Government Replaces Addoum with Justice Said Mirza, Purge Underway

Premier Mikati's government removed State Prosecutor Adnan Addoum from his post and replaced him with Justice Said Mirza, chairman of the criminal court of appeals in Beirut, beginning a judicial and security purge in the wake of ex-premier Hariri's assassination.
Addoum's removal was decided in the first session the 14-man cabinet held after winning a sweeping vote of confidence in parliament on Wednesday. The action came in response to a campaign by Lebanon's opposition to remove Addoum and the commanders of Lebanon's six main security services.

General Ashraf Rifi replaced General Ali Hajj at the head of the Internal Security Forces, while General George Khoury replaced General Raymond Azar as head of army intelligence.

Information Minister Charles Rizk said General Edward Mansour, head of State Security, was removed from office and would be replaced at a future cabinet session.

The resignation last week of Jamil Sayyed, the powerful pro-Syrian General Security chief, was accepted by the cabinet but a successor has not yet been named because of a dispute between the interior and defense ministers whether the replacement should be a Shiite Muslim like Sayyed or a Christian as Defense Minister Elias Murr is insisting.

There was no mention of Brig. Gen. Mustafa Hamdan, President Lahoud's aide-de-camp and commander of the presidential guard brigade.

Johnny Abdo Says Assad was Aware of Hariri's Murder Beforehand

Lebanon's former Intelligence Chief Johnny Abdo has publicly accused Syria's secret service apparatus and affiliated Lebanese security departments in President Lahoud's regime of assassinating ex-Premier Hariri, asserting that President Assad was aware of the murder beforehand. Abdo, who headed the army's intelligence apparatus during the 1976-1982 reign of the late President Elias Sarkis in the early years of the civil war, made the charge in an interview aired by Hariri's FUTURE-TV network Wednesday night. The accusation was highlighted by the Beirut press Thursday morning. Abdo, who served also as Lebanon's ambassador to France after the civil war and before his retirement, has singled out Brig. Gen. Mustafa Hamadan, Lahoud's closest military aide who commands the army's presidential brigade, had set up with other officers a unit that long shadowed Hariri before the assassination. Hamdan, Abdo charged, was behind attempts to remove vital evidence from the assassination scene at the St. George beach resort in downtown Beirut, including cars wrecked by the one-ton bomb blast. He also attempted to clean up the location, Abdo said. "All this suggested that there were executing assassins and others trying to cover up," Abdo said. Asked by interviewer Ali Hamadeh whether he believed that Syrian President Bashar Assad was aware that these intelligence services have assassinated Hariri, Abdo said "yes The Presidential Palace on Thursday issued a statement denying Abdo's accusation to Hamdan, saying it was baseless.

Bush Vetoes Berri's Bid for 1-Month Election Delay

The Bush administration has warned against delaying Lebanon's elections beyond the constitutional timeframe of May 31, saying Speaker Berri's bid for a one-month postponement could thrust Lebanon into a "dangerous path leading to a constitutional crisis," An Nahar reported on Wednesday.
The people of Lebanon and the entire international community want the elections because this is "the road to Lebanon's peace, wellbeing, prosperity and reactivation of its democratic institutions," An Nahar's Washington correspondent Hisham Milhem quoted a senior U.S. official as saying.

White House spokesman Scott McClellan also signaled that the Americans were keeping a close eye on parliamentary elections scheduled to be held in Lebanon by the end of next month.

"We want to make sure that Lebanon can move forward with free and fair elections without any outside interference," McClellan said in Texas, during a tour by President Bush to promote his domestic agenda.

The State Department had hailed Syria's troop pullout from Lebanon as a "historic" day for the Lebanese but stayed wary of Damascus' intention pending U.N. verification of the withdrawal.

Officials in Washington also ducked questions on whether the move would improve strained U.S.-Syrian relations and lead to the return of Washington's ambassador to Damascus, who was recalled for consultations in February.

"We think today is a historic day for Lebanon and its people," State Department Spokesman Adam Ereli told the daily briefing. "After almost three decades Syria has withdrawn its military forces from Lebanon."

He called the pullout "an important first step" towards compliance with U.N. Security Council Resolution 1559 adopted last year, which ordered Syria to evacuate Lebanon.

But he added that Syria was also obliged to withdraw its intelligence officers and "I think there are some lingering concerns that not all Syrian intelligence assets are out of Lebanon."

The United Nations has sent a team of inspectors to Lebanon and Damascus, Ereli said, and "we await the report of this verification team to provide a considered judgment on whether the withdrawal is complete."

Despite repeated questioning, Ereli was unable to say whether the Syrian troop withdrawal from Lebanon would lead to an upswing in overall relations with Washington, which has slapped sanctions on Damascus.

"Everybody has asked in a different way where we're going to go with Syria as a result of this step. I can't tell you. I don't know," he said.

