LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN

LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
April 16/09

Bible Reading of the day.
John 21/13-25 Then Jesus came and took the bread, gave it to them, and the fish likewise. This is now the third time that Jesus was revealed to his disciples, after he had risen from the dead. So when they had eaten their breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter,Simon, son of Jonah, do you love me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I have affection for you.” He said to him, “Feed my lambs.” He said to him again a second time, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I have affection for you.” He said to him, “Tend my sheep.” He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you have affection for me?” Peter was grieved because he asked him the third time, “Do you have affection for me?” He said to him, “Lord, you know everything. You know that I have affection for you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep. Most certainly I tell you, when you were young, you dressed yourself, and walked where you wanted to. But when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will dress you, and carry you where you don’t want to go.” Now he said this, signifying by what kind of death he would glorify God. When he had said this, he said to him, “Follow me.” Then Peter, turning around, saw a disciple following. This was the disciple whom Jesus sincerely loved, the one who had also leaned on Jesus’ breast at the supper and asked, “Lord, who is going to betray You?” Peter seeing him, said to Jesus, “Lord, what about this man?” Jesus said to him, “If I desire that he stay until I come, what is that to you? You follow me.” This saying therefore went out among the brothers, that this disciple wouldn’t die. Yet Jesus didn’t say to him that he wouldn’t die, but, “If I desire that he stay until I come, what is that to you This is the disciple who testifies about these things, and wrote these things. We know that his witness is true. There are also many other things which Jesus did, which if they would all be written, I suppose that even the world itself wouldn’t have room for the books that would be written.

Free Opinions, Releases, letters & Special Reports
Toppling Taef/Future News 15/04/09
Diplomatic efforts on to cool off Egypt-Hezbollah tensions. By Duraid Al Baik, 15/04/09
Problems in the Bekaa expose the weaknesses of the Lebanese state.The Daily Star 15/04/09

Latest News Reports From Miscellaneous Sources for April 15 /09
Lebanon 'prison chic' goes global-BBC News
Exiled Hamas leader meets British MPs-Reuters UK
Hezbollah drowns in the Egyptian swamp…and its leadership is soundless/Future News
Egypt: Hezbollah disfigures our human rights/Future News
Shehab confesses receiving orders from Hizbullah/Future News
Army Widens Bekaa Operation as Syria Takes Measures Across the Border-Naharnet
Parliamentary Session Postponed for 5th Time-Naharnet
Egypt Considers Charging Nasrallah and Qassem in Hizbullah Cell Case-Naharnet
Aoun-Berri Dialogue Postponed-Naharnet
Berri: Saniora Cannot Deny Budget Agreement-Naharnet
Tripoli's Coalition List Within Days, Progress in Dialogue with Jamaa Islamiya-Naharnet
U.S. Embassy: Washington will Provide Lebanon with 12 Unmanned Aircrafts-Naharnet
One Killed, 35 Fugitives Arrested as Army Widens Bekaa Operation-Naharnet
NATO: Somali Pirates Seized Lebanese Cargo Ship-Naharnet
Assad Tells Suleiman: Lebanon Must Remain Stable-Naharnet
Syrian-Lebanese ties focus of 5-day summit-Middle East Times
Egypt says 13 Lebanese, Sudanese hiding in Sinai-The Associated Press
LEBANON: Another alleged Israeli espionage ring busted up-Los Angeles Times
Hamas denies ties with Egypt have strained-Xinhua
Lebanese man admits to spying for Israel-Jerusalem Post
Egypt promises surprises in case against Hizbullah cell-Daily Star
Somali pirates seize four ships, including Lebanese vessel-Daily Star
Army combs Bekaa for killers of Lebanese troops-Daily Star
'Ban to issue report on 1559 in May'-Daily Star
Poland confirms plans to leave UNIFIL-Daily Star
Retired Lebanese general held on spying charge-Daily Star
Lebanese author of Al-Qaeda training manuals set to stand trial-Daily Star
Berri: Constitutional Council basis of electoral process-Daily Star
Man 'abducted' in Beirut suburb-Daily Star
Syrians earn pittance amid harsh working conditions-By IRIN News.org
Tripoli structure at center of bitter legal dispute-Daily Star
Hidden dangers in Lebanon's coastal waters-Daily Star

Lebanese man admits to spying for Israel
By THE MEDIA LINE
A former senior officer in Lebanon's security forces has been arrested and has admitted to cooperating with Israel's intelligence services for more than a decade, Lebanese dailies reported on Tuesday. The officer, known by his first name Adib, is suspected of heading a network that passed on information to Israel. His wife was also arrested, on grounds of aiding his espionage activities. A security source told the Lebanese daily Al-Akhbar that Lebanese forces were following the suspected network's activities for more than three months prior to the former officer's arrest on Saturday. The officer retired from the security forces in 1998 and set up an office that was used as a front for his intelligence work, a senior security source said. According to the report, the officer admitted to passing on information to Israel, but denied involvement in the implementation of any operations such as bombings or assassinations. Adib allegedly met his Israeli operators periodically in Europe.
The reports come on the backdrop of tension between Egypt and Lebanon over the arrest of suspected members of the Lebanon-based Hizbullah on Egyptian soil.
Egypt said the Hizbullah members were planning attacks on Egyptian soil and helping smuggle weapons into the Gaza Strip. Although Israel and Lebanon have no diplomatic relations, Israel's main concern in Lebanon is Hizbullah, a Shi'ite organization supported by Iran that takes a vehement stand against Israel.

