LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
January 13/2007Bible Reading of the day
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Mark 2,1-12. When Jesus returned to Capernaum after some days, it became known that he was at home. Many gathered together so that there was no longer room for them, not even around the door, and he preached the word to them. They came bringing to him a paralytic carried by four men. Unable to get near Jesus because of the crowd, they opened up the roof above him. After they had broken through, they let down the mat on which the paralytic was lying. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, "Child, your sins are forgiven."Now some of the scribes were sitting there asking themselves, Why does this man speak that way? He is blaspheming. Who but God alone can forgive sins? Jesus immediately knew in his mind what they were thinking to themselves, so he said, "Why are you thinking such things in your hearts? Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Rise, pick up your mat and walk'? But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority to forgive sins on earth"--he said to the paralytic, "I say to you, rise, pick up your mat, and go home." He rose, picked up his mat at once, and went away in the sight of everyone. They were all astounded and glorified God, saying, "We have never seen anything like this."Free Opinions
Disengagement Forces. By: Ghassan Charbel Al-Hayat 13.01.07
Presidential Message: President Bush: For The Safety Of Our People, America Must Succeed In Iraq 13.01.07Latest News Reports from Miscellaneous Sources For 13/01/07
Lebanon: UN denies media reports of Israeli incursion-UN News Centre
Embassy blast in Athens called 'terrorism'-AP
Welch Criticizes Aoun for his Alliance with Hizbullah-Naharnet
Siniora expects full Kuwaiti support for Lebanon in Paris III-Kuwait News Agency
Rice: Syria Still Trying to Topple Saniora-Naharnet
Negroponte: Hezbollah a growing threat-Houston Chronicle-Naharnet
Opposition to Stage 'Symbolic' Demonstration on Saturday-Naharnet
Negroponte: Hizbullah is a Growing Danger-Naharnet
Israeli Newspaper Attributes Statement to Gemayel on Two Kidnapped Soldiers-Naharnet
March 14 Presents Petition for Extraordinary Parliamentary Session to Approve Tribunal-Naharnet
Russia Runs Into More Opposition on the Hariri Murder Probe-Naharnet
New U.N. Chief to Attend Paris III Conference-Naharnet
Feds: Hezbollah Growing Threat To US-CBS News
Hezbollah Weapons Found In Israel-Playfuls.com
Spy chief: Hezbollah may be increasing planning against the United ...WSTM-TV
The US moves to confront Iran and Syria-Christian Science Monitor
Rice Opposes Outreach to Iran, Syria Over Iraq-Voice of America
US: Iran, Syria flaring terrorism-Persian Journal
Syria urges Israel to talk peace-Jerusalem Post
Chirac optimistic about donor conference on Lebanon-People's Daily Online
Cluster bombs in south Lebanon to be cleared by the end of 2007-People's Daily Online
The latest victim of Hezbollah: Lebanon's Ski season-Ya LibnanNews reports from the Daily Star for 12/01/07
Opposition promises series of protests at 'major sites' across Lebanon
Both Hizbullah and Israel 'broke laws of war'
US: Some countries fear revealing intelligence secrets to Hariri probe
Few Israelis think country is ready to fight Hizbullah again
Prosecutor seeks life sentences in German train-bomb plot
Army clashes with Jund al-Sham over veiled woman
Lahoud vows to 'confront' strife
PFLP-GC demands release of senior official
Israeli cluster bomb kills several goats
FPM youth wing denies attacks on National Bloc
PM notes 'constructive' criticism from Hizbullah
Former ambassador takes up new post at Foreign Ministry
Sfeir sends emissaries to sell 'declaration of principles'
GLC takes 'brief break' from demonstrations
Billboards aim to show public that opposition 'loves life' too
Olive harvesting device a boon to farmers - or is it?
