LCCC ENGLISH
DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
July 22/07
Bible Reading of the day
Holy Gospel of Jesus
Christ according to Saint Matthew 12,14-21. But the Pharisees went out and took
counsel against him to put him to death. When Jesus realized this, he withdrew
from that place. Many (people) followed him, and he cured them all, but he
warned them not to make him known. This was to fulfill what had been
spoken through Isaiah the prophet: Behold, my servant whom I have chosen, my
beloved in whom I delight; I shall place my spirit upon him, and he will
proclaim justice to the Gentiles. He will not contend or cry out, nor will
anyone hear his voice in the streets. A bruised reed he will not break, a
smoldering wick he will not quench, until he brings justice to victory. And in
his name the Gentiles will hope."
Openions
War looms large in Lebanon-Al-Ahram
Weekly. July 22/07
Prisoner release must be followed quickly by bold steps-Daily Star-July
22/07
Switching off the Iraq war is not an American option.By
Michael Young. July 22/07
Latest News Reports From Miscellaneous Sources
for July 22/07
Syria Says France Must
Recognize its Interests in Lebanon, March 14 Demands Definition of Interests-Naharnet
Troops Remove Booby-traps
as They Advance into Militants' Last Pockets-Naharnet
Cousseran in
Beirut Monday-Naharnet
March 14
Contests by-elections to 'Triumph over Criminals,' Opposition to 'Preserve
Jurisdiction of Institutions'-Naharnet
Taliban claims to kill 2 German hostages-AP
Iraqi army detains 46 near Iran border-AP
Iran, Syria terrorist regimes reaffirm
strategic alliance-Persian Journal
Report: Iran pledges $1 billion in military aid
to Syria-Ha'aretz
Hamas significantly strengthening but is not yet
a Hezbollah-Ha'aretz
Israel's Olmert says future peace talks with
Syria must be direct ...International
Herald Tribune
Cousseran visits Egypt to discuss Lebanon
impasse-Daily Star
Lebanese general Aoun Launches own television
station-Monsters and Critics.com
Gemayel announces candidacy in Metn by-elections-Daily
Star
A lot of French bubbly-Ha'aretz
Children come to Lebanon for work, find life of
abuse-Daily Star
Visiting German minister vows continued
support-Daily Star
Army uses loudspeakers to call on Fatah al-Islam to surrender
Gemayel announces candidacy in Metn by-elections-Daily
Star
Cousseran visits Saudi Arabia for more talks on impasse-Daily
Star
Harb calls on speaker to fulfill 'duty' of mending political rift-Daily
Star
Visiting German minister vows continued support-Daily
Star
Orphanage gives hope to tormented youth-Daily
Star
Children come to Lebanon for work, find life of abuse-Daily
Star
Robbers shoot Lebanese man in Niger Delta-Daily
Star
US bill condemns Lebanese opposition-Daily
Star
OTV goes on air, vowing to deliver 'objective' news-Daily
Star
Chouf residents get back to basics with architecture-Daily
Star
FOR IMMEDIATE
RELEASE
Taliban Abducts South Korean Missions Team
You are free to disseminate the following news. We request that you reference
ICC (International Christian Concern) and include our web address
www.persecution.org . Contact Jeremy Sewall, Policy Analyst, 1-800-ICC
(422)-5441, jeremy@persecution.org .
(July 20, 2007) The Washington-DC based human rights group, International
Christian Concern (ICC) www.persecution.org has just learned that yesterday
Taliban insurgents abducted about 20 South Korean Christians who were on an
evangelical mission to Afghanistan. The young Korean evangelists were sent to
Afghanistan from the Saem-Mul Protestant Community Church near Seoul, South
Korea on July 13, 2007 and were scheduled to return to Korea on July 23, 2007.
They were traveling on a charter bus from Kandahar to the capital Kabul, when
the armed insurgents stopped the bus 110 miles (175 km) south of Kabul in the
Qarabagh district of the Ghazni province. A local Taliban commander named
Mohammad Sharif has claimed responsibility for the kidnapping.
Currently, the Korean embassy has launched a search operation and has begun
negotiations with the Taliban kidnappers who have demanded the release of
Taliban prisoners in Afghan prisons.
ICC Policy Analyst for South Asia, Jeremy Sewall, said, “This immediately made
me think of when the Taliban kidnapped American missionaries Heather Mercer and
Dayna Curry in 2001 and held them in harsh prisons for three months. In fact, it
was in the very same area of Afghanistan that these two kidnappings happened.
