Welcome to Voice of Van's RSS feeds/httpdocsrss.xmlhttp://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rssThu, 15 May 2008 09:19:17 +0300Thu, 15 May 2008 09:19:13 +0300FeedForAll v1.0 (1.0.2.0)MP Boutros Harb said on Wednesday that the events over the past few days have shocked the Lebanese, especially after the resistance turned its weapons inward and used them against its compatriots. "I think that Arab efforts will help restore awareness in the minds of the Lebanese," Harb said after meeting with Premier Fouad Siniora.Thu, 15 May 2008 09:18:20 +0300Vice president of the Higher Shiite Council Sheikh Abdel- Amir Qabalan called on the government on Wednesday to revoke the two "black decisions" that had drowned Lebanon in a "pool of blood." "Everyone, including the army, asked the government to back down from the decisions," he added.<br> Thu, 15 May 2008 09:17:46 +0300US President George W. Bush on Wednesday accused Iran of trying to destabilize Lebanon through its support for Hizbullah, as he reaffirmed support for Prime Minister Fouad Siniora."Hizbullah, the so-called protector of the Lebanese against Israel has now turned on its own people," Bush said.Thu, 15 May 2008 09:17:30 +0300Hizbullah's action in Lebanon during fighting with pro-government supporters was a "legitimate defense" to a coup attempt, the official Syrian press said on Wednesday. "The actions of the national resistance [Hizbullah] were a legitimate defence when faced with an attempted coup by the ruling power," the Al-Baath newspaper said.Thu, 15 May 2008 09:17:13 +0300Lebanon's politicial crisis showed early signs of resolution on Wednesday after the Cabinet rescinded two controversial decisions that had prompted deadly street battles in Beirut and other parts of the country last week. With an Arab League delegation having arrived in Beirut earlier in a bid to end the recent conflict between government.Thu, 15 May 2008 09:17:07 +0300While this week's trip by President George W. Bush to Israel, Saudi Arabia and Egypt was never conceived as a triumphant "victory lap" around the region, the swift rout of US-backed forces in Lebanon by Hizbullah has provided yet another vivid illustration of the rapid decline in Washington's influence in the Middle East during his tenure.Wed, 14 May 2008 10:48:15 +0300Former Prime Minister Salim al-Hoss said in a statement on Tuesday it was not acceptable for roadblocks to remain on the streets of Beirut, saying: "When you hand over the streets to the Lebanese Army ... the army shouldn't accept to take over blocked roads." "Civil obedience will backlash on whoever calls for it...Wed, 14 May 2008 10:48:09 +0300Former Prime Minister Omar Karami said on Tuesday that the resignation of the "unconstitutional Cabinet" should be part an agreement on all issues. "Some people say that the resignation of the Cabinet without an elected president will put the country in a political vacuum ...Wed, 14 May 2008 10:48:03 +0300French Charge d'Affaires in Lebanon Andre Parant denied on Wednesday the existence of any draft for a new UN Security Council resolution regarding Lebanon, saying following a meeting with resigned Foreign Minister Fawzi Salloukh that the situation in Lebanon remains the center of the Security Council talks, but no decision has been made yet.Wed, 14 May 2008 10:47:55 +0300Aley MPs Fouad al-Saad, Akram Chehayeb, Antoine Andraous, Faysal al-Sayegh and Henry Helou declared their commitment to peace and stability on Tuesday. The MPs said they hope that "life will go back to normal in Aley and all Lebanese areas which could be a foundation for a new era for the state, its institutions and its legitimacy."Wed, 14 May 2008 10:47:48 +0300Kuwait decided on Tuesday to reduce the number of diplomats in its mission in Beirut but the embassy will remain open, the official KUNA news agency quoted the Kuwaiti ambassador as saying. "Due to the situation in Beirut and the continued blockade of roads and the difficulty of movement ...Wed, 14 May 2008 10:47:41 +0300The situation in Lebanon continued to gradually cool down on Tuesday, the first day of broader Lebanese Army deployments aimed at restoring order in areas plagued by fighting since the eruption of clashes between pro-government and opposition factions last week.The Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) had announced on Monday that.Wed, 14 May 2008 10:47:33 +0300Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora is a financier turned politician facing the toughest challenge of his careeer as the threat of all-out civil war threatens his country in the wake of recent clashes. Described as "tough" and a "good guy" by US President George W. Bush but as a US puppet by his foes.Wed, 14 May 2008 10:47:26 +0300Druze spiritual leader Sheikh Naim Hassan urged the army on Tuesday to impose law and order on all of Lebanon's territory and any prevent armed presence, regardless of the party it belongs to, in order to