AUB doctors protest assault on ex-MP's wife
Forecast in Paris III plan dismissed as 'nonsense'
Mounting inflation adds to long list of economic woes affecting LebaneseWelch Criticizes Aoun for his Alliance with Hizbullah
U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs David Welch has criticized Michel Aoun for his alliance with Hizbullah, recommending that the former general examine the consequences of this partnership. "Unfortunately, we don't understand General Aoun's position. He supported a party which has a militia that fought a war in the summer," Welch said in an interview with Kalam el-Nas on LBCI television late Thursday. His remarks were instantaneously translated into Arabic through an interpreter. He was referring to the July-August war between Hizbullah and Israel which was sparked by the kidnapping of two Israeli soldiers in a cross-border Hizbullah raid. Welch said Aoun should "very precisely examine the consequences of his partnership with those people (Hizbullah)." On the Hizbullah-led open-ended sit-in to topple Prime Minister Fouad Saniora, Welch said he believes that the opposition's stands are not united. However, Welch urged the rival political parties to resume "democratic talks on the future situation in Lebanon."
Responding to charges by Syrian Vice President Farouk el-Sharaa in which he accused Washington of seeking instability in Lebanon, Welch said: "Sharaa is an expert on instability and interference in Lebanon, but he is wrong with regard to the United States policy.""Syria's influence in Lebanon is still obvious, and the problem is not with the United States policy," Welch added. His remarks were published in Arabic by several Lebanese newspapers on Friday. Beirut, 12 Jan 07, 08:28
Israeli Newspaper Attributes Statement to Gemayel on Two Kidnapped Soldiers
An Israeli newspaper claimed Friday that a former Lebanese President told its correspondent in Spain the two Israeli soldiers kidnapped by Hizbullah in July are still alive. Amin Gemayel was allegedly approached by a reporter from the Israeli daily Maariv on the sidelines of a conference in Madrid on the Middle East peace process and asked to make a statement on the fate of the two men, according to the publication. Maariv said that Roger Eddeh, a Lebanese delegation member, replied: "They are alive," and that Gemayel confirmed the statement. Asked if there was a reasonable chance the two soldiers would return home alive and unharmed, Gemayel said: "We all hope that this will indeed happen."It was not clear how Gemayel, who heads a political faction at odds with Hizbullah, would be privy to information about the fate of the soldiers, whose abduction sparked a 34-day war between Israel and Hizbullah. Gemayel was president of Lebanon from 1982 to 1988. The fate of Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev, who were captured in a cross-border raid on July 12, has been the subject of much speculation. Last month, Israeli military officials said the two had been seriously wounded in the attack, in which three soldiers were killed, and that one of them was in critical condition. A few days earlier, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert had told parliament he did "not know if the soldiers were alive." Meanwhile, army comrades of the two soldiers, as well as relatives and friends, left Jerusalem Friday in a convoy headed to a town on the border with Lebanon in a show of support for the captives. "We know that this is on the top of the public's agenda, but we want to get it through to the heads of the public's representatives," Ofer Regev, Eldad's brother, told the YNet News.(AFP) Beirut, 12 Jan 07, 15:44
March 14 Presents Petition for Extraordinary Parliamentary Session to Approve Tribunal
The March 14 coalition presented on Friday a petition calling for the opening of an extraordinary parliamentary session to approve a Special International tribunal for Lebanon to try suspects in the murder of ex-Premier Rafik Hariri and related crimes. A delegation from the parliamentary majority March 14 Forces turned in the petition, signed by more than 65 legislators, to Parliament's Secretary-General Adnan Daher.Parliament convenes twice a year in two ordinary sessions -- the first starts mid-march until the end of May and the second from the middle of October through the end of December.Article 33 of the Constitution confirms that extraordinary sessions can be held at the request of "an absolute majority" of the parliament. Beirut, 12 Jan 07, 14:08
Rice: Syria Still Trying to Topple Saniora
U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has reiterated that Syria is attempting to topple the government of Premier Fouad Saniora and rejected proposals to enter into dialogue with it. Syria "continues to support extremist forces in the region, continues to try to bring down the government of Fouad Saniora in Lebanon," Rice told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Thursday. Rice also rejected anew proposals for opening a diplomatic dialogue with Iran and Syria as a way to help stabilize Iraq. Rice said Iran would demand U.S. concessions on its nuclear program in exchange for cooperation on Iraq. As for Syria, she said President Bashar Assad would demand an easing of the U.S. opposition to Syrian policies in Lebanon as his price for cooperation. "If the idea is that we go somehow as supplicant to ask them to help us in Iraq -- and they will have a price, I can assure you -- one can only imagine that that price is the reintroduction of Syrian influence into Lebanon or perhaps to shave the edges off the tribunal that the Syrians seem to fear will find some connection to the Hariri murder," Rice said. Rice also described Hizbullah, Hamas, Syria and Iran as "extremist forces" facing the "young reformist" Saniora government and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. eirut, 12 Jan 07, 11:19
Blast at U.S. embassy called 'terrorism'
By NICHOLAS PAPHITIS, Associated Press
ATHENS, Greece - A rocket struck the U.S. Embassy early Friday, exploding inside the modern, glass-fronted building but causing no injuries in an attack that Greek authorities said was probably carried out by a domestic terrorist group.
