Hizbullah's British wing and that swap deal

With nearly everyone in Lebanon thrilled (or pretending to be) about Hizbullah's "victory" (to quote Siniora) in securing the release of Lebanese prisoners in Israel, it was no wonder that the same duplicitous and insincere logic would spread to the British government, which is moving to declare Hizbullah's "military wing" as a terrorist organization.

Britain on Wednesday moved to ban the military wing of Hezbollah, adding it to its list of designated terrorist groups, the Home Office said.

"This means that it will be a criminal offence to belong to, fundraise and encourage support for the military wing of the organization," Junior Home Office Minister Tony McNulty said in a statement.

Home Secretary Jacqui Smith laid an order in parliament that would proscribe Hezbollah's entire military wing.

If approved by parliament, the order would substitute the existing proscription against the External Security Organization, which the British government considers as Hezbollah's “terrorist wing.”

“Hezbollah's military wing is providing active support to militants in Iraq who are responsible for attacks both on coalition forces and on Iraqi civilians, including providing training in the use of deadly roadside bombs,” McNulty said.

“Hezbollah's military wing also provides support to Palestinian terrorist groups in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, such as Palestinian Islamic Jihad. It is because of this support for terrorism in Iraq and the Occupied Palestinian Territories that the government has taken this action.”

He also noted that the proscription of Hezbollah's military wing will not affect the legitimate political, social and humanitarian role Hezbollah plays in Lebanon, “but it sends out a clear message that we condemn Hezbollah's violence and support for terrorism.” (Now Lebanon/AFP)

With Hizbullah itself not viewing itself as consisting of independent "wings", insisting that it's defined by its weapons and by its "resistance", it is mind boggling that the Home Office would try to impose its own political structure on an organization that has never played a "legitimate" political role in Lebanon. When Hizbullah, the "legitimate" political entity imagined by Britain, occupies downtown Beirut and drags the country to civil war, does this make it less of a terrorist organization and more like Britain's Labour party?

But then, why blame the Brits. Here's Siniora himself ascribing victory to Hizbullah.

Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Siniora said on Tuesday that a prisoner swap between Israel and Hezbollah was a "huge failure" for the Jewish state and a victory for the Shiite militant group.

"The release of the prisoners thanks to the German mediator... is a huge failure for the policies of Israel," a statement from Siniora's office said.

"The success of Hezbollah in the negotiations led by a third party is a national success for the party and for the struggle of the Lebanese because it secured national goals which Israel always refused to respect."

Brilliant. Here's a Now Lebanon editorial reminding Siniora and the British government, of what Hizbullah is really about. Not that they don't know... and here lies the tragedy.

The prisoner swap is not the whole deal, just the final clause. Conveniently forgotten are the reams of gory appendices in a much larger and bloodier contract written out almost exactly two years ago, with all of Lebanon as collateral. Indeed, the full audit is still ongoing.

How much is the Resistance’s pledge worth? Add to the two Israeli bodies the bodies of 1,200 Lebanese civilians, nearly 400 of them children under the age of 13, sacrificed by Hezbollah to secure Kantar’s return. Add to that the 4,400 wounded civilians, of whom almost 700 are permanently disabled. Add to that those killed and wounded, most of them children, by the cluster bombs still littering large swaths of South Lebanon. Add to that the billions of dollars in destroyed homes, infrastructure and livelihoods.

In the final tally, Kantar – whose alleged taste for violence far exceeds the remit of the typical heroic freedom fighter – is a very expensive man. For make no mistake, his release is the sole profit weighed against the thousands of Lebanese dead and wounded. The four other Lebanese prisoners to be released were themselves captured on his account during the July War, and the number and names of the Palestinians to be freed are entirely at Israel’s discretion.

So Kantar will be freed, and Hezbollah’s word is once again proven to be Lebanon’s bond. We hope and pray that any Lebanese prisoners still held in Israeli jails come at a cheaper price in the future. If each is as expensive as Mr. Kantar has been, they may find themselves heroically repatriated to a desolate wasteland.

Comments

[Andre]

HA knows that it has the ability to manipulate the state of Lebanon to its heart's content, so it could not care what the british or anyone else thinks of them...however as is always the case, it is that state that continues to pay the price for HA's shallow victories through illegitimate means!

[Mustapha]

Jinx! I hope you're enjoying your trip in Leb.. :)

[Jeha]

One cannot help but feel a lack of empathy for all those guys... So much blood has been wasted in the service of so many lies.

[sydney2008]

Kantar is not the issue... I assume we all now that.
it is the uncalculated flexing of muscles of HA that caused all that war...Even Nassrallah admitted that he did not expect such a reaction from the Israeli. Isreal withdrew based on humanitarian pressure from the International community after all these children,(These HA fighters are cowards using civilians/children as shields) were killed...In a war zone area, why These children were left there?...one might wonder...
I am not happy that Israel attacked our fellow shiaa but there is a principle in life:YOU REAP WHAT YOU SOW.
unfortunately, the lebanese people reap what HA sows ...

