LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
October 31/09

Bible Reading of the day
Matthew 13/31-34: He set another parable before them, saying, “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and sowed in his field; 13:32 which indeed is smaller than all seeds. But when it is grown, it is greater than the herbs, and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and lodge in its branches.”
He spoke another parable to them. “The Kingdom of Heaven is like yeast, which a woman took, and hid in three measures of meal, until it was all leavened.”
Jesus spoke all these things in parables to the multitudes; and without a parable, he didn’t speak to them, 13:35 that it might be fulfilled which was spoken through the prophet, saying, “I will open my mouth in parables; I will utter things hidden from the foundation of the world.” /Naharnet

Free Opinions, Releases, letters & Special Reports
Editorial / Israel should cede Golan for full peace with Syria/Ha'aretz/October 30/09
The Turkish Temptation/Wall Street Journal/October 30/09

Latest News Reports From Miscellaneous Sources for October 30/09
Barak Cancels Spain Visit over UNIFIL Command Dispute/Naharnet
Hariri Visits Baabda as Suleiman Anticipates Post-Formation Reform/Naharnet
Bassil Urges Judiciary to Act Against Employees Inside His Ministry/Naharnet
Swine Flu Panic Hits Lebanon Schools/Naharnet
Egypt Requests Nasrallah Join Hizbullah Cell Suspects /Naharnet
Qabalan Lashes Out at Sfeir, Says those who Shed Blood Deserve Loyalty Honors /Naharnet
Majority Doesn't See Cabinet Deal before Solution to Iran's Nuclear Program /Naharnet
6 Defeats Weakened Syria in Lebanon, Report /Naharnet
Franjieh: 90 Percent Achieved on Cabinet Lineup /Naharnet
Lebanon warns UN: Israel planning to attack us/Ha'aretz
Croatian president briefs Peres on talks with Syria's Assad/Ha'aretz
Hariri falls short of breakthrough in cabinet-formation efforts /Daily Star
Al-Qaeda group claims rocket fire from Lebanon /Daily Star
UN civilizations representative visits Beirut to develop ties /Daily Star
Parties warned not to flaunt traffic laws at rallies /Daily Star
Italian president to visit Beirut for talks with Sleiman/Daily Star
Date set for Syria-Lebanon missing persons talks /Daily Star
Sfeir urges observance of sectarian power balance /Daily Star
Hizbullah urges state to strengthen grip on suburbs /Daily Star
UN chief defends officer slammed for urging Hizbullah to disarm/Daily Star
Sleiman: Lebanon's cabinet delay 'not hurting economy /Daily Star
Health chiefs call for A(H1N1) calm /Daily Star
ICG honors Fares alongside US elder statesmen /Daily Star
Guards at women's prisons get trained in human rights /Daily Star
Beirut's smoke-free night draws widespread public support /Daily Star
Akkar schools get solar-power lifeline.By: IRIN News.org
Media watchdog slams election coverage /Daily Star
Zebari accuses Syria of implication in Iraq attacks/Alsumaria

Israel to resume peace talks if Syria, Hizbullah assume responsibility
Date: October 29th, 2009/Source: UPI
Peace with Syria is a major building block in any regional peace deal, Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak said. Barak's statements came late Wednesday in response to comments by Syrian President Bashar Assad earlier in the day saying he would like to renew talks with Israel, Israeli and Arab media reports said Thursday. Deputy Defense Minister Matan Vilnai said that Israel “is not seriously dealing with Syria's statements regarding the resumption of peace talks between the two countries.” For talks to resume, Syria and Hizbullah must behave more responsibly "to prevent the dangers of conflict in the region," Haaretz quoted Barak saying. At a meeting with Croatian President Stjepan Mesic in Damascus, Assad urged Europe to provide a suitable third party negotiator to facilitate peace talks, the newspaper said. Syria seeks a just and comprehensive peace, the Syrian news agency SANA quoted Assad saying. "The peace process cannot be separated from the humanitarian situation in the Palestinian lands," the news agency quoted Assad saying. Syria and Israel conducted four rounds of talks mediated by Turkey when former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert was in power, the paper said. Damascus froze negotiations to protest Israel's military offensive in Gaza earlier this year, the paper said.

Patriarch of Lebanon's Maronite Church lashes out at Hizbullah
By JPOST.COM STAFF
"Weapons and democracy cannot coexist," said Nasrallah Boutros Sfeir, patriarch of Lebanon's Maronite Church, in an interview to Lebanon's al-Massira magazine to be published on Saturday.  the interview, conducted on Thursday, Sfeir lashed out at Hizbullah, maintaining that the Shi'ite organization threatened Lebanon's security and stability.
"Someone on the inside is leaning on exterior force to attain parliamentary and ministerial gains," the patriarch was quoted as saying, suggesting that Hizbullah was undermining Lebanon's efforts to establish a national unity government. By carrying out the wishes of foreign parties, using illegal arms and terrorizing the state and its people, he said, Hizbullah was effectively jeopardizing Lebanon's already-shaky sovereignty under the guise of legitimate political activity. The patriarch asserted that the March 14 bloc of Lebanon's parliament could not sit together with the March 8 opposition, saying that the national unity many Lebanese factions were attempting to achieve was not a likely prospect. Political and social co-existence is not possible in a situation where one party is armed and the rest are not, he explained, adding that Lebanon's military must be the only armed force in the country. Sfeir expressed concern that Hizbullah's actions would push the country toward another civil war, adding that the progressive, Western-backed March 14 coalition, having won the June parliamentary elections, must be allowed to take its place at the head of the Beirut cabinet.