While Mercer and Curry’s story ended happily, it was only because anti-Taliban
forces attacked the prison. Under the Taliban, it is absolutely illegal to
preach Christianity. This courageous South Korean missions team is going to
experience the ultimate test of their faith. I want to make an urgent appeal to
all concerned parties to pray for this missions team. Pray that God would do a
miracle and permit them to be released without the use of force.”
ICC is a Washington-DC based human rights organization that exists to help
persecuted Christians worldwide. ICC delivers humanitarian aid, trains and
supports persecuted pastors, raises awareness in the US regarding the problem of
persecution, and is an advocate for the persecuted on Capitol Hill and the State
Department. For additional information or for an interview, contact ICC at
800-422-5441.
Mailing list: Remove my name from all future email correspondence
Address postal inquiries to:
International Christian Concern
2020 Pennsylvania Ave # 941
Washington , DC 20006
March 14 Contests
by-elections to 'Triumph over Criminals,' Opposition to 'Preserve Jurisdiction
of Institutions'
Lebanon's pro-government March 14 forces and the opposition were gearing up for
the August 5 by-elections in Beirut and Metn after the deadline for submitting
candidacies expired at midnight Friday. Former president Amin Gemayel announced
he will run in the disputed parliamentary by-elections to replace his son,
Pierre Gemayel. "I am a candidate for the deputy's seat in the Metn (mountains
northeast of Beirut). Isn't it strange that the father is succeeding his son?" a
visibly moved Gemayel asked in a televised press conference Friday.
Pierre Gemayel, an anti-Syrian MP and supporter of the Western-backed government
of Prime Minister Fouad Saniora, was gunned down on November 21 in the north
Beirut suburb of New Jdeideh. Parliament's majority leader Saad Hariri called
Gemayel to "congratulate him about his candidacy."
He told Gemayel he was confident that "the unity of the March 14 Forces in Metn
and Beirut will demonstrate that the Lebanese people will triumph over criminals
and hamper any attempts to exploit political murders and paralyze the
constitutional, parliamentary and democratic life in Lebanon."
Free Patriotic Movement leader Gen. Michel Aoun, who is part of the opposition,
announced Dr. Camille Khoury as his candidate for the Metn seat.
"This battle is aimed at preserving the jurisdiction of institutions," Aoun
said. "We hear today people saying they want to regain the Metn. From whom they
want to regain it? As if the Metn was occupied," he said. A third candidate,
independent Joseph Mansour Asmar will compete for the seat vacated by Gemayel
too.
Al Moustaqbal Movement announced that it has chosen businessman Mohammed al-Amin
Itani candidate for the Beirut seat to replace slain legislator Walid Eido who
was killed in a powerful car explosion June 13. The movement, headed by Hariri,
urged voters to participate in the polls in favor of Itani, the former head of
the federation of Beirut families. The statement described Itani as a
"distinguished voice … in defending Beirut and its families."
An Nahar said on Saturday that Ibrahim Halabi backed by MP Najah Wakim will run
as a Beirut candidate too. As deadline for submitting candidacies expired at
midnight Friday, the interior ministry said 12 candidates were going to compete
in the by-elections – three in the Metn and nine in Beirut. Beirut, 21 Jul 07,
08:18
Syria Says France
Must Recognize its Interests in Lebanon, March 14 Demands Definition of
Interests
Officials in Damascus had informed French envoy Jean-Claude Cousseran, during
his last visit, of Syria's stance demanding France's "clear recognition of
Syria's influence and interests in Lebanon." The Syrian officials, according to
a Paris datelined report published by the daily As Safir on Saturday, stressed
on what they described as the "natural and distinguished relations linking
Lebanon with Syria." They said Damascus did not respond to Cousseran's quest to
get clear answers on the need to hold timely presidential elections to prevent
Lebanon from sinking into constitutional and institutional chaos.
They said Cousseran did not make "direct" French requests from Damascus since
the Syrian-French talks were still at the beginning.
Damascus, in turn, refused to offer Cousseran any commitments and was very
cautious in dealing with French questions regarding its position from the
upcoming presidential elections. According to As Safir, French sources revealed
that the Syrians had informed Cousseran that what is threatening Lebanon and its
stability at this time was the spread of al-Qaida across Lebanese territories.
A prominent March 14 official in Beirut assured that "everyone acknowledges
Syria's capabilities of maintaining its influence in Lebanon," adding that the
problem lies with the "nature and type" of this influence. He said Syria's
influence did not need French recognition since the Lebanese unanimously agree
on that matter, witness the spate of assassinations and bombings perpetrated by
the Syrian regime as will be evidenced by the International investigations.
