Berri slams Siniora over anti-Hezbollah remarks
Parliament Speaker Nabih slammed Monday former Prime Minister Fouad Siniora after the head of the Future parliamentary...
Sunday, 15 March 2015
Future-Hezbollah dialogue up in the air following diatribes
BEIRUT: The fate of the 3-month-old dialogue between the Future Movement and Hezbollah hung up in the air Sunday as the two sides engaged in fresh diatribes, putting a new round of talks set for this week in jeopardy.
MP Mohammad Raad, head of Hezbollah’s bloc in Parliament, Sunday implicitly struck back at former Prime Minister Fouad Siniora, a day after the head of the parliamentary Future bloc warned that the Lebanese state was no longer able to ensure the continuity of its institutions as a result of Hezbollah’s intervention in the 4-year-old war in Syria.
“We cannot understand the meaning of entering into a dialogue [with the Future Movement] while evil tongues continue to attack the resistance and its project,” Raad told a memorial ceremony in the southern town of Houla.
“Either we engage in a dialogue in a calm and controlled atmosphere, or we must know with whom we are talking and what is their size, influence and impact even inside their organization and their political and parliamentary bloc,” he said. “This situation cannot go on.”
“We have entered a dialogue to talk frankly and reach understanding on points that can be agreed on. Why do you insult outside? This is unacceptable,” Raad said.
Addressing the Future officials, he said: “Either you commit yourself to the dialogue, or let us part ways.”
The two rival influential parties have so far held seven rounds of talks focusing mainly on defusing Sunni-Shiite tensions exacerbated by the 4-year-old war in Syria. Future and Hezbollah have begun discussing a joint national strategy to fight terrorism as well as the 9-month-old presidential stalemate.
Raad also scoffed at the March 14 formation of a National Council. “There are in Lebanon those who form national councils when it’s too late. It is inevitable for those to extend their hands and review their commitments because they are unable to take the country to the axis to which they belong,” he said. Raad’s remarks came a day after the March 14 coalition marked the 10th anniversary of its founding with the creation of a National Council designed to reassert its multisectarian nature and a warning that the Lebanese state was no longer able to ensure the continuity of its institutions due to Hezbollah’s involvement in the war in Syria.
A political blueprint, announced by Siniora at the end of the coalition’s conference held at the BIEL complex in Beirut Saturday, also warned of Iran’s expanding role in the region, accusing Tehran of inciting a Sunni-Shiite conflict in order to serve its interests.
The conference drew around 400 key March 14 figures, including Nader Hariri, chief of former Prime Minister Saad Hariri’s staff, Kataeb Party leader Amine Gemayel, the coalition’s lawmakers and former ministers and MPs.
“The March 14 parties have decided to establish a March 14 National Council as a framework comprising parties, independents and the civil society with all its bodies and form a preparatory committee tasked with proposing the March 14 action program for the next stage,” Siniora said after announcing the coalition’s political manifesto.
He said the preparatory committee would draft the council’s bylaws and call for a general conference to approve them within a two-month deadline.
Referring to the National Council, Siniora said: “We are today launching new dynamism which, if it cannot stop violence in this stage, can at least reduce its effects and pave the way for ‘a peace intifada’ that has become today essential for our presence in a country and a state.”
Fares Soueid, the coordinator of March 14 Secretariat General, said after the conference that every person who attended would be automatically assigned as a member of the council’s general assembly.
The creation of the National Council is seen as an attempt by the March 14 coalition to re-emphasize its multisectarian nature amid a wave of religious extremism sweeping across the turbulent region.
“We meet to tell the Lebanese, Arab and international public opinion that we have stood fast and preserved a multisectarian, diversified and modern civil movement. We have made achievements in some fields and made mistakes in others. But we stood firm in our resolve and faith in a united Lebanon as a country of common coexistence, freedom and justice,” the March 14 leaders said.
Reiterating the coalition’s struggle for freedom and sovereignty, the statement said: “We want to decide Lebanon’s future with our hands, rather than leave this future as a hostage of an empire here or a dictatorship there, or a negotiation card in the hands of others.”
Taking an indirect swipe at Hezbollah’s arsenal, it added: “The future of Lebanon belongs to the Lebanese. We will not abandon the trust of defending it and defending our freedom, our Constitution and our independent state which must have sole monopoly over the use of force and arms according to the law.”
“We in March 14 do not want to defeat anyone, but we will not allow anyone to defeat us,” the blueprint said. “What we want is for all the Lebanese to return to Lebanon’s state, not under the conditions of a sect, party or a specific regional power, but in implementation of the Constitution, starting with the election of a president.”
The March 14 leaders accused the Syrian regime of being at the root of terrorism exercised by Islamist militant groups which are threatening Lebanon, the Arab region and the entire world.
The blueprint blasted both Iran’s role in the region Hezbollah’s military involvement in the war in Syria.
“Everyone knows the role of Iran and its regional arms across the Arab world, at the forefront of which is Hezbollah which is starting wars here and there,” they said. “Because of this intervention, Lebanon is no longer safe from this swelling violence. The state is no longer able to ensure the continuity of its institutions and stands incapable of finding solutions.”
“The Persian project is seeking to plunge the region into a war by fomenting a clash between Sunnis and Shiites in order to serve its interests and put the card of the region’s stability on the international negotiation table,” they said, referring to the ongoing negotiations between Iran and Western powers over its nuclear program.
Families of martyred troops decry state incompetence
BEIRUT: Families of soldiers killed during the 2013 Sidon clashes slammed the country’s politicians Sunday for protecting suspects accused of attacking the military, and demanded death sentences against those accused of killing troops.
The large protest staged in Martyrs’ Square in Downtown Beirut was attended by the families of martyred soldiers and their supporters, who carried Lebanese Army flags in a sign of solidarity with the institution.
Mothers of martyred soldiers took to the podium to express their dismay with politicians and the judiciary for their lax treatment of suspects accused of terrorist operations against Lebanese soldiers.
