[Peace-discuss] Just Foreign Policy News, August 9, 2006

[Robert Naiman]

Just Foreign Policy News
August 9, 2006

In this issue:
1) A Referendum on Iraq Policy
2) Excerpts: Ned Lamont's Victory Speech
3) U.S., France At Odds on Resolution For Mideast
4) End This Tragedy Now
5) Anti-U.S. Feeling Leaves Arab Reformers Isolated
6) Israel Decides to Widen Operations in Lebanon
7) Shortages: As Lebanon's Fuel Runs Out, Fears of a Doomsday Moment
8) Civilians: Thousands of Residents Are Moved From Northern Israeli
Towns as Rockets Keep Falling
9) Muslim Charities Say Fear Is Damming Flow of Money
10) War Crimes Act Changes Would Reduce Threat Of Prosecution
11) Lebanon Aid Stalled, UN Slams Strikes on Civilians
12) Civilian Resistance: Call For Action & Solidarity For Lebanon
13) Fmr. Israeli Air Force Captain Reports Israeli Pilots Deliberately
Missing Targets Over Concerns of Civilian Casualties
14) U.S.: No Sign Iran Will Comply With U.N
15) So What's Our Role in Iraq's Civil War?
16) Iraqi PM Attacks US Tactics in Baghdad
17) Shiites Press for a Partition of Iraq
18) Time Warner's NY1 Bars New York Senate Candidate From TV Debate
19) Is Mexico Nearing an Election Resolution?
20) Mexico: Protesters Take Over Tollbooths

Contents:
1) A Referendum on Iraq Policy
Adam Nagourney
New York Times
August 9, 2006
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/09/nyregion/09assess.html
The victory of Ned Lamont over Joseph Lieberman was a vivid
demonstration of how the Iraq war is buffeting American politics and
of the deep hostility toward President Bush among Democrats. It also
suggested there are stiff anti-status-quo winds blowing across the
political landscape as the fall elections approach. The outcome will
undoubtedly prod other Democrats who supported the war - albeit with
less gusto than Lieberman - to step farther away from the increasingly
unpopular conflict.

2) Excerpts: Ned Lamont's Victory Speech
New York Times
August 9, 2006
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/09/nyregion/09transcriptlamont.html
They call Connecticut the land of steady habits. Tonight we voted for
a big change.
Stay the course: That's not a winning strategy in Iraq. And it's not a
winning strategy for America."We have a government in Washington, D.C.
right now that's making a lot of bad choices. Good-paying jobs are
leaving our community. But families still dream, they still dream for
a land of opportunity. And with your vote here this evening, we're
going to start working to make those dreams come true…We have 132,000
of our bravest troops stuck in the middle of a bloody civil war in
Iraq. And I say it's high time we bring them home to the hero's
welcome. [At this point, the entire crowd in the room - on the stage
and off -- began chanting, "Bring Them Home!" See the video at
http://www.cspan.org/ - JFP.]