Toppling Taef
Date: April 15th, 2009 Source: Future News
Day after day, the opposition clarifies its barefaced stance from the Doha agreement, signed in 2008 after the May 7 events, as it considers the agreement will control the Lebanese political life after the June 7 parliamentary elections in terms of forming the government and sharing authority.
The stance of the opposition contradicts with the insistence of the parliament’s majority on the Taef accord, upon which Lebanon’s modern constitution was based, as they consider it the only reference to manage the state’s institutions and operate the Lebanese political system.
The Taef accord is currently perceived as the headline of the political division that will prevail in the time period following the elections.
March 14 coalition insists that Doha agreement is a passing agreement signed to organize the phase after the occupation of Beirut on May 7, and asserts that the Taef accord is the only reference for managing the institutions, while March 8 alliance seeks to extend the effects of the Doha agreement trying to couple it with the Taef to produce new references for the political regime.
In its political and electoral program, Hizbullah mysteriously connects its insistence on the Taef accord with what it calls “struggling” to produce a balanced authority, as its articulates continue to over-laud the Doha agreement. The main points in the Doha agreement that “Thank You Syria” group aspires to extend is to maintain the right to veto the government’s decisions, known as the blocking third, and to adopt it as a norm that would govern forming the governments after the elections, in contrary with the constitution. This means the ‘March 8’ opposition is trying to smuggle in the concept of governing in tripartite instead of in partnership, which is the spirit of the National Charter which produced the constitution.
This fact is proved by the statement of Nawaf El Moussawi, Hizbullah’s candidate for the upcoming elections, who said “Doha agreement is not a momentary agreement but it organizes relations between the Lebanese and controls the rhythm of institutions before June 7, 2009 and after it”.
The statement of Moussawi, running for one of the Shiite seats in the South of Lebanon, lifts the Doha agreement up to the level of a legal documentation and pinpoints on the Taef accord declaring that the upcoming battle is to suspend the constitution if not to drop it, which can only be interpreted as an “overturn”.
Thus, Hizbullah puts Lebanon before two choices: either “numerical democracy”, based on its demand to abolish political sectarianism, even as the Shiite party is the only sectary armed group in the country, or “tripartite governing”. This is not a normal or passing issue, and it cannot be considered a “tongue slip”. General Michel Aoun, leader of the Free Patriotic movement, accompanies his ally, Hizbullah, in more than one direction. Aoun blatantly declared that the objective behind attaining a parliamentary majority is to “amend” the Taef. This explains Hizbullah’s eagerness to get Aoun back to the parliament with an offset majority, in order to go on with the “toppling” project. The best response to this attempt is to hang on to the Taef accord, which states “full partnership” according to the statement of MP Saad Hariri, leader of Al-Mustaqbal bloc. “Full partnership” means the equal sharing between Christians and Muslims, regardless of sizes and numbers.
This is the Taef accord and this is how Lebanon will stay. Now do those who claim knowledge understand why the elections are fateful? Probably yes.

Hezbollah drowns in the Egyptian swamp…and its leadership is soundless
Date: April 15th, 2009 Source: Future News
The vicious attack that targeted the Lebanese army in the Bekaa was not "disregarded" as the military institution alerted all units in defense of its prestige and unity, and it seems that a political decision added to a political and public support has given the military the green light to continue its operations, and firmly search for the criminals who ran loose.
While the Lebanese were satisfied for the defense of the army against "terrorism," which the army commander, General Jean Kahwaji stressed that there is “ a national consensus to reject and remove terrorism from the homeland”, concerns increased from the escalation of the Egyptian accusations towards "Hezbollah" for executing attacks on its territory, and what days could bring of possible consequences for the interior Lebanese arena , due to the foreign activity of "Hezbollah, which continues to drown in the Egyptian swamp, while Hezbollah’s leadership is soundless concerning this issue.
This lead President of Al-Kataeb party Amin Gemayel expressed his fears that “such behavior would destabilize the Lebanese situation and cause problems for Lebanon, and it is a regional and Arabic issue more than it is a Lebanese-Lebanese problem.”
Prime Minister Fouad Siniora requested of the Egyptian ambassador in Lebanon, Fouad El Bedewi, to provide him with the official data regarding to the issue of the citizen Sami Shehab (detained in Egypt for the establishment of an organization linked to Hezbollah ") and his companions. El Bedewi responded to a question regarding the position of the Lebanese government concerning the issue of Shehab, saying that "Lebanon is free to take the position that suits it, however with respect to us; the issue is now in the hand of the Egyptian judiciary."
The Lebanese citizen’s attention towards these two events came parallel to the slowdown of the elections, waiting for the maturation of the electoral regulations within both factions March 8 and March 14. The first group is waiting to resolve the dispute about the electoral seats of Jezzine and Baabda between the Speaker Nabih Berri and MP Michel Aoun- who’s in a visit Russia- in addition to the Minister of Youth and Sports Talal Erselan’s demand for a Sunni seat in Hasbayya as an alternative for the Durze seat. And the other group is putting the final touches on the coalition of Tripoli between Al-Mustaqbal movement and President Najib Mikati and Minister Mohammed El-Safadi. Reaching this coalition leads to clarify the electoral view in the North, and gives a push-forward to the declaration of lists in Akkar and Meniyeh-Deniyeh. As for the discussions between Al-Mustaqbal movement and Al Jamaa al-Islamiya, a result will be reached during the next hours.
In terms of positions, Wael Abu Faour the Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs, stressed after meeting Speaker Nabih Berri on the position of the "Progressive Socialist Party" from the elections in western Bekaa after the completion of 14 March’s list with a Shiite candidate, saying: "there will be Two lists in western Bekaa, a complete list of March 14 forces and a list of the other team which is also complete.”