Sfeir: Hizbullah Serves Iran's Interest over Lebanon's
Naharnet/Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Sfeir said that there is "someone in the interior who is leaning on exterior force to attain parliamentary and ministerial gains". In that context, Sfeir considered that Hizbullah is serving Iran's interest more than serving Lebanon's one. In an interview with Al-Massira weekly, Sfeir said that March 14 should have taken command of the rule in Lebanon after the June 7 parliamentary elections. The Maronite Patriarch announced that arms and democracy do not match, in the same manner that parliamentary majority and minority cannot be combined in one government. While Sfeir stressed that foreign interventions were standing in the way of forming the anticipated government, he also added that Syria cannot be solely held responsible in terms of those interventions. The Maronite Patriarch said that weaponry should be in the hands of the Lebanese Army only, warning from reaching a stage that pushes everyone to arm. Sfeir stressed that there are some parties in Lebanon who wish welfare for other countries instead of wishing it for their own country. Answering a question, Sfeir said that he will not ask PSP leader MP Walid Jumblat to change his current localization nor ask him to adhere to it. On the other hand, Sfeir ridiculed the atmospheres spreading news about the existence of a severance of relations with Pope Benedict XVI. Beirut, 29 Oct 09, 18:41

Qabalan Lashes Out at Sfeir, Says those who Shed Blood Deserve Loyalty Honors
Naharnet/Shiite Mufti Sheikh Ahmed Qabalan on Friday snapped back at Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Sfeir without naming him, saying Hizbullah fighters deserve medals of honor for serving Lebanon. "Those who talk about a majority that rules and a minority that opposes and make accusations against Hizbullah … should be aware that those who shed blood for Lebanon's honor and the dignity of the Lebanese deserve medals of belonging and loyalty," Sheikh Qabalan said during Friday prayers at Imam Hussein bin Ali mosque in Bourj al-Barajaneh. His stance came a day after Sfeir said that Hizbullah served the interests of Iran more than those of Lebanon. The Maronite patriarch also said the majority and the minority could not meet in the same cabinet and added that some local parties were relying on foreign powers to make parliamentary and ministerial gains. Qabalan also urged all forces to make more concessions for the sake of Lebanon. "Any position or any gain has no meaning if the fate of the country is under threat."Meanwhile, Sfeir's visitors quoted him as saying on Friday that his statement the day before came as part of his national stances and comments made during his sermons. Beirut, 30 Oct 09, 14:24

Barak Cancels Spain Visit over UNIFIL Command Dispute
Naharnet/Israel's Defense Minister Ehud Barak has cancelled a visit to Spain next week amid alleged disagreements between the two nations over the command of the U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL). Barak was scheduled to meet Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos and Defense Minister Carme Chacon during his two-day visit which had been scheduled to begin on Wednesday. The visit will no longer take place due to "agenda reasons", a Spanish foreign ministry spokesman told AFP on Friday. The Israeli embassy in Spain said in a statement that Barak had cancelled his visit "due to an unexpected trip" that he must make to the United States "in the coming days."
This change in his schedule "has no relation with the reports in various media on the change of command at the head of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon," it added.
Israel has asked Italy to try to remain at the head of the 13,000-strong UNIFIL force for at least another six months rather than handing over to Spain as planned, a senior Israeli official told AFP in Israel on Thursday. "Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last week called (Italian) Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi and asked him to try to keep the current commander of UNIFIL Claudio Graziano in his post," the official said. Graziano's term is due to end in a few weeks, with Spain slated to take over.
Israel's Haaretz newspaper said Netanyahu's move turned into a serious diplomatic incident. Spain will hold the rotating presidency of the European Union during the first half of 2010 and analysts say it wants to take control of UNIFIL in order to raise its Middle East profile during this time. Asked about the affair on Friday, Spain's Deputy Prime Minister Maria Teresa Fernandez de la Vega denied there was any dispute with Israel and she referred journalists to the "clarifying press release" issued by the Israeli embassy. She said Barak told Moratinos in a telephone conversation that Israel was "very pleased with the work of Spanish forces" that are taking part in UNIFIL and would be "very happy" to see them take charge of the forces. About 1,000 Spanish soldiers are deployed with UNIFIL, making it the third largest troop contingent in the force after those from Italy and France. UNIFIL was set up in 1978 to monitor the border between Israel and southern Lebanon. It was considerably beefed up in the wake of the 2006 war between Israel and Hizbullah.(AFP-Naharnet) Beirut, 30 Oct 09, 17:26

