LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
April 07/08

Bible Reading of the day.
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 24,13-35. Now that very day two of them were going to a village seven miles from Jerusalem called Emmaus, and they were conversing about all the things that had occurred. And it happened that while they were conversing and debating, Jesus himself drew near and walked with them, but their eyes were prevented from recognizing him. He asked them, "What are you discussing as you walk along?" They stopped, looking downcast. One of them, named Cleopas, said to him in reply, "Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know of the things that have taken place there in these days?" And he replied to them, "What sort of things?" They said to him, "The things that happened to Jesus the Nazarene, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, how our chief priests and rulers both handed him over to a sentence of death and crucified him.
But we were hoping that he would be the one to redeem Israel; and besides all this, it is now the third day since this took place. Some women from our group, however, have astounded us: they were at the tomb early in the morning and did not find his body; they came back and reported that they had indeed seen a vision of angels who announced that he was alive. Then some of those with us went to the tomb and found things just as the women had described, but him they did not see." And he said to them, "Oh, how foolish you are! How slow of heart to believe all that the prophets spoke! Was it not necessary that the Messiah should suffer these things and enter into his glory?" Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them what referred to him in all the scriptures.
As they approached the village to which they were going, he gave the impression that he was going on farther. But they urged him, "Stay with us, for it is nearly evening and the day is almost over." So he went in to stay with them. And it happened that, while he was with them at table, he took bread, said the blessing, broke it, and gave it to them. With that their eyes were opened and they recognized him, but he vanished from their sight. Then they said to each other, "Were not our hearts burning (within us) while he spoke to us on the way and opened the scriptures to us?" So they set out at once and returned to Jerusalem where they found gathered together the eleven and those with them who were saying, "The Lord has truly been raised and has appeared to Simon!"Then the two recounted what had taken place on the way and how he was made known to them in the breaking of the bread

Free Opinions, Releases, letters & Special Reports
The Biggest Loser. By Hussein Shobokshi 06/04/08

Latest News Reports From Miscellaneous Sources for April 06/08
Bellemare Seeks Extension of Hariri Murder Probe-Naharnet
Khaddam: Asef Shawkat Under House Arrest-Naharnet
Berri to Discuss Lebanon Abroad, National Dialogue on Hold-Naharnet
Salloukh: Israeli Drill is Violation of International Law-Naharnet
Dual Message to Hizbullah, Israel-Naharnet
Israel Reassures Syria, Lebanon Ahead of Drills-Naharnet
Saniora Stresses from Cairo Election of President First-Naharnet
Syria strike details to be released-The Press Association
Israel's leader tries to ease tensions with Syria-International Herald Tribune
Exclusive: Iran, Syria, Lebanon on military alert over US Gulf ...DEBKA file
Vacation in Lebanon - full of life & entertainment-Ya Libnan
Palestinian camps a major obstacle for a peaceful & free Lebanon-Ya Libnan
Saniora Stresses from Cairo Election of President First-Naharnet
Defense officials fear Hizbullah may send bomb-laden UAVs-Jerusalem Post
Ready for everything but peace-Ha'aretz
Security officials report infiltration on border with Lebanon-Jerusalem Post
Hezbollah, Israel, Lebanon, Syria, conflicting signals on war and ...Ya Libnan
Report: Alleged Hizbullah Member Makes Threat on Facebook-Naharnet
Official: We Hope Lebanon Would Join Chemical Weapons Pact-Naharnet
Berri to Discuss Lebanon Abroad, National Dialogue on Hold-Naharnet
Ayalon warns tensions with Syria 'could lead to mistakes-Ha'aretz
Minister: Not in Israel's interests to attack Syria-Ynetnews
Assyrian Orthodox Priest Shot Dead in Baghdad-Naharnet
Jailed Sayyed Accuses Mehlis of Proposing Illegal offer to Assad, Siddiq Leaves France-Naharnet
Adwan Urges Arab League to Halt Syria's Intervention in Lebanon-Naharnet
Hizbullah: Israel Seriously Preparing for War-Naharnet
Is Muqtada Sadr in Iran?-Naharnet
Faron for International Protection of Lebanon-Naharnet
Alloush: Hariri Crime Witnesses Face Death Threat-Naharnet
Israel Notified UNIFIL of Non-Hostile Maneuver-Naharnet
Syria Accuses Israel of Preparing for War-Naharnet
Cyprus Accuses Turkey of Marring Crossing Opening-Naharnet

