Michel Aoun back in Lebanon

Concerning my earlier posting, the exiled Lebanese General Michel Aoun has indeed returned to Lebanon on May 7, as the New York Times and Yahoo news reported this weekend. He announced that he will get involved with politics again. The Süddeutsche Zeitung today in its printed edition (page 4) stated that his cause is backed by neoconservatives in the United States. The question remains - realpolitik or irony of history? Or both?

However, the state of Lebanon remains fragile and the influence of the once powerful Michel Aoun on the delicate balance of power cannot yet be judged.

Calipari incident

Due to a mistake by the US-led muli-national force in Iraq, the report on the Calipari incident was temporary online in its orginal version without any censored details. The incident, during which the Italian intelligence officer Calipari was killed by US forces, occured during the Italian rescue operation for the hostage Giuliana Sgrena on 4 March 2005. The full document can still be found at the website of the Italian newspaper La Reppublica. The report inter alia reveals the military units and the individuals involved and also states that the soldiers in the squad that opened fire had arrived in Iraq only two weeks earlier. However, the report concludes that the incident was a tragic accident - an assessment that is sharply criticised by the Italian authorities.