LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
July 23/08

Bible Reading of the day.
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint John 20,1-2.11-18. On the first day of the week, Mary of Magdala came to the tomb early in the morning, while it was still dark, and saw the stone removed from the tomb. So she ran and went to Simon Peter and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and told them, "They have taken the Lord from the tomb, and we don't know where they put him." But Mary stayed outside the tomb weeping. And as she wept, she bent over into the tomb and saw two angels in white sitting there, one at the head and one at the feet where the body of Jesus had been.  And they said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping?" She said to them, "They have taken my Lord, and I don't know where they laid him." When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus there, but did not know it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you looking for?" She thought it was the gardener and said to him, "Sir, if you carried him away, tell me where you laid him, and I will take him." Jesus said to her, "Mary!" She turned and said to him in Hebrew, "Rabbouni," which means Teacher. Jesus said to her, "Stop holding on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my brothers and tell them, 'I am going to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.'"Mary of Magdala went and announced to the disciples, "I have seen the Lord," and what he told her.

Free Opinions, Releases, letters & Special Reports
Iran is still moving in millimeters while the US is going the full distance- The Daily Star 22/07/08

Latest News Reports From Miscellaneous Sources for July 22/08
Ministerial Committee in Decisive Meeting Over Policy Statement-Naharnet
Berri : The Lebanese spring can become permanent-Ya Libnan
Flames Eat Up Lebanon's Wild Green Land-Naharnet
Salloukh: Suleiman to Invite Assad to Visit Lebanon-Naharnet
Washington Tests Syria's Intentions-Naharnet

Israel to Assassinate Hizbullah Officials-Naharnet
MP al-Saad: At Least 91 Citizens Missing in Syria-Naharnet
Security Council Receives Prisoner Swap Letters-Naharnet
Iraq to Benefit from Lebanon's Experience
-Naharnet
Muallem Rolls Promises in Lebanon: A Few Weeks More for Detainees in Syria
-Naharnet
Mitri: Lengthy Meeting by Policy Statement Committee Tuesday
-Naharnet
Syrian Team in Washington to Meet Welch
-Naharnet
Lebanese Army Officers Complete U.S.-Sponsored Training
-Naharnet
Relatives of Lebanese Missing in Syria Demand an End to their Ordeal
-Naharnet
Gemayel for Documented Syrian Recognition of Lebanese Sovereignty over Shebaa Farms
Forest fire rages amid munitions in Lebanon-AFP
No margin for error?-Ha'aretz -
US ready for rare talks with Syria-AFP
Syria Moves Ahead in Recognizing Lebanon-New York Times
International human rights watchdog urges Syria to investigate ...International Herald Tribune
Rice warns Tehran of 'punitive measures-AFP
Brown takes aim at Iran during speech to Israeli Parliament-AFP
Sfeir: Lebanese in Australia upset by divisions at home-Daily Star
Moallem presents Sleiman with invitation to Syria-Daily Star
Army breaks up protest against detainees in Syria-Daily Star
Lebanese troops complete US training course-Daily Star
Saudi daily apologizes to Qatari PM for false report-Daily Star
Hizbullah's successful prisoner swap 'promotes armed struggle'-By IRIN News.org
A measure of the distance of peace-Jerusalem Post
Vincent Geloso : The starkest contrast between Israel and Lebanon-National Post
Bassil calls for temporary freeze in sale of lucrative 'golden numbers'
Political progress prompts upgrade of Lebanon's debt-Daily Star
Hizbullah identifies bodies of 157 fighters returned by Israel-Daily Star
Tyre canal project to clean up polluted river-Daily Star
Analysts link Ain al-Hilweh violence to regional issues-Daily Star
Lebanon's Jewish community hopes for revival-AFP
Traffic experts keep claims as flexible as drivers' discipline-Daily Star
 

