LCCC
ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
ِDecember
27/2010
Bible Of The
Day
The Letter to the Hebrews
6:9 But, beloved, we are persuaded of better things for you, and things that
accompany salvation, even though we speak like this. 6:10 For God is not
unrighteous, so as to forget your work and the labor of love which you showed
toward his name, in that you served the saints, and still do serve them. 6:11 We
desire that each one of you may show the same diligence to the fullness of hope
even to the end, 6:12 that you won’t be sluggish, but imitators of those who
through faith and patience inherited the promises. 6:13 For when God made a
promise to Abraham, since he could swear by none greater, he swore by himself,
6:14 saying, “Surely blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply
you.”* 6:15 Thus, having patiently endured, he obtained the promise. 6:16 For
men indeed swear by a greater one, and in every dispute of theirs the oath is
final for confirmation. 6:17 In this way God, being determined to show more
abundantly to the heirs of the promise the immutability of his counsel,
interposed with an oath; 6:18 that by two immutable things, in which it is
impossible for God to lie, we may have a strong encouragement, who have fled for
refuge to take hold of the hope set before us. 6:19 This hope we have as an
anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast and entering into that which
is within the veil; 6:20 where as a forerunner Jesus entered for us, having
become a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.
Free Opinions, Releases,
letters, Interviews & Special Reports
Arab Christians: The
Escape from Extremism/By Abdul Rahman Al-Rashid/December
26/10
Mottaki and Ahmadinejad….A Pleasure
to Watch/By Tariq Alhomayed/ December
26/10
Latest News Reports From Miscellaneous Sources for December
26/10
Chamoun: Jumblatt’s position is to
satisfy Hezbollah/Now Lebanon
Bomb Targets Shop Owned by
Palestinian Armed Struggle Official in Ain el-Hilweh
/Naharnet
Report: European Intelligence
Services Hunt for Ain el-Hilweh Fighters
/Naharnet
Hout: Khamenei’s STL statement to
boost March 8’s morale before indictment/Now Lebanon
Soaid Urges Suleiman-Berri-Jumblat
Initiative to Protect Nation from 'Assassins'
/Naharnet
Harb Accuses Hizbullah, Aoun of
Seeking to Change Political System
/Naharnet
Abul
Gheit: We Are Keen on Lebanon's Stability
/Naharnet
Fatfat: Hizbullah Knows
Well that Threats of Strife Do Not Solve Crisis
/Naharnet
Kabbara Reiterates that
Hizbullah Should Review its Policies
/Naharnet
Suleiman after Closed-Door
Meeting with Sfeir: No One Can Restrict President's Powers
/Naharnet
Top Jund al-Sham Official
Killed in Ain al-Hilweh and Maqdah Clarifies
/Naharnet
Long Phone Call between
Assad, Abdullah's Son over Lebanon
/Naharnet
Houri: Lebanese Sides Have Very
Little Information on Saudi-Syrian Initiative/Naharnet
Jumblat Affirms He Doesn't
Know Details of Saudi-Syrian Initiative
/Naharnet
Lebanese Judicial Source:
We Have Not Received Any Information on a Spy Network
/Naharnet
Bomb Targets Shop Owned by
Palestinian Armed Struggle Official in Ain el-Hilweh
Naharnet/A bomb targeted a shop owned by a Palestinian Armed Struggle official
at Ain el-Hilweh Palestinian refugee camp on Sunday morning, causing material
damage only.
Media reports said the blast went off at the shop of Rasmi Nasrallah at the
camp's Hattin neighborhood at 5:00 am.
