LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
ِNovember 10/2010

Bible Of The Day
We are God's live temple
Paul's Second Letter to the Corinthians 06/12-18
6:11 Our mouth is open to you, Corinthians. Our heart is enlarged. 6:12 You are not restricted by us, but you are restricted by your own affections. 6:13 Now in return, I speak as to my children, you also be open wide. 6:14 Don’t be unequally yoked with unbelievers, for what fellowship have righteousness and iniquity? Or what fellowship has light with darkness? 6:15 What agreement has Christ with Belial? Or what portion has a believer with an unbeliever? 6:16 What agreement has a temple of God with idols? For you are a temple of the living God. Even as God said, “I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they will be my people.”* 6:17 Therefore “‘Come out from among them, and be separate,’ says the Lord. ‘Touch no unclean thing. I will receive you.* 6:18 I will be to you a Father. You will be to me sons and daughters,’ says the Lord Almighty.”*

Free Opinions, Releases, letters, Interviews & Special Reports
There is no hope for Lebanon unless the U.N. and the West will enforce the tribunal's findings on the Hariri ssassination/By WALID PHARES/09.11.10
A question of ethics/By: Ana Maria Luc/November 09/10

Latest News Reports From Miscellaneous Sources for November 09/10
Senator Kerry urges Lebanese to accept Hariri court/Ynetnews
Sfeir calls for unity amid STL indictment fears/Now Lebanon

Gates: Heart of al-Qaida in Afghan-Pakistan Border/Naharnet
Late-Night March 14 Meeting Stresses Commitment to STL, Lebanon Stability/Naharnet

United Nations Special Coordinator for Lebanon Michael Williams: Dialogue is the only way to safeguard Lebanon/Daily Star
March 14 unifies ranks on false witnesses/Daily Star
Energy and Water Minister Jibran Bassil says Hizb al-Tahrir threatens country's image/Daily Star
Jumblat to Damascus: No Blame on Geagea, but on Those who Support him/Naharnet
Berri: False Witnesses' Issue Must be Resolved This Week Even If Cabinet is Required to Vote/Naharnet
Gul: We Do Not Comment on STL's Functioning, Lebanon's Stability Should Not Be Destroyed/Naharnet
Sfeir Calls for Unity in the Face of Indictment
/Naharnet
Netanyahu Informs UN of Plan to Pull Out from Ghajar
/Naharnet
Cabinet Convenes under Suleiman Wednesday
/Naharnet
Moussawi Says Indicting Hizbullah Members Undermines Civil Peace
/Naharnet
Hariri will boycott cabinet session if March 8 to win “false witnesses” vote, source says/Now Lebanon
UNIFIL commander Asarta: We count on everyone’s cooperation on Resolution 1701/Now Lebanon
UN-backed tribunal set to indict up to six senior Hezbollah members in assassination of former Lebanese prime minister/Now Lebanon

United Nations Special Coordinator for Lebanon Michael Williams: Dialogue is the only way to safeguard Lebanon
By The Daily Star /Tuesday, November 09, 2010 /BEIRUT: United Nations Special Coordinator for Lebanon Michael Williams met Monday with Hizbullah Minister Mohammad Fneish and said dialogue was the only option for Lebanon. “Only collective engagement of all Lebanese through the existing institutions will enable [them] to find solutions to the problems facing their country,” said Williams. “I expressed … concerns of the UN about the possibility of escalation and stressed the importance of maintaining all channels of communication and dialogue,” he added. Fneish, minister of state for administrative reform, is reported to have informed Williams about the ongoing political tensions in Lebanon as well as the wider situation in the Middle East. The pair also discussed the implementation of UN Resolution 1701, which ended the 2006 war with Israel. Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman announced Sunday his ministry had drawn up and wanted to execute plans to withdraw from the Lebanese side of the occupied village of Ghajar in line with the resolution’s demands. Media reports have claimed that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was to submit this plan to UN chief Ban Ki-moon Monday during their meeting in New York.  While all sides have welcomed the claims, more remains to be done. Even if Israel pulls out, it is unlikely to halt its breaches, like the constant violations of Lebanese airspace, which it justifies on the basis of Hizbullah’s continued amassment of weapons, itself also a violation of Resolution 1701. “We exchanged views on what still is needed to improve the implementation of the resolution,” said Williams. – The Daily Star
Report: Mugniyah among top suspects in Hariri murder

