politics
News
Cabinet seeks common front on Syrian troop moveCabinet labored into the night on Friday as ministers tried to cobble together a common position on the recent deployment of Syrian troops to Lebanon's northern border. Sources close to the meeting said the ministers were expected to issue an official position on the Syrian move, but the session, which was held at the Presidential Palace.
Source : dailystar.com.lb | 11-Oct-2008 01:15
Husseini leads calls for creation of 'civil state' in Lebanon
The Civil Center for National Initiative launched a political declaration on Friday calling for the creation of a "civil state" in Lebanon. Former Parliament Speaker Hussein al-Husseini, a member of the center, read the declaration at a news conference at the Le Bristol Hotel in Beirut.
Source : dailystar.com.lb | 11-Oct-2008 01:00
Najjar presents draft law to abolish death penalty
Justice Minister Ibrahim Najjar presented a draft law to the Cabinet on Friday that would abolish the death penalty and replace it with life in prison at hard labor. In a press release issued by the Justice Ministry's media office, Najjar called for revoking the articles of the country's criminal law which allowed courts to issue death sentences.
Source : dailystar.com.lb | 11-Oct-2008 00:45
Bombing wounds two people at Ain al-Hilweh refugee camp
Two people were wounded on Friday in a bomb attack targeting an Islamist militant in a Palestinian refugee camp in southern Lebanon, a Palestinian official said. The bomb in Ain al-Hilweh camp targeted Imad Karum, a member of the Islamist Jund al-Sham faction, which has been locked in conflict with the mainstream Palestinian Fatah faction, he said.
Source : dailystar.com.lb | 11-Oct-2008 00:30
Zaki says Sleiman boosted refugee camp security
The Palestine Liberation Organization representative in Lebanon, Abbas Zaki, told LBC television on Friday that President Michel Sleiman's inaugural speech and recent actions have reduced the level of danger in the Palestinian refugee camps. He added that no one can create conflicts between the people of Lebanon and Palestine.
Source : dailystar.com.lb | 11-Oct-2008 00:15
Fadlallah urges Lebanese to support resistance
Senior Shiite cleric Sayyed Mohammad Hussein Fadlallah called on the Lebanese to support the resistance and the Lebanese army, saying that both should be alerted to any possible Israeli attack. During his Friday sermon at the Imam Hassanayn Mosque in Haret Hreik, he said some parties sought "to exploit conflict between Arab countries.
Source : dailystar.com.lb | 11-Oct-2008 00:00
Israelis carry out operation near Blue Line
An Israeli infantry patrol crossed the technical fence in the Abbad region of South Lebanon and carried out a search operation without crossing the Blue Line into Lebanon, according to a report carried by the National News Agency (NNA) on Friday. The NNA said the patrol withdrew after 30 minutes.
Source : dailystar.com.lb | 10-Oct-2008 23:45
New head of USAID mission has extensive experience in global danger zones
The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) said Friday that it had officially installed Denise A. Herbol as the new director of its mission in Lebanon.USAID Administrator Henrietta H. Fore administered the oath of office to Herbol, the agency said in a statement.
Source : dailystar.com.lb | 10-Oct-2008 23:30
Italy inaugurates solar heating system in Deir al-Ahmar
The Embassy of Italy in Beirut inaugurated Friday the installation of a new pilot thermal solar heating system in the village of Deir al-Ahmar in the Baalbek region. The system, financed by the embassy's Italian Cooperation Office, was installed in the community center built by the NGO Women's Association of Deir al-Ahmar.
Source : dailystar.com.lb | 10-Oct-2008 23:15
Jumblatt helps launch new group to venerate his father
Progressive Socialist Party (PSP) leader Walid Jumblatt helped a launch a new non-governmental organization (NGO) this week that says it will invoke the legacy of his late father, Kamal Jumblatt, to foster awareness on issues ranging from drugs to intercommunal understanding.
Source : dailystar.com.lb | 10-Oct-2008 23:00
Siniora dismisses rumors of Syrian military intervention in Lebanon as 'not possible'
Premier Fouad Siniora said late on Thursday that it was not possible for Syria to send its troops to Lebanon despite a recent Syrian troop buildup along Lebanon's northern border.Siniora told reporters after meeting President Michel Sleiman that the Cabinet would discuss on Friday the Syrian deployment, among other issues.
Source : dailystar.com.lb | 10-Oct-2008 01:09
Iran sent intelligence officer to replace Mughniyeh - Italian newspaper
Iran has sent an intelligence agency officer, Mohammad Rida Zahidi, to replace Hizbullah's top military commander Imad Mughniyeh who was assassinated in Damascus in February, Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera reported on Thursday. The paper added that Zahidi, who is nicknamed "Hassan Mahdawy," will coordinate between Hizbullah.
