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[ecce homo]

Originally Posted by the_hitman_9

Can someone explain to me how he offered himself as a compromise candidate ? yellow journalism at its best.

Hye4Lebanon missed this important part of the article:

CNN's Brent Sadler contributed to this story.

[skyboy]

At least those are the people who really think about a true Lebanon far from all the political conflicts.

And trust me they are the ones that represents the silent majority, not the ones that have stolen the majority and are trying to exercice their power on the Lebanese and for sure not the ones that think that they represent the majority becoz the other stoll it.

Thanks to all the 14 March gang and thanks to the FPM (that was the main sponsor of that day in 2005), the 14 March day is dead now!
It will now be a memory day that many tried to kill, and the winner at the end is Syria and its local agents becoz the March 8 day succeeded.

I wish that this true silent majority wakes up and trully says what it has the say, in order for those 2 gangs that are fighting over Lebanon Future knows that they do not represent what they think they are representing.

Gangsters criminals and thieves fighting Syrian/Iranian agents traitors of their own country and a group in the middle called FPM that did not know where and how to stand will be the cause of the distruction of Lebanon.

As if this country belongs to them, and the funny part is that ALL the present players are the same ones who contributed in distroying Lebanon during its 15 years of War...

Seriously KHALLAS, as we are really bored...

[rebellious]

Originally Posted by skyboy

At least those are the people who really think about a true Lebanon far from all the political conflicts.

And trust me they are the ones that represents the silent majority, not the ones that have stolen the majority and are trying to exercice their power on the Lebanese and for sure not the ones that think that they represent the majority becoz the other stoll it.

Thanks to all the 14 March gang and thanks to the FPM (that was the main sponsor of that day in 2005), the 14 March day is dead now!
It will now be a memory day that many tried to kill, and the winner at the end is Syria and its local agents becoz the March 8 day succeeded.

I wish that this true silent majority wakes up and trully says what it has the say, in order for those 2 gangs that are fighting over Lebanon Future knows that they do not represent what they think they are representing.

Gangsters criminals and thieves fighting Syrian/Iranian agents traitors of their own country and a group in the middle called FPM that did not know where and how to stand will be the cause of the distruction of Lebanon.

As if this country belongs to them, and the funny part is that ALL the present players are the same ones who contributed in distroying Lebanon during its 15 years of War...

Seriously KHALLAS, as we are really bored...

how is that related to the TOPIC or CONTENT of the thread?

wanna share with us your *invaluable* opinion, find the right thread for it... shou awlak? or is that too hard for you?

[Dry Ice]

Setting the Stage for a War Film
By Ulrike Putz in Beirut

Lebanon faces an extremely difficult few days. If no president is named by midnight Friday, the country could be threatened with street battles, insurgencies, a divided land or even civil war. Beirut residents are being forced to look on as their fate is sealed.


It was a sad little group standing there in the pouring winter rain. "Chalas, stop now," read the text printed on the t-shirts of the 30 or so protesters. Their message: put a stop to Lebanon's domestic political crisis. The police have something to say, too, as they turn up in front of parliament a few minutes after the demonstration starts. "Chalas, that's enough," they say, before ordering the protesters and press to go home.

With less than two days to go before the presidential election, the situation in Lebanon is so tense that police worry even the slightest tremor could trigger an earthquake. It doesn't matter to them that the only concern demonstrators have on their minds is that a president actually gets elected here on Friday. The police would prefer that the protesters keep quiet and stay home as long as major league politics continue to be waged backstage.

"It's just like before -- they say the people should go home and wait," says a furious Zeina, at 52 the oldest political activist at the protest. "What are we supposed to be waiting for? War to break out on Saturday?"

Beirut these days looks like an eerie Hollywood backlot. A film crew has set up the stage for a war film and is just waiting for the director to yell "action." Tanks are stationed at all of the important intersections, and soldiers armed with assault rifles inspect passing cars. Cafés are practically deserted, and numerous schools have cancelled classes until further notice.

