LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN

LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
August 06/08

Bible Reading of the day.
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 15,1-2.10-14. Then Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem and said,Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? They do not wash (their) hands when they eat a meal.He summoned the crowd and said to them, "Hear and understand. It is not what enters one's mouth that defiles that person; but what comes out of the mouth is what defiles one."
Then his disciples approached and said to him, "Do you know that the Pharisees took offense when they heard what you said?"
He said in reply, "Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be uprooted.Let them alone; they are blind guides (of the blind). If a blind person leads a blind person, both will fall into a pit."

Saint Augustine (354-430), Bishop of Hippo (North Africa) and Doctor of the Church
Sermons on Saint John's Gospel, no.34
"They are blind guides of the blind"
«I am the light of the world; whoever follows me will not walk in darkness» (Jn 8,12). Yes, our Lord enlightens those who are blind. As for ourselves, my brethren, we have been enlightened even in this life by means of the ointment of faith. The Lord began by mixing his saliva with earth to spread it over the eyes of the man born blind (Jn 9,6). But we, too, are born blind, we who are sons of Adam, and we have need of the Saviour to enlighten us. He mixed his saliva with earth: «And the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us,» (Jn 1,14)...
We will see him face to face. «Now,» Saint Paul says, «we see him indistinctly, as in a mirror, but then face to face,» (1Cor 13,12). And Saint John, too, says in his epistle: «Beloved, we are God's children now; what we shall be has not yet been revealed. We do know that when it is revealed, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is,» (1Jn 3,2). See what a great promise has been held out to you; so if you love him, follow him.
«I do love him,» you will say to me, «but by which path shall I follow him?»... Are you asking which way to take? First of all, listen to the Saviour say to you: «I am the Way.» And to where does this way lead? «I am the Truth and the Life,» (Jn 14,6)...You are not being told: Try hard to find the way that leads to truth and life. No; no one is saying that to you. Get up, you sluggard; the Way in person has come to find you. He is rousing you from your sleep if only you listen to his voice saying to you: «Rise and walk,» (Mt 9,5).

Free Opinions, Releases, letters & Special Reports
Interview from Naharnet with Lebanese MP Ahdab Musbah: March 14: Change Path Or Face Failure 05/08/08
4,000-year-old Canaanite warrior found in Sidon dig.By Mohammed Zaatari 05/08/08
One in five Iranians live below poverty line - report-AFP 05/08/08
Hamas and Fatah are a bigger threat to the Palestinians than Israel. The Daily Star 05/08/08
Return to a regional conference on Mideast peace-By Carlo Strenger 05/08/08
Fighting in Lebanon's Tripoli Could Play into Syrian Hands. By: ReviewSimon Roughneen 05/08/08
The Battle of Lebanon Awaits Western and Arab Action Against the Against the Iran-Syria Axis. By: Elie Khawand 05/08/08

Latest News Reports From Miscellaneous Sources for August 05/08
Interview from Naharnet with Lebanese MP Ahdab Musbah: March 14: Change Path Or Face Failure 05/08/08
Controversial Topics Ignored by Cabinet's Policy Statement -Naharnet
West Calls for Caution in Dealing with Iranian Bank Operating in Lebanon -Naharnet
Al-Akhbar: Israel Recruits UNIFIL -Naharnet
Shamseddine Vows to Raise the Sadr Case -Naharnet
Qassem: Ministerial Statement Confirms Logic of Resistance Doesn't Contradict Logic of the State-Naharnet
Policy Statement Adopted Despite Reservations By Four Christian Ministers-Naharnet
Fires Threaten Lebanese Forests-Naharnet
Electricity from Egypt-Naharnet
MP Hamade Sets the Guidelines for the 2009 Elections-Naharnet
Gemayel Criticizes Ambiguous Reference to Resistance in Policy Statement-Naharnet
Aoun for the People's Right to Defend the Nation-Naharnet
Paris Pledges More Sanctions on Iran-Naharnet
Britain: New Sanctions on Iran Tuesday, Unless -Naharnet
Hezbollah: Stronger Than Ever, Ready to Strike-theTrumpet.com
Israelis in West Africa: We live in Hezbollah state-Ha'aretz
Lebanon-Syria summit to be held next week-AFP
Making a farce of democracy-Ha'aretz
Iran: Tehran says it has tested new weapon / Syria: General ...Los Angeles Times
Israelis in West Africa: We live in Hezbollah state-Ha'aretz
Report: Syria arrests suspects in slaying of top military general-Ha'aretz