Asked when Ambassador Margaret Scobey would return to Syria, Ereli was also non-committal: "When we determine that our bilateral relationship can be helped and we can move things forward with a return, that's when we'll return."(Naharnet-AFP

U.N. Verifiers Search for Syrian Operatives Hiding in Beirut Suburbs

A U.N. team entrusted with verifying Syria's evacuation of Lebanon is due in Beirut Thursday to ascertain that the Assad regime had left no intelligence operatives behind in such potential hideouts as Hizbullah's strongholds on the capital's southern outskirts or the Chatilla and Bourj el Barajneh Palestinian refugee camps. Local media reports said Wednesday other possible hideouts were in territories where Syrian loyalists such as the Baath Party maintain prominence in northern and eastern Lebanon. The verifiers are now in Damascus, examining maps and air films the Syrian authorities had provided to show the pullout was complete. U.N. chief Kofi Annan said in New York he would authenticate the Syrian evacuation only if his verifiers turned in a positive report. The team "will report to me and complete its work as soon as possible," Annan said, calling Syria's pullout "an open question which we can't take a stand on." A senior U.N. official said the verification team would update Annan within a week. "They were asked to report back to the secretary general in a week's time assessing the practical difficulties, if any, they will meet. And we will then on that basis decide on how to proceed," the official said. "What the verification team will ask Syria to do is to give us a complete overview of the locations of all Syrian forces, including the intelligence forces, with precise locations," he said. They would then check the sites. "The implementation of this resolution would be very significant, not only for the region but also for the U.N. as an organization," the official said. In his report, Annan said he had been told that some Syrian intelligence forces that played a crucial role in Syria's years-long reign had stayed behind in some locations in Lebanon. "The governments of Lebanon and Syria have assured me that this is not the case," Annan said. He nevertheless acknowledged the "difficulties" of a full withdrawal given Syria's history in Lebanon.(Naharnet-AFP)

Syria's 3-Decade Reign Ends at 1000 GMT, April 26, 2005

Syria's 3-decade reign of Lebanon came to an official end at a low-keyed farewell ceremony held by the Lebanese and Syrian army commands at the airbase of Riyak in the Bekaa Valley Tuesday. The ceremonious occasion was held under the joint auspices of Lebanon's army commander Gen. Michel Suleiman and Syria's chief-of-Staff Gen. Aly Habib at 11 a.m. Beirut time, or 8 a.m. Greenwich Meantime. The event lasted two hours and general Habib's motorcade was seen off at Lebanon's Masnaa border checkpoint at 1 p.m. Beirut time, or 1000 GMT. Syria's military intelligence chief in Lebanon Brig. Gen. Rustom Ghazaleh was among Gen. Habib's departing convoy into Syria proper. Not a single Syrian soldier had then remained on Lebanese soil. Ghazaleh wrapped up the month-long Syrian evacuation by closing down his headquarters in the Bekaa town of Anjar Monday afternoon. He handed the keys of the building to its original Lebanese owner, turned over the town to the Lebanese army and rode a black Mercedes limousine to Damascus. Ghazaleh, who was seen off by group of pro-Syria politicians in Lebanon, including the leaders of the Syrian Social Nationalist Party and a Hizbullah representative, returned to the Riyak ceremony at midmorning Tuesday. But his iron-fisted rule of Lebanon is over and out. The Lebanese army has declared Anjar off-limits to avoid potential friction between Syria's loyalists and Lebanon's opposition groupings in the town that has a predominantly Armenian population. A barbwire checkpoint manned by Lebanese troops on foot and aboard an armored personnel carrier was set up under a poster of 'WELCOME TO ANJAR' in Arabic, English and Armenian. But jubilant crowds took the streets of the neighboring towns of Chtaura and Jedita, waving Lebanese flags and lauding Lebanese troops as they fanned out in all Syrian-vacated bases Monday and Tuesday.

Troops with Rifle Butts Curb Families of Lebanese Prisoners in Syria

Army troops and riot police made repeated baton charges to stop irate families and relatives of Lebanese prisoners in Syria from storming into the Lebanese parliament as it opened a vote of confidence debate in Lebanon's new government Tuesday. Screaming protestors were clubbed down to the ground at downtown Beirut's Star Square of the parliament building as the clash flared into a fist fight and troops used rifle butts to subdue the demonstrators. Waving national flags and banners of Samir Geagea's Lebanese Forces and Gen. Aoun's Free Patriotic Movement, the demonstrators marched onto Star Square from the premises of the U.N. House, where they have been staging a sit-in since Sunday. Nadim Gemayel, son of slain LF founder President-Elect Bashir Gemayel, who led the march, was roughed up during the 20-minute confrontation and was seen on TV screens shielding his face from club-wielding riot police. The clash outside touched off an opposition uproar inside the parliament and Speaker Berri consequently sent word to the parliament's guards to be lenient with the protestors.

Dory Chamoun Absolves Geagea from Guilt in Danny's Assassination

National Liberal Party leader Dory Chamoun has publicly exonerated Samir Geagea from murdering his brother Danny in 1990 and said "I believe the Syrian brothers played the main role in the assassination," An Nahar reported on Monday. "My brother Danny and his family were murdered after the Syrians entered the eastern region," Dory Chamoun said in a rally held Sunday in Jezzine, the biggest Christian town in south Lebanon. The 'eastern region' means Lebanon's Christian heartland. "The evidence upon which Samir Geagea was convicted was insufficient and impractical," said Chamoun in his first public accusation that the Syrians had engineering Danny Chamoun's murder along with his half-German wife Ingrid and their two small sons, Tarek and Julian, at their house in Baabda. "I demand a new investigation to ascertain who the real assassins were," Dory said at a time the Lebanese Forces are mounting a week-long campaign of demonstrations and sits-in for the unconditional release of the LF commander from 11 years in prison at the defense ministry compound in Yarze. A Beirut supreme court had convicted Geagea of having masterminded Danny's killing and gave him a death sentence that was commuted to life imprisonment.

