cedarsrevolution - World Council for the Cedar's Revolution Freedom and Democracy in Lebanon

Wednesday November 15, 2006

U.N. praises Lebanon approval of Hariri tribunal
By Edith M. Lederer

UNITED NATIONS - The United Nations on Tuesday called Lebanon's approval of an international tribunal for the suspected killers of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri "an important step" toward fulfilling the requirements of a Security Council resolution.
The Lebanese government approved the U.N. plan for a tribunal on Monday.

The U.N. secretary-general must now report to the Security Council about the government's decision, and the council must then decide whether to approve the final draft for the tribunal. If the council endorses the plan, it must then be approved again by Lebanon's Cabinet, signed by the president and authorized by a vote in parliament.

But Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Saniora's government is under intense pressure from the Shiite militant group Hezbollah and other Lebanese Shiites and final approval of the tribunal is far from certain.

"The secretary-general believes that the decision of the Lebanese Council of Ministers, approving the draft agreement and draft statute regarding the establishment of a tribunal of an international character, is an important step in fulfilling the Security Council's mandate in resolution 1664," U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said.

The resolution, adopted on March 29, asked Secretary-General Kofi Annan to negotiate an agreement with the Lebanese government aimed at establishing a tribunal "of an international character based on the highest international standards of criminal justice" to assist Lebanon "in the search for the truth and in holding all those involved in this terrorist attack accountable."

Hariri was killed with 22 others in a suicide truck bombing in February 2005. The assassination sparked huge protests against Syria, which was widely seen as culpable. Syria denied involvement, but was forced to withdraw its troops from Lebanon, ending a 29-year domination of its smaller neighbor.

Saniora, whose anti-Syrian majority dominates the Cabinet, convened a meeting Monday over the objections of pro-Syrian President Emile Lahoud and despite resignations of six pro-Syrian ministers, five of them Shiite Muslims who quit in a dispute with the prime minister.

Saniora is under additional pressure because Hezbollah, which claimed victory in its war against Israel this summer, has threatened to call mass protests unless it and its Shiite Muslim allies gain effective veto power in the Cabinet.

The anti-Syrian camp in Lebanon has charged that Syria is behind the opposition to the tribunal because it seeks to avoid the prosecution of the Syrians implicated in Hariri's killing by a U.N. inquiry. Hezbollah officials have denied they oppose a U.N. tribunal.

Saniora indicated Monday that the tribunal was a top priority and he would press for its creation.

"We tell the criminals that we will not give up our rights, no matter what the difficulties and obstacles are," he said. "Our only aim is to achieve justice and only justice. Without it and without knowing the truth, the Lebanese will not rest and we cannot protect our democratic system and political freedom now and in the future." (AP)

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Lebanon PM rejects "tyranny of minority"
Tue Nov 14, 2006 8:26 AM ET

By Alistair Lyon, Special Correspondent

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora said on Tuesday he would try to keep his depleted government afloat and resist demands by Hezbollah and its allies that would amount to "tyranny of the minority".

Siniora, who has lost a quarter of his 24-member cabinet since Saturday, said he would pursue dialogue despite the collapse of all-party talks and Hezbollah threats of street protests to bring down the anti-Syrian majority government.

He told Reuters in an interview that the majority was ready to expand the cabinet, but demands by Hezbollah, backed by its Shi'ite Muslim ally Amal and Christian leader Michel Aoun, for more than a third of cabinet seats were unacceptable.

"They will become able to paralyze the meetings of the cabinet of ministers ... and have the ability to topple the government," Siniora said at his office in downtown Beirut.

"In a democracy, this is not possible," he said, noting the majority his coalition commands in parliament.

"The point that's being mentioned there is the tyranny of the minority, which by all democratic principles, does not stand," said Siniora, a Sunni Muslim.

Hezbollah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah told supporters on Monday that Siniora's Western-backed government had zero credibility and would soon be replaced by a "clean" cabinet. "This government will go," As-Safir daily quoted him as saying.

Hezbollah and its allies have been demanding a greater say in government decisions since the end of a July-August war with Israel in which the Shi'ite group claimed a "divine victory".

Their Sunni, Druze and Christian foes, who accused them of sparking a ruinous and unnecessary conflict, fear that meeting their demands would drag Lebanon into a Syrian-Iranian orbit.

Hezbollah in turn accuses the anti-Syrian majority of serving the interests of the United States, if not Israel. It argues that in Lebanon's sectarian system all religious and political forces must be fairly represented in government.

OLIVE BRANCH

Siniora, who has rejected the six ministerial resignations, said his cabinet had taken all but one of its decisions by consensus not by vote for the past 15 months and was ready to discuss the concerns of the Shi'ite community.

"We are willing to sit down and talk about all your worries as representatives of the minority and see what can be done."

Siniora said street protests by Hezbollah could lead to counter-demonstrations in a contest Lebanon could do without.

"One should really ask how this would help Lebanon ... after 30 years of civil strife, confrontations, invasion, occupation and debt that has accumulated," the prime minister said.

Any such street action could jeopardize Lebanon's prospects of benefiting from an international conference in Paris scheduled for January to raise funds for postwar recovery.

"If we miss this opportunity it will be very difficult to get a similar one in the future," Siniora said.

He defended his decision to press ahead with a cabinet meeting on Monday which approved U.N.-drafted statutes for a special court to try the killers of former Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri, despite the resignations of six ministers.

Siniora said setting up the tribunal was a major plank in the government's program and there was no point in delaying action on a matter affecting Lebanon's security and stability.

Siniora was a senior aide to Hariri before his assassination in a truck bomb attack blamed by many Lebanese on Syria -- which denied any hand in it. He became prime minister last year after the first election held after Syrian troops left Lebanon.

"I will not lose hope," Siniora said, pledging to try to restore trust among Lebanon's rival communities. "We are going to live together and stay together. That's why we will have to find ways and means to answer the worries of each group."

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Prospects of Breakthrough Thin as Berri's Return to Lebanon Seemed Put Off
Without help from the outside world, prospects for a peaceful breakthrough in Lebanon's critical political deadlock seemed thin Wednesday as the traveling organizer of the national talks had no intention of coming back soon.
The leading daily An Nahar said Speaker Nabih Berri, who flew to London Tuesday night ending a four-day official visit to Tehran, was "not in a hurry" to come back, a sign of a "political cry" to prompt rival Lebanese leaders to "present new criteria" that could help bring the stalled talks back in motion.

Sources close to Berri told An Nahar that the situation in Lebanon has reached a point where an "in-depth political solution" is required, adding that "it is no longer a matter of formalities that can be resolved by yelling and roaring."

"There will absolutely be a solution," one source said. "But there is a political crisis that has got to be settled."

Prime Minister Fouad Saniora's cabinet faced a deep crisis Tuesday as pro-Syrian opponents called for a change of government after it adopted a U.N. tribunal plan to try suspects in ex-Premier Rafik Hariri's murder.

Despite the resignations of six pro-Syrian ministers, the cabinet on Monday approved the U.N. draft to set up an international tribunal for the February 2005 assassination of the five-time prime minister.

However, Syrian protégé President Emile Lahoud and some opposition figures said the cabinet's approval was illegal because none of the five Shiite ministers were present -- having resigned on Saturday.

Lahoud issued a statement saying Saniora's government was not legitimate because the constitution states "all sects should be justly represented in the cabinet."

An Nahar said on Wednesday that Lahoud sent a letter to U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan explaining his case, saying cabinet's approval of the draft document was "non-binding to the Lebanese republic in any way because it had not been approved by the president" and because the current cabinet was unconstitutional.

The resignations of the five Hizbullah and Amal ministers as well as the government's approval of the U.N. draft text have prompted Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah to boycott Saniora's cabinet on Tuesday.

The constitution recognizes 18 religion-based communities and most of them are represented in a full cabinet by at least one minister.(Naharnet-AP)

Beirut, 15 Nov 06, 09:14

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Khamenei Tells Berri U.S., Israel Will be Defeated in Lebanon
Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has said the United States and Israel would be defeated in Lebanon, in talks with speaker Nabih Berri, Iranian media reported Wednesday.
Khamenei praised Berri for his "excellent role" in the July-August war between Hizbullah and Israel, and for the "victory" against the Jewish state, in their meeting on Tuesday.

"What led to this great victory was the unity and harmony between Hizbullah and Amal brothers which must go on in future more strongly than before," said Khamenei.

Berri is the head of the Amal movement that is allied with Hizbullah.

Lebanon "will be the defeat point for Israel and America," the two-arch enemies of the Islamic republic, Khamenei said.

Iran, along with Syria, is accused of arming and financing Hizbullah. Tehran denies the allegation, insisting it only gives "moral" support to the Shiite group.

"Today it is (America's) policies in the world and the region that are bound to fail. These opportunities must be exploited with determination and action," said Khamenei.

"The situation of Iran is better and stronger than before. The future will be much more promising."
Berri ended his four-day official visit to Tehran on Tuesday and reportedly flew to London rather than returning to Lebanon.(AFP-Naharnet)

Beirut, 15 Nov 06, 12:56

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U.N. Report: Hizbullah Training Somalia's Islamic Forces

Hizbullah is providing advanced training to Somalia's Islamic Forces in exchange for their military support to the Shiite group during its summer war with Israel, according to a confidential U.N. report.

The Washington post said on Wednesday that the 86-page report was prepared by a panel of U.N. weapons and financial experts.

The confidential report said Iran, Syria, Libya and Hizbullah are providing arms, training and financing to Islamic militants as they seize political and military control in the East African state of Somalia.

To shore up support for their cause, Somalia's Islamic fighters provided military support in the summer to Hizbullah, sending 720 of its most experienced fighters to help battle Israeli forces, according to the report. The fighters were promised $2,000 in payments to their families for serving, and as much as $30,000 if they fell in battle.

The report said that in exchange for their backing, Hizbullah provided advanced training to Somali fighters and sent five Hizbullah advisers to Somalia. It also allegedly solicited support for the movement from Iran and Syria.

It warned that the conflict could reignite a war between Eritrea, the chief foreign sponsor of the Islamics, and Ethiopia, which is backing Somalia's weak transitional federal government.

The report asserts that a huge inflow of outside military assistance, in violation of a U.N. arms embargo, is contributing to the emergence of an alliance of militants called the Islamic Courts Union as the first Islamic government since the United States overthrew Afghanistan's Taliban in 2002.

It warns that Somalia could become the site of insurgency tactics used in Iraq, including "suicide bombers, assassinations and other forms of terrorist and insurgent-type activities."

"The strongly sustained trend toward total military, economic and political dominance by the Islamic Courts Union in central and southern Somalia continues," according to the report by the U.N. Monitoring Group on Somalia. "They are currently the most powerful force in Somalia."

The Washington post said the report will be presented to the Security Council this week.

It said that the report's authors recommend that the Security Council tighten a U.N. arms embargo, impose sanctions on Somali individuals and businesses buying weapons, and launch an international diplomatic effort to dissuade states from arming the combatants.

The developments in Somalia represent a setback for the United States, which had sought to prevent the militants from taking power, according to the Washington post.

It said the report, however, provided no evidence to suggest that the United States provided clandestine support to anti-Islamic forces, as officials in Somalia's interim government have alleged.

But it did underscore the degree to which the United States' chief Middle East rivals, Iran and Syria, and its allies, Saudi Arabia and Egypt, are prepared to challenge U.S. interests in East Africa, the paper said.

