LCCC NEWS BULLETIN
JUNE 21/2006

Below News From the Daily Star for 21/06/06
Beirut expects Security Council to grant full airing of complaint over Mossad hits
Survey reveals most lawyers fear repercussions of expressing their views freely
Parliament blocs set to battle over Constitutional Council
Sarraf: 'Lebanon will drown in solid waste'
Trump's latest apprentice has 'Lebaneseness' on his side
Sidon goes all out with anti-smoking drive
UN envoy laments asylum-seekers' plight
US envoy reiterates support for Lebanon
Rizk washes hands of jailed generals
Azour touts higher taxes, privatization as only way out
Europe's vicious circle of immigration-By James Badcock
Below News From miscellaneous sources for 21/06/06
One Year after the Cedar Revolution: The Potential for Sunni-Shiite Conflict in Lebanon .Washington Institute for Near East Policy - Washington,DC,USA
Jordan rejects Egypt mediation with Syria-United Press International
French FM to visit Lebanon-Bahrain News Agency
FM: Syria targeted by US-Al-Bawaba
On Romania and the holy chair-Agoravox
Bush: the United States Will Not Rest Until Lebanon is Free-Naharnet
Lebanese Complain of Israeli Assassinations-New York Sun
What implications for a national defense strategy Lebanese.Monday Morning
Syrian official praises UN chief investigator People's Daily Online
Syrian government sacks critics-Aljazeera.net
Iranian 'agents' active on Lebanon border: Israel-IranMania News
Convergence and the Lebanon model-Ha'aretz
Romania's Snub to Lahoud Raises Concerns Among Christians-Naharnet
Saad Hariri, Unfazed by Ambulance Attack, Sends 4 New Vehicles to Sidon-Naharnet
Israeli General Says Iranian Operatives Stationed Near the Border-Naharnet
Two Lebanese Businessmen Freed in Iraq-Naharnet
Syria's activists on intimidation trials-United Press International

PolicyWatch #1114
One Year after the Cedar Revolution: The Potential for Sunni-Shiite Conflict in Lebanon
By David Schenker
June 20, 2006
Acting Lebanese interior minister Ahmad Fatfat arrived in Washington June 20 for his first official visit in his new capacity. The U.S. trip comes one month after a radical Sunni Islamist organization was legalized in Lebanon, and just weeks after thousands of Shiite Hizballah supporters rioted in Beirut after the broadcast on LBC television of a comedy skit satirizing Hizballah leader Hassan Nasrallah. These developments highlight growing tensions between Sunnis and Shiites in Lebanon. Unchecked, this dynamic could lead to a resumption of the type of conflict that has long plagued Lebanon and threaten the gains of the Cedar Revolution.
Rise of Fatfat
Fatfat, a Sunni Muslim member of Saad Hariri’s Future Party and a dual citizen of Lebanon and Belgium, was elected to parliament in 2000 as representative from Lebanon’s northern District 1, an area encompassing Akkar, Besharre, and Danniyeh. He was the leading recipient of votes in the constituency. In 2005, Fatfat was appointed minister of youth and sports in the government of Fouad Siniora.
In February, Hasan Sabaa, then minister of interior, authorized demonstrations against the publication of Danish cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad. Given the groups participating in the demonstrations—Jaysh Muhammad, Jund al-Islam, Palestinians from the Ein al-Hilweh camp, and Hizb ut-Tahrir—violence had been widely anticipated. Nevertheless, Sabaa argued, “The organizers vowed that the demonstrations would have a civilized and peaceful aspect.” In the resulting melee, the Danish consulate building was burned and churches in the largely Christian neighborhood of Ashrafiyyeh were attacked. Sabaa subsequently resigned. While Siniora never formally accepted Sabaa’s resignation, he quickly appointed Fatfat acting interior minister. Fatfat’s official appointment to the cabinet is said to be imminent.
Fatfat’s most significant decision to date came in May, when he granted a political-party license to the pro-caliphate Sunni Islamist organization Hizb ut-Tahrir (Liberation Party). While the U.S. Department of State does not list Hizb ut-Tahrir as a designated foreign terrorist organization, the group’s stated aim is to “lead the ummah [Islamic community] into a struggle with kufr [infidels], its systems and its thoughts so that Islam encapsulates the world.”
