LCCC ENGLISH
DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
October 10/07
Bible Reading of the day
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 10,38-42. As they
continued their journey he entered a village where a woman whose name was Martha
welcomed him. She had a sister named Mary (who) sat beside the Lord at his feet
listening to him speak. Martha, burdened with much serving, came to him and
said, "Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me by myself to do the
serving? Tell her to help me." The Lord said to her in reply, "Martha, Martha,
you are anxious and worried about many things. There is need of only one thing.
Mary has chosen the better part and it will not be taken from her."
Opinions
Sharing Jerusalem makes sense, but who will
make it work?.The
Daily Star. October 09/07
Latest News Reports From
Miscellaneous Sources for October 09/07
Bkirki Steps In, Seeking to Prevent Marginalization of
Christians.Naharnet
Hariri: World
Knows Syria is Killing Lebanese-Naharnet
Berri Hopeful
1559 will be Fulfilled once President is Elected-Naharnet
Aoun's Bloc
Warns Against "Collision"-Naharnet
30 Militants Arrested for Plotting Attacks on
Arab, European Ambassadors-Naharnet
Sfeir happy with
Church's bid to refine its role-Daily
Star
Lebanon's ruling majority protests Nasrallah speech.Daily
Star
Sudan to host Palestinians stranded on Iraq border.Reuters
South Africa
Christian opposition denies paramilitary training of followers.Earthtimes.org
Lebanon candidates call for consensus president.Gulf
Times
Ties to Aoun may block businessman's bids for
US contracts-Daily
Star
Hariri, Ban discuss ways to speed up
international tribunal-Daily
Star
Word on the street: Lebanese voice opinions
over electing a president by means of popular vote-Daily
Star
Terror cells 'planned to bomb ISF headquarters-Daily
Star
Time to reassess US policy in Lebanon-Daily
Star
Reconstruction begins on Jiyyeh power plant-Daily
Star
Lebanese Cabinet touts benefits of new Youth
Economic Forum-Daily
Star
Lebanese designer Elie Saab puts emphasis on curves.AFP
East leaves for West in a tale of two
dysfunctions-Daily
Star
Peres congratulates Musharraf on apparent victory.AFP
'Europe's oldest city' is found
By Elizabeth Nash in Madrid
Published: 09 October 2007
Archaeologists in Spain's southern port of Cadiz believe they have found remains
which prove that it is Europe's oldest inhabited city – Phoenician Gadir, or
Gades in Roman times.
Remnants of walls have emerged seven metres deep in a dig beneath Cadiz's old
town centre which have been dated to the 8th century BC. Scientists found shards
of Phoenician pottery, and pieces of jars, bowls and plates once used in
everyday life which all point towards the existence of a town. A well-preserved
bronze brooch has also appeared, suggesting a high level of civilisation.
Previous finds, including funeral relics, did not provide conclusive evidence of
urban settlement.
"We need to excavate further to see where these walls go," said the director of
the dig, Juan Miguel Pajuelo. "The existence of items of daily use suggests the
walls were of houses."
Historians have long known that Cadiz was founded by Phoenician traders more
than 3,000 years ago as their first settlement in Europe.
Mariners from Tyre in today's Lebanon established Gadir as a transit point for
minerals brought from the Rio Tinto mines further north. The Romans later
developed Gades as a naval base, and the poet Martial praised the city's dancing
girls.
But until now, no one has established exactly where Gadir (meaning "the
fortress") was. Scientists in the 1970s uncovered traces of a Phoenician
settlement near Santa Maria del Puerto, to the north on the Guadalete river, but
not quite the remains of a town. More recently, archaeologists in Chiclana, 16
miles south-east, found remains of Phoenician walls and traces of a temple.
Scientists from the three sites lay rival claims to Gadir. But Jose Maria Gener,
who began the dig in the town centre 12 years ago, is sure it is the most likely
location. "In Chiclana," he said, "they still have to establish if their
findings are Phoenician or an earlier indigenous settlement."http://news.independent.co.uk/europe/article3041063.ece
Bkirki Steps In, Seeking to Prevent 'Marginalization' of Christians
Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Sfeir has stepped in yet again in an effort to
prevent what was said to be "marginalization" of Christians and in hopes to
reach consensus on a presidential candidate. The daily An Nahar on Tuesday said
Sfeir has authorized Bishop Samir Mazloum to prepare for a Maronite meeting
ahead of the Oct. 23 session to elect a new president for Lebanon. It said
Bkirki's initiative, which is reportedly backed by the Vatican, would be the
"last decisive chance" to try to reconcile disputes over the next president. The
initiative was originally designed to bring the warring Christian leaders
together in one central meeting to be held in Bkirki on Thursday, Oct. 11.
