LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
DECEMBER 31/2006
Bible Reading of the day
Holy Gospel of Jesus
Christ according to Saint Luke 2,36-40.
There was also a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of
Asher. She was advanced in years, having lived seven years with her husband
after her marriage, and then as a widow until she was eighty-four. She never
left the temple, but worshiped night and day with fasting and prayer. And coming
forward at that very time, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to
all who were awaiting the redemption of Jerusalem. When they had fulfilled all
the prescriptions of the law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own
town of Nazareth. The child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom; and the
favor of God was upon him.
Free Opinions
Lebanese need to understand that
democracy is not a free ride-Daily
Star 31.12.06
U.S. Investigations Lead to Arrests in Gemayel Assassination Case. By Andrew
Cochran 31.12.06
Three walking into a tightrope of a
future-By David Ignatius
31.12.06
Latest news from Miscellaneous sources for December 31/06
Saudi Revives Mediation After 'War of Accusations' Created Stir-Naharnet
Mufti Urges Rival Leaders to Resume
Dialogue-Naharnet
Lebanon Leaps into the 'Known'-Naharnet
Saudi envoy revives Lebanon mediation-Ya
Libnan
Lebanon's Mufti urges leaders to resume dialogue-Ya
Libnan
Turkish Premier To Visit Lebanon Next Week-Playfuls.com
Iran FM to travel to Lebanon in coming days report-Iran
Focus
Hezbollah Reaching Pre-War Force-The
Conservative Voice
Iran's influence grows, thanks to America-Gulf
News
Yearender: Xinhua top 10 world news events in 2006-Xinhua
- China
Jumblatt accuses Hezbollah of role in Lebanon assassinations-Ya
Libnan
Carter's book adds to misinformation-Sun-Sentinel.com
Belgian troops wounded in Lebanon-BBC News
Report: Israeli generals slow in Lebanon-United
Press International
Lebanon's Wartime Memory Lapse-Washington
Post
What to do with Iran?Ynetnews
Latest news from the Daily Star for December 31/06
Moussa announces new mission to Beirut
Hizbullah flays Jumblatt as a fickle friend
Will fear get in the way of New Year's cheer?
Halutz looks set to survive probe into conduct of war
Druze spiritual leader calls for dialogue
Judge turns down second request to free journalists
Arslan urges pro-Cabinet youth to join opposition
A year of triumphant highs and devastating lows
Lebanese are shopping - but only for bargains
Salameh: 2006 results positive despite tensions
'Kiss of Life' campaign hopes to revive Beirut
Ouzai residents clash with ISF over illegal
construction
Global 'biking for peace' cyclists make pit-stop in
'friendly' Lebanon
Israel plays down letter from Assad to Olmert
Saudi Revives Mediation After
'War of Accusations' Created Stir
The 'war of accusations,' which has created a stir when Druze leaders accused
Hizbullah of involvement in a string of political assassinations, made Saudi
King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz revive his efforts in a bid to ease tensions and
avoid further escalation. Saudi ambassador Abdul Aziz Khoja cut short his Eid
Al-Adha holiday trip to return to Beirut, where he promptly met with Parliament
Speaker Nabih Berri on Friday, the daily As Safir reported Saturday. The paper
said Khoja expressed the kingdom's backing for Berri's "new initiative" aimed at
resolving the crippling political crisis in Lebanon. Berri, however, said the
accusations made by Druze MPs Walid Jumblat and Marwan Hamadeh were aimed at
"changing the atmosphere into a hostile mood."The leading daily An Nahar on
Saturday said Hizbullah retorted to Jumblat, accusing him of making statements
"upon request."The paper said the anti-Syrian majority coalition, to which
Jumblat and Hamadeh belong, were sceptical about Berri's proposal.
An Nahar said Jumblat disclosed that Berri's new offer considers forming a
mini-cabinet -- three ministers for government supporters, three for the
opposition, and four neutral -- ahead of settling the international tribunal
issue. It quoted sources in the ruling majority as saying that last week
mediation by Arab League Chief Amr Moussa has failed after the Hizbullah-led
opposition refused to agree on a "neutral" minister in the 30-member new
government proposed by Moussa.
The majority, according to An Nahar, also accused the opposition for failing to
undertake a "clear pledge" in the international tribunal issue.
The paper asked: "Will the opposition stand change with Berri's initiative?"
Beirut, 30 Dec 06, 10:03
Mufti Urges Rival Leaders to Resume Dialogue
Lebanon's Sunni Mufti Sheikh Mohammed Rashid Qabbani has urged
pro- and anti-government political leaders to resume dialogue, reiterating that
toppling Prime Minister Fouad Saniora's cabinet was not allowed. Thousands of
protestors spearheaded by Hizbullah have been camping outside Saniora's offices
in downtown Beirut since Dec.1, demanding his ouster and the formation of a
national unity government that would give them a veto-wielding power. "The
government will not fall and so will not a prime minister (Saniora) who
courageously and faithfully confronted an international power (Israel) for the
sake of safeguarding Lebanon's independence and selfesteem," Qabbani told
worshipers in Friday's prayers. He was referring to the 34-day summer war Israel
launched on Hizbullah after the Shiite group kidnapped two Israeli soldiers in a
cross-border raid July 12, sparking the destructive offensive. "The only way to
get things restored is to go back to dialogue and consultations," Qabbani added.
Beirut, 30 Dec 06, 11:10
Lebanon Leaps into the 'Known'
By Mohammed Salam
Twenty two months after ex-premier Rafik Hariri's assassination, the sharply
divided Lebanese factions made sharp leaps into serious internal confrontation.
On Feb. 14, 2005, when Hariri was killed by a powerful blast targeting his
motorcade in Beirut, his followers and allies pointed an accusing finger at
Syrian President Bashar Assad's regime, charging it with engineering the murder.
Now, Syria is still the main assumed culprit in the Hariri assassination in the
eyes of its Lebanese opponents, who added a new suspect to their enlarged charge
sheet: Hizbullah. Hizbullah was directly accused Thursday by Druze leader Walid
Jumblat of involvement in "some, not to say all, assassinations." He was
referring to the serial attempts that started on oct. 1, 2004 with the
booby-trapped car explosion that targeted Communications Minister Marwan Hamadeh,
who survived with severe wounds. The latest in the serial attacks was the
assassination Nov. 22 of Industry Minister Pierre Gemayel who was shot-dead by
unidentified gunmen in Beirut's northeastern suburb of Jdaideh.
Jumblat's accusation came one day after Hamadeh asked his lawyers to sue
Hizbullah and its television mouthpiece, al-Manar, on charges of "inciting" his
assassination after "covering up" culprits in the 2004 assassination attempt.
Hizbullah, allied with Syria and Iran, had made its own sharp turn earlier when
its leader, Sayed Hassan Nasrallah, claimed in an interview with an Egyptian
publication that former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations John Bolton had
told an unidentified Lebanese politician from the anti-Syria March 14 alliance
"get the international tribune bylaws ratified and I'll get you Nasrallah's
head."
Irrespective of how accurate Bolton's alleged statement was, Nasrallah's
ulterior aim behind making that statement was to justify his party's rejection
of the international tribunal that would try suspects in the Hariri
assassination and "related crimes."Related crimes in Lebanese political parlance
include all the assassination attempts carried out between Oct. 1, 2004 and
nov.22, 2006 and what might follow. Hamadeh, Defense Minister Elias al-Murr and
TV anchorwoman May Chidiak survived such attempts with serious wounds.
Hariri, Gemayel, MP-Journalist Gibran Tueni, Former Lebanese Communist Party
Leader George Hawi and journalist Samir Qassir lost their lives in the serial
killings that are believed to be related. Hizbullah has not officially rejected
the international tribunal, nor has it officially said that it wants its bylaws
amended, but ministers representing the party and its allies resigned from
Premier Fouad Saniora's government just before approving the tribunal's treaty
with the U.N. last November.The move was seen as an attempt by Hizullah,
Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri's Amal movement and allies to echo Syria's
declared rejection of the international tribunal.