UN-backed tribunal set to indict up to six senior Hezbollah members in assassination of former Lebanese prime minister, Wall Street Journal

News Agencies Published: 11.08.10, 09:02 / Israel News Imad Mugniyah, Hezbollah's operations officer who was killed in a 2008 car bombing in Damascus, was one of the key figures behind the 2005 assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, the Wall Street Journal reported Monday. According to the report, Mugniyah and his brother-in-law Mustafa Badreddine are two out of possible six senior Hezbollah members that will be indicted for the murder by the UN-backed Special Tribunal for Lebanon, in charge of investigating the assassination. Hariri and 22 other people were murdered on February 14, 2005 in a suicide attack in the Lebanese capital of Beirut. An international tribunal was established in 2007 in order to probe the attack and indict those responsible. Badreddine, one of the candidates to replace Mugniyah as Hezbollah's operations officer, is the main suspect in Hariri's murder. Members of the tribunal have faced difficulty during the investigation, culminating with a recent event in which some 30 furious women managed to chase them away during a visit to a local clinic. Lebanese prosecutor general Said Mirza instructed to investigate the incident, but Hezbollah officials were quick to deny any involvement.

Senator Kerry urges Lebanese to accept Hariri court

Foreign Relations Committee chairman says Beirut 'doesn't have the power' to change tribunal probing assassination of former PM 'because it was created by UN at Lebanon's request'
11.08.10, 18:30 / Israel News  Lebanon cannot change the course of a tribunal investigating the killing of statesman Rafik al-Hariri, a leading US senator said on Monday in comments acknowledging sectarian tensions over expected indictments. Shiite, Iranian-backed Hezbollah is trying to block the tribunal, attempting to curb its financing and calling on Lebanese to halt cooperation with it after it emerged that members of the group may be indicted for the 2005 attack. UN-backed tribunal set to indict up to six senior Hezbollah members in assassination of former Lebanese prime minister, Wall Street Journal reports  Sunni, Western-backed Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri supports the UN-backed court investigating his father's death, and cooperation with the tribunal is enshrined in the policy statement of the government, of which Hezbollah is a member.
Diplomats and politicians have previously said indictments may surface by early next year. As they approach, sectarian tensions have risen and political disputes between the Hariri and Hezbollah camps have escalated.  "Prime Minister Hariri doesn't have the power to change the tribunal," said John Kerry, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
"Lebanon doesn't have the power to change the tribunal because it was created by the United Nations at the request of this country," Kerry said after meeting Hariri and before heading on to Damascus. Hezbollah, which considers the court a tool of US and Israeli policy, has called on Hariri to repudiate the tribunal, whose investigation first pointed the finger at Syria. Hariri has refused to yield to the pressure, though he has mended relations with Damascus. Hoping to shore up Hariri's position, the United States last week pledged $10 million for the tribunal, bringing American donations for the court to $30 million. Kerry also suggested the indictments should not be taken as a pointed attack on Hezbollah. "So for those who are trying to make it (the tribunal) an issue, those who oppose it, they need to think carefully about rule of law," Kerry said. "Nobody knows what the findings will be. I don't know the findings. I think whatever those findings are, they are not directed at a whole group of people. They don't reflect one sectarian, or one religious or other point of view."

Sfeir calls for unity amid STL indictment fears

November 9, 2010 /Former Minister Wadih Khazen quoted Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Boutros Sfeir on Tuesday as calling on Lebanese parties to unite regardless of the content of Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL)’s pending indictment. According to Khazen, Sfeir warned against “any foreign exploitation of a [Lebanese] cabinet stalemate,” the National News Agency (NNA) reported. The patriarch also praised President Michel Sleiman and Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) Commander General Jean Kahwaji’s efforts to confront attempts to destabilize Lebanon. Sfeir called on all Lebanese parties to have awareness and engage in dialogue. He later met with Saudi Ambassador to Lebanon Ali Awad Assiri who voiced Riyadh’s hope that calm would be fostered in Lebanon, the NNA added. Tension is high in Lebanon after unconfirmed reports indicated that the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) would soon issue its indictment for the 2005 assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. March 8 parties are calling for the abolition of the tribunal.-NOW Lebanon

