The Tripartite Agreement - 1985 - Lebanon

قدر العظماء أن يمضوا شهداء
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

‏«الطائف» و«الاتفاق الثلاثي»‏


لا يمكن الحديث عن تهميش الدور المسيحي في لبنان دون ذكر اتفاق الطائف الذي شلح المسيحيين ‏الدور والموقع والصلاحيات الى دون مستوى الشراكة الحقيقية.‏ وبعد أكثر من سنة ونصف على قيام حكومة السنيورة تتصاعد الشكوى من استمرار التهميش ‏الذي أكدت عليه خطب البطريرك والذي قبل به جعجع منذ اليوم الأول حجماً تمثيلياً هو 24/1 ‏وبحقيبة هامشية كوزارة السياحةويستذكر قادة مسيحيون أن مضمون الشراكة المسيحية في النظام الطائفي رسمته معادلات ‏الاتفاق الثلاثي مقارنة بواقع الطائف، والذي في كل الاحوال حتى ولو احسن تطبيقه حرفياً لا ‏يعطي التمثيل المسيحي في السلطة حجماً حقيقياً وموقعاً في الحياة الداخلية وصلاحيات دستورية ‏في عمل النظام بمقدار ما كان سيؤمنه الاتفاق الثلاثي الذي كرس بالتفصيل صيغة «المثالثة» ‏في المواقع وفي الشراكة، وتعامل مع المواقع المسيحية في السلطة على قدم المساواة في الاحجام ‏والصلاحيات مع المواقع السنية والشيعية، وكان ذلك نتيجة مفاوضات صعبة وشاقة قادها ‏ايلي حبيقة بحرص شديد رافضاً أي تصرف «الحاقي» في اي مواقع طائفية اخرى تمثل المسيحيين وأي ‏تغاضى في حجم العلاقات والدور في تركيبة السلطة التي أقرها الاتفاق الثلاثي. كما يقول أحد ‏المسيحيين الحقوقيين المهتمين في اجراء مقارنات في الصلاحية بين ما تبقى لرئاسة الجمهورية في ‏نصوص الطائف او بين الموقع الرئيسي المتساوي مع الموقعين الشيعي والسني في الصيغة التي توصل ‏لها الاتفاق الثلاثي والتي وضعت في هيئة مجلس رئاسي، وبالتالي فان انقلاب جعجع على الاتفاق ‏الثلاثي ادخل المسيحيين في حالة من الاستنزاف عبرت عنها الحرب التي شنت ضد العماد عون ‏واضطرته الى مغادرة البلاد. وكانت الثمرة اتفاق الطائف، ولو جاز للمسيحيين ان يعينوا ‏المسؤول عن خفض سقف الدور المسيحي في النظام اللبناني الى ما دون التسوية التي ابرمها ‏حبيقة في الاتفاق الثلاثي، فان جعجع بنظرهم هو المسؤول مرتين، المرة الأولى عندما انقلب على ‏الاتفاق الثلاثي والمرة الثانية لانه أعطى الفرصة لحرب داخل المناطق المسيحية ووافق على ‏السقف الادنى الذي قلص صلاحيات رئيس الجمهورية لصالح حلفائه في الطائفة السنية، بينما بقي ‏حبيقة على قناعاته وثوابته واسس حزب «الوعد» رافضاً مصادرة اسم القوات اللبنانية ‏احتراماً ووفاء لدور بشير الجميل مؤسس القوات اللبنانية معتبراً أن عائلة بشير وابنه هما ‏الاحق بالتسمية، كما رفض مصادرة اسم حزب الكتائب احتراماً ووفاء لدور بيار الجميل ونجله ‏امين وعندما حاول كشف خيوط مجزرة صبرا وشاتيلا التي لاحقته «كالظل» سقط شهيداً «مظلوماً».‏والآن في ظل ما تشهده البلاد يحاول المسيحيون ان يتذكروا تلك الحقبة والمرحلة التي ظلمها ‏البعض في حينه، وجاءت النتائج والانجازات بعد 23 سنة دون المستوى بكثير.. فهل يتعظ ‏البعض.

*********************************************************

The International Criminal Court's Obligations Today.

The Bible tells us to love our neighbors, and also to love our enemies; probably because generally they are the same people.