However, when Nasrallah made his head an alleged target of the tribunal he was
actually lobbying "local" opposition to the court.
But why did Nasrallah opt to publicly challenge the international tribunal,
which has become a case reflecting the nationalist aspirations of the
parliamentary majority coalition that targets the Assad regime?Nearly one month
after the Hizbullah-led sit-in failed to topple the Saniora Government that
enjoys Arab and international backing –except that of Syria and Iran- Nasrallah
wanted to strip it of the privilege to "stand up against the external threat of
the Assad regime so he threw his party into the confrontation," according to a
ranking Arab diplomat familiar with efforts to contain the Lebanon's crisis. "By
saying the court is after his head, Nasrallah issued the order to all his
followers to reject it by all means," the diplomat explained. Nasrallah's move
was followed by al-Manar's accusation to Hamadeh that he informed the U.S.
embassy of Nasrallah's "hideout" place during the 34-day confrontation between
Hizbullah and Israel last summer. Israel had threatened to assassinate the
Hizbullah leader. Hamadeh denied al-Manar's claims and said they echoed
charges made by Syrian intelligence.
However, Jumblat's charge to Hizbullah of alleged involvement in "some, not to
say all, assassinations" appears designed to counter Nasrallah's brinkmanship
tactics by steps of the same nature.Both approaches put Lebanon on a one-way
course of collision, at least politically. When a Lebanese faction accuses
another Lebanese faction of killing its leaders, or helping in killing them,
that usually leads to more … killing.Lebanese leaders have taken leaps into the
"known," the worst is yet to come. Beirut, 29 Dec 06, 18:11
U.S. Investigations
Lead to Arrests in Gemayel Assassination Case
By Andrew Cochran
The following article appeared in the "Alsyassa" newspaper in Lebanon last week
and has been translated to English by a friend and highly reliable source. The
article points to investigations in the U.S. which led to the arrests of
Syrian-allied suspects in Lebanon:
"The investigation into the assassination of Pierre Gemayel led to the detection
and seizure of weapons and explosives detonators and the arrest of seven of the
Beirut-Syrian nationalists
The Lebanese authorities confiscated weapons and explosives yesterday of several
locations of the Syrian Social National Party, the pro-Syria in the Koura in
northern Lebanon. A security source said that the raid and confiscation included
locations and houses scattered in several villages in the Koura province,
south-east Tripoli, most prominent Kosba, Shekka and Afessdeeq. As to the
Directorate General of the Internal Security Forces assured in a statement that
the arrest of a number of people" during raids and the confiscation of
weapons and explosives in Koura.
The source explained that one of its unit raided several houses in the Koura
found inside "a large quantity of explosives with electric detonators used for
the bombing and stopwatches to control the timing of the bombing in addition to
large quantities of weapons." Authorized Lebanese security sources revealed to
al-Seyassah that, during the raids on two stolen cars caches inside one of the
Syrian Social National Party, working to identify their owners, have confiscated
the equivalent of two truckloads of weapons.
Well aware those, the official of the SSNP Tony Mansour and his father were
arrested during the raid and seized a gun inside the car of the first, and that
security forces cordoned off the main party headquarters in Beirut. Meanwhile
Party leader, Ali Qanso, admitted the arrest of seven official Syrian Social
nationalists and the confiscation of explosives in northern Lebanon, claiming
that they were kept since "the 1980s when he was involved in the resistance"
against Israel.
Informed sources declared to al-Seyassah that, before 15 days, the National
Security in the United States investigated Halim Hardan, student at the
University of St. Louis, son of current MP Assaad Hardan, former minister and
leading member of the Syrian Nationalist Party and the Canadian authorities as
well, carried out investigation with one Khudor Awarka, the official Syrian
National Party in Canada. Further to that, investigations took place in the
United States and Canada with a number of the "Free National Current" followers
which is led by MP Michel Aoun. In the outcome of these investigations,
information and confessions related to the case of the assassination of MP and
Minister Pierre Gemayel, has been extracted and that the American and Canadian
authorities these information to the Lebanese government that used in the
investigation of the assassination, and reached an important thread task brought
to give the orders to raid a number of houses and warehouses belonging to the
elements in the Syrian National Party in the area of Koura in North Lebanon,
yesterday. (Emphasis mine.)
At a press conference held yesterday evening, Qanso said that the Internal
Security Forces carried out a surprise raids on the National elements Koura, led
to "the arrest of seven comrades." He assured that the confiscation of
explosives and explosive devices and timing" are kept since the 1980s after
ceasing the participation in the resistance against Israel ... And we kept them
with us as reserve weapon for any later role in the resistance." Qanso described
the confiscated weapons as "weapons of individual needed for party member due to
the exposed security situation" in Lebanon. And confiscation of weapons and
explosives coincides with the severe intense of political crisis in Lebanon
between the parliamentary majority opposing Damascus and the opposition that
includes Syrian loyalist parties, amongst them, the Syrian Social National
Party.
Qanso condemned the raids and warned the security services of "excessive
reckless," and threatened that "there are limits to the patience of the
nationalists", without giving further details, and enrolled what has happened in
the framework of the "incitement" of the opposition that, since the beginning of
this month, has started an open stay-in strike to overdraw the government. Qanso
denounced the "campaign of rumours trying to give the impression that there is a
link between the raids and security events that took place in Lebanon."
Lebanon witnessed, in the last two years, a series of explosions and
assassinations took six dignitary figures opposes Syria, notably former Prime
Minister Rafik al-Hariri February 14, 2005, the latest Minister Pierre Gemayel
on November 21.
The Lebanese militias handed over their weapons to the state after the end of
the civil war (1975 - 1990) except for "Hezbollah" Shiite who retained under the
title of resisting Israel."December 29, 2006 09:55 AM
Moussa announces new mission to Beirut
By Hani M. Bathish -Special to The Daily Star
Saturday, December 30, 2006
BEIRUT: Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa announced Friday that he will
be returning to Lebanon after the holidays with an initiative in hand to end the
ongoing political deadlock. In his annual end-of-year meeting with the press in
Egypt, Moussa said his plan still enjoys both Lebanese and Arab support. He also
called for strengthening Arab dialogue with Iran, which he indicated he could be
visiting at a later stage.
But despite Moussa's reassuring statements, observers and analysts are
predicting a bleak outlook for the start of the New Year.
Friday's edition of local daily As-Safir quoted Hajj Hussein Khalil, the
political adviser to the leader of Hizbullah, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, as having
accused the governing majority of scuttling Moussa's initiative, adding that
after the holidays the opposition will move to early parliamentary elections as
part of a plan of action that will ensure stability and reconciliation in the
country.
Sources close to the majority indicated to the Central News Agency that the
March 14 Forces are still open to any initiatives and discussions with the
opposition based on suggestions within the framework of Moussa's initiatives.
Speaker Nabih Berri warned Friday against Sunni-Shiite strife, stressing that
the Lebanese are one family and that no enmity exists between them, "only
disagreements as we see today."
Speaking to a delegation of youth and student organizations from the opposition,
Berri said he is in the midst of putting a new initiative forward.
But he added "no sooner did we start moving on this [initiative] than statements
came out to inflame and create a hostile environment that could have dangerous
repercussions," referring to MP Walid Jumblatt's controversial statements to Al-Arabiyya
television station.
The speaker said he was surprised that March 14 Forces MPs submitted a petition
regarding the international tribunal to try the killers of former Premier Rafik
Hariri to the general secretariat of Parliament without it reaching the
legislature first.
He said it was announced in the media that the draft would be submitted to
Parliament but it never was, which he said was designed to make it look as if
Shiites were opposed to the tribunal: "This is a very dangerous thing that is
aimed at creating strife among Muslims."
He asked whether the tribunal was put forward to arrive at justice or to defeat
opponents.
