LCCC ENGLISH NEWS BULLETIN
NOVEMBER 29/06Biblical Reading For today
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 21,5-11.
While some people were speaking about how the temple was adorned with costly stones and votive offerings, he said, All that you see here--the days will come when there will not be left a stone upon another stone that will not be thrown down. Then they asked him, "Teacher, when will this happen? And what sign will there be when all these things are about to happen?" He answered, "See that you not be deceived, for many will come in my name, saying, 'I am he,' and 'The time has come.' Do not follow them! When you hear of wars and insurrections, do not be terrified; for such things must happen first, but it will not immediately be the end."Then he said to them, "Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be powerful earthquakes, famines, and plagues from place to place; and awesome sights and mighty signs will come from the sky.Free Opinions
Hassan Nasrallah’s planned «March on Beirut»,Fascist Style.By Pierre Akel 29.11.06
The Martyrs' Cabinet-By: Ghassan Charbel Dar Al-Hayat 29.11.06
Latest New from miscellaneous sources for November 29/11/06
Muslim, Christian Leaders Appeal for Calm Amid Protest Threats
Cornet Shahwan Meets Sfeir, Calls for Early End of Lahoud
Militant Blows Himself Up at Syria-Lebanon Border
Lahoud 'to block' Lebanon panel-BBC News - UK
Lebanon faces uncertain future-Gulf News - Dubai,United Arab Emirates
Al Qaeda leader in Syria kills himself with explosives-Ya Libnan
Syrian gunman killed on Lebanon-Syria border-Washington Post
Man blows self up at Syria-Lebanon border-Houston Chronicle
Pope preaches brotherhood in Turkey-AP
Bush says U.S. won't pull out of Iraq-AP
Dark cloud hangs over Lebanon-Mail & Guardian Online
Gemayel Assassination Underscores Lebanon's Need for US Support in ...Heritage.org
US Official: Syria's 'Intrusive Involvement' in Lebanon is Problem ...Naharnet
NY Times: Hizbullah has Trained Iraqi Shiite Militia in Lebanon-Naharnet
Bush's Iraq mission excludes Syria, Iran-United Press International
Syria Slams US, France for Interfering in Lebanon-Naharnet
South Korea to Send UN Troops to Lebanon-Naharnet
Aoun, Geagea Supporters Trade Insults as Lebanon Braced for ...Naharnet
Syria accuses France, US of meddling in Lebanon-Middle East Online
Hezbollah Training Shiite Militia Group in Lebanon, Iran, US ...FOX News
US must answer Syria's well-timed act of mayhem-Houston Chronicle
Lebanon, assassination central-CBC.ca
Burns denounces Syria`s terrorist activities-Zee News
Iranian and Syrian interference in Lebanon expected to be on ...International Herald Tribune
Ad Blitz Targets Lebanon's Divides-Washington Post
Hitchens on the Baker Commission and Lebanon-Hot Air - MD,USA
Dark cloud hangs over Lebanon-Mail & Guardian Online
Protesters Demand End to Israeli Assault on Lebanon-Washington Report on Middle East Affairs
Lebanon unrest: Troops scuffle with protestors-CCTV
Hezbollah's Victory Has Transformed the Middle East-Washington Report on Middle East Affairs
Khamenei ordered Hezbollah to form an " Islamic Lebanese Republic ...Lebanese Lobby - Lebanon
Lebanon in no mood for another Hezbollah surprise-Ya Libnan
Beware the ides of March-Ya LibnanAl Qaeda leader in Syria kills himself with explosives
Tuesday, 28 November, 2006 @ 7:14 PM
Beirut & Damascus- The Syrian interior ministry said Tuesday that the military chief of Tawhid and Jihad, Omar Hamra detonated his explosives on the Syrian-Lebanese border, killing himself and injuring two Syrian security officers. The 28-year-old leader was trying to enter Lebanon at the Jdeidet Yabous border post with fake documents, a Syrian Interior Ministry statement said. The statement said he opened fire on security forces and tried to escape. After a chase, the man detonated an explosive belt, killing himself and wounding the two Syrian security officers. The crossing is about a seven-minute drive from the Lebanese border point of Masnaa on the highway linking the Lebanese capital Beirut with Syria's capital, Damascus. Tawhid and Jihad linked to Al-Qaeda The official name of the organization is Jama'at Al-Tawhid wa Al-Jihad. According to Global security .com web site this organization released a statement claiming it had officially joined the Al-Qaeda terrorist network, Al-Arabiyah television reported on 20 October 2004. The organization was led by Abu Musab al-Zarqawi . Al-Zarqawi was born in Jordan . He led the insurgents in Iraq and pledged allegiance to Osama Bin Laden. He was killed by the US and Iraqi forces on June 7, 2006. Al Qaeda has joined the calls of Lebanon’s opposition to force the government of PM Fouad Siniora to resign. One observer told Ya Libnan” obviously Omar Hamra was not traveling to Lebanon as a tourist…he was heading here for trouble”. He added the big question is “ why would Damascus allow such people to move freely within Syria ?” Picture: Jama'at Al-Tawhid wa Al-Jihad logo Source: Ya Libnan, AP, Global SecurityMilitant Blows Himself Up at Syria-Lebanon Border
An Islamic militant blew himself up, wounding two military officers, at the main Lebanese-Syrian border crossing on Tuesday following a firefight, the official Sana news agency said. "The military leader of the armed wing of the Tawhid wal Jihad (unity and holy war) organization, the terrorist Omar Abdullah, aka Omar Hamra, opened fire on Syrian security forces," Sana quoted an interior ministry official as saying.
He "tried to flee after opening fire with a pistol ... as security forces chased him he blew himself up using an explosives belt, killing himself and wounding two Syrian officers", it said. Sana said the attacker, "of Syrian origin and aged 28, was trying to cross the Syrian-Lebanese border at the Jdaydet Yabus crossing using forged documents." He was found with nine forged identity cards on him. The Jdaydet Yabus passageway in southwest Syria is on the Damascus-Beirut international road. Several Islamist groups go under the name Tawhid wal Jihad, which was first used by Jordanian-born Abu Musab al-Zarqawi who headed Al-Qaida in Iraq until his death in a U.S. air strike earlier this year.(AFP) Beirut, 28 Nov 06, 18:16Muslim, Christian Leaders Appeal for Calm Amid Protest Threats
Muslim religious leaders appealed Tuesday on rival factions in Lebanon not to take to the streets as the anti-Syrian Christian Phalange party called for a 10-day political truce to ease tensions. The calls came after pro-Syrian Hizbullah and its Christian ally General Michel Aoun threatened to take to the streets to topple Prime Minister Fouad Saniora's government. The opposition had decided to postpone by at least a week plans to take to the streets after last Tuesday's murder of Industry Minister Pierre Gemayel, the sixth critic of Syria to be slain over the past two years.
The crisis centers on calls for the formation of a government of national unity, a demand seen by many as a bid by the pro-Syrian opposition to regain its influence within the leadership, now dominated by anti-Damascus forces.
In an interview with the Dubai-based Al-Arabiya television, Saniora vowed to prevent civil war from breaking out again in Lebanon which is still reeling from the 1975-1990 devastating civil strife. "We want to avoid discord. My presence here (in the government), and that of many others will prevent discord and civil war." "Because even if there is war... in the end, we will have to sit back together" to settle disputes with dialogue, he said.
