LCCC NEWS BULLETIN
May 1/2006

Below news from miscellaneous sources for 1/05/06
Aoun Discredits Parliament, Dialogue and Calls for Early Elections-Naharnet
US: Hezbollah is supporting anti-US Groups in Iraq-Ya Libnan
Crippled Colossus: American Twilight-PEJ News
Hezbollah lambastes US for listing it as terrorist group-Xinhua - China
Iraqis using 'new Hizbollah bombs' to kill British troops-Telegraph.co.uk
Replies: General Aoun is not a sectarian leader-MEOL
Hizbullah Accuses Bush of 'State Terrorism', Scoffing at U.S. Claims-Naharnet
Lebanon 's Dialogue: Aoun will be an observer only-Ya Libnan
Syria begins national campaign to gather money for Palestinians-Khaleej Times
Hizbullah's state: Everything Could Explode at Any Moment-Middle East Journal
Lebanon rejects US depiction of Hizbullah as terrorist-Bahrain News Agency
Below news from the Daily Star for 105/06
Sfeir blasts political parties for trying to 'monopolize authority'
Aoun stays away as March 14 Christians hold talks
London tribute pays homage to Basil Fuleihan
Lebanese workers have little to celebrate
Iraqi refugees in Lebanon: illegal and nowhere to go
Journalist denies fingering Mossad in Hariri killing
Siniora insists U.S. trip was aimed at liberating Shebaa Farms from Israel
Beirut slams U.S. terror report as 'inaccurate'
This Labor Day, Arabs should enjoy what may be their last holiday from work
Burglars strike Sidon shop for fifth time   
Ahmadinejad scores own goal over stadium decision -AFP
Egypt, Jordan eager to resume Mideast peace process -AFP
Bombing Iran may buy time until democrats win-By Joshua Muravchik

Sfeir blasts political parties for trying to 'monopolize authority'
By Maroun Khoury -Daily Star correspondent
Monday, May 01, 2006
BKIRKI: Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Butros Sfeir addressed the political stalemate crippling the national dialogue on Sunday during his Mass sermon in Bkirki, saying: "We are disputing over this country instead of keeping it prosperous for our children who are leaving their land to strangers and seeking work in foreign countries to earn a living."
He added: "Each party wants to monopolize authority and employment for the resulting financial and moral benefits."
Although Sfeir criticized the short-sightedness of the parties, he stopped short of offering an endorsement of either side.
"The Church does not propose practical solutions for the world's problems and dilemmas - they should be treated by specialists," the prelate said.
After the service, Sfeir met with a delegation from Democratic Christian Union presided over by MP Neamatallah Abi Nasr to discuss the problem. Following the meeting, Sfeir urged the Lebanese parties to "put their hands together and rescue the country from the crisis it is plunging into." "It will not be difficult if they look for public national interests instead of personal interests," he added.The prelate also met with vice-president of Lebanese Forces executive committee MP George Adwan to discuss developments in the dialogue and the Lebanese Forces' role in it. Adwan, after the meeting, said he informed the prelate of all political stances taken by the parties at the dialogue. "We focused on the fact that Lebanese people's fate depends on the dialogue," Adwan said, echoing Sfeir's warning against allowing sectarian politics to take precedence over national interest. Adwan also asked whether it was acceptable that the authorities have not yet appointed a judge to investigate Gebran Tueni's assassination.

Aoun stays away as March 14 Christians hold talks
By Majdoline Hatoum -Daily Star staff
Monday, May 01, 2006
BEIRUT: Several of the leading Christian figures in Lebanon's March 14 Forces held a meeting Sunday to evaluate the political situation in the country and draft an action plan to deal with developments in the coming weeks - notably the presidential crisis. The meeting, held under the shadow of sharp differences among leading Christian politicians over how to effect the ouster of President Emile Lahoud, took place at Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea's residence in the Cedars. Participants included three of the four presidential candidates discussed at Friday's national dialogue session: Social Affairs Minister Nayla Mouawad, MP Butros Harb and former MP Nassib Lahoud. Conspicuous by his absence at the meeting was the fourth hopeful, Free Patriotic Movement leader and MP Michel Aoun.
The meeting was still under way as The Daily Star went to press, but March 14 sources said it was concerned primarily with
securing a Christian agreement on the name of the candidate to replace Lahoud. It also aimed to tackle a number of other issues of importance to the country, including the implementation of decisions already taken in the dialogue such as demarcating borders between Lebanon and Syria and establishing diplomatic ties between the two countries.
Speaking earlier in the day, Industry Minister Pierre Gemayel said the meeting of the "Christian wing" of the March 14 Forces "is a necessity to confirm the Christian leaderships in Lebanon are not divided."
"The truth is we are dealing with the building of a country," he added. "Christians need to hold dialogues among themselves to accomplish this."
Gemayel, who made the comments during an interview with Voice of Lebanon radio, said the last round of the national dialogue had been important "because it proved all the participants were keen on maintaining the dialogue as the means to resolve differences."Harb spoke with the same station, predicting the dialogue would continue the presidential crisis was resolved. "We have not accepted that Lahoud remain in power," he said. "We would not have postponed discussions if we had. The majority is still seeking change."But Hizbullah's man in the Cabinet, Water and Energy Minister Mohammad Fneish, said during a political briefing for members of his party that unless a national consensus was reached over the need to remove Lahoud, "the president will remain in Baabda Palace."
"It is not acceptable that the work of constitutional institutions be stalled," Fneish said.
Aoun had said Saturday that he would attend dialogue sessions as an "observer from now on, because the dialogue is not important to me anymore."In separate statements to Lebanese Broadcasting Corp. International and Al-Manar, Aoun said: "The sessions are not adopting dialogue as means to resolve differences. Participants are trying to negotiate what suits them and what solves their side of the problem, and forgetting about the big picture."
Aoun also said the only solution to Lebanon's political and economic problems was through early parliamentary polls, and he accused the majority in the legislature of "obstructing an agreement on a new election law." This, he claimed, was a deliberate effort to undermine a drive for early elections which could reverse the results of the 2005 polls.
"This Parliament is incapable of solving any of our pending problems. The solution is to quickly endorse an election law to be followed by early elections," he said. Aoun said he enjoyed the support of 70 percent of Lebanese, warning that he would not stop his supporters from taking to the streets to bring down the government."The people are boiling. There are social and union demands that are not being addressed," the former general said. "We used to tell people they should wait until the dialogue solved the problems, but now we will not stop street action."