The small anti-tank missile narrowly missed the large blue-and-white U.S. seal on the embassy's facade and pierced the building above the front entrance shortly before 6 a.m. It damaged a bathroom on the third floor near the ambassador's office and shattered windows in nearby buildings.
"There were no injuries and very minimal damage," U.S. Ambassador Charles Ries told reporters outside the embassy.
The 2.36-inch rocket, which police said was a weapon probably fired from a Russian-made launcher, struck a large marble beam on the third floor of the embassy, just above and to the left of the seal. It shattered a window and landed near some toilets.
The Pentagon has received a report on the attack but no request for any action, a military official said in Washington. There is no reason to believe that it was al-Qaida-related, but rather involves a separatist group, said the official, who is not authorized to speak on the subject and requested anonymity.
A U.S. intelligence official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the investigation was ongoing, said there is no information that suggests a follow-up attack. That official also spoke on condition of anonymity.
Greek officials condemned the attack and said they would move quickly to find who was responsible for firing the rocket.
"It is very likely that this is the work of a domestic group," Public Order Minister Vyron Polydoras said. "We believe this effort to revive terrorism is deplorable and will not succeed."His comments raised fears of resurgent violence by far-left Greek militants. It was the first major attack against a U.S. target in Greece in more than a decade. "We believe it is a symbolic act," Polydoras said. "It is an attempt to disrupt our country's international relations."
Polydoras said police were examining phone calls to a private security company claiming responsibility on behalf of a militant left-wing group called Revolutionary Struggle. "There are one or two telephone calls, from unknown callers, who claimed that the Revolutionary Struggle assumes responsibility," Polydoras said. "We cannot rule out that they were genuine."
Revolutionary Struggle claimed responsibility for a May 2006 bomb attack on Culture Minister Giorgos Voulgarakis, in which nobody was injured.
Investigators were examining video from surveillance cameras and were canvassing the neighborhood around the building, on a busy street near Athens' main concert hall. The government also said it was seeking permission from the courts to view traffic control camera videos, which are confidential under Greece's strict privacy laws. Officials closed the embassy for the day. It was unclear if the launcher had been found, but the rocket was fired from across the six-lane boulevard. Ries said there had been no warning of the attack, which he said came at a time when "the embassy had very few people in it."
"There can be no justification for such a senseless act of violence. ... The embassy was occupied at the time (but) nobody was hurt," he said. "We're treating it as a very serious attack." Foreign Minister Dora Bakoyannis visited the embassy afterward. "I came here to express the solidarity of the Greek people following this deplorable action," she said. "Such actions in the past have had a very heavy cost for the country. ... The Greek government is determined to undertake every effort to not allow such phenomena to be repeated in the future."
Polydoras said police would set up a task force on the attack, headed by a former counterterrorism chief who eradicated the far-left November 17 group in 2002. November 17 carried out a similar rocket attack against the embassy in 1996, causing minor damage and no injuries.
