Pictures from Lebanon - Summer of 2008

Who owns Lebanon? | Ya Libnan | Lebanon News Live from Beirut

Who owns Lebanon?

Saturday, 12 April, 2008 @ 4:47 PM

By Ghassan Karam
Special to Ya Libnan
Who owns a country, I mean who is it that really owns a country?

When such a seminal question is raised it is not meant to show an interest in who holds title to property but the question is raised in an effort to get a handle on who in society is empowered to make the important decisions that shape the social, political and economic policies for the state. Who is it that is responsible for the design of the national fabric?

In many parts of the world the above question would be dismissed not because it is not important but because citizens view such a question as being very so elementary that they would be surprised about even the need to ask it. They would regard it as being the epitome of triteness and banality. It would be taken for granted that in the same way that the sun shines every morning the stakeholders, the everyday citizens own the nation and that elected officials are their only to serve the public.

Elected officials are held accountable for every one of their actions and if they cannot deliver on their promises then their term of service will become short indeed. Unfortunately this is not the case in the Arabic speaking world including Lebanon. This is a world where such a question is not raised because to contemplate the possibility of ownership by anyone besides the anointed tribal lords is tantamount to sacrilege.
What is truly disconcerting about this political setup is the daily scenes of the victims praising their victimizers. That is nothing short of feudal societies where the serfs gave everything that they have, including their lives, for the protection of the Lord of the Manor.

The mindless shouts of "By blood, by soul, we sacrifice for you Bashar" is not that much different from the hoodlums in Beirut who roam the street terrorizing neighborhoods because of a 2 minute comedic sketch that made some light hearted fun of their hallowed leader or those that take to the streets in their cars filling the night sky with thousands upon thousands of rounds from their illegal guns just because their tribal leader gave a speech on TV.

It would be easy to blame the Lebanese political class for the huge problems that the country is facing and that would not be wrong. But the real failure in Lebanon, just as well as the rest of the Arab world, is the failure for responsible citizenship to make an appearance. It is time that we, the citizens, wake up and take control of our destiny. The country belongs to us and we have to hold the feet of the politicians to the fire so to speak. Traditional politicians and traditional tribal lords belong to a traditional world that is hanging to life because of our failure to assert ourselves. If Lebanon is to grow and prosper then we, the citizens, must change. The blame for failure rests upon our shoulders more so than the shoulders of our failed politicians. Democracy demands that we become involved, active and that we insist on accountability. If we do not make this transition then the best that we can hope for is a continuation of the current status quo. That would be tragic.

Ghassan Karam welcomes your correspondence at wp.karam@gmail.com

Source: Ya Libnan Exclusive

McCain claims he can drive Hezbollah out of Lebanon | Ya Libnan | Lebanon News Live from Beirut

McCain claims he can drive Hezbollah out of Lebanon

Sunday, 13 April, 2008 @ 6:44 PM

Former alternate U.S. Representative to the United Nations, Walid Maalouf, quoted presidential candidate John McCain as pledging to "drive Hezbollah out of Lebanon."

The pan-Arab daily Asharq al-Awsat also quoted Maalouf, an American citizen of Lebanese descent, as saying President George Bush has promised not to conclude any deals at the expense of the international tribunal that would try suspects in the 2005 assassination of ex-Premier Rafik Hariri.

The newspaper interviewed Maalouf in London on the occasion of publishing his new book on memories in Lebanon prior to immigrating to the United States.

Maalouf said he met McCain during the latter's campaign and he "told me in answering a question: I'll drive Hizbullah out of Lebanon."

McCain's Pledge to Israel

In an interview with the Jerusalem Post during his March trip to Israel, McCain said Hamas, the Islamist movement that runs the Gaza Strip, and Lebanon's Hizbullah, both threaten the interests of the United States and the West in general.

"If Hamas, Hizbullah succeed here, they are going to succeed everywhere," he said.

"They are dedicated to the extinction of everything that the U.S., Israel and the West believe and stand for," he said.

"So America does have an interest in what happens here, far above and beyond our alliance with the State of Israel," the presumptive Republican presidential nominee added.

Sources: Ya Libnan, Naharnet

Lebanon's government needs to grow up

Lebanon's government needs to grow up

By Ghassan Karam,
Special to Ya Libnan

There comes a time in the life of individuals when they pass that very specific stage in life when they are no longer treated as juveniles but as adults who are responsible for the consequences of their acts.

