LCCC
ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
December 27/09
Bible Reading of the day
Isaiah 59/1-9: " Behold, Yahweh’s hand is not shortened, that it can’t save; neither his ear heavy, that it can’t hear: 59:2 but your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear. 59:3 For your hands are defiled with blood, and your fingers with iniquity; your lips have spoken lies, your tongue mutters wickedness. 59:4 None sues in righteousness, and none pleads in truth: they trust in vanity, and speak lies; they conceive mischief, and bring forth iniquity. 59:5 They hatch adders’ eggs, and weave the spider’s web: he who eats of their eggs dies; and that which is crushed breaks out into a viper. 59:6 Their webs shall not become garments, neither shall they cover themselves with their works: their works are works of iniquity, and the act of violence is in their hands. 59:7 Their feet run to evil, and they make haste to shed innocent blood: their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity; desolation and destruction are in their paths. 59:8 The way of peace they don’t know; and there is no justice in their goings: they have made them crooked paths; whoever goes therein does not know peace. 59:9 Therefore is justice far from us, neither does righteousness overtake us: we look for light, but, behold, darkness; for brightness, but we walk in obscurity"
Free Opinions, Releases, letters & Special
Reports
Message: break the siege/Al-Ahram
Weekly/December
26/09
Settling old scores/Al-Ahram Weekly/December
26/09
Latest
News Reports From Miscellaneous Sources for December 26/09
Nasrallah Calls for 1 Year Truce,
Says Phalange's Request to Change Policy Statement 'Won't Change a
Thing'/Naharnet
Al-Sayegh Rejects Duality of Arms, Appeal of 6th Clause is Not Final Yet/Naharnet
Mottaki:
U.S., France Seeking to Impose Solutions in Lebanon Rejected by Regional
Countries/Naharnet
Jumblat
Circles Accuse those Harmed by his Visit to Damascus of Delaying Such a Trip/Naharnet
Amal and Hizbullah: 1559
Has No Life/Naharnet
Sfeir: Lebanon in Dire
Need for Calm/Naharnet
Aoude: Government Must
Select Only Competent Official Employees from Each Sect/Naharnet
Israel 'ready' for Hezbollah, general says/UPI.com
Iran aims to improve image in the Arab world/Ya
Libnan
2009: The year of living fecklessly/Washington
Post
In Order Not to be Gored by
the Horn of Africa/Asharq
Alawsat
Sfeir: Lebanon in Dire Need for Calm
/Naharnet/Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Sfeir on Friday used his Christmas sermon
to praise the "calm atmosphere" among the various sects in Lebanon and urged
Lebanese citizens to be loyal to their nation. Lebanon today when they need to
atmosphere of calm and cooperation among all sects and generations""Lebanon
today is in greater need of this atmosphere of calm and cooperation among all
sects and generations," Sfeir told worshipers during his sermon. "The social
climate has improved and (political) assassinations have declined," Sfeir
pointed. "People seem to be shying away from violence. This is a good thing and
something we had hoped would happen for a long time," he said from Bkirki.
"Loyalty to the nation requires every citizen to work for his homeland," Sfeir
stressed. Beirut, 25 Dec 09, 14:52
Nasrallah Calls for 1 Year Truce, Says Phalange's Request to Change Policy
Statement 'Won't Change a Thing'
Naharnet/Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah has said that a plan by the
Phalange party to request amendments to the cabinet policy statement "won't
change a thing."
"We are not afraid of anyone and we don't need anyone … What we want is the
interest of Christians and Muslims in Lebanon," Nasrallah said on the eighth eve
of Ashoura on Friday.
Addressing the Phalange, the Hizbullah chief said: "What would change if you
contest or not (the article in the policy statement on) the arms of Hizbullah."