UNIFIL commander Asarta: We count on everyone’s cooperation on Resolution 1701
November 9, 2010 /UNIFIL commander General Alberto Asarta Cuevas said Tuesday the peacekeeping forces count on everyone’s cooperation to implement UN Security Council Resolution 1701. He also reiterated UNIFIL’s commitment to achieving peace and stability in the South in cooperation with the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF), the National News Agency (NNA) reported. -NOW Lebanon

Hariri will boycott cabinet session if March 8 to win “false witnesses” vote, source says

November 9, 2010 /LBCI television quoted Tuesday an unnamed source at the Grand Serail as saying that Prime Minister Saad Hariri will not attend any cabinet session if March 8 will win the vote on the transferring of the “false witnesses” file. The source said that President Michel Sleiman can postpone the session if he finds an appropriate excuse. Ministers are expected to discuss on Wednesday the issue of witnesses who gave unreliable testimonies to the investigation of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri’s 2005 assassination. March 8 politicians have called for the cabinet to task the Justice Council with investigating the issue of “false witnesses,” however, March 14 figures have said that the regular judiciary should handle the matter.-NOW Lebanon

Late-Night March 14 Meeting Stresses Commitment to STL, Lebanon Stability

Naharnet/eaders of the majority March 14 coalition held a late-night meeting under Prime Minister Saad Hariri at Center House ahead of Wednesday's Cabinet meeting.
A statement from Hariri's office said the leaders "reviewed the latest developments in Lebanon and the region." Those who attended the meeting at Hariri's mansion in downtown Beirut, better known as Center House, were Phalance Party leader Amin Gemayel, Deputy Speaker Farid Makari, ex-PM Fouad Saniora, Ministers Boutros Harb, Michel Pharaon, Salim Warde and Jean Oghassabian, Lebanese Forces boss Samir Geagea, as well as MPs Sami Gemayel, George Adwan, Dory Chamoun, Ahmed Fatfat, Sebouh Qalbakian, Antoine Zahra, Tony Abou Khater and Sethrida Geagea. March 14 General Secretariat Coordinator Fares Souaid, and former MPs Bassem Sabeh, Samir Franjieh, Solange Gemayel, Nayla Moawad, Ghattas Khoury, Mansour Ghanem el-Bone and Elias Atallah also were present. March 14 parliamentary sources said that the "comprehensive debate was not over."
"We stressed commitment to the fundamental principles of March 14 and (the need) not to compromise on key issues," one source told the daily Al-Liwaa in remarks published Tuesday.
Ad-Diyar newspaper had said the meeting was designed to discuss a "peaceful confrontation plan" launched by March 14 leaders from Bkirki.
The plan, which aims at mobilizing Christians and the civil society against threats in the event the International Tribunal issued an indictment against Hizbullah members accusing them of killing ex-PM Rafik Hariri, was launched from Bkirki following a broad weekend meeting of Christian leaders.
Ad-Diyar said March 14 plans to expand its peaceful mobilization reach to include civilians where 300 personalities, including media and judicial representative as well as members of parliament, will meet on Tuesday at Hotel Gabriel in Ashrafieh under the slogan "Beirut Initiative" to discuss a peaceful confrontation against efforts to shake stability.
As-Safir newspaper, for its part, said Hariri was firm during the meeting at Center House: No compromise on the International Tribunal or the Taif Agreement.
It quoted an official who attended the meeting as saying that the conferees did not give much focus on a Cabinet meeting to be held Wednesday.
He said Hariri stressed in this regard his unshakable stance toward recognition of the existence of false witnesses and refusal to refer the issue to the Judicial Council.
The official said the conferees tasked Hariri with following up on contacts based on the fundamental principles of March 14.
He pointed to the importance of the timing of the meeting following the Christian gathering in Bkirki "in a clear message that shows Hariri's support for the declaration made from Bkirki."
The Christian meeting, held under Patriarch Nasrallah Sfeir on Friday, declared Lebanon is in "grave danger" and called on the International Community to implement its commitments toward Lebanon. "Lebanon as an entity and a democratic system is in grave danger – a danger on all Lebanese, Christians and Muslims," said a statement at the end of the Bkirki meeting which included officials from the March 14 coalition and independent figures. "We call on all Lebanese who have faith in their country to get up and defend Lebanon," the statement urged. Beirut, 09 Nov 10, 07:15