Beirut 'missed out on $2.5 billion' by failing to tax quarries
Critics call for 'proper law' to regulate sector
By Raed El Rafei - Daily Star staff
Monday, May 01, 2006
BEIRUT: The Lebanese state could have generated around $2.5 billion, had it collected fees and taxes from the quarries sector over the past 15 years, according to the Lebanese Environment Party on Wednesday. The party announced this figure, which was calculated based on earlier official studies and legal documents, at their first national conference on the need for organizing quarries, titled "when will wasting natural resources and public wealth be stopped?"
The aim of the conference, attended by representatives from various ministries, municipalities and environmental associations, was to discuss the problems of the quarries sector today and come up with recommendations to the government.
The highly politicized quarries sector had been and continues to be an important financial source for political parties and groups, said Habib Maalouf, a prominent member of the party founded by a group of environmentalists and officially registered a year ago.
Last year, a scandal erupted when it was disclosed that the Lebanese judiciary had ordered the payment of almost $250 million to members of MP Nicholas Fattoush's family, in compensation for a government decision to close down their quarries.
This example, showing that huge profits were made by quarry owners in the absence of substantial taxes collected from the sector, largely explained why numerous attempts to organize this sector were always hampered by politicians, he said.
"There is an urgent need for a proper law to organize the quarries sector because of its financial and environmental significance to Lebanon," he added.
A 1996 national plan to organize quarries specifying technical and environmental standards identified quarry locations and determined the country's needs for stone. The government remained, however, reluctant to implement this plan due to of political bickering over this file.
The party urged the government to organize quarries by adopting an exhaustive sustainable development plan, taking into consideration factors such as the protection of Lebanon's resources, the increase in population, tourism, and transport.
The party also recommended importing sand instead of extracting it from national forests, and urged the state to stop exploiting publicly owned land as sites for quarries to minimize their effect on the environment.
Displaying photos illustrating the consequences of quarries on people and nature, Maalouf said: "Uncontrolled quarry operations in the past years caused irreparable damage."
Quarries had severe impacts, according to the Environment Party, on land, biological diversity, buildings, road networks, aquifers as well as water and air quality.
"More than 3,000 hectares of land are mutilated today because of the catastrophic management of quarries located in over a thousand sites," Maalouf said, adding most of these sites are not licensed.
Only recently, the Environment Ministry started a project to rehabilitate quarry sites.
But the project has yet to identify how quarries will be rehabilitated or who will pay for their rehabilitation, said the Environment Party.The costs of damage caused by quarries yearly reach about LL25 billion, showed a study on the cost of environmental damage in Lebanon carried last year. According to the party, the government should implement the "polluters pay" principle in order to rehabilitate quarries.  Two months ago, the Interior Ministry issued a decree that put an end to grace periods granted for years by the ministry to quarries, supposedly for removing stocks. Highly criticized by environmentalists, these grace periods were viewed as a veiled way for quarries to continue their work unchecked. According to the decree, the Higher Council for Quarries, headed by the Environment Ministry, will be the only authority in charge of managing and giving licenses to quarries.

Lebanese workers have little to celebrate
By Mohammed Zaatari -Daily Star staff
Monday, May 01, 2006
SOUTH LEBANON: On the eve of Labor Day, which is celebrated on May 1, the Lebanese worker has little to celebrate as he struggles against staggering debt, poverty, and exhausting work with a minimum wage of LL 300,000 ($200) a month.
In addition to low pay and dismal working conditions, Lebanese workers have little power in the face of employers' concerted efforts to deny them access to the National Social Security Fund or insurance.
Ahmad Abu Khodra, 30, who works eight hours a day, told The Daily Star that he has no interest in Labor Day.
"It has no meaning under a state that does not respect its workers," he said. Abu Khodra works in the metal industry and receives a salary of $300 a month."I'm single - not because I hate marriage but because of the living situation," he added. "What could I possibly do with $10 a day?"He said the government should ensure acceptable low-income housing and increase the minimum wage to $500 . "The salary of any minister or official is ten times ours," said Mustafa Akra, a mechanic. "Aren't they ashamed? We work so we don't die from hunger. Labor Day ... is for countries that respect their citizens."Ezzedine, who works in manufacturing and refused to provide his surname said: "Our job is hard work. We can't do anything but content ourselves with what we've got.""We search for a job and when we find it wages start decreasing and prices go up till we reach rock bottom," said a construction worker who spoke on cndition of anonymity. "They should call it Laborers' Difficulties Day."

Journalist denies fingering Mossad in Hariri killing
Daily Star staff-Monday, May 01, 2006
BEIRUT: Lebanese journalist Mustafa Nasser has denied claims that he met with the German criminologist and journalist who published a book in which he accused Israeli intelligence of having assassinated former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.
In an interview with Agence France Presse published on Saturday, Nasser said: "I have never met with any German journalist and I have never accused any party of the assassination. I believe that throwing random accusations is interfering with the investigations."In "Hariri's Assassination," German criminologist JŸrgen Cain KŸlbel said that "Israeli Mossad killed Hariri to instigate political tension in Lebanon."KŸlbel also accused the former chief of the United Nations committee charged with investigating Hariri's death, German prosecutor Detlev Mehlis, of having misled the investigation.
In a recent telephone interview with The Daily Star, Mehlis said he had not read the book because it would be a "waste ... to spend any money on it" - but added that "based on what I have heard so far about it, I would say that they are all just pretty dumb accusations." The Cabinet is scheduled to hold an extraordinary session on Tuesday to discuss a request from the Justice Ministry to ask the UN to extend the investigating committee's mandate, as well as other issues. - The Daily Star