Flames Eat Up Lebanon's Wild Green Land
Naharnet/Tongues of flame shot up in the sky and thick smoke billowed from the green woods blanketing the mountainous range east of Beirut Tuesday as firefighters tried in vain to control the spreading inferno threatening summer resorts overlooking the capital. The thuds of exploding land mines and artillery shells littering the wild forests since the civil war echoed across the Souq al-Gharb-Aley region east of Beirut, preventing firefighters from moving in. Prime Minister Fouad Saniora instructed officials to seek help from Jordan, Cyprus, Greece and Italy in aerial firefighting techniques because land crews cannot move in due to the threat of mines. Lebanese army choppers dangling buckets of seawater shuttled the 10-minute flight from the Mediterranean to the rough slopes in an apparent effort to combat the blaze.
But blowing winds and the summer heat kept the fire on and spreading. Rescue efforts by choppers and land crews focused on showering a 50-meter deep strip on the eastern edge of the woods to prevent the fire from spreading and reaching a petrol station on the main highway linking Souq al-Gharb to Aley.
"If the gas station catches fire, that would lead to a disaster. It is close to population centers and its tanks are full," a Civil Defense Directorate official told Naharnet.
"Our efforts are focused on preventing the spread of fire to population centers. But this cannot go on for long. We need help to extinguish the blaze before it develops into an all out inferno," he added. The three main population centers surrounding the woods are the resorts of Souq al-Gharb, Bmikkine and Aitat "but they are not facing immediate threat, at present," the official said. "If fire persisted by night fall, we might need to empty the gas station's tanks and order an evacuation of the population," he added. Forest fires in 2007 destroyed hundreds of hectares of woodland in Green Lebanon. Beirut, 22 Jul 08, 13:32

Salloukh: Suleiman to Invite Assad to Visit Lebanon
Naharnet/Foreign Minister Fawzi Salloukh said President Michel Suleiman would invite his Syrian counterpart Bashar Assad to visit Lebanon.
Suleiman, according to Salloukh, would extend the invitation to Assad during their forthcoming meeting in Damascus, expected to take place later this week.
The foreign minister, in an interview with a Kuwaiti newspaper, said the Lebanese-Syrian Higher Council would probably meet later in the summer to ratify whatever Assad and Suleiman agree on, including a revision of Lebanese-Syrian treaties. Beirut, 22 Jul 08, 14:0
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Washington Tests Syria's Intentions
Naharnet/In the first such move since the 2005 assassination of ex-Premier Rafik Hariri, a U.S. State Department official is to hold talks with a visiting non-official Syrian team in an apparent effort to test the Damascus intentions.
Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs David Welch is to meet members of the Syrian team later in the week, a U.S. official told the daily An Nahar.
The official said the team is visiting the United States at the invitation of a Non Governmental Organization interested in Arab-Israeli peace and the meeting with a state department official should not be interpreted as an indication to "a change" in Washington's stand on Syria.
The Syrian team groups ex-MP Ahmed al-Taqi, an advisor to the Syrian premier who manages a Damascus-based think tank; Samir Seifan, a businessman who manages a business studies center; and Samir Mobayed, a political analyst and university professor who had graduated from the American University of Beirut.
The Syrian foreign ministry's legal advisor, Riyad Daoudi, was supposed to head the team, but President Bashar Assad instructed him to stay in Damascus due to a visit by a Turkish delegation. State Department acting spokesman Gonzalo Gallegos said department officials would meet members of the Syrian team as "Syrian citizens and not officials. They came to the United States at the invitation of a Non Governmental Organization."
U.S. officials usually take part in "educational activities" sponsored by the government or NGOs and such activities could take place at offices of the state department, Gallegos explained. The U.S. administration, Gallegos added, is searching for means to "decrease the isolation of the Syrian people while maintaining pressure on its government" to change its policy. Sources said Welch, who is accompanying Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice in her current visit to the United Arab Emirates, is to return to Washington on Wednesday and might meet the Syrian team on Friday, a U.S. official said. Beirut, 22 Jul 08, 07:47

Israel to Assassinate Hizbullah Officials

Naharnet/Israeli media reports said the Jewish state's secret service, the Mossad, is preparing to carry out assassination operations targeting Hizbullah officials to avenge the humiliating slap resulting from the prisoner swap deal. Israeli political and military leaders have agreed to make use of the state of wrath prevailing over the people because of the prisoner swap with Hizbullah to carry out such assassination operations against the party's officials without taking credit for them, the reports said.Such an attitude was adopted by Israel in the assassination of Hizbullah's Imad Mughniyeh in the Syrian capital of Damascus earlier this year, the reports noted. The reports spoke of "top secret activities by secret services from Israel, the United States and states in the region to carry out the plan in cooperation and coordination." Beirut, 22 Jul 08, 12:34

