DELTA BLOG

Syria threatens Spanish UN soldiers in Lebanon

2007-12-24T17:46:00.001-05:00

MADRID (AFP) Syria's secret service has reportedly threatened Spanish soldiers in Lebanon in a bid to block the extradition of suspected arms dealer Monzer Al-Kassar to the United States.

The Spanish intelligence service, according to a memo cited by the newspaper El Mundo, fears that troops on UN deployment in south-east Lebanon could be targeted if the Spanish cabinet ratify a judicial verdict and send Kassar to the US.

General Assef Schawkat, chief of Syrian military intelligence, wrote to his opposite number in Spain: "If you think we are going to ignore the affront inflicted by north-American henchmen on our brother (Kassar), you don't really know us and [you] are no friends of the Syrian people."

Dated end-July, the note also refers to Schawkat delivering a thinly-veiled threat during a discussion with Spain's Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos.

Around 1,100 Spanish soldiers serve in the UN interim force in Lebanon installed after the summer 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah. Six Spanish soldiers were killed during a bombing there in June.

Syrian native Kassar, known colloquially as the "Prince of Marbella" where he has been based for the last decade, is wanted in the US on suspicion of arranging arms deals for leftist FARC rebels in Colombia.

State Department Statement on Lebanon

2007-11-24T01:51:00.000-05:00

State Department

Press Statement
Sean McCormack, Spokesman
Washington, DC
November 23, 2007

Lebanon

Today, due to a boycott of Hizballah Members and their allies, Lebanon's Parliament once again failed in electing a new president for Lebanon. With the expiration of President Lahoud's term at midnight tonight, the Lebanese cabinet will temporarily assume executive powers and responsibilities until a new president is elected by Lebanon's Parliament. This is the procedure stipulated by the Lebanese constitution, and will ensure that the government is able to continue conducting its business without interruption. The United States Government commends Lebanon's armed forces and security services for their stated commitment to ensuring law and order during this interim period, and we urge all Lebanese political groups to do their part to maintain calm and promote security for Lebanon's citizens.

Discussions should continue aimed at electing, as quickly as possible and according to the constitution and to democratic principles, a new Lebanese president who will stand for Lebanon's independence and sovereignty and uphold international resolutions. The United States and its allies will not waver in our support for the people of Lebanon as they defend their freedom against all attempts at foreign interference and intimidation.

2007/1035

Released on November 23, 2007

Bush urges Lebanon vote without Syria influence

2007-11-14T02:47:00.000-05:00

ABOARD AIR FORCE ONE (Reuters) - President George W. Bush on Monday urged Lebanon to hold its already-delayed presidential election in line with its constitution and without allowing Syrian interference.

Bush, in a call to Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora, reaffirmed support for his pro-Western government, the White House said after a parliamentary session to elect a new president was postponed for the third time.

The session was rescheduled from Monday to November 21 to give rival leaders more time to break a deadlock over a consensus candidate and end a crisis threatening the country's stability. The term of pro-Syrian President Emile Lahoud expires on November 23.

Electing a president is regarded as vital to resolving the year-old dispute that pits Siniora's government against the opposition led by the Syrian-backed Hezbollah.

The impasse has pushed Lebanon into its worst political crisis since the 1975-90 civil war and many Lebanese fear a failure to reach a deal could lead to two rival governments and bloodshed.

White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said Bush had reiterated to Siniora his support for the anti-Syrian ruling coalition, saying "they should be able to elect a government free of any external interference, especially from Syria."

"He reconfirmed our position that elections must happen on time and according to Lebanon's constitution," Perino told reporters aboard Air Force One as Bush headed back to Washington after a long weekend at his Texas ranch.

The Bush administration has repeatedly accused Syria of meddling in Lebanon and of trying to destabilize its neighbor. Syria, which withdrew from Lebanon in 2005 after a 29-year military presence, denies it is interfering.

Bogged down in the Iraq war, Washington has long wanted Lebanon to serve as an example of emerging democracy in the region.

(Reporting by Caren Bohan; Writing by Matt Spetalnick; Editing by David Alexander and Bill Trott)

Lebanon takes control of refugee camp

2007-09-02T20:27:00.001-05:00

BEIRUT, Lebanon (CNN) -- The Lebanese military took control Sunday of a Palestinian refugee camp in northern Lebanon after fighting with Islamist militants who tried to flee, the government announced Sunday.
"We overcame all those terrorists who were willing to destroy our country," Prime Minister Fouad Siniora said in a televised address to the nation.
"This is an hour of pride and happiness."
A Lebanese Army source said 37 militants were killed and an unknown number were captured in clashes at the Nahr el-Bared camp outside Tripoli.
Two soldiers were killed in the fray, bringing to 155 the number of troops killed since May 20, when the standoff with the militants began.
"At dawn, militants of Fatah al-Islam attacked army positions in a desperate attempt to escape from Nahr el-Bared camp," a military statement said Sunday. "The Lebanese army confronted the militants and killed and captured a large number of them."
Political sources close to the military said in late June that as many as 40 fighters from the militant group may have still been in the camp's center. Government officials said the group has ties to the al Qaeda terrorist organization.
Local Arab news media reported Sunday that Fatah al-Islam leader Shaker al-Absi was among the militants who fled, but the army said they could not confirm that.
In the past, Lebanese Defense Minister Elias Murr has said he wants al-Absi "dead or alive."
On Saturday, Lebanese troops seized control of the house belonging to Abu Hureira -- al-Absi's deputy commander, Lebanese military officials said.
Events at the refugee camp have marked the country's worst internal violence since the end of Lebanon's civil war in 1990.
Sunday's operation came three days after the chief of U.S. forces in the Middle East, in a landmark move, landed in Lebanon for talks with the prime minister and senior military officers.
Adm. William Fallon, the head of U.S. Central Command, met with Siniora and Lebanese military chiefs to offer counterterrorism training for Lebanon's military, among other objectives, U.S. military officials told CNN.
The Bush administration has supplied the Lebanese army with ammunition, body armor and night-vision goggles during its three-month battle with Fatah al-Islam militants.

Source: CNN

High stakes - The bigger picture behind the urgent need to preserve Lebanon's democracy and independence

2007-07-19T12:49:00.000-05:00

High stakes

The bigger picture behind the urgent need to preserve Lebanon's democracy and independence

William Harris

In the contemporary world it is fashionable to represent conflicts as involving various shades of gray among contending parties, with clear moral choices being problematic. In the current Lebanese crisis, however, the choice is clear it is between day and night, between light and darkness.

Above all, Lebanon's future depends upon the survival and consolidation of its recently renewed democracy and independence. This requires agreement among political leaders on a new president committed to democracy and independence, implementation of the Lebanese state's rightful monopoly of force on all its territory, and total cooperation with the international community in the proceedings of the coming UN murder tribunal. The Syrian/Lebanese security apparatus that commanded Lebanon until 2005, an apparatus still headed by Presidents Bashar al-Assad and Emile Lahoud, remains the prime suspect in the February 2005 assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. Until the culprits for this crime and a succession of plainly associated murders and attempted murders of Lebanese critics of the Syrian regime are apprehended, political murder will rule supreme and Lebanese democracy cannot be secured.

