LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS
BULLETIN
May 01/08
Bible Reading of the day.
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to
Saint John 16,12-15. I have much more to tell you, but you cannot bear it now.
But when he comes, the Spirit of truth, he will guide you to all truth. He will
not speak on his own, but he will speak what he hears, and will declare to you
the things that are coming. He will glorify me, because he will take from what
is mine and declare it to you. Everything that the Father has is mine; for this
reason I told you that he will take from what is mine and declare it to you.
Free Opinions, Releases, letters & Special Reports
Lebanon needs lots of things, starting with a new
president-The Daily Star 30/04/08
ICC (International Christian Concern)/Islamic Extremists Kill
another Christian in Somalia,Fourth Christian Martyred in Somalia in the Last
Six Months 30/04/08
Latest
News Reports From Miscellaneous Sources for April 30/08
Bush says Syria nuclear disclosure was warning-AFP
Israeli official says Hizbullah growing stronger-Daily
Star
UNIFIL says Haaretz report of incident without any
basis-Daily Star
Israel to put off release of Lebanese detainee-Daily
Star
Mofaz warns returning Golan to Syria would mean
Iranian foothold in a strategic region-AFP
Bahraini MPs pass motion to block Haifa performance-AFP
Aziz goes on trial for 1992 executions of merchants
who profited from sanctions-AFP
UNIFIL says Haaretz report of incident 'without any
basis-Daily Star
Registrar of Hariri court to take up post this week-Daily
Star
US invites Lebanese teachers to hone skills in
America-Daily Star
Syrians, Lebanese get 15 years for drug smuggling-Daily
Star
Bint Jbeil opens doors to new meeting center-Daily
Star
Mabarrat Foundation honors 300 graduates-Daily
Star
Almost two years after war, displaced residents of
Beirut's southern suburbs are still caught in the middle-Daily Star
Hariri vows election will take place on May 13-Daily
Star
Lebanese Cabinet could vote on raising wages next
week-Daily Star
Lebanon, Palestine face similar problem - Sfeir-Daily
Star
Bush Hopeful of Mideast
Peace, Slams Syria, Hizbullah-Naharnet
Berri's Dialogue Call Appears Lost Between Bilateral and Collective Tracks-Naharnet
United States Offers
Training of Lebanese Secondary School Teachers-Naharnet
Moussa For Beirut
Thursday-Naharnet
Aoun's Bloc for Early Parliamentary
Elections-Naharnet
Mount Lebanon Mufti Jouzou Declares: No to Hizbullah in Our Areas-Naharnet
March 14 Insists on Unconditional Presidential Election, Berri Awaits
Response-Naharnet
Aoun 'Not Optimistic' about
Electing a President on May 13-Naharnet
Moussa in Beirut Thursday, Says
Dialogue is Part of Arab Initiative-Naharnet
UNIFIL Denies Hizbullah Cover-up
in Lebanon-Naharnet
Soueid: Trust is About 'Actions Not Intentions'-Naharnet
Egypt, Jordan Leaders Discuss Lebanese Crisis-Naharnet
Lebanese Army: 12 Israeli Warplanes Flew over
Country-Naharnet
CBS News Journalist Believes his Kidnappers Had
Sympathies Toward Hizbullah-Naharnet
Hariri Sets Presidential Election Deadline for May
13-Naharnet
Mofaz: Iran-Led Radicals, Including Hizbullah,
Getting Stronger-Naharnet
Jumblat Wants Government to Combat Economic
Hardships-Naharnet
An Internationally-Guaranteed
System to Pacify Lebanon-Naharnet
Dialogue Under Gen. Suleiman-Naharnet
March 14 Insists on Unconditional Presidential
Election, Berri Awaits Response -Daily Star
The March 14 alliance has linked a return to the dialogue table to the
unconditional election of a president and commissioned MP Saad Hariri to discuss
with Speaker Nabih Berri ways that ensure a new head of state is chosen on May
13.
Meanwhile, Berri said in a statement he is waiting for a response from the
majority and upon agreement "we shift from dialogue to electing a president."