Lebanese cabinet unanimously approves draft policy statement-Daily Star
World powers threaten Iran with fresh sanctions.Daily Star
Aoun for the People's Right to Defend the Nation-Naharnet
Egypt to supply 200 MW of power to Lebanon-AFP
Egypt to provide Lebanon with badly needed electricity.AFP
Iranian Nobel laureate protests against polygamy bill-AFP
Civil Defense battles blazes in Jbeil, Kesrouan-Daily Star
Future Movement undergoing 'structural reorganization-Daily Star
March 14 Forces stress 'united stance' ahead of dialogue-Daily Star
Aoun invites Hariri, Jumblatt to join his alliance with Hizbullah-Daily Star
Hoss says statement is nothing new-Daily Star
FPM conference aims at 'bringing diaspora together-Daily Star
Attackers injure television presenter-Daily Star
UNICEF calls on government, NGOs to aid displaced in North-By IRIN News.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Saudi Arabia to Deport 15 Christians
Deportation Comes Two Weeks after King Abdullah Calls for Reconciliation
Between Muslims and Christians at Saudi Hosted Interfaith Dialog
You are free to disseminate the following news. We request that you reference ICC (International Christian Concern) and include our web address www.persecution.org. Contact Jeff King, President, 1-800-ICC (422)-5441, icc@persecution.org .
(August 4, 2008) The Washington-DC based human rights group,
International Christian Concern (ICC) www.persecution.org has learned that Saudi Arabia is deporting 15 Christians on Tuesday, August 5th, for holding private worship meetings in a house in the city of Taif.
On Friday, April 25, twelve Saudi Arabian police raided a house where 16 Christians were holding a prayer meeting. The first officer to enter the house after breaking down the main gate pointed a pistol at the Christians and ordered them to hand over their resident permits and mobile phones. The other 11 police followed quickly and started searching the entire house. They confiscated an electronic drum set, an offering box with 500 Saudi Riyal in it ($130), 20 bibles, and a few Christian books.
The police initially accused the Christians of preaching the Bible and singing. They later changed the charge to holding a "dance party" and collecting money to support terrorism.
During the raid, the police mocked, questioned and harassed the Christians for four hours. Then they took them to a police station where the head of the station interrogated them. The head of the police then wrote down their "statements" in Arabic and forced the Christians, who are immigrants and not able to read or write Arabic, to sign the statements.
After the interrogations, the Christians were incarcerated and held incommunicado. After three days, the Christians were finally released on April 27, 2008 at 8 PM.
Upon release, one of the Christians permanently departed the country. The others, thinking that their ordeal was over, went back to their daily lives and work but soon received letters demanding that they leave the country immediately.
The arrested Christians are hard working people who came to Saudi Arabia to improve their lives and to contribute to the economic growth of the country. The Saudi officials' decision to deport them for practicing their faith is despicable.
The decision to deport them runs contrary to recent attempts to portray the kingdom as a beacon of reconciliation among Christians, Muslims, Jews and others. Three weeks ago, Saudi Arabia hosted an interfaith conference in Madrid, Spain. During the conference that took place from July 16-19, King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia called for reconciliation among various religions.
Jeff King, ICC's President, said, "Deporting Christians for worshipping in their private homes shows that King Abdullah's speech is mere rhetoric and his country is deceiving the international community about their desire for change and reconciliation."
Please pray for the Christians that face deportation so that Saudi officials will change their decision and allow them to continue working in the country. Please call the Saudi Arabian embassy in your country and ask the officials at the embassies to stop deporting the Christians.
Saudi Arabian Embassies:
Country Phone Fax Email
USA (202) 342-3800 (202) 944-3126 Info@saudiembassy.net
Canada (613) 237-4100 (613) 237-0567
UK +44 (0)20 7917 3000 ukemb@mofa.gov.sa
Australia (02) 6250 7000 (02) 6282 8911
# # #
ICC is a Washington-DC based human rights organization that exists to help persecuted Christians worldwide. ICC delivers humanitarian aid, trains and supports persecuted pastors, raises awareness in the US regarding the problem of persecution, and is an advocate for the persecuted on Capitol Hill and the State Department. For additional information or for an interview, contact ICC at 800-422-5441.

Fires Threaten Lebanese Forests
Naharnet/Fire broke out in the woods of Qabr Shmoun village southeast of Beirut on Tuesday, a day after firefighters struggled to contain blazes in the Qartaba region north of the Lebanese capital. A helicopter dispatched by Cyprus helped battle the forest fires which started Friday at Jannat Mar Sarkis and spread to Qartaba, Balhas and Frat on Monday. Civil Defense Director Brig. Gen. Darwish Hobeika said he believes the fires are premeditated.Last month, firemen brought a large forest fire under control in the Bmikkine mountainous region between Souq al-Gharb and Aley. "No national fire management strategy exists in Lebanon. Last summer, 4,700 hectares of forest were destroyed in fires across the country," The Daily Star reported Tuesday. Beirut, 05 Aug 08, 09:00

Shamseddine Vows to Raise the Sadr Case
Naharnet/Administrative Development Minister Ibrahim Shamseddine said on Tuesday his membership in the cabinet would reflect on the issue of missing Shiite Spiritual leader Imam Moussa al-Sadr. Shamseddine, in a radio interview, said Sadr's case "has not been seriously raised" ever since his mysterious disappearance during a visit to Libya in 1978."Unfortunately they only referred to the case with words and nothing but words, no deeds," he added. Sadr founded both the Higher Shiite Islamic Council and the AMAL Movement that is headed now by Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri. Beirut, 05 Aug 08, 10:31

Policy Statement Adopted Despite Reservations By Four Christian Ministers
Naharnet/Premier Fouad Saniora's cabinet on Monday adopted its policy statement despite reservations voiced by four ministers on a clause related to the resistance. Information Minister Tareq Mitri said the statement was adopted unanimously to safeguard "ministerial solidarity."
He identified the four ministers as Nassib Lahoud, Tony Karam, Ibrahim Najjar and Elie Marouni. Lahoud represents the Qornet Shahwan gathering of independent Christian politicians. Karam and Najjar represent the Lebanese Forces and Marouni represents the Phalange Party. The four, however, are members of the March 14 majority alliance. Mitri said the four wanted to add a phrase to the clause placing resistance activity "under the state wing," but their proposal was rejected. Mitri said President Michel Suleiman, who presided over the cabinet session at the Baabda Palace, said the policy statement reflects "unity and national will." Saniora said the policy statement is "in the interest of Lebanon.""The forthcoming era is full of challenges and we should confront it," Saniora stressed. The cabinet is to face a vote of confidence at Parliament, after which it would be able to officially rule the nation. Beirut, 04 Aug 08, 22:41

