Bush to Hariri: U.S. Wants Lebanon Independent and Free of Syrian Intimidation

Saad Hariri has met with President George Bush who said that the United States was committed to see Lebanon achieve its independence and democracy, free from Syrian intimidation.
We just had a very interesting and important discussion about our mutual desire for Lebanon to be free -- free of foreign influence, free of Syrian intimidation, free to chart its own course," said Bush after meeting with Hariri at his Oval Office Friday.
The U.S. president said he along with many U.S. citizens of Lebanese descent wanted to see "Lebanon flourish and thrive."
"It will be very important for the region for Lebanon's democracy to be able to reach its full potential. There's no doubt in my mind, with the focused effort of the free world reminding Syria to uphold U.N. Resolution 1559, we will be able to achieve the objective" he added.
The talks concluded Hariri's week-long meetings in Washington where he conferred with top administration officials and congressmen. His 50-minute talks with Bush were also attended by U.S. Secretary of States Condoleezza Rice and National Security Advisor Steve Hadley.
Bush also expressed the U.S. determination to see that those responsible for the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri be brought to justice.
We expect there to be a full and firm investigation. The people who are responsible for your dad's death need to be held to account," Bush said.
A U.N. committee is investigating Hariri's assassination Feb. 14 in Beirut. The murder, largely blamed on Syria and its Lebanese allies, sparked an international outcry and led to the withdrawal of Syrian troops from Lebanon, ending 30 years of military presence.
However, anti-Syrian politicians accuse Damascus of continuing to intervene in the neighboring country and blame it for being behind a string of assassinations targeting politicians and journalists.
Bush said he and Hariri discussed putting together a global donors' conference to raise funds to help Lebanon.
So I talked about a donors' conference -- he's going to work the world community to try to help organize a conference to help the Lebanese people get going," the U.S president said.
Outside the White House, Hariri told reporters he had also discussed the conference with Vice President Dick Cheney and that a date would be set soon.
Hariri said the International Monetary Fund would send an envoy to the region February 7 to start working "seriously" on setting up such a conference.
He said he disused the security situation in Lebanon with the U.S. president who expressed concern about the killing of figures opposed to Syria, specially the murder of An Nahar General Manager Gebran Tueni, An Nahar said.
Hariri, who heads the parliamentary majority, said he asked Bush for U.S. assistance to the Lebanese police and military in terms of military and communication equipment.
With regards to Hizbullah's weapons, Hariri said the matter would be solved through national dialogue. The international community, led by the United States, is putting pressure on the Lebanese government to implement the remaining clauses of Resolution 1559, specially the one calling for disarming all militias in Lebanon.
Hizbullah argues that it is a resistance movement not a militia and wants the government to officially adopt its position.
They want to be part of rebuilding Lebanon," Hariri said of the armed group.
Speaking of the U.N. investigation, Hariri said, "What we want to see in Lebanon is full cooperation with the commission. The faster Syria cooperates the better it is for them.
We are not after revenge. In our part of the world revenge is easy to achieve. We want justice," he added.(AP-Naharnet)

Gen. Aoun Says Hizbullah is His Closest Ally

Gen. Michel Aoun said his Free Patriotic Movement's closest ally in Lebanon was Hizbullah, as the two held similar views with regards to reform and other internal issues. Aoun's position was transmitted Thursday to a visiting delegation from the National Council for Information. "The General considers that the closest to him in Lebanon is Hizbullah, especially in the matters of reform, mass graves and internal issues," said Abdel-Hadi Mahfouz, who heads the national media outfit. Aoun, who spent 15 years in exile for opposing Syrian domination of, was a major player in the coalition that drove Damascus' troops out of Lebanon last April. However, during the campaign for parliamentary elections in June, he forged an alliance with the pro-Syrian Hizbullah. Since his return to Lebanon, Aoun has adopted political and administrative reform as his party's national goals. He blames politicians who led the country in his absence for encouraging corruption under Syrian protection. "He (Aoun) considers the (present) government to be an extension of the past 15 years without the presence of Rustom Ghazaleh to solve problems," said Mahfouz. Ghazaleh was Syria's top intelligence officer in Lebanon. Since Syria's exit from the neighboring country, politicians have spoken of his brazen threats and intimidation tactics. Hizbullah holds similar views on reform and corruption as Aoun. The two groups also claim their slate is clear of mass murders committed by other politicians that participated in the country's 1975-1990 year civil war.

