Fox News team release

Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 6,12-16.
In those days he departed to the mountain to pray, and he spent the night in prayer to God. When day came, he called his disciples to himself, and from them he chose Twelve, whom he also named apostles: Simon, whom he named Peter, and his brother Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, Simon who was called a Zealot, and Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor.

Rice steps up pressure on Hizbullah
BEIRUT, Lebanon
US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice stepped up international pressure on Hizbullah to disarm, saying in a television interview aired Friday that the guerrilla group must surrender its weapons if it wants to remain part of Lebanon's political process.
Meanwhile, the European Union's foreign policy chief holds talks Saturday with top Lebanese political leaders in an effort to bolster support for Prime Minister Fuad Saniora's embattled government.
Rice urged Hizbullah to lay down its arms according to the cease-fire that ended its 34-day war with Israel last summer, and choose between being a militant group and a legitimate political organization.
Hizbullah is under heavy international pressure to surrender its weapons, but the Iranian- and Syrian-backed group - which holds 11 seats in the Lebanese parliament and two spots in the Cabinet -has refused to disarm.
"If Hizbullah wants to be in politics... Hezbollah should be disarmed. You cannot have one foot in terror and the use of violence and the other foot in politics. It just doesn't work that way," Rice said in an interview with the privately-owned Lebanese Broadcasting Corp.
"Hizbullah has to decide whether it's going to maintain its terrorist wing and remain a terrorist organization or whether it's going to ... be part the political process," she said.
The interview was taped at Rice's office in Washington, and conducted by May Chidiac, a Lebanese journalist who lost an arm and a leg in car bombing in Lebanon in September 2005.
The US government has labeled Hizbullah a terrorist organization and blames it for the deaths of 241 US Marines in the bombing of their Beirut barracks in 1983, as well as for two attacks on the US embassy in Beirut and the 1985 TWA hijacking that killed an American serviceman on board. Hezbollah has repeatedly denied such accusations and says it now opposes terrorism.
Rice also urged the Lebanese government to end what it called Hizbullah's "state within a state" and prevent weapons from reaching the militant group.
"I'm counting on Lebanon to live up to its obligations, and I'm counting on Lebanon to want to evolve to a normal state," Rice told the satellite channel. "And a normal state has an army and police that answer to the state, not to a state within a state."
The UN cease-fire resolution that ended the Hizbullah-Israel war on Aug. 14 called for the Lebanese army to deploy alongside international peacekeepers in Hizbullah strongholds across south Lebanon. Some 16,000 Lebanese troops have fanned out across the region, including along the border with Israel, for the first time in decades.
The two forces are tasked with establishing a Hizbullah-free buffer zone stretching some 30 kilometers north of the Israeli border.
Rice also warned that as Lebanon tries to rebuild, some people might try to destabilize its Western-backed government.
"We've heard that there are people who would like to intimidate or assassinate again," she said, referring to the 2005 assassinations of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri and other anti-Syrian politicians. She did not elaborate.
Asked if Syria was trying to destabilize Lebanon following its withdrawal last year, Rice said: "It's not any great secret that there are concerns about what Syria, which once occupied the country, might try and do through continuing contacts in the country. But I don't want accuse any one place. I just want to make very clear that the international community believes there should be no foreign intimidation of the Lebanese people."
Javier Solana, the EU's top diplomat, is on a six-day swing through the Middle East to examine prospects for restarting stalled Israel-Palestinian peace talks and for stabilizing Lebanon in the wake of last summer's Israel-Hezbollah war.
The one-day visit to Beirut was to send a strong message to Syria and its Lebanese allies that Europe, which is providing the bulk of a 7,000-strong UN peacekeeping force, wants to keep Saniora's moderate government in office.
"We have real and important responsibilities in Lebanon," Solana said in Israel before heading to Lebanon.
Behind closed doors EU officials were expected to voice concern over growing tensions between rival Lebanese factions, which threaten Saniora's fragile coalition.
Arriving late Friday in Beirut, Solana met with Lebanon's influential Maronite Catholic patriarch, Cardinal Nasrallah Sfeir.
On Saturday Solana will confer with parliament Speaker Nabih Berri and Foreign Minister Fawzi Salloukh as well as Saniora.
Notably absent from Solana's agenda is pro-Syrian Lebanese President Emile Lahoud.
Solana will also meet with Maj. Gen. Alain Pellegrini, leader of the UN peacekeeping force, to get an assesment on the UN mission in southern Lebanon and the UN force's relationship with the Israelis.
Germany has alleged that Israeli jets this week fired in the air over a German naval vessel meant to protect other peacekeeping ships off the Lebanese coast.

