LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN

LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
January 11/08

Bible Reading of the day
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 4,14-22.
Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news of him spread throughout the whole region. He taught in their synagogues and was praised by all. He came to Nazareth, where he had grown up, and went according to his custom into the synagogue on the sabbath day. He stood up to read and was handed a scroll of the prophet Isaiah. He unrolled the scroll and found the passage where it was written: The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring glad tidings to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord." Rolling up the scroll, he handed it back to the attendant and sat down, and the eyes of all in the synagogue looked intently at him. He said to them, "Today this scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing." And all spoke highly of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his mouth. They also asked, "Isn't this the son of Joseph?"

Latest News Reports From Miscellaneous Sources for January 10/08
Moussa Holds Second Day of Talks with Lebanese Leaders-Naharnet
Hizbullah Ready to Put Bush 'Under Tight Siege'-Naharnet
Nasrallah: Bush's Mideast Trip 'Disgraceful' for Arabs-Naharnet
Saudi FM Urges Positive Response to Arab Plan-Naharnet
Fatah al-Islam Official, Wife Arrested in House Raid in Tripoli-Naharnet
Bush In The Mideast : A Check Of The Issues-CNN International
Hezbollah says Bush visit marks black day-Reuters
Lebanon backs Arab plan-Gulf Daily News
Bush Believes Mideast Treaty to be Signed by End of 2009-Naharnet
Kuwait Welcomes Bush, Wary of Iran Policy-Naharnet
Bush Arrives in Ramallah for First-Ever Visit to Palestinian Territories-Naharnet
Muallem: Syria is Not Seeking Military Solution with Israel-Naharnet
U.S. Treasury Targets Iranian Commander, Syrian TV Station-Naharnet
US announces sanctions on Iranian officer, Syria-based TV station-Xinhua - China
Lebanon: As Nahr al-Bared Recovery Continues, Militant Leader ...World Politics Review
Syria says it's not seeking war with Israel-Ynetnews
The secret’s out-Ynetnews
Moussa Predicts Settlement 'In a Couple of Days"-Naharnet
Kassem: We Will Deal Positively with the Initiative-Naharnet
Syria Wants "Full Basket Consensus" in Lebanon-Naharnet
March 14 for Electing Suleiman President on Saturday-Naharnet
Hariri for Electing Suleiman President in line with Arab Initiative-Naharnet
Michel Murr: Arab Initiative in the Christians' Interest-Naharnet
Hariri: Syria Wants Presidential Vacuum-Naharnet
Berri Demands 10+10+10 Cabinet Share-Naharnet
Aoun Slams Sfeir: You are an Ordinary Citizen-Naharnet
Arab League chief starts tough mission in Lebanon-Reuters
Defence Forces name soldiers hurt in Lebanon blast-Belfast Telegraph

Moussa Predicts Settlement 'In a Couple of Days"
Naharnet/Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa said Wednesday a solution to Lebanon's ongoing presidential crisis could be reached "in a couple of days" and described his initial talks here as "encouraging." Moussa flew in to facilitate the implementation of an Arab initiative calling for the election of Army Commander Gen. Michel Suleiman president and the formation of a government in which he calls the shots.
Talking to reporters after a meeting with Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri at the latter's residence in Ain el-Tineh, Moussa said his talks were "useful, very positive and encouraging too." In answering a question as to whether he would leave Lebanon prior to working out a settlement, Moussa said: "I intend to stay until this solution is achieved, and it could be achieved in a couple of days." Asked whether he is optimistic about the possibility of electing Suleiman in a parliamentary session scheduled for Saturday, Moussa said: "I'll be here next Saturday."
He noted that his mission is "not to provide clarifications. The initiative is crystal clear and the issue is related to political will and needs neither clarification nor explanation or dictionary or atlas." When told that the feuding factions in Lebanon have conflicting interpretations of the initiative, Moussa replied: "let's not get into small issues through which Lebanon can be lost" Moussa said a roadside bomb attack against a vehicle belonging to U.N. peacekeepers in the southern coastal town of Rmaileh on Tuesday is "a negative development, but we hope that it would not affect our efforts to contain the crisis and settle it."
Saudi and Syrian cooperation aimed at supporting his efforts is "available, I'm a witness to its existence and I am very pleased by progress that has been achieved," Moussa said. He recalled that "the discussion between Saudi and Syrian Foreign Ministers Prince Saud al-Faisal and Walid Muallem, respectively, was positive and carried out in a brotherly spirit. The text (of the initiative) was phrased with their presence, participation and approval and enjoyed their clear pledges.
"So, here I speak on behalf of all the Arab states, Syria and Saudi Arabia included."Talks in the first day of Moussa's open-ended mission in Lebanon could last until "after midnight," he said. Beirut, 09 Jan 08, 18:46

