behind grillo: bilderberg, aspen institute & amcham

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http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2013/02/21/290090/italy-risks-new-round-of-destabilization/

Berlusconi targeted, overthrown by CIA?

Webster G. Tarpley
Feb 21, 2013

This coming Sunday and Monday, Italians will go to the polls to choose a new parliament and thus a new prime minister, while setting the stage for the election of a new president of the republic shortly thereafter.

Most indications are that the most numerous faction in the coming parliament, with just over one third of the votes, will be the Common Good coalition, composed of the Democratic Party (the remains of the old Italian Communist Party), the Left Ecology Freedom movement of Nichi Vendola, which includes various paleocommunists, and some smaller forces. This coalition is led by Pier Luigi Bersani, a colorless bureaucrat. Ironically, despite its leftist rhetoric, the Common Good is the formation most likely to continue the austerity policies which are currently tearing Italy apart.

Coming in second with almost 30% should be the center-right coalition around the People of Freedom, the party of the irrepressible former prime minister, Silvio Berlusconi, joined by the Northern League of Umberto Bossi, a xenophobic group which also articulates the resentments of northern Italy against the south, the Mezzogiorno.

Another important leader is Giulio Tremonti, the former Minister of Economics and Finance. Berlusconi, a wealthy businessman and three-time prime minister, was most recently in power from 2008 to November 2011. Berlusconi’s fall had been prepared through a series of lurid revelations about his personal life, including an attack by the CIA document dump known as Wikileaks. Berlusconi’s second-place status represents a remarkable comeback, and the last polls show him closing on Bersani.

Third place with almost 20% is likely to belong to a new and unorthodox political formation, the Five Star Movement (5SM), where the dominant personality is the former Genoese comedian Beppe Grillo, a colorful and talented demagogue. The 5SM is anti-politician, anti-euro, anti-infrastructure, anti-tax, and anti-mainstream media. Like the GOP, they want to reduce the public debt, meaning they want deflation. Grillo proposes a guaranteed annual income for all Italians, a 30-hour work week, and a drastic reduction of energy consumption and of production. He demands free Wi-Fi for all. Without modern production, how can these benefits be provided?

Grillo wants to abort the infrastructure projects - like the new high-speed train tunnel between Turin and France and the bridge between Calabria and Sicily - upon which Italy’s economic future depends. He is long on petty bourgeois process reforms like term limits, media reform, corporate governance, and banning convicted felons from parliament, but short on defending the standard of living for working people. On a bizarre note, he has praised the British response to the 2008 banking crisis. As many as 100 members of the 5SM, many of them total political novices, and more than a few adventurers who have jumped on board Grillo’s bandwagon, may now enter parliament, with predictably destabilizing consequences. Grillo could be the vehicle for an Italian color revolution along the lines of Ukraine or Georgia.

In fourth place, with less than 10%, is expected to be the current prime minister of Italy, Mario Monti, a former eurocrat of the Brussels Commission who has led a brutal technocratic austerity regime since coming to power in November 2011 through a coup d’état sponsored by the International Monetary Fund and European Central Bank, and executed by Italian President Giorgio Napolitano with help from Mario Draghi at the European Central Bank.

Both Monti and Draghi are former employees of Goldman Sachs, the widely hated zombie bank. When Monti seized power, he was widely acclaimed as a savior and enjoyed an approval rating of 70%; his approval has now fallen to about 30%. Like Gorbachev, he is unpopular at home but remains the darling of foreign leaders. Even the London Financial Times is bearish on Monti, accusing him of starting his austerity regime when Italy was already in recession.

Among the also-rans are Civic Revolution of Antonio Ingroia, a merger of the Greens with Antonio Di Pietro’s anti-corruption forces left over from the “Clean Hands” movement of the early 1990s, which targeted politicians but did very little to attack the larger corruption of the Bank of Italy and the big banks.

Another smaller list is Stop the Decline, led by the strange Oscar Giannino, backed up by a clique of US-educated professors of neo-liberal austerity economics. This list was paid to poach votes from Berlusconi. But now Giannino has been hit with a scandal based on his false claim of holding a master’s degree from a Chicago university.

The Italian political landscape is extremely fragmented, so public opinion polls - which cannot by law be published after February 8 - are more than usually unreliable. Under the Italian system, the political force which comes in first gets 54% of the seats in the lower house. Multi-party coalitions must get 10% to enter parliament. If the 10% is not achieved, the individual parties fall back under the rule which prescribes that parties not in a coalition must get 4% to win seats.

Italian politics, which for many decades after World War II had eight parties, has undergone massive Weimarization, especially since Monti’s coup. There are now no fewer than 25 political parties or organizations. This time around, there are four new parties, including those of Monti and Grillo. Two parties, including one led by Gianfranco Fini, the president of the Chamber of Deputies, and another by former Defense Minister Ignazio LaRussa, have split from Berlusconi. Two parties have also split from the Democratic Party, including the libertarian Radicals of Marco Pannella and Emma Bonino.

Banks hope for Bersani-Monti regime to continue austerity

The banking community, as represented by Mediobanca and others, is hoping for a Bersani-Monti coalition government to continue the savage austerity policies that Monti’s technocratic ministers have been imposing over the last 15 months. Bersani’s party and its predecessors have always seen their business model as begging the big banks to let them join the government, in exchange for which they will break the labor movement, suppress strikes, and impose budget austerity across the board. Incredibly, Bersani has been one of Monti’s warmest admirers. Bersani has not learned the lesson of Weimar Germany, when the Social Democrats (SPD) supported Hunger Chancellor Heinrich Brüning’s austerity program, wrecking the economy and the political system, and opening the door to National Socialism.

Mediobanca concedes that a Bersani-Monti tandem will be weak, and might need more support from smaller parties, leading to instability with early elections likely in the short term. Although the Common Good will have a majority in the Chamber of Deputies due to the majority bonus, there is no bonus in the Senate, where most members are directly elected by winning their districts. This is where the Common Good plus Monti may fall short.

Some might say that Italians can choose among a genocidal professor, a party hack, a genial satyr, and a scurrilous clown. How did the current situation arise?

During the Obama years, the first goal of the US intelligence community has been to destroy the Berlusconi government, for geopolitical reasons. Based on Berlusconi’s close personal relationship with Putin, he had secured for Italy an important role in the construction of the Nordstream pipeline, and an even more important participation in the Southstream pipeline -- both projects which Washington wanted to sabotage.

Berlusconi also made overtures to President Lukashenko of Belarus, much demonized in Foggy Bottom. The State Department wants to turn the European Union against Putin’s Russia, but the pro-US eurocrats and eurogarchs complained that Italy was becoming an advocate for Moscow within the Brussels bureaucracy. Lucia Annunziata wrote in La Stampa of May 25, 2009 under the title “The Shadow of a Plot” that center-right circles believed US-Italian relations were being hurt by “the excessive closeness of premier Silvio Berlusconi to the Russian Prime Minister Putin.”

The London Economist commented: Italy is one of the countries which have gotten much closer to Moscow than Washington desires, starting from the [August 2008] crisis in Georgia. By 2010 at the latest, US agencies were fully mobilized to overthrow Berlusconi.

State Department campaign to topple Berlusconi, 2008-2011

One part of this effort involved Gianfranco Fini, the former neofascist whom Berlusconi had made President of the Chamber of Deputies in 2008. Fini had been a member of the official neofascist party. In July 2010, after a faction fight, Fini was expelled from Berlusconi’s party, managing to take with him 34 deputies and 10 senators in a move which weakened, but did not destroy, Berlusconi’s governing majority. It was later revealed that Fini’s actions had been closely coordinated with the US embassy in Rome.

During 2009, David Thorne took over as US ambassador to Italy. Thorne was a Yale roommate of John Kerry, who has just become US Secretary of State. Thorne, like Kerry and the Bushes, is a member of the infamous Skull and Bones secret society, and is the twin brother of Kerry’s ex-wife. Thorne’s first meeting on becoming ambassador was with Fini, and not with Berlusconi. Fini is also reported to be a close personal friend of Nancy Pelosi, when Speaker of the House had the same job as Fini. (Il Fatto Quotidiano, September 15, 2010)

Fini, true to form, is now a part of the pro-austerity With Monti For Italy coalition. Bur despite his US backing, Fini may be close to the last hurrah. He had rented a theater in Agrigento, Sicily for a major appearance, but found the premises empty except for a few dozen supporters.

When the Fini operation failed, the CIA turned to exposés of the wild parties at Berlusconi’s mansion in Arcore, near Milan, feeding an immense international propaganda campaign. In December 2009, Berlusconi was struck on the face and seriously injured by an alabaster model of the Milan Cathedral. Italian judges, some of them politically motivated, pursued scores of legal actions against Berlusconi. One of these judges, Ilda Boccassini, was a sympathizer of the left countergang Lotta Continua well into the 1980s. Wikileaks documents made public in December 2010 confirmed the deep hostility of the State Department to Berlusconi.

Giorgio Napolitano, Henry Kissinger’s favorite communist

The coup that finally ousted Berlusconi in November 2011 was managed by Giorgio Napolitano, the president of the Italian Republic and thus the head of state. The Italian presidency has often been almost a ceremonial office, but it acquires significant powers when governments fall, which is frequently. Napolitano has vastly expanded these powers.

For most of his life, Napolitano has been an active member of the Italian Communist Party. He belonged to the right-wing faction around Giorgio Amendola - Napolitano was known as Skinny Giorgio, and Amendola as Fat Giorgio. It has recently been revealed that between 1977 and 1981, Napolitano conducted secret meetings with the Carter administration’s ambassador to Rome, Richard Gardner of the Trilateral Commission. These meetings only became public knowledge in 2005, with the publication of Gardner’s memoirs, Mission Italy. This puts Napolitano in contact with the US embassy during the kidnapping and murder of former Italian Prime Minister Aldo Moro, in whose death US intelligence agencies played an important role.

Henry Kissinger once called Napolitano “my favorite communist.” Business Week referred to him as the point man in Italy for the New York Council on Foreign Relations. The Italian press has dubbed him King George. But thanks in large part to Putin’s support for the Italian prime minister, it took the CIA two years to overthrow Berlusconi. In the end, only economic and financial warfare, plus Napolitano’s treachery, would prove decisive. 
 

Mario Monti: Bilderberg, trilateral, Goldman Sachs

In October 2011, the Yale-educated economist Mario Monti, a eurogarch of the Brussels Commission from 1994 to 1999, was president of the Bocconi University of Milan, a business school. He had worked on the Santer, Prodi, and Barroso commissions in Brussels. He was and remains the European Chairman of the Trilateral Commission, founded by David Rockefeller, as well as a member of the secretive Bilderberg group. He was also a consultant for Goldman Sachs and Coca-Cola.

While Berlusconi was under siege by the Anglo-Americans, Napolitano plotted for months to make Monti the kingpin of a regime of technocrats - supposedly nonpartisan experts who did not represent any political party and could therefore more readily impose pitiless austerity. This was a formula the International Monetary Fund had been trying to force on Italy for 30 years and more.

A modern coup d’état using spreads, not tanks

The indispensable ingredient in the Napolitano-Monti coup was a broad-based and coordinated attack on Italian government bonds by Wall Street, the City of London, and their European satellites. This attack involved threats by ratings agencies to downgrade Italian debt, backed up by massive derivatives speculation against the bonds using credit default swaps (CDS) to increase the interest-rate premium - or spread - paid by Italy compared to Germany in borrowing. (The agencies were later investigated for fraud by Judge Michele Ruggiero of Trani.) Of course, the European Central Bank could at any time have wiped out the speculators by purchasing large quantities of Italian bonds in the open market and driving up the price.

But Napolitano and Monti knew that they could count on the new boss of the European Central Bank Mario Draghi to sabotage the Italian bonds. Draghi took over from the Frenchman Trichet in the night of Halloween 2011, and the attack on Italy began immediately on November 1.

During the summer of 2011, Berlusconi had resisted demands for draconian austerity, perhaps because he knew that Italy was too big to fail and that sooner or later Wall Street and London would have to back off. He was vilified for a lack of civic virtue. During the final attack on Berlusconi, Italian bond yields reached 7%, and the famous spread peaked at 575 basis points over the rate on German bonds. The New York Times cited reports that Draghi “had restricted… purchases of Italian bonds to put more pressure on Mr. Berlusconi to quit” and to extort more austerity from Italy. “If so, the pressure worked.” (NYT, November 9, 2011) The parliament was in panic.

On November 8, 2011 Napolitano appointed Monti, who had never been elected to any public office, as senator for life. This also meant immunity from prosecution for life, unless and until the Italian Senate voted to take this parliamentary immunity away. Also on November 8, Berlusconi concluded that he had lost his parliamentary majority. On November 10, 2011, the new senator for life Monti met with Napolitano at the Quirinal Palace for a two-hour discussion of economic “growth” by means of “structural reforms.” Napolitano still ridiculed rumors that he would make Monti the next prime minister. On the same day, Obama called Napolitano to assure him of US support in his management of the post-Berlusconi crisis. Just this month, Napolitano visited Obama with the obvious goal of getting more US support for Monti.

Berlusconi and other politicians like the anti-corruption activist Di Pietro were pressing for early elections to let the Italian people show what they wanted. But Napolitano was intent on carrying out his cold coup: “markets trumped traditional democratic processes,” wrote the New York Times on December 2, 2011. On November 13, Napolitano officially charged Monti with forming a government of non-party austerity technocrats, and Monti won a vote of confidence in the Chamber of Deputies by 556 to 61. Only the Northern League opposed Monti. This lopsided vote recalled a similar one carried out in the resort town of Vichy, France on July 10,1940 in which the National Assembly voted dictatorial powers for Marshal Pétain, effectively replacing the Third French Republic with a fascist regime. On that day, the vote -- managed by the infamous Pierre Laval -- had been 569 in favor, 80 against, and 18 abstentions.

