March 25, 2005

BAHIYA AL-HARIRI DENIES HER NOMINATION FOR THE PREMIERSHIP AND PLEDGES TO CONTINUE HER CAMPAIGN FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE TAIF AGREEMENT AND FOR AN INTERNATIONAL COMMITTEE TO INVESTIGATE THE ASSASSINATION OF HER BROTHER. JUMBLATT REPEATS HIS CALL FOR LAHOUD'S RESIGNATION AND WARNS OF MORE EXPLOSION WHILE CARDINAL SFEIR SHOWS PATIENCE. HIZBULLAH REFUSES TO DISARM AND CALLS FOR DIALOGUE. U.S. NAVY MOVE IN THE EAST MEDITERRANEAN. ANNAN IS WORRIED AND LARSEN IS CONCERNED ABOUT THE ASSASSINATION OF ANOTHER SENIOR LEBANESE FIGURE. MP Bahiya Al-Hariri stressed her strong endeavour to implement the principles of her late brother former Prime Minister Rafiq Al-Hariri. She stressed that the Taif agreement must be implemented and denied being nominated for the post of Prime Minister. Lebanese parliament deputy, Bahiya Al-Hariri, warned from attempts to provoke seditions among the Lebanese, she emphasized the necessity of safeguarding the nation's unity amid the current "historic" developments the country was passing through. She told reporters after a visit to the bombing site in Beirut that "we will resist any attempt to provoke war or undermine the Lebanese security," Al-Hariri is sister of the slain former Lebanese premier Rafiq Al-Hariri. She declined to answer newsmen questions about a call by President Emile Lahoud for dialogue with the government supporters and opposition, but said the blasts in Lebanon serve the interests of the country's enemies only. "We will remain united until we learn who killed Rafiq Al-Hariri and who plotted the attempt on the life of the parliament member Marwan Hmade," she added, as she renewed requested the formation of an international investigation committee to uncover facts about the murder of Al-Hariri and the resignation of Lebanese security agencies' chiefs. MP Bahiya Al-Hariri, whose brother former Prime Minister Rafiq Al-Hariri was assassinated last month, said the Future Movement was determined to continue to coordinate with MP Walid Jumblatt. In a news statement she issued, after paying a visit to Jumblatt at his Mount Lebanon South stronghold of Mukhtara, Al-Hariri described Jumblatt as "the brother with whom we intend to proceed along the same path." She dismissed press reports that the seeds of friction were sown between on the one hand other opposition groups and on the other the Future Movement, which her brother founded and headed and which she now heads. She said there was no budging away from the principles she laid down during the 2-million-strong march to mark one month since the assassination. She had pledged then to continue to campaign for the dismissal of heads of Lebanon's intelligence services, for implementing the 1989 Taif Accord and for safeguarding Lebanon's "Arab identity." Meanwhile, a source close to other opposition groups had accused politicians close to the regime of trying to create a rift between Al-Hariri and other opposition parties. However, the same source said that the demands made by the rest of the opposition were the same as those made by the Future Movement. The source predicted that all attempts to drive a wedge between the two sides will fail because both sides "are not likely to back down on their similar demands." In a related development, former Prime Minister Salim Al-Hoss joined the opposition in calling for the dismissal of heads of intelligence services. Within hours of the explosion in a Christian neighbourhood that injured 11 people, Bahiya Al-Hariri was at the site of the blast to reassure residents, telling them not to afraid. "They (the perpetrators) won't succeed in terrorizing us," she declared. She has insisted on several recent occasions on preserving links to Syria, arguing that such was the wish of her brother even at the height of his political disagreements with Damascus. Addressing an unprecedented, million-strong rally in central Beirut on March 14, called in memory of Rafiq Al-Hariri, she appealed for her brother's political initiatives to be preserved -- "the strengthening of national unity and economic recovery." She has also reached out to the pro-Syrian Shiite Muslim movements Hizbullah and Amal, stressing that she opposes Hizbullah's disarmament and the marginalization of the Shia community with the end of Syria's military presence in Lebanon. Her statements have been welcomed by Hizbullah and Amal head Nabih Berri for their tone of moderation and unity. But all that did not deter her from calling two weeks ago for the resignation of pro-Syrian Lebanese Prime Minister Omar Karameh, suggesting that he should assume responsibility, "at