Bible Quotation for today/

Hebrews 06/01-12: " Let us go forward, then, to mature teaching and leave behind us the first lessons of the Christian message. We should not lay again the foundation of turning away from useless works and believing in God;  of the teaching about baptisms and the laying on of hands; of the resurrection of the dead and the eternal judgment.  Let us go forward! And this is what we will do, if God allows. For how can those who abandon their faith be brought back to repent again? They were once in God's light; they tasted heaven's gift and received their share of the Holy Spirit; 5 they knew from experience that God's word is good, and they had felt the powers of the coming age.  And then they abandoned their faith! It is impossible to bring them back to repent again, because they are again crucifying the Son of God and exposing him to public shame. God blesses the soil which drinks in the rain that often falls on it and which grows plants that are useful to those for whom it is cultivated.  But if it grows thorns and weeds, it is worth nothing; it is in danger of being cursed by God and will be destroyed by fire. But even if we speak like this, dear friends, we feel sure about you. We know that you have the better blessings that belong to your salvation. God is not unfair. He will not forget the work you did or the love you showed for him in the help you gave and are still giving to other Christians. Our great desire is that each of you keep up your eagerness to the end, so that the things you hope for will come true.  We do not want you to become lazy, but to be like those who believe and are patient, and so receive what God has promised.
 

Latest analysis, editorials, studies, reports, letters & Releases from miscellaneous sources

Rhetoric rises over Hezbollah role in Syria/Now Lebanon/April 24/13

Latest News Reports From Miscellaneous Sources for April 24/13

Pope Prays for Orthodox Bishops Kidnapped in Syria
Syria: Church Sources Say Syrian Bishops in Hands of 'Chechens'
Russian Church Calls for Release of Bishops in Syria
Syria Opposition Chief 'Seeking Release of Bishops'
Reports from Lebanon: More than 180 Names for 24-Member Cabinet
Subcommittee Meetings in Lebanon Suspended over 'Huge Gap' on Vote Law  
Lebanon Geagea Demands Govt. Session to Put Immediate Stop to Hizbullah Fighting in Syria
Lebanon Hariri Slams Hizbullah's Fighting in Syria: Its Involvement is a Crime against Lebanese, Syrians
Lebanon Geagea Condemns Kidnap of Aleppo Bishops: These Terrorist Acts Serve Syrian People's Enemies
Future MP Khalid Daher Lifting Merhebi’s immunity “political” decision Madi Demands Lifting Off Merehbi Immunity, MP Considers it 'Absurd'
Salafist Cleric in Lebanon says that End of Jihad Call Hinges on Hizbullah Pullout
Fatawa in Lebanon: Asir, Rafehi to Send Fighters for 'Jihad' in Syria's Qusayr
Spanish FM in Beirut Tuesday for Talks with Senior Officials
Mansour: Lebanon's FM Not Obliged to Disclose All Exchanged Diplomatic Letters
President Gemayel Contacts Sabra, Urges Arab, International Action to Release Archbishops
President Suleiman Condemns Abduction of Syrian Archbishops: Such Actions Will Not Achieve Democracy 
French Embassy in Tripoli Bombed, 2 Injured
Canada Condemns Attack on French Embassy in Libya
Kerry: NATO Must Review Responses to Syria, Chemical Weapons
Report: Kerry Not Scheduled to Visit Lebanon Soon
Israeli Army: Assad Using Chemical Weapons
Dead Boston Bomber Suspect was in Austria
Boston Bomb Suspects' Mother Says FBI Asked about Eldest Son
Spain Arrests Two al-Qaida Suspects
Pentagon Chief Meets Netanyahu at End of Israel Visit

Report: Kerry Not Scheduled to Visit Lebanon Soon
Naharnet/U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry will not visit Lebanon soon as he is occupied with addressing the crises in Syria and North Korea and several other international matters, media reports said on Tuesday.
According to As Safir newspaper, Kerry wasn't scheduled to head to Lebanon anytime soon. However, sources told the daily that Washington is “closely following” the situation in Lebanon and voices its rejection to the violation of Lebanon's sovereignty. The U.S. also reiterates the importance of controlling the border with the neighboring country Syria and stability, the sources said. Concerning the formation of the new government led by Prime Minister-designate Tammam Salam, the sources expressed support to Salam. “The U.S. administration prefers not to interfere in the process of the formation of the new cabinet,” the sources added.
Salam has repeatedly said that his new government will be aimed at staging and overseeing the parliamentary elections.  The U.S. had described the appointment of Salam as “a positive first step in efforts to form a new government.”

US hits two Lebanon exchange firms with sanctions
AFP/The United States designated two Lebanese foreign exchange firms as significant money launderers on Tuesday, saying they moved money for drug traffickers and benefited the Hezbollah militia.
The US Treasury named Kassem Rmeiti & Co. For Exchange and Halawi Exchange Co. for sanctions which freeze any assets they have on US soil and ban Americans and US businesses from any transactions with them.
It said both had been used to move money by the Ayman Joumaa narcotics network, a primary target in recent years of US law enforcement, since the Treasury cracked down on the Lebanese Canadian Bank in 2011 for its alleged money laundering activities. After sanctions deprived the Lebanese Canadian Bank access to key parts of the global financial system, the Treasury said, the Joumaa group used Kassem Rmeiti and Halawi to move its money, including passing millions through other banks into the United States to buy used cars, which are then exported to West Africa. Both were linked to Benin-based money launderers and drug groups, according to the Treasury. Both were also tied by the Treasury to money transfers for Hezbollah or officials of Hezbollah, which Washington has designated a terrorist group.
Halawi especially poses "a substantial threat to the US and international financial systems," the Treasury said, due to its "extensive illicit financial activity on behalf of a variety of international narcotics trafficking and money laundering networks.""Today's action reflects the Treasury Department's continuing commitment to target illicit financial networks that launder millions of dollars in funds for narcotics traffickers and that, in the process, provide substantial financial benefits to the terrorist organization Hezbollah," the Treasury said in a statement.

