LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
April 03/08

Bible Reading of the day.
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint John 3,16-21. For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him will not be condemned, but whoever does not believe has already been condemned, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. And this is the verdict, that the light came into the world, but people preferred darkness to light, because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come toward the light, so that his works might not be exposed. But whoever lives the truth comes to the light, so that his works may be clearly seen as done in God.

Free Opinions, Releases, letters & Special Reports
How would Lebanon's puppet politicians fare without their strings? The Daily Star. 02/04/08
To Mr. Nabih Berri. By: Lawson Kass Hanna. 02/04/08
Hamas is gaining, thanks to the blunders of its foes-By Safwat Kahlout 02/04/08

Latest News Reports From Miscellaneous Sources for April 02/08
Maronite Bishops Urge Lebanese Leaders to Implement Arab Initiative and Salvage Lebanon-Naharnet
Report: Lahoud, Karami, Franjieh among Leaders to be Summoned as Witnesses by Hariri Court-Naharnet
Hizbullah Snaps Back at Saudi FM, Accuses Riyadh of Bias-Naharnet
U.N: Any Country that Fails to Cooperate with Hariri Court will Face 'Difficult Situation-Naharnet
Moussa Stresses Need to Elect President Before Anything Else-Naharnet
Welch: Arab Summit Failed Because it Was Held in Damascus-Naharnet
From a Beirut Cell, an Iraqi Watches as the U.S. Finally Takes his Advice-Naharnet
Border Panic after Syria Imposed Levy on Diesel Fuel-Naharnet
Saniora Laying Groundwork for Arab Foreign Ministers Meeting-Naharnet
Hizbullah's Moussawi Guest of Italian Diplomatic Mission-Naharnet
The International Tribunal Wouldn't Threaten Assad-Naharnet
Tueni Proposes Syrian-Saudi Rapprochement-Naharnet
Intelligence officers: Hezbollah may strike Israel via another group-Ha'aretz
Barak warns Hizbullah not to 'test' Israel's might-Daily Star
Geagea insists US policies favor Lebanon's interests-Daily Star
Hizbullah accuses Riyadh of 'bias' against opposition-Daily Star
Hezbollah accuses Saudi Arabia of siding with government in ...International Herald Tribune
Geagea: Lebanon needs UN forces to control borders with Syria-Ya Libnan
Summit marked 'a triumph' in Syrian diplomacy-Daily Star
France satisfied with progress on Hariri probe-Daily Star
Siniora condemns Israeli settlement plan-Daily Star
The Lebanese are back where they started - again-Daily Star
Moussa recounts futile efforts to bridge gaps in Lebanon-Daily Star
Israel readies largest exercise ever to prepare for Iran-Syria ...World Tribune
'The joke's on us:' Lebanese respond to April Fools reports of elected president
Saudi plans 'modern tourism center' on site of Aley landmark-Daily Star
Tyre garden has become a dangerous dump - report-Daily Star
Ads with an agenda: Lebanon's battle of the billboards.AFP
Syria risks more isolation over Lebanon-Reuters
Thousands of Egyptians protest crackdown on Muslim Brothers-AFP
Last call for 20 businesses in Gemmayzeh - or is it? -Daily Star
Geagea Wants U.N. Help to Control Lebanese-Syrian Borders-Naharnet
Israel Warns Hizbullah: Don't Test US-Naharnet
Vatican to Push Influence in Lebanon Presidential Election-Naharnet
Muallem: Syria Rejected Bargain Offer over Hariri Tribunal-Naharnet
Fadlallah Issues Edict Banning Attacks on Iraqi Infrastructure-Naharnet
Arab League must change-Middle East Times

Report: Lahoud, Karami, Franjieh among Leaders to be Summoned as Witnesses by Hariri Court
Naharnet/Ex-President Emile Lahoud, former Premier Omar Karami and Marada movement leader Suleiman Franjieh are among Lebanese officials to be summoned as witnesses by the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, a Kuwaiti newspaper reported.
Al-Rai, citing a prominent Arab source, said Wednesday that former cabinet ministers Wiam Wahab and Talal Arslan as well as former MP Nasser Qandil will also be summoned as witnesses. The sources did not rule out the possibility that Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem be called into the international tribunal that would try suspects in the 2005 assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. Beirut, 02 Apr 08, 11:02

Maronite Bishops Urge Lebanese Leaders to Implement Arab Initiative and Salvage Lebanon
Naharnet/Maronite Bishops on Wednesday called on the various Lebanese leaders to cooperate in order to implement the Arab initiative and "get Lebanon out its ordeal." In a statement issued after their monthly meeting, the bishops regretted the absence of Lebanon at the Arab summit in Damascus which was "due to the failure to elect a President." "This is abnormal," said the statement read by Monsignor Youssef Tawq. It called on the government of Prime Minister Fouad Saniora to "look seriously into Lebanon's miserable situation -- where most economic sectors are threatening to strike – and deal responsibly with it."The statement also urged the state to adopt the "course of justice." It warned against the negative impact on the summer season as a result of the ongoing political crisis.
Summer is traditionally the high tourist season for Lebanon, when hundreds of thousands of visitors -- particularly Arabs from the oil-rich Gulf, and many Lebanese living abroad -- usually flood into the country to enjoy its nightlife, beaches and mountain resorts. The Bishops also pointed to "protests" made by citizens, particularly in the Bekaa Valley and north Lebanon, who complained that "some" people were seizing their land and water. The statement demanded to lift oppression from them and called on the government to treat everybody fairly. Beirut, 02 Apr 08, 00:38

Hizbullah Snaps Back at Saudi FM, Accuses Riyadh of Bias
Naharnet/Hizbullah has criticized Saudi Arabia, accusing it of siding with the Lebanese majority in its power struggle with anti-government parties after Riyadh blamed the opposition for hindering a solution to Lebanon's political crisis. The Hizbullah statement on Tuesday came only days after Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal slammed Syria and the Hizbullah-led opposition for obstructing the Arab League initiative to help Lebanon elect a new president.
Hizbullah rejected Prince Saud's criticism and instead accused the majority March 14 alliance of obstructing parliamentary elections for a new head of state.
"This (Saudi) accusation against the opposition harms the kingdom's role and raises big question marks about its position and role in the Lebanese political crisis," the statement said. The Shiite group said the Saudi foreign minister's comments had put the kingdom in "a biased position incapable of playing a positive role in a solution" to Lebanon's deepening political crisis. Gen. Michel Aoun, whose Free Patriotic Movement is part of the opposition, also rejected Prince Saud's comments and said he was surprised by "the Saudi position holding the opposition responsible for failure to implement the Arab initiative."
He urged "friendly countries not to be a party to the Lebanese conflict." Prince Saud delivered his criticism Saturday in a press conference in Riyadh timed to coincide with the opening session of the Arab League summit in Syria. In a separate statement, Hizbullah said the Arab Summit held in Damascus has "succeeded despite all pressures." Such an alleged success was a "strong slap to whoever wanted its failure," the Shiite group said.(AP-Naharnet) Beirut, 02 Apr 08, 07:05