The U.N. team detailed three Iranian consignments of arms, ammunition, medical supplies and doctors to the Islamic fighters since summer. The report says one July shipment included land mines, 1,000 machine guns and M-79 rocket launchers, and 45 shoulder-fired surface-to-air missiles.

It also says two Iranian nationals were negotiating the possibility of selling more weapons for access to Somalia's uranium deposits.

The report asserts that Syria has trained 200 Somali fighters in guerrilla warfare tactics and that Libya has provided arms and advanced military training to another 100. Libya also allegedly provided $1 million to finance future training missions and to pay salaries.

Iran and Syria denied in separate letters to the U.N. team that they had shipped weapons to Somalia or trained Somali forces. The U.N. team did not receive a response from the Libyan government.

The Washington Post said that representatives from the Islamic Courts Union said the allegations that they had received illegal arms shipments are "baseless."

The report cites a case in which Egypt agreed to train Somalia's Islamic militants. And it accuses Saudi Arabia of providing several shipments of food and medicine to Islamic combatants. Egypt denied the allegation; Saudi Arabia has yet to fully respond to the charges.

The report asserts that the most flagrant violations of the U.N. arms embargo have been committed by Eritrea and Ethiopia, which have sent dozens of weapons shipments and thousands of combat troops into Somalia on behalf of their proxies. It also charged that Uganda and Yemen had joined Ethiopia in supporting Somalia's losing Transitional Federal Government.(Naharnet filephoto shows Hizbullah fighters during a military parade).

Beirut, 15 Nov 06, 10:16

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U.N. Deals Blow to Lahoud, Says Tribunal Approval 'Important Step'
The United Nations has called Lebanon's approval of an international tribunal for the suspected killers of former Premier Rafik Hariri "an important step" toward fulfilling the requirements of a Security Council resolution.
Prime Minister Fouad Saniora's government approved the U.N. plan for the court in an extraordinary session on Monday despite the objections of Pro-Syrian President Emile Lahoud and the resignation of six ministers, five of them Shiites.

U.N. Chief Kofi Annan must now report to the Security Council about the government's decision, and the council must then decide whether to approve the final draft for the tribunal.

"The secretary-general believes that the decision of the Lebanese council of ministers, approving the draft agreement and draft statute regarding the establishment of a tribunal of an international character, is an important step in fulfilling the Security Council's mandate in resolution 1664," U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said on Tuesday.

The resolution, adopted on March 29, asked Annan to negotiate an agreement with the Lebanese government aimed at establishing a tribunal "of an international character based on the highest international standards of criminal justice" to assist Lebanon "in the search for the truth and in holding all those involved in this terrorist attack accountable."

The U.N. move was a blow to Lahoud who on Tuesday said in a letter to Annan that the cabinet decision was not binding on the Lebanese state because it was taken by an illegitimate body in breach of the constitution.

Hariri was killed along with 22 others in a bombing in February 2005. The assassination sparked huge protests against Syria, which was widely seen as culpable. Syria denied involvement, but was forced to withdraw its troops from Lebanon, ending a 29-year hegemony.

The anti-Syrian camp in Lebanon has charged that Damascus is behind the opposition to the tribunal because it seeks to avoid the prosecution of the Syrians implicated in Hariri's killing by a U.N. inquiry.

Saniora indicated Monday that the tribunal was a top priority and he would press for its creation.

Beirut, 15 Nov 06, 07:30

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Poll: U.S. 'Big Loser' in Eyes of Lebanese after Isarel's War
Israel's summer war with Hizbullah cost the United States dearly in the good will of the Lebanese, a poll taken just over a month after the violence found.
Part of the Gallup World Poll project, the survey released in Washington Tuesday, compared findings from its latest canvass, in August, 2005.

In almost every category, the United States was the big loser. Nearly two-thirds of the Lebanese -- 64 percent -- who said their opinions of the United States were worse after the July-August fighting than before.

Almost half those polled described their opinions as "much worse" after the war in which Israel's mainly U.S-equipped military did substantial damage to Lebanese villages, roads, bridges and other infrastructure.

The fighting that ended Aug. 14 was sparked by the killing of three Israeli soldiers and the kidnapping of two others in a cross-border Hizbullah attack. More than 1,200 people died in the war, mainly Lebanese civilians.

In the 2005 Gallup poll, Lebanese attitudes toward the United States were 39 percent favorable and 42 percent unfavorable, roughly and even split given the poll's 3 percentage point margin of sampling error.

The postwar poll released Tuesday showed Lebanese twice as likely to hold unfavorable opinions of the United Stats, 59 percent unfavorable to 28 percent favorable. Almost half the unfavorable described their views of the United States as "very negative."

Lebanese even took their dismay over the Americans to the extent that the United States was blamed as the country with the single greatest level of responsibility for the Israeli-Hizbullah war by 24 percent of the respondents.

No country except Israel itself was judged more at fault: the Israelis were blamed by 40 percent of Lebanese.

The poll also looked at countries the Lebanese admired. Rated on a 5-point scale from "very favorable" as 5 to "very unfavorable" as 1, France, once Lebanon's colonial ruler, was the most admired among 13 nations with a 3.6, with Canada at 3.5. The only countries below the midpoint 2.5 were the United States at 2.3, Britain 2.2 and Pakistan 2.0.

The poll taken nationwide of 1,000 adults aged 18 and over was conducted between Sept. 18 and Oct. 12 in all parts of the country except some war-torn southern regions. The sampling error is plus or minus 3 percent.(AP)

Beirut, 15 Nov 06, 10:59

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Lahoud: Cabinet's Approval of Hariri Court Void
Pro-Syrian President Emile Lahoud rejected as null and void Tuesday the government's approval of a U.N. plan for an international tribunal to try ex-premier Rafik Hariri's suspected assassins.
"The cabinet's approval of the plans for the establishment of the court are not binding on the Lebanese state because the decision was taken by an illegitimate body in breach of the constitution," Lahoud said in a letter to U.N. chief Kofi Annan.

The decision was taken "without the approval of the head of state," added the president, who has already said that he no longer regards Saniora's cabinet as legitimate after the resignation of six pro-Syrian ministers.

The prime minister convened the government's extraordinary session Monday despite Lahoud's objections and the resignation of the ministers, five of them Shiites.

The parliamentary majority has accused Hizbullah and the Amal movement, the main pro-Syrian and pro-Iranian Shiite groups, of doing Damascus's and Tehran's bidding and seeking to undermine the formation of the international tribunal.

The United States has also warned that Syria and its Lebanese allies might seek to block the plans for an international court to try suspects in the February 2005 bombing on the Beirut seafront, which killed Hariri and 22 others.

"We are prepared to move quickly in the Security Council to approve the tribunal once we receive formal word from the government of Lebanon," U.S. ambassador John Bolton to the United Nations was quoted as saying.

"We call on all, especially Syria, to respect the Lebanese government's decision."(AFP-Naharnet)

Beirut, 14 Nov 06, 20:38

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Siniora vows to keep Cabinet afloat despite Hizbullah pressure
Premier says he will resist 'tyranny of the minority'

Compiled by Daily Star staff
Wednesday, November 15, 2006

Lebanon's rival political camps dug in their heels Tuesday, with Hizbullah's leader insisting the government will fall and the premier vowing to keep his Cabinet afloat. Prime Minister Fouad Siniora said Tuesday he would resist demands by Hizbullah and its allies that would amount to "tyranny of the minority."

Siniora was responding to Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah's statements on Monday when he said that "this [Siniora's] government will go, and we have nothing to do with it after the resignations. A new government will come."

Nasrallah was quoted as saying in As-Safir newspaper that the "credibility of the current government is zero."

Nasrallah's remarks came a day after the government, defying the objections of the president and the resignations of six of its ministers, approved a UN plan for an international tribunal to try the suspected killers of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. The vote dealt a blow to Hizbullah and its Shiite ally, the Amal Movement.

The two parties withdrew their five representatives from the government Saturday after the anti-Syrian parliamentary majority refused to meet their demand for a "national unity" Cabinet that would effectively give Hizbullah and its allies veto power over key decisions.

The sixth minister, Yaacoub Sarraf, a Christian allied with the president, resigned Monday, citing similar objections.

Siniora told Reuters the majority was ready to expand the Cabinet, but not yield a third of Cabinet seats to the opposition.

"They will become able to paralyze the meetings of the Cabinet of ministers ... and have the ability to topple the government," he said. "In a democracy, this is not possible."

Siniora, a Sunni who became premier 15 months ago after elections swept an anti-Syrian coalition to power, said he would pursue dialogue to resolve the political crisis.

But he said Hizbullah's threats to take to the streets in peaceful protest could spark counterdemonstrations and jeopardize Lebanon's chances of tapping foreign aid for reconstruction after the July-August war with Israel.

Nasrallah, who has threatened to stage street protests if Hizbullah's demand for a national unity government was ignored, assured the Lebanese that there would be no new civil war as a result of mounting political tensions among the country's rival factions.

The Hizbullah leader was addressing about 6,000 people whose homes were destroyed in Beirut's southern suburbs by Israeli air strikes during the Jewish state's 34-day war on Lebanon.

Nasrallah has lashed out at Siniora's government, which is dominated by anti-Syrians, saying it was unable to rebuild the country after the massive devastation caused by the Israeli attacks in Beirut's southern suburbs and in eastern and Southern Lebanon.

"A clean-handed government will come and rebuild. We will not leave the people. As we have said on the first day of victory, we are committed to rebuild your houses and institutions with clean money.

"Hopefully, the reconstruction of the Dahiyeh will begin in three months," pro-Hizbullah As-Safir quoted Nasrallah as saying.

He said Hizbullah, which began paying compensation to the victims of the war a day after a UN-brokered cease-fire ended the fighting on August 14, has so far paid $300 million to help people whose homes were destroyed or damaged by the Israeli bombing find new places to live.

Hizbullah's parliamentary bloc leader, Mohammad Raad, said Tuesday that the group and its allies would surprise the majority with their actions.

"Just like the minority surprised everyone with the resignation, they will surprise everyone with their coming actions," he said in a statement.

Druze leader Walid Jumblatt lashed out at Hizbullah Tuesday, ruling out giving Hizbullah and the pro-Syrian camp a decisive say in government.

"They have the president, who is totally favoring them, they have their alliance with the Iranians and Syrians, at the expense of Lebanese independence," he told Reuters.

"They have weaponry; nobody is speaking about their weaponry," he added.

Jumblatt and other anti-Syrian leaders say the Cabinet resignations were an attempt to block the creation of a special tribunal to try Hariri's suspected killers.

UN investigators have implicated Syrian and Lebanese security officials.

Siniora said he would hold talks with Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, a Hizbullah ally who also leads the Shiite Amal movement. Berri was due to return from Iran later in the day.

In Tehran Berri met with Grand Ayatollah Sayyed Ali Khamenei and discussed the Israeli attack on Lebanon.

If those consultations fail to calm the atmosphere, Hizbullah may stage the street demonstrations it has promised.

Hariri's son, who heads the parliamentary majority, said there are certain parties threatening to destabilize the country if their demands are not met.

"We are not the ones making problems, other parties are threatening to create a crisis if they don't get what they want. We don't want to escalate, or take to the streets and we are not challenging anyone," MP Saad Hariri said during an interview with Al-Arabiyya on Tuesday.

He dismissed rumors that the anti-Syrian coalition was planning to deploy UNIFIL to protect themselves from Hizbullah.

"The UNIFIL are here to stop Israeli violations on Lebanon," Hariri said.

Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea said the Shiite ministers resigned in attempt to halt the approval of the UN draft law that outlines the framework of the international court to try Hariri's killers.

"Certain people tried to portray the situation a dispute over Cabinet seats, this is not true ... the problem is specifically the international court," Geagea said. - Agencies, with additional reporting by Maher Zeineddine

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Annan vows to 'speed up' formation of Hariri court

By Leila Hatoum
Daily Star staff
Wednesday, November 15, 2006

BEIRUT: Outgoing UN Secretary General Kofi Annan voiced his support for the Lebanese government's decision to approve the final draft for an international tribunal to try those accused of assassinating former Premier Rafik Hariri. In comments to reporters late Monday in New York, Annan also promised to "speed up the technical measures" needed for the adoption of the draft tribunal at the Security Council "very soon."

Lebanon's Premier Fouad Siniora had sent the signed copy of the draft to Annan late Monday, hours after the Cabinet approved it despite the absence of six ministers who had resigned this week.

Annan called Siniora to inform him that he received the signed draft and that he will pass it on to the UN Security Council, a Lebanese government source said Tuesday.

The source told The Daily Star that the next step is "to wait for the Security Council to convene and endorse the final draft in a resolution and send it back to Lebanon for ratification in Parliament."

However, Lebanese President Emile Lahoud said the signed draft was void and illegal as it does not bear his signature.

In a letter addressed to Annan Tuesday, Lahoud said that "the Cabinet's approval of the draft ... is not binding to the Lebanese state because the decision was made by an illegitimate body in breach of the Constitution."

The decision was made "without the approval of the head of state," Lahoud said, adding that he did not receive a copy of the draft "until few days ago."

The parliamentary majority, known as the March 14 Forces, has accused Hizbullah and its allies of resigning from the Cabinet in an attempt to foil the formation of the tribunal - a charge Hizbullah strongly denies.

Five Hizbullah and Amal ministers, as well as Lahoud's ally Environment Minister Yaacoub Sarraf, resigned from the Cabinet after consultations on the formation of a national unity government reached a dead end.

In a sign of a possible warming of relations between Hizbullah and the Future Movement, MP Saad Hariri said that "Hizbullah wants to discuss things in details, and in my opinion Hizbullah has approved [the tribunal] in principal."

But during an interview with Al-Arabiya, Hariri said that "Hizbullah's ministers shouldn't have resigned at this critical time, so I think it was bad timing to take such a step on their part."

"We know that there are demands for the formation of a national unity government, but they could have waited for some time before taking such a step."

"I can assure you that Hizbullah wasn't involved in the assassination. I know Hizbullah's leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah very well and I know how they work and I know that they are true patriots and love Rafik Hariri, who had good relations with them," he added.

The tribunal "has passed through several stages of preparation ... and when it was finalized President Emile Lahoud started voicing his objections," Hariri said.

"Siniora has taken a difficult step forward through the approval by the Cabinet of this draft," he added. Hariri expalined that the draft will be adopted by the UN Security Council in a resolution then sent back to Lebanon for the Parliament's approval. Once ratified, the draft will then go back to the Security Council, which will form the tribunal, he said.

Hariri's ally, Chouf MP Walid Jumblatt, asked Tuesday: "Why does Hizbullah fear the tribunal? The tribunal is insurance to the group."

Meanwhile, the United States warned Syria and its allies against hindering the formation of the tribunal.

"We are prepared to move quickly in the Security Council to approve the tribunal once we receive formal word from the government of Lebanon," acting US Ambassador to the UN John Bolton said Monday. "We call on all, especially Syria, to respect the Lebanese government's decision." - With agencies

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Israeli Foreign Ministry calls for curb on overfights
Officials say not all flights are surveillance missions and unnecessarily provoke UNIFIL

Compiled by Daily Star staff
Wednesday, November 15, 2006

The Israeli Foreign Ministry wants the air force to cut back its flights over Lebanon, saying some are an unnecessary provocations of UN forces patrolling the South, Army Radio reported Tuesday. The United Nations and Lebanon regard the flights as a violation of the UN-brokered resolution that ended Israel's war on Lebanon on August 14.

But Israel has rebuffed their demands to halt the flights, saying they are vital intelligence-gathering missions.

On Tuesday, Army Radio cited Foreign Ministry officials as contending that not all the flights are surveillance missions, and those that are not unnecessarily provoke the expanded UN force policing Southern Lebanon as part of the cease-fire. Ministry officials weren't immediately available for comment.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has pointedly refused to publicly back his beleaguered military chief, who is coming under increasing pressure to resign over the much-criticized summer war in Lebanon.

Lieutenant General Dan Halutz has told confidants he has no intention of stepping down. But the chorus of calls for his resignation and a lack of backing from Olmert have again put Halutz' future at center stage.

Israeli media reported that Olmert, in Washington for talks with administration officials, was asked three times by reporters whether he backed his military chief. All three times, he evaded the question.

The front page of the Maariv daily showed Halutz, right hand touching his cap in a salute, near the headline: "I won't resign."

Halutz, along with Olmert and Defense Minister Amir Peretz, has been widely assailed for his performance in Israel's largest military operation since 1982. Reserve generals have criticized Halutz, a former air force chief, for focusing too much on aerial bombardments and not enough on ground operations.

Critics have also questioned his decision to send troops on a last-minute push in which more than 30 soldiers died.

Reports from the battlefield, meanwhile, described a military command that was indecisive and confused, and sent troops out to battle inadequately armed, clothed and fed.

The general in charge of the unit whose soldiers were ambushed quit Sunday after he was told an investigating panel would recommend he be fired.

Critics of Halutz demanded that he, too, be held accountable for the war's failures. And on Monday, a retired general took the unusual step of publicly demanding Halutz quit. Halutz continued with his regular duties Tuesday, visiting reserve soldiers training at a military base.

"There are those who make calls and those who do things. We are on the side that does things and we will continue to do what is necessary to meet the goal ... [of having a[ better-trained, higher-quality army," he said.

Peretz, who accompanied Halutz, gave a boost of support to the military chief. "It is time to stop this irresponsible persecution of the chief of staff," he said.

As criticism on Halutz' performance during the Lebanon war mounts in Israel, a military publication said that the Israeli military will restore its guerrilla warfare training center as a result of its experiences in the summer's war in Lebanon.

While not admitting that the lack of guerrilla training was a factor in the shortcomings of the summer war, the military is planning to restart it, according to the current issue of the soldiers' weekly, Bamahaneh.

Soldiers will learn camouflage techniques, navigation by GPS satellite systems, construction of hidden outposts and other skills, the weekly said, and they will test their newly won abilities in special paintball maneuvers.

Lieutenant Colonel Lior Lifshitz, commander of the Elyakim base, told the weekly that he hopes to set up a permanent paintball course at the base. The guerrilla training, on the other hand, would be taken to all the bases in the northern command area, with courses for both soldiers and officers.

"Our goal is to establish a cycle, so that within two years officers would receive extensive training and soldiers some training," Lifshitz told Bamahaneh.

The new center, which is to be operational within a few months, will also supply guerrilla warfare equipment to the various army units, the week-

ly reported.

The Israeli military closed down its guerrilla warfare training facility at the Elyakim base in Israel's north after Israeli forces pulled out of Lebanon in 2000, following a 22-year war against Hizbullah resistance forces. - Agencies

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Probe of Israeli 'war crimes' moves at snail's pace

Daily Star staff
Wednesday, November 15, 2006

Interview

BEIRUT: Those attempting to investigate the recent month-long conflict with Israel in the hopes of holding the Jewish state to account for its actions have discovered that the rule of law is clearly a challenging goal to achieve. Just ask MP Ghassan Mokheiber, the head of the parliamentary Committee on Human Rights, the Lebanese official tasked with compiling data on the war.

In a recent telephone interview with The Daily Star, Mokheiber said ongoing governmental and humanitarian efforts are currently focused on compiling "detailed, accurate and impartial information."

"The accuracy of information is imperative," he said. "Our immediate goal is to centralize it and make it available to all, such as the public, researchers, lawyers and various commissions of enquiry. We're doing it from the perspective that there has been a violation of international legal standards."

Mokheiber said the information being collected will accompany and follow-up on reports released by international human rights groups such as the International Crisis Group.

"We're coordinating efforts of official ministries and bodies and civil society organizations and volunteers," he added. "There will soon be a Web site available with the data at israeliwarcrimes.net where it will all be centralized."

So, two-and-a-half months after a cessation of violence was brokered between Israel and Lebanon, the government has nearly completed a Web site that will compile the atrocities.

Other investigations also seem to be lagging.

An investigation by the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) is ongoing, and may play a part in determining whether Lebanon is entitled to compensation for the wide-ranging damage sustained to its infrastructure during the war and alleged violations of international law.

The jurists completed a 16-day preliminary fact-finding mission and is presently in the middle of a second stage of enquiry; the last update of which was issued nearly a month ago.

Amnesty International released a report in August entitled "Israel/Lebanon Deliberate Destruction or Collateral Damage? Israeli Attacks on Civilian Infrastructure," and although it suggested that Israel caused deliberate destruction, the eventual conclusion was that an official international investigation was needed.

However, Amnesty was able to complete many of the tasks in their initial assessment that the ICJ is still conducting, such as first-hand interviews.

Mokheiber said the delays were not for a lack of effort.

"We are simply collecting the information that's available. There's actually very little reliable information for us to go by; we are collecting all that we can," he said.

Reports compiled shortly after the war were "extremely preliminary," he added, with the goal being more accurate reports in the future.

"We're acting as a clearing house at the moment. We're coordinating with many other international reports as well as our own network," he said of his committee's efforts.

"The immediate value that can be had by this data is its use in reports, the most important of which being [that from] the Human Rights Council of the United Nations," he said. "They established a commission of enquiry specifically to investigate this case and will submit a report on their findings to the UN Human Rights Council on November 27."

The end use of such reports is to define whether or not a legal case against Israel on charges of war crimes or international law violations can be made.

However, some observers have argued that such a case would never make it to the International Criminal Court in The Hague or the International Court of Justice as neither Israel nor Lebanon accept the courts' jurisdiction.

Mokheiber said such legal actions could be pursued in the future, but added that that it was up to the Cabinet whether or not such actions were taken.

Nonratifying countries are able to submit their case under a provision within the Rome Treaty, he added, on the condition that further decisions are left to the designated prosecutor.

Such a scenario was pos-sible in the future, Mokheiber predicted, as long as Lebanon is willing to "submit and cooperate." - The Daily Star

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Fatfat tells gathering of Arab counterparts: 'Security' opens door to development

Daily Star staff
Wednesday, November 15, 2006

BEIRUT: Acting Interior Minister Ahmad Fatfat said Tuesday that security and safety are the basis of a country's prosperity and development. "There is no peace without security, no prosperity without security, and no development without security," Fatfat said.

Fatfat made his comments as the 30th Conference for Arab Police and Security Leaders kicked off in Beirut International Exhibition and Leisure Center (BIEL).

Representing Prime Minister Fouad Siniora, Fatfat said: "Today, the march for truth regarding the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri has started to take it course on local, Arab and international levels."

"The approval of a UN draft to create an international tribunal to try Hariri's assassins was a message to everyone who intends to commit assassinations in Lebanon," he said. "Our fierce determination to follow up on this issue is not aimed at getting revenge, but at protecting democracy and freedom."

The conference was opened in the presence of Mohammad Bin Ali Koman, secretary general of the Arab Interior Ministers Council and the head of Internal Security Forces, Major General Ashraf Rifi.