The initiative, however, settled for separate talks to be held on Thursday, Oct.
11 and Friday Oct. 12 that would pave the way for a joint meeting between pro-
and anti-government Maronite leaders. An Nahar said the decision to hold
separate meetings came after opposition Christian leaders refused to meet
face-to-face with their rivals from the ruling majority before the way is paved
for such a conference. In turn, An Nahar said, Christians from the March 14
ruling coalition rejected meeting with their opponents before a 10-month-old
sit-in erected by the Hizbullah-led opposition in downtown Beirut was
dismantled. An Nahar said Thursday's meeting would comprise representative from
the opposition and March 8 Forces, while the Friday gathering would involve
March 14 delegates. Beirut, 09 Oct 07, 07:18
Hariri: World Knows Syria is Killing Lebanese
Al Mustaqbal Movement leader and MP Saad Hariri on Tuesday met with U.N. Special
Envoy Terje Roed Larsen and senior U.N. officials on ways to speed up the
formation of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon. Hariri was also due to meet later
Tuesday with U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon. In addition to discussing the formation of
the international tribunal that would try suspects in the 2005 assassination of
Hariri's father and related crimes, the talks were expected to touch on ways of
enforcing U.N. resolutions on Lebanon.
"These are political and terrorist crimes," Hariri told an Iftar banquet in his
honor. "We tell the killers that the tribunal is coming."The Iftar, thrown by
ambassador-designate to the UN Nawaf Salam , was attended by the U.N.
ambassadors of the five permanent Security Council members as well as former MP
Ghattas Khoury and Al Mustaqbal coordinator for North America Rafik Bizri.
Hariri reiterated that Syria was behind the serial killings in Lebanon. "The
Syrian regime is slaughtering us and the world knows that, and measures to
protect Lebanon are needed," Hariri demanded. Beirut, 09 Oct 07, 11:32
30 Militants Arrested for Plotting Attacks on Arab, European Ambassadors
Lebanon has arrested at least 30 Islamic militants who allegedly plotted to bomb
the main police headquarters in Beirut and attack Arab and European ambassadors
in Lebanon, court and security officials said. The 30 militants were detained
nearly two months ago in and around the southern port city of Sidon when the
Lebanese army was engaged in fierce fighting with militants of the al-Qaida-inspired
Fatah al-Islam group in the Palestinian refugee camp of Nahr al-Bared in
northern Lebanon. Some of the arrested belong to Fatah al-Islam and the rest are
members of another al-Qaida-inspired group, the security officials said.
Interrogation of the detained militants showed that they planned to blow up the
headquarters of the Internal Security Forces with an explosives-laden military
vehicle, the officials said. Police have since tightened security around its
headquarters in Beirut. Concrete blocks have been set up around the building and
people living in the vicinity have been barred from parking their cars.
Officials said some of the militants were linked to a roadside bomb that struck
a U.N. jeep in the village of Qassimiyeh in July near the southern port city of
Tyre, causing damage to the vehicle but no casualties.
The group was also planning to help some 200 Fatah al-Islam members and 50 other
al-Qaida-inspired militants escape from the central Roumieh prison east of
Beirut, according to officials. Prison security guards, backed by a group of
army commandos, foiled an escape attempt last Thursday when relatives of the
prisoners tried to storm the prison, the officials said. Separately, Lebanese
authorities charged 20 suspected militants, 16 Palestinians and four Russians,
with terrorism Friday for alleged membership in Fatah al-Islam. The Russian
nationals were the first non-Arabs charged by authorities with being among the
Fatah al-Islam militants who the Lebanese army finally crushed on Sept. 2 after
a three-month siege that destroyed large parts of the Nahr el-Bared camp near
the northern city of Tripoli.
