LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
January 26/08

Bible Reading of the day.
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Mark 16,15-18. He said to them, "Go into the whole world and proclaim the gospel to every creature. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved; whoever does not believe will be condemned. These signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will drive out demons, they will speak new languages. They will pick up serpents (with their hands), and if they drink any deadly thing, it will not harm them. They will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover."

Free Opinions, Releases, letters & Special Reports
Netanyahu: Withdrawals From S Lebanon, Gaza "Bases For Iran" -RTT News. January 25/08
Inextricably linked-Al-Ahram Weekly. January 25/08
Syrian-Iranian Intervention in Lebanon-FrontPage magazine. January 25/08

Latest News Reports From Miscellaneous Sources for January 25/08
Car bomb kills top anti-terror investigator in Beirut-AP
Police Officer among Victims of Beirut Bombing-Naharnet
Jumblat Fears Hizbullah Bracing for War, Believes Syria Engineering Killings of Foreigners-Naharnet
Security chief assassinated in Lebanon bomb-Times Online
Senior officer among 10 dead in Beirut bombing-AFP
Beirut car bomb kills 10-Guardian Unlimited
U.S., France Condemn Friday's Bombing-Naharnet
Syria Proposed, France Rejected, New Presidential Candidate-Naharnet
Syria condemns Beirut explosion-Xinhua
Saudi King Discusses Lebanon Crisis with Saniora-Naharnet
Gen. Suleiman Calls Assad, Syrian Command-Naharnet
Performance by Fairuz Stirs up Political Friction-Naharnet
Sporadic Opposition-Labor Strike Marked by Marginal Rioting-Naharnet
Sultanov Expects Constructive Decisions on Sunday-Naharnet
Siniora insists Arab plan to end Lebanese impasse is still alive-Daily Star
Transport strike stalls in most parts of Lebanon-Daily Star
Olmert defends decisions during summer 2006 war-Daily Star
Labor unrest stokes fears of more sectarian tension-AFP
Graziano voices total commitment to terms of 1701-Daily Star
Banks want to see progress before lending Beirut any more money-Daily Star
PLO envoy takes stand against naturalization-Daily Star
Analysts predict 'new phase of escalation-Daily Star
AUB-led team blames global warming for rise of cedar-eating insect-Daily Star
Lebanese designers trot out collections in France-Daily Star
Opposition: Suleiman is Our Candidate if we Get Veto Power-Naharnet
Sporadic Opposition-Labor Strike Marked by Marginal Rioting-Naharnet
Saniora from Cairo: Arab Plan Did not Discuss Equality between Opposition, Majority-Naharnet
Geagea for New Labor Union-Naharnet
Fatah Vows to Ban Terrorists from Seizing Lebanon Camps-Naharnet
Fears Rise that Lebanon Crisis Could Spill Onto Streets-Naharnet
Bush Discusses Lebanon With King Abdullah II-Naharnet
INTERVIEW-Political crisis stops funds pledged to Lebanon-Reuters

White House condemns attack in Lebanon
WASHINGTON (AFP) — The White House on Friday strongly condemned the attack that killed four people, including a senior Lebanese intelligence officer investigating deaths largely blamed on Syria. "We strongly condemn the terrorist bombing in Beirut today that killed a police captain and many other Lebanese," spokeswoman Dana Perino said. Asked about any Syrian involvement, Perino stressed: "I don't have that for sure."Perino fixed the blame on "those who seek to undermine Lebanon's institutions and democratic processes and to delay further the selection of a new Lebanese president.""President Bush will continue to stand with the Lebanese people as they strive for security and freedom," she added. At the State Department, spokesman Tom Casey called the attack "a terrible act of terrorism." "We condemn it and those who are responsible for it. We certainly don't have a sense of who is responsible for this but it does appear yet again to be another attack on individuals who are part of the institutions and democratic structures in Lebanon."