Security officials from Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Tunis, Algeria, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria, Iraq, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Kuwait, Egypt, Morocco, Mauritania, Yemen and the Interpol also took part in the conference.

Koman said that fighting crime was not the responsibility of security forces alone, but "the whole society should take part in rebuffing the dangers threatening it."

"As a result, religious and educational institutions, media outlets and civil institutions should all play a major role in warning citizens against dangers menacing their society," he said.

According to Koman, the conference was held in Beirut to express Arab support for Lebanon's people and government following the "barbaric" Israeli bombardment this summer.

"We call on the international community to force Israel to abide by the ... Resolution 1701 and to work on clearing thousands of cluster bombs spread across South Lebanon by Israeli forces," Koman said.

He also stressed the need to promote cooperation between Arab security bodies through continued meetings and provide them with modern techniques and equipment.

Rifi said revealing the truth behind Hariri's killing would serve not only Lebanon but "all of humanity."

"We hope the Lebanese international experience proves criminals cannot escape sanctions no matter what," he added.

A closed session was held afterward. The meet's recommendations will be issued Wednesday afternoon. - The Daily Star

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Qabbani insists Cabinet's move to adopt tribunal was 'legitimate'
Hoss lashes out at attempts to justify constitutionality of session

Wednesday, November 15, 2006

BEIRUT: Reactions poured in on Tuesday to Cabinet's approval of a UN draft to create an international tribunal to try former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri's assassins, despite the resignation of six ministers. Education Minister Khaled Qabbani insisted that Monday's Cabinet session did not violate the Constitution, adding that "since the quorum was met, the session was legitimate."

"The ministers' resignation has not affected the constitutionality of the session because Prime Minister Fouad Siniora did not accept [the resignation]," Qabbani told Voice of Lebanon radio station on Tuesday.

On Monday the remaining Cabinet members unanimously approved the draft of the international tribunal, despite the resignation of six ministers, including those from Hizbullah and the Amal Movement and Yaacoub Sarraf, a key ally of President Emile Lahoud.

Siniora officially received the resignations on Monday but refused to accept them and called for the ministers to return to their posts.

Qabbani said the presence of the six ministers in Cabinet is "necessary and important," adding that "they had distinctive governmental performance, which made Siniora reject their resignations."

The sheikh also stressed the need to "reap the fruit of the international community's support for Lebanon so the situation can return to normal."

Praising Speaker Nabih Berri's efforts to ease the tension, Qabbani said, "doors are still open to reunite the Cabinet and go forward in order to restore confidence in our country."

MP Robert Ghanem said Tuesday that the session was "100 percent constitutional."

Speaking to Voice of Lebanon, the head of Parliament's Administration and Justice Committee said that the session was held in a "legal way" since two thirds of the ministers were present.

Ghanem also echoed Qabbani, saying that "the resignations are not valid if President Emile Lahoud and the premier do not sign them."

Legal expert Shafik Masri told the radio station that the session was "legitimate" because two thirds of the ministers took part in it.

"According to the Constitution, when two thirds of the ministers participate in a session ... [it] is considered legitimate," Masri said.

Meanwhile, former Prime Minister Salim Hoss lashed out at attempts to justify the constitutionality of the session.

"The introduction of the Lebanese Constitution stipulates that any authority loses legitimacy when it contradicts the pact of coexistence," Hoss said in a statement.

"Are the conditions of coexistence met in a government suffering from a national imbalance?" he asked.

Hoss also said that when conflicts in the country revolve around the government, the solution cannot be democratic unless the government is changed.

"Does the ministers' agreement have any meaning in the absence of an eminent part of Lebanon's political arena?" Hoss asked.

The former premier urged Berri to call for a national dialogue meeting in order to reach "a minimum agreement" over the country's pending issues.

For his part, Lahoud rejected claims that Monday's Cabinet session was legitimate, adding a complaint that "ministers did not give the country's president the time to look into the UN draft."

"Article 52 of the Constitution gives the president the right to conclude international conventions in agreement with the prime minister ... I wonder how they [ministers] skipped legal points," former Minister Wadih Khazen quoted Lahoud as saying after meeting with him on Tuesday.

According to Khazen, Lahoud insists on revealing the truth behind Hariri's assassination and creating an international tribunal.

"Everybody knows that majority, in terms of popular representation, lies in MP Michel Aoun's parliamentary bloc," Lahoud said, according to the former minister.

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Tuesday November 14, 2006

Hezbollah Chief Says Lebanon Government "Will Go"
By REUTERS
Filed at 4:34 a.m. ET

BEIRUT (Reuters) - The Western-backed government of Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora will soon be ousted and replaced by a ``clean'' cabinet, the leader of pro-Syrian Hezbollah was quoted on Tuesday as saying.

But Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah tried to ease fears that Lebanon was sliding toward chaos amid a deepening political crisis, saying Hezbollah would preserve the country's stability.

Six ministers from Hezbollah and its allies resigned from the cabinet after the collapse at the weekend of all-party talks on the pro-Syrian camp's demand for a cabinet reshuffle that would give them effective veto power.

``This government will go,'' Nasrallah was quoted by As-Safir newspaper as telling supporters at a meeting on Monday. ``We have no links to it after the resignation.

``There will be a new government,'' he said, adding that Siniora's government had ``zero credibility.''

Nasrallah said a ``clean government'' would come to rebuild Lebanon from the ruins of Hezbollah's war with Israel in July and August.

Al-Akhbar newspaper reported that Nasrallah had told the crowd that Hezbollah had so far spent $300 million in cash aid to those who lost their homes in the war, in which about 15,000 homes were destroyed and 30,000 others were damaged.

It said the group's chief said the money came from Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Khamenei is the spiritual leader to many Shi'ites in Lebanon and as such he is responsible for distributing to the needy aid donated to him by wealthy Muslims.

The government resignations brought to a head a crisis in Lebanon which has worsened since former Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri's killing last year and was heightened by the war with Israel.

A depleted cabinet, made up of mainly anti-Syrian ministers, approved on Monday draft United Nations statutes for a tribunal to try Hariri's suspected killers.

Hezbollah has threatened to stage street protests to press its demands for more power in government, drawing pledges of counter-demonstrations from anti-Syrian leaders. This has raised fears of violence.

``There are those who are trying to exaggerate (the threat of violence),'' Nasrallah said. ``This is our country and we have given tens of thousands of martyrs and wounded ... to protect it.''

``We will not throw that away, we will preserve the civil peace and stability,'' he said.

Hezbollah and its ally, the Amal movement, enjoy overwhelming support among Lebanon's Shi'ites, the largest community in Lebanon.

They are also allied with Christian leader Michel Aoun who won an election in the Christian heartland in a parliamentary election last year but did not join the government.

The anti-Syrian coalition gathers Sunni, Druze and Christian leaders. It won a majority in the election held soon after Syria ended its 29-year military presence in Lebanon in April 2005.

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Nasrallah Boycotts Cabinet, 'Clean Government' to be Restored
Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah has boycotted Premier Fouad Saniora's cabinet following the resignation of six pro-Syrian ministers, vowing to re-establish a "clean government."
"This government will go and nothing associates us with it (government) after the resignations," Nasrallah late Monday told a crowd of about 6,000 residents who lost their homes in Beirut's southern suburbs during the destructive Israeli war on Lebanon over the summer.

He was referring to the resignation of the six ministers, five of them from Hizbullah and Amal, hours after the national dialogue collapsed on Saturday.

"This country is ours. We sacrificed tens of thousands of martyrs, wounded, prisoners and disabled for the sake of safeguarding it (Lebanon) as well as protecting its dignity and glory; and we will not give up (these sacrifices)," the daily As Safir quoted Nasrallah as saying.

Addressing the Lebanese, Nasrallah said that "the clean government is coming up."

Lebanon's political crisis has taken a sharp turn for the worse following the resignations over demands for a Hizbullah veto power in the executive authority, which were vehemently rejected by the anti-Syrian ruling majority.

Nasrallah's declaration came as the cabinet approved on Monday a U.N. draft text setting up an international tribunal to try the killers of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri despite the resignation of the ministers.

The leading daily An Nahar said Tuesday that the draft was sent back to the United Nations late Monday after being translated into English.

It said that U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan has promised Saniora in an overnight telephone call to work quickly in the Security Council to approve the document.

While Lahoud slammed the cabinet as no longer legitimate following the resignation, Speaker Nabih Berri said it was "constitutional as long as more than two thirds (of the ministers) remain in the government."

The direct challenge from the anti-Syrian March 14 Forces that dominate the cabinet and the cabinet's endorsement of the U.N. draft statutes have deepened the political divide.

Parliamentary majority leader Saad Hariri directly accused Syria and Iran of seeking to scuttle the formation of the international court.

Iran on Monday rejected Hariri's accusations that Tehran was trying to block international efforts to try those behind his father's murder.

There was no immediate reaction from Syria but it has denied previous claims that it was trying to topple the Lebanese government.

Hizbullah, which gained increasing political clout for its fierce fight against Israel during the July-August war, recently threatened to call mass protests with the aim of bringing down the government unless it received greater cabinet representation.

Beirut, 14 Nov 06, 09:28

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U.S. to Syria: Respect Beirut's Decision on Hariri Murder Court
U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. John Bolton has urged Syria to respect the Lebanese government's decision to endorse the creation of an international tribunal, despite the resignation of six pro-Syrian ministers.
Premier Fouad Saniora's cabinet on Monday unanimously approved the document to establish the court into the 2005 assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.

"We are prepared to move quickly in the Security Council to approve the tribunal once we receive formal word from the government of Lebanon," U.S. spokesman Benjamin Chang quoted the U.S. envoy to the U.N. as saying.

"We call on all, especially Syria, to respect the Lebanese government's decision," Bolton was also quoted as saying.

The cabinet's approval came despite a government crisis sparked by the resignation of six ministers.

Saniora said the government approval was meant "to reject and confront attempts to assassinate Lebanon ... and to tell the criminals that we will not give up our right to achieve justice despite the difficulties."

An ongoing U.N. probe has implicated senior officials from Syria, which for decades was Lebanon's power-broker, and also Lebanese accomplices. Damascus strongly denies any connection with the Hariri killing.

In Washington, State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said the root of the political crisis brewing in Lebanon was because "some (people) are very, very nervous -- including in Damascus -- about where this tribunal issue is going to head."

"I can't imagine, other than they're nervous about themselves ending up before this tribunal or their friends ending up before this tribunal, why they would want to stand in the way of finding out who was responsible for the assassination of a former Lebanese prime minister," he said.
When asked under what conditions the U.S. would want to talk to either Hamas or Hizbullah, McCormack said: "Certainly there's no change in our policy. We're not -- those two groups that you mentioned are terrorist groups in our view so we don't plan to have any contact with them."(AFP-Naharnet) (AP photo shows U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. John Bolton waving to reporters)

Beirut, 14 Nov 06, 07:45

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Israeli Foreign Ministry Criticizes 'Unnecessary' Lebanon Overflights
The Israeli Foreign Ministry wants the air force to cut back its flights over Lebanon, saying some are an unnecessary provocation of U.N. forces patrolling southern Lebanon, Army Radio reported Tuesday.
The United Nations and Lebanon regard the flights as a violation of the U.N.-brokered resolution that ended Israel's summer war with Hizbullah on Aug. 14. But Israel has rebuffed their demands to halt the flights, saying they are vital intelligence-gathering missions.

