LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
February 07/2010

Bible Of the Day
Matthew 5/38-48: “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.’* 5:39 But I tell you, don’t resist him who is evil; but whoever strikes you on your right cheek, turn to him the other also. 5:40 If anyone sues you to take away your coat, let him have your cloak also. 5:41 Whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two. 5:42 Give to him who asks you, and don’t turn away him who desires to borrow from you.  5:43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor,* and hate your enemy.*’ 5:44 But I tell you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who mistreat you and persecute you, 5:45 that you may be children of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the just and the unjust. 5:46 For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Don’t even the tax collectors do the same? 5:47 If you only greet your friends, what more do you do than others? Don’t even the tax collectors do the same? 5:48 Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.
 

Free Opinions, Releases, letters & Special Reports
The killing of Mahmoud Mabhouh/By: Mona Alami/February 6, 10

Latest News Reports From Miscellaneous Sources for February 06/10
Mizrahi: “Our Army Can Reach Damascus, Syria Cannot Stop Us”/International Middle East Media Center
Lebanese fear stall in tribunal on Hariri slaying/Washington Post
Search team locate tail of Ethiopian airliner that crashed last month off Lebanon/The Canadian Press
Gilad: Israel's Anti-Missile System to Remain on Lebanon's Front/Naharnet
Sfeir: Possibilities of War Exist as Long as Hizbullah Wants to Play State Role/Naharnet
International Review of UNIFIL Structure Amid Denial to Downsize it/Naharnet
U.S. Concern over Alleged Arms Smuggling, Repetition of 2006 Scenario/Naharnet
Aridi: Time Needed in 'Delicate Operation' to Retrieve Plane Wreckage/Naharnet
Cleric blames Hezbollah for insecurity/UPI.com
Qassem Rules Out War but Says Hizbullah Should be Ready/Naharnet
Jumblat Concerned over New Israeli War, Describes Situation as Madness/Naharnet
Hizbullah Cadres on Alert/Naharnet
Suleiman Consulting with Officials on Reviving National Dialogue/Naharnet
Suleiman: Lebanese Democratic System Among the Best in the World/Naharnet
Cassese: Hariri Case Highly Complex/Naharnet
Interior Ministry, USAID Sign MOU on Technical Support for Municipal Elections/Naharnet
Spain's King Begins 2-Day Official Visit to Lebanon Monday/Naharnet
Wahab Accuses Arslan of Murder Attempt, Tells Him Gone is Era of Dinosaurs/Naharnet
Wahhab accuses Arslan of attempting to murder Jurdi/Daily Star
Seminar highlights need to ensure compliance with anti-torture law/Daily Star
Higher Shiite Council insists on boycott of Libya summit/Daily Star
13 crash victims have been identified: security sources/Daily Star
NGO collects bottle caps to raise funds for wheelchairs/Daily Star
NGO collects bottle caps to raise funds for wheelchairs/Daily Star
FPM, PSP and prelate discuss case of displaced/Daily Star
ISF searches for parents of lost Syrian child/Daily Star
Security forces arrest two ATM card fraudsters/Daily Star
Nasrallah slams attempts to stoke sectarian strife/Daily Star
Sleiman, Saudi intelligence chief discuss war on terror/Daily Star
2009 a bad year for journalists: watchdog/Daily Star
Spanish king to pay Lebanon two-day visit/(AFP)
Assad warns of renewed civil war in Lebanon/Daily Star
Sfeir: No Syria visit until Maronites ready/Daily Star
STL chief rules out deadlines in issuing indictments/Daily Star
March 14 says rally will be chance to renew commitment to its principles/Daily Star