A more immediate priority involves the survival of the constitutional government of Prime Minister Fouad Siniora, product of May/June 2005 parliamentary elections that were the first free expression of the will of the Lebanese people since 1972. Siniora's government wishes to assert a right to national independence that is taken for granted in the case of every other country in the Arab world. This has made it the target of a vicious campaign of death and destruction coordinated by the ruthless ruling clique in Damascus. It is instructive to read in the Kuwaiti newspaper al-Rai al-Aam on July 11 of Syrian military intelligence chief Asef Shawkat, brother-in-law of Assad, defending the jihadist group Fatah al-Islam. Shawkat reportedly berated a Lebanese Shia deputy from parliamentary speaker Nabih Berri's Amal movement, remarking: "the story is far bigger than the affair of a faction fighting with the [Lebanese] army."

Indeed the story is bigger; the Syrian regime wishes to re-impose its hegemony over Lebanon, wiping-out Lebanese democracy and independence.
This aspiration was most recently expressed in the insolent July 10 declaration by the regime mouthpiece al-Thawra that solutions in Lebanon "go through Damascus." The free flow of weaponry and jihadist fanatics into Lebanon from Syria expresses the Syrian regime's contempt for Lebanese state sovereignty and Syria's determination to foment violence in and from Lebanon.

Syria's overriding concern is to subvert the UN murder tribunal by any means, whether through provoking enough chaos in the Levant to force the West to do a deal with it, or by producing anarchy or a government change in Lebanon that would derail Lebanese cooperation with the UN inquiry and tribunal. On April 24, in a discussion with UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, Assad threatened the UN Security Council over its looming approval of the tribunal under Chapter VII of the UN Charter in thuggish Mafioso terms "instability would intensify," with "grave consequences that could not be contained within Lebanon." He told Ban Ki-moon how "the Syrian people hated the March 14 Movement," meaning the Lebanese parliamentary majority and Prime Minister Siniora the sort of reference generally taken in Beirut as a death threat. Yet another murder of March 14 parliamentary deputy Walid Eido followed a few weeks later.

There can be no doubt that Lebanon's pluralist traditions face a savage enemy and an existential challenge. These traditions are worth defending by Lebanese and others. In the Arab world only Lebanon, with an unrivalled 143-year electoral and representative tradition dating back to the Ottoman autonomous province, has a serious history of a parliamentary role in government, political pluralism, and public freedoms. Lebanon's eccentric confessional democracy remains a flawed work in progress, riddled with imbalances, patron-client networks, and poor accountability, but it is by light years the most inclusive and participatory political system in the Arab world. Above all, Lebanon's reconciliation of representative government with its communal compartments is a precious counterpoint to the notion that autocracy is best political practice in the fractured Middle East.

Beyond the worthiness of Lebanese democracy, the Lebanese crisis poses the fundamental issue of stamping out political murder. The Syrian regime's apologists whine that the Hariri assassination in fact the mass murder of more than twenty people and one event in a continuing chain of murders is not a suitable matter for international intervention. But, even setting aside international security in the Levant and foreign Syrian interference in Lebanon, who else except the international community could pursue the criminals given that the Lebanese legal system has been terrorized and corrupted into impotence? No democracy and no pluralism can coexist with impunity for political murder. This is an international matter. Exemplary punishment for Hariri's assassins and their masters and accomplices at the hands of the international community will send a powerful global message. It would be an international disaster for the UN's first ever murder inquiry and court to become a fiasco.

William Harris is a professor in the Department of Political Studies at the University of Otago in New Zealand. His most recent book is The Levant: A Fractured Mosaic (Princeton: Markus Wiener, 2005), which won a Choice Magazine Outstanding Academic Title Award. He is currently working on A History of Lebanon, 1640-2007 for Oxford University Press in New York.

Lebanese PM says Syria sending arms across border

2007-06-28T00:48:00.000-05:00

PARIS - Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora accused Syria on Wednesday of
sending arms to Palestinian camps in his country and said he would raise the
issue with the Arab League.
Siniora was speaking the day after independent experts handed the U.N.
Security Council a damning report which said Lebanese forces were largely
incapable of preventing arms smuggling from Syria.
The Lebanese prime minister told reporters during a trip to France he had
not had time to read the report, but said it was clear Syria was sending
weapons to two camps.
"In recent weeks these camps have been reinforced with munitions, arms and
fighters," he said, adding that one of the outposts was controlled by the
Fateh al-Intifada group and another by the "Popular Front, General Command."
"Everyone knows that these groups are supported and armed by Syria," he
said, making similar allegations to those leveled earlier this month by the
U.N. Middle East envoy Terje Roed-Larsen.
"This is something I will talk to the Arab League about," Siniora said.
The team of experts working for the United Nations said that during a
three-week stay in Lebanon they had not heard of any weapons being seized
along the border, despite widespread talk of illegal shipments.
"I haven't had a chance to read this report, but we will look at it today
and we will certainly take a position that is in the interests of Lebanon,"
Siniora said.
Lebanon has been mired for months in a political crisis that pits Siniora's
Western-backed government against opponents led by the pro-Syrian Shi'ite
Hezbollah and Amal factions.
In addition, recent fighting between the Lebanese army and al Qaeda-inspired
militants in north Lebanon has complicated the crisis and sparked the worst
outbreak of internal violence in the country since the end of its civil war
17 years ago.
France wants to host a meeting of Lebanon's various factions next month to
try to resolve the political deadlock. Siniora said only second-tier
officials would attend the meeting and warned against setting too high
expectations.
"I think we should be open minded and not box it in with specific
objectives," he said. -Reuters

