Hizbollah blasts UN, vows to stand by Syria

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Lebanon's Hizbollah guerrilla group said on Friday it would stand by Syria, blasting the United Nations for what it said was political incitement against Damascus over the killing of a Lebanese ex-premier.

Tens of thousands of Hezbollah's supporters attended the anti-Israel parade in Beirut's southern suburb in a show of force by the guerrilla group facing U.S.-led pressure to disarm in line with a 14-month-old U.N. resolution.

"We say clearly that we stand by Syria, leadership and people, in the face of its targeting by the Americans and Zionists and attempts to punish it politically for standing by Lebanon and its resistance," Hizbollah chief Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah told the rally.

The parade, an annual event to mark Jerusalem Day in support of Palestinians, was the first major gathering organized by the Shi'ite Muslim group since its backer and ally Syria pulled out its troops from Lebanon in April.

It also came days after a U.N. envoy, Terje Roed-Larsen, said in a report the Lebanese government had not disarmed Hizbollah and Palestinian fighters in line with Security Council Resolution 1559, which calls for the disbanding of all militias.

"WE ARE COMING"
Some 6,000 Hizbollah fighters, in khaki, brown or black military fatigues but carrying no weapons, marched in formation in front of cheering crowds waving the group's yellow flags and chanting "Death to Israel, Death to America".

Why Is the Regime Lying? By Gebran Tueini

By Gebran Tueini

When we see the orchestrated Syrian regime reaction to the report of the International Independent Investigation Commission into the assassination of Prime Minister Rafik Hariri led by Detlev Mehlis, we remember an article written by one of the most prominent martyrs of the Lebanese press, Salim Al Laouzi, who is believed to have been assassinated by the Syrians, under the title "why is the regime lying?" Unfortunately, after a quarter of a century, the Syrian regime is still adopting the same approach and the question remains: why is the regime lying? Until when will this regime, its cronies and protégés face the truth with lies and bluffing? Wouldn't it be better for this regime to change its performance at the interior and exterior levels? Until when will the Lebanese remain silent, reluctant to say the truth, the whole truth and to put an end to practices that harm Lebanon, Syria and the entire Arab world? Are we going to remain indifferent to all kinds of lies that deride our martyrs, dignity and sovereignty and defy the sacred truth? Will we remain silent after what we heard from Syria's permanent representative at the United Nations who claimed that his country "saved" and "helped" Lebanon and the Lebanese people and was always on martyr Hariri's side? Would anyone reveal the truth about the assassination of Kamal Jumblat? If only Walid Jumblat would say the truth, the whole truth about the assassination of his father by the Syrian regime. What if the Laouzis decide to tell the truth about Salim Al Laouzi's assassination? Why don't we ask the Tahas about the assassination of Riyad Taha, and the Khaleds about the assassination of Mufti Hassan Khaled? What about the assassinations of Mohammad Choukeir, Nazem Al Kadri and Bachir El Gemayel? If only Minister Nayla Mouawad would disclose the truth about the assassination of her husband, late President Rene Mouawad! No need to go on with the list of all the assassinations that took place in Lebanon since the start of the war and targeted honorable people. Is this how they saved and helped Lebanon? Who is distorting the truth? The international commission's report that proved the implication of Syrian and Lebanese security apparatus in the assassination of late Prime Minister Rafik Hariri or the Syrian regime and those who try to falsify the facts? Who is distorting the truth? The international investigation commission or the Syrian Foreign Affairs Minister who submitted a misleading letter to the commission? And what about the statement of Ambassador Walid Al Moallem that is in complete contradiction with a taped conversation – yes, a taped conversation – between him and martyr Rafik Hariri? What principles is the Syrian regime talking about in his comments on the commission's report? The principles of killing, kidnapping and torture in the jails of Beau Rivage, Anjar, Dhour El-Choueir, Mazze and others, the principles of money laundering in collaboration with partners in the Lebanese security apparatus and their relatives through banks that have been created for this particular purpose, or the principles of the protection of cars' thieves, drug traffickers, smugglers of money from Iraq and traffickers of oil coupons?! It is the moment of truth, and there is no use going on with the lies and intimidation means. This is not a personal matter between Hariris and Assads but a crime against Lebanon and the Arab world, which the international community labeled a terrorist act. Therefore, the Security Council should not punish a whole people but should follow this issue up until the criminals and instigators are exposed, prosecuted and punished. It should be known to everyone that neither Syria nor its people are targeted but a group of criminal terrorists who should be brought to justice and severely punished. The Syrian people are innocent of this terrorist crime, and have more things in common with the Lebanese people than with their regime. It is as simple as that: the criminals should be prosecuted before an international court which is the only guarantee for transparency and credibility away from pressure or extortion that might be exerted on judges, lawyers, witnesses or even suspects. I received an e-mail letter from a Syrian citizen which stated "( ) I am sorry for all the things the Syrian regime has done to the Lebanese people, for the humiliation, the hegemony, the tyranny and the oppression. I am also sorry for the assassination of Prime Minister Rafik Hariri and his friends and the assassinations of many others before and after. Sorry for the Syrian regime's attempt to assassinate Lebanon's spirit and dignity, an attempt that did not and will not succeed. Sorry for the Syrian regime's brutality, bloodiness and stupidity. I am also sorry because I cannot express my opinion with freedom and I feel humiliated and confused as I am so far away from all that happened and like my people, I am innocent of all the crimes perpetrated by the regime". I think that this letter reflects the true nature of the Syrian people who are also eager to know all the truths. It is the strongest answer to all those who are now trying to instigate hostilities between the Lebanese and Syrian peoples. It also proves to everyone that the attempts to foment feuds inside Lebanon and between Lebanon and Syria are bound to fail. It is the moment of truth and the masks have fallen! Only justice will prevail in Lebanon and Syria too!