Rice to Hizbullah: If You Want to Be in Politics You have to Disarm
U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice stepped up international pressure on Hizbullah to disarm, saying on the Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation Friday that the group must surrender its weapons if it wants to remain part of Lebanon's political process.
Rice urged Hizbullah to lay down its arms according to the cease-fire that ended its 34-day war with Israel last summer, and choose between being a militant group and a legitimate political organization.
Hizbullah is under heavy international pressure to surrender its weapons, but the Iranian- and Syrian-backed group -- which holds 11 seats in parliament and two spots in Premier Fouad Saniora's cabinet -- has refused to disarm.
"If Hizbullah wants to be in politics... Hizbullah should be disarmed. You cannot have one foot in terror and the use of violence and the other foot in politics. It just doesn't work that way," Rice said in an interview with May Chidiac on the LBCI.
"Hizbullah has to decide whether it's going to maintain its terrorist wing and remain a terrorist organization or whether it's going to ... be part the political process," she said.
The interview was taped at Rice's office in Washington, and conducted by Chidiac at the LBCI's offices in Adma, north of Beirut.
The U.S. government has labeled Hizbullah a terrorist organization and blames it for the deaths of 241 U.S. Marines in the bombing of their Beirut barracks in 1983, as well as for two attacks on the U.S. embassy in Beirut and the 1985 TWA hijacking that killed an American serviceman on board. Hizbullah has repeatedly denied such accusations.
Rice also urged the Lebanese government to end what it called Hizbullah's "state within a state" and prevent weapons from reaching the group.
"I'm counting on Lebanon to live up to its obligations, and I'm counting on Lebanon to want to evolve to a normal state," Rice told the TV station. "And a normal state has an army and police that answer to the state, not to a state within a state."
The U.N. cease-fire resolution that ended the Israel-Hizbullah war on Aug. 14 called for the Lebanese army to deploy alongside international peacekeepers in Hizbullah strongholds across the south. Some 16,000 Lebanese troops have fanned out across the region, including along the border with Israel, for the first time in decades.
The two forces are tasked with establishing a Hizbullah-free buffer zone stretching some 30 kilometers north of the Israeli border.
Rice also warned that as Lebanon tries to rebuild, some people might try to destabilize its Western-backed government.
"We've heard that there are people who would like to intimidate or assassinate again," she said, referring to the 2005 assassinations of former Premier Rafik Hariri and other anti-Syrian politicians. She did not elaborate.
Asked if Syria was trying to destabilize Lebanon following its withdrawal last year, Rice said: "It's not any great secret that there are concerns about what Syria, which once occupied the country, might try and do through continuing contacts in the country. But I don't want to accuse any one place. I just want to make very clear that the international community believes there should be no foreign intimidation of the Lebanese people."(AP-Naharnet)
Beirut, 28 Oct 06, 07:28

Portuguese UNIFIL Troops to Head to Lebanon Next Week
Portugal will next week begin deploying the 140 troops which it committed to the United Nations peacekeeping mission in Lebanon, Portuguese Defense Minister Nuno Severiano Teixeira has said. Twelve Portuguese soldiers, the first batch of the contingent, will head to Lebanon on Tuesday with the remaining 128 members of the team due to arrive by the end of November, the minister told reporters in Lisbon late Friday.
"The troops are ready," he said after holding talks in the Portuguese capital with his visiting Angolan counterpart Kundi Paihama, the Lusa news agency reported. Lisbon agreed in August to contribute 140 troops to the U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) which is helping to monitor a ceasefire between Israel and Hizbullah, following a month-long war. The Portuguese contingent will be stationed near the southern port city of Tyre where they will be under the direct command of Maj. Gen. Alain Pellegrini, the French general who is in charge of UNIFIL in the south.(AFP-Naharnet)
Beirut, 28 Oct 06, 11:44

U.S. to Rebuild Mdeirej Bridge Destroyed by Israel
The United States will pay to rebuild the Mdeirej bridge in Lebanon, the highest in the Middle East, which was damaged by Israeli bombardment during the July-August war, a senior U.S. official has said.The 70 meter high bridge, on the mountainous road linking Beirut and Damascus, was hit on July 21 in the early days of Israel's 34-day offensive on Lebanon. A 200-metre-long section was destroyed.
U.S. State Department Director of Foreign Assistance Randall L. Tobias, in Lebanon on a two-day visit, said Friday work on the bridge is tangible proof that U.S. pledges of assistance "amount to more than just words."
Tobias is also administrator of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), which will pay an estimated 20 million dollars in repairs.
The $44 million bridge was built by the Italian company Toto and was inaugurated in 1998 by slain ex-Premier Rafik Hariri.
Direct material damage to housing and infrastructure in Lebanon during the war has been put at $3.6 billion.
Private Lebanese and foreign firms are repairing or rebuilding some of the 80 bridges damaged or destroyed by Israeli bombardment.
Funding for the Mdeirej bridge project is part of a U.S. commitment of $230 million in post-war aid to Lebanon, the U.S. embassy said in a statement.
"The $230 million committed by President (George) Bush in August have a very clear and important purpose—to help the Lebanese people rebuild their lives and communities after this summer's tragic conflict," Tobias said after meeting with Lebanese officials.
He said $90 million has already been disbursed to meet basic humanitarian needs and to assist the Lebanese in the early stages of recovery.
"I have been deeply encouraged by Lebanon's commitment to rapid recovery and economic growth and would like to reassure the Lebanese people that the American people are completely behind you," Tobias added.(Naharnet-AFP) Beirut, 28 Oct 06, 07:13

Israel Expresses Regret for Ship Incident off Lebanon's Coast
German Defense Minister Franz Josef Jung has said the Israeli military's chief-of-staff had "expressed his regret" to his German counterpart for the armed incident in which Israeli warplanes fired at a German warship. "I don't expect any repeat of such an incident," Jung said late Friday on ZDF, Germany's national public television broadcaster. Israeli jets fired in the air over a German intelligence-gathering ship off Lebanon's coast, German officials said Friday, as both countries continued to give different versions of what happened. The ship, the 83-meter Alster, was not listed as part of the German flotilla sent to prevent weapons smuggling off the coast of Lebanon as part of the expanded U.N. peacekeeping force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), Defense Ministry spokesman Thomas Raabe said. Raabe said the Alster was 90 kilometers off the coast in international waters when six Israeli F-16s flew over it and misaimed shots were fired in the air. The unarmed ship was there as part of efforts to protect the UNIFIL naval force, he said, noting that Israeli vessels had been hit with missiles during fighting with Hamas. Asked what the motive for the jets' overflight was, he said, "I don't want to speculate. I don't think there is a serious background." He added that Israel had high security needs given the situation in the Middle East. Raabe wouldn't say how Israel explained the incident to Germany's government.
Israel issued a statement saying that the planes approached a helicopter after it took off Tuesday from a German ship without notifying Israeli forces. The Israelis denied shots were fired.(AP) Beirut, 28 Oct 06, 09:38