Jamil Sayyed Resigns under Opposition Fire As Surete Generale Chief

Brig. Gen. Jamil Sayyed resigned his post as chief of the General Security Department Monday, bowing to pressure from Lebanon's opposition that commanders of the nation's main security forces be ousted for failing to shield ex-Premier Hariri's assassination. The pro-Syrian Sayyed cited the 'changing climate' after Syria's evacuation of Lebanon as the main motive for him to quit and said in a statement the resignation superseded his request last week for suspension during the international reinvestigation of Hariri's murder, leaving the impression he would claim the job back after the probe. The resignation came hard on the heels of an announcement by Interior Minister Hassan Sabaa that he would soon propose full-fledged replacements for Sayyed and Internal Security Forces commander Ali Hajj to make their removal from their jobs permanent. "I will submit the proposal at the first meeting of the cabinet after winning a vote of confidence from Parliament and ask for an urgent endorsement," said Sabaa, formerly a senior officer of the Surete Generale who resigned in 1999 in protest against the appointment of Sayyed, his junior in rank, as his superior. Mikati had earlier met at the Grand Serail with army commander Gen. Michel Suleiman. Their talks were believed to have focused on the fate of other security commanders under the army's jurisdiction, mainly the commander of the presidential brigade Brig. Mustafa Hamdan, a protégé of President Lahoud.

INTERVIEW OF PRESIDENT BUSH BY THE LEBANESE BROADCASTING CORPORATION

THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
April 19, 2005

INTERVIEW OF THE PRESIDENT BY LEBANESE BROADCASTING CORPORATION
The Map Room
3:56 P.M. EDT

QUESTION: Thank you for your time, Mr. President.

THE PRESIDENT: My honor, thank you.

Q: Recently there isn't a day that passes by without you mentioning Lebanon. Why now, this country that was under occupation for almost 30 years, became so important for the United States?

THE PRESIDENT: Well, there's a movement toward freedom around the world. And the Lebanese people have made it clear that they want to be free of Syrian influence, they want there to be free elections. And the United States of America stands squarely with the people of Lebanon.

Q: Are you concerned, Mr. President, that your calls for freedom in Lebanon, for free elections and for the Syrians to be out of Lebanon could be seen as interfering in Lebanon's internal affairs?

THE PRESIDENT: No, I don't think so. I think people will see that the United States is consistent in working with the people so that they can have a free voice, and so they get to decide the government. The people of Lebanon will decide who is in their government, not the United States. But the United States can join with the rest of the world, like we've done, and say to Syria, get out -- not only get out with your military forces, but get out with your intelligence services, too; get completely out of Lebanon, so Lebanon can be free and the people can be free.

Q: Do you have any doubts that Syria will be out by end of April?

THE PRESIDENT: I am pleased that they're beginning to get out. And we expect them to be completely out. And I mean not only the troops, but the people that have had -- that have been embedded in parts of government, some of the intelligence services that have been imbedded in government and others. They need to get completely out of Lebanon so the people of Lebanon can decide the fate of the country -- not another government, not agents of another government, but the people.

And Lebanon is a great country, and Lebanon has had a fantastic history. It's also had some difficult days. But I think there is a better day ahead for the people of Lebanon, and I think people, no matter what their politics may be, really want Lebanon to succeed.

Q: Mr. President, I'm sure you saw the pictures of the demonstrations in Lebanon. Beirut was packed with maybe a million people in the street, calling for freedom and democracy in Lebanon. What was your -- what did you feel when you saw it?

THE PRESIDENT: Well, I wasn't surprised, because I think everybody wants to be free. I think people long to be free, and I think people are tired of living under a government which, in essence, was a foreign occupation.

The other thing is, in our great country, there's a lot of Lebanese Americans that love Lebanon. And everywhere I go in my country, people are saying, now, listen, as the President, you must work there to be a free Lebanon. And so I'm not surprised. If the spirit of those Lebanese Americans is strong here, imagine what the spirit will be of their relatives and friends in Beirut. People live in a free society here, and not one there, but there will be one soon.

Q: You worked closely with the French on resolution 1559. And this resolution calls Hezbollah to disarm. How will the United States ensure this happens?

THE PRESIDENT: Well, first things first, and that is to make sure that there are free elections. Secondly, listen, we put Hezbollah on the terrorist list for a reason; they've killed Americans in the past. And we will continue to work with the international community to keep the pressure on this group of people. And we'll work with the international community to fully implement 1559. But ultimately, the people of Lebanon are going to decide the fate of the country. And you can't have a free country if a group of people are like an armed militia. In other words, there needs to be police organized by the state, a military organized by the state. But citizens groups that are armed, trying to impose their will on a free society is just not the definition of a free society.

Q: But, Mr. President, what if Lebanon is not capable of implementing this element of the resolution 1559?

THE PRESIDENT: Well, the international community is going to have to work to help them achieve that capability. Listen, not every free society is capable of internal security right off the bat. And there's ways for the international community to come together to reassure the people that there will be help to secure the country.

Q: I'm sure, Mr. President, you heard what I want to say maybe thousands of times, and maybe from Presidents and Kings that come and see you here in the White House -- some people think that it's not in the best interest of America to have democratic Arab countries --

THE PRESIDENT: Right.

Q: -- because democracy and free elections may help anti-American groups, radical groups to come to power. What do you respond to that?

THE PRESIDENT: I respond to them and say, well, I guess they don't really understand me, and they don't understand my view of freedom, because I think freedom is embedded in everybody's soul. I do believe there is an Almighty God, and I believe that freedom is that Almighty God's gift to each man and woman in this world. I believe that a true free society, one that self-governs, one that listens to the people, will be a peaceful society -- not an angry society, but a peaceful society.