Siniora insists U.S. trip was aimed at liberating Shebaa Farms from Israel
Premier denies seeking international support against Syria
By Therese Sfeir and Maher Zeineddine
Daily Star staff- Monday, May 01, 2006
BEIRUT: Premier Fouad Siniora said he did not go to Washington to "seek international support against Syria," but to call for "exerting pressure on Israel to withdraw from Shebaa Farms." In an interview with LBC on Saturday, Siniora said his statements about Syrian President Bashar Assad threatening late Premier Rafik Hariri "came as a reply to a journalist's question."The premier said "all participants [at Friday's national dialogue session] wanted to reach accord over President Emile Lahoud's successor; consequently, they have decided to keep discussions open."He added that there was a consensus over the need to "replace the president," rejecting claims that "holding further discussions about the presidency aimed to delay the issue of Hizbullah's arms."Siniora also said he would raise the Shebaa Farms issue, the Palestinian weapons and the establishment of diplomatic relations with Syria in the coming Cabinet session.
He stressed the need to establish good relations with Syria, saying he did not go to Washington to attack Syria.
Siniora met Saturday with Iranian Ambassador Masoud Idrisi, with whom he discussed regional and local developments.
Siniora also held separate talks with Social Affairs Minister Nayla Mouawad at the Grand Serail.
Meanwhile, U.S. Ambassador Jeffrey Feltman said Washington "strongly supports the Lebanese national dialogue."
In remarks following his meeting with MP Michel Aoun Saturday, Feltman said: "I asked General Aoun of the issues discussed during the dialogue session; we want to see UN Resolution 1559 implemented as soon as possible."
He added: "The issue of the presidency depends on the Lebanese people's decision, which we support."
In other developments, MP Walid Jumblatt reiterated his calls for "drawing or demarcating Shebaa Farms," stressing that both terms "mean the same."He also called for disarming the Palestinians outside the refugee camps and to establish diplomatic relations with Syria. Following his meeting Saturday with a delegation from the Lebanese Forces department in Kfar Matta, the Democratic Gathering leader called for "implementing the Taif Accord and the Armistice Agreement with Israel."
Jumblatt also met in Mukhtara with a delegation from the Free Patriotic Movement, which included MPs Farid Khazen and Ghassan Mokheiber, in the presence of Democratic Gathering MPs Wael Bou Faour, Fouad Saad and Faisal Sayegh.
Khazen said the meeting focused on the discussions of the national dialogue, adding that he was "positive about resolving Lebanon's pending issues."Jumblatt also met with European Union Ambassador Patrick Renauld and MP Mosbah Ahdab.
Jumblatt told The Daily Star on Sunday that anyone "who tries to interfere with the investigation into Hariri's assassination is contributing to acquitting the Syrian regime, which is responsible for terrorism in Lebanon."
"Such attempts meet President Emile Lahoud's demands to free the four security officials at any price, disregarding their history of violence against the Lebanese people."
Telecommunications Minister Marwan Hamade said that it was "impossible to agree now on one candidate for the presidential elections."During an interview with Future TV on Saturday, Hamade said that the situation in the region contributed to the delay in resolving the presidential crisis, adding that "some people have considerations related to the Gulf and the Iran nuclear power."Hamade, who is a member of the Democratic Gathering, said Jumblatt "is calling for demarcating Shebaa Farms to defend the resistance and put it on the right track."
"Provoking the street should not be a game in anyone's hands," he said, adding that "everyone should remember that the true majority is in the street, Parliament and Cabinet."The minister said dialogue was the "only means to resolve pending issues peacefully." Meanwhile, former Minister Elie Ferzli said Aoun "is the most capable man for building a state of law and institutions." During an interview with Sawt al-Ghad on Saturday, Ferzli expressed his support to Aoun as president, saying the agreement forged between the Free Patriotic Movement and Hizbullah "hampered the instigation of a conflict between Christians and Shiites."

Beirut slams U.S. terror report as 'inaccurate'
By Leila Hatoum -Daily Star staff
Monday, May 01, 2006
BEIRUT: Lebanese Foreign Minister Fawzi Salloukh slammed the United States Friday, saying it "lacks accurate information," and "should not work according to double standards."Salloukh, who made his comments in reply to the U.S. blacklisting of Hizbullah, said: "The description which the U.S. administration used to dub Hizbullah as 'the most important terrorist group' is completely wrong because Hizbullah is an honest liberation movement, which sacrificed much for Lebanon's independence and sovereignty."The U.S. administration issued a report on terrorist organizations and countries supporting terrorism late Friday, in which Hizbullah was described as the most significant terrorist group in Lebanon.
Salloukh added that the U.S. had based its report on misinformation that Hizbullah was formed prior to 1982.
Salloukh said: "Apparently the U.S. administration lacks information on Hizbullah; or it is ignoring it or doesn't know it ... the Federal Bureau for Intelligence claims Hizbullah was established before 1982, meaning they want to frame Hizbullah for atrocities done by battling groups during the war, and this is not true."He added: "We have said more than once that Hizbullah emerged as a unified group in the second half of the 80s."Hizbullah was first blacklisted by the U.S. administration back in 1997. America claims Hizbullah was responsible for the April 1983 U.S. Embassy attack and the October 1983 marine barracks attack.Hizbullah replied late Saturday to the U.S. administration's report turning the accusations on President George W. Bush and his aides.
The group said in a statement that it was the Bush administration that practiced "state terrorism." The statement noted: "The one who deserves to be at the top of the terrorist list is the one who is leading major state terrorism, Bush and his aides have filled the world's skies with flying prisons in breach of international laws and spread torture bases from Europe to Asia without any remorse." It added: "The right step is to blacklist the one who supports Israeli terrorism against Palestinians ... to blacklist the Zionist occupation and aggression toward Arab states.""The U.S. as usual, gives itself the right to categorize countries and peoples according to an unjust criteria ... as if it were the guardian of the world."
According to Salloukh, "Hizbullah has created a balance of terror in its fight with the occupying Israeli forces ... Can the U.S. stop Israel from continuing to breach our air, land, and water sovereignty? Or force Israel to comply with international resolutions? The U.S. administration should work according to one standard when it is dealing with others."
Meanwhile, Hizbullah's television station Al-Manar revealed the U.S. Congress had held a session last July to discuss the "re-birth of Lebanon."
U.S. Assistant Secretary for Near Eastern Affairs, David Welch, attended the session and said Hizbullah should be disarmed, said Al-Manar.

Lebanon rejects US depiction of Hizbullah as terrorist
Beirut, April 30, (BNA) Lebanese Minister of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants, Fawzi Salloukh, rejected as a flagrant mistake the US administration's depiction of Hizbullah as " the major terrorist group in Lebanon", noting that the US administration is either short of accurate information or purposefully ignores them and highlights only those that serve its interests and objectives.
In response to the US State Department's statement, Salloukh asserted that Hizbullah is an honest and daring liberation Group that has made many a sacrifice to ensure Lebanon's independence and sovereignty, adding that Israel is the real sponsor of terrorism since it failed to respond to the UN's appeals to unconditionally withdraw from the occupied Palestinian territories and stop jeopardising security and peace. Salloukh said the disarmament of Palestinian resistance factions is an internal matter being currently debated by the National Dialogue Committee which took a decision in its respect and will discuss disarmament of Hizbullah in light of a national defence strategy capable of restraining Israeli expansionist dreams. Salloukh said he told UN and super powers' senior officials that Lebanese resistance groups ought to keep their arms to counterbalance the Israeli military power, wondering whether the US and the UN are capable of preventing Israel from violating the Lebanese sovereignty or could ever force it to implement decision 425, issued 22 years ago before the Lebanese resistance did so. He said that the US has to work according to one and not different criteria and that Lebanon will not bear losses due to the US inaccurate, illogical and subjective strategies and their inadequate knowledge of countries' peoples, geography and history.