Egypt: Hezbollah disfigures our human rights
Date: April 14th, 2009 Source: UPI
Secretary-General of the National Council for Human Rights Mokhlis Katb affirmed Tuesday that the terrorist cell Egyptian authorities arrested for the charge of affiliation to Hezbollah, planning sabotage and spreading Shiism disfigures the rights of Egyptian citizens to live in a secure and stable environment.
Kotb told reporters that the Hezbollah cell is “an attempt to blemish Egypt’s sovereignty and a violation of territory,” and assured “it goes against the rights of Egyptian citizens who are entitled to stable and secure living atmosphere.”He asserted “the plot we discovered is an Iran-planned scheme, using its primary party in Lebanon to disturb security and stability in Egypt (...) Iran already sent Brigade 85 of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard that settled down in Lebanon and constructed the party’s infrastructure.”Kotb pointed that Iran is using all means to execute its agenda which targets regional stability “and thus negatively reflects on the rights of people.”
On the other hand, “Muslim Brotherhood” group denied any connection to the Hezbollah-affiliated cell as the Interior Ministry sets a security plan to monitor foreign citizens of five different nationalities which are: Lebanese, Pakistani, Palestinian, Iraqi and Iranian nationals. Muslim Brotherhood attorney Abdul Menhem Abdul Maksoud refuted the presence of any of the group members within the cell.

Shehab confesses receiving orders from Hizbullah
Date: April 14th, 2009 Source: Al Ahram
The Egyptian newspaper Al-Ahram reported Tuesday that Mohammad Youssef Ahmad Mansour known as “Sami Shehab”, a Lebanese Hezbollah member detained by Egyptian authorities confessed to have plotted to attack the internal institutions in the county. The paper said that the leadership of the Hezbollah party directed Mansour to plot for terrorist attacks and suicide bombings at Egyptian institutions and Israeli tourists, particularly in Sinai region, Dahab, Taba and Nwaibeaa where the majority of tourists are Israelis. The paper added that the first terrorist operation aimed at executing three explosive attacks against Egyptian and Israeli targets in three vital touristic locations, whereas the Hizbullah leadership would later claim responsibility for the operation in revenge for the slaughter of its military leader Imad Mughnieh. A sequence of orders was followed. The Secretary-General of the Hizbullah party, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, gave orders to his deputy Naim Qassem, who transferred them to Mansour through Mohammad Kabalan, according to the paper. The paper also said that the party’s leadership recruited Sudanese men to participate in smuggling arms through Egyptian borders for the terrorist operation. The Egyptian prosecution stated that Egyptian authorities would arrest 24 people involved in the cell, including Kabalan, the intelligence responsible in the party. The independent newspaper “Egyptian today” said that it received a message from Mansour through his attorney Montaser al-Zayyat. The message stated “Tell Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah that we would follow him everywhere. We apologize for the capture of his soldiers who should have been more vigilant and responsible just like we were taught to.” Al-Zayyat quoted Mansour saying, “Mansour did not deny his role because supporting the resistance is an honor according to Hizbullah’s doctrines.”

Abul Gheit: ‘All will be revealed’ about Hizbullah’s Egypt plot
Date: April 14th, 2009 Source: Shark al Awsat
Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmad Abul Gheit was quoted Tuesday as saying that Hizbullah’s alleged plan to carry out attacks in his country will be unveiled once security authorities have completed their investigation. “The report by the attorney-general that will be issued after the investigation of the case of Hizbullah’s network includes many surprises that will show the gravity of the plot against Egypt,” Abul Gheit told the Al-Sharq al-Awsat newspaper.
Egypt announced last week that a network of 50 people affiliated to Hizbullah had been arrested in October for trying to destabilize the country.
Abul Gheit asserted that the investigators have proof that would shock those in Iran and elsewhere who are defending Hizbullah and claimed Iran has used the Shiite movement for similar destabilization operations for years. Tension has been growing between Hizbullah and Cairo since Israeli launched a 22-day assault on the Gaza Strip on December 27. Egypt, which opposes the Palestinian Hamas movement, was accused of complicity in the attack. Hizbullah’s secretary-general, Hassan Nasrallah, called on the Egyptian people to protest against their government and to support the Palestinians in Gaza.
Abul Gheit said it was a cause of regret that some Egyptians attached more importance to “the Palestinian cause and to the Palestinians’ right to resist over the sovereignty of Egypt and its interests.” Egypt, along with other Sunni-led Arab states, has been at odds with Iran over its nuclear program and its expansionist aims. Noting that Tehran does now allow the Taliban to use its territory to fight US-led NATO forces in Afghanistan, Abul Gheit declared: “If Iran refuses to allow that so it must refuse to allow Hizbullah’s attempt to accumulate arms in Egypt as well” He linked the alleged Hizbullah plot to upcoming negotiations between the United States and Iran over its nuclear program and other important regional issues and claimed that the Iranians, through Hizbullah, were trying to bolster their position in those negotiations. He recalled how Hizbullah attacked its Sunni and Druze opponents in Lebanon on May 7, 2008, to consolidate its domestic political position, and said: “The resistance should stick to the law.”