Sfeir: No Syria visit until Maronites ready
Aoun prepares to head to Aleppo to mark Saint Maroun holiday
By Elias Sakr /Daily Star staff
Saturday, February 06, 2010
BEIRUT: The Maronite patriarch said he rejected any potential visit to Syria if not backed by his community, as Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun prepared for a trip to Aleppo on Monday to celebrate the annual Saint Maroun holiday. Meanwhile, Druze leader Walid Jumblatt issued a challenge to Israel in the wake of recent Israeli threats against Beirut and Damascus, saying that supporting the leadership and people of Syria was “above any consideration.”
This year’s Saint Maroun holiday falls on the 1,600th anniversary of the death of the founder of the Maronite church. Maroun flourished as a hermit in Brad, a village north of Aleppo, before moving with his followers to Lebanon. He is buried in the village. Cardinal Nasrallah Boutros Sfeir said he would only visit Syria if backed by the Maronite community, while underlining that the possibility of a war with Israel remained as long as Hizbullah’s resistance forces carried out a task that should be taken on by the state.
“The top priority is to take my religious community with me and this is difficult in light of Christian concerns regarding Syria’s intention toward Lebanon,” the patriarch told Al-Massira magazine. “What has changed so I would visit Syria today? When Syria was in Lebanon we did not go,” Sfeir added.
But the patriarch stressed that he wasn’t advocating a state of hostility with Syria since it was Lebanon’s neighbor.
“There is a major difference between official visits to Damascus and visits to the benefit of Syrian interests in Lebanon and we will not visit Syria unless backed by our religious community,” Sfeir said. Aoun, in remarks published by the daily Al-Safir on Wednesday, slammed criticism by certain political and religious figures over his decision to celebrate the event in Syria, saying those who criticize him should also travel to Aleppo since the Maronite church had its origins there.
Aoun added that his visit aimed to reassure Christians in the Middle East, especially given Syria’s “Arab-Muslim regime.”
However, Sfeir said that although Damascus withdrew its troops from Lebanon in 2005, it retained influence here thanks to certain parties allied with Damascus.
Sfeir also slammed Hizbullah for substituting for the state as he rejected the presence of two armies in the country, adding that “the side that possesses weapons bullies others.”
“However, the struggle should continue in order for the state to be established, a state that cannot contain more than one army, the legitimate army,” Sfeir said.
Sfeir also called on Progressive Socialist Party leader Jumblatt to be present in force during the commemoration of the fifth anniversary of former Premier Rafik Hariri’s assassination on February 14, in order to benefit the March 14 alliance. “Jumblatt should strengthen his presence at the February 14 occasion, to the benefit of the March 14 alliance, rather than my benefit,” Sfeir said. However, Jumblatt issued a shortly-worded statement on Friday, saying he supported “the Syrian people and its leadership beyond any considerations,” in response to Israeli Foreign minister Avigdor Lieberman’s statements the day earlier.
“In 1982, during the siege of Beirut … I told [former Syrian President] Hafez Assad that we are with Syria and we will resist,” Jumblatt said. “And today amid the Israeli madness and threats, I say to the Syrian people and to their leadership that we support them beyond all considerations.”
Lieberman warned Syria against drawing Israel into another war, saying Syria’s army would be defeated and that its regime would collapse, as he advised Damascus to abandon its dreams of recovering the Israeli-held Golan Heights.
Jumblatt had accused Syria in 2005 of plotting the murder of Hariri as he voiced support for UN Security Council Resolution 1559, which called for the withdrawal of all foreign troops from Lebanon. However, following the June 2009 parliamentary elections, the PSP leader moved closer to Syria’s allies in Lebanon as an attempt to bridge the gap with the Syrian leadership.
Separately, a number of young people hurled stones at three buses headed for the Masnaa border crossing on Friday, according to the Lebanese Army.
The buses carried passengers heading for Syria for the Saint Maroun pilgrimage. Army forces were able to catch three of the perpetrators who turned out to be under-age children and gave them a warning before releasing them. – The Daily Star
Sleiman lauds Lebanon’s consensus-based democracy
BEIRUT: President Michel Sleiman on Friday hailed Lebanon’s sectarian political system as a model for the entire world, which he said has “discovered the problems of numerical-based democracy.” A statement from Baabda Palace said Sleiman told visitors that events in 2009 and this year in Lebanon had proven the success of consensus-based democracy, as the world realized that numerical-based democracy led to the “marginalization of ethnic groups and minorities.”
The successful achievement of Lebanon’s political and economic system had proven to be an “irritant to the Israeli enemy,” the president added. – The Daily Star

U.S. Concern over Alleged Arms Smuggling, Repetition of 2006 Scenario
Naharnet/A U.S. official has expressed concern over the presence of arms outside the control of the Lebanese state saying such a fact paves way for war similar to the Israel-Hizbullah conflict in 2006. The official also told pan-Arab daily al-Hayat that alleged smuggling of arms is "very dangerous." He said U.N. Security Council resolution 1701 states the necessity to stop arms smuggling across the border and calls on the Lebanese army to control all heavy weaponry. Other clauses in the resolution such as withdrawal from the border village of Ghajar are Israel's responsibility, the official told al-Hayat. The implementation of 1701 is fundamental for Lebanon's security and stability "if we want to avoid another war and guarantee the safety of the region and the Lebanese," he added. Furthermore, he denied that Washington was putting conditions on the Lebanese government over the issue of disarming Hizbullah. "The decision over the best way to achieve this objective is up to the Lebanese" to decide. Beirut, 06 Feb 10, 09:36

