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Sheikh Abdel-Amir Qabalan

Sheikh Abdel-Amir Qabalan

Learned Elders of Islam

Syria-Lebanon-Iran

20051011

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Syria-Lebanon-Iran

Qabalan: Resistance, army to work 'hand in hand'

2009-03-17

Vice-president of the Higher Shiite Council Sheikh Abdel-Amir Qabalan said in comments published on Monday that as long as the Palestinian cause was not resolved, the Resistance [Hezbollah] and the Lebanese army "will work hand in hand." He stressed that the Resistance "will not to create a separate state or have arms of its own."

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Syria-Lebanon-Iran

Qabalan praises army, urges premier to step down

2007-01-25

The Higher Shiite Council's vice president, Sheikh Abdel-Amir Qabalan, praised the Lebanese Army on Wednesday for its efforts during Tuesday's opposition's strike, saying the army would remain the "savior" of the country. "Do not listen to anybody except your wise commander [General Michel Suleiman]," Qabalan advised soldiers. The sheikh also called on religious leaders to send representatives to Prime Minister Fouad Siniora asking him to resign. "I do not hate Siniora and I do not hate anyone," he said, "but there is a situation that calls on us to surpass all obstacles in order to preserve Lebanon."

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Syria-Lebanon-Iran

Qabalan calls for government that represents 'all parties'

2006-10-26

The vice president of the Higher Shiite Council urged an expansion of the government on Tuesday to include "all of Lebanon's political parties." "Our country should be governed through cooperation between all political parties," Sheikh Abdel-Amir Qabalan said during his Eid al-Fitr sermon. There is a "dire need" for true national unity and "entrenched coexistence," he added. Praising Speaker Nabih Berri's "strenuous" efforts to resolve a mounting political crisis, Qabalan called on politicians to "put their personal interests aside" and put an end to inflammatory speeches. "We want our politicians to deliver wise speeches free from humiliation and challenges," he said. When they're looking for a government that represents "all parties," they're either looking for a government that represents only their own party or they want a government that's incapable of making any decisions.

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Syria-Lebanon-Iran

Syrian witness seeks protection for fiancee

2005-12-01

The now infamous Syrian witness Houssam Taher Houssam has pleaded with Lebanon's highest religious figures to protect his Lebanese fiancee from "pressures inflicted upon her by Lebanese officials." Too late. She's already on her way to Malaysia... In the second news conference from Damascus in two days, Houssam called upon Lebanese Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Sfeir, Grand Mufti Mohammed Qabbani, and Higher Shiite cleric Abdel-Amir Qabalan to do their best to protect his fiancee Tharwat Hujeiri and her family. He said Wednesday that his fiancee and her family were being "harassed, pressured and subjected to bribery" to testify against him by the same politicians who had pressured him. Houssam, who spoke very briefly while his lawyer Omar Zouhbi, did all the talking, added that his fiancee and her family shouldn't be put through this "because they are innocent, and have nothing to do with what is happening." In his previous news conference on Monday, Houssam had said he had given false statements to the UN probe into the assassination of former Premier Rafik Hariri. Houssam had earlier said he fled back to Syria from Lebanon, "in a sudden flash of conscience" after giving a false deposition against top notch Lebanese and Syrian officers, which led to the arrest of four Lebanese security chiefs. He also said he had several pieces of evidence which he didn't present during his previous conference, but that he "will not reveal anything except to the Syrian independent commission in the assassination of Hariri," and that this evidence is best kept away from the media "to preserve the secrecy of the investigations." Reporters were not allowed to direct any questions to Houssam, who said "40 percent" of the UN probe's interim report was based on his statements, possibly to prevent Houssam from giving contradicting statements as he did on Monday. Interior Minister Hassan Sabaa called Houssam "a liar" on Wednesday, adding that Mehlis' report "relies on the depositions of a large number of people, and not only Houssam." Sabaa also said Houssam had approached with "important information on Hariri's assassination," and that Sabaa directed him to the UN probe.

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Syria-Lebanon-Iran

Mullah Fudlullah sez Hizbullah constitutes reserve army

2005-10-11

Senior Shiite cleric Sayyed Mohammad Hussein Fadlallah said Hizbullah's Islamic Resistance force in the South constitutes a reserve army to protect Lebanon whenever it is threatened by Israel. Fadlallah's comments came on Monday during his meeting with the UN's Secretary General Representative in South Lebanon Gere Pederson. The meeting focused on the UN's role in consolidating internal stability through protecting Lebanon from greater Israeli influence in the country and other attempts at foreign intervention. The cleric said the UN had a political and a security role to play to protect Lebanon from foreign pressures and interference in its domestic affairs. Meanwhile, Higher Shiite Council vice president Sheikh Abdel-Amir Qabalan said the arms of the Palestinians in Lebanon should remain in the hands of their resistance groups for "as long as we live in fear of the Israeli enemy that violates our skies." He also urged the government to permit Palestinian refugees to own homes on Lebanese territories outside the refugee camps and allow them to travel freely outside the camps so that they might better contribute to the country's development.