Source : dailystar.com.lb | 10-Oct-2008 00:54
LOG urges March 14 to avoid deal with Hizbullah
The Lebanese Option Group (LOG) called on Hizbullah Thursday to accept differences of opinion among the Shiite community, and warned the March 14 coalition against allying with Hizbullah in the 2009 parliamentary elections. LOG issued a statement dismissing the possibility of achieving lasting reconciliation, "as any agreements.
Source : dailystar.com.lb | 10-Oct-2008 00:39
Shiite council mocks US aid to Lebanese military
The Higher Shiite Council on Thursday called for working to "reconcile" Arab relations and questioned "the continuous silence toward Israeli threats against Lebanon and its army." After the council's weekly meeting, vice president Sheikh Abdul Amir Qabalan condemned September's Damascus bombing and the Tripoli bus bombing.
Source : dailystar.com.lb | 10-Oct-2008 00:24
Explosion rattles Ain al-Hilweh after four masked gunmen kill teenager
An explosion rocked the Ain al-Hilweh Palestinian refugee camp in Sidon late on Wednesday night, hours after a 17-year-old man was killed by unidentified masked gunmen. The bomb tore through the four-storey home of the Ghannam family, who rejected claims that the explosion had targeted a Jund al-Sham member.
Source : dailystar.com.lb | 10-Oct-2008 00:09
A challenge for Lebanon: abolishing the death penalty
In 2007, the European Union designated October 10 the "European Day against the Death Penalty" in order to highlight the importance of abolishing capital punishment. All EU member states have abolished the death penalty, and the EU is keen to promote abolition in those partner countries that wish to establish strong relations with it, including neighbors such as Lebanon.
Source : dailystar.com.lb | 09-Oct-2008 23:54
Parliament puts off talks on reviving Constitutional Council
The Lebanese Parliament on Wednesday postponed talks on a draft law that calls for an extension of the deadline to appoint members to the country's Constitutional Council, whose activity has been paralyzed since 2005. Speaker Nabih Berri asked the Administration and Justice Committee to examine the draft with Justice Minister.
Source : dailystar.com.lb | 09-Oct-2008 01:14
LAF officers to visit Pentagon for talks on aid - newspaper
A high-ranking Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) delegation is expected to head to the Pentagon next week to set a training, equipping and arming timetable, according to a report published by pan-Arab daily Al-Hayat on Wednesday. The delegation's expected trip comes just days after US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State David Hale flew in to Beirut.
Source : dailystar.com.lb | 09-Oct-2008 00:59
Why should three men keep 4 million Lebanese in limbo?
The year is 2008, Lebanon is perched precariously between cautious "reconciliations" and a host of threats to its very existence, and the biggest political obstacle to domestic accord is a three-way feud that has been under way, on some levels, since the 1970s. The rest of the world has changed a lot since that time.
Source : dailystar.com.lb | 09-Oct-2008 00:44
Syrian official denies ulterior motive to troop deployment
Syria on Wednesday defended its deployment of extra troops on the border with Lebanon as a measure to combat smuggling and infiltration by saboteurs, dismissing concerns raised in Beirut and Washington. "These measures are aimed to control the border, only from Syrian territory, and we have no other intentions," a Syrian official told AFP on condition of anonymity.
Source : dailystar.com.lb | 09-Oct-2008 00:29
Masked assailant kills man in Ain al-Hilweh
A masked gunman has shot and killed a 25-year-old man at the Ain al-Hilweh Palestinian refugee camp in Sidon, a Red Crescent official said. Mohammad Ismail died after the attacker shot him in the face and fled, the Red Crescent told on Tuesday. "An investigation has been opened to find out the circumstances of this crime.
Source : dailystar.com.lb | 09-Oct-2008 00:14
Sleiman tells US envoy army needs advanced weaponry
President Michel Sleiman said after meeting US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State David Hale on Tuesday that the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) needed to be equipped with advanced weaponry in order to confront terrorism and protect civil peace in Lebanon. Hale, who was accompanied by US Ambassador Michele Sison.
Source : dailystar.com.lb | 08-Oct-2008 01:19
Damascus, Tripoli blasts raise serious questions about stability in two states
Recent bombings in Syria and Lebanon are raising more questions about what is actually happening in the Levant. In the span of a few days a car bomb explosion in Damascus killed 17 people and a bomb targeting the Lebanese Armed Forces killed seven in Tripoli. Syrian and Lebanese political leaders have traded angry accusations.