The ruling coalition's official announcement to Berri's call for dialogue under
his auspices came Monday night after a meeting held in Qoreitem and attended by
former President Amin Gemayel, Hariri, Druze leader Walid Jumblat, Lebanese
Forces chief Samir Geagea and other prominent March 14 cabinet ministers,
legislators and politicians. The alliance stressed in a statement the
"importance of electing a president, which is a priority, in accordance with the
Lebanese constitution and the Arab initiative, and is the only gateway to
solving the crisis that Lebanon is suffering from." Although "the conferees have
stressed holding on to the principle of dialogue, they also stressed that the
election of a president shouldn't be linked to any condition or any prior
agreement," the statement added. It said the alliance has also agreed to entrust
Hariri with discussing with Berri ways that guarantee the election of a
president at a parliament session scheduled for May 13. Hariri on Monday pledged
that Majority MPs would elect a president on May 13. He made the remark to
reporters after talks with Druze Spiritual leader Sheikh Naim Hassan at the
latter's seat in Beirut. "We haven't received any guarantees, but we are in a
path that leads to the election of a president on May 13. All March 14 MPs would
go to parliament to elect a president," Hariri announced. A previous session,
set for April 22, was postponed because of disagreement between the majority and
the opposition. Beirut, 29 Apr 08, 05:27
Aoun 'Not Optimistic' about Electing a President on May 13
Naharnet/Head of the Change and Reform
Parliamentary Bloc MP Michel Aoun has rejected preconditions set by the majority
to participate in national dialogue and ruled out any possibility to elect a
president soon. Aoun, in comments to the daily As-Safir Tuesday, said if the
majority March 14 alliance insisted on electing a president during a
parliamentary session scheduled for May 13, then there would be no need for
dialogue. "This would be anything but dialogue," he stressed, calling on the
majority to adopt a clear political stance "so that we can act accordingly." The
FPM leader insisted on knowing the majority's representative for the dialogue
sessions, but he did not disclose if he would participate himself or send a
delegate. Regarding the May 13 parliamentary session, Aoun ruled out electing a
head of state soon. "Current conditions don't back such possibility. The
pro-government party is not ready yet to accept real power sharing," he told As
Safir. He warned against "influential foreign interference" which aims at
splitting the opposition and weakening the FPM and keeping it off parliament and
the political arena. "The pro-government party, backed by major Arab countries,
spends millions of dollars in the Christian-dominated districts to siege the FPM
and weaken its influence," he said, reiterating his full trust in his allies'
stances especially Hizbullah's. Beirut, 29 Apr 08, 10:35
Moussa in Beirut Thursday, Says Dialogue is Part of Arab
Initiative
NaharneArab League Secretary General
Amr Moussa confirmed he will visit Beirut Thursday and stressed that the Arab
initiative has called for dialogue among Lebanon's bickering politicians.
Moussa's comment in An Nahar daily Tuesday came in response to a question by the
newspaper on Berri's call for dialogue over the formation of a national unity
government and the amendment of the current parliamentary elections law. Moussa
stressed on the "importance of dialogue" and said it was "part of the Arab
initiative," according to An Nahar When asked about the ruling March 14
alliance's insistence to link national talks with the unconditional election of
a president, Moussa said: "I am with the election of a president at any moment.
The most important is that Lebanon doesn't stay without a president." Moussa
also confirmed he will visit Beirut on Thursday to give a speech at the Arab
Economic Forum. Asked if he will hold talks with politicians during his stay in
Lebanon, Moussa replied yes. The Arab League chief has made several visits to
Beirut as part of his efforts to bring the views of bickering politicians closer
but his attempts haven't led to much results. Beirut, 29 Apr 08, 06:58
UNIFIL Denies Hizbullah Cover-up in Lebanon
NaharneThe U.N. peacekeeping force
in south Lebanon on Tuesday denied Israeli press reports that it had been
covering up incidents involving Hizbullah which fought a 2006 war with the
Jewish state. "The allegations made in the daily (Haaretz) that UNIFIL was
'intentionally concealing information', 'presenting half truths', 'misleading
the (U.N.) Security Council', or 'whitewashing' information about Hizbullah
activities, are without any basis," said the United Nations Interim Force in
Lebanon. Haaretz, quoting senior Israeli officials, said on Monday that UNIFIL
was concealing information of incidents in an effort to avoid a confrontation
with Hizbullah. Over the past six months, UNIFIL failed to take action or notify
the Security Council over four incidents with armed militants of Hizbullah,
according to the daily. UNIFIL insisted in a statement that "in the event of any
incident ... UNIFIL follows standard procedures that includes immediate action
necessary to address the situation on the group." "UNIFIL also immediately
informs the Security Council about all developments on the ground," it said. The
force was set up in 1978 and reinforced after the July-August 2006 war between
Israel and Hizbullah.(AFP) Beirut, 29 Apr 08, 13:12
Soueid: Trust is About 'Actions Not Intentions'
NaharneFormer MP Faris Soueid
stressed on Tuesday that the latest statement of the March 14 alliance gave
priority to the unconditional election of a new Lebanese head of state. The
statement "gave the priority to the unconditional election of a president and
replacing the proposed dialogue table with bilateral meetings between MP Saad
Hariri and Speaker Nabih Berri," Soueid said. "The March 14 forces commissioned
MP Hariri (to hold talks with Berri) provided that the election of the president
would not be chained by preconditions," Voice of Lebanon radio station quoted
Soueid, the coordinator of the secretariat general of the March 14 alliance, as
saying. Soueid stressed "trust is about acts not intentions" and if "electing a
head of state needs dialogue with Speaker Berri we are ready."