One Killed, 35 Fugitives Arrested as Army Widens Bekaa Operation
Naharnet/The Lebanese Army on Tuesday widened a massive operation in eastern Lebanon arresting 35 fugitives, killing a man and injuring another after they ignored orders to stop. The army is hunting down suspected drug lords behind the killing of four soldiers. On Monday, assailants raked an army convoy with bullets and blasted it with a grenade killing the troops and critically wounding an officer, in an apparent drugs-related ambush in the Bekaa.
Hundreds of troops fanned out between the Bekaa and the Hermel region, further north, setting up checkpoints and raiding the homes of drug barons who for years have operated with near total impunity in the area. Military helicopters flew over the area, an AFP correspondent reported. An army spokesman told AFP that the raids would continue until those behind the attack were arrested. "We will raid every region and every location where we have information on suspects," he said. "We have raided a number of homes and detained several suspects wanted in previous cases but they don't include those behind Monday's attack."
Several hundred kilograms of poppy seeds used to grow hashish were seized at the home of a suspected drug lord on the run. Soldiers also confiscated large weapons caches in addition to several vehicles, some of which were stolen, the NNA said. The Lebanese army cordoned off al-Sharawni, a neighborhood in the main Bekaa town of Baalbek, and surrounded the home of Hassan Ali Jaafar, a leading suspect in Monday's ambush. Later Tuesday the army launched raids in the Baalbek towns of Hawsh Barada, Dar al-Wasaa, al-Amhaziyeh and Saaideh. The army raided the house of Ali Hussein Zeiter and arrested his sons Hassan and Wael in addition to Ali Hussein Shehadeh-Zeiter, according to the NNA. Soldiers shot at two men on a motorcycle killing Fayez Ibrahim al-Atrash after his uncle, who was driving, refused to stop at a checkpoint killing. Jaafar is the brother of Ali Abbas Jaafar, a drug baron who was killed by the army last month after refusing to stop at a checkpoint. He was wanted on a variety of charges, including drug trafficking and attempted murder of soldiers and civilians. Following his killing, Jaafar's relatives opened fire at an army vehicle, wounding three soldiers, and Monday's ambush -- which also left a soldier wounded -- was widely believed to be a revenge attack. The Jaafar clan issued a statement on Tuesday condemning the killing of the soldiers but stressed that the army could not raid the homes of "decent people." The clan also said that it would not harbor any suspects involved in the ambush. Many residents of the area had fled their homes after the ambush fearing an escalation between the army and the Jaafar clan, but the situation remained relatively calm on Tuesday. Lebanese officials, including President Michel Suleiman and Interior Minister Ziad Baroud, vowed the attack against the soldiers, who were buried on Tuesday, would not go unpunished. And in a show of support, Lebanese army commander Jean Qahwaji visited his troops in the Bekaa-Hermel area. All of Monday's victims were from northern Lebanon. One officer who was critically wounded was identified as Maj. Allam Dunia and was being treated at a Beirut hospital. The daily As Safir on Tuesday said the armed culprits fled to the barren mountains of Hermel ahead of the army crackdown. According to information obtained by An Nahar, Hassan Jaafar is said to be the mastermind behind Monday's ambush. At least three other men are allegedly involved in the attack. They were identified as M.F.A. from Brital, H.A.G. from Baalbek and A.A. from Hor Taala. An Nahar said Maj. Dunia was the target of the attack.(Naharnet-AFP) Beirut, 14 Apr 09, 19:28

Army Widens Bekaa Operation as Syria Takes Measures Across the Border
Naharnet/The Syrian military has deployed across the border with Lebanon to prevent fugitives behind the killing of four soldiers from escaping Lebanese territories as the Lebanese army widened its operation in the eastern Bekaa valley. An Nahar daily said Wednesday that the official decision of Lebanese authorities "is to go ahead till the end in punishing the culprits." President Michel Suleiman met with army chief Gen. Jean Qahwaji in Baabda Palace on Wednesday. The two men discussed the army's raids in the Bekaa. The president praised the army and stressed the need to continue the raids and track down the criminals.
An Nahar reported that Hizbullah and Amal movement informed Lebanese authorities that they "do not provide any political cover for the fugitives."
The Bekaa valley's northern part has for decades been notoriously lawless, with Shiite clans holding sway. It is also a Hizbullah stronghold.
The army is hunting down suspected drug lords behind the killing of four soldiers. On Monday, assailants raked an army convoy with bullets and blasted it with a grenade killing the troops and critically wounding an officer, in an apparent drugs-related ambush in the Bekaa.
The four soldiers were laid to rest in their hometowns on Tuesday. Speaking after a tour of military bases in the northern Bekaa Tuesday, Qahwaji said he was committed to capturing the perpetrators. "Yesterday's (Monday's) attack against the army is a form of terrorism that the whole nation has condemned," he said.
"Lebanon's support of the military institution is evidence that it despises these acts and trusts the military," he added.
An Nahar said that the names of eight people who carried out the attack were available. The army, meanwhile, widened a massive operation in Bekaa's north and pursued the criminals backed by helicopters in the valley of Nahle town, east of Baalbek after reports that the assailants headed to the area on motorcycles. In its massive operation, the military arrested 35 fugitives, killed a man and injured another after they ignored orders to stop. Several hundred kilograms of poppy seeds used to grow hashish were seized at the home of a suspected drug lord on the run. Soldiers also confiscated large weapons caches in addition to several vehicles, some of which were stolen. Media reports also said that the army carried out a raid in the town of Majdel Anjar and arrested a fugitive. But unknown assailants threw a concussion bomb on the army patrol and helped the criminal escape. Two people were lightly injured. Beirut, 15 Apr 09, 08:11

Parliamentary Session Postponed for 5th Time
Naharnet/Speaker Nabih Berri postponed a parliamentary session for the fifth time for lack of quorum. Next Tuesday's agenda, like the previous session, included controversial items including bringing heads-of-state and ministers to trial, a draft law to grant a general amnesty for crimes committed before April 27, 2005 and eliminating taxes on gas. Berri warned that he will not add any new draft law to the agenda and will schedule a new session every time there is no quorum. He added that 28 articles remain to be discussed and approved. The speaker was quoted as saying by An Nahar newspaper that State Minister Wael Abu Faour assured him that March 14 members of parliament would attend the legislative session and that quorum would not be threatened. "Why don't they attend the session and either vote for or against the gasoline issue?" asked Berri. But Abou Faour said while leaving parliament building that he told Berri there should be quorum and didn't promise him anything. Beirut, 15 Apr 09, 12:00

