LCCC NEWS
BULLETIN
FEBRUARY 18/2006
Below News from
miscellaneous sources for 18/2/06
Lebanon holds a
special place in the Pope’s heart, says Siniora -AsiaNews 18.2.06
In Blood and Soul We Pay for our Lebanon.By:Randa
Takieddine -Al-Hayat -18.2.06
Iran
and Lebanon say Israel's nuclear arsenal threat for Mideast.
IRNA 18.2.06
Mottaki: Tehran for all-out ties with Lebanon Tehran, IRNA
18.2.06
Lebanese Push for
New President-By Challiss McDonough
VOA 18.2.06
Below News from
the Daily Star for 18/2/06
Adwan: All obstacles to holding by-elections have been removed
The challenge of toppling Lahoud can make or break the March 14 Forces
U.S.: Lebanese should have the right to free, fair presidential election
Jumblatt: Lahoud is defender of Syrian interests
March 14 priorities risk escalating tensions
U.S. lawmaker: Syria 'needs more than just strong words'
Battle for Lebanon's presidency begins with Sfeir's tacit blessing
Amnesty International:Lebanese security forces
are not abiding by laws
Clashes nearly erupt at Ain al-Hilweh
Mottaki: Jumblatt is an old friend of Iran
Beirut office rents among highest
Russia to sell arms to Palestinians only if Israel agrees
Cyprus threatens veto on Turkey EU membership
In Blood and Soul We Pay for our Lebanon
Randa Takieddine Al-Hayat - 17/02/06//
The February 14th demonstration bore witness to the fact that the free and the
independence-and-freedom loving lot are indeed far from being "a passing
minority", as Socialist leader Walid Jumblatt asserted.
There is no denying that Lebanon has been crying rivers of tears and blood with
every martyr that fell last year, beginning with the barbarous murder of martyr
Premier Rafik Hariri, killed for his desire to rid the country of the Syrian
forces.
Courageous martyrdom began with former Premier Hariri, former MP Bassel Fleihan
and their fellow companions, followed by the heroic militants for freedom and
free speech whose courage was paid in blood, George Hawi, our colleages Samir
Kassir and Gebran Tueini, not forgetting the survivors Marwan Hamadeh, Elias al
Murr and fellow journalist May Chidiac.
Tuesday proved however, that the free abound in Lebanon, and the rally revived
hope in our hearts after all the attempts to disrupt the march of independence,
namely through the sickening imported Ashrafieh incidents a week ago. The heart
of genuine and true Lebanon beat once more through the freedom rally. How proud
Kamal Jumblatt, Rafik Hariri, Gebran Tueini, Samir Kassir and George Hawi would
have been of their sons and daughters who salvaged the exploit of their
martyrdom. The progeny recalled its martyred ancestry on Tuesday, when Walid
Jumblatt said, "He who has a progenity will for ever live." And again on
Tuesday, the Lebanese proved their commitment to resume working for freedom and
independence, on the footstep of PM Hariri. They were Muslims and Christians,
who answered the call and embodied the will of martyr Gebran Tueini.
Yes! Lebanon came to life on the first anniversary of PM Rafik Hariri slaying,
thanks to the brave who rallied in Freedom Square, and thanks to Saad Hariri,
Walid Jumblatt and Samir Geagea whose presence added momentum to the gathering.
On Tuesday, Lebanon proved to its neighbors that it was invincible, that it will
provide a living example of democracy, freedom and Muslim-Christian coexistence.
The road is undoubtedly rough, riddled with bumps aplenty, but assassinations,
terrorism, extortion and intimidation are merely passing short-lived methods.
Fate made it so Arab televisions broadcast scenes of Beirut and Hariri square
while deposed Iraqi president Saddam Hussein, his brother Barzan Al Tikriti and
others were being tried. How symbolic the coincidence: Saddam Hussein's
murderous regime of terror and intimidation, which ended miserably on one side,
faced with the Lebanese people, fighting for freedom and independence on the
other.
