LCCC NEWS BULLETIN
MARCH 18/2006

Below news from miscellaneous sources for17/04/06
Pope Leads Candelit Easter Vigil Mass -AFP
Pope urges talks with Iran over nuclear crisis in Easter message -AP
Lebanese PM to lobby Pres. Bush on Israeli withdrawal from Shaba-Ha'aretz
Hezbollah Links Plot to Clashes in Iraq-Washington Post
Mottaki: US can no more dictate its policies to others-IRNA
Trade Shaba Farms for peace with Lebanon-IsraPundit
Remember how we got here before the bombs fall on Iran-Scotsman
US 'fuelling a civil war-Gulf Daily News
Beirut seeks US help over forum-Gulf Daily News
Lawsuit Filed Against Syria on Behalf of Long-Imprisoned US-Arutz Sheva
Syria defers trial of opposition leader-Khaleej Times
Iran a major obstacle in way of materialization of US objectives - IRNA
EC chairman leaves Syria for Kuwait-IRNA
BROTHERS IN ARMS-The Media Line
Rafsanjani rejects possible US attack on Iran-DailyIndia.com
Free World has an obligation to protect Egypt's Christian-Los Angeles Chronicle-
The Free World has an obligation to protect Egypt's Christian-World Forum 
Free World has an obligation-Judeoscope.ca

Pope Leads Candelit Easter Vigil Mass
By NICOLE WINFIELD, Associated Press Writer
Sat Apr 15,
VATICAN CITY - Pope Benedict XVI ushered in Easter services late Saturday with a dramatic, candlelit vigil in St. Peter's Basilica, saying Christ's resurrection was "the most crucial leap" in the history of mankind.
The bells of St. Peter's tolled across Rome as midnight approached to herald in Easter, when the faithful celebrate the resurrection of Jesus after his crucifixion on Good Friday.
This year, Easter Sunday also coincides with Benedict's 79th birthday.
At the start of Saturday night's lengthy vigil, Benedict entered the darkened basilica in silence, holding in front of him a single white candle. Its flame was then shared with others until slowly the whole basilica began to twinkle with candles held by the thousands of faithful gathered for the chant-filled service.
During his homily, a tired-looking Benedict said some people wrongly believe that the miracle of Jesus' resurrection did not concern ordinary men.
"If we may borrow the language of the theory of evolution, it is the greatest 'mutation,' absolutely the most crucial leap into a totally new dimension that there has ever been in the long history of life and its development: a leap into a completely new order which does concern us, and concerns the whole of history," he said in response.
During the service, Benedict baptized seven people — a rite he said was more than a simple washing or purification of the soul.
"It is truly death and resurrection, rebirth, transformation to a new life," he said.
Benedict had just a few hours to rest before he celebrates Easter Mass in St. Peter's Square on Sunday.
After the Mass, he will move to the central balcony of the basilica to deliver the traditional "Urbi et Orbi" speech — Latin for "to the city and to the world" — and give a blessing and greetings.
Benedict led a Good Friday Way of the Cross evening procession at Rome's Colosseum in which he denounced "threats" to the institution of the family and lamented the divide between the world's rich and poor.
The busy Holy Week ceremonies were Benedict's first since being elected pope a few weeks after Easter in 2005. After they end, he planned to take a few days rest at the papal summer residence in Castel Gandolfo, in the hills south of Rome.
Last year, the ailing John Paul was forced to sit out Easter ceremonies for the first time in his papacy, which began in 1978. John Paul tried to speak but failed from his window overlooking the square on Easter, 2005. In one of his last public gestures, he blessed the faithful with his hand but was unable to utter a word.

