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Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Lebanese cabinet approves wage increase
Beirut- The Lebanese cabinet met yesterday
and approved the proposed wage increase . Lebanon's Finance
Minister Mohammed Shatah said the government will raise salaries
of private and public sector employees by 200,000 Lebanese pounds
or US$133 a month.Shatah also said the minimum wage has been
raised from 300, 000 Lebanese pounds or US$200 to 500, 000
Lebanese pounds or US$333 a month
Retirement salaries will be raised by 150, 000 Lebanese pounds or
US$100 a month.
Shatah said the new wage increase is effective November 1, 2008
but is retroactive to May 1, 2008.
Labor
unions have been demanding a higher raise saying that US$133 raise
is not enough at a time when consumer prices have risen sharply
since the beginning of the year.
Mr Ghosn, the Labor Union president told As Safir newspaper that
the Union will call a meeting of its Executive Board to determine
its position regarding the minimum wage increase.
Fady Abboud, the president of the Lebanese Industrialists
Association told "Voice of Lebanon": "The general trend in the
public sector is not to implement the cabinet resolution regarding
the wage increase because it contradicts with international trade
agreements signed by Lebanon"
Shatah told the press last night that the new wage increase is
bound to increase the Lebanese government debt. Lebanon is one of
the most heavily indebted nation based on GNP . Shatah also stated
that there will not be a VAT increase in 2009
Thursday, July 08,2008
Hariri files suit against four suspects in father's killing
Future parliamentary bloc leader MP Saad Hariri filed a legal suit
Monday against suspects in the killing of his father, former
Premier Rafik Hariri, who was assassinated in 2005, in a bomb
blast in Beirut. The case was filed by lawyer Mohammad Mattar, who
is representing Hariri, at Examining Magistrate Saqr Saqr's
office.
The claim accused four suspects, including arrested generals Jamil
al-Sayyed of General Security, Ali al-Hajj from the Internal
Security Forces, Mustafa Hamdan of the Presidential Guards and
Raymond Azar of military intelligence, of premeditating Hariri's
assassination and designing the explosives.
The claim also said accomplices, executors and any other
participant in the crime must be legally punished. The claim
adopted all the resolutions taken by public prosecution, the
examining magistrate's decisions as well as the International
Investigation Commission's releases.
Sources
said Hariri's legal suit came after the Lebanese judicial system
received new information and documents concerning the killing from
the International Investigation Commission. Sources added that the
new data was very precise and helpful to the Lebanese
investigations.
In addition, Saqr questioned three new witnesses in the Hariri
case Sunday.
 Friday,
April 04, 2008
Chemical weapons watchdog group urges holdout countries to join
treaty
The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical
Weapons (OPCW) Friday called on
12 countries, including Syria, Iraq, Egypt and Lebanon, to join
the 1997
Chemical Weapons Convention
(CWC) as the organization prepared to hold a review conference
next week. So far,
183 countries
[OPCW list] have joined the treaty, which prohibits the use or
undeclared storage of chemical weapons by member nations. The CWC
required that banned weapons, including nerve and mustard gases,
be destroyed by June 2007, though countries may apply for a
five-year extension. .
Last fall, Iraqi President Jalal Talabani said
Iraq would join the treaty
. Several Arab countries have so far refused to accede to the CWC
because Israel has not signed the treaty on the
Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons
. Israel is one of six countries
[OPCW list] that have signed the CWC but not yet ratified it
Thursday,
December 27, 2007
Lebanon legislators call for constitutional change to fill vacant
presidency
Leading legislators from Lebanon's majority
party were expected to file a petition in parliament Thursday
seeking a constitutional amendment to allow
Gen. Michel Suleiman
to become president of Lebanon. Under the current Lebanese constitution
[text, in French], the presidency cannot be held by a sitting military
commander . Anti-Syrian and
pro-Syrian members of Lebanon's parliament have been unable to
reach agreement on who will replace former Lebanon leader Emile
Lahoud, who left office
at the end of his term on November 23 without a successor in
place. The petition calls for a "one time" amendment to fill the
immediate presidential vacancy, and comes three days after the
government
presented a draft law to parliament
proposing the same constitutional
amendment. The draft cannot become law unless the Lebanese
parliament approves it, and parliament speaker Nabih Berri has
said he will not consider draft legislation from an "illegitimate"
government.