Anti-Syrian MP killed in Beirut bombing blamed on Damascus

2007-06-13T17:43:00.001-05:00

Anti-Syrian MP Walid Eido, his eldest son Khaled and eight other people were
killed on Wednesday in a bomb blast near his Beirut beach club that the
ruling majority in parliament blamed on Damascus.
Eido, 65, the Sunni chairman of parliament's defence committee, was a member
of the Future Movement of MP Saad Hariri, whose father and former premier
Rafiq Hariri was assassinated in a similar seafront blast more than two
years ago.
The attack in the Manara area of west Beirut, in which police said a
bomb-rigged car was detonated by remote control, was condemned by Washington
which backs the government of Prime Minister Fuad Siniora, a Hariri ally.
"The United States deplores this latest attack in Beirut that led to the
death of a respected member of parliament, Walid Eido and his son," national
security spokesman Gordon Johndroe said.
Saad Hariri blamed Syria and urged the Arab League to "boycott the terrorist
regime" targeting his country. "It is the same fingers which killed Rafiq
Hariri," he said.
At the scene of the bombing, pieces of flesh and pools of blood stained the
ground as relief workers took the 11 people wounded to hospital and treated
passers-by for shock, an AFP correspondent on the scene said.
The powerful explosion hurled the body of one victim onto a nearby football
pitch.
Two footballers from the Nejmeh Club, one of Lebanon's top sides, were among
those killed, club official Assaad Siblini told AFP. The two were mowed down
as they left the pitch.
Windows shattered in homes and hotels within a radius of several hundred
metres (yards) from the blast. Troops cordoned off the area which has a
number of popular cafes and beaches, including the Lebanese army's beach
club.
People were seen rushing to the beaches and cafes, calling out the names of
missing relatives and friends.
Eido, a near-daily swimmer and card-player at the Sporting Club near the
scene, became the third member of Lebanon's parliamentary majority to be
killed in the past two years.
He and his entourage were in a convoy of cars and under heavy protection
when the attack took place, in the first political murder since industry
minister Pierre Gemayel was gunned down in November.
The latest killing came amid a deadly showdown in north Lebanon between the
army and Islamists in a Palestinian refugee camp. It follows a string of
bomb and grenade attacks that have now killed 12 people and wounded dozens
more.
Immediately after news broke of the fresh attack, dozens of angry youths
closed the road near Ido's home in the Verdun area of mainly Muslim west
Beirut by burning tyres.
Siniora, meanwhile, telephoned several Arab leaders to call for an urgent
meeting of Arab foreign ministers, a government official said.
Telecommunication Minister Marwan Hamadeh said the killing of Eido was part
of a "physical liquidation" campaign by Damascus that has now left the
anti-Syrian camp with a slim six-seat majority in parliament.
In Paris, French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner condemned the murder as
an "odious and cowardly crime," adding that "those responsible must be
caught and punished."
France has invited leaders of all Lebanon's political groups for informal
talks in Paris later this month in an effort to heal a longstanding
political crisis in Beirut.
Egypt's Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul Gheit said Ido's killing was a "cowardly
act."
Eido was president of the Beirut appeals court before becoming an active
member of Rafiq Hariri's parliamentary bloc in 2000. After Hariri's
assassination, Eido joined Saad Hariri.
Syria was forced to end 29 years of military domination of Lebanon in April
2005 after it was widely accused of the Hariri assassination, despite its
repeated denials.
Damascus continues to wield considerable clout in Lebanon, where a standoff
between the Syrian-backed opposition and the Western-backed government has
paralysed politics for seven months.
Meanwhile, two Lebanese soldiers were killed on Wednesday by sniper fire
from inside Nahr al-Bared camp, the site of the deadliest fighting in
decades that has ignited fears about wider civil strife.
The latest deaths brought to 130 the number of people killed, including 63
soldiers and 50 militants of Al-Qaeda-inspired Fatah al-Islam, since
fighting broke out in the camp and nearby northern port city of Tripoli on
May 20.
About 180 more refugees escaped on Wednesday from Nahr al-Bared where 3,000
civilians are thought to remain stranded in increasingly desperate
conditions.
Members of Lebanon's ruling majority have pointed the finger at Syria over
the fighting, which briefly spread to the refugee camp of Ain al-Helweh in
south Lebanon, as well as for the Beirut bombings.

source: AFP

Lebanon's Prime Minister: Syria is threatening my country

2007-05-31T21:35:00.000-05:00

Lebanon's Prime Minister: Syria is threatening my country
By Scott Macleod in Beirut, Time

Speaking from the Grand Serail, the seat of the Lebanese government in Beirut, Prime Minister Fouad Siniora had something dramatic to say in his interview with TIME.

He had just gotten off the phone with Secretary of State Condeleezza Rice, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and other world leaders to thank them for their help in establishing an international tribunal to bring plotters in the assassination of one of his predecessors to justice.

Now, he says, Lebanese authorities have evidence that Syrian intelligence operatives are behind the ongoing violent clashes in a Palestinian refugee camp near Tripoli as part of an effort to destabilize the country.

Siniora also says that Syrian elements, pursuing what he calls "a clear determination to subjugate the country," could be responsible for political killings in Lebanon including the 2005 assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.
Siniora accused the Syrian regime of trying to intimidate Lebanese from supporting the court and said that the pursuit of justice entailed risks, including "instability in the country... planting bombs here and there."

But Siniora says that his government is determined to push forward with the tribunal as well as uproot the Islamist faction with alleged Syrian links at the center of the Tripoli fighting to prove Lebanon's independence. "Otherwise," he said, "everybody can dare to slap us on the face."

The message "to all criminals or those who are against the state," he added, would be "that they can continue committing crimes and there is impunity."

A major benefit of the tribunal, Siniora says, is that more witnesses may be willing to provide evidence of crimes in Lebanon to U.N. investigators knowing that it will be used in an international court.
TIME: What's the meaning of the U.N. vote to set up a tribunal?
SINIORA: The most important thing in the principle of having the tribunal is that, according to the investigation [officials], Mr. [Detlev] Mehlis and Mr. [Serge] Brammertz, is that some of the witnesses are really reluctant to make their statements if they are not sure that there will be a tribunal. A tribunal is important for the witnesses because it really gives assurance that they are protected.
Given that the first Mehlis report implicated some top Syrian officials, does the Syrian regime have reason to be worried about the tribunal?
The thing that really bothers me [is] why the Syrians have been taking this attitude of not cooperating with the investigation and with the establishment of the tribunal.
Shouldn't the Syrian regime feel targeted?
It might have been that certain groups within the regime were involved. I am in no position to say. But there are indications that certain people were involved in one way or another. But I am in no position to accuse. That will be for the tribunal to say. The problem is that those who have been behind this crime did not stop. How many malicious acts were made in order to destabilize the country? This process shows that there is a clear determination to subjugate the country. This is what really worries me.
Is it right to pursue justice even if it threatens the security of the Syrian regime. Is that simply the price to be paid?
To me, it is a matter of principle that I have to seek the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. This tribunal is not intended to be against any person or any state, and in particular I am speaking about Syria. Certain regimes try to find ways and means how to put an end to the situation, as [the Libyan regime] did in Lockerbie. They made an arrangement. But I have nothing to do with this. This country has suffered the assassinations of three prime ministers. I hope there will not be a fourth.
How does the tribunal help Lebanon?
This tribunal is so essential for democracy, for freedom, for the prevalence of the state, for law and order. Otherwise, [the message] sent to all criminals or those who are against the state [is] that they can continue committing crimes and there is impunity in this country, [that] it is the best place, the paradise, for criminals.
Syrian officials have predicted more violence because of the tribunal.
I think that this has the element of threat. They are threatening. They are intimidating. This is something the Lebanese do not accept. Continuously intimidating the country, intimidating the people, cannot really bring any results.
Why would Syria threaten?
To discourage the Lebanese from pursuing this process. Since day one, they have not been showing acceptance or willingness or support for the idea of an international tribunal.
Given the opposition of domestic groups like Hizballah, are you strong enough to move ahead without a solid national consensus?
I know that there are risks involved. But what are we expected to do? To respond and comply with the pressure and to accept that impunity will prevail and the state will disintegrate? Is this a democracy? If it is a democracy, I have a majority in the parliament. They know as well, very well, that the majority of the population is supporting us.
What are the risks?
There is the problem with Syria. They consider that it is a threat against their regime. If I want to please this, and please that, I am not going to please anybody. I tell my own people that there are certain principles that are worth [holding] fast and trying to defend them. Otherwise, everybody can dare to slap us on the face. We have to prove that this is a country, this is a sovereign state, this is an independent one, we [want the state to prevail] all over Lebanon, and... having a democratic and free country. Those who have not been voting for the tribunal they say this may cause instability in the country. Yes, it is a risk, instability in the country. Planting bombs here and there. We have to handle it. I mean, there is nothing that you really can do without a cost.
What is the government's plan for resolving the Tripoli crisis?
[Fatah al-Islam] are a group, actually, of terrorists. I could have said, "OK, they slapped me in the face, sorry gentlemen, I cannot do anything." Then why am I here as the state?
What's your plan for dealing with Fatah al-Islam?
I want to find a peaceful solution. We are trying to convince these terrorists to surrender themselves. They may or they may not. The council of ministers asked the Lebanese army to look into the matter and see how this can be treated in case we fail to achieve results through political means. Then the army is entitled to make all the surgical arrangements so to unroot them from that camp.
Is there a deadline for the negotiations?
Days. Definitely, I'm not saying months. The army can put the plan that can guarantee achieving the objective with the least effort and least cost. The army cannot afford not to be successful.
It is said Fatah al-Islam is linked to Syria.
To Syrian intelligence. This is exactly what I have heard from the interrogators [of 20 arrested suspects]. That there are some connections with some Syrian intelligence. Now whether these Syrian intelligence [operatives] are working on their own, or guided by higher superiors, I don't know. We'll have to find out.
What was the connection?
In the way they were assembled, the way they came, the way they got their ammunition and arms, in the way they were discussing and developing their plans and so on. I'm not talking about a telephone call. I prefer not to get into more specifics than that.
Why would Syria support such a group?
To discourage the Lebanese, and the Lebanese army, from taking any effort towards further consolidation of the country. And at same time, make the country as a whole more vulnerable.

