LCCC ENGLISH
DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
October 23/07
Bible Reading of the day
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 12,13-21. Someone in
the crowd said to him, "Teacher, tell my brother to share the inheritance with
me."He replied to him, "Friend, who appointed me as your judge and arbitrator?"
Then he said to the crowd, "Take care to guard against all greed, for though one
may be rich, one's life does not consist of possessions." Then he told them a
parable. "There was a rich man whose land produced a bountiful harvest. He asked
himself, 'What shall I do, for I do not have space to store my harvest?' And he
said, 'This is what I shall do: I shall tear down my barns and build larger
ones. There I shall store all my grain and other goods and I shall say to
myself, "Now as for you, you have so many good things stored up for many years,
rest, eat, drink, be merry!" But God said to him, 'You fool, this night your
life will be demanded of you; and the things you have prepared, to whom will
they belong?' Thus will it be for the one who stores up treasure for himself but
is not rich in what matters to God."
Free Opinions & Special
Reports
The Risk of Waiting.
By:
Abdallah Iskandar.
Dar Al-Hayat.
October 22/07
Religious values
must seek partnerships with national and political struggles.The
Daily Star. October 22/07
Call
Annapolis off, it will only make things worse.By
Yossi Alphe.October 22/07
Latest News Reports From
Miscellaneous Sources for October 22/07
Qassem
Launches Vehement Attack on March 14-
Naharnet
Gemayel, Aoun Meeting Could Have Positive Effect on Divided Christians-
Naharnet
Abbas
Wants Lebanon and Syria in Peace Talks-
Naharnet
FEATURE-MPs shelter from assassins in Beirut hotel.Reuters
Presidential Election Postponed Again Till
November 12.Naharnet
Jumblat Accuses Hizbullah, Syria of Assassinations-Naharnet
Gemayel, Aoun Meeting Could Have Positive Effect on Divided
Christians.Naharnet
Hezbollah hands over letter from missing Israeli airman.Africasia
Jumblatt to Bush: Send car bombs to Damascus.Ha'aretz
Lebanon's Jumblatt calls on US to impose sanctions on Syria ...International
Herald Tribune
Hezbollah Warns US Not to Set Up Base.The
Associated Press
Missile defense need be only 80 percent effective, ex-Pentagon ...Ha'aretz
Israel: Kuntar will not be exchanged in prisoner swap.Israel
Insider
NKorea envoy in Syria amid nuclear talk.AFP
Syria and UN sign agreement to assess number of Iraqi refugees.International
Herald Tribune
Syria denies Assad backing for Turkish action in Iraq.AFP
Cheney adds 'bribery' to
list of accusations against Syria in Lebanon, vows to prevent Iranian nukes.Daily
Star
Feuding Lebanese factions show signs of progress-Daily
Star
Sfeir repeats call for MPs to take part in
presidential vote-Daily
Star
European ministers insist UNIFIL peacekeepers
will continue mission in South despite threats-Daily
Star
Norway opens embassy in Beirut, pledges program
of cooperation-Daily
Star
Ankara 'offered to help reconcile' Beirut,
Damascus-Daily
Star
October 23 session looks increasingly unlikely-Daily
Star
In Lebanon, a Comeback for Cannabis.ABC
News
Abssi's wife denies link between militants,
Siniora government-Daily
Star
Former UN mediator on Arab-Israeli conflict to
give lecture at AUB-Daily
Star
New association hopes to help Lebanon and Nigeria
learn something from each other-Daily
Star
Lebanese patience for Nahr
al-Bared displaced wears thin.AFP
Egyptian nun battles female
genital mutilation.AFP
Iran says new nuclear
negotiator won't mean change in policy.AFP
OGERO announces plans to
cut rates on international phone calls-Daily
Star
Lebanon to allow price of oil to float if market
rises further-Daily
Star
Sfeir
repeats call for MPs to take part in presidential vote
Daily Star staff
Monday, October 22, 2007
BEIRUT: Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Butros Sfeir reiterated on Sunday that
Lebanese MPs have a national duty to participate in Tuesday's Parliament session
to elect a successor to President Emile Lahoud. The session is likely to be
postponed for lack of a deal between the opposition and the majority over a
candidate.
"The Lebanese people have deputized, according to our parliamentary system,
others to elect a president for six years," Sfeir said in his Sunday sermon at
Bkirki. "These are the MPs of this nation and national duty requires that they
follow what their conscience tells them if they want to remain on this land with
their children and grandchildren."Sfeir has been trying for almost a month to
broker a deal between the Western-backed March 14 Forces and the Hizbullah-led
opposition to elect a consensus candidate. Meanwhile, Lebanon's top Shiite
cleric said on Sunday that the US administration wants the Lebanese to choose
between having their country turn into an American military base or face new
problems.The allegation by Sayyed Mohammed Hussein Fadlallah came three days
after a senior Pentagon official said the US military would like to see a
"strategic partnership" with Lebanon's army to strengthen the country's forces
so that the Hizbullah would have no excuse to bear arms. "The US administration
is offering the Lebanese a choice either to accept their country being turned
into a US military, security and political base, or to expect new strife,"
Fadlallah said in a statement on Sunday.
Eric Edelman, US undersecretary of defense for policy, spoke about a "strategic
partnership" with Lebanon's army in an interview aired on local television
Thursday, two days after he held talks in Beirut on military cooperation with
the government of Premier Fouad Siniora and other officials.
Since last year's war between Lebanon and Israel, Washington has sharply
increased its military assistance to Beirut to $270 million in 2007 - more than
five times the amount provided a year ago - in a show of support to Siniora's
government. "The Lebanese, who have seen the American failure in Iraq and felt
the American involvement with Israel in last year's war against Lebanon ... must
be aware that what the administration of President Bush is aiming at is
something else other than supporting the Lebanese Army," Fadlallah said. The US
"is working to make Lebanon a new base for chaos and another position for NATO
in order to exert pressure on regional and international powers which disobeyed
its decisions and policies," the cleric added in a clear reference to Iran and
Syria. - The Daily Star, AP
Jumblat
Accuses Hizbullah, Syria of Assassinations
Democratic Gathering leader Walid Jumblat reiterated accusations against
Damascus and Hizbullah, saying they were behind the recent assassinations of
Lebanon's anti-Syrian MPs."I believe it's Syria and it's Hizbullah ally," said
Jumblat in response to a question by CNN television network of who was
responsible for the spate of political assassinations in Lebanon. Jumblat said
he believes the assassinations of MP Antoine Ghanem on Sept. 19 was, like
previous political killings, aimed at preventing Lebanon's parliament from
convening to elect a president "freely, a president who respects the law and
international resolutions."