MP al-Saad: At Least 91 Citizens Missing in Syria
Naharnet/MP Fouad al-Saad said Tuesday that a fact-finding committee he had presided over compiled a list of 91 Lebanese citizens missing in Syria, but no Lebanese officials wanted to raise the issue with Damascus.Al-Saad explained in a radio interview that the list is "preliminary," which indicates that more Lebanese citizens could be held in Syrian jails. Al-Saad had visited Syria and presented the list to the late Interior Minister Ghazi Kanaan and Intelligence officer Rustom Ghazaleh who promised to "reply, but nothing has been received."Relatives of the missing Lebanese citizens on Monday delivered a memo to a Republican Palace official demanding an end to their ordeal. The daily As Safir said President Michel Suleiman would meet representatives of the families and ask them for a "detailed and documented file of the case that he would discuss with Syrian President Bashar Assad" during a visit to Damascus in the near future.
Press reports said Suleiman would visit Damascus on Saturday, but no official announcement has been released. Beirut, 22 Jul 08, 09:40

Security Council Receives Prisoner Swap Letters
Naharnet/The U.N. Security Council has received copies of letters exchanged between Israel and Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on the one hand and Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah and the United Nations on the other. As Safir daily said Tuesday that the move was part of last week's prisoner swap between Israel and Hizbullah. The Jewish state on Wednesday released five Lebanese prisoners and the remains of 199 fighters in exchange for the bodies of two soldiers kidnapped by the Shiite group in 2006. An official from Ban's office told As Safir that the copies of letters will be attached to the U.N. chief's latest report on the implementation of U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701 which ended the Israel-Hizbullah war in 2006. The source said that details will be made public once all 15 Security Council members receive them. Beirut, 22 Jul 08, 09:22

Iraq to Benefit from Lebanon's Experience
Naharnet/Iraqi Vice President Adel Abdul Mahdi said Tuesday that Baghdad looks for "balanced relations" with Iran. Abdul Mahdi also called for adopting a "clear vision" for Iraq's relations with "the two major non-Arab Muslim neighbors" Iran and Turkey. "We hope for a regional order in which all (Middle East states) would take part, including Iran," Abdul Mahdi told the daily al-Mustaqbal. He spoke of "increasing understanding by an increasing number of Arab leaders and states" of Iraq's stand. Such a trend leads to "rebuilding bridges, the opening of embassies and the signing of agreements. All these developments are in the proper path," he added. Iraq, he said, wants to benefit from Lebanon's experience and is interested in "starting from the point at which Lebanon ended" its domestic conflicts.
"We do not want to underestimate Lebanon," he added. Beirut, 22 Jul 08, 08:47

Muallem Rolls Promises in Lebanon: A Few Weeks More for Detainees in Syria
Naharnet/Visiting Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem on Monday rolled a chain of promises to Lebanon: A new chapter of bilateral relations, establishing diplomatic ties, border demarcation and a settlement "in a few weeks" to the thorny issue of Lebanese citizens missing in Syria.
"I tell relatives of those missing and detained that those who have waited for 30 years can wait for a few weeks" more, Muallem told reporters after talks with President Michel Suleiman at the Baabda Republican Palace. "Nothing prevents the demarcation of the Lebanese-Syrian borders, that is if border demarcation is a must," he added. "We are determined on setting up diplomatic ties with Lebanon," Muallem said.
"We don't want prejudicial agreements between Lebanon and Syria. We want to achieve the interests of both peoples," he added.
Muallem reiterated Syria's verbal recognition that the "Shebaa Farms are Lebanese territory, but the problem there is the Israeli occupation and it is not a problem between Lebanon and Syria."Moreover, Muallem said the deployment of U.N. peacekeepers in Shebaa Farms "wouldn't mean an end to the occupation."
Muallem delivered to Suleiman an invitation from Syrian President Bashar Assad to visit Damascus and declared: "We wait for President Suleiman's visit as soon as possible."In answering a question as to whether Premier Fouad Saniora would be invited to visit Syria, Muallem said: "Prime Minister Fouad Saniora heads the Lebanese government and the issue should be dealt with on this base. There would be an exchange of visits between the premiers, our premier and Premier Saniora." Beirut, 21 Jul 08, 13:20

Mitri: Lengthy Meeting by Policy Statement Committee Tuesday
Naharnet/Information Minister Tareq Mitri said Monday that a committee assigned to work out the new cabinet's policy statement has agreed on "most of the clauses" related to Lebanon's relations with Syria. The ministerial committee is to meet on Tuesday in a "lengthy session … but we cannot predict whether the mission would be accomplished tomorrow," Mitri added. Topics for discussion, according to Mitri, include "Lebanon's right to liberate its land, Lebanon's Arab relations and spreading state authority."The discussion is based on principles included in the Doha and Taif accords, Mitri added. Beirut, 21 Jul 08, 21:45