And the reason I believe that is because I believe, for example, most mothers want to raise their children in a peaceful world, and they want their little children to be able to go to school and to grow up in peace. And if that's the ultimate feeling of the people, the government -- if it's a true democracy -- will reflect that.

Q: Well, Mr. President, I'm sure you know that Lebanon is also facing severe economic problems.

THE PRESIDENT: Yes.

Q: Would the U.S. be willing to rally the world community to help Lebanon's economy?

THE PRESIDENT: Of course. The United States, as well as European finance ministers, would want to work closely with international organizations, like the IMF or the World Bank, to help this country get back on its feet after occupation; help this new democracy succeed. Yes, there will be plenty of help. The Lebanese people are going to have to, though, however, have elections. In my judgment, they ought to be as scheduled. And the elections need to be free and fair, without interference.

There will be monitors, hopefully, international monitors, to make sure they're free and fair. The people of that good country ought to feel comfortable about going out and voting and expressing their opinion. And when a democracy is up and running, I believe the international community will want to help this new democracy.

Q: Mr. President, we all know that Syrian-American relations are at their lowest now. Is there a road map for Syria to improve its relationship with the United States?

THE PRESIDENT: Well, Syria has heard from us before. We have made it very clear that -- what we expect, in order to be able to have relations with us. First on the agenda, right now, there's two things immediately that come to mind. One is to stop supporting Baathists in Iraq -- stop those people in Syria who are funneling money and helping smuggle people and arms into Iraq. They've heard that message directly from me. And secondly, of course, is to completely withdraw from Lebanon. Syria must shut down Hezbollah offices. Hezbollah not only is trying to destabilize the peace process between Israel and the Palestinians, but Hezbollah, as you know, is a dangerous organization.

Q: But those offices are in Lebanon, they're not in Syria.

THE PRESIDENT: Well, they're in Syria, too. And Syria has got to do its part about making sure that Hezbollah doesn't receive support from Syria.

Q: What if the diplomatic effort and the sanctions fail in changing Syrian attitudes? Is there another option?

THE PRESIDENT: Well, I think the government will feel the international pressure. We're just beginning. And, obviously, diplomacy is the first course of action. And we hope -- I think diplomacy will work.

Q: Mr. President, for the last four or five decades, Israel was seen as a country trying hard to be accepted by its Arab neighbors, and signing peace agreements with them. Nowadays we hear someone like President Bashir of Syria complaining that all Syria's attempts to relaunch peace talks with Israel were not taken seriously. Are you doing something to intervene and maybe to put the two parties together?

THE PRESIDENT: Well, first of all, Syria and Israel have got current obligations. Syria has got a current obligation to get out of Lebanon. And again I'll repeat this, because I want it very clear what I mean by "get out of Lebanon." I mean not only troops, but intelligence services, as well. And we expect that to happen. Syria has also got to stop inciting or providing -- allowing people in their country to incite violence against Iraqi citizens and our coalition troops.

Israel has got obligations under the current road map to help the Palestinians. Israel is getting ready to withdraw from Gaza, and we expect the government of Israel -- and want to work with the government of Israel and the Palestinian Authority to make this withdraw successful. And so there's a lot of obligations that these two countries have right now in order to affect world peace.

Q: I want to go back to Lebanon and ask you, Mr. President, what do you recall from your last meeting with the late Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri?

THE PRESIDENT: Yes. I remember I met members -- I remember their family love. I remember how proud he was of his boys. And then Laura and I met Mrs. Hariri in France when we were there. I was there visiting President Chirac, and he hosted a dinner for me and my delegation, and Mrs. Chirac kindly hosted a dinner for Laura, and Mrs. Hariri was one of the guests. I remember how striking she was, very lovely lady. I know her heart is broken at the loss of her husband.

Prime Minister Hariri was here to talk to me about Lebanese affairs. He clearly loved the country and loved the people of Lebanon. And I know he'll be sorely missed.

Q: Mr. President, is there anything else you would like to convey to the Lebanese people?

THE PRESIDENT: I will. United States believes in freedom. And we appreciate courage. We appreciate the courage of those who are willing to stand up and say, we want to be free; we want to be a democracy; we want to help establish a government that responds to the people. And you'll have our help.

Q: Thank you so much, Mr. President. We greatly appreciate it.

THE PRESIDENT: Thank you.