However, "it is early to rule what these talks would lead to," Soueid said.
Beirut, 29 Apr 08, 12:42
Egypt, Jordan Leaders Discuss Lebanese Crisis
NaharneJordan's King Abdullah II
held talks Monday with Egyptian President Husni Mubarak in Cairo with Lebanon on
the agenda.
The Arab leaders discussed the Middle East peace process on the eve of
inter-Palestinian talks hosted by Cairo on a truce proposal with Israel.
King Abdullah II also briefed Mubarak on talks he had last week in Washington
with U.S. President George Bush, during which he urged him to set "clear grounds
and fixed time-frames" for stalled Middle East peace talks. The state-run MENA
news agency said the Jordanian monarch and Mubarak met for one hour at Sharm
el-Sheikh airport and discussed "efforts aimed at advancing the
Palestinian-Israeli peace process" in addition to the Lebanese and Iraqi
developments.
The talks also focused on moves "to unify Palestinian ranks and reach a truce
between Israelis and Palestinians aimed at lifting the blockade" imposed by
Israel on the Hamas-run Gaza Strip, MENA said. Palestinian militant factions
begin on Tuesday two days of talks with Egypt's security chief Omar Suleiman
aimed at unifying positions over a truce proposal made by Hamas. The Islamist
group said last week it was ready to accept a phased ceasefire that would start
in Gaza and extend to the West Bank after six months. Israel has raised doubts
about the intentions of Hamas, but suggested there could be a tacit truce if
militants stopped rocket fire.
Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas gave his unconditional support to Egypt's
mediation efforts with Israel, following talks in Sharm el-Sheikh on Sunday with
Mubarak.(AFP) Beirut, 29 Apr 08, 11:21
Lebanese Army: 12 Israeli Warplanes Flew over Country
NaharneIsraeli warplanes violated Lebanese airspace
on Monday, flying on reconnaissance missions over Beirut and elsewhere in the
country, the Lebanese army said. The army said in a statement that "12 enemy
Israeli warplanes" violated Lebanese airspace before noon, four flew over the
Mediterranean off the coastal city of Byblos in the north and headed toward the
eastern province of Hermel. Eight other Israeli warplanes flew over the southern
town of Rmeish and then headed north to Beirut, the Chouf mountains, southeast
of the capital, and Hermel before heading back to the "occupied territories,"
the statement said. It added that the Israeli over flights lasted about an hour.
There was no immediate statement from the Israeli army which usually does not
comment on its flights in Lebanon.
Israeli warplanes frequently fly over south Lebanon in what Israel says are
reconnaissance missions. The over flights have drawn ground fire from Lebanese
troops on at least two occasions since a U.N.-brokered cease-fire ended a 34-day
war between Israel and Hizbullah in August 2006. Lebanon insists incursions into
its waters or airspace violate the United Nations Security Council resolution
that ended the 2006 conflict. The over flights have been a constant source of
tension between the two countries. Lebanon has complained in the past to the
U.N. about the Israeli over flights. The U.N. has repeatedly called on Israel to
stop its over flights, describing them as a violation of Lebanese
sovereignty.(AP) Beirut, 29 Apr 08, 09:32
CBS News Journalist Believes his Kidnappers Had Sympathies
Toward Hizbullah
NaharneCBS News journalist Richard
Butler said he believes he was kidnapped in Iraq by policemen with sympathies
toward Hizbullah but isn't entirely sure who held him captive for two months or
why. Butler, a British journalist kidnapped with his interpreter on Feb. 10, was
rescued by Iraqi troops on April 14 when he was found with a sack over his head
in a house in Basra. He was taken from a hotel room in Basra, where he was on a
trip to meet the chief of staff for anti-American cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, Butler
told CBS News' Allen Pizzey. Portions of the interview were being shown on the
"CBS Evening News" on Monday.
Men wearing police fatigue uniforms and armed with AK-47's hustled him out of
the room and into a car. He was first taken to a police station in Basra and
then was held in different places — including three nights where he was sealed
into a small room between two walls, he said. He said he tried not to be
belligerent and make a human connection with his captors.
