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Wednesday News Briefs & Editorial
Published: Wednesday, 26 August, 2009 @ 12:04 PM in Beirut

Beirut – The Syrian regime of Bashar al Assad is back in action in Lebanon and is doing all it can to disrupt the formation of the cabinet through its allies the Hezbollah -led opposition. According to Syrian observers Syria is trying to make up for the loss of its allies in the polls by forcing on Lebanon’s majority the so called “ national Unity government “ in which the opposition will have the lion’s share of ministries through which they can control the country.

An Nahar political sources have reported that careful reading of the Syrian political stance towards Lebanon indicates that never before has an Arab country through its official media demanded that another Arab country should amend its constitution during the formation of a government .

An Nahar sources have also reported that Syria is allocating specific roles to its allies aimed at obstructing the formation of the cabinet unless their demands are met . While General Michel Aoun is charged with attacking the Prime minister designate and making impossible demands, Lebanon’s top Shiite cleric Grand Ayatollah Mohammed Hussein Fadlallah is charged with attacking Patriarch Nasrallah Boutros Sfeir who has been the most outspoken Christian spiritual leader against the obstruction of the Lebanese democratic institutions .

Yesterday Fadlallah slammed Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Sfeir over calling for a cabinet based on the outcome of the parliamentary polls. In a remark aimed at changing the constitution Fadlallah said : “We call for a popular majority and popular referendum … so that people would have their say.”

The objective of the Syrian regime according to the An Nahar political sources is to force president Michel Suleiman and the Prime minister -designate to allocate the ministries as demanded by the opposition and to include in the government individuals that cannot get along with the PM designate , such as Aoun’s son-in-law Gebran Bassil ( who has failed as the minister of communications through his corruptive management style and failed in securing a parliament seat in the election last June) . The next stage according to the sources will see the demand for a change in the constitution . The Syrian official media is already calling for strikes and disruptions in the country if the demands of the opposition are not me.

Lebanon is not the only country in which Syria is interfering . Yesterday Syria recalled its ambassador to Iraq after Baghdad demanded that Damascus hand over two suspects in last week’s deadly bombings in the Iraqi capital. The Iraqi government also asked that Syria to “hand over all those wanted [by the Iraqi judiciary] for committing crimes of murder and destruction against the Iraqi people,” Iraqi government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh said in a statement.

Iraq further demanded that Syria expel “terrorist organizations that use Syria as a headquarters and launch pad to plan terrorist operations against the Iraqi people.”
Baghdad had recalled its ambassador in Syria following last week’s deadly bombings in the Iraqi capital.

Syria is also consistently interfering in the internal affairs of the Palestinian territories through its ally the Hamas movement and the militant Palestinian factions opposed to the elected government of president Mahmoud Abbas. Just like it is doing now in Lebanon Syria had obstructed the inter Palestinian dialogue talks and the negotiations to form a national unity government.

On several occasions Jordan too had accused Syria of sponsoring terrorist organizations in order to destabilize the kingdom.

Yesterday British foreign minister Evan Lewis said : “ Syria should refrain from interfering in the internal affairs of Lebanon and should stop supporting organizations such as Hezbollah. The formation of a new government in Lebanon is important for the security of the country and the region”

A senior U.S. official also told An Nahar yesterday : President Obama wants to improve relations with Syria, but it would be impossible if Syria and its friends continue to disrupt the democratic institutions in Lebanon.

Wednesday

7: 00pm Senator Edward M. Kennedy will lie in repose at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum before his funeral at a historic Boston church where he prayed daily while his daughter successfully battled her own cancer.

6:00 pm BBC : Incumbent Hamid Karzai appears to have extended his lead in Afghanistan’s presidential election, after more early results were released.

5:30pm The inhabitants of Al-Sheikh Ayash on the northern border, blocked the international highway in protest of electricity cuts.

5:25pm MP al-Jarrah called for a National Unity Cabinet capable of facing the economic crisis.

5:20pm Siniora headed a meeting on Nahr al-Bared camp and met caretaker Minister Lahoud and the UAE ambassador

5:15pm MP Zahra said that Bkirki is behind the foundation of Lebanon’s entity thus, it is not permissible to target it with strong-worded criticism

2:50pm March 14 after its meeting: The only security in Lebanon should be that provided by the state.

2:40pm MPs quoted Berri speaking of livelihood problems, such as electricity and water, that require an extraordinary government not a care-taker one.

1:40 pm Reuters: UN inspectors are set to report that Iran has slowed the expansion of its disputed nuclear program and is cooperating more with them just as major powers prepare to discuss harsh sanctions against Tehran.

1:30 VOA : U.S. Senator Edward Kennedy passed away today . U.S. President Barack Obama says the late U.S. Senator was “the greatest United States senator of our time.”California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, who is married to Kennedy’s niece, Maria Shriver, called him “the rock of our family,” and a champion of social justice.

1:25 Hezbollah’s Kaouk: Why is America trying to prevent the opposition from holding onto the Ministry of Communications?

1:20 Youths blocked the road in Majdal Anjar with burning tires to protest against the raids carried out by the army following the arrest of the assailants of Major Khater

1 :18 Siniora, discussed the general situation with a delegation from Western Bekaa in the presence of MPs Ghanem, Saad, Al Kadiri, Wahbi and Jarrah

1 :16 adviser of former President Amin Gemayel, Sassine Sassine said in a statement read after attending minutes of the meeting of the Secretariat-General of the March 14 that the Phalange party will suspend the attendance of such meetings pending the return of Gemayel

1 :12 the leader of the Supreme Islamic Council in Iraq, Abdel Aziz al-Hakim has passed away

1 :07 Hezbollah Mps are meeting in the parliament building

1 :05 MP Marwan Hamada told Sawt al Mada : The obstruction against the government formation has escalated and it is foreign influenced

12:15pm Berri headed to the parliament in Nijmeh Square to meet MPs as part of Wednesday’s regular parliamentary meetings.

11:50 Berri leaves Baabda Palace without making any statement.

11:43 Caretaker PM Fouad Siniora met with UAE’s ambassador and discussed with him
bilateral ties.

11:15 Minister Mario Aoun told ANB: The PM-designate should prove that the cabinet formation decision is Lebanese by stepping up efforts to form the government. It is natural for a meeting to take place between Aoun and Hariri.

11:10 President Michel Suleiman is meeting with Speaker Nabih Berri at the Baabda palace.

11:00 Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday in London that his government was making progress toward reopening talks with the Palestinians and hoped to be able to do so shortly.

10:40 MP Nabil de Freij told Future TV: The majority made as much concessions as it can for the sake of the nation. MP Walid Jumblat is still part of the March 14 forces.

10:30 The general-secretariat of the March 14 forces began its weekly meeting.

10:28 MP Emile Rahme told LBC: Even if MP Michel Aoun gives up his demand to bring Gebran Bassil back to the cabinet, we won’t give up on him .

10:00 BBC: Afghan election authorities are due to release more results from presidential polls after an early count gave incumbent Hamid Karzai a slight lead.

8:30 MP Ziad al-Qadri told VOL: Conditions should not be put on the majority. On the contrary, we should put conditions on the other party, since the majority has already made many concessions.

8:00 Washington Post: Home prices climbed in the Washington DC, region and most parts of the country in recent months, another sign that the housing market is slowly stabilizing, according to two reports released Tuesday.

7:30 A cluster of vehicle bombs exploded simultaneously Tuesday in Afghanistan’s largest southern city, flattening buildings and killing at least 41 people.

7:30 MP Ammar Houry told VDL: The meeting of the general-secretariat of the March 14 forces will witness positive developments today. Details of cabinet obstacles are no longer a secret.
Tuesday

10:12 pm PM-designate Saad Hariri said during Iftar dinner : I want to assure our enemy in Israel that Hezbollah will be in the government because it is in the interest of our nation that we all participate in the government, regardless whether Israel likes it or not

9:30pm : Last night Hariri met MP Hassan Khalil

8:21pm Health Minister Khalifa told LBC: the measures taken to combat the swine flue are similar to those of regular influenza . The quantity of vaccine available for the swine flu is not sufficient

6:22 pm Al Manar : The army arrested a person with unusual features in Aitroun south Lebanon and is now interrogating him. He entered the country illegally from the occupied territories

5:34pm Mukhtarain: I dont expect the government to be formed anytime soon.

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Thursday News Briefs & Editorial
Published: Thursday, 27 August, 2009 @ 11:37 AM in Beirut
Beirut- To the outside world things may look calm inside Lebanon , but for those of us who live here it feels like being inside the eye of the hurricane… It may be quiet right now but severe storms are developing and could erupt in any moment as the process of government formation is showing us.
Lebanon does not have any hurricanes , but people who have lived in countries that have them know exactly what we mean by being inside the eye of Hurricane .
The real political hurricane in Lebanon will show up the day after the international court will issue its first indictments in the assassination of Lebanon’s former prime minister and the Lebanese are afraid it could spark a wave of violence between its Shiite and Sunni communities.
The Netherlands-based Special Tribunal for Lebanon ( STL) has so far kept silent on who it might charge in the 2005 slaying of Rafik Hariri. The fear in Lebanon is that it will accuse the powerful Shiite militant group Hezbollah.
This is precisely why many observers believe MP Walid Jumblatt had been calling for calm ever since the German magazine Der Spiegel published its report last May , which said the court had evidence that members of Syrian- and Iranian-backed Hezbollah were behind the assassination of Hariri, who was Lebanon’s most prominent politician since the 1975-1990 civil war ended.
Many think that Jumblatt knows a lot more than what was published in the Der Spiegel report and this is why he is anticipating an uprising that could make May 7, 2008 look like a picnic . During the May 2008 uprising Hezbollah occupied the Sunni section of Beirut and tried unsuccessfully to occupy the Druze strongholds of Mount Lebanon.
Hezbollah has completely denied any role in the killing, and its leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah has warned of a backlash if the court implicates any of its members. In his speech following the publishing of the Der Spiegel report , he threatened a repeat of clashes that erupted in May 2008.
“Let everyone know that what we did on May 7 was only a wave of our hand. We are strong enough we can overturn 10 tables, not only one,” Nasrallah said
Former MP Mustafa Alloush, a key member of the March 14 majority alliance said if the Hezbollah elements that are indicted are not connected to the leadership, then Hezbollah should hand them over to the tribunal in order for “civil peace not to be affected,” he said.
“If they behave in a hostile way in order to cover up this matter, it will for sure lead to an outbreak of violence,” he told The Associated Press.
Following the May 2008 uprising , Hezbollah was able to achieve what it failed to secure during its sit-in from November 2006 till May 2008. The Doha accord that followed the uprising granted Hezbollah veto power in the current caretaker government that was formed following the signing of that accord.
Many observers are of the opinion that General Aoun is playing into the hands of Hezbollah and Syria . Aoun has been demanding specific sovereign ministries that are a red line for the Hezbollah-led opposition such as the ministry of interior and at the same time he has been refusing to meet with Prime Minister -Designate Saad Hariri ( son of the slain former PM Rafik Hariri) to discuss his portfolio requirements in the new cabinet.
The Lebanese department of Internal Security reports directly to the ministry of interior .
This ministry is currently included in the share of the president of the republic who is politically independent and is being headed by Ziad Baroud.
The situation in Lebanon is very similar to May , 2008 and the big question in Lebanon is not when the government will be formed , but when will the political hurricane erupt .

Thursday
8:35pm the residents of Bouiza – Nabatiyah are protesting against the installation of cellular booster stations near their homes
8:27pm Hajjar told OTV :” What we want from General Aoun is a calm speech that is based on an objective reality to explain that he has the right to claim what he wants based on the Constitution
8:26pm MP Edmond Rizk told “MTV”: The request to amend the Taif disguises the real objectives . The President has not been able to exercise his authority during the past years
8 :25pm MP Kanaan told “MTV”: The President of the Republic has suggested that the constitution should be reviewed and any amendment to the Taef accord will not affects the sectarian distribution. We are not willing to wait for 30 more years .
8:23pm Qamati told OTV :” the International Tribunal is politicized as was proven by the the international pressure on Syria and then the pressure was lifted and the question is where this will lead us and when will the politicization end ?
05:30 pm PM-designate Saad Hariri left Baabda palace after one hour meeting with president Suleiman, without making any statement
06:46 pm : The UN security council extended the term of UNIFIL for another year under UNSCR 1884 without modifying its rules of engagement

04:11pm President Michel Suleiman is meeting with PM-designate Saad Hariri
3:22pm Caretaker Tourism minister Marouni: Aoun is the cover for all the obstacles and this includes Syria and Iran. How can the government can be a national unity government if it begins with conditions and provocations ?
3:02pm Bassil told “Future News”: Communications are stalled for now awaiting an initiative from the PM designate . Note : Hariri had invited Aoun for lunch 2 weeks ago to discuss his portfolio needs but Aoun up till this moment has refused to meet with Hariri.
2:47pm MP Michel Murr: Never in the history of Lebanon could a parliamentary bloc dictate “ I want this ministry and I want this man to be in charge of it “. ( in reference to gen Aoun) . The government must be formed before President Suleiman visits Washington, he added
2:00pm President Suleiman discussed with General Aoun’s deputy Issam Abu Jamra the status of government formation and reviewed with Minister Ibrahim Najjar the latest information concerning the Baroulk illegal internet company
2:00pm Bloomberg: Tropical Storm Danny strengthened and may brush Long Island , New York and New England as a hurricane on a path for landfall in Canada at the weekend.
1:38pm Sayegh: we do not want any party to exclusively defend the country except the Lebanese army , but the others want something else ( in reference to Hezbollah and its allies)
1:25pm Telecommunications Minister Gebran Bassil: The Barouk issue has a foreign security aspect which is contact with Israel. It also has local aspects which we will not remain quiet about.
1:15pm Siniora headed a meeting at the Grand Serail to discuss the issue of Lebanese jails. The meeting was attended by Interior Minister Baroud, Justice Minister Najjar and Maj. Gen. Rifi.
1:16 pm Al Liwaa sources : Jumblatt told Hariri during their Tuesday night meeting that his supporters are not excited about him leaving March 14 alliance and the slogans of freedom, sovereignty and independence. The Druze leader told Hariri that for the first time ever he felt he could not convince his supporters in the Druze community and the Progressive Socialist Party to abandon March 14 in favor of a new stance that contradicts the principals and believes of the said alliance .
1;00 pm Syria’s ambassador to Lebanon Ali Abdul-Karim Ali said after meeting former president Emile Lahoud: God willing Lebanon will be quickly able to form a government of national unity to face the challenges that are facing Lebanon
12:45 pm Forbes: The euro was steady against the dollar Thursday as more positive economic signals emerged from Germany, Europe’s biggest economy.
12:30pm Hezbollah MP Hassan Fadlallah: Hezbollah’s contacts with Hariri are aimed at replacing obstacles with dialogue that would lead to cabinet formation.
12:00 pm NBN Television : MP Michel Aoun said in an interview Wednesday that he will not visit any politician or resume negotiations on the government. “Those who want to negotiate, let them come to my home,” Aoun said .
11:20 March 14 coordinator former MP Fares Soueid: The techniques used by the Syrian team in Lebanon are aimed at placing Hariri in front of impossible choices.
10:00 Reuters: Mourners gathered in Tehran on Thursday to mark the death from cancer of Al Hakim , a leading Iraqi Shi’ite cleric and politician, whose passing may intensify political turmoil ahead of Iraq’s national elections.
9:30 Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak told an education conference that Israel “is more prepared than ever to face any Hezbollah attack.” He added “In the coming years, rocket and missile interception systems will be introduced in a gradual manner, and we are investing huge sums of money in a multi-layered system, which will help with the deterrence.”
8:32 MP Imad al-Hout told VOL: The only solution to cabinet formation is for each side to give up some of its demands for the sake of the nation.
8:30 MP Atef Majdalani told VOL: We ask for a unified opposition stance similar to the majority stance.
7:35am MP Salim Salhab told VOL: I hope the media truce will help efforts to achieve solutions through indirect talks. A meeting should be held between Hariri and Aoun.
07:05 caretaker Information Minister Tarek Mitri: what was published is not the production of al Akhbar but was “co-produced” by al Akhbar and those that want to use the church issues for political purposes . Mitri called al Akhbar’s report “ garbage’
06:48 Visitors to Baabda told Al Akhbar: President Suleiman feels that Hariri is not doing all he can as far as engaging in serious discussions regarding the formation of the cabinet
06:30 Church sources responded to Shiite Sheikh Fadlallah who earlier attacked patriarch Sfeir : his words are inaccurate and contradict the historical facts , avoids the truth and exaggerates the meaning of power
06:15 Jumblatt sources : Hariri’s last statement contributes positively to the calming climates . The escalation of Israeli threats require speeding up of consultations to form a government
06:05 opposition circles: Al-Hariri started to set up the order of priorities in line with those of MP Walid Jumblatt
05:50 sources in the majority: There is an attempt by Damascus to the evade Syrian-Saudi understanding, following the recent visit of President Bashar al-Assad to Tehran
05:38 As Safir : no government in the near future due to the absence of internal and external dynamics

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Friday News Briefs & Editorial
Published: Friday, 28 August, 2009 @ 7:34 AM in Beirut
Beirut- The impasse over the government formation by Prime minister designate saad harir continues in Lebanon. The president arranged for an Iftar on September 1 at the Baabda palace hoping to use the occasion for reconciling the rival parties in order to speed up the formation of the government, but General Michel Aoun who has been accused by the March 14 alliance as being the single most obstructive element in the process of government formation has turned down president Suleiman’s invitation and therefore will not be attending the Iftar .
Aoun has been accused by the majority of making unreasonable demands for specific portfolios that are considered a red line for Hezbollah- led opposition such as the ministry of interior . The majority does not trust Hezbollah with this ministry after what this militant group did in May 2008 when it it turned its guns against the Lebanese people and occupied the Sunni part of west Beirut and tried but unsuccessfully to occupy Mount Lebanon.
The Ministry of interior is responsible for the security inside the country . This ministry is currently included in the share of the president , who intends to keep it . The president is independent , meaning he is neither with March 8 nor March 14 . The ministry is currently headed by Ziad Baroud who has shown tremendous credibility during his entire term and who has been praised by all parties for the way he managed the elections last June .
Aoun’s demands have raised many questions in Lebanon, yesterday MP Michel Murr who used to be allied with Aoun before the June elections said “Never in the history of Lebanon could a parliamentary bloc dictate “ I want this ministry and I want this man to be in charge of it “.
MP and former Minister Marwan Hamada summed it up this way during an interview with Al Anbaa newspaper : “Nothing new regarding the governmental formation issue and we don’t expect a government anytime soon”

Friday
10:03pm PM-designate Saad Hariri calls President Suleiman, Speaker Berri to inform them of his initiative toward FPM leader Michel Aoun
10:00 pm Hariri : since Aoun does not want to visit me , I am ready to meet with him at the presidential palace with president Suleiman or at the parliament
7:41pm Al-Arabiya: IAEA demands clarifications from Iran on military dimensions of its nuclear program
5:35pm Solana to visit Middle East next week
04:04pm Bassil informs Suleiman that Aoun will not attend the presidential Iftar for logistical reasons
11:15 Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad calls for punishing opposition leaders over unrest unleashed by his disputed re-election
11:00 The mayor of Beirut Abdel Mounim al Arees denied ever sending an invitation to Haifa mayor to attend a conference on water in Leon , France . Earlier an Israeli station claimed that Arees sent an invitation and the major of Haifa accepted it
10:20 Swine flu rises at US colleges as students return. In the bathrooms they have signs that read: “Wash your hands. Swine is not fine.”
10:00 A suicide bomber slightly injured a Saudi Arabian Prince Muhammad bin Nayef who is in charge of antiterrorism, the first significant retaliation by extremists against the kingdom’s recent crackdown. The explosion took place last night at his house in Jeddah as he was receiving guests during a traditional Ramadan gathering
9;20 The reformist son of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi has called for closer business ties with Britain, saying it is time to move on from the argument about the decision to free the Lockerbie bomber.
09:16 Hariri met MP Hussein Khalil last evening in Quraytem to review the latest developments regarding the formation of the government
09:03 Minister Marouni: Aoun’s declining of Suleiman’s invitation to Iftar is a “new setback”
08:42 An earthquake measuring 6.2 degrees on the Rector scale erupted in China and no information about any casualties up till this moment
08:40 Council of Ministers of the GCC will meet Tuesday in Jeddah to discuss the situation in Lebanon, Palestine, Iran, Sudan, Somalia and security issues
08:34 Marouni told “Voice of Lebanon”: The obstruction is external and Aoun is the internal cover and this continued bleeding will undermine the confidence in the State that we were hoping to rebuild and strengthen
08:32 Hamada told Al Anbaa : nothing new regarding the governmental formation issue and we don’t expect a government anytime soon
08:26 Sources in the majority: Hariri informed Gemayel and Geagea that the contentious issues that had prevented the meeting of the leaders of the majority have been resolved
07:20 sources of “Change and Reform”: Hariri’s visit to Aoun is not a concession, but it is his duty as PM designate
07:15 Basil: We are sticking by our demands and the ball is now in the court of the PM designate
06:48 Hariri sources: a visit by PM designate to Aoun is not on the agenda for now
06:34 Suleiman: all the parties should cooperate over the formation of the cabinet which is already overdue . Sources close to Baabda say the president is extremely disappointed with concerned parties over the delays
06:09 The leaders of the majority are questioning whether there is a regional plan to wipe out the results of the last election
05:43 The Youth and Student Affairs official of the Free Patriotic Movement has stepped down
05:32 Palmer appeal file containing the testimonies of the most powerful of the certificate of the father Akkari
05:28 Sarkozy asked the French ambassador in Beirut to go back to France , one year before his term ends . No explanations given
05:14 Aoun will not attend the Iftar dinner at Baabda palace on Sept 1 . The president was hoping to use the occasion to reconcile the various parties in order to speed up the formation of the government

 
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Saturday News Briefs
Published: Saturday, 29 August, 2009 @ 1:42 PM in Beirut
Beirut- situation in Lebanon appeared closer to a solution to the issue of government formation when Prime minister designate Saad Hariri announced : “Since Aoun does not want to visit me , I am ready to meet with him at the presidential palace with president Suleiman or at the parliament”.
Hariri made the announcement and then called the president who welcomed the initiative

Saturday
2:50 pm FPM MP Alain Aoun: MP Michel Aoun will soon respond to Hariri’s initiative regarding a meeting in Baabda or at the parliament. He received a phone call from Suleiman regarding the initiative . His absence from the Iftar is not political and has asked FPM members to attend
1:05 pm Egyptian minister of petroleum will arrive in Beirut on Monday accompanied by a delegation to meet with caretaker energy minister Taborian. The meeting will be followed by a joint press conference
1;00 Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi has agreed not to pitch his tent in a New York suburb during an upcoming United Nations visit after heated opposition from the community, US officials said Friday. The Libyan leader, who wants to stay true to his Bedouin roots, camps in a tent when he travels, setting up his sleeping quarters everywhere from Rome’s main park to a garden across from the Elysee Palace in Paris.
12:20pm Wahhab told An Nahar: Cabinet formula to become 10-10-10 ( 10 ministries each for the majority, minority and the president ) in case government not formed soon
11:10 Sami Gemayel told VOL: Hezbollah arms are preventing Hariri from forming a majority cabinet
10:30 Financial Times: UAE seizes ship carrying North Korean arms (basic weaponry, including rocket-propelled grenades) to Iran. The ship was flying the flag of The Bahamas
09:15 An Nahar : care taker minister Gebran Bassil said Hariri initiative addresses the form of the problem , not its content. “Formalities are insignificant,” Bassil added
08:30 US: Iran is still not fully cooperating with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) despite finally granting inspectors access to a research reactor.
7:51 A decision was made to hold continuous meetings to strengthen the relationship and communication between MP Walid Jumblatt and the March 14 secretariat
07:43 Aoun will not attend the Iftar at the presidential palace but his MPs will attend
07:40 Gemayel told Hariri that the Kataeb party wants two ministries
07:38 Al Akhbar preparations are being made to improve the relations between Aoun and Sfeir
07:14 Yvonne Abdul Baqi told Al-Nahar:” I hope Lebanon will supports in getting the “UNESCO” position
07:09 Najjar: no one at this stage knows what the decision of the STL will be including Bellemare himself
06:51 Kouchner: the difficulties facing the government formation are due to regional and
domestic complexities
06:03 expanded meeting of the majority MPs will take place and Jumblatt’s Democratic gathering MPs will also attend
05:50 Jumblatt expressed his appreciation to Hariri’s confirmation of the participation of Hezbollah in the government
05:48 Jumblatt: There is no logical explanation for the delay in formation of the government
05:39 Sources: The main obstacle is Aoun’s demands and the insistence of Hariri to reject those demands
05:20 The initiative of Hariri regarding his willingness to meet with Aoun at the presidential palace or the parliament was welcomed by the President of the Republic

Friday
10:03pm PM-designate Saad Hariri calls President Suleiman, Speaker Berri to inform them of his initiative toward FPM leader Michel Aoun
10:00 pm Hariri : since Aoun does not want to visit me , I am ready to meet with him at the presidential palace with president Suleiman or at the parliament

 
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Sunday News Briefs
Published: Sunday, 30 August, 2009 @ 10:07 AM in Beirut
Beirut – The impasse over the government formation continues in Lebanon, but Hariri’s initiative regarding a meeting with Aoun seems to be working . Sources close to the General have revealed that he is seriously considering the initiative of the PM designate to meet him either at Baabda or the parliament and is expected to respond shortly . Soe are predicting the meeting could place as early as today.

The meeting according to al Hayat newspaper the results of the meeting will reveal the nature of the obstacles facing formation of the government .
Sunday
11:00 Former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert was indicted today in corruption scandals that drove him to resign last year, a long-awaited legal step that made him the first current or former holder of Israel’s most powerful office to be charged with a criminal offense
10;00 pm MP Marwan Hamadeh told Future TV: all the MPs of the Democratic Gathering bloc including the leader MP Walid Jumblatt, will attend Sunday’s March 14 meeting to confirm Jumblatt’s earlier statements that he is still part of the majority supporting Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri.
6:55 pmMouallem : Syrian-Saudi relations are going in the right path and the Saudi Ambassador to Syria
6:54 pm Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Mouallem said “ the investigation of Detlev Mehlis, the first commissioner of the UN investigation team into the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, was aimed at indicting Syria.”
3:00 pm Internal Security Forces Bureau for Combating Terrorism and Crime detained a Lebanese citizen identified as Hussein al-Asmar, 40, in the southern village of Odayse for allegedly spying for Israeli Intelligence.
1:10 pm After meeting with Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Boutros Sfeir in the presence of MP Nadim Gemayel Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea said “the Maronite Patriarchy is the base of the Lebanese state.” He added “ all parties to reconsider their rhetoric and embrace Sfeir’s positions which call for unity.”
12;25 pm : Jamil Sayyed attacked during a press conference Lebanese president Michel Suleiman , Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri and the Special Tribunal for Lebanon
08:36 Awan told Future News: The 71 majority MPs will meet tomorrow in a show of unity and to show support Hariri.
08:27 MP Jarrah told Al Anbaa: “: Hariri will not bypass the Constitution and quitting for him is out of the question regardless of the obstacles
08:23 Al Anbaa sources within the majority: Aoun may use travel as an excuse to avoid meeting with Hariri
08:14 Al Anbaa sources : There is talk about increasing the number of ministers to 32 to make sure the Christian minorities and Aalawites are represented
08:08 MP Abi Nasr warns of the shrinking Christian presence in Lebanon, which has reached 34%
08:06 Al Rai: Jumblatt will attend the meeting of the majority tomorrow and his party withdrew permanently from the secretariat of the March 14
07:55 Al Hayat : Hariri’s initiative gave an acceptable solution for a meeting with Aoun and its results will reveal the nature of the obstacles facing formation of the government
07:39 Mass in Harissa in memory of the Nahr al Bared martyrs and another in Tannoureen in memory of the martyr Samer Hanna who was killed by Hezbollah
07:30 Sources within “Change and Reform”: we need to recognize each in order to form a genuine partnership
07:08 visitors to president Suleiman: the country is without institutions and the army alone can not protect the internal situation
06:30 “An-Nahar”: a meeting of the 71 MPs of the majority in the parliament tomorrow in support of the PM-designate

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Pro-Syrian general attacks Suleiman and Hariri
Published: Sunday, 30 August, 2009 @ 11:00 PM in Beirut
Beirut – The former head of the General Security Directorate General Jamil Sayyed attacked during a press conference Lebanese president Michel Suleiman , Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri and the Special Tribunal for Lebanon
Sayyed slammed President Michel Suleiman, requesting that he act “as an honorable military general and not as a prisoner of Baabda Palace.” He also said : “President Suleiman has changed and is not the same person I knew before” , adding : “It is a shame that you have become a prisoner “
Addressing president Suleiman Sayyed added: They ( majority) brought you in to control you …you cannot be a consensus president if you are between a party that is right an wrongdoers …for this reason you should not be the president “
Sayyed along with three other senior generals who were sent to jail on Aug 30, 2005 as suspects in the assassination of former prime minister Rafik Hariri were released from jail on April 29, 2009 on the grounds that there was insufficient evidence to indict them for involvement in Hariri’s murder.
Sayyed accused Saad Hariri of covering for witnesses who “misled” the international investigation into the assassination of Rafik Hariri with “information obtained from officers, ministers, politicians and media figures” close to him.
Sayyed called on Hariri to apologize to the four freed officers and their families. He also demanded that Hariri “apologize to his father before discussing the STL during any of his Iftar feasts.”
Sayyed said that Hariri has “no right to claim justice that is being served by the STL, when he approved of people making baseless accusations and falsifying facts for four years.” Sayyed also alleged Hariri had protected unreliable witnesses, including as Mohammad Zuheir al-Siddiq, Hossam Hossam and Ibrahim Jarjoura.
He also accused a number of prominent figures of misleading the investigation, including MP Marwan Hamadeh; former head of the Lebanese Armed Forces Intelligence Branch, Johnny Abdo; current head of the Internal Security Forces Intelligence department Wissam al-Hassan; Hariri advisor Hani Hammoud; journalist Fares Khashan; and Judges Saqr Saqr and Said Mirza.
Sayyed called on Justice Minister Ibrahim Najjar to imprison Mirza and Hassan for “crimes against the state,” as they oversaw the investigation into Hariri’s assassination, questioned witnesses and ordered the arrest of four generals, including Sayyed, without charge.
Sayyed claimed that Hariri had protected unreliable witnesses, including Mohammad Zuheir al-Siddiq, Hossam Hossam and Ibrahim Jarjoura.
He accused the Lebanese magistrate at the STL, Ralph Riyashi, of “protecting the process of making up facts.” He also said Riyashi “should be withdrawn from the tribunal and dumped.”
He urged opposition leaders not to participate in the upcoming national unity cabinet and become partners with “a bunch of swindlers”.
Sayyed’s statements according to Ali Hussein , a Lebanese political observers may reflect the thinking of the Syrian regime , because of his close association with president Basher al Assad. Hussein believes that Assad is using Sayyed to attack Suleiman and Hariri.
PM-designate Saad Hariri has been trying to form a government for the past 2 months , but has been facing difficulties with General Michel Aoun an ally of the Iranian and Syrian-backed Hezbollah militant group . A meeting may take place tomorrow between Aoun and Hariri at the Baabda palace and the results could reveal the nature of the obstacles facing the formation of the government

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Monday News Briefs & Editorial
Published: Monday, 31 August, 2009 @ 11:58 AM in Beirut
Beirut- It appears that Syria through its allies in Lebanon is again trying to interfere in the Lebanese internal affairs . Yesterday the former head of the General Security Directorate General Jamil Sayyed , a close ally of the Syrian regime attacked Lebanese president Michel Suleiman, Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri and the Special Tribunal for Lebanon., during a press conference.
Sayyed slammed President Michel Suleiman, requesting that he act “as an honorable military general and not as a prisoner of Baabda Palace.” He also said : “President Suleiman has changed and is not the same person I knew before” , adding : “It is a shame that you have become a prisoner “
Sayyed also accused the Special Tribunal for Lebanon of going after Syria.
The purpose of the Tribunal is to try the killers of former prime minister Rafik Hariri, who was assassinated on February 14 2005
Sayyed along with three other senior officers who were sent to jail on Aug 30, 2005 as suspects in the the assassination of former Hariri were released from jail on April 29, 2009 on the grounds that there was insufficient evidence to indict them for involvement in the murder.
PM-designate Saad Hariri has been trying to form a government for the past 2 months , but has been facing difficulties with General Michel Aoun an ally of the Iranian and Syrian-backed Hezbollah militant group. The March 14 alliance have been accusing Syria of being behind the obstructions
A meeting between General Michel Aoun and Hariri is expected to take place today. The result of the meeting will reveal the real reasons behind the obstacles that are facing the formation of the government . Aoun has demanded 5 portfolios in the new government including the ministries of communication and the interior , but his demands have been rejected by the majority .
General Aoun according to early morning reports plans to leave for vacation immediately after his meeting with Hariri
Today the 71 members of the parliament majority are also expected to meet today in a show of unity to reconfirm that they are still the majority. Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblatt has according to morning reports said : “ We will participate in the meeting of the majority in support of the PM-designate and the Taif accord
Monday
11:00 As-Safir : Billionaire Hajj Salah Ezzedine a Hezbollah publishing executive has declared bankruptcy. He is the director of the Hezbollah-owned Dar Al-Hadi Publishing House. His bankruptcy has affected thousands of Lebanese investors who are sympathetic to Hezbollah
10:54 pm Reuters: Armenia and Turkey moved closer to establishing diplomatic ties and reopening their border on Monday, saying they would sign accords within six weeks under a plan to end a century of hostility.
05:25 pm Speaker Nabih Berri said during the 31st anniversary of Imam Moussa Sadr’s disappearance in Libya: “Libya tops the list of countries carrying out organized crime, and therefore should not preside over the Arab summit.” He added “Saudi-Syrian balance is key to stability in Lebanon”
05:00 pm Caretaker minister Wael Abu Faour said after the meeting of the majority: The majority fully support’s Prime Minister -designate Saad Hariri and his efforts to form the new cabinet based on the Lebanese constitution. The majority holds on to democracy, the Taif Accord and the equal sharing of power between Christians and Muslims in Lebanon
3:38pm Majority MPs begin first meeting since 2009 parliamentary elections in Qoreitem in presence of Democratic Gathering bloc leader MP Walid Jumblatt
3:30pm Majority MPs begin to arrive at PM-designate Saad Hariri’s residence in Qoreitem for their first meeting since 2009 parliamentary elections
3:20 Qaouk : The resistance is not looking for political gains in the new government
2:30 pm NAVTEQ, has released its first map of Lebanon. Through this map, drivers will have access to around 14,000 km of roads and over 8,000 Points of Interest (POIs) referenced to the map to support destination selection in navigation systems.
2:20 pm BBC The election defeat of Japan’s Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) after 54 years of nearly unbroken rule and the landslide victory of the opposition Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) has met a cautious welcome in newspapers around in the world.
02;10 Hariri after his meeting with Aoun :
- This was an to ice breaking meeting like the General said.
- I want to thank the president for sponsoring the meeting. There are difficulties, but there is serious dialogue to conclude the government formation.
02:05 Aoun after his meeting with Hariri: The meeting was an ice breaker, and it helped launch dialogue on the cabinet formation, but difficulties [regarding the cabinet formation] still remain. I will leave for few days, and someone will follow up the issue on my behalf if required
12:50 India’s economy expanded 6.1 % last quarter , indicating the global recession’s impact on Asia’s third-largest economy is waning.
12;40 pm The Dalai Lama has arrived in Taiwan on a visit that has been denounced by China as being likely to destabalise improving ties with Taipei.
12:37pm The meeting between PM-designate Saad Hariri and FPM leader MP Michel Aoun began in Baabda under the auspices of President Suleiman
12:35pm Aoun said prior to the meeting with Hariri: All will depend on Hariri’s response to our demands
12:28 pm PM-designate Saad Hariri arrives in Baabda to meet with FPM leader MP Michel Aoun

11:45 Najjar awaits the Higher Judicial Council’s decision before replying to Sayyed
11:29 Tourism minister Marouni says Hariri-Aoun meeting will be “useless”
11:06 Akhbar al-Yawm: Hariri-Aoun meeting will be held at 12:30 p.m. at the Baabda palace
11:01 Hezbollah calls for forcing Libya to release Imam Sadr and his two companions
10:46 Solana whoos is currently in Syria to visit Beirut on Monday
09:06 Harb: If Aoun refuses to change his positions, we will get nowhere
08:05 FPM minister Mario Aoun: We want specific answers to our demands
07:31 visit by a delegation of the army command to Nahr al-Bared had positive effect on the leaders and members of the Beddawi Palestinian Refugee camp
05:59 Walid al-Moallem: The Lebanese government is an internal Lebanese issue , we support dialogue and we hope the government will be formed soonest possible
05:58The majority Mps will meet today to confirm that they are still the parliamentary majority and are united
05:57 Future TV sources : The meeting between Aoun and Hariri will reveal the nature of the obstruction that this causing the delay in the formation of the government
05:55 Sources close to Aoun: He will listen to Hariri’s response regarding FPM’s proposal for five portfolios
05:53 Aoun will leave Beirut after the meeting for vacation abroad
05:51 a political source: The outcome of the Meeting between Aoun and Hariri will not be significant enough to overcome the obstacles
05:45 sources of opposition: Aoun-Hariri meeting should reveal whether the obstruction of the government formation is internal or external
05:43 Hezbollah encouraged Aoun to respond to Hariri’s initiative
05:21 Jumblatt: We will participate in the meeting of the majority in support of the PM-designate and the Taif accord

 
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Tuesday News Briefs & Editorial
Published: Tuesday, 1 September, 2009 @ 3:03 PM in Beirut
Beirut – Prime Minister-designate MP Saad Hariri finally met yesterday at the Baabda Presidential Palace with Free Patriotic movement leader general Michel Aoun under the auspices of Lebanese president Michel Suleiman. Following their face to face meeting both called it an ice breaker.
According to As-Safir newspaper the meeting did not result in any agreement regarding the government formation , but both leaders agreed to stop media campaigns and foster dialogue between them .
As-Safir reported that Hariri concluded the meeting by presenting two proposals, the first to divide the Interior ministry ( a sovereign ministry) into two : Interior and Municipalities ministries , and the Foreign ministry ( another sovereign ministry) into two : Foreign and Immigrants ministries . The other proposal was to form a cabinet of “national political leaders”
Note : Hariri denied today making any proposals that call for dividing the sovereign ministries
Aoun accepted the idea of forming a cabinet composed of national political leaders, while noting that dividing sovereign ministries would need law amendments, which he said cannot be done before forming the new cabinet. However, Aoun said he will wait for Hariri to present him with a suggestion on how the issue could be pursued.
As-Safir also revealed that the FPM leader did not change his demands on being granted the Interior and Telecommunications ministries, as well as being given four Maronite ministerial seats, while Hariri insisted on not appointing any candidate who was defeated in the June 7 parliamentary elections. ( In refrerence to Aoun’s son-in-law Gebran Bassil )
During the meeting, President Suleiman stressed the necessity of speeding up the cabinet formation.
Another important event took place yesterday . 67 of the 71 majority MPs met for the first time since the election in a show of unity and to express support for Hariri . The meeting was important because the Democratic Gathering bloc which is headed by MP Walid Jumblatt also attended the meeting despite his statement early August over leaving the March 14 majority alliance .
Democratic Gathering bloc MP Wael Abu Faour was asked by Hariri to be the spokesman of the majority . Following the meeting he read the majority’s statement in a press conference on Monday . He stressed that the majority fully supports Prime Minister -designate Saad Hariri and his efforts to form the new cabinet, adding that the upcoming government should be based on the Lebanese constitution.
Abu Faour told reporters : “The majority’s openness to form a national-unity cabinet does not annul the 2009 parliamentary election results or give anyone the right to impose conditions on Saad Hariri and Michel Suleiman,”
Abu Faour said that the majority stressed during the meeting its commitment to democracy, the Taif Accord and the equal sharing of power between Christians and Muslims in Lebanon.
As suggested by MP Walid Jumblatt regarding the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) the statement stated that it (STL) should not be part of the domestic political disputes.
“Political parties must put the nation’s interests above theirs,” Abu Faour concluded

Tuesday

8:30 pm President Suleiman at the Iftar : “How could Lebanon be invited to play an effective role toward building international peace,” a reference to the country’s nomination to the non-permanent seat in the UN Security Council, “while being internally incapable of forming the long overdue national-unity government.”
07:50 pm IAEA’s Baradei : “The idea that we will wake up tomorrow, and Iran will have a nuclear weapon is an idea that is not supported by the facts as we have seen them so far,” he said.
6:4o pm Guests start arriving at the Presidential Palace in Baabda for the annual Iftar that will be hosted by the president
06:02 pm Higher Judicial Council called for distancing the judiciary from politics and condemns the recent attacks against judicial figures by Jamil Sayyed
04:30 pm Al-Arabiya TV: Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad removes 40 ambassadors from their posts for supporting opposition.
4:20 pm BBC: An Iranian news agency says Mohsen Ruholamini, 25 arrested during post-election protests died after being beaten, and not from meningitis as police had first claimed.
1 :55 pm NNA: Higher Judicial Council is currently meeting and is expected to discuss accusations launched by former head of General Security Directorate Jamil As-Sayyed
12: 00 pm Following his meeting with Solana , president Suleiman stressed the importance of granting the Palestinians the right of return, “since any Mideast solution that fails to give this right” to the Palestinians “would instigate problems in the region,” , he said
10:40 President Michel Suleiman meets with EU Foreign Policy chief Javier Solana at the Baabda Palace
9:40 Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri has reportedly told a meeting of the parliamentary majority MPs in Qoreitem on Monday that 90 percent of the Cabinet lineup related to the majority and the President as well as Hezbollah and AMAL movement has been achieved.
09:30 Higher Judicial Council will discuss Tuesday Sayyed’s statements. The council members are to take a position regarding the accusations launched by Sayyed against some judges, including Saqr Saqr and Said Mirza.
09:05 Fatfat told the Voice of Lebanon: Conditions do not favor cabinet being formed soon. He emphasized the need for holding another meeting soon between Hariri and Aoun
08:58 MP Alain Aoun told the Voice of Lebanon: No progress has been made on cabinet formation. He added : “Hariri did not present any new proposals, and the two leaders only held discussions,” , in reference to the Aoun – Hariri meeting
07:10 Hariri has asked his MPs to reduce media contacts
07:03 “Al Akhbar “: MP Michel Murr did not make any suggestions nor did he comment on any of issues discussed during the parliament majority meeting
06:59 Hariri has asked Abu Faour to read the final statement of the majority meeting yesterday
06:53 yesterday’s meeting reflected positively on the relationship between the Democratic Gathering bloc and of the Lebanese Forces’bloc
06:22 an Islamic Iftar in Quraytam Thursday which “Hezbollah” , Amal and Sheih Qabalan were invited
06:15 Jumblatt imposed on the majority during yesterday’s meeting the paragraph related to the International Tribunal
06:12 Suleiman notified Berri about the results of the meeting between Aoun and Hariri
06:05 Hariri proposed a “government of national leaders” and Aoun immediately accepted
05:48 Hariri told the majority at the meeting: I will continue the policy of extending a hand and to continue to communicate with all
05:35 Hariri circles: The main issues with Aoun remain unresolved
05:28 sources of “Free Patriotic Movement”: Aoun asked for four Maronite ministers and one Armenian Minister
05:15 “An-Nahar:” Aoun-Hariri meeting has not made any substantial political progress

 
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Wednesday News Briefs & Editorial
Published: Wednesday, 2 September, 2009 @ 8:33 AM in Beirut
Beirut – As expected Lebanese President Michel Suleiman hosted an annul Iftar at the Baabda presidential palace. During his Iftar speech Suleiman stressed the need to form a new government prior to the UN General Assembly in mid-September and warned that delay in a Cabinet lineup could have a “negative impact” on the country.
“Our duty dictates that we have a government on the eve of the UN General Assembly, particularly since we are poised to join the Security Council in the next two years,” Suleiman said
“How could Lebanon be invited to play an effective role toward building international peace,” a reference to the country’s nomination to the non-permanent seat in the UN Security Council, “while being internally incapable of forming the long overdue national-unity government.”
Suleiman urged the various political leaders to adopt “constructive initiatives” to help speed up Cabinet formation and called for the resumption of national dialogue.
Suleiman warned against “throwing accusations at each other,” saying this “will only increase the split in the country.”
“The Constitution marks the boundary of powers, and there are no boundaries for national unity,” Suleiman told his guests, among whom were Speaker Nabih Berri, PM-designate Saad Hariri, caretaker PM Fouad Saniora and MP Walid Jumblatt. General Michel Aoun and former President Amin Gemayel were absent, since both are abroad
Suleiman called on the political leaders to rise above egoism and narrow personal interests and to act in the best interest of the country
Suleiman also called for strengthening and unifying Lebanon, “to be able to confront the Israeli aggressions and to stand in the face of strife.”
Suleiman also stressed the importance of the implementation the Taif Accord “and the pursuing of national dialogue sessions to guarantee coexistence among Lebanese factions.”