Tuesday's protest, with its Muslims and Christians, proved that free Lebanon is
the strongest. Jumblatt's image was touching as he slipped amongst demonstrators
to hail and urge them to repeat after him:" we will pay blood and soul for our
Lebanon". This was the will Hariri died for. One can only hope that it
safeguards the lives of the brave who are bearing it. Criminal murders,
assassinations and terrorism are but the arms of the weak and the cowardly,
whose hands should keep away from the Lebanese.
At this point, we pay tribute to the French President Jacques Chirac, who joined
the Lebanese in praying for the soul of the late Premier. President Chirac also
played a major role for the sake of Lebanon's independence, helping it regain
its freedom and liberating it from the Syrian troops. He who believes that
France's policy will change when Chirac's mandate expires in a year and few
months is way off course; for no matter the successor, he will be committed to
France's policy towards Lebanon and Syria. The next French president will be
bounded by the international resolutions connected to the assassination of PM
Rafik Hariri.
Should the next president be current French Premier Dominique de Villepin, he
will show the same commitment. Should it be minister of Interior Nicolas Sarkozy
instead, then he is closer to the American administration that all remaining
candidates. Should the upcoming president be socialist, he will be firmer with
Syria and the Syrian politics in Lebanon. Ultimately, the Syrian isolation will
not stop with the end of Chirac's mandate, the same rationale is true on the US
front.
Iran and Lebanon say Israel's nuclear arsenal threat for
Mideast
Beirut, Feb 17, IRNA
Iran's Minister of Foreign Affairs Manouchehr Mottaki and his Lebanese
counterpart Fawzi Salloukh here on Friday called Israel's nuclear arsenal "A big
threat for Middle East." During the meeting in which the two countries' top
diplomats surveyed the ways to strengthen bilateral ties, regional and
international developments, Mottaki and Salloukh asked for declaring the Middle
East as a WMD-Free Region.
The Lebanese Foreign Minister at a press conference after the meeting referred
to the present threats against the Middle East and the Persian Gulf security,
posed particularly by Israel.
He also stressed that the Lebanese resistance movement had played a very
positive role in liberation of the occupied parts of southern Lebanon.
Salloukh also expressed hope that the historic ties between Iran and Lebanon
would be resorted properly, considering the strengthening of the two countries'
ties in line with the interests of the two nations.
He added, "In my meeting with Mottaki we talked about ways to expand bilateral
political and cultural relations, activate our bilateral economic committee, and
encourage the Iranian private sector to make greater investments in Lebanon."
The Lebanese Foreign Minister referring to the Lebanese nation's will to hold
frank and tension-free dialogues, reiterated, "Iran has adopted a positive stand
in dealing with all Lebanese political and religious tendencies."
Focussing on Iran's peaceful nuclear program, Salloukh reiterated, "The best way
to tackle the problem is to survey the matter free from double standards,
particularly since Iran has repeatedly stressed that its nuclear program is
entirely aimed at peaceful purposes." The Iranian FM, too, said, "The Iranian
nation and government, based on their religious beliefs, consider manufacturing
of any type of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) as a move against the entire
mankind."
He labeled the US officials' accusations regarding Iran's nuclear dossier as "a
big lie" aimed at deviation of the world public opinion from realities.
He further reiterated, "Unfortunately, under the US pressure, the European
countries, too, that consider being benefitted from nuclear energy Iran's right,
are not willing to cooperate with Tehran now."
Mottaki emphasized, "The Iranian nation and government are determined to
finalize Iran's nuclear dossier neither in Europe, nor in the United States, but
in Tehran."
He considered the engagement of British armed forces with Iraqi civilian youth
in Basra as "broad violation of human rights", adding, "The presence of those
forces in Basra is not only a threat against that city's residents now, but also
a security threat for Iran due to their probable interference in southern
Iranian regions, and they must therefore immediately leave that region."
Mottaki said, "Experience tells us that Israel is a usurper regime that has
always sponsored terrorism and constantly pursues the policy of destablizing the
region and fomenting tension in the Middle East." He added, "Victory of Hamas
Islamic resistance movement in Palestinian parliamentary elections was in fact
the victory of the resistance movement in entire region."
Referring to the worries of the families of the four kidnapped Iranian diplomats
in Lebanon in 1982, Mottaki asked for clearing their fate, stressing, "Those
kidnapped diplomats' families are still waiting for their return."
