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Syria-Lebanon-Iran

Siniora to Asharq Al-Awsat: I Fear Deadlock With Israel Over Maritime Borders

2021-04-12

[ENGLISH.AAWSAT] Former Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora expressed his fear that the demarcation of the maritime borders with Israel would become "another Shebaa Farms" crisis, referring to the stumbling efforts to demarcate the borders. In an interview with Asharq al-Awsat, Siniora said: "When we rely on solid ground, all the Lebanese will support the negotiating team." But he cautioned that if the new demands were not legally established, negotiations could extend for years and be delayed, allowing Israel "to take advantage of our wealth." Indirect negotiations with Israel, under the auspices and mediation of the United States, stopped after four sessions held at the UN headquarters in Ras Naqoura in the far south-west of Leb ...an Iranian colony situated on the eastern Mediterranean, conveniently adjacent to Israel. Formerly inhabited by hardy Phoenecian traders, its official language is now Arabic, with the usual unpleasant side effects. The Leb civil war, between 1975 and 1990, lasted a little over 145 years and produced 120,000 fatalities. The average length of a ceasefire was measured in seconds. The Lebs maintain a precarious sectarian balance among Shiites, Sunnis, and about a dozeen flavors of Christians. It is the home of Hezbollah, which periodically starts a war with the Zionist Entity, gets Beirut pounded to rubble, and then declares victory and has a parade. The Lebs have the curious habit of periodically murdering their heads of state or prime ministers... , when the Lebanese side raised the ceiling of its conditions, demanding an additional 1,430 nautical kilometers, while the initial demand was limited to 860 kilometers. The Lebanese negotiating delegation announced a few weeks ago that it would not resume talks without amending the decree that the Lebanese government deposited at the United Nations ...the Oyster Bay money pit... in 2010, describing it as "our weapon to win the negotiations." Siniora explained the demarcation path since 2007, saying that Lebanon signed an agreement with Cyprus on January 17, 2007, without specifying the triple points in the north and the south, because of hostility with Israel and Damascus's rejection of a joint demarcation of the border in the north. The agreement stipulated that no party could take an additional step without the approval of the third party, and accordingly, the Lebanese side individually demarcated its borders, Siniora noted, stressing that the move had no legal value because it was made on a unilateral basis. In contrast to the agreement with Lebanon, Cyprus made a unilateral move and concluded an agreement with Israel on December 17, 2010, without consulting the Lebanese side. The former premier noted that Tel Aviv has deposited its borders as it sees fit, with the triple point with Cyprus, in the United Nations. The government of Prime Minister Najib Mikati objected to that agreement on June 20, 2011, because it contravened Point 23 that the second Siniora government had set in 2008. "I am afraid that we will have another Shebaa Farms in the sea," Siniora said, referring to disputed land in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. He continued: "When our rights are legally established, and we have solid ground to prove them, then we must all support the amendment of the decree," demanded by the negotiating delegation.

