LCCC
ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
ِMay
21/2010
Bible Of the
Day
Paul's Letter to the Romans 12/9- Let love be without
hypocrisy. Abhor that which is evil. Cling to that which is good. 12:10 In love
of the brothers be tenderly affectionate one to another; in honor preferring one
another; 12:11 not lagging in diligence; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord;
12:12 rejoicing in hope; enduring in troubles; continuing steadfastly in prayer;
12:13 contributing to the needs of the saints; given to hospitality. 12:14 Bless
those who persecute you; bless, and don’t curse. 12:15 Rejoice with those who
rejoice. Weep with those who weep. 12:16 Be of the same mind one toward another.
Don’t set your mind on high things, but associate with the humble. Don’t be wise
in your own conceits. 12:17 Repay no one evil for evil. Respect what is
honorable in the sight of all men. 12:18 If it is possible, as much as it is up
to you, be at peace with all men. 12:19 Don’t seek revenge yourselves, beloved,
but give place to God’s wrath. For it is written, “Vengeance belongs to me; I
will repay, says the Lord.”* 12:20 Therefore “If
your enemy is hungry, feed him.
If he is thirsty, give him a drink;
for in doing so, you will heap coals of fire on his head.”
Free Opinions, Releases, letters, Interviews & Special Reports
Washington is getting sidetracked again/By
Michael Young/May 20/10
Latest News Reports From Miscellaneous Sources for May 20/10
US State Department Denies
Change in Policy toward Hizbullah/Naharnet
Sfeir says Syria, Iran intruding in
Lebanon/Now Lebanon
Greek PM Meets Leaders in Beirut:
We Support Lebanon in Word and Deed/Naharnet
Hariri Encourages Political
Stability, Safe Monetary Policies to Gain Investor Trust/Naharnet
Mothers ask Iran to free detained
US hikers as humanitarian gesture/Now
Lebanon
To promote Arab-Israeli peace, Arabs and Israelis
argue against it/Christian
Science Monitor
Russia shows US how to deal with Syria/The
Guardian
United States to Assist Palestinian Refugees in Syria/US
Department of State
Resistance necessary, Hezbollah says/UPI.com
Lebanon charges 12 in mob lynching of Egyptian/Times
LIVE
She's Hot and Hezbollah: When Women Are Wielded
as Ideological Weapons/Huffington
Post (blog)
Miss USA Hailed by Lebanese Hometown -- But No Love From Hezbollah/FOXNews
MESS Report / Israel is learning to live with a
nuclear Iran/Ha'aretz
(blog)
Limbaugh's take on admin plan to reach out to moderate Hezbollah members:
"Why/Media Matters for America
Exiled Iranian diplomat: interview
extracts/Channel
4 News
Election
campaign battle heats up in Sidon/Daily
Star
Obama
looks to build up 'Hizbullah moderates/Daily
Star
Parliament speaker warns brain drain 'biggest problem we face in Lebanon/Daily
Star
World
Bank hands $500 million to Beirut for reform drive/Daily
Star
Sleiman
vows reforms despite difficulties/Daily
Star
More
bilateral deals signed during Kuwaiti emir's visit/Daily
Star
Moussa:
Arabs back Lebanese amid threats/AFP
MEA
pilots renew demands for better working conditions/Daily
Star
Safadi: Lebanese food industry can
meet most local demand/Daily Star
Hepatitis support group calls on Lebanese to get tested/Daily
Star
AUB
Museum society marks 30 years of activities/Daily
Star
AUB
students hold strike against hike in tuition fees/Daily
Star
Nahr
al-Bared - three years on/Daily
Star
Palestinians to protest failure to address hardships of Nahr al-Bared displaced/Daily
Star
Official Closure May 25 for
Liberation Day/Naharnet
Jumblat Calls Lahoud, Awaits
Hamadeh's Clarification after 'Putting up with Him Alot'/Naharnet
Kuwaiti Emir Stresses His Country's
Support for Lebanon before Leaving Beirut/Naharnet
Lebanese Cadets to Attend U.S. Air Force and Naval Academy for First Time/Naharnet
Riachy Denies Criticizing
Lebanese Judiciary/Naharnet
Jezzine Readying for
