LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN

LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
June 26/08

Bible Reading of the day.
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 7,15-20. Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but underneath are ravenous wolves. By their fruits you will know them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? Just so, every good tree bears good fruit, and a rotten tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a rotten tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire. So by their fruits you will know them

Free Opinions, Releases, letters & Special Reports
A critique of pure resistance-NowLebanon.com 25/06/08
Sleiman is changing the presidency - and the country - for the better- The Daily Star 25/06/08

Latest News Reports From Miscellaneous Sources for June 25/08
Franjieh Offers to Mediate between Hariri-Assad-Naharnet
Tit-for-Tat Attacks in Tripoli … Burning Down Houses, ShopsNaharnet
Aoun Wants Interior Ministry for Franjieh … Franjieh Rejects-Naharnet
Egypt Suggests Putting Shebaa Under U.N. SupervisionNaharnet
Lebanese Youth Flees Israel to his Southern Hometown-Naharnet
Tripoli Unrest Claims its Ninth Victim-Naharnet
Israel Wants Peace with Lebanon-Naharnet
Lebanon's Oil Slick Cleaned but Headache Continues-Naharnet
Spiritual Leaders for New Cabinet, Dialogue, Suleiman for Compromises that Prevent Suicide-Naharnet
Lebanese Man in U.S.: Judge Can't be Fair Because he's Jewish-Naharnet
Murr Defends Saniora-Naharnet
Hizbullah Emphasizes Solidarity with Aoun-Naharnet
Russia Worried About the Lebanon Situation-Naharnet
Canada: Terror suspect 'excited' by weapons training: witness.Canadian Press
Gaza truce falters, Israel plans Hezbollah swap-Reuters
Israeli Cabinet to consider swap with Hezbollah-CNN
Hizbullah Emphasizes Solidarity with Aoun-Naharnet
LebanonPeace returns to Tripoli after deadly sectarian clashes24 ...Euronews.net
Fatfat: “Hezbollah is a Militia”-iloubnan.info
Siniora backs defense, interior portfolios going to president-Daily Star
Lebanese spiritual summit yields joint call for peace-Daily Star
Residents survey damage from Tripoli fighting-AFP
Graziano says commitment to 1701 needed from all parties-Daily Star
Olmert says more time is needed before prisoner swap with Hizbullah-Daily Star
Receiving pledges next hurdle for Nahr al-Bared rebuilding-Daily Star
Azour laments effect of political feud on economy, investment-Daily Star
Drought, violence deter summer visitors to Chouf-Daily Star
Tarboush still on sale in Sidon despite lack of popularity-Daily Star
'More must be done to meet needs of Iraqi child refugees'-By IRIN News.org
IAEA inspectors visit alleged nuclear site in Syrian desert-AFP
Tehran accuses Europe of impeding diplomacy by applying new sanctions-AFP
Can Syria avoid sanctions with a UN nuclear inspection?-Christian Science Monitor
Syria Helped Iran Develop Weapons-Grade Plutonium-theTrumpet.com
The great escape to Lebanon-Ynetnews
Sarkozy rushed away as Israeli soldier commits suicide-AP
Islamic Nations Eye UN Security Council Seats-(CNSNews.com)

Tit-for-Tat Attacks in Tripoli … Burning Down Houses, Shops
Naharnet/Residents belonging to the rival political camps tried to block roads in Bab al-Tabbaneh and Jabal Mohsen in north Lebanon on Wednesday as others set a gas station on fire in protest of renewed unrest overnight, the state-run National News Agency reported. NNA said Wednesday's unrest followed tit-for-tat attacks that included burning down houses and shops in Bab al-Tabbaneh and Jabal Mohsen as well as in al-Bakkar quarter and Syria Street. It said residents in Mallouleh burned down a gas station. Other residents in nearby Beddawi attempted to set ablaze a gas station, NNA said, adding that security forces stepped in to prevent them from doing so. Meanwhile, the death toll from heavy clashes earlier this week between pro- and anti-government supporters in Bab al-Tabbaneh and Jabal Mohen has risen to nine, a security official told AFP. He said the latest victim died late Tuesday of his wounds. The clashes on Sunday and Monday had pitted Sunni supporters of the majority in parliament against members of an Alawite sect loyal to the Hizbullah-led opposition. The violence threatened to derail an agreement reached in Doha last month between rival politicians to end an 18-month political crisis in Lebanon. Beirut, 25 Jun 08, 12:06

