LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
ِSeptember 26/2010

Bible Of The Day
The Good News According to John 15/12-16: “This is my commandment, that you love one another, even as I have loved you. 15:13 Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. 15:14 You are my friends, if you do whatever I command you. 15:15 No longer do I call you servants, for the servant doesn’t know what his lord does. But I have called you friends, for everything that I heard from my Father, I have made known to you. 15:16 You didn’t choose me, but I chose you, and appointed you, that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain; that whatever you will ask of the Father in my name, he may give it to you".
 

Free Opinions, Releases, letters, Interviews & Special Reports
Dialogue is key to resolving differences/By Jamil K. Mroue/September 25/10
Who is Jamil as-Sayyed?/By: Sarah Lynch/September 25/10
“I resist; you don’t exist”/Hanin Ghaddar/September 25/10

Latest News Reports From Miscellaneous Sources for September 25/10
Bishop Abu Jawdeh performs mass in commemoration of martyrs/Now Lebanon
Geagea: Revolutionaries are at the gates/Now Lebanon
Clinton assures Lebanon of US support/AP
Syrian Judiciary Prepares Arrest Warrants against those being Sued by Sayyed/Naharnet
Ahmadinejad: STL a Lebanese Issue, Iran Doesn't and Won't Interfere in it/Naharnet
Qaouq: Camp of July 2006 War is Now that of Indictment, which is Being Used against Us/Naharnet
Sleiman reiterates refusal to settle Palestinian refugees in Lebanon/Daily Star
France denies reports it attempted to delay STL/Daily Star
Conference says power-sharing has permitted Lebanese stability/Daily Star
Demining group relocates after alleged spat with Hizbullah/Daily Star
Aoun, Assad address ways to defuse tension in Lebanon/Now Lebanon
Jumblatt intensifying efforts to facilitate Hariri-Nasrallah meeting/Now Lebanon
Houri Hits Back at Moussawi: Desperate Intimidation against Truth, Justice/Naharnet
Hand Grenade Found under Car in Barja/Naharnet
Ahmadinejad: STL a Lebanese Issue, Iran Doesn't and Won't Interfere in it/Naharnet
U.S. Wants to Reduce Tension in Lebanon over Hariri Court/Naharnet
Saqr: Saudi-Syrian Safety Net is Aimed at Preventing Internal Explosion/Naharnet
Hariri to Damascus Tuesday to Discuss Current Tension over STL/Naharnet
Syria Informs its Visitors that Lebanon's Security is Red Line/Naharnet
Paris: Interfering in STL would be Destructive Blow to Justice/Naharnet
Jisr: We Refuse to be Threatened with War … STL is a Legal Institution, Not a Political Forum/Naharnet
UNIFIL Director of Mission Support Denies Force's Intention to Decrease Number of Troops/Naharnet
Hariri to his MPs: Security and Civil Peace Red Lines/Naharnet
Syrian Ambassador Warns of 'Signs of Civil Strife Israel Plotting Around the Clock'/Naharnet
Suleiman from New York: We Condemn International Terrorism, It Must Be Differentiated from Legitimate Resistance/Naharnet
Moussawi Warns: Those Who Endorse STL Indictment Mustn't Be Only Worried, But Also Panic-Stricken/Naharnet

Bishop Abu Jawdeh performs mass in commemoration of martyrs
September 25, 2010
The state must “not show flexibility toward he who despises the law, disdains the constitution, or attacks his partner in society,” Maronite Bishop Roland Abu Jawdeh said at a televised mass he performed on behalf of Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Boutros Sfeir at the Lebanese Forces’ Lebanese Martyrs Resistance commemoration in Jounieh on Saturday.
“It is time to understand that the nation is not run by the logic of power, lies, hypocrisy, or the elimination of the other,” the bishop added. The occasion’s slogan states that the living are being deprived of justice because their martyrs are being wronged. Prime Minister Saad Hariri was represented at the event by Environment Minister Mohammad Rahhal. Kataeb Party head Amin Gemayel, former Prime Minister Fouad Siniora, Lebanese politicians, cabinet ministers, military officials, and foreign diplomats also attended.
-NOW Lebanon