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Syria-Lebanon-Iran

Lebanon heading for interim setup

2013-03-24

BEIRUT — Lebanese President Michel Suleiman accepted the resignation of Prime Minister Najib Mikati on Saturday, local media said, paving the way for a caretaker government after a political standoff with the Hezbollah movement. Every government there has been a 'caretaker'; none of them have any real power beyond what Syria and Hezbollah allow... Mikati’s resignation could plunge Lebanon, already struggling to cope with a spillover of violence and refugees from neighbouring Syria’s civil war, into further turmoil and uncertainty three months ahead of a planned parliamentary election. The resignation on Friday came after a two-day ministerial meeting remained deadlocked by a dispute with the Hezbollah, a political movement that has dominated Lebanese politics in recent years. “I did not inform anyone of my decision in order to avoid any pressure from any side,” he was quoted as telling President Suleiman by the local news website Naharnet. “My decision was a personal one ... It is now important that dialogue among the Lebanese begin. I hope that the resignation will pave the way for a solution to the political deadlock in the country.” Hezbollah opposed extending the term of a senior security official and the creation of an oversight body for the planned June parliamentary elections, which may now be delayed over the collapse of Mikati’s government. Major General Ashraf Rifi, head of Lebanon’s internal security forces, is due to retire early next month. Rifi, like Mikati, is from Tripoli, and is distrusted by Hezbollah. If the Hezbies trust him that means we shouldn't... Mikati became prime minister in 2011 after Hezbollah and its partners brought down the unity government of Saad Al Hariri. But tensions over Syria have put him at odds with the group that brought him to power and which strongly backs President Bashar Al Assad’s battle against rebels and protesters in Syria. Mikati backed a policy of “dissociation” from the conflict, hoping to keep Lebanon from being dragged in to the two-year civil war in its larger neighbour. Under Lebanon’s confessional division of power, the prime minister must be a Sunni, the president a Maronite Christian and the speaker of parliament a Shia. Former prime minister Fouad Siniora, a close political ally of Hariri who has frequently called for Mikati to step down, said his resignation “opens the possibility of fresh dialogue” between Lebanon’s political camps.

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Syria-Lebanon-Iran

Hezbollah: So we all agree

2011-04-11

[Asharq al-Aswat] It seems that the "Wikileaks" documents have begun to have a positive effect in Leb, as today we see a media battle taking place between the Shiite Amal movement, and the Iranian sponsored Hezbullies. This is a positive development because, although we've yet to see them reach a consensus, we are witnessing them settle scores amongst themselves. In the "Wikileaks" documents, it was revealed that during interviews with the Americans, a number of MPs and ministers belonging to the Development and Liberation Bloc, affiliated with Speaker of the Parliament Nabih Knobby Berri, Speaker of the Lebanese parliament, a member of AMAL, a not very subtle Hizbullah sock puppet... had shown indignation towards Hezbullies, its weaponry, its domination of Leb, and they even talked about Hezbullies's apparent subordination to Iran. The documents also revealed the restlessness of Berri's men with regards to Syria, saying that if a clear arrangement was not reached with Syria to deal with the International Tribunal for the Assassination of Rafik Hariri, then Hezbullies would turn Leb into a living hell by resorting to car booms and terrorist attacks. To make matters worse, the sources claimed that Syria was also capable of mobilizing its agents in Leb, namely the Paleostinians, and its sleeper cells, in order to do the same thing! These are important words, and they must be taken seriously, rather than just be labeled as propaganda. This is for the simple reason that Hezbullies itself is taking these words seriously - it has called for the immediate resignation of each political figure quoted in the Wikileaks documents. Berri's group, like Hezbullies, have already relied much on the Wikileaks documents to damage their opponents like 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. and Fouad Siniora, let alone other Arab countries, so they cannot deem them to be credible here, and false there. How could Hezbullies, or the Amal movement, claim that the documents are true when they serve their interests, and false if they do not? Furthermore, these documents are not the first, but there have been other documents revealing that followers of General Aoun have talked in the same vein about Hezbullies! Through these Wikileaks documents, which quoted followers of Nabih Berri and revealed their opinions of Hezbullies, the danger of its weaponry, and its affiliation to Iran, we can deduce that the so-called moderate Arab camp has been, and still is, correct in its view of the gravity of Hezbullies and its weapons, the seriousness of its alliance with Syria, and the role they play in Leb. This is not the opinion of the moderates only, but also the view of Hezbullies's allies in the Amal movement, as the documents show. It is true that the events in our region today, and the position of Iran and Hezbullies towards them, specifically their stances towards what is happening in Bahrain and Syria, have exposed Tehran and Hezbullies completely. While they criticize the Bahraini government, in support of the Shiites there, we find them supporting the regime in Damascus ...The City of Jasmin is the oldest continuously-inhabited city in the world. It has not always been inhabited by the same set of fascisti... , which is suppressing the Syrian demonstrators with violence, even depicting the demands of the Syrians as being fostered externally. Yet more importantly here are the Wikileaks documents, and what they reveal about Hezbullies's allies in Leb. They reveal that everyone, whether in Leb or the wider region, or even in the Shiite Amal movement, is in agreement about the affiliation of Hezbullies towards Iran, and the danger of its weaponry, and this is highly important!

