss citizen Heinrich Thomet.
Early March 2008 saw the outskirts of the capital of Albania, in the Gerdec area, rocked by a series of explosions caused by the detonation of hundreds of tons of explosives that were supposed to be destroyed by a secure mode. The results were 26 people killed, approximately 300 were badly injured and perhaps as much as 5,000 were force to temporarily relocate, whilst the Tirana suburb on an alert zone for some period of time, due to the existence of more underground bunkers filled with ammunition.
It is estimated that over 100,000 tons of explosive material has to be decommissioned in Albania over the coming years and they still consist one of the major perils for the livehood of many districts. They are placed underground and scattered across the land.
Data that came to light seemed to confirm the existence of a well-formed network that exported illegally explosives and arms from Albania to various theaters across the globe and especially Afghanistan.
The interestic aspect is that this network can be estimated that operated in parallel or at least was aware of the existence of the one responsible for the Hezbollah trafficking, although no enquiry of an official nature has tried to establish those links so far.
An American company named SACI (South Carolina-based, Southern Ammunition Co. Inc), was the responsible authority for the decommissioned of the armaments, which in turn subcontracted the project to the local corporation Alba Demil.
According to various reports by the Albanian media the whole plan was to start decommissioning 10% of the whole Albanian ammunition reserve for a cost of 16 million Euros. NATO financed the project in order to ease the transformation of Albania from the archaic Warsaw Pact inventory and in light of its proposed NATO entrance in early April 2008 in the Heads of State Summit in Bucharest.
The specific work was done right aside the Tirana international airport and close to a residential area. Even though there was a prohibition against constructing houses in that region during the Communist era; the ‘90’s proved to be a season of chaotic changes in the Albanian community and quite a few of its citizens opted buying land and building their estates close to the ammunition depots.
The Albanian press has already confirmed that SACI ended its contract at early 2008, but work was progressed often abetted by unskilled workers and regardless of basic safety rules for such a dangerous effort. Balkan Insight reported that “A video shot before the explosion and broadcast on Top-Channel on Tuesday, showed children working at the depot.”
The company Alba Demil was owned 75% by the businessman Deligiorgis and 25% by a SAIC subsidiary. It opened an offshore company in Cyprus called Evdin which facilitated the sale of 2 tons of ammunition from Albania to Afghanistan.
The offshore company was formed in July 2006, after a law passed by the Albanian government that allowed the arms trade by private firms and in parallel with the agreement with SACI of the decommission process. The telephone correspondence with the company directed to a person in Zenica in Bosnia, a stronghold of Wahhabism in the region. Its post correspondence lead to a street in Larnaca-Cyprus where the alleged firm is based, although a night-club stands instead of any premises resembling an office.
A further detail that adds to the whole story is the existence of the Swiss national Heinrich Thomet who is detailed as a representative for Evdin in Albania. He is also a well-known arms dealer and has often been accused by the international authorities for murky dealings in African states and the Middle East. According to local Albanian sources he was the one that made an arms deal between the state ammunition company MEICO and the Miami based AEY Corporation.
The latter secured Pentagon deals worth around 300 million USD, by reselling Eastern European arms to Afghanistan Iraq in 2006, but it was later revealed that it had falsely stated that its products originated from Hungary and not China as it was actually. That is illegal under U.S Law and FBI investigated the company.
It was revealed that the company’s legal representatives (in their 20’s), had no experience in this kind of projects and the company maintained communication with Albanian citizens and discussed the corruption in the country and explored chances of participating in future arms deals.
In Mid 2008, Kosta Trebicka the owner of the Xhoi Company in Albania that its name was implicated in the aforementioned is found dead in a small town in Eastern Albania. According to quite a few commentators the causes were not natural, although a definite assumption has yet to be discovered.
According to Reuters at that time, "Trebicka was involved in repackaging ageing Chinese ammunition that was being sold from Albania to AEY Inc, a U.S. firm contracted by the Pentagon to supply the Afghan army. He turned whistleblower after the Albanian defense ministry removed him from the contract and appointed another company in his place....Trebicka was to be the key witness in Albania's investigation into the affair".
The same assumptions were confirmed by the Albanian "News 24 TV", at that period, and it was also added that Trebicka had a lot of incriminating evidence against the former defense minister Mediu regarding the illegal arms trade and including the one that relates to the Middle East, whilst he was providing these evidence to the CIA in order to uncover the magnitude of the case.
Ephraim Diveroli the American, 25 year old arms dealer and president of AEY Inc, who was in regular contact with Trebicka according to their telephone exchanges for some period of time, in late August,2009 he pled guilty on one count of conspiracy and faces up to five years in prison.