Geagea: Revolutionaries are at the gates
September 25, 2010 /Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea warned Saturday during his party’s Lebanese Resistance Martyrs commemoration that “revolutionaries are at the gates”—in a reference to March 8 coalition figures—adding that some of the latter want to overthrow the republic. “We need only look at the identity of the main forces that stand behind everything that is happening in order to be completely certain that if the other side succeeds in its coup, there will be no Lebanon and no republic. We will become merely a guardianship [state],” he added, referring to late Iranian leader Ayatollah Khomeini’s doctrine of the guardianship of the jurisprudent. Tension is currently high in Lebanon as some March 8 politicians are calling for the abolition of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL), while Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun and former head of General Security Jamil as-Sayyed have publicly attacked the government. Some March 8 figures are attacking the STL and using the issue of witnesses who gave false testimony to the international investigation of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri’s 2005 murder as a way conceal their real revolutionary intentions, he said.
Geagea also said that March 8 figures are attempting to intimidate the state into agreeing with their condemnation of certain people as false witnesses. He added that only relevant judicial authorities can label someone a false witness, and that moving forward on the issue is impractical before the STL issues its indictment and the investigation documents are released.
He also said that those claiming to fight corruption—a possible reference to Aoun—themselves lack ethics, knowledge and transparency. However, Geagea called on young FPM members to work with March 14 alliance forces. “We were united by fifteen years of shared struggle, in which we were hunted, chased, repressed and imprisoned together,” he said, a reference to the 1990-2005 period between the civil war’s end and the Syrian withdrawal from Lebanon  He also called on all Christian forces to rally around the state, vowing to March 14 alliance supporters that “we do not fear money, weapons, incentives, intimidation, or threats.”
-NOW Lebanon

Aoun, Assad address ways to defuse tension in Lebanon
September 25, 2010 /Change and Reform bloc leader MP Michel Aoun met with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in Damascus on Saturday to discuss the ways to defuse tension in Lebanon and to ensure stability in the country, the official Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) reported. Energy Minister Gebran Bassil took part of the meeting, SANA said, adding that Assad and Aoun also addressed the latest developments in the Middle East. Tension ran high in Lebanon after reports said that the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) will soon issue its indictment for the 2005 assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. There are fears that should the court indict Hezbollah members, this could lead to a Sunni-Shia conflict similar to the one that brought the country to the brink of civil war in May 2008. Assad and Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdel Aziz visited Beirut in July and held a summit along with President Michel Sleiman in an effort to defuse tension in the country. -NOW Lebanon

Ahmadinejad: STL a Lebanese Issue, Iran Doesn't and Won't Interfere in it
Naharnet/Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad stressed on Friday that the Special Tribunal for Lebanon is a matter of Lebanese concern and no one else's. He told An Nahar during a press conference in New York City: "The Lebanese take decisions on that matter and we do and will not interfere in local Lebanese affairs.""Iran and Lebanon enjoy very good ties … We support Lebanon's unity and its advancement," he remarked on his upcoming visit to the country in October. "We feel that all Lebanese should unite in order to guarantee its independence and security," Ahmadinejad said. Beirut, 25 Sep 10, 08:58

Moussawi Warns: Those Who Endorse STL Indictment Mustn't Be Only Worried, But Also Panic-Stricken
Naharnet/Hizbullah's MP Nawwaf Moussawi on Friday warned that "the period that will follow the (Special Tribunal for Lebanon) indictment won't be the same as the one before, and any group in Lebanon that might endorse this indictment will be treated as one of the tools of the U.S.-Israeli invasion, and it will have the same fate as the invader.""Those must not only be worried, but also panic-stricken, and we tell everyone that those who couldn't defeat the Resistance through fire and iron and billions of dollars will not be able to defeat it through an indictment or anything else," Moussawi warned."Today, we are before a new experience" with STL Prosecutor Daniel Bellemare, Moussawi added, noting that "some said that this period will take a course that is not influenced by politicization … but we've discerned the opposite." Beirut, 24 Sep 10, 22:25

Qaouq: Camp of July 2006 War is Now that of Indictment, which is Being Used against Us
Naharnet/Hizbullah's official in southern Lebanon Sheikh Nabil Qaouq stressed on Saturday that no indictment, international accusation, or international resolutions would affect the party's determination in its resistance. He said: "The camp of the July 2006 war has now become that of the indictment, which is being used against Hizbullah.""If they think that the indictment will bind Hizbullah, then the results will backfire against them," he noted. "We are keen to protect Lebanon from this strife and we will not allow the aims of the July war to be passed through the international tribunal, which Israel is banking on to compensate for its 2006 defeat," Qaouq stated. "The international tribunal and internal divisions will not distract us from confronting the Israeli enemy," he stressed. "The best response to international pressure and resolutions against us is through bolstering the Resistance's strategy, which is the shortest way to rescue Jerusalem and the whole of Palestine," he said. "We will not rely on the international community or international resolutions, but on the Resistance strategy that has proven its effectivity in 2000 and 2006," he stressed. Beirut, 25 Sep 10, 13:52