Moussa Holds Second Day of Talks with Lebanese Leaders
Arab League chief Amr Moussa held Thursday a second day of talks with Lebanese leaders and said he will submit an end of mission report to the Arab foreign ministers, U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon and EU's foreign affairs chief Javier Solana. Moussa met before noon with Army commander Gen. Michel Suleiman, Lebanon's Grand Mufti sheikh Mohammed Rashid Qabbani and Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Sfeir before heading for a meeting with Free Patriotic Movement leader Gen. Michel Aoun. "We are dealing with a very delicate and crucial situation," Moussa said after meeting Aoun. He said Aoun explained his stance after "listening attentively." At noon, Moussa went for a meeting with former President Amin Gemayel. Moussa said that "I see there is a chance" that today's meetings will end with good results. He reiterated that the Arab plan calls for the "immediate" election of Suleiman, while a national unity government is be established in accordance with constitutional norms. He also repeated that the Arab initiative is "crystal-clear" and needs no explanation. Moussa on Wednesday said that he "will immediately get down to work because time is running short and we need to salvage the situation Beirut, 10 Jan 08, 14:00

Lebanon backs Arab plan
BEIRUT: Lebanese parliamentary majority leader MP Saad Al Hariri yesterday welcomed an Arab plan for the prompt election of the consensus candidate for president as a way of resolving the country's crippling crisis. Hariri hailed the 'historic and noble' plan drafted during a consultative meeting of Arab League foreign ministers gathering in Cairo for an extraordinary meeting, called to deal with Lebanon's political crisis. "We are eager to open a new page, and rely on the Arab road map for the election of army chief General Michel Sleiman as president of the Lebanese republic," he said. The Arab ministers agreed on a three-point plan, namely the election of a president, forming a government of national unity and the adoption of a new electoral law, league chief Amr Mussa said. They called for 'an immediate agreement on the formation of a national unity government' in Lebanon. Under the plan, which aims to satisfy the demands of both the ruling coalition and the opposition, the new president would have the power to approve government decisions, he said.

Fatah al-Islam Official, Wife Arrested in House Raid in Tripoli
Lebanese police stormed a house on Thursday in the northern city of Tripoli, arresting Fatah al-Islam official Nabil Rahim, a police statement said.
It said Rahim, a Lebanese citizen, was "the main coordinator between terrorist organizations inside and outside Lebanon." Security officials said Rahim was detained along with his wife. The couple had been renting an apartment in the city's Abu Samra neighborhood, they said. Fatah al-Islam fought a three-month battle with Lebanese army troops. The fighting ended in September when the army overran the camp, arresting many of its fighters. Other Fatah al-Islam members, including its Palestinian leader, Shaker Youssef Abssi, escaped. The Lebanese government has said about 222 Fatah al-Islam terrorists were killed in the fighting which took place last summer and more than 200 were arrested, while a total of 168 Lebanese soldiers died. Palestinian officials have said 47 Palestinian civilians were killed. Beirut, 10 Jan 08, 10:36