Sunni Radicalism in Lebanon
The legalization of Hizb ut-Tahrir is part of a trend toward increased Sunni radicalism in Lebanon. The group espouses a vision of an Islamic world unified under one political leader, a caliph. Until the dissolution of the Ottoman Empire, its rulers claimed the title of caliph, though the claim had become symbolic. Hizb ut-Tahrir proselytizes with Wahhabi literature and espouses largely anti-Shiite themes (which is not surprising, as historically, Shiites did not recognize the caliph’s legitimacy). Because its stated objective is so radical, the party is outlawed in nearly every state in the Middle East, and now exists in the region primarily as a secret organization of linked cells. Today, members of the group languish in prisons throughout the region.
Lebanon’s legalization of Hizb ut-Tahrir is remarkable, but it did not come as a surprise. Indeed, according to the Lebanese daily An Nahar, the organization had been lobbying political leaders and government officials for some time, and had applied for legal status in August 2005. On May 11, 2006, Fatfat issued an order legalizing eleven parties as legitimate “political organizations,” including the Lebanese Peace Party, Nature Party, Reform Party, and Hizb ut-Tahrir. Responding to queries about the wisdom of this move, Fatfat’s press office issued a statement saying, “It’s not possible for freedom and democracy to be partial or discretionary.” At a press conference on May 19 attended by representatives of Hizballah and Jamiya Islamiya, the Hizb ut-Tahrir spokesman called for “the implementation of the system of just Islam in the country [Lebanon], uniting the entire community [as] a caliphate country.”
Another troubling sign of Sunni Islamist gains in Lebanon recently reported by the Washington Post is the emergence of al-Qaeda in northern Lebanon, a trend that started under the Syrian occupation and has accelerated since the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003.
Hizballah Flexes Its Muscle
On June 2, Beirut was rocked by riots organized by Hizballah protesting the broadcast of a sketch on an LBC television program lampooning the Shiite militia’s position on disarmament, implying that Hizballah would make any excuse to avoid laying down its weapons. Hizballah supporters poured into the streets of Beirut, burning tires and shutting down the airport road. The show’s producer apologized, but the demonstrations did not end until Nasrallah himself appeared on Hizballah’s own al-Manar network and appealed for calm.
Last week, top leaders of Lebanon’s political establishment completed the eighth round of the National Dialogue with a session focusing on the defense of Lebanon. In addition to discussing a “code of honor”—a document focused on promoting public civility and discourse following the June 2 Hizballah demonstrations—the group conferred about a “national defense strategy,” a codeword for dealing with the disposition of Hizballah weapons. Little progress was made on the issue, largely because Hizballah is no hurry to give up its weapons. Not only do the weapons support the party’s “resistance” credentials, the Shiite party also likely sees its arms as an insurance policy.
Hizballah has reason to want insurance. During the March meeting of the National Dialogue, for example, conferees reached consensus to disarm Palestinian weapons outside of the refugee camps. Under pressure, Sunni Palestinians agreed to move their weapons inside the camps, maintaining their military capabilities. For Shiites, the entrenchment of al-Qaeda in Lebanon poses a second, more serious concern. Before his death, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi called for the disarmament of Hizballah, describing the organization as a “shield protecting the Zionist enemy against the strikes of the mujahedin in Lebanon.” Distain toward Shiites was emblematic of Zarqawi during his lifetime, and is a prevent sentiment among al-Qaeda. Hizballah leader Hassan Nasrallah acknowledged the danger of this “Zarqawi phenomenon” during interviews in February and June 2006. The presence of anti-Shiite al-Qaeda forces will only stiffen Hizballah’s resolve to retain its weapons, which it sees as essential to defending the Shiite community.
Conclusion
The April 19, 2006, UN report on the progress of implementing Security Council Resolution 1559 commended Lebanon’s initial steps on Palestinian weapons as “a first step . . . toward full disarmament,” but it reiterated that “carrying of arms outside the official armed forces [i.e., by Hizballah] is impossible to reconcile with the participation in power and in government in a democracy.” Given recent developments in Lebanon and a lack of consensus within the National Dialogue, the next Resolution 1559 status update in October will likely reach no new conclusions.
Hizballah’s decision regarding disarmament will not just be based on “resistance” and the status of Shebaa Farms; it will also be based on the environment in Lebanon. With Hizb ut-Tahrir newly sanctioned by the government, al-Qaeda setting up shop in northern Lebanon, and Palestinians retaining their military capabilities, prospects for Hizballah disarmament become even slimmer. More troubling, though, is that the convergence of these developments suggests the potential for open Sunni-Shiite tension. For Lebanon, a state with a rich and bloody history of religious and ethnic conflict, this trend should be cause for concern.