Few may be aware of the fact that 40 of the 67 members of parliament who are part of the government coalition have sequestered themselves in a luxury hotel out of fear they might become assassination targets. That is until one of the politicians actually builds up enough courage to leave the hotel, and is escorted by convoys of armoured cars with sirens and flashing blue lights that rush through the city streets. It's an image that reinforces the feeling of a looming threat that Beirut residents have been unable to shake for months. The ever-present ruins of the civil war are constant reminders that Beirut is a city where people live in constant fear. The recent spat of bad weather, too, feels like a bad omen.

Lebanon faces a tough few days. Outgoing President Emile Lahoud is leaving office on Saturday, and the Lebanese constitution stipulates that parliament elect a new head of state by that time. The election will also determine Lebanon's direction for the coming years and whether it becomes a place of war or peace.

The country is deeply divided, the political debate filled with hatred. On the one side you have the supporters of the pro-Western government and on the other backers of the pro-Syrian Shiite groups and a Christian opposition party. What makes the situation such a powder keg is that all of these groups have armed themselves in recent months. Each has recruited thousands of fighters in order to prepare for any eventual outcome.

Indeed, the prospects for peace don't look very good at the moment. In order to prevent an escalation, the government and opposition must come to an agreement on a presidential candidate by midnight Friday.

It's doubtful whether they can succeed. Negotiations aimed at finding a consensus have been taking place in Beirut backrooms since September. During the past two weeks there has been a constant stream of European foreign ministers attending the talks as mediators. United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon even travelled to Beirut to bring the squabbling sides together. If a compromise isn't reached by Friday, though, anything could happen. In the best case scenario, the opposition would call for the creation of a counter government. In the worst case, the lack of an agreement could trigger street fighting, insurgencies and a new civil war.

Despite the fact that the country threatens to fall into the abyss, only 30 people bothered to show up at the protest in front of parliament. The sad scene in the rain, though, is symptomatic. Over decades, people here have gotten used to the fact that Lebanese politics aren't conducted in parliament. They have resigned themselves to the fact that it is often foreign powers pulling the strings -- be it the United States or France, which want to keep Lebanon as a beachhead to the Middle East. Or Shiite Iran, which in the Shiite Hezbollah has an ally sitting directly on the border to northern Israel.

"The normal Lebanese have fallen to the wayside," says Zeina. First 15 years of civil war and then, last year, the war against Israel prompted by Hezbollah. "Every time we have just about pulled ourselves back together another crisis comes and destroys everything." Zeina, a housewife from a Beirut suburb, cries -- she feels she could almost faint with anger. Those who are young and talented leave, she says in a strained voice. "My three children live abroad." The fact that none of them wants to build a future in their home country is what brought her here today. "I'm actually a very non-political person, but I've had enough."

The crux of the problem in Lebanon is that the country has exactly 18 predetermined breaking points. That's the number of religions and confessions in this small, mountainous land of only 4 million residents.

In order to prevent conflicts along the religious demarcation lines, the state guarantees that the largest religious groups have proportional political representation. The most important government posts are filled based on religion, and the presidency is reserved for the Christians.

One major source of conflict is the fact that the census that provides the basis for the proportional representation system was established back in 1932. Back then Christians represented the majority of the population. But a mass exodus of Christians and a higher birth rate amongst the Muslim population over the past 75 years has dramatically changed the composition of Lebanon. The Shiites, especially, feel insufficiently represented by the proportional representation system and they are pushing for a change in their favor.

That's why they're pushing for a compromise candidate for the office of president. The president has to approve any changes to the constitution; and the opposition needs a head of state well-disposed towards their aim of securing a greater proportion of power in Lebanon.

A new president, a new election law and a reordered country. Zeina doesn't want to think that far ahead today.

"I just pray that our country will survive in the coming days," the peace protester says. "I hope that the reasonable people amongst our politicians can come to an agreement." That can't be that difficult, can it? she asks. "At the end of the day, we just want to be able to provide our children with a future."

Der Spiegel

[lebnan_lilkel]

Originally Posted by the_hitman_9

Can someone explain to me how he offered himself as a compromise candidate ? yellow journalism at its best.

Whats wrong with you, He offered them 3 names to choose from, The most Patriotic and Trustworthy , as follows,

1) GMA
2) GMA
3) GMA

If you believe everything you read, this is the wrong site for you. SH wanted Russia to put pressure on Syria to put pressure on SHN. Whose collaborating with the Syrians ?? Daaa find another hoby

[Hye4Lebanon]

Election a tinderbox for Lebanon

Failure to choose a presidential candidate this week could result in the formation of rival governments.