Qassem: Ministerial Statement Confirms Logic of Resistance Doesn't Contradict Logic of the State
Naharnet/Hizbullah's Deputy Secretary-General Sheikh Naim Qassem has said that the ministerial statement confirms that the logic of the state does not contradict the logic of the resistance. "The ministerial statement confirms beyond any doubt that there is no contradiction between the logic of the state and the logic of the resistance, but rather both logics constitute a whole that can be exploited for the sake of liberation and for Lebanon's sovereignty," Qassem said on Monday.
He spoke at a celebration held by the Islamic Religious Education Association in honor of students who had excelled in the official examinations.
"The resistance will be the spearhead of Lebanon's strength, and this resistance will work according to what we agree upon regarding the defensive strategy," he said. Hizbullah "will be the support of the strong state. We will bear our full responsibilities and we will not relinquish them for the benefit of the Israeli enemy."
Speaking of last month's prisoner swap between Israel and Hizbullah, the official said that "everybody must rejoice over this victory."He quoted Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah as saying that "the victory is for everybody."Qassem added that "the primary and fundamental duty of the government after the ministerial statement was to be concerned" with social and economic issues "and the different problems from which the people are suffering." Beirut, 05 Aug 08, 10:18

Controversial Topics Ignored by Cabinet's Policy Statement
Naharnet/Premier Fouad Saniora's national unity cabinet has unanimously adopted a policy statement including a rather vague clause on Hizbullah's resistance, but what the text has failed to adopt sheds light on other controversial issues that could face the cabinet's practice.
Four Christian cabinet ministers -Nassib Lahoud, Elie Marouni, Ibrahim Najjar and Antoine Karam- registered reservations over the resistance-related clause because it did not spell out the need for such defensive activities to be practiced "under the state wing." The proposed amendment was rejected by the Hizbullah-led March 8 representatives. However, Administrative Development Minister Ibrahim Shamseddine, proposed an amendment to a clause related to the disappearance in 1978 of Shiite Religious leader Imam Moussa al-Sadr while on a visit to Libya. Shamseddine's amendment called for referring the issue to the International Court of Justice in The Hague, but the proposal was rejected by ministers representing the March 8 alliance. It was the first such attempt by a cabinet minister to raise the Sadr disappearance case at the international justice level, accusing Libya of alleged involvement in the issue.
Ministers representing Michel Aoun's Free Patriotic Movement also proposed adding a clause to the policy statement on rejecting the naturalization of Palestinian refugees in Lebanon through national effort, and not just through government practices, but the proposal was rejected.
The FPM representatives also proposed an amendment calling for a collective return of Lebanese citizens who had fled to Israel in the year 2000, but ministers Ghazi Aridi and Wael Abu Faour, representing Walid Jumblat's Democratic Gathering, rejected the proposal and insisted on maintaining a clause that permits the return of immigrants to Israel without dropping the right to sue "Israeli agents" who had served in the Israeli-affiliated South Lebanon Army militia.
Copies of the policy statement would be distributed to MPs Tuesday and a parliamentary session is to be held as of Friday to deliberate the text, upon which the cabinet would be able to practice after winning a vote of confidence from the House. Beirut, 05 Aug 08, 09:20

MP Ahdab Warns March 14: Change Path Or Face Failure
By Dalia Nehme-Naharnet
MP Musbah Ahdab criticized March 14 for adopting "only bitter decisions" warning that if the majority alliance proceeds with its present path "we would fail in the elections" of 2009. Ahdab told Naharnet he would vote in favor of Premier Fouad Saniora's cabinet "despite reservations" over a clause on Hizbullah's resistance in its policy statement. He said Cabinet Minister Nassib Lahoud, who had expressed reservations on the resistance clause in the policy statement draft, "represents me in the cabinet." The two would meet to consider a joint stand on granting confidence to the cabinet. The vague phrasing of the policy statement, Ahdab said, makes room for "dual interpretations."However, he emphasized on the need for the "other side to realize that some of us would not give up national principles."
"Such principles should be taken into consideration in practice," he stressed. He would grant the cabinet his vote of confidence "because it is the first cabinet in President Michel Suleiman's term," Ahdab said. "Also because it is headed by Fouad Saniora, a man who would be mentioned in history books as having played a role in safeguarding the state of Lebanon in a very difficult era."The main challenges that would face the cabinet after parliament grants it a vote of confidence would be appointment of directors of main security agencies, according to Ahdab. "What I fear is that we would fold a conflict to go into another," he warned. "If they want to believe that the Beirut status is the title of the new era, we tell them they wouldn't succeed," Ahdab added. He was referring to the Hizbullah-led attack on Beirut last May. Ahdab said the situation in Tripoli is more like a "firebrand covered by ash.""The state has not been able to impose law … there is no confidence (in state security). Due to the absence of such confidence people would go on arming themselves."He expressed "concern over the trend that things might take if the present situation persisted." Beirut, 04 Aug 08, 21:09

Britain: New Sanctions on Iran Tuesday, Unless
Naharnet/The British Foreign office said Iran faces new UN sanctions unless it gives a response by Tuesday to an offer of incentives to freeze uranium enrichment activities, the British Foreign Office said. "We will be disappointed if there (is) no response to the E3 proposals by tomorrow... We will have no choice but to ask the UN to proceed with further sanctions," a spokesman said Monday, referring to proposals put to Tehran by three European countries -- Britain, France and Germany. The comments came after EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana held what a spokesman described as "inconclusive" talks with Iran's top nuclear negotiator, after Tehran missed a deadline to respond to the compromise offer. A U.S. State Department spokesman said senior diplomats from the United States, Britain, France, Germany, Russia and China discussed developments by phone Monday and agreed to push for new action if Iran continues holding out. The United Nations has imposed three sets of sanctions against Iran over the nuclear dispute and is mulling a fourth round of measures. Tehran has steadfastly refused to suspend its uranium enrichment activities, which it says are aimed only at producing fuel for nuclear power production.The United States and its allies fear the program is a cover for developing nuclear weapons.(AFP)