U.N: Any Country that Fails to Cooperate with Hariri Court will Face 'Difficult Situation'
Naharnet/U.N. Under-Secretary-General for Legal Affairs Nicolas Michel said any country that fails to cooperate with the international tribunal that would try suspects in the 2005 assassination of former Premier Rafik Hariri will face a "difficult situation." In an interview with LBC television station late Tuesday, Michel said the tribunal will operate according to the highest standards of criminal courts. He stressed that the court was not politicized, adding that the tribunal awaits completion of investigation. Michel said it will be up to the International Tribunal Prosecutor to name suspects.  He pointed to appropriate measures being taken to protect the witnesses. Michel refused to respond to comments by Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem in which he said that Damascus rejected a bargain offer over the international tribunal. "Bargain offers were made to us that went unnoticed and did not get our attention," Muallem said. "We were told 'facilitate presidential elections (in Lebanon), and we will terminate the tribunal,'" he added. Michel stressed that the U.N. does not enter into such bargains. Beirut, 02 Apr 08, 10:01

Moussa Stresses Need to Elect President Before Anything Else
Naharnet/Arab League chief Amr Moussa has said Lebanon was the starting point for improving inter-Arab ties and stressed the need to implement the first clause of the Arab initiative which calls for the election of a Lebanese president. "There is a ray of hope to improve Arab-Arab relations starting from Lebanon," Moussa told Future News television on Tuesday. He said Syria was willing to improve these ties and that "Lebanon plays a role in this improvement" because the situation in the country "has bothered all Arabs." "I think there are possibilities for a new developed (Syrian) stance…But I don't want to sound very optimistic," Moussa said.
He told the channel that Lebanon would grow stronger when a president is elected and a national unity government is formed.
"Many people are telling (us) to expect a hot summer in the region. This scares me a lot because the weakest point…is Lebanon. But when Lebanon gets a president, a unity cabinet and an efficient parliament, (then it) becomes stronger," Moussa said. He also told Future News TV that electing a head of state was "a fundamental issue" and that the Arab League initiative's first clause calls for the election of Army Chief Gen. Michel Suleiman president.
"I understand the necessity to agree on the general form of the (future) government. But going into the details of portfolios and names" is not part of the initiative, Moussa stressed. The second and third points of the Arab plan respectively call for the formation of a national unity government in which no single party has veto power and the adoption of a new electoral law. Parliament has failed to embrace the three-point plan because the majority and the Hizbullah-led opposition remain deadlocked over the shape of the future cabinet. The March 14 majority coalition has strongly rejected the opposition's demand for veto power over future government decisions. Moussa said he will visit Beirut when "bickering Lebanese parties (show) readiness to move towards the election of a new president."
He warned that it was time "to move" before the delicate situation leads to "collapse." About demands by the March 14 alliance for a meeting of Arab foreign ministers, Moussa said: "It is possible to hold a foreign ministers' meeting but it depends on Lebanon's (official) demand." Beirut, 02 Apr 08, 06:11

Border Panic after Syria Imposed Levy on Diesel Fuel
Naharnet/Syrian authorities have imposed a levy on diesel-operated trucks, buses and cars leaving its territories, a move that caused panic on the Lebanon-Syria border. The daily An Nahar said Wednesday the "mess" was cleared after Lebanese customs officials received a copy of the decree which stated that the levy to be collected is between $600 to $860 per truck and less for other vehicles. An Nahar said the move was likely due to the economic hardships experienced by Syria over subsidized diesel fuel which led to smuggling it into Lebanon. Beirut, 02 Apr 08, 08:51

Welch: Arab Summit Failed Because it Was Held in Damascus
Naharnet/U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs David Welch has said the Arab summit held in Syria failed to resolve important issues, possibly because of its venue and stressed that Washington was not intending to isolate the Assad regime. "This summit seems to have failed to address some issues that are very important to the Arab world. Perhaps it was because of the absence of certain key leaders" from the summit held on Saturday and Sunday, Welch told reporters in Qatar on Tuesday. "Some of the deepest problems facing the Arab League ... are among the Arabs themselves," he said. "It doesn't seem that this summit contributed to solutions -- perhaps it has to do with the place in which the summit was held." The United States had called on Arab states to think twice before attending the summit in Damascus, accusing Syria of blocking the election of a president in Lebanon. Lebanon boycotted the summit, while key U.S. allies Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Egypt, which also blame Damascus for the political crisis in Beirut, sent low-ranking representatives.
Welch, who was due to visit Kuwait after Qatar as part of a Gulf tour, said it was "not the intention" of Washington to isolate the Syrian regime.
"Syria has isolated itself. Syria has a significant disagreement with many of its Arab brothers about issues such as Lebanon," he said.
He said his meetings with Qatari foreign ministry officials focused on "bilateral relations and regional issues such as Palestine, Lebanon, Iraq, Iran and the just concluded Arab summit."(AFP-Naharnet) Beirut, 02 Apr 08, 04:58

Wahab Claims Siddiq May Have Been Kidnapped and Killed
Naharnet/Ex-MP Wiam Wahab, a staunch ally of Syrian President Bashar Assad's regime, claimed Tuesday that a key witness to the Hariri crime Mohammed Zuhair Siddiq had "vanished." Wahab, in a statement screened by television stations, said Siddiq, who lives in France "may have been kidnapped and liquidated." He did not elaborate on the remark. Siddiq, a Syrian national, is a key witness interviewed by the U.N. commission looking into the 2005 assassination of ex-Premier Rafik Hariri. Reliable sources told Naharnet, However, Wahab's allegations are "mere baseless fabrications." The French authorities "should issue a statement clarifying Siddiq's whereabouts and denying the charge, that is if they take Wahab seriously," added the sources that asked not to be further identified.
Beirut, 01 Apr 08, 19:37