It should likewise be cause for concern in Washington. To some degree, of course, the trend in Lebanon reflects wider regional developments. But Washington can work to reverse this trend, but pressing harder in the UN—and in its representations with Lebanon’s leaders—to fully implement UNSCR 1559 and disarm all militias in Lebanon. Ahmed Fatfat’s visit to Washington today would be a good time to start.
David Schenker is a senior fellow in Arab politics at The Washington Institute.

Beirut expects Security Council to grant full airing of complaint over Mossad hits
By Raed El Rafei -Daily Star staff
Wednesday, June 21, 2006
BEIRUT: Lebanon is expecting full support from the UN Security Council in the complaint that it will file soon against the Mossad-linked network discovered in the country, a government source told The Daily Star on Tuesday. "Lebanon's friends at the UN should support us against Israeli operations on our territory," the source said in response to a media report claiming that the complaint would affect the country's relations with the Security Council.
The source said Lebanese authorities would file a complaint to the UN against the recently uncovered terrorist cell linked
to Israel's intelligence agency after investigations into the case were complete.
Lebanon's complaint will be jointly prepared by the judiciary, the Defense Ministry and the Foreign Ministry.
The New York Sun reported Monday that "calls from the Lebanese government for the Security Council to investigate alleged Israeli assassinations of Lebanon-based terrorists might complicate efforts to assist the country in its quest for full independence from its neighbors."
The right-wing newspaper was quoting diplomats at the United Nations.
During the past few weeks, the Lebanese Army's security apparatus arrested Mahmoud Rafeh, the reported leader of the Mossad-linked terrorist network who confessed to the assassination of Palestinian and Hizbullah officials in Lebanon upon orders from Israel.
Rafeh admitted to having murdered Islamic Jihad member Mahmoud Majzoub and his brother Nidal last month, in addition to Hizbullah officials Ali Hassan Deeb and Ali Saleh in 1999 and 2003, respectively, and Jihad Jibril, the son of the leader of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine-General Command leader Ahmad Jibril, in 2002.
Lebanese security forces are still looking for Palestinian Hussein Khattab, another key member in the network.
Lebanon's As-Safir daily reported Tuesday that Khattab was responsible for an explosion in Naameh back in 1999 which targeted Jihad Jibril but failed to kill him.
Meanwhile, an Israeli general said Monday that more and more Iranian "agents" were active on the Lebanese side of the border in support of Hizbullah.
"There are more and more Iranian agents, soldiers or intelligence service members, in the immediate vicinity of the Israeli border," General Alon Friedman, who is posted in the region, told reporters.
He said Iranian operatives were previously deployed in areas further north, away from the border. But now they "carry out inspection tours, patrols and give instructions" to Hizbullah, which controls the Lebanese side of the border, he said.
Israeli officials frequently claim that Iranian personnel and/or weapons have been stationed in the border region and warn that they could be part of preparations to attack the Jewish state. - With agencies

Survey reveals most lawyers fear repercussions of expressing their views freely
Daily Star staff-Wednesday, June 21, 2006
BEIRUT: The majority of Lebanese lawyers support freedom of expression but are afraid of the wrath of their bar association if they exercise this right, according to a new survey conducted by the Center for Democracy and the Rule of Law (CDRL). The survey conducted last month revealed the majority of lawyers believe one of the basic tasks of the bar association is to defend the freedom of expression and other human rights. But "a high percentage of the lawyers polled are fearful that their mere exercise of this right may bring upon them retaliation from their own bar association."
According to the survey, 40 percent of the lawyers who were approached "refused to participate in the poll," while 35 to 40 percent of the lawyers who did participate replied "I don't know." The survey's questionnaire did not ask for the participants' names.
However, the majority of lawyers who participated in the survey said that criticizing the judiciary and the bar association ought to be part of the right to freedom of speech.
The survey was commissioned by CDRL and conducted by Information International, a Beirut-based research and consultancy firm, to determine the lawyers' attitudes toward the defense of freedom of expression in particular and human rights in general.
It was carried out in light of the recent ruling by the Lebanese military court of cassation to drop charges against attorney Mohammad Mugraby for his testimony in the European Parliament.
The survey involved meeting 729 lawyers at the Beirut Palace of Justice and six other major courthouses throughout the country.