Lahoud purported to declare a "state of emergency" and hand
security responsibility to the army in a vaguely worded statement
issued just before leaving office. The emergency was immediately
rejected by the government of Prime Minister Fouad Siniora, which
noted through a spokesman that Lebanon's constitution did not
permit the president to declare a state of emergency without
obtaining the approval of the government under Article 65. Article
62 moreover provides that presidential powers revert to the
government if the office of president falls vacant.
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
Lebanon sentences two for attempted mass murder in German train
terror plot
A Lebanese court handed down sentences Tuesday for two defendants
convicted of attempted mass murder for their role in a 2006
plot to blow up trains in Germany.
Youssef al-Haj Deeb, currently in custody in Germany, was
sentenced in absentia to life in prison and Jihad Hamad was
sentenced to 12 years in prison. Three other defendants out of an
initial six charged
in September 2006 were found not guilty.
Hamad confessed to participation in the bomb plot, but said that
the bombs were meant to cause fear, not kill people. He said the
planned bombings were in reaction to cartoons featuring the Prophet Muhammad,
first published in Denmark in 2005 and then republished in several
newspapers around the world. The terrorists involved in the plot
planted bombs inside suitcases which were left on trains at the
Cologne station; investigations show that the detonators went off
but failed to ignite the bombs.
Saturday, December 08, 2007
Lebanon
presidency deal hits constitutional roadblock
An emerging deal to select a new Lebanese
president ran into a roadblock Friday as political factions in
Lebanon's parliament failed to agree on mechanisms for changing a
problematic constitutional provision. The favored candidate to
replace now ex-president Emile Lahoud is Gen. Michel Suleiman,
but under the present Lebanese constitution the presidency cannot be held by a sitting
military commander. Anti-Syrian and pro-Syrian groups in
parliament disagree on how to address the problem: the pro-Syrian
groups refuse to endorse any government-sponsored amendment to the
constitution as they feel such an endorsement would be seen as a legitimation of the anti-Syrian government of Prime Minister Fouad
Siniora, and supporters of Siniora do not want to leave the matter
to parliament generally as they fear that would weaken Sinoria's
already somewhat marginal position.
Lahoud purported to declare a "state of emergency" and hand
security responsibility to the army November 23 in a
vaguely worded statement
issued just before leaving office at midnight that day at the end
of his term without an elected successor in place. The emergency
was immediately rejected by the the Siniora government, which
noted through a spokesman that Lebanon's constitution did not
permit the president to declare a state of emergency without
obtaining the approval of the government under Article 65. Its
Article 62 moreover provides that presidential powers revert to
the government if the office of president falls vacant.
Friday,
November 23, 2007
Lebanon slides into constitutional crisis as president ends term
without successor
Lebanon slid into constitutional crisis
Friday as pro-Syrian President Emile Lahoud purported to declare a "state of emergency" and
hand security responsibility to the army in a vaguely worded
statement issued just before leaving office midnight at the end of
his term without an elected successor in place. Earlier Friday,
anti-Syrian and pro-Syrian factions in Lebanon's parliament failed
in a last-ditch effort to agree on a new president and postponed
for a fifth time a planned session to formally elect a candidate,
who under Lebanon's
constitution
[text, in French] must be a Maronite Christian.
Lahoud's emergency was immediately rejected by the government of
Prime Minister Fouad Siniora, who noted through a spokesman that
Lebanon's constitution did not permit the president to declare a
state of emergency without obtaining the approval of the
government under
Article 65 Its
Article 62 moreover provides that presidential powers revert to the
government if the office of president falls vacant. Lahoud,
however, has long considered the Senoria government itself
unconstitutional
after six pro-Syrian Shiite ministers quit the cabinet late last
year.