The protest comes as a response to reports of a deal with fugitive singer-turned-Salafist Fadel Shaker that would allow him to leave the Palestinian refugee camp of Ain al-Hilweh, where he is currently hiding.
Shaker was allegedly alongside firebrand preacher Ahmad al-Assir and his militia when the group fought pitched battles with the Lebanese Army in Sidon during the summer of 2013, resulting in the deaths of 20 soldiers and 28 gunmen loyal to Assir.
Shaker, Assir’s most notorious protege, previously alleged that he had personally killed two members of the Army during the battle.
The mother of Nadim Semaan, a soldier martyred during the Sidon clashes, gave a heated speech Sunday in which she said that “we reject any settlement and we reject any deal with terrorists.”
The mother, who raised her son’s military boots on the podium, said “with these boots we will step on the neck of Sheikh Ahmad al-Assir and Fadel Shaker.”
Semaan’s father and the families of other martyrs also voiced their objection to issuance of statements by any politician during the rally. “If any politician comes to this podium, I will break all the microphones and the video cameras,” Semaan’s father said.
According to Semaan’s mother, the animosity toward politicians stems from the belief that notable figures such as former Prime Minister Najib Mikati, Justice Minister Ashraf Rifi and others have protected fugitives like militant commanders Shadi al-Mawlawi and Sheikh Khaled Hablas, who are wanted for orchestrating attacks against the Lebanese Army.
Lawyer Ziad Bitar will file lawsuits against Shaker and Assir on behalf of the families of the soldiers in order to ensure that a settlement won’t secure their freedom, the mother of one martyred soldier said.
The mother, who announced that 18 separate lawsuits would be filed against the two suspects, addressed Shaker saying, “we will leave this protest site when you are hanged.”
Shaker’s support for the Salafist sheikh was first made public when he attended a rally organized by Assir in Downtown Beirut in 2012. During the event the singer was seen kissing Assir’s forehead.
Shaker has also featured in several videos available on YouTube. In controversial footage released during the Sidon clashes, he addressed the Lebanese Army as “pigs and dogs,” while announcing the death of two soldiers and the wounding of 16. “May god increase their [casualties],” he added.
Politicians blamed for delayed by-election in Jezzine
JEZZINE, Lebanon: On the way from Sidon to Jezzine, the roadside is dotted with portraits of would-be candidates for Jezzine’s by-election. But no date has been set for the contest, with officials citing security concerns and residents blaming political machinations for its continued postponement.
The district is represented in Parliament by three lawmakers: two Maronites and one Melkite Catholic. But a Maronite seat was lost when Change and Reform bloc MP Michel Helou died in June last year. A by-election was supposed to be held within two months, but has been repeatedly pushed back.
A representative of The Lebanese Association for Democratic Elections explained how the process should have played out during a meeting at the municipality of Jezzine over the weekend, entitled “A Last Chance to restore Democracy.”
A by-elections was supposed to be held to quickly fill the vacant seat but did not take place as the Parliament’s already-extended term was less than six months from expiring.
According to Article 41 of the Constitution, if there are less than six months left in Parliament’s term, successors cannot be elected to fill vacant seats.
The first parliamentary extension took place in May of 2013, when the body decided to extend its mandate by 17 months.
New elections were supposed to have been held in November 2014, but Parliament elected to extend its own term again, tacking on another two years and seven months. Security concerns were cited as the reason behind both extensions, as MPs repeatedly warned of the country’s precarious situation after the presidency became vacant in May 2014 and the raging war in Syria.
Now that its mandate has been extended again, Parliament is obliged to hold a by-election in Jezzine. As the law enshrining the extension was published in the Official Gazette on Nov. 11, a by-election for the district as supposed to have taken place before Jan. 11, 2015.
But Interior Minister Nouhad Machnouk announced that the by-election would not be held before summer, stating that when the security situation is stable, an election would take place.
Khalil Harfoush, head of the municipalities’ federation in the southern district of Jezzine, dismissed the idea that the by-election shouldn’t be held and alleged that security concerns were just a pretext for its postponement.
He explained that Jezzine is one the safest districts in Lebanon and that both the Lebanese government and the security forces were aware of this fact.
“Technically there should be an election, because the law says that when a lawmaker passes, someone must be elected [to fill their seat],” he said. “We [believe in] holding elections without any restrictions or conditions. There’s no security reason preventing [the election], if there is a political reason then that is another thing.”
“The sons of Jezzine [should] elect their lawmakers freely and the citizens of Jezzine should accept the results democratically and freely,” Harfoush added.
There is speculation that political machinations could be a factor in the delay. Free Patriotic Movement Leader and presidential candidate Michel Aoun won the district’s three seats in the 2009 parliamentary elections, but they were contested by his March 8 bloc ally Speaker Nabih Berri. Media reports suggested that Berri and Aoun would prefer not to fight an electoral battle right now.
There have been accusations that the timing of another by-election has been manipulated for political reasons. Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblatt postponed his resignation from January to May, possibly as part of a deal to allow for the delay of the Jezzine by-election, as his retirement would prompt its own by-election in the Chouf district. Last week it was reported that Berri had promised by-elections would be held in both the Chouf and Jezzine in May.
Samer Abdallah, LADE’s program manager, explained that it is time for the Jezzine district’s 55,000 voters to demand an election.
“As an association, we fought long battles against the first and second extensions and we came here to Jezzine to listen to residents [express] their readiness to demand a by-election,” Abdallah said. “It’s the right of the residents of Jezzine to be represented by three lawmakers.”
Earlier this year, Jumblatt announced that he intended to retire from Parliament and have his son, Taymour Jumblatt, run for his seat in the Chouf.
Abdallah said he rejects the notion that a politician could decide when elections should be held or to suggest a successor has already been established for their seat.
“Talk of handing over seats is unacceptable – elections are supposed to take place,” he said.
Jumblatt has clarified that his son will run for election rather than “inherit” his seat.