"Straight away you assess the situation," he said. "I am standing there, in
front of these eight guys with AK-47s, and I am in a pair of underpants and a
T-shirt. The odds are not in my favor. So there is no point in trying to do
anything heroic or stupid."While he was held, he heard a lot of Hizbullah
propaganda video and Hizbullah ringtones on mobile phones, but he can't be sure
his captors were affiliated with the organization. As time went on, his captors
treated him better, but he was still held with a sack over his head and arm
restraints. He eventually got the sense that his captors didn't intend to kill
him, and had backed themselves into a corner. There were points that he thought
he was going to die, the first when he was taken from the police station, Butler
said.
"I was aware that we were driving out into a quieter area," he said. "I couldn't
tell exactly where we were going, but I was aware that there were no more
streetlights, for instance, and there were no more dogs barking. You didn't hear
any cars. So I thought we were being taken out into the desert and, you know, we
were just being shot in the desert." Butler said he felt it was better to be
kidnapped in Iraq then taken into custody by Americans in Afghanistan.
"I was pleased I wasn't being mortarboarded in Guantanamo or being held for six
and a half years like an Al-Jazeera cameraman, for instance," he said.
Butler said he lost about 42 pounds and during the last 12 days of his
captivity, ate one tangerine and four boiled eggs. On the day he was found, he
heard voices outside where he was staying that escalated into a gunfight. The
door to his room was kicked in. A soldier aimed a gun at his head, but when the
Iraqi army realized Butler was a Westerner he was taken away to a superior
officer. The Iraqi army wasn't out specifically looking for him, Butler said.
They were looking for an arms cachet. After continuing to recover at his house
in France, Butler said he wants to go back to reporting in the world's danger
spots. He doesn't plan to go back to Basra anytime soon, however.(AP) Beirut, 29
Apr 08, 07:39
Islamic Extremists Kill another
Christian in Somalia
Fourth Christian Martyred in Somalia in the Last Six Months
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 Darara Gubo, Regional Manager for Africa, 1-800-ICC
(422)-5441, icc@persecution.org.
(April 29, 2008) The Washington-DC based human rights group, International
Christian Concern (ICC) www.persecution.org has learned that Islamic extremists
shot and killed a Muslim convert to Christianity on April 22 in Baidawa, a town
149 miles away from Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia. His name was David
Abdulwahab Mohamed Ali, and he was 29 years old.
On Tuesday, April 22, 2008, at 4:30pm local time, one of David’s cousins led two
other members of the Islamic extremist group Al-Shabab to David and asked him if
he was a Muslim or an infidel. He answered, “Neither.”
They asked, “Then what are you?”
He answered, “Waxaan ahay Masiixi,” which means, “I am a follower of the
Messiah.”
At this, David’s cousin was enraged and humiliated. In Somalia’s strict Muslim
society, David’s conversion to Christianity brought enormous shame on his
family. His cousin’s first response was to pull out a gun and shoot David. The
other two extremists did the same, and the three continued shooting David until
their Muslim “honor” had been avenged.
David had been living in Ethiopia since 2000 when he traveled to Somalia this
April to visit his family. He came to Christ in 1995, in Yemen, where he was
living as a refugee. In 2000, David’s good friend, Mohammed Omer Haji, was
sentenced to death by the government of Yemen for his faith in Christ (Haji was
able to take refuge in New Zealand). David had to flee Yemen and move to
Ethiopia because Yemeni authorities were looking for him also.
David was a gifted and brilliant evangelist who led many to the Lord, actively
sharing his faith through blogs. He was also a linguist and a philosopher whom
some Somalis called “The Great Thinker.”
Recently, Islamic extremists have intensified their attacks against Christians
in Somalia. In the past six months alone, four Christians, including David, have
been martyred for their faith. The other three martyrs are: Da’ud Ali, Mohamed
Yusuf and Hassan Mo’alim.
The attacks against Christians in Somalia are carried out by a group called Al-Shabab,
an Al-Qaeda linked militant group. Al-Shabab is fighting to establish an Islamic
state in Somalia, ruled by Sharia law, and is on the United States list of
terrorist organizations.
ICC spoke with a leading Somali Christian who urged the international community
to condemn the genocide-in-the-making that the Church in Somalia is facing.
The Somali Christian expressed his fear that “less than three percent of the
Somali population is Christian and we [the Christians] could be eliminated in
this generation by the Muslim violence if the massacre is not stopped now."
ICC’s regional manager for Africa, Darara Gubo, stated, “The deadly Jihad
against Christians continues and Christians in Somalia need our help and
support. Please don’t forget our brothers and sisters in Somalia.”
# # #
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.