US freezes assets of Assef Shawkat

The White House on Wednesday for the first time named a Syrian official as having "directly contributed" to support for the insurgency in Iraq, as the United States moved to freeze his assets.
The charge came after the US Treasury Department slapped the financial sanctions on the official, Syrian military spy chief Asset Shawkat, the brother-in-law of President Bashar al-Assad.
"Mr. Shawkat, as Syria's chief of military intelligence, has directly contributed to Syria's support for terrorism, including the insurgency in Iraq, Palestinian terrorist groups given shelter in Damascus, and Hezbollah and other terrorist groups in Lebanon," said White House spokesman Scott McClellan.
Shawkat "has also been deeply involved in Syria's ongoing interference" in Lebanon, he added. "Today's action is a significant signal that those, like Mr. Shawkat, who support Syrian terrorism will be held to account."
Two US officials said that, while Washington has repeatedly accused Damascus of siding with insurgents targeting Iraqi and US troops in Iraq, it was the first time it had tied a Syrian official directly and by name to the violence.
Earlier, the Treasury Department placed Shawkat on a list of "specially designated nationals" under a presidential anti-terrorism order, freezing any US assets he holds and barring US citizens from transactions with him.
Stuart Levey, the Treasury's undersecretary for terrorism and financial intelligence, said the director of the powerful Syrian Military Intelligence (SMI) agency had been "a key architect of Syria's domination of Lebanon."
Shawkat was also "a fundamental contributor to Syria's long-standing policy to foment terrorism against Israel," Levey said in a statement.
In addition, Levey said, Shawkat "has access to the highest levels of the Syrian power structure" by virtue of his marriage to Bushra al-Assad, the president's sister.
Shawkat is a close confidant of Assad and an important member of his inner circle of advisors, the Treasury said.
The action comes after the Treasury in June blacklisted Syria's Interior Minister Ghazi Kanaan and Rustum Ghazali, its former spymaster for Lebanon, under the same anti-terrorism order.

Security Council backs Annan on investigation

16 January 2006 – Members of the United Nations Security Council have voiced their support for recent actions taken by Secretary-General Kofi Annan to advance the investigation into the assassination of Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, who was killed last February in a blast that also took the lives of 22 others.

Speaking to reporters on Friday, the Council’s current President, Ambassador Augustine P. Mahiga of Tanzania, voiced appreciation for the Secretary-General’s decision to name former Belgian prosecutor Serge Brammertz to head the UN International Independent Investigation Commission (UNIIIC) probing the murder.

“At the same time we want to express our appreciation to the outgoing investigator, Mr. [Detlev] Mehlis, who did an outstanding job,” Ambassador Mahiga added.

Recalling that Mr. Annan has decided to send a mission to Lebanon to examine the possibility of establishing a judicial tribunal as well as extending the investigation to other assassinations in the country, the Council President said, “We think this is [a] very timely, very decisive decision of the Secretary-General.

Last month, the 15-member Council extended UNIIIC’s mandate for at least another six months and authorized it to give technical assistance to investigations into other terrorist attacks in Lebanon.

The Council took that action by a unanimously adopted resolution which followed on the Commission’s latest report offering new evidence pointing to Syria's involvement in Mr. Hariri's murder and Syrian procrastination and efforts to hinder the probe.

The resolution acknowledged the Lebanese Government's request that those eventually charged be tried by a tribunal of an international character. It requested the Secretary-General to help the Lebanon identify the nature and scope of the international assistance needed for this purpose.

Secretary Rice statement on Syria and Lebanon:Syria's Continuing Refusal to Comply with Security Council Resolutions

The United States has grave and continuing concerns about Syria’s destabilizing behavior and sponsorship of terrorism. The Syrian regime is obligated to implement UN Security Council resolutions 1546, 1559, 1595, 1636, and 1644. It has failed to do so.

Syria must cease obstructing the investigation into the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Hariri and instead cooperate fully and unconditionally, as required by UN Security Council resolutions. We call upon the Syrian regime to respond positively to the requests of UN Independent International Investigation (UNIIIC). We intend to refer this matter back to the Security Council if Syrian obstruction continues.

The United States stands firmly with the people of Lebanon in rejecting any deals or compromises that would undermine the UNIIC investigation, or relieve Syria of its obligations under UN Security Council resolutions. We are firmly committed to seeking justice and pursuing the investigation to its ultimate conclusion.

The United States also calls for the full implementation of all parts of UN Security Council resolution 1559, including the disarmament and disbanding of Hizballah and other militias. Syria’s continuing provision of arms and other support to Hizballah and Palestinian terrorist groups serves to destabilize Lebanon, makes possible terrorist attacks within Lebanon, from Lebanese territory, and impedes the full implementation of Security Council resolutions.

As Resolution 1559 demands, Syria must once and for all end its interference in the internal affairs of Lebanon. Continuing assassinations in Lebanon of opponents of Syrian domination, including most recently the murder of journalist and Member of Parliament Gebran Tueni on December 12, 2005, create an atmosphere of fear that Syria uses to intimidate Lebanon. Syria must cease this intimidation and immediately come into compliance with all relevant Security Council resolutions.

Secretary Condoleezza Rice
Washington, DC
January 11, 2006

Aoun's Bloc Against Foreign Interference, Criticizes Khaddam

General Michel Aoun's parliamentary bloc has said it would not allow any foreign entity to exercise influence over Lebanon, An Nahar reported on Tuesday. "The bloc affirms again for the Lebanese that the era of (foreign) guardianship over Lebanon is gone for good," Legislator Ibrahim Kanaan of Aoun's bloc said. "We will not let any foreign guardianship on Lebanese domestic decisions to happen," he added reading from a statement issued after his parliamentary bloc held its weekly meeting in Rabieh Monday. Kanaan also said the bloc "closely followed" Syria's former Vice-President Abdel-Halim Khaddam's comments implicating Syrian President Bashar Assad in ex-Premier Rafik Hariri's assassination. "We leave it up to the Lebanese and to history to judge Khaddam's actions when he was in charge of the Lebanese file," said Kanaan.