Hariri Visits Baabda as Suleiman Anticipates Post-Formation Reform
Naharnet/Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri visited Baabda Palace on Friday evening to meet President Michel Suleiman and discuss the latest developments connected to the cabinet formation process. Earlier on Friday, President Suleiman said that the stage after the formation of a new cabinet is the stage of administrative, economic and political reform. Suleiman also said that administrative decentralization should be the main issue because it plays a developmental role in all regions. Several draft laws are being prepared in this purpose by the interior ministry, he added. The president's comment came during a meeting with Caretaker Interior Minister Ziad Baroud who also informed Suleiman about the security situation in the country. U.N. Special Coordinator for Lebanon Michael Williams was also among the visitors to Baabda palace on Friday. Beirut, 30 Oct 09, 15:05

Bassil Urges Judiciary to Act Against Employees Inside His Ministry
Naharnet/Caretaker Telecoms Minister Gebran Bassil said that there are employees inside his ministry who are setting obstacles in the way of major investments. Bassil urged the Lebanese Judiciary to take actions against them. In a press conference held on Friday, Bassil said "obstructions to our work come from inside the Telecoms ministry". "After the Taef Accord, each minister is obliged to implement the laws of his ministry," said Bassil. He considered that Caretaker PM Fouad Saniora was politically responsible for the obstructions. Bassil said that the Lebanese would lose thousands of employment opportunities if the obstructions continue. "The Call Centers project providing thousands of jobs for the Lebanese will continue," added Bassil. The telecommunications minister said that the Lebanese Judiciary can show its justice and facilitate the investors procedures in this sector, especially in the domain of Call Centers. Beirut, 30 Oct 09, 16:34

Swine Flu Panic Hits Lebanon Schools
Naharnet/Alarm is spreading among Lebanese over fears of a large-scale swine flu outbreak in schools after the country's first A(H1N1) death was recorded, but officials say there is no need to panic. "People are panicking extensively, and most are focusing on schools, although the risk of catching the virus anywhere else is just as high," said Father Marwan Tabet, secretary general of Lebanon's Catholic schools.
The health ministry has called for schools to continue operating normally unless there is reason to stop classes, but the rising concerns have led many a family to keep their children at home.
Tabet said no cases had been found in Catholic schools, but a private middle school in Beirut announced Monday it would shut its doors for the coming week after a number of students showed flu symptoms. "The spread of H1N1 in the Ras Beirut Middle School... is of concern. To date we have had 31 cases," a statement released by the International College said. "In addition, over 50 students were absent on Friday." "We get calls from parents who are panicking over swine flu every day. They are up in arms, although we have assured them that are no cases in our school," a school official in Beirut said on condition of anonymity.
Lebanon confirmed its first swine flue death on Monday, that of a 30-year-old woman who was eight months pregnant. In August, a man with advanced lymph gland cancer was found to have been carrying the swine flu virus upon his death, but the virus was not pinned down as the cause of death. On Tuesday, a charity school in the southern coastal town of Sidon stopped classes after one student tested positive for the virus, administrative board chief Muhieddin Jwaidi told AFP. The following day, 83 students were absent. "We then chose to close the school in order to take further measures to reassure parents," he said. Further north, in the port city of Tripoli, two schools had stopped some classes for three days as "precautionary measures" after students began to show flu symptoms, a source from the ministry told AFP on condition of anonymity. None of the cases were confirmed as A(H1N1), the source said.
Students across Lebanon -- where anti-bacterial gel sells out almost daily -- are not oblivious to their parents' concerns.
"Our school made us bring that gel to class to wash our hands before and after recess and every time we go in or out of the class room," said nine-year-old Lynn Moukarzel, an elementary school student outside of Beirut. Dina Moufarrej, 29, said: "I spend a lot of time on the phone talking to other mothers about the virus." "Every day there are new rumors about this school or that," said the mother of one. Jeanne D'Arc Abi Aad, 45, takes a much more direct approach regarding her eight- and 10-year-old sons. "I call my boys' school several times to make sure there are no absences in their classes. And if they tell me one of their classmates has the flu, I'm bringing them home." Health ministry officials have said the situation is under control and that the spread had not accelerated since the first case was diagnosed in May. Health Minister Mohamad Jawad Khalifeh has said Lebanon is on the list of countries to receive the swine flu vaccine. He said the first shots would go to individuals particularly at risk of infection: pregnant women, people with chronic respiratory illness like asthma or who are taking immunosuppressant medication, and very young children. Only one hospital in Lebanon currently tests for swine flu. Since the virus was uncovered in April, there have been over 4,735 deaths reported to the World Health Organization as of a week ago, the WHO said. Most of the fatal cases have been recorded in North and South America, the U.N. health agency said in its latest update on the flu pandemic.(AFP) Beirut, 30 Oct 09, 15:50