Jumblatt intensifying efforts to facilitate Hariri-Nasrallah meeting
September 25, 2010 /Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblatt is intensifying his efforts to facilitate a meeting between Prime Minister Saad Hariri and Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, Democratic Gathering bloc MP Antoine Saad said in a statement issued on Saturday. “Quarrels have reached a completely unacceptable level,” Saad said, adding that Jumblatt is striving to establish the logic of domestic understanding and commitment to calm dialogue. Jumblatt hangs great hopes on Hariri’s courageous and positive steps, Saad said, adding that Jumblatt has asked the other side to respond with the same spirit of openness.Hariri’s stances show that he is a “man of state in every sense of the word at this exceptional moment in the country’s history,” Saad added. In an interview with As-Sharq al-Awsat newspaper published on September 6, Hariri said that certain individuals misled the Special Tribunal for Lebanon’s (STL) investigation and thereby damaged Syrian-Lebanese relations and politicized the assassination.-NOW Lebanon

“I resist; you don’t exist”
Hanin Ghaddar,
September 25, 2010
Now Lebanon
gunmen pause in the streets of Beirut on May 9, 2008 (AFP photo/Ramzi Haidar).
The feeling of being stepped on as a citizen or humiliated to the core is one that cannot be underestimated in today’s Lebanon. It is difficult to overcome the challenges facing those of us who live in this accursed region without the protection of state institutions. But any semblance of the state, again in a region where the notion of the state is so often a moveable feast, has been systematically crushed, the latest example being Hezbollah’s total disregard for national security when it broke into Rafik Hariri International Airport last Saturday to pick up the former head of General Security, Jamil as-Sayyed, when he returned from Paris.
What is left to hold onto in a country controlled by an arrogant and sectarian militia that protects itself with Iranian arms, deludes itself that it has the unyielding support of the Shia community and believes that it can thrive on the past glories of its war of resistance against Israel?
Indeed, the Resistance was supposed to solely resist the Israeli occupying forces in South Lebanon, and despite the reservations many people had regarding the ideology and evolution of Hezbollah, the Party of God fulfilled its mandate in 2000 and won the thanks of a grateful nation.
So what has happened since then? When Hezbollah inherited the Lebanese political scene from the Syrians in 2005, it focused its efforts on fighting the Lebanese government, its institutions and its people.
Its “divine victory” against Israel in 2006 could not be questioned, and Hezbollah became greedier and more arrogant. It wanted everything, and the power game got ugly. Today, it has exceeded itself, even by its own outrageous standards.
To be fair, the mask of the Resistance fell away over two years ago on May 7 on the streets of Beirut and days later in the Druze Mountains. We’ve been trying to resist it ever since, but the tools we made in 2005 have been taken from us one by one. The May 7 attempted coup, an imposed government of so-called national unity and the Saudi-Syrian “deal” are just a few of the events that have slowly eroded the gains of March 14, 2005, and today all we have to cling to is the hope that the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) ensures that justice prevails.
However, this last hope is under attack every day by Hezbollah because the party wants to put an end to the court, and when Hezbollah demands something from the Lebanese, it is not enough to say no. “No” is tantamount to treason because it is “no” to the Divine Resistance. “No” means a long fight that will more often than not unfold into lethal mayhem.
Because of its resistance activities, Hezbollah feels it has the right to hijack the country and force its agenda on all Lebanese, because we are nothing more than its mignons. Because the Resistance insists it is cut from more honorable cloth, the rest of us have to endure the wounds – physical and mental – that have been inflicted upon us and give up our right to try to know who has been killing our leaders since February 14, 2005. Simply, Hezbollah does not want the STL to find out the truth.
Because of the Resistance, Lebanon has to bury its potential to grow as a hub of freedom, development, co-existence and culture in the region. Hezbollah prefers Lebanon to be a battlefield for regional confrontation. Without conflict it is nothing.
Because of the Resistance, the government and state institutions cannot make or implement sovereign decisions. It cannot even issue an arrest warrant for Sayyed when he defames the prime minister. Hezbollah wants Sayyed to say what he said and wants to send a message to the Lebanese authorities that Hezbollah is the final decision maker on everything.
Hezbollah won’t stop repeating the phrase forced into the ministerial statement that the defense of Lebanon consists of the army, the Resistance and the people, although more than half of the Lebanese (as it was established in the parliamentary elections in 2009) do not want to resist. As for the rest, they are merely expected to applaud and blindly follow instructions.
Today Hezbollah wants to put an end to the course of justice, but the party’s ego stops it from seeing that the urge for revenge can easily replace justice. Revenge does not need evidence and does not differentiate between the killer and the community he comes from.
If the STL is abandoned at the barrel of a gun, the Shia, all of the Shia, will be punished for a crime no one knows who committed. Does Hezbollah really want this to happen to those who have already sacrificed enough for their so-called party? Who will then save the Lebanese from the poisoning hatred that expresses itself every day in Sunni-Shia neighborhoods of Beirut?
Hezbollah has convinced everyone that the Shia stand behind it no matter what happens, and now the human shield it has been protecting itself with for years will have to once again pay the price for the party’s arrogance, with more blood and more tears.
The fault is not only Hezbollah’s, as nobody has tried to understand the Shia community’s dynamics, which are more complicated than what Hezbollah is trying to convey. This misconception can make the urge for revenge that much more aggressive and primitive.
The only tool we are left with in order to avoid revenge is the STL. We need to hold on to it, stand up for it and trust it. The fear we feel today should push us to break the stereotypes we have of each other instead of adopting them as an excuse for vengeance.
Civil wars can start because of preconceived ideas, and we know better than most how brutal and long civil wars can be. Have we learned nothing from our past?
Saadallah Wannous, a Syrian playwright and intellectual, said before he died in 1997: “We are dominated by hope.” In Lebanon, we have no choice but to stay hopeful, because if we don’t, we will lose ourselves.
**Hanin Ghaddar is managing editor of NOW Lebanon


