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Syria-Lebanon-Iran
Aoun demands that Lebanon's Christians follow him
2007-11-27
Opposition Christian leader Michel Aoun insisted that the Christians should submit to the political authority of Rabiyeh (Aoun's village) and not Bkirki, the town of the Christian leader, Patriarch Sfeir. "The Christians' political decision is in Rabiyeh," and consultations with Bkirki are tantamount to "advice."
I've come to the conclusion that Aoun wants to be Leb's Assad. And I don't think his wrappings are very tight at all.
"I enjoy Christian representation whether they like it or not," Aoun warned. "I'm known to represent 66 percent of the Christians, and whoever enjoys 66 percent has decision rights. Anyone from the other (political) side who does not acknowledge me, will not be acknowledged by me."

He blamed the United States for the stalemate in Lebanon, adding that former President Emile Lahoud's parting statement before leaving office on Friday had paved the way for Prime Minister Fouad Saniora's government to remain in power. Aoun on Saturday invited the various Christian leaders to meet at his residence in Rabiyeh on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday to draft a "plan to resist this unacceptable situation."

Aoun, in two separate interviews with LBC and New TV channels, warned that the vacuum could threaten Lebanon's existence because the Taif Accord - which ended the 1975-1990 Civil War - is threatened and the presidency is being weakened. He said that Taif was only partially implemented to meet the interests of certain sects. "International support today is more for Saniora than it is for Lebanon," Aoun said. "I cannot imagine we have a prime minister whose name is Fouad Saniora doing the job of the president." He said his Reform and Change Bloc would take "practical but peaceful steps" to oppose the current situation but only after consulting with its allies.
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Syria-Lebanon-Iran
Aridi: US did not impose any conditions and Berri knows this
2007-11-19
Lebanon's Information Minister Ghazi Aridi praised Maronite Patriarch Cardinal Mar Nasrallah Boutros Sfeir, "for assuming great responsibility to resolve the crises by submitting a list of candidates for the presidency." He urged everyone not to miss this opportunity and to elect a President of the Republic to strengthen the spirit of national unity and dialogue.

Aridi said in an interview with the radio Voice of Lebanon : "Everyone was waiting for a word from Patriarch Sfeir and all claimed they wanted consensus. Now, and after Sfeir gave the list of presidential candidates there is no excuse in the world for the non-election of a new President of the Republic". Aridi also said " contrary to all the rumors that the media has circulated inside and outside the capital, the United States did not impose any conditions with regards to the election of a new president , nor did they name any preferred candidate for this post and Speaker Nabih Berri , who has met US ambassador Jeffrey Feltman on several occasions knows this "

Similarly he said the French also did not impose any conditions or name any preferred candidate : "The French Foreign Minister asked Cardinal Sfeir to issue the list of consensus candidates so that the parliament could pick one of them as the new president."

Hezbollah has accused the western countries of interfering in Lebanon's presidential elections.

Lebanon is in the process of electing a new president to replace the pro-Syrian president Emile Lahoud whose term expires on November 24. The election session was rescheduled 3 times but is now set for November 21, 2007. The Iranian and Syrian backed Hezbollah -led opposition has refused to attend the previously scheduled sessions because they knew the anti-Syrian parliament majority will win. The parliament majority has accused the pro-Syrian opposition of wanting a clone of Emile Lahoud as the new president to please Syria. Lahoud who is referred to as 'Syria's puppet' has sided with the opposition in its effort to overthrow the democratically elected government of Prime minister Fouad Siniora.
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Syria-Lebanon-Iran
Sueleiman: "We will not ask for any political seat."
2007-10-27
As army Commander Gen. Michel Suleiman outlined that he would not ask for a seat in the power system, Egypt stressed that electing a head of state is strictly a Lebanese issue and non-Christian opposition-majority leaders said naming a consensus presidential candidate is in Bkirki's hands.

In line with Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul Gheit's "Hands off Lebanon" outcry and his announcement that Cairo does not support any presidential candidate, Gen. Suleiman was quoted as telling officers upon returning from a visit to Cairo and talks with President Husni Mubarak: "We will not ask for any political seat."

"We will not allow, at all, the political manipulation of the martyrs' blood and sacrifices" Suleiman was quoted by the daily an-Nahar as saying.
Try "If nominated, I will not run. If elected, I will not serve."
Meanwhile, the paper said the Egyptian initiative outlined during Abul Gheit's one-day visit to Lebanon Thursday, focused on four major points:
-The need to reach a broad understanding on all pending issues and not just on a consensus presidential candidate.

-Foreign and regional interests should refrain from exerting pressure on the Lebanese people under the slogan: Hands off Lebanon.

-The interest of the Lebanese people and its future should be the base for any discussion of a settlement.