Asian Times in a well-documented reportage revealed that "On December 12, 2006, the State Department made the following entry to the watch list regarding both Diveroli and AEY....The watch list also had entries for Heinrich Thomet, the president of Evdin, Ltd, a company based in Cyprus that acted as AEY's middleman; and Ylli Pinari, the head of the state-run Military Export Import Company (MEICO), which supplied the ammunition from Albania. The reasons both Thomet and Pinari were placed on the list are classified".
Although the whole issue of illegal arms trade and the existence of a direct link between Hezbollah’s importation of weaponry from Albania, is far from being thoroughly checked, it is highly likely, judging from all the available information, that there is a serious issue in the Balkan region and in Albania in particular that under proper examination may reveal similar cases and a wider nexus between armed groups and terrorists in the Middle East with corrupted officials and arms traffickers in the Balkans.
In any case, much has been already revealed that has caused anxiety to several countries, such as Israel, that point out towards a new look under which the arms contraband can be combated and along with it the ability of terrorists to arm themselves, through the use of loopholes in the system and the assistance of weak links in several countries.
Main Sources:
-Gazeta Tema newspaper (1st December 2009, 9th Jan. 2010)
http://www.gazetatema.net/?gjuha=0&id=7692&PHPSESSID=a336c0bedbc944fb1eebd38a1db9ba67
-http://blogs.miaminewtimes.com/riptide/2010/04/did_efraim_diverolis_crony_shi.php
-Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs-Monthly Bulletin on Albania, December 2009-
http://www.agora.mfa.gr/agora/images/docs/rad825FE%CE%95%CE%9D%CE%97%CE%9C%CE%95%CE%A1%CE%A9%CE%A4%CE%99%CE%9A%CE%9F_%20%CE%94%CE%95%CE%9B%CE%A4%CE%99%CE%9F_%CE%94%CE%95%CE%9A%CE%95%CE%9C%CE%92%CE%A1%CE%99%CE%9F%CE%A5_2009%20.pdf
-www.defenseindustrydaily.com/298m-to-aey-for-ammo-in-afghanistan-03152/
-rawstory.com/news/2008/22yearold_arms_dealer_under_investigation_established_0328.html
-www.balkaninsight.com/en/main/news/8745/
-www.nytimes.com/2008/03/27/world/asia/27ammo.html
-arabist.net/archives/2006/05/13/the-arms-trade-and-iraq
-http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/JF27Ak01.html
-http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSLC14849820080912


The Shifting Sands in the Middle East.

By:  Ted Belman
11 Jun 2010
International Analyst Network
Shimon Peres, President of Israel, has, for the last thirty years, called for a New Middle East. In fact he wrote a book by that title in 1993, the year of the Oslo Accords. He believed that economic cooperation in the ME was the starting point for cementing ties and reconciling peoples. The Oslo Accords, of which he was the main architect and instigator, was intended to lead in that direction. It failed miserably.
In those days the main players on the Muslim side, were Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Egypt and Syria, all Sunni. And, of course, we cannot leave out Arafat, also a Sunni.
All this began to change with the invasion of Iraq by the US in 2003. Talk about unintended consequences. The defeat of Iraq, created a power vacuum which Shiite Iran was salivating to fill. Although Iraq under Hussein was in the Sunni camp, its population was 60% Shiite. Luckily, the Iraqi Shiites prefer independence from Iran perhaps due in part to the fact they are Arab and not Farsi; at least for now but that could change.
Iran had aspirations of grandeur and imperialist ambitions. She began to plot a course which would lead to her dominance of the Muslim world and in the Middle East. No small task, since 80% of Muslims are Sunni and Mecca and Medina, the holiest sites in Islam, are located in Saudi Arabia.
This course had two prongs; the development of its own nuclear bomb and the confrontation with Israel, the Little Satan and the US the Big Satan on behalf of all Muslims everywhere.
Iran also had a natural advantage, her location. Egypt, with its population of 55 million is poor and on the periphery. It also made peace with Israel thereby taking her out of the race for now. Iran borders on Iraq, Turkey, Afghanistan, Pakistan and the Caspian Sea. The US needs Iran to be cooperative in each of these theaters.
Iran’s first success was to win over Syria the most rejectionist Sunni state. Their alliance is constantly growing and seems to have no bounds. This is so notwithstanding that the US has attempted to wean Syria away from Iran. Syria is important because it borders on Jordan, Lebanon and Israel, with whom she has a casus belli for the return of the Golan.
Syria also has imperialist ambitions. She has visions of recovering all lands which were part of the Ottoman province of Syria. Britain and France entered into the Sykes-Picot Agreement during WWI in which they agreed that Britain would control Mesopotamia (Iraq) and southern Syria, (Jordan and Israel) and France would control the rest of Ottoman Syria (Syria, Lebanon and Hatay province of Turkey). The League of Nations formalized this agreement in 1923 when it created the British Mandate and the French Mandate.