Franjieh Offers to Mediate between Hariri-Assad
Naharnet/Ex-MP Suleiman Franjieh said he is ready to mediate between Mustaqbal Movement leader Saad Hariri and Syrian President Bashar Assad.
Franjieh, talking to reporters at the Republican Palace after meeting President Michel Suleiman, criticized Lebanese forces leader Samir Geagea for saying Premier-designate Fouad Saniora represents the Christians more than Free Patriotic Movement leader Michel Aoun. "Geagea believes that (Shaker) Abssi represents the Christians better than Gen. Aoun," Franjieh said. He emphasized that the Hizbullah-led opposition would "remain behind Aoun in every thing."Franjieh had held separate talks with Aoun, Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri and Hizbullah leader Hassan Nasrallah. Beirut, 25 Jun 08, 14:47

Aoun Wants Interior Ministry for Franjieh … Franjieh Rejects
Naharnet/Free Patriotic Movement leader Michel Aoun has reportedly suggested a new equation for the cabinet line-up where Marada Movement leader Suleiman Franjieh gets the interior ministry while Elias Murr keeps his post as defense minister. But Franjieh rejected the offer. Prime Minister-designate Fouad Saniora also insisted that both the interior and defense ministries were President Michel Suleiman's pick. "National interest requires that the President gets the security-related interior and defense ministries," Saniora stressed, adding that the opposition "is free to choose one of the two" remaining top cabinet posts – finance and foreign affairs. The Central News Agency said Franjieh refused to "enter the cabinet names bazaar," insisting he will not join "any" government before the next parliamentary elections in 2009. CNA quoted Franjieh as expressing willingness to "show flexibility in the cabinet line-up in exchange for ratifying the electoral law" in line with the Doha agreement. News reports on Wednesday said Suleiman will intensify contacts with the various pro- and anti-government camps in an effort to find a way out of the cabinet crisis. The daily Al Akhbar said Suleiman was likely to receive Franjieh at the presidential palace on Wednesday. It said Franjieh reiterated that the opposition continues to hold onto its demand regarding the cabinet make-up. "The opposition leadership as well as all opposition forces support Gen. Michel Aoun," Franjieh told Al Akhbar. He said the opposition believes that Aoun's demand is a "right that should be granted to him." Al Akhbar, however, said that in light of the lack of common ground between the ruling majority and the anti-government camp, no breakthrough towards ending the cabinet crisis seems to be in the offing.
The pan-Arab newspaper Al Hayat agreed, saying that there is no indication that the crisis would end any time soon. Al Akhbar said that the cabinet formation is likely to drag until after the Mediterranean summit which is due in Paris mid-July, adding that Suleiman has not yet determined whether to attend the meeting or not. Beirut, 25 Jun 08, 09:02

Berri: Road to Cabinet Formation Blocked
Naharnet/Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri said the "road to the formation of the new cabinet is still blocked." "This is certainly neither assuring nor encouraging," Berri told the daily An Nahar in remarks published Wednesday. Commenting on the donors' conference for the reconstruction of the northern Palestinian refugee camp of Nahr al-Bared in Vienna, Berri said: "What happened in Vienna … is a lesson to all Lebanese that countries around the world are fed up or almost fed up with our differences.""The money we got from the Vienna conference is barely enough to rebuild areas destroyed in Tripoli at the time the conference was underway in the in the Austrian capital," Berri said in reference to the armed clashes in Bab al-Tabbaneh and Jabal Mohsen. "What's the use of bringing a piaster and spending five in return?" Beirut, 25 Jun 08, 12:06