French Defense Minister Michele Alliot-Marie is set to arrive in Lebanon on
Saturday and will meet with Premier Fouad Siniora on Sunday. Turkish Premier
Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki plan to
visit Beirut after the holidays to discuss the current crisis.
Hizbullah flays Jumblatt as a fickle friend
By Hani M. Bathish -Special to The Daily Star
Saturday, December 30, 2006
BEIRUT: Hizbullah accused leading March 14 Forces member Walid Jumblatt on
Friday of discarding allies when it suits him and embracing new ones on a whim,
adding that the MP now has a "new master" in the form of the United States.
Loyalty to the Resistance MP Hussein Hajj Hassan was responding to comments made
by the Progressive Socialist Party leader in an interview with Al-Arabiyya
television channel.
Speaking during a religious ceremony in the South, Hassan said that when
Jumblatt needed Iran he would go and see Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and issue
speeches of support.
Addressing his comments to Jumblatt, Hassan said: "Now you no longer need them
[Iranians and Syrians] you are against them and you discard them."
Responding to Jumblatt's accusations that Hizbullah was involved in the string
of assassinations that targeted Lebanon's anti-Syrian politicians and
journalists, Hassan said: "We demand to know the truth behind the assassination
of former Premier Rafik Hariri and this truth will be determined by the
investigation commission and the court, not by Jumblatt."
He said that while the Druze leader accused Hizbullah of being behind the
assassinations, in past statements both Jumblatt and the parliamentary majority
leader, MP Saad Hariri, exonerated Hizbullah, "so which statements are we to
believe?"
In his interview with Al-Arabiyya, Jumblatt accused Hizbullah and its leader,
Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, of being behind "some, if not all" of the
assassinations in Lebanon, accusing them of obtaining weapons from Israel in
exchange for the release of Western hostages in what was known as the
"Iran-Contra" affair.
Referring to earlier statements made by Jumblatt that he would rather be a trash
collector in New York than a political leader in Lebanon, Hassan said that "if
Jumblatt's imagination convinces him he would rather be a 'trash collector' in
New York, he is free to do so, but to link [Hizbullah] with Israel ... I do not
know how he can do that.
"The Israelis who have admitted to their defeat have not made such statements.
It is the strangest thing to say Israel arms us so we can fight them and
humiliate their army," Hassan added.
In his interview, Jumblatt said that both Hizbullah and Nasrallah are not
Lebanese and receive their orders from Syria and Iran. He said he feared that
those who control Hizbullah's decision-making "are pushing for a civil war in
Lebanon."
Jumblatt's comments came on the heels of an announcement the day before that
Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri would launch a new initiative to end the
political standoff between the two rival camps. Jumblatt, in his most scathing
attack on Hizbullah yet, said the party
hijacked the Shiite sect, leading it astray and far from its Arab and Lebanese
identities, harming the Shiites culturally, politically and economically.
Jumblatt said there is no possibility to work with Hizbullah as it represents
the "culture of death," stressing that there will be no resolving matters with
the Syrian regime either. The majority has the right to seek help from any
country, he added, except Israel, in facing the Syrian regime. In
response, Hassan said: "We are students of the culture of martyrdom; we differ
from you [Jumblatt] in culture, for we have not called for the invasion of
another Arab country even if we disagree with them," referring to Jumblatt's
call on Turkey to "sweep Syria away." As a result of Jumblatt's allegations that
footage of Telecommunications Minister Marwan Hamadeh's booby-trapped car has
disappeared from the archives of the Military tribunal, to later surface in the
office of former Surete Generale Chief Major General Jamil Sayyed, the latter's
lawyer filed a complaint with Beirut's Court of Cassation demanding an
investigation into Jumblatt's claims.
Will fear get in the way of New Year's cheer?
By Maria Abi-Habib -Special to The Daily Star
Saturday, December 30, 2006
BEIRUT: Due to Lebanon's volatile situation, many are staying home for New
Year's Eve and some wonder how the "I Love Life" celebration in Downtown Beirut
will ensure security considering the large crowds the event will draw.
Organizers say they expect at least 15,000 people. "We're coordinating with the
police and the army for the area surrounding the Beirut International Exhibition
and Leisure center," event coordinator Hala Deeb said. "For indoors, there will
be 250 security guards from a private security company."
For now there is no confirmation from the police where the parking spaces for
attendees will be located or how many will be available. As soon as the
information becomes available, it will be broadcast on radio stations starting
Saturday.
In case of medical emergencies, organizers have coordinated with the Lebanese
Red Cross and Civil Defense to ensure that proper medical resources and
personnel will be on hand. When asked if organizers were worried that the sit-in
was so close, Deeb responded: "I don't think there will be a clash between
people attending the party and the protesters as the I Love Life party does not
have a political affiliation. Also, we're doing everything - in terms of
security - to be on the safe side." The I Love Life campaign and New Year's
party was conceived on Dec. 18 by the Lebanese Chamber of Commerce, economic
institutions and BADER, an NGO founded by Lebanese businessmen to supports
small- and medium-sized businesses.
The price tag for the party has not been calculated yet. Tickets are selling for
LL20,000 and VIP tickets are available for $100 at Virgin Megastores and Bou
Khalil Supermarkets. "The I Love Life Campaign is a message of hope for social
aspects and to show support for our economic sector," Deeb says. "This is to
show that, despite everything that's happened, Lebanese will survive." There is
no central I Love Life number to call for questions, but Deeb says that BIEL can
be called for inquiries.As for the future, she said, "there will be further
events."
Halutz looks set to survive probe into conduct of war
Compiled by Daily Star staff
Saturday, December 30, 2006
Israeli Chief of Staff Dan Halutz is expected to remain in his position
following an inquiry conducted by the Israeli military on the summer war with
Lebanon, according to a report in the Israeli daily Haaretz. Former Chief of
Staff Dan Shomron conducted the inquiry, which focused on the General Staff's
performance during the war. In August, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert
rejected the idea of an independent inquiry into the conflict, appointing
instead a state-commissioned team to conduct the investigation, as he did not
want the army exposed to a heavy, drawn-out inquiry. Shomron, a reserve general,
was handed the inquiry in mid-October by Halutz. The 34-day war between Israel
and Lebanon provoked an uproar within the Israeli administration over the manner
in which the war was conducted, specifically looking at the role Halutz played.
The conduct of the war saw many Israelis calling for the resignation of the
prime minister and Defense Minister Amir Peretz, as well as Halutz.
The report focuses on the delay in calling up reservists, and Halutz' failure to
pressure politicians into authorizing the call-up, the belated declaration of a
state of war five days after Hizbullah capture two Israeli Army soldiers, the
deficient use of troops during the war, and the belated identification of the
short-range Katyusha rocket problem. Haaretz reports that Shomron does not
recommend any personal sanctions against any of the personnel involved, and
overall the conclusions are considered to be "soft."
In Shomron's opinion, he believes that the current team of the General Staff
should not be replaced, even though he has admitted to having reservations about
Halutz' performance. It is believed that Halutz will announce a plan to lead
rehabilitation efforts within the Israeli Army based on the conclusions of
Shomron's reports, further proving the fact that he has no intention of
resigning. In a speech conducted on Thursday, Halutz said that "no inquiry of
this kind has ever been carried out in the Israeli Army, with the intention of
becoming a better army."According to Israeli state radio, Halutz and his staff
will be examining the lessons learned from the Israeli fail-ures during the
summer war as part of the rehabilitation program, with Shomron's conclusions
bringing an end to the internal inquiry into the Israeli military. - Agencies
Druze spiritual leader calls for dialogue
By Maher Zeineddine -Daily Star correspondent
Saturday, December 30, 2006
BEIRUT: Druze spiritual leader Sheikh Naim Hassan said Friday that the situation
in Lebanon "has become extremely dangerous and complicated," calling for an
Islamic-Christian summit "as soon as possible." In a letter delivered from the
Druze community's headquarters in Beirut on the occasion of Eid al-Adha, the
sheikh aql urged politicians to hold an "impartial and honest" dialogue as the
sole means to get out of the current crisis.