Anti-terror investigator among four dead in Lebanon blast
BEIRUT (AFP) — Lebanon's top anti-terrorism investigator was slain along with three other people in a powerful car bombing that ripped through a neighbourhood of eastern Beirut on Friday, officials said. Captain Wissam Eid, 31, a member of the Internal Security Forces (ISF), and his bodyguard were killed along with two civilians, a security official told AFP. He said 38 other people were wounded, with nine taken to hospital. "Eid was a key member of the ISF and was involved in many investigations related to terrorist bombings in Lebanon in recent years," the official said. "He was involved in sensitive probes and this is a major loss for us."
The official added that Eid had in February 2006 narrowly escaped another attempt on his life when someone threw a grenade in front of his Beirut home.
Another official from the ruling majority said Eid was on his way back from a meeting of the UN commission investigating the 2005 assassination of former premier Rafiq Hariri when he was killed.
Hariri's killing in a massive car bomb and a number of similar attacks over the past three years have been blamed by the Western-backed parliamentary majority on neighbouring Syria, which has denied involvement. Brigadier General Ashraf Rifi, head of the ISF, said the car bomb was yet another attempt at destabilizing the country as it grapples with its worst political crisis since the 1975-1990 civil war.
"This is a message to the Internal Security Forces following the message sent to the army in December when General Francois el-Hajj was killed in a car bomb," Rifi told reporters at the site of the blast. Friday's explosion took place shortly after 10 am (0800 GMT) near a highway overpass in Hazmiyeh, a mainly Christian district and an area that houses a number of office buildings. Local residents and office workers, some screaming and others in shock, could be seen running amongst blazing vehicles searching for friends and loved ones. "It was an apocalyptic vision," said Ghandour Mashlab, a real estate agent who was at the site of the explosion. The security official estimated that the bomb, which blasted a five-metre (16-foot) wide crater into the road, consisted of at least 50 kilograms (110 pounds) of TNT. A senior member of the anti-Syrian majority pointed the finger at Damascus.
"This bombing is proof that the (Syrian) mukhabarat (intelligence) have infiltrated Lebanese security services,' the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told AFP. "There is no other specialist than Eid in the region who was as competent when it came to investigating the series of bombings that have shaken Lebanon in recent years," he added.
Saad Hariri, the son of the slain premier, also indirectly pointed the finger at Syria.
"This attack is a clear message to all Arabs that the future of Lebanon will remain under the stranglehold of crimes and terrorism despite all the initiatives to resolve the political crisis," Hariri said in a statement.
"That compels us to call once again on Syria to stop its interference in Lebanon."
Syria, however, condemned the killing and blamed "Lebanon's enemies".
The United States, Britain, France, Saudi Arabia, other countries and the Arab League also denounced the attack.
"We strongly condemn the terrorist bombing in Beirut today that killed a police captain and many other Lebanese," White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said.
Britain's Foreign Office said it should not be allowed to derail the probe into the string of killings in Lebanon.
If "some people think that these assassinations can sink a solution to the current (political) crisis to their advantage, they are wrong," said Egypt's Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul Gheit, without elaborating.
Lebanon has been without a president since pro-Syrian head of state Emile Lahoud stepped down on November 23 with no elected successor because of a standoff between the majority and the Hezbollah-led opposition.
It has also been the scene of numerous bomb attacks in the past three years, targeting mainly anti-Syrian personalities.
The last bombing targeted a vehicle from the US embassy on January 15. Three passers-by were killed in that blast.
In February 2005, five-times prime minister Hariri was killed by a huge bomb on the Beirut seafront. The backlash against his killing resulted in Syria withdrawing its forces from its small neighbour after nearly 30 years.

Beirut bomb kills anti-terror officer
By SAM F. GHATTAS, Associated Press Writer
BEIRUT, Lebanon - A car bomb ripped through eastern Beirut on Friday, killing Lebanon's top anti-terrorism investigator as he returned from a meeting on the probe into the 2005 assassination of a former prime minister, authorities said. Three others died in the blast.
The force of the explosion in the primarily Christian neighborhoods of Hazmieh set a dozen vehicles ablaze and ripped a crater in the asphalt six feet wide and 3 feet deep.
The country's national police chief, Brig. Gen. Ashraf Rifi, confirmed that the car bomb killed Capt. Wissam Eid, who handled police intelligence investigations including "all those having to do with the terrorist bombings" in Lebanon, Rifi said.
Eid had survived two previous assassination attempts, including a bomb targeting his house and a raid in the northern port city of Tripoli, Interior Minister Hassan Sabei told LBC television.
Lebanon's sports minister, Ahmed Fatfat, said the officer was on his way home from a meeting at the headquarters of the U.N. commission investigating the 2005 assassination of former Premier Rafik Hariri. The commission's office is in a hilltop village about a 15-minute drive from the site of the explosion.
Eid's bodyguard also was killed, Rifi said.
Casualty figures fluctuated because some bodies were severely damaged and scattered across the area. A police statement later Friday put the total figure at four dead — one still unidentified — and 38 wounded.
Lebanon has been hit by a series of explosions, some of them political assassinations, amid a deepening 14-month political crisis. Friday's blast came a day after a labor strike that was largely peaceful, and 10 days after a car bomb aimed at a U.S. Embassy vehicle killed three bystanders.
Syria, along with Islamic militants, has been fingered in many of Lebanon's recent bombings, though the targets have become more diverse in the past few months, with the killing of a top army general close to the opposition in December and the attack on the U.S. Embassy vehicle.
The biggest bombing was the one that killed Hariri and 22 others, triggering political upheaval and international pressure that forced Syria to withdraw its army from Lebanon. Damascus denied any involvement.
Syria's state-run SANA news agency quoted an unnamed government official Friday as saying the latest attack "targets Lebanon's security and stability."
The White House condemned the bombing, calling it "an attack by those who seek to undermine Lebanese institutions and democratic processes and to delay further the selection of a new Lebanese president." White House press secretary Dana Perino, asked if Syria was behind it, said: "I don't know that for sure. I wouldn't put it past them."
Lebanon's police intelligence department is close to the government's anti-Syrian majority, and has been frequently criticized by the pro-Syrian opposition.
Friday's bombing was the second attack against the department in less than two years. On Sept. 5, 2006, Lt. Col. Samir Shehade, deputy head of the intelligence department in Lebanon's national police force, was wounded when his convoy was targeted by an explosion in the town of Rmeileh, just north of the southern city of Sidon. The explosion killed four people in his convoy.
Eid was "one of the most important officers in the intelligence department," Sabei said. "They (attackers) are trying to hit the backbone of the Lebanese state, which is security."As news of the killing spread to Eid's hometown of Deir Ammar north of Tripoli, dozens of villagers burnt car tires and blocked the coastal highway linking Lebanon's second-largest city with the Syrian border. The road reopened a few hours later. Television footage from the attack scene in Beirut showed a huge plume of black smoke rising from street and orange flames shooting up into the sky. Several cars burned in a blackened area some 20 yards wide, near a highway overpass. Firefighters struggled to put out the flames. Dozens of cars were also wrecked in a nearby parking lot. Graphic TV footage showed at least three bodies, one slumped behind the wheel of a delivery truck that was ripped apart by the force of the explosion, and two others on the ground under a highway tressel.