It is said that the pro-Israeli forces in Lebanon transferred the kidnapped
Iranian diplomats to occupied Palestine through the sea shortly after detaining
them in 1983.
The Iranian Foreign Minister once again condemned the assassination of the
former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri and emphasized on importance of
clarifying the details and punishing the criminals involved in that plot.
Hariri, along with twenty one other Lebanese citizens, got killed in a
horrendous explosion in west of Beirut in 2005.
Mottaki considered the anti-Islamic caricatures published in Danish and certain
other European press as "a move aimed at humiliating the Islamic World" and
considered as "very natural" the emotional rallies launched throughout the
Islamic world, and a move that could bring to an end repetition of such
insulting moves in the future.
The profane cartoons, published in not so famous dailies in such non-political
states as Denmark and Japan over recent weeks, are a plot jointly hatched by the
US and Britain to challenge the beliefs and sanctities of Muslims. The drawings,
deemed as a psychological attempt, have sparked strong protests and
demonstrations in the Muslim states.
Mottaki: Tehran for all-out ties with Lebanon Tehran,
Feb 17, IRNA -Government of President Mahmoud
Ahmadinejad favors all-out expansion of relations with Lebanon, said Iran's
Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki in Beirut on Thursday.
Mottaki further told Secretary General of Lebanese Hizbollah Hassan Nasrallah
that the Iranian government, having a positive attitude towards great
achievements of the Islamic resistance in Lebanon, calls for promotion of
solidarity and unity among all the Lebanese factions.
He said legitimate resistance in Lebanon has had an impact on Palestine and the
recent elections there.
Elsewhere in his remarks Mottaki said that all Lebanese religious and political
leaders respect the resistance movement and the great achievements it has had
both for the Lebanese nation and the entire region.
He called for promotion of Lebanese-Lebanese dialogue in a bid to promote
national unity in that country and resistance in face of challenges caused by
the Zionist regime's plots.
Nasrallah for his part urged presence of Iranian companies in Lebanon to offer
technical and engineering services to the Lebanese nation and provide fuel for
the country's powerplants.
Lebanon holds a special place in the Pope’s heart, says Siniora
by Youssef Hourany - 17 February, 2006
The prime minister highlights the “Holy See’s special interest in Lebanon and
its unique role in the Middle East region”. Vatican slams the blasphemous
cartoons. Patriarch Sfeir demands that an agreement be reached over President
Lahoud’s successor before his removal.
Beirut (AsiaNews) – Speaking on his return to Beirut last night after meeting
Benedict XVI, Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Siniora said the Vatican is closely
monitoring events in Lebanon, a country that “holds a special place in the
Pope’s heart”. Siniora also said that he and the Pontiff discussed the Muhammad
cartoons as well as Lebanon’s internal situation.
Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Cardinal Sfeir also spoke about that the country’s
situation expressing reservations about demands made by majority parties in the
National Assembly that current President Émile Lahoud resign. For the cardinal,
a consensus on his replacement must be found before Lahoud’s mandate comes to an
end.
According to Prime Minister Siniora his visit with the Pope “was very
successful”. “The Holy Father is very interested in Lebanon as a unique example
amongst the countries of the region,” Siniora said in a press conference.
“Lebanon is in his [the Pope’s] prayers and he closely follows developments in
the country,” the prime minister added. “We saw the Holy See’s special interest
in Lebanon and its unique role in the Middle East region”.
In response to a question about the Holy See’s position on the publication of
the blasphemous Muhammad cartoons, Siniora said that in his meetings with the
Pope and the Vatican Secretary of State Angelo Cardinal Sodano, he found an
overall rejection of anything that might fuel religious fundamentalism.
The Holy See repeated its “standing position” in defence of freedom of
conscience, which it considers a fundamental human right. Siniora added that he
told the Pope the truth about what happened on the February 6, ‘Black Sunday’,
and reiterated his government’s vow to protect places of worship and bring to
justice all those responsible for the acts of violence that have tarnished
Lebanon’s image.
The Lebanese Prime Minister added that “during our talks with the Pope and
Cardinal Sodano we reviewed some issues that concern the region, especially
Israel’s occupation of some parts of Lebanon, its occupation of Arab lands and
its refusal to accept any initiative that favours a stable peace in the region.