Bellemare Seeks Extension of Hariri Murder Probe
Naharnet/Daniel Bellemare, head of the U.N. probe into the 2005 assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, was on Sunday reportedly seeking an extension of his commission's mandate. The pan-Arab daily Al Hayat, citing diplomatic sources in New York, said Bellemare has informed "several bodies" of the need to extend the mandate of the U.N. panel to further analyze evidence before taking over as prosecutor of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon.
The sources, who met Bellemare in the framework of contacts with the various representatives of U.N. Security Council member states concerned with the Hariri murder case, said the former Canada prosecutor was keeping his information secret.
They said Bellemare did not say how much time he needs, except for hinting that he would likely not be ready by mid-July, a move that requires extension of the commission mandate. Bellemare said earlier this week that the priority of the inquiry is to now gather more evidence about the "criminal network" responsible for the massive car bombing that killed Hariri and 22 other people and determine its participants.
In his latest report to the Security Council, Bellemare said that the International Independent Investigation Commission (IIIC) has accumulated evidence indicating that the criminal network had conducted surveillance of Hariri before he was killed in Beirut Feb. 14, 2005. He said that "at least part of the (so-called) Hariri network continued to exist and operate after the assassination." Bellemare said the IIIC was also trying to establish the links between members of the network and any others outside the group. He is also trying tp pin down the role the network has played in other deadly attacks against prominent figures in Lebanon in recent years. The U.N. commission is also continuing to pursue its investigation of the identity of the suicide bomber in the Hariri case, drawing on forensic information obtained and an analysis of the missing person files of various countries to generate possible leaders. DNA profiling is being carried out as well. U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon and the U.N. are taking steps to set up the tribunal to try those responsible for Hariri's killing. Beirut, 06 Apr 08, 08:04

Salloukh: Israeli Drill is Violation of International Law
Naharnet/Resigned Foreign Minister Fawzi Salloukh said Sunday Israel's major missile attack drill was in violation of international law. "Any maneuver along the border of any country is tantamount to war against that country," Salloukh told reporters in south Lebanon. He said the Lebanese army, Hizbullah as well as Lebanon's entire population were "ready" for any attack. "There is full cooperation between the Lebanese army and UNIFIL in order to thwart any Israeli violation to the Blue Line," Salloukh added. He said he hoped the Israeli exercise is not an "excuse" by the Jewish state to launch a new offensive on Lebanon.
Beirut, 06 Apr 08, 14:45

Khaddam: Asef Shawkat Under House Arrest
Naharnet/Maj. Gen. Assef Shawkat, head of Syria's military intelligence and President Bashar al-Assad's brother-in-law, is under house arrest, former Syrian Vice President Abdul Halim Khaddam said in remarks published Sunday. Speaking from self-imposed exile in France, Khaddam said Shawkat's house in under security watch and he is banned from traveling. He said Assad decided to tighten the noose around Shawkat since June 2005, four months after the assassination of former Premier Rafik Hariri. Khaddam believed Assad "benefited" from the assassination of top Hizbullah commander Imad Mughniyeh in Damascus Feb. 12 to remove Shawkat from his post and appoint his cousin Brig. Gen. Hafez Makhlouf with the task of taking charge of Mughniyeh's probe.
Khaddam stressed that the bomb was planted inside Mughniyeh's car, adding that Mughniyeh's assassination took place in a "security area" under Shawkat's control. He said Shawkat, who was head of the probe into Mughniyeh's murder, was removed from his post after declaring that the explosion took place inside the car, an "indication that the murderers were from Syria." "Brig. Gen. Hafez Makhlouf took over from Assef Shawkat, then they sat wondering who to accuse," Khaddam said. He said the Syrian regime had attempted to assassinate Mughniyeh through Gen. Ali Mamlouk, head of Syria's General Intelligence Department, "who was personally tasked with this mission." Beirut, 06 Apr 08, 13:15