6 Defeats Weakened Syria in Lebanon, Report
Naharnet/Six defeats have reportedly "weakened" Syria in Lebanon, said a special report prepared by a leading European foreign ministry diplomatic service.
The report, published by the daily an-Nahar on Friday, also said the Opposition can neither obstruct nor make changes.
It said the process of forming a Lebanese national unity government under Prime Minister Saad Hariri as well as domestic and external contacts related to this issue have uncovered four basic facts, most notably that the balance of forces on the Lebanese arena is not in the interest of Syria as a result of series of defeats and setbacks suffered by President Bashar al-Assad's regime. The repor said Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's regime "failed to achieve real victory" ever since it got engaged in 2004 in a confrontation with the majority March 14 forces.
Not even did Damascus reclaim real victory when the Lebanese Opposition gained veto power under the government of Prime Minister Fouad Saniora which came following the Doha Accord "since the Opposition failed to make changes to its benefits, then it lost the June 7 parliamentary elections," the report added.
It said the Hizbullah-led Opposition is "unable to change the situation to its advantage, not via political nor military means," adding that Iran's and Syria's allies in Lebanon are also unable to torpedo or overcome outcome of the June 7 elections which resulted in a clear victory for the March 14 forces.
Beirut, 30 Oct 09, 14:07

Majority Doesn't See Cabinet Deal before Solution to Iran's Nuclear Program
Naharnet/The majority March 14 coalition expressed pessimism over an imminent formation of a government and believed a Cabinet deal is not possible unless Iran's and Syria's demands at the regional level were met. "The majority rules out that Iran would let go of the Lebanese government before a deal on its nuclear file has matured," one source told pan-Arab daily Asharq al-Awsat. Meanwhile, no breakthrough has been reported in Cabinet talks as the key obstacle continued to revolve around the telecoms ministry. Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri and Free Patriotic Movement leader Michel Aoun will soon hold a meeting to "remove the obstacles preventing the birth of the government," FPM MP Salim Salhab told the Voice of Lebanon radio station Friday. Beirut, 30 Oct 09, 12:52

Feltman: No Return to the Pre-1990s
Naharnet/Reliable U.S. sources said Acting U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Jeffrey Feltman's recent presentation before Congress carried, not only an assertion of the U.S. policy toward Lebanon, but also cut the road to a return to the pre-1990s phase and concessions made to regional powers in a bid to consolidate any external influence over Lebanon. Feltman's Oct. 28 presentation on a "Regional Overview of the Middle East" also confirmed that Washington will not be bargain at Lebanon's expense to win something from Syria, according to the sources. In his presentation, Feltman said he had visited Syria on several occasions "as part of our policy of engagement."
He said his initial meetings were essential to "underscore the U.S. commitment toward advancing regional peace and establishing a constructive atmosphere for dialogue."
"Having laid this groundwork, we now want to move beyond dialogue and toward action in the areas of cooperation and concern that we have identified," feltman told Congress.
He said that while the U.S. has made some "modest" headway with the Syrians in this regard and believes that there is further potential for a positive, constructive U.S.-Syrian relationship.
"For that potential to be fully realized, however, we will need to see Syria address our concerns about some of its regional policies, such as support for terrorist organizations like Hizbullah and Hamas," Feltmas went on to say. Beirut, 30 Oct 09, 10:34

Egypt Requests Nasrallah Join Hizbullah Cell Suspects
Naharnet/The Egyptian Supreme Court of Emergency State Security, which is looking into the so-called Hizbullah cell, has demanded that Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah "personally" join the 26 suspects whose trial has been adjourned till Nov. 21.Lawyers Abdel-Monem al-Damanhuri and Tareq Metwalli demanded to add Nasrallah's name as a prime suspect in the Hizbullah cell and 2001 pounds ($364) temporary compensation. They said Nasrallah and other suspects' plans to carry out terrorist acts against Egypt had "inflicted damage on them." Nasrallah has admitted sending an agent to supervise arms shipments to Hamas in Gaza during the latest war with Israel, but has denied seeking to harm Egypt's security.
Prosecutors said 18 of the suspects provided Hizbullah with information about Suez Canal schedules, security details as well as information about tourist destinations in the Sinai Peninsula. Defense lawyers for a trial of the 26 suspects charged with spying for Hizbullah quit Wednesday after claiming the court was not impartial.
Egyptian judicial officials said the lawyers abandoned their task after the chief judge rejected their demand for the case to be reviewed by another court. Defense lawyer Montazar al-Zayyat said "we had our doubts about the court and now they proved right." He said the lawyers will resume their functions if the court accepts their demands, including allowing families of the defendants to attend the closed door trial. Beirut, 30 Oct 09, 08:14

Date set for Syria-Lebanon missing persons talks
Daily Star staff/Friday, October 30, 2009
BEIRUT: The issue of Lebanese missing people and detainees in Syria will be discussed by the Joint Lebanese-Syrian Commission on November 7. A meeting at Jdeidet Yabous at the Lebanese-Syrian border was scheduled Thursday. The commission’s last meeting was in September. – The Daily Star

Sfeir urges observance of sectarian power balance
By Maroun Khoury /Daily Star correspondent
Friday, October 30, 2009
BKIRKI: Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Butros Sfeir reiterated on Thursday that the religious balance in the country ought to be respected when making appointments to the Beirut Municipality and other public administrations. Sfeir met with Acting Beirut Governor Nassif Qalosh, with whom he raised the issue of sectarian imbalances in recruiting for the Beirut Municipality. Qalosh put Sfeir in the picture of contacts undertaken by Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri with regards to settling the issue.