Makram Ouweiss, the secretary-general of LADE, explained that the political class must be held responsible for its own negligence. “We are without a president; we have a Parliament that has extended its own term and by-elections which have yet to take place.”
“[The election] is a link between the citizen and the work of the democracy; this is why it is so important,” he added.
Many citizens said they have lost their faith in the ruling political class.
“There’s no need for elections in the first place, because lawmakers haven’t presented anything new except stealing and lying,” resident Maguey Abboud said.
“Where’s the care for Jezzine’s development? There isn’t one university or large school; everyone is forced to go to Beirut or outside Jezzine. Stop lying.”
Deported from UAE arrive back home
BEIRUT: Three Lebanese citizens recently deported from the United Arab Emirates arrived at Beirut airport Sunday, with more expected to come later as the reasons for their expulsion are still unclear.
Sources at Beirut airport said that three Lebanese citizens arrived from the Emirate of Sharjah, a day after four other deportees flew in from Abu Dhabi.
A flight departing from Abu Dhabi arrived in Beirut at 11 p.m. Saturday and carried four Lebanese citizens who were deported from the UAE, Hassan al-Ayan, the head of a committee representing Lebanese citizens who were expelled from the country, told The Daily Star Sunday.
The reason the Lebanese were deported is unclear, as the UAE has not yet issued an official statement.
Leila Hatoum, co-founder of news service Mideastwire.com and based in the UAE for seven years, said that the authorities there had declared the Lebanese nationals “persona non-grata,” a status assigned to people no longer welcome in a certain country. This declaration also absolves the UAE from having to provide a reason for their deportation.
“[Countries] only resort to this measure when the person is considered a risk to social security, economic security or a military risk,” Hatoum explained.
In this context, impacting social security could involve inciting sectarian strife or bringing Lebanese “political baggage” to the UAE, Hatoum added.
Deportees were kept in the dark about the reasons behind their extradition. A source at Beirut airport said Lebanese arriving from the UAE are flying individually, keeping a low profile and refusing to talk to the media.
Ayan, who was at the airport Saturday, said that those arriving were still in a state of shock.
The committee head recounted a conversation he had with one arrival who said that he wasn’t able to sell his car, furniture or other belongings because he was given 48 hours to leave the country.
The man had told Ayan that UAE authorities were unwavering when he requested an extension to the two-day deadline to settle his affairs.
“All he could do was finalize paperwork at the company where he is employed and request an official document allowing his relatives, who still reside in the UAE, to assume ownership of his property,” Ayan said.
Hatoum said that all deportees lost money under similar circumstances and are entitled to sue the UAE government, with the help of the Foreign Ministry, if compensation is not forthcoming.
The arrivals came two days after roughly 70 Lebanese citizens were notified by Lebanon’s embassy and consulates in the UAE of the decision taken to have them and their families deported. Most Lebanese facing deportation are Shiites.
The decision to deport was the third time in six years a Gulf nation has taken the measure.
In 2009, dozens of Lebanese Shiites who had lived in the UAE for years were expelled on suspicion of having links with Hezbollah.
According to Hatoum, diplomatic ties helped halt planned deportations in 2009, when Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri spoke to UAE Prime Minister Mohammad bin Rashid al-Maktoum and was able make a compromise. At that time, the families of the deportees were allowed to stay in UAE, but according to Ayan, this was not the case for the recently deported.
In 2013, Qatar also expelled 18 Lebanese citizens, after the Gulf Cooperation Council imposed sanctions against Hezbollah for its military intervention in the Syrian war.
Hezbollah, which is backed by Iran, has been at odds with Gulf states. The Syrian crisis, which entered its fifth year this month, is a particularly thorny subject between the resistance and Gulf states.
Lebanon’s Prime Minister Tammam Salam raised the matter with Sheikh Mohammed on the sidelines of an economic conference in Egypt Saturday. According to a statement issued by Salam’s office, Maktoum stressed that the “UAE has neither a policy nor an intention to target Lebanese residents.”
“Sheikh Mohammad bin Rashid clarified that if measures were taken against some Lebanese, they were certainly based on particular security concerns and do not exceed this limit,” it added.
Future Movement Secretary-General Ahmad Hariri, who visited the Lebanese Embassy in Abu Dhabi Sunday, also hinted that the UAE’s decision targeted Lebanese residents who posed security concerns for the UAE.
“As long as the Lebanese is liable to the country hosting him, this country will also be liable to him, and will be keen on guarding his rights and his interests,” Hariri said in a statement released by his media office.
Hariri added that Lebanese expats are forced to respect the law and sovereignty of the country they reside in, because a departure from that country’s laws would serve as an attack on its sovereignty and would undermine the achievements of the Lebanese expat community as a whole.
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Center aims to inject facts into policy, media
BEIRUT: For Lebanon’s policymakers and media outlets, a new center aims to help channel scientific evidence and understanding toward the benefit of the Lebanese public. The Knowledge to Policy Center (K2P), based within the Faculty of Health Sciences at the American University of Beirut, officially launched Thursday.
At its opening, policymakers, ministerial representatives and faculty from departments across AUB held a lively panel discussion in front of a packed auditorium.
K2P aims to couple evidence from scientific studies with context-specific expertise.
Products include: policy briefs, media bites and evidence summaries, all designed to translate evidence into an easily digestible format for policymakers and those working in media.
Fadi al-Jardali, the center’s director, has high hopes for K2P, which has already been in operation for the past two years.
“We have a new way of thinking about how we make decisions and implement policy,” he said, adding that he is looking for an effective relationship to bloom between the center and Lebanon’s policymakers.
K2P can help governmental actors make decisions that will positively benefit the public, “by making sure that high quality evidence and tacit knowledge are becoming an integral input into the policymaking process,” Jardali said.
He explained that tacit knowledge is the combination of experience and expertise of those working on the ground.
While such information may not reach the pages of a published scientific article, Jardali said that tapping into tacit knowledge is just as essential for informed policymaking, which is why K2P aims to leverage information from both scientific studies and context-specific expertise to improve decision-making in Lebanon.