The group was blamed for killing 23 people — including U.S., British and Turkish officials — and dozens of bomb attacks. In 2003, a special court gave multiple life sentences to November 17's leader, chief assassin and three other members. Lesser sentences were given to 10 others.
Opposition to Stage 'Symbolic' Demonstration on Saturday
The Hizbullah-led opposition will stage a "symbolic" sit-in on Saturday outside the Justice Ministry in Beirut in a fresh bid to boost its campaign to topple Prime Minister Fouad Saniora's government. A statement by the opposition called for the demonstration to be held near the Justice Ministry at 11 a.m. on Saturday. The move came a day after Lebanon's General Federation of Labor Union called off a sit-in on Thursday following two days of protests against increasing taxes proposed by Saniora's government as part of an economic reform and recovery plan. The Daily Star said Friday that leaders from the opposition, which backs the GFLU, said that their demands are independent from those of the laborers. "But we support any group that calls for economic and social reforms," Hizbullah MP Amin Cherri told The Daily Star. He said the demonstrations "are not meant to be massive, but symbolic," threatening that the protests will "extend to the rest of Lebanon." GFLU President Ghassan Ghosn said the group will hold a meeting later Thursday to decide its next move. He didn't give details, but pro-government factions have accused the GFLU of serving the interests of the Hizbullah-led opposition.
Protestors gathered Wednesday outside the Energy Ministry building in central Beirut in protest against increasing taxes. The demonstration on Tuesday was held outside the Finance Ministry. The two day sit-in failed to muster a huge turnout. Despite calling off Thursday's protest, Ghosn said in a television interview on Thursday that the unions were committed to sit-ins and may go on strike if the government does not meet their demands.
Hizbullah has criticized Saniora's economic reform plan. While welcoming any monetary or technical assistance from international donors, the group warned the government against making "political commitments" to foreign countries in return for financial aid it might get at an international donors' conference in Paris scheduled for Jan. 25. It said the plan needed to be thoroughly discussed by economic and business organizations and labor unions before being presented to the Paris conference. It also stressed the need for "political consensus" among rival factions on any economic reform.
The sweeping plan aims to attract foreign financial assistance, much needed after the devastating 34-day war between Israel and Hizbullah in the summer. It includes programs for privatization, debt reduction and unpopular measures such as fuel price hikes and an increase in the value-added tax from 10 percent to 12 percent.(Naharnet-AP) Beirut, 12 Jan 07, 11:01
Negroponte: Hizbullah is a Growing Danger
Al-Qaida poses the gravest terrorist threat to the United States and an emboldened Hizbullah is a growing danger, U.S. intelligence chief John Negroponte has said. In his annual review of global threats, Negroponte highlighted Thursday an increasingly worrisome assessment of Hizbullah since its 34-day July-August war with Israel. "As a result of last summer's hostilities, Hizbullah's self-confidence and hostility toward the United States as a supporter of Israel could cause the group to increase its contingency planning against United States interests," Negroponte told the Senate Intelligence Committee.
He depicted a more multifaceted terrorist threat than in years past. Since the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, U.S. spy agencies have stressed the threat from al-Qaida and associated Sunni extremist groups, rather than from Hizbullah and other Shiite Muslim groups. Negroponte, who has been named deputy to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, also said that at the "center" of Iran's "terrorism strategy" was Hizbullah, "which relies on Tehran for a substantial portion of its annual budget, military equipment, and specialized training."Negroponte said Iraq is at a "precarious juncture" and the Baghdad government needs to establish secular institutions that can bridge sectarian differences. The flow of weapons and fighters from Iran and Syria in support of Shiites must be stemmed, he said, and al-Qaida in Iraq must be stopped.(AP-AFP-Naharnet) Beirut, 12 Jan 07, 07:43
Russia Runs Into More Opposition on the Hariri Murder Probe
The U.N. Security Council has failed again to agree on a response to a report on the assassination of ex-premier Rafik Hariri that said 10 countries resisted cooperation with the investigation. Russia's U.N. Ambassador Vitaly Churkin said some council members disapproved of his country's draft letter to chief U.N. investigator Serge Brammertz, so the text will now be sent to council experts, in hopes they can come up with acceptable language.