Source : dailystar.com.lb | 08-Oct-2008 01:04
Government 'not honoring' pledges for disabled
A lack of government funding threatens the activities of institutions that have long provided for the country's disabled citizens, the head of one such institution has warned. Al-Kafaat, one of the largest and best equipped institutions founded in 1957, is one of many private institutions that cares for the disabled.
Source : dailystar.com.lb | 08-Oct-2008 00:49
UNIFIL hosts Lebanese, Israeli officers for talks in Naqoura
A tri-partite meeting was held between Lebanese Armed Forces officials, United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) officers and Israeli military representatives at the border crossing of Ras al-Naqquoura on Monday. "They discussed the implementation of Resolution 1701 and violations of the Blue Line with a view to preventing incidents.
Source : dailystar.com.lb | 07-Oct-2008 01:24
Washington and Beirut set up joint military panel
Lebanon and the United States set up a joint commission on Monday charged with organizing their bilateral military relationship. The commission was set up after a meeting on Monday between Defense Minister Elias Murr and US Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs Mary Beth Long, who arrived in Beirut late on Sunday.
Source : dailystar.com.lb | 07-Oct-2008 01:09
Is Damascus planning a return to Lebanon?
While Lebanon probably need not fear an impending incursion by the almost 10,000 Syrian troops on Lebanon's northern border, the recent Syrian deployment has nothing to do with the stated aim of deterring smuggling and instead puts the international community on notice that Syria considers restive North Lebanon a threat to Syrian security.
Source : dailystar.com.lb | 07-Oct-2008 00:54
Mitri: Lebanese deserve normalcy during polls
Information Minister Tarek Mitri said Monday the Lebanese deserve to lead "a normal life," especially while preparing for parliamentary polls. Mitri said the elections were an indication political life in Lebanon could thrive in line with "conventional democratic standards." "Reconciliations mean the situation is back to normal ...
Source : dailystar.com.lb | 07-Oct-2008 00:39
Abu al-Aynayan advises Couchepin to read history
Fatah commander in Lebanon Brigadier Sultan Abu al-Aynayn said Swiss President Pascal Couchepin, who visited Lebanon last week, should "read history more carefully."Abu al-Aynayn said Couchepin should "realize that no Palestinian state can be established if the Palestinian refugees don't return to their homeland."
Source : dailystar.com.lb | 07-Oct-2008 00:24
Magistrate drops murder charges against Geagea
Chief Investigating Magistrate for Mount Lebanon Joseph Kazzi decided Monday to drop charges against Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea, and members Fouad Malek, Tony Elias, Abu Jawdeh, Assad Sassine Abu Jawdeh, Raji Ibrahim Abdo and Manuel Dib Younes, all of whom were accused of complicity in the 1988.
Source : dailystar.com.lb | 07-Oct-2008 00:09
Mossad boss wins award - 'for Mughniyeh assassination'
On the eve of the Jewish holiday Rosh Hashanah, Israel's influential Channel 2 television named Mossad chief Meir Dagan man of the year for various intelligence operations. including the February assassination of Imad Mughniyeh, according to recent news reports. The Israeli daily Haaretz, in an article entitled "Killer of the Year," said.
Source : dailystar.com.lb | 06-Oct-2008 23:54
Berri calls for more pressure over cluster bombs
Speaker Nabih Berri called Monday for a global campaign to condemn Israel's use of cluster bombs against Lebanon during the summer 2006 war and demanded that the government take responsibility for de-mining efforts, as well as compensating victims' families.
Source : dailystar.com.lb | 06-Oct-2008 23:39
Sleiman discusses Syrian troop movements with Assad
President Michel Sleiman contacted his Syrian counterpart Bashar Assad on Sunday to further inquire about Damascus' recent deployment of almost 10,000 soldiers along Lebanon's northern border, the state-run National News Agency (NNA) said. Assad assured Sleiman that the deployment was one of several measures.
Source : dailystar.com.lb | 06-Oct-2008 01:10
Efforts to reconcile feuding Christian factions gain steam
Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Butros Sfeir briefed parliamentary majority leader Saad Hariri on Sunday on the Maronite League's ongoing efforts to achieve reconciliation among rival Christian leaders. Hariri met Sfeir at the Maronite Institute in Rome, where the patriarch is staying to participate in a synod of bishops.