Two Orthodox Bishops Held in Syria Freed
Naharnet /An association of Middle Eastern Christians on Tuesday said that two Orthodox bishops reportedly kidnapped by rebels in northern Syria have been released, in a statement citing Syrian sources. The French "Oeuvre d'Orient" association said that the two -- Bishop Yohanna Ibrahim and Bishop Boulos Yaziji, who were seized on Monday -- were already at Saint Elias cathedral in Aleppo. The Paris-based association, which works to help Middle Eastern Christians, said it was "delighted by the rapid liberation of the two bishops".But it said more should be done for the release of two priests -- a Greek Orthodox and an Armenian Catholic -- kidnapped for nearly three months. Syrian state media reported that the two bishops were seized by rebels while they were on a humanitarian mission and their driver was killed. But the opposition accused the regime of being behind the abduction, which was condemned by Pope Francis and the Russian Orthodox Church. Kidnappings have become increasingly prevalent in Syria as law and order has broken down with the spread of the conflict between rebels and loyalist troops. Activists and human rights groups say minority groups, including Christians, have been particularly vulnerable. Christians account for about five percent of Syria's population, and they have remained largely neutral or supportive of the regime since the outbreak of the uprising against the government in early 2011. But the Syrian opposition also includes prominent Christian members, including George Sabra, a long-time dissident who was named interim head of the opposition Syrian National Coalition on Monday.ppo.Source/Agence France Presse.

Canada Arrests 2 in Alleged Qaida-backed Train Plot
Naharnet /Two foreign nationals have been arrested in Canada in connection with what federal police said Monday was a plot backed by al-Qaida to derail a passenger train in the Toronto area. "Today's arrests demonstrate that terrorism continues to be a real threat to Canada," Public Safety Minister Vic Toews warned. Chiheb Esseghaier, 30, and Raed Jaser, 35, were allegedly planning to carry out an attack on a Via Rail passenger train, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) told a news conference. A bail hearing was set for Tuesday. Charges filed against the two include conspiring to carry out an attack and conspiring with a terrorist group to murder persons, though very few details about the plot were revealed. Assistant RCMP Commissioner James Malizia told reporters the suspects "were receiving support from al-Qaida elements located in Iran" but added: "There's no indication that these attacks were state-sponsored." When asked to describe the kind of support offered, he replied: "Direction and guidance."
Malizia said the suspects are "not Canadian citizens" but declined to reveal their nationalities. One of the two men lived in Montreal for several years, he added, without saying which one.
The suspects' plans were "not based on their ethnic origins but on an ideology," police said. RCMP Chief Superintendent Jennifer Strachan said the duo -- who had been under surveillance since last August -- planned "to derail a passenger train" in the Toronto area, though she would not specify which route. "We are alleging these individuals took steps and conducted activities to initiate a terrorist attack. They watched trains and railways in the Greater Toronto area," Strachan added. However, police emphasized that an attack had not been imminent. "While the RCMP believed that these individuals had the capacity and intent to carry out these criminal acts, there was no imminent threat to the general public, rail employees, train passengers or infrastructure," said an RCMP statement.
The arrests come one week after the twin bombings at the Boston Marathon killed three people and wounded 200, and as Canada's parliament debates a proposal to beef up anti-terror laws, including criminalizing the travel of Canadians abroad in order to participate in an attack. It appeared there was no link between the Boston bombings and the alleged train plot. The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation was involved in the Canadian investigation, though the extent of the information-sharing was not immediately clear. A spokesman for the U.S. embassy in Ottawa said the arrest resulted from "extensive cross-border cooperation." Toews also said the success of the anti-terror operation dubbed "Smooth" was "due to the fact that Canada works very closely with international partners to combat terrorism." Details about the supposed identities began to emerge in local media. The National Post reported that Esseghaier was born in Tunisia and identified Jaser as a Palestinian with United Arab Emirates citizenship who has Canadian permanent resident status.On Esseghaier's LinkedIn profile, whose authenticity Radio-Canada said it had been able to verify, the 30-year-old presented himself as a Tunisian engineer who was a PhD student at Quebec's INRS University since November 2010.
Source/Agence France Presse.

Tehran Rejects Canada Al-Qaida Iran Link as 'Ridiculous'
Naharnet /Iran rejected as "ridiculous" on Tuesday a claim by Ottawa that two foreigners arrested in connection with a plot to derail a passenger train in the Toronto area were backed by Tehran-supported al-Qaida.
"This is the most hilarious thing I've heard in my 64 years," Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi was quoted by the ISNA news agency as saying, adding that any suggestion that al-Qaida is linked to Iran "is truly ridiculous."
"We hope Canadian officials show a little wisdom and pay attention to the world's public opinion and intelligence," he added. Iran is a Shiite Muslim majority nation, while al-Qaida is made up of Sunni Muslims who consider Shiites to be heretics. Earlier on Tuesday, Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast also rejected the claim. "We are against any kind of terrorist act... The extremist Canadian government has Iranophobia on its agenda and possibly, in continuation of its hostile approach, aims to link this to our country," he added. Chiheb Esseghaier, 30, and Raed Jaser, 35, were allegedly planning to carry out an attack on a Via Rail passenger train, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police said, without giving their nationalities. Assistant RCMP Commissioner James Malizia told reporters the suspects "were receiving support from al-Qaida elements located in Iran" but added: "There's no indication that these attacks were state-sponsored." When asked to describe the kind of support offered, he replied: "Direction and guidance." RCMP Chief Superintendent Jennifer Strachan said the duo -- who had been under surveillance since August -- planned "to derail a passenger train" in the Toronto area, though she would not specify on which route. Canada broke diplomatic ties with Iran last September.
Source/Agence France Presse.

