Russia tied to Iraq's missing arms

The Washington Times
www.washingtontimes.com

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By Bill Gertz
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
Published October 28, 2004

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Russian special forces troops moved many of Saddam Hussein's weapons and related goods out of Iraq and into Syria in the weeks before the March 2003 U.S. military operation, The Washington Times has learned.
    John A. Shaw, the deputy undersecretary of defense for international technology security, said in an interview that he believes the Russian troops, working with Iraqi intelligence, "almost certainly" removed the high-explosive material that went missing from the Al-Qaqaa facility, south of Baghdad.
    "The Russians brought in, just before the war got started, a whole series of military units," Mr. Shaw said. "Their main job was to shred all evidence of any of the contractual arrangements they had with the Iraqis. The others were transportation units."
    Mr. Shaw, who was in charge of cataloging the tons of conventional arms provided to Iraq by foreign suppliers, said he recently obtained reliable information on the arms-dispersal program from two European intelligence services that have detailed knowledge of the Russian-Iraqi weapons collaboration.
    Most of Saddam's most powerful arms were systematically separated from other arms like mortars, bombs and rockets, and sent to Syria and Lebanon, and possibly to Iran, he said.
    The Russian involvement in helping disperse Saddam's weapons, including some 380 tons of RDX and HMX, is still being investigated, Mr. Shaw said.
    The RDX and HMX, which are used to manufacture high-explosive and nuclear weapons, are probably of Russian origin, he said.
    Pentagon spokesman Larry DiRita could not be reached for comment.
    The disappearance of the material was reported in a letter Oct. 10 from the Iraqi government to the International Atomic Energy Agency.
    Disclosure of the missing explosives Monday in a New York Times story was used by the Democratic presidential campaign of Sen. John Kerry, who accused the Bush administration of failing to secure the material.
    Al-Qaqaa, a known Iraqi weapons site, was monitored closely, Mr. Shaw said.
    "That was such a pivotal location, Number 1, that the mere fact of [special explosives] disappearing was impossible," Mr. Shaw said. "And Number 2, if the stuff disappeared, it had to have gone before we got there."
    The Pentagon disclosed yesterday that the Al-Qaqaa facility was defended by Fedayeen Saddam, Special Republican Guard and other Iraqi military units during the conflict. U.S. forces defeated the defenders around April 3 and found the gates to the facility open, the Pentagon said in a statement yesterday.
    A military unit in charge of searching for weapons, the Army's 75th Exploitation Task Force, then inspected Al-Qaqaa on May 8, May 11 and May 27, 2003, and found no high explosives that had been monitored in the past by the IAEA.
    The Pentagon said there was no evidence of large-scale movement of explosives from the facility after April 6.
    "The movement of 377 tons of heavy ordnance would have required dozens of heavy trucks and equipment moving along the same roadways as U.S. combat divisions occupied continually for weeks prior to and subsequent to the 3rd Infantry Division's arrival at the facility," the statement said.
    The statement also said that the material may have been removed from the site by Saddam's regime.
    According to the Pentagon, U.N. arms inspectors sealed the explosives at Al-Qaqaa in January 2003 and revisited the site in March and noted that the seals were not broken.
    It is not known whether the inspectors saw the explosives in March. The U.N. team left the country before the U.S.-led invasion began March 20, 2003.
    A second defense official said documents on the Russian support to Iraq reveal that Saddam's government paid the Kremlin for the special forces to provide security for Iraq's Russian arms and to conduct counterintelligence activities designed to prevent U.S. and Western intelligence services from learning about the arms pipeline through Syria.
    The Russian arms-removal program was initiated after Yevgeny Primakov, the former Russian intelligence chief, could not persuade Saddam to give in to U.S. and Western demands, this official said.
    A small portion of Iraq's 650,000 tons to 1 million tons of conventional arms that were found after the war were looted after the U.S.-led invasion, Mr. Shaw said. Russia was Iraq's largest foreign supplier of weaponry, he said.
    However, the most important and useful arms and explosives appear to have been separated and moved out as part of carefully designed program. "The organized effort was done in advance of the conflict," Mr. Shaw said.
    The Russian forces were tasked with moving special arms out of the country.
    Mr. Shaw said foreign intelligence officials believe the Russians worked with Saddam's Mukhabarat intelligence service to separate out special weapons, including high explosives and other arms and related technology, from standard conventional arms spread out in some 200 arms depots.
    The Russian weapons were then sent out of the country to Syria, and possibly Lebanon in Russian trucks, Mr. Shaw said.
    Mr. Shaw said he believes that the withdrawal of Russian-made weapons and explosives from Iraq was part of plan by Saddam to set up a "redoubt" in Syria that could be used as a base for launching pro-Saddam insurgency operations in Iraq.
    The Russian units were dispatched beginning in January 2003 and by March had destroyed hundreds of pages of documents on Russian arms supplies to Iraq while dispersing arms to Syria, the second official said.
    Besides their own weapons, the Russians were supplying Saddam with arms made in Ukraine, Belarus, Bulgaria and other Eastern European nations, he said.
    "Whatever was not buried was put on lorries and sent to the Syrian border," the defense official said.
    Documents reviewed by the official included itineraries of military units involved in the truck shipments to Syria. The materials outlined in the documents included missile components, MiG jet parts, tank parts and chemicals used to make chemical weapons, the official said.
    The director of the Iraqi government front company known as the Al Bashair Trading Co. fled to Syria, where he is in charge of monitoring arms holdings and funding Iraqi insurgent activities, the official said.
    Also, an Arabic-language report obtained by U.S. intelligence disclosed the extent of Russian armaments. The 26-page report was written by Abdul Tawab Mullah al Huwaysh, Saddam's minister of military industrialization, who was captured by U.S. forces May 2, 2003.
    The Russian "spetsnaz" or special-operations forces were under the GRU military intelligence service and organized large commercial truck convoys for the weapons removal, the official said.
    Regarding the explosives, the new Iraqi government reported that 194.7 metric tons of HMX, or high-melting-point explosive, and 141.2 metric tons of RDX, or rapid-detonation explosive, and 5.8 metric tons of PETN, or pentaerythritol tetranitrate, were missing.
    The material is used in nuclear weapons and also in making military "plastic" high explosive.
    Defense officials said the Russians can provide information on what happened to the Iraqi weapons and explosives that were transported out of the country. Officials believe the Russians also can explain what happened to Iraq's weapons of mass destruction programs.