Monti’s cabinet was composed of little-known figures, mainly from northern Italy, with Catholic, academic, or military backgrounds. One who has become infamous is Labor Minister Elsa Fornero, a professor who cried in public over her own cruelty when she presented her anti-retiree measures. There was the impression that the Monti cabinet were bit players reading lines that had been written by the IMF and the ECB.

Presidential powers from von Hindenburg to Napolitano

Napolitano was following in the footsteps of German Reich President Field Marshal von Hindenburg, who pushed aside the Reichstag (parliament) as the maker of governments when he named the austerity enforcer Heinrich Brüning as chancellor in March, 1930. After this point, no German government could obtain a governing majority, and all relied on Hindenburg’s emergency powers to stay in office -- including von Papen, von Schleicher, and finally Hitler in the first weeks of 1933. These were all called presidential governments, as Monti’s has been. By relegating the parliament to irrelevance, von Hindenburg contributed mightily to the atrophy and death of German democracy.

At the time, I called attention to the obvious coup d’état by Goldman Sachs and its allies, with a similar operation in Greece around the same time. Paolo Becchi, Professor of the Philosophy of Jurisprudence at the University of Genoa, noted that Napolitano “telling a technocrat from Brussels to form a government is nothing but a coup d’état ordered by powerful forces, partly from outside Italy, and managed by the President of the Republic.” Up until now, the bankers had been willing to govern indirectly, masking their power with the faces of politicians.

Now, the bankers wanted to seize power directly: “But it was necessary at least to keep up appearances. With an attitude which is typical of all the followers of Cataline [who attempted a coup against the Roman Republic in the time of Cicero], Monti’s main concern was to seize power with legal means.” Becchi added: “In the moment when political power is brought down to the level of financial power, a coup d’état is always possible, and so easy to carry out that almost nobody realizes it.” (Libero, December 1, 2011)

Monti’s economic measures aimed at shifting an initial €24 billion over three years of the cost of the economic depression away from bankers and speculators and onto the shoulders of working people. The minimum of years on the job to obtain a pension was raised from 40 years to 42 years and one month for men. The minimum age for old-age pensions was raised from 60 years to 62 and then to 66 in 2018. Increases in pension payments would generally be frozen. The property tax (IMU) was increased by 30% and extended to resident homeowners, who had previously been exempt. The value added tax (IVA) was raised from 21% to 23%. As camouflage, a luxury tax on yachts, private planes, and Ferraris was introduced. Only the Northern League and Di Pietro voted against these measures.

Then came a push to make Italy a hire and fire society on the American model, striking down protections that had been in place for decades. Taxi drivers, pharmacists, doctors, lawyers, and notaries were deprived of minimum fees for their services, and their professions were deregulated.

Thanks to Monti’s measures, the Italian unemployment rate has risen from 8.5% in November 2011 to 11.2% in February 2013, the worst in 13 years. Almost 3 million Italians are out of work, with 644,000 or 29% of them laid off on Monti’s watch. Youth unemployment is now at an all-time record of 37%. By December of 2012, industrial production, after falling every months since Monti took power, was down by 7% compared to December 2011.

Grillo: Endless referendums, endless instability

The early Northern League told Italians and foreigners and southerners were responsible for their problems. Grillo blames politicians and political parties. Bersani’s support for Monti’s austerity, combined with Berlusconi’s personal excesses, has focused new attention on the comedian Beppe Grillo and his 5SM. Grillo may well emerge as the big winner of these elections. Grillo has a recent precedent: the comedian Guglielmo Giannini, who in 1944 founded the Man In the Street (uomo qualunque) movement, an Italian precursor of French poujadisme.

Giannini appealed to the angry postwar petty bourgeoisie with populist themes of anti-politics, anti-politicians, anti-corruption, anti-government, deregulation, and anti-taxes. Grillo uses many of the techniques of Giannini, such as obscene and abusive slogans, or mocking the names of his opponents: for Grillo, Monti becomes Rigor Montis.

Grillo, ignoring the lessons of the Weimar Republic, recommends hyper-democracy as a method of governing. The basic approach to all controversies is to organize a referendum. This can work at the level of local government, where some of Grillo’s supporters started, but might lead to chaos if applied nationwide. Grillo wants a referendum on whether Italy should stay in the euro, an idea which appeals in Italy to a few ultra-lefts, but mainly to reactionaries. Grillo (like the framers of Weimar) focuses on the need of government to make sure that all voices receive representation, but neglects the equally imperative need on to promote majorities capable of deciding issues and exercising power.

Grillo mayor fails to solve pre-school issue in Parma

The first big success for Grillo came in Parma, traditionally the turf of the PCI/Democratic Party. Here Grillo’s candidate took over as mayor early in 2012. Within less than a year, Grillo was greeted by protests over the rising cost of living, especially for the mayor’s raising of the price of pre-school for working families, while eliminating multi-child discounts. Up to this point, Grillo had enjoyed all the advantages of the Muslim Brotherhood under Mubarak, or of Jesse Ventura running for governor of Minnesota, meaning the ability to criticize without any responsibility.

When confronted with an attack on his own record, Grillo responded with petulance, suggesting he cannot take criticism. Grillo has been declining television interviews, preferring to give speeches to large crowds in the piazza of many cities. But observers note that this is also a way to avoid probing questions from hostile journalists. In any case, big crowds do not necessarily indicate election majorities. Grillo portrays himself as a victim of the mass media, even though enjoys extensive coverage in the current phase. He is rich, but campaigns in a mini-van to increase his populist appeal.

According to Elisabetta Gualmini and Piergiorgio Corbetta in their survey of the Grillo movement entitled Il Partito del Grillo (Bologna: Il Mulino/Istituto Cattaneo, 2013), about 60% of Grillo’s support comes from angry, male, sometimes unemployed generation X technicians, IT and software personnel, and small businessmen born between 1969 and 1978, and thus aged between 35 and 44. There are few pensioners, few housewives, few women of any background. Over 50% describe themselves as extreme left, left, or center-left, while about 30% self-described as center-right to right. Grillo represents a protest movement that cuts across the other political parties.

An ominous symptom is the dictatorship of Grillo inside the party. In recent weeks, Grillo has ousted a regional councilor from Emilia-Romagna for complaining on television of the lack of democracy inside the 5SM. He also expelled a Bologna city councilwoman for taking part in Ballaró, a widely viewed television talk show, after Grillo banned such appearances, presumably to keep the spotlight on himself. Previously, he had expelled three candidates from Bologna and a member of the Ferrara city council. Grillo considers the 5SM is a trademark which he owns. The dissidents are generally excommunicated by means of a tweet. Does Grillo write the tweets, blog, scripts, and speeches by himself, or is he controlled and supported by a syndicate?

Grillo’s Svengalis: Casaleggio associates

Some say Grillo is a synthetic candidate. According to published accounts, Grillo’s Svengali and teleprompter is political consultant Gianroberto Casaleggio, 58, of Casaleggio Associates, a company specialized in political and media consulting and strategies for Internet marketing - more or less the methods which have put Grillo where he is today.

Casaleggio and Grillo confer by telephone on average three times a day. Casaleggio, like Grillo, sports the hair style of an aging freak, trying to look like John Lennon, but unlike Grillo usually wears a suit. (Tommaso Caldarelli, Giornalettismo, May 25, 2012) Casaleggio’s office is near Piazza Scala in Milan. The dominant partner at Casaleggio Associates is Enrico Sassoon, currently the director of the Italian edition of the Harvard Business Review.

Sassoon has worked for Pirelli, and is currently a leading light of the American Chamber of Commerce in Italy. Sassoon is also on the board of the Italian branch of the Aspen Institute, where his colleagues are mostly members of the Bilderberg group. Giampietro Zanetti, a Berlusconi backer, writes in his blog: “Who is behind Grillo? Bilderberg and the Aspen Institute!”

Casaleggio, who once advised Di Pietro and Olivetti, believes that “by 2018 the world will be divided into: the West with direct democracy and free access to the Internet, and the enemies of freedom like China-Russia-Middle East.” In 2020 there will be a new world war, with the population reduced by a billion, then catharsis, and finally rebirth in the name of Gaia, and world government.” (Marco Alfieri, La Stampa, May 26, 2012) Is this really what Grillo’s voters want?

Grillo and Casaleggio are the authors of a book called We Are At War - meaning that Grillo is the Guy Fawkes or Ludendorff of a war against political parties as such. The need to destroy political parties is one of the favorite themes of various disinformation channels of the US intelligence community, who see this as part of the effort to smash the national states and impose the Empire. A coincidence?

In 2012, the big political news from Europe was the emergence of Alexis Tsipras and Syriza to fight austerity in Greece with program, leadership, organization, and strategy, and not with utopias of participatory democracy. Grillo is the opposite of Syriza on most points, meaning that Italy now risks a new round of destabilization. Which method will prevail? 

gheddafi: elezioni subito, puo candidarsi bhl

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http://www.corriere.it/esteri/11_giugno_15/cremonesi-intervista-figlio-gheddafi_d373b458-9791-11e0-83e2-2963559124a0.shtml

Saif Gheddafi : «Subito elezioni
E' l'unico modo indolore per uscirne»

Il figlio del Rais: «Ricucire con l'Italia? No, finchè ci sarà Berlusconi, lui e Frattini ci hanno tradito»

LORENZO CREMONESI
15 giugno 2011

TRIPOLI - «Elezioni, subito e con la supervisione internazionale. E’ l’unico modo indolore per uscire dall’impasse in Libia»: il momento più interessante dell’intervista l’altra sera nel cuore della capitale arriva a 14 minuti dal suo inizio. Sino a quel momento Saif al-Islam aveva ribadito le dichiarazioni già rilasciate alla stampa in passato e sbandierate in ogni occasione dalla propaganda della dittatura. «I ribelli agli ordini dei terroristi di Bengasi sono banditi, uomini di Al Qaeda, criminali. I loro capi sono traditori, che sino allo scoppio del caos il 17 febbraio erano legati a filo doppio a mio padre. Se non ci fosse l’ombrello Nato sarebbero stati sconfitti da un pezzo», afferma quasi meccanicamente. Ma è quando gli si chiede come pensa di uscire dall’impasse militare e dalla minaccia di violenze anche peggiori che lui avanza la formula di compromesso. «Andiamo alle urne. E vinca il migliore». Un messaggio nuovo di apertura alla comunità internazionale da parte del più politico tra i figli del Colonnello.

...

Usciamo dal tunnel delle accuse reciproche. Lei sostiene che i ribelli vanno perseguitati come traditori. E loro replicano che tutta la vostra famiglia va processata, al meglio espulsa all’estero. La Nato sta dalla loro parte, godono di un crescente sostegno internazionale. Gheddafi è sempre più isolato, deve andarsene. Dove il compromesso?
«Elezioni. Si potrebbero tenere entro tre mesi. Al massimo a fine anno. E la garanzia della loro trasparenza potrebbe essere la presenza di osservatori internazionali. Non ci formalizziamo su quali. Accettiamo l’Unione Europea, l’Unione Africana, l’Onu, la stessa Nato. L’importante è che lo scrutinio sia pulito, non ci siano sospetti di brogli. E allora tutto il mondo scoprirà quanto Gheddafi è ancora popolare nel suo Paese. Non ho alcun dubbio: la stragrande maggioranza dei libici sta con mio padre e vede i ribelli come fanatici integralisti islamici, terroristi sobillati dall’estero, mercenari agli ordini di Sarkozi. Alla nostra gente non sfugge che lo stesso presidente del governo fantoccio a Bengasi, Mustafa Abdel Jalil, come del resto il loro responsabile militare, Abdel Fatah Younes, sono, al pari di tanti altri, uomini della vecchia nomenclatura, gente che è saltata sul carro delle rivolte all’ultimo minuto, miserabili profittatori, venduti. Erano ministri con Gheddafi e ora vogliono giocare la parte dei leader contro di lui. Ridicoli. Non li temiamo affatto. Sono fantocci di Parigi. Marionette incapaci di stare in piedi da sole».

I ribelli temono di essere assassinati, perseguitati, come del resto è avvenuto in 42 anni di dittatura a tanti membri dell’opposizione. Cosa offre per garantire la loro incolumità?
«Sono loro che hanno paura, non noi. Li conosco bene, uno a uno, sono stati con me nelle università straniere. Hanno goduto del mio programma di liberalizzazione negli ultimi dieci anni, di cui, si badi bene, non mi pento affatto. Il nostro rapporto è come quello tra il serpente e il topo che vorrebbero convivere nella stessa tana. Ci considerano il serpente. La soluzione? Dobbiamo essere tutti eguali: tutti serpenti, o tutti topi. E la via è quella delle urne».

Ma come li garantisce?
«Occorre pensarci. Dovremo cercare di mettere in piedi un meccanismo per garantirli. Nel periodo prima del voto si dovrà comunque elaborare la nuova costituzione e un sistema di media completamente libero. Credo in una Libia del futuro composta da forti autonomie locali e un debole governo federale a Tripoli. Il modello potrebbero essere gli Stati Uniti, la Nuova Zelanda o l’Australia. In questi ultimi mesi ho maturato una convinzione profonda: la Libia pre-17 febbraio non esiste più. Qualsiasi cosa accada, inclusa la sconfitta militare o politica dei ribelli, non si potrà tornare indietro. Il regime di mio padre così come si è sviluppato dal 1969 è morto e sepolto. Gheddafi è stato superato dagli avvenimenti, ma così anche Jalil. Occorre costruire qualche cosa di completamente nuovo».

E se le elezioni le vincono i dirigenti di Bengasi?
«Bravi. Tanto di cappello. Noi ci faremo da parte. Sono però certo della nostra vittoria. Sui poco più di cinque milioni di libici, almeno i due milioni residenti a Tripoli stanno con noi e anche a Bengasi godiamo della maggioranza. Semplicemente laggiù la gente non può parlare per paura di rappresaglie. Comunque, se dovessimo perdere, ovvio che lasceremo il governo. Rispettiamo le regole. Non mi opporrei neppure se venisse democraticamente eletto nostro premier l’intellettuale ebreo-francese Bernard-Henri Levy» (sorride per la battuta).