Dual Message to Hizbullah, Israel
Naharnet/France on Sunday has reportedly prepared a draft statement on Lebanon to be presented to the U.N. Security Council. The report, citing French sources, said the draft statement has been discussed with Prime Minister Fouad Saniora and presented to the U.S. administration and a number of U.N. Security Council member states, including Indonesia and Libya. The important part of the draft statement, according to one French source, is that it reiterates the need to implement U.N. resolution 1701 and takes notice of the progress reported by U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon regarding set up of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon.
The draft statement also voices "deep concern" over the continued detention of two Israeli soldiers captured by Hizbullah in July 2006 and calls for their immediate release. It expresses deep concern over Israeli air violations of the Lebanese space and calls on respecting the Blue Line. The draft statement calls on "the various countries" to implement illegal arms embargo on Lebanon. The source said Washington approved the draft statement, while France favored it contained "two clear and balanced messages: One to Hizbullah regarding possession of illegal arms and another to Israel about its persistence of violating Lebanese air space and the need to respect the Blue Line. Beirut, 06 Apr 08, 11:30

Berri to Discuss Lebanon Abroad, National Dialogue on Hold
Naharnet/Speaker Nabih Berri has announced that he will visit Saudi Arabia, Syria, Qatar and France before making any attempts to initiate national dialogue among Lebanon's bickering politicians. He told Future News TV on Saturday that he will await the results of his tour since his new initiative faced "negative reactions" from both the March 14 majority and the Hizbullah-led opposition. He said he will visit Riyadh and Damascus soon to discuss the Lebanese crisis and then head to Qatar and Paris for the same purpose. Berri also said that the position of the two camps will not deter him from making efforts to hold a national dialogue. The speaker reiterated that his initiative does not contradict the Arab League plan which has called for the election of Army Chief Gen. Michel Suleiman President, formation of a national unity cabinet in which no single party has veto power and adoption of a new electoral law. "The Lebanese have to remember that agreement hasn't been reached on the issues of national unity cabinet and electoral law," Berri told Future News TV. Lebanon has been without a president since head of state Emile Lahoud's term ended in November amid bickering between the pro-government forces and the opposition. While both sides have agreed on Suleiman as a consensus candidate for the presidency, they are at loggerheads over shares in the future cabinet. Beirut, 06 Apr 08, 05:57

Saniora Stresses from Cairo Election of President First
Naharnet/Premier Fouad Saniora, who arrived in Cairo on Saturday, stressed that the election of a new president should precede the formation of a national unity cabinet. "We will discuss with President (Husni) Mubarak and other Egyptian officials the various Lebanese issues," Saniora told reporters at Cairo airport.
When asked if there were differences among the Lebanese over shares in the future cabinet, Saniora said: "I believe those are details. We have to start by electing a president for the republic…The constitution states how governments are formed and how a national unity cabinet (is created)."
He said he is determined to work for Lebanon's best interest "by implementing what the constitution states over the election of a president."
Saniora, who is accompanied by acting Foreign Minister Tareq Mitri, is scheduled to meet with Mubarak, Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul Gheit and Arab League chief Amr Moussa. An Nahar daily said Sunday that Saniora will discuss with the Egyptian officials the results of the Arab Summit that was held in Damascus late March and Lebanon's demand for an Arab foreign ministers' meeting to tackle Lebanese-Syrian relations. Beirut, 06 Apr 08, 05:30

