Rafik Hariri remembered 13 years later

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by The Daily Star BEIRUT: Lebanon paid tribute to the late Rafik Hariri Wednesday as politicians and friends of the former prime minister visited his tomb and a torch was lit near the place of his assassination 13 years ago. Speaking from a commemoration ceremony at Beirut’s BIEL, the late prime minister’s son and current prime minister, Saad Hariri, said that “Despite everything,” Lebanon was in “a region of safety because the spirit of Rafik Hariri is still with us.” “We spilled our blood for our country. Its stability is the most important thing in our lives,” the premier said to cheering crowds. “Thirteen years and the region is boiling. Springs, wars, immigration..." He said that Syria has become “a place for militias and armies of all nationalities,” while Iraq, Yemen, Libya have been struck by terrorism. "Despite everything, I want to assure you Lebanon is in a region of safety because the spirit of Rafik Hariri is still with us.” Hariri said that the country has followed the example of his late father to honor “the sacrifices of all the martyrs.” “We kicked out Daesh (ISIS) ... Our army and security forces are now something to be proud of,” he said.

While acknowledging that economic, social, and political problems still were present in Lebanon, the prime minister praised the country’s “institutions, freedom, media, and [tolerance of] opposition” at a time when the wider region doesn’t have such freedoms. “Thirteen years have passed and we are still adamant on reaching justice. We will not despair, we will not forget and we will not bargain. The justice of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon is coming,” he said. Turning to the Lebanese government’s policy of dissociation from regional conflicts, he said the policy meant “we want the best relations with all Arab countries,” and that “the state must respect this.” “Some say that the country has been turned over to Hezbollah. They thought the elections will lead to the legalization of their weapons. These people know very well that the real political and electoral disagreement is between the Future Movement and Hezbollah.”

He said that people will try to split and divide his Future party, and that “those are the people who are really working for Hezbollah. I won’t say names, you all know who they are.” He went on to say that the Future Movement will not ally themselves with Hezbollah and will show the country that their votes cannot be bought or sold. "Some say the Future Movement will lose because they are bankrupt and don't have money. This is an insult to you and the supporters of Rafik Hariri because it means Future Movement votes are bought and sold and you aren’t free to vote." "This is the challenge? We want the challenge. Me and everyone of you have accepted the challenge. Yes, we don't have money for the elections. Good? We refuse any alliance with Hezbollah. Is that good?" The prime minister said the Future Movement would head to the elections on "Future Movement ballots with candidates from all religions." Hariri said that this year’s commemoration was also an opportunity to pay respects to Jerusalem. “For Jerusalem, the everlasting capital of Palestine, take a moment to stand in [solidarity] in silence for the endurance of the Palestinian people,” he said. All political parties were invited to the event, excluding Hezbollah, local media reported. Notably absent from the event were leaders of the now-defunct March 14 Movement - Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea, Kataeb Party leader MP Sami Gemayel and March 14 General Coordinator Fares Soueid.

MP Walid Jumblatt forwent the commemoration event and was represented by his son Taymour and a delegation from his Progressive Socialist Party. However, the elder Jumblatt did make his way to Hariri’s place of burial in Downtown Beirut earlier in the day. Others took to Twitter to voice their respect for the work and patriotism practiced by Hariri. Under the patronage of Hariri’s widow, Nazek Hariri, a ceremony was held at the Mohammad al-Amine Mosque. Former Prime Minister Fouad Siniora, MP Bahia Hariri and others were among those in attendance. Separately, the torch near the statue of Hariri across from St. George Hotel was lit. Future Movement Secretary-General Ahmad Hariri was present as a group of scouts performed a musical tribute to Hariri. Hariri was assassinated 13 years ago in a massive car bomb explosion that also killed 21 others. The explosion occurred as Hariri was returning home from a Parliament meeting. He was taken to the American University of Beirut Hospital where he was pronounced dead upon arrival.

Rex Tillerson says Hezbollah 'part of political process' in Lebanon

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by AFP - AMMAN: US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Wednesday conceded that Iran-backed Hezbollah is part of the "political process" in Lebanon, appearing to soften Washington's tone ahead of a visit to the country. "We support a free, democratic Lebanon free of influence of others, and we know that Lebanese Hezbollah is influenced by Iran. This is influence that we think is unhelpful in Lebanon's long-term future," Tillerson said at a press conference in Jordan. "We also have to acknowledge the reality that they also are part of the political process in Lebanon." Later, US Undersecretary of State Steve Goldstein said however that Lebanon "would be better off without Hezbollah's terrorism and malign influence". "We will continue our efforts at strengthening those institutions that bolster Lebanon's sovereignty and stability," Goldstein told journalists. Shiite movement Hezbollah -- the only faction to have retained its weapons after Lebanon's civil war -- is a member of the Lebanese government of Prime Minister Saad Hariri. Despite being branded a "terrorist" organisation by the United States and targeted with economic sanctions, Hezbollah has risen to play a decisive role in regional conflicts including Syria.

