June Wednesday 07-2000:

Introduction

Hizbullah's Secretary General H.E. Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah received former prime minister Rashid Al-Soloh and another Lebanese dignitaries who came to offer congratulations on Hizbullah's victory against the "Israeli" occupation forces.

However, Hizbullah considered that the sentences handed down to the "Israeli" allied militiamen were too light and could upset security in South Lebanon.

In the meantime, the Lebanese leaders canceled a farewell meeting with UN Middle East envoy Terje Roed-Larsen on Tuesday amid apparent dissatisfaction with the so-called "withdrawal line" defined by him to verify that "Israel's" retreat complied with UN Resolution 425.

More congratulating delegations at Hizbullah's Secretariat…(1)

Hizbullah Secretary General his Eminence Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah received former prime minister Rasheed al-Soloh who came to offer congratulations on Hizbullah's victory against the "Israeli" occupation forces and the liberation of South Lebanon at the hands of the Islamic Resistance men.

I told Sayyed Nasrallah, "You have raised our heads high, and we, thanks to Allah, are proud of this victory, al-Soloh said after the meeting.

His Eminence also hosted a delegation from the al-Erfan al-Tawheedia Foundation headed by Sheikh Ali Zeineddeen who, in turn, congratulated Hizbullah on the victory.

Sayyed Nasrallah then played host to former Speaker Hussein al-Husseini who underlined that the secretary general's speech in Bint Jbeil was "a national address that aims to maintain the national unity".

The Hizbullah secretary-general, furthermore, received delegations from the towns of al-Qlaia and Burjulmuluk.

We came to congratulate (Hizbullah) on the victory, to say Mabruk to the Resistance on the victory it has achieved, said Father Fadi Salameh on behalf of the delegations.

The meeting was good; we used to know his Eminence through the television, now we know him personally, he added.

We felt (during the meeting) that we are really the sons of one homeland and the sons of a one town, he concluded.

Lebanon shows dissatisfaction with so-called "withdrawal line"…(2)
"Lebanese leaders canceled a farewell meeting with Terje Roed-Larsen’s on Tuesday amid apparent dissatisfaction with the so-called “withdrawal line” that the UN Middle East envoy has defined to verify that "Israel's" pullout complied with Security Council Resolution 425.
Larsen had told a news conference that he would head back to Baabda in the evening after an earlier session in which he, President Emile Lahoud and Premier Salim Hoss discussed the frontier that UN cartographers have defined based on some 80 maps in the possession of the UN.
But a government source said the Presidential Palace “saw no point” in holding a second meeting after Larsen held a news conference in which he “made statements that didn’t reflect what was discussed at Baabda earlier.”
Larsen said that the government was handed maps defining the line to government officials three days ago, implying that Beirut had known about his final decision before his trip to "Israel" over the weekend.
The source insisted that this was not the case, and that Beirut had yet to receive this map.
During Tuesday’s meeting, the country’s leaders also told Larsen that they rejected references to a “withdrawal line” and wanted compliance with the internationally recognized border. He nonetheless made repeated references to the controversial phrase in his news conference.
The source insisted, however, that despite the disagreement, there would be “no confrontation” with the UN and that an official stand on the boundary defined by Larsen’s team would be made public as soon as the maps are received and examined.
In New York, UN spokesman Fred Eckhard said that a ruling on whether "Israel's" 22-year occupation can be considered over could come as early as Thursday. He said that four companies of UN troops were “ready to undertake verification activities as early as” Thursday along a line marked out by UN cartographers on the "Israeli"-Lebanese border.
“If all goes well, that verification exercise is expected to last no longer than 24 hours,” Eckhard said, and “under a best-case scenario, a confirmation of "Israel's" withdrawal could be determined by Thursday.”
UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan would then report to the president of the Security Council to inform him that "Israel" had complied with 425, he added.
Addressing the news conference at UN House in Beirut, Larsen said he expected Lebanon and "Israel" to “comply fully,” despite their reservations.
Lebanon has argued that "Israel" needs to vacate three areas ­ one south of Rmeish and two facing the "Israeli" villages of Masqav Am and Metulla ­ as part of its compliance with 425, which mandates a full "Israeli" withdrawal from Lebanese territory.
Larsen refused to comment on whether the boundary in his plan included those areas, saying it was up to "Israel" and Lebanon to work out a border agreement in the future.
The government and Hizbullah officials have maintained that the resistance against "Israeli" occupation would not cease until troops pulled out of all Lebanese territory and the Jewish state released all Lebanese prisoners. Larsen has lobbied "Israeli" leaders to release the detainees, and said that he was “continuing to pursue this matter with the "Israeli" government.”
Larsen’s talks with Hoss and Lahoud tackled, among other issues, the redeployment of the Lebanese Army to maintain order in the South. Larsen said that UNIFIL “will also step up its efforts to assist the government in the return of its effective authority in the area.”
Another issue that remained pending was that of the Shibaa Farms, a stretch of land on the slopes of Mount Hermon which both Damascus and Beirut have confirmed as part of Lebanon.
Larsen said that Lebanon and the UN had “agreed to disagree” over the status of the Shibaa Farms, an area which "Israel" regards as irrelevant to its border with Lebanon because it was won from Syria in the 1967 war.