Clinton: US will continue support for Lebanon/Naharnet
Saturday, September 25, 2010 /NEW YORK: US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is assuring Lebanon that the United States will continue to support its government and army despite fears in Congress that US assistance may be used against Israel. Clinton met Friday Lebanese President Michel Sleiman in New York to pledge backing for “Lebanon’s sovereignty and governmental institutions, including the Lebanese military,” State Department P.J. Crowley said. Clinton also called for Lebanon to work with the UN mission on its border with Israel to avoid a recurrence of an August incident in which Lebanese troops fired on Israeli soldiers. – AP

Conference says power-sharing has permitted Lebanese stability
State’s survival after years of unrest proves system’s ‘strengths’
By Simona Sikimic /Daily Star staff
Saturday, September 25, 2010
BEIRUT: The challenge of creating, and sustaining, a peaceful Lebanese state has once again sparked debate among leading academics and experts who gathered on Friday to discuss the burdens facing a country still very much grappling with its long history of sectarian divisions and violence.
The concept of power-sharing and how it has worked – or failed – in other countries facing similar challenges dominated discussions at the opening session of the two-day “State Building in Divided Societies of the Post-Ottoman World” conference, held at St. Joseph University.
With multiple references to Iraq and former Yugoslavia, which have been undergoing a painful “state formation” or “state transition,” the audience heard about the many challenges, and unfortunately few opportunities, which face fragmented societies in states artificially fashioned by external forces in the 20th century.
“While often essential to initially exiting war, power sharing as traditionally defined is inherently limited as a means of sustaining peace,” said University of Denver professor, Timothy Sisk. “In the long term, power-sharing institutions need to be gradually reformed to introduce ongoing incentives for more fluid bargaining that fosters the evolution of political coalitions that cross-cut the social divisions hardened in the course of war.”
A state can either be transformed through revolution, reform or election. Revolution is a difficult and dangerous process, while reform is conducted by the elite who largely have too much invested in the status quo to offer up significant changes voluntarily. Elections provide incentive for politicians and elites to change, but, because of the confessional system, religious alliances are exploited to stem calls for change, delegates heard.
“Ethnicity is used as a cover for nepotism,” said Balkans expert and University of Graz professor Florian Bieber. “In many ways it is a way of promoting your family, not your sect. Sect members can be alienated just as much as other sects.”
Those that are excluded, however, cannot actively picket for change because doing so risks weakening their sect which remains their best, and often only, way of accessing the state’s resources.
Joining with other sects to campaign against a common enemy, such as a corrupt political leader, is also difficult. While, for example, a Christian can appear to attack a Christian on purely political grounds, a Muslim opponent is likely to attack the politician on both religious and political grounds, undermining the temporary alliance and reducing incentives to cooperate, Bieber said.
This self-propagating exclusion can cause authoritarianism to spring up within the various communities, even if the existence of many different factions within the state mean that the state itself was relatively liberal, several delegates commented.
Regardless of these fundamental challenges, enough people still believe in both a Lebanese state and the current system and seek to change, rather than undermine, it, said former International Monetary Fund adviser Toufic Gaspard.
“The introduction of consensual power-sharing in the 1940s where the role of the president, who was granted extensive executive powers, was reserved for a Maronite Christian was truly revolutionary [especially for the region],” said Gaspard. “The fact that the state survived through all the assassinations, wars and invasions – that it did not disintegrate despite all the shocks – surely shows that it must have strengths.”
Despite the apparent controversy of the position, Lebanon is the only country in the region that has a living president, he said. All other presidents have either been assassinated or refused to give up power until their death, which acts as a testament to Lebanon’s strong democratic values.
The seemingly spontaneous nature of the March 14 demonstrations – which saw a million people gather in Beirut to protest against the killing of the former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri and spur the challenges that it threw up for the existing constitutional order – were used as examples of the state’s enduring legitimacy.
Flipping on its head the common assertion that Lebanon’s economy has prospered in spite of the states’ failings, Gaspard asserted that it is actually the country’s laissez-faire capitalist approach which failed the state, prevented it from adapting to social challenges such as redistributing wealth, and ultimately paved the way for conflict.
“Lebanon has been an economic failure but low and behold it has actually been a political success,” he said.