preserve civil peace. Following an extraordinary meeting of Druze sheikhs, Hassan warned against the reoccurrence of what he described.Wed, 14 May 2008 10:47:17 +0300Parliamentary majority leader Saad Hariri vowed on Tuesday that the Western-backed ruling coalition would not negotiate with Hizbullah "with a gun pointed at our heads." Meanwhile, the commander of the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF), General Michel Suleiman, said the country has witnessed in the past few days a "civil war.Wed, 14 May 2008 10:47:08 +0300The effects of the Lebanese political crisis rippled out across the Middle East on Tuesday, with Saudi Arabia warning Iran that it could face renewed ostracism if it had a hand in the violence that has shaken Beirut and other parts of Lebanon over the past week. "Iran's relations with all ArabWed, 14 May 2008 10:46:54 +0300Israeli police raided the Trade and Industry Ministry on Tuesday and seized documents related to the latest corruption probe against Prime Minister Ehud Olmert. "As part of the ongoing investigation of the prime minister, police officers of the national fraud unit this afternoon searched the offices of the Trade.Wed, 14 May 2008 10:38:48 +0300Select European foreign ministers and US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice held a teleconference meeting on Sunday to discuss the series of armed clashes between pro-government and opposition factions in Lebanon. The clashes began Tuesday in confessionally mixed neighborhoods of Beirut before spreading to other areas of Lebanon.Tue, 13 May 2008 08:54:51 +0300Former Minister Wiam Wahhab said on Monday there was no Sunni-Shiite strife in Lebanon, adding that head of the Democratic Gathering, MP Walid Jumblatt, had driven the Chouf Mountains into a dangerous situation. "Jumblatt must pay for this, and a simple apology is not enough. He has to leave, and we are ready to help him," Wahhab told.Tue, 13 May 2008 08:54:34 +0300Tripoli MP Mosbah Ahdab said on Monday that the March 14 Forces would not succumb to pressures exerted by the opposition. "We didn't expect that a day would come when we would be mourning tens of martyrs fallen by the weapons of Hizbullah. Neither did we expect that we would be fired upon when we are mourning our martyrs," he told.Tue, 13 May 2008 08:54:16 +0300Around 200 people fleeing the violence in Lebanon, including the Saudi ambassador in Beirut, have arrived in the nearby island nation of Cyprus, officials said on Monday. Since Saturday, 18 private yachts or speedboats have docked at Larnaca's marina on the island's south coast, while more people are expected if the conflict worsens.Tue, 13 May 2008 08:53:55 +0300Lebanon's army said on Monday it would use force if necessary to impose law and order in the country and prevent any armed presence of any of the warring factions. "Army units will halt violations ... in accordance with the law, even if that leads to the use of force," a military statement said.Tue, 13 May 2008 08:53:34 +0300Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri on Monday postponed a vote scheduled to take place on Tuesday to elect a new Lebanese president. A statement released by Berri's office said the election session was delayed to June 10. Earlier on Monday, Berri's media adviser, Ali Hamdan, said that a vote to elect a new president was unlikely.Tue, 13 May 2008 08:52:25 +0300Once again, the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) have proved one of Lebanon's most valuable political assets in the past few days. All Lebanese should therefore be concerned at criticisms of the military's role, for these only undermine the one national institution that still enjoys broad public support.Mon, 12 May 2008 10:06:50 +0300Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Butros Sfeir said on Sunday that recent clashes in Lebanon between opposition and pro-government forces served foreign agendas. "We urge all Lebanese groups to sit at at the dialogue table and negotiate peacefully," said Sfeir, who is currently in a visit to South Africa.Mon, 12 May 2008 10:06:43 +0300Embassies and foreign ministries of countries with significant expatriate populations in Lebanon continue to draw up or execute plans to evacuate citizens who have remained in the country since the onset of clashes Tuesday in Beirut. An official with the UAE Embassy told Gulf News on Saturday that everything possible was being done to evacuate Emiratis still in the country.Mon, 12 May 2008 10:06:36 +0300Syrian official daily Al-Baath said on Sunday that Hizbullah had foiled a US-planned coup to seize control of Lebanon during the deadly gun battles which have recently rocked the country. "The Americans launched a pre-emptive strike against opposition nationalist forces, starting with the [Hizbullah] resistance, and attempted.Mon, 12 May 2008 10:06:28 +0300MP Bahia Hariri, sister of slain former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, on