Lebanese Youth Flees Israel to his Southern Hometown
Naharnet/A Lebanese citizen has fled Israel to his southern hometown of Qlayaa after crossing the border at Marjayoun-Khiam. An Nahar newspaper reported Wednesday that Beshara Ibrahim Rizk, 24, crossed a barbed wire separating the two countries and headed to the home of Qlayaa Mayor Bassam Hasbani who handed him over to local security forces. Rizk fled to Israel along with his parents when he was only 14 years old after Israel withdrew from south Lebanon and the western Bekaa in the spring of 2000. Beirut, 25 Jun 08, 11:19

Israel Wants Peace with Lebanon
Spokesman for the Israeli cabinet said Wednesday the Jewish state favors "direct" peace negotiations with Lebanon. "During these negotiations, we can discuss all issues, including Shabaa Farms," the spokesman said, adding that the Lebanese side is not interested in peace talks at the moment. "Israel at present is holding negotiations with Syria after having achieved peace with both Egypt and Jordan," he explained. "Now it's time Israel negotiates with Lebanon".
Beirut, 25 Jun 08, 10:05

Egypt Suggests Putting Shebaa Under U.N. Supervision
Naharnet/Egypt has announced that it suggested to visiting Israeli Premier Ehud Olmert handing over the Shebaa Farms area to the United Nations pending a resolution between Lebanon, Syria and Israel on its legitimate ownership. Beirut media on Wednesday quoted Egyptian presidency spokesman Suleiman Awad as saying that his country "has ideas to put the Shebaa Farms under U.N. supervision pending a decision over how it (the area) would be handed over to Lebanon or Syria." "These ideas are supported by European countries," Awad stressed Tuesday following one-on-one talks between Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and Olmert in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh. The Shebaa Farms area is a strip of land at the junction of southeast Lebanon, southwest Syria and northern Israel.
The Jewish state seized the farms from Syria at the same time as it captured the adjoining Golan Heights in the 1967 Middle East war. Beirut claims the territory with the consent of Damascus. Olmert's spokesman Mark Regev, however, said ahead of the Israeli PM's visit to Egypt that Israel "wants to enter into direct negotiations with Lebanon to reach peace." "All issues, including the Shebaa Farms could be discussed, during the negotiations," Regev said, adding that the Lebanese are not willing to go into talks with Israel unless all "other tracks are solved." He said this condition has materialized now that "Israel is negotiating with Syria and after peace has been reached with Egypt and Jordan." "It's time for negotiations on the Lebanese track," Regev stressed. Meanwhile, Egypt told Israel that it will keep its Rafah crossing with Gaza closed until the fate of captured soldier Gilad Shalit is resolved, a senior Israeli official said. "We received clear assurances that Rafah will not be opened as long as the question of Shalit is not solved," said the official, who was present at the talks between Mubarak and Olmert. The two leaders discussed Shalit's fate and the next stage of the Egyptian-mediated ceasefire between Israel and Hamas after months of bloodshed. Beirut, 25 Jun 08, 06:59

Tripoli Unrest Claims its Ninth Victim
Naharnet/The death toll from heavy clashes earlier this week between rival camps in the northern city of Tripoli has risen to nine, a security official told AFP on Wednesday. He said the latest victim died late Tuesday of his wounds. The clashes on Sunday and Monday had pitted Sunni supporters of the majority in parliament against members of an Alawite sect loyal to the Hizbullah-led opposition. The violence threatened to derail an agreement reached in Doha last month between rival politicians to end an 18-month political crisis in Lebanon.(AFP) Beirut, 25 Jun 08, 10:50

