LCCC NEWS BULLETIN
MARCH 26/2006

Below news from miscellaneous sources for 26/03/06
Abdullah, Shara Discuss Key Issues-Arab News
Tehran recruits Iraq's radical Shiite cleric-DEBKA file
Canadians pull out of Golan-Toronto Star - Canada
Iran, Syria discuss key regional developments-Islamic Republic News Agency
UN's Larsen urged Lebanon and Syria to demarcate their borders-Ya Libnan
Arab foreign ministers to discuss resolution supporting Syria-Khaleej Times
Lebanese PM likely to participate in Arab summit -- diplomats say-Kuwait News Agency
Indian troops deployed on Golan Heights-Rediff - India
Larsen calls for establishment of diplomatic ties between Syria Kuwait News Agency
US is not trustable, Iran and Syria should not be attacked -Journal of Turkish Weekly
Naharnet:U.S. State Department Official Says Syria Should Worry About U.N.  Probe Results
Naharnet: HaririThose who Want Lahoud to Stay Should Take Responsibility for the Consequences
Naharnet:Roed-Larsen Urges Lebanon, Syria to Demarcate their Borders
Naharnet:Saniora Denies he Will Attend Summit, Postpones Decision Until Eve of Meeting
Naharnet:Top Hizbullah Official Says Roed-Larsen is Wasting His Time
Naharnet:Lebanon to Go on Daylight-Saving Time
Naharnet:King Abdullah, Sharaa Discuss Syrian-Lebanese Relations, Saniora to Visit Riyadh Sunday

Abdullah, Shara Discuss Key Issues
Raid Qusti, Arab News
Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah confers with Syrian Vice President Farouk Shara. (SPA)
RIYADH, 25 March 2006 — Syrian Vice President Farouk Shara arrived here yesterday on the second leg of his trip to the region. He visited Egypt on Thursday. Shara delivered a letter from President Bashar Assad to Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah. He also met with Crown Prince Sultan, deputy premier and minister of defense and aviation, and Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal. According to a Syrian source, Shara held talks with the Saudi leadership on several issues, mainly the developments in the region including the situation in Iraq and Palestine and on preparations for the upcoming Arab summit in Khartoum.
Shara also discussed with the Saudi leadership ways to develop bilateral relations in all aspects.
“The vice president confirmed Syria’s commitment to developing Arab cooperation in all fields,” said Syrian Ambassador to the Kingdom Ahmed Nithamuldeen. He said the vice president briefed the Saudi leadership on recent events in Syrian-Lebanese relations and said Shara’s visit to the Kingdom was part of the vice president’s agenda to hold talks with Arab leaders on general developments in the region. The Syrian official could neither confirm nor deny reports that the Kingdom or Egypt would be a mediator in easing tensions between Syria and Lebanon.
Nithamuldeen did not answer whether the two sides discussed developments of the UN investigation into the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, saying only that his country was cooperating. “Syria is cooperating fully with the investigation,” he said. “The outcome of the investigation concerns us like another country, which is that the truth appears... the security of Lebanon is the security of Syria, and vice versa,” he added.
Shara said that details of the UN’s call for the establishment of a “mixed” international tribunal to prosecute those behind the assassination of Hariri was not of interest to him, saying that commenting on such a subject was “too early.”
He also said that all of the agendas in the “national dialogue” meeting held in Beirut on Thursday concerned the Lebanese people.“These are internal discussions between them, not between Syria and Lebanon,” he said, adding that Syria should not be held responsible if the dialogue failed.Canadian forces pull out of Golan Heights
The Canadian military handed over its responsibilities in the Golan Heights to India Friday, ending its presence there for more than 30 years, local media reported. The region has been relatively stable in recent years, and the commanders said the Canadian resources can now be redirected to other operations, Canadian Television reported.
The Canadian deployment is being reduced from the current 191 soldiers to four, and will be dropped to two by the end of July. Canada first accepted a role in the region in 1974, joining the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force that was established after Syria and Israel agreed to a ceasefire. Over the years, Canada has had 12,000 troops stationed in the region and has incurred 21 fatalities. The Canadian soldiers have provided logistics support to the mission. Their work included maintaining vehicles, providing communications services and military policing.

