LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS
BULLETIN
April 08/08
Bible Reading of the day.
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint John 6,22-29.
The next day, the crowd that remained across the sea saw that there had been
only one boat there, and that Jesus had not gone along with his disciples in the
boat, but only his disciples had left. Other boats came from Tiberias near the
place where they had eaten the bread when the Lord gave thanks. When the crowd
saw that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they themselves got into
boats and came to Capernaum looking for Jesus. And when they found him across
the sea they said to him, "Rabbi, when did you get here?" Jesus answered them
and said, "Amen, amen, I say to you, you are looking for me not because you saw
signs but because you ate the loaves and were filled. Do not work for food that
perishes but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man
will give you. For on him the Father, God, has set his seal."So they said to
him, "What can we do to accomplish the works of God?" Jesus answered and said to
them, "This is the work of God, that you believe in the one he sent."
Free Opinions, Releases, letters & Special Reports
Are Berri and Siniora ready to take on more assertive
roles? The Daily Star 07/04/08
The Biggest Loser. By Hussein Shobokshi
06/04/08
Latest News Reports From
Miscellaneous Sources for April 07/08
Berri Meets Assad-Naharnet
Israel Tests
Response to Tripartite Attack From Lebanon, Syria, Gaza-Naharnet
Syria Reportedly
Sets New Conditions for Approval of Arab Initiative-Naharnet
Qassem: Israeli
Military Exercises Are Preparation for New War-Naharnet
Saniora: One Sibling Cannot Kidnap His
Brother for Ransom-Naharnet
Berri: We Will Lose Lebanon Without National Dialogue-Naharnet
Sfeir urges state to help world bodies vaccinate children-Daily Star
Assad's brother-in-law 'detained for exposing
Syrian role' in Mughniyeh hit-Daily
Star
Lebanese held hostage by Damascus - Siniora-Daily
Star
'Berri will pursue dialogue initiative despite
doubts-Daily
Star
Israel insists nationwide exercise poses no threat
to Lebanon, Syria-Daily
Star
US expresses hope for election of president-Daily
Star
Lebanon falls to 48th place on annual
credit-access index-Daily
Star
Broad is the way that might lead Lebanon to
another war-Daily
Star
Head of UN Hariri probe seeking extension - report-Daily
Star
Southerners unfazed by Israeli drills next door-Daily
Star
Lebanese accused of death threat on Facebook-Daily Star
Supporters of opposition government clash Friday-Daily
Star
Farmers flog organic produce in Sidon-Daily
Star
Civil society group targets child violence with
workshop-Daily
Star
British charity returns after two-year absence-Daily
Star
Forest group announces results of preservation
project-Daily
Star
Gemmayzeh patrons decry decision to shut down
restaurants and bars in nightlife hub-Daily
Star
Moscow softens opposition to planned US missile
defense network in Europe-Daily
Star
FPM postpones party elections over internal
disputes-Daily
Star
Muslim graves desecrated in French cemetery-AFP
Biggest Ever Israeli Defense Drill Begins, Israel Assures Lebanon, Syria
Exercise Poses No Threat-Naharnet
France Prepares Draft Statement on Lebanon-Naharnet
Saniora accuses Syria of holding Lebanon hostage-Jerusalem
Post
Syria on Alert 'Because Hizbullah Revenge Attack is Near'-Arutz
Sheva
Siniora: Lets start out first by electing a Lebanon president-Ya
Libnan
Hezbollah says Israeli military exercises are preparation for new ...International
Herald Tribune
Berri Meets Assad
Naharnet/Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri on Monday launched an Arab tour by
holding talks with Syrian President Bashar Assad in Damascus on the Lebanon
crisis. Syrian Vice President Farouq Sharaa and Foreign Minister Walid Muallem
attended the Assad-Berri talks. Press reports said Berri is to head to Egypt
after his Damascus mission for talks with Egyptian and Arab League officials.