Police Bust Syria-Based Terrorist Network

2007-03-13T10:46:00.001-05:00

Lebanese police have busted a Syria-based terrorist network grouping operatives from three Arab nationalities on charges of carrying out the twin-bus bombings north of Beirut last month and planning further attacks, reliable sources told Naharnet Tuesday.
The sources, speaking on condition of anonymity, said six of the eight culprits have been arrested in Beirut and its surroundings, less than a month after carrying out the twin-bus bombings in the mountainous town of Ain Alaq northeast of Beirut, which resulted in killing three people and wounding more than 20.

The other two remain at large and are believed to be hiding at north Lebanon's Nahr el-Bared Palestinian refugee camp, according to the sources.

The culprits hold Syrian and Saudi identification documents. Two of the held operatives are Palestinian refugees from the camp of Yarmouk near the Syrian capital of Damascus.

The bust, according to one source, also included confiscating a "large quantity of explosives" that were hidden in the Beirut apartment of Syrian suspect identified as Mustapha Siyor.

Members of the network, according to the source, infiltrated into Lebanon from Syria last November under the cover of the so-called "Fatah-Islam" group, which was set up by Syrian intelligence with the objective of carrying out terrorist attacks to destabilize Lebanon and block the ratification of the international tribunal which would try suspects in the 2005 assassination of ex-Premier Rafik Hariri and related crimes.

Siyor's cell had been operating under cover from an apartment in Beirut's Christian neighborhood of Karm el-Zaytoun, which is part of the capital's Ashrafiyeh district, the source said.

The daily newspaper al-Moustaqbal reported on Nov. 30 that Syrian President Bashar Assad has sent 200 terrorists to Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon to assassinate 36 Lebanese public figures.

The group, according to the report, operated under the Fatah-Islam name.

The security source said Fatah-Islam is just a "cover" for the terrorist network that operates in Lebanon from bases controlled by the so-called Fatah-Intifada group, a Syrian-controlled faction that broke away from Yasser Arafat's mainstream Fatah early in 1983 as part of an effort by the late Syrian President Hafez Assad to create a substitute for Arafat's Palestine Liberation Organization.

Fatah-Intifada, led from Damascus by the so-called Abu Moussa, runs fortified bases in east Lebanon's Bekaa Valley established when the area was controlled by Syria's army which ended its deployment in Lebanon in April 2005.

source: naharnet

Bus Explosions in Metn Claim Innocent Lives

2007-02-13T20:11:00.000-05:00

Three people were killed and at least 18 others wounded when two explosions ripped through two minibuses traveling on a highway Tuesday in the Ain Alaq town in the northern Metn province, police and Lebanese Red Cross (LRC) sources said.
The explosions come at a time tensions were running high with the Hizbullah-led Opposition holding an open-ended protest in downtown Beirut, and on the eve of the second anniversary of the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.

A mass rally had been planned for Wednesday in Martyrs' Square in downtown Beirut to commemorate the 2005 anniversary of Hariri's slaying.

The 9:15 a.m. blasts occurred on a road in Ain Alaq, some 20 kilometers northeast of Beirut and just south of the town of Bikfaya, the ancestral home of the Gemayel family, a prominent political Christian family in Lebanon. Industry Minister Pierre Gemayel was assassinated last November.

Television footage showed at least one bus torn apart and ambulances carrying away people. Blood was pooled in several places near the bus wreckage.

State-run National News Agency (NNA) said earlier as many as 12 people were killed.

But police sources and LRC officials said three people, including an Egyptian man , were killed and 18 others were wounded.

Many other vehicles were also damaged in the twin blasts.

A security official said the bombs, weighing two to three kilograms each, took place just minutes apart. The bomb exploded in the first bus, causing damage and casualties, and as people rushed to the scene, a second explosion ripped through a second bus that drove up behind it, the official said.

Troops and police using sniffer dogs quickly sealed off the area and blocked the highway, a usually busy road linking Christian towns in the mountains with the capital.

In the heavy rain, the buses lay some 30 meters apart, the first with its roof twisted and its backside shattered completely.

Appeals for urgent blood donations were broadcast as ambulances rushed casualties to Serhal and Bhanness hospitals in the region.

The Voice of Lebanon radio station said the targeted buses were driving people to their work.

Lebanon has been rocked by a wave of killings and attacks against prominent anti-Syrian figures since the killing of Hariri in a massive bombing on February 14, 2005.(Naharnet-AP-AFP)

U.N. Signs International Tribunal Treaty

2007-02-06T17:50:00.001-05:00

United Nations signed an agreement setting up an international tribunal to try suspects in the assassination of Hariri

Al-Moustaqbal Television reported that the United Nations signed Tuesday an agreement setting up an international tribunal to try suspects in the 2005 assassination of ex-Premier Rafik Hariri.

The station, in its evening news broadcast, said: "al-Moustaqbal Television learned that the United Nations signed 10 minutes ago the text of the treaty regarding the international tribunal to try assassins of martyred (ex) Premier Rafik Hariri and his colleagues."

"It also signed the bylaws of the tribunal," the terse report added without further elaboration.

The two documents have been ratified by Premier Fouad Saniora's majority government, but were never referred to parliament for final ratification because President Emile Lahoud and House Speaker Nabih Berri consider the cabinet illegal after resignation of six ministers.

Five ministers representing Hizbullah and Amal movement have resigned from the Saniora government over the international tribunal issue.

A sixth minister representing President Emile Lahoud also has resigned.

Lahoud and Berri say the government is illegal after the resignation of the six ministers.

However, the parliamentary majority still backs the Saniora government that can only be dissolved if it loses a vote of confidence at the legislature.

The Hizbullah-led opposition has been trying in vain for more than two months to topple the Saniora government.

Rice Lashes Out at Syria, Lahoud and Iran

2007-01-17T13:59:00.000-05:00

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has accused Syria of involvement in activities to destabilize Lebanon's government and warned of "bad reaction" if President Emile Lahoud decided to dismiss the majority administration.

In an interview with the Kuwaiti daily Al Rai, Rice said: "We want a change in Syria's behavior. And we've made very clear that Syria, if it can find a way to be a stabilizing force in the region, rather than a destabilizing force, of course, then there would be much to talk about."

She accused Syria of "allowing its territory to be used for the transit of terrorists from Syria to Iraq."

"They're killing innocent Iraqis. Syria is engaging in activities that are destabilizing to the democratic government of Lebanon and resisting efforts there to deal with Lebanon's past, the assassination of (Former Premier) Rafik Hariri," Rice added.

In another interview with Israel's Channel 10 about the possibility of Israeli engagement with Syria, Rice said the United States "would like to see at some point a resolution on the Syrian matter," but noted that Syria currently continues to try to "undermine the government of Lebanon" and "play a negative role in the Palestinian conflict."