Dead Boston Bomber Suspect was in Austria
Naharnet /The elder of the two brothers allegedly behind the Boston marathon bombings twice attended boxing training events in Austria, the interior ministry said Tuesday. Tamerlan Tsarnaev, 26, shot dead on Friday by U.S. police, spent a week in Salzburg in 2007 and a week in Innsbruck in 2009, the ministry said, confirming a media report. According to the Kronen-Zeitung daily, Tsarnaev and his brother and alleged accomplice Dzhokhar, 19, charged on Monday over his alleged role, have relatives in the Austrian city of Graz. Ministry spokesman Karl-Heinz Grundboeck said the fact Tamerlan Tsarnaev "spent a short time in Austria, explicitly for boxing ... gives no reason for concern in Austria".The twin bomb attacks on April 15 in the U.S. city of Boston killed three people and left some 200 injured. The brothers, originally from Chechnya, had been living legally in the United States for more than a decade. Investigators are probing a six-month trip made by the elder brother in 2012 to Russia's troubled regions of Dagestan and Chechnya, and whether he was radicalized or trained there.
Source/Agence France Presse.

French Embassy in Tripoli Bombed, 2 Injured
Naharnet/A car bomb hit France's embassy in Libya on Tuesday, wounding two French guards and causing extensive damage in the first attack on a foreign mission since militants stormed the U.S. consulate in Benghazi in September. Libyan Foreign Minister Mohammed Abdel Aziz branded the bombing a "terrorist act", and French President Francois Hollande said Tripoli must act quickly to find the perpetrators and bring them to justice.
The attack comes as Libya is plagued by a lack of security following the 2011 ouster of long-time strongman Moammar Gadhafi and as French forces are engaged in a battle against Islamist extremists in Mali, another North African country. The blast occurred around 7:10 am (0510 GMT), Tripoli security chief Mahmud al-Sherif said, after an explosives-laden car was parked outside the mission's front door.
Sherif said "this was not a suicide bombing," adding that "we face several threats and enemies, and it is too early to point to any party in particular."
An Agence France Presse correspondent said the wall surrounding the property was destroyed and the embassy building extensively damaged, with one French employee saying "there's nothing left of my office".
The explosion, which created a deep crater in the street, destroyed two cars parked nearby, damaged two neighboring villas and blew out the windows of a shop 200 meters (yards) away.A French source said one guard was seriously wounded and another lightly hurt in the attack on the mission, housed in a two-story villa in the upmarket Gargaresh area. Interior Minister Ashur Shwayel said one of the guards had injuries to his back and head and was in stable condition after undergoing surgery. Libyan state news agency Lana added that a girl living in the neighborhood was also hurt. Jamal Omar, who lives across the street and whose face was slightly injured, said the car must have been parked only minutes before the explosion. "I was sweeping outside my house, and there wasn't any car in front of the embassy. The explosion happened less than five minutes after I went back inside." France condemned the "odious" attack. "In liaison with the Libyan authorities, the services of the state will do everything to establish the circumstances of this odious act and rapidly identify the perpetrators," Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said in a statement. "This attack could have been absolute carnage. It was a matter of minutes: if the staff had been there this would have been a terrible tragedy," Fabius told BFM Television.
"This attack was meant to kill. France will not surrender," he said. "This attack targeted not only France but all of the countries who are fighting against terrorist groups."Fabius arrived Tuesday afternoon in Libya where he was due to visit the scene of the attack and then hold a news conference with Libya's National Assembly chief Mohammed al-Megaryef, officials said. Hollande said in a statement that "France expects the Libyan authorities to ensure that all possible light is shed on this unacceptable act so that the perpetrators are identified and brought to justice." The anti-terrorism branch of the Paris prosecutors' office has opened an investigation into the attack. The gendarmery is sending 10 officers to the scene to boost security and to study the possibility of moving the embassy.
Libya's foreign minister declined to speculate on who carried out the attack or what the motive was. "We strongly condemn this act, which we regard as a terrorist act against a brother nation that supported Libya during the revolution" that ousted Gadhafi, Abdel Aziz told AFP at the scene. "We regret this act and express our solidarity with the French government and people," he added, announcing that a joint commission had been formed to investigate the attack. In particular, Shwayel said there were questions about where the embassy's Libyan guards were when the bomb exploded, as they should have been outside on the street.
The French primary and high schools, both located in the same neighborhood as the embassy, closed on Tuesday for an indefinite time, parents said. Shwayel said security had been stepped up around French interests in Libya, as well as at embassies of other countries. France, under then president Nicolas Sarkozy, led NATO air raids against Gadhafi's forces under a U.N. resolution aimed at protecting civilians. Since Gadhafi's fall, Libya has been hit by persistent insecurity, especially in the region of Benghazi, which has been hit by bombings and assassinations that have forced many Westerners to leave the eastern city. Four Americans, including ambassador Chris Stevens, were killed when heavily armed men overran the Benghazi mission on September 11, setting fire to much of the compound and then attacking a nearby annex. The violence in Libya is often blamed on radical Islamists persecuted under Gadhafi who now want to settle old scores, while security remains the prerogative of militias in a number of important areas. Armed jihadist groups hurt by the French intervention in northern Mali had threatened retaliation by attacking French interests across the world. Source/Agence France Presse.

Canada Condemns Attack on French Embassy in Libya
April 23, 2013 - Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird today issued the following statement: “Canada unequivocally condemns today’s car bombing targeting the French embassy in Tripoli, Libya. Our thoughts are with the two people injured and their loved ones. “We stand resolutely with our French and Libyan friends, and urge Libyan officials to prosecute those responsible. Such acts of violence will only strengthen our resolve to promote peace, security and prosperity in Libya. “The government of Libya must fulfill its obligations to protect diplomatic premises in the country and continue to work with the international community to help the Libyan people realize their aspirations for a better, brighter future.”