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Syria-Lebanon-Iran

A message to Hariri

2011-01-28

[Asharq al-Aswat] Former Prime Minister Saad Hariri considers what happened to his [political] bloc as being virtually a "political coup d'etat" and he [also] expressed his "deep sense of betrayal." He said that his father's killers were the ones who were responsible for him being removed [from power], and he has every right to say this, however Hariri must remember that democracy itself is crooked. Our democracy, as I previously described it, is an "Iranian democracy" where the winner loses, and the loser is the one who forms the government, along the lines of what happened in the recent Iranian presidential elections. As Leb today is being run by the "Supreme Guide" Hassan Nasrallah, we see the same method being adopted in this country. For example, Nasrallah blamed the majority government because it did not do anything for the people; however he did not acknowledge that his men and Nabih Knobby Berri ... the Hizbullah sock puppet ... 's men surrounded Fouad Siniora's residence for 538 days, and then later withdrew from the government, forcing its collapse. This is not to mention the innovation of their "blocking third" veto power. In light of all of this, how could any government serve the people? Hezbullies was not satisfied with their endless tricks, and indeed Omar Karami has responded to Nasrallah's speech in which he claimed that he had refused to accept the position of prime minister due to his advanced age, saying "I listened to Sayyad Hassan [Nasrallah] during his address, in which he lamented me. Today I am standing before you, and I ask you to bear witness as media representatives, do I look ill to you?" A further trick in Hezbullies's repertoire was to undermine Leb's 'Day of Rage', which had been called for by Hariri. Hezbullies sought to interfere and sabotage, and everyone knows that Hezbullies has infiltrated some Sunni areas [of Beirut] -- which is something that I wrote about a few months ago -- in order to generate inter-Sunni sedition. Have we forgotten, for example, the story of Sunni Death Eater Omar Bakri, who was released from prison [in Leb] after terrorist charges against him were dropped after he said that he acknowledged that Shiite Hezbullies was "Ahl al-Qibla" [i.e. Mohammedans, who pray in the direction of Mecca] and not "Rafidah" [Shiite Mohammedans who reject the caliphate of Muhammad's two successors, Abu Bakr and Umar]? Interestingly, the lawyer representing him in this case was Hezbullies MP Nawar al-Sahili. Therefore, the message to Hariri today is that whilst you may have lost the battle, you have not lost the war. Your war is to protect the state, and the most important means of guaranteeing this is the Special Tribunal for Leb completing its mandate and uncovering the killers of Rafik Hariri and his associates, regardless of the price. This will prevent bloodshed, ensure that Leb is protected, and ensure the continuation of Rafik Hariri's message, for [Rafik Hariri] did not monopolize the Sunnis, but rather returned them to a state of strength, without firing a single bullet. The government today is facing major challenges, and with all due respect to Prime Minister Najib Mikati, who is aware of the extent of my personal appreciation for him, the Lebanese [leadership] succession is not only an internal matter, but a regional one as well. We do not know if Mikati has cleared the air with the Gulf States, particularly as certain countries did not agree with the manner in which he came to power. Most importantly, Soddy Arabia's acceptance of this appointment has yet to be confirmed, and we are aware that Soddy Arabia had announced that it was washing its hands of this issue. This is an extremely important issue, and Riyadh is currently warning its citizens from traveling to Leb. Of course, there is still the international community, especially Washington, which Prime Minister Mikati says is very important to him. However we do not know how this stance can be reconciled with the 'defenders of the resistance', especially considering that Nasrallah regards the Lebanese Sunnis as being disloyal merely because they have a relationship with the West! So, former Prime Minister Hariri, your task is to protect the state, and the way to achieve this is via the completion of the international tribunal, which is what led to your being removed [from power] in the first place. So don't stop...continue!

