Related Posts:When Major General Jamil as-Sayyed stepped off his plane from Paris at the Beirut International Airport on September 18, he was welcomed by Hezbollah gunmen, who drove onto the runway in vehicles without license plates and took him to the airport’s VIP lounge. Although he no longer holds an official position in the Lebanese government, the former head of General Security ... held a press conference in the Foreign Ministry’s lounge, designated for heads of state and ministers. Then he was escorted home by the same armed men.
Neither the Ministry of Foreign Affairs nor the Ministry of Interior was asked for permission for the armed guards to have access to the airport runway and the VIP lounge. But nobody moved a finger to stop them.
Some say that the event was a power play on Hezbollah’s part to send a message to the government that it has the military strength to fight back in case some party members are indicted by the Special Tribunal for Lebanon .... Hezbollah’s representatives defended the incident, saying the party acted within its rights....A source in the airport, who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear he would be harmed, confirmed that the airport security officers had orders from high-ranking politicians not to intervene when the Hezbollah escorts drove their tinted-windowed cars onto the tarmac. The source also said the airport security officers were afraid that if they tried to stop the Hezbollah agents protecting Jamil as-Sayyed, they might have opened fire at them.
According to Moukalled, the event was one of the rare occasions when Hezbollah vehicles and the party’s armed security officers are shown on television. “This is the first time we see them after May 7, 2008,” she said. “They don’t usually let us film them. Even on May 7, 2008, they closed TV stations, stopped journalists from filming and confiscated some of the footage so that they wouldn’t be seen on camera. Everything was planned. The media knew hours before that there were going to be Hezbollah bodyguards at the airport. It was a clear power play.”...According to Minister of State Jean Ogassapian, Interior Minister Ziad Baroud submitted a report during last Tuesday’s cabinet session asserting that “the armed men who entered the airport were MPs’ bodyguards.” Ogassapian said he found it a weak excuse and argued that the government should have dealt with the incident differently.
Baroud answered back in a short statement issued by his office after the cabinet meeting, saying that he wants to keep the Beirut International Airport safe.
Hezbollah’s response to the controversy came from Loyalty to the Resistance MP Nawwaf al-Moussawi, who said that "What happened at the airport was our right as MPs and political sides to open the VIP lounge and to be present there because we are the makers of honor. There will be no compromise on defending ourselves from false accusations, and we have the right to use what we believe appropriate for that.”...
A few things to know about the Kansas-sized sultanate:
1. Oman is the only country in the Islamic world with a majority of Ibadhi Muslims (distinct from Shia and Sunni Muslims). Ibadhis are known for being moderately conservative and for choosing their ruler through communal consensus.
2. It produces about 4.8 billion barrels of oil each year, mere drops in comparison to the output of some of its neighbors. Accordingly, many Omanis still rely on agriculture and fishing for their livelihoods; dates make up the majority of the country's agricultural exports.
3. It's the oldest independent state in the Arab world.
4. The country's 1984 press act empowers the government to censor publications judged as culturally or politically offensive. Criticism of the Sultan is forbidden.
5. Before Sultan Qaboos seized power from his father in a 1970 coup, the country was isolated and had virtually no relations with the rest of the Arab world. Radios were banned. Citizens found outside the walls of the city after imposed curfews would be shot if they weren't carrying a lantern. From the support of Middle East peace initiatives to a recent increase in trade with China, the Sultan has strengthened Oman's relationships with countries around the world.
Related Post:Lebanon faces a number of environmental threats, including air and water pollution, risks associated with climate change, and the impact of the 2006 war with Israel.
The Mediterranean
Habitat destruction is putting Lebanon’s fishing industry, which according to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) accounts for around 6,500 jobs, at risk of collapse if part of Lebanese waters are not designated protected zones in the near future, according to a new Greenpeace report A Network of Marine Reserves In The Coastal Waters of Lebanon.
Greenpeace says 18 designated marine nursery reserves should be created along the Lebanese coastline to replenish endangered fish populations which have been in decline for three decades.