The March 14 official wondered what was meant by "Syria's interests:" "Are they
assurances to ward off a Lebanon aggression on Syria, or to prevent Lebanese
territory from being used as a launching pad for sabotage or hostile operations
against it?" he asked. "If this is the case, then Lebanon would be the one to
guarantee these interests," he added. "But if the Syrian interests suggest
giving up power to the Syrian allies in Lebanon and regain the upper hand in
Lebanon's political and economic cycles, then this is a debatable issue," the
March 14 official concluded. "It is the right of the Lebanese to preserve their
own interests before the interests of others are looked after." Beirut, 21 Jul
07, 18:52
Troops Remove Booby-traps as They Advance into Militants' Last Pockets
Lebanese troops intensified their shelling Saturday of Fatah al-Islam militants
fiercely defending their last patch of the northern Palestinian Nahr al-Bared
refugee camp.
Elite troops had been deployed inside the remains of the besieged Nahr al-Bared
camp and were "advancing, but at a very slow rate," an army told AFP.
"The army is still conducting demining operations inside the camp and removing
booby-traps," the officer said. "The soldiers are advancing but at a very slow
pace."
"Exchanges of automatic weapon fire are occurring with the members of the Fatah
al-Islam, which still controls a square between 200 to 300 meters on one side"
of the seaside camp, he added. So far, more than 200 people have died since the
conflict at the northern camp with the al-Qaida-inspired militants erupted on
May 20.
More than half of the victims were members of the Lebanese military forces
engaged in the standoff. The army said its last soldier had fallen on Friday,
taking its overall death toll to 113. The Fatah al-Islam fighters have refused
repeated calls to surrender along with their wives and children from the tiny
area they are said to control inside the camp.
The military had blared messages to them with loudspeakers on Friday, urging the
families of the Islamists to leave the camp, large parts of which have been
reduced to rubble. But this call has remained unanswered, said the army
spokesman, asserting that Fatah Al-Islam had "prohibited the families from
leaving," without elaborating.
Humanitarian organizations had failed in a bid on July 11 to evacuate 20 women
and 45 children related to the Islamists.
The army has accused the Islamists of using their wives and children as human
shields, but refugees who fled the camp said the spouses were refusing to leave
their husbands behind and feared interrogation by security services. "During our
last contacts with people inside the camp a few days ago, it appeared that the
women wished to stay which would make an evacuation of only the children
extremely difficult," a representative from a relief organization told AFP.
Lebanese television also reported that the women, all veiled from head to toe,
were refusing to be searched, prompting fears that some of the Islamists could
use disguises to leave the camp undetected. The television said the army was
considering bringing in female police officers to search any women leaving the
camp. Almost all of the camp's estimated 30,000 residents have been evacuated,
as well as Palestinian militants not involved in the showdown.(AFP-Naharnet)
Beirut, 21 Jul 07, 19:12
Troops Remove
Booby-traps as They Advance into Militants' Last Pockets
Lebanese troops intensified their shelling Saturday of Fatah al-Islam militants
fiercely defending their last patch of the northern Palestinian Nahr al-Bared
refugee camp.
Elite troops had been deployed inside the remains of the besieged Nahr al-Bared
camp and were "advancing, but at a very slow rate," an army told AFP.
"The army is still conducting demining operations inside the camp and removing
booby-traps," the officer said. "The soldiers are advancing but at a very slow
pace."
"Exchanges of automatic weapon fire are occurring with the members of the Fatah
al-Islam, which still controls a square between 200 to 300 meters on one side"
of the seaside camp, he added. So far, more than 200 people have died since the
conflict at the northern camp with the al-Qaida-inspired militants erupted on
May 20.
More than half of the victims were members of the Lebanese military forces
engaged in the standoff. The army said its last soldier had fallen on Friday,
taking its overall death toll to 113. The Fatah al-Islam fighters have refused
repeated calls to surrender along with their wives and children from the tiny
area they are said to control inside the camp.
The military had blared messages to them with loudspeakers on Friday, urging the
families of the Islamists to leave the camp, large parts of which have been
reduced to rubble. But this call has remained unanswered, said the army
spokesman, asserting that Fatah Al-Islam had "prohibited the families from
leaving," without elaborating.