Hizbullah Ready to Put Bush 'Under Tight Siege'
U.S. President George Bush may not have that many fans in the Middle East, but there's at least one group that's busy preparing the welcome wagon for his tour of the region: Hizbullah, Time magazine has said. Lebanon isn't a scheduled stop on Bush's trip to the region, but when rumors began circulating that he might make a surprise visit as a sign of support for Premier Fouad Saniora's government, Hizbullah planners went into overdrive, Time said. "Hizbullah leaves nothing to chance," one of the group's commanders told the magazine. "Bush is a coward he will never dare to visit Lebanon, but if he did it, we are ready to put him under tight siege." Hizbullah and other opposition groups have already reserved buses to move hundreds of thousands of demonstrators on short notice to follow the president wherever he goes, the commander said, if Bush should choose to appear. Time also quoted the commander as saying that the Shiite group has organized security teams to prevent the crowds from getting out of hand or from being infiltrated by al-Qaida type groups that might try to assassinate the U.S. president. "We will prevent any assault against Bush, because it will give an excuse for the Americans to invade Lebanon and it might give the spark of a civil war," said the commander. Beirut, 10 Jan 08, 09:35

Mussa Predicts Settlement 'In a Couple of Days'
Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa said Wednesday a solution to Lebanon's ongoing presidential crisis could be reached "in a couple of days" and described his initial talks here as "encouraging."Moussa flew in to facilitate the implementation of an Arab initiative calling for the election of Army Commander Gen. Michel Suleiman president and the formation of a government in which he calls the shots. Talking to reporters after a meeting with Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri at the latter's residence in Ain el-Tineh, Moussa said his talks were "useful, very positive and encouraging too."In answering a question as to whether he would leave Lebanon prior to working out a settlement, Moussa said: "I intend to stay until this solution is achieved, and it could be achieved in a couple of days."Asked whether he is optimistic about the possibility of electing Suleiman in a parliamentary session scheduled for Saturday, Moussa said: "I'll be here next Saturday."
He noted that his mission is "not to provide clarifications. The initiative is crystal clear and the issue is related to political will and needs neither clarification nor explanation or dictionary or atlas."When told that the feuding factions in Lebanon have conflicting interpretations of the initiative, Moussa replied: "let's not get into small issues through which Lebanon can be lost."
Moussa said a roadside bomb attack against a vehicle belonging to U.N. peacekeepers in the southern coastal town of Rmaileh on Tuesday is "a negative development, but we hope that it would not affect our efforts to contain the crisis and settle it."Saudi and Syrian cooperation aimed at supporting his efforts is "available, I'm a witness to its existence and I am very pleased by progress that has been achieved," Moussa said. He recalled that "the discussion between Saudi and Syrian Foreign Ministers Prince Saud al-Faisal and Walid Muallem, respectively, was positive and carried out in a brotherly spirit. The text (of the initiative) was phrased with their presence, participation and approval and enjoyed their clear pledges."So, here I speak on behalf of all the Arab states, Syria and Saudi Arabia included."Talks in the first day of Moussa's open-ended mission in Lebanon could last until "after midnight," he said. Beirut, 09 Jan 08, 18:46