On Tuesday, Army Radio cited foreign ministry officials as contending that not all the flights are surveillance missions, and those that are not unnecessarily provoke the expanded U.N. force policing southern Lebanon as part of the cease-fire.

Last week, the French government demanded that Israel stop mock raids over Lebanon after French peacekeepers with the U.N. mission came within seconds of shooting down Israeli warplanes.

On Monday, French Defense Minister Michelle Alliot-Marie said Israeli fighter jets have stopped mock air attacks targeting European peacekeepers following the French protest.

"There is no more of that attitude -- that is, an openly hostile attitude -- like we had over a French vessel, a German vessel and the French ground forces, which caused a real danger of legitimate defense measures being taken," Alliot-Marie told reporters at an EU meeting in Brussels.

The Israeli military's position that the flights are surveillance missions contradicts an internal army document that says the flights are intended in part to pressure the international community to stop arms smuggling to Hizbullah fighters and release two abducted Israeli soldiers, whose capture by Hizbullah on July 12 touched off the war.(AP-Naharnet)

Beirut, 14 Nov 06, 10:30

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Israeli Army Resumes Guerrilla Training After Lebanon War
The Israeli military will restore its guerrilla warfare training center as a result of its experiences in the summer's war in Lebanon, according to a military publication, using a distinctly modern method -- paintball.
The Israeli military closed down its guerrilla warfare training facility at the Elyakim base in Israel's north after Israeli forces pulled out of Lebanon in 2000, following an 18-year war against Hizbullah fighters.

In the summer, Israeli soldiers encountered Hizbullah again, fighting a 34-day war that included ground operations through Hizbullah-controlled areas. The fighters exacted a heavy toll against the Israelis with ambushes, mortars and anti-tank missiles.

The Israeli military has absorbed harsh criticism for the way it handled the war. Many soldiers, especially reservists, complained that their equipment and training were inadequate.

Lt. Col. Lior Lifshitz, commander of the Elyakim base, told the weekly that he hopes to set up a permanent paintball course at the base. The guerrilla training, on the other hand, would be taken to all the bases in the northern command area, with courses for both soldiers and officers.

"Our goal is to establish a cycle, so that within two years officers would receive extensive training and soldiers some training," Lifshitz told the publication.

The new center, which is to be operational within a few months, will also supply guerrilla warfare equipment to the various army units, the weekly reported.(AP)

Beirut, 14 Nov 06, 10:19

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Qaida Threatens to Topple Saniora's Government in Purported Statement
Al-Qaida has purportedly issued a statement threatening to topple Premier Fouad Saniora's "corrupt" Western-backed government, according to Al-Hayat newspaper Monday.
The London-based Arabic daily reported that al-Qaida issued the statement from the Palestinian refugee camp of Nahr el-Bared in northern Lebanon.

"The organization has arrived in Lebanon and we will work on destroying this corrupt government that receives orders from the American administration," Al-Hayat said, quoting the statement.

Although it was impossible to verify the authenticity of the message, Information Minister Ghazi Aridi cast doubt on its veracity Monday.

"There is nothing that proves that this statement was issued by al-Qaida," he told reporters Monday following a cabinet meeting in which the government approved a U.N. draft setting up an international tribunal to try suspects in the 2005 assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.

Aridi suggested the statement could be the work of local or regional groups that were opposed to the international tribunal in an attempt to intimidate the ministers ahead of the vote on Monday.

Al-Hayat did not say how it obtained the message.

Although al-Qaida has rarely carried out attacks in Lebanon, it is believed to have sympathizers among extremist factions in Palestinian refugee camps.

Interior Minister Ahmed Fatfat has warned in recent months that al-Qaida was attempting to establish itself in Lebanon.

In December, al-Qaida in Iraq claimed responsibility for a rocket attack into northern Israel apparently carried out by a radical Palestinian group, and Fatfat has said Lebanese authorities had broken up four al-Qaida cells this year.(AP) (AFP photo shows a policeman securing area in downtown Beirut during the meeting of cabinet ministers to endorse the international tribunal)

Beirut, 13 Nov 06, 16:31

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Iran Rejects Hariri's Accusations Over International Tribunal
Iran on Monday rejected accusations by parliamentary majority leader Saad Hariri that Tehran was trying to block international efforts to try those behind his father's assassination.
"Iran has not meddled and will not interfere in other countries' issues. These (accusations) are not true," government spokesman Gholam Hossein Elham told reporters.

"Domestic issues and the sovereign rights of countries have been always respected by the Islamic republic," he said, adding that "other issues brought up on the sidelines are propaganda to create conflicts in the region."

Hariri on Sunday accused Iran and Syria of "plotting to stop the creation of an international court" to deal with those eventually charged for the 2005 killing of former Premier Rafik Hariri.
"This is a Syrian-Iranian plan to overthrow the legitimate authority and prevent the formation of the international tribunal," said Hariri at the end of a meeting of the March 14 Forces.

His comment followed the resignation of five Shiite ministers from Hizbullah and Amal after Prime Minister Fouad Saniora called a cabinet meeting to discuss a U.N. document that would pave the way for the establishment of the tribunal.

The Iranian reaction on Monday came as Speaker Nabih Berri held talks with President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in Tehran.(AFP-Naharnet)

Beirut, 13 Nov 06, 14:15

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Government Approves Hariri Tribunal Despite Resignation of 6 Ministers
The Lebanese cabinet approved on Monday a U.N. draft text setting up an international tribunal to try former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri's suspected assassins.
"We unanimously approved the draft," Saniora told a news conference after the three-hour meeting.

"With this decision we tell the murderers that we will not give up our rights no matter what the difficulties and obstacles are," he said.

"Our only aim is to achieve justice and only justice. Without it and without knowing the truth, the Lebanese will not rest and we cannot protect our democratic system and political freedom now and in the future."

"Our brothers who could not join us in taking this decision were actually with us -- in our heart, our position and our decision," Saniora said, making an appeal for unity.

Saniora convened the extraordinary session Monday despite President Emile Lahoud's objections and the resignation of six ministers, five of them from Hizbullah and Amal.

Reacting to the government approval, Hizbullah MP Hussein Hajj Hassan accused the ruling majority of exercising a "hegemony and monopoly on decision-making".

He told AFP that Hizbullah objected "at the way" the ruling majority had approved the U.N. document.

Environment Minister Yaacub Sarraf, who is close to Lahoud, announced his resignation Monday, becoming the sixth government member to quit.

Saniora rejected the resignations of the ministers and invited them in a letter to return to their "effective participation" in the cabinet.

Lahoud has stepped up the pressure by saying the cabinet was no longer legitimate. The president's position, however, does not carry legal weight because he is not empowered to dissolve the government.

All 18 remaining ministers attending the meeting approved the United Nations document, and they defended the cabinet's decision as legal.

"It is 100 percent constitutional," Information Minister Ghazi Aridi quoted Saniora as saying.

With Sarraf's resignation, a quarter of the 24-member cabinet had quit. But legally it still has the necessary two-thirds quorum to meet and make decisions.

The direct challenge from the anti-Syrian March 14 Forces that dominate the cabinet and the parliament to convene the government Monday could deepen the political divide.

Parliamentary majority leader Saad Hariri directly accused Syria and Iran of seeking to scuttle the formation of the international court.

"This is a Syrian-Iranian plan to overthrow the legitimate authority and prevent the formation of the international tribunal," said Saad at the end of a meeting of the March 14 Forces Sunday.

Iran on Monday rejected Saad Hariri's accusations that Tehran was trying to block international efforts to try those behind his father's murder.

"Iran has not meddled and will not interfere in other countries' issues. These (accusations) are not true," government spokesman Gholam Hossein Elham told reporters.

There was no immediate reaction from Syria but it has denied previous claims that it was trying to topple the Lebanese government.

The resignation of Hizbullah and Amal ministers came Saturday just after the country's top leaders failed to reach agreement on the formation of a national unity government in which Hizbullah and its affiliates would have a third-plus-one veto power, a demand vehemently rejected by the ruling majority.

Lahoud's opposition to the cabinet meeting solidifies the political divide in Lebanon between anti- and pro-Syrian forces, with Lahoud and Hizbullah tilting toward Syria and Saniora and his allies opposing their powerful neighbor's influence over their country.

Hizbullah, which gained increasing political clout for its fierce fight against Israel over the summer, recently threatened to call mass protests to begin Monday with the aim of bringing down the government unless it received greater cabinet representation.

But its senior political officer in south Lebanon Sheikh Hassan Ezzeddine told The Associated Press Sunday: "Before going to the street, there are other steps to be taken as a means to pressure the government to meet our demand to form a national unity government made up of all factions,". He did not elaborate.(Naharnet-AP-AFP)

Beirut, 13 Nov 06, 15:32

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Alliot-Marie: French Protest Stopped Mock Air Attacks on EU Troops
Israeli warplanes have stopped mock air attacks targeting European peacekeepers in Lebanon following a French government protest, French Defense Minister Michelle Alliot-Marie said Monday.
"There is no more of that attitude -- that is, an openly hostile attitude -- like we had over a French vessel, a German vessel and the French ground forces, which caused a real danger of legitimate defense measures being taken," Alliot-Marie told reporters at an EU meeting in Brussels.

Paris demanded that Israel stop the raids after French peacekeepers came within seconds of shooting down Israeli warplanes two weeks ago.

Alliot-Marie said Israeli overflights of Lebanon were continuing in defiance of the United Nations, but said they were no longer taking a threatening approach to the peacekeepers.

She repeated that French forces could have launched an "automatic defense reaction" after Israeli planes failed to identify themselves while flying mock bombing runs at peacekeepers.

The commander of the French-led U.N. peacekeeping force in Lebanon said last week that such a scenario was avoided only because of restraint by French forces.

"I call on Israel to end them," General Alain Pellegrini said of the overflights. "I have a hard time understanding them ... This is dangerous."

The overflights "could give Hizbullah an occasion to react," Pellegrini was quoted as saying.

Israeli officials said flights over Lebanon are needed to monitor Lebanese compliance with U.N. demands, and said they were working with the peacekeeping force to avoid misunderstandings.(AP-Naharnet)

Beirut, 13 Nov 06, 17:25

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Cabinet shrugs off crisis, approves draft on Hariri tribunal
Siniora hails 'historic meeting' as key stop on 'the road to revealing the truth'

By Nafez Qawas
Daily Star correspondent
Tuesday, November 14, 2006

BEIRUT: Lebanon's political crisis deepened Monday as the Cabinet approved a UN draft to form an international tribunal to try former Premier Rafik Hariri's assassins, despite the resignation of six ministers. Official sources quoted by Reuters Monday said the Western-backed government of Premier Fouad Siniora would send the draft to UN headquarters in New York and wait for the final text on the court.

Speaking to reporters after the Cabinet session, Siniora called for unity to overcome the political crisis.

"Here we are today on the road to revealing the truth and achieving justice through the court ... that will be formed to stop this series of terrorist and criminal acts," Siniora said.

"In a historic meeting, the Cabinet approved unanimously by those present the draft of the special tribunal," he added.

The approval came despite a government crisis sparked by the resignation of six ministers, including those from Hizbullah and Amal, which accuse the ruling majority of monopolizing power.

The premier said the government's decision was meant "to reject and confront attempts to assassinate Lebanon ... and to tell the criminals that we will not give up our right to achieve justice despite the difficulties."

"Our brothers who could not join us in taking this decision were actually with us - in our hearts, our positions and our decision," Siniora said in an appeal for unity.