Archbishops Yaziji, Ibrahim Abducted in Aleppo, Driver Killed
Naharnet/Syriac Orthodox Archbishop of Aleppo Youhanna Ibrahim and Greek Orthodox Metropolitan of Aleppo and Iskanderun Boulos al-Yaziji were kidnapped on Monday at the hands of gunmen near the northern Syrian city, Lebanon's state-run National News Agency reported. Archbishop Ibrahim picked up Archbishop Yaziji in his car from a village on the Turkish border and his deacon was driving the vehicle, NNA said. “When they arrived at the outskirts of the city of Aleppo, an armed group intercepted them and forced them to step out of the car, killing the driver and abducting archbishops Ibrahim and Yaziji,” the agency added.
Source/Agence France Presse/Naharnet.

Lebanese Salafist Cleric Tells Charbel that End of Jihad Call Hinges on Hizbullah Pullout
Naharnet/ Salafist cleric Sheikh Salem al-Rafehi said Tuesday that he informed caretaker Interior Minister Marwan Charbel his readiness to withdraw his call for jihad if Hizbullah ended its involvement in Syria's civil war.
In remarks to LBCI, al-Rafehi said: “Charbel telephoned me and I formed him our readiness to pull the invitation to Jihad in Syria if Hizbullah stopped sending fighters to Syria.”
Al-Rafehi and another Salafist cleric sheikh Ahmed al-Asir called on Monday for jihad to defend Sunnis in Syria. Al-Asir announced the creation of the “Free Resistance Brigades,” urging whoever is capable of heading to Syria to go there to aid “the oppressed” in the town of al-Qusayr, southeast of Homs. Asir called on “all the Lebanese who fear attacks by Iran's party (Hizbullah) in Lebanon to arm themselves and form 5-member secret cells to be ready to exclusively defend themselves and their families should the need arise.”Fighting has flared in Syria's Homs region in recent weeks as the government has pressed its campaign to stamp out rebel-held pockets in the area.
Much of the heaviest fighting has raged near the Lebanese border around al-Qusayr, where activists said government troops backed by gunmen linked to Hizbullah captured the villages of Radwineyeh and Tel al-Nabi Mando.
Al-Rafehi also announced that he has decided to “send men and weapons in support of our Sunni brothers in al-Qusayr.”He called on "all Sunni men to be fully prepared ahead of sending the first batch (of fighters) to perform the jihadist duty in al-Qusayr.”

Asir, Rafehi to Send Fighters for 'Jihad' in Syria's Qusayr
Naharnet/Islamist cleric Sheikh Ahmed al-Asir, the imam of Sidon's Bilal bin Rabah Mosque, on Monday announced the creation of the “Free Resistance Brigades,” urging whoever is capable of heading to Syria to go there to aid “the oppressed” in Qusayr and Homs. Asir called on “all the Lebanese who fear attacks by Iran's party (Hizbullah) in Lebanon to arm themselves and form 5-member secret cells in order to be ready to exclusively defend themselves and their families should the need arise.” He also called for fundraising in order to finance jihadist fighters seeking to enter Syria “to support our people.” Meanwhile, Salafist cleric Sheikh Salem al-Rafehi of Tripoli announced that he has decided to “send men and weapons in support of our Sunni brothers in Qusayr.”He called on "all Sunni men to be fully prepared ahead of sending the first batch (of fighters) to perform the jihadist duty in Qusayr.” Addressing President Michel Suleiman, Speaker Nabih Berri and caretaker Prime Minister Najib Miqati, Rafehi added: “Your silence over Hizbullah's interference and attacks against Lebanese and Syrians in Qusayr opens the doors of Lebanon to a sectarian strife.”The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights on Monday said elite fighters from Hizbullah are leading the fight against rebels in the region of Qusayr in the central province of Homs. "It's Hizbullah that is leading the battle in Qusayr, with its elite forces," Observatory chief Rami Abdel Rahman told Agence France Presse. "It's not necessarily fighters coming from Lebanon. It's Hizbullah fighters from Shiite villages on the Syrian side which are inhabited by Lebanese," he said. Over the weekend, Syrian regime forces retook control of a string of strategic villages in the region, which is along the border with Lebanon. That raised fears among rebels that the town of Qusayr itself, a stronghold of the uprising, could fall into government hands. The Observatory said fighting was raging Monday morning between rebels and Hizbullah fighters around several other villages in the area, leaving two rebels dead. In the past, Hizbullah has insisted that its members fighting in Homs province were Shiite residents of Syrian border towns engaged in self-defense against rebel forces. The group has not commented on the intensified fighting near Qusayr.Fighting in the area has spilled over into Lebanon, with rebels targeting border towns in the Lebanese region of Hermel in response to Hizbullah involvement in the conflict.