La pensa così anche suo padre dopo 42 anni di regime?
«Certo».

E, in quel caso, Gheddafi sarebbe pronto all’esilio?
«No. Non c’è motivo. Perché mai? Questo è il nostro Paese. Mio padre continua a ripeterlo. Non se ne andrà mai dalla Libia. Qui è nato e qui intende morire ed essere sepolto, accanto ai suoi cari».

A quel punto non sareste però voi a rischio di vendette? Andrete a cercare protezione tra qualche tribù fedele nel deserto?
«Staremo a Tripoli, a casa nostra. Nessuno di noi scappa. Sappiamo come difenderci».

L’Italia potrebbe avere un ruolo in questo processo di ricostruzione democratica?
«Non ora. Non sino a quando ci sarà Berlusconi al governo. Da quello che possiamo capire qui a Tripoli, il vostro premier è in difficoltà, pare inevitabile la sua prossima sconfitta elettorale. Bene. Non possiamo che gioirne. Lui e il ministro degli Esteri Frattini si sono comportati in modo abominevole con noi. Sino a tre mesi prima lo scoppio della ribellione venivano a inchinarsi e baciavano le mani a Gheddafi. Salvo poi voltare la schiena e passare armi e bagagli tra le file dei nostri nemici alla prima difficoltà. Vergogna!».

Che sarà dei contratti con l’Eni? Italia e Libia hanno una lunga storia di rapporti economici che va ben oltre i governi Berlusconi.
«Ovvio, e infatti separiamo nettamente la figura di Berlusconi dall’Italia. Apprezziamo le critiche alla guerra e contro la Nato avanzate dalle Lega. Guardiamo con interesse ai vostri partiti della sinistra. La Libia terrà un atteggiamento assolutamente diverso nei confronti di un’Italia senza Berlusconi».

E il petrolio?
«Non so. E’ prematuro parlarne. Per ora dobbiamo porre fine alla guerra, imporre la legge e l’ordine in tutto il Paese. Ma voglio essere franco. Da tempo Mosca guarda con interesse ai pozzi e alle infrastrutture Eni in Libia. Forse, ora i russi hanno una carta in più».

Pure, anche Mosca ultimamente ha perorato la causa dell’esilio di Gheddafi. Non la penalizzate?
«Lo so. Ma con Berlusconi è diverso. Si diceva vero amico di Gheddafi. Il suo tradimento brucia di più».

E allora, quale tra i governi stranieri potrebbe meglio aiutare la transizione verso il voto in Libia e nel contempo mediare con la Nato?
»La Francia. Abbiamo già avuto abboccamenti con Parigi, ma per ora senza seguito. Comunque, sono loro che impongono la politica del governo di Bengasi. E’ stato Sarkozy a volere più di tutti l’intervento Nato. Dunque a loro il compito di cercare una via d’uscita il meno cruenta possibile».

...

cartoon: libya's crude oil

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http://www.corriere.it/foto_del_giorno/giannelli/11_febbraio_25/giannelli_c3ffd3e6-40a5-11e0-a0e9-e3433e14003f.shtml




Giannelli,
25 febbraio 2011

importers of libyan crude oil

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http://www.economist.com/blogs/dailychart/2011/02/libyan_oil

Feb 25th 2011

libya oil and gas fields, pipelines, population maps

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http://sepmstrata.org/Libya-Hassan/Libyan-Figures/Fig11.gif



http://nomoneynoworries.wordpress.com/2011/02/25/notes-on-libya/
http://media.stratfor.com/files/mmf/8/7/879c1d2fbbd49b088f89947500b78889928db1f4.jpg

north africa pipelines map

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http://www.theodora.com/pipelines/north_africa_pipelines_map.jpg

tunisia petroleum infrastructure map

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http://www.deplc.com/projects/the-fawar-permit

north africa middle east oil exporters chart

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http://www.crudeoilpeak.com/wp-content/gallery/libya/north_africa_middle_east_main_exporters_1986_2009.jpg

lebanon: stl / wikileaks / espionage

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http://www.voltairenet.org/article168125.html

source: Reseau Voltaire

Liban : la fuite en avant des Etats-Unis

Thierry Meyssan
14 janvier 2011

Le Liban est à nouveau sans gouvernement. Selon la presse occidentale, le Hezbollah exerce un chantage pour ne pas avoir à répondre de sa culpabilité dans l’assassinat de Rafik el-Hariri. En réalité, observe Thierry Meyssan, l’opposition libanaise (qui représente la majorité populaire mais est minoritaire à l’Assemblée) vient de faire échec à la machine infernale mise en place par Washington en vue de provoquer une confrontation générale au Proche-Orient.

La Commission d’enquête onusienne et le Tribunal spécial pour le Liban (TSL) ont déjà falsifié une expertise, recruté et protégé de faux témoins, puis incarcéré arbitrairement des innocents durant quatre ans. Ignorant les preuves matérielles collectées sur la scène du crime et les enregistrements des drones israéliens, le TSL refuse de mettre en cause Israël, l’Allemagne et les USA et s’apprête à mettre en accusation des responsables militaires du Hezbollah afin d’ouvrir la voie à une nouvelle guerre US.

Alors que le Premier ministre libanais Saad al-Hariri était reçu à la Maison-Blanche par le président des Etats-Unis Barack Obama, mercredi 12 janvier 2011, 11 ministres libanais ont donné leur démission et fait chuter leur gouvernement. Plus qu’à M. Hariri, ce camouflet était ostensiblement destiné à M. Obama.

Le remodelage du Moyen-Orient élargi

Pour comprendre ce qui se passe, il convient d’abord de resituer ce coup de théâtre dans le contexte général de la résistance proche-orientale au projet états-unien de remodelage de la région.

Lorsque, le 11-Septembre 2001, les Etats-Unis ont attribué les attentats dont ils faisaient l’objet à un groupuscule islamiste terré dans une grotte afghane, ils ont déclaré la « guerre des civilisations ». Contrairement à ce que préconisaient des stratèges comme Zbignew Brzezinski (favorable à une instrumentation des musulmans contre la Russie et la Chine) et certaines firmes pétrolières (favorables à un investissement militaire massif en Afrique et dans les Caraïbes pour contrôler les champs pétroliers du XXIe siècle), les Straussiens ont imposé le monde musulman comme cible. En effet, de leur point de vue, la seule « menace révolutionnaire » capable de se propager dans le monde et de porter atteinte à l’impérialisme global est une résurgence de la révolution khomeiniste.

Washington a donc décidé de prendre l’Iran en tenaille en positionnant ses troupes en Afghanistan et en Irak. Puis, de détruire les alliés militaires de Téhéran : la Syrie et le Hezbollah libanais. Enfin, de raser l’Iran et ses 70 millions d’habitants. Toute résistance ayant été anéantie, les Etats de la région auraient été démantelés et redessinés sur une base ethnique, tandis que la Pax Americana aurait triomphé.

Cependant ce plan grandiose, à peine initié, a échoué. La plus grande armée du monde a été incapable de contrôler l’Afghanistan et l’Irak occupés. Puis, l’assassinat de l’ancien Premier ministre libanais Rafik al-Hariri et la révolution colorée du Cèdre ne sont pas parvenus à provoquer la guerre avec la Syrie, Damas ayant immédiatement retiré ses forces de maintien de la paix stationnées au Liban depuis la fin de la guerre civile.

Washington a alors sous-traité le problème à Tel-Aviv. A l’été 2006, Israël a attaqué le Liban, rasé tout le Sud du pays sous un tapis de bombes tel qu’on n’en avait pas vu depuis la guerre du Vietnam, mais a échoué à détruire le Hezbollah et à engager le combat avec la Syrie. Contre toute attente, c’est l’inverse qui s’est produit : le Hezbollah a tenu en échec l’armée la plus sophistiquée du monde et la Syrie n’a pas eu à entrer en lice.

Mettant en oeuvre leur Plan B, les Etats-Unis ont eu recours à la prétendue Justice internationale.

Le rôle du TSL dans la stratégie US

La Commission internationale d’enquête sur l’assassinat de Rafik al-Hariri a reçu pour mission de mettre en accusation le président syrien Bachar el-Assad, ouvrant ainsi la voie à la guerre que le Pentagone aurait entreprise pour l’amener par la force devant la Justice internationale.

La Commission d’enquête était dirigée par deux agents sûrs, les Allemands Detlev Mehlis et Gerhard Lehman. Ils sont parvenus à occulter le rôle de leur pays dans l’assassinat, mais ont échoué à inculper le président el-Assad, les services secrets syriens ayant démasqué les faux témoins fabriqués par l’ONU.

Passant au Plan C, Washington a abandonné l’idée de détruire la Syrie préalablement à l’Iran et a recentré son dispositif sur le cœur du système. Il a mis en place un Tribunal spécial pour le Liban, cette fois chargé de mettre en accusation le commandant de la Force Al-Quod (unité des Gardiens iraniens de la Révolution qui forme les combattants anti-impérialistes au Liban, en Palestine et ailleurs), le général Kassem Soleimani, et le guide suprême de la Révolution islamique, l’ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Cette accusation judiciaire devait être coordonnée avec l’accusation politique de l’AIEA de fabrication secrète d’une bombe atomique.

La présidence de ce Tribunal très spécial a été confiée à l’Italien Antonio Cassese, jusque là conseiller juridique des Moujahidines du Peuple, un groupe armé qui revendique plusieurs milliers d’assassinats politiques en Iran pour le compte des Etats-Unis.

Militant sioniste, le juge Antonio Cassese (3ème en partant de la gauche) est passé directement de sa fonction de conseiller juridique des Moujahidines du Peuple à celle de président du TSL (ici photographié en compagnie de Maryam Rajavi lors d’une conférence au Parlement européen pour la légalisation du groupe armé anti-khomeiniste).

La tactique du Tribunal très spécial et de son procureur général était de mettre en accusation l’ancien chef militaire du Hezbollah, Iman Mugniyeh (assassiné par le Mossad) et sa famille, puis de mettre en cause leurs supérieurs hiérarchiques, non pas au sein du Hezbollah, mais au sein de leur dispositif de formation militaire : le général Soleimani et le guide suprême Khamenei. Le Pentagone et Tsahal auraient alors attaqué un Iran affaibli par des sanctions internationales, prétendument pour amener les suspects devant la soi-disant Justice onusienne.

Pour une raison purement technique, l’acte d’accusation devait être publié avant la fin de l’exercice budgétaire 2010 du Tribunal (en réalité avant la fin janvier 2011). Une conférence de presse était prévue au siège du Tribunal à La Haye samedi 15 janvier. C’est ce calendrier qui a précipité la crise.

Réactions au TSL

Pour éviter la guerre programmée, la Syrie, l’Arabie saoudite, le Qatar et l’Iran ont décidé de mettre leurs différents en sourdine et de joindre leurs efforts pour faire entendre raison à Washington. Il s’agissait de convaincre l’administration Obama d’abandonner un plan conçu par sa faction la plus extrémiste et de lui offrir une issue honorable.

Dans ce but, le président Bachar el-Assad, le roi Abdalllah ben Abdelaziz Al Saoud, l’émir Hamad ibn-Khalifa al-Thani et le président Mahmoud Ahmadinejad se sont succédés à Beyrouth. Chacun d’entre eux a enjoint les partis et communautés sur lesquels il exerce une influence d’asphyxier le Tribunal spécial en ne renouvelant pas son budget et en retirant ses juges libanais. Le TSL n’aurait pas été dissous. Il aurait survécu sur le papier, mais serait tombé dans une profonde léthargie.

Las ! L’administration Obama a refusé la porte de sortie qui lui était offerte. N’ayant à vrai dire aucun plan de rechange à substituer à celui des Straussiens, le président états-unien a envoyé sa secrétaire d’Etat, Hillary Clinton, informer les capitales concernées que le TSL irait jusqu’au bout de sa mission. Toutefois, a-t-elle laissé entendre, l’administration Obama se contentera dans un premier temps d’isoler Téhéran et ses alliés et n’envisage pas d’attaquer l’Iran à brève échéance. Chacun est donc prié d’appliquer les sanctions onusiennes et de se préparer à les renforcer.

La crise

A ce stade, on se frottait les mains à Washington, car le camp de la paix était bloqué dans une impasse. Après que le Spiegel et la télévision canadienne aient annoncé l’imminente inculpation de la famille d’Imad Mugniyeh, toute action politique du Hezbollah et de ses alliés contre le TSL serait présentée comme un aveu de culpabilité. Pour retrouver sa marge de manœuvre, sayyed Hassan Nasrallah décidait de publier des images filmées par des drones israéliens, interceptées par son organisation. Elles attestent qu’Israël a préparé l’attentat contre Rafik al-Hariri. Cependant ces révélations furent insuffisantes pour blanchir le Hezbollah car elles ne permettent pas d’établir si c’est bien l’Etat hébreu qui a réalisé ou non l’opération.

La publication par Odnako, l’hebdomadaire des élites politiques russes, de notre enquête a modifié la donne. L’arme nouvelle utilisée pour ce meurtre ayant été fabriquée par l’Allemagne, ni le Hezbollah, ni l’Iran ne peuvent encore être soupçonnés. Du coup, aux yeux de l’opinion publique proche-orientale les choses s’inversent : le Hezbollah ne peut plus être accusé de lutter contre le TSL pour fuir ses responsabilités.

[voir: hariri's murder: german uranium mini missile ]

Convaincu par nos arguments et soutenu par le roi Abdallah Ier, le Premier ministre Saad Hariri était prêt à négocier une solution en faveur de la paix. Toutefois, l’hospitalisation du roi aux Etats-Unis affaiblissait son autorité. Son demi-frère et successeur désigné, le prince Sultan, et son neveu, le prince Bandar, apparaissaient en capacité d’exercer rapidement le pouvoir et d’imposer leur ligne pro-états-unienne. Saad Hariri choisissait alors de prendre ses distances avec le monarque saoudien et de s’aligner sur la position états-unienne.