Sleiman reiterates refusal to settle Palestinian refugees in Lebanon
President urges UN Assembly to prevent Israeli violations
By Wassim Mroueh and Nafez Kawas
Daily Star staff
Saturday, September 25, 2010
BEIRUT: President Michel Sleiman reiterated on Friday Lebanon’s refusal to settle Palestinian refugees on its territories, saying such a step undermined stability in the country.
“Lebanon has said it will not accept the settlement of Palestinians for several reasons, especially due to dangers that will result from the settlement which will undermine security and stability,” he said when delivering Lebanon’s address at the UN General Assembly in New York.
Sleiman noted that the “issue of Palestinian refugees cannot be resolved through negotiations from [afar].”
The president highlighted the role of the international community in meeting the needs of Palestinian refugees by boosting its support for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA).
Sleiman touched on the continuous Israeli violations of Security Council Resolution 1701, which put an end to the summer 2006 war with Israel.
“At a time when Lebanon commits to Resolution 1701, Israel continues its violation of Lebanon’s sovereignty, and those are violations mentioned by [UN] Secretary General Ban Ki-moon in his report. Also, Israeli spy networks require a response from the international community to prevent [Israel] from pursuing such aggression and to force it to withdraw from the Shebaa Farms, the Kfarshouba hills, and the northern part of the village of Ghajar,” said Sleiman, adding: “We retain our right to liberate the remaining [occupied] part of our land through all possible and legitimate means.”
The president praised efforts pursued by the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), stressing “the importance of continuing its cooperation with the Lebanese Army.”
“This cooperation is only faced by arrogant actions taken by Israel … Israel is the main reason behind incidents occurring along the blue line,” Sleiman said.
He added that Lebanon “sought to cement its stability by abiding by Security Council resolutions and the Taif Accord.”
“The state is keen on respecting all constitutional deadlines whether in municipal or parliamentary polls,” said Sleiman, vowing to “continue in this path amid support from our people and friendly states.”
“Lebanon will remain open to dialogue, loyal to its message and keen on supporting what is right and promoting the values of freedom and consensus democracy on which it was established from the beginning,” said the president.
He praised “efforts to enhance the role of the Security Council away from double standards.”
Sleiman reiterated “Lebanon’s condemnation of international terrorism,” adding that Lebanon supported the adoption of a unified definition for international terrorism, that distinguished it from resisting occupation “which is endorsed by all laws.”
He said that despite its developmental and social role, the UN remains a political organization “par excellence.”
On the sidelines of the UN General assembly, Sleiman held talks with the US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and the Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Jeffrey Feltman.
Also, Sleiman discussed developments in Lebanon and the region with the Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
He also held talks with Iraqi President Jalal Talabani.
Earlier, Sleiman made a speech during a special meeting convened by delegation leaders to discuss means to support Somalia.
Sleiman endorsed Djibouti’s peace process and called for supporting the African Union’s mission to Somalia to enable it to restore peace in the country.
The president also attended a reception held by US President Barak Obama in honor of heads of delegations participating in the UN General Assembly.
On Thursday, Sleiman delivered an address to a Security Council session convened by his Turkish counterpart Abdullah Gul, during which he stressed that Lebanon was still looking forward to a just and comprehensive peace in the Middle East. Lebanon is currently the only Arab country member of the UN Security Council.
Sleiman stressed that “Lebanon will not accept any solution to the Middle East conflict in which it is not involved, or that contradicts its higher national interests, chief among them its right to reject any form of settlement of Palestinian refugees on its territories.”
Following the session, Sleiman discussed with Gul the regional situation, along with the role Lebanon was currently playing as a representative of the Arab states in the Security Council.
The two agreed on coordinating positions to serve mutual interests and stability in the region.

