LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
March 15/2010

Bible Of the Day
The Healing of the paralytic Sunday
Mark 2/1-12: "When he entered again into Capernaum after some days, it was heard that he was in the house. 2:2 Immediately many were gathered together, so that there was no more room, not even around the door; and he spoke the word to them. 2:3 Four people came, carrying a paralytic to him. 2:4 When they could not come near to him for the crowd, they removed the roof where he was. When they had broken it up, they let down the mat that the paralytic was lying on. 2:5 Jesus, seeing their faith, said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven you.” 2:6 But there were some of the scribes sitting there, and reasoning in their hearts, 2:7 “Why does this man speak blasphemies like that? Who can forgive sins but God alone?” 2:8 Immediately Jesus, perceiving in his spirit that they so reasoned within themselves, said to them, “Why do you reason these things in your hearts? 2:9 Which is easier, to tell the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven;’ or to say, ‘Arise, and take up your bed, and walk?’ 2:10 But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he said to the paralytic— 2:11 “I tell you, arise, take up your mat, and go to your house.” 2:12 He arose, and immediately took up the mat, and went out in front of them all; so that they were all amazed, and glorified God, saying, “We never saw anything like this!”

Latest News Reports From Miscellaneous Sources for March 14/10 
Cassese: Rapprochement between regional parties does not affect STL/Now Lebanon
March 14 Vows Independence Uprising Will Continue Until It Reaches Objectives, Suggests 7-Point Plan/
Jumblatt says his criticism of Syria was improper/The Associated Press
Lebanon's Jumblatt makes overtures to Syria/AFP
Jumblat Admits Offending Assad, Not Sure Syrian President Could Tolerate Him/Naharnet
Aoun: We Are the Basis of March 14./Naharnet
Bazzi to Amr Moussa: No Mediation Requested for Libya Arab Summit./Naharnet
Hariri: Any Regional War Direct Result of International Community Inaction./Naharnet
Geagea: Weapons Outside State Control Sign of Abnormality./Naharnet
Williams Hopes Lebanese Political Factions Would Agree on National Dialogue Timeframe./Naharnet
2 French Peacekeepers Killed, 3 Injured in Personnel Carrier Accident./Naharnet
Lebanese-Syrian Quarrel after Security Council Session./Naharnet
Special Tribunal for Lebanon Appoints New Chief of Investigations./Naharnet
Berri Says Possible Participation in Libya's Arab Summit Challenges Judicial Verdicts Against Gadhafi
Suleiman Will Not Attend Arab Summit in Libya./Naharnet
Two Israeli Tanks Cross Fence at Wazzani Point but Not Blue Line./Naharnet

Cassese: Rapprochement between regional parties does not affect STL
March 14, 2010
Rapprochement or estrangement between regional parties does not affect the Special Tribunal for
Naharnet/Lebanon’s (STL) work, STL President Judge Antonio Cassese told Al-Arabiya television on Sunday. He added that the tribunal has not faced opposition from any state in the Middle East.Cassese cited Prime Minister Saad Hariri’s 2009 visit to Syria, calling it part of local politics.
The STL is not being affected by pressure or political bias, he said, adding that it needs time to finalize its work. “I have no doubt that we will discover the truth based on [the] highest judicial standards,” Cassese said. He added that the establishment of the court is a new experience that will strengthen the Lebanese judiciary. He voiced hope that there will be positive developments by December. However, he said that he cannot predict when the indictments would be passed down, saying it is within the power of the prosecutor. Cassese also said he trustSTL prosecutor Daniel Bellemare, describing him as highly professional.I am not keen on arresting any suspects because everyone is innocent until proven guilty, he added.
-NOW Lebanon