Mardi 11 janvier à New York, le roi Abdallah renonçait à la médiation qu’il avait entreprise avec son homologue syrien. Immédiatement, la coalition du 8-Mars sommait Saad Hariri de clarifier d’urgence la situation : elle l’enjoignait de retirer les juges libanais, de refuser de continuer à financer le TSL et à collaborer avec lui, enfin de poursuivre les faux témoins devant la Justice libanaise. Dans la plus grande discrétion, les services de sécurité de l’Etat (dépendant du Président de la République, le général Michel Sleimane) étaient réorganisés. Face à l’absence de réponse de Saad Hariri, les actions de ses sociétés perdaient en quelques heures 9 % en Bourse.

Mercredi 12 janvier à Beyrouth, les 10 ministres de la coalition du 8-Mars (dont seulement 2 sont membres du Hezbollah) démissionnaient pendant la rencontre Hariri-Obama à Washington, suivis d’un onzième ministre (proche du président Sleimane). Le quorum n’étant plus réuni, le gouvernement était dissous.

Réunis à Rabieh, résidence du général Michel Aoun, les 10 ministres de la coalition du 8-Mars (incluant 2 ministres du Hezbollah) annoncent leur démission.

Y a t-il un Plan D ?

En toute logique, le Tribunal spécial devrait publier sous peu, peut-être samedi, son acte d’accusation. Mais, il ne devrait plus avoir de budget à la fin du mois et devrait donc, soit devenir bénévole, soit cesser ses travaux.

En Occident, où la censure est totale sur les arguments de l’opposition, l’opinion publique devrait croire à la culpabilité du Hezbollah et à la volonté états-unienne de servir la Justice. Mais au Proche-Orient, plus personne n’est dupe : les Etats-Unis et Israël manipulent le TSL, ils masquent la vérité et instrumentent le Tribunal pour justifier une guerre générale dans la région. Ayant perdu sa légitimité, Washington ne peut espérer aucun soutien au Proche-Orient, hormis de ses vassaux stipendiés. Il faut donc passer au Plan D, Mais y en a t-il un ?

« Majorité » et « minorité » au Liban

Les élections législatives de 2005 ont donné une large victoire à la coalition du 14-Mars, réunie autour de la famille Hariri (soutenue par les Etats-Unis, l’Arabie saoudite et la France). Celle-ci a été depuis lors qualifiée de « majorité ». Cependant, rapidement, elle a perdu l’une de ses deux principales composantes, le Courant patriotique libre (CPL) fondé par le général chrétien Michel Aoun.

A contrario, la coalition du 8-Mars a été qualifiée en 2005 de « minorité », mais n’a cessé de s’étoffer depuis. Réunie autour du Hezbollah, elle est soutenue par la Syrie, l’Iran et le Qatar.

Les élections législatives de 2009 ont donné lieu à une vaste fraude : en violation du Code électoral des dizaines de milliers de Libanais de la diaspora se sont vu accorder des cartes d’électeurs. Un pont aérien a été mis en place par la coalition du 14-Mars pour les transporter gratuitement au Liban, obligeant à une réorganisation complète de l’aéroport de Beyrouth. Cette manipulation a profondément modifié un scrutin réunissant au total 1,4 million d’électeurs seulement. Malgré tout, la coalition du 14-Mars (la « majorité ») n’a obtenu que 44,5 % des suffrages exprimés, tandis que celle du 8-Mars (la « minorité ») obtenait 55,5 % des voix. Cependant, grâce à un découpage électoral violemment inéquitable, la coalition du 14-Mars a conservé la majorité à l’Assemblée avec 72 sièges, tandis que la majorité populaire restait minoritaire à l’Assemblée avec 56 sièges.

La majorité parlementaire a élu le leader de la coalition du 14-Mars, Saad Hariri, comme Premier ministre. Il est parvenu à composer un gouvernement d’union nationale comprenant 15 ministres du 14-Mars, 10 ministres du 8-Mars et 5 ministres neutres (des techniciens proposés par le président de la République). C’est ce gouvernement qui vient de chuter.

Le Parti Socialiste Progressiste (PSP) du leader druze Walid Jumblatt a pris ses distances avec la coalition du 14-Mars. Dans le cas où ses députés joindraient leurs votes à ceux de la coalition du 8-Mars, la majorité populaire deviendrait alors aussi la majorité parlementaire.

Selon l’accord national, la fonction de président de la République revient à un chrétien maronite, celle de Premier ministre à un musulman sunnite et celle de président de l’Assemblée à un musulman chiite.

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http://www.lexpress.fr/actualite/monde/proche-orient/chronologie-du-liban-1943-2011_492580.html#xtor=AL-447

Chronologie du Liban (1943-2011)

Catherine Gouëset,
13/01/2011

1943 : sous mandat français depuis 1920, l'ancienne province de l'empire ottoman proclame son indépendance. Le "Pacte national" institue un système politique confessionnel répartissant les pouvoirs en tre les Maronites, les sunnites, les chiites, les druzes, et les grecs catholiques et orthodoxes.
1952-58 : présidence de Camille Chamoun qui pratique une politique pro-occidentale.
1958 : une insurrection de nationalistes arabes favorables à Nasser est matée par une intervention américaine.
1970-71: chassés de Jordanie, les combattants palestiniens de l'Organisation de libération de la Palestine (OLP) installent leurs bases au Sud-Liban.
1972-73: des opérations militaires et des représailles entre Israéliens et Palestiniens sur le territoire libanais enveniment les relations entre les Palestiniens et l'Etat libanais.

La guerre civile : 1975-1989

13 avril 1975 : 27 passagers d'un autobus, pour la plupart palestiniens, sont tués par des miliciens phalangistes (chrétiens maronites). Des accrochages et des représailles s'ensuivent entre Palestiniens et Phalangistes. Cet évènement marque le début de la guerre du Liban qui durera 15 ans.
Avril 75-janvier 1976 : les combats opposent les milices chrétiennes conservatrices aux palestino-progressistes (Palestiniens et gauche libanaise). La Syrie soutient ces derniers, tout en proclamant sa neutralité.
Juin 1976 : renversement d'alliance de la Syrie qui envoie des troupes au Liban à la demande du camp chrétien. Déroute des Palestino-progressistes.
Novembre 1976 : fin officielle de la guerre. Le bilan est de 30 000 tués et 600 000 réfugiés. Mise en place de la Force arabe de dissuasion (FAD), à majorité syrienne. L'armée libanaise a éclaté en factions rivales. Le territoire est sous l'autorité d'une multitude de milices et de clans.
Mars 1977 : assassinat de Kamal Joumblatt, chef du parti socialiste progressiste (PSP, druze). Les représailles font plusieurs dizaines de victimes chrétiennes.
Mars 1978 : à la suite d'un attentat palestinien à Tel Aviv, les troupes israéliennes envahissent le Sud-Liban («opération Litani») pour créer une «zone de sécurité». L'ONU envoie une force d'interposition, la Force intérimaire des Nations unies au Liban (FINUL). L'armée israélienne se retire en juin, laissant le contrôle du Sud Liban à la milice chrétienne du commandant Saad Haddad.
Juillet 1978 : affrontements entre troupes syriennes et milices chrétiennes.
Avril 1979 : le commandant Haddad proclame l'indépendance des zones chrétiennes du Sud-Liban et donne à sa milice le nom d'Armée du Liban Sud (ALS).
Juin 1981 : affrontements entre Israéliens et Palestiniens au Sud-Liban. Les forces israéliennes bombardent Beyrouth.
Juin 1982 : les Israéliens envahissent à nouveau le Liban et assiègent Beyrouth (opération «Paix en galilée»).
14 septembre 1982 : élu moins d'un mois auparavant, le président Béchir Gemayel est assassiné à Beyrouth. Son frère Amine lui succède le 21. Les Israéliens entrent à Beyrouth-Ouest.
17-18 septembre 1982 : le massacre de civils par les milices chrétiennes dans les camps palestiniens de Sabra et Chatila, avec la complicité passive de l'armée israélienne, fait 800 morts, selon une commission d'enquête israélienne.
Avril 198: : un attentat-suicide chiite fait 63 morts à l'ambassade des Etat-Unis à Beyrouth.
Mai 1983 : signature d'un accord de paix entre Israël et le Liban. Création d'une zone tampon sous l'autorité de l'Armée du Liban Sud.
Septembre 1983 : la «guerre de la Montagne» oppose chrétiens et druzes. Ceux-ci prennent le contrôle de la région du Chouf.
Octobre 1983 : double attentat-suicide du Djihad islamique contre les contingents français (58 morts) et américain (241 morts) de la force multinationale.
Novembre 1983 : un attentat-suicide contre le quartier général israélien à Tyr fait 62 victimes.
Novembre-décembre 1983 : affrontements entre l'OLP et les Syriens, appuyés par des dissidents palestiniens à Tripoli. Yasser Arafat et 4 000 de ses partisans sont évacués sous protection française.
Février 1984 : la milice chiite Amal prend le contrôle de Beyrouth-Ouest. Les Druzes de Walid Joumblatt s'emparent des positions des Forces Libanaises (milice chrétienne) dans la montagne au sud de Beyrouth. Les contingents militaires américains, britanniques et italiens de la Force multinationale quittent le Liban.
Mars 1984 : premier d'une longue série d'enlèvements d'otages occidentaux. La France annonce le retrait de son contingent de la FINUL. Le Conseil des ministres décide l'abrogation du traité de paix de mai 1983.
Mai 1984 : formation d'un gouvernement d'union nationale dirigé par Rachid Karamé.
Mars 1985 : un attentat à la voiture piégée dans un quartier chiite de Beyrouth fait 75 morts.
Mai-juin 1985 : première «guerre des camps». des affrontements entre la milice chiite Amal, soutenue par une partie de l'armée libanaise, et les Palestiniens de Sabra et Chatila font 700 morts dans les camps de réfugiés.
Juin 1985 : fin du retrait de l'armée israélienne du Liban, à l'exception d'une zone-tampon au sud, laissée sous le contrôle de l'Armée du Liban Sud d'Antoine Lahad.
Octobre 1985 : accord pour un arrêt des combats entre les trois principales milices : Amal (chiite), PSP (druze) et Forces libanaises (chrétienne). Le président Gemayel fait échouer cet accord.
Janvier 1986 : affrontements entre milices chrétiennes à Beyrouth.
Mai 1986-avril 1987 : nouvelle «guerre des camps» entre Amal et Palestiniens.
Février 1987 : violents affrontements entre milices druzes et chiites à Beyrouth-Ouest. Déploiement de 8 000 soldats syriens.
Juin 1987 : le Premier ministre Rachid Karamé est tué dans un attentat. Il est remplacé par Salim Hoss.
Mai 1988 : les combats dans la banlieue sud de Beyrouth entre milices chiites Amal et Hezbollah (créée en 1982 au Sud Liban, à la suite de l'invasion israélienne) font 600 morts en 2 semaines. L'armée syrienne s'interpose.
Août 1988 : l'élection présidentielle est reportée, le quorum n'étant pas atteint. Le président Gemayel n'est pas remplacé à la fin de son mandat en septembre. Il désigne le commandant des forces armées, le général Aoun, pour former un gouvernement provisoire. Les musulmans ne le reconnaissent pas, et forment un gouvernement parralèle à Beyrouth Ouest, dirigé par Salim Hoss.
Mars 1989 : Michel Aoun lance une «guerre de libération» contre les 33 000 soldats syriens présents au Liban.
Octobre 1989 : signature des Accords de Taef qui établissent un nouvel équilibre entre les communautés, prévoient la dissolution des milices, le renforcement des pouvoirs du Premier ministre et la formation d'un gouvernement d'union nationale. La Syrie maintient plus de 40 000 soldats au Liban.
Novembre 1989 : René Moawad est élu président par les signataires des accords de Taef le 5, et assassiné le 22. Salim Hoss devient Premier ministre et le général Emile Lahoud succède à Michel Aoun en tant que chef des forces armées.
Janvier-mars 1990 : la guerre pour le contrôle du «Pays chrétien» entre partisans du général Aoun et Forces Libanaises de Samir Geagea fait plusieurs milliers de morts. Aoun se réfugie à l'ambassade de France. Il partira en exil en France en 1991. La guerre civile libanaise a fait plus de 140 000 morts en 15 ans.

L'après-guerre

Mai 1991 : signature d'un Traité d'amitié avec la Syrie, qui consacre le rôle prépondérant de Damas.
Octobre 1992 : le milliardaire Rafic Hariri est nommé Premier ministre. Elections législatives partiellement boycottées par les chrétiens (taux de participation de 20%).
Avril 1996 : à la suite de tirs de roquette du Hezbollah contre le nord d'Israël, le Premier ministre israélien, Shimon Pérès, lance en représailles l'opération "Raisins de la colère". 102 civils réfugiés dans un camp de l'ONU au Sud-Liban sont tués par des bombes israéliennes. Création d'un Comité de surveillance tripartite (libanais, syrien et israélien), sous la présidence alternée des Etats-Unis et de la France: Israël et le Hezbollah s'engagent à s'abstenir de viser des cibles civiles de part et d'autre de la frontière israélo-libanaise et de tirer à partir de zones habitées.
Octobre 1998 : le parlement élit le commandant en chef de l'armée, Emile Lahoud, au poste de président de la République. Un mois plus tard, celui-ci évince Rafic Hariri du poste de Premier ministre et nomme Salim Hoss à sa place.

2000
Février : Intensification des affrontements entre le Hezbollah et l'armée israélienne.
5 mars : le gouvernement israélien approuve la proposition du Premier ministre, Ehud Barak, de retrait unilatéral des troupes israéliennes du Sud-Liban, avant juillet 2000.
Mai : les désertions qui se multiplient dans les rangs de l'ALS entraînent le retrait précipité de l'armée israélienne.
27 août-3 septembre : le résultat des élections législatives constitue un camouflet pour le Premier ministre Salim Hoss. Ce scrutin marque le retour de son prédécesseur, Rafic Hariri.
Octobre : le Hezbollah capture trois militaires israéliens dans le secteur disputé de Chebaa, aux confins du Liban, de la Syrie et d'Israël.