Army Tanks Ring Bekaa Pro-Syrian Palestinians, Jibreel Claims Taking 6 Soldiers Hostage

The army has laid a tank siege to the main bases of Syrian-backed Palestinian guerrilla factions in the Bekaa Valley, shouting demands through bullhorns for a prompt handover of the killers of a Lebanese military topographer shot dead two days ago.
The standoff effectively corroborated the report of U.N. envoy Terje Roed-Larsen to the Security Council in New York Wednesday that Syria was persisting in interference in Lebanon's affairs, allowing Radical Palestinian guerrillas to cross the border with plenty of weapons to refugee camps in Lebanon.

The report asserted that there was no need for the resistance that Hizbullah uses as an alibi not to lay down arms because Israel had withdrawn from all occupied Lebanese land, rejecting Lebanon's long-belated claim of sovereignty over the Shabaa Farms enclave.

Some 1,000 troops in armored personnel carriers with tank support were deployed overnight around the strongholds of Ahmed Jibreel's PFLP-GC and Abu Moussa's Fatah-Uprising in Sultan Yacoub, Hilweh, Deir El Ashayer and Yanta, media reports said Thursday.

The deployed reinforcements belonged to the army's 8th commando brigade. A communiqué from the army command in Yarze said the military moves were taken to apprehend the killers of the army's civilian surveyor Mohammed Ismail, who was shot dead while on an assignment near Hilweh on Tuesday.

Lebanon's state-run National News Agency said Wednesday evening that the army demanded through loudspeakers from the Palestinian guerrillas to evacuate the four Bekaa bases, but the NNA later withdrew the report.

One of the ringed PFLP-GC strongholds was a big base of underground tunnels, caves and foxholes at Lower Sultan Yacoub township, which prompted Jibreel to tell An Nahar from Damascus "I am taken aback by these developments although relations with the Lebanese army are well."

Jibreel said he held hour-long telephone talks with Premier Saniora about the surprise "siege of our position," asserting that he told the prime minister of Lebanon "there can't be a dialogue between us with a gun pointed to our head."

Jibreel claimed PFLP-GC is holding six Lebanese soldiers hostage after the army had arrested 3 of the group's activists. But the army command in Yarze issued an emphatic denial of the Jibreel claim Thursday.

Interview of President Bush by AL Arabiya

3:39 P.M. EDT

Q Mr. President, thank you very much for this interview. I much appreciate it.

THE PRESIDENT: Thank you.

Q Let me start after the -- Mehlis report. You described the report as deeply disturbing. Does the United States, your administration, support imposing sanctions on Syria?

THE PRESIDENT: Here's what we support. We support that the world take this report very seriously, that there were some very strong implications in the report, that it be fully aired, and that the United Nations start to take action. Tomorrow there's a meeting of the perm reps, permanent representatives, and I've instructed Secretary Rice to call upon the United Nations to host a foreign ministers meeting as quickly as possible.

Q Are we heading into a confrontation with Syria?

THE PRESIDENT: I certainly hope not. I mean, I think one of the things that Syria has learned is that non-compliance with international demands will yield to isolation. 1559 was a very serious statement by the free world and the United Nations to say to Syria, get out of Lebanon, leave Lebanon alone, let the Lebanon democracy flourish and function. She saw -- she, being Syria -- saw that the world spoke in voice, one voice.

And nobody wants there to be a confrontation. On the other hand, there must be serious pressure applied so that the leader understands that, one, they can't house terrorist groups that will destroy the peace process with Israel and Palestine, for example; two, they should stop meddling in Lebanon; three, that they should stop allowing transit of bombers and killers into Iraq that are killing people that want there to be a democracy. In other words, there are some clear demands by the world. And this Mehlis report, as I say, had serious implications for Syria, and the Syrian government must take the demands of the free world very seriously.

Q The French -- as you know, the French Prime Minister wants to introduce a resolution for Syria to cooperate with the investigation. Would you support that?

THE PRESIDENT: The French foreign minister --

Q They want to introduce a resolution in the United Nations, in the Security Council, basically calling on Syria to cooperate further in the investigation into the killing --

THE PRESIDENT: Oh, I see. Sure. Well, listen, we're working very closely with the French. We did on 1559, and there was a clear message as a result of the cooperation between the U.S. government, the French, and many other governments -- and Condi Rice, who I spoke to today, is still in consultations with the French to make sure we have a common message.

Q I know you said before that you're focusing on diplomatic options, but the military one is still on the table. Would you resort to that?

THE PRESIDENT: Well, listen, nobody wants to use the military. A military is always the last choice of a President. I understand the use of military and I know how hard it can be, and I'm -- any time anybody loses their life in our military, I weep for the families. And I know innocent people can sometimes be in harm's way, so the military is always the last option. And this is a chance for the world to work together to achieve a diplomatic solution.

And our diplomats, starting with Secretary Rice, are working very hard to come up with a common position to make it clear to Syria that there are clear and understandable demands. And I've just listed some of them earlier. Listen, as you know, you and I have worked together and you've seen the emergence of a potential Palestinian state that I strongly embrace, but we must not allow terrorists to operate out of Syria that would derail the peace process. It's not fair to the people of Gaza; it's not fair to the people of the West Bank. And so that is one clear demand, that Syria must shut down these camps and not allow terrorists groups to have safe haven in Syria.

