LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
ِOctober 12/2010

Bible Of The Day
John 12/20-27: "Now there were certain Greeks among those that went up to worship at the feast. 12:21 These, therefore, came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida of Galilee, and asked him, saying, “Sir, we want to see Jesus.” 12:22 Philip came and told Andrew, and in turn, Andrew came with Philip, and they told Jesus. 12:23 Jesus answered them, “The time has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. 12:24 Most certainly I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains by itself alone. But if it dies, it bears much fruit. 12:25 He who loves his life will lose it. He who hates his life in this world will keep it to eternal life. 12:26 If anyone serves me, let him follow me. Where I am, there will my servant also be. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him. 12:27 “Now my soul is troubled. What shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this time?’ But for this cause I came to this time. 12:28 Father, glorify your name!” Then there came a voice out of the sky, saying, “I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again.”

Free Opinions, Releases, letters, Interviews & Special Reports
New Opinion: We need reassurances/Now Lebanon/October 11/10

Latest News Reports From Miscellaneous Sources for October 11/10
Hariri Meets Mubarak in Cairo/Naharnet
Ahmadinejad in Controversial Visit to Lebanon/Naharnet
Ahmadinejad-Nasrallah talks venue secret/Daily St
Aoun: Ahmadinejad's Lebanon visit to yield positive results/Jerusalem Post
US tells citizens to 'accept risks' of remaining in Lebanon/Daily Star
Lebanon arrests spy 'looking for info on Ron Arad/Ynetnews
US Renews Lebanon Travel Warning to Citizens, Citing Political Tensions/Bloomberg
An Iranian in Lebanon/Sky News (blog)
Cedar unrest / Fearing slide toward civil war, Lebanese citizens arm themselves/Ha'aretz
Nasrallah: STL protecting perjurers/Daily Star
Baroud's ministry has 'no say' on refugees/Daily Star
LF website suffers from 'organized' hacking attack/Daily Star
Lebanese Judiciary 'has authority' to try false witnesses/Star staff

Berri supports Hariri’s premiership/Now Lebanon
Geagea Calls on FM Ali Shami to Resign/Naharnet
Najjar's Report: Lebanese Judiciary has Power over False Witnesses Issue ... Decision Awaits Indictment
/Naharnet
Shami Asked to Postpone Tuesday's Debate on Absentee Vote
/Naharnet
Opposition Ministers Meet ahead of Tuesday's Cabinet Session
/Naharnet
Houri: False Witnesses Could Only be Put on Trial after STL Indictment
/Naharnet
Makari: Interior Ministry Ready to Lower Voting Age to 18
/Naharnet
Jumblat Rejects 'Silly' Calls for Hariri's Resignation
/Naharnet
HRW Urges Lebanon to Resist Calls to Resume Executions
/Naharnet
Bellemare in Response to Najjar: False Witnesses are Witnesses with Questionable Credibility
/Naharnet
Nasrallah: If We Wanted to Stage a Coup, We Would've Done So in 2005 or on Aug. 15, 2006
/Naharnet
Lebanon Split over False Witnesses/Naharnet
France: Option of UN Creating Palestinian State Cannot be Ruled Out/Naharnet

MP Khaled Zahraman: Political blackmail aimed at overthrowing the government/Ya Libnan


Geagea Calls on FM Ali Shami to Resign

Naharnet/Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea called on Foreign Minister Ali al-Shami to resign if he failed to ensure absentee voting. March 14 forces are "very much surprised" by Foreign Minister Ali al-Shami's stance, Geagea said in remarks published Monday by the daily Al-Liwaa. "This prompted him to pull out the issue from debate in Tuesday's session," he added. Geagea explained, however, that March 14 Cabinet ministers would still discuss the "necessary mechanisms to accomplish this reform." "The person who finds himself not able to complete the report, let him resign despite my deep respect to Minister al-Shami. Beirut, 11 Oct 10, 10:30

Hariri Meets Mubarak in Cairo
Naharnet/Prime Minister Saad Hariri arrived in Cairo for Monday for talks with Egyptian leader Hosni Mubarak on the latest developments on the Arab and international arenas. Hariri is accompanied by former Cabinet Minister Bassem Sabah, his office manager Nader Hariri and advisors Mohammed Shatah and Hani Hammoud