The US Justice Department in January announced the creation of a special task force to investigate what it called "narcoterrorism" by the powerful movement. The United States levied sanctions in early February against six individuals and seven business with alleged links to Hezbollah financier Adham Tabaja. The group's influence was last year at the heart of a political crisis in Lebanon that saw Hariri quit -- and then later rescind his resignation -- amid a tug-of-war between regional titans Iran and Saudi Arabia. In the wake of the crisis Lebanon's political players -- including Hezbollah -- agreed to stick to the country's official policy of "disassociation" to stay out of regional conflicts. Tillerson is due to meet Lebanon's political leadership Thursday as part of a tour of the Middle East.

Lebanon's judge drops case against Saudi minister for "supreme interest"

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BEIRUT, Feb. 12 (Xinhua) -- Beirut's First Investigative Judge Ghassan Oueidat dropped on Monday a case against Saudi Arabia's Arab Gulf Affairs Minister Thamer Sabhan because it conflicted with Lebanon's supreme interest, the Daily Star reported. It said Oueidat justified his decision based on the idea that "the tweets made by Minister Sabhan came within the framework of a political opinion imposed on him by his position, and the requirements of the prevailing regional and international politics at that period in time." Sabhan, a fierce critic of Hezbollah, made inflammatory statements around the time of prime minister Saad Hariri's abrupt resignation from Riyadh in November. Hariri later went back on that decision. Sabhan wrote in his tweets that "Lebanon, after the resignation, will never be as it was before and we will not accept Lebanon being part of a war against Saudi Arabia." He also said the Lebanese people would have to choose between supporting or opposing Hezbollah. "This lawsuit conflicts with the supreme interest of Lebanon and the interests of the state," Oueidat said Monday. He added that his decision to drop the case was also based on the "lack of jurisdiction of courts to assess international relations and disputes."

Polish PM visits Lebanon ahead of refugee donor conferences

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BEIRUT (AP) - Poland's prime minister is visiting Lebanon ahead of a series of European donor conferences to support the tiny Mediterranean country as it hosts nearly one million Syrian refugees. Lebanon says the international community must share the burden of the refugee crisis caused by the civil war in neighboring Syria. Mateusz Morawiecki was received by Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri on Monday for a working dinner. There were no comments to the press. Citing security concerns, Poland's conservative government rejected an EU plan to distribute refugees currently in Greece and Italy to countries around Europe. Rome, Paris, and Brussels will all host conferences this spring to support Lebanon's institutions and the regional humanitarian response for Syrian refugees.

A Facebook employee asked a reporter to turn off his phone so Facebook couldn't track its location — and it reveals a bigger problem within the company

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by  Steve Kovach -- To corporate giants like Facebook, leaks to rivals or the media are a cardinal sin. That notion was clear in a new Wired story about Facebook's rocky time over the past two years. The story talks about how Facebook was able to find two leakers who told a Gizmodo reporter about its news operations. But one source for the Wired story highlighted just how concerned employees were about the way their company would go after leakers. According to the story, the source, a current Facebook employee, asked a Wired reporter to turn off his phone so Facebook wouldn't be able to use location tracking and see that the two were close to each other for the meeting.

From the Wired feature: "One current employee asked that a Wired reporter turn off his phone so the company would have a harder time tracking whether it had been near the phones of anyone from Facebook." Whether Facebook actually does track its employees this way doesn't matter. The fact an employee would think such an option was on the table is telling of the culture at the company

Rising intolerance in India is causing anxiety, says cardinal

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by Anto Akkara - catholicherald.co.uk - Cardinal Oswald Gracias, newly elected president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India, has expressed “anguish” over increasing threats to pluralism in the country. “Intolerance is causing a certain amount of anxiety to us,” Cardinal Gracias said in Bangalore, while addressing a news conference at the end of the assembly of Indian bishops. “Diversity is one of the strengths of India. It is known world over for its diversity of culture, language and religion. Any attempt to divide people by certain sections will be harmful for the nation,” cautioned Cardinal Gracias, responding to a question on how the bishops’ assembly viewed the increasing threats to diversity in recent years. Human rights groups have expressed concern over religious-based crime in India, and the government has confirmed an increase in violence based on religion. Auxiliary Bishop Theodore Mascarenhas of Ranchi, secretary-general of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India, said attacks on pluralism were “not only against Christians, but all Indians”. “You cannot allow a few rabid elements to spoil the harmony. It is a question of upholding constitutional values and rule of law,” the bishop added. A bishops’ statement from the meeting said: “No one should doubt our loyalty or our commitment to the nation,” amid Hindu nationalists branding Muslims and Christians as foreigners. “True nationalism can lead our motherland to genuine peace, harmony, progress and prosperity,” the bishops said. They appealed to all people “to shun mob culture and vigilantism in favour of peace”.