LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
ِNovember 21/2010

Bible Of The Day
2 Corinthians 12:7–9/So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited. Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness."
Today's Inspiring Thought: Pain for a Purpose
There are times when God allows sickness and pain to touch our lives. Brother Lawrence spoke about the good purpose God may be working out through our suffering: "I do not pray that you will be delivered from your pains, but I do pray sincerely that God will give you strength and patience to bear them as long as he pleases. The world, of course, cannot understand this. They see no good at all in sickness and pain. But those who understand that sickness can be used by God to advance his purposes can find in it great sweetness and true consolation. In fact, we can go so far as to say that God is sometimes nearer to us in sickness than in health. He can use diseases of the body to bring healing to the soul." --Brother Lawrence

Free Opinions, Releases, letters, Interviews & Special Reports
Consensus and its discontents/By: Hanin Ghaddar/November 20/10
Lebanon: justice at what cost?/By: James Denselow/November 20/10

Latest News Reports From Miscellaneous Sources for November 20/10
Israeli official: Lebanon’s situation concerns Israel/Now Lebanon

Opposition: STL Amendments Aimed at Pressuring Lebanese State against Yielding to Arab and International Efforts/Naharnet
Saudi Prince's Visit to Damascus Holds a Saudi-Syrian Settlement/Naharnet
Suleiman Receives Message from Obama and Confirmation of Ongoing Military Support/Naharnet

Politics: Hizbollah charges stoke fear of violence/Financial Times
Source: Hezbollah will respond violently to Hariri charges/Ynetnews
Lebanon: A serendipitous journey/Telegraph.co.uk
Syria's threats and counter threats/Haaretz
'Withdraw from Ghajar would not be complete/J.Post
Lebanon: justice at what cost?/The Guardian
Saudi Prince's Visit to Damascus Holds a Saudi-Syrian Settlement/Naharnet
Army Command: Robinson Helicopter Makes Emergency Landing at Jal al-Dib, No Casualties or Material Losses
/Naharnet
Addoum: Trials in Absentia are Not Implemented at International Courts, Indictment to Be Issued Soon
/Naharnet
Oghassabian: No Signs that Cabinet Will be Held Next Week
/Naharnet
Israeli Withdrawal from Ghajar Increases Division between Lebanese State and Hizbullah
/Naharnet
Williams: Indictment in Hariri Murder Case Soon
/Naharnet
Gemayel: Thorny Issues Will Be Addressed, Matters are Moving in Positive Direction
/Naharnet
Bakri Handed over to Saqr for Retrial
/Naharnet
Williams, Asarta to Israel to Discuss Ghajar Pullout
/Naharnet
Osama Saad's Nasserite Organization Accuses Bahia Hariri of Arming Supporters
/Naharnet
Sovereignty Cannot Be Reached in Ghajar until Army Deployment/Naharnet
Lebanese
Army Command: Robinson Helicopter Makes Emergency Landing at Jal al-Dib, No Casualties or Material Losses/Naharnet
Addoum: Trials in Absentia are Not Implemented at International Courts, Indictment to Be Issued Soon/Naharnet
Oghassabian: No Signs that Cabinet Will be Held Next Week/Naharnet
Hezbollah delegation meets with Aoun/Now Lebanon
President Sleiman discusses state budget with Hassan/Now Lebanon
Lebanese MP, Hobeich calls on Sleiman and Hariri to act wisely/Now Lebanon
Lebanese MP, Majdalani: ‘False witnesses’ issue being used to obstruct cabinet/Now Lebanon
Mustafa Allouch: Aoun wants to drag Hezbollah into military adventure/Now Lebanon



Israeli official: Lebanon’s situation concerns Israel

Now Lebanon/November 20, 2010
Israeli National Security Council chairman Uzi Arad said that Lebanon’s situation concerns Israel more than Iran’s situation because of Hezbollah’s armament, Ad-Diyar newspaper reported on Saturday. “Hezbollah has conventional and unconventional weapons,” Arad said during a conference held by the Israeli Institute for National Security Studies. Arad suggested that the next conference address means for disarmament in Lebanon, and added that Israel is ready to participate with Hezbollah in such a conference. -NOW Lebanon