"I still have hope, and continue to seek that there will not be street protests," he said. The official heads of the Shiite, Sunni and Druze confessions held an emergency meeting at the headquarters of the Druze community in Beirut before jointly calling on Saniora and pro-Syrian speaker Nabih Berri.
The meeting grouped the Sunni mufti, Sheikh Rashid Qabbani, Sheikh Abdel Amir Qabalan, deputy president of the Higher Shiite Council, and Sheikh Naim Hassan, head of the Druze religious community.
"We strongly reject demonstrations. Taking to the streets will only be destructive. We call on everybody to remain calm," Sheikh Qabalan said after the meeting. "We are afraid and worried that taking to the streets will lead to more division," he told reporters. "We reject any attempt to take to the streets because Lebanon is in need of unity, and we have to protect Beirut, not by demonstrations but with democracy and wise policies," he said.
"The situation has become difficult and worrying." Karim Pakradouni, President of the Phalange party, said his group has called for a 10-day political truce "to give a chance" for a peaceful solution to the crisis. "We call for a 10-day truce during which all parties will avoid escalation. During those 10 days, the government will not take decisions to which the opposition may object, and they, in turn, will not take to the streets," he told Agence France Presse. Pakradouni said that former President Amine Gemayel, father of the slain industry minister and overall leader of the Phalangists, visited Berri on Tuesday to deliver the request to the opposite camp.
He said a return to national roundtable talks -- organized by Berri and which collapsed early November when all five Shiite cabinet ministers resigned -- would prevent Lebanon from "falling into the abyss."
A sixth pro-Syrian government minister has also stepped down.
There was no immediate response from Berri, but after a visit to the speaker, Hizbullah MP Mohammed Raad said the Phalangists' proposal was not an "appropriate settlement" to the crisis.
Also, a delegation from Lebanon's employers' body, the Economic Association, visited politicians from both sides to renew calls for an end to the political bickering and warn of the economic fallout. "The streets were never the place to take Lebanon to a better place. We met with General Aoun today, and he agreed with us on that matter. He said that if there was a chance for everyone to sit on the same table, he will be ready to do so," said Adnan Kassar, president of the employers' body. The employers' association and trade unions held a two-day strike last week to warn politicians that their dispute was preventing the country from getting back on its feet.(AFP-Naharnet) (AFP photo shows Speaker Berri meeting with Shiite Mufti Qabalan, Druze Mufti Hussein and Sunni Mufti Qabbani) Beirut, 28 Nov 06, 21:00
Cornet Shahwan Meets Sfeir, Calls for Early End of Lahoud
The Cornet Shahwan Christian coalition called Tuesday for an early end of Syrian-backed President Emile Lahoud, accusing him of covering up for the crimes and encouraging terrorism and killing.
The announcement came after representatives from Cornet Shahwan met with Patriarch Nasrallah Sfeir in Bkirki to brief him on the coalition stand from the assassination of Industry Minister Pierre Gemayel, scion of one of Lebanon's most prominent Christian families.
A statement read by Butros Harb said Lahoud's refusal to forward Gemayel's case to the judicial council, the highest court in Lebanon, "falls within the framework of covering up for the crimes, and encourages the method of terrorism and killing that is targeting Independence leaders."
Gemayel, a Syrian critic, was gunned down along with a bodyguard last week to become the sixth anti-Damascus figure to be assassinated in Lebanon in the past two years. The statement said Lahoud's conduct puts him in the "accusation circle."
Cornet Shahwan also blamed Lahoud for setting "massive obstacles before the international and Lebanese probe (into the political assassinations) by hampering the job of the constitutional bodies.""Therefore, his (Lahoud's) resignation is a necessity for any inter-Lebanese understanding towards a settlement, and for restoring a comprehensive Christian role in any national participation by liberating the position of the head of state from Syrian tutelage," the statement said. Harb said the conferees expressed Cornet Shahwan coalition's willingness to "extend a hand to all factions in the current power struggle, particularly the Christians, in order to alleviate the prevailing tensions." Beirut, 28 Nov 06, 22:56Chirac, Bush Agree on Backing Saniora
French President Jacques Chirac and U.S. President George Bush have agreed during a telephone conversation on the need to back Premier Fouad Saniora's government."The leaders agreed on the need for the international community to support the Saniora government, including with financial assistance. They discussed the upcoming donor conference that France will host on Lebanon," Gordon Johndroe, the spokesman of the U.S. National Security Council said. The U.S. and France have cooperated closely to support Saniora's government and bring an end to Syrian interference in Lebanese affairs. French presidential spokesman Jerome Bonnafont also said the two leaders "brought up the situation in the Middle East and notably the Israeli-Palestinian situation and international action toward Lebanon."
Bonnafont said Chirac and Bush discussed NATO engagement in Afghanistan. "The discussion permitted an exchange of views on questions that will be addressed during the NATO summit in Riga, and particularly our joint engagement in Afghanistan," Bonnafont said. In particular, the discussions touched on Chirac's proposal to create a contact group on Afghanistan, gathering the main troop contributors, surrounding countries and top international organizations.(AFP-Naharnet) Beirut, 28 Nov 06, 07:47
Bolton: Foreign Interference in Lebanon on Bush's Agenda
Iranian and Syrian interference in Lebanon is a major U.S. concern and will be a subject of discussion during President George Bush's trip to the Middle East later this week, U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. John Bolton said Monday. While Bush's primary reason for flying to Amman, Jordan, is to meet Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki to discuss stabilizing that war-torn country, his trip comes at a time of heightened tension between pro- and anti-Syrian factions in Lebanon following the assassination of Industry Minister Pierre Gemayel last week.Anti-Damascus politicians blamed the killing in broad daylight on the Syrian regime. "I think that the danger that the White House forecast of Iranian and Syrian interference in Lebanon forecast some weeks ago remains very much on our minds," Bolton told reporters Monday. "And I think it'll be the subject of discussions on the president's trip," he said. "Certainly when he goes to the region, this could well be a decisive point in Lebanon's history and hopefully its progress toward a freely elected and democratic government and a stable situation."
Bolton warned, however, that "if that's unsuccessful there, it will obviously have dramatically negative consequences for the region as a whole."
"So we're following it very carefully and want to do everything we can to support the democratically elected forces in the government of Lebanon," he said. Premier Fouad Saniora's cabinet sent President Emile Lahoud a draft accord Monday to establish a tribunal to try the alleged killers of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. But Syrian protégé Lahoud is expected to decline to endorse the agreement, which would set up a U.N. backed court that would sit outside Lebanon. The tribunal has become a weapon in the battle between pro-Syrian Hizbullah and the anti-Syrian majority in parliament and cabinet over demands by the Shiite group and its allies for a third of the government's seats. That would give them veto powers.
On Friday, Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah and Speaker Nabih Berri, leader of the Amal movement, said they supported the creation of the tribunal, but indicated that their priority was to achieve greater representation in cabinet.
The tribunal accord needs to be approved by the parliament, but Berri says Saniora's cabinet is no longer constitutional.