[maverick]

I would be impressed if Nasrallah freed Lebanese prisoners in Syrian jails. Or are they not worthy of his idealistic cause? What exactly did Cuntar accomplish to be labeled a hero?
The government needs to grow a spine, take matters in their own hands and sign a freekin peace treaty with Isreal,that renews the 49 armstice between the two nations.Why is Syria and Hizbollah doin all the negotiating on the countrys behalf.
I wish M14 had a Robert Mugabe, or some sick tunnel visioned iron fisted Maverick with the interest of not only Lebanon,but the dignity of its people,who having to suffer blow after blow on a daily basis,are met with economic hardships,collapse of security,and psychological damage.
" You dont like this ministry Mr.Aoun? then fuck offffff back to France"
sick of appeasement and enduring self flaggelation for gaining the moral ground,weve reached the bottle neck,and the crossroad is clear for all to see....Partition the bitch,or fight back for our rights.

[sydney2008]

good maverick...politics is not all about morality...it is about the national security and peoples' interests ...the problem with the 14th of march is the lack of leadership and that ugly handicapped mentality adopted by most 14th of March leaders...
Claoun aoun is no more than a puppet in the hands of hIZbitsee ...that is all...i am convinced that there is no way that HIZB and NON-hizb have any chance of coexistence together......
we need conspirators among politicians...Israel cannot deal with weeping govnt that proved its weakness to all

[R]

The division by the home office of HA into "wings" may be for technical reasons, e.g., to avoid a scenario where the British have to deal with Lebanese cabinet ministers that belong to a terrorist organization...

[Ken]

R, you may be right. It would be hard to deal with guys who worship the child killer Kuntar, so "elevating," some to loftier positions helps hide that little bloodthirsty problem and keeps the world from going WTF????

[Bad Vilbel]

I am completely disgusted:

http://www.naharnet.com/domino/tn/NewsDesk.nsf/Lebanon/13895255E30B816DC225747B00224B94?OpenDocument

"Suleiman, Saniora, Jumblat, Mustaqbal to Take Part in Prisoner Welcoming Ceremony."

[sydney2008]

It is very ironic and hypocrite ....this Kuntar maybe he thought he died and went to heaven...He got lucky..HIZballah could not find a better excuse that that criminal...
BV
At least Geagea and 14th MArch christinas did not bow down to that nonsense

[danny]

Moral values of Lebanese...

Worship a child killer!

One child killer= $15 billion and billions more in Opportunity Cost of "what could have been" in revenues...

I am disgusted and sick to my stomach after hearing these assholes ("march 14") praise HA and Kuntar...

I simply do not see any ray of hope through this "terrorist worship" culture that has been developing...

[sydney2008]

Kantar is what Jeha calls "mismar Jeha"

[maverick]

Are these pols naively hopeful that Nasrallah is proceeding in a different direction? Do they think Syria will sell him out? and Iran will have its own problems dealing with Isreali/American attack, keeping Hizbo on the sidelines.
Is this an extended hand by the M14 pols/government to absorb Hizbo into the Lebanese sphere...possible...but far fetched...something stinks,as always...whatever it is regional politics create tremors in Lebanon,leaving the citizen wondering wtf????
Joumblatt, addressing the socialist international committee declared Hizbo must absorb into the Lebanese climate and share a defense strategy with all the Lebanese,otherwise it will be the end of the only model of pluralism in the ME.
Still,hopeful of hizbs morals?

[Bad Vilbel]

A couple of years ago, I used to pretty regularly make fun of then president Emile Lahoud's idiotic statements (and lord knows they were idiotic).

Looks like the tradition is alive and well, with our new president.

I submit for your consideration the following gem:

“Lebanon is an Arab and international model of coexistence and moderation,” President Michel Sleiman said on Wednesday.

Really? A MODEL? This is what other states in the Arab and international community should aspire to be like (that's what "model" means)???
The rest of the world should aspire to be a nation that cannot elect a president in 2 years, until forced to do so in a foreign capital.
The rest of the world should aspire to be a nation that cannot for a government for months on end.
The rest of the world should aspire to be a nation that glorifies terrorists and child murderers. A nation that values death and so-called "martyrdom" over progress and prosperity for its citizen.
Yes, a model, folks! Brilliant.

"Coexistence and moderation"??? WHAT?

I assume when he says "coexistence", he's referring to Lebanon's propensity for diverse groups that never get along, take up weapons and burn and torch each other's neighbourhoods.

And I assume by "moderation", he's referring to the "moderate" way we have of settling our differences by invading the capital with heavy artillery when we don't get our way.

Looks like the tradition of having idiots in Baabda is alive and well...

[Shunkleash]

And some of you wonder why I, along with a few others, have been shitting on the politicians of Lebanon and M14 in particular all this time. They are to be humiliated publicly and privately, which I willingly and gladly do at every opportunity. He who demands respect must earn it...as the great shunkleash once said. None of these rectum feeders has earned any.