Election Battle after New Alliance Announced/Naharnet
Israeli Drills Sunday
Likely to Disturb Mood during South Lebanon Election Day/Naharnet
Israeli Troops Preparing
for Mass Evacuations in Case of Hizbullah Rocket Strike/Naharnet
Cassese Clarifies Recent
Remarks on Indictment Date: Sorry that I Unwillingly Caused this
Misunderstanding/Naharnet
Mt. Lebanon Prosecutor
Charges 12 in Mob Lynching of Msallem/Naharnet
Souaid: Assad's Statements
Imply that Syria is Restoring its Control over Lebanon/Naharnet
Firzli: Relations with
Syria are Part of National Accord, Hariri's Trip is a Positive Step/Naharnet
Moussa: Arabs, World
Oppose Adventures that Infringe on Lebanese Sovereignty/Naharnet
German FM to Visit Beirut
Friday as Part of Mideast Tour/Naharnet
The World Council of The Cedars Revolution
www.cedarsrevolution.net
cedarsrevolution@gmail.com
Press Release
White House Advisor is wrong and his statements are confusing the American
public, no moderates inside the terrorist group Hezbollah..
Wednesday, May 19th 2010
Washington, DC
By John Hajjar *
We read with great dismay comments made by John Brennan, White House advisor on
Counter Terrorism regarding the so-called 'moderates inside Hezbollah’. The
Hezbollah terror organization was created by the Iranian regime Terror
militia-the Pasdaran, (Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards) in 1981. Hezbollah
perpetrated heinous terror attacks against the US Marines operating in the
Multinational Peace forces in Lebanon killing 341Marines in 1983. Then Hezbollah
blew up the US embassy twice and held American and European hostages in the
1990s.
Hezbollah, as a terror militia operating on Lebanese soil killed, kidnapped and
tortured Lebanese citizens for 20 years. In May 2008 it invaded West Beirut and
Mount Lebanon killing innocent civilians and burning media institutions.
Hezbollah is increasing its arsenal of missiles in full breach of UN resolutions
1559 and 1701. In addition, Hezbollah has perpetrated Terror attacks in
Argentina, assisted in attacks against US and Coalition forces in Iraq, trained
insurgents in Yemen and formed terror cells in Egypt.
Mr. Brennan, as a US official has stated that there were moderates inside
Hezbollah he wanted to reach out to. Mr. Brennan is wrong and his statements are
confusing the American public. We haven't seen any statement or document by
Hezbollah members who call for moderation. We haven't seen so-called moderates
calling for disarming the militia. Mr. Brennan said Hezbollah has members in the
Lebanese parliament. Although true, Mr. Brennan draws the wrong conclusion as
this means that the terrorist organization has used its weapons and money to
penetrate the Lebanese legislature and not the other way around.
We in the World Council of the Cedars Revolution (WCCR) ask Mr. Brennan to give
the US public and Lebanese Americans one example of a moderate official inside
Hezbollah. He can't because there are none. This is an organization that
tolerates absolutely no dissent or nuanced views. It executes the orders of the
Islamic Republic of Iran. Mr. Brennan's statements about Hezbollah's “moderates”
are an insult and an affront to the Lebanese who were assassinated by the terror
organization, to the US citizens and military personnel who were killed by the
Iranian funded group and to the Lebanese American community that has been
working hard on exposing terror inside Lebanon and on implementing UNSCR 1559
and 1701.
We call on Mr. Brennan to apologize for this insult or to resign. Two million
Lebanese Americans won't stand by idle as a US official is disfiguring the truth
in Lebanon.
*John Hajjar, National Director, World Council of
the Cedars Revolution
E hajjlaw@aol.com
Washington is getting sidetracked again
By Michael Young
Daily Star/Thursday, May 20, 2010
Political Washington has a gift for getting sidetracked into marginal disputes.