Bush Believes Mideast Treaty to be Signed by End of 2009
U.S. President George Bush said on Thursday he believed a Middle East peace treaty establishing a Palestinian state would be signed before he leaves office in 2009. "In order for there to be lasting peace... (Palestinian President Mahmoud) Abbas and Prime Minister (Ehud) Olmert have to come together and make tough choices and I'm convinced they will." "I believe it's going to happen that there's going to be a signed peace treaty by the time I leave office," he said at a press conference with Abbas on his first visit to the West Bank town of Ramallah. "I am confident that with proper help that the state of Palestine will emerge. And I'm confident that when it emerges it will be a major step towards peace. "I'm confident that two democratic states living side by side in peace is in the interest not only of the Palestinians and Israelis but of the world." Bush, who is making a landmark trip to the Middle East in a bid to advance recently revived peace negotiations, also emphasized that the future Palestinian state has to be contiguous. "The vision of a Palestinian state is one of contiguous territory," he said. "Swiss cheese isn't going to work when it comes to the territory of a state." The Palestinian territories are divided in two distinct geographic portions, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, which are ruled by separate Palestinian factions and have Israeli-controlled land in between.
Bush also emphasized that the Palestinians -- divided between Abbas and his Fatah party in the West Bank and the Islamist Hamas movement ruling Gaza -- had to choose to support the moderate president to have a better future. "There is a competing vision taking place in Gaza and in my judgment Hamas (who) I felt ran on a campaign that 'we're going to improve your life'... have delivered nothing but misery." Hamas swept away Abbas's long-dominant secular Fatah party in parliamentary polls in January 2006. In June 2007, it routed pro-Fatah forces in the Gaza Strip after a week of deadly factional street clashes.
"The question is whether or not the hard issues can be resolved and the vision emerges so that the choice is clear among the Palestinians. "The choice being do you want this state do you want the status quo. Do you want a future based upon a democratic state, or do you want the same old stuff? "And that's a choice that I'm confident if the Palestinian people are given, they will choose peace." Bush also said Israel should help and not hinder the modernization of Palestinian security forces. "The Palestinian security forces in the West Bank are improving," he said.
"My message to Israelis is that they ought to help, not hinder the modernization of Palestinian security forces. It's in their interests that a government dedicated to peace, and (to) understanding the need for two states to live side by side in peace have a modern force. Bush, whose motorcade passed through Israel's main checkpoint into Ramallah, said he could understand the frustrations of the Palestinians who must pass through the barricades, but he also understood Israel's need for security. "Checkpoints create frustration for people. They create a sense of security for Israel and they create frustration for the Palestinian people.
"The chief negotiator spent two hours in a checkpoint and he was only going to negotiate," he said, referring to a recent detention at a barricade of ex-Palestinian premier and senior negotiator Ahmed Qorei. "I can see the frustrations," he said. "I also understand that people in Israel and the Palestinian territories.... want to know if there's going to be protection from the violent few who murder."(AFP) Beirut, 10 Jan 08, 12:36

Kuwait Welcomes Bush, Wary of Iran Policy
With thousands of U.S. troops based on its territory, the Gulf state of Kuwait welcomes President George Bush as a friend on Friday but is wary over Washington's possible use of force against neighboring Iran. Bush, who will visit Kuwait as part of a Middle East tour that began in Israel on Wednesday, is due to hold talks with Emir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah over a range of issues including Iran's nuclear programme, the Middle East peace process and the fate of four Kuwaitis held in Guantanamo. "We warmly welcome President Bush to Kuwait," Prime Minister Sheikh Nasser Mohammad al-Ahmad al-Sabah told reporters.
But like other U.S. allies in the oil-rich Gulf, Kuwait is concerned that Bush may try to whip up support for military action against Iran, which Washington has accused of seeking nuclear weapons. Iran denies any such intent. Senior Kuwaiti officials, including the defense and foreign ministers, have repeatedly said that the emirate will not allow Washington to use its territory to launch a strike against Tehran.
Kuwaitis still recall with gratitude the United States' role under Bush's father, former president George Bush, in leading an international coalition that liberated their oil-rich emirate from seven months of Iraqi occupation in 1991. Kuwait served as a launchpad for the 2003 U.S.-led invasion of Iraq that eventually toppled Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein, who in 1990 ordered Iraqi forces to invade his tiny neighbor. One of Washington's largest military bases in the region, Camp Arifjan, is in Kuwait, where about 15,000 U.S. troops are permanently stationed. Coalition forces use the emirate as a transit point for forces going in and out of Iraq.
Kuwaiti leaders, who maintain good relations with Iran, have called for a peaceful solution to the standoff between the West and the Islamic republic over its controversial nuclear program. Islamist MP Nasser al-Sane called on Bush to spare the region further hostilities.
"We call on President Bush to avoid the use of force against Iran... We don't want our region to be an area of wars and bloodshed. We want a region of peace," Sane told reporters on Wednesday. Sane also urged Iran to "respect the peoples on the other bank of the Gulf," and not allow hardliners to set the agenda in Tehran. Since the U.S.-led coalition drove Iraqi troops from Kuwait, U.S.-Kuwaiti relations have dramatically strengthened in the economic, security, defense and political fields. The two countries have signed a defence pact, pledging U.S. commitment to Kuwait's security, which runs until 2012.
The emirate has made multi-billion-dollar arms purchases from the United States to re-equip its military forces that were greatly depleted during the Iraqi invasion.
Last month, the Pentagon notified Congress of a proposed sale to Kuwait of Patriot missiles and upgrades worth as much as 1.36 billion dollars.
Kuwait will raise the issue of four Kuwaitis who have been held at the US detention camp in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, for the last five years, Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammad al-Sabah told parliament Wednesday.
The United States has released eight Kuwaitis from Guantanamo and all have been acquitted by Kuwaiti courts which tried them on charges of fighting U.S. forces in Afghanistan. MPs have passed a recommendation that the head of the parliamentary human rights committee, Saleh al-Fadhalah, attend Bush's meeting with the emir to highlight the plight of Guantanamo detainees. Bush will be the second sitting US president, after Bill Clinton in 1994, to visit Kuwait. His father was feted and showered with gifts when he came to the emirate in 1993 after leaving office. But despite the friendship, unease is evident even among ordinary Kuwaitis over Washington's stance against Iran. "Kuwaitis are worried that Bush's visit could be to apply pressure on Kuwait and the region to win their support for a military strike against Iran," health ministry employee Sami al-Mani told AFP. "If this happens, the whole region, and Kuwait in particular, will be badly affected, especially the economy."(AFP) Beirut, 10 Jan 08, 13:28