least by omission," for the death of her brother. She has since then spearheaded a national "Truth and Justice" campaign that advocates an international investigation into Rafiq Al-Hariri's murder. Slain former Premier Rafiq Al-Hariri's bloc in Parliament called on the authorities not to delay upcoming legislative elections and held them responsible for any instability or security breaches. At a meeting that was attended by officials from the Wave of the Future and former ministers, MPs also discussed the medical situation of MP Basil Fuleihan, who was gravely injured in the February 14 bombing attack that killed Mr. Al-Hariri and his companions in Beirut. They criticized attempts by the authorities to delay parliamentary elections by throwing the ball in the opposition's court, on ground that the authorities want the opposition to join a government, although they did not respond to their demands, including the launch of an international probe into the slain Prime Minister's murder, an immediate resignation of all security chiefs and the full implementation of the Taif Accord, as well as the comprehensive withdrawal of Syrian forces and their apparatuses. Officials said elections should be held on time, and a government be formed without provoking or harming the Lebanese, who are united in demanding democratic practice and a free, independent and sovereign country. They warned of a plan to terrorize people, the opposition, and the media. President Emile Lahoud of Lebanon underlined the necessity of enhancing national unity, solidarity and dialogue on ideas which the Lebanese people expresses different viewpoints about. "I hope the formation of a new government will create an opportunity for dialogue through participating in a national federation government that assumes rescue process in the country," President Lahoud said during a meeting with Lebanese Army Commander Lieu. Gen. Michel Suleiman. He referred to the important role the army and security apparatus play in preserving stability and security in Lebanon. On the other hand Lebanese Defense Minister, Abdul-Rahim Murad hailed the distinguished fraternal ties linking Syria and Lebanon and the two tracks concomitance. "Syria's role in Lebanon was and is still a saver role that offered a lot of sacrifices to stop the civil war." Murda said. "We support Syria's steadfastness, reject the foreign intervention in our affairs," Murad said pointing out that the UN resolution 1559, backed by Israel, is a clear bid to violate our national unity and to damage our civil peace. He indicated that the atrocious crime which claimed the life of former prime minister Rafic Al-Hariri targeted Lebanon's stability and unity calling for unveiling the surrounding conditions of this crime. Meantime Walid Jumblatt, Lebanon's most prominent opposition leader, said the fate of the country's Syrian-backed president should be decided after parliamentary elections in May. Jumblatt and other Lebanese opposition figures had called for Emile Lahoud to step down after last month's assassination of former Prime Minister Rafiq Al-Hariri. But the opposition, which is made up of several groupings, has sent mixed signals about when it wanted Lahoud to go. Asked if and when he thought Lahoud should resign, Jumblatt told reporters in Cairo: "It's not a priority now. The priority is elections, (and) a clear timetable for the withdrawal of the Syrians from Lebanon before the elections." "Then, after the result of the elections, we will see what will happen (about) the future for President Lahoud," he said. Lebanese officials say Lahoud is not considering stepping down. Lahoud called on Saturday for dialogue between loyalists and the opposition, a call which the opposition has dismissed. Al-Hariri's killing sparked Lebanese opposition and international pressure on Syria to withdraw from Lebanon before the May elections. The United States says a withdrawal is needed for parliamentary polls to be fair. Jumblatt said the opposition was in dialogue with Hizbullah but that disarming its guerrillas was a domestic issue. "On the subject of Hizbullah's weapons, this is an internal subject. We hope that we will reach a result through dialogue later, but, at this time, this subject of weapons is not under discussion," Jumblatt said after talks in Egypt's capital with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak. Meanwhile Lebanon's Shia movement Hizbullah has urged a new attempt to resolving Lebanon's political crisis, adding that only Israel will benefit from last Saturday morning's bomb blast in Beirut. After meeting with prominent Mufti Muhammad Rashid Qabbani on