Paris Pledges More Sanctions on Iran
Naharnet/Iran "will have to face new sanctions" if it does not respond positively by Tuesday to an offer of incentives from six world powers over Tehran's nuclear program, the French foreign ministry said. Paris "expressed its disappointment at the lack of a clear response from Iran" to the proposals, the ministry said in a statement. The warning came after a telephone conversation with the European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana, who held what a spokesman described as "inconclusive" talks with Iran's top nuclear negotiator, Saeed Jalili, after Tehran missed a deadline to respond to the compromise offer.
A US State Department spokesman said senior diplomats from the United States, Britain, France, Germany, Russia and China discussed developments and agreed to push for new action if Iran continues holding out. "France understands that a written document must reach Mr. Solana tomorrow, August 5, and hopes that this document will contain the answer that the international community is waiting for," the French foreign ministry said. "In the absence of a positive response to the six (world powers), Iran will then have to face new sanctions," it said. Earlier, France's deputy ambassador to the United Nations, Jean-Pierre Lacroix, said: "If we don't get an encouraging response from the Iranians, we will have to show firmness, resort to sanctions as in the past."(AFP) Beirut, 04 Aug 08, 22:10

Electricity from Egypt
Naharnet/Egypt is to supply power-starved Lebanon with 200 megawatts (MW) of electricity to help it meet a drastic shortfall, Lebanon's Energy Minister Alan Taburian said on Monday. "Egypt has an excess of 600 MW of electricity which would be divided as follows: 200 MW for Jordan, 200 for Syria and 200 for Lebanon," Taburian told reporters after talks in Beirut with his Egyptian counterpart, Hassan Yunes. "If later Syria or Jordan don't need the full amount they are offered, we could use an additional 50 MW," the minister said, adding that the grid in Lebanon would not be able to absorb more than an additional 250 MW.
According to state-run utility company Lebanon Electricity (EDL), the country needs 2,200 MW of electricity to meet its daily needs but it currently generates only 1,700 MW. However it also draws 100 MW from Syria. "Our electricity deficit would be reduced to 500 MW," Taburian said. It was not clear why the figures given by the minister, who is newly appointed to the post, differ from those of the EDL. Electricity is a constant concern for the Lebanese government, which allocates the third largest slice of its budget, after debt servicing and salaries, to power supply. The country suffers daily power outages, including in the capital Beirut where many businesses have bought generators to tide them over during lengthy blackouts.The situation has been exacerbated by the high cost of fuel.(AFP) Beirut, 04 Aug 08, 21:56

Gemayel Criticizes Ambiguous Reference to Resistance in Policy Statement
Naharnet/Phalange Party leader Amin Gemayel on Monday criticized the "ambiguous" reference to Hizbullah's resistance in the new cabinet's policy statement draft.
Gemayel, addressing the weekly meeting of the party's central council, said such phrasing leads to "duality of concepts between the resistance and the state."
"It also confuses the state while practicing its duties, especially that protecting and defending the terrain is one of the basic duties of the state," Gemayel added.
He expressed "hope that Syria would acknowledge Lebanon's sovereignty over Shebaa Farms and help in demarcating the borders with Lebanon."
Gemayel urged President Michel Suleiman to raise the issues of the farms and border demarcation with his Syrian counterpart Bashar Assad during his forthcoming visit to Syria. Beirut, 04 Aug 08, 18:45

Aoun for the People's Right to Defend the Nation
Naharnet/Free Patriotic Movement leader Michel Aoun said Monday any aggression on Lebanon allows any citizen to use his weapons.
Aoun, addressing a press conference after the weekly meeting by members of his Change and Reform Bloc, said the "resistance is available and can defend its land."
In an apparent effort to further defend Hizbullah's Islamic resistance, Aoun said "the nation's sovereignty cannot be violated by its resistance, but by a foreign army."
"I don't understand who would carry out the defense responsibility if they practiced reservations" over a clause in the new cabinet's policy statement draft on Hizbullah's resistance, Aoun added. He said Hizbullah's Faqih Rule could not be applied in Lebanon, emphasizing on the need for "the people to be aware of this." Aoun said Mustaqbal Movement leader Saad Hariri is "welcome" to join the existing "understanding" between the FPM and Hizbullah. Beirut, 04 Aug 08, 17:36