UN civilizations representative visits Beirut to develop ties
By Farah-Silvana Kanaan
Special to The /Daily Star
Friday, October 30, 2009
BEIRUT: The United Nations High Representative for the Alliance of Civilizations and former President of Portugal, Jorge Sampaio, concluded his official three-day visit to Beirut with a news conference on Thursday. During his visit, Sampaio met with President Michel Sleiman, Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, Information Minister Tarek Mitri and Beirut Mayor Abdel-Monem al-Ariss. In addition he met with several representatives of civil society. The Alliance of Civilization (AoC) was established in 2005, as an initiative of the governments of Spain and Turkey, under the auspices of the United Nations. The AoC emerged out of a conviction that in order to achieve sustainable peace long-standing divisions between cultures need to be addressed. Sampaio’s visit was aimed at developing closer relations with Lebanon, and to identify areas for future cooperation within the AoC’s regional strategy for the Euro-Mediterranean area. Furthermore, Sampaio participated in another conference on the role of AoC in the process of intercultural dialogue, which was organized by the International Federation of Catholic Universities at Saint-Joseph University. When asked which specific role in AoC’s plan of action he foresaw for Lebanon, Sampaio explained: “Due to its history, Lebanon remains a unique case of a society woven with cultural diversity and Lebanon can truly play a role of reference with its successes and its failures-it is crucial to understand the Lebanese experience and to share it.” To build on that, Sampaio encouraged the authorities to develop a “National Plan for Intercultural Dialogue,” in order to both acknowledge all that is done in this country to preserve its rich cultural diversity and to pinpoint the problems and difficulties that present themselves today to Lebanese society.
“This way we can fully profit from this diversity and avoid it becoming a source of problems and conflicts,” he added. Sampaio explained that the aim of the AoC was to help communities focus on the urgency of learning to live together, the urgency of one culture’s respect for the other, and the urgency of a culture that respects everyone’s human rights.
“To reach these aims,” he continued, “we must focus on improving the relations between communities, suggesting the development of certain programs aimed at youth, education, the media and migration. “I have therefore encouraged the authorities, civil society and the city of Beirut to strongly contribute to the AoC’s regional strategy for the Euro-Mediterranean area, which adheres to the principle of dialogue in order to build bridges and restore trust.” Sampaio concluded the conference with the following statement: “In this context, a unique role is reserved for Lebanon to play, because due to its diversity and dynamic society, it has the vocation to become the capital of creativity in the Middle East. “You have the potential; the alliance offers you the opportunity. It’s important that diversity is a future guarantee for all Lebanese,” he said.

The Turkish Temptation
The Erdogan government shifts its allegiances to anti-Western Islam..
The wall Street Journal
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703363704574503460584848456.html
Text .It's been a decade since Turkey threatened to invade Syria because Damascus was harboring Abdullah Ocalan, the leader of the Kurdish PKK terrorist group. "We will say 'shalom' to the Israelis on the Golan Heights" is how one Turkish newspaper then described the country's mood, capturing its attitude toward Syrians and Israelis alike.
Times change—and so do countries. Earlier this month, Turkey cancelled an annual multinational air force exercise because Israel was scheduled to participate in it, despite historically close ties between the Turkish and Israeli militaries. In a recent interview with Britain's Guardian newspaper, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said of Iran's Mahmoud Ahmadinejad that "there is no doubt he is our friend."
Mr. Erdogan was also among the first to offer Ahmadinejad a congratulatory call after June's fraudulent elections and has called Iran's nuclear program "peaceful and humanitarian." As for Syria, relations have never been warmer: The two countries are even planning joint military exercises.
Nations do not have the luxury of picking their neighbors, and the Turks can certainly be forgiven for not wanting to be at daggers drawn along several hundred miles of common borders. But what's happened to Turkey's foreign policy—and the values that inform those policies—since Mr. Erdogan and his Islamist AKP party came to power in 2003 looks more like a fundamental shift in Turkey's strategic priorities than it does a mere relaxing of regional tensions.
In January, for instance, Mr. Erdogan publicly rebuked Shimon Peres at a meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, calling the Israeli President a "liar" and saying—in connection to the war in Gaza—that "when it comes to killing, you know well how to kill." Soon thereafter, Mr. Erdogan hosted a dinner in honor of Ali Osman Taha, the vice president of Sudan. Apparently, there were no lectures about Darfur.
Nor has Israel been the only country in the Middle East affected by Turkey's changing attitudes. As analyst Soner Cagaptay of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy notes, "the AKP's foreign policy has not promoted sympathy toward all Muslim states. Rather, the party has promoted solidarity with Islamist, anti-Western regimes (Qatar and Sudan, for example) while dismissing secular, pro-Western Muslim governments (Egypt, Jordan and Tunisia)." That also goes among the Palestinians, where Mr. Erdogan has called on the world to recognize Hamas while being dismissive of Mahmoud Abbas, the Authority's more secular-minded president.
In other words, Mr. Erdogan's turn against Israel is symptomatic of a broader shift in Turkish policy, one that cannot bode well for core U.S. interests. As a secular Muslim state, Turkey has been a pillar of NATO and a bulwark against the political radicalism (Communist, Baathist, Islamist) of its various neighbors. Now Mr. Erdogan may be gambling that Turkey's future lies at the head of the Muslim world, rather than at the tail of its Western counterpart.
Perhaps none of this should be all that surprising, given how long Europe has brushed off Turkish ambitions to join its Union. One may hope that the Turks, who have long been proud of their traditions of secularism, tolerance, freedom, and as a bridge between East and West, may not be so tempted to trade them in for darker glories.