Report: More than 180 Names for 24-Member Cabinet
Naharnet/Political parties have proposed to Premier-Designate Tammam Salam more than 180 names for only a 24-member government, An Nahar newspaper reported on Tuesday. The number is expected to rise pending a final step by Salam in handing over the portfolios to the right people, An Nahar said. Informed sources have said that the cabinet formation process gathered pace over the weekend due to intense consultations between the PM-designate and the major political parties. The sources told local dailies that Salam spent his Monday assessing the meetings he has held and the proposals made by the parties. They said Salam is seriously considering the formation of a 24-member cabinet that would exclude ministers of state. The members would be non provocative political figures and not running for the parliamentary elections. There will also be rotational portfolios, the sources said. But officials, who visited Speaker Nabih Berri, quoted him as saying that the March 8 alliance had no problem in having rotations on condition that the process applied to all the parties and confessions, and portfolios. Sources close to the PM-designate told al-Joumhouria newspaper that the formation of the government is “moving forward through calculated steps.”Salam's meetings with the different parties will intensify as the date of the announcement of the cabinet lineup approaches, they said. Salam has held separate meetings in the past few days with Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblat, caretaker minister Ali Hassan Khalil, who is the political aide of Berri, and PSP official caretaker Minister Wael Abu Faour. Abu Faour also met with President Michel Suleiman and was in continuous contact with the Hizbullah and Amal leaderships. Highly informed sources expected Salam to visit Baabda palace soon to inform Suleiman about the results of the “calm and fruitful consultations.” But in their comments to As Safir, the sources refused to confirm a major breakthrough in the cabinet formation process.

Lebanon's General Prosecutor Judge Hatem Madi Demands Lifting Off MP, Merehbi Immunity, MP Considers it 'Absurd'
Naharnet /General Prosecutor Judge Hatem Madi requested on Tuesday lifting immunity off al-Mustaqbal MP Moeen al-Merehbi a day after he allegedly opened fire at an ISF patrol in Tripoli. Madi submitted the request to caretaker Justice Minister Shakib Qortbawi, who in turn referred it to the parliament. Merehbi allegedly fired shots in the air to disperse a bumper-to-bumper traffic in Beddawi region in the northern city of Tripoli on Sunday night caused by an Internal Security Forces unit, which was removing a building violation in the area. Later, the lawmaker described in comments to MTV channel Madi's request as “ridiculous.” “It doesn't deserve a reply from me and I'm ready to open fire again,” Merehbi said. The lawmaker, according to a communique issued by ISF general directorate, arrived at the scene and demanded the ISF unit to remove the checkpoint as it was causing bumper-to-bumper traffic. The officers explained to MP Merehbi their task, asking him to contact caretaker Interior Minister Marwan Charbel and address the matter with him.The statement added that the MP started insulting the patrol then headed back to his car, took a Kalashnikov and opened fire in the air. According to state-run National News Agency on Tuesday, the Kalashnikov was illegal. The ISF communique said that Merehbi also attempted to remove one of the patrol cars, but the driver stopped him and the two men scuffled. The statement said that an investigation was opened into the incident. Earlier in the day, several MPs, including Mohammed Kabbara and Khaled al-Daher and Sheikhs held a meeting at the residence of Merehbi in Tripoli in solidarity with him.

Future MP Khalid Daher Lifting Merhebi’s immunity “political” decision
Now Lebanon/Future bloc MP Khaled Daher slammed the call made by Lebanon’s Attorney General Hatem Madi to lift the parliamentary immunity of fellow Future MP Mouin Merhebri after the latter fired gunshots in the air at an army checkpoint on Sunday. “Madi’s position is a political one… that cannot be accepted,” Daher told NOW on Tuesday. He further lashed out at this request by saying that it was a “hasty decision that should not have been made.”The Future official claimed that this call aimed at “tainting Merhebi’s image,” and said that there were attempts to “magnify the incident.”Daher also deemed Madi’s call as “an attempt to shift the attention away from primary issues in the country, and a bid to “cover up for [more important] matters.”“Madi had better issue such a decision [against] the [party] that is sending fighters [into Syria], attacking another country’s territory and hurling Lebanon into serious problems,” the Future MP said in reference to Hezbollah who is allegedly providing military support for the Syrian regime. Daher went on to defend Merhebi’s act, and described the incident as “a humanitarian case.”“If they had carried out an investigation [into the incident], they would have realized that Merhebi saved security forces and civilians from a [misfortune] that was about to occur at the checkpoint.”The Future lawmaker explained that a pregnant woman was held in the traffic caused by the Internal Security Forces’ checkpoint, which prompted Merhebi to ask of the security members to open the road. However, a security officer blocked the highway, triggering Merhebi to fire gunshots in the air as an attempt to clear the way, according to Daher’s version of the story. “MP Merhebi did not fire at security forces or people… He saved the situation and prevented a massacre from taking place in the Baddawi area following a dispute with ISF forces.” Daher further backed his fellow Future parliamentarian, saying that “Merhebi defends the people, the Lebanese army and security apparatuses… in particular the ISF.”Earlier on Tuesday, Attorney General Judge Hatem Madi requested that parliament lift the parliamentary immunity of Future bloc MP Mouin Merhebi after he was accused of firing gunshots from an unlicensed firearm and of attempting to seize a military vehicle to remove a security forces checkpoint. Merhebi fired gunshots into the air after an altercation occurred between him and an ISF member at a checkpoint on the Baddawi road in the northern city of Tripoli.