International Review of UNIFIL Structure Amid Denial to Downsize it
Naharnet/French sources have denied there was an intention to lower the number of peacekeepers in Lebanon, saying a meeting held between military and political experts in New York on Friday was aimed at reviewing UNIFIL's structure. The sources told pan-Arab daily al-Hayat that the review does not aim at amending the force's mission or downsizing it. On the contrary, the meeting was aimed at making suggestions on how to improve UNIFIL's mission. The review is part of the initiative launched by the U.N. Security Council in January last year to improve peacekeeping operations in the world, the sources said. The French daily Le Figaro had reported that there were plans to decrease the number of peacekeepers stationed in south Lebanon.
Beirut, 06 Feb 10, 11:39

Gilad: Israel's Anti-Missile System to Remain on Lebanon's Front
Naharnet/Amos Gilad, Director of Policy and Political-Military Affairs at the Israeli Defense Ministry, said Friday that Israel's new anti-missile system will not be deployed on the front with Gaza as expected, but rather kept on the front with Lebanon to counter Hizbullah's attacks in case of conflict with its regional sponsor Iran. In an interview with Radio Israel, Gilad said: "At the current moment, calm prevails in Gaza based on deterrence force that requires daily testing because circumstances may change." "There are sectors other than the Gaza Strip that require the readiness of the missile shield, such as Lebanon's sector," added Gilad. He added: "In case deterrence fails, then we'll have to think of the measures that should be taken." Israel's Iron Dome anti-missile system is designed to provide a response to the thousands of rockets fired at Israel by Iran, Syria, Hizbullah and Hamas. The system can intercept short-range rockets and artillery shells. Palestinian militants have fired thousands of home-made rockets into southern Israel, prompting Israel's devastating assault on the Hamas-ruled Gaza on December 27, 2008. Hizbullah also fired some 4,000 rockets into northern Israel during a 2006 war with the Hebrew state, which now believes Hizbullah has an arsenal of some 40,000 rockets.
Beirut, 05 Feb 10, 20:16

Suleiman Consulting with Officials on Reviving National Dialogue
Naharnet/President Michel Suleiman is reportedly consulting with Lebanese officials on reviving the national dialogue in the next few weeks. Pan-Arab daily al-Hayat said putting the issue of Hizbullah's arms on the dialogue agenda gives a positive image to the world of Lebanon's efforts to implement U.N. Security Council resolution 1701. Ministerial sources told the newspaper that holding the dialogue sessions under Suleiman means that "Lebanon does not turn it's back to international resolutions, mainly 1701." Such a move also gives the impression that Lebanon is keen on implementing the resolution but "needs a grace period to reach agreement over Hizbullah's arms," the sources said. Beirut, 06 Feb 10, 10:28

Aridi: Black Boxes Located under the Ethiopian Plane's Tail
Naharnet/Searchers have located the black boxes of the Ethiopian Airlines plane under the jet's tail that has been discovered off the coastal town of Naameh, Transport Minister Ghazi Aridi said Saturday. "The boxes have been found under the rear part of the fuselage," which was found on Saturday morning, the minister said. "Lebanese army divers have gone down to retrieve them, but this operation will take time," he added. Aridi's announcement came after a press conference he held on Saturday afternoon.
Earlier in the day, a search vessel, the vessel Ocean Alert found the rear sections of the aircraft's cabin between 10 and 12 meters long at a depth of 45 meters off Naameh, 12 kilometers south of Beirut. The minister said during the press conference that retrieving parts of the plane was sensitive work. "We made a positive progress in the search for bodies, the (black) box and consequently the plane," Aridi told reporters. "We need time. This is a delicate operation. The most important thing is that we have reached an advanced stage," Aridi said. "The result is positive. However we can't deal with it with hastiness." He also unveiled that Syrian authorities informed him about the discovery of a small part of the plane on the Golden beach in Latakia. It will be handed over to Lebanon on Monday, the minister said. "I take responsibility for any decision I took and any step I made," he told reporters in response to a question on criticism for allowing foreign ships to scour Lebanese waters.
The minister reiterated there was no foul play in the plane's crash. An army command communiqué said Saturday morning that crews located parts of the wreckage and teams were photographing them before retrieval.  Retrieving the black box and flight data recorder are critical to determining the cause of the January 25 crash. However, Aridi said that even if they were retrieved, the investigation committee needed time to announce final results. Meanwhile, the family of Mohammed Kreik, one of the victims of the plane crash, was handed over the body of the child. The family was refusing to take the body from Rafik Hariri state hospital for burial until salvage crews would find Kreik's father, who was also in the plane when it crashed into the sea soon after takeoff from Beirut during a raging thunderstorm. The boy was laid to rest on Saturday in his hometown of Aita al-Shaab. Another victim, Lebanese diver Albert Assal, was buried in his hometown of Batroun on Friday. The young man's grieving father died of a heart attack less than two weeks ago.(Naharnet-AFP-AP) Beirut, 06 Feb 10, 09:18