These idiots make my case for me every day. They all seem to scramble at every chance to present their "arab credentials" even when doing so will show them up as completely brainless and utter assholes whose minds are lost somewhere between pan arabism, licking hassan nasrallah's balls and baywatch re-runs. You don't believe me well, Sinioraita is beside himself with arab exstacy and Jumblatt had this to say "This issue goes beyond any security or political considerations"... "It is a humble gesture to show appreciation to all those who were involved in the struggle against the Israeli enemy," (ya libnan). Notice that "moral" issues don't cloud their vision.

RECAP: 2006 war lots dead and lots destroyed, 2007 violent riots lots dead and lots destroyed compounded by staged economic meltdown, 2008 beirut attacked and humiliated...all by israel? yeah wally you're right, I can see the zionist stuff now.

BV once again hits it squarely in the jaw! What more needs to be said? Suffice it to say some of us will still follow the beat of these weepy bug eyed robotic thieves and just open up and say AAHHHHH!

Yalla, go and celebrate the return of a child killer, who the lebanese, and lebanese alone, unwillingly paid for with blood and tears. Go follow hizbteezee, and jumblatt, geagea and Claoun and SAAAAAAAD with all the starry eyed wonder of a virgin just deflowered by Ron Jeremy. GO!

Peace

[Shunkleash]

A tale of two illustrations:

"PM Siniotra received from chief editor of Lebanon Opportunities magazine 2 illustrations one briefly explains how Lebanon infrastructure was rebuilt after the destruction by Israeli war in 2006 and the other on the achievements at Paris 3 donor conference" (Ya Libnan)

This epitomises the present government: 1. Lies and deceit 2. bankruptcy.

This obvioulsy leads to the following: 1. utilise a programme of selective historical fact to hide your own stupidity, dishonesty and myopia and 2. Learn how to beg like a dog to pay for the shit started by the same dogs you are now hailing as heroes but who also buggered and cornholed you so completely that you are now forced to beg...like a dog!

now, am i profound or what?

Ok, way past bedtime..no explosions or gunfire so im going to count Claouns and fall asleep.

Peace

[Andre]

It's all about that beautiful word that our dumb leaders love to flash at every turn: "consensus"! On the one hand Hizb is hoping that by lending an olive branch to M14 that it will heal some of the wounds of their strong arm tactic back in May and will enable them to get back in the good graces of the lebanese whom they have shamelessly violated, on the other hand for M14 it is a way to get back to the the pre-2006 israeli-hizb war and re-integrate Hizb back into the "national dialogue" process as it was back then...notice how everyone is being warm and fuzzy..and there's even talk of a Nassrallah-Hariri summit coming up soon. I am not surprised at this turn of events, in fact it makes sense...for popular reasons....both parties need to reach out to their constituencies in 10 months and thay are all starting to sound like they want peace....and as always the people are being fooled into believing this crap starting with a nice "celebration" of so called freed prisoners who have no business enjoying freedom let alone being hailed as heroes! What a frickin' joke this country is!

[Bad Vilbel]

Andre,

That's exactly why i blame the Lebanese people most of all.
Your following sentence made me think of the perfect analogy:

"Hizb is hoping that by lending an olive branch to M14 that it will heal some of the wounds of their strong arm tactic back in May and will enable them to get back in the good graces of the lebanese whom they have shamelessly violated".

Basically this is like guy who rapes a woman on the first date, then shows up the next morning with some flowers, and asking her out on a second date. If she accepts, she must be pretty damned stupid.

The Lebanese, needless to say, have been on about 30 dates with this rapist...and still haven't learned to say no.

[Vulcan]

It is a sad day to any civilized peace loving person when a child killer like Kuntar will be given a heroes welcome in Lebanon.
It is even sadder when the so called leaders of the Cedar Revolution such as Jumblat and Hariri rejoice at his return.
Is there anyone left with a shred of conscience in this miserable place called Lebanon?
is there anyone left with the courage to speak up and tell all the Lebanese that Samir Kuntar is the epitome of evil on this earth.

[T. Adams]

You could say the British government has a history of delineating between political and military "branches" of terrorist organizations. One need only look at their own history with the IRA. With this track record it is not surprising that they make this differentiation with Hizballah. Unfortunately this policy disregards Hizballah's own assertions that it is one organization and not independent branches.

[Andre]

BV,

Excellent analogy! What surprises me the most is that no formal apology or not even a hint of contrition was made by Hizb with regard to its savage onslaught that they launched back in May against their own countrymen. The notion that Nasralah's "calm" speech points to a "kinder and gentler" Hizb cracks me up but that's what everyone in the majority seems to be banking on as if nothing ever happened, which points to self delusion or what we have come to know as "selective memory" for all lebanese in recent days.

[tg]

"It is even sadder when the so called leaders of the Cedar Revolution such as Jumblat and Hariri rejoice at his return.
Is there anyone left with a shred of conscience in this miserable place called Lebanon?
is there anyone left with the courage to speak up and tell all the Lebanese that Samir Kuntar is the epitome of evil on this earth."

lol how naive can a person be?

Yes, it's shocking that such noble and honorable men like Jumblatt and Harriri (not to mention Sanoria) would support someone who's killed israelis.

And if you think that was shocking wait until you see Harriri hug and kiss Nasrallah.

[Super Dude]

Now that the Lebanese prisoners are almost free, it is time to free the 4 Iranian citizens.