Also at stake: regional leverage for Syria, Iran, and the US.

By Nicholas Blanford | Correspondent of The Christian Science Monitor
from the November 21, 2007 edition

Reporter Nicholas Blanford updates the latest developments as the Lebanese Parliament attempts to select a new president.BEIRUT, Lebanon - Lebanon's grave political crisis peaks this week with feuding politicians in last-ditch negotiations to elect a new president, knowing that failure risks tearing the country apart.

Lebanon's parliament was scheduled to convene Wednesday to elect a new head of state. But with both camps apparently still far from a deal over a compromise candidate, the election was postponed until Friday. If no agreement is reached by midnight Friday – when the incumbent, the pro-Syrian Emile Lahoud, steps down – Lebanon faces the possibility of two rival governments being established, which many fear could result in bloodshed.

"I think we are in for an extended period of tense stalemate. There is no quick solution and that's unfortunate for Lebanon," says Paul Salem, director of the Carnegie Endowment's Middle East Center in Beirut.

Since the countdown to the presidential election began in September, Beirut has hosted a flurry of foreign diplomats and politicians seeking to mediate between the rival factions. The stakes are high, for what happens in Lebanon in the coming days will have ramifications throughout the Middle East.

If opposition wins, US will lose key toehold

Lebanon is a tiny sliver of Mediterranean real estate – two-thirds the size of Connecticut – and home to only some 4 million people. But its complex sectarian makeup and geostrategic position, wedged between enemies Syria and Israel, grants it a pivotal role in helping shape the struggle for control of the Middle East.

The Lebanese government is supported by the United States, France, and Saudi Arabia, which seek to disarm Hizbullah, the powerful Shiite party, and keep Lebanon within a pro-Western orbit – free from Syrian influence and an obstacle to Iran's regional ambitions. Also, Lebanon remains the one bright hope in the Bush administration's waning attempts to promote democracy in the Middle East.

The Lebanese opposition, spearheaded by Hizbullah, prefers to keep Lebanon aligned with Iran and Syria, distrusting US Middle East policy which it believes is fundamentally rooted in protecting Israel from its Arab foes.

If the opposition prevails, then Syria and Iran will have gained extra regional leverage at the expense of the US losing its Levantine toehold.

Writing in the pan-Arab daily Al Hayat on Saturday, columnist Mustafa Zein said that regardless of the outcome of the presidential election, Lebanon's sectarian leaders "will not relinquish their foreign commitments, which are the source of their strength in confronting one another, in war or in peace."

"Unfortunately, Lebanon will remain an arena that is open to everybody," he wrote.

In a bid to break the impasse, France has persuaded Cardinal Nasrallah Sfeir, the influential patriarch of the Maronite church, to submit a list of candidates from which the rival factions could select a president. Lebanon's sectarian power-sharing system decrees that the president must be a Maronite.

But neither camp is showing any sign of flexibility, to the evident frustration of French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner, who is in Beirut to help hammer out a deal.

"I would like to know who has an interest in chaos, who has an interest in the elections not taking place, who has an interest in making it even more complicated for the life of all the Lebanese," he told reporters Monday.

The anti-Syrian March 14 bloc, which holds a slim parliamentary majority, has warned it will elect a president from within its own ranks if the opposition refuses a compromise candidate. The opposition, however, has said that it won't recognize a March 14 president and has hinted it could set up a rival government instead, a move which would result in tumult and possibly violence.

"So we face security threats. Fine. I don't think we live in a safe country anyway. And I don't think we should lose our constitutional rights because of threats," says Mosbah Ahdab, a March 14 parliamentarian. Mr. Ahdab is one of more than 40 members of the March 14 block holed up in a heavily guarded five-star hotel in central Beirut. Four of their colleagues have been assassinated since the last parliamentary election in 2005. Visitors pass through metal detectors and are escorted to meeting rooms by bodyguards.