Friday, October 12, 2007
UN SG appoints panel
to select judges for Special Tribunal for Lebanon
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said Friday that he would
appoint Judge Mohamed Amin El Mahdi, Judge Erik Mose and Nicolas Michel to the selection panel that will recommend the judges and chief
prosecutor for the new Special Tribunal for Lebanon ]. El Mahdi has served on the International Criminal Tribunal for
the former Yugoslavia, Mose is a presiding judge with the International Criminal
Tribunal for Rwanda and Michel is currently the UN legal counsel and
under-secretary-general for legal affairs. The selection panel will recommend
four Lebanese judges, seven international judges and the tribunal's chief
prosecutor to Ban, who will make final appointments.
The UN Security Council unilaterally established the tribunal
in May after a divided Lebanese government failed to agree on a proposal. The
tribunal will
investigate and try
suspects in the assassination of former Lebanese prime minister Rafiq Hariri in
2005 as well as in 17 other attempted and successful political assassinations in
Lebanon
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
Netherlands invites UN to finalize hosting details for Hariri tribunal
The Dutch government has invited UN representatives to discuss final
arrangements for the UN Special Tribunal for Lebanon it has
agreed to host to
try suspects for the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri
,
Dutch Foreign Minister Maxime Verhagen
said Monday in a letter to the Dutch parliament . The UN delegation will help determine the specific
location and costs of the tribunal, and where suspects will be imprisoned if
convicted. Last week, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon said that he will appoint judges to the tribunal
as soon as sufficient funding for the tribunal is in place, supposedly by the
end of 2007. Ban estimates that the tribunal will cost $120 million over three
years, and expects the UN to secure $35 million in funds for the first year of
operation by the end of this year, along with an additional $85 million in
pledges to cover the next two years. Ban said that he has already taken
preliminary steps on the selection of international and Lebanese judges, and
that he hopes to announce the names of judges to sit on the tribunal by the end
of the year.
The UN Security Council unilaterally established the tribunal
in May after a divided Lebanese government failed to agree on a proposal. The
tribunal will also
investigate and
possibly try suspects in 17 other attempted and successful political
assassinations in Lebanon.
Thursday,
September 06, 2007
HRW denounces
'indiscriminate' Israeli airstrikes in 2006 Lebanon conflict
Indiscriminate airstrikes" by Israel were
responsible for the majority of civilian casualties during the summer 2006 Lebanon conflict
, according to a
249-page report
issued Thursday by Human Rights Watch (HRW)
. HRW investigated about 500 of the reported 900 civilian
deaths. Its report specifically refutes Israeli assertions that civilian
casualties were due to Hezbollah forces
using human shields. HRW Executive Director Kenneth Roth said that Israel did
not abide by its legal duty to distinguish between military and civilian targets
and issued insufficient evacuation warnings.
Last month in another
report, HRW condemned Hezbollah for
recklessly and sometimes intentionally firing rockets at Israeli civilian
targets during the brief struggle, which essentially ended in a standoff.
Thursday, September
06, 2007
UN to appoint judges to Hariri tribunal by year-end
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon on Wednesday said that he will appoint judges
to the UN Special Tribunal for Lebanon as soon as sufficient funding for the tribunal is in place by the
end of 2007. The secretary-general estimates that the tribunal, established to
investigate the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri
, will cost $120 million over three years. Ban expects the UN to secure $35
million in funds for the first year of operation by the end of this year, along
with an additional $85 million in pledges to cover the next two years. Ban said
that he has already taken preliminary steps on the selection of international
and Lebanese judges, and that he hopes to announce the names of judges to sit on
the tribunal by the end of the year.
The UN Security Council unilaterally established the tribunal
UN News
report in May after a
divided Lebanese government failed to agree on a proposal. The tribunal will
also
investigate and
possibly try suspects in 17 other attempted and successful political
assassinations in Lebanon. In August, the Netherlands agreed to host the tribunal Tribunal.
Monday, June 11,
2007
Lebanon panel
nominating judges for Hariri tribunal
Lebanon's Supreme Judicial Council convened Monday to
discuss the nomination of 12 Lebanese judges to be considered by UN
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon for appointment to the Special Tribunal for Lebanon , established under UN Security Council
Resolution 1757 [PDF
text] to investigate and try suspects in the February 2005 assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri
. The tribunal will include four Lebanese judges, one of whom will serve in the
trial chamber with two international judges, two in the appellate chamber with
three international judges, and a single judge will be reserved as an alternate.