--Julius

1) United States must negotiate peace with the countries in the Middle East, especially Iran and Syria. Not only would this give the United States leverage to convince these groups to put a halt to covert funding of groups behind suicide bombings. But it sometimes seems as if these groups are funded solely because they attack Israel, ally of the United States. Regarding many of the groups behind the suicide bombings, Arafat really has little or no control over those organizations, and yet the suicide bombings must stop if peace is to be achieved. What follows is a brief overview of the main groups :

a. Hamas or Islamic Resistance Movement (Harakat al-Muqawamah al-Islamiyya), a wing of the Muslim Brotherhood (an Islamist group founded in Egypt as a response to Nasser's secular pan-Arabism), has the stated goal of the destruction of Israel and the creation of an Islamic state. Hamas does not accept Arafat's leadership, in part because he is a secular leader, and in part due to a schism relating to the peace process. Hamas is the second most powerful Palestinian group, after Arafat's Fatah party, and it is possible that the leadership of Palestine could fall to a member of this group if a chain of succession is not set up within Fatah.
b. Hizbollah (Party of God), this shi'ite Resistance group operating from Lebanon, was originally funded by Iran, with logistical help from Syria. Hizbollah was originally created in response to the Lebanese civil war, and still received a great deal of funding and leadership from Iran. They also desire a change from feudal sectarian system, to a stable Republic .
c. Islamic Jihad (al-Jihad) has the stated goal of the overthrow Israel as well as secular Arab governments. Islamic Jihad receives support and support from Iran as well as other Arab countries.
d. Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade is an unofficial wing of Arafat's Fatah group, and was created after the last Intifada in response to the success of Hamas and Hezbollah. What is so unusual about this group is that they are secular when compared to the other groups, with their goal being a Palestinian, but not an Islamic, state. The secularism of this group, as well as they fact that they are the only group with female bombers, brings a new dimension to the suicide bombings, and says something about the situation; the movement is not only religious but is in some quarters wholly political.
Yasser Arafat has little or no control of the majority of these groups, and so Sharon's constant demands that Arafat to put a halt to the bombings will accomplish nothing, because Arafat does not, and can not control most of these groups, and in most cases the peace agenda is contradictory to the goals of the military wings of these groups. The only way to put a halt to these radical groups is to cut off their international funding and support, and the only way to accomplish that is to make peace with the countries that sponsor those groups. (This is all in addition to the fact that the United States needs to pull its head out of the international political sand and realize that we cannot have things our way, with brutal murders and assassinations of everyone who does not accept our Dictates all the time. We are a super power not a recalcitrant two year old.)

2) Jerusalem should be under the control of the United Nations, for several years until it is able to take control, as an independent city, somewhat akin to Vatican City. There will never be peace in the Middle East until the issue of Jerusalem is resolved. United Nations control of an independent Jerusalem would be required for several years to keep the peace. During this time, illegal Jewish building projects in Arab areas must be halted, and control given back to Palestinians in the Arab portions of the city. After such a time as it would take for tempers to cool and saner heads prevail, a council, similar to what has been used before, would rule the city, populated by members of all three faiths, perhaps 40% Muslim, 40% Jewish and 10% Christian. Although it would be more democratic to the set the control along population percentages, such a solution that might allow either the Jews or the Muslims control would simply not work, at least until relations have dramatically improved between those groups, because much like the situation regarding the Church of the Holy Sepulcher and the various Christian sects, one group can not be trusted to treat the others fairly.

3) Israeli withdrawal to United Nations sanctioned borders. The United Nations Security Council Resolution 242:

Affirms that the fulfillment of Charter principles requires the establishment of a just and lasting peace in the Middle East which should include the application of both the following principles:

Withdrawal of Israeli armed forces from territories occupied in the recent conflict;

Termination of all claims or states of belligerency and respect for and acknowledgment of the sovereignty, territorial integrity and political independence of every State in the area and their right to live in peace within secure and recognized boundaries free from threats or acts of force;
This would require a withdrawal from the West Bank, Golan Heights and Gaza. Jerusalem, as previous mentioned, would be under international control. There is also a probable need for international troops to remain along these borders until tensions have cooled to a significant degree.

4) Major modification of the Right of Return versus the Law of Return. The Law of Return grants every Jew the right to go to Israel as an oleh (Jewish immigrant), and the Israel Nationality Law automatically confers Israeli nationality on every oleh upon entering the country unless he specifies otherwise. The law even provides that a Jew who expresses his desire to settle in Israel may be granted nationality by virtue of the Law of Return even before he physically immigrates. From the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs website: (http://www.mfa.gov.il/mfa/go.asp?MFAH00kp0). Contrasted with this, Palestinians who fled areas of fighting, or had the lands taken by force by the Israeli government, are forbidden to return to their lands and have yet to receive compensation for the loss of their lands. In addition, many Arabs who remain in Israel fear that if they leave they will also be unable to return, and may also suffer the loss of their homes and lands. The Right of Return, or at the very least compensation, must be given those Palestinians who fled or were forced from their homes.