In the past weeks, Lebanese authorities charged more than 330 people of
different nationalities with terrorism and belonging to Fatah al-Islam.(AP)
Beirut, 09 Oct 07, 09:02
Berri Hopeful 1559 will be Fulfilled once President is Elected
House Speaker Nabih Berri remained optimistic that a solution to the
presidential election dispute will soon be reached, despite the deep political
divisions among the Lebanese leaders. "I'm hopeful that all our bids and
initiatives will produce good results," Berri told reporters at the end of the
International Parliamentary Union meeting in Geneva on Monday. He said that his
latest discussions with Al Mustaqbal Movement leader and MP Saad Hariri had been
fine, adding that they would maintain what they had agreed upon and build on
previous efforts. Berri said that Hariri's meetings with U.S. officials in
Washington had not changed anything, describing the atmosphere as "good."
"We are optimistic about the residential election issue," Berri said, stressing
that reaching a settlement to the dispute "doesn't only depend on me … or on
Hariri, but on many sides." The speaker also denied he was cutting a
Sunni-Shiite deal, saying "efforts take into consideration all sides and sects."
On U.N. Resolution 1559, Berri said: "…It's a very simple issue … Once a
president is agreed upon … then the goal of 1559 would have been fulfilled."
Berri said that he is for U.N. Resolution 1701 and for the full implementation
of it. Beirut, 09 Oct 07, 08:34
Aoun's Bloc Warns Against "Collision"
Gen. Michel Aoun's Change and Reform parliamentary bloc on Monday accused the
Parliamentary majority of planning to elect a president by simple majority and
warned that such a move would lead the nation to what is "more serious than
constitutional vacuum and all out chaos."
The bloc in a statement after a regular meeting under Aoun said such an election
of a president with simple majority would also lead to "collision that benefits
only sponsors of partitioning plans both domestically and in the region."That,
the statement added, would "topple coexistence and the message of Lebanon
outlined by (late) Pope John Paul II" who visited Lebanon in the early 1990s.
The statement also called for the formation of a joint parliamentary-judicial to
investigate reasons for the chain of forest fires that struck Lebanon recently.
Beirut, 08 Oct 07, 19:38
Sfeir happy with Church's bid
to refine its role
By Maroun Khoury
Daily Star correspondent
Tuesday, October 09, 2007
BKIRKI: Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Butros Sfeir said on Monday he was
satisfied with the outcomes of efforts being made to define the identity,
mission, and expansion of the Maronite Church in Lebanon. "Efforts focused on
receiving and studying texts related to economic, political, and social issues,"
Sfeir said in a statement at the end of the Council of Maronite Bishops' annual
retreat to discuss the patriarchal synod of the Maronite Church. The patriarch
added that many trials to put in practice some of the recommendations and
suggestions put forward by the synod have taken place following a calendar
distributed by the Maronite Church's general secretariat. "The calendar of this
year includes a file which tackles the spiritual as well as pastoral renewal and
the file which deals with the renewal of family and youth," he said, adding that
renewal was "among the major objectives of our Synod.""Church institutions need
to renew themselves continuously so that their performance can meet the aims
they were created for, and so they could free themselves of all that goes
against their nature," he said On Sunday, Sfeir said the upcoming presidential
election need to be treated seriously and "with a great deal of awareness" and
concern, adding that the presidency is an institution that deserves respect and
the highest consideration.
"If this office were degraded and if those entrusted with preserving it were
lenient regarding the sanctity of this office, this would reflect on all the
country's institutions, and on the country as a whole," the prelate warned.
"Therefore we have to face this election with a great deal of awareness and
seriousness."
Lebanon's ruling majority
protests Nasrallah speech
Jumblatt leads charge against direct polls
By Rym Ghazal
Daily Star staff
Tuesday, October 09, 2007
BEIRUT: As the ruling majority continues to lash out at the latest speech by
Hizbullah leader Hassan Nasrallah hinting at electing a president based on
popular vote, there are contradictory reports on when the actual president gets
elected. As verbal clashes continue between the rival political camps, the
Cabinet is scheduled to meet Tuesday to discuss 159 points on its agenda,
including transferring all major assaults against the state to the Higher
Judicial Council and issuing stamps paying tribute to army soldiers killed
during fighting in the Nahr al-Bared refugee camp in the North.