With the prospect of offshore oil and gas exploration (approved by the Lebanese parliament in a new law), Greenpeace warns that “Lebanese coastal waters are also at high risk of accidental spills if exploitation of underwater marine petroleum oil reserves develops in Lebanon.”
Air Pollution
Scientists are warning that pollutants in Beirut’s air have reached concentration levels so high as to become toxic for human health.
Long-term exposure at levels of concentration exceeding 40 micrograms per square metre, according to World Health Organization (WHO) standards, may decrease lung function and increase the risk of respiratory symptoms in humans. According to WHO, levels should be below 20 micrograms per cubic metre to prevent ill health.
While the Mediterranean climate and stagnant air may “trap” toxic gases, the report suggests that 52 percent of the air pollution is from vehicles. Residents of Beirut on average own 2.6 cars.
Climate change
Climate-dependent sectors of the economy in Lebanon such as agriculture and tourism could be affected, according to the 2009 report Rising Temperatures, Rising Tensions, by the International Institute for Sustainable Development.
With 60 percent of Lebanon’s economic activity taking place in a narrow coastal strip along the Mediterranean, it could be susceptible to flooding and erosion as sea levels are predicted to rise. Climate change could also close off previously viable economic activities such as the export of water intensive crops.
Water
Lebanon is the least water scarce country in the Middle East with an annual average rainfall exceeding 800 million cubic metres (mcm), which helps sustain more than 2,000 springs during the seven-month dry season.
However, due to water shortages especially during the dry season the average household in some areas receives under 50 litres per day, which WHO says is the minimum to ensure a healthy environment. It is particularly urban centres, say scientists, that will experience water shortages. Over 80 percent of Lebanon’s population lives in urban areas.
According to experts, the number of rainy days has fallen from 80-90 a year on average 20 years ago to 70. The intensity of the rainfall has correspondingly gone up, meaning less of it seeps into the soil, and more of it runs along the ground, causing soil erosion, landslides, flash floods and ultimately desertification.
Lebanon gets 35 percent of its water from snow. With a rise in temperatures snowfall will decrease and the snowline will rise, according to surveys at the Regional Water and Environment Centre of Saint-Joseph University in Beirut.
War
During the July War of 2006, the largest environmental catastrophe was the bombing of Jiyeh power station causing 15,000 tons of oil to seep into the ocean and affecting 150km of the Lebanese coastline as well as parts of Syria’s coast.
According to the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) 2007 Post-Conflict Environmental Assessment report, “the environmental legacy of conflict is broadly similar with environmental and health issues linked to toxic or hazardous ashes, oils, heavy metals, industrial chemicals, rubble, solid waste and sewage. These may pose health risks to clean-up workers, local communities and at several sites have the potential to leak into water supplies unless sites are thoroughly decontaminated and the pollution contained.”
The Obama administration is set to notify Congress of plans to offer advanced aircraft to Saudi Arabia worth up to $60 billion, the largest U.S. arms deal ever, and is in talks with the kingdom about potential naval and missile-defense upgrades that could be worth tens of billions of dollars more.
The administration plans to tout the $60 billion package as a major job creator—supporting at least 75,000 jobs, according to company estimates—and sees the sale of advanced fighter jets and military helicopters to key Middle Eastern ally Riyadh as part of a broader policy aimed at shoring up Arab allies against Iran....In a notification to Congress, expected to be submitted this week or next, the administration will authorize the Saudis to buy as many as 84 new F-15 fighters, upgrade 70 more, and purchase three types of helicopters—70 Apaches, 72 Black Hawks and 36 Little Birds, officials said.
The notification triggers a congressional review. Lawmakers could push for changes or seek to impose conditions, and potentially block the deal, though that is not expected.
On top of the $60 billion package of fighter jets and helicopters, U.S. officials are discussing a potential $30 billion package to upgrade Saudi Arabia's naval forces. An official described these as "discreet, bilateral conversations" in which no agreement has yet been reached. That deal could include littoral combat ships, surface vessels intended for operations close to shore, the official said.