Ban will select the four Lebanese judges from the list submitted by the Supreme
Judicial Council, which is normally responsible for judicial appointments,
disciplinary actions, and other personnel decisions. Other details surrounding
the tribunal, including where the court will be located and where suspects will
be detained, remain unresolved.
Lebanese National Assembly speaker Nabih Berri has
criticized the
Security Council's unilateral establishment of the Hariri tribunal as an
infringement of Lebanese sovereignty and an impediment of the reconciliation
process in
Lebanon . The resolution
circumvented the Lebanese National Assembly at the
request of
Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora
[BBC profile] after Siniora said that "all possible means" to ratify a
UN tribunal proposal
in the National Assembly had failed. The controversial proposal, also opposed by
pro-Syrian Lebanese President Emile Lahoud , has been a source of major disagreement in Lebanon's deeply
sectarian political arena. The Lebanese cabinet approved a draft plan for the
tribunal last November despite the resignation of all pro-Syrian cabinet members
from the militant
Hezbollah and
Amal Movement [party
website, in Arabic]. Reports from a UN commission probing Hariri's death have implicated Syrian officials in the assassination
and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has said that Syria will reject
"any cooperation requested from Syria that compromises national sovereignty."
Wednesday,
May 30, 2007
UN
Security Council narrowly approves Hariri tribunal for Lebanon
The
UN Security Council Wednesday
approved
a resolution to establish an ad hoc international tribunal to investigate
and try suspects in the February 2005 assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri
. The move passed in a 10-0 vote, with China, Russia, Indonesia, Qatar and South
Africa abstaining; nine votes were required for passage. The abstaining nations
objected in part to the resolution's establishment under Chapter VII of the UN Charter , which allows for military enforcement if necessary.
Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora earlier this month sent a letter to
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon ] formally requesting that the UN unilaterally establish the
tribunal, as "all possible means" to ratify an agreement to set up the tribunal
had failed within the Lebanese parliament; Ban supported Siniora's position
despite a preference for Lebanese ratification. The five abstaining nations also
voiced reluctance to encroach on Lebanon's sovereignty by ratifying the tribunal
agreement on its behalf. Unless first ratified by the Lebanese parliament, the
tribunal agreement reached between UN negotiators and Siniora will come into
force on June 10. AP has
more.
The controversial proposal, supported by Siniora but
opposed by
pro-Syrian
Lebanese President Emile Lahoud
[official profile], has been a source of major disagreement in Lebanon's deeply
sectarian political arena. Pro-Syrian speaker of the National Assembly Nabih Berri opposes the Hariri tribunal and has refused to convene the National
Assembly to prevent ratification. Lahoud responded to Siniora's letter by saying
his appeal to the Security Council "would imply a full bypass of the
constitutional mechanisms in Lebanon" and would "hamper the court's judicial
capacities to hold an impartial trial."
Thursday, May 03, 2007
'No progress' on
Hariri tribunal: top UN lawyer
UN Undersecretary-General for Legal Affairs Nicolas Michel has been unable to break a deadlock within the Lebanese
government preventing approval of an international tribunal to try suspects in
the 2005 assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri
, Michel told the UN Security Council Wednesday. Michel traveled to Lebanon last
month in an effort to revitalize the ratification process of an
agreement to
establish the tribunal. The agreement has been approved by the Lebanese cabinet,
but Lebanon's pro-Syrian parliamentary speaker Nabih Berri has refused to
convene parliament, preventing the ratification of the agreement. Michel said
Wednesday that he
saw "no progress" [press
briefing summary;
recorded video], despite
the fact that both the government and opposition have expressed support, in
principle, for the tribunal. According to Michel, "the main issue was not the
tribunal, but the Government's composition."
The Security Council could establish the tribunal under
Chapter VII of the UN Charter [text], which
would require Lebanon's compliance, but Michel refused to confirm plans to do so
Wednesday.