Pope urges talks with Iran over nuclear crisis in Easter message
VATICAN CITY (AFP) - Pope Benedict XVI called for peace across the world in his first Easter message, his 79th birthday, highlighting particular concern over Iran's nuclear drive and conflicts and poverty across the globe.
An estimated 80,000 pilgrims packed St Peter's Square and nearby streets as Benedict led his first Easter Sunday mass as pope, and later greeted Catholics around the world in his "Urbi et Orbi" (to the city and the world) message.
In a veiled reference to Iran's nuclear standoff with the international community, he called for "serious and honest" talks which would help achieve "an honourable solution" for all parties.
He urged that peace would "finally prevail" in Iraq, where violence "continues mercilessly to claim victims."
Benedict said he was praying that leaders and international organisations "be strengthened in their will to achieve peaceful coexistence among different races, cultures and religions, in order to remove the threat of terrorism."
Similarly, "patient and persevering dialogue" was needed in the Middle East, "to remove both ancient and new obstacles."
"May the international community, which reaffirms Israel's just right to exist in peace, assist the Palestinian people to overcome the precarious conditions in which they live and to build their future, moving towards the constitution of a state that is truly their own."
Much of his appeal focused on Africa, particularly Sudan's troubled Darfur region, where he said the humanitarian situation was "no longer sustainable".
The pontiff lamented that "many wounds have yet to be healed" across the continent, particularly in the Great Lakes region, the Horn of Africa, the Ivory Coast, Uganda, Zimbabwe and other nations "which aspire to reconciliation, justice and progress."
The huge crowd of pilgrims and tourists applauded when the pope prayed for "harmony" in Italy. Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi is refusing to concede defeat to the leftist opposition leader Romano Prodi after a disputed general election. The country's supreme court is to give its verdict on the winner next week after a partial recount of disputed votes.
The pope looked tired after just a few hours sleep following an Easter vigil which ended early Sunday.
An Italian Carabinieri band and the band of the Swiss Guards played as Benedict, celebrating his 79th birthday, led dozens of cardinals onto the square at the start of the mass, waving to the cheering crowd as he walked.
The square had been brightly decorated with a huge floral display of yellow and white flowers, the colours of the Vatican, to mark the most joyous day of the Christian calendar, the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
"Dear brothers and sisters, Christ is Risen!" a smiling Benedict told cheering pilgrims from the central balcony of St Peter's cathedral, from where he pronounced his "Urbi et Orbi" message after the mass.
As a brisk spring breeze ruffled the pontiff's cream and gold vestments, he addressed Catholics around the world in 62 languages, from Malay to Maltese, Swedish to Swahili. The pilgrims and tourists reserved their biggest cheer for the moment he spoke in his native German.

Lebanese PM to lobby Pres. Bush on Israeli withdrawal from Shaba
By Reuters -BEIRUT - Lebanon's prime minister said yesterday that he would be asking U.S. President George Bush to put pressure on Israel to pull out of a border strip and thus enable his government to extend its authority over all Lebanese land. Fouad Siniora, a member of Lebanon's anti-Syrian majority coalition, will meet Bush in Washington on Tuesday.
"We would expect the United States to extend its real support to Lebanon and this would help Lebanon to re-emphasize and reconfirm its sovereignty and its independence," Siniora said in an interview at his office in central Beirut.
"This would allow the government to maintain its role in the region as a beacon of democracy."
Lebanon says the Israeli-occupied border area of Shaba Farms is Lebanese territory and Israel's 2000 pullout from south Lebanon was incomplete. Israel and the United Nations say the area is Syrian.
"I'm going to present to President Bush our case... Israel has to withdraw from the Shaba Farms and has to stop violating our airspace and water," Siniora said. This was essential if the Lebanese government was "to become the sole monopoly of holding weapons in the country" and would help Lebanese reach a consensus on how to defend their country, he added.
"Very important as well is to seek the support of President Bush so that Lebanon will not become in any way a ball in the courtyard of others or... a courtyard for the confrontations of others in the region," Siniora said. Lebanon's rival leaders are engaged in a "national dialogue" aimed at resolving the country's political crisis, the worst since the end of the 1975-1990 civil war. One key issue is the disarming of Hezbollah, which is supported by Syria and Iran. The Shi'ite Muslim group says its weapons are still required to liberate Shaba Farms and to defend Lebanon against any Israeli threats.