He said that until now the pro-government March 14 camp remains the ruling
majority. However, Jumblat, said that if "they were able to kill four more (MPs
from March 14) then we will not remain the majority." Beirut, 22 Oct 07, 11:42
Gemayel, Aoun Meeting Could Have Positive Effect on Divided
Christians
Former President Amin Gemayel held a surprise meeting with rival opposition
leader Gen. Michel Aoun aimed at bringing the viewpoints closer toward reaching
consensus on a presidential candidate. The talks between the supreme leader of
the Phalange Party and the chief of the Free Patriotic Movement late Sunday were
held at the house of a "common friend" in Mtaileb. The daily An Nahar on Monday,
citing Phalange Party sources, said the Gemayel-Aoun talks were bound to reflect
positively on the Christian status. It said the two-hour talks were also aimed
at facilitating the Bkirki initiative and the committee that was formed to
follow-up
on meetings held by the Maronite Church in an effort to reach consensus on a
presidential candidate.
The sources said the two leaders did not deal with the names of presidential
candidates, but stressed on the need to elect a "compromise" president on time.
Prior to their meeting with Aoun, Gemayel dispatched delegates to inform
Patriarch Nasrallah Sfeir, MP Saad Hariri and Lebanese Forces leaders Samir
Geagea of the purpose of his move. A statement issued at the end of the Mtaileb
meeting said the two leaders discussed the upcoming presidential election.
The statement, read by Gemayel, also stressed the need to:
- Provide a positive atmosphere based on consensus and respect for the
constitution.
- Adhere to political frameworks and democratic methods in settling any dispute
among the Lebanese.
- Broaden the scope of dialogue among the various parties and consider this
meeting as an introduction to other meetings to be held amongst all Christian
and Lebanese leaders so that the logic of understanding would prevail over the
logic of confrontations. Beirut, 22 Oct 07, 05:39
Hizbullah Passes to Israel
Letter from Arad
Israel disclosed Monday that it has received from Hizbullah a letter written by
an airman who went missing in Lebanon more than 20 years ago.
Ron Arad, a national hero in Israel who has never been officially declared dead,
wrote the letter to his wife Tami in 1986, shortly after he was captured in
Lebanon during the civil war after ejecting from his fighter-bomber. Tami was
given the letter at Israel's defense ministry headquarters in Tel Aviv, along
with a photograph of Arad, the existence of which was previously unknown, the
top-selling Yediot Aharonot newspaper reported.
The long letter, peppered with intimate phrases, detailed Arad's deep love for
his wife, their daughter, who was just a baby when he disappeared, and his
family, causing Tami to break down in tears when she read it, according to the
report. The documents were the first news of the air force navigator since
September 2006 when Lebanese and Israeli television broadcast footage dating
back to 1988 of Arad identifying himself in captivity.
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, in Paris for talks with French President
Nicolas Sarkozy, confirmed that a "very touching" letter had been received from
Arad and expressed hope that the airman's fate would soon be known. "Taking into
consideration it is such a personal letter, I'd rather not comment beyond the
fact that I know such a letter was received," he said in a Paris park under
pictures of three Israeli soldiers missing since last year.
"We have done and will continue making the utmost effort to obtain freedom of
the missing soldiers. I hope the full picture on his (Arad's) fate will be made
clear to us and his family," Olmert said. Hizbullah handed over the letter and
the corpse of an Israeli civilian in exchange for the bodies of two Hizbullah
militants and a prisoner last Monday in the first such swap between the two
enemies in nearly four years.
Hizbullah also gave Israel the introduction of a report about its fruitless
efforts to find out what happened to Arad, Yediot Aharonot said.
The navigator has been missing since 1986. He was captured by Shiite movement,
Amal, headed by Nabih Berri, who is now speaker of the Lebanese parliament.
Israel refuses to declare Arad officially dead. In January 2006, Hizbullah chief
Hassan Nasrallah said he was probably dead although he had no proof.
Israel engaged in lengthy negotiations for the release of Arad but contact was
terminated when it bombed the south Lebanon village of Maydoun in 1996.
Amal security chief Mustafa Dirani, whom Israeli commandos kidnapped from
southern Lebanon in 1994, was thought to have handed over Arad to Hizbullah who
reportedly held him in the southern Bekaa Valley. Israel has accused Hizbullah
of handing him over to Iran, a claim that Tehran has long denied.
Israel released Dirani in January 2004 with hundreds of Palestinian and other
Arab prisoners in an exchange with Hizbullah for kidnapped Israeli businessman
Elchanan Tannenbaum and the remains of three Israeli soldiers. Hizbullah also
agreed to hand over information on Arad's fate in exchange for freeing Lebanese
Samir Kantar but the agreement was never finalized. Kantar was sentenced to 542
years in jail in 1980 for an attack in northern Israel in which an Israeli
scientist, his daughter and a policeman were killed. The Arad family has
established an association offering a 10 million dollar reward for information
on the airman's fate.(AFP-Naharnet)
Beirut, 22 Oct 07, 13:57
Cheney adds 'bribery' to list
of accusations against Syria in Lebanon, vows to prevent Iranian nukes
Compiled by Daily Star staff
Monday, October 22, 2007
US Vice President Dick Cheney on Sunday accused Syria of using "bribery and
intimidation" to undermine a free vote in Lebanon's upcoming presidential
election. "We are of course hopeful and a great deal concerned about the future
of Lebanon, which will elect a president in the coming weeks," he said in a
speech to the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, a pro-Israeli think
tank. "Through bribery and intimidation, Syria and its agents are attempting to
prevent the democratic majority in Lebanon from electing a truly independent
president," Cheney said. "Lebanon has the right to conduct the upcoming
elections free of any foreign interference," he added, insisting that Washington
would work with its allies "to preserve Lebanon's hard-won independence and to
defeat the forces of extremism and terror."
