LCCC ENGLISH NEWS BULLETIN
September 11/06
Monday, 11 September 2006
Today the Church celebrates : St. Adelphus
Reading
Commentary of the day : Saint Athanasius
A healing on the Sabbath, a symbol of the fulfillment of creation Holy Gospel of
Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 6,6-11.
On another sabbath he went into the synagogue and taught, and there was a man
there whose right hand was withered. The scribes and the Pharisees watched him
closely to see if he would cure on the sabbath so that they might discover a
reason to accuse him. But he realized their intentions and said to the man with
the withered hand, "Come up and stand before us." And he rose and stood there.
Then Jesus said to them, "I ask you, is it lawful to do good on the sabbath
rather than to do evil, to save life rather than to destroy it?" Looking around
at them all, he then said to him, "Stretch out your hand." He did so and his
hand was restored. But they became enraged and discussed together what they
might do to Jesus.
Latest New from the Daily Star for September11/2006
Blair arrives today on regional tour - but may receive frosty welcome
UN keeps wraps on identity of facilitator tasked with freeing captured Israeli
troops
Saudi king assures Siniora of postwar help
Jewish state releases 6 civilians seized Friday
Israeli gunboat fires across bows of fishermen near Tyre
Police question suspect in German bomb plot
Advance French force lands at Beirut Port
34 days of war for 4 men: Who are they?
Italy touted as supplier of 'technical assistance' for Syrian border guards
Key witness in Hariri case fingers Assad and Lahoud
Aoun accuses Siniora and allies of plotting to steal
foreign aid money
Arab-Israeli MPs continue high-level talks in Syria
Sunni blocs stall Shiite initiative to carve out region in south Iraq
Meet Abu Ali Ahmad, Lebanon's freelance de-miner
Pilgrims flock to Qom in search of Mehdi miracles
5 years after 9/11, Saudis are still grappling with education reform
Latest
New from Miscellaneous sources for September11/2006
Shi'ite cleric says Blair not welcome in Lebanon-Reuters.uk
French troops arrive in Lebanon to reinforce UN-Reuters AlertNet
IAF succeeded in Lebanon, but must prepare for tougher battles-Ha'aretz
Lebanon urges UN to push for Israel's withdrawal-People's Daily Online
Syria does not accept EU guards on Lebanon border-Scotsman
INTERVIEW-Christian leader flays Lebanon's "mafia" cabinet-Reuters
Lebanon conflict: Israelis demand probe-NDTV.com
Demining troops being sent to Lebanon-Pakistan Dawn
Hezbollah rejects UNIFIL forces' role outside south Lebanon-People's
Daily Online
The Aftermath of the War against Hezbollah-Blogger
News Network
Report: Syria doesn't accept EU guards on Lebanon border-Ha'aretz
Syria Denies Agreeing to Border Guards-Ledger Independent
Syria rejects EU border presence -media-Reuters.uk
Italy Says Syria OKs EU Border Personnel-Santa Maria Times
Another Tack: The Europeanization of Israel-Jerusalem Post
Bkheitan Meets Palestinian Intellectual Bishara,SANA
Pakistan to send army engineers to Lebanon for de-mining: PM-People's Daily Online
UN approves anti-terror plan-Taipei Times
INTERVIEW-Christian leader flays Lebanon's "mafia" cabinet
10 Sep 2006 11:37:35 GMT
BackgroundLebanon crisis
More By Alistair Lyon, Special Correspondent
RABIYEH, Lebanon, Sept 10 (Reuters) - Lebanon's government is clinging to power
so it can steal foreign aid meant for reconstruction after Israel's war with
Hizbollah guerrillas, Christian opposition leader Michel Aoun said on Sunday.
Aoun, a fierce foe of Syria's former tutelage over Lebanon, has, nevertheless,
built political ties with Syrian-backed Hizbollah, and he scourges the
anti-Syrian government.
He reiterated his call for Prime Minister Fouad Siniora's cabinet to resign,
saying it was too dishonest and divided to tackle the complex postwar problems
facing the country.
