LCCC NEWS BULLETIN
MAY 18/2006

Below news bulletins from the Daily Star for 18/05/06
Lebanese Army clashes with Palestinian militants in Bekaa
Security Council warns Damascus to make up with Beirut
 UN envoy on refugees sees new willingness to tackle issue
Bakers abort strike as minister caves in on weight of packets
NSSF prepares to join information age
Imam's teachings still timely 50 years after his death
Berri hopes new Libya-U.S. ties will shed light on Sadr mystery
Below news bulletins from miscellaneous sources for 18/05/06
Security Council Adopts Resolution, Urging Syria to Establish Diplomatic Ties with Lebanon, Delineate Common Border-Naharnet
Army Clashes with Damascus-Based Palestinian Group Near Syrian Border-Naharnet
Former Hijacker Builds Own Plane After 17 Years in Swiss Jail-Naharnet
Lebanese Intellectuals and Politicians Appeal for Kilo's Release-Naharnet
UN council poised to push Syria on ties to Beirut-Washington Post
US fears Syria obtained nuclear technology-Ynetnews
Buying Time-Dar Al-Hayat
Brammertz second visit to Syria is raising many questions-Ya Libnan
Noam Chomsky met with Hezbollah leaders-JTA
Lebanon plunges into political crisis as talks fail-Kuwait Times
Lebanon: Keeping the Lights On-Naharnet
Lebanon army, Palestinian fighters clash; two hurt-Reuters
Hamas suggests umbrella group in Lebanon-The Media Line
Baabda-Aley MP Pierre Dakkash: Monday Morning
Syria Arrests Eight Human Rights Activists-FOX News
A Lebanese 'Absence' in the Security Council-Dar Al-Hayat
Leftist American professor says US leading terrorist state-WorldNetDaily

Sfeir pays visit to Chidiac at Paris hospital
Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Butros Sfeir visited Lebanese journalist May Chidiac at her hospital room in Paris Wednesday. Chidiac survived an assassination attempt September 25, which left her left arm and leg amputated. Sfeir is in Paris as part of a meeting with representatives of the Greek Orthodox, Maronite, Catholic and Coptic faiths from several nations.

UN envoy on refugees sees new willingness to tackle issue
Daily Star staff-Thursday, May 18, 2006
BEIRUT: The representative of a UN relief agency in Lebanon said the willingness of the current government to address the situation of Palestinian refugees provided a unique opportunity to make headway on the issue. "Past governments were reluctant to ease restrictions on Palestinian refugees," said Richard Cook of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA). "This government is more willing to discuss this issue ... I say the doors have been opened for us and we should seek this opportunity."
Speaking during a conference at the American University of Beirut Wednesday, Cook said 400,000 refugees are registered with his agency.
The conference covered the mandate and operations of UNRWA and that of the United Nations Higher Council for Refugees in Lebanon. It falls within a series of events organized for the occasion of world refugee day on June 25.
Cook said political realities made certain options, such as expanding the overcrowded camps - whose boundaries have not changed since 1948 - or relocating refugees off-limits.
The official said he had recently discussed with Premier Fouad Siniora's Cabinet a number of short-term solutions that will improve the situation of the refugees and added that he sensed a readiness to help those refugees.
The refugee community came to Lebanon primarily from the northern part of the Occupied Territories 58 years ago.
"Every time I got to these camps I see living conditions that are much worse that those in Gaza," said Cook.
"Camps are overcrowded, there is no electricity, no water, no natural light, no ventilation ... and the lack of these factors creates diseases among refugees," said Cook. - The Daily Star