Tehran recruits Iraq’s radical Shiite cleric
Moqtada Sadr and Syria for a regional project of subversion
March 25, 2006, 11:31 AM (GMT+02:00)
They have started planting a pro-Tehran clandestine front spanning a region stretching from East Afghanistan through Iraq to the Palestinian areas. Such developments are scarcely mentioned in the Israeli media, most of which are wholly absorbed in bolstering the ruling party Kadima’s campaign for election on March 28, to the exclusion of negative security events.
On a recent visit to Damascus, DEBKAfile’s Middle East sources disclose, the Iraqi Shiite cleric convened the heads of 10 Palestinian terrorist groups based in Syria to discuss the project. He then met each separately to hand out their assignments and tell them how to communicate with their Iraqi guerrilla contacts. The Shiite radical informed the Palestinian terrorist leaders that Iran and Syria are working together to form a united front of Islamic groups combining Shiite and Sunni extremist sects to wage war in Iraq, Lebanon and Palestine.

Canadians pull out of Golan After 32 years in the region, it's the end of an era, colonel says
Withdrawal frees up key military personnel for other missions
Mar. 25, 2006. 01:00 AM
JERUSALEM—Canada's peacekeeping mission on the Golan Heights came to a quiet close yesterday with the dedication of a stone Inukshuk and the lowering of the Maple Leaf, marking farewell to 32 years as a living buffer between Israel and Syria.
The Canadian withdrawal, intended to free up critical support personnel for Canadian Forces missions elsewhere, involves the departure of 189 soldiers from the demilitarized zone, where a United Nations deployment of approximately 1,047 troops, including Japanese and Indian soldiers, will remain to safeguard a ceasefire that dates to the early 1970s.
"With the lowering of the Canadian flag one last time on the Golan, we signify the end of an era," departing commander Lt.-Col. Sylvain Mongeon told the Toronto Star.
However, the withdrawal of Canadian troops had some charging that Ottawa was abandoning its long-time commitment to UN peacekeeping operations in favour of more aggressive military operations, such as its ongoing mission in Afghanistan.
The end of the Golan mission leaves fewer than 60 Canadians wearing the blue berets/blue helmets of United Nations peacekeepers. Last year, 67,000 soldiers and police from 103 countries served in peacekeeping missions.
"With the end of this mission, you'll be able to fit all of Canada's UN peacekeepers on a school bus," said Steven Staples, director of Security Programs at the Polaris Institute.
However, more than 2,750 Canadians continue to serve in non-UN multinational operations in eight hotspots across the globe — the vast majority under NATO in Afghanistan.
But in the Golan yesterday, there was a feeling of a job well done.
"We leave behind a legacy in the impact of our presence on the local population, on Israelis and Syrians alike," Mongeon said. "The Canadians are extremely well thought of in both countries. We know they would welcome us back any time."
More than 12,000 Canadian troops passed through the Golan's narrow UN Disengagement Observer Force buffer zone during Canada's decades-long presence on the escarpment east of the Sea of Galilee.
The 1,150 square-kilometre territory, although part of Syria, has been under Israeli military occupation since it was captured during the final two days of the 1967 Six Day War. Israel unilaterally annexed the part of the Golan under its control in 1981.
Several Israeli governments have indicated a willingness to return the Golan to Syria as part of a comprehensive peace agreement.
But the territory, representing one of the few tracts of sparsely populated green space in Israel's possession, also provides Israel with exclusive access to the Galilee watershed, one of the region's most precious water sources.
"I'm not sure Israel has the appetite to proceed that way. It is too distracted with other issues," Mongeon said.
"What is clear is that because of the United Nations presence, the buffer is there. And if the two parties are ever able to make progress, an international conduit already exists to move it along."
Canadian responsibilities on the Golan will be transferred to Indian troops, who will assume the tasks of logistics support, vehicle maintenance, military policing and communications. Most of the departing Canadians are to fly home next week, with a contingent of some 20 officers remaining to close out "32 years of paperwork and leave no mess behind," said Mongeon. After July, two Canadian officers will remain: one to serve as a military aid to the UNDOF force commander, a second as senior staff officer to the continuing UNDOF mission.
"The requirement to keep two people on the ground is to ensure we maintain a Canadian presence," said Mongeon.
But it appears unlikely Canada's presence on the Golan will ever return to its former numbers, particularly in light of the demand for troops in Afghanistan."I suppose it is possible that we would return to the Golan, but such a move would need to have a trigger," said Mongeon. "The type of horses we've had here — second-line maintenance, communications, transport, supply and engineers — they are critical personnel, especially when you open a mission.
"We're short on these things in the Canadian Forces. The people that have served here are going back to Canada for a break. That doesn't mean they won't redeploy elsewhere. Right now is the time for rest. They've earned it."