Intelligence officer among four killed in Lebanon blast
BEIRUT (AFP) — A senior intelligence officer investigating killings largely blamed on Syria was slain along with three other people in a car bombing in the Lebanese capital on Friday, security officials said. Captain Wissam Eid, 31, a member of the Internal Security Forces (ISF), and his bodyguard were among those killed, a security official told AFP. He said 38 other people were wounded, with nine taken to hospital.
"Eid was a key member of the ISF and was involved in many investigations concerning bombings in Lebanon," the official said. "He was involved in sensitive probes and this is a major loss for us."The official added that Eid had in February 2006 narrowly escaped another attempt on his life when someone threw a grenade in front of his Beirut home. Many of the bombings over the past three years have been blamed by Lebanon's Western-backed parliamentary majority on neighbouring Syria, a charge denied by Damascus.
General Ashraf Rifi, head of the ISF and who was at the site of the blast in a Christian suburb of Beirut, said the car bomb was yet another attempt at destabilizing the country as it grapples with its worst political crisis since the 1975-1990 civil war.
"This is a message to the Internal Security Forces following the message sent to the army in December when General Francois el-Hajj was killed in a car bomb," Rifi told reporters."This will not deter us from our mission to protect the country and ensure security."
Friday's explosion took place shortly after 10 am (0800 GMT) near a highway overpass in Hazmiyeh and in an area that houses a number of office buildings.
Flames engulfed cars, trapping several people as firefighters battled to extinguish the fires and security forces cordoned off the area.
Local residents and office workers, some screaming and others suffering from shock, could be seen running amongst the blazing vehicles searching for friends and loved ones. "It was an apocalyptic vision," said Ghandour Mashlab, a real estate agent who was at the site of the explosion.
An AFP photographer at the scene saw two bodies, one of which had been blown onto a nearby overpass by the force of the blast. The other corpse was charred, trapped inside a car, one of four totally destroyed in the attack.
The security official estimated that the bomb, which blasted a five-metre (16-foot) wide crater into the road, consisted of at least 50 kilograms (110 pounds) of TNT.A senior official from the anti-Syrian majority in Lebanon pointed the finger at Damascus.
"This bombing is proof that the (Syrian) mukhabarat (intelligence) have infiltrated Lebanese security services,' the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told AFP."There is no other specialist than Eid in the region who was as competent when it came to investigating the series of bombings that have shaken Lebanon in recent years," he added. Syria, however, condemned the killing and blamed "Lebanon's enemies".
The United States, Britain, France, Egypt and other countries also denounced the attack.
"This attack is the latest in a series over the last three years targeting those who are working to protect the Lebanese and secure Lebanon's independence and sovereignty," the US embassy in Beirut said. Britain's Foreign Office said it can not be allowed to derail the probe into the string killings in Lebanon.
If "some people think that these assassinations can sink a solution to the current (political) crisis to their advantage, they are wrong," said Egypt's Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul Gheit, without elaborating. About 500 people from the northern Lebanese village from which Eid came briefly blocked the highway leading from the city of Tripoli to Syria in protest at his death. "We want all the politicians to take responsibility for his killing," said Wissam Eid, an angry cousin of the victim.
Lebanon has been without a president since pro-Syrian head of state Emile Lahoud stepped down on November 23 with no elected successor because of a standoff between the majority and the Hezbollah-led opposition. It has also been the scene of numerous bomb attacks in the past three years, targeting mainly anti-Syrian personalities. The last bombing targeted a vehicle from the US embassy on January 15. Three passers-by were killed in that blast.
In February 2005, five-times prime minister Rafiq Hariri was killed by a huge bomb on the Beirut seafront. The backlash against his killing resulted in Syria withdrawing its forces from its tiny neighbour after nearly 30 years.