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
Top UN lawyer urges
Hariri tribunal approval on Lebanon visit
UN
Under-Secretary-General for Legal Affairs Nicholas Michel promised Tuesday that a
tribunal to try
suspects in the
<assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri
would be established, despite disagreement among Lebanese leaders.
In February, the UN and Lebanon reached an agreement to establish
an international tribunal, but its implementation has been delayed
in Lebanon's deeply fragmented parliament. Lebanon's pro-Syrian
parliamentary speaker Nabih Berri
[official profile] of the mostly Shi'a Amal Movement has refused to convene parliament,
preventing the ratification of the agreement. Michel said that
while many UN Security Council members still want Lebanon to fully
approve the tribunal, the Council may establish the tribunal
independent of formal Lebanese approval. Michel also added that
even after adopting the legal basis for the tribunal, it may take
up to an year for it to become operational. UN Secretary-General
Ban Ki-moon
sent Michel to Lebanon to
revitalize the ratification process of the tribunal.
Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora and the anti-Syrian government have
urged the UN to establish a tribunal
over the objections of the country's pro-Syrian opposition, which
also includes Lebanese President Emile Lahoud . Hariri's assassination provoked an uproar in
Lebanon and amongst the international community against the Syrian
presence in Lebanon. The populist response, often referred to as
the
Cedar Revolution , crossed Lebanon's traditional sectarian lines and
culminated in the withdrawal of Syrian troops from the country.
Saturday, April 14,
2007
Top UN lawyer to push for Hariri tribunal on Lebanon visit
UN
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon
announced [statement]
Friday that he is dispatching UN
Under-Secretary-General for Legal Affairs Nicholas Michel
[official profile] to assist the Lebanese government and "the country's other
political leaders to end their political impasse and set up a special tribunal
as soon as possible" to bring the suspected plotters behind the high-profile
assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik
Hariri archive]. In February, the UN and
Lebanon reached an agreement to establish the
international Hariri tribunal
, however, its implementation has been delayed in Lebanon's deeply fragmented
parliament. Lebanon's pro-Syrian parliamentary speaker Nabih Berri of the mostly Shi'a
Amal Movement
[party website, in Arabic] has refused to convene parliament, preventing the
ratification of the agreement.
Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora and the anti-Syrian majority in the Lebanese parliament have
urged the UN to establish a tribunal
over the objections of the country's pro-Syrian opposition, which also includes Lebanese President Emile Lahoud . Ban has stated that it is too soon to establish a tribunal
by a UN Security Council mandate, but that he hopes to construct a consensus
within the Lebanese government. Hariri's assassination provoked an uproar in
Lebanon and amongst the international community against the Syrian presence in
Lebanon. The populist response, often referred to as the
Cedar Revolution, crossed Lebanon's traditional sectarian lines and culminated in
the withdrawal of Syrian troops from the country.
Wednesday,
April 11, 2007
Lebanon PM asks
UN to mandate Hariri tribunal
Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora Wednesday sent a letter to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon asking the
UN to establish a
tribunal to
investigate the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri
. The anti-Syrian majority in the Lebanon parliament
last week over the objections of the country's pro-Syria opposition. Parliament
speaker Nabih Berri , a Syrian ally and opposition leader, has refused to allow a
parliamentary vote on the tribunal until the idea is approved by
President Emile Lahoud
[official website], another pro-Syria politician. The President and the
opposition say they agree to the tribunal in principle, but insist that some
might use the investigation for what they term "political ends."
The UN tribunal proposal was
approved last
November by a divided cabinet, but Lahoud has
refused to sign off
on it. Ban said last week that it is too soon to establish a tribunal by UN
Security Council mandate. Instead, he hopes to build a consensus within the
Lebanese government.
Friday, April 06,
2007
UN lawyer to discuss Hariri tribunal delay with Lebanon parliament speaker
UN Legal Counsel Nicolas Michel
will meet with
Lebanese parliament speaker Nabih Berri about the latter's efforts at stalling the establishment of
an international tribunal to probe the
2005 assassination
of
former Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri
[official website], UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon told reporters Thursday. Earlier this week the anti-Syrian majority in the Lebanese
parliament
approved a petition
asking Ki-moon to mandate a tribunal. The UN signed a
tribunal agreement
with Lebanon in February, but Berri, a Syrian ally, has refused to allow a vote
to ratify the tribunal agreement until the idea is approved by President Emile Lahoud , another pro-Syria politician. Both the President and the
speaker cite concerns that some might use the investigation for "political
ends." Berri has asked to meet with Michel in conferences hosted by Saudi Arabia
as a way of working around the deadlock.