We want the Lebanese democracy to flourish. And so Syria should not be -- should no longer be involved in Lebanon. They removed their troops, like was told to them in 1559, but it also was clear it said, get rid of all your intelligence services and your -- and your operations out of there. And the Mehlis report implicates Syria's involvement in the death of Mr. Hariri, who was a fine man.

And, of course, one of the concerns I have and that other countries have, as well, is Syria becoming a transit place for these killers that are going into Iraq and killing Muslims, killing innocent women and children. And it's just -- they got to -- they got to understand there is a -- there's a worldwide concern about their failure to act.

Q If they don't cooperate, what would you do?

THE PRESIDENT: Well, I'm hoping that they will. They did on 1559 in terms of getting their troops out. In other words, there's a diplomatic -- you're trying to get me to say something, I'm going to use our military. It is the last -- very last option. And no Commander-in-Chief likes to commit the military, and I don't. But on the other hand, you know -- and I've worked hard for diplomacy and will continue to work the diplomatic angle on this issue.

Q We've seen similar models before. Some people talk about the Libyan model, i.e. sanction, long-term, and then the Libyans will hand over the suspects -- or the Iraqi one --

THE PRESIDENT: Well, I think each country is different. Saddam Hussein had, gosh, a lot of resolutions out of the United Nations. Year after year after year after year, the United Nations said, do this, and he never complied. And so it's -- he was -- diplomacy wasn't working. And my attitude is, let's give diplomacy a chance to work. Obviously, we'd like to resolve any issue in a peaceful way. And that's the main goal of the United States.

Q Obviously, you have the French and the British on board, but what about the Chinese and the Russians? Who will support -- will you get their support?

THE PRESIDENT: Well, that's an interesting question. I think it's too early to tell. I certainly hope that people take a good look at the Mehlis report. Mr. Mehlis did a very thorough job, and it speaks -- there's clear implications about Syrians involvement in the death of a foreign leader. And the United States was willing to help, work with other countries, and we will, to make sure that out of the United Nations comes a clear message.

Q As you know, Saad Hariri, who's the son of the slain President, Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri, is asking for an international court. Would the United States support the trial in an international court for the suspects?

THE PRESIDENT: Well, we want people to be held to account. And I'd be glad to talk to other leaders to determine whether or not that's the best course of action. But certainly, people do need to be held to account. And the first course of action is to go the United Nations.

Q But further, would you --

THE PRESIDENT: Well, we'll have to see --

Q -- support that or not?

THE PRESIDENT: We'll have to see.

Q If we move to Iraq.

THE PRESIDENT: Sure.

Q I would like to know, how would you evaluate the performance of Saddam Hussein during the trial? Do you think he's weakened? He's still defiant?

THE PRESIDENT: That's hard for me to tell. The key thing is that there will be a fair trial, which is something he didn't give many of the thousand people he killed. It's -- there's going to be a lot of international scrutiny. There will be a lot of press coverage. People are going to be watching very carefully. And what matters is the fact that he will be brought to trial in a fair way.

Q And do you think that, eventually, the situation is safe enough for this court to take place? Is Baghdad safe enough for Saddam to be tried there?

THE PRESIDENT: I think it is, yes, I do. I mean, listen, it's safe enough to have an election nationwide, where these killers were saying, we'll kill you if you vote, and a lot of people went and voted. In other words, it's possible to provide security. But I think the trial needs to go forward.

Q But, you know, Mr. President, one of the defense lawyers was killed --

THE PRESIDENT: Oh, I know. It's just terrible.

Q So how can you make sure it's fair trial --

THE PRESIDENT: No, I understand. Well, there will be a fair trial. The question is whether or not there's the courage to go ahead with the trial. And I think the people of Iraq would like to see Saddam Hussein tried for the crimes he committed.

Q Would you support again an international trial for him?

THE PRESIDENT: No, I didn't, I didn't at all. I think it's very important for the Iraqis to have a justice system that earns the confidence of the people. This is a new democracy, and part of a democracy is to have a fair judicial system. And I thought it was very important for the Iraqi -- citizens of Iraq to conduct the trial in such a way that it earned international respect.

Q You had started talks with the Sunni opposition parties. What happened to that? Where -- are you advancing in the talks with them?

THE PRESIDENT: With the Sunnis?

Q Yes.

THE PRESIDENT: Well, first of all, the United States of America will not try to pick a winner in the upcoming election. We talked -- our Ambassador Zal Khalilzad was involved with trying to help the parties come together and make a deal on the constitution, to get people's participation and get people involved with the -- show that the process can work through discussion and compromise.

And when it comes to the elections, upcoming elections, should the constitution get passed -- and it looks like it might, there will be an election for a permanent government -- the United States will not pick a winner. That's going to be up to the Iraqi people. Our mission will be to encourage all people to participate in the process.

It's been amazing, what's happened in Iraq, when you really think about it. Millions of people voted last January. Nobody -- a lot of people didn't think that would happen. And then this new constitution was written. You know, it's a document that is -- it caused a lot of debate, and people showed anxieties or supported part of it, but it's a document that can be changed with a democratically elected government, just like what happened to our Constitution. I mean, the United States Constitution created a lot of anxiety when it was first passed, and then it was amended right off the bat. But I'm very -- I've got to tell you, I am impressed by the courage of the Iraqi citizens, and pleased with the progress.

Q Are you satisfied with the security situation? It's pretty dismal there.

