LCCC ENGLISH NEWS BULLETIN
October 08/06
Biblical Reading For today
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 10,17-24.
The seventy (-two) returned rejoicing, and said, "Lord, even the demons are subject to us because of your name." Jesus said, "I have observed Satan fall like lightning from the sky. Behold, I have given you the power 'to tread upon serpents' and scorpions and upon the full force of the enemy and nothing will harm you. Nevertheless, do not rejoice because the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice because your names are written in heaven." At that very moment he rejoiced (in) the holy Spirit and said, "I give you praise, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for although you have hidden these things from the wise and the learned you have revealed them to the childlike. Yes, Father, such has been your gracious will. All things have been handed over to me by my Father. No one knows who the Son is except the Father, and who the Father is except the Son and anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal him." Turning to the disciples in private he said, "Blessed are the eyes that see what you see. For I say to you, many prophets and kings desired to see what you see, but did not see it, and to hear what you hear, but did not hear it."
Latest New from miscellaneous sources for October 08/06
Saniora to Annan: Israel 'violating sovereignty'-Jerusalem Post
Lebanon: Teenage Boy Killed, 14 People Wounded in Clashes between Police and Rioters-Naharnet
Assad: Political Divisions in Lebanon Could Lead to an Abyss-Naharnet
Fatfat: Al-Qaida is Present in Lebanon-Naharnet
Illegal housing demolition sparks riots in Beirut-Victoria Times Colonist
Berri: National Unity Government Requires Harmony-Naharnet
Peacekeepers in south Lebanon to act 'forcefully' against threats-Cleveland Plain Dealer
Hezbollah ally seeks Saudi help in calming Lebanon tensions-Khaleej Times
Assad: Syria preparing for Israeli attack-Ynetnews
Berri: National Unity Government Requires Harmony-Naharnet - Beirut,Lebanon
Aoun: I Will Wear Out Saniora Until He is Gone-Naharnet - Beirut,Lebanon
Hezbollah's weapons still present in south Lebanon: report-People's Daily Online
Parliament approves Bulgarian participation in Lebanon operation-Bulgarian News Network
Iranian Allies On The Ground In Lebanon-ThreatsWatch.Org
Turkish frigate leaves for Lebanon to join UNIFIL-People's Daily Online
President ibn President-Kommersant
Remains of giant camel discovered in Syria-Reuters
APN slams report on Syria talks-Jewish Telegraphic Agency
Palestinian Islamic extremist shot dead in Lebanon-International Herald Tribune
Kuwait FM sponsors charity event for Lebanon-Kuwait News Agency
Israel's State Comptroller assigns team to probe Israel-Hezbollah-People's Daily Online
Haniyeh: No recognition of Israel-Jerusalem Post
Breaking point for Israel, PA talks-Jerusalem Post
Jordan denies hosting secret Saudi-Israel talks-Khaleej Times
The US, Israel and Lebanon-CounterPunch, CA
UTLA won't host anti-Israel session-Los Angeles Daily News
Saniora to Annan: Israel 'violating sovereignty'
By JPOST.COM STAFF
Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Saniora called on UN Secretary General Kofi Annan to pressure Israel to stop "violating Lebanon's sovereignty" with sea, air, and ground operations. Saniora also asked Annan to put an end to Israel's "occupation" of the village of Ghajar, only after which, he said, a ceasefire could be declared. Annan and Saniora spoke by telephone, and agreed to find a solution to the ongoing conflict around the Shebaa Farms area, Israel Radio reported.
Teenage Boy Killed, 14 People Wounded in Clashes between Police and Rioters
Naharnet/A teenage boy has been killed and 14 other people wounded when clashes broke out between police and rioters protesting attempts to knock down illegal housing near Beirut's airport. Police said residents Friday hurled stones and sticks and blocked the streets with burning tires and trash when officers arrived to enforce a government order to remove illegal construction in the Ramel al-Ali neighborhood on the airport highway.
A police statement said that armed men in the crowd began shooting, prompting officers to return fire. Rioters damaged three police vehicles, it said.
The statement said that investigation showed a boy, killed during the clash, was hit by two bullets fired at close range from two different weapons.
Twelve members of the Internal Security Forces (ISF), including an officer, were among the wounded, police said. One of the two injured boys suffered from an "explosive bullet" not used by ISF, the statement added. Television footage showed young men and women ducking for cover amid the sound of gunfire. Two wounded children, their bodies soaked in blood, were carried away by residents to a hospital. Hizbullah and Amal movement have demanded that an investigation be opened into the police use of weapons while stressing that they do not want to cover up illegal construction.