The latest example is the decision of 12 Republican senators to block approval
of Robert Ford, who was recently named the US ambassador in Damascus, because of
reports that the Syrians have sent Scud missiles to Hizbullah.
The State Department has a different perspective. It believes an ambassador in
Damascus is necessary to better relay the Obama administration’s messages to
Syrian President Bashar Assad. This is partly due to the fact that Assad’s man
in Washington, Imad Mustapha, is mistrusted by his American counterparts.
The senators, in a letter to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, responded that
Ford’s appointment would be a concession, even a reward, “if engagement
precludes prompt punitive action in response to egregious behavior, such as the
transfer of long-range missiles to a terrorist group.” The Republicans want new
sanctions to be imposed on Syria, or a deadline from the administration to
determine whether engagement is working before new sanctions are put in place.
The points of view on both sides conceal a far more significant problem. Undue
focus on whether an ambassador should be sent to Damascus or not is secondary to
the fact that the Obama administration is not really clear about how to bring
about a change in Syrian behavior where it has demanded such change – namely
Syria’s ending its destabilization of Iraq, its support for Hamas and Hizbullah,
and its efforts to reassert its hegemony over Lebanon.
Naming an ambassador should only be a means of advancing policy. But because the
policy is unclear, the appointment process has taken center stage. For the State
Department to defend an ambassador as necessary to get Assad’s ear is
ridiculous. In itself, the transmission of messages is not, and should not be,
what justifies a significant political reversal, especially when the previous
ambassador was pulled because the US assumed that Syria had ordered the
assassination of Rafik Hariri, the former Lebanese prime minister.
On the other hand, the Republicans, by making Ford the issue, have also confused
matters. The sanctions they are demanding may be justified, but sanctions, like
the dispatching of an ambassador, do not in themselves constitute policy; they
are instruments of policy. What the Republicans (and Democrats) should be asking
of the Obama administration is whether its engagement strategy with Syria has
any chance of succeeding – and if not what must be done to ensure it succeeds –
and whether American strategy is cohesive, so that a dialogue with Syria does
not actually give it wider latitude to pursue those very aims that Washington is
seeking to undermine.
If the dispute over an ambassador is a red herring, oddly enough so too is the
discussion over Scuds. If or when a war occurs between Hizbullah and Israel, it
is probably fair to say that Syrian Scuds will not be a major part of it. Assad
will continue to push against the red lines in his relationship with Israel, but
not to the extent of supplying significant quantities of powerful missiles that
may invite massive Israeli retaliation against Syria. Moreover, fueling and
firing a Scud takes time, so that Hizbullah would doubtless do so far away from
the southern border, in areas under its control. Most of those areas happen to
be located too close to Syrian territory for comfort.
Syrian weapons to Hizbullah appear to be there to serve a more complex purpose.
I continue to believe that the primary Syrian objective is to create the proper
conditions for a Syrian military return to Lebanon. This is not an easy venture,
or one guaranteed of success. However, reversing what happened in 2005 has been
very much on Assad’s mind since he lost the Lebanon that his father bequeathed
to him and that Hafez Assad had spent two and a half decades fighting hard over
in order to consolidate Syrian rule. That loss was a bitter one for Bashar,
striking at the very heart of his political self-esteem.
But there are more pragmatic reasons as well. Only a military presence allows
the Syrian regime to control Lebanon’s Sunni community, with the implications
this has domestically for Assad. It also allows Syria to stifle its old bugbear,
the Maronite community, where Samir Geagea has made headway at a time when the
Aounist movement is losing steam. But perhaps most important, only if Syria is
physically present in Lebanon can it turn the “Hizbullah card” to its advantage
by projecting itself as the sole actor able to contain the party – which it
would nevertheless allow to pursue a “resistance’ agenda, since Syria could use
this as leverage whenever it needs to bargain with the Arab states, the US,
Israel, even Iran.