In pursuance of these ambitions, in 1970, Syria invaded Jordan only to be repulsed by Israel. During the recent decades, Syria extended its influence over Lebanon. This was made easier with the growth of Hezbollah which was predominantly Shiite. It was natural for Syria and Iran to come together on this. Together they have armed Hezbollah to the teeth in order to have a proxy for the war against Israel. In truth there is no casus belli between Hezbollah and Israel.
Iran took Hamas under its wing after Hamas took over Gaza from the Sunni backed Palestinian Authority in 2007. It was natural for this to happen since they both are dedicated to destroying Israel.
This is a development which has put Egypt in the cross hairs. Hamas is an outgrowth of the Muslim Brotherhood which was founded in Egypt in 1928. The Brotherhood has been a thorn in Egypt’s backside ever since. It believes that Muslim society is no longer Islamic and must be transformed by an Islamic vanguard through violent revolution. Thus, the Brotherhood and Iran are natural allies.
There is great concern that when Mubarak dies, Egypt will be vulnerable to a Brotherhood takeover. Hamas, with the backing of Iran, could greatly assist in this takeover.
Turkey was the last to join the Iranian axis. With the defeat of the Ottoman Empire, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk established the modern state of Turkey. He ruled as President until his death in 1938. During this time he sought to transform Turkey into a modern and secular nation-state. The Turkish army maintained this orientation until the election of islamist Recep Tayyip Erdogan as Prime Minister in 2003. This victory was made possible by the changing demographics of the country. The higher birth rates of the rural class in Turkey (and in Hezbollah in Lebanon) made possible the shift in power.
The US championed the admission of Turkey to NATO and to the EU. Turkey maintained a friendship with Israel to gain favor with the US and with the EU. She succeeded in being admitted to NATO but not to the EU. The EU was not in the mood to admit a Muslim state and set all kinds of preconditions. Erdogan decided to chart his own course rather than the one dictated by the EU. Turkey gave up on admission and turned increasing islamist and anti-Israel and, I might add, anti-American.
In Turkey’s MidEast Gambit, Sam Segev notes,
“Since his Justice and Development party (AKP) came to power in 2002, Erdogan has cautiously but consistently moved to reclaim Turkey’s “grandeur” of the Ottoman Empire era.
“This necessitated a slow but cautious distancing from Israel and the U.S. In 2003, it refused an American request to allow American troops to enter Iraq through Turkish territory. Then a Turkish diplomat was elected secretary general of the 53-member Organization of Islamic Countries and relations with Israel cooled.
“Erdogan ramped up his Islamic-oriented policy after his re-election in 2007. He reconciled with Syria, welcomed Hamas leaders in Ankara, hosted Sudanese President Omar Hassan el-Bashir, who is accused of war crimes, and began to undermine Egyptian and Saudi roles in the Sunni moderate Arab world. “
“[..] Turkey is the only NATO member to host Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and its alignment with Brazil to extricate Iran from stronger sanctions agreed upon by the five permanent members of the Security Council is a direct challenge to American influence in the region.
“Turkey’s attempt to break the blockade on the Hamas-run Gaza Strip was a direct affront not only to Israel, but also to Egypt and the Palestinian Authority”
And yet President Obama still believes “Turkey can have a positive voice in this whole process.”
To make matters worse, the opinion makers in the US and the EU have come out in favor of lifting the blockade which in effect is in support of Hamas, a terrorist organization. And Obama is on their side.
The strengthening of Hamas effectively strengthens Iran, strangles the peace process and scares the bejeesus out of Egypt and Jordan.
As Obama stands astride the shifting sands what possible vision can he have?
You would think that as the U.S. is losing control of the Middle East and plans to bring most of the boys home before the end of next year, she would need a strong Israel all the more.

B’nai B’rith: Condemn Syria for anti-Israel statement
June 13, 2010
(JTA) -- A racist statement against Israel in the United Nations by a Syrian government official should be condemned, a Jewish group said.
B'nai B'rith International condemned the statement made June 8 by Syrian First Secretary Rania Al Rifaiy, and called on the president of the United Nations Human Rights Council to speak out against such anti-Semitic language. Israel "is a state that is built on hatred, discrimination, oppression and a paranoid feeling of superiority," Al Rifaiy said during debate in the U.N. Human Rights Council following Israel's interception of a Gaza-bound flotilla that left nine passengers dead. "Hatred is widespread, taught to even small children, who are taught to use weapons, and who are taught to sign missiles that will be fired at Arabs. "Let me quote a song that a group of children on a school bus in Israel sing merrily as they go to school. And I quote" 'With my teeth I will rip your flesh. With my mouth I will suck your blood.'B’nai B’rith President Dennis Glick said that “Unfortunately, we hear rhetoric like this repeatedly with few-to-no consequences that follow. Words of this kind inflict hate and incite violence, and that simply cannot be tolerated.”