"They want to continue the corruption and steal the money that is offered by
other countries," he told Reuters in an interview at his home in the hills north
of Beirut.
On Aug. 31, international donors pledged nearly $1 billion to help Lebanon
recover after the 34-day conflict with Israel.
Aoun's bloc won 21 seats in the 128-seat parliament last year in a sweeping
victory in the Maronite Christian heartland, but power has eluded him, unjustly,
he believes. "I am playing the Christian role to unify the country, but I don't
have the position as president of the republic," said Aoun, a Maronite
Christian. the sect from which the president must be chosen in Lebanon's
confessional power-sharing system.
Aoun said he was not demanding at the moment that the incumbent, Syrian-backed
President Emile Lahoud, resign.
Parliament, which elects the president, has been dominated by an anti-Syrian
coalition led by Saad Hariri, the son of slain former Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri,
since the election. Aoun says the results were skewed by an unfair electoral
law.
"We can dissolve parliament and we can do elections," he said. "If not, okay, it
will favour conflict and confrontation."
Aoun stayed out of the government formed last year by Hariri's Sunni Muslim bloc
and its Druze and Christian allies yoked uneasily with two Shi'ite factions,
Hizbollah and Amal. More than a year in opposition has sharpened his anger at
the "mafia" that has turned Lebanon into a "kleptocracy".
RETIRED GENERAL
A combative ex-army commander, he gained a devoted following for his 1989
attempt to expel Syrian forces from Lebanon, which culminated in defeat for his
military administration and his own expulsion from the presidential palace the
following year.
That ended Lebanon's 1975-90 civil war and ushered in 15 years of unchallenged
Syrian dominance -- and 15 years of exile in France for Aoun, who denounced
Damascus at every turn.
He staged a triumphal return in May 2005, the month after Syrian troops left
Lebanon following Hariri's assassination, only to find that his path to the
presidency remained blocked.
Lahoud refused to quit and, although the election showed Aoun was the most
popular Christian leader, it also produced a parliament dominated by his
political foes, many of whom would rather let Lahoud stay than see Aoun replace
him.
Casting about for new allies, Aoun made overtures to Hizbollah and reached a
political understanding with the Iranian- and Syrian-backed Islamist group
earlier this year.
Some of Aoun's sympathisers found this baffling, while his critics accused him
of political opportunism, but he dismisses as a "media plot" the suggestion that
there is anything incongruous about his relationship with Hizbollah.
He says his discussions with the group prompted it to tone down rhetoric about
liberating Palestine and limit its demands to the release of Lebanese prisoners
in Israel and an end to Israeli occupation of the disputed Shebaa Farms area.
His accord with Hizbollah, which has resisted U.N. demands for its disarmament,
calls for the issue to be solved in the context of a national defence strategy
for Lebanon.
"Since we don't have force to solve the problem, we have to develop trust and
then to have an honest broker to build confidence between Hizbollah and (Saad)
Hariri," Aoun said.
He blames Israel, not Hizbollah for the war, saying the Jewish state may have
planned its onslaught in advance and did not need the pretext provided by the
guerrillas' capture of two Israeli soldiers in a cross-border raid on July 12.
During the conflict, Aoun's party actively organised relief efforts for Shi'ite
southerners displaced by the fighting, opening up shelters for them in solidly
Christian areas.
With the war over, Aoun says the need for political change is urgent, though his
critics say it would be disruptive.
"We need to have a government really representative of the people, sharing power
and decision-making," he declared.
Syria wants peace on basis of relevant UN resolutions -- official
POL-SYRIA-PEACE
DAMASCUS, Sept 10 (KUNA) -- Syria expressed hope that the US administration and
other western nations would acknowledge the keenness of Arab countries,
including itself, to achieve comprehensive and just peace in the Middle East.
Syrian Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad said in statements published Sunday
in Al-Thawra newspaper that his country hopes that America's efforts would head
in the right direction and would reach practical solutions for the conflicts
that face the people of the Middle East.