The military court of cassation pronounced on April 15 this year a decision invalidating the prosecution of Mugraby on the charges of slandering the military establishment and its officers.
The court stated in its ruling that Mugraby exercised what he considered his right to freedom of expression during his testimony before the European Parliament on November 4, 2003. It said he had made general and comprehensive criticisms that did not spare any public authority of the state but did not constitute slander under article 483 of the Penal Code.
It added that Mugraby was still facing two penal prosecutions in regular courts pursuant to accusations made on behalf of the Beirut Bar Association in 2002 and 2003.
"A significant number of attorneys fear the consequences of freely expressing their opinion because, as stated by 203 attorneys who constitute 71.33 percent of the abstentions, they do not wish to have problems with the Beirut Bar Association. This indicates that the attorneys in this category have, in principle, a negative position toward Beirut Bar Association and implicitly support the positions of attorney Mugraby without vocally stating so," the study said.
"The vast majority of the polled attorneys (82.5 percent), who believe that criticism by Mugraby is an exercise of his right to freedom of expression and does not constitute defamation, support dropping the remaining actions against him," it added.
They also support "the retraction by Bar Association of its criminal and disciplinary actions against him with full admission of Mugraby's right to freedom of expression and the practice of his profession without obstruction." - The Daily Star

Parliament blocs set to battle over Constitutional Council
By Raed El Rafei - Daily Star staff-Wednesday, June 21, 2006
BEIRUT: March 14 Forces MP Robert Ghanem said Tuesday that the former Constitutional Council was no longer entitled to convene and look into the challenge filed this week by the Reform and Change parliamentary bloc. In an interview with The Daily Star on Tuesday, Ghanem, who heads the Administration and Justice parliamentary committee, said "the old council cannot convene because of the withdrawal of five of its members last year."
"The members' decision to stop attending the council's meetings is equivalent to a resignation," Ghanem said.
Parliament passed a law in May demanding the formation of a new Constitutional Council under new regulations as the old council's members were appointed before Syria's withdrawal and under its influence.
Ten MPs from the Reform and Change Parliamentary bloc headed by MP Michel Aoun challenged the law Monday.
According to Ghanem, the challenge can only be examined once a new council is formed.
The council, which is formed of 10 judges and lawyers, oversees the constitutionality of laws and arbitrates conflicts that arise from parliamentary and presidential elections.
A deadline for applications to the new council is set for Tuesday, after which a committee of MPs will meet with candidates, Ghanem said. The committee will then submit the minutes of their interviews with the candidates to Parliament and Cabinet, which will then make the appointments to the new council, he said, adding that the entire process should be completed within two months. The Reform and Change bloc MPs will meet Wednesday to discuss increasing their efforts to activate the former Constitutional Council, according to Al-Markaziya news agency. The bloc's MPs might decide to demonstrate in front of council headquarters, the agency reported on Tuesday.

rump's latest apprentice has 'Lebaneseness' on his side
By Lysandra Ohrstrom -Daily Star staff
Wednesday, June 21, 2006
BEIRUT: A British citizen of Lebanese origin, Sean Yazbeck, skewered the competition on the fifth season of Donald Trump's reality show, "The Apprentice," scoring another victory for the Lebanese diaspora.The 33-year-old Miami-based recruitment consultant told The Daily Star that his diverse background helped him win a $250,000 contract in New York City with the Trump Organization, a luxury apartment and a new car. That and fellow Lebanese and former opponent Tarek Saab, who was eliminated during the 10th round but came back in the finale at Yazbeck's request. "I think coming from mixed parentage gives me a leg up in business because I understand a lot of different customs and can conduct business in different environments," Yazbeck said over the phone from Miami at 5.30 a.m. on Tuesday, the only time in his jam-packed day that he could schedule an interview. Yazbeck was in town to "hand off" his old job to a former colleague and to attend a ceremony where he was handed the keys to the city by Miami's mayor - part of the "amazing Apprentice publicity machine" - before jetting back to Manhattan to begin work on his first project, developing the tallest building in Soho.
Yazbeck, whose mother is Irish, has always identified with his Lebanese heritage thanks to his father, a Maronite Catholic from the Chouf and a "heavyweight champion in Lebanese history" who raised him on a "diet of 'Lebaneseness.'"
Though Yazbeck says he only speaks enough Arabic to talk to his grandmother on the phone once a week and has not spent much time in Lebanon, his connection to the country is genuine. He called his last visit, in 2001, "one of the most amazing experiences of my life."