In an unprecedented meeting, the Phalange, the National Liberal Party, the
Lebanese Forces, the Free Patriotic Movement, the National bloc, Marada, Qornet
Shehwan and other Christian factions are reportedly to gather at Bkirki this
Thursday. However, later news said the opposition Christian groups and the
loyalists will each be meeting among themselves separately, and then the two
groups will meet depending on the outcome of the separate meetings.
"We want to protect the presidential elections from being hjacked by suggesting
a popular referendum which is against Lebanon's consociational formula for
democracy and the Taif Accord," Democratic Gathering leader MP Walid Jumblatt
said in an interview with the weekly Al-Anbaa newspaper.
The 1989 Taif Accord upon which Lebanon is formed is a consensus formula based
on a multi-confessional Lebanon.
Nasrallah has come under fire by leaders in the majority camp for his suggestion
last Friday for electing a president directly from the people as a solution to
the ongoing presidential crisis if a consensus president cannot be agreed upon
by the constitutional deadline.
"We will never allow such a move," said Jumblatt, one of the opposition's
harshest critics.
Jumblatt also reiterated the March 14's commitment to fully implementing UN
Resolution 1559, one of the points of conflict between the two main political
camps in Lebanon.
Resolution 1559, adopted in September 2004, called for the withdrawal of the
Syrian forces from Lebanon, the holding of presidential elections without
foreign intervention and the disbanding and disarmament of all Lebanese and
non-Lebanese militias deployed in Lebanon.
Syrian forces withdrew from Lebanon in April 2005, following large protests over
the assassination of former Premier Rafik Hariri.
The issue of disarming Hizbullah's armed wing, as well as Palestinian bases in
Lebanon, remains one of the controversial issues and one of the obstacles to the
ongoing political deadlock. The UN-brokered Resolution 1701, which ended the
2006 summer war, reactivated parts of resolution 1559 and banned the smuggling
of weapons to Hizbullah from Syria. Jumblatt also slammed Hizbullah's
accusations of Israel's possible involvement in the ongoing assassinations and
instability in Lebanon, and asked sarcastically: "Whatever Lebanese citizen
criticizes Syria gets killed off by Israel?"
"Israel and Syria must have a special alliance, and Syria assigns Israel the
mission of eliminating its enemies," he added.
Nasrallah accused Israel of being behind the serial killings in Lebanon to drag
Hizbullah into internal conflict and to facilitate the creation of an
international tribunal that would be used to topple Syrian President Bashar
Assad's regime. Without directly mentioning Nasrallah, Premier Fouad Siniora
criticized "those who would pardon Hariri's assassins. "It is a real tragedy,"
said Siniora in reference to Nasrallah's accusations, and stressed at an iftar
dinner on Sunday that March 14 would uphold their "national commitment" no
matter what the cost. Hizbullah officials defended Nasrallah's suggestion by
saying it was declared as the last option after failing to reach a consensus
president. "The majority launched an uncalled for mud-slinging campaign against
Sayyed Nasrallah's speech," resigned Energy and Water Minister Mohammad Fneish
told reporters Monday.Meanwhile, the Pan Arab Al-Hayat newspaper reported on
Monday that the presidential election would likely materialize in the last 10
days before the constitutional deadline on November 24, while Al-Akhbar daily,
quoting a Jordanian source, reported that Saudi Arabia did not object to the
army commander, General Michel Suleiman, becoming Lebanon's next president.
Lebanon now awaits the arrival of Italian Foreign Minister Massimo D'Alema,
Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos and French Foreign Minister
Bernard Kouchner on October 19 under an EU initiative to help Lebanon during its
presidential crisis. Sources told The Daily Star that the three ministers would
be heading to South Lebanon as a clear message of their commitment to the
Security Council Resolution 1701. In related news, the oppoision Reform and
Change bloc had its weekly meeting, during which it released a statement calling
on the majority camp to use "less confrontational" language given the
sensitivity of the upcoming days.
"It is a blow to all the compromise efforts to threaten to go vote a president
based on a simple majority," said the statement on Monday.
Berri upbeat about election despite rift Despite the apparent divisions between
the rival political camps, opposition leader and Speaker Nabih Berri remained
"optimistic" that a solution will soon be reached.