People's psyches are getting readied for the next holy mission.

Vive la resistance!

[Ken]

It is a pleasure to see that, from most of the posts here, that there are still some sane decent people left in Lebanon. God bless you all; you deserve so much better than what you have gotten

[Abilama]

I join Ken in his observation.
Sad to see the total moral buncruptcy of some Lebanese leaders. Celebrate what- a despicable murderer?

It is easy to forget the atrocities of Samir Quntar (who has a web site devoted to glorifying his name and deeds, which I will not link to.) The story of Smadar Haran Kaiser, whose life was violated by Samir Quntar, is unbearably painful, but must be told and re-told. These are her words:

It had been a peaceful Sabbath day. My husband, Danny, and I had picnicked with our little girls, Einat, 4, and Yael, 2, on the beach not far from our home in Nahariya, a city on the northern coast of Israel, about six miles south of the Lebanese border. Around midnight, we were asleep in our apartment when four terrorists, sent by Abu Abbas from Lebanon, landed in a rubber boat on the beach two blocks away. Gunfire and exploding grenades awakened us as the terrorists burst into our building. They had already killed a police officer. As they charged up to the floor above ours, I opened the door to our apartment. In the moment before the hall light went off, they turned and saw me. As they moved on, our neighbor from the upper floor came running down the stairs. I grabbed her and pushed her inside our apartment and slammed the door.

Outside, we could hear the men storming about. Desperately, we sought to hide. Danny helped our neighbor climb into a crawl space above our bedroom; I went in behind her with Yael in my arms. Then Danny grabbed Einat and was dashing out the front door to take refuge in an underground shelter when the terrorists came crashing into our flat.

They held Danny and Einat while they searched for me and Yael, knowing there were more people in the apartment. I will never forget the joy and the hatred in their voices as they swaggered about hunting for us, firing their guns and throwing grenades. [Emphasis mine-SW] I knew that if Yael cried out, the terrorists would toss a grenade into the crawl space and we would be killed. So I kept my hand over her mouth, hoping she could breathe. As I lay there, I remembered my mother telling me how she had hidden from the Nazis during the Holocaust. "This is just like what happened to my mother," I thought.

As police began to arrive, the terrorists took Danny and Einat down to the beach. There, according to eyewitnesses, one of them shot Danny in front of Einat so that his death would be the last sight she would ever see. Then he smashed my little girl's skull in against a rock with his rifle butt. That terrorist was Samir Kuntar.

By the time we were rescued from the crawl space, hours later, Yael, too, was dead. In trying to save all our lives, I had smothered her.

I emphasized the joy and hatred in their voices for a reason. It is hard for anyone with normal sensibilities to comprehend how someone can feel joy and hatred while smashing in the head of a 4 year old child.

[Abilama]

www.sandmonkey.org/2006/08/13/on-samir-kuntar/ -

[Abilama]

www.sandmonkey.org/2006/08/13/on-samir-kuntar/ -

[Abilama]

www.sandmonkey.org/2006/08/13/on-samir-kuntar/ -

[Abilama]

http://www.metacafe.com/watch/487897/samir_kuntar/

[sydney2008]

I think that the Kuntar issue should be an issue of international humanitarian law...it is a crime against humnanity to kill an innocent child for no reason and on purpose...he should not be released in the first place...
I don't understand why they classify this son of a b* as a detainee...I feel sick in the stomach

[yo momma]

well, as long as your mind is boggled, mr. beltway, then things are going fine. stay boggled.

[Abilama]

In my humble opinion the Israelis should trade a corpse for the corpses of the 2 Israeli soldiers. They should put something in Kuntars food. Then there won't be ridiculous celbrations orchestrated by HA with the participation of the knowm spineless puppets.
There will be a funeral. If HA could kill pilot Ron Arad captive by HA and Amal why cannot the Israelis mete out the same sort for Kuntar - it is not too late!
Who will weep his demise but a bunch of murderers?

[Abilama]

Who is the half -wit calling himself Super Dude?

An Iranian agent?

The 4 Iranian, so called "diplomats" ,were busy subverting Lebanese sovereignty together with the present Iranian defense minister Mahmoud Najar who was, at the time, Head of Iranian undercover operations in Lebanon. The 4 were intercepted by LF forces, under the command of Elie Hubeika, and executed after interrogation. As things are in Lebanon Hubeika rose to become later Minister in the Government.

If you need proof that Nasrallah is an Iranian puppet see his demand on behalf of Iran not Lebanon.

The midget in Teheran provides the Sayed with an excuse for further confrontation with Israel for his own interests..
See what the midget has to say:
President: 4 abducted diplomats are models of resistance
Tehran, July 4, IRNA (Iran news agency)
www2.irna.com/en/news/view/menu-234/0807041636115704.htm

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad here Thursday condemned the 1982 abduction of
four Iranian diplomats in Lebanon and said the diplomats set the model of
resistance against the "most merciless enemies of mankind."

"The hero Motevasselian (one of the four diplomats kidnapped in Lebanon) and
his fellow combatants stood against `the most merciless enemies of mankind'
bravely and made them disgraceful.