Hezbollah Links Plot to Clashes in Iraq
By HAMZA HENDAWI-The Associated Press -Saturday, April 15, 2006; 3:26 PM
BEIRUT, Lebanon -- A senior Hezbollah official said nine men charged with plotting to assassinate the Shiite Muslim group's leader wanted to avenge killings of fellow Sunnis in Iraq, an ominous sign that the sectarian bloodshed may be spilling over into the region. Government officials declined Saturday to confirm the report, but such a spillover would be particularly worrisome in Lebanon, where a fragile balance among Shiites, Sunnis, Christians and other sects is already under strain from tensions over relations with neighboring Syria. Hezbollah leader Sheik Hassan Nasrallah gestures during a speech in front of supporters, in a suburb south of Beirut, Lebanon, late Friday, April 14, 2006. Nine people arrested for allegedly plotting to assassinate the leader of the Shiite Muslim Hezbollah group are Sunni Muslim militants who wanted to avenge the killing of fellow Sunnis in Iraq, a senior Hezbollah official said.
The target of the alleged plot, Sheik Hassan Nasrallah, is striving to avert any rift, saying late Friday that he would not blame Lebanon's Sunnis if the conspirators were shown to be motivated by Sunni militancy.
"We don't seek a vendetta and we don't seek revenge," he told thousands of supporters in a suburb south of Beirut while urging all Lebanese to work together on "civil peace, coexistence and state-building."
A top Hezbollah official, Sheik Mohammed Kawthrani, told The Associated Press late Friday that the nine men arrested early last week were "Salafists who saw in Sheik Nasrallah a good Shiite target to avenge the death of Sunnis in Iraq."
"Salafists" is the term used for radical Sunni Muslims who follow a strict interpretation of Islam and view Shiites as heretics. They are blamed for most of the bombings, kidnappings and killings targeted at Iraq's Shiites. Al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden and Jordanian-born Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, Iraq's most wanted terrorist, are considered Salafists.
A judicial official said Saturday that authorities could not comment on the plot's motivation because they were still interrogating the nine men charged Tuesday, who are mostly Lebanese. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the case.
Nasrallah has had little direct connection to the conflict in Iraq, which has been strained by a cycle of revenge killings between Shiites and Sunnis in recent weeks.
An attempt to kill him in the name of Sunni revenge could suggest a troubling turn for two communities that have been divided for centuries.
Shiites are a minority in most Arab states, but they are a majority in Iraq, and the defeat of Saddam Hussein's Sunni-led regime has intensified tensions over the religious rift as Shiites there have gained power. Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak angered Shiites across the region recently by saying they are more loyal to Shiite-dominated Iran than their own Arab nations.
An assassination of Nasrallah also would be a heavy blow to the delicate stability of Lebanon, an ethnically and religiously diverse nation where a devastating 15 years of civil war ended in 1990.
Tensions already are at levels not seen since the end of the war because of last year's assassination of former prime minister Rafik Hariri, a Sunni. Many Sunnis and Christians blame neighboring Syria, while Hezbollah and other Shiite groups are Syria's closest allies here.Still, Shiite leaders have sought to calm frictions with Sunnis, who with Shiites account for about two-thirds of Lebanon's 3.5 million people.Grand Ayatollah Mohammed Hussein Fadlallah, the country's top Shiite cleric, insisted in an AP interview this week that Shiite-Sunni violence in Iraq would not shake "the realities on the ground between Sunnis and Shiites in Lebanon." Ibrahim Bayram, a prominent Shiite author who writes for Lebanon's leading newspaper, An-Nahar, said Hezbollah views Sunnis as potential allies who could give the Iranian-backed group an opening to a Sunni-dominated Arab world suspicious of Iran. "A main challenge for Hezbollah is to win over the Sunnis," he said. "Hezbollah believes that winning over everyone in Lebanon and not the Sunnis would amount to nothing."
**Associated Press writer Zeina Karam contributed to this report

Mottaki: US can no more dictate its policies to others
Tehran, April 15, IRNA -Iran-Palestine-Mottaki
Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said here Saturday that the US can no more dictate its policies to the people in the Middle East region. Mottaki made the remarks in his meeting with Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri on the sidelines of the Third International Conference on Qods and Support for the Rights of Palestinian People, kicked off here Friday evening with a keynote speech by the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei.
At the meeting, Mottaki said it is the nations who make decisions for themselves and the alien powers cannot decide on their fate any more. The behavior of the Americans and the Zionist regime in dealing with Palestine elections which resulted in Hamas victory was was in full inconformity with the mottos chanted in support of democracy and human rights, he said.
Cutting financial aids to Hamas movement and the new Palestinian government by Americans and European,s indicated that they never pursue democratic rules in free elections, Mottaki pointed out. Victory of Hamas movement in the recent election in Palestine led to their defeat in the country, he said.
Calling the current relations between Iran and Lebanon as very good and developing, he underlined the need for further expansion and deepening of such ties between the two countries.
The Lebanese parliament speaker, for his part, lauded Iran's efforts in rendering assistance to Palestinian nation and called holding such conference a significant move in defending the legitimate rights of Palestinians against crimes and atrocities of the Zionist occupiers. Adopting a united stand among various political wings in Lebanon has led to forge solidarity between the Lebanese government and its parliament, he said. He also congratulated the Iranian scientists for their grave scientific achievements which joined the country to the top ten nuclear power countries in the world. In conclusion, he thanked the Iranian officials for holding the Third International Conference on Qods and Support for the Rights of Palestinian People.