On a similar note, Health Ministry Director General Walid Ammar, who spoke at the launch ceremony, told The Daily Star that the value of K2P lies in its ability to harness the wisdom of those working on the ground, not just in its ability to synthesize scientific studies.
According to Ammar, implementing policy must not only draw on such studies but must also recognize Lebanon’s needs and those of the various stakeholders involved. “When you decide to make a policy, you should know what the action and reaction of different sectors will be,” Ammar said, adding that K2P has an important role in encouraging interaction between researchers and policymakers.
Atef Majdalani, head of Parliament’s Public Health, Labor and Social Affairs Committee, said evidence is a much-needed component of policymaking in Lebanon and that he expects the relationship between policymakers and K2P research “will be a very useful collaboration.”
Currently, products on the K2P website cover issues relating to mental health, Syrian refugee health access, water fluoridation, universal health coverage and food safety. Jardali expects to have six to seven additional items on the website in the coming month.
Policymakers can request rapid response briefings or more detailed reports, depending on time constraints. Jardali said that K2P is not currently charging for services, as the International Development Research Council in Canada will fund the center’s activity through the next two years.
K2P’s initiative is similar to the Canada-based McMaster University Health Forum, whose director, John Lavis, spoke at the launch ceremony. He explained that K2P’s time-based responses to the needs of policymakers follow in step with similar centers around the world. Lavis pointed out that centers such as K2P offer an invaluable service in providing in-depth, easy to understand briefs, not only for those in governmental positions of power but also for the media.
“One of the things that is unique in what [K2P] is doing is how attentive they are to journalists. Many health decisions are technical and they don’t necessarily get a lot of uptake ... [K2P] realized that in Lebanon you need to make sure you are equipping journalists with high quality evidence so they can ask tough questions of people in power,” Lavis said.
Among its services, the K2P center will offer issue-specific reports to provide the media with quick access to evidence, but Jardali explained that he also plans to hold capacity-building sessions to train journalists to better report health and science stories. Workshops will teach participants to access evidence and identify the most reliable databases.
In recent research analyzing the content of local newspaper articles for journalists’ use of evidence in health reporting, Jardali found that, “The majority [75 percent] of articles detailed health-related events and did not use evidence, while only a quarter were informative articles that relied on the use of evidence.”
Jardali said that be believes the low reliance on evidence in local health reporting runs contrary to the media’s obligation to educate the public on issues that could drastically impact decision making.
“We need to learn when we hear a journalist and the best way to learn is to make sure those people tap into a credible, valid, reliable, high quality source that can give the evidence in a transparent way,” he said.
Through interviews that K2P has already held with journalists, one of the biggest obstacles identified was the unwillingness of media outlets to subscribe to scientific research databases. Jardali warned that lack of access to studies is detrimental to the quality of health reporting.
“If you want to inform and shape policies ... this is not a luxury. This is something that is instrumental and essential if you want to have evidence-based health reporting.”
Annual festival hopes to showcase the real Tripoli
TRIPOLI, Lebanon: The biggest festival in Lebanon is set to kick off next month with Tripoli’s Rashid Karami Tripoli International Fair, during which the capital of the north will attempt to revive the embattled city. The schedule for the annual Tripoli Festival was announced over the weekend by Badih Arnaout, the festival coordinator, at a news conference by the Reality Cultural Social Association in Qalamoun’s Lamunia Hotel.
The festival will run for four days from April 9-12 with this year’s slogan “Change Your Reality, Run for the North.”
The lineup promises a fun-filled few days, with music, cultural and sports activities all held at the new Rashid Karami International Fair, designed by Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer.
Special activities for children will include various games, acrobatics, plays and concerts. Numerous restaurants will also be open for lunch and dinner.
Lebanese singers Joseph Attieh and Ziad Bourji will perform at the festivalSaturday, April 11, and Sunday, April 12, respectively.
A number of races will be organized by the Beirut Marathon Association on the final day of the fair, between 6:30 a.m. and 11 a.m.
“We meet today together united by the reality of the north and Tripoli,” North Lebanon Governor Ramzi Nohra said.
Speaking at the news conference, Nohra praised the work being done by all to revitalize the north’s capital.
“We should learn from the painful past of what Tripoli has been through to realize the change we seek,” Nohra said.
“We are looking forward to making plans and programs, which we hope will soon be implemented, to serve the interests of people, achieve the progress and the prosperity that we’re aiming to have in order to leave the issues we are currently suffering from behind.”
The security situation in Tripoli has been turbulent over recent years, particularly with the onset of the Syrian crisis and its spillover into Lebanon. Clashes along sectarian lines have threatened coexistence in the city, with some youths pledging allegiance to extremist groups.
“Ultimately, the main goals of the festival are health-related, educational and humanitarian,” said Mustapha Banbouk, the head of the Reality Cultural Social Association.
Proceeds from the festival will go to support a free medical card project launched by the association and a prominent insurance company.
May Khalil, president of the Beirut Marathon Association, explained during the conference that the festival and the association both have similar goals in terms of making people happy and raising awareness about certain social issues.
Bourji, who also attended the conference, announced that he would participate in the marathon on the final day, stressing that this event was an important one that would reflect the real image of Tripoli.
Crisis response center to open in Sidon, prepares for the worst
SIDON, Lebanon: South Lebanon’s joint operations room for crisis response will launch at the end of this month and the government will hold its first full-scale disaster response drill to test its preparedness.
The new operations room, in the southern capital of Sidon, will oversee a permanent emergency network, designed to facilitate quick responses to crises and natural disasters.
Security, military and municipal officials will all be a part of an integrated response, along with members of civil society groups and humanitarian aid organizations.
“For the first time, various [government] administrations, apparatuses and associations will come together with [new] discipline and follow-up,” a senior official from the south Lebanon governorate said. “The main goal is to speed mobilization when a crisis takes place, whether it is a security breach, a natural disaster or an Israeli attack.”