Jumblat to Damascus: No Blame on Geagea, but on Those who Support him

Naharnet/Druze leader Walid Jumblat will visit Damascus on Tuesday for talks with Syrian Vice-President Maj. Gen. Mohammed Nassif.As-Safir newspaper quoted Jumblat as saying that there is a "historic moment" represented in talks between Syrian and Saudi Arabia."Let us profit from this meeting between Damascus and Riyadh in order to avoid the damaging outcomes of the indictment," Jumblat said. He accused the United States of seeking to torpedo the Syrian-Saudi rapprochement, pointing to the"clear" visit by US Senator John Kerry. Kerry's statements "aim to torpedo this rapprochement as if they (US) don't want to help Lebanon and strengthen its stability," Jumblat said, stressing that stability comes before justice.
He criticized statements made by Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea following his meeting with the U.S. ambassador. "He (Geagea) is not to blame, but blame should fall on those who support him," Jumblat believed.On Monday, Geagea said that if he had to choose between the Government and the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, then he would choose the Tribunal. Beirut, 09 Nov 10, 09:03

Berri: False Witnesses' Issue Must be Resolved This Week Even If Cabinet is Required to Vote

Naharnet/Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri said the false witnesses' issue must not remain pending. He stressed the need to put an end to procrastination or delay. "The method of procrastination and delay must stop. Cabinet should be decisive regarding the false witnesses' issue," Berri stressed in remarks published by the daily Al-Liwaa on Tuesday.
"This issue should be resolved in Cabinet's next meeting even if ministers are required to vote," he said. Cabinet is due to meet at 5:00pm Wednesday. even if it had to resort to voting," Berri told the daily Al-Liwaa in remarks published Tuesday. Beirut, 09 Nov 10, 06:38

Gates: Heart of al-Qaida in Afghan-Pakistan Border
Naharnet/Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Tuesday the "heart" of Al-Qaeda remained in the Afghan-Pakistan border area even as it spread its influence to the Arabian peninsula and northern Africa./As Al-Qaeda's leaders continued to operate out of the border area, "they provide the guidance, they provide the priorities, they provide legitimacy to other Al-Qaeda affiliates that are developing in other places, including in the Arabian peninsula, in Yemen in particular and in northern Africa, in the Maghreb," Gates told reporters.
Gates, who met Defense Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, is in Malaysia for a one-day visit to bolster defense ties amid concern in the region over China's growing economic and naval power. However, in its fight against the Al-Qaeda terror network, the US had "strong friends", including France and predominantly Muslim Malaysia, he said.
"We're not in this fight by ourselves. We have some strong friends who see their own self-interest in dealing with this threat of extremist terrorism. So I'm confident that we will have the resources and the capability to continue to deal with it," he said. "When we point to the Maghreb, France is very much involved and when we are taking about Asia, this is one of the areas which the US and Malaysia are co-operating in. So we are not in this fight by ourselves."(AFP) Beirut, 09 Nov 10, 12:28

