17/09/06 - Technologies clés pour 2010

Présentation de la troisième édition de l'étude prospective «Technologies clés 2010» - Ministère de l'Industrie 18/09/06

17/09/06 - Liban : l'opportunité européenne

Lebanon mission, chance to strengthen EU
By Federico Bordonaro for ISN Security Watch 13/09/06

"With the deployment of French and Italian troops in Lebanon to lead a new UN mission, observers see an opening for the EU to strengthen its political and security role in the Middle East..."


17/09/06 - Amnesty accuse le Hezbollah de crimes de guerre

Israel/Lebanon - Under fire: Hizbullah’s attacks on northern Israel
Amnesty 14 September 2006

"...The briefing that follows summarizes Amnesty International’s assessment of and concerns about violations of international humanitarian law by Hizbullah in its attacks on northern Israel. It is based on first-hand information from visits to Israel and Lebanon; interviews with dozens of victims; official statements; discussions with Israeli and Lebanese military and government officials, as well as senior Hizbullah officials; information from non-governmental groups; and media reports..."


17/09/06 - Torture, conventions de Genève... Le Congrès défie Bush

McCain holds ground on terrorist interrogations
AP 17/09/06

"Senator John McCain stuck to his position today in New Hampshire when talking about ground rules for C-I-A interrogations of terrorism suspects.

Speaking in Concord, McCain said the United States must strictly observe provisions of the Geneva Conventions..."


GOP senators heading battle with Bush are heavy hitters
McCain, Graham, Warner have deep military credentials
SFGate 17/09/06

"The three Republican senators leading the fight against the Bush administration's plan for prosecuting suspected terrorists detained at Guantanamo Bay have impressive military credentials..."


Bush: Protecting terrorism suspects risks attacks
Bloomberg 16/09/06

"President George W. Bush said CIA intelligence-gathering that has thwarted Al Qaeda attacks on the United States would stop unless Congress passes his proposed rules on how to treat people suspected of terrorism.

"Were it not for this program, our intelligence community believes that Al Qaeda and its allies would have succeeded in launching another attack against the American homeland," he said at a news conference Friday..."


Dispute Centers on Reading of Geneva Convention
LATimes 16/09/06

"President Bush on Friday pushed for passage of his military tribunals bill, asking Congress to clarify the meaning of the Geneva Convention to allow the CIA to continue detaining and interrogating prisoners under a formerly secret program. The issue has grown more divisive between Bush and other Republicans..."


Angry Bush tackles terror revolt
The Times 16/09/06

"GEORGE BUSH came out fighting yesterday against the senior Republicans, including Senator John McCain and General Colin Powell, who have led a revolt over his latest plans for the treatment and trial of terror suspects.

He said that if legislative proposals to clarify “vague” obligations under the Geneva Conventions were blocked by the Senate, a CIA interrogation programme that had helped to prevent attacks in both the US and Britain would be scrapped.

On occasions during yesterday’s White House press conference, the President appeared to be genuinely angry, interrupting a reporter’s question to shout: “I’m just telling you the bottom line.

“Perhaps some in Congress do not think the programme is important . . . I think it’s vital. The point is that the programme is not going to go forward if our professionals do not have clarity within the law.”..."


GOP Infighting on Detainees Intensifies
Washington Post September 16, 2006

"President Bush warned defiant Republican senators yesterday that he will close down a CIA interrogation program that he credited with thwarting terrorist attacks if they pass a proposal regulating detention of enemy combatants, escalating a politically charged battle that has exposed divisions within his party..."


Bush Says G.O.P. Rebels Are Putting Nation at Risk
NYT September 16, 2006

"President Bush made an impassioned defense on Friday of his proposed rules for the interrogation and prosecution of terrorism suspects, warning that the nation’s ability to defend itself would be undermined if rebellious Republicans in the Senate did not come around to his position..."


An Unexpected Collision Over Detainees
NYT September 15, 2006

"Instead of drawing contrasts with Democrats, the president’s call for creating military tribunals to try terror suspects — a key substantive and political component of his fall agenda — has erupted into a remarkably intense clash pitting some of the best-known warriors in the Republican Party against Mr. Bush and the Congressional leadership..."

"...On one side are the Republican veterans of the uniformed services, arguing that the president’s proposal would effectively gut the nearly 60-year-old Geneva Conventions, sending a dark signal to the rest of the world and leaving United States military without adequate protection against torture and mistreatment.

On the other are the Bush administration and Republican leaders of both the House and Senate who say new tools are urgently needed to pursue and interrogate terror suspects and to protect the covert operatives who play an increasingly important role in chasing them..."


Senators Defy Bush On Terror Measure
Washington Post September 15, 2006

"A Senate committee rebuffed the personal entreaties of President Bush yesterday, rejecting his proposed strategies for interrogating and trying enemy combatants and approving alternative legislation that he has strenuously opposed.

