LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
October 25/07

Bible Reading of the day
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 12,39-48. Be sure of this: if the master of the house had known the hour when the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into. You also must be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come." Then Peter said, "Lord, is this parable meant for us or for everyone?" And the Lord replied, "Who, then, is the faithful and prudent steward whom the master will put in charge of his servants to distribute (the) food allowance at the proper time? Blessed is that servant whom his master on arrival finds doing so. Truly, I say to you, he will put him in charge of all his property. But if that servant says to himself, 'My master is delayed in coming,' and begins to beat the menservants and the maidservants, to eat and drink and get drunk, then that servant's master will come on an unexpected day and at an unknown hour and will punish him severely and assign him a place with the unfaithful. That servant who knew his master's will but did not make preparations nor act in accord with his will shall be beaten severely; and the servant who was ignorant of his master's will but acted in a way deserving of a severe beating shall be beaten only lightly. Much will be required of the person entrusted with much, and still more will be demanded of the person entrusted with more.

Interview with Amal Lebanese MP, Ali Hasan Khalil
Ali Hassan Khalil Praises Hariri, Criticizes Geagea-Jumblat as Counter-Consensus. Naharner. October 24/07

Latest News Reports From Miscellaneous Sources for October 24/07
Papal nuncio trying to get an agreement between Lebanese Christians.AsiaNews.it - Italy
Geagea: No Meeting with Aoun in the offing-Naharnet
Maronite Committee Vows to Refrain From Violence-Naharnet
Israeli general: Hezbollah strike is legit.Jewish Telegraphic Agency
Forest fires rage again in Lebanon.Khaleej Times
Rolling Infernos Destroy Lebanon's Wild.Naharnet
'Syria was preparing for Israeli attack'.Jerusalem Post
Photos said to show Israeli target in Syria - paper.Reuters
Dispute Over Dialogue Stalls Syria Sanctions Bill.Congressional Quarterly
In Letter to UN Secretary-General, Lebanese Prime Minister Accuses ...Middle East Media Research Institute
In raid's wake, Syria turns defensiveChristian Science Monitor
Lebanon war upgraded Foreign Ministry's status'.Ynetnews
ICRC launches water program at Lebanon's Nahr al-Bared camp.People's Daily Online
PM, Erdogan discuss Iran, IAF strike in Syria and Israeli-Turkish ...Jerusalem Post
German Spy Brokered Deal between Israel and Hezbollah.Spiegel Online
Chaldean Patriarch on Iraqi Refugees in Lebanon.Catholic Online
Lebanese Drowns in Nigeria-Naharnet
Israel Launches Missile Attack Awareness-Naharnet
Rival camps reject violence in quest for new president-Daily Star
Aridi chastises Hizbullah for reacting to murder accusation-Daily Star
Global problems demand global solutions-Daily Star
Justice Ministry official says UN accelerating Hariri court-Daily Star
New book documents UAE reconstruction in South-Daily Star
Army commander meets with UNIFIL chief-Daily Star
05AMAM inaugurates youth center in Akkar-Daily Star
ICRC launches water program for Nahr al-Bared-Daily Star
Stingy rainfall has farmers in Chouf crying out for government assistance-Daily Star
Water crisis forces Beirutis to rely on private suppliers-Daily Star
Sidon mayor blames Future Movement as dump suffers another partial collapse-Daily Star
Environmental damage 'costs Lebanon $550 million a year'.By IRIN News.org
Beirut expects French MPs to approve $500 million soft loan.Star Star
Draft electoral law is another casualty of political deadlock - for now-Daily Star
Abbas expects meaningful progress at peace confab.Daily Star
Bin Laden calls for holy war in audio recording.Daily Star
Laura Bush takes fight against breast cancer to Riyadh.AFP
Brown noses into Iranian nuclear crisis, backs Olmert's call for more sanctions.AFP
Israel marks 12th year since Rabin assassination.AFP
Bush asks US Congress for $200 billion to fund wars.AFP