Wednesday
6:03pm PM designate Saad Hariri discussed the status of governmnet formation with MP Robert Ghanem
5:58pm Nadim Gemayel invited Siniora and March 14 MPs to attend the memorial marking his father’s assassination on September 14
05:42 pm Al Markaziyah : Sfeir did not participate in the presidential Iftar due to the distance between Diman and Baabda
05:37pm Judicial source: the Higher Judicial council considers the accusations by Jamil Sayyed are personal in nature and politically motivated
5: 30 BBC : Afghanistan’s deputy chief of intelligence, Abdullah Laghmani, has been killed after a suicide attack in the east of the country.
5:25 CNN : A 7.0-magnitude tremor jolted the Indonesian island of Java earlier in the day, killing at least 34 people and injuring more than 300, according to Indonesian Health Ministry official Rustam Pakaya. Another 40 are missing and possibly trapped, he said.
4:30pm PM-designate Hariri met Army Commander General Kahwaji in Qoreitem
04;00pm Bloomberg: BP Plc, Europe’s second-largest oil company, reported a “giant” discovery at the Tiber Prospect in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico that may contain more than 3 billion barrels, after drilling the world’s deepest exploration well. It was drilled to approximately 35,055 feet (10,685 meters), greater than the height of Mount Everest.
15:35 Minister Baroud issued instructions to the central security council to pursue the issue of the disappearance of Joseph Sader
3:19 March 14 coordinator Fares Soueid: The issue of the kataeb is being dealt with and it will hopefully be resolved after Gemayel returns from his overseas trip
3:11pm Telecommunications Minister Gebran Bassil leaves Qoreitem after meeting with PM-designate Saad Hariri, without making any statement
2:51pm Fatfat : Hariri did not propose a government of national leaders during his meeting with aoun as reported by as Safir . The meeting of the majority was to reconfirm our existence as the majority
2:40pm March 14 warns against “the renewed attempts to annul the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) by blackmailing the state and the international community.”
2:33pm MP Sami Gemayel: “No official in the Kataeb party will visit Syria before Damascus apologizes and admits to mistakes made at Lebanon’s expense.”
2:17pm PM-designate Saad Hariri meets with Telecommunications Minister Gebran Bassil in Qoreitem
1:42pm Speaker Nabih Berri meets with Cypriot counterpart Marios Karoyan at Nejmeh Square
12:47 MP Walid Jumblatt after meeting with Sayyed Mohammad Hussein Fadlallah : We share his political views, positions on regional issues
12:37pm MP Ali Bazzi: We have to know that we “can’t clap with one hand.” We have to be optimistic in order to form a cabinet.
12:26pm MP Ali Hassan Khalil after meeting Berri: Mistaken are those who put a timeframe for cabinet formation. The only solution to overcome the crisis is for all parties to meet and agree on a single formula.
12:06pm Tawq: Love for the homeland requires an understanding among the Lebanese to face the dangers. They have to make up their minds and form a cabinet that would deal with Lebanese affairs first.
11:48 Speaker Nabih Berri arrives at Nejmeh Square to preside over the weekly Wednesday parliamentary meetings
11:37 Suicide attack kills 22 including 18 civilians and four government officials, outside a mosque in eastern Afghanistan
10:40 Al-Liwaa newspaper: Hezbollah, Amal delegations and MP Walid Jumblatt’s son Timor, who will represent his father to attend Hariri’s Iftar on Thursday .
09:38 Jumblatt to visit Shiite cleric Sayyed Mohammad Hussein Fadlallah at his residence in Haret Hreik later on Wednesday
09:26 MP Anwar al-Khalil told the Voice of Lebanon : Some Saudi-Syrian issues still unresolved. Khalil added that President Michel Suleiman’s attending of the UN meeting in September, while the government formation is still stagnant, is unacceptable.
07:35 Habib told “Voice of Lebanon”: President Suleiman’s speech was objective and we have to rise selfishness and personal interests . General Aoun has demanded share greater than his size . No disputes within the majority over the distribution of portfolios
7:31 Al Akhbar: the Army Command received a letter from the Iranian embassy inquiring about the type of weapons it needs . The Army responded with a list , focusing on the need for air-defense systems. Iran has previously made offers to sell arms to the army
07:10 a meeting between Geagea and Suleiman took place last night after the Iftar
06:59 French diplomat : a government of national unity in Lebanon could prevent an Israeli adventure
06:37 France source: The region could start witnessing significant changes starting end of September
06:04 “Free Patriotic Movement” sources : Hariri presented 2 proposals to Aoun : divinding up some ministries and a government of national leaders
05:57 Dozens of young people from the Burj al Barajneh Palestinian refugee camp cut off the airport road last night in protest against power blackouts
05:49 As Safir : Hariri will , hand over to Basil his proposal for government formation as per his discussions with Aoun
05:43 Council of Bishops will hold tenth annual meeting
05: 32 Mikati : I’m not in the March 14 alliance . I am a centrist like Jumblatt

 
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What is delaying formation of Lebanon’s government? Q&A
Published: Wednesday, 2 September, 2009 @ 8:23 PM in Beirut
By Yara Bayoumy
Beirut – Nearly three months after a parliamentary election, Lebanon is still without a government. Politicians have been wrangling, coalitions have been redrawn, and outside allies have interfered but the country is no closer to swearing in a new government.
The U.S.-backed anti-Syrian “March 14″ coalition led by Prime Minister-designate Saad al-Hariri won the parliamentary vote on June 7. He has since said he was keen to form a “government of national unity” that will include the opposition, led by the powerful Syrian and Iranian-backed Hezbollah.
Here’s a look at why the process is taking such a long time.
WHAT HAS BEEN AGREED SO FAR?
The rival alliances agreed in July on the shape of the next government, including the division of 30 cabinet seats; a delicate task that incorporates Lebanon’s principle of sectarian power-sharing. Essentially, Sunni Hariri’s Saudi-backed “March 14″ alliance gets 15 seats and Shi’ite Hezbollah and its allies in the “March 8″ coalition are allotted 10 seats.
President Michel Suleiman would be given a decisive say in government by being allowed to nominate five ministers.
SO WHAT’S THE HOLD-UP INTERNALLY?
Hezbollah ally and Christian opposition leader Michel Aoun is adamant about retaining the telecommunications portfolio and its current minister, his son-in-law, Gebran Bassil.
But Hariri and others in March 14 have strong objections to Bassil heading the ministry because he lost in the election.
Hariri is also keen to gain the portfolio for his coalition in order to oversee a long-stalled plan to privatise the telecoms sector. The sale of two state-owned mobile firms is expected to garner as much as $7 billion and will go some way towards chopping Lebanon’s crippling $48 billion public debt.
Aoun, who has been allotted five seats in the next cabinet, is also insisting on getting one of the key ministerial posts. He has wants the interior ministry which is to be decided by President Suleiman. But Hariri deeply opposes Aoun’s demand.
Adding to the confusion, Druze leader Walid Jumblatt, once a pillar of the “March 14″ coalition, last month distanced himself from the alliance, creating a huge rupture in the country’s political map and undermining March 14’s victory in the polls.
WHAT ABOUT EXTERNAL FACTORS CONTRIBUTING TO THE STALLING?
These are slightly more opaque but there are a few possible explanations.
Immediately after the election, several rounds of talks were held between regional rivals, Saudi Arabia and Syria, who back the opposing Lebanese coalitions, to come to an agreement over the government’s make-up.
The talks highlighted the two states’ influence over the March 14 and March 8 groups, whose leaders have historically allied with competing regional and international powers.
At first, the talks were credited with quickly reaching the “15-10-5″ cabinet seat-sharing formula and forcing Hezbollah to drop its demand for veto power in government.
There was an understanding that Saudi King Abdullah would visit Syrian President Bashar al-Assad once a new Lebanese government was sworn in to seal the rapprochement. There was also even talk of Hariri visiting Syria, which the billionaire politician has accused of assassinating his father Rafik al-Hariri in 2005. The Sunni leader, who was raised in Saudi Arabia, is Riyadh’s closest ally in Lebanon.
However, the talks abruptly stopped in July.
It may be because Sunni powerhouse Saudi Arabia was upset with U.S. overtures towards Syria, which saw Washington announce that it will return an ambassador to Damascus for the first time since Rafik’s killing. This could raise Saudi fears that the re-emergence of Syria will be another victory for its ally, Shi’ite Iran, and by extension, Hezbollah. Strong Shi’ite influence in the region is anathema to Saudi Arabia.
Another possible explanation puts the blame on Syria which may be dissatisfied with what it sees as the slow pace of U.S. rapprochement and its rehabilitation in the international arena. Sources say Syrian-U.S. talks focused on security in Iraq were not positive. The United States has long accused Syria of allowing insurgents to cross into Iraq from the long, porous border. Syria rejects accusations it is meddling in Iraq.
Regional experts say Syria, and by extension Hezbollah, may therefore be using Aoun and his various objections to the government’s make-up as a delaying tactic.
WITH ALL THESE COMPLICATIONS, IS THERE AN END IN SIGHT?
The big date to watch is the United Nations General Assembly meeting which starts on Sept. 23. President Suleiman said he wants to head a delegation that includes Hariri as prime minister when he heads to New York.
Hariri also wants to attend the opening of the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology near Jeddah immediately after the General Assembly as PM.
WHAT ARE THE RISKS OF MORE DELAY?
Some fear a prolonged standoff on the government formation could revive sectarian tensions which have frequently sparked street violence in the past, scaring away investors and crippling the vital tourism sector.
The current cabinet is now only in caretaker mould so it cannot take any decisions, economic, financial or political. So for now everything is on hold from tackling privatisation to power outages and other pressing social issues.

 
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Thursday News Briefs & Editorial
Published: Thursday, 3 September, 2009 @ 10:52 AM in Beirut
Beirut- It appears that the Aoun -Hariri meeting resulted in more questions than answers . Everyday we hear new speculation about various types of proposals that were presented by Prime Minister Hariri.  Hariri has denied making any such proposals.
One of the proposals according to As Safir called for splitting some sovereign ministries into 2 such as the ministry of Interior and municipalities and the ministry of foreign affairs and immigration
Another proposal according to the same newspaper called for a government of national leaders
Yesterday a new proposal surfaced after the meeting between Hariri and Gebran Bassil .
Hariri has reportedly suggested the concept of rotating the ministries.
FPM sources told An Nahar newspaper that Hariri suggested to Caretaker Telecommunications Minster Bassil during their meeting on Wednesday to swap portfolios, meaning the opposition would get the education instead of the telecommunications ministry and the labor instead of the energy ministry.
Aoun has reportedly been insisting on getting five portfolios – 4 for Maronites and one for an Armenian , a sovereign ministry and keeping Bassil as a minister despite opposition by the parliament majority.
Al-Liwaa newspaper said the Hariri-Bassil meeting was fruitless after the FPM official insisted on getting three key portfolios and rejected the PM-designate’s rotation offer.
Aoun is reportedly under pressure to be more realistic and reasonable even by some of his close allies . Speaker Nabih Berri has reportedly described some of FPM’s demands as unconstitutional.
It is not clear whether another meeting will take place between Hariri and Bassil . As Safir newspaper has reported that Hariri was awaiting Bassil’s reply, but FPM sources are claiming “that the ball is still in the PM-designate ’s court.”
According to observers that time that Hariri should be proposing to Aoun a “take it or leave it offer must be getting very close “.
Many blame the delay in government on the Syrian-Saudi rapprochement and Iran. MP Walid Jumblatt and Speaker Nabih Berri met last night and following their meeting Jumblatt told reporters that he agrees with Berri’s emphasis on Syrian-Saudi relations, adding that he encourages the establishment of a partnership that does not target Iran in order to facilitate the cabinet formation.
” I consider the Syrian-Saudi partnership a basis that guarantees the regional atmosphere for cabinet formation.” Jumblatt was quoted as saying
In short , it does not appear that Lebanon will have a government by September 23, the day the president is scheduled to be at the UN on the occasion of naming Lebanon as a non-permanent member of the security council.

Thursday
08:40 pm The Lebanese army arrested four wanted men, including Ali Mohammed Ismail , a top criminal, in house raids in the village of Brital in the Bekaa Valley. Ismail was arrested after being shot in the leg by Lebanese troops. Drugs and weapons and 6 stolen cars were confiscated by the army
08:30 pm SANA: Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez arrived in Damascus on Thursday evening and went straight into talks with his Syrian counterpart, Bashar Al-Assad. He is expected to head to Iran from Damascus
8:20pm The Special Tribunal for Lebanon and INTERPOL have concluded an interim agreement on INTERPOL’s assistance to the international court.
8:15pm The Lebanese army arrested four wanted men in house raids in the village of Brital in the Bekaa Valley and seized six stolen cars.
7:40pm Sources told Al Manar TV on the Hariri-Bassil meeting: The atmosphere has not changed and was rather negative as Hariri did not provide anything new regarding ministerial portfolios.
7:30 pm: In China, a swine flu vaccine was approved on Thursday, which also works with one dose, according to its maker, Sinovac Biotech Ltd
07:07pm La Revue du Liban: Lebanon’s Central Bank Governor Riad Salameh announced on Thursday that there was a $16 billion cash flow into Lebanon in the last 12 months, especially during the first quarter of 2009, adding that 90% of the flow was exchanged from US dollars to Lebanese liras.
5:50pm Lebanon’s highest Shiite authority Sheikh Abdul Amir Qabalan stressed there is no enmity between Shiites and the Maronite Patriarchate. He was also quoted as saying that ties are not broken with Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Sfeir.
4:06pm The National Bloc told Maj. Gen. Sayyed: He who made a fortune from the General Security’s budget has no right to throw accusations or give lessons.
1:07pm MP Alain Aoun told NBN: We are not against rotating portfolios, but we oppose confessional or monopolizing ministries.
1:00 pm NYT: The death toll from a powerful earthquake and several strong aftershocks reached 46 and Indonesian officials said the figure was likely to increase significantly in the coming days.
12:50pm MP Mohammed Raad: Settlement doesn’t mean peace. President Barack Obama’s settlement plan in the region eradicates the Palestinian cause.
12:42pm Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Sfeir: Expatriates should encourage their young children to visit their home country Lebanon.
12:30pm MP Nadim Gemayel delivered to Berri an invitation to participate in a mass on the occasion of the anniversary marking the assassination of former President-elect Bashir Gemayel .
11:53 Former ISF chief Ali Hajj told al-Manar: The fact that the judiciary remained silent is a proof that our accusations against it are true. There is only an attempt to put the tribunal on the right track and not an organized campaign against it.
11:43 MP Abdel Latif al-Zein told Future News: Hariri is not obliged to abide by the demands of parliamentary blocs. The president and the PM-designate are aware of their constitutional powers.
11:20 AFP: Iranian parliament approves 18 nominees of Iranian President Ahmadinejad’s 21-member cabinet
11:11 Miqati after visiting Druze Sheikh Akl Naim Hassan: We are in dire need of a Government of national partnership to meet the challenges
10:44 a political source: The call by Suleiman for the formation of the government before September 15 is wishful thinking
10:42 al Bayan source close to Hariri : Hariri will put forward a surprising proposal on government formation during the next few hours
10:40 Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to attend the UN General assembly meeting later this month
10:36 Opposition sources: those concerned with the STL will not allow the repetition of the scenario of the four officers ( that were jailed and released without trial)
10:35 MP Antoine Zahra told Future News: The majority’s reiteration that it is seeking to form a national unity government has been explained by the other team as surrendering to preconditions.
9:10 Jumblatt after meeting with Berri last night : ” I consider the Syrian-Saudi partnership a basis that guarantees the regional atmosphere for cabinet formation.”
8:30 MP Ammar Houry told VOL: The possibilities of cabinet formation are linked to removal of obstacles which won’t disappear without dialogue. The majority wants the minority’s participation but without its preconditions.
7:30 PSP official Rami al-Rayyes told VOL: We have to benefit from any Arab-Arab rapprochement.

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Friday News Briefs & Editorial
Published: Friday, 4 September, 2009 @ 8:37 AM in Beirut
Beirut – Something interesting took place yesterday. The Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) announced in a statement that the STL and the International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL) “have concluded an interim agreement on INTERPOL’s assistance to the tribunal with regard to its investigations and other proceedings that pertain to the crimes that fall under its jurisdiction.”
According to its website INTERPOL “provides law enforcement officials in the field with emergency support and operational activities, especially in its priority crime areas. A Command and Co-ordination Centre operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week and can deploy an Incident Response Team to the scene of a serious crime or disaster,” in addition to many other services.
STL President Antonio Cassese signed the interim agreement on behalf of the STL, and INTERPOL’s Secretary-General Ronald K. Noble, signed it on behalf of his organization.
“The interim agreement, which entered into force on August 24, is aimed at enabling the STL to request assistance from INTERPOL for the purposes of the ongoing investigations carried out by the Office of the Prosecutor of the Tribunal and other proceedings undertaken by the Tribunal in discharging its mandate, until a more comprehensive cooperation agreement that is currently being negotiated between the two bodies is concluded and enters into force,” the STL’s press release said.
STL has come under attacks recently . According to sources of al Sharq Alawsat newspaper : The recent attacks are aimed at “hindering the work of international investigators who began settling down at the tribunal’s office in Beirut.”
“The campaign started with the arrival of a delegation from the court to lay the groundwork (for their investigation) despite obstacles facing some aspects of their mission which we are trying to overcome,” the source added.
Another newspaper Al Liwaa has reported that investigators have recently questioned around 150 people, in a move that it described as “the last checkup” on the list of names of those involved or have information on Hariri’s Feb. 2005 killing.
The sources of Sharq Alawsat newspaper are saying: “What is happening now is nothing more than the launching of war against the court .”
The purpose of STL is to find and try the killers of former prime minister Rafik Hariri , who was assassinated on February 14 , 2005 in downtown Beirut .
Until last May Syria was the primary suspect in the assassination of Hariri . But last May the German magazine Der Spiegel published a report in which it revealed that Hezbollah was behind Hariri’s murder and it tried to clear Syria’s name
The Syrian regime according to Sharq Alawsat sources has entrusted a legal office with following up developments at the tribunal . The sources have questioned Syria’s action in this regard and told the newspaper : “Would a legal office follow up on a case if the side that commissioned it is not involved in the case?”
The question is how much help can INTERPOL provide the STL if the whole issue becomes politicized , since this organization does not get involved in political issues

Friday
8:12pm one person killed and 2 wounded in gunfire as a result of a personal clash in Qebbe Tripoli
7:45pm clashes involving rockets in Hermel between the Allo and Naser Eddine neighborhoods the death of ISF officerناصرالدين Nasser eddine
6: 50 pm The White House said Friday it regretted Israel’s reported plans to build new settlements, calling it “inconsistent” with its international commitments to the peace process.
6:20 pm A NATO jetfighter blasted two fuel tankers hijacked by the Taliban in northern Afghanistan on Friday, killing up to 90 people, including insurgents and dozens of civilians who had rushed to the scene to collect fuel
6;00 pm Al Markaziyah sources: Hezbollah security apparatus with help from The Lebanese communications ministry were able to pin point Ezzeddine’s location in southern Beirut . Hezbollah then raided his location arrested him and handed him over to the judicial authorities
5:00pm Unknown assailants shot and killed a policeman in Hermel in northeast Lebanon.
3:35 pm Al-Arabiya TV : Hezbollah officials MP Mohammed Raad, Amin Sherri and Hajj Wafiq Safa are all affected by Lebanese businessman Salah Ezzeddine’s bankruptcy. Hezbollah MP Hussein al-Hajj has filed a lawsuit against Ezzeddine requesting reimbursement of his $200,000 that he had invested with him.
3:30 pm CNN Unemployment in the USA jumps to a 26-year high of 9.7%, even as employers cut the smallest number of jobs since August 2008
2:51pm : Alfa cellular company sold 25 unique cellular line numbers for $600,000
1:40pm The Democratic Left Movement expressed concerns about the policies aimed at putting obstacles to cabinet formation and urged Hariri to hold on to Constitutional norms.
1:22 pm Former PM Salim el Hoss: In order to separate between the executive and legislative branches the MPs should not be in the government
1:20 pm Al-Akhbar : United Arab Emirates security authorities have expelled in the past two months more than 45 Lebanese businessmen and employees for security reasons and most of those expelled are Shiites.
1 :16 pm Caretaker Minister Talal Arslan: the government crisis is not a crisis of demands but it is a crisis of the regime and such regimes produce crises
1:10 pm BBC ‎: Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu will approve more construction in West Bank settlements before considering a halt to building work, officials say.
1;00 pm The case of Salah Ezzeddine has drawn comparisons in Lebanon with that of Bernard Madoff, the New York failed financier whose multibillion-dollar Ponzi scheme wiped out thousands of investors and charities worldwide. Madoff was sentenced in June to 150 years in prison.
12:53pm The National Liberal Party: Continuous attempts to put obstacles to cabinet formation means there is an intentional effort to harm all the nation.
12:50 pm Al-Sharq Al-Awsat : Zahle MP Okab Sakr warned against a new round of assassinations and security breaches before the Special Tribunal for Lebanon issues its indictment in the case of the assassination of former PM Rafik Hariri.
12:30pm Ministry of Communications: commemorative stamps will be in circulation starting September 17
12:16pm Siniora: It is natural the Lebanese people are upset about the waste of time that is causing the delay in the formation of the cabinet . The Lebanese are looking forward to see a strong and united coalition
12:06pm Taymour Walid Jumblatt, toured the Hasbayya district accompanied Abu Faour and met a number of PSP members and key officials of the region
12:03pm Khalifa told Sawt al Sada: neither Hezbollah nor Amal will participate in the new government without the Free Patriotic Movement and all the talk about the relationship between Berri and Aoun is just rumors
11:50 Al Manar TV: Energy Minister Alain Tabourian said that he has reached an agreement with President Michel Suleiman and outgoing Prime Minister Fouad Siniora to find a legal method to buy power generators in order to resolve the problem of electricity shortages in Lebanon.
10:55 Minister Elie Marouni told Future News: If Aoun keeps holding onto his conditions and if Hezbollah and Amal insist that their participation in cabinet should be linked to Aoun’s participation, then there is no solution to the problem . I hold the Lebanese judiciary responsible for inaction with regards to what Jamil al-Sayyed said , because its statement was more like appeasing him
10:17 Minister Aoun told “Future news:” We hope that the PM designate will show some humility and refrain from provocative rhetoric so that through dialogue will will be able to resolve the impasse facing the formation of the government
10:16 Former Tourism Minister Joe Sarkis told Now Lebanon : If the cabinet formation remains stagnant, then President Michel Suleiman might sign the cabinet decree even if Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun refuses to participate in the new government.
09:51 42 wanted people were arrested for committing criminal acts
09:45 Mikati: Betting on the time factor by exerting pressure in the formation of the new government is the wrong bet and does not achieve any results
09:38 Awan newspaper : MPs and cadres of Hezbollah have filed lawsuits against Ezzeddine because of losing their money after his declaration of bankruptcy. Some are referring to Ezzedinne’s method in dealing with his investors a “Ponzi scheme”
09:26 A Lebanese accused of embezzling 360 thousand pounds in Egypt using fake credit cards was arrested
09:20 majority sources told “Okaz”: Hariri will present to the president before he travels to New York Solomon a proposal on government formation, whatever is the outcome of the negotiations with Aoun
8:40 EU Foreign Policy chief Javier Solana told al-Arabiya: It is difficult to understand why an agreement hasn’t been reached on cabinet formation after distinctive elections.
8:30 Legal expert Hassan al-Rifai told VOL: Change in ministries can only take place legally. This would be impossible before cabinet receives a vote of confidence from parliament.
7:40 MP Robert Ghanem told VOL: The PM-designate should propose a cabinet that reflects the results of the elections and does not eliminate anyone . If any party rejects the proposal then it is its problem
07:13 MP Sami Gemayel announced at a meeting of the Political Bureau of the Phalange Party cabinet that he would not attend any meeting from now on in which Jumblatt is participating
0711 one of the majority MPs revealed that Jumblatt deliberately and in a harsh manner tried to silence the Christian MPs during the last March 14 meeting in Quraytem
06:54 delay in setting a date for President Suleiman with Obama because of the overcrowding of the agenda of the latter
06:23 Emile Emile Lahoud: There are two factors that can delay the forming of a government in Lebanon an internal and external. In Lebanon we always need the regional factor which is not currently available
06:19 sources of the “Free Patriotic Movement”: if the negotiations will be like those of the Baabda ( Aoun -Hariri )and Quraytem ( Bassil Hariri ) meetings then the requirements of another Aoun -Hariri meetings have not been met
06:07 following the Quraytem Iftar Harir met privately with the representatives of Berri and Nasrallah during which Berri confirmed he will not back down from the choice of national unity government
06:01 Informed Sources: Hariri alluded to his intention to send a proposal of a cabinet line-up to President Suleiman before his Sept 23 trip to New York
05:39 “An-Nahar”: Hariri and Aoun truce is on shaky ground
05:33 On September 25 the President of the Republic of Lebanon will address the United Nations General assembly in New York
05:23 political sources : the government formation process has reached an impasse and now it is in need of quality initiatives

 
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Saturday News Briefs & Editorial
Published: Saturday, 5 September, 2009 @ 12:21 PM in Beirut
Beirut – The story of Salah Ezzedine , who was nicknamed the ‘Lebanese Madoff’ is the focus of the media in Lebanon. It was confirmed yesterday that several key Hezbollah officials were financially affected by Ezzedine’s scheme and many are now suing him in the Lebanese courts .
Al-Mustaqbal daily said among those who filed charges against Ezzedine was Hezbollah lawmaker Hussein Hajj Hassan, who requested the reimbursement of his $200,000 investment
Hezbollah officials MP Mohammed Raad, Amin Sherri and Hajj Wafiq Safa are on the list of people who were affected by Ezzedine’s bankruptcy, according to a report by Al-Arabiya television.
Latest reports have revealed that 11,000 Lebanese Shiites have lost the money that they have invested with Ezzedine
Ezzedine‘s case has drawn comparisons in Lebanon with that of Bernard Madoff, the New York failed financier whose multibillion-dollar Ponzi scheme wiped out thousands of investors and charities worldwide. Madoff was sentenced last June to 150 years in prison.
Ezzedine, who reportedly has very close ties with top Hezbollah officials, has declared bankruptcy, leaving thousands of citizens unemployed in Beirut’s southern suburbs as well as in south and east Lebanon.
Ezzedine, a wealthy businessman from the town of Maaroub near the southern port city of Tyre, is a prominent financier particularly among Shiite circles in Lebanon. He is the owner of Dar Al-Hadi Publishing House – one of Lebanon’s most prominent publishing houses of religious Shiite books which also prints books written by Hezbollah officials – and al-Hadi TV for children.
Preliminary investigation has revealed that Ezzedine had major business interests, particularly in oil and iron industries, in Eastern Europe and suffered substantial losses when oil prices dropped starting mid last year. He tried to make up for his losses by taking money from Lebanese investors, promising them up to 40 percent interest on their deposits which he could not repay, the officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity in line with regulations.
“Al-Safir” newspaper which is well known for its support to Hezbollah reported Friday that Speaker Nabih Berri, Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah and Shiite cleric Ayatollah Mohammed Hussein Fadlallah have been following up on this issue, especially since a large segment of Shiites has been affected by the bankruptcy.
According to Lebanese central News Agency (Al Markaziyah ) Hezbollah security apparatus with help from the Lebanese Ministry of Communications were able to pin point Ezzeddine’s location in southern Beirut . Hezbollah then raided his location arrested him and handed him over to the Lebanese judicial authorities. Earlier reports have incorrectly indicated that he has handed himself over the judicial authorities. Ezzedine’s family has reportedly fled the country to a unknown location and he was planning to unite with the members of his family when he was detained.
His wealth was estimated between 1.2 to 2 billion Dollars.
According to financial observers none of the Lebanese banks were involved in Ezzedine’s scheme and therefore won’t have any affect on the Lebanese financial situation.
Some observers have reported that Hezbollah ‘s loss as a result of Ezzedine’s bankruptcy exceeds its loss during the 2006 war with Israel . In 2006 Hezbollah was compensated by the Lebanese government, but this time this option is reportedly out of the question.

Saturday
9:01pm former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations Zalmay Khalilzad arrived in Beirut
8:20pm Riad Salameh told “MTV:” with the delay in the formation of the government we will miss the opportunity to modernize the economy and the financing of projects . The Ministry of Finance is doing is duty in repayment of the debt, but The caretaker government can not be counted on to pay any additional debt
8:16pm Hunein told “Future News”: The prime minister-designate needs to come up with a government formula agreed upon with the President of the Republic, who will issues the decree as agreed with the prime minister-designate
8:09 pm Alain Aoun told “or TV”: Acceptance of any proposal requires it to be closer to the demands that were put forward
8:05pm Tabourian: the problem of electricity will not be solved in ten days and the amount we will get out of Egypt will not solve every problem, especially if demand increases
8:04 pm Qabbani told “LBC”: Egypt will give us enough gas for the Deir Ammar plant, but may need more energy to solve the problem
8:00pm “LBC”: Jumblatt plans to organize receptions and public gatherings for the president in Beiteddine and will set joint programs for the Druze and Christian concurrent holidays
4:05 pm WSJ: Government efforts to funnel hundreds of billions of dollars into the US economy appear to be helping the US climb out of the worst recession in decades.
4:00 pm VOA: A senior British minister says trade and oil deals with Libya played a “very big part” in Britain’s decision to include the Lockerbie bomber in a prisoner transfer agreement between the two countries.
3:10pm Minister Bassil: Why the rotation of ministries would only apply in the case of the Patriotic Freedom Movement?
2:35pm MP Adwan: We will invest all our capacities to safeguard the President and the presidential position. The Lebanese Forces” does not care about positions and the fall of Lebanon can only be achieved with the fall of co-existence and the suppression of facts
2:34pm “New TV”: Lebanese in Gabon are complaining about the attacks their businesses are being subjected to by the opposition and are also complaining about the negligence by the Lebanese embassy in Gabon and are demanding the attention of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
2:28pm A vehicle hit and killed a man, whose identity was not known, on the Zalka highway at dawn Saturday. The car sped away.
1:02pm The Lebanese army arrested several people involved in the Hermel and Qubbah shooting incidents.
12:01 Bassil: FPM does not want Hariri to be a photocopy of Siniora and we urge him to show us that he is different
11:52 Abi Ramaya told OTV”: We have given a lot of concessions and we have become “naked” and we cannot participate with them on their own terms
11:30 Seven were wounded in two separate road accidents in Wadi el Sitt and the Karantina
1:18 MP Mohammed al-Hajjar told New TV: The cabinet should be formed before the president travels to New York. However, the government should be based on constitutional norms. Aoun continues to be the main obstacle facing the formation of the cabinet due to his impossible demands
11:15 Shams al-Din: The only solution to the process of forming the government lies in the return to the Constitution
11:11 Alloush told “LBC”: Hariri may propose a governmental to Suleiman before he travel to New York but it will be subject the approved of the President of the Republic
11:10 MP Ibrahim Kenaan told LBC: Until now no one gave us a reply on a unity cabinet proposal that we can either reject or accept
11:05 MP Michel Moussa told Future News: It’s better to have a unity cabinet that strengthens and supports the president’s stances during the General Assembly meeting in New York.
11:02 Salloukh told “LBC”: the situation in Gabon is beginning to return to calm and stability, none of the Lebanese was affected
10:50 some Islamic fundamentalist elements are committing terrorist acts inside the Palestinian refugee camp of Ain el Helweh
10:30 President Suleiman will move Saturday afternoon to the presidential summer headquarters in Beiteddine, Shouf region of Mt Lebanon , where he will stay for nine days
10:00 UAE embassy sources denied to the Kuwaiti al-Rai newspaper the report in al-Akhbar daily that UAE authorities forced Lebanese Shiites out of the country.
09:40 38 wanted people were arrested for committing various crimes
09:10 MP Qazzi told Radio Free Lebanon: The obstruction ( facing the government formation) is internal but those behind the obstruction are external and the disputes are not only between the 2 rival camps( March 14 and March but within the alliances themselves
09:10 commander of the Israeli intelligence: the victory is certain in the next war on Hezbollah and will include access to the organization’s leadership and its major activists
08:23 Judge Mirza: The result of the investigation of Ezzedine will show if the bankruptcy is fraudulent or the result of factors beyond his control
7:28 Alloush : the sudden Syrian attack against Jumblatt during the past few days reveals that the primary objective of the Syrian regime is to destroy the parliament majority
07:15 Gebran Bassil will be visiting PM designate saad Hariri at his home in Quraithem according to informed sources

 
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Sunday News Briefs & Editorial
Published: Sunday, 6 September, 2009 @ 12:57 PM in Beirut
Beirut – If it is up to the parliamentary bloc leaders Lebanon would end up with a government of 129 ministers because in addition to the 128 member parliament General Michel Aoun wants his son- in-law Gebran Bassil to be included in the cabinet even though he failed in the last election.
Aoun and Hariri met last week at the Baabda palace but no agreement was reached regarding his demands for participating in the new government
MP Robert Ghanem a key member of the parliament and a legal expert said Hariri should propose a government to president Suleiman that includes representatives of all the parliamentary blocs and if any of the blocs refuse Hariri’s offer then it is its own problem and not that of the nation ..in other words it should be a “take it or leave it offer “
PM-designate Saad Hariri who recently had a meeting with Bassil vowed to do everything possible to make sure Lebanon has a government ahead of President Michel Suleiman’s New York visit on September 23.
Hariri said he would resume talks with the various political leaders, stressing, however, that the need for every person to bear his responsibility.
“We are about to form a new government that comes in the wake of parliamentary elections in which March 14 forces emerged victorious,” Hariri told an Iftar gathering in Qoreitem.
“And we have said from the beginning that despite winning these elections, logic dictates that we stretch our hand to our partners in the nation,” he added.
Hariri emphasized the need to form a Cabinet that includes the various political leaders, saying: “Genuine partnership must be based on the logic that says: ‘After relinquishing many (privileges) during parliamentary elections, the other side should meet us with reasonable demands.”
According to Ad-Diyar newspaper sources, Hariri will present a new Cabinet to Suleiman for approval on Monday and it will be up to Suleiman to endorse it or not.
Al-Hayat newspaper reported that Suleiman in his own way has encouraged Hezbollah to facilitate Hariri’s latest initiative regarding government formation.
It said Suleiman does not mind Hariri going ahead with his initiative, although he prefers consensus over a Cabinet lineup that would not lead to the withdrawal of Hezbollah and AMAL in the event the PM-designate formed a well-balanced government that could be rejected by Aoun.
Pro-Syrian former minister Wiam Wahab defended last Friday Aoun’s demands and blamed the delay of the government formation on Hariri and warned of another “May 7″ events .
Wahab was referring to May 7 2008 ( when Hezbollah angered by a government decision 2 days earlier to dismantle Hezbollah’s telecommunication network and to fire pro-Hezbollah airport security chief Wafiq Shocair) , occupied the Sunni part of Beirut and tried unsuccessfully to occupy the Druze strongholds of Mount Lebanon. Wahab back then tried to create tension within the Druze community but was not successful because of the agreement reached between the 2 key leaders of the Druze community Walid Jumblatt and Talal Arslan .

Sunday
10:12pm Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri meets with PSP leader MP Walid Jumblatt in Qoreitem.
9:31pm Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri meets Kataeb leader Amin Gemayel in Qoreitem to discuss cabinet formation.
8:40 pm Former Prime Minister Omar Karami , a key member of the opposition , described Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri during an Iftar as “promising, responsible and willing to sacrifice,” adding that he is the only leader qualified to form a cabinet because of his large support base
8:30 pm CNN : Nine people were killed and 983 rescued when a ferry capsized Sunday in the Philippines, leaving crews scouring the waters for survivors, officials said.
8:01pm “LBC”: Hariri, brought up the issue of portfolio rotation during his consultations today with the Minister Gebran Bassil
8:00pm Basil: the discussions with Hariri just like windmills do not produce any results
7:37pm Houry: the PM -designate will at the appropriate time and that is not in the too distant future, will exercise his constitutional authority and issue a decree on government formation
7:36pm al Manar : MP Hussein Khalil urged the president to complete his efforts that began and led to the Hariri and Aoun meeting
7:18pm MP Michel Aoun: No one can form the government in a moody fashion and has to be respectful of norms and standards
6:43pm FPM in response to Juzou’s statement : we won’t allow him or anyone else like him to take advantage of his religious position in undermining the dignity of the people and in distorting facts and spreading Fabrications and rumors
5:55pm Pakradonian said after meeting with Hariri’s in Center house : The PM designate started a new round of consultations and will submit a preliminary cabinet line up to the president
5:30pm Telecommunications Minister Gebran Bassil met PM-designate Saad Hariri at Center House in downtown Beirut for more than 1 hour and left without making any statement. Harir is also meeting Pakradonian
4:33pm Israeli minister: Netanyahu will announce within few days the construction of several hundred residential units in the west bank
2:45pm Suleiman told Jumblat: Any work toward unity is a profit to the nation and the institutions. Jumblatt told Suleiman : “Welcome home,” adding “We hope that your visit will be a long one.”
1:40 pm A secret Israeli military intelligence committee report has determined that Israeli airman Ron Arad died of unknown illness in captivity in Lebanon in mid-1990s, Yedioth Ahronoth reported Sunday.
1:00pm Press reports: A meeting is likely to take place Sunday between Hariri and Telecoms Minister Gebran Bassil.
1:00 pm Mount Lebanon Mufti Sheikh Mohammed Ali Jouzou criticized Free Patriotic Movement leader Michel Aoun, describing him as an enemy of the Maronite church, the President, the media and the Sunnis in Lebanon. He accused Aoun of blackmail and of trying to torpedo the formation of a national unity government “by any means possible.”
12:45pm President Michel Suleiman received MP Walid Jumblat in Beiteddine.
11:45am Hezbollah MP Mohammed Raad: The Opposition decided not to take part except in a unity government.
10:30 NYT: At least 2000 students at Washington State University have reported symptoms of the H1N1 swine flu virus, university and local health officials said, in what appeared to be one of the largest outbreaks of the virus on a college campus
10:25 A ferry carrying more than 900 people sank in the southern Philippines Sunday. Most of the passengers have been rescued, but more than 80 are still missing and at least three died.
10:20 Apollo 11 mission commander and famed astronaut Neil Armstrong shocked reporters at a press conference in Lebanon Ohio , announcing he had been convinced that his historic first step on the moon was part of an elaborate hoax orchestrated by the United States government.
10:10 Lebanese authorities have closed down Dar al-Hadi Publishing House which was owned by Salah Ezzedine who declared bankruptcy. Ezzedine promised to pay as much as 60 % interest to some of his clients
10:00 PM-designate Saad Hariri discussed overnight the latest developments on government formation with Hezbollah official Hajj Hussein Khalil.
9:45 Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Sfeir during his Sunday sermon: Lebanon’s participation in the U.N. Security Council meeting without a new government is “not something to be proud of.”
7:25 Al Hayat : A former minister was quoted as saying that Damascus is not interested in governmental deliberations in Beirut
07:20 Al Hayat parliament majority source : Including Bassil in the cabinet will lead to a problems with the Maronite representation
07:15 Opposition sources are surprised that Hariri may announce the government formation before the opposition submits a list of its ministers
07:12, a security source told Asharq al Awsat : we handed over to the courts criminals that confessed committing terrorist acts
07:01 Al Hayat : Basil al-Hariri to meet this afternoon to follow up on the issue of government formation
06:52 “An-Nahar”: Jumblatt to visit Suleiman before noon today in Beiteddine accompanied by a delegation
06:47 Al Hayat : Suleiman encouraged “Hezbollah” to facilitate Hariri ‘s role in forming the cabinet
06:33 the bodies of Bernard Fattal, Joseph Saadeh arrived from Cairo
06:30 Hariri: the people put their trust in us in the elections and genuine partnerships must be based on logic
06:20 Abu Faour told al Balad : We have not committed a coup against March 14, but we are leading a correction in their approach
06:07 al Balad : French officials are surprised that the Lebanese are urging Paris to intervene in the formation of the government

 
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Monday News Briefs & Editorial
Published: Monday, 7 September, 2009 @ 9:26 AM in Beirut
Beirut- During an Iftar at his home in Quraithem last night Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri said: “All I am asking for is logic… No one should tell me that he is demanding his rights, because the rights belong to the Lebanese citizens.” In reference to Free patriotic
Movement leader General Michel Aoun, who has been calling his demands for specific portfolios in the new cabinet “his right”.
Hariri announced yesterday that he will make a “reasonable offer” within the coming days to form a national unity government with “those who need each other and without allowing any side to monopolize decision-making.” Again he was referring to Aoun who is insisting on having the lion’s share of the cabinet despite the fact that he was considered the biggest loser last elections
“I will take several steps within the coming few days to announce a Cabinet lineup through a reasonable proposal,” Hariri said
Hariri also said that the other camp [the minority] has the right to present its demands as long as they are “realistic,” and added: “We have extended our hand to them so that they will be with us in building the state and face all the challenges.”
Hariri highlighted at the Iftar his strong relations with Kataeb leader Amin Gemayel , Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea and in particular he stressed his strong relations with Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblatt whom he described as his “brother.”
Following the Iftar he met individually with each of the above leaders at his home in .
Yesterday afternoon Hariri received caretaker Minister of communications Gebran Bassil , who left without making any statement to the press. But later in the evening Bassil criticized Hariri when he said: “Discussions with Hariri just like windmills do not produce any results”
General Aoun is insisting on including Bassil, his son- in-law in the new cabinet despite the fact that he lost in the last elections.
Aoun came under another attack yesterday . Mount Lebanon Mufti Sheikh Mohammed Ali Jouzou criticized Aoun, describing him as an enemy of the Maronite church, the President, the media and the Sunnis in Lebanon.
“Here is Aoun who is hostile to himself if he doesn’t find someone to antagonize,” Jouzou said in a statement issued on Sunday.
“Here is Aoun, the enemy of the Maronite church, the enemy of the President, the enemy of the media, and most of all an enemy to Sunnis in Lebanon,” Jouzou added.
Jouzou accused Aoun of blackmail and of trying to torpedo the formation of a national unity government “by any means possible.”
“He (Aoun) wants to impose his son-in-law and relatives on the Cabinet … and sacrifice the nation for the sake of his family,” Jouzou went on to say.
The FPM issued a statement in response to Jouzou’s attacks : “Either he willingly stops this campaign and apologizes, or let the religious leadership or his political authority under Sheik Saad Hariri, whom we blame for what is happening, put an end to it.”

Monday
10:45pm OTV: the opposition is meeting at Gebran Bassil’s house to discuss its response to the cabinet line-up that was proposed by Hariri
10:00pm The Saudi ambassador returned to Lebanon
9:30pm Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri said that he presented the cabinet line-up to President Michel Sleiman “out of responsibility for the Lebanese people,” adding, “we have lost 70 days, time during which we could have implemented many projects,” and stressing that Suleiman has “the constitutional right to either accept or reject the cabinet line-up.”
8:00pm LBC TV : Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri voiced “discomfort” over the way the cabinet line-up was presented to President Michel Suleiman. His sources pointed out the opposition will meet after Hezbollah speech to respond to the cabinet line-up
7:50pm Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblatt told Al-Manar TV that he was satisfied with the cabinet formula proposed by PM-designate Saad Hariri
7:40pm Almanar based on majority sources: The cabinet line-up gives FPM The ministries of Education, labor and industry and names Gebran Bassil as minister of state without portfolio
7:00pm Change and Reform bloc issued a statement in which it stated that it “refused Hariri’s step in both its form and its content,” and also called for all ministers that were proposed for participation in the upcoming cabinet to announce their immediate rejection of its line-up.
5:50pm Al-Mada Radio station: Aoun calls for immediate resignation of FPM ministers from any Hariri cabinet. He stressed his belief that President Michel Suleiman would not sign the government decree however stated, “We find it necessary we make our position clear to the FPM partisans and politicians.”
5:40 pm Change and Reform bloc leader MP Michel Aoun calls for immediate resignation of all ministers representing the FPM in any cabinet proposed by PM-designate Saad Hariri upon presidential decree
3:00 pm Hariri proposes cabinet line-up of 30-ministers based on the 15-10-5 division and including all parliamentary blocs,” he told reporters after meeting with President Michel Suleiman.
3:23pm PM-designate Saad Hariri tells reporters prior to meeting with President Michel Suleiman he is going to present the cabinet proposal
02:12pm NNA: four unidentified bodies were found in the As-Shami River in Ikleem al-Kharoub. The tcause of death remains unknown.
02:10 pm President Michel Suleiman meets with PM-designate Saad Hariri at the Beiteddine summer presidential palace
2:00pm March 14 General Secretariat Coordinator Fares Soueid: Kataeb representatives to participate in March 14 General Secretariat meeting scheduled for Wednesday.
12:55pm Bassil informs Speaker Berri of smear campaigns against FPM, and said “the opposition is unified and aware of the plot against it.”
10:50 Houri: Hariri’s new cabinet proposal supports national unity, partnership
10:30 Ahmadinejad: Iran ready for “fair and logical” talks with world powers. “We have proposed a dialogue within a fair and logical framework with all the countries… which can be involved in changing matters,” Ahmadinejad said.
10:30 VOL: Christoph Hozjenn, External Security Adviser to German Chancellor Angela Merkel, canceled his trip to Lebanon which was scheduled to start today, after he was asked to travel to Afghanistan.
10:20 An-Nahar newspaper : Kataeb Party leader Amin Gemayel emphasized the necessity of “reforming the Lebanese system, since the situation is in need of a drastic solution.”
10:15 Education Minister Bahia Hariri said there is no fear for the school year and that measures have been taken to curb the spread of swine flu.
10:10 Caretaker Telecoms Minister Gebran Bassil told As Safir following his yesterday’s meeting with Hariri: “ Hariri wants to form a government by means of pressure and blackmail all the way to threats of civil war. ” March 14 majority has been accusing Bassil’s father-in-law of blackmail
10:00 Kuwaiti newspaper al Rai said the majority in Lebanon believes that the opposition is sticking with Aoun because of a secret word from a regional power that wants to dominate the position of the opposition
09:30 Free Lebanon radio: three persons were injured in a fight that broke out between Lebanon First bloc MP Ziad al-Qaderi supporters and former MP Abdel Rahim Mrad followers in Al-Bireh village in Rashaya on Sunday night.
09:28 Al Dar Kuwaiti newspaper : Jumblatt will be visiting Cairo soon to meet with the Egyptian leadership
09:02 caretaker Minister Mario Aoun: FPM is sticking to its demand for 5 ministries in the new cabinet the circumstances are not ripe yet for a Jumblatt -Aoun meeting
7:36 March 14 coordinator Fares Soueid: The PM-designate will present a Cabinet lineup based on the 15-10-5 formula and taking into account the realities created by the elections without the exclusion of any (political) team. The President should go to New York after a new government had been announced.
7:30 Former MP Mustafa Alloush told VOL: Hariri will be very careful and will not present a Cabinet lineup that would be rejected by the President. Hariri is exercising his rights and duties.
5:55 Hariri told Hezbollah’s Hussein Khalil : I did what you recommended and met with Aoun but reached a dead end . Why don’t you pressure him to facilitate the formation of the government .

 
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Tuesday News Briefs & Editorial
Published: Tuesday, 8 September, 2009 @ 10:05 AM in Beirut
Beirut- It is official . Prime Minister -Designate Saad Hariri met yesterday with president Michel Suleiman at the Beiteddine summer presidential palace and presented his new national unity cabinet line-up based on the 15-10-5 formula and included representatives from all the main parliamentary blocsof the majority and the opposition
“I presented President Michel Suleiman with a national unity cabinet lineup of 30 ministers based on the 15-10-5 formula,” Hariri said following his talks with Suleiman in Beiteddine.
“The formula takes into consideration the sectarian balance in the country and respects the results of the June 7 parliamentary elections,” Hairiri said.
Even though the proposed line -up was not made public Al Liwaa newspaper was able to obtain through its sources the following line-up:
1 – Sunnis : 6
Saad Hariri, Prime minister . Almustaqbal
Mohammad Safadi, minister of the economy.
Raya Haffar al-Hassan, minister of of Finance.
Ghaleb Mahmassani, Minister of State( share of the President of the Republic )
Minister of Justice ( name unknown) .
Minister of information ( name unknown) , but the name of Ammar Houry was mentioned as a possibility
2 – Shiites: 6
Yassin Jaber of minister of Foreign Affairs. Amal
Mohammed Jawad Khalifa minister of Health. Amal
Ali Abdullah, Minister of Agriculture. Amal
Mohammed Fneish Minister of industry. Hezbollah
Hussein Haj Hassan Youth and Sport. Hezbollah
Adnan al Sayyed Hussein, Minister of State of the share of the President.
3 – Druze: 3
Ghazi Aridi minister of communications. PSP
Wael Abu Faour minister of the displaced. PSP
Akram Shehayyeb , Minister of State. PSP
4 – Maronites: 6
Joe Sarkis minister of the environment. Lebanese Forces
Ziad Baroud of the Interior. share of the President.
Alain Aoun minister of public works. Change & Reform
Farid al-Khazen of minister of Education. Change & Reform
Vera Yammin minister of Administrative Development. Marada
Sami Gemayel minister of Social Affairs. Kataeb
5 – Orthodox: 4
Elias Murr, minister defense and deputy prime minister. share of the President.
Imad Wakim , minister of energy. Lebanese Forces
a person for from al Malouf family representing Zahle in our heart bloc .
And a fourth unknown person.
6 – Catholics: 3
Edgar Maalouf minister of public works. Change & Reform
Catholic woman as part of the share of the President.
Catholic Minister of Lebanon first loc .
7 – Armenian: 2
Hagop Bukradonian minister of labor ( Tashnaq party ) Change & Reform
Jean Ogassbian most likely as Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs
The opposition Follow-up Committee held a meeting last night at the house of caretaker Minister Gebran Bassil in Rabiya, in which Hajj Hussein Khalil of Hezbollah and MP Ali Hassan Khalil of Amal participated . The 3 decided to visit this Tuesday morning the president at the Beiteddine palace to voice their rejection of the proposed cabinet line-up
The new Cabinet line-up received good support from Hariri’s allies, particularly Druze leader Walid Jumblatt, LF chief Samir Geagea and Phalange Party leader Amin Gemayel.
“The president said he would study the proposal according to constitutional principles and decide whether to sign the decree. I await his final answer.” Hariri told reporters
According to the an Nahar newspaper the president will take his time to study the line-up and he may accept it , reject it or modify it .
As expected FPM leader general Michel Aoun is unhappy over the line-up and said following the announcement by Hariri , “From what we heard today, it seems Mr. Saad Hariri does not want to form the cabinet but rather, is trifling with the ministerial line-up according to his mood.”He added : No leader has the right to nominate ministers from a different party other than their own, because doing so breaches basic democratic principles.”
Aoun stressed his belief that President Michel Sleiman would not sign the government decree based on Hariri’s line-up and ordered all the FPM ministers to quit as soon as the president issues a decree confirming the cabinet line-up.
It appears Aoun will remain the main obstacle facing the cabinet formation and if this line-up is not approved as is or after modification by the president, Lebanon won’t have a cabinet anytime soon

Tuesday
11:57pm Hariri hosted an Iftar in honor of the French Ambassador to Lebanon
11:46pm Houry: Free Patriotic Movement, knoew in advance that the portfolios they will be given
10:50pm Majdalani: For the first time in Lebanon the government is being formed according to the Lebanese constitution
10:33pm Minister Aridi returned from Saudi Arabia on a private jet
9:25pm Jumblatt reconfirmed during an interview in Ain Zhalta that he is still part of the majority and an ally of Hariri
8:26pm MP George Adwan told “MTV:” We paid dearly to prevent the resettlement of the Palestinians and we all know that Lebanon has a special composition that is opposed to the naturalization ( of Palestinians ) and this issue does not affect the Christians only
8:18pm Alain Aoun of “or TV”: the essence of the problem has not been solved and we seem to be heading for more obstructions. A government of national unity cannot be formed through the logic of challenge
08:04pm Williams : I am confident that the president is looking seriously at the cabinet line up presented by Hariri
7:40 pm Al-Manar: the opposition will hold a meeting on Tuesday night at the residence of Hajj Hussein Khalil, Political Adviser to Hezbollah’s Secretary General
7:35 pm Jumblatt refuted a report published in Tuesday’s As-Safir newspaper stating that Jumblatt was willing exchange with FMP the Telecommunications Ministry for the ministry of public works. Jumblatt asserted that until now, he did not know himself which of the proposed cabinet portfolios were given to PSP.
07:24pm Mario Aoun: we are heading to a government crisis that might last forever
05:00pm Robert Fisk : Lebanese Madoff , salah ezzedine declared bankruptcy after a $200,000 check for Hezbollah bounced
04:04 pm The United Nations-backed commission serving as the ultimate arbiter of the Afghan elections announced Tuesday that it had found “clear and convincing evidence of fraud” in a number of polling stations and ordered a partial recount …
04:00pm : Hezbollah’s Sheikh Naim Qassem: ” the experience of a national unity government after the Doha agreement is a success because it brought stability to the country “
3:39pm The ministry of communication transferred $110 million to the treasury
3:36 pm Ahmad Al Asaad : The majority should form the cabinet and govern the country , otherwise why did we hold an election ?
03:14pm Speaker Berri is currently meeting the Saudi ambassador to Lebanon in Ain el Tinah
2:25 pm In a speech that drew fire even before he delivered it, President Barack Obama will tell the US schoolchildren today he expects “great things from each of you.”
2:21pm Aoun’s OTV”: President Suleiman does not intend to sign the decree of the government line-up as presented by Hariri
2:15pm Al-Mustaqbal bloc: Cabinet formation gives a new hope for the Lebanese.
2;00 pm Kraft Foods Inc.’s 10.2 billion- pound ($16.7 billion) bid for Cadbury Plc may be a sign that Europe’s frozen takeover market is beginning to thaw after the slowest August in five years
1:56 pm Gemayel : What I read in the newspapers this morning surprised me since the cabinet line-up is not in accordance with what I was told by Hariri especially with regards to the Kataeb portfolios
1 :49pm caretaker minister Khalife : the number of swine flue cases in Lebanon has risen to 795 including 2 deaths
1:05pm Caretaker PM Fouad Siniora presides over Future bloc meeting in Qoreitem.
12:59 MP Saqr : March 8 has to accept the proposal of Hariri subject to changes in names or ministers
12:50 caretaker PM Siniora: what Hariri did yesterday is completely within his constitutional authority
12:45pm Abou Faour after meeting the president in Beiteddine: We understand what Hariri did since he did his duty. But we ask why the rejection by the opposition came so fast ? and why don’t we discuss the Hariri proposal ?
12:26pm Amal MP Ali Hassan Khalil says President Suleiman will have “major and positive” role regarding cabinet formation
12:25pm caretaker minister Safadi: There have been clear attempts recently to undermine the Presidency of the Republic, sometimes in form and sometimes in content
12:03pm MP Ahmad Karami: Hariri acted within his authority and in accordance with the constitution . The objections and reservations expressed so far are strictly political
11:50pm Bassil from Beiteddine: We informed the president about our rejection in both form and substance of the cabinet line-up that was imposed by Hariri
11:47 caretaker minister Arslan after meeting with President Suleiman: We have informed the president about the position of the opposition which rejects the line-up that was put forward by Hariri and he has the wisdom to act as required
11:44 “LBC” presidential sources: Suleiman has reservations until this moment over giving his opinion on the proposed government line-up and he will not sign off on any issue that is extremist in nature and could create division within the country
11:40 President Suleiman is meeting caretaker minister Abu Faour after having met with Arslan
11;00 Reuters ; A suicide car bomber blew up his vehicle outside a NATO military base at Kabul’s main airport on Tuesday killing at least two civilians,
10:20 Zahle MP Oqab Saqr told LBC: Statements made by some opposition members are aimed at obstructing cabinet formation.
11:15 Caretaker PM Fouad Siniora: Hariri’s move was within his full authorities. I am in continuous contact with the president and I will visit him in the next couple of days.