The same is true for nations. Nationhood is a privilege that carries with it immense responsibilities the least of which is the ability to govern and demonstrate a strong commitment to law and order. Unfortunately the current Lebanese government has failed, thus far, to demonstrate that it ought to be treated as an adult.

Some facts are incontrovertible and are clear to all. The Syrian presence in Lebanon has been costly in human, economic, political and social terms. Actually, an argument can be made that Syrian hegemony has robbed the Lebanese state of 30 years of development and has thus contributed to the existence of the dysfunctional state that Lebanon does not feel capable of overcoming. But such an argument must be deemed to be faulty.

The logic for the inability to recognize right from wrong is similar to offering those brought up in poverty and trying circumstances a justification for doing the wrong thing. The reverse should be true. Those that were exploited and those that were taken advantage of must rise above the temptation to get even and have a special obligation to do the right thing. It is easy to take revenge and it is easy to demand a pound of flesh but what is needed is the ability to transcend these primeval, base and sinister motivations. What is needed is the ability to grow up, act responsibly and take a stand for what is just and what is right.

Pan Arabism is your father's ideology, and to expect a toothless Arab League summit to muster the resolve to come up with a solution to what is essentially an internal affair is an exercise in futility. How can we possibly expect outsiders who do not understand the dynamics of the domestic Lebanese crisis to come up with a lasting solution is laughable and boggles the mind. How can we expect autocratic authoritarian regimes to come up with democratic solutions? Do these leaders understand what a democracy is and do they have an interest in nurturing one? Of course not.

We have said this before but it must be said again. The only way to offer a permanent solution to the Lebanese crisis is to have it homegrown and truthful. The Lebanese state cannot withstand half-solutions and meaningless gestures any longer. It is time that we face the hard reality that sectarianism is the problem and that one cannot pretend to be on the side of law and order and yet act against the letter and the spirit of the law.

General Suleiman might be a very capable individual and a committed patriot but he is prevented by the constitution from seeking the office of the presidency. March 14 and others should just cast their votes for someone else. But in order to hold presidential parliamentary deliberations the Chamber of Deputies must be in session and no individual, not even Mr. Berri, should be allowed to hold a nation hostage. He must be removed from office. Mr. Berri does not seem to understand the simple fact that the Chamber of Deputies is a separate branch of government than the cabinet. Even if he is right that the Cabinet is illegitimate then he is obligated to correct that error through parliamentary discussions in an open Chamber of Deputies instead of one whose doors he has ordered padlocked.

The process of presidential elections must be opened to all Lebanese irrespective of sect, gender, national origin or sexual orientation and obviously the presidential elections must not be predicated on the allocation of ministers in the new cabinet or on who the PM designate is to be. And last but not least Hezbollah must not become a party to a project that it opposes. Their place is in the opposition until such time that they can muster enough votes to form the government. All what is needed to resolve the Lebanese impasse is a group of politicians that believe in democracy, trust the people and have the courage to be guided by what is good for the country. If we fail to deal with the above then the long term prospects for a country called Lebanon are dim at best.

Ghassan Karam welcomes your correspondence at wp.karam@gmail.com

Source: Ya Libnan

'Persepolis' banned in Lebanon (Watch it here)

View Trailer here: http://www.sonypictures.com/classics/persepolis/
More movie information here: http://imdb.com/title/tt0808417/
Note: There now are talks that the movie has been unbanned in Lebanon...

Lebanon Nightlife

Syria blocks Facebook in Internet crackdown

By Khaled Yacoub Oweis

DAMASCUS (Reuters) - Syrian users of Facebook said on Friday the authorities had blocked access to the social network Web site as part of a crackdown on political activism on the Internet.

"Facebook helped further civil society in Syria and form civic groups outside government control. This is why it has been banned," women's rights advocate Dania al-Sharif told Reuters.

"They cut off communications between us and the outside world. We are used to this behavior from our government," said Mais al-Sharbaji, who set up a Facebook group for amateur Syrian photographers.

There was no comment form the government, which has intensified a campaign against bloggers, virtual opinion forums and independent media sites in recent months.

Syria has been under emergency rule since the Baath Party took power in a 1963 coup. No public criticism of the party and the powerful security apparatus is allowed. Scores of dissidents have been jailed over the past year.

Thousands in Syrian use Facebook to communicate with relatives and friends abroad. The social network also links groups with political and cultural interests. Syrians who have pages on the site include businessmen with links to the ruling class and pro-government commentators.

Ammar al-Qurabi, head of the National Association for Human Rights, said little independent political content published by Syrians on the Internet is now tolerated.