Speaking to reporters in Geneva Monday after participating in the International
Parliamentary union, Berri said: "I am hopeful that all our efforts and
initiatives will bring about good results." Berri said his latest discussions
with Parliamentary majority leader MP Saad Hariri had been good, and that they
would continue to build on what they had agreed so far. When asked whether
Hariri's meetings with US officials had changed anything, Berri said: "The
situation is good, and what we agreed upon will go, and nothing has changed.""We
are optimistic about the presidential issue, and reaching a solution doesn't
rely only on me, but on many sides ... and not just Hariri," said Berri.
Berri denied he was conducting "Sunni-Shiite" agreements, and said the efforts
take into consideration "all sides and sects."Regarding fears that Resolution
1559 would be one of the main obstacles to agreeing on a consensus president,
Berri said "1559 has become a silly fear ... once a president is agreed upon,
then the goal of 1559 would have been accomplished.""There should be no fears
from any numbers...1559 or 1701, we are with UN Resolution 1701 and implemented
it fully," said Berri.
When asked about the US role in Lebanon, Berri said the US is "with and against
the initiative and neutral all at the same time."
Christian opposition denies
paramilitary training of followers
Posted : Fri, 05 Oct 2007
Author : DPA
Beirut - Lebanon's Christian opposition party, which is headed by General Michel
Aoun denied Friday that some of its members were undergoing paramilitary
training. "They were just out having fun with real weapons but were not
undergoing any military training as such," said Alain Aoun, spokesman for the
opposition Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) of MP and former army commander chief
Michel Aoun. The denial came after security officials on Thursday announced that
two FPM members had been arrested for undergoing paramilitary training. The
security forces accompanied their announcement with photographs of uniformed
young men and women armed with machine guns.
Ibrahim Kenaan, an MP from Aoun's Free Patriotic movement, said the group had
been responsible for protecting the former army chief's residence outside Beirut
in 2005 and that the photos released by the authorities were taken at least 18
months ago. Under the Taif agreement that ended Lebanon's 1975-90 civil war, all
factions disarmed their militias with the exception of the Shiite militant group
Hezbollah which fought last year's war with Israel. Some opposition sources
said: "The anti-Syrian ruling majority in the country are trying to
internationalize the Lebanese issue and maybe push the UN security Council to
issue a new resolution similar to 1559," which was adopted on September 2, 2004.
It called on Lebanon to establish its sovereignty over all of its land and
called on all Lebanese and non-Lebanese militias to disband. The resolution did
not name the militias, but clearly referred to Hezbollah and Palestinian
factions loyal to Damascus and have bases outside the 12 Palestinian Refugee
camps.
Aoun, who is a presidential candidate in this month's election, is a close ally
of Hezbollah and the Amal movement of parliament speaker Nabih Berri, which are
backed by Syria and Iran, against the western- backed government of Fouad
Sienora. Both the opposition and the anti-Syrian majority, to whom Seniora
belong, have been deadlocked over the choice of a new president to replace
pro-Syrian incumbent Emile Lahoud. A first parliamentary session convened last
month to elect a successor for Lahoud, but it failed to achieve a quorum. It was
adjourned until October 23. Copyright, respective author or news agency
Hariri, Ban discuss ways to
speed up international tribunal
Majority leader optimistic over christian meeting
Compiled by Daily Star staff
Tuesday, October 09, 2007
Leader of the parliamentary majority MP Saad Hariri was expected in New York on
Monday evening for talks with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on ways to
expedite the formation of the international tribunal to try suspects in the
assassination of his father, former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.
In addition to the tribunal and the looming presidential election, Hariri's
talks are also expected to center on ways to implement other international
resolutions affecting Lebanon. LBCI television reported on Monday that Hariri
expressed optimism about the large-scale Christian meeting in Bkirki expected
later this week.
In an unprecedented event, the Phalange, the National Liberal Party, the
Lebanese Forces, the Free Patriotic Movement, the National bloc, the Marada
Party, the Qornet Shahwan Gathering and other Christian factions will meet at
Bkirki this Thursday.
When The Daily Star went to print, Hariri was still meeting with some of Ban's
advisers to figure out ways to speed up the establishment of the special court
for Lebanon.
