will form a government soon for the sake of regional stability . Obama’s advise came on the 26th anniversary of the bombing of the US marines in Beirut
The question is : What regional security ?
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in his six-month report to the U.N. Security Council on Lebanon stated that the presence of armed Hezbollah and Palestinians in Lebanon contributes to tensions and insecurity in the region and could eventually lead to a resumption of hostilities
In the report Ban focused on implementation of a 2004 resolution that calls for the disbanding of all militias and urged that Hezbollah and the Palestinian groups be disarmed quickly. "The existence and activities of Lebanese and non-Lebanese militias ... continue to pose a threat to the stability of the country," Ban said. "The presence of weapons in the country outside government control and the continued existence of militias contribute to tensions and insecurity in Lebanon and beyond, and could eventually lead to the resumption of hostilities unless immediately addressed," he warned.
Ask any Lebanese from the March 14 majority why a government hasn’t been formed and he or she will tell you that the arms of Hezbollah are the main reason . Hezbollah is pointing its guns against the Majority and using general Michel Aoun as the front man to make all kinds of impossible demands .
Hezbollah and its allies lost the elections last June . Hezbollah and its allies won 57 seats in the 128 member parliament while the March 14 alliance won 71 seats . Despite this defeat the opposition has been acting as the winner and has been making impossible demands why …..the arms
There is nothing else in the equation except the “arms” This is why Jumblatt has been calling for calm , because he knows what happened on May 7 2008 when Hezbollah invaded and occupied the Sunni part of western Beirut using its so called “resistance arms” . Jumblatt is also worried that if Hezbollah will try to attack the Sunnis again this could trigger a regional war between Sunnis and Shiites.
The focus of the dialogue talks , as soon as the government is formed, should be the disarming of the militia groups or their absorption within the Lebanese army . Lebanon should have one armed entity that is the Lebanese army to defend it from its enemies and to maintain security in the country .
The question is : Can you have dialogue when one party is armed and the other isn’t ?
There was a lot of hope in Lebanon that the Saudi-Syrian summit will result in the restraining of Hezbollah and the softening of its demands , but according to French FM Beranard Kouchner and progressive Socialist Party leader MP walid Jumblatt there are internal and regional forces that didn’t want the summit to succeed …this was in reference to Iran and Hezbollah , according to political observers
Saturday
11:40 pm The speaker for Iran's parliament says the proposal to ship out most of the country's uranium for refinement elsewhere is a trick meant to rob Iran of its nuclear fuel.
11:35 pm Thousands of people living on the outskirts of a burning fuel-storage site in Puerto Rico were urged to relocate Saturday to avoid toxic smoke still billowing from the fire. The cause of the explosion is still under investigation. Fifteen of 40 fuel tanks caught fire, and five were still burning Saturday afternoon, The cause of the explosion is still under investigation. Fifteen of 40 fuel tanks caught fire, and five were still burning Saturday afternoon, Gov. Luis Fortuno said
11:10pm Daylight savings time ends in Lebanon at midnight Saturday
11;00pm The Pakistani army dealt a psychological blow to the Taliban yesterday after taking the home village of the insurgent leader Hakimullah Mehsud.
10:00 pm Carl Icahn says late Friday he is resigning from the board of directors at Yahoo Inc. because he is no longer needed at the Internet company.
9: 00pm Reuters : Abdullah Abdullah, Afghan President Hamid Karzai's rival in next month's run-off election, said he would not join Karzai's government if the incumbent won
8:30 pm President Barack Obama called small businesses the “engine” of the US economy and said too many are still struggling to get the credit they need to operate.
8:20 pm Two Egyptian passenger trains collided on Saturday south of Cairo, and ambulance sources said there had been fatalities. They said rescue workers had pulled at least one body from the wreckage and believed more bodies were likely inside the train. At least 22 people were injured, they said.
8:15 pm Minister Khalifa: The IC school closed its doors because it follows a US standard but this should be of no concern for those who follow the instructions we provided
8:;09pm : Aoun told OTV : No agreement with Hariri over the ministry of Communications or any other and whoever is speculating otherwise is not helping . Every solution has a price
8:10 : MP Adwan told New TV : Aoun won’t get the ministry of Communications
8:04pm LBC: Outcome of Aoun-Hariri meeting was unproductive.
8:02pm MTV: Aoun and Hariri confirmed the continuation of discussions along with their allies and will maintain media secrecy regarding cabinet formation details.
8:00 pm Reuters : US President Barack Obama has declared 2009 H1N1 swine flu a national emergency, the White House said on Saturday.