"We have asked officials and they said Facebook could become a conduit for Israeli penetration of our youth, but the real reason for blocking the forum because it provides for criticism of the authorities," Qurabi said.

"There is now an 'Internet political crimes' ward at one prison. Internet cafes have been required to limit their communications services," said Qurabi.

Activists who have published Internet articles are often summoned for interrogation and several have been arrested. Dozens of sites have been banned for what officials deem as subversive activity.

Even Microsoft Hotmail is regularly blocked. There is no access to scores of newspapers on the Web, such as the Lebanese daily an-Nahar and al-Quds al-Arabi, which is published in London by veteran Palestinian journalist Abdel-Bari Atwan.

The Internet started spreading in Syria only when President Bashar al-Assad succeeded his father, Hafez al-Assad, in 2000. Bashar held the title of head of the Syrian Computer Society before becoming president.

source: Reuters (Fri Nov 23, 2007 4:54pm EST)

Why don't you come back home to Lebanon?

By Dana Fadel,
Special to Ya Libnan
It is “I” and the many Lebanese people who live outside Lebanon who make up the word “Lebanese Immigrants” around the world. Why are we here? Why don’t many of us want to go back home after the 2006 war? Are we exiled?

On the other hand, friends back home enjoy making us feel guilty with their silly claims “Oh! So you’re too good to come back home?” or “You’re American now?” It’s true that we’re still away, lost in translation, living around people who judge us as terrorists and anti-Semitic, pursuing a dull life isolated from any Lebanese flair, and fighting our way to preserve our identity… yet life here is still more manageable than going back home.

How can we go back home if after fifteen years of brutal, unforgivable civil war, fought on our soil, by us and between us, people have not yet learned anything - especially politicians - not a single thing! People still look around your neck for a cross or an “Allah” pendant. New friends ask you online or in your face your religious affiliation. Parents grow seeds of sectarianism in their kid’s hearts and teach them to obey politicians and follow them blindly. Or how about hearing stories of couples that can’t get married just because they are from different religions and don’t support civil marriage?

How can we think of returning when we watch Lebanese cable or read newspapers and all we see is politicians insulting one another and combating to pretend caring more about Lebanon but then go strip us from money? They pretend to fight for Lebanon’s independence when they have sold us previously for couple of greens to our enemies? Worse than that, kids on Facebook already affiliated themselves politically, even racially, quoting whatever they hear a politician pronouncing. The battle turns a kid against another kid, a politician against another politician, a religion against another religion, a city against another city…. leading to rigid pyramid against Lebanon’s independence and power.

We thought of coming back home, it’s the “Lebanon” as a dream that was never turned to reality that ignites a feeling of excitement. The Lebanon we sang of, made movies about, and wrote bestselling novels on. Yet how can we? Everyday the people get poorer and politicians get richer. How weird, right?

Lebanon is under huge debt, more than 40% of Lebanese people are below poverty line and 20% are unemployed. Yet politicians seem to manage to import ‘08 Benzes straight from Stuttgart, and Armani suites - keep in mind a new one for every single conference - overbooked nights in 5 star hotels. How is this considered fair to see people deprived from life and politicians spending their money madly?

I kind of recall we’re all born equally from our elementary Civil Education class. Or is it just the politicians that are allowed to enjoy the 10452 km2 of Lebanon? (If it is truly 10452 km2). Who cares about the people - if politicians are happy we’re delighted, seeing them steal money from our own pockets and pretend to invest it in “Projects propelling towards Lebanon’s Future and Advancement”, when they’re really stocking it on top of the sum of greens they’ve stolen long time ago or leftovers of the money spent on Molotov Cocktails during the Civil War.

The new Lebanese motto shifted sharply from “All for the Country, for the Glory, for the Flag” to “Your wish is my command ya Wazeer, ya Hakeem, ya General, ya Sheikh, ya Sayyed.” We’re promoting anarchist propaganda in a way in Lebanon and yet we call in the name of independence and self-determination Lebanese people are brainwashed to think that we have control over Lebanon’s fate.

Despite of all this, we go to bed hoping for a change, a strike, a revolution one day against the unfairness back home from the bottom of the pyramid. Our Friday and Sunday prayers revolve around Peace in Lebanon and end of Sectarianism. Our New Year’s resolution calls for an awake to reality and to what has been happening to us for years and decades. Some of us, just wish for a political debate between different groups in Lebanon (as if we learned in a civilized way how to not use arms as a way to enforce our ideas); or what about an elected Lebanese President for the people, from the people and by the people? Is that too much to ask for?

source: yalibnan

U.S. Navy warships in the eastern Mediterranean Sea

Naval Gazing

The U.S. Navy this week unveiled a new maritime signal to be used in the Easter Mediterranean.