Fighting in Lebanon's Tripoli Could Play into Syrian Hands
Simon Roughneen | 04 Aug 2008
World Politics Review Exclusive
TRIPOLI, Lebanon -- On the road into Tripoli from the south, Lebanon's condo- and casino-dotted coastline rises sharply inland to hills crowded with apartments, churches and mosques. Cable cars running to the high ground provide spectacular views of the turquoise Mediterranean to the west, and of Beirut to the south.
Further on, as traffic enters Tripoli, a reassuring sign overhead reads: "Relax, you are in Al-Mina, the city of waves and horizon."
Al-Mina is the name for the section of the city surrounding the pristine harbor, where tourists can take boat trips to islands in the Mediterranean, under the shadow of the Citadel of Raymond de Saint-Gilles, the 1,000-year-old former Crusader stronghold.
On the weekend of July 27-27, the siren call of this would-be paradise was drowned out by barrages of gunfire and explosions. Sunni and Alawite militias took to the streets to fight and, with the U.S.-backed Lebanese Army slow to intervene, by July 29 bombed-out buildings and bullet-pocked walls were visible on either side of the city's Sunni-Alawite divide.
"Be careful, there are snipers up there," a Lebanese Army officer told a reporter who was scanning the hillside with his camera, searching for evocative imagery of the conflict. "You cannot relax for long here," he said, in ironic counterpoint to the Al-Mina sign, before barking a reminder that photos of Army personnel or positions were forbidden.
Sectarian fighting, of course, is nothing new to Lebanon. But there's more to Tripoli's recent skirmishes than a local Sunni-Alawite (read Shiite) face-off.
Shops and other property along the sectarian divide have been vandalized and looted. The street dividing the two neighborhoods, one of Tripoli's main souk areas, is usually packed with people, cheek by jowl. Since the fighting, however, after nine were killed and more than 50 wounded, it's been a ghostly quiet. The most recent skirmishes brought the total dead since June to 25.
Exactly who is fighting whom, and why, remains unclear.
With Shiite-dominated Hezbollah emboldened by recent political gains, and by a successful military incursion into west Beirut in May, Sunni-Shiite tensions in Lebanon are on a knife-edge.
Though they make up no more than 10 percent of Syria's population, the Alawites, a Shiite offshoot, form the core of that country's ruling Baathists. Lebanese Sunnis fear Syria is behind the Alawite mini-insurgency in Tripoli, a possibility which cannot be discounted given Syria's history of influence in the small country to its southwest, and its support for Hezbollah. Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Mouallem met Lebanese President Michel Suleiman in Beirut in mid July, pledging that Damascus would officially recognize the Lebanese state. Still, former Lebanese Prime Minister Omar Karami told the Daily Star recently that there is a "conspiracy against Tripoli" and that a third party is pitting the "sons of one city" against each other "in an attempt to promote sectarian strife." At the same time, "Sunni fighters could be sending a message that Syria's diplomatic niceties are not to be trusted," said Ahmad Moussalli, a professor of political science at the American University in Beirut. The Heritage Foundation's Ariel Cohen is more alarmist. "Syria, Iran and Hezbollah will eat the Sunnis and March 14 for breakfast," he wrote via e-mail from Washington. In an interview at one of Tripoli's renowned Hallab confectionaries, Sunni politician Bassam Khodar Agha, president of the Free Lebanese Movement, said he also believed that "outside interests are trying to manipulate the situation in Tripoli," but did not mention Syria by name. The Free Lebanese Movement supports the pro-Western March 14 coalition, but is not a formal member.
Back in Beirut, Toni Nissi, head of the International Lebanese Committee for U.N. Security Council Resolution 1559, a pro-democracy NGO, was more straightforward. "Syria is the cause of the fighting in Tripoli, no doubt," he said. Nissi's group pushes for the implementation of U.N. Security Council Resolution 1559, adopted in September 2004, which calls for full Lebanese sovereignty over all of the country, the withdrawal of "foreign forces," and the disarming of militias such as Hezbollah. Hezbollah has accused Nissi of being a Mossad agent. Aside from accusations about connections to Tripoli's Alawites, many in this seaside city say that that Syria also sponsored Fatah al-Islam, the radical Salafist group that fought the Lebanese Army in the Nahr-al-Bared Palestinian refugee camp, outside Tripoli, during 2007.
Bassam's Free Lebanese Movement split from Free Patriotic Movement leader Gen. Michel Aoun after the latter signed an agreement with Hezbollah, aligning what is thought to be Lebanon's largest Christian party with a group that is, according to the United States, Israel, Australia, and the Netherlands, among others, a Syria- and Iran-backed terrorist organization.
But even Aoun's Free Patriotic Movement agrees that there is dangerous game being played in the north. The party's senior political officer, Alain Aoun, told World Politics Review that "the fighting is not spontaneous, but I don't want to name anybody as responsible."Meanwhile, some observers allege that Saudi money is funding Sunni militias battling the Alawites in Tripoli. Nissi believes that individual Saudis think they are funding a campaign that will damage Hezbollah, but that their involvement only helps further the destabilizing violence that is Syria's goal in Lebanon.
"They don't know what they are doing; the Syrians are duping them, letting them pay for their dirty work," Nissi said of the individual Saudis who are allegedly funding the Sunni side in Tripoli. The conflict could play into Syrian hands by providing a justification for a Syrian incursion to "stabilize" northern Lebanon. Meanwhile, Sunni fighters in Tripoli may have seen the Lebanese Army's failure to stop Hezbollah from taking control of Sunni west Beirut in recent weeks as an indication that they needed to take matters into their own hands.
Saad Harriri -- son of assassinated former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, and head of the Future Movement, the Sunni mainstay of the March 14 coalition -- "cannot stop the Salafists from fighting. March 14 is now much-weakened. This changes the rules of the Sunni-Shia game in Lebanon," said Moussalli of the American University in Beirut.
According to David Schenker at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, despite its pro-Western leanings and democratic credentials, Sunni-led but multi-denominational March 14 has not fully convinced the United States of its democratic bona fides, even though Lebanon's army receives the second-highest amount of U.S. military assistance on a per capita basis.
Bassam believes March 14 has made many mistakes, most notably failing to push for full implementation of U.N. Security Council Resolutions in Lebanon, which would dissolve Hezbollah into the national army.
Hezbollah's show of force in Beirut in May was prompted by the March 14-led government's attempts to crack down on the Shiite militia's communications network, and to remove the Hezbollah-appointed security chief of the Beirut airport, who was accused of facilitating arms flows from Tehran and Damascus.
With Tel Aviv and Paris engaging with Damascus, and the United States making moves toward increased diplomacy with Iran, could Lebanon's sovereignty be sacrificed to the larger aims of Israeli security and Iranian denuclearization? "We are a small country, maybe a bargaining chip, but I do not believe that the international community will allow Syria back into Lebanon," Bassam optimistically concluded.
*Simon Roughneen is a freelance journalist who has reported from more than 20 countries.