A question of ethics
The Sukleen contract and public money

Ana Maria Luca, November 9, 2010
On Sunday morning, around 28,000 runners from across the world, flanked by cheering supporters, gathered in central Beirut for one of the biggest Lebanese sports events of the year: the Beirut Marathon. The event attracted people from 86 countries who ran, marched and even walked through Lebanese capital. The races concluded not only with a celebration of the winners, but also with a Sukleen headache; tons of plastic bottles and garbage scattered on the streets.
After the race was over, it was Sukleen employees who evacuated the garbage, clearing the littered highway for cars in just a few hours, a sign that Beirut’s cleaning company is doing what it was hired to do 16 years ago: make Beirut a cleaner city. Sukleen employees typically gather around 2,200 tons of waste daily from Beirut and Mount Lebanon, according to company’s manager, Mohammad Ali Hodeib.
While few would contest the quality of the service, the renewal of Sukleen’s contract with the Lebanese government has been at the core of a cabinet row over how much the Lebanese state should pay for its services. If March 14 ministers had their way, they would renew the contract without questioning it, but March 8 opposition ministers asked to see it before signing it.
Currently, the terms of the deal between Sukeleen and the government are secret, as are the fees the company charges, despite the fact that they are paid from public money. Both opposition ministers and NGO workers who advocate for transparency find the situation unacceptable.
“It’s not only the Sukleen contract, it’s the principle of access to information, to disclose all contracts with companies in Lebanon and outside Lebanon linked to fields that affect our lives,” Yehya Hakim, managing director of the Lebanese Association for Transparency, told NOW Lebanon. He also stressed that in Lebanon the law does not oblige the authorities to disclose expenditures to the public. Rumor has it that Sukleen’s services are some of the most expensive in the world, but few people in Lebanon know for sure how much it costs to clean Beirut’s streets. Minister of State Jean Ogassapian, who is responsible for dealing with the contract, refused to speak to the media about it.
Sukleen was founded in 1994 just before the cabinet signed a contract with Averda group, Sukleen’s parent company, which includes both Sukleen and Sukomi, a waste treatment company. Sukleen’s contract was renewed in 2006. However, it has since expired, and there is no consensus in the cabinet to renew it.
Ministers are divided over whether or not to renew the contract for another four years because of debate over the firm’s fees. With cabinet also bitterly fighting over the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, Sukleen’s contract is not likely at the top of the list of cabinet’s priorities.
Following an October 20 cabinet meeting, Energy Minister Gebran Bassil complained to As-Safir newspaper about the lack of transparency in the debate over Sukleen’s contract.
“We asked for information on the contract, but did not get any. This signifies that trash is important for some, and it seems that their destinies are related to it,” Bassil said.
Telecommunications Minister Carbel Nahhas told Al-Manar that “we cannot vote on an issue [if] we do not know [its details] and the overall past spending.”
March 8 ministers also demanded the government organize a public bidding process for awarding the contract, but the proposal was rejected by March 14 ministers. Prime Minister Saad Hariri argued that it is too late to look for another company because the contract with Sukleen has already expired. Hariri told ministers the company agreed to reduce the amount it is paid by 4 percent, but some members still insisted on examining the contract before approving it.
Minister of the Displaced Akram Chehayeb said that the debate over Sukleen’s contract was political and raised by the March 8 ministers for political reasons. Sukleen’s manager, Mohammad Ali Hodeib, could not be reached for comment.
“Sukleen is a company. They can ask for how much they want. But it’s the government’s duty to have the specialists who do their homework and choose the right service for the right price,” Hakim, from the Lebanese Transparency Association, said. “The citizens should be informed about the deals concerning roads, electricity, school funding, cleaning etc. These are of public interest; they are paid from public money. But this transparency principle is being politicized, which makes it more difficult for us be to push for the law on access to information to be discussed in the Parliament. This way we are accused of taking sides,” he added.

March 14 unifies ranks on 'false witnesses'
Opposition to ‘push with all its power’ for decision on issue in next Cabinet session

By Wassim Mroueh and Hassan Lakiss
Daily Star staff
Tuesday, November 09, 2010
BEIRUT: The March 14 coalition agreed on a joint stand to face the thorny issue of “false witnesses” at a meeting Monday attended by top brass leaders at the residence of Prime Minister Saad Hariri in downtown Beirut. The Cabinet is set to convene Wednesday at the Presidential Palace in Baabda to debate the issue of “false witnesses” with the March 8 coalition pushing for a vote on the issue, which tops the meeting’s agenda. A March 14 source said the coalition discussed the Cabinet meeting and issue of “false witnesses” among other challenges facing Lebanon and agreed on common stands from the various issues but gave no further details South Lebanon MP Ali Hassan Khalil, an Amal Movement official, told The Daily Star that the March 8 coalition will “push with all its power to reach a decision on the matter during the [Cabinet] session.”
“We agreed earlier with President Michel Sleiman to postpone raising this issue during Cabinet discussions but today we consider the issue has seen enough debate and it is time for a final decision,” he added.
The Cabinet is deadlocked over how to deal with the matter of “false witnesses” in investigations into the murder of Former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.
The Hizbullah-led March 8 coalition insists the matter should be referred to the Judicial Council where any pronounced verdict could not be appealed.
But rival March 14 parties led by Hariri endorsed a report prepared by Justice Minister Ibrahim Najjar which said the issue could only be handled by the judiciary.
Hizbullah has said that the indictment to be issued by the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) will implicate members of the group and labeled the court an “Israeli project” designed to foment civil strife in the country.
Future bloc MP Ammar Houri told The Daily Star that ministers from the March 14 coalition would reiterate their position during the Cabinet in line with Najjar’s report.
Asked how the ministers would react if the issue was put up for vote, Houri said no final decision had been taken. “We prefer not to subject the matter to a vote, as many sides including President Michel Sleiman and [MP] Walid Jumblatt do not favor such a step,” he said.
March 8 coalition sources said the group would take escalatory measures if Wednesday’s Cabinet session was postponed, adding that some of the future steps might be announced by Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah who is to deliver a speech Thursday.
Head of the Democratic Gathering Walid Jumblatt, however, is reported to be trying with Sleiman to reach a consensual solution on the matter and avoid a vote which threatens to torpedo the national unity government.
After a meeting with Sleiman, Jumblatt voiced confidence that Hariri was ready to “discuss and in a consensual manner the issue of the indictment.”