Ramel al-Ali is part of Beirut's southern suburbs, a stronghold of Hizbullah, the political party and group that was targeted by Israel during its recent offensive on Lebanon. Israeli aircraft inflicted massive damage on parts of the southern suburbs, leveling entire blocks around suspected offices and homes of Hizbullah officials as hundreds of thousands of residents fled the area. However, the area where the riot took place Friday was not among the hard-hit neighborhoods, and authorities say people there simply took advantage of the chaos and the government's preoccupation with the war and relief to build illegally.(Naharnet-AP-AFP)(Outside AP photo shows two Lebanese men removing burned garbage in Beirut's southern suburbs after the clashes took place near the international airport and inside photo shows congestion near the airport due to the clashes) Beirut, 07 Oct 06, 07:20
Assad: Political Divisions in Lebanon Could Lead to an Abyss
Naharnet/ Syrian President Bashar Assad expressed concerns over the political divisions in Lebanon, saying such partitions could lead the Lebanese to an abyss. "We fear the political schism in Lebanon could lead to an abyss," An Nahar daily newspaper reported Saturday. "Some say the political conditions in Lebanon resemble that of 1975. I cannot be the judge of that," Assad said in an interview with the Kuwaiti al-Anbaa daily. He said that any confrontation in Lebanon "would be a direct loss for Syria." Assad said a "militia mentality" was present in Lebanon and "narrow political interests are placed ahead of the nation's interests," adding that "we are doing what we can to prevent any such deterioration." "Whenever we meet a Lebanese we tell him not to drive yourself into confrontation, he added.Referring to Prime Minister Fouad Saniora, Assad said that the Lebanese Premier has rejected three invitations by Syria. In response to a question on what would he tell Saniora should he meet him, the Syrian President said: "I would tell him to be the Prime Minister of all Lebanon and not the Prime Minister of a block, or a movement." Assad reiterated Syria's willingness to extend help to Lebanon should the small, diverse country asked for assistance, assuring that Syria was no longer part of the "Lebanese equation."
On whether Lebanon's relations with Syria depended on the outcome of the international probe into ex-Prime Minister Rafik Hariri's assassination, Assad said: "The problem is theirs, not ours.""We do not link the relation with Lebanon neither with the probe nor with anything else," he added.
Responding to a question about Lebanese complaints that arms were being smuggled into Lebanon, Assad claimed that the "smuggling is being carried out both ways. There is no one-way smuggling."About the presence of al-Qaida in Lebanon, he said intelligence sources has confirmed these allegations. He explained that al-Qaida does have "a head or a branch … It is an extremist mind."Asked about his opinion on the Arab solidarity, Assad said: "I place myself with the Arabs." He said he believed that "it is in our interest to build good relations with countries that surround us and that have been living with us for thousands of years." Beirut, 07 Oct 06, 10:56
Berri: National Unity Government Requires Harmony
Naharnet/Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri did not rule out the formation of a national unity government, which has been a key demand by Hizbullah and Gen. Michel Aoun, saying such a government required harmony. "No one, in principle, can reject the formation of a national unity government," Berri told al-Mustaqbal daily Saturday on the eve of a four-day visit to Saudi Arabia. The trip aims at easing tensions in Lebanon. A national unity government "requires everybody's agreement … agreement on its program, on its formation,' Berri said. "Otherwise it cannot be formed." Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan Nassrallah and Aoun, leader of the Free Patriotic Movement, have been repeatedly calling for the resignation of Fouad Saniora's government and the formation of a national unity government. But Berri said "Hizbullah doesn't call for the fall of the present government." Berri's visit to the kingdom, which was originally scheduled for July 14, was postponed as a result of the Israeli war on Lebanon. "Saudi Arabia's influence puts it in a position where it can help us improve relations between Muslims inside Lebanon and between Lebanon and Syria," Berri added. Beirut, 07 Oct 06, 09:32
Fatfat: Al-Qaida is Present in Lebanon
Naharnet/Acting Interior Minister Ahmad Fatfat confirmed in a newspaper interview Saturday the presence of al Qaida in Lebanon, disclosing that "we have apprehended four groups" belonging to the network. He also blasted allegations that there was a connection between al-Qaida and the "Liberation Party", which he said was founded long before Osama Bin Laden established his network. "We should never combine the two matters together," Fatfat maintained in response to claims that the Liberation Party worked under al-Qaida's umbrella. "I have been asked about it (the Liberation Party) in (trips to) Washington and in Egypt and in any country I visit … The Liberation Party has a history that dates back to half a century," Fatfat said in an interview with an-Nahar daily published Saturday. He said the Sunni Liberation Party "is today politically active … and that comforts me," adding that "should it err, I will request the Cabinet to dissolve it for security, and not political measures." Fatfat assured that al-Qaida, which he said had "unfortunately" originated at one point from an American thought, was present in Lebanon. "Of course (it is present)," he said "in view that four of its groups have been apprehended" in Lebanon. Fatfat clarified, however, that the four groups were unconnected. "This is a scheme performed by al-Qaida," he added.
