This time we were lucky As in Br

LCCC ENGLISH NEWS BULLETIN
August 29/2006

Latest New from miscellaneous sources for August 29/06
Hizbollah loyalists jeer Annan on Beirut walkabout-Reuters
Annan urges Lebanon to hand over Israeli soldiers-Mail & Guardian Online
Annan urges handover of captive Israeli soldiers-ABC News - USA
Annan Rebukes Israel and Hizbullah, Calls Resolution 1701 'Fixed Menu'-Naharnet
Annan lands in Beirut at start of Middle East pea ce mission-Times Online
Annan to visit Beirut to shore up Lebanon truce-Reuters
Nasrallah: If We Had Known…We Wouldn't Have Captured Israeli Soldiers
Chirac Says Violence Will Resume Without Political Solution-Naharnet
Man pleads guilty in Hezbollah fund-raising scheme-Asheville Citizen-Times
Majority of Lebanese are for disarming Hezbollah.Naharnet
Italy Approves Sending 2,500 Troops to Lebanon and a $38.4 Million Aid Package
Turkish Cabinet Decides in Principle to Send Troops for UNIFIL-Naharnet
Hizbullah Shuts Down Posts Near Shabaa Farms, Moves Out Weapons
EU foreign policy failed on Lebanon, Chirac says-EUobserver.com
Palestinians in south Lebanon Refuse to Disarm-Jawa Report
Israeli PM rejects state inquiry into conflict-CBC News
Olmert orders inquiry into Lebanon war-AP
Third Suspect in Botched German Train Bomb Arrested in Beirut
Cardinal Sfeir grateful to Italy France and the Lebanese armyAsiaNews.it
The Middle East Dilemma-Washington Post
Hezbollah's rise fuels rifts inside Lebanon-Boston Globe
French Troops Aid in Lebanon Rebuilding-Washington Post
Would Turkish troops in Lebanon be neutral?Jerusalem Post
Israeli DM says lack of aid to Lebanon boosts Hezbollah's supports-People's Daily Online
The need after the Lebanon war-Christian Science Monitor
Trickle of supplies reaches Lebanon-Seattle Post Intelligencer
Lantos: No US aid to Lebanon unless UNIFIL patrols Syrian border-Jerusalem Post
Hizbullah backed by evil-Ynetnews
Lantos Wants Aid to Lebanon Frozen-Washington Post
Lebanon's Nasrallah says contacts for prisoner swap begins-People's Daily Online
Lebanon demands disarmament of Palestinians-Jerusalem Post
In widening Lebanese rift, some see return to abyss-Globe and Mail
Ahmadinejad climb-down, the tactica l admission of defeat-Global Politician

Annan Rebukes Israel and Hizbullah, Calls Resolution 1701 'Fixed Menu'
U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan chided both Israel and Hizbullah on Monday, saying they could not "choose and pick" parts of a U.N. cease-fire resolution to implement, and demanded Hizbullah release two captured Israeli soldiers and Israel lift a blockade on Lebanon.
Visiting Beirut on the first leg of an 11-day Mideast tour, Annan called U.N. resolution 1701 "a fixed menu."
"It's not a buffet ... It's not an a la carte menu where you choose and pick. We have to implement 1701 in its entirety and I hope that all parties will pay attention and act in that spirit," he said in a press conference with Prime Minister Fouad Saniora. "Without the full implementation of resolution 1701, I fear the risk is great for renewal of hostilities."
The top U.N. diplomat also said he was renewing his "call for the abducted soldiers to be free." He urged Hizbullah to transfer them to the Lebanese government "or a third party" under the auspices of the international Red Cross.
"We, the U.N., will be prepared to play a role if we are required to do so. And I offer our services," he said.
He said the United Nations was also ready to assist in a prisoners' exchange between Israel and Lebanon.
Hizbullah fighters seized two Israeli soldiers in a cross-border raid July 12 that started the 34-day war.
Annan also urged Israel to lift its air and sea blockade on Lebanon. "I'm working with them and a number of international partners to see to it that this is done," he said."We are working for the lifting of the siege, I am discussing it with the Israeli authorities tomorrow, I hope there will be some movements on this in the not-too-distant future," he said.
He said the lifting of the blockade will be one of the first items on his agenda when he visits Israel on Tuesday.
Annan obliquely renewed the U.N.'s call for Hizbullah's disarmament. "In Lebanon there should, as we have all agreed, be one law, one authority, one gun," he said.
Annan however said it was not the duty of UN forces to disarm Hizbullah but to monitor the ceasefire.
He said the UN peacekeepers would only open fire if attacked.
Annan hailed Lebanese efforts to control its borders, including with neighboring Syria from where Israel says arms are smuggled into the country by Hizbullah.