Demining group relocates after alleged spat with Hizbullah
By The Daily Star /Saturday, September 25, 2010
BEIRUT: The Mine Advisory Group (MAG) moved its equipment from Yohmor to Kfarjoz in Nabatieh on Friday, following an alleged dispute with members of Hizbullah.
The Central News Agency reported that the demining group, charged with removing cluster bombs dropped by Israel during the summer 2006 war, suspended its mine clearing activities in Yohmor and moved all its equipment and vehicles to its office in Kfarjoz. The reported dispute between MAG and members of the Shiite party is thought to have occurred when the latter prevented the team from pursuing its work in Yohomor. Yohmor Mayor Qassem Oleiq denied MAG and Hizbullah had any problems and said the team chose to leave the village because it had other priorities. He also denied any disagreement occurred between MAG and the municipality. Oleiq hoped the demining team would resume its work in Yohmor and “go back to removing cluster bombs that put the lives of villagers and farmers in danger.” Two more years are needed to completely clean contaminated fields in the village. – The Daily Star

Dialogue is key to resolving differences
By Jamil K. Mroue /Publisher and editor in chief
Saturday, September 25, 2010
Editorial/Daily Star
In a most encouraging sign, a top Hizbullah official met with Egypt’s consul general on Friday, and the two sides issued a statement stressing the need to develop their ties in order to overcome obstacles. The simple fact that two sides, which for some two years have been deeply hostile toward one another over the arrest of an alleged Hizbullah spy cell in Egypt, sat down to meet – and appear committed to meeting again – offers hope that this country’s leaders are accepting the immense importance of basic political dimension of staying in contact and building relationships. Indeed, we have only recently been witnesses and victims of some three years when the March 8 and March 14 antagonists lacked completely the willingness to talk, to deeply deleterious effect on the country.  The petulance in refusing to talk to one’s political rivals is ridiculous and childish. When participating in the public sphere, one must communicate with other actors and construct bonds, irrespective of the positions one is advancing. Hizbullah has a record of rejecting communication, and we are heartened to see this recognition that one has to deal constructively with the other constituencies sharing the same political space. After all, what is the alternative to engagement? The only other option is isolation; do we want to find ourselves in the suffocating predicament of Hamas? In Lebanon we have a tragic history of such failures to communicate; among the nearly countless reasons for the outbreak of the Civil War was the attempt by some Palestinians to excommunicate the Phalange Party from the political process. Do we not remember the only possible outcome for the move to ostracize real political actors? Political discourse then descends to the streets; refusing to talk and associate leads to the puncturing of the lives of many citizens by the less temperate. The mentality of the closed mind is what closed off East and West Beirut. On the contrary, the obligation to communicate and create links is a condition of taking part in the public sphere. The political process, by definition, requires political representatives to submit to discussion, debate and adjudication. Friday’s expression of a vow to grow the Hizbullah-Egypt relationship should serve as a manual for behavior among the fractious factions within this country. The blueprint for the political process must be communication and the development of relationships. In the end, there is no issue of any import in Lebanon which can be resolved by not talking. History has taught us the painful lesson that the absence of political communication has caused far more problems than any political position.
**Jamil K. Mroue, Editor-in-Chief of THE DAILY STAR, can be reached at jamil.mroue@dailystar.com.lb