THE PRESIDENT: Well, it's tough, but the security -- no question. And the enemy, these killers, have got one weapon, and that is to get on TV by killing innocent people. And it's a powerful weapon, don't get me wrong. And what they're trying to do is shake our will. They would like us to leave. They would like to take advantage of a weak situation, so they can begin to spread their dark vision of how they ought to -- want to rule countries and regions. They have hijacked a great religion. Islam is peace -- it's not war, it's not killing innocent children and innocent women.

And these -- Zawahiri, as you know, there was a letter to Zarqawi that came out, and it talked about his vision of driving America out of parts of the world, and overthrowing governments to be able to implement their vision of a society in which women don't have rights, or a society in which you can't worship freely. And it's a society in which they can plan attacks on other people. And they've got one weapon. They don't have a philosophy. People don't say, gosh, I want to follow them because there's such a better tomorrow. And the only weapon they've got is to kill innocent people. And they're trying to shake our will.

And there's no question the images are terrible. Americans weep when they hear about the loss of life like that. On the other hand, the security situation is improving, when you look at the fact that they just had an election, and that -- we can't stop random acts of violence, but the Iraqi security forces are better prepared to defend themselves. And over time, they'll become even better. And as I told the American people, as the Iraqis stand up, we will stand down. And we're headed in that direction right now.

Q I have to go quickly to the Palestinian situation. First, Abu Mazen visit. I know this one is supposed to be primarily about the Palestinians. But would you support the outcome of the results -- as you know, you discussed this with Abu Mazen -- of the election, the Palestinian election in January, if Hamas wins, regardless?

THE PRESIDENT: Well, you know, I told him that it's very difficult to have a -- first of all, it depends upon whether there was armed citizens. I mean, you can't have a political party that's, on the one hand, based on philosophy, on the other hand, based upon violence and use of force through arms. He understands that.

Let me step back, if I could. I was impressed by my visit with President Abbas. He's a courageous man. He told me some things that were very strong in terms of the development of democracy, which I appreciate, because, as you know, I've articulated the vision of a Palestinian state, a democracy, living side-by-side with Israel. And I think it can happen. And I know, first and foremost, it takes strong leadership.

And President Abbas showed me something in the Oval Office, which is, one, a deep desire to defeat terror and promote democracy. And he understands, as he said, that we can't have armed gangs, whether they be in a political party or not. They're destabilizing the situation. And so he's had one authority, one law, one gun policy. And I believe he means it.

Q Right. So you would like him to disarm the Hamas and Jihad before the election?

THE PRESIDENT: Well, as he said, what he's going to do is to make sure there's no armed presence on the streets, and I would like for him to follow through on that. I believe that his party will win because his party is one of peace. And I think most people want peace.

One of the interesting things is, in this campaign, is that he will be able to say, I worked with Israel to get Israelis out of Gaza. Now, had you and I been discussing this a year-and-a-half ago, because I know this is an issue very dear to your heart, and I would have said, the settlements will be dismantled and Israel will be out of Gaza, you would have looked at me and said, I don't think you know what you're talking about, Mr. President. And sure enough, it happened. Prime Minister Sharon gets a lot of credit for that, as does President Abbas.

Very few people thought it could -- this -- there could be enough cooperation for the withdrawal to be peaceful. Both men had to deal with difficult political situations as a result of the decision. And now we need to move forward, and the United States wants to help. And we want to help -- you asked me if -- if people get elected, they're going to use violence as a tool, there won't be our help. We just won't be involved. If people get elected who say, we want to advance peace and prosperity of the Palestinian people, we'll be involved.

Q Finally, very final question.

THE PRESIDENT: No, you can keep going.

Q Thank you. When we talk about the Palestinian state, I know you are the first President -- you heard this many times before -- you are the first President to call for a Palestinian state. You don't like timetables. Why -- can you clarify what you say the other day -- why don't you want to push the parties towards a final status negotiation, and say, by this date, we're working towards it?

THE PRESIDENT: Absolutely. I said -- I appreciate -- thank you for giving me the chance to clarify a statement. Look, I said I would like this to happen before I end being President. And I would. And we are going to push. I mean, one of the reasons -- well, Condi and I talk about this all the time, Condi Rice and I, about how we'd very much like to see a Palestinian democracy achieve its status as a state. I'd love that if I were the President. I think it would be a great historic achievement for everybody involved. And so I did put out a firm date, and I'm going to work hard for that date.

On the other hand, you don't want an American President making decisions for other people based upon his own political calendar, or his own time in office, is what I really meant to say. I don't think it's fair. And this is going to be a process, as you know, that will be two steps forward and one step back, and two steps forward. And the United States is fully committed to the road map, we're fully committed to helping going forward, and we're fully committed to practical things on the ground.

You know, I had General Ward in the other day. And as I told you at the press conference, we're going to replace General Ward soon, and I meant that. There needs to be continued help of -- to help President Abbas be able to deal with the security situation. One authority, one law, one gun -- in order to have one authority, one law, one gun, you got to have -- got to reform forces that are able to respond.

Secondly, I talk to Jim Wolfensohn a lot. Now, there's a practical man. And the greenhouse is a good example of practical application of U.S. desire to help get the economy going.

Look, I fully understand the Rafah crossing needs to be opened, and I think it will be, sooner rather than later, and we're pushing hard. But there's other crossings that need to happen. There needs to -- in order for the Palestinian economy to grow, there needs to be -- there needs to be crossings in -- yes, in northern Gaza, in Israel, so people can go and work and come back and bring enterprise. Israeli capital needs to take a look at enterprise zones within the Gaza so that there's a chance for people to find work. Foreign capital needs to be encouraged to go into Gaza so that the -- so that good Palestinians can work.