"I am satisfied with the steps the government is taking to control those borders, once it is done it will be very satisfactory," he said.
Meanwhile, Annan held a private meeting with Energy Minister Mohammad Fneish, a top Hizbullah official, in Beirut on Monday, a senior Lebanese official told AFP. "Annan held a private meeting with Minister Mohammad Fneish, in the presence of Annan's representative in Lebanon Gier Pedersen," said the official.
Later, Saniora led Annan on a tour of Beirut's southern suburbs, an area that was ravaged by Israeli air strikes during the 34-day war.
Hundreds of Lebanese shouted pro-Hizbullah slogans and booed him as he toured the rubble-strewn streets.
Many carried posters of Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, and one man carried a large portrait of U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice with vampire's teeth.The crowd mobbed Annan's heavily guarded motorcade, and security agents ran along both sides of the vehicles.
Annan met separately Monday with Premier Saniora and parliament speaker Nabih Berri, who serves as Hizbullah's de facto negotiator.
"This is a very critical time for Lebanon, and I think it's important that I've come here myself to discuss with the Lebanese authorities the aftermath of the war and the measures we need to take to implement U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701 and to underscore international solidarity," Annan told reporters after being met at the airport by Foreign Minister Fawzi Salloukh.
Before touching down, Annan asked to fly over Beirut's southern suburbs that were heavily bombed by Israel during the month-long war, according to a military official at the airport. "We are entering the stage of recovery and reconstruction," Annan said after his meeting with Berri.
"We have a chance now to have a long-term cease-fire and a long-term peace (in Lebanon), and we all need to work together and this is the purpose of my visit here," he said.Annan said Lebanese government officials assured him they would "faithfully" implement the U.N. cease-fire resolution
Berri said his talks with Annan focused on the punishing Israeli air and naval blockade on Lebanon which, he said, was in violation of the UN-brokered truce and insisted that Lebanon had abided by all the terms of the ceasefire.
On Tuesday, Annan is to visit the UN peacekeeping force's headquarters in the coastal town of Naqura, by the Israeli border, before heading on to Egypt and then Amman, Israel and Syria.
The UN chief is also expected to travel to Iran on Saturday for talks on the Islamic republic's standoff with the West over its nuclear program.(AP-AFP)(Outside photo shows Saniora receiving Annan at the Grand Serail and AP photo shows Annan meeting with Berri)
Beirut, 28 Aug 06, 12:58

Poll Shows Lebanese Split on Hizbullah Disarmament
Naharnet: Lebanese are split down the middle on U.N. demands for the disarmament of Hizbullah following the month-long war between Israel and the group, a poll published Monday suggested. The poll by IPSOS for the French-language daily L'Orient-Le Jour found 51 percent of respondents supported the group's disarmament, with 49 percent against, a difference within the survey's margin of error. However, the poll found a wide divergence of views among Lebanon's various religious communities. Among the Shiite community -- Lebanon's largest and the support base for Hizbullah -- the poll found 84 percent of respondents wanted the group to keep its weapons. But among the Druze and Christian communities, 79 percent and 77 percent respectively wanted the group to surrender its arsenal.Among the Sunni community, the poll found a slender majority of 54 percent in favor of the group disarming. "This shows that a gap exists on this issue between the Shiite community and the Christians and Druze while the Sunni position is much more nuanced," the newspaper said. It said the poll found that Hizbullah was more popular among people aged 30 years or younger and in regions with a Shiite majority. As to the deployment of extra U.N. troops in south Lebanon to enforce a two-week-old ceasefire that ended the 34-day war between Israel and Hizbullah, the majority of respondents -- 81 percent -- said they favored such a force. However, 67 percent said they believed the U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon should act as observers rather than an intervention force. The poll found that only 38 percent of those questioned feared a new civil war in Lebanon as a result of the recent conflict as opposed to 62 percent who thought otherwise. The poll was conducted between August 14 and 17 among a representative sample of 600 men and women drawn from the country's various communities.(AFP) (AP photo shows a Lebanese worker repairing a balcony, while in the background bulldozers remove rubble from destroyed buildings in Beirut's southern suburbs) Beirut, 28 Aug 06, 11:36

Hizbollah loyalists jeer Annan on Beirut walkabout
28 Aug 2006
Source: Reuters
More By Alaa Shahine
BEIRUT, Aug 28 (Reuters) - Scores of Hizbollah supporters jeered at U.N. chief Kofi Annan on Monday during his visit to Beirut's war-ravaged southern suburb, accusing the world body of siding with Israel during its war with the Shi'ite Muslim group.
Shouting "Kofi Annan is an agent of the Americans," and pro-Hizbollah slogans, the crowd surrounded the convoy of the U.N. chief, forcing him to leave the area minutes after arrival. A Reuters photograph showed a visibly uncomfortable Annan standing next to Hizbollah lawmaker Ali Ammar, who appeared to be trying to calm the demonstrators, many of them holding posters of Hizbollah's leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah.