Hezbollah delegation meets with Aoun

November 20, 2010 /Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun met on Saturday with a Hezbollah delegation in the former’s residence in Rabieh, the National News Agency (NNA) reported. Following the meeting, Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah's political advisor, Hajj Hussein Khalil, said that Hezbollah is betting on Arab and regional efforts, particularly the Syrian-Saudi one, to save Lebanon from its current political crisis.  “We hope Arab efforts [yield in] results before other [negative attempts] drive Lebanon into the unknown,” he said. Khalil added that the delegation thanked Aoun for the national stances he expressed during his France visit. The FPM leader traveled to France on Sunday on an official visit where he met with top French officials. Tension is high in Lebanon amid unconfirmed reports that the STL will soon issue its indictment in its investigation of the 2005 assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. There are fears that should the court indict Hezbollah members, it could lead to clashes similar to those of the 2008 May Events – when gunmen led by the party took over half of Beirut.-NOW Lebanon

Sleiman discusses state budget with Hassan

November 20, 2010 /Naharnet/President Michel Sleiman met Saturday with Finance Minister Rayya al-Hassan and discussed the 2011 state budget with her, according to the statement issued by Sleiman’s press office. Sleiman also met with State Security Director General Colonel George Qaraa, the statement added. -NOW Lebanon

Mustafa Allouch: Aoun wants to drag Hezbollah into military adventure

November 20, 2010 /In an interview with Kuwaiti newspaper As-Seyassah published on Saturday, Future Movement official Mustafa Allouch said Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun wants to drag Hezbollah into a “military adventure” that he thinks would benefit him. “We tell [Aoun] that the clock’s hands will not turn back.”“The March 8 coalition is finally convinced that it cannot alter the Special Tribunal for Lebanon’s (STL) path after it realized that the entire world holds on to it,” Allouch added. Aoun said on Wednesday that Hezbollah might violently respond to an STL indictment that accuses some of the party’s members for the 2005 assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. Tension is high in Lebanon amid unconfirmed reports that the tribunal will soon issue its indictment in its investigation of the Rafik Hariri murder. There are fears that should the court indict Hezbollah members, it could lead to clashes similar to those of the 2008 May Events – when gunmen led by the party took over half of Beirut.-NOW Lebanon

MP, Majdalani: ‘False witnesses’ issue being used to obstruct cabinet

November 20, 2010 /In an interview with Future News television on Saturday, Lebanon First bloc MP Atef Majdalani said the “false witnesses” issue is being used to obstruct the cabinet’s work, adding that “the false witnesses file is empty.”The MP called on the March 8 coalition to wait to act on the issue until the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) issues its indictment, the MP said, adding that “they can then request documents that might help them transfer this file to the judiciary.” “No one should think that the [March 14 coalition] does not want to try the false witnesses, but we do not want to obstruct the STL’s [work]. The March 8 coalition is obstructing the tribunal’s work by insisting to transfer the false witnesses file to the Justice Council,” he added. Everyone is waiting for the results of the Syrian-Saudi efforts, Majdalani said, voicing his disappointment that the Lebanese cannot sit together to resolve their problems.
“It is unfortunate that the March 8 coalition boycotts national-dialogue sessions, the president and the Lebanese. It is a crime against the Lebanese and against themselves. [These actions] show that they are immature and that they cannot make their decision to [resort] to dialogue to find solutions.” March 8 politicians have called for the cabinet to task the Justice Council with investigating the issue of witnesses who gave unreliable testimonies to the investigation of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri’s 2005 assassination. However, March 14 figures have said that the regular judiciary should handle the matter.-NOW Lebanon

MP, Hobeich calls on Sleiman and Hariri to act wisely

November 20, 2010 /In an interview with LBCI television on Saturday, Lebanon First bloc MP Hadi Hobeich called on President Michel Sleiman and Prime Minister Saad Hariri to resolve the “false witnesses” issue wisely and reach a settlement that satisfies all parties.“The settlement is not clear for anyone… There are attempts to pressure Hariri to reject the [Special Tribunal for Lebanon’s (STL)] indictment,” Hobeich said, adding that there are also calls to wait until after the indictment is issued to deal with it. The “false witnesses” file cannot be transferred to the Justice Council because it is a political issue, he also said. “There are bets on the Lebanese Armed Forces’ (LAF) role regarding the security situation. It is their [role] to not allow any party, particularly Hezbollah because it is the only party who has weapons, to use arms if a security [incident] happens.”March 8 politicians have called for the cabinet to task the Justice Council with investigating the issue of witnesses who gave unreliable testimonies to the investigation of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri’s 2005 assassination. However, March 14 figures have said that the regular judiciary should handle the matter.-NOW Lebanon

