BEIRUT, 24 December (IRIN) – The lack of centralised, detailed development-related data in Lebanon has hampered the efficiency of emergency and rehabilitation efforts, humanitarian experts have said. "Information has been poorly coordinated, and although you can access, for instance, statistics on a given town or village via the municipality, there is no central mechanism to provide a global view of the different projects going on in Lebanon at any given time," said Rabih Bashour, coordinator for the relief and reconstruction committee at local NGO Al-Huda Society for Social Care.
Daily Star , BEIRUT: "Dialogue is the most important thing for Lebanon today," boomed the voice of late MP Gebran Tueni, recorded more than a year ago and aired Sunday at a conference commemorating the slain journalist’s life and media freedoms in the Arab world. For a few brief moments Sunday, the MP and An-Nahar general manager came back to life in front of print journalists gathered to mark the first anniversary of his December 12, 2005 assassination in a car bombing.
"People accuse the Lebanese media of dividing Lebanon, but it is Lebanon’s political leaders that have ripped the country apart," a taped interview from the 1980s showed a younger Tueni saying. A photo of recently assassinated Industry Minister Pierre Gemayel and Tueni smiling at each other evoked a standing ovation from the hundreds of attendees, including politicians – among whom was Yassin Jaber, representing Speaker Nabih Berri – religious leaders from all sects, and relatives of both Tueni and Gemayel. "I swear, there will never be another civil war in Lebanon," rang another clip from Tueni.
On cue, the late MP’s daughter Nayla, who currently heads An-Nahar, appeared on stage to repeat her father’s vow. "Good morning Gebran, good morning father," she said gently. "What are you doing now? Do you write and read like you usually do? Are you sitting with other martyrs discussing politics and the future?"
Al-Jazeerah, December 10, 2006 The Lebanese opposition composed of supporters of Hizbullah, Amal, Michel Awn, Franjiyeh, and Talal Arslan staged their largest protest ever. Lebanese army officers estimated it as hundreds of thousands filling Riyadh Al-Sulh Square, Martyrs Square, and nearby streets, bringing Beirut to a standstill.
General Michel Aoun threatened that the opposition would resort to different measures within days if Saniora government does not resign and form a unity government with the opposition.The Hizbullah representative, Shaikh Na’im Qassem, offered Saniora to join the Lebanese people by leaving the US camp. He asked Saniora to return a truck lauded with weapons confiscated during the Hizbullah war with Israel. He also asked him to resign if he wants to clear his name.
What’s amazing about the continuous Lebanese opposition protest is that it is the same tactic used by US-backed groups in Eastern Europe and former Soviet Republics to overthrow elected governments. This time, it is the true national opposition using the same tactic to bring down a US-backed government.
Rome, Dec. 11, 2006 (CWNews.com) – Pope Benedict XVI voiced his concerns about the Middle East, and particularly about Lebanon, during his Angelus audience on Sunday, December 10. Speaking to large crowd of about 40,000 people in St. Peter
By Anthony Shadid, Washington Post, Two of Lebanon’s most powerful television stations played to their crowd. Future Television, loyal to Hariri and his Sunni constituency, devoted extensive coverage to the counterprotests in Tripoli. Hezbollah’s Al-Manar, calling the protests in Beirut “an unprecedented popular flood,” aired four scenes simultaneously of the crowds surging downtown. The broadcast was laced with the vocabulary of the summer war with Israel: victory, steadfastness and salvation.“People who survived 33 days of war in the south have no problem staying here for a year, or even two,” said Nada Mroueh, joining protesters flying flags that denoted their affiliation — yellow for Hezbollah, orange for Aoun, green for Amal. “Is it wrong to ask for our rights? Is Siniora more Lebanese than us? We are Lebanese, too.”
The demonstrators filled a swath of downtown and backed up into the main arteries leading into the city. Hezbollah has sought to cast the protest as representative of what it calls the national opposition, and the crowd unfurled a sea of the red, white and green Lebanese flag across downtown.
BEIRUT (AFP) – Lebanon’s divided factions are aiming for a political compromise after mass protests led by the opposition overwhelmed Beirut and raised fears of a return to civil strife. The protracted deadlock has paralyzed the government, opposition have clogged the capital in an escalating campaign to force a new national unity administration.
Arab diplomats were due in the capital to discuss a proposal with Prime Minister Fuad Siniora after securing the "agreement in principle" of the opposition which launched a rally on Sunday the army said was "unprecedented" in size.Arab League envoy Mustafa Ismail was to hash out details of a proposal for the opposition’s participation in the government after its six ministers pulled out last month. Sunday’s huge protest in Beirut came on the 10th day of a thousands-strong sit-in on the government’s doorstep, and was countered by a pro-government rally in Lebanon’s second city of Tripoli.
The opposition has accused the government of being weak and corrupt and is demanding that Siniora’s cabinet make way for a government of national unity.Siniora has accused the opposition of trying to mount a "coup," and pledged that his government will overcome the crisis, while repeatedly urging a return to talks.