Report: Alleged Hizbullah Member Makes Threat on Facebook
Counter-terrorism agents are investigating an overseas death threat made by an alleged Hizbullah member against an Australian woman using the internet social networking website Facebook, The Weekend Australian newspaper reported. It said the probe, the first of its kind, was launched after the man who is allegedly named Ibrahim Dirani made the threat against the woman, who is Jewish, after she declined his online "friendship request." According to police documents, the man, a member of the Lebanon-based Facebook group wrote: "I am Hizbullah and I am going to kill you and all of your family - promise you."The Weekend Australian said Dirani was banned by the network after police launched their investigation this week. Beirut, 06 Apr 08, 06:24

Salloukh: Israeli Drill is Violation of International Law
Resigned Foreign Minister Fawzi Salloukh said Sunday Israel's major missile attack drill was in violation of international law. "Any maneuver along the border of any country is tantamount to war against that country," Salloukh told reporters in south Lebanon. He said the Lebanese army, Hizbullah as well as Lebanon's entire population were "ready" for any attack. "There is full cooperation between the Lebanese army and UNIFIL in order to thwart any Israeli violation to the Blue Line," Salloukh added. He said he hoped the Israeli exercise is not an "excuse" by the Jewish state to launch a new offensive on Lebanon. Beirut, 06 Apr 08, 14:45

Official: We Hope Lebanon Would Join Chemical Weapons Pact
Naharnet/The head of the body created to rid the world of chemical weapons says he hopes that Lebanon and Iraq would sign the 1997 Chemical Weapons Convention in the near future. Rogelio Pfirter, Director-General of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), told Agence France Presse on Saturday that 12 states are yet to sign or ratify, including five in the Middle East: Israel, Egypt, Syria, Lebanon and Iraq. "I have serious hopes of seeing two of them, Lebanon and Iraq, signing up to the convention in the near future," Pfirter said ahead of a review conference on progress of the 1997 Convention, which starts in The Hague Monday. Israel will attend at The Hague as an observer. "I believe we don't say it often enough: the convention is the only international treaty which aims to eliminate an entire category of weapons of mass destruction," Pfirter said. The history of chemical weapons goes back to ancient Greek times, but the first large-scale attack came in 1915 when clouds of German chlorine gas killed thousands of allied troops near Ypres, in Belgium. Media portrayal of Vietnam and Iraq's wars with Iran and the Kurds in the 1980s saw international action gradually become concerted. "It is a success," Pfirter said of his mission, citing the treaty's ratification by 183 countries representing 98 percent of the world's population. Despite later deadlines accorded to the heaviest stockpilers such as the United States and Russia (2012) or Libya (2011), Pfirter said destruction of stocks and manufacturing sites was on schedule. The review conference will examine the body's changing remit, with limiting the potential for rogue users -- such as the Japanese sect behind the 1995 sarin gas attacks on commuters on the Tokyo subway -- a growing concern. The OPCW has conducted over 3,000 inspections in 80 member states since its formation.(AFP-Naharnet) Beirut, 06 Apr 08, 05:10

Report: Details of Israeli Strike on Syria to Be Disclosed
An Israeli newspaper says Israel and the U.S. are coordinating the release of details on a mysterious Israeli air force strike in Syria. According to the Haaretz newspaper report Sunday, U.S. officials might disclose details of the Sept. 6 strike later this month during congressional hearings. Israeli government spokesman Mark Regev would not comment on the report. Israel has maintained almost total silence since the attack, which Syria said hit an unused military installation. Foreign reports have claimed that Israel targeted a nuclear installation Syria was building with North Korean assistance. Damascus denies having an undeclared atomic program, and North Korea says it was not involved in any such project.(AP) Beirut, 06 Apr 08, 09:36