EU's Solana sends message to Lebanese factions to stick with Saniora's government
The Associated Press
Published: October 27, 2006
BEIRUT, Lebanon The European Union's foreign policy chief holds talks Saturday with top Lebanese political leaders in an effort to bolster support for Prime Minister Fuad Saniora's embattled government. Javier Solana is on a six-day swing through the Middle East to examine prospects for restarting stalled Israel-Palestinian peace talks and for stabilizing Lebanon in the wake of last summer's Israel-Hezbollah war.
The one-day visit to Beirut was to send a strong message to Syria and its Lebanese allies that Europe, which is providing the bulk of a 7,000-strong U.N. peacekeeping force, wants to keep Saniora's moderate government in office. "We have real and important responsibilities in Lebanon," Solana said in Israel before heading to Lebanon. Behind closed doors EU officials were expected to voice concern over growing tensions between rival Lebanese factions, which threaten Saniora's fragile coalition.
Arriving late Friday in Beirut, Solana met with Lebanon's influential Maronite Catholic patriarch, Cardinal Nasrallah Sfeir. On Saturday Solana will confer with parliament Speaker Nabih Berri and Foreign Minister Fawzi Salloukh as well as Saniora. Notably absent from Solana's agenda is pro-Syrian Lebanese President Emile Lahoud. Solana's visit comes as U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice stepped up the pressure on militant guerrilla group Hezbollah to disarm. Rice said in a television interview aired Friday that Hezbollah should drop its armed struggle if it wants to continue playing a role in Lebanese politics. Solana will also meet with Maj. Gen. Alain Pellegrini, leader of the U.N. peacekeeping force, to get an assesment on the U.N. mission in southern Lebanon and the U.N. force's relationship with the Israelis. Germany has alleged that Israeli jets this week fired in the air over a German naval vessel meant to protect other peacekeeping ships off the Lebanese coast. The Israelis have denied shots were fired.
The EU foreign policy chief will round up his Lebanon visit by touring pro-Hezbollah neighborhoods of south Beirut which were pounded by Israeli airstrikes last summer. AAfterward, he will travel on to Amman, Jordan and Cairo, Egypt.
Tensions between rival political groups have risen in recent weeks, with Beirut witnessing a series of minor attacks, including a grenade fired from a rifle at a downtown building that houses a dance club. Solana has welcomed Berri's initiative to launch talks between factions in Lebanon, both pro- and anti-Syrian, Christian, and Muslim. The disarming of Hezbollah, a key international demand has caused a tense internal struggle between the Western-backed government and the Shiite Muslim militant group as Lebanese troops try to take control of the guerrillas' longtime stronghold in the south.
Leaders failed to agree on the disarmament issue during talks in June.

The U.N.-brokered cease-fire that ended last summer's war called for Hezbollah to be disarmed.
But the guerrilla group has refused to lay down its weapons. Neither the 15,000 Lebanese troops nor U.N. peacekeepers who are to patrol a buffer zone in the south have the mandate or the political will to take the weapons by force. BEIRUT, Lebanon The European Union's foreign policy chief holds talks Saturday with top Lebanese political leaders in an effort to bolster support for Prime Minister Fuad Saniora's embattled government. Javier Solana is on a six-day swing through the Middle East to examine prospects for restarting stalled Israel-Palestinian peace talks and for stabilizing Lebanon in the wake of last summer's Israel-Hezbollah war. The one-day visit to Beirut was to send a strong message to Syria and its Lebanese allies that Europe, which is providing the bulk of a 7,000-strong U.N. peacekeeping force, wants to keep Saniora's moderate government in office.
"We have real and important responsibilities in Lebanon," Solana said in Israel before heading to Lebanon. Behind closed doors EU officials were expected to voice concern over growing tensions between rival Lebanese factions, which threaten Saniora's fragile coalition. Arriving late Friday in Beirut, Solana met with Lebanon's influential Maronite Catholic patriarch, Cardinal Nasrallah Sfeir. On Saturday Solana will confer with parliament Speaker Nabih Berri and Foreign Minister Fawzi Salloukh as well as Saniora. Notably absent from Solana's agenda is pro-Syrian Lebanese President Emile Lahoud. Solana's visit comes as U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice stepped up the pressure on militant guerrilla group Hezbollah to disarm. Rice said in a television interview aired Friday that Hezbollah should drop its armed struggle if it wants to continue playing a role in Lebanese politics. Solana will also meet with Maj. Gen. Alain Pellegrini, leader of the U.N. peacekeeping force, to get an assesment on the U.N. mission in southern Lebanon and the U.N. force's relationship with the Israelis. Germany has alleged that Israeli jets this week fired in the air over a German naval vessel meant to protect other peacekeeping ships off the Lebanese coast.

400 Spanish soldiers arrive in Beirut to join UNIFIL
Some 400 Spanish soldiers arrived in Lebanon to join the UN-led peacekeeping mission monitoring a cease-fire between Israel and Hezbollah fighters, Lebanon's newspaper Daily Star reported on Friday. The soldiers, arrived Thursday in Beirut board commercial flights, will replace 500 Spanish troops who deployed here in September. The reports said the incoming troops would be based near the Christian town of Marjayoun.
The Spanish contingent in the UN peacekeeping force, known as UNIFIL, was to increase to a total of about 1,100 in the coming weeks.
Some 500 marines arrived in Lebanon in mid-September in the first phase of a Spanish deployment. They are due to return to Spain by Nov. 9 on two military ships. Israel troops and Lebanon's Hezbollah Shiite group started their 34-day conflict after the latter captured two Israeli soldiers and killed eight in a July 12 cross-border raid. The UN Security Council Resolution 1701 that led to the ceasefire on Aug. 14 called for 15,000 troops to join a similar number of Lebanese army troops deploying in the south of the country.