If Syria can guarantee that the next war between Hizbullah and Israel is
particularly vicious and that Hizbullah can hold its own (Syria’s passing of
game-changing weaponry, for example more effective anti-aircraft missiles, would
help do so), this could open up numerous possibilities. Israeli retaliation
would be ferocious, the Lebanese state and government would emerge from the
maelstrom discredited and weak, United Nations resolutions on Lebanon would
effectively collapse, and Hizbullah would be perceived by Arab states and Israel
as a major regional menace, which Assad could then use as a wedge to facilitate
acceptance of a Syrian military comeback.
The absence of a credible UN-sponsored post-conflict framework would be Syria’s
opening. No one, least of all the Israelis, would take seriously a new
international force in southern Lebanon. That conviction could swing the
Americans. Subcontract Lebanon to Syria once again and everyone is happy, the
rationale might go.
That’s where the hard questioning should come in Washington. If Syria’s energies
are primarily geared toward reestablishing a military presence in Lebanon, then
American engagement of Damascus will not change much in Bashar Assad’s plans.
Washington needs to move beyond Robert Ford to address the real issue: Syria’s
intention to again use Lebanon as the platform from which to become a dominant
Arab state.
**Michael Young is opinion editor of THE DAILY STAR. His “The Ghosts of Martyrs
Square: An Eyewitness Account of Lebanon’s Life Struggle” (Simon & Schuster) has
just been published.
Obama looks to build up 'Hizbullah moderates'
Thursday, May 20, 2010
WASHINGTON: The Obama administration is looking for ways to build up “moderate
elements” within the Lebanese Hizbullah movement and to diminish the influence
of hardliners, a top White House official said on Tuesday.
John Brennan, assistant to the president for homeland security and
counterterrorism, met with Lebanese leaders during a recent visit.
“Hizbullah is a very interesting organization,” Brennan told a Washington
conference, citing its evolution from “purely a terrorist organization” to a
militia to an organization that now has members within the Parliament and the
Cabinet.
“There is certainly elements of Hizbullah that are truly a concern to us. And
what we need to do is to find ways to diminish their influence within the
organization and to try to build up the more moderate elements,” Brennan said.
He did not spell out how Washington hoped to promote “moderate elements” given
that the organization is branded a “foreign terrorist organization” by the
United States.
“We don’t deal with them,” he acknowledged.
Last month, the US and Israel accused Syria of arming Hizbullah with
increasingly powerful missiles and weapons technology. Brennan said he raised
those concerns during his recent visit to the region. – Reuters
Sfeir
says Syria, Iran intruding in Lebanon
May 20, 2010 /Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Boutros Sfeir said on Thursday that
Lebanon is going through a difficult period, and that Syria and Iran are
intruding in the country’s domestic affairs, the National News Agency (NNA)
reported. “Eventually, we seek to solve this problem as much as we can,” Sfeir
said.
He said that “there are 17 sects in Lebanon that seek to coexist peacefully
despite the problems that come from outside [the country].”
The patriarch also stressed on unity, which he said will help “save Lebanon.”
-NOW Lebanon
New Iranian Ambassador hands credentials to Sleiman
May 20, 2010 /The new Iranian Ambassador to Lebanon, Ghadanfar Roken Abadi,
handed over a copy of his credentials to President Michel Sleiman on Thursday,
according to a statement issued by the president’s office. Abadi replaces former
Iranian Ambassador to Lebanon Mohammad Reza Shibani, whose term ended in October
2009.
The new ambassador arrived in Beirut on Monday to take over the post.-NOW
Lebanon
Michel Aoun
May 19, 2010
On May 18, the Lebanese National News Agency carried the following report:
The head of the Change and Reform bloc in parliament, Deputy General Michel Aoun,
presided over the bloc’s weekly meeting in Rabieh. Following the meeting, he
stated: “In today’s meeting, the budget was the main topic on the agenda. We all
expressed concerns toward the behavior of the government which seems to be
insisting on stalling its ratification. What is ‘uglier’ than waiting and
wasting are comments and reports in the press saying that some are “aiming and
shooting at” the budget as though they wish to postpone its ratification. This
preemptive war against us will not work. The budget should be discussed because
it has faults and we will not allow its passage that way. We will take our time
and will not let them pass their mistakes.