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Syria-Lebanon-Iran

Iran Scrambles To Bolster Its Geopolitical Position

2005-05-04

After seeing a significant erosion of Syrian influence in Beirut, underscored by the recent Syrian military withdrawal from Lebanon, Iranian leaders are working vigorously to preserve Tehran's geopolitical position in the Middle East. In recent weeks there has been an upsurge in talks involving officials from Iran, Syria and Lebanon. On April 20, for example, Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati met with the Iranian ambassador to Beirut, Masud Edrisi, to discuss the future of Lebanese Hezbollah, IRNA reported. The official Iranian news agency suggested that Iran would accept the Lebanese people's decision concerning Hezbollah's fate. Several days prior to the Mikati-Edrisi meeting, news that Iran had withdrawn most of the estimated 2,000 Revolutionary Guards in Lebanon began to circulate. Tehran had never formally acknowledged the Revolutionary Guards' presence. Hezbollah is a militant Shi'a organization, designated by the United States as a terrorist group, set up by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps in 1982. It remains unclear whether Hezbollah will seek to legitimize its activities and participate in Lebanon's political process, or retain its militant character. Iran as come under increasing international pressure to help promote Hezbollah's disarmament. What is more certain is Iranian officials want to bolster the electoral chances of Lebanese Shi'as when parliamentary elections are held in Lebanon starting May 29. Up to 40 percent of Lebanon's population is Shi'a Muslim. In late April, Iranian President Mohammed Khatami held meetings with prominent Lebanese political figures, including Sheik Abdel Amir Qabalan, deputy head of Lebanon's Supreme Shiite Council, and Walid Jumblatt, the leader of Lebanon's Druze community. Following the meeting with Jumblatt, Khatami warned of the possibility of civil war in Lebanon. He also expressed concern that the upcoming elections could escalate tension among various interest groups in Lebanon, adding that upheaval in Syria, an Iranian ally, would "a catastrophe for the region," the Iran Students' News Agency reported April 24. The February 14 assassination of former Lebanese prime minister Rafiq Hariri forced Iranian leaders to re-evaluate their regional policies. Hariri's death set of the chain of events that led to Syria's military withdrawal, completed on April 26. As Syrian troops departed Lebanon, officials in Damascus and Tehran maintained close contacts. Following a Syrian-Iranian diplomatic meeting in early April, for example, Iranian Foreign Minister Kamal Kharazzi noted the "importance of maintaining the security, stability and civil peace that Lebanon has known" since the 1989 pact that ended the Lebanese civil war. While much of the international community saw a Syrian hand in Hariri's murder, the prevailing view in Iran held that the United States was responsible. Official Iranian statements indicated that Hariri had been targeted by Washington, and its closest regional ally, Israel, as part of the US effort to reshape the political map of the Middle East. Some political observers believe that recent events in Lebanon have served to strengthen Iranian and Syrian cooperation. In a February 16 statement, Iranian Vice President Mohammed Reza Aref noted that "Syria and Iran face several challenges," going on to suggest the establishment of a "common front." Other analysts, though, suggest the ties that bind Iran and Syria may be loosening, rather than becoming tighter. Syria was the only Arab state that sided with Iran during the latter's war with Iraq during the 1980s. However, the ouster of Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein removed the common foe that had originally brought Tehran and Damascus together. The erosion of Syrian influence in Lebanon could cause Tehran to effectively write off its partnership with Damascus. "Iran will not give Syria wholehearted support ... precisely because its alliance with Damascus is built around cold calculation rather than ideological fervor," Iason Athanasiadis wrote in a commentary published April 29 by the Daily Star, a Lebanese English-language newspaper. "Sending material support to Syria - or for that matter to Hezbollah now that the Syrians have completed their withdrawal from Lebanon -- would over-extend Iran at a time when the US military is camped to its east, west and north, in Afghanistan, Iraq and in several former Soviet republics." There are voices in Iran that have been openly critical of some of Syria's latest political moves. Some Iranian analysts now believe that Syria might opt to make peace with Israel if a solution can be found to the Golan Heights issue. That would leave Iran further in the cold in the delicate balance of power of the Middle East. Accordingly, the sentiment in Iran is that relations with Syria are far more dispensable than that with Hezbollah. Hezbollah is after all a brainchild of the Iranian Islamic Revolution. The problem for Tehran is that the fate of Hezbollah can be seen as closely connected to that of Bashar Assad's Syria. Syria's fading position in Lebanon leaves Tehran little option but to court its natural Shi'a allies in that country more vigorously.