Saturday, Hassan Nasr Allah, the secretary-general of Hizbullah, stressed there were no grounds for sectarian strife between Shia and Sunnis in Lebanon. He reiterated his rejection of calls for Hizbullah to disarm, saying the movement's status was a strictly domestic matter. "It is a very dangerous incident," Nasr Allah said of an explosion early on Saturday in a Christian residential area that wounded 11 people and caused extensive damage. "Someone wants to increase tension and instability," he said, adding that "Israel is the beneficiary". He stressed, though, he was not levelling any "premature accusations". Nasr Allah also appealled to the anti-Syrian opposition to hold talks to find a way out of the political crisis. "We back any national dialogue that takes place. We will not tire of calling for national dialogue," he said, adding that "there are no grounds for civil war" and "we must not create grounds". Nasr Allah warned that closing the door to dialogue and condemning the other side "could take the country to an unsafe place and create an atmosphere that the enemies of Lebanon might use, as happened last night". Nasr Allah responded to a call for Hizbullah to disarm issued in Washington by Nasr Allah Sufair, patriarch of the Lebanese Maronite church. "I would have wished that the matter had not been dealt with in this way," Nasr Allah said. "Two representatives of the patriarch visited me before his departure and I told them that to take firm positions on this question would not be opportune. "We back any national dialogue that takes place ... We will not tire of calling for national dialogue," added Hizbullah chief Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah. "There are no grounds for civil war, but we must not create grounds." Meantime in Washington President Bush told Lebanon's Maronite Patriarch Cardinal Nasrallah Boutros Sfeir that his administration will work with members of the international community to insist upon Syria's complete withdrawal from Lebanon, so that Lebanon's upcoming parliamentary elections will be "free and fair." Speaking with reporters after meeting Cardinal Sfeir March 16 at the White House, Bush said they discussed "our deep desire for Lebanon to be a truly free country," where there is freedom of religion and expression and where "political parties can flourish." "I assured His Eminence that United States policy is to work with friends and allies to insist that Syria completely leave Lebanon," including its troops and intelligence services, Bush said, "so that the election process will be free and fair." Cardinal Sfeir expressed "deep gratitude" for Bush's interest in Lebanon, "the freedom of its people, and in peace in Lebanon and the world," and said the meeting had been a good opportunity for the two to exchange their views on the situation in Lebanon, as well as "the questions of freedom and democracy in our region." Sfeir expressed concern over the migration of Lebanese youth from their country due to lack of employment opportunities and "the suffocating political conditions at home." "We look forward to see these conditions reverse, because the future of Lebanon requires the talents and energy of all [its] children," Sfeir said. The patriarch said Lebanon was the first democratic country in the Middle East and "remains the home and the point of departure for the spread of democracy in the region." Cardinal Sfeir told the reporters he expects the complete withdrawal of Syrian forces from Lebanon, and he said that both U.N. Security Council Resolution 1559 and the 1989 Ta'if Agreement call for the withdrawal of all foreign troops. Maronite Patriarch Cardinal Nasrallah Butros Sfeir said the opposition could join the government if it is given half of the Cabinet seats, and told hundreds of Lebanese gathered in New York, a political vacuum should not occur in Lebanon. Sfeir who met senior US officials on his tour, including President George W. Bush, said ties with Syria should be strong, but made clear Syria must withdraw its troops from Lebanon. Earlier, after meeting UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, Sfeir called on Hizbollah to disarm. While crediting the group with liberating Southern Lebanon from Israeli occupation, he said there was no longer a need for them to be armed. U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan said he expected Syria to present a credible and precise timetable on a full withdrawal of its troops and security services from Lebanon by early next month. Annan told reporters after talks with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on the sidelines of an Arab summit in