Word: lebanon
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: all
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
JOHN BOLTON, U.S. Ambassador to the U.N., on the draft resolution that the U.S. and France agreed on last week, calling for a full cessation of hostilities in Lebanon...
...result, Iraqis have little time for other people's tragedies. The news from Lebanon has dominated Arab channels like al-Jazeera in recent weeks, but it hasn't resonated much with Iraqis. Politicians, especially Shi'ite leaders with ties to Iran, have issued predictable broadsides against Israel; some, like the radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, have blamed the U.S. too. He orchestrated a large pro-Hizballah demonstration in his Sadr City stronghold last week--a protest against the bombing in Lebanon but also a piece of political theater designed to showcase the strength of his support (and a response...
...positive side, however, the Lebanese army seems to be recovering its independence after the 15 years of Syrian domination. Although the Defense Minister, Elias Murr, is sometimes allied with Lebanon's pro-Syrian president, Emile Lahoud, there has been an extensive purge of pro-Syrian officers in the past year, according to Kahwaji. That's been especially true in military intelligence, often the most political - and powerful - branch of Arab militaries...
...France and the U.S. are currently butting heads over the sequencing of a peace process - Lebanon's view, requiring a deal with Hizballah as a precondition for deployment, appears to be closer to that of France - and the outcome of that debate may be dictated by events on the battlefield...
...Even with extensive modification, of course, the Lebanese army is unlikely to be a match for its more powerful neighbors, Israel and Syria. "We are a small country and we have to rely on international agreements to protect ourselves," said Gen. Ismail. But international treaties and allies have failed Lebanon in the past. And with the international community still refraining from imposing an immediate cease-fire, many Lebanese continue to look to Hizballah as their only defense against the Israeli invader...