Ki-moon has expressed hope for building a consensus in the Lebanese government,
and said he would prefer to not mandate a tribunal. Hariri and 22 others were
killed in a massive explosion on the Beirut waterfront. Syria is widely believed
to have been involved.
Tuesday, April 03, 2007
Lebanon parliament petitions UN to mandate Hariri tribunal
The anti-Syrian majority in the
Lebanon parliament
on Tuesday approved a petition asking
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to create a
tribunal to
investigate the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri
. Members of the parliamentary majority say that Syria was responsible for the
assassination and that its allies in the Lebanese government are stalling the
investigation. Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, a Syrian ally and opposition
leader, has refused to allow a vote on the tribunal until the idea is approved
by President Emile Lahoud
[official website], another pro-Syria politician. The President and the
opposition say they agree to the tribunal in principle, but worry that some
might use the investigation for political ends.
Lebanon's current tribunal proposal was >
approved last
November by a divided cabinet, but Lahoud has
refused to sign off
on the proposal. For his part, Ki-moon said last week that it is too soon to
construct a tribunal by UN Security Council mandate. Instead, he hopes to build
a consensus within the Lebanese government.
Saturday, February
10, 2007
Ex-Lebanon
president urges assembly approval of Hariri tribunal
Former Lebanese president Amin Gemayel has urged the
Lebanese National Assembly
to ratify a
UN-approved agreement
that would create an
international tribunal [
to try suspects accused of assassinating former Lebanese Prime Minister
Rafik Hariri . The
controversial agreement, supported by
Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora
but
opposed by
pro-Syrian
Lebanese President Emile Lahoud
[official profile], has been a source of major disagreement in Lebanon's deeply
sectarian political arena. The pro-Syrian speaker of the National Assembly,
Nabih Berri , opposes the Hariri tribunal and has refused to convene the assembly to
prevent ratification.
In November, the Lebanese cabinet
approved a draft plan
despite the resignation of all six pro-Syrian members from the militant
Hezbollah and
Amal movement . In the same month, the UN Security Council
approved a request
from Siniora for the
UN International Independent Investigation Commission
[Security Council Resolution 1595 text;
materials] to also
investigate the murder of Gemayel's son, Lebanese Industry Minister Pierre
Gemayel. Pierre Gemayel was a vocal critic of Syrian intervention in Lebanese
affairs.
Sunday,
January 28, 2007
Israeli
use of US-made cluster bombs may have violated arms export laws
[The White House plans to tell Congress on Monday that Israel's
use of US-made cluster munitions [FAS backgrounder; Cluster
Munition Coalition advocacy website] in southern Lebanon last year
may have violated several decades-old agreements requiring that
the weapons only be used against clearly defined military targets
or the Arms Export Control Act [text], which authorizes use of the
weapons only for self-defense, the New York Times reported Sunday.
The US State Department opened an investigation into
Israel's use of the weapons in August. US officials, however, say
it is unlikely that US President George W. Bush will impose
sanctions on Israel for such a violation. The State Department's
Directorate of Defense Trade Controls [official website] began
investigating Israel's use of cluster bombs in Southern Lebanon in
August 2006.
In July 2006, Human Rights Watch accused Israel [press release] of
using cluster grenades in an attack on a Hezbollah village in
south Lebanon, allegations which Israeli officials have denied .
Cluster munitions are considered by many to be inaccurate weapons
designed to spread damage indiscriminately and could therefore be
considered illegal[backgrounder] under multiple provisions of
Protocol I of
the Geneva Conventions of 1977
Saturday,
December 02, 2006
UN
rights panel recommends Israel pay reparations for Lebanon damages
A UN Human Rights Council commission of inquiry has
recommended that Israel be made to compensate Lebanon for
damages the Israeli military inflicted during the 33-day conflict
in the Middle East . Specifically, the panel recommended that the
Council create "a commission competent to examine individual
claims" of citizens and "examine issues of reparations." The
Commission of Inquiry made its recommendation to the Council based
on its findings that Israel's actions during the conflict were
"disproportionate and indiscriminatory" and that they also used
prohibited munitions , especially during the last few days of the
conflict.