King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia is to make a brief visit to Egypt on Tuesday for
talks with President Husni Mubarak on Arab divisions over Lebanon. It could not
be determined if the two leaders would hold a joint meeting with Berri, whose
office said his tour would include Riyadh, Doha and Paris. Berri would scout
stands by Arab leaders on his plan to re-launch national dialogue between the
various Lebanese factions prior to a parliamentary session designed to elect a
president and scheduled for April 22. News reports said Berri is planning to
launch a four-day dialogue as of April 18, in an effort to work out consensus on
the Arab initiative. Beirut, 07 Apr 08, 13:53
Moussa: Arab Umbrella Shadows
Lebanon
Naharnet/Premier Fouad Saniora Discussed with Arab league Secretary General Amr
Moussa on Monday efforts to settle the Lebanon crisis and patch up
Beirut-Damascus differences. Moussa was quoted as saying after the two-hour
meeting contacts were underway between Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Syria to settle
the political crisis in Beirut and tackle the Lebanese-Syrian deteriorating
relations. "Lebanon has one neighbor, that is Syria, and one enemy, that is
Israel," Moussa said.
"The Arab umbrella shadows Lebanon," Moussa stressed without further elaboration
on the remark. Following his mission in Egypt, which included talks with
President Husni Mubarak, Saniora is to leave for the United Arab Emirates. The
majority premier is scouting possibilities of requesting a meeting by Arab
foreign ministers to tackle the strained Lebanese-Syrian relations. Beirut, 07
Apr 08, 14:30
Syria Reportedly Sets New Conditions for Approval of
Arab Initiative
Naharnet/Fears that the Lebanese crisis could lead to armed conflict and
deterioration in economic conditions increased as Syria reportedly set new
conditions for approval of an Arab initiative to end the ongoing political
stalemate. The daily Al Liwaa, citing Arab diplomatic sources in Cairo, said
Monday that Arab League chief Amr Moussa sensed a "hardening" of Syria's
positions toward the crisis. The sources said Moussa, who stressed that the Arab
League will continue its efforts to help bring an end to the Lebanese impasse,
returned to Cairo from the Arab summit in Damascus with an "unsatisfactory
impression."
They said high-ranking Syrian officials have informed Moussa that the Arab
initiative could be implemented following approval of three suggestions:
1- Formation of a neutral, transitional government.
2- Agreement on the 1960 electoral law.
3- Agreement on a consensus president.
Moussa said following a meeting with Morocco's foreign minister that
repercussion of the Lebanese crisis has spread to the entire Arab region and has
negatively affected inter-Arab relations.
Al Liwaa said fears raised particularly after Saudi Arabia and Egypt voiced
concern that obstructing implementation of the Arab initiative would expose
Lebanon to "dangers" and worsen the already deteriorating economic condition in
Lebanon. Beirut, 07 Apr 08, 08:03
Israel Tests Response to Tripartite Attack From
Lebanon, Syria, Gaza
Naharnet/Israeli ministers on Monday were to test their response to the scenario
of simultaneous attacks from Syria, Lebanon and the Gaza Strip as part of a
major home front defense drill. The five-day exercise, the largest in the
country's history, is being staged against the backdrop of increased tension on
the northern border, prompting the government to reassure Syria and Lebanon
there was no hidden agenda behind the maneuvers.
The drill, which started on Sunday, simulates air and missile attacks on Israeli
cities, and the use of non-conventional weapons by the attackers.
As part of Monday's simulation members of the security cabinet, chaired by Prime
Minister Ehud Olmert, will have to make decisions after being told of widespread
attacks and high numbers of casualties. Monday's exercise has Israel coming
under simultaneous attack from Syria and the Lebanese Hizbullah militia in the
north and from Palestinian militants in Gaza to the south.
The government will also test coordination of vital services, including food
distribution centers, hospitals and postal services. Over the next few days
emergency sirens will sound across the country and schoolchildren will practice
entering shelters and protected areas in the event of chemical and biological
attacks on Israel. The prime minister and his staff will also train to work from
an underground bomb shelter at the premier's Jerusalem office, officials said.
Dubbed "Turning Point," the exercise follows widespread criticism of Israel's
handling of the 2006 war against Hizbullah in Lebanon.
It also comes after local media last week reported heightened tensions along
Israel's heavily guarded border with Syria and days after Lebanese Prime
Minister Fouad Saniora put his armed forces on alert. On Sunday, Olmert sought
to reassure Syria and Lebanon that Israel did not want the drill to worsen
tensions along its northern border. "The goal of the exercise is to check the
authorities' ability to carry out their duties in times of emergency and for
preparing the home front for different scenarios," Olmert told a weekly cabinet
meeting. "There is nothing else hidden behind it. All the reports on tension in
the north can be moderated and cooled down. We have no secret plans" behind the
exercises, he added. Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak has said the maneuvers
were primarily aimed at learning lessons from the Lebanon war, during which more
than 4,000 rockets fired by the Hizbullah militia slammed into northern Israel.