Ahmadinejad Visit to Lebanon a Boost for Hezbollah
11/10/2010/BEIRUT, (AP) — A visit to Lebanon this week by Iran's president will give a welcome boost to powerful Shiite ally Hezbollah, one of his country's most crucial sources of foreign influence, and will include a provocative jaunt to the border with archenemy Israel.Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's trip is a bold demonstration by Iran that it is undeterred by U.S. attempts to isolate it and roll back the clout Tehran has built up around the Middle East through its alliances with militant groups like Hezbollah and its accelerating nuclear program.
The Iranian president is also wading into Lebanon's worst political crisis in years by putting Tehran's weight behind Hezbollah as the group feuds with its rivals in Lebanon's Western-backed political coalition. That tension threatens to bring down the fragile unity government in which both serve and, in a worst case scenario, push the well-armed Hezbollah to violently seize control of Beirut as it did in a similar showdown two years ago. In a sign of how sensitive the visit is, Hezbollah's rivals in government released a statement saying Ahmadinejad is seeking to transform Lebanon into "an Iranian base on the Mediterranean." Iran is pouring cash into Lebanon. Most of it goes to Hezbollah, but in a sign that Tehran is seeking to extend its support base in the country, some of the cash is helping rebuild homes in southern Lebanon's Shiite heartland that were damaged in the 2006 war with Israel.
"I urge the Lebanese people and the Palestinians to welcome the president of Iran," Hezbollah leader Sheik Hassan Nasrallah said in a weekend speech, as Iranian flags and Ahmadinejad posters popped up along Beirut's airport road. Iran is seeking to prove its influence in the region is strong despite Washington's threats that Tehran's nuclear program will lead to more sanctions and more isolation. Iran has pursued an aggressive foreign policy in recent weeks: visiting Lebanon at a time of national tumult, stopping by Syria just after a U.S. delegation on his way to the United Nations last month and ridiculing U.S. efforts to forge a Mideast peace deal.
Iran has maintained a strong hand in Lebanon through Hezbollah, which the U.S. designates as a terrorist organization and which boasts a heavy arsenal of rockets capable of reaching deep inside Israel.Hezbollah is part of Lebanon's government, sharing power with Western-backed parties led by Prime Minister Saad Hariri. But the militant group, whose arsenal is separate from that of the national army, is Lebanon's strongest armed force — a fact that has drawn new concerns in recent weeks as the political crisis here deepens.
A U.N. tribunal investigating the 2005 assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri is expected to indict members of Hezbollah as soon as this month, which many fear could lead to violence between the Shiite force and Hariri's mainly Sunni allies. The slain leader is the father of the current prime minister.
Washington, too, has come out against the trip. Last week, U.S. State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley said Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton raised concerns about the visit with the Lebanese president, Michel Suleiman.
"We expressed our concern about it given that Iran, through its association with groups like Hezbollah, is actively undermining Lebanon's sovereignty," Crowley said in Washington.
Washington is at odds with Iran over its nuclear program, which it fears is aimed at making weapons, and with a military buildup by Tehran that it believes threatens the United States' Arab allies in the region as well as Israel. Iran says its nuclear activity is only for producing energy. During Ahmadinejad's Oct. 13-14 visit, he plans to stop at sites including Bint Jbeil, a border village that was bombed during the 2006 Israeli-Hezbollah war. It is barely two and a half miles (four kilometers) from the Israeli border.
In his speech Saturday, Nasrallah denied Lebanese media reports that Ahmadinejad planned to hurl stones at the border.
Hezbollah's military strength has long worried the U.S. and its close ally Israel. In August, U.S. lawmakers in Congress said they were concerned about weapons falling into the wrong hands and put a hold on $100 million of the $720 million in military aid that U.S. administrations have provided to Lebanon's ill-equipped army since 2006.
Iran promptly offered to step in and fill the gap and slammed the U.S. for offering help with strings attached. Nasrallah suggested that Iran's cash infusions help all Lebanese, including through the rebuilding of war-damaged homes in the south. "Hezbollah does not trust the Lebanese government's bureaucracy," Nasrallah said, "and the Iranians paid in cash."
The message got through to many Lebanese. "Ahmadinejad's visit is meant to extend a helping hand, without anything in return," said Zeinab Mrad, a 50-year-old Shiite woman from Khiam village, a Hezbollah stronghold in southern Lebanon.

Berri supports Hariri’s premiership
October 11, 2010 /As-Safir newspaper quoted on Monday Speaker Nabih Berri – head of the Amal Movement – as saying that he “strongly supports” Prime Minister Saad Hariri’s premiership, adding Hariri’s post “is one of the conditions” preventing sectarian strife. Also, according to the daily, Berri concluded after reading Justice Minister Ibrahim Najjar’s report on the issue of “false witnesses” that the file should be transferred to the Justice Council. On August 18, the cabinet tasked Najjar with providing a report on the issue of false testimonies to the international investigation into former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri’s 2005 assassination. Ministers have reportedly received copies of the report, which Najjar is expected to present during the cabinet’s Tuesday session. Ministers of the Amal Movement will on Tuesday back Berri’s position to transfer the file, As-Safir said, quoting the speaker as saying that the cabinet must tackle the issue of “false witnesses” as soon as possible. Last Wednesday, Berri said that the Amal Movement ministers will not attend a future cabinet session unless it is devoted to discussing and finalizing the issue. -NOW Lebanon