Consensus and its discontents

By: Hanin Ghaddar,
November 20, 2010/Now Lebanon
A combo shows image grabs of Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah taken from Hezbollah-run Al-Manar TV station  Two more days remain until the truce ends. Because of the holidays that followed the last fiery cabinet meeting, all parties appeared to agree to take the time off in order to explore ways of calming things down. Meanwhile, Hezbollah called the grace period “the last chance.”  All eyes are now cast on Syrian-Saudi diplomatic efforts and meetings with Lebanese officials, hoping that a sustainable solution will be thrashed out. There are fears however that a diplomatic solution will involve a consensus that will compromise Lebanon’s sovereignty and independence.
So far, all deals and consensual agreements, such as Doha and the Taif Accord, have been either left unimplemented or have not lasted long enough. Taif is still not properly implemented, while Doha is not expected to survive the current bickering, especially as it has forbidden the use, or threat, of arms against other Lebanese, a clause that clearly hasn’t been respected.
In fact, every consensus leads to another crisis, because the main concern is that no one wins and no one loses. And this time, another consensus would be more difficult to implement because there are more than two players: Saudi Arabia, Syria and Iran (with Hezbollah).
Last Sunday Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Mouallem said that “no one will reject the [pending] indictment of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) if it was based on tangible evidence.” But Hezbollah has a different opinion, which is that the STL is politicized and cannot be trusted no matter what. This means that the Syrian regime is willing to wait until the indictment is issued before taking a position while Hezbollah is not willing to wait and wants Prime Minister Saad Hariri to reject the tribunal before any indictment is handed down.
The Al-Balad daily reported on Friday that the Saudi-Syrian efforts have reached a “nearly-finished agreement that could soon become a tangible reality,” strengthening civil peace and stability in Lebanon.
The agreement could restore the Lebanese government and its institutions to their natural state as long as there is no Israeli or American intervention against it. The report added that the agreement would have the “false witnesses file” transferred to the regular judiciary bodies, after which the cabinet would follow up on the matter, especially after the STL issues its indictment, and possibly transfer it to the Justice Council if necessary. The agreement also includes steps by Prime Minister Saad Hariri to affirm support for the Resistance and protect it against any kind of attack, along with efforts to create a media environment that can “absorb any shock created by the indictment.”A meeting between Hariri and Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah is also part of the arrangement, in which “both men will assert their rejection of targeting the Resistance, while reaffirming the necessity of reaching truth and justice in former PM Rafik Hariri’s 2005 assassination.”Hariri will also voice readiness to reject any indictment if it comes out in the form that Hezbollah fears, the report concluded. This, of course, still needs Iran’s approval and practical implementation and follow-up.
The Saudi newspaper Al-Watan also reported Friday that the Saudi-Syrian efforts to resolve Lebanese tensions have reached an advanced stage and could produce a positive result within 72 hours. The paper said that the compromise is reportedly based on “establishing calm and stability and transferring the ‘false witnesses’ file to the regular judiciary to await STL indictment before examining the necessity of transferring it to the Justice Council.”The rumored compromise would also see Prime Minister Saad Hariri publicly embrace the Resistance as a “national necessity,” the paper added.The same day, Al-Akhbar, a local daily affiliated with Hezbollah, ran a piece by its editor-in-chief Ibrahim al-Amin revealing a different set of conditions. The author clearly states that there is no opening for any kind of negotiations after the indictment is issued, and that the consensus being discussed now should involve mechanisms that would ensure the indictment is dismissed before it is out in the open. Some of the conditions state that Lebanon should put a stop on its share of the STL funding and cease all support. Also, the Lebanese government should withdraw the Lebanese judges at the STL. In return, an internal political consensus will be created to ensure that state institutions work properly and that a calm mood prevails on both political and security levels for a period that would last at least until the next parliamentary and presidential elections.
What does that mean? It means that the Iranians and Hezbollah will try to milk any consensus as much as they can, knowing that this is also “the last chance” for them as well. So what kind of consensus are the Lebanese really hoping for? A consensus at this stage will not be reliable, and will also fail to meet the principles of sovereignty and independence. Can Lebanon bend any further to Hezbollah’s threats? The fear is that this kind of consensus might be a step back from freedom of speech, democracy and justice. Unless the consensus guarantees these principles that the Lebanese have paid for, in some cases with blood over the past five years, it won’t last long and will probably collapse under another round of civil violence.
In any case, no matter what consensus is imposed on the Lebanese, the tribunal will go on and nothing can influence its procedures and indictment. Any consensus now will lead to more concessions in the future. It will start with the STL, and then Hezbollah might move to the Taif Accord and start negotiating a three-way power sharing system instead of an equal division between Christians and Muslims.  With its arms still in its possession, another round of negotiations will take place and another consensus will be reached. But why compromise when we feel that enough is enough?**Hanin Ghaddar is managing editor of NOW Lebanon