11:00 As Safir: Jumblatt said that Hariri suggested the “reshuffling of portfolios” to look for a way out of the stalemate, because “apparently part of the problem lies with allocating the sovereign ministries.”
11:02 Minister Ibrahim Najjar told Future News: Hariri’s line-up is based on Constitutional norms. The president has no specified time frame to reply to Hariri’s proposal.
10:52 Former PM Najib Miqati: Hariri’s move should be dealt with based on constitutional norms.
10:40 President Suleiman is meeting with opposition delegation, including Amal MP Ali Hassan Khalil, Hezbollah political adviser Hajj Hussein Khalil and Telecom Minister Gebran Bassil in Beiteddine
An-Nahar newspaper: President Michel Suleiman said that he “wants to save Lebanon,” emphasizing the necessity of forming a “balanced cabinet,” since an “extremist government” would instigate a crisis, “which would in turn make way for foreign interference.”
09:20 During an Iftar speech last night Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah rejected the prime minister-designate ’s proposed cabinet line-up:”I don’t think that the method employed today takes Lebanon out of the government formation crisis. On the contrary, it further complicates the problem,” he said
9:10 Caretaker Social Affairs Minister Mario Aoun told VOL: Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri has created a “cabinet-crisis” by presenting the cabinet line-up to President Michel Suleiman without the approval of the opposition with the purpose of a “graceful exit,” in which he would step down from his post.
8:30 MP Ahmed Fatfat told VOL: Hariri performed his constitutional duty. It is now up to the president to accept the line-up or reject it.
7:35 MP Antoine Saad told VOL: The cabinet line-up includes all blocs and is based on the 15-10-5 formula. There are internal as well as external obstacles to the government formation.
7:30 Caretaker Minister Elie Marouni told VOL: Hariri proposed a harmonious cabinet that includes all parties. I believe the president won’t approve the line-up following the opposition’s rejection.
07:29 Jumblatt sent Aridi to Riyadh , Saudi Arabia on a quick working visit
07:16 Abu Jamra: Saad Hariri is the one who chose the minister and should be held responsible
06:57 “al Akhbar “: Berri promised Kanaan the chairmanship of the Finance and Budget Committee in the Parliament
06:41 Riffi and Hassan in Saudi Arabia on a security related visit
06:26 “al Akhbar ” published the cabinet line-up as proposed by Hariri
06:17 visitors to Presidential palace : Suleiman is not acting as if he is bound to sign the decree on the proposed line-up
05:59 “As Safir”: Jumblatt is ready to give up the ministry of communications if he could keep the ministry of public works
05:48 Jumblatt: Hariri felt he was wasting his time and proposed the re-distribution of portfolios
05:39 the opposition Follow-up Committee held a meeting last night at the house of caretaker Minister, Gebran Bassil, in Rabiya, in which Hajj Hussein Khalil and MP Ali Hassan Khalil participated . The 3 decided to visit this Tuesday morning the president at the Beiteddine palace to voice their rejection of the proposed cabinet line-up
05:30 sources of PM designate : if the President won’t sign off on the cabinet line- up then Hariri is expected to quit

 
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Ezzedine declared bankruptcy after his cheque to Hezbollah bounced
Published: Tuesday, 8 September, 2009 @ 6:33 PM in Beirut
By Robert Fisk in Beirut
Everyone trusted Salah Ezzedine. A billionaire Shia Muslim businessman and financier from southern Lebanon, he organized pilgrimages to Mecca, ran a major Beirut publishing house and a children’s television station, held major investments in east European oil and iron conglomerates, and – much more to the point – was a close personal friend of very senior leaders of the Hezbollah. Indeed, many members of the world’s most powerful and successful guerrilla movement, along with the families of their “martyrs” in the war against Israel, placed both their faith and their inheritance in Mr Ezzedine’s hands.
To the deep embarrassment of the Iranian-financed and Iranian-armed militia, however, Mr Ezzedine turns out to be an “Abu Madoff”, declaring himself bankrupt, to the tune of $1.195bn (£760m), after promising his trusting investors an astonishing 40 per cent interest on their deposits – which, according to judicial officials in Lebanon, he eventually could not pay.
The Hezbollah have remained as silent as the grave – of which there are a lot in Lebanon – as well they might. For both Mr Ezzedine’s radio station and his publishing business were named after Hadi Nasrallah, son of Hezbollah’s general secretary, Hassan Nasrallah, who was killed leading a brave but suicidal attack on Israeli occupation troops in southern Lebanon.
But things were worse than this. It now appears that Mr Ezzedine’s financial collapse became inevitable after he wrote a $200,000 cheque to Hussein Haj Hassan, one of Nasrallah’s closest political advisers and a Hezbollah member of parliament. The cheque bounced. The response to this within Hezbollah’s bunkers can only be imagined.
The movement, created in 1982 as a result of Israel’s Lebanon invasion, had built up its prestige in the Arab world on its squeaky-clean reputation for financial and political probity. Middle East dictatorships and the third-rate leadership of the Palestinian Authority may salt their millions away in foreign bank accounts, but not the incorruptible Hezbollah. Or so the world thought, until the scandal that burst around Salah Ezzedine.

He is now being interviewed by the Lebanese judiciary, and is allegedly being held in the grim old prison at Roumieh, north of Beirut.
The story seems a familiar one. Flushed with massive profits in the oil business, Salah Ezzedine – so say economists in Beirut – began investing the savings of Lebanon’s Shia population, rewarding them with 40 per cent interest on their deposits – with the money from yet newer investors attracted by the rewards of his scheme. Whether Salah Ezzedine did this with the calculation of a Bernard Madoff or with a charitable desire to spread his own wealth among the largest single community in Lebanon, we do not know.
The Hezbollah – the “Party of God” in Arabic – has been strangely silent this past week, an unusual characteristic for such a publicity-conscious movement whose own millions – faithfully shipped in US currency bills to Beirut from Tehran – rebuilt dozens of Shia Muslim villages destroyed in Israel’s bombardment of southern Lebanon in 2006.
Hezbollah members could be seen handing out bundles of newly minted hundred-dollar bills to villagers and thousands of home-owners in the Dahiya area of Beirut whose property was “rubble-ised” in Israel’s bombing. Many of these civilians, Lebanese newspapers are reporting, have now lost their money with Salah Ezzedine’s collapse.
While traditionally ignored by the country’s government and living in the stony hills of southern Lebanon – many grow tobacco crops – as well as the Bekaa valley, members of the Shia Muslim community have been emigrants to west Africa, Brazil and Holland and have made fortunes abroad (especially on the Antwerp diamond market). The size of their remittances home is made manifest in many of their ancestral towns. Villas of unseemly conspicuous wealth – replete with marble colonnades, Greek pillars and manicured lawns – sit on desolate hillsides, sometimes only metres from the Israeli border.
Of course, there is another reason why Hezbollah might want to keep quiet just now.
Many Muslims believe that bank interest is un-Islamic, which is why the Lebanese Shia put their money in businesses run by Salah Ezzedine, who was known as a “pious” man – an optional extra for all friends of the Hezbollah – and whose Haj pilgrimages had become an essential element of that fixed part of the Muslim calendar in Lebanon.
Independent

 
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Wednesday News Briefs & Editorial
Published: Wednesday, 9 September, 2009 @ 8:12 AM in Beirut
Beirut- FPM leader General Michel Aoun may think he did not get his fair share in the proposed cabinet line-up of PM designate Saad Hariri, but his Christian opponents Lebanese Forces’ leader Dr Samir Geagea and Kataeb leader Amin Gemayel think he got far too much.
Both Geagea and former president Amin Gemayel criticized the proposed cabinet line-up
Gemayel’s son MP Sami Gemayel was offered the ministry of Tourism and this was the only ministry offered to the Kataeb party. Gemayel thinks this is too little for such a powerful party as the Kataeb. Sami Gemayel said yesterday he will refuse to serve in such a cabinet
The Lebanese Forces were offered 2 ministries : the ministry of Industry and the Social affairs ministry and Geagea is not happy about this : Geagea according to reliable sources fears that once given the education, labor and public works ministries, Aoun would get the upper hand in universities, schools, trade unions and social security services as well as roads, major projects, urban planning and infrastructure in a way that would allow him to exploit the state’s potentials to reinforce his political position among Christians.
Progressive Socialist party leader is not complaining about the line-up but thinks the objections by the opposition are due to the reconciliation problems between Saudi Arabia and Syria. Jumblatt, who refers to this as the SS problem dispatched yesterday his close aid Minister Ghazi Aridi to Jeddah with a message to the Saudi leaders urging them to continue with their reconciliation effort with Syria and to avoid any confrontation.
Jumblatt is concerned that Syria is again interfering in the internal Lebanese affairs and is trying to prevent the formation of the cabinet just like it did 2 years ago when it tried to prevent the election of the president of the republic
Both Speaker Nabih Berri and MP Walid Jumblatt are reportedly seeking to avoid a government crisis.
President Suleiman who is independent has reportedly been telling the opposition leaders that Hariri’s proposed cabinet line-up is not set in concrete and urged the opposition to deal with it on the basis that it is subject to discussion and development. The opposition is reportedly planning to bring a list of proposed amendments to the Beiteddine palace , the presidential summer residence .
The president is heading to New York on September 23 to address the UN general assembly on September 25 and wants to resolve the cabinet issue before leaving, but judging from the response to Hariri’s proposal it will be “wishful thinking since both the majority and the opposition are hardening their positions. Many are predicting that Lebanon won’t have a cabinet before year end

Wednesday
9:30 pm Hariri said during an Iftar Wednesday that he will not form a cabinet that does not fairly reflect the outcome of the 2009 parliamentary elections. He also said he will not succumb to “blackmail.” He added that in the coming two or three days, he will take “further steps to serve the nation’s interests.”
8:35pm Future News: PM-designate will visit President Suleiman either tomorrow or the day after to discuss the response to the proposed cabinet line-up

.
8:30 Speaker Berri met Minister Ghazi Aridi in Ain el-Tinah.
8:00pm PM-designate Hariri will meet tonight Hezbollah’s Hussein Khalil and Amal’s Hassan Khalil.
7:50pm Jumblatt told Al Manar TV: The Cabinet lineup does not show good signs and discussions with President Suleiman continue.
6:42pm Kenaan accused Hariri of proposing a Cabinet far from the National Unity Consensus and in defiance to the opposition and criticized him “for not respecting the constitutional norms and principles” in forming Cabinet.
5:55 pm AFP: Iranian foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki handed over to the envoys of six world powers on Wednesday, Iran’s new package of proposals for its controversial nuclear program
4:45pm Lebanese Forces’ leader Samir Geagea met with caretaker PM Siniora at the Grand Serail.
3:55pm The Opposition delegation left Beiteddine Presidential Palace without making any statement.
3:05pm The opposition delegation arrived in Beiteddine to meet with Suleiman.
2:45pm Soueid after the March 14 general-secretariat meeting: Due to the quick development of events, the general-secretariat will leave its meetings open-ended.
2:20pm MPs following their talks with Berri: The Speaker called for lowering tension and said he was making efforts with Suleiman and Jumblatt to deal with the cabinet crisis.
2:10pm MTV: Following their meeting, March 14 secretariat-general members headed for talks with Hariri on the latest developments on cabinet formation.
1:58pm OTV: Opposition delegation will meet with President Suleiman in Beiteddine at 3:00pm today
1:45pm A hand grenade was found near al-Hadi Minimarket in Ouzai. It was taken to a military base for fingerprints to identity the assailants who threw the grenade.
1 :35pm Torsarkissian from Nejmeh Square : the position of Basil, after meeting Suleiman in Beiteddine was less aggressive than usual and opened the door for further dialogue
1 :27pm Kaouk: What happened was the transfer from Lebanon ‘s railway of reconciliation to another railway and whoever wants to get out of the current impasse has to complete the dialogue with Aoun
1 :15pm Hassan Khalil from Nejmeh Square after meeting with Berri: The dialogue is open with regards to the subject of government formation and there is great opportunity for a breakthrough
1:10pm Zahle MP Fattoush denounced the non-representation of Zahle in the Cabinet lineup. Zahle residents were shocked after their rights were ignored.
1:10 Al Akhbar : MP Walid Jumblatt said the feedback of Minister Wael Abou Faour after meeting with the President indicates that the opposition, or at least part of it, is ready for serious dialogue.
1 :06pm “MTV”: Suleiman asked Hariri to exercise prudence in visiting Beiteddine until he obtains the final answer from the opposition with regards the cabinet line-up he presented
1:00 pm Reuters: An ally of Iranian opposition leader Mirhossein Mousavi has been detained, a reformist website said, in the latest move signalling increased pressure by the authorities on pro-reform foes of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
12:17 Jumblatt after meeting Vice president of the Higher Shiite Council Skeikh Abdel Amir Qabalan called for “patience in order to reach a proper solution since we have all agreed on being partners in a national unity government “
12:02 pm Al-Mustaqbal newspaper : UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon urged Israel to provide the Lebanese government with immediate compensation for the oil spill that it caused after bombing the Jiyeh power plant in South Lebanon during the 2006 July War.
12:00pm Eid al-Fitr falls on Sunday, September 20th, according to Grand Ayatollah Sayyed Mohammed Hussein Fadlallah.
11:45 Speaker Nabih Berri arrived at Parliament as part of the weekly Wednesday meetings with MPs.
11:40 AFP : Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak will meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Cairo on Sunday to discuss the Middle East peace process
11:30 Reuters – Kraft Foods Inc plans to cut its supplier base in half, a move that would affect more than 30000 companies, as the largest North American food maker looks to save more than $300 million a year. Kraft bid yesterday for Cadbury but its bid was rejected.
11:20 AP : Well over half of nearly 1400 Palestinians killed in Israel’s Gaza war were civilians, including 252 children younger than 16, a leading Israeli human rights groups said Wednesday.
11:19 Alloush told Al Jumhurriah : the situation is back to zero , the crisis would last much longer and the government will not be formed anytime soon soon since we have reached an impasse
11:00 MP Ahmed Fatfat: Hariri will not take any initiative unless it is in agreement with President Suleiman.
10:40 Israeli Jerusalem Post newspaper quoted on Wednesday Russian reports as saying that the four MiG-31E fighter jets, which Moscow will send to Syria, lack offensive capabilities and are only used for intelligence purposes. Two of the jets “would be operational, and the other two would be used for spare parts, ” since Russia will not provide effective after-sale services.
9;40 As-Safir : Lebanese Armed Forces-Intelligence Branch arrested on Tuesday five Lebanese involved in the Barouk internet station, which allegedly has connections with an Israeli station in Haifa.
8:30 LF official Fadi Saad told VOL: We are willing to accept the Cabinet lineup proposed by PM-designate Saad Hariri as a show of support for Hariri.
07:15 a change and reform MP: Aoun will today through the media launch a fiery response to the government line-up proposed by PM- designate Saad Hariri and which the opposition has rejected
07:05 Christian source in March 14 told al Akhbar: the cabinet line-up proposed by PM- designate Saad Hariri will create a major political crisis within the March 14 alliance
06:55 al Akhbar: The main objective of the visit to Jeddah by Minister Ghazi Aridi, is delivering a message to the Saudi leaders urging them to continue with their reconciliation effort with Syria and to avoid any confrontation
06:45 Jumblatt: the most recent speech of Secretary-General of Hezbollah, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah “was not convulsive and left a window open for a solution “
06:18 Al Akhbar: Suleiman urged the opposition to deal with the proposal Hariri on the basis that it is subject to discussion and development
06:10 Geagea sources: If we stop and think about the crisis that Lebanon is going through, perhaps we will then have a totally different position
06:00 Hariri circles: If the answers of the opposition are negative with regards to the cabinet line-up then all options become possible including the quitting by the PM designate
05:49 “As Safir “: the opposition has indicated that any change in the political formula will make it stick to its original demand of a blocking one third and reject the 15 +10 +5 formula
05:35 sources of “As Safir “: Saudi Arabia has advised the Lebanese to take it easy and subject themselves to deadlines and conditions

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Thursday News Briefs & Editorial
Published: Thursday, 10 September, 2009 @ 11:58 AM in Beirut
Beirut- The million dollar question in Lebanon is : Will Hariri quit ? Many March 14 MPs are predicting that Prime Minister-Designate Saad Hariri could step down as early as today because they claim that the opposition is not yet ready to commit to the formation of the cabinet .
Even if Hariri quits chances are he will be reappointed by the president to form the cabinet. Speaker Nabih Berri , a key member of the opposition has according to As Safir newspaper told members of Hezbollah and Amal that visited him yesterday in Ain el Tinah that if Hariri quits and the president initiates new consultations he will only name Hariri as the PM designate.
During an Iftar last night in Qoreitem, Hariri said that in the coming two or three days, he will take “further steps to serve the nation’s interests,” adding that the constitution grants him certain powers that he will practice, “because we take our responsibilities toward the Lebanese people seriously.” He did not elaborate on what he meant by “ further steps” nor the powers he will practice. “ Ali Hussein a Ya Libnan analyst thinks that what Hariri meant by further steps is that he may scrap the line-up of the national unity cabinet that he proposed to president Michel Suleiman and instead form a cabinet of March 14 majority members only .
Many blame the delay in government formation on the Saudi -Syrian reconciliation effort . Progressive socialist Part leader MP Walid Jumblatt has been working on this . He sent Monday his close aid Minister Ghazi Aridi to Jeddah with a letter to the Saudi Arabian leaders in which he has reportedly urged them to accelerate their reconciliation effort because such a step will help resolve Lebanon’s impasse
MP Nadim Gemayel, son of the former president-elect Bashir Gemayel said this morning : “Both Suleiman and Hariri know that what is behind the obstruction of the formation of the cabinet are Hezbollah arms and the Special International Tribunal for Lebanon (STL).” The STL was established to try the killers of former Prime minister Rafik Hariri , father of the PM-designate . Last spring the German magazine Der Spiegel revealed that Hezbollah was behind the assassination of Hairi Hariri.

Thursday
9:50 pm Qatari Prime and Foreign Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassem bin Jaber al-Thani announced on Thursday that Qatar is ready to host another session of inter-Lebanese talks after MP Saad Hariri stepped down from forming the cabinet.
9:40 pm UN chief Ban Ki-moon regrets the Lebanese parties’ failure to reach an understanding over the formation of a national-unity cabinet, according to UN Spokesperson Mary Okabi
9:00 Hariri said at the Iftar : “We are all Lebanese, we are partners, and not enemies. You are negotiating with us, not with your enemies,” Hariri said, in reference to the opposition. He added : The opposition wanted the majority to do all the sacrificing
8:40pm MP Saad Hariri: The majority is the one entitled to name the PM. Designate to form the cabinet
08:20 pm MP Ahmad Fatfat said the majority will reappoint MP Saad Hariri as prime minister-designate for the second time, adding that he does not expect outgoing PM Fouad Siniora to be nominated for the post.
8:15pm LBC: President Michel Suleiman will announce the schedule of the new consultations within 48 hours and Hariri would be renamed as PM-designate.
8:10pm An eighteen-year-old Mohammad Jaffal had his leg amputated at Nabatieh’s state-run hospital after stepping on a hidden cluster bomb near Ansar village.
8:08pm Basil’s told New TV in response to Hariri’s quitting : Whoever fails in forming the cabinet cannot return even if the constitution allows him because he should apply on himself what he applied on others when he refused to include in the cabinet those that failed in the election
7:44pm Abu Jamra told “Al-Manar”: whoever fails in forming the cabinet should not be asked again to do it
7:41pm Jumblatt told “Al-Manar:” I wish Hariri thought it over before stepping down , but I also wish the opposition was less harsh with him and what is required now is the acceleration of the consultations and the slowing down of speculation
7:40 Marouni: Hariri’s resignation was expected, opposition torpedoed every consensus approach
7:39 PSP leader Jumblatt to Al-Manar TV: I wish the opposition’s demands were not so difficult to meet
7:10pm North Lebanon’s Ministers and MPs are to meet this evening at the house of Tripoli’s mufti Malek Shaar to discuss the latest Cabinet lineup developments.
6:45pm caretaker PM Siniora from Beiteddine after meeting President Michel Suleiman: I will rename Saad Hariri as PM-designate and delaying Cabinet lineup will not obstruct our regular activities.
6:18pm Presidential statement: Hariri’s resignation falls within democratic framework, president to call for new consultations
6:08pm Chamoun regrets Hariri’s resignation, calls for opposition to shoulder responsibilities
5:37 pm President Michel Suleiman meets with caretaker PM Fouad Siniora in Beiteddine
05:09pm Fneish: Hezbollah regrets Hariri’s resignation, opposition wants guaranteeing-third (veto power)
04:05 pm Geagea after meeting the Italian ambassador: The March 8 team is covering up for a bigger movement outside Lebanon. It doesn’t want a government for several reasons, including Iran, the tribunal and tense relations between Syria and the west. LF to nominate Hariri again based on new criteria
3:48pm Outgoing PM Fouad Siniora meets with US Ambassador to Lebanon Michele Sison at Grand Serail
15:44 NOW exclusive: Official source says Hariri stepped down due to Iran’s propositions, opposition’s demands
2:55 pm Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri resigns from his post at a press conference following his meeting with President Michel Suleiman
2:02 pm President Michel Sleiman meets with Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri in Beiteddine
1:48pm OTV: Hariri left for Beiteddine for talks with Suleiman
1:16pm MP Jumblatt visited the Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia Aram Keshishian at the Patriarchate headquarters in Antelias.
1:05pm Salah Ezzedine” Lebanon’s Madoff” was referred to the Public Prosecution for taking the necessary legal action against him
12:30pm Lebanese National Bloc: If Hezbollah will govern the country the same way it handled Ezzeddine’s case, then good luck to the state!
12:00pm Tourism Minister Elie Marouni: The current Cabinet lineup proposal will not see the light at the end of the tunnel and Hariri will have to step down as PM-designate.
12;00 The recession is ending and the US economy is finally growing again. That’s the message implicit in the Federal Reserve’s latest survey of businesses around the country, which found economic activity stabilizing or improving in most regions
11:50am MP Ammar Houri told OTV: An apology will be Hariri’s next move if the Cabinet crisis persists.
11:15 MP Nadim Gemayel,: “Both Suleiman and Hariri know that what is behind the obstruction of the formation of the cabinet are Hezbollah arms and the Special International Tribunal for Lebanon (STL).”
9:00 MP Samir Al-Jisr told VOL: There’s some leniency on the dialogue. Any new consultations will lead to re-assigning Hariri as PM designate.
7:30 FPM MP Salim Salhab told the VOL: the absence of Gebran Bassil from Wednesday’s meeting between the opposition and the PM-designate is insignificant as the presence of the Amal Movement and Hezbollah representatives “means FPM was indeed represented.”

 
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Hariri , Lebanese PM-designate quits

Published: Thursday, 10 September, 2009 @ 8:28 PM in Beirut
By Bassem Mroue
Beirut – Lebanon’s prime minister-designate abandoned efforts Thursday to form a new government, throwing the country into more political uncertainty after the Hezbollah-led parliament minority rejected his proposed Cabinet.
Saad Hariri’s move — two days after his proposed 30-member Cabinet list was turned down — prolongs the paralysis in the country, with President Michel Suleiman now forced to restart consultations with lawmakers to name a new premier.
It also highlights the continuing deadlock between Lebanon’s U.S.-backed camp headed by Hariri and the pro-Syrian bloc led by the militant group Hezbollah. Hariri’s coalition — a predominantly Sunni alliance with Christian and Druse supporters — won a slim majority in June parliamentary elections, which were viewed by many observers as a struggle between U.S. and Iranian-backed forces for influence in the Middle East.
The Western-backed bloc fell short of the needed number of lawmakers in parliament to rule on its own. And while the Hezbollah camp also is not in a position to run the country, the two factions have not found a way to work together.
“I apologized to his excellency the president about (not being able to) form the government, hoping that this decision will be in Lebanon’s interest,” Hariri said after a meeting with Suleiman.
Suleiman issued a statement saying he considered Hariri’s step-down “part of the democratic process” and would call for further consultations.
Hariri tried since June to form a government but disputes over the distribution of top ministries scuttled his efforts. After making no headway with rival factions, he named his own picks for the Cabinet posts.
Hezbollah and its allies denounced this move, saying they must be allowed to name their own members in the unity Cabinet, which is to be made up of rival Lebanese factions.
Hariri accused the Hezbollah-led bloc of seeking to undermine the entire election, saying it had proposed “impossible conditions” and “had no wish to advance one step forward.”
Samir Geagea, a Christian leader and an ally of Hariri, accused the Hezbollah-led minority of obstructing the government formation upon orders from Iran and Syria.
Hezbollah officials were silent Thursday but in the past have accused Hariri of taking orders from Saudi Arabia and the United States.
The Lebanese constitution requires that Suleiman consult with lawmakers again before choosing another prime minister. He is expected to meet with representatives of the parliament blocs as early as next week to sound out their proposals in the coming days.
There has been speculation the U.S.-backed outgoing premier, Fuad Saniora, would be named, although opponents who clashed with him over the past four years said such a choice would be considered “provocative.”
Fadia Kiwan, a political science professor at Beirut’s St. Joseph University, said Hariri could be named once again by the majority but that the president is more likely to tap a neutral person to form a technocratic government.
The only thing the factions agreed on during the negotiations over a Cabinet makeup was a formula that gave Hariri’s parliamentary majority 15 seats, the Hezbollah-led minority 10 seats and the president five seats to fill.
One of the most contentious points was the demand by Hezbollah and its allies that Jibran Bassil, of the Hezbollah-ally Christian Free Patriotic Movement, stay on as telecommunications minister, a sensitive post for security reasons.
Hariri rejected this, reportedly choosing a politician closer to his own bloc for the post, Ghazi Aridi of the Druse politician Walid Jumblatt’s Progressive Socialist Party.

 
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Friday News Briefs & Editorial
Published: Friday, 11 September, 2009 @ 11:08 AM in Beirut

 
Beirut – As was widely expected Lebanon’s prime minister-designate Saad Hariri, quit Thursday, plunging the nation deeper into a political crisis over failed efforts to form a government. Hariri blamed his failure on the Syrian- and Iranian-backed opposition, saying it made unreasonable demands.
“After a final round of negotiations, it became clear to me that some, with their impossible demands, are in no way going to allow the proposed Cabinet lineup to pass,” Hariri, a key member of the March 14 majority alliance and leader of Lebanon’s Sunni Muslim community, said in a televised statement after meeting with President Michel Suleiman. “I announce to all Lebanese that I informed his Excellency , the president, today that I am unable to form the government.”
The Lebanese political system is based on a power-sharing formula involving the Christian, Shiite Muslim, Sunni Muslim and Druze religious communities.
Lebanese President Michell Suleiman must now designate a new prime minister, and Hariri will most likely be re-nominated. In Lebanon the Prime minister should be a Muslim Sunni and Hariri is the leader of the largest parliamentary bloc besides being a key member of the parliament majority .
According to morning reports president Suleiman will start the consultations on Tuesday .
All the majority parliamentary blocs have already indicated that Hariri is their choice. Even speaker Nabih Berri told his Hezbollah and his Amal MPs that he intends to re-nominate Hariri as the next prime minister if he decided to step down.
While most March 14 MPs are calling for a government of the majority , Jumblatt told as Safir newspaper: “ I will not be part of any government that is not a Government of National Unity . I will not be participate in any government of one color that is being promoted by some “
“The opposition team doesn’t want a government for several reasons, including Iran, the tribunal and tense relations between Syria and the West,” said Samir Geagea, leader of the Christian Lebanese Forces party
The big question in Lebanon : Will there be a Doha 2 accord ? Yesterday Qatari prime minister offered to host a new round of talks to resolve the impasse.

Friday
10:20 pm  The number of Americans without health insurance reached 46.3 million in 2008, up from 45.7 million a year earlier, according to figures released Thursday by the US Census Bureau.
10:10 pm VOA : The European Union wants an urgent meeting with Iran to talk about Tehran’s controversial nuclear program. EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana said Friday EU officials had contacted Iran’s chief nuclear negotiator regarding the country’s nuclear program.
9:55pm The US condemned Friday’s rocket attack on Israel from southern Lebanon. “We strongly condemn these attacks, which were in clear violation of the cessation of hostilities called for in UN Resolution 1701,” said Assistant US Secretary of State PJ Crowley.
8:42pm Saad Hariri at al- Makased’s Iftar: Cabinet formation as the minority sees it, means to comply with its conditions and I refuse to see it from that angle.
8:20pm Jumblatt on Berri’s wave length supports a National unity Cabinet based on the 5-10-15 formula.
08:20 pm The Army Command : An unknown party fired from Qulailah 2 Grad 122mm rockets towards Israel and the Israeli enemy fired back 12 shells 155m each . No casualties were reported and material damages are being assessed
8:15pm General Michel Aoun condemned Hariri’s position as it makes the PM- designate “the absolute ruler”.
8:10pm The state-run agency NNA reported that Israel has taken exceptional military measures at the border line with Lebanon after Katyusha rockets were fired on Israel.
8:05pm The Lebanese Army and UNIFIL are searching for hidden rockets in Southern Tyre.
7:32pm The United Nations Secretary-General Ban Kee- moon condemned rockets attack on Israel from Lebanon.
7:05pm President Suleiman followed up the latest developments in the South and confirmed Lebanon’s commitment to 1701 UN resolution.
6:30pm The Lebanese Army and UNIFIL found the base used to fire the Katyusha rockets in a grove in Qulaileh.
6:07pm Presidential sources stated that Parliamentary consultations will take place next Tuesday and Wednesday.
6:05pm UNIFIL deployed additional forces in Southern Lebanon following Katyushka rockets and Israeli retaliation.
5:10pm IDF: We hold Lebanon government responsible, Haaretz reported
5:04pm UNIFIL says it did not receive any reports on casualties in Israel or in Lebanon, urging both countries to remain calm
5:00pm Lebanese army : At least 8 Israeli retaliatory artillery shells hit Qulaileh
4:58pm Israeli helicopters are circling over the town of Marwahayn
4:51pm NBN security sources: UNIFIL was notified by Israel that it has stopped shelling southern Lebanon
4:43pm Israeli warplanes fly over the Lebanon-Israel border.
4:31pm MP Saad Hariri headed to Saudi Arabia on private jet
4:30pm UNIFIL has taken security measures along the southern coast
4:22pm Future News: Israel fired more than 10 artillery shells at Qulaileh. Other reports indicated as many as 15 shells landed in Qulaileh
4:20 pm AP: Mourners in New York City are observing a second moment of silence on the eighth anniversary of Sept.11
4:18pm Al-Arabiyya: Missiles fired from Qulaileh landed in Nahariya
4:15pm Al-Manar TV: Israel fired four rockets on the outskirts of Qulaileh in response to the rocket attack from southern Lebanon .
4:11pm AFP: Explosion heard, rocket shrapnel found in northern Israel: witnesses
4:09pm Series of explosions heard in northern Israel, no report of casualties
4:05pm New TV : Israel responded by launching artillery shells at the source of fire in southern Lebanon.
3:45pm Unconfirmed press reports: Three missiles launched from Qulaileh near the southern port city of Tyre landed in Israel.
2:30pm MP Nicolas Fattoush dismissed MP Elie Marouni from “Zahle in the heart” bloc for his “latest misleading positions”. Marouni condemned the decision.
2:05pm President Michel Suleiman met with Defense Minister Elias Murr to discuss the current situation and its ramifications. National security and military issues were also discussed.
1:50pm Former minister Joseph Sarkis: The Lebanese Forces will rename Hariri as PM-Designate and will support the 15-10-5 government formula.
1:00pm The International Atomic Energy Agency has transported powerful radioactive sources, which could have been “vulnerable to malicious acts,” from Lebanon to Russia end of last month, the IAEA announced Thursday. The sources comprised 36 Cobalt-60 sources, with a combined activity of 3.500 curies. A single source is powerful enough to kill a person within minutes, if directly exposed, it added. The Cobalt-60 sources were from an irradiator that was once used for an agricultural project 10 years ago
12:45pm The Military Examining Magistrate, Rashid Mezher, referred to Judge Nabil Wehbe the Military prosecutor’s charges against the five detainees in the Barouk Network case.
12:08 Khamenei said during Friday prayer that opponents of Iran’s regime will be strongly “confronted”
12:pm AP: Iran’s new proposal for talks with the West promises wide-ranging negotiations but does not provide details of the country’s disputed nuclear program, according to a copy of the document published by an investigative group.
11:21 MP Ahmed Fatfat told New TV: The National unity government project was brought down by the parliamentary minority. Hariri is now stronger than he ever
11:05 MP Ibrahim Kanaan told LBC: Hariri’s decision is within constitutional rights . We didn’t nominate him the first time and we will not reconsider his nomination .
10:47 Patriarch Sfeir meets US ambassador Michele Sison in Diman
10:38 MP Mashnouq : We will overcome this crisis with courage and vision of Jumblatt and the steadfastness and wisdom of Hariri and they will not succeed in the assassination of the election results
10:17 Moussa told “future news”: It is assumed that the parliamentary blocks will meet and nominate whoever they want to form a government , knowing that the majority have deciding vote
10:11 De Freije told “LBC”: Hariri stepped down in order to preserve the democratic system in Lebanon and disruption of the government formation is not the work of one person but the entire March 8 team is responsible
09:49 Al Qabas: The presidential Palace tried to speed up the return of Aoun from abroad to resolve the Gebran Bassil impasse
09:28 Sources for Al Awan : Lebanon has entered a new phase of persistent government crisis which could lead to renewed unrest and security problems
09:19 Salim Aoun told “Saut al Mada “: Hariri failed in the task assigned to him and should not be reappointed unless the task has changes since the opposition is insisting on its demands
09:14 Al Anbaa: Jumblatt advised not to think of stepping down because the majority will bring him back to form a government which means he will be back in the same situation
09:11 a source close to Hariri: the majority will not prejudge things and will consider that things are back to square one and thus all previous understandings will reevaluated and will be discussed from A to Z
09:08 Ezzedine repeatedly tried to blame Hezbollah as being equally responsibility for the loss of the money of the investors
08:59 51 wanted people arrested for committing criminal acts
08:56 the car of journalist Jean Aziz was attacked twice during the past 5 days and thelast attack took place last night
08:48 al Anbaa sources: Whatever happens, Saad Rafik Hariri will be the head of the new Government of Lebanon and the next government will be a Government of national unity
08:43 Franjieh: Hariri may mean not giving me a bag for me on the reaction used in his campaign against the opposition and accused of obstruction
08:32 French diplomat : Neither Fouad Siniora nor any other political figure will be returned as PM . Only Saad Hariri will be returned
08:24 Hunein told Voice of Lebanon”: The only solution is the Lebanese solution and the Lebanese solution is the constitutional solution and that means the majority must govern
08:16 Kanaan : the road to the Serail will be the same whether the new prime minister-designate is Saad Hariri, Fouad Siniora, Najib Mikati, or Abdul-Rahim Murad
08:10 Judge Mirza: The value of Ezzedine’s bankru???????????

 
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Saturday News Briefs & Editorial
Published: Saturday, 12 September, 2009 @ 2:44 PM in Beirut

 
Beirut – Two rockets were fired yesterday into northern Israel from the village of Qulailah, near the southern Lebanese port city of Tyre, and Israel responded minutes later, launching 14 missiles and scrambling fighter jets across the border, Lebanese and Israeli news media reported.

No casualties were reported on either side of the border, a frequent flash point between Israel and Lebanese or Palestinian militant groups. It was the first such exchange of fire since February.
Israeli police said the two rockets landed in northern Galilee, one just outside the town of Nahariya. The Israeli military said it fired back at the source of the rockets in Qulailah
The Lebanese Army and UNIFIL found the base used to fire the rockets in a grove in Qulaileh.
The Lebanese Army Command made the following announcement following the exchange of fire : “An unknown party fired from Qulailah 2 Grad 122mm rockets towards Israel and the Israeli enemy fired back 12 shells 155m each . No casualties were reported and material damages are being assessed”
No one took responsibility for the attack but according to weapons experts the Grad 122mm rockets are made in Iran and are shipped through Syria to Hezbollah and Palestinian militant groups that are loyal to the Syrian regime
The US condemned Friday’s rocket attack: “We strongly condemn these attacks, which were in clear violation of the cessation of hostilities called for in UN Resolution 1701,” said Assistant US Secretary of State PJ Crowley.
The United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki – Moon also condemned the rocket attack on Israel from Lebanon.
President Suleiman followed up yesterday the latest developments in the South and confirmed Lebanon’s commitment to 1701 UN resolution.
The attack took place a day after PM Designate Saad Hariri quit the task of government formation . He blamed his resignation on the unreasonable demands by the Hezbollah-led opposition
Many March 14 leaders are wondering if Syria’s allies fired the rockets to put pressure on the Lebanese parliament majority just as they did on May 7 2008 when they occupied west Beirut and tried to occupy the Druze strongholds of Mount Lebanon.

Saturday
10:27 pm Aoun told Al Jazeera TV: I insist on holding onto the ministry of Communication and Gebran Bassil . The issue has become the subject of a challenge against us and my allies are also insisting on Bassil and won’t participate in the cabinet without me
8:30 PM Saad Hariri at Qoraitem’s Iftar: I did not ask anybody to re-designate me as PM . “Those who do not want to nominate me as Prime Minister-designate are free to choose whoever they find suitable.”
8;23pm MP Butros Harb questioned the timing of firing the rockets vs the Cabinet lineup obstruction.
8:18pm: Jumblat told Press TV: “Lebanon’s unity is in danger, and we have to form the national unity cabinet as soon as possible to protect it against any possible Israeli aggression.”He added : ” Saad Hariri is still for the 5-10-15 formula “. He called on all parties to “give concessions because forming a national unity cabinet is in everybody’s interest .” He also said : “I don’t mind Iran arming Lebanon since the Americans do not want to provide the Lebanese military with weapons because they fear Israel’s reaction to such a move.”
8:05pm LBC : Jumblatt met President Suleiman privately away from the media, MP Wael Faour said
7: 40pm al Manar TV: MP Jumblatt would ask for a meeting with Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah who will also meet MP Hariri to discuss Cabinet formation.
7:33pm In response to MP Habib’s statement, the Internal Security directorate referred the Lebanese Forces’ demand regarding the “exceptional security measures “to the Central Security Council.
6:50 pm AFP: UNIFIL spokesperson Milos Strugar said on Saturday that extremists tied to Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon may have been behind the latest rocket attack from the Qulailah village in South Lebanon into Israel on Friday that triggered retaliatory artillery fire.
6:15pm Loyalty to Resistance bloc’s MP Raad criticized “the superiority spirit” that discriminates between “majority and minority” as it rules out the National Unity Cabinet.
5:00pm MP Habib demanded Interior minister to maintain the application of security measures on Lebanese Forces’ MPs.
5:00pmAP : Gertrude Baines, who lived to be the world’s oldest person on a steady diet of crispy bacon, fried chicken and ice cream, died Friday at a nursing home. She was 115.
4:50 pm Afghan’s Independent Election Commission says it plans to announce complete results from the August 20 presidential election Saturday.
4:45 pm AFP: Iran’s Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki on Saturday renewed Tehran’s readiness for negotiations over its nuclear proposals but made no direct response to calls from the major powers for urgent talks.
4:40 pm Berri’s bloc will nominate a PM-designate committed to the formation of a national-unity cabinet. This changes the position preciously stated by Berri that he will only nominate Saad Hariri
3:30pm MP Safadi: The majority will rename Saad Hariri as Cabinet PM.
3:30pm Israelis soldiers start a fire in the settlement of Mutilah on the Lebanese border that spreads till Marjeyoun and burnt stocks of wheat and hay.
3:27pm President Suleiman expressed his satisfaction over the openness and ongoing communications among the political parties to reach Cabinet line-up.
3:02pm MP Saad Hariri discussed the latest political developments with MP Boutros Harb.
3;00 pm The sporadic flare ups between Israel and Lebanon on Friday have aroused international reactions. Russia on Saturday voiced “particular concern” and warned against any actions that could raise tensions in the Middle East.
2:55 pm VOA: News South Korea says it would not oppose the United States holding direct talks with North Korea to persuade Pyongyang to rejoin stalled nuclear disarmament talks.
2:50 pm BBC: The US says it is willing to accept an offer from Iran for talks on a wide range of issues. Tehran offered “comprehensive and constructive negotiations” on Wednesday, but did not mention the key issue of its nuclear program
2:45pm Caretaker Fouad Siniora received a call from Secretary General of the Arab League Amr Moussa: They discussed the current situation in Lebanon and the region.
1:53pm UNIFIL spokesperson Bouziane: Lebanese-Israeli border “calm” after rocket attacks
12:30 Six civilians were killed as a roadside bomb struck their car in Taliban former stronghold Kandahar of southern Afghanistan, a press release issued by provincial administration Saturday said.
12:19 Fatfat: Is it right that family relations become more important than the parliamentary elections and the formation of the government. ( In reference to Aoun’s insistence that Gebran Bassil should be allocated a portfolio in the cabinet even though he failed in the last election )
1:40pm Judge Fawzi Adham charged detainees Salah Ezzeddine and Youssef Faour with money fraud.
11:35 Phalange Party Leader Amin Gemayel on the occasion of Butros Khawand’s kidnapping: Relations with Syria can only be straightened if the ‘Detainees’ File’ is closed.
10:56 March 14 coordinator Fares Soueid: No repetition of May 7, no ‘Doha II Summit’
10:40 Mario Aoun: Only alternative to 15-10-5 formula is to not form a cabinet at all
9:35am MP Nidal Tohme to Free Lebanon Radio: The 15-10-5 formula must be discarded
09:01 South Lebanon residents receive threatening phone calls from Israel
8:35am Hezbollah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah will address the Cabinet crisis during Laylat el-Qadr speech at 10:00pm Saturday.
07:33 US envoy George Mitchell will be in Lebanon next Wednesday and will hold a meeting with President Suleiman

 
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Sunday News Briefs & Editorial
Published: Sunday, 13 September, 2009 @ 12:38 PM in Beirut
Beirut- Fawzi Adham , a Lebanese prosecutor formally charged on Saturday Salah Ezzedine a prominent Shiite businessman and his partner, Youssef Faour , both linked to Hezbollah with fraudulent embezzlement, a crime punishable by up to 15 years in prison, a court official said.
Ezzedine, is suspected of depriving investors of hundreds of millions of dollars. He was handed over to Lebanese authorities last month by Hezbollah after declaring bankruptcy and has since been held in custody.
Ezzedine is suspected of creating a Ponzi scheme that promised investors returns of up to 40 percent a year. The case has drawn comparisons in Lebanon with that of Bernard Madoff. Madoff was sentenced for 150 years in prison.
Adham charged Ezzedine and Faour, with fraudulent embezzlement, issuing bad checks and violating the Lebanese monetary and loan laws.
Five others have also been charged with involvement in the case, but are on the run, the official said.
Ezzedine and Faour have been referred to an investigating magistrate for further investigation before a date is set for their trial.
Throughout the interrogation Ezzedine attempted to involve Hezbollah in the responsibility towards the investors. About 11000 investors , mostly Shiite Muslims have reportedly been involved in the scheme .
Key Hezbollah officials have reportedly been involved in Ezzedine’s financial scheme and one of the Hezbollah officials MP Hussein Hajj Hassan has reportedly filed a lawsuit against Ezzedine asking for the reimbursement of his $200, 000 investment.
The charges against Ezzedine coincided with the crises in Lebanon over the government formation . The Hezbollah-led opposition has reportedly made unreasonable demands which prompted PM designate Saad Hariri to quit the task of government formation.
Hariri will most probably be re-nominated as the PM designate . According to al Hayat newspaper Hariri could be re-nominated with as many as 86 votes ( out of 128 MPs). The consultations by the president with parliamentary bloc leaders to determine their choice for PM designate will take place on Tuesday and Wednesday
Hariri is expected to head to Paris today to review a French -Qatari initiative aimed at resolving the Lebanon crisis . Qatar last year hosted a gathering in Doha that led to the election of the president and the formation of a national unity government. Qatari PM has offered to host Doha II accord to help in the formation of a government

Monday
6:10 The Press Association : German Chancellor Angela Merkel and her challenger emerged from their only television debate two weeks before elections much as they entered it — seeming more comfortable working together than fighting each other.
6: 00 Reuters: Osama bin Laden apparently issued a new audio message on an Islamist Web site on Monday, warning the American people about their government’s close ties to Israel.