Annan arrived in Beirut on Monday and held talks with top Lebanese officials to promote a lasting ceasefire, two weeks after a U.N. Security Council resolution ended the war. "He came after the war, after the destruction. Why is he here now?" said Ashraf Koukha, 25, one of the protesters.
Fierce Israeli air strikes flattened hundreds of residential buildings in the Shi'ite Muslim suburb and destroyed Hizbollah's headquarters and main offices in the area. The war started after Hizbollah guerrillas captured two Israeli soldiers in a cross-border operation on July 12.
A group of protesters held a poster of U.S. Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice with blood-stained vampire teeth as they jeered at the U.N. chief, accusing him of serving the interests of the United States, Israel's chief ally.
"He is biased towards Israel and America," said 22-year-old Abdel-Sater Selim, a psychology student at the state-run Lebanese University. "There is no justice."
The war boosted anti-U.S. sentiments in the Middle East, where many consider what they see as the unchecked U.S. backing of Israel as part of a campaign against Arabs and Muslims. "Smart bombs for stupid minds," read a big red banner, referring to U.S.-made weapons provided to Israel.
"Made in USA," read another banner, one of many hanging amid piles of rubble that Hizbollah's construction arm has been busy clearing since the truce came into force. "Only Hizbollah protected him from us," Selim said, referring to Annan's walkabout. "They said he was a guest."

Ahmadinejad climb-down, the tactical admission of defeat and surrender!
Iqbal Latif-Paris - 8/27/2006
"Israel to be wiped off the map."
- Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on October 26, 2005
"Iran no threat to Israel."
- Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on August 26, 2005
The damaging repercussions of the disastrous and botched 'Hezbollites adventures' are emerging. The climb down has already begun. The world waited anxiously on 22nd August for the cataclysmic events which the distinguished Professor Lewis was extremely worried about. However, what came out on August 26th was a pleasant surprise for the world and a discreditable climb-down from President Ahmadinejad. At least, once again, calling the bluff of an adversary has proven to be a better strategy than appeasement. The ramifications in the aftermath of this self-delusional destructive exercise in Lebanon by their proxies and suffering a major defeat, where Nasarullah's free hand is soon to be compromised by 15,000 strong UN forces, has resulted in a new language for Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, saying that the Islamic Republic of Iran is 'no threat' to Israel.
The myths of martyrdom and false victories of Arabs over Israel since the last 58 years have become epic legends, like modern versions of Homer's ancient imaginative classics, The Iliad and Odyssey – a lot of heroics but little authenticity. The radicals love to live in their cocoon of 'imaginary sanctuaries' where worldly defeats are promoted shamelessly as great victories in heavens. The body bag counts are irrelevant since the rewards in the heavenly abode outstrip the miserable worldly existence. If one talks to anyone on the streets of the Middle East, they invariably talk about the great victory of Hezbollah, of having taken on the might of the Israeli army, the inability of the Israeli army to clean out the crude missiles in the caves and tunnels until the last day of the ceasefire, and their inability to cut a swathe through the Hezbollah guerillas.
Iran's Ahmadinejad was intending to give his final answer to the world community about nuclear development by Aug. 22, which this year corresponded to the 27th day of the month of Rajab of the year 1427. It was the date that by ritual, was the night when Muslims revere the voyage of the Prophet Muhammad on the winged horse, Buraq, first to 'the farthest mosque,' identified with Jerusalem, and then to heaven and back. Ironically, there's a Lebanese saying: "The mountain roared and delivered a mouse!" The President did speak, but what a dismount from a zealot and born-again 'Hujjati' when on 26th October 2005 he declared that 'Israel must be wiped off the map; four days later, a startling statement surfaced from the Iranian President that, 'Iran is no threat to Israel.'
When a nation acts beyond the sum total of its tactical and strategic abilities, there comes a time where a nation needs to withdraw and dismount from the self-induced high. In typical circumstances of a lost warrior, President Ahmadinejad offered a retreat which practically means burying the Imam Khomeini's injunction that Israel must be wiped off the map. This statement sums up the blunders and strategic errors that have led to a retreat, the overestimation of the crude systems, the overplaying of its proxy in Lebanon and underestimation of the enemy's response. The Economist, in a front page article like their 'Oil under 10 $' blunder, gave premature victory to Hezbollah, but the fact is that this is a very big statement; this renounces his earlier condemnations, provocations, censures and ultimatum where he practically put Iran on a collision course with the rest of the world. It is not too late, the only worry one would have is if it is not an act of 'Dissimulation (Arabic: Taqiyya).' It is part of a strategy predominantly used by Shi'as, the dissimulation of one's religious or political beliefs when one fears for one's life and the lives of one's family members. The defeat in Lebanon and the indiscriminate bombing of Lebanon's infrastructure has opened the eyes of Ahmdeinejad that no heavenly Imam is forthcoming to save his nation in the near future, because only pragmatism would.