Let me tell you something about what I know. First of all, I've been very impressed by the caliber of the Palestinians I've met, and I've met quite a few. They're very smart, very well educated, and very entrepreneurial. The Palestinians are good businesspeople. And they want to be free. And they're peaceful, they really are peaceful. And they have a chance to -- and I've told this to Abu Mazen; I said, you've got a fantastic population, let's -- now os your chance to lead them.

As you know, I welcomed some of his young team.

Q I know about that meeting.

THE PRESIDENT: Yes, we had the chief of staff, and his spokesperson is a lovely lady who is a very well-educated person, went back to the -- to Palestine to try to serve what she hopes will be a country. I was impressed by these young, dynamic, capable, peace-loving people.

And so I think we've got a very good chance to succeed. I want it to happen before I'm President, but it's not about me. That's my point. It's about the Palestinians, and it's about the Israelis, all of whom want to -- many of whom want to get rid of the past and have a more glorious future by living side-by-side in peace and democracy. And it's -- I think it's going to happen

Q I hope so. Thank you very much, sir.

THE PRESIDENT: Thanks.

Q Thank you for your time. Thank you. Wonderful.

THE PRESIDENT: Very good interview.

Q Well, one day I'm going to run as the mayor of Gaza, so probably I need your help. (Laughter.)

THE PRESIDENT: Absolutely. After I'm President I'll go help you. (Laughter.)

Q Thank you, sir.

END 3:58 P.M. EDT

Source: Whitehouse.gov

Evidence of Syrian involvement in Hariri murder - UN report

UNITED NATIONS (AFP) - A UN report cited "converging evidence" pointing at both Syrian and Lebanese involvement in the murder of former Lebanese premier Rafiq Hariri.

The report, a copy of which was obtained by AFP, was delivered to UN chief Kofi Annan earlier Thursday by German magistrate Detlev Mehlis, who led a four-month investigation into the massive bomb blast that killed Hariri and 20 others in Beirut last February.

"There is converging evidence pointing at both Lebanese and Syrian involvement in this terrorist act," it noted.

The report said that it was well known that Syrian military intelligence had a pervasive presence in Lebanon at least until the withdrawal of Syrian forces in line with UN Security Council resolution 1559.

"Given the infiltration of Lebanese institutions and society by the Syrian and Lebanese intelligence services working in tandem, it would be difficult to envisage a scenario whereby such a complex assassination plot could have been carried out without their knowledge," it added.


Syrians walk past a picture of President Bashar al-Assad in the old city of Damascus
©AFP - Louai BesharaThe Hariri slaying last February touched off an international outcry and led many in Lebanon to point the figure at Syria, hastening Damascus's departure from its smaller neighbor in April after a 29-year military presence.

Damascus has strenuously denied any involvement but nonetheless expects Western countries to try to push through sanctions in the Security Council.

Syria's deputy foreign minister, Walid Mouallem, told France's Le Figaro newspaper Thursday that he believed "the United States and France have a plan to increase pressure on Syria and the Mehlis report is the instrument to execute that plan."

He said that, after encouraging other Arab countries to urge Syria to "cut our relations with Iraq, Palestine and Lebanon, we are now at the second stage, which aims to isolate us.

"The next stage will be the imposition of economic sanctions through a United Nations resolution. But we think that the Russians and the Chinese will oppose these sanctions," he added.

Steel Belt of Tanks Rings Beirut on Eve of Mehlis Report on Hariri's Assassins

A steel belt of tanks and armored personnel carriers ringed Beirut to cope with potentially destabilizing fallout from the release of the Detlev Mehlis report on ex-Premier Hariri's assassination Thursday. Army commander Gen. Michel Suleiman vowed to stamp out 'without hesitation' any disorders anywhere in the country. President Lahoud and Gen. Suleiman said army troops and various security services have been mobilized and put on maximum alert to crush any attempt at disorders from the scheduled presentation of the Mehlis report to U.N. chief Kofi Annan at the U.N. secretariat in New York Thursday. Mehlis and his 100-strong commission of investigators and forensic experts spent ten weeks probing Hariri's murder, including interrogation sessions of witnesses and suspects in Lebanon, Syria, Switzerland and France. He will hand over the report on the outcome to Annan late Thursday. The report is expected to be made public on Friday. "There is no reason for the state of anxiety and fear in which the Lebanese are living on the eve of the Mehlis verdict," President Lahoud said. "The state's political, security and financial institutions are on guard to protect national peace and the components of national reconciliation and thwart any attempt aimed at stirring up internal troubles." Tanks sat on all entrances to the Lebanese capital as well as surrounding hilltops while troops and red bereted riot policemen set up joint checkpoints guarded by APCs at all key intersections, searching cars and frisking occupants for arms around-the-clock. The Defense Ministry suspended all gun licenses until further notice. Sentries in full battle gear stood guard 10 meters apart on every sidewalk at main residential districts of Ashrafiyeh, Mar Elias, Verdun, Hamra and the downtown thoroughfare and guards around foreign embassies and U.N. centers were more than redoubled. Ambulances and fire engines are on standby and the U.N. House in Downtown Beirut has been fortified with concrete barricades from ground to ceiling. "The army's priority is to dispel public fears from a fallout that would not be allowed to happen as a result of the U.N. probe of Premier Hariri's assassination," Gen. Suleiman said in an address to the nation after making an inspection tour of military positions in Beirut and the suburban townships of Damour and Saadiat Wednesday. The Lebanese are on edge. Many people expect the Mehlis report to implicate the Assad regime, or at least its senior intelligence commanders who served in Lebanon when Hariri was murdered in a one-ton bomb blast in Beirut Feb. 14. The assassination triggered a massive public uprising dubbed as the Cedars Revolt, which forced a humiliated Syria to withdraw its army and end 29 years of ruthless tutelage over Lebanon earlier in the year. People fear the remnants of Syrian secret service cells with the help of political factions still loyal to the Assad regime would reignite the terror campaign of bombings and assassinations that rocked Lebanon over the past 8 months, if Syria is accused of engineering Hariri's murder.

