February 2, 2007

REVIEW OF THE CURRENT DEVELOPMENTS IN MEETINGS BETWEEN THE SAUDI AMBASSADOR AND LEBANESE SPEAKER BERRY AND PREMIER SANIORA. THE FORMER FOREIGN MINISTER: THERE ARE SIGNS FOR A SOLUTION TO THE CRISIS. PRINCE BANDAR IBN SULTAN AND SAAD AL-HARIRI MEET IN MOSCOW. Lebanon's Parliament Speaker Nabih Berry received the Saudi Ambassador to Lebanon Dr. Abdul Aziz Khojah. During the meeting, they discussed bilateral relations and the latest internal developments in Lebanon. Lebanon's Prime Minister Fouad Saniora received the Saudi Ambassador to Lebanon Dr. Abdul Aziz Khojah. During the meeting, they discussed bilateral relations and the latest internal developments in Lebanon. The Deputy Speaker of the Lebanese Parliament Farid Makari called on constitutional institutions in Lebanon, especially the House of Representatives to take responsibility in the re-launch of the political dialogue to end the crisis in the country. Makari also called for the activation of the role of the parliament so that in can go head to head with the successful outcome of the Paris III conference to support the Lebanese economy ... Stressing that the crisis is in nobody's interest and must be defused. He said that talks by Hezbollah's secretary-general Hassan Nasrallah's of rejecting sectarian strife and civil war is good and positive but not sufficient to ensure stability as long as the incitement from the media media and letters of treacheries continue. For his part, the resigned Lebanese Foreign Minister Fawzi Salloukh expressed satisfaction to the expected visit of the Secretary-General of the Arab League, Amr Moussa, to Beirut shortly saying that there are possibilities of a way out of the crisis. Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa will return to Lebanon next month in a new bid to find a way out of the country's political crisis, a Lebanese government source told Agence France Presse. "Amr Moussa is returning to Lebanon in early February, in the first two weeks of February," said the source. "He has some contacts and consultations to make before coming back to Lebanon." Fears that Lebanon's political crisis could develop into armed conflict grew after clashes last week between opposition and government supporters left at least seven people killed and more than 250 others wounded. Media reports have said that Premier Fouad Saniora, upon his return from the Paris III donors' conference last week, asked Moussa to resume his mediation between Lebanon's feuding parties. Meanwhile the army command stressed in a directive issued last Tuesday that throwing rocks and opening fire are equal offences, stressing that "what has happened will not recur." Text of the directive, relaying Army Commander Gen. Michael Suleiman's instructions to his troops, was distributed by the army command. It stressed that those who "open fire or throw rocks are equal in the eyes of the law. Throwing rocks is more painful and more humiliating." The army command, the directive pledged, would "not lax at all" in chasing offenders. "Let it be known that what has happened will not recur. You are required to enforce laws and instructions under the supervision of your superiors." The directive was apparently referring to the spate of violence that has swept Lebanon since last Tuesday in which at least seven people were killed and more than 250 wounded. Followers of anti and pro-government factions used sticks, iron rods and rocks against each other. Several soldiers were wounded in the mushrooming violence that spread when the opposition blocked roads to enforce a general strike it called last Tuesday. The daily Al Hayat on Wednesday said a 6,000-strong Lebanese army force was recently assigned to maintain peace and prevent any disorder. Al Hayat said the Lebanese army command, which continues to coordinate with Lebanon's Internal Security Forces, has lately set up a "new security plan for Beirut." It said Beirut, under the plan, was divided into "four security zones in which 6,000 soldiers were assigned to keep peace and prevent any security disturbance." The army command pledged in a directive issued Tuesday that "what has happened will not recur," a reference to the spate of violence that has swept Lebanon since last Tuesday in which at least seven people were killed and more than 250 wounded. "Let it be known that what has happened will not recur. You are required to enforce laws and instructions under the supervision of your superiors," Gen. Michel Suleiman said in the directive, addressed to army troops. On the other hand results of tests conducted by United Nations peacekeepers in Lebanon showed that balloons which drifted from Israel into southern Lebanon over the weekend did not contain dangerous gases, a Lebanese security official has said. The balloons