Nationwide Uproar over 'Political Nonentities" of Karami's Government

Beirut, Updated 27 Oct 04, 09:28

Naharnet

Lebanon's new government, the first under President Lahoud's extended regime, got a hostile welcome from the four corners of the political spectrum Wednesday with dismayed loyalists expressing shock over the low caliber of most cabinet members and heavyweight opposition leaders deploring score-settling provocation. "Extension Government: Second Class, Disillusion and Provocation" roared an 8-column headline across An Nahar's front-page Wednesday morning. The newspaper noted that Beirut, the capital and the nation's biggest population center, was not represented in the 30-member cabinet under Premier Omar Karami. "The cooks of the new government have tried to lessen its gloom by bringing in two women. Yet it remains within the course that has extended a disabled regime, produced a crisis with the international community and maintained subjugation to Syrian hegemony," commented An Nahar. "The challenges are way beyond the new government's coping ability." "Government of Only Available ... Laced by 2 Ladies," exclaimed As Safir's page-one banner-line. The leftist daily noted that naming two women in the new cabinet was the only sterling accomplishment of the new prime minister, which ended nearly seven post-independence decades of total male domination. Perhaps the most eloquent description of the caliber of Karami's cabinet was Al Anwar's headline, which screamed "People Wondering about Hitherto Unheard of Political Non-Entities Making Up New Government." The new prime minister was obviously anticipating the public uproar of the poor lineup of the cabinet when he told reporters after the decrees were announced on Tuesday: "This is the best I could come up with. I can't bring down people from the moon." The new government took its formal photograph with President Lahoud at the Baabda palace at mid-morning Wednesday and then convened in its first meeting in Beirut to select a committee to write the policy statement that will be presented to Parliament for a vote of confidence later in the week.

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An open letter to President Lahoud

 

Mr. President:

 

I really have to congratulate you for the way you are holding yourself as a Lebanese President, elected to serve and protect the interest of Lebanon and its people.

A 3 year extension mandate is well deserved, it is the ultimate medal of honor for your loyalty, we are really proud of you. What can I say? History is going to remember you as the greatest subservient president, It is a great honor really; you  should walk with your head high. We are really grateful for reminding the International Community and the United Nation for the continuing role of Syria protecting Lebanon and its people. While you are at it, please thank the Syrians for protecting us from the daily Israeli fly over and from the invasion of 1982. Thank them for protecting us from Mr. Salim El-Louzi Mr. Kamal Jumblat,  President elect Bashir Gemayel, President elect Rene  Mouawad, Mufti Hassan Khalid, Mr. Dani Chamoun, his dangerous wife and 2 little kids.

You should also thank them for protecting us against all the innocent civilians detained and tortured in Syrian jails.  Thank them for the 15 innocent civilians who were rounded up and shot as a bonus on Oct 13th 1990 including 3 women. Thank them for your comrade officer who was asked to lay down flat on the ground while they ran a tank over him. How about the 200 civilians shot execution style after maiming their faces so they cannot be identified?? While you are on the subject, you should also give them a big thanks from all the Lebanese who died under torture in Syrian prisons and the massive grave sites of more than 2,800 skeletons, which was destroyed by the Mukhabarat as an attempt to dispose of any evidence. Lebanon should be grateful for all their efforts to preserve peace don't you think. Thank them for the political prisoners, for the national reconciliation, for an internationally admired judicial and for the new state of the art electoral system. Or maybe we should thank you for it Mr. president, it is your badge of honor. I have to admire you also, for taking Lebanon the extra mile and making it a model of Syria, a police state regime is the way of the future.

The Lebanese people are so grateful for linking their freedom and the Lebanese sovereignty with the peace process in the region, and the return of Golan Heights to Syria. While you at it, why not go all the way and link Lebanon's existence to Abou Sayaf in the Philippines, the Mauritanian movement and the Chechnyan baby killers of Russia?

 

I was really happy when I visited my country after 10 years, especially seeing the great view in front of the presidential palace the heart of our autonomy. I was really happy with the Syrian posts in front of our Universities to protect our freedom and to prevent the students from any self inflicting injuries. I was full of joy to see first hand, how the Syrians are protecting our Defense Ministry, it is really a pretty site. Lebanon should be proud of you!

However, since their presence is so appealing to Lebanon's world image and international reputation, why not ask them to have posts in front of every hotel. It would be great for tourism. I also heard, that the green monkeys from Mars are coming down to help the farmers. It would be wise if you ask the Syrians to go on full alert to stop the Martian invasion.

 

Mr. President;

Rest assure you will take your place as the greatest Lebanese president. History is keeping records.

 

Have a great Presidency.

An Ungrateful Lebanese

Murr Bows Out. Clearing the Way for Interior Minister Franjieh

Beirut, Updated 25 Oct 04, 18:28

Interior Minister Elias Murr has abruptly announced that he will decline to take up any cabinet post in the upcoming government of PM Omar Karami, dispelling widespread speculation that he would keep his post and paving the way for MP Suleiman Franjieh to replace him. The declaration has removed the most formidable obstacle standing between Premier-designate Omar Karami and the anticipated announcement of his cabinet, which will now take place on Tuesday. Murr, who is President Lahoud's son-in-law, made the announcement in a statement released around noon Monday, in which he thanked the Lebanese people for supporting him and took a thinly-veiled swipe at Franjieh. "I announce that I will decline to serve in the new cabinet after the issue of serving has become a struggle for positions and ministries." Franjieh, a most trusted Maronite ally of the Assad regime and a front-running contender for the Lebanese presidency once Lahoud's Syrian-sponsored extended term in office expires Nov. 24, 2007, has made it clear that his participation in any future government depends on receiving the ministry of the interior. "Mind you, I don't want Elias Murr's head,' said Franjieh, "I just want the interior ministry portfolio and that's final. No compromising." The Zghorta MP may also be set to receive other cabinet posts for his block in parliament, apparently as a prelude to grooming him for the 2007 presidency. Murr has held the post of interior minister for the past four years under outgoing Premier Rafik Hariri.