There is a radical difference between the Islamic Republic of Iran and other governments with nuclear weapons. This dissimilarity is articulated in what can only be described as the apocalyptic worldview of Iran's current ideological junta. In Islam, there are certain beliefs regarding the cosmic struggle at the end of time — Gog and Magog, anti-Christ, and for Shiite Muslims, the long awaited return of the Hidden Imam, ending in the final victory of the forces of good over evil. This recent change of tone from the apocalyptic worldview is based apparently more on Taqiyya than anything else. President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad "and his followers clearly believe that this time is now, and that the terminal struggle has already begun and is indeed well advanced." Iran's ambitions for acquiring nuclear weapons have been well-known. The most well-known one that was made by Ayatollah Mohajerani, that "as long as the Zionist regime is a nuclear power, every Islamic country, especially the Islamic Republic of Iran, must be capable of developing a nuclear weapon."
The genuine query is whether this worthless war was pursued with verve by the Hezbollah sponsors with a clear-cut strategy to divert the attention of the international community and UN Security Council away from the arguable issue of uranium enrichment. The abduction of soldiers had a clear purpose, a bargain, where Hezbollah would secure the release, as a matter of precedent, thousands of their imprisoned men back and continue to exert disproportionate leverage through the balance of terror. Thousands of armed suicide guerillas continue to hang over the northern borders of Israel encapsulating and infringing the sovereignty of the two nations unswervingly trapped in this terror web, the coalition government of Lebanon and the government of Israel. The forceful encampment of the UN forces is the first step to break this self-serving terror web. Rockets and abductions cannot happen and Syrian-assisted gunrunning from Iran would be a difficult task. The wings of Hezbollah are practically clipped; no one else but the Iranians comprehend it thoroughly.
The Hezbollah proxy was most brilliantly and fiercely used by the strategists of the axis of evil; Hezbollah extracted far greater advantages by being the 'real government' in the south on the back of huge arsenals of antiquated deadly missiles and gun running operations across the Syrian border. An axis of evil that includes Syrians, Iranians and Hezbollah stretching their link into the heartland of Lebanon; this was an effective control of the Lebanese territory by virtue of an armed mafia. The sponsors of Nasarullah in Tehran had effectively built a direct hot border contiguous to the soft belly of Israel. It was this proximity of a hot border and 15,000 missiles that gave Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad the cheek and the resources to pronounce on 26th October 2005, openly calling for Israel to be wiped off the map. These were his exact words: "The establishment of the Zionist regime was a move by the world oppressor against the Islamic world," the president told a conference in Tehran on Wednesday, entitled The World without Zionism. "The skirmishes in the occupied land are part of a war of destiny. The outcome of hundreds of years of war will be defined in Palestinian land," he said. He unashamedly reiterated the position of leader Ayatollah Khomeini. "As the Imam said, Israel must be wiped off the map," although soon after, his foreign minister, Manouchehr Mottaki, tried to undo the damage by suggesting that: "Nobody can remove a country from the map." Mottaki said that comments from Ahmadinejad made in October referred to the current Israeli regime which Tehran does not "recognize legally".
Iran and Syria have woken up to the new realities in a post ceasefire world that the political damage they have suffered from the adventures in Lebanon is immense. The indiscriminate destruction of Lebanon's infrastructure, irrespective of its location in Hezbollah-dominated areas, have made the cross section of the secular Lebanon politicians and militia realize the necessity to supervise the 'God Fatherly' control of the Hezbollah over their government. As their opponents' proxies lie heavily damaged, overplaying the terror card in Lebanon has revived the unity of diverse political and militia forces. Lebanon's most virulent anti-Syrian politician, the head of the Lebanese Forces and Hariri-ally, Samir Jaja, Waleed Junblaat, Nasrallah, Cardinal Sfeir, leader of the Maronite Church and Saad Hariri are on a common platform, a platform of Lebanese nationalism. Michel Aoun, the only serious player so far aligned with Hezbollah, is in an untenable position in face of the UN forces being installed in the south. To save Lebanon from the horrors of the war, the radical Hezbollah and their sponsors' aims have to be curtailed. This is the new ground reality; it is this reality that gave birth to the famous statement that anyone who uses the Lebanese territory for aggression is a Lebanese traitor. No one else was the aim of this brave statement but the Hezbollah.
It is the worry of Natanz, Arak , and Bushehr destruction in a pre-emptive strike that worries the President the most. After seeing the shock-and-awe and accuracy of the weapons in Lebanon, it is not the loss of innocent civilians in basements and caves that disturbs, it is the possibility of usage of these weapons against his own clandestine programme that worries him more.