Lebanese Man in U.S.: Judge Can't be Fair Because he's Jewish
Naharnet/A U.S. judge rejected a Lebanese-born defendant's request that he remove himself from a case involving "terrorism" because the judge is Jewish.
Fawzi Mustapha Assi, 48, has pleaded guilty to providing support for Hizbullah. He addressed the court Monday against the advice of his attorney, saying he heard rumors that U.S. District Judge Gerald E. Rosen is a Zionist and might have pro-Israel sympathies.
Assi said he was concerned the judge could not be impartial when sentencing him for supporting "one of the most hated enemies of the state of Israel."
Rosen said Assi's request was "a little late" and that the court "has bent over backwards" to ensure fairness. Assi, a former resident of Dearborn, was arrested in 1998 when he tried to board a plane to Lebanon with visual and navigational equipment for Hizbullah. He pleaded guilty in November 2007. Sentencing is expected within eight weeks.(AP-Naharnet) Beirut, 25 Jun 08, 04:43

Murr Defends Saniora
Naharnet/MP Michel Murr has defended Fouad Saniora, denying that the premier was a "project of war" as Free Patriotic Movement leader Michel Aoun earlier claimed. "Saniora is not a project of war. He is a legitimate premier who is trying to create a new government," said Murr, a former member of Aoun's Reform and Change parliamentary bloc. Murr said "attacks" against his son, caretaker Defense Minister Elias Murr, have only made him more popular.
"My son is not an obstacle to the formation of the new cabinet ... he is simply nominated for a particular post," Murr said. Beirut, 25 Jun 08, 09:33

Hizbullah Emphasizes Solidarity with Aoun
Naharnet/Hizbullah on Tuesday emphasized its solidarity with Free Patriotic Movement Leader Michel Aoun in seeking cabinet seats "for his bloc." The stand was outlined by Hizbullah MP Hussein Hajj Hassan in a press conference held at Parliament. "Such solidarity (with Aoun) is part of the general solidarity among opposition factions," Hajj Hassan said. He denied charges that Hizbullah was behind recent clashes in the northern city of Tripoli. Hajj Hassan accused Mustaqbal Movement of spreading factional clashes in Lebanese areas, saying such an alleged behavior hampers the Doha Accord. Beirut, 24 Jun 08, 20:12

Hizbullah Emphasizes Solidarity with Aoun
Naharnet/Hizbbullah on Tuesday emphasized its solidarity with Free Patriotic Movement Leader Michel Aoun in seeking cabinet seats "for his bloc." The stand was outlined by Hizbullah MP Hussein Hajj Hassan in a press conference held at Parliament. "Such solidarity (with Aoun) is part of the general solidarity between opposition factions," Hajj Hassan said. He denied charges that Hizbullah was behind recent clashes in the northern town of Tripoli. Hajj Hassan accused Mustaqbal Movement of spreading factional clashes in Lebanese areas, saying such an alleged behavior Hampers the Doha Accord. Beirut, 24 Jun 08, 20:12

Panic at farewell ceremony for Sarkozy when Israeli policeman shoots himself
Tue Jun 24, 11:56 AM
By Dan Balilty, The Associated Press
BEN-GURION AIRPORT, Israel - An Israeli police officer fatally shot himself in the head Tuesday during the airport departure ceremony for French President Nicholas Sarkozy. Fearing an assassination attempt, bodyguards quickly whisked Sarkozy and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert from the scene. Sarkozy's wife, Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, rushed up the stairs of the couple aircraft ahead of her husband, who was quickly ushered aboard the plane by men in dark suits. Olmert and Israeli President Shimon Peres were escorted to their cars. The incident was over within minutes, and witnesses say Olmert later boarded the plane to explain the incident to Sarkozy. Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld says there was no assassination attempt on the French leader. Another police official said the shooting was a suicide, while a third said it may have been accidental. Police spokesman Shlomi Sagi said a policeman guarding the airport committed suicide while a band was playing just as Sarkozy was about to board his plane. Officials said he shot himself in the head and the area police commander, Nissim Mor, said the incident was being investigated. "We are currently investigating the circumstances to see whether it was suicide or if he accidentally discharged his weapon," he said. "His mission was to secure an area to prevent people from reaching the ceremony." The incident marred Sarkozy's three-day trip to Israel, a visit meant to improve relations between the two countries. French presidential spokesman Franck Louvrier could not be reached for comment on his mobile phone. Another presidential spokesman who was on another scheduled flight out of Tel Aviv said he knew nothing about the incident. Dark-suited men quickly ushered Sarkozy and his wife up the stairs of their plane. At the same time, security guards with guns drawn rushed Olmert and Israeli President Shimon Peres toward their cars. Sarkozy's wife, Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, rushed up the stairs ahead of her husband. The shooting occurred while a military band was playing, and the leaders apparently didn't hear anything. The incident was over within minutes, and Olmert boarded the plane to inform Sarkozy what had transpired, witnesses said. Police spokesman Shlomi Sagi confirmed that a policeman guarding the airport committed suicide just as Sarkozy was about to board his plane.