Yes, they are models (of resistance against the enemies). Anybody following them will be victorious and in the right path, while those opposing them will be in the camp of `Satans,'" said president Ahmadinejad in an address to a ceremony held in commemoration of
Ahmad Motevasselian, one of the four diplomats kidnapped in Lebanon 26 years
ago.

Other diplomats were Iranian then Charge D'affaires Mohsen Mousavi, Diplomat
Taghi Rastegar Moqaddam and IRNA Photo Journalist Kazem Akhavan.
They were kidnapped by Falange militiamen, who were pawn of Israel, en route
from a mission in north of Lebanon to Iran on July 4, 1982.

According to information, the diplomats are in custody of the usurper regime
in Palestinian occupied lands.

Israel has agreed to provide a report on details of abducting the Iranian
diplomats within the framework of exchange of prisoners with the Lebanese
Hezbollah.

[Abilama]

Sorry the name of theis Muhammad-Najar Iranian Minister of Defence - the Gauleiter of Lebanon.

Here is his short history for the uninformed:

The new defense minister of Iran Muhammad-Najar is notorious for his role in the earliest terror attacks on US targets in the Middle East. The first was the October 23, 1983, suicide bombing of US Marines headquarters in Beirut which killed 241 Marines. The second was the Khobar Towers blast in eastern Saudi Arabia on June 25, 1996. This was a joint Iranian intelligence-al Qaeda operation targeting the facility housing American fighter pilots and air force crews guarding the Dharan oil fields. The death toll of that atrocity was officially put at 19 with 200 injured, but was certainly much higher.

In 1982, after the Iran-Iraq war, Muhammad-Najar was placed at the head of the Revolutionary Guards Middle East department which controls Iranian intelligence bodies in the region, including Saudi Arabia and the Persian Gulf emirates, and runs clandestine projects for the “export of the Islamic revolution” to these countries. He quickly proved himself an able organizer and operations chief. He forthwith planted 1,500 Revolutionary Guardsmen in the Lebanese Beqaa Valley. Their transit through Syria was approved by the Damascus government. This Iranian outpost established the first recruiting center for Shiite organization calling itself Hizballah.

Right from the start, Muhammad-Najar worked closely with a rising star in the Islamic terrorist firmament, Imad Mughniyeh, who debuted with spectacular abductions of foreigners, mostly American and British and French hostages. The two became firm friends in this period. In February 1988, the pair organized the kidnapping of Colonel William R (Rich Higgins, the most senior American intelligence officer in Lebanon. He was tortured to death by Iranian Revolutionary Guardsmen and Hizballah operatives on an unknown date.

Later in the 1980s, when Lebanon became too hot for him, Mughniyeh fled the country ahead of American pursuit. His Iranian friend and future Iranian defense minister arranged for Iranian intelligence to protect him and smuggle him to safety in Tehran.
Muhammad-Najar also has a history of deadly strikes against Israel. More than one account ascribes him a role in the suicide bombings of Israeli army command posts in the southern Lebanese towns of Tyre and Sidon in 1983.

After his 1985 appointment as head of Iran’s Military Industries Organization under the aegis of the Revolutionary Guards, he kept up his connections with the Iranian terrorist machine including the Hizballah. One of his jobs was to develop weapons adapted to terrorist warfare outside Iran. He took a personal interest in developing the 230mm Iranian super mortar that was supplied to the Revolutionary Guards’ al Quds battalion and the Hizballah for use in the Middle East and also in Europe.

The defense minister is also credited with organizing the 12,000 Katyusha short-range rockets Hizballah has positioned on the Lebanese-Israeli border as a deterrent against Israeli attacks on Iran and itself.

In October 2000, a month after the outbreak of the Palestinian suicide terror war against Israel, Muhammad-Najar took a hand in the Hizballah’s kidnap of three Israeli soldiers, Adi Avitan, Benny Abraham and Omar Suweid. At the end of 2001, he helped prepare the 50-ton illegal weapons cargo for loading at Kish Island aboard the Karine-A smuggling ship. Vessel and cargo were seized by Israeli commandos on the Red Sea before they reached Arafat’s terrorist squads in the Gaza Strip.

In nearly 7 years of the current Palestinian-Israeli conflict, the new Iranian defense minister stayed in close touch with the Hizballah’s 1800 Unit, which interacts with the Palestinian terrorist organizations and whose agents are actively present in the Gaza Strip, the West Bank and among dissident Israeli Arabs.

Ahmadinejad picked him as defense minister in appreciation of his expertise as an intelligence and terror mastermind with long experience of violent covert operations against American and Israeli targets in such places as Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Saudi Arabia and his work in conjunction with Hizballah and Palestinian terrorist organizations.
Muhammad-Najar’s presence in a key position in the Iranian government is bad news. He is in charge of the stepping up of Iranian involvement in Hizballah. He pulls the strings in HA and Palestinian terrorist campaigns across the Middle East.

[Bad Vilbel]

Patriarch "Senile" Sfeir FINALLY gets it!!!!

Welcome to the 18th century, doofus!