Hizbullah ready to act if no deal is made

Sources close to Hizbullah say that the Shiite party has been making preparations in the event that no consensus is reached, placing its cadres on high alert and drawing up contingency plans to keep main roads open between the Hizbullah-dominated southern suburbs of Beirut and Shiite areas in the south and east of Lebanon.

Ali Mokdad, a member of Hizbullah's parliamentary bloc, says he remains hopeful that a deal can be struck before the end of the week, but warned the opposition's reaction to the election of a March 14 president would be different from past antigovernment street protests.

"It will be a time for political action. The opposition will decide exactly what to do when the time comes," he says.

Source: Christian Science Monitor

[Hye4Lebanon]

Divided Lebanon faces presidential vacuum

By Tom Perry

Fri Nov 23, 2007 2:58am EST

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Lebanon's turmoil worsened on Friday with rival political camps failing to find a consensus that would allow parliament to choose a new head of state before pro-Syrian President Emile Lahoud's term expires at midnight.

Many fear Lahoud's departure from office with no deal could result in two rival administrations and violence in a country still rebuilding from its 1975-1990 civil war.

The Western-backed majority bloc plans to go to a parliamentary session due to convene at 1 p.m. (1100 GMT), but it is not expected to elect a president in the face of a declared boycott by the Hezbollah-led opposition.

The opposition boycott means the chamber cannot command a two-thirds quorum for a vote already postponed four times.

French-led mediation has failed to forge agreement on Lahoud's successor between groups opposed to Syrian influence in Lebanon and others backed by Damascus, including Hezbollah.

"This is very worrisome," a taxi driver who gave his name only as Mohammad said. "We have learned to expect the worst and this (deadlock) could leave the country in flames."

Thousands of Lebanese soldiers and police, backed by armored vehicles, deployed across Beirut overnight, lining some streets leading to parliament in downtown Beirut. Others guarded government buildings or manned checkpoints.

Extra measures were taken around a five-star hotel where dozens of anti-Syrian lawmakers have been staying under guard for the past two months for fear of assassination attempts.

Lebanon has been rattled by some 30 politically motivated attacks over the last three years that have killed dozens, including eight anti-Syrian politicians and journalists.

The army has warned against any internal strife. Both sides have accused each other of arming their supporters.

"Lebanon today is different than that of yesterday. Consensus is absent and the country has reached the stage of difficult decisions," Voice of Lebanon radio station said.

Lahoud disputes the legitimacy of the Western-backed government of Prime Minister Fouad Siniora and has said he will take action before leaving office, without giving details.

The former military chief has previously suggested he might hand over his powers to General Michel Suleiman, the current army chief. The governing coalition would reject such a step.

The president must be a Maronite Christian, according to Lebanon's sectarian power-sharing system.

The anti-Syrian majority argues that Siniora's government should automatically take over presidential powers until a new head of state can be elected, a view supported by European foreign ministers visiting Beirut on a mediation drive.

Some governing coalition members favor using their majority to elect a president in the absence of a deal. Opposition sources say such a move would lead to conflict in the streets.

The United States and its local allies blame Syria for the deadlock. Hezbollah and its Christian allies say the U.S.-backed majority wants to keep them from their rightful share in power and accuse Washington of trying to control Lebanon.

French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner left Beirut on Thursday after the latest of several failed mediation efforts.

(Editing by Dominic Evans)

Source: Reuters

[Hye4Lebanon]

Lebanon’s Leaders Unable to Agree as Deadline Nears

By THANASSIS CAMBANIS
Published: November 23, 2007

BEIRUT, Nov. 22 — Nassib Lahoud, a contender for president, excused himself for a moment, interrupting an interview in his palatial living room, where the curtains have been drawn for two months as a precaution against would-be assassins.


Lebanon is “used to choosing the president in the dark,” said Boutros Harb, a candidate for the office, which is filled by Parliament.

Nassib Lahoud, another candidate, leaves his home in Beirut only at night because of security concerns.


In a side room, a political ally gave him a quick briefing on the unfolding negotiations over who might take over when the term of President Émile Lahoud expires at midnight on Friday.

“You know how it is here,” Nassib Lahoud, a distant relative but political rival of the sitting president, explained when he returned to the room. “People deliver messages in person. They don’t feel comfortable talking on the phone.”