“We have been living without a budget for the last five years, and after we
checked the figures, we found during that time, the government spent over $11
billion over the budget… This is an illegitimate expenditure which is not
allowed by law nor anywhere else. We will not conceal mistakes and will not
allow their continuation through a budget we neither discussed nor corrected...
“Yes, we are ‘aiming at’ the Cabinet and we want to ‘aim at’ whoever drew up the
budget, whoever is making mistakes and whoever wishes to ratify the budget the
as with the parliamentary electoral law when they eventually said they had no
time to introduce reforms. The same was also seen at the municipal elections.
Here it was said we could not adopt the reforms because we have run out of time.
“Time wasting is always used by the government to allow the passage of issues
which cannot be ratified. This year, there will be no waste of time and let
everyone understand that. Let all those who are in the government and the
parliament discuss [the budget] and take their time. Let them work more than two
hours a week to ensure its ratification…
“During our meeting, we also discussed the municipal situation in the South. The
elections will be held and everything will be fine with God’s will. At this
point, I would like to point to the media controversy surrounding the
interference of (Parliament Speaker) Nabih Berri in the South elections. It was
noticed that some media outlets proceeded with their reports even after our
joint statement was issued… I spoke to Speaker Berri and he told me he was not
interfering which means he is not. Any politician can interfere in Jezzine and
if he has influence, he is welcome. I will not oppose him even if he were to
oppose my deputies there. If we cannot win Jezzine, it means we cannot win it.”
What is your comment on Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri’s visit to Syria today?
It is something normal. There are joint issues, especially in regard to
international and regional policy, the Palestinian cause, the meetings in Turkey
and the uranium agreement.
What about the domestic situation?
I do not think that this will be discussed during the visit, which marks a
prelude for the visit to the United States. The Prime Minister wanted to tour
Arab countries to learn about the common political stands which certainly
concern Lebanon…
Why are we hearing talk about the threat of seeing the government resign? We
heard President Michel Sleiman talking about this in the media yesterday.
Neither I nor my ministers are talking of the government’s resignation. I do not
know if anyone mentioned his intention to resign. I believe these are rumors.
Every day, I express my views on the work of the government but this in no way
means it should resign. I am a fighter so even if I am not pleased with my
status in the government, I will not leave it and will try to fix the situation…
Regionally, developments whether in terms of the visits of foreign ministers or
American officials in addition to Iran’s surprise yesterday, point to the
existence of a turning point in the political inclination in the region. How
true is that and will it have a negative or a positive impact on Lebanon?
We have been waiting for this to happen for a long time. Therefore, we cannot
say we have changed our policy or that something was imposed on us. The
maneuvers you are hearing about, whether in terms of the Scud missiles, the
atomic bomb or the targeting of the Gulf among others are mere rumors to
eventually find exits to situations which may be complicated... Whoever knows
what is happening in the geopolitical or geostrategic space can differentiate
between maneuvers to find exits and reality…
Russia: The Return?
Hazem Saghiyeh, May 18, 2010
Now Lebanon
Many Arab observers and commentators rushed to sing the praise of “Russia’s
return” to the Middle East, saying that Moscow’s latest weapons deal with Syria
and some tough statements by President Medvedev recently bear witness to this
return.
Since we always implicitly hail showdowns, this return should elicit a joyful
reaction.
In reality, the standstill characterizing the settlement process in the region
and Israel’s exceptional intransigence, which is hardly likely to be resolved by
the US-sponsored indirect negotiations, may provide a partial explanation for
the Arab and Islamic relief with regard to the Russian “return”. However, it is
feared that our consciousness about weapons will drive us to gloss over
essential considerations that confine this “return” to a stricter and more
realistic framework.