Editorial / Israel should cede Golan for full peace with Syria
By Haaretz Editorial
Syrian President Bashar Assad is interested in renewing the negotiations with Israel on getting back the Golan Heights in return for peace. Assad initiated an indirect dialogue with Israel, until recently through Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and the minute Erdogan fell out with Israel, through Croatian President Stjepan Mesic.
Last week Mesic met with Assad and separately with President Shimon Peres and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in an effort to offer his services as mediator and host.
Netanyahu in theory accepted the proposal but in practice turned it down by insisting that the negotiations be direct and without preconditions (translation: without an Israeli commitment to withdraw to the June 4, 1967 lines and without reverting to the point when talks stopped under prime minister Ehud Olmert). So Netanyahu set preconditions under the guise of opposing the setting of preconditions.
The Israeli approach to relations with Syria needs to be managed from the end to the start, and the end is a vision of regional peace between Israel and its neighbors. In parallel to efforts to reach a permanent settlement with the Palestinians and without hurting their interests, Israel must seek peace with Syria in the context of Security Council Resolution 242 of November 1967: full and secure peace in return for complete withdrawal. Those who do not want such a deal will seek to undermine it using arguments of procedure.
Assad wants to move closer to the bridge of indirect talks, and to do so in two stages. The mediator during the first stage, a non-American, may be a Turk, Croat, Frenchman or someone else; this person would identify the points of dispute and seek to remove them. Only as the two sides approach the bridge would an American mediator be expected to bring the talks under his aegis and prepare a tripartite summit. But the Obama administration should not be idle before this stage. U.S. special envoy George Mitchell and his deputy for Syria and Lebanon, Fred Hof, are meeting with politicians and experts in the region.
What Syria wants to achieve through negotiations is obvious: returns from Israel, and no less important, from Washington. What Israel wants is also clear: in addition to regional peace, the weakening of the Arab opposition front that is being assisted by Iran and which includes Hezbollah and Hamas. Netanyahu thinks Iran is behind nearly everything, but is hesitant to exercise the leadership required by this conclusion.
In the past, Netanyahu spoke indirectly with Hafez Assad, the late father of the current leader in Damascus, through U.S. businessman Ron Lauder. The contacts failed and there is some dispute over what happened. There is no dispute, however, that seeking peace with Syria, through talks between chiefs of staff and shuttle diplomacy by secretaries of state, is a key element in Yitzhak Rabin's diplomatic legacy, which Netanyahu's defense minister, Ehud Barak, says should be seen through. Rabin's memory should extend beyond flowery speeches, eulogies and arguing over the Oslo process. Energized efforts toward peace with Syria would perpetuate the Rabin legacy.

Croatian president briefs Peres on talks with Syria's Assad
By Barak Ravid/Haaretz
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1124680.html
Croatian President Stjepan Mesic called President Shimon Peres Wednesday night to brief him on the details of a conversation he had held earlier that day with Syrian President Bashar Assad and relay another message from Assad about the possibility of resuming peace negotiations between the two countries. Peres then called Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and briefed him on the details of the conversation.
Haaretz reported yesterday that during his visit to Israel a week ago, the Croat president offered to mediate between Israel and Syria and to host peace talks in his country. During this visit, Netanyahu and Peres posed a number of questions to Mesic which they asked him to clarify with Assad.
A senior Israeli official said that Mesic met with Assad in Zagreb on Wednesday and relayed the Israeli messages to him. Assad stressed during this meeting that he is interested in resuming negotiations with Israel, but he insisted that the efforts be carried out indirectly, through third-party mediation.
Assad also said he is interested in seeing Turkish mediators take the lead in indirect talks with Israel, as they did during the term of former prime minister Ehud Olmert.
When Mesic briefed Peres on his conversation with Assad, he was apparently given further messages to relay to the Syrian president. The Croatian leader met again with Assad yesterday and briefed him on his exchanges with the Israeli leaders.
The senior Israeli official said it is still unclear how the Croatian effort will turn out. But what is clear, he said, is that both Israel and Syria are signaling their willingness to resume talks.
The official said that Netanyahu is interested in holding direct talks with Syria, but will most likely agree to the talks being conducted indirectly at first.
The American administration is not involved in the Croatian efforts, but the Zagreb government informed the United States ambassador there about its contacts with Israel and Syria, and it also briefed officials in Washington

