Mariam Ali

Suddenly, without any warning the US turns its attention from its domestic crisis and the heavy international headlines towards Lebanon. After the oil-for-oil equation, it was necessary that Washington enters on the line.
 
The small country which has long troubled Uncle Sam's dreams in the region turned today to a magnetic factor for two reasons.
 
The first declared reason is that US is keen that the maritime dispute won't turn to a new Shebaa region and this is of course for "Israel's" safety as well as to prevent financial losses for American oil companies operating in the Zionist entity.
 
The second reason is equal to millions of dollars that US companies could gain if they succeeded to establish a foothold in the process of drilling Lebanese oil.

Berri to Connely: Pecae with "Israel" Didn't and Won't Happen

US Ambassador to Lebanon Maura Connelly has reportedly asked House Speaker Nabih Berri "why Lebanon would not strike deals with companies to start oil exploration in its territorial waters as "Israel" did pending a solution to the conflict on the Exclusive Economic Zone."

"As-Safir" Lebanese newspaper quoted Berri as answering Connelly that the maritime border line between Lebanon and "Israel" should be drawn. "If someone is seeking or working to reach a peace agreement between Lebanon and "Israel" to settle the oil issue, then this didn't and won't happen," he said.

The ambassador stressed that the crisis should be solved through the U.N. However, Berri replied that the solution to the new Lebanese-"Israeli" maritime conflict comes through a series of talks between officers from Lebanon and "Israel" under the auspices of the U.N. to demarcate the maritime border.

"When Berri asked Connelly about reports that U.S. envoy Frederic Hof was planning to visit Beirut to discuss about the conflict, Connelly said she had no information about the timing of the trip," "an-Nahar" Lebanese newspaper clarified.

US Extends Freeze Assets

In a parallel context, US President Barack Obama on Thursday extended a freeze of assets on persons that he assumes are "threatening stability in Lebanon."

A White House statement, extending the freeze imposed in 2007, claimed that "certain ongoing activities, such as continuing arms transfers to Hizbullah that include increasingly sophisticated weapons systems, serve to undermine Lebanese sovereignty."

Former Us President George Bush had frozen the assets of two Lebanese politicians in 2007. They are Assaad Hardan from the "Syrian Social National Party" and "Tawhid" movement leader former MP Wiam Wahhab.

The sanctions also targeted Syrian officials Hafez Makhlouf and Mohammed Nassif.
 
Wahhab brushed aside on Friday a US decision against him.
"The decision is meaningless, it didn't affect me in 2007 and won't affect me today," he announced.

Adding that the Lebanese government headed by PM Najib Mikati as well as Foreign Minister Adnan Mansour should resolve the issue "because it is an aggression on Lebanese sovereignty and democracy."

"The Lebanese state should protect us," Wahhab said, adding "this decision is a clear interference in Lebanese affairs."

UNIFIL Investigations

Meanwhile, the political and security circles are still occupied by the investigations carried on the attack against the UNIFIL despite the meaningless "Israeli" talk that Hizbullah is responsible for the attack.

Lebanese Defense Minister Fayez Ghosn stressed on Thursday that "the relations between the army and the UNIFIL are strong."

Ghosn discussed with French Ambassador Denis Pietton the latest developments and bilateral relations.

The Defense Minister condemned the "brutal" attack on the French peacekeepers. "The investigations are ongoing to identify the assailants and arrest them," Ghosn said.

He noted "Lebanon that pledged to protect the UNIFIL will not allow infiltrators who want to endanger the south and shake the civil peace to destabilize its friends' trust in it."

Praising the existing collaboration between Lebanon and France, Ghosn stressed "the importance of strengthening and developing it."
For his part the French ambassador stressed on bilateral relations between the two countries reiterating France's support to "Lebanon's stability and security."

"As-Safir" Lebanese daily informed Friday that Security officials listened to 22 people's testimonies before releasing them. "Attempts continue to answer a series of questions surrounding the attack, especially in terms of timing and location, as well as the method adopted in the blasting wire, which could indicate that the perpetrators knew the existence of interference on wireless devices in UNIFIL's mechanisms, so they decided to adopt a primitive but effective technology."

Dialogue, Gov't, Parliament:

At the internal political scene, both the Lebanese parliament and government are preparing for their scheduled meeting at the beginning of the next week.

"An-Nahar " uncovered that "meetings at the level of relevant ministries, particularly ministries of foreign affairs, energy and the economy as well as the Committee on Energy and Water are being held in order to complete the draft parliamentary law concerning the Lebanese economic in the near future."

In parallel, "as-Safir" expected that the government's meeting is to touch the issue of UNIFIL bombing, knowing that the distributed agenda of the ministerial meeting scheduled in the presidential palace included a 161-item linked to financial, real estate, electricity and water projects. The agenda also includes the transfer of teachers at the Lebanese University.

The only item that deals with appointments to state positions is the appointment of candidate Hassan Baidoun to the post of director-general of the investment authority at the energy ministry.

Energy Minister Jebran Bassil told "as-Safir" daily that 10 agenda items deal with electricity and water projects in the country. "We have completed three studies on improvements of the electricity, water and oil sectors that will be consecutively referred to the cabinet."

He said that he completed the 2011 budget of his ministry and referred it to the finance minister to include it in the general budget.

Concerning the national dialogue issue, presidency sources stressed to "ad-Diyar" that President Michel Suleiman is on his position regarding the revival of the dialogue table, and to link what was lost between the political leadership in order to alleviate tension in the country and strengthen the climate of calmness to protect the stability of procedure and avoid any escalation in political discourse that would leave negative repercussions on the domestic situation.
 

In an interview with the newspaper, the presidency circles informed that "the President is continuing his contacts with the political leaders to find out a solution to the topic of the dialogue, as well as the mechanisms and methodology to be adopted in approaching this subject."

For his part, "National Struggle Front" leader MP Walid Jumblatt emphasized that dialogue "is our only weapon to bury strife, especially between the Shiites and Sunnis."
 

Source: Lebanese Newspapers