Lebanon can refuse to accept "Israel's" full retreat: press…(3)

" The Lebanese government, upset with maps presented by UN special envoy Terje Roed-Larsen, may refuse to recognize "Israel's" withdrawal from south Lebanon as complete, Lebanese newspapers said Tuesday.

Roed-Larsen said Monday that he had finished charting out the border line to which the "Israeli" troops had to withdraw to comply with Resolution 425 of 1978, which called for "Israel's" complete departure from Lebanon.

The UN envoy recognized that both the Lebanese and "Israeli" governments had reservations that the line did conform to the international border of 1923.

As-Safir, the influential newspaper said it was shocked Roed-Larsen announced the end of UN cartographic work before consulting Lebanese authorities.

Under the title "Larsen's Mission Close to a Defeat," As-Safir said Lebanon "will refuse to be faced with a fait accompli and can always refuse to consider the "Israeli" retreat complete."

L'Orient Le Jour, a French-language daily, said "Roed-Larsen's communiqué has provoked the anger of those in power, who accused the UN envoy of deviating from his mission, warning against a new escalation in south Lebanon."

An-Nahar, citing "official sources," said "Mr. Larsen's declaration is an attempt to put Lebanese authorities in front of a fait accompli."

A week ago, the Beirut press, echoing Lebanese officials, accused the UN cartographers of bias and said the UN was only seeking concessions from the Lebanese side.

Lebanon accuses "Israel" of having made a number of encroachments during its 22 years of occupation and demands that those "Israeli" moves be completely voided before Beirut recognizes the "Israeli" retreat as complete.

The Lebanese government expressed reservations Friday about three border points, criticizing the concept of a "line of retreat" and pointing out that Resolution 425 called for "Israel" to withdraw beyond "internationally recognized borders."

collaborators jail terms ‘scandalous’…(4)