He had only one way to climb down. The Natanz, upon completion, will house approximately 1,000 P-1 gas centrifuges, he only requires running of 750 gas centrifuges for one year to enrich enough HEU to make one nuclear bomb. This may be a strategy of 'Dissimulation,' he is well aware of the Israeli air force's abilities and remembers that Israel launched an air raid on the French-built, Tamuz [July] nuclear reactor in Iraq in June 1981, almost one year after the onset of the Iran-Iraq War. Iranians are also conscious of the fact that as early as 1995 General Uzi Dayan, Israel's chief of the Planning Branch in the Israeli army, in a lecture he delivered in Tel Aviv University's Moshe Dayan Center for Strategic Studies and the Middle East, highlighted that "if no other power is able to prevent the Islamic Republic from acquiring nuclear weapons…" implying Israel would. Since 1995, the shock and awe campaign and accuracy of Israeli weapons in recent Lebanon destruction has send the President back to his drawing board. Iran needs to buy time and this statement should be seen in that light.
Syria and Iran are the principal agents of aggression in making Lebanon a hostage nation. With strategic initiative seized by boxing Hezbollah along the northern borders, the dream of self-governance now looks a reality. If Lebanese Army is allowed to exercise its authority, the strategic balance in the Middle East will deeply alter.
Removal of Saddam Hussein from Iraq had already weakened Syria's regional ambitions. Iran with all its ideological affinity with Iraq is poles apart from Iraq's Sistani. He holds papal authority over his fold. The Iranian-born ayatollah adheres to the Shi'ite ritual known as quietism, which holds that though clerics can articulate at moments of national crisis, they must not take part directly in politics. Sistani's quietism conflicts directly with the theocratic ideology of Shi'ite Iran. When Sistani speaks out on political matters, his words carry colossal weight among Iraqi Shi'ites, about 60 percent of the country's population. He rarely mentions religion in his political pronouncements. "Not a word he's written couldn't have been written by a member of the political theory faculty at Harvard," remarked Noah Feldman, professor of law at New York University and former senior constitutional adviser to the Coalition Provisional Authority. Middle East is going through a huge realignment and transformation; like the fall out from Yugoslavia in the backyard of Europe which was bloody and painful in the early nineties, new realities are emerging fast and will settle in time. The wounds and centuries-old hatred is being covered live and broadcasted in our living areas; instant gratification demands that everything is settled in quick time, but slowly and surely things are falling in place, wars are futile and peaceful coexistence the only way.
Sistani detachment in this 'Shiite war' in Lebanon was remarkable. It is he who reigns supreme in Iraq, and not Iran, and the Iranians know it well. Bashar feels strategically quite orphaned to handle Israel on his own; with the help of Iran and Hezbollah, he sees his role as a spoiler but in doing so has dropped the political support of Saudis and Sunni Arab hinterland and streets. The core of the Arab leadership, like Ghaddafi and Mubarak, seldom raised their voice in favour of Hezbollah or Iranian-Syrian axis. They practically deserted them. The recent war has re-established the principle of pre-emption. The reconciliatory statement of Ahmdeinejad has to be seen in this context.
It is not easy to stand up against Hezbollah or the Iran-Syrian axis; one does it at his own peril; one does not need to be reminded of Hariri's callous murder and 2005 bombing of An-Nahar's publisher Gibran Tueini, MP; the Lebanese voices of dissent and nationalism are quietened with extreme response. The weakest and smallest of the Arab nations is being used as a proxy to further their own evil games of freeing Golan heights which they cannot, and a bomb that Iranians find difficult to hide unless bigger Middle eastern conflict camouflages the real intentions. Behind the freedom of farms lie bigger objectives. Lebanon is a mosaic of ideologies and a secular country and it is abode for every strain of mankind; orthodoxy and proxy wars have no place in Lebanon. Iran and Syria should realize it for their own good. May be a dose of Ibn al-Arabi vision will bring some sense to Bashar and Ahmadinejad.
"My heart has become capable of every form; it is a pasture for gazelles and a convent for Christian monks, and a temple for idols and the pilgrim's Ka'ba, and the tablets of the Torah and the book of the Koran. I follow the religion of Love: whatever way Love's camels take, that is my religion and my faith."

28 August, 2006
Cardinal Sfeir grateful to Italy, France and the Lebanese army for deploying troops in south Lebanon
The patriarch is concerned about delays and unfair aid distribution.
Dimane (AsiaNews) – Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Sfeir thanked the international military forces, in particular those from France and Italy, for their commitment to “guarantee security and peace in southern Lebanon”. Speaking yesterday during Sunday mass at the patriarchate’s summer residence in Dimane (northern Lebanon), Cardinal Sfeir also expressed his gratitude to the Lebanese army for sending its troops to the south “to help preserve the life” of displaced people making their way home amid the rubbles.