From mirage to mirage
By Heydar Soheili-Esfahani
http://www.mehrnews.ir/en/NewsDetail.aspx?NewsID=705225
TEHRAN, June 24 (MNA) -- The latest round of indirect talks between Syria and Israel was satisfactory. This sentence is repeated at the end of almost every round of talks between the two foes, but then the negotiations fall flat in a pregnant silence.
What are the chances that an agreement can be reached?
To answer this question, we should first take a glance at the process of negotiations between Damascus and Tel Aviv.
Until the Middle East peace conference was held in Madrid, in which representatives of then Syrian president Hafez al-Assad participated, the talks on peace used to take place under the thick veil of slogans and the two sides preferred to content themselves with ceasefire agreements.
However, there was a drastic change after that conference. The promises were gone with the wind, a wind that filled the glittering white balloon of peace.
According to the Madrid conference, the Golan Heights would be returned to Syria, but there were two sticking points. Israel demanded that a monitoring station had to be established on top of Jabal Al Shaikh (Mount Hermon) for reporting suspicious movements and that the land near Lake Tiberias (the Sea of Galilee) had to be demarcated. The latter caused a greater problem. Due to Israel’s limited water resources, it demanded that it be given possession of the entire lake. The occupiers also wanted to keep a narrow strip of land around the lake under their control. Thus, all that would have remained would have been negotiations on the Yarmouk and Hasbani rivers.
According to the plan, Jabal Al Shaikh was to be used to ensure the region’s security.
Former Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu had claimed that Assad had given him strong promises on the two demands. However, the Syrians rejected the allegation. Israel argues that the distance between Damascus and the destroyed and abandoned city of Quneitra, which is located at the heart of Golan, is almost equal to the distance between Tel Aviv and Quneitra. The Golan Heights lie between the two low-lying lands and any side that holds the area could dominate half of the other side’s territory in a military confrontation.
In a hypothetical scenario for the Six-Day War of 1967, Israeli strategists predicted that if the Syrians rushed their tanks to Tel Aviv in two rows and their warplanes bombarded Israeli forces, Tel Aviv would fall in a few hours. However, Israel can now threaten Damascus in almost the same way.
Thus, this “no war and no peace” situation imposes great problems on the two sides. Some analysts believe that the Lebanon war of 2006 was one of the problems that arose for Israel as a result of this situation. So the strategic failure of six years of negotiations in the 1990s was predictable. The situation remains relatively unchanged, and the equation has only been altered a little. The fact that Hezbollah forces succeeded in driving the Zionist forces out of south Lebanon in 2000 and the full-fledged war of 2006 shattered the Israeli military’s myth of invincibility. The balance of power is swinging toward Israel’s adversaries, while Golan is like the spring of life for the Zionists. However, with a shaky peace somehow holding, Syria is aware that any kind of war would create a dangerous and unpredictable situation. Although a new war is not likely, theoretically Israel is currently very vulnerable, and Tel Aviv’s veteran politicians are recalling the days when they were waiting for Gamal Abdel Nasser’s army to appear.
The only borders which Israel can be somewhat confident about are its coastlines and its border with Jordan. Its border with Egypt is quite problematic and could easily be seized by the Palestinians in Gaza. The situation on its northern borders is also clear.
In the south, over one million people are compressed like a spring, and the occupiers know they will face great trouble if the spring is released.
The outlines of Hezbollah’s military tactics are common knowledge, and if a war broke out, thousands of resistance fighters could engage in guerilla warfare and attack the Zionist regime with a massive barrage of rockets. Therefore, peace with Syria is a necessity, a necessity which is an unpleasant choice for Israel only a bit more palatable than the first choice. Bewilderment is the only expression that can describe the Israeli leaders’ current state of mind. This confusion is even evident in the Zionist regime’s internal affairs. Kadima, the ruling party, was the offspring of the Likud Party but then allied with the Labor Party.
Israel’s parliamentary election is also approaching, which will add to the confusion.
The Lebanon war sullied Prime Minister Ehud Olmert’s reputation since he was the leader during Israel’s first military Nakba (catastrophe).
And his former allies are now plotting his downfall. Labor Party leader Ehud Barak and Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, who wants to become Kadima’s leader, do not even bother to hide their schemes anymore and are just waiting for Olmert to fall. Under such circumstances, what is Israel’s goal in its negotiations with Syria?
Well, for Israel, peace with Syria is a necessity which it must gradually realize while pursuing its other interests. In addition, the peace talks can divert attention from Palestine to the far side of Lake Tiberias, and Olmert would be able to use any breakthrough in the process to deflect his opponents’ attacks, at least for a short time.(June 25 Tehran Times Opinion Column, by Heydar Soheili-Esfahani)