New Opinion: We need reassurances

October 11, 2010
Now Lebanon/Officials should provide details on the newly formed Lebanese-Syrian Information Commission to quell fears that yet another chunk of our freedoms has not been chipped away. (AFP/ Joseph Eid)
It was just like old times. Following Thursday’s meeting of the Lebanese-Syrian Information Commission, Lebanese Information Minister Tarek Mitri described the newly-created body was a reflection of the Lebanese cabinet’s stated policy of developing Lebanese-Syrian relations.
In true bilateral fashion, his Syrian counterpart, Information Minister Mohsen Bilal, stressed the importance of cooperation. Nothing new there you might say, but what was worrying was the announcement that those attending at the meeting had signed memoranda of understanding and bilateral agreements on issues related to the media. Furthermore, they had agreed to form what Mitri called “a Lebanese-Syrian commission” to convene every three months to follow up on the implementation of “joint media programs” between the two countries.
The Arab media is used to such vague and empty utterances, such as those announcing the strengthening of “bilateral relations” and the “formation of committees.” They are largely ignored by all except national news agencies, which slavishly report the minutiae of the activities of the members of government and lawmakers.
However, in this instance, we have cause for concern. The Lebanese have a right to know the exact details of these so-called memoranda of understanding and the bilateral agreements on issues related to the media. They also have a right to know what would be the activities of the proposed Lebanese-Syrian commission and its “joint media programs.” They have a right to know because, under the umbrella of these vague terms, many precious liberties can be snatched away.
It may be a cliché, but it is nonetheless true that Lebanon is a beacon for press freedoms in the region. This is largely because Lebanon’s pluralistic society – so often its curse when it comes to the advancement of sovereign issues and other national initiatives – has ensured that the consensus it demands in national affairs is translated into freedom of expression in the media. Idiotic blips aside, such as the President Sleiman Facebook incident, the freedom of the Lebanese press is an example to the majority of the Arab media that too often tugs its collective forelock to its rulers.
This proud tradition was muffled for long periods of the Syria’s 29-year “presence” in Lebanon, a period during which reporters and columnists, most notably Samir Kassir, were hounded and harassed because of what they wrote. One of the bright spots of the post-Syrian era has been the greater freedom enjoyed by the Lebanese media. It would be a depressingly predictable development if renewed ties with Damascus came with certain conditions relating to how the press reported, either Lebanon’s new relationship with its neighbor, or the activities of those allied to the regime in Damascus.
Alarm bells are ringing, because such arrangements between two supposedly sovereign nations are unorthodox. However, if ministers Mitri and Bilal meant that, in light of the strengthening of bilateral ties, Lebanese journalists visiting Syria would receive less scrutiny, that they would have greater freedom of access to where they went and who they talked to and that there would be an overall commitment to greater transparency, then we applaud the initiative.
It may also be that, like many initiatives, this one will come to nothing, that it will evaporate the moment Minister Mitri and his delegation returned to Beirut. But given the strained mood in the country and the apparent backtracking on many of the ideals solemnly pledged on March 14, 2005, Minister Mitri should waste no time in giving us the details of this new accord to allay any fears that yet another chunk of our hard won freedoms has not been chipped away.

Najjar's Report: Lebanese Judiciary has Power over False Witnesses Issue ... Decision Awaits Indictment

Naharnet/Justice Minister Ibrahim Najjar said in his report on false witnesses in the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri that the issue falls within the jurisdiction of the Lebanese judiciary but that the decision awaits a review of of the International Tribunal indictment. The report, a copy of which was handed over to Cabinet ministers on Saturday, included answers to many questions which coincided with a speech by Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah on Saturday in which he accused the Special Tribunal for Lebanon of protecting false witnesses. The Report, carried by An-Nahar and Mustaqbal newspapers on Sunday, sets out principles that have been taken into account, namely:
- Separation of powers, particularly between the executive and the judiciary powers. - The principle of independence of the judiciary as stated in the Constitution.
- Respect for international agreements (especially the agreement between Lebanon and the United Nations on the formation of a special tribunal for Lebanon).
- The principle of confidentiality of the investigation. Najjar said that the measures, until preparation of the report, included charges against Husam Ali Mohsen, Osama Kanafani, Maj. Gen. Jamil Sayyed, Maj. Gen. Ali Hajj, Brig. Gen. Raymond Azar, Brig. Gen. Mustafa Hamdan, Mustafa Mesto, Ayman Tarabay, Majed Hasan al-Akhras, Ra'ed Mohammed Fakhreddine, Fadi Elias al-Nammar, Majed Ghassan al-Khatib, Zuheir Mohammed Siddiq, Mahmoud Amin Abdel Aal, Ahmed Amin Abdel Aal, Ibrahim Michel Jarjoura, Firas Hatoum, Abdel Azim Khayat, Mohammed Barbar, Nassim al-Masri and Khalil al-Abdullah. In preliminary observations, the report said, Siddiq was not questioned by Lebanese judicial authorities or by the judicial police, but as a witness by the International Committee outside Lebanese territory after leaving in April 2005. Regarding Husam Husam, the report said he was not questioned by an investigating judge, but moved to Syria to announce at a press conference that what he said before the International Committee was "not true." Beirut, 10 Oct 10, 10:30

Lebanon Split over False Witnesses

Naharnet/Government appeared split over whether false witnesses should be tried prior to or following the release of the indictment by the Special Tribunal for Lebanon.
The disagreement emerged over the weekend following a report by Justice Minister Ibrahim Najjar in which he said the Justice Council lacks authority to look into the false witnesses' issue since its role "is restricted to crimes committed against state security, spying activities, murders that relate to international law and undermining the state's authority."
But Opposition Ministers as well as Speaker Nabih Berri insist that the Justice Council puts its hand on the issue, considering this measure as a corridor to a settlement inside Cabinet that could be built upon. Opposition ministers will hold a coordination meeting on Monday under Speaker Nabih Berri, al-Manar television channel said.
Local media on Monday said the meeting aimed at unifying the Opposition stance ahead of Tuesday's Cabinet session. Meanwhile, the majority March 14 coalition insisted on following up on the false witnesses' issue after issuance of the indictment. Mustaqbal MP Ammar Houri said that false witnesses could only be put on trial after the indictment is released by the Special Tribunal for Lebanon. He said the reason for that is to "protect the identity of witnesses who are to testify before the International Tribunal." Beirut, 11 Oct 10, 08:33