3) U.S., France At Odds on Resolution For Mideast
Colum Lynch and Robin Wright
Washington Post
Wednesday, August 9, 2006; 1:25 PM
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/08/09/AR2006080900445.html
The US and France have split over key provisions in a compromise
resolution to end hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel, triggering
intense diplomatic scrambling.
The two co-sponsors of the resolution had agreed on the need for
changes after Lebanon's proposal Monday to deploy 15,000 troops in the
south. France wants to incorporate ideas from Lebanon's new proposals,
particularly on two issues: deploying Lebanese troops alongside a more
robust version of the U.N. force now in Lebanon as a means to expedite
an Israeli withdrawal, and settling the status of Shebaa Farms. But
the US thinks that a strong international force still needs to be in
place before an Israeli withdrawal to ensure that the Shiite militia
is not able to resume control of southern Lebanon or shoot at Israeli
forces as they pull out.
The U.S. ambassador to the UN, John Bolton, said the basic strategic
questions remains "how to have an effective security presence in the
southern part of Lebanon as Israeli forces withdraw" so that Hezbollah
does not "re-infiltrate" the area. Bolton said the US does not oppose
including in the resolution provisions for Israeli withdrawal from
Lebanon or the bolstering of the UNIFIL force in the south. The Bush
administration also does not want to offer more specific language on
Shebaa Farms for fear it would be seen as a reward to the Shiite
movement, European officials say.
French President Jacques Chirac told reporters Wednesday afternoon
that there should be "an immediate cessation of hostilities," followed
by an agreement on the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Lebanon, the
return of Israeli soldiers and Lebanese prisoners to their respective
countries, and a resolution of the Shebaa Farms dispute. France thinks
that Prime Minister Fouad Siniora needs to have Lebanon's concerns
taken into account to be able to persuade Hezbollah to cooperate and
eventually disarm, French officials say. If Lebanon's proposals are
not incorporated in some significant way, France fears the fragile
Beirut government will break apart and throw Lebanon into political
chaos, making a resolution far more difficult. Chirac said France
favored a proposal by the Lebanese government to station 15,000 troops
in the southern part of the country where Israeli and Hezbollah forces
have been clashing "because it should allow the Lebanese government to
exert its sovereignty over its entire territory."
In a special Security Council session Tuesday, a high-level Arab
League delegation appealed for a resolution that includes an immediate
halt to Israel's offensive against Hezbollah and its withdrawal from
southern Lebanon, warning that Israel's continued presence threatens
to trigger a civil war.

4) End This Tragedy Now
Israel Must Be Made to Respect International Law
Fouad Siniora, Prime Minister of Lebanon
Washington Post
Wednesday, August 9, 2006; A17
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/08/08/AR2006080800990.html
A military solution to Israel's savage war on Lebanon and the Lebanese
people is both morally unacceptable and totally unrealistic. We in
Lebanon call upon the international community and citizens everywhere
to support my country's sovereignty and end this folly now. We also
insist that Israel be made to respect international humanitarian law,
including the provisions of the Geneva Conventions, which it has
repeatedly and willfully violated. On July 25, at the international
conference for Lebanon in Rome, I proposed a comprehensive seven-point
plan to end the war. It got the unanimous and full backing of the
Lebanese Council of Ministers. The plan, which also received the full
support of the 56 member states of the Organization of the Islamic
Conference, included an immediate, unconditional and comprehensive
cease-fire and called for:
1) The release of Lebanese and Israeli prisoners and detainees through
the International Committee of the Red Cross.
2) The withdrawal of the Israeli army behind the "blue line."
3) A commitment from the U.N. Security Council to place the Shebaa
Farms and Kfar Shouba Hills areas under U.N. jurisdiction until border
delineation and Lebanese sovereignty over them are fully settled.
Further, Israel must surrender all maps of remaining land mines in
southern Lebanon to the United Nations.
4) Extension of the Lebanese government's authority over its territory
through its legitimate armed forces, with no weapons or authority
other than that of the Lebanese state, as stipulated in the Taif
accord. We have indicated that the Lebanese armed forces are ready and
able to deploy in southern Lebanon, alongside the U.N. forces there,
the moment Israel pulls back to the international border.
5) The supplementing of the U.N. international force operating in
southern Lebanon and its enhancement in numbers, equipment, mandate
and scope of operation, as needed, to undertake urgent humanitarian
and relief work and guarantee stability and security in the south so
that those who fled their homes can return.
6) Action by the United Nations on the necessary measures to once
again put into effect the 1949 armistice agreement signed by Lebanon
and Israel and to ensure adherence to its provisions, as well as to
explore possible amendments to or development of those provisions as
necessary.
7) The commitment of the international community to support Lebanon on
all levels, including relief, reconstruction and development needs.
As part of this comprehensive plan, and empowered by strong domestic
political support and the unanimous backing of the cabinet, the
Lebanese government decided to deploy the Lebanese armed forces in
southern Lebanon as the sole domestic military force in the area,
alongside U.N. forces there, the moment Israel pulls back to the
international border. The resolution to this war must respect
international law and U.N. resolutions, not just those selected by
Israel. Lebanon calls, once again, on the United Nations to bring
about an immediate cease-fire to relieve the beleaguered people of
Lebanon. Only then can the root causes of this war -- Israeli
occupation of Lebanese territories and its perennial threat to
Lebanon's security, as well as Lebanon's struggle to regain full
sovereignty over all its territory -- be addressed.