Iran denies role in '94 Argentine blast
POSTED: 1412 GMT (2212 HKT), October 27, 2006
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TEHRAN, Iran (AP) -- The Iranian government rejected as unfounded accusations by Argentine prosecutors that high-ranking Iranian officials were linked to a 1994 Buenos Aires bombing, state-run radio reported Friday. Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Mohammad Ali Hosseini said the Argentine judiciary had produced no evidence to back its accusations. "It is necessary for Argentine officials to make comment based on the evidence," the spokesman was quoted as saying.
His comments came as two Argentine special prosecutors asked a federal judge this week to order the arrest of former Iranian President Hashemi Rafsanjani and seven others for the 1994 bombing of a Jewish center in Buenos Aires that claimed 85 lives and wounded 200 others.
Hosseini said the prosecutors' announcement was "propaganda" and "Zionist hype." The announcement aims at diverting public opinion from Israeli crimes in the Palestinian territories and Lebanon, Hosseini said.
Rafsanjani is now the head of the Expediency Council, which mediates between parliament and the clerics who rule the country.
The other officials include a former Iranian intelligence chief, a former foreign minister, two former commanders of Iran's Revolutionary Guards, two former Iranian diplomats and a former Hezbollah security chief.
The decision to attack the center "was undertaken in 1993 by the highest authorities of the then-government of Iran," Argentine prosecutor Alberto Nisman has said.
The prosecutors said the Iranians engaged the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah to carry out the bombing. They said they suspected that Hezbollah operated outside Lebanon only "under orders directly emanating from the regime in Tehran."
Hezbollah, whose members are Lebanese Muslim Shiites, is known to receive funds from Iran, a Shiite-majority country.
The Argentine judge responsible, Rodolfo Canicoba Corral, has made no comment. Under Argentine law, he has indefinite time to consider the prosecutors' recommendations. The seven-story Jewish center, a symbol of Argentina's more than 200,000-strong Jewish population, was flattened when a suicide bomber drove up to the building and detonated his explosive-laden vehicle. It has since been rebuilt with greater security.
Copyright 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Hezbollah bomber film yet to see the light of day
By Ramadan Al Sherbini, Correspondent
Cairo: Egyptian scriptwriter Mohammad Al Mahlawi says he will not stop until his film on Hezbollah sees the light of day.
His screenplay for the film was rejected by the government's Entertainment Censorship Board over a year ago.
"I lodged a complaint with the Grievances Committee of the Supreme Council of Culture to challenge this rejection. Usually, this panel makes a decision on such complaints in two to four weeks. But eight months after I filed my complaint, I have not received a reply," Al Mahlawi told Gulf News.
Three aims
He added that his screenplay tells the story of an agent sent by the Israeli secret service Mossad to infiltrate Hezbollah and kill its chief Hassan Nasrallah, but later the infiltrator changes his mind and decides to carry out a suicide bombing inside Israel.
"My film has three aims. First to shed light on the social activities undertaken by Hezbollah in caring for orphans. Secondly, drawing the line between terrorism and resistance to foreign occupation. Third, highlighting Hezbollah's vigilance," Al Mahlawi said.
He says he might resort to the public to acquaint them with his project and gain their approval so as to go ahead with the movie without bothering about the censors' ban.
"The [Egyptian] constitution states that people are the source of power. Thus I have the right to know people's view of my screenplay, which by no means harms the name of Egypt."
During Israel's recent war in Lebanon, pro-Hez-bollah marches were staged in Egypt. Marchers upheld portraits of Hezbollah chief Nasrallah and compared him to the late Egyptian president Jamal Abdul Nasser.
Egyptian censors have said the film portrays Hezbollah as a terror group, a claim flatly denied by Al Mahlawi.
Hezbollah blamed
"Rejecting the screenplay has nothing to do with the official Egyptian stance towards Hezbollah," Ali Abu Shadi, Censorship Board chief, said.
In the early days of the Israeli war in July, Egyptian officials blamed Hezbollah for starting the war by kidnapping two Israeli soldiers, a criticism which brought the government of President Hosni Mubarak under fire from the anti-Israeli opposition. Egypt was the first Arab country to sign a peace treaty with Israel in 1979.
"The Censorship Board does not have the final say on films. Its decisions can be contested. Al Mahlawi's screenplay is now being examined by the Grievances Committee, which is composed of respected intellectuals," added Abu Shadi.