Syrian Team in Washington to Meet Welch
Naharnet/The legal adviser to Syria's Foreign Ministry Riyadh Daoudi, heading a three-man team, has started a visit to Washington that could include meetings with U.S. State Department officials. The team, which arrived in Washington on Sunday, would meet U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs David Welch to discuss Washington's Middle East policy and the Arab-Israeli conflict. Syrian sources in Washington were quoted as saying the team would meet advisors to decision-makers at the U.S. congress. Syria's Ambassador to Washington Imad Mustafa said the visit is a "step in the right direction."
Mustafa said acceptance by U.S. officials to go into a discussion with the Syrian team is "a new step and a normal result for what is happening in the region." He did not elaborate on the remark. Beirut, 21 Jul 08, 21:26

Lebanese Army Officers Complete U.S.-Sponsored Training
Naharnet/The U.S. embassy announced on Monday that a group of Lebanese army officers has completed a U.S.-sponsored training course. The statement, however, did not mention where the training took place. It said the group "completed the U.S. government's training course entitled Defense Security Assistance Management last week.""This training course, one of several in the active U.S. program of assistance, will increase the capacity of the Lebanese Armed Forces to make effective use of the different types of assistance provided to the LAF by the U.S. government," the statement added. It would also "help the LAF leaders focus their requests to the U.S. for additional training and equipment, to ensure that the U.S. provides what Lebanon really needs," the statement added.
It explained that since 2006, the United States has committed over 410 million dollars in security assistance to the LAF, and the United States "will continue to provide equipment and training to the LAF.""The United States is committed to building the capabilities of the LAF and it will continue to support the government of Lebanon and the LAF as they continue their efforts to safeguard the peace, unity and sovereignty of Lebanon," the statement concluded. Beirut, 21 Jul 08, 21:02

Jumblat for Abrogating Prejudicial Treaties with Syria
Naharnet/Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblat called Monday for abrogating all prejudicial treaties with Syria and disbanding the Lebanese-Syrian Higher Council. Jumblat made the call in an article to be published on Tuesday by the PSP's weekly mouthpiece al-Anbaa.
Jumblat also criticized the Lebanese government for opposing a move by the International Criminal Court to sue Sudan's President Omar al-Beshir in connection with Darfur crimes. He cautioned that rejecting the ICC's move could gradually lead to rejecting rules of the International Tribunal that would try suspects in the 2005 assassination of ex-Premier Rafik Hariri and related crimes. Beirut, 21 Jul 08, 18:04

Gemayel for Documented Syrian Recognition of Lebanese Sovereignty over Shebaa Farms
Naharnet/Phalange Party leader Amin Gemayel said Monday that Syria should provide the United Nations with a document stating that Shebaa Farms are Lebanese territories. Gemayel, in a televised interview, said the stand outlined by Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem during a visit to Lebanon regarding sovereignty over Shebaa Farms was "vague.""Syria should present to the United Nations a signed document recognizing Lebanon's sovereignty over the Shebaa Farms," he added.
"We want nothing less than excellent relations with Syria … Syria should fold the past chapter and criticize its past policies in Lebanon," Gemayel stressed.
Beirut, 21 Jul 08, 16:57

Vincent Geloso : The starkest contrast between Israel and Lebanon
Posted: July 21, 2008, 7:00 PM by Vincent Geloso
Vincent Geloso
Last week, Israel secured the release of the bodies of two soldiers who had been kidnapped by Hezbollah. Thousands of Israelis honoured Eldad Regev and Ehud Goldwasser were relieved that they could offer them a proper burial. Prime Minister Ehud Olmert was present to support the families of the two soldiers in this time of sorrow.
In the meanwhile, Hezbollah supporters celebrated the return of Samir Kantar. The President of Lebanon, Michel Sleimane, greeted him warmly on the tarmac of the Beirut airport. His and others’ liberation was the prize for reclaiming the bodies of the two soldiers. A spokesman from Hezbollah pronounced the exchange a day of “national pride” for Lebanon, adding, “there won't be any explosion today”. Hassan Nasrallah, the head of Hezbollah, made a rare public appearance to celebrate the release of Kantar. But what exactly had this man done to deserve imprisonment in Israel?
In 1979, Kantar shot three Israelis and subsequently murdered a four year-old girl by striking her repeatedly on the head with a rock. In 2004, Israel negotiated an exchange of prisoners (three bodies and a colonel for 450 Palestinians and 60 bodies), but refused to release Samir Kantar who had been implicated in the Palestinian Liberation Front but not Hezbollah. In 2006, Hezbollah kidnapped two Israelis soldiers in order to negotiate the release of Kantar and thus started the war of 2006.
So Kantar, a child killer, was proclaimed a hero in Lebanon and was photographed with a bemused face making fascist-like salutes to the crowd of Hezbollah supporters. In the meantime, we witness thousands of Israelis sharing the sorrow of the widows mourning their husbands. Can you imagine a starker contrast? Actually you don't need to, since Quebec newspaper La Presse illustrated it for you (see picture).
Ehud Goldwasser’s father, Shlomo, summarized this by saying, "the Lebanese sacrificed over 700 soldiers and thousands of civilians on top of a full year of its economy and for what? This child killer? I wish to say that I pity Lebanon for sacrificing so much for so little." Can you really disagree with that?