5) Anti-U.S. Feeling Leaves Arab Reformers Isolated
Neil MacFarquhar
New York Times
August 9, 2006
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/09/world/middleeast/09arabs.html
Moderate reformers across the Arab world say American support for
Israel's battle with Hezbollah has put them on the defensive, tarring
them by association and boosting Islamist parties. The very people
whom the US wanted to encourage to promote democracy from Bahrain to
Casablanca instead feel trapped by a policy that they now ridicule
more or less as "destroying the region in order to save it." Many of
those reformers who have been working for change in their own
societies say American policy either strangles nascent reform
movements or props up repressive governments that remain Washington's
best allies in the region.

6) Israel Decides to Widen Operations in Lebanon
Steven Erlanger and John O'Neil
New York Times
August 9, 2006
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/09/world/middleeast/09cnd-mideast.html
Facing mounting pressure to halt Hezbollah's rocket barrages, Israel's
security cabinet voted today to authorize a significant expansion of
its military campaign on the ground in south Lebanon. The approved a
plan to send large numbers of troops to push as far north as the
Litani River, about 15 miles within Lebanon. Afterward, Eli Yishai,
the minister of industry and trade, told reporters that the military's
assessment was that the expanded offensive "will last 30 days." Yishai
said he believed the campaign would last longer.

7) Shortages: As Lebanon's Fuel Runs Out, Fears of a Doomsday Moment
Hassan M. Fattah
New York Times
August 9, 2006
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/09/world/middleeast/09lebanon.html
Dr. Nadim Cortas saw the destruction wrought by Lebanon's 15-year
civil war, and the shortages of medical supplies that went with it.
But, he says, he never thought he would face a situation like this:
the respirators and critical medical equipment in his hospital could
soon come to a halt. "This is the doomsday scenario," said Dr. Cortas,
dean of the faculty of medicine at the American University of Beirut.
"We have about 10 days of power left." Almost one month into the siege
of Lebanon, with a land, sea and air blockade by Israel choking off
the country, fuel reserves have all but dried up.

8) Civilians: Thousands of Residents Are Moved From Northern Israeli
Towns as Rockets Keep Falling
Richard A. Oppel Jr.
New York Times
August 9, 2006
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/09/world/middleeast/09vacate.html
With the Israeli military unable to stop Hezbollah from firing
hundreds of deadly Katyusha rockets into the north every day, the
government is moving to temporarily relocate thousands of residents
who are too poor, too sick or otherwise unable to leave on their own.
Coming almost four weeks after the start of the fighting, the effort
appears to be another indication that Israeli officials have concluded
that, absent a cease-fire, the war will prove long and difficult, and
that Hezbollah will continue to have the ability to fire its
ball-bearing-laced rockets into a wide swath of northern Israel.

9) Muslim Charities Say Fear Is Damming Flow of Money
Alan Cooperman
Washington Post
Wednesday, August 9, 2006; A03
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/08/08/AR2006080801246.html

Charities prefer that people send money rather than food, medicine or
other goods, because in-kind donations force the charities to pay for
shipping, delay the arrival of the aid, and saddle relief workers with
the task of sorting and distributing items that may not be needed. The
problem, according to relief groups, is that many people who are
inclined to write checks for emergency aid and reconstruction in
Lebanon are afraid of ending up in some government database of
suspected supporters of terrorism. Arab American leaders say this is
one of the unintended consequences of the U.S. government's crackdown
on charities run by Muslims. Though aimed at cutting off illicit
funding for terrorist groups, the crackdown has complicated legitimate
humanitarian relief efforts in Lebanon, Gaza and the West Bank.