"If Hizbullah and Amal support the establishment of the tribunal," Bolton said, "then presumably they can express that by voting in favor of the agreement in parliament, where it will then receive ... an overwhelming vote."Bolton said he understood that if the president doesn't decide within 15 days, the government can submit the tribunal agreements to parliament for ratification by a simple majority.
"We'll wait and see if this doesn't play out inside Lebanon," he said. Bolton was asked about a letter sent to the Security Council on Friday by Syria's government suggesting Damascus might not cooperate with the tribunal because it was not consulted on the plan.
"They haven't cooperated adequately from the beginning," Bolton said. "And if I were in their shoes, I guess I'd worry even more about establishing a tribunal than the investigation. So no surprises there from Syria, as usual."U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan sidestepped a question about Syrian objections, saying the tribunal agreement spells out various steps and "we are proceeding with our plans."
"I accept that there are internal issues that the prime minister will have to work out for the political forces in Lebanon, but that is the responsibility of the Lebanese, not that of the U.N.," he said.(AP-Naharnet) Beirut, 28 Nov 06, 08:17
Aoun, Geagea Supporters Trade Insults as Lebanon Braces for Hizbullah's 'Surprise' Actions
Lebanese troops and riot police separated overnight about 2,000 pro- and anti- government Christian supporters after trading insults and throwing glass bottles at each other in Beirut's Ashrafieh neighborhood. The scuffle came as Hizbullah and its pro-Syrian allies threatened to stage mass street protests unless they obtain a veto-wielding share of the cabinet -- a demand that Prime Minister Fouad Saniora and pro-government anti-Syrian parties have rejected. The leading daily An Nahar said Tuesday that about 1,000 army commandos and security forces arrived at Ashrafieh's Sassine Square Monday evening to disperse the crowd. It said the squabble began when followers hanged posters of their leader, Hizbullah's Christian ally General Michel Aoun. Supporters of Samir Geagea's Christian Lebanese Forces party faced up to Aoun's men, who were soon engaged in verbal abuse, shouting insults at each others' leaders, according to An Nahar. Security sources said the two sides also tossed glass bottles at each other, but no casualties were reported.
An Nahar, which headlined the incident: "Sassine Square, a Battlefield," said a separate quarrel took place Monday evening in the nearby Gemayzeh neighborhood over the tearing down of posters. It did not elaborate. It said the disengagement force drawn from army troops and riot police stayed well into the early morning hours Tuesday as the rival sides hanged about in Sassine Square. Meanwhile, a draft accord sent to President Emile Lahoud for the creation of a tribunal to try suspects in the killing of ex-Premier Rafik Hariri would further ratchet up the power struggle between the country's pro- and anti-Syrian camps. The Syrian-backed president is expected to decline to endorse the agreement sent to him Monday. The accord would set up the U.N.-backed court in a location outside Lebanon. For opponents of Syria, the court is a major priority -- one they hope will uncover the truth behind the February 2005 assassination of Hariri which they accuse Damascus of orchestrating. Syria denies the claim.
Six pro-Syrian cabinet ministers, including two from Hizbullah, resigned from the cabinet earlier this month shortly before the government gave initial approval to the tribunal. The move caused Lahoud to say the government should step down because the constitution requires all sects to be represented in the cabinet. But Saniora, who is backed by the United States and France, has refused to resign, saying the cabinet meetings still reached the quorum necessary to make decisions, including the approval of the tribunal. Hizbullah Deputy Secretary-General Sheik Naim Qassem has warned that the party will "surprise" the government with threatened street protests aimed at toppling Saniora's government, adding that Hizbullah will not reveal details of planned activities beforehand.(Naharnet-AP)
LBC's Daher Bodyguards Arrested on Shooting Exercise
Nine bodyguards of Pierre Daher, LBC television's chairman of the board, have been arrested while on a shooting exercise to deal with any assassination attempt that could target the media executive. Security sources said the bodyguards, equipped with automatic rifles and guns, were apprehended by security forces Monday on the outskirts of the town of Shahtoul in the Kesrouan province. They said the bodyguards were taken for investigation to the Lebanese army's intelligence headquarters, from where they were referred to the martial court. The sources said the weapons along with three escort jeeps used by the bodyguards, were confiscated. Daher has informed the Lebanese Army Command that the nine bodyguards are part of the "LBC security team" authorized to protect the corporation as well as that of himself. Daher said the bodyguards were on "their routine Monday shooting training."However, Hizbullah's Al Manar television channel was quick to report on its Monday night newscast that the arrested men belonged to anti-Syrian Christian leader Samir Geagea's Lebanese Forces faction. The group denied the charge. Al Manar pointed a finger at the Lebanese Forces party, accusing it of rearming its members following the disarmament of all Lebanese militias after the 1975-90 civil war which ended under the Taif accord. Hizbullah is the only party in Lebanon which refuses to lay down its arms, saying its weapons are "to fight the (Israeli) enemy." A controversy between Daher and LF over the television's ownership has been going on for the past two years. Beirut, 28 Nov 06, 14:57
Bush: Saniora's Government Being Undermined by 'Extremists'
U.S. President George Bush said Tuesday that Premier Fouad Saniora's government was being undermined by "extremists," with support in Syria and Iran. "There's a young democracy in Lebanon, run by Prime Minister Saniora. And that government is being undermined, in my opinion, by extremist forces encouraged out of Syria and Iran," Bush told reporters during a visit to Estonia. The U.S. president also said a democratic Lebanon "will be a major defeat for those who articulate extremist point of views." The U.S., which labels Syrian and Iranian backed Hizbullah as a terrorist organization, has accused Damascus and Tehran of attempting to stage a coup d'etat against Saniora's government through the Shiite group.
U.S. ambassador to the U.N. John Bolton told BBC radio Saturday that Industry Minister Pierre Gemayel's murder may have sounded the "first shot" in a coup against Saniora's cabinet. Bush, who travels to Jordan later in the week for a summit with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, said the latest cycle of violence in Iraq does not represent a new era: "We've been in this phase for a while." Iraq is reeling from the deadliest week of sectarian fighting since the war began in March 2003.
Bush, dating the current spike in violence to a February bombing of a sacred Shiite shrine in Samarra that triggered reprisal attacks between Shiites and Sunnis and raised fears of civil war, said he will ask al-Maliki to explain his plan for quelling the violence.
"The Maliki government is going to have to deal with that violence and we want to help them do so," he said. "It's in our interest that we succeed."
Jordan's King Abdullah, who is hosting al-Maliki's meeting with Bush, has warned that unless bold steps are taken urgently, the new year could dawn with three civil wars in the Mideast -- with one in Iraq added to those in Lebanon and between the Palestinians and Israelis.
But Bush, dodging a direct answer of whether Iraq was embroiled in civil war, tied the three conflicts together in a different way: He said recent strife in Lebanon and the heated up Israeli-Palestinian dispute are, like Iraq, the result of extremists trying to choke off democratic progress.
