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Syria-Lebanon-Iran

Jumblat Lays Syria Rebel Flag on Father's Tomb

2012-03-17

[An Nahar] Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Wally Jumblat ... Druze politician, head of the Progressive Socialist Party, who's been on every side in Leb at least four times. He'll sell you his friends for a dollar, but family comes higher because of shipping and handling... on Friday saluted "the deaders of the Arab Syrian revolution which will remain stronger than the tyrants," on the 35th anniversary of the liquidation of his father, Kamal Jumblat. During a ceremony to commemorate his slain father in Baaqlin, Jumblat stressed the need for "democratic dialogue, no matter how sharp the political debate is in Leb," noting that political quarreling "will get sharper." "Thirty-five years ago, nature raged and cried for Kamal Jumblat and for the hundreds who were assassinated as result of ignorance, malice and bigotry on that day, and today nature cries and rages again," Jumblat said, referring to the stormy weather in Leb on Friday and to the vengeance killings against Christian residents of Mount Leb in the wake of Kamal Jumblat's liquidation. "We closed up the wound with (former) Maronite patriarch Nasrallah Sfeir" in 2001, Jumblat added, in reference to the reconciliation achieved that year. Jumblat also announced the end of his dispute with MP Marwan Hamadeh, saying "we closed up the wound." Speaking at the same ceremony in Baaqlin, his hometown, Hamadeh said "the bullets of the spiteful Syrian regime killed Kamal Jumblat." "The Druze of Syria are the heroes of the historic unity and the Druze had confronted the dictatorships in Syria," he stressed. "The Druze of Syria are confronting the conspiracy of detaching them from their environment," Hamadeh said, calling on the Druze community in Syria not to "fall into the trap of the regime." "The Syrian people will not accept the repetition of another Deir Yassin massacre at the hands of Bashir al-Assad," Hamadeh added. Earlier on Friday, Jumblat placed the Syrian rebels' flag on the grave of his father in al-Mukhtara. "After 35 years, this is the day to tell the truth, to myself and to others ... Long live free Syria!" he said after placing the flag.

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Syria-Lebanon-Iran

WikiLeaks: Miqati Says Hizbullah is 'Cancerous' ... PM-designate's Office Responds

2011-05-04

[An Nahar] Premier-designate Najib Miqati has reportedly described Hizbullah as "cancerous" calling for ending the statelet that the party has built to allegedly safeguard Leb. In a WikiLeaks cable published by al-Joumhouria daily on Tuesday, Miqati told former U.S. ambassador Michele Sison that Hizbullah is a "cancerous tumor" and called for removing its statelet whether it was "malignant or benign." He warned that Hizbullah could drag Leb to a "sad end." The cable dated January 12, 2008. Later Tuesday, Miqati's office released a statement saying the comments did not "reflect his convictions" and had political motives, without specifying. "The prime minister will not get involved in debates with any party, especially over ... words and positions that are in part untrue, in part inaccurate and most of which go back years," read the statement. It noted that most of the remarks are part of Miqati's "political analysis of the general situations in Leb at the time." According to the cable, Miqati also called for better U.S. ties with Leb and Syria to "contain" Hizbullah, warning that the main objective of the Shiite party was to form an Iranian military base on the Mediterranean. The dream of Grand Ayatollah Sayyed Ruhollah Khomeini of exporting the Iranian revolution needed a "launch pad" which is Leb, he said. Achieving this objective requires a lot of time but Hizbullah is "patient," he added. Asked by Sison if he thought peace with Israel would contain such intentions, Miqati said that peace would lead to a "happy ending," but wondered whether Syria would engage in talks with the Jewish state without a green light from Iran. The premier-designate's comments came on the eve of the 2009 elections. He told Sison that the era of former Prime Minster Fouad Saniora "was over" and he needed to take a "vacation." Miqati, according to WikiLeaks, told the former ambassador that Caretaker Premier Saad Hariri Second son of Rafik Hariri, the Leb PM who was assassinated in 2005. He has was prime minister in his own right from 2009 through early 2011. He was born in Riyadh to an Iraqi mother and graduated from Georgetown University. He managed his father's business interests in Riyadh until his father's liquidation. When his father died he inherited a fortune of some $4.1 billion, which won't do him much good if Hizbullah has him bumped off, too. was seeking for the top post but wondered whether Soddy Arabia was willing to back him. Taking up the post without the support of the Sunnis would lead to failure, he said. "I am not ready to fail." Miqati unveiled that there was no major support by the Lebanese army leadership and former Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Sfeir to President Michel Suleiman, saying "Sfeir is not in love with" him. "The Lebanese Armed Forces sympathize with the March 8 forces ... the opposition to the Mar. 14th movement, consisting of Hizbullah and its allies, so-called in commemoration of their Mar. 8th, 2006 demonstration of strength in Beirut ... at a time when most officers back Hizbullah and (FPM leader) Gen. Michel Aoun ...a wholly-owned subsidiary of Hizbullah... ," the billionaire businessman told Sison, according to the cable.