Sunday emphasized the need to remember the assassinated premier's plan for Lebanon. "The project of the Rafik Hariri offices was the school of co-existence and civil peace, acceptance of others and love," she said.Mon, 12 May 2008 10:06:21 +0300Resigned Foreign Minister Fawzi Salloukh denounced on Sunday the "unfortunate situation" in Lebanon, which he said was due to the deepening divide between the different Lebanese parties which had pushed the country away from potential peaceful coexistence. Salloukh warned that expanding the crisis or making unilateral decisions.Mon, 12 May 2008 10:06:14 +0300The US Embassy issued a statement Saturday saying it remained open for business. However, it noted a change in consular services. "As of Monday, May 12, 2008, nonimmigrant visa processing has been temporarily suspended except under special circumstances," the statement said.Mon, 12 May 2008 10:06:07 +0300The White House on Saturday welcomed steps to defuse the deadly unrest in Lebanon but argued that any long-term resolution required a change in the role Hizbullah plays there."I think that first of all we want to see an end to the violence against the Lebanese people, I think we're beginning to see some of that," said.Mon, 12 May 2008 10:06:02 +0300Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak on Sunday called the situation in Lebanon "serious" after deadly clashes between pro-government and opposition forces, some of which are backed by Israel's arch-foe, Iran. "Hizbullah's taking of control [in western Beirut] is a serious development," Barak said during the weekly cabinet meeting, public radio reported.Mon, 12 May 2008 10:05:50 +0300The Lebanese Army deployed heavily in the Aley district southeast of Beirut late Sunday following fierce clashes between gunmen loyal to Progressive Socialist Party (PSP) leader MP Walid Jumblatt and fighters from Amal and Hizbullah, leaving eight people dead. The army was eventually successful in ending most of the clashes.Mon, 12 May 2008 10:05:45 +0300Arab foreign ministers holding crisis talks in Cairo on Sunday were divided over a draft resolution that would implicitly condemn Hizbullah for deadly clashes in Lebanon, delegates said. The draft resolution put before the ministers underlined the Arab League's "rejection of the use of armedMon, 12 May 2008 10:02:58 +0300"Everyone is running away," Beirut resident Imad said on Friday as Hizbullah gunmen roamed the streets of the Lebanese capital, in the grip of deadly gunbattles between feuding Sunni and Shiite factions. Opposition Shiite militants have seized control of swathes of west Beirut, including Sunni strongholds and pro-government media outlets.Sat, 10 May 2008 09:11:40 +0300The French Embassy in Lebanon on Friday declared that its government's Foreign Ministry had "not yet proposed" or seriously considered the evacuation of French citizens living in Lebanon. The embassy also warned French citizens to "limit their movements," adding that the government in France is "closely monitoring the situation in the country.Sat, 10 May 2008 09:10:11 +0300Senior Shiite cleric Sayyed Mohammad Hussein Fadlallah said on Friday the current problem in Lebanon is not sectarian but rather political, warning Christian and Muslim religious figures against "falling into the trap of sectarian speeches that instigate strife."Sat, 10 May 2008 09:09:55 +0300Militants allied with the opposition on Friday forced the shutdown of all media operations belonging to the family of majority leader and billionaire tycoon Saad Hariri. The closure - which came as opposition fighters routed Sunni loyalists of the government - concerned one satellite news channel, two regular television stations, a newspaper and a radio station.Sat, 10 May 2008 09:09:42 +0300Lebanon's governing coalition, the March 14 Forces, accused Hizbullah of staging a military coup against the state and said that Hizbullah's arms have become illegitimate after they were used against their fellow Lebanese citizens. "Hizbullah's claim that its arms were only targeted at Israel have proved false and invalid in the past two days.Sat, 10 May 2008 09:09:22 +0300Former Interior Minister and head of the Marada Movement Suleiman Franjieh says Hizbullah tried to avoid the events of Wednesday and Thursday for some time, "and they are the ones who were afraid of movements on the street." "There are daily provocations directed at Hizbullah, which aim at dragging the party into internal conflicts," Franjieh told OTV.Fri, 9 May 2008 08:55:48 +0300The White House on Thursday demanded that Lebanon's Hizbullah "stop their disruptive activities" as fierce gun battles raged in Beirut. "Hizbullah needs to make a choice: Be a terrorist organization or be a political party, but quit trying to be both. They need to stop their disruptive activities now," said US National Security Council spokesman Gordon Johndroe.Fri, 9 May 2008 08:55:24 +0300Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun warned in a televised speech on Thursday that dismantling Hizbullah's communication network would expose the resistance to Israel.Aoun voiced support for comments earlier made by Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah that the political divide had a "political rather than a sectarian dimension to it."Fri, 9 May 2008 08:55:11 +0300Hizbullah secretary general Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said during a press conference Thursday that Lebanon has entered a new phase of its political crisis and warned that a government crackdown on his party was tantamount to a "declaration of war." Nasrallah stressed that Hizbullah was ready to return to dialogue.Fri, 9 May 2008 08:54:48 +0300At least seven people were killed and 15 others wounded as fierce gun battles erupted in Beirut for the second day in a row on Thursday after Hizbullah leader Hassan Nasrallah charged that a Lebanese government crackdown on his group's activities was tantamount to a "declaration of war."Fri, 9 May 2008 08:54:07 +0300Hizbullah's paramilitary infrastructure represents a "threat to regional peace," UN Middle East envoy Terje Roed Larsen warned on Thursday. Roed Larsen told the Security Council that Hizbullah "maintains a massive paramilitary infrastructure separate from the state." He added that this had "an adverse effect" on the Lebanese government's.Fri, 9 May 2008 08:53:59 +0300Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) leader MP Michel Aoun said Wednesday that Syria had dominated Lebanon as a United States proxy. "But when the Syrians withdrew from Lebanon [in 2005] the US direct hegemony was put into effect and it is a much bigger burden on us," Aoun told Qatari daily Al-Rai.Thu, 8 May 2008 09:06:28 +0300The UN probe committee investigating the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri has detained a man in Beirut's Wata al-Mosseitbeh neighborhood on suspicion of involvement in the killing of former Lebanese Communist Party cheif George Hawi, a report published by As-Safir newspaper said Tuesday.Thu, 8 May 2008 09:06:09 +0300Al-Qaeda's second-in-command, Ayman al-Zawahri, declared in an audiotape released on April 21 that Lebanon would be a pivotal battleground in the war against "the crusaders and the Jews," including UN peacekeepers stationed in the South. "There have been three attacks on UN troops in the South since the [expanded] deployment in 2006," says Andrea Tenenti.Thu, 8 May 2008 09:05:42 +0300French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner reiterated on Wednesday that Mohammad Zuhair Siddiq, a key witness in the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, is "not under our surveillance and is no longer under the jurisdiction of the authorities in France." Kouchner said.Thu, 8 May 2008 09:04:59 +0300Kuwaiti Emir Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah confirmed his country's support for Lebanon on Tuesday after meeting with Prime Minister Fouad Siniora in Kuwait. Siniora thanked the Kuwaiti leader for his efforts in the "Friends of Lebanon" meeting last month, which was hosted by the Gulf country.Thu, 8 May 2008 09:04:43 +0300Egyptian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Houssam Zaki said on Tuesday that Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmad Abu al-Gheit and former Lebanese Prime Minister Salim Hoss met in Cairo to discuss recent developments on the Lebanese political scene.Thu, 8 May 2008 09:04:28 +0300The usually bustling streets of Beirut were almost deserted but tense on Wednesday as tire-burning protesters blocked roads for a general strike in which economic and political woes collided. Soldiers, many dressed in riot gear, were deployed in force throughout the Lebanese capital where protesters burned tires.Thu, 8 May 2008 09:03:47 +0300At least 10 people, including two soldiers, were injured on Wednesday after a General Labor Confederation (GLC) strike which was meant to protest the government's economic policies turned violent, leading to the blocking of roads and armed clashes in several parts of Beirut.Thu, 8 May 2008 09:03:16 +0300The vice president of the Higher Shiite Council, Sheikh Abdel Amir Qabalan, on Monday denounced the accusations politicians were throwing at each other, referring to the latest polemic concerning surveillance cameras erected by Hizbullah to monitor Beirut's Rafik Hariri International Airport.Wed, 7 May 2008 09:41:32 +0300Members of Hizbullah have been training Iraqi militia members at a camp near Tehran, The New York Times reported Monday. "The training, the Americans say, is carried out at several camps near Tehran that are overseen by the Quds Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Command, and the instruction is carried out by militants from Hizbullah.Wed, 7 May 2008 09:41:24 +0300US Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs David Welch said on Monday that Syria represented