The US government has provided hundreds of millions of dollars in aid to the
ruling coalition in beirut, most of it for the security forces.
Lebanon's Parliament is due to convene on Tuesday to pick a successor to the
current head of state, Emile Lahoud, whose term ends on November 24. But
analysts and politicians say the session is likely to be postponed. On October
4, US President George W. Bush said he was "deeply concerned about foreign
interference" by countries "such as Syria" in Lebanon.
"The message has been sent to nations such as Syria that they should not
interfere," Bush said as he met with Lebanese parliamentary majority leader Saad
Hariri, son of slain former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. Cheney also went after
Iran, warning that the US and other nations will not allow it to obtain a
nuclear weapon.
"Our country, and the entire international community, cannot stand by as a
terror-supporting state fulfills its grandest ambitions," Cheney said.
He said Iran's efforts to pursue technology that would allow it to build a
nuclear weapon are obvious and that "the regime continues to practice delay and
deceit in an obvious effort to buy time." If Iran continues on its current
course, Cheney said the US and other nations are prepared to take action. The
vice president, however, made no specific reference to military action.
"We will not allow Iran to have a nuclear weapon," he said. The US and some
allies accuse Iran of secretly trying to develop nuclear weapons and have
demanded it halt uranium enrichment. Iran says its program is for peaceful
purposes, including generating electricity. Even other anti-Iranian figures who
spoke at the Washington Institute conference after Cheney's speech noted that
American rhetoric against Iran was being sharply escalated. "The language on
Iran is quite significant," former Middle East presidential envoy Dennis Ross
said, adding: "That's very strong words and it does have implications."
At a news conference last week, Bush suggested that if Iran obtained nuclear
weapons, it could lead to a new world war. "I've told people that if you're
interested in avoiding World War III, it seems like you ought to be interested
in preventing them [Iran] from having the knowledge necessary to make a nuclear
weapon," Bush said.
Bush's spokeswoman later said the president was not making any war plans but
rather "a rhetorical point." - Agencies
Feuding Lebanese factions
show signs of progress
Aoun and gemayel hold late-night talks at home of mutual friend
By Hani M. Bathish
Daily Star staff
Monday, October 22, 2007
BEIRUT: Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) leader MP Michel Aoun and former President
Amin Gemayel held talks on Sunday at the residence of a common friend in Rabweh.
The meeting between Aoun, a key opposition player, and Gemayel, a stalwart of
the ruling March 14 coalition, was still under way when The Daily Star went to
press, but the talks were believed to be aimed at breaking the impasse over the
election of Lebanon's next president. The relationship between the two men
suffered a downturn in the aftermath of the Metn by-election in August, when
Gemayel lost to FPM candidate Camille Khoury for the seat made vacant by the
assassination of the former president's son, Industry Minister Pierre Gemayel.
In another sign of a possible rapprochement, the National News Agency reported
late Sunday that Lebanese Forces (LF) MP Georges Adwan had visited Aoun at the
latter's residence in Rabieh earlier in the day. Meanwhile, the diplomatic
weight of three European foreign ministers, as well as a positive meeting
between Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri and parliamentary majority leader MP Saad
Hariri, failed to settle the presidential issue. Amal Movement MP Ali Hassan
Khalil told New TV that the Parliament session scheduled for Tuesday to elect a
new president would almost certainly fail to take place because either
opposition MPs would boycott it or Berri would postpone it. Both camps have said
more time is needed to build consensus on a candidate, and Berri and Hariri at
their Friday meeting progressed to the stage of discussing names.
Gemayel, speaking to Voice of Lebanon radio on Sunday, said Tuesday's session
would be postponed for 10-15 days. "We can consider it postponed. Speaker Berri
was informed after consulting with all parliamentary blocs that it is better to
postpone the session for several weeks," while Berri's and Maronite Patriarch
Nasrallah Butros Sfeir's initiatives proceed, he said. Gemayel said he hoped the
extra time would be used wisely and lead to a consensus on a president capable
of protecting the country or a choice of two or three suitable candidates who
can be nominated for a vote by MPs. Parliamentary sources told the Naharnet Web
site on Sunday that Berri was considering rescheduling the session for November
6 or 13.
The foreign ministers of France, Italy and Spain - Bernard Kouchner, Massimo
D'Alema and Miguel Angel Moratinos, respectively - left Beirut with the distinct
impression that matters concerning presidential election were "moving forward
and in the right direction," Kouchner said. "It's a very strong sign that the
three countries come at a very timely moment," Moratinos said at a news
conference at UN Interim Force in Lebanon headquarters in South Lebanon on
Saturday, calling the visit "historic."Gemayel in his radio interview said that
international backing for Lebanon was unwavering and that the EU had proved it
by sending the foreign ministers to Lebanon. "They do not have a magic wand to
impose their will on Lebanese MPs," he said, "but this does not prevent their
visit from being one of support and encouragement and a way for sending
messages."
Gemayel said a meeting of opposition and majority leaders with the three
ministers at the French ambassador's residence on Saturday evening was simply an
opportunity to meet and talk. "I cannot say that anything new happened, as each
side merely restated their fixed positions. March 14 stressed the need to hold
elections within the constitutional timeframe and rejected the emergence of a
constitutional vacuum, while March 8 stressed the need for a two-thirds quorum,"
Gemayel said.
Apart from Gemayel, those in attendance included LF leader Samir Geagea, Aoun
and resigned Energy Minister Mohammad Fneish of Hizbullah.
The Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation reported that during the meeting Geagea
rejected the idea of a agreeing on a president ahead of an electoral session,
while Fneish warned that the country would face great difficulties if the
majority elected a president by a simple majority. Geagea wondered why the
country should face difficulties when there were constitutional institutions
through which matters can be settled. Fneish said opposition MPs have the
constitutional right not to attend an electoral session.
Kouchner, meanwhile, told reporters that the EU foreign ministers came out of
the meeting "with the feeling that things are getting better."
"It seems to us that there is some movement forward," the French official added.