Remember how we got here before the bombs fall on Iran
BRIAN WILSON-I HAVE been in few houses more redolent of history than the British Embassy residence in Tehran where Churchill, Roosevelt and Stalin met in 1943 to pledge common cause against the German foe and start planning the post-war world; primarily on that occasion, the carve-up of Poland. In passing, their communique also recognised the role of Iran as a faithful ally and pledged them to its "independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity".
The interior features are largely unchanged, so that they match exactly the setting depicted in the famous pictures of the three leaders. Real, practical history was made there and Tehran was no inadvertent venue for their conference. Iran's co-operation was crucial to the supply routes from the west to Russia. In 1941, a joint British-Russian occupation secured the country for the Allies and was followed by the elevation of an avowedly pro-western Shah. When the war ended, the Russians pulled out as part of the overall settlement and Iran returned to Western hegemony.
Ah, such straightforward, uncomplicated days. Britain had been the dominant force in Iran since oil was discovered in 1909. But our commitment to its "independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity" soon proved to be wholly conditional on who was running the place. In 1950, the long-suffering Iranians had a brief taste of democratic government under Dr Mohammed Mosadeq, who promptly set about nationalising the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company, which was the forerunner of BP.
The British and Americans smelt communism, plotted Mosadeq's overthrow and in a 1953 coup restored the Shah, who then, over the next 25 years, became an increasingly dictatorial and reviled - though unarguably pro-Western - ruler. Hardly surprisingly, his next removal was not at the hands of a progressive secularist but the religious fundamentalists, led by the Ayatollah Khomeini. As Denis Healey wrote: "By involving the Shah in an alliance against the Soviet Union, by supporting his secular dictatorship against the mullahs and by organising the overthrow of Mosadeq in 1953, Britain and the US made it inevitable that anti-Western Muslim Fundamentalists would ultimately take over in Iran".
At that point, it might have seemed prudent to leave the Iranians alone for a while to sort out their own affairs, even if the Ayatollah was a bit of an old rabble-rouser. Not a bit of it. The enemy of our enemy was our friend, so we backed a chap called Saddam Hussein to invade Iran and there followed a war that cost maybe a million lives. The war ended in what might be described as a high-scoring draw so that the Iranians remained in their theocratic state while Iraq found itself fatally and fatefully lumbered with Saddam Hussein. Not a great result.
Notwithstanding all this adversity, Iran is a pretty dynamic place. Just because it was run by religious zealots, with the splendidly entitled Supreme Ruler at the pinnacle, that does not mean that it was a homogenous hotbed of fanaticism - far from it. Indeed, I have never been anywhere that has such an aura of parallel societies in which all you see, in terms of clerical domination, is clearly not all that exists. The highly creative Iranian cinema and a relatively free press became recent symbols of that diversity under the rule of President Khatami.
None of this meant Iran was not well worth the watching. And matters took a definite turn for the worse when our new bogeyman, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, replaced Khatami last year. But elected he was - and however bad news that may be for the West, be assured it is even worse for the vast numbers of Iranians who yearn for a different kind of society. Maybe not exactly the materialistic one they see on their televisions or learn about from the internet. But certainly not the authoritarian, bombastic theocracy they are again lumbered with either.
These people - and there are a lot of them - are not our natural enemies. Half of Iran's 70 million population are aged under 25. The idea that anyone, even in the maddest corner of the Pentagon, is talking about bombing them, or even, in the really extreme closets, nuking their installations, frightens me a great deal more than the wild rhetoric and noisy claims that are emanating from President Ahmadinejad. If his unsubstantiated boasts about nuclear capacity are meant to wind up Washington and rally his own people in response to bellicose threats, he seems to be succeeding admirably.
Jack Straw has described a military attack on Iran as "inconceivable" and I hope he holds firmly to that line. I am under no illusions about the unpleasantness of the Iranian regime or its deep complicity in exporting terrorism to Lebanon, Palestine, Iraq and anywhere else it sees an opportunity. Constraining these activities is an entirely legitimate objective and one that should be pursued through international diplomacy. Countries such as China and Russia have at least as big a stake in Iran's stability as we do.
But Iran is also a country with its own internal political and demographic dynamic. Just as its form of government has changed dramatically in the past, so it will in the future. The idea that the United States can or should dictate the pace and nature of that change, particularly through the use of military force, is as futile as it is abhorrent. And anyone who doubts that should consult the disastrous history of post-war meddling in a country that might otherwise have been stable, secular - and possibly even friendly.
Maybe this is the occasion for that rare animal, an independent British foreign policy, to reassert itself and for the British Embassy in Tehran to again become a centre-piece, rather than bit player, in great events.
This article: http://news.scotsman.com/opinion.cfm?id=577002006 Last updated: 15-Apr-06 00:12