Jumblatt said the STL could only be abolished by a UN decision. “We have to differentiate between the indictment and the tribunal; the tribunal is the result of an international resolution, and it can’t be rescinded except by a decision issued by the United Nations,” he said.
“The indictment can be addressed through consensus and not through tension,” he added.
Jumblatt said that evidence provided by Hizbullah that allegedly implicated Israel in the killing was “very important.”
He also said efforts made by Telecommunications Minister Charbel Nahhas that led to the condemnation of Israeli violations of Lebanon’s telecommunications infrastructure by the International Telecommunication Union was an important step as well. “All these facts are positive steps in the joint confrontation of the indictment,” he said, as he lashed out at remarks targeting Sleiman.
He said that voting on the issue of “false witnesses” in the Cabinet should be a “last resort.” “But we have to engage in a dialogue to reach the ideal formula to confront the indictment and preserve the internal security,” he said. In other developments, US Senator John Kerry who visited Beirut Monday and met Sleiman and Hariri said the STL did not target a certain party or sect. “Nobody knows what the findings will be … I think whatever those findings are, they are not directed at a whole group of people. They don’t reflect one sectarian, or one religious, or one other point of view. They reflect what some individuals may have chosen to do,” he told reporters after holding talks with Hariri at the Grand Serail.
The US official said Lebanon was unable to abolish the STL.
“Prime Minister Hariri and Lebanon don’t have the power to change the course of the Tribunal because it was created by the United Nations at the request of this country. It would take the votes of many countries to change what has been adopted.” Kerry reiterated US support for the “work and independence” of the STL along with the stability of Lebanon.
The US denator hoped that his country would send an ambassador to Syria “soon.” Kerry explained that the US president had nominated an ambassador but that many nominations “have been regrettably held up in partisan politics in the US.” Meanwhile, Lebanese Force leader Samir Geagea said that “if having to choose between the STL and the Cabinet, then it is better not to have a Cabinet.”

Energy and Water Minister Jibran Bassil says Hizb al-Tahrir threatens country's image
By The Daily Star /Tuesday, November 09, 2010
BEIRUT: Energy and Water Minister Jibran Bassil warned Monday that the radical Hizb al-Tahrir party endangered Lebanon’s fabric and undermined the country’s foreign relations. Bassil was responding to a statement made earlier by Hizb al-Tahrir in which the party said the Sharia law was the sole legal reference and any system not based on Sharia was blasphemous. The statement also mentioned that only Muslims should be allowed to occupy governmental positions, calling for the creation of an Islamic Caliphate. Bassil warned that Hizb al-Tahrir asked Muslims in Pakistan, South East Asia, Cyprus, the Caucasus, eastern Turkistan, Russia and Turkey to rebel against their regimes in order to create Islamic nations. Bassil said such ideas undermined Lebanon’s relations with other countries. He asked the government about his demand to dissolve the party as it constituted a danger to Lebanon’s fabric and undermined the country’s foreign relations. – The Daily Star