The bipartisan vote sets up a legislative showdown on an issue that GOP strategists had hoped would unite their party and serve as a cudgel against Democrats in the Nov. 7 elections. Instead, Bush and congressional Republican leaders are at loggerheads with a dissident group led by Sen. John McCain (R), who says the president's approach would jeopardize the safety of U.S. troops and intelligence operatives.

Despite heavy lobbying by Bush, who visited the Capitol yesterday, and Vice President Cheney, who was there Tuesday, McCain and his allies held fast. Even former secretary of state Colin L. Powell weighed in on McCain's side.

Moments after the Armed Services Committee voted 15 to 9 to endorse McCain's alternative bill, the Arizona senator lashed out at CIA Director Michael V. Hayden, who had also lobbied lawmakers personally.

McCain told reporters that Hayden wants Congress to give the CIA a virtually free hand to treat detainees as it wishes so that he and his agents will be immunized against accusations of unlawful conduct. "He's trying to protect his reputation at the risk of America's reputation," McCain said. The senator noted that other nations would be more likely to abuse U.S. captives if Americans appeared to sanction such conduct..."


Colin Powell Against Bush Anti-Terrorism Bill
LATimes September 14, 2006

"President Bush's campaign for tougher legislation on terrorists suffered another blow today when Colin Powell, who served as secretary of State during Bush's first term, supported efforts to block the plan to reinterpret Geneva Convention restrictions on the interrogation of prisoners.

Powell spelled out his position in a letter to Sen. John McCain of Arizona, one of three Republicans on the Senate Armed Services Committee who are seeking to thwart Bush's plan.

"The world is beginning to doubt the moral basis of our fight against terrorism," Powell said. "To redefine [a portion of the Geneva Convention] would add to those doubts."..."


17/09/06 - Liban : l'avertissement du général Pellegrini

Hezbollah fighters return to civilian life ... for now
AFP 16/09/06

"..."No one will accept Hezbollah's arms being taken away. Our security is our weapons."

Alain Pellegrini, the French general who commands the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon, is also talking tough, saying UNIFIL will act on its own if necessary.

Security Council Resolution 1701 calls for establishing between the Israeli border and the Litani River "an area free of any armed personnel, assets and weapons other than those of the Government of Lebanon and of UNIFIL." It stipulates that UNIFIL should "assist the Lebanese armed forces" in achieving that.

"If the (Lebanese army) fails to act, we must assume our responsibilities as a UN force," he said. "Someone will have to intervene, with all the consequences that this might have for the Lebanese authorities." "


17/09/06 - Liban : la guerre d'influence entre chiites et sunnites

The Fight to Rebuild Lebanon
LATimes 17/09/06

"The rush to rebuild this war-crushed country has gotten tangled up with a high-stakes sectarian competition, as Sunni Arab governments in the region race against Shiite-ruled Iran and its ally Hezbollah to prove political clout and capture grass-roots loyalty, analysts say..."

"..."There's a kind of competition between the Arab governments and Iran," said Kamel Mohanna, general coordinator for Arab NGOs Forum. "It's a competition to have political influence here … to decrease the influence of Iran, to show that not only Iran has sent money to this area."..."


After its war with Israel, Hezbollah is at odds with Lebanon's government
USA Today 16/09/06

"A month after fighting in Lebanon ended, hostilities with Israel have given way to a political struggle between the Western-backed government and Hezbollah as Lebanese troops try to take control of the Islamic militant group's longtime southern stronghold.

The outcome could prove crucial to the stability of the cease-fire with Israel and to the future of Lebanon's fragile central government — at a time when Syria, a key patron of Hezbollah, is trying to claw back the influence it lost last year..."


Rift erupts between Hezbollah and house majority
Deutsche Presse Agentur September 14, 2006

"A deep rift erupted Thursday between two of the major, influential political blocs in Lebanon, the Shiite Hezbollah group and the anti-Syrian majority bloc known as the March 14 forces. The rift is the culmination of a period of intense tension and bitter exchanges of accusations related to the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, in which more than 1,200 people were killed.

The rift came to the open after Hezbollah chief Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah accused the majority bloc of "stabbing his guerrillas in the back" while fighting the "enemy" (Israel) when Israel launched a wide-scale offensive against the movement July 12 after Hezbollah captured two soldiers at the Israeli-Lebanese border.

A member of the parliamentary majority, acting interior minister Ahmed Fatfat described Thursday the hardline tone of Nasrallah and his 14-member parliament bloc as an "invitation to kill."..."


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US to spoil Arab plan for peace meeting
JPost 14/09/06

"The US is trying to block attempts by Arab countries to turn the UN Security Council into a key player in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict during the upcoming General Assembly opening next week.

In discussions among Israeli and US officials over the past few days, it was agreed that the US will use its diplomatic power to sideline the Arab League initiative, which intends to use the Security Council as the main vehicle for convening an international peace conference to deal with the conflict..."