"Streets cannot be the solution," he said. "In order to serve the country's
interest, every Lebanese should get rid of fanatic stands which plunge the
country into strife."Highlighting the "dire" need to rescue the country, Hassan
said he supported the establishment of a state that "ensures justice and equity
among the Lebanese of all stripes."Hassan praised the "declaration of
principles" issued by the Council of Maronite Bishops earlier this month,
stressing the importance of putting it into effect "in order to contain dangers
surrounding the country."The bishops' declaration included the implementation of
"a code of honor" that would apply to all parties, the creation of an
international tribunal to try suspects in the assassination of former Prime
Minister Rafik Hariri, a new electoral law, and the formation of a
"reconciliation" government that would hold early presidential elections. Hassan
also hailed the Lebanese Army and all security forces that "are keen on
preserving the security of the country and people." The sheikh also called on
media outlets to respect freedom of speech "in a way that corresponds with the
country's unity and coexistence."Hassan then extended his best wishes to all
Muslims for Eid al-Adha.
Judge turns down second request to free journalists
Daily Star staff
Saturday, December 30, 2006
BEIRUT: For the second time in one week, Investigating Magistrate Elias Eid
refused to release New Television reporter Firas Hatoum and his crew Friday.
Hatoum and cameramen Abdel-Azim Khayyat and Mohammed Barbar have been held in
custody since December 19 for allegedly breaking into the apartment - and
tampering with evidence - of Mohammad Zuhair Siddiq, a key witness in the
assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.
Despite a number of motions taken by various authorities, Hatoum and his
colleagues' release has yet to be secured. Eid had declined demands Tuesday to
release the three detainees, in addition to Nassim Masri, the owner of the
building where Siddiq used to live before Hariri's murder, and the concierge of
the building Khalil Abdullah. Siddiq had filed a complaint Thursday against the
New TV crew. His legal adviser attorney Linda Eid accused the crew of "breaking
into her client's apartment without his permission." "They also attempted to
seize important documents," Eid said. Siddiq's Thursday assertions come in
contradiction to those he had previously made upon Hatoum's incarceration, when
he said he had given Hatoum and his team permission to visit his apartment in
Khaldeh, south of Beirut, and take footage of it. - The Daily Star
Arslan urges pro-Cabinet youth to join opposition
Daily Star staff-Saturday, December 30, 2006
BEIRUT: The head of the Lebanese Democratic Party former MP Talal Arslan called
on the youth of Lebanon who "still" favor Premier Fouad Siniora's Cabinet "not
to miss out on the unique opportunity to bring about a wind of democratic change
to their country."
Arslan also invited pro-government Lebanese youth to join the opposition and "to
take part in the democratic experience being displayed in Downtown Beirut's
opposition sit-in. Arslan, who spoke at a news conference held at his residence
in Khaldeh Friday, addressed the pro-government youth saying the opposition was
not against the establishment of an international court to try those responsible
for the assassination of former Premier Rafik Hariri.
"We are against a political international court, where previous scores are
settled." Arslan also wondered how some of Lebanon's youth still have faith in a
government, "which incarcerates honest journalists whose sole mission is to
unravel the truth on national Lebanese concerns."
He was referring to New Television journalist Firas Hatoum and his crew held in
custody since December 19 for allegedly breaking into the apartment of a key
witness in the Hariri case. He described Hatoum and his colleagues as "political
detainees" that should be freed immediately. - The Daily Star
A year of triumphant highs and devastating lows
2006 produced dramatic changes, crippling losses and unexpected
gains
By Rym Ghazal -Daily Star staff
Saturday, December 30, 2006
2006: the year in review
BEIRUT: The year 2006 turned out to be one of unexpected developments for
Lebanon: a devastating war, international forces from all over the world and the
Lebanese Army taking control of the South and demonstration after demonstration
by rival camps. Almost as a portent of the events to follow, in 2006, hundreds
of Lebanese joined fellow astronomy buffs throughout the region to view a
"partial" solar eclipse, the fourth solar eclipse of the 21st century, that
began in Brazil, from where a dark shadow made its way across the Atlantic to
Africa.
Then, a series of events shook the country, with a month-long war in the summer,
six major political demonstrations - with the sixth continuing into the new year
- and an assassination of yet another Lebanese political figure, capping a year
that had begun with high hopes with dread at the possibility of another civil
war.
This year, Lebanon as a whole fell prey to a siege of a different sort, where
its poultry got locked up in cages as a precaution against the spread of the
deadly bird flu, and its residents felt captive with the air, sea and land
blockades imposed by Israel as part of its assault on Lebanon.
But what distinguished Lebanon regionally and internationally in the year 2006
was best described by the words of Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Butros Sfeir,
who noted on Thursday that no other country has had so many demonstrations in
just one year.
"Protests like these are unfortunately allowed in Lebanon and if we look around
us, we can see none of the countries allow their citizens to do what the
Lebanese are doing these days," said Sfeir.
While the prelate was referring to the current open-ended sit-in in the heart of
Beirut by opposition forces calling for the resignation of Premier Fouad
Siniora's government, the statement nonetheless, applies to a distinctive aspect
of this year.
Although there have been many demonstrations, some economic, some social, there
were six main political ones, five of which conglomerated in Downtown Beirut,
making the formerly bustling commercial area synonymous with political change.
What had been meant to be a peaceful protest by thousands of Muslims in Beirut
against the publication of cartoons depicting the Prophet Mohammad turned into a
vicious riot, which left at least one person dead and 30 wounded. The building
that houses the Danish Consulate was torched, churches were vandalized and a
number of properties and vehicles were damaged on what later came to be known as
"Black Sunday."
The second significant protest reeled in hundreds of thousands of Lebanese who
demonstrated in central Beirut on February 14, marking the passing of one year
since the assassination former Premier Rafik Hariri in 2005, reviving sentiments
of national unity and calling for the resignation of President Emile Lahoud.
Several months later, in August, another group numbering in the hundreds of
thousands showed up for the "victory rally" where Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan
Nasrallah made his first public appearance after the war with Israel.
Two large anti-government rallies were later staged by Hizbullah and its allies,
the second described as "unprecedented" in size.
Since the launch of anti-government demonstrations by the opposition forces on
December 1, there have been smaller pro-government protests, where demonstrators
in areas of the North and the Chouf have expressed "unshaken" support for
Siniora and his government.
These were complemented by the smaller nonpolitical protests by doctors,
fishermen, farmers and people of all trades who showed up with their own demands
for their losses during the summer war.
There was also the economic-social demonstration by the General Labor
Confederation, which staged a protest in front of the Grand Serail to demand the
government settle a near $1 billion debt with the National Social Security Fund
or face a nationwide civil-action campaign.
More health-driven demonstrations also took place when hundreds of students
protested in Mansourieh against the erection of a string of power lines in their
area, calling for "an independent international" report on the health risks of
the lines before the government goes ahead with the project - a report that
later gave the project a green light.
Besides the demonstrations, Lebanon had its highs and lows in 2006.
A climber by the name of Maxime Chaya became the first Lebanese to conquer Mount
Everest and raised the country's flag on its summit at an altitude of 8,850
meters.
Then Lebanon hit rock bottom as it endured 34-days of war with Israel that
claimed some 1,200 lives. The war saw an unprecedented level of destruction of
Southern villages and the southern suburbs of Beirut, the blockade of the
country and the closure of its only international airport, plunging an already
heavily indebted Lebanon into further economic troubles.
New pages of tragedy entered Lebanese history such as that of Qana, where yet
another massacre took place, reminiscent of an attack by the Israeli Army on a
UN base back in 1996 that killed 105 civilians taking refuge under the
blue-and-white UN flag during Operation Grapes of Wrath.