A positive dimension of the Iraq Campaign Dr. Walid Phares
01 Apr 2008
Policy Briefing
By Walid Phares
April 1, 2008
(This is a Policy Briefing issued under the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. This version was also published by the World Defense Review). .
President Bush's March 27 assessment of the state of the war in Iraq raised important strategic assertions that warrant greater attention from the public and the defense and national security sectors. The principles announced by the president with regard to the measurement of success and the risks of failure on the Iraqi battlefield constitute a series of components of what I would coin as the next stage in the confrontation against the forces of terror in the region.
The surge's success
The 2007-2008 military surge executed in significant parts of Iraq has indeed denied terrorist entities like al-Qaeda in Iraq and the Mahdi army the capacity to achieve their objectives. The surge has weakened the ability of al-Qaeda to reach what they perceive as a potential "Emirate" in the Sunni triangle. Moreover, not being capable of reconstituting a Fallujah-like enclave anywhere is a defeat for al-Qaeda in Iraq, regardless of their ability to strike urban areas and to assassinate prominent leaders.
Similarly, the recent successes in the fight against pro-Iranian militias, such as the Mahdi Army or other Pasdaran-trained forces, are a relative - albeit temporary - victory over the Islamic Republic and its efforts to expand direct control over Shia Iraq. Iranian political and intelligence influence is certainly present in the institutions and public life in the country. But the specific Iranian goal of creating non-states enclaves in addition to political influence has failed so far.
Despite these successes, the President made it clear that these advances can be reversed if an abandonment of the mission in Iraq is implemented in Washington.
Positive Growth in Iraq
President Bush also rightly noted the recent strengthening of the Iraqi security forces and civil society. Iraqi armed forces are indeed growing, though not to the optimal level needed. The growth indicates progress, but an abrupt abandonment of Iraqi security forces would lead to their collapse and the control of most their units by the Terror foes.
Civil society in Iraq is also showing signs of significant development. The removal of Saddam’s regime and the growing localized resistance to al-Qaeda and the Iranian regime have provided “space” for new social and political forces to emerge. As the President correctly noted: “They're (Iraqis) trying to build a modern democracy on the rubble of three decades of tyranny, in a region of the world that has been hostile to freedom. And they're doing it while under assault from one of history's most brutal terrorist networks.” Indeed, it is through that prism that we should define the pro-democracy struggle in Iraq. There are more democratic forces in Iraq today than in 2003.
Warning the axis
In defense of the burgeoning democracy in Iraq, the President also issued a clear - though short and not fully explained - warning to the Iranian and Syrian regimes, demanding that they stop meddling in Iraq’s internal affairs and supporting the flow of terror across the borders. His statements included a number of noteworthy elements. First, it was important for a U.S. President to define the rulers of Iran and Syria as “regimes” and not “governments”: a clear signal that these forces are ruling against the will of their peoples. Second, it is important to clarify that the administration has no intention to abandon Iraq through concessions to the Ayatollahs and the Syrian Baath. Despite political voices within the beltway calling for "talks" with the two regimes, it is crucial for the U.S. Government to send a message to the rulers of these two countries that their support for terror is known, and will be addressed. Without such a message to the Pasdaran, Syrian intelligence and Hezbollah, it would be naive to talk about “progress” in Iraq.
Abandonment = Catastrophe
Equally necessary to state is that an abrupt abandonment of the Iraqi battlefield would bring about a catastrophe—not only in Iraq, but also throughout the region and even to the United States. President Bush's description of the ramifications of a “retreat” is accurate. Indeed, at first the Iraqi democratic forces would be decimated. Second, the Iraqi armed forces would collapse and divide. Third, whatever was achieved in terms of national consensus would crumble, sectarian divisions would deepen, and al-Qaeda would expand its influence in the Sunni Triangle and Iran would expand its rule in the Shia areas. The al-Qaeda bases would become a launching pad for operations in the region and overseas, including against the United States mainland. Iranian advances in Iraq would create dangerous shifts in power in the region and beyond.
Strategic partnership with Iraq
The President’s announcement of a possible treaty of “partnership” between the U.S. and Iraq is in line with the next stage of the confrontation with terrorist forces in the region and internationally. This strategic cooperation would be decided by both “partners,” and will be modified freely by Washington and Baghdad. This is the right response to the threat posed by al-Qaeda and the Syrian-Iranian axis. The concept of Iraq as an ally in the War on Terror is the ultimate objective - and should have been from the outset - of U.S. policy and Iraqi national interest. As Iraqi forces move to the frontline, American and coalition forces should not be far behind fighting our mutual enemy.
Conclusion
In response to his critics, the President argued: “If America's strategic interests are not in Iraq, the convergence point for the twin threats of al-Qaida and Iran, the nation Osama bin Laden's deputy has called the place for the greatest battle, the country at the heart of the most volatile region on earth, then where are they?” Unlike Haiti or Bosnia where interventions were designed to address a specific internal crisis, the campaign in Iraq is a central piece in the battle against external forces throughout the region.
**Dr Walid Phares is the Director of the Future of Terrorism Project at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies, and the author of the recently published book The Confrontation: Winning the War Against Future Jihad.

Vatican to Push Influence in Lebanon Presidential Election
Naharnet/The Vatican on Tuesday was reportedly considering exerting pressure on Christian parties in Lebanon in an effort to elect army commander Gen. Michel Suleiman as President. European diplomatic sources said the Vatican pressure will primarily target Free Patriotic Movement leader Gen. Michel Aoun to "convince him to facilitate Suleiman's election" and not to focus on the possibility of making a drastic change in the political map that would make him a head of state.
The sources said willingness by the hub of the Catholic Church to intervene by initiating talks with Aoun springs from Vatican's belief that the former army general has become a spearhead for protection of the Hizbullah-led opposition through his stances. The sources pointed out that persuading Aoun into changing his stance would lead to resolving the "fundamental obstacle" which still prevents the election of Suleiman. They said Aoun's allies will have to "succumb to the political reality" after their stands become exposed and can no longer hide behind the FPM's conditions. Beirut, 01 Apr 08, 09:51