Now if only the remaining 3 million Lebanese figured this nugget out...we might get somewhere.

"In other states, the majority rules and the minority practices opposition, but in Lebanon the two parties want to rule," Sfeir told believers in Sydney.

The government, according to Sfeir, has become like a "carriage with two horses pulling it from the front and two horses pulling it from the rear."

"So how can it move?" he asked.

"When we last visited Australia (in 1993) we visited parliament and we saw the opposition on one side and the majority on the other. They discuss everything and who can martial more votes rules the nation," he added.

[maverick]

Lol BV,
my thoughts exactly, but perhaps too little too late. He mustve picked up a copy of the Dummies guide to Democracy at the airport before he boarded to Australia. Speaking of which, is a great example of a federal government.The "F" word on every bodies lips these days...check out Now Lebanon for interesting commentary.

[Abilama]

Geagea took the LF command in 1985 after a power struggle with Elie Hobeika, who was the LF security chief when his militiamen seized the four diplomats at a highway checkpoint in northern Lebanon as they were fleeing occupied Beirut to neighboring Syria via Lebanon's north port city of Tripoli early in July of 1982.

In 2004:

Iran Hoped Geagea May Contribute Information

Iran's foreign minister Kamal Kharazi said he hopes jailed Lebanese Forces commander Samir Geagea would contribute useful information to reveal the fate of four Iranian diplomats who went missing in Lebanon during Israel's 1982 occupation of Beirut. "President Lahoud has assured me that Mr. Geagea will be formally asked to give any information he possess about the affair," Kharazi told a news conference.

This is an affair 3 decades old!

THE IRANIAN DEFECTOR WAS INVOLVED IN lEBANON TOO
March 8, 2007
A former Iranian deputy defence minister and Revolutionary Guard general who had disappeared in Istanbul, amid reports that he had defected to the west and counter-claims from Tehran that he had been abducted.
Iranian police alleged that Ali Reza Asgari had been kidnapped by "western intelligence services" from a hotel in Istanbul. But the police did not explain what he had been doing in Turkey, other than saying he had flown there after a similarly unexplained visit to Syria.

Gen Asgari had played a critical role in Iran's Revolutionary Guards in Lebanon, helping to found Hizbullah.

In the 1980s and early 1990s, Asgari was responsible for the Iranian Revolutionary Guards in Lebanon. This is his real importance, not his connection to the Iranian defence ministry. He lived in Lebanon and, in effect, was the man who built, promoted and founded Hizbullah in those years. If he had something to give the west, it is in this context of terrorism and Hizbullah's network in Lebanon.
These Iranian “diplomats,” of course, are a little bit different from their western counterparts. They’re members of the Quds force The Qods (Jerusalem) Force of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), described as “terrorism coaches”

The foreign operations by the Guardians, which also encompass the activities of Hizballah and Islamic Jihad – are usually carried out through the Committee on Foreign Intelligence Abroad and the Committee on Implementation of Actions Abroad. As with agents of Ministry of Intelligence, Pasdaran personnel operate through front companies and non-governmental organizations, employees or officials of trading companies, banks, cultural centers or as representatives of the Foundation of the Oppressed and Dispossessed (Bonyade-e- Mostafazan), or the Martyrs Foundation.

The Qods (Jerusalem) Force of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) is responsible for extraterritorial operations, including terrorist operations. A primary focus for the Qods Force is training Islamic fundamentalist terrorist groups. Currently, the Qods Force conducts training activities in Iran and in Sudan. The Qods Force is also responsible for gathering information required for targeting and attack planning. The Pasdaran has contacts with underground movements in the Gulf region, and Pasdaran members are assigned to Iranian diplomatic missions, where, in the course of routine intelligence activities they monitor dissidents. Pasdaran influence has been particularly important in Kuwait, Bahrain, and the United Arab Emirates.

The largest branch of Pasdaran foreign operations consists of approximately 12,000 Arabic speaking Iranians, Afghans, Iraqis, Lebanese shi’ites and North Africans who trained in Iran or received training in Afghanistan during the Afghan war years. Presently these foreign operatives receive training in Iran, Sudan and Lebanon, and include the HA intelligence, logistics and operational units in Lebanon The Pasdaran has also supported the establishment of Hizballah branches in Lebanon, Iraqi Kurdistan, Jordan and Palestine, and the Islamic Jihad in many other Moslem HA has been implicated in the counterfeiting of U.S. dollars and European currencies, both to finance its operations and to disrupt Western economies by impairing international trade and tourism
In January of 2002 - Israeli forces seized a Tonga-registered vessel, and found onboard 83 canisters - which were hidden in crates and among other cargo - and filled with 50 tons of weapons - including surface-to-air missiles and anti-tank mines. Intelligence reports indicate the likely involvement of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in facilitating this large arms transfer to other terrorist groups.
The flow of rockets provided to Hizballah by Iran and Syria has grown, both in range and quantity notwithstanding Sec Council Res. 1701 which had ended the war. Iran is supplying an array of rockets by air and sea and overland from Syria, while both countries are providing logistical support and training as well.