a threat to Lebanon. "We are trying, with our European and Arab partners, to put pressure on Syria to stop its interference in Lebanon," Welch told Saudi-owned Al-Sharqa-Awsat daily.Wed, 7 May 2008 09:41:18 +0300US Charge d'Affaires Michele J. Sison visited northern Lebanon on Monday and met with the Common Border Forces. The United States had provided $7 million for secure communications for the Common Border Forces and is part of a coordinated donor effort supporting Lebanon.Wed, 7 May 2008 09:41:10 +0300Former Minister Wiam Wahhab slammed Saudi Arabia on Monday, accusing it of issuing "orders of operation," to its allies in Lebanon. "The orders given by Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal are influencing the ground after they influenced politics especially following the sudden attacks launched by MPs Walid Jumblatt and Saad Hariri.Wed, 7 May 2008 09:41:02 +0300Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Butros Sfeir said on Monday that Qatar could play a positive role in bridging the gap between feuding Lebanese political groups. Sfeir met on Monday with Qatari Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani and the two discussed means by which the almost 16-month-old political deadlock can be solved.Wed, 7 May 2008 09:40:48 +0300The "Butros Draft Electoral Law" was adopted during a Monday news conference by pro-government March 14 MP Ghassan Tueni and opposition Reform and Change MP Ghassan Mokheiber as a formal electoral law proposition for the 2009 parliamentary elections, which are tentatively scheduled for the months May and June of next year.Wed, 7 May 2008 09:40:37 +0300Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) leader MP Michel Aoun called on his supporters to take part in demonstrations on Wednesday in a bid to increase pressure on the government of Prime Minister Fouad Siniora to resign. The General Labor Confederation (GLC) is staging a general strike on Wednesday to protest government policies.Wed, 7 May 2008 09:40:26 +0300The vice president of the Higher Shiite Council, Sheikh Abdel Amir Qabalan, on Monday denounced the accusations politicians were throwing at each other, referring to the latest polemic concerning surveillance cameras erected by Hizbullah to monitor Beirut's Rafik Hariri International Airport.Tue, 6 May 2008 08:55:47 +0300US Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs David Welch said on Monday that Syria represented a threat to Lebanon. "We are trying, with our European and Arab partners, to put pressure on Syria to stop its interference in Lebanon," Welch told Saudi-owned Al-Sharqa-Awsat daily.Tue, 6 May 2008 08:55:20 +0300Former Minister Wiam Wahhab slammed Saudi Arabia on Monday, accusing it of issuing "orders of operation," to its allies in Lebanon. "The orders given by Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal are influencing the ground after they influenced politics especially following the sudden attacks launched by MPs Walid Jumblatt and Saad Hariri.Tue, 6 May 2008 08:55:08 +0300Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Butros Sfeir said on Monday that Qatar could play a positive role in bridging the gap between feuding Lebanese political groups. Sfeir met on Monday with Qatari Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani and the two discussed means by which the almost 16-month-old political deadlock can be solved.Tue, 6 May 2008 08:54:41 +0300The "Butros Draft Electoral Law" was adopted during a Monday news conference by pro-government March 14 MP Ghassan Tueni and opposition Reform and Change MP Ghassan Mokheiber as a formal electoral law proposition for the 2009 parliamentary elections, which are tentatively scheduled for the months May and June of next year.Tue, 6 May 2008 08:54:24 +0300Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) leader MP Michel Aoun called on his supporters to take part in demonstrations on Wednesday in a bid to increase pressure on the government of Prime Minister Fouad Siniora to resign. The General Labor Confederation (GLC) is staging a general strike on Wednesday to protest government policies.Tue, 6 May 2008 08:53:53 +0300Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak warned on Saturday that Hizbullah has "thousands of missiles" that can reach as far as the Jewish state's illegal nuclear site at the southern town of Dimona. "We have taken several lessons from the latest war and we are ready now more than ever to face the enemy on different fronts," Barak told Israeli daily Yediot Ahronot.Mon, 5 May 2008 09:41:35 +0300Recently, Al-Qaeda number two Ayman al-Zawahri released yet another long message urging Muslims worldwide to join insurgencies, mainly in Iraq, where he claimed the "jihad" against the Iraqi government and the US-led coalition forces was bearing fruit. Zawahri also turned his anger on Hamas for its reported willingness to accept a peace deal with Israel.Mon, 5 May 2008 09:41:28 +0300