Berri Insists Justice Council Handles False Witnesses, Against Hariri's Resignation

Naharnet/Speaker Nabih Berri, like Opposition leaders, insists that the Justice Council take action regarding false witnesses since the Council has jurisdiction to look into issues that stir tensions and agitate national divisions. He was responding to a report by Justice Minister Ibrahim Najjar in which he said the Council lacks authority to look into the issue since its role "is restricted to crimes committed against state security, spying activities, murders that relate to international law and undermining the state's authority."Najjar did not rule out the likelihood that judicial authorities, besides the Justice Council, could investigate the case of false witnesses. When asked whether he was coordinating with Opposition Cabinet ministers regarding referring the case to the Justice Council, Berri told An-Nahar newspaper in remarks published Monday: "This issue is left for Cabinet. I said what I had to say." On his opinion about a Government change and calls for Prime Minister Saad Hariri's resignation, Berri said: "It is possible to change a hundred governments, but for my part, I can only Premier Hariri as prime minister for several considerations." Beirut, 11 Oct 10, 07:24

Houri: False Witnesses Could Only be Put on Trial after STL Indictment

Naharnet/Mustaqbal MP Ammar Houri on Sunday said that false witnesses could only be put on trial after the indictment is released by the Special Tribunal for Lebanon.
He said the reason for that is to "protect the identity of witnesses who are to testify before the International Tribunal." Hizbullah officials discredit any accusation that is not preceded by interrogation of false witnesses. Cabinet on Tuesday will discuss a report by Justice Minister Ibrahim Najjar on false witnesses. The session is likely to witness heated debate over the issue.
Houri insisted that it would be unfeasible to cross-examine false witnesses prior to the indictment "because this will prevent any witness who knows anything from testifying out of fear that his testimony is published or his identity is revealed before those who committed the crime." He said that the testimonies and documents are held by the STL, insisting that a case cannot be opened without these documents. Houri said the Lebanese judiciary will have to request these documents from the STL and wait for a reply. He said the debate in Cabinet will "focus on preventing taking measures against false witnesses prior to the indictment. The debate, according to Houri, will also tackle the illegitimacy of the Justice Council to look into the false witnesses' issue. He believed that referral of the case to the Justice Council is "illegal because the terms set in the law do not apply on false witnesses." Beirut, 10 Oct 10, 07:06

Ahmadinejad in Controversial Visit to Lebanon

Naharnet/Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad arrives in Beirut on Wednesday for a controversial visit, the highlight of which will be a tour of Lebanon's volatile border with his arch-enemy Israel. The hardline leader during his two-day official trip -- his first to Lebanon since he became president in 2005 -- will meet with his counterpart Michel Suleiman as well as Prime Minister Saad Hariri and parliament speaker Nabih Berri. He will also attend a rally in the Lebanese capital organized on his behalf by the Shiite militant group Hizbullah, considered a proxy of Iran. Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, whose party fought a devastating war with Israel in 2006 and is blacklisted as a terrorist organization by Washington, is expected to attend the rally, though it is not known whether he will do so in person or via video link. He has not appeared in public for more than two years.
But the most anticipated and controversial part of the visit will be on Thursday, when Ahmadinejad is scheduled to tour several villages along Lebanon's southern border with Israel.
The region was largely destroyed during the 2006 war between Hizbullah and the Jewish state and was rebuilt with the help of Iranian money.
Members of the pro-Western parliamentary majority in Lebanon have described the border visit as a provocation and a defiant message to Israel that Iran's borders extend to Lebanon.
The United States and Israel have also reacted negatively with the Israeli government saying it could undermine regional stability.
But beyond that, the visit comes at a pivotal moment in Lebanese politics. Hizbullah and Hariri's camp are locked in a standoff over unconfirmed reports that a U.N.-backed tribunal is set to indict members of the militant party for the 2005 murder of Hariri's father, ex-premier Rafik Hariri. Tensions over the tribunal have grown steadily in recent weeks, raising fears of sectarian violence and the collapse of the national unity government, in which Hezbollah has two ministers. Ahmadinejad's visit also comes at a time of high tension between Tehran and Tel Aviv over Iran's controversial nuclear program. "At stake is whether Ahmadinejad is coming to show support for Lebanon or whether he plans to use Lebanese territory as a springboard for his own interests," said Fadia Kiwan, head of the political science department at Beirut's Saint Joseph University. "The Lebanese, and Hezbollah in particular, must fully take advantage of Iran's support but must also realize the limits of this support, that it's a double edged-sword," she added.
Ali Akbar Javanfekr, a senior aide to Ahmadinejad, told AFP that the Iranian president's visit was of "historical importance and would influence regional equations."
"The trip aims to consolidate the bilateral relations in several areas and it is within the framework of our strategic foreign policy with the regime in Lebanon that this visit has been planned," he said. "There are also emotional ties between the two countries, apart from a long historical relation based on common religion and culture." Ahmadinejad will be accompanied on his trip by Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki and a delegation of businessmen from the private sector. A number of agreements covering the energy and water sectors will be signed during the visit. The Lebanese president will be hosting Ahmadinejad for lunch while the speaker of parliament is hosting him for dinner. Prime Minister Hariri will also be hosting him for lunch on Thursday. In a speech at the weekend, Nasrallah called for a massive turnout to greet the Iranian leader and denied rumors that Ahmadinejad planned to throw a symbolic stone across the border at Israel. "If President Ahmadinejad asks my opinion, I would tell him: 'A stone? You are capable of throwing more than a stone'," Nasrallah said.(AFP) Beirut, 11 Oct 10, 06:46