H.E. Shiekh Mohammad Kawtharani, a member of Hizbullah’s politburo, told the Islamic Republic’s News Agency of Iran that the government was being “scandalously negligent in this respect by carrying out ceremonial trials for the collaborators.”
A military tribunal began trying the "Israeli" agents on Monday and has already issued 84 sentences ranging from six months to five years in prison,
as well as fines of LL100,000 to LL1.2 million. The judgments can be appealed in the Supreme Military Court. The trials are due to resume on Wednesday.
On Tuesday, 64 collaborators were questioned by three military investigating magistrates, who handed them all formal arrest warrants.
Kawtharani described the sentences as “ludicrous,” and suggested that they revealed an “arrangement” between officials in handling the matter.
“When the collaborators finish serving their sentences, it will be hard to protect them from the wrath of the people. Recent incidents prove that our concerns are valid.”
Two collaborators who surrendered to the authorities were attacked after they were released and went back to the South this week, security sources said.
Mohammed Fares was stabbed in the village of Houla on Sunday and had to be hospitalized, and Mohammed Bas-
sam was assaulted on Mon-day. Their attackers have not been caught.
The two men were among the 1,700 "Israeli" militiamen who surrendered or were delivered to the authorities by resistance groups during the militia's rapid collapse before "Israel's" withdrawal.
After questioning Fares and Bassam immediately following their arrest, the authorities agreed to let them go home but reserved the right to pursue action against them later.
A total of 48 agents were released following investigations because of so-called their advanced age, poor health or because their alleged offenses were minor or outside the statute of limitations.
"Israeli" Public Security Minister Shlomo Ben-Ami, in a statement issued on Tuesday, welcomed the sentences, saying: “The light sentences and the fact that we aren’t witnesses to a massacre and retaliation, but restraint in the South, all these give us a basis for hope that maybe in the near future part of the militiamen, those who want, may be able to go home because the situation is stabilizing.”
Kawtharani said that “the fact that the sentences were welcomed by the enemy intensify our doubts.”

Franjieh: page on collaborators should not be turned…(5)

"Agriculture Minister Suleiman Franjieh made his second trip to the South on Tuesday, where he called for harsh sentences for the "Israeli"-allied militiamen.
Speaking during a tour of the eastern sector of the former occupied zone, Franjieh said: “Some people say that the page of the collaborators should be turned as if the militiamen were playing a cordial soccer game and the game is over.
“The judiciary is the sole authority to acquit or condemn. Any other Lebanese authority, whether official or unofficial, does not have the right to do so,” he added.
Franjieh, who linked up with Aley MP Talal Arslan in Hasbaya, expressed his confidence in the judiciary, “especially since President Emile Lahoud pledged that the judiciary will be fair and take into consideration the circumstances of each militiaman.”

Occupation army pulls out from another Lebanese pocket…(6)

The "Israeli" occupation army withdrew on Tuesday from a strip of land which had remained under occupation after the liberation of the Lebanese occupied zone on May, Al-Manar Television correspondent said.

The area of agricultural plains extends between the town of Kfar Kila, the Marjeyoun Plateau, and the Wazzani, the site from which the "Israeli" occupation has been stealing Lebanese water for years.

The two-kilometer strip is two hundred meters wide and extends along the border with occupied Palestine from the center of the middle sector to the beginning of the eastern sector.

Up till today (Tuesday), the occupation has been stealing Lebanese soil from the aforementioned strip.

Engineering vehicles were seen erecting a new barbed fence and watchtowers along the Metulla colony.

"Israel" leaves fort on Lebanese border…(7)

" The "Israeli" army left a fortified position straddling the Lebanese border Tuesday, permitting UN troops to mark off the international border in the area with blue paint, an AFP correspondent witnessed.

The position of Har-Duv, near the town of Rosh Hanikra, stretched in part beyond "Israel's" northern border.

The stupendous view from the hills of south Lebanon: too good to give up…(8)

" From the top of the Tellat Katma hill, standing next to a church that lies in ruins, the view stretches over the village of Rmeish to the north and the "Israeli" border on the south.

"That's where I lost 10 dunums (one hectare, 2.5 acres) of land. My land is on the other side," said Najib Shufani, a peasant from Rmeish, pointing at the fence the "Israelis" put up in 1986.

"I used to plant wheat and tobacco over there," he told AFP, insisting the land in question is Lebanese territory.

Another villager, Elias Hanna Kallas, explained that the "Israelis" took more than a thousand dunums, or one square kilometer (half a square mile), five hectares (12 acres) of which belonged to him.

The son of the mayor, Elias Karim Aalam, says his family lost four hectares (10 acres) on the other side of the fence.

Despite "Israel's" troop withdrawal from southern Lebanon on May 24, this area remains one of the three points on the ground that are still contested.