8:00 MP Ammar Mousawi told al Manar: Hezbollah does not put any pressure on Aoun , he is acting based on his convictions and his standing within the Christian community
7:30 pm A team of UN inspectors is heading to Iran to visit a recently revealed nuclear site. International Atomic Energy Agency experts will examine an unfinished uranium enrichment facility near the holy city of Qom
7:00pm VOA Taliban insurgents are threatening to target Afghans who vote in the country's November 7 presidential runoff. Afghan election officials are working to improve security while minimizing fraud.
6;30 After a week of fighting Taliban and Qaeda militants in the mountains of South Waziristan, the Pakistani Army said Saturday that it had captured a Taliban stronghold
6:20 MP MP Chamoun during the 19 th anniversary of the murder of his brother; Does it make any sense for a Lebanese politician to provide cover for regional projects ? Is it acceptable for us to bow to the illegal weapons? This is in reference to Hezbollah arms
6:05pm The meeting between PM-designate Saad Hariri and FPM leader MP Michel Aoun in Rabieh has ended. No statements were given to the media except for Hariri describing the atmosphere as "positive".
5:50 Lebanon earns Guinness World Record for the largest bowel of hummus ever. The bowl weighed 2056 kg or 4533 lbs "Lebanon is trying to win a battle against Israel by registering this new Guinness World Record and telling the whole world that hummus is a Lebanese product, its part of our traditions," said Fady Jreissati, vice president of operations at International Fairs and Promotions group, the event's organizer.
5:00pm A meeting is underway between PM-designate Saad Hariri and FPM leader MP Michel Aoun.
4:00pm PSP leader MP Walid Jumblatt called for returning to Taef Accord essentials such as the truce agreement with Israel but without any normalization or compromise with the Jewish state. He also called for endorsing special relations with Syria.
1:20 pm Palestinian authority president Mahmoud Abbas said on Saturday that he was determined to proceed with the polls as decreed , and insisted that he would not close the door on efforts brokered by Egypt to patch up deep divisions between Hamas and Fatah.Even if we don't succeed now, we will try again because reconciliation is in the interest of the Palestinian people," Abbas said
11:50 Al-Hayat newspaper: French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner - who was expected to visit Syria, Israel and the Palestinian territories following his trip to Lebanon - canceled his visit to Damascus after it detained Haitham al-Maleh, a Syrian national who is a human rights activist
10:40 Fares Soueid told LBC: It is now clear that the fragile balance is between Hezbollah’s arms from one side and state legitimacy on the other.
10:07 Aoun says he will meet Hariri soon, voices readiness to “sacrifice” one ministry
9:35 MP Boutros Harb told VOL: The Lebanese regime will die if the situation continues this way.
08:30 Hariri-Aoun meeting expected to be held on Saturday
08:28 Today marks the 19 anniversary of the murder of Dany Chamoun
08:26 Sources: The term "regional stability" was the title of all of the advices given to the Lebanese recently
08:22 European diplomat: Kouchner told Aoun about the need to show flexibility that is appropriate to the regional and international situation
08:11 The daylight saving time will start at midnight tonight
08:09 "Al Liwa : Seleiman received an advice from the Syrians to form the government quickly
08:01, political sources: either no government or government within the coming days
07:58 "Al Balad ": None of the "Change and Reform" MPs visited the central residence of Hariri Friday
07:49 Al Hayat : the International Tribunal had begun to affect Syria's relationship with Hezbollah and the distancing between them following the publishing of the Der Spiegel report
07:34 French source: Kouchner told by Suleiman and Hariri that they expect a overcome their differences with Aoun
07:26 Al Hayat sources in the opposition and in the majority expect the government to see the light within days
7:20 Minister Najjar complained Kouchner about Basil ‘s lack of response of to the request of the communications layout
06:50 al Akhbar : Moussaoui and Kouchner discussed the government file : Hezbollah does not put pressure its allies
06:40 al Akhbar : Hariri expressed dismay at the way in which Geagea expressed his stance that provoked Aoun
06:13 Nader Hariri visited Rabiyah Friday and an agreement to hold a new round of consultations
Friday
11:20pm On the 26 th anniversary of the attack against the US Marines in Lebanon , president Obama said his administration looks forward to working with the new Lebanese government for the sake of security and prosperity of the Lebanese people and the region
9 :27pm PLO representative Zaki held a press conference in which he stressed the right of of the Palestinians to their homeland . He also said settlement of the Palestinians in Lebanon is impossible because of its special situation and its demographic makeup
9:14pm Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas issued a decree setting the date of legislative elections to on January 24, 2010
8:44 pm US says it can wait a few days for Iran’s reply on nuclear deal
8:33pm Hariri met with former PM Mikati to discuss current developments