The 2006 attack by Israeli warplanes killed 29 people, including 15 children, on
July 30. Initial reports had put the death toll near 60, the number of people
who had taken shelter in the targeted building's basement.
One of the most significant historical changes to come out of the war was that
for the first time in four decades, the Lebanese Army has taken command of the
war-ravaged South, moving across the Litani River in line with the UN-brokered
truce that ended the conflict.
The other men and women in uniform, the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon
(UNIFIL), took on a more central role and slowly became a symbol of "security"
to residents in the South.
According to an official UNIFIL statement, the year ended with more than 11,000
peacekeepers in its area of operations.
The latest addition to UNIFIL's troop numbers came with the recent arrival of
peacekeepers from Qatar. It is the first time Qatar has contributed troops to a
UN peacekeeping operation. UNIFIL's current total of 11,083 peacekeepers from 26
countries is comprised of up of 9,167 ground troops and 1,777 naval personnel.
The long lost fate of French researcher Michel Seurat was finally put to rest as
his remains were positively identified in an area near the airport.
The remains of 28 skeletons unearthed last December from what were initially
called "the mass graves of Anjar" and which shook Lebanon politi-cally and
socially, turned out to be a "natural cemetery" with remains dating back to the
17th century. Ten families in Lebanon also received unexpected yet dreaded phone
calls from the army this year, informing them that the "bodies" of their
relatives - missing for over 15 years - had been identified among the remains of
20 people found in a mass grave at the Defense Ministry in Yarze last November.
Lebanon also bid farewell to one of the "oldest faces" in Lebanese politics,
Lebanese Forces MP Edmond Naim, and also to one of the youngest faces in
politics, Industry Minister Pierre Gemayel.
Despite the bleakness of 2006, the Lebanese remain determined to usher in the
New Year with celebrations - albeit divided ones. The opposition forces in
Downtown Beirut will hold their own party in the tent city. Meanwhile their
compatriots will be celebrating their "I Love Life" campaign at the Beirut
International Exhibition and Leisure center. Perhaps at the end of 2007, the two
camps will join in one joyous party - celebrating Lebanon's independence and
true sovereignty.
Salameh: 2006 results positive despite tensions
Daily Star staff
Saturday, December 30, 2006
BEIRUT: Central Bank Governor Riad Salameh predicted on Friday that Lebanon's
balance-of-payments surplus would exceed $2.5 billion at year end. Speaking to
the Voice of Lebanon Radio, Salameh said the balance-of-payments surplus up to
November of this year exceeded $2.9 billion.
"The results this year were relatively positive despite the political situation
in the country," he added. Salameh said the deposits of the banking sector grew
by 7 percent to reach $63 billion. "There has been a capital inflow into the
country although some capital fled Lebanon in certain stages." Salameh added
that the Central Bank has sufficient gross foreign currency and gold reserves to
weather any unforeseen problem. According to the Central Bank, the gross
foreign-currency reserves jumped to $13 billion this year from $12.5 billion in
2005. Salameh said the Central Bank will maintain its monetary policy since it
proved effective. He also stressed the importance of the Paris III donor
conference as it would inject badly needed cash into the country. But he warned
against further political division as it may hurt the economy, adding: "Any
political consensus will surely reflect positively on the economy." Salameh also
expected interest rates worldwide to fall in 2007 and this will help the
Lebanese economy. - The Daily Star
Ouzai residents clash with ISF over illegal construction
By Nada Bakri -Daily Star staff
Saturday, December 30, 2006
BEIRUT: Residents in the southern Beirut neighborhood of Ouzai attacked Internal
Security Forces members checking illegal construction work on Thursday, wounding
one ISF member, according to eyewitnesses Friday. "ISF members were inspecting
the legality of a construction site belonging to Hussein Assaf, shortly after a
group of people started throwing stones at them, fired shots in the air and
broke the windshields and windows of the cars," the witness who wished to remain
anonymous told The Daily Star. The eyewitness, who owns a store next to the
illegal construction site, said the ISF members immediately left the area
without retaliating. Security sources said the ISF arrested Hussein Assaf, 25,
who was one of the residents firing in the air, and confiscated his
weapon, a Kalashnikov. This is the second incident in which residents
along the old airport road clash with the ISF. On October 6, 2006, clashes broke
out between the ISF and residents of Ramel al-Ali over illegal construction
following the July-August war, and resulted in the instant death of Hassan
Soueid, 17, and Mohammad Hussein Naji, 14, who died two days later. It remains
unclear who fired the shots.
Global 'biking for peace' cyclists make pit-stop in
'friendly' Lebanon
Pablo garcia attempts to 'Pedal' a message of peace and tolerance
By Nour Samaha -Daily Star staff
Saturday, December 30, 2006
BEIRUT: Halfway through their global "biking for peace" initiative, Pablo Garcia
and Clara Vicari have chosen Lebanon as their current pit-stop before continuing
on their arduous journey around the world. In an exclusive interview with The
Daily Star, the duo explained the purpose for their expedition and the message
they are trying to spread throughout their adventure. "The crux of the trip is
to transmit a message of tolerance and respect," said Garcia. "We need to
respect each other, different cultures, and to live together in peace."
"Coming to Lebanon is important, especially with what is going on at the moment,
and it would be a shame not to include it on our tour," he added.
Garcia, a native of Argentina, originally began by cycling from that country to
northern Brazil - a total of 10,000 kilometers - in 1999. He then came up with
the idea of dedicating the next few years of his life to traveling the world by
bicycle to promote the message of peaceful coexistence and tolerance of others,
so in September 2001 he embarked on his trip.
Starting solo in Cape Town, South Africa, Garcia traveled up the continent
through Mozambique, Ethiopia, Swaziland, and Kenya, eventually reaching Cairo in
2004. He then spent the rest of the year traveling around Scandinavia, Russia,
and Europe, using Spain as a starting point for the Mediterranean leg of his
tour in 2005. "We were worried about coming to Lebanon initially," said Garcia,
"and so were our friends and family who kept on warning us about the place. But
after spending some time in Syria, the people there told us not to worry, and
that it would be alright to come here, so we did, and we don't regret it at all
- the people here are so friendly." Vicari was an Italian graduate student in
archaeology in Naples, Italy, when she met Garcia. The two married, and,
carrying 110 kilograms worth of equipment between them, including a tent,
sleeping bags, a small kitchen, and a laptop, the pair proceeded to continue
with the rest of the journey, cycling through the Balkans, Turkey, and Syria,
before eventually landing in Lebanon.
"I haven't traveled around as much as Pablo, but I have to say from what I've
seen Lebanon is definitely my favorite place because it is so similar to Italy -
the people are so warm and friendly, and so are the cultures," Vicari said. "As
soon as we crossed the border from Syria there were families in the Lebanese
villages who offered to help us and invited us into their homes." However, the
journey hasn't been smooth sailing the whole time. According to Garcia, he has
been attacked at knife-point on two occasions, once in Brazil, and once in
Kenya, and each pit-stop has the potential of being their last, as the
continuation of the journey depends entirely on whether or not they can acquire
sponsorships. "Every place we go to is risky because there is no guarantee we
can get someone to sponsor us to continue the trip," explained Garcia, with
Lebanon being no exception. It took them 10 days to find two sponsors in
Lebanon; the Movenpick Hotel, and Argentinian company ARCOR, in order to move
onto the next leg of their tour; Syria and Jordan.
Garcia has spent five-and-a-half years on the road, traveling a total of 258,000
kilometers. He considers that they are only halfway through the trip,
predicting they need another five years to complete the Middle East, Asia, South
East Asia, and Australia. By the end of their trip, they would have traveled
across five continents and visited approximately 100 countries.