5) Major modification of water rights. One Israeli kibbutz uses as much water as forty average sized Palestinian villages. Palestinians collect rain for their drinking water, while Israelis have swimming pools and green lawns. (http://www.loe.org/series/troubled.htm) Such an unequal allocation of water resources is untenable. No country can grow without fresh water resources, and access to clean water is a basic human requirement. It is impossible to achieve a modern state without education, it is impossible to achieve education without health, and it is impossible to achieve health without clean drinking water. This basic right, to clean water, stands in the way of peace and prosperity in the Middle East. I believe that the Palestinian population will remain in poverty, ill health, and susceptible to the messages of radical groups until the issue of water rights and access is resolved.

6) Arafat and Sharon should both be brought before a war crimes tribunal for their actions starting with Lebanon and moving forward to the current Intifada. Allowing these two to escape retribution only furthers hostility, and sends a message to the international community that the ends do justify the means.


"We have just enough religion to make us hate, but not enough to make us love on another."

--Jonathan Swift
To be honest, I am not sure that even those drastic measures would work, and I am pretty sure that the United States has little interest in either making peace with any members of the “Axis of Evil” or in partaking in an international presence along an Israeli-Palestinian border, and I fear that without United States and international involvement and intervention, any peace process will be doomed to failure from the start.

I was listening to the news over the weekend, and they were interviewing some of the business owners in Ramallah who are finally able to return to their stores after the curfew and siege were lifted, only to discover that everything was looted or destroyed, ostensibly by the Israeli soldiers. One gentleman, the owner of a cyber café and computer store, said that there was not a single piece of equipment left whole, that everything he owned had been destroyed, and he was now completely bankrupt. What I found most disturbing about the interview was that the gentleman, quite obviously educated and savvy, said that he now clearly understood what motivated the suicide bombers.

Looking at Ramallah and Jaffa and other such areas of contention, it is clear that Israel, instead of solving problems, is only creating more hatred and fueling the radicals, a situation that is counter to every peace goal they claim they are attempting to make. Changes must be made, both by the Israel and Palestinian governments and in the attitudes of the Israeli and Palestinian people is the situation is to be resolved.


"Those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it."

--George Santayana

History Will Teach Us Nothing

--Sting

I think that what disturbs me most about the constant warfare and violence, is that not only are two groups that coexisted peacefully for centuries now bitter enemies, but that it seems that the Israelis, the very people who had struggled for so many years to overcome racism and hatred and segregation, are now using these tools of hatred to subjugate another population, just as they were subjugated throughout Europe and much of the world.

And now, for something completely different….

Regarding the angel guarding the Garden of Eden:


"And the Lord said unto the angel, 'Where is the flaming sword that I gave unto thee?' And the angel answered, saying, 'I had it here a minute ago, can't think what's become of it, be forgetting my own head next'. And the Lord did not ask him again."

--Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman in Good Omens .

Pictures of MP and Minister Mr. Elie Hobeika / 1956--2002

Recent Quote from an Ex- CIA ANALYST??.
****************************************************
http://cryptome.org/cia-reston.htm

Recent Quote from an Ex- CIA ANALYST.
********************************************************

The issues of Syria and Palestine are related to U.S. policy toward Iran. Policy on Syria today is to put constant pressure on that country's ruler, Bashar al-Assad, with the ultimate objective of ousting and replacing him with someone (not yet named by the Americans) who would be even more subservient to U.S. and Israeli desires. Assad himself has moved a considerable way toward subservience, giving the U.S. considerable help on intelligence matters and accepting certain U.S. prisoners "rendered" to his regime for purposes of torture, but the U.S., unsatisfied, keeps intensifying the pressure. The U.S. and Israel have succeeded in making it more difficult for Syria to provide support for the Palestinian resistance against Israel's occupation, but Damascus still provides refuge and military Materiel for Hezbollah militants and Iranian IRG personnel, whose specialties include manufacturing and training in "shaped" charges ,found in Lebanon and Iraq, and safe heaven for the notorious Imad Moughnieh...

The recent assassinations of anti-Syrian leaders in Lebanon have provided new opportunities for the Bush administration to ratchet up its criticism of Syria still further, although the evidence of Syrian involvement in the assassinations is weak.... but it is definitly there.
It is at least possible that other groups, such as Israel's Mossad or CIA, are responsible for a joint "Manipulation" of the Syrian/Lebanese Intelligence apparatus, in a scenario a la "April Glaspie".... in Iraq Circa 1990.The Interview of Abdel Halim Khaddam gives a clue in that sense, and brings in focus the visits of Martin Indyk and Flynt L. Leverett to Damascus, and other related issues which will be highlighted in due course.