The 34-day conflict ended under a U.N.-brokered ceasefire after more than 1,200
people in Lebanon, mostly civilians, and 160 Israelis, mostly soldiers, were
killed. An official inquiry into the war harshly criticized Israel's leadership
for failing to protect civilians during the conflict.(AFP-Naharnet) Beirut, 07
Apr 08, 14:09
Qassem: Israeli Military Exercises Are Preparation
for New War
Naharnet/Hizbullah's deputy leader Sheikh Naim Qassem has said Israel's new
five-day nationwide military exercises are intended to prepare for a new war on
Lebanon. Qassem also warned on Sunday that Hizbullah is fully ready to defend
Lebanon if the Jewish state attacks again. Qassem's remarks came as Israel began
a home front security drill Sunday, simulating responses to war and other
emergency situations, including a large-scale terror attack or natural
catastrophe.
Israeli Deputy Defense Minister Matan Vilnai said the drill was meant to help
Israel apply lessons from its inconclusive 2006 war against Hizbullah. But he
and other Israeli officials denied the exercise was related to current friction
along Israel's northern border with Syria and Lebanon. "These drills are part of
preparations for war because Israel is always in a warlike situation," Qassem
told a rally south of Beirut. "These maneuvers are part of preparations for
something in the future — probably it could be far off — but it is a preparation
for war." Qassem said the Israeli drills were also intended "to raise the
collapsing morale of the people inside Israel following the defeat in the 2006
war." Also Sunday, Hizbullah MP Hussein Hajj Hassan warned that the group was
prepared for any eventuality.
"We know that we have the forces and the enemy should reconsider before
committing any stupid act," Hajj Hassan said.(AP-Naharnet) Beirut, 07 Apr 08,
09:11
An Aramaic Syriac orthodox priest shot dead in
Baghdad
080405/An Aramaic Syriac orthodox priest was shot to death yesterday Saturday morning
in a neighbourhood of the capital of Baghdad.
Father Youssef Adel was gunned down and killed in a drive-by shooting in one of
Baghdad’s considered safest neighbourhoods Karrada. This barbaric attack took
place outside of his house near the St. Peter and Paul Syriac Orthodox church
where he presides.
Father Youssef Adel, had once before escaped the Sunni dominant neighbourhood of
Dora and the slaughtering of the Christians, at a time when rebellious Islamic
were burning down churches and Christian homes. Father Youssef Adel and his wife
Lamia moved to a considerably safe area called Karradah and became the priest of
St. Peter and Paul Syriac Orthodox Church. But the Christian blood colours the
streets of Iraq, and father Youssef Adel became yet another martyr of the Syriac
Orthodox Church. On 9th October 2006 another west Aramaic Syriac Orthodox Priest
was kidnapped and beheaded by a terrorist group in Mosul. His name was Paulus
Iskander Behnam of St. Afrem Church. Father Youssef Adel was shot down with a
silencer, and collapsed in front of his home. Neighbours and arameans (syriacs)
from all over the district flocked and cried outside father Youssef Adel house.
His was brought to the church of Saint Peter and Paul Syriac Orthodox Church and
the funeral was led by the Archbishop of Baghdad Severius Hawa and Syriac
orthodox clergy on Sunday morning. The Patriarch of Syriac Orthodox Church of
Antioch, Ignatius Zakka I Iwas, condemned this barbaric action and said “We
should not surrender to grief but we must look on his departure through the eye
of faith and see his pious spirit flying in paradise with the spirits of the
martyrs, saints and devout priests.”Pope Benedict XVI expressed his sorrow over
the killing of this Aramaic Syriac orthodox priest and urged for an end to the
violence in Iraq.
www.soku.org
Are Berri and Siniora ready to take on more
assertive roles?