Michigan's Hezbollah Connection Uncovered
By: Jim Kouri - The Sierra Times
December 29/12/06
http://www.sierratimes.com/06/12/28/64_12_117_8_66334.htm
Rep. John Dingell, a Michigan Democrat, proclaimed himself neutral -- "I
don't take sides for or against Hezbollah; I don't take sides for or against
Israel," he said -- there appears to be problems of Hezbollah activities within
his and fellow traveler Rep. John Conyer's own backyard.
A Dearborn Heights MI, man pleaded guilty on recently to charges of conspiracy
to violate the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) and
using illegally obtained funds to help finance the terrorist group Hezbollah.
Youssef Aoun Bakri, 36, pleaded guilty in federal court as he stood before US
District Judge Gerald E. Rosen. The original indictment charged Bakri and other
defendants with operating a criminal enterprise to traffic in contraband
cigarettes and counterfeit goods, producing counterfeit cigarette tax stamps,
and laundering money.
Most troubling was the fact that part of the profits made from the illegal
enterprise were given to Hezbollah, a designated foreign terrorist organization
(DFTO), according to the indictment.
Bakri faces maximum penalties of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Two
other defendants, Imad Majed Hamadeh, 51, of Dearborn Heights and Theodore
Schenk, 73, of Miami Beach, Fla., have already entered guilty pleas to basically
the same indictment.
"Fighting terrorism and keeping our citizens safe from its reach, is the
Department of Justice's number-one priority. Raising money for designated
terrorist organizations, like Hezbollah, is a serious crime which will be
vigorously pursued in the Eastern District of Michigan,” US Attorney Stephen
Murphy said.
"Together, we will use all of the legal tools available to us to disrupt
criminal activity that funds terrorist organizations," he said.
According to Brian M. Moskowitz, special agent in charge of the Immigration &
Customs Enforcement's Office of Investigations in Detroit, "ICE will continue to
work with other law enforcement agencies to dismantle criminal organizations.
Racketeering is a serious crime, and ICE will continue to investigate those who
exploit our borders to facilitate their criminal enterprise."
The indictment charges that between 1996 and 2004, a group of individuals worked
together in a criminal enterprise to traffic in contraband cigarettes,
counterfeit Zigzag rolling papers (used for rolling marijuana cigarettes), and
counterfeit Viagra; to produce counterfeit cigarette tax stamps; to transport
stolen property; and to launder money.
The enterprise was international in scope and operated from Lebanon, Canada,
China, Brazil, Paraguay and the United States.
Also named in the indictment and awaiting a January 7, 2007 trial dates are:
Karim Hassan Nasser, 37, of Windsor, Ontario; Fadi Mohamad-Musbah Hammoud, 33,
of Dearborn, Mich.; Majid Mohamad Hammoud, 39, of Dearborn Heights; Jihad
Hammoud, 47, of Dearborn; Ali Najib Berjaoui, 39, of Dearborn; Mohammed Fawzi
Zeidan, 41, of Canton, Mich.; and Adel Isak, 37, of Sterling Heights, Mich.
Others charged in the indictment, who are currently wanted as fugitives and
believed to have left the United States are: Imad Mohamad-Musbah Hammoud, 37 of
Lebanon, formerly of Dearborn; Hassan Ali Al-Mosawi, 49, of Lebanon; Hassan
Hassan Nasser, 36, of Windsor, Ontario; Ali Ahmad Hammoud, 64, of Lebanon; Karim
Hassan Abbas, 37, formerly of Dearborn; Hassan Mohamad Srour, 30, of Montreal,
Quebec; Naji Hassan Alawie, 44, of Windsor, Ontario; and Abdel-Hamid Sinno, 52,
of Montreal, Quebec.
US law enforcement is coordinating their efforts with the Canadian intelligence
and security services and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police to capture the
fugitives who escaped into Canada.
The indictment alleges that Imad Hammoud, along with his partner, Hassan Makki,
ran a multimillion dollar a year contraband cigarette-trafficking organization
headquartered in the Dearborn, Mich., area between 1996 and 2002.
Makki pleaded guilty in 2003 in federal district court in Detroit to
racketeering and providing material support to Hezbollah. Some of the cigarettes
were supplied to the organization by Mohamad Hammoud, who was convicted in 2002
in federal district court in Charlotte, NC, of, among other crimes, racketeering
and providing material support to Hezbollah.
Makki and Mohamad Hammoud, who were not charged in the indictment, were
identified as un-indicted coconspirators. They both are currently serving prison
sentences in related cases for their activities in this matter.
The indictment charges that the group would obtain low-taxed or untaxed
cigarettes in North Carolina and the Cattaraugus Indian Reservation in New York
and bring them into Michigan and the State of New York for the purpose of
evading tens of millions in state cigarette taxes. The enterprise obtained large
profits by reselling the cigarettes at market prices in Michigan and New York.
The enterprise sometimes used counterfeit tax stamps to make it appear as though
state taxes had been paid.
The indictment additionally charges that portions of the profits made from the
illegal enterprise were forwarded to Hezbollah. Some members of the enterprise
charged a "Resistance Tax," a set amount over black-market price per carton of
contraband cigarettes which their customers were told would be going to
Hezbollah. Some members of the enterprise also solicited money from cigarette
customers for the "orphans of martyrs" program run by Hezbollah in Southern
Lebanon to support the families of persons killed in Hezbollah suicide attacks
and other terrorist operations.
The US Secretary of State has designated Hezbollah a foreign terrorist
organization. An entity may be designated as a foreign terrorist organization if
the Secretary of State finds that: (1) the organization is a foreign
organization; (2) the organization engages in terrorist activity; and (3) the
terrorist activity of the organization threatens the security of US nationals or
the national security of the United States.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Intelligence Division of the New
York City Police Department maintain that Hezbollah terrorist cells are deeply
entrenched in the United States. One of Hezbollah's largest headquarters is
located in Toronto, Canada, but they claim they are members of the
political-wing of Hezbollah and not its military-wing.
**Jim Kouri, CPP is currently fifth vice-president of the National Association of
Chiefs of Police and he's a staff writer for the New Media Alliance (thenma.org).
He's former chief at a New York City housing project in Washington Heights
nicknamed "Crack City" by reporters covering the drug war in the 1980s. In
addition, he served as director of public safety at a New Jersey university and
director of security for several major organizations. He's also served on the
National Drug Task Force and trained police and security officers throughout the
country.
***The Sierra Times maintains its operation only by our sponsors and our readers.
As always, any contribution is desperately needed and always accepted. Thank
you.(Donation Page Now Active)
Lebanese need to understand that democracy is not a free
ride
Saturday, December 30, 2006
Editorial-Daily Star
If the events of 2005 taught the Lebanese a welcome lesson about the potential
of "people power" to effect sweeping change, those of 2006 have delivered a
sobering follow-up about the limitations imposed on popular movements by the
absence of other essential items in a country's political repertoire. Mass
protests can bring down a government, but as the hapless March 14 Forces learned
this year, spontaneous outrage is no substitute for the effective leadership and
coherent policy-making required of those who would govern. Lebanon's opposition
has attempted to repeat the trick of mobilizing protesters to enforce demands
for change, but any success it achieves will be fleeting if it similarly fails
to produce concrete suggestions on how the Lebanese state can become something
other than a burden on its citizens.
Both sides give the impression that their struggle is one for the very existence
of a sovereign and stable Lebanon, and both are right. They are both very wrong,
though, to operate on the assumption that they are destined to be rivals or even
enemies. Together they have introduced public opinion as a meaningful commodity
in Lebanese politics, a unique development in an Arab world whose warped models
of government have consistently; prevented the holding of elections from being
translated into the responsive wielding of power. They also have failed
together, though, in that neither has moved to build the institutions - and
develop the habits - whose purpose in a democracy is to be catalysts for the
transformation of popular sentiment into public policy. So long as the Lebanese
state remains inept at delivering services and the Lebanese citizen lacks viable
channels through which to communicate his or her political priorities, "people
power" will remain a crude instrument with strong undertones of intimidation
that have no place in a society that strives for democratization.