This Group comprises a List of Lebanese and Syrian Suspects in the Assassinations in Lebanon, since January 24th-2002.
Names of 20 Lebanese and Syrian nationals, regarded as suspects by the UN commission investigating former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri's assassination.

The following is a list of Lebanese suspects : - Major General Ali Hajj- Major General Jamil Sayyed- Brigadier General Mustafa Hamdan - Brigadier General Raymond Azar- Ahmed Abdel Al- Mahmoud Abel Al- Raed Fakhreddine- Former legislator Nasser Kandil- Faysal al-Rasheed, a state security officer- Colonel Ghassan Tufeili, former head of the Lebanese monitoring services of military intelligence- Majed Hamdan, brother of Brigadier General Hamdan.

The following is a list of Syrian suspects :- Major General Assef Shawkat, Syria's intelligence chief- Major General Bahjat Suleiman, former head of the internal security- Major General Hassan Khalil, former head of military intelligence- Brigadier General Rustom Ghazaleh, Syria's former intelligence chief in Lebanon- Jameh Jameh, Ghazaleh's assistant- Sameeh Qashaami, an officer- Abdel Karim Abbas, an officer- Nazem al-Youssef, an officer- Mohammed Zuheir Siddiq, a "manipulated" witness-turned-clown, media-monkey courtesy of Tahseen Khayyat and his Intelligence handlers.... and NEWTVSAT, now protected by DGSE in Paris as usual....




MP Elie Hobeika's Legacy is his work towards :
eliminating Sectarianism and Confessionalism from the Lebanese Power Structure, in order to build a Modern Society in Lebanon, keen on Social Justice and Good Governance. He favored de-confessionalizing the Lebanese Government
and ALL Political life, provided all
participants in the democratic process commit themselves to constitutional separation of religion & state.
He said :Democracy presupposes civic equality; i.e., the equality of all citizens in
the eyes of the law.

His main goal can be summarised as such:

The preferred government must possess the capacity of representing different Lebanese factions and enjoy unwavering moral values and a modern administrative effectiveness. Only such a government is capable of taking the steps needed to rebuild the Lebanese political system and regain the balance in the republic.
Most wars and conflicts in the world are religiously motivated.
Religion is the root of all hate among ethnics, countries, and cultures.
Greedy predator warmongers use this by spreading religious
and ethnic hate to divide a foreign nation by forcing it into
a civil war. And later they come as "saviours" to rob the natural
resources of the country.

To stop and prevent conflicts in the world the negative impact and
role of religion over the people and the state must be eliminated.
There must be an 'enlightment' of the people, the people must
become 'freethinkers', free of any doctrins, or religious dictates.

Religion must not be used in state and politics.
The state must be neutral on matters of belief.
Religion must be abolished from all state organizations.
The state must not give any state privileges or subsidies to religions.
Religion must be a private belief, not a state doctrin.

Politicians who use religion as a tool to manipulate the masses
shall be brought to court and sentenced to jail, and never again
be allowed to work in any state organization.

SECULARISM in state is the KEY for democracy, freedom,
progress, justice and peace at home and in the world.

Secular state

A secular state is a state or country that officially is neutral in matters
of religion, neither supporting nor opposing any particular religious beliefs
or practices, and has no state religion or equivalent. A secular state also
does not give unfair preferential treatment for a religion over other religions.

A secular state is not an atheistic state, in which the state officially opposes
all religious beliefs and practices. Theoretically, a secular state protects
freedom of religion and freedom from religion, as pursued in state secularism.
It is also described to be a state that prevents religion from interfering with
state affairs, and prevents religion from controlling government or exercising
political power. Laws protect each individual including religious minorities
from discrimination on the basis of religion.



Aphorismes
Liban SA .
Par P.K. [SIC ]