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Syria-Lebanon-Iran

Sfeir Describes as Abnormal Presence of Arms Outside State Control

2011-03-10

[An Nahar] Outgoing Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Sfeir reiterated that only Leb's armed forces should carry weapons and described as abnormal the presence of arms in the people's hands. He's right, y'know. In civilized countries, which Leb has occasionally aspired to be, the government reserves the right to do violence. The armed forces have guns and the cops have guns. While the citizenry usually has some sort of right to own guns, that right excludes heavy weapons -- mortars, machine guns, recoilless rifles, ICBMS, that sort of thing -- the idea being that small arms are sufficient for dealing with the occasional deer or the wife's lover. In remarks to al-Joumhouriah newspaper published Wednesday, Sfeir said: "We either have a state or we don't. Only the state should own weapons." Our guess is that Leb's not really a state. It's a collection of organizations, some of them benign, others malevolent. "This is the general rule" in the world, he said. "Arms should not be in the hands of the people," Sfeir told the daily in reference to Hizbullah. At least not heavy weapons... He made his remark as the Maronite Bishops Synod begins meetings on Wednesday to elect a new patriarch. "And in this corner, weighing 183.5 pounds, His Excellency Bishop Boutros!" Sfeir warned that interference in Leb's political affairs could sometimes serve and at other times harm the country. "The Lebanese should accept each other through love and cooperation because there is still meddling" in the country's affairs, the outgoing patriarch said. Asked if he was remorseful for not visiting Syria, he said: "Never. Why should I regret that?" Sfeir told al-Joumhouriah that he had nothing to say to Syria's hereditary President Bashar Pencilneck Assad. ... one of the last of the old-fashioned hereditary iron-fisted fascist dictators ... During his tenure, Sfeir took positions against Syria's years of interference in the country's affairs. A statement issued by the council of bishops in September 2000 calling for Syria to withdraw its 30,000 troops from the country marked a turning point in Lebanese opposition to Damascus' hegemony. Syrian troops intervening in Leb's civil war first entered the country in 1976. They withdrew in 2005 after ex-Premier Rafik Hariri's liquidation in February of that year.

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Syria-Lebanon-Iran

Pope Benedict XVI Accepts Sfeir's Resignation

2011-02-27

[An Nahar] Pope Benedict XVI accepted Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Sfeir's resignation, reported L'Obsservatore Romano newspaper on Saturday. Nasrallah, eh? For some reason that name seems... unsavory. The Pope said in a letter to Sfeir: "I accept your free decision that reflects your humility." "I trust that you will always stand by the Maronite church in prayer, wisdom, and sacrifices," it concluded. In an interview with OTV in the Vatican on the sidelines of a ceremony to unveil the statue of Saint Maroun, Sfeir said: "They're free to say what they want, but the real reason is that I have reached the age of 90." The patriarch noted that "the biggest threat facing the Lebanese is their split." He added, however, that the Lebanese situation "is still better than the situation in neighboring countries." Better than Israel? Better than Syria? Better than... hmm there are no other neighbors. Sfeir submitted his resignation to the Vatican late last year, but it remains unknown whether the election of a new patriarch, if Sfeir's resignation is accepted, will take place before or after the election of a number of Maronite bishops to replace those who have reached the retirement age of 75. The bishops who have reached retirement age could still vote to elect a new patriarch as long

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Syria-Lebanon-Iran

Sfeir: Threats Unleashed by Hizbullah 'Surprising'

2010-12-15

How dim do you have to be to be surprised at threats and bluster from Hezbollah? [An Nahar] Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Sfeir expressed surprise at threats unleashed by Hizbullah, particularly by head of Hizbullah's parliamentary bloc MP Mohammed Raad, without naming him. "The country cannot carry on under this escalating climate where one (political) camp threatens the other," Sfeir told al-Mustaqbal newspaper in remarks published Tuesday. "The country continues to exist on the basis of understanding, cooperation and harmony among the people and power sharing," he added. "People have a right to know the truth of who is behind those liquidations," Sfeir insisted.