-Electing a president for Lebanon is a strictly Lebanese interest and, therefore, is a strictly Lebanese choice and "no one can choose a head of state for Lebanon except the Lebanese People."
Meanwhile Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri and Majority leader Saad Hariri, who represent the opposition and majority in the ongoing talks for choosing a presidential candidate, said they are waiting for efforts by the Maronite Church to achieve consensus on a candidate. Berri was quoted by an-Nahar as saying: "I've informed Patriarch Nasrallah Sfeir that I'll support the white smoke that will billow from Bkirki's (chimney). I also make this declaration on behalf of Sheik Saad Hariri."

An-Nahar said Berri and Hariri are keen on waiting for Bkirki to choose a candidate so they can avoid the charge that the Shiites, Sunnis and Druze have chosen a Maronite President without the approval of the Maronite Church. A Hizbullah delegation informed Patriarch Sfeir Thursday that the Shiite party supports Consensus by the Christians on a presidential candidate conditional to nationwide consensus.

A four-member committee representing Maronite factions of the opposition and majority has already set the specifications of a presidential candidate and set the assignments that the new head of state should shoulder. The committee, meeting in Bkirki, is to proceed with its efforts to choose a candidate or a list of candidates in line with the specifications and envisaged assignments.

Abul Gheit on Thursday urged foreign states not to interfere in the Lebanese presidential vote, echoing an outcry by the late Anwar Sadat: "Hands off Lebanon."

"It is up to the Lebanese people to decide themselves," Abul Gheit said after meeting pro-Syrian President Emile Lahoud, whose extended term in office expires by Nov. 24.

The late Egyptian President Sadat launched his famous "hands off Lebanon" outcry in the mid-1970s, during the early stages of the civil war that lasted until 1990 despite the intervention by 30.000 Syrian troops and a 10.000-strong intelligence apparatus. During his visit Abul Gheit also met leaders of the ruling majority and Hezbollah-led opposition as well as Prime Minister Fouad Siniora and Berri in addition to Lahoud, Sfeir and Sunni Grand Mufti Sheikh Mohammed Rashid Qabbani. After meeting the patriarch, Abul Gheit said: "We will not interfere with candidates and it should not be inferred that we prefer one candidate over another. We hope that all interference stops."

He explained that a recent meeting between Gen. Michel Sleiman and Mubarak was in the framework of "supporting the Lebanese army", which fought a bloody 15-week battle with Fatah al-Islam terrorists in the northern refugee camp of Nahr al-Bared.
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Syria-Lebanon-Iran
Berri: My initiative is supported by 76.9 % of the Lebanese
2007-09-15
Lebanon's speaker Nabih Berri stressed last night that his initiative is made in Lebanon , is supported by 76.9 % of the Lebanese and neither Syria nor the rest of the opposition knew about it before it was announced Berri disclosed the above during an interview with Marcel Ghanem host of LBCTV 's Kalam el Nas program.

Berri revealed that neither Syria nor Hezbollah and Free patriotic movement of General Michel Aoun knew about the initiative before he declared it . Berri revealed that he has asked a local research firm to find out how the Lebanese people felt about the initiative and the results were very encouraging he said:
- 76.9 % of the all the Lebanese support it against 23.1% that don't
- Among the Sunnite Muslims 65.4 % support it
Berri told Ghanem that his initiative is supported by Secretary General of the UN Ban Ki-Moon.

Berri revealed that he was waiting for a positive response from the March 14 alliance before visiting Patriarch Sfeir in Bkirki, discuss all the candidates he ( Sfeir) has in mind and agree on one consensus candidate . He said so far he has not received March 14 response.

When asked by Ghanem why he came up with the initiative he said " I would like to think that I have matured enough to realize that we have reached a deadlock and it is about time we drop the demand for a government of national unity. He added " the government will be formed immediately after the new president is elected."

It is not clear why Berri claimed that he did not receive March 14 alliance response. March 14 alliance offered a positive response yesterday after a meeting Wednesday at the residence of former president Amine Gemayel in Bikfaya. The response was published yesterday by Ya Libnan and most of the Lebanese newspapers.
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Syria-Lebanon-Iran
Hezbollah adds Lebanon presidency, pony to its demands
2007-05-02
As if the summer war which left Lebanon in ruins, and the sit-in protest which left its economy in shambles, were not enough - Hezbollah is now targeting the presidency of the country, in another effort to destabilize it. Hezbollah now wants the next Lebanese President to adopt the so-called "memorandum of understanding" signed by Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah and General Michel Aoun. In other words, the "Party of God" wants the next president to be another Hezbollah ally and to be pro-Syrian and pro-Iranian. "Hezbollah agrees on a president who is committed to the memorandum of understanding between it (Hezbollah) and Gen. Aoun," Hezbollah MP Mohammed Raad said in remarks published by the daily An Nahar on Tuesday.