US 'fuelling a civil war'
Gulf Daily News 15/4/06: BEIRUT: The leader of the Lebanese radical Shi'ite group Hezbollah has accused the US of plotting another civil war in Lebanon, local media said yesterday.
"America's real plan is to fuel a civil war, while the national plan is for all Lebanese to live in peace with one another," Hassan Nasrallah said during a speech to mark the 31st anniversary of the country's 1975-1990 civil war.
"There will be no return to civil war. All the political powers as well as the media must work to reduce religious tensions and make everyone understand that they will not allow Lebanon to be destroyed again."
Nasrallah's comments came ahead of trip to Washington planned for next week by Prime Minister Fuad Siniora.
The United States was at the forefront of UN efforts that forced the withdrawal of Syrian troops from Lebanon in April 2005, and advance an international probe into the February 2005 murder of ex-premier Rafiq Hariri.
Nasrallah, whose movement has strong ties to Tehran and Damascus, also said he planned to participate in the resumption of "national dialogue" talks aimed at digging the country out of political crisis.
"We have no other choice but to pursue this dialogue despite the dangers to our security," Nasrallah said.
Hezbollah's armed status is a key point of contention. The group, which patrols southern Lebanon in the name of resistance to Israel, has been called on to disarm by UN Security Council Resolution 1559. The discussions among leaders of various political and religious factions began in early March and are to resume April 28. One local newspaper, As-Safir, reported on Monday that nine suspects had been arrested in connection with an alleged plot to assassinate Nasrallah, which was to take place when he arrived at the meeting on April 28. The fate of embattled pro-Syrian President Emile Lahoud, whose mandate was controversially extended under Syrian pressure in 2004, is also a predominant topic in the talks. The anti-Syrian parliamentary majority elected last year has repeatedly called for Lahoud to step down before his term ends in 2007, calls the president has refused. "Either we reach an agreement (on a successor to Lahoud), or there will be no such agreement in which case the majority as well as the government must accept cohabitation with President Lahoud, in the interest of the country, until the end of his mandate," Nasrallah said.

Beirut seeks US help over forum
Gulf Daily News 15/4/06: BEIRUT: Lebanon will seek support from the United States to hold an international donor conference to help the Arab state curb its public debt of around $36 billion and boost growth, Prime Minister Fouad Siniora said yesterday. The government has vowed to present a package of economic reforms to potential lenders at the conference, including the long-delayed privatisation of public assets and measures to curb fiscal spending and increase revenues.
Siniora, who will meet President George W Bush on Tuesday in Washington, said the US support was key to help Lebanon resuscitate its economy, hit after last year's killing of former prime minister and billionaire Rafiq Hariri.
"This will help Lebanon overcome the economic difficulties that have been accumulating over the past 30 years," he said in an interview at the government's house in central Beirut.
"The United States is a key player in this respect and has a convincing power on several friendly nations to contribute.
"Lebanon has waited (on the reforms) for so long and the cost and the losses are rising," he said.
Political wrangling among rival factions over the past several months has delayed the conference, which was expected to take place in Beirut late in 2005. Lebanon's public debt, mostly accumulated after the 1975-1990 civil war, is worth almost twice the country's gross domestic product - one of the heftiest in the world. The country began restructuring its debt after an aid conference in 2002 resulted in about $4bn in cheaper loans.