The Biggest Loser
05/04/2008
By Hussein Shobokshi
Asharq Alawsat
As the proceedings of the last Arab summit drew to a close in the Syrian capital of Damascus and after having been evaluated, any objective and fair observer would conclude that the biggest loser of the summit was the Lebanese opposition. Commentators have established that it has no real national and independent program and it is a mouthpiece for others and their tool for disruption. Even the allies relied on the opposition to make the appropriate decisions and to act to salvage the situation instead of completely depending on others.
The Lebanese opposition that has transformed into a “dissenting partner” has no logic or objective except to suspend what is has suspended, destroy what it has destroyed and fragment what is has fragmented. The opposition has succeeded; it alone has succeeded in strengthening the anarchical label attached to Lebanon and confirmed that whilst there exists a party that wants Lebanon to get over the current deadlock, another wants the country to remain captive to itself and its problems and for the symbols of its political institutions to be eliminated one after another.
The opposition could neither contribute to filling the presidential vacuum by supporting the nomination of General Michel Suleiman, the only presidential candidate unanimously agreed upon by all Lebanese parties, nor give weight to the cabinet of ministers since it worked towards invalidating the tools of executive action and maintaining the immense state of paralysis that has afflicted all official sectors.
Of course, what is taking place in the Lebanese parliament, which has been transformed into a wailing wall by the opposition and a dysfunctional institution that entered a state of unconsciousness long ago purely based on a personal decision, cannot be overlooked. The Lebanese opposition is unaware of the fact that it has succeeded par excellence in eliminating what makes Lebanon Lebanon and removing it from its Arab environment, and has isolated it gradually to the extent that it has become a prison for its people.
It seems that the Lebanese have failed to learn or benefit from their history. On 9 May, 1932, Henry Ponsot, the high commissioner in Lebanon, decided to suspend the constitution, dissolve the parliament and postpone the presidential elections sine die. The justification was that the French authorities were not reassured by the behavior of Lebanese politicians since their craftiness in partisan maneuvers and exploitation of political influence exceeded their awareness of the problems that the country was suffering from and their interest in such problems.
Today, this painful stage of Lebanon’s history is being repeated by the opposition that insists on strengthening the spirit of defeatism and division and undermining trust [in the government]. There are numerous suggestions and theories regarding the opposition’s real “goals” in Lebanon; some believe it seeks to rearrange the country by adding a new demographic reality on the political ground by making one party triumph over another. There is also the theory that the real division in Lebanon is based on a detestable sectarian and regional program. Of course, the idea that there are tools sought by the opposition in Lebanon to consolidate its position by any means necessary irrespective of the costs and the nature of the means cannot be ignored.
The opposition in Lebanon has removed the cloak of democratic governance and has shifted to a guardianship that has a strong grip and this bears a resemblance to those who will only play according to their rules and would otherwise ruin the game for everybody else.

