Middle East Intelligence Bulletin
Jointly published by the United States Committee for a Free Lebanon and the Middle East Forum
  Vol. 5   No. 10 Table of Contents
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October 2003 


Intelligence Briefs: Lebanon

France Opposes Extension of Laoud's Term
Report: Lebanon Most Corrupt in Middle East and North Africa
US Diplomatic Convy Intercepted by Hezbollah Gunmen
Report: Lebanese Press No Longer Freest in Arab World

France Opposes Extension of Laoud's Term

French Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin said during an October 2 banquet in Paris for visiting Maronite Christian Patriarch Nasrallah Boutros Sfeir that Lebanon's 2004 presidential election and 2005 parliamentary elections "constitute an occasion for Lebanon to show the world that it respects constitutional and democratic rules." The remark was interpreted by several Lebanese daily nespapers as a signal to Syria that France opposes exending the tenure of Lebanese President Emile Lahoud beyond the end of his six-year term.

De Villepin also said that the Lebanese-Syrian relationship should be reconsidered so as to respect the sovereignty and independence of both countries. Syria's ambassador to France, Siba Nasser, was present at the luncheon.

Report: Lebanon Most Corrupt in Middle East and North Africa

Transparency International's 2003 index of corruption worldwide ranks Lebanon 78th among the 133 countries surveyed (ranked from least to most corrupt), lower than any of the other 11 Middle East and North Africa (MENA) countries included in the index. This was the first time that Lebanon was included in the survey.

US Diplomatic Convy Intercepted by Hezbollah Gunmen

Two armed members of the radical Shiite group Hezbollah intercepted an American embassy convoy in south Lebanon on October 17 and forced it to turn back. The incident came after the US delegation departed a briefing at the headquarters of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) in Naqoura and set course for Labboune ridge, one of the highest peaks in south Lebanon, for the purpose of verifying the government's claim that the army patrols the area. Lebanese Information Minister refused to condemn Hezbollah's action, saying "there is a resistance with which coordination has to be maintained."

Report: Lebanese Press No Longer Freest in Arab World

In its second annual index of press freedoms worldwide, Reporters Without Borders lowered Lebanon's ranking from 56th to 106th out of the 166 countries surveyed. The new index puts Lebanon behind Kuwait, which ranked 102.


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