Humanitarian organizations had failed in a bid on July 11 to evacuate 20 women
and 45 children related to the Islamists. The army has accused the Islamists of
using their wives and children as human shields, but refugees who fled the camp
said the spouses were refusing to leave their husbands behind and feared
interrogation by security services. "During our last contacts with people inside
the camp a few days ago, it appeared that the women wished to stay which would
make an evacuation of only the children extremely difficult," a representative
from a relief organization told AFP. Lebanese television also reported that the
women, all veiled from head to toe, were refusing to be searched, prompting
fears that some of the Islamists could use disguises to leave the camp
undetected. The television said the army was considering bringing in female
police officers to search any women leaving the camp. Almost all of the camp's
estimated 30,000 residents have been evacuated, as well as Palestinian militants
not involved in the showdown.(AFP-Naharnet)Beirut, 21 Jul 07, 19:12
Army Pushes Ahead in
Nahr al-Bared
The Lebanese army pushed forward on Friday in its bid to crush Fatah al-Islam
terrorists holed up at the northern Palestinian refugee camp of Nahr al-Bared.
Automatic rifle fire along with tank and artillery shelling could be heard
coming from the southern part of the camp, located near the northern Lebanese
port of Tripoli.
The army shelled a small area still controlled by the Fatah al-Islam fighters at
two to three minute intervals, before the militants responded with automatic
gunfire and four rockets that hit fields southeast of the camp. Army
loudspeakers meanwhile blared messages urging the families of the Islamists to
leave the camp, large parts of which have been reduced to rubble since the
battle began more than eight weeks ago. Almost all of the camp's 31,000
residents have been evacuated, as well as Palestinian militants not involved in
the showdown. The families of Fatah al-Islam fighters -- about 45 children and
20 women – stayed in the camp, according to relief workers. The Lebanese army
has accused the Islamists of using their wives and children as human shields but
refugees who fled the camp said the spouses were refusing to leave their
husbands behind. Fighting has killed more than 200 people, including 111
servicemen, since the conflict erupted on May 20.(AFP) Beirut, 20 Jul 07, 19:06
Al-Moustaqbal Names
Mohammed Itani Candidate for by-Elections
Al Moustaqbal Movement announced Friday that it has chosen businessman Mohammed
al-Amin Itani candidate for parliamentary by-elections to replace slain
legislator Walid Eido. The movement, headed by MP Saad Hariri, urged voters to
participate in the Aug. 5 by-elections in favor of Itani, a businessman and the
former head of the federation of Beirut families. The statement described Itani
as a "distinguished voice … in defending Beirut and its families."
It recalled that four MPs representing Beirut had been killed in more than two
years starting with the Feb. 14 2005 blast which killed ex-Premier Rafik Hariri
and parliamentarian Bassil Fleihan. Eido was killed in a powerful car explosion
June 13. Gebran Tueni, a third member of the anti-Syrian majority representing
Beirut in parliament, was assassinated in December 2005 and replaced by his
father Ghassan Tueni.
Al-Moustaqbal's statement came a few hours after former president Amin Gemayel
announced he will run in the disputed parliamentary by-elections to replace his
son, Pierre Gemayel, who was killed last year.
"I am a candidate for the deputy's seat in the Metin (mountains northeast of
Beirut). Isn't it strange that the father is succeeding his son?" a visibly
moved Gemayel asked in a televised press conference. Pierre Gemayel, an
anti-Syrian MP and supporter of the Western-backed government of Prime Minister
Fouad Saniora, was gunned down on November 21 in a suburb north of the Lebanese
capital. The parliamentary majority blamed Syria for the killing, despite
repeated denials from Damascus of any involvement in a string of attacks on
anti-Syrian figures in Lebanon since the Hariri murder. Saniora's government has
decided to hold partial elections on Aug. 5 in the Metin and in Beirut for the
two seats that went vacant by the murders of Gemayel and Eido.(Naharnet-AFP)
Beirut, 20 Jul 07, 17:23
Amin Gemayel Enters
By-Elections Race
Lebanon's former president Amin Gemayel on Friday announced he will run in
disputed parliamentary by-elections to replace his son, Pierre Gemayel, who was
assassinated in Beirut last November. "I am a candidate for the deputy's seat in
the Metin (mountains northeast of Beirut). Isn't it strange that the father is
succeeding his son?" a visibly moved Gemayel asked in a televised press
conference. Pierre Gemayel, an anti-Syrian MP and supporter of the
Western-backed government of Prime Minister Fouad Saniora, was gunned down on
November 21 in a suburb north of the Lebanese capital.