In addition to Ban, Hariri is also expected to meet with UN representatives of
the five permanent Security Council members as well as UN Special Envoy to
Lebanon Terje Roed Larsen. UN Security Council Resolution 1757 to establish a
mixed Lebanese-international court to try suspects in the February 2005 Hariri
assassination was passed on May 30, after Lebanon's divided political parties
failed to agree on prosecuting suspects in its territory.
Hariri was killed in February 2005 by a massive suicide car bombing in Downtown
Beirut that also killed 22 other people. No one has been arrested, but many
people in Lebanon accuse Syria of responsibility, a charge that Damascus denies.
The Higher Judicial Council nominated 12 Lebanese magistrates in June to serve
on the international court. Ban will select four out of the twelve nominated
judges to serve on the court.
One Lebanese judge will serve in the tribunal's trial chamber, along with two
international judges, while two Lebanese judges will serve in the appeals
chamber with three international judges. The deputy prosecutor at the court will
be Lebanese and will be appointed by the Lebanese government in collaboration
with the UN.
Ban said in a report to the Security Council earlier in September that he hoped
to appoint judges to the court by the end of the year. He also is expected to
choose a prosecutor and someone to organize a defense team. Ban said the
tribunal would not be established until the UN had an estimated $35 million to
fund its operations through the first year, as well as an additional $85 million
in pledges to pay for the following two years. Lebanon is expected to be billed
for 49 percent of the tribunal's costs.
Word on the street: Lebanese
voice opinions over electing a president by means of popular vote
By Sama Sommers
Special to The Daily Star
Tuesday, October 09, 2007
BEIRUT: Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan Nassrallah's speech on Friday, his first
since August, has provoked a torrent of response from all sections of Lebanese
society. In his address Nasrallah covered the internal political situation in
Lebanon, but more importantly he suggested direct polls for electing the next
president.
With Nasrallah's speech in mind, The Daily Star went to the Beirut neighborhood
of Gemmayze to garner opinions from the Lebanese. Like much of what passes for
politics in Lebanon, responses were mixed. The political conflict has seemingly
led the Lebanese to express everything from apathy to determination. "It is the
Lebanese right to elect their own president," Claudette Salam said, adding: "It
is one of our basic rights." Echoing Salam's viewpoint, Joyce Murad said: "The
choices and aspirations of the Lebanese should be the sole force driving any
sort of election of referendum.""We can manage our own affairs very well, and we
don't need external help," she added.
An opposing argument was stated by Amelie Hreiz, who considered the Lebanese as
"lacking the maturity to elect their next president.""Look at us fighting about
trivial issues ... We will never agree on a serious issue like our next
president," she said. Camille Geagea considered that the presidential election
"is given a lot more weight than it actually deserves." "The government is
controlled by the government and consequently the Lebanese should focus on
having a decent government able to run the country in a wise manner," she said.
Christophe Hindi said that in a "largely opinionated country such as Lebanon no
Lebanese can ever make a difference."
"The Lebanese have learned their choices have always been overlooked because it
is the interests and selfishness of politicians that will win over," he said.
However, some Lebanese have decided to hand the decision over to the government
to assign their next head of state.
Toni Azar said - and Hiyam Jerji agreed: "If the government proves themselves to
actually know and understand what their people want, then they are capable of
taking our roles in this presidential election. "But if they prove to be
untrustworthy then suggestions on free elections should be enforced next time a
presidential election is held."
Time to reassess US policy in
Lebanon
By May Akl
Tuesday, October 09, 2007
On May 8, 2006, former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright said in an op-ed
published in the Washington Post that there was "a right way to support
democracy in the Middle East", criticizing US policy for "supporting governments
that lack the blessing of their own people." "That approach confuses the
appearance of stability with the reality, betrays Arab democrats and smells of
hypocrisy. America cannot refurbish its tarnished reputation as a global leader
by abandoning what sets it apart from the likes of China or Vladimir Putin's
Russia," she said.
Secretary Albright was not making hypothetical assumptions but observing mere
reality of events in this part of the world. The truth is that in their quest to
promote democracy the US foreign policymakers found themselves confronted with
situations they didn't expect. They didn't expect that the democracy they
preached would, for example, bring Hamas to power in the Palestinian
Territories, or grant Hizbullah political legitimacy in Lebanon, or even give
the Muslim Brotherhood an astonishing victory in Egypt's parliamentary
elections.