Magazine entretien Farid Elias el Khazen
by Nayla Razzouk, The opposition, made up of Shiite and Christian factions, has held demonstrations outside Prime Minister Fuad Siniora’s offices in central Beirut. Deep political tensions in Lebanon and a number of street fights that have killed at least one Shiite sympathizer have raised concerns of a resurgence of sectarian strife in a country still reeling from the 1975-1990 civil war.
Some newspapers even hinted that the opposition may be planning to paralyze the airport, ports, and roads in a civil disobedience action that could be launched Monday.Opposition officials refused to comment.Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah pledged in a fiery speech late Thursday that the opposition will not "surrender," but he also said "the doors of negotiation are still open."Nasrallah hailed a proposal for a solution made by the influential Maronite Archbishops’ Council which called Wednesday for the formation of an "accord government" .The proposal "has a lot of positive elements and is worth considering," Nasrallah said in his televised speech to thousands of protestors who have been camping outside Siniora’s offices since last week.And on Friday, a Hezbollah delegation, lead by the head of the Hezbollah parliamentary bloc MP Mohammed Raad, visited Bkerke, the seat of the Maronite patriarchate northeast of Beirut, said a Hezbollah spokesman."They will of course discuss what Sayyed Nasrallah talked about when he mentioned the archbishops’ proposal," he told AFP. The Free patriotic movement lead by General Aoun also embraced the Archbishops’ Council, and accepting it fully.
The "March 14" ruling majority also backed the archbishops’ proposal in an overnight statement that called for resolving the crisis through dialogue."We hail the statement by the Maronite archbishops… which reflects the spirit of national unity," it said."We reject any kind of violence and confrontations and we believe that strikes and ongoing sit-ins will not help resolve the Lebanese problem."
Daily star By Maroun Khoury and Therese Sfeir, BEIRUT: Lebanon’s fragmented political class Thursday seemed able to agree, for the most part, in its support for a "declaration of principles" issued by the Maronite Church. Hizbullah politburo member Hajj Ghaleb Abu Zeinab described the declaration as "positive in its general aspect," but said it contained "a few details that should be discussed." "There are several meeting points between the opposition’s demands and Bkirki’s declaration," Abu Zeinab told the Central News Agency.
He said those meeting points included the implementation of "a code of honor" that would apply to all parties, the creation of an international tribunal to try former Premier Rafik Hariri’s killers, a new electoral law, and the formation of a "reconciliation" government that would hold early presidential elections. But while Bkirki said a new electoral law should be based on the qada, "others have different views about the law," Abu Zeinab said. But the Hizbullah official said the presidency was "not a main obstacle that would prevent us from resolving the crisis." For its part, the Reform and Change parliamentary bloc offered its "full support" Thursday to the Church’s declaration, saying it considered the declaration to be "the basis for a comprehensive solution to Lebanon’s current crisis." Speaking after a separate meeting with Sfeir Thursday, former MP Fares Soueid from the March 14 coalition urged the opposition to end a week-long demonstration in the capital and abide by the declaration.
By Crispian Balmer , BEIRUT (Reuters) – A Lebanese Sunni preacher lead thousands of anti-government Shi’ite protesters in Friday prayers at a tent camp in central Beirut in a show of Muslim unity.
The opposition is escalating a protest campaign to topple the government of Prime Minister Fouad Siniora despite fears of sectarian strife.Shi’ite Hezbollah one of the most powerful force in the opposition while Siniora is a Sunni and his main backer, parliamentary majority leader Saad al-Hariri, is also a Sunni.Preacher Fathi Yakan, who leads a small pro-opposition Sunni group, will lead the noon prayers. Hezbollah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah urged supporters on Thursday to attend the sermon to display Muslim unity.
"There will not, will not, be fighting between Shi’ites and Sunnis in Lebanon," Nasrallah told tens of thousands of supporters in central Beirut via a live video link.Nasrallah vowed to pursue his demand for a government of national unity and told Siniora to agree swiftly or face the prospect of new opposition demands for a transitional administration leading to early parliamentary elections.
Population Movements to Keserwan - The Khazens and The Maans
ما جاء عن الثورة في المقاطعة الكسروانية
ثورة أهالي كسروان على المشايخ الخوازنة وأسبابها
Origins of the "Prince of Maronite" Title
Growing diversity: the Khazin sheiks and the clergy in the first decades of the 18th century
Historical Members:
Barbar Beik El Khazen [English]
Patriach Toubia Kaiss El Khazen(Biography & Life Part1 Part2) (Arabic)
Patriach Youssef Dargham El Khazen (Cont'd)
Cheikh Bishara Jafal El Khazen
Patriarch Youssef Raji El Khazen
The Martyrs Cheikh Philippe & Cheikh Farid El Khazen
Cheikh Nawfal El Khazen (Consul De France)
Cheikh Hossun El Khazen (Consul De France)
Cheikh Abou-Nawfal El Khazen (Consul De France)
Cheikh Francis Abee Nader & his son Yousef
Cheikh Abou-Kanso El Khazen (Consul De France)
Cheikh Abou Nader El Khazen
Cheikh Chafic El Khazen
Cheikh Keserwan El Khazen
Cheikh Serhal El Khazen [English]
Cheikh Rafiq El Khazen [English]
Cheikh Hanna El Khazen
Cheikha Arzi El Khazen
Marie El Khazen