According to senior White House sources, the message to be conveyed by the signal will be: "stop f*cking with this tiny country".

AP reports,

The U.S. Navy is sending three warships to the eastern Mediterranean Sea in a show of strength during a period of tensions with Syria and political uncertainty in Lebanon.

...

Another military officer, speaking on condition of anonymity because full details about the ship movements are not yet public, said a Navy destroyer, the USS Cole, was headed for patrol in the eastern Mediterranean and that the USS Nassau, an amphibious warship, would be joining it shortly. The officer said a third ship would go later, but he did not identify it.

...

National Security Council spokesman Gordon Johndroe said the deployment of the Cole is meant as "a show of support for regional stability." He added that President Bush is concerned about the situation in Lebanon.

For those of you who might not recall, the USS Cole was the American guided-missile destroyer targetted by terrorists in Yemen back in 2000.

Perhaps it is fitting, then, that it is now being used to send a message to the biggest sponsors of terrorism* in the Levant - the regime in Damascus.

*This word was supposed to provide a link to an article detailing the Syrian regime's involvement with terrorist organisations throughout the Middle East, including [but not limited to]: Fatah al Islam (Lebanon); Ansar Allah (Lebanon); Fatah al Intifada (Lebanon); Jund Al Sham (Lebanon); the PFLP-GC (Lebanon); Al Qaeda in Iraq (Iraq); Hamas (Palestine); Islamic Jihad (Palestine); and, of course, the bouquet of Lebanese groups holding the country's democratic institutions hostage...

...but there were too many to choose from [just Google it for Heaven's sake!]

source: blacksmithsoflebanon

Mike Feghali Prediction in Arabic

توقعات مايك فغالي الخاصة ل "ليبانون فايلز" مطارين في لبنان، وسواد، وازدهار، وزلزال بعد 4 هزات