Egypt Considers Charging Nasrallah and Qassem in Hizbullah Cell Case
Naharnet/The Egyptian prosecution is discussing the possibility of including Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah and his deputy Sheikh Naim Qassem's names in the charges made against a Hizbullah cell accused of carrying out attacks inside Egypt. Security officials in Egypt said several names came up during interrogation of 49 suspects who have been arrested over the past five months and accused of plotting attacks on Israelis in the Sinai on behalf of Hizbullah. They said among the wanted men were 10 Lebanese and 3 Palestinians whose names came up in questioning. Defense sources said the accused, including the original suspects' alleged ringleader, a Lebanese man identified as Sami Shehab, could face death penalty or life in jail if convicted of planning terrorist attacks inside Egypt. Egyptian security forces were on Tuesday combing parts of central Sinai for the other alleged members of the cell, including a Hizbullah commander. Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul Geith promised "big surprises" when facts about the will be disclosed by Egypt's state prosecutor following completion of investigations. Prime Minister Fouad Saniora discussed with Lebanon's ambassador to Egypt Khaled Ziadeh Cairo's accusations that Hizbullah was plotting attacks in Egypt. Saniora asked Ziadeh to follow-up on the case of Shehab. The prime minister also asked Egyptian ambassador Ahmed Badawi to give him the official information on Shehab's case. Meanwhile, Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood MPs said they supported the Egyptian government's stance against Hizbullah. MP Mukhtar Qassem said during a parliamentary session on Tuesday that "the national security of Egypt is a red line, and no one must cross it." Beirut, 15 Apr 09, 10:39

Egypt Considers Charging Nasrallah and Qassem in Hizbullah Cell Case
Naharnet/The Egyptian prosecution is discussing the possibility of including Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah and his deputy Sheikh Naim Qassem's names in the charges made against a Hizbullah cell accused of carrying out attacks inside Egypt. Security officials in Egypt said several names came up during interrogation of 49 suspects who have been arrested over the past five months and accused of plotting attacks on Israelis in the Sinai on behalf of Hizbullah.
They said among the wanted men were 10 Lebanese and 3 Palestinians whose names came up in questioning. Defense sources said the accused, including the original suspects' alleged ringleader, a Lebanese man identified as Sami Shehab, could face death penalty or life in jail if convicted of planning terrorist attacks inside Egypt. Egyptian security forces were on Tuesday combing parts of central Sinai for the other alleged members of the cell, including a Hizbullah commander. Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul Geith promised "big surprises" when facts about the will be disclosed by Egypt's state prosecutor following completion of investigations. Prime Minister Fouad Saniora discussed with Lebanon's ambassador to Egypt Khaled Ziadeh Cairo's accusations that Hizbullah was plotting attacks in Egypt. Saniora asked Ziadeh to follow-up on the case of Shehab. The prime minister also asked Egyptian ambassador Ahmed Badawi to give him the official information on Shehab's case. Meanwhile, Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood MPs said they supported the Egyptian government's stance against Hizbullah. MP Mukhtar Qassem said during a parliamentary session on Tuesday that "the national security of Egypt is a red line, and no one must cross it." Beirut, 15 Apr 09, 10:39

Aoun-Berri Dialogue Postponed
Naharnet/Hizbullah and al-Mustaqbal movement are reportedly seeking to give their four candidates in Beirut 2 district an uncontested win by withdrawing all other candidates. As Safir daily on Wednesday quoted a source as saying that the two sides have no problems on the issue. But the obstacle comes from "some candidates who until now have rejected invitations to withdraw their candidacies." "Contacts are now underway to consolidate the uncontested wins particularly that national dialogue participants stressed consensus on Beirut 2 district during one of their sessions," the source added. Meanwhile, consultations among opposition leaderships have come to a standstill as Free Patriotic Movement leader Gen. Michel Aoun traveled to Russia on a three-day visit, leaving behind several obstacles hindering the finalization of lists in Jezzine, Baabda, and Jbeil. Pan-Arab daily al-Hayat said a solution in one district cannot be reached without finding a way out in the other given that all districts are interlinked. The newspaper said the Hizbullah leadership will not stop efforts to bring the views of Aoun and Speaker Nabih Berri closer upon the FPM leader's return from Moscow. The Jezzine deadlock is on candidate Samir Azar. Aoun opposes his candidacy while Berri, according to sources, considers Azar "indispensable." "Aoun has to deal with the names' map realistically," the sources told al-Hayat. As for the Baalbek-Hermel district, Hizbullah officially announced on Tuesday that former Premier Hussein Husseini will not be on its list. Sources told al-Liwaa newspaper that Hizbullah and Amal agreed to include Baath party candidate former MP Assem Qanso in the list at the expense of Husseini to prevent the latter from competing with Berri on the premiership. The minority will announce its Akkar list on Wednesday. Beirut, 15 Apr 09, 09:49

Tripoli's Coalition List Within Days, Progress in Dialogue with Jamaa Islamiya
Naharnet/Tripoli's coalition list is expected to be announced at the end of the week, media reports said on Wednesday, as talks between Mustaqbal movement and Jamaa Islamiya moved forward. Al-Mustaqbal movement leader Saad Hariri held talks in Qoreitem with former premier Najib Miqati Tuesday night. Hariri had held similar talks with Minister Mohammed Safadi. Qoreitem sources told An Nahar that "things are improving and announcement of the Tripoli list will be within the coming days." Hariri also held talks with Jamaa Islamiya's deputy secretary general Ibrahim al-Masri. The meeting led to some progress on a possible alliance between the grouping and Mustaqbal movement. As Safir newspaper quoted head of Jamaa Islamiya's politburo Ali Sheikh Ammar as saying that dialogue with Mustaqbal movement has reached its final stages. "Things are heading towards an electoral alliance in several districts." About his candidacy for a seat in Sidon, Sheikh Ammar said: "The discussion on our behalf is left for the next stage." Al-Akhbar daily quoted him as saying that talks with Mustaqbal are being held on each district at a time.
Al-Liwaa newspaper, meanwhile, said that Hariri's movement suggested to include Jamaa Islamiya's candidate Imad Hout in Mustaqbal's list in Beirut 3 district and Khaled Daher in the Akkar list in return for the withdrawal of the grouping's candidates from all other districts. Beirut, 15 Apr 09, 08:59