END 4:08 P.M. EDT

Opposition Disunited over New Cabinet, Security Commanders in Panic

Walid Jumblat is dismayed because the opposition did not get one half of President Mikati's new cabinet, Gen. Aoun was reserved, Qornet Shahwan gave a conditional approval and Harirists were cautiously happy. This was the media assessment Wednesday of the opposition's mixed reaction to Mikati's 14-man 'no-hate' cabinet of non-runners in the upcoming parliamentary elections, which he formed on Tuesday. But all opposition factions were in tandem to vote 'yes' if the new government commits itself to holding the elections on schedule in May and pledges in its policy statement in parliament next week to remove State Prosecutor Adnan Addoum and the commanders of the nation's six main security services from their posts. The hoped-for purge received a boost by a request from Brig. Gen. Jamil Sayyed, chief of Lebanon's General Security Department, for a one month leave, following the suit of the commander of the army's intelligence service Brig. Gen. Raymond Azar, who sought and got the leave last month. Azar and Rana Koleilat, the star of the $1billion scandal of Beirut's Al Madina Bank, who was released on a hefty bail from 14 months in jail March 17, were reported by the local media to have both slipped out of the country aboard a private Yacht from Jounieh Harbor to Cyprus before March's end. Brig. Gen. Ali Hajj, commander of Lebanon's Internal Security Forces (ISF) and a onetime bodyguard of slain ex-Premier Hariri, is reportedly seeking a leave of absence, too. Sayyed and Hajj are said to have been 'panicked' by the appointment of retired Brig. Gen. Hassan al Sabaa as interior minister of the new government. Sabaa was among the most renowned officers of the General Security Department, who resigned in 1999 in protest against the appointment of Syrian-backed Sayyed to head the service. Sabaa was then senior to Sayyed in the service. The media says Sabaa would be more than delighted to suspend or fire outright Addoum and the six security commanders, whose heads have been demanded by the opposition for failing to prevent Hariri's assassination. Hariri's family is also reported happy about Sabaa's appointment to the interior portfolio. Sabaa's first act as interior minister was a call on Hariri's grave in downtown Beirut Monday morning to pay his respects saying that he owes political allegiance to the fallen ex-premier.(Photo shows Interior Minister Hassan al Sabaa)

Beirut, Updated 20 Apr 05, 12:03

Bush: 'Elections on Schedule, Hizbullah Disarmed, Syria out Completely'

President Bush has insisted anew that Syria should "get out completely" from Lebanon and let the Lebanese people decide their own future in internationally monitored elections on schedule and free from external influence or intimidation.

Bush pledged, then, to drum up global monetary assistance to help "this country back on its feet."

In a rare direct address to the Arab world, Bush also said in an interview broadcast by Beirut's LBCI television network from the White House he wanted the Assad regime to shut down Hizbullah's office in Syria, asserting the Party of God should disarm in Lebanon.

"The United States can join with the rest of the world, like we've done, and say to Syria, get out -- not only get out with your military forces, but get out with your intelligence services, too; get completely out of Lebanon, so Lebanon can be free and the people can be free," Bush said in the 10-minute interview.

The Syrian withdrawal should include people who "have been embedded in parts of government" to allow Lebanese -- "not another government, not agents of another government" --to decide the country's fate, he said.

Bush's interview, with Arabic subtitles, was aired late Tuesday. A transcript was provided by the White House press office. It grabbed page-one banner-lines in the Beirut press on Wednesday.

The election "ought to be as scheduled. And the elections need to be free and fair, without interference," Bush said, adding that international monitors should oversee the balloting.

Bush said the Lebanese "are tired of living under a government which, in essence, was a foreign occupation." Syria's military presence, the key to its domination of the country, began in 1976 when Syrian forces entered the country to stop a civil war that lasted another 14 years.

The demands for Syria to leave Lebanon sharply rose after the Feb. 14 assassination of ex-Premier Rafik Hariri, which sparked mass anti-Syrian protests across Lebanon.

Bush declared U.S. support for this debt-ridden country, promising to help Lebanon's "new democracy succeed" by working closely with the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund and other international organizations as well as the European Union "to help this country get back on its feet after occupation."

"There will be plenty of help," he said, adding that such actions could only be taken "once Lebanon is a democracy and the parliamentary elections are held on schedule."

Bush said he will continue to work with the international community to keep the pressure on Hizbullah, which he called a "dangerous organization."

"But ultimately, the people of Lebanon are going to decide the fate of the country ... And you can't have a free country if a group of people are like an armed militia," he said.

He said the U.S. would be willing to help if Lebanon cannot disarm Hizbullah or the Party of God refused to disarm, adding "not every free society is capable of internal security right off the bat."

Bush said the U.S. placed Hizbullah on the terrorist list because "they've killed Americans in the past." He said the group was "trying to destabilize" the Israeli-Palestinian peace process.

Hizbullah was blamed for anti-American attacks in the early 1980s in Lebanon, including the bombings of a U.S. Marine barracks and two U.S. Embassy compounds in Beirut. The attacks, which killed about 270 Americans, were claimed by pro-Iranian Shiite militants during the civil war.

For Syria to improve relations with Washington Damascus must leave Lebanon and stop supporting Baathists in Iraq -- "stop those people in Syria who are funneling money and helping smuggle people and arms into Iraq," Bush said.

He expressed hope that diplomatic pressure on Syria would make Damascus change course, apparently ruling out military action.

"We're just beginning. And, obviously, diplomacy is the first course of action. And we hope -- I think diplomacy will work."(Naharnet-LBCI-AP-AFP

Cardinals Select New Pope

Foxnews

VATICAN CITY — White smoke poured from the chimney atop the Sistine Chapel in Rome, signaling that a new pope has been elected by the College of Cardinals.

Their eyes glued to the chimney, the crowd lingering in St. Peter’s Square  cheered, clapped, laughed and honked horns as the white smoke wafted out. No bells rang, as they were expected to when a pope had been decided upon, so there was some initial confusion as to whether the cardinals had actually settled on a choice.

The 115 red-robed cardinals charged with electing the man who will lead the Roman Catholic Church and follow the late Pope John Paul II began their vote Monday.

Earlier in the day, black smoke rose from the chapel. The next pope will be the successor to Pope John Paul II , who died April 2 at age 84.

The two morning ballots Tuesday followed an early Mass in the cardinals' high-security Vatican hotel. The prelates from six continents and 52 countries were to return to the chapel Tuesday afternoon for up to two afternoon ballots, with a new plume of smoke expected by late evening.