Papal nuncio trying to get an agreement between Lebanese Christians
10/24/2007 17:07-LEBANON
Vatican representative is meeting Maronite leaders to insist on the basic principles that should inform the election of the new president. A committee with members from both majority and opposition set up under the aegis of Patriarch Sfeir continues to meet to find common solutions.
Beirut (AsiaNews) – The Papal Nuncio Luigi Gatti for the past two days has been trying to bring together the leaders of the six major Christian parties in order to find a common ground to elect the new Lebanese president, a crucial step in the future of the country, local sources said. His initiative parallels what a committee (see photo) set up under the aegis of Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Sfeir has been doing. In a statement released at the end of its third meeting, the committee stressed that the qualities of the next president should match those called for by Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Butros Sfeir and the Council of Maronite Bishops.
Quoting committee sources, the An-Nahar newspaper described the meetings, which continue today and tomorrow, as “crucial.” For L’Orient Le Jour the committee’s task is to reduce the 12-candidate list down to those who do not have the requisites that were decided yesterday.
Monsignor Gatti has already met with Samir Geagea, Michel Aoun and Amin Gemayel, and is scheduled to meet Soleiman Franjieh shortly.
He wants to quickly put an end to the unbearable media campaign that is dividing Christian leaders and add moral pressures on the various factions to agree in accordance with the constitution and democratic principles on the name of a president who will be strong and capable of maintaining national unity and committed to implementing UN Security Council resolutions. The latter include disarming all militias, Hizbollah included, and setting up an international tribunal to judge those responsible for the country’s recent spate of political murders which began with the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.
In addition to the committee, Christian leaders are meeting directly to work out a deal. Under Lebanese law, the president must be Christian and chosen from their ranks. The Daily Star reports that expectations are high that a meeting between Aoun and parliamentary majority leader Saad Hariri might be held in the next few days.
Hariri met with Speaker Nabih Berri for a second time late Monday night. “We have 20 important, pivotal days and we have to succeed, we must succeed,” Berri told the As-Safir newspaper.There is also movement at the international level following an appeal by the United Nations secretary general for a democratic election in Lebanon. Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmad Abu al-Gheit, who just met some of his European counterparts, is set to visit Beirut to offer some ideas.
The Arab League announced that it too will dispatch a high-level delegation to Lebanon next month. (PD)

Ali Hassan Khalil Praises Hariri, Criticizes Geagea-Jumblat as Counter-Consensus
By Dalia Nehme
MP Ali Hassan Khalil launched a vehement attack on prominent majority leaders Samir Geagea and Walid Jumblatt charging they are against a developing trend to achieve consensus on a presidential candidate. Khalil, in an interview with Naharnet, said leaders of the Lebanese Forces and Progressive Socialist Party are "violating the overwhelming will of the Lebanese to reach consensus. Their stands would fall back on them because they would isolate themselves from the prevailing atmosphere.""We believe that what Geagea said at the Palais de Pins was an attempt to intercept the general atmosphere that advocates optimism and positive approach to the presidential elections," Khalil said.
He stressed that Jumblat's accusation to Hizbullah of alleged involvement in the serial killings targeting anti-Syrian figures in Lebanon "widens the already existing rift, especially that the charge is not justified."Jumblat's stand, according to Khalil who is member of Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri's AMAL Movement, "escalates the existing spasm and further complicates internal relations."Despite that, Khalil said he was "optimistic" that the ongoing efforts would result in reaching consensus on a presidential candidate before the Nov. 12 schedule set by Berri for parliament to meet and elect a new head of state.
He said Berri's decision to re-schedule the parliamentary session was a "positive step … aimed at giving more time to serious contacts and meetings" aimed at arranging consensus on a presidential candidate. "We are very optimistic that this period would be decisive regarding reaching an agreement on a new president," The AMAL MP said. He said meetings between Berri and al-Moustaqbal Movement leader Saad Hariri, who heads the largest parliamentary bloc, served to "solidify the consensus option at all meetings related to the presidential election and launched a review of candidates, which indicates that options are, in fact, more open than what has been declared."
He stressed, however, that no names have been omitted from the list of presidential candidates. The visit to Lebanon by foreign ministers of France, Italy and Spain "reflected a balanced stand regarding all the parties in Lebanon. This would positively lead to changing realities that existed prior to their visit," Khali said.
The meeting Sunday evening between ex-President Amin Gemayel and Free Patriotic Movement leader Michel Aoun "should be developed to include more leaders … My information is that the meeting would be expanded and will include contacts between Christian parties, and between them (Christians) and other parties," he added.
He noted that "there is talk about meetings between Aoun and Hariri and efforts to set the stage for a meeting between him (Aoun) and Geagea in addition to other meetings."He called for "speeding up contacts … We can say that such meetings are expected in a few days."
Khalil said Berri's initiative to work out consensus on a presidential candidate "persists as it is. However, the mechanism of consultations could be changed or developed in light of the open discussion with Hariri."For AMAL consensus on a presidential candidate "enjoys the biggest chance and we believe that we will reach it," He stressed. In answering a question as to whether Damascus and Tehran have a say in choosing Lebanon's next President, The AMAL MP said: "Speaker Berri has reiterated that his initiative is strictly Lebanese … We insist on pacifying the presidential election."
When asked whether AMAL supports constitutional amendment to allow the election of Army Commander Gen. Michel Suleiman for president, Khalil said: "We support consensus. We'll not oppose what the Lebanese parties and political forces agree on."
Beirut, 23 Oct 07, 17:36