Islamic Nations Eye UN Security Council Seats
By Patrick Goodenough
CNSNews.com International Editor
June 23, 2008
(CNSNews.com) - Islamic nations should be represented in an expanded U.N. Security Council "in proportion to their membership of the United Nations," according to foreign ministers of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC). In a resolution passed at a meeting in Uganda last week, the ministers pointed to size of the Islamic bloc in the international community, noting that its members make up "one-fifth of the world population." Any proposal to reform and enlarge the U.N. Security Council "which neglects the adequate representation of the Islamic Ummah [community] in any category of membership ... will not be acceptable to the Islamic World," they said. "The OIC's demand for adequate representation in the Security Council is in keeping with the significant demographic and political weight of the OIC member states."The Security Council currently has five permanent, veto-wielding members -- the U.S., Britain, France, China and Russia -- and 10 non-permanent members that serve for two-year periods. Various proposals under consideration to reform the institution include expanding it to have more seats in both categories, earmarked for various geographic regions.
One model suggested by an expert panel appointed by former U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan, for instance, would establish six new permanent seats - two each for Africa and Asia, and one each for Europe and the Americas. An alternative model discussed by the panel would add no permanent seats, but create a new, semi-permanent tier of eight seats -- two each from Asia, Africa, Europe and the Americas, occupied for four-year stints, and subject to renewal.
Neither of the models put forward envisages seats earmarked for non-geographic groups, such as a bloc of Islamic nations.
The resolution passed in Uganda leaves unstated exactly how many seats in an expanded Security Council the OIC would want set aside for Islamic states, but to satisfy the demand of being represented "in proportion to their membership of the United Nations," it could arguably press for 30 percent of the seats. (Of the 192 U.N. member-states, 56 are OIC members. An independent Palestinian state would push the number up to 57.) The bloc, which has been in existence since the 1970s, in recent years has come to wield increasing clout in the international community. In U.N. agencies where it holds significant membership, critics have accused it of trying to promote Islamic interests at the expense of broader ones.
At the Human Rights Council, for instance, they charge that the OIC has protected allies, ganged up against Israel, and pushed measures limiting freedom of expression when it comes to criticizing Islam. Free speech advocacy groups in recent months have publicly voiced concern about the OIC's growing influence in the U.N.'s top human rights watchdog. The OIC enjoys a built-in advantage at the Human Rights Council because more than half of the body's seats are reserved for the African and Asian regional groups, home to most Islamic states. Of the current council members, a full one-third are OIC members.
At the OIC meeting in Uganda, the foreign ministers reaffirmed that OIC member states should use their membership in key U.N. bodies like the Human Rights Council "to protect and promote the interests of the Islamic world."
Much of the OIC's expanded role in international affairs has come about as a result of a "new vision" initiative outlined in a 10-year program of action adopted in 2005 which calls on member states to coordinate effectively in all regional and international forums to protect and promote their collective interests.
OIC secretary-general Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu updated the Uganda gathering on other achievements in expanding the group's influence, including the establishment last year of an OIC ambassadors' group in Washington, D.C., and plans to open a mission in Brussels, seat of the European Union.
Last February, President Bush announced the appointment of a U.S. special envoy to the OIC. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice the following month named the envoy as Sada Cumber, a Pakistan-born Texas businessman.