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Syria-Lebanon-Iran

Saudis urge force to destroy Hezbollah: Wikileaks

2010-12-09

[Bangla Daily Star] Soddy Arabia proposed an Arab-led military force to destroy Hezbullies in Leb two years ago, a US diplomatic cable published by Wikileaks suggests. Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal presented a senior US diplomat with a plan for a force backed by US and Nato air and sea power. The US responded by expressing scepticism about the military feasibility of the plan. Hezbullies is a Shia paramilitary group and political movement. While Syria and Iran are Hezbullies's main regional allies, Soddy Arabia has strong ties with the country's Sunni community and the current Prime Minister Saad Hariri, son of the murdered ex-prime minister. The cable is describes a meeting in May 2008 between David Satterfield, a senior US State Department official, and Prince Saud al-Faisal. At the meeting the prince "argued for an 'Arab force' to create and maintain order in and around Beirut. The US and Nato would need to provide transport and logistical support, as well as 'naval and air cover'. Saud said that a Hezbullies victory in Beirut would mean the end of the Siniora government and the 'Iranian takeover' of Leb". The cable came days after armed Hezbullies members took over parts of central Beirut threatening to overthrow the government of Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora. According to the cable, the Saudi foreign minister argued that a Hezbullies victory against the Siniora government "combined with Iranian actions in Iraq and on the Paleostinian front would be a disaster for the US and the entire region". He argued that the situation called for an "Arab force drawn from Arab 'periphery' states to deploy to Beirut under the 'cover of the UN'". Saud al-Faisal said Mr Siniora strongly backed the idea. Over the past two weeks, Wikileaks has released thousands of classified messages from US envoys around the world. Washington has called their publication "irresponsible" and an "attack on the international community".

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Syria-Lebanon-Iran

Hezbollah No Longer Recognizes International Tribunal and Calls for Its Abolition

2010-08-20

[Asharq al-Aswat] As national dialogue resumes today in Lebanon at the Beiteddine Palace, under the chairmanship of Lebanese President Michel Suleiman, and against the backdrop of the sharp political division that is being seen in the country over the international tribunal investigating the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, Hezbollah has called for the "abolition of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon and for it to be replaced, and for the abolition of its operations and the treaty that exists in this regard." Pencilneck is getting worried, I think ... Speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat via telephone, Hezbollah politician Mahmoud Komati told Asharq Al-Awsat that "for our part, there is no recognition [of the international tribunal]...because it has been unfair and politicized from the beginning. It was formed to accommodate interests, not to uncover the truth, but to cover it up." Komati confirmed that "Hezbollah will not engage with the decisions that will be issued by the international tribunal, for these decisions are being issued by a politicized tribunal whose goal is to pressure the resistance, and regional parties and countries." On the other hand, the March 14 Alliance renewed its adherence to the International Tribunal "as an exclusive reference to look at and issue a judgment in the case of the assassination of Prime Minister Rafik Hariri and the other crimes related to this." However al-Komati informed Asharq Al-Awsat that "from the first moment there was no consensus on the international tribunal, but it was working [to cause] division...and there was no confidence in it...because it contravenes the constitution and the law...and will therefore never lead to the truth." Al-Komati added "the issue that was the subject of Lebanese consensus was to uncover the truth [behind Hariri's assassination] as a comprehensive national issue." Responding to a question as to whether Hezbollah will continue to cooperate with the international investigation, allowing a number of its members to be interviewed, as promised previously by Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah, Komati said "we have cooperated with the investigation commission and we sent a number of our brothers there and they were interviewed as witnesses, however after the true nature of the tribunal and its politicization has been revealed, it is no longer justifiable to cooperate with it at all." Asked whether he expects international prosecutor David Bellemare to take action with regards to the evidence presented to the tribunal by Hezbollah, Komati told Asharq Al-Awsat that "it is premature to comment on this issue, however we suspect that the tribunal will not deal with Israel as a serious and primary suspect, and from here we have no confidence or reassurance with regards to what the tribunal will do, however we agree with our state partners on the issue of calm, and we have responded to the request of Prime Minister Saad Hariri to hand over the evidence to the Lebanese judiciary which will act as it deems appropriate." The Lebanon First bloc that is led by MP Fouad Siniora also dealt with the issue of the international tribunal, with MP Oqab Saqr calling for parties in Lebanon "not to debate the international tribunal in the interests of the country because this only adds to the confusion" adding that "the political controversies surrounding the tribunal serves and enhances the chaos." While Lebanon First bloc MP Ghazi Youssef said "this issue is not taboo, but we do not know anything about this expected decision [by the International tribunal] so why are problems being created over something we know nothing about?" Future bloc MP Ahmed Fatfat said "nobody knows the preliminary decision that is expected to be issued by the Special Tribunal for Lebanon" and that "everything that has been published in the media has no basis." He said "the expected decision will accuse somebody, and it is the right and duty of whoever is accused to go to court to confirm his innocent" adding that "the tribunal cannot charge a state or group and therefore it is certain that there will be no accusation of Hezbollah."