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, explained that the operations room would coordinate the mobilization of many groups, not just the army, ISF, Civil Defense and Red Cross. “For the first time civil administrations will be involved in disaster management, in responding to crises and [providing] aid. The education, public works and health ministries will be involved, and will play a role in the operations room for the first time.”
The Rafik Hariri Hall in Sidon’s Serail has been chosen as the headquarters for the joint operations room, which will be orchestrated by the governor or a representative acting on his behalf.
The room is equipped with numerous tables, chairs, telephones, computers and alternative communication lines directly connected to the Grand Serail in Beirut.
The decision to establish the operations room comes following a Cabinet initiative to evaluate and improve disaster management response across the country. Parliament is currently preparing a draft law to further reorganize government response efforts.
The plan was preceded by a series of meetings on crisis response, involving the Lebanese government, the United Nations Development Program and input from other countries.
Sidon’s Mayor Mohammad Saudi and the ISF’s Chief in south Lebanon, Samir Shehadeh, recently visited Japan to participate in a convention on disaster response. The aim was to learn from Japanese expertise in crisis management. Japan has dealt with a number of natural disasters, including tsunamis and the earthquake-induced meltdown of the Fukushima nuclear reactor in 2011.
South Lebanon has faced a number of its own crises over the past 10 years. Israeli assaults, natural disasters and security breaches all pose a threat in the region and local civil society has significant experience dealing with emergency situations.
But until now, there was no umbrella organization to coordinate this expertise. But the government hopes that disaster management operations room in Sidon will change that.
“For the first time, as in the army, an executive instructions memorandum was created,” the governorate official explained.
The official said the first 48 hours after a disaster are the most vital, adding that the memorandum sets out the steps to be taken during this critical stage.
“The governor’s role and the roles of every administration and apparatus are included. If the governor cannot be present for any reason, anyone with this memorandum will know how to act,” the official said. “The response during the first 48 hours is what’s most important, [as] after that everyone is going to come and help.”
The final touches are being put on preparations for a large disaster response drill – the first of its kind in Lebanon – which will take place on March 28. The drill will take place near Sidon’s Serail and along the city’s coastal front, focused on the area between Sidon’s port and Alexander Bay.
The operations room will be tested during the maneuvers, as will the work of government officials and relief workers on the ground. The exercise will include drills on evacuating wounded and trapped people, transporting the wounded, marine rescue operations and logistical support.
The goal is to test the functioning of the operations room and its ability to respond to conditions on the ground, as well as to locate areas where its response can be improved.
“There’s a lack of data,” the official said, when asked about the difficulties of implementing the new plan. “This is why we have distributed forms for the municipalities to fill in with what they have in terms capabilities and readiness, as well as what they lack. The municipalities are often the closest to people and the first to respond”
The evaluation will help document any shortages of manpower, equipment and medical and logistical support. The official explained that there is little available housing for victims of a future disaster, as available shelters are already occupied by Syrian refugees. Citing a similar problem during the summer 2006 war with Israel, he said efforts must be redoubled to find places for potential refugees.
The government is also looking to raise awareness among the public.
The official explained that people must learn what to do when a crisis occurs, such as when to run to the scene of an accident and when not to, and how to properly care for someone who is wounded. “Our mission is to raise awareness [on how to act] in different scenarios, [so that people] can contribute assistance, not confusion.”
Rival camps blamed for political, sectarian rifts
BEIRUT: The emergence of the Hezbollah-led March 8 alliance and the rival March 14 coalition in 2005 has since plunged Lebanon into political turmoil and sectarian divisions with far-reaching effects on the country’s volatile security and stability, analysts said Thursday.
Furthermore, the political and sectarian schism has been deepened by the repercussions of the upheavals currently roiling the region, particularly the negative fallout of the 4-year-old war in Syria on Lebanon’s security and stability, they said.
“The March 8 and March 14 alliances are responsible for the state of divisions and fragmentation in Lebanon. Since the two camps were born 10 years ago, the country has been in the throes of a sharp political crisis due to the rival parties’ regional commitment,” Abdallah Bou Habib, Lebanon’s former ambassador to the United States, told The Daily Star.
“Because the two parties have regional friendships, commitments and allies, this has prevented them from giving priority to Lebanese interests,” said Bou Habib, also the director of the Issam Fares Center for Lebanon, a Beirut-based think tank.
Bou Habib and other analysts said the fierce power struggle between the March 8 and March 14 blocs was largely at the root of the country’s many woes.
“The March 8 and March 14 political differences have led to the vacuum in the presidency and extension of Parliament’s mandate, brought Parliament legislation to paralysis and led to caretaker governments in some cases,” he said.
Sami Nader, a professor of economics and international relations at the Universite St. Joseph, praised the creation of the March 8 and March 14 parties as “a healthy sign” and “a pillar of democracy” in line with the country’s democratic system.
“But the main problem is the absence of any political platform between the two sides to serve the purpose of state building,” Nader told The Daily Star.
“Differences between the March 8 and March 14 parties have led to the failure of reaching a strong united state,” said Nader, also the director of the Levant Institute for Strategic Affairs, a Beirut-based think tank.
“The two sides are currently at odds over the country’s foreign and defense policies, a new electoral law, the need to elect a new president and the project to build a united state,” he added. “This in addition to the March 8 and March 14 disputes over the conflict in Syria, Hezbollah’s weapons, tackling the Syrian refugee crisis and the government security plan.”
Noting that each of the March 8 and March 14 blocs comprised politicians from various Muslim and Christian sects, “thus transcending in form the sectarian disease,” Nader said the two sides remained in disagreement over key issues.
“The creation of the March 14 coalition, an alliance by necessity, was in response to the March 8 movement and rejected the Syrian-Iranian hegemony over Lebanon,” Nader said. “The March 14 movement opposed Lebanon’s alignment with the Syrian-Iranian axis.”