Inside the Ring
By Bill Gertz and Rowan Scarborough
October 27, 2006
Assad's weakness
An intelligence source tells us Bashar Assad, who inherited leadership of Syria, is no strongman like his late father, Hafez. In his sixth year as leader, Bashar is largely controlled by Ba'ath Party operatives who oppose better relations with the West.
The source tells us it is Bashar Assad's aides who push the 40-year-old dictator to support Hezbollah destabilization activities in Lebanon and allow al Qaeda jihadists to use Syria as a staging point for infiltrating Iraq and killing Americans and Iraqis. "He could not keep them out even if he wanted to, unless he cracks down on his own operatives," said the source, who estimates there are hundreds of al Qaeda terrorists moving through Syria unencumbered.
Syria, like Iraq under Saddam Hussein, is a Ba'ath Party socialist police state. Damascus has no interest in seeing a Democracy sprout next door. The Bush administration once hoped that Bashar Assad, an ophthalmologist by training who only sought power after the death of his older brother, would moderate Hafez's strident anti-Israel policies. But he has not.
The one time that Bashar Assad appeared triumphant over his coterie of advisers is when he pulled army troops out of Lebanon, as the United Nations demanded. But he has kept operatives inside the war-torn Lebanon and is furiously rearming Hezbollah in violation of a U.N. cease-fire.
Pakistan and Iran
It is somewhat surprising how little the Bush administration knows about what could be become a historic agreement in the war on radical Islamists. Last summer, Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf approved a deal with tribal leaders with whom his army had been fighting and dying in Waziristan, an ungoverned expanse on the Afghan border.
Gen. Musharraf insists the deal is good for the U.S. It calls for a cease-fire as long as the tribes stop providing aid and comfort to Taliban members who regroup in Pakistan before going back into Afghanistan. Some pundits have ripped the agreement as a surrender to tribal militants who may be hiding Osama bin Laden.
R. Nicholas Burns, undersecretary of state for political affairs, said he did not know much about the deal when he met recently with reporters and editors of The Washington Times. The CIA declined to comment.
Now we see that the top U.S. commander in the region, Gen. John Abizaid, is at best skeptical.
"Well I guess like anybody I'm kind of wait and see," he recently told a group of defense reporters. "I hate to answer one of your questions with 'I don't know,' but I don't know. I did talk to President Musharraf about it. I told him I was concerned about it ... The long run is, you've got to go forward in the tribal areas with economic, political and military solutions that the tribes cooperate with. But I'm very, very skeptical about this notion that people that have been harbored in the tribal areas are no longer going to be harbored. I'll believe that when I see it."
Gen. Abizaid, who heads U.S. Central Command, also presented facts on which any observer could conclude that the U.S. is in a war in Iran.
It appears that Iran is supplying insurgents with RPG-29, a dual-headed warhead that is destroying U.S. armored vehicles. Worse, Iran is manufacturing and exporting explosively formed penetrators (EFPs). It is a more devastating edition of the ubiquitous improvised explosive device. The EFP unleashes an array of warheads certain to hit any object within range. Iranian-backed Hezbollah developed the bomb to kill Israelis. Now, Iran is making EFPs and shipping them into Iraq to kill U.S. troops.
Baghdad show
It was a double-barreled press conference. The two most-powerful men in Iraq, Gen. George Casey and U.S. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad, appeared before a skeptical Baghdad press corps to give the impression of war momentum. Gen. Casey talked of Iraqi security-force progress; Mr. Khalilzad trumpeted a "national compact" that could end the violence in a year.
The press reaction?
A CBS news reporter said U.S. commanders in the field say they cannot count on a full Iraqi unit to arrive on the scene. Some units are only half strength. "So the numbers really are a lie, and we want the truth, and your soldiers on the ground want the truth out there," said reporter Lara Logan.
"The numbers aren't a lie, and the numbers are prepared by the soldiers in the field and their Iraqi counterparts on a monthly basis," Gen. Casey said. He conceded, however, that not all brigades are manned at 100 percent and that a defense ministry policy allows 25 percent of a unit on leave at any one time.
A reporter for the British Broadcasting Corp., a consistent critic of the Iraq war, suggested the country was better off with Saddam Hussein in charge. Said Mr. Khalilzad, "During Saddam thousands upon thousands of Iraqis were killed as a result of a government policy. Now these killings are taking place by the terrorists, by death squads. And the government, with support of the coalition, is trying to bring that to an end."
Sinking polls
A new Gallup Poll shows more Americans are not happy with events in Iraq, where more than 2,800 U.S. service members have died since April 2003.
The survey showed 65 percent of respondents said things are going badly in Iraq, compared with 35 percent who say things are going well. A majority of 58 percent say neither side is winning the war.
Yet, only 20 percent support an immediate withdrawal of all troops, a position endorsed by Rep. John P. Murtha, Pennsylvania Democrat. But another 34 percent want withdrawal in 12 months. Nearly 45 percent either back getting the job done first (35 percent) or sending more troops (9 percent).
Rumor mill
One constant in Washington since the Iraq war went sour is that Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld is out the door. The latest word from Weekly Standard editor Bill Kristol is that Mr. Rumsfeld will leave after the Nov. 7 elections.
Mark Larson, host of a popular radio talk show on KOGO in San Diego, asked Mr. Rumsfeld about the prediction during a live interview this week at the White House. "Rumsfeld will leave after the election," Mr. Kristol said on Fox News Sunday.
"That fellow said the same damn thing in April of 2001," Mr. Rumsfeld responded. "He has been on that shtick, and people keep repeating it and repeating it. I don't know why they listen to him. He's been wrong so many times. There ought to be some accountability."
• Bill Gertz and Rowan Scarborough are Pentagon reporters. Mr. Gertz can be reached at 202/636-3274 or bgertz@washingtontimes.com. Mr. Scarborough can be reached at 202/636-3208 or rscarborough@washingtontimes.com.