How would Lebanon's puppet politicians fare without their strings?
By The Daily Star
Wednesday, April 02, 2008
Editorial
Representatives of all the major players in the Middle East, both indigenous and otherwise, have been preaching "non-interference" in Lebanon's internal affairs for more than year. It is hard to take any of them - or their local allies - seriously, though, when all of them are so blatantly pursuing the kinds of cynical policies they claim to abhor in others. Each of America, Egypt, France, Iran, Saudi Arabia and Syria has got a horse in the Lebanese race, while other countries like Israel are trying to affect the outcome to suit their own purposes.
For none of these actors is Lebanon's welfare a top priority, and for some it is not even a consideration. All of them assume the great majority of individual Lebanese to be ignorant and/or naive, and all presume (but do not openly claim) some kind of "right" to use this country as a forum for their larger contests with one another. The meddlers might be useful if any of them were willing to "deliver" their respective proxies to the negotiating table suitable frames of mind. But this they have refused to, instead accusing their competitors of similar reticence.
Trapped between their own captured politicians and the foreigners who control them, then, the people of this country have been subjected to a never-ending series of feigned pantomimes, each new one mimicking the feigned righteousness of the last. All the while, their economy is stagnating, their savings are dwindling, their debts are mounting, and their hopes are fading. People of all ages are emigrating, and fewer of them are even coming back to visit. And still the principals will not deign to provide many details in terms of what it is, exactly, that they are "standing up" for. Instead, their "platforms" consist largely of mindless aspersions cast against those with whom they disagree.
It would be interesting to see what would happen if all of the puppeteers could agree to let go of the strings. If the key Lebanese contestants in the Lebanese power struggle - MPs Michel Aoun, Walid Jumblatt and Saad Hariri, along with Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah - were simultaneously informed that they were "on their own," might their willingness to compromise be increased? Or would they become even more truculent? Given the proclivities of their masters, we will not soon know.

Barak warns Hizbullah not to 'test' Israel's might
Compiled by Daily Star staff -Wednesday, April 02, 2008
Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak on Tuesday warned Lebanon's Hizbullah not to "test" Israel along its heavily guarded northern border. "The soldiers of the Israeli Army are watching everything that occurs near the frontier with Lebanon and I would not advise anyone to test Israel, which is the strongest country in the region," Barak told public radio. Barak made the remarks while on an inspection tour of the border, where Hizbullah militants seized two Israeli soldiers in a deadly cross-border raid in 2006, prompting Israel to launch a 34-day war.
The conflict ended under a UN-brokered cease-fire after more than 1,200 Lebanese, mostly civilians, and 160 Israelis, mostly soldiers, were killed.
Although a UN peacekeeper force in South Lebanon has since been expanded, tensions remain high.
According to public radio, Barak told Parliament's powerful Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee at a closed-door meeting on Tuesday that "Hizbullah continues to build up arms, with the help of Iran." Israel has been on high alert following the end of a 40-day mourning period for top Hizbullah commander Imad Mughniyeh, who was killed in a February 12 bombing in Damascus that the resistance blamed on the Jewish state.
Israel welcomed Mughniyeh's killing but has denied any responsibility. On Monday, an Israeli court-martial charged a military tracker from the Jewish state's Arab minority with having spied for Hizbullah. Military sources said Sergeant Louai Balut was indicted for passing Hizbullah information by telephone about Israeli troop deployments along the Lebanese border. He also took part in cross-border drug deals, according to prosecutors.
Balut denied the charges.
"I committed no treason. I am loyal to the state of Israel," he told Army Radio at Haifa Military Court.
Arabs make up about 20 percent of Israel's population and, while they seldom take up arms, at times voice sympathy with Hizbullah and Palestinian militant groups based in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Israeli security forces are vigilant when it comes to drug trafficking from Lebanon, fearing smuggling routes could be used for militant attacks. Two Arab Israelis were arrested last week on suspicion of receiving 32 kilograms of pure heroin thrown over the frontier fence by Lebanese accomplices, police said. - Agencies

Geagea insists US policies favor Lebanon's interests
Daily Star staff-Wednesday, April 02, 2008
BEIRUT: Lebanese Forces chief Samir Geagea said on Tuesday that US policy in the region was in the interest of the Lebanese and aimed at creating "a strong unified nation." Geagea also said that parties betting on a change in policy parallel to the change in the US administration would be disappointed. "The US policy toward Lebanon over the past three years has been based on building a strong, independent and stable Lebanese state. This is in our interests as Lebanese," he added. In a news conference following his visit to the United States, Geagea said he had called for international aid in light of the lack of control at the Lebanese-Syrian border as well as the obstruction of all Lebanese governmental attempts to find a solution to the border issue.
He said the only solution to the crisis in the Middle East was through the solution of the Palestinian issue, which he said "should be at the heart of our concerns and priorities." "US President George W. Bush and US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice are making intensive efforts to solve the Palestinian problem, and they hope that a breakthrough can be achieved before the end of this year," Geagea added.
Geagea said there was a Lebanese consensus around the issue of Palestinian resettlement, which all factions rejected. He added that the rejection of naturalization had become part of the Lebanese Constitution and that even if the US wanted Palestinian refugees to resettle in Lebanon it would not happen. "But the US does not want the settlement of Palestinians in Lebanon," he stressed.
Geagea said he had discussed the Special Tribunal to try suspects in the February 2005 assassination of former Premier Rafik Hariri at the United Nations headquarters. "We emphasize that nothing can stop it. There will be an international tribunal," he said. He also predicted that the tribunal would issue its verdict by the end of the current year. "The importance of the international tribunal is that it will not only investigate the assassination of Prime Minister Hariri, but will shed light on what was happening in Lebanon 30 years ago and still happens today." The LF boss said he did not reject the initiative made by Speaker Nabih Berri, who called for another round of national dialogue. "However, any serious national dialogue can only take place in Baabda under the auspices of the new president," Geagea added. Geagea also urged Lebanese Christians to restrain themselves and not turn to the streets to express their political positions, adding that Christians could only regain their national role by turning to international centers of decision, as he did during his US tour.
Geagea also said that the summer 2006 war had disappointed many Lebanese emigrants who were willing to return to Lebanon permanently. He added that he was "surprised by and proud of" the size of the Lebanese diaspora in the US. "Lebanese emigrants are loyal to Lebanon and are ready to come back at any time on the condition that a true state be built." - The Daily Star