NATO: Somali Pirates Seized Lebanese Cargo Ship
Naharnet/A Lebanese-owned freighter, flying a Togolese flag, was seized by pirates off the Horn of Africa Tuesday, hours after a Greek merchant ship was hijacked, a NATO spokeswoman said. "I can confirm that a second cargo ship, the Sea Horse, has been seized," said spokeswoman Shona Lowe from NATO's Northwood maritime command centre in England. She could not provide details on the numbers or nationalities of the crew aboard the ship nor did how many remain in danger.
The pirates attacked the vessel "on three or four skiffs," she said. Earlier in the day Somali pirates took 22 crewmen from the Philippines hostage when they hijacked a Greek cargo ship in the Gulf of Aden, Greece's merchant marine ministry said. The MV Irene, a Greek-operated vessel flagged in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, belonged to Chian Spirit Maritime Enterprises Ltd, based in the Greek port of Piraeus, it said. Its seizure is the ninth hijacking in the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean since the start of the month and follows a vow by pirates to seek revenge after an American military operation that rescued a U.S. captain on Sunday.(AFP) Beirut, 14 Apr 09, 17:48

Assad Tells Suleiman: Lebanon Must Remain Stable
Naharnet/Syrian President Bashar Assad called his Lebanese counterpart Michel Suleiman on Tuesday to express support for stability in Lebanon and to condemn Monday's attack on an Army patrol which left four soldiers dead. Assad told Suleiman that Lebanon must remain "stable both politically and with regards to security."
He threw his full support behind the Lebanese Army's attempt to find the perpetrators. For his part, Suleiman thanked Assad for his sentiments and praised "the excellent" relations between the two neighboring countries. The two presidents also discussed progress in bilateral ties in addition to developments in the Arab world. Beirut, 14 Apr 09, 16:13

Egypt says 13 Lebanese, Sudanese hiding in Sinai
By ASHRAF SWEILAM – 1 day ago
EL-ARISH (AP) — Egyptian police are tracking down 13 members of an alleged Hezbollah cell believed to be hiding out with the Bedouins in the rugged Sinai peninsula, a security official said Monday. The men are thought to be 10 Lebanese and three Sudanese — part of a group of 49 members of an alleged Hezbollah cell that the government announced is plotting to attack Egyptian institutions and Israeli tourists. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to speak to the media, said the men had taken shelter in the central Sinai town of al-Nakhl.
Authorities fear the suspects may either try to escape north into Gaza some 120 miles (200 kilometers) away through the many secret tunnels or head south to the tourist resorts on the coast. There is little security presence in the vast mountainous interior of the Sinai where some Bedouin make their living in the drug trade.
Most residents of the impoverished peninsula do not benefit from the tourist resorts, such as Sharm el-Sheik, along the southern coast
On Sunday, Egyptian Attorney General Abdel-Meguid Mahmoud added espionage to the charges against 49 alleged Hezbollah agents, in addition to plotting to destabilize the country.Hezbollah's leader, Hassan Nasrallah, has rejected the accusations but confirmed over the weekend that it had sent a member to Egypt — a rare acknowledgment that the Lebanese militant group was operating in another Arab country. In another sign of the tension in the area, an Egyptian border guard was shot dead while patrolling the frontier with Israel early on Monday. Authorities said the incident is under investigation, with immediate suspicion falling on the Bedouin smugglers that move drugs and humans into Israel across the porous desert border.
Copyright © 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved

Egypt promises surprises in case against Hizbullah cell
By Nicholas Kimbrell /Daily Star staff
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
BEIRUT: Egypt's foreign minister, Ahmad Abu al-Gheit, has promised new revelations in the case against dozens of men in Egyptian custody accused of belonging to a Hizbullah cell. Abu al-Gheit said that the 49 men, including at least one Lebanese member of Hizbullah, are part of a broad Iranian scheme to reshuffle the region's power structure and make Egypt a "maid of honor to the Iranian queen." "I wish I could take pictures of all those who are writing in Iran and elsewhere," the FM told the pan-Arab daily Ash-Sharq Al-Awsat in an interview published Tuesday. "I wish I could see their eyes and their faces when their lower lips drop in astonishment at what the ... public prosecutor will reveal in his report."
Over the last five months, Egyptian security forces have uncovered what they call a Hizbullah cell operating out of Egypt and arrested half of its members, accusing them of plotting to destabilize the government, planning attacks against Egyptian and Israeli targets and espionage.
In a speech last Friday, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Hizbullah, said that one of the men detained - Mohammad Mansour, known as Sami Shihab - was a member of the Lebanese Shiite movement, but that the cell operating in Egypt had no more than 10 members who were working only to provide logistical support to the citizens of Gaza and their Hamas rulers. But the Egyptian press picked up immediately on the admission, labeling Nasrallah "Sheikh Monkey" and demanding his arrest. The remaining members of the alleged cell are thought to be hiding out in a mountainous region of Sinai with bedouin drug smugglers and possibly trying to cross in to Gaza through one of the area's many smuggling tunnels.
Egypt and Israel have accused the men of plotting to strike Egyptian targets and Israeli interests and tourists on the Sinai's Red Sea coast.
Security sources in Jerusalem told AFP that in light of the security threats Israeli forces on the border with Sinai had been put on high alert.
On Monday, Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora called the Egyptian ambassador to Lebanon, Ahmad Beddawi, to request an official briefing on the broadening controversy. After the meeting Beddawi was quoted as saying that the case lay in "the hands of the Egyptian authorities."
Without an official account of the case or the activities the cell is accused of plotting, various regional media have provided abundant speculation on the specifics of the case. According to the state-owned Egyptian daily Al-Ahram, the operatives were surveying Suez Canal traffic from two covert shops in Port Said and planning to simultaneously attack three Red Sea resort towns regularly frequented by Israeli tourists.
The Israeli daily Haaretz, said that Israel's Mossad, along with several Western intelligence agencies had helped Egypt to uncover the alleged cell, which the paper claimed was in contact with another covert Hizbullah operation established after the assassination of senior Hizbullah commander Imad Mughniyeh.
Mughniyeh was killed in Damascus in February 2008. Hizbullah accused Israel of orchestrating the hit and vowed revenge. Citing a forthcoming intelligence report, Haaretz claimed that a "special branch" of Hizbullah, headed by members of the group's politburo, was established in Egypt following the assassination.
After meeting with Lebanese President Michel Sleiman Tuesday, Speaker Nabih Berri chided the many press reports and editorials saying that the crisis could only be settled through intense negotiations, not by rhetoric in the media.
Tensions between Egypt and Hizbullah swelled during Israel's three week assault on Gaza in December and January, with Hizbullah blaming Egypt for not opening a border crossing with the besieged strip and calling for mass demonstrations in the country. Egyptian-Iranian relations have been strained for three decades, since the overthrow of the Shah during the Iranian revolution.
In light of the rocky relations, some have argued that the recent controversy is politically motivated, and intended to influence Lebanese voters ahead of the country's June 7 parliamentary elections.
The defense attorney of the men in Egyptian custody, Montasser al-Zayyat, has said the men are being held on "fabricated charges," and the Speaker of the Iranian Parliament, Ali Larijani, said Sunday that the campaign against Hizbullah and Iran was a pre-election ploy and a concerted effort to direct attention away from Gaza. "[Egypt] intends to divert international attention from the plight of Palestinians in the wake of Tel Aviv's three-week war on Gaza," Larijani said.
An opposition-aligned Lebanese daily, Al-Akhbar, also refuted the charges that the operatives in Egypt were planning to strike Egyptian targets. The paper quoted sources as saying that Mansour had told interrogators that the group was only tasked with providing assistance to Palestinians in the Hamas-led Gaza Strip.
But the pan-Arab newspaper Al-Hayat, quoted Zayyat as saying said that despite conflicting testimonies Mansour had admitted that he had agreed to watch Israeli tourist activities in Sinai. For its part, Hamas in a statement released Tuesday offered support to its Lebanese ally but questioned why it had been named in press reports as a party to the conflict. While politicians in Lebanon have suggested that Hizbullah may erred in admitting to its activities in Egypt, according to the NNA, former Prime Minister Salim Hoss said that the Egyptian accusations should be seen an honor for Hizbullah. "The Egyptian authority campaign appears to praise Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah and the resistance bloc," he was reported as saying. "Every honorable Arab citizen wishes this accusation to be directed to him." - with Agencies