Aoun Expects Positive Outcome of Ahmadinejad's Visit

Naharnet/Free Patriotic Movement leader Michel Aoun said Sunday that he expects a "positive outcome" of an upcoming visit by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to Lebanon. "I expect a positive outcome of the visit given the positive atmosphere between the two countries," Aoun told the Iranian News Agency, IRNA. He expressed hope that the visit would "strengthen relations and develop common interests between Lebanon and Iran, particularly since Iran supports Lebanon politically in various sectors." "Despite diverse views regarding this visit, I think that everyone in Lebanon will welcome the Iranian President," Aoun stressed. "We must forget that Iran is a regional power with influence and on all parts of the region," he added. Beirut, 10 Oct 10, 16:53

France: Option of UN Creating Palestinian State Cannot be Ruled Out

Naharnet/French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner said the option of the UN Security Council creating a Palestinian state cannot be ruled out, in an interview published Sunday.
Kouchner told the Palestinian newspaper Al-Ayyam that France preferred a two-state solution to be negotiated with Israel, but said appealing to the Security Council to resolve the conflict remained a possibility.  "We want to be able to soon welcome the state of Palestine to the United Nations. This is the hope and the desire of the international community, and the sooner that can happen the better," he said. "The international community cannot be satisfied with a prolonged deadlock. I therefore believe that one cannot rule out in principle the Security Council option," he said. "But the establishment of the Palestinian state must come as a result of the peace process and be the fruit of bilateral negotiations." Kouchner, who met with Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, on Sunday at the start of a two-day visit to the region with Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos, said the European Union, the largest donor to the Palestinian Authority, should play a more prominent role in the peace process. Later, Kouchner stressed the "urgency" that the EU felt for the creation of a Palestinian state through the current peace talks. "This is a moment that we do not want to miss," he said ahead of a meeting with Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak. Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas told Arab foreign ministers over the weekend that he would consider alternative options, including appealing to the Security Council, if peace talks remained stalled over Israeli settlements. Israel has refused Palestinian and international demands to extend a 10-month moratorium on new settler homes that expired last month despite Abbas vowing that there will be no further talks until settlement activity halts. As a permanent member of the Security Council, France, like the United States, Britain, Russia and China, would be able to veto any measure calling for recognition of a Palestinian state in territories occupied in 1967.(AFP) Beirut, 10 Oct 10, 22:24

US tells citizens to 'accept risks' of remaining in Lebanon
By The Daily Star
Monday, October 11, 2010 /Naharnet
BEIRUT: The United States’ Department of State urged the country’s citizens on Friday to avoid all travel to Lebanon “due to current safety and security concerns.”
“US citizens living and working in Lebanon should understand that they accept risks in remaining and should carefully consider those risks,” said a travel warning posted on the Department of State website. The October 8 travel warning superseded the one issued on March 29, 2010, and updates information on security threats in Lebanon. The warning said that while Lebanon enjoys periods of relative calm, “the potential for a spontaneous upsurge in violence is real.” “Lebanese government authorities are not able to guarantee protection for citizens or visitors to the country should violence erupt suddenly,” the travel warning said, adding that access to borders, airports, and seaports can be interrupted with little or no warning.
The warning said public demonstrations occur frequently with little warning and have the potential to turn violent. “Under such circumstances,” the state department said, “the ability of US government personnel to reach travelers or provide emergency services may at times be severely limited.” According to the travel warning, US citizens traveling or residing in Lebanon should keep a low profile, varying times and routes for all required travel. Also the travel warning urged US citizens residing in Lebanon to pay close attention to their personal security at locations where Westerners are generally known to congregate, and should avoid demonstrations and large gatherings. “The Embassy cannot guarantee that Embassy employees will be able to render assistance to US citizens in all areas of the country,” the warning added. Further information on the Department’s role during emergencies is provided at the Department of State website: http://www.travel.state.gov/travel/tips/emergencies/emergencies_1212.html – The Daily Star

Ahmadinejad-Nasrallah talks venue secret
Iranian president will visit South but will not throw stones