“Everything Could Explode at Any Moment”
By: Michael J. Totten
NORTHERN ISRAEL -April 28, 2006- Middle East Journal- Last year I drove down from Beirut into Hezbollah-occupied Lebanon along the border with Israel. Aside from Hezbollah’s other miniature state-within-a-state in the suburbs south of Beirut, the border region is the craziest place in the country. The Lebanese government doesn’t control it and cannot police it. The army is not allowed to go down there. Soldiers I’ve talked to refer to the southern-most checkpoint before the Hezbollah-occupied zone as “the border." Psychotic road-side propaganda shows severed heads, explosions from suicide-bombs, and murderous tyrants from Iran and Syria.
Lisa Goldman and I decided to drive up there and take a look from the Israeli side.
“I should warn you,” I said in the car. “Something is wrong on the border. Something bad is going to happen.”
“Why do you say that?” she said.
I told her what I knew, what had recently happened when I tried to visit the border again from the Lebanese side just two weeks before.
*My British friend Andrew flew out to Beirut from Washington. He wanted to visit the border. I wanted to go back to the border. So we rented a car and drove down to Saida where foreigners are required to get permission from the Lebanese army before being allowed beyond the last official checkpoint.
We found our way to the office of the ranking military intelligence officer.
“What is your nationality?” he said.
“He’s British,” I said, referring to Andrew. “And I’m American.”
The officer clasped his hands loudly together. “You are not going down there today,” he said.
“Why not?” I said.
He made an I-don’t-know face that was terrifically, intentionally, and even comically insincere.
“Is it for security reasons?” I said.
“Of course,” he said. “You can go,” he said to Andrew. “But you,” he said, meaning me, “can’t go anywhere near the border right now.”
“Why not?” I said. “What’s going on?”
He laughed.
“Oh, come on,” I said. “You can tell me. Who am I going to tell?” (Har har.)
He shook his head. “No,” he said. He was deadly serious about keeping me away from that border.
“Are you worried I will do something?” I said. “Or are you worried something will happen to me?”
“Something might happen to you,” he said.
“Is it Hezbollah? The Israelis? What?”
He made his goofy what-do-I-know face once again. “I am sorry,” he said. “It’s too dangerous. You aren’t going.”
That was all I could get out of the Lebanese army. The Israeli army was a little more willing to talk.
Lisa and I met Israeli Defense Forces Spokesman Zvika Golan at a base in the north near the border. He told us to follow him in his jeep as he drove to a lookout point next to an IDF watch tower that opened up over Lebanon.
“You aren’t safe here right now,” he said.
“I know,” I said. “The Lebanese army wouldn’t let me anywhere near the border two weeks ago. What’s going on?”
“Hezbollah is planning an operation,” he said.
“How do you know?” I said.
“We know,” he said and nodded.
I knew he was right. The Lebanese intelligence officer more or less told me the same thing. He didn’t say the threat was from Hezbollah, but he didn’t have to.
“What do you think about all this?” I said.
“We really want the Lebanese army on this border,” he said.
Lebanon and Israel technically have been at war for many decades. But Israel and Lebanon have never actually fought any battles. Israel has been involved in plenty of fighting in Lebanon, but none of it ever involved the Lebanese army or government. Neither side has ever actually fired on the other. Neither side wants to. All Israel’s Lebanon battles were waged against the PLO and Hezbollah.
“Are you in contact with the Lebanese government?” I said.
“We pass messages to the Lebanese army through the UN,” he said.
“How well are they received?” I said.
“Oh, they’re received very well,” he said. “The only problem is the Lebanese army can’t act against Hezbollah.”
He introduced me to a young bearded lieutenant in the IDF (left, below) on border patrol duty.
“I have worked on the Jordanian and Egyptian borders,” he said. “This is the worst. The strangest feeling here is that the other side is a no-man’s land. There is no authority that you’re working against. It is extremely out of the ordinary to see any Lebanese police or army. Only Hezbollah is armed.”
“What do you see when you look at Lebanon?” I asked the lieutenant.
“I see poverty and difficult circumstances,” he said. “I see poor farmers who work hard. After so many years of war, the last thing they probably want is more war.”
“Do you know what you’re looking at when you look into the towns?” I said.
“We track movement on the other side,” he said. “I can tell you exactly what each of those buildings are for.”
“What about people?” I said. “Can you tell who belongs to Hezbollah and who just happens to live there?”
“99 percent of the time I know who I’m looking at by their face,” he said. Hezbollah will love learning that if they’re still reading my blog.
The lieutenant was easily ten years younger than me. But he was so ground down from world-weariness he sounded like a man 30 years older who hadn't slept for three days.
“Any minute now something huge could break out," he said. "I am afraid to go home and leave my soldiers. When Hezbollah decides to do something, they do it. And they’re pretty good at it.”
"What do you think they'll do next?" I said.
“I have no idea," he said. "They could do anything. Kidnapping. Sniper.”
"How do you feel about that?" I said.
“Well,” he said. “You get pretty cynical about it after a while.”
“Do you think they’re watching us?” Lisa said.
“They are watching you right at this second,” the lieutenant said. “You are definitely being photographed. It’s possible you’re being watched through a sniper rifle.”
To say I felt naked and exposed at that moment would be a real understatement. I felt like my skin was invisible, that psychopaths were boring holes with their eyes straight to the core of my being. At the same time, I knew they did not see me as a person. They saw me as a potential massacre target.
I know Hezbollah wouldn’t hurt me in Lebanon, even though they did call me on my cell phone and threaten me with physical violence. All bets are off while standing next to IDF soldiers in Israel, though. Whoever was watching me surely dehumanized me as a Jew (even though I'm a non-religious "Christian") who belonged to the little Satanic fit-for-destruction Zionist Entity.
I wouldn’t say I felt scared. But I certainly didn’t feel comfortable. The earth seemed slightly tilted. Lebanon feels unhinged and psychotic from the Israeli side of the line. At least it did on that day. I kept having to remind myself that the country I love and lived in is not at all represented by the nutcases with guns in the hills who like to pick off Jews on the border.
“How dangerous is it here, really?” I asked the lieutenant.
“I say this to my guys every morning: Everything could explode at any moment. Just after I said it this morning a bus load of pensioners showed up on a field trip. An old woman brought us some food. It’s crazy. They shouldn’t be here. You shouldn’t be here.”
“What’s happening here is very unusual," Zvika, the Israeli Defense Forces Spokesman, said. But he wouldn't tell me what, exactly, was so unusual. Shortly after I left the country, a story broke in the Daily Telegraph that explained it.
Iran has moved into South Lebanon. Intelligence agents are helping Hezbollah construct watch towers fitted with one-way bullet-proof windows right next to Israeli army positions.
Here's what one officer said:
This is now Iran's front line with Israel. The Iranians are using Hizbollah to spy on us so that they can collect information for future attacks. And there is very little we can do about it.
More powerful weapons, including missiles with a range of 30 miles, are also being brought in.
I asked Zvika about the last time Hezbollah and Israel got into a hot war.
“It was last November,” he said. “Hezbollah invaded the village of Ghajar in white jeeps that looked like they belonged to the UN. We bombed their positions with air strikes. After a while, the Lebanese army asked us to stop. So we stopped right away.”
"Why did you stop?" I said. "You stopped just because the Lebanese army asked you to stop?"
He looked surprised by my question.
“Of course we stopped because they asked," he said. "We have very good relations with them. We're working with them and trying to help make them relevant.”
Lebanon never admits anything like this in public.
The rhetoric that comes out of Beirut in Arabic rarely has anything to do with reality. The Lebanese government regularly affirms its "brotherhood" with Syria, its former murderous master that still knocks off elected officials and journalists. Undying loyalty to the Palestinian cause is constantly trumpeted, even while Lebanon treats its hundreds of thousands of Palestinian refugees worse than neglected zoo animals. Arab Nationalism is another regular theme, even though Arab Nationalism is more dead in Lebanon than in any other country around.
"The UN says Hezbollah started the last fight," I said to the lieutenant. "Do you ever start any fights?"
“They always initiate," he said. "We never do. I want to go home. I want to read the newspaper and get more than three hours of sleep every night. We have no business here.”
"Are you scared?" I said.
“I am scared," he said. "As an officer I want my men to be scared.”
"Are they?" I said.
“Not enough," he said. "Not enough.”
To be continued. (Next: A visit to a kibbutz along the border. And a look at some of Hezbollah's methods in keeping the hatred alive.)