Following the session, Siniora telephoned Lebanese and Arab leaders to discuss the latest developments concerning the international tribunal.

Among the Arab leaders called were Saudi King Abdullah, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, Jordanian King Abdullah II, Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh, Arab League chief Amr Moussa, Bahraini King Hamad Issa Bin Khalifah and Emirati Foreign Affairs Minister Abdullah Bin Zayed.

The premier also called the various heads of Lebanon's religious sects.

Siniora officially received the resignation of the six resigned ministers on Monday.

However, the prime minister replied by letter to the resignations immediately, refusing the resignations and calling for the ministers to return to their posts.

Information Minister Ghazi Aridi said the convening of the Cabinet Monday was "100 percent constitutional."

Parliamentary majority leader MP Saad Hariri, said the government's approval of the UN draft "is a blessed step toward revealing the truth and realizing justice" in the February 14, 2005 assassination of his father and 22 others, in addition to a string of attacks targeting politicians and journalists dating back to October 2004.

But President Emile Lahoud said any decisions reached during Monday's session have no constitutional or legal value as they were passed by an authority that had lost its legitimacy.

Hizbullah MP Hussein Hajj Hassan accused the ruling majority of exercising a "hegemony and monopoly on decision-making."

Hassan told AFP that Hizbullah objected to the manner by which the ruling majority approved the UN document.

"The majority is trying to tell people that the Lebanese are in conflict over the tribunal, and this is totally untrue. We are not against the tribunal - all Lebanese agree on this issue," he said.

Hassan added that Hizbullah would only agree to return to the government if its request for a "blocking minority" in the Cabinet was met - a demand seen as an attempt to stymie all future government decisions.

Resigned Labor Minister Trad Hamadeh said Siniora's Cabinet had three choices: "Either resign or replace the Shiite ministers or eliminate the reasons behind our resignation."

"Anything else means the parliamentary majority is violating the national covenant," Hamadeh said in a statement.

The Free Patriotic Movement, Hizbullah's main political ally, said the government had lost its legitimacy because it no longer represented all religious sects.

"Because the Shiites are no longer present in Cabinet, the Cabinet becomes automatically incapable of governing. It has lost its legitimacy," FPM leader MP Michel Aoun said Monday.

At the UN in New York, US Ambassador John Bolton said his country was prepared to move quickly in the Security Council to approve the tribunal "once we receive formal word form the government of Lebanon." - With agencies, additional reporting by Leila Hatoum

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Sfeir reprimands Christian politicians

By Maroun Khoury
Daily Star correspondent
Tuesday, November 14, 2006

BKIRKI: Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Butros Sfeir on Monday criticized the near-daily speeches made by political leaders, notably those delivered by Christians, as "far from what they should be." "If politicians were aware of the principles of Christian education, wouldn't they put an end to their challenges and insults of one another?" Sfeir asked.

"Wouldn't they throw out hatred and envy and other feelings that do not reflect their respect for each other?" he added.

Sfeir's crticism came as the patriarch convened the 40th ordinary session of the Assembly of the Catholic Patriarchs and Bishops in Lebanon at Bkirki.

"Lebanon does not and should not encompass enemies, but brothers," he said. "This is not how brothers treat each other."

The assembly's session was opened in the presence of Melchite Catholic Patriarch Gregorius III Lahham, Armenian Catholic Patriarch Nerses Bedros XIX, and the personal representative of the papal ambassador to Lebanon, Luigi Gatti, Monsignor Visvaldas Calpocas.

The participants met on the sidelines of the gathering to discuss the "dangerous" situation in Lebanon following the resignation of six Cabinet ministers over the weekend and Monday.

They called on all Lebanese to face the political impasse with "responsibility and patience," and away from "challenges and demonstrations."

They also urged officials to keep in mind the country's best interests and "provide citizens with a peaceful life."

A closed session of the assembly was also held Monday. A final statement will be issued Saturday, outlining the topics of discussion.

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Iran denies trying to block formation of court

Compiled by Daily Star staff
Tuesday, November 14, 2006

Iran on Monday rejected accusations leveled by Lebanon's parliamentary majority leader, MP Saad Hariri, that Tehran was trying to block international efforts to try those behind his father's assassination. "Iran has not meddled and will not interfere in other countries' issues. These [accusations] are not true," government spokesman Gholam Hossein Elham told reporters.

"Domestic issues and the sovereign rights of countries have been always respected by the Islamic Republic," he said, adding that "other issues brought up on the sidelines are propaganda to create conflicts in the region."

Hariri accused Iran and Syria Sunday of "plotting to stop the creation of an international court" to deal with those eventually charged for the 2005 killing of former Premier Rafik Hariri.

Iran's reply to the accusation came as Lebanese Speaker of Parliament Nabih Berri was in Tehran to meet with President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Following the meeting, Berri said Iranian officials were keen to support Lebanon and preserve its "great victory [over Israel in this summer's war] so that it would lead to the Lebanese people's unity, solidarity and cooperation."

Berri said his meeting with Ahmadinejad and Expediency Council President Hashemi Rafsanjani was "good and serious."

During an interview with Iran's "Al-Aalam" television on Sunday, Berri said no steps would be made by his Amal Movement, Hizbullah or the Free Patriotic Movement following the resignation of five Shiite ministers on Saturday.

"We will simply be in the opposition ... We will oppose whenever opposition is needed and we will support whenever support is needed," he added.

The three parties want nothing more than to expand the sitting government "in an effective way in accordance with the Lebanese Constitution," the speaker said.

"We do not call for toppling the government or changing the prime minister, or even inking a new ministerial statement," he added. "We just want to expand the government."

"We wanted a true partnership between the so-called March 14 Forces and March 8 Forces ... but the refusal to set up a national unity government made us resign and leave the rule to the majority," he continued.

As for the creation of an international tribunal, Berri said: "We have all agreed to establish an international court. Claiming that the problem lies in the international tribunal is a pretext."

"Before holding consultation meetings, even before the recent war with Israel sparked on July 12, participants in the national dialogue, including Hizbullah, Amal and the FPM, agreed to create an international tribunal," he added. "I advise them [the government] to appoint substitutes for Hizbullah and Amal ministers."

Berri later met with his Iranian counterpart, Gholam-Ali Haddad-Adel, for talks on recent developments in the region and Hizbullah's recent war with Israel. No comments were released after the meeting.

Earlier in the day, Berri attended a ceremony held by the Iranian Shura Council on the occasion of its 100th anniversary.

"We thank the Iranian Republic for its continued assistance to Lebanon and the resistance, making the latter win the war," Berri said. - With agencies

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Hizbullah: 'There will be demonstrations'

By Leila Hatoum
Daily Star staff
Tuesday, November 14, 2006

BEIRUT: A Hizbullah spokesman announced on Monday that the group and its allies will take to the streets to press their demand for a national unity government, but that the timing of the action had not yet been decided. Hizbullah media officer Hajj Hussein Rahhal said the party "will not change its stand, and will utilize all the democratic and peaceful means allowed to express this stand.

"Of course there will be demonstrations and a move toward the streets, but we haven't yet decided when we will make this move. We also have to consult with our allies on the timing and the form of the move."

Hizbullah's main ally, Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun, dismissed any correlation between an international tribunal to try suspects in the assassination of former Premier Rafik Hariri and the resignation of six Cabinet members since Saturday.

Aoun told reporters that "any attempt to link the tribunal issue with the failure of the consultations and the resignation of the ministers is a lie."

"They say that we were demanding one third of the Cabinet's seats to have a veto power over decision-making in return for passing the draft of the tribunal," he said. "So [this proves] their claim that we will block the tribunal draft isn't true."

The presidential hopeful said he had refused to accept an offer of four ministers to represent him in the Cabinet.

"How do you want us to integrate four ministers into the Cabinet when five ministers left?" he asked. "This is unacceptable, especially as we are demanding the formation of a national unity government."

Resigned Labor Minister Trad Hamadeh said the resignations came after the March 14 Forces refused to share power.

"It was a wise decision which came after the ruling party refused the participation of others in governance and preferred to practice a monopoly over power," he said on Monday.

On the other end of the political spectrum, prominent March 14 Forces member MP Walid Jumblatt accused Hizbullah and its allies of attempts to "create more tension that would lead the country into a dangerous vortex ... this complies with the interest of the Syrian-Iranian axis."

Former President Amine Gemayel, also a leading member of the anti-Syrian coalition, urged Hizbullah and Amal not to take to the streets, a move he said would "destabilize the country."

Meanwhile, reactions to the ministers' resignation continued to snowball on Monday.

Environment Minister Yaacoub Sarraf, considered close to President Emile Lahoud, resigned on Monday. The five Cabinet members representing Hizbullah and Amal withdrew on Saturday.

Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea said the resignations were "clearly to block the formation of the [Hariri] tribunal."

"The ministers could have easily convened to approve the tribunal's draft and resign afterward, that is if what they say is true that they resigned after their demands for a national unity government failed ... They just wanted to block the tribunal's project," he added.

Echoing Gemayel's concerns, Geagea said that demonstrations could easily be hijacked by "small groups that would take advantage of the situation and carry out orders from the Syrian intelligence apparatus to destabilize the situation in the country."

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Israelis stop buzzing French troops in South

By Agence France Presse (AFP)

Tuesday, November 14, 2006

BRUSSELS: French Defense Minister Michele Alliot-Marie said Monday that Israeli warplanes have stopped buzzing French troops in South Lebanon after two tense incidents there.

"While overflights continue, which poses a problem in terms of the respect of UN resolutions, we no longer have the hostile attitude that ran a real risk of meeting with legitimate defense" from French soldiers, she said.

The French forces involved in the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) came within seconds of firing at Israeli aircraft staging mock air raids over UN positions on October 31, sparking an official complaint from Paris. Israel said they were reconnaissance flights and had been "wrongly interpreted."

UNIFIL's commander, French Major General Alain Pellegrini, also condemned Israeli's breaches of Lebanese airspace in an interview with Paris daily Le Figaro.

The overflights "are unacceptable," he said, adding that they constitute a violation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which ended this past summer's 34-day war between Israel and Lebanon. - AFP

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Non-profit group offers free de-mining machine
Device can virtually end human losses in clearing of unexploded ordnance

By Leila Hatoum
Daily Star staff
Tuesday, November 14, 2006

BEIRUT: A group of engineers and activists are devising a machine that would help in defusing land mines and possibly small bombs, with the invention to be provided for free to the countries that need it. Nida Wakim, an activist, actor and the spokesperson for ARTID (Association de Recherche de Techniques Innovantes en Deminage Humanitaire), said the group was working on devising a new technique in demining that would lead to minimal human losses.

Wakim said ARTID "is a completely non-beneficiary foundation that will present its innovation, called Demichain, for free to the Lebanese government and any country that needs it."

He added that the machine "has only been tested in laboratories in France and ARTID is trying to get the approval of the Lebanese authorities to test it on live ammo."

"If we test and complete it in France, the French Army will confiscate it and later use it in return for money, which is something against our foundation's intent. We want to provide this machine for free," he said.

The machine used shockwaves and a cleverly designed iron net. The net is thrown on the ground and sends shockwaves to uncover any potential mines and causes them to detonate.

Israel laid hundreds of thousands of land mines throughout Southern Lebanon in past wars, and continues to withhold maps of where the deadly crop was sowed from Lebanese authorities. A partial map was given to the United Nations Interim Forces in Lebanon last month.