"When you see a young democracy beginning to emerge in the Middle East, the extremists try to defeat its emergence," Bush said. "Extremists attack because they can't stand the thought of a democracy. And the same thing is happening in Iraq."(AP-Naharnet) Beirut, 28 Nov 06, 14:42
Syria Slams U.S., France for Interfering in Lebanon
Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Moallem on Tuesday accused the United States and France of interference in Lebanon and rejected similar accusations leveled by Paris on Damascus. Moallem branded as "nonsense" U.S. and French allegations surrounding Syrian's role in the killings of Lebanese political figures. "We know who's interfering, the Americans and the French," he said, speaking on the sidelines of a Euromed summit of EU and Mediterranean foreign ministers held in Tampere, Finland. "We are playing our role according to the interest of our people and the regional interest, we are playing a constructive role," Moallem added. Meanwhile French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy reaffirmed the need for Lebanon's "sovereignty, independence and desire for freedom" to be respected. "It (Lebanon) should not be held hostage to special interests which are not its own," Douste-Blazy said. Both Paris and Washington refuse all contact with the Syrian leadership and have regularly accused Damascus of attempting to destabilize Lebanon. Syria came under renewed suspicion after last week's assassination of anti-Syrian Industry Minister, Pierre Gemayel, in the north Beirut suburb of Jdeideh. Gemayel was the latest in a series of political opponents of Damascus to be killed in the past two years.
On Monday, President Jacques Chirac and U.S. President George Bush agreed during a telephone conversation on the need to back Premier Fouad Saniora's anti-Syrian government.(AFP-Naharnet) Beirut, 28 Nov 06, 13:48
U.S. Embassy Denies Report on American Departure
The United States Embassy denied Tuesday a press report that it has urged its citizens to evacuate Lebanon in the wake of growing tensions resulting from the country's political impasse. The embassy said in a press release that it has "absolutely no plans to close its doors in Lebanon, nor has it ordered the departure of any of its employees, their family members or American citizens."The Lebanese daily Ad Diyar said Tuesday the U.S. embassy has called on its employees and citizens in Lebanon to leave the country before December 1 "in view of the critical developments Lebanon is witnessing." The United States relationship with Lebanon "remains firm, enduring and non-negotiable," the embassy statement said. "The U.S. Embassy plays an important role—and will continue to do so—supporting diverse programs that contribute to the dynamic relationship between our two countries," it added. Beirut, 28 Nov 06, 13:15
Hizbullah's Planned March on Beirut is Like Mussolini's March on Rome
November 28, 2006 No.1366
Editor of Arab Reformist Website ‘Middle East Transparent’:
In an editorial posted on the reformist website Middle East Transparent on July 17, 2006, five days after the outbreak of the war in Lebanon, site editor Pierre Akel warned that Hizbullah's ultimate aim was to topple Lebanon's elected government headed by Prime Minister Fuad Al-Siniora. He said that Hizbullah was trying to replace it with a new government that would be favor of Lebanese President Emile Lahoud and would reinstate "Lebanon's vassal relationship with Syria." This, he said, would be the end of Lebanon's democracy and the beginning of a "mullah-cracy," which he argued would spark a new civil war in Lebanon.
On October 16, 2006, Akel published a follow-up article, in which he pointed to the accuracy of his earlier predictions.
The following are excerpts from the October 16, 2006 article, in the original English: [1]
Hizbullah's Ultimate Goal is to Topple Lebanese Democracy
"The summer war between Hizbullah and Israel started on July 12, 2006. In an editorial dated July 17, on the Arabic page of Middle East Transparent, I wrote the following:
"'For the last few days Hassan Nasrallah and his deputy, Naim Qassem, have been declaring that "it would be better for the Israelis to put an immediate end to the current clashes and to accept the principle of prisoner exchange"! Israel's reaction has been to wage an unrestrained war against Hizbullah and against Lebanese civilian infrastructures alike. Which means that the Israeli reaction has obliged Hizbullah to enter into a decisive battle prematurely...
"'Hizbullah's attack should not be [regarded] in the context of the Arab-Israeli struggle. Rather, it should be viewed in the context of internal Lebanese politics... and in the context of Lebanon's relations with Syria and with Iran.'
"[I further wrote:] 'What were the aims of Hizbullah's attack [on Israel]...? Was it Hizbullah's intention to merely capture two Israeli soldiers? Or was the real intention to start a "coup d'état"... which would allow it, in the end, to seize power in Lebanon itself ?
"'Does Hizbullah's plan (which shall certainly make use of the "nationalistic" and "Islamic" prestige of a successful attack against the Israeli forces) include a "march on Beirut" with the aim of toppling the elected Siniora government [using] a mixture of [military] and political pressure, aided by President Emile Lahoud, who would sign a "decree" ending the mandate of the present government and replacing it with a new pro-Lahoud government that would reestablish Lebanon's vassal relationship with Syria, noting that Syria itself has entered into the Iranian orbit lately?'"
A Hizbullah Coup Against Al-Siniora's Government Will Be the Beginning of a "Mullah-cracy" in Lebanon
"And finally, [I wrote]: 'Was [this] "Fascist Scenario" - [which is] a repetition of Mussolini's March on Rome - the scenario adopted by Nasrallah and his Syrian and Iranian partners?... If Hizbullah's "coup d'état" is realized, then it will, in reality, be a "coup d'état" against the 1943 Convention (which was the basis of Lebanon's independence) and against the "Taif Accord" (which put an end to the Civil War). [This] amounts to saying that it would be a "coup d'état" against the liberal democratic regime and the starting point of a "mullah-cracy" in Lebanon. Such a "mullah-cracy" will [surely] spark a new civil war and [lead] to the division of Lebanon into [ethnic] mini-states.'
"That article, written five days from the start of heavy Israeli raids all over Lebanon [sparked] controversy. Many pseudo-liberals and pseudo-progressives rejected its 'pessimistic' analysis and expressed their dismay, in particular, at the use of the term 'fascist' to describe Hassan Nasrallah. Inevitably, there [also] had to be some pseudo-Marxists [who] pointed out that Fascism was a "European phenomenon of the 1930s" which could not recur in a totally different, Lebanese context!
"Five months later, this pessimistic scenario is unfortunately proving to be true, to the letter. The Hizbullah and Amal ministers left the Lebanese government when the ruling majority [refused to] accept their 'ultimatum', [namely, that] Hizbullah and its allies [must receive] 'one third of [the cabinet]' - which means [giving] a minority [i.e. Hizbullah and Amal] a veto power over all government decisions...
"When the Lebanese government went ahead to approve the U.N. International Court proposal for Lebanon (regarding the Al-Hariri assassination case), the Syrian-appointed President Lahoud declared that the Siniora government has become illegitimate, since the Shi'ites are no longer represented in it. "Now, Nasrallah is giving his supporters 'assurances' that a 'clean government' will soon be established... Yesterday, Iran's Ayatollah Khamenei predicted that U.S. Imperialism will be defeated in Lebanon!
"The background to the [current] Hizbullah-Syria-Iran offensive is easy to guess: the defeat of the Republicans in the recent U.S. elections and the possible withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq. [In this situation], the anti-Hizbullah forces in Lebanon are in a less advantageous position, but certainly not in a desperate position. Remember, on March 8, 2005, Nasrallah rallied 300,000 supporters in the center of Beirut [when he] declared his loyalty to the Syrian dictator. At the time, 30,000 Syrian soldiers were still occupying the country. Yet six days later... more than one million Lebanese marched on Beirut to crush Hizbullah's attempt to keep the country under [Syrian] occupation.