"We take pride in Lebanon in being able to arrest these groups before becoming effective," Fatfat concluded. Beirut, 07 Oct 06, 13:19
U.N. War Crimes Prosecutor Hits Out at International Double Standards During the Israeli Offensive on Lebanon
Naharnet/Chief U.N. war crimes prosecutor Carla del Ponte hit out at international double standards, saying some serious crimes such as during the Israel-Lebanon were just simply being ignored. "We are faced with conflicts where, according to credible reports, serious violations of international humanitarian law were committed, for instance during the recent Israel-Lebanon conflict, but no independent criminal investigation is taking place," she told a seminar of international prosecutors Friday. "As lawyers, we have an obligation to ensure that the same rules apply everywhere. However, double standards exist today in the treatment of similar crimes," she argued at the two-day meeting in The Hague. "While some crimes are being investigated and prosecuted fully by domestic or international judicial bodies, others are simply ignored." Del Ponte, the Swiss chief prosecutor of the International War Crimes Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY), is known for her straight-talking often abrasive approach. She was speaking in front of her colleagues such as the heads of the International Criminal Court (ICC), Luis Moreno Ocampo, the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR), Hassan Jallow, and Christopher Staker from the U.N.-backed special court for Sierre Leone.
"As we speak, in vast parts of the world, 'double standards' has become a catchword being misused to foster extremism and violence," Del Ponte said.
"The ICC is the only place for the universal and consistent administration of criminal justice, and we must support efforts to build the ICC."
Del Ponte said that both the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda and the International War Crimes Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia were "subjected to enormous political pressure to finish our task by 2010," the date set by the United Nations. "It is likely that, next year, this political pressure will start translating into new financial constraints," she added. However, with six war crimes suspects including former Bosnian Serb military and political leaders Ratko Mladic and Radovan Karadjic still on the run, it was "absolutely impossible" to close down the International War Crimes Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia. Criminals "need to be prosecuted and brought to accountability, but that is not sufficient," said Prosecutor Jallow.
Prosecutor Staker said that setting up the U.N.-backed special court for Sierre Leone in Freetown had had a major impact on the population as it could now closely follow court proceedings. But Del Ponte warned that justice was "not a medication for all that's going wrong in the world," underlining that investigation, prosecution, judgment and eventually imprisonment were important. "If after (that) it has a positive effect on a territory ... I'm grateful, but it's not my task."(AFP) Beirut, 07 Oct 06, 11:05
Palestinian Islamic Extremist Killed in Ein el-Hilweh Refugee Camp
Naharnet/Gunmen shot a Palestinian extremist Saturday as he walked through a refugee camp in south Lebanon banging a drum to wake Muslims for their pre-dawn Ramadan meal, security officials said. Bilal Salloum, 39, a member of the Asbat al-Ansar group, died instantly after being struck by four bullets in Ein el-Hilweh camp, Palestinian officials said. Salloum was killed while performing as a "mesaharati" -- a person who uses a drum to rouse faithful Muslims for prayers and breakfast before dawn during the holy month of Ramadan, the officials said. The attackers promptly fled the scene, the officials added. Asbat al-Ansar is a small, armed group that is on the U.S. State Department's list of terrorist organizations. Lebanese security officials confirmed Salloum's death and said he was wanted on suspicion of taking part in violent acts. Ein el-Hilweh is notorious for assassinations and shootings among Palestinian factions vying for control. Many fugitives wanted by the Lebanese authorities are believed to be hiding in the camp. The Lebanese army controls checkpoints outside the camp, but its troops do not enter. Salloum was married to three women. Ein el-Hilweh, the largest of 12 refugee camps in Lebanon, is home to about 75,000 Palestinian refugees and their descendants who were displaced by the 1948 war that led to the creation of the state of Israel.(AP) Beirut, 07 Oct 06, 11:39
Israeli Warplanes Overfly Baalbek, Violating Anew Lebanese Airspace
Naharnet/Israeli warplanes flew low over the Bekaa Valley and its main town of Baalbek, both strongholds of Hizbullah in eastern Lebanon, an AFP correspondent said. Two jets screamed over the region Friday which borders Syria, without drawing a response from Hizbullah or the Lebanese army.