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Syria-Lebanon-Iran

Jumblatt: Antagonizing Iran was mistake

2009-08-09

Lebanese Druz leader Walid Jumblatt says the language used against Iran, which put Tehran on a similar level of hostility as Israel, was "mistaken". It seems that Jumblatt, who recently played the leading part in a major political power shift in the country, has now changed his tune on Iran as well. The leader of the Progressive Socialist Party, who has recently been making the headlines in Lebanon, told the local As-Safir daily that Iran's role in the region could not be ignored. In a keynote address at Beirut's Beaurivage Hotel on August 2, Jumblatt sent shock waves around the Lebanese capital by announcing that his alliance with the Western-backed March 14 coalition had been "driven by necessity and must end". The development proved that his alliance with the March 14 coalition was the key to the group's victory in the recent parliamentary elections. That announcement, shifted political balance in favor of the Hezbollah-led opposition, which had won a total of 57 seats in parliament in comparison to the US and French-backed ruling majority's 71 seats. Guess they met Wally's price, huh? The former March 14 heavyweight's dramatic U-turn has taken Lebanese Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri by surprise, forcing him to stall efforts to form a cabinet. According to comments by Caretaker Prime Minister Fouad Siniora, Hariri left Lebanon on Tuesday for a brief vacation in France to "reflect and think quietly." During the interview with As Safir, Jumblatt once again clarified his position by criticizing the March 14 group on matters such as their "unrealistic" and "insensitive" attitude toward the Palestinian issue and Israeli occupation of Arab land. Commenting on the issue of Hezbollah's arms- weapons which the group insists will help resist Israeli invasions- Jumblatt also said that dialogue must continue to determine how they can be absorbed and used in time.