Security chief assassinated in Lebanon bomb
(Mohamed Azakir/Reuters)
Nicholas Blanford, Beirut
A senior Lebanese police officer and 10 other people were killed this morning when a powerful car bomb exploded in an east Beirut suburb.
The mid-morning explosion is the latest in a string of assassinations over the past three years targeting politicians, journalists and lately security officials.
Captain Wissam Eid died instantly when his vehicle was struck by the bomb placed in a car parked beside the main Beirut-Damascus road. Bodies were hurled into the air and landed on an overpass above the scene. At least 30 other people were wounded in the blast which shook eastern Beirut and sent a towering pillar of black smoke into the clear blue sky. Some 20 other vehicles were damaged or destroyed by the car bomb which left a deep mud crater on the side of the road.
Soldiers sealed off the bombsite as ambulances and fire engines, sirens wailing, raced to the scene. Rescue workers carrying stretchers once more faced the terrible task of extracting shattered bodies from the twisted and tangled fire-blackened ruins of vehicles. The windows were blown out in a four-storey office block housing the Nokia mobile phone dealership overlooking the scene.
“Thank God everyone is okay. There was only material damage and that can be replaced,” said an employee as he watched workers sweeping shattered glass from the floor. Clutching her teenage daughter’s hand, a woman, her face wet with tears and stricken with worry, pushed her way through the crowd of onlookers toward the office building. Catching sight of her husband, she ran and hugged him. “Thank God you are safe,” she sobbed.
Like other recent bombings, there was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack. Captain Eid was a member of the intelligence branch of the Internal Security Forces, a paramilitary police force. Brigadier General Ashraf Rifi, the head of the ISF, inspected the site of the blast. He told reporters that Captain Eid had been involved in the investigations of other recent bombings and assassinations.
The frequency of bombings has increased lately as Lebanon’s deep political crisis intensifies. A Lebanese army general was blown up in December. This month, separate bombs targeted a vehicle driven by Irish United Nations peacekeepers and an armour-plated car belonging to the American embassy.
Anti-Syrian Lebanese politicians blame Damascus for the strife, accusing it of seeking to re-impose its hegemony over its tiny neighbour. Syria was forced to disengage from Lebanon in 2005 following mass protests in Beirut combined with international pressure.
The pro-Syrian opposition has warned that it could launch a civil disobedience campaign in an attempt to bring down the Western-backed government. A transport union strike on yesterday was seen as the first step in the campaign. But many Lebanese fear that if the political disputes are taken to the street, the situation could easily spill out of control.

Police Officer among Victims of Beirut Bombing
A car bomb exploded during the morning rush hour Friday in Beirut's Chevrolet neighborhood, killing a top police officer who had been probing terrorist bombings.
Lebanese Red Cross officials said three other people were killed in the 10:00 am blast that went off not far from the building housing Alfa Telecommunications Company in the Chevrolet-Hazmieh district. They said as many as 20 people were wounded. However, army and security officials told AFP that 10 people were killed in the blast, including Capt. Wissam Eid, a member of the Internal Security Forces (ISF). The explosion took place in an area of office buildings and parking lots on a highway leading out of Beirut.  Eid had survived two previous assassination attempts, including a 2006 hand grenade targeting his house and a raid in the northern port city of Tripoli, Interior Minister Hassan Sabaa said.
Eid was "one of the most important officers in the intelligence department," Sabaa said. "They (attackers) are trying to hit the backbone of the Lebanese state, which is security." Eid was a key member of the ISF and was involved in many investigations concerning bombings in Lebanon, including a February 2007 bombing in a Christian area. He was involved in sensitive probes and this is a major loss for us," a senior security official said. Captain Eid was in his 30s and had been working with the ISF for about eight years.  General Ashraf Rifi, head of the ISF, who went to inspect the blast scene, said the bombing was yet another attempt at destabilizing Lebanon as it grapples with its worst political crisis since the end of the 1975-1990 civil war. "This is a message to the Internal Security Forces following the message sent to the army in December when Gen. Francois el-Hajj was killed in a car bomb," Rifi told reporters. "This will not deter us from our mission to protect the country and ensure security." The force of the blast ripped a crater in the asphalt two meters wide and a meter deep. Rifi confirmed that the blast was a car bomb. Rifi said Eid's bodyguard also was killed. Thick black smoke curled into the sky as flames engulfed cars, trapping several people. Another dozen vehicles were wrecked in a nearby lot. Firefighters battled to extinguish the fires as security forces cordoned off the area. Local residents and office workers, some screaming and others suffering from shock, could be seen running amongst the blazing vehicles searching for friends and loved ones.
Police could be seen gathering body parts near the crater while within a 500 meter radius most of the windows of buildings and houses were blown out.
As news of the killing spread to Eid's hometown of Deir Ammar north of Tripoli, dozens of villagers burnt car tires and blocked the coastal highway linking Lebanon's second-largest city with the Syrian border. On Jan. 15, a U.S. embassy vehicle was targeted in a car bombing which killed three passersby.
Lebanon has also been the scene of numerous bomb attacks in the past three years, targeting mainly anti-Syrian personalities and drawing accusations of Syrian involvement. Damascus has vehemently denied any role. In February 2005, five-time Prime Minister Rafik Hariri was killed in a huge bomb attack on the Beirut seafront. The international and domestic backlash against his killing resulted in Syria withdrawing its forces from its tiny neighbor after nearly 30 years.
According to a former member of a U.N. commission probing Hariri's murder, Eid was close to the ex-premier and had given the commission information about his murder. Syria condemned Friday's bomb attack and blamed "Lebanon's enemies" for it, the official news agency SANA said. It quoted a Syrian official as "reaffirming Syria's permanent attachment to Lebanon's security and stability."(Naharnet-AP-AFP) Beirut, 25 Jan 08, 13:41