By The Daily Star
Monday, April 07, 2008
Editorial
Partisan bickering has helped keep Lebanon's presidency empty since late
November, but there are signals, however dim thus far, that Speaker Nabih Berri
and Prime Minister Fouad Siniora are at last ready to make full use of their own
"pillar" institutions to break the logjam. Even before the crisis left a vacancy
at Baabda Palace, the ruling March 14 coalition and the March 8 opposition had
left much of their public representation to be carried out by nakedly political
- and therefore highly polarizing - operators - MP Saad HaririSaad-Hariri-Profile
Sep-07 , leader of the parliamentary majority, and MP Michel Aoun, head of the
Reform and Change bloc. Both Berri and Siniora took backseats, letting more
partisan-minded types do the driving.
Now that this strategy has resulted in the political equivalent of a
multiple-vehicle pileup on a busy highway, the prime minister and the speaker
seem to be reasserting themselves. Both have been reaching out to foreign
capitals in hopes of sorting out this mess, and if they do it right, the
potential for progress has never been greater. Many supporters of both camps are
out of patience with the entire affair, and the reasons for their exasperation
include everything from economic exhaustion to the risk of an accidental civil
war. The only real questions are whether Berri and Siniora have the wisdom to
convince their respective allies, both here and abroad, of the need for
compromise - and the fortitude to impose their will.
A large part of the impasse is due to a competition for influence between Saudi
Arabia and Syria. Both of those countries have had a variety of reasons for
encouraging their Lebanese proxies to stand firm, but whatever utility such
intransigence might have had at one time, it has now thoroughly evaporated. The
mere idea that two countries so central to the collective Arab welfare should be
at daggers drawn is disappointing, but not nearly so much as the fact that both
of them have allowed their contest to inflict so much damage on Lebanon. If
Siniora and Berri manage to communicate anything to Riyadh and Damascus,
therefore, it should be that both of them need to do what each has demanded of
the other: Pressure its local allies to get serious about negotiating a
compromise.
Berri's skills and experience have been part of the Lebanese political landscape
for more than two decades, and Siniora has steadily burnished his own
credentials as a force to be reckoned with since eventually taking over the
premiership in the chaotic aftermath of Rafik Hariri's 2005 assassination. Even
so, the challenge facing them - assuming they choose to take it on - is a
daunting one. Much time has been lost, and there is no guarantee that even
supreme efforts by the prime minister and the speaker can bring the Saudis and
the Syrians around. And even if they can, the heavyweights might not have as
much influence over various components of March 8 and March 14 as is widely
believed. In the absence of a better suggestion, though, and since an empty
presidency demands that others show more statesmanship, not less, this is
Lebanon's best bet for now
Sfeir urges state to help world bodies vaccinate
children
Fadlallah calls for curbing illiteracy
By Maroun Khoury
Daily Star correspondent
Monday, April 07, 2008
BKIRKI: Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Butros Sfeir, during his weekly Sunday
sermon in Notre Dame Church in Bkirki, called on the government to participate
in the measles vaccination campaign launched by the World Heath Organization and
UNICEF. Following his sermon, the prelate received a delegation of teachers from
the Lebanese Forces, presided by Henry Bakhos, with whom he discussed Lebanese
teachers' problems and demands that led to last Thursday's strike.
"We can only hope for things to get better ... for our government to be solid,
for the Parliament to open back its doors and pass laws" the prelate said.
Sfeir then met with former minister Naji Boustany. "We talked about the head of
UN International Independent Investigation Commission judge Andre Bellemare's
last report," Boustany said after the meeting.
Boustany said he also discussed Mohammad Zuhair al-Siddiq's case with Sfeir.
Siddiq, a key witness in the Hariri murder case, is wanted by Lebanon but France
has refused to hand him over to Lebanese authorities as he risks the death
penalty.
The prelate then received former minister Farid Haykal al-Khazen who told
reporters after the meeting that "Lebanon and the Lebanese people are suffering
a harsh economic crisis leading to extreme poverty and we should act fast to
solve this crisis by electing a president."
Commenting on Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri's expected Arab tour, Khazen said
it would be a good way to bring together different Arab views after the recent
Damascus summit.
Sfeir also received head of Lebanese Peace Party, Roger Edde, who informed the
prelate about his latest trip to the United States and discussed with him the
country's situation.
"The only way for Lebanon to avoid the disasters of a possible regional war is
to respect UN Security Council Resolution 1701," Edde said.
Edde warned that if Hizbullah avenges the killing of its senior security
official Imad Mughniyeh, Syria would engage in war with Israel since Mughniyeh
was killed in Damascus on February 12.