In a letter addressed to U.N. Human Rights Council President Alex Van Meeuwen, Glick and B’nai B’rith International Executive Vice President Daniel Mariaschin wrote, “Hate-speech must be confronted at the council, especially when the perpetrator is a Member State of the United Nations, sworn to uphold the U.N. Charter.”

Toni Nissi Fighting for Freedom in Lebanon
Jihad Watch/Front Page
Posted by Joseph Puder on Jun 14th, 2010 a
Toni Nissi, 45, is a jovial character with a broad smile and easy manners, but his friendly disposition becomes intense when the subject of his native Lebanon arises. He is particularly upset with the current U.S. administration, charging that “the Obama administration is selling Lebanon again to Syria.” As Secretary General of the National Council of the Cedar Revolution (NCCR), Nissi, who is in the States and recently met with high level officials at the Pentagon, is angry with those there who maintain that Lebanon has a democratically elected government and that, therefore, the Lebanese army is the legitimate recipient of arms from the U.S. “They simply don’t understand that Hezbollah is controlling the Lebanese army,” Nissi charged.
To Nissi, the 2005 “March 14 Alliance,” which sought freedom from Syrian occupation and democracy, is now a fiction. Everything revolved around the Saudis whose money controls Lebanon. The rivalry between the late King Fahd and the Crown Prince and now King Abdullah colored Lebanese affairs as much as Syria did. Rafik Hariri was Fahd’s man in Lebanon while Prince Waleed bin Talal, (whose mother, Princess Muna al-Sulh, was the daughter of independent Lebanon ’s first prime minister, Riyadh al-Sulh), was Abdullah’s choice. The Saudis funded the Sunnis in Lebanon while the Iranians funded the Shiites and Hezbollah. As Prime Minister, the Sunni-Muslim Hariri followed Syrian orders. In September 2004 however, when the U.N. passed Resolution 1559, Syria was compelled to withdraw its troops from Lebanon . Hariri and the Saudis supported it, which might have been what triggered his “removal” by the Syrian regime. With the illness and subsequent death of King Fahd (in August 2005), Abdullah effectively became the ruler of Saudi Arabia. Abdullah, according to Nissi, preferred to see his nephew Waleed bin Talal serve in Lebanon, rendering Hariri expendable.
The assassination of Rafik Hariri in Beirut on February 14, 2005, energized the Lebanese patriots to form the March 14 Alliance, made up primarily of Sunni Muslims, Armenian Christian groups and various other Christian and secular groups. Nissi maintains that the seeds for the March 14 Alliance were planted as early as September 2000, led by a Maronite-Christian bishop at “Cornet Shiewan,” and that only after passage of U.N. Resolution 1559, did the Sunni-Muslims and Druze join the anti-Syrian “Cedar Alliance.”
Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Hezbollah, made a speech on March 8, 2005, before a gathering of about 400,000, mostly Shiite-Muslim, Palestinians from refugee camps, and thousands of Syrian workers in Lebanon . Nasrallah thanked Syria “for helping Lebanon for 30 years…” As a result, Sunni Mullahs and Druze along with Christians of all denominations called for the March 14, 2005 counter-demonstration that brought out the anti-Hezbollah democratic forces – over a million Lebanese – Christians and Muslims.
The aftermath of the Civil War in Lebanon had weakened the Christian grip on power in Lebanon, it was impacted by the changing demography in the country. At its birth in 1943, the Christians in Lebanon were a clear majority. As a result of the Civil War that began in 1975 and lasted until 1989, the Christians in particular suffered significant dislocation.
Many Lebanese Christians left for the West and failed to register as Lebanese nationals, while the Shiite and Sunni Muslim Lebanese, who departed for the Arab world and Africa , registered and are still considered citizens. According to Nissi, 80% of the Lebanese Diaspora is composed of Christians. Bishara Hanna, a noted Lebanese demographer, claimed in a 2009 study that 48.9% of the Lebanese population was Christian and 51.1% was Muslim.
Addressing the results of civil war, Nissi recalled the history of the Taif (Saudi Arabia) Agreement, which officially ended the civil war. “Taif called for disbanding of all the militas with the exception of the hezbollah. The excuse was that the latter must stay armed as a counter-weight to the South Lebanese Army that was cooperating with Israel.”
Tony Nissi is in the U.S. to gather support from the Lebanese-Christian diaspora and to strengthen the connection of Lebanese-Christians with their homeland. He hopes to accomplish the following goals:
1. To rehabilitate the identity of the Aramaic speaking Christians. Nissi claims that the Arab-Muslims are deliberately destroying the Aramaic identity. Nissi has created two Aramaic culture and language NGO’S.