sparked panic among villagers over the weekend amid rumors they were filled with poison gas. Still, their appearance spread alarm among Lebanese -- a sign of the tensions and suspicion that remain in the border region after last summer's war between Israel and Hezbollah that devastated much of the south. After the balloons were first discovered in the southern town of Nabatiyeh, the Lebanese army issued a communiqué warning residents not to touch them, pending an investigation. Pictures of the green, orange and black balloons were splashed across newspapers over the weekend and on Monday. The state-run National News Agency said the balloons contained toxic gas and had been dropped by Israeli military aircraft, further stoking public fears. At least eight people were hospitalized in southern Lebanon complaining of nausea, dizziness and low blood pressure following contact with the balloons, Lebanese newspaper reports and hospital officials said. Khalil Malli, a resident of Nabatiyeh, was the first to discover the balloons, finding a bunch tied together with ribbon in his backyard. He told Lebanese media that a "suspicious smell" emanated from them and when he spotted the Hebrew writing he alerted police and journalists in the area. Reports that balloons with Hebrew letters had popped up around Lebanon continued Monday, with the Future television reporting that balloons had appeared in Beirut. The report could not be independently confirmed. In Moscow the Head of the Future Bloc in Parliament urged Russia to continue supporting Lebanon, especially in the creation of an international tribunal to try the suspects in Prime Minister Rafic Hariri's assassination. At the beginning of a working visit to Moscow, MP Hariri also reiterated calls for national dialogue and said Syria is playing a very negative role. Speaking to the Itar-Tass news agency and Russia's Channel One TV station upon arrival from Riyadh, Head of the Future Bloc hailed Moscow's backing of Lebanon and said he will discuss with officials ways to stop continued foreign interference in Lebanese affairs. Mr. Hariri cited Russia's backing of Lebanese sovereignty and democracy. He also highlighted the importance of creating the international tribunal not only to punish the assassins, but to also put an end to acts of terrorism against Lebanon. In response to a question about Prime Minister Fouad Siniora's government, Head of the Future Bloc made clear that the government represents an elected majority in Parliament and that the Constitution must be respected. He stressed that the March 14 coalition is committed to Lebanon's sovereignty and democracy unlike the other parties. Asked if civil war might erupt, MP Hariri said this would require a political decision, adding the March 14 coalition is peaceful and did not resort to assassinations and violence. He also reaffirmed support for the Taif Accords. However, Mr. Hariri told reporters that Syria has been applying pressure on some groups to undemocratically topple Mr. Siniora's government. While he reiterated willingness to meet Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyid Hassan Nasrallah, Mr. Hariri pointed out that Iran has set no condition for engaging in dialogue with the West, but Hezbollah has been imposing conditions for resuming dialogue with other Lebanese. Parliament's majority leader Saad Hariri has ruled out a return to civil war, adding that the only way out of the current political crisis is through dialogue. "It is not true that there is civil war in Lebanon. A civil war involves the political decision of two sides. We are categorically against civil war," Hariri said in an interview with Interfax news agency in Moscow. "Our political message is maintaining peace, seeking the truth and respect for democracy and protecting human rights and the constitution," Hariri said. He reiterated that the parliamentary majority wants to restart national dialogue to find a settlement to the ongoing crisis that has gripped Lebanon since the resignation of six ministers in mid-November. The Hezbollah-led Opposition has been protesting outside government headquarters in downtown Beirut since Dec. 1 in an effort to bring down Prime Minister Fouad Saniora's government. "We (the parliamentary majority) want to hold talks with Hezbollah. Dialogue is the only way to resolve serious issues," Hariri said. The crisis sparked fears of a return to civil war when deadly clashes that started with a quarrel at the Beirut Arab University spread to the capital between pro- and anti-government supporters, leaving at least four people killed and more than 160 wounded. Asked whether Hezbollah could assume power in Lebanon, Hariri said that there is no such policy as "victor or vanquished" in Lebanon, adding that "everyone should