Qassem Rules Out War but Says Hizbullah Should be Ready
Naharnet/Deputy Hizbullah leader Sheikh Naim Qassem said the party hasn't received any indications of Israeli readiness to launch war on Hizbullah or in the region.
"Israel is a real danger; we can't be reassured; we have to be in full preparedness (for war). We don't know when surprises would come or what could happen regionally and internationally," Qassem told Syria's Addounia TV. "There is no resistance without arms. Weapons are the result of the resistance's existence and the resistance is there because of the presence of the enemy," the Hizbullah official said. Turning to relations with Syria, Qassem said Hizbullah encouraged Prime Minister Saad Hariri's visit to Damascus which has shocked the March 14 team.
Asked about ties with Egypt, the Hizbullah secretary general said: "The Egyptian regime has its own functioning method. We don't approve such a method." Beirut, 06 Feb 10, 12:08

Hizbullah Cadres on Alert
Naharnet/Informed Lebanese sources have said that Hizbullah cadres have been on alert in all Lebanese regions and the party's officials have been advised to take precautions against any possible Israeli attack. The sources told the Saudi Okaz daily in remarks published Saturday that "the party is preparing for all military possibilities." "It is betting on containing the first strike of any Israeli aggression," the sources said, adding that "containing the attack would bridge half of the victory path." Beirut, 06 Feb 10, 12:40

Jumblat Concerned over New Israeli War, Describes Situation as Madness
Naharnet/Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblat has expressed concern over a new Israeli war on Lebanon amid "failure of peace efforts and of U.S. policies" in the region.
Jumblat described as madness the current situation in the Middle East and told pan-Arab daily Asharq al-Awsat that "Israel at times threatens Lebanon and at other times threatens Syria and then Iran. He said "the entire region was in a state of chaos." "In the presence of such chaos, the Israelis could launch a new war," the Druze leader added. Addressing those who haven't yet made up their mind on relations with Syria, Jumblat said: "We took our decision long time ago on who is the enemy and who is the friend … Syria is our strategic depth."
Jumblat on Friday snapped back at Israel's firebrand ultra-nationalist Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman over his recent threats to Syria and its leadership. "Amid the Israeli madness and radical threats, I tell the Syrian people and leadership: We are with you above all else," he said in a statement issued by the PSP. Beirut, 06 Feb 10, 10:58