March 14 Vows Independence Uprising Will Continue Until It Reaches Objectives, Suggests 7-Point Plan
Naharnet/March 14 forces on Sunday stressed the need for "protecting Lebanon's independence" and urged everyone to support the State "in shadow of the regional and international turbulent situations," adding that "defending Lebanon is the State's responsibility."
"Our uprising will continue until it achieves its objectives despite the disappointments and mistakes we have committed in order to preserve our dream of a better society and a better life," March 14 General-Secretariat Coordinator Fares Soaid said, reciting the closing statement of March 14 Alliance 3rd Conference held at Bristol Hotel on the occasion of March 14's 5th birth anniversary.
March 14 forces suggested a 7-point plan for protecting Lebanon and called on the Lebanese political factions to debate it.
The plan is based on "abiding by national dialogue's resolutions, normal relations with Syria and commitment to a timeframe for endorsing the defense strategy," in addition to "a clear declaration by all political forces, coupled with commitment, that national defense is the responsibility of the State through its legitimate authorities."
"Defending Lebanon is the responsibility of the Lebanese State and army exclusively," the statement said.
Soaid called on all forces to "rise above narrow-minded factional interests for the sake of national and societal solidarity," urging "all participant parties in cabinet and parliament for honest cooperation in order to turn the wheel of the State in a calm and stable manner." He also urged them "to avoid any stance or behavior that is apt to obstruct."
March 14 general-secretariat coordinator noted that "legitimate internal divergence is one thing and facing the occupation is something else," stressing that "any Israeli attack on any part of Lebanon is an aggression against all of Lebanon that will face it shoulder-to-shoulder in defense of the country and its higher interest."
Soaid called on the Lebanese State to take the initiative and "urge the Arab League to work on protecting Lebanon according to Arab solidarity, and to urge the international community to work on implementing UNSCR 1701 because it is essential in protecting the State and Lebanon."
He declared March 14's intent to make internal and external approaches, "especially toward the Lebanese civil society in order to create a social safety network, and toward the public opinion of the Arab nations to urge protecting Lebanon and its human model that embodies the Arabism of coexistence, the Arabism of diversity and tolerance that strays away from ideological investment aiming at serving this country or that political party."On the other hand, PM Saad Hariri did not attend the conference due to his 3-day official visit to Germany that started on the same day. Beirut, 14 Mar 10, 16:05

Aoun: We Are the Basis of March 14
Naharnet/Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun on Saturday said: "We are not followers, but rather originators and we are the basis of March 14. They should have adopted our slogan 'Freedom Sovereignty Independence' before March 14 not after it."Speaking at the 21st annual dinner to commemorate the birth of the Free Patriotic Movement, Aoun wondered "how some people are surprised by our relation with Syria.""In the middle of war, we had said that when the Syrians pull out from Lebanon, we would establish the best relations with them. We address people with a rational rhetoric because the right policy is to put an end to war and endorse peace and good-neighbor policy," he added.
On the other hand, Aoun stressed that "Israel can never win after the 2006 war, and Lebanon, the smallest country in the Middle East, was able to defeat the so-called best army in the world.""There are only two places on Lebanese soil beyond state control: Occupied territories (by Israel) and the (Palestinian refugee) camps. We agree that the State should take the initiative and play its role," he added. Beirut, 14 Mar 10, 19:01

Jumblat Admits Offending Assad, Not Sure Syrian President Could Tolerate Him
Naharnet/Druze leader Walid Jumblat on Saturday acknowledged that he had insulted Syrian President Bashar Assad and said he was not sure that the Syrian leader could tolerate the verbal offense. "I had offended Syrian President Bashar Assad during a moment of anger," Jumblat said in an interview with al-Jazeera satellite channel.
"I have used improper language and I'm not sure that Assad could tolerate this," he added. Jumblat, nevertheless, urged the Syrian leadership to turn a page on the past "for the sake of both countries' interests." "In the past I would say: 'forgive but don't forget.' Today I say: 'forgive and forget,'" he stressed. On the much-talked about visit to Syria, Jumblat reiterated his willingness to go to Damascus if he was invited. The Progressive Socialist Party said he hoped that his son, Taymour, "would see a new Middle East, a Middle East that is secular." He believed that the Israel-U.S.-West "aggression" against the region is ongoing. "The current situation is no longer like before. Arabs are divided everywhere. Asked whether he has set his preferences, Jumblat said: "Yes." "I want to clear up the relationship with Syria, open a new page and establish normal ties between Lebanon and Syria.
"I tell the Syrian people that we share the same destiny. We are one people, one land. There won't be two states," he stressed. Beirut, 13 Mar 10, 22:15