From Beirut, terror suspect's wife criticizes U.S. house search
The Associated Press
Published: October 27, 2006
MIAMI The wife of the alleged al-Qaida recruiter and leader of a North American terror support cell said Friday she felt intimidated and coerced into allowing FBI agents to search her Florida home after her husband's 2002 arrest.
"I was very scared. I felt like I had no choice," Nahed Wannous, wife of defendant Adham Amin Hassoun, said testifying through a live video hookup from Beirut. "I was being pushed very hard."Wannous' video testimony was a key part of an effort by Hassoun's lawyers to persuade a judge to suppress evidence seized in the June 12, 2002, search of the family's home in the Fort Lauderdale suburb of Sunrise,
Hassoun, a 44-year-old computer programmer born in Lebanon, is charged along with alleged al-Qaida operative Jose Padilla and others with supporting violent Islamic extremists worldwide by providing money, recruits and supplies. All have pleaded not guilty, with trial scheduled in January.
Dressed entirely in black, including gloves, and with only her eyes visible above a veil, Wannous said the FBI agents put intense pressure on her to sign a search consent form when she asked if they had a court-ordered search warrant.
If she insisted on a warrant, an FBI agent told her they might stay at the home through much of the night, she said. "It might scare the children. We might flip over the couches. It will be very disorderly," Wannous quoted the agent as saying.
The FBI agents have previously testified that the search was handled by the book, with no threats or intimidation. Among the items seized were a 9mm handgun and papers, documents and videotapes that prosecutors say support their contention that Hassoun was a terrorist recruiter and fundraiser.
"Did they yell at you? Did they point their fingers at you threateningly?" asked Russell Killinger, one of the federal prosecutors in the case.
"No," Wannous replied.
Wannous said she lived in the United States for 11 years but left about 2 1/2 years ago, in part because she felt persecuted as an observant Muslim in this country after the 2001 terror attacks. She had been granted asylum to live in the U.S. after claiming that she might be killed by the Hezbollah militia if she went back to Lebanon.
But given the choice between the two — and with her husband jailed awaiting trial — Wannous said she preferred to take her chances with Hezbollah by returning with their three sons to Beirut.
"I felt that I'd better come back to Lebanon, staying away from the areas where Hezbollah has authority," she said, without explaining why she feared the Shiite Muslim group.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Stephen Brown said he would allow the FBI agents to testify again next week in response to Wannous's claims and then issue a ruling on the validity of the evidence.
MIAMI The wife of the alleged al-Qaida recruiter and leader of a North American terror support cell said Friday she felt intimidated and coerced into allowing FBI agents to search her Florida home after her husband's 2002 arrest.
"I was very scared. I felt like I had no choice," Nahed Wannous, wife of defendant Adham Amin Hassoun, said testifying through a live video hookup from Beirut. "I was being pushed very hard."
Wannous' video testimony was a key part of an effort by Hassoun's lawyers to persuade a judge to suppress evidence seized in the June 12, 2002, search of the family's home in the Fort Lauderdale suburb of Sunrise,
Hassoun, a 44-year-old computer programmer born in Lebanon, is charged along with alleged al-Qaida operative Jose Padilla and others with supporting violent Islamic extremists worldwide by providing money, recruits and supplies. All have pleaded not guilty, with trial scheduled in January.
Dressed entirely in black, including gloves, and with only her eyes visible above a veil, Wannous said the FBI agents put intense pressure on her to sign a search consent form when she asked if they had a court-ordered search warrant.
If she insisted on a warrant, an FBI agent told her they might stay at the home through much of the night, she said. "It might scare the children. We might flip over the couches. It will be very disorderly," Wannous quoted the agent as saying.
The FBI agents have previously testified that the search was handled by the book, with no threats or intimidation. Among the items seized were a 9mm handgun and papers, documents and videotapes that prosecutors say support their contention that Hassoun was a terrorist recruiter and fundraiser.
"Did they yell at you? Did they point their fingers at you threateningly?" asked Russell Killinger, one of the federal prosecutors in the case.
"No," Wannous replied.
Wannous said she lived in the United States for 11 years but left about 2 1/2 years ago, in part because she felt persecuted as an observant Muslim in this country after the 2001 terror attacks. She had been granted asylum to live in the U.S. after claiming that she might be killed by the Hezbollah militia if she went back to Lebanon.
But given the choice between the two — and with her husband jailed awaiting trial — Wannous said she preferred to take her chances with Hezbollah by returning with their three sons to Beirut.
"I felt that I'd better come back to Lebanon, staying away from the areas where Hezbollah has authority," she said, without explaining why she feared the Shiite Muslim group.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Stephen Brown said he would allow the FBI agents to testify again next week in response to Wannous's claims and then issue a ruling on the validity of the evidence.

The World Council of the Cedars Revolution
26th October 2006
Media Release
Response to Speaker Nabih Berri..
Yes to a National Unity Government, but after Disarming Hezbollah.
The anticipated initiative of the speaker shows, upon his return from his trip to Arab and International countries, that it has diminished to an invitation for conditional dialogue because the topic and the timing are sending messages of lack of confidence and acceptance, fearing the questions which will undoubtedly be presented before such a proposal can expect any reception.
As such, the World Council of the Cedars Revolution considers it an obligation to clarify the events impacting upon the people, emphasizing the following;
Firstly, that the invitation to form a National Unity Government is welcome always. But in view of Speaker Berri's call for a new dialogue, the question needs to be asked, what happened to the previous dialogue sessions, which had stalled and which he assured would not take too long? And, what of the activities of the armed terrorist organizations who only serve the wellbeing of Iran and Syria? and by what logic do you entertain and accept their individual act of aggression and war which led to the destruction of the nation, the death of the people and devastation of the economy? Despite their previous dialogue.
Secondly, we, the World Council of the Cedars Revolution are in support of a national unity government, representing all the factions, but conditional upon the disarming of all the terrorist militias first, be they Lebanese or non Lebanese; and at the top of the list is Hezbollah, so that all will be equal and will be liberated from internal terrorism which is imposed by armed organizations whose objectives are to threaten self determination.
Thirdly, that the Lebanese Parliamentary Elections ought to take place before their scheduled term is a subject that is not entirely unacceptable, however, it is not possible to hold such an election under the threat of tens of thousands of rockets and arms deployed without surveillance or control, nor under the influence of the secretive hallal finance without accountability. It is not possible to hold early elections under the deployment and intimidation of the many thousands of Syrian Intelligence (Mukhabarat) and the Iranian National Guards whose ambitions represent at the very least the return of Syrian occupation and domination to take Lebanon back to becoming a field of internal conflict and destruction.
The concept of amending the parliamentary electoral law would probably enjoy strong support, but cannot possibly take place under the threat and hegemony of those who have shown themselves to be treacherous enemies of the sovereign, independent and democratically free people of Lebanon.
We direct our call to all those who are responsible with honorable intentions and to all who have paid a heavy price during their struggle in liberating Lebanon from the Syrian Tyranny, to be aware and alert as to what is taking place; and to forbid their desires and ambitions, to which at times they may feel that they have a justifiable claim, from allowing the greed of those who hunger for the destruction of our beloved nation Lebanon.
Further, we call on the people of Lebanon to stand strong in the face of the many challenges they face. We ask the Lebanese government to remain diligent and resolute and to fulfill its commitment to the protection of the people against any enemy, be they from within or without the country.
We also call on the United Nations Security Council to strengthen the capabilities of its international security force by the provision of its robust chapter 7 characteristics which in turn will hopefully provide the environment for genuine legislation and self determination.
Joseph p. Baini
President
Sydney Australia