10) War Crimes Act Changes Would Reduce Threat Of Prosecution
R. Jeffrey Smith
Washington Post
Wednesday, August 9, 2006; A01
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/08/08/AR2006080801276.html
The Bush administration has drafted amendments to a war crimes law
that would eliminate the risk of prosecution for political appointees,
CIA officers and former military personnel for humiliating or
degrading war prisoners. Officials say the amendments would alter a
U.S. law passed in the mid-1990s that criminalized violations of the
Geneva Conventions, a set of international treaties governing military
conduct in wartime. The conventions generally bar the cruel,
humiliating and degrading treatment of wartime prisoners without
spelling out what all those terms mean. The draft U.S. amendments to
the War Crimes Act would narrow the scope of potential criminal
prosecutions to 10 specific categories of illegal acts against
detainees during a war, including torture, murder, rape and
hostage-taking. Left off the list would be what the Geneva Conventions
refer to as "outrages upon [the] personal dignity" of a prisoner and
deliberately humiliating acts -- such as the forced nakedness, use of
dog leashes and wearing of women's underwear seen at the U.S.-run Abu
Ghraib prison in Iraq -- that fall short of torture.

11) Lebanon Aid Stalled, UN Slams Strikes on Civilians
Reuters
August 9, 2006
Filed at 10:48 a.m. ET
http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/news/news-mideast-lebanon-aid.html
Aid agencies were unable to reach tens of thousands of people trapped
by heavy fighting in southern Lebanon on Wednesday as the United
Nations condemned Israeli attacks on civilian targets in the country.

12) Civilian Resistance: Call For Action & Solidarity For Lebanon
August 7th, 2006
http://www.lebanonsolidarity.org/
A coalition of Arab and international NGOs, including the Arab NGO
Network for Development (ANND) and the International Solidarity
Movement (ISM), has issued a call for a campaign of civil resistance
to Israel's war against Lebanon.

13) Fmr. Israeli Air Force Captain Reports Israeli Pilots Deliberately
Missing Targets Over Concerns of Civilian Casualties
Democracy Now
Wednesday, August 9th, 2006
http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=06/08/09/1422204
Former Israeli Air Force Captain Yonatan Shapira reports at least two
Israeli fighter pilots have reportedly deliberately missed bombing
targets in Lebanon because they were concerned they were being ordered
to bomb civilians.

14) U.S.: No Sign Iran Will Comply With U.N.
Associated Press
August 9, 2006
Filed at 12:13 a.m. ET
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/us/AP-US-Iran.html
With deadlines approaching, the State Department on Tuesday said it
has seen no indications that Iran plans to comply with U.N. demands
that it suspend enrichment of uranium. Defiance could trigger efforts
by the US and European allies to impose economic or political
sanctions on Iran in the Security Council. The U.N. Security Council
on July 31 passed a resolution giving Iran until Aug. 31 to suspend
enrichment or face the threat of economic and diplomatic sanctions.
Iran has promised a response by Aug. 22, although it vowed last Sunday
to expand uranium enrichment ''where required.''

15) So What's Our Role in Iraq's Civil War?
Harold Meyerson
Washington Post
Wednesday, August 9, 2006; A17
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/08/08/AR2006080800941.html
Of all the signs that the American people are fed up with the war in
Iraq, the one that the administration should fear most was put forth
last week by a longtime supporter of both the president and the war,
Virginia Republican John Warner. Warner suggested that the president
might need a new congressional resolution authorizing our presence in
Iraq, since the conflict there has become a civil war. Now, that would
be one challenging resolution to write. Once you've come up with
"Whereas the conflict in Iraq is now a civil war between Shiites and
Sunnis," what is it, exactly, that we are therefore supposed to
resolve? In an Iraqi civil war, what is the mission of U.S. forces?