France denies reports it attempted to delay STL
By Elias Sakr /Daily Star staff
Saturday, September 25, 2010
BEIRUT: France has denied any efforts to delay an indictment by the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL), amid warnings by Hizbullah’s allies that an accusation against the party would break out in civil strife. But the Future Movement and its leader Prime Minister Saad Hariri have reiterated that no compromises will occur at the expense of the STL despite the ongoing escalatory discourse. French Foreign Ministry spokesman Romain Nadal made his comments on Friday in response to remarks published by the daily An-Nahar newspaper the previous day, that French Ambassador Denis Pietton did not deny the possibility that French-Saudi contacts could delay the indictment. The spokesman also stressed that the UN-backed tribunal works independently of any French or foreign influence. “[Ambassador Pietton] does not deny that a number of contacts happened between Saudi Arabia and the French capital, which could have contributed to delay the indictment from September to before year end,” An-Nahar reported on Friday.
Nadal added that remarks in the media do not reflect Pietton’s stance, saying the latter did not make “any official statement or hints” on the issue.
Pietton’s alleged stance coincided with comments from Hizbullah’s second-in-command Sheikh Naim Qassem Qassem, that his party had given time for Saudi efforts to “redress the twisted course” of the UN probe, which he said was clearly bent on issuing “an unjust indictment.”
Hizbullah, which condemns the STL as an Israeli project, has made it clear the party will not stand neutral if the indictment accuses members of Hizbullah of involvement in former Premier Rafik Hariri’s murder. According to An-Nahar, Pietton said France sought to assure Hizbullah that an indictment, if it occurs, would not accuse the party but rather some of its members and that France would continue to deal with Hizbullah as a major constituent of the Lebanese community represented in the Cabinet and Parliament.
But Speaker Nabih Berri said in remarks published in the daily As-Safir Friday that Pietton’s statements “do not reassure Hizbullah but on the contrary confirm the party’s fear as well as ours of the indictment.” Hizbullah ally, Marada Movement leader Suleiman Franjieh warned that an indictment against Hizbullah would lead to war in Lebanon, and urged the Lebanese to abolish the UN-backed tribunal in order to avoid civil strife.
In a televised interview on Thursday night, Franjieh said the “Lebanese scene was awaiting a spark” that would ignite Sunni-Shiite strife based on an international decision to kick off a Lebanese war. “Compromise is necessary because it will take place anyway after the conflict ends but at our expense,” Franjieh said.
“If the STL means strife in Lebanon, why not abolish it?” In response to Franjieh, Hariri told An-Nahar in remarks published on Friday that the Marada Movement’s statements “do not change anything and our position is clear: no compromises regarding the STL.”
The Future Movement bloc said in a short statement issued the same day that it fully endorses its leader’s stances while expressing the movement’s commitment to the STL as well as “elements that preserve civil peace and stability in Lebanon.” In response to Franjieh’s comments, Future Movement MP Mohammad Qabbara said civil strife required the presence of two armed groups willing to participate in it.
“But for now, there is only one side and that is Hizbullah. As for us, we have neither weapons nor did we take a decision [to start a war] but rather we reject being dragged to one.”
In line with Syrian-Saudi efforts to ease tensions on the Lebanese scene over the course of the week, the General Consul of the Egyptian Embassy in Beirut Ahmad Hilmi held talks with Hizbullah Arab Relations officer Sheikh Hassan Ezzedine at the latter’s office.
The visit followed a rise in tensions between Egypt and Hizbullah after recent criticism of Hilmi by Hizbullah ally former Major General Jamil al-Sayyed for instigating strife between Lebanese.
A statement from Hizbullah’s office said the talks tackled the need to promote Egyptian-Lebanese bilateral ties to strengthen trust, overcome hurdles and enforce the position of Lebanon and Arab states.
Also on Friday, Hariri held talks with Egyptian Ambassador Ahmad Fouad al-Beddawi at the premier’s residence in downtown Beirut.
Separately, Sayyed reiterated accusations against Hariri and a number of security and judicial officials for fabricating false witnesses while Hizbullah officials continued to demand investigating false witnesses to discover who was behind them.
Justice Minister Ibrahim Najjar is to submit to the Cabinet his recommendations on the legal framework governing the issue of false witnesses, amid ongoing demands from opposition officials to put them on trial.
The head of the Internal Security Forces, Ashraf Rifi, slammed Hizbullah’s reception of Sayyed at Rafik Hariri International Airport, where the former general was escorted by armed members from the plane and allowed access to the airport hall.
March 14 officials have accused armed Hizbullah members of invading the airport, while Hizbullah maintain that armed members at the airport were bodyguards of ministers and MPs.
“No patriotic individual accepts what happened at the Beirut international airport,” Rifi said following a meeting with Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Sfeir, adding that “we will continue to support state institutions.” Separately, Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun left Beirut Friday to travel to Syria, accompanied by his family, upon an invitation by Syrian President Bashar Assad.