Muallem: Syria is Not Seeking Military Solution with Israel
Syria's Foreign Minister Walid Muallem said Syria is not seeking a military solution for its conflict with Israel and announced that Damascus is ready to resume peace talks with the Jewish state. Muallem's remarks came as U.S. President George Bush was in Israel Wednesday on the first day of his eight-day Mideast trip aimed at pushing the Israelis and Palestinians toward a peace agreement. "We are not looking for a military solution (with Israel) at all," Muallem said in an interview with the Dubai-based Al-Arabiya satellite channel. "For this reason, we participated in the 1991 (Mideast) peace process in Madrid and engaged in talks with the Israelis for 10 years under U.S. sponsorship." Referring to the U.S.-sponsored Mideast peace conference held in November in Annapolis, Maryland, which Syria attended, Muallem said: "We went to Annapolis and we are ready to resume peace negotiations on the Syrian track in a way that does not contradict progress on the Palestinian track." On Dec. 30, U.S. Senator Arlen Specter said after meeting with President Bashar al-Assad in Damascus that the Syrian leader is ready for peace talks with Israel, halted since 2000.
Formal U.S.-sponsored Israel-Syria talks neared agreement in 2000 but broke down over final border and peace arrangements. Syria demands the full return of the Golan Heights, the territory seized by Israel in the 1967 Mideast war. Muallem said he didn't see Bush's Mideast trip as a step forward for the peace process, not even between the Israelis and the Palestinians. "There is no progress, neither on the Palestinian track nor on the Syrian one," he said. Muallem criticized the U.S. foreign policy and hit back at Bush's criticism of Assad, saying that the world has lost patience with the U.S. president's policies. "The USA, under the Bush Administration, has a black and white foreign policy and this is unrealistic," he said. Bush has asked Syria to choose between its alliance with Iran and anti-Israel militant groups, like Hizbullah and Hamas, and its relations with the Western world. Last month, Bush rejected dialogue with the Syrian leader, saying his "patience ran out on President Assad a long time ago."
Muallem responded, "The world has lost patience with Bush's policies." U.S.-Syrian relations soured after the 2005 assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri in a car bombing. Washington pulled its ambassador out of the country over suspected Syrian involvement in the attack, which Damascus denies. The U.S. has also criticized Syria for not doing enough to prevent militants from crossing its border into Iraq -- although American officials have said recently that Damascus has stepped up its efforts. The two countries have accused each other of meddling in Lebanon, where Prime Minister Fouad Saniora's government is locked in a fierce power struggle with the pro-Syrian opposition.(AP-Naharnet) Beirut, 10 Jan 08, 09:28