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Syria-Lebanon-Iran

Fadlallah and Qabalan urge peaceful dialogue

2005-03-05

Senior Shiite cleric Sayyed Mohammed Hussein Fadlallah and Higher Shiite Council Vice President Sheikh Abdel-Amir Qabalan both called in sermons Friday for planning the future wisely through peaceful national dialogue recognizing the other. Speaking at the Imamein Hassanein Mosque in Haret Hreik, Fadlallah wondered about the American and international stand, "that is rather aggressive regarding the immediate implementation of United Nations Resolution 1559" at a time when Israel trampled on several resolutions without stirring the reaction of the international community. Fadlallah said: "Lebanon has the right - like any other country - to live in security and political freedom, exercise its independence and free decision-making and hold relations with other countries based on sovereignty and mutual respect." However, the cleric stressed that the European-American alliance was acting out a plan to contact a specific Lebanese party to detect a certain political unbalance magnetized by the media to spread a fear of instability. He said: "Is it a question of freedom, democracy and peace to the peoples of the Middle East, or a question of the U.S. interest to take advantage of loopholes in this or that country and accuse the resistance of terrorism to shake the international opinion against it?" According to Fadlallah, U.S. policy is complying with an Israeli plan of alliance on the strategic level to control the Arab and Islamic region on the political, economic and security levels.

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Syria-Lebanon-Iran

Qabalan sides with Syrians

2005-02-27

Higher Shiite Council Vice President Sheikh Abdel-Amir Qabalan stressed during his Friday sermon the necessity of holding dialogue, and highlighted Syria's positive role in Lebanon. Qabalan said: "Syria gave so much to Lebanon; it maintained the stability during the country's ordeal and was a thorn in the eye of the Zionists." "And that's the important thing. The fact that we're a colony is just a side issue. Ignore it..." Qabalan added that the Lebanese people should thank Syria for its contribution to the development of the country, and should also not throw random accusations at its leaders. Qabalan refused calls for the disarmament of Hizbullah. "Certainly not! It's not like we have a government, or our own army or anything. Who's gonna keep the wolf from our door if not Hezbollah?" Grand Mufti Sheikh Mohammed Rashid Qabbani urged the Lebanese to wait for the results of investigations into the assassination of former Premier Rafik Hariri. In a statement issued Friday, Qabbani said only serious investigations will unveil the identity of Hariri's killers, adding that the people should not hold any party responsible before the investigations yield results.

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Syria-Lebanon

Diplomaneuvers get under way in Lebanon

2003-04-28

US Ambassador Vincent Battle’s first meeting with newly appointed Foreign Minister Jean Obeid next week will focus on the long-standing demands of both sides. Obeid’s talks with the ambassador will center on the Syrian military presence in Lebanon, Hizbullah’s deployment in the South and US opposition to both. The discussions will also focus on Lebanese-American and Lebanese-Syrian-American dialogue and their prospects and timing in the present phase. Obeid is believed to be giving priority to warding off any danger to Lebanon and Syria in the wake of threats directed against the two countries by the US and Israel. Only threat I've seen to Lebanon is to toss the Syrian occupation. Oh, and Hezbollah with it... He is expected to visit Damascus soon to discuss confronting this danger within the framework of the policy of coordination between the two countries, and the possibility of a dialogue with the Americans. That means he's going to ask Bashar for his marching orders... The Obeid-Battle talks will also touch on the Middle East peace process on the eve of the expected publication of the “road map” plan for comprehensive peace in the region. The publication of the plan, drawn up by the US, the UN, Russia and European Union, was awaiting the formation a new Palestinian government and the end of hostilities in Iraq. Personally, I'm hoping the Road Map dies a natural death, which Yasser seems to be determined to bring about. It's going to have about the same degree of effect on the Paleos as the Oslo agreements did — lip service, followed by explosions and flying meat... Lebanese and American readiness to enter into a dialogue on all these and other matters was encouraging and the desire to do so was not a secret. Prime Minister Rafik Hariri had supported such dialogue, while Battle not only backed this move, but also called for an American-Lebanese-Syrian dialogue as well. Might as well bring the colonial power in on the ground floor... Battle has already embarked on a series of meetings with several Lebanese leaders since the formation of the new government last week, holding talks with Information Minister Michel Samaha and the vice-president of the Higher Shiite Council, Sheikh Abdel-Amir Qabalan. Oooh! An Beirut Bob and a spittle-spewing cleric! Battle's got his work cut out for him... Qabalan said in a sermon Friday that he had received Battle to convey to him his rejection of American threats to Lebanon and Hizbullah as well as to Syria, Iran and any Arab country. The cleric also expressed support for the Iraqi people and their “aspirations” and for reconstructing the country within the framework of an elected government. "Yeah. An' we don't want any threats against Samoa or Greenland or Swaziland, either! An' no threats against the Avars or the Veps or the YÀnömÀmö, either! We're watchin' you hegemons, dammit!" Leading Shiite cleric Sayyed Mohammed Hussein Fadlallah said the American-Israeli war was planned to weaken all sources of power in the region. He said the Americans and Israelis had announced that the Iraq war had ensured the protection of Israel from the dangers of a regional power, namely Iraq. I think Israel may have been mildly worried over the prospect of SCUDs, but I doubt they were quivering in their booties over the Iraqi army...