"There's no indication that the Syrian government has anything but disruptive plans right now," Rice said. "(The U.S. continues) to look for evidence that Syria's behavior is changing, that Syria is going to stop supporting the destabilization of Iraq, that Syria will stop supporting the destabilization of Lebanon."

In response to a question by Al Rai on what would the U.S. reaction be if Lahoud decided to dismiss the Saniora government, Rice said: "I think there'd be a very, very bad international reaction to that because people support the government of Prime Minister Saniora."

She reiterated that Saniora formed his government after "free and fair parliamentary elections."

"He has governed through a very difficult war for the Lebanese people, a tragic war for the Lebanese people."

"He has international support. There's going to be a Paris donor's conference to try to help the Lebanese government," she added.

Rice, in her interview with Fox News, said the Iranians are "making life very difficult for a lot of our friends in the region through Hizbullah and Hamas and support for extremists."

"They threaten to really destabilize the region," she said.

The United States will combat Iranian efforts at destabilization, especially in Iraq, Rice said, adding that the U.S. military aims at carrying out these efforts from within Iraq.

"We're going to continue to reach out to the Iranian people, a great people, a people that shouldn't be isolated," Rice said. "But we have to be very tough with Iran and make life difficult for them if they're not going to adhere to international norms."

U.S. Delivers 20 HMMWVs to the Lebanese Armed Forces

2007-01-12T22:37:00.000-05:00

Today, the first 20 of 285 HMMWVs (Humvees) being delivered to the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) arrived in Beirut. The HMMWVs, delivered on U.S. C-17 transport aircraft, will help the LAF protect the Lebanese people and their territory and continue their historic deployment to South Lebanon alongside UNIFIL peacekeepers in implementation of UNSC Resolution 1701. As additional vehicles arrive in the coming months, they will help to ensure that the Lebanese people enjoy the security and sovereignty that a strong, well-equipped LAF serves to guarantee.

These HMMWVs were purchased with U.S. security assistance funds as part of an ongoing program to assist the LAF-a highly motivated, professional military loyal to the democratically-elected Government of Lebanon. In FY06, this program included $39 million for training and equipment. We plan to increase U.S. aid to the LAF in FY07.

In addition to our support for the LAF, we are also providing assistance to Lebanon's Internal Security Forces (ISF), including post-blast investigation training and riot-control equipment.

The Departments of State and Defense worked to expedite delivery of these 20 HMMWVs as a symbol our steadfast support for the LAF, the Lebanese government, and the citizens of Lebanon.

2007/028

Released on January 12, 2007

Syrian deputy PM: Syria's isolation has ended

2006-12-24T10:55:00.000-05:00

London - The international isolation of Syria is over as Western powers have realised they need to work with Damascus, Syrian deputy prime minister Abdallah Dardari told a British newspaper published on Saturday.

Dardari told the Financial Times business daily that the international community now recognised that it ought to talk to President Bashar al-Assad's regime if it wanted progress in the Middle East, particularly on Lebanon and Iraq.

"The former political isolation of Syria has ended. It is no longer there," he told the FT.

"I don't want to say there is a sense of 'I told you so' but there is a sense that people are realising in Western capitals that if you want to be influential in the Middle East, you have to come through Damascus."

Relations between the United States and Syria are tense. But earlier this week, two US senators, including John Kerry, the former Democratic party presidential candidate, were in Damascus for talks with Assad.

Dardari said that previously, the United States had simply presented Syria with a list of demands to end various practices, instead of talking about mutual interests, and that this attitude proved ineffective.

"It didn't work in April 2003, just after (the) occupation of Baghdad. If it didn't work then, at the peak of US influence in the region, it will not work now with Syria," he said.

Dardari added that Syria's priority was to secure the return of the Golan Heights, occupied by Israel since 1967.

The United States said Wednesday it supported Syrian opposition groups rivalling Assad, but said such support was overt, and not a secret bid to undermine his government.

US President George W Bush has dismissed calls for a direct US dialogue with Syria, which Washington accuses of letting extremists into Iraq and undermining Lebanon's fragile democracy by funding and training the militant Hezbollah group.

The Syrian government daily Ath-Thawra hit out on Friday at terms set out by the US government for heeding a bi-partisan panel's recommendation to open a dialogue on calming neighbouring Iraq.

source: afp

Maronite Church Calls for Early Presidential Elections

2006-12-06T16:08:00.000-05:00

Beirut, Updated 06 Dec 06, 18:57

The Maronite Church on Wednesday called for early presidential elections to
help settle the serious crisis which is threatening to split Lebanon.
The council of Maronite Bishops, in a declaration of the church's
principles, also urged leaders of the community and other Lebanese spiritual
groups to agree on a "code of honor" to settle differences through dialogue,
reject violence and armed confrontations and refrain from agitation.

The Maronite declaration of principles called for ratifying an agreement
with the United Nations on an International Tribunal to try suspects charged
with the 2005 assassination of ex-premier Rafik Hariri and other related
"terrorist" crimes.

It warned against linking Lebanon to regional and international disputes and
called for the formation of an "entente government" to contain the explosive
situation.

If the entente government could not be formed, the statement noted, efforts
should be exerted to form a government of "independent" figures to adopt a
new elections law based on the principle of small electoral constituencies
that can "truly represent" the various Lebanese communities.

The statement also called for the full implementation of the Taef Accord,
which ended the Lebanese civil war in 1990, and stressed on the right of
Palestinian refugees to return to their homeland.

The Maronite Church stressed on the need for settling the question of armed
Palestinian factions in Lebanon.

Commenting on Hizbullah's weapons, without mentioning the Shiite faction by
name, the statement said weapons in Lebanon should be "strictly controlled
by the legitimate security forces."

The council of Maronite Bishops also called for an urgent meeting of the
Lebanese parliament to tackle the serious crisis which is splitting the
nation.

The council, which held its monthly meeting at suburban Bkirki under
Patriarch Nasrallah Sfeir, called on Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri to
convene the house to deliberate the issue that has paralyzed constitutional
institutions.

The statement noted that the "confusing situation through which the Lebanese
are going is regrettable. Constitutional institutions have been paralyzed."

It said: "nothing is left except parliament, but it doesn't convene."

"That is why," the statement added, "we plead with its speaker Nabih Berri
to convene it so it may find a way out of the crisis."

Prominent anti-Syrian Christian politician Pierre Gemayel was assassinated.

2006-11-21T11:39:00.000-05:00

BEIRUT, Lebanon Prominent anti-Syrian Christian politician Pierre Gemayel was assassinated in a suburb of Beirut on Tuesday, his party's radio station and Lebanon's official news agency reported.
His fatal shooting will certainly heighten the political tension in Lebanon, where the leading Muslim Shiite party Hezbollah has threatened to topple the government if it does not get a bigger say in Cabinet decision making.

Witnesses said Gemayel was shot in his car in Jdeideh, a Christian neighborhood, his constituency on the northern edge of Beirut. The witnesses said a car rammed his car from behind and then an assassin stepped out and shot him at point blank range.

Gemayel was rushed to a nearby hospital seriously wounded, the Lebanese Broadcasting Corp. and Voice of Lebanon, the Phalange Party's radio station, reported.

The party radio later said he was dead, as did the National News Agency.