Rolling Infernos Destroy Lebanon's Wild
Wild fires raged across tinder-dry forests of north and east Lebanon Wednesday as choppers from the nearby Island republic of Cyprus tried to help combat tongues of flame threatening population centers. Rescuers said no casualties have been reported in the fires that broke out Tuesday evening and developed early Wednesday into rolling infernos across the dry land after a long summer. Lebanese army helicopters and choppers sent by the republic of Cyprus tried to help combat the blaze spreading in the remote-virgin forests of north Lebanon's Qubeiat, Karm Siddeh, Ayto, Zghorta and Ehden regions.
Police blocked traffic along the Zghorta-Ehden highway, which penetrates the region's forests and olive groves to avoid civilian casualties.
In south Lebanon tongues of flame shot up in the sky from pine and oak forests of south Lebanon's Bisri-Sfarai region, according to police.
Civil Defense teams operating fire engines sprayed olive and orange groves surrounding the region with water to prevent the spread of fires as other teams of volunteers tried to help in combating the spreading inferno. An official at the Civil Defense directorate reached by telephone told Naharnet: "We are carrying out a double mission, on the one hand we combat the forest fires and, on the other, we try to prevent the blaze from reaching population centers."
He attributed the fires to the long summer and dry land. "Winter is late, we need rain, God is the best firefighter," said the official who asked not to be identified by name. In the Muslim villages of north Lebanon the elderly clergymen called for special "rain prayers" "Only Allah's Mercy can help put off the fires. God Directs rain," said Farouq Ashi of the Akkar Atiqa village.Wild Fires Swept across more than 6.000 acres of forest land earlier this month killing one person and injuring scores. Beirut, 24 Oct 07, 11:00

Maronite Committee Vows to Refrain From Violence
Christian representatives from the pro-government March 14 coalition and rivals from the opposition March 8 alliance agreed to stay committed to democratic means as a way to settle political issues and refrain from resorting to violence. The four-member committee, which met late Tuesday in Bkirki, also agreed to refrain from resorting to demonstrations as a means to express a certain stance "no matter what the outcome of the election is." A statement issued after the meeting said: "the committee has reached consensus on specifications of a forthcoming president based on terms set by Patriarch Sfeir and Maronite Bishops." The committee, the statement added, started listing the "missions" that the new head of state should shoulder.It noted that the presidential candidate would be selected "in light" of such envisaged missions and chosen specifications. The committee pledged to hold further meetings to accomplish its assignment. Committee sources described the meetings, which will continue on Wednesday and Thursday, as "crucial."
"Either it succeeds in preparing a work paper ahead of the leaders' meeting, or it reaches a dead-end," one source told the daily An Nahar. Meanwhile, a meeting between Free Patriotic Movement leader Michel Aoun and Parliamentary majority leader Saad Harriri is expected to take place soon. Hariri met with Speaker Nabih Berri twice since his return from Saudi Arabia. Berri had described the meetings as "positive and serious." "We have 20 important, critical days and we have to succeed, we must succeed," Berri said, urging the various factions to support Bkirki's efforts. "I said before that consensus is coming and within the constitutional deadline. I say it again today that consensus is coming definitely, and can happen soon and very soon if intentions are pure and efforts are doubled and all contrived obstacles are removed," Berri said. Beirut, 24 Oct 07, 07:14

Lebanese Drowns in Nigeria
A Lebanese man has drowned while picnicking with two of his compatriots and two Nigerian women at a tourist site in northern Nigeria, a report said Wednesday.
The middle-aged Lebanese, Hayten Dahar, fell into a pool and drowned at Gurara Falls in Niger state on Sunday, The Guardian newspaper reported.
Augustine Obiekwe, head of the Niger state arm of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defense Corps, said the state tourism agency had failed to provide necessary warning signals at the site. Beirut, 24 Oct 07, 12:18

Israel Launches Missile Attack Awareness
Israel will launch a public awareness campaign in the coming days focused on telling people what to do in the event of missile attacks, the army said on Wednesday.
Citing "lessons learned" from the 2006 Lebanon war, in which the Lebanese Shiite Hizbullah militia fired more than 4,000 rockets at northern Israel, the army said it is now focused on preparing people in advance of actual conflicts. "The home front command has established a new method of raising awareness based on an information campaign to prepare the population face emergency situations," an army spokesman told Agence France Presse.
The army will soon begin distributing recommendations to municipalities, including advice related to non-conventional attacks, according to Israel's leading Yediot Aharonot newspaper. "We have no concrete information about an imminent chemical attack, but it is worth taking advantage of a period of calm to prepare for it," the paper quoted the circular as saying. Recommendations include stocking up on canned food, water, radios, batteries and plastic sheets and tape to cover windows and doors in case of an attack involving chemical weapons, the paper said.
Israeli inquiries into the country's conduct during the 2006 Lebanon war, in which Hizbullah fighters fired thousands of rockets into Israel, slammed the country's defense establishment for failing to protect civilians. During the 34-day war rocket attacks forced a million residents to flee southwards, paralyzing the north exposing the public shelter system. In Israel, both the government and army are responsible for providing services to civilians in time of war, from maintenance of public shelters to rescue, medical and basic administrative services.(AFP) Beirut, 24 Oct 07, 12:14