Lebanese Army clashes with Palestinian militants in Bekaa
Two wounded in shootout near syrian border
Compiled by Daily Star staff
Thursday, May 18, 2006
AITA AL-FAKHAR/RASHAYA: Two people were wounded in clashes Wednesday between the Lebanese Army and pro-Syrian Palestinian militants near the Syrian border while a soldier was kidnapped and held for several hours, according to Lebanese police. The soldier, Khaled Ibrahim, was snatched and then freed by members of the Damascus-based group Fatah-Intifada headed by Palestinian militant Abu Mussa, the police said.
Abu Fadi Hammad, the group's representative in Lebanon, said one militant was wounded in the clashes and that the detained soldier had been returned to the army.
"No one will benefit from clashes between the Lebanese and Palestinian factions," Hammad said. "The Lebanese soldier has been returned safely."
Wednesday's clash is the latest in a string of scuffles between pro-Syrian Palestinian factions and the Lebanese Army.
A number of armed pro-Syrian Palestinian groups maintain bases in Lebanon, home to an estimated 400,000 Palestinian refugees.
Lebanese leaders on Tuesday held the latest round of reconciliation talks which in April saw an agreement on a number of contentious issues, including the dismantling of such armed Palestinian bases in Lebanon within six months.
Last summer the army cordoned off Palestinian bases in eastern Lebanon for a month after an army topographer was killed by shots fired from one of the bases.
In January, two Lebanese policemen were wounded while on patrol near a base of the Damascus-based Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine-General Command led by Ahmad Jibril.
A senior army official said Wednesday a soldier was also wounded in the fighting in the eastern Lebanon village of Wadi al-Aswad as troops and militants traded automatic fire and rocket-propelled grenades.
In a statement, the army said troops retaliated after coming under fire from "Palestinian elements" during a patrol near "a newly set up position." Soldiers later dismantled the post and confiscated equipment, it said.
The statement did not mention the kidnapping but said one soldier was "gravely wounded" in the clashes.
France, the United States and Britain last week submitted a draft UN Security Council resolution calling for full Syrian compliance with UN Security Council Resolution 1559, which demands the disarming of all militias in Lebanon.
Abbas Zaki, the Palestine Liberation Organization's representative in Lebanon, condemned the attacks. After a visit to March 14 Forces leader MP Walid Jumblatt, Zaki said: "The Lebanese army is patriotic and we should help preserve it. I hope the issue of Palestinian weapons outside the camps will be resolved soon."
Telecommunications Minister Marwan Hamade said the latest incident along the border with Syria proves that arms smuggling from Syria was ongoing and that the crisis of illegal Palestinian arms outside refugee camps had yet to be solved.
Speaking following a meeting with the UN Secretary General's personal representative to Lebanon, Geir Pederson, Hamade said the agreements reached during the national dialogue "were still ink on paper."
The minister hoped a Security Council report to be released soon would strengthen Lebanon's independence, sovereignty and security against "these constant breaches."
March 14 Forces MP Butros Harb said "it is a shame that armed Palestinians open fire on the Lebanese Army and violate the simplest rules of hospitality, whereby a guest should respect the host and the laws of his country."
He continued: "It is strange that the clashes broke out at a time when the Lebanese agreed to strengthen support to Palestinians' rights to improve their living conditions in Lebanon ... and to provide them with protection from any danger they might face."
Harb strongly denounced Wednesday's clash and called for the assailants to be handed in to the Lebanese authorities for prosecution.
Lebanese Forces MP George Adwan said: "The weapons of refugee camps are not Palestinian, but foreign arms threatening stability," indirectly accusing Syria of supplying weapons to refugees in Lebanon.
Adwan urged the government to order the army to take action and remove the illegal weapons.
During a broadcast of LBC talk-show Naharkoum Said, Adwan said the issue of Palestinian arms should be settled within six months, adding that such recurring incidents undermine the dignity of the government and army.
- With AFP, additional reporting by Morshed Ali