Lebanese fear stall in tribunal on Hariri slaying
By BASSEM MROUE/The Associated Press
Saturday, February 6, 2010
BEIRUT -- The head of the international tribunal on the assassination of Lebanon's former prime minister sought to reassure Lebanese this week that the investigation is on track, but there are growing concerns here that work is languishing in the case. For supporters of the slain former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, the court is their key to hopes for uncovering who was behind the February 2005 suicide truck bombing that killed him. Many Lebanese accuse neighboring Syria. Syria denies any involvement, but the killing led to the withdrawal of Syrian troops and the end of Damascus' 29-year domination of the country. That opened the door to a still unresolved struggle for power between Syrian-backed Lebanese led by Hezbollah and pro-Western factions. Hariri's supporters and their allies are preparing for a mass rally in downtown Beirut on Feb. 14 to mark the fifth anniversary of Hariri's assassination. In the past years hundreds of thousands of people took part in the rally. The Netherlands-based Special Tribunal for Lebanon was formed one year ago after years of investigations. But progress in starting trials has been slow - and it is still unknown who might be charged in the case.
Two high-level departures from the court in recent weeks have increased the worries of Hariri's backers. In January, the court announced that its chief administrator, David Tolbert, was stepping down to lead a New York human rights group and that its chief of investigation was leaving at the end of his contract in February to resume his duties as a police chief in Australia.
Tolbert's predecessor resigned four months after the tribunal was inaugurated.
The court's president, Antonio Cassese, began his first visit to Lebanon on Monday and for the past week has been briefing top officials on the case. "The tribunal is alive and very healthy," Cassese said in an interview with the As-Safir newspaper published Friday. "We are dealing with an extremely complicated case that has to do with a terrorist crime, one that is a precedent of its kind in the field of international justice." He said the two departures were "very normal" and "cannot affect the work of the tribunal because it (the tribunal) is not based on individuals but on teams that are very much capable and professional." But some in Lebanon are not convinced.
"The Lebanon tribunal is not yet dead, but it seems very nearly there, amid embarrassing indifference in Beirut," Michael Young, an opinion writer for Lebanon's English-language newspaper the Daily Star, wrote on Jan. 14. "Those committed to the rights of the victims must denounce more forcefully the charade now taking place in a suburb of The Hague. The supreme insult is to be told that justice will come when everything points to the contrary," he said. Sari Hanafi, a professor who teaches transitional justice at the American University of Beirut, said some within Hariri's circle have expressed concern that the improving ties between Syria and its Western and Arab rivals could lead to an easing off of the court's work to prevent indictments that could inflame old tensions. "There are concerns that the court could be an object for trade off," Hanafi said.
In December, Saad Hariri, the slain Hariri's son who accused Syria in the assassination and has since become prime minister, visited Damascus for the first time since the 2005 killing. Relations between the Hariri-led Western-backed coalition and Syrian-supported groups in Lebanon have been improving after years of tension that almost drove the country into a civil war. The court denies any politicization of the tribunal. The court prosecutor's spokeswoman, Radhia Achouri, said the tribunal acts "in total independence from politics and any other considerations."

Mizrahi: “Our Army Can Reach Damascus, Syria Cannot Stop Us”
Saturday February 06, 2010
by Saed Bannoura - IMEMC & Agencies
Head of the Central Command at the Israeli Army, Avi Mizrahi, stated that Syria cannot defeat the Israeli Army, and that the army can reach the Syrian capital, Damascus, “while Syria will not be able to stop us”.Israeli online daily, Maariv, reported Friday that the statement of Mizrahi came during a visit to the Efrat settlement, and his meeting with Efrat students last Wednesday. Responding to a question regarding the statement of Syrian Foreign Minister, Waleed Al Moallem, who stated that the Syrian army can enter Israeli cities in the event of war, Mizrahi said that Syria knows very well that it can fire missiles into Israeli cities, “but our army can enter Damascus”.He further stated that Syria knows the capabilities of the Israeli forces and knows that it cannot defeat Israel’s army.  Mizrahi was speaking in front of 300 Jewish settlers who enlisted to the Israeli army. He said that the Israeli-Syrian front is the calmest front, but claimed that Syria “chose the path of terrorism”. “This is what pushes Syria to arm and own advanced weapons to threaten Israel”, Mizrahi said, “They can strike our cities with their missiles, but they know very well what our army can do, they saw that during the 2006 Lebanon war, and they saw how our army leveled six buildings in southern Beirut in a couple of minutes, they got the message”. “They know that should war take place, we will win”, the Israeli military official stated, “Make no mistake, we will win, and their army cannot compete with our armed forces”. It is worth mentioning that former Israeli army chief of Staff, Shaul Mofaz, resigned after the war with Lebanon after admitting the army failed to achieve its objective.