Lebanon charges Syrian with murder in Hariri probe

BEIRUT, Oct 18 (Reuters) - Lebanon has charged with murder a key Syrian witness detained in France over the assassination of Lebanese former Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri, judicial sources said on Tuesday.
French police detained Mohammed Zuhair al-Siddiq, a witness in a U.N. inquiry into the Hariri's February killing, on Sunday on an international warrant.
Lebanese judicial sources said they had asked for Siddiq's detention on the murder charges because they believed he had an indirect role in Hariri's killing and had misled international investigators.
Siddiq faces the same charges as four pro-Syrian generals detained since August on the recommendation of chief U.N. investigator Detlev Mehlis and charged with murder, attempted murder and carrying out a terrorist act in connection with Hariri's assassination, they said.
Lebanon has asked that Siddiq be extradited but was awaiting a French decision on the issue, they added.
French judicial sources said on Monday Beirut had 30 days to provide the necessary documents for the extradition request.
When he presents his report to the United Nations this week, Mehlis is expected to implicate Syrian officials in an assassination that plunged Lebanon into its worst security crisis since a 1975-1990 civil war. It stirred international pressure that led ultimately to the withdrawal of Syria from Lebanon where it had long played a power broking role.
SYRIAN DENIES ROLE
Lebanese political sources say Siddiq was one of the leading witnesses in the probe, having said he attended meetings at which Hariri's killing was discussed, but became a suspect when it transpired he had misled investigators.
Lebanese newspapers reported that suspicions had been raised when Siddiq told investigators he was nearby when the bomb blast that killed Hariri and 20 others went off.
Syrian officials have privately said from the start that Siddiq was unreliable and was wanted in his own country on charges of fraud and desertion.
Last week, Syrian Interior Minister Ghazi Kanaan was found dead in his office, his apparent suicide coming three weeks after he was questioned by the U.N. team probing Hariri's death.
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said in a CNN interview conducted shortly before Kanaan's death that his country was not involved in Hariri's death and that he could never have ordered the murder.
Should the United Nations conclude Syrians were involved, the people so implicated would be "traitors" who would face an international court or Syrian justice, he said.

Source: Reuters

Damascus asked to let UN probe Kanaan's suicide

The UN investigator probing the murder of Lebanon’s former premier has asked Damascus for permission to widen his inquiry into this week’s death of Syria’s interior minister, a key witness, a newspaper reported yesterday.
The news came as Lebanon’s interior minister reportedly said authorities had taken measures similar to a “state of emergency” ahead of the publication of the UN report into the February 14 assassination of Rafik al-Hariri.
Quoting Lebanese security sources, the As-Safir daily said German prosecutor Detlev Mehlis had “officially asked Syria to authorise him to inquire into this suicide and to carry out an autopsy” on General Ghazi Kanaan.
Syrian authorities said Kanaan shot himself in the mouth with his personal revolver at his Damascus office.
But some Lebanese papers, including one belonging to the Hariri family, have questioned Syria’s official version. Sceptics say Kanaan may have been murdered to keep him from revealing what he may have known about the case.
Last month, the Mehlis commission interviewed Kanaan, along with a number of other Syrian officials. Mehlis is due to submit his report to UN Secretary General Kofi Annan and Lebanese officials on October 21.
Kanaan headed Syrian military intelligence in Lebanon for 20 years and was Syria’s virtual viceroy there. He was found dead in his Damascus office on Wednesday.
The murder of Hariri in a massive Beirut bomb blast, that also killed 20 others, has been widely blamed on Lebanon’s neighbour and longtime powerbroker, Syria. Damascus has roundly denied the allegations.
In reaction to the domestic and international outcry that followed the murder, Syria withdrew its troops from Lebanon in April, and said that it had also pulled out all of its security agents.
However, there have been a number of deadly bombings and attempted murders of anti-Syrian figures since then, and the government fears that more might be in the offing.
Four current and former senior Lebanese security officials have already been detained in connection with the Hariri investigation.
Reacting to fears that the Mehlis report could spark new violence, Interior Minister Hassen Sabeh was quoted in Lebanon’s An-Nahar daily as saying “we have taken steps similar to those of a state of emergency in order to deal with any possible repercussions.Ó
“It is normal to expect that the report will spark political and security reactions whatever its content.”
Sabeh did not say what measures had been taken, but police and troops have increased patrols in the capital and surrounding area.
In a separate development, an official said yesterday that Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora would travel to Paris tomorrow for talks with French and UN officials on the future status of homegrown and Palestinian militias in his country.
Siniora will also meet Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, who will be in the French capital as part of a wider European tour.
His talks with UN envoy Terje Roed-Larsen will focus on steps taken to implement Security Council Resolution 1559, adopted in September 2004.
It was aimed at ending Syrian domination of Lebanon and extending the government’s authority throughout the country.
source:AFP 