Mr. Lahoud lives in a security cocoon far from the public eye. Almost all of Lebanon’s important politicians do these days, including Mr. Lahoud’s competitors in the presidential contest, who are confined to their apartments, barricaded in family compounds, or like the Hezbollah leader, Sheik Hassan Nasrallah, hiding in a secret location.

Such is the nature of Lebanon’s exceedingly opaque presidential campaign, whose outcome is being negotiated in a series of last-minute deal-making sessions in this intractably divided country.

More distressing than the need for such security, some politicians say, is the risk of reinforcing a political culture that alienates the public. The president is selected by Parliament, not by a direct popular vote.

Late Thursday night, the speaker of Parliament, who is from the opposition, announced that he was canceling a parliamentary session scheduled for Friday to elect a new president before the midnight deadline. However, members of Parliament from the governing majority said they would convene a parliamentary session anyway in order to defend their constitutional right to elect a president. Barring a deal, the deadlock will continue and a caretaker government will take over when the president’s term ends.

“In Lebanon we were used to choosing the president in the dark,” said Boutros Harb, the other declared candidate of the governing majority coalition.

Like Mr. Lahoud, who leaves his home only at night, Mr. Harb remains mostly confined to his sprawling apartment in the hills overlooking Beirut, protected by an armed guard.

Gen. Michel Aoun, the candidate of the opposition, conducts most of his business in a fortresslike compound in a mountain suburb north of the capital.

And these candidates, as cut off as they are from the public, have it better than many members of Parliament, who, in fear of assassination, have lived barricaded for the last two months in the luxurious waterfront Phoenicia Hotel, where they endlessly recalculate the odds of the different presidential contenders.

Looming over them all is Mr. Nasrallah, the powerful leader of the Shiite Islamist group Hezbollah. His authority could unleash or restrain hundreds of thousands of followers. But he rarely appears in public, delivering most of his pronouncements by video, as he did last week in a speech that threatened chaos if anyone tried to disarm Hezbollah’s militia.

With almost no public debate over the bargaining to find a consensus candidate for president, politicians worry that they may have difficulty explaining the choice to the Lebanese public.

“At the end we might have to face an unsatisfying deal in order to avoid a vacuum,” said Mohammed Kabbani, a member of Parliament from the governing majority.

Mr. Kabbani said the political class had been locked in a process he described as “bargaining in a closed room with an armed group backed by a bigger neighboring state,” meaning Syria.

Only three of the plausible presidential candidates — all of them considered part of the governing coalition — have actually published platforms explaining their positions on the nation’s pressing issues: Hezbollah’s militia, how to deal with Israel and how to reform the economy.

The compromise candidates who have passed preliminary, if halfhearted, muster with both the governing coalition and the opposition remain ciphers.

One of them is a 79-year-old former cabinet minister named Michel Eddé, famed for his fine cooking and lively conversation. He is widely respected but considered a weak leader with little executive experience.

The strongest compromise candidates are the army chief of staff and the governor of the central bank — Gen. Michel Suleiman and Riad Salameh — both technically barred by the Constitution from assuming the presidency, although politicians say that if the two sides reach a deal, that restriction could be overcome.

General Suleiman issued an Independence Day statement on Wednesday, the day before Lebanon’s national holiday.

“Any attack on security is national treason, and any weapon directed internally is a treacherous weapon,” General Suleiman said, urging soldiers to ignore the disputes that have “almost split the country into scattered parts.”

If he wins the presidency, General Suleiman would be the second head of the army in a row to be named to the office.

A strongman like General Suleiman or an unknown quantity like Mr. Salameh could at least begin to bridge the chasm between the government and the opposition, whose politicians have rarely spoken to each other directly during the last two months of negotiations.

Antipathy runs high between the sides. Mr. Nasrallah, in his most recent speech, called the current government “a bunch of thieves” whom he accused of selling out Lebanon’s interests to Israel and the United States.

Mr. Lahoud, a construction magnate who was the top presidential choice of the governing majority, has all but written off his chances of taking office, acceding to the confusing dictates of Lebanon’s selection process.

His main hope is that at the end of the process, the increasingly divided political groups will begin to work together directly. “How can you restore trust if you’re not talking?” he said.