To conform with UN Resolutions 425 and 426, which called for "Israel's" complete withdrawal from Lebanon, "Israeli" forces must withdraw beyond the internationally recognized border.

UN cartographers have been busy marking out the line of withdrawal, and UN envoy Terje Roed-Larsen said Tuesday he expected both sides to comply with the UN's assessment that the withdrawal was complete.

But Lebanon wants the land of the Rmeish villagers returned.

At the foot of the hill lies a ravine and the border fence winds its way across the opposite slope. Along the Lebanese side runs a sandy footpath that has been kept carefully swept, in order to show up the footprints of any would-be intruders, and on the "Israeli" side there is a road.

But the land is mined, and therefore inaccessible.

The road running along the hilltops veers away from the line of the watershed, to dip down to the gully and then move back up. At the high point at each end stands an "Israeli" redoubt.

This is the point -- two kilometers (one mile) to the south of Rmeish, between the Sumaka hill on the west and the Haramon on the east -- where "Israel" has encroached into Lebanon, the Lebanese government says.

The "Israelis" refuse to give back the heights above Rmeish for military reasons, the Lebanese believe.

The hilltops provide a stupendous view into "Israeli" territory, first of vineyards and olive groves two kilometers (one mile) away, then in the distance beyond one can make out an "Israeli" village, with its red-roofed buildings and neat rows of cypresses.

Elias Hanna remembers vividly the white-painted rocks dating back to the time of the French mandate over Lebanon, which marked the 1923 border with British mandate Palestine.

Behind the fence, Hanna says there there was always another one, on the "true" border.

Rauf Hajj, a businessman, remembers that in 1948, when the state of "Israel" was created, Rmeish residents found any titles they held to property on the Palestinian side had become worth no more than the paper they were printed on.

The rocky, unirrigated land looks like nothing, but everywhere neglected mulberry and fig trees are to be seen, testifying to the fact that it was once cultivated.

A first infringement in 1967 brought in the UN truce observers, who confirmed the 1949 armistice line and made the "Israelis" head back.

Three years later, when the "Israelis" were fighting Palestinian guerrillas, they advanced as far as Tellat Katma hill, and stayed there two years.

A metal gate on the small road linking Rmeish with "Israel" -- painted blue and white, the colours of the "Israeli" flag -- is closed.

It was through this fence that hundreds of Rmeish residents, some of them members of "Israel's" proxy militia fled last month, fearing reprisals after the "Israeli" pullback.

And it was here that the "Israelis" abandoned a position they had held since 1978 and moved back some 200 meters (yards). But not quite to the line along the hilltops.

Human-rights watchdog demands "Israelis" answer for civilian deaths…(9)