Somalis Helped Hezbollah

2006-11-15T07:36:00.000-05:00

NEW YORK TIMES

November 15, 2006
U.N. Says Somalis Helped Hezbollah Fighters
By ROBERT F. WORTH
UNITED NATIONS, Nov. 14 - More than 700 Islamic militants from Somalia
traveled to Lebanon in July to fight alongside Hezbollah in its war against
Israel, a United Nations report says. The militia in Lebanon returned the
favor by providing training and - through its patrons Iran and Syria -
weapons to the Islamic alliance struggling for control of Somalia, it adds.
The report, which was disclosed by Reuters on Monday, appears to be the
first indication that foreign fighters assisted Hezbollah during the 34-day
conflict, when Israel maintained a tight blockade on Lebanon.
The report also says Iran sought to trade arms for uranium from Somalia to
further its nuclear ambitions, though it does not say whether Iran
succeeded.
The 86-page report was issued by four experts monitoring violations of a
1992 United Nations arms embargo on Somalia, which was put in place after
the country lapsed into civil war and remains in effect. The report is to be
discussed Friday at the Security Council.
The panel does not say how the information was obtained. But the members had
access to information from the intelligence agencies of the Security Council's
15 current members, including Britain, France, China, Russia and the United
States, a United Nations official said.
Any involvement by Somalis would be surprising because Hezbollah's
effectiveness is widely attributed to its deep familiarity with the region.
Hezbollah officials could not be reached Tuesday night for comment.
An official at the Israeli mission to the United Nations said he had not
seen the report, and was not aware of any Somali fighters having taken part
in the conflict with Hezbollah. The official asked not to be identified,
citing diplomatic protocol.
While the sources of the information remain unclear, the report is dense
with details about arms shipments to the groups vying for power in Somalia.
It states that in mid-July, Aden Hashi Farah, a leader of the Somali
Islamist alliance, personally selected about 720 combat-hardened fighters to
travel to Lebanon and fight alongside Hezbollah.
At least 100 Somalis had returned by early September - with five Hezbollah
members - while others stayed on in Lebanon for advanced military training,
the report says. It is not clear how many may have been killed, though the
report says some were wounded and later treated after their return to
Somalia.
The fighters were paid a minimum of $2,000 for their service, the report
says, and as much as $30,000 was to be given to the families of those
killed, with money donated by "a number of supporting countries."
In addition to training some Somali militants, Hezbollah "arranged for
additional support to be given" by Iran and Syria, including weapons, the
report found. On July 27, 200 Somali fighters also traveled to Syria to be
trained in guerrilla warfare, the report says.
It also indicates that Iran appears to have sought help in its quest for
uranium in Dusa Mareb, the hometown of Sheik Hassan Dahir Aweys, the leader
of the Islamist alliance in Somalia, which is known as the Council of
Islamic Courts.
"At the time of the writing of this report, there were two Iranians in Dusa
Mareb engaged on matters linked to the exploration of uranium in exchange
for arms" for the Council of Islamic Courts, says the report, which is dated
Oct. 16.
Those claims, if proved, could worsen global tensions over Iran's nuclear
program. Iran ignored an Aug. 31 deadline to suspend its uranium enrichment,
and the United States has been leading a United Nations effort to impose
sanctions.
The United Nations report is focused mostly on the increasingly volatile
situation in Somalia, where Islamists took control of the capital,
Mogadishu, in June from warlords backed by the United States.
Not only has the volume of arms flowing into Somalia grown, according to the
authors, but more sophisticated weapons like surface-to-air missiles are
being brought in. The conflict could grow into a regional war, with Somalia's
neighbors, Ethiopia and Eritrea, backing opposing sides.
The report also accuses Djibouti, Egypt, Iran, Libya, Saudi Arabia and Syria
of supplying the Somali Islamists with arms, advisers and fighters. It says
three nations - Ethiopia, Uganda and Yemen - are aligned with the so-called
transitional government based in Baidoa, an inland city.
Asked about violations of the arms embargo, the report states, officials in
those countries either denied any involvement or failed to answer.
The report recommends that the Security Council blockade Somalia. It also
warns urgently against sending any peacekeepers to the country, saying such
a force could become "the catalyst that sparks a serious military
confrontation between the opposing sides.

Syria ecstatic about Democrats victory

2006-11-09T11:40:00.000-05:00

Damascus - Syria's official newspapers expressed relief Thursday after the victory of the Democrats in the US mid-term elections Tuesday and at the resignation of US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, saying the democratic victory had driven out Rumsfeld. "The Iraqi war has driven out Rumsfeld and cut Bush's wings," a front-page headline at al-Baath newspaper of the ruling Baath party said.

The Tishrin government-controlled newspaper ran a headline saying: "Bush has admitted the US's policy's problems in the Iraqi quagmire ... Rumsfeld is the first of the sinking hawks."

Syrian political analyst Imad Shueibi said that Rumsfeld was the last of the neo-conservatives and that he was paying the price for their mistakes. Their "political page has been actually closed," he said.

"I expect much more changes in the Bush administration in the forthcoming period," he added, predicting that President Bush would be obliged to change his policy towards Syria.

Under the headline "the Middle East is waiting for change," al- Baath said in a front-page editorial that the elections were "a setback for President Bush as well as a referendum on the policies of the current US administration that reflects a resentment over Bush policies and a need for change."

The English-language Syria Times said in an editorial that the continuous attempts by White House strategists to cover the ugly face of Bush's foreign policy would not succeed.

They "are no longer able to fool their citizens ... It's too late for them to rescue their sinking boat."

source: German Press Agency

Arms still smuggled into Lebanon from Syria - U.N.

2006-10-31T13:47:00.000-05:00

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Lebanon regularly reports arms being smuggling into the country from Syria but the authorities are treading softly due to their fragile political situation, a senior U.N. envoy said on Monday.

Government officials have informed the United Nations of smuggling as recently as "the last few weeks," although they are providing no information on the quantities or types of arms being secreted across the border, said Terje Roed-Larsen, the top U.N. diplomat on Lebanese ties with Syria.
U.S. Ambassador John Bolton, quoting Roed-Larsen, said the officials were not being precise about the smuggling for fear of retaliation from Syria.

"The absence of complete cooperation by the government of Syria remains very troubling in that respect and I think it's very courageous for any of the democratic politicians in Lebanon to go about their business under that kind of threat," Bolton told reporters.

Asked about Bolton's comments, Roed-Larsen said he had no specific information about threats of retaliation.

But he noted there had been 14 assassinations or attempted assassinations in Lebanon since the February 2005 murder of former Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri.

"Generally speaking, the situation in Lebanon is worrisome," Roed-Larsen said. "The political rhetoric shows that there are very high tensions, and I think we have to look at the situation in Lebanon with all caution."
Syria acknowledges there might be smuggling but insists the border is porous and very difficult to control, he said.

Security Council resolutions in 2005 and 2006 imposed an arms embargo on Lebanon and called on it to disarm all militias on its soil, including Hezbollah, an armed group as well as a part of the Lebanese government.

Israel regularly accuses Syria of continuing to smuggle arms to Hezbollah guerrillas in Lebanon, in violation of the August 14 cease-fire ending the 34-day Israeli-Hezbollah war.
Israel has insisted on conducting surveillance flights over southern Lebanon, which also violate the cease-fire, saying it needs to do so to monitor the smuggling.

Israeli Defence Minister Amir Peretz told a parliamentary committee two weeks ago, "if it turns into a steady occurrence, we will deal with the smuggling ourselves."

Roed-Larsen praised Lebanon's efforts to end the smuggling by deploying soldiers along the border with Syria and in southern Lebanon, where Hezbollah guerrillas are active.