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Syria-Lebanon-Iran

Sfeir: STL Should Specifically Name the Criminals, Hizbullah is Adopting Control Methods

2010-10-31

[An Nahar] Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Sfeir stressed on Friday that the Special Tribunal for Leb should be explicit in naming the suspects involved in the liquidations that have taken place in Leb. He told Al-Jazeera television in an interview to be broadcast on Saturday: "If we want to put an end to political liquidations then the international tribunal should issue its indictment and specifically names those in Leb who committed the crime." "If we want matters to continue as they are, then the liquidations will continue, which would harm Leb and other nations as well," he added. Furthermore, he noted that it would be "worrisome" if Hizbullah were to take control of Leb, saying: "Leb should remain as it was, for all its sects ... and if one were to overpower the others, then that would oppose the foundations upon which Leb is built." Asked whether he believes that Hizbullah wants to control Leb, Sfeir responded with a denial, but noted: "Its methods are forceful and of course, force leads to power." Addressing the possibility of paying a visit to Iran, the patriarch said: "The conditions are not suitable yet to allow us to make the trip." As for visiting Syria, Sfeir said that if the conditions are appropriate then he would head to Damascus. "So far it has not appeared that relations between Leb and Syria are sound because one country possibly seeks to gain interests in the other, which the Lebanese oppose," he continued. "If Syria wants to befriend Leb in order to control it as it wishes, then we do not want this friendship," he added.

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Syria-Lebanon-Iran

Franjieh Backs Nasrallah's Stance, Calls on Hariri to Reject STL

2010-10-31

[An Nahar] Marada Movement leader MP Suleiman Franjieh on Saturday voiced his support for Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah's recent call for boycotting U.N. investigators, describing it as "rightful." In an interview with Hizbullah's mouthpiece Al-Manar television, Franjieh called on Premier Saad Hariri to declare that the Special Tribunal for Leb is "politicized and rejected," stressing that the premier must seek the bringing of the so-called "false witnesses" to justice. Tackling the highly-anticipated upcoming cabinet session and the dispute about referring the false witnesses issue to the Judicial Council, Franjieh said: "I trust the stances of President Michel Suleiman and Head of Democratic Gathering MP Walid Jumblat." He noted that Hariri should be the first one to back referring the case to the Judicial Council. Franjieh accused the Lebanese Judiciary of taking orders from politicians, stressing that State Prosecutor Saeed Mirza "takes his orders from Saad Hariri." The Marada leader voiced his regret that "the blood of late premier Rafik Hariri is being used to harm the Resistance." That'd be the Hezbullies, natch... Franjieh also voiced his regret that the stance of Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Sfeir "reflects the viewpoint of only one group of Christians."