In separate developments, senior Shiite cleric Mohammad Hussein Fadlallah called
on the country's academic elite to fight illiteracy.
"Illiteracy in the Middle East has reached society, politics and even religion,"
he said during a speech at Haret Hreik's Islamic Cultural Center. He added that
according to the United Nations, the level of illiteracy in the region is among
the world's highest.
Fadlallah said that the high level of illiteracy in the Arab world suits foreign
countries that are taking advantage of the region by keeping its people
ignorant. He added that only an educational revolution could free the region
from illiteracy.
Meanwhile, the vice president of Higher Shiite Islamic Council, Abdel-Amir
Qabalan, denounced the upcoming celebration of the 60th anniversary of Israel's
creation.
He added that the states represented during the celebration will be supporting
the crimes perpetrated against the Palestinian people and the ongoing occupation
of Palestinian, Syrian and Lebanese territories.
"There will be no peace in the region before Palestinians get their rights.
Instability and insecurity are the result of Israel's perpetual aggressions,"
Qabalan said
Assad's brother-in-law 'detained for exposing Syrian role' in Mughniyeh hit
Daily Star staff
Monday, April 07, 2008
BEIRUT: Major General Assef Shawkat, head of Syria's military intelligence and
President Bashar Assad's brother-in-law, is under house arrest, former Syrian
Vice President Abdel-Halim Khaddam said in remarks published Sunday. Speaking
from his self-imposed exile in France, Khaddam told Lebanon's Al-Mustaqbal daily
that Shawkat's house was under security watch and he was 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 that Assad "benefited" from the assassination of top Hizbullah
commander Imad Mughniyeh in Damascus on February 12 to remove Shawkat from his
post and appoint his [Assad's] cousin Brigadier General Hafez Makhlouf with the
task of taking charge of the investigation into Mughniyeh's killing.
Khaddam stressed that the bomb was planted inside Mughniyeh's car, adding that
the assassination of the Hizbullah commander took place in a "tight security
area" under Shawkat's control.
Khaddam said that 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."
Syria was expected to issue Sunday the results of its probe into Mughniyeh's
killing.
"Brigadier General 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 General
Ali Mamlouk, head of Syria's General Intelligence Department, "who was
personally tasked with this mission."In the aftermath of Hariri's assassination, Khaddam said that the former
premier, to whom Khaddam was considered close, "received many threats" from the
Syrian president.
Khaddam's accusations against Assad and his inner circle regarding Hariri
assassination also grew more explicit, when he accused Assad directly of
plotting for the assassination of Hariri.Khaddam has lived in Paris since 2005. - The Daily Star
Lebanese held hostage by Damascus - Siniora
By Hussein Abdallah
Daily Star staff-Monday, April 07, 2008
BEIRUT: Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora accused Syria on Sunday of
kidnappingProtection-Firms-for-Executives Lebanon and seeking a ransomRisky-Business
from Saudi Arabia. "It is inappropriate for an Arab state to hold a brother
state hostage to extract ransom from a third brother state," he said. Speaking
to reporters after meeting Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak in Cairo, Siniora
said that the three-point Arab initiative to end Lebanon's political crisis has
given priority to the election of a new president.
Siniora said that agreements on forming a national unity government and drafting
a new electoral law for the 2009 elections should come after and not before
electing a new head of state.
The prime minister explained to reporters that the Lebanese government's recent
decision to boycott the Arab summit in Damascus was not aimed at spoiling the
gathering.
"It was a message to all Arabs that Lebanon is not in a normal state of
affairs," he said. "The country has been without a president for the last five
months. It has been 17 months now since the last Parliament meeting."
"We decided that boycotting the summit was the best way of stating our case
before the Arab community, urging Arab states to settle inter-Arab differences
and address the strained relations between Beirut and Damascus," he added.
Siniora said that the commander of Lebanese Armed Forces, General Michel
Suleiman, will remain the consensus presidential candidate even after he quits
his post in the army.
Suleiman said last week that he will quit his post on August 21, three months
ahead of his scheduled retirement.
Siniora also met his Egyptian counterpart, Ahmad Nazif, and Foreign Minister
Ahmad Abu al-Gheit.
Meanwhile, Speaker Nabih Berri told Future News television on Saturday that he
will visit Saudi Arabia, Syria, Qatar and France before calling for national
dialogue among Lebanon's feuding parties.
