ARREST OF LEBANESE CHRISTIAN JOURNALISTS ORDERED BY SYRIA
BEIRUT 24 Aug. (IPS)
Two Lebanese Christian journalists were formally charged Thursday by a Lebanese military court of "intelligence with Israel" and "activities against the interests of the nation" and its political sponsor Syria, and placed on custody, informed sources reported.
Mr. Habib Younes, an Editor of the Beirut office of the Saudi-owned newspaper "Al Hayat" and Mr. Antoine Bassil, a correspondent for the Middle East Broadcasting Corporation (MBC) were arrested last week, after being formally charged with working for Israel.
Sources said the military arrested Mr. Younes, accused of having established contacts with Israeli agents and was due to meet in Cyprus a certain Mr. Oded Zerra’i, an adviser to the Israeli Co-ordinator of Lebanese Affairs Mr. Uri Lubrani for Arab press, in order to supply him with information on Lebanon.
According to the accusation, his colleague, Bassil, had put Mr. Younes in contact with Mr. Zerra’i.
Given the gravity of the charges, State Prosecutor Adnan Addoum referred Younes to the Military Tribunal, Lebanese newspapers reported.
The statement said investigations revealed the two "contacted and provided the Israeli enemy with information aimed at creating discord" and undermining the state`s authority and damaging its relations with Syria.
But so far, no convincing documents have been provided.
Judicial sources claimed Younes freely confessed to meeting with Israeli officials, going to Israel in 1988, and maintaining regular contact with Israelis until his arrest.
He also allegedly confessed to a planned meeting with Mr. Zara’i in Cyprus on 19 August, but the meeting did not take place because of the authorities crackdown on Lebanese Christian dissidents opposed to Syria`s military and political presence in Lebanon.
The sources claimed Younes was co-ordinating with Zara’i and other Israeli officials in preparation for an unspecified domestic political operation after an expected Israeli attack that was due to take place last July.
The sources added that Younes, who is a member of the Guardians of the Cedars, spoke highly of Israel.
As Lebanon and its political ally Syria remain formally in a state of war with Israel, those found guilty of collaborating with the Jewish state can face the death penalty.
Last week, military prosecutors charged Mr. Tawfik Al-Hindi, a leading member of the banned Lebanese Forces group, with conspiring with Israel against Lebanon and Syria, and said senior Forces member Ghassan Touma faced the same charge.
However, interrogations of Mr. Al-Hindi could not be completed on Tuesday due
to his poor health.
The mass arrests operated in Lebanon on orders from Damascus had a
devastating impact on the fragile political, social and economic situation of
Lebanon, with informed banking sources saying that "hundreds of
millions" of US Dollars had left the nation’s banks fro abroad.
Also, hundreds of Lebanese, mostly young and talented, who had returned to help rebuilding the war shattered country left Beirut for abroad, emigrating mostly to France and the United States, the sources added.
The accusation against Christian dissidents are not taken seriously by most of the Lebanese, as the clampdown was accompanied by Syrian troop movements alongside the Lebanese borders and in the Bek’a Valley, where at least 15 Syrian tanks took position.
The Syrian Army had started a partial repatriation of the 35.000 to 40.000 men it had sent to neighbouring Lebanon following the outbreak of Lebanese civil war of 1975.
Ever since, Lebanon was transformed into an autonomous part of Syria, with Syrian leaders deciding on all the important affairs of the country, including the naming of the presidents.
Informed Lebanese sources in Paris told Iran Press Service that the recent developments in Beirut are part of a political power game in Damascus, where, in their view, President Bashar Asad has difficulties in imposing his policies on the nation’s old guard, particularly the Army and the Intelligence establishments.
The arrest and interrogation of the journalists by the military was denounced by the Paris-based Reporter Sans Frontieres (Reporters Without Borders), which accused the Lebanese intelligence services of attempt at "muzzling" the media.
In a letter faxed to the lamed Lebanese president Emile Lahoud, the international press watch dog described the arrest of Mr. Younes and Bassil as "totally illegal" and called on him to order their immediate and unconditional release. LEBANON CHRISTIANS ARRESTS 24801