Hezbollah accuses Saudi Arabia of siding with government in Lebanon's power struggle
The Associated Press- April 1, 2008
BEIRUT, Lebanon: The Lebanese militant group Hezbollah criticized Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, accusing it of siding with Lebanon's Western-backed government in its power struggle with the Syrian-allied opposition.
The comments by opposition leader Hezbollah came only days after Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal slammed Syria and its Lebanese allies for obstructing an Arab League initiative to help Lebanon elect a new president. Hezbollah rejected Prince Saud's criticism and instead accused Lebanon's anti-Syrian majority of obstructing parliamentary elections for a new president. Lebanon has been without a president since pro-Syrian President Emile Lahoud ended his term last November without a successor. "This (Saudi) accusation against the opposition harms the kingdom's role and raises big question marks about its position and role in the Lebanese political crisis," Hezbollah said in a statement. In its rare criticism of Sunni Muslim Saudi Arabia, the Shiite Hezbollah group said Prince Saud's comments had put the kingdom in "a biased position incapable of playing a positive role in a solution" to Lebanon's deepening political crisis.
Christian opposition leader Michel Aoun also rejected Prince Saud's comments and said he was surprised by "the Saudi position holding the opposition responsible for failure to implement the Arab initiative."He urged "friendly countries not to be a party to the Lebanese conflict."
Prince Saud delivered his criticism Saturday in a press conference in the Saudi capital Riyadh timed to coincide with the opening session of the Arab League summit in Syria. Several Sunni Arab leaders, including Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah, boycotted the summit and instead sent low-level officials to protest Syrian policies in many parts of the Mideast and its close alliance with Shiite Iran. Lebanon boycotted the summit completely, accusing Damascus of preventing the election of a new Lebanese president in order to destabilize the country and reassert its control over the neighboring country.
Arab foreign ministers unanimously adopted a plan in Cairo in January that called for the election of Lebanese Army chief Gen. Michel Suleiman as a consensus president, formation of a national unity government and the adoption of a new electoral law. The country's sharply divided parliament has failed to elect Suleiman as president because the parliamentary majority and the opposition remain deadlocked over the shape of the future government. The majority has strongly rejected the opposition's demand for veto power over future government decisions.
The presidential impasse has compounded the yearlong fierce power struggle between the Western-backed government of Prime Minister Fuad Saniora and the opposition, which has sporadically degenerated into street clashes in Beirut between supporters of the rival camps. The United States and Lebanon's anti-Syrian coalition have accused Syria of blocking the presidential election. Damascus has denied the charge, while its Lebanese allies have blamed Washington for scuttling attempts at reaching a solution.

Geagea: Lebanon needs UN forces to control borders with Syria
Tuesday, 1 April, 2008
Beirut - Lebanese Forces Leader Dr. Samir Geagea who returned last week from an official visit to the United States held a press conference to share his experience with the rest of the Lebanese people. During his press conference he talked about several issues that relate to Lebanon including Syria, Palestinians, US and Israel
Lebanon and Syria
Geagea said our problems with Syria are the common borders . These borders are very porous and the Lebanese cannot control them. This is why we have so many assassinations.
Geagea said our porous borders is caused by the fact that Syria refuses to demarcate borders with Lebanon . Geagea proposed to ask the United Nations to monitor the borders between Lebanon and Syria because all efforts exerted by the government to work out a settlement with Syria over the border issue have failed."Geagea opposes the takeover of the Arab league presidency by Syria because he said " You cannot sabotage Arab countries and be a president of the Arab league. Geagea opposes any bargains with Syria over the International Tribunal
Geagea said that we are reverting to the UN on the issue of Lebanese detainees in Syria because the Syrian-Lebanese committee has failed to release the detainees from the Syrian jails. "since the detainees were kidnapped from the Lebanese territory, an independent international committee can be formed to look for them ,determine their whereabouts and release those who are still alive. We've asked Washington to help us in this regard, and we'll try to ask the UN Security Council to adopt a resolution in this regard," he said.
Lebanon and the US
Geagea said the United states may have made mistakes in its US policy towards the Middle East but as far as Lebanon is concerned the United States Middle East policy serves the interests of the Lebanese people. Geagea said the US commitment to Lebanon is so strong that even a change in the administration will not affect its policy towards Lebanon  He said that the United states is against the naturalization of the Palestinian refugees, just like we are . Lets stop therefore of using this issue to score points against each other . He was alluding to General Aoun's accusations against the government on the issue of the Palestinian refugees in Lebanon.
Lebanon and Israel
Geagea said that during his meeting with US officials he raised the issue of the Lebanese detainees in Israeli jails and we were surprised by the answer that Hezbollah is negotiating with Israel on this issue.
Geagea said he protested immediately and told the officials " such a negotiation is nil and void because it is not being handled by the state of Lebanon."
Regarding Shebaa Farms Geagea said " Not one drop of blood should be wasted over freeing the Shebaa farms , because this issue is being settled through political and diplomatic negotiations
Lebanon and Palestinians
Geagea said " there is no solution to the Middle East problems without a solution to the Palestinian problem."
Geagea added " There are dictators in the Middle east that are using the Palestinian issue for political gain but these dictators will never be able to solve the Palestinian issues . He did not the countries but this was understood to refer to Iran and Syria . Both countries back Hamas which is opposed to a peaceful settlement.
Geagea said that he felt during his discussions with the US officials including Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice that the US is hopeful of reaching a solution to the Palestinian issue by the end of the year.
Geagea said there is no serious nation that will allow illegal bases to be stationed in its territories such as Naameh , Bekaa and Ein el Helweh. He was alluding the Palestinian bases in Lebanon that are controlled by the Syrian intelligence such as PFLP-GC, Fatah - Islam, Jund el Sham, Ansar al Islam etc...
Lebanon opposition
Geagea said we will be happy to have dialogue in Lebanon with the opposition but this should be done at the Baabda Palace under the leadership of a Lebanese president . He was alludinhg to the proposal by Speaker Nabih Berri to restart the dialogue
Geagea said " the international Tribunal is going full speed and no one can stop anymore "
Lebanese expatriates in the US
Geagea said he was extremely impressed with loyalty of the Lebanese expatriates in the US towards their mother country "Lebanon" .
He said that had it not been for the 2006 war many would have already been back to resettle here . Their main concern, is the same as our main concern and that is the security situation in the country. "They all love Lebanon and want to come back for good but they want minimum guaranteed stability " he added
Sources: Lebanon Files ( Arabic)