"It seems that Hassan Nasrallah's party is ready to play all its cards in its [thinly] disguised 'coup d'état.' Hizbullah claims to have more than 20,000 missiles and thousands of Iranian-trained fighters. It has been strengthened by its alliance with General Michel Aoun, who seems ready to sacrifice the republic [in order to become] president. [Yet] the inherent weakness of Nasrallah's position is still there...
"Even if the U.S. forces leave Iraq, the Lebanese majority has only one option: to resist Hizbullah's fascist 'coup d'état' and... to win. For a people which is still suffering from the consequences of 30 years of civil war and foreign occupations, the novelty is that a large majority of the Lebanese has come to believe in a civil, unarmed struggle. The Lebanese majority does not want to go back to the black days of bloodshed and destruction. That is the real challenge for the people of Lebanon and for the region."
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[1] http://www.metransparent.com/texts/pierre_akel/pierre_akel_hassan_nasrallah_s_planned_coup_d_etat_fascist_style.htm. The text has been lightly edited for clarity.U.S. Officials: Hezbollah Training Iraqi Shiite Militia Group
Tuesday, November 28, 2006
A terrorist group that warred with Israel this summer has been training militants in Iraq and in Lebanon, raising fears of destabilization in a divided Iraq, officials said on Tuesday. Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed group in Lebanon, has been aiding Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr's militia, senior intelligence officials confirmed, following a New York Times report that some 1,000 to 2,000 Shiites had been trained. "The Iranians and the Syrians should help — not destabilize — this young democracy," said President Bush, who is in Europe to attend a NATO summit. Hezbollah on Tuesday denied the charges.
"These accusations are hollow and worthless. They reflect the American occupation's impasse in Iraq, where it is trying to blame others for its defeat," said Hussein Rahhal, Hezbollah's media chief. The intelligence official quoted in the Times story said Iran was facilitating the connection between Hezbollah and the Mahdi Army, which has been accused in sectarian killings in Iraq. The report came as U.S. officials are stepping up their accusations that Iran and Syria, which also backs Hezbollah, are fueling Iraq's spiraling violence by backing militants. In Lebanon, Hezbollah is challenging U.S.-backed Prime Minister Fuad Saniora, demanding it and its allies be given more power in the ruling coalition or else they will bring down his government.
Henrietta Fore, U.S. Department of State undersecretary for management, met Tuesday with Saniora and underlined Washington's support for his government."I reaffirmed the strong support of the United States to work with the government of Lebanon and the Lebanese people to realize their aspirations for a peaceful and prosperous, sovereign and secure country," she said.
In other comments at the NATO summit, Bush expressed his administration's reluctance to talk with Syria and Iran and on the grounds that the two nations have been unhelpful in efforts to achieve Middle East peace. Bush added that the United States will only deal with Iran when it suspends its program of enriching uranium, which could be used in a nuclear weapons arsenal. Iran, the top U.S. rival in the region, has reached out to Iraq and Syria in recent days — an attempt viewed as a bid to assert its role as a powerbroker in Iraq, according to U.S. officials.Officials said this latest revelation about Hezbollah comes after months of reports that Iran was "stirring up trouble" in Iraq by providing military logistics, financing and other assistance. FOX News' Brett Baier and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
South Korea to Send U.N. Troops to Lebanon
South Korea decided Tuesday to send peacekeepers to Lebanon to help maintain the ceasefire between Israel and Hizbullah, a government official in Seoul said. The decision was made during a cabinet meeting presided by President Roh Moo-hyun, the Government Information Agency official said.
The troop dispatch is subject to parliamentary approval, he added. Yonhap news agency reported last week that Seoul had decided to send 400 peacekeepers -- 270 special forces and 130 support personnel. A U.N. cease-fire resolution has authorized up to 15,000 U.N. peacekeepers to help Lebanese troops extend their authority into south Lebanon, a Hizbullah stronghold. South Korea has said it wants to play a role to fulfill its international responsibilities. South Korea has previously sent peacekeepers to seven regions, including Western Sahara, Afghanistan, Sudan and Burundi, according to the Defense Ministry. Seoul also has 2,300 troops in Iraq.(AP-Naharnet) Beirut, 28 Nov 06, 10:33
NY Times: Hizbullah has Trained Iraqi Shiite Militia in Lebanon
Iranian and Syrian-backed Hizbullah has trained between 1,000 and 2,000 Iraqi Shiite militia members in Lebanon, the New York Times reported Tuesday, citing a U.S. intelligence official. The fighters include members of radical cleric Moqtada al-Sadr's Mahdi Army militia in Iraq, the official told the Times. "They are the best-trained fighters in the Mahdi Army," the official said. Hizbullah has also sent a small number of trainers to Iraq, the official said. The intelligence was based on human and electronic sources, as well as interviews with captives in Iraq, the Times reports. Iran acted as a facilitator between Hizbullah and Shiite Iraqi militias, the official said. "There seems to have been a strategic decision taken sometime over late winter or early spring by Damascus, Tehran, along with their partners in Lebanese Hizbullah, to provide more support to Sadr to increase pressure on the U.S.," the official told the Times. The Iraqi militia members learned about "weapons, bomb-making, intelligence, assassinations, the gambit of skill sets," according to the official. While some of the Iraqi Shiite militia members were in Lebanon during mid-year fighting between Hizbullah and Israel, there was no indication they joined the battle, the U.S. official told the Times. The newspaper said the interview with the official occurred at a time of intense debate over whether the U.S. should enlist Iran's help in stabilizing war-torn Iraq. "The claim about Hizbullah's role in training Shiite militias could strengthen the hand of those in the Bush administration who oppose a major new diplomatic involvement with Iran," it said.(AFP-Naharnet)
Beirut, 28 Nov 06, 09:55
U.S. Official: Syria's 'Intrusive Involvement' in Lebanon is Problem to Washington
A senior U.S. official has said Washington's relations with Syria have worsened partly over its "intrusive involvement" in Lebanon.
Undersecretary of State Nicholas Burns also said Washington's problem with Syria is not a lack of communication between the two governments, but Syria's habit of dabbling in terrorist activities throughout the Middle East. At an event hosted by the New York City Asia Society on Monday, Burns said Washington's isolation of Syria has put the country "in the deep freeze." "They're not going to derive the benefits of a normal political or economic relationship with the Sunni Arab states, or with the EU states or with the U.S. as long as they continue to be caught in the nexus of terrorism, along with Iran, in supporting those major Middle East terrorist groups that have such a negative effect on Israel, the Palestinians and Lebanon," he said.
The U.S has had a problematic relationship with Damascus in recent years, with Washington accusing Syria of trying to undermine the anti-Syrian government of Prime Minister Fouad Saniora. "What most of us are trying to do is look for solutions to the problems in the Middle East, and what Syria and Iran appear to be doing is looking to divide, and looking to create and instigate conflict," Burns said.
Relations with Syria have worsened, he said, in part because Damascus "cannot kick the habit of intrusive involvement" in Lebanon.