The incident took place a day after Jund al-Sham official Ghandy al-Sahmarani's
body was found shot dead execution-style at the same camp. Beirut, 26 Dec 10,
14:46
Soaid Urges Suleiman-Berri-Jumblat Initiative to Protect
Nation from 'Assassins'
Naharnet/March 14 general-secretariat coordinator Fares Soaid urged the
president, the speaker and the Progressive Socialist Party leader on Sunday to
make a "national initiative" to end the Lebanese crisis. "I urge Suleiman, Berri,
Jumblat and religious authorities to make a national initiative," Soaid told LBC
TV network. "The president's stances should be topped by a certain initiative
because they can't face the crisis on their own." Reiterating that the
indictment that will be issued by the Special Tribunal for Lebanon would be an
event as massive as ex-Premier Rafik Hariri's assassination, he warned that both
the March 8 and 14 alliances would disappear if politicians do not find "ways to
confront" the legal decision through an initiative. "After the indictment there
will be a team of assassins and a team of victims," he warned. Beirut, 26 Dec
10, 14:25
Harb Accuses Hizbullah, Aoun of Seeking to Change Political System
Naharnet/Labor Minister Butros Harb accused Hizbullah and Free Patriotic
Movement leader Michel Aoun of seeking to change the political system that is
based on the Taef accord.
The Lebanese crisis "goes beyond false witnesses and the indictment of the
international tribunal," Harb told the Kuwaiti al-Nahar newspaper in remarks
published Sunday.
"There is a certain political system and a political formula that has adopted
the Taef accord that neither Hizbullah nor Aoun like. That's why there is an
effort to change it," the minister said.
He urged the Shiite party and Aoun to resort to dialogue to find an alternative
solution. Turning to the cabinet crisis, Harb said it was the result of
political developments and became a means to put political pressure by one team
on the other. He was also pessimistic about seeing the results of the
Saudi-Syrian initiative quickly. "The success of the initiative would reflect
positively on pending issues in Lebanon, including false witnesses although I
don't expect quick results," Harb said. Beirut, 26 Dec 10, 09:38
Report: European Intelligence Services Hunt for Ain el-Hilweh Fighters
Naharnet/Intelligence services throughout the Middle East and Europe are
scrambling to track down more than two dozen fighters linked to al-Qaida who
have recently left their base in the Palestinian refugee camp of Ain el-Hilweh
in southern Lebanon, Britain's The Guardian newspaper reported. The missing men
are thought to have gone to Europe by a newly established route through Syria,
Turkey and the Balkans, it said. Two Lebanese intelligence service officials
told The Guardian that Lebanon was cooperating with European intelligence
organizations to track down the militants, who are described as "extremely
dangerous." One European Union intelligence official confirmed to The Observer
that an operation to hunt down Arab fighters recently arrived from Lebanon was
under way, but could not link this group to recent concerns about possible
holiday attacks by al-Qaida.
"We have received warnings of a significant militant plot in Europe during the
holidays and we have been warned about these missing fighters from Lebanon," he
said. "But we wish we knew if the two threats were related." Stephen Tankel, of
the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, has done field research in Ain
el-Hilweh and describes the band of militants as potentially dangerous because
of their lack of overall control. "They may not have been super-organized, but
that does not mean they are not potentially dangerous," he told The Guardian.
"First, a number of them fought in Iraq, where they will have gained combat
experience and, perhaps, some explosives expertise. Second, it's safe to assume
that many of them are prepared to undertake 'martyrdom' operations," he said.
Beirut, 26 Dec 10, 08:50
Abul Gheit: We Are Keen on Lebanon's Stability
Naharnet/Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul Gheit stressed that Cairo was keen
on Lebanon's stability and non-interference in its internal affairs. Egypt does
not back militias and opposes incitement of war, he said Saturday, adding that
Cairo was seeking to prevent strife among different Lebanese sects. He warned
against signs of Iranian meddling in the affairs of Lebanon, Iraq and Islamic
nations neighboring Arab countries. The Egyptian foreign minister also hoped
that the political and security situation would remain stable in the aftermath
of the release of the indictment by the international tribunal in ex-Premier
Rafik Hariri's assassination case. Beirut, 26 Dec 10, 07:58
Fatfat: Hizbullah Knows Well that Threats of Strife Do Not Solve Crisis
Naharnet/Al-Mustaqbal bloc MP Ahmed Fatfat stressed that any initiative aimed at
ending the Lebanese crisis would not come at the expense of justice in
ex-Premier Rafik Hariri's assassination case. "Any solution through any
initiative won't be at the expense of the truth and justice because they won't
be compromised under any circumstance," Fatfat told pan-Arab daily Asharq al-Awsat
in remarks published Sunday. The lawmaker also said that any initiative should
stress stability, the Taef accord and equal shares between Muslims and
Christians.