Michel Aoun
October 30, 2009
On October 30, the An-Nahar newspaper carried the following report:
Following his bloc’s weekly meeting in Rabieh, Change and Reform bloc leader MP Michel Aoun held the Lebanese army and UNIFIL responsible for the tension in the South, saying, “They let the incident happen and did not catch the perpetrators.”
He added that “there is nothing new in regard to the formation [of the government] and the talk about it is similar to speculations over horse races.
The [bloc’s] meeting addressed the issues of Jerusalem and Al-Aqsa Mosque.” Aoun condemned the Israeli acts and called for “solidarity with the Palestinian people in their struggle against the Judaization of this major Islamic symbol.
We also addressed two parallel incidents. The first was Israel’s announcement of the continuation of its espionage operations while the second was the launching of the Katyusha missiles. We were surprised in this context that some in Lebanon objected to the Katyusha issue and forgot about the espionage issue. I believe that the first incident is not an innocent one and coincided with the Israeli announcement. However, all the officials abstained from addressing the espionage announcement while some talked about the Katyusha and the arms of the resistance - which were acquitted by Israel itself when it said that these missiles were not a part of these arms, seeing as how Israel always gives a technical opinion.
The Resistance has launched thousands of missiles on Israel and they know their type and their range and they know from where they are being launched. This is a misleading process to prevent the objection to the Israeli stance.
We also looked into the developments in the state administrations and the corruption seen on the ground. Insanity is prevailing over all the state institutions, since no one is respecting the law, neither in the judiciary, nor in the security bodies, nor in the administrations, the ministries or the councils whose job is to settle the primordial issues. The people will either have to demand a totalitarian regime and the appointment of one person who would be responsible for food, beverage, security and everything else, or hold on to this regime which protects responsible freedoms. Therefore, our entire state needs plowing so we can stop the growth of thorns in the orchards and render the soil fit for gardening.
There is nothing new [at the cabinet formation] level and the speculations seen in the newspapers are similar to the horse race speculations where no horse reaches the finish line. We are hearing people screaming and yelling, and this is all an outbidding which is far away from reality. There is a crisis and it will be resolved based on specific conditions and standards. It is unacceptable for us to continue working without any standards or logic. There are missing chairs around the table of the authority that should be restored and no one can take another person’s position. For our part, we will restore our position and everything being said in the press is mere entertainment.” Answering the question of journalists, Aoun then said he was not in a position to talk positively or negatively about Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri “as long as the talks are not over yet. Had we reached solutions, we would have announced them and I therefore leave speculations to someone else.”
Asked about the statements delivered by Marada Movement leader MP Sleiman Franjieh from Baabda Palace regarding the fact that “everything will move forward” if Aoun is pleased, he indicated that he informed those who enjoy the authority to form the government and that he did not want compensation prizes and that he had rights which he wanted to see respected. When asked to comment on the talk of Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea regarding the financial, justice and communications portfolios, Aoun replied, “I have nothing to do with him and I only talk with the prime minister- designate. If he heard anything from him, let him inform me of his opinion.” He then assured that he was in favor of the formation of the government imminently, but based on standards that ensure respect for [one’s] rights.
Asked about his opinion regarding the positions of US Ambassador to Lebanon Michele Sison yesterday and the talk about the disarmament of Hezbollah and the triggering of a war in Lebanon, Aoun replied, “Have they not had enough in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Yemen, Mogadishu, Ethiopia, Sudan and Chad? Have they not had enough of this creative chaos and the birth of the New Middle East?” Adding, in regards to the tension in the South, “All those in charge of security are responsible because they let the incident occur and did not catch the perpetrator. This is the responsibility of the legitimate forces represented by the army and UNIFIL. The security bodies are morally responsible and the perpetrator who has not yet been identified is criminally responsible.”