Jumblat Fears Hizbullah Bracing for War, Believes Syria Engineering Killings of Foreigners
Druze leader Walid Jumblat feared Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah was preparing for a new war with Israel similar to the destructive 2006 confrontation and said he believed Syria will engineer the kidnapping and assassination of foreigners.
"You were successful in mobilizing (supporters) for Ashoura, and this is normal. But what are you preparing?" Jumblat said of Nasrallah during an interview on Thursday with Dubai-based Al-Arabiya satellite news channel.
"Are you preparing a new war? When you speak of body parts, is a new war coming?" said Jumblat, a leader of the ruling March 14 majority.
He was referring to a provocative speech by Nasrallah in which he said Hizbullah has the body parts of soldiers that the Israeli army had abandoned.
"We have the heads, the hands, the feet and even a nearly intact corpse from the head down to the pelvis," Nasrallah told tens of thousands of supporters Saturday in his first public appearance in more than a year to commemorate Ashoura, Shiite Islam's holiest day.
Hizbullah's capture of two Israeli soldiers in July 2006 led to the 34-day war that killed more than 1,200 civilians in Lebanon as well as 160 Israelis, mostly soldiers.
"The fear is that ... there are preparations for a new war, possibly similar to the 2006 war, through some preemptive (action)," Jumblat told Al-Arabiya.
Nasrallah, whose Iranian- and Syrian-backed group leads the opposition in Lebanon, made his remarks amid heightened tension in the country which has been without a president for two months because of a long-running crisis between the majority and the opposition. Jumblat, nevertheless, reached out to Nasrallah urging him to go back to "the fundamentals of dialogue." "Only then -- through dialogue -- that he (Nasrallah) would return to the Lebanese entity," he said.
Jumblat said he did not rule out the possibility that Syria, whom he blamed for a string of political assassinations in Lebanon, will engineer the abduction and killing of foreigners, a practice that was widespread during the 1975-1990 civil war. "With the Syrian, and possibly Iranian, terrorism ... we might go back to this diabolical cycle," Jumblat said.(AFP-Naharnet) Beirut, 25 Jan 08, 07:20

U.S., France Condemn Friday's Bombing
The United States and France on Friday condemned the powerful blast in Beirut's Chevrolet neighborhood that killed a top police officer who had been probing terrorist bombings. "This crime is yet another direct and hideous attack against Lebanon's state institutions," the U.S. embassy said in a statement.
"This attack is the latest in a series over the last three years targeting those who are working to protect the Lebanese and secure Lebanon's independence and sovereignty," it said. The statement also reiterated the U.S. commitment to support "Lebanon's legitimate institutions, its democracy and independence."
Capt. Wissam Eid, a member of the Internal Security Forces (ISF), and three other people were killed in the morning rush hour explosion.
ISF chief Brig. Gen. Ashraf Rifi said Eid was handling "very important" files, including "all those having to do with the terrorist bombings" in Lebanon.
France also denounced the attack and urged the international community to intervene to stop the cycle of assassinations of recent years. Beirut, 25 Jan 08, 15:24

Syria condemns Beirut explosion
www.chinaview.cn 2008-01-25 21:41:16 Print
DAMASCUS, Jan. 25 (Xinhua) -- Syria on Friday condemned a huge explosion in a Christian neighborhood in Beirut earlier in the day that killed a senior police intelligence officer, the official SANA news agency reported. The bombing was targeting the security and stability of Lebanon, an official source with the information ministry was quoted as saying. The source reiterated Syria's permanent care for the security and stability of Lebanon, claiming that the perpetrators of the bombing were "Lebanon's enemies," SANA said. Lebanese Red Cross Committee announced that at least four people were killed and 20 others injured in the powerful explosion in Beirut on Friday morning. The level of destruction suggested a huge amount of explosives was used, with dozens of cars wrecked and a massive crater left in the broken asphalt. Earlier, the Lebanese private Future TV put the death toll at 10, saying that Lebanese Internal Security Forces (ISF) Capt. Wissam Eid was among the victims, adding Eid is a senior officer with the ISF's Intelligence Bureau.