Farouq al-Shara in Tehran
Tehran, March 25, IRNA
Iran-Syria-Shara
Visiting Syrian Vice-President Farouq al-Shara and Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki here Friday night discussed bilateral ties and key regional and international developments. Al-Shara arrived here Friday evening on a two-day visit carrying a message from Syrian President Bashar al-Assad for the Iranian president. Developments in Palestine following the victory of Hamas in the recent parliamentary elections, the Iraq crisis and Iran's peaceful nuclear activities topped the talks of the two officials. Stressing Tehran's inalienable right to acquire peaceful nuclear technology, Iran and Syria were agreed the nuclear weapons of the Zionist regime and its refusal so far to join the NPT constituted the real threat to the Middle East region.
On developments in Iraq, the two sides were of the conviction that all regional countries stand to benefit from a stable Iraq and restoration of security in the country. They welcomed moves of foreign ministers of Iraqi neighboring countries to hold a meeting to exchange views and to try to help find solutions to the current insecurity and continuing violence in that country, describing the meeting as fruitful. They believed the meeting is called for in order to prepare the ground for upcoming meetings of the interior and defence ministers of neighboring countries. The two sides, in the meeting, also stressed the need to continue the multi-purpose assistance being given to the Palestinian people in defense of their rights, and condemned Zionist threats to derail the Palestinian parliament and government duly elected by the Palestinian people.
During his stay in Tehran, Al-Shara is scheduled to meet with President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Vice-President Parviz Davoodi, Minister of Housing and Urban Development and head of the Tehran-Damascus Joint Economic Cooperation Commission Mohammad Saeedikia.
Al-Shara arrived here on the third leg of a three-nation tour which has already taken him to Egypt and Saudi Arabia.

Arab foreign ministers to discuss resolution supporting Syria
(DPA)25 March 2006
DAMASCUS - Syria’s foreign minister said on Saturday that the Arab ministerial preparatory meeting in Khartoum is to discuss a draft resolution to be adopted by the Arab League Summit which would ”condemn” sanctions against Syria and call on Washington to lift them, Syria’s official news agency SANA reported.
Foreign Minister Walid Moallem told SANA in Khartoum, where he was attending the ministerial preparatory meeting ahead of the Arab Summit beginning March 28, that the ministers will send the summit a draft resolution which “condemns the unilateral sanctions imposed by the US administration and asks it (Washington) for constructive dialogue (with Syria) and to lift these sanctions.”The resolution stresses “full Arab solidarity with Syria,” Moallem said.

Lebanese PM likely to participate in Arab summit -- diplomats say
KHARTOUM, March 25 (KUNA) -- Lebanese prime minister Fuad Al-Siniora is more likely to participate in the Arab summit, slated for March 28-29 in Khartoum, as part of the official delegation headed by president Emile Lahoud.
Arab diplomats told KUNA contacts carried out by some Arab leaders over the past days resulted in the approval of Siniora to attend the summit to explain his point of view over developments of the Lebanese file. Arab League secretary general Amr Moussa had meanwhile noted that the participation of Siniora was possible, While Sudanese president's political advisor Mustafa Othman Ismail also anticipated the participation of the Lebanese Prime Minister. Ismail said contacts were underway with Beirut and Damascus to overcome tension. He hoped the two-day summit would witness a breakthrough to ending the tension. Lebanese foreign minister Fawzi Salloukh said the Syrian-Lebanese file was not listed on the agenda of the summit. But he did not rule out discussions over this file during bilateral and sideline meetings. "If there are Arab initiative over the situation in Lebanon, we welcome it, " he said. Salloukh confirmed endeavors by Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Qatar to tackle the tension between Beirut and Damascus. He said he would meet his Syrian counterpart Waleed Al-Muallem on the sidelines of the summit.On the national Lebanese dialogue, Salloukh said the outcome was "excellent.
" Political leaders in Lebanon are talking to overcome internal problems. They have agreed on the relations with Syria, the Shebaa farms and the weapons in the Palestinian refugee camps. A Lebanese diplomatic source said in press remarks the Lebanese delegation would ask the separation of the Lebanese and Syrian tracks in the resolutions to be adopted by the Arab summit. The source said Lebanon would present a draft resolution that emphasized on need to support Lebanon's sovereign right in its political options including its right to establish diplomatic relations with neighboring countries on the basis of mutual respect. The draft resolution, seen by KUNA, called on the Arab countries to support political, security and economic stability in Iraq, as well as rejecting the Israeli assaults on the sovereignty and independence of Lebanon.
It called on the international community to exercise pressure on Israel to pay compensations for damage it caused in Lebanon.
The draft resolution also called for need of unveiling the murderers of former Lebanese prime minister Rafiq Al-Hariri, in addition to the return of Palestinian refugees and rejection of their settlement.