2. On a political level Nissi seeks to bring the Christian community’s 15 organizations in Lebanon under the National Council of the Cedar Revolution (NCCR) umbrella.
3. On a church level Nissi hopes to reverse the phenomenon of Muslims – including Saudis – buying up Christian owned land. His Christian religious umbrella would purchase land and reserve it for Christians.
4. Nissi intends to create a Research and Development Center in Lebanon – a think tank that would provide Christians in Lebanon with a sense of identity and leadership and a connection with an American think-tank. To accomplish this goal, Nissi states: “I believe that such a think tank in Lebanon would be able to inform and educate Lebanese in the Diaspora and the Obama administration on realities in Lebanon which are currently misunderstood.”
Nissi concluded the conversation by saying, “I am working to create an independent, democratic, secular, and pluralistic Lebanon at peace with Israel and a close friend of the USA.”

Bilateral priorities
June 14, 2010
Now Lebanon
Under the cozy, not to mention vague, definition of strengthening bilateral ties, Lebanese-Syrian diplomacy was in full throttle over the weekend with talks in Damascus aimed at establishing closer relations in what appears to be the full spectrum of areas of cooperation – defense to education and everything in between.
It was also announced that a summit between Lebanese President Michel Sleiman and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad would take place in Syria this week, possibly as early as Tuesday. It would, the Lebanese media reported, “tackle joint Lebanese-Syrian issues” and pave the way for a meeting of the Syrian-Lebanese Higher Council (SLHC), the controversial body created in 1991 under Article 6 of the Fraternity, Cooperation and Coordination Treaty to oversee the implementation of the treaties between the two countries, but which has been dormant since 2005.
There is a worrying side to the diplomatic hoopla. Given what has passed since 2005, when Syria was forced by the Independence Intifada to withdraw its troops from Lebanon after a 29-year presence, and the recent regional understanding between Saudi Arabia and Syria, the Lebanese need to be reassured that Beirut is not once again being absorbed into another one-sided relationship with Damascus. They must be certain that when their country tackles “joint Lebanese-Syrian issues” it does so as an equal partner and a sovereign state.
Even more crucial is Lebanon’s obligation to address outstanding issues of national importance such as border demarcation, the fate of Lebanese detainees in Syrian jails and the future of the SLHC, a body whose presence is a continuous reminder of an era when Lebanese-Syrian relations were certainly not on an equal footing.
In late April this year, UN Special Envoy for the implementation of Security Council Resolution 1559 Terje Roed Larsen said that border demarcation, although stipulated in the resolution, should be seen as a bilateral matter, one that should be settled through a Lebanese-Syrian agreement. He said it was best that the UN not interfere in the process, unless both parties request its intervention. Indeed, in a letter to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, Syrian ambassador to the UN Bashar al-Javari also stated the bilateral nature of the issue, so what better time to address it than now?
Demarcating Lebanon’s border with its main neighbor would be a huge step forward in Lebanon’s achingly slow journey to full statehood. It is however, an emotive issue for a Syrian regime, which, despite having agreed to exchange ambassadors in 2009, is historically reluctant to recognize Lebanon as a sovereignty entity.
The current diplomatic activity must also be seen as an opportunity to achieve genuine cooperation on determining the fate of the roughly 600 or so Lebanese from all confessions, as well as Palestinians, whose last know whereabouts were thought to be Syrian custody. Roughly half are thought to still be alive. Syria has an international obligation to come clean on their fate, and President Sleiman should make this highly emotive issue conditional on any proposed bilateral relations.
Finally, in a move that would go a long way to showing Lebanese that a new page has been turned in the way their government deals with its neighbor, the SLHC must either be disbanded, or, at the very least, the bilateral agreements that were rubber stamped during the era of Syrian hegemony and that were designed to benefit Syria’s security and economic interests must be annulled… not tweaked, annulled.
In 2008, Nasri Khoury, secretary general of the Syrian-Lebanese Higher Council, told An-Nahar that “any attempt to cancel out the previous phase of Syrian-Lebanese relations is an attempt to cancel a reality marked by history, geography and the blood of martyrs.”
Lebanon may have settled into a political status quo that falls short of the expectations of many who put their weight behind the 2005 Independence Intifada, but to recognize bodies such as the SLHC as legitimate instruments of bilateral relations is also to deny, as he put it, “history, geography” and, especially “martyrs’ blood.”
Khoury should be aware that such sentiments run both ways.