The patriarch and the bishops of the Maronite Church also expressed their great concern over the delays with which emergency aid is being distributed to the affected population. They fear that the slow pace of reconstruction might push many Lebanese, especially Christians, to emigrate.
In a survey published by Beirut’s L’Orient-Le Jour newspaper, 54 per cent of Christians, 51 per cent of Sunnis and 40 per cent of Shiites said they believed their future was abroad.
The patriarch has called for the setting up of a ‘supreme committee’ in charge of distributing humanitarian aid, especially medicine, so that they can be given out “equally, and reach those who need them most, and not only those in charge of the distribution”.
In southern Lebanon, whilst the government’s aid distribution has experiences hold-ups, the highly mobilised Hezbollah has been handing out cash on its own.

Sent: Sunday, August 27, 2006 9:31 PM
Subject: Fw: Fw: US and Canada pay attention to Australia!!!
Subject: US and Canada pay attention to Australia!!!
THREE CHEERS FOR AUSTRALIA
I wish the leaders of our country, Canada, would take a stand like Australia.....
Muslims who want to live under Islamic Sharia law were told on Wednesday to get out of Australia, as the government targeted radicals in a bid to head off potential terror attacks.
A day after a group of mainstream Muslim leaders pledged loyalty to Australia at a special meeting with Prime Minister John Howard, he and his ministers made it clear that extremists would face a crackdown.
Treasurer Peter Costello, seen as heir apparent to Howard, hinted that some radical clerics could be asked to leave the country if they did not accept that Australia was a secular state and its laws were made by parliament.
"If those are not your values, if you want a country which has Sharia law or a theocratic state, then Australia is not for you," he said on national television.
"I'd be saying to clerics who are teaching that there are two laws governing people in Australia, one the Australian law and another the Islamic law, that is false. If you can't agree with parliamentary law, independent courts, democracy, and would prefer Sharia law and have the opportunity to go to another country, which practices it, perhaps, then, that's a better option," Costello said.
Asked whether he meant radical clerics would be forced to leave, he said those with dual citizenship could possibly be asked to move to the other country.
Education Minister Brendan Nelson later told reporters that Muslims who did not want to accept local values should "clear off".
"Basically, people who don't want to be Australians, and they don't want to live by Australian values and understand them, well then they can basically clear off," he said. Separately, Howard angered some Australian Muslims on Wednesday by saying he supported spy agencies monitoring the nation's mosques.
USA and Canada..... ARE YOU LISTENING?
Quote:
IMMIGRANTS, NOT AUSTRALIANS, MUST ADAPT. Take It Or Leave It ! I am tired of this nation worrying about whether we are offending some individual or their culture. Since the terrorist attacks on Bali, we have experienced a surge in patriotism by the majority of Australians.
However, the dust from the attacks had barely settled when the "politically correct" crowd began complaining about the possibility that our patriotism was offending others. I am not against immigration, nor do I hold a grudge against anyone who is seeking a better life by coming to Australia.
However, there are a few things that those who have recently come to our country, and apparently some born here, need to understand.
This idea of Australia being a multicultural community has served only to dilute our sovereignty and our national identity. As Australians, we have our own culture, our own society, our own language and our own lifestyle.
This culture has been developed over two centuries of struggles, trials and victories by millions of men and women who have sought freedom. We speak mainly ENGLISH, not Spanish, Lebanese, Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, Russian, or any other language. Therefore, if you wish to become part of our society, then learn the language!
Most Australians believe in God. This is not some Christian, right wing, political push but a fact because Christian men and women, on Christian principles, founded this nation, and this is clearly documented. It is certainly appropriate to display it on the walls of our schools. If God offends you, then I suggest you consider another part of the world as your new home, Because God is part of our culture.
We will accept your beliefs and will not question why, all we ask is that you accept ours and live in harmony and peaceful enjoyment with us.
If the Southern Cross offends you, or you don't like "A Fair Go", then you should seriously consider a move to another part of this planet.
We are happy with our culture and have no desire to change, and we really don't care how you did things where you came from. By all means keep your culture but do not force it on others.
This is OUR COUNTRY, OUR LAND, and OUR LIFESTYLE, and we will allow you every opportunity to enjoy all this, but once you are done complaining, whining, and griping about Our Flag, Our Pledge, Our Christian beliefs, or Our Way of Life, I highly encourage you take advantage of one other great Australian/Canadian/US/British et al freedom, "THE RIGHT TO LEAVE."
If you aren't happy here then LEAVE. We didn't force you to come here. You asked to be here. So accept the country YOU accepted.