Source: New York Times

[Hye4Lebanon]

Lebanese Parliament to make final attempt to elect president ahead of midnight deadline

The Associated Press Published: November 23, 2007

BEIRUT, Lebanon: Lebanon's parliament was expected to make a last attempt to meet Friday to elect a president hours before President Emile Lahoud leaves office, in what is expected to be a futile attempt in the face of a likely opposition boycott.

The failure to elect a president for the next six years could throw the country into further political chaos and violence, but even as it became clear that parliament will not be able to convene, there have been efforts by both sides to prevent a further deterioration, with each camp waiting for the other to make the first move.

The military, meanwhile, has been on alert for several days. On Friday morning, hundreds of troops in tanks, armored carriers and jeeps deployed along road intersections leading to the Lebanese capital and around the downtown area where the parliament building is located, sealing off large areas to motorists.

Despite a deadlock between the Western-backed parliamentary majority and an opposition led by the militant Hezbollah group and backed by Syria and Iran, the majority decided to go ahead with the session even though a required two-thirds quorum for the first round of voting was expected to be lacking.

The 128-seat Parliament is scheduled to convene at 1 p.m. (1100 GMT) Friday to pick a successor for Lahoud — only 11 hours before his term ends. Failure to elect a new president on time could lead to a power vacuum, or two rival governments, much like during the last two years of the 1975-90 civil war.

Aides to Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri have said the opposition-aligned speaker could set another attempt for a meeting within a week as talks between the two sides continue, a move that could defuse for now a potential confrontation on the streets.

In the absence of a president, the government takes executive power. But the pro-Syrian Lahoud has vowed not to hand his authorities over to Saniora's administration, considering it unconstitutional after all five ministers of the Shiite Muslim community quit a year ago.

Possible scenarios include Lahoud handing over power to the military chiefs, creating a rival government or even declaring a state of emergency — deepening the struggle with Saniora.

The army commander, Gen. Michel Suleiman, has ordered soldiers "not to be lenient or inactive" in confronting troublemakers, calling on his troops to ignore the politics and "listen to the call of duty."

Rival Lebanese leaders have been unable to reach agreement on a consensus candidate despite intensive mediation efforts by European envoys and the U.N. secretary general.

On Thursday night, the foreign ministers of France, Italy and Spain, who together are fielding a majority of the U.N. peacekeepers in the south of the country, held talks with Lebanese leaders to no avail.

French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner said in Beirut that "a miracle is still possible" on Friday "but I think the issue is complicated."

His Italian counterpart, Massimo D'Alema, predicted it would be "difficult" for Lebanon to elect a president Friday.

The two, along with their Spanish counterpart Miguel Angel Moratinos, have struggled to find a breakthrough for Lebanon's presidential elections crisis.

In a last-minute attempt to break the deadlock, a Christian opposition leader and presidential candidate, Michel Aoun, scrambled Thursday to propose a package to end the deadlock by withdrawing and calling for a neutral candidate for a shortened presidency and a neutral prime minister.

But the parliamentary majority quickly rejected Aoun's offer saying it was against the constitution. The majority also warned Lahoud against unconstitutional moves before leaving office Friday midnight.

Source: International Herald Tribune

[Hye4Lebanon]

Hunt for new Lebanese president down to the wire

It is D-Day in Lebanon, with just hours before the mandate of pro-Syrian President Emile Lahoud expires and still no sign of who will replace him. Last night, pro-Western deputies were urged by leaders to turn out in force for a ballot today. But their majority is far from the two-thirds quorum normally needed.

And the opposition is threatening to boycott this fifth attempt since September to take a vote. Christian opposition leader, Michel Aoun, did put forward a proposal to break the deadlock. He suggested a compromise candidate from his party to serve for just two years alongside a neutral prime minister.

But his offer has already been rejected. With the situation risking destabilising the whole region, several figures including French foreign minister, Bernard Kouchner have been trying to mediate.

Last night, his Italian counterpart, Massimo D'Alema, remained positive. "Today it's very difficult. What we need, not us but the Lebanese people, is more time. But I think a possibility still exists," he said.

Given the real fear that the situation could lead to major civil unrest, the Lebanese army has already taken up position in key areas around Beirut.

Source: EuroNews