On Monday evening, black smoke that initially looked light enough to throw even Vatican Radio analysts off-guard poured from the chimney, disappointing a crowd of 40,000 pilgrims anxious for a sign that the cardinals had settled on a successor. That first puff followed the conclave's initial vote.

A quick decision in the first round of voting on Monday would have been a surprise. The cardinals have a staggering range of issues to juggle as they choose the first new pope of the 21st century — fallout from priest sex-abuse scandals, chronic shortages of priests and nuns, as well as calls for sharper activism against poverty and easing the ban on condoms to help combat AIDS.

The next pontiff also must maintain the global ministry of John Paul, who took 104 international trips in his more than 26-year papacy.

"Keep praying for the new pope," said 82-year-old Cardinal Luis Aponte Martinez of Puerto Rico, who was too old to join the conclave, open only to cardinals under 80 years old.

The first conclave of the new millennium is being held amid unprecedented security, with the cardinals seated atop a false floor concealing electronic jamming devices designed to thwart eavesdroppers by cutting signals to cell phones or bugs.

It is also the first time in more than a generation that crowds have been staring at the chimney for the famous smoke and word of a new pope. In that time, the church has been pulled in two directions: a spiritual renaissance under John Paul, but battered by scandals and a flock pressing for less rigid teachings.

"It's very powerful to be in the place where St. Peter was martyred and to pray to the Lord for a worthy successor," said Brother Mateo Lethimonier, 30, a monk from Argentina in a light blue robe and sandals who was among those on the square.

He said he was praying for the cardinals to find "the one who loves Jesus most, the one who represents the church best."

"All the people here have something in common: the religion, of course, but also being a part of history. This is a part of history," said Adrien Asselin, 66, of Hawkesbury, Ontario, a retired art teacher who cut short a trip to South Africa to fly to Rome.

Before the conclave began, one of the possible candidates — German Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger  — tried to set a tone of urgency, warning cardinals, bishops and others gathered in St. Peter's Basilica for a Mass that the church must stay true to itself.

"We are moving toward a dictatorship of relativism which does not recognize anything as for certain and which has as its highest goal one's own ego and one's own desires," said Ratzinger, 78, who has been the Vatican's chief overseer of doctrine since 1981.

"Having a clear faith, based on the creed of the church, is often labeled today as a fundamentalism," he said, making clear that he disagrees with that view.

About five hours later, the electors walked in a procession into the chapel decorated with frescoes by Michelangelo. They bowed before the altar and took their places.

For 30 minutes, each walked up and placed his right hand — with the special gold ring of the cardinals — on the Holy Book and again pledged never to reveal what will occur in the conclave. The penalty is severe: excommunication.

Under conclave rules, four rounds of voting were being held per day beginning Tuesday — two in the morning, two in the afternoon — until a prelate gets two-thirds support: 77 votes. If they remain deadlocked late in the second week of voting, they can go to a simple majority: 58 votes.

No conclave in the past century has lasted more than five days, and the election that elevated Polish Cardinal Karol Wojtyla to into the papacy as John Paul II in October 1978 took eight ballots over three days.

Mikati Forms 'No-Hate Cabinet' Sworn to Conduct Elections on Time

Prime Minister Najib Mikati on Tuesday formed a 14-man "no-hate government" sworn to conduct Lebanon's parliamentary elections on schedule in May as non-runners.
"It's a government representing Lebanon's plurality, which will spare no effort to conduct the elections on deadline," Mikati said in announcing the cabinet lineup from the Baabda palace.

Mikati said President Lahoud and Speaker Berri endorsed the new cabinet in a meeting he held with them at the presidential palace before the decrees were made public.

The key interior ministry post went to Hassan Sabaa, one of the most renowned retired generals who served in Lebanon's General Security Department, or Surete Generale. He is a non-partisan.

Elias Murr, Lahoud's son-in-law who served as interior minister in slain ex-premier Hariri's latest government, was named vice premier and given the defense portfolio in the new government.

Lahoud's advisor on Fracophonie affairs, Charles Rizk, was named information minister and Ghassan Salameh, Hariri's longtime culture minister, who is now living in Paris, was returned to the post.

Mahmoud Hammoud retained the foreign ministry portfolio and he immediately denied opposition charges that he was scheming to sabotage the international investigation of Hariri's assassination.

Mikati said the new cabinet would hold its first meeting Tuesday evening to set up a committee to write the government's policy statement on the strength of which it would seek a vote of confidence in parliament early next week.

This is the full cabinet lineup:

1-Najib Mikati Prime Minister

2-Elias Murr Vice Premier and Defense Minister

3-Retired General Hassan Sabaa Interior Minister

4-Ghassan Salameh Minister of Education and Culture

5-Mahmoud Hammoud Foreign Minister

6-Damianos Kattar for finance and economy

7-Adel Hamieh for public works and displaced

8-Alain Tabourian for telecommunications, youth and sports

9-Khaled Kabbani for justice

10-Bassam Yammine for energy and industry

11-Chales Rizk for information and tourism

12-Mohammed Khalifeh for public health and social affairs

13-Tarek Mitri for environment and administrative development

14-Trad Hamadeh for labor and agriculture.

U.S.: 'Elections on Time More Important than Syria's Military Evacuat

The United States is showing increased concern over the status of the legislative elections in Lebanon in light of the delaying tactics employed by Syria's reigning political allies in Beirut to avert the formation of a new government that could meet the constitutional deadline for the polls in May.