Pretty easy really, when you think about it. I figure if we all keep passing this to our friends (and enemies) it will also, sooner or later get back to the complainers, lets all try, please.
PLEASE PASS THIS ON TO EVERYONE, PERHAPS WE CAN CREATE A GROUND SWELL AND SEND OUR POLITICIANS THE MESSAGE THAT THE VAST MAJORITY OF US BELIEVE AS THE AUSSIES DO....

Actualité | Figaro Magazine
«Il faut un état palestinien»
DE NOTRE ENVOYÉE SPÉCIALE KATIA CLARENS.
Publié le 18 août 2006Actualisé le 19 août 2006 : 18h06 Le cardinal Sfeir avec Jacques Chirac lors d'une visite en France en 2005.
AP/Jack Guez
Le cardinal Sfeir avec Jacques Chirac lors d'une visite en France en 2005.
AP/Jack Guez.
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Éminence religieuse et politique majeure au Liban, le patriarche des maronites Nasrallah Sfeir ne s'était pas encore exprimé depuis le début de la guerre. Pourtant, il a accepté de nous ouvrir les portes de sa résidence de Harissa, au nord de Beyrouth. C'était le 15 août, quelques heures après la messe de l'Assomption donnée par le cardinal Etchegaray - délégué pour l'occasion par le pape Benoît XVI - dans la cathédrale Notre-Dame du Liban. Ce jour-là, les chrétiens sont venus nombreux pour célébrer la Vierge et sans doute aussi la trêve, effective depuis la veille. Dans son discours, le cardinal parle de paix, de solidarité et de l'urgence de résoudre le conflit israélo-palestinien. Des propos que le patriarche Sfeir soutient ici avec force, réclamant pour les Palestiniens «un Etat et un territoire». Il aborde aussi la fragilité de la communauté chrétienne au Proche-Orient et le désarmement du Hezbollah. Sans langue de bois.
Le Figaro Magazine - Le Hezbollah est devenu en quelques années une force militaire et politique incontournable. Ses membres tenaient seuls la frontière israélo-libanaise depuis 2000. Leur a-t-on laissé trop de liberté ?
Le patriarche Sfeir - Oui. Personne ne peut ignorer que le Hezbollah est un parti armé qui agit de sa propre volonté. Tout le pays en a payé les conséquences. Mais cela ne date pas d'hier, cette situation prévaut depuis bien longtemps. Auparavant, on n'était pas d'accord pour envoyer l'armée libanaise aux frontières israélo-libanaises, on laissait aller. Il y avait des escarmouches mais les événements ne prenaient pas cette ampleur. Aujourd'hui, c'est désastreux pour les populations. Cependant, le Hezbollah est sorti vainqueur parce qu'Israël n'a pas pu triompher et cela, il faut en tenir compte.
Accepteront-ils de désarmer ?
Tous les citoyens doivent être égaux devant la Constitution. Or, lorsque les uns ont les armes à la main et que les autres ne les ont pas, on peut se demander s'ils sont encore égaux... C'est clair.Lors de l'adoption de la résolution 1701, tous les membres du gouvernement étaient d'accord. On a ensuite entendu dire que finalement le Hezbollah n'adhérait pas, qu'il ne voulait pas renoncer aux armes. Mais les raisons pour lesquelles ses membres ont pris les armes demeurent, comme, par exemple, l'occupation des fermes de Chebaa.
Et le cessez-le-feu, sera-t-il respecté ?
Certains disent que ce n'est pas un cessez-le-feu mais un arrêt des hostilités et ce n'est pas la même chose. Les hostilités peuvent reprendre à n'importe quel moment. Que va-t-il arriver ? Je ne saurais vous le dire mais la situation doit être éclaircie. Le cessez-le-feu ne peut intervenir si l'on ne règle pas une fois pour toutes les problèmes. Les Palestiniens, les Israéliens, les Libanais doivent avoir chacun leur propre Etat avec des frontières bien déterminées, et à l'intérieur desquelles ils pourront vivre tranquillement. Tant qu'il y aura des discussions sur les frontières et quelques lopins de terre, il y aura toujours des luttes.
Le problème palestinien semble vraiment devenir un problème libanais..
Il faut qu'on soit clair. Je le répète, les frontières doivent être nettement définies et l'on doit aussi développer les relations diplomatiques entre les différents pays. Réparer par-ci et par-là, faire du bricolage, ne peut pas donner grand-chose (en référence au discours du cardinal Etchegaray, le 15 août dernier à Harissa. Envoyé spécial de Benoît XVI, il avait déclaré : «La paix ne se construit pas avec des bricolages.» ndlr). Il faut régler les causes de la guerre une fois pour toutes. Il faut que le peuple palestinien ait son Etat et son territoire.