Faced with the dilemma arising out of its unwillingness to "work" with
Islamists, the US chose to support governments that are not representative of
all their people and that do not have the blessing of all their people. By
following this approach, US officials failed to address the root causes of the
choices people have made. Had they not done so, they would have avoided internal
crises teetering at the brink of civil wars. And soon enough, double standards
in US policy became apparent, causing the US to lose its credibility and to
tarnish its image, even for the most Westernized people in the region, such as
the majority of the Christians in Lebanon.
The flaws in the policy in Lebanon started soon after the assassination of Prime
Minister Rafik Hariri. As a matter of fact, in the run-up to the parliamentary
elections held after the withdrawal of the Syrian troops from Lebanon, there was
an international insistence that the elections be held on time, even if they
were to be held under a law devised in Syria and dubbed the "Ghazi Kenaan" law
(named for for Syria's former military intelligence chief in Lebanon) that
gerrymandered the vote, yielding a non-democratic Parliament that misrepresents
the Lebanese people. So instead of lobbying for a democratic law, the US lobbied
for democratic elections even if they were to be held with a non-democratic law.
At that time, the so-called quadripartite coalition was formed in which
Hizbullah and Hariri supporters fought the elections side by side, voting for
each other and listing on the same tickets. Oddly enough, Hariri even formed a
government with Hizbullah ministers with the blessing of the US that had no
objections to the ministerial declaration that vowed "to safeguard our brave
resistance [...] until the liberation of all the Lebanese territories."
The double policy adopted by US-backed Prime Minister Fouad Siniora - vowing to
protect Hizbullah and promising the US and the international community to disarm
Hizbullah - eventually led to the implosion of the Cabinet and thus the
quadripartite coalition went to pieces, leaving behind the ruins of a government
made of agood Sunni representation, no Shiite representation at all, and very
poor Christian representation since the most powerful Christian bloc, the one
headed by MP Michel Aoun, was not part of the government in the first place.
Meanwhile, the leader of the Free Patriotic Movement agreed with Hizbullah a
suprising understanding that includes a framework for the implementation of UN
Security Council Resolution 1559. This attempt to solve thorny issues through
dialogue was met with great dismay by American policymakers, who eventually
supported Israel's military campaign against Hizbullah, in the mistaken belief
that this would eradicate Hizbullah. In the eyes of American policymakers, this
understanding even made of Aoun a "pro-Syrian." They forgot that when Aoun
lobbied for the Syria Accountability Act and testified in Congress for that
matter (and was prosecuted by the Hariri-led government because of his
testimony), Syria's "presence" was then considered a "factor of stability." And
now, Aoun himself has become a threat to Lebanon's stability because he opposes
the Siniora government!
Yet it is this blind and unconditional support for the Siniora government that
is jeopardizing the existence of Lebanon since it has emboldened the government
into not seeking a solution for the lingering crisis in the country. In fact,
Siniora is adopting the same policy the US followed in the Middle East: Either
you're with us or against us, and if you're against us, we'll ignore and isolate
you. But the problem is that Siniora has tried to marginalize major components
of the Lebanese social and political spectrum, fueling internal tensions ready
to break out at any time. As such, he has dragged his international allies into
petty Lebanese politics they don't understand. And he's now presiding over a
crippled body ailing under the heavy burden of crises, unable to make any move.
As such, the US has lost its edge in Lebanon. It has lost its credibility
because instead of listening to all parties and playing the role of the
mediator, it has become, unfortunately, one of the parties.
For the opponents of the Siniora government, and these are numerous, the policy
of the US is absurd. Instead of supporting Lebanon as a country, why would the
US support a specific government that has failed to keep its promises regarding
many issues of national and international interest? Why would the US keep
supporting a government that has promised a new electoral law as a basic
requirement for democracy and has failed to deliver? Why would the US support a
government that is repeatedly violating the Lebanese Constitution in the name of
democracy? Why would the US support a government running a public administration
plagued by corruption?
Some say that the US administration believes Lebanon to be a success story in
the Middle East. But it is specifically this unconditional support for the
Siniora government that is jeopardizing this success story. And simply put, the
support of the US will not empower the government, nor will it give it any power
because only the support of its own people could do that. For this success story
to prevail, the US needs strong players and strong means supported by their own
people. The US needs policymakers, not followers, because followers are unable
to make decisions.