In the July war:
The bodies of Iranian Revolutionary Guard soldiers killed by the Israeli army in Lebanon have been transported to Syria and flown to Tehran, senior Lebanese political sources said. between six and nine dead Iranian Revolutionary Guard soldiers were brought in trucks last week into Syria for a flight back to Iran. They said the bodies were transported along with the tens of thousands of Lebanese civilians fleeing the war to Syria.
Iranian Revolutionary Guard units have traveled regularly to south Lebanon to help train local Hezbollah fighters in terrorist tactics and to fortify Hezbollah positions along Israel's northern border.

[Andre]

Abilama,

Why this sudden interest in these iranian agents? There are so many lebanese missing and still unaccounted for!

[Abilama]

Andre:
I do not underestimate in anyway the tragrdy of the families whose loved ones "disappeared". As I said, HA acts on behalf of it's paymasters. The ones who disappeared are either in Syria or dead but HA would not do anything to "offend" Syria- it has a one way single subject "patriotism"- against Israel in collusion with it's paymasters.

[Bad Vilbel]

Didn't the Army command threaten to "seriously crack down" on troublemakers and even *gasp* OPEN FIRE on them, like a month ago? (at which time I laughed my ass off)...

Howcome people are still dying in Tripoli this week, and the Army is again talking about deploying there (i thought they had deployed there a month ago!) and *gasp* USING FORCE against the troublemakers.

I'm sorry. But I have ZERO respect for the Lebanese Army anymore.

[sydney2008]

Unfortunately, lots of concessions from the 14th March...as we all mentioned on this site, they are stripping away what is left from their power. I wonder why don't they surrender and give this country to HA. If Iran wins than Lebanon becomes officially a mini Iran and heck who cares?...
Sthg is going on regarding splitting the alliance between Syria and Iran...Sarkozy(l'impulsive) is trying to draw syria away from Iran in order to put more pressure on Iran...on the other hand, whith Iran's threats rising i expect the opposite to happen regarding appeasing Iran who is becoming a somwhow nuclear threat in this region and with OBAMA OSSAMA in power, guess what Iran will be appeased and HA will prevail in Lebanon. If this happens, i expect Syria to be kicked in the butt...Both ways, the independence and shit sovereignty in lebanon will be swept under the carpet with Uncle Bush leaving the white house...
Cheers

[Abilama]

U.S. Targets Telcom Firm, Duty-Free Stores across Syria

The United States Treasury has blacklisted Syria’s largest mobile phone company Syriatel and the duty-free chain Ramak because both are directly or indirectly owned by Rami Makhluf.
“Rami Makhluf uses his access to high-level Syrian Government insiders to enrich himself at the expense of the Syrian people,” said Adam J. Szubin, Director of the Office of Foreign Assets Control at the Treasury. “We will continue to target Makhluf and his commercial empire as well as others who follow in his footsteps.” Makhluf himself was designated by the Treasury in February.
A cousin of President Bashar Al-Asad, he is alleged “to have contributed to, or to have benefited from, the public corruption of senior officials of the Syrian regime.” The news came as reports from Damascus suggested Al-Asad is looking to improve ties with Washington.

[Abilama]

Khaleej Times Online - Syria must now prevent arms smuggling: Germany

BERLIN - Syria must stop arms smuggling across its border with Lebanon if it wants to continue to emerge from international isolation, Germany's deputy government spokesman Thomas Steg said on Monday.

Steg said German Chancellor Angela Merkel held impromptu talks with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on the sidelines of a Mediterranean summit Sunday as a result of Damascus's announcement it would open diplomatic ties with Lebanon.

He said Berlin and the international community were now waiting for Syria to follow through on its pledge and to address other problems that had led to its pariah status....
Steg said Syria's declarations were grounds for hope that it was ready to end its "in part self-imposed isolation".

"Now the Syrians must prove that they truly intend to play a responsible role to bring about peace and security in the Middle East and that they want to work together constructively," he said.

Assad broke out of international isolation by attending the summit, which included indirect talks through Turkey between him and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert.

Arms smuggling between Lebanon and Syria's 170-kilometre (105-mile) long border is believed to be rampant.

Israel accuses Syria outright of supplying weapons to the militant Shiite group Hezbollah.

"If Syria aims to show its good will with this announcement then it could also follow up with good deeds and that would include, for example, a readiness to ensure that the alleged -- at least never ruled-out -- weapons smuggling over the land route to the Hezbollah militias is stopped," Steg said.

"That would also contribute to the security of Lebanon."

Syria and Lebanon announced Saturday their decision to establish diplomatic relations, a first since their independence from colonial rule.

"We want to see actions now because enough words have been exchanged," Merkel told reporters after her talks with Assad in Paris.

Remark: The EU again plays the useless game of play ofwait and see, or even appease .... As long as They ALL can make plenty of bucks in dealing and wheeling .... All is relative ....
Assad has not changed his spots.

France is ridiculously credulous, no back-bone, and she suffers once more from the Blind Eye Syndrome ...

But small rewarsds Assad opens the door to Airbus and Total.

Unfortunately, even though the Bush administration has provided more than $300 million in tactical aid to Lebanon since the Syrian withdrawal of 2005, it got nothing for it.