Problems in the Bekaa expose the weaknesses of the Lebanese state
By The Daily Star /Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Editorial
Lebanon laid to rest four of its sons yesterday after they fell in an ambush in the Bekaa Valley. The speeches and statements by our political class and religious authorities have been plentiful, achieving a rare unanimity of message: defend the army and the state from outlaws and punish the perpetrators of the most recent attack.
But as we all know, the northern Bekaa Valley has been the home of a number of worrying incidents in recent years. The media might cite the theme of drug dealers on the rampage, but a number of factors are at play: anything from shadowy revenge killings to auto theft rings, with "clan" behavior cited as an excuse. In fact, all of these phenomena are thriving amid a rampant availability of weapons and a lax implementation of the law. They're all signs that this part of the country requires attention, and not only in the form of a security crackdown.
In recent years, we've seen drug dealers from the Bekaa make their appearances in the media, trumpeting their supposed cause. One defiantly said he didn't mind going to prison, as long as all of the country's thieves joined him behind bars. When someone like that shouts "I'm stealing, they're all stealing," he might find a receptive audience. In fact, this is what's happening in the Bekaa.
Few people would look at such armed and dangerous outlaws as heroes, but whether we like it or not, they aren't necessarily seen as complete villains, either.
This is because average people in the northern Bekaa - busy paying fees and taxes, processing government formalities, trying to make a living from agriculture, seeking redress through the judicial system - come into contact with our state institutions and discover how woefully inadequate they are for responding to the needs of development, the economy and prosperity. In the worst case scenario, some of these state institutions are awash in corruption. This is why someone can get away with shouting that he's an outlaw without generating an instant backlash.
The president, the Cabinet and Parliament, along with any candidates in our upcoming legislative elections, should take note, and come up with a practical way to address the problem of lawlessness in the Bekaa and elsewhere, recognizing what services and institutions they've failed to deliver.
There's no excuse for killing, for what the outlaws did to the army patrol this week. But there's no excuse for ignoring this part of the country, and merely wishing that it and its problems would somehow go away. That's what the state is for - to fix these problems.

Lebanese author of Al-Qaeda training manuals set to stand trial
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Christine Kearney/Reuters
NEW YORK: Jury selection began on Monday in the trial of a Lebanese-born Swedish man accused of helping set up a militant training camp in rural Oregon and operating websites showing how to assemble bombs. Oussama Abdullah Kassir, 43, who was extradited from the Czech Republic to New York in 2007, faces multiple charges, including supporting terrorism and Al-Qaeda, by attempting to set up the camp in Bly, Oregon from 1999 to early 2000.
Prosecutors say Kassir and two others involved in the case were followers of Egyptian-born Abu Hamza al-Masri, a one-armed Muslim cleric who is serving a seven-year sentence in Britain for inciting his followers to murder nonbelievers.
James Ujaama, a former community activist in Seattle, has pleaded guilty to trying to help Al-Qaeda militants and may testify at the trial in Manhattan federal court as part of a plea agreement.The other suspect in the case, Haroon Rashid Aswat, one of Masri's chief aides, is appealing against extradition to the United States.
Prosecutors say in late 1999 Kassir and Aswat flew from London to New York, travelling to Oregon to assess the suitability of a property for the camp.
Once there Kassir set up security patrols, helped distribute CD-ROMs with instructions on how to make bombs and poison, and offered instructions in hand-to-hand combat, including how to slit a person's throat with a knife, the indictment said. The camp was never established.
From December 2001 until 2005, Kassir operated at least three websites that contained manuals such as "The Mujahideen Explosives Handbook" and "The Mujahideen Poisons Handbook," according to the indictment. Kassir has pleaded not guilty to the charges. In a 2007 hearing he described the case as "unjust" and "unfair" and said he has "nothing to do with Al-Qaeda." The opening arguments in the case will likely be next week. Kassir, who was born in Lebanon but became a Swedish citizen in 1989, was arrested in Prague in 2005 during a layover while traveling from Stockholm to Beirut. Aswat, a British citizen, was arrested in Zambia. Masri, who also faces charges for helping plot the capture of 16 western hostages in Yemen in 1998, won an interim order in 2008 from the European Court of Human Rights blocking his extradition to the United States. Masri and Aswat's extradition appeals are pending before the court.