The 2005 assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri triggered a mass anti-Syria popular uprising in Downtown Beirut in March 2005, known as the Cedar Revolution. The March 14 alliance, a coalition of parties that takes its name from the uprising, is still struggling for Lebanon’s freedom, sovereignty and independence.
The coalition, led by former Prime Minister Saad Hariri’s Future Movement, stands in opposition to the Hezbollah-led March 8 alliance, which draws its name from a counter-demonstration held on March 8, 2005, in Downtown Beirut to thank Syria for its military and political role in Lebanon.
The Syrian army, under massive local and international pressure, was forced to withdraw from Lebanon in April 2005, ending nearly three decades of Syria’s domination of its smaller neighbor.
This month marked the 10th anniversary of the birth of the March 8 and March 14 alliances while Lebanon remains sharply divided politically between the rival pro- and anti-Syrian camps.
The inter-Lebanese split has been exacerbated by the negative impact of regional divisions, particularly the emergence of an Arab Gulf alliance led by Saudi Arabia against an Iranian-Syrian coalition.
Regional turmoil, particularly long-simmering rivalry between Saudi Arabia and Iran, which back opposing sides in Lebanon, has been blamed for the delay in the election of a new Lebanese president. Saudi Arabia backs the March 14 coalition while Iran supports the March 8 alliance.
Also, the 10th anniversary of the March 8 and March 14 parties comes as the Lebanese Army is locked in an open battle against Syria-based jihadis threatening to destabilize Lebanon.
Mouna Fayyad, a writer and a psychology professor at the state-run Lebanese University, sounded pessimistic about putting an end to divisions in Lebanon while the region was on the boil.
“I don’t see a solution soon to current tensions and the state of fragmentation in Lebanon as long as the region remains in wars and turmoil and as long as Lebanon remains a card in the hands of others,” Fayyad told The Daily Star.
In order for Lebanon to emerge from the current intense political alignment between the March 8 and March 14 blocs, Fayyad said, “this requires the election of a new president and the presidency should not be subservient to outside powers and its decisions should be made inside the country.”
A harsh critic of Iran and Hezbollah, Fayyad, a Shiite, lamented that the March 14 movement, which was launched 10 years ago with noble objectives, has failed to achieve anything at all of its famous slogan: Freedom, sovereignty and independence.
“Where is sovereignty in a country that has been left without a president for nearly 10 months and its borders are open?” she asked.
Fayyad said Iran, through Hezbollah and MP Michel Aoun’s bloc, which have been boycotting Parliament sessions to elect a president since last April, is obstructing the presidential vote.
She contended that Hezbollah’s military intervention in Syria had fueled sectarian tensions in Lebanon. “This is a party with a sectarian and confessional character. Its actions have led to a feeling of suppression among the Sunni community in Lebanon,” Fayyad said, adding: “Iran is the main instigator of the Sunni-Shiite conflict in the region.”
In the absence of an alternative force to the March 8 and March 14 blocs, Bou Habib called for pursuing the ongoing dialogue between the Future Movement and Hezbollah.
“Perhaps, this dialogue can reach an agreement on the qualifications of the new president,” he said. He added that the March 8 and March 14 parties should also help ease internal tensions by “reducing the negative impact of their foreign commitments on Lebanon.”
Nader, the USJ professor, said he expected the emergence of a new political elite to do away with the acute political alignment between the March 8 and March 14 camps plaguing the country.
“Lebanon is poised for a renewal of political leadership that should have a coherent political nonsectarian project with promises of a bigger role for women in the country’s political life,” Nader said.
He said the current political class, both March 8 and March 14, has renewed the Parliament’s mandate twice, while leaving the country without a president for nearly 300 days, in addition to paralyzing Parliament legislation. “To end the current political divisions, a peaceful popular revolt, probably backed by foreign powers, is needed to transcend the March 8 and March 14 parties and create a new Cedar revolution,” he said.
Nader blamed regional turmoil and what he termed March 14 leaders’ “big mistakes” for the coalition’s failure to achieve its declared goals of “Freedom, sovereignty and independence.”
Kerry To Resume Talks Over Iran's Nuclear Program
Secretary of State John Kerry is in Switzerland today for more talks with Iran's foreign minister on the Islamic republic's nuclear program. The meeting comes a week after Senate Republicans signed an open letter to Iran suggesting any deal reached would lapse the day President Obama leaves office.
NPR's Peter Kenyon, who is reporting on the talks for our Newscast unit, says:
"Kerry and [Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammed Javad] Zarif both say important gaps remain with two weeks remaining to reach a framework agreement on the major issues. These include Iran's ability to research and develop more advanced centrifuges and other nuclear technology, how long any agreement would last and how quickly sanctions will be lifted, providing some relief to Iran's struggling economy."
Last week's letter by 47 GOP senators is also likely to be discussed. Kerry said Saturday that he would seek to assure U.S. allies — Britain, China, France, Germany and Russia — and Zarif that Congress did not have the authority to change a deal — if one is reached. And, he told CBS News, in an interview aired today, that the letter was "wrong," "unprecedented" and "unconstitutional."
He added most of the differences the U.S. and its allies have with Iran are "political decisions that need to be made in order to fulfill the promise of proving to the world that a program is peaceful."
The letter's primary author, freshman Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., defended his actions on CBS.
"The fact that President Obama doesn't see this letter as a way to get more leverage at the negotiating table just underscores that he is not negotiating for the hardest deal possible," he said on Face the Nation .
He was backed by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who called the reaction to the letter selective outrage.
"The main point here I think everybody needs to understand is that the president is about to make what we believe will be a very bad deal," he said on CNN's State of the Union . "He clearly doesn't want Congress involved in it at all, and we're worried about it."
The White House wrote to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Saturday to say legislation being considered by the Senate would "potentially prevent any deal from succeeding."
"The administration's request to Congress is simple: Let us complete the negotiations before the Congress acts on legislation," White House chief of staff Denis McDonough said in the letter.