France ignores the deep connections between the LAF and Hezbullah. The LAF will never be a national force until it is willing to challenge Hezbullah. Not only is that not happening (and I don't expect it to happen), but with a two-thirds Shiite composition, the LAF is assisting Hezbullah in its arms buildup by allowing Hezbullah to set up positions inside Shiite villages in southern Lebanon, where UNIFIL cannot go without LAF escort, and then warning the terrorists when UNIFIL is coming to inspect. But then that continues a tradition of LAF collusion with Hezbullah that went on throughout the war two summers ago and even before it. Lebanon's President has threatened to take the disputed Shaba Farms by force unless Israel gives it to him. Does that enhance the LAF's position as a national army? Or does it pander to Hezbullah's demands?

Hezbullah has no intention of ever disarming. He is also right that even if Shaba Farms were to be given to Lebanon tomorrow morning, Hezbullah would find more excuses to maintain its private militia. Given that and Hezbullah's veto (and Syria's de facto veto) over Lebanese government activity, can the LAF truly be called a national army? Will it ever be a national army? If anything, it is just a second Hezbullah force.

[Abilama]

Those reponsible for the terroist attack on the French base Drakkar must be laughing:
See the video:
http://www.dailymotion.com/swf/x63ysv

[Abilama]

How low can Lebanon sink?
Cebrating the release of a child murderer, Samir Quntar, and making him a national hero. If these are our heroes we are doomed to perdition. Quntar smashed the head of a 4 year child with the butt of a gun in front of the child's father whom he had killed later.
How many Lebanese died and were maimed for life? How many homes, bridges and roads were destroyed, how much of our economy was ruined, so that the merchant in corpses could pull off this tasteless and ridiculous spin-very much alike his "divine victory" .Sleimanec and Seniora partake in this festival of shame and Berri praises it.

The world looks at us a barbarians!
We shall pay a high price for it in the future.

[Abilama]

Of course Iran had sent a high ranking delegation to take part in Nasrallah's show. After all, they are the paymasters of this Iranian puppet.

[Ace]

This is getting a lot of press. When the world looks at Lebanon shutting down for a day for a victory celebration for their new "national hero" - what are they to think? What is the world to think when the President, Prime Minister & President of the Parliament hail this terrorist monster as a "national hero"?

They will think the same thing I do. Lebanon is lost and has been totally assimilated into the terror organization - Hezbollah.

Congrats guys

[Bad Vilbel]

That's exactly what I think too. Sadly.

[Hanibaal]

Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Lebanese Diaspora Ashamed and in Mourning
On a day when the Lebanese President and Prime Minister, as well as the entire new government, are celebrating the return of the criminal Samir Kuntar as a hero, the Lebanese Diaspora worldwide is in shock and in deep shame at the spectacle unfolding in Lebanon.

Here is a country where the government allows a foreign-paid (Iran) militia like Hezbollah to cause the death of thousands of innocent Lebanese in order to secure the release of one child killer like Samir Kuntar, instead of working to secure the release of thousands and repatriate the remains of thousands more from Syria.

How can the supporters and apologists of Hezbollah claim that it is a "national resistance" when Hezbollah captured hundreds of their own fellow Lebanese who were fighting the Syrian occupation between 1980 and 2005 and handed them over to the Syrian occupiers. Not only do these people remain unaccounted for in Syria's dungeons and prisons, but Hezbollah has never asked the Syrian regime - or negotiated with that regime like it did with the Israeli government - to secure the release of these Lebanese, Palestinians and other Arab nationals who remain under torture or who have been killed over 3 decades inside Syria.

We thought that President Sleiman was going to make a difference in the "Resistance" charade of Hezbollah. Instead he, like Siniora, is kowtowing to Hezbollah and playing the "resistance" game along. The Lebanese government should not be celebrating the release of criminals. Instead, it should be demanding the release of our Lebanese prisoners and the return of the remains of the thousands killed by Syria and its operatives back to Lebanon.

Shame on a country that allows this masquerade to unfold on television. The Lebanese all over the Diaspora today are mourning and are ashamed of calling Lebanon our country of origin, because a country that ignores tens of thousands of its own citizens killed or imprisoned by one country, while celebrating the return of one criminal from another country, is not worthy to be called a nation.

If ever in the history of Lebanon has there been a moment when the Lebanese all over the world do not feel proud of being called Lebanese, it is today. The Diaspora should use its economic muscle to let the Lebanese government know the extent of its disgust at the spectacle today in Beirut. This is not the Lebanon that the Diaspora will work to help in the future. This is not the Lebanon of my ancestors. This is not the Lebanon that claims to be a crucible of cultures.

The Lebanon on spectacle today has become the cesspool where scum and filth like Hezbollah is taking with it President Sleiman, Speaker Berri, Prime Minister Siniora, and all the institutions of this country much beneath any level of human decency that Lebanon ever harbored in the past.

Shame, shame, shame.

Hanibaal

[sydney2008]

Ironically, HA lies and everyone seems to beleive and enjoy these lies...I agree 1000 percent with you Hannibal...