As we know, the Russian economy relies unilaterally on raw materials, especially
oil, and cannot go very far with this confrontation policy. Yet we also know
that Moscow’s current actions are the result of two rivalries: the first pits it
against the United States at a time of relative US weakness, thus allowing
Russia to bet on ameliorating its conditions in the negotiations with Washington
by adopting escalatory – or seemingly-so – positions. However, this rivalry has
already been tested on the Iranian issue and it seems clearer, day after day,
that the Russians are etching closer to the US position on sanctions, even if
this similar conclusion is taking the shape of many twists and turns. Needless
to say, Washington and Tel Aviv deem that what is genuinely at stake are the
relations with Tehran, not Damascus.
The second rivalry pits Medvedev against his PM and “strongman” Vladimir Putin.
Medvedev actually expressed many times his wish to break free from the clout of
Putin, thanks to whom he was elected in the first place. He thus developed his
own, more liberal opinions regarding the economy and relations with the West,
and does not plan to relinquish Russia’s influence and standing worldwide to his
competitor alone. It is a well-known fact that this bartering chip, along with
economic growth, is the cornerstones of Putin’s popularity, as Russia was hungry
for these positive results following the general degradation during Boris
Yeltsin’s rule.
Yet, even if we assume that Russia is on the verge of a Soviet super-return
inaugurated by the latest weapons deal, which may remind some of the famous
weapons deals with Egypt and Syria in the mid-1950s, does history look set to
repeat itself?
In fact, the events of that period coincided with the rising tide of Nasserism,
which consolidated the state’s military might and rallied a wide wave of popular
Arab support. Now, it seems that there are no Arab institutional and popular
incubators capable of providing the stage needed for a similar Russian return.
At the time, beginnings were being tested, whereas it is better not to conduct
any experiments with the ends we have now, no matter how rugged and stumbling
the path of politics may seem. This holds all the more true, considering that if
all the talk about a Russian return proves true, Iran is the only country
qualified enough to host such a transformation. Would this make us, Arabs, mere
pretexts for extending Iran’s influence?
Once again, it would be better to allow reason to intervene to control wild
emotions.
**This article is a translation of the original, which first appeared on the NOW
Arabic site on Monday, May 17, 2010
Jumblat Calls Lahoud, Awaits Hamadeh's Clarification after 'Putting up with Him
Alot'
Naharnet/Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblat has held a telephone
conversation with ex-President Emile Lahoud for the first time since the
extension of the former head of state's term in 2004.At the time, the Druze
leader was one of the strongest opponents of the extension which took place
under pressure from Damascus during the era of Syrian hegemony over Lebanon.
Al-Akhbar newspaper said Thursday that when Jumblat called Lahoud, the former
president was in a meeting. Lahoud later telephoned the lawmaker who said: "We
don't want to be the captives of the past; the future is ahead of us."Circles
close to Lahoud confirmed that the phone conversation was positive "particularly
that Jumblat interpreted his political speech through practical steps.""That's
what's important," the circles told al-Akhbar.
The newspaper said that Jumblat also intends to visit former MP Faisal al-Dawoud,
in a move that has made his reconciliations with former foes almost complete.
However, contacts between the Druze leader and MP Marwan Hamadeh are still cut
pending a clarification about his links to criticism of Jumblat by journalist
Ali Hamadeh.
"I put up with Marwan a lot," the PSP leader told al-Akhbar. "I am waiting for a
clarification if he disagrees with what his brother (Ali) wrote."
On the other hand, Jumblat has nice words to say about Telecommunications
Minister Charbel Nahas, who is backed by Michel Aoun's Free Patriotic Movement
leader.
The Druze leader has backed Nahas against a campaign of criticism. He is "an
excellent young man," Jumblat reportedly told Prime Minister Saad Hariri.