March 14 presidential candidate and MP Butros Harb said a constitutional vacuum
at the pinnacle of the state threatened the country with disintegration.
"Whoever thinks he is capable of managing a vacuum while ensuring security and
unity is mistaken. We have to avoid a vacuum," Harb said, adding that MPs might
have a constitutional right not to attend a parliamentary session, but not if
the action leads to a constitutional vacuum. Harb said Sfeir's and Berri's
initiatives complemented one another, adding that both camps would try to agree
on a president who met Sfeir's specifications. "I will not participate is
selecting a president who does not meet these criteria," Harb said, adding that
it was unacceptable for Lebanon to have a weak, subservient president who lacks
experience and the required character to lead the country.
Social Affairs Minister Nayla Mouawad, who met US Vice President Dick Cheney in
Washington on Saturday, repeated frequent government accusations of Syrian
interference in Lebanon and argued that the best defense was Christian accord on
a new president. "We will do our utmost to make sure [Sfeir's] initiative
succeeds," she said, "as we believe what [Sfeir] said - failing to elect a new
president before November 24 would place Christians' existence in Lebanon at
risk."
Cheney told Mouawad that the US would protect Leba-non's current government.
Telecommunications Minister Marwan Hamadeh said the majority would not accept an
"interim" president elected for a two-year term, as some have suggested. He said
while consensus was the "preferred path," the election will proceed in any case.
"We will not leave Lebanon without a president," he said.
For his part, Iranian Ambassador Mohammad Rida Shibani said that all "foreign
and domestic conspiracies" to hold Lebanon hostage to US and Israeli aims would
fail.
"Iran will always remain supportive of the rights of Lebanese people in
rejecting oppression and resisting the occupier," he said at a ceremony on
Sunday to honor him and Iran's reconstruction efforts in the South after last
year's war with Israel. Hizbullah's number two, Sheikh Naim Qassem, said a
strategic partnership between Lebanon and the US was impossible and those
seeking it aimed to crush the resistance in favor of Israel. He made the
comments at memorial ceremony on Sunday for a resistance fighter whose remains
were among those returned by Israel in an October 14 prisoner exchange.
"Holding elections with half plus one of MPs, if you think of it, means you
choose strife, and are thus responsible for your choice," Qassem said, adding
that reaching a consensus on the presidency would put an end to US tutelage over
Lebanon.
European ministers insist UNIFIL peacekeepers will continue mission in South
despite threats
Foreign ministers of France, Italy, spain hope to mediate between rival camps
Monday, October 22, 2007
NAQOURA: In a symbolic visit to South Lebanon, the foreign ministers of France,
Italy and Spain pledged unequivocal support for UN peacekeepers overseeing a
truce along the Lebanese-Israeli border increasingly threatened by
Al-Qaeda-inspired militants and political instability in Beirut.
The visit by Bernard Kouchner of France, Massimo D'Alema of Italy and Miguel
Angel Moratinos of Spain comes at a difficult political time for Lebanon. The
three ministers are hoping to help mediate among the feuding Lebanese factions
because the deep political crisis in Beirut could have serious implications on
the UN mission in Southern Lebanon.
Already, the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) of 13,530 from
some 28 countries have come under attack in South Lebanon. A car bombing in June
killed six peacekeepers from the Spanish contingent. Other bombings have
recently been thwarted by authorities, with army intelligence announcing early
in the week the arrest of seven Palestinian militants who had planned attacks.
No group has claimed responsibility for the June attack or another that followed
in July. But in a July videotape, Al-Qaeda's deputy leader Ayman al-Zawahri
blessed the first attack, fueling speculation that it was carried out by
Al-Qaeda-linked militants. "UNIFIL is here to carry out its mission," D'Alema
told a joint news conference in Beirut late Saturday. "No one can threaten
UNIFIL. If some terrorists are thinking that UNIFIL will leave they are wrong.
No one should think that the international community would leave Lebanon. We are
here until we succeed and help safeguard the country's independence and
strengthen democracy."
Kouchner also said there would be no change in the peacekeepers' mission. "We
will continue our mission and we didn't come to reduce our forces."
Mindful of repercussions on UNIFIL from the political turmoil in the country,
the three ministers prodded rival Lebanese factions to agree on the election of
a new president as a key step toward breaking a months-long political deadlock,
and managed to bring the feuding pro-government and opposition politicians
together in a meeting they attended late Saturday.
Earlier in the day, the three top diplomats flew by UN helicopter from Beirut to
UNIFIL headquarters in this fishing border town on the Mediterranean Sea for a
briefing from force commander Major General Claudio Graziano of Italy. The three
countries make up roughly half of the force's ground troops, with 3,000 Italian
troops and 1,200 from both the French and Spanish. In statements at Naqoura
earlier in the day, the Italian foreign minister said it was the first time the
three foreign ministers of the main Euro-Mediterranean countries were together
in Lebanon. "I want to stress how important is this message of commitment,
engagement and unity. Our presence here is a testimony of our support ... and
deep appreciation," D'Alema said.
Kouchner said the troika's visit to UNIFIL was "to reinforce our support to the
international community forces," and he vowed continued support, adding: "We are
strongly determined to follow till the end. The end is what? Peace, unity,
sovereignty of Lebanon." Moratinos said the three came "to salute our troops, to
salute UNIFIL, this UN force that is working to stabilize the situation."
The reinforced UNIFIL deployed after last summer's devastating war with Israel
that killed up to 1,200 Lebanese, most of them civilians, and some 160 Israelis,
all but 40 of them soldiers. Under UN Resolution 1701, the UN peacekeepers
assists about 15,000 Lebanese Army troops maintain a weapons-free zone along the
border. - Agencies
Ankara
'offered to help reconcile' Beirut, Damascus
Daily Star staff
Monday, October 22, 2007
BEIRUT: Turkish Foreign Minister Ali Babacan has offered his country's mediation
to improve relations between Lebanon and Syria, London's Al-Hayat newspaper
reported Saturday. According to the Saudi-owned daily, Babacan made the offer to
Prime Minister Fouad Siniora during a dinner meeting hosted by the former at the
Grand Serail on Friday. Siniora, according to the report, did not comment on the
Turkish offer, but rather briefed his guest on the nature of the ties between
Beirut and Damascus during the past two years. The relationship between Lebanon
and Syria deteriorated following the February 14, 2005 assassination of then
Premier Rafik Hariri. Many Lebanese blamed Syria, and mass demonstrations forced
Syria to pull out its troops from Lebanon after 29 years of military presence.
