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The MEMRI Daily – Syria/Lebanon: August 9, 2010

The following is research published from MEMRI's Special Dispatch series and the MEMRI Blog today on issues related to Lebanon and Syria. Special Dispatch Series Special Dispatch No. 3152—Lebanon/Syria ***Former Lebanese Minister Wiam Wahhab: 'In the Event of a Civil War, Syrian Tanks Will Enter Lebanon'; We Hold UNIFIL and Other UN Organizations Hostage; UNIFIL Full of Mossad Spies Following are excerpts from interviews with former Lebanese minister Wiam Wahhab. The interviews aired on Al-Manar TV and Al-Alam TV on August 4, 2010: To view this clip on MEMRI TV, visit http://www.memritv.org/clip/en/2571.htm. On Al-Manar TV: "In The Event of a Civil War, Syrian Tanks Will Enter Lebanon" Wiam Wahhab: "In the case of civil war, Syria will enter Lebanon. We shouldn't fool ourselves. If there is a civil war, the Syrian army will enter Lebanon. There mustn't be a civil war. A civil war will lead to a conflict that will encompass the entire Arab world. This must not happen. Take it from me, in the event of a civil war, Syrian tanks will enter Lebanon. Syria is not fooling around. To view the full report, visit http://www.memri.org/report/en/0/0/0/0/0/0/4512.htm. Special Dispatch No. 3153—Syria/Inter-Arab Relations ***Syrian Press: Damascus Shaping the Region's Future In the past year, Bashar Al-Assad's Syria has succeeded in positioning itself as a regional power and as a key player in handling local and regional issues. This is reflected in the extensive diplomatic activity that has been taking place in Damascus, including visits to Syria's capital by senior officials from Lebanon, Iraq, Turkey, and Saudi Arabia. This diplomatic activity has centered around three of the primary arenas currently concerning the Arab world: Lebanon, Iraq, and Palestine. Reports indicate that the discussions in Syria focused mainly on the internal disputes within these arenas, with Syria serving as mediator, rather than on Syria's bilateral relations with each of these countries. It should be noted that Turkey has also played a role in this mediation. The Lebanese Arena: Lebanese Prime Minister Sa'd Al-Hariri visited Damascus on July 18-19, 2010, accompanied by a large delegation of ministers, for a meeting of the Syrian-Lebanese Follow-up and Coordination Commission, which culminated in the two countries signing 18 agreements and memoranda of understanding on various issues. The meeting's importance lay in its being the first since Syrian-Lebanese relations fell into crisis following the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq Al-Hariri. After this meeting, Assad and Al-Hariri met privately to discuss the internal tension in Lebanon in anticipation of the indictment due to be published by the international tribunal investigating Al-Hariri's murder, which is expected to indicate Hizbullah as responsible for the crime. It should be noted that the same issues were also the focus of meetings between Saudi King 'Abdallah, who is Sa'd Al-Hariri's patron, and President Assad, a Hizbullah ally, held in Damascus on July 29-30, 2010, before a trip by both leaders to Beirut, which was intended to restore calm in Lebanon. The Iraqi Arena: Muqtada Al-Sadr, leader of the Sadrist movement, and Ayyad 'Allawi, head of the Al-'Iraqiyya party and candidate for Iraqi prime minister, visited Damascus on July 17-20, 2010, to meet with President Assad and also with Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu as part of efforts toward forming a government in Iraq. The two Iraqi leaders also met privately. The Palestinian Arena: Turkish Foreign Minister Davutoglu met in Damascus with Khaled Mash'al, head of Hamas' political bureau, apparently to discuss the inter-Palestinian reconciliation. Following are excerpts from recent articles in the Syrian press on Damascus' diplomatic activity and pivotal role in the region: To view the full report, visit http://www.memri.org/report/en/0/0/0/0/0/0/4513.htm. From the MEMRI Blog www.thememriblog.org Al-Manar Report: Hizbullah Leader Nasrallah Says Israel's Behind Al-Hariri Assassination, Other Crimes In a two-hour press conference today in Beirut with Al-Manar, Iran's Press TV, and other media outlets, Hizbullah secretary-general Hassan Nasrallah accused Israel of involvement in the assassination of former Lebanese prime minister Rafiq Al-Hariri. To read in full, visit http://www.thememriblog.org/blog_personal/en/29223.htm. Lebanese Hizbullah MP: 'Lebanese Army Ready To Engage In Confrontations' Lebanese MP from Hizbullah Muhammad Raad said that the Lebanese army's confrontation last week with Israeli forces at the southern border shows that resistance has become part of the military's soul. To read in full, visit http://www.thememriblog.org/blog_personal/en/29192.htm. Galloway To Official Iranian News Agency: New Aid Convoy Setting Out From Syria Will Bring $10 Million In Aid To Gaza British MP George Galloway has announced that an international aid convoy from London, dubbed "Miles of Smiles," is expected to head to Gaza from the port city of Latakia in Syria. To read in full, visit http://www.thememriblog.org/blog_personal/en/29193.htm. Lebanese FM Meets With Ahmadinejad, Iranian FM In Iran At a joint press conference yesterday with Lebanese Foreign Minister Ali Al-Shami, who is visiting Tehran, Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki accused UNIFIL of weakness because it had not prevented the recent Israeli attack on Lebanon, and raised doubts about the usefulness of its presence there. To read in full, visit http://www.thememriblog.org/blog_personal/en/29189.htm. Iranian Official: Lebanon Doesn't Let Zionist Regime Even Uproot A Tree Iranian Supreme National Security Council secretary Saeed Jalili said yesterday that the Lebanese Army does not allow the Zionist regime to even uproot a tree. To read in full, visit http://www.thememriblog.org/blog_personal/en/29191.htm. Marathon Round Of Meetings At Presidential Palace In Damascus Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad met with Qatari Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Aal Thani and Jordanian Foreign Minister Nasser Al-Judeh to discuss recent developments in the region. Earlier, Assad met with Ali Akbar Velayati, advisor to Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, and the two expressed deep commitment to the Lebanese and Palestinian resistance and called for unity between Hizbullah and the Lebanese army. To read in full, visit Michel Suleiman: Lebanese Military to be Armed with Advanced Weapons Visiting the area of the recent incident between the Lebanese and Israeli armies, Lebanese President Michel Suleiman declared that his country's military would soon be supplied with advanced weapons and equipment. To read in full, visit http://www.thememriblog.org/blog_personal/en/29183.htm. Al-Manar: BlackBerry-Phobia Invades Lebanon Almanar.com.lb reports that Blackberry smartphones have become a center of concerns for Lebanon. Speaking to the Lebanese Al-Safir daily newspaper, Lebanese Telecommunications Minister Charbel Nahhas said today that the ministry will negotiate with BlackBerry access to data and information that "could be needed by the State at some point," the report said. To read in full, visit http://www.thememriblog.org/blog_personal/en/29159.htm. Syrian Minister: Syria Provides Logistical Help To Arab Resistance Movements Syrian Cultural Minister Riyad Na'ssan Agha said, at a conference on the margins of the Love Festival in the city of Ladaqia, Syria, that no Arab resistance could stand on its own feet without the logistical help that Syria gives them. To read in full, visit http://www.thememriblog.org/blog_personal/en/29157.htm. Syria: Poverty Has Not Declined But The Poorest Are Slightly Better Off A government report, issued in Damascus yesterday, points out that the progress in fighting poverty in the country has not been sufficient, particularly in the rural areas. To read in full, visit http://www.thememriblog.org/blog_personal/en/29147.htm. To view the MEMRI Economic Blog, click here.