Saudi King Discusses Lebanon Crisis with Saniora
Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz on Friday discussed with Lebanon's Premier Fouad Saniora obstacles facing implementation of the Arab initiative.
The state-run national News Agency, in a dispatch from the Saudi Capital of Riyadh, said the talks included a "general assessment of the situation in Lebanon, especially the Arab initiative and efforts exerted by Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa to put it into effect and the obstacles it had recently faced."
Saniora's talks in Riyadh followed a visit to Cairo where he discussed the Lebanon crisis with Egyptian officials.
Saniora's mission comes ahead of a meeting scheduled for Cairo on Sunday by Arab foreign ministers to assess Moussa's mission.
Moussa is to present a report to the ministers on outcome of his efforts in Lebanon and obstacles facing implementation of the Arab Initiative that backs the election of Army Commander Gen. Michel Suleiman president to be followed by the formation of a government in which the opposition does not hold veto powers and the majority does not control more than half of the seats. Beirut, 25 Jan 08, 16:35

Gen. Suleiman Calls Assad, Syrian Command
Army Commander Gen. Michel Suleiman on Friday telephoned Syrian President Bashar Assad and the Syrian military command, it was officially reported.
The state-run National News Agency (NNA), which carried the short report, did not disclose further details pertaining to nature of the discussion between Suleiman, Assad and the Syrian military command. It also did not identify the Syrian military commanders contacted by Suleiman. The report, however, said Suleiman received later Secretary General of the higher Lebanese-Syrian council Nasri Khoury. The Suleiman-Khoury talks, according to NNA, covered "the general situation in the country, Lebanese-Syrian relations and a review of the context of the two (telephone) calls, during which Gen. Suleiman stressed on persistence of brotherly contacts and coordination between the two sisterly states and armies." Beirut, 25 Jan 08, 16:11

Paris Rejects Syrian Suggestion to Find Substitute for Suleiman
France has reiterated its backing for a three-point Arab League plan to end Lebanon's political crisis, particularly the election of army commander Gen. Michel Suleiman as president. The daily An Nahar on Friday, citing foreign diplomatic sources in Beirut, said Paris' stance came in response to a suggestion by Syria to find a substitute for Suleiman. According to the sources, Damascus' offer was conveyed to Paris by Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Hamad Bin Jaber al Thani.
The suggestion calls for substituting Suleiman for another candidate named by the Assad regime. They include, in addition to Suleiman, former cabinet minister Faris Boueiz. The sources said Paris was "not willing to replace the Arab initiative by another one," and reiterated its adherence to the Arab plan which called for the election of Suleiman head of state. They said the suggestion was brought up five days ago and was presented to the majority March 14 Forces which, in turn, "totally" rejected it. Beirut, 25 Jan 08, 08:03

Sporadic Opposition-Labor Strike Marked by Marginal Rioting
Lebanon was hit by a transport drivers' strike Thursday that led to marginal blockade of some roads across the country while traffic flowed normally on others -- in a reflection of the country's deep political divisions that have also infected Lebanese labor unions.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Fouad Saniora warned against taking labor disputes to "the street," saying politics and labor demands should be separate and unions should not seek to "score political gains."The drivers' strike over rising costs was mostly peaceful although troops moved in to prevent rioting.
Soldiers in armored vehicles and trucks were deployed by early morning on some Beirut intersections where army presence is routine but was evidently beefed up Thursday. The military said security forces were under orders to prevent any road closures or rioting. Workers complied with the strike differently from area to area, according to their political affiliation and whether they support Saniora's government or the Hizbullah-led opposition. Some unions have also broken away from the labor union federation and opted not to join the strike. In areas where support for Hizbullah is strong, in south Beirut, southern Lebanon and the northeastern parts of the impoverished, mostly farming Bekaa Valley inland, union activists closed roads and some set car tires ablaze to block roads before security forces moved in.
But in coastal cities like Sidon and Tripoli, with strong pro-government backing, life seemed normal. In Tripoli in the north, dozens of protesters gathered at the central Tall Square, only to disperse peacefully half an hour later. Traffic on highway entrances to Beirut also flowed normally.
In the Bekaa village of Nabi Othman, a 9-year-old boy was slightly wounded by a bullet in the shoulder when a gunshot went off from a security agent's gun as he tried to clear a closed road to pass through, security officials said speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the press.
An angry mob set the agent's car on fire after the shooting. On a major road intersection in south Beirut, some youths tried to block the road but were confronted by troops. Security officials said about 40 youths threw stones at soldiers before fleeing.By mid-afternoon, Drivers union leader Abdul-Amir Najdeh announced the strike was over and urged all supporters to clear the streets. He said the unions would meet Monday to decide the next step. The strike, which agriculture and transport unions insisted would be peaceful, was called to protest against the rising cost of living and fuel prices and also demand fuel subsidies for taxis and customs exemptions for imports of public transport vehicles.
The unions said the strike had no political affiliation, but pro-government groups dismissed it as another attempt by the pro-Syrian and pro-Iranian opposition to bring down the U.S.-backed government. Some unions decided not to join the strike after the government met some of their demands. The government said schools would remain open and pro-government unions called on members to ignore the strike. Many families kept their children at home, as parents were told by some schools there would be no bus service and pupils would have to make it on their own to the schools. The pro-government majority has blamed the opposition for a faltering economy, saying a 14-month opposition sit-in in Beirut has paralyzed the capital's center. In turn, the opposition has blamed Saniora's policies for the economic troubles. Saniora, after talks in Egypt Thursday with President Husni Mubarak, said his nation's economic problems "have been accumulating for more than three decades" and that it made "no sense to run after bread and make basic demands for better living conditions in order to score political gains."
"Taking arguments to the streets allows street rule to take over," Saniora said. "This is not in the interests of the Lebanese people."
Saniora was expected to travel to Saudi Arabia later. Both countries are his government's top Arab backers and Saniora is likely to seek more support for a resolution to Lebanon's crisis. Beirut, 24 Jan 08, 17:56