Syrian interior minister commits suicide after probe

DAMASCUS (Reuters) - Syrian Interior Minister Ghazi Kanaan committed suicide in his office on Wednesday, officials said, three weeks after he was questioned by a U.N. team probing the killing of Lebanon's former Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri.
About an hour before Kanaan was believed to have placed a gun in his mouth and pulled the trigger, he called a Lebanese radio station to comment on Syrian-Lebanese ties, ending with the words: "I think this is the last statement I might give."
Kanaan's apparent suicide came a week before chief U.N. investigator Detlev Mehlis presents the findings of his inquiry into Hariri's February killing.
Shortly before news of Kanaan's death broke, President Bashar al-Assad told CNN Syria was not involved in Hariri's death and that he could never have ordered it.
Asked if Syrian officials would have ordered the killing without his knowledge, he said: "I don't think so. If it happened then it's treason.
"If (Syrians) are implicated they should be punished. International (court) or Syrian, whatever."
At least one Syrian member of parliament questioned the official version, saying he doubted Kanaan killed himself.
Syrian authorities, already under pressure from the United States which says they allow fighters into Iraq, have grown increasingly nervous over Lebanese and international charges Syria was linked to Hariri's death.
The official news agency SANA reported the suicide of the 63-year-old minister and said investigations were under way.
"There was blood on his face. The initial indications are that he put the gun in his mouth and shot himself," a political source said, adding that he died around 11 a.m. (0900 GMT).
U.S. President George W. Bush declined to comment on Kanaan, but said Syria was still far too involved in Lebanon.
He also repeated U.S. warnings to Syria that it should do more to stop foreign fighters from crossing into Iraq.
"I don't want to prejudge the report that's coming out -- the Mehlis report," Bush told reporters when asked about Kanaan's death and its implications for the Hariri probe.
"It's one thing to have been asked to remove troops and all intelligence services. Now the world wants for, expects, Syria to honour the democracy in the country of Lebanon."
In his phone interview to the Voice of Lebanon radio station before his suicide, Kanaan denied reports in Lebanese media that he showed the U.N. investigators photocopies of cheques paid to him by the late Hariri.

INCREASED SCRUTINY
The Syrian government issued a statement mourning Kanaan's death but gave no other details. State radio and television continued normal programming.
"Whatever happens, stability won't be shattered in Syria. We are one of the most stable countries in the region," Information Minister Mahdi Dakhl-Allah told Al Jazeera pan-Arab television.
Asked if the suicide was linked to the U.N. investigation, Dakhl-Allah said: "Of course, the timing is sensitive. But I'm talking about facts and not suspicion and speculation."
Hospital sources said Kanaan, who was Syria's top official in Lebanon for two decades until 2002, was taken from his office to a nearby private hospital before midday.
Syrian MP Mohammed Habash cast doubts on Syria's official version of Kanaan's death.
"There didn't seem to be any signs of stress on Ghazi Kanaan. Yesterday we were with him in a ministerial meeting and everything appeared normal," he said in telephone interview with al-Arabiya pan-Arab news channel.
"It's unbelievable this death by suicide and we don't know how the death of Kanaan actually came."
Some ordinary Syrians said they feared Kanaan's death might be seen abroad as a plot, rather than the result of Kanaan's sense of betrayal at Syria's pullout from Lebanon which Hariri's killing prompted.
"This will be exploited by Syria's foes to prove that it's an attempt at a cover-up rather than an act of despair by a military man whose pride could no longer swallow such indignity and betrayal," said Abdul Latif Shamal, a barber in Damascus.
Four pro-Syrian Lebanese generals have been arrested and charged in Hariri's assassination. Many Lebanese say Syria ordered the killing but Damascus has repeatedly denied any role.
"My testimony ... was to shed the light on an era during which we have served Lebanon," Kanaan said in his last comments.
"I want to make clear that our relation with our brothers in Lebanon was based on love and mutual respect ... We have served Lebanon's interest with honour and honesty."
Kanaan, a Baathist major general, was the head of Syrian military intelligence in Lebanon from 1982 until 2002. He then became chief of the Syrian political security directorate and was appointed interior minister in 2004.
Earlier this year, the U.S. Treasury said it was freezing the assets of Kanaan and his successor as Syria's top official in Lebanon, General Rustom Ghazali, "to financially isolate bad actors supporting Syria's efforts to destabilise its neighbours".

Geagea: Syria is trying to Re-Control Lebanon Even if it is Rubble

Samir Geagea has indirectly accused Syria of trying to re-control Lebanon even at the expense of leveling it to the ground and leaving a big portion of its population dead, the Beirut media reported on Sunday.

Geagea made his stinging attack on the Assad regime, without mentioning its name, in a telephone speech he made from Paris to a Lebanese Forces rally in Sydney, Australia, to celebrate his July 26 release from 11 years in Jail at the Lebanese Defense Ministry prison in Yarze.

Referring to Syria as "the adversary," Geagea charged it was responsible for the terror campaign that began with the attempted assassination of Marwan Hamadeh Oct. 1 last year to the attempted assassination of May Chidiac three weeks ago.

Geagea also accused Syria of plundering Lebanon's entire economic revenues in a way that plunged the nation in a staggering debt of unparalleled proportions.

"But all of this was regrettably not enough to satisfy them, and they are still insisting on controlling Lebanon," he said. "Against this reality, we have to declare our full and deep determination to defend ourselves and our country to the bitter end, through the legal and constitutional frames available."

Jund El Sham Threatens to Slay Mehlis, Calling him Mossad Officer

A throat-slitting threat has been served against Lebanon's reigning authority by a group calling itself Jund El Sham, which also threatened to slaughter German Prosecutor Detlev Mehlis, who is heading a U.N. team investigating Rafik Hariri's assassination.
"We will slaughter without hesitation the reigning Lebanese authority and those who make up the majority in Parliament for collaborating with the West… to impose a new tutelage over Lebanon," Al Mustaqbal quoted Jund El Sham leaflets distributed in the northern Lebanese township of Rahbeh in Akkar as saying.