Talks are also underway to expand Saudi Arabia's ballistic-missile defenses. The U.S. is encouraging the Saudis to buy systems known as THAAD—Terminal High Altitude Defense—and to upgrade its Patriot missiles to reduce the threat from Iranian rockets. U.S. officials said it was unclear how much this package would be worth.
The U.S. has sought to build up missile defense across the region, and the Saudi package could be similar to one in the United Arab Emirates, officials said. THAAD is built by Lockheed Martin Corp. and Raytheon Co. supplies the system's radar. THAAD is the first system designed to defend against short- and intermediate-range ballistic missiles both inside and outside the Earth's atmosphere. It complements the lower-aimed Patriot missile defense system, providing a layered defense....The Saudis in recent years have broadened their acquisitions to include more European- and Russian-made weaponry. That thinking was partially behind Riyadh's 2007 deal to purchase dozens of Eurofighter fighter planes from BAE Systems PLC, Saudi officials said.
Pro-Israel lawmakers have voiced concerns in the past about arms sales to Saudi Arabia that they say may undercut Israel's military edge and provide support to a government with a poor human rights record.
U.S. officials say the Israelis are increasingly comfortable with the Saudi sale because the planes won't have certain long-range weapons systems. Also, the Israelis are in line to buy a more advanced fighter, the F-35, and should begin to receive them around the same time the Saudis are expected to start getting the F-15s. "We appreciate the administration's efforts to maintain Israel's qualitative military edge, and we expect to continue to discuss our concerns with the administration about the issues," said Michael Oren, the Israeli ambassador to the U.S....The $60 billion deal will be stretched out over five to 10 years, depending on production schedules, training, and infrastructure improvements, officials said....
Related Posts:In the heart of the Bekaa Valley, a few miles from a temple dedicated to Bacchus, the Roman god of wine, Lebanon's vineyards are in full bloom as the country edges into the global wine market....
"After European wine and new world wine, the wine of the so-called old world is emerging" as a market favourite, explains Ramzi Ghosn of the Massaya winery.
"And Lebanon, with its culinary and viniculture traditions, is playing an avant-garde role in the region."
Along with his brother, Ghosn is leading a new wave of Lebanese wines, using French grape varieties Merlot, Cabernet-Sauvignon, Syrah and Chardonnay, into the global market.
From a mere five wineries in 1998, he says, the tiny Mediterranean country now boasts more than 30 labels.
Most of them are small or medium-sized establishments banking on quality to set them apart, and some have already landed awards in international fairs and are now featured on the wine lists of Paris and London.
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"It's a niche market, so small that it piques people's curiosity," according to brothers Karim and Sandro Saade, who launched the Marsyas line in 2005 with the help of world-renowned wine guru Stephane Derenoncourt, a consultant for several prominent clients including film and winemaker Francis Ford Coppola.
"The future of Lebanon's wine lies in small wineries," Sandro Saade said.
"The fact that a country is famed for having produced wine since antiquity ... is attractive to consumers and that is a major factor in relaunching these projects," Derencourt told AFP.
The Bekaa Valley, a fertile region in eastern Lebanon, is blessed with the ideal climate for wine production. At 900 metres (2,952 feet) above sea level, it is rich in chalky soil, rain, and long, hot summers.
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"The taste of the land should overpower that of a standard Merlot or Syrah," Sandro said.
Khoury stands apart with his "organic" cellars which are located on a hill overlooking the city of Zahle, where legend has it that Noah, named in the Bible as the first winemaker, is buried.
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"It was hard," Khoury told AFP. "But today we export 40 percent of our production."
Around 15 percent of Lebanon's wine -- which brings in annual revenues estimated at around 30 million dollars (23.4 million euros) -- is exported, mainly to France and England.
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Carlos Ghosn, the French CEO of carmakers Nissan and Renault who is of Lebanese origin, created a stir this spring when he launched his Ixsir wine, the latest label from his Wines of Lebanon winery.
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Back in the Bekaa, tourists flocking to the famed Roman temples of Baalbek are increasingly stopping by local cellars for a wine-tasting tryst, and the Saade brothers plan to build Lebanon's first wine museum.