INTERVIEW-Political crisis stops funds pledged to Lebanon
.By Yara Bayoumy
BEIRUT, Jan 24 (Reuters) - Foreign donors are helping Lebanon keep its public debt in check but a political crisis is holding up the release of more money pledged a year ago at an international conference, the economy minister said on Thursday. Sami Haddad told Reuters that parliament, which has not passed legislation for more than a year because of the crisis, needed to approve project finance pledged at the Jan. 25, 2007 Paris conference.
"The fact that parliament is closed means we are forgoing at least for now -- the amount will increase later -- $800 million," he said in an interview.
The "Paris 3" conference drew pledges of $7.6 billion designed to help the government deal with a massive $41 billion public debt and also to boost an economy shattered by a war between Israel and Hezbollah in 2006. Haddad said just under $5 billion of the funds had been committed and about $2 billion had already been disbursed in the private and public sector. "Because of Paris 3 and the very significant support that has been promised, which is materialising, Lebanon's foreign debt has basically remained unchanged in 2007," he added. The debt, mainly accumulated from the reconstruction costs of Lebanon's 1975-90 civil war, is equal to some 180 percent of the country's gross domestic product (GDP). Lebanon is embroiled in its worst political crisis since the civil war. The crisis has left the country without a president since November, has paralysed government bodies and prevented the government from carrying out economic reforms.
Haddad said legislation held up by the crisis included a law raising value added tax to 12 percent from 10 percent and a tax increase on interest income to 7 percent from 5 percent. The privatisation of two state mobile telecom firms, a long-stalled economic reform, has also been delayed by three months because of the political conflict, which pits the Western-backed government against the Hezbollah-led opposition.
Standard & Poor's gave Lebanon a "watch negative" rating in November because of the failure to elect a president before the incumbent's term expired on Nov. 23.
"The political stalemate has been an unmitigated economic disaster on the country," Haddad said, adding that the economy grew by around 2 percent in 2007.
"If the situation continues, we are forgoing easily 4-5 percent (annual) growth in GDP," he said.
"It's highly likely that if the situation were to be resolved politically, the growth rate would exceed 8 percent given all this pent-up demand and good possibilities

Syrian-Iranian Intervention in Lebanon
By MEMRI
FrontPageMagazine.com | Friday, January 25, 2008
In a January 16, 2008 editorial in the London daily Al-Sharq Al-Awsat, the paper's editor-in-chief, Tariq Alhomayed, called on Arab League member states, and especially on Saudi Arabia and Egypt, to stop the Syrian-Iranian intervention in Lebanon, as well as in Palestine, Iraq and the Gulf. Alhomayed also argued that the Arab League should change the venue of its planned March 2008 Damascus summit, and should take a firm position vis-à-vis Syria, even to the point of enacting economic measures against it.
The following are excerpts from the article, as it appeared in the English edition of Al-Sharq Al-Awsat. [1]
"There Is an Obligation for Concrete and Effective Arab Intervention, Rather Than American or European Intervention [in Lebanon]"
"Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak has warned that the Lebanese presidential crisis and its repercussions will continue, especially in light of the failure of the American and European initiatives. The president also stated that the Arab initiative is the only option that remains, and stressed that "if it is not implemented, everyone will wash their hands of Lebanon. [Then] the country would be lost and no one can know what its future will be."
"Does the failure of the initiatives point towards abandoning Lebanon, or does it justify an intervention to end Lebanon's chronic crisis? My conviction is that there is an obligation for concrete and effective Arab intervention, rather than American or European intervention.
"Intervention does not mean retaliating by explosions and by dragging the country into wars; there are other, more effective, forms of intervention, and it is within the Arab League's capacity to play this role through the influential Arab states, with Saudi Arabia and Egypt at the forefront."
"It is Absurd to Govern an Arab State from Another Arab Capital"
"The party responsible for the crisis in Lebanon must pay the price. It is absurd to govern an Arab state from another Arab capital; there is no such thing as a good or bad occupation. A few weeks ago, Syrian Vice President [Farouq al Shar'] announced that his country's presence in Lebanon is stronger than it had ever been [before] and that the 'friends of Damascus' in Beirut are stronger than [ever] before - can there be a more blatant confession that Syria is behind the Lebanese crisis?
"Moreover, a few days ago, the 'divinely victorious' [2] Hassan Nasrallah, who is supposedly Lebanese, defended Iran and the role that it plays in the region. They all audaciously declare their victory without having to pay the price for it - [a price] which is rending Lebanon in two.
"Therefore, the Arab League and its member states must have an effective and influential role. Just as the member states of the Arab League [previously] toured the world to put an end to the Israeli aggression against Lebanon, after Hassan Nasrallah dragged the entire country into a war without prior warning (and the Gulf States, Europe and America pledged to reconstruct the damage and after the death of 1,100 Lebanese citizens) - there must [now] be powerful intervention to protect a member-state of the Arab League [namely Lebanon].
"We thought that the Arab League's position following the liberation of Kuwait would form a basis for countering Arab-to-Arab aggression; however, what we are witnessing in Lebanon today is the exact opposite." "We Must Not Wait for American or European Intervention"
"What Lebanon needs today is not an Arab military intervention against Syria or Iran; rather, it needs to employ all legitimate means to end all Syrian-Iranian intervention. "There must be an announcement declaring that the Arab summit will be moved away from Damascus. This must be followed by a strict political position vis-à-vis Syria that should be escalated even on an economic level - should it refuse to desist from interfering in the affairs of independent Arab states. Additionally, [Syria's] close ties with [Iranian President Mahmoud] Ahmadinejad must be reviewed, so that it will have to pay a price for them.
"The Arabs must take a clear stance; we must not wait for American or European intervention. In such a case, Nasrallah and his aides will attack the West, and accuse everyone of treason, except themselves. "Lebanon's plight stems from those who govern it from abroad and those who seek to impose a Syrian-Iranian guardianship upon it, which would be disastrous for Lebanon and for Arab national security. "But this intervention is not confined to Lebanon alone. It extends to the Palestinians, the Iraqis and the Gulf States as well.
"There must be effective Arab intervention [to end it]."