Security Council warns Damascus to make up with Beirut
By Leila Hatoum -Daily Star staff
Thursday, May 18, 2006
BEIRUT: The UN Security Council passed another resolution against Syria on Wednesday, pressing it to establish diplomatic relations with Lebanon and help demarcate the border between the two countries. UN Security Council Resolution 1680 was adopted despite divisions as China and Russia abstained from a 13-0 vote in the 15-member Security Council.
A source close to the world body said Russia's decision to refrain from using its veto might be seen as a veiled message to Syria.Moscow's envoy to the UN, Vitaly Churkin, had argued that Resolution 1680 was unwarranted and that a milder, nonbinding statement would have been better."A number of countries that voted for [the resolution] expressed very strong reservations about serious parts of the language of the resolution," Churkin said.
"We simply do not believe it is the best way to develop dialogue, to get the two sides to talk to each other through the Security Council," he added, arguing that Beirut and Damascus were already making progress on improving bilateral relations.
Qatar, the only Arab country currently holding one of the Security Council's 10 rotating seats, voted for the resolution.
In a telephone interview with The Daily Star, Qatar's ambassador to the UN, Nassir Abdel-Aziz al-Nasser, said the version that was eventually passed was designed to avoid unnecessarily antagonizing Damascus.
"We want to send a positive message to the Syrians to cooperate and try to [improve] relations with Lebanon without the interference of the UN Security Council," he said. "If we accuse and threaten the Syrians, they will not cooperate. It is a balanced resolution, and the Lebanese mission to the UN and the Lebanese government were happy with it."
Damascus' official reaction to the resolution came in the form of a statement issued by the Foreign Ministry which rejected the UN's "interference."
"Resolution 1680 marks a new precedent concerning international relations in terms of interfering in countries' internal affairs and the bilateral relations between them," the statement said. The ministry added that the resolution - drafted by France, the United States and Britain - "constitutes uncalled for pressure and provocation that complicates the situation."
The Arab League also criticized the resolution, complaining that it constituted interference in the sovereignty of the countries involved and their internal affairs.
The league's undersecretary general for political affairs, Ahmad Ben Hala, said that he and his colleagues were also looking into reports about Washington's interference in relations between countries.
The resolution states that the Security Council "strongly enc-ourages the government of Syria to respond positively to the request made by the government of Lebanon ... to delineate their common border ... [and] to establish full diplomatic relations."
Such steps would "contribute positively to the stability in the region," the resolution adds, and recognize Lebanon's "sovereignty, territorial integrity and political independence."The resolution also urged Damascus to take steps to prevent the flow of arms from Syrian territory to militias in Lebanon, and it called on "all concerned states and parties" to cooperate with the Lebanese government and the UN in fully implementing Resolution 1559 of 2004.
The U.S. envoy to the UN, John Bolton, said that language referred to Iran and Hizbullah, as well as to Syria. He said the resolution "makes clear that the burden is on Syria to respond to Lebanon's request for border delineation and the full exchange of diplomatic relations.""It clearly says to Syria that it needs to do more to stop the flow of weapons across the Syrian-Lebanese border and ... the disarming of all militias inside Lebanon is an important priority," he added.
Churkin acknowledged the measure contained "a veiled reference to Iran" but said it also referred to "other players involved" in Lebanon.Nassir identified Israel as one of those "other players" and said the draft should have faulted the Jewish state for its frequent military flights over Lebanese territory.UN special envoy Terje Roed-Larsen told French publication La Croix that Lebanese Premier Fouad Siniora had yet to receive "a positive official answer from Syria on the matter of establishing diplomatic ties between both countries." - With agencies

Land mine kills shepherd in Ras al-Jabal
Daily Star staff-Thursday, May 18, 2006: A land mine exploded in the area of Ras al-Jabal, located between Aley and Souk al-Gharb, early on Wednesday, killing a Lebanese shepherd. According to reports, Ali Mohammad Allawi, 21, from the Bekaa area of Taanayel, was herding his sheep at a farm owned by Maan Aridi from Baysour when a landmine detonated under his feet. The Lebanese Army had cordoned off the area and installed warning signs.

Army commander holds talks with Jordan's king
Daily Star staff-Thursday, May 18, 2006: Jordan's King Abdullah II received the Lebanese Army commander General Michel Suleiman on Wednesday for discussions about the means of cooperation between the armies of both countries. Suleiman thanked King Abdullah, who had expressed the desire to support the Lebanese Army. Suleiman arrived in Jordan on Sunday with a delegation of high-ranking officers in response to an invitation from the Jordanian Army's chief-of-staff, Khaled Jamil al-Sarayra. The Lebanese delegation visited the headquarters of the Jordanian Army, the center of the special operation command, the Kind Abdullah II Center for Designing and Development and the National Defense Academy.

Athlete plants Lebanese flag atop Mount Everest
Daily Star staff-Thursday, May 18, 2006:  Maxime Chaya, the Lebanese mountain-biking and mountain-climbing champion, planted the Lebanese flag on top of Mount Everest, in the Himalayan chain, at an altitude of 8,848 meters on Monday. After several weeks of preparation and adaptation to the mountain slopes and climate there, on May 10 Chaya left his base camp, located at 6,555 meters, and set off for a seven-day expedition, unassisted, toward the highest mountain peak in the world. Chaya faced strong winds that reached 80 kilometers per hour, forcing his team to spend one additional night at another camp at 7,900 meters. Chaya contacted his sponsor, Audi Bank, and thanked him for making his dream come true.