Israel has been violating Lebanese airspace on an almost daily basis since the August 14 ceasefire in its war with Hizbullah sparked by the group's capture of two Israeli soldiers on July 12. Despite Lebanese protests, the Jewish state has said it will carry on with the overflights until the soldiers are released and to keep the Syrian- and Iranian-backed Hizbullah from being resupplied with arms.(AFP photo shows an Israeli soldier checking a machine gun on top of a tank after crossing the Israel-Lebanon border from south Lebanon) Beirut, 07 Oct 06, 07:02
Johnny Abdo: 'Lebanese Party,' Not Hizbullah, Involved in Bombings
Naharnet/Former Ambassador Johnny Abdo has said a "Lebanese party" and not Hizbullah was involved in the series of bombings and assassinations that struck the country last year. "A Lebanese party, not Hizbullah, is involved in the bombings that took place after March 14," Abdo, who resides in France, told Giselle Khoury's "Bil Arabi" program on Al Arabiya TV channel on Thursday. He also warned that Premier Fouad Saniora, Parliament's majority leader Saad Hariri and Druze leader Walid Jumblat were "in the sphere of danger." About Hizbullah's demands for a national unity government, Abdo said such attempts are aimed at undermining efforts to set up an international tribunal to try ex-Premier Rafik Hariri's assassins. Such an attempt, Abdo said, "could be summarized in undermining the international tribunal and next year's presidential elections, and aim at creating a vacuum." He also described Hizbullah's victory as "strategic" and said it was "wrong to talk about the fate of Hizbullah's arms in this period." Beirut, 06 Oct 06, 13:26
Saniora: 'I am the Prime Minister of all the Lebanese'
Prime Minister Fouad Saniora has reassured that his government would not resign and has also rejected claims that relations with Hizbullah were on the edge. "I am the Prime Minister of all the Lebanese, those in Cabinet and those outside of Cabinet," Saniora told a press conference Thursday at the Grand Serail. "Hizbullah is represented in the government and in Parliament and I have very good relations with Hizbullah's ministers." He added at the conference held to announce compensation plans for Lebanese citizens who lost their homes or shops outside the southern suburbs in the latest Israeli offensive on Lebanon. "We are happy and comfortable with this government. The Lebanese are happy with this government," Saniora said, reiterating that "there will be no change in the government." Hizbullah and Gen. Michel Aoun have been repeatedly calling for the resignation of Saniora's government and the formation of a national unity government. Saniora dismissed claims that the ongoing political strain was a result of tensions with Hizbullah. "I do not have tense relations with anyone." Asked whether a meeting with Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah would relieve tensions, the premier said: "Who says that we don't see each other? Not him (Nasrallah) in person. But we don't have to announce that." In response to Hizbullah official Sheikh Nabil Qaouk's statement last week that the fighters' arms were still present in south Lebanon, Saniora said: "We respect all those who struggled and fought Israel … but the army has instructions to confiscate any weapons found (in the south)." He said "we want to reinforce the army and train the soldiers according to modern standards," adding that the "army will not be in confrontation with the resistance." On the compensation issue, Saniora said that 10 percent of the aid to Lebanon has been handed over to the Higher Relief Committee (HRC) and 90 percent to civil institutions. Saniora said that the HRC would soon issue a detailed report on the accomplishments, the donations received by foreign and local parties and the mechanisms adopted to help the Lebanese since the first day of war. He added that all donations received by the committee and distributed to the Lebanese were listed on its Web site. Beirut, 06 Oct 06, 08:48
Berri on a U.S. No-Fly List to Screen Airline Passengers for Terrorists
Naharnet/CBS's "60 minutes" T.V. news program reported Speaker Nabih Berri's name among a U.S. no-fly list of 44,000 names that was assembled after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States. The secret list which the CBS obtained in collaboration with the National Security News Service is used to screen airline passengers for terrorists.
The no-fly list meant to keep terrorists off airplanes contains along with the speaker's name, the name of Bolivia's President Evo Morales and others. The story by CBS builds on previous reports that detailed how young children and well-known Americans like Sen. Edward M. Kennedy have been stopped at airports because their names match those on lists. Critics say the government does not provide enough information about the people on the lists, so innocent passengers can be caught up in the security sweep. The number of names on watch lists increased into the tens of thousands since the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks on the United States. A former FBI agent, Jack Cloonan, told the CBS news program in an episode to be broadcast Sunday that the list of 44,000 names was assembled hastily and has been ineffective. A spokesman for the Transportation Security Administration refused comment. "We don't comment on individuals who are or are not on the no-fly list," said spokesman Darrin Kayser. The government has sought to improve its process for checking passengers since the Sept. 11 attacks. The first attempt was scuttled because of fears the government would have access to too much personal information.(Naharnet-AP) Beirut, 06 Oct 06, 12:08