Opposition: STL Amendments Aimed at Pressuring Lebanese State against Yielding to Arab and International Efforts
Naharnet/A leading opposition member stated that the Special Tribunal for Lebanon's amendments to its Rules of Procedure and Evidence are linked to preparing the ground for issuing the indictment in the investigation into the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. It told As Safir on Saturday that the timing of the amendments and introducing absentia proceedings are aimed at "pressuring the Lebanese state against yielding to international and Arab efforts, which are intended to limit the repercussions of the indictment." The STL had issued a statement on Friday saying that the Judges of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon had met in a Plenary session from 8 to 11 November 2010 to consider, among other issues, proposed amendments to the Rules of Procedure and Evidence (RPE). The Judges adopted a number of rule changes that will enhance the efficiency, effectiveness and integrity of the Tribunal's proceedings after hearing the arguments of the Office of the Prosecutor, the Office of the Defense and the Registry. Amongst the most important were changes to the rules governing the service of an indictment by detailing the practical steps that must be taken after the confirmation of an indictment, in particular regarding the start of in absentia proceedings.
The new framework creates more legal certainty for accused and other parties in the proceedings. The Judges also adopted a procedure allowing the Pre-Trial Judge to submit questions to the Appeals Chamber on the interpretation of the applicable law that he believes are necessary for the confirmation of any indictment.
The Judges also clarified the admissibility of written statements by witnesses unavailable to come and testify for good reasons. Beirut, 20 Nov 10, 08:35

Suleiman Receives Message from Obama and Confirmation of Ongoing Military Support

Naharnet/President Michel Suleiman received on Friday a written letter from his American counterpart Barack Obama congratulating him on Lebanon's Independence Day.
The message was delivered to him on Friday by General James Mattis, the U.S. Central Command chief, during a meeting that included U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon Maura Connelly.
Mattis had pledged on Friday that his country would continue to support the Lebanese army, a week after Washington lifted a freeze on military aid to Beirut.
"General Mattis came to Lebanon to reiterate ... the U.S. government's position that the United States is committed to the continuity of (the Central Command's) relationship with the Lebanese army and to supporting legitimate institutions of the Lebanese state," the U.S. Embassy said. The general "pledged to continue to support training and engagement assistance to the Lebanese army in order to build greater military capacity and deepen our relationship," it said in a statement. "The U.S. believes its assistance to the LAF (Lebanese armed forces) contributes to improving regional stability." Mattis arrived on Friday for a brief visit, his first to Lebanon, during which he met President Suleiman, Defense Minister Elias al-Murr and Lebanese army chief General Jean Qahwaji. The chairman of the U.S. House Committee on Foreign Affairs, Howard Berman, last week lifted a hold on 100 million dollars in military aid to Lebanon. The United States has provided 720 million dollars in aid to the Lebanese army since 2005. But U.S. aid to Lebanon's military was suspended following a deadly skirmish between the Lebanese and Israeli armies in August. Berman said he had received assurances that assistance to the Lebanese army had not fallen into the hands of Hizbullah, which fought a devastating war against Israel in 2006. But he expressed ongoing concern over tensions between Lebanon and Israel in the wake of the 2006 conflict.(naharnet-AFP)
Beirut, 20 Nov 10, 09:52