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Syria-Lebanon-Iran

Beirut bomb threat defused as US envoy arrives

2009-06-13

[Al Arabiya Latest] United States envoy George Mitchell said Friday his country would not sacrifice Lebanon as it seeks to reach comprehensive peace in the region in his latest visit to the countr, which came y as security officials defused a small bomb sent to Beirut's General Security headquarters. "Lebanon will play a key role in the long term effort to build lasting, comprehensive peace and stability in the Middle East," Mitchell said after meeting separately with President Michel Sleiman and Prime Minister Fuad Siniora. Meanwhile a bomb containing 200 grams (seven ounces) of explosives was defused after failing to explode because of a technical glitch, security sources said. Bombs are rarely sent to government buildings although several explosive devices are defused or explode every week in Lebanon. Mideast tour Mitchell was holding separate meetings with President Michel Suleiman, Prime Minister Fouad Siniora and Saad Hariri, leader of the March 14 coalition that retained its majority in a closely-fought parliamentary election on Sunday. "Clearly, there can be no lasting solution reached at Lebanon's expense and we look forward to continuing to work with Lebanon to build this solution." Mitchell said his latest tour of the region, which includes stops in Israel, the West Bank, Egypt and Jordan, as well as previous visits were clear proof that U.S. President Barack Obama's administration was committed to "actively and aggressively" seek peace in the region. On a visit to Beirut ahead of the vote, Vice President Joe Biden had hinted that Washington may cut off military aid if a coalition led by Hezbollah won. Mitchell arrived in Lebanon after visits to Jordan and Egypt where he discussed with leaders there ways to achieve peace between the Israelis and Palestinians based on a two-state solution.

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Syria-Lebanon-Iran

Ahead of elections, Lebanon finds fake ID cards

2009-06-05

[Iran Press TV Latest] Lebanese authorities have discovered thousands of forged identity cards only three days ahead of watershed parliamentary elections in the country. According to a Thursday report by Asharq al-Awsat, Lebanese security agents have confiscated over 4,000 falsified ID cards and have adopted concrete measures to identify those behind the forgery and bring them to justice. Learned a few tricks from ACORN? The Al-Hayat newspaper, meanwhile, in a report cited two sorts of forgery regarding the identification cards. According to the report, the perpetrators had resorted to counterfeit ID cards together with ones which carry the names of Lebanese expatriates who have neither acquired Lebanese identity cards nor are expected to cast ballots in the decisive parliamentary elections. Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora and Interior Minister Ziad Baroud have promised to implement necessary measures to lower the chances of voter fraud during the elections. "We have taken strict measures and we will take even more measures to bring the situation under control," Baroud said in an address to a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday night. Lebanon's parliamentary elections are scheduled to take place on June 7. The ballot vote is of significant importance as it pits the pro-Western majority against the opposition powerhouse led by Hezbollah. Former American president Jimmy Carter is set to lead the international delegation tasked with vote observation. Kiss the Cedar Revolution goodbye ... Last month, the European Union deployed nearly 90 personnel to Lebanon to keep an eye on the electoral process. Arab monitors are also in the country and will stay there until the election results are officially announced on June 10.

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Israel-Palestine-Jordan

Israel considers pullout from Lebanon border village

2009-05-04

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu favours an Israeli withdrawal from a village on the Lebanese border and will discuss the issue with cabinet ministers this week, a government source said on Sunday. Israel's Haaretz newspaper said the United States was pressing Netanyahu for a pullout from Ghajar, which straddles the border between Lebanon and territory Israel captured from Syria in the 1967 Middle East war. The United States, the newspaper said, believes Israel's withdrawal from Ghajar would be a goodwill gesture towards Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora and could bolster moderates in Lebanon before its June 7 general election. The government source said Netanyahu, who meets US President Barack Obama in Washington on May 18, would discuss the matter with cabinet ministers later in the week. Netanyahu, the source said, "viewed favourably" a pullout from Ghajar. Israel annexed Ghajar in 1981 along with the occupied Golan Heights in a move that has not won international recognition. A pullout from Ghajar could also open a broader debate about the nearby Shebaa Farms, a stretch of territory controlled by Israel that Lebanon claims as its own but which the United Nations recognises as belonging to Syria. Mark Regev, a spokesman for Netanyahu, declined to comment on the issue. Envoy: Meanwhile, Netanyahu has chosen an American professor and historian as the next ambassador to Washington, Israeli media reported on Sunday. The nomination of Michael Oren, a Columbia and Princeton-educated historian who is currently a guest lecturer at Georgetown University, is expected to be announced before Netanyahu leaves for a mid-May meeting with President Barack Obama. In a lecture at Georgetown last month, Oren said Israel must unilaterally withdraw from the occupied West Bank, an idea rejected by Netanyahu, according to a report last week in the Haaretz newspaper. "The only alternative for Israel to save itself as a Jewish state is by unilaterally withdrawing from the West Bank and evacuating most of the settlements," he was quoted as saying. Oren, 54, hold both American and Israeli passports but will have to renounce his US citizenship to assume the post, it said.