Cabinet unanimously approves draft policy statement
Four ministers voice reservations over one clause
By Hussein Abdallah and Nafez Qawas -Daily Star staff
Tuesday, August 05, 2008
BEIRUT: Lebanon's Cabinet on Monday "unanimously" approved its draft policy statement after nearly three weeks of extensive debates. "The Cabinet on Monday approved unanimously the draft policy statement and referred it to Parliament," Information Minister Tarek Mitri told reporters at the Presidential Palace in Baabda on Monday. After an almost five-hour session, Mitri said that a number of ministers expressed reservations on the draft statement, namely on the clause related to Hizbullah's resistance. The ministers who voiced their reservations include Justice Minister Ibrahim Najjar, Tourism Minister Elie Marouni, Environment Minister Antoine Karam, and Minister of State Nassib Lahoud.
The four Christian ministers, all members of the anti-Syrian March 14 coalition, wanted to add the phrase "under the guardianship of the state" to paragraph 24 of the statement. Paragraph 24 recognizes "the right of Lebanon's people, army, and resistance to liberate the Israeli-occupied Shebaa Farms, Kafar Shuba Hills, and the Lebanese section of Ghajar village, and defend the country using all legal and possible means."
Mitri quoted President Michel Sleiman, who headed the session, as saying that the draft policy statement stressed the role and authority of the Lebanese state, adding that the resistance should contribute to bolstering the state's authority. Well-informed sources told The Daily Star that all the reservations were expected to be discussed during upcoming national dialogue sessions chaired by Sleiman.
The sources added that Economy Minister Mohammad Safadi complained that the statement did not touch upon the security situation in Tripoli and the payment of compensation for almost 21,000 families who were forced to flee their homes as a result of recent clashes there.
Mitri also said Sleiman has informed the cabinet that he will be visiting Syria "soon.""This was an occasion for the cabinet to review what has been discussed concerning Lebanese-Syrian ties," Mitri added. Meanwhile, a source close to Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri told The Daily Star on Monday that Parliament was likely to convene on Friday to ratify the draft ministerial statement. "The Parliament secretariat general will receive the draft on Tuesday and distribute it to the 127 lawmakers after which they would be given 48 hours to read and study the draft before discussing it," the source said.
Commenting on some ministers' reservations on the draft statement, the source said that such reservations had absolutely no legal effect on the way the statement would be dealt with by Parliament. "Parliament is not concerned with such reservations ... it deals with the statement the way it is," the source said.

One in five Iranians live below poverty line - report
By Agence France Presse (AFP) -Tuesday, August 05, 2008
TEHRAN: At least 14 million Iranians live below the poverty line, according to a central bank report quoted by the press on Monday, adding to concern about the welfare of those worst off in Iran as prices soar. The central bank figures, published in the reformist daily newspaper Sarmayeh, represent one in five of Iran's 70 million population. "If an urban family of four makes less than four millions rials ($425) a month then the family is under poverty line," it said.
In August last year, Social Security and Welfare Minister Abdolreza Mesri said around 9.2 million people were living in poverty, 10.5 percent of the population in cities and 11 percent in villages.
Mesri also said that two million people live in extreme poverty in Iran, earning less than 650,000 rials ($70) a month. The latest figures come amid increasing concern over soaring prices in Iran, which have hit the poor and state employees on low incomes particularly hard. Teachers, for example, earn less than $300 a month.Since Iranian new year in March, the prices of basic foodstuffs, especially fresh vegetables and poultry, as well as services such as taxis have jumped.
Iran's inflation rate - which has aroused much criticism of the economic policies of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad - topped 26 percent in June, according to the central bank. Ahmadinejad has been blamed by many economists for directly fuelling the price rises by ploughing huge amounts of cash into the economy to fund local infrastructure projects. But the government insists that it has inflation under control and that booming oil receipts allow it to splash out on necessary infrastructure projects.Iran, the second biggest oil exporter in OPEC, last year enjoyed oil revenues of $60 billion in the last Iranian year to March.
But there has been a sharp increase in money supply growth - a key indicator of future inflation trends - to almost 40 percent during the years of the Ahmadinejad presidency. Ahmadinejad was elected in 2005 on a platform of making the poor feel the benefits of Iran's massive oil wealth, and he has made implementation of economic "justice" the main government slogan.Fifty percent of Iran's population are 26 or under. - AFP

Egypt to provide Lebanon with badly needed electricity
By Agence France Presse (AFP)
Tuesday, August 05, 2008
BEIRUT: Egypt is to supply power-starved Lebanon with 200 megawatts (MW) of electricity to help it meet a drastic shortfall, Lebanon's Energy Minister Alan Taburian said on Monday. "Egypt has an excess of 600 MW of electricity which will be divided as follows: 200 MW for Jordan, 200 for Syria and 200 for Lebanon," Taburian told reporters after talks in Beirut with his Egyptian counterpart, Hassan Yunes.
"If later Syria or Jordan don't need the full amount they are offered, we could use an additional 50 MW," he said, adding that the grid in Lebanon would not be able to absorb more than an additional 250 MW."Our electricity deficit would be reduced to 500 MW," Taburian said. According to state-run utility company Electricite du Liban (EDL), the country needs 2,200 MW of electricity to meet its daily needs but it currently generates only 1,700 MW. However, it also draws 100 MW from Syria. Electricity is a constant concern for the Lebanese government, which allocates the third largest slice of its budget, after debt servicing and salaries, to power supply. Former Finance Minister Jihad Azour said recently EDL's deficit may reach more than $1.5 billion at the end of 2008 if the price of oil remained high. Almost all of the country's aging power plants run on fuel oil.
The country suffers daily power outages, including in the capital Beirut where many businesses have bought generators to tide them over during lengthy blackouts.
The situation has been exacerbated by the high cost of fuel. The Lebanese government also hopes to receive Egyptian natural gas in the next two months. The gas is supposed to run the Dir Ammar power plant near Tripoli.
Running the plant on the more efficient natural gas will save EDL $200 million.Energy experts stress that Lebanon needs an investment of more than $2 billion to build more power plants. Tabourian also said a new electricity tariff structure is seriously being considered by the new national unity government, adding the new rates would not affect limited-income families. An informed source told The Daily Star that only big houses, hotels and certain large companies would be affected the by the new tariffs. "The new tariff structure is still under consideration. But I believe that these rates will take place sooner or later," the source said.
Citing an example, the source said houses which have 15-amp electricity meters or larger would pay more than LL200 per hour for each kilowatt under the new tariff."If the size of a house is 200 square meters or more than naturally it consumes more electricity then smaller houses," the source claimed.
The cost of electricity in Lebanon ranges from LL30 per kilowatt to almost LL500.The source stressed that some of the industrial firms that depend heavily on energy will be exempted from the new electricity charges.
He complained that some productive sectors seem to have preferential treatment by EDL and the authorities."There are five factories in Lebanon, including the three cement factories, that consumes more than 70 MW and this represents the total consumption of many factories," the source said. - AFP, with The Daily Star