Near 'war' to free Lebanon

By Ahmed Al-Jarallah, Editor-in-Chief, the Arab Times AFTER long years of suffering under Nicolae Ceausescu the Romanians revolted against the dictator, seized the government and finally hanged him. Similarly the East Germans, who were tired of the communist regime of Erich Honecker, led a revolution which brought down the Berlin Wall and united East Germany with West Germany. When Milosevic launched his ethnic cleansing - killing thousands of Muslims in Bosnia-Herzegovina and Kosovo - the whole world rose up against him and brought him down with the might of airborne attacks.

The current Syrian regime is no different from any of these dictators with respect to its relations with its own people, Lebanon, Arab countries and the rest of the world. The Syrian regime is bone-headed and is following in the footsteps of its ancestors in Iraq, Romania, Germany and Serbia. By insisting on not leaving Lebanon and not abiding by UN resolutions it is leading Syrians further into isolation. The Syrian regime still wants to control Lebanon through instructions to the puppets it has installed in that country.

The Lebanese people will no longer put up with this charade because they are more united now. Soon they will explode against the Syrian regime, which thinks it can occupy Lebanon merely by sending a bunch of intelligence agents and soldiers. The Syrian regime is spreading lies that Lebanon will slide into a civil war if the Syrian army leaves its positions. This is a useless argument. The Syrian regime is aware guerilla warfare is effective against any organised army. The Lebanese, who have become experts in guerrilla warfare, know when they can strike the Syrian army causing maximum damages.

Syria, which has been fighting its war through Lebanon, believes it can use the same tactics against the Americans. It is dangerously wrong this time because the Lebanese have sought the help of the United States. It is no longer taboo for an Arab country to seek the help of foreigners, especially since Syria has crossed all limits. Except for the militias, a minority who supported the extension of Emile Lahoud's term, the Lebanese have disclosed their true feelings vis-a-vis the Syrians though newspapers, satellite television channels and Internet. The Lebanese militias are aware of the changing international realities and know the tide is turning against the Syrian regime.

The Lebanese have changed their opinion about Syria and reveal their true emotions in private. Their encouragement of Syria to be strong and stubborn is a ruse to make the Syrian regime an easy prey for the Lebanese with the support of international forces. Syria may face guerrilla warfare in Lebanon. This is to be expected and should be excused because Lebanon wants to regain its dignity and be a free country. When this war starts, Arabs and the rest of the world will provide Lebanese all the support they need to achieve their legitimate goal.

Karami Having Trouble Swallowing Syrian Recipe of New Government

Premier-Designate Omar Karami is having trouble getting major opposition and loyalist figures from the Christian community into Lebanon's new government, prompting him to decline to set a specific deadline for announcing the cabinet lineup, An Nahar reported Saturday.

"This has lent a heat to the scene, probably designed to show that things are not attainable in line the recipe of the Syrian cook, who has cooked the extension meal as well as the meal of getting Prime Minister Rafik Hariri out of power," An Nahar commented.

Adding to Karami's domestic difficulties was a new assertion on the external level by the United States that the Bush administration remained "extremely concerned about the existing situation in Lebanon, which is the product of Syria's intervention."

Locally, the insistence of Syria's long-trusted Maronite ally Suleiman Franjieh is the most complicated hitch facing Karami, who told reporters at the end of day long consultations with parliamentary blocs Friday "Franjieh is a basic pillar in the new government and there won't be cabinet without him."

Franjieh, widely tipped as a frontrunner for the presidency after Gen. Lahoud's extended term expires Nov. 24, 2007, has again insisted on getting the interior ministry as a precondition to join the new government. His northern bloc in parliament has conveyed this position to Karami.

Franjieh's demand, however, is absolutely unacceptable to President Lahoud, who insists on retaining his son-in-law Elias Murr in this key government post, An Nahar and other Beirut dailies said.

The second major handicap Karami is trying to surmount is to break the sworn rejection to join the new government by the Qornet Shahwan coalition of center-right opposition politicians.

For this purpose, An Nahar said, Karami held 15-minutes of closed-door talks with Patriarch Nasrallah Sfeir at his seat in Bkirki Friday night, seeking a behest by the head of the Maronite Church to have Qornet Shahwan to accept two seats in the new government.

But Cardinal Sfeir, an avowed opponent of Syria's unrelenting tutelage over Lebanon, gave Karami an elusive response. "I don't have the right to encourage or discourage anyone about joining the government," An Nahar quoted Sfeir as saying.

On the opposite corner of Lebanon's political spectrum, Hizbullah has declined to have any seat in the new government but said its 12-man bloc in Parliament would vote 'yes' for the Karami cabinet.