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Syria-Lebanon-Iran

Hariri vows March 14 wonŽt ŽsurrenderŽ Bekaa

2009-04-22

[Beirut Daily Star: Leb] Electoral rhetoric heated up on Monday and over the weekend, with the country's political foes exchanging accusations and criticizing each others' agendas. On Sunday, Future Movement leader MP Saad Hariri announced the March 14 Forces ticket for West Bekaa. Meanwhile, Premier Fouad Siniora over the weekend continued his tour of Sidon as Speaker Nabih Berri visited several villages in South Lebanon. As candidates battled it out, President Michel Sleiman prepared to head to Turkey on Tuesday for an official two-day visit. Hariri announced on Monday the March 14 forces' list in the district of Western Bekaa- Rashaya. During a gathering held in the town of Rashaya, Hariri said the majority would not "surrender the Western Bekaa-Rashaya district to the candidates of foreign tutelage." "The people of this district will vote on June 7 for state-building and for dignity. They will vote for the dignity of Lebanon, of Beirut and for what was done to Beirut. They will vote for Lebanon and Palestine to say that Palestine is our cause." The list in the district included Ministers Robert Ghanem and Wael Abu Faour, MP Jamal Jarrah, MP Antoine Saad, Amin Wehbeh and Ziad Qadri.

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Syria-Lebanon-Iran

Hezbollah denies firing Katyusha into north Israel

2009-02-22

Hezbollah on Saturday denied having fired a rocket from Lebanon that hit northern Israel earlier in the day, lightly wounding two people. "Wudn't us." Ibrahim Mussawi, a spokesman for the militant organization, told AFP that Hezbollah had "nothing to do" with the attack, which was launched from a region largely controlled by Hezbollah and its Amal party ally. "It wuz... ummm... somebody else." Three other people were treated for shock after the attack, and a house was damaged, the Israel Defense Forces said. During the IDF's punishing offensive against Hamas in Gaza last month, three Katyusha rockets were fired into northern Israel within a week, hitting Nahariya and Kiryat Shmona. Hezbollah, which has a large rocket arsenal, was behind the two rocket attacks. In both cases, the organization used proxy Palestinian militant groups to launch the rockets from southern Lebanon. Meanwhile, a Lebanese security source in Beirut said Israel had responded by firing at least six artillery shells into southern Lebanon. The IDF Spokesperson's Office later said Israel held the Lebanese government and the Lebanese army accountable. The rocket exploded a few meters from a house, where a 20-year-old was lightly wounded in her sleep. "Shattered glass was scattered all over the house," her father said. "Not a single window pane remained intact." The leader of the local council said that the incident came "out of the blue." Because of the stormy weather, he said, some people thought that the explosion was a thunder. The Lebanese source, asking not to be identified, said: "Two rockets were fired from the area of Mansouri, south of Tyre, towards the direction of Israel. One of these rockets landed [within Lebanese territory]. The other rocket's location has not been determined," said the source. No one claimed responsibility for the rocket firing. A statement from Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora's office said Lebanon was committed to implementing UN Security Council resolution 1701 which ended a month-long war between Israel and Hezbollah guerrillas in 2006. He said the attack threatened the area's stability and condemned Israel's artillery fire. "Prime Minister Siniora [said] the rockets launched from the south threaten security and stability in this region and are a violation of resolution 1701, and these issues are rejected, condemned and denounced... Israeli artillery [fire is an] inexcusable violation of Lebanese sovereignty," the statement said.

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