Berri said that the current position of the bickering parties will not stop him
from pursuing national dialogue.
The speaker reiterated that his efforts do not conflict with the Arab initiative
for Lebanon.
The initiative calls for the election of Suleiman, the forming of a national
unity government, and the drafting of a new electoral law.
Since the rival camps have already agreed on electing Suleiman, Berri had said
earlier that the dialogue would focus on the second and third items of the Arab
initiative.
On Sunday, Lebanese Forces MP Georges Adwan told Voice of Lebanon Radio that
Berri has taken sides in the country's internal crisis and can no longer preside
over national dialogue.
Future Movement MP Mustafa Allouch also said on Saturday that national dialogue
should only take place under the auspices of a new president.
"Berri has taken sides and therefore cannot manage dialogue between the rival
parties," he told LBC television.
But Amal Movement MP Ali Hassan Khalil said on Sunday that Berri had said
earlier that he would preside over national dialogue as head of Amal Movement
and head of a bloc in Parliament. "Speaker Berri did not lie to the public about
being a third party that is mediation between the ruling coalition and the
opposition," Khalil said.
"Berri is a key figure in the opposition and he will act accordingly," he added.
Meanwhile, former President Amine Gemayel said on Sunday that Lebanon was facing
a new form of war. "War does not necessarily have to include guns and fire. The
war waged on Lebanon is a political one that aims at paralyzing state
institutions and derailing the economy," he said.
"I call on the Lebanese people not to despair. We will resist this war and
prevail in the end," he added.
Meanwhile, the Lebanese daily An-Nahar quoted diplomatic sources on Sunday as
saying that Saudi King Abdullah and Kuwaiti Emir Sheikh Sabah discussed the
Lebanon crisis among other regional issues during a meeting in Riyadh late
Saturday.
The sources denied that the Kuwait visit aimed at mediation between Syrian and
Saudi Arabia. Riyadh is at odds with Damascus over its policy in Lebanon. The
leaders of Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Jordan boycotted the Arab summit in Damascus
last month over Syria's alleged role in Lebanon's political crisis.
In a separate development, French sources told the Italian news agency AKI on
Friday that France was cooperating with the US to prepare a UN Security Council
statement on Lebanon. "Negotiations are under way in New York," the sources
said. The Security Council is due to convene on Tuesday. - With agencies
'Berri will pursue dialogue initiative despite doubts'
Daily Star-Monday, April 07, 2008
MP Ali Hassan Khalil of the Loyalty to the Resistance bloc said Sunday Speaker
Nabih Berri plans to continue his initiative for dialogue "despite all bets that
he will eventually back down." "We will see direct moves in this regard by
Speaker Berri in the coming days," he added. "We heard many tense words and
attacks on Speaker Berri and the Parliament and its role," Khalil said in a
celebration held by the Amal Movement in South Lebanon. "Speaker Berri clearly
said he would lead the dialogue as president of the Amal Movement and president
of a parliamentary bloc. He did not lie to Lebanese public opinion or political
forces, but he is also involved in finding solutions and does not hide his
political visions and positions." Khalil said Berri did not intend to monopolize
the dialogue, but hoped to reach an agreement on electing a president who would
lead national dialogue on all other issues which remain points of contest among
diverging Lebanese factions
US expresses hope for election of president
Daily Star-Monday, April 07, 2008
WASHINGTON: US State Department deputy spokesperson Tom Casey conveyed
Washington's hope Saturday for the election of a Lebanese president, saying the
US continued to reject attempts of those who intervened in the process to
prevent the Lebanese people from moving forward. Despite the potential
resignation of commander of the Lebanese Army commander General Michel Suleiman,
the likeliest candidate for the presidency by national consensus, Casey said his
country was "still confident that the government of Prime Minister Fouad Siniora
is ability to manage Lebanese state affairs and that the Lebanese Army will
continue to provide security." Casey said the frustration with their inability
to move forward was palpable and clearly felt by many Lebanese, "whether in
leadership positions or the people in general." - Agencies
Lebanese accused of death threat on FacebookThe-New-Faces-at-Facebook
Daily Star-Monday, April 07, 2008
BEIRUT: Counterterrorism agents are investigating an overseas death threat made
by a man claiming to be a Hizbullah member against an Australian woman using the
Internet social-networking Web site Facebook, The Weekend newspaper reported
over the weekend. It said the probe, the first of its kind, was launched after a
man allegedly named Ibrahim Dirani made the threat against the woman, who is
Jewish, after she declined his online "friendship request."According to police,
the man, a member of the Lebanon-based Facebook community, wrote: "I am
Hizbullah and I am going to kill you and all of your family - promise you." The
Weekend said Dirani was banned by the network after police launched their probe.