Assad warns of renewed civil war in Lebanon
Daily Star staff/Saturday, February 06, 2010
BEIRUT: Syrian President Bashar Assad has warned that civil war could return without warning to Lebanon, according to excerpts of an interview conducted by investigative journalist Seymour Hersh that were published in this week’s issue of The New Yorker magazine. “The civil war in Lebanon could start in days; it does not take weeks or months; it could start just like this,” Assad told Hersh, adding that “one cannot feel assured about anything in Lebanon unless they change the whole system.” The Syrian president also criticized the United States’ efforts to restart the Middle East peace process, saying, “I think his envoys cannot succeed.” “The vision does not seem to be clear on the US side as to what they really want to happen in the Middle East,” Assad said. “I have half a million Palestinians [living in Syria] and they have been living here for three generations now. So if you do not find a solution for them, then what peace are you talking about?”
“If they [the Israelis] say you can have the entire Golan back, we will have a peace treaty. But they cannot expect me to give them the peace they expect … you start with the land; you do not start with peace.” Assad described the current Israeli officials as “children fighting each other, messing with the country,” adding that “you need a special dictionary for their terms … They do not have any of the old generation who used to know what politics means, like Rabin and the others.”On the issue of Iran’s nuclear program, Assad said the Europeans were behaving “like the postman.” “They pretend they are not like this but they are like a postman; they are completely passive and I told them that. I told the French when I visited France,” he added. “Imposing sanctions [on Iran] is a problem because they will not stop the program and they will accelerate it if you are suspicious,” he told Hersh. The Iranians “can make problems to the Americans more than the other way around.” Assad also said his country was ready to help the US and Iraq achieve better control of the Iraqi border, but added that Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki was opposed to such cooperation. “We sent our delegation to the borders and [the Iraqis] did not come. Of course, the reason is that Maliki is against it,” he said. “So far there is nothing, there is no cooperation about anything and even no real dialogue.” – The Daily Star

Syria says 'ready for peace, but also for war'
Government mouthpiece Tishreen addresses belligerent back and forth between Damascus and Jerusalem, says 'path of destruction can open the moment Israel complies with the aggressive tendencies of leaders'
Roee Nahmias Published: 02.06.10, 10:45 / Israel News
Syria believes that the recent threats directed by Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman against the regime in Damascus reflect the Israeli government's intention to wage new wars in the Middle East, an editorial published by the state-run Tishreen newspaper on Saturday.
According to the Syrian regime's mouthpiece, "Israel thought it could wage wars and not suffer the consequences – but it was wrong. It (Israel) tested the patience of Syria and the Arab and Islamic nations – and it turned out that this patience has its limits. Israel is testing Syria's determination to return its conquered land by all the legitimate means at its disposal
The path to peace is open and its conditions are known, but the path of destruction can also open the moment Israel complies with the aggressive tendencies of leaders who have crime running in their veins and their way is the way of the mafia," the editorial read. Whichever path Israel chooses, it will find Syria prepared for either peace or war," said the newspaper.
The belligerent back-and-forth between Jerusalem and Damascus began after Defense Minister Ehud Barak declared that without a political arrangement, the two countries will face a confrontation that might lead to war."
On Wednesday, in response to Barak's remarks, Assad accused Israel of “pushing the region towards war”.
'Egypt opposes Israel's escalating tone of hostility'
During a meeting with Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Moratinos in Damascus, Assad said that the Jewish State "is not serious about achieving peace”.Also on Wednesday, Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Moallem said that "Israel knows that if it declares war on Syria, such war will reach its cities as well." In response, Lieberman on Thursday warned Syrian President Bashar Assad that in the event of war with Israel, "not only will you lose the war, you and your family will no longer be in power."Meanwhile, Egypt's Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul- Gheit on Friday urged Israel to stop its "hostile" remarks about a possible war in the Middle East. "Egypt opposes Israel's escalating tone of hostility against any Arab country and its threats of war," Abul-Gheit said. He also warned that irresponsible remarks might hurt the ongoing peacemaking efforts. "The Israeli remarks came as several regional and international powers, topped by Egypt, work towards reviving hopes for just and comprehensive peace in the region," he added. The United States also urging Syria and Israel to show restraint and return to the negotiations table. Al-Sharq al-Awsat newspaper on Friday quoted sources in Washington who addressed the tension between the two countries, and called for Syria to "show restraint and not take any measures that would hinder launching negotiations

Search team locate tail of Ethiopian airliner that crashed last month off Lebanon
By Zeina Karam (CP) –
BEIRUT — Search crews have located the tail of the Ethiopian Airlines jet that crashed into the Mediterranean last month and are getting closer to finding the plane's black box, Lebanon's transportation minister said Saturday. The Boeing 737 crashed Jan. 25 minutes after takeoff from Beirut in a fierce thunderstorm. All 90 people on board died.
An army statement said crews that located parts of the wreckage Saturday were working on photographing them before retrieval.
Transportation Minister Ghazi Aridi said signals from the black box were getting clearer. The black box is usually located in the rear of a plane, the area most likely to survive a crash.
"We are much closer to the main target," Aridi told reporters. Aridi said the rear of the plane was located 150 feet (45 metres) deep off the coastal village of Naameh just south of Beirut airport. He said Lebanese army divers and search teams were photographing the area in an effort to find the black box and bodies. He cautioned, however, that retrieving the black box and flight data recorder, which are critical to determining the cause of the crash, was a "very complicated" and delicate operation that needs time. Fifteen bodies have been recovered from the sea since the crash. Search efforts were suspended earlier this week because of a storm and resumed in earnest Friday. Meanwhile, at Beirut's government hospital Saturday, health officials handed over to relatives the remains of one of the victims, 3-year-old Mohammed Kreik. His family had earlier refused to take Kreik's body for burial until the body of his father, who was also on the plane, was found. Kreik was to be buried later Saturday in his south Lebanon hometown of Aita al-Shaab.Copyright © 2010 The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