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Syria-Lebanon-Iran

Nadim Gemayel Holds Damascus Responsible for All Murders

2010-09-15

[An Nahar] MP Nadim Gemayel on Tuesday held Syria responsible for the assassination of his father, former president Bashir Gemayel, Druze leader Kamal Jumblat, former president Rene Mouawwad and former premier Rafik Hariri. "The realization of Syria's dominance required the murder of Bashir Gemayel, Kamal Jumblat, Rene Mouawwad and Rafik Hariri, and we hold it responsible for all these murders," Gemayel said in a speech on the occasion of the 28th anniversary of the assassination of former president Bashir Gemayel. "Our dispute with Syria begins and it will remain with the persistence of the Syrian scheme to dominate Leb." "Bashir established a State even before he assumed power," the young MP told the cheering crowd that gathered in the external yard of the Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal Church in Ashrafieh after the annual mass commemorating slain president Gemayel. Maronite Archbishop of Beirut Boulos Matar, who was representing Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Sfeir, presided over the mass which was attended by the representatives of the three heads of state, Phalange Party cadres, a Lebanese Forces delegation and several ministers and MPs. "Hizbullah must yield to the sole authority of the State, because it has chosen the State of war while the Lebanese have chosen the State of peace." "We believe that the rights of the Christians cannot be achieved outside the framework of the State and the Christians are the pioneers of the renaissance," Gemayel added. "Hizbullah must yield to the sole authority of the State, because it has chosen the State of war while the Lebanese have chosen the State of peace." Gemayel warned that "the Lebanese entity is facing the test of unity, although the national decision is under foreign influence." "We have always been with 'Leb First', and let no one try to give us lessons in patriotism," he said. Gemayel condemned the "campaign against the Phalange Party" over the latest stances of its central committee coordinator, MP Sami Gemayel, on accepting weapons from Israel during the civil war period. Gemayel stressed that when Leb is in danger, "all criterions and standards become irrelevant." "Is defending Iran with Israeli weapons during its war with Iraq in 1985 an acceptable thing? Were the rulers of Iran traitors when they defended Iran with Israeli weapons? And was (the late founder of the Islamic republic of Iran) Imam (Ruhollah) Khomeini a collaborator?" "Phalange Party is proud of its heroic history," Gemayel stressed.

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Syria-Lebanon-Iran

Sfeir: No Strong Nation if Religious Communities Want Separate States

2008-08-01

Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Sfeir warned Thursday that there would be no strong nation if "every sect wished to create its own state." "We have 18 (religious) communities that should maintain their coexistence through dialogue and understanding and placing the national interest on top of all other interests," Sfeir added. "Dialogue should top violence ... that threatens unity of the Lebanese people," he told reporters at his summer seat in the northern mountain resort of Diman. Unity among the various Lebanese communities should be "deeply rooted to consolidate stability of the nation," Sfeir concluded.

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Syria-Lebanon-Iran

Lebanon president visits Bkirki, meets Sfeir

2008-06-09

President Michel Suleiman on Sunday paid a "non-political" visit to Patriarch Nasrallah Sfeir at the Maronite Church's seat in Bkirki and announced that forming the new cabinet is not facing difficulties.

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Syria-Lebanon-Iran

Aoun attacks Sfeir, said 'does not represent the public opinion'

2008-01-01

Hezbollah-led opposition ally General Michel Aoun on Monday attacked Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Sfeir and said " he does not represent the public opinion, but only the Church." The Patriarch, Aoun said, "is free to express his opinion regarding the political situation but he does not decide our constitutional powers on behalf of us." Aoun asked Sfeir to "clarify what is being said" about Bkirki's support for Premier Fouad Saniora's government. Aoun, who was addressing a delegation from Byblos at his residence in Rabieh, also accused former President Amin Gemayel and Lebanese Forces leader Dr. Samir Geagea of "blocking the Bkirki meeting" that had been aimed at achieving consensus among Christian leaders on a presidential candidate.

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Syria-Lebanon-Iran

MP Muawad demands an apology from Amal to the Christians

2007-12-28

Lebanon's MP and minister Nailah Muawad strongly condemned the statement of Sheikh Hassan Al-Masri, a member of the Political Bureau of the Amal movement, who stated that "Speaker Nabih Berri, is the true mother of that child in the cave “,( in reference to Virgin May and Jesus Christ) and who attacked Bishop Beshara El Rahi ( whose Arabic name translates to shepherd) when he said: " You are the shepherd who forgot his parish and became an expert on the Constitution . Since you don’t understand the constitution or know how to be a true shepherd we recommend you keep quiet for the sake of Lebanon”. Muawad demanded that “Amal movement should immediately apologize to the church and to the Christian community” and added : "We reject any attacks against our sacred symbols and against our Christian faith." Muawad continued : "I wish Speaker Nabih Berri will prove his respect ( he claims he has) for Patriarch Nasrallah Sfeir by opening the doors of the parliament to allow the election of the president instead of depriving the Christians of their highest post in the country ." Muawad added: "It seems that speaker Berri has, instead of greeting the Christian community he decided to use blasphemy against the Christians by authorizing Sheikh Masri to attack the Christian faith and its sacred symbols."

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