The 7th of September 2010 was a black day on Lebanese roads. Eight people were killed, more than 20 injurred. It is more than time to put an end to this massacre, which has claimed more lives than all bombings and terror attacks since 2005.
Sporadic announcements from public authorities, whose translation into acts only lasts for a couple of weeks before being ignored, are no longer enough. It is only through a demonstrated, sustainable and consistent commitment to law enforcement by the Ministry of the Interior, the Internal Security Forces and all authorities responsible for road maintenance, that the number of casualties on our roads would be decreased.
The time is not for press conferences. The time is for action!
Related Posts:...The phrasing of Hariri’s statement was revealing. After making his remarks about the politicized accusations against Syria, the premier added that the tribunal was continuing its work, lending it some legitimacy. It wasn’t much, but it was enough to dissatisfy Hizbullah. What Hariri did, or tried to do, was to implicitly repeat the Der Spiegel line from last year (which more than ever appears to have been the consequence of Syrian manipulation), namely that Damascus is innocent but that the tribunal is ongoing, therefore its conclusions, even if Hizbullah is named, are worth considering.
Hariri’s calculation was probably to retain some semblance of leverage over Hizbullah. The Syrians, playing both sides of the aisle in order to advance their own interests in Lebanon, have been encouraging their Lebanese megaphones to discredit the tribunal and call for its dissolution, even as they have avoided putting direct pressure on Hariri to end cooperation with the institution. The Syrians are still thinking of using an indictment in ways that expand their power, but they, like Hizbullah, ultimately want the tribunal to be killed from the Lebanese side, so that it won’t harm them.
... The prime minister may want to retain leverage, but his chances of succeeding are diminishing by the day, and the Syrians win either way. What weakens Hariri helps them; what weakens Hizbullah helps them; and a dispute between Hariri and Hizbullah helps them, too. Indeed, today they find themselves indirectly, and agreeably, mediating between the prime minister and Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah through Walid Jumblatt, whose reference point in Damascus is Mohammad Nassif, one of the late President Hafez Assad’s closest collaborators.
... Lebanese state institutions form the implementation arm of the tribunal; Lebanese judges sit on the panel; Bellemare’s deputy, Joyce Tabet, is a Lebanese magistrate. Of course the Canadian prosecutor can sit in a remote office and craft an indictment, as he should, but if the Lebanese state is not on board, his [Bellemare’s] work could well end up being an empty intellectual exercise....
Lebanese politics have a way of turning even the most starry-eyed participant into a pragmatist. The recent statements by the Lebanese prime minister Saad Hariri are something all together different, even by the standards of his country’s politics.
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It was the culmination of months of diplomacy that began with a surprising visit by Mr Hariri to Damascus last December.
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By pre-empting the conclusions of the tribunal, Mr Hariri has attempted to establish himself as neutral party prior the court's indictments ... [and] promote short-term stability in Lebanon, [however,] its longer term consequences are far less certain, and even less optimistic.
Mr Hariri's about-face must be framed in the context of Saudi Arabia's efforts to mend fences with the mercurial leadership in Damascus and promote regional quiet as tensions with Iran simmer.
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Syria has simply leveraged its ability to be a spoiler for its own gain as others in the region attempt to confront Iran's nuclear ambitions. Once again, it seems, Lebanon has fallen victim to forces and problems far away.
"All parties seem to agree false witnesses misled investigations and led to an internal crisis and harmed Lebanese-Syrian ties during the past five years, ... Thus it is our national and moral responsibility to put on trial those false witnesses, those who stand behind them and their operators as a step to resolve the Lebanese crisis because some still insist on protecting false witnesses to protect higher security, political and judicial officials behind them.
"enforced demands to probe false witnesses as a national and legal duty to uncover the truth in former Premier Rafik Hariri's murder."
... also demanded Hariri declare Hizbullah innocent of involvement in his father’s murder.
"Which will lead to abolishing Israeli attempts to instigate internal strife."
Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblat ... has said that Prime Minister Rafik Hariri's stances stress the importance of the Saudi-Syrian umbrella and the Taef accord.