He pointed out that all of the victims of political assassinations in Lebanon over the last two years have been part of the anti-Syrian movement, including the slaying of Pierre Gemayel last week. Gemayel was the sixth anti-Syrian figure killed in Lebanon in two years and was the first since Gebran Tueni, general manager of the leading daily An Nahar and legislator who was killed in a car bomb in December 2005. Damascus' opponents in Lebanon have accused Syria of being behind previous assassinations particularly that of ex-Premier Rafik Hariri, who was killed in a bombing in Beirut in February 2005, but Syria denies these claims. Syria has denied having any involvement in Gemayel's murder and called the assassination "a despicable crime."(AP-Naharnet) Beirut, 28 Nov 06, 11:00
Pope preaches brotherhood on Turkey trip
By BRIAN MURPHY, Associated Press Writer
ANKARA, Turkey - Pope Benedict XVI began his first visit to a Muslim country Tuesday with a message of dialogue and "brotherhood" between Christians and Muslims in an attempt to ease anger over his perceived criticism of Islam. Two months after the pope touched off fury across the Islamic world with remarks linking violence and Prophet Muhammad, the Turkish prime minister — in a last-minute change of plans — was on hand at the airport in Turkey's capital to greet the pontiff. "All feel the same responsibility in this difficult moment in history, let's work together," Benedict said during his flight from Rome to Ankara, where more than 3,000 police and sharpshooters joined a security effort that surpassed even the visit of President Bush two years ago. The pope used his first moments of his four-day trip to try to mend fences with Islamic leaders. "We know that the scope of this trip is dialogue and brotherhood and the commitment for understanding between cultures ... and for reconciliation," he told reporters on his plane.Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan welcomed the pope at the foot of the plane. "I want to express happiness to see you and your delegation in our country," Erdogan told the pope before meeting with him privately. He described the pope's visit as "very meaningful."
Erdogan, who was bound for a NATO summit in Latvia, had only announced the day before that he would make time to meet Benedict in a nation where many people view the pope with suspicion. Erdogan's political party has Islamic roots, though the government is secular.
In his first official act, Benedict visited the mausoleum of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the founder of modern Turkey, and wrote a message in a guest book calling Turkey "a meeting point of different religions and cultures and a bridge between Asia and Europe."
Police monitored the highway leading to Ankara from the airport, where Turkish and Vatican flags waved in a light breeze. Snipers climbed atop buildings and hilltops. In wooded areas along the route, soldiers in camouflage fatigues set up observation points and sniffer dogs passed along bridges.
Benedict's journey is extraordinarily sensitive, a closely watched pilgrimage full of symbolism that could offer hope of religious reconciliation or deepen what many say is a growing divide between the Christian and Islamic worlds.
The outcome depends partly on the words and gestures of Benedict, who triggered an outcry in September when he quoted a 14th century Christian emperor who characterized the Prophet Muhammad's teachings as "evil and inhuman."
The Vatican said the speech was an attempt to highlight the incompatibility of faith and violence, and Benedict later expressed regret for the violent Muslim backlash.
In Ankara, a small protest was held before Benedict's arrival. "You're not welcome, Pope," read a banner.
It was his first visit to a Muslim country as pontiff. The original goal of the pope's trip to Turkey was to meet Bartholomew I, leader of the world's 300 million Orthodox Christians. The two major branches of Christianity represented by Bartholomew and Benedict split in 1054 over differences in opinion on the power of the papacy, and the two spiritual heads will meet in an attempt to breach the divide and reunite the churches.
Benedict leaves Ankara on Wednesday for Ephesus, where the Virgin Mary is thought to have spent her last years, and will then travel to Istanbul, a former Christian metropolis known as Constantinople until Ottoman Turks conquered it in 1453.
Shortly before the pope's arrival, Erdogan said he hoped the visit would promote peace, and he urged Turks to show traditional hospitality and shun provocations by "marginal" circles. On Monday, a group of 100 pro-Islamic demonstrators displayed a petition demanding that the Haghia Sophia, now a museum in Istanbul, be declared a mosque and opened to worship for Muslims. The Haghia Sophia was built in the 6th century as a Christian church, but was converted to a mosque in 1453 when Islamic armies conquered the city — then a Christian metropolis called Constantinople.
On Sunday, more than 25,000 Turks showed up to an anti-Vatican protest in Istanbul, asking the pope to stay at home.
U.N. Investigators Inspect Gemayel's Murder Scene
U.N. investigators on Monday started surveying Industry Minister Pierre Gemayel's assassination scene, following agreement by the Security Council to provide Lebanon with technical help, the official National News Agency said. "A technical team from the U.N. investigating commission, which is headed by Belgian judge Serge Brammertz, started this morning to survey the crime scene where Industry Minister Pierre Gemayel was assassinated last Tuesday," it said. Brammertz visited the scene of the crime in the north Beirut suburb of Jdeideh on Saturday at the head of a U.N. probe team, a day after a similar "preliminary" visit by U.N. investigators, NNA reported.
Agence France Presse (AFP) quoted its field reporter as saying four U.N. investigators were collecting evidence-related material on a main road in Jdeideh, with one of them also taking photographs. The car in which Gemayel was killed last week was covered by a large, white tent, surrounded by cement blocks and barbed wire. Security forces kept journalists and onlookers at a distance, according to AFP.
A day after the murder, the U.N. Security Council directed the commission to provide technical help, following a request from Premier Fouad Saniora.
The U.N. investigating commission has been set up to probe the February 2005 assassination of five-time premier Rafik Hariri.
Gemayel was the sixth outspoken Lebanese critic of Syria to be killed in the past two years. Damascus has denied any involvement.
The U.N. probe has already implicated several Syrian officials and their Lebanese allies in Hariri's killing in a huge bomb blast on the Beirut seafront.
In a related development, the March 14 forces called sympathizers to take part in a sit-in commemorating the one week memory of Gemayel's assassination Tuesday afternoon.(AFP-Naharnet) Beirut, 27 Nov 06, 13:59
Bush's Iraq mission excludes Syria, Iran
WASHINGTON, Nov. 28 (UPI) -- The Bush administration is ignoring internal advice to include Iran and Syria in its bid to stem sectarian fighting in Iraq, the New York Times reports. The administration is focused on other Arabic countries, including Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Egypt, to help with quieting the tensions in Iraq and Lebanon, sources who asked not to identified told the Times.
The resolve to maintain silence with Iran and Syria was repeated by Bush Tuesday morning in Talinn, Estonia, where he said Iraqi leaders could talk to whomever they liked as "a sovereign nation which is conducting is own foreign policy."
President Bush and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice travel to Jordan this week for talks with Iraq's prime minister and several Sunni Arab leaders to drum up regional resolve in quelling the violence and bolstering the governments of Iraq and Lebanon.
However, signs of frustration within the State Department over foreign policy are becoming evident, as Philip Zelikow, one of Rice's most trusted advisers, announced his resignation Monday to return to teaching, the newspaper said.
Lebanon, assassination central
November 27, 2006-CBC -Canada
A murdered man, cut down in a hail of automatic weapon fire. One hundred thousand people massed in a square shouting slogans of anger and burning photos of a foreign leader. This was Beirut last week and this was yet another political funeral.
In Lebanon, assassinations are partisan messages and funerals the response that shapes them for generations to come.
The murdered man, Pierre Gemayel, was a junior minister in a shaky government. He was not killed because of his position but because of his name. The Gemayels are a dynasty in this torn country, a dynasty that has done much to help tear it apart.