Mekdad said "the recent victory in Lebanon encourages us to be optimistic...
we cannot remain silent about losing rights...and the occupation of our lands."
Syria wants comprehensive peace in the region based on the UN Security Council's
resolutions 242, 338 and 497 which was issued 1981 regarding the occupation of
the Golan heights and which declares Israel annexation of the heights as
illegal.
Syria wants peace according to the land-for-peace accord reached during the
Arab-Israeli peace conference, held in Madrid in the early 90s, as well as the
Arab peace initiative that genuinely calls for establishment of an independent
Palestinian state.
On the investigative committee of the assassination of former Lebanese premier
Rafic Al-Hariri, he said those who planned the plot aimed at destroying the
special relationship between Syria and Lebanon and at creating instability in
the region, he added.
He expressed Syria's keenness on cooperating with the investigative committee in
order to show that Israel was the one to benefit from assassinating Al-Hariri.
On terrorism, he said, Syria condemns and combats international terrorism and it
differentiates between terrorism and people who fight for their rights and
freedom.
Shi'ite cleric says Blair not welcome in Lebanon
Sun Sep 10, 2006
BEIRUT (Reuters) - Lebanon's top Shi'ite cleric said on Sunday Prime Minister
Tony Blair, who is on a tour of the Middle East, was not welcome in Lebanon
because of his support for Israel and the United States.
Sayyed Mohammad Hussein Fadlallah criticised Blair for not calling for an early
truce in Israel's 34-day war with Shi'ite Hizbollah guerrillas and for allowing
U.S. weapons to be shipped via Britain to Israel for use against Lebanon.
The Lebanese government should have told "Blair that he is not wanted in
Lebanon, so that he -- and those like him -- would know that we are not so naive
as to welcome him when he has contributed to killing us and slaughtering our
children," Fadlallah said in a statement.
Blair arrived in Israel on Saturday and Lebanese officials have said he will
visit Beirut on Monday for talks on a U.N. truce which ended the fighting,
triggered by Hizbollah's cross-border capture of two Israeli soldiers in July.
The conflict cost the lives of nearly 1,200 people in Lebanon, mainly civilians,
and 157 Israelis, mostly soldiers.
During the war Britain allowed U.S. flights loaded with bombs for Israel to
refuel at an airport in Scotland. Blair also drew criticism at home for standing
with U.S. President George W. Bush in opposing calls for an early ceasefire.
Report: Syria doesn't accept EU guards on Lebanon border
By Reuters and Haaretz Service
Last update - 00:39 10/09/2006
The official Syrian news agency said on Saturday "there is no truth to news
reports of Syria's acceptance of European border guards to monitor the border
with Lebanon."They said Syria did not accept the deployment of European guards
on the Lebanese side of the two countries' border to help prevent arms shipments
to Hezbollah. They did not say whether the force it was referring to was armed
or not. The denial came hours after Italian Premier Romano Prodi said that
Syria's President Bashar Assad had agreed "in principle" to a European Union
presence on its border to help stem the flow of weapons into Lebanon. Assad said
last month that he would consider the deployment of international troops along
the Lebanon-Syria border to be a hostile move toward his country.
Prodi said in a statement that he had spoken with Assad several times over the
last few days. "I reminded President Assad that the European Union has
significant experience in training programs for frontier guards, and that the
idea of an EU mission of assistance on the border between Syria and Lebanon
would be an excellent signal of cooperation between Syria and Europe," the
statement said. "President Assad gave me his accord in principle," it added.
In comments to the Syrian news agency, confirmed by Prodi's office, the premier
said the European guards would not be armed and would not be in uniform, but
would have all the "necessary instruments to check on the passage of arms toward
southern Lebanon." Later Saturday, Prodi's spokesman, Silvio Sircana, said
Syria's denial of claims Assad agreed to the European presence was accurate,
adding that Prodi had not said "border guards" would be deployed and that the
Syrian news agency and the premier's office were mistaken.