Sunday
10:23 pm Hariri : “Wining the parliament majority is a trust that we will protect” . He stressed that he stepped down because “there were some that did not want a government to be formed but instead wanted to waste the time of the Lebanese people”. If opposition truly wants a cabinet, we can form one in 48 hours!
10:10 pm AP: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, speaking on the eve of a key meeting with the White House Mideast envoy, said Sunday that differences remain with the U.S. over resuming peacemaking with the Palestinians.
10:00pm LAT : MP Walid Jumblatt : Washington refuses to give Lebanon any weapon that could harm Israel. “They will tell you these weapons will be used against Israelis,” Jumblatt said. “OK, but my enemy is Israel.” He added “We need anti-tank weapons and anti-aircraft weapons… I think we can find such weapons in Iran , Russia or China.”
9:00 pm: Iran has dealt a blow to one of President Barack Obama’s most ambitious diplomatic initiatives by dismissing demands to put its nuclear program at the heart of direct talks with the United States.
8:20pm Baroud’s told OTV: perhaps I may have made a mistake somewhere, but I am very satisfied with what I did as if I am on the first day of my job at the ministry. He added; ” My conscious is clear because I did the best I could “
08:10 pm MP Mohammad Qabbani : “General Aoun considers his son-in-law Gebran Bassil a genius , but I think he is nothing special “
8:06pm Pakradonina told “LBC”: The Tashnaq still views MP Saad Hariri as the most appropriate and most likely to form a government
8:05pm Fatfat told “LBC”: the opposition will name “vacuum” and “Lebanon first” will name its candidiate for PM designate
8:04pm Kanaan told “LBC”: the situation is still the same and we were not offered any new proposals by anyone
7:43pm “Change and Reform Bloc”source told “Al-Manar”: we will not name Hariri and we are discussing the possibility of naming someone else
7:42pm PSP sources told Al-Manar : Our Coalition is continuing with Hariri, with emphasis on forming a government of national unity
7:41pm Speaker Nabih Berri’s bloc to meet Monday to choose its candidate for PM-designate
7:32pm “Al-Manar”: the same number of MPs , who named Hariri during the previous consultations will rename him tomorrow during the new consultations as the PM designate
7:22pm Netanyahu arrives in Cairo to hold talks with Mubarak
5:57pm MP Boutros Harb: Their fake national-unity cabinet slogan will not lead to uniting the Lebanese
3:15pm MP Walid Jumblatt: Utmost concessions must be made to form national-unity cabinet
2:25pm Iranian president Ahmadinejad: Iran ready for talks but not on nuclear issues
12:25pm Wiam Wahab told al-Manar TV: Hariri plunged Lebanon into an adventure and he will pay a price for that.
12:00pm Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel holds the Lebanese government responsible for rocket fire from its territory, following the latest attacks from southern Lebanon into the Jewish state.
11:00 Grand Ayatollah Sayyed Mohammed Hussein Fadlallah issued a religious fatwa, banning normalization of relations with Israel whatever the outcome of the actions of Arab political regimes.
11:28 Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Lebanese government responsible for rocket launch, warns that Israel will not respond lightly to such incidents
10:30 MP Dori Chamoun told VDL: I suggest the formation of a technocrat government that would give key ministries to four political leaders.
10:25 MP Ahmed Fatfat told Future News TV: Hezbollah wants the majority to succumb to Opposition demands or obstruct to the formation of a government. We totally reject this.
10:20 Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Sfeir: Christian faith does not claim to be a political power, but rather recognizes the legitimate authority.
10;10 MP Marwan Hamadeh told Voice of Lebanon that the majority has agreed to nominate Future Movement leader MP Saad Hariri as the PM designate
8:43am Geagea told Voice of Free Lebanon: “The majority has unanimously agreed to re-renominate Hariri to form a government. Hariri was serious about the 15-10-5 Cabinet lineup. He worked until the last minute to find a solution to the government formation.” He accused a “certain political party” of not wanting to form a government in Lebanon.
08:13 Jengenian told al Balad newspaper : the citizens should play their role, by putting pressure on forming a government
8:00 Reuters: Israeli war movie “Lebanon” about the 1982 war with Israel, won the Golden Lion for best picture at the Venice film festival on Saturday.
07:57 European diplomat: No one believes

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Monday News Briefs & Editorial
Published: Monday, 14 September, 2009 @ 11:33 AM in Beirut
Beirut – If MP Saad Hariri wants his former job of Prime Minister-designate , he can have it. According to morning reports 86 MPs are predicted to rename Hariri as their choice for prime minister to form the new government. This number includes the 71 Mps from the March 14 majority alliance, the lawmakers from Speaker Nabih Berri’s Development and Liberation bloc and two from the Tashnag party .
“Lebanon First” parliamentary bloc will meet in Qoreitem at 2:00 pm Monday to rename their leader (Hariri ) as the Prime Minister-designate.
Speaker Nabih Berri’s Development and Liberation bloc will also be meeting later today to confirm that their choice is Hariri for PM-designate
MP Michel Aoun’s Change and Reform bloc and Hezbollah’s Loyalty to the Resistance bloc will not be naming Hariri as PM-designate , but are studying the possibility of naming someone else
During an Iftar last night in honor of families and dignitaries from north Lebanon Hariri said : “He who wants to name Saad Hariri, let him do so and he who doesn’t want to name him (Hariri), let him also do so. I will deal likewise with those who don’t want to name me.”
Hariri reiterated his commitment to the “logic of majority and minority.”
He pointed out that the majority March 14 coalition has stretched a hand to the minority March 8 alliance “so we could be together in the government, and not impose conditions on us in the government.”
The president is expected to hold the consultations with the parliamentary bloc leaders choice for PM -designate Tuesday and Wednesday .
The president returned yesterday to Baabda from the summer presidential palace of Beiteddine , in the Shouf region of mount Lebanon.
There was some speculation this morning that the president may delay the consultations till after the Eid el Fitr holiday which marks the end of the fasting month of Ramadan
Hariri stepped down as Premier-designate last Thursday after the opposition rejected his Cabinet lineup proposal.

Monday
22:10 Pharaoun told “Future news”: the majority is committed to Hariri , rejects the preconditions of the minority and Speaker Berri is awaiting the password to decide which way to go and there is a group that does not want the government to be formed
20:54 One Palestinian was sentenced for 3 years in jail because he tried to bomb UNIFIL
8:40pm Examining Magistrate Jean Fernaini issued an arrest warrant for Salah Ezzeddine and Youssef Faour.
08:00pm Aoun: “Either we take our full rights, or no one takes their rights at all,”
6:52pm MP Nabil Nicholas: We hold onto Bassil and will not accept to be marginalized.
5:40pm Solange Gemayel following the mass: What we see today is an obstruction to the state to prevent it from imposing its sovereignty on all its territories. In the name of the absolute majority of steadfast Lebanese, I say: We won’t let anyone to take Lebanon back into a new crisis to bring back hegemony
4:50 pm France plans to include happiness and well-being in its measurements of economic progress, French President Nicolas Sarkozy said Monday, beckoning other countries to join in a “revolution” in the way growth is tracked after the global economic crisis
4:10pm A mass to commemorate the 27th assassination anniversary of President-elect Bashir Gemayel is being held in Ashrafiyeh.
04:05pm LF leader Samir Geagea arrived at the church in Ashrafiyeh to participate in the mass that commemorates the 27th assassination anniversary of President-elect Bashir Gemayel
3:53pm MP Zahra: Democracy does not give the opposition the right to impose their conditions on the PM-designate and they will not get back the veto power.
3:46 pm VOA : Iranian state media say Iran has agreed to start talks with six world powers on global economic and security problems in early October.
3:45pm ‘Lebanon First’ bloc said it will rename Hariri for the PM’s post and lauded his efforts to form a national unity cabinet.
3:40 pm NYT: A British judge sentenced three men to life in prison on Monday for plotting to bomb at least seven trans-Atlantic airliners with liquid explosives smuggled aboard in soft-drink bottles,
3:27pm Lebanese Army Command revealed that the Israelis opened fire yesterday on a fishing boat inside Lebanese territorial waters.
3:21pm Lebanon First bloc holds a meeting in Qoreitem headed by MP Saad Hariri.
3:20pm The Lebanese foreign ministry told U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon in a letter that Israel should coordinate with UNIFIL over any future incident on the Blue Line rather than taking a unilateral action.
3:10 pm Al-Anbaa : Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblatt called on all the Lebanese parties to “unify their ranks” and facilitate the formation of the new cabinet because any “possible political or security incidents may lead to negative consequences that no party can handle.”
2:55pm Lebanese judiciary set anchorwoman Ghada Eid free on bail that was set at 6 million Lebanese pounds.
3:00pm The Liberation and Development bloc said it would take its time before deciding who to name for the premier’s post.
2:10pm The Liberation and Development bloc is holding a meeting headed by Speaker Nabih Berri to decide on the name of the new premier-designate.
1:32pm A Renault went off track on Shekka highway killing the driver Nader Nader and his wife Cicilia Jomaa
1:25pm TV presenter Ghada Eid surrendered herself to authorities. She was taken to the investigating judge office in Mount Lebanon for questioning regarding the slander and defamation case against Judge Shahid Salameh.
1:15pm French ambassador Andre Parant denied from Bkirki any French-Qatari initiative to solve the Cabinet crisis, saying there is no crisis but only difficulties.
1:14pm Syrian citizen Abdullah Ahmad Al-Mousawi died after falling from an apartment, still under construction in Rafid, Rashaya. His body was taken to Syria and police started an investigation.
12:30pm Siniora discussed current situation with MP Nicolas Fattoush and his brother Pierre.
11:34 MP Elie Marouni told LBC: We back Hariri despite our reservation regarding Kataeb’s share (in Cabinet). No one but MP Hariri is nominated to form a new Cabinet and he will be reassigned as PM-designate. We believe he is capable of playing a leading role in Lebanon’s development.
11:20 MP Ibrahim Kanaan told Future News: Our decision not to rename Hariri as PM-Designate is not personal but political. The dispute with Hariri is that neither he nor we decide on this matter. It is the political reality that decides.
11:14 Siniora from Baabda: I rename Hariri to form a new Cabinet and I call on everybody to adhere to the Constitution. I will leave for Saudi Arabia to perform Umrah.
9:30 President Michel Suleiman received MP Fouad Siniora at the presidential Palace in Baabda to discuss the current situation.
08:51 Saraya Ziad Jarrah of Abdullah Azzam Brigades linked to Al Qaeda claimed responsibility for firing rockets from southern Lebanon
08:51 spokesman for the British government: Damascus and Baghdad have to work together and we are examining proposals Iran
08:48 a possible delay of consultations with parliamentary blocs until after Eid al-Fitr
08:47 A Qatari envoy has made an unannounced visit to Beirut on Friday
08:46 sources of the majority: Hariri will not accept the assignment without guarantees
08:41 MP Atef Majdalani,: There is an intention to keep Lebanon as a battle ground and a regional mail box
08:36 Minister Qabbani: if the impossible preconditions continue then the only way to save the country is through a government of technocrats
08:36 MP sources: Beri is linking between his choice for PM designate and a unity government
8:32 MP Michel Moussa told VOL: The Development and Liberation bloc( Speaker Berri’s bloc) stands firm in its position on re-appointing Saad Hariri as PM-designate to form a national unity government
07:55 Abu Nader: Geagea is in the process of forming a new party
07:49 As Safir : During his visit to Beirut Zalmay Khalilzad, asked a prominent member of March 14 “How do you extend your hands to those who killed Rafik Hariri and all the martyrs of the Cedar Revolution? Wait for some time and you could be alone forming a Government of the majority that truly reflects the results of the parliamentary elections.”
07:05 centrists representatives : It seems that the Lebanese want every time to prove their incompetence
06:51 Maarab community (LF) : We reject the weapons outside the framework of legitimacy

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Tuesday News Briefs & Editorial
Published: Tuesday, 15 September, 2009 @ 11:34 AM in Beirut
Beirut – The consultations regarding the designation of a Prime Minister to form the new cabinet will start at 11 am today at the Baabda palace with a meeting between President Michel Suleiman and Speaker Nabih Berri. Berri who had initially confirmed that he plans to unconditionally nominate Saad Hariri later changed his mind and stipulated that his vote is subject to the condition that Hariri should form a national unity government .
Berri’s change of heart created tension between him and Hariri
Hariri stressed on Monday that he has the right to adopt a “different” negotiations approach
“I have kept my hand extended but they (the opposition) have always rejected our open approach,” Hariri said during an iftar at his residence in Qoreitem. “In face of such rigid stance, it then becomes my constitutional right to adopt a different strategy.”
He said he would reveal such a strategy if he is reappointed as PM-designate. “We would then see how much the other parties would cooperate on cabinet formation.”
“No one tells me what to do as long as I am working within my constitutional authorities that allow me to form the cabinet in cooperation with the president,” he stressed.
Hariri said that his alliance had agreed to include Hezbollah in the cabinet, despite Israeli threats and he was ready to make sacrifices “in order to preserve Lebanon’s interests.”
The Development and Liberation bloc headed by Berri said following their yesterday’s meeting that its members awaited a declaration by Hariri regarding his commitment to the 15-10-5 cabinet formula before nominating him again as premier.
Regardless whether Berri ‘s bloc will nominate him or not Hariri is expected to get at least 73 votes out of 128 ( the votes of the 71 majority and the votes of the 2 opposition MPs from the Tashnag party .
MP Walid Jumblatt has been trying to reconcile Berri with Hariri during the past couple of days. For this reason Minister Ghazi Aridi was shuffling between Berri’s residence and Hariri’s residence until late Monday, according to media reports
Hariri’s supporters are mad at Berri for imposing conditions on their leader . De Freije told “future news”: “When Berri was elected as a speaker he refused the imposition of any conditions so why he is now imposing conditions on Hariri ?”

Tuesday
6:10pm MP Saad Hariri met with British MP Newmark and a delegation from Arslan’s Lebanese Democratic Party.
5:00 pm Reuters: Several mortars or rockets were fired at Baghdad’s fortified Green Zone government district on Tuesday shortly after U.S. Vice President Joe Biden flew in to keep pressure on Iraq’s leaders to make political compromises.
4:50 pm Asia one: President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Tuesday brushed off US threats of possible sanctions on Iran’s petrol imports, saying Tehran’s oil industry could overcome any such challenge.
4:45 pm AFP: Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said Tuesday that sanctions might be needed to keep Iran’s nuclear program in check but described this as “not very effective” and urged continued negotiation instead
4:25pm ‘Zahle in the Heart’ bloc visited President Suleiman without its leader MP Fattoush and announced their support for Hariri’s re-nomination.
4:20pm MP Sami Gemayel named Hariri as PM-designate.
4:12pm The Democratic Gathering bloc re-named Hariri as PM-designate.
3:55pm The Lebanese Forces re-named Hariri as PM-designate.
3:40pm Three wounded in a dispute in Ramel el-Aali in Ouzai area that developed into a gunfight.
3:30pm MP Nicolas Fattoush re-named as PM-designate.
3:20pm MP Michel Murr renamed Hariri as PM-designate.
2;30 pm Minister Bahia Hariri is meeting with the directors of Beirut and Mount Lebanon public schools to discuss the measures that should be taken with regards to the swine flu
2:19pm Gracciano : we renew our full commitment to the Lebanese governmnt and compliance with UNSCR 1701 by all parties and security in the south
2:13pm Hezbollah’s MP Hajj Hassan: the country needs calm dialogue and not escalation and without the 15-10-5 formula there will not be true partnership
1:54 pm MTV: Syrian Social Nationalist Party bloc MP Marwan Fares said that he expects Future Movement leader MP Saad Hariri “to fail” in forming the new cabinet, adding that Syria would have “nothing to do with it, since it does not interfere in Lebanon’s political affairs.
1 :38pm the consultations at Baabda palace were postponed to 3 pm today because of a lunch meeting between Aoun , Suleiman and Gebran Bassil
1 :35pm Sison’s visit to Baabda was to coordinate tomorrow’s meeting between George Mitchell and the president
1 :30pm Suleiman is currently meeting with The Democratic Gathering bloc headed by MP Walid Jumblatt
1;30 pm Hezbollah’s ( loyalty to the resistance) bloc does not nominate anyone for PM- designate
1 :15pm Suleiman is meeting with Hezbollah’s ( loyalty to the resistance) bloc headed by MP Mohammad Raad
1:11 pm General Aoun said at the end of the consultations that he did not name Hariri as PM designate
1: 10pm Al Manar : The US ambassador has arrived at Baabda palace in a surprise visit .
1 :02 pm The consultations continue and Suleiman is currently meeting with change and reform bloc headed by MP Aoun
1 :01 pm MP Hubeish said on behalf Future ( al Mustaqbal) parliamentary bloc: we nominated Hariri as PM designate
12:48 President Suleiman is currently meeting the Future ( al Mustaqbal) parliamentary bloc headed by MP Saad Hariri
12:50pm Contrary to what OTV has reported earlier , the Development and Liberation bloc headed by Berri did not name Hariri as PM designate . Following the consultations with Suleiman MP Hassan Khalil made a statement in which he confirmed that their bloc did not name anyone , but promised to cooperate with Hariri if he is nominated and if he plans to form a cabinet based on the 15-10-5 formula
12:30 pm OTV : The Development and Liberation bloc headed by Berri will name Hariri as PM designate following positive assurances received from president Suleiman . Hariri is now expected to receive 86 votes
12;20pm The Development and Liberation bloc headed by Berri is currently meeting with president Suleiman
12:20pm Al Manar : Berri’s bloc will not nominate anyone if Hariri will not issue a clear commitment regarding the new government formula
12;15pm : Makari : I have nominated Hariri as the PM designate hoping the government will be formed soon and without any obstructions
12:07pm Marouni told OTV : I am in the heart of Zahli in the Heart bloc. We either agree to attend altogether the consultations or we should agree on another form
12:04pm Suleiman is meeting deputy Speaker Makari
12;03 pm As Iran agrees to hold the much-anticipated negotiations with the West on October 1, the United States says it will send its third-ranking diplomat William Burns to the talks.
12;00pm US military officials say American special forces staged an attack in southern Somalia Monday and killed a Kenyan-born terrorist suspect wanted by the FBI
11:58 Mikati : I have nominated Hariri as the PM designate hoping the government will be formed soon
11:48 NYT: Norwegian voters have returned their Labor-dominated government to office, narrowly endorsing Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg’s pursuit of expanded public services and rejecting angry demands by some of his opponents
11:45 Suleiman is currently meeting with Miqati after meeting with Aoun who left without making any statement
11:42 The Iraqi journalist Muntazar el Zubaidi who threw his shoes at former president Bush was released from jail today
11:37 Alloush : If Aoun will not make concessions , then the prospects of government formation will be difficult
11:31 Berri left baabda palace without making any statement
11:29 MTV : preliminary indications reveal that Hariri will get 73 votes as PM designate
11:29 FPM leader MP Michel Aoun arrives in Baabda for parliamentary consultations
11:25 Former PM Miqati arrives at Baabda palace
11:10 Siniora’s appointment for consultations was postponed till tomorrow because he is out of the country
11:00 Speaker Nabih Berri arrived at Baabda Presidential Palace at start of parliamentary consultations .
10:48 Israeli mock air strikes over Nabatiyah , Iqlim and Marjayoun
10:45 a loud explosion was heard near Dahr al-Baydar caused by the detonation of old munitions by the army
10:32 Majority sources told al Anbaa”: the circumstances of the birth of the formula 15 +10 +5 are no longer valid and the idea of the Government of technocrats is no longer an option for the majority
10:25 President Suleiman will resume parliamentary consultations at 11 am in Baabda and will start with a meeting with Berri
10:20 Quraytem circles: Hariri’s resignation was not a retreat but simply a leap forward towards the formation of a cabinet
10:18 De Freije told “future news”: when Berri was elected as a speaker he refused the imposition of any conditions so why he is now imposing conditions on Hariri ?

09:53 Abu Jamra told al Rai: the country’s interest requires that Hariri should include all the parties in the cabinet
09:16 38 wanted people were arrested for committing criminal acts
09:10 majority sources told al Hayat : Hariri did not confirm his continued commitment to the formula 15 +10 +5, but did not say he was also abandoning it
09:05 Saqr: the difference between Fattoush, Maroni is the result of differences in views within the bloc with regards to representation in the government
09:03 al Liwaa: Sarkozy decided to send a senior aid to Beirut before the end of the month
08:58 STL registrar : The Lebanese has no choice but to cooperate with the special Tribunal because of the pledges and commitments made by the Lebanese state itself
08:37 al Hayat: a telephone conversation took place between Suleiman and Assad that dealt with regional developments and bilateral relations and the internal Lebanese situation
8:32 MP Robert Ghanem told VOL: we want all parties to Lebanonize the cabinet formation process more than before. Priority lies in clearing the situation again and coming up with a government which abides by the constitution.
8:30 MP Ahmed Fatfat told VOL: We do not reject a national unity government on condition that the other party makes concessions. Renaming Hariri as PM-Designate does not mean the birth of a government.

 
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Wednesday News Briefs & Editorial
Published: Wednesday, 16 September, 2009 @ 1:46 PM in Beirut
Beirut- Yesterday president Michel Suleiman kicked of the Parliamentary consultations at the Baabda Palace for the nomination of a Prime minister to form the new cabinet. 54 out of the 97 MPs that showed up during the first day of consultations voiced their support for Future Movement leader MP Saad Hariri.
The president will resume the consultations today.
Based on the most recent predictions Hariri is expected by the end of the day to have the vote of 73 MPs out of the 128 . This number includes the 71 members and the two Mps from the Armenian Tashnag party
Speaker Nabih Berri’s refusal to endorse Hariri was the most disappointing development , since he had already promised last week to endorse him
All the key opposition parties , Hezbollah , Amal and the Free Patriotic Movement refrained from renaming Hariri or anyone else as PM designate
Both Hezbollah and Amal promised to cooperate with Hariri over the formation of a national unity government based on the 15-10-5 formula( 15 portfolios for the majority – 10 for the opposition and 5 for the president)
Both Deputy Parliament Speaker Farid Makari and former Premier Najib Miqati named Hariri as PM -designate
“Reaching national consensus does not mean that the losing party should get the priority in forming a Cabinet; that decision should be taken by the majority,” Makari said.
Miqati, hoped that various politicians would exert every effort to “remove all obstacles and conditions because the country needs a government that stands up to challenges.”
The president took a noon break and invited General Aoun and his son-in-law caretaker Minister of Telecoms Gebran Bassil for lunch in an attempt to solicit the cooperation of the FPM leader over the formation of a cabinet but the “Outcome of the lunch was negative as no breakthrough was reached,” according to VOL Radio station .
Al Mustaqbal MP Hubeish , Lebanese Forces’ MP Streada Geagea, Zahleh’s MP Fattoush and Democratic Gathering leader MP Walid Jumblatt endorsed Hariri as PM designate
The majority was extremely disappointed in the positions taken by the opposition .MP Riad Rahal told “Voice of Lebanon:” If they really want a government of national unity , they should be giving Hariri 128 votes. As long as there is no solution to the problem of weapons , the weapons will rule the country . This was in reference to the Hezbollah arms
PSP leader MP Jumblatt is concerned that the country is heading in the wrong direction . He told Al Anbaa newspaper : “ All I know is that the country is not moving in the right direction”

Wednesday
9::19pm MP Ogassbian : No cabinet in Lebanon without the Shiites and for this reason the crises could continue if the situation remains as is
9:21 pm George Mitchell left Beirut for Cairo after a short visit to Lebanon that lasted few hours
08:27 pm Mitchell conveyed the greetings of President Obama to president Suleiman and renewed his country’s support for Lebanon and its institutions and its assistance at every level: the issue of refugees a priority and are careful on making sure that any solution will not be at the expense of Lebanon or its interests , said Mitchell
8:25pm Mitchell briefed President Suleiman briefed about his efforts concerning peace negotiations: We hope his efforts will lead to the re-launch of peaceful negotiations for the sake of a just and lasting peace , Suleiman said
8:15pm first lady Wafaa Suleiman told “MTV”: It is natural for women to join the government and it is easy to find many qualified Lebanese women for ministerial positions, but unfortunately our sectarian system limits our choice
8:10 pm STL’s Bellemare told Future news : Progress has been but “conspirators and perpetrators are still at large.” He added: “When political attacks against the tribunal increase, I realize I am approaching the truth.”
7:19pm Lebanese Security forces have deployed in Burg el Barajneh to control the situation
7:10pm U.S. special envoy George Mitchell leaves Baabda without making any statement
6:30pm U.S. special envoy George Mitchell is meeting with President Suleiman in Baabda.
18:26 OTV: gunfire shots were heard in Burg el Barajneh and unknown gunmen were spotted on the streets
6:21pm U.S. Special envoy George Mitchell arrived in Beirut coming from Amman on a private jet
5:30pm Military Commander Kahwaji met Police Chief Rifi for a roundup of the latest security
5:20 pm Afghan President Hamid Karzai won 54.6 percent of the preliminary result released on Wednesday from controversial elections, but his victory is not secure until claims of massive vote fraud are resolved.
5:10 pm FPM leader MP Michel Aoun following the Change and Reform bloc meeting accuses Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Boutros Sfeir of no longer being neutral and of having joined the Lebanese Forces party. He also said ““If our presence (in the cabinet) is not necessary, then let them form the government without us.”, but if they want us they have to pay the price
3:45pm following his designation as PM-designate Hariri said : “The Lebanese want a Cabinet able to run the country and to solve the accumulated problems not to handle the ongoing political bickering.”. He vowed to hold on to dialogue as a steady base for communication and to adhere to the Constitution. He also said he will start consultations with all political parties right after the Eid al-Fitr and will be open to new ideas
3:10 Speaker Berri leaves Baabda palace without making any statement
3:00pm President Michel Suleiman renamed MP Saad Hariri as PM designate and asked him to form the new government.
2:57pm MP Saad Hariri joined the meeting between Speaker Berri and President Suleiman at the Baabda Palace.
2:32pm Speaker Nabih Berri meets with President Suleiman at Baabda Palace to discuss results of the Parliamentary Consultations
2:30pm MP Saniora: I rename Hariri as PM-designate and I call everyone to stick to the Constitution.
2:20pm 73 MPs named Saad Hariri to form a government at the end of two days of parliamentary consultations with the president.
2:15pm A huge fire broke out in Zouk Powerplant. Causes are still unknown.
2:00pm MP Fouad Siniora arrived to Baabda Palace to meet with President Suleiman.
1:56pm NNA: Fatah al-Islam inmates in Roumieh prison announced they are going on a hunger strike.
1:57pm President Suleiman is awaiting the arrival of caretaker PM Foad Siniora for concluding the consultations over the naming of a PM designate who will form the cabinet
1:40pm Security source told Future News: Security forces are trying to quell a riot attempt inside the high security Roumieh prison.
1:32pm MPs Robert Abu Fadel, Dory Chamoun, Michel Pharaon, Robert Ghanem, Butros Harb and Nayla Tueni nominated Hariri for premiership.
1;30 pm Reuters: The United States and Israel ended another round of talks on Wednesday with no sign yet of a deal on a West Bank settlement freeze, but a US envoy planned to meet again with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
1:12pm Lebanese Army: Israeli troops opened fire on a fishing boat on Tuesday inside Lebanese territorial waters in a clear violation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701.
12:59pm Sfeir: Naming deputies who failed in elections would be contrary to the nation’s will.
12: 30 pm Al-Jamaa al-Islamiya MP Imad al-Hout announced named MP Saad Hariri the PM-designate
12:10pm MP Mohammed Safadi speaking on behalf of the Tripoli bloc: We named Future Movement leader Hariri as PM-designate.
11:58 MP Assaad Hardan, on behalf of the SSNP bloc, did not name anyone for the premiership.
11:57 President Suleiman called Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Sfeir to wish him a safe flight to Rome on Thursday.
11:56 Telecom minister Gebran Bassil told LBC: My reappointment was not discussed during lunch at Baabda with President Suleiman.
11:52 Unknown assailants robbed a U.N. French patrol while taking pictures at an archeological site in Hanin village.
11:02 Baath Party parliamentary bloc refrained from naming a premier but offered full cooperation to achieve a national unity government.
11:00 MP Ahmad Karami nominated Future Movement leader Hariri as PM-designate.
10:55 MP Serge Tor Sarkissian announced that the Armenian bloc nominates Future Movement leader MP Saad Hariri as PM-designate.
10:30 MP Talal Arslan refrained from renaming a premier but promised to cooperate in efforts for dialogue.
10:02 Parliamentary Consultations kicked off at 10:00am with a meeting between President Suleiman and MP Talal Arslan.
08:26 MP Riad Rahal told “Voice of Lebanon:” If they really want a government of national unity should be giving Hariri 128 votes. As long as no solution to the problem of weapons , the weapons will rule the country
08:21 Al Liwaa: Berri told Hariri in a message sent through Jumblatt that neither he nor anyone else can undermine his leadership role in the political arena
08:15 a parliamentary source of “future”: Hariri will not quit and won’t begin his consultations with parliamentary blocs from where previous negotiations ended
08:08 Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah will deliver a speech this Friday afternoon on the anniversary of Jerusalem Day
07:53 Al Hayat : Syria informed Qatar that any new Doha conference requires the approval of Saudi Arabia otherwise no need for a Doha – 2
07:42 The Lebanese security arrested Palestinian citizen W.Z. , brother-in-law of detainee Hassan Nabah who was accused of being the head of al Qaeda in the Levant region . He is an explosives expert
7:30am MP Nidal Tomeh told VDL: There is a regional decision to turn government formation process into an explosive crisis. Hariri did not reject the 15-10-5 Cabinet formula, but the Opposition has to make concessions and assume responsibilities . It is not right that Bassil ‘s inclusion in the cabinet becomes a red line like the Hezbollah arms
07:01 Hariri sources : The options available are very few and therefore forming a government of technocrats would be the only political solution in this atmosphere in which we are searching for unconventional solutions
06:49 Jumblatt told Al Anbaa : All I know is that the country is not moving in the right direction
06:38 As Safir : Suleiman told Aoun that he has no objection against including basil in the cabinet and for the Telecommunications ministry to be included in the share of the opposition
06:05 Jumblatt: I will do all I can with speaker Berri and with anyone else who wants to cooperate
05:53 Suleiman: Hariri is still committed to the formation of a Government of National Unity and he is at the same time aware that I will only sign the decree of a Government of National Unity
05:45 President Suleiman will meet at six this evening with U.S. Special Envoy to the Middle East, George Mitchell to discuss the results of his latest talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu

 
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Thursday News Briefs & Editorial
Published: Thursday, 17 September, 2009 @ 7:22 AM in Beirut
Beirut- Yesterday Lebanese president Michel Suleiman has renamed Future Movement leader MP Saad Hariri as the prime minister – designate and asked him to try again to form a new government. Hariri was first designated prime minister last June but stepped down last week, blaming rival politicians— including those from Hezbollah, which is backed by Iran and Syria — for thwarting his attempts to forge a unity government .
The rival Lebanese factions had agreed on the broad outline of a cabinet, but failed to resolve disputes about who would head which ministries
Following his re-designation Hariri said he was open to all ideas about how to make progress. Hariri said he would launch consultations with all parties following Eid al-Fitr holiday to form an “effective and harmonious” cabinet that respects the constitution and the results of the parliamentary polls.
The 39-year-old Future leader is the son of the assassinated billionaire and former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.
In his acceptance speech at Baabda palace Hariri hinted that he would take a tougher stand in dealing with his rivals’ demands while insisting he was open to dialogue.
“The conditions they set in the first phase blocked the possibility of forming a national unity government,” Hariri told reporters. “We now face a new challenge, and I do not want to make empty promises.
“The promise I make to myself, before God and before the Lebanese is to respect the constitution, work to ensure the widest participation possible in government and continue dialogue,” he added.
All the opposition MPs except for the Armenian Tashnag party, refrained from naming anyone for the premiership during the two days of parliamentary consultations at the Baabda palace.
Berri promised last week to endorse Hariri like he did last June , but later changed his mind , reportedly because of pressure from Hezbollah, Syria and Iran
Diplomatic observers were quoted by the local media as saying: “If March 8 sticks to its demands then the government formation crises will be around for a long time “

Thursday
8:15pm Parliamentary sources warned of troubles and riots beginning to show in Beirut districts.
5:30pm Michel Aoun after meeting PM-designate Hariri: We agreed on the necessity of calmness and keeping away from tension.
3:45pm PM-designate Hariri confirmed the necessity of Taef’s implementation and the dialogue with all parties without prior conditions.
3:43 pm PM-designate Saad Hariri meets with caretaker PM Fouad Siniora at his house
3:10pm Former PM Karame: The actual situation demands a speeding up in Cabinet lineup.
3:08pm Caretaker Minister of defense Elias Murr meets wit army chief Kahwaji to discuss the security situation
2::25pm MP Fatfat : A government of technocrats may have been difficult to form , but the government of national unity was much more difficult
2:10 pm Reuters : Afghan President Hamid Karzai said on Thursday fraud claims in last month’s presidential poll were exaggerated ,
2:05 pm Indonesia’s most wanted Islamist militant, Noordin Mohammad Top, was killed in a police shoot-out in Central Java, police said on Thursday, lifting a major security threat ahead of a planned visit by US President Barack Obama
2:00pm Six Italian soldiers were killed and four seriously injured when a suicide bomber crashed a car into a military convoy in central Kabul in the worst attack against the country’s forces
1 :42pm PM-designate Hariri did not make any statement after meeting with MP Michel Aoun in Rabiyeh.
1:00pm MP Fouad Siniora headed the meeting of Francophone Games’ Committee with Minister Tamam Salam and CNJF members.
12:40pm PM-designate Hariri, is meeting with former PM Selim el Hoss.
12:15pm PM-designate Saad Hariri started his traditional visits with former PMs, His first meeting is with former PM Rachid El Solh.
11:00 Abdullah Oussama , a Lebanese-born Swede was sentenced to life in prison for plotting to open a terrorism training camp in Oregon in 1999 to help al-Qaida. U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara said Kassir “trained men to become terrorists on American soil.”
10:51 MP Antoine Zahra told Future News: MP Michel Aoun should not ridicule the Patriarch because he has not joined any political party.

10:30 Saudi King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz received former PM Najib Miqati last evening in al-Safa Palace in Mecca.
10:10 MP Hubeish told LBC : It is very rude to accuse Patriarch Sfeir of belonging to a specific political party . The formula of 15 -10-5 is no longer the base for forming a government
9:09 The army intelligence arrested Mohammad H. , the 6th suspect in the Barouk internet company issue
8:50 Cardinal Sfeir at the Beirut airport on his way to Rome : I am with a cabinet that manages people’s affairs. The cabinet crisis will not be solved if there is no willingness to save the country.
8:30 MP Anwar al-Khalil told VOL: Hariri’s speech on Wednesday was vague. Does he want to give up the 15-10-5 formula? Or he wants to form a majority cabinet?
7:25 Minister Elie Marouni told VOL: Hariri’s reappointment freed him from previous commitments on cabinet formation based on the 15-10-5 formula.
07:22 “An-Nahar”: the meeting between Berri and Hariri was characterized as cold
07:00 al Akhbar : the latest positions of the Safir, has blown up any chances for meetings between Aoun and the Church
06: Fattoush’s close associate : He has been an independent and will remain so
06:40 a security source informs General Rifi that there is a plot to assassinate him
6:30 al-Akhbar : Damascus has filed a complaint with the U.N. against former chief UN investigator Detlev Mehlis and his aide Gerhard Lehmann accusing them of trying to frame Syria in the assassination case of former Lebanese Premier Rafik Hariri. The complaint says Mehlis “fabricated, forged and created politicized information to hit at Syria and its reputation,” according to the source.
06:28 Diplomatic sources: if March 8 sticks to its demands then the government formation crises will be around for a long time
06:15 “As Safir “: A yacht was launched from Lebanon , stopped at the port of Haifa and then headed to the commercial port of Ashkelon
06:00 Jumblatt: Let the regional powers deal on issues within the Government

 
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Friday News Briefs & Editorial
Published: Friday, 18 September, 2009 @ 10:19 AM in Beirut
Beirut – Armed with the Der Spiegel report which revealed that it Was Hezbollah and not Syria that was behind the assassination of former Lebanese prime minister Rafik Hariri, Syria filed a complaint with the United Nations against former chief investigator Detlev Mehlis and his aide Gerhard Lehmann accusing them of trying to frame Syria in the assassination case Hariri.
The Syrian letter asked UN chief Ban Ki-moon and President of the Security Council, US ambassador Susan Rice, to launch an official investigation into the case according to the pro-Syrian Lebanese newspaper Al-Akhbar.
The letter claims that Mehlis “fabricated, forged and created politicized information to hit at Syria and its reputation,” according to the Al-Akhbar sources.
During a press conference Thursday U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon rejected the Syrian request : “This is not within my domain,” Ban told reporters when asked to clarify the request by Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem for him to investigate Mehlis and Lehmann.
Ban stressed that he had “full confidence” in Prosecutor Daniel Bellemare.
“He has been doing a great job, with a strong sense of integrity. This is what I believe he will continue to do,” Ban said of Bellemare.
Mehis was the first UN chief investigator charged with probing the murder of Hariri who was assassinated on February 14, 2005 in downtown Beirut . Mehis concluded in his report that the assassination could not have taken place without the full knowledge of the Syrian leaders and their intelligence apparatus, specially because Lebanon at the time was occupied by Syria.
But last May a report by the German Der Spiegel report revealed that the vehicle used in the assassination of Hariri was owned by a Hezbollah official and that it was Hezbollah and not Syria that was behind Hariri’s murder .
According to a Lebanese legal observer who declined to be named for security reasons , “both Syria and Hezbollah could be involved in the assassination. There are many issues involved here he said : “Who ordered the assassination , who planned it, who financed it and who executed it? “ adding a “crime of this nature requires substantial logistical preparations” . The observer stressed that “ Syria needed Hezbollah for the logistical part and Hezbollah needed the Syrian security cover “
Commenting on the Syrian letter to the Security Council, during an interview with al Hayat newspaper , Judge Detlev Mehlis declared that he has “ full confidence in Special the International Tribunal for Lebanon”, stressing that what his” team and International Committee found and reported was based on evidence, which is included in the reports to the Security Council. “ Mehlis refused in the interview to get into the details of the Syrian, saying:” I understand the increase in their ( Syrian ) anxiety with the continuation of the investigation and the establishment of the International Tribunal.

Friday
4:03pm Kahwaji: The recent rocket fire incident is aimed at keeping the south an arena for exchange of messages , which we won’t allow it because it affects the interest of the nation and provides a free service to the enemy
4:00pm Army chief General Kahwaji met General Webster to discussed US aid .
4: 00 pm BBC US envoy George Mitchell’s latest round of shuttle diplomacy in the Middle East has ended without agreement, Palestinian officials said.
3:52pm caretaker minister of Finance Chatah: The interest rates will be to declining and the level of public debt may fall to 151% of GDP after it reached more than 160%
3:00 pm NATO proposed a new era of cooperation with the United States and Russia on Friday, calling for joint work on missile defense systems after Washington scrapped a planned anti-missile system.
2:00 pm Russia will not deploy new missiles in the Kaliningrad enclave now that the United States has dropped plans to build an anti-missile shield in Poland and the Czech Republic, Russia’s envoy to NATO said on Friday.
1:15pm Caretaker Foreign minister Fawzi Salloukh discussed current Lebanese affairs with Syrian ambassador to Lebanon Ali Abdul Karim Ali.
1;00pm Three Iranian opposition politicians have asked the International Monetary Fund to investigate the appearance of more than 11 billion British pounds (over $18 billion) in Turkey’s treasury, alleging that the money was illegally taken out of Iran, the Guardian newspaper reported on Thursday.
12:20 pm An-Nahar : A senior U.S. official said: “Washington will not dispatch any senior official to Syria as long as Syrian behavior in Lebanon remains the same.”
12:15pm PM-designate Hariri left for Saudi Arabia to spend the Eid el-Fitr holiday with his family.
12:05 pm A group of Iranian hard-liners have attacked Mohammad Khatamia, a reformist former Iranian president while he was marching with opposition supporters at an anti-government rally in Tehran. Witnesses said the attackers pushed the ex-President Khatami to the ground.
12:20 pm Dallas News: President Barack Obama’s decision to abandon a Bush-era missile defense system in Europe and establish a partly ship-based shield against Iranian rockets could tighten U.S. pressure on the Islamic republic and ease a simmering rift with Russia.
12:00pm A suicide car-bomber killed at least 25 people in northwest Pakistan on Friday in an explosion on a road that brought down nearby shops, police and witnesses said.
11:42 MP Ali Khalil: We should work together to build a political front capable of facing the challenges threatening the region. It’s in our interest and in that of the PM-designate to solve crises in Lebanon.
11:26 Caretaker PM Fouad Siniora met with Police Chief General Ashraf Rifi to discuss security situation.
11:25 MP Ahmed Fatfat told LBC: We’re facing a governance crisis. There’s a serious intention to change the regime in Lebanon and end sectarianism. There’s no solution to the whole crisis in Lebanon.
11:12 PSP: speeding up the formation of the government prevents the exploitation of the political vacuum in the country and blocks the way for any attempt that is aimed at destabilizing and undermining the national unity
11:00 Iran opposition leader Mousavi had urged participation in the Quds Day rally as a show of strength after a three-month post-election crackdown.
10:49 caretaker minister Marouni: any government formulation based on the conditions set by the March 8, will hit a wall . The only possibility of forming a government is forming a Government of political leaders
10:24 Sujaan Qazzi : We are concerned that Hezbollah will obstruct Hariri’s task with the aim of having him replaced by someone else
10:00 As-Safir : PSP leader MP walid Jumblatt said forming a national-unity government should be the top priority adding “that the call for a national dialogue cannot replace the call for a cabinet that would be able to handle Lebanese affairs”
9:55 As-Safir : Jumblatt will be sending his foreign affairs officer, MP Dureid Yaghi, to represent him in the Jerusalem “Al-Quds” Day ceremony that Hezbollah is holding in Dahiyeh
09:54 Informed sources told al Rai : Syria is behind the refusal by the opposition to rename Hariri as PM designate
9:20 The Lebanese internal security arrested 62 wanted in various crimes
08:30 Speaker Nabih Berri and PM- designate Saad Hariri agreed to begin deliberations on cabinet formation starting next Thursday
8:25am Phalange party leader Amin Gemayel told VOL: Talks are now focused on the political issues in the country. President Suleiman and PM-designate Hariri should launch an initiative at the national level.
7:30am Former MP Mustafa Alloush told VOL: The 15-10-5 Cabinet formula is still valid. If the Opposition did not provide names, then the premier-designate will propose a technocrat government.

 
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Saturday News Briefs & Editorial
Published: Saturday, 19 September, 2009 @ 11:48 AM in Beirut
Beirut- Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah told Friday his local and Arab foes on the occasion of Jerusalem Day “to get off the resistance’s back” . He said Israel may wage a war but he does not want this war and threatened Israel that his fighters would “shatter” its army if the Jewish state attacks Lebanon
“We do not need to open a war front with Israel. The strategy that should be adopted in Lebanon is to preserve the resistance.” He said
Commenting on Nasrallah’s speech, Zahle MP Oqab Saqr told VOL this morning : The resistance should also get off the back of some Lebanese. The March 8 forces have always a plan to put obstacles to the March 14 project
Nasrallah called Israel “a malignant illegal entity” and said making deals and normalization with Israel is religiously forbidden. He added “ We will not recognize Israel, neither succumb to it, and we will not normalize or make peace with this malignant cell that should be terminated, even if the whole world recognizes its existence.”
He accused the “US administration of tricking the Arabs to get more concessions and push the Arab world toward normalization with Israel.”
He also accused the Arab regimes of “ confiscating the resistance’s arms while facilitating the smuggling of weapons used in internal strife among the Palestinian factions.”
Nasrallah warned Israel “Harming Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem will lead to an unexpected and unprecedented response regardless of any regional and international considerations.” He said
Many politicians in Lebanon are predicting that Israel may launch a preemptive strike against Hezbollah before attacking the Iranian nuclear facilities.

Saturday
11:00 Iraq’s top Shiite cleric Ayatollah Sistani announces that Monday, will be the first day of Eid al-Fitr in Iraq
10:23 pm : Vice President of the Higher Shiite Council Sheikh Abdel-Amir Qabalan announces that Sunday, will be the first day of Eid al-Fitr in Lebanon
10:00pm PM designate Saad Hariri extends greetings to Muslims and Arabs celebrating Eid al-Fitr
8:33pm President Obama extends greetings to Muslims celebrating Eid al-Fitr
7:35pm Dar al-Fatwa announces that Sunday, will be the first day of Eid al-Fitr in Lebanon
6:54 Saudi Arabia and Jordan announce that , Sunday, is the first day of Eid al-Fitr marking the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan
3:00 pm VOA : Russia says it has scrapped plans to deploy missiles in a region near Poland after US President Barack Obama canceled plans for a missile defense system in Central Europe.
2:10 pm al-Akhbar: MP Walid Jumblatt has accused the US neocons of rejecting formation of the unity cabinet in Lebanon
2:00pm Grand Mufti of the Lebanese Republic Sheikh Mohammad Rashid Qabban to deliver Eid al-Fitr’s speech at Al Amin mosque in central Beirut tomorrow morning at 7:10 am
1:40 pm President Michel Suleiman’s press office issued a statement on Saturday on the occasion of Eid Al-Fitr, wishing the Lebanese in general and Muslims in particular a “Happy Fitr”.
1:39pm Ayatollah Mohammed Hussein Fadlallah will deliver Eid al-Fitr’s speech tomorrow morning at a mosque in Beirut’s southern suburbs.
1:19pm The governor of the South informed Minister Bahia Hariri that 5 people were arrested in Sidon’s dump fire case.
1:17pm President Suleiman discussed with his top aides preparations for his visit to New York to attend the General Assembly meeting.
12;45 pm An Arab resolution expressing concern about Israel’s nuclear weapons was narrowly passed ( 49 to 45 ) at the IAEA Friday, in a vote exposing a rift between developing and industrialized countries.
12:30 pm CNN: Indonesian police say they have DNA evidence identifying the man they killed this week as Noordin Top, the nation’s most-wanted terror suspect.
12:24pm MP Farid al-Khazen told OTV: The opposition doesn’t have any insurmountable demands. Any attempt to form a majority cabinet is a formula for creating a crisis in the country.
11:37 Minister Bahia Hariri: All public schools will be closed during Eid al-Fitr holiday.
11:27 Minister Jean Oghassabian: We won’t compromise on our principles, the constitution and the division of power between Muslims and Christians.
10:46 MP Robert Fadel told VOL: I expect that the 15-10-5 formula would be kept. The majority’s stance urges Hariri not to make more concessions.
10:18 MP Antoine Zahra told Future News: The LF suggested a technocrat cabinet when it realized that the formation of a national unity government was impossible. Nasrallah’s tone yesterday was better than before.
8:45 Fares Soueid told Free Lebanon radio : MP Michel Aoun is eying the presidency and not the finance or any other ministry. Hezbollah doesn’t want to eliminate the state but it doesn’t want it strong either.
8:30 MP Oqab Saqr told VOL: The resistance should also get off the back of some Lebanese. The March 8 forces have always a plan to put obstacles to the March 14 project.
08:12 MP Antoine Zahra: Hariri is not thinking of a government of the majority only because it is impossible for any a Shi’ite to participate under the current tension
08:08 Lebanon approved the appointment of the new French ambassador to Lebanon
08:01 Suleiman travels next Tuesday before noon to New York to head Lebanon’s delegation to the United Nations General Assembly session
07:54 Al Akhbar : Hariri to brief the Saudis on his intention to form a government of technocrats
07:35 Syrian ambassador to the UN rejects Ban Ki- Moon’s reply to Damascus’s request for probing Detlev Mehlis and his aide Lehman for manipulating the investigation into Hariri’s assassination,
07:05 harb : Suleiman told me when I met him during the consultations that he did not announce that he will not sign except a decree of a national unity government
06:58 Sources: The formation of a cabinet is heading towards a dead end
06:49 Alain Aoun: whoever was given a new mandate should have new ideas and the ball is now in the court of Hariri

 
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Sunday News Briefs & Editorial
Published: Sunday, 20 September, 2009 @ 8:48 AM in Beirut
Beirut- the Muslims of Lebanon , like other Muslims in most of the Arab and the Muslim counties will be celebrating Eid al-Fitr holiday today which marks the end of Ramadan, the Islamic holy month of fasting and the beginning of the month of Shawwal .The top Shiite and Sunni Muslim clerics in Lebanon made the announcements about the end of the lunar month of Ramadan last night after confirmation by the moon sighting panels .
The decision to celebrate the end of Ramadan is usually made by the top religious leaders in each country. In Lebanon both the Sunni and the Shiite clerics agreed that it should be today , while in Iraq for example the Sunnis will celebrate today while the Shiites will have to wait till Monday
All the leaders of the Arab and Muslim worlds will be exchanging greetings .
PM designate Saad Hariri who left for Saudi Arabia to celebrate the holiday with his family issued a statement last night in which he congratulated the Arabs and Muslims on this occasion . He is expected to start consultations with parliament bloc leaders next Thursday on the formation of the government .
President Michel Suleiman who issued a similar statement yesterday is expected to head to New York on Tuesday to address the General assembly meeting of the United nations on September 25 th
Lebanon is still without a government and it looks like it won’t have one very soon either . The rival camps are both calling for a unity cabinet, but never been more disunited . The cabinet is expected to be based on the formula of 15 – 10 – 5 ( 15 portfolios for the majority , 10 for the opposition and 5 for the president ) but the opposition and the majority disagree on the types of portfolios each party should have . The opposition is demanding certain portfolios like the ministry of Interior and the ministry of communications , but the majority and for security reasons prefer not to have these 2 ministries in the hands of the Iranian and Syrian backed Hezbollah-led opposition
If it wasn’t for Hezbollah’s arms the March 14 majority which won last June 71 out of 128 seats in the parliament , would have most probably formed a government on its own, just like all the democracies of the world . But Hezbollah in May 2008 used its arms against the Lebanese in West Beirut and Mount Lebanon and there is concern that it will use its arms again against its fellow citizens if it is excluded from the cabinet. Such an action according to politicians like PSP leader MP Walid Jumblatt could spark another civil war… which the country could do without … and for this reason he has been calling for a government of national unity and threatening to boycott any cabinet that is formed by the majority only

Sunday
11;00 pm Russia began to signal a small thaw in relations with the West on Friday in the wake of the US cancellation of an antimissile defense system in Eastern Europe, as NATO offered a reset of its own thorny ties with Moscow.
10:30 pm Barack Obama’s efforts to revive peace talks in the Middle East will come under scrutiny on Tuesday when he hosts a meeting with the Israeli prime minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, and the Palestinian leader, Mahmoud Abbas.
7:00 pm MP Abi Ramya : We will have no problem if we will be given the ministry of finance and 4 state ministries
2:00 pm BBC President Obama has rejected a request by seven former heads of the CIA to end the inquiry into allegations of abuse of suspects held by the agency.
1 :14pm During a special ceremony at the vocational school in Batloun , Shouf honoring the students that passed the national exams Jumblatt called for paying special attention to vocational education because it provides more job opportunities in countries that needs such qualifications
1:03 pm During phone calls to president Suleiman and PM designate Saad Hariri Sarkozy voices support for Lebanon and for forming a cabinet
11;00 King Abdullah II of Jordan and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas cautioned that not seizing the opportunity at hand to bring about peace threatens the security and stability of the whole ME region.
10:59 AFP: An Israeli Army spokesperson said Sunday that some rockets were fired in the morning from the Gaza Strip and landed in Israel without causing any injuries, the army said.
10:50 Mike Huckabee in 2012? If conservative value voters have their way, Former Arkansas Gov. Huckabee may be at the top of the GOP ticket in 2012. Huckabee Won the Values Voter Straw Poll.
10:40 Wiam Wahab told “New” TV: Hariri is responsible for inciting his Mps , and if he is sincere he should return after the eid el Fitr with a new spirit and remove the instigators around him
10:24 MP Yousef Khalil told “Al-Manar:” No prejudice against the third presidential power , unless it does not recognize its own powers . We want to cooperate with the PM designate but we reject the imposition of names on us
10:17 Minister Maroni told “Future News”: We are concerned that about the transition of the political to a security crises and what is required is the redoubling of efforts to protect Lebanon
10:10 Sujaan Qazzi told “LBC”: The government of national unity is an invention aimed at concentrating all contradictions in a government so that the disruption is from within at a time when we are in a critical need for a properly functioning state
10;00 CNN: US Federal agents arrested a 24-year-old Colorado resident, his father and another man on charges of making false statements as part of an investigation into an alleged terror plot, the Justice Department said Sunday.
9;30 Reuters: President Obama has asked New York Governor David Paterson to withdraw from the state’s 2010 governor’s race for fear that the embattled fellow Democrat cannot regroup from a series of political setbacks.
9;20 Reuters: Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama will unveil a plan to support developing countries in technology and funding to fight climate change at a UN meeting this week, Japan’s environment minister said
9:17 French sources : France has changed its strategy for Lebanon and will no longer be involved in every little detail
9;15 Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said during his Eid al-Fitr speech in Tehran on Sunday that the “Zionist cancer” is chewing into the lives of Islamic nations.
9:00 The White House has announced in a statement that the US president will host three-way talks with the Israeli and Palestinian leaders on Tuesday.
8:30 BBC: US Secretary of Defense Robert Gates has rejected the claim that a decision to shelve a plan for missile defense in Europe was a concession to Russia.
08:23 Al Hayat : French Prime Minister will be in Beirut next Sunday to meet with Suleiman , Siniora Berri and Hariri
08:17 Syrian-backed Palestinian PFLP -GC leader Ahmad Jibril warned the Lebanese government against talking about his weapons or any attempts to disarm his militants by force
08:15 Al Balad: The Lebanese Forces will hold a general assembly conference in the spring of 2010 and the party is expected to will change its rules
07:57 Ayatollah Fadlallah delivered his Eid el Fitr speech and called for ending the cycle of political verbal duel
07:45 Mufti Qabbani al-Fitr delivered his Eid el Fitr speech : Why resort to the language of threats and intimidation and the imposition of conditions? He said in reference to the demands by the Hezbollah-led opposition
07:07 Tomeh : Jumblatt will begin after the end of Eid el Fitr holiday intensive contacts to assist in the formation of the government
06:45 contacts are continuing in order to arrange a meeting for President Suleiman with President Obama in New York
06:35 on Sunday marks the first day of Eid al-Fitr in Lebanon
06:25 consultations over government formation will start next Thursday after the Eid el Fitr holiday ends and Hariri returns from Saudi Arabia
06:20 The weather today is overcast and rainy, accompanied with a drop in temperature
06:14 President Suleiman heads to New York on Tuesday to participate in the General assembly meeting of the United Nations , while caretaker PM Siniora heads to Riyadh on Wednesday
06:10 Siniora told an Nahar : everyone should contribute to the pacification and cooperation for the sake of stability in the country

 
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Monday News Briefs & Editorial
Published: Monday, 21 September, 2009 @ 10:09 AM in Beirut
Beirut- Assassinations may be back in Lebanon! According to the Kuwaiti newspaper al-Anbaa, the Lebanese intelligence foiled the assassination attempt of the Grand Mufti of the Republic of Lebanon Sheikh Mohammed Rashid Qabbani that was to take place on the first day of Eid el-Fitr on Sunday.
The assassination was planned to be executed by means of a suicide operation inside al-Amin Mosque during the Eid prayers, according to information obtained by the paper from the Lebanese intelligence
The newspaper did not reveal how the assassination attempt was foiled
Eid el Fitr marks the end of the fasting month of Ramadan
Qabbani,67, the highest spiritual authority within the Muslim Sunni community criticized Sunday attempts at splitting the nation and slammed politicians who speak in a threatening tone.
“If we realize that our strength is in our unity, then why divide?” Qabbani asked in his Eid el-Fitr sermon.
“If we are aware that the loss of the nation is everybody’s loss, then why work on losing it?” he wondered.
“Why resort to the language of intimidation and put conditions? Why don’t we resort to the Constitution, instead of each one having his own constitution?” Qabbani said
Like his counterpart in the Christian community , Patriarch Nasrallah Boutros Sfeir , the outspoken Qabbani has been very critical of the Hezbollah-led opposition accusing its leaders of undermining the state institutions, to serve the interests of regional powers such as Iran and Syria.
In 2005 Rafik Hariri , the most popular Prime minister in Lebanese history was assassinated in downtown Beirut . His assassination was followed by several others of anti-Syrian leaders. Syria was blamed for these assassinations but Syria denied any involvement . Last May a report by the respected Der Spiegel German magazine revealed that Hezbollah was behind the assassination of Hariri and the vehicle used in executing his assassination was owned by a Hezbollah official
Qabbani succeeded Grand Mufti Sheikh Hassan Khaled who was assassinated on May 16, 1989. A 300 pound (136 kg) car bomb was detonated next to Khaled’s car as he drove through Beirut. Khaled and 21 others were killed. Some suspected Syrian intelligence agents were behind the assassination.
Many Lebanese leaders have been warning of a new wave of assassinations.