The killing of Mahmoud Mabhouh
Mona Alami, February 6, 2010
Now Lebanon
Mourners pray over the Hamas flag-draped coffin of Mahmud al-Mabhouh during his funeral at the Yarmuk refugee camp near Damascus on January 29. (AFP photo/Louai Beshara)
In recent years, an underground war has been taking place between Israel and two of its archenemies, Hamas and Hezbollah. The killing of Hamas operative Mahmoud Mabhouh two weeks ago in Dubai is reminiscent of the assassination of Hezbollah’s top military commander, Imad Mugniyah, in Damascus in February 2008.
Mabhouh, one of the founders of Hamas’s military wing, Izzadin Kassam, was found dead on January 20 in his hotel room a day after he landed in Dubai. Faik Mabhouh, the victim’s brother, told the Times, that Mahmoud Mabhouh was electrocuted and then strangled.
In a statement, the Dubai government said that the initial investigations showed the crime was likely committed by a “professional criminal gang” and that the perpetrators had left the country. UAE authorities, as quoted by the National, suspected the involvement of the Mossad, Israel’s intelligence agency, while Hamas directly accused the Israeli government of the crime.
“This is not the first political assassination perpetrated by the Israelis on Arab soil,” said Mounir Maqdah, commander of Fatah’s military wing in the Ain al-Hilweh Palestinian camp in South Lebanon.
Indeed, over the years, Israel was allegedly involved in the deaths of a number of “terrorist group leaders” inside the Arab world, from the 1973 killing of Kamal Adwan, the PLO's chief of operations, and PLO veteran Mohamad Youssef Najjar, in Verdun, Beirut, to the killing of Izzadin al-Sheikh Khalil, one of the founders of Izzadin Kassam, in a car bombing in Damascus in 2004. Ironically, the latter was replaced by Mabhouh.
According to Hajj Maher Oueid, head of Ansar Allah, an Islamist faction close to Hezbollah, Mabhouh fled the Occupied Territories years ago to escape the Israeli intelligence services and settled in Syria. Nevertheless, Hamas claims that Israel tried but failed to kill Mabhouh three months ago.
“Mabhouh was one of the co-founders of Hamas’ military wing and had a long history of action against both Israel and Palestinians,” said Dr. Magnus Ranstorp, research director at the Center for Asymmetric Threat Studies at the Swedish National Defense College. “He is believed to have been involved in the abduction and murder of two Israelis soldiers in 1989, Ilan Sa'adon and Avi Sasportas, and he also killed some Palestinians during the First Intifada,” Ranstorp told NOW.
Mabhouh played a key military role in Gaza until his departure to Syria. He was then in charge of supplying the party with weapons and financing, said a Palestinian source who spoke to NOW on condition of anonymity. According to media reports, he also attempted to smuggle truckloads of weapons into Gaza through Sudan in 2009. The convoy, however, was bombed by the Israeli Air Force before it left Africa.
Ranstorp also said that Mabhouh served as a liaison officer between Iran and Hezbollah, with whom he had strong ties, and occupied a central role in Gaza-Iranian relations. “He was a Mugniyah-like figure, as he had a senior operational role over the last 20 years and, more importantly, forged a closer operational link to Iranian intelligence and al-Quds units [the intelligence arm of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps],” Ranstorp said. “He had contact with Hezbollah directly and through Osama Hamdan, who was previously Hamas’ representative to Iran, [and is now the group’s point man in Lebanon].”
According to Ranstorp, Hamas and Hezbollah have cooperated closely since 1992. The Party of God also provided technical support to Hamas with their Kassam rockets. “Cooperation between Hamas and Iran has accelerated as of late, too, and an IRGC official was caught inside Gaza a few years ago. While Hamas used to be reluctant to become a tool of Iran, its approach has changed since the 2008 Gaza war,” Ranstorp said. Today Iran and Syria are thought to be Hamas’ main backers in terms of financial and military support.
Evidence of the Mabhouh-Iran connection was fortified by the sentiment expressed by Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast after the killing. He said that the assassination was “another indication of the existence of state terrorism by the Zionist regime. This shows the violation of other countries' sovereignty by this regime."
An employee at the Dubai hotel where Mabhouh was murdered, who spoke on condition of anonymity as he was not allowed to speak to the press, told NOW that Mabhouh visited the hotel on other occasions before his death. But though the emirate is a hub for Iranian businesspeople and political leaders, Ranstorp doubts that there is any truth to rumors of a meeting between Mabhouh and Iranian officials during his trip. “He did not have to travel via Dubai to meet Iranian officials, as he could fly directly from Damascus. He may have been ‘lured’ there by the Israelis or Palestinians for some mission,” he said.
Hamas has vowed to avenge the murder, saying it would do so at a time and place of its choosing, though it has limited military capabilities overseas. Ranstorp excluded the possibility that Hezbollah, which has more organized outposts abroad, might take revenge on behalf of Hamas. He noted the 2009 apprehension of Rawi Fuad Sultani, an Israeli Arab allegedly working for Hezbollah, in a plot to assassinate Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi in retaliation for the Mugniyah killing. It was one of a number of attempts by Hezbollah to avenge Mugniyah’s death that have been thwarted since 2008.
“Hamas is interestingly threatening to target Israel abroad, which would be a radical shift from its previous modus operandi. It will, however, depend on whether it finds out if Palestinians were also involved in the assassination,” added Ranstorp.
“The most likely scenario is that Hamas will want to try a surgical strike against an Israeli security official or politician. Israel is waiting for a Hezbollah strike in revenge for the Mugniyah assassination, and the support that the Party of God could offer Hamas would only be technical,” Ranstorp said.