By The Daily Star
Monday, October 11, 2010
BEIRUT: The Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad will meet the Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah in an unknown place during his visit to Lebanon this week, reported pan-Arab newspaper Ash-Sharq al-Awsat.
In its Saturday issue, the paper noted that Ahmadinejad would abandon Lebanese official guards tasked with accompanying him during his two-day trip to be transported by Hizbullah members to an unknown place where he would hold talks with the party’s secretary general.
These security measures are regarded as necessary as visiting Nasrallah publicly was not possible in light of Israeli threats to assassinate the Hizbullah leader at any opportunity.
According to Ash-Sharq al-Awsat, Ahmadinejad expressed “special admiration” for Nasrallah in the rare encounters between them. During one of the meetings, Ahmadinejad violated protocol and greeted Nasrallah when the latter was stepping out from the car that transported him to the Iranian presidential headquarters in Tehran, reported Ash-Sharq al-Awsat.
The Iranian president is expected to kick off his visit on Wednesday. Iran is the major backer of Hizbullah.
In a speech delivered on Saturday, Nasrallah unveiled part of the schedule Hizbullah was preparing for Ahmadinejad.
He said that Hizbullah had called on supporters to organize a public welcome for the Iranian guest along the Rafik Hariri International Airport highway.
“Amal, Hizbullah and all national factions want to appreciate and thank [Iran] and reflect Lebanese morals,” he said, as he paid tribute to Iran for its financial support to families displaced by the Israeli 2006 war against Lebanon, along with its contribution to the post-war reconstruction. Nasrallah said that his party would organize a rally in honor of Ahmadinejad in cooperation with Amal at Al-Raya stadium in the southern Beirut suburbs on Thursday. Media reports said that Nasrallah would appear and give a speech during the rally. It is still unknown whether the Hizbullah leader would show up personally or via video link as he has been doing since Israel’s war in 2006, with very few exceptions. Nasrallah also said Ahmadinejad would visit the southern town of Bint Jbeil and the village of Qana where he would lay a wreath on the mass graves of those massacred by Israeli forces who twice shelled the village – in 1996 and 2006. The Hizbullah leader ruled out that Ahmadinejad would hurl stones on the Israeli side when touring the border. Ahmadinejad’s visit to Lebanon, and especially to the south, was criticized by some Lebanese factions. Some March 14 figures slammed the visit, saying it enhanced Iranian influence in Lebanon. Head of the Lebanese Forces, Samir Geagea, voiced hope on Saturday that Ahmadinejad’s trip would reflect a state visit, urging the Iranian president not to pursue political action in Lebanon. Nasrallah said Ahmadinejad was Lebanon’s official guest, and would not visit the country on the invitation of any specific sect or faction. “The invitation was forwarded to him from official Lebanon and we have all to respect this invitation and to behave in line with Lebanese morals and good accommodation,” he said. – The Daily Star

Nasrallah: STL protecting perjurers

By Mirella Hodeib
Daily Star staff
Monday, October 11, 2010
BEIRUT: Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah on Saturday accused the UN-backed court to try the assassins of Lebanese former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri of protecting the so-called “false witnesses” into the case. Nasrallah questioned the reasons behind the UN and the Prosecutor of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) Daniel Bellemare’s refusal to grant former head of the country’s General Security apparatus, Jamil al-Sayyed access his legal file. “Why this insistence from the tribunal and Bellemare to protect false witnesses?” he asked in a speech transmitted via video link during a ceremony to mark the conclusion of the first phase of a nationwide reforestation project launched by Hizbullah. Sayyed, who was detained in 2005 for alleged involvement in the Hariri murder but released in 2009 for lack of evidence, had submitted a request to the STL in September to access his legal file. Sayyed, considered close to Hizbullah, has launched a campaign against false witnesses, whom he accuses of misleading the probe in order to implicate him in the murder. Last week, the UN’s Under-Secretary General for Legal Affairs Patricia Brian requested that STL refrain from disclosing or giving access to any UN documents without prior authorization of the UN. Nasrallah said the STL was operating on a “political rather than a judicial” basis, adding that it based its probe on the testimonies of false witnesses.
He said Hizbullah sought the truth in the Hariri murder, “but not a truth based on the testimonies of false witnesses.”
In July, Nasrallah revealed that Hariri’s son, Prime Minister Saad Hariri, informed him of the tribunal’s intention to indict “rogue” members of his party. In his speech on Saturday, Nasrallah slammed, what he dubbed the government’s “procrastination” concerning the issue of false witnesses, whom the opposition says should be tried for misleading the Rafik Hariri probe. He said opposition groups in the Cabinet supported a decision by ministers affiliated with the Amal movement to boycott any Cabinet sessions that do not tackle the issue of false witnesses.
But Nasrallah did not rule out the possibility of a breakthrough, saying Saudi-Syrian mediation efforts had not reached a dead end.
Nasrallah revealed that the tribunal’s indictment would be based on the analysis of telephone call data. He also announced that he would hold another news conference on the issue soon.
“We all know that anyone could tamper with such data … the Mossad, the US, or even the staff at the mobile phone operators,” he said. At least three employees from mobile phone operator company Alfa have been arrested in the past year on suspicions of espionage for Israel.
The Hizbullah chief also mocked claims that his party was attempting a coup in Lebanon, describing such accusations as “empty remarks.” “If we wanted to launch a coup, we could have done so long time ago,” said Nasrallah. He added that Hizbullah could have staged a coup in 2005 following the Hariri assassination or on August 15, 2006, one day after the end of hostilities with Israel. Commenting on the upcoming visit to Lebanon of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on October 13-14, Nasrallah said it was Lebanese President Michel Sleiman who invited his Iranian counterpart and not Hizbullah. The visit has been the subject of criticism by the United States, Israel, as well as Lebanese groups from the March 14 alliance.
“President Ahmadinejad is a guest of all the Lebanese,” said Nasrallah. He also enumerated Iran’s contributions on the levels of relief and reconstruction in the aftermath of the 2006 summer war with Israel. On Friday, Hizbullah’s media office distributed rare images of Nasrallah planting a tree outside his home in Beirut’s southern suburbs. This was the first time the Hizbullah leader made a public appearance since 2008. He was shown planting and watering a tree as part of a Hizbullah reforestation campaign. Nasrallah said during his speech on Saturday that reforestation was part of Lebanon’s national security, adding that Lebanon’s trees constituted an advantage on the level of defense. “Lebanon needs its trees … We should protect those three, so that, in turn, they protect us,” he said.