Churkin criticized revisions proposed during Thursday's consultations, saying they "completely forgot the whole subject."
Churkin said any letter must express concern that countries are not cooperating with the probe into Hariri's murder and seek more information about their lack of cooperation. The revisions to the letter -- whose author he did not name -- were "referring to the council's support of Mr. Brammertz and encouraging him to say what he thinks fit," Churkin said. "Mr. Brammertz has this right and ability anyway, so he doesn't have to be reminded by the council that he can share his concerns." In his fourth report to the council on Dec. 16, Brammertz said Syria's cooperation with his investigators "remains timely and efficient," though he criticized 10 other countries that he did not name for failing to respond to 22 requests from his International Independent Investigation Commission. Earlier in the month Russia ran into opposition from France, Britain, the United States and other Security Council members when it sought to ask Brammertz for the names of the countries that have not cooperated with his commission.
Churkin expressed frustration Thursday at what he saw as a lack of genuine commitment on the part of some council members to help Brammertz.
"Some members of the council sounded as if they were not interested at all, as if they would rather forget about the whole thing and just sit there and wait for Mr. Brammertz to show up in March," Churkin said. "We believe that by the time Mr. Brammertz completes his work, there must be confidence that he in fact has been able to do what he has declared his intention is." A report by Brammertz's predecessor Detlev Mehlis implicated Syrian and Lebanese intelligence services in the Feb. 14, 2005 bomb blast that killed Hariri and 22 others on the Beirut seafront. Four pro-Syrian Lebanese generals have been under arrest for 16 months, accused of involvement in Hariri's murder. Churkin noted Thursday the irony that Syria -- which he referred to only obliquely as a country many thought would resist investigation -- seemed to be among the few countries that were cooperating.
Speaking to reporters on Dec. 18, Brammertz said he had been asked several times about disclosing the names of the 10 countries, and "we do not intend to do so." "If this cooperation will not improve in the future, I will mention those countries to the secretary-general, but so far I have not any intention to mention the names of those countries," he said. After initial opposition to its request that the countries be named, Russia suggested that Churkin write a letter to Brammertz asking for more detail on the noncompliance. Russia traditionally opposes the naming and shaming of countries, but Churkin has said that since so much pressure has been brought to bear on Syria to ensure its cooperation, other countries should be held to similar standards.(AP-Naharnet) (AFP photo shows Russian Ambassador to the United Nations Vitaly Churkin) Beirut, 12 Jan 07, 09:58
New U.N. Chief to Attend Paris III Conference
U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has said he will travel to Paris to attend a donors' conference on Lebanon at the end of the month, on his first major trip abroad. The new U.N. chief said in a press conference Thursday that he will attend an African Union summit in Ethiopia after the Paris III conference on January 25, reflecting his intention to prioritize Africa and the Middle East. The AU summit in Addis Ababa on Jan. 29-30 will address three of the world's most visible hot spots — the Darfur region of Sudan, Somalia, and the Congo. "Africa will be the focus of many of my priorities, and my first major trip will reflect that focus," Ban Ki-moon told reporters. On his way to Africa, Ban will stop in Paris to attend the donors' conference focused on reconstruction in Lebanon following the 34-day devastating war between Israel and Hizbullah in the summer. He said he wanted to "inject new momentum into the search for peace and stability in the Middle East." He also said that a meeting of the diplomatic Quartet on Middle East peace planned in Paris for later this month has been postponed because of a "scheduling conflict."Ban said Quartet members -- the European Union, the United States, the United Nations and Russia -- had hoped to meet on the sidelines of the Paris III meeting. "But we found there was a scheduling conflict, and we are now pushing to have that quartet meeting convene as soon as possible," Ban told reporters. A U.N. source said the Quartet meeting was rescheduled for early February, probably in another city. Since 2003, the Quartet has been backing a "roadmap" for peace which calls for the creation of an independent Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, but the plan has been stalled.(AFP-AP-Naharnet) Beirut, 12 Jan 07, 08:02Disengagement Forces
Ghassan Charbel Al-Hayat - 12/01/07//
Disengagement forces are required; effective, strict and impartial forces to separate between al-Kathimiya and al-Aathamiya, between Sadr City and the surrounding Sunni neighborhoods, between Faylaq Badr and the Mahdi Army, as well as between the combatants and the passers by and their victims; not to mention, between the official, national death squads that have been given the task of tracking down these combatants and other forces for Kirkuk to separate the Arabs and the Kurds, and the Kurds and the Turkomens. Disengagement forces are needed between every citizen and his fellow citizen who disagrees with him over the country. Who knows, we may even need disengagement forces for schools, funerals, buildings with mixed residents, and perhaps even in graves.