Minister Emerson to Attend G8 Foreign Ministers Meeting in Japan
The Honourable David Emerson, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, today announced that he will attend the G8 Foreign Ministers Meeting in Kyoto, Japan, on June 26 and 27, 2008.
“The Foreign Ministers Meeting will provide an important forum in which to develop concrete and credible solutions to global challenges, and to strengthen global collaboration in developing those solutions,” said Minister Emerson.
During the Meeting, foreign ministers from the G8 countries of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Russia, the United States, the United Kingdom and the host country of Japan will address international security issues such as nuclear non-proliferation, counterterrorism and peacebuilding, as well as a range of specific regional foreign policy issues, including Iran, North Korea, Afghanistan, Sudan, Zimbabwe and Burma.
Minister Emerson will also take the opportunity to champion Canada’s values of freedom, democracy, human rights and the rule of law.
While in Japan, Minister Emerson will meet with Masahiko Komura, the country’s Minister for Foreign Affairs.
“I look forward to meeting with my Japanese counterpart, in particular because this year—the 80th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between our two countries—marks an important milestone in our relationship.”
Ministers Emerson and Komura will discuss Canada’s participation in the G8 Summit, which will be held in Toyako, Japan, from July 7 to 9, 2008, and which Prime Minister Stephen Harper will attend.
For further information, media representatives may contact:
Foreign Affairs Media Relations Office
Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada
613-995-1874
www.international.gc.ca/index.aspx