Lebanon arrests spy 'looking for info on Ron Arad'
Beirut's media reports Lebanese intelligence has uncovered new espionage ring for Israel. Ring's members allegedly tasked with finding new information on missing Israeli aviator
Roee Nahmias Published: 10.11.10, 11:57 / Israel News
Lebanon announced Monday that its military has uncovered a new espionage ring working for Israel. According to Lebanese media reports, a prominent member of the spy ring was asked to look for information of missing Israeli aviator Ron Arad. Wife of missing aviator Ron Arad slams Knesset speaker's failure to mention her husband by name at Independence Day ceremony. In response, Rivlin vows to bring matter to public agenda The Reports, coming just two days ahead of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's visit to Beirut, said Lebanese intelligence described the uncovered cell as "extremely dangerous." According to released details, Lebanese intelligence services began uncovering espionage activity in mid August, after the arrest of a suspected spy. The man reportedly admitted to cooperating with Israeli intelligence agents since 1996. Another arrest followed two weeks later, and this time, Lebanese authorities discovered that Israel tasked the man with finding new information about Arad, who has been missing in action since 1987. Lebanon has arrested more than 150 people on suspicion of spying for Israel since April 2009, when security forces instigated a nationwide crackdown on agents. Many of those arrested have been accused of relaying information on Hezbollah bases during the Second Lebanon War. So far in 2010, military tribunals have sentenced at least three of those detained to death, with more maximum sentences expected in future.

MP Khaled Zahraman: Political blackmail aimed at overthrowing the government

October 11, 2010/Ya Libnan/Lebanon First bloc MP Khaled Zahraman told Voice of Lebanon (VOL) on Monday that he fears the political blackmail that Prime Minister Saad Hariri is being subjected to is aimed at overthrowing the current government. Zahraman said that there are signs that the March 8 coalition is not satisfied with Justice Minister Ibrahim Najjar’s report on the issue of “false witnesses, ” adding that he is surprised by the alliance’s constant criticism of the Lebanese and international judiciaries.
Najjar said in his report on false witnesses that the issue falls within the jurisdiction of the Lebanese judiciary but that the decision awaits a review of of the International Tribunal indictment.
On August 18, the cabinet delegated Najjar to prepare a report on false testimonies in the international investigation into the 2005 murder of former PM Hariri. Najjar is expected to present the report to the cabinet during its Tuesday session. All the Ministers have reportedly received copies of the report. Najjar said that the measures, until preparation of the report, included charges against Husam Ali Mohsen, Osama Kanafani, Maj. Gen. Jamil Sayyed, Maj. Gen. Ali Hajj, Brig. Gen. Raymond Azar, Brig. Gen. Mustafa Hamdan, Mustafa Mesto, Ayman Tarabay, Majed Hasan al-Akhras, Ra’ed Mohammed Fakhreddine, Fadi Elias al-Nammar, Majed Ghassan al-Khatib, Zuheir Mohammed Siddiq, Mahmoud Amin Abdel Aal, Ahmed Amin Abdel Aal, Ibrahim Michel Jarjoura, Firas Hatoum, Abdel Azim Khayat, Mohammed Barbar, Nassim al-Masri and Khalil al-Abdullah. Legal, thoughtful and detailed In an interview with An-Nahar newspaper published on Monday, Labor Minister Boutros Harb said that Najjar’s report on the issue of false witnesses “is legal, thoughtful and detailed.” He added that the report has shed a light on all aspects of the issue “to the extent allowed by the information available to Najjar.” Harb commented on some March 8 politicians’ call to transfer the case of false witnesses to the Justice Council, saying that it is too soon to call for a transfer of the file when nothing is yet being investigated.

