LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
December 11/08

Bible Reading of the day.
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 11,28-30. Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for your selves. For my yoke is easy, and my burden light."

Blessed Teresa of Calcutta (1910-1997), foundress of the Missionary Sisters of Charity
Jesus, the Word to be spoken, ch.7/"My yoke is easy"
God bears within himself a very great humility. He is able to stoop down to people like ourselves and become dependant on us for such activities as living, growing and bearing fruit. He could have done this instantaneously without our help. However, he stooped down to us, he has led each one of us here, to call us together and make up this community. If you had refused, he would not have been able to do it. And indeed, we could have refused; each one of us could have said «No». God would have waited patiently until someone had said «Yes». What makes me understand this is when Jesus says: «Learn of me, for I am meek and humble of heart.» He truly wanted us to accept that the call of each one of us is truly a gift of God himself.

Latest News Reports From Miscellaneous Sources for December 10/08
Suleiman to Lebanese: 'Hang in There'-Naharnet
U.S. Finances Firing Range for ISF-Naharnet
Aoun: Syria 'Not Returning' to Lebanon-Naharnet
Carter Meets Suleiman, Visits UNIFIL HQ-Naharnet
Fmr. Weapons Inspector On Nuclear Iran, Syria, And Barack Obama-ABC News
Washington Doubts Syria's Intentions Towards Lebanon-Naharnet
Lebanon's First Ambassador to Syria-Naharnet
Sarkozy to visit Lebanon, Not Syria-Naharnet
Hezbollah refuse to meet with ex-US president Carter in Lebanon-Ha'aretz
Carter Meets Suleiman, Visits UNIFIL HQ-Naharnet
Geagea's Defense Strategy: Israel is an Enemy Among Others-Naharnet
Minister Lahoud: Washington Committed to Safeguarding Lebanon's Sovereignty-Naharnet
UNIFIL Denies Friction with Citizens-Naharnet
Fatah al-Islam says leader captured or killed in Syria: report-AFP
Neighbors / Turkish foreign policymaker: Iran poses threat to Turkey-Ha'aretz
Student Gets Life in German Train-Bombing Plot-Washington Post
UN to Israel: Free Palestinian prisoners, lift Gaza blockade-Jerusalem Post
The race for ratification of landmark cluster bomb ban-Amnesty International
Suleiman Discusses with Aoun Calming Political Rhetoric-Naharnet
AMAL Refuses to Share its Parliament Seats with March 8-Naharnet
Baroud Willing to Listen to Visiting Carter-Naharnet
Najjar Doubts Assad's Pledge to Aoun-Naharnet
Beirut Streets Occupied … By Clowns-Naharnet
Canadian Citizen Sues U.S. for Torture in Syria-Naharnet

Fatah al-Islam Says Abssi Probably Killed in Syria
Naharnet/Fatah al-Islam leader Shaker Abssi has probably been captured or killed in Syria, according to a statement purportedly posted by the terrorist group on an Islamic militant website. Abssi went on the run last year after his group battled the Lebanese army for weeks inside the northern Palestinian refugee camp of Nahr al-Bared. The statement attributed to Fatah al-Islam said Abssi fled Lebanon in 2007 and went to Syria. It claimed he and two other members of the group were later ambushed by Syrian security forces in Jermana, a small town south of Damascus. The three might have been detained, but most likely were killed, the statement said, without providing further details. "We don't know his (Abssi's) fate, but we believe he probably was martyred, but we don't have solid evidence," said the statement, which could not be independently verified.
There was no immediate comment from Syrian authorities about the statement posted on a website commonly used by Islamic militant groups, including al-Qaida.
In the statement, the group said it elected Abu Mohammed Awad as its leader but gave no further details. Syria's government last month blamed Fatah al-Islam for a car bombing in Damascus that killed 17 people in September. Syrian state television aired purported "confessions" of alleged Fatah al-Islam members in custody and one suspect identified as the group's security chief said Abssi was smuggled into Syria from Lebanon but hasn't been heard of since July. He added that Abssi's hand-picked successor, Awad, was chosen as their leader and that he was based in the southern refugee camp of Ein el-Hilweh. Awad has not been seen for months and is believed to either gone deep underground or slipped out of the camp, an infamous haven for militants. The more than three-month siege at Nahr al-Bared camp ended in September 2007. The Lebanese government said about 220 militants and 168 soldiers were killed, while Palestinian officials put the Palestinian civilian death toll at 47. Lebanese officials say Fatah al-Islam, which had set up a base at Nahr al-Bared in late 2006, is made up of Muslim extremists of various nationalities. They say Abssi is a Palestinian linked to the late leader of al-Qaida in Iraq, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. He was sentenced to death in absentia in Jordan for his involvement in the 2002 murder of U.S. diplomat Laurence Foley in Amman.(AP-AFP-Naharnet) Beirut, 10 Dec 08, 04:20

Hezbollah leaders refuse to meet with Carter in Lebanon
By DPA
Officials from the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah have refused to meet with former U.S. president Jimmy Carter, who is in Lebanon, Carter's spokesman Rick Jafculca said Wednesday. Carter requested the meeting with the Iran-backed movement - which is recognized as a terrorist group by the United States - as part of a two-day visit to Lebanon to assess whether his Atlanta-based Carter Center will monitor parliamentary elections, which are scheduled to take place by May 2009
Jafculca confirmed a meeting had been requested with Hezbollah, but added that the group "were not able to meet" Carter. "I am going to meet with as many of the political parties as possible," Carter had said on Tuesday. "I understand that several leaders of Hezbollah said they were not going to meet with any president or former president of the United States, so I don't know yet." Carter's Lebanon visit, which started on Tuesday, will be followed by a trip to neighboring Syria.
Carter's talks in Syria include a meeting with President Bashar Assad, whose ties with the U.S. remain strained despite warming relations with other Western countries like France and Britain. Carter is also scheduled to meet with Palestinian Hamas officials in Damascus.