4,000-year-old Canaanite warrior found in Sidon dig
By Mohammed Zaatari
Daily Star staff
Tuesday, August 05, 2008
SIDON: The British Museum's excavation team in Sidon have recently unearthed a new grave containing human skeletal remains belonging to a Canaanite warrior, archeology expert and field supervisor Claude Doumet Serhal told The Daily Star on Monday. According to Serhal, the delegation made the discovery at the "Freres" excavation site near Sidon's crusader castle.
"This is the 77th grave that we have discovered at this site since our digging activities has started ten years ago with Lebanese-British financing," she said.
According to Serhal, the remains go back to 2000 B.C., with a British archeologist saying the warrior had been buried at the age of 15 to 20 along with a spear and two stamps."We have discovered earlier this year a jar also belonging to the Canaanite period i.e. to 2,000 years B.C. where a skeleton for a newborn baby had been found," she added. The archeologist said that Freres "is the first excavation site in old Sidon that is located on a land owned by the General Directorate of Antiquities."
"We can say that through the discoveries we have been making at this site, we will be able to draw a graph showing the history of this ancient Mediterranean merchant city since 3000 BC," she added. Serhal said the British delegation would continue its work until the first of September "when we will announce the discoveries we have made.""Among the institutions that have taken in charge the financing of our project, are the British Old House Institution, the Issam Fares Foundation, the National Cement Company, the Hariri Foundation and Sidon's school network in addition to Byblos Bank," she said.
Serhal had described Sidon as one of the most important metropolises of the Near East from the earliest of times.
"It is mentioned 38 times in the Old Testament and appears in Genesis as the oldest Canaanite city, 'the firstborn of Canaan,'" she said.
During those 10 years ago of excavation the discoveries were continuous: tombs and burial jars for children and adults, jugs, pieces of pottery with Phoenician inscription, bronze weapons for warriors in addition to jewelry. "Last year, for example, we found tons of wheat going back to 3000 BC," Serhal added.
The British Museum launched earlier this year an archaeological documentary entitled "Sidon 5,000 years" with the aim of gaining a better understanding of the ancient history of the southern port city.

Hamas and Fatah are a bigger threat to the Palestinians than Israel
By The Daily Star
Tuesday, August 05, 2008
Editorial
It is a damning indication of just how bad things have become in the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip when Fatah militants there must look to Israel for protection from their Palestinian rivals. The Jewish state announced on Monday that it would help a group of 150 Fatah fighters who had fled weekend clashes in Gaza relocate to the West Bank, after determining that they would face "imminent danger" if they were to return home. The scenes of Israel coming to the rescue of Palestinians after a bout of Arab fratricide were reminiscent of the events of Black September, during which scores of Palestinians sought asylum in Israel to escape King Hussein's crackdown on the Palestine Liberation Organization. The only difference this time around is that instead of seeking refuge from a heavy-handed Arab crackdown, Palestinians are fleeing from the murderous hands of their own Palestinian brothers.
Achievement of the Palestinian cause requires that all factions maintain a semblance of orderliness and keep their eyes on the price of independent statehood. In this both Fatah and Hamas have been miserable failures. Both have put partisan interests ahead of national ones and therefore have failed to maintain anything like a united Palestinian front. Even the mediation attempts of Egypt, Yemen and Saudi Arabia have not been enough to curb the political infighting and internecine bloodshed that have served to further threaten the Palestinians' very right to existence.
The humanitarian situation in Gaza has been deteriorating since the international community callously decided to punish an entire people for having exercised their democratic rights in the legislative elections of January 2006. But the Hamas movement is now exacerbating the situation by undermining the rule of law in the territory. After accusing its Fatah rivals of carrying out a deadly bombing late last week that killed five Hamas leaders and a little girl, the Islamist party launched what can be only be described as a witch-hunt, rounding up some 200 Fatah activists. Fatah provided an equally bad example of governance in the West Bank when it retaliated against the move by rounding up scores of people it branded "Hamas activists," including many judges, students and activists who have no known affiliation with the Islamist party. On both sides of divided Palestine, civilians must now add Fatah and Hamas to the long list of threats to their security and wellbeing.
The events of the last week are just the most recent example of how the situation in the Occupied Territories has gone from bad to worse under the watchful eyes of elected Palestinian "representatives." Hundreds of people were killed last year when the two groups allowed their rivalry to degenerate into street violence. Hundreds more were prevented from going about their normal activities such as attending school, going to work or expressing political views.
Over the past few days the two Palestinian factions seem to be close to repeated the same disastrous mistakes. We have seen Palestinians denigrating the legitimacy of other Palestinians, Palestinians making war on other Palestinians, and Palestinians arresting other Palestinians, while the Jewish state has come to the rescue of those Palestinians who fear for their lives. Israel has never looked so good