Sovereignty Cannot Be Reached in Ghajar until Army Deployment

Naharnet/A Lebanese diplomat told As Safir Saturday that until this day, Israel has yet to take a tangible step in its decision to withdraw from the northern section of the village of Ghajar.
Even if the withdrawal does take place and the U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon is deployed there, the Lebanese state will not consider the mission complete until the Lebanese army is deployed in the village, it added.The withdrawal process first takes place with Israel's pull out, which would be followed by UNIFIL deployment on the same day where it would check that the occupying troops had truly withdrawn from the village. The following day, the Lebanese army would enter the liberated area, the source continued.
It noted that Israel's withdraw does not mean that it has fulfilled its commitments to international resolutions seeing as it is still obligated to withdraw from the Shabaa Farms and respect Lebanon's sovereignty by ending its daily air, land, and sea violations against Lebanon and dismantling its spy networks in the country. Beirut, 20 Nov 10, 09:34

NATO-Led Allies Open Summit on Afghanistan Exit Strategy
Naharnet/U.S. President Barack Obama and his NATO-led allies opened a summit here Saturday to pass command of the Afghan battlefield to Kabul by 2014.
Leaders of the 28-nation NATO and 20 other allies in the Afghan war met in Lisbon with President Hamid Karzai, who has sharply criticized U.S.-led tactics including night raids on Afghan homes. "The direction starting today is clear towards Afghan leadership and Afghan ownership," NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said as he opened the gathering.
"That is the vision President Karzai has set out. It is a vision we share and we will make a reality starting early next year," the Alliance chief said. "But let there be no doubt of our continuing commitment," Rasmussen added. "Afghanistan's fight against terrorism is of strategic global importance. Success matters as much to us as it does to the Afghan people." Karzai has called for Afghanistan's fledgling government forces to be allowed to take charge of the campaign by 2014, allowing the bulk of the 150,000-strong U.S.-led force to return home. The allies plan to start handing over control of the Afghan war to local commanders in the first half of next year. "The decisions we will take here today mark a decisive step forward towards the goal we all share to see Afghanistan on its own feet and provide for its own security," Rasmussen said. More than 2,200 Allied troops have been killed in the nine-year-old war launched by the United States after the September 11, 2001 attacks to root out Al-Qaida leaders and overthrow their Taliban protectors.(AFP) Beirut, 20 Nov 10, 12:05

Saudi Prince's Visit to Damascus Holds a Saudi-Syrian Settlement

Naharnet/Parliamentary sources reported from high-ranking Syrian officials that the new tone adopted by Lebanese political leaders came at Syrian and Saudi requests that called for maintaining calm in the upcoming weeks. They told Al-Liwa' Saturday that a Saudi-Syrian settlement will begin to emerge next week with the visit of Saudi Prince Abdul Aziz bin Abdullah, son of the Saudi monarch, to Damascus. They stressed: "The Arab position calls for the need to avoid igniting the internal scene at the moment and that Washington should keep a distance from Lebanon and allow Syria and Saudi Arabia to take control of the situation." Other sources meanwhile told the paper that the most important points of the settlement would be a written agreement, with Arab and international backing, not to use arms on the internal scene. Beirut, 20 Nov 10, 13:50

Addoum: Trials in Absentia are Not Implemented at International Courts, Indictment to Be Issued Soon

Naharnet/Former minister Adnan Addoum noted that the introduction of amendments to the Special Tribunal for Lebanon's Rules of Procedures and Evidence is a sign that the indictment will be issued soon. He added to As Safir Saturday that the introduction of in absentia trials would be a first among international courts that had been established under Chapter 7 of the United Nations Charter. He stressed that previous courts looking into crimes against humanity and genocide that had been established under Chapter 7 had not resorted to in absentia trials because such trials are not approved of by international humanitarian law and those courts' rules of procedures. Addoum therefore questioned the purpose of the in absentia trial in the STL seeing as crimes against humanity are more dangerous than former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri's assassination seeing as the U.N. Security Council had labeled it as an individual political crime. Beirut, 20 Nov 10, 11:53

Oghassabian: No Signs that Cabinet Will be Held Next Week

Naharnet/Minister of State Jean Oghassabian stated that there are no indications that Cabinet would convene next week. He told the daily al-Mustaqbal Saturday that not holding the session is linked to the failure to reach a political understanding over the schedule that had been previously distributed before the ministers. He stressed that there are central issues that require Cabinet to convene, adding that the government should not be left absent over the developments in southern Lebanon "because Israel's actions are a ploy to demonstrate its good intentions while it fact it doesn't harbor any." Beirut, 20 Nov 10, 10:11