Israel also littered the South and parts of the Bekaa Valley with an estimated 1 million cluster bombs and thousands of unexploded ordnance during 34 days of fighting with Hizbullah this summer.

Over 170 Lebanese, including 30 children, have been killed or wounded since the UN imposed cessation of hostilities came into effect on August 14.

Wakim said ARTID is presently searching for funding for their invention, and has approached Lebanese Army officials with the National Demining Office and representatives from the United Nations Mine Action Coor-dination Center in this regard.

ARTID's efforts come amid growing international condemnation of the use of cluster bombs and land mines.

A global treaty to prevent future deaths and maiming by clearing up unexploded bombs in war-stricken countries came into force on Sunday.

The initial 25 signatory states must start removing unexploded shells, grenades, rockets and cluster bombs left over from conflicts or pay for their removal, under the Protocol on Explosive Remnants of War, signed in 2003.

"This is the first international agreement to require the parties to an armed conflict to clear all unexploded munitions that threaten civilians, peacekeepers and humanitarian workers once the fighting is over," the International Committee of the Red Cross said in Sunday.

The world's main military powers participated in the formulating of the document, the ICRC said. However, world leaders such as China, Russia and the US have yet to sign it.

Also absent from the signatories is Israel.

The start date for the new protocol coincides with a UN conference to review another proposed treaty that would go one step further than a clean-up by banning some types of munitions. The conference runs in Geneva until November 17.

Eighteen countries have voiced support for a new convention to ban cluster bombs, but Britain and the US remain opposed to the idea.

A US official told the conference Washington held the view the alternative to cluster bombs was to use an increased number of high explosive rounds, which have a more devastating effect.

The protocol enforced Sunday is an addition to an existing document, the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons, which bans or restricts the use of some weapons that cause "unnecessary or unjustifiable suffering to combatants" or that indiscriminately affect civilians.

Currently it covers some types of fragmentation shells, some land mines or booby traps, and the use of incendiary devices in civilian areas. - With AFP

For more information on ARTID please visit www.artid.org, or call: 03.69.44.42.59, e-mail: association@artid.org

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Blair - we must work with 'Axis of Evil' states
By Philip Webster in London and Tom Baldwin is Washington

The first cracks in the united front over Iraq between Tony Blair and President Bush appeared last night as the Prime Minister offered Iran and Syria the prospect of dialogue over the future of Iraq and the Middle East.

Mr Blair said there could be a new “partnership” with Iran if it stopped supporting terrorism in Iraq and gave up its nuclear ambitions. Syria and Iran could choose partnership or isolation, he said.

The Prime Minister tried to exploit moves in Washington to rethink strategy on Iraq by holding out the prospect of engagement with two countries once dubbed by President Bush as part of the “axis of evil”. For the first time he also explicitly ruled out military action against Iran.

And, in words clearly directed at Mr Bush as he prepares for his final two years in power, Mr Blair called for the United States to lead a new drive towards peace in the Middle East, including peace in Palestine and the Lebanon, arguing that ultimately it was the only way to defeat al-Qaeda.

Downing Street denied suggestions that Mr Blair was going “cap in hand” to Damascus and Tehran asking for help and insisted that they were being told that they had to make a “strategic choice” between giving up support for terrorism and nuclear ambitions in return for being brought in from the cold.

It added that Mr Blair was repeating the message that he first gave in a speech in Los Angeles in July.

But, with Mr Blair speaking tomorrow to the Iraq Study Group, which is looking at alternative solutions for Iraq including involving its neighbours, his speech to the Lord Mayor’s banquet at Guildhall this evening was different in tone and suggested that he wants to capitalise on the new mood in Washington. Mr Bush has been opposed to talk with Iran.

Mr Blair said that Iran’s “genuine fear” that America sought a military solution was “entirely misplaced”. It did not, he said bluntly.

Mr Bush ducked any direct confrontation with Mr Blair, saying that he had not read the speech. But, in a White House press conference alongside Ehud Olmert, the Israeli Prime Minister, he gave warning against cracks appearing in the united front with which the West has approached Iran.

“I think it’s very important for the world to unite with one common voice to say to the Iranians that, if you choose to continue forward, you’ll be isolated,” Mr Bush said.

Although Robert Gates, the new US Defence Secretary, is also among those who have advocated a more open approach to Iran, Mr Bush said that the regime’s nuclear ambitions were a “threat to world peace” and went on to discuss the prospect of economic sanctions against the regime.

Mr Blair said that the choice for Iran was clear. “They help the Middle East peace process, not hinder it; they stop supporting terrorism in Lebanon or Iraq and they abide by, not flout, their international obligations. In that case, a new partnership is possible. Or, alternatively, they face the consequence of not doing so: isolation.”

The Prime Minister still hopes to persuade the US to engage fully in the Palestinian-Israeli peace process, but frustrated British diplomats in Washington say that the White House shows no real sign of being interested in the subject. Mr Bush yesterday said that he had discussed with Mr Olmert the two-state solution and the need for the Palestinian government to embrace the principles behind the road map for the Middle East peace process, but made it clear that their talks had focused on Iran and Iraq.

Earlier yesterday, Mr Bush met the Iraq Study Group, led by former Secretary of State James Baker, to discuss its imminent report charting a possible new course for Iraq. The President said that he would not “pre-judge” their findings while his spokesman emphasised that, despite Democrat control of Congress, Mr Bush remained commander-in-chief.

Senior Democrats have begun talking openly about the prospect of bringing troops home within six months, while others have urged the president to negotiate a diplomatic solution with Iraq’s neighbours.

But Mr Bush also had harsh words for Syria, a country with which, unlike Iran, the US has diplomatic relations. The President said that Syria should stop interfering in Lebanon and “harbouring extremists” and must begin helping “this young democracy in Iraq succeed”.

Imad Moustapha, the Syrian ambassador to the United States, said that his country was willing to engage with Britain and America.

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Ahmadinejad: Israel’s destruction near

Published: 11.13.06, 08:53

According to the Iranian media Monday, Iranian President Mahoud Ahmadinejad declared that Israel was destined to ‘disappearance and destruction’ at a council meeting with Iranian ministers.

“The western powers created the Zionist regime in order to expand their control of the area. This regime massacres Palestinians everyday, but since this regime is against nature, we will soon witness its disappearance and destruction,” Ahmadinejad said. (AFP)

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Monday November 13, 2006

March 14 points finger at Tehran, Damascus
Hariri says resignation of 5 shiite ministers 'was not a coincidence'

By Leila Hatoum
Daily Star staff
Monday, November 13, 2006

March 14 points finger at Tehran, Damascus

BEIRUT: The March 14 Forces accused Damascus and Tehran on Sunday of planning to topple the legitimate authorities in Lebanon and re-establish Syrian hegemony over the country.

In response to the resignations of the five Shiite ministers from Premier Fouad Siniora's government, the coalition met late Sunday at the Qoreitem home of the parliamentary majority leader, MP Saad Hariri, to form a unified stance. Afterward, Hariri read out a statement in which he accused Syria and Iran of being behind the resignations and plotting to foil the international tribunal to try those accused of killing his father, former Premier Rafik Hariri.

Hizbullah and Amal ministers resigned Saturday after accusing the March 14 Forces of "controlling the decision-making in the Cabinet" - and on the eve of a planned session to pass the final draft of the court.

The ministers who resigned are Labor Minister Trad Hamadeh, Agriculture Minister Talal Sahili, Foreign Minister Fawzi Salloukh, Health Minister Mohammed Jawad Khalifeh, and Energy and Water Minister Mohammed Fneish.

"This resignation ... was not a coincidence. The March 14 Forces lament this step and see in it an attempt to foil the formation of the international tribunal," Hariri said. "We agreed twice to Speaker Nabih Berri's call for dialogue and consultations to maintain stability ... but it turned out that some parties didn't want this and their hidden intentions became clear to us ... It is a Syrian-Iranian plot to topple legitimate rule in Lebanon, destroy the Paris III donor conference, annul the tribunal and place this country back under the former [Syrian] mandate."

He added that "this plan was done by the Syrian regime and the [pro-Syrian] president [Emile Lahoud] ... who wants to assassinate Rafik Hariri a second time."

"Foiling this tribunal and protecting the criminals [bears the fingerprints] of a well-known murderous regime," he added, "which we will not allow to succeed."

Hizbullah and Amal rejected linking the resignation of their ministers with the idea of an attempt to halt the tribunal.

"Our stance on the tribunal is clear," Amal MP Ali Hassan Khalil told The Daily Star on Sunday. "We have nothing to hide and we have said so in the dialogue and consultations. In principle we agree on the tribunal and we have made it clear in our statements."

However, when the tribunal was first discussed after anti-Syrian MP Gebran Tueni was assassinated in late 2005, the same Shiite ministers suspended their participation in the Cabinet.

"We are in direct contact with our allies to assess the situation," Khalil added. "All options are being considered, and our resignation was for political reasons as there is domination over power and decision-making. When these reasons are taken into consideration by the majority and we reach an agreement on that, then maybe we will return to the Cabinet."

As to whether the Amal and Hizbullah blocs would resign from Parliament, a prominent Hizbullah official told The Daily Star on condition of anonymity: "There are many means of pressure that we can use, but resigning from the Parliament isn't one of them."

Street protests are one option that hizbullah has stressed.

Hizbullah's number two, Sheikh Naim Qassem, told Reuters on Sunday that the Cabinet resignation "was a first step. There will be other steps that we will discuss in detail with our allies and which we will announce gradually."

"Going ... to the streets is one of the important steps that Hizbullah and its allies will take," he added.

Also Sunday, Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmad Abou al-Gheit argued that "efforts must be exerted to avoid, by all means, resorting to the street."

The resignation came as a surprise to many, despite the "electrified" nature of Saturday's consultation session.

A governmental source told The Daily Star that the session was tense and "electrified so it had to be postponed until Wednesday until Berri returns from his trip to Tehran."

Speaking from Iran after meeting Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki on the sidelines of a convention of Asian legislative leaders, Berri said the "situation ... has reached a divorce status, but this doesn't mean we have hit a dead end. Divorce can be revocable but this is in the hands of the majority."

He added that "I tried to find a remedy to the problem, but alas, we reached a point where divorce was inevitable."

Berri denied that street protests were imminent, saying: "No, no, we don't have any intention of that. It is in the hands of the majority, we have asked for participation, and the majority refused this, at that point we told them to rule on their own."

Hizbullah, Amal and the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) have been calling for a unity Cabinet in which they would hold a third of the portfolios. But that number would give them a veto - something the majority has rejected for fear that the tribunal would not pass.

Siniora declined to accept the resignations, urging the Shiite ministers in a statement "to stick to their responsibilities and continue their work."

"We shall continue and will never stop and will not accept that anyone take this country to a place where the Lebanese don't want to go," he added. "Lebanon shall remain, shall remain, and shall remain."

He also delayed a trip this week to Seoul and Tokyo.

On Sunday, Siniora received phone calls from UN chief Kofi Annan, EU foreign policy representative Javier Solana, Saudi Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal, and UAE Foreign Minister Abdullah Bin Zayed al-Nahayyan.

Prominent March 14 Forces member Walid Jumblatt said Sunday that the resignations "will lead the country into a dangerous vortex."

He attacked Hizbullah's ally, FPM leader MP Michel Aoun, saying he was used "to dividing the Christians. This man only sees his personal ambitions to become a president."

Aoun responded in an interview with NBN television that a March 14 offer of four portfolios for the FPM was a "maneuver" and that "the resignation of the ministers was the most wondrous thing they did to prevent resorting to the streets."