Journalists announce death of Amin al-Awar
Daily Star staff-Thursday, May 18, 2006: The presidents of the Press Federation and the Journalists Union, Mohammad Baalbaki and Melhem Karam, announced with deep regret the passing away on Wednesday May 17, 2006, of journalist Amin al-Awar. Prayers for his soul will be held on Thursday, May 18, at 1 p.m. at Bashir al- Awar Social Group in Qornayel, Mount Lebanon. Condolences can be paid on Friday, Saturday and Sunday in Bashir al-Awar Social Group and on Monday May 22, from 10a.m. till 4p.m. in Druze spiritual headquarters in Beirut.

Assad Under Siege
By Nir Boms and Daveed Gartenstein-Ross
The Washington Times | May 16, 2006
"Iran and Syria are in the same boat," said former Iranian President Hashemi Rafsanjani during a visit to Damascus on April 12. In likening the two countries' predicaments, Mr. Rafsanjani continued, "The enemies of Syria are trying to increase the pressure, but the resistance of the Syrian people will continue." He is right: The Syrian people are resisting more than ever before. But the new wave of resistance isn't what Mr. Rafsanjani had in mind.
Two weeks before Mr. Rafsanjani's visit, Syrian military intelligence arrested 51-year-old Internet journalist and human-rights activist Mohammed Ghanem, most likely because of his work at www.surion.org. Mr. Ghanem bills the Web site as a "national, democratic, independent and free site." There, he wrote a recent series of articles detailing Syria's political realities and the plight of its Kurdish community.
After his March 31 arrest, Mr. Ghanem was reportedly transferred to the notorious Branch 235, known as the "Palestine Branch" of Syrian military intelligence. He thus joined the ranks of close to 1,500 political prisoners being held without trial.
Two additional political prisoners are journalist Ali Abdallah and his son, Mohammad, who were arrested late last month in Ktene, south of Damascus. Ali Abdallah is a member of the Jamal al-Atassi Forum, a civil- and political-rights group. He had already been arrested last year after publicly reading a statement on behalf of Syrian Muslim Brotherhood leader Ali Sadreddine Bayanouni. This was not done out of sympathy with the Islamist group. Rather, the Atassi Forum had organized a debate about democratic change. All perspectives were represented, and those who could not attend -- such as the Muslim Brotherhood -- had their statements read aloud.
Then there is Massoud Hamid, a 29-year-old journalism student and "cyberdissident." Last year, Mr. Hamid became one of the few journalists who managed to take photographs of a Kurdish demonstration in Syria, which he posted on a German Web site. Mr. Hamid was subsequently sentenced to three years in prison for "belonging to a secret organization" and "trying to annex part of Syria to another country." In the past three months, Human Rights Watch has documented the arrests of 26 activists that appear to be tied solely to their attempts to speak freely about political conditions in Syria. While political arrests aren't new there, this growing wave suggests that the Syrian opposition -- a group that was invisible only three years ago -- is beginning to show some real resistance to the regime.
And for good reason. President Bashar Assad has showered the Syrian people with promises, yet has failed to deliver on them. His weakness and ineptitude combined with an increased international focus on Syria's involvement in Lebanon and Iraq have helped reinvigorate the opposition. While that opposition can't yet offer a solid political alternative, Mr. Assad's growing efforts to silence it show that it is gaining strength.
Indeed, it is becoming difficult to keep track of the large number of Syrian groups and activists who are working on the cause of political reform inside and outside Syria. A number of conferences, such as those organized by the Syrian Democratic Coalition (SDC), claim to have brought representatives of over 30 such groups together. The SDC, which is led by Farid Ghadry, can be credited with raising international awareness of the existence of a vibrant Syrian opposition. The SDC is now working to establish a parliament in exile that will seek to coordinate the various opposition groups.
That coalition was recently challenged by former Syrian Vice President Abdel Halim Khaddam. Mr. Khaddam has joined with exiled Muslim Brotherhood leader Bayanouni to establish what they dub the "National Salvation Front." He is attempting to establish a government in exile with Ba'ath-like functions such as a minister of information. This effort probably won't be well-received in Syria, where Mr. Khaddam is seen as a major player in the corrupt Syrian Ba'athist apparatus.
Another exiled figure unlikely to find much support inside Syria is Rifaat al-Assad, the younger brother of former President Hafez Assad. Rifaat went into exile after leading an unsuccessful coup attempt in 1983. He has made noise since then about returning to Syria to assume the mantle of leadership, but appears to be more of an aspiring military dictator than a democratic reformer.
This new proliferation of Syrian groups claiming to speak for the true voice of democracy and reform means that the United States needs to be selective in how it engages the players. Its recent flirtation with Mr. Khaddam -- who has displayed few democratic tendencies -- can be counterproductive when there are other groups and activists with impressive track records and a legitimate following.
It may be a long time before the idea of democracy takes hold in Syria. The United States should exercise patience. And in the meantime, it should pay closer attention to people like Mr. Ghanem, and Ali and Mohammad Abdallah -- those who have shown a commitment to democracy and can be real agents of change

