Mariam Ali

No sooner had the Secretary General of Hizbullah His Eminence Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah ended his declaration of imposing the new deterrence equation "Israel's" oil in return to Lebanese oil", so that the US decision-making circles rushed up to announce a planned visit to U.S. envoy Frederic Hof to the Middle East.

Hof in Beirut! Why?

The US newspaper "Los Angeles Times" quoted Tuesday "Israeli" media reporting that Hof will head for Beirut soon for discussions.

"The US is also involved in the dispute... Entrusted with this headache is American diplomat Frederic Hof, who has good knowledge of the issue as well as of mapping affairs," the paper said.
 
Assuming that the US wants to avoid a sea version of the Shebaa Farms dispute, a low-level border conflict in southern Lebanon, and reportedly wants a cooperative "Israel", the US daily clarifies that "Washington also is likely seeking to ensure the interests of American companies already committed to business in "Israel's" northern gas fields."

"There is much more wealth underwater, the US Geological Survey estimates that the Levant Basin contains as much as 122 trillion cubic meters of recoverable gas," "Los Angeles Times" revealed.

The US step comes as the attack on UNIFIL still spreads its shadows on the already confused Lebanese internal political scene.

Italy Reduces UNIFIL Presence

In this regard, Italy voted Wednesday to reduce the number of its peacekeepers in Lebanon by more than one-third, just a day after five French U.N. peacekeepers were wounded in a roadside bomb attack.

Senators voted in favor of reducing Italy's contribution to the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon, bringing 700 of 1,780 soldiers back to Rome, as international and local condemnation of Tuesday's attack increased.

Meanwhile, Lebanese President Michel Suleiman telephoned his French counterpart Nicholas Sarkozy to express his concern for the victims and called for the speedy apprehension of the bombers.

"Destabilizing security is forbidden under any pretense, especially against friendly states that have sent their troops to help the Lebanese Army in safeguarding security and stability in the country's south and helping implement U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701," a statement from Baabda Palace said.

For his part, Hizbullah International Relations Official Ammar al-Moussawi telephoned the French Ambassador Dennis Pietton to voice Hizbullah's denunciation of the bombing.

Investigators probing the roadside bombing that targeted a U.N. convoy have said that the bomb weighed around 6 kilograms and was detonated through an electric wire.

"The use of a command wire suggests the perpetrator could have been relatively close to the scene of the blast, allowing him to see the approaching convoy and set off the bomb as it passed by," "an-Nahar" newspaper commented.

Security sources told Beirut dailies that the 6-kilogram TNT was hidden under dirt on the side of the road near the southern port city of Saida when it was detonated, injuring five French peacekeepers.

The electric wire was 120-150 meters long, they said. A security source told "al-Liwaa" Lebanese daily that a single person could have been standing behind the trees waiting for the convoy to pass to trigger the bomb.

"Investigators by now know the direction that the vehicle took to escape the bombing scene," the source said.

"As-Safir" newspaper reported Thursday "that 25 people were being questioned for being near the site of the explosion."

However, a judicial source told "The Daily Star" that, contrary to some reports, the army has not yet arrested any suspects in the case. "The rumors that the army has already arrested several individuals involved in the case are incorrect," said the source.

According to the source, the investigation is currently interviewing several witnesses, adding that the investigation is taking several directions based on the nature of the attack.

Speaking in New York, UNIFIL Commander Major-General Alberto Asarta Cuevas said that the investigators trying to determine who was responsible for the attack have a lot of evidence that will hopefully lead to the perpetrators.

Jumblatt: Still in Position with Syria

Reacting to the attack against UNIFIL, "National Struggle Front" Leader MP Walid Jumblatt told "as-Safir" that he fears that the motive behind it is to "create a vacuum in the south."

"This does not mean UNIFIL's departure altogether ... which may allow the infiltration of whoever wants to infiltrate to expose south Lebanon to peril again, and "Israel" has a major interest in that," Jumblatt added.

The MP told the daily that the resumption of the national dialogue is facing obstacles and conditions imposed on its launching is obstructing it.

Stressing on his will to contact all the parties in Lebanon, MP added "contacting (former PM) Saad Hariri proves this.... But the conspiracy mind is controlling some lunatics .... I have always called for dialogue between all parties especially between Saad Hariri and Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah."

However, Jumblatt noted that he "will keep on calling for dialogue... maybe then someone will respond," Jumblatt said.

The "National Struggle Front" Leader told "al-Akhbar" newspaper on Thursday that Hizbullah should "assure people more. There are some Lebanese worried about the arms issue."

On the Syrian situation, Jumblatt asked: "Don't I have the right to be friends with "March 8" forces and say my opinion about the situation in Syria."
Jumblatt replied to rumors that he has a problem with the Syrian regime by saying, "chorus cylinder revolves, and each side has its own cylinder."

Revealing that Jumblatt differentiated between what Assad wants and what the old and rigid machine surrounding him wants, "the paper explained that the latter "does not surely bet on the fall of the Syrian regime, wants to abort

Jumblatt also said he was "still in his political position", and that he is "crucial in terms of the need for dialogue between Sunnis and Shiites in Lebanon"
Asked about the government, the MP told the newspaper that the government "is still at the stage of dealing with the accumulated issues during the past months."

Concerning the appointments in the state institutions, Jumblatt stressed that the competent deserve to have priorities. "Christians' in administrative positions shouldn't be classified according to their political affiliations."

"March 14" Delays Dialogue's Agenda

In a parallel context, President Suleiman's attempt to come up with an agenda for the national dialogue is becoming complicated as he moves to his summer residence in Beiteddine next week as "March 14" forces still hold onto their stances in rejecting dialogue.

Informed sources ruled out that Suleiman could put the agenda of the dialogue that he intends to hold during Ramadan.

"The president will move to Beiteddine on August 3 and will hold consultations there during his three-week stay to mull the viewpoints of political leaders on his invitation for dialogue," sources told "an- Nahar" daily.

Suleiman discussed the issue with House Speaker Nabih Berri at Baabda palace on Wednesday. Berri's sources told "an-Nahar" that "the president is still in the stage of listening to the points of view of officials before deciding the direction that the national dialogue would take."

Berri also rejected claims the national dialogue is a cover-up for the government, stressing that "it belongs to the whole of Lebanon and not one party against the other."

He added that parliament will follow up on the government's actions as it has always done.

In addition, Berri and the Parliament's Bureau Committee set 48 articles to be discussed during the parliamentary sessions on August 3 and 4.


Source: Newspapers