US: Hezbollah is supporting anti-US Groups in Iraq
Sunday, 30 April, 2006 @ 2:51 AM
Beirut & Washington- A high-ranking U.S. State Department anti-terrorism official has accused Hezbollah and its main backer Iran of helping some Iraqi groups against American forces stationed in the country.
The official spoke during a briefing on the State Department's annual report on worldwide terrorism that singled out Iran as "the premier state sponsor of terrorism, providing a national safe haven for its own operatives and members of al-Qaida and Hezbollah." U.S. Counterterrorism Coordinator Henry Crumpton, answering a reporter's question about Iran said:
"Iran supports Hezbollah. They really are the paymasters for Hezbollah. Hezbollah, in turn, are working with some of the Iraqis inside Iraq, also Iran is working directly with some of the Iraqi paramilitary forces, militia, and they provide support, financial and otherwise...". He accused Tehran of providing Hezbollah and Palestinian groups with extensive funding, training and weapons and "working directly with some of the Iraqi paramilitary forces, militia" and providing "support, financial and otherwise."Crumpton praised the Lebanese government that he described as "fragile" for its efforts to disarm militias in the country in compliance with U.N. Security Council Resolution 1559.
"We believed they are working diligently...They are working against Palestinian rejectionist forces and we're trying to help them," Crumpton said.He said Hezbollah presents "a greater challenge" to Lebanese authorities as the group has been legitimized through representation in parliament and its network of social services.
"But they're also a terrorist organization and there are limitations to what the Lebanese government can do, given its fragile nature and given the complex political alliances there," Crumpton said.
The 2005 report, that called Hezbollah "the most significant terrorist group" in Lebanon pointed out that the Lebanese government still recognizes the this party as a "legitimate resistance group."
It said however, that Prime Minister Fouad Saniora's cabinet has "made impressive gains against terrorist groups operating in the region." It said the government has taken "small but significant steps" to curb the activities of groups such as the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine-General Command (PFLP-GC) and Fatah al Intifada, both Palestinian militant factions operating in Lebanon. It said the Lebanese army has strengthened border control posts and increased patrols along the Lebanese-Syrian border in order to prevent the flow of arms to groups operating out of the country.
However, the report noted that although Syria withdrew its troops from Lebanon last April, it still maintains intelligence services in the country and continues to send arms to Hezbollah and Palestinian factions there.
"Given that the government of Lebanon does not exercise authoritative control over areas in the Hezbollah-dominated south and inside the Palestinian-controlled refugee camps, terrorists can operate relatively freely in both locations," the report said.
It said Hezbollah, that continues to call for the destruction of Israel, is using south Lebanon as a staging ground for its operations against the Jewish state and providing support to Palestinian groups in their confrontation with Israel. It also noted that the group has publicly acknowledged providing support for "terrorist attacks" inside Israel, the West Bank, and Gaza.
The report said that Lebanon and Syria have not fully abided by Resolution 1559, which calls for respect for the sovereignty and political independence of Lebanon and the end of foreign interference in Lebanon.
However, it noted that Lebanon has indicated it will abide by its international obligations, including the resolution's call to disarm all militias adding that Lebanese leaders believe Hezbollah's disarmament should be accomplished through "national dialogue" rather than force. Hezbollah has denied in the past any involvement outside of Lebanon, but Moqtada el Sadr the leader of the el Mahdi army of Iraq did visit with Hezbollah in Lebanon in February this year, but had to rush back quickly to Iraq after the Bombing of the famous Shiite Golden Dome Mosque ( the Askariya shrine) in Samarra Iraq.
Sources: Naharnet, Ya Libnan, US State dept

Hezbollah lambastes US for listing it as terrorist group
www.chinaview.cn 2006-04-30 10:42:43
BEIRUT, April 29 (Xinhua) -- The Hezbollah (Party of God) group of Lebanon on Saturday criticized the United States for putting it in the list of foreign terrorist organizations, saying that the list was made in accordance with unjust standards set by Washington. The decision by the U.S. State Department just proves the correctness of Hezbollah's stance and policy on fighting Israeli aggression and U.S. hegemony, said Hezbollah in a statement issued on Saturday. The statement said the one who deserves most to be put in the list of terrorist organizations is the countries who support Israel's "terror acts," aggression and occupation of Arab territories, and they should be put on top of the list. It added the U.S. pressure on Hezbollah would have no effect on its stance on fighting aggression and occupation, as well as on liberating the occupied territories and safeguarding Lebanon. Hezbollah has 14 seats in the 128-member Lebanese National Assembly, and two government ministers are from the group. In a recent annual report, the U.S. State Department listed Hezbollah, along with al-Qaida and militant Palestinian groups Hamas and Islamic Jihad, as "active extremist and terrorist groups" in the Middle East.