Prosecute Hezbollah

There is no hope for Lebanon unless the U.N. and the West will enforce the tribunal's findings on the Hariri ssassination..
By WALID PHARES
In the coming weeks, the United Nations will indict the killers of Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri in its first-ever tribunal to try terrorists. As the international prosecutors of the Security Council's Special Tribunal for Lebanon prepare to make their case on the February 2005 assassination, in which Hezbollah features prominently, the "Party of God" and its backers in Tehran and Damascus are once again taking off their gloves.
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad recently visited Lebanon to show support for Hezbollah, indicating that Iran, and not only its minions, would act in the event of an adverse ruling. In June, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah as well as Iran and Syria threatened the Lebanese government and Prime Minister Saad Hariri—son of the slain head of state—with dire consequences if they support indictments of the organization. Hezbollah threatened to stoke civil unrest and break up the government, which could spark another war with Israel and destabilize the entire region.
In the past five years, Hezbollah has shown that it usually makes good on its threats. Between July and December of 2005, a range of anti-Hezbollah lawmakers and journalists died or suffered grievous injuries in attacks across Lebanon, and bombings hit several anti-Syrian neighborhoods in Beirut.
In the first six months of 2006, Nasrallah claimed he was negotiating with Lebanon's leaders to surrender his weapons, only to trigger a devastating war with Israel. After the war, Hezbollah unleashed more violence at home, killing Lebanese legislators, including the Sunni Walid Eido, the Christian Antoine Ghanem and Minister of Industry Pierre Gemayel, son of former President Amine Gemayel. In May 2008, Hezbollah mounted a full-fledged military invasion of West Beirut and parts of the Druze Mountains, which crumbled Fuad Siniora's pro-Western government and propelled Hezbollah to the fore of Lebanon's national security policy. Since then, no domestic force has been able to confront Hezbollah or pressure it into disarming.
Hezbollah has reason to fear the Special Tribunal, whose mandate covers more than the Hariri murder. It includes prosecuting the assassinations of Cedar Revolution leaders Samir Cassir, George Hawi, and Lebanese parliamentarian Jebran Tueni, as well as the bloody attempts against former Telecommunications Minister Marwan Hamade and journalist May Chidiac.
Associated Press
Rescue workers and soldiers stand around a massive crater after a bomb attack on former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri in Beirut, Lebanon, Feb. 14, 2005.
.If the U.N. pins Hezbollah down on Hariri, the verdicts won't stop there. It would criminalize Hezbollah's so-called "political" and "military" wings alike, resulting in further investigations for the murders of Lebanese politicians and political dissenters. The organization would be criminalized under international law, and countries like the United Kingdom and France, which have begun to engage it politically, would be forced to desist. Hezbollah could even face international warrants for the arrest of its leaders. The consequences would be cataclysmic for the group, destroying the image it cultivates as a legitimate resistance movement.
The Iranian regime cannot afford to lose so precious an ally in Lebanon, and Syria's Baathist regime knows all too well that if Hezbollah goes under, it will drag many in Damascus down with it. So the Iranian-Syrian-Hezbollah axis has locked the tribunal in its crosshairs.
The U.N. originally established the tribunal as an international criminal court, comprised of judges from Lebanon and across the world, to prosecute the acts relating to Hariri's assassination under Lebanese law. Under Chapter 7 of its charter, the U.N. is required to provide force to execute its decisions, if necessary, but it cannot do so without the support of the Lebanese government.
At the time, that would have been possible, as many Lebanese politicians publicly accused Syria's Assad regime of the assassination, and observers predicted that the tribunal could even result in the indictment of Syrian officials. The Lebanese government was then headed by a pro-Western, anti-Syrian majority, and was modestly willing to push back against Hezbollah.
When Hezbollah invaded Beirut and toppled then-prime minister Fuad Siniora's cabinet in May 2008, it brought in a new government headed nominally by Saad Hariri, but with a pro-Syrian President, General Michel Suleiman. It had also by then penetrated Lebanon's security apparatus, giving Iran an implicit veto.
That's why when the tribunal issues its verdict, the Lebanese government is unlikely to make any arrests. In preparation for the forthcoming showdown, Hezbollah has been hyperactive in identifying and arresting anyone it believes would support the indictments, branding them as Israeli spies, and agents of a "vast Zionist conspiracy."
Thanks largely to bountiful Iranian aid, Hezbollah is winning its war against international justice. The Turkish government even suggested that the Special Tribunal postpone its decisions. And Lebanese officials, including traditionally anti-Syrian politicians, have been bullied into saying that they would consider any indictment of Hezbollah an act of aggression against the Lebanese Republic.
The message to those in the U.S. and Europe looking for "dialogue partners" should be clear: There are no moderates in Hezbollah. When the Special Tribunal issues its final verdict, let's hope for Lebanon and the region's sake that the U.N. and the West will have the courage to enforce the prosecutors' findings.
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