The daily said Turkey, in light of its developing relations with Syria, was
"ready to play a role in bridging the gap between Lebanon and Syria."
Siniora "neither rejected the mediation nor accepted it," the paper added.
Al-Hayat said Siniora discussed with Babacan "the main problematic issues
between the two countries, including border demarcation and control, in addition
to Lebanon's interest in combating smuggling of weapons across its borders."
Siniora explained to his Turkish guest the "impact" of Syria's intervention in
Lebanon's politics, noting that "such persisting intervention is not
acceptable," Al-Hayat said. Tackling regional issues, Siniora did not comment on
Babacan's request for support for Turkey's decision to launch military attacks
against Kurdish rebels in northern Iraq. However, the premier reiterated
Lebanon's standard policy that objects to the violation of the sovereignty of
any Arab state, such as its stand during the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait in 1990
and the September 6 Israeli air raid on Syria. - The Daily Star
October 23 session looks
increasingly unlikely
Two sides have yet to agree on presidency
By Hani M. Bathish
Daily Star staff
Monday, October 22, 2007
BEIRUT: As the constitutional deadline to elect a new president looms with the
end of President Emile Lahoud's term on November 24, the opposing sides seem no
closer to agreeing on a consensus successor. The Parliament session scheduled
for October 23 seems likely to be a repeat of the September 25 session, which
failed to gather a two-thirds quorum, with Maronite leaders from the majority
and opposition taking weeks to meet together in Bkirki, let alone agreeing on
the identity of the next president. Despite the "extreme positions" coming out
of the majority and opposition camps, Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, who met
parliamentary majority leader MP Saad Hariri in Ain al-Tineh late Friday, said
he remained optimistic and felt the political climate to be positive.
"Consensus is near and will be achieved soon," said Berri, adding that he would
go to Parliament on October 23.
National Liberal Party (NLP) leader and pro-government stalwart Dory Chamoun was
not as optimistic that a consensus could be achieved by the October 23 session.
"If it was going to rain, we would have seen some clouds," Chamoun said. "They
[the opposition] want to elect a president to please Syria - we want to elect a
president to please the Lebanese," Chamoun told The Daily Star. The ruling March
14 coalition has long claimed that the March 8 camp is in thrall to Syria and
Iran, while the Hizbullah-led opposition has charged the March 14 Forces with
taking orders from the US.
Chamoun said that before an agreement can be reached, there would first have to
be an agreement on the political agenda of a new president between the majority
and opposition. A new president, he said, would have to "rule in accordance with
the principles of independence and sovereignty, respect the Constitution and
international resolutions and adhere to the decisions taken during the national
dialogue."Retired General Elias Hanna said he saw the Lebanese Army approaching
a terrible dilemma if a new president were not elected within the constitutional
deadline. With the political confrontation split between Sunnis in the majority
and Shiites in the opposition, as well as their respective Christian allies, the
multi-confessional army would be unlikely to intervene, he said, for fear of
being split in two.
"As Speaker Berri said, the army would remain in its barracks. If it did
intervene, the army therefore has a major problem [regarding] on whose side it
will be," Hanna said. "We all remember what happened on January 23 this year;
think of a similar situation but lasting for more than a few days with a
president elected by a simple majority and not accepted by all his people."On
January 23, sectarian clashes erupted in the streets of Beirut, with Shiites and
Sunnis squaring off.
Hanna said he believed the army's response would be determined by the security
situation on the ground.
"One extreme outcome could be a split in the army - it could happen," Hanna
said, speculating on what may happen if two rival governments were to emerge.
"It all depends on the political behavior of both sides, whether two governments
take power or if there is a general uprising," Hanna said, adding that in these
scenarios the army and the country would be the losers. As for the establishment
of a transitional government headed by army commander General Michel Suleiman,
Hanna, who also teaches political science, said that such a move was
unconstitutional, and so the March 14 alliance would be against it.
"If Suleiman is to be elected president, he would need a constitutional
amendment, which requires both sides to agree to it," Hanna said. Civil-service
officers of Suleiman's rank cannot become president until two years after they
leave office, according to the Constitution.
Media reports say that Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Butros Sfeir would not
object to an interim president to rule Lebanon for two years if difficulties
persist in reaching a consensus. Some have speculated that Suleiman, a popular
army commander and a Maronite, would be favored by Bkirki and many Lebanese
eager for an end to the state of uncertainty that has persisted for the past
year since six opposition ministers resigned from the government.
But March 14 presidential candidate MP Butros Harb said he refused to accept a
president elected as a stopgap measure.
"We believe this would only postpone and amplify the crisis," Harb said in an
earlier interview. He said it would be unacceptable to impose a president who
did not have a vision, experience or the ability to solve Lebanon's
problems.Legal expert Ziad Baroud told The Daily Star the October 23 session
would most likely not convene, because two-thirds of deputies would not turn up,
as happened on September 25.
"You cannot elect a president with a simple majority of half plus one of MPs'
votes in the first round of voting - only in the second round, and you need a
quorum of two-thirds for a session to convene in the fist place," Baroud said.
He said opposition MPs would not attend on October 23 because they knew the
majority would then elect one of its candidates by simple majority in a second
round of voting.
Article 73 of the Constitution stipulates that "should [Parliament] not be
summoned [by the speaker to elect a new president], the chamber shall meet of
its own accord on the 10th day preceding the expiration of the president's term
of office."
Baroud said Berri has said he intended to convene Parliament in the last 10 days
preceding the end of Lahoud's term, in a step intended to pre-empt majority MPs
from coming to the legislature and electing a president with a simple majority
in a single round of voting.