Siniora said that the proposals made at the 2000 Beirut Arab summit by then
Crown Prince, now Saudi King Abdallah, offer a solution to the conflict between
Israel and the Arab world.
He ended his press conference promising positive results “which will become
clear in coming days.”
For his part, Patriarch Sfeir told accredited journalists in Bkerke that he has
doubts about the plans by the February 14 movement to remove President Lahoud
before the end of his mandate. The cardinal restated his “refusal to
countenance any act that seeks to depose the president by force and insisted on
his demand that a consensus on a new head of state be reached before the current
one is removed”. Patriarch Sfeir criticised “those people who use extralegal
means against the presidency to achieve their private ends”. He did however
expressed his support for new parliamentary elections based on a new electoral
law, “one that is more just that the current one”.
MIDDLE EAST: POPE, CHRISTIANS BUSY IN LEBANON DVLPMT.
(AGI) - Vatican City, 16 Feb. - Benedict XVI agrees with the fact that the
vignettes created general uneasiness, but this does not justify the excesses
occurring in demonstrations. This was referred by Lebanese Premier Fouad Siniora
who received an audience with the Pontiff this morning. 'The pope said that
Freedom of Speech does not need to attack the liberty of expression made by
others'. The Premier continued in a press conference held at the 'Hassler
Hotel', "The Pope agrees with our right to express our points of views and to
express our ideas. But the violence is firmly condemned he said in this mornings
meeting". The Lebanese Premier explained that "whoever manifested in a peaceful
way, is accepted, while the recourse to violence is unacceptable. Whoever
committed these crimes will be judged by Lebanese law. Many have already been
arrested". Today's audience was a great opportunity for Siniora to thank the
Pope for his support of Lebanon and to reassert our will to collaborate with the
Holy Office and reassert that Lebanon is a country of dialogue and coexistence
between all religious groups and a model of co-operation". Right in the middle
of talks between religions, a meeting of all religious leaders was held in
Beirut in the last few days. It included Christians and Muslims. It was an
occasion to reaffirm the importance of cohabitation, and of the peaceful
co-existence between religions and to condemn violence", underlined Naji Abi
Assi, Lebanese ambassador for the Holy Office. "With respect to protests made
against the vignettes , it was said that there are three categories of
demonstrators, those in good faith, the ignorant, and lastly those infiltrated
for the purpose of creating disorder", he concluded. With respect to the
assassination of Premier Hariri, Siniora confirmed that, "the Lebanese
population wants to learn the whole truth and nothing more. We don't believe
that there is a cover-up, we Lebanese want to know who killed Hariri",said the
Premier. (AGI) .
New Islamist alliance alters Mideast dynamic
MARK MACKINNON -Globe & Mail 17/2/06
BEIRUT -- Call it the new "axis of Islam," or, more accurately, the
anti-American and anti-Israeli alliance. In the wake of strong performances by
Islamist forces at the ballot box in recent months there's a new power rising in
the Middle East.
At the Beirut headquarters of Hezbollah, the Shia militia that controls south
Lebanon and regularly exchanges fire with the Israeli army, they don't have a
name for the new grouping, but there's a definite feeling that the bloc is on
the rise, strengthened by Iran's increased willingness to butt heads with the
international community and the victory of the militant Hamas movement in the
recent Palestinian legislative election.
Hussein Hajj Hassan, one of 14 Hezbollah members in the Lebanese parliament,
said the new alliance was cemented in a little-publicized summit in Damascus
late last month that was attended by leaders of both Hamas and Hezbollah, as
well as Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmedinejad and Syrian leader Bashar Assad.
Islamic Jihad, another armed Palestinian faction dedicated to the destruction
of Israel, was represented at the meeting.
And the Iraqi Shia firebrand cleric Muqtada al-Sadr also travelled recently to
Damascus for talks.
"If neighbouring Muslim countries are attacked, the Mahdi Army will support
them," Mr. al-Sadr said last week after his meeting with Mr. Assad. "I am at the
service of Iran and Syria."