Hariri Slams Hizbullah's Fighting in Syria: Its Involvement is a Crime against Lebanese, Syrians
Naharnet/Former Prime Minister Saad Hariri condemned on Tuesday Hizbullah's fighting in Syria alongside the Syrian regime, warning that it will drag Lebanon towards the strife that President Bashar Assad had “vowed to spread in the region.” He said in a statement: “Hizbullah's actions in Syria are a crime against Lebanon and the Lebanese and Syria and its people.” Hizbullah's fighting in Syria is a form of defense of the Syrian regime and not an act of defense of certain sectarian interests as the party had claimed, he continued. “Who tasked Hizbullah with defending a segment of the Lebanese people in Syria?” he asked.
“Dragging Lebanon towards the game of death that the Syrian regime has actively sought once again proves Hizbullah's actual role in Lebanon and Syria and demonstrates, through the victims, destruction, and blood, the real purpose of the party's arms,” stressed Hariri. “The crime of leading Lebanese youths to death in Syria and in defense of a criminal regime is a part of a greater crime of dragging Lebanon towards a bloody regional strife that the Lebanese, starting with Hizbullah's supporters, do not seek,” he declared. “I therefore call on all Lebanese to express through peaceful means their rejection of this crime,” he stated.
The former premier also voiced his opposition to the Lebanese calls for jihad to aid “the oppressed” in Qusayr and Homs in Syria. “These calls only help meet Hizbullah halfway in its crime and help justify the party's actions,” he explained. Islamist cleric Sheikh Ahmed al-Asir, the imam of Sidon's Bilal bin Rabah Mosque, on Monday announced the creation of the “Free Resistance Brigades,” urging whoever is capable of heading to Syria to go there to aid “the oppressed” in Qusayr and Homs. He also called for fundraising in order to finance jihadist fighters seeking to enter Syria “to support our people.” Also on Monday, Salafist cleric Sheikh Salem al-Rafehi of Tripoli announced that he has decided to “send men and weapons in support of our Sunni brothers in Qusayr.” He called on "all Sunni men to be fully prepared ahead of sending the first batch (of fighters) to perform the jihadist duty in Qusayr.” Commenting on the kidnapping of Syriac Orthodox Archbishop of Aleppo Youhanna Ibrahim and Greek Orthodox Metropolitan of Aleppo and Iskanderun Boulos al-Yaziji in Syria on Monday, Hariri condemned the crime, saying that these actions “favor the enemies of the Syrian revolution.” “We strongly condemn this act that contradicts the most basic of humanitarian and moral principles and the values of the Syrian revolt,” he added.
The two archbishops were kidnapped at the hands of gunmen on Monday. Ibrahim picked up Yaziji in his car from a village on the Turkish border and his deacon was driving the vehicle, NNA said.
“When they arrived at the outskirts of the city of Aleppo, an armed group intercepted them and forced them to step out of the car, killing the driver and abducting Ibrahim and Yaziji,” reported the National News Agency.

Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea Demands Govt. Session to Put Immediate Stop to Hizbullah Fighting in Syria
Naharnet/Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea condemned on Tuesday Hizbullah's fighting in Syria alongside the Syrian regime, accusing the party of violating the Baabda Declaration that calls for Lebanon to distance itself from regional crises.He said during a press conference: “The government must hold a session to put an immediate stop to Hizbullah's fighting in Syria.
He explained that the government, despite its caretaking role, is obligated to address the country's national interests, especially when Hizbullah's actions are threatening to drag Lebanon towards the Syrian crisis.
Moreover, he said that Iran is employing Hizbullah in order to defend its expansionist ambitions in the region.
He added: “Iran has taken a strategic decision to fight for the survival of the Syrian regime at the expense of the life of the last Hizbullah fighter.”
“Where is the Lebanese state's position on Hizbullah's involvement and some Lebanese calls for jihad in Syria?” he wondered.
Commenting on Hizbullah demands that the fighters killed in Syria should be recognized as martyrs, Geagea asked: “What about those killed in Akkar and Tripoli? Who tasked the party to defend the Syrian regime and for what purpose?”He then justified his decision to boycott the national dialogue sessions over the past year seeing as the Baabda Declaration, which was adopted during a session in June, has since been violated by Hizbullah, which itself was present at that round of talks.On Monday, Hizbullah official Sheikh Nabil Qaouq has said the party's fighters had a moral and nationalistic duty to protect Lebanese citizens from rebels in villages and towns on the Syrian-Lebanese border. “What Hizbullah is doing regarding this issue is a nationalistic and moral duty in protecting the Lebanese in border villages,” Qaouq, who is the deputy head of the party's executive council, said.
Addressing the case of Syrian refugees in Lebanon, Geagea suggested the formation of buffer zones with Syrian border regions that can harbor the displaced.
These zone should be set up in border areas in Lebanon, Jordan, and Turkey and should be protected by international forces that may allow the refugees to live in peace and dignity, he proposed.
On the efforts to form a new government, Geagea stressed that the new cabinet should be tasked with overseeing the parliamentary elections.
He urged the need to keep the government formation efforts away from discussions on the political distribution of portfolios, which includes the March 14 camp.
“How can the other camp accuse us of seeking to form a one-sided cabinet if we are willing to exclude ourselves from it for the sake of staging the elections?” he asked.
“The new government should be judged according to its policy statement, not the identity of its members,” he stressed.
He therefore suggested that President Michel Suleiman and Prime Minister-designate Tammam Salam come up with a government lineup, which they will then present to the political power who in turn will subject it to a vote of confidence. In addition, Geagea said: “The new policy statement should not include the phrase the army, people, and resistance, but army, people, and Hizbullah because the resistance no longer exists.”
Commenting on the ongoing discussions over a parliamentary electoral law, Geagea remarked that it had emerged in recent weeks that all parties are in agreement over the hybrid law.
The main dispute remains over the details of the law, he added. He then suggested that various versions of the law be subject to a vote at parliament and the version with the most votes be adopted in the elections.
“We must accept democracy in all its forms if we are seeking to hold the elections,” he explained.
Rival lawmakers failed on Tuesday to reach an agreement on a hybrid electoral draft-law after they accused each other of obstructing attempts to achieve consensus on a system that would replace the 1960 law.
The hybrid law combines the winner-takes-all and proportional representation systems.
“There is no longer any need for the subcommittee to continue its meetings. But this doesn't stop the members from continuing consultations among themselves,” MP Robert Ghanem, the chairman of a parliamentary subcommittee, said. The MPs, who represent the major political parties in the subcommittee, had been tasked with agreeing on a new law that would replace the 1960 law that considers the qada an electoral district and is based on the winner-takes-all system. Speaker Nabih Berri had given the subcommittee until May 15 to agree on a new law before calling for a legislative session to reach a breakthrough.