Iraqis using 'new Hizbollah bombs' to kill British troops
By Toby Harnden, Chief Foreign Correspondent
30/04/2006) A multi-charged roadside bomb, developed by Hizbollah in Lebanon, is being used against British and American soldiers by Iraqi insurgents linked to Iran, according to military intelligence sources.
The device consists of an array of up to five armour-piercing "explosively formed projectiles" or EFPs, also known as shaped charges. They are fired at different angles at coalition vehicles, resulting in almost certain death for at least some of the soldiers inside. The bombs are easier for insurgents to use because, unlike single EFP devices, they do not need to be carefully aimed and so can be planted beside a road within a few seconds. Their killing potential is also enhanced because more than one EFP is likely to hit a single vehicle.
Some have been painted to look like concrete blocks - a modification of a tactic used by Iranian-backed Hizbollah, which hollowed out imitation rocks, bought in Beirut garden centres, to conceal bombs targeting Israeli vehicles.
A senior defence source said: "There are clear signs of Iran's sinister hand, and through that, Hizbollah, in this development."
A Pentagon document obtained by The Sunday Telegraph describes the devices as "well manufactured by experienced bomb makers" and "pioneered by Lebanese Hizbollah". It adds: "The United Kingdom has accused Iran of providing these devices to insurgents in Iraq."Triggered when an infra-red beam is broken, the projectiles are capable of penetrating the armour of 60-ton Abrams tanks. Warrior armoured vehicles and Land Rovers, used by British forces in southern Iraq, offer almost no protection against them. The Sunday Telegraph was the first newspaper to report the use of infra-red triggered devices, believed to be from Iran, against British troops. Since last May, 14 British soldiers have been killed in Iraq, including 12 by roadside bombs made up of EFPs and an infra-red trigger.
The latest British soldier killed in Iraq is believed to have been a victim of an infrared bomb. Lt Richard Palmer, 27, of the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards, died near Basra two weeks ago after a roadside bomb exploded beside his Land Rover.
In February, John Negroponte, America's director of national intelligence, blamed the Iranian government for the spread of such weapons throughout Iraq. He told a United States Senate committee: "Teheran is responsible for at least some of the increasing lethality of anti-coalition attacks in 2005, by providing Shia militants with the capability to build IEDs [Improvised Explosive Devices] with explosively formed projectiles, similar to those developed by Iran and Lebanese Hizbollah."
Coalition forces recently intercepted an infra-red EFP device being transported into Iraq across the Shatt al-Arab waterway from Iran. Many such devices use a simple motion sensor, made and sold legally by the Taiwan-based company Everspring.
EFP devices have a steel or copper curved dish that becomes a molten dart when the blasting cap is detonated. The Pentagon documents say that EFPs are "capable of penetrating armour plate up to 10cm thick or more at a range of 100 metres or more". There were 10,953 roadside bombings last year, compared with 5,607 in 2004.
Iran's nuclear breakthrough.

Syria begins national campaign to gather money for Palestinians
(AP)30 April 2006 -DAMASCUS, Syria - Syria began a weeklong campaign on Sunday to collect money for the Palestinians, following a visit by the Palestinian foreign minister 10 days ago.Syrian President Bashar Assad launched the campaign after hosting Palestinian Foreign Minister Mahmoud Zahar, who urged Arabs and Muslims to come to the rescue after the United States and some European countries cut off aid to the Hamas-led government. The Palestinian Authority, run by the militant group responsible for the deaths of hundreds of Israelis in suicide bombings, has been unable to pay the salaries of 165,000 government employees, and the West Bank and Gaza have plunged into political and economic chaos.
Syria’s top comedian was among dozens of people in line to donate at a state-run bank in Damascus Sunday _ one of 14 donation points, one in each Syrian province.
“All people should raise their hats in respect to any group that resists occupation of its land,” Duraid Laham said, wrapping a Palestinian black-and-white checkered keffiyeh around his neck. Duda Badawi, 44, a Palestinian working in Syria, said she would donate two months’ salary. Syrian Amal Zarzar, 58, called her donation “the minimum thing” she could do for Palestinians “living in tragic conditions.” Thousands of Syrians are expected to donate by the end of the week.
The head of the group organizing the effort, the Popular Committee for the Support of the Palestinian People, said the Syrian people would “stand alongside” the Palestinian people so they would not be forced to “kneel down due to starvation and siege.”“Our destiny is linked to that of the Palestinians,“Ahmed Abdul-Karim said. “Our battle is their battle, and their steadfastness is ours,” he said.
The Syrian committee has donated about US$18 million to the Palestinians _ plus 16 convoys of medicine, food and clothes _ since it was founded five years ago.But Palestinian officials said recent donations by Muslim countries including Iran, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait have not made it into government coffers because of US pressure on Arab banks not to transfer the money. Syria is home to Hamas’ exiled leadership, including current boss Khaled Mashaal, and has frequently rejected US calls to expel the group’s leaders or any other radical Palestinian factions. The United States, which has imposed economic sanctions on Damascus, also accuses Syria of allowing militants to cross into Iraq to fight the US-led multinational force there. Syria has denied the charges.