Prosecutors trying to exaggerate Khawaja's terrorist links: defence
Module body
Tue Jun 24, 4:30 PM
By Jim Brown, The Canadian Press
OTTAWA - Momin Khawaja attended a terrorist training camp in northern Pakistan with the ringleader of a British bomb plot and offered him money to help "the brothers," says a one-time al-Qaida operative turned police informer. Mohammed Babar, the prosecution's star witness at Khawaja's terrorism trial, testified he drove the former software designer partway to the camp along with a man he knew by the code name Ausman - since identified as Omar Khyam.
Khyam is one of five British Muslims convicted last year of conspiring to bomb a nightclub, shopping centre and electrical and gas facilities in Britain. Khawaja is currently facing charges in Canada in connection with the same plot. Babar testified Tuesday that Khawaja spent just three or four days at the camp in the summer of 2003, but was "very excited" upon his return that he'd learned to fire an AK-47 assault rifle, a rocket-propelled grenade launcher and a light machine-gun.
Khawaja also handed some money to Khyam, Babar told Ontario Superior Court, informing him that half the cash was for charity and the other half "for the other thing, for the brothers."
The testimony came after the trial judge ruled he would hear more testimony from Babar in spite of defence arguments that prosecutors were exaggerating Khawaja's terrorist links. Justice Douglas Rutherford, who is trying the case without a jury, ruled Tuesday that the Crown could continue on the course it had set - at least for now. Defence lawyer Lawrence Greenspon had suggested prosecutors want to smuggle in evidence of other conspiracies, undertaken by other people, that have nothing to do with the charges on which his client is standing trial. "Let's stop mixing apples and alligators," Greenspon argued.
Khawaja faces seven counts of terrorism-related offences that allege he participated in a failed plot by Islamic extremists to bomb civilian targets in Britain.
But much of Babar's early testimony had consisted of depictions of unrelated activities to which Khawaja has not been personally linked.
The apparent aim, said Greenspon, is to "make the U.K. bomb plot much larger and encompass everything."
Prosecutor Bill Boutzouvis retorted that only some of the charges against Khawaja are pinned strictly on the 2004 conspiracy. There are also broader charges of helping to finance terrorism and making a house owned by his family in Pakistan available as a terrorist base.
The legal point at issue was whether key portions of Babar's testimony should be allowed as evidence, or whether they should be barred as hearsay.
In ruling the testimony can proceed, Rutherford acknowledged that he's had some trouble following the twists and turns in the first two days' of testimony.
"At this early stage, I am quite unable to discern the scope and extent of the criminal enterprise," said the judge. He expressed hope, however, that all will become clear "in the fullness of time" and allowed the questioning of Babar to continue.
Rutherford reserved the right to decide at a later point on the relevance of the evidence, noting that it could be the end of the trial before he has a full picture of events. Babar began his testimony Monday with vivid descriptions of various terrorist plots in Pakistan and Britain, including a failed plan to assassinate Pakistani President Purvez Musharraf in 2002.
He told the court that Khawaja wanted to go to Afghanistan to fight western forces in 2002, but never made it because the Taliban were in disarray at the time and trying to regroup.
Babar has also indicated that Khawaja made a house in Rawalpindi available in 2003 for the use of other "brothers" in the jihad movement.
In addition, Babar gave detailed accounts Tuesday of his contacts with three men involved in the British end of the 2004 bomb plot that sparked the charges against Khawaja. All three had been to Pakistan and received explosives training there, he said.
A London court convicted five British Muslims last year of conspiring to bomb targets in and around the city. Khawaja was named as a co-conspirator in that case but was not tried in Britain.
Instead, he was arrested and charged in Canada after the RCMP raided his home and seized electronic components for a bomb detonator, half a dozen firearms, ammunition and books on terror tactics.

Most dangerous words by Hezbollah take cover under Aoun empty sign of 75% Christian Votes
By: Tony Safa
:June 24, 2008
Hezbollah is using Aoun to delay the formation of new Lebanese Government. Because once the Lebanese government is formed, the next scheduled step according to Doha-Agreement and according to the Presidential Speech of President Suleiman, comes the National discussion on Lebanon Security mainly in regard of Hezbollah Weapon. Aoun is politically bankrupt among the Christian community and must full fill Hezbollah orders. Aoun is delaying the formation of new government under the pretext of regaining Christian rights. However, 75% of the Christians voted for Aoun in 2005 only because he was speaking against Hezbollah weapon. After Aoun declared alliance with armed-Hezbollah he became no more then an empty sign of 75% Christian votes used by Hezbollah to cover their Jihadiest Weapon until the establishment of Wilayet el Faqih.
Yesterday, Hezbollah Vice Secretary General Naim Kasem said that even after Israeli withdrawal from Sheba Farm, Hezbollah won't disarm because Hezbolah mission is to keep Lebanon a state of resistance!!!!!!!! May be Aoun can explain to the few people still deluded by his myth, what is Lebanon the resistance and resistance against who? Naim Kasem words are the true face of Hezbollah and exactly as per Khomeini orders that says Hezbollah must remain in state of Jihad until the establishment of Wilayet el Faqih. And this is what Hezbollah means by working for Lebanon The state of resistance!!!! Such Lebanon is surly rejected by Christians. The Christians and most Lebanese want Lebanon the democracy, peace, diversity, institutions, one army, tourism and pro life and totally reject Hezbollah weapon and their Iran like state.