Lebanese president reviews country's developments with Pope, Italian premiere

Sultan Qaboos, Indian National Security Adviser discuss issues of common interests

Abdullah bin Zayed: Saudi Arabia's wisdom capable of representing GCC in G-20

Arab Security Council rejects Red Sea security internationalization because it is Arabs' responsibility

Ban Ki-moon reiterates denuclearized world

Pope Benedict XVI discussed the plight of Christians in the Middle East in a meeting with President Michel Sleiman on Friday. The pope voiced his support for Lebanon's pluralistic identity and called for a "just and rapid" settlement of the Palestinian problem.

He made his remarks during a 25-minute audience with Sleiman, the Vatican press service said. The pontiff also repeated "the continued commitment of the Holy See in favor of Lebanon," a country where many faiths coexist, and "the safeguarding of its ... identity."

Benedict and Sleiman also discussed "the delicate regional situation, expressing the wish that the Palestinian question finds a just and rapid solution."

"The conditions of life and the problems of Christian communities in the Middle East" were also reviewed, the press service said.

Christians account for around 37 percent of war-torn Lebanon's population but their numbers have declined steadily in recent decades.

The number of Christians in Iraq has also fallen by more than 200,000 since the 2003 US-led invasion, with a string of recent sectarian attacks prompting a renewed exodus.

The 59-year-old Sleiman, a former commander-in-chief of Lebanon's army, was elected president by Parliament in May after months of political paralysis, during which time the pope urged Lebanese leaders to unify as a "symbol" of peaceful coexistence between different religious communities.

The president also met with Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Butros Sfeir, who had extended his own stay in the Vatican after having attended a religious conference in October.

Before heading to the Vatican, Sleiman discussed Lebanese-Italian bilateral ties in a meeting with Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi in Rome.

Sleiman was quoted by Lebanon's National News Agency as saying that this country was fully committed to the implementation of international resolutions that "call for respecting its sovereignty and independence, and urge Israel to withdraw from all its territories."

Sleiman reiterated Lebanon's commitment to reaching a just and comprehensive solution to the "Middle East problem" in accordance with international resolutions, the Madrid Conference of 1991, and the Arab Peace Initiative (API) of 2002.

The Madrid Conference set the ground for achieving peace settlements between Israel and a number of Arab states.

The API was launched during an Arab League summit in Beirut, offering Israel normal ties with all Arab countries in return for its complete withdrawal from all occupied land and fair resolution of the refugees' plight.

Sleiman told Berlusconi that Italy and the European Union could play an effective role in speeding up efforts to achieve peace in the Middle East. For his part, Berlusconi reiterated his country's commitment to support stability in Lebanon.

"We also encourage the course of dialogue and reconciliation which started under the auspices of President Sleiman," the prime minister said.

Also Friday, Prime Minister Fouad Siniora discussed with a number of officials the measures to be taken to control Lebanon's eastern border with Syria.

The meeting came in the aftermath of reports about a Syrian military deployment along the eastern border.

Local TV station LBC, which sent a correspondent to inspect the situation on the border, said Friday that no unusual measures were observed.

The commander of the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF), General Jean Kahwaji also said Friday that the LAF was continuously cooperating with the Syrian Army to prevent smuggling.

Siniora ended a visit to Cairo after meeting Egypt's intelligence chief, General Omar Suleiman.

A scheduled meeting between Siniora and President Hosni Mubarak did not take place as the latter was indisposed after returning from Paris.

However, Mubarak contacted Siniora and encouraged continued cooperation between Beirut and Cairo.

Also Friday, Future Movement leader Saad Hariri said that his recent meeting with Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah would not lead to an alliance between the two leaders.

Hariri described his meeting with Nasrallah as "positive," adding that the two parties have agreed on containing tensions following last May's events.

Hezbollah-led fighters clashed with pro-government gunmen in May, briefly taking over large swathes of predominantly Sunni western Beirut.

Hariri, who was speaking to Russia Today television, said that he would visit Moscow in November to enhance bilateral ties and stress Lebanon's ability to become an "economic bridge" that connects Russia to other Arab countries.

The Future leader also met with Lebanese Forces Chief Samir Geagea, who visited him at his residence in Qoreitem.

A Lebanese Forces source told the Central News Agency on Friday that the meeting touched on next year's parliamentary elections.

The source added that both leaders agreed on rejecting calls by Hezbollah and its allies to expand the list of participants in the national dialogue process, the next session of which is scheduled for Wednesday.

The conference's first session was held in mid-September at Baabda Palace, grouping the 14 politicians who signed the Doha Accord that ended last May's clashes.

Also Friday, news reports said that Nasrallah had told Hariri during their recent meeting that he had no reservations about meeting Progressive Socialist Party (PSP) leader MP Walid Jumblatt.

The PSP chief was the first to kick off reconciliation efforts with Hezbollah as senior officials from his party have held a number of meetings with Hezbollah representatives under the auspices of Youth and Sports Minister Talal Arslan.

In a separate development, Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) leader MP Michel Aoun was quoted on Friday as saying that "only a nuclear bomb" would undo his alliance with Hezbollah. Local daily As-Safir said Aoun also told a gathering of FPM members that he would visit Syria before the end of the year.

India and Oman discussed ways of consolidating bilateral ties and exchanged views on regional and international issues of mutual concern as National Security Adviser M K Narayanan paid a visit to the Gulf state.

Narayanan met Oman's ruler Sultan Qaboos bin Said in Muscat.

They reviewed relations between the Sultanate and India in different domains in addition to discussing issues of common concern. General Ali bin Majid Al Ma'amari, Minister of the Royal Office, and Indian ambassador to Oman Anil Wadhwa were present in the meeting, media reports said.

Earlier in the day, the National Security Adviser discussed ways of consolidating and developing bilateral ties and exchanged views on regional and international issues of common interest with Oman's Foreign Minister Yousef Bin Alawi Bin Abdullah.

The meeting was also