Lebanon 's Dialogue: Aoun will be an observer only
Sunday, 30 April, 2006 @ 6:40 PM
Beirut- General Aoun was angered by the introduction of several presidential candidates during the national dialogue meeting of April 28 and insisted that the Parliament's role is restricted to endorsing a consensus successor for
President Emile Lahoud, and not engaging in a free election of one of several candidates.
In a clear attempt to discredit the Parliament which is very reluctant to endorse him as the next president, Aoun said the only solution to Lebanon's political and economic problems was early elections to reverse the victory of the March 14 allinace in the 128-seat house.
The former army general and leader of the "Reform and Change" bloc in Parliament cast doubt on the ability of the National Dialogue to find a solution to the "presidential debate" in the next round of talks on May 16.
The presidential aspirant told LBCI and Al-Manar television stations Saturday that he would not abandon the effort to achieve a consensus among the political and sectarian elite. But he would participate in the next round of talks only as "an observer."
Aoun displayed clear discontent with the failure of negotiators to endorse him as the one and only presidential candidate, and accused the "parliamentary majority" of obstructing agreement on a new election law.
"The people are boiling. There are social and union demands that are not being addressed," said Aoun. "We used to say give way to quiet dialogue to solve the problems, but now we will not stop street action"
US Ambassador Feltman and Aoun meeting
Aoun met yesterday with US Ambassador Feltman. After the meeting Feltman said that his government, along with many other governments, supports the upcoming meeting of the national dialogue. When asked about the presidency Feltman said" the issue of the presidency is up to the Lebanese constitution that defines how the president should be elected and therefore it is up to the Lebanese to decide and we will support their decision". Feltman also insisted that UN resolution 1559 should be enforced as soon as possible.
Marwan Hemadeh
Telecommunications minister Marwan Hemadeh a close ally of Walid Jumblatt commented the following about the national dialogue meeting:
"It is not possible at this stage to agree on a consensus candidate. Every one is waiting for what Jumblatt called the road map ". He added " My feeling is that Hezbollah prefers for Lahoud to stay , Aoun wants himself only, ( speaker) Nabih Berri prefers a middle-of-the-road candidate between March 8 and March 14 alliances and the March 14 alliance prefers one of their own that will be able to properly represent the aspirations of March 14". He went on to conclude: " How can you reach a consensus on one candidate in this case?" Hemadeh then added:" In any case as Jumblatt said "we must come to a decision that lahoud's time is over"
Walid Jumblatt
The Mukhtara palace, Jumblatt's residence in the Shouf region was very busy yesterday. Jumblatt received a delegation from the Lebanese Forces group of Samir Geagea and another delegation from Aoun's Reform and Change group that included MP Farid el Khazen and MP Ghassan Mukhaiber accompanied by Dr. Kamil el Tawil. Khazen said after he met Jumblatt that" the meeting was a continuation of the dialogue which we hope will eventually lead to positive results"
Jumblatt said that he supports the continuation of the national dialogue and the application of the Taif accord that calls for a strong and sovereign government that will be able to spread its authority all over the country.
He called for proper and decent treatment for the Palestinian refugees and disarming the Palestinians outside the camps. Jumblatt also called for better relations with Syria and establishing diplomatic relations . He added" there are only 2 countries in the world that do not have diplomatic relations. These are Syria and Lebanon".
Local observers feel that the only way out of the crises is to have as many candidates as possible and let the parliament decide... like any democracy. Naturally no one is going to be elected in the first round, but the final election runoff should be able to produce a president-elect that that should represent the country at this stage. One observer commented " the country has to move forward... the national dialogue should start producing results to get the country out of this crises and not only meet for the sake of meetings. Enough talk...time for action"
Sources: Ya Libnan, Lebanese media

Crippled Colossus: American Twilight
Agence Global - Patrick Seale - In a speech in September 2002, President George W Bush spoke of America's "unparalleled strength and influence" which, he pledged, would be used to confront regimes that supported terror and "extend the benefits of freedom and progress to nations that lack them." Could an American leader make such a speech today -- and be believed?
www.agenceglobal.com
Changing Patterns of World Power
Patrick Seale-Agence Global
April 29, 2006
Copyright © 2006 Patrick Seale, distributed by Agence Global
[republished at PEJ News with permission of AG]
Patrick Seale says, "The picture that is emerging is of an American colossus increasingly unable to impose its leadership and engaged in fighting off challenges from many different directions."
Since the Soviet collapse in 1989-1991, the United States has enjoyed a decade and a half of unchallenged supremacy. It has been the world's dominant power, the 'sole remaining superpower" -- even the "hyper-power," as some commentators have called it to distinguish it from lesser countries. As the bi-polar world of the Cold War came to an end, the affairs of our planet seemed to revolve exclusively around Washington.
In a speech in September 2002, President George W Bush spoke of America's "unparalleled strength and influence" which, he pledged, would be used to confront regimes that supported terror and "extend the benefits of freedom and progress to nations that lack them."
Could an American leader make such a speech today -- and be believed?
The patterns of world power are changing at bewildering speed. No one today can claim that the United States rules supreme or -- in spite of its stupendous $500bn military budget -- that it is able to impose its will on the whole world.
In fact, the picture that is emerging is of an American colossus increasingly unable to impose its leadership and engaged in fighting off challenges from many different directions.
In economic terms -- if not yet in military capability -- China has become an obvious competitor. Its unique combination of unbridled capitalism and strict political control, its immense pool of hard-working low-cost labour, its huge appetite for energy and raw materials, its high standards of technical education, its capture of export markets, have together created an economic powerhouse with a sustained annual growth rate of over 9 per cent.
Fueled by soaring oil and gas revenues, Vladimir Putin's Russia has also staged a remarkable recovery. In Europe, it has acquired considerable leverage as a major energy supplier; in Central Asia, it is seeking to roll back American inroads into its traditional sphere of influence; while in the Middle East, it is challenging American dominance by its friendly relations with countries and organisations now under hostile U.S. pressure, such as Iran, Syria, and, more recently, Hamas, which it refuses to consider a "terrorist organisation."
The United States is also facing considerable opposition in Latin America from countries such as Venezuela and Brazil, which have rebelled against American dominance.
But an even more insidious challenge is coming from relatively minor powers, from insurgents and from non-state actors. No one needs reminding, for example, that the Iraqi insurgency has already dealt an exceedingly painful blow to America's armed forces and that, if the war is prolonged, it could even inflict a humiliating defeat not unlike that which the United States suffered in Vietnam in an earlier generation.
It is also becoming plain that Iran is determined to master the uranium fuel cycle in defiance of threats of military action by the United States and its Israeli ally. In an echo of the Cold War, Tehran is counting on China and Russia to protect it from UN sanctions and indeed from attack.
It looks increasingly as if the only way out of the crisis will be by means of an American-Iranian negotiation which will provide Tehran with guarantees against attack and with recognition of its important role in the Gulf region.
Syria, too, remains defiant, resisting American and French pressures to disengage totally from Lebanon where, even after the withdrawal of its army, it retains considerable strategic interests, as well as powerful allies. Twenty-three years ago, Syria managed to destroy the American-brokered 17 May 1983 accord between Israel and Lebanon, which would have placed Lebanon in Israel's sphere of influence. Today's trial of strength is, in many ways, a replay of that battle.
The pattern we are witnessing is of small states or rebel organizations standing up successfully to American or Israeli power. Hizballah, for example, was able to expel Israel from south Lebanon in 2000 after a 22-year occupation. Hamas is putting up a stiff fight against attempts by the United States and Israel to destroy it, before it has had a chance to govern the Palestinian territories.
In Afghanistan, the Taliban appear to be rebuilding their forces, thereby posing a dangerous challenge to American and other foreign forces which are attempting to stabilize the country. Meanwhile, at the extreme end of the radical spectrum, Al-Qaida continues to threaten the United States and its allies as was evident from last week's series of blood-curdling messages.
The small Gulf state of Qatar has managed the remarkable achievement of hosting CENTCOM, Middle East headquarters of U.S. armed forces, but also Al-Jazeera television which, in its own way, poses a challenge to America's world view at least as potent as that of the more violent groups and states whose activities it faithfully reports.
**Patrick Seale is a leading British writer on the Middle East, and the author of The Struggle for Syria; also, Asad of Syria: The Struggle for the Middle East; and Abu Nidal: A Gun for Hire.
Copyright © 2006 Patrick Seale, distributed by Agence Global