There's little question here that Iran is seen as the true leader of the new
grouping. The otherwise bare walls of the reception area of the Hezbollah office
are dominated by oversized portraits of Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali
Khameini, and his predecessor, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomaini. There are no
pictures of any Lebanese political figures.
"It's very simple to accept that we have common interests, a common history and
a common political [agenda]. We are allies because we have very many subjects in
common," Mr. Hajj Hassan said, referring specifically to Hezbollah's ties with
Iran, Syria and the Hamas-led Palestinian Authority that will be sworn in
tomorrow.
The centrepiece policies of the alliance, articulated repeatedly by Mr.
Ahmadinejad, are to battle Western influence and continue armed struggle against
Israel's presence in the region. Syria and Iran were recently blamed by U.S.
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice for fuelling the anti-Western riots in the
region that were sparked by published caricatures of the Prophet Mohammed.
Israel, meanwhile, pointed the finger at Syria and Iran after a suicide bombing
in Tel Aviv last month that was carried out by Islamic Jihad. The attack came
the same day, Jan. 20, as the Assad-Ahmedinejad summit in Damascus.
Hezbollah and Islamic Jihad have long been seen as Iranian proxies, while Hamas
was traditionally viewed as closer to Damascus. But with Mr. Assad's regime
weakened by internal dissent and international pressure after the implication of
Syria in the slaying of Lebanon's popular ex-prime minister, Rafiq Hariri,
Tehran seems to be gaining influence at the expense of Damascus.
Syria is also an uncomfortable fit for other members of the alliance since Mr.
Assad's strictly secular dictatorship represses its domestic Islamist movement,
the local branch of the region-wide Muslim Brotherhood organization.
A Hamas-affiliated website revealed this week that the group has been receiving
training and money from Hezbollah. Mr. Hajj Hassan said the two groups have also
been co-ordinating their response in the face of international pressure to
disarm. He said the advice to Hamas had been to be "brave but realistic" now
that it was in office.
Israel, which believes the international community is being too lenient toward
Iran's efforts to develop nuclear technology, also sees the Tehran-dominated
alliance as a serious threat.
"We are very concerned about these links. We see them as an attempt by Iran,
through Hezbollah, to try and encourage violence, to try and destroy the hudna,"
said Mark Regev, a spokesman for Israel's Foreign Ministry, using the Arabic
word for the year-old ceasefire between Israel and the Palestinian Authority.
The pact has largely held, although Islamic Jihad and the Israeli army have
traded blows throughout.
Syria, Iran and the anti-Israel militias in the region "do have a level of
co-ordination that outsiders could find surprising," Mr. Regev added.
Another disturbing trend, from an Israeli point of view, is Russia's
willingness to co-operate with members of the anti-Israel alliance. The Kremlin
recently invited Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal to Moscow for talks, breaking with
a Western consensus not to deal with the group until it renounces violence and
recognizes Israel.
Russia is also the main supplier of military equipment to the Syrian army, and
has continued to participate in developing Iran's nuclear program, despite
growing international worries that the intention is to develop nuclear weapons.
Tehran says its nuclear program is intended for peaceful purposes only.
"There's a new power now. Iran, Syria, the Iraqi Shiites, Hamas and Hezbollah,
backed by Russia," said Fadia Kiwan, a political science professor at St.
Joseph's University in Beirut.
The group views Israel, as well as countries like Lebanon that have pro-Western
leaders, as its enemies, something, she said, that could provoke "a very sharp,
a very hard confrontation."
U.S.urges Lebanon: Dismantle Hezbollah
(JTA) - The Bush administration used the anniversary of the assassination of a
Lebanese leader to call on Lebanon to disarm Hezbollah. “This is going to be a
decision for the Lebanese government,” State Department spokesman McCormack said
Tuesday, a year after Rafik Hariri, an anti-Syrian prime minister, was killed in
a massive Beirut bomb blast.
The Lebanese “can’t have it both ways,” McCormack said. “Our view is that
Hezbollah is a terrorist organization, is classified as such by the U.S.
government. There is one member of Hezbollah who is part of the Lebanese
government. This gets to the larger point of how do societies deal with these
groups.” Hezbollah, backed by Syria, continues attacks on Israel five years
after Israel withdrew to a UN-certified border.
