Assafir, an old-style Arabist newspaper, is not happy about Washington’s “ending” of Hariri’s visit.
This is how they end visits in Washington.
Whenever a Lebanese event with an American dimension takes place, I always find it fun and useful to read what Assafir, a mainstream newspaper that always blames America, has to say about it.
So when Saad Hariri was due in Washington, I wasn’t disappointed when I read their colorful headline: “Washington ends Hariri’s visit”
Assafir is scandalized, but why? You see, an unnamed American source told Assafir that -Horrors!- America wants the next Lebanese President to be from the Cedar Revolution. How could they?? How dare the Americans kill Hariri’s visit like this? How could they stop Saad Hariri from convincing George Bush of the value of appeasing Hezbollah, a group the Americans have on their terrorist list?
But wait, there’s more. It seems the French are upset from the American position too. We know that because an unnamed diplomatic source told an unnamed Assafir’s reporter (who lives in Paris, of course) that the French have divergent priorities from The Americans on Lebanon. The French want the Lebanese to kiss and make up, but the American baddies want us to slaughter each other just to please their Zionist friends and carry on with their regional domination conspiracy.
If you need to cheer up, read the entire thing.
Hello, my name is Mustapha and I've been blogging about Lebanese society, business and politics since February 2005.
Fairy Tales…Do the Lebanese newspapers or media in general know the difference between a hallucination and sober facts?
Me too, I read Assafir just to hear their “interpretation” of the news! When I saw the headline “ending…” I said I better read the whole story. What a waste of time! It looks like the torch of lies passed from Ahmad Saeid (the 1967 war) to the liar of Saddam Hussein (the Gulf War II) to Assafir! I forgot the name of the Syrian regime liar during te 1973 war who used to say we have reached Lake Tiberius!
I also read the whole thing in the morning and I think it is a shame that Assafir is writing like this. Always saying a “source” said this to a someone who was there, using no official names. An old respectable news paper shouldn’t write news as if its covering gossips.
My favourite part was:
???? ???? ????? ????? ????? ????? ????? ???? ???? ?? ?? ?????? ???? ??????????? ????? ??? ???? ?? ????? ?????????? ????? ?????? ???? ????? ????? ?? ??????? ???????????.
“Al atma3 il isrea2liyeh”. Shouf min 3am yi7ki.
maybe Assafir’s source was Seymour Hersh
Did you mean Seymour “Hish” ??
or Seymour Hush?
The Leb press sucks big time. Even the “best”, AnNahar, sucks wind.
Read Zayan (Elias El Dayri) today. His title is Fada7om el Ist72a2: Roughly translated ” ‘Their’ identities and/or intentions are revealed by the (approaching election) deadline”.
You think “goody” he’s going to FINALLY, at long last, name names: NOTHING but bullshit generalities: Situation bad, politicians bad, Lebanon needs to be saved. BRILLIANT.
Whereas anNahar recognizes facts once in a while, Assafir is at the bottom of the press pile and does not know editor Salman’s ass from a hole in the ground.
wow… I barely read al Safir, in all honesty, doesn’t it seem like of America to have a feud between Lebanese… ehem Iraq… ehem… Not to mention Iraq, remember the last summer war? that was ‘ignited by Hezbollah’? What was America’s position??
They postponed, and postponed…. all the while giving a chance for Israel to destroy Hezbollah and Lebanon’s reputation as much as possible.
I can never trust the Bush administration. Lets hope the next American President is better… though… thats what we said before Bush too :-s.
Even Seniora was furious at the Americans and prevented Condoleeza rice from returning!
How do we forget???
“all the while giving a chance for Israel to destroy Hezbollah and Lebanon’s reputation as much as possible.”
The US want Hezb’allah destroyed because it is an enemy of Israel and an ally of Syria and Iran. If Hezb’allah changed its policies and became a normal political party, the US would no longer be hostile to it. It is in trouble because it is meddling in international politics, which should be the job of the Foreign Minister and government of the Lebanese state, not of one party.
Reducing or destroying Hezb’allah would improve rather than harm Lebanon’s reputation. Signing a peace treaty with Israel as Egypt and Jordan did is the way forward for the Lebanon. Also, any “Palestinian refugees” who were born in the Lebanon should be identified as Lebanese citizens with full rights.
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