Geagea: Weapons Outside State Control Sign of Abnormality
Naharnet/Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea said Saturday that weapons outside the control of the state either in Palestinian camps or in bases outside the shantytowns or with Hizbullah are a sign of abnormality. In any place in the world, "the state cannot coexist with revolution," Geagea told al-Sharq radio. The suggestion of the state, its army and resistance should defend Lebanon "is nonexistence in any other place and could not be found in the history of humanity."On all-party talks at Baabda palace, the LF leader said: "It would be better to continue with dialogue even if practical results were not achieved." The situation could reflect negatively on the country's stability if dialogue comes to a standstill, he said. He warned from the fragile security situation in the Middle East, saying the Lebanese government should come up with a plan to protect the country. "The dangerous situation compels us to look for what unites us and not what divides us. Only state institutions could unite us," Geagea told his interviewer. About the March 14 general conference that will be held at the Bristol hotel on Sunday, the LF leader said the meeting will be a step forward in implementing the coalition's political project. Beirut, 13 Mar 10, 11:47

Bazzi to Amr Moussa: No Mediation Requested for Libya Arab Summit
Naharnet/Liberation and Development bloc member MP Ali Bazzi on Saturday criticized the "surprising" statements made by Arab League chief Amr Moussa recently. "Mr. Moussa surprises us with his positions. Sometimes he approaches the Lebanese in a mentor manner, while other times he wishes Libya would extend an invitation to Lebanon to attend the Arab summit," Bazzi said. President Michel Suleiman will not attend the Arab League summit in Libya end of this month following demands by the Shiite community to boycott the meeting, Information Minister Tareq Mitri has announced. "We assure Mr. Amr Moussa that no one is calling for mediation in this issue," he added.
"We Hope that Mr. Moussa would focus his attention on Palestine instead of wasting his time on other things." Moussa has said that he hasn't been asked to deliver any invitation to Lebanon to participate in the summit, but added that it is the responsibility of the host country to do so. "When I last visited Beirut, I agreed with officials that Lebanese representation at the summit should be (at the level of) responsibility and that the government would decide on the level," Moussa said. Beirut, 13 Mar 10, 16:06

Lebanon's Jumblatt makes overtures to Syria
BEIRUT (AFP) - Lebanon's Druze leader Walid Jumblatt on Saturday called on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to turn the page on the past, admitting that he had in a moment of anger said inappropriate things
The former virulent critic of the Damascus regime admitted to Al-Jazeera satellite television channel in an interview that he had made "inappropriate and unreasonable remarks about President Assad at a time of internal tensions and extreme division within Lebanon." "In order to consolidate Lebanon-Syria relations, between the two peoples and two states and between the Druze of Lebanon and Syria, can we now overlook this moment and open a new page?" he asked rhetorically. He was referring to a speech he made on February 14, 2007, the second anniversary of the murder in Beirut by a massive car bomb of Lebanon's former premier Rafiq Hariri. Syria was forced to withdraw its troops from its tiny neighbour shortly after the killing following a 29-year presence. In his 2007 speech, Jumblatt branded Assad "the dictator of Damascus... a savage... an Israeli product, a liar... and a criminal."
On Saturday he said his remarks were "unworthy and unusual, unsuited to the ethics of politics even during a quarrel." In 2005 Jumblatt accused Syria of killing both Hariri -- father of current Prime Minister Saad Hariri -- and his own father Kamal in 1977. He said he would not personally go on March 16 to the tomb of his father for the anniversary of his assassination, in order to "turn this personal page for a new future." In January Jumblatt told AFP in an interview he was close to reconciling with former arch-foe Syria.
"I believe that three-quarters of the road to Syria has opened up and what remains is the final gesture which depends on the right moment," he said.
The 60-year-old hereditary chieftain of Lebanon's Druze minority has come under fire since defecting last August from the US-backed ruling coalition he helped create in order to move closer to the Hezbollah-led opposition supported by Syria and Iran. Jumblatt said his U-turn was necessary to preserve the peace and avoid sectarian bloodshed.
"I am willing to sacrifice everything for the civil peace even if my decisions are not popular," he said. "One must at times swim against the current."
Asked on Saturday if his comments were aimed at preparing the ground for a Damascus visit, Jumblatt said: "If Syria's leaders can consign this incident to history, they may decide on that. If I receive an invitation, I would have no objections."