Individual Lebanese can help correct this problem by demanding a higher price
for their favor. Appeals to sectarian and/or tribal affiliations are features of
an unhappy past that no one wants to repeat. They will continue to serve as
political currency, however, unless and until more Lebanese understand that
democracy does not just bestow rights: it also imposes responsibilities. Chief
among these is a duty to make well-informed choices based on logic and decency.
In short, the Lebanese need to prod their politicians to end their driveling
slogans and start competing intelligently for popular support. Only then will
there be an opportunity for the emergence of a government that exists to serve
all of its people. Until this next step is taken, "freedom of expression" will
continue to mean little more than the right to regurgitate and a license to
libel.
Iran's influence grows, thanks to America
By As'ad Abdul Rahman, Special to Gulf News
At the time when the US is wading in the heavy mud of the Iraqi quagmire, Iran
is stealthily assuming the role of a major player in the region. That is why the
Iraq Study Group recommended that the US should start negotiations with Tehran
to bring about regional stability.
Now it is well-known that ever since the American invasion of Iraq and the many
mistakes committed by the US, Iranian influence in the Middle East has been
growing and surpassing that of the US. This fact was emphasised by the UK's
Royal Institute of International Affairs. For in its "war on terror", the US has
strengthened the Iranian role by toppling two of its enemies (the Taliban in
Afghanis-tan and Saddam Hussain in Iraq) without laying out proper political
structures in their places.
Observers agree that 2007 will be a crucial year for the region; but they have
different views about it. While some think military solutions will be resorted
to, others think diplomacy will triumph. Both solutions may seem impossible for
the US because things are very entangled.
The US, with all its power, is unable to venture into a new military campaign.
At the same time, one wonders if and when it will muster enough courage to start
negotiations with Iran, dubbed a major member of the "axis of evil"?
Today, three and a half years after the Iraqi misadventure, the American
military is not the decisive power there. In southern Iraq, it is practically
Iran that is in control, and the various Shiite militias simply receive
directions from Tehran. Also, according to US military intelligence, it is the
Sunni resistance (and not the Americans) who have the upper hand in the vast
Anbar region in western Iraq. Therefore, using force against Iran will not serve
US interests, irrespective of the fact that, if it ever happens, it will please
the Israeli lobby and the fanatical neo-conservatives in the US.
Direct threat to Israel
Moreover, the efforts that Iran is exerting to acquire nuclear technology and
perhaps nuclear weapons that may pose a direct threat to Israel and may bring to
an end the latter's monopoly of this technology in the Middle East, are again
worrying the US. The same can be said about Iran's interference in the region
that has started to show up clearly in its support of Hezbollah, Hamas and the
regional Shiite minorities.
A possible future alliance between Sunnis and Shiites in Iraq is an additional
source of worry to the Americans. However, despite the American desire to topple
the Iranian Shiite Islamic system, waging war against Iran is not in the
interests of the US, which also lacks the necessary power to do so. Such a war
may extend to the whole region and jeopardise the flow of petrol from the Gulf
to the West.
Therefore, the coming stage will most probably witness pacification, as all
parties are in need of peace, particularly the US.
It was in this context that George W. Bush held meetings with some Iraqi
leaders, although some of these leaders are crippled in their ability to decide
about Iraq. Perhaps the most important meeting was that with Abdulaziz Al Hakim,
leader of the largest Shiite bloc, who has no official post in Iraq.
His visit to Washington aroused some speculation that he is considered Iran's
"number one man" in Iraq. Al Hakim's militia, known as Badr Brigades, has been
involved in attacks against Sunnis.
Al Hakim's Washington visit emphasises the fact that the US, bashfully perhaps,
is knocking at Iran's door, with the purpose of having a dialogue. The US,
therefore, seems to have discerned that its military occupation of Iraq did not
grant it a new regional influence as much as it did Iran. The Iranian influence
has indeed exceeded the Iraqi borders towards countries of the Arabian Gulf,
through their Shiite minorities, as well as towards Lebanon and Palestine
through Hezbollah and Hamas. This is in addition to Iran's alliance with Syria.
Hezbollah's strong resistance last July against Israeli aggression and the
failure to disarm this party has caused great confusion in the US. In contrast
to the regional Iranian project of reviving the "Iranian empire", the cherished
American goal of creating a "new" or "Greater" Middle East seems doomed to
failure.
Finally, one should not forget the how unpopular America has become in the Arab
world at a time when Iran is enjoying great popular support in both the Arab and
Islamic worlds.
The choices remain open for the US, whether diplomatic or military. Some
observers think the US prefers diplomacy now, because without the participation
of Iran and Syria, there won't be any solution in Iraq.
The question that keeps popping up is whether it is really so difficult for Bush
to perceive (and act on) the necessity of adopting and putting into action a new
strategy in the Middle East.
***Professor As'ad Abdul Rahman is the Chairman of the Palestinian Encyclopedia.
Yearender: Xinhua top 10 world news events in 2006
www.chinaview.cn 2006-12-29 23:31:55
BEIJING, Dec. 29 (Xinhua) -- The following are the top 10 world news events in
the year 2006 as selected by Xinhua.
1. Palestine-Israel conflicts escalate
In January, the leader of Israel's Kadima party, Ehud Olmert, became prime
minister when Ariel Sharon was in a coma. The Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas)
took control of the new government after it defeated the long-dominant Fatah
movement in the legislative elections.
As neither government recognized the other, holding hostile attitudes against
each other, conflict between Israel and Palestine escalated this year. Israel
launched two major military attacks on Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip in June
and November, inflicting more than 1,000 casualties on the Palestinian side.
The Hamas-led cabinet faced a grave fiscal crisis after key donors cut off all
direct aid. After several efforts by Palestinian parties to form a coalition
government failed, the political situation within the Palestinians also
worsened.
2. Egyptian ferry tragedy takes more than 1,000 lives
The Egyptian ferry "Al Salam 98" sank in the Red Sea on the night of Feb. 2.
More than 1,000 passengers onboard were listed as dead or missing, about 380
others were injured. The ferry was sailing between Duba in Saudi Arabia and
Safaga in Egypt.
3. Security worsens in Iraq
The security situation in Iraq had became more worrying since February with more
attacks by insurgents on the U.S. and British troops in the country and
increasing sectarian conflicts in which thousands of Iraqis were killed and
420,000 were forced to flee their homes.
Since the U.S.-led invasion in 2003, about 600,000 Iraqi civilians and more than
2,900 U.S. soldiers have been killed. United Nations General Secretary Kofi
Annan said that Iraq has been plunged into a civil war.
Badly affected by the Iraq war, Republicans lost control of both U.S. Houses of
Congress. Defense Minister Donald Rumsfeld resigned.
4. Lebanon-Israel conflict takes huge toll.
Israel launched a military offensive in south Lebanon on July 12 after Lebanese
Hezbollah guerrillas kidnapped two Israeli soldiers and killed eight others
during cross-border attacks.
The 34-day-long conflict between Israel and Hezbollah ended on Aug. 14 after
Israel agreed to a UN-brokered truce without retrieving the two captive soldiers
or disarming the Lebanese Shiite group Hezbollah.
The conflict killed about 2,000 people and nearly one million Lebanese became
refugees. The economic loss suffered by Lebanon amounted to more than three
billion U.S. dollars.
5. World oil prices surge and plunge
On July 14, world oil prices hit a record 78.4 dollars amid concerns over the
situation in the Middle East. In the following weeks, as market worries over oil
supplies eased and global crude oil reserves increased, oil prices dropped
sharply to below 60 dollars per barrel.
In October, the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) decided to
boost prices by cutting crude oil production by one million barrels per day.
Currently oil prices fluctuate around60 dollars per barrel.
6. Pluto no longer seen as a planet in the solar system
The controversial Pluto was kicked out of the solar system's planet group by the
International Astronomical Union when it met in Prague on August 24. Pluto was
redefined a "dwarf planet".