U.S. Treasury Targets Iranian Commander, Syrian TV Station
The Bush administration moved Wednesday to financially clamp down on a high-ranking Iranian Revolutionary Guards officer, a Syrian TV station and three other individuals accused of helping insurgents in Iraq. The Treasury Department's action means that any bank accounts or other financial assets found in the U.S. belonging to those named on Wednesday must be frozen. Americans also are prohibited from doing business with them.
Ahmed Foruzandeh, a brigadier general in Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps' Quds Force was covered by the department's order. The Quds Force, Iran's special operations unit, is part of the Guard Corps, the country's military wing. The U.S. said Foruzandeh and his associates provided financial and material support for violent acts against coalition forces in Iraq as well as Iraqi security forces. The U.S. sanctions against the top-ranking officer come amid increased tensions between the U.S. and Iran in recent days. U.S. President George Bush, currently on a trip to the Middle East, warned Iran of "serious consequences" if it attacked U.S. warships, following an encounter between American and Iranian vessels in the Strait of Hormuz over the weekend. "Iran and Syria are fueling violence and destruction in Iraq," said Stuart Levey, Treasury's under secretary for terrorism and financial intelligence. "Iran trains, funds and provides weapons to violent Shiite extremist groups, while Syria provides safe haven to Sunni insurgents and financiers," Levey said. Abu Mustafa al-Sheibani, who the U.S. says leads a network of Shiite extremists that provide logistical and material support for acts of violence in Iraq, was covered by the department's order. Ismail Hafiz al Lami, accused of directing acts of violence against Iraqi civilians, and Mishan Rakin Thamin al-Jaburi were also targeted by the Treasury.The Treasury slapped financial sanctions on Al-Zawra TV station in Syria, which the U.S. says is owned and controlled by al-Jaburi. The Bush administration alleges the station has received money from al-Qaida and has aired coded messages through patriotic songs to the Islamic Army of Iraq group, which Washington labels a Sunni terrorist group.The department has the authority to act under an executive order Bush signed in July 2007. The order allows the U.S. government to impose financial sanctions against those that threaten stability in Iraq.(AP-AFP-Naharnet) Beirut, 10 Jan 08, 07:20

Kassem: We Will Deal Positively with the Initiative
Naharnet/Hizbullah welcomed cautiously on Wednesday the Arab plan saying it will deal positively with it.
"We have welcomed the Arab initiative from the beginning. We are fully ready to discuss its details and facilitate its success... but we will wait to hear what Moussa has to say," Hizbullah's deputy leader, Sheik Naim Kassem, said. The Hizbullah-led Opposition insists on having a third of the seats in a new government so as to have veto power over key decisions. Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa arrived in Beirut today to help facilitate the implementation of the three-point Arab initiative aiming at electing Gen. Michel Suleiman president. Hizbullah MP Mohammed Haidar said his party wanted to make sure that there would be "no winner and no loser" if the plan is adopted. "We want to make sure that under the proposed formula, no party will be able to impose its decisions in the next government," he said.(Naharnet-AFP-AP) Beirut, 09 Jan 08, 21:19

Saniora: Arabs' Interest in Lebanon Reflects his Fundamental Role
Naharnet/Premier Fouad Saniora stressed on Wednesday the importance of electing a Lebanese president according to constitutional norms.
Talking to reporters after meeting his Jordanian counterpart Nader Dahabi in Amman, saniora said "the Arab interest in the welfare of Lebanon proves that he is an essential part of the Arab world". Jordan's King Abdullah II, for his part, welcomed the Arab plan in a Royal Palace statement.
"The plan to solve the Lebanese crisis and to surmount the repercussions of the political vacuum is considered a step on the right track," Abdullah added.
Saniora arrived in Amman earlier on Wednesday. Lebanon's feuding politicians, including Saniora and Berri, have welcomed the Arab plan, expressing hope the initiative would help end the country's political crisis.(Naharnet-AP) Beirut, 09 Jan 08, 21:07

Hariri for Electing Suleiman President in line with Arab Initiative
Naharnet/Al-Mustaqbal Movement leader Saad Hariri called for the election of a new president in line with the Arab initiative, stressing that the French initiative supports the decision adopted by Arab foreign ministers. Hariri, in an interview with al-Arabia television network, said: "We should focus on the election of a president." "The government is very important. We want a national unity government or a national entente government, what the Arab foreign ministers have adopted is very clear," Hariri said. "I don't want to go into figures and other details. Arab League secretary general Amr Moussa would be meeting all the political parties in Lebanon, and we'll see after that," he added. He concluded by saying: "We are open (to dialogue) and our initiative to elect Michel Suleiman president is a consensus initiative." Beirut, 09 Jan 08, 17:05