Salloukh cut short a trip to Cairo, where he had been participating in an Arab League meeting called for by Lebanon to discuss the crisis in Gaza.

"This is a natural and democratic way of objection," he said. "I returned after I was told of the resignation." - With agencies

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Sfeir accuses opposition of rejecting international support
Qabalan urges siniora to meet ministers who quit

By Maroun Khoury and Maher Zeineddine
Daily Star correspondent
Monday, November 13, 2006

BEIRUT: The head of the Maronite Church said Sunday that certain parties "are rejecting" the international community's support for Lebanon. In his Sunday sermon, Patriarch Nasrallah Boutros Sfeir indirectly criticized the resignations of five Shiite ministers on Saturday, saying some Lebanese were acting like "they want to reject international help."

"Civil society is afflicted by disorder, which we fear will expand," Sfeir said. "We fear that those who are seeking to help us will know that we cannot manage our own affairs and we are in constant need of someone to control us."

Sfeir's statements came one day after the resignation of five Shiite ministers from Premier Fouad Siniora's Cabinet.

In remarks following a meeting with the patriarch, Reform and Change parliamentary bloc MP Neamatallah Abi Nasr said his bloc supports the creation of an international tribunal that will prosecute former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri's assassins.

Asked why MP Michel Aoun rejected the parliamentary majority's offer of four ministerial seats, he said that the bloc had yet to meet to discuss this matter. "You can pose this question to General Aoun," he added.

Abi Nasr repeated his calls for the creation of a national unity Cabinet that would face the socioeconomic and political challenges created by Israel's summer war against Lebanon.

In an unprecedented statement, Abi Nasr added that Aoun's party and Hizbullah are not "allied," but only agreed on some specific points in their February 2006 memorandum of accord.

The Vice President of the Higher Shiite Council Sheikh Abdel-Amir Qabalan praised on Sunday Siniora's rejection of the resignation of the ministers.

"We ask that the ministers be patient because we want this Cabinet to remain united and we ask Premier Siniora to hold a meeting with those who submitted their resignations," he said.

Meanwhile, Deputy Speaker Farid Makari voiced his surprise at the resignations, which he said coincided with the delivery of the draft of the international tribunal to the government.

In a statement issued on Saturday, Makari said the timing of the resignations "raises suspicions and questions, especially after both sides had agreed on the creation of the tribunal during the previous national talks."

"What happened during Saturday's consultations confirmed that the March 14 Forces made the right choice by refusing to form a Cabinet with a vetoing third," Makari said, adding that if they had agreed to the opposition's demands, "there wouldn't be a Cabinet or an international tribunal."

Democratic Gathering bloc MP Wael Bou Faour said that the ministers' withdrawal from Cabinet revealed the truth behind their positions, as they "had always wanted to derail the formation of the tribunal."

Speaking on Sunday, Bou Faour said that "now we know who supports Lebanon's sovereignty and who doesn't and who wants to protect [Syrian President] Bashar Assad."

The MP added that he was not surprised by the refusal of President Emile Lahoud, whom he called the "Neron of Baabda," to hold a Cabinet session on Monday to discuss the tribunal's draft.

However, Amal MP Ali Bazzi defended his colleagues' decision to leave Cabinet, saying that "the resignation of the five ministers came in line with our political values and convictions."

In remarks on Sunday, Bazzi accused the parliamentary majority of monopolizing the decision-making process.

Addressing the majority, Bazzi said: "If you want partnership, we are ready; otherwise, we will practice our political role from outside the government and try to preserve civil peace and stability."

As for the creation of the international tribunal, Bazzi said that "we have the right to take our time to study any resolution because we are partners in this country."

Former prime ministers Salim Hoss, Najib Mikati and Omar Karami issued a joint statement on Sunday, urging Siniora to suspend Cabinet sessions until an agreement is reached between all the parties.

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Lebanon's crisis deepens as another minister quits
By Nadim Ladki

BEIRUT, Lebanon - Lebanon's political crisis deepened on Monday as the last pro-Syrian minister quit the cabinet shortly before it was to meet to discuss the framework of a special court to try killers of a former prime minister.

Environment Minister Yacoub Sarraf, a loyal supporter of pro-Syrian President Emile Lahoud, resigned after five Shi'ite Muslim ministers from Hezbollah and its ally, the Amal movement, quit over the failure of talks on their demands for effective veto power in the government.

The anti-Syrian majority coalition has accused Hezbollah of implementing a Syrian-Iranian plan to overthrow the Western-backed government and foil efforts to set up the court to try the killers of former Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri.

"As I can't find myself part of any constitutional authority that lacks representation from a whole religious sect... I herewith tender my resignation from the government," Sarraf, a Christian, said in his letter to Prime Minister Fouad Siniora.

Siniora rejected the resignations but a senior source close to the ministers said they would stand by their decision.

Lahoud opposed holding a cabinet session on Monday, saying any government meeting after the resignations would be unconstitutional. Siniora dismissed Lahoud's objections and said the meeting would go ahead as planned.

"The hidden plot has been revealed. It's a Syrian-Iranian plot to launch a coup against the legitimacy, stop the establishment of an international tribunal and foil (U.N.) resolution 1701," the anti-Syrian majority said in a statement.

Resolution 1701 ended a 34-day war between Israel and Hezbollah in mid-August.

The United States has already accused Iran, Syria and Hezbollah of plotting to topple the Lebanese government, which Washington has held up as an example of emerging democracy in the Middle East.

Hezbollah has denied that it was trying to put hurdles in the way of establishing the Hariri tribunal, saying it had already agreed to it but wanted to discuss the details.

Hezbollah said on Sunday it would stage peaceful street protests as part of a campaign to press its demands for better representation in government.

Anti-Syrian leaders have pledged counter-demonstrations should Hezbollah take the political crisis to the streets, raising fears of confrontations and violence at a time of rising tension between Sunni and Shi'ite Muslims.

Many Lebanese blame Syria for Hariri's killing. Damascus denies involvement.

The 2005 killing of Hariri led to mass protests against Syria. Under international pressure, Syria ended its 29-year military presence in Lebanon in April last year and anti-Syrian politicians swept to victory in ensuing elections.

A U.N. commission investigating the murder has implicated senior Lebanese and Syrian security officials. (Reuters)

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As Hezbollah Seeks Power, Lebanon Is Feeling Edgy
By Michael Slackman, New York Times

BEIRUT, Lebanon - In the upscale center of Beirut, the normally somber atmosphere at the graveside of the assassinated former prime minister, Rafik Hariri, is increasingly tense. His former supporters, long the most powerful constituency in Lebanon, anxiously talk about the wave of Shiite political power washing over the country.
“After the first of the year, I am leaving to Qatar,” one woman, Myrtha Hadidi, said Sunday, after she bowed her head and crossed herself in front of the grave. “The situation is very, very dangerous now. I think there will be a war again.”

Across town, along the crowded streets of the poor Shiite neighborhood devastated by Israeli bombs during the summer war, there is despair over the destruction, but confidence in the growing power of Lebanon’s Shiites.

“I am very optimistic about the future,” said Ziad Kamaan, as he prepared to reopen his women’s accessory store for the first time since the war ended in September.

Lebanon is in the middle of a political crisis that is not just a matter of jockeying for power, but a fundamental realignment of authority here — and perhaps in the region. It is seen in the faces of those Sunnis and Christians who visit the Hariri memorial, nervous and drawn, and the confidence of those picking their way through the debris and destruction of the Shiite neighborhood, known as Dahiya.

“Hezbollah gave us dignity and pride; they made us feel like human beings again,” said Ali Berro, owner of a small grocery in the neighborhood. “It’s true that America and Israel devastated this country, but we will rebuild again, ourselves.”

Long in the making, the 34-day war between Israel and Hezbollah — which was waged to crush the group’s militia — seems to have accelerated the rise of Lebanon’s Shiites, from their onetime status as the nation’s unwanted stepchild to the cusp of political dominance.

As a political party, a militia and social welfare organization, Hezbollah has used the devastation of the war with Israel to help strengthen the allegiance of Shiites, giving out money and services that the government has so far failed to deliver. Though no one knows for sure the size of each group in Lebanon — there has not been a census since the 1930s — Shiites are believed to make up more than 30 percent of the population, and by some estimates have reached a plurality. But it would require a major leap for the Shiites to realize their political goal of dominance — and their efforts to reach it could threaten long-term instability, and perhaps bring armed conflict.

“This war has improved the Shiite identity and self-image,” said Judith Palmer Harik, a professor at the American University in Beirut who has studied and written about Hezbollah. “They got something out of this war that was pretty uplifting.”

On Saturday, Hezbollah and its main Shiite ally, Amal, provoked a political crisis when their five ministers resigned from the government after talks broke down about giving Hezbollah’s alliance more authority.

The stage is now set for a showdown between Hezbollah and its allies, which are aligned with Syria and Iran, and the Sunni, Druse and Christian leaders who control the largest bloc in Parliament and side with the West.

Hezbollah has threatened to stage demonstrations as early as Monday, but Hezbollah officials said Sunday that they were waiting to see how their opposition responded and were considering all options.

The governing coalition is expected to make its counterstrike on Monday. The coalition, led by Saad Hariri, the son of the former prime minister, has tried to tar Hezbollah and Amal as tools of Syria and contends that their ministers resigned to block creation of a tribunal to hear charges in connection with the assassination of Mr. Hariri.

Syrian officials have been implicated in the United Nations investigations. The governing coalition has also charged that Hezbollah wants to control or block the government to prevent it from carrying out the provisions of Security Council Resolution 1701, which ended the war with Israel.

The United Nations sent a proposed framework for the court to Lebanon last week, and Prime Minister Fouad Siniora has called a cabinet meeting for Monday to take up the proposal. If Lebanon does not adopt the proposal, the court could still be created by the Security Council, but it would be viewed here as having less legitimacy because it was imposed on the country.

“The hidden plot has been revealed,” the governing coalition said in a statement issued Sunday. “It’s a Syrian-Iranian plot to launch a coup against the legitimacy, stop the establishment of an international tribunal and foil Resolution 1701.”

Mr. Siniora and his allies have said that even without the Shiite members of the cabinet, they could adopt the proposal and have it pass in Parliament. It would, however, probably be rejected by the pro-Syrian president, Émile Lahoud, who issued his own statement on Sunday saying the “government had lost its constitutional legitimacy and, as a result, any cabinet meeting is anti-constitutional and worthless.”

But the maneuvering over the court is one piece of a much larger battle with Hezbollah on the offensive. Hezbollah is insisting that its alliance be given seats in the cabinet, to have veto power over all decisions. One Hezbollah official said the outcome of this fight could jeopardize the delicate system of power sharing between religious communities that was established in the Taif agreement of 1989, which brought an end to 15 years of civil war. “If they want to govern without Shiite ministers, then nothing would prevent a Shiite from running for president in the future,” said Tarrad Hamadeh, the Hezbollah minister of labor, who resigned Saturday. “They are messing with the country’s future.”

In war-torn neighborhoods of the south, in the Bekaa Valley, and in Dahiya, often the only sign of authority is Hezbollah’s yellow flag. Hezbollah remains the de facto government within its communities. “We can make a revolution in Lebanon, we can occupy Le

World Council for the Cedar's Revolution Freedom and Democracy in Lebanon - latestnews

World Council for the Cedar's Revolution

Freedom and Democracy in Lebanon - latestnews