"I confirm that Prodi and Assad did not discuss troops or guards, but only EU
personnel without uniforms or arms that will be at the disposal of the Syrian
forces," Sircana said. Earlier, Prodi said in his statement that "we believe
that a significant quantity of arms pass through this border ... toward southern
Lebanon."
The Italian premier also said Assad had told him Syria would increase security
at the border by sending 500 border guards.
The United States is also encouraging Germany to deploy troops at the border of
Syria and Lebanon. An agreement has not been reached, however, as Germany is
seeking the Lebanese government's position on the matter.
On Friday, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan said Syria had promised to deploy a
battalion to help patrol its border with Lebanon to stop illegal arms shipments
to Hezbollah militants.
Annan, during a trip to Damascus, said on September 1 that Assad pledged to
respect an embargo on weapons going into Lebanon and to help secure the
frontier.
Elaborating on that pledge, Annan told reporters he had received a telephone
call from the Syrian president earlier this week promising "to deploy one
battalion to the border to help control the border."
A battalion is usually composed of 600 to 800 soldiers.
Annan said Assad also had accepted international offers of assistance for
equipment, training of Syrian personnel and "international expertise."
The secretary-general said he had asked Germany to provide "that expertise"
along with what it is providing to the Lebanese government.
"It's an attempt to tighten control on both sides of the border," Annan said.
Syria and Iran are widely believed to ship arms and money to the Lebanese-based
militia Hezbollah.Annan visited Syria during a Middle East swing through in an effort to implement
an August 11 UN Security Council resolution halting the war between Israel and
Hezbollah and barring arms shipments to Hezbollah.
Since the war's end, Israel has been seeking the deployment of foreign
peacekeepers along the Syrian-Lebanese border, but Damascus has consistently
refused.
Armenians in Lebanon protest Turkish force
Web posted at: 9/9/2006 2:40:57
Source ::: AFP
BURJ HAMMUD, Lebanon • Lebanon’s Armenians, who have not forgotten the massacres
their people suffered under Ottoman rule, demonstrated yesterday against Turkish
troops set to take part in a UN peacekeeping mission.
Waving Lebanese flags and banners denouncing Turkey as a murderous state,
several hundred gathered in the Beirut suburb of Burj Hammud, heavily populated
by Armenians, and appealed to the United Nations to reconsider Turkey’s
participation in an expanded UN force in Lebanon.
“Genocide, massacre, deportation: Turkey’s definition of peace,” read one
banner. “No to the participation of Turkish forces among UN troops coming to
Lebanon,” read another.
“We had 1.5 million of our people slaughtered under the Turks and you expect us
to welcome them?” asked Arous Ghougassian, the owner of a home furnishing
business. “I can assure you that I won’t sell them anything if they come into my
shop,” she said.
Hagop, an employee at the Basterma Mano food store, raised his fists in anger
when asked about the Turkish UN force.
“Look at my arms, I get goose bumps when you refer to them,” he said. “If they
dare come into our neighbourhoods we’ll deal with them.”
Garo Hovsipian, a shopkeeper, said he could not put to rest the massacre of his
uncle and grandparents by the Turks in 1915.
“I somehow become a fanatic when I hear the word Turkey,” he said, drawing on a
cigar. “It brings back memories of my ancestors, our history, the massacres.
“Still if I encounter any soldiers I will treat them as guests because we are
more civilised than them.”
Lebanon’s minority Armenian community, which numbers about 140,000 people, has
objected to Turkey taking part in the UN force because of mass killings of
Armenians by Turks in 1915. “Turkey, which carried out horrible crimes against
humanity, cannot take part in any peace process until it recognizes the massacre
of the Armenian people,” Jacques Choukhadarian, a former MP and minister, told
yesterday’s gathering.
Representatives of the community have sent letters to UN Secretary General Kofi
Annan and to Western embassies in Beirut urging them to reject Turkish
participation in the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (Unifil) set to number 15,000
troops from various countries.
Religious leaders has also issued a statement calling the Turkish participation
in Unifil “morally unacceptable”.