Question: "Should a Christian consider alternative medicine?"
Answer: There are many different forms of alternative medicine available today. This sometimes leads to confusion among Christians as to whether to consider using alternative forms of medicine in place of or in addition to traditional forms. Many kinds of alternative medicine have their origins in non-Christian religions or anti-Christian philosophies. This leads some Christians to shun alternative medicine altogether. But does the Bible prohibit the use of alternative medicine?/Naharnet
There are two primary issues with this "alternative medicine is always wrong" mindset. First, much of modern traditional medicine also has its roots in non-Christian religions and philosophies. While alternative medicines like acupuncture may have originated in connection with Taoism, many traditional medicines originated in the ancient Greek and Roman cultures, which were just as non-Christian as ancient Taoism. The idea that unless something was invented by a Christian, it is inherently wrong is not biblically supportable. Many inventions and technologies that Christians have no qualms about using were invented by non-Christians. The belief system of the inventor does not necessarily determine whether the invention itself has moral value. The origin of an alternative form of medicine should not be the deciding factor in whether a Christian can consider using it.
Second, there is no standard for determining whether a medicine or treatment is considered "alternative." Is chiropractic treatment considered alternative? Is taking herbal supplements considered alternative? Is a gluten-free diet or eating Brazilian acai berries considered alternative? People are quick to point to some alternative medicines as being wrong, while failing to recognize that they themselves are using alternatives. If anything other than having surgery or swallowing a prescribed pill is considered alternative, then hundreds of millions of people are already knowingly, or unknowingly, using alternative medicine.
Ultimately, the deciding factor in this discussion is whether or not an alternative medicine can be separated from the philosophy associated with the medicine or treatment. If inserting acupuncture needles into a person's body at strategic points results in physical healing or relief from pain, does it matter if the practitioner is wrong about why it works? While a Christian should wholeheartedly reject the Taoist yin-yang philosophy, there is nothing inherently unbiblical about the acupuncture procedure itself.
With the freedom that we have in Christ, decisions like whether or not to use alternative medicine are to be based on our own biblically-informed convictions and preferences (1 Corinthians 6:12; 8:9; 2 Corinthians 3:17; Galatians 5:1). As with everything, Christians are to be wise and discerning. We are free to follow our convictions as long as they are biblically sound and bathed in prayer. What we are not free to do is to force our own convictions on others, especially in debatable areas such as alternative medicine.