THE COUNCIL FOR THE CEDARS REVOLUTION TO MEET IN THE US CONGRESS
Washington DC, May 17, 2006
The World Council for the Cedars Revolution (WCCR), an INGO representing activists from the Lebanese Diaspora and Lebanon's civil society will be holding its first Congress in Washington on Capitol Hill this Thursday, May 18. The WCCR, headed by Joe Baini from Sydney, Australia will examine "the state of the Cedars Revolution, one year after." Officials from the International Lebanese Committee for the Implementation of the Cedars Revolution will also co-sponsor the Congressional event. The latter is co-sponsored by US Congressmen Daryll Issa from California and Tom Feeney from Florida. The spokespersons for the meetings said "the main subjects to be addressed are the following:
1) The Syrian-Lebanese borders:
According to our NGOs inside Lebanon, European and Lebanese MPs and other observers, Syrian occupation forces are still present inside the Lebanese territories despite the so-called full withdrawal announced by M Bashar Assad of Syria. We have conducted an independent investigation in April and May 2006 and have the evidence that Syrian military presence still occupies parts of Lebanon. We would like to submit this evidence have the audience listen to witnesses.
2) The Hizbollah organization:
Our NGOs have noted the rejection by the Lebanese civil society of the armed Hizbollah organization, which despite UNSCR 1559, still maintains a terror network and an army inside Lebanon, which threatens not only Lebanese freedom and security but also regional and international security.
3) The Lebanese army
Our NGOs would like to brief you about the aspirations of the Lebanese civil society and the Lebanese Diaspora to see the United States and the international community supporting the Lebanese army to recover all Lebanese territories and disarm all militias including the terrorist organizations.
4) Lebanese Democracy
Our NGOs wish to share the aspirations of the Lebanese around the world to see Lebanese democracy grow and develop. We also wish to share the concerns by the Lebanese civil society and Diaspora regarding the campaign of Terror aimed at Lebanon's politicians, journalists and intellectuals.
The World Council for the Cedars Revolution is an INGO in support of Lebanon's Cedars Revolution and the ILS Committee 1559 is an INGO representing Lebanese communities around the world and inside Lebanon working on insuring the implementation of UNSCR 1559
The spokespersons also announced that a joint delegation of the World Council of the Cedars Revolution and the Committee 1559 will be received at the US State Department, the Department of Defense and will hold meetings at a n umber of Washington Think Tanks. The joint delegation include more than 20 members from a variety of countries and from Lebanon.
Among the leaders of the joint delegation: Joe Baini, President, Tom Harb Secretary General of the Committee 1559, Michel Douaihi from Australia, John Hajjar and Anis Karam from the US, Dr. Rachid Rahme from the UK, Mr Joseph Saouk from Sweden, Mr. Sami El-Khoury from Ecuador, M George Chaya from Argentina, attorney Claudia Chater from Brazil,
Toni Nissi, Joseph Sokhen, Kamal El-Batal from Lebanon, Col Charbel Barakat from Canada, Attorney Joanne Fakhre from the Caribbean, and Mrs Nina Rahme representing Women organizations.