"The Syrians need to withdraw completely military and intelligence presence," State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said in a Washington briefing Tuesday. "But more important, it's part of the process of letting the Lebanese decide their own future…. The Lebanese need to organize elections on time and allow the people to express their views."

Asked whether the United States was satisfied with the progress of Syrian military and intelligence evacuation of Lebanon, Boucher said "we're certainly looking to see this proceed apace, urging -- continuing to urge all parties to make sure it happens very soon, as soon as possible, immediately."

Boucher's briefing followed a public salute from President Bush to Lebanon. "The people of Lebanon are rising up to demand their freedom and independence," Bush said in a speech he gave at the U.S. army base of Fort Hood, Texas.

"As the Iraq democracy succeeds, that success is sending a message from Beirut to Tehran that freedom can be the future of every nation," Bush added.

Iran's Revolutionary Guards Reportedly Evacuating Lebanon, Too

Iran has withdrawn nearly all its estimated 2,000 Islamic revolutionary guards from Lebanon, where they deployed 23 years ago and helped create Hizbullah in the wake of Israel's 1982 invasion, The Washington Post said Wednesday.
U.S. and European officials said only 12 to 50 Revolutionary Guards remain in Lebanon at midweek, following a phased withdrawal that began more than five years ago, the newspaper reported.

It said senior U.S. officials as recently as Friday had estimated the Iranian troop presence in Lebanon at around 800, and that until last month the White House continued to press for the withdrawal from Lebanon of Iranian, as well as Syrian, forces.

While the absence of Iranian forces changes the political and security dynamics in Lebanon, U.S. officials said, it does not eliminate Iran's influence over Lebanon's Shiite population or its financial and military support of Hizbullah, The Washington Post said.

"Iran plays a key role in supporting logistically, politically and materially a whole variety of elements in resisting the peace process," said a senior State Department official. "It's active in Lebanon and the Palestinian territories

CHRONOLOGY-Key events in Lebanon since Hariri's killing

13 Apr 2005 18:06:59 GMT Source: Reuters

BEIRUT, April 13 (Reuters) - Lebanon's pro-Syrian prime minister, Omar Karami, quit on Wednesday, abandoning efforts to form a government to lead the country to general elections.

Here is a chronology of events in Lebanon since former Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri was killed in a bomb blast:

Feb. 14, 2005 - Hariri is killed by bomb in Beirut, along with 18 other people.

Feb. 16 - At least 150,000 Lebanese turn Hariri's funeral into outpouring of anger against Syria.

-- United States renews demand for Syria to end 29-year-old military presence in Lebanon.

Feb. 23 - U.S. President George W. Bush says Syria must also withdraw its security agents, echoing French President Jacques Chirac's remarks that they control Lebanon.

Feb. 24 - U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan urges Syria to withdraw troops before he reports to Security Council in April.

Feb. 28 - Prime Minister Omar Karami resigns amid anti-Syrian protests on day parliament debates Hariri's killing.

March 2 - Opposition demands withdrawal of Syrian troops and intelligence agents, and removal of pro-Syrian security chiefs.

March 3 - Pro-Syrian politicians call for government of national unity, ignoring tough conditions set by opposition.

-- Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah tells Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to meet world demands for immediate withdrawal.

March 5 - Assad tells Syrian parliament troops will start phased pullout from Lebanon.

March 6 - Hizbollah chief Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah says his fighters will not disarm as Lebanon needs them to deter Israel.

March 7 - Assad and Lebanese President Emile Lahoud, meeting in Damascus, say they respect all Security Council resolutions, including one demanding that foreign forces quit Lebanon.

March 8 - Lebanese flood central Beirut for big pro-Syrian rally organised by Hizbollah.

-- Syrian troops begin redeploying to eastern Lebanon in first stage of withdrawal plan.

March 10 - Lahoud reappoints Karami to form government.

March 11 - Almost all Syrian troops leave north Lebanon.

March 14 - Anti-Syrian protesters stage huge demonstration, Lebanon's biggest since Hariri's killing.

March 16 - Syrian intelligence agents vacate Beirut headquarters.

March 19 - Bomb in mainly Christian suburb of Beirut wounds 11 people.

March 22 - Annan meets Assad at Arab summit in Algiers, says he expects Syria to provide timetable for withdrawal.

March 23 - Bomb tears through shopping mall in Christian town of Kaslik north of Beirut, killing three people.

March 26 - A car bomb explodes in the industrial estate in Dikwanah suburb in Christian east Beirut, wounding eight.

March 27 - Syria abandons its last air defence positions in the eastern Bekaa Valley. Syria has already withdrawn over a third of its 14,000 troops in Lebanon since Hariri's death.

April 3 - Syria says it will withdraw all its troops and intelligence agents from Lebanon by April 30.

April 13 - Karami resigns again saying he had hit a wall in trying to form a cabinet whose task it would be to supervise elections.

Lebanese Political Prisoners in Syria

The Syrian ambassador in Washington, Imad Moustapha, recently said all Lebanese political prisoners in Syrian jails will be released. It was a surprising announcement: since December of 2000 both Syria and the Syrian-backed Lebanese government have denied there are any Lebanese prisoners in Syrian jails. The ambassador's announcement gave renewed hope to hundreds of Lebanese families who have tried for as long as 15 years to secure the release of their loved ones.

The last time Sonia Eid saw her son was 14 years ago.

"He was born in 1970, he is 35 years old now," she says.