On December 24, 2006, Nicholas Blanford wrote about "America's double standard
on democracy in the Middle East," arguing that "what's good for Beirut is not
good for Gaza, according to Washington's playbook. And that discrepancy
undermines the credibility of US claims to be promoting democracy in the
region."
Promoting democracy is the noblest cause ever, but it should be done the right
way. In Lebanon, the alienation of the people who truly share the principles and
values of the US for democracy and freedom, just because they are seeking
peaceful solutions to crises, is a wrong approach. So it is about time the US
reassessed and redirected its policy in Lebanon before it is too late; this can
be done by regaining its role as a mediator, not as part of the conflict.
**May Aql is a spokesperson for the Free Patriotic Movement.
Information - CLDH
From: liste@solida.org
Date: Tue, 9 Oct 2007
(la version française suit)
One Year after the Break-in into our Offices: A new “Message” Delivered to our
Organization?
During the night of Friday October 5, 2007 someone, yet again, paid a visit to
our premises. The door to the office was found unlocked the next morning, and
the computer and lights were on.
Exactly one year ago, on October 5, 2006, our offices were burglarized a few
hours prior to our publication of a detailed report on the torture methods used
at the Lebanese Defense Ministry. This is a date that is etched not only in our
memories, but apparently also in the memories of our “night-time visitors”.
Ever since that intimidation campaign a year ago, our team has become very
vigilant and attentive to issues of security. Therefore, do we conclude that
last Friday’s overnight visit was a new “message” delivered to us, namely that
the position we took a year ago has not been forgotten? We certainly hope so
because torture must completely end in Lebanon and the dungeons of the Ministry
of Defense and those of other state services must no longer serve as detention
places.
Our organization is therefore committing itself to pursue its campaign,
particularly in the case of Mahmoud Abou Rafeh who is now in his 15th month of
detention at the Ministry of Defense without charges or trial or access to an
attorney, and including several months without visitation rights.
The Lebanese Center for Human Rights (CLDH) calls on the Lebanese authorities to
guarantee the freedom of action of human rights defense organizations, and
wishes to remind those authorities that the registration number o f CLDH has yet
to be issued by the Interior Ministry, a virtually automatic administrative
formality, nearly one year after the submission of the application.
Un an après le cambriolage de ses bureaux, nouveau ‘message’ pour notre
organisation ?
Dans la nuit du 5 au 6 octobre 2007, une visite nocturne semble avoir eu lieu
une nouvelle fois dans nos locaux. La porte a été trouvée le matin dévérouillée,
et l’ordinateur et les lumières allumés.
Cette date du 5 octobre 2006, à laquelle nos bureaux avaient été cambriolés
quelques heures avant la publication d’un rapport détaillé sur les tortures
pratiquées au Ministère de la Défense libanais, est restée gravée dans les
mémoires. .. Non seulement dans nos mémoires de militants, mais aussi peut-être
dans la mémoire des ‘visiteurs de l’ombre’...
Notre équipe étant très attentive à certains éléments relatifs à la sécurité
depuis la campagne d’intimidation dont elle a fait l’objet il y a un an, elle a
pu conclure qu’il s’agit d’un nouveau ‘message’ : cela veut-il dire que la
position que nous avions prise il y a un an n’a pas été oubliée ? Nous
l’espérons fortement... Car la torture doit définitivement cesser au Liban, et
les sous-sols du Ministère de la Défense, comme ceux d’autres services, ne
doivent plus servir de lieu de détention.
Notre organisation s’engage d’ailleurs à poursuivre sa campagne, notamment en
faveur de Mahmoud Abou Rafeh, déten u au Ministère de la Défense depuis
maintenant 15 mois, dont plusieurs mois sans droit de visite, sans jugement et
sans avoir jamais rencontré d’avocat.
Le Centre Libanais des Droits Humains (CLDH) appelle les autorités libanaises à
garantir la liberté d’action des organisations de défense des droits de l’Homme,
et souhaite rappeler que le numéro d’enregistrement de l’organisation, formalité
administrative censée être automatique, n’a toujours pas été délivré par le
Ministère de l’Intérieur, près d’un an après le dépot de la demande.