"Amnesty International is probing the deaths of four Lebanese, including BBC driver Abdel-Rahman Taqqoush, believed to have been killed by "Israeli" tank fire during "Israel's" withdrawal.
Meanwhile, in a separate open letter detailing its recent trip to Khiam prison, the human-rights watchdog also said, “there should be no blanket amnesty for any serious abuses” committed by "Israel's" proxy militiamen.
“For torture and other serious abuses, they should be brought to justice in fair trials without the death penalty,” the letter said.
Concerning the deaths of four Lebanese civilians during "Israel's" pullout, the organization released a statement on Monday, stressing that “the "Israeli" authorities must bring to justice anyone found responsible for serious violations of the laws of war and compensate the victims of any such violations.”
AI said that it was writing to "Israeli" Prime Minister Ehud Barak requesting a thorough investigation into the attacks that killed the four civilians and wounded several others.
It said that it had gathered information suggesting that in at least four incidents on May 22 and 23, “"Israeli" forces directed tank fire from the "Israeli" side of the border at Lebanese civilians, killing four people and injuring several others.”
Amnesty stated that “if these attacks were, indeed, willfully directed at civilians, the "Israeli" Army has committed war crimes and those responsible should be brought to justice.”
The four civilians; Abdel-Karim Assaf, 22; Ibrahim Marouni, 16; Salman Rammal, age not available; and Taqqoush, 54 , were killed “when there was no hostile military action and many Lebanese civilians were on the move, celebrating the withdrawal and their return to their villages.” The organization said that they were apparently targeted without warning.
According to Amnesty International, the laws of war, included in the 1949 Geneva Conventions and their two 1977 additional protocols, categorically prohibit any direct attack against civilians or civilian objects, including attacks made in reprisal. They also prohibit attacks that do not attempt to distinguish between military targets and civilians, as well as attacks which, although aimed at a legitimate military target, have a disproportionate impact on civilians or civilian objects.
The organization collected part of its information during a recent trip to south Lebanon, in which it also visited the Khiam detention center.
On May 27, a delegation from the organization, along with former detainees, visited Khiam, where, it said, “hundreds of Lebanese nationals have been detained over the years without charge or trial.”
In its open letter, AI pledged continuous support for the former prisoners, saying “international solidarity will be essential to provide a minimum of practical as well as psychological support to the victims of Khiam.”
It said the crimes committed in Khiam were “the most serious violations of human rights and international humanitarian law, in short, war crimes.”
Amnesty also said that, together with the militia, “the state of "Israel" … is fully accountable for the arbitrary detention, torture and other abuses committed in Khiam.”
The delegation described its tour of Khiam as “an extraordinary and moving day, full of incongruous sights and strong, mixed emotions.”
“On the one hand, a festive atmosphere, with kids waving flags, primarily those of Hizbullah and Amal, playing in the wreck of a military vehicle abandoned in the central courtyard and enjoying refreshments from vendors at the gate of the center. On the other hand, former prisoners, sometimes with their families and sometimes alone, telling their stories, bumping into each other, recognizing and embracing each other in highly emotional scenes, often fighting back the tears.”

BBC demands answers from "Israel" over killing of driver in Lebanon…(10)

" The BBC fired off a letter to the "Israeli" army on Tuesday demanding answers over the death of one of its drivers who was killed in southern Lebanon during the hasty "Israeli" withdrawal last month.

Abed Takkoush, who was working with a BBC camera crew in "Israel's" former "security zone" in southern Lebanon, died when a shell slammed into his car on May 23, turning it into a fireball.

The case has been taken up by the human rights group Amnesty International, which said at least four Lebanese civilians including Takkoush were killed by "Israeli" tank fire during the two-day withdrawal.

"If committed wilfully, such attacks would constitute a grave breach of international humanitarian law and therefore a war crime," Amnesty said in a report released this week.

"The people killed appear all to have been targeted without warning, even though they were not engaged in hostilities," it said.

The British broadcaster said its investigation determined that an "Israeli" tank had fired the shell, although Middle East correspondent Paul Adams told AFP the army had not yet made any formal acknowledgement of responsibility.

"We are seeking an admission of responsibility and we shall also be pressing for compensation for the family of Mr. Takkoush," the BBC said in its letter of protest.

It said the army should have been able to determine that the car's occupants were unarmed civilians, and that even if there were some doubt, the attack was "disproportionate and reckless."

Takkoush, who was married and had three children, had worked for the BBC as a driver for 25 years.

"Israeli" ended its bloody 22-year occupation of Lebanon weeks earlier than planned after its allied militia crumbled in the face of advancing Hizbullah fighters.

Murr tries to bring South back in step
Minister insists: ISF can handle security in wake of pullout…(11)