A realistic Analysis of a Historic Security Council Stance

Beirut, 21 Oct 04, By Gebran Tueni

Finally the UN Security Council has unanimously endorsed the long-awaited presidential statement. It is a very important statement that constitutes a quantum leap in the international approach to the Lebanese issue and confirms that the Security Council is serious about his intention to help Lebanon recover its independence, sovereignty and freedom of decision. No doubt that the importance of the statement lies in the fact that it is annexed to the resolution 1559 and the UN Secretary General's report. And unlike the resolution 1559, it was unanimously approved. This means that the unanimous endorsement of the implementation mechanism of the resolution 1559 is tantamount to a unanimous endorsement of the resolution itself and the Secretary General's report. This is a triumph for the Lebanese people who are eager to see their country recover its independence, sovereignty and freedom of decision, as well as a triumph for the international community, especially France and the United States that sponsored the resolution. This important achievement was an indirect answer to the declarations of Syria's "Talleyrand", the Syrian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Farouk Al-Sharaa who described the resolution as trivial and unimportant. He thus reflected the lowness with which Syria deals with the international issues and overlooked the importance of the resolution given the regional situation. Therefore, we ask Mr. Al-Sharaa: Have the Security Council, the international community and the United Nations become trivial in his opinion? Has the whole world become trivial in the opinion of the "bright" minister because it asserted its attachment to Lebanon's independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity? Anyway, the international community is familiar with the irresponsible or rather trivial comments and declarations of Mr. Al-Sharaa, especially those that are in direct relation with the Lebanese affairs! The presidential statement unanimously endorsed by the Security Council, the resolution 1559 and the Annan's report on the implementation of the resolution are complementary and integral documents. Although Syria was not mentioned in the resolution, the report named it and considered that it intervened in the Lebanese presidential election and the constitutional amendment in order to extend President Lahoud's mandate. Most importantly, the Presidential statement stipulates that the Secretary General must submit a report on the implementation of the resolution 1559 to the Security Council every six months. This means that the mechanism of implementation has been endorsed by virtue of this historic statement and that the Council can hold a meeting whenever it deems necessary, to follow up the implementation of the provisions of resolution 1559. This mechanism also confirms the seriousness of the members of the Security Council and their insistence on the implementation of the resolution so that it would not become a dead letter! In spite of the official Lebanese and Syrian stances that oppose the resolution, there is a fundamental reality that cannot be denied. Everyone who is keen on Lebanon must support all the provisions of the resolution of the Security Council that, contrary to the accusations, did not intervene in the Lebanese internal affairs but took an initiative compatible with the UN Charter that stipulates the need to protect the member states, their entity and their freedom of decision against any external interference in their domestic affairs. We may not hear public declarations that support the resolution 1559 for reasons that are known to everybody. However, the resolution was welcomed by the majority of the Lebanese people who considered that it was the first time the international community took a serious action to put an end to a dark episode of its relations with Lebanon thus transforming it from a scene of conflicts into a homeland. Nevertheless, this does not mean that the resolution 1559 is tantamount to a declaration of war on Syria by its supporters. Nor should it lead to a declaration of war by Syria on the resolution's advocates. On the contrary, if the Lebanese and Syrian officials adopt a positive approach at the level of the political performance, this may put an end to the predicament and lead to a reconciliation with the Lebanese interior and the international community. In fact, it is really naïve to think that the answer to resolution 1559 can be through the transformation of Lebanon into a police state ruled by a one-line and one-man government that enters into confrontation with the inside and outside at the same time! This would be a dangerous jump into the unknown and have a negative impact on both Lebanon and Syria, as well as on confidence building that is needed to put things back on track between the two countries. The right way to find a solution to the current impasse is through openness, dialogue, acceptance of the others and positive participation in the reestablishment of the Lebanese political life on sound and clear bases in a calm and peaceful atmosphere that allows to make up for the errors and disorder resulting form the extension of Lahoud's term and restore equilibrium in the Lebanese-Syrian relations.

Syrian Ally Named as Lebanon's Premier

BEIRUT, Oct. 21 -- Lebanon's president appointed a staunchly pro-Syrian politician, Omar Karami, as prime minister on Thursday, asking him to form the next government in a move that consolidates Syria's hold on Lebanese politics.

Karami, 70, replaces Rafiq Hariri, a billionaire who has had a long rivalry with President Emile Lahoud, a close ally of Syria. Hariri had said he would not continue as prime minister in the new government.

The shake-up came as the United Nations increased the pressure on Syria to end its long domination of Lebanon. In defiance of the U.N. Security Council, Lebanon's parliament recently extended Lahoud's six-year term, which was due to expire in November, by three years.

The issue has divided Lebanon's leadership, creating the nation's worst political crisis since the end of the 1975-90 civil war, and put the country and Syria in confrontation with the United States and France at the United Nations. Syria has 14,000 troops in Lebanon.

Hariri, who enjoys wide-ranging international contacts, was seen as less dependent on Syria than many other politicians. Analysts said his departure cleared the field for a Lebanese government whose ministers are all loyal to Syria.

Lahoud named Karami after polling legislators, according to a statement read by Lahoud's spokesman, Rafiq Shalala. But the appointment was marred by a boycott by nearly a quarter of the legislature -- lawmakers opposed to Syrian domination of their country.

An informal poll of legislators indicated that Karami, who was prime minister in 1990-92, had the support of at least 71 of the parliament's 128 members.

This week the Security Council repeated its appeal to Syria to stop interfering in Lebanese politics and withdraw its army from Lebanon.

 

Source: washingtonpost

Friday, October 22, 2004; Page A19

Secretary Powell on Syria

Interview by Hany El-Konayyesi of Abu Dhabi TV
  Secretary Colin L. Powell
  Washington, DC
  October 21, 2004

MR. EL-KONAYYESI: Moving to Syria, what would be the next step after the latest Security Council, the rejection of the latest Security Council resolution on Syrian withdrawal from Lebanon? What's, what will be the next step towards  Syria?

  SECRETARY POWELL: Well, the next step has been taken by the Security Council to  the issuance of a Presidential Statement -- takes note of the fact that Syria still does not respect the UN resolution. And when we see the personnel changes  that have taken place with Mr. Hariri stepping down and others coming into positions of power who are even more closely linked to Syria, once again shows that Syria is playing an inappropriate role in political life and in the civic life of the Lebanese people. And that is what this resolution was about.
Syria should allow the Lebanese people to decide how they will be governed, and they ! should remove their military forces from Lebanon after all these years.And the United Nations will continue to monitor this, and we'll be asking for reports on a regular basis.
And I hope the Syrians realize that we are now in a new age. Things are different. And it is time for them to examine their strategic position on
policies they have been following and adopt policies that are more relevant to the new world that we're in.

  MR. EL-KONAYYESI: Are you planning any extra sanctions, any plans to put more pressure on the Syrians?

  SECRETARY POWELL: We always are reviewing our obligations under the Syria
  Accountability Act, but I have nothing to announce today.