2001
Juin : retrait partiel des troupes syriennes de Beyrouth et de ses environs. En vertu de l'accord de Taëf (1989) qui a mis fin à la guerre civile, l'armée syrienne aurait du se retirer de Beyrouth vers la plaine de la Békaa en 1992.
Août : vague d'arrestation de militants chrétiens anti-syriens, accusés de complot contre la sécurité du Liban.
Novembre : les Etats-Unis rendent publique une liste de groupes terroristes incluant le Hezbollah et demandent à Beyrouth de geler ses avoirs. Le gouvernement libanais, qui considère le Hezbollah comme une organisation de résistance, rejette cette demande.

2002
24 janvier : l'ex-chef de guerre chrétien Elie Hobeika est tué dans un attentat à la voiture piégée près de Beyrouth. Il était considéré comme l'un des responsables des massacres de Sabra et Chatila.

2004
11 mai : les Etats-Unis imposent des sanctions économiques contre Damas et réclament le retrait du corps expéditionnaire syrien.
28 août : le gouvernement libanais annonce un projet d'amendement de la Constitution pour prolonger le mandat du président Lahoud. Deux jours plus tôt, le président syrien avait convoqué le Premier ministre Rafic Hariri, pour lui signifier la volonté de Damas.
2 septembre : à l'initiative de Paris et de Washington, le Conseil de sécurité de l'ONU adopte la résolution 1559 appelant au respect de la souveraineté du Liban et au retrait de toutes les troupes étrangères de son sol, visant implicitement la Syrie.
6 septembre : opposés à l'amendement de la constitution, quatre ministres démissionnent du gouvernement.
21 septembre : le député druze Walid Joumblatt lance une pétition remettant en cause la prolongation du mandat du président Lahoud.
20-29 septembre : redéploiement de 3 000 soldats syriens qui retournent en Syrie.
20 octobre : démission de Rafic Hariri. Le député pro-syrien Omar Karamé forme un nouveau gouvernement.
13 décembre : pour la première fois depuis 1975, tous les partis de l'opposition lancent un programme commun dénonçant la tutelle syrienne.

2005
Février
14 : Rafic Hariri est tué à Beyrouth, dans un attentat à l'explosif qui fait 18 morts. Le lendemain, le Conseil de sécurité de l'ONU demande à Kofi Annan un rapport sur les circonstances de la mort de l'ancien Premier ministre et réclame le retrait des troupes syriennes du Liban.
16 : début de manifestations quotidiennes de l'opposition contre la présence syrienne.
23 : plus de deux cents personnalités syriennes appellent, dans une lettre ouverte, le président Bachar al-Assad à retirer l'armée syrienne du Liban.
28 : le gouvernement d'Omar Karamé démissionne.

Mars
8 : à l'appel des partis chiites Hezbollah et Amal, près de 400 000 personnes manifestent à Beyrouth en faveur de la Syrie et contre l'ingérence de Washington et Paris.
14 : près d'un million de personnes manifestent à Beyrouth, dans un rassemblement sans précédent, pour réclamer la vérité sur l'assassinat de Rafic Hariri et le départ du chef de l'Etat Emile Lahoud.

Avril
3 : la Syrie et l'ONU parviennent à un accord sur le retrait de toutes les troupes syriennes déployées au Liban avant le 30 avril.
7 : le Conseil de sécurité des Nations unies décide de créer une Commission internationale indépendante pour enquêter sur l'assassinat de Rafic Hariri.
26 : le départ des derniers soldats syriens marque la fin officielle de la présence de Damas au Liban.
4 mai : la justice annule les poursuites concernant trois chefs d'accusation contre le général Michel Aoun, ancien Premier ministre chrétien, exilé en France pendant quinze ans. Il rentre au Liban le 7 mai.
27 mai : le général Aoun annonce sa candidature aux élections législatives. Il choisit de s'allier avec des hommes liges de Damas.
29 mai - 19 juin : élections législatives. la coalition antisyrienne menée par Saad Hariri, le fils de l'ancien Premier ministre, remporte 72 des 128 sièges.
2 juin : le journaliste et opposant anti-syrien Samir Kassir est assassiné dans un attentat à la voiture piégée.
21 juin : l'ancien chef du Parti communiste, Georges Hawi, proche de l'opposition antisyrienne, est tué dans un attentat à la voiture piégée à Beyrouth.
19 Juillet : Fouad Siniora, un ancien allié de Rafic Hariri, forme un nouveau cabinet incluant le Hezbollah.
1er septembre : le procureur général engage des poursuites judiciaires contre le chef de la garde présidentielle libanaise et trois anciens officiers liés, selon l'enquête, à l'assassinat de Rafic Hariri.
20 octobre : publication d'un rapport de la commission d'enquête de l'ONU, dirigée par le juge allemand Detlev Mehlis, qui met en cause la Syrie.
12 décembre : le journaliste et député chrétien Gebrane Tuéni est tué dans l'explosion d?une voiture piégée.

2006
12 Juillet: Israël lance une vaste offensive aérienne et maritime sur le Liban, après l'enlèvement à sa frontière de deux soldats et la mort de huit autres. L'opération a été revendiquée par le Hezbollah. Israël bombarde Beyrouth et le Liban-Sud, causant de graves dommages aux infrastructures. Le Hezbollah riposte par des tirs de roquette sur le nord d'Israël. Israël impose un blocus aérien et maritime au le Liban.
12 août : le Conseil de sécurité adopte la résolution 1701 appelant à la cessation des hostilités au Liban. La résolution prévoit de donner des moyens et des effectifs supplémentaires à la Force intérimaire des Nations unies au Liban (Finul), pour épauler la force armée libanaise de 15 000 hommes que le gouvernement s'est engagé à déployer au Liban-Sud.
14 août: entrée en vigueur de la cessation d'hostilités entre Israël et le Hezbollah. En un mois, la guerre a fait près de 1200 morts et 900 000 déplacés au Liban; 150 morts et 400 000 déplacés en Israël.
17 août: début du déploiement de l'armée libanaise au Liban Sud.
25 août: Les Européens s'engagent à fournir plus de 7 000 hommes à la Finul. La France annonce le déploiement de 2 000 soldats.
11 novembre : les ministres du Hezbollah et du mouvement Amal quittent le gouvernement après l'échec de la formation d'un gouvernement d'union nationale au sein duquel ils auraient disposé d'une minorité de blocage.
21 novembre : Pierre Gemayel, ministre de l'Industrie, est assassiné par balles à Beyrouth.
Décembre : les chiites et les partisans du général chrétien Michel Aoun entament un sit-in près des bureaux du chef du gouvernement Fouad Siniora, dont ils réclament la démission.

2007

Janvier : l'opposition déclenche une grève générale qui dégénère en affrontements entre chiites et sunnites dans les quartiers musulmans de la capitale.
25 janvier : une quarantaine de pays et d'organisations internationales réunis en conférence à Paris, promettent 7,6 milliards de dollars de soutien à l'économie libanaise.
17 mai : les États-Unis, la France et la Grande-Bretagne déposent au Conseil de sécurité un projet de résolution pour la création d'un tribunal international pour juger les assassins de Rafic Hariri.
Fin mai : de violents combats éclatent entre l'armée libanaise et le Fatah al-Islam, une milice islamiste retranchée dans un camp de réfugiés palestiniens à Tripoli, dans le Nord du pays. L'armée ne reprend le contrôle du camp, en ruines, qu'en septembre. La bataille a fait près de 400 morts. Une partie des miliciens serait parvenue à s'échapper.
30 mai : le Conseil de sécurité de l'ONU adopte la résolution 1757, qui impose la création d'un tribunal international pour juger les responsables de l'assassinat de Rafic Hariri, et des attentats qui ont ensanglanté le Liban depuis octobre 2004.
18 septembre : un attentat à la voiture piégée coûte la vie à huit personnes, dont le député chrétien anti-syrien Antoine Ghanem.
25 septembre: la séance du Parlement convoquée pour élire le président de la république est ajournée. Majorité et opposition ne parviennent pas à se mettre d'accord sur la formation d'un gouvernement d'union nationale et l'amendement de la loi électorale pour les prochaines législatives.
12 décembre : le général François El-Hadj est tué dans un attentat à la voiture piégée à Beyrouth. Il était pressenti pour remplacer le chef des armées Michel Sleïmane, candidat à l'élection présidentielle.

2008

12 février : assassinat, à Damas (Syrie) d'Imad Moughnieh, chef de la sécurité du Hezbollah, recherché par Interpol pour des attentats et des enlèvements depuis 20 ans.
Début mai : des affrontements meurtriers éclatent entre la majorité et l'opposition, à la suite du limogeage du chef des services de sécurité de l'aéroport, un officier chiite prosyrien et de la mise hors la loi du réseau de télécommunications du Hezbollah. Les chiites lancent une campagne de désobéissance civile. A Beyrouth, le mouvement dégénère en bataille de rue et le Hezbollah prend le contrôle des quartiers ouest de la ville; les combats, qui font plus de 60 victimes, s'étendent à Tripoli et dans le Chouf. Le 14 mai, le gouvernement annule les deux décisions prises à l'encontre du Hezbollah. Grâce à une médiation de la Ligue arabe et du Qatar, un accord est conclu à Doha prévoyant l'élection immédiate du président de la République, la formation d'un gouvernement d'union nationale et la levée du sit-in installé par l'opposition depuis fin 2006 dans le centre de Beyrouth.
25 mai : Michel Sleimane, commandant en chef de l'armée, est élu Président du Liban après 18 mois de crise politique.
11 juillet : le Premier ministre Fouad Siniora forme un cabinet d'union nationale. Seize portefeuilles sont attribués à la majorité anti-syrienne, onze à l'opposition menée par le parti chiite Hezbollah, trois autres membres du cabinet étant nommés par le chef de l'Etat, Michel Sleimane, et le président du Parlement, Nabib Berri.
16 juillet : échanges de prisonniers et de dépouilles mortelles entre Israël et le Hezbollah.
Juillet-août : nouveaux affrontements meurtriers intercommunautaires à Tripoli.
16 septembre : ouverture d'un dialogue national entre les dirigeants des quatorze partis politiques ayant signé l'accord interlibanais de Doha en mai 2008. Les discussions portent entre autre sur les relations entre l'armée et les miliciens du Hezbollah.
15 octobre : Le liban établit des relations diplomatiques officielles avec la Syrie conformément à l'annonce faite par les deux pays en juillet.

2009

1er mars : ouverture à La Haye du Tribunal spécial pour le Liban chargé de juger les auteurs présumés d'attaques terroristes perpétrées depuis 2004.
29 avril : le Tribunal spécial pour le Liban ordonne la remise en liberté de quatre officiers supérieurs, détenus depuis août 2005 dans le cadre de l'enquête sur l'attentat perpétré contre l'ex-premier ministre Rafic Hariri.
7 juin : la majorité remporte les élections législatives. Saad Hariri est chargé de former un gouvernement.
2 août : Walid Joumblatt annonce qu'il quitte la coalition du 14 mars.
24 septembre : Saad Hariri, qui a renoncé à former un gouvernement le 10 septembre faute d'accord avec l'opposition, est à nouveau chargé par le président Sleimane de tenter d'en constituer un.
3 novembre : la marine israélienne arraisonne en Méditerranée un navire transportant des armes, en provenance d'Iran, selon les médias israéliens, et apparemment destinée au Hezbollah libanais.
9 novembre : après cinq mois d'impasse, Saas hariri annonce la formation d'un gouvernement d'union nationale.
19-20 novembre : visite historique de Saad Hariri à Damas. Le premier ministre libanais rencontre Bachar el-Assad, qu'il accusait d'avoir fait tuer son père.

2010

Février : Israël multiplie les mises en garde visant le Hezbollah, le Liban et la Syrie.
Avril : la découverte d'un gisement d'hydrocarbures offshore attise la tension entre le Liban et Israël.
Mai : Le gouvernement israélien accuse la Syrie de livrer des missiles Scud au Hezbollah libanais.
4 juillet : décès de l'ayatollah Mohammad Hussein Fadlallah, longtemps considéré comme le mentor du Hezbollah.
Juillet : tension à la hausse après l'annonce par le chef du Hezbollah Hassan Nasrallah que des membres de son parti allaient être mis en cause par le tribunal de l'ONU dans l'assassinat du dirigeant Rafic Hariri.
Août : quatre Libanais - trois soldats et un journaliste -et un lieutenant-colonel israélien sont tués lors d'échanges de tirs à la frontière israélienne.
Octobre : le président iranien Mahmoud Ahmadinejad effectue une visite controversée au Liban. Il est chaleureusement accueilli au Sud-Liban.
La tension, liée à l'enquête menée par le tribunal de l'ONU sur l'assassinat de Rafic Hariri, est exacerbée par d'éventuelles mises en cause des membres du Hezbollah et par l'émission de mandats d'arrêt en Syrie contre des proches du Premier ministre libanais.

2011
Janvier : la coalition gouvernementale s'effondre après la démission des ministres du du Hezbollah et des ses alliés, enfonçant le pays dans la crise liée à l'enquête d'un tribunal de l'ONU sur l'assassinat du dirigeant Rafic Hariri.

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http://www.almanar.com.lb/newssite/NewsDetails.aspx?id=170036&language=en

The Fate of The Indictment Under a Caretaker Government

13/01/2011

Lebanon entered a transitional stage Thursday, only a few hours after the collapse of PM Saad Hariri’s government, as President Michel Sleiman declared the government in caretaker capacity pending the formation of a new government. On Wednesday, 11 ministers resigned from Hariri’s government in protest at his refusal to convene the Cabinet to discuss the Special Tribunal for Lebanon especially after the Saudi- Syrian effort to defuse the STL crisis was presumed dead.

It is the first time in Lebanon’s history that a government is toppled by the resignation of more than a third of its members, but it’s not the first time a government continues functioning in a caretaker capacity. Only this time, there is a slight difference with the STL expected to issue an indictment regarding the 2005 assassination of former Prime Minister Martyr Rafiq Hariri, and no official authority to receive it. The indictment is expected to implicate Hezbollah in the murder; a move widely seen as politicized serving US and Israeli interests in Lebanon and the region.