Hariri is convinced of his personal ties with Syrian President Bashar Assad and the political relationship with Damascus, Jumblat told al-Akhbar newspaper in remarks published Tuesday.
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In his weekly editorial to al-Anbaa, Jumblat said political and media calm are imperative to protect Hizbullah and the Special Tribunal for Lebanon.
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Jumblat called on the various political parties to stick to soft rhetoric "because the alternative is devastating and will bring the country to where no one wants."
... Saad Hariri ... did not say that Syria was innocent in the 2005 assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.
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PM [Saad] Hariri spoke about politically accusing Damascus [only],
[Saqr] noted ... that whenever attempts are made to improve ties with Syria, there are some sides that try to thwart these efforts.
He told LBC that once the relationship between Prime Minister Saad Hariri and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad improved, the premier apologized for mistakes made against Syria after the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.
"Syria will make an apology of its own once the indictment is announced," he stressed.
"Assad himself said that Syria had committed errors in Lebanon and Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Muallem recognized the existence of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon," the MP continued.
Saqr called for putting an end to debates over false witnesses in the case.
In addition, the MP urged Hizbullah to take Hariri's recent positions into consideration, saying that the lack of an indictment does not favor the party because the indictment itself will only prove that the party was not involved in the assassination.
"Why didn't the reevaluation of positions start in 2006? What led to Hariri's visit to Syria and the shift in accusations against it? Was a political price paid?"
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Western-backed Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri has shuttled to Damascus five times in the last nine months to try to repair relations that frayed after the 2005 Syrian withdrawal. For many in Lebanon, the trips harken back to times of Syrian dominance when Lebanese leaders used to travel frequently to Damascus to get marching orders.
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Although officials have not said it openly, analysts say the current rapprochement appears to be an acknowledgment that Hariri is too weak to govern Lebanon without the support of his larger, more powerful neighbor.
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"Syria had been placed in the docket for the murder of (Hariri's) father ... and for him to look the world in the eye and say 'I was wrong' — it's an extraordinary about-face," said Joshua Landis, an American professor and Syria expert who runs a blog called Syria Comment.
"We understand that the Cedar Revolution was a mirage," he added. "And so we have returned to the much more cynical but perhaps more realistic world of cutting deals and keeping all the local powers happy."
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Dory Chamoun, a March 14 politician, said Hariri's comments did not absolve Syria but were meant to emphasize that the tribunal must have the final word.
"If such statements ensure a calm situation in Lebanon, then I'm all for it," he said.
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In Syria, state-run newspapers ran Hariri's comments on their front pages and political analysts close to the Syrian leadership said Syria considered Hariri's statements to be an apology.
"Such an apology is a courageous move by Hariri and we as Syrians regard his statements as restoring some esteem for Syria after years of slandering it," said analyst Imad Shueibi. "What happened is in fact a positive thing," he added.
Though Hariri has not explained his dramatic shift, analysts say he appears to be putting aside his deeply personal feud with Syria for the good of his own country as his Western-backed bloc struggles to maintain control.
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Lebanese banks will have to comply with stricter sanctions by the United Nations, the U.S. and the European Union on Iran, Central Bank Governor Riad Salameh said.
"It is up to the Lebanese banks to act in accordance with their interests and be sure, if they have to make an operation, that it's an operation that can't be contested internationally," Salameh said in an interview late yesterday at his office in Beirut. The latest UN resolution "is very clear and we will respect it and make sure it is respected."...Stuart Levey, the U.S. Treasury undersecretary for terrorism and financial intelligence, visited Lebanon last month and met with Salameh as well as Finance Minister Raya Haffar el- Hassan for talks on sanctions against Iran. Salameh declined to provide details of the meeting.
Blom Bank SAL, Bank Audi SAL-Audi Saradar Group and Byblos Bank SAL, which are all among Lebanon’s top ten banks by assets, don’t allow transfers to Iran. There are 52 commercial banks operating in the country.
International Law
Lebanese banks are "also aware of the fact there is a list of people and institutions that the United States or the European Union have designated as parties not to deal with," Salameh said. "It's their responsibility therefore to act in a way that is in accordance with international law."