Lebanese Premier Quits in Sign of Tension on Syria

Cabinet Dissolved as Pressure Builds Over Larger Neighbor's Political Influence, Military Presence

By Scott Wilson
Washington Post Foreign Service
Thursday, October 21, 2004; Page A20

AMMAN, Jordan, Oct. 20 -- Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri resigned Wednesday in a sign of deepening divisions within Lebanon's fragile government over the decisive role that Syria, a larger and powerful neighbor, plays in Lebanon's political life.

Hariri, one of Lebanon's leading postwar political figures, submitted his resignation to President Emile Lahoud, dissolved his cabinet and said he would not form the country's next government. He will return to parliament, where he helps lead a bloc of Christian and Muslim legislators increasingly opposed to Lahoud, a Maronite Christian whose term in office was extended last month under pressure from the Syrian government.

Hariri's resignation poses a new test for Lebanon's postwar constitution, which distributes power among the country's Christian president, Sunni Muslim prime minister and Shiite Muslim speaker of parliament. Lahoud must now hold talks with parliament to select a new cabinet, and Hariri's successor must be another Sunni. But many Sunnis have opposed Lahoud since he accepted the term extension.

Hariri stepped down as there is growing international pressure on Lebanese politicians to more forcefully turn against Syria's long-standing presence in their country. Although his departure was not entirely unexpected, it will likely deepen the perception that Lebanon, which is among the Middle East's most economically vibrant and socially progressive countries, has entered a period of political tumult. The billionaire real estate tycoon has been a reassuring symbol to Lebanon's international lenders and potential investors because the fiscal program he favored called for budget cuts and privatizations to help reduce the country's heavy debt.

Hariri gave no official reason for his resignation, but he suggested in an interview this month that if he left the government, it would be over differences with the president regarding Syria's influence in Lebanese politics.

"I want Lebanon to be democratic, not only by respecting free speech, human rights and elections, but also respecting international law and acting as part of the international community," Hariri said during the interview at his palatial home. "Lebanon is still a democratic country, but we are trying to solve our own problems."

Syria has maintained roughly 20,000 troops in Lebanon since the early days of the civil war, which ended in 1990 with a power-sharing agreement between rival Christian and Muslim militias. The soldiers and an extensive intelligence network have emerged over the years as instruments of Syrian power in Lebanon, but their presence has been increasingly opposed by many Lebanese.

Last month, parliament voted to grant Lahoud, the former head of the army, a three-year term extension. The move was made under pressure from President Bashar Assad of Syria, who, according to Western diplomats and political analysts, may have worried that the Lebanese presidential election scheduled for November would undermine Syrian influence.

Moving unsuccessfully to head off the term extension, the U.N. Security Council approved a resolution in early September calling for "all foreign troops" to be removed from Lebanon -- a not-so-tacit reference to Syria. The resolution also requested that Syrian-sponsored militias operating in southern Lebanon be disarmed. U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan reported this month that no progress had been made on the resolution, which was sponsored by the United States and France.

The Security Council issued a statement Tuesday reiterating its demands and calling for semiannual status reports from Annan on the matter. At the same time, several U.S. lawmakers have urged President Bush to freeze the assets of Lebanese and Syrian officials until the terms of the resolution are met.

The proposal alarmed Hariri, who has vast real estate, computer and investment holdings in the United States and other countries. He summoned the U.S. ambassador in Beirut to a meeting last week to express his concern.

The ambassador, Jeffrey Feltman, told reporters after the meeting that freezing assets was only an "idea." But, Feltman added, "the proposal does reflect the very strong concern within the U.S. Congress about supporting the full independence and sovereignty of the Republic of Lebanon."

2-Hour Berri Ultimatum Spurs Hariri to 'Turn Lebanon to God's Trust'

Beirut, Updated 21 Oct 04, 14:13

 

Rafik Hariri's dramatic resignation spread a maze of media speculations Thursday and An Nahar said his departure resulted from a 2-hour ultimatum by Speaker Berri to oust the prime minister unless he makes a graceful exit before the deadline. Berri served the threat in a 10-minute meeting with Hariri at parliament right after the Speaker's weekly meeting with president Lahoud at the Baabda palace at mid-morning Wednesday. "When Hariri said he wanted to consult with the 'Syrian brothers,' Berri told him 'Syria has told you and told me it will not interfere'," An Nahar reported. "Hariri then left the parliament building to his Koreitem mansion and wrote the letter of resignation coupled with an assertion that he won't form the new government, ending it with the powerfully moving farewell phrase of 'I trust revered Lebanon and its good people to God Almighty'," An Nahar narrated. Hariri then drove to the Baabda palace and Berri called him by telephone on the way, saying 'you have two hours to submit the resignation of the government. Otherwise, seven cabinet ministers will resign'." "Does the president have seven cabinet ministers of his own to make them resign?" Hariri wondered. "Three are his and four are mine," Berri shot back, according to An Nahar. Hariri turned his letter of resignation to Lahoud in a 5-minute meeting at the Baabda palace. And Lahoud immediately accepted the resignation and as Hariri's departing government to care take until a new cabinet is formed. An Nahar argued that Berri could not have taken such attitude without Syria's consent. "Dramatic developments could have happened if Hariri had not hurried to submit the resignation letter." It said Berri could have engineered a no-confidence motion to topple Hariri in Parliament. "Hariri Been Pushed into a De Facto Resignation," wailed an eight-column headline across the front-page of the pro-Hariri Beirut daily Al Liwa."

Ros-Lehtinen Reaffirms Need to Increase Pressure on Syrian Regime

 

Washington, DC ---- Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, Chair of the Subcommittee on the Middle East and Central Asia of the House of Representatives, notes with great interest the resignation of Lebanon’s Prime Minister and the recent United Nations actions, and calls for increased pressure on the Syrian regime and certain Lebanese officials, in order to bring an end to Syria’s unacceptable behavior.

 

Ros-Lehtinen, co-author of the Syrian Accountability and Lebanese Sovereignty Restoration Act implemented by the President earlier this year, recently asked President Bush to exercise his authorities under the Act and his May 11, 2004 Executive Order and freeze the assets of any individual who is found to be contributing to Syria's occupation of Lebanon, support of terrorism, and pursuit of unconventional weapons.