CARETAKER GOVERNMENT HAS NO DIRECT MANDATE

According to former minister and lawyer Issam Naaman, the Lebanese Constitution states that there are only three cases in which the government is considered resigned: the resignation or death of the Prime Minister, the end of the parliamentary cycle (i.e. parliamentary elections), in addition to the resignation of more than one third of the government’s members.

Naaman told Al-Manar website that in any of these cases, the president should call for parliamentary consultations to appoint a new prime minister. He noted that pending the formation of the new government, the resigned one functions in caretaker capacity and therefore, its ministers are required to act in this capacity.

The former minister defined the principle of “caretaker government as a task to manage the simple, routine and daily operations which do not require endorsement or Cabinet approval. “However, the caretaker government does not have the mandate to take decisive decisions that usually require a Cabinet meeting,” he explained.

Asked whether there were exceptional cases in which the caretaker government could take decisive resolutions, Naaman said that only in urgent cases such as catastrophes, the concerned minister has the right to take specific measures such as spending money without credence.

Naaman, meanwhile, pointed out that there was no specific constitutional deadline for the formation of a new government following any government resignation. “Customs stipulate, however, that parliamentary consultations, appointment of a prime minister and the formation of a new government take place without delay,” he said. “Yet, there are some cases where the country is severely divided, that the process extends to a relatively unlimited time” he added.

GOVERNMENT COLLAPSED WITH RESIGNATION OF 11th MINISTER

For his part, veteran legal expert and former head of the State Consultative Council, Yusuf Saadallah Khoury said the government collapsed the moment the 11th minister tendered his resignation. According to the constitution, more than one third of the ministers should resign to topple the government. In this case of a 30-member Cabinet, 11 ministers were required to withdraw.

“The constitution stipulates that the president then calls for binding parliamentary consultations to appoint a new prime minister. After that, the president, alone, issues a decree mandating the appointed PM to form the new government, and when the government is formed, the president releases a second decree” for the government take the oath and start functioning officially.

Like Naaman, Khoury stressed the caretaker government doesn’t have the direct mandate or the moral authority to take crucial decisions. “In case it adopts any resolution with relation to fateful events, it would be in violation of the law and should be penalized,” he explained. “The government has resigned and therefore its task is limited to taking care of necessary operations and transactions,” he elaborated.

The former head of the State Consultative Council also stated that the constitution has not specified any time limit for the President to issue the decree calling for parliamentary consultations. “The President is not obligated by any time limit in this regard. He can take the political circumstances into consideration before releasing it,” he said, stressing at the same time that the parliamentary consultations to appoint a new Prime Minister are mandatory.

The Lebanese are already divided over the legal and structural aspects of the STL, which the opposition regards as another political tool in US and Israeli hands to target the country and the resistance, yet the resignation of the government raises question marks on the fate of the international tribunal and the indictment which, if issued now, will find no official authority to receive it.

“Following the government’s resignation, the expected indictment will have absolutely no impact on Lebanon at any level,” former minister Issam Naaman told Al-Manar website, adding that the tribunal officials are aware that the STL wouldn’t be able to execute its indictment, especially after the speeches of Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah who called for boycotting the illegal and unconstitutional tribunal. He recalled that the national opposition has rejected the agreement of coordination with the STL, which was adopted by the unconstitutional government of Fouad Saniora January 23, 2007, in violation of the Constitution and all laws,” reminding that then President Emil Lahoud didn’t sign it and the parliament did not endorse it.

For his part, Khoury ruled out any possibility of forcing Lebanon into dealing with the tribunal, which is subject to the United Nations Security Council’s Chapter 7 of the UN Charter, which allows the UNSC to resort to military interference and imposing sanctions. “This is not applicable at all,” Khoury told Al-Manar. He explained that the United Nations is powerless in this regard, especially with a caretaker government, given that the Security Council has the power to militarily interfere only in exceptional cases such as war, which is not the case in Lebanon.

OPPOSITION WILL NOT RE-APPOINT HARIRI…

Naaman explained the circumstances that led to the Saudi-Syrian initiative before being obstructed by the United States. “The Saudi-Syrian initiative was built on three main pillars: suspending financial aid, withdrawing Lebanese judges and transferring the issue of the false witnesses to the Lebanese Judicial Council. The US administration has rejected the settlement and exerted pressure on former PM Saad Hariri and Riyadh to foil it.”

“That’s why the national opposition decided to put an end to the whole game and chose to consult with President Michel Sleiman and convince him to influence Hariri to call for an immediate Cabinet session. But Hariri didn’t turned down the opposition’s demand, leaving the opposition with no choice but resignation,” Naaman noted.

He expected that the formation of a new government would not take place very soon, adding that the opposition has basically decided not to re-appoint Saad Hariri as Prime Minister and seek other national figures suitable for the position of PM.

By its resignation from the government, the national opposition launched an era of democratic change; a sensitive transitional stage that will define the shape of the country for at least the 20 months left for the president’s tenure.

http://www.waynemadsenreport.com/articles/20110112_1

by Courtesy of Wayne Madsen

January 12, 2011

Fixing blame on Lebanese assassinations on Hezbollah. Final report cooked up by players in New York

WMR has learned that the final report of the UN's Special Tribunal on Lebanon was made known to leaders from the United States, France, Saudi Arabia, Israel, and Lebanon in New York with an agreement by most parties that blame will be fixed for all of Lebanon's recent assassinations, most of them signature Mossad remotely-controlled car bombings, on Lebanese Hezbollah. Hezbollah, aware of the secret deals in New York, has announced that it will pull out of the Lebanese coalition government led by Prime Minister Saad Hariri, son of slain ex-Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, a victim of one of the Mossad-CIA car bombs, thus bringing down the Lebanese government.

Saudi King Abdullah, in New York for surgery on a herniated disc, met with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and spoke by phone with President Obama on the forthcoming UN tribunal report on Hezbollah. A key member in the talks was Assistant Secretary of State for Near East Affairs Jeffrey Feltman, who is as close to the government of Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu as he is to his own government. Feltman, a former U.S. ambassador to Lebanon and a bitter enemy of Hezbollah, reportedly met with Hariri in New York prior to the Lebanese Prime Minister's trip to Washington to meet with Obama. French President Nicolas Sarkozy was also in New York where he met King Abdullah and Hariri. Sarkozy's meetings with the Arab leaders followed his meeting with Obama in Washington. Hariri also met with Hillary Clinton in New York.

Although the Special Tribunal for Lebanon has proven to be a propaganda tool of the Israelis and its lobby in the United States and recent Lebanese intelligence discoveries of Mossad penetration of Lebanese telecommunications proves that Israel manufactured the cell phone and other telecommunication "evidence" pinning blame for the Hariri assassination on Hezbollah, the Obama administration and France, Saudi Arabia, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, and Israel are poised to see Hezbollah blamed for several assassinations of Lebanese politicians and international criminal indictments issued against leading Hezbollah figures. The tribunal report will result in a major political upheaval in Lebanon, which is to Israel's benefit.

The presence of Feltman, who is a virtual tool of the Israeli government, in the top Middle east policy position in the State Department, has largely led to the present debacle in America's Middle East policy.

A political deal was in the works for Lebanon that would have prevented the UN tribunal from indicting senior Hezbollah officials for the 2005 Hariri assassination. However, the Saudis helped scuttle the deal being worked out with Syria. Hezbollah political ally, retired General Michel Aoun, leader of the Free Patriotic Movement of Lebanon, decried the Saudi double-cross and Qatar Prime Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassem bin Jabr al-Thani, who helped work out the Arab-led peace deal for Lebanon, also expressed alarm that the Lebanese government would collapse as a result of the deal between Washington, Paris, Riyadh, and Tel Aviv.

UPDATE 1X. On January 12, eleven ministers from the Hezbollah-Aoun bloc resigned from the Lebanese government. Prime Minister Sadd Hariri cut short his trip to the United States and flew home from Washington via Paris. The Hezbollah-Aoun bloc is calling for new elections. There is a feeling among the bloc that Hariri was cutting a side deal in New York with Clinton, Sarkozy, the Saudis, and the UN to accept the Special Tribunal findings assigning blame on the Rafik Hariri assassination on Hezbollah.

http://www.lebanonwire.com/1101MLN/11010905JC.asp

January 9, 2011

WikiLeaks: Israel plans total war on Lebanon, Gaza

Juan Cole

The Israeli military is planning out massive bombings of areas full of innocent civilians.

The Norwegian newspaper Aftenposten has summarized an Israeli military briefing by Israeli Chief of Staff Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi of a U.S. congressional delegation a little over a year ago and concludes that:

"The memo on the talks between Ashkenazi and [Congressman Ike] Skelton, as well as numerous other documents from the same period of time, to which Aftenposten has gained access, leave a clear message: The Israeli military is forging ahead at full speed with preparations for a new war in the Middle East."

The paper says that U.S. cables quote Ashkenazi telling the U.S. congressmen, "I'm preparing the Israeli army for a major war, since it is easier to scale down to a smaller operation than to do the opposite."

The general's plans are driven by fear of growing stockpiles of rockets in Hamas-controlled Gaza and in Hizbullah-controlled Southern Lebanon, the likely theaters of the planned major new war. Ashkenazi does not seem capable of considering that, given a number of Israeli invasions and occupations of those regions, the rockets may be primarily defensive.

Ashkenazi told the visiting delegation that Israeli unmanned drones had had great success in identifying rocket emplacements in southern Lebanon, and that it had been aided in this endeavor by the U.S. National Security Agency, which spies on communications.

The new, major war will be a total war on civilians, Ashkenazi boasted: "In the next war, Israel cannot accept any restrictions on warfare in urban areas." Mind you, the civilian deaths deriving from this massive and unrestricted bombing campaign on targets in the midst of civilian urban populations will be "unintentional." Planning to bomb civilian areas with foreknowledge that you will thereby kill large numbers of civilians is a war crime.

Ashkenazi also admitted to then Rep. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) that Hamas is not in control of even more radical groups, which had infiltrated cells into Hamas itself, and which had rocket-making capabilities. In public, Israeli officials routinely demonize Hamas for every rocket fired from the lawless, besieged territory of Gaza, but here in private Ashkenazi was admitting the opposite. He even admitted that Israeli intelligence had no means to distinguish the even-more-radical from the merely Hamas.

Other State Department documents on the same theme say that last year at this time Hizbullah had about 20,000 rockets, some of which can now reach Tel Aviv, and that the Shi'a militia will attempt to stretch out its supplies for a two-month-long war, and would try to lob about 100 rockets at Tel Aviv per day.

In the 2006 Israeli war on Lebanon, one fourth of the Israeli population was forced to move house. It will be more this time, and for longer.

The memos reveal that none of the goals of Israel's 2006 war on Lebanon and its 2008-9 war on little Gaza were achieved, and that both Hamas and Hizbullah have effectively re-armed. What makes Ashkenazi think things would be different this time?

...

Juan Cole is a professor of history at the University of Michigan and maintains the popular blog "Informed Comment."

Source URL: http://www.juancole.com/2011/01/wikileaks-israel-plans-total-war-on-lebanon-gaza.html

http://www.voltairenet.org/article167920.html

« Tendances » n° 11

27 décembre 2010

...

MICHEL AOUN, principal leader chrétien au Liban

« La Constitution est désormais dans un état de délabrement total. La paralysie de l’article 65 de la Constitution est le fait de ceux qui gouvernent l’Etat, le président de la République Michel Sleiman, et le Premier ministre Saad Hariri, tous deux responsables du blocage du Conseil des ministres (…) La question des faux témoins restera sur le tapis quand bien même les ministres auraient voté pour ou contre ce dossier. Nous avons entendu dire que le Conseil des ministres a voté, dans une proportion de 20 contre 10, sur l’affaire des faux témoins, et que par conséquent cette affaire a été écartée. Personne ne pourra ôter son droit à celui qui a pâti des faux témoignages. »
...

COMMUNIQUE DU BLOC PARLEMENTAIRE DU HEZBOLLAH
« Le Liban doit faire preuve de vigilance face à l’ennemi israélien dans le cadre de la préservation de ses droits concernant les gisements pétroliers et gaziers qui se trouvent dans ses eaux territoriales (…) Le Tribunal Spécial pour le Liban constitue une menace qui pèse sur la justice et la stabilité du pays, et constitue également un outil de pression et de chantage exercé sur les Libanais (…) La découverte des équipements servant à l’espionnage israélien dans les montagnes de Sannine et du Barouk est un acte héroïque pour l’Armée libanaise et la Résistance. »
...

L’ORIENT-LE JOUR (Quotidien francophone proche du 14-Mars)

23 décembre 2010

La question des champs gaziers découverts en Méditerranée semble appelée à devenir l’une des principales sources de tension dans la région dans les mois à venir, notamment entre Israël et le Liban. Une question qui devrait commencer à préoccuper sérieusement le gouvernement libanais, et au plus vite.
Après la Turquie, qui avait vivement protesté contre un accord de délimitation des zones économiques exclusives conclu le 17 décembre entre Israël et Chypre (qui doit permettre la poursuite des recherches sous-marines d’hydrocarbures sans crainte de conflits d’exploitation) sous prétexte qu’il ne prendrait pas en considération les intérêts de la partie turque de l’île, c’était hier au tour d’Israël de sortir ses griffes contre le Liban.
Tel-Aviv a en effet indiqué qu’il est déterminé à défendre avec « toute la force nécessaire », face au Liban ou à tout autre pays, ces champs gaziers, qui pourraient assurer son indépendance énergétique pour la première fois de son histoire. Il a ajouté que les revendications de Beyrouth à cet égard sont « sans aucun fondement juridique, économique et cartographique ».
L’enjeu porte sur deux gisements offshores découverts récemment, Tamar et Léviathan. Les réserves de Tamar sont estimées à 8 milliards de m3 de gaz naturel et celles de Léviathan « pourraient atteindre le double et assurer la consommation d’Israël pour 25 ans », a déclaré à l’AFP le ministre des Infrastructures nationales, Uzi Landau. Selon lui, les résultats des tests pour Léviathan devraient être annoncés dans les prochaines semaines.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

WIKILEAKS LEBANON


http://www.jpost.com/MiddleEast/Article.aspx?id=197870

Lebanon advised on how to defeat Hizbullah

AP
dec 3 2010

Lebanon's defense minister offered US officials advice on how Israel could defeat group in future war.