Both Israel and the United States objected strongly to the panel's
report, with Israel referring to it as "rife with imbalances and
misrepresentation." Both countries claimed the report diminished
the severity of the attacks on Israel staged by Hezbollah from
villages in southern Lebanon
Tuesday,
November 14, 2006
Lebanon cabinet approves Hariri tribunal amidst political
uncertainty
Lebanon's cabinet approved a UN draft proposal for an
international judicial tribunal to try suspects in the February
2005 assassination of former Lebanese prime minister Rafik Hariri
but six pro-Syrian cabinet members have resigned since Sunday,
possibly rendering the cabinet decision invalid. Lebanon's
constitution [text] requires that the cabinet include
representatives from all Lebanese political factions when making
decisions. The other 18 cabinet members, however, approved the
tribunal plan, satisfying the constitutional requirement that
two-thirds of the cabinet must support an action for it to be
legitimate. The UN submitted the international tribunal proposal
to Lebanon last week, and now Lebanon will return the .draft to
the UN Security Council for final authorization
Previous reports by the UN's Hariri investigatory commission
implicated Syrian officials in the assassination,
accomplished in a massive explosion on the Beirut waterfront
killed Hariri and 22 others. The UN is authorized to help Lebanon
establish a tribunal to oversee prosecutions in the case under UN
Security Council Resolution 1644
Monday,
August 07, 2006
[ The UN Sub-Commission on the Protection and Promotion of Human
Rights [official website] on Monday denounced [press release] the
"massive denial of human rights" in the ongoing conflict in
Lebanon and called on the UN Security Council [official website]
to work toward a permanent solution in the volatile area. In the
statement, the Sub-Commission expressed:
deep grief and outrage at the massive denial of human rights,
extended] its sympathies to the victims, and voiced] the hope that
the Security Council, acting in discharge of its primary
responsibility, would bring about cessation of the war without
further delay, and promote an urgent settlement of the conflict in
conformity with the principles of justice and international law.
Meanwhile, the UN Human Rights Council, which replaced the UN
Commission on Human Rights, will convene for an emergency session
in the next few weeks to discuss the conflict between Lebanon and
Israel, according to diplomatic sources. The session was
reportedly urged by the Organization of the Islamic Conference
], which organized a session earlier this summer
that resulted in the Council decrying Israeli military operations
in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, and approving a resolution] calling on Israelis and Palestinians to refrain from violence
against civilians.
Also Monday, four independent human rights experts were forced to
cancel a trip to Lebanon press release] due to the instability in
the area, but asserted the urgency of a visit to assess the
situation later in August.
Monday,
July 24, 2006
Lebanese-Americans sue US over Lebanon evacuation efforts
The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) [advocacy
website] filed a lawsuit [complaint, Word document] Monday against
the Bush administration, alleging that the US government failed to
fulfill its obligations to protect US citizens [ADC press release]
in Lebanon when the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah
began earlier this month. The suit was filed on behalf of over 30
Lebanese-Americans who have either escaped Lebanon or are still
trapped there. The plaintiffs are seeking an injunction that would
require US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to call for a ceasefire and an order that would send more military
transports to remove Americans still in Lebanon [State Department
evacuation status report; latest US Embassy Beirut departure
instructions; US Fifth Fleet evacuation operations information].
In the lawsuit, the ADC also petitioned the court to mandate that
the US stop sending weapons to Israel for as long as US citizens
are attempting to leave Lebanon. US Defense Secretary Donald
Rumsfeld and Rice are both named as defendants in the suit. Many
of the named plaintiffs are from the Detroit, Michigan area, which
holds the largest number of Lebanese citizens outside Lebanon.
*Legal
news by http://jurist.law.pitt.edu/
Contact Mattar law firm
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