"We shall overthrow this authority by all means," Jund El Sham vowed in the leaflets that included Mehlis as a slaying target "because he is one of the senior-most officers of the Mossad," Israel's secret service, according to the newspaper that speaks for the Hariri family and Saniora.

Mehlis is currently in Vienna, writing his final report on the outcome of the probe into Hariri's murder.

PFLP-GC: 'Saniora Clamping Anti-Palestinian Famine Siege,' Jund El Sham: 'We Shall Slaughter Him'

Syria's radical Palestinian allies have accused Premier Saniora of ordering the Lebanese army to clamp a famine siege around their bases in the Bekaa Valley and the Naameh hills south of Beirut, while a notorious terrorist faction threatened to 'slaughter' Lebanon's reigning authority plus chief U.N. Hariri investigator Detlev Mehlis.
The siege claim came from Ahmed Jibreel's Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine-General Command, the closest Palestinian faction to President Assad's regime, which said the weeklong encirclement of the PFLP-GC positions by the Lebanese army has escalated in recent days to a starvation operation.

"It is obvious to all that the noose has been tightened even against the loaf of bread to our fighters," said the group that sent a suicide assailant on a hang glider from South Lebanon to a northern Israeli army base in 1989 to shoot dead eight soldiers before he was gunned down.

Media reports said PFLP-GC bases in the Bekaa Valley as well as in the Naameh hills, 10 kilometers south of Beirut's rim, have been ringed by Lebanese troops in the wake of alleged infiltration of guerilla fighters from Syria as well as truckloads of weapons.

The PFLP-GC statement, which was highlighted by An Nahar Wednesday, said "certain sides in the Lebanese government scheme to plunge the army, which has told us it is enforcing a political resolution, in a conflict that leads to partitioning it and derailing it off its mission of defending Lebanon and its sovereignty against the Zionist enemy."

That was a reminder of the army's disintegration along sectarian lines in the early years of Lebanon's 1975-1990 civil war, when Yasser Arafat's Palestinian guerrillas fought alongside a coalition of leftist and Muslim Lebanese groups against Christian militias.

These sides, the statement went on, "are insisting on dealing with the question of Palestinian arms from a narrow security angle in order to serve the determination to hastily enforce resolution 1559," which provides for the disarmament of Hizbullah and all 12 Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon.

"Therefore, we hold Prime Minister Fouad Saniora responsible for the consequences of these measures," the statement said, asserting it would not lay down arms or allow "adventurers gambling with Lebanon to tamper with any Palestinian position or camp piecemeal."

The PFLP-GC served indirect notice, however, that it would not shoot at Lebanese soldiers. "Our guns will remain trained against the Zionist enemy and we shall not be dragged into the plan of sedition."

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas hurriedly called Premier Saniora by telephone from Gaza Tuesday night and renounced the PFLP-GC aggressive defiance, Al Mustaqbal said.

"The rude PFLP-GC statement does not reflect our stance," Abbas was quoted as saying. "We are guests in Lebanon. We respect Lebanon's laws and security. We do not want weapons outside the camps. We are on your side

Saad Hariri says plot on his life uncovered

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Saad al-Hariri, son and political heir of assassinated former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri, said in an interview published on Tuesday that he had left the country after a plot to kill him was uncovered.

Hariri has been living abroad for two months, citing security fears after a series of bombings and assassinations that followed his father's killing on February 14 fueled concerns the country was sliding into chaos.

Hariri told the London-based Arabic newspaper al-Hayat he had left the country on the advice of foreign powers because of threats to his life. "But we also captured some people and knew their whereabouts in Lebanon and what they were plotting to do...," he said.

"We had confirmed information about groups planning for this (assassination) attempt," he told the paper in Paris without giving further details.

Hariri emerged as a key political figure in Lebanon after his father's death. His coalition won an overwhelming parliamentary majority in the first general elections after the withdrawal of Syrian troops in April.

Many in Lebanon blame the Hariri killing and ensuing bombings on Syria, the dominant force in Lebanon since the end of the 1975-1990 civil war. Damascus has denied any involvement.

A U.N. team is investigating the assassination and is expected to finish its report later in October.

Hariri said he would return to Lebanon once the government tightened its grip on security.

The government appointed Brigadier General Wafik Jizeeni on Tuesday to replace pro-Syrian Major General Jamil al-Sayyed as head of the General Security Directorate.

Sayyed, who quit the post two months after the Hariri killing, was arrested with three other pro-Syrian generals in August on the orders of U.N. investigators on suspicion of planning the murder.

Attack on Lebanese judge foiled

BEIRUT - Lebanese security forces found the makings of an explosive device attached to the car of a Christian judge in the early hours of Saturday morning.  Judge Khoury is investigating the case of al-Madina Bank, which was closed down for money laundering in which former Syrian security officials in Lebanon are believed to be involved, including the ex-head of military intelligence, Brig. Gen. Rustom Ghazaleh.
"Judge Nazim Khoury saw from his third-floor balcony … an anonymous person climbing the wall of his building and fleeing fast with another person waiting for him on a motorcycle," the security forces said.
Police were alerted immediately, and after inspecting the car found small batteries linked to two electrical wires placed under the vehicle but no explosives.
The incident came a week after a prominent anti-Syrian journalist was severely wounded in an explosion that ripped her car.