Beirut - Lebanon's defense minister offered US officials advice on how Israel could defeat Hizbullah in a future war and vowed to keep the Lebanese army out of the fighting, according to secret diplomatic cables released by WikiLeaks.

That memo and another secret cable that revealed US secret spy flights over Hizbullah locations in Lebanon in 2008 are sure to fuel tensions.

A UN tribunal is expected to issue indictments in the 2005 assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, possibly as early as this month.

The tribunal has caused deep divisions within Lebanon's government, which includes Hizbullah along with pro-Western blocs led by Prime Minister Saad Hariri, the son of the slain leader.

There are fears of an outbreak of violence if the court indicts members of Hizbullah, which claims the court is bias.

The tribunal has exacerbated tensions and a deep mistrust between Hizbullah and Hariri's coalition. Hizbullah has accused members of the coalition of collaborating with the US against the group, including during the monthlong 2006 war between Israel and the group.

The diplomatic records exposed on the WikiLeaks website this week revealed a 2008 conversation between the Lebanese Defense Minister, Elias Murr, and US officials in Lebanon, in which he offered advice on how Israel could defeat Hizbullah in a future war.

Although he made clear he is not responsible for passing on messages to Israel, he said the Israelis should, for instance, avoid bombing bridges and infrastructure in Christian areas in a future war, so as not to turn public opinion against them.

"If Israel has to bomb all of these places in the Shiite areas as a matter of operational concern, that is Hizbullah's problem," Murr reportedly said.

Murr also said the Lebanese army would not get involved in the next war, adding that the objective was for the army to survive a three week war "completely intact" and to be able to "take over once Hizbullah's militia has been destroyed."

The classified memo was published in full on Thursday by the Lebanese daily Al-Akhbar, which was given an advance copy of the document by WikiLeaks.

Murr's office on Thursday denied he had made the comments, saying the report was "out of context and inaccurate."

Another memo released by WikiLeaks on Wednesday revealed the US in 2008 flew secret spy plane missions over Hizbullah locations in Lebanon. The planes, which used foreign British airbases, collected intelligence that was passed on to third party governments including Lebanon, according to the memo.

British officials reportedly complained to US diplomats about the secret American spy flights using foreign UK airbases, fearing that the data collected during those missions could implicate their country in potential human rights violations.

The documents were part of more than 250,000 cables from hundreds of US embassies around the world obtained by WikiLeaks, and posted on its website. The trove of secret material has been published by newspapers worldwide, embarrassing the US government and numerous foreign leaders.

http://www.win.tue.nl/~aeb/soc/wl/al-akhbar/08BEIRUT372.html

08BEIRUT372
Date11/03/2008 04:08
OriginEmbassy Beirut
Classification SECRET//NOFORN Header
....

BUT ISRAEL IS STILL MY MAIN CONCERN;
OVERFLIGHTS THE MOST SINCE 1982
------------------------------------

18. (S) Making clear that he was not responsible for passing
messages to Israel, Murr told us that Israel would do well to
avoid two things when it comes for Hizballah One, it must not
touch the Blue Line or the UNSCR 1701 areas as this will keep
Hizballah out of these areas. Two, Israel cannot bomb bridges
and infrastructure in the Christian areas. The Christians
were supporting Israel in 2006 until they started bombing
their bridges. If Israel has to bomb all of these places in
the Shia areas as a matter of operational concern, that is
Hizballah's problem. According to Murr, this war is not with
Lebanon, it is will Hizballah. Murr also told us that the
number of overflights recently (reftel B and C) are the
highest number since 1982. The last time there were this many
overflights was just prior to Israel invading south Lebanon
in April 1982, he stated flatly.

IT'S NOT OUR WAR
WE HAVE TO PRESERVE THE ARMY
----------------------------

19. (S) Murr said that he had summoned LAF Commander General
Sleiman to discuss preparations for a Hizballah conflict with

BEIRUT 00000372 004.2 OF 004

Israel on March 7. Murr was especially concerned for members
of the 1st and 8th Brigades in the Beka'a valley. Murr thinks
that these units will be cut off from LAF HQ support while
Israel is conducting operations against Hizballah in the
Beka'a. As such, they will have to turn to the local
populace for food, water etc. Since the populace is mainly
Hizballah supporters, Murr is afraid that these two units
could be dragged into the fight, the ultimate disaster that
Murr hopes to avoid. As such, Murr is trying to ascertain
how long an offensive would be required to clean out
Hizballah in the Beka'a. The LAF will move to pre-position
food, money, and water with these units so they can stay on
their bases when Israel comes for Hizballah--discreetly, Murr
added.

20. (S) Murr also gave guidance to Sleiman that the LAF
should not get involved "when Israel comes." This guidance
came four days after Sleiman had instructed his officers to
be prepared (ref D). Murr told us that he promised Sleiman
the political cover for LAF inaction. Murr's opinion is that
an Israeli action against Hizballah would not be a war
against Lebanon and that Syria and Iran did not ask Lebanon's
permission to equip Hizballah with its rockets. As such, the
LAF has been ordered to not get involved with any fighting
and to fulfill a civil defense role, such as humanitarian
support, when/if hostilities break out. Murr told us that he
would personally speak to the Shia officers in the Army to
make sure they understood why the Army was not going to
participate. For Murr, the LAF's strategic objective was to
survive a three week war "completely intact" and able to take
over once Hizballah's militia has been destroyed. "I do not
want thousands of our soldiers to die for no reason," Murr
declared.

COMMENT
-------

21. (S) Murr's concern over another Hizballah war with Israel
appeared to be genuine. The length of time spent on this
topic given the other political machinations in Lebanon
during the two and a half hour conversation was indicative of
his level of concern. Murr seems intent on ensuring the Army
stays out of the way so that Hizballah bears the full weight
of an Israeli offensive. While we have noted the increase in
Israeli overflights, to include one over downtown Beirut
Friday, March 7, we have not seen indications that validate
Murr's concern that an Israeli offensive might be imminent.

...

about Samir Geagea: http://forum.sh3bwah.maktoob.com/p2355008-24.html

http://www.waynemadsenreport.com/articles/20101206_4

...
While most observers in the Lebanese opposition
rallied behind Hizballah's accusation against Israel,
Aoun-bloc MP Ghassan Mokheiber noted privately to emboffs
that it was bizarre that Mughnieh was killed after stepping
out of a Syrian intelligence office, adding that Mughnieh's
death represented a big challenge for Hizballah. Mokheiber
commented that the days ahead would probably reveal the
nature of a possible "deal" made.

...

THEORIES ABOUT MUGHNIEH'S ASSASSINATION


http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2010/12/lebanese-newspaper-publishes-us-cables-not-found-on-wikileaks/67430

Lebanese Newspaper Publishes U.S. Cables Not Found on WikiLeaks

Dec 3 2010,
Max Fisher

Nearly 200 previously unreported U.S. diplomatic cables were posted on Thursday to the website of Lebanese newspaper Al Akhbar. The cables, from eight U.S. embassies across the Middle East and North Africa, have not appeared on Wikileaks' official website or in the Western media outlets working with Wikileaks. Al Akhbar, which defines itself as an "opposition" newspaper, is published in Arabic. It has posted all 183 cables in their original English but promises readers a forthcoming Arabic translation.

It's unclear how Al Akhbar got the cables, which they say are "exclusive," and whether they posted them with the permission of Wikileaks, which has tightly controlled who publishes which of its cables and when. Wikileaks offered a handful of media outlets, such as The Guardian and Spain's El Pais, advance access to some cables on the condition that they coordinate release. But neither Wikileaks nor those media outlets have released the same cables posted by Al Akhbar. If Al Akhbar had coordinated their release with Wikileaks, it stands to reason that the Lebanese publication would have been granted sufficient advance time to translate the cables to Arabic.

The documents appear to be authentic as the cables from Tripoli match up with The Atlantic's background reporting for an earlier story on a 2009 Libyan nuclear crisis, some details of which The Atlantic did not publish but nonetheless appear in Al Akhbar's cables. The rest of the cables are from U.S. embassies in Iraq, Egypt, Lebanon, Algeria, Mauritania, Morocco, and Tunisia. They portray U.S. diplomats as struggling to understand and influence the region's oppressive and sometimes unpredictable regime.

One series of cables from Baghdad reports that Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki replaced hundreds of his most experienced intelligence and security officials with under-qualified "political officers" in advance of the 2010 Iraq elections.

Another series from Beirut in 2008 shows Lebanese Defense Minister Elias al-Murr telling U.S. diplomats, in a message he implied they should pass on to Israeli officials, that the Lebanese military would not resist an Israeli invasion so long as the Israeli forces abided by certain conditions. Murr, apparently hoping that an Israeli invasion would destroy much of the Hezbollah insurgency and the communities in Lebanon's south that support it, promised an Israeli invasion would go unchallenged as long as it did not pass certain physical boundaries and did not bomb Christian communities. A U.S. embassy official wrote, "Murr is trying to ascertain how long an offensive would be required to clean out Hizballah in the Beka'a." Murr added that he had discussed the plan with then-Military Commandant Michel Sleiman, who has since become the President of Lebanon. The small but vibrant community of Middle East-based, English-language Arab bloggers have expressed outrage at Murr and Sleiman's apparent invitation, predicting it will bring political disaster and possibly worse.

If Al Akhbar did not receive the cables from Wikileaks, it's unclear whether the newspaper got them from a leak within Wikileaks or perhaps from a third-party source who wanted to beat Wikileaks' planned release. But it appears that this is not the only such case of loose documents. Less than a week into Wikileaks' gradual release of State Department cables, a process it is less than 0.25 percent through, the shadowy radical-transparency group seems to have lost control of its cables. Foreign Policy's Josh Rogin reported on Wednesday:

One Washington lobbyist who represents countries in the Middle East said that local press in several countries he works on is reporting on cables that haven't yet been reported on by the media outlets who had advance access to the documents. The lobbyist speculated that foreign governments may also be selectively leaking cables they've come across in order to spin them in their own favor before WikiLeaks or local media has a chance to weigh in.

"New leaked cables are coming from weird sources, think tanks, the countries involved. There's a lot of stuff being quoted in local press from cables that haven't been released yet and I have no idea where they are coming from," this lobbyist said.

It remains to be seen if Al Akhbar will translate the cables for its Arabic readership or even keep them posted online. Much like Wikileaks.org, which has gone down several times since posting the cables and had its hosting pulled at least twice, Al-Akhbar.com has been increasingly difficult to load since it posted the cables. While that could be the result of a spike in traffic, media attention on Al Akhbar's exclusive cables has been relatively sparse. But, for the moment, you can still view all 183 cables here.

Update: When I asked about the origins of the cables, Al Akhbar executive editor Khaled Saghieh replied, "We are not in a position to disclose information about who we received these documents from, as the source requested strict anonymity. We have reasons to trust this source." But whoever that source was, the mere fact that he, she, or they requested anonymity suggests it was not Wikileaks. After all, the group has openly disclosed and actively promoted its role in every one of it leaks. When I pointed this out to Saghieh, he refused to confirm or deny Wikileaks' involvement.

http://www.intifada-palestine.com/2010/10/sayyed-nasrallah-calls-for-%E2%80%9Cboycott%E2%80%9D-of-international-investigators/

SAYYED NASRALLAH CALLS FOR “BOYCOTT” OF INTERNATIONAL INVESTIGATORS

29. Oct, 2010
Hussein Assi

Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah called on Thursday for boycotting and ending cooperation with the international investigators affiliated with the international tribunal tasked with finding out the truth in the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri’s case. His eminence warned that cooperation with these investigators was the same as facilitating their mission and attacking the Resistance.

Sayyed Nasrallah, who was commenting on the flagrant violation made by the investigators one day earlier, warned that the international tribunal was violating everything in Lebanon, and they have been collecting information about Hezbollah that go beyond the goal of serving the investigation.

On Wednesday, a team of investigators entered a gynecology clinic in Southern Suburb of Beirut and demanded the archives of a number of patients, sparking dispute with women there. Witnesses said the team entered Dr. Iman Charara’s gynecology clinic. Women waiting for their turn in the clinic, including an urgent case, were annoyed because the investigators stayed for long time in a meeting with the doctor, witnesses said, adding the voices were loud as other women from other clinics in the building rushed to Charara’s clinic.

Sayyed Nasrallah also revealed that the United States was pressuring the Special Tribunal for Lebanon Prosecutor Daniel Bellemare to accelerate the issuance of the indictment before December as expected.

...

WE HAVE REACHED A VERY SENSITIVE POINT

Hezbollah Secretary General then turned to the major topic that pushed him to deliver his speech, the incident which happened on Wednesday when a delegation of international investigators visited a gynecology clinic in Southern Suburb of Beirut and demanded the archives of a number of patients.

“We have reached a sensitive and very dangerous point, which is related to our honor and dignity, the thing that requires us to have a different stance,” Sayyed Nasrallah said, pointing to the local and international stances made following Wednesday’s incident, including the American condemnation.

...

“We’ve remained mum throughout this period out of consideration for the family of martyr premier Rafiq Hariri, and so that no one thinks we’re obstructing the investigation,” Sayyed Nasrallah pointed out.

His eminence said that the international committees have requested throughout the last period files of the students of official and private universities in Lebanon, the complete Telecoms data in Lebanon as well as the DNA and GIS data and other files. “They entered all sectors and wanted to know everything, things that go well beyond a mere investigation in Hariri’s murder.”