That committee's chairman, Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., who was not one of the signatories to the GOP letter, said he believes "it is very important that Congress appropriately weigh in before any final agreement is implemented."
Meanwhile, as NPR's Kenyon notes, Iran's supreme leader has warned his negotiating team to be on guard against what he called "tricks and deception" by the other side as the talks continue.
5 Obama Jokes That Stood Out From His Gridiron Club Routine
There are no photos of last night's Gridiron Club dinner, but President Obama did plenty of laughing (and it looked something like this). J. Scott Applewhite/AP hide caption
itoggle caption J. Scott Applewhite/AP
There are no photos of last night's Gridiron Club dinner, but President Obama did plenty of laughing (and it looked something like this).
J. Scott Applewhite/AP
About three-quarters of the way through his joke routine, President Obama chuckled and said "this lame-duck stuff is fun." Indeed, unencumbered by re-election concerns, Obama seemed to relish his role of comic-in-chief at the 130th annual Gridiron Dinner in Washington, D.C. on Saturday, the oldest and most exclusive club for members of the Washington press corps.
Here are five notable lines from Obama's appearance, in order of delivery:
1. Pot Shot: "This is my third appearance at this dinner as president. And I predict you will laugh harder than ever. I'm not saying I'm any funnier. I'm saying weed is now legal in D.C. I know that's how you guys are getting through this dinner. That's why you ate the food."
Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, seated at the long dais at the front of the room, laughed heartily at that one.
2. You've got mail: "Think about how things have changed since 2008. Back then, I was the young, tech-savvy candidate of the future. Now I'm yesterday's news, and Hillary has got a server in her house," Obama said with a look of bemusement and befuddlement. "I didn't even know you could have one of those in your house. I am so far behind. Did you know that? I would have gotten one."
He then turned to Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, the potential presidential candidate, who delivered the Republican comedy routine earlier in the night.
3. Gotta have faith: "The other week [Walker] said he didn't know whether or not I was a Christian. And I was taken aback, but fortunately my faith teaches us forgiveness. So, Gov. Walker, as-salamu alaykum."
4. Kenya feel the love: "Gov. Walker got some heat for staying silent when Rudy Giuliani said I don't love America — which I also think is a problem. Think about it, Scott — if I did not love America, I wouldn't have moved here from Kenya."
In another joke, about evolution, Obama said he absolutely believes in the theory — when it comes to gay marriage. He ribbed Dr. Ben Carson, another potential presidential candidate in the audience, on his recent statements about what happens in prison being proof homosexuality is a choice.
5. Political 'evolution': "The fact is, doctor, embracing homosexuality is not something you do because you go to prison; it's something you do because your vice president can't keep a secret on Meet the Press.
Governors Scott Walker and Terry McAuliffe Deliver Zingers, Too
The annual Gridiron dinner is something of a throwback to an earlier time. The dress code is floor length dresses for women and white tie and tails for men (there were a couple of Downton Abbey jokes). There are skits and dance routines skewering politicians of all stripes. Reading the names of distinguished guests, from baseball legend Hank Aaron to Amazon owner Jeff Bezos, seemed to take at least 10 minutes.
Another Gridiron tradition is to have dueling comedy routines from a Democrat and a Republican. Last night, Walker and Virginia's Democratic Gov. Terry McAuliffe did the honors.
Two from Walker:
1. "I even have Hillary's private e-mail. No, not that one. Not the other one, either. I have the special one that even Terry McAuliffe doesn't have. It goes right to her campaign headquarters, you know it's HillaryClinton@wallstreet.com. The best part about that joke is Elizabeth Warren wrote it for me."
2. "I was going to ask Martin O'Malley for advice, but like most voters, I have no idea who the hell he is."
(For the record, O'Malley is Maryland's recently former Democratic governor who is considering a run for president.)
Two from McAuliffe:
At one point during his turn at the lectern, McAuliffe leaned over giddily to see that the presidential seal was attached to the front. "Got the seal up there ... OK," he said, joking about potential aspirations to the highest office. Before becoming governor, McAuliffe was best known as a prolific — and enthusiastic — fundraiser with ties to the Clintons, which he referenced in one joke.
1. "In the Hillary Clinton administration, let me be clear, we will not rent out the Lincoln Bedroom. We'll just put it on Airbnb."
2. "Gov. Walker drew some criticism when he said that his experience with labor unions has prepared him for dealing with ISIS. And rightfully so. First, it's offensive to the men and women of organized labor and, second, it's just plain ridiculous. They have nothing in common. There is no way a union worker would ever work in that desert heat."
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Hezbollah: March 14 National Council a 'joke'
BEIRUT: The head of Hezbollah’s executive council slammed the March 14 coalition after the launching of the bloc’s National Council, saying that the move served to undermine the state.
Saturday’s announcement “makes us wonder if [March 14] are joking or if they are being serious. If they are serious, then they are seeking to undermine the current government in which they constitute a majority,” Hezbollah’s executive council head Sayyed Hashem Safieddine said in a statement Sunday.
The Hezbollah official proceeded to say that the formation of a National Council was "most likely a joke" since March 14 has always promoted hollow rhetoric thats lacks in implementation.
As it celebrated its 10th anniversary Saturday with a conference at BIEL, the March 14 coalition announced a political manifesto and launched a National Council in an attempt to re-emphasize its multi-sectarian nature amid rising extremism regionally.
Comprising approximately 300 party officials and independent March 14 figures, the National Council will be run by an openly elected body. It will serve as the senate of March 14 coalition in a framework that brings together leaders from Lebanon and the diaspora to contribute to the drafting of March 14 policies.
In further criticism, Safieddine said that the coalition has been historically linked to foreign powers that are currently undergoing a crisis, in allusion to the West and Saudi Arabia. This crisis, he said, has spilled over in to the March 14 coalition that “has nothing left but meaningless speeches.”
Iran, on the other hand, Hezbollah’s primary backer, is strong and capable especially since the Syrian regime will emerge as the victor in the Syrian conflict, he said.