March 14 for Electing Suleiman President on Saturday
Naharnet/The March 14 majority alliance on Wednesday called for cooperation with Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa to facilitate the "immediate" election of Army Commander Gen. Michel Suleiman president next Saturday. In a statement issued after a meeting by its follow-up committee, the alliance called for "(positive) response to the initiative by providing all the needed facilities to bring it to success through the immediate election of Gen. Michel Suleiman, the consensus candidate, "This requires responding to Moussa's efforts … so that the parliamentary session scheduled for next Saturday be an election session and the beginning of exiting Lebanon from the dark tunnel into which it had been ushered."The alliance said it "denounces and deplores" threats made by terrorist mastermind Shaker Abssi against Suleiman and the army. Beirut, 09 Jan 08, 17:33

Syria Wants "Full Basket Consensus" in Lebanon
Syrian Information Minister Mohsen Bilal said Wednesday Damascus would facilitate Arab League chief Amr Moussa's mission in Lebanon to achieve "full basket consensus."The Lebanese state-run National News Agency (NNA) said Bilal made the remark at a news conference in Damascus.
"Arab efforts to achieve consensus among the Lebanese brethren are a real chance to overcome the crisis that hampers the functioning of its constitutional institutions," Bilal said. "The existing presidential void and political escalation in Lebanon raise concerns by all friends and brethren," He added.
Syria, according to Bilal, "would work to participate in bringing to success the mission of the Arab League secretary general aimed at narrowing the gap separating viewpoints of the Lebanese parties in line with the concept of full basket consensus, the road map to which has been set by the Arab foreign ministers meeting in Cairo." Beirut, 09 Jan 08, 18:02

Berri Demands 10+10+10 Cabinet Share
Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri was quoted as saying that the cabinet balance can only be achieved through a 10+10+10 distribution of government posts.
Visitors quoted Berri as saying that if it turned out that the Arab initiative after the formation of a new government such as the president is given 6 ministers, the majority 14 and the opposition 10, "then this formula would be considered imbalance."
He said such a formula would allow the majority March 14 together with the President "to take any decision" while it strips the opposition from taking decisions along with the head of state."The opposition will not accept that," Berri was quoted as saying, adding that the cabinet balance "is based on a 10+10+10 government (share)." Beirut, 09 Jan 08, 10:03

Michel Murr: Arab Initiative in the Christians' Interest
MP Michel Murr on Wednesday said the Arab initiative should be implemented and Gen. Michel Suleiman should be elected president in favor of the Christians' interest and that of Lebanon. Murr, talking to reporters after a meeting with Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, also voiced objection to a proposal by Free Patriotic Movement leader Michel Aoun on the formation of a national unity government based on a 5+11+14 recipe. "I've said that this formula wouldn't work because it had been proposed, and rejected. Why should we propose ideas that had been rejected. I told Gen. Aoun that had this formula been adopted the Arabs wouldn't have met," Murr said. The Arab initiative, adopted by foreign ministers in their Cairo meeting last Saturday, was "in favor of all the Lebanese, and especially in favor of the Christians, in its first clause," Murr said.The Arab initiative, he added, gives the president powers that he has not enjoyed throughout the Taef accord era "and this is in the interest of the Christians.""It is our duty to welcome the initiative and work on solving our problems. The Lebanese had enough of the (presidential) void," Murr added. Murr stressed on the fact that he is "an ally in the change and reform parliamentary bloc headed by Aoun, but this does not mean that I am integrated in the FPM Beirut, 09 Jan 08, 16:28