Monday
5:10 pm Reuters – US crude oil futures fell on Monday as the dollar strengthened, global equities slipped and concerns about tepid demand even amid signs of and expectations for economic recovery.
5:00pm AP: Former French Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin lashed out French President Nicolas Sarkozy on Monday at the start of a slander trial involving alleged dirty tricks by top politicians and businessmen.
2:22 pm : FPM’s MP Hikmet Deeb denied during an interview with al Noor station that General Michel Aoun had visited Syria secretly earlier this month . He called report about Aoun’s visit “ lies and fabrications aimed at creating excuses for delay in government formation”
2:04 pm General Aoun’s office denied he visited Syria earlier this month
1:00 pm MP Sami Gemayel told the Lebanese community in Montreal, Canada: A new democratic concept called consensual democracy was created in Lebanon. It means that the results of the parliamentary elections are null and void
12:40 pm AFP: Israeli and Palestinian leaders headed on Monday for a summit with US President Barack Obama, with both sides skeptical the “photo-up” encounter will lead to a resumption of stalled peace talks.
12;30 pm Reuters: China has quietly eased restrictions on its citizens traveling from Guangdong province to Macau, sending casino stocks soaring on Monday as industry executives bet on record October earnings
12:15pm President Suleiman called for a new election law based on proportional representation during his meeting with Salafranca at Baabda palace
12:12pm Suleiman is meeting with Salafranca at Baabda palace in the presence of Minister Baroud and the ambassadors of the EU and Spain . Salafranca presented his final report on the June 7 polls to President Suleiman.
12:00pm Reuters: The Dollar rose broadly on Monday, extending its pullback from a one-year low against the euro as traders continued to trim short positions in the US currency following broad losses so far this month.
11:56 Sheikh Mohammed Rashid Qabbani received greeting calls from President Suleiman, Speaker Berri, PM-designate Hariri and other officials and clergymen.
11:35 MP Hassan Yaqoub urged president Suleiman to raise the issue of the disappearance of Imam Moussa el Sadr during his UN visit
11:28 FPM’s MP Simon Abi Ramia also denied during an interview with LBC that MP Michel Aoun had visited Syria earlier this month.
11:15 Salafranca kicked off his visit to Beirut with a meeting with Interior Minister Ziad Baroud. He will later meet with president Suleiman. Salfranca will hold a press conference on Friday to talk about his report on the June 7 polls
10:40 Former MP Samir Franjieh told LBC: The balance of power changed since the Doha accord particularly after the results of the elections.
9: 00Reuters: The top US commander in Afghanistan says in a confidential assessment of the war that without additional forces the mission “will likely result in failure,” the Washington Post reported on Monday.
8:50 The Dollar advanced to a two-week high against the pound on speculation US policy makers will this week signal they may withdraw economic stimulus measures, boosting the appeal of the nation’s assets.
08:46 MP Alain Aoun denies that general Michel Aoun visited Syria secretly this month and stressed that FPM this time will be positive during consultations
8:45 Jose Ignacio Salafranca, head of the European Commission set up to monitor Lebanese parliamentary elections, is expected to arrive in Beirut to present his final report on the June 7 polls to President Suleiman.
08:41 Zahra: Hariri’s first proposed line-up exposed the real intentions of the opposition
08:01 president Suleiman will emphasize in his UN speech that Lebanon will continue to abide by the United Nations resolution 1701
07:39 Obama’s speech at the United Nations would keep the situation in Lebanon on hold

 
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Gemayel: Lebanon invented a new concept of democracy
Published: Monday, 21 September, 2009 @ 2:02 PM in Beirut
Beirut- “Lebanese people have become divided into two categories, ‘first class’ who have the right to bear arms and to declare war and peace and negotiate with States and another large ‘second class’ category of Lebanese citizens committed to respecting the state laws and seeking the protection of the state “, said MP Sami Gemayel during his meeting with the Lebanese community at Deir Mar Antonios in Montreal, Canada.
Gemayel said in Lebanon they have invented a new concept of democracy , which they call the” consensus democracy “ . This means that the results of the elections are null and void because the winning majority has to negotiate with the losing minority its demands for key ministerial post in a new cabinet . He said what we are witnessing in Lebanon is a complete confusion over the building of a state and its institutions
Gemayel told the Lebanese community that” no party should take advantage of the freedom and democracy of Lebanon to impose a system of fear and intimidation that the Lebanese completely reject “. This is in reference to the Iranian and Syrian backed Hezbollah organization , which is the only armed group in Lebanon.
Hezbollah claims that its arms are for protecting Lebanon against Israel but in May 2008 Hezbollah it used its arms against the Lebanese people when it occupied the Sunni part of the capital Beirut and unsuccessfully tried to occupy the Druze strongholds of Mount Lebanon

 
http://yalibnan.com/site/archives/2009/09/_many_analysts.php
Could Israel strike Iran over nuclear concerns? Q & A
Published: Monday, 21 September, 2009 @ 4:09 PM in Beirut
Beirut – Israel has not given up the option of a military response to Tehran’s nuclear program, Israel’s deputy foreign minister said on Monday, after Russia had said Israel’s president gave an assurance Israel would not attack
Many analysts believe the risks of a strike by Israel, even one not endorsed by its ally the United States, are significant.
Here’s where matters stand:
COULD ISRAEL LAUNCH A STRIKE AGAINST IRAN?
It’s a poker game with high stakes and a degree of bluff. Israeli leaders refuse to rule out any option. They do not believe Iran’s assurances it wants only nuclear energy. Noting President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s repeated assertions that Israel has no future Israel has said an Iranian bomb would be a threat to its very existence that it simply would not tolerate.
Last year, however, it emerged officials were making plans for how Israel might live with a nuclear Iran in a state of mutual deterrence. And a June poll showed Israelis would not expect a nuclear Iran to attack . Last week, Defense Minister Ehud Barak said even a nuclear Iran could not destroy Israel, stating: “Israel can lay waste to Iran.”
Since becoming prime minister in March, Benjamin Netanyahu has, aides say, made ending threats from Iran a defining element of what he sees as his personal role in Jewish history.

A 1981 Israeli air strike that destroyed Iraq’s only nuclear reactor, as well as a strike in Syria in 2007 that is cloaked in mystery, set precedents. Despite a policy of silence, few doubt Israel has nuclear weapons and missiles that can hit Iran.
WHAT MIGHT HOLD ISRAEL BACK?
It is not clear how Israel would define achieving its goal of preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. But a pledge from Iran to forswear such arms, backed by some form of supervision and intelligence data, might be a minimum. Much will depend on Iran’s actions and on U.S. President Barack Obama and others, who are pressing Iran through sanctions and diplomacy.
While many analysts doubt Iran’s denials of military intent, some say Iran may be content with showing it has the potential to go nuclear quickly, without actually arming itself.
Israel, however, might not accept that level of potential threat.
In the meantime, were Israel to consider a unilateral strike on it Iran it would have to weigh several major risks:
– of retaliation, not just from Iran but its allied guerrilla groups, Lebanon’s Hezbollah and the Palestinian Hamas

– of economic and diplomatic backlash from U.S. and allies

– of a failed attack still triggering the above reactions
WHAT ARE THE KEY ELEMENTS IN TIMETABLE?
First, Iran’s technology: Israel’s national security adviser said in July it had passed a “red line” in terms of being able to make its own nuclear explosive but could not make significant amounts nor yet put viable nuclear warheads on its missiles.
Mossad chief Meir Dagan, seen as a key figure in Israel’s Iran policy who has just had his mandate unusually extended to 2010, said in June Iran could have a viable warhead in 2014.
Second, diplomacy: Iran is to meet on Oct. 1 with six major powers concerned about its nuclear plans. In May, Obama told Netanyahu that “by the end of the year” he expected to judge whether diplomacy was succeeding. Last week, a former senior official said that if the West did not agree crippling sanctions by the end of the year, Israel would have to strike
Russia, a veto-holding member of the Security Council and potential arms supplier to Iran, has a major role

WOULD ISRAEL GO IT ALONE, WITHOUT U.S. BACKING?
Obama, at odds with Netanyahu over Jewish settlement in the West Bank and peace moves with the Palestinians, said in July he had “absolutely not” given Israel a green light to attack. He was responding to his vice-president saying that Israel had a right to act if it felt “existentially threatened”. Israel would be reluctant to anger its key ally. It would not wish Washington to be surprised, might even want U.S. help. But many analysts believe Israel might yet go it alone.
Some question whether Israel’s U.S.-armed military has the range and firepower to destroy Iran’s nuclear facilities without U.S. help. Analysts say Israel might be content with slowing any nuclear arms program, hoping for political change to end it.
Talk of an Israeli unilateral strike may also be part of a tactic of deterrence, or a bid to ensure U.S. cooperation.
HOW MIGHT ISRAEL ATTACK IRAN?
Overt or covert? Israel has been developing “cyber-war” capabilities that could disrupt Iranian industrial and military control systems. Few doubt that covert action, by Mossad agents on the ground, also features in tactics against Iran . An advantage of sabotage over an air strike may be deniability.
Militarily Israel can also deploy the following forces:
AIR — 500 combat aircraft, including F-15s and F-16s able to bomb Iran’s west, and further with aerial refueling, a technique for which the air force has been training. Planes can overfly hostile Arab states using stealth technology. Armed with “bunker buster” bombs that can be released with accuracy outside Iran’s airspace. Israel is also assumed to have dozens of Jericho missiles designed to carry conventional or nuclear warheads to the Gulf. An Israeli nuclear strike is unlikely.
LAND — Special forces could be deployed on the ground, to spot targets, and also possibly destroy them with sabotage.
SEA — Israel sailed one of its three German-made Dolphin submarines into the Red Sea through Suez in June, opening a way to the Gulf. The submarines are believed to be capable of firing nuclear and conventional cruise missiles.
MISSILE DEFENCE – Israel is upgrading its Arrow missile interceptor, which is underwritten by Washington, and can also expect to avail itself of American Aegis anti-missile ships deployed in the Mediterranean. X-band, a U.S. strategic radar stationed in Israel, further cements the alliance .

 
http://yalibnan.com/site/archives/2009/09/tuesday_news_br_59.php
Tuesday News Briefs & Editorial
Published: Tuesday, 22 September, 2009 @ 12:01 PM in Beirut
Beirut – Lebanese President Michel Suleiman headed to New York this morning to participate in the General Assembly meeting of the United Nations , where he will deliver a speech in which he is expected to emphasize the importance of compliance with UN security council resolution 1701.
Minutes after he left the country , Israeli fighter jets violated the Lebanese airspace when they flew over the western part of the country in violation of 1701.
Israel has been consistently violating the Lebanese airspace ever since 1701 resolution was issued , despite the complaints of the UNIFIL and the Lebanese government
While at the UN Suleiman was planning to promote Lebanon for the temporary UN security council seat because of the prestige such a position will bring to Lebanon . But
Lebanon was reportedly advised not to seek this seat because of Iran: The security council is expected on several occasions in the near future to vote on sanctions against Iran and if Lebanon votes for these sanctions it will create domestic trouble with Hezbollah , and it votes against the sanctions it will get in trouble with its Arab and western allies.
Lebanese Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri is scheduled to return from Saudi Arabia on Thursday, to launch the parliamentary consultations for a new national unity government
According to al-Hayat newspaper, parliament majority leader Hariri intends this time to engage in a meaningful, “lengthy” dialogue rather than negotiation or debate.
Parliamentary sources told al-Hayat that Hariri is determined to engage in “open and honest dialogue” that would tackle various issues, including the sensitive ones .
Hariri gave up on the formation of the cabinet during the first round reportedly because of the unreasonable demands of the opposition in general and General Michel Aoun in particular

Democratic Gathering parliamentary bloc leader MP Walid Jumblat is reportedly annoyed at the stubbornness of some opposition political leaders, particularly Speaker Nabih Berri who failed to convince his allies in the Hezbollah-led March 8 opposition of the need to soften their demands with respect to the formation of a new government.
According to al-Hayat sources within the opposition , Hezbollah could have tried to persuade its ally, Free Patriotic Movement leader Michel Aoun to soften his stance and be more reasonable in his demands.
Jumblatt , who has angered his allies when he tried to position himself as a centrist to reduce the political tension in Lebanon , is reportedly extremely disappointed in speaker Berri ‘s failure in assuming a similar role within the opposition and in persuading his allies to soften their stands . Berri was described by the majority as the weakest link within the opposition. “Jumblatt has obviously bet on the wrong horse “ one analyst told Ya Libnan, in reference to Berri

Tuesday
11:45 pm President Suleiman arrived in New York to participate in the UN summit
10:00 pm President Mahmoud Abbas said on Tuesday that Israel must honor agreements on borders and Jerusalem which he says its government made in 2008 talks with the Palestinians if stalled peace negotiations are to resume.
8:30 pm Bulgarian former FM Irina Bokova won as UNESCO’s chief against Egyptian rival Farouk Hosni
8:26 Reports of gunfire between Jabal Mohsen and Qubbah in Tripoli , LAF deploys to contain situation
8:20 MTV : there are 2 theories about the attempt to assassinate Mufti Qabbani : One theory says the planners belong to Alqaeda, the other theory says they are from our northern border ( Syria)
3:32pm “central news agency “: six members of Fatah al-Islam were arrested , Palestinian sources say that terrorist groups are trying to infiltrate the camps
3:30pm Lebanese Banks Association’s President Joseph Tarabay: Isolating Lebanon from the global economic crisis is a brilliant achievement and banks have sufficient capabilities to face any development on the financial level.
3:05pm tight security in the vicinity of Dar Al-Fatwa since Sunday following reports of an attempt to assassinate Lebanon’s Grand Mufti Qabbani
2:20 PM Al Jazeera : As Barack Obama, the US president, prepares to meet Binyamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, and Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian president, a recent poll in the Jerusalem Post suggests that just four per cent of Israelis believe the Obama administration supports their country.
2:00 PM Iran’s influential former President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani said on Tuesday that foreign media were using “psychological warfare” to create discord among Iranians, state media reported.
1:50 minister Aridi to hold an expanded meeting tomorrow with sewage contractors and operators to clean up sewage pipes and rain water drainage to take the necessary measures to avoid repetition of what happened in the past two days
1 :47 MP Harb briefed PM Siniora and Maj. Gen. Raad over the damages due to heavy rains and floods in the villages of Batroun
1:45pm The Water Authority of Beirut and Mount Lebanon announced that malfunction occurred in the majority of the existing pumps in the Jaita station
1:34pm MP Sami Gemayel in Montreal: We are now at a stage that could lead to either of one of these two situations : a new Lebanon that meets our ambitions or a Lebanon of extremism and war.
1 :27pm Beirut Water Authority : severe rationing in the central towns of Metn due to storms storms and will return to the normal schedule within 48 hours
12:37pm Military Examining Magistrate Fadi Sawan questioned 5 Fatah al-Islam members detained in the south for belonging to an armed group for the purpose of carrying out terrorist activities.
12:32pm Parliament’s secretariat announced the 5-day program of the PM-designate’s consultations with parliamentary blocs starting Thursday.
12:19pm Heavy rains over the weekend polluted fresh water in Dinniyeh because of mud
12:18pm Al-Sheikh Ayyash and Borj al-Arab citizens burned tires on the international highway to protest severe power cuts.
12:02pm Minister Ziad Baroud told OTV: The issue of the prisoners’ escape is unacceptable. We ask for Lebanese unity to prevent such security mishap. Some preliminary arrests were made.
11:15am Former MP Mustafa Alloush told Net TV : The present situation, both at the regional and external political levels, appears to be heading toward lack of agreement. This is what makes everybody worried about the situation.

10:43 Israeli aircraft violated the Lebanese airspace in the western part of the country and broke the sound barrier
10:36 Jabir: We hope the consultations will be launched Thursday with open hearts and the willingness for dialogue
10:33 sunny weather , higher temperature and lower humidity expected today after the heavy rain of the past few days
10:33 President Suleiman left for New York to attend the UN general assembly meeting
10:28 Houry: The objective of blocking the formation of the government is to eliminate the entity of Lebanon
10:07 Aoun told al Binaa “: if the suspicious campaign against me continues , I will revert to the courts
09:37 internal security forces arrested 69 people for committing criminal acts
09:34 Amin Wehbe told Saout al Mada : ask ( Iranian FM ) Manouchehr Mottaki about the fate of the government in Lebanon
09:32 sources for the al Watan : Suleiman will meet in New York a number of international and Arab key political figures
09:12 Al Rai : New cells of “Fatah al-Islam” in several camps are preparing for terrorist acts
09:00 opposition circles told Al Rai : the ball is now in the court of al-Hariri and his team
08:56 sources the majority told Al Rai : Hariri will not give more than he gave the opposition last time and the opposition will not facilitate the formation of the cabinet
08:49 Saad: Some are undermining the Constitution for political reasons
08:48 Sami Gemayel: We reject the bid of some who consider themselves above the Lebanese state , and above the law and the Constitution
08:48 source in the March 8 told al Anbaa : either the 15-10-5 formula or the return to the blocking third and Gebran Bassil
08:42 sources for the majority told al Anbaa : Hariri considers the proposed line up he submitted to Suleiman is no longer a basis for discussion
08:35 Anbaa : Lebanon was tipped not to seek the seat of the Security Council , specially because of the vote on the Iranian sanctions
07:51 STL prosecutor Bellemare met UN special representative for ME Larsen a few weeks ago in the Hague
07:39 “News: tension continues in Akkar region
07:31 a security source s told al Akhbar : the security forces cannot prevent the transfer of prisoners to hospitals
07:20 Geagea, is engaged full-time in the preparation of his speech for memorial day
07:00 a source close to Hariri: One of the opposition partners is only committed to Hezbollah arms but is free to act on other issues
06:48 al Akhbar : “: Abbas Zaki and Sultan Abul-Einein will be removed from Fatah
leadership in Lebanon. Ashraf Dabbour will replace temporarily ambassador Abbas Zaki until a replacement is found while Khaled Arif or Fathi Abu al Ardat will replace Sultan Abul-Einein
06:35 UNICERAMIC has declared bankruptcy and the Beirut stock exchange stopped trading in its stock. UNICERAMIC is the largest ceramic tile factory in Lebanon
06:20 caretaker Finance minister Chatah: the delay in formation of a government will reflect negatively on the economy
06:12 central bank governor Riad Salameh : the delay in forming a government affects the element of trust in Lebanese economy
05:57 a source of security: security is a priority during the holidays due to concern over terrorist attacks
05:50 Mufti Qabbani: The information about the attempt to assassinate me was part of the political disruption
06:13 “collusion” was behind the escape of the two prisoners
05:42 possibility of a meeting between Preside??????????

The Elemental Struggle of our times is exposing Islamic Supremacy.  The following is a letter exchange between two Americans, struggling to make sense of the 9/12 era. 

September 6, 2009

Gary,

I too found the Allawi quote quite interesting.

From a standpoint of Western understanding, the tolerance that exists between differing Muslim sects could signify that the sects coexist while neither side prohibits the religious practices of the other. Accommodation seems to be more hospitable, perhaps even representing a reconciliation of differences. But the quote shows that there is a vast difference between Eastern and Western understanding.

One thing to bear in mind is that we are dealing with a religion which literally means “submission.” Attempting to comprehend Islam with a Western framework of understanding will prove very misleading, and I believe is what has lead to the crisis Western civilization is in. As Allawi implied: Tolerance assumes supremacy. We are dealing with supremacists, and as a country that founded itself on principles meant to eliminate supremacy, that too can be a roadblock to our understanding of the nature of the conflict.

Since the commandments found in the Qur’an contradict themselves so frequently, it is difficult for someone who hasn’t devoted years of study to make sense of what the final say is. If Sunni Muslims are to “acknowledge the legitimacy and rights of minority groups” as Allawi states, how can it be that the concept of the “invitation,” or Dawa, holds sway? I understand the concept of abrogation decides which of Muhammad’s contradicting commandments are lawful. Which then is the right one: The “invitation,” which commands that Non-Muslims are to convert to Islam, be subjugated, or killed – or the acknowledgment of legitimacy and rights of minority groups?

But in addressing the differing East/West mindsets: The “permanent arrangement which implies the creation of a recognized and legitimate space for other religious and doctrinal groups” that Allawi mentions gives me the impression of Muslims setting aside space for Christians, Jews, Hindus, etc. with the religions coexisting peacefully. I don’t see many examples of such space in Africa, Pakistan, or Saudi Arabia – where non-Muslim places of worship are burned accompanied by the persecution and brutal murders of their worshipers. In fact, dozens of countries are either completely Muslim, like Saudi Arabia, or are approaching complete Muslim occupation. It is also worth noting that Islam is neither accommodating nor tolerant of the nation of Israel.

The conclusion I have come to is that perhaps the accommodation Allawi mentions is actually the Da’wa itself.

Unfortunately, it seems that there is a great – and perhaps unbridgeable – gap between Muslims and the West. Western cultures – the United States in particular – desire freedom, while Muslims by nature are pre-programmed for submission to the will of Allah. We embrace tolerance while Islam rejects it. We believe that all men are created equal, while Islam has its dhimmitude. While we recognize the inalienable rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, that too stands in direct opposition of Islam. Our Civil War was fought in part to eliminate slavery.  America then continued the fight against supremacist groups for a hundred years.

This leaves me with the question: Where is the room for compromise between liberty and tyranny? Where is the room for compromise between submission to Allah and freedom of religion?

It seems clear to me that the clash of civilizations has reached fever pitch after centuries of differences have become unavoidable. Rather than a legal system and government of the people, by the people, and for the people, we are to live under a legal system set forth fourteen hundred years ago in which rape victims are to be stoned, enemies are to be mutilated, and non-believers are to be crucified.

If Americans are to be free and equal, if we do not wish to depart from the inalienable rights codified at this nation’s founding, then we are left with no choice but to defend our principles, as we had to fight supremacy and tyranny at the hands of Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan in the 1940’s.

Chris Carter

P/S: Although you did give mention to the Barbary Wars, you overlooked my question posed to you in our previous letter regarding Islamic piracy. I also would like to discuss the issue of slavery.

______________________________

September 12, 2009

Chris,

I apologize for taking so long to respond.  I have been building a new website where I am focusing on creating a baseline for researching the Afghanistan/Pakistan sphere.  I call it The AfPak Reader, and right now I am in the process of “boxing Roggio”.  I am studying the Bill Roggio Archives from the Long War Journal, specifically the Summer 2009 work he has put forward on the web.  I am taking his Afghanistan and Pakistan work, which is filled with useful links, and breaking out the links that give a full picture of the situation.  More or less, the links within his works are a source index, but it takes those who are researching forever to click on a link, read it, then return back and click another one, repeating the process eight or nine times in a story.  As far as researching the phenomenon of the Taliban and al Qaeda, because the topic is so involved, the internet is bogged down by load times – perhaps I just prefer books. 

The reason I have broken out the links and categorized them into “mini AfPak readers” called “Mainlines” is to establish a narrative of the topic, grounding the complexity in concrete events with contextual explanation, that we might identify and profile our enemies with precision instead of levying generalities that are received across the Atlantic as stereotyping.  Once I have compiled Roggio’s LWJ Summer 2009 work, I will have a baseline of research from which anyone can begin the process of building an understanding of the situation our troops are facing in the AfPak.  

In your letter of August 2nd, you stated that the first thing America should have done in the wake of 9/11 was to assess and define the enemy we were facing.  In terms of defining, mapping and identifying the threats to America, the process I am putting forward on The AfPak Reader wordpress blog is a necessary surge in the challenging task of defining our enemy and understanding the terrain.

Your September 6 letter deserves a full response. 

I was pleased to see your quick grasp of Islamic Accommodation between the sects of Islam.  In your September 6 letter, you state, “the tolerance that exists between differing Muslim sects could signify that the sects coexist while neither side prohibits the religious practices of the other. Accommodation seems to be more hospitable, perhaps even representing a reconciliation of differences.”  I found it remarkably astute, considering that the Allawi passage continues in sync with your reading. 

Following the sufferance of toleration, Allawi talks of the relation of the Sunni and Shia, saying “The Sunni-Shia relationship throughout most of Islamic history was one of accommodation rather than toleration, in spite of important theological differences.”  Indeed, the majority Sunni did “accommodate” the Shia with a legally recognized space throughout Islamic History; albeit, the differing sects and schools under the Sunni veil also slaughtered the Shia regularly when the Shia were perceived by the Sunni to have violated the sovereign space arrangement. 

Islamic Accommodation demands the reasoning mind to re-evaluate internally accepted truth.  Though you once believed that mutual tolerance was the way to achieve peace, you must now take it on faith that an accommodation is necessary. The purpose of Jihad is to destabilize reason’s ability to properly gage the magnitude of the threat it is facing – conquest is achieved through deception, war.  Sacrificing pawns is the nature of Chess – pawns can’t retreat. 

You ask, “Where is the room for compromise between Liberty and Tyranny?”  To this I would respond that there is not room for compromise between the free and the slaver; however, there is room for an intellectual exchange, in which Liberty enumerates its reasoned grievances, mental and social, lists its verifiable damages, material and psychological, and issues a sovereign challenge, exposing the moral failings and ethical precedents of the offending Tyranny.  In terms of reason, the proper relation between Liberty and Tyranny is one of well-measured resentment.

Having said this, I would note that your reading of Israel as a state which is not accommodated or tolerated by its Muslim neighbors is also correct; though, this does not say that Islam is not willing to accommodate the Jews in an Islamic Palestine. 

The Arabs and Muslims reject what they refer to as the “Zionist Entity.”   The nature of the narrative against the Zionist entity (the Little Satan) holds that Israel was created to give Jews a homeland without concern over the Palestinians who were pushed off of their land.  The narrative continues with the charge that the Jewish leaders are plotting to dominate the region from the Mediterranean to the Euphrates through imperial means, with Western backing, particularly the United States (the Great Satan).  However, I think it best to reserve judgment on this score…until a more opportune time, when we might have space enough to discuss at length the narrative which accuses the sovereign state of Israel of being an imperialist Bulwark of Western interests in the Muslim world.  

What is important to note, now, is the fact that the sovereignty – the borders, laws, rights and liberties – of Israel is under challenge. 

Beyond Israel, world peace, itself, hinges on confronting and defying Islamic Accommodation.  

On June 10th, 1963, President John F. Kennedy gave a speech at the commencement exercises of American University in Washington D.C.  The specter in JFKs era was Communism and the red menace out of the Soviet Union; but, what plagued our young president was the realization that Total war in a nuclear age meant mutually assured destruction.  In the charged environment, at the height of the Cold War, he spoke of peace.  “World peace, like community peace, does not require that each man love his neighbor,” Kennedy said, “it requires only that they live together with mutual tolerance, submitting their disputes to a just and peaceful settlement.”  

The act of compromise can mean (1) to settle by concessions, (2) to expose or make liable to danger, suspicion, or disrepute, or (3) to pledge mutually.  This, my American Heritage has taught me. 

When presented under the bedoui tent of accommodation, compromise does not hold a mutual pledge as a possible outcome.  Indeed, without the incentive of a mutual pledge, no compromise can be profitable.  Therefore, for those who hold to individual liberty as the natural state of humanity (for the defenders of Liberty) to enter into a negotiation or engagement with a Muslim or a Community of Islam with the intention of achieving a just compromise, the result will inevitably expose liberty to the dangers inherent in the supremacy of Allah’s Rights – cultural, ethical, individual, and national sovereignty is overthrown in an instant. 

The attitude of Islamic accommodation is evidenced in Dore Gold’s release The Fight for Jerusalem.  In a discussion about the 1993 meeting of the minds between Israel and the Palestinians, a local Palestinian leader named Faisal al-Husseini states happily, “in the Oslo Accords it was established that the status of Jerusalem is open to negotiations on the final arrangement, and the moment you say yes to negotiations, you are ready for compromise.”  What is up for grabs?  In Oslo, the destiny of Jerusalem’s sovereign arrangement was placed back on the negotiation table 45 years after Israel declared and won her sovereignty.  Why is he happy?  Future Israeli leaders, who seek negotiations on Jerusalem’s sovereign arrangement, must aim for a compromise to achieve what they will perceive to be a just and beneficial settlement…while Palestinians, with full religious support, will reject mutual tolerance and demand that Shariah Law be adhered to in all future legal arrangements  and discussions – this, as a merciful accommodation. 

In this light, what just and peaceful settlement is possible for Israel in a negotiation with those who would reject mutual tolerance?  Knowing what you now know about Islamic accommodation, what are the prospects of world peace in an age of Islamic (demographic) ascendancy, if we are met to set about the immoral task of compromising on the necessity of mutual tolerance?  Compromising tolerance in the face of Islamic accommodation is the act of accepting dhimmitude.  In what Shariah Court will the disputes of the dhimmi find justice, I ask? 

Reason is murdered when compromise rejects tolerance. 

A great unequal battle faces those who would forge a new daybreak, struggling for peace against such accommodation.  In the war of perception, accommodation is an attractive deception.  But he who chooses by his own volition to barter away sovereignty for peace, will awaken darkly to the recognition of his chains. 

Islamic accommodation is attractive precisely due to language and the form of its Da’wa.

 Da’wa, in general, is the missionary activity of Islam.  It can mean “to call” or “to summon” or “to invite” when found in the Koran.  Missionary activity in the modern age has ramped up with the rise of the internet and mass communication.  Da’wa as an Arabic term tends to mean “to call upon” as in a prayer to a god.  In this sense, the da’wa is a vital and vibrant part of Muslim piety, for it is the invocation of a prayer to Allah.  However, fundamentalist Muslims tend to see da’wa as a proselytizing activism, and their mosques and madrassas are actually tools of outreach and social welfare designed to spread the influence of Muhammad’s teachings and Allah’s Laws. 

Matthew Levitt, in his book Hamas: Politics, Charity, and Terrorism in the Service of Jihad notes that “social service institutions function as an ideal tool used by Islamists to radicalize and recruit Muslim youth.”  In this vein, da’wa, in practice, delivers a message of sectarian purity which can be molded to meet the propaganda needs of identity politics and to radicalize a ready crop of listeners.  Indeed, in conflict zones or in poorly governed, corrupt or failed states, the social welfare found in the da’wa of the Mosque network provides what the defunct power cannot – food, clothing, housing, opportunity and education – leading naturally to declarations of illegitimacy for the power of the state and cries of Allahu Akhbar as the sovereignty of Allah is championed, politically, by the disaffected communities.  

In terms of Islamic accommodation, when the Da’wa of Islam is issued toward an infidel, it is a “summoning” to the supreme truth of Allah’s pen, which taught men what they knew not.  Supreme truth, ultimate knowledge, the source of true power and law, the source of sovereignty – these all – are what the Mother Book miraculously provided the world according to Islam.  All law and order and sovereignty that came before the Koran’s perfect message are part of the age of ignorance, the age of jahali.  So, in terms of the principle of abrogation, the Koran overrides all previous scriptures in value, including the Torah and the New Testament, which were corrupted by Satan over time, through improper translation of God’s laws and through the imperfect interpretation of the fallible leaders of the faiths – Satan is the great disorderer of Muhammad’s straight path. 

According to the invitation to Islam, Muhammad was the final prophet in the Abrahamic prophetic tradition, the seal of the prophets, the last of Allah’s messengers to humanity.  He was prompted to “Read” or “Recite” directly from Allah’s Mother Book by the Angel Gabriel.  And, though Muhammad was an illiterate man, he could read the words of Allah’s Supreme guidance…and the words of the scribes, who wrote down his revelations, were written in plain Arabic, the celestial language of Allah’s final revelations to mankind – a complete Warning to humanity of the coming final Hour of judgment. 
 
But in truth, if you really want to understand the true nature of the language and form of the invitation to Islam, the Call, the Da’wa, you must allow your reason to find itself in a foreign setting, devoid of the comforts of cell phones and internet links, automobiles, processed foods and air conditioning.  9/11 was said by many to be the result of a failure of imagination.

Therefore, in this triumph of imagination, you must become, in your mind, a farmer living in a village of some 300 souls over 500 years ago.  Your imagination must place you into the position of a spokesman and elder of a village on the edge of Christendom.  For generations the Christian faith of your lineage has been unchallenged.  Your village is twenty miles from the nearest garrison; and, as night is falling, you hear the pounding of hooves and the chain-chink of battledress beyond your citrus grove to the South. 

____________

Dogs begin to whine aimlessly in distress; horses grow restless in their stables; more and more villagers come to your side as you stand on the edge of the unknown.   Cut off, due to simple geography, without communication with your primary source of protection – aware of your situation – you face the horde approaching your village with a tight hold on your fear. 

Addressing the crowd, you say “we know not who is upon us or what legion.  But we will meet them with kindness and hospitality…with so few to fight by my side, God help us if they are set upon battle.  Prepare the horses.  Three riders must speed North to the garrison.  Hail the village elders along the way and tell them…a force of a thousand or more advances from the South.  Slaughter ten goats and set the fires.  We will feast with our southern neighbors and learn of their cause and master.”

In the amber light of a dying sun, the slope of your land allows you to see hundreds of warriors riding toward your village at a confident pace, thirty abreast along a road designed for no more than three riders side by side…and the column stretches and widens upon the horizon.  

Signs of concern had already awakened you to the impending possibility of danger.  The previous night, a young boy, bloody and tired, arrived at your door.  He was mumbling the word “Mohamedans” over and over.  Unable to pry information out of the shaking, feverish lad, you had sent riders south to inquire as to trouble, but none had returned.  The farmers from the East and the West had not arrived to the market in over a week.

Terror grips you as the near grove comes to life with flaming torches and horses, glinting spear tips, and rows and rows of bows.  The tales of slaves who escaped Islam colored council fire meetings throughout your life with the ruthless exploits of the Mohamedans in battle.  

“Light the torches and prepare yourselves for a celebration.  Draw water and break out the feed.  Their horses will need care.”  You feign control in your instructions, though chance’s fickle wand will wield your destiny, you fear.  The pounding of the hooves is an echo within you now and it grows and grows.

Abruptly, the column of Muslim riders halts just outside the village.  From the wall of men, one solitary rider removes the cloth wrapped over his nose and mouth, nudging his steed forward.  With a downward gaze, the rider nods to you, “Peace be upon you.  With respect, who is the leader of this…village of Rum?” 

Though you respond clearly, the halting of the ranks in succession, and the rumbling earth drowned out your response.  “Peace unto you.  I am the chieftain.  We are but a small village, but I have ordered a feast for your generals.”

“Where are your guards?  Does Rum not keep you well defended?”

“We trust in God, to safeguard our passage, sir.  Praise be to Him, indeed.  It is not every day one is allowed the grace of learning the mind of one’s neighbor.  Your presence is a blessing to us.  I have long yearned to learn of your Master and Faith.”

“Allahu Akbar.  Allah is the greatest source of defense.  You are indeed people of the book.  The Prophet Muhammad, Peace be upon Him, has taught us this lesson in word and deed.   I would be honored to attend your feast, Christian.” 

Cut off, with no defense, you have said “Yes” to negotiations.  But you are not proud.  Your faith has taught you humility in all things.  If need be, to save the lives of those who have been entrusted to your keeping and care…you will convert as an example…and pay any price that you might worship Christ in the private keeps of your heart, even if you submit to Muhammad, publicly, due to circumstance. 

The Muslim spokesman smiles as he drinks and eats with his Generals in your dining hall…his men encamped across the countryside.  He looks upon you with a level gaze and says, “I command 3,000 men.  If I were a bandit, I could control your village with less than 30.”

“We are well suited to defend ourselves from raids.”

“Do you pay taxes to Rum?”

“Why yes, Rum is our protector, a quarter of our yield is presented as tribute.”

“That is why I am here, Christian.  It is puzzling that a master would impose himself on a subject without offering the security promised in the acceptance of an annual duty.  By the prophet, I am here to offer you and your village protection…and security.  This small contingent of men under my command is nothing compared to the Army of Islam; yet, I would wager you have never witnessed one so massive nor one so obedient to command.  I would extend to you my protection, and Allah’s protection.”

“Can Muhammad’s god protect a Christian?”

“We worship the same God.  His name is Allah.  Al Quran says that Allah made men and angels solely to worship Him.  Do your scriptures not teach this truth, Christian?”

“Our scriptures teach us that Christ died for the sins of all Mankind, that God sacrificed his only son that we might all achieve the Kingdom of Heaven.  In Jesus, we pray.  In remembrance of Jesus do we break bread and drink wine.  God created Mankind that we might glorify his law, that we might inherit the kingdom through His grace.”

“Do you speak the language of Jesus?  Do you speak the language of Abraham?  Is it not then a truth that you do not know what Jesus actually said upon his cross?  For hundreds of years your Christian Councils have argued over the nature of divinity in Christ, yes?  Your faith in Christ is admirable – Muhammad revered Jesus.  When Muhammad smashed all of the idols in the Kaaba, he did not destroy the image of Jesus, for it was dear to him as a fellow prophet.  The tragedy of the world is the fact that all of Allah’s prophets were tormented for their desire to warn the people of their transgressions against Allah’s laws.  However, Al Quran teaches us that those who claim that Allah is made of three – the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit – disorder the straight path in Allah’s sight.  Allah is One.  There is no god but Allah.  Allah has never begotten a son.”

“Christ taught that men should treat others as they wish to be treated.   I have not traveled South to your door to deny the divinity of Muhammad’s teachings, have I?”

“Did Jesus not chase the money changers from the house of prayer?  He warned of sinning against the laws of God.  Al Quran of Muhammad, too, is such a warning.  Would you wish Jesus had not traveled to the Temple to cleanse it of sin?  Christian, your scriptures guide you to treat others as you would want to be treated.  We, in Islam, follow a similar teaching.  Muhammad, peace be upon him, in the early years of Medina said ‘And from among you there should be a party who invite to good and enjoin the right and forbid the wrong.  And these are they who are successful.’  (3:104) Al Quran is a warning for those who would disobey the laws of Allah, for the ‘Lord is most Generous, Who taught by the pen, Taught man what he knew not.’”

“Thank you for the warning, my Muslim neighbor.  Enjoining the right and forbidding the wrong seems a noble pursuit.  But why do you travel with a contingent of warriors if this is your message?” 

“My party has come to invite you to Good, Christian.  Your current masters are not able to provide you with protection, yet Rum charges you a quarter of your yield.  If you were to convert to Islam, the levy for protection would be one tenth of that under your current terms with Rum.  Since there is no compulsion in religion in Islam, we will accommodate your right to remain Christians if you declare allegiance to the Caliph at a similar rate to your current levy.  Your allegiance to the Caliph would allow you a contingent of protection such as that encamped throughout your countryside.  Now, I ask, can Rum’s garrison to your North provide one tenth such security for your family?  We are both people of the book.  I offer you and your people protection and accommodation.”

_____________

So, Chris, when you ask, “Where is the room for compromise between submission to Allah and freedom of religion?”  I would have to respond, the room for compromise is based on the level of support you have in terms of communication.  In the example narrative above, protection was offered.  This protection tax becomes the dhimmitude.  Nothing is mentioned about the fact that if the affronted Christians or Jews do decide to accept the terms of Islamic protection and pay the Jizya tax, they will become second class, sub humans who recognize the supremacy of Allah but refuse to accept Submission and therefore deserve to be treated with enmity and contempt.  Nothing is mentioned about the fact that the strong sons of every village are whisked away into what is called dervishme in which they are trained as Janissary conscript warriors and brainwashed to accept the supremacy of Jihad.

The above example is a triumph of imagination, for it represents the language and form of Da’wa and Islamic accommodation.  This methodology is the gateway to dhimmitude, the gateway to slavery.  Converting to Islam is a way to save ten to twenty percent in taxes.  So, on the subject of the history of the conquests of Islamic Empires, the reason our Western textbooks claim that the conquests were relatively peaceful was due to the fact that communication and travel times were so primitive.  Cut off, the tribal and village leaders facing a massive horde were more likely to surrender and submit than to fight.  And those that surrendered and harbored in their heart their traditional fate became hypocrites and were butchered with Koranic legal backing if they ever attempted to resist the dictates of Shariah Law.

Dawa, the summons to Islam, forced those who stood in the path of the Muslim advance through the centuries to make a fateful choice.  Those who were headstrong and retained their faith would, after years of discrimination and abuse, find their numbers dwindling as more and more of their congregation accepted the Islamic faith.  Two or three generations would pass, and the grandchildren of those early converts who relented control of their reason and integrity would know nothing other than the blessings of Allah and the security of the collective Umma, effectively breeding out the dissenters. 

The Dawa, the Islamic Accommodation, lays the groundwork for a totalitarian takeover of the socioeconomic system of a culture which submits to Islam or, docile, accepts dhimmitude.  Jihad is waged on those who refuse the options of converting or paying the jizya tax.  Why?  Jihad is waged on the holdouts, because they arrogantly refuse to accept the Supremacy of Allah and the Koran as their constitutional benchmark of justice and truth, preferring to remain in a state of jahaliya; that is, in a state of rebellion against the limits ordained by Allah. 

In the war of perception, accommodation is an attractive deception.  But he who chooses by his own volition to barter away sovereignty for peace, will awaken darkly to the recognition of his chains. 

In the modern era, mass communication has slowed the advance of the literalist Muslims who seek to wage jihad against the West.  In this regard, the freedoms of the press and of speech are paramount in creating a unified response from the Western intellectual world, declaring independence from the tyranny of Shariah law.  The Establishment Clause of the United States Constitution guarantees no law will be made respecting the establishment of a religion; and since this law is absolute, and the freedoms of press and speech are protected, the only thing slowing a full sail intellectual revolt against the injustices of Shariah Law is the multicultural whitewashing of Islam’s slaver past by the Free Media. 

The economic history of Islam is a black hole.  Those who hold the freedom of speech must demand the right to communicate their findings on the slaver past of Islam as findings present themselves to the researchers, studying the intricacies of the past and present.  At present, with the rise of the internet, twenty four hour news programs, daily, weekly and monthly periodicals and journals, mass communication has closed the necessity of “compromising” on the freedom of religion in the face of Islamic Accommodation.  However, the rules of the game can change quickly if the freedom of speech or the press is augmented by the intellectual elite waging a cultural jihad against Liberty and Reason.

Unfortunately, since those who are fighting for the implementation of Shariah Law are well funded and well organized in their academic posts, influential think tanks, and Non-Governmental Organizations, the press in the West has been assaulted by the narratives of the apologists and dhimmis for so long that when those who would rise as free men and women of reason against the specter of Shariah Law in Europe or America and attempt to gain an intellectual foothold for the espousal of their countercultural ideas, their reasoned efforts are omitted from the published record and forwarded to the trash bin. 