"I think the government of Lebanon is doing its very best to stop the transport of weapons across the border," he said. "If this is sufficient, only time can show."

Lebanon: Christian leader slams Hizbullah

2006-09-25T06:44:00.000-05:00

Christian leader Samir Geagea defied Hizbullah and its supporters to prove loyalty for Lebanon before demanding a change in government, insisting that allegiance to Syria would not achieve national unity.

In a massive rally that featured tens of thousands of Christians, Geagea said it was impossible for any Lebanese faction "to act unilaterally and demand a national unity government. They have to first accept national unity and then demand a government of national unity," Geagea said at the rally in the Kisrwan stronghold of Harissa.

The rally came two days after Hizbullah held a massive demonstration in Beirut attended by hundreds of thousands to celebrate its victory in the latest war with Israel.

Geagea sent a strong warning to Hizbullah that its refusal to disarm was the main cause of recent divisions in Lebanon, reminiscent of the splits that caused the 1975 civil war. "The nation shall rise only when we find a solution to the weapons there can not be a state competing with a statelet," he said, according to Naharnet.

He asked "are we still in need of resistance? No, we need to champion a political resistance, a resistance that relies on intellect not missiles and unity not schism."

Indirectly referring to Hizbullah Secretary General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah speech on Friday, Geagea said "Before demanding a national unity government they must work to achieve national unity," Geagea said. "They can not take pride in relations with Syria and at the same time claim allegiance to Lebanon."
source: Al Bawaba

Nasrallah The Republic's Guide and Aoun the Understander

2006-09-18T20:49:00.000-05:00

The Republic's Guide (and Understander Aoun)

Hazem Saghieh Al-Hayat - 18/09/06//

The Lebanese resumption of bickering (but more intense than it was before the war) presents new and dangerous facts. One of these facts is that 'fighting Israel' is no longer a rupture in history or a currency that can be exchanged in all markets. One should not expect that because he 'fights Israel' his rivals will overlook what they see as his mistakes or flaws. His supporters are only using 'fighting Israel' as a new argument for their support for him.

On the other hand, this means that the rift between the Lebanese can by no means be concealed by the so-called 'national Cause'. However, it also means that the case in question, and because it was frequently misused, has lost its sanctity and is no longer sufficient to install its symbol as an impeccable leader of all the Lebanese.

This was evident in the fact that many Lebanese believe the war brought nothing but havoc and destruction. After the war, many among them have grown more cautious and fearful that sectarian relations are edging closer toward eruption. It goes without saying that this contradicts the simple theoretical assumption that 'fighting Israel' unites everyone. This also requires extraordinary wisdom and an end to using the language of incitement and mobilization, as well as, of course, the need to keep the means of violence exclusively in the hands of the state. Continuing to have some people armed and some unarmed could be more dangerous than any time before.

Hezbollah, however, acts like one who sells a Syrian currency outside Syrian borders, unmindful that this currency cannot be exchanged beyond Qamishly. He believes the lie of 'national cause', and then he demands others to treat him accordingly. He wants them to honor him with the title of the infallible leader of all Lebanese, simply because he had 'fought Israel '.

This was at least suggested in the recent TV interview with Hassan Nasrallah, in which he insulted every one who have the least sense of personal dignity or those who have just caught the scent of freedom and democracy from afar.

The Hezbollah Secretary General decides intemperately and arrogantly what is permissible and what is not. He distributes medals based on his classification of people into supporters and traitors. He put an end to periods of tolerance and began a new one where he gives certificates and awards as though he is the 'Guide' (murshid) of the, until now, sinful Lebanese Republic. As for his spokesmen, they tear a strip off their critics, setting an example of their eloquent understanding of politics and the relation with the 'other'.

There is no doubt that Nasrallah found, and finds, several applauders, just as he found an 'understander' (not an ally!), such as Michel Aoun, who strengthens his belief of being the Republic's Supreme Leader. There is also no doubt that the pretext of 'fighting Israel' is still deceiving those who fell for it in 1948, 1956, 1967, 1973 and 1982 - and that they will continue to fall for it until Judgment Day.

But all the Lebanese are not of low intelligence, as shown by understander Michel Aoun. And, of course, they are not all aspirants to imaginary presidency, which is up for grabs at any price, as is the case with understander Aoun.

The Lebanese in their short history have seen many politicians whose supporters elevated them to the rank of prophets while their rivals continued their criticism-turned-slander campaigns. This is applicable to Fouad Chehab, Kamal Jumblatt, Moussa al-Sadr, Bachir Gemayel and Rafiq Hariri, who bore more than a sarcastic TV show.

It is also applicable to Gamal Abdel Nasser, Ayatollah Khomeini, and others who understood that the history of this country does not start from scratch and cannot be made by a false founder.

The characteristic of the current Republic, which was founded on freedom and was a safe haven for persecuted fugitives from dictatorial and semi-totalitarian regimes, is that it is a Republic without a 'Guide', and when it does appoint one, it will no longer be the Lebanese Republic.

President Bush Slams Hizbullah, Says he Will Make Sure 'Terrorists Have No Place' in Lebanon

2006-09-01T09:01:00.000-05:00

U.S. President George Bush has said he and his allies are going to make sure that "terrorists" do not have a place in a "democratic" Lebanon, adding that the world faces a grave threat from Hizbullah-backer Iran.

After lauding troop contributions by France, Italy and other countries for the beefed up U.N. peacekeeping mission in south Lebanon, Bush said "together, we're going to make it clear to the world that foreign forces and terrorists have no place in a free and democratic Lebanon."

"This summer's crisis in Lebanon has made it clearer than ever that the world now faces a grave threat from the radical regime in Iran. The Iranian regime arms, funds, and advises Hizbullah, which has killed more Americans than any terrorist network except al-Qaida," Bush said in a speech at the American Legion National Convention in Salt Lake City, Utah on Thursday.

"We know the death and suffering that Iran's sponsorship of terrorists has brought, and we can imagine how much worse it would be if Iran were allowed to acquire nuclear weapons," Bush said.

He described those who join Hizbullah as radicalized followers of the Shiite tradition.

"The enemies of liberty come from different parts of the world...Some are radicalized followers of the Sunni tradition, who swear allegiance to terrorist organizations like al-Qaida. Others are radicalized followers of the Shiite tradition, who join groups like Hizbullah and take guidance from state sponsors like Syria and Iran."

He recalled the massive demonstrations against Syrian tutelage that followed ex-Premier Rafik Hariri's assassination last year, saying the "courageous people of Lebanon" took to the streets and drove Syrian troops out of the country.

"The Syrians withdrew their armed forces, and the Lebanese people elected a democratic government that began to reclaim their country."

But he said Hizbullah's July 12 cross-border raid came as a result of an attempt by the "enemies" of the United States to undermine Premier Saniora's government.

"Our enemies saw the transformation in Lebanon and set out to destabilize the young democracy. Hizbullah launched an unprovoked attack on Israel that undermined the democratic government in Beirut."

Bush said, however, that the world united in support for the country's democracy and U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice played an important role in passing the truce resolution that ended fighting between Israel and Hizbullah on August 14.

"Rice worked with the Security Council to pass Resolution 1701, which will strengthen Lebanese forces as they take control of southern Lebanon -- and stop Hizbullah from acting as a state within a state."

Bush's address to the American Legion convention was the first in a series of Iraq speeches by the U.S. president.

He cited risks in quitting Iraq and said "the security of the civilized world depends on victory in the war on terror, and that depends on victory in Iraq."