President Gemayel Contacts Sabra, Urges Arab, International Action to Release Archbishops
Naharnet /Phalange Party leader Amin Gemayel contacted on Tuesday caretaker Syrian National Coalition leader George Sabra to address the abduction of Syriac Orthodox Archbishop of Aleppo Youhanna Ibrahim and Greek Orthodox Metropolitan of Aleppo and Iskanderun Boulos al-Yaziji in Syria on Monday. He urged “immediate Arab and international action to save their lives for the sake of the Syrian revolution's reputation.”
He demanded that the countries backing the Syrian opposition and rebels pressure them to prevent similar incidents from taking place in the future. These actions steer the revolt away from its central principles, noted Gemayel. He also called on all sides concerned with the situation in Syria to act to prevent such kidnappings. In addition, the Phalange Party leader noted that the abduction took place on the same day as Sabra, a Christian, was appointed caretaker leader of the National Coalition, saying that it is as if the kidnappers were seeking to target the symbolism of his appointment. Later on Tuesday, Gemayel contacted Patriarch of Antioch and All the East Youhanna X al-Yaziji and Syriac Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch and All the East Ignatius Zakka I Iwas to condemn the kidnapping of the two archbishops. The two clerics were kidnapped at the hands of gunmen on Monday. Ibrahim picked up Yaziji in his car from a village on the Turkish border and his deacon was driving the vehicle, NNA said. “When they arrived at the outskirts of the city of Aleppo, an armed group intercepted them and forced them to step out of the car, killing the driver and abducting Ibrahim and Yaziji,” reported the National News Agency.

Qusayr Battle Pits Syria Rebels against Army, Hizbullah
Naharnet/Fierce clashes pitted Syrian rebels against troops and fighters loyal to Hizbullah in several villages near Qusayr on the border with Lebanon on Tuesday, a watchdog said. Meanwhile, a military source told AFP the army expects to seize the town of Qusayr, a rebel stronghold, "within days." "The army is leading the campaign on the northern and eastern fronts, and Hizbullah is leading the fight on the southern and western fronts," said Syrian Observatory for Human Rights director Rami Abdel Rahman. "The army is advancing in the Qusayr region, and the capture of the city is just days away, at most," the military source said on condition of anonymity.
"The aim is to cleanse the region of terrorists in order to guarantee the safe return of residents" who fled fighting in the area, the source added, using the regime term for rebels. But Abdel Rahman said the rebels' "fierce resistance" to the onslaught would make the army's advance difficult. Rebel "morale is high. They are willing to fight to the death to defend their villages and their city," he said. The Observatory and the opposition say the army is backed by elite fighters from Hizbullah, a staunch backer of President Bashar Assad's regime. Hizbullah says those fighting are Lebanese party members who have lived in Syrian border villages for decades and are defending themselves against "rebel attacks". On Monday, a Hizbullah official described the group's actions as "a national and moral duty in the defense of the Lebanese in border villages". Hizbullah's involvement in Syria's spiraling conflict has been condemned by the Syrian opposition, which views it as a "declaration of war," and by Lebanese opponents of the Shiite movement, who fear Lebanon may be dragged into Syria's conflict. For more than a week, rebels have fired shells hitting the eastern Lebanese Hermel region, a Hizbullah bastion, in what they say is retaliation for strikes by the group. On Tuesday, two new mortar rounds hit the city of Hermel, causing light damage to a house.Source/Agence France Presse.

Mansour: FM Not Obliged to Disclose All Exchanged Diplomatic Letters
Naharnet/Caretaker Foreign Minister Adnan Mansour stressed on Tuesday that official memos exchanged between the ministry and international embassies follow strict diplomatic customs and traditions that "he is keen on abiding by", noting that not all letters must be disclosed. "We receive tens of official memos everyday and the ministry is not obliged to announce anything about them to media outlets,” Mansour said in a meeting with media professionals. "We are doing our job and the ministry executes the cabinet's policy and orders.”The caretaker FM's comments come days after the March 14 opposition alliance criticized not handing Syria's Ambassador to Lebanon Ali Abdul Karim Ali a letter of protest over Syrian violations of Lebanese territories. Meanwhile, top Lebanese officials agreed last Monday to submit to the Arab League a letter of protest condemning the spillover of fire from Syria onto Lebanon.  Mansour remarked: “Many diplomatic visits take place in Lebanon without following necessary customs and this is not acceptable. We have repeatedly pointed out to this issue. Ambassadors cannot ask for holding talks with Lebanese officials. Same goes for political leaders as they must follow the protocol assigned by the foreign ministry.” Syria's Ali denied on Wednesday that Mansour had handed him a letter of protest over the recent cross-border attacks on Lebanon, playing down an attempt to file a complaint with the Arab League. “I haven’t been delivered and will not be handed over any letter of protest from the Lebanese foreign ministry,” Ali told reporters after holding talks with the Mansour. This comes after President Michel Suleiman had tasked in March FM Mansour with sending a letter of protest to Syria over air raids in the northeastern border area that violated Lebanese sovereignty. Suleiman said the air raids were “unacceptable” and “violated Lebanese sovereignty.”Two people were killed and four others wounded when rockets fired from Syria landed in al-Qasr and Hosh al-Sayyed Ali regions in the northeastern Hermel district earlier in April. The rebels claimed to have fired the shells, blaming Hizbullah for firing from Lebanon and positions inside Syria on rebel-held areas in the strife-torn Qusayr area in Syria, near the border.