Geagea: No Meeting with Aoun in the offing
Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea said Tuesday a four-member committee meeting under Bkirki's auspices to achieve Christian-consensus on a presidential candidate is facing "great difficulties," pledging to save no effort to facilitate its mission. Geagea made the remark to reporters after meeting Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Sfeir at the latter's seat in Bkirki, north of Beirut. Geage said a meeting grouping Free Patriotic Movement leader Michel Aoun and Parliamentary majority leader Saad Harriri "is in the making."He did not set a date for the forthcoming Aoun-Hariri meeting, but ex-MP Ghattas Khoury, who is close to Hariri, said the meeting would take place in the next couple of days. Geagea, moreover, said a meeting grouping him and Aoun "is not in the offing."Geagea stressed that a head of state succeeding President Emile Lahoud "would be elected. Whether he will be a consensus president depends on negotiations between the parties" represented at Parliament.
"Lebanon will have a new president before Nov. 24," Geagea said, noting that chances of consensus remain "weak." Beirut, 23 Oct 07, 19:49

Aridi chastises Hizbullah for reacting to murder accusation
'It is painful to see political dialogue deteriorate'
Compiled by Daily Star staff
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
Supporters of Democratic Gathering bloc leader Walid Jumblatt lashed out at Hizbullah on Tuesday, one day after the pro-government MP accused the resistance of having carried out assassinations of his allies - and was dismissed as "petty" in response. Speaking to reporters after meeting Prime Minister Fouad Siniora at the Grand Serail, Information Minister Ghazi Aridi blamed Hizbullah for the latest round of verbal sparring.
"What was said yesterday is unfortunate ... It is painful to see the level of political dialogue deteriorate to this degree," Aridi said, adding that Jumblatt's accusations are political, but Hizbullah only focused on one part of his interview - the part where Jumblatt accused the party of murder - and not the rest. "We wait for the international tribunal to uncover the whole truth and punish the killers and criminals," Aridi said, referring to the Special Tribunal for Lebanon to try suspects in the slayings of former Premier Rafik Hariri and other.
In an interview with CNN on Sunday, Jumblatt accused Hizbullah and Syria of political killings and disrupting Lebanon's bid to select a new president. Hizbullah responded Monday by accusing him of being "petty" and of jeopardizing all efforts to resolve the current impasse.
"Jumblatt's accusations against us are in fact an assassination attempt against all ongoing initiatives and efforts to establish consensus," a Hizbullah statement issued Monday said. "In any case, the language used reflects badly on the one using it more than the intended recipient," Aridi said of the Hizbullah statement, adding that "if [Jumblatt] and his statements are petty, why then this violent campaign to respond to a petty person?"
It is not known what Aridi was referring to. There were no reports of violence in Hizbullah's response, which consisted of a press release poking fun at Jumblatt's stance. Democratic Gathering MP Antoine Saad went even farther, describing Hizbullah's statement as "a direct threat and a signal to kill and liquidate" Jumblatt.
"Petty are those who hindered the national dialogue and took the country into a destructive war," Saad said, referring to Hizbullah's capture of two Israeli soldiers that preceded the summer 2006 war. "Petty are those who distribute sweets and fire guns in the air in celebration at the assassination of March 14 MPs and ministers."
Supporters of both camps sometimes celebrate one another's misfortunes in this manner; Israeli air strikes on Shiite neighborhoods of Beirut in 2006 were frequently cheered in parts of Achrafieh. In a separate development, Hizbullah's number two, Sheikh Naem Qassem, said late Monday that he saw positive signs in recent days concerning the heated debate around the presidential election
"However, no one can guarantee or predict their results," he warned. Qassem told Hizbullah-affiliated Al-Manar television that leader of the parliamentary majority, MP Saad Hariri, will "gain more through dialogue than confrontation." "We feel that Hariri is seeking a solution, and his stances are positive," Qassem said.
He did not comment on Jumblatt's accusations. Qassem also said that MP Boutros Harb and former MP Nassib Lahoud were not consensus candidates for the presidency, adding that "Hizbullah prefers not to name a presidential candidate at the present time. We will reveal our candidate in due time."
"We are ready to elect a consensus president with a consensus, because then the debate around the required quorum to elect the president is no longer relevant," he said. "Hizbullah favors and welcomes an inter-Lebanese agreement."