Israeli Withdrawal from Ghajar Increases Division between Lebanese State and Hizbullah

Diplomatic sources stated on Friday that Israel's decision to withdraw from Ghajar is aimed at cornering Hizbullah on the eve of the announcement of the indictment in the investigation into the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. They told the Central News Agency that the withdrawal "is not an innocent decision at all." "The silence on Lebanon's official front helps Israel's campaign against the Lebanese government," they added. Meanwhile, European diplomatic sources said that Israel aims to "corner Lebanon through cornering Hizbullah in order to deepen the division between the state and the party." They noted that upon Israel's withdrawal, Hizbullah would attempt to infiltrate Ghajar while the Lebanese state would try to prevent it. A Lebanese diplomatic source told the Central News Agency that Lebanon has not yet received from the U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon Israel's decision for withdrawal, adding that its timing is not related to political developments. "Should it withdraw from Ghajar, the majority' position would be bolstered at the national dialogue, while the opposition would have to acknowledge the March 14 forces' choice to resort to diplomacy," it pointed out. Beirut, 19 Nov 10, 18:23

Lebanon: justice at what cost
James Denselow
guardian.co.uk,
Saturday 20 November 2010 10.00
It has been just over a year since Saad Hariri – son of the assassinated leader – formed a national unity government in Lebanon.
The Lebanese cabinet dodged a bullet on 10 November by postponing a vote about witnesses who allegedly gave investigators false information on the killing of former prime minister Rafik Hariri. The issue has been dominating Lebanese politics amid fears that it could spark an internal conflict similar to that of 2008, when Hezbollah and its supporters took over the streets of Beirut.
The special tribunal for Lebanon (STL), set up to try those suspected of involvement in Hariri's assassination, is supported by western governments but Hezbollah, the Lebanese Shia movement, has condemned it as "biased". Hillary Clinton, the US secretary of state, has warned against attempts to "discredit" the tribunal, while William Hague, the British foreign secretary, announced a further £1m funding in support for the tribunal and declared that "justice is the only way to ensure stability in Lebanon".
But justice at what cost? The tribunal is testing the limits of Lebanon's government consensus. Prior to the fudged cabinet session, Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea warned: "If having to choose between the STL and the cabinet, then it is better not to have a cabinet."
It has been just over a year since Saad Hariri – son of the assassinated leader – formed a national unity government after five months of wrangling. During that time the pro-western March 14 alliance has steadily moved towards building bridges with the March 8 opposition and its Syrian allies, most spectacularly with Walid Jumblatt performing a classic volte-face and reaching out to Damascus. But the UN investigation into the Hariri killing has a mandate and momentum of its own and recent reports suggest the court will move to indict members of Hezbollah before the end of the year. The tribunal was originally created when the UN realised that Lebanon had neither the capacity nor commitment to do the job itself. Established in 2007 under UN security council resolution 1757, the tribunal overrode Lebanese constitutional procedures and, as a Chatham House report explained, provided a potential solution "for an impossible political situation and laid a claim for the rule of law to prevail over violence".
Over the past five years the UN investigation has also become a tool of political pressure against Syria, whose troops were forced to leave Lebanon following the 2005 assassination. Later that year the UN international independent investigation commission, led by Detlev Mehlis, issued a report saying that "given the infiltration of Lebanese institutions and society by the Syrian and Lebanese intelligence services working in tandem, it would be difficult to envisage a scenario whereby such a complex assassination plot could have been carried out without their knowledge".
The predicted indictment of Hezbollah members would suggest that they are suspected of killing Hariri at the behest of their Syrian allies. In response, the Syrians have regularly looked to discredit the investigation as biased, with a senior Syrian diplomat telling me that its enemies were using the tribunal as "a game" against it.
If it is a game then Syria still has cards to play and none more powerful than its alliance with Hezbollah. A senior Hezbollah official warned that "such an indictment is a warning bell equivalent to lighting the fuse, to igniting the wick for an explosion, and is dangerous for Lebanon".
The day after the cabinet decision was delayed, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah warned that the group would "cut off the hand" of anyone who attempted to arrest its members, while the Lebanese daily, al-Akhbar, reported that within two hours of any indictment, Hezbollah would react and "hold a security and military grip on large areas of Lebanon".
Over the past two months, Saad Hariri has reached out to Nasrallah with the option of blaming "rogue" elements of Hezbollah – a suggestion that was immediately rejected. Steadily the political positions towards the tribunal are solidifying and the space for compromise is disappearing.
Ultimately, all involved in Lebanon will have to answer the question: will solving the murder of Hariri unite or divide the country? Postponing the cabinet vote is a delaying tactic born of indecision about which decision to make. However, the political elite are running out of time as the schedule for the next confrontational cabinet session is at the end of the month.
There can be little doubt that assassins revel in an absence of accountability – and in Lebanon's history few of them have ever been brought to justice. Any indictment could lead to turmoil, but if the political system does prove capable of handling the consequences, it could signal an end to the culture of impunity regarding political killings and mark a significant moment in the country's development.