Though Lebanese law doesn't currently allow Shiite to become prime minister, could Hibzullah leader become Lebanon's PM? Dr. Boaz Ganor tells Ynet why he thinks it's possible
Ynet: Roee Nahmias- Published: 10.28.06, 23:42
Could Nasrallah take power in Lebanon? Today, this seems like an purely hypothetical scenario, but in the future, the hypothetical could become reality.
Hizbullah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah , as of today, could not be voted leader of Lebanon because of the 1989 Taif Agreement which established the ethnic distribution of Lebanese power centers following the country's blood-soaked civil war.
According to the Taif Agreement, the president must be a Maronite Christian, the prime minister a Sunni Muslim, and the speaker of the Parliament, a Shiite Muslim. Beyond this, even after Hizbullah's historic decision to take part in Lebanese elections, the organization is still claiming that it can't realize the full extent of its power due to the delineation of voting districts, which, according to them benefit other ethnic groups.
Hizbullah supporters in Lebanon. Will they bring Nasrallah to power?
Yet, there are some people in Israel who believe that this unrealistic scenario could become reality. "Hizbullah could definitely take power in Lebanon within a few years. I wouldn't want to commit to a specific date, but this could definitely take place even within five years," said Dr. Boaz Ganor, deputy dean of the Lauder School of Government and Diplomacy at the Interdisciplinary Center and executive director of the International Policy Institute for Counter-Terrorism.
Dr. Ganor has a reasonable explanation why a religious Shiite committed to the establishment of a sharia state in Lebanon could take power within a few years.
"Nasrallah and Hizbullah have two objectives, short- and long-term, in two different arenas â€“ in Lebanon and in the region," he explained. "In the Lebanese arena, the short-term goal is changing the political balance in such a way that will improve the status of the Shiite community in the eyes of the other ethnic groups in Lebanon and their political representation.
"In the long-term, the goal is to turn Lebanon into a Shiite caliphate according to sharia law similar to Iran. On the regional level, Hizbullah's short-term goal is to expel Israel from Lebanon, and in the long-term to eradicate the State of Israel and establish a radical Islamic regime in its place. When we look at these objectives, we see that Nasrallah has achieved the goals he set for himself in the short-term.
"The only thing left for him now is to complete his long-term objectives," Ganor explained.
If we are already speaking about the long-term objectives, how tangible is the goal of gaining political control of Lebanon?
"In my opinion, on the agenda of Nasrallah, Hizbullah, and Iran, the goal is to take control of Lebanon. However, Nasrallah and his friends are cautious enough not to say so out loud. They present themselves as Lebanese patriots and make do with expressions of dissatisfaction with the existing political order."
There is no lack of such expressions, but one must listen carefully to Nasrallah in order to find them. On September 22, Nasrallah and his followers celebrated the victory over Israel in Dahiya Square. In his victory speech, Nasrallah boasted about the "divine victory" of his movement for more than an hour. Headlines in Israel mainly focused on his declarations that his organization has more than 20,000 rockets ready to be used against Israel.
Shiite power in Lebanon on the rise
A real population census hasn't been taken in Lebanon since 1932 (this census has received wide criticism for its attempts to tip results in favor of the Maronites at the expense of others), and yet estimates claim that Shiite's make up some 40 percent of the general population.
Detractors claim that Shiite numbers stand at about a third, and exaggerators claim that they are more than half the population. One way or another, Shiites represent a respectable portion of the population whose numbers have grown in recent years relative to other ethnic groups in Lebanon.
How can Nasrallah and Iran use this situation to their benefit?
Dr. Ganor explains, "Shiite numbers have risen above those of the Christians in Lebanon. In the last decade, there has been increased Christian emigration out of the country, mainly to the West and to Latin America. It is clear that the demographic trend tends to benefit the Shiites.
Sharia State in Lebanon?
Will Hizbullah state arise in Lebanon? / Roee Nahmias
Following war in Lebanon there are growing differences of opinion within Shiite community in southern Lebanon. Radical faction demands establishment of Shiite sharia state in south and Lebanon Valley. Moderates, on other hand, will make do with release of prisoners and evacuation of Shebaa Farms
"This emigration certainly hasn't started today, but accelerated after Israel's withdrawal from southern Lebanon. Accordingly, the Taif Agreement established the balance of powers as they were in 1989. However, today the picture is different and in another five years, will be even more to the advantage of the Shiites.
"Therefore, we shouldn't be surprised when we hear hints about changing the existing order from Nasrallah. All of this stems from the desire and the aspiration of Iran to bring about a radical Shiite regime in Lebanon, and I estimate that in a not-so-long time this will happen.
"In my opinion, within a few years from now, we will see them trying to strengthen themselves even more and perhaps even to take hold of power centers such as the parliament or the cabinet. It is also likely to reach a coalition government headed by Hizbullah. All of this depends on the Iranians and the funds that they are willing to invest in this objective â€“ funds that will capture more and more hearts in Lebanon."
Conflicting opinions: Nasrallah wants to be prime minister, but not now
Dr. Ganor isn't the only one in Israel who thinks Nasrallah can become the head honcho in Lebanon. Political sources in Israel who are proficient on the subject have accepted in principle the given analysis.
Does Nasrallah want to become the leader of Lebanon? "Yes, but not now," an official source said to Ynet. "Theoretically, Hizbullah wants t reach this situation some day, but only when circumstances allow it and this isn't the situation today. It is definitely likely that if Iran obtains nuclear weapons and the demographic growth of the Shiite community in Lebanon continues, this will give Nasrallah the tailwind and self-confidence to make political demands that he is not making today.
As of now, he prefers to be an influential figure in Lebanon, but not to take responsibility. Such circumstances could make him want to approach center stage," explained the source.
In contrast, the IDF hasn't identified any definitive signs of any such desire from Hizbullah.
"We have no evidence that Nasrallah is moving toward this, and they aren't that concerned with this. We have detected caution not to reignite the civil war amongst Hizbullah," explained a senior officer in military intelligence to Ynet. "The burning issue for us right now is the establishment of a national unity government in which another five ministers will be added to his supporters giving him veto power in the government.
"However, this doesn't mean that if Nasrallah feels threatened or pressured, he won't do that. If he feels pressured, he could launch the most aggressive attack against the forces of the 'new order' in Lebanon," explained the military intelligence officer.
Warm advice
Dr. Boaz Ganor has warm advice for the decision makers in Jerusalem.
"Israel needs to wake up and understand that it is not the only actor in the region and that the arena is dynamic and changing. In light of the strengthening of Hizbullah and the potential strengthening of the Shiites in Lebanon after the last war, a foundation has been created to identify common interests with what are referred to as the 'moderate Arab states' such as Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, and even Syria for all intents and purposes, which are worried about a strengthened Hizbullah and want to see it weakened.
"Israel could take this into account and examine how to think out its steps in advance in a way that is synergetic with others interests and in a way that will complement others' interests for the good of the entire region," advised Dr. Ganor.