À Beyrouth, non loin de l’ancienne Quarantaine, on peut voir, surplombant le port, l’imposante statue d’un paysan en habit traditionnel regardant droit devant et marchant résolument vers l’avenir. Les Libanais qui s’y seront arrêtés en auront sûrement conclu qu’elle avait été érigée à la gloire de ces intrépides villageois qui, fuyant jadis la guerre et la famine, bravèrent l’inconnu et, partis de rien, refirent leur vie outre-mer sans pour autant oublier leur pays natal. Mais ils n’y sont pas du tout ! Si on a pris la peine de dresser un tel monument à proximité de la mer, ce n’est point pour perpétuer le souvenir de l’émigré, mais pour montrer la porte de sortie à ceux qui sont restés. Car voyez-vous, on n’a plus besoin d’eux, ici. Ces naïfs se croient sans doute chez eux ? Eh bien, qu’ils se détrompent ! Il y a belle lurette que le Liban a cessé d’être leur patrie. Au Pacte national chancelant a succédé un véritable pacte d’actionnaires et la République libanaise s’est effacée devant Liban SA, filiale à cent pour cent de World Inc. Alors, si les Libanais pensent sérieusement que leur carte d’identité leur donne le droit de vivre au Liban et d’y préparer l’avenir de leurs enfants, ils se trompent lourdement. Leur carte d’identité ne vaut plus rien. On l’a remplacée par la carte de crédit, tout comme on a substitué le relevé de compte à la fiche d’état civil, l’acte de propriété à l’arbre généalogique et le cadastre aux cartes topologiques. Même le sens des mots a changé. À présent, au Liban, lorsqu’on dit capitale, on entend centre-ville commercial ; lorsqu’on dit maison ancestrale, on entend bien immobilier ; lorsqu’on dit forêt, verger, orangeraie ou oliveraie, on entend terrain constructible ; lorsqu’on dit citoyen, on entend actionnaire ; lorsqu’on dit patriote, on entend propriétaire ; lorsqu’on dit fonctionnaire, on entend homme à tout faire ; lorsqu’on dit armée, on entend service privé de sécurité ; lorsqu’on dit valeurs, on entend richesses ; lorsqu’on dit démocratie, on entend ploutocratie ; lorsqu’on dit liberté, on entend libre marché et lorsqu’on dit souveraineté, on entend solvabilité. Afin que les choses soient claires, on a d’ailleurs aboli le verbe être du dictionnaire, n’y gardant que le seul verbe avoir : verbe roi. Alors, aux très nombreux Libanais qui vivent encore dans ce pays sans rien y posséder je dirai : Sachez que vous n’avez rien à faire ici. Quant à ceux qui y posséderaient encore, qui un petit appartement et qui un lopin de terre, je suis au regret de les informer que cela ne change rien à leur affaire. Car les gros bonnets de Liban SA ne souhaitent pas s’embarrasser d’assemblées générales, de statuts, d’ordres du jour et de débats publics. Ils préfèrent œuvrer loin de toute publicité et les petits porteurs comme eux sont bien trop remuants. Mais, me rétorqueront ces incorrigibles optimistes, notre Conseil d’administration ne vient-il pas d’adopter une série de réformes économiques ? Et à la conférence de Paris III qui s’ouvrira le 25 de ce mois dans la capitale française, World Inc. n’épongera-t-elle pas une partie de l’énorme dette que nos dirigeants ont accumulée durant ces années paix, nous permettant ainsi de repartir du bon pied ? Comment, je vous le demande, peut-on être aussi crédule ? Ne se rendent-ils donc pas compte que ces réformes ne visent qu’à convaincre World Inc. que son investissement est encore dans de bonnes mains ? Quant à Paris III, eh bien, ce n’est, ni plus ni moins qu’une augmentation de capital qui diluera d’autant la valeur des avoirs que les petits actionnaires détiennent encore dans Liban SA. Ces derniers sont donc priés de tout solder et de débarrasser le plancher. Mais je vois qu’ils ne pigent toujours pas. Alors, pour les aider à comprendre, on va leur concocter une invasion militaire par-ci, une privatisation de l’eau par-là, une vague d’attentats terroristes par-ci, un rééchelonnement de dette par-là, une guerre civile par-ci, un nouvel accord politique bancal par-là. Voilà ! J’espère qu’ils comprendront, cette fois ! Qu’ils retournent donc se promener du côté du port et qu’ils regardent bien le beau monument qu’on y a érigé à la gloire du départ. Il leur indique clairement le chemin : c’est par ici, la sortie ! Et qu’ils ne s’imaginent surtout pas qu’ils reviendront un jour au Liban comme Ulysse s’en revint jadis à Ithaque pour y pourfendre les prétendants. Car c’est à un aller simple qu’ils ont droit. Exit, donc ! Exodos, en grec. Et si, sur les routes de l’exode, ils pensent se consoler à l’idée que les comptes que les dirigeants de Liban SA et ceux de World Inc. refusent obstinément de leur rendre aujourd’hui, c’est aux dieux et à l’histoire qu’ils les rendront un jour, qu’ils sachent que ces derniers n’en ont cure. Car ces gens-là ont beau se dire pieux, ils ne craignent nullement le courroux des dieux et ils ont beau jurer de leur probité, le verdict de l’histoire, ils n’en ont que faire.