Source : dailystar.com.lb | 06-Oct-2008 00:55
Security in Lebanon and Syria is 'interdependent' - Raad
Loyalty to the Resistance bloc MP Mohammad Raad said Sunday that the security situations in Lebanon and Syria were "interdependent." Speaking during a political rally in the southern village of Kfar Tebnit, Raad said Syrian forces had "no intention" of returning to Lebanon, but that they had the right to take measures to prevent "terrorist activities."
Source : dailystar.com.lb | 06-Oct-2008 00:40
Lebanese military denies plan to purge Beddawi of militants
The Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) has denied reports that it is planning a massive military offensive against the Beddawi Palestinian refugee camp near Tripoli, where Sunni militants responsible for a series of recent bombings are rumored to be hiding. Media reports over the weekend quoted anonymous military sources as stating that.
Source : dailystar.com.lb | 06-Oct-2008 00:25
Aridi touts continuing accord with Jumblatt
Youth and Sports Minister Talal Arslan visited Progressive Socialist Party (PSP) leader MP Walid Jumblatt at the latter's residence in Mokhtara Saturday evening, saying it was his duty to meet with Jumblatt, not just to thank him, but "because we think that the loss of Sheikh Saleh al-Aridi was a common loss.
Source : dailystar.com.lb | 06-Oct-2008 00:10
Israel's recipe for crime without punishment
For those who wonder why Israel has experienced so much trouble "fitting in" in the Middle East, and why it routinely gets away with mass murder, it is periodically helpful to be reminded. Witness the highly disturbing pronouncements made on Friday by one Gadi Eisenkot, the general who runs Israel's Northern Command.
Source : dailystar.com.lb | 05-Oct-2008 23:55
Swiss leader takes stock of Lebanon's dilemmas
Swiss President Pascal Couchepin said during a visit to Lebanon over the weekend that the Palestinians' right of return to their homeland was a complicated matter."Although it is in the right of Palestinians to return to their towns and villages," Couchepin told local daily An-Nahar, "this proves to be quite difficult."
Source : dailystar.com.lb | 05-Oct-2008 23:40
Christian reconciliation 'has to start with LF, Marada'
Maronite League chief Joseph Tarabay said on Friday that efforts to achieve a general Christian reconciliation would begin by reconciling the Lebanese Forces (LF) and the Marada Movement. "We would start with the pressing issue, which is reconciliation between the Lebanese Forces and Marada," Tarabay said.
Source : dailystar.com.lb | 04-Oct-2008 01:22
Fadlallah: Deadly Tripoli bombing aimed at undermining reconciliation efforts
Senior Shiite cleric Sayyed Mohammad Hussein Fadlallah said Friday that the Tripoli bombing earlier this week aimed to undermine the Lebanese Army and its ability to preserve the country's security. A bus bombing ripped through the Northern coastal city of Tripoli Monday, killing four soldiers, three civilians and wounding at least 26 people.
Source : dailystar.com.lb | 04-Oct-2008 01:07
'It won't work:' Analysts weigh in on Maronite reconciliation
The Maronite community has a long way to go before it can overcome its political divisions, according to political analysts who spoke with Friday after a meeting of the Maronite League. Recent reconciliation efforts within the Christian community, the analysts asserted, are aimed primarily at defusing tensions.
Source : dailystar.com.lb | 04-Oct-2008 00:52
Major powers warn against any Syrian move into Lebanon
French, Russian, and American officials were quoted by the Beirut press on Thursday as rejecting any form of Syrian military intervention in Lebanon following Syria's recent deployment of 10,000 soldiers on the border between the two countries. Damascus has sought to explain the deployment as a means of countering smuggling.
Source : dailystar.com.lb | 04-Oct-2008 00:37
Baroud asserts independence
Interior Minister Ziyad Baroud said late Thursday that reports by security departments under his jurisdiction are referred to the ministry and "not to any other political authority." He made the remark during an interview with LBC television in response to a question as to whether Brigadier General Wafiq Shouqeir.
Source : dailystar.com.lb | 04-Oct-2008 00:22
Ex-US commander ties 1983 bombing to 9/11
The commanding officer of the US Marine unit which was devastated by a suicide bombing in Beirut in 1983 blames the "timidity" of the American response to the blast for giving Al-Qaeda the confidence to launch the September 11, 2001, attacks on the US.
Source : dailystar.com.lb | 04-Oct-2008 00:07
Lebanon and Syria can't afford not to be friends
Understanding the features of Lebanon's shifting political landscape has always been a thankless challenge, one made even more difficult by the machinations of foreign powers and widespread fears of same. These factors have been on prominent display over the past couple of weeks as all and sundry have consulted various oracles.
Source : dailystar.com.lb | 03-Oct-2008 23:52