Algeria he would be sending his special envoy to Lebanon, Terje Roed-Larsen, in the first week of April. Annan is expected to hold discussion with Lebanon's Foreign Minister Mahmoud Hammoud. UN Secretary General Kofi Annan said full implementation of Security Council Resolution 1559, which was passed in September and which called for full withdrawal of Syrian forces from Lebanon and the disarming of militias, would follow. Annan said he would report to the Security Council once he got a timetable. Syria claimed it was willing to cooperate in implementing the resolution. Annan told reporters he 'had a very constructive discussion with President Assad and he reconfirmed his commitment to resolution 1559 and the withdrawal has begun and continues.' According to the Secretary General, Assad 'is working out a timetable in consultation with the Lebanese authorities and will withdraw his troops completely into Syrian territory, not just the troops but the security service, as well as all the logistical and material equipment into Syria.' Faced with mounting international pressure and Lebanese popular protest since the killing of former Prime Minister Rafiq Al-Hariri last month, Syria has completed the first stage of a two-phase plan to withdraw its troops from Lebanon, pulling them back to the Bekaa Valley and withdrawing 4,000 completely. A Syrian-Lebanese military committee is due to meet next month to agree a timetable for the withdrawal of the remaining 10,000 troops. The United States wants Syria to get its troops and intelligence agents out of Lebanon before general elections due in May. From his side Terje Roed-Larsen, who represents UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan in talks with the Lebanese and Syrian officials, said he had been concerned about the potential for violence in Lebanon both before and after the assassination of former prime minister Rafiq Al-Hariri. "I was and I continue to be deeply worried about the potential for violence in Lebanon," Roed-Larsen said. "This is why I am urging all parties concerned to cool down their tempers." Shortly after he expressed his fears, a car bomb exploded in Beirut early on Saturday wounding at least 10 people. Asked if he was concerned about an assassination of another senior Lebanese figure, Roed-Larsen replied: "Yes, I am indeed." He said the Lebanese should form a transitional government, continue investigating the killing of Al-Hariri and prepare for free and fair elections in May. Roed-Larsen said he expected Syria to withdraw all its troops from Lebanon before elections in May. He will travel to Beirut in the first week of April to verify the withdrawal for a 19 April report to the Security Council on Syrian compliance. A joint Lebanese-Syrian military commission is to meet on 7 April to set a timetable for the withdrawal of Syrian forces. The European Union's 25 leaders called on Syria Wednesday to ensure a complete retreat of its military and other security forces from neighboring Lebanon based on a detailed timetable. The leaders, meeting for a summit in Brussels, called on Syrian President Bashar Assad "to quickly implement commitments ... to remove all Syrian troops and security services from Lebanon." In a summit statement, they added the retreat should be carried out "based on a detailed timetable." The leaders reiterated their support for a "sovereign, independent and democratic Lebanon" as spelled out in recent United Nations resolutions on the issue. They also called for upcoming Lebanese parliamentary elections to be carried out "freely, openly and fairly according to the set date." The EU has said it would send election monitors to observe those elections, ensuring they were carried out correctly. In Washington sources said U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt is on the move in Atlantic Ocean and is possibly headed towards the Mediterranean Sea. There are indications that soon US is moving two more aircraft carrier battle groups to the Eastern Mediterranean Sea and the Persian Gulf. Outbound from Singapore, the USS Carl Vinson is currently crossing the Indian Ocean headed towards Middle-East. This will be the first time since February 2004 that US will have three major carrier groups stationed on and around Middle East. Each of these carrier groups carry nearly 85 aircrafts and is capable of deliver precision-guided munitions. In addition there are anti-submarine aircrafts, airborne-early-warning and rotary-wing aircrafts. Because in the air refueling capabilities these aircrafts can operate from a long distance. The carrier groups are independent and can operate indefinitely.