Asharq Al-Awsat Talks to Former Lebanese President Amin al-Jumayyil
14/06/2010
By Tha'ir Abbas
http://www.asharq-e.com/news.asp?section=3&id=21297
Beirut, Asharq Al-Awsat - Between a picture of his late father, Pierre al-Jumayyil, which hangs over his desk in the Lebanese Phalange Party's Beirut headquarters, and a picture of his son, Pierre al-Jumayyil, who was assassinated during the crisis a few years ago, sits former President Amin al-Jumayyil, oppressed by worries about the critical Lebanese situation on whose horizon nothing is visible that points to possible solutions or to guarantees of a long extension of the existing political "truce" in Lebanon, a country that al-Jumayyil describes as "kidnapped" or "captive," and a truce that has produced a government with whose effectiveness President al-Jumayyil does not appear to be completely satisfied, especially when it comes to issues of sovereignty.
In a conversation with Asharq al-Awsat, al-Jumayyil spoke in Beirut about the dangers posed by the existence of "two societies and regimes that are parallel but do not meet." He warned of the dangers of the continuation of the present situation in Lebanon, given the existence of a faction able to make decisions about peace or war and about political negotiation apart from the Lebanese state, which is "the last to know."
On relations with Syria, al-Jumayyil appears to support the effort of Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri in his dialogue with President Bashar al-Assad. He sees himself as represented in this dialogue through his representation in the government. However, al-Jumayyil, who reveals his desire for good relations with Syria, states that a visit by him to Damascus "is not currently in the works." He believes that there is much that needs to be dealt with in Lebanese-Syrian relations -- most prominently, the Lebanese-Syrian Higher Council that was established by the Fraternity, Cooperation, and Coordination Treaty that the two countries signed in the nineties. He calls for raising the issue of the council before the International Court of Justice, to decide the council's fate if there is disagreement about it between Lebanon and Syria.
The following is the full text of the interview:
[Asharq Al-Awsat] How do you view the current regional situation? And how does it affect Lebanon?
[Al-Jumayyil] The situation in the region is abnormal due to the multitude of crises. We used to be in a single crisis, the crisis of the Arab-Israeli conflict; now we have come to be in multiple crises. The Iranian nuclear dimension has entered into the picture for us, the Iranian conflict with the nuclear community. Then the Iraqi dimension, where the situation is unstable, has entered the picture. Anyone who focuses exclusively on the Iraqi national dimension is wrong, because the problem goes further than Iraq. The explosions that take place in Iraq are clear indications. In addition to all this, there is the dangerous increase of fundamentalist movements. All this puts the region in a precarious situation. The crises interpenetrate; it is difficult to deal with each one separately. For example, the situation in Lebanon is connected to the issue of the Iranian nuclear program -- which is no secret, given the connection between Hezbollah and Iran. Hence, the anxiety over the region's future, because the treatments are not comprehensive -- if we assume that a comprehensive treatment is possible.
[Asharq Al-Awsat] What about the Lebanese situation? Is what we have today merely a truce to mark time, or a real project for cooperation?

[Al-Jumayyil] It saddens me to say that Lebanon is a captive country, a kidnapped country. The majority of Lebanese want nothing but peace, stability, and normal coexistence among all the sectors of the Lebanese people. The factor that preserves Lebanon in normal times is this coexistence. However, Lebanon is being pushed by local elements into becoming a stage for larger and broader conflicts. We do not want history to repeat itself, as happened in 1958, when the Nasserist tide tried to influence the situation in the region through Lebanon. Similarly, the Palestinian factor in the seventies was the basis for exploding the Lebanese situation. The Lebanese dimensions of the crisis in the seventies were very modest, compared with the regional and Palestinian dimension. Therefore, the truce now existing among us is directly connected to the general situation in the Middle East. Sadly, Lebanon is not sufficiently fortified to distance itself from any explosion that might occur in the region anywhere for any reason.
[Asharq Al-Awsat] You say that Lebanon is a kidnapped country. Who is the kidnapper?
[Al-Jumayyil] Simply because there are two authorities on Lebanon's territory, the country has been kidnapped. Each of the two authorities has made a series of independent sovereign decisions. Who can decide about war and peace in Lebanon? Who can make decisions about diplomatic negotiations? Examples of both things can be seen in what happened in the fighting of July 2006. The domestic fighting of 7 May 2008 shows who can make the decisions about war and peace. As for decisions about diplomatic negotiations, one can get a glimpse from the negotiations that took place between Israel and Hezbollah for the return of the hostages: official Lebanon was the last to know about these negotiations. When unconditional sovereign decision-making is impeded, the country has been kidnapped.
[Asharq Al-Awsat] Are you saying that the kidnapper is Hezbollah, with Iran behind it?
[Al-Jumayyil] Because of Lebanon's loss of unified sovereign decision-making, Lebanon has become kidnapped.