"The main thing I took away with me was the generosity and hospitality of the Lebanese people; it's really unparalleled anywhere in the world. And I think there is definitely something inherently entrepreneurial about Lebanese identity."
When asked why Lebanese people enjoy so much success in business abroad, Yazbeck referenced his father yet again.
"My father is more romantic about it. He's always talking about entrepreneurship and how it's a Phoenician trait. Give a Lebanese man a dollar and he'll come back with a hundred," he said. Such a mentality obviously appealed to Trump, the personification of the American dream.
Saab, a fellow Maronite who lived in Lebanon as an infant but went to the US in 1979, agreed that certain Lebanese traits are conducive to success in business: "Lebanese people are very strong-willed, determined, and educated; it's almost as if success is ingrained in our blood."
The two men bonded over their shared heritage immediately during the taping of the show, even though they were on separate teams. In the last round, each contestant chooses one of the eliminated contestants to organize the final task - in this case a charity concert for the World Wildlife Foundation headlined by the Barenaked Ladies - and Yazbeck picked Saab.
Though taping is over, the two remain close. Yazbeck just returned from Saab's wedding, and when asked if his friend would be interviewed for the story, he joked that "of course Tarek would love that; his ego is bigger than mine."
Joking aside, Yazbeck respects business acumen first and foremost, which is why he looks forward to working for his new boss, whom he calls "one of the most amazing business minds in the world."
Confident about Lebanon's investment climate, Yazbeck insists that Trump, who announced a deal to develop a casino and resort in Dubai earlier this year, would certainly consider Lebanon if a sensible business proposal to build a hotel or casino were presented to him. "I think Beirut is returning to what it was before the war and a lot more money is flowing into the country. Since September 11, people in the Middle East prefer to go to Beirut for vacation rather than Europe because they don't get hassled at customs," Yazbeck said. Perhaps when his apprenticeship is over, Lebanon may see more of him.

Azour touts higher taxes, privatization as only way out
vat would rise to 12 percent-By Osama Habib-Daily Star staff
Wednesday, June 21, 2006
BEIRUT: Finance Minister Jihad Azour said on Tuesday that the only way to increase state revenues was to raise the value-added tax (VAT) from 10 percent to 12 percent and taxes on interest on bank deposits from 5 percent to 7 percent. Azour also said that privatization would help create 20,000 new jobs in Lebanon.
Speaking to a group of businessmen and investors who were invited by the Association of Lebanese Businessmen, Azour stressed that the new tax burden would only comprise 2 percent of the gross domestic product (GDP), or $400 million. Lebanon's GDP is a little more than $17 billion.
At present the tax burden in Lebanon is 20 percent of total GDP, compared to a regional average of more than 22 percent.
"About 40 percent of the government's revenues go to cover debt servicing and the rest to cover the salaries of public employees. This is no longer acceptable," Azour said.
But some of the businessmen were not receptive to the idea of new taxes, warning that the business community and the economy could not bear additional burdens.
Many political parties and trade unions have threatened to take to the street if the government of Prime Minister Fouad Siniora applies new taxes.
Lebanese bankers have warned that any new tax on interest on bank deposits would scare away potential depositors.
They stressed that Lebanon was no longer appealing to depositors because the benchmark London Interbank Offered Rate is already low at 5 percent."Depositors can go to Cyprus or Saudi Arabia and collect more than 5 percent on the deposits and without even paying any taxes," one banker told The Daily Star.
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) recommended that the government raise the VAT from 10 percent to at least 15 percent to help reduce the budget deficit.
The IMF also said that the government could no longer afford to subsidize Electricite du Liban, which is costing the Treasury $800 million a year. "We considered several options ... in order not to increase considerably the burdens on citizens," Azour said. He added that increasing the VAT from 10 percent to 12 percent would affect the 40 percent of the population whose income is below LL1 million per month.
"We are only talking about a few additional thousands of Lebanese pounds if the VAT reached 12 percent," he said.
The minister also argued in favor of raising taxes on interest on bank deposits from 5 percent to 7 percent.
"Nearly 60 percent of the deposits in Lebanese banks are in the range of $100,000 or more, which means the tax will affect 2 percent of the depositors," Azour said.
Azour said that the government was compelled to propose new taxes to help correct the fiscal imbalances.
"If we implemented the reforms after the Paris II conference, the government would have not proposed new taxes."