Lebanon: A serendipitous journey

In his new book, the photographer Max Milligan depicts the generous and colourful Lebanon so few outside the Middle East see, says Nigel Richardson.
By Nigel Richardson
20 Nov /10
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/artsandculture/8145852/Lebanon-A-serendipitous-journey.html
Serendipity is a word that crops up a lot in conversation with the British photographer Max Milligan. Good fortune and coincidence, it seems, have been the watchwords of both his life and his work. We are talking about the publication of his fourth book of photographs, The Lebanon – a work that he describes, inevitably, as "very serendipitous".
It's certainly heavy – 10.1lb, according to my bathroom scales – and carries a hefty (undiscounted) price tag of £80. But then again it's not so much a book to be stashed on a shelf, as a beautifully bound work of art containing nearly 300 sumptuous colour plates of the Middle East's most complex and misunderstood country. It is, he says, his "vision as an outsider and artist". Its genesis was indeed serendipitous. In 2005, Milligan, who is 45, attended a charity dinner in Ghana, the subject of his previous book of photographs. He was amazed to discover that the Lebanese woman he was seated next to was the mother of an old school friend with whom he had lost touch, Charles Chedrawi. They had been at Millfield School in Somerset together a quarter-century before, sharing dormitory japes and tents on Dartmoor.
Once the friendship was re-established, Chedrawi urged Milligan to make Lebanon – a country the photographer had never visited and knew little about – the subject of his next project. In return, Chedrawi would finance the research and publication of the book. Due to start work in 2006, Milligan had to hold off following Israel's bombardment of Lebanon. It was a salutary reminder of the turmoil of the region. When he started his travels in the country two years later, it was with a determination to avoid the political and sectarian.
"The gritty underbelly I wanted to get away from," he says. "You read about it in the paper every day. And in a year and a half of photography, I had no trouble from anybody because I came as an artist, not a journalist."
It is a paradox that strife-torn Lebanon, which endured civil war from 1975 to 1990, should be one of the most hospitable of countries. For such a small place it is also blessed with astonishingly varied topography, from Mediterranean beaches to mountain forests, and a plethora of Classical and Biblical sites and neglected ancient ruins. Over a series of eight trips of two or three weeks each, plus a final visit of two months, Milligan attempted to sum up the variety and contradictions of a country that a friend's mother described as "an impossibility that works". The project also marks "the emotional leap from film to digital photography". The pictures for his previous books – including the acclaimed Realm of the Incas, about Peru – had all been taken on film, and he was a reluctant convert to digital. But the decision proved its worth in the case of the picture he describes as "the best shot of the book".
Driving just before dusk one evening, he caught sight of a wolf – a rare occurrence in a country of enthusiastic hunters – and stalked it for 15 minutes, in rapidly fading light, before it obligingly turned to face his camera through a cloud of foliage. "I swore I would never leave film, but if I'd had my old Leica I'd never have got this shot," Milligan says.
The image facing the shot of the wolf is another of the book's highlights – a goatherd counting his livestock, silhouetted against an evening sky of episcopal purple. These two photographs sum up the integrity of Milligan's work, which he describes as "straight", eschewing manipulation.
"What interests me is to capture reality," he says. "Then the challenge is to capture an amazing reality."
In pursuit of that goal he reckons he visited just about every village in Lebanon. The images he captured range from the Bekaa Valley under a full moon – taken with a three-minute exposure – to a mirror-clad public lavatory that projects a surreal, collage-like impression of the ancient harbour in Tyre. There are pictures of "some frogs having sex – and some Lebanese [on the beach] wanting to have sex…"; Deep Purple performing Smoke on the Water at Baalbek; a nun, obligingly cropped ("she asked me to cut her feet off because she was wearing Nikes"); and lightning bolts in the night sky that he describes as "a big piece of serendipity" because when you turn the image on its side you realise the lightning is in the shape of Lebanon itself.
Thus he returns to his favourite, self-deprecating theme: "So much is serendipity," he says. "I don't create anything at all. I just capture."
The Lebanon (Byblos) costs £75 through www.maxmilligan.com/shop/index Includes a £5 donation to two charities, the Children's Cancer Centre of Lebanon and the Mines Advisory Group, which clears cluster bombs and mines left from the 2006 Israeli offensive.