The Gemayels are Maronites, Christians who have lived in Lebanon and Syria for thirteen centuries. In the 1930s, Pierre Gemayel, the grandfather of the murdered minister, created the Phalange party. He was also an admirer of Hitler's Germany.
In August 1936, Gemayel led the Lebanese football team to Berlin to participate in the Olympic Games. "I saw the discipline and order and I said to myself 'Why can't we do the same thing in Lebanon?' So when we came back to Lebanon we created this youth movement."
The youth movement evolved into the Phalange militia and 40 years later it was the mailed fist of the Maronites in the Lebanese civil war.
The murder of a busload of Muslim civilians by Phalangistes, in answer to the killing of Christians outside a church, helped trigger the civil war in 1975. The first act of that terrible spiral into mass violence had been the assassination of a Sunni leader in February of that year.
Seven years later the son of Pierre, Bashir Gemayel, was elected president of Lebanon. Two weeks later his car was blown up.
To avenge his assassination, Phalangiste militiamen massacred Palestinians in the Sabra and Chatila refugee camps. The Israelis were already at the gates of Beirut at that point, having invaded to destroy their enemy, Yasser Arafat. The Israeli army also had the refugee camps surrounded but Israeli commanders maintained they were unaware of what was taking place inside.
The quantity question
The man who replaced Bashir as president in 1982 was Amin Gemayel, the father of the murdered minister. A few months later a multinational force moved in, consisting of American, British, French and Italian troops. Its goal was to separate combatants in the civil war and thus help wind it down.
It was around that time that I met a group of Phalange officers. One was a young man, just 22, but he had been a militia fighter since the age of 15.
A second was older, an engineer with four children. Like so many others in his country, he was convinced that the Maronites were the victims of betrayal and conspiracy.
He spoke French; Lebanon had been for decades a French protectorate. "Why have the French betrayed us?" he asked. "I was brought up in the cradle of French civilization. We are fighting for Western values."
The French had betrayed them, in his view, by not openly espousing the Maronite side in the war. While he talked of Western values, his militia was engaged in sniping, bombing and murder. He had no doubt who the main enemy was — Shia Muslims.
"They say they are exploited and poor," he said of his Muslim counterparts. "Yes, they are poor. But it's a question of quality versus quantity. I have four children but a former colleague, a Muslim at the telephone company, has 14. Fourteen! He is always complaining about his standard of living. But 14. What can you do? Quality versus quantity. I told you."
More foes
Today the enemy of the Gemayels, and the perceived perpetrator of the assassination of Pierre Gemayel, is Syria. The photos burned in the square last week were of Bashar al-Assad, the president of Syria.
Largely Sunni, Syria had been one of the main beneficiaries of the Lebanese civil war, moving its troops into the land to "protect" it.
Another assassination in February 2005 led to the end of the Syrian occupation. The man killed in a massive car bomb was Rafik Hariri, the former prime minister of Lebanon who had long campaigned for the Syrians to leave. A UN investigation traced the trail of the assassination back to the Syrian intelligence service.
If the Hariri assassination had been designed to scare the anti-Syrian camp, it failed spectacularly. Huge demonstrations in the streets and a wave of international condemnation finally forced the Syrian president to announce the withdrawal of his troops.
That withdrawal was hailed as a victory for Lebanese independence but history has moved bloodily on. There have been other assassinations; there has been war, this summer, when Israel bombed Lebanon and sent in troops in retaliation for rocket attacks and the kidnapping of two of its soldiers by Hezbollah, a Shia militia.
If war has been Lebanon's lot, it is perhaps because Lebanon was created out of war in the first place and that creation was always somewhat artificial.
The country was born in 1920 as a French protectorate, as was Syria. The Ottoman Empire had collapsed in the wake of the First World War; the French moved in for their spoils and mapped out arbitrary borders for the new entity.
If this sounds vaguely familiar, it should. Britain was doing the same thing at the time in Iraq. And like Iraq, Lebanon has many jostling groups to try to accomodate — the Maronites, the Shias, the Sunnis and the Druze. Each now has its own political as well armed wings.
Too many friends
Once again these groups are on a collision course. The Shias, led by Hezbollah, have withdrawn from the shaky government.
They threatened to try to bring it down after the cabinet voted to approve the creation of an international tribunal to try the perpetrators of the Hariri assassination. Hezbollah sees that as aimed at Syria with which it is currently allied.
A Lebanese intellectual once told me his country's problems are made worse by having too many friends. He was referring to so-called friends like Syria and Israel, which periodically move in, thinking they know best what is needed in Lebanon.
Then there is France and the U.S., which, on two occasions (1958 and 1982) sent in troops to help calm things down. In 1983, that multinational force was attacked by Shia suicide bombers. They killed 243 American marines in their barracks and more than 50 French soldier. Five months later, the Western friends pulled out.
In February 1984, I watched as the Marines raced out of their armed camp in amphibious vehicles down to the beach and into the sea. As they chugged out to the waiting warships, a big Marine in the final detail watched and offered this comment: "Shit man, we came here to kick ass. They wouldn't let us kick ass. So we're leaving."
With the last Marine gone from Lebanon an American battleship lobbed a dozen shells into the mountains above Beirut. They killed two donkeys.
Two decades later the Americans moved into that other artificial construct born of World War I, Iraq, and set about kicking ass. The results were no better. As for the 22-year-old Phalange militiamen who had been fighting since the age of 15, he told me at the time he was tired of the battles: "I am moving to Toronto. I have an uncle there. Life is getting too difficult. I'm too old to fight."
Others, many others, have taken his place.
The Martyrs' Cabinet
Ghassan Charbel Al-Hayat - 27/11/06//
Rafic Hariri gets out of a meeting with President Rene Mouawad and the decree of the formation of a new cabinet is issued. The number of martyrs is sufficient to form a martyrs' cabinet. They will not disagree on the allocation of ministerial portfolios. The confessional balance is not important. The veto power is not on the agenda. A portfolio to Gebran Tueni, the screaming voice in the nation's wilderness. A portfolio to George Hawi, the partner in the appeal for the eruption of the national resistance. A portfolio to Samir Kassir, the brilliant young man hanging between two lines. A portfolio to Bassil Fleihan, whose heart burned for the nation before it burned with it. A portfolio to Pierre Amin Gemayel, the minister of industry, the minister of the making of independence.
A martyrs' cabinet. It is possible to include Dany Chamoun, and give both Bachir Gemayel and Rachid Karameh minister of state portfolios. It is possible to include Toni Sleiman Franjieh and Nathim Alqadiri. Maaruf Saad will be ready to participate. It is possible to convince Kamal Jumblat, who does not hesitate in times of distress. We can resort to the journalism martyrs. Salim al-Lawzi will not reject participation. Riad Taha will put himself at the service of his country. Kamel Mroueh will not refrain from giving his time to his country, since he did not grudge giving his blood.
It is a martyrs' cabinet in a country floating on the martyrs' blood. Neither the assassin quenches his thirst, nor does the land satisfy its appetite. At each martyr's funeral, the participants are busy discovering the name of the coming martyr. The martyrs' cabinet convenes in a spacious hall. The vacant seats are intentionally kept and who knows, the newcomers will not probably be late.