Who is Jamil as-Sayyed?
Sarah Lynch, September 24, 2010
Now Lebanon
Born in the Bekaa village of al-Nabi Eila, former head of General Security Jamil as-Sayyed has a long political history that has garnered much media attention. This has been especially true in the past five years, as he was imprisoned on suspicion of involvement in the 2005 assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri and then later released due to lack of evidence.

Just last week, on September 18, the spotlight was once again drawn to Sayyed when he was escorted out of the Beirut International Airport by Hezbollah security officers following his return from France. The Hezbollah security entourage was present because a summons had been issued for Sayyed to appear in court following a statement he made on September 12 attacking Prime Minister Saad Hariri.
But Sayyed is not Hezbollah’s only high-profile ally. Free Patriotic Movement leader Michel Aoun is also partnered with the Party of God, making the former head of General Security and the FPM leader indirect allies.
Sayyed’s past, however, is littered with incidents showing his opposition to Aoun, including instances in which police and intelligence agents oppressed Aoun supporters who were demonstrating against the Syrian presence in Lebanon.
1976: Jamil as-Sayyed joined the First Brigade of the Lebanese army in the Bekaa Valley. Prior to this he was stationed in Beirut, where he served with the armed corps. The First Brigade was under the control of Brigadier General Ibrahim Shaheen, who, under Syrian supervision, established the Arab Lebanese Army. At this time, Sayyed began to form links with the Syrian government.
1977: Sayyed took control of the First Brigade’s intelligence branch.
1982: Sayyed was made deputy chief of the Lebanese Intelligence Services under Colonel Michel Rahbani in the Bekaa.
1984: Rahbani was transferred to Beirut, and Sayyed was appointed chief intelligence officer in the Bekaa Valley.
1989-1990: Sayyed headed security for former Lebanese President Elias Hrawi.
1992: He was appointed deputy chief of military intelligence.
1998: Then-President Emile Lahoud appointed Sayyed as the head of General Security. The two worked closely together.
1999-2001: Lebanese journalist Samir Kassir, who frequently spoke out against the Syrian presence in Lebanon, was under surveillance by General Security.
2000: Sayyed was assigned with the task of cross-examining potential candidates for the soon-to-be-formed parliament and cabinet.
2000: Lebanese army troops turned water cannons on students during a demonstration held by supporters of FPM leader Michel Aoun in Beirut on April 18. The army dispersed about 300 protesters by force, injuring at least three people. It was reported that Lebanese intelligence agents were also at the protest.
2001: Members of the Lebanese intelligence services, under Sayyed’s direction, arrested anti-Syrian protesters on August 9. Anti-Syrian Christian demonstrators, who were also Aoun followers, protested against a series of arrests made by army intelligence the previous day.
2002: Supporters of Michel Aoun were soaked when police fired a water canon at students during a sit-in at a Beirut university on October 31. The anti-Syrian, Christian opposition demonstrated to "defend freedoms" and put pressure on Lebanon's pro-Syrian government to resign.
2004: A Lebanese student makes the sign for victory as he is sprayed with water by police on March 12. Five hundred students gathered for the 15th anniversary of Michel Aoun's declaration of a "war of liberation" against Syria. The demonstration resulted in clashes between students and police forces. Seven students were arrested to be held for questioning.
2005: Following the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri on February 14, Cedar Revolution demonstrators demanded that Sayyed resign. He handed his position as head of General Security over to his deputy, Asaad Taesh, on May 5. On August 25, Sayyed was arrested on suspicion of involvement in Hariri’s murder. He was held in prison for four years.
2009: Jamil as-Sayyed arrives at his hotel on April 30 after the Special Tribunal for Lebanon released him and three others without charges due to lack of evidence.
2010: On September 12, Sayyed said that Prime Minister Saad Hariri “should take a lie detector test to prove he did not support or fund false witnesses in the Special Tribunal for Lebanon.”
On September 18, he spoke to the press upon arrival at the Beirut International Airport. His earlier attack on Hariri prompted many responses, and led Lebanon’s top prosecutor, Judge Said Mirza, to summon Sayyed for questioning. Hezbollah, however, called on the judiciary to revoke Mirza’s decision, calling it politicized.