- Agencies
FPM postpones party elections over internal disputes
Daily Star-Monday, April 07, 2008
BEIRUT: Disputes among Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) officials have led the
movement's head MP Michel Aoun to postpone the party's internal elections to
October 26, Ad-Diyar newspaper reported Saturday. Initially the elections had
been scheduled for May 4. "The objection of some FPM officials is mainly over
the expanded authorities given to Aoun's son-in-law, Gebran Bassil, who is the
party's political relations officer," the daily said. "Bassil wants to become
the FPM vice president," it added
Supporters of opposition government clash Friday
Daily Star-Monday, April 07, 2008
BEIRUT: Clashes broke out late Friday at the Beirut districts of Ras al-Nabaa
and Wata al-Mosseitbeh between supporters of the ruling coalition and the
opposition, a security report said. The local daily An-Nahar quoted a source
from the ruling coalition as saying that some people, including an Amal
supporter, stabbed a Future Movement supporter in Ras al-Nabaa. Meanwhile, the
clash at Wata al-Mosseitbeh erupted between Progressive Socialist Party
supporters and the opposition
Lebanon falls to 48th place on annual credit-access index
By Michael Bluhm -Daily Star staff
Monday, April 07, 2008
BEIRUT: Lebanon's standing plummeted in the annual credit-access index, down to
48th place out of 122 ranked countries from 36th place the previous year, said a
report on the index in the latest issue of Byblos Bank's Lebanon This Week.
Results from the 2007 survey also evaluated Lebanon seventh out of 14 Middle
East and North Africa (MENA) countries, down from fourth place in the 2006
study. In Lebanon's category of upper-middle-income countries, its ranking
tumbled to 14th place out of 22 countries from sixth place in the previous
survey.
The index endeavors to measure how well countries support economic activity by
providing businesses with access to capital, both domestic and foreign. Such
access to financing can help spur growth and job creation, and the annual survey
tries to help nations see financing barriers which could dampen their global
competitiveness. The survey is undertaken by the Milken Institute, a US-based
think tank focusing on global capital markets and the access to finance,
particularly for small and medium size enterprises. The institute was founded by
junk-bond guru and Forbes magazine's 458th-richest person in the world Michael
Milken, who served less than two years in US federal prison out of a 10-year
sentence for insider trading, fraud and tax evasion and who has a net worth of
$2.1 billion, Forbes said.
Access to capital as economic indicator holds particular significance for
Lebanon, as some studies show that some 80 percent of the nation's businesses
fall into the category of small- and medium-sized enterprises, which almost
always have to rely on outside capital for financing.
"For an economy to grow - especially an economy based on small- and medium-seize
enterprises - it needs access to capital," said Nassib Ghobril, head of research
at Byblos Bank. The survey did not give any reasons for Lebanon's precipitous
drop, but Ghobril attributed the fall more to the rapid catching-up done by many
countries around the world that share Lebanon's standing as emerging markets.
"It is not because something bad happened in Lebanon," he told The Daily Star
Sunday. "It's because other countries are improving. [They] are working hard to
attract capital. That goes across emerging markets."
Lebanon's score of 5.12 points on the 10-point scale declined by 11.4 percent
from 2006 but was still up 5.1 percent from 2005. Lebanon's tally bested the
global average of 4.73 points, the MENA average of 4.68 points and the Arab
average of 4.56 points, but lagged behind the average of 5.35 points for
upper-middle-income countries.
Globally, Lebanon ranked ahead of Russia, Peru and Turkey and came behind
Slovenia, China and Slovakia. Regionally it rabked ahead of Tunisia, Egypt,
Morocco, Iran, Syria, Yemen and Mauritania, while finishing after Jordan, Oman,
Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates and Israel.
The index is based on 56 structural and qualitative variables grouped into seven
categories: macroeconomic environment, institutional environment, financial and
banking institutions, equity-market development, bond-market development,
alternative sources of capital and international funding