How difficult it is to carry the name of Pierre Amin Gemayel. How tough are your grandfather, uncle and father. You resemble trees. You are born and then you go away. Neither rest tempts you, nor is withdrawal an option, nor is your safety ensured. Your name makes you a potential martyr. Only the timing is to be set. If you escape today, you will fall tomorrow. This is a family saga. The nation's curse. They are born and gone with the wind. At one moment, Bikfaya gets them back shrouded in the Lebanese flag. The trees cry while the bells also cry. A combatant rests whereas another rises. Their saga is part of the nation's saga, whether you agree or disagree with them. They die like trees.
We had the illusion that we farewelled the lamentation lexicon, and that Gebran stole our last tears. We were about being convinced that the assassin had become tired or bored or that it had given up that habit. And here you are, taking us back to that lexicon. We hesitate between bewailing you or the nation. What shall we say to your children about your story? How to condole your father, who always feared while embracing you that his embrace would be the last?
Pierre Gemayel's assassination foreshadows the assassination of the nation. Lebanese politicians must look at their watches. The preludes to the great collapse are speeding up and their clarity is deadly. The timing of the crime increases fears and extends its magnitude. The cabinet must do something. The majority leaders must look at their watches. Time flies. Time is treacherous. The opposition leaders must look at their watches. The abyss is not an option that could be offered to people. General Aoun has to look at his watch. Times of distress are tests for men.
As for you Mr. President, have a look from Baabda to the country floating on the martyrs' blood. Your mandate entered the Guinness Book of Records for many reasons. It is big time you have a look at your watch.
*Al-Hayat Translation UnitBush says U.S. won't pull out of Iraq
By DEB RIECHMANN, Associated Press Writer
RIGA, Latvia - President Bush, under pressure to change direction in Iraq, said Tuesday he will not be persuaded by any calls to withdraw American troops before the country is stabilized. "There's one thing I'm not going to do, I'm not going to pull our troops off the battlefield before the mission is complete," he said in a speech setting the stage for high-stakes meetings with the Iraqi prime minister later this week. "We can accept nothing less than victory for our children and our grandchildren."A bipartisan panel on Iraq is finalizing recommendations on Iraq. The group led by former Secretary of State James Baker III and former Rep. Lee Hamilton, D-Ind., plan to present ideas to Bush next month.
The commissioners are expected to debate the feasibility of withdrawal timetables. Recent U.S. elections added fuel to the argument from Democrats that U.S. soldiers need to come home. But Bush has resisted that, even while projecting the need for a different approach.
"We'll continue to be flexible and we'll make the changes necessary to succeed," the president said. Bush pushed back against skeptics of his goal of spreading freedom across the Middle East. "I understand these doubts but I do not share them," the president said.
In Riga to attend a NATO summit, Bush also enlisted renewed commitments from the NATO allies that have deployed 32,000 troops to Afghanistan. He said NATO commanders must have the resources and flexibility to do the job — an apparent reference to the fact that only a handful of countries — primarily Canada, Britain, the United States and the Netherlands — are doing much of the heavy lifting in the dangerous southern provinces against a resurgent Taliban. "Defeating them will require the full commitment of our alliance," Bush said.
The countries fighting in the south want others, such as Germany, France, Italy and Spain, that are operating in more secure northern areas, to reduce restrictions on their forces to give NATO commanders more flexibility to use them where they're most needed.
Bush said he hoped the alliance will be able to offer membership to Croatia, Macedonia and Albania in 2008. Speaking from Russia's doorstep in a former Soviet republic, he also reiterated U.S. support for future NATO membership for Georgia, as well as Ukraine if it makes the necessary democratic reforms. "The United States believes in NATO membership for all of Europe's democracies that seek it," the president said.
Bush has two days of meetings with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki later in the week.Earlier Tuesday, Bush blamed the escalating bloodshed in Iraq on an al-Qaida plot to stoke cycles of sectarian revenge, and refused to debate whether the country has fallen into civil war. Jordan's King Abdullah, hosting the Bush-al-Maliki summit, has warned that the new year could dawn with three civil wars in the Mideast — with one in Iraq added to those already ongoing in Lebanon and between the Palestinians and Israelis. The country is reeling from the deadliest week of sectarian fighting since the war began in March 2003.
Bush, dodging a direct answer of whether a civil war exist, tied the three conflicts together in a different way. He said recent strife in Lebanon and the heated up Israeli-Palestinian dispute are, like Iraq, the result of extremists trying to choke off democratic progress.
"No question it's tough, no question about it," Bush said at a news conference with Estonian President Toomas Hendrik Ilves. "There's a lot of sectarian violence taking place, fomented in my opinion because of these attacks by al-Qaida, causing people to seek reprisal." The president dated the current spike to the Feb. 22 bombing of a sacred Shiite shrine in Samarra, which triggered attacks and reprisal counterattacks between the Shiite majority and Sunni minority, and raised fears of civil war.
Bush said he will ask al-Maliki to explain his plan for quelling the violence. "The Maliki government is going to have to deal with that violence and we want to help them do so," the president said. "It's in our interest that we succeed." Directly seeking help from Iran and Syria with Iraq, as part of new, aggressive diplomacy throughout the region, is expected to be among the recommendations of the Baker-Hamilton group.
But Bush repeated his administration's reluctance to talk with two nations it regards as pariah states working to destabilize the Middle East.
Iran, the top U.S. rival in the region, has reached out to Iraq and Syria in recent days — an attempt viewed as a bid to assert its role as a powerbroker in Iraq. The president said Iraq is a sovereign nation, free to meet with its neighbors. "If that's what they think they ought to do, that's fine," he said. "One thing Iraq would like to see is for the Iranians to leave them alone." The president added that the U.S. will only deal with Iran when they suspend their program of enriching uranium, which could be used in a nuclear weapon arsenal.
"The Iranians and the Syrians should help — not destabilize — this young democracy," he said. Iran's state-run television, however, quoted Iraqi President Jalal Talabani as saying "we are in dire need of Iran's help in establishing security and stability in Iraq." The comments came after Talabani met Monday with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in Tehran. Far from reaching out to Iran and Syria, Bush also denounced them for trying to destabilize the fragile, Western-backed government in Lebanon. "That government is being undermined, in my opinion, by extremist forces encouraged out of Syria and Iran," Bush said. "Why? Because a democracy will be a major defeat for those who articulate extremist points of view."
The New York Times on Monday quoted a senior U.S. intelligence official who said the Iranian-backed Hezbollah had been providing training for the Mahdi Army, the Iraqi Shiite militia led by anti-American cleric Muqtada al-Sadr. The anonymous official told the Times that 1,000 to 2,000 Shiite fighters had been trained in Lebanon by Hezbollah, also backed by Syria. Bush arrived in Latvia after a brief stopover in Estonia, also a former Soviet republic with troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. An issue of high concern in central and eastern European countries is their lack of participation in a U.S. visa waiver program that allows business travelers and tourists to enter the U.S. for months using only a passport. Ilves said it is something his country "constantly has been raising" with the United States. The subject came up again in Bush's meetings in Latvia with President Vaira Vike-Freiberga. Bush promised to try to convince Congress to add more countries, like Estonia, to the program by adding new security elements to overcome wariness in the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.