Baroud's ministry has 'no say' on refugees

By The Daily Star
Saturday, October 09, 2010
BEIRUT: Interior Minister Ziyad Baroud told activists protesting outside the Interior Ministry on Thursday over what they called the arbitrary detention of refugees in Lebanon that he had no say in the issue. The nongovernmental organization IndyAct called for the protest and raised banners accusing the ministry and General Security of deporting refugees and detaining them in Lebanese prisons, even after their judicial sentences were completed. They called for the resignation of Baroud, who came out of the building to confront the crowd. He explained that the Interior Ministry was not the authority responsible for the matter, since it was the role of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to grant illegal immigrants the status of refugees. “Although Lebanon is not a country of refuge, the matter resides in the hands of the UNHCR, which allows the immigrants a three-month stay,” Baroud said.
He explained that the alleged arbitrary incarcerations fell under the jurisdiction of judicial authorities and not the Interior Ministry, General Security or the Internal Security Forces.
“I am not dealing with the refugee case with discrimination,” he added. Activists also accused the ministry and security forces of mistreating refugees, citing the allged abuse and violence against a number of Sudanese nationals arrested in September for entering Lebanon illegally. One activist spoke of Sudanese refugee Abdel Monem Ibrahim, who went on a hunger strike a week ago. Ibrahim is demanding the release of 17 Sudanese nationals in Lebanese jails who he says have completed their sentences but are still being detained illegally. Ibrahim was granted refugee status by the UNHCR in 2007. Baroud said he has sent a representative to check up on Ibrahim. However, his remark was rejected by the activists, who claimed that Ibrahim had been mistreated and threatened by security forces. The UNHCR estimates the number of Sudanese refugees in Lebanon to exceed 6,000 and says they escaped from Darfur following the end of their country’s civil war in 2005. According to the commissioner, the number of Iraqi refugees was the second highest after Palestinians in Lebanon – with 10,295 Iraqis – followed by Sudan and then Syria.
Baroud also commented on the refugee issue in an article published in the Arabic daily As-Safir on Friday. He said the Cabinet has presented LL200,000 to deport clandestine immigrants but the problem resided in immigrants refusing to leave. He then noted that deportation measures still depended on the concerned embassies and regretted that the latter did not play a sufficient role due to a lack of financial resources. As for the detention of refugees, he said it wasn’t possible to release those who did not have legal papers because they would get arrested again “by the first patrol they encounter.” “The Lebanese law demands the arrest of foreigners who enter the country illegally. However, this is not related to the refugees registered at the UNHCR,” he said. “We are following up on the matter with the commissioner because the latter is the authority in charge of granting refugees permission to stay in Lebanon.”
Baroud then regretted holding a previous news conference explaining the details of the issue, saying the conference confused the public. – The Daily Star

LF website suffers from 'organized' hacking attack

By The Daily Star /Monday, October 11, 2010
BEIRUT: The Lebanese Forces (LF) website was hacked into at 1:30 am on Saturday, a statement by the LF media office announced. The statement said the hacking type was a DDOS attack (distributed denial-of-service attack). According to the statement, the hacking was similar to that which the website experienced following May 7, 2008, civil strife but with a double magnitude. The LF noted that maintaining the “piracy” process for long hours required a “high-level technique, professionalism, and cost tens of thousand dollars,” indicating that the process was not conducted by an individual but was organized. The LF assured it would continue to resist all attempts to silence its website, which it said would remain a “democratic and civilized stage that will argue based on logic and proof.” – The Daily Star

Judiciary 'has authority' to try false witnesses
Houri: trials should follow indictment

By Elias Sakr /Daily Star staff/Monday, October 11, 2010
BEIRUT: The Lebanese judiciary has jurisdiction to rule on the issue of false witnesses and decide whether they should be put on trial prior to or following the release of the UN-backed tribunal’s upcoming indictment, a report by the Justice Ministry said. The report, drafted by Justice Minister Ibrahim Najjar, is to be discussed during the Cabinet’s session on Tuesday as ministers loyal to Speaker Nabih Berri continue to threaten to suspend their participation in the government if the issue of false witnesses is not tackled. In anticipation of deliberations over Najjar’s report, Future Movement MP Ammar Houri said Sunday that false witnesses could only be put on trial after the indictment is released so as to protect the identity of witnesses who are to testify before the court. Hizbullah officials continue to discredit any indictment that is not preceded by the investigation of false witnesses. Tuesday’s session is expected to witness heated debate over the issue.
Berri was quoted by the Saudi daily Ash-Sharq al-Awsat on Sunday as saying that his decision to suspend the participation of Amal Movement ministers in the Cabinet was not a maneuver but a serious decision if the issue of false witnesses is not “seriously discussed” by the government. The speaker added that his move was a preemptive step in anticipation of “irreversible damage that could not be corrected” if the issue of false witnesses continues to stir conflict on the Lebanese scene. Berri said he expected that the logical next step would be for the country’s Justice Council to take action concerning false witnesses since the council has the authority to look into issues that raise tensions and national divisions.
But Najjar’s report said the council lacks jurisdiction to look into the issue since its role “is restricted to crimes committed against state security, spying activities, murders that relates to international law and undermining the state’s authority.”Najjar did not rule out the possibility that judicial authorities other than the Justice Council could investigate the matter.
But Houri insisted that it would be impossible to investigate false witnesses prior to the STL’s indictment, “because this will prevent any witness who knows anything from testifying out of fear that his testimony is published or his identity is revealed before those who committed the crime.” “Also, the testimonies and documents are held by the STL and a case cannot be opened without these documents, which will force the Lebanese judiciary to request these documents from the STL for and await a reply,” Houri said.
Last week, the UN’s Under-Secretary General for Legal Affairs Patricia Brian requested that STL refrain from disclosing or giving access to any UN documents without prior authorization of the UN. “The debate in the Cabinet session will focus on preventing taking measures against false witnesses prior to the indictment and the illegitimacy of the Justice Council to look into the issue,” Houri added. “The transfer of the case to the Justice Council is illegal because the terms stipulated in the law do not apply on false witnesses.” “Any decision issued by any party that fails to take into consideration the issue of false witnesses who misled investigations [into the Hariri murder] is far from seeking justice and truth but rather is aimed against Lebanon and the Lebanese,” Liberation and Development bloc MP Qassem Hashem said.