He also said that the war against Islamic militants was like the fight against Nazis and communists and that a U.S. withdrawal from Iraq would lead to that nation's conquest by America's worst enemies.

Source: Naharnet

Annan Bound for Beirut

2006-08-28T05:23:00.000-05:00

BEIRUT, Lebanon (Reuters) -- U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan will discuss the deployment and role of a planned 15,000-strong peacekeeping force for southern Lebanon when he visits Beirut on Monday for the first time since the Israel-Hezbollah war.

Other issues are likely to include the lifting of an Israeli air and sea blockade of Lebanon, policing of the Lebanese-Syrian border to stop arms smuggling and a possible prisoner swap between Israel and the Lebanese Hezbollah guerrilla group.

Annan, due to meet Prime Minister Fouad Siniora and the speaker of the Lebanese parliament Nabih Berri, was seeking full implementation of U.N. Security Council resolution 1701, a U.N. spokesman said at the weekend.

The resolution ended a 34-day war between Israel and Hezbollah on August 14 but also made a series of demands on Israel, Lebanon and the international community which have yet to be met.

It urged the reopening of Lebanon's airports and harbors, blockaded by Israel since the start of the war, and the securing of Lebanon's land borders to prevent arms smuggling.

The resolution also called for the international community to provide enough troops to allow the United Nations to boost the size of its current UNIFIL force in Lebanon from 2,000 to 15,000.

Annan discussed the European Union contribution to the expanded force with EU leaders in Brussels on Friday. He said France, which has promised 2,000 troops, would lead it until February when Italy, which has pledged 3,000, would take over.

"We should deploy, I hope, within the next few days, not the next few weeks," Annan said after the talks.

A close aide to Siniora said Annan would brief the prime minister on the Brussels talks.

"But the government will press him first to pressure Israel to end its blockade on Lebanon because it violates Security Council resolution 1701 and threatens stability in Lebanon," the aide told Reuters, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Weapons

Israel says until the expanded UNIFIL force arrives to police southern Lebanon, the blockade is essential to prevent weapons reaching Hezbollah. Since the end of the war it has relaxed the blockade, allowing commercial planes to fly in and out of Beirut through Amman in Jordan.

The Jewish state wants U.N. troops to police the 375 km (233 miles) Lebanese-Syrian border to prevent the smuggling of arms to Hezbollah, but Syria has said such a move would be hostile and has threatened to close the border if it happens.

That would effectively cut Lebanon off from the outside world as the country's only other land border is with Israel, with which it has no diplomatic ties.

Resolution 1701 does not specifically call for the deployment of U.N. troops to the Lebanese-Syrian border but asks UNIFIL to assist the Lebanese government "at its request" in securing the country's borders.

Also expected to be discussed is the release of Israeli and Hezbollah prisoners, including two Israeli soldiers whose seizure by the Shi'ite Muslim group on July 12 sparked the war.

Hezbollah wants to exchange them for some of the thousands of Arab prisoners, including Lebanese, in Israeli jails.

Annan has said both sides will have to make "painful compromises" to get what they want.

Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said on Sunday contacts had been made that might eventually lead to negotiations over prisoners.

"It seems that Italy is trying to get into the subject. The United Nations is interested and the negotiations would be through Berri," Nasrallah said in a television interview.

An Israeli official said on Sunday: "There are no negotiations over the exchange of prisoners."

As well as visiting Beirut, Annan is expected to travel to southern Lebanon. He will go to Israel on Tuesday and is also due to visit Syria and Iran as part of his Middle East tour.

US warns Syria against defying UN arms embargo

2006-08-27T18:40:00.000-05:00

The United States warned Syria against flouting a UN imposed arms embargo along the Lebanese border designed to prevent any weapons from reaching the Shiite militant group Hezbollah.

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad had expressed strong opposition to the deployment of United Nations troops to enforce the embargo along his country's border with Lebanon, saying such a move would be "hostile" to Syria and create problems between the two nations.

Damascus has also threatened to close its border with Lebanon if UN peacekeepers were deployed there under a UN Security Council resolution that led to the August 14 ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah after a 34-day conflict.

"Syrian suggestion that (UN) forces assisting the government of Lebanon to secure its borders would somehow be a hostile act or threat to Syria is preposterous," State Department spokesman Gonzo Gallegos told reporters.

It is matter of international law under the UN Security Council resolution that all countries must obey the arms embargo, he said.

"It is a singular duty for Syria as the one country, apart from Israel, that borders Lebanon to do so," he said.

"We call on the Syrian regime to fulfill its international obligations and respect and abide by UN Security Council resolutions that reflect the unanimous consensus of the international community," Gallegos said.

UN Security Council Resolution 1701 calls on Lebanon "to secure its borders and other entry points to prevent the entry in Lebanon without its consent of arms," and Lebanese troops have reportedly deployed along the Syrian border in the north and east of the country.

Washington and Israel accuse Syria of acting as a transit point for shipments of arms and other supplies from Iran to Hezbollah.

Iran and Syria deny the claim.

source: Agence France Presse .

Hezbollah has few fans among bitter Christians

2006-08-26T23:05:00.000-05:00

WISSAM ANDRUOUS'S family home lies in ruins after the war between Israel and Lebanon's Shiite Muslim militia, Hezbollah.

Plastic sheeting flaps over a hole where a bomb ripped the side of the house in the Christian village of Ain Ibl in southern Lebanon. Only the mattress springs remain of a charred room where three of his younger brothers used to sleep.

"We are Christians. We did not not belong to any party," said Mr Andruous, 31, a video technician and father of two, whose younger brother, Rany, 21, is studying in Sydney. "What if we rebuild this house and they make war again? How can I live with my children here?" he said.

While Hezbollah has claimed victory - propaganda posters across southern Lebanon declare: "Our Blood Has Won" - it is no triumph for many who have lost their livelihood and property in the violence. Although many Shiite Muslims support Hezbollah, members of other communities caught in the crossfire of this war do not.

"How can it be a victory when most of [southern Lebanon] has been destroyed?" asked Elias Hasrouni, a Maronite Christian, who manages the local electricity company. "There's no work, many people left, many people died, the houses were damaged. Is this a victory?"

Ain Ibl is next to the flattened village of Bint Jbeil, where there was heavy fighting between Hezbollah and Israel.

Imad Khoury, 38, the head of the local council, said the town is surrounded by Hezbollah missile batteries.

Hezbollah is dispensing up to $US12,000 ($16,000) to people who have lost property in the war, but Mr Hasrouni says he will not accept it. "We don't want to be indebted to Hezbollah," he said.

Residents who fled the town during the war returned to find bloodstains on their couches, or dirty handtowels where Hezbollah fighters had used their toilets, Mr Hasrouni said, adding that although many locals did not support this war, they could not stop it. Three years ago Hezbollah seized his olive groves for military purposes. He could do nothing.

"I do not like Hezbollah," said Mr Hasrouni, who still is afraid to visit his groves.

"I am disappointed with this war because Israel didn't really do the job And I really don't believe anyone could disarm Hezbollah."

When Israel ended a decades-long occupation of southern Lebanon in 2000, Hezbollah assumed control of the rural area. Its intelligence networks prevailed and people grew fearful of speaking out against the Islamic party.

Mr Andruous, who is not interested in politics, wants to leave Lebanon with his young family. "I visited Australia in 2004," he said, standing in the ruins of his living room. "I like the country and I have a little money. And I cannot live here any more."

source: The Sydney Morning Herald