Que pensez-vous de l'attitude israélienne ?
Ce qui s'est passé ici est désastreux : les maisons détruites, les gens qui sont loin de chez eux... C'est misérable. Et les infrastructures ont été détruites ; Israël a dit que c'était pour empêcher le passage des armes, mais était-ce une raison pour détruire tout un pays ? N'y avait-il pas d'autre moyen ? Israël est l'ennemi du Liban. Peut-être que son intention est de semer la zizanie pour prouver que les peuples de différentes religions ne peuvent pas vivre ensemble ! Au Liban, il y a dix-huit communautés différentes, il y a des musulmans et des chrétiens qui parviennent à vivre ensemble malgré les difficultés rencontrées à travers l'histoire. Comme l'avait dit Jean-Paul II : le Liban est un petit pays qui est une leçon pour l'Orient et pour l'Occident. Le Liban est une nécessité, pas seulement pour lui-même, mais pour le monde. Alors qu'actuellement le monde se divise entre musulmans et non-musulmans, entre terroristes et pacifistes, on a toujours besoin d'un pays comme le Liban où les gens vivent dans le respect et la compréhension mutuels. On ne cesse de s'ingérer dans nos affaires pour ne pas laisser cet exemple de convivialité. Il y a des gens qui ont intérêt à ça. Les pays arabes tout comme Israël veulent vivre dans une seule communauté. Or, c'est impossible dans ce monde. Il n'y a pas de race pure actuellement, tous les gens, bouddhistes, chrétiens, athées doivent pouvoir vivre ensemble. On ne peut pas vivre en vase clos.
Craignez-vous pour la population chrétienne du Liban ?
L'histoire montre qu'il y a eu beaucoup de menaces pour les chrétiens. Beaucoup de Libanais ont quitté le pays, c'est une menace en soi. Avec la guerre, la peur s'est accentuée. Mais elle a toujours existé, parce que le nombre de chrétiens diminue un peu partout au Proche-Orient. Ils avaient encore au Liban une situation confortable. Ils venaient ici trouver un climat de liberté et de démocratie. Mais si leur nombre continue à diminuer, alors je ne saurais vous dire dans quel pays du Proche-Orient ils se trouveront en sécurité. Lorsque les musulmans sont majoritaires, ils imposent leur doctrine coranique, leur façon de voir la société et de la bâtir. Cela, personne ne peut les en empêcher.
Sur quoi repose aujourd'hui le pouvoir des chrétiens au Liban ?
Il repose sur la Constitution. Il y a eu des accords entre les différents partis libanais pour que le président de la République soit maronite (les maronites représenteraient un quart de la population libanaise, ndlr), que le président de la Chambre soit chiite et que le président du gouvernement soit sunnite. Les membres du Parlement se répartissent au prorata des communautés.
Mais cette Constitution prenait en compte le fait que les chrétiens représentaient un tiers de la population ; aujourd'hui, ce n'est certainement plus le cas...
C'est une question qui se pose mais, jusqu'ici, il y en a qui disent que ce n'est pas le nombre de membres qui compte mais l'existence des communautés, et chaque communauté doit pouvoir se sentir à l'aise et être partie prenante dans les affaires de la République, qu'on soit nombreux ou pas.
Que penseriez vous d'une déconfessionnalisation de la politique au Liban ?
Ce serait souhaitable pourvu que tout le monde soit d'accord. Or, maintenant, je ne crois pas que tout le monde soit d'accord. Les musulmans, dans leur doctrine coranique, mêlent religion et état civil. On voudrait bien que les choses de l'Etat soient séparées des choses de la religion mais cela ne se fait pas encore. Je le répète, il y a dix-huit communautés au Liban.
Quel rôle la France a-t-elle joué ?
La France a été la puissance mandataire après l'indépendance. Elle est toujours l'amie du Liban et défend sa cause. Dernièrement, elle a tenu aux Nations unies un rôle prépondérant. Dans la proclamation de la résolution 1701, on a tenu compte des réclamations du gouvernement Siniora.
Un gouvernement qui a montré sa faiblesse durant ce conflit...
Le gouvernement libanais a dit ne pas avoir été consulté. Siniora fait ce qu'il peut, mais on ne peut demander à personne l'impossible. Nous sommes un petit pays qui ne peut pas se permettre de faire la guerre. Nous n'en avons pas les moyens. S'il y a des guerres, c'est à cause de l'interférence d'autres pays qui envoient à la fois les armes et l'argent.
Vous voulez parler de l'Iran ?
C'est ce qui se dit...
Cette guerre n'était donc pas libanaise...
On a fait la guerre des autres sur le terrain libanais. D'un côté l'Iran qui fait des armes nucléaires, de l'autre les Etats-Unis et le monde occidental qui veulent l'en empêcher. Voilà le résultat !