“The axis of resistance in the region is stronger and more deeply rooted than they [March 14] think.”
Safieddine claimed that local developments in Lebanon have proved that the resistance is the model for unity and security in Lebanon, noting that it was Hezbollah that kept terrorism out of the country’s borders and not its political rivals.
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Captives’ families voice confidence in new negotiator
BEIRUT: A meeting between a Qatari negotiator and the captors of 25 Lebanese servicemen over the weekend has cultivated a renewed sense of optimism for the families of the hostages, according to their spokesman.
The Qatari negotiator, who is the Lebanese government’s official delegate in talks with the Nusra Front, held a meeting with the captors on the outskirts of Arsal Friday, spokesman Hussein Youssef told The Daily Star Sunday.
Youssef relayed the families' optimism with regards to ending the hostage crisis, saying that the Qatar negotiator has proved that he is both, “stronger and more serious than his predecessor.”
The previous mediator, Syrian businessman Ahmad al-Khatib, served only as a mediator between the Qatari negotiator and the captors since the Qatari negotiator was not in Lebanon at the time, Youssef said. “Al-Khatib was not a principle negotiator.”
Qatar revived its role as a mediator in negotiations last month, after formally ending its previous mediation efforts in December.
Since then, the Qatari negotiator has been carrying out direct talks with the captors, without resorting to a liaison like al-Khatib, Youssef added.
In addition to the Qatari negotiator, whose name was not disclosed, an entire Qatari delegation comprising of roughly 15 individuals is assisting him in negotiations, Youssef said. “But not all 15 go with the negotiator to meetings in the outskirts,” he added.
Youssef refused to disclose details of Friday’s meeting due to the government’s policy of keeping developments in the case secret. The spokesmen however, did say that certain developments indicated that talks were taking in a more positive direction.
Meanwhile, talks with ISIS are still on hold after being suspended for approximately four months, he added.
The case of the captive soldiers and policemen held by both the Nusra Front and ISIS since August has been shrouded in secrecy after the prime minister criticized media leaks by officials, saying they harmed talks. At least 37 servicemen were originally abducted by the militants during a five-day battle with the Lebanese Army. Eight hostages have since been released and four were killed.
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Rai welcomes talks between rival blocs
BEIRUT: Maronite Patriarch Beshara Rai welcomed Sunday talks between Lebanon’s rival parties, saying that it was essential to building internal cohesion.
During his Sunday sermon, the patriarch said that dialogue sessions “decrease tensions, build internal cohesion, unify the national vision and preserve the Lebanese model of [coexistence].”
The patriarch lauded the principles of partnership and coexistence that he said are characteristic of the National Pact- the 1943 agreement between Christians and Muslims that laid the foundation of Lebanon as a multi-confessional state.
Lebanese rival political parties have decided to engage in dialogue sessions in light of increased domestic tension and the tenth-month presidential impasse.
Top officials from Hezbollah and the Future Movement have met on seven separate occasions since Dec. 27 in a bid to ease sectarian tensions.
The Free Patriotic Movement and the Lebanese Forces are also preparing for highly anticipated talks between FPM chief Michel Aoun and LF leader Samir Geagea.
No date has been scheduled for the meeting.
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Families of martyred troops decry state incompetence
BEIRUT: Families of soldiers killed during the 2013 Sidon clashes slammed the country’s politicians for protecting suspects accused of attacking the military and demanded death sentences against those accused of killing troops.
The large protest staged in Martyr’s square in Downtown Beirut Sunday was attended by the families of martyred soldiers and their supporters, who carried Lebanese Army flags in a sign of solidarity with institution.
Mothers of martyred soldiers took to the podium to express their dismay with politicians and the judiciary for their lax treatment of suspects accused of terrorist operations against Lebanese soldiers.
The protest comes as a response to reports of a deal with fugitive singer-turned-salafist Fadel Shaker that would allow him to leave the Palestinian refugee camp of Ain al-Hilweh, where he is currently hiding.
Shaker was allegedly alongside firebrand preacher Ahmad al-Assir and his militia when the group fought pitched battles with the Lebanese Army in Sidon during the summer of 2013, resulting in the deaths of 20 soldiers and 28 gunmen loyal to Assir.
Shaker, Assir’s most notorious protégé, previously alleged that he had personally killed two members of the army during the 2013 battle.
The mother of Nadim Semaan, a soldier martyred during the Sidon clashes, gave a heated speech Sunday in which she said that “we refuse any settlement and we refuse any deal with terrorists.”
The mother, who raised her son’s military boots on the podium, said “with these boots we will step on the neck of Sheikh Ahmad al-Assir and Fadel Shaker.”
Semaan’s father and the families of other martyrs also voiced their objection to issuance of statements by any politician during the rally. “If any politician comes to this podium, I will break all the microphones and the video cameras,” Semaan’s father said.
According to Semaan’s mother, the animosity towards politician stems from the belief that notable figures such as former Prime Minister Najib Mikati, Justice Minister Ashraf Rifi and others have protected fugitives like militant commanders Shadi al-Mawlawi and Sheikh Khaled Hablas, who are wanted for orchestrating attacks against the Lebanese Army.
Lawyer Ziad Bitar will file lawsuits against Fadel Shaker and Sheikh Assir on behalf of the families of the soldiers in order to ensure that a settlement won’t secure their freedom, the mother of one martyred troop said.
The mother, who announced that 18 separate lawsuits would be filed against the two suspects, addressed Shaker saying “we will leave this protest site when you are hanged.”
Shaker’s support for the Salafist sheikh was first made public when he attended a rally organized by Assir in Downtown Beirut in 2012. During the event the singer was seen kissing Assir’s forehead.
Shaker has also featured in several videos available on YouTube. In controversial footage released during the Abra clashes, he addressed the Lebanese Army as “pigs and dogs,” while announcing the death of two soldiers and the wounding of 16. “May god increase their [casualties]” he added.
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