"There is no need to create tension because this resistance faced dangerous
challenges and was able to overcome them," Nasrallah added. Phalange leader Amin
Gemayel has announced that he has the intention to request the Constitutional
Council to make a formal change to the 6th clause of the cabinet policy
statement which deals with Hizbullah's arms. Nasrallah also urged Lebanese
politicians to "observe a one-year truce" to avoid new conflicts. Furthermore,
he called for giving the unity government an opportunity to function. "Let those
who don't want to tackle the people's priorities resign from the cabinet," the
Hizbullah secretary-general said. He finally stressed that Hizbullah wants to
regain occupied Lebanese territories and sovereignty for the sake of the people
and their security and stability. Beirut, 26 Dec 09, 09:23
Al-Sayegh Rejects Duality of Arms, Appeal of 6th Clause is Not Final Yet
Naharnet/Social Affairs Minister Salim al-Sayegh snapped back at Hizbullah
leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah on Saturday saying his Phalange party will not
accept the presence of Hizbullah arms along with the weapons of the state.The
Phalange will keep making efforts to achieve a sovereign Lebanon, al-Sayegh told
Free Lebanon radio. He also said that the Phalange had the intention to request
changes to the 6th clause of the cabinet policy statement "but we didn't make
the request" yet. "Ten lawmakers should sign the request" but the party wasn't
able to collect all the signatures yet, al-Sayegh added. Beirut, 26 Dec 09,
10:30
Mottaki: U.S., France Seeking to Impose Solutions in Lebanon Rejected by
Regional Countries
Naharnet/Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki has reportedly accused
Washington and Paris of seeking to impose solutions in Lebanon against the will
of several countries in the region.Iran's semiofficial Mehr news agency also
quoted Mottaki as telling Channel two TV that
"Iranian-Lebanese-Syrian-Iraqi-Turkish cooperation will serve the interests of
the region.""Given its strategic location, Lebanon is considered the most active
media ground in the Middle East. That's why it is getting the attention of most
regional and international parties," the minister added according to Mehr.
Beirut, 26 Dec 09, 09:41
Jumblat Circles Accuse those Harmed by his Visit to Damascus of Delaying Such a
Trip
Naharnet/Sources close to Druze leader Walid Jumblat have accused some Lebanese
sides of working on delaying a visit by the MP to Damascus. The sources told
pan-Arab daily al-Hayat that such sides are harmed by the possible visit.
However, sources following up the issue said that the Progressive Socialist
Party chief's trip to Syria was not imminent. They denied that Syria had put
conditions on Jumblat's visit, saying the latest message that he received from
Lebanese leaders who have links to Damascus was that the Syrian leadership had
not said it was too early for the PSP leader to visit the Syrian capital.
Meanwhile, political circles said PM Saad Hariri's statement that there was
"openness from the Syrian leadership on all Lebanese political leaderships"
could have meant Damascus had taken the decision to welcome Jumblat.
Well-informed sources told al-Hayat that Hariri discussed the issue of Syria's
relations with Jumblat during talks with Syrian President Bashar Assad. Beirut,
26 Dec 09, 10:01
Amal and Hizbullah: 1559 Has No Life
Hizbullah and Amal officials continued their attacks on U.N. Security Council
resolution 1559 on Friday, reiterating that the resolution has become obsolete.
Loyalty to the Resistance bloc MP Mohammed Raad said "resolution 1559 was the
slogan of a black era that overshadowed the political crisis in the country for
more than four years."
He said 1559 no longer exists.
Naharnet/Hizbullah deputy leader Sheikh Naim Qassem also said the resolution "is
dead and has no life." Speaker Nabih Berri's political assistant, Ali Hassan
Khalil, said in his turn that attempts by some parties to amend the cabinet
policy statement's 6th clause is only aimed at getting media attention. "Let
them resign if they are serious" about the issue, Khalil said. Beirut, 26 Dec
09, 10:51
Aoude: Government Must Select Only Competent Official Employees from Each Sect
Naharnet/Greek Orthodox Bishop Elias Aoude on Friday hoped that
the new government will appoint the most competent individuals from each sect to
fill in the gaps in posts allocated to each community. Aoude said during his
Christmas sermon mass in Saint George's Cathedral: "Sectarianism in Lebanon is a
great scourge, as sectarian leaders use it for their personal interests." He
added that Lebanon is in dire need to abolish the politicians' exploitation to
their sects, by raising the new generation on the values of serving their
country instead of exploiting it. Beirut, 25 Dec 09, 17:38