Late former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri was credited for raising $2.5 billion from the donor states in Paris in 2002 in the form of soft loans to help reduce debt servicing.
But Hariri, who was assassinated on February 14, 2005, failed to implement any of the promised reforms, accusing President Emile Lahoud and his team of blocking privatization and other measures.
Privatization is a key element in the government's plan to reduce the $40 billion public debt.
"Contrary to the general belief, privatization of the telecom sector, for example, will increase investments in this sector" and create jobs, Azour said. "Privatization will move the state monopoly on companies to citizens and not a group of investors who will control the majority of the shares." He added that above all, privatization would end the intervention of politicians in the affairs of the state-owned companies. Experts say that Lebanon could generate more than $6 billion from the privatization of the two cellular networks.

Center for Democracy & the Rule of Law" <info@cdrl.org>
For Immediate Release
According to a new public attitude survey: Lebanese lawyers support freedom of speech But are terrified by their own bar association!
Beirut, June 20, 2006: New public attitudes survey among Lebanese lawyers reveals that 96% of them are unanimous in the belief that one of the basic tasks of the bar association is to defend the freedom of _expression and other human rights. Nevertheless, a high percentage of the lawyers polled are fearful that their mere exercise of this right may bring upon them retaliation by their own bar association.
As a result of such fears, 40% of the lawyers who were approached refused to participate in the poll. Furthermore, 35-40% of the lawyers who did participate replied by "I do not know". The survey questionnaire does not require the individual participants' names.
Still, the overwhelming majority of the lawyers who participated and provided replies are, however, of the opinion that criticizing the judiciary and the bar association part and parcel of the right to freedom of speech. There is reason to believe that those lawyers who abstained or gave no reply are of the same opinion.
The survey was commissioned by CDRL and conducted by Information International to ascertain the Lebanese lawyers' attitude towards the defense of the freedom of _expression in particular and human rights in general in the light of the recent ruling by the Lebanese military court of cassation that dropped charges against attorney Dr. Muhamad Mugraby for his testimony in the European Parliament. The survey involved meeting 729 lawyers at the Beirut palace of justice and six other major court houses throughout Lebanon.
An overwhelming majority of the polled attorneys, who find in the criticism made by Attorney Dr. Muhamad Mugraby a legitimate exercise of his right to freedom of _expression and does not constitute defamation, support the dropping of all remaining prosecutions against him (82.5%) and the retraction by the bar association at Beirut of all its criminal and disciplinary charges against him and its recognition of his right to freedom of _expression and the exercise of the legal profession without obstruction (85%).
Full text of the survey can be downloaded in PDF Format:
English: http://www.cdrl.org/publicdocs/200606-OpinionPollEnglish.pdf
French: http://www.cdrl.org/publicdocs/200606-OpinionPollFrench.pdf
Arabic: http://www.cdrl.org/publicdocs/200606-OpinionPollArabic.pdf
For further information: E-mail info@cdrl.org and visit http://www.cdrl.org/.

Bush: the United States Will Not Rest Until Lebanon is Free
U.S. President George Bush has said that the United States and Europe will continue working for Lebanon's independence and stressed the need to spread democracy in the Middle East.
"We've worked with the United Nations to end the Syrian occupation of Lebanon and we will not rest until the Lebanese people enjoy full independence," Bush said Monday in a speech to the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy in Kings Point, New York. This was his only direct reference to Lebanon in the speech that focused on Iran and its crisis with the West over its nuclear program. The Bush administration played a leading role in the international drive that led Syria to withdraw its troops from Lebanon after the Feb. 14, 2005 assassination of former Premier Rafik Hariri that was largely blamed on Damascus.
Washington has continued to put pressure on the Syrian regime to curb its influence over Lebanon. It co-sponsored with Paris U.N. Security Council Resolution 1680 that was passed last month and urges Syria to establish diplomatic relations with Lebanon and delineate the common border.
Speaking about the broader Middle East, Bush stressed that freedom was a prerequisite for peace and that the U.S. and Europe are working diligently on spreading democracy in the region.
"When freedom advances, people gain an alternative to violence, and the prospects for peace are multiplied and all nations become more secure. So America and Europe have launched bold initiatives to aid democratic reformers across the world, especially in the broader Middle East," Bush told the graduating class at the academy.
"We're determined to end the conflict in the Holy Land and bring about a solution with two democratic states, Israel and Palestine, living side-by-side in peace and security," he said.
Beirut, 20 Jun 06, 10:12