The Power of Omission is the chief obstacle in defying Islamic Supremacism in the age of mass communication.  The deafening silence of the omission is the most damaging aspect of Islamic supremacism’s current onslaught on Western Liberty to those who would mount a defense of Western sovereignty.  The editors of major newspapers rationalize not publishing material of new thinkers because they are not sufficiently qualified with a PHD or have an extensive background in Arab or Middle Eastern studies in the folds of the current collegiate MESA environment. 

At the same time, the deck is stacked against gaining entry to the mix, since the graduate schools offering the courses necessary to achieve a modicum of expertise are unavailable for those who are not well versed in either Hebrew or Arabic.  That Jews represent a large contingent in the frontlines of the intellectual battle against Islamic supremacism is not a mystery – graduate schools accept Hebrew as a gateway language to the study of the region.  In full, the prerequisite requirement of proficiency in a Middle Eastern language for entrance in graduate studies programs of the United States places Westerners, newly awakening to the threat, at a disadvantage in terms of competing in the realm of academic ideas, since the Arabic and Islamic attendees to Western universities dominate the tenor and direction of the debates and place this effort directly into campus activism from UCLA to Georgetown to Columbia to Harvard via organizations like MSA.  The voices of the people face a wall, silenced by a discriminating media standard. 

Western engagement with the Muslim world is dominated by think tanks and NGOs which hold political agendas.  Magazines like Newsweek become agenda and influence mouthpieces of foundations and institutions which are gaining in government backing and financing.  Try to get published in the National Interest or Foreign Policy magazines…try to get published on the topic of Islam – it won’t happen unless you are tied to an influence peddling NGO or juiced in to the MESA academic scene and touting the talking point line. 

Voiced dissent, then, in the confrontation with Islamic Supremacism and contemporary Jihad, is an exercise in rejection for the intellectual vanguard of the West.  The deck is stacked, marked, and juiced.  The man of reason on the street is short stacked, left hoping for a miracle card down the river.

The form of the Da’wa is telling.  In the triumphant example above, it should be reckoned that the first step in the process of summoning infidels to Islam was not to say “Convert, pay the jizya or die”.  The first step was claiming that the Christian God and Allah were one in the same.  In this first step, Islam and the advocates of Shariah Law have won the day completely. 

This complete victory can best be seen in modern translation of common speak.  When Arabic or Islamic writers speak of Allah, the word Allah is immediately translated into English as God.  There is zero moral equivalence of the God of Islam and the God of the Old and New Testaments.  Yet, the translators of today continually accept the interchangeable nature of the words “Allah” and “God”.  This is tragic.  Moreover, to Muslims, it is considered a sin to translate the Koran from the plain Arabic into any other language.  The supremacy of plain Arabic is a tenet of Islam.  Therefore, when Western translators fail to maintain the separation between the words “Allah” and “God” they are committing intellectual treason, submitting their will and reason to the supremacy of Allah and Islam.

Now, as to your post script, you are correct – I did leave piracy and slavery in the shadows.  In your second letter of this Elemental Struggle you asked if piracy, as found in the Gulf of Aden, today, could be seen as a fundamentalist type of jihad.  To this, I would remind you that in your letter of August 2nd, you stated that “terrorism is a tactic, not a target.”  Piracy, too, is a tactic.  Terrorism and Piracy are both tactics of Jihad.  Moreover, in terms of conquest, enslavement is also a tactic, until it becomes a custom.  Terrorism, piracy and slavery are all tactics of Jihad. 

The United States of America, since its founding and before was affronted by Islamic Pirates and the slave trade, which had its nucleus in Muslim lands.  The Barbary Wars was waged by President Thomas Jefferson and his successors against the Berber pirates of the Mediterranean.   And without the slave markets of Islam, the United States would not have inherited slavery. 

The geopolitical realities of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries were bound by the state-sponsored Piracy of Islam’s Caliphs.  The word “passport” was derived from the “protection” tax levied by Muslim lands, which allowed travelers and ship owners to pass from port to port throughout the Mediterranean without fear of being accosted by pirates.  All of the European countries which wanted access to the Silk Road were willing to pay exhorbitant fees to Muslim Pirate Warlords to make sure that its ships and citizens would not be enslaved or kidnapped for a ransom.  

What most people don’t understand in the West today is that the American trade and diplomatic vessels had to contend with the Berber pirates following the American Revolution precisely because Britain’s protection fees no longer applied to American ships.  Europe, in effect, due to its inability to police the waters of the Atlantic and Mediterranean fell victim to a massive extortion and racketeering ring.  The United States, founded on the principles of individual liberty, property rights and capitalism, rejected the notion that Europe had accepted – piracy was a threat to free trade.  War, therefore, was levied against piracy in a variety of ways in the name of Liberty and Sovereignty, beginning with the exploits of William Eaton, the first covert operative in America’s history, who, with eight Marines, responded to the Pasha of Tripoli’s kidnapping and extortion tactics with a covert assault mission.  The 1805 mission of William Eaton is chronicled admirably well by Richard Zacks in his book The Pirate Coast.  The text should be required reading in History classrooms across our country, for it exposes the grievances and damages that led to the United States’ first stand against Islamic Mercantilism.

Islam is a chiefly mercantile faith; yet, the economic history of Islam is notably absent in studies of World History.  Since Muslims emulate Muhammad, the socio-economic realities of the faith are based on the economic system of Arabia in the age of Muhammad. 

Geopolitically, Mercantilism ruled socio-economics from the age of Muhammad through the age of Enlightenment and the birth of the United States.  Mercantilism holds that the nation which amasses the most wealth can put to field the biggest and most well resourced army.  Wealth, in Mercantilism, is, a static thing, scarce; so, the Mercantilist, in order to acquire an ever expanding source of wealth must hold to an ever expanding colonial empire.  There is only so much wheat, so much timber, so much salt, so much metal…and whoever owns the most territory can amass the most wealth and power. 

The mercantilist mentality led to the colonial systems of the Dutch, the Portuguese, the Spanish, the British, and eventually the Japanese.  Imperialism based on mercantilism naturally gives birth to Piracy as a weapon of statecraft, since the philosophy of Mercantilism bases its morality on taking wealth via expansion rather than creating wealth via property laws of the free market.  The English had privateers, no?  In the subjugated lands, sovereignty is in flux, boundaries are in question.  Law and order in the colonies and prospective acquisitions of an empire, then, were flexible; and, in that libertine environment, pirate raids and activity were sponsored by the head of the imperial state to instill terror and to guarantee that the colonials would eventually fully submit to the public good of taxation out of the sovereign protection afforded to the colonies by the empire.  Socialism, Fascism, Communism are each modern variants of the Mercantile Economic system.  

Mercantilism and Piracy are enshrined in the Islamic faith.  Year 1 of the Muslim calendar is called the year of the Hegira.  The Hegira (or hijra) represents the birth of the Islamic Empire, for Muhammad broke away from the Mecca tribes and established a base for his followers in Medina.  By year 3, the Muslims were considered outlaws for their raiding of Mecca’s Caravans.  For a decade, Muhammad preached the initial verses of the Koran in Mecca.  The fact that Muhammad was preaching monotheism was seen as a threat to Meccan trade.

Mecca was home of the Kaaba, which played host to as many idols as days in the year.  Mecca, was a place of pilgrimage for worshipers of all faiths, who sought to both pay homage to their idol Gods and trade goods.  Muhammad began preaching about an idolless God and began scolding pilgrims for their false worship and idolatry.  The elite leaders of Mecca were annoyed by this – Muhammad was bad for business.  365 different idols in the Kaaba represented 365 tribal faiths which could come and trade and worship. 

Since the Meccans were in the middle of the desert and the Kaaba was their main claim to fame, the elites felt that the idol worshipers were their main market.  Muhammad had to be silenced.  So, after years of taunts and harrassment, the elite tribal leaders shucked him and his followers into a ghetto on the outskirts of town – an ancient Gaza – effectively quarantining the poisonous message which could threaten trade from the market place of ideas.  Muhammad sent envoys out to surrounding kings and cities to find a benefactor who was not so worried about the idol trade and was willing to accept Islam.  It was not long before the leaders of the tribes of Medina (a city made up of Jewish and Arab tribes) sent Muhammad a message, informing him that they would accept his Kingship if he could come to Medina and settle the disputes and stop the tribal feuds of the city.

The leaders of Mecca found out about the entreaty and were alarmed at the possibility of Muhammad rising to the head of a city such as Medina.  The tribal leaders of Mecca plotted to kill Muhammad, yet he and his friends escaped Mecca’s scheming assassination attempts and made it to Medina…in a flight from the danger of the Meccan political scene.  In Arabic, the word hijra means “flight”.  Out of anger, the Meccan leadership imprisoned and tortured the Muslims who did not make it out of Mecca, and burned and looted the houses and property of the Muslims who had left, including Muhammad’s. 

Learning of the destruction of the property of his followers, and firmly established as the patriarch of Medina, Muhammad determined that the best way to achieve satisfaction would be to raid the caravan routes of the Meccans. 

In Muhammad’s day, caravan raiding was considered a sport.  In Arabia, opportunists would cut off a caravan that was not well defended and force the caravan leader to submit to the theft.  The most gallant and chivalrous raiders of the desert were the ones who could achieve a piece of the cargo without the shedding of blood.  In time, a system of “protection taxes” were developed by caravan leaders that claimed to be able to navigate the deserts and at the same time protect the cargo from raids, through reputation or through agreements with tribal chiefs. 

Often times, wealthy Meccan elites would pool their money into a caravan from Syria or surrounding markets.  When Muhammad’s band of followers descended on the caravans of Mecca, the wealthy elites were literally up in arms to defend their source of income as well as their dominance in the region.  The verses of the Koran which originated in the post Hegira Medina period laid down the religious justification for piracy and war on the idolaters of Mecca’s mercantile system.  Jihad, then, was born of Allah’s sanction of piracy as a just cause.   And in effect, Muhammad’s Jihads laid siege to the market of Mecca, and Allah would demand a Monopoly on religious authority. 

What is Jihad?  Jihad is an ideological nexus of deceitful concepts like Da’wa, Jahaliya, and Abrogation.  Its methodology is bound by the limits laid down in the Koran and Shariah Law. Its tactics include terror, piracy, enslavement, and taqiya (dissembling truth). To Muslims, the Koran is the source of all knowledge and truth.  All authority in Islam is designed to usher in an age in which Allah’s Word is all high.  Jihad has a trigger – and that trigger is the Institution of al Hisba, derived from the injunction “enjoin good and forbid evil”. 

The concept of abrogation seems like a temporal construct in Islamic Supremacy – the latter Medina verses seem to abrogate the Meccan verses of the Koran.  Muslim scholars have long held that Muhammad’s last word on a subject is the final word of Allah.  However, since no chronological Koran exists, Western readers without a full understanding of the contexts of Muhammad’s Jihads are at a loss to determine the temporal value of the Sword verses of the Koran as they relate to Jihad’s modern face.  

As to slavery, it is hard for Westerners, today, to see how the slave trade inherited by America originated in the caravan mentality of the Mercantile age.   But what must be understood about slavery is that it is inextricably linked with Shariah Law.  Last year, I read the book Legacy of Jihad by Andrew Bostom.  In Part 7, subtitled Jihad Slavery, K.S. Lal notes that according to T.P. Hughes’ Dictionary of Islam (produced in the 1890s), “Slavery is in complete harmony with the spirit of Islam…That Muhammad ameliorated the condition of the slave, as it existed under the heathen law of Arabia, we cannot doubt; but it is equally certain that the Arabian legislator intended it to be a permanent institution.”   Later in the treatise, Lal continues with Hughes, “The Slavery of Islam is interwoven with the Law of marriage, the Law of sale, and the Law of inheritance, of the system, and its abolition would strike at the very foundation of the code of Muhaminadanism.”

The Muslim nations of Mauritania and Saudi Arabia did not officially end slavery until the 1960s; and, the practice of slavery is still strong, though now unmentionably underground in Islamic society.

The United States of America has been at war with Islam’s Shariah Law since its founding.   Following the Barbary Wars, we experienced the Civil War in which the slavery brought to America from the Muslim slave markets found itself stopped cold with Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation.  America then fought the Ottomans in World War I, whose defeat trumpeted the abolition of the Caliphate by Ataturk in 1923.

The abolition of slavery and the abolition of the Caliphate were equivalent acts, stripping Allah of Sovereignty.  The modern Jihads we are seeing are a rejection of both acts.  America is the Great Satan to the Islamic Supremacists of the world precisely because it fought piracy and abolished slavery and ushered in an age of disorder to the communities of Islam. 

It is no coincidence that Hassan al Banna began the Muslim Brotherhood in 1923.

-Gary H. Johnson, Jr. (September 21, 2009; 4:00pmEST)

Below, you will find a year’s worth of articles by Karen DeYoung of the Washington Post centered on the AfPak conflict.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/08/27/AR2008082703628_pf.html
Only a Two-Page ‘Note’ Governs U.S. Military in Afghanistan

By Karen DeYoung
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, August 28, 2008; A07

For the past six years, military relations between the United States and Afghanistan have been governed by a two-page “diplomatic note” giving U.S. forces virtual carte blanche to conduct operations as they see fit.

Although President Bush pledged in a 2005 declaration signed with Afghan President Hamid Karzai to “develop appropriate arrangements and agreements” formally spelling out the terms of the U.S. troop presence and other bilateral ties, no such agreements were drawn up.

But after a U.S.-led airstrike last week that United Nations and Afghan officials have said killed up to 90 civilians — most of them children — Karzai has publicly called for a review of all foreign forces in Afghanistan and a formal “status of forces agreement,” along the lines of an accord being negotiated between the United States and Iraq.

The prospect of codifying the ad hoc rules under which U.S. forces have operated in Afghanistan since late 2001 sends shudders through the Bush administration, which has struggled to finalize its agreement with Baghdad. “It’s never been done because the issues have been too big to surmount,” said one U.S. official who was not authorized to discuss the subject on the record. “The most diplomatic way of saying it is that there are just a lot of moving parts,” the official said.

The Afghan government “is not the most streamlined and efficient system,” he said. “So you’d have a multiplicity of players on that side.” Less diplomatic U.S. officials frequently describe elements of Karzai’s government as deeply corrupt and incompetent. Although most civilian war deaths in Afghanistan are caused by Taliban forces, those resulting from the highly visible airstrikes are a particular cause of public outrage that neither Karzai nor the administration can afford to ignore.

The other side of the equation is even more complicated. Of the 33,000 U.S. troops in Afghanistan, 19,000 operate under U.S. Central Command, while 14,000 form the largest single component of a 40-nation force led by NATO under a U.N. resolution.

The disparate command structures have frustrated every government involved in the effort, but according to Afghan officials, they have also allowed diffused responsibility for civilian casualties, such as those of last week in the western part of the country. U.S. forces operate up to 90 percent of all strike aircraft in the country, and it is rarely clear whether an individual strike has been conducted as part of a NATO or U.S. operation.

The U.N. mandate for NATO serves as a de facto status-of-forces agreement. The protection and authority it gives, however, do not apply to the separate U.S. force, which is covered under the diplomatic note exchanged between the United States and a non-elected, interim Afghan government in the months after the Sept. 11, 2001, al-Qaeda attacks and the launch of U.S. counterterrorism operations in Afghanistan.

The note delves into arcane issues such as customs duties and driver’s licenses. It devotes only a few sentences to “the conduct of ongoing military operations,” giving U.S. troops “a status equivalent” to diplomatic immunity and exempting them from any Afghan “disciplinary authority” or legal jurisdiction.

Similar legal immunity is included in U.S. status-of-forces agreements with more than 80 countries. But it has become the biggest roadblock to the conclusion of an accord with Baghdad, and U.S. officials say Karzai has taken his cues from the Iraqi government of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki.

Civilian casualties, long a recurring problem in Afghanistan, tripled last year as thinly spread U.S. and NATO forces grew more dependent on air power against a resurgent Taliban. Although the number of civilian deaths attributed to international forces during combat on the ground has remained relatively static at fewer than 100 each year, casualties due to airstrikes have reached more than 200 through the first eight months of this year, compared with 321 in 2007 and 116 in 2006.

According to the U.S. Air Forces Central Combined Air and Space Operations Center, the number of strikes this year in which munitions were dropped totaled 2,368 as of Aug. 4. The equivalent number for the same period in Iraq was 783. The statistics for Afghanistan do not distinguish between strikes on behalf of NATO and those part of separate U.S. operations, usually air support called in by Special Operations teams during engagements with Taliban forces.

U.S. military and intelligence officials have said that the Taliban has become adept at drawing U.S. fire to civilian areas as an increasingly effective propaganda move.

Although U.S. command headquarters on the ground and the Tampa-based Central Command normally respond to Afghan charges of civilian casualties by announcing an investigation, the results of their probes are rarely made public.

Last week’s bombing, however, was the largest single incident of reported non-combatant casualties. An investigation by a U.N. human rights team found “convincing evidence” that 90 civilians, including 60 children, were killed in the Aug. 21 military operation led by U.S. Special Operations forces and the Afghan army in Herat province.

An initial U.S. military release acknowledged that five civilians and 25 militants had been killed in an operation the Pentagon later described as “a legitimate strike on a Taliban target.”

The U.N. report, released Tuesday, added pressure for a U.S. investigation, which is underway. In a media briefing at the Pentagon yesterday, Marine Corps Commandant Gen. James Conway said that, if the U.N. report is accurate, it would be a “truly unfortunate incident.”

“We need to avoid that, certainly, at every cost,” Conway said. Still, he said, air power remains a critical military tool, offering the ability to strike insurgents in hardened compounds and reducing the risk for U.S. troops. Still, he acknowledged, “you don’t always know what’s in the compound.”

Staff writer Ann Scott Tyson contributed to this report.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/03/AR2008090300523.html?nav=emailpage
U.S. Troops Crossed Border, Pakistan Says
20 Locals Reported Killed in Assault

By Candace Rondeaux and Karen DeYoung
Washington Post Foreign Service
Thursday, September 4, 2008; A01

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Sept. 3 — Helicopters carried U.S. and Afghan commandos many miles into Pakistan on Wednesday to stage the first U.S. ground attack against a Taliban target inside the country, Pakistani officials said. At least 20 local people died in the raid, according to the officials.

Pakistan filed a formal protest with the U.S. government, which had no comment on what appeared to be a new escalation of U.S. pressure on Taliban and al-Qaeda sanctuaries in Pakistan’s mountainous border regions.

As the Taliban insurgency escalates in Afghanistan, U.S. officials have increasingly turned their attention to those havens. Pakistan has committed to securing the borders, but has been beset with rising violence, both in the frontier region and in its cities.

In another example of eroding security, the limousine of Pakistani Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gillani was ambushed Wednesday in the capital, Islamabad. Two bullets struck the side window of his black Mercedes-Benz as it sped toward an airport. Gillani was not in the vehicle at the time.

U.S. forces based in Afghanistan have periodically conducted air and artillery strikes against insurgents across the border in Pakistani territory, and new hot-pursuit rules provide some room for American troops to maneuver during battle. But the arrival of U.S. helicopters in the village of Musa Nika, deep in undisputed Pakistani territory, would constitute a new tactic.

Mohammed Sadiq, a spokesman for Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry, condemned a “gross violation of Pakistan’s territory” and “a grave provocation.” In a written statement, he said his office lodged a formal complaint with the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad.

“Such actions are counterproductive and certainly do not help our joint efforts to fight terrorism,” Sadiq said. “On the contrary, they undermine the very basis of cooperation and may fuel the fire of hatred and violence that we are trying to extinguish.”

U.S. military officials in Afghanistan, at the Central Command in Tampa and at the Pentagon maintained a wall of silence, saying they had no comment on the Pakistani reports. Lou Fintor, a U.S. Embassy spokesman in Islamabad, also declined to comment.

Pakistani sources gave varying accounts, including on the number of troops and helicopters involved, and on whether U.S. troops were among those who left the helicopters and conducted a ground operation in the village. There were also differing versions of how far inside Pakistan the helicopters flew, because the border’s location is disputed. By one count, the target village lay about 20 miles from the border.

According to Pakistani military sources, the raid began about 3 a.m. Wednesday when two or possibly three U.S. Army helicopters carrying American and Afghan troops landed in Musa Nika village in the Pakistani tribal area of South Waziristan.

The raid was apparently in response to a rocket that fighters fired at a convoy inside Afghanistan, according to one senior Pakistani official. “By the time they got there,” the official said, “the guy with the rocket had moved.”

According to another Pakistani official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to give out information, several of the troops left the helicopters and launched an assault on three houses.

One of the homes belonged to local tribesman Pao Jan Ahmedzai Wazir, according to Anwar Shah, a resident of a neighboring village. Several women and children who were inside Wazir’s house and two other homes nearby were killed when U.S. and Afghan troops fired on the buildings, he said. “The situation there is very terrible. People are trying to take out the dead bodies,” Shah said.

The reported attack comes at a time of debate over the rules of military operation along the 1,500-mile border between Afghanistan and Pakistan.

The Pakistani military appears to have acceded to U.S. pressure to step up attacks on extremists in its border areas. In the past two months, it has launched major offensives on Taliban and al-Qaeda strongholds in two of the country’s Federally Administered Tribal Areas.

Analysts in Islamabad say that the incursion into South Waziristan could augur a tactical turn aimed at cutting off an insurgency that threatens to engulf large swaths of Pakistan and reverse gains made by U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan.

The Pentagon has never acknowledged a case of hot pursuit into Pakistan. Wednesday’s incident “doesn’t fit that bill,” the senior Pakistani official said. There was no indication U.S. forces had begun a ground pursuit inside Afghanistan that led them into Pakistani territory.

A Pakistani military liaison unit at the main U.S. military base in Afghanistan, Bagram, is under military procedures to be informed of any incursion. Pakistani officials insist there was no such notification.

Last week, Adm. Michael Mullen, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, held a meeting with the Pakistani army chief, Gen. Ashfaq Kiyani, aboard a U.S. aircraft carrier in the Indian Ocean after several serious setbacks for Western and Afghan forces in Afghanistan.

U.S. and Pakistani officials have released few details about the meeting, which was also attended by Gen. David D. McKiernan, NATO’s top commander in Afghanistan.

But a senior Pakistani military official with knowledge of the meeting said that Mullen and Kiyani focused in large part on the threat to international forces in Afghanistan emanating from insurgents operating inside Pakistan’s borders. The Pakistani military official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said the meeting touched on a possible agreement to allow U.S. Special Forces to begin ground operations in Pakistan’s tribal areas.

Maj. Gen. Athar Abbas, chief spokesman for the Pakistani military, denied that there was any agreement for U.S. troops to operate on Pakistani territory.

A NATO spokesman in Afghanistan said foreign forces are generally prohibited from mounting cross-border attacks into Pakistan. The spokesman, who gave his name only as Sgt. Yates, said NATO forces occasionally use artillery or missiles to target insurgents who attack foreign troops from Pakistani territory, but the rules of engagement are very precise. “Our area of operations stops at the border. We don’t go over the border, period,” Yates said.

In Afghanistan, NATO and U.S. military operations have recently come under scrutiny because of an airstrike that Afghan and U.N. officials said killed 90 civilians two weeks ago. On Wednesday, McKiernan said that he concurred with a U.S. military investigation that found that five civilians died in the incident.

McKiernan expressed sorrow at the loss of civilian lives in the strike, which began late on Aug. 21 in the village of Azizabad and continued into the early morning of Aug. 22. He said NATO would work to better coordinate with the Afghan government and the U.N. mission in Afghanistan to respond to incidents involving civilian casualties.

DeYoung reported from Washington. Staff writer Ann Scott Tyson at the Pentagon and special correspondent Shaiq Hussain in Islamabad contributed to this report.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/08/AR2008090800633_pf.html
U.S. Team to Reinvestigate Deadly Strike In Afghanistan

By Candace Rondeaux and Karen DeYoung
Washington Post Foreign Service
Tuesday, September 9, 2008; A01

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Sept. 8 — The U.S. Central Command will send a senior team, headed by a general and including a legal affairs officer, to reinvestigate a U.S. air attack last month that U.N. and Afghan officials say killed 90 civilians, amid mounting public outrage in Afghanistan and evidence that conflicts with the military’s initial version of events.

The U.S. decision to again probe the Aug. 21 attack in Azizabad, near the western city of Herat, came at the urging of Gen. David D. McKiernan, the top NATO commander in Afghanistan. McKiernan said he was prompted by “emerging evidence” that threw into question the finding of a U.S. investigation that five to seven civilians died. McKiernan had earlier said he concurred with that finding.

The attack and the widely divergent accounts of its toll have exposed long-standing tensions between U.S. forces in Afghanistan and other major players in the war there, including the government of President Hamid Karzai, the U.N. assistance mission and the NATO military command. Underlying the dispute over civilian casualties are a lack of communication, a diffuse command structure and differing military rules of engagement.

Military officials said the new evidence included a cellphone video showing dozens of civilian bodies, including those of numerous children, prepared for burial in Azizabad after the attack. McKiernan was shown the video Friday by Kai Eide, the chief U.N. representative in Afghanistan.

“The footage that is there on this shows horrendous pictures of these bodies and clearly identifies women and children. In some cases, the bodies are not in one piece,” a U.N. official said, speaking on the condition of anonymity. “Whether you say it was 76 or 82 or even 92 — it was clearly not seven who were killed there.”

Said a senior U.S. military official: “Whatever information McKiernan got that was shared by Afghan and U.N. representatives led him to believe there was good cause to want to look at all of this more deeply.”

In a statement , McKiernan said: “The people of Afghanistan have our commitment to get to the truth.”

The U.S. military official said the general in charge of the new investigation, to be named Tuesday, will come from inside the Central Command but outside Afghanistan. The team, including a military legal representative and a colonel with Afghan ground experience, will “immediately deploy” and will review the initial investigation before visiting the area of the attack. There, the official said, the team will speak with family members of victims and with others to determine “who, in fact, was there and who has died,” the official said.

In an atmosphere of local antagonism and without being able to exhume bodies, “it’s going to be pretty challenging,” he said.

Karzai visited the bomb site in Azizabad last week. He has been increasingly critical of the rising civilian death toll from aerial bombing this year, calling for a halt to aggressive raids on Afghan villages. Last month, he called for a full-scale review of the agreements that govern NATO and U.S. military operations in Afghanistan.

Witnesses and Afghan officials from the area have said that many of those killed had traveled to the town for a memorial ceremony for a local villager who was killed last year. By these accounts, most of the villagers were sleeping and were awakened by the sound of heavy gunfire about midnight. Shortly after the ground skirmish erupted, U.S. planes flew overhead, then unleashed a torrent of bombs on a compound in the village.

U.N. officials subsequently made several visits to Azizabad, traveling from Kabul and from their regional office in Herat, a 45-minute drive away. They said they found “convincing evidence” that 90 civilians had been killed.

Results of a U.S. military investigation released Sept. 2 said a ground patrol by U.S. Special Forces and Afghan army troops came under heavy fire from the village as it led a midnight raid on the compound of a suspected Taliban commander known as Mullah Siddiq. Patrol members called in an airstrike when they were unable to repulse the gunfire. The accounts said the five to seven civilians killed were believed to be related to Siddiq. The report also found that 30 to 35 Taliban militants were killed.

Investigators interviewed 30 U.S. and Afghan participants in the operation, the military said.

U.S. military officials who examined topographic photos of the village and searched the area after the attack found only a few new grave sites, according to one official interviewed a week after the incident.

A U.N. official said Eide was “very satisfied he is on solid ground” in the U.N. investigation results and believed he had “no choice” other than to go public with them.

The U.N. mission in Afghanistan has the dual job of helping to coordinate the international assistance effort there and to “be an advocate for human rights and for the Afghan people,” the official said. He added that Eide saw little point in joining a new U.S. investigation. “The discrepancies are so huge, it’s hard to believe a joint investigation would settle anything,” the official said.

Some NATO officials expressed irritation that the United Nations did not consult them before making its report public. “How we handle civilian casualties — the follow-up and investigation — is now becoming a strategic issue,” one NATO official said. Both the United Nations and non-U.S. NATO forces have complained about a lack of U.S. transparency in investigating previous incidents of civilian casualties.

The international force in Afghanistan includes troops from nearly two dozen NATO members, with 14,000 Americans as the largest contingent. The United States also fields a separate, 19,000-member force under U.S. command, leading to frequent confusion and increasing tension. Small units of U.S. Special Forces are known to operate in areas technically under NATO European command, sometimes conducting operations with Afghan army units they are training — as was the case in Azizabad.

“We find that some of these [U.S. units] are very good at coordinating with the people in whose areas they are working,” said a senior European military officer. “Others are less good. When they’re good, we have no problems and we have very little collateral in terms of civilian casualties. When they don’t coordinate, they tend to end up doing these operations with too little strength on their own, and their only alternative is to call in air power.”

The area where the Azizabad attack took place is under the command of the Italian contingent of NATO. “It’s very difficult having two organizations under two separate commands, uncoordinated, and working in the same battle space,” the European military official said. “It’s always a recipe for, at the very least, misunderstanding, and potentially worse.”

U.S. military officials have expressed their own concerns about European forces in the past, saying that they are less adept at the kind of aggressive counterinsurgency tactics necessary to defeat resurgent Taliban fighters.

According to a report on airstrikes and civilian deaths released Monday by New York-based Human Rights Watch, NATO and the United States have differing rules of engagement governing the use of airstrikes, with NATO requiring an “overwhelming” threat and the United States allowing “anticipatory self-defense.”

The vast majority of deaths caused by international troops come from airstrikes requested by Special Forces units, the report said. Using statistics provided by the U.S. Central Command Air Forces, the report noted that the number of bombing sorties has increased exponentially over the past two years, with U.S. aircraft dropping about as many tons of bombs in June and July this year as during all of 2006.

At least 1,633 Afghan civilians died in fighting last year, the report said, with about 950 killed by insurgent forces and at least 321 killed in NATO or U.S. aerial raids — triple the number in 2006. In the first seven months of this year, at least 119 Afghan civilians were killed in 12 airstrikes, according to the report, which did not include the Azizabad bombing.

Aggressive tactics employed by U.S. Special Forces last year in Taliban-dominated Helmand province in the south prompted a senior British commander of NATO forces in the region to ask U.S. Special Forces to leave his district, according to the Human Rights Watch report and the NATO official.

The tactics have resulted in several major setbacks for the Taliban, the NATO official said, but civilian deaths resulting from U.S.-led operations and airstrikes in particular have taken a toll on the overall war effort. “U.S. Special Forces are doing a brilliant job, but at the same time, most of the really controversial things seem to be happening in that area,” the official said.

DeYoung reported from Washington.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/11/AR2008091103811.html?nav=emailpage
Pakistan Did Not Agree to New Rules, Officials Say

By Karen DeYoung
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, September 12, 2008; A10

New rules of engagement authorizing U.S. ground attacks inside Pakistan, signed by President Bush in July, were not agreed to by that country’s civilian government or its military, according to U.S. and Pakistani officials.

Gen. Ashfaq Kiyani, the Pakistani army’s chief of staff, was informed last month by senior U.S. defense officials that if Pakistan failed to stem the flow of Taliban and other militant fighters into Afghanistan, the United States would adopt a new strategy, one allowing ground strikes on targeted insurgent encampments. A senior Pakistani official said that Kiyani believed the strategy was still under discussion and that Pakistan’s counterinsurgency performance was improving.

News of Bush’s order, following a strike last week by helicopter-borne U.S. commandos on a village about 20 miles inside Pakistan, brought denunciation yesterday from Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gillani, who echoed Kiyani’s earlier charge that the attack had violated Pakistani sovereignty.

Meanwhile, Afghan President Hamid Karzai said at a news conference in Kabul that he approved of the new U.S. strategy, citing the need to “remove and destroy” insurgent sanctuaries in Pakistan. But NATO said it had no intention of sending any of the 48,000 troops under its command in Afghanistan across the border. NATO’s U.N. mandate does not include “ground or air incursions . . . into Pakistani territory,” said spokesman James Appathurai.

Nearly 31,000 U.S. troops are in Afghanistan, divided between the NATO command and a separate force under the U.S. Central Command.

A senior European official said that the NATO allies shared U.S. concern over the deteriorating situation in Afghanistan and were aware new U.S. rules were under consideration, but that they were unaware the rules had been approved. Bush’s July order, first reported yesterday by the New York Times, was confirmed by several U.S. officials.

Husain Haqqani, Pakistan’s ambassador to Washington, said U.S. officials assured him yesterday that “no such order had been given.” The United States, he said, “respects Pakistan’s sovereignty.”

The senior European official called the implementation of the new strategy “peculiar,” since its timing coincided with this week’s inauguration of Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari.

“If you’re going to invade another country . . . without their permission, after you’ve just spent eight years trying to get a democratic government in place, it strikes me as kind of confused politics,” the official said.

Zardari plans to meet with Bush this month, either in Washington or in New York at the U.N. General Assembly, U.S. officials said.

Adm. Michael Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said Wednesday that he had called for an overhaul of U.S. strategy, including greater U.S. military involvement in Pakistan’s tribal areas, but gave no indication that orders had already been given.

“I’m not convinced that we’re winning it in Afghanistan,” Mullen told the House Armed Services Committee. But, he added, “I’m convinced we can.”

“That is why I intend to commission and have looked — are looking — I’m looking at a new, more comprehensive military strategy for the region that covers both sides of that border,” Mullen said. “That is why I pressed hard on my counterparts in Pakistan to do more against extremists and to let us do more to help them.”

Mullen and other senior U.S. military officials have met repeatedly with Kiyani to urge a more robust offensive to roust Taliban, al-Qaeda and other militant fighters from safe havens in the rugged Pakistani border region.

Gillani, who heads Pakistan’s first democratic government since 1999, told Bush during a Washington visit in July that he needed more time to implement an economic development strategy to pacify the border region.

But with rising troop deaths in Afghanistan, U.S. patience has run thin. On Tuesday, Bush announced he would send an additional Army combat brigade to Afghanistan early next year.

Previous military rules of engagement, agreed to by Pakistan, allowed U.S. forces to travel up to six miles across the border if they were in “hot pursuit” of fighters chased from inside Afghanistan. The senior Pakistani official said that Kiyani was told last month that failure to increase the tempo of Pakistani military operations and provide better intelligence for American cross-border air attacks could result in new rules.

“There was a conditionality,” the Pakistani official said. “If we take care of certain things on our side, then the rules don’t change.” Improvements were “already being put into place,” he said, attributing several recent U.S. strikes with Predator unmanned aircraft to Pakistani intelligence, and citing an attack this week by Pakistani security forces in the tribal region of Bajaur that reportedly left 100 fighters dead.

But a U.S. official, one of several who discussed the sensitive situation on the condition of anonymity, said that as far as the United States was concerned, “most things have been settled in terms of how we’re going to proceed.”

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/19/AR2008091903820.html?nav=emailpage
Karzai Agrees To Meet With Palin

By Michael D. Shear and Karen DeYoung
Washington Post Staff Writers
Saturday, September 20, 2008; A06

Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin will meet next week with Afghan President Hamid Karzai in New York, on the sidelines of the opening of the U.N. General Assembly, according to Afghan officials in Washington.

The meeting is part of a broader effort to demonstrate the Alaska governor’s ability to handle foreign policy issues, at a time when she has come under fire for a lack of experience on the international stage. The opportunity to speak before the United Nations annually draws the world’s leaders to Manhattan, and the GOP presidential nominee, Sen. John McCain (Ariz.), plans to use the occasion to introduce Palin to those officials, McCain aides have said.

“It’s a great opportunity for Governor Palin to meet and interact with some of the world leaders she will deal with as vice president,” said one McCain adviser, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because her U.N. schedule had not been made public. “She’ll talk about the issues facing the world.”

Palin will meet with Karzai, and possibly other foreign leaders, during a midweek campaign swing through New York.

“Unfortunately, a few meetings at the U.N. won’t change the fact that John McCain is promising four more years of the same cowboy diplomacy that has shredded our alliances and set back our ability to fight international terrorism,” said Hari Sevugan, a spokesman for the Democratic nominee, Sen. Barack Obama (Ill.).

Palin, governor of Alaska for two years, has had limited experience abroad. She took one trip to Germany, Kuwait and Iraq in 2007, but barely crossed the Iraq border. She has also traveled to Canada. Democrats have mocked Palin for citing knowledge of Russia because she can see the nation from her home state.

While acknowledging her lack of a long foreign policy portfolio, McCain advisers have described Palin as a smart and decisive executive who has spent much of her time in office dealing with worldwide energy issues.

The request to Karzai for a sit-down came from Palin’s team early this week and Karzai sent his agreement yesterday, officials at the Afghan Embassy said. Karzai, who will travel to Washington later in the week for a White House meeting with President Bush, expects to have separate telephone conversations with McCain and with Obama during his U.S. stay.

Palin’s Democratic counterpart, Sen. Joseph R. Biden Jr. (Del.), who has traveled to Pakistan and Afghanistan as chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, will also travel to New York for the General Assembly’s opening. He plans to meet there with new Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari.

Obama sent Zardari a message of congratulations following his election early this month but has not spoken to him directly. McCain called Zardari to offer his congratulations, as well.

Zardari will spend most of the week in New York. A source close to the Pakistani president said there is a possibility that he might see McCain, but that if Palin requests a meeting, he will see her.

 
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/29/AR2008092903065.html?nav=emailpage
Pakistan Picks New Chief For Intelligence Agency

By Karen DeYoung
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, September 30, 2008; A15

The Pakistani government has selected a new chief for its powerful intelligence service, the ISI, replacing a figure the Bush administration has long suspected of ties to Taliban extremists and other militant groups in the Pakistan-Afghanistan border area.

An army statement released late yesterday announced the appointment of Lt. Gen. Ahmed Shuja Pasha to the ISI post, according to the Associated Press. Pasha, said to be close to army chief Gen. Ashfaq Kiyani, will replace Lt. Gen. Nadeem Taj, who was chosen for the post by retired Gen. Pervez Musharraf, the former Pakistani president.

Bush administration officials expressed cautious optimism about the appointment of Pasha, the director general of military operations for the Pakistani army since 2005. “It is a chance for the new government to work out a set of new directions for the ISI,” one official said. The administration and Congress have repeatedly expressed concern that ties between the Pakistani intelligence service and the Taliban have undermined U.S. and NATO efforts to stem cross-border attacks by Pakistan-based extremists.

U.S. Gen. David D. McKiernan, the NATO commander in Afghanistan, said last month that he was certain there was “a level of ISI complicity” with the Taliban and other extremist organizations. Afghan President Hamid Karzai has raised similar complaints. The Pakistani government acknowledged that rogue intelligence officers might be involved with extremists but denied allegations of high-level support from the ISI, which stands for Inter-Services Intelligence.

Beginning with Pakistani Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gillani’s visit to Washington in May, the administration has pressed his government to take control of the ISI, a message also conveyed during repeated visits to Pakistan this year by high-level U.S. military and intelligence officials. Last week, President Bush met with Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari at the United Nations.

The decision to replace Taj comes as the administration is conducting a widespread review of its strategy in the faltering Afghanistan war. In July, Bush approved an order allowing U.S. commandos to conduct ground operations in Pakistan’s western tribal areas, a mountainous region where the Taliban, al-Qaeda and other extremist groups are thought to operate. The Pakistani government vigorously protested an incursion by U.S. forces this month and its forces fired last week at two U.S. helicopters in the border region.

Diplomatic and administration officials said that the opportunity to remove Taj came with a regular military rotation and that several other senior ISI officials are expected to be transferred. Taj will retain his military rank and be given another assignment, they said.

 
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/10/09/AR2008100900019_pf.html
U.S. Urgently Reviews Policy On Afghanistan

By Karen DeYoung
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, October 9, 2008; A01

The White House has launched an urgent review of Afghanistan policy, fast-tracked for completion in the next several weeks, amid growing concern that the administration lacks a comprehensive strategy for the foundering war there and as intelligence officials warn of a rapidly worsening situation on the ground.

Underlying the deliberations is a nearly completed National Intelligence Estimate on Afghanistan and the Pakistan-based extremists fighting there. Analysts have concluded that reconstituted elements of al-Qaeda and the resurgent Taliban are collaborating with an expanding network of militant groups, making the counterinsurgency war infinitely more complicated.

As the U.S. presidential election approaches, senior officials have expressed worry that the situation in Afghanistan and Pakistan is so tenuous that it may fall apart while a new set of U.S. policymakers settles in. Others believe a more comprehensive, airtight road map for the way ahead would limit the new president’s options.

Lt. Gen. Douglas E. Lute, President Bush’s senior adviser for Iraq and Afghanistan, has told Pentagon, intelligence and State Department officials to return to the basic questions: What are our objectives in Afghanistan? What can we hope to achieve? What are our resources? What is our allies’ role? What do we know about the enemy? How likely is it that weak Afghan and Pakistani governments will rise to the occasion?

Alarms were first sounded early this year, when Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice returned from a trip to Afghanistan in early February — her first in two years — convinced that the war there was heading downhill. Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates shared her pessimism, telling Congress that same week that Taliban insurgents had adopted more dangerous tactics, that the U.S.-led military coalition was disorganized, and that international development efforts were failing because “there is no overarching strategy.”

But seven months would pass before the administration, distracted by issues as serious as the Iraq war and as far afield as the Olympics, was seized with the urgency to put a new strategy in place. Although stopgap measures were taken during the spring and summer — the temporary deployment of 3,500 more Marines, an appeal for more NATO troops and presidential authorization for U.S. commando raids into Pakistan — the downward spiral continued.

U.S. military deaths and enemy attacks this year have risen to the highest levels of the nearly seven-year war. Hopes have faded that a new Pakistani government would seize the initiative against extremist sanctuaries, and that a new U.N. coordinator would bring order to the chaos of the multibillion-dollar Afghan reconstruction program.

Heading into the review, Gates has already determined that the United States must take a more forceful lead in strategy and combat from NATO forces in Afghanistan. Bush has pledged thousands more U.S. troops and last week the long-bifurcated command structure in Afghanistan was changed to put NATO and U.S. forces under the same American general.

But these and other initiatives still lack a broad strategic framework. Military Special Operations forces and CIA operatives, now conducting regular secret incursions into western Pakistan, need to be incorporated into the larger effort, along with new Iraq-tested intelligence and surveillance platforms. The Joint Chiefs of Staff and Gen. David H. Petraeus, incoming head of the U.S. Central Command, have undertaken their own strategy reviews.

“We’re not sure how they all interrelate,” a defense official said. The White House review, he said, “is an attempt after the fact to have them all feed into the NSC [National Security Council] product.”

Presidential candidates Barack Obama and John McCain are unlikely to question a major new U.S. commitment; both have called for an increase in U.S. troops. And unlike Iraq, where lawmakers have argued for years over funding and troop levels, there is bipartisan backing for doing more, and doing it quickly, in Afghanistan.

Senior officials involved in the intelligence assessment and the White House review declined to discuss the issue on the record during conversations over the past two weeks.

Officials described the Pakistan-based extremist network, which the Pentagon calls “the syndicate,” as a loose alliance of three elements. Kashmiri militants, constrained by recent agreements between Pakistan and India, have “leaned over” to assist a domestic terrorist campaign launched by homegrown extremists often referred to as the “Pakistani Taliban,” one official said. The Afghan Taliban — itself divided into several groups — is based in Pakistan but focused on Afghanistan, as are the forces led by warlords Jalauddin Haqqani and his son Siraj, and Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, among others. Traditional tribal groups in Pakistan’s western, Federally Administered Tribal Areas — FATA — are a third element. Those groups are said to be focused primarily on keeping the Pakistani military and government out of their areas, and assisting the Afghan-oriented parts of the network.

Al-Qaeda, composed largely of Arabs and, increasingly, Uzbeks, Chechens and other Central Asians, is described as sitting atop the structure, providing money and training to the others in exchange for sanctuary. “They are oriented to just keeping the Pakistani military and government out of their areas,” the intelligence official said. “They help the groups who are interested in Afghanistan.”

“There is competition between and among them,” a U.S. counterterrorism official said. But their interests increasingly overlap and “they understand the need to support one another.”

Intelligence officials said that cooperation among the militant groups was bolstered by the hands-off attitude Pakistan’s new civilian coalition government initially adopted toward the FATA last spring. When urgent U.S. appeals to the military and government failed and the coalition moved to oust President Pervez Musharraf, Washington’s main Pakistani ally, those who had long advocated stronger U.S. action inside Pakistan finally prevailed with Bush.

Authorization for commando raids coincided with stepped-up attacks by unmanned Predator aircraft flown across the border from Afghanistan. The administration concluded that the ground raids were legal under the self-defense provisions of the U.N. charter, an interpretation that a U.N. official said was questionable.

“The tempo is pretty steady and they want to keep it up,” said an individual with close contacts among the U.S. Special Forces units participating in cross-border operations.

The intelligence assessment is also highly pessimistic about the prospects that Afghan President Hamid Karzai can or will move forcefully to stem corruption inside his government or that the flourishing drug trade can be significantly reversed.

Despite the commitment to increase U.S. troop levels, Gates has publicly warned that a larger foreign military “footprint” in Afghanistan may prove counterproductive. Afghanistan hopes to double the size of its army — to 134,000 — in the next two years. But maintaining such a force, Gates told Congress, would cost $2 billion to $2.5 billion a year — at least three times Afghanistan’s total revenue for 2008.

In recent months, the Pentagon has sent emissaries around the world with a proposition: If they do not want to fight in Afghanistan, they should at least be prepared to pay for those who do. “There is a real effort made to figure out which among the nations not contributing forces can pony up,” a defense official said.

Just before the recent change in government in Japan, he said by way of example, “our Asia guys went over there and said: ‘You don’t want to send forces? We understand. How about contributing $20 billion over the next five years?’ “

The Japanese, he said, “swallowed their chopsticks.”

Staff writer Walter Pincus contributed to this report.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/10/08/AR2008100803876_pf.html

Military Justifies Attack That Killed at Least 33 Afghan Civilians

By Karen DeYoung
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, October 9, 2008; A15

A military investigation has concluded that U.S. forces acted in legitimate self-defense in launching an August air assault against Taliban militants in Afghanistan that it said left 33 civilians dead, including at least 12 children.

A summary of the classified report, released yesterday by the U.S. Central Command, said the military’s initial conclusion that only five to seven civilians died in the Aug. 21-22 raid was erroneous. The Afghan government and human rights organizations, as well as the United Nations, have said at least 90 civilians were killed by U.S. and Afghan ground forces and a U.S. AC-130H gunship in the village of Azizabad in western Afghanistan.

The discrepancy led to sharp tensions between the U.S. and Afghan governments and resulted in a decision by Central Command to send a senior officer from outside Afghanistan to reinvestigate the initial military findings.

But while the new inquiry, headed by Air Force Brig. Gen. Michael W. Callan, found a higher civilian death toll, it also concluded that “the use of force was in self-defense, necessary and proportional based on the information the On-Scene-Commander had at the time.” The report said that, “unfortunately and unknown to the U.S. and Afghan forces,” the militants who were the target of the raid “chose fighting positions in close proximity to civilians.”

Callan’s report, which said 22 “anti-coalition militants” were also killed in the attack, recommended that the military conduct more comprehensive, transparent investigations in the future and called for improved coordination with the Afghan government. Unlike the initial investigation, which relied solely on U.S. military reports, Callan’s team took testimony from village elders, U.S. and Afghan soldiers, and Afghan government, human rights and U.N. officials.

The civilian deaths in Azizabad came in a year in which enemy attacks and U.S. military casualties have reached the highest levels of the seven-year war. Gen. David D. McKiernan, who commands both NATO and U.S. troops in Afghanistan, has called for four more combat brigades to bolster more than 60,000 U.S. and NATO troops.

Government and independent reports have said that Taliban fighters and other extremists are responsible for the vast majority of civilian deaths — estimated by Human Rights Watch at more than 1,600 in 2007 — but repeated incidents of civilians killed in U.S. airstrikes have brought criticism from the government of President Hamid Karzai.

In a visit to Afghanistan last month, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates acknowledged the human and public relations damage caused by such incidents. He promised additional measures to minimize them and to conduct more transparent investigations. He also said that in the future, the United States will compensate the families of alleged victims even before completing its investigations.

The Central Command report said that “no condolence payments have been made by U.S. Forces” to Azizabad victims, although the Afghan government has paid $2,000 to “each family of the alleged 90 civilians killed, $1,000 for each person wounded, plus government sponsored trip to the Haj.”

Pentagon press secretary Geoff Morrell, traveling with Gates in Hungary, said in a statement last night that “the report shows that although no military in history has gone to greater lengths to avoid civilian casualties, we clearly still need to operate with more care.”

 
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In Scramble for Cash, Pakistan Turns to China’s Deep Reserves

By Anthony Faiola and Karen DeYoung
Washington Post Staff Writers
Thursday, October 16, 2008; A01

Pakistan has reached a critical new phase in its long-deteriorating financial situation, as investor flight and bleeding of national reserves force the country to scramble for international funds to shore up its economy. With the global financial crisis draining coffers in the United States and Europe, the key U.S. ally in the war on terrorism is seeking help from an old friend newly flush with cash: China.