Rice says U.N. must push Syria on Hariri inquiry By Sue Pleming
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States will push the U.N. Security Council to
give details on Syria's cooperation with a U.N. inquiry into the killing of
Lebanon's former premier, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said on Thursday.
Rice told lawmakers she did not think Syria had cooperated with the U.N.
investigation into last February's murder of Rafik al-Hariri and something must
be done.
"We will need, I really do believe, to go back to the Security Council at some
time in the not-too-distant future to get a report on what is happening with
Syrian cooperation," Rice told the House of Representatives International
Relations Committee.
Syria has repeatedly denied a role in the killing of Hariri in a truck bombing
in Beirut. A U.N. inquiry has implicated senior Syrian officials and their
Lebanese allies.
Syria promised full cooperation after a U.N. Security Council resolution in
October demanded it cooperate with the investigation or face unspecified further
action.
Damascus has allowed U.N. investigators to question some Syrian officials but
has turned down a request to talk to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
Last month, Belgian prosecutor Serge Brammertz took over the U.N. investigation
from Germany's Detlev Mehlis who had led the probe since June.
Rice said it had taken time for Brammertz to find his feet, and that those who
had met the new investigator described him as "serious, tough-minded."
"We are going to need to really re-energize that (the inquiry). And I think once
we've given investigator Brammertz a little time to get up to speed, we'd
probably want to go back to the Security Council," Rice said.
Brammertz, who is due to give the Security Council a report in March, briefed
some Security Council members last week. One diplomat in New York suggested the
inquiry might slow down so he could see if evidence collected so far could stand
up in an international court.
Brammertz, on leave as deputy prosecutor for The Hague-based International
Criminal Court, is also charged by the Security Council to look into Lebanon's
request for help with trials.
"It means a change of gear. But in the medium term it might mean a rougher road
ahead for Syria," said the diplomat, speaking on condition of anonymity.
"For the moment, the Syrians think the pressure is off them. That might lead
them to begin behaving badly again, testing the limits," he added.
U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan told reporters on Thursday that Brammertz was
putting together his team, with some who had served under Mehlis and others who
were new. He added, "I don't see anything unusual on this."
(Additional reporting by Evelyn Leopold at the United Nations)
Lebanese Push for New President
By Challiss McDonough
Beirut-17 February 2006
VOA: The leaders of the anti-Syrian alliance that
holds the most seats in Lebanon's parliament are calling on President Emile
Lahoud to resign by March 14, and they say they will impeach him if he refuses.
Mr. Lahoud, a close ally of Damascus, has said he has no intention of leaving
office before his term expires in 2007. VOA's Challiss McDonough has interviewed
two men who are contenders to replace him and has this report from Beirut.
Anti-Syrian forces in Lebanon see President Lahoud as the last remaining vestige
of Syrian control over their country. Syria engineered the extension of his term
in office in 2004, and his critics say that was illegal.
The anti-Syrian bloc in parliament is led by slain former Prime Minister Rafik
al-Hariri's son Saad, along with Druze leader Walid Jumblatt and Christian
militia leader Samir Geagea. They are pushing ahead with their drive to topple
President Lahoud without any real consensus on who should replace him.
Saad al-Hariri, center, holds hands with Walid Jumblatt, right, and Samir
Geagea, left, in Martyrs' Square, Beirut, Feb. 14, 2006
In Lebanon's complex and unique political system, the president is always a
Maronite Christian, chosen by parliament rather than directly elected. Amid the
push for Mr. Lahoud's ouster, several major Christian leaders have thrown their
hats in the ring.
Christian popular support seems to be divided between Geagea and General Michel
Aoun, a former armed forces commander and longtime foe of Syria who returned
from exile in France last year after Syria's withdrawal. General Aoun recently
spoke to VOA and other reporters in the basement office of his heavily fortified
home on the cliffs overlooking Beirut.
"We have an independent country, but we don't have independent Lebanese people,"
he said.
Like many others in Beirut, General Aoun believes that Lebanon's democratic
reforms cannot be completed with President Lahoud in office.
The general calls himself the "father" of the March 15 movement that ousted
Syrian troops from the country. His forces battled Syrian troops before he was
evicted from Lebanon in 1990.