Summit marked 'a triumph' in Syrian diplomacy
By Michael Bluhm -Daily Star staff
Wednesday, April 02, 2008
Analysis
BEIRUT: While demonstrating Lebanon's place at the top of the Arab agenda, last weekend's Arab League summit in Damascus made plain the chasm separating regional supporters of Lebanon's feuding political camps, while host Syria looked strong in brushing away pressure to make any concessions in its support for Lebanon's opposition, a number of analysts told The Daily Star on Tuesday.
Entrenching the split between Arab states such as Saudi Arabia and Egypt, which have allied themselves with the US and Lebanon's March 14 governing coalition, and Syria and summit guest Iran, which back Lebanon's March 8 opposition, only worsens the chances for a resolution between the two camps' Lebanese proxies, the analysts added.
The weekend summit "polarized in the very clearest way the situation around Lebanon," said retired General Elias Hanna, who teaches political science at Notre Dame University. Saudi Arabia and Egypt sent junior diplomats as a snub of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's regime, leaving Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal to call a news conference in Riyadh to demand that Syria be punished for interfering in Lebanon, while Assad in his speech opening the summit denied that Syria meddled in Lebanese affairs.
"It really displayed the Arab divisions over Lebanon," said Oussama Safa, executive director of the Lebanese Center for Policy Studies.
While the Arab sides also follow divergent interests in Iraq and the Palestinian-Israeli peace process, Lebanon appeared to be the main issue driving a wedge between the two groups, Hanna added. Lebanon's actors mirror the larger Arab rift, with Hanna saying opposition leader Hizbullah was an "Iranian proxy," while the March 14-led Cabinet's decision to boycott the summit "indicates to what extent the Lebanese government is toeing the US line," said Amal Saad-Ghorayeb, who wrote the 2002 book "Hizbullah: Politics and Religion" and is now working on a book about Iran's role heading one camp in the regional stand-off.
Patrons of the March 14 Forces such as Saudi Arabia and the US have for some time been pursuing a policy to decouple Syria from Iran, Hizbullah and Hamas, and the summit pointed up how pushing Syria to effect a resolution in Lebanon was serving as tactic in the regional maneuvering, Saad-Ghorayeb said.
"It illustrates more than anything the 'internationalization' of the Lebanese crisis and ... the extent to which the crisis is being used to pressure Syria," she said.
Syria, however, did not budge on Lebanon at the summit, and its unwavering posture marked a failure for the strategy of decoupling, Hanna said. The Arab states have little to offer Syria in exchange for cooperating on Lebanon or abandoning Iran, while the major lure of a return to Syrian control of the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights is not something that either Syria or Israel is willing to trade on in the near future, he added.
The summit "tells you that it is highly difficult to separate Syria from Iran," Hanna said. "You need carrots, and so far there are no carrots."
The inability of Damascus' foes to make Assad blink means March 14's backers came away as losers from the summit, while Syria scored a diplomatic victory, the analysts said.
The weekend gathering "also shows the degree to which Arab states - and the US by extension - are really paralyzed in terms of Lebanon," Saad-Ghorayeb said. "There's really nothing that the US and its moderate [Arab] allies can do. The US is really losing influence in Lebanon."
Saudi Arabia and Egypt expected other Arab heads of state to follow their lead in avoiding the summit, but their strategy backfired as other leaders ignored their signal and they missed a chance to present their positions and push their aims, Safa said.
The Saudi and Egyptian boycott "didn't work," Safa said. "That has stripped the Arabs of a golden opportunity to address the summit."
Instead, Syria brought off the event, punctured its isolation in the Arab community and shepherded through a closing communiquŽ that reflected Syrian interests, he added.
The summit "really displayed what I thought was a triumph in Syrian diplomacy," Safa said.
Regardless of any diplomatic points scored, Assad's rivals should still keep in mind that squeezing Damascus might not be the path to break the impasse in Beirut, Saad-Ghorayeb said. Hizbullah does not take orders from Syria, she added, while March 8 stalwart and Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun once led the Lebanese Armed Forces in a war against Syrian troops here.
The summit "reveals the degree to which Syria is seen as a key player in Lebanon," she said. "It's a faulty assumption. They are pressing Syria, but do they really believe that Syria could tell its allies to bend one way or another?" The summit's failure to achieve any progress on the Lebanon front means the political deadlock will only worsen, she added. "It just further deepens the rift, more than anything," she said, adding that the March 14 camp can bid "farewell to any possibility of dialogue with Syria or reconciliation."The March 14 and March 8 factions, each unable to overcome the other here, are left to wait for some international deus ex machina to decide the regional duel, Hanna said. "Everybody is waiting for what's going to happen," he said. "It's like killing time."

France satisfied with progress on Hariri probe
Wednesday, April 02, 2008
BEIRUT: The French Foreign Ministry expressed satisfaction on Tuesday with the progress of the investigation into the assassination of former Premier Rafik Hariri, which will culminate with the Special Tribunal for Lebanon to try the culprits. It also called on the UN International Independent Investigation Committee (UNIIIC) to refer the dossier to the tribunal's general prosecutor as soon as possible. "We are satisfied that the UNIIIC has evidence on the network that carried out the attack against Hariri and on the existence of links between this attack and other ones," Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Pascale Andreani said. She also said the Arab summit held in Damascus last weekend consecrated Arab support for Lebanon, adding that "we support the efforts of Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa and call on all Lebanese parties to move toward finding a solution."