Sarkozy to Visit Lebanon, Not Syria
Naharnet/French President Nicolas Sarkozy is to visit Lebanon early next month for talks with his Lebanese counterpart Michel Suleiman.
The pan-Arab daily al-Hayat said Sarkozy, who is scheduled to arrive in Beirut on Jan. 6, is to inspect his troops serving with the U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon.
Sarkozy's trip, according to the report, would not include a visit to Syria. The French head of state would discuss with Suleiman preparations for the two-day visit to Paris by the Lebanese head of state scheduled for March 16. Sarkozy's Beirut mission would also include an assessment of progress achieved in Lebanese-Syrian relations in line with what Suleiman and his Syrian counterpart Bashar Assad agreed on in Damascus last July. Beirut, 10 Dec 08, 10:38

Carter Meets Suleiman, Visits UNIFIL HQ
Naharnet/Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter on Wednesday held talks with President Michel Suleiman and visited headquarters of U.N. peacekeepers in south Lebanon. Carter, talking to reporters at the Babda Palace, expressed hope the forthcoming parliamentary elections would be honest and transparent.
He also expressed hope to visit Lebanon in the spring of 2009 to follow up the general elections. Shortly after the talks with Suleiman, Carter was flown to the southern border town of Naqoura where he visited headquarters of the U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL). Beirut, 10 Dec 08, 14:29

Lebanon's First Ambassador to Syria
Naharnet/Lebanon has chosen Michel el-Khoury, a career diplomat, to become its first ever ambassador to Syria, a foreign ministry official said on Wednesday.
"The cabinet is planning to submit the name of Khoury, the current Lebanese ambassador to Cyprus, to become ambassador in Damascus," said the official who spoke on condition of anonymity. He did not say when the cabinet session would take place but both Syria and Lebanon had vowed when they established diplomatic relations in October to name ambassadors by the end of the year. Khoury, who will turn 59 on December 24, would not confirm his appointment, telling AFP: "I have not been contacted officially on the matter." Khoury was previously ambassador to The Hague and held top diplomatic posts in several countries including Britain, Brazil, and Mexico. According to diplomatic sources quoted by the Lebanese press, Syria has decided to name its current ambassador to Spain, Makram Obeid, as it first ambassador to Beirut. The two countries in October formally established diplomatic ties for the first time since both became independent 60 years ago.
The move turned a page in relations between Lebanon and Syria, which dominated its smaller neighbor for nearly three decades until it pulled its troops out in April 2005. The withdrawal came two months after the murder in Beirut of Lebanon's former premier Rafik Hariri. Damascus was widely blamed for the assassination but has denied any involvement.(AFP) Beirut, 10 Dec 08, 13:17

Minister Lahoud: Washington Committed to Safeguarding Lebanon's Sovereignty
Naharnet/Cabinet Minister Nassib Lahoud said he was reassured that the new U.S. administration is committed to safeguarding Lebanon's sovereignty and independence. Lahoud made the remark to reporters after talks with U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. Washington, he added, also supports Lebanon in regaining its rights in Israeli-occupied Shebaa Farms and the Ghajar village. The United States persists with its pledge to provide the Lebanese Army with weapons and equipment in the "coming months," Lahoud added. Beirut, 10 Dec 08, 12:02

Washington Doubts Syria's Intentions Towards Lebanon
Naharnet/U.S. State Department official Jeffrey Feltman said the setting up of diplomatic ties between Syria and Lebanon is an "important step psychologically … though the United States still doubts it." Feltman, a former ambassador to Lebanon, made the remark in a television interview. "Why does Syria maintain its backing for Palestinian military bases in Qoussaya and Naameh?" Feltman asked. He was referring to bases manned by Syrian-backed factions in the eastern Bekaa Valley and Beirut's southern suburb of Naameh. He said Iran backs "an armed group in Lebanon. The evidence to this is what happened on May 7. They were prepared for this act." That was a reference to the attack by Hizbullah gunmen of Beirut's western sector. Iran, Feltman said, should support the state of Lebanon instead of working for the setting up of a "mini state within the state." Beirut, 10 Dec 08, 11:16

AMAL Refuses to Share its Parliament Seats with March 8
Naharnet/Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri's AMAL Movement on Wednesday said it would not give away any of its parliamentary seats to March 8 allies in the forthcoming elections. The pan-Arab daily al-Hayat quoted unnamed ranking AMAL sources as saying Berri has set the rule stating "AMAL's share should be maintained." The report said Berri received floods of well wishers at his southern residence in Msayleh during the Adha holiday which reflects support for the parliament speaker among the south Lebanon population. Berri, addressing well wishers, said AMAL is committed to the Taef Accord, emphasizing on the belief that any amendment of the accord requires "adequate political atmosphere." "Such atmosphere is not available at present," Berri was quoted as stressing.

Beirut, 10 Dec 08, 10:27