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Syria-Lebanon

Qabalan slams threats against Syria, Iran, Hizbullah

2003-04-25

The vice-president of the Higher Shiite Council, Sheikh Abdel-Amir Qabalan, denounced any threats against Syria, Iran and Hizbullah, stressing that Lebanese Shiites have no independent role to play in Iraq. Following a meeting with US Ambassador Vincent Battle Thursday, Qabalan said the US-led war was neither warranted nor legitimate “and the United States has rendered Arab peace efforts obsolete by its actions.” Wotta shame. And they were so effective... Qabalan said Syria and Iran should play an important role in the region: “We refuse any threats against them or against Hizbullah, which has social and national roles to play in Lebanon and aims to liberate the country from Israeli occupation.” "... and kill people." Battle said the meeting was to identify the Lebanese Shiites’ opinion regarding the situation in Iraq, “reaffirming our commitment to a unified country represented by all its different sects and religious entities from all its regions, and to re-establish a normal social and economic cycle.”

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Syria-Lebanon

Qabalan calls on leaders to unite for benefit of Iraq

2003-04-15

Lebanon’s Shiite clerics on Monday condemned the current tension in Najaf, an important Shiite religious center, and called on the allied forces to protect it. One of the leading religious leaders, Ayatollah Ali Sistani, had been under house arrest by 50 armed pro-Iranian Iraqis since Saturday, who had demanded that the cleric leave Iraq within 48 hours. A Kuwaiti Shiite cleric said that several tribal chiefs from the Euphrates area had intervened and put an end to the ayatollah’s captivity. "Mahmoud! Ali Sistani's in trouble! Get some gunnies over there to protect him, quick!" The group of armed men were reportedly from the same group which had brutally killed pro-Western Shiite cleric Sayyed Abdel-Majid al-Khoei in Najaf on Thursday. "Die, infidel dog! And you, too, whoever you are!" The vice-president of the Shiite Higher Council in Lebanon, Sheikh Abdel-Amir Qabalan, played down reports about tension in Najaf. Speaking to a group of Shiite clerics who gathered at the Higher Shiite Council to discuss the latest developments in Najaf, including leading cleric Mohammed Ibrahim Amin and other clerics from Lebanon and abroad, Qabalan called on all Shiites to work together for the good of their common cause. He added that Lebanon’s Shiites wanted Iraq united without clashes between the Shiites and the Sunni, or among Muslims and non-Muslims. “We call upon our brethren in Najaf to defend the religious authorities, Ayatollah Sistani and Mohammed Said Hakim, and other religious authorities in Najaf,” Qabalan said, stressing the closeness of the links between Lebanese Shiites and Najaf. Qabalan called on Shiite religious leaders to join hands and urged all Iraqis to unite for the country’s benefit. "Just be patient. Hold off on killing each other until the infidels are gone..." Qabalan said that the gathering of ulema was aimed at condemning what was going on in Iraq, especially in Najaf. “We are totally opposed to the invasion forces remaining in Iraq and we call on all Iraqis, Arabs, Kurds, Shiites and Sunnis to work together,” Qabalan said. "Yeah. We didn't need them to get rid of Sammy, so what do we need them for now?"

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