Abssi's wife denies link
between militants, Siniora government
By Mohammed Zaatari
Daily Star staff
Monday, October 22, 2007
SIDON: The wife of fugitive Fatah al-Islam leader Shaker al-Abssi denied over
the weekend that the Lebanese government had "any sort" of ties with the
Al-Qaeda-inspired militant group her husband headed. "The Lebanese government
did not facilitate the entry of Fatah al-Islam militants into the Nahr al-Bared
refugee camp, and MP Saad Hariri has never provided funding to our group,"
Rishdiyeh al-Abssi told a group of journalists at Sidon's Al-Arqam Mosque, where
she resides with the families of other Fatah al-Islam militants.
MP Bahia Hariri has admitted that her family had given money to Palestinian
groups in the poverty-stricken Taamir neighborhood at the restive Ain al-Hilweh
refugee camp in Sidon. The Hariri family, however, has repeatedly dismissed
having any connection or funding any extremist groups. The conflict between the
Lebanese Army and Fatah al-Islam at the Nahr al-Bared Palestinian refugee camp
ended on September 2, after 106 days of intensive fighting. The death toll of
soldiers, militants and civilians topped 400. Asked whether she had any
information concerning her husband, Abssi said she had not heard from him.
"Since I left the Nahr al-Bared camp I never heard from him, but I am in touch
with our family in Jordan," she said. Abssi and her daughter identified the body
of a Fatah al-Islam militant as her husband, but DNA tests determined that the
body belonged to a man at least 10 years younger than her husband, and she later
said it was possible that she had been mistaken in identifying the body.
In late August, 25 wives of Fatah al-Islam fighters with 38 of their children
were evacuated from the besieged camp, with some seeking refuge in Sidon and
others going to the homes of relatives elsewhere in the country. About one week
after the evacuation, the remaining militants launched an abortive mass-breakout
bid, which the Lebanese Army crushed and ended the three-month conflict. Shaker
al-Abssi reportedly fled hours before the failed escape attempt.
His wife said the experience at the Nahr al-Bared camp during the fighting was
an "extremely tough one." "We ran out of potable water to quench our thirst, so
we had to resort to wells inside the camp ... but the water in there was salty
most of the time," she said. She told reporters that her stay in the Al-Arqam
Mosque was not "less stressful" than her experience in the camp during the
15-plus weeks of fighting.
"We live in very difficult conditions and go through very tough moments," she
said. "We are 34 living in the same room."Eleven Fatah al-Islam families left
the Southern coastal city of Sidon last week on their way to Syria, following
weeks of negotiations over their departure. The families were among the 17
families who, after the evacuation, were spirited to the Al-Arqam Mosque in the
middle of the night. Six families remain at the mosque, because they do not have
proper travel documents.
Egyptian nun battles female
genital mutilation
By Agence France Presse (AFP)
Monday, October 22, 2007
BAYAD AL-ARAB, Egypt: Twice "circumcised," Wafaa Helmy swore her own daughters
would never suffer the same fate. But one night her own mother secretly took her
first-born to go under the knife in their Upper Egypt village. Despite
pronouncements to the contrary by both Muslim and Christian clerics, she
believes, as do many Egyptians, that this "purification" is a religious duty
that helps preserve a girl's virtue and honor.
The social stigma of not having her granddaughter's labia and/or clitoris cut
off was just too strong for her.
Official Egyptian statistics say 97 percent of women aged 15 to 49, Christians
and Muslims alike, have undergone female genital mutilation (FGM), also known as
"female circumcision."In June, following the death of a 12-year-old girl, Health
Minister Hatem al-Gabali issued a decree banning every doctor and member of the
medical profession from performing the procedure. That ban must still be
translated into law and could face a tough debate in Parliament's next session
in November. A ban was already imposed in 1997 but operations were allowed in
"exceptional cases."FGM can cause death through infectiom, hemorrhaging and
later complications during childbirth. It also carries risks of urinary tract
problems and mental trauma.
"It's a big problem with my husband. We argue all the time. I never want to make
love. I have no reaction, no feelings, no pleasure," says Helmy, 35, attending
an information session organized by the Coptic Center for Education and
Development NGO at a church in Bayad al-Arab, south of Cairo.Helmy, a Copt, was
circumcised twice at the age of 10 because "there was still a little bit left."
Kawkaba Fathi, a Muslim, has found her own way of dealing with the problem. "I
pretend I'm enjoying it to keep my husband happy and it's going much better,"
she says, her round face placid and framed by a black veil. Fathi's operation
was carried out "the Sudanese way," meaning that all her external genital organs
were cut off. Traumatized, she decided with her husband not to have the
operation done on their three daughters. Around 60 women, all circumcised,
gathered to listen to a gynecologist from the NGO. "Circumcision is a very, very
old tradition and has no connection with religion," says Mariam Munib. Some
women nod in agreement, but others are concerned about what people will say.
"What if the husband rejects my daughter on their wedding night because she
hasn't been circumcised?" asks one mother. "People have to know if the girl is
normal, if [her sexual organs] are too big, or deformed?" says another, echoing
a belief among many here that too "prominent" genitals must be cut off - at
least if they're female. "Do you take your daughter to the doctor to know if her
nose or eyes are too big or small? So why would you do it for that part of the
body?" asks Sister Joanna, the petite and slightly stern Coptic nun who runs the
NGO.
The government has even enlisted the country's top religious authorities to
drive home the message against what the UN Children's Fund, describes as "one of
the most persistent, pervasive and silently endured human rights violations."
Mohammad Sayyed Tantawi, the sheikh of Al-Azhar University, the top Sunni
authority, and Coptic Patriarch Shenouda III also declared it had no foundation
in the religious texts of either Islam or Christianity. The center is
particularly worried about girls aged eight to 12, prime time for circumcision.
Arranging seminars in 15 villages in the deserts of Upper Egypt, workers hand
out tea, washing powder and soap to encourage women to come. Sister Joanna
insists there has been headway. "Ten years ago it was taboo even to say 'female
circumcision,'" she says, citing progress in spite of widespread local distrust
including rumors she is pushing a Western agenda "to corrupt Egyptian girls." -
AFP
Lebanon's Government by Murder
By David Schenker
October 17, 2007
Forty Lebanese members of parliament belonging to the pro-Western, anti-Syria
March 14th majority bloc currently reside in Tower 3 at Beirut's Phoenicia
Intercontinental Hotel. With plush couches, stereos and flat-screen TVs, the
two-bedroom units at the Phoenicia are swank. But the lawmakers aren't guests;
they're prisoners.