He said Lebanese banks have advised the central bank that they will abide by the sanctions and that "historically there was very a small level of an operation for Iran, or Iranian companies or merchants through Lebanese banks."
Bank Saderat, one of Iran’s largest lenders, which has six branches in Lebanon, will also have to comply with UN sanctions in accordance with Lebanese banking regulations, Salameh said.
The bank, which has been operating in Lebanon since 1963, has been under U.S. sanctions since 2006. In July, Germany’s financial regulator froze the assets of Bank Saderat’s Frankfurt and Hamburg units after the EU added the lender to a list of Iranian companies subject to "restrictive measures."...
Related Posts:... only its timing was a surprise, not its substance. It marks a peak to a political process that has been under way for a year in the short term, and for some 4,000 years in the longer historical perspective.
In the short-term, it represents the difficult political transition that sees Lebanon seeking to achieve two difficult and perhaps impossible balancing acts. The first is to balance justice and stability – the urgent need for justice ... for the murder of Rafik Hariri and 22 others; alongside the equal imperative of maintaining calm, stability and economic growth that could be wildly ravaged by violence if the indictments trigger new murders, bombings, political deadlock and sectarian fighting.
The second balancing act is between sovereignty and national self-interest – the ancient dynamic between the demographic weight and strategic geography of Lebanon and Syria ...
... the whole assault on Syria in February-June 2005 was highly politically driven, reflecting a momentary convergence between two powerful forces: deep and widespread resentment against Syria in much of Lebanon for its dominance of the country during a period of nearly three decades, and an American-led international desire to pressure and even break the ruling powers in Damascus, for many reasons.
Syria adjusted to this combination of forces by withdrawing from Lebanon and hunkering down to withstand and actively resist the international political assault against it. The regional configuration has changed radically in the past five years, and Syria feels it has reasserted itself ...
It seems only natural that bilateral ties with Lebanon would be adjusted in due course, as has been happening during the past year. Saad Hariri ... is seeking to forge relations with Syria that are marked by ... mutually acceptable ties based inevitably on the structural historical imbalance of power and influence between Beirut and Damascus....Hariri has no easy choices, because Lebanon has little or no leverage in these dynamics. He retracted the political accusations against Syria, but did not totally reverse the process that remains under way in the form of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) ... The vexing issue of how a heavily armed Hizbullah and the Lebanese state and government coexist remains high as a national priority, and will become more difficult if STL indictments finger Hizbullah in some manner. The potential for hard times still lies ahead.
Saad Hariri quietly struck a third and very important balance, however, that between the political and the judicial. He said, "I don't know what will be in the indictment and I cannot intervene in that, nobody can. All that I ask for is the truth and justice."
The best approach all along has been to go easy on political emotion and instead heighten the credibility and independence of the STL process. A strong, evidence-based, indictment will generate powerful support in Lebanon and globally, and isolate those who fear being exposed for their involvement in the serial assassinations.
All Lebanese want dearly to identify and hold accountable the killers in their midst. The center of gravity of this process now shifts toward the STL, as Lebanese-Syrian relations revert to their historical norm. For now the latter is taking place under the umbrella of Syrian-Saudi cooperation, alongside lessened international pressure against Syria, an American retreat from a convulsing Iraq, and more attention being paid to Iran’s nuclear and political ambitions. In such a complex and ever-changing regional power picture, small states like Lebanon can only adjust to regional power flows, not shape them..
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"All you have to do is read the history of Lebanon to understand that there are no solutions in Lebanon without Syria," said Karim Makdisi, a political science professor at the American University of Beirut.
"Officials in Lebanon cannot be against Syria," Makdisi told AFP. "That is just not an option, and Hariri has realised that."
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... on Monday, the prime minister was quoted as saying he had erred.
"At some point, we made a mistake," Hariri told the Saudi-owned daily Asharq Al-Awsat. "At one stage, we accused Syria ... That was a political accusation, and that political accusation is over."
