LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
August 28/07

Bible Reading of the day
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 23,13-22. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You lock the kingdom of heaven before human beings. You do not enter yourselves, nor do you allow entrance to those trying to enter.) Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You traverse sea and land to make one convert, and when that happens you make him a child of Gehenna twice as much as yourselves. Woe to you, blind guides, who say, 'If one swears by the temple, it means nothing, but if one swears by the gold of the temple, one is obligated.' Blind fools, which is greater, the gold, or the temple that made the gold sacred? And you say, 'If one swears by the altar, it means nothing, but if one swears by the gift on the altar, one is obligated.' You blind ones, which is greater, the gift, or the altar that makes the gift sacred? One who swears by the altar swears by it and all that is upon it; one who swears by the temple swears by it and by him who dwells in it; one who swears by heaven swears by the throne of God and by him who is seated on it.

Opinions
Lebanon looks to its Maronite patriarch to fill the void of leadership.The Daily Star.August 27/07

Latest News Reports From Miscellaneous Sources for August 27/07
Sarkozy for Dialogue with Syria if Damascus Facilitates Lebanese Presidential Elections
Israeli defense minister: Hezbollah rocket arsenal bigger now than ...International Herald Tribune
Fatfat Confirms UAE, Saudi Embassies Received Threats
French FM tells Syria to stay out of Lebanon.AFP
PSP Challenges MP Skaff to Prove He Did Not Sell Land to Iran-Naharnet
Fatfat Confirms UAE, Saudi Embassies Received Threats-Naharnet
France Willing to Open Up to Syria if it Stops Meddling in Lebanon-Naharnet
Khoja Tells of Terrorist Plot Against Saudi Interests Before Leaving Beirut-Naharnet
Lebanese Army Geared Up for Final Crackdown on Fatah al Islam.Naharnet
Lebanon militants request evacuation of wounded.Reuters
Israel takes Lebanon war panel's advice: officials.Reuters Canada
Sunnis Rally in Support for Threatened Saudi Ambassador-Naharnet
Israel ignores plight of former teen 'agent'.Ha'aretz
Deceptive calm.Jerusalem Post
France open to Syria ties if it stops meddling.(AFP)
Saudi ambassador leaves Lebanon following threats-Daily Star
3 Lebanese Army soldiers die in battle in Nahr al-Bared-Daily Star
PSP demands Skaff prove he did not sell land to Iran-Daily Star
Sfeir denounces 'overly tense' political rhetoric-Daily Star
Cousseran 'will not be pessimistic' despite unfruitful mission to Beirut-Daily Star
Fadlallah warns chaos in Lebanon could spread-Daily Star
Jumblatt vows his coalition 'will not surrender'-Daily Star
Political stalemate takes heavy toll on Lebanese economy-Daily Star
German music school brings new methods to Beirut-Daily Star
Organic market promotes Lebanese-grown Indian figs-Daily Star
Revenge killing leaves man, mother dead-Daily Star

France Willing to Open Up to Syria if it Stops Meddling in Lebanon
French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner said in a newspaper interview Sunday that Paris is ready to open up in a "spectacular way" to Syria if it stays out of Lebanon. Kouchner said he hoped that Syria would "not create obstacles to Lebanon's sovereignty" when it holds presidential elections in September to choose a successor to pro-Syrian President Emile Lahoud. "If Syria does not create obstacles to Lebanon's sovereignty (...) then France will open up to Damascus in a spectacular way," Kouchner said in the popular Le Parisien newspaper. "But for this to happen, we would need guarantees," he added, without elaborating. Lebanon faces a test during the election by parliament of the new head of state between September 24 and November 24 that will pit the government to the opposition, backed by Syria and Iran. Kouchner did not rule out visiting Iran. "Why not, if it can be useful to advance peace?," he said. But he added that France remained adamant in demanding that Tehran give up its nuclear ambitions saying a nuclear-armed Iran would pose "a great danger."(AFP) Beirut, 26 Aug 07, 15:45