Make Assad an offer he can't refuse
Yossi Ben-Ari -YNet.com
Bush should surprise Syrian leader with invitation to summit with Israel
Published: 10.28.06, 19:05
While facing weapon-smuggling tunnels in Gaza and Iranian statements regarding Israel's upcoming disappearance, it is hard not to recall the explanation attributed to former PM Rabin regarding the need to advance the Oslo peace initiative despite the risks.
Rabin apparently feared the closing window of opportunity as a result of a triple threat: Iran's nuclearization, the quick boost in radical Islam's power, and the weakening of the IDF.
It is hard to believe how clearly he saw what was to come and how quickly his vision materialized. Let's not fool ourselves – the window has already closed, and so have the mesh and shutters behind it. The last hope is the lock, which may still remain unlocked. Regrettably, the keys are no longer in our hands; rather, they can be found hanging off President Bush's belt, yet he refuses to make use of them.
In the face of the limited American diplomatic imagination, and while the noose is growing tighter around Israel's neck, there is room for calling on the US to adopt a new initiative, which may end the dead-end. The keyhole is of course Syria. This is where we must aim, and there's a decent chance to remove the deep rust that is making the act of turning the key difficult.
The duality characterizing Syrian President Assad's declarations in recent weeks may mean that he has not fully decided which path to take, and it may be possible to help him make the right choice.
To that end, President George W. Bush will need to slightly breach his strict worldview and surprise Assad with an invitation to a summit meeting. With the two of them sitting comfortably at a neutral location, Bush will offer a give-and-take package to be implemented simultaneously and include the following components:
Syria will recognize the damage caused by its support for terror and agree to remove from its territory the headquarters and infrastructure of Islamic Jihad, Hamas, and all Palestinian and other terror organizations, in accordance with the Jordanian model. In addition, Syria will cut its ties with Hizbullah and stop equipping it with weapons or being used as a pipeline for weapon transfers from other countries. Damascus will cut its military ties with Iran, but will be able to maintain diplomatic and civilian relations. Syria will also completely seal its border with Iraq, and secretly cooperate with Washington on intelligence and security in order to thwart terror acts in Iraq.
The US will officially remove Syria from the list of terror-sponsoring states and turn it into a significant beneficiary of its foreign aid plan, both in civilian and military terms. The Syrian military will enjoy a comprehensive modernization plan, based on the Egyptian model, and will be built in accordance with the highest standards of the 21st century. Washington will breathe new life into the diplomatic process and push Israel to return to the negotiations table based on understandings already reached in the days of Barak, Peres and Rabin – including the famous deposit given by the latter to Clinton in August 1993 regarding Israel's principled willingness to withdraw from the Golan Heights, and Hafez Assad's positive response.
What are the benefits for all sides?
Syria, following 40 years of "wandering in the desert", will regain the Golan, find a way to integrate into the Free World in a dignified manner, enjoy processes of modernization and economic prosperity, and maintain its unique characteristics without having American-style democracy dictated to it.
Syria's defense establishment will strengthen and would be able to more effectively help in stabilizing the regime over time (after all, this regime will also not enjoy automatic immunity in the face of the boost in the power of radical Islam in the region.)
The US and the Free World will be able to bring Syria into the circle of sanity, break a significant link in the global terror chain, and boost the bloc of countries resisting Shiite-Iranian influence in the Middle East.
Western countries would be able to use Damascus as a channel for dialogue with Teheran, and of course as an effective leverage for moving forward a diplomatic process between Israel and the Arab-Muslim world, that under those new conditions could lead to a quick comprehensive agreement.
Personally, Bush will significantly boost his leadership image and if he is quick to declare such initiative, he may earn a few votes in the Congressional elections (this is true even if Assad declines the invitation.)
Israel will seemingly have to pay a price (giving back the Golan and Syria's rearmament,) yes this price pales in comparison to the expected benefit in this dark period. If this initiative is successful, Israel will also benefit from this success; if it fails, Israel won't sustain damages, as the Syrians will again be viewed as rejectionists.
**The writer served in senior intelligence posts and was a senior instructor at the National Security College