Aoun for the People's Right to Defend the Nation
Naharnet/Free Patriotic Movement leader Michel Aoun said Monday any aggression on Lebanon allows any citizen to use his weapons.
Aoun, addressing a press conference after the weekly meeting by members of his Change and Reform Bloc, said the "resistance is available and can defend its land."
In an apparent effort to further defend Hizbullah's Islamic resistance, Aoun said "the nation's sovereignty cannot be violated by its resistance, but by a foreign army."
"I don't understand who would carry out the defense responsibility if they practiced reservations" over a clause in the new cabinet's policy statement draft on Hizbullah's resistance, Aoun added. He said Hizbullah's Faqih Rule could not be applied in Lebanon, emphasizing on the need for "the people to be aware of this."
Aoun said Mustaqbal Movement leader Saad Hariri is "welcome" to join the existing "understanding" between the FPM and Hizbullah. Beirut, 04 Aug 08, 17:36

Lebanon-Syria summit to be held next week
BEIRUT (AFP) — Lebanon's President Michel Sleiman will visit Damascus next week for talks with Syrian counterpart Bashar al-Assad, as the two neighbours move to establish diplomatic ties, an official said on Tuesday. "The summit will be held on August 13," an official from the presidential palace told AFP.
Relations have been tense since Syria pulled out its troops from Lebanon in 2005 in the aftermath of the assassination of Lebanese billionaire former premier Rafiq Hariri, ending a three-decade military presence. Syria was widely blamed for the killing but denies involvement and the issue remains a key bone of contention between the two countries.It will be Sleiman's first official visit to Syria and the first meeting with Assad since the two leaders announced in Paris last month that they planned to establish ties.The two countries have never had official diplomatic relations and the move is widely seen as a necessary step for Syrian recognition of Lebanese sovereignty. Lebanon's new national unity cabinet, in which the Syrian-backed opposition holds veto power, adopted a policy statement on Monday calling for "brotherly relations with Syria on the basis of mutual respect of sovereignty and the independence of both countries."
It also called for the demarcation of borders. A parliamentary vote of confidence on the manifesto will allow the government to begin to function officially. One press report said the vote would be held next Monday although this has yet to be officially confirmed.

Israelis in West Africa: We live in Hezbollah state
By Ora Coren, TheMarker Correspondent
Haaretz
Last update - 02:46 05/08/2008
Israeli diamond merchants active in West Africa, responding to the report in Haaretz on Monday that defense officials are worried Hezbollah terrorists will target Israeli communities there, said the Lebanese movement enjoyed the strong support of locals.
"The big problem for Israelis in West Africa is that there are countries whose diamond industry is controled by Lebanese locals, a majority of whom openly support Hezbollah," a source in the Israeli diamond business said Monday. "In effect, these are countries which are known as Hezbollah states," he added.
Israeli companies that deal in diamonds, agriculture, communications and security operate mainly in Sierra Leone, Namibia, South Africa, Botswana and Kenya. Hundreds of Israelis reside on the African continent, for the most part families with children who live in the vicinity of the diamond mines in West Africa. Sources close to the Israeli companies say that some have begun evacuating employees from the area following the defense establishment's warning. At this point, the move is being billed as a vacation until things settle down, but it is not clear whether the companies will risk sending their staff back.
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Israeli diamond merchants who live in West Africa say the region is extremely dangerous in terms of personal safety. "They've got bribery and crime, the police don't function, and the Israelis wandering around there are completely exposed and utterly unprotected," one source said.
"There are Muslim countries there, pro-Arab with regard to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, that are a very easy berth for Hezbollah activity," he added.
The most prominent Israeli businessman in the region is diamond tycoon Beny Steinmetz, who is worth an estimated $3 billion. Steinmetz operates through foreign companies in Sierra Leone, Botswana, the Congo and Zambia. He owns the largest diamond mine in Sierra Leone - Koidu, which produces an estimated $20-30 million worth of diamonds annually.

Hezbollah: Stronger Than Ever, Ready to Strike
August 4, 2008 |
From theTrumpet.com
http://www.thetrumpet.com/index.php?q=5394.3675.0.0
Hezbollah is “stronger than before” and ready to respond in force to any provocation, says its senior commander.
Underscoring the political gains Hezbollah has secured in the Lebanese government—and highlighting just how dangerous the situation on its northern border truly has become for Israel— Sheikh Nabil Kaouk, who leads Hezbollah’s forces on Lebanon’s border with Israel, says his organization is ready for war. On Saturday, the Telegraph reported,
The political and military group’s senior commander in southern Lebanon said in a rare interview that Hezbollah was far stronger now than when it fought the Israeli army in a conflict in 2006.
Sheikh Nabil Kaouk, who leads Hezbollah’s forces on Lebanon’s border with Israel—the crucial battlefront of any future war, was speaking in the port city of Tyre. “The resistance is now stronger than before and this keeps the option of war awake. If we were weak, Israel would not hesitate to start another war,” he said. “We are stronger than before and when Hezbollah is strong, our strength stops Israel from starting a new war …. We don’t seek war, but we must be ready.” …
Other sources say Hezbollah has trebled its arsenal in the last two years—from 10,000 missiles to about 30,000. These new weapons have longer ranges and heavier warheads. They include the Zelzal missile, which could strike as far south as Tel Aviv, and the C802 anti-shipping missile, capable of sinking Israeli warships.
Despite its claim that it doesn’t seek war, there is clearly more to Hezbollah’s military buildup than a simple desire to prevent an invasion of Lebanon. Its purpose is—as stated in its own motto, “Death to Israel”—the annihilation of the Jewish state.
Hezbollah’s war-readiness—not just at home in Lebanon, but its striking capabilities abroad—is also one of the factors making any U.S. strike on Iran so risky. Iran has made no secret of its intention to strike back in any way it can in such a scenario—and Hezbollah is one of its key weapons. The military strength of Hezbollah, therefore, has serious implications for both Israel and the United States