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Hariri's retraction, which one Lebanese daily dubbed a "political bomb," comes amid high tension in Lebanon over pending indictments by the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, a UN-backed probe into the assassination.
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Analysts say Hariri's statement to Asharq Al-Awsat is yet another attempt to contain the current tensions, which have sparked fears of renewed sectarian violence.
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"It's a precautionary move before the tribunal issues its charge sheet, which could implicate a Lebanese party, and is rooted in fear of the repercussions of that indictment," Khoury told AFP.
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"Hariri is definitely under Saudi pressure to improve ties with Syria ... and there seems to be an attempt in the region to break the Syria-Iran-Hezbollah alliance," Makdisi said.
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But Makdisi noted that Hariri stopped short of making any mention of Hezbollah.
"It is true that Hariri has never accused Hezbollah but in light of current tensions he could have gone on and openly said that he did not accuse Hezbollah, as well as Syria," Makdisi said.
Fadia Kiwan, head of the political science department at Saint Joseph University, argues that one party stands to gain from Hariri's political metamorphosis: Syria.
"After a difficult phase from 2005 to 2007, Syria's power is once again consecrated," Kiwan told AFP. "This will also put Syria's allies in Lebanon in a position of even more power.
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We have to remember this is not a very surprising turnaround. ... Hariri has been reaching out to Syria and the Syrian president in the past years since he took office and became Lebanon's prime minister. ... He went to Damascus about four times, he met with the Syrian president who drove him around Damascus in his own car, had dinner together, hosted him in his own palace.
We have to also remember the political picture here has changed in the region. When Hariri accused Syria, Syria was isolated, the US was trying to isolate it, trying even to change the regime there. ... Now Syria has emerged from its isolation as a very strong player in the region ... and so Hariri has to adjust.
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...visited UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon Michael Williams’ office on Saturday and delivered a memorandum asking UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to abolish the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL)......The memorandum calls for the UN to replace the STL with a joint Arab-Lebanese commission to investigate the 2005 assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri...
... the March 8 parties also submitted the same memorandum to the Chinese and Russian embassies in Lebanon.
...Related Posts:
It is ironic that Berri’s stalwart defense of the Lebanese state and its sovereignty should only serve to strengthen the hand of Syria in the struggle over Lebanon’s future, the same Syria that ravaged both the state and its sovereignty during its 29-year military presence.
In that light, it appears increasingly clear that the Burj Abi Haidar incident last week was less a Hizbullah signal directed at Damascus that it would not bend in the face of Syrian pressures, than a message from Syria to Hizbullah. As the fighting began, there was military mobilization in Sunni neighborhoods around Burj Abi Haidar, with Syria’s allies there bringing out their weapons. Hizbullah was reportedly bewildered by the sudden proliferation of armed groups lining up against the party, even as its units were being bussed into the area where the clashes were occurring. Hizbullah not only had to swallow the killing of two officials, it was unable, or not allowed, to enter the perimeter around the Ahbash mosque in Burj Abi Haidar.
Syria’s President Bashar Assad tends to work from the same template as his father when it comes to Lebanon. In 1985-86, Hafez Assad engineered a return of Syrian soldiers to western Beirut, from where they had been compelled to withdraw by the Israelis in 1982. Assad managed this by allowing pro-Syrian militias in that part of the city, principally Jumblatt’s Progressive Socialist Party and Berri’s Amal movement, to go at each other with vicious abandon. Western Beirut effectively reverted to a state of nature, until the Sunni elite asked Assad for help. He was glad to oblige, and in 1985 he deployed intelligence agents in the capital, and a year later his army returned.
It was lost on no one what Wi’am Wahhab announced after the Burj Abi Haidar incident. Wahhab’s sole reason for existing, evidently, is to issue statements clarifying the Syrian mindset, or at least that of the intelligence agencies, and he warned that Syria would intervene using all possible means to prevent a Sunni-Shiite conflict in Lebanon. Not surprisingly, Berri and Jumblatt simultaneously played up the sectarian nature of the Burj Abi Haidar incident, at a moment when Hizbullah was busily trying to portray it as a personal quarrel.