 

Ros-Lehtinen affirms: “I am gratified by recent developments at the United Nations relating to Lebanon, particularly the September 2^nd UN Security Council Resolution and yesterday’s Council statement, calling for an immediate withdrawal of Syrian forces from Lebanon.  This is a clear example of U.S. leadership and commitment, driving the international community to take action to end Syrian occupation of Lebanon and to hold Syria accountable for its repeated and flagrant violations of its international obligations.”

 

“We must maintain the pressure on the Syrian regime and its accomplices in Lebanon if we are to help bring an end to Syria’s activities that threaten U.S. and global security and undermine the forces of freedom in the region,” added Ros-Lehtinen.

 

U.S. Says Syria's Feet "Kept to the Fire" in Lebanon

The United States has expressed satisfaction with the Security Council's presidential statement that reinstructed Syria to leave Lebanon in compliance with resolution 1559, saying it will keep Syria's feet to the fire. "We're pleased because it's unanimous," said U.S. deputy ambassador Anne Patterson. "It's a strong signal from all the members of the Security Council that this is a worldwide problem that will be reviewed every six months." "It will keep Syria's feet to the fire on complying with the requirements of the resolution --and the requirements of the resolution ... are not to interfere in Lebanon's internal political processes, and to get the Syrian troops out of Lebanon. And those are important issues," Patterson said. France also expressed satisfaction with the mechanism that the presidential statement has set up to monitor Syria's departure from Lebanon. "We all know that the resolution would not be implemented overnight," French ambassador Jean-Marc de La Sabliere told reporters. "We will now look forward to the next report when it comes six months from now." (AP-AFP) Oct 20, 10:13 AM EDT

Kuwait Calls on Syria and Lebanon to Implement Resolution 1559

Beirut, 20 Oct 04, 09:43

Kuwait's foreign minister has urged Damascus and Beirut to comply with UN Security Council Resolution 1559 that calls for the withdrawal of all foreign troops from Lebanon, in remarks published on Monday. "I hope that wisdom will push the Syrian and Lebanese leaderships to deal positively with Resolution 1559," Sheikh Mohammad al-Sabah told the London-based Arab newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat. "It is an international resolution and we all should respect it. "Syria realizes the importance of this resolution ... Syria said it respects the resolution, but the issue now is in translating this respect to acts on the ground," Sheikh Mohammad said. Kuwait's chief diplomat, however, recalled that Syrian forces in Lebanon were not occupation forces as they were initially deployed under an Arab League decision to help stop the 1975-1990 Lebanese civil war. Sheikh Mohammad said the resolution also applied to the Israeli presence in the disputed Shabaa Farms border region of southern Lebanon. "Resolution 1559 is now part of the international legality and we call on all to respect this legality," said the foreign minister. "We in Kuwait are aware of the special Syrian-Lebanese relationship, but we believe the resolution must be implemented within the framework of this special relationship," he said. Kuwait's Al-Siyassah newspaper, known for its anti-Syrian stance, slammed Syria on Sunday for failing to withdraw its troops from Lebanon and warned that the Damascus regime should learn the lesson of Saddam Hussein's ouster in Iraq. Syria, which joined the 1991 Gulf War to liberate Kuwait from Iraqi occupation, opposed last year's US-British invasion of Iraq which ousted Saddam and indirectly criticized Arab states backing it, mainly Kuwait. But Syrian-Kuwaiti ties at the official level were not disrupted by the row over Iraq, although the Kuwaiti press has repeatedly attacked Damascus. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad paid a two-day official visit to Kuwait in June and his talks focused on improving political and economic cooperation between the two Arab states.(AFP)

Security Council urges Syria to withdraw troops from Lebanon

UN News Service

19 October 2004 – The United Nations Security Council today again urged Syria to withdraw its remaining troops from neighbouring Lebanon and asked Secretary-General Kofi Annan to continue reporting any progress.

The Council issued a statement read out by Ambassador Adam Thomson of the United Kingdom, which holds the Council’s rotating presidency this month, voicing its concern that “the requirements set out in resolution 1559 have not been met, as reported by the Secretary-General.”

That resolution, narrowly adopted on 2 September just ahead of elections in Lebanon, declared the Council’s support for polling free from outside influence, and called for the withdrawal of all remaining foreign forces, the disbanding of all militias and the extension of Government control over the entire country.

Mr. Annan said in a report earlier this month that aside from a UN peacekeeping force, the only significant foreign forces deployed in Lebanon at the end of September were Syrian. He said Damascus indicated having some 14,000 troops still inside its smaller neighbour, stationed near the border, and that it had redeployed about 3,000 other forces.

According to that report, both Lebanon and Syria said that the timing of further withdrawals would be determined by the security situation in Lebanon and the region, but both countries said they could not provide a schedule for such action.

Today’s statement reaffirmed the Council’s “strong support for the territorial integrity, sovereignty and political independence of Lebanon within its internationally recognized borders.”

It also urged “relevant parties to implement fully all provisions of [the] resolution and welcomes the Secretary-General’s readiness to assist the parties in this regard.”

UN Security Council Unanimously Demands Syrian Withdrawal from Lebanon

 

The U.N. Security Council on Tuesday again urged Syria to withdraw its remaining 14,000 troops from Lebanon and called for reports from U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan every six months on its compliance. It was the second time in six weeks that the council demanded that Syria pull out its troops. All 15 council members agreed on the presidential statement, which was read at a formal Security Council meeting by Britain's deputy U.N. ambassador Adam Thomson, whose country currently holds the council presidency. The Security Council adopted a resolution on Sept. 2 calling on Syria to pull out all its troops from its smaller neighbor. Annan reported on Oct. 1 that Syria had not withdrawn its forces, and that Lebanon had failed to disband and disarm all Lebanese and non-Lebanese militias, as demanded by the council. The presidential statement adopted Tuesday aims to keep up the pressure on both Damascus and Beirut. In the statement, the council "notes with concern that the requirements set out in (the Sept. 2) resolution have not been met" and "urges relevant parties to implement fully all provisions of this resolution." Algeria, the only Arab member on the Security Council, had procrastinated over a proposal that would have had Annan report every 3 months on progress of the implementation of resolution 1559. A presidential statement must have the approval of all 15 members of the council to pass. France had circulated a draft for a second resolution calling on Syria by name to withdraw from Lebanon. The resolution would have needed only a 9-6 majority to pass, provided no Security Council member with a permanent seat casts a veto vote.(AP-Naharnet)

Beirut, Updated 19 Oct 04, 17:27

A U.N. Security Council presidential statement urged Syria to withdraw from Lebanon

A U.N. Security Council presidential statement urged Syria to withdraw its remaining 14,000 troops from Lebanon and called for reports from U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan every six months on its compliance.