To get into the Phoenicia, you have to traverse no fewer than three security
checkpoints, pass through a metal detector and show ID. Armed escorts from
Lebanon's Internal Security Forces accompany guests to their rooms. Inside,
curtains are permanently drawn to discourage snipers from targeting the MPs. One
confined parliament member described the setup as "Abu Ghraib."
As the isolation of these legislators suggests, the March 14th bloc is taking
its security seriously, and with good reason. Since 2005, four members of
parliament affiliated with this bloc have been assassinated in Beirut. These
killings, the death by natural causes of one MP and the political defection of
yet another have sorely depleted the ranks of the majority. A government that
once had 72 out of 128 legislators now rules by a razor-thin margin of 68 of 127
seats.
The Bashar Assad regime in Syria is widely assumed to be behind the campaign of
assassination. Its goal is to weaken, supplant or intimidate the democratically
elected government in Beirut and thus end the international tribunal that will
almost certainly implicate Damascus in the 2005 murder of former Lebanese Prime
Minister Rafik Hariri.
Presidential elections -- which began on Sept. 25 and run through Nov. 25 --
have only increased the threat to the majority. The president in Lebanon is
elected by parliament, and the majority has made clear that although it would
prefer to choose by consensus, it will elect the chief executive by a simple
majority if no acceptable compromise candidate can be found.
The Hezbollah-led, Syrian-backed opposition says it will not recognize a
non-consensus president. For its part, Damascus has stipulated that the next
Lebanese president should be moqawam, i.e., a supporter of Hezbollah, and "of
Arab belonging," i.e., pro-Syrian. Should the Syrians and the opposition succeed
in either toppling the government by attrition or installing a crony like
outgoing President Emile Lahoud, the tribunal could be delayed if not derailed.
The tribunal, convened at the behest of the U.N. Security Council, appears to be
a train that has left the station. But election of a "compromise" president --
someone more sympathetic to Damascus -- could weaken Beirut's commitment to and
undermine international support for the tribunal. Syria could also scuttle the
tribunal by ending March 14th's control of the government.
The good news, if there is any, is that in the short run it will be difficult
for the Syrians to kill enough March 14th MPs to change the majority before the
end of presidential elections. This is because, unlike what occurred following
previous assassinations, Lebanon will not hold new elections to fill vacant
seats before Nov. 25. The simple, macabre math means that the Syrians would have
to kill eight more parliamentarians -- leaving March 14th, with 60 of 119 seats,
short of a half-plus-one majority -- in order to force new elections.
Of course, given Syrian persistence, the math is not reassuring. For Damascus,
the numbers game likely makes the Phoenicia a more appealing target. And even if
the majority survives the presidential elections intact, there is no indication
that the campaign of assassinations will stop.
Clearly, Lebanon cannot protect itself. Likewise, to date, the U.N. resolutions
censuring Syria for its role in Lebanon have not proved an effective deterrent
to Syrian misdeeds. Given the stakes -- a revitalized Syrian and Iranian
presence in Lebanon and the potential reorientation of Beirut away from the West
-- the preservation of the current Lebanese government is a must.
For Washington, the key will be to craft a policy to prevent Syria and its
Lebanese allies from subverting the government in Beirut. One possibility is to
deploy, at Lebanon's request, international forces -- under the auspices of
already-in-force U.N. Security Council resolutions -- to protect targeted
politicians. A more effective but politically difficult option would be to hold
Syria accountable for all future political murders in Lebanon.
Regardless of how Washington proceeds, immediate action is required. The ongoing
thinning of the majority raises the very real specter that the results of the
2005 parliamentary elections in Lebanon will be reversed by terrorism. Should
this trend of assassinations continue unchallenged, the pro-Syrian opposition,
led by the Iranian-sponsored Shiite terrorist organization Hezbollah, waits in
the wings.
David Schenker is a senior fellow in Arab politics
<http://www.washingtoninstitute.org/templateI03.php?SID=1> at the Washington
Institute. From 2002 to 2006, he served in the office of the secretary of
Defense as country director for Syria, Lebanon, Jordan and the Palestinian
territories.
Are
Syria and Iran Manipulating Turkey on Iraq?
By Walid Phares
PKK is the Kurdish Worker’s Party that adopted violence in its struggle against
Turkey. As the Turkish Parliament recently voted to authorize a limited invasion
into Northern Iraq to fight the PKK militias, one can see the rising shadows of
two hostile regimes in the region, eager to see a NATO member, Turkey,
eventually clashing with the United States through their local allies in Iraq.
Indeed, the Iranian and Syrian regimes have been pushing the precarious
mechanisms of a Turkish military intervention into Northern Iraq for a while
now. Logically, a collapse of security in the most secure part of Iraq would
lead to a crumbling of the military stabilization of the country, a chief
objective of US plans in Iraq.
But the Iran plans for Iraq, which I have analyzed in a previous article,
consist of three types of destabilization:
An Iranian push in the south,
a Syrian opening for the Jihadists in the center, and
dragging Turkey to a dogfight in the mountains of the north.
In order to launch the third leg preemptively into Iraqi Kurdistan, Tehran and
Damascus have been pushing all the right buttons for the confrontation. Iran's
shelling of villages in the northern part of Iraqi Kurdistan over the past
months aimed at encouraging Turkey to do the same.
Opening salvos by the Ayatollahs are to test the Kurdish and US reactions.
Moreover, Iran's Pasdaran - the Revolutionary Guard that provides training and
support to terrorist groups throughout the region and abroad - is said to have
infiltrated some circles within the PKK, since the latter was based in Syria a
few years ago. The PKK suddenly has been waging inexplicable operations inside
Eastern Turkey with a new energy, after years of calm. Sources believe the PKK
was manipulated by both Iran and Syria into these terror acts on Turkish soil
while the official bases of the group are on Iraqi soil. Hence the attacks
triggering Turkish anger and responses may have been manipulated by the "axis."