“We have remained mum throughout this period despite our knowledge that the investigators have been collecting information about Hezbollah that go beyond the goal of serving the investigation,” his eminence said. “We were also aware that everything the international investigators obtain reaches the hands of the US and Israel.”

WHAT DOES PROBE NEED OUR WOMEN’S MEDICAL FILES FOR?

“What does the probe need our women’s medical files for?” Sayyed Nasrallah wondered, revealing that Dr. Iman Charara’s gynecology clinic was often visit by Hezbollah officials’ wives and daughters.

Sayyed Nasrallah then addressed all Lebanese officials, ministers, lawmakers, judges and citizens. “Who among you accepts the idea of someone taking a look at the gynecology files of a mother, a sister or a daughter?” his eminence asked them. “Let the noble one who accepts such a thing tell us,” his eminence said, adding that this is unethical. “We have religious and moral values, not to mention that we’ve been told by more than one side that this thing is illegal.”

Hezbollah Secretary General reiterated that the final verdict was written since 2006. “I have been informed of its content since 2008. I don’t want to enter into more details,” his eminence said. “The investigation has already ended and the indictment has already been written and finalized, and it is the same one that was published by Der Spiegel and Le Figaro.”

ANY FURTHER COOPERATION WITH STL IS ATTACK ON RESISTANCE

Hezbollah Secretary General concluded his speech by a strong call to all Lebanese to boycott the international investigators and end cooperation with them.

“I call on all Lebanese, citizens and politicians alike, to boycott this tribunal and end all cooperation with its investigators,” Sayyed Nasrallah said. “Enough violations. Everything they obtains reach the Israelis. It’s enough,” his eminence declared.

Sayyed Nasrallah said that any further cooperation with the tribunal is equal to an attack on the resistance. “All cooperation with the investigators is a contribution to the assault on the resistance,” his eminence pointed out.

The Resistance leader also called all politicians and citizens in Lebanon to do what their conscience and honor tell them.

“Enough is enough. Officials should assume their responsibilities. It’s time to end all violations after our honor has been breached. It’s enough,” Sayyed Nasrallah ended his speech.

Source: Uprooted Palestinian

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

ESPIONAGE AND SECRET SERVICES


http://www.waynemadsenreport.com/articles/20100827_3

August 27-29, 2010
By courtesy of Wayne Madsen

Lebanon continues round-up of alleged Mossad agents

Lebanese counter-intelligence continues to round up a number of alleged Mossad agents embedded inside the Lebanese political structure and telecommunications sector, according to reports reaching WMR from Beirut.

Although Hezbollah provided Daniel Bellmare and his UN Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) office in Beirut with six DVDs showing Israeli surveillance drone footage of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri's locations prior to his remote bombing assassination in February 2005, Bellemare wants Hezbollah to turn over more data on how Hezbollah was able to intercept Israel command and control communications with its drones over Beirut. WMR has learned that Bellemare's team is riddled with Israeli agents and CIA agents who are also working on behalf of Israeli intelligence. Hezbollah has charged, and WMR has previously reported, that Mossad was behind the assassination of Hariri in order to rid Lebanon of Syrian forces and destabilize the country, thus weakening Hezbollah's influence. The operation against Hariri, as WMR also previously reported, involved the CIA and operatives for the CIA proprietary firm Blackwater, now known as Xe Security.

Israel is obviously concerned that some of its agents in Lebanon, of which there are many, may be double agents passing intelligence to Hezbollah. For example, one of the latest Lebanese nationals who has been caught up in the Lebanese counter-intelligence snare is Tony Boutros, who, WMR is told, is in charge of all the fixed cables on the landline telephone networks in Lebanon. Furthermore, Boutros had just returned from a trip overseas prior to his apprehension by Lebanese authorities. When Boutros was arrested, in his home was a contingent of Ethiopian Falasha Jews who we are told "were not maids or servants."

Israel and its friends in the STL also want to know how Hezbollah obtained clandestinely-taken photographs showing known Mossad agents meeting with members of the Lebanese Parliament and two top-level politicians, former Prime Minister Fouad Siniora and current Minister of State Jean Ogassapian. Both are considered close to neocon political circles in the United States.

Following Boutros's arrest, another top Lebanese army officer, Coloel Antoine Abou-Jaoude,
was arrested on charges of spying for Mossad. The recent arrests follow scores of others in an attempt by Lebanon to break up a huge Mossad network operating throughout the country.

http://www.waynemadsenreport.com/articles/20100822

August 23, 2010

Israeli intelligence infiltrated throughout Lebanese government

WMR has learned from its Lebanese intelligence sources that the Lebanese government is coming to realize that Israeli intelligence penetration of all political groups in the country is worse than originally believed.

Israel's Mossad, once content on penetrating the Christian and Druze parties in the country, has now thoroughly infiltrated the top echelons of Sunni and Shi'a parties, as well. Recently, Lebanon charged retired General Fayez Karam, a senior member of retired General Michel Aoun's Free Patriotic Movement, which is allied with Hezbollah, with spying for Mossad.

Among the political parties penetrated by Israeli intelligence is the Future Movement of Prime Minister Saad Hariri, the son of the former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, who was assassinated by a car bomb in Beirut in 2005. The UN Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) is expected very soon to charge Lebanon's Hezbollah with the assassination. However, Hezbollah leader Hasan Nasrallah recently announced the group had video evidence from Israeli drones that showed the Israeli Defense Force was tracking Hariri before his assassination.

The STL's chief prosecutor, Daniel Bellemare of Canada, requested the evidence from Hezbollah. However, WMR has learned that Bellemare is suspected by Lebanese intelligence of having close previous contacts with agents of both the CIA and Mossad. WMR previously reported that Bellemare is suspected to have allowed and introduced into evidence against Hezbollah in the Hariri assassination, doctored cell phone intercepts pointing the "smoking gun" at Hezbollah. It is feared that Bellemare might give Hezbollah's evidence to Mossad for the Israelis to determine the source of the leak of classified videos.

Mossad is also reported to be grooming a successor to the Lebanese Shi'a political leader Nabih Berri, currently the speaker of the Lebanese parliament. The Mossad operation is being actively supported behind the scenes by Saudi Arabia, a country that is fast becoming one of Israel's most "open secret" allies in the Middle East.

According to WMR's sources in Lebanon, one network that Israel and the United States can rely on to support the UN after the expected indictment of Hezbollah for Hariri's assassination is a Sunni network in the Bekaa Valley of Lebanon. It includes a member of the same family as Ziad al-Jarrah, one of the alleged United flight 93 hijackers on September 11, 2001.

Lebanese intelligence has linked the Ziad al-Jarrah, who hailed from the Bekaa Valley, to a Saudi-supported Salafist network that includes "Al-Qaeda" associates that will be used to target Shi'as throughout Lebanon in the wake of the Bellemare charges against Hezbollah. Lebanese intelligence discovered that members of this same Mossad-supported Salafist/Al Qaeda network also targeted top Shi'a leaders in Iraq. WMR has learned that Ziad al-Jarrah was used by the Mossad, the CIA, and Saudi intelligence as a "patsy" in the 9/11 conspiracy, just as similar "patsies" are being used in Iraq and elsewhere to help keep the myth of "Al Qaeda" and Osama bin Laden alive.

The same Salafist/Al Qaeda network in Lebanon, while still in an embryonic stage, was used by Mossad and the CIA to spy on Palestinian groups in Lebanon during the 1980s and 90s, as well as on Syria during its occupation of Lebanon.

The Israeli espionage network also extends to Syria. Lebanese sources report that former Syrian Vice President Abdel Halim Khaddam, who accused Syrian President Bashar al Assad of ordering Rafik Harir's assassination, is tactically backed by Israel and the United States. Khaddam, who heads the exiled National Salvation Front (NSF), is seeking to overthrow Assad. The NSF not only receives support from Israeli and U.S. intelligence but also from the French and German intelligence. The NSF maintains offices in Brussels, Berlin, Paris, and Washington, DC and it is suspected of working behind the scenes with Bellemare to bring chargss against Hezbollah for the Hariri assassination. However, previous attempts to have Assad and pro-Syrian Lebanese generals indicted for the assassination fell through due to lack of any credible evidence.

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/e2f45e20-a073-11df-a669-00144feabdc0.html#axzz1B8UQ3jeK

Hizbollah ally accused of spying for Israel

Abigail Fielding-Smith in Beirut
August 5 2010

Lebanese security forces have arrested a member of a party linked to Hizbollah, the Lebanese Shia militant group, on suspicion of spying for Israel, an official from the organisation said on Thursday.

The arrest comes two days after Hassan Nasrallah, Hizbollah general secretary, promised to pursue suspected traitors regardless of their political affiliations or status.

Fayes Karam, a former general in the Lebanese army and member of the Hizbollah-allied Christian party the Free Patriotic Movement, is the highest-profile political figure so far to be caught in the security services’ widening net. Although he does not hold an official position in the party, he is said to be close to its leader Michel Aoun.

In a statement on the Free Patriotic Movement website, General Aoun invoked the example of Judas’s betrayal of Christ, saying that such treachery was “a characteristic of human nature” and vowing that the party’s confidence remained “in tact”

“If it is true, his background and status in the community would mean he could provide information from contacts at a very high level,” said Timur Goksel, a security expert at the American University of Beirut and former officer in Unifil, the United Nations peacekeeping force.

This latest escalation in what a recent International Crisis Group report dubbed an “undercover war” feeds in to rising tensions both inside Lebanon and at the border with Israel.

Israel is believed to have established relationships with informants during its occupation of Lebanon between 1982 and 2000. According to Mr Goksel they are more likely to be individuals passing on information on an ad hoc basis rather than a network of agents.

Since spring 2009 Lebanese security forces, widely believed to be acting in co-ordination with Hizbollah, have had a striking run of results, involving more than 70 reported arrests of suspected spies, including security officials and employees of one of the state’s two mobile phone networks.

The infiltration of the telecommunications network is now at the centre of a growing controversy surrounding the UN tribunal investigating the murder of former prime minister Rafiq Hariri, for which Hizbollah believes some of its members may be indicted based on telecommunications data.

In a speech last month, Mr Nasrallah suggested that the spies might have manufactured evidence linking the party to the assassination.

However, a senior security source treated the claim with scepticism. “Why didn’t (the spies) protect themselves if they could manipulate the data?”

It is unclear why Lebanon’s intelligence services have suddenly been able to expose so many spies; the senior security source attributes it to improvements in technology and experience.

Intelligence gathering is, like everything else in Lebanon, a highly politicised activity. The head of the information unit at the ISF, one of the two state agencies dealing with counter-espionage, is perceived to be closely linked to the Hariri family, whose party, the Future Movement, are political opponents of Hizbollah.

Speculating on why the agency has been so proactive in rooting out spies, one local journalist who has covered the story closely suggested it might be “in order to say to the Lebanese people, ‘we are with the Resistance and against Israel.”

Each fresh revelation has sent shockwaves through the highly charged political atmosphere of Lebanon. In a speech on Tuesday night, Mr Nasrallah, who has called for the death penalty for anyone found guilty, pledged to help unveil more people working for Israel, asking “how many more spies do we have in this country?”

http://www.waynemadsenreport.com/articles/20100805

August 5, 2010

Lebanese officials expect a UN report with phony evidence on Hariri assassination

WMR's sources in Lebanon are expecting that the UN Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) report on who was responsible for the 2005 remotely-controlled bomb assassination in Beirut of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri will contain a wealth of phony and contrived "evidence" compiled with the assistance of the CIA, Mossad, and other western intelligence agencies. It is widely expected that the STL report will blame Lebanese Hezbollah, a member of the current Lebanese government headed by Saad Hariri, the son of the slain ex-Prime Minister, for the assassination.

Lebanese intelligence believes that the concocted "evidence" in the STL report will contain "doctored" voice and video data collected by the CIA and Mossad from intercepted Lebanese cell phone networks before, during, and shortly after the assassination of Hariri, which took place on February 14, 2005 at 12.55 PM (Beirut time). Some 120 individuals have been arrested in Lebanon for spying for Israel and some of these individuals were involved in Lebanese telecommunications systems.

WMR has learned that the UN International Independent Investigation Commission (UNIIIC) and STL has been provided with tapes and transcripts of cell phone calls that supposedly were made by a very closed ring of assassins,six to eight total, at the scene of the explosion. Lebanese authorities are aware that the call data was provided by a number of cellphone companies and countries that are viewed suspiciously in Lebanon. Chief among the providers of the data are the CIA and Mossad, which have extensive networks in Lebanon, but also the French DGSE and German BND intelligence services, as well as Britain's Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ), which maintains a large communications intercept station in nearby Cyprus that routinely intercepts cell phone calls in Lebanon.

The role of the Mossad in the doctoring of the cell phone data, expected to be relied upon heavily in the report issued by UN chief investigator Daniel Bellemare, is creating a vigorous debate in Lebanon. Hezbollah is expected to reject the cell phone recordings as fakes and charge that they were engineered by Mossad and its friends in the CIA. Hezbollah's opponents have countered with the argument that if the Mossad agents could doctor cell phone data after the fact, why did they not erase all traces of their own communications with Mossad that eventually resulted in their own arrests

Meanwhile, Lebanon continues to round up top Mossad agents in the country with the latest arrest being that of retired General Fayes Karam, a close aide and friends of retired General Michel Aoun of the Free Patriotic Movement. Aoun and his party are partners of Lebanese Hezbollah. From 1988 to 1989, Karam was the head of Lebanese military counter-intelligence while under the command of Aoun. Karam was also in exile with Aoun in Paris for 15 years. Although the evidence compiled against Karam shows his link to Mossad since 2005, the year Hariri was assassinated, as previously reported by WMR, by Mossad and the CIA, Karam may have been working for Mossad much longer.

Karam was trained by the United States and France in military counter-intelligence during the 1980s.

There is also suspicion about the fact that while 120 Lebanese spies for Mossad have been rounded up in recent years, not one CIA agent has been arrested, even though it is well known that Langley has penetrated every major institution in Lebanon.

also:

Lebanon teetering on brink over expected UN report on Hariri assassination culprits

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