The parliamentary majority blamed Syria for the killing, despite repeated
denials from Damascus of any involvement in a string of attacks on anti-Syrian
figures in Lebanon since the February 2005 assassination of former Premier Rafik
Hariri. Saniora's government has decided to hold partial elections on Aug. 5 in
the Metin and in Beirut for the two seats that went vacant by the murders of
Gemayel and of Walid Eido, another MP who was killed in a Beirut car bombing on
June 13.
Lebanon's Syrian-backed President Emile Lahoud has refused to sign the
government's decree on holding the by-elections, on the grounds the cabinet has
been "illegitimate" since the resignation in November of six pro-Syrian
ministers. Gebran Tueni, a third member of the anti-Syrian majority in
parliament, which is tasked with electing the next president by a September
deadline, was assassinated in December 2005 and replaced by his father Ghassan
Tueni.(AFP) Beirut, 20 Jul 07, 15:52
Camp Refugees in Lebanon Yearn to Return home
They have been stripped of virtually all their belongings -- their houses, their
livelihood, their precious jewellery, even their identity papers.
But the Palestinian refugees who fled the fighting at Nahr al-Bared camp in
northern Lebanon and who are now crammed into the nearby camp of Beddawi only
yearn for one thing: to return to the smouldering ruins of their homes. Some
fled the fighting between the army and Al-Qaeda-inspired militants when the
first shots were fired on May 20 inside the sprawling camp, which since 1948 has
gradually expanded along the Mediterranean shore north of the city of Tripoli.
The last people to flee the camp arrived at Beddawi on July 11 after being
evacuated alongside members from the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) who
had been protecting civilians from Islamist fighters entrenched inside Nahr
al-Bared. Among the last evacuees was Sabah Khalil. Sitting on the floor of a
classroom at a school in Beddawi, the 43-year-old said all she wants is to go
home. "Even if it's among the ruins, the ashes, I want to go home," she cried
out. "I want to rebuild."
Placed along the walls of the classroom are foam mattresses, a few blankets and
some laundry hanging from the windows. The room is home to five families
numbering 45 people, including some 30 children. Ali Issa, deputy director of
the school, said 900 people are housed at the school with seven toilets and five
showers available to all. Up to 30,000 refugees flooded into and through Beddawi
at the onset of the fighting. About 14,000 remain at the camp, in addition to
its original population of 16,000, according to the United Nations.
Those who passed through Beddawi were sent to other Palestinian camps around
Lebanon or moved in with family or friends.
Some 10 kilometers (six miles) north of the camp are the ruins of Nahr al-Bared,
whose buildings are all but skeletal remains. As the Lebanese army inches
forward in its bid to wipe out the last pockets of resistance so does the hope
of refugees eager to restart their lives.
"I lost my jewellery, my identity papers, all of my accounting and my 40 cows
were killed," lamented Khalil, who ran a small farm with her brother at Nahr
al-Bared.
"But I will rebuild even with no money," she vowed. "Nothing in the world will
make me abandon my mother, who is buried near our house in the camp."
Wassim Ibrahim, a teacher at Beddawi providing psychological help to the
refugees, said most hang on to memories of their homes, their land to keep
going.
"They have seen history repeat itself," he said. "The trauma of the Palestinian
exodus of 1948 (the creation of the state of Israel) is engraved in their mind
and makes them more vulnerable." Officials at Beddawi say residents so far have
welcomed the newcomers and a sanitary catastrophe has been avoided, despite
problems with water supplies and skin-related diseases spreading. Still,
everyone fears that simmering tension inside the camp of one square kilometer
could erupt at any time.
"There is some tension between the people here and those of Nahr el-Bared but it
is still under control," Ibrahim said.
Palestinian organizations, who have vowed a new and better Nahr al-Bared will be
rebuilt with Arab funding, say it would take at least a year to reconstruct the
camp and for the first refugees to return. There is no way for people to return
in the immediate future," said Rifaat Shanna, head of the mainstream Palestinian
movement Fatah in north Lebanon. "As soon as the fighting is over, we will need
to clean up the debris and demine the camp before people can visit their homes."
Huda Samra-Souaiday, spokeswoman for the UN relief agency UNRWA, said the
organization was studying various possibilities to provide temporary shelter to
the displaced. (AFP)( AP photo shows palestinian citizens, kissing each other
upon their arrival at the Bedawi refugee camp, after they fled from the
Palestinian refugee camp of Nahr el-Bared) Beirut, 20 Jul 07, 13:48