"Government offices and police stations in the newly liberated areas of south Lebanon and the western Beqaa have been ordered to function “like the
rest of the country,” Interior Minister Michel Murr announced on Tuesday.
The departments will also undergo intensive work so that residents can receive their electoral cards in time for this summer’s elections, he added.
“We’ve given orders for all serails and government offices to be opened and equipped so that work can proceed naturally,” the minister said after chairing an administrative meeting at the ministry. “Police stations in the liberated areas must carry out the same work as in other parts of the country.”
Murr criticized calls for sending the army into the areas vacated by "Israeli" troops, saying that the Internal Security Forces were the body legally responsible for law and order.
“Those who call for the army to go in are doing so for political reasons that go beyond the scope of the issue of security,” he argued. “The law stipulates that the ISF is the only body responsible for keeping order, and the army only helps keep order if asked to by the ISF.”
The minister said that the former occupied zone was “secure,” claiming that no violence or looting had taken place since the "Israeli" withdrawal.
Murr said that the 1,000-plus ISF personnel were “more than enough” to keep the peace.
“We can’t forget that with the end of occupation, it’s natural that some people would feel anxious,” the minister stressed.
“I ask the media to reassure people in the liberated areas that the ISF is present in other parts of Lebanon in much smaller numbers than in the South, and the situation is under control elsewhere,” he added.
“If anyone fears the political parties that participated in liberation, they should know that these forces are in continuous contact with the ISF to coordinate efforts to stop any incident that would harm security.”

Families of kidnapped angry at lack of government action…(12)

"The fate of more than 100 Lebanese citizens kidnapped during the civil war remains unknown despite continuous efforts by their friends and family to track them down.
Angry and desperate mothers, who for more than two decades have been clutching framed pictures of their long lost sons, rushed to publicly tell their stories during a conference held at the Press Federation on Tuesday.
“My son Said was kidnapped in Achrafieh in 1976, and he is now in the Atlit detention center in "Israel",” said Zainab Haidar. “My son was 13 when he was taken from the Science Faculty in the Lebanese University,” said Fatima Adlane.
Both women insisted that their sons were seized by the now-disbanded Lebanese Forces before being handed to "Israel".
Khalil Barakat, the representative of the Popular Committees and Groupings, said that evidence existed to prove that some 100 Lebanese were held in "Israel", despite being constantly denied by the Jewish state. “Mohammed Moualem, Ali Qornos and so many others were seen in the Ansar prison, and "Israel's" position on this will not deny it from assuming its responsibility toward revealing the fate of these men,” said Barakat, adding that it was the responsibility of the Lebanese people and government to keep the issue alive.
Mohammed Safa, the general secretary of the Follow-Up Committee for the Support of Lebanese detainees in "Israeli" Prisons, argued that the Lebanese government should start paying more attention to the issue at a time when "Israel" has promised a reward of $1.5 million to whoever uncovers the fate of "Israeli" airman Ron Arad, whose plane was shot down over Lebanon in 1986.
Yahia Moualem, who lost six of his brothers in the war and whose brother Mohammed is still missing, urged that the issue be given the attention it deserves.
“Nobody ever mentions the missing, as if they have no family, while "Israel" does wonders to retrieve the remains of one of its citizens,” Mouallem said, blaming government institutions and its diplomatic corps, as well as local and international human rights organizations.
Halim Ramadan, speaking on behalf of the families, said every family had the right to know what happened to their sons.
“We know that many were killed, and in that case their families have the right to know where they were buried, and to visit them.
“As for those who are still alive, we want to know what has happened to them and we want them to be released,” he said. “Our sons are in prisons and we are the prisoners of this cause. The announcement of the death of a kidnapped son is a relief to his parents.”
Safa again urged the Lebanese government to officially ask the United Nations to meet the families of those missing and reopen and re-investigate each case separately.
Safa maintained that the committee has prepared files, based on all available data, on all those missing, and that copies have been sent to Prime Minister Salim Hoss and UN special envoy Terje Roed-Larsen, in addition to local and international human rights organizations.

Footnotes:

1- Manar TV, 6-6-2000.

2- The Daily Star, 7-6-2000.

3- AFP, 6-6-2000.

4- The Daily Star, 7-6-2000.

5- Same source.

6- AFP, 6-6-2000.

7- Same source.

8- AFP, 7-6-2000.

9- The Daily Star, 7-6-2000.

10- AFP, 6-6-2000.

11- The Daily Star, 7-6-2000.