[Asharq Al-Awsat] Things may be different this time. If the domestic factor was modest in 1975, the situation is different this time due to the presence of a strong domestic factor, the domestic Lebanese faction. You personally have spoken of your fear that there might be two societies in Lebanon. Do your fears still exist?
[Al-Jumayyil] They still exist. The basis of national existence and unity is education. There are two different educational systems on the ground now, and this is building two parallel societies that do not meet. Particular education is growing inside the schools in Lebanon. Even in clothing, we have come to see different appearances, and even the Arabic language has been invaded by new ways of speaking.
[Asharq Al-Awsat] With an Iranian flavor?
[Al-Jumayyil] There are developments on that level. If we talk about the situation, they deal with us as if we were announcing discrimination. On the contrary, we believe that we need to understand each other. We have not been able to agree on a common denominator in civics education and a history text or on certain things relating to culture. If this issue is not settled quickly, things will move to a dangerous place. They used to accuse the Christians of concentrating too much on links to the West, but today things are in another mold.
[Asharq Al-Awsat] Doesn't this herald a dark future?
[Al-Jumayyil] My approach is positive -- in the direction of warning about the dangers and calling for a program of a minimal amount of mutual understanding. This is in everyone's interest, because it is in everyone's interest that we come together on common principles and certain "national sanctities," if one may use the expression. There is a denial of each other's history, and this is dangerous. We are not building a country or fortifying an existence.
[Asharq Al-Awsat] Mutual denial?
[Al-Jumayyil] It may or may not be mutual. I won't go into details now, but it is something that really exists. I am not accusing anyone. The Lebanese history textbook is still unclear, as is the civics book. Heresies are taking place. If we first don't come to an understanding about educational matters, about what can we come to an understanding?
[Asharq Al-Awsat] If decisions of war and peace are strategic and not in the state's hands, is it pointless to hold dialogue about the defense strategy?
[Al-Jumayyil] Our approach to defense policy is a political approach. First let us come to an understanding about the Lebanese entity and how we cooperate with each other, and on that basis we can look to the external world and weave a fabric of relations, alliances, and links with others. What is happening at the present time is like what happened in the past, when relations were established with the PLO at the expense of national unity. We then became divided nationally over a basic issue related to the country's security and stability. Similarly today, we are disagreeing about Lebanon's relations with some of its neighbors. Presumably, we should agree internally about Lebanon's role and mission, and weave a fabric of relations with others on that basis. This is to everyone's benefit. Leaving the Christians aside, can we say that an Islamic-Islamic understanding exists about foreign relations? I don't think so.
[Asharq Al-Awsat] Will you be present at the dialogue meetings about defense strategy at the coming session?
[Al-Jumayyil] Yes.
[Asharq Al-Awsat] You have no travel plans?
[Al-Jumayyil] I was clear from the beginning. I demanded that it was required, before getting into defense strategy, which is an applied matter that we go to the heart of the matter to reach mutual understanding about the words "loyalty" and "sovereignty." After reaching mutual understanding about these two words, it will become easy to reach a defense strategy. Unfortunately, there is disagreement over the Palestinian military base in the Qusaya area of the Lebanese Beqaa. Some consider it a violation of national sovereignty; others think otherwise. How can we think about a defense strategy when there isn't a single view of the principle of sovereignty and the principle of loyalty?
[Asharq Al-Awsat] There was agreement in the dialogue about a number of issues, including Palestinian weapons outside the camps. Why has there been no implementation?
[Al-Jumayyil] This government, the solidarity government of national unity, was supposed to implement the matter, but nothing happened. As long as there is no sincerity in approaching the issues of sovereignty and loyalty, it is difficult for us to come to an understanding on the subject of defense strategy. I raised the issue from the first day of the start of the dialogue. There were those who heard and those who claimed not to have heard. If we follow an ostrich policy and do not confront the matter, our efforts will be in vain.
[Asharq Al-Awsat] Why haven't these decisions been put into effect in the government?
[Al-Jumayyil] Because there is a faction in the government that believes it premature for us to reach an understanding about these terms. It thinks that it is content: it has sovereignty independent of the state, independent decision-making power in sovereignty issues, and an autonomous domain over which to spread its own sovereignty. Some are operating on the principle, What is mine is mine, and what is yours is yours and mine. There is a parallel administration, like the independent telephone network -- the Hezbollah network -- and the state network. The state network is for it and for others; its own network is for it alone: no one can meddle with it, ask where it goes, to what countries it extends, how this network is employed commercially, or anything else. There is no right to monitor.
Hezbollah says that its network is for its own security and isn't a commercial network! Who guarantees that? Who allowed whom to monitor whom? What are the powers of whoever exercises oversight over citizens? There are two states, two telephone ministries, with one of which we have no relation.