Aoun Slams Sfeir: You are an Ordinary Citizen
FPM leader MP Michel Aoun on Wednesday lashed back at Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Sfeir saying he is "just an ordinary citizen who has the right to express his opinion".Sfeir said that Aoun is swimming against the current and thus blocking the possibility of reaching an agreement between political factions that would lead to the election of a new head of state. "We do not fear prolonged void. The crisis needs more time to be resolved and we don't want to adopt a violent choice," he added. However, Aoun warned "we are running out of patience". FPM leader said that the formation of the new government is "not among the president's powers, and there will be no elections prior to an agreement on a specific plan."(AFP) Beirut, 09 Jan 08, 21:51

Ottawa defends role in renditions
Human rights advocates surprised at government's assertion that UN convention on torture isn't a constraint
BILL CURRY
January 9, 2008
OTTAWA -- The federal government drew the ire of human rights advocates yesterday for telling an inquiry that Canada was justified in working with countries accused of engaging in torture.
Justice Department lawyer Michael Peirce also told the internal inquiry yesterday that the United Nations Convention Against Torture is not a factor in deciding whether to send information to countries such as Syria and Egypt about Canadians detained there.
The comments are a rare public statement from Ottawa in relation to three Canadian men who were detained in the same Syrian jail as Maher Arar during the three years after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.
The internal inquiry, led by former Supreme Court judge Frank Iacobucci, has spent most of the past year behind closed doors investigating whether Canada directly or indirectly caused the detentions of Canadians Abdullah Almalki, Ahmad Abou El Maati and Muayyed Nureddin - and any alleged mistreatment they received. All three men say they were tortured inside Syria's Palestine Branch prison. Mr. El Maati was later transferred to an Egyptian prison, where he says he was tortured again. The inquiry is an offshoot of the commission on the detention of Mr. Arar, who received $10-million in compensation from Canada for his detention in Syria's Palestine Branch.
Ottawa's presentation yesterday morning was repeatedly attacked throughout the day by the three men's lawyers and human rights groups.
Mr. Almalki's lawyer, Duncan Copeland, said Americans have shed light on the extreme actions of their government in response to the Sept. 11 attacks, such as CIA "black sites" and extraordinary renditions. He said Canadians are beginning to see that their government also went too far.
"Every Canadian should be hugely distressed at the position that the government is taking in regard to this inquiry and their justification for sending information to regimes like Syria and Egypt," he told reporters. "I find that a very frightening position and it is not a Canada I recognized."
Speaking on behalf of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service, the RCMP and Foreign Affairs, Mr. Peirce told the inquiry that a country's human rights record is just one of many considerations for Canada in deciding whether to share intelligence with nations such as Syria and Egypt on national security.
"Unfortunately, we know that terrorism is often exported from countries with poor human rights records [and these countries are] an important source of information therefore. Canada cannot afford to be isolated in its information gathering from those important sources of information," he said. "The sharing of information always involves a weighing of the variety of considerations that are here, and there aren't, in my submission, specific circumstances that trump."
The public testimony yesterday and today operates on unusual terms. Although the inquiry was called specifically in relation to the foreign detentions of the three men, all public testimony must not make reference to their specific cases.
Mr. Iacobucci danced around this point, reminding Mr. Peirce that the inquiry has been asked to determine whether Canadian officials acted improperly in relation to the three men.
"Is it your submission that the answer to this question is given by what you've been submitting? That the [Convention Against Torture] doesn't deal with the sharing of information?" asked the commissioner.
"Yes," Mr. Peirce replied. "That is to say the [Convention Against Torture] does not create a standard, certainly not one that governed in 2001 to 2004, by which to judge sufficiency or deficiency of Canadian actions because it did not impose such a standard."
Human rights groups and representatives of the men argued yesterday that Canada sent information, including questions, to Syrian military intelligence knowing full well that the Canadians might be tortured during the subsequent interrogation.
"It looks like they want to legalize torture, but not directly - indirectly," Mr. Almalki, who was in the same Syrian prison at the same time as Mr. Arar, told reporters after Mr. Peirce's presentation.
The commissioner heard repeated testimony yesterday challenging Ottawa's position on the UN Convention Against Torture.
"The [convention] clearly applies to Canadian action outside Canada impacting on the rights of Canadian citizens abroad, including protection from torture," Alex Neve, the secretary general of Amnesty Canada, told the commission.