Assyrian Orthodox Priest Shot Dead in Baghdad
Naharnet/Gunmen shot dead an Assyrian Orthodox priest near his house in central Baghdad on Saturday while a bomb on a bus killed three people amid a surge in violence in the Iraqi capital. Iraqi security officials said Youssef Adel, a priest with Saint Peter's Church, was killed by gunmen traveling in a car around noon (0900 GMT). A medical official said Adel's body had been brought to Ibn Nafis hospital in central Baghdad.
The Assyrian church has maintained its independence since the 5th century when it broke away from the rest of the Christian communion. Some of its followers still speak a modern version of Aramaic, the language of Christ. Lord George Carey, who stepped down as Archbishop of Canterbury in 2002, three years ago warned that ethnic cleansing of Assyrians in mainly Muslim Iraq had worsened since the fall of Saddam Hussein.
Christians of other persuasions too have come under frequent attack in recent months, with clerics kidnapped and churches bombed.
Last month, the body of Paulos Faraj Rahho, Chaldean Catholic archbishop of Mosul, was found in a shallow grave in the northern city two weeks after he was kidnapped.
Rahho, 65, was abducted during a shootout in which three of his companions were killed, as he returned home after mass in Mosul on February 29.
He was the latest in a long line of Chaldean clerics to be abducted since the U.S.-led invasion of 2003.
Iraq's Christians, with the Chaldean rite the largest community, were said to number as many as 800,000 before the U.S.-led invasion nearly five years ago.
The number today is believed to have dropped to half that figure.
In January, Pope Benedict XVI expressed his "spiritual closeness" to Christian victims of attacks in Iraq.
"Mindful that such attacks are also directed against the whole people of Iraq, His Holiness appeals to the perpetrators to renounce the ways of violence, which have caused so much suffering to the civilian population," the pope said.
Security officials also said a bomb exploded on a bus near Baghdad's eastern Sadr City district on Saturday killing at least three people.
Around 16 passengers were wounded in the blast that struck at around 8:30 am.
The explosion took place around 200 meters (yards) from Sadr City, bastion of the Mahdi Army militia of radical Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, in Beirut Square as the bus was leaving the district. A vehicle curfew has been in place in Sadr City since last Thursday when heavy clashes between Shiite militiamen and security forces broke out in the sprawling neighborhood of some two million people. Since then buses have been picking up people from the edge of Sadr City.
A suspected Al-Qaeda hideout, meanwhile, has been uncovered on an island on the Tigris River in central Iraq by a group of Sunni Arabs fighting the Islamist militants, their leader said. The hideout, from where Al-Qaeda's operations in the provinces of Salaheddin, Anbar and Diyala are believed to have been coordinated, was found on an island in the Tigris near the city of Samarra, 125 kilometres (80 miles) north of Baghdad. Majin Younis Hassan, leader of the local anti-Qaeda group, said the hideout was discovered early on Saturday following an "intelligence tip". "We found 1,500 heavy, medium and light weapons as well as several bombs," Hassan told AFP. He said the underground hideout had four big rooms, each with eight beds. "We found documents which were messages between the base and other Al-Qaeda branches. One document had the names of Al-Qaeda members, another was a message from the group's chief (Abu Ayyub al-Masri) to other members."(AFP) Beirut, 05 Apr 08, 13:09

Jailed Sayyed Accuses Mehlis of Proposing Illegal offer to Assad, Siddiq Leaves France …
Naharnet/The Jailed ex-director of general security Gen. Jamil al-Sayyed claims that former U.N. Investigator Detlev Mehlis had asked him to convince Syrian President Bashar Assad of sacrificing a Syrian citizen in the assassination of ex-Premier Rafik Hariri to work out a settlement to the case.
In a letter to U.N. Chief Ban ki-Moon Sayyed claimed that Mehlis and his assistant "asked me in secret negotiations to relay a message to Syrian President Bashar Assad to convince him of providing a major Syrian victim that would testify to have committed the crime, and to be found dead later."
"Based on this an amicable settlement would be reached with Syria similar to the settlement with Libya over the Lockerbie issue," Sayyed added.
He said Mehlis had issued an "erroneous recommendation to apprehend me (and three other generals)" in connection with the 2005 Hariri assassination.
Sayyed also claimed that "Lebanese judges have repeatedly informed us that they fear political vengeance if they set us free … while they feel immune against such vengeance if the international (investigation) committee provided them with a reversed recommendation" to that of Mehlis, a German judge who was the first head of the U.N. Independent Investigation Commission looking into the Hariri assassination and related crimes.. Meanwhile, the daily newspaper as-Safir reported that Mohammed Zuhair Siddiq, a major Syrian witness to the Hariri crime, had mysteriously left his self-chosen exile in France to an unknown destination. Siddiq had implicated Syria in the Hariri crime. Damascus had denied the charge. "Siddiq has probably left for the side that facilitated his departure from Riyadh to Paris two years and a half ago."The report said Siddiq has been moved to a "prosperous Arab state in the gulf." It did not disclose further details. Beirut, 05 Apr 08, 09:37