Siniora condemns Israeli settlement plan
By Nafez Qawas
Daily Star correspondent
Wednesday, April 02, 2008
BEIRUT: Prime Minister Fouad Siniora on Tuesday warned against the Israeli decision to build 1,400 housing units in Occupied Jerusalem and the West Bank within the plan of a new Israeli colonial settlement. "Parallel to talk of international efforts to revitalize the peace process in the Palestinian territories as a result of the Annapolis meeting, the Israeli government did not take any serious steps to support or ensure the success of this process, but instead decided to expand its settlement, which is aimed at the Judaization of Jerusalem and the Palestinian territories," Siniora said in a statement.
The Israeli decision to build the settlements after the Annapolis meetings revealed that "peaceful steps" were but a "deceptive mirage," he added.
"I would like to express strong condemnation and denunciation of these acts in my name and the name of the Lebanese government," he said.
Siniora stressed that the rights of the Arab and Palestinian people were violated every day by peace talks, "which only consolidated state oppression of citizens, enhanced the escalation of violence, and gave grounds to attack the credibility of moderate Arab forces which promoted and worked for peace."
The premier called on Arab and international communities to work for an end to such Israeli practices and "this new Israeli conspiracy to overthrow peaceful endeavors."In a televised speech Friday, Siniora addressed the Arab community, stressing that the Lebanese government decided to boycott the summit to prove that the Lebanese people refuse to adapt to presidential vacuum. "Lebanon should only be represented by its Christian president, who reflects the country's diversity and is the only Christian Arab president," Siniora said. The premier described as disappointing the fact that Lebanon has been without a president in the last four months. "It is unfortunate that Syria is playing a major role in complicating Lebanon's crisis and has prevented through its interference in Lebanese affairs the election of consensus president in the country," Siniora's statement said. "It is also unfortunate that Syria has obstructed the Arab initiative to end Lebanon's crisis and impeded Arab League chief Amr Moussa's efforts to push forward a settlement in Lebanon," he added.

The Lebanese are back where they started - again
By Marc J Sirois
Daily Star staff
Wednesday, April 02, 2008
First person By Marc J. Sirois
So now what happens? The Arab League summit is over, the participants followed a time-honored tradition by failing to agree on very much of significance, and the uncomfortable stalemate in Lebanon is unchanged. Political junkies are already putting their respective spins on the event, but their desperation to say something of relevance is hamstrung by the inherent fraud of the subject at hand. Did the summit "fail?" Of course it did - they all do. Who is responsible for the "failure?" Take your pick, but it would be really unfair to blame Djibouti. Did anyone honestly expect a proverbial "breakthrough" on the Lebanese logjam or any of the other crises facing the Middle East? No one who a) can read; and b) has applied this skill to the history of past Arab League summits.
And so the Lebanese wait for something to happen. Some wish parliamentarians from the ruling March 14 Forces would squirrel themselves away somewhere and elect a president by simple majority. Luckily, the hotheads who advocate such a move are still outnumbered by those who understand that it would only compound the problem. Others wish that Hizbullah, the opposition March 8 Forces' resident heavyweight, would renege on its pledges not to use force and simply take over the buildings from where political power is supposed to be exercised. But these too are in the minority, their wiser allies comprehending just how nutty it would be to invite yet another foreign "intervention" in Lebanon's internal affairs.
The fondest wish of many Lebanese, though, is that all of their politicians would retire. Far too many of them are not just long in the tooth - they are also the very same people who bumbled their way into a Civil War in 1975 and kept it going until 1990. Now many of the same characters remain at odds, and while most mainstream leaders on both sides insist that they want a political solution, they have also made it impossible, thus far, to achieve one. Prominent figures from both March 8 and March 14 regularly make the case that unless the other side agrees to their terms in advance, there is no need to have a dialogue. The fallacy of such unrealistic positions is so obvious a child can see it, and yet this is what passes for political discourse in this country.
One of the issues that divides the opposition and the government is the United Nations' Special Tribunal for Lebanon, which was created to try suspects in the February 2005 assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri and assorted other political killings and attacks. There is little point in hashing out their respective positions on the court, except to note the vagueness and inconsistency of both.
What is most befuddling is that anyone suggested the court when they did. After all, the crimes in question are nothing like those that prompted the establishment of the other special tribunals supported by the UN. Cambodia, Rwanda, Sierra Leone and the former Yugoslavia had witnessed massive loss of life, and such was the scale that the charges have included genocide and crimes against humanity.
There was a time when Lebanon needed such a court for such a purpose: in the aftermath of the Civil War that killed as many as 250,000 people. It might also have benefited mightily from the formation of a body like South Africa's truth and Reconciliation Commission, which helped that country deal with all the evils that took place during the Apartheid era. Instead, those responsible for the 1975-1990 slaughter in Lebanon gave themselves a free pass: an amnesty which protected almost all of them from punishment. And far from encouraging public hearings aimed at clearing the air, they have been among those who have most enthusiastically prevented open and honest discussion of the horrors they inflicted, even going so far as to bar the adoption of textbooks that might help Lebanese children understand what their parents and grandparents went through - or why they don't have parents or grandparents.
Even this cop-out school of statesmanship might have succeeded if only the belligerents had resolved to move on once and for all and then honored their promises. They have not. Nor have they even attempted to implement other elements of the document that ended the conflict, the Taif Accord. Many of the issues at stake in the Civil War are debated just as fervently today, often by the same people, and usually from the same perspectives of ignorance and intolerance fueled by personal rivalries.
None of this is to say that the Hariri court should not have been established. The case may not be one of genocide, but it does have something else in common with those in Rwanda and the others: This country's justice system lacks anything like the resources and public respect required to hand down verdicts that will enjoy general acceptance. The politicians have seen to that by preventing (among other things) the judicial reforms mandated by Taif.
The judiciary was just one of the casualties of the war they continued by other means, each side blocking the implementation of desperately needed changes because it refused to trust the other, each refusing to let their reins be taken over by a new generation of less embittered figures who might just have put country over clan. Whoever murdered Hariri and whatever the particular reason, the crime both continued the pattern of behavior that caused and prolonged the Civil War, and empowered those responsible all over again. Perhaps if the United Nations had imposed a court on Lebanon in 1990, it would not have needed one now.
**Marc J. Sirois is managing editor of THE DAILY STAR. His e-mail address is marc.sirois@dailystar.com.lb.

