Why does Lahoud insist on having the Justice ministry? Anyone?

Mustapha,

Congrats on the much-deserved international exposure…

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/4696309.stm

I know Mitri from olden days. A good guy overall, though with some irritating positions on some issues. Let’s hope that his independence doesn’t translate into toothlessness.

olden days
golden ays
olden gays
golden gays

everyone keeps forgetting aoun’s position in this. let’s not forget that aoun represents now 70% + of christians. i think someone’s been left out and quite behind :S
anyone’s noticing the patriarch’s bitter tone lately?

My God.

You have quite a situation going on here. I was impressed with my I.T skills just getting my picture up…my celebration has been cut short!

I try to follow the political wranglings here…I’ve just moved from Dubai. My general knowledge on Lebanon’s elections is pretty pathetic. I try to tune into Future but every nite theres a new old guy whose just as passionate about one thing or another. By the time I string 2 or 3 arabic words together the host asks another question and I’m back to ignorant square one.

This is what I understand:
Syria Bad. Lebanon good.
Walid Jumblat, my family digs him.
I think he’s kinda creepy looking.
The christians here have a serious fan base. Jesus was cool but i don’t think he anticipated all the commotion he would cause here.
Sum guys in jail, people set up tents infront of Virgin and a have put together a cute little a3deh with Arguileh’s …and they wont leave until their demands are met. I was thinking of maybe joining them and if they got thier demands met maybe i can toss in a few of mine and theyd get met too (sushi every night, a car that works without me having to massage the engine with Soha water).
I know that sum guy from France came in and basically stirred shit around here.

So as you can see, my knowledge is a little blotchy. But I’ll have you know sumthing, my demographic - war babies between 1982 - 1986 - has been completely neglected by Lebanon. It’s like we didnt happen. We grew up in places like Dubai and what have you and speak actual English not this sexy french arabic hybrid thats catered to on Future and LBC. Its not my fault i was globalized now give me sum facts so I can a sense of identity to my country which Im proud of cuz we’re all so pretty and creative.

I think ive said enough !

well put. you have alot of catching up to do but look at the bright side. lebanese politics never get boring. they’re so exciting things will just blow up~ literally sometimes. stay tuned

Tony,

re mitri’s positions, irritating and otherwise. Could u give us a couple of examples, just to figure out his politics/philosophy??

Thx

Re: Trad Hmedeh, a University teacher and a prolific writer, is the Hezbollah Link to the American Government.

Actually, this story says that the US has already been talking to Trad Hamadeh. See this:
http://wireservice.wired.com/wired/story.asp?section=Breaking&storyId=1064579&tw=wn_wire_story

“Hamadeh met as recently as this month with senior State Department officials who handle Middle East diplomacy, according to a Bush administration official who asked not to be named because the meetings were not made public.

The official said the talks with Hamadeh dealt with reforms in Lebanon, not with Hizbollah, which is designated a terrorist organization by the United States.”

It’s interesting that the March 14 group feels more comfortable with Lahoud in Justice than with Aoun in the same position.

It really makes on question their sincerity.

lahoud can be bought off. aoun is too crazy to accept a bribe. like serpico not taking the kick backs on his precinct making “the boys” nervous (compare march 14th conglomerate to the boys). serpico didn’t bring down the system and i don’t think aoun will either. long live al pacino~

I’ve been reading ur postings for a few days now mustapha. I like ur pictures and the irony some have in them, even thaugh i don’t agree with them all :) by the way, it’s only know that i read it but great work on ur article “The Great Sunni Makeover”, i liked it.

Could you (pretty please) post a list of who the seven in the Lahoud/Hizbollah/Amal bloc are? I’ve been looking through the daily star’s little pin-up & would rather not make a mistaken assumption here - is it the five shi’ite ministers plus Charles Rizk plus Elias Murr? Or (as I would like to think) is that too simplistic?

- Tom Scudder

u got it right tom.. the 5 shiites, Rizk and Murr make seven. The blocking minority needs 8: tarek Mitri is seen as the “referee”, between the bristol guys and the shiites.
It is quite simplistic..