 

U.N. Begins Last-Ditch Effort to Get Syria Out and Hizbullah Disarmed

The U.N. Security Council begins a last-ditch effort in New York on Monday to decide how to coerce Lebanon into disarming Hizbullah and Syria into withdrawing its entire armed force from Lebanon. A Kuwait newspaper has in the meantime warned President Assad's regime against intransigence, saying it risks meeting the same dramatic fate of Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein. All 15 members of the Security Council are expected to hammer out a unanimously endorsed presidential statement to be announced late night Monday in order to stop France and the United States from convening a Council session on Tuesday to vote on a new resolution tougher than 1559, An Nahar reported. In Kuwait, the newspaper Al Siyassah has strongly criticized Syria's refusal to withdraw its troops from Lebanon and warned that the Assad regime should learn the lesson of Saddam Hussein's ouster in Iraq to avert meeting the same fate. "Is there really any hope that the Syrian regime... will learn from previous examples and immediately... withdraw from Lebanon so as to save itself and not collapse like Saddam's regime," Al-Siyassah wondered in a page-one editorial Sunday, which was highlighted by the Beirut press on Monday. It concluded that there is no such hope "because the Syrian regime... in essence is similar to Saddam's regime, particularly in its failure to understand international realities." The editorial could reflect adversely on Kuwait's relations with Syria.(Naharnet-AFP)

Beirut, Updated 18 Oct 04, 10:46

U.S., France May Pull UNIFIL out, Break 'Hell Loose' in S. Lebanon

Naharnet Beirut, Updated 14 Oct 04, 09:48

Fears are reportedly growing that the U.S. and France may engineer a withdrawal of the U.N. peace force from south Lebanon if the Beirut and Damascus governments remain intransigent against Security Council resolution 1559, which demands a total Syrian military pullout and a timetabled disarmament of Hizbullah. A report in a Beirut daily said Thursday that sources at the Lebanese mission to the United Nations in New York have warned of a Franco-American endeavor in the work to tie the renewal of UNIFIL's mandate next January to the implementation of 1559. The report coincided with the shrill of alarm bells sounded by the former official spokesman and political advisor of UNIFIL, Timur Goksel, who warned that all hell would break loose on the Lebanon-Israel border if the U.N. force is withdrawn. "Hizbullah fighters and Israeli troops look eye-to-eye at the borderline nowadays," Goksel said in an interview published Thursday by Premier Hariri's Al Mustaqbal newspaper. "A UNIFIL pullout will effectively mean that both belligerent sides would have no third party to go to in order to harness an outbreak of violence." Goksel said the United States and France were serious about the enforcement of resolution 1559 and they may take pressure on Lebanon to a higher peak when UNIFIL's mandate comes up for a renewal at the Security Council next January. "The Lebanese should stop dreaming. The Americans and French are serious this time," Goksel said. "As far as UNIFIL is concerned, Lebanon will face one of two options: either a slash-down of UNIFIL's current size by half, or down to 1,000 and this automatically would narrow UNIFIL's area of operations and lessen its effectiveness, or the reduction of its mandate from 6 to 3 months, which is as negative a signal to Lebanon as the scale-down." Goksel cautioned the governments of Lebanon and Syria against minimizing the threat they face in connection with 1559 and the UNIFIL mandate. "It is unwise to turn their backs to the issue." He said Lebanon and Syria made mistakes in the operation of extending President Lahoud's term in office. They should have offered explanations at home and to the International community about the justifications. "Instead, the constitutional amendment and the extension were done inside of 24 hours without any scene-setting." Goksel said France is Lebanon's number one 'international guarantor' and would not abandon the Lebanese, noting that the United States cares more about its Iraq problems than about Lebanon. Goksel is an authority on international relations. He retired from UNIFIL last year but opted to stay on in Lebanon, teaching his specialty in Beirut universities.

U.S. Wants Hizbullah Disarmed and Syria to Quit Lebanon 'at Once'

Naharnet Beirut, Updated 13 Oct 04, 14:16   The United States has manifested an unrelenting drive to have the U.N. Security Council crack the whip on the Beirut and Damascus governments for a an immediate withdrawal of the Syrian army from Lebanon and the prompt disarmament of Hizbullah. "The U.S. wants to see the disarmament of Hizbullah and Hamas beginning at once along with the withdrawal of the Syrian army from Lebanon," said U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell in fresh assertion of the Bush administration's intent to squeeze Lebanon and Syria into bowing to U.N. resolution 1559. "We believe that the time has come for the Lebanese to be able to decide their own future without the presence of the Syrian army, which is operated from Damascus," Powell said in an interview aired by the U.S.-run Al Horra satellite network from Dubai late Tuesday night. It was splashed by several Beirut dailies Wednesday morning. Powell's tough position coincided with signals from Paris that France would no doubt seek a new Security Council resolution tougher than 1559 if current consultations among the ambassadors of the 15 member-states fail to produce unanimity over a Chairmanship Statement on the issue. An Nahar's Paris correspondent George Sassin quoted French officials as asserting that President Chirac is adamant about having the process of the Syrian withdrawal and Hizbullah's disarmament be monitored by the U.N., with Secretary-General Kofi Annan making quarterly reports about the progress. French officials also shrugged off reports that the United States would seek the withdrawal of the U.N. peacekeeping force from south Lebanon if Syria fails to begin a time-tabled withdrawal from the rest of the country.