The law states that the president is elected by an absolute majority of one half of the eligible votes + 1, but now Hezbollah want the president to be elected by a minimum of two thirds. "The national Opposition will deem any president who has not been elected by a two-thirds quorum as unconstitutional," Raad said. "Any unconstitutional act will mean total paralysis for six years," Raad warned.
Moreover, in yet another attempt to hijack the laws and rights of Lebanese citizens, Hezbollah is trying to change the rules of electing the president. The law states that the president is elected by an absolute majority of one half of the eligible votes + 1, but now Hezbollah want the president to be elected by a minimum of two thirds. "The national Opposition will deem any president who has not been elected by a two-thirds quorum as unconstitutional," Raad said. "Any unconstitutional act will mean total paralysis for six years," Raad warned.

What the Hezbollah member is saying is not in line with the constitution, but rather the same method used by Syrian president Bashar el-Assad in 2004, when he flexed his muscles as an occupier and forced a change in the constitution to allow for the extension of Lahoud’s terms. Hezbollah is trying to dictate the future of Lebanon using its arms as a source of power against the will of the Lebanese. Old dictatorial tricks that are known to all.

The Lebanese presidency is a Christian issue and Hezbollah has no business in interfering in internal Christian affairs. Hezbollah has already hijacked the rights of the Shiites, for which many leaders in the Shiite community are extremely bitter, but the Lebanese cannot standby and watch the militia hijack the rights of everyone else. The Christian leaders consult amongst themselves in coordination with Patriarch Sfeir to decide who will run and the parliament usually votes for the designated candidates. The candidate that achieves absolute majority wins, but if no one gets an absolute majority then, like what just happened in France, there will be a runoff for the 2 candidates that obtain the largest number of votes. Again here whoever achieves the absolute majority wins. No one talks about two thirds majority

Hezbollah has promised Aoun the presidency as his price for helping them destabilize the country and for keeping his mouth shut during the war, and now they have to deliver. But the Lebanese are clearly tired of both Aoun and Hezbollah, particularly following their attempted coup in January 2007 which nearly ignited a second civil war.

The parliament was freely elected by the people and the majority in the parliament should have the only say on who will be the next president. Hezbollah has to accept whoever the majority decides on. It is not Hezbollah's business to decide who should run and who should not.

When we heard yesterday that Hezbollah is reaching out and is ready for a settlement we thought …great! Finally Hezbollah has put on its Lebanese hat and decided to end the destabilization of the country. But alas it took less than 24 hours to change the dream into another nightmare. Time for Lebanon to tell Hezbollah - Buzz off Time to tell Hezbollah "pack up and leave downtown and go back home, enough damage done and you have overstayed your welcome." Time to tell Hezbollah "you had your chances in shaping the future of the country but you miscalculated badly and left it in ruins."
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Syria-Lebanon-Iran
Nasrallah calls for Arab League investigation into Hariri slaying
2005-03-18
We had the first echo of this yesterday. Here's more detail and context. The ghost of Anna Comnena is enjoying herself. She's thinking of buying a computer to keep up with the ins and outs of the diplo-political war...
Hizbullah Secretary General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah has rejected an international inquiry into the assassination of former Premier Rafik Hariri, emphasizing his distrust of the UN Security Council because of its U.S. influence.
"Nope. Nope. Just won't do. Much too neutral."
In an interview broadcast by Beirut-based Al-Manar television on Wednesday night, he said: "Any biased sentence by the supposed inquiry team would set the whole country on fire because we are going through a very fragile and decisive moment." He added: "The UN investigative teams in Iraq and Palestine oblige us not to risk putting Lebanon's fate in the wrong hands."
"Who knows what'll happen if the wrong findings are brought in? Somebody could start shooting people up. And we wouldn't want that, would we?"
Disputing rumors that he was serving as an envoy for the resistance, Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Butros Sfeir said from Washington on Thursday that he had not carried any messages from Hizbullah to U.S. President George W. Bush. Confirming Sfeir's stand, Nasrallah said: "Patriarch Sfeir sent his representatives to meet with us [earlier in the week] as part of ongoing dialogue over national issues that do not concern Bush." Sfeir told reporters in Washington on Thursday that he had not mentioned Hizbullah in their talks, nor had Bush asked. Replying to the Lebanese opposition's demands for security heads to resign after the killing of slain former Nasrallah said: "We cannot sack security officers without a fair trial; it would be humiliating to them, their families and colleagues."
"And they can't resign, either. What's good for security heads is good for the country, by Gum!"
The resistance leader called for an Arab League investigation team to "guarantee neutralism and give surety to the Hariri family." The opposition has demanded the dismissal or resignation of the country's security chiefs based on their alleged - partial or total - involvement in the assassination of former Premier Rafik Hariri, a demand so far rejected by the government. Following Nasrallah's comments on the issue, the head of the Security General Directorate, Major General Jamil al-Sayyed, held a news conference Thursday on behalf of his colleagues and declared his willingness to stand in any court, inside or outside the country.
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