Adwan Urges Arab League to Halt Syria's Intervention in Lebanon
Naharnet/Vice Chairman of the Lebanese Forces George Adwan said Saturday the Arab league is required to "halt Syria's intervention in Lebanon."
MP Adwan, in a radio interview, said "Syria should be banned from using Lebanon as an arena for its policies towards Israel."He said Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri is not eligible to supervise national dialogue among leaders of the various Lebanese factions "because he is a party (to the conflict) and a member of the opposition" that is led by Hizbullah. "Going to dialogue under Berri would be tantamount to exonerating him for closing Parliament gates," Adwan stressed. The state of Lebanon would not be able to function "unless Hizbullah weapons were absorbed. That is why Gen. Michel Suleiman's nomination for president is vital. He is the only person capable of proceeding with this mission," Adwan said. If Suleiman retired prior to his election president, "the government is the legal and constitutional authority that has the power to appoint a new army commander, irrespective of what the opposition believes," he added. Beirut, 05 Apr 08, 12:35

Hizbullah: Israel Seriously Preparing for War
Naharnet/Hizbullah believes the major Israeli maneuvers that would start Sunday reflect "serious preparations for war." The Saudi newspaper al-Watan quoted an "official close to Hizbullah" as saying such maneuvers are "not a routine measure." He noted that Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak has postponed a scheduled visit to Washington "which is an additional indicator that something is happening." Israel, according to the official, is ready "for a new adventure, especially that the Americans need to restore the strategic balance of powers in Lebanon and the region and regain confidence of their allies."To achieve this alleged goal "they sent destroyers to the Mediterranean and escalated their stands against Syria and Iran," he added. Beirut, 05 Apr 08, 12:10

Faron for International Protection of Lebanon
Naharnet/Cabinet Minister Michel Faron called Saturday for international protection of Lebanon pending regaining its sovereignty. Faron, state minister for parliament's affairs, said in a radio interview: "it is in our interest to have the international community protecting Lebanon pending regaining its sovereignty." He said electing a president for Lebanon is "linked to Iran's nuclear file, the international tribunal and inter-Arab relations." A settlement to the ongoing political crisis goes through "implementing the Arab initiative," Faron said. He accused Parliament Spaker Nabih Berri of "backing off" on his promises. Syria, he concluded, has not facilitated inter-Arab unity since 1960, when a merger unity with Egypt collapsed. Beirut, 05 Apr 08, 11:35

Alloush: Hariri Crime Witnesses Face Death Threat
Naharnet/MP Mustafa Alloush, member of the Mustaqbal Parliamentary Bloc, said Saturday witnesses to the 2005 assassination of ex-Premier Rafik Hariri face the death threat. Allloush, in a newspaper interview, accused the so-called "regional axis" of seeking to assassinate such witnesses.
The phrase regional axis, in Lebanese political parlance, refers to Syria and Iran. Such an axis, according to Alloush, "could also chose some personalities that could become witnesses and assassinate them one way or the other." Israel, according to Alloush, "could launch war on Lebanon." "Lebanon would not be spared in any war that would spark in the region due to the nature of Hizbullah and its affiliations," Alloush added. Beirut, 05 Apr 08, 11:03

Is Muqtada Sadr in Iran?
Iran on Saturday declined to confirm reports that radical Iraqi Shiite leader Muqtada al-Sadr had taken refuge in the Islamic republic. "No, I do not confirm these reports. These things are said to divert attention from the occupying forces who are the source of insecurity in Iraq," government spokesman Gholam Hossein Elham told reporters.The U.S. military in Iraq has frequently said that Sadr pays regular visits to Iran, although Iranian officials have always denied his presence on their soil. News reports have also placed the radical cleric in Iran. On Friday, Sadr called a mass rally in Baghdad for April 9 to demand the withdrawal of U.S. troops on the fifth anniversary of the overthrow of Saddam Hussein. The announcement came as Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki ordered his troops to halt raids on the cleric's Shiite militiamen, following an almost week-long offensive on the Mahdi Army. Iran had urged both sides to negotiate an end to the clashes that have killed hundreds of people across Iraq. The United States accuses Iran of being a strong backer of the Mahdi Army, training its militiamen and shipping in armor-piercing weapons for attacks on U.S. troops. Iran has denied the charges and said that the best way to restore security in Iraq is for U.S.-led coalition troops to pull out immediately.(AFP) Beirut, 05 Apr 08, 13:20