Lawsuit Filed Against Syria on Behalf of Long-Imprisoned US Citizen
11:11 Apr 16, '06 / 18 Nisan 5766
(IsraelNN.com) The family of a Brooklyn-born man who went missing in battle almost 24 years ago has filed a lawsuit in a US court against top members of the Syrian government for imprisoning their son and keeping him incommunicado for nearly a quarter of a century. Zachary Baumel was captured on June 11, 1982 while serving in the IDF during the Battle of Sultan Yaakoub. According to eyewitness accounts, he was taken prisoner with two other Israeli soldiers – the three later become known as the Israeli MIAs -- and paraded through the streets of Damascus on top of their disabled tank. Photographic evidence showed that tank later being transported to Damascus on a flat bed truck. To the best of anyone’s knowledge, Zachary has been held by Syria ever since. “Over the years, a wealth of information has accrued that the Syrian Government is directly responsible in this case,” said Yona Baumel, Zack’s father. “Our aim is not to obtain a financial judgment, but to get access to the MIAs. By hitting the Syrians were it hurts, in their pocketbooks, we hope to obtain positive results where all other methods have failed. The government of Syria has repeatedly refused to cooperate with a wide array of intermediaries for the United States and with international intermediaries trying to ascertain MIA Baumel's whereabouts and condition.

Syria defers trial of opposition leader
(Agencies)16 April 2006
DAMASCUS — The head of Syrian National Human Rights Organisation, Ammr Al Qarbi, announced that the military court in Damascus has postponed the trial of Hassan Abdul Azim, spokesman for the National Democratic Opposition Movement, till May 18. The reason for such a postponement is for subpoenaing witnesses. Abdul Azim is charged with publishing unlicensed publications and this charge may make him spend a jail term varying between three months and three years.
The advocate of the accused had passed a second defending memo on March 16 confirming that his political party, Arab Democratic Socialist Union, is considered a semi-authenticated political party and is a well-known after holding celebrations two months ago at Doma, about 20km northeast of Damascus, attended by some security officials.

Iran a major obstacle in way of materialization of US objectives:
April 16, IRNA
Visiting Expediency Council (EC) Chairman Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani said here Saturday evening that the Islamic Republic of Iran constitutes a major obstacle in the way of materialization of US and Zionist objectives in the region.
Addressing a group of Iranian students studying in various Syrian universities, he said the US and Zionist regime have forged extensive programs in Syria, Iraq, Lebanon and Afghanistan to promote their interests and are following these up.
Their requests and agenda are laid down in the Greater Middle East Plan, he added.
"Today the path to real confrontation has been laid out. We hope we can pass through this dangerous situation successfully with the help of the government's wise policies," Rafsanjani reiterated. After Iranians have passed this situation successfully, they will be in a much better situation and will see notable development in their country, he noted.
Iran is in a very sensitive situation at present, he reiterated, and urged the government to fine tune its programs toward development for the country. But he cautioned that the enemy would try to create obstacles toward realization of its development goals. Rafsanjani, heading a delegation, arrived in Damascus on Wednesday to meet and confer with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. On Sunday he will proceed to Kuwait, where he will meet with senior Kuwaiti officials on issues of mutual interest.

EC chairman leaves Syria for Kuwait
Damascus, April 16, IRNA
Iran's Expediency Council (EC) Chairman Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani wound up his four-day visit to Syria and left Damascus for Kuwait Sunday morning. Rafsanjani was seen off by Syrian First Vice-President Farouk al-Shara.
During his stay in Damascus, Rafsanjani met and conferred with President Bashar al-Assad, Vice-President al-Shara, Prime Minister Muhammed Naji al-Otari, a number of political and religious figures as well as various Lebanese and Palestinian personalities on bilateral, regional and international issues, particularly those affecting the world of Islam, Palestine, Iraq and Lebanon. He also inspected several industrial projects underway in Syria and visited a number of historical and religious monuments. In Kuwait, Rafsanjani will meet the country's emir, prime minister, parliament speaker, tradesmen, Kuwaiti and Iranian scholars as well as chiefs of the local media and press.