Retired Lebanese general held on spying charge
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
BEIRUT: A retired Lebanese general was arrested on suspicion of spying for Israel, a senior Lebanese security official said Tuesday. The former general from the General Security Department of the Interior Ministry's detention is among several arrests in recent months that appear to be part of a stepped up campaign in Lebanon against those suspected of gathering information on Hizbullah for Israel.
The security official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the case, said the retired general told interrogators he had worked for Israel for more than 10 years and regularly met with his Israeli contacts at European destinations. He also allegedly used the business he owned, which managed foreign domestic workers, as a cover for intelligence work, the official said. Israeli government officials would not comment on the allegations.
The Lebanese security official said the ex-general had been under surveillance for three months and was arrested on Saturday. His wife also was questioned, he said. No other details were provided. Lebanon is at war with Israel and bans its citizens from having any contact with the Jewish state.
Israel waged a brutal 34-day war with Hizbullah in Lebanon in 2006. More than 1,200 people in Lebanon, most of them civilians, and 159 Israelis, mostly soldiers, died in the conflict. Since the end of the fighting, Lebanese officials have alleged Israel continues to recruit and operate spies. Several arrests were disclosed in November and February. - AP

Poland confirms plans to leave UNIFIL
Daily Star staff/Wednesday, April 15, 2009
BEIRUT: Poland has officially informed the United Nations of its plans to withdraw its troops from the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) in October 2009, the spokeswoman for the peacekeeping force said Tuesday. "Any changes to UNIFIL's contributing forces are part of a dynamic operation which depends on regular discussions between the UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations and contributing states," said Yasmina Bouziane. The significance of the operation is that it guarantees "UNIFIL's workforce is at full capacity and ensures the force can continue its mission according to the provisions of Security Council Resolution 1701," she added. "As one state considers withdrawing or reducing its troops, other nations will increase theirs. There are countries who have already expressed desire to participate in UNIFIL," Bouziane said. Poland has been a part of UNIFIL since 1982 with a 450-member contingent. - The Daily Star

Diplomatic efforts on to cool off Egypt-Hezbollah tensions
By Duraid Al Baik, Associate Editor
Published: April 14, 2009, 23:12
Dubai: Signs of Egypt's willingness to end the conflict with Hezbollah are growing, according to Muntasir Al Zayat, the lawyer for the main suspect who was among the 49 members of the Shiite group arrested in the country recently.
Al Zayat told Gulf News on Tuesday he believes the case will cool down if Hezbollah accepted the ultimatum sent by Cairo to Beirut through the Lebanese government.
A source close to the ruling National Democratic Party told Gulf News that a set of Egyptian conditions was passed to Hezbollah leaders through Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora and Cairo is awaiting a response.
In a telephone conversation with Siniora, President Hosni Mubarak requested that Hezbollah must denounce infringement to Egypt's security in clear words to avoid further consequences in the case.
The source, who spoke to Gulf News on the condition of anonymity, said Cairo made it clear to Beirut that it will not accept Hezbollah's explanation that the cell in Egypt was established to help Palestinians under Israeli siege in Gaza.
But, Al Zayat told Gulf News in a telephone interview after meeting the main Lebanese suspect that he was confident the actions carried out by Mohammad Yousuf Ahmad Mansour, 39, were minor offences under the Egyptian penal code and that the case might end in a light sentence.
He said after his 10-hour meeting with the suspect at the State Security headquarters in Nasr Province in Cairo that the case he will defend is not as dramatic as it is being portrayed in the Egyptian media and that his defence will focus on the fact that the 49 men involved in the case were just helping Palestinians in Gaza to defend themselves against brutal aggression by Israel.
"I am sure that no fair court will consider the act of helping people under siege as a crime and those involved in the case will be no different," he said.
Al Zayat said the suspect, Mansour, admitted during interrogation that he entered Egypt using a forged passport.
According to the lawyer, Mansour told him that the interrogators treated him well during his four-month detention and that they had never put pressure on him to extract information.
Al Zayat said Mansour is calm and stable and feels that he is doing an honourable job under the guidance of Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah.
"He told me clearly that he never regrets what he has done because he never intended to harm Egyptians or breach the security of Egypt, which he and his party fully respect," the lawyer said.
According to manuscript of the interrogation published on Thursday in a number of Egyptian newspapers, Mansour entered Egypt using a forged document.
The document identified him as Sami Hani Shihab - a Lebanese who died some 20 years ago when he was a child.
"The forged name and the family were selected carefully to give an impression that the suspect came from a well-known rich Sunni family in Lebanon in order to mislead intelligence personnel about his intentions in Egypt," said Magdy Al Dakak, a member of the ruling party and editor-in-chief of October weekly.
Al Zayat, however, disagreed with the charge slapped on the 49 suspects of spreading the Shiite doctrine among the Sunni population of Egypt.
He said such a charge has no support in the law and is not a crime under the criminal code in Egypt.
"Mansour has stated clearly in the interrogation that Hezbollah is against whatever might lead to a sectarian rift and his mission in Egypt was to help Palestinians," he said. He said the case is being blown out of proportion in the media to instigate the ordinary public against Hezbollah.
"I think the president's decision to speak to Siniora is the beginning of the end and it is up to politicians to clear the mess the media and security apparatus have created in the past few days," he added.