[Asharq Al-Awsat] How are your relations with Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri? How do you view his move toward Syria?
[Al-Jumayyil] Our relations with him are excellent. We are from one team, and he has full support from us, even in his visit to Damascus.
[Asharq Al-Awsat] Why does one get the impression that the Christians of the majority are outside of the regional understanding that led Prime Minister al-Hariri to go to Damascus?
[Al-Jumayyil] We support Prime Minister al-Hariri's move. We had important demands in this context, part of which have been realized: diplomatic exchange, the opening of two embassies, and the withdrawal of the Syrian army, as well as establishing contacts between the two governments to deal with unresolved matters. We view the matters positively and constructively, but there are other still unresolved issues that we need to deal with and for which we need to find solutions.
[Asharq Al-Awsat] Such as?
[Al-Jumayyil] The Lebanese-Syrian Higher Council. I think that if there is a disagreement between us and Syria about the Higher Council, there is nothing wrong with referring the issue to the International Court of Justice in The Hague. I am speaking objectively. There are provisions in the agreement on whose basis the council was established that conflict with general principles of constitutional law.
[Asharq Al-Awsat] Is your relation with Syria severed?
[Al-Jumayyil] It is not severed. In all honesty, we want there to be good relations with Syria. Since my father's days, we have had many historic affairs, but we kept the doors open between us and the dialogue continued. The dialogue with Syria remained open until the last moment of my term, and it continued afterward between myself and President al-Assad. I do not know President Bashar al-Assad, but my relations with his father were continual. Our concern is that the matters of disagreement with Syria be dealt with. We therefore support Prime Minister al-Hariri's move and the dialogue taking place between him and President Al-Assad and the Syrian government. We are interested in reaching solutions. At this particular stage, we view our relations with Syria through the actions that the government is taking, because we are part of it and have a minister in it.
[Asharq Al-Awsat] No visit soon to Damascus?
[Al-Jumayyil] No visit is in the works.
[Asharq Al-Awsat] No invitation has been extended to you?
[Al-Jumayyil] There is no talk of a visit to Syria at the present time.
[Asharq Al-Awsat] How are relations with MP Walid Jumblatt?
[Al-Jumayyil] The personal relationship is excellent. There is a friendship that has grown up between us. There are family relations. However, this does not negate the fact that on the political level Walid Bey's position has not finally crystallized so as to make an evaluation. After he his dramatic exit from 14 March, he has not settled on definite positions. He is still in a transition phase. On the one hand, he wants very good relations with the prime minister; at the same time, he is opening up other avenues. We feel that he is still pleased with the 14 March team.
[Asharq Al-Awsat] What about the Phalange's place in 14 March after the freezing of its presence in the general secretariat?
[Al-Jumayyil] We were 14 March before there was any 14 March. We are at the heart of this movement. We didn't go to it; it came to the Phalange. As early as 1943 we entered the battle for sovereignty and independence against the French, and we remained defending sovereignty and independence in their normal sense. We remain on course. You ought to ask where 14 March is now, and ask the pillars of 14 March where they are. What happened during elections for the head of the physicians' union was a scandal in terms of coordination and solidarity within 14 March.
[Asharq Al-Awsat] Do you mean the position of the Lebanese Forces to vote for General Aoun's candidate?
[Al-Jumayyil] We are an active force in the union, and we operated with complete sincerity. Why, then, did what happened happen?

Iran's threats & Arab states' al-taqiyya stances in the Media 
By: Elias Bejjani *
http://www.10452lccc.com/elias%20english09/elias.e.arabstaqiyya14.06.10.htm
http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/printFriendly/162547
http://www.analyst-network.com/article.php?art_id=3483
http://al-ghorba6.blogspot.com/2010/06/irans-threats-arab-states-al-taqiyya.html
http://www.middle-east-online.com/english/opinion/?id=39536
http://canadafreepress.com/index.php/article/24225
http://medyanews.com/english/?p=2498
http://globalpolitician.com/26466-iran-arab
http://blogs.albawaba.com/bejjani/66411/2010/06/14/505401-iran-s-threats-arab-states-al-taqiyya-stances
http://www.middle-east-online.com/english/?id=39536=39536&format=0
http://eliasbejjani.blogspot.com/2010/06/irans-threats-arab-states-al-taqiyya.html
http://oneclick.indiatimes.com/article/0geFgzEdQN6bk?q=Iran
http://politifi.com/news/Irans-threats-Arab-states-altaqiyya-stances-1024403.html
http://iplextra.indiatimes.com/article/0geFgzEdQN6bk
http://friendfeed.com/bill-romanos-iran-news-search/2a6f0479/iran-threats-arab-states-al-taqiyya-stances
http://www.middle-east-online.com/?id=93874