16) Iraqi PM Attacks US Tactics in Baghdad
Michael Howard
Guardian / UK
Wednesday, August 9, 2006
http://www.commondreams.org/headlines06/0809-05.htm
Iraq's prime minister, Nuri al-Maliki, has angrily charged American
forces with undermining national reconciliation after a US-led raid in
the eastern Baghdad stronghold of the radical Shia cleric Moqtada
al-Sadr reportedly caused the death of three people, including a woman
and a child. In a statement on government television late on Monday
night, Maliki said he was "very angered and pained" by the latest
operation, which involved air and ground forces in the volatile Sadr
City area early in the morning. "Reconciliation cannot go hand in hand
with operations that violate the rights of citizens this way," Maliki
said.

17) Shiites Press for a Partition of Iraq
Creating federal regions would curb the violence, backers say. Others
see it as a grab at oil wealth.
Borzou Daragahi
Los Angeles Times
August 9, 2006
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-partition9aug09,1,922496.story
Faced with incessant sectarian bloodshed, Iraqis for the first time
have begun openly discussing whether the only way to stop the violence
is to remake the country they have just built. Leaders of Iraq's
powerful Shiite Muslim political bloc have begun aggressively
promoting a radical plan to partition the country as a way of
separating the warring sects. Some Iraqis are even talking about
dividing the capital, with the Tigris River as a kind of Berlin Wall.

18) Time Warner's NY1 Bars New York Senate Candidate From TV Debate
Democracy Now
Wednesday, August 9th, 2006
http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=06/08/09/1421259
Time Warner news station NY1 has refused to set up a debate between
Senator Hillary Clinton and Democratic challenger Jonathan Tasini
because Tasini hasn't spent enough money on the race. The channel
requires that candidates poll at least 5% and have spent or raised
$500,000. Tasini is polling at 13% but his campaign has only raised
$150,000.

19) Is Mexico Nearing an Election Resolution?
With Deadline Approaching, Runner-up Remains Defiant
John M. Ackerman
Professor, Institute for Legal Research, National Autonomous
University of Mexico
Washington Post online discussion
Wednesday, August 9, 2006; 12:00 PM
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/discussion/2006/08/08/DI2006080800873.html
The partial recount the Tribunal called for on Saturday is indeed very
bad news for Lopez Obrador. Although the Tribunal could theoretically
still call for a full recount later and this would be entirely legal,
the arguments which the justices offered on Saturday would make this
extremely difficult. This is highly problematic because if serious
irregularities are discovered in the partial recount there will be
increased social demands for a full recount. But, in this case, pretty
much the only option the justices have left for themselves is to
"anull" or simply not declare the election valid and call for new
elections.

20) Mexico: Protesters Take Over Tollbooths
James C. Mckinley Jr.
New York Times
August 9, 2006
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/09/world/americas/09briefs-004.html
Supporters of the leftist presidential candidate, Andrés Manuel López
Obrador, left, temporarily seized tollbooths on the major highways
into Mexico City, giving thousands of motorists free passage to the
sprawling capital while stepping up their protests against what they
see as fraud in last month's presidential election. A leader of their
Party of the Democratic Revolution, Guadalupe Acosta Naranjo, vowed to
extend the protests that have tied the capital in knots to other parts
of the country and to blockade federal offices. Both acts were signs
that the movement led by Mr. López Obrador, a former Mexico City
mayor, was becoming increasingly radical. Mr. López Obrador has said
that he is no longer fighting for just a recount of the election,
which officials say he narrowly lost, but to change Mexico's
institutions and end oppression, an effort he calls "a purification of
public life."

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Robert Naiman
Just Foreign Policy
www.justforeignpolicy.org