Christians on Thanksgiving?"
Answer: The original thanksgiving celebration was held by the Pilgrim settlers in Massachusetts during their second winter in America in December, 1621. The first winter had killed 44 of the original 102 colonists. At one point their daily food ration was down to five kernels of corn apiece, but then an unexpected trading vessel arrived, swapping them beaver pelts for corn, providing for their severe need. The next summer’s crop brought hope, and Governor William Bradford decreed that December 13, 1621, be set aside as a day of feasting and prayer to show the gratitude of the colonists that they were still alive.
These Pilgrims, seeking religious freedom and opportunity in America, gave thanks to God for His provision for them in helping them find 20 acres of cleared land, for the fact that there were no hostile Indians in that area, for their newfound religious freedom, and for God’s provision of an interpreter to the Indians in Squanto. Along with the feasting and games involving the colonists and more than 80 friendly Indians (who added to the feast by bringing wild turkeys and venison), prayers, sermons, and songs of praise were important in the celebration. Three days were spent in feasting and prayer.
From that time forward, Thanksgiving has been celebrated as a day to give thanks to God for His gracious and sufficient provision. President Abraham Lincoln officially set aside the last Thursday of November, in 1863, “as a day of thanksgiving and praise to our beneficent Father.” In 1941, Congress ruled that after 1941, the fourth Thursday of November be observed as Thanksgiving Day and be a legal holiday.
Scripturally, we find things related to the issue of thanksgiving nearly from cover to cover. Individuals offered up sacrifices out of gratitude in the book of Genesis. The Israelites sang a song of thanksgiving as they were delivered from Pharaoh's army after the crossing of the Red Sea (Exodus 15). Later, the Mosaic Law set aside three times each year when the Israelites were to gather together. All three of these times [Unleavened Bread (also called the Feast of the Passover) (Exodus 12:15-20), Harvest or Pentecost (Leviticus 23:15-21), and the Feast of Ingathering or Tabernacles (Leviticus 23:33-36)] involved remembering God’s provision and grace. Harvest and Tabernacles took place specifically in relation to God’s provision in the harvest of various fruit trees and crops. The book of Psalms is packed full of songs of thanksgiving, both for God’s grace to the Israelite people as a whole through His mighty deeds, as well as for His individual graces to each of us.
In the New Testament, there are repeated admonitions to give thanks to God. Thanksgiving is to always be a part of our prayers. Some of the most remembered passages on the giving of thanks are the following:
"Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you" (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18).
"Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God" (Philippians 4:6).
"Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men" (1 Timothy 2:1).
Of all of God’s gifts, the greatest one He has given is the gift of His Son, Jesus Christ. On the cross of Calvary, Jesus paid our sin debt, so a holy and just Judge could forgive us our sins and give us eternal life as a free gift. This gift is available to those who will call on Christ to save them from their sin in simple but sincere faith (John 3:16; Romans 3:19-26; Romans 6:23; Romans 10:13; Ephesians 2:8-10). For this gift of His Son, the gift which meets our greatest need, the Apostle Paul says, "Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!" (2 Corinthians 9:15).
We, like the Pilgrims, have a choice. In life there will always be those things that we can complain about (the Pilgrims had lost many loved ones), but there will also be much to be thankful for. As our society becomes increasingly secular, the actual “giving of thanks to God” during our annual Thanksgiving holiday is being overlooked, leaving only the feasting. May God grant that He may find us grateful every day for all of His gifts, spiritual and material. God is good, and every good gift comes from Him (James 1:17). For those who know Christ, God also works everything together for good, even events we would not necessarily consider good (Romans 8:28-30). May He find us to be His grateful children.
Recommended Resource: The Quest Study Bible.