Friday News Briefs & Editorial
Ya Libnan/Friday, 30 October, 2009 @ 9:17 AM in Beirut/
Beirut- Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Boutros Sfeir highlighted yesterday what we have been saying all along about Hezbollah arms when he announced that arms and democracy do not match, in the same manner that parliamentary majority and minority cannot be combined in one government.
In an interview with Al-Massira magazine that will be published Saturday , Sfeir said that March 14 should have taken command of the rule in Lebanon after the June 7 parliamentary elections Sfeir considers that Hezbollah is serving Iran's interest more than Lebanon's "someone on the inside who is leaning on an exterior force to attain parliamentary and ministerial gains".
Sfeir stressed that weapons should be only in the hands of the Lebanese Army, and warned that by keeping its arms Hezbollah could at a certain stage push everyone else to arm.
Sfeir's point is , you cannot coexist in a society where one party is armed and the rest of the parties aren’t …specially when this armed party has used the arms against its fellow citizens .
All the militia in Lebanon handed over their arms over 20 years ago to the Lebanese army with the exception of Hezbollah  The Lebanese have no problem with any party rising to power provided they do it legally, democratically, within the rule of law and with total allegiance to the state . But Hezbollah isn’t this type of party …it rules by using illegal arms, militia and intimidation, has total disrespect to the state and its institutions and acts as a state within a state. Hezbollah and its allies lost the elections last June , but despite their defeat they have been acting as the winners and have been dictating their terms for participating in a so called national unity cabinet just because they are armed
Friday
2:25 Shiite Mufti Sheikh Ahmed Qabalan snapped back at Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Sfeir during Friday prayers without naming him, saying Hezbollah fighters deserve medals of honor for serving Lebanon.
2:18pm Defense Minister Elias Murr issued a decree that extends the date of expiry of licenses to carry arms until Dec 31 2009 rather than October 31.
1:08pm Minister Jebran Bassil during a press conference explained why he is suing many employees at the ministry ...and primarily for not obeying his orders
12:55pm Minister Fawzi Salloukh met with Lebanon’s ambassador to Syria Michel Khoury to discuss the status of the embassy in Damascus
12:50 Asharq al-Awsat : The March 14 majority coalition is pessimistic about the formation of a government unless Iran's and Syria's demands at the regional level were met. "The majority rules out that Iran would let go of the Lebanese government before a deal on its nuclear file has matured," one source said
12:30pm Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Sfeir’s visitors quoted him as saying that his stance as published in the al- Massira magazine interview is in line with his national stances and statements he made during his sermons.
12:25 pm Justice Minister Najjar is following up the issue of the murder of Andrea Sara Bejjani in New York. Bejjani , a Lebanese national was the president of Royal Investments, a real estate investment company from the United Arab Emirates. She was found with her throat slashed with a knife sticking out. Police say Derrick Praileu 29, a 10 year employee of the hotel where she was living has confessed to killing Bejjani.
12:10 pm Tony Blair's prospects of winning the EU presidency are fading amid serious objections in Europe, with former ally Nicolas Sarkozy appearing to withdraw his support.
12:00 pm Jacques Chirac, the former French President, has been ordered to stand trial for corruption in a case which has shed light on sleaze allegations from his time as Mayor of Paris.
10:50 Several Palestinian refugees at Jal al-Bahr-Tyre camp held a sit-in to protest a notification for 3 families to vacate their homes.
10:10 Minister Elie Marouni told LBC: If the cabinet line-up was made by keeping the same government, then we congratulate Aoun for annulling the results of the polls through political violence.
8:50 Al-Hayat newspaper: Marada Movement leader MP Suleiman Franjieh said that 90% of the government lineup is complete and that the remaining percentage is now being negotiated between Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri and parliamentary blocs.
8:10 The Egyptian Supreme Court of Emergency State Security, which is looking into the so-called Hezbollah cell, has demanded that Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah should "personally" join the list of 26 suspects whose trial has been adjourned till Nov. 21.
8:00 The interim leader of Honduras says he is ready to sign a pact to end its crisis which could include the return of ousted President Manuel Zelaya.
7:40 Central News Agency sources: Marada Movement leader MP Suleiman Franjieh arrived in Damascus on Thursday to meet with a number of Syrian officials to help speed up government formation in Lebanon
7:35 MP Alaaedinne Terro told VOL: Hariri and Jumblatt were optimistic about finding common ground on the remaining obstacles. Ghazi Aridi’s presence in the ministry of public works has demonstrated that he is for all of Lebanon, without discrimination and that is why many want him to remain there
7:30 MP Salim Salhab told VOL: A final and decisive meeting will soon be held between Hariri and Aoun to remove the obstacles. I didn’t get any tangible signs of an imminent government formation.
7:00 The Italian president will be visiting Lebanon on Monday to meet with Suleiman
Thursday
10:02 pm MP Boutros Harb told "LBC": I am afraid there is an intention to amend the constitution to make the institutions impotent and decisions impossible unless resolutions are adopted unanimously, and turn Lebanon into another Security Council where some groups have the right to "veto"
8:54pm Lebanese army the house of fugitive Mohammed al-Masri in Hour Taala, wanted for killing soldiers in Ryaa region and clashed with 2 suspects who were seen in a nearby car and killed one of them
8:28pm OTV: Both Marada's Franjieh and Hezbollah's Khalil made it very clear to Hariri that they are not independent mediators but fully committed members of the opposition
8:09pm sources of O TV": the interview of Sfeir by Massira was audited and what was published undermines all attempts at rapprochement in forming a government
8:02 Jumblatt, after meeting Hariri : Public Works Minister is at the ministry and should continue in his position