Below three comments sent to the Middle East on Line site
General Aoun is not a sectarian leader
Dear Editors,
I'm writing in regard to the article written by Salim Yassine entitled "A year after pullout, Lebanon still politically divided" published on line on 26 of April 2006. Mr Selim Yassine mentioned the Lebanese former prime minister General Michel Aoun as "Christian leader Michel Aoun". Your words hinted to the public opinion that General Michel Aoun is a sectarian leader, and that's very far from the truth. I would like to Clarify to you that, Though if General Aoun is a Christian by birth and proud to be a member of his religion, General Aoun is a secular Lebanese leader , and Head of the Free Patriotic Movement that is adopting an aim to build a secular republic in Lebanon according to its known charter.
The Free Patriotic Movement led by General Aoun, contains thousands of Lebanese people from different sects , and it's not a sectarian Christian movement, considering the fact that its including about 20% of Muslims of its general members.
Also, the history of General Aoun and the present situation show how much he's a secular leader, and fighting against the sectarianism , to build a real free republic. Also I kindly ask you to check the charter of the free patriotic movement at its official website ( www.tayyar.org) also i urge you to check the history of General Aoun at this known non-biased website http://www.lexicorient.com/e.o/aoun_michel.htm
Sincerly your words doesn't help to contribute in searching for a solution of the Lebanese case, but they will increase the crisis situation of Lebanon, because the sectarianism is the dangerous enemy of Lebanon.
Also you hinted that General Aoun shifted his positions (defection to the rival side).
General Aoun was a rival of the Syrian occupation to Lebanon and fought against that occupation for 17 years, but he was also asking for true relations with our neighbor Syria. And all the accuses of changing positions is a propaganda made by the "14 March" group to attack General Aoun for their personal benefits.
Also they are trying to make a sort of discrimination against him, caused by the speeches of General Aoun and his party's reforming program, that will allow the government and the Lebanese authorities to bring many of them to the justice after 15 years of corruption.
I hope that you will take into consideration my comments
best regards
John Assy
Lebanon

Dear Editors,
I am writing in regard to "A year after pullout, Lebanon still politically divided" written by Salim Yassine.
After reading the article with great interest, I came upon something that I would, like to clarify. in regard to General Michel Aoun, Salim Yassine mentions that "The anti-Syrians have also been hard hit by a series of bomb attacks against prominent figures critical of Damascus's dominant role, and the defection of Christian leader Michel Aoun to the rival camp."
Please note that Leader Michel Aoun of the Free Patriotic Movement is not a Christian leader. He is Christian by birth, however, his ideology is secular. His political stances are clear to be that of a state separated
from religion as stated in the charter of the party. Almost 20% of Moslems support General Michel Aoun, hence calling him a Christian leader is unfair and unreasonable. Also I would like to note that Aoun never changed his stance, but however, it was the March 14 alliance that turned against him by fear knowing that he has a great number of supporters and that he will bring them to justice due to their financial abuse of the country in the past 15 years. General Aoun never changed his stances and has always fought for a free secular Lebanon. His views have not changed. For 15 years, he has been the only true leader fighting against Syria, thus claiming that he defects to the Pro-Syrian side is also totally irrelevant.
I urge you to take into consideration these important points.
Thank you for your time,
Sincerely,
Mayssa el Khazen

Dear Editors,
In an analysis published on your site (April 26, 2006) titled, "A year after pullout, Lebanon still politically divided" Salim Yassine did a great job analyzing the situation in Lebanon however he committed a common mistake that journalists often fall into. Salim refers to General Michel Aoun as a "Christian leader".
From this statement one would deduce that Aoun is a Christian leader and thus Mr. Yassine would be limiting his representation to only Lebanese of Christian faith. This is totally inaccurate as Aoun, although Christian by faith, is a national leader who represents the aspirations and ambitions of Lebanese from all sects and religions.
The Parliamentary bloc led by Michel Aoun consists of legislators from Muslim and Christian faith. Moreover, Michel Aoun although Christian by birth, leads a secular national movement (Free Patriotic Movement) that calls for the separation of religion from politics and the abolishment of sectarianism in Lebanon. His movement includes many Muslims amongst its ranks and just recently the movement has been officially recognized by the Lebanese government and 3 of the 8 founding members are non-Christians. In addition to the above, all the recent polls in Lebanon favor Aoun for the presidency and not only amongst Christians, but amongst Lebanese in general. I fail to see how could the reference to the Christian term in your article has any relevance. If Mr. Yassine was only trying to say that he is Christian by faith then by all means this is irrelevant and in a country like Lebanon where sectarianism is at its maximum, this could lead to your readers thinking that Aoun is a sectarian leader calling for the benefits of Christians only. I as a Muslim feel represented by General Michel Aoun, and many Muslims share this belief with me. With you limiting Aoun representation to Christian citizens, Yassine is neglecting a portion of non-Christians who believe in the principles called for by him. For the sake of objectivity, I do hope you rectify your article and take this issue into consideration when reporting about General Michel Aoun or the Free Patriotic Movement.
Regards,
Mehyar Yahfoufi
Beirut - Lebanon