come out of the crisis victorious." Saad Hariri had a friendly meeting with Prince Bandar Ibn Sultan Ibn Abdul Aziz Al Saud, Secretary of the National Security Council. Hariri said in a press statement that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Russia offers initiatives to normalize the situation in Lebanon to resume the dialogue between the government formed by the parliamentary majority and the opposition represented by Hezbollah. He stressed that he supported such a dialogue adding that many of the problems in the region were created by Syria and Iran. He hoped that the two countries would listen to "advice Moscow." Secretary of the Russian National Security Council Igor Ivanov said Lebanon should not be held a political hostage for the interests of other countries and should not be used as a bargaining chip "in the political game of various states." He also voiced strong support for the creation of an international tribunal to try the suspects in the "terrorist" attack that killed Prime Minister Rafic Hariri. At a news conference that followed Mr. Ivanov's recent visit to Iran and his talks in Moscow with Head of the Future Bloc in Parliament MP Saad Hariri, the Russian official backed initiatives by the Arab League and Saudi Arabia to settle the crisis in Lebanon. He said he discussed a possible Russian role in those initiatives with MP Hariri. He stressed that any settlement should take into account the interests of all parties in the country. The senior official also told reporters that the international tribunal has a specific mission and must be created to try those who carried out the attack against Premier Hariri, those who planned it, and those behind it. He added, the court should not be a source of instability or internal political conflict. However, Mr. Ivanov said there is disagreement over its creation. In Washington the State Department said that Israel may have misused American-made cluster bombs in civilian areas of Lebanon during its war against Hezbollah last summer. The department's spokesman, Sean McCormack, said a preliminary report on a U.S. investigation of the issue had been sent to Congress. He declined to provide details of the investigation. The United Nations said last summer that unexploded cluster bombs anti- personnel weapons that spray bomblets over a wide area litter homes, gardens and highways across southern Lebanon. When Israel buys cluster bombs and other lethal equipment from the United States, it must agree in writing to restrictions on their use. The report, McCormack said, "is not a final judgment." He declined to speculate on what action might be taken against Israel if Congress determined that a violation had been committed. He also said that U.S. agreements about the use of munitions were classified. Under the U.S. Arms Export Control Act, if the government finds that a foreign country violated agreements over how U.S-made weapons were used, the administration must draw up a report and send its findings to Congress. He said Israeli officials had been cooperative in providing information. The spokesman for the Israeli Foreign Ministry, Mark Regev, said Monday that "Israel takes the concerns raised by the U.S. extremely seriously" and had been as "forthcoming and transparent as possible." The United Nations Mine Action Coordination Center says that it is not illegal to use the cluster bombs against soldiers or enemy fighters, but that the Geneva Conventions bar their use in civilian areas. Relief organizations and the UN mine office have reported finding evidence that Israel used three types of U.S.-made cluster bombs during the 34-day war with Hezbollah, during which both sides fired rockets into populated areas. The mine office said in a report that it had found hundreds of bomblets of the types made by the United States among unexploded ordnance recovered in nearly 250 locations in southern Lebanon. Israel also makes its own cluster munitions. Cluster bombs are typically used against tanks and explode upon impact with steel. In the conflict in Lebanon, the shells were fired into urban and rural areas where Israel thought Hezbollah guerrillas might be hiding. Many did not explode. Israel said it was forced to hit civilian targets in Lebanon because Hezbollah fighters were using villages as a base for rocket launchers aimed at Israel. At least 850 Lebanese and 157 Israelis died in the fighting. The Bush administration repeatedly warned Israel to avoid civilian casualties during the war, but it refrained from direct criticism of Israeli tactics. The United States provides Israel with more than $2 billion in military aid each year. A number of nations are now paying for an effort trying to remove tens of thousands of the unexploded cluster bomblets across southern Lebanon.