Jihad Eid was captured October 13, 1990 as Syrian troops overcame Christian militia forces in East Beirut. Eventually he would end up in Syria's notorious Mazzeh prison. After bribing the right Syrian and Lebanese officials, Sonia says, she was allowed a glimpse of her son as he was being led into interrogation, hands bound, along with several other prisoners -- all stripped to their underwear.


Sonia Eid
"He was the seventh in line, and I almost fainted when I saw him. I couldn't do anything and they were being kicked and shoved by the guards," says Ms. Eid.

No one knows exactly how many Lebanese political prisoners are in Syrian jails. Syria and Lebanon's pro-Syrian President Emile Lahoud have denied there are any. They claim all political prisoners were released in December of 2000. Those who dared to inquire about prisoners were often threatened.

"This is our group, SOLIDE, Support of Lebanese in Detention and Exile," says Ghazi Aad. He has been working with the families of detainees for 15 years. He says his organization has files on 176 known detainees in Syrian prisons -- and there could be more.


Ghazi Aad
"There are people from everywhere -- all political parties, from all confessional groups in Lebanon, Druse, Shia, Sunni, Christians Maronites, Christian orthodox people from everywhere in Lebanon," says Mr. Aad.

When asked why Syria would hold political prisoners for so long, Mr. Aad said the Syrian government is a Baathist regime -- just like the former Iraqi regime of Saddam Hussein.

"The point is to spread the atmosphere of fear. Make the Lebanese live in fear all the time and forcing them into submission. Submission to the Syrian control of Lebanon," says Mr. Aad.

That control is weakening. The last protest held by the families of detainees was broken up by water canons and riot police. But on this night, families have gathered in Martyr's Square in Beirut for a piano concert. They are hopeful about the new political climate in Lebanon. And they have been pressing the international community to demand the release of Lebanese prisoners as well as a total Syrian withdrawal from Lebanon.

Source: VOA News
VOA News - Lebanese Political Prisoners in Syria

9 People, Including 1 American, Injured in Brummana Bombing

Police said Saturday nine people, including one American, were injured and hospitalized from a bomb that ripped a parking lot of a commercial center in Lebanon's summer resort town of Brummana the previous night.
Most of the injuries were caused by flaying glass and smoke from the explosion of a 25-kilogram explosive charge that targeted the Rizk Plaza, a complex of living apartments with shops and a branch of slain ex-Premier Hariri's Bank Mediterrane at the lower floors, a police statement said.

The blast also wrecked dozens of private cars inside and near the targeted parking lot. Many were set afire but subsequent heavy rains put down the blaze before fire engines could make to Brummana, a favorite of Gulf summer vacationers a 30-minute drive from Beirut into the Metn Mountains.

Many other tenants were treated on the spot for shock and respiratory difficulties as civil defense volunteers climbed on make-shift steel ladders to bring victims out of the higher floors. They were put on stretchers with oxygen masks.

Opposition leaders, who raced to inspect the blast scene, openly blamed the bombing on Syria's intelligence service and affiliated security departments in Lebanon, which are out to show that Syria's withdrawal would leave Lebanon in chaotic instability.

This was the fourth such bombing since the Syrians began to pullout their army and intelligence personnel from Lebanon hard on the heels of ex-Premier Hariri's assassination Feb. 14.

All four bombings hit targets in Lebanon's Christian heartland, a concept seen by the opposition as designed by Syria to fan the flames of a new civil war and show that Lebanon still cannot afford the security backlash of the withdrawal of the service and affiliated security departments of President Lahoud's Syrian-sponsored regime.

 

source: Naharnet

An explosion occured in Rizk Plaza in the Metn city of Broumana - Lebanon

An explosion occured in Rizk Plaza in the Metn city of Broumana - Lebanon

Lahoud's Regime is Trying to Stop Heads from Rolling in New U.N. Probe

The Lebanese government is trying through Russia and Algeria to curtail the powers of the projected International Commission of Inquiry that will be dispatched to Beirut to conduct a new investigation into ex-Premier Hariri's assassination, An Nahar reported Friday. The move seems designed to absolve the Syrian-backed regime of President Lahoud from guilt and to make sure the heads of Lebanon's senior-most security commands would not roll as a result of the coming probe. The effort is being exerted by Butros Assaker, head of the international affairs department of the Lebanese Foreign Ministry, who was recently dispatched to New York for the Security Council deliberations on the new probe after the U.N. faulted a local investigation into the Feb. 14 murder by local authorities in Beirut. Assaker is prodding the Russian and Algerian ambassadors to introduce amendments to a newly tabled French draft bill to form the new investigation mission, which is supported by the United States and Britain, An Nahar said, quoting Arab diplomatic sources. The Lebanese amendments focus on omitting the word "independent" from the title of the projected commission and the reference to the heads of Lebanese security services accused of bungling the local probe so they would not be prosecuted by the commission, An Nahar reported. Another hoped-for amendment is the omission of the word "all" from the article that defines the commission's powers to interrogate anyone it wants in connection with the new probe, which is designed to curtail those powers, according to An Nahar's report. Lebanon's U.N. mission is also trying to confine the period of the new investigation to one year rather than leaving it open-ended, and to change the clause that suggests the commission should submit a report to the Security Council on the progress of the probe every two months, making it once a year, or effectively only one report. Assaker's amendments also include changing the clause that stipulates for 'helping the Lebanese people to know the truth' into 'helping the Lebanese government,' according to An Nahar. The Security Council had to delay a vote on the French draft until early next week because of the rotational change of its president on April 1.