Iran Has Earned Nothing: What has Tehran done to merit a détente with the United States?
July 22, 2008; Page A18 Wall Street Journal
In its waning days, the Bush Administration seems to be veering toward a policy of détente with Iran. Recent moves include a face-to-face meeting with Iran over its nuclear program and the likelihood of reopening a diplomatic mission in Tehran for the first time since -- well, you remember. Iran responded to these gestures on the weekend by rebuffing the West's latest set of carrots while refusing once again to give up its uranium enrichment.
What precisely did Iran do to deserve the warm shoulder? Now as ever, Tehran underwrites and arms terrorist proxies in Lebanon, Syria, Iraq and Gaza, and calls for Israel's destruction. Earlier this month, it tested long-range missiles capable of reaching southern Europe. As for getting that bomb, Iran has made steady progress this decade, enriching uranium in increasingly sophisticated centrifuges in violation of three U.N. Security Council resolutions.
The State Department is playing down any shift in its approach toward Iran. William Burns, the third most senior U.S. diplomat, merely sat in on the latest round of talks this weekend between the 5+1 group -- the permanent Security Council members and Germany -- and Iran's chief negotiator, Saeed Jailili. And yesterday, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, possibly trying to rebalance the latest tilt, threatened a return to sanctions absent a "serious answer" from Iran on giving up its enrichment program.
As for the establishment of a U.S. Interests Section in Tehran, State Department spokesman Sean McCormack on Thursday wouldn't say when a decision might be taken, adding, "We want to have people-to-people contact with the Iranian people." News reports claim the decision is all but made, pending approval by the Iranians.
Diplomacy has its uses, and the U.S. can do more to support the Iranian peoples' struggle to shake off their oppressive theocracy. Just how a U.S. Interests Section would achieve that is another question: The Iranian government maintains a tight grip on what foreign embassies can or cannot do, as British diplomats have learned after twice coming under attack the past three years.
But diplomacy also means getting something for giving something. That's not how it has worked here. Mr. Bush has conceded Iran's supposed "right" to build nuclear reactors, despite the fact that Tehran forfeited that right when the U.N. found it to be in material breach of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty. Mr. Bush has also offered to negotiate directly with Tehran on the sole condition -- the only "precondition," as Barack Obama refers to it -- that Iran stop enriching uranium. Yet Iran continues to enrich.
The Iranians understand that the fondest wish of America's foreign policy establishment is to strike what is often called a "grand bargain" that would lead to the normalization of relations between the two states. We would not be opposed to such a bargain, provided it required Iran to verifiably abandon all its nuclear programs, including the so-called civilian ones; stop supplying arms to militias that are killing our soldiers in Iraq; end its support for terrorist groups and hand over the suspects in the 1996 Khobar Towers bombings, in which 19 U.S. servicemen died.
Instead, Iran is having it both ways, behaving like a rogue state even as it is increasingly accorded the respect due a normal one. We understand that the U.S. has had diplomatic relations with other rotten regimes. But so long as U.S. diplomatic recognition of Iran remains a carrot in any negotiations with them, what's the point of surrendering it by stages now?
That's a question some of our friends in the neighborhood are asking themselves. We know from talks with Iraqis that they wonder what price they might pay for our accommodation of their ambitious, meddling neighbor. We know from our Israeli friends, too, that they sense the accommodationist drift of our Iran policy and are drawing conclusions of their own. Unlike the Bush Administration in its legacy-hunting days, inconstancy is not a policy option they can afford.