January 2006 Beirut experiences a relatively muted new year after the killing of MP Gibran Tueni and the revelations of former Syrian Vice President Abdel-Halim Khaddam on Arabic satellite TV. Among his many accusations is the charge that Brigadier General Rustom Ghazaleh, acting as what he called Syria’s “viceroy” in Lebanon, stole $35 million from al-Madina Bank and regularly insulted and threatened Lebanese leaders. In another interview, Khaddam reveals that Syria sought Spanish mediation to prevent Security Council member-states from adopting Resolution 1559. In return, he offered to abandon his plan to extend President Lahoud’s mandate. British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw arrives in Beirut for talks with Prime Minister Fuad Siniora but does not see President Emile Lahoud. Siniora is locked in talks with Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah to resolve the Cabinet crisis. Local media reports that Belgian prosecutor Serge Brammertz will be named as successor of outgoing chief