Syria Accuses Israel of Preparing for War
Naharnet/Syria's state-run media on Saturday said Israel is setting the stage for war. The government newspaper Tichrine said "the smell of war can be traced to statements made by Israeli officials.""Had Israel been serious in seeking peace it would have accepted the Arab Peace Initiative which involves a major Arab concession."Israeli officials make statements from which gun powder can be smelled and involve phrases focusing on one word: War."
The newspaper, in an article, said "any Israeli reference to peace is misguiding." Beirut, 05 Apr 08, 10:53

Israel Notified UNIFIL of Non-Hostile Maneuver
Naharnet/Israel has informed U.N. peacekeepers in Lebanon that its forthcoming major war games would not involve "hostile intentions."
Yasmeena Bouziane, spokesperson for the U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) said the Israeli army has "informed us" that it would only carry out a maneuver that "does not involve any hostile intentions." The state-run National News Agency (NNA) quoted Bouziane as saying UNIFIL, in cooperation with the Lebanese Army, would closely watch the Blue Line that separates south Lebanon from northern Israel "to prevent any non-expected penetration.""We would increase our activities in our area of operations, with special emphasis on the Blue Line, and we would maintain our close contacts with all the sides in this regard," she added, according to the Arabic-language NNA report. Bouziane made the statement a few hours after Premier Fouad Saniora asked UNIFIL to watch out for possible penetration of Lebanon's sovereignty by Israeli troops during the major maneuver that would start on Sunday. Saniora also cautioned UNIFIL's command against attempts by Israel to "escalate tension along Lebanon's southern borders."  He also cautioned against possible attempts by Israel to violate UNSCR 1701, which ended 34 days of war between Israel and Hizbullah in the summer of 2006. Saniora urged the Lebanese Army Command to adopt all needed measures to "protect Lebanese citizens and confront any incursion that Israel may launch," the report added without further elaboration. Beirut, 04 Apr 08, 19:58

Cyprus Accuses Turkey of Marring Crossing Opening
Naharnet/Cyprus President Demetris Christofias cut short his first official visit to London on Friday after a row over policing marred the opening of a landmark crossing in the island's divided capital. After being sealed off for more than 40 years, the Ledra Street commercial thoroughfare in the heart of Nicosia reopened to great fanfare on Thursday, only to be closed by the Greek Cypriots 12 hours later. Following intervention by the United Nations, the crossing remained shut for just three hours, but the incident overshadowed what had been billed as a key confidence-building measure ahead of relaunched reunification talks with the Turkish Cypriots. Christofias made plain that he blamed the Turkish military, not Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat, for what the Greek Cypriots charged was an encroachment into the UN-patrolled buffer zone by Turkish Cypriot police. "I was obliged to return so I am present and closer to the continued violations of what is essentially the Turkish army in the area of the buffer zone," the president told reporters on his return from London. "I want the Cypriot people to know that I don't consider Mr Talat to be guilty of these violations, I sincerely believe he doesn't feel good about it either. "I will try and get in touch with Mr Talat in an effort to put a stop to this situation, which I believe is also unpleasant for him." Christofias was to meet representatives of the five veto-wielding permanent members of the UN Security Council later on Friday, as well as U.N. chief of mission Elizabeth Spehar, in a bid to prevent the row from souring the recent improvement in relations between the two sides. Thursday's reopening of Ledra Street for the first time since intercommunal violence erupted on the island in 1963 was hailed as signalling a new climate of trust between the island's divided communities. It was agreed at a breakthrough meeting last month between Christofias and Talat, who also set a June date for the resumption of reunification talks which had gone nowhere for the past four years. Cyprus has been divided along ethnic lines since 1974 when Turkey seized its northern third in response to an Athens-engineered Greek Cypriot coup aimed at uniting the island with Greece.(AFP)
Beirut, 04 Apr 08, 19:13