But in the parliamentary election after his return, the veteran anti-Syria
fighter allied himself with pro-Syrian groups. He was frozen out by the Hariri
camp, and relations between the two groups have only grown frostier.
Supporter of slain former PM Rafik Hariri waves a Lebanese flag in Martyrs'
Square, downtown Beirut
Citing security concerns, General Aoun did not attend the rally to mark the
one-year anniversary of Mr. Hariri's killing. He sent deputies to represent him,
but did not encourage his followers to go. Many of the demonstrators were
dismayed at his decision to shun what they had hoped would be a show of national
unity. A Christian man named Hani said he had hoped for better.
"I think General Aoun, he disappointed the Lebanese people," he said. "We worked
hard to bring him back to Lebanon, but when he came back, everything is changed,
because he stood with the Syrian politicians and with Hezbollah, who is
connected to Syria. I don't know, maybe his people, the fans of General Aoun, I
think they are reducing every day because of his choices he is making."
During the election, General Aoun's support at the polls was better than anyone
expected. He won a significant bloc of seats in parliament.
Hezbollah leader Sheik Hasan Nasrallah, left, shakes hands with Michel Aoun,
right, after joint press conference in Beirut, Feb. 6, 2006
Earlier this month, he signed an agreement with the Syrian-backed militant group
Hezbollah, changing Lebanon's political calculus even more. Hezbollah is one of
the two dominant groups in the Shiite community. A recent editorial in Beirut's
Daily Star newspaper said the only way to get rid of Mr. Lahoud is with a
candidate that could earn the support of Hezbollah.
Given Lebanon's ethnic and religious diversity, General Aoun says it is
imperative for the different groups to work together.
"Since 1989 I am shouting," he said. "I am saying loudly what we have to meet
around a round table and discuss our problems. I was evicted after that by the
Syrian army. And for 15 years I was preaching to people that dialogue is the
road to salvation."
The general rejects allegations that he is working with a Syrian-backed
terrorist group. He says he is trying to pull Hezbollah further into the
mainstream, and away from Syrian influence, and working toward Hezbollah's
disarmament or integration into Lebanese security forces.
"If the United States considers that Hezbollah is a terrorist organization, we
have to take out from their minds the terrorists, not from their hands," Aoun
said. "You are not terrorists because you have weapons. You are terrorists
because you think of terrorism. Therefore disarming a terrorist, that is taking
terrorism from his mind and not from his hands."
His critics see the general's alliance with Hezbollah and other pro-Syrian
groups as a power play, aimed only at securing the presidency for himself.
And, General Aoun is far from being the only voice calling for the ouster of Mr.
Lahoud. Another contender for the presidency is respected human rights lawyer
Chibli Mallat.
"The fact that he remains in power suggests that a very important dimension of
our revolution has not succeeded, and that is the democratic revolution that we
started last year," he said. "So we need a new president in order to start
achieving that democratic revolution and develop a new stand of economic
political and constitutional reforms that this country needs."
Mallat is a former law professor who was involved in the so-called "Cedar
Revolution" protest movement that drove the Syrians from the country. He
believes his track record of legal advocacy for Shiite and Palestinian victims
of human rights violations will help him gain support from those groups. He
presents himself as a compromise candidate of sorts, one from a younger
generation and a tradition of non-violence. Unlike some of the other contenders
with military backgrounds, Mallat does not come with bloody baggage from
Lebanon's civil war.
"Look, I feel that we are going down two parallel lines of immense intensity,"
he said. "One which is tragic, and which can bring us back to the civil war, or
forms of the civil war, or collapse of the state.... And there's another vision,
which is the vision of a new presidency, that rekindles hope and puts the
country onto the right track domestically and internationally. So it's not a
question of being optimistic or pessimistic. One sees those two possibilities
very clearly, and both are real. What is needed is a plan and an action that
makes Lebanon live, not Lebanon die.
In other countries, it might seem strange that people would announce themselves
contenders for the presidency while there is no election on the horizon.
But the anti-Syrian forces in parliament believe they have the momentum to oust
President Lahoud soon, and they hope that the next month will be decisive.