Disengagement forces are needed to stand between Emile Lahoud and the Fouad Siniora government, between the government itself and its independent ministers, between the March 14 movement and eight of this movement's members, and between the March 14 movement and Syria; not to mention, between Resolution 1701 and those concerned about losing the bargaining chips of southern Lebanon, between Resolution 1559 and those disturbed by reminders of its stipulations, and between the project for an international tribunal and those terrified of its establishment and verdicts. Disengagement forces are required between General Michel Aoun and the governmental palace. And we need very professional forces to separate the General and the Baabda palace. After the General Lahoud experience, the Lebanese deserve a break no shorter than a hundred years. It is advisable that they spend this break with civilians who love the Constitution and respect the figures and do not issue certificates of patriotism and honesty and love of institutions.
Disengagement forces are called for between the Israeli occupation and the Palestinians, between Mahmoud Abbas and Ismail Haniyeh, between Fatah and Hamas, and between Dahan's enemies and his supporters.
Disengagement forces are required between President Omar al-Bashir and his deputy, Salva Kiir Mayardit, between the south of Sudan and the north, and between the Sudan People's Liberation Army and those who break away from it. Also needed are emergency forces for Darfur to stand between the Arab and non-Arabic tribes there, and to separate the Janjaweed militia from their victims.
It would be wise for us to deal seriously with the situation in Somalia. Disengagement forces are a must there to separate between the many republics that have multiplied over the carcass of the original republic, and to stand between the government forces that are directly backed by the Ethiopian forces and the Islamic Union forces that are backed by freelance fighters. They are also needed to separate between the assaulting US aircraft and the al-Qaeda elements that are preparing to establish suicide academies in Somalia, based on the model of those in Iraq. There simply have to be disengagement forces to stand between the 'lords of war' themselves.
It is the age of total collapses. No sooner do the tyrannical rulers vacate the premises than the State as a whole disappears. The State disintegrates and society disintegrates. The militias rear their ugly heads, voicing a longstanding hunger for violating everything. The concept of a State falls apart, while the angry masses trample the Constitution. People fall back on sectarian, ethnic, or provincial loyalties, and the gluttonous war abusers fight over the scraps of the State and pilfer the sources of wealth, its very lifeblood. The game of democracy changes nothing in the context of the absence of democrats. The whole country heads to the polls, but the loser refuses to accept the results, and responds by destabilizing the whole situation and rattling weaponry. It is the age of militias and rage.
One looks at the area and sees a catastrophe. Iraqi disintegration portends evil for the region, threatening to release a fissional wave in the area: a wave of permanent split. In this kind of portended darkness, we may very well need disengagement forces in every city and village. This is inevitable as long as individuals fail to accept the 'Other' and considers its mere existence a threat that cannot be removed except by amputation. The size of the forces called for definitely exceeds the capacities of Amr Moussa and Ban Ki-moon. They are forces that will never arrive and, because of this, the season of distress will be long.