Suleiman Condemns Abduction of Syrian Archbishops: Such Actions Will Not Achieve Democracy
Naharnet/President Michel Suleiman condemned on Tuesday the kidnapping of Syriac Orthodox Archbishop of Aleppo Youhanna Ibrahim and Greek Orthodox Metropolitan of Aleppo and Iskanderun Boulos al-Yaziji in Syria on Monday, demanding their immediate release. He said: “These actions will not achieve democracy or the goals of the perpetrators.”He also demanded the release of all captives wherever they may be held. Earlier on Tuesday, Grand Mufti Sheikh Mohammed Rashid Qabbani slammed Ibrahim and Yaziji's abduction, saying that the kidnapping of any cleric is aimed at igniting Muslim-Christian strife in Syria, which may spread to the entire region. “This may deliberately or inadvertently tarnish the image of Islam,” he remarked. The two archbishops were kidnapped at the hands of gunmen on Monday. Ibrahim picked up Yaziji in his car from a village on the Turkish border and his deacon was driving the vehicle, NNA said. “When they arrived at the outskirts of the city of Aleppo, an armed group intercepted them and forced them to step out of the car, killing the driver and abducting Ibrahim and Yaziji,” reported the National News Agency.

Spanish FM in Beirut Tuesday for Talks with Senior Officials
Naharnet /Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Garcia-Margolo is due to arrive in Beirut on Tuesday eve for talks with senior Lebanese officials. The FM will arrive in Lebanon via from Cyprus on the first stop of his regional tour, accompanied by a diplomatic delegation.Garcia-Margolo is expected to hold talks with President Michel Suleiman. According to An Nahar newspaper, the western official will address the conditions of Syrian refugees fleeing the turmoil in their country and his country's efforts to cover some of the expenses of hosting them in Lebanon. The diplomat will also meet his counterpart caretaker FM Adnan Mansour. Lebanon appealed in January for $180 million from Arab countries to help it meet the Syrian refugee influx. The Lebanese government, which has promised to keep its border open to refugees, called in early December for 363 million dollars to cope with the influx.The U.N. says more than 70,000 people have been killed in Syria's two-year conflict, which broke out after the army unleashed a brutal crackdown against dissent, turning the uprising into a bloody insurgency.
The number of Syrian refugees in Lebanon have soared to more than 400,000 the U.N.'s refugee body said in a recent report.Garcia-Margolo will also tackle the tasks undertaken by United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon, An Nahar reported.Spain contributes with 701 peacekeeping troops affiliated in the UNIFIL, according to the U.N.'s website.

Rhetoric rises over Hezbollah role in Syria
Now Lebanon/Activists said Hezbollah is leading the fight in Syria’s Al-Qusayr area, which Assad reportedly termed “the main battle”
prevnextSyria's opposition warned on Monday that Hezbollah's role in fighting in Homs province amounts to a "declaration of war," while the Shiite group said it was fulfilling a “national and moral duty.” The comments came as a watchdog said Hezbollah was leading the battle in the Al-Qusayr area of Homs, which Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has reportedly termed "the main battle" his troops are currently fighting.
"What is happening in Homs is a declaration of war against the Syrian people and the Arab League should deal with it on this basis," said George Sabra, the interim chief of the opposition National Coalition.
"The Lebanese president and the Lebanese government should realize the danger that it poses to the lives of Syrians and the future relations between the two peoples and countries," he told a news conference in Istanbul.
"We hope that the brotherly Lebanese people will raise their voices against the murder of free Syrians," said Sabra, shortly after his appointment was announced.
"We call in particular on our Shiite Lebanese brothers to stop their sons from going to kill Syrians and becoming victims of the conflict as well," he added.
Hezbollah is a close ally of the Assad regime, but has defended any involvement of its forces in Syria as a bid to protect Lebanese citizens in a string of villages inside the war-torn country.
"What Hezbollah is doing with regard to this issue is a national and moral duty in the defense of the Lebanese in border villages," Lebanon's official news agency quoted senior Hezbollah leader Sheikh Nabil Qaouq as saying on Monday.
"To those who ask us to allow our brothers in these border villages to be victims of murders, kidnaps, massacres and expulsions, I respond to you: 'Can we leave these Lebanese hostage to this situation?" he added.
"Hezbollah's martyrs are the martyrs of the entire nation because they are defending their Lebanese compatriots," he said at a ceremony marking a week since the death of a Hezbollah fighter killed in Syria.
Meanwhile, Sunni Sheikh Ahmad al-Assir late Monday urged Muslims and the Lebanese people to fight alongside the rebels in Syria and announced the formation of the “Free Resistance Brigades.”“Jihad in Syria is a must – especially in Al-Qusayr – for all those Lebanese who can,” Assir said during a press conference on Monday.
He also called for the creation of “secret armed groups for self-defense in case [Hezbollah chief Sayyed Hassan] Nasrallah decides to start killing in Lebanon as he is doing in Syria.”
The firebrand Sunni cleric rose to prominence for his outspoken opposition to the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his calls for disarming Hezbollah.
Fighting has raged in the Al-Qusayr area of the central province of Homs for days, with regime troops winning control of a series of strategic villages in the area during the weekend.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights watchdog said Hezbollah forces were leading the battle in the area.
"It's Hezbollah that is leading the battle in Al-Qusayr, with its elite forces," Observatory director Rami Abdel Rahman told AFP.
"It's not necessarily fighters coming from Lebanon. It's Hezbollah fighters from Shiite villages on the Syrian side which are inhabited by Lebanese," he said. The area is of strategic importance because it runs along the border with Lebanon and is near the route from Damascus to the coast. The regime's capture of several villages in the area has raised fears among rebels that the town of Al-Qusayr -- an opposition stronghold -- could also fall.
At the weekend, Assad himself reportedly referred to the importance of the fighting in the area, calling it "the main battle" his troops were engaged in.
"The main battle is taking place in Al-Qusayr," the Syrian leader told a visiting Lebanese delegation, according to Abdel Rahim Mrad, a former Lebanese MP among the group.
"We want to finish it at any cost and we want to do the same in Idlib," a province on the Turkish border in the northwest which is a major rebel stronghold.