But the Syrian regime has another card it could have played. According to well
informed sources in the region, and not to the surprise of experts, the Alawite
regime in Syria (Alawites are important to the leadership of Syria, as President
Bashar al-Assad and his father, Hafez are Alawite) has had good relations with
Alawite officers inside the Turkish armed forces. The “Alawite connection” may
have been activated to encourage a military response and incursion into northern
Iraq. But nevertheless, the Assad regime and the Turkish Islamist Government -
reinforced by the last Presidential election in Ankara - have a joint objective
interest in weakening the US presence in Iraq.
Assad thinks that he can help create a major Turkish-Iranian-Syrian alliance
against the Kurds in Northern Iraq. And by the same logic, the Kurds, solid US
allies, will be facing another formal ally of Washington on Iraqi soil: Turkey.
The plan is to drag the Turkish Army (traditionally not inclined to find itself
face to face with its major ally) to enter a territory where "terrorists are
based," but where they could be indistinguishable from those Kurdish Peshmergas
who are the backbone of the new post-Saddam Iraq. The rest can be guessed.
As the “axis” is using all its cards to crumble Iraq’s and Lebanon’s
democracies, the Kurds in Northern Iraq should have acted quickly and
strategically. There shouldn’t have been any PKK bases in their areas because
these are a recipe for disaster.
The situation in Iraq as a whole is still complex, precarious and explosive,
despite the advances made by the new US military plans, including the surge. The
north must remain stable and secure and, above all, at peace with the only
“NATO” border it has. The other frontiers Iraqi Kurdistan has are with the
Pasdarans and the Syrian Baath. Both want the new Iraq’s head.
Instead of playing charms with Tehran and Damascus, the Kurdestan city of
Soleimaniye must reinforce its own deterring force and maintain stability and
peace on its northern border with Turkey. Knowing all too well that the new
Islamist Government in Ankara is shifting the grounds inside the modernist
Kemalist Republic, Iraq’s Kurdish leadership mustn’t offer any reason for a
Turkish adventure in their areas.
Hence, it is recommended that the Kurdish leaders of Iraq be the ones to reign
in the PKK to avoid having the Turkish Army crossing the borders. The US can –
and should - broker arrangements between the Iraqi Kurds and the Turkish
military to avoid the rise of an anti-Kurdish Triangle in the region.
# #
FamilySecurityMatters.org Contributing Editor Walid Phares is the director of
Future Terrorism Project at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies, a
visiting scholar at the European Foundation for Democracy, and the author of The
War of Ideas: Jihadism against Democracy.
read full author bio here
The Risk of Waiting
Abdallah Iskandar
Al-Hayat
22/10/07//
Lebanon is at a decisive juncture that will determined its destiny, entity and
regime. This is what everybody agrees upon in and outside Lebanon. There are two
parallel lines, independent of each other, in the concept of a solution to the
current crisis. There is a concept that is expressed by a fundamental force in
the majority (especially Walid Jumblatt and Samir Geagea), and in the opposition
(especially Hizbullah and the Aounist movement). This concept is based on the
notion that a solution means leaving the juncture for a political situation that
conforms to the specifications that each one of them devises for Lebanon.
Therefore, the speech of each side seems to be in contradiction with the one
issued by the other.
There is another concept that is expressed by a force that considers itself to
be harmed by any situation that radically changes the current conditions. In its
view the solution is a solution to the current crisis endured by the country
rather than the parties. Therefore, it tries to focus on what can bring
together, that is, a settlement that presupposes mutual concessions and retreats
from definitive speeches.
It is very easy to adhere to fundamental positions. This does not cost any
actual effort politically speaking. It responds to the wishes of a motivated
public, because of instigation and mobilization. As for the settlement, it
presupposes studying the givens of the country, including internal changes, and
the givens of the crisis and its external dimensions. Therefore, it supposes
that the concession is not a gift that is offered to the other party to extract
special guarantees (and a share) from it, but rather the concession must respond
to the profound meaning of the formula of coexistence among the sects and also
among the political difference. The next situation will not be an image of a
party wants, but rather a changed image. No particular party has the right to
impose what it wants on the state and on the society.
Therefore, resolving the current dispute is the easiest part of dealing with the
crisis. In this lies the difficulty in reaching a settlement: reaching the
approach to the constitutional deadline for electing a new president without the
appearance of that which indicates that the search aims at Lebanon's crisis.
Rather, it aims only at how to extract the concession from the other side.
Therefore the essence of the settlement is lost in technicalities and
constitutional articles, to which a unified explanation will not be found, and
the threats of the collapse of the structure.
Perhaps as a result of this fact, or this methodology on the part of Lebanese
parties in dealing with the crisis, there are those who say, especially Arabs,
that it is not possible to help the Lebanese if they do not want to help
themselves, with the knowledge that there is an Arab decision to intervene in
solving the Lebanese crisis, and not only assistance, on the part of the local
and external parties. This decision has remained pending, despite two attempts
that were undertaken by the secretary general of the Arab League. While waiting
for the Lebanese to help themselves, the crisis is still turning in the same
vicious circle.
However, there are those who cannot wait. Waiting means risking reaching the
presidential deadline without a president, and the possibility of a vacuum in
authority that is followed by a big split in the state. This is the essence of
the mission of the three European ministers in Beirut. They came, perhaps in a
last attempt to mediate between the Lebanese. However their fundamental
objective is to maintain the unity of the state, which is the sole guarantee of
their not becoming involved in an armed conflict in south Lebanon. The
reinforced UNIFIL forces, of which most of their soldiers and equipment came
from the countries of the three ministers. cannot operate without a unified
Lebanese state, because their relationship is with the government, which will
not be the source of one resolution in case of a vacuum. The rules of engagement
of these forces permit them to resort to armed force in the event that their
security is in danger. The vacuum in Lebanon, which will not be without effect
upon its armed forces, may tempt all those who opposed Resolution 1701 by
challenging UNIFIL and involving it in combat that the Europeans do not appear
to be prepared to wage in south Lebanon.
The Lebanese and the Arabs are betting on time for a solution. However, the
Europeans are the ones who may pay the price of this waiting. Perhaps the need
to avoid the institutional vacuum is what is impelling them in this urgent way.
They will not wait for their soldiers to be transformed into sharpshooting
targets