It would be too simplistic to suggest that the Syrians provoked the Hizbullah-Ahbash confrontation in order to bring their army back to Lebanon. Bashar Assad would like to do so, because only a military presence allows him to truly control the country and regain the Lebanese card regionally. However, such a process requires time, careful preparation regionally and internationally, and patience. For now the Syrians are focusing on gaining leverage against Hizbullah, which holds the political and military initiative in the country.
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It is interesting that Hariri should have raised the issue of demilitarizing the capital. ... Demilitarization of the capital is Hariri’s indirect way of indicating that he will support Hizbullah as a resistance force in south Lebanon, but not the party’s takeover of the rest of the country. The Syrians probably agree with this, because ultimately their objective is to use Hizbullah in the south, too, while they themselves take over the rest of the country. However, by making Hariri play down his demilitarization demand, Assad was plainly suggesting that Syria alone is entitled to raise that matter.
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The Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) will not file an indictment in the case of the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri in September, said Daniel Bellemare in an exclusive interview with NOW Lebanon. The Canadian prosecutor, who has not spoken to the media for almost a year, reacts to some recent rumors that have been circulating in the Lebanese media and states clearly that he never said he would file the indictment next month.
Update: Michael Young gives his assessment of the interview.Let me state clearly that the indictment has not been drafted yet. As I have previously said, I will only file the indictment when I am satisfied that there is enough evidence."
"Currently I am working on what I would call the evidentiary process; I have to make sure that the evidence I will produce is admissible in court."
I want to make sure there is as much convincing evidence as possible.
Almost daily, new articles pop up in the Lebanese media quoting “sources close to the STL,” “exclusive secret reports” or “anonymous diplomatic sources.” What do you say to that?
Bellemare: I think it is sad for the people who read those newspapers [citing “sources close to the STL,” “exclusive secret reports” or “anonymous diplomatic sources.”] ... They are purely speculations, ... some of them are truly outrageous. ... Sometimes I wonder, “Why do they do this?” But of course, I am not going to speculate myself.
The one who knows about the case is me. People should remember this. Unless they can read into my brain, everything else is just speculation.
... the day I am faced with political interference I cannot deal with, I will resign. To those who say I am influenced by this or that person, I will tell them, “Sorry, but I am not!”
The position I have taken is that I do not have tunnel vision, meaning that when you have a theory, you try to fit all the evidence you have to that theory. This is something we have to get absolutely away from. If somebody comes to me with credible evidence that shows me that I may not be on the right path, whatever path I am on, then of course I will look at that material. That is exactly what we are doing. Mr. Nasrallah says I have material, and we are looking at it. But in order to make an assessment you need to work with a complete record. That is why we asked for the rest.
... The fact of the matter is we are not politicized. We operate in a political context, no question about that. But the decision that will be made is not a political decision. It would be a political decision if the decision would be influenced by politics. The decision that will be made is completely out of these things. It is made independently; nobody will tell me what to do.
The pace of the investigation is fairly steady at this point. We have made huge progress. You have to put things in context. Look at other large investigations: the Khobar Towers bombing in Saudi Arabia or the Oklahoma bombing. They all took time.
The Hariri case is probably one of the biggest murder investigations currently under development. Look at the Lockerbie trial; it took years before the whole process was finished. Even though I have to be very careful when I compare the Hariri case with something else.
... At the end of the day, we will talk through our indictment. That would be our response to everything.
I will not comment on what Mr. Siddiq says. Basically, he is not somebody we will produce in court as a witness.
Who stamped him [Hussam Hussam] and Siddiq false witnesses? I never used that expression. At this point, he is not a suspect. Just like Siddiq. I will just leave it to that.
Bellemare: [The Lebanese justice minister] was tasked by the Lebanese cabinet [to look into the issue of the false witnesses]. We have to respect the decision of the Lebanese government. Of course, I have the primacy over the investigation. So we will see where this leads.
Many people have told me that justice has to be transparent. I agree with that. But the question is: What has to be transparent? Not the investigative process. It is the judicial process that has to be transparent. I think many people are confused with that.