Opposition: Suleiman is Our Candidate if we Get Veto Power
The opposition responded to a French question regarding who would be its candidate in case army commander Gen. Michel Suleiman was no longer a consensus nominee by saying it would go back to support Michel Aoun. The opposition believed the inquiry meant that the French were looking for a presidential candidate other than Suleiman. Opposition sources, however, said that the Hizbullah-led March 8 Forces still back Suleiman for the presidency on condition the opposition is granted veto power in the new government. Suleiman, meanwhile, described as "good" his relationship with the various political parties.
"I am in constant contact with them," Suleiman said, adding that "as long as there is unanimity on the army, then there is no problem and I don't care if there is consensus on me." Beirut, 24 Jan 08, 18:40

'Obvious' plan to divide Lebanon - patriarch
Fadlallah calls on France to reverse policy change
By Maroun Khoury
Daily Star correspondent
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
BKIRKI: Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Butros Sfeir said Monday that a plan to divide Lebanon and deprive it of its constitutional, social and religious institutions has become "obvious."
"But the age of Lebanon has exceeded 2,000 years and the age of the Maronite sect has also exceeded 1,500 years," Sfeir said before a delegation of mayors and mukhtars from the Bekaa region of Deir al-Amar. "Despite all the painful moments the Maronite Church has gone through, it has remained [present] up until now."
Political and social delegations continued to flock to Bkirki Monday, expressing their condemnation of the attack launched by former Cabinet Minister Suleiman Franjieh against the patriarch last week.
Sfeir said despite the fact that the country was going through difficult times, the people have to face it with "good-heartedness," calling on the Lebanese to "contain" each other.
"We have many problems," Sfeir said. "We are not the only source of these problems, they also arise from around us. We have to listen to the voice of our conscience and that of our country in order to save the latter."
Sfeir called for unifying efforts so Lebanon would "again" be a country of love, forgiveness and peace.
"What happened has happened. We cannot change it, though we felt sorry for it. We are all brothers and the country is our responsibility," he said.
During an interview last Wednesday, Franjieh, who heads the opposition Marada Movement, lashed out at Sfeir, describing him as an employee of the US and French embassies. Franjieh also urged the patriarch to resign.
The head of Parliament's Administration and Justice Committee, MP Robert Ghanem, said after meeting Sfeir on Monday: "Attacking Bkirki means attacking Lebanon's raison d'etre."
"Bkirki is the core of coexistence and Lebanon's real message in this Arab East," he said.
Senior Shiite cleric Sayyed Mohammad Hussein Fadlallah, meanwhile, warned France not to be dragged into the US project in the region, calling on French officials to halt the "dramatic" change in France's Middle East policy since President Nicolas Sarkozy came to power.
"We warn France that the US administration wants to use is as a tool for its project by pushing it into the heart of the problems plaguing the region," Fadlallah said in a statement.
He also lashed out at Arab nations for not having concrete programs to curb influences from outside the region.
Higher Shiite Council vice president Sheikh Abdel-Amir Qabalan urged Lebanese politicians on Monday to overcome discords and deal with the current political crisis "with a spirit of national responsibility."
"We want politicians to open the channels of dialogue between them in a bid to surpass all obstacles preventing them from reaching solutions," Qabalan said. "The continuation of discord is no longer acceptable."
Qabalan said the Lebanese people should not remain imprisoned by politicians' speeches and disagreements.
"We want Lebanon to recover its security, stability and peace," he said. "We want the social and economic crises to come to an end." - The Daily Star