The lawmaker also hailed Hariri on his response to the Obama administration
about Hizbullah arms. The premier has told Jumblat that he informed the
Americans the following: "Stop (Israeli) violations of (Lebanese) airspace first
and then we could discuss the issue."Jumblat told al-Akhbar that Hariri's visit
to Damascus earlier in the week and before his trip to Washington was "good and
important."About President Michel Suleiman, the PSP chief said that the head of
state should be given more authorities to have a bigger role. "Today, he
(Suleiman) is the head of the political bureau of confessions that is run by
consensual democracy." Beirut, 20 May 10, 09:02
Hariri Encourages Political Stability, Safe Monetary Policies to Gain Investor
Trust
Naharnet/Prime Minister Saad Hariri told the Arab Economic Forum on Thursday
that the 2010 state budget reconciles the needs of citizens and the requirements
of economic stability.
The forum held at the Phoenicia Intercontinental hotel was attended by 200 Arab
and regional companies from 20 countries. Political stability, economic reforms
and safe monetary policies are essential to gain the trust of investors, Hariri
said. "We are keen on preserving investors' trust that's why we insist on
adopting safe monetary policies."He told the forum that Arabs would lose the
opportunity to rise to levels that guarantee a bright future for youth if they
isolate themselves. On Lebanon, he said the country is entering a new stage that
lays the foundations for a strong economic and development stage. "The current
government is working on safeguarding the country from regional tension," he
said.
Among those who addressed the forum was Arab League chief Amr Moussa who said
the region is in a transitional stage but has a promising future. Beirut, 20 May
10, 11:58
Greek PM Meets Leaders in Beirut: We Support Lebanon in
Word and Deed
Naharnet/Greek PM Meets Lebanese Leaders: We Support Lebanon in Word and Deed
Visiting Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou on Thursday met President Michel
Suleiman and held two rounds of talks with his Lebanese counterpart Saad Hariri.
Local media said talks focused on latest regional developments as well as
bilateral relations and ways of developing and enhancing them.
Papandreou arrived at the Grand Serail at 9:15 am, where he was met by Hariri,
Foreign Minister Ali al-Shami, Information Minister Tareq Mitri as well as other
political and diplomatic officials. The Greek premier took part in the opening
session of the Arab Economic Forum before heading to Baabda Palace for a meeting
with President Suleiman.
After midday, Papandreou and Hariri held a second round of talks at the Grand
Serail.
Hariri is to throw a lunch banquet in the honor of the Greek prime minister
after they hold a joint press conference.
Papandreou, who arrived in Beirut Wednesday evening, said Greece supports
Lebanon "in word and deed."
He praised the "new era of political stability" in Lebanon "which helped restore
its position in the international arena."
Papandreou vowed that Greece, together with the European Union, will push
forward with a new initiative aimed at resumption of indirect Israel-Palestinian
talks.
"We will spare no effort with our partners in the European Union to improve the
atmosphere surrounding the new initiative aimed at launching indirect
Israel-Palestinian negotiations," Papandreou said in an interview published
Thursday by the daily An-Nahar.
He stressed the need "not to allow a setback to disrupt the progress that had
been achieved" in Middle East peace talks.
Papandreou took part in the opening session of the Arab Economic Forum Thursday.
Beirut, 20 May 10, 12:22
UNESCO Threatens to Remove Qadisha Valley from World Heritage List
Naharnet/The Qadisha Valley, which has been the site of monastic communities
since the earliest years of Christianity, is under the threat of removal from
UNESCO's World Heritage List.
An Nahar daily said violations in the valley in the north led UNESCO's World
Heritage Center to warn Lebanon that it would put the area on the List of World
Heritage in Danger which is the first step in dropping it from the World
Heritage List.
Culture Minister Salim Warde has sent letters to President Michel Suleiman and
Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Sfeir asking for assistance to find a solution to
the "Valley of the Saints."
"The monasteries of the Qadisha Valley are the most significant surviving
examples of the fundamental demonstration of Christian faith," says the UNESCO
website.
However, An Nahar reported that violations, such as picnics, restaurants and
other building projects in the area, are tarnishing the valley's image.
The newspaper even went on saying that all-terrain vehicle (ATV) races are
taking place at the valley's entrances and sewage is flowing into it. Beirut, 20
May 10, 08:03