Beirut, Updated 13 Oct 04, 14:16

U.S., France Harden Stance Against Lebanon, Syria for Defying 1559

The United States and France were reported Tuesday to have hardened their stance about the joint defiance by Lebanon and Syria of U.N. resolution 1559 that demands a timetabled Syrian military pullout and a timetabled disarmament of Hizbullah by Lebanese authorities. The U.S. and French ambassadors to the United Nations canceled a scheduled conference of experts from the 15-member-states of the Security Council in New York Monday to iron out differences about the way with which to deal with the defiance, Several Beirut newspapers reported on Tuesday. Instead, the U.S. and France launched a joint new effort to convene a full-fledged consultations session at an ambassadorial level on Tuesday or Wednesday to decide whether to release a unanimous chairmanship statement or go for a new resolution tougher than 1559, which needs only a majority of 9 votes. The 6 member-states who opposed 1559 early in the month are still angling for the omission of Syria's name from a chairmanship statement in connection with the withdrawal of all foreign forces from Lebanon, but the Bush administration and President Chirac insist on singling Syria out for leaving Lebanon. The Beirut government has told the U.N. that it would not accept any form of international mechanism to monitor a disarmament of Hizbullah, while Washington and Paris are getting more uncompromising about a monitoring system under which the U.N. would be reporting by-monthly on the process, according to the Beirut media.

Beirut, Updated 12 Oct 04, 11:19

5 Cigarette Butts May Help Trace Hamadeh's Would-Be Assassin

Five cigarette butts have been lifted from a staircase overlooking the scene of Marwan Hamadeh's assassination attempt in the first potential clue to the remote-control detonator who car-bombed the ex-Economy Minister's motorcade in Beirut six days ago, Premier Hariri's Al Mustaqbal newspaper reported on Wednesday. The report, which could not be immediately confirmed or denied by police or judicial investigators, said four of the cigarettes were smoked completely and the fifth was half-smoked, indicating the bomber hurriedly quenched it and pressed the bombing button when he spotted the motorcade clearly by naked eye, the newspaper said. "All five cigarettes were from the same make and were found in the same spot at the stairway, which suggests they were smoked by the bomber, because a passerby would not have left more than one cigarette butt at the same spot," Al Mustaqbal said. It said the stairway where the car-bomb ambusher waited was suitably distant from the bombing scene, providing at the same time an unobstructed naked eye view with no barriers against the radio waves of the remote-control set to detonate the car bomb. "The spot the ambusher used for hiding also provides a safe escape route uphill to Bliss Street near the Hobeish police station," the newspaper said. Hobeish is about one kilometer inland from the bombing scene at Ein Mreisseh seaside boulevard. Al Mustaqbal said forensic experts were examining the cigarette butts for possible latent fingerprints or saliva traces that could help a DNA test.

Beirut, Updated 06 Oct 04, 09:14

Hamadeh Blames Lebanese Authorities for Attempt to Assassinate Him

Resigning Economy Minister Marwan Hamadeh has squarely held Lebanon's security departments and judicial authorities responsible for the car-bombing assassination attack that he survived but claimed the life of his official escort, doubting that their ongoing investigation would produce results. "The record of investigation into similar crimes in the past is uninspiring and has constituted an indictment of the authorities supposedly responsible for our security as Lebanese citizens," Hamadeh said in the first statement he issued from his AUH sickbed since the attempted assassination six days ago. He was obviously referring to the chain of unproductive probes into the assassination of such towering Lebanese figures as President Rene Mouawad in 1989, President-Elect Bashir Gemayel in 1982 and Prime Minister Rashid Karami in 1987, among others. Hamadeh, 65, made this vow as a member of parliament and of Walid Jumblat's National Struggle Front and member of the Higher Council of the Lebanese Press: "I shall work in my last remaining days to uncover all aspects of this crime that targeted all citizens and political representatives of the Lebanese people, and which has taken the life of a young hero." Hamadeh expressed his horror over the dispatch of the shredded brain, teeth and tongue remains of slain escort Sgt. Ghazi Bou Karroum in an official envelop of Lebanon's Internal Security Forces (ISF) addressed to his brother, wife and three children. "From my hospital bed I want to express my profound amazement and burning wrath over the last chapter of the crime-playact that claimed the life of my dear comrade, martyr Ghazi Bou Karroum, which constituted an affront to our dignity and a gross violation of the penal code and human rights," Hamadeh said. The Beirut media said Wednesday Hamadeh is expected to be discharged from the American University Hospital on Thursday or Friday.

Beirut, Updated 06 Oct 04, 09:47

Horrific Envelop of Hamadeh's Slain Escort Remains

An envelop carrying the signature of Lebanon's Internal Security Forces has been delivered to the family of Marwan Hamadeh's slain escort Sgt. Ghazi Bou Karroum, containing remains of his brain, tongue and teeth in what An Nahar described Tuesday as an "unprecedented act of provocation to kill the martyr twice." An Nahar and others said Bou Karroum's brother Karim found the envelop at his side during his brother's funeral in his hometown of Mazraat al Chouf on Saturday, a day after Ghazi was ripped to shreds by a remote-controlled car-bomb targeting Hamadeh's motorcade in Beirut. Karim asked a companion in the funeral to put the envelope in his car. When a smell whiffed from the envelop the next day, Sunday, Karim opened it "only to find the provocative remains instead of evidence pointing to the culprits," An Nahar reported. "The barbaric affair touched off an outrage in the town with dignitaries vowing vengeance and declared the martyr's blood would not go to waste," An Nahar said. The Progressive Socialist Party of Walid Jumblat urged the authorities to investigate the envelop incident. Hamadeh was reported by the AUH Tuesday as making an accelerated progress toward full recovery. The flood of well-wishers continued without letup into a fifth straight day. The ex-economy minister and Jumblat's lifetime PSP comrade gave his testimony about the assassination attempt to investigating magistrates Jean Fahd and Samih Hajj on Monday. It was not spelled out to the press.

Beirut, Updated 05 Oct 04, 12:08