Indian troops deployed on Golan Heights
Harinder Mishra in Golan Heights | March 25,
Boosting its presence in the middle east peacekeeping, an Indian military contingent has joined the United Nations Disengagement Observers Force at the Golan Heights, a strategic position between Israel and Syria.
The 185-member contingent led by Lieutenent Colonel Ajay Singh of Poona Horse took charge from the Canadians, who had been serving the UNDOF for the last 32 years since its inception in 1974.
While India has contributed an infantry battalion of about 1,000 troops to the UN peacekeeping mission in Lebanon since 1999, it is the first time that it has deployed its forces on Israel's border with Syria. At an elaborate ceremony organised for the change of guard, Indian Ambassador to Israel Arun Kumar Singh said "India has contributed more than 30 peace operations in various sensitive theaters of the world." The very presence of Indian troops in these locations are also a testimony to the acceptance of the Indian presence in different situations, he said. "We come from all corners of the country and bring with us a rich historic blend of the colours, taste and cultures of incredible India. With this kind of a background we look forward to our Nepalese, Austrian, Polish, Slovak, Japanese and Canadian friends to work together," Lieutenant Colonel Singh said in his address. The Indian contingent, which will be responsible for logistics support at the base, includes troops from 17 Horse, Corps of Engineers, Electronic and Mechanical Engineers, Corps of Signals, Army Service Corps, Army Medical Corps, Military Police and Army Postal Service.

Larsen calls for establishment of diplomatic ties between Syria, Lebanon
BEIRUT, March 25 (KUNA) -- U.N. envoy Terje Roed-Larsen on Saturday called on Syria and Lebanon to establish diplomatic ties without delay and work on border demarcation between them.
Larsen told reporters after meeting with Premier Fuad Seniora and acting Interior Minister Ahmad Fatfat respectively that these two steps were significant in alleviating tension between the two countries.
He said that the government's initiative to dispatch ministers to inspect the Palestinian camps in Lebanon opens a new page of Lebanese-Palestinian relations. He said that he strongly urges the United Nations to call on the donor countries to take up real efforts in enhancing living conditions of the Palestinians in the Lebanese camps.
He pointed out that Lebanon-based Palestinian refugees deserved a strong financial and technical support to enhance their living conditions after their long struggle in line with the Al-Taef accord and UN Resolution 1559.
Larsen on Friday urged the Lebanese government to sit down with Syrian officials and demarcate the common border between the two states to clear up a dispute over the ownership of the controversial Shebaa Farms, now occupied by Israel.
"It is now urgently necessary for the two parties to sit down together in order to resolve all border issues," Roed-Larsen said after meeting Foreign Minister Fawzi Salloukh. "Such an agreement cannot be imposed by the U.N.. It can only be reached through agreement between two sovereign states," the international envoy said.

US is not trustable, Iran and Syria should not be attacked, Turkish survey claims
Ali Senkaya/JTW Ankara
According to Turkish Daily News( TDN), the results of the latest survey carried out by USAK/ISRO reveals that “Turks don't trust US and against attack on Iran ”. The survey has been conducted by the Ankara based International Strategic Research Organization (ISRO/USAK) among 2,500 respondents in Turkey 's five biggest cities of Ankara , Istanbul , İzmir, Bursa and Adana on March 7-17. USAK is also the publisher of the well known Journal of Turkish Weekly and Stratejik Gundem.
Turkey is the only Muslim country in the NATO and is a key US ally in the region. Recently, the discussions around a Turkish blockbuster named “Valley of the Wolves Iraq” were the latest low point in the Turkish - American relations. USAK's Director Sedat Laciner says “ This underscores the public image problem that the United States has in Turkey . The United States is blamed for almost everything that goes wrong in Iraq or the Middle East ,” The Turkish-American relations façade of the survey exposes the Turks' disbelief with the US 's commitment to end PKK terrorism. The overwhelming majority of the surveyors( 83% ) said that the US would not close the PKK bases in Iraq . The survey also shows the Turkish people's disbelief in the American rhetoric of “Bringing Freedom to Iraq ”. None of the respondents said the US is trying to bring freedom to Iraq or trying to end terrorism in the country. 80% of the Turks believes the clandestine motive behind Iraq 's invasion is to control Iraqi oil. Iran 's nuclear program however, is the dubious issue according to the opinion poll. While 94% of the Turks are against any military intervention against Iran , only 45% of the respondents said they were against Iran 's “peaceful” nuclear energy program. USAK's Iran expert Arzu Celalifer construes the results as a “median between Turkish mistrust against US adventurism in the region and Turks' discomfort of having a nuclear power in the neighborhood.”
The Turkish public opinion is a key indicator for US's image in the region. From the American perspective Iraq war can be a distant war, but from the Turkish perspective everything is happening in a close distance. The fires America has torched in the Middle East may be a far away danger for American public, but in the region, the civil war creating solutions of Bush policies are perceived by the people of the region as an imminent threat to instability.