The decision cut the number of classical planets in the solar system from nine
to eight. They are: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and
Neptune.
7. Japan's new PM visits China
Japan's new Prime Minister Shinzo Abe visited China in October, soon after he
took office. The first visit to China by a Japanese prime minister in five years
was described as a "turning point" in Sino-Japanese relations which had soured
after Koizumi repeatedly visited the controversial Yasukuni Shrine.
8. Non-proliferation efforts suffer setbacks
On October 9, The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) announced it had
conducted an underground nuclear test, shocking the international community. On
October 14, The United Nations Security Council unanimously adopted a resolution
to impose sanctions on the DPRK. The UN demanded it eliminate nuclear weapons
and to return to the six-party talks immediately and unconditionally.
Iran's nuclear ambition continued to trouble the international community. The UN
Security Council adopted a resolution on Dec. 23that demanded Iran suspend all
enrichment-related and reprocessing activities and imposed a nuclear-related
trade ban on Iran. However, Iran rejected the resolution.
9. New UN secretary-general elected
South Korean Foreign Minister Ban Ki-moon was elected the next UN
secretary-general at a General Assembly session on Oct. 13.Ban Ki-moon, who
succeeds Kofi Annan, will start his five-year term on Jan. 1, 2007.
Ban Ki-moon swore the oath of office at a ceremony on Dec. 14.
As the eighth UN secretary-general, Ban Ki-moon is the second Asian to lead the
organization after U Thant of Myanmar served the world body four decades ago.
10. Sino-Africa cooperation forum held in Beijing
China-Africa Cooperation Forum was held in Beijing from Nov. 4-5. Leaders of
China and 48 African countries, as well as some representatives of regional and
international organizations attended the forum.
During the forum, Chinese and African leaders discussed bilateral relations,
cooperation and development. The talks achieved substantial results.
The forum adopted a declaration and an action plan, proclaiming a "new type of
strategic partnership" between China and Africa that would feature "political
equality and mutual trust, economic win-win cooperation and cultural exchanges."
Lebanon's Wartime Memory Lapse
By Lynn Maalouf
Sunday, December 31, 2006; Page B02
BEIRUT
On a bridge overlooking downtown, a large poster of Maarouf Saad flutters in the
winter night's breeze. Beneath the bridge, army tanks line a square, as they do
other streets and crossroads around the capital. Except for the flamboyantly
restored Ottoman-era buildings in the background, the atmosphere is disturbingly
reminiscent of the time 30 years ago when Saad was killed -- and Lebanon became
engulfed in a 15-year civil war.
Today, as the Lebanese people once again find themselves divided along political
and sectarian lines, the question reverberates around the country: Are we about
to be drawn into another civil war?
In February 1975, Saad, a former member of parliament and an advocate of Arab
nationalism, was leading a fishermen's protest in the southern city of Sidon
when he was fatally shot -- many believe by the army. His killing exposed the
depth of the divide running across Lebanese society, separating a leftist, Arab
nationalist, pro-Palestinian, largely Muslim community and the pro-Western
Christian Maronites who were effectively running the state.
The war that erupted barely two months after Saad's death killed 100,000 people
-- 90 percent of them civilians -- and left another 100,000 disabled. About
one-fifth of the prewar population was displaced.
Yet the lessons from that war were never learned. In 1989, an inter-Lebanese
treaty signed in the Saudi summer resort of Taef ended the fighting. There was
no victor, no vanquished. No reconciliation process was initiated. An amnesty
law passed by the very people who had been fighting one another only weeks
earlier exonerated them of war crimes.
As a result, the same warlords still color today's politics, including Druze
leader Walid Jumblatt, Speaker of Parliament Nabih Berri, the Christian leader
Samir Geagea and Hezbollah leader Hasan Nasrallah. Meanwhile, the amnesty
stifled the rights of victims -- there was no compensation for damages, no truth
commissions, no interest in the fate of the roughly 17,000 who had disappeared.
Lebanon slipped into a state of amnesia. Today, having turned the page on its
civil war without achieving closure, it is a country in danger of repeating the
past.
On a sunny day last month, a handful of workers were painting the wooden
shutters of a two-story white stone house in Beirut's southern suburbs. It is
the home of Lokman and Monika Slim and their organization, Umam Documentation
and Research, which aims to deal with the civil war's aftermath and with war
memories.
Not far away, just off Resistance and Liberation Street, a tall concrete
building was half-demolished by Israeli jets last summer. Shrapnel destroyed not
only parts of the Slims' house, but also wiped out some of the couple's most
valued items: war archives that they had collected over the past five years,
including leaflets, books, magazines, newspapers, photographs and audio-visual
materials.
"It's as if we will never have enough time to build archives in this country,"
says Monika, a tall, blond German and a former reporter who helped her husband
found Umam in 2004.
In the absence of documented history, Lebanese cling to conflicting narratives
of the war and to their selective memories, passing them on to the younger
generation. Jad Chaaya, a weary-looking 23-year-old, is a member of the Lebanese
Forces, a Christian party allied with the government. After the assassination of
Prime Minister Rafik Hariri on Feb. 14, 2005, Chaaya spent 90 days in a tent in
downtown Beirut with other protesters, demanding an investigation into Hariri's
killing and the withdrawal of Syrian troops from Lebanon.
It was part of the Intifada of Independence, in which groups that had fought one
another in the civil war camped side by side, voicing the same demands. Many
hailed it as the beginning of national reconciliation.
But Chaaya has a different reading of that time. "All that Lebanese Forces
people who were in that tent wanted was the release of Samir Geagea," he says.
Geagea, the head of the Lebanese Forces, was imprisoned for 11 years on
assassination charges before being released in July 2005, following the Syrian
withdrawal. "In the end, each sect is just interested in its own cause," Chaaya
says.
He is too young to remember the 1975 war. What he knows is that his family was
forced to flee their house overnight in 1976 after Palestinian gunmen attacked
their town of Damour. He says he inherited his sense of "Christian insecurity"
from his father, and that is why he thinks Geagea is the only one who can
protect his community today.
"I don't really know much about the war," Chaaya says. "They haven't been able
to put a history book together. So who am I to know?"
In his home one street off the former Green Line, which split the capital into
East and West Beirut during the civil war, Antoine Messarra remembers being part
of a government-appointed committee in charge of setting up a new history
program. "These history books, had they really been created, they would have
created a unifying memory for all Lebanese," says the law and history professor,
not without some bitterness.
In 2000, the Council of Ministers approved the history program, but the minister
of education at the time stopped it because it did not suit the Syrian occupying
authorities, Messarra says. Today, most history books stop at 1943 and cover
only one region of the country.
"The people of my generation have a vivid memory of the war," Messarra says.
"They have experienced it in their flesh. The generation that was born out of
the conflict has no such memory." In the street outside sits a row of army tanks
that have marked nighttime checkpoints for the past several weeks. In early
December, street brawls erupted in various residential neighborhoods between
pro- and anti-government supporters, resulting in the death of a young man.
"We never described to [the young generation] what barricades are," Messarra
says, "the suffering that came from these barricades. A lot of people died at
barricades. We should have transmitted that trauma to them."
Back in Ghobeiry, Lokman Slim scrolls through a poem in which a sheik from the
Shiite group Amal curses Hezbollah during a notorious 1989 battle when the two
groups fought each other. Today, Amal and Hezbollah stand together in opposition
to the government.
"Did we ever get over the civil war?" Slim asks. He turns off his computer and
steps into the garden, facing a tree known as fitna -- coincidentally, the
Arabic word for strife. In the street, an elderly man pushes a vegetable cart
alongside a wall covered with the pictures of young people killed during last
summer's war.
"The Lebanese," Slim says, "never made any effort to build peace."
lynnm@cyberia.net.lb
Lynn Maalouf is a special correspondent for The Washington Post in Beirut.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/12/29/AR2006122901222.html