The Turkish parliament voted after fierce debate at an extraordinary session
Tuesday to authorize the government to send troops to take part in the UN force
to monitor the ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah.
Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul has said the number of soldiers is not
likely to exceed 1,000.
Under the old Ottoman empire, an estimated 1.5 million Armenians are said to
have been killed or died after being forcibly driven from their homes in Turkey
between 1915 and 1917.
Ankara rejects all accusations of genocide, estimating the number of Armenian
deaths at 300,000 and arguing they were not a consequence of deliberate
extermination but a combination of war, disease, famine and ethnic conflict.
TURKEY HAS INTERESTS IN LEBANON
[01:53 pm] 08 September, 2006
By allocating forces in Lebanon Turkey is trying to enhance its position in the
region.
“We must not forget that the Near East has been under the reign of Turkey for
centuries. There were suchlike comments in Turkey too – We left Lebanon 88 years
ago, and now we are returning”, said Ruben Safrastyan, dean of the RA National
Academy of Science oriental studies chair commenting on the decision of the
Turkish Parliament about sending peace-keeping forces to Lebanon. According to
the historian, this is also an attempt by Turkey to flatter the USA and the EU.
«The USA, as well as the EU is interested in Turkey's sending peace-keeping
forces to Lebanon. This is a gesture by Turkey».
The Armenians of Lebanon were against the Turkish troupes in the country saying
that Turkey cannot be defender of rights. According to Ruben Safrastyan, not
only the Armenians, but also the majority of the Turkish society was against it.
«The concern was that the peace-keepers might collide with «Hezbollah» which
could arouse anxiety of the pro-Islamic powers in Turkey. That's why the Turks
avoid those regions where they can get in touch with «Hezbollah», Mr. Safrastyan
thinks.
According to the historian, the Arabian world does not approve of the Turkish
peace-keepers fearing that Turkey might try to restore its former influence.
As for the Armenian policy of not sending troupes to Lebanon, the historian
thinks it right.
«What could we gain sending troupes there? We do not have geo-political problems
to solve in the Near East. We have a large community there which is in certain
relations with all the political powers, that is we poke into relations which
could harm our nations. We would lose more than gain», Mr. Safrastyan says.
Today.Az » Politics » TurkishPress.com: "Who Do The Armenians Think They Are?"
07 September 2006 [21:08] - Today.Az
The European Parliament gave a young Dutch MEP, who wants to make his career
from Turkey, the task of preparing a report on Turkey.
I can't remember another report so ridiculous. His intentions are bad. It seems
that cleverer politicians have misled this young MEP. Moreover, he claims to be
a friend of the Turks.
He says Turkey has to accept the so-called Armenian genocide. We were surprised
to see Armenia in Turkey's EU progress report. Those who are unable or more
reluctant to make Armenia withdraw from Azerbaijan's soil are criticizing our
policies. How many times do we have to say it? 'If the Armenians withdraw from
Azerbaijan soil, then we would develop every relation with Armenia.' Armenia
would become a prosperous state in two years if we opened its doors to the
world. Even simpletons know that there are many Armenians working illicitly in
Istanbul.
But the Armenians think that this is the opportunity to form their 'greater
Armenia.' The Kurds also think that they are close to forming their 'greater
Kurdistan.' The PKK has become more violent. Barzani lowered the Iraqi flag.
What's happening? What do they believe? I should say it: They believe Turkey
won't stay on the US side in a war with Iran. They think Washington will break
off its relations with Turkey in such a case, and think that the Kurds and the
Armenians would then have an opportunity. They are calculating that Turkey
wouldn't be considered in the Middle East. They think that such a Turkey would
benefit both the Arabs and Iran. But Turkish foreign policy would never be based
on such a scenario. A few Turkish mistakes shouldn't inspire Armenian and
Kurdish fantasies. We already got sunk into our debate over sending troops to
Lebanon. We shouldn't get stuck in a small part of the big game. We shouldn't
work for something impossible like finding a solution to the Palestinian
problem. We shouldn't make even one small mistake in the realities of foreign
policy.