President Asif Ali Zardari arrived in Beijing on Tuesday for a four-day state visit as concern has surged over a possible debt default by Pakistan that could cripple its economy and spark more civil unrest. While the amount of money Pakistan needs in the short term is relatively small — $4 billion to $6 billion — analysts say the climate of crisis and public anger over domestic bailouts in the United States and Western Europe have made even a modest infusion from its Western allies politically difficult.

Pakistan’s bid for Chinese cash underscores the potential of Beijing’s $1.9 trillion in foreign reserves, the largest in the world, to boost its global influence. The government is now seeking as much as $3 billion in emergency assistance from China, as well as assistance from oil-rich Gulf countries including Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, according to a senior Pakistani official. Pakistan’s central bank governor, Shashad Akhtar, is in Washington this week to review a draft plan for overhauling the country’s finances with the International Monetary Fund, potentially paving the way for future aid.

U.S. military and intelligence officials fear that Pakistan’s increasingly precarious economy will compound an already unstable political situation and undermine military cooperation. Both al-Qaeda and the Taliban leadership are located in the rugged, economically depressed region along Pakistan’s western border with Afghanistan. The Bush administration and Congress have been shaping a long-term economic and military assistance package for Pakistan, but there is no indication the United States is able to step in with a short-term financial lifeline.

Pakistan is going to the Chinese now “because you go to the guys with the money,” a senior International Monetary Fund official said. “And right now, the Chinese are the ones with the money.”

Securing as much as $6 billion would buy the government the breathing room it needs, analysts say, to begin a desperately needed overhaul of its budget to sustain Pakistan’s battered economy in the longer term.

Pakistan’s financial problems go back at least a year, with current and past administrations borrowing from the central bank to sustain generous state subsidies on gasoline and diesel. As global oil prices surged, the government of former President Pervez Musharraf curried favor with average Pakistanis by having the state absorb the shocks. Musharraf ousted a democratically elected government in 1999 and ruled until a civilian coalition was voted into office last spring, headed by Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gillani. The government forced Musharraf from the presidency in August, electing Zardari as his replacement in September.

Analysts and IMF officials say the current government has made notable progress in lifting those subsidies in recent weeks to ease the budget. Yet the global credit crunch and concerns over security have worsened investor flight, with as much as $1.2 billion a month fleeing Pakistan during the summer. National reserves over the past year have fallen 67 percent, to $8.3 billion, leaving the country ill-prepared to deal with financial turbulence as more investors pulled out in recent weeks as the U.S. crisis spread globally.

That has fed two major fears. First, that Pakistan may not be able to secure the funds to avoid a debt default early next year. And second, that investor concern over its potential insolvency could grow into a panic in coming weeks, leading to a far broader capital pullout that could jeopardize the country’s financial system.

Unprecedented inflation, political instability and the growing threat from Islamist insurgents have all had sharply negative effects on investor confidence, said Sakib Sherani, chief economist at ABN Amro Bank Pakistan.

“It is clear that Pakistan is facing challenges in its balance of payments. Without cash inflows we are losing about $1 billion a month, which is untenable,” Sherani said. “On the one hand, you are paying more for imports in Pakistan; on the other, you have less cash inflows.”

On Oct. 6, both Standard & Poors and Moody’s downgraded Pakistani bonds. “Only Seychelles has a lower rating, and it has already defaulted on its debt,” said John Chambers, managing director with Standard & Poors in New York.

To curb losses, Pakistan in recent weeks has set new rules on stock trading aimed at preventing even sharper sell-offs of Pakistani companies. Some analysts are concerned that the new government may resort to freezing foreign capital, a measure Pakistan took in the 1990s after being slapped with global sanctions for conducting a nuclear test.

The Pakistani government is seeking to ease those fears by bolstering its central bank reserves with funds from China and Gulf states. China and Pakistan have a long history of economic cooperation, based partly on decades of weapons sales, and a lifeline now, particularly so small a sum, would not be seen as unusual. “The Pakistanis like to call the Chinese their all-weather ally, and the U.S. their fair-weather friends,” said Daniel Markey, senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations. “This kind of loan could be seen as self-serving by the Chinese, and continue that impression.”

A senior Pakistani official said the government requested in July that Saudi Arabia chip in with an “oil facility” — or an agreement that would grant Pakistan concessionary terms and delayed payments and on roughly half the oil it imports. One reason investors are more concerned about Pakistan now is that Saudi Arabia has not yet responded.

Analysts say the Pakistanis may have better luck at a meeting early next month in the United Arab Emirates of the “Friends of Pakistan” — a group of countries including the United States and Britain that are considered close allies. They are counting, sources close to the talks said, on countries seeing the danger of an economic collapse in Pakistan and the threat that poses to the war on terror as worth the relatively small price of financial assistance.

A last option might be seeking a lifeline from the IMF, though such an agreement is seen as politically difficult for the new government. Pakistan paid off the last of several IMF loans in 2005, with Musharraf hailing the accomplishment as a breaking of the nation’s beggar’s bowl. By seeking IMF help now, analysts say, the new government may find itself in the difficult position of explaining to the population why it needs to glue that bowl back together.

Pakistani officials, however, are meeting with IMF officials in Washington now, seeking their “seal of approval” on the plan to rein in runaway spending threatening to bankrupt the government. Although IMF officials say the Pakistanis are not seeking a loan, IMF approval of their economic plans could pave the way for other institutions, including the World Bank and Asian Development Banks, to offer lending. It could also make approval of an IMF loan at a later date happen faster.

“What they want is an endorsement in principle,” a senior IMF official said, “something that would make financial support go more smoothly if they decide they do need to ask for it.”

Correspondent Candace Rondeaux contributed to this report.

 
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Pakistan Will Give Arms to Tribal Militias
Plan Bolsters U.S. Faith In Ally’s Anti-Extremist Efforts

By Karen DeYoung
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, October 23, 2008; A01

Pakistan plans to arm tens of thousands of anti-Taliban tribal fighters in its western border region in hopes — shared by the U.S. military — that the nascent militias can replicate the tribal “Awakening” movement that proved decisive in the battle against al-Qaeda in Iraq.

The militias, called lashkars, will receive Chinese-made AK-47 assault rifles and other small arms, a purchase arranged during a visit to Beijing this month by Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari, Pakistani officials said.

Many Bush administration officials remain skeptical of Pakistan’s long-term commitment to fighting the Taliban, al-Qaeda and other extremist groups ensconced in the mountains near the border with Afghanistan. But the decision to arm the lashkars, which emerged as organized fighting forces only in the past few months, is one of several recent actions that have led the Pentagon to believe that the Pakistani effort has become more aggressive.

Since early August, the Pakistani army has launched several offensives in Bajaur, one of seven regions in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), and in the nearby Swat Valley. According to Pakistani military assessments, more than 800 insurgents died during fighting in Bajaur in August and September, along with nearly 195 government soldiers and 344 civilians.

Last week, after months of Pakistani delays, about 30 U.S. military trainers were permitted to set up operations north of the region, a U.S. official said. The trainers will provide counterinsurgency instruction to Pakistani army soldiers, who in turn will train members of the Frontier Corps, the government’s paramilitary force in the FATA.

“We are very encouraged by what we’re seeing from the Pakistani military in the tribal regions,” said Pentagon spokesman Geoff Morrell. Pakistani offensives in the FATA over the past two months are “making a difference on the other side of the border,” where U.S. forces are fighting in Afghanistan, he said.

Pakistani officials insisted that arming the lashkars was their own idea and that they are paying for it, although the United States has provided more than $10 billion in relatively unrestrained counterterrorism funds to Pakistan’s military over the past seven years. “The Americans are not giving us a bloody cent” for the program, one Pakistani official said. “This is us, doing it ourselves.”

Zardari and the government of Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gillani have been at pains to balance their support of U.S. objectives with a recognition of widespread Pakistani distrust of the United States — among the population as well as the political class. In the wake of Gillani’s visit to Washington in July, and a meeting in New York last month between Zardari and President Bush, the Pakistani Parliament yesterday passed a resolution calling for the immediate development of an “independent foreign policy” and a new attempt at dialogue with Islamist insurgents.

Much distrust also remains on the U.S. side, particularly within intelligence agencies that have long been suspicious of ties between the Pakistani intelligence service and the Taliban. The CIA has increased its operations against resurgent extremist forces in the FATA, with at least 11 missile attacks launched by Predator unmanned aircraft against al-Qaeda and Taliban targets in August and September, compared with six in the previous eight months, according to knowledgeable officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss intelligence issues.

In its talks with the Bush administration, Gillani’s government maintains that its counterterrorism cooperation surpasses that of retired Gen. Pervez Musharraf, who was ousted from the presidency in August. Last month, Gillani and army chief of staff Gen. Ashfaq Kiyani replaced the head of the Interservices Intelligence (ISI) agency with an army general considered more responsive to civilian leaders and more palatable to the Americans.

New ISI chief Lt. Gen. Ahmed Shuja Pasha will arrive in Washington this weekend for meetings with CIA head Michael V. Hayden.

A number of U.S. officials cautioned that Pakistan has made little progress in other aspects of a wider counterinsurgency strategy needed to make long-term gains against the extremists. “There is a significant, but not a comprehensive, bump up in the security element,” one official said. While there are more soldiers on the ground, he said, the military strategy is not sustainable because Pakistan “is still doing virtually nothing about extending the government’s political authority into the tribal areas, and virtually nothing about economic development” in the region.

“The secret to success in this kind of operation is tea,” the official said, referring to the need to establish a positive presence in local villages, sit down with tribal leaders over tea and ask them what it would take to make their lives better. Unlike Pakistan’s four provinces, the FATA are only nominally controlled by the central government and are largely ruled by tribal elders.

U.S. military officials warn, however, that expanding the movement will be more difficult than it proved in Iraq, where the Awakening began in 2006 among Sunni tribes in Anbar province. Unlike the Iraqi tribes, the FATA Pakistanis are poorly armed with aging rifles and little else — although the provision of new, Chinese-made AK-47s and other small arms will increase their firepower.

Extremist groups are widespread throughout the poverty-stricken region and are entrenched in social and economic structures; many of the tribes receive regular financial support from al-Qaeda in exchange for providing sanctuary, a senior U.S. military official said.

Most important, the extent to which the program is perceived to be coordinated with U.S. aims in western Pakistan is likely to help determine its effectiveness. In Iraq, tribal security forces readily accepted an alliance with the U.S. military as well as direct U.S. payment for their services. U.S. officials see neither as likely in the FATA.

Despite the newly aggressive U.S. military posture — reflected in the Predator attacks as well as Bush’s authorization last summer of ground commando raids on extremist targets inside Pakistani territory — U.S. officials say they are acutely aware of the need to tread carefully with Pakistan.

Early this month, U.S. Ambassador Anne Patterson and Adm. Michael LeFever, the senior U.S. military officer in Pakistan, sent a joint cable to Washington criticizing the overall U.S. effort in Pakistan as disjointed and uncoordinated. It recommended a comprehensive new strategy that would better meld the same three counterinsurgency “legs” — military, political and economic — that the United States has pushed the Pakistani government to adopt.

The proposal, one U.S. official said, offered examples of current U.S. aid programs that have little relationship to political aims, and political objectives that dismiss military concerns. “It said things like, ‘If you really want to understand Pakistan, you’ve got to understand food security as something a lot of people are worried about,’ ” especially in the tribal areas, the official said. “Where is the initiative on agriculture?”

The cable quickly circulated through the administration and caught the attention of Gen. David H. Petraeus, who next week will become head of the U.S. Central Command, or Centcom, in charge of U.S. forces in the Middle East and South and Central Asia. Petraeus, who plans to travel to Afghanistan and Pakistan two days after he takes over Centcom on Oct. 31, hopes to replicate in both countries elements of the strategies employed in his previous command in Iraq. Among them, officials said, is the close coordination he enjoyed with Ryan C. Crocker, the U.S. ambassador, and the development of local security units akin to the Awakening movement.

The emergence in Pakistan of the lashkars, headed by tribal elders who are said to resent the intrusion of the Taliban and al-Qaeda, began in earnest over the summer. So far, three lashkar militias, totaling as many as 14,000 men, have been established in Bajaur, according to Pakistani military estimates. In the FATA region of Orakzai, tribal leaders have amassed an estimated 4,000 indigenous fighters; an additional 7,000 are said to have enlisted in Dir, a tribal region just outside the FATA boundary.

The fighters have skirmished with extremists, at times in coordination with the Pakistani military. They have already begun to pay a price, with at least eight beheadings this month and a suicide bombing in Bajaur two weeks ago that killed more than 50 tribesmen gathered to enlist in a militia.

 
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Obama to Explore New Approach in Afghanistan War

By Karen DeYoung
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, November 11, 2008; A01

The incoming Obama administration plans to explore a more regional strategy to the war in Afghanistan — including possible talks with Iran — and looks favorably on the nascent dialogue between the Afghan government and “reconcilable” elements of the Taliban, according to Obama national security advisers.

President-elect Barack Obama also intends to renew the U.S. commitment to the hunt for Osama bin Laden, a priority the president-elect believes President Bush has played down after years of failing to apprehend the al-Qaeda leader. Critical of Bush during the campaign for what he said was the president’s extreme focus on Iraq at the expense of Afghanistan, Obama also intends to move ahead with a planned deployment of thousands of additional U.S. troops there.

The emerging broad strokes of Obama’s approach are likely to be welcomed by a number of senior U.S. military officials who advocate a more aggressive and creative course for the deteriorating conflict. Taliban attacks and U.S. casualties this year are the highest since the war began in 2001.

Some military leaders remain wary of Obama’s pledge to order a steady withdrawal of combat forces from Iraq, to be completed within 16 months — an order advisers say Obama is likely to give in his first weeks in office. Adm. Michael Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, has called a withdrawal timeline “dangerous.” Others are distrustful of a new administration they see as unschooled in the counterinsurgency wars that have consumed the military for the past seven years.

But conversations with several Obama advisers and a number of senior military strategists both before and since last Tuesday’s election reveal a shared sense that the Afghan effort under the Bush administration has been hampered by ideological and diplomatic constraints and an unrealistic commitment to the goal of building a modern democracy — rather than a stable nation that rejects al-Qaeda and Islamist extremism and does not threaten U.S. interests. None of those who discussed the subject would speak on the record, citing sensitivities surrounding the presidential transition and the war itself.

As Obama begins to formulate his Afghan war policy, some senior military strategists have begun to question the U.S. commitment to Afghan President Hamid Karzai, who is expected to run for reelection next year but is widely considered weak and ineffective. Some European and NATO officials have suggested that an assembly of tribal elders should select the country’s next leader, an idea the State Department has rejected.

Obama advisers have emphasized that a sharper focus on al-Qaeda does not mean pulling back on the Afghan ground war. Obama called early in the campaign for deploying two or three additional U.S. combat brigades to Afghanistan. Bush has already approved such an increase, although the timing of the deployments, likely to begin next spring, depends on the drawdown of forces from Iraq.

Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates and Mullen, frustrated by the performance of NATO allies whose troops make up more than half the total foreign force in Afghanistan, have already planned for a more overt and forceful U.S. leadership role in the war, as well as more direct involvement by U.S. forces in fighting the Taliban in southern and western Afghanistan.

Some NATO military officials said enhanced U.S. leadership would be welcome, as long as it was not seen as a “takeover bid,” said one senior European officer whose country has troops fighting as part of the NATO coalition in Afghanistan. While the U.S. military has long criticized some NATO members for lacking combat zeal and expertise in Afghanistan, many European officers resent what they see as U.S. arrogance.

The NATO officer suggested that Obama, whose election was greeted with wide approval in Europe, may have more success than Bush in persuading other alliance members to increase their fighting forces in Afghanistan. “I think you’ll find the new president would then be able to persuade a number of European nations who have not liked this administration’s way of doing business to come in behind them,” he said.

At Mullen’s direction, the map of the Afghanistan battle space is being redrawn to include the tribal regions of western Pakistan. U.S. military and intelligence leaders have delivered forceful messages to Pakistani officials on the need to step up attacks against Taliban and al-Qaeda sanctuaries in their territory.

Obama, advisers said, plans to intensify the U.S. military and intelligence focus on al-Qaeda and bin Laden. Intelligence officials say the search is already as intensive as ever, even as they emphasize that the decentralized al-Qaeda network would remain a threat without him. Bush administration officials have publicly played down the importance of a single individual in the broad sweep of their anti-terrorism offensive.

One week after the election, the Obama team is far from fleshing out how it will bring bin Laden closer to the forefront of the U.S. counterterrorism agenda, both rhetorically and substantively. Although Obama last week received his first high-level intelligence briefing as president-elect, members of his national security transition teams are still studying briefing materials the Bush administration has prepared for them. They have yet to fully examine available military and intelligence resources and how they are currently being used, and have not yet plotted their diplomatic approach to Pakistan, where U.S. intelligence officials believe bin Laden is hiding.

While emphasizing the importance of continuing U.S. operations against Pakistan-based Taliban fighters who attack U.S. forces in Afghanistan, the incoming administration intends to remind Americans how the fight against Islamist extremists began — on Sept. 11, 2001, before the Afghanistan and Iraq wars — and to underscore that al-Qaeda remains the nation’s highest priority. “This is our enemy,” one adviser said of bin Laden, “and he should be our principal target.”

Obama said during the campaign that his administration would explore talks with countries such as Iran and Syria, rejecting bedrock Bush policy and rhetoric that some U.S. military officials believe may have outlived their usefulness.

Iran, on Afghanistan’s western border, has played a mixed role over the years, at times indirectly cooperating with U.S. objectives and at times assisting the extremists. The Bush administration has kept Tehran at arm’s length, but “as we look to the future, it would be helpful to have an interlocutor” to explore shared objectives, said one senior U.S. military official. The Iranians “don’t want Sunni extremists in charge of Afghanistan any more than we do,” he said.

Advisers also said Obama is open to supporting discussions between the Afghan government and “reconcilable” elements of the Taliban, a nascent effort of which the State Department has been fairly dismissive. Although it supports the terms the Afghan government has laid down — abandoning violence and accepting the Afghan constitution — the Bush administration sees “no serious indication from anybody on the Taliban side that they’re interested,” Assistant Secretary of State Richard A. Boucher said. “They keep hijacking buses, killing people and chopping their heads off. These are not people who have shown any serious desire to negotiate.”

But the Pentagon, at least rhetorically, has left the door open wider. Senior officers describe a substantial portion of Taliban foot soldiers as more opportunistic than ideologically committed. Gates has spoken openly about the possibility of reconciliation, saying, “at the end of the day, that’s how most wars end. . . . That’s ultimately the exit strategy for all of us.” Gen. David D. McKiernan, commander of NATO and U.S. troops in Afghanistan, said during a recent visit to Washington that the idea of “reconciliation, I think, is appropriate, and we’ll be there to provide support within our mandate.”

At the White House, presidential adviser Lt. Gen. Douglas E. Lute is leading an interagency assessment of the Afghanistan war, scheduled to be finished this month, that administration officials said will focus on enhancing support for provincial and local governments and building the Afghan police. Lute plans to travel to Brussels to summarize the review for NATO.

At the Pentagon, Mullen is overseeing an Afghanistan and Pakistan transition strategy and force-structure review by the Joint Chiefs of Staff, while Gen. David H. Petraeus, the former Iraq commander sworn in last month as head of the U.S. Central Command, is drawing up plans for his wider new responsibilities, which include Iraq and Afghanistan.

Mullen and Petraeus will remain in place when the Bush administration’s civilian policymakers leave office in January. Petraeus, a senior Defense official said, has indicated he agrees with Obama’s more regional approach to Afghanistan and welcomes “a debate about goals and how much is enough” in terms of nation-building there. “We are not going to seize the flag there and go home to a victory parade,” this official said.

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Pakistan and U.S. Have Tacit Deal On Airstrikes

By Karen DeYoung and Joby Warrick
Washington Post Staff Writers
Sunday, November 16, 2008; A01

The United States and Pakistan reached tacit agreement in September on a don’t-ask-don’t-tell policy that allows unmanned Predator aircraft to attack suspected terrorist targets in rugged western Pakistan, according to senior officials in both countries. In recent months, the U.S. drones have fired missiles at Pakistani soil at an average rate of once every four or five days.

The officials described the deal as one in which the U.S. government refuses to publicly acknowledge the attacks while Pakistan’s government continues to complain noisily about the politically sensitive strikes.

The arrangement coincided with a suspension of ground assaults into Pakistan by helicopter-borne U.S. commandos. Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari said in an interview last week that he was aware of no ground attacks since one on Sept. 3 that his government vigorously protested.

Officials described the attacks, using new technology and improved intelligence, as a significant improvement in the fight against Pakistan-based al-Qaeda and Taliban forces. Officials confirmed the deaths of at least three senior al-Qaeda figures in strikes last month.

Zardari said that he receives “no prior notice” of the airstrikes and that he disapproves of them. But he said he gives the Americans “the benefit of the doubt” that their intention is to target the Afghan side of the ill-defined, mountainous border of Pakistan’s Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), even if that is not where the missiles land.

Civilian deaths remain a problem, Zardari said. “If the damage is women and children, then the sensitivity of its effect increases,” he said. The U.S. “point of view,” he said, is that the attacks are “good for everybody. Our point of view is that it is not good for our position of winning the hearts and minds of people.”

A senior Pakistani official said that although the attacks contribute to widespread public anger in Pakistan, anti-Americanism there is closely associated with President Bush. Citing a potentially more favorable popular view of President-elect Barack Obama, he said that “maybe with a new administration, public opinion will be more pro-American and we can start acknowledging” more cooperation.

The official, one of several who discussed the sensitive military and intelligence relationship only on the condition of anonymity, said the U.S-Pakistani understanding over the airstrikes is “the smart middle way for the moment.” Contrasting Zardari with his predecessor, retired Gen. Pervez Musharraf, the official said Musharraf “gave lip service but not effective support” to the Americans. “This government is delivering but not taking the credit.”

From December to August, when Musharraf stepped down, there were six U.S. Predator attacks in Pakistan. Since then, there have been at least 19. The most recent occurred early Friday, when local officials and witnesses said at least 11 people, including six foreign fighters, were killed. The attack, in North Waziristan, one of the seven FATA regions, demolished a compound owned by Amir Gul, a Taliban commander said to have ties to al-Qaeda.

Pakistan’s self-praise is not entirely echoed by U.S. officials, who remain suspicious of ties between Pakistan’s intelligence service and FATA-based extremists. But the Bush administration has muted its criticism of Pakistan. In a speech to the Atlantic Council last week, CIA Director Michael V. Hayden effusively praised Pakistan’s recent military operations, including “tough fighting against hardened militants” in the northern FATA region of Bajaur.

“Throughout the FATA,” Hayden said, “al-Qaeda and its allies are feeling less secure today than they did two, three or six months ago. It has become difficult for them to ignore significant losses in their ranks.” Hayden acknowledged, however, that al-Qaeda remains a “determined, adaptive enemy,” operating from a “safe haven” in the tribal areas.

Along with the stepped-up Predator attacks, Bush administration strategy includes showering Pakistan’s new leaders with close, personal attention. Zardari met with Bush during the U.N. General Assembly in September, and senior military and intelligence officials have exchanged near-constant visits over the past few months.

Pakistan’s new intelligence chief, Lt. Gen. Ahmed Shuja Pasha, traveled to Washington in late October, and Gen. David H. Petraeus, installed on Oct. 31 as head of the U.S. Central Command, visited Islamabad on his third day in office. On Wednesday, Hayden flew to New York for a secret visit with Zardari, who was attending a U.N. conference.

Zardari spoke over the telephone with Sen. John F. Kerry (D-Mass.), a conversation Pakistani officials said they considered an initial contact with the incoming Obama administration. Although Kerry has been mentioned as a possible secretary of state, the officials said he indicated that he expects to continue in the Senate, where he is in line to take over Vice President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr.’s position as chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee.

Despite improved relations with the Bush administration, Zardari said, “we think we need a new dialogue, and we’re hoping that the new government will . . . understand that Pakistan has done more than they recognize” and is a victim of the same insurgency the United States is fighting. Pakistan hopes that a $7.6 billion loan from the International Monetary Fund, announced yesterday, will spark new international investment and aid.

Pakistan, whose military has received more than $10 billion in direct U.S. payments since 2001, also wants the United States to provide sophisticated weapons to its armed forces, Zardari said. Rather than using U.S. Predator-fired missiles against Pakistani territory, he asked, why not give Pakistan its own Predators? “Give them to us. . . . we are your allies,” he said.

Last month, officials confirmed, Predator strikes in the FATA killed Khalid Habib, described as al-Qaeda’s No. 4 official, and senior operatives Abu Jihad al-Masri and Abu Hassan al-Rimi. Three other senior al-Qaeda figures — explosives expert Abu Khabab al-Masri, Abu Sulayman al-Jazairi and senior commander Abu Laith al-Libi –were killed during the first nine months of the year.

Current and former U.S. counterterrorism officials said improved intelligence has been an important factor in the increased tempo and precision of the Predator strikes. Over the past year, they said, the United States has been able to improve its network of informants in the border region while also fielding new hardware that allows close tracking of the movements of suspected militants.

The missiles are fired from unmanned aircraft by the CIA. But the drones are only part of a diverse network of machines and software used by the agency to spot terrorism suspects and follow their movements, the officials said. The equipment, much of which remains highly classified, includes an array of powerful sensors mounted on satellites, airplanes, blimps and drones of every size and shape.

Before 2002, the CIA had no experience in using the Predator as a weapon. But in recent years — and especially in the past 12 months — spy agencies have honed their skills at tracking and killing single individuals using aerial vehicles operated by technicians hundreds or thousands of miles away. James R. Clapper Jr., the Pentagon’s chief intelligence officer, said the new brand of warfare has “gotten very laserlike and very precise.”

“It’s having the ability, once you know who you’re after, to study and watch very steadily and consistently — persistently,” Clapper told a recent gathering of intelligence professionals and contractors in Nashville. “And then, at the appropriate juncture, with due regard for reducing collateral casualties or damage, going after that individual.”

Two former senior intelligence officials familiar with the use of the Predator in Pakistan said the rift between Islamabad and Washington over the unilateral attacks was always less than it seemed.

“By killing al-Qaeda, you’re helping Pakistan’s military and you’re disrupting attacks that could be carried out in Karachi and elsewhere,” said one official, speaking on the condition of anonymity. Pakistan’s new acquiescence coincided with the new government there and a sharp increase in domestic terrorist attacks, including the September bombing of the Marriott hotel in Islamabad.

“The attacks inside Pakistan have changed minds,” the official said. “These guys are worried, as they should be.”

Staff writer Colum Lynch at the United Nations contributed to this report.

 
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Naming National Security Team Will Be a Priority for Obama

By Karen DeYoung
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, November 19, 2008; A08

If President-elect Barack Obama follows the pattern of most of his modern predecessors, one of the first documents to bear his signature after he takes office will be a directive laying out his administration’s national security structure. Bill Clinton signed one his first day in office; George W. Bush during his first month.

The directive traditionally sets the membership of the National Security Council, determining who has a seat at the table where the highest-level defense and foreign policy decisions are made. Most important, it determines the person who schedules meetings of the NSC principals and writes the agendas, who sits at the head of the table in the absence of the president and who has the president’s ear on national security matters on a daily basis.

For most chief executives, that person has been the White House national security adviser. Obama has announced no selection yet and, according to several sources, has made no decisions, although three names have circulated widely.

The heaviest betting is on James B. Steinberg, the former Clinton deputy national security adviser and State Department official who is currently dean of the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas at Austin.

Retired Marine Gen. James L. Jones, a former NATO commander and current executive at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, has been an informal foreign and defense policy adviser to Obama and is highly respected.

A third possibility is Susan E. Rice, a State Department veteran who signed on early with Obama as a senior foreign policy adviser. Although she has been close to Obama much longer than the others — Steinberg joined the campaign after the primaries — Rice is considered a more likely choice as deputy national security adviser.

Among Obama’s earliest decisions will be whether to retain the separate National Economic Council created by Clinton, as well as Bush’s Homeland Security Council, and whether to establish new White House-level panels on policy priorities such as energy and the environment. Sources close to the Obama team said neither will be determined until the national security team — the adviser and the secretaries of state and defense — are chosen.

Like his predecessors, Obama will have no shortage of immediate national security problems to address, not least the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, or advice on how to organize his team. In addition to many upcoming think tank and university reports, Congress has funded the Project on National Security Reform, which will recommend more legislative oversight and amendments to the 1947 National Security Act.

The act set up the NSC structure: a “principals” committee including the president, the vice president, and the secretaries of state and defense, with a small White House staff. But each president since then has established his own national security apparatus, and the structures have varied as widely as the balance of power among competing national security voices in each administration.

Clinton officially added the Treasury secretary, the U.N. ambassador, his economic adviser and chief of staff to the council; Bush removed them all. Both included the CIA director and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff at principals meetings but did not put them on the principals list.

Structure is inevitably overtaken by personalities, and informal processes develop as the president turns his attention to one adviser over another. Beyond Vice President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr., whose strong foreign policy credentials ensured his place on the Obama ticket, possibilities mentioned for secretary of state, including Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) and New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, are far from shrinking violets. With the two wars and mushrooming resources, the Defense Department inevitably will have a large say in decision-making.

Some national security advisers such as Henry A. Kissinger and Zbigniew Brzezinski have been more powerful than the secretaries with whom they served. In some administrations, the White House national security staff has been large — 74 people under Dwight D. Eisenhower and more than 100 during Clinton’s second term — and in others it has been small.

John F. Kennedy slashed it to 12 members and relied on his own council of “wise men.” Richard M. Nixon wanted to “run foreign policy out of the White House,” he said in his memoirs, and adviser Kissinger assembled a 50-person staff to do it. Jimmy Carter cut that number in half.

In the wake of the Iran-contra arms-for-hostages scandal, Ronald Reagan stripped his White House national security council staff of the unprecedented “operational” responsibility it had assumed.

There was nothing in Bush’s Organization of the National Security Council System directive, signed on Feb. 13, 2001, that previewed the power assumed by Vice President Cheney. Condoleezza Rice, Bush’s first national security adviser, won an early battle with Cheney when Bush rejected the vice president’s suggestion that he — not she — chair the NSC principals’ meetings in the president’s absence.

But Rice’s influence was weakened by the warring first-term troika of Cheney, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld and Secretary of State Colin L. Powell. Many analysts believe she failed at one of the national security adviser’s primary responsibilities — serving as an honest broker for the president among competing Cabinet points of view. Others, however, have argued that it is the president’s job to make sure his team acts in concert.

When the going gets tough, Lyndon B. Johnson’s national security adviser, Walt Rostow, once told the Brookings Institution, “it takes a very strong president to insist these people get along.”

 
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Characteristics of Plot Suggest Outside Help, Analysts Say
Official Says Two Attackers Were British Citizens of Pakistani Origin

By Craig Whitlock and Karen DeYoung
Washington Post Foreign Service
Friday, November 28, 2008; 1:06 PM

BERLIN, Nov. 28 — Counterterrorism officials and experts said the scale, sophistication and targets involved in the Mumbai attacks were markedly different from previous terrorist plots in India and suggested the gunmen had received training from outside the country. But they cautioned it was too soon to tell who may have masterminded the operation, despite an assertion from a previously unknown Islamist radical group.

Officials in India, Europe and the United States said likely culprits included Islamist networks based in Pakistan that have received support in the past from Pakistan’s intelligence agencies.

Meanwhile, British officials said they were investigating the possibility that two of its citizens were involved in the attacks.

In India, Vilasrao Deshmukh, the chief minister of the state of Maharashtra, which includes Mumbai, told reporters that two of the captured gunmen were British citizens of Pakistani origin. He gave no details.

The British government said it was investigating but unable to confirm the report.

“I would not want to be drawn into early conclusions about this,” Prime Minister Gordon Brown told reporters. “There is so much information still to be discovered and made available.”

“But obviously when you have terrorists operating in one country they may be getting support from another country or coming from another country,” Brown added. “It is very important that we strengthen the cooperation between India and Britain in dealing with these instances of terrorist attacks.”

British security officials said they were studying photographs of some attackers but were still trying to establish their nationalities. A team of counterterrorism investigators from Scotland Yard has been sent to Mumbai to assist in the investigation.

“We obviously will want to work very, very closely with the Indians on that, but it is too early to say whether or not any of them are British,” David Miliband, the British foreign secretary, said of the suspects.

British intelligence officials have warned for years that scores of Britons Muslims have gone to receive training at militant camps inside Pakistan, including at least three of the bombers in the July 7, 2005, London transit attacks.

Other officials in London, however, denied that there were any links between British citizens and the Mumbai attackers.

“The British deputy high commissioner has spoken to Indian authorities who say there is no evidence that any of the terrorists are British,” said a spokesperson for the British Foreign Office, speaking on condition of anonymity, as is customary for government spokesmen.

Analysts said this week’s attacks surpassed previous plots carried out by domestic groups in terms of complexity, the number of people involved and their success in achieving their primary goal: namely, to spread fear.

“This is a new, horrific milestone in the global jihad,” said Bruce Riedel, a former South Asia analyst for the CIA and National Security Council and author of the book “The Search for Al Qaeda.” “No indigenous Indian group has this level of capability. The goal is to damage the symbol of India’s economic renaissance, undermine investor confidence and provoke an India-Pakistani crisis.”

Several analysts and officials said the attacks bore the hallmarks of Lashkar-i-Taiba and Jaish-i-Muhammad, two networks of Muslim extremists from Pakistan that have targeted India before. Jaish-i-Muhammad was blamed for an attack on the Indian Parliament in 2001.

Both groups have carried out a long campaign of violence in the disputed territory of Kashmir, which India and Pakistan have fought over for six decades. The roots of the long-running conflict are religious: A majority of India’s population is Hindu, while most Pakistanis are Muslim.

A U.S. counterterrorism official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said Lashkar-i-Taiba, which means “Army of the Pious,” and Jaish-i-Muhammad, or “Soldiers of Muhammad,” are “the thing people are starting to look at. But I can’t caution enough to treat it as a theory, a working assumption. It’s still too early for hard and fast” conclusions.

“What the Indians have in their favor,” the official added, “is that they’ve got some of these guys. It seems logical that they can expect to work their way back reasonably quickly.” Indian officials said several gunmen were captured.

In its Friday editions, the newspaper the Hindu reported that at least three of the suspects held by police were members of Lashkar-i-Taiba and that the assailants had arrived in Mumbai on a ship from Karachi, Pakistan.

Earlier, Pakistan’s government condemned the attacks and warned India against jumping to conclusions about who was responsible. Lashkar-i-Taiba issued a statement denying involvement.

India has been plagued by a wave of terrorist attacks in recent years, many sparked by friction between Hindu nationalists and minority Muslim groups. The shootings in Mumbai were far from the worst to strike India’s financial capital; bombings in 1993 and 2006 each killed more than 180 people.

A group calling itself the Deccan Mujaheddin asserted responsibility for the attacks in e-mails sent to Indian media organizations Wednesday. Officials said they had never heard of the group.

Television footage showed the assailants carrying automatic rifles and backpacks filled with ammunition and grenades. Analysts said the fact that the gunmen quickly fanned across the city and were able to hold off Indian security forces over three days suggested that they had received training at organized camps.

“What is striking about this is a fair amount of planning had to go into this type of attack,” said Roger W. Cressey, a former White House counterterrorism official in the Clinton and Bush administrations. “This is not a seat-of-the-pants operation. This group had to receive some training or support from professionals in the terrorism business.”

Some experts said the operation bore resemblances to plots orchestrated by al-Qaeda, in that it involved multiple, simultaneous attacks targeting foreigners. In this case, according to witnesses, the gunmen sought out Americans and Britons, and also took hostages at the local headquarters of an Orthodox Jewish group.

Others said they were dubious of a connection to Osama bin Laden’s organization. They said al-Qaeda has relied on suicide bombers, not gunmen, and is not known to have cells in India.

David Miliband, Britain’s foreign secretary, told reporters that it was “premature to talk about links to al-Qaeda” and that it was still unclear who the intended targets were. “This is only the latest in a series of attacks in India over the last year or two,” he said, adding, “Terrorism is not just a war against the West.”

Peter Neumann, a terrorism analyst at King’s College in London, noted that dozens of gunmen were involved. “This doesn’t mean it’s al-Qaeda, or they take orders from bin Laden, but I’m pretty sure it’s not some leaderless, grass-roots thing.”

On Wednesday, al-Qaeda’s propaganda arm released a video on the Internet featuring an interview with Ayman al-Zawahiri, the network’s deputy leader. He made no mention of the attacks in Mumbai; it was unclear when the video was produced.

Other experts warned that there is a long list of suspects who could have played a role. For instance, Indian officials have blamed the 1993 bombings in Mumbai, which killed 257 people, on Dawood Ibrahim, an organized crime figure who remains on the run.

“Anything could be in the cards,” said Magnus Ranstorp, a terrorism analyst at the Swedish National Defense College. “With most terrorist attacks, it’s relatively clear-cut who is involved. In this case, it could be all sorts of constellations that are at work.”

DeYoung reported from Washington. Special correspondent Karla Adam in London contributed to this report.

 
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Pakistani Militants At Center Of Probe
India, Its Archrival Vow to Cooperate Amid High Tension

By Craig Whitlock and Karen DeYoung
Washington Post Foreign Service
Saturday, November 29, 2008; A01

BERLIN, Nov. 28 — Pakistani militant groups on Friday became the focus of the investigation into the attacks in Mumbai as India and its archrival Pakistan jousted over who was responsible. Both sides pledged to cooperate in the probe, but tensions remained high amid fears the conflict could escalate.

Pakistan initially said Friday that it had agreed to send its spy chief, Lt. Gen. Ahmed Shuja Pasha, on an unprecedented visit to India to share and obtain information from investigators there. Later Friday, however, Pakistani officials changed their minds and decided to send a less senior intelligence official in Pasha’s place, according to a Pakistani source who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

It was unclear what prompted the reversal, but the Pakistani source said the Islamabad government was “already bending over backwards” to be cooperative and did not “want to create more opportunities for Pakistan-bashing.” Pakistan’s defense minister, Chaudhry Ahmed Mukhtar, told reporters in Islamabad, “I will say in very categoric terms that Pakistan is not involved in these gory incidents.”

Meanwhile, Indian authorities ramped up their accusations that the plot had Pakistani connections. “Preliminary evidence, prima facie evidence, indicates elements with links to Pakistan are involved,” Indian Foreign Minister Pranab Mukherjee said at a news conference in New Delhi. Other Indian officials echoed the statement, but none provided details.

Evidence collected by police in Mumbai, along with intelligence gathered by U.S. and British officials, has led investigators to concentrate their focus on Islamist militants in Pakistan who have long sought to spark a war over the disputed province of Kashmir. India and Pakistan have already fought two wars over Kashmir, the battleground between Hindu-majority India and Muslim-majority Pakistan that each country claimed soon after India’s partition in 1947.

A U.S. counterterrorism official said additional evidence has emerged in the past 24 hours that points toward a Kashmiri connection. “Some of what has been learned so far does fall in that direction,” the official said, declining to offer specifics.

“We have to be careful here,” said the official, speaking on the condition of anonymity. “When you posit a Kashmiri connection, that puts Pakistan on the table. That is huge, enormous, but what does it mean? It can be anything from people who were [initially] in Pakistan, to maybe people who used to be associated with someone in the Pakistani government, to any gradation you could find.”

Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari, who has sought a rapprochement with New Delhi, rejected widespread suspicions in India that Pakistani intelligence services may have supported the Mumbai gunmen. “The germs of terrorist elements were not produced in security agencies’ labs in Pakistan,” he said Friday.

Analysts said Pakistan’s pledge to assist in the investigation and send its spy chief to India was a sign of the high stakes involved. When armed Kashmiri militants tried to take over the Indian Parliament in December 2001, the fallout was immediate, as both countries responded with a massive military buildup along their shared border.

“A Pakistani link here would be so utterly damaging, all the way around, to Indo-Pakistani relations,” said Shaun Gregory, a professor of international security at the University of Bradford in England and a specialist on Pakistan. The decision to dispatch Pasha to India, he said, “does signal a determination on Pakistan’s part to clarify that even if there’s a Pakistani link here, that it had nothing to do with the government.”

A senior Pakistani official said the idea for Pasha’s visit came during a telephone conversation Friday between Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Pakistani Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gillani. Singh, who had previously blamed the Mumbai attacks on groups “based outside the country,” offered to provide evidence to Gillani.

“One way to ensure that” was to send Pakistan’s intelligence chief, the Pakistani official said. “If there is evidence, share it.”

Although privately angered by the implication of Singh’s public remarks that Pakistan may have been involved, Gillani’s government has emphasized that Pakistan, too, has been victimized by terrorists and that the two countries should work together against the threat.

Tensions between India and Pakistan have remained raw since July, when a suicide bomber targeted the Indian embassy in Kabul, killing 58 people, including the Indian defense attache to Afghanistan. U.S. intelligence officials later said there was evidence that Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence agency had sponsored the attack. Pakistan’s government denied involvement.

Gregory, the British analyst, said Pakistan had a clear motive for the embassy bombing because it has grown alarmed at rising Indian influence in Afghanistan. But he said he doubted that Pakistan’s military or intelligence services would have foreseen any benefit from what has transpired in Mumbai. “I cannot see, at this point, any conceivable advantage for the Pakistani state in this attack,” he said.

U.S., British and Indian counterterrorism officials and analysts said that Lashkar-i-Taiba, an Islamist network based in Pakistan, remained a primary suspect in the Mumbai disaster. They cautioned, however, that any number of other groups, including Muslim radicals from India, could have played a role.

Shortly after the attacks began, an organization calling itself the Deccan Mujaheddin asserted responsibility in e-mails to Indian media. But authorities said they had never heard of the group and questioned whether it was a front for others.

Lashkar-i-Taiba, which means Army of the Pious, was founded as a guerrilla group to fight the Indian army in Kashmir and received support from Pakistan’s military and intelligence agencies as a proxy force. Under pressure from the United States, the Pakistani government banned the group after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, but analysts said it continues to enjoy the backing of some Pakistani politicians and security officials. It also has operated joint training camps in Pakistan with al-Qaeda and the Taliban.

The tactics involved in the Mumbai attacks have been embraced before by Lashkar-i-Taiba. The group has routinely trained gunmen — called “fedayeen,” or fighters who volunteer to sacrifice themselves in battle — to carry out operations in Kashmir and elsewhere in India.

Ashley J. Tellis, a senior associate at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in Washington who formerly served at the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi, said if India can prove Lashkar-i-Taiba was culpable, “then the stress on the relationship becomes really acute.”

Lashkar was one of the groups that Pakistani intelligence “favored for all its dirty work in Kashmir and elsewhere,” Tellis said. “The whole question of Pakistan’s involvement itself is difficult because there are so many ‘Pakistans.’ . . . There is the intelligence agency, the army, the civilian government. I cannot imagine that the civilian government would have anything to do with an operation like this.”

Indian officials said that at least some of the gunmen arrived in Mumbai by boat and that the group included Pakistani nationals, although they did not offer firm evidence to back up that assertion.

Other Indian officials said Friday that two of the gunmen were British citizens of Pakistani descent. British officials said they were investigating the report but had been unable to corroborate it. Meanwhile, a team of counterterrorism officials from Scotland Yard left for India to assist in the investigation.

The FBI has also sent a team of about half a dozen investigators to India, although government sources said it was not clear the extent to which the Indians would allow the U.S. agents to participate. The FBI maintains a permanent office at the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi, and the agents will operate as part of the existing “country team.”

DeYoung reported from Washington.

 
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Joint Chiefs Chairman ‘Very Positive’ After Meeting With Obama
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By Karen DeYoung
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, November 30, 2008; A01

Adm. Michael Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, went unarmed into his first meeting with the new commander in chief — no aides, no PowerPoint presentation, no briefing books. Summoned nine days ago to President-elect Barack Obama’s Chicago transition office, Mullen showed up with just a pad, a pen and a desire to take the measure of his incoming boss.

There was little talk of exiting Iraq or beefing up the U.S. force in Afghanistan; the one-on-one, 45-minute conversation ranged from the personal to the philosophical. Mullen came away with what he wanted: a view of the next president as a non-ideological pragmatist who was willing to both listen and lead. After the meeting, the chairman “felt very good, very positive,” according to Mullen spokesman Capt. John Kirby.

As Obama prepares to announce his national security team tomorrow, he faces a military that has long mistrusted Democrats and is particularly wary of a young, intellectual leader with no experience in uniform, who once called Iraq a “dumb” war. Military leaders have all heard his pledge to withdraw most combat forces from Iraq within 16 months — sooner than commanders on the ground have recommended — and his implied criticism of the Afghanistan war effort during the Bush administration.

But so far, Obama appears to be going out of his way to reassure them that he will do nothing rash and will seek their advice, even while making clear that he may not always take it. He has demonstrated an ability to speak the lingo, talk about “mission plans” and “tasking,” and to differentiate between strategy and tactics, a distinction Republican nominee John McCain accused him of misunderstanding during the campaign.

Obama has been careful to separate his criticism of Bush policy from his praise of the military’s valor and performance, while Michelle Obama’s public expressions of concern for military families have gone over well. But most important, according to several senior officers and civilian Pentagon officials who would speak about their incoming leader only on the condition of anonymity, is the expectation of renewed respect for the chain of command and greater realism about U.S. military goals and capabilities, which many found lacking during the Bush years.

“Open and serious debate versus ideological certitude will be a great relief to the military leaders,” said retired Maj. Gen. William L. Nash of the Council on Foreign Relations. Senior officers are aware that few in their ranks voiced misgivings over the Iraq war, but they counter that they were not encouraged to do so by the Bush White House or the Pentagon under Donald H. Rumsfeld.

“The joke was that when you leave a meeting, everybody is supposed to drink the Kool-Aid,” Nash said. “In the Bush administration, you had to drink the Kool-Aid before you got to go to the meeting.”

Obama’s expected retention of Robert M. Gates as defense secretary and expected appointment of Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton as secretary of state and retired Marine Gen. James L. Jones as national security adviser have been greeted with relief at the Pentagon.

Clinton is respected at the Pentagon and is considered a defense moderate, at times bordering on hawkish. Through her membership on the Senate Armed Services Committee — sought early in her congressional career to add gravitas to her presidential aspirations — she has developed close ties with senior military figures.

Some in the military are suspicious of “flagpole” officers such as Jones, whose assignments included Supreme Allied Commander at NATO, Marine commandant and other headquarters service, and who grew up in France and is a graduate of Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service. But Jones also saw combat in Vietnam and served in Bosnia.

“His reputation is pretty good,” one Pentagon official said. “He’s savvy about Washington, worked the Hill,” and at a lean 6-foot-4, the former Georgetown basketball player “looks great in a suit.”

Although Jones occasionally and privately briefed candidate Obama on foreign policy matters — on Afghanistan, in particular, as did current deputy NATO commander Lt. Gen. Karl Eikenberry — he is not considered an intimate of the president-elect.

But as Obama’s closest national security adviser, or at least the one who will spend the most time with him, Jones is expected to follow the pattern of two military predecessors in the job, Brent Scowcroft and Colin L. Powell, who injected order and discipline to a National Security Council full of strong personalities with independent power bases.

Although exit polls did not break out active-duty voters, it is virtually certain that McCain won the military vote.

In an October survey by the Military Times, nearly 70 percent of more than 4,000 officers and enlisted respondents said they favored McCain, while about 23 percent preferred Obama. Only African American service members gave Obama a majority.

In exit polls, those who said they had “ever served in the U.S. military” made up 15 percent of voters and broke 54 percent for McCain to 44 percent for Obama. “As a culture, we are more conservative and Republican,” a senior officer said.

Obama has said he will meet with the chairman of the Joint Chiefs as well as the service chiefs during his first week in office. At the top of his agenda for that meeting will be what he has called the military’s “new mission” of planning the 16-month withdrawal timeline for Iraq. Senior officers have publicly grumbled about the risk involved.

“Moving forward in a measured way, tied to conditions as they continue to evolve, over time, is important,” Mullen said at a media briefing four days before his Nov. 21 meeting with Obama. “I’m certainly aware of what has been said” prior to the election, he said.

The last Democratic president, Bill Clinton, clashed with the chiefs during his first sit-down with them when they opposed his campaign pledge to end the ban on gays in the military. The chiefs, some of whom held the commander in chief in thinly veiled contempt as a supposed Vietnam draft dodger, won the battle, and Clinton spent much of his two terms seen as an adversary.

But Mullen came away from the Chicago talk reassured that Obama will engage in a discussion with them, balancing risks and “asking tough questions . . . but not in a combative, finger-pointing way,” one official said.

The president-elect’s invitation to Mullen, whom Obama previously had met only in passing on Capitol Hill and whose first two-year term as chairman does not expire until the end of September, was seen as an attempt to establish a relationship and avoid early conflict. While some Pentagon officials believe an Iraq withdrawal order could become Obama’s equivalent of the Clinton controversy over gays, several senior Defense Department sources said that Gates, Mullen and Gen. David H. Petraeus, head of the military’s Central Command, are untroubled by the 16-month plan and feel it can be accomplished with a month or two of wiggle room.