He said the March 8 forces should stop "threatening the Lebanese with strife …
because such ways do not solve the problem and Hizbullah knows that well." "The
shortest way to shield the country from all these problems is a political
solution," Fatfat told Asharq al-Awsat. Brushing off criticism from the March 8
forces, the MP said the March 14 coalition was cooperating to the maximum to
help the Saudi-Syrian initiative succeed. However, he said that the alliance was
shocked by Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei's remarks on the tribunal.
Beirut, 26 Dec 10, 08:22
Kabbara Reiterates that Hizbullah Should Review its
Policies
Naharnet/Lebanon First bloc MP Mohammed Abdel Latif Kabbara said Hizbullah
should review its policy of achieving objectives through the force of arms.
"It is very difficult to build a state" if Hizbullah continues to be stronger
than the army and security forces, Kabbara told pan-Arab daily Asharq al-Awsat
in remarks published Sunday.
When asked about his recent verbal attacks on Hizbullah, the MP said: "All I
said was that we will cut the hand that targets our Lebanon." The army and
security forces should stop with an iron fist all those who target the country's
security, he said. While lauding Syria and Riyadh for their efforts to end
Lebanon's deadlock, Kabbara said the Lebanese themselves should first agree on
major points of contention. Beirut, 26 Dec 10, 11:06
Chamoun: Jumblatt’s position is to satisfy Hezbollah
December 26, 2010 /Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblatt's
position is to satisfy Hezbollah, said leader of the National Liberal Party
(NLP) Dori Chamoun on Sunday. He told OTV that Jumblatt’s positions “change
between one day and the other.” Chamoun commented on Lebanon First bloc MP
Mohammad Kabbara’s recent statement, saying such statements are a response to
the March 8 coalition’s biased positions. The PSP leader pulled a political
about-face last August from the Prime Minister Saad Hariri-led March 14
coalition he helped create in order to move closer to the Hezbollah-led March 8
alliance supported by Syria and Iran. He defended his move as necessary to
preserve peace and avoid sectarian bloodshed. In Mid-December, Kabbara said,
“Yes, a thousand times yes, Tripoli is the capital of the Lebanese Sunnis.”
Tension is high in Lebanon amid unconfirmed reports that the Special Tribunal
for Lebanon (STL) will soon issue its indictment in its investigation of the
2005 assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. It is rumored that the
indictment will name Hezbollah members.-NOW Lebanon
Hout: Khamenei’s STL statement to boost March 8’s morale before indictment
December 26, 2010 /Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s statement on
the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) aimed to boost the March 8 coalition’s
morale before the international court issues its indictment, said Al-Jamaa al-Islamiya
MP Imad al-Hout in an interview on Sunday. However, he told the Voice of Lebanon
(100.5) radio station that the Saudi-Syrian initiative to end Lebanon’s
political impasse has set the basic guidelines, which, he added, are left to the
Lebanese to hash out among themselves. Hout said that the does not believe there
will be internal strife in the country but the impasse would not soon be
resolved. Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Monday declared as
"null and void" coming up indictment by the STL concerning the 2005
assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. The cabinet has met once
since its November 10 session and has not tackled institutional work in depth as
March 8 and March 14 ministers have been deadlocked over how to resolve the
issue of the witnesses who gave unreliable testimonies to the international
probe into the murder of Rafik Hariri. According to various reports, the STL
will indict members of Hezbollah, a move the party repeatedly warned against.
Saudi and Syrian officials have reportedly been communicating in efforts to
reach a compromise that would resolve tensions.-NOW Lebanon