توقعات مايك فغالي (خاص "ليبانون فايلز") نورد فيما يلي التوقعات التي ادلى بها الاستاذ "مايك فغالي" لموقع ليبانون فايلز حرفياً من دون تصرف او تبويب او زيادة او انقاص، وذلك للحفاظ على المصداقية، وبهدف عدم تحريف اي كلام، اذ اننا في شأن التوقعات لا نعرف كيف نفسر او نقرأ ما هو بين السطور، ولربما ما لم نره بين السطور اهم مما في السطور. مايك فغالي تنبأ بالكثير وصح معه الكثير، فهو لا يرغب بالمال ولا بالمقابل، اعطاه الله قدرة فأراد تسخيرها دون مقابل لخير الانسان. التقيته في منزله المتواضع لأجد الرجل الكبير الذي يعرف الكثير متواضيع، يرد على الجميع بكل محبة واحترام، ورغبة في المساعدة عله يطمئن الانسان قليلاً لمستقبل افضل في هذا الزمن الرديء. وهذا ما ما قاله مايك فغالي ل "ليبانون فايلز" بالحرف: ـ لبنان قادم على مرحلة مهمة جداً خلال العام 2008 بالرغم من أن هناك إغتيالات مهمة ستحصل ـ مجلس النواب يتعرض لأحداث أو مشاكل ـ إعتداءات تحصل ومنها سبق أن ذكرته، كما جرى مع النائب وائل أبو فاعور خلال إحتفال 14 شباط حين تعرض مرافقوه للإعتداء ـ توقعت إغتيال أحد كبار كوادر "حزب الله" خارج الأراضي اللبنانية ـ الهزات الأرضية التي وقعت، وسبق أن ذكرت بأن كل هزة تتبعها ثلاث هزات ترددية وهذا ما جرى. توقعت وقوع 4 هزات أساسية الى الآن وقعت إثنتان ويبقى هزتان تقعان قريباً يتبعهما بفترة زمنية ليست بقصيرة زلزال مما يعرض لبنان لضرر كبير، لأن أحد المعالم السياحية الذي يعتبر "الأشهر" يتعرض للدمار. ـ البحر يأخذ مكانه، مد بحري في مرافق الخليج العربي تأثيراته لا تصل الى لبنان ـ بين عامي 2009 ـ 2010 كاقصى حد ستحصل مفاوضات لخروج أحد من شمال إسرائيل، لبنان هو من سيضرب شمال إسرائيل وأتمنى ان يكون الأمين العام لـ "حزب الله" السيد حسن نصرالله موجوداًً ليحتفل بالنصر. ـ إزدهار كبير جداً في وسط بيروت، ولكن بيروت سوف تتعرض لخضة أكبر من التي مرت بها ومن ثم تكون عاصمة العالم ـ لا حرب أهلية إنما مناوشات، منطقة تدخل الى منطقة اخرى ولكن ليس بشكل حربي ـ أرى مطار بيروت مقفل لفترة، ربما لساعة أو لأيام ـ في المستقبل القريب سيكون لدينا مطاران إضافة الى مطار بيروت ـ فيما يتعلق برئاسة الجمهورية: عندما كان الرئيس لحود في سدة الرئاسة توقعت أن الرئيس المقبل سوف يكون من المدرسة العسكرية وأحد أحرف إسمه "ي" وإذا حذف حرف يكون إسم "إميل". وعندها تم اقتراح إسم العماد ميشال سليمان للرئاسة، إذا حذف منه حرف "ي" يصبح "إميل" ـ هناك أكثر من إسم سوف يطرح من جديد للرئاسة، ولكنني ما زلت على ما توقعي: حرف الـ "ي" ظاهر في اسم الرئيس، حرف الـ "ن" موجود، والرئيس المقبل سيكون من المدرسة العسكرية ـ الوضع الإقتصادي رائع جداً في لبنان، حاكم مصرف لبنان ينال شهادات ومراكز عالمية ـ أحد اللبنانيين المعروفين يدخل الى الأمم المتحدة من الباب العريض ـ شهر 11 لبنان سيدخل الى الفاتيكان من الباب العريض ولمرتين. حالياً هناك تكريم طوباوي، والدخلة الثانية ستكون من خلال منح أعلى وسام من الفاتيكان الى شخصية لبنانية ـ البطريرك صفير في خطر، أرى سواداً كبيراً يحيط به ـ مجلس النواب سوف يرتدي الأسود لأكثر من مرة ـ الصحافة اللبنانية أيضاً ترتدي الأسود ـ LBC ترتدي الأسود ـ الحدود بين لبنان وسوريا سوف تقفل، وسوريا سيكون لها سفارة في لبنان المباحثات بهذا الشأن ستبدأ هذا العام ويبدا التطبيق على ألأرض. ـ حدود جديدة ستفتح بين سوريا وبلدان أخرى. ـ إيران تتخلى عن سوريا في اللحظة الأخيرة. ـ فضيحة كبيرة بشأن المعتقلين اللبنانيين في السجون السورية ـ سمير القنطار من اليوم والى 11 شهراً كحد كأقصى يكون في لبنان . ولكن السؤال: هل سوف يدخل مرابعة أم سيراً على الأقدام ؟... ـ خطر صحي كبير يتعرض له العماد ميشال عون أثناء تواجده على أحد المنابر خلال مؤتمر صحافي أو أثناء إلقائه خطاب أو قسم يمين. ـ الدكتور سمير جعجع يتعرض لمحاولة إغتيال فاشلة، ولكن الخطر هو على ستريدا جعجع. ـ خطر كبير جداً على أنطوان زهرا. ـ خيانة داخلية داخل "القوات اللبنانية"، دون أن تشرذمها. ـ أتمنى أن يكون السيد حسن نصرالله موجوداً ساعة نصر لبنان، لبنان لن يرى حسن نصرالله ثاني لما بعد 500 سنة. ـ الرئيس فؤاد السنيورة يباع ولن يشترى، هو إنسان حساس، شاعر، عذب يكتب الشعر ويلقيه، ولكن هناك معارضة داخل الموالاة سوف تنشأ ولكنه يباع ولن يشترى. ـ خطر كبير على إحدى المراكز الرئاسية الثلاث ـ النائب وليد جنبلاط تخطى مرحلة الهالة السوداء وأصبح الآن ضمنها، أرى إبنه تيمور واقفاً الى جانبه يساعده في أمور الحزب ـ النائب سعد الحريري يعتزل السياسة، وإمرأة من آل الحريري تستلم زمام الأمور ـ مشاكل عائلية ضمن آل الحريري ـ صدمة كبرى للعالم في اكتشاف الحقيقة ـ خسارة في البورصة وخسارة في سوليدير لآل الحريري ـ جبران باسيل يستلم زمام الأمور في "التيار الوطني الحر" ـ تغيير كوادر مهمة جداً على صعيد وزراء على صعيد أركان داخل "تيار المستقبل" ـ إحدى السفارات سوف تكتظ بالعالم من حولها، من خلال مظاهرة او هجوم او إعتراض على قرار معين. ـ طريق المطار تقفل بحشد من العالم. ـ مطار بيروت يستقبل أكثر من جثة ـ أميركا تتعرض لإرهاب لم تشهد مثيلاً له من قبل ـ فرنسا يصل الإرهاب فيها الى برج إيفيل دون أن يهدمه ـ فضيحة كبرى في القصر الملكي في بريطانيا ـ مصر:عهد الدكتاتورية ينتهي فيها عام 2009 ـ مطللع عام 2010 إمرأة تحكم مصر ـ الملف النووي الإيراني يصل الى تسوية بعد غياب أحمدي نجاد ـ إسرائيل الى زوال . عام 2006 توقعت إجتياح إسرائيلي على لبنان إنما فاشل، وقلت أنه ما من شيء إسمه إسرائيل أو فلسطين إنما دولتين في بلد واحد وتحت إسم واحد ـ معمر القذافي في خطر ـ بارويز مشرف لن يبقى طويلاً ـ فضائح كبري تطال قصر الإليزيه والرئيس ساركوزي ـ إيران تدخل على خط الإمارات، الإمارات تتشرذم ولن تبقى إمارات متحدة بل تصبح دويلات وممالك. ـ قطر: صعود ـ دبي: تراوح مكانها ـ السعودية تشهد محاولتي إرهاب ومن ثم يحصل فيها عمل إجرامي كبير ـ تركيا: بحر من دم ـ سوريا: إنقلابات متتالية لا تنجح ولكن الإنقلاب الأخير ينجح ويتغير النظام قريباً. ـ العراق : يقسم الى أربع دول ـ ظواهر عجائبية تحصل في لبنان حتى يؤمن العالم بأن الله ما زال موجوداً وعينه على لبنان ـ المفاجأة الكبيرة أن الفن والسياسية سوف يلتقيان. لسبب واحد وهو أن أحد رجال الدين يدخل معترك السياسة، واحد رجال السياسة يدخل في الفن من الباب العريض ـ لبنان يصبح جنة للعالم كله ـ أرى منطقة في العالم غارقة بشكل كبير حمام دم يهبط عليها من السماء ـ الطيران الإسرئيلي سوف يبلى بخسارة مرعبة ولعنة كبرى ـ لبنان سوف يصبح من أروع دول المنطقة وعام 2009 سيبدأ العمل على موضوع البترول في لبنان، وسيسدد كل ديونه ـ قضية المهجرين الفلسطينيين لن تحلّ ـ أرى حرب مخيمات ولكن الجيش يتمكن من السيطرة على الوضع ـ تغييرات كبرى جداً في صفوف الجيش عناصر كبيرة سوف تدخل اليه ـ أرى "حزب الله" ضمن الجيش اللبناني ـ سبق أن تحدثت عن خطاب للسيد نصرالله في شهر شباط يبكي الموالاة والمعارضة وهذا ما حدث. الخطاب الأخير للسيد حسن أبكى البعض رعباً وأبكى البعض حزناً ـ شاكر العبسي: في مقابلة تلفزيونية ليلة رأس السنة توقعت أن يظهر شاكر العبسي قريباً الى العلن ويطلق تصريحاًُ يهدد فيه لبنان والجيش اللبناني، وخلال 4 أيام ظهر. له دور ولكنه لم ينفذ بعد، وهذه هي السنة الأخيرة لأسامة بن لادن لأن دوره انتهى والان بدأ دور شاكر العبسي. ـ سيناريو أميركي لتحرير الجولان. بعد إعتداء إسرائيلي على سوريا تتحرك جبهة الجولان لتسترد سورياً قطعة من أرضها ومن ثم تؤجر الجولان كاملاً لإسرائيل. ـ أرى سمير جعجع في البرلمان، إتفاقيات جديدة وإمضاء أوراق جديدة، تحالفات جديدة وفك تحالفات قديمة ـ أمور مهمة جداً تنتظر آل فرنجية التي سوف تتصدر الصحف في لبنان على أثر شيء معين ومن ثم سليمان فرنجية يدخل الى عالم السياسة من الباب العريض ـ شمال لبنان سيكون في حالة حداد، بيروت في حالة حداد، الجنوب حالة حداد ـ الهزات لم تنته بعد في صيدا وصور "الله يستر من اللجايي"