Moussa recounts futile efforts to bridge gaps in Lebanon
Report regrets failure of feuding factions to agree
By Anthony Elghossain -Daily Star staff
Wednesday, April 02, 2008
BEIRUT: The past year has seen Lebanese politicians disagree with respect to the election of a president, the composition of a "national unity" government, and the drafting of a new electoral law, a new report issued by Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa says.  Articles 157 through 184 of the report, which details the work of the Arab League over the past year, specifically address efforts to solve the Lebanese political crisis. The report describes the various trips taken by Moussa, the issues discussed with Lebanese leaders, and the formal stance of the Arab League regarding some of the differences within Lebanon.
The report notes that a three-point plan of action was drafted for Lebanon in November 2007. First, the plan called for "France, the Vatican, and other relevant nations to prevail on the Maronite patriarch [Nasrallah Butros Sfeir] to create a list of acceptable candidates for the presidency."
Second, the plan stated that this list was to be submitted to Future Movement chief MP Saad Hariri and Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri - representing the pro-government and opposition factions, respectively - in order to draft a short list to be presented to Parliament for voting.
Finally, the plan argued for "a French mediation role in convincing the patriarch to delineate his list and working with Syria and the Arab League" in driving a political compromise in Lebanon. The report also mentions some of the concessions made by the feuding parties in Lebanon. One example was the agreement of former President Emile Lahoud to refrain from creating a government rivaling that of incumbent Prime Minister Fouad Siniora in exchange for a ruling majority concession that it would not elect a president by simple majority.
Moussa also says that it "soon became clear that the various parties preferred a controlled vacuum until agreement could be reached." In any case, as Lahoud's term expired and the transition to vacuum was completed, the Arab League proposed what is now known as the Arab initiative for Lebanon. This initiative, says the report, consists of three complementary principles designed to address the main issues of dispute in Lebanon.
The initiative calls for the immediate election of the commander of the Lebanese Armed Forces, General Michel Suleiman, as president, the formation of a national unity government fairly representing the ruling majority and opposition factions, and the drafting of a more representative electoral law.
Moussa said, "the Arab League was pleased with, and continues to endorse, the Lebanese consensus regarding the election of General Suleiman as president" but also notes that the dispute has since "focused on the distribution of seats within the next cabinet." According to the report, efforts to resolve the dispute over government composition stalled as differing local interpretations of the second principle of the Arab initiative (forming a "national unity" government) were proposed by each faction.
The majority "favored a formula that granted it 14 seats, the opposition 6 seats, with the president controlling 10 seats." Conversely, the opposition argued that "the equal division of seats between the two factions and the presidency [10+10+10] was preferable." While the report notes that interpretations range from pro-government 15+5+10 formulations to 10+10+10 opposition arrangements, it says that the Arab League would like to see a solution "granting the parliamentary majority a larger share of seats while preserving the voice of the opposition, perhaps along the lines of a 12/13 majority share, with the opposition taking 10 seats and the president receiving the remainder."The report then focuses on the dispute over an electoral law, explaining that both Lebanese factions have agreed upon adopting a qada-based (smaller district) law. However, the Moussa report also says that "efforts to clarify the third principle of the Arab initiative [the electoral law] focused on forging agreement regarding the spirit of that law while leaving the specific formulation to Parliament and the government."
Since there remains a dispute over "what is meant by the qada as a unit" - whether or not the 1960 platform or a new one is adopted - and since the opposition and pro-government parties continue to quarrel over whether agreement over the electoral law must precede the implementation of the first two principles of the initiative (the report favors a sequential implementation), it appears that the political crisis may continue

Israel readies largest exercise ever to prepare for Iran-Syria missile war
News Agencies/TEL AVIV — Israel plans to conduct its largest exercise ever to set contingencies for massive missile attacks by Iran and Syria.
The government has been preparing for a five-day exercise in April that would simulate conventional and nonconventional missile strikes from Iran, Lebanon and Syria. Officials said the exercise would test emergency response as well as evacuation of cities struck by enemy missiles.
The exercise, scheduled to begin on April 6, has been organized by National Emergency Authority. The authority was established in 2007 as part of recommendations in the aftermath of the Hizbullah war a year earlier, in which 4,500 rockets landed in Israel.
Deputy Defense Minister Matan Vilna'i has been responsible for the exercise, meant to integrate efforts by the military, police and emergency services. The exercise also envisioned missile and rocket attacks on southern Israeli cities by the Hamas regime in the Gaza Strip.
The exercise would include a simulation conducted by the government. Officials said Prime Minister Ehud Olmert would convene the Cabinet to order a response to the enemy strike. Officials said the exercise could take place annually amid an assessment that Iran would assemble a nuclear bomb as early as 2009. In 2007, the military halted an effort to replace gas masks distributed in the late 1990s.

Israel Warns Hizbullah: Don't Test US
News Agencies/Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak on Tuesday warned the Lebanese Hizbullah militia against testing Israel along its heavily guarded northern border. "The soldiers of the Israeli army are watching everything that occurs near the frontier with Lebanon and I would not advise anyone to test Israel, which is the strongest country in the region," Barak told public radio. Barak made the remarks while on an inspection tour of the border, where Hizbullah militants seized two Israeli soldiers in a deadly cross-border raid in 2006, kicking off a 34-day war. Israel has been on high alert following the end of a 40-day mourning period for top Hizbullah commander Imad Mughniyeh, who was killed in a February 12 bombing in Damascus that the militia blamed on the Jewish state.
Israel welcomed Mughniyeh's death but denied any responsibility. According to public radio, Barak told parliament's powerful foreign affairs and defense committee at a closed-door meeting on Tuesday that "Hizbullah continues to build up arms, with the help of Iran." The 34-day conflict ended under a U.N.-brokered ceasefire after more than 1,200 Lebanese, mostly civilians, and 160 Israelis, mostly soldiers, were killed. Beirut, 01 Apr 08, 14:22

Fatfat: Arab League Focuses on Holding Emergency Session on Lebanon
he Daily Star.Youth and Sports Minister Ahmad Fatfat said in remarks published Tuesday that Arab League chief Amr Moussa will not return to Beirut until Arab foreign ministers hold an emergency session to discuss the strained Lebanon-Syria relations. "I don't think that Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa will return to Lebanon any time soon," Fatfat told The Daily Star. "There is nothing much to be said or done before Arab foreign ministers meet to address the issue of Lebanese-Syrian relations," he added. Meanwhile, Ali Hamdan, Speaker Nabih Berri's media adviser, said Berri has started initiating contacts and holding consultations in preparation for a possible all-party national dialogue. "Berri promised he will pursue such dialogue in the light of the outcome of the Arab summit, whose final statement urged Lebanese parties to reach consensus on the disputed issues," Hamdan told The Daily Star. "Consensus can only be pursued through national dialogue and this is what Berri is looking for," he added. The Daily Star also quoted well-informed governmental sources as saying that the presidential vacuum was likely to persist until 2009, "unless some miracle occurs.""Electing a president by simple majority is no longer an option and so is the restoration of the government," one source told The Daily Star. Beirut, 01 Apr 08, 11:05