These sources noted that Obama himself has said he would not be “careless” about withdrawal and would retain a “residual” force of unspecified size to fight terrorists and protect U.S. diplomats and civilians. The officer most concerned about untimely withdrawal, sources said, is the Iraq commander, Gen. Ray Odierno.

Even as the Iraq war continues, defense officials are far more worried about Afghanistan, where they see policy drift and an unfocused mission. With strategy reviews now being completed at the White House and by the chairman’s office, an internal Pentagon debate is well underway over whether goals should be lowered.

Although Gen. David McKiernan, the U.S. and NATO commander in Afghanistan, has requested four more U.S. combat brigades, some Pentagon strategists believe a smaller presence of Special Forces and trainers for Afghan forces — and more attention to Pakistan — is advisable.

Bush’s ideological objective of a modern Afghan democracy, several officials said, is unattainable with current U.S. resources, and there is optimism that Obama will have a more realistic view.

A number of senior officers also look with favor on Obama’s call for talks with Iran over Iraq and Afghanistan, separating those issues from U.S. demands over Tehran’s nuclear program.

One of the biggest long-term military issues on Obama’s plate will be the defense budget, currently topping 4.3 percent of gross domestic product once war expenditures are included.

Obama has said he will increase the size of the Army and the Marine Corps, finding savings in the Iraq drawdown and in new scrutiny of spending, including on contractors, weapons programs and missile defense.

“They know the money is coming down,” a Pentagon official said of the uniformed services, and many welcome increased discipline.

But it’s neither the military’s nature nor its role to volunteer the cuts, the official said. “It’s for Congress and the administration to say ‘Stop it.’ “

Polling analyst Jennifer Agiesta and research editor Alice Crites contributed to this report.

 
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Obama Names Team to Face A Complex Security Picture

By Karen DeYoung and Michael D. Shear
Washington Post Staff Writers
Tuesday, December 2, 2008; A01

President-elect Barack Obama’s high-powered national security team, introduced yesterday at a Chicago news conference, faces the challenge of managing two wars and various ongoing foreign policy crises even as it helps the president-elect shape what he called “a new beginning, a new dawn of American leadership” in the world.

In announcing his choices of Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) to be secretary of state, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates to continue in office and retired Marine Gen. James L. Jones to serve as national security adviser, Obama laid out a vision of an America whose global stature is restored and whose military, diplomatic and economic power are balanced with one another and with “the power of our moral example.”

But he acknowledged that “grave” and “urgent” national security issues, including the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, potential conflict between Pakistan and India, and economic crisis at home and abroad, require immediate attention. The challenge will be balancing those immediate priorities handed over by the Bush administration — what the Obama camp calls the “inheritance issues” — with national and international expectations for the longer-term changes he pledged during the campaign.

The members of his new team, Obama said yesterday, “share my pragmatism about the use of power, and my sense of purpose.” Three other Cabinet selections announced were Eric H. Holder Jr. as attorney general, Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano as secretary of homeland security and Susan Rice as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.

Obama repeatedly emphasized his intention to expand U.S. diplomacy while buttressing the size and capabilities of the military, and he stressed the interconnectedness of national security and economic issues. Rice, who served as a senior foreign policy aide to Obama during the campaign, listed an ambitious global agenda — “to prevent conflict, to promote peace, combat terrorism, prevent the spread and use of nuclear weapons, tackle climate change, end genocide, fight poverty and disease.”

But “you have to manage the legacy” of the Bush administration “while trying to move forward on priorities,” one Obama adviser said. “The balance is showing that you’re serious about what’s important — what you said during the campaign — without overloading the agenda. It’s more important to have success that shows you’re making progress than a long, uncompleted pass.”

In addition to the pressing issues in Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan and India, Obama must quickly decide whether to continue negotiations begun by President Bush on North Korea and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, how to deal with Iran, and what to do about the U.S. detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Preparations must be made for three major summits — NATO, the Group of 20 and the Summit of the Americas — scheduled within three months of the inauguration.

At yesterday’s news conference, however, questions focused less on policy than on how the eclectic personalities standing behind Obama and in front of American flags — particularly Clinton, Gates and Jones — would mesh. Asked how he would avoid having a “clash of rivals” rather than the smoothly functioning team he portrayed, Obama said he expected “vigorous debate” and described himself as “a strong believer in strong personalities and strong opinions.”

“One of the dangers in the White House, based on my reading of history,” Obama continued, “is that you get wrapped up in groupthink and everybody agrees with everything and there’s no discussion and there are no dissenting views.”

Obama turned playful when a reporter reminded him of the sharp criticisms he leveled at Clinton during the campaign, including equating her travels as first lady to having tea with foreign leaders. Obama waved off the question, saying the press was merely “having fun” by stirring up quotes from the campaign.

“Differences get magnified” during campaigns, Obama said. “I did not ask for assurances from these individuals that they would agree with me at all times. I think they understood and would not be joining this team unless they understood and were prepared to carry out the decisions that have been made by me after full discussion.”

“On the broad core vision of where America needs to go,” he said, “we are in almost complete agreement. There are going to be differences in tactics and different assessments and judgments made. That’s what I expect; that’s what I welcome. That’s why I asked them to join the team.”

“But understand, I will be setting policy as president,” he added. “I will be responsible for the vision that this team carries out, and I expect them to implement that vision once decisions are made.”

The announcements confirmed weeks of speculation and secret negotiations. Gates had never closed the door on staying in office but repeatedly insisted that he wanted to retire to his home in Washington state. Discussions with Clinton were not solidified until agreement was reached over public release of the names of donors to the foundation established by her husband, the former president.

Jones was said to have resisted repeated entreaties from Obama until early last week. His concerns, according to a source who discussed the matter with the former NATO commander, centered on avoiding the problems that plagued Bush’s first term, including a weak National Security Council and end runs around national security adviser Condoleezza Rice by then-Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld and Vice President Cheney.

Another Obama adviser said the president-elect’s team has studied Bush’s attempt to put together a first-term team of national security heavyweights, only to see discipline collapse among warring factions. With Jones, the adviser said, Obama felt he had found “a very substantial person who can make the system work.”

“Obama kept coming back,” the source said. “Everything [Jones] told him about the reasons he didn’t want the job, [Obama] said, ‘I can fix that.’ ” Jones is said to have emerged with guarantees that he would have Cabinet rank and be the main foreign policy conduit to and from the president.

Clinton stood without expression yesterday as Obama, the former rival she once called “naive” on some aspects of foreign policy, praised her “extraordinary intelligence and remarkable work ethic.” Obama continued: “She is an American of tremendous stature who will have my complete confidence, who knows many of the world’s leaders, who will command respect in every capital, and who will clearly have the ability to advance our interests around the world. Hillary’s appointment is a sign to friend and foe of the seriousness of my commitment to renew American diplomacy and restore our alliances.”

Clinton cracked a smile when Obama described her as a “tough campaign opponent.” In her own remarks, she said that “if confirmed, I will give this assignment, your administration and my country my all.”

A source close to the transition and familiar with discussions between Clinton and Obama described her as confident that she will have the president’s ear when she needs it, and as unconcerned about the potential for rivalry with Jones and Gates. “She knows how the White House works,” the source said of the former first lady.

Gates was brief and businesslike, declaring himself “deeply honored” to be asked to continue his service. Referring to the American troops at war, he said: “I must do my duty as they do theirs. How could I do otherwise?”

During the campaign, Gates publicly questioned Obama’s plan to set a timetable for withdrawing most U.S. combat troops from Iraq within 16 months of taking office, saying it would undermine recent security gains there. Since then, however, the Bush administration has signed a security agreement with Iraq pledging a complete withdrawal by the end of 2011, and senior U.S. military officials who have spoken with Obama have said they think they can strike a compromise on the number and timing of withdrawals. In recent months, Gates has given a series of speeches dovetailing with Obama’s emphasis on the importance of diplomacy and “soft power” along with military force.

Noting it would likely be necessary “to maintain a residual force to provide potential training, logistical support, to protect our civilians in Iraq,” Obama said yesterday that he thinks “16 months is the right time frame. But, as I’ve said consistently, I will listen to the recommendations of my commanders.”

Shear reported from Chicago. Staff writer Michael Abramowitz in Washington contributed to this report.

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U.S. Hopes to Quiet Indian-Pakistani Tensions

By Karen DeYoung
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, December 3, 2008; A11

Senior U.S. officials converged on South Asia yesterday, hoping to persuade India and Pakistan to lower the tensions between them after the Mumbai attacks, and to avoid an escalation that could jeopardize U.S. war efforts in neighboring Afghanistan.

Their most urgent message is directed toward India, where Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Adm. Michael Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, planned to appeal to the government to accept Pakistan’s offer to jointly investigate the assault with U.S. assistance, a senior Bush administration official said.

“The goal is to say, first, this is really serious,” the official said. “It is qualitatively different for us,” because six Americans were among nearly 200 killed by terrorist gunmen believed to have traveled to the Indian seaside metropolis by boat from Pakistan. “But more important, we want to work with you and the Pakistanis. The only way we’re really going to deal with the terrorist threat is to get the Pakistanis to cooperate in the investigation.”

In Pakistan, the administration hopes to persuade the newly elected democratic government to move forcefully against domestic terrorist groups that initially were formed with the assistance of Pakistani intelligence to attack India along the two countries’ disputed border in Kashmir. India has charged — and U.S. intelligence believes — that the Mumbai attacks were carried out by one of those groups, Laskhar-i-Taiba, or Army of the Pious.

Adding his voice to the calls for calm, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates spoke yesterday of the importance of “restraint” on the part of both nations.

“But it’s also important to find out who was responsible,” Gates said at a news briefing. “I think what we would like to see is both countries work together to make sure that something like this doesn’t happen again.” Gates added that he was unaware of any request by India for U.S. training or equipment to help with its counterterrorism efforts, or any U.S. offer to provide such aid.

President-elect Barack Obama announced Monday that he would retain Gates as defense secretary. Asked twice about an Indian response to the attacks, Obama first demurred, citing “delicate diplomacy” and the reality of “only one president at a time” in the United States. Pressed on whether India has the same right as the United States to respond to terrorist threats, he said he thinks that “sovereign nations obviously have a right to protect themselves.”

Although U.S. relations with India rarely came up during the presidential campaign, Obama told Outlook India magazine in an interview in July that “we are both victims of terrorist attacks on our soil.” Among many shared interests, he said, is “our common strategic interests” that call for “strengthening U.S.-India military cooperation.”

On counterterrorism, India’s skepticism of Pakistan and the United States draws on recent history. The last threatened India-Pakistan war, following a Lashkar attack on the Indian Parliament in December 2001, was averted by strong U.S. intervention with both governments. As the two countries massed hundreds of thousands of troops at the disputed border, the administration pushed then-Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf to publicly pledge to combat militants inside Pakistan, and persuaded India to accept the promise.

Although a number of militants were arrested, most were quickly released. “What the administration is trying to do now is to influence the Pakistanis to finally bring these guys under control, while working to convince the Indians that the commitment to working with the Pakistanis is credible,” said Ashley Tellis, a South Asia expert at the Carnegie Endowment in Washington.

The United States has “made a series of such commitments to India going back to 2001, and simply could not or would not deliver,” Tellis said. “The Indians are now asking why it is they should believe the administration when it says it’s going to redouble those efforts.”

U.S. leverage with India is largely limited to goodwill and the promise of continued economic and diplomatic ties. “There is a lot of good faith from the Indians on the nuclear deal,” last year’s U.S.-Indian agreement on nuclear energy cooperation, the administration official said. “We’ve been with them on a whole lot of things recently, and I think we can be with them on terrorism, too.”

Rice and Mullen hope to convince their Indian counterparts that the difference this time is that Musharraf, an army general who seized power in Pakistan in a 1999 coup, has been replaced by a democratic government committed to moving against all extremist groups within its borders.

In recent months, the new Pakistani government had reached out to India, offering to begin discussions about resolving the Kashmir issue and cracking down on militant camps along the disputed northeastern frontier.

To the gratification of the Bush administration, Pakistan’s military had turned its attention away from India toward the western border with Afghanistan, where al-Qaeda and the Taliban are ensconced. U.S. officials have praised a Pakistani offensive in the mountainous west, and they have concluded a secret agreement with the Pakistani government allowing them to fire missiles from unmanned Predator aircraft based in Afghanistan at Taliban fighters inside Pakistan’s territory.

Gates said yesterday that he had seen no indication that Pakistan’s military was diverting its forces from the west toward the east. But U.S. officials fear that is inevitable if tensions are not quickly resolved.

Staff writer Ann Scott Tyson contributed to this report.

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Correction to This Article
This article incorrectly described current and former intelligence officials as believing that the CIA suffers from incompetent leadership and low morale. The sentence should have said that the officials expressed resentment about such suggestions.
Obama Is Under Fire Over Panetta Selection
Current, Ex-CIA Officials Criticize ‘Opaque’ Process

By Karen DeYoung and Joby Warrick
Washington Post Staff Writers
Wednesday, January 7, 2009; A01

President-elect Barack Obama said yesterday that he has selected a “top-notch intelligence team” that would provide the “unvarnished” information his administration needs, rather than “what they think the president wants to hear.”

But current and former intelligence officials expressed sharp resentment over Obama’s choice of Leon E. Panetta as CIA director and suggested that the agency suffers from incompetent leadership and low morale. “People who suggest morale is low don’t have a clue about what’s going on now,” said CIA spokesman Mark Mansfield, citing recent personnel reforms under Director Michael V. Hayden.

On Capitol Hill, Democrats on the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence were still stewing over Obama not consulting them on the choice before it was leaked Monday and continued to question Panetta’s intelligence experience. Vice President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr. acknowledged that the transition team had made a “mistake” in not consulting or even notifying congressional leaders, and Obama telephoned committee Chairman Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) and her predecessor, Sen. John D. Rockefeller IV (D-W.Va.), yesterday to apologize.

“Obama trusts [Panetta] — that’s a huge plus,” committee member Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) said, citing Panetta’s management expertise as Clinton White House chief of staff and budget director. But “after the past 24 hours, Leon Panetta is likely to get a good grilling” at his confirmation hearing, Wyden said. Several committee Democrats made clear that they expect CIA Deputy Director Stephen R. Kappes and Intelligence Director Michael Morell, the agency’s No. 3 official, to be retained for continuity and experience. An Obama transition official confirmed that both will be invited to stay.

The Panetta uproar starts Obama off on the wrong foot with the committee and intelligence professionals and was the latest glitch in what has largely been an unusually smooth and carefully choreographed transition.

“It’s always good to talk to the requisite members of Congress,” Biden said. “I think it was just a mistake.”

In a news conference at his transition headquarters, Obama defended Panetta, even as he emphasized that he has still made no formal announcement about his intelligence team. “I have the utmost respect for Leon Panetta,” he said. “I think he is one of the finest public servants that we’ve had. He brings extraordinary management skills, great political savvy, an impeccable record of integrity.” Obama is expected to publicly name Panetta, as well as retired Navy Adm. Dennis C. Blair as director of national intelligence, this week. Panetta began making introductory calls to lawmakers yesterday, Obama aides said.

Although several top CIA officials who have interacted with Obama since the election expressed admiration for his grasp of the issues, the transition process has clearly left a bad taste. One senior official said that “the process was completely opaque” and that the agency was neither consulted nor informed. The official was among several who discussed the subject on the condition of anonymity.

A second official who had worked with President Bill Clinton’s national security team while Panetta was chief of staff said he had no recollection of Panetta taking an active role in intelligence briefings or discussions of CIA policy and practice.

“He just didn’t make an impression,” said the official, who also spoke on the condition of anonymity so he could discuss the matter freely.

An official who participated in the Obama team’s deliberations dismissed concerns about Panetta’s lack of experience, saying that a number of previous directors had little or no “inside-the-intelligence-community experience. Most of them were from the outside . . . What you need is someone who can represent the agency well in the corridors of power in Washington.”

Several of Panetta’s former White House colleagues also said yesterday that he appreciated and engaged in national security issues during the Clinton years.

In a clear reference to harsh interrogation policies, including waterboarding, that were used against CIA terrorism detainees, Obama said his team would be “committed to breaking with some of the past practices and concerns that have, I think, tarnished the image of . . . the intelligence agencies as well as U.S. foreign policy.”

Almost as an afterthought at the end of his remarks, Obama noted that “there are outstanding intelligence professionals in the CIA” and other intelligence agencies, “and I have the utmost regard for the work that they’ve done.”

A widely held view among intelligence officials was that Obama’s team had decided to automatically disqualify any candidate who might have been seen as tainted by association with the controversial interrogation and detention policies of the Bush presidency — essentially anyone who held a management job in the past eight years. Former senior CIA official John O. Brennan, who headed the transition intelligence team, withdrew his name from consideration over concerns that his association with interrogation and rendition policies under President Bush and then-CIA director George J. Tenet would taint Obama.

A number of Tenet-era officials have argued that they were simply carrying out orders that the president and the attorney general, as well as Congress, had approved. Hayden, the outgoing director, defended interrogation policies, including waterboarding, that many have labeled torture, saying they were necessary to break some terrorism suspects. Although he has told Congress that waterboarding has not been used recently, Hayden publicly supported Bush’s decision to retain the option to use “enhanced interrogation techniques.”

But one former senior intelligence official noted that many of the people Panetta will be expected to lead would have participated in implementing the interrogation policy. Obama and Panetta “should think twice about pledges they make now” about the handling of terrorism detainees, another former senior official said, “because they may come back to haunt them in the future if some dire circumstances occur.”

The desire to retain Kappes and Morell, both of whom held senior positions under Tenet as well as with Hayden, however, indicated that Obama does not intend to clean house beyond the top leadership level.

Obama has said that he plans to close the detention facility at the U.S. naval base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and that he would “make sure we do not torture.” Feinstein introduced legislation yesterday to do both.

The bill provides for “a legal, effective, and humane system of gathering intelligence and holding suspected terrorists.” It would close Guantanamo Bay and require detainees either to be charged and tried in this country, transferred to an international tribunal or another country or held “in accordance with the law of armed conflict.”

It would also restrict the CIA and other intelligence agencies to 19 interrogation techniques authorized by the Army Field Manual, “creating a clear, single standard across the U.S. government.”

Staff writers Walter Pincus and Paul Kane contributed to this report.

 
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U.S. Thwarted Israeli Plan to Bomb Iranian Nuclear Facility

By Karen DeYoung
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, January 11, 2009; A10

President Bush last year rejected an Israeli request to provide sophisticated, deep-penetration bombs to attack Iran’s underground nuclear enrichment facilities, Pentagon officials said yesterday.

The administration also rebuffed Israel’s plan to fly through U.S.-controlled Iraqi airspace to reach the Iranian site, officials said. The Israelis had not proposed a specific date for an attack, and it was not clear how far along the planning was when the requests were made, officials said.

The Israeli requests were first reported on the New York Times Web site yesterday. The Times also said that President Bush, seeking to deflect the Israelis and to soften his refusal, told the government of Prime Minister Ehud Olmert that he had authorized a new covert action program to sabotage Iran’s uranium enrichment program. The report quoted U.S. officials as saying that some actions had been taken as part of what it described as an ongoing covert program, but that they had not seriously affected Iranian operations. Israel and the United States and principal European allies have charged that Iran has a secret nuclear weapons program, a charge Tehran has denied.

Officials with the Israeli Embassy and the CIA declined to comment last night. A White House spokesman could not be reached for comment.

Some factions within the Bush administration have long advocated a U.S. military strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities, but military leaders and others have argued against it on the grounds that it could endanger U.S. troops in the region and spark a broader war in the Middle East, and that it would probably only temporarily set back Iran’s efforts.

The Natanz complex in central Iran houses several underground structures containing gas centrifuges to enrich uranium. The Iranian government has said it is interested in peaceful nuclear energy only, but its failure to cooperate fully with international verification efforts has led to increasingly strict Western economic sanctions.

Israel has long considered Iran the main threat to its long-term security and has pressed a series of U.S. administrations to take stronger action against it.

The Times said its information was developed during reporting for an upcoming book by reporter David E. Sanger on global challenges awaiting the administration of President-elect Barack Obama.

Pentagon officials said that they were disturbed when Israeli air and naval exercises in the Mediterranean last summer appeared designed to test-fly distances equal to those between Israel and Iranian sites. The exercises briefly reawakened U.S. concerns that Israel was moving ahead with its attack plan. It could not be determined yesterday whether the Israeli plan had been abandoned or postponed.

Staff writer Joby Warrick contributed to this report.

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Afghan Conflict Will Be Reviewed
Obama Sees Troops As Buying Time, Not Turning Tide

By Karen DeYoung
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, January 13, 2009; A01

President-elect Barack Obama intends to sign off on Pentagon plans to send up to 30,000 more U.S. troops to Afghanistan, but the incoming administration does not anticipate that the Iraq-like “surge” of forces will significantly change the direction of a conflict that has steadily deteriorated over the past seven years.

Instead, Obama’s national security team expects that the new deployments, which will nearly double the current U.S. force of 32,000 (alongside an equal number of non-U.S. NATO troops), will help buy enough time for the new administration to reappraise the entire Afghanistan war effort and develop a comprehensive new strategy for what Obama has called the “central front on terror.”

With conditions on the ground worsening by nearly every yardstick last year — including record levels of extremist attacks and U.S. casualties, and the expansion of the conflict across Pakistan and into India — Obama’s campaign pledge to “finish the job” in Afghanistan with more troops, money and diplomacy has encountered the daunting reality of a job that has barely begun.

Since the November election, Obama has been flooded with dire assessments of the war. A National Intelligence Estimate warned that a reconstituted al-Qaeda leadership, dug into the mountains along the Afghan-Pakistani border, continues to plan attacks against the United States and Europe. The Bush White House delivered a major review of Afghanistan last month that echoed that judgment, acknowledged that a modern Afghan democracy — stable and free of extremists — may be both unattainable and unaffordable, and said that the United States may have to accept trade-offs among priorities.

“We have no strategic plan. We never had one,” a senior U.S. military commander said of the Bush years. Obama’s first order of business, he said, will be to “explain to the American people what the mission is” in Afghanistan. The officer is one of a number of active-duty and retired officers, senior Obama team members and Bush administration officials interviewed for this article, all of whom spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the presidential transition.

The military is as concerned about the mission of additional troops as it is about the size of the force and is looking for Obama to resolve critical internal debates, including the relative merits of conducting conventional combat vs. targeted guerrilla war. With limited resources, should the military concentrate on eliminating a Taliban presence — a task for which most think the United States and its allies will never have enough troops — or on securing large population areas?

What is the plan for training an Afghan army expected to double in size — from 84,000 troops — in the next few years, when less than half of current U.S. trainer slots are filled? How will resources be shifted to the State Department and civilian development experts Obama has said must assume more responsibility? Can the new president do what his predecessor could not and impose order and a shared strategy on the 41 nations and countless international and nongovernmental organizations operating in Afghanistan? Will he follow through on pledges for more diplomacy with Iran, to the west of Afghanistan, and a more aggressive plan for Pakistan to the east?

“This is not a Shinseki versus Rumsfeld debate between 125,000 or 500,000 U.S. troops,” a Pentagon official said, referring to the differing views of then-Army Chief of Staff Eric K. Shinseki and then-Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld before the Iraq invasion in 2003. “It’s a real debate about what the correct answer is.”

Obama has offered few public comments on Afghanistan since the election. “We haven’t seen the kinds of infrastructure improvements; we haven’t seen the security improvements; we haven’t seen the reduction in narco-trafficking; we haven’t seen a reliance on rule of law in Afghanistan that would make people feel confident that the central government can, in fact, deliver on its promises,” he said last month on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” “We’ve got to ramp up our development approach,” he said, without providing details.

The president-elect set out a “very limited” objective of ensuring that Afghanistan “cannot be used as a base to launch attacks against the United States.” He cited the need for “more effective military action” — even as he warned of fierce Afghan resistance to the presence of foreign troops — and said the “number one goal” is to stop al-Qaeda.

In the current vacuum, the Joint Chiefs of Staff have made their own assessments and recommendations, as has Gen. David D. McKiernan, the commander of both U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan. Gen. David H. Petraeus, the Central Command chief, who has regional responsibility for the Middle East and much of South Asia, has set up what a Pentagon official only half-jokingly described as a “shadow government,” assembling a team of more than 200 military and civilian experts to supply him with a comprehensive plan for the region by mid-February.

The Army is already spending $1.1 billion to provide facilities for additional troops in Afghanistan and plans to start an additional $1.3 billion in construction next year. But it remains unclear what kinds of forces, with what assignments, will be sent beyond the 10th Mountain Division’s 3rd Combat Brigade, departing this month. Smaller “enabler” units with helicopters and other equipment are also readying for deployment, and significant training must begin soon for other units selected to go during the spring and summer. Gen. James T. Conway, the Marine Corps commandant, has pressed for a major Marine presence in Afghanistan once the Marine force has drawn down substantially from Iraq.

On the civilian and economic development front, Obama officials have been noncommittal about a $2.5 billion supplemental spending plan for 2009 that the State Department hopes the new administration will quickly submit to Congress for approval. Although Obama co-sponsored a Senate bill to triple nonmilitary aid to Pakistan to $7.5 billion over five years, introduced last summer by his vice president-elect, Sen. Joseph R. Biden Jr., the proposal never left the chamber.

“At some point,” said a retired senior officer with long Afghan experience and ties to the Obama team, “this is going to have to converge into a set of options and a decision on a strategy instead of 40 different ones. . . . It’s going to require a much more complex assessment by Obama. One of the problems is you don’t really know what kind of forces, and how many, until you know what strategy you’re going to have.”

With its “Day One” plate already overflowing with the economic crisis at home, the Hamas-Israel war in the Gaza Strip and Obama’s stated goal of closing the Guantanamo Bay detention facility in Cuba, the new administration says it will not be rushed on Afghanistan. “We are taking a long, hard look at these issues now,” a transition adviser said.

The parameters of a new strategy are unlikely to emerge before early April, when Afghanistan and Pakistan will top the agenda at a NATO summit in France. By presenting its NATO allies with a comprehensive plan and demonstrating the leadership to implement it, Obama hopes to capitalize on his overwhelming popularity in Europe with requests for increased military and financial contributions.

“What they’ve got to say is ‘Okay, if you love Obama, show us how much,’ ” said another retired senior military officer.

Some senior members of the new administration are already deeply knowledgeable about Afghanistan and Pakistan, including holdover Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates. Retired Marine Gen. James L. Jones, Obama’s national security adviser, commanded NATO when it took over the coalition of international forces in Afghanistan in 2003 and last year chaired a major Atlantic Council study that concluded that “the international community is not winning in Afghanistan.”

Jones remains committed to the study’s recommendation of a complete reappraisal of the war; a campaign plan that integrates all security, reconstruction and governance efforts; and a regional approach that includes diplomatic collaboration with Iran, Pakistan, India, Russia and China.

But other designated policymakers have been less intimately involved with the issue, including Secretary of State-designee Hillary Rodham Clinton; retired Navy Adm. Dennis C. Blair, the nominee for director of national intelligence; and Leon E. Panetta, Obama’s choice to head the CIA. There is a deep-seated belief among Obama advisers that no matter how many pre-inauguration diplomatic, military and intelligence briefings they receive, they will not have a full picture of the depth of the problems in Afghanistan or the options for fixing them until Obama reaches the Oval Office.

 
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On First Full Day, Obama Will Dive Into Foreign Policy

By Michael D. Shear and Karen DeYoung
Washington Post Staff Writers
Tuesday, January 20, 2009; A12

President-elect Barack Obama will plunge into foreign policy on his first full day in office tomorrow, finally freed from the constraints of tradition that has forced him and his staff to remain muzzled about world affairs during the 78-day transition.

As one of his first actions, Obama plans to name former senator George J. Mitchell (D-Maine) as his Middle East envoy, aides said, sending a signal that the new administration intends to move quickly to engage warring Israelis and Palestinians in efforts to secure the peace.

Mitchell’s appointment will follow this afternoon’s expected Senate vote to confirm Hillary Rodham Clinton as secretary of state. And tomorrow afternoon, aides said, Obama will convene a meeting of his National Security Council to launch a reassessment of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

By the end of the week, Obama plans to issue an executive order to eventually shut down the military detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and to lay out a new process for dealing with about 250 detainees remaining at the prison.

The actions — to be taken before the entire White House staff has found their desks — reflect the frenetic activity among Obama’s national security advisers that has been taking place behind the scenes since Election Day.

Following his noon inauguration, Obama will spend a brief time at the White House before heading to a series of dinners and inaugural balls. Aides said the work of being president will begin in earnest tomorrow morning.

That work has already been in full view with regard to the economic crisis and other domestic issues. Obama has not been bashful, giving speeches and dispatching aides to work with Congress on an $825 billion stimulus package. He will meet with economic advisers tomorrow and is expected to quickly issue an executive order demanding a new level of transparency and ethics in government.

But the new president will for the first time assume the responsibility for an Iraq war that he opposed from its inception and a series of international crises that will quickly test his mettle as commander in chief.

Publicly, the president-elect has deferred to President Bush and has declined to comment on the recent fighting in the Gaza Strip and the terrorist attacks in Mumbai. But privately, he and his aides have been preparing to dramatically reshape the country’s foreign policy, starting with the broad conflict zone from Israel to Pakistan.

Last Thursday, in an interview with Washington Post editors and reporters, Obama criticized Bush for treating Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan as “discrete” problems. Under his watch, Obama said, policy in that region will be treated as a single, unified one.

“One of the principles that we’ll be operating under is that these things are very much related and that if we have got an integrated approach, we’re going to be more effective,” he said.

Incoming officials were still debating yesterday how involvement in the Israeli-Palestinian crisis should proceed during the first week. With a fragile Gaza cease-fire in place, the new administration plans to tread gingerly, working behind the scenes while allowing Egyptian and European initiatives to play out before taking a highly visible role.

Obama transition officials are acutely aware that the world — and especially the Israelis and Palestinians — will be watching to see what tone the new president takes. Sources said the initial emphasis will likely be on stepped-up presidential engagement rather than the specifics of a U.S. role, and empathy and aid toward humanitarian suffering.

The first concrete evidence of a new foreign policy approach will begin with the meeting tomorrow. Obama will instruct the Pentagon to prepare for a stepped-up withdrawal of combat troops from Iraq, to be completed within 16 months, and will hear proposals for turning around the deteriorating war in Afghanistan. Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Adm. Michael Mullen, will attend, and Gen. David H. Petraeus, head of Central Command, and Gen. Raymond Odierno, U.S. commander in Iraq, will weigh in via live video connection.

Senior officers began late last year to prepare options for withdrawing from Iraq. Obama has said he will listen carefully to their recommendations before approving a plan that meets his specifications. He has said he expects to maintain a “residual force” in Iraq but has not indicated how many troops will remain over what period.

He has also indicated he will move ahead with existing plans for deployment of as many as 30,000 additional U.S. troops to Afghanistan this year.

After returning to the White House following his swearing-in today, Obama is expected to visit the Oval Office, aides said.

A handful of senior staff members will ride in Obama’s motorcade to the White House today and enter their offices for the first time as they brace to confront the economy, the Middle East, overseas wars and a raft of domestic policy controversies.

Aides said only about 15 White House staffers were pre-screened to enter the West Wing today. The rest will arrive tomorrow morning, after partying at inaugural balls.

Gates will not attend inaugural festivities, having been designated to stay away from the president and other national leaders in case of a catastrophic event.

Mitchell, who led a Middle East peace commission in 2000, is highly regarded as a negotiator for his work in the successful Northern Ireland peace process. An Obama adviser said the exact timing of Mitchell’s appointment will depend on Clinton’s confirmation vote, which is scheduled to take place by “unanimous consent” and so cannot be stopped by filibuster.

But a Republican senator could demand a voice vote, thus delaying Clinton’s confirmation by another day. “If any Republican holds her over, they are stalling the entire administration from hitting this problem,” the adviser said.

The Guantanamo order is being crafted by Obama White House Counsel Gregory B. Craig. Its timing is expected to preempt a Guantanamo trial scheduled to begin Monday under the current “military commission” proceedings.

Staff writer Anne E. Kornblut contributed to this report.

 
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U.S. to Be Allowed New Routes To Supply Troops in Afghanistan

By Karen DeYoung
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, January 21, 2009; A04

Army Gen. David H. Petraeus said yesterday that the United States had reached agreements to open “additional logistical routes into Afghanistan” through its Central Asian neighbors to the north, reducing dependence on Pakistan as the main transit route for supplies to U.S. and NATO troops.

Petraeus, the head of the U.S. Central Command, spoke to reporters in Pakistan before heading to Afghanistan, his last stop on a six-nation tour of the region. He is due in Washington today to attend a national security meeting this afternoon with President Obama.

The White House meeting will mark Obama’s first formal engagement with the most immediate foreign policy issues he faces, including Afghanistan, Iraq and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Adm. Michael Mullen, are expected to attend, along with Hillary Rodham Clinton, assuming the Senate, which yesterday delayed a vote on her nomination as secretary of state, votes to confirm her today.

Petraeus, whose command stretches from the Mediterranean to Pakistan’s border with India, will provide an update on the region and his trip. Gen. Ray Odierno, the U.S. commander in Iraq, will join at least part of the meeting via live videoconference. Their participation leaves open the question of whether Obama will follow former president George W. Bush’s practice of consulting directly with military commanders in the field — Petraeus in particular — rather than following the formal chain of command through Gates, with Mullen as the president’s chief military adviser.

Obama is expected to name former senator George J. Mitchell (D-Maine) as his special envoy to the Middle East. He has promised quick and emphatic presidential involvement in the Israeli-Palestinian crisis, but advisers are hesitant to upset a fragile cease-fire begun by Israeli and Hamas forces in the Gaza Strip over the weekend, as well as delicate, ongoing initiatives by Egypt and European governments.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy, in Egypt for a summit designed to seal the Gaza cease-fire, told reporters on his way back to Paris that the truce should be used as a stepping stone to a wider Israeli-Palestinian peace deal and that he hoped to host a broad international conference in Paris “in a matter of weeks” to launch a new round of negotiations. French diplomatic sources expressed hope that the Obama administration will be willing to play a major role in that effort, once Israel selects new leaders in elections next month.

About three-quarters of “nonlethal” supplies for the 64,000-strong U.S. and NATO force in Afghanistan — food, fuel, construction materials and other goods — travel by road from the Pakistani port of Karachi and across the mountainous Afghanistan-Pakistan border through the Khyber Pass. Pakistani transit convoys have repeatedly been attacked in recent months by Taliban fighters.

During an eight-day trip, Petraeus stopped in Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan and Kyrgystan. “There have been agreements reached” over new transit routes, he said, although he offered no specifics. One possible route includes train and truck convoys through Russia, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan.

Correspondent Edward Cody in Paris contributed to this report.

 
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As Obama Visits State Dept., Clinton Announces Two Special Envoys

By Karen DeYoung and Glenn Kessler
Washington Post Staff Writers
Friday, January 23, 2009; A05

President Obama traveled to the State Department yesterday afternoon for a visit that was as rich in symbolism as in substance, underscoring his pledge to give top priority to diplomacy as he outlined an activist policy in the Middle East and warned that “difficult days lie ahead” in Afghanistan.

Obama and Vice President Biden stood to one side as Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton announced new special emissaries on the most intractable national security problems — Richard C. Holbrooke for Afghanistan-Pakistan and George J. Mitchell for the Middle East — to an invited gathering of several hundred, including State Department officials. Just hours earlier, about 1,000 cheering civil service and Foreign Service employees had packed the building’s lobby to welcome her on her first day at work.

Clinton called the appointments of Holbrooke and Mitchell “a loud and clear signal . . . that our nation is once again capable of demonstrating global leadership in pursuit of progress and peace.” Obama said the two statesmen would “convey our seriousness of purpose” in dealing with challenges he described as complex and urgent.

The new secretary, and the new president’s choice to make State his first Cabinet department stop — even before his maiden trip to the Pentagon — buoyed a workforce that often felt disdained and relegated to the back seat behind the military over the past eight years. “People were just elated that the president came here and said all the right things about strengthening diplomacy,” one official said.

“It is my privilege to come here and to pay tribute to all of you, the talented men and women of the State Department,” Obama said. “I’ve given you an early gift, Hillary Clinton,” he said, adding that she has “my full confidence.”

Both the new appointees are experienced negotiators. Holbrooke, a former Foreign Service officer who led the U.S. team that brokered the 1995 Dayton peace accords in the Balkans, was a leading supporter of Clinton’s presidential campaign. Mitchell, a former Maine senator, chaired negotiations that led to the 1998 Good Friday agreement ending decades of conflict in Northern Ireland, and a high-level commission on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in 2000-01.

Obama has criticized the Bush administration as lacking high-level involvement in the Middle East, but he broke little new policy ground in his first extensive remarks on the situation yesterday. He said he was “deeply concerned by the loss of Israeli and Palestinian life . . . and by the substantial suffering and humanitarian needs” in the Gaza Strip, where three weeks of fighting between Hamas militants and the Israeli military halted last weekend with a still-fragile cease-fire.

He called on Hamas to renounce violence, abide by past agreements and recognize Israel’s right to exist, and said Israel should open the territory’s borders. He cited “constructive elements” in an Arab peace initiative but said “now is the time for Arab states to act on the initiative’s promise” by supporting the Palestinian Authority government, ousted from Gaza by Hamas in 2007, normalizing relations with Israel and “standing up to extremism that threatens us all.”

Palestinian activists noted that Obama made no reference to the expansion of Israeli settlements in the West Bank but said they were ecstatic over the selection of Mitchell, who is well remembered for firmly recommending an end to Israeli settlement activity in his 2001 report.

Ghaith al-Omari, a former adviser to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, said “the policies are the same” but “Obama signaled early engagement and an energetic approach.” Mitchell proved in his earlier engagement with the issue that “he is not a pushover,” Omari said. “He was tough on the Palestinians but tough on the Israelis too.”

Mitchell, who plans to travel to the region the first week of February, said he did not “underestimate the difficulty of this assignment.” But his Northern Ireland experience, he said, had convinced him that “there is no such thing as a conflict that can’t be ended.”

Clinton said Holbrooke’s broader mandate, centered on Afghanistan and Pakistan, will be to “coordinate across the entire [U.S.] government an effort to achieve United States’ strategic goals in the region.” He, too, plans to travel to his new area of responsibility early next month.

Calling it a “daunting assignment,” Holbrooke said that “nobody can say the war in Afghanistan has gone well.” Husain Haqqani, Pakistan’s ambassador to the United States, praised the appointment, saying Holbrooke “brings tremendous experience and knowledge, and proven diplomatic skills.”

Obama has said that President George W. Bush spent too much attention and resources on Iraq at the expense of the Afghan war, and yesterday he described the situation in Afghanistan as “perilous.” He said his administration has begun an overall strategic review of policy in the region and will “set clear priorities in pursuit of achievable goals.”

At a Pentagon news conference yesterday, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said the “goals we did have for Afghanistan are too broad and too far into the future. We need more concrete goals that can be achieved realistically within three to five years, in terms of reestablishing control in certain areas, providing security for the population, going after al-Qaeda, preventing the reestablishment of terrorism.”

Adm. Michael Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who appeared with Gates, also said Obama had been provided with several options for withdrawing troops from Iraq, including implementation of a 16-month timeline for the departure of combat troops.

At Clinton’s State Department arrival ceremony early yesterday, she told cheering staffers that she was “absolutely honored and thrilled beyond words to be here.” She was flanked by Steve Kashkett, the State Department representative for the Foreign Service union, and William J. Burns, the undersecretary of state for political affairs and the highest-ranking career officer.

Kashkett did not mince words on his feelings about the previous administration, telling Clinton that “both you and the president have decried the neglect that the Foreign Service and the State Department as a whole have suffered in recent years. No one knows better than the people in this room and their colleagues posted all over the world how true that is.

“So far,” Kashkett added, “we are thrilled to have you here.”

To laughter, Clinton thanked him for his candor, adding, “This is not going to be easy.”

Staff writer Ann Scott Tyson contributed to this report.

 
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Obama Extends Hand To Arabs and Muslims
He Says U.S. Has ‘Not Been Perfect,’ Gets a Generally Positive Response

By Karen DeYoung
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, January 28, 2009; A06

President Obama has launched a determined effort to change the tone, if not yet the substance, of U.S. relations with the Arab and Muslim worlds, saying he is eager to listen to their concerns and acknowledging that Americans “have not been perfect” in their dealings with them.

The early appointments of presidential emissaries to the Middle East and to Afghanistan and Pakistan; the announced closure of the military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba; the choice of Arab satellite network al-Arabiya for the first formal interview of his presidency; first-week National Security Council meetings on Iraq and Afghanistan; and telephone calls to regional leaders on his first full day in office were reflections both of the seriousness of the issues and a message to governments and the public, administration officials said.

Obama’s initial conversation with one Middle Eastern leader conveyed little of substance, that country’s Washington ambassador said: “He just wanted to reach out on the first day as a sign and demonstration of his determination to engage.”

Although Obama told al-Arabiya that “we’re going to follow through on our commitment for me to address the Muslim world from a Muslim capital,” the 100-day deadline he initially set for the speech is unlikely to be kept, an official said. A venue has not been chosen, Obama’s schedule is focused on pressing domestic concerns, and a flurry of must-attend international summits are scheduled for April.

The White House is hoping that its energetic early days — and the rapid dispatch of Middle East envoy George J. Mitchell and Afghanistan-Pakistan representative Richard C. Holbrooke on their own first regional trips — will send the desired message about relations with the Muslim world at home and abroad while the new administration begins to determine what its actual policies will be on the ground.

“My job is to communicate to the American people that the Muslim world is filled with extraordinary people who simply want to live their lives and see their children live better lives,” Obama said in the interview. “My job to the Muslim world is to communicate that the Americans are not your enemy. We sometimes make mistakes. We have not been perfect.”

In a meeting with Jewish leaders early last year, candidate Obama described communications as “the battlefield we have to worry about . . . where we have been losing badly over the last seven years” of the Bush administration.

“We’re not going to wait until the end of my administration to deal with Palestinian and Israeli peace,” Obama told al-Arabiya, “We’re going to start now. It may take a long time to do, but we’re going to do it now.”

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton yesterday declined to characterize the new outreach as a complete rejection of the Bush administration’s policies. “Where continuity is appropriate, we are committed to doing that,” she told reporters. “In areas of the world that have felt either overlooked or not receiving appropriate attention for the problems that they are experiencing, there’s a welcoming of the engagement that we are promising. So it’s not any kind of repudiation or indictment of the past eight years so much as an excitement and an acceptance of how we’re going to be doing business.”

Asked for details about how the administration would simultaneously address the plight of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and Israel’s right of self-defense, Clinton said: “I think we’ve said all we’re going to say about the Israeli-Palestinian situation as we send our envoy out. . . . We’re going to wait and let him report back to us about the way forward.”

As Mitchell held his first meetings yesterday in Cairo — with E.U. foreign policy chief Javier Solana, Egyptian Foreign Minister Aboul Gheit and the head of Egypt’s intelligence service — violence erupted again in the Gaza Strip with attacks by both Hamas and Israel, the worst since an uneasy cease-fire was declared more than a week ago after 22 days of fighting. Mitchell is scheduled to meet today with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak before moving on to Israel, the West Bank, Saudi Arabia and Jordan.

Responses so far to Obama’s outreach have been largely positive, but further action is awaited. Obama’s desire for “a strong and fruitful relationship with the Arab world” was a “positive development,” Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister, Prince Saud al-Faisal, told Saudi-owned al-Arabiya. Obama has praised a 2002 Saudi peace plan calling for normalized Arab ties with Israel in exchange for Israeli withdrawal from territory occupied since 1967. Arab states, Saud said, are waiting to answer the administration’s questions.

Hamas, which initially dismissed Obama’s pledge of new initiatives in the region as identical to Bush administration policies, appeared to temper its verbal assault yesterday. Hamas official Ahmed Yousef said in an interview with al-Jazeera television that there had been “some positive things” in Obama’s statements, the Associated Press reported from Cairo.

In a statement posted on sympathetic Web sites yesterday, the Taliban called the Guantanamo closure a “positive step” but said it was an insufficient change in Bush’s “satanic” policies in the region and the world, according to a translation by SITE Intelligence Group, which monitors extremist sites.

Iran has made no response to Obama’s public offer of a diplomatic handshake. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said Monday that he is open to a dialogue with the Obama administration but that he would not accept any preconditions to talks.

 
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Iraq Auditor Warns of Waste, Fraud In Afghanistan

By Karen DeYoung and Walter Pincus
Washington Post Staff Writers
Monday, February 2, 2009; A06

After five years of investigations and 250,000 pages of audits, Stuart W. Bowen Jr. wishes he could say that the $50 billion cost of the U.S. reconstruction effort in Iraq was money accounted for and well spent.

“But that’s just not happened,” Bowen said.

Instead, the largest single-country relief and reconstruction project in U.S. history — most of it done by private U.S. contractors — was full of wasted funds, fraud and a lack of accountability under what Bowen, the congressionally mandated special inspector general for Iraq reconstruction, calls an “ad hoc-racy” of lax or nonexistent government planning and supervision.

And despite the Iraq experience, he said, the United States is making many of the same mistakes again in Afghanistan, where U.S. reconstruction expenditures stand at more than $30 billion and counting.

“It’s too late to do the structural part and make it quickly applicable to Afghanistan,” Bowen said in an interview last week. None of the substantive changes in oversight, contracting and reconstruction planning or personnel assignments that Congress, auditors and outside experts proposed as the Iraq debacle unfolded has been implemented in Afghanistan.

But President Obama could take several steps to mitigate future damage, Bowen said. They include devoting more attention to military and civilian personnel and to reconstruction and relief assignments, and taking advantage of the expertise developed through hard-won experience in Iraq. Instead of the “multiple versions” of the federal acquisition regulations adopted and amended by “multiple agencies” operating in Iraq, Obama “could just issue a FAR regulation applicable to Afghanistan that everyone will follow” in issuing and supervising contracts, he said.

“To bring this all together,” Bowen said, “the president should order a Red Cell,” a high-level group drawing from the departments of State and Defense and the U.S. Agency for International Development that would turn Obama’s orders into action.

Bowen’s office, known as SIGIR, is releasing a book today that recounts the Iraq experience and suggests how to avoid future mistakes. “Hard Lessons” is being published as the bipartisan Commission on Wartime Contracting holds its first public hearing. Created by Congress last year, the commission will examine expenditures in Iraq and Afghanistan and propose solutions for “systemic” problems that waste taxpayer dollars.

Legislation to create the commission was introduced by Democratic Sens. James Webb (Va.) and Claire McCaskill (Mo.) and was inspired by the “Truman Committee,” which conducted hundreds of hearings and investigations into government waste during and after World War II.

“Hard Lessons,” a draft of which was leaked to the news media in December, concludes that the U.S. reconstruction effort in Iraq was a failure, largely because there was no overall strategy behind it. Goals shifted from “liberation” and an early military exit to massive, ill-conceived and expensive building projects under the Coalition Provisional Authority of 2003 and 2004. Many of those projects — over budget, poorly executed or, often, barely begun — were abandoned as security worsened.

In a preface to the 456-page book, Bowen writes that he knew the reconstruction was in trouble when he first visited Iraq in January 2004 and saw duffel bags full of cash being carried out of the Republican Palace, which housed the U.S. occupation government.

Security was a constant problem, not only for military and civilian officials serving in Iraq but also for SIGIR. Auditor Paul Converse was killed in March during a rocket attack in Baghdad, following a year in which five other SIGIR employees were wounded.

The book recounts, in colorful detail based on SIGIR interviews with nearly all the principals, the deep divisions during the same period between the Pentagon, under Donald H. Rumsfeld; the State Department under Colin L. Powell; and the White House office of national security adviser Condoleezza Rice. Former deputy secretary of state Richard L. Armitage recounts an argument between Rumsfeld and Rice in the fall of 2003 during which each said the other was in charge of supervising the Coalition Provisional Authority.

The book also includes numerous demonstrations of the Bush administration’s lack of preparation to run Iraq after the March 2003 invasion. In one previously publicized case recounted in “Hard Lessons,” Bowen’s auditors discovered a cash disbursement of $57.8 million by the CPA to the U.S. comptroller for south-central Iraq. “Pallet upon pallet of hundred-dollar bills” were removed from the CPA vault in Baghdad and driven to the regional office in two unarmored SUVs. There, the local acting comptroller, Robert J. Stein Jr., who later was convicted for money laundering and fraud, had himself photographed with mountains of cash.

Overall, SIGIR and other law enforcement agencies have obtained 35 convictions, including two major bribery schemes involving $14 million solicited by U.S. military officers who ran Kuwait-based units contracting for the billions of dollars in supplies sent to Iraq.

SIGIR also reported on the inability of Iraqi firms to compete with U.S. contractors, due in part to the complicated U.S. bidding system: “Online contracting, which frequently entailed bids of more than a hundred pages, bewildered Iraqi contractors who were used to sealing a business deal with just a handshake.”

When he took the job five years ago, Bowen said, “I didn’t know that we didn’t have a system to protect our interests abroad in post-conflict or contingency operations. . . . It would have been a much funner job to issue 250 reports on how well our rebuilding program went . . . a