France ready to open up in a "spectacular way"
French FM tells Syria to stay out of Lebanon
PARIS (AFP)
France is ready to open up in a "spectacular way" to Syria if it stops meddling in Lebanon and would also be willing to talk to Iran, Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner said in a newspaper interview Sunday.
Kouchner said he hoped that Syria would "not create obstacles to Lebanon's sovereignty" when it holds presidential elections beginning next month to choose a successor to pro-Syrian president Emile Lahoud.
"If Syria does not create obstacles to Lebanon's sovereignty... then France will open up to Damascus in a spectacular way," Kouchner said in the popular Le Parisien newspaper. "But for this to happen, we would need guarantees," he added, without elaborating. Lebanon faces a test during the election by parliament of the new president between September 24 and November 24 that will pit the pro-western government to the opposition, backed by Syria and Iran. Kouchner did not rule out visiting Iran. "Why not, if it can be useful to advance peace?" he said. But he added that France remained adamant in demanding that Tehran give up its nuclear ambitions saying a nuclear-armed Iran would pose "a great danger."

Lebanese Army Geared Up for Final Crackdown on Fatah al-Islam
Lebanese troops on Sunday were geared up for a final crackdown on Fatah al-Islam militants holed up for months in the northern Palestinian refugee camp of Nahr al-Bared following the evacuation of the last women and children. Palestinian Ulemas, or clerics, sought a way out for wounded fighters in last-minute negotiations, an army spokesman forecast: "The strikes against the militants will become more intense." The wives and children of the remaining Fatah al-Islam militants were evacuated on Friday and there had since been some "close quarter combat," the army spokesman said, anticipating an unhindered all-out attack.
"Before, we were more cautious because of the presence of women and children. That will no longer be the case," he said. Sunday also saw heightened sniper fire directed at the soldiers, an AFP correspondent on the scene reported. One of the clerics, requesting anonymity, said the rally of Palestinian Ulemas had been contacted by the militants' spokesman, Abu Salim Taha, to negotiate the evacuation of the wounded "who number eight or nine." "We are on the point of reaching an agreement," the cleric said. "It's a matter of finalizing the last details on time and method of evacuation." It was Taha who, after several unsuccessful efforts at mediation between the Islamists and the army, contacted the clerics over securing safe passage out of the camp for the Islamists' wives and children -- a total of 63 people.
An army spokesman said that information from those evacuated could help the army in its final showdown with the militants who have been in a standoff with the troops since May 20. Two more Lebanese soldiers were killed in fighting on Saturday, taking the army's death toll in the three-month confrontation to 148. AFP-Naharnet Beirut, 26 Aug 07, 18:01

Khoja Tells of Terrorist Plot Against Saudi Interests Before Leaving Beirut
The ambassador of Saudi Arabia to Lebanon Abdul Aziz Khoja has left Beirut following threats of an imminent attack targeting him, a senior Lebanese official said Saturday. Khoja left on August 17 after the embassy formally notified the Lebanese foreign ministry of a "threat of attack against the ambassador's residence, the embassy or other Saudi interests in Lebanon," the official said. The Saudi embassy declined comment but an Arab diplomat confirmed the details.
The embassy cited warnings from the Saudi intelligence services that a stolen BMW was being readied to commit "a terrorist act against Saudi interests in Lebanon," the diplomat said. Oil-rich Saudi Arabia is a key financier of Lebanon and a staunch backer of the Prime Minister Fouad Saniora's majority government.
Khoja had been involved in efforts to broker an end to the rift with pro-Syrian factions that has paralyzed Saniora's legislative agenda.
Early last week, he held talks with the pro-Syrian speaker of parliament, Nabih Berri, who has refused to recognize the Saniora government since six pro-Syrian ministers quit in November. Lebanon has been hit by a wave of attacks in recent years targeting anti-Syrian politicians, most infamously the 2005 murder of five-time Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, a billionaire businessman who held joint Lebanese and Saudi citizenship.(AFP-Naharnet)Beirut, 25 Aug 07, 12:16

UAE, Saudi Ambassadors Reportedly Received 'Direct' Death Threats
Saudi and the United Arab Emirates ambassadors to Lebanon have both received "direct" death threats, Future television reported Sunday.
The TV, mouthpiece of MP Saad Hariri's Future Movement, said that Saudi ambassador to Lebanon Abdul Aziz Khoja and his UAE counterpart Mohammed Sultan al-Suwaidi had both received direct threats against their lives. It gave no other details and there was no immediate confirmation of the report.
Khoja, according to a senior Lebanese official, left Lebanon on August 17 after the embassy formally notified the Lebanese foreign ministry of a "threat of attack against the ambassador's residence, the embassy or other Saudi interests in Lebanon." The Saudi embassy declined comment but an Arab diplomat confirmed the details.
The embassy cited warnings from the Saudi intelligence services that a stolen BMW was being readied to commit "a terrorist act against Saudi interests in Lebanon," the diplomat said. Oil-rich Saudi Arabia is a key financier of Lebanon and a staunch backer of the Prime Minister Fouad Saniora's majority government.
Khoja had been involved in efforts to broker an end to the rift with pro-Syrian factions that has paralyzed Saniora's legislative agenda.
Early last week, he held talks with the pro-Syrian speaker of parliament, Nabih Berri, who has refused to recognize the Saniora government since six pro-Syrian ministers quit in November. Lebanon has been hit by a wave of attacks in recent years targeting anti-Syrian politicians, most infamously the 2005 murder of five-time Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, a billionaire businessman who held joint Lebanese and Saudi citizenship.(Naharnet-AFP) Beirut, 26 Aug 07, 13:20

Fatfat Confirms UAE, Saudi Embassies Received Threats
Sports and Youth Minister Ahmed Fatfat on Monday confirmed that both the Saudi and the United Arab Emirates ambassadors to Lebanon have received death threats. "Threats directed at the Saudi and the United Arab Emirates embassies are not new," Fatfat told the Voice of Lebanon radio station.
Fatfat said the threats are one of 100 items to be discussed at a cabinet session scheduled for later Monday. Future television on Sunday said that Saudi ambassador to Lebanon Abdul Aziz Khoja and his UAE counterpart Mohammed Sultan al-Suwaidi had both received "direct" death threats.
Khoja, according to a senior Lebanese official, left Lebanon on August 17 after the embassy formally notified the Lebanese foreign ministry of a "threat of attack against the ambassador's residence, the embassy or other Saudi interests in Lebanon." The Saudi embassy declined comment but an Arab diplomat confirmed the details.
The embassy cited warnings from the Saudi intelligence services that a stolen BMW was being readied to commit "a terrorist act against Saudi interests in Lebanon," the diplomat said. Khoja on Monday was quoted as saying that "exaggeration" was not his intention. "I don't want to exaggerate (the threats) and I don't know why it had been exaggerated in Beirut," Khoja said in an interview with the daily As Safir published Monday. He hailed Lebanese security forces who "continue to undertake measures around the embassy and I am confident they are fulfilling their duties to the fullest extent." Khoja assured that he will resume work "at the end of my summer vacation." Oil-rich Saudi Arabia is a key financier of Lebanon and a staunch backer of the Prime Minister Fouad Saniora's majority government.
Khoja had been involved in efforts to broker an end to the rift with pro-Syrian factions that has paralyzed Saniora's legislative agenda.
Early last week, he held talks with the pro-Syrian speaker of parliament, Nabih Berri, who has refused to recognize the Saniora government since six pro-Syrian ministers quit in November. Lebanon has been hit by a wave of attacks in recent years targeting anti-Syrian politicians, most infamously the 2005 murder of five-time Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, a billionaire businessman who held joint Lebanese and Saudi citizenship.(Naharnet-AFP) Beirut, 27 Aug 07, 07:43

Lebanon looks to its Maronite patriarch to fill the void of leadership
By The Daily Star
Monday, August 27, 2007
Editorial
Over the past few months, Lebanon has been careening like a rudderless ship toward the iceberg of a full-blown crisis over the presidential election. Even before impact, the ship is already sinking: the failure to resolve the power struggle between the ruling coalition and the opposition has steered the political class away from the duties of governance and toward a dangerous war of words that has undermined the cohesion of the state. With no apparent solution to the deadlock in sight, Patriarch Nasrallah Butros Sfeir's expected statement in early September looms like the beacon of a lighthouse in Lebanon's stormy waters.
In the Lebanese political scene, Sfeir has been used and abused by all and sundry, his words twisted and interpreted by all sides as a political boost to their respective positions. Yet despite all attempts to draw him into the country's political feud, the patriarch has remained focused on the more important objective of preserving Lebanon's national unity. While exercising his role as a Christian cardinal, he has emphasized the need for harmonious existence with the country's Muslim communities, and has thus acted as a shepherd not to one sect, but to a nation. In this regard, Sfeir has remained true to the vision of Pope John Paul II, who emphasized the need for peaceful co-existence in Lebanon.
It is perhaps because Sfeir has been so successful in playing the role of an impartial spiritual guardian that all parties are now anxiously awaiting his statement in September and hoping that he will provide the nation with the guidance that is needed to steer the country away from its reckless course. The burden that is being placed on the patriarch is a heavy one for a Christian cleric to bear. Ordinarily, a nation should look toward a religious leader for spiritual guidance, not for solutions to its temporal problems. But because the political class has long neglected its duties and responsibilities, many citizens are now looking to Sfeir to fill the void of leadership.
It is for this reason that we implore the patriarch to encourage the Lebanese address the faulty design of the country's political system, which constantly threatens to divide the nation into warring sectarian statelets. Perhaps it is paradoxical to ask a religious leader to guide the country toward a civil state, but such a transformation is required in order to preserve Lebanon's cohesion, sovereignty and freedom - qualities which Sfeir has long championed. If Sfeir can shine a light on a new way forward, perhaps others who have until now lacked the courage to embark on another course will follow.

Soldiers Killed in Lebanon Fighting
By ZEINA KARAM
The Associated Press
Sunday, August 26, 2007; 7:02 PM
BEIRUT, Lebanon -- Three Lebanese soldiers were killed in fighting with Islamic extremists at a Palestinian refugee camp in northern Lebanon, a day after the families of the militants were evacuated, the military said Sunday. The army said the soldiers were killed Saturday at the Nahr el-Bared camp. It did not say how they were killed. The deaths raise to 145 the number of soldiers who have died since fighting between the army and al-Qaida-inspired Fatah Islam militants erupted three months ago. On Friday, the families of the besieged militants who had been caught inside the camp _ 25 women and 38 children _ were evacuated, clearing the way for a final military assault against remaining fighters inside. Fighting between the militants and the soldiers resumed following the evacuation. A senior military officer told The Associated Press Saturday that the decision to finish off the gunmen still holed up inside Nahr el-Bared has been taken. "They have no choice but to surrender or we continue our operations," he said. An estimated 70 fighters now remain holed up deep inside the coastal camp, just outside the northern port city of Tripoli. The fighting that has raged since May 20 is Lebanon's worst internal violence since the 1975-90 civil war. The camp's more than 30,000 civilian residents fled in the first weeks of the fighting. The army has refused to halt its offensive until the militants completely surrender, but the gunmen have vowed to fight to the death.

Jumblatt vows his coalition 'will not surrender'
MP praises departing egyptian ambassador for his country's 'positive role'
By Maher Zeineddine
Daily Star correspondent
Monday, August 27, 2007
CHOUF: Head of the Democratic Gathering parliamentary block MP Walid Jumblatt said on Sunday the promoters of Lebanon's sovereignty and independence will never give up on their struggle and will elect a new president for Lebanon within the constitutional deadlines. "We should not surrender or get discouraged; making concessions at such crucial period is totally unacceptable," he said Sunday during a ceremony to honor departing Egyptian Ambassador Hussein Darrar at his residence in Mukhtara.
Jumblatt specified the characteristic of the next president as being someone who respects the Taif Accord, the establishment of an international court to try suspects into the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, in addition to all international resolutions concerning Lebanon.
"Lebanon's next president should be able to engage in the struggle we started to preserve Lebanon's independence and freedom," he said.
Jumblatt lashed out at the opposition and Hizbullah in particular, saying that it was to be held responsible for "destroying the economy, initiating massive brain drain, and involving Lebanon in superfluous wars."Israel launched a devastating 34-day war on Lebanon last summer after Hizbullah abducted two of its soldiers and killed three others in an attempt to bring about a prisoner exchange.
Hizbullah lashed out at Jumblatt on Friday over comments he made about Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri last week. Jumblatt had accused Berri of becoming "a mere mailbox," through his association with Hizbullah. Berri, on the other hand, accused Jumblatt of jeopardizing "any attempts to solve the nine-month-old standoff in Lebanon."Hizbullah responded by saying that Jumblatt's "attack on remarkable figures such as Speaker Berri will not make him in any way remarkable."
"The Taif Accord, which includes an article about truce with Israel, ought to be highly respected like any other international resolution, so as not to have Iranian influence infiltrate Lebanese political affairs even more," Jumblatt said at the honoring ceremony.
Jumblatt thanked Darrar and his government for the "positive role" Egypt played during "a very critical and sensitive period in the history of Lebanon."
"Egypt has a long history in supporting Lebanon's independence, and former Egyptian President Anwar Sadat had always called for Lebanon's independence," Jumblatt said. "'Leave Lebanon alone' was one of his most famous quotes," Jumblatt added.
An array of high-ranking officials and ambassadors were present at the event. Scouts of the Progressive Socialist Party sang anthems in honor of Darrar as he was welcomed to Jumblatt's residence. Darrar, who thanked Jumblatt for his hospitality, urged Lebanese leaders from across the political spectrum to unite for the welfare of Lebanon. "MP Jumblatt is known for changing his stands very easily," Darrar said. "Nevertheless," he added, "he would never trade on Lebanon's independence and sovereignty, two concepts he is known to cherish to the utmost," he added. Darrar on Friday revealed that he paid a farewell visit to Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah ahead of his departure from Lebanon, adding that the visit "was a very positive and enriching one." Nasrallah "expressed very wise stands showing he is very much aware of all the dangers threatening Lebanon," he said.

Sunnis Rally in Support for Threatened Saudi Ambassador
About 100 people led by a Sunni cleric rallied outside the Saudi embassy in Beirut on Sunday to voice support for Ambassador Abdel Aziz Khoja who left the country amid death threats. Waving Lebanese and Saudi flags, the demonstrators carried placards hailing the role of oil-rich Saudi Arabia, a key financier of Lebanon and a staunch supporter of Prime Minister Fouad Saniora's government. "We came to express our support for the policy of Saudi Arabia and condemn those who have dared to hit out against the kingdom," said rally organizer Sheikh Hisham Khalifeh, head of a Sunni clerical organization. The demonstration came after the ambassador revealed in an interview with the Saudi-owned daily Asharq al-Awsat that he had left the country on August 17 after being threatened with death. "There were threats against the Saudi embassy and against my person," he told the London-based paper. A member of Saudi Arabia's advisory Shura Council pointed the finger at Syria, claiming that proxies of Damascus in Lebanon could be behind the alleged threats. "Syria is not blameless with regard to these threats. Syria's agents in Lebanon... could be behind these threats," Mohammad al-Zulfa told AFP. Khoja had been involved in efforts to broker an end to the ongoing political crisis between the government and Syrian-backed opposition factions that has paralyzed Saniora's legislative agenda. Early last week, he held talks with the pro-Syrian House Speaker Nabih Berri, who has refused to recognize the Saniora government's legitimacy since six pro-Syrian ministers quit last November.(AFP) Beirut, 26 Aug 07, 16:09

PSP Challenges MP Skaff to Prove He Did Not Sell Land to Iran
Walid Jumblat's Progressive Socialist Party demanded that the head of the Popular Bloc MP Elie Skaff provide evidence that he did not sell land to Iran.
"It is a rare, even abnormal, condition for a country to invade property of another state in order to carry out its expanded projects," said PSP spokesman Rami Rayess in a statement published by the daily An Nahar on Sunday. Jumblat had accused Skaff of selling 600,000 square meters of land to Iran's ambassador.
The PSP statement claimed that MP Hassan Yaqoub, a member in the Popular Bloc as well as Skaf's son "are fully aware of the deal that was cut with Iran's ambassador to Damascus Mohammed Hasan Akhtari."It accused Akhtari of "closely operating Hizbullah projects in Lebanon and pursuing details of the Hizbullah project which aims at creating a state within the state." "Purchase of land and the introduction of demographic changes are key establishments of this state," the statement added.Referring to a request by Skaff that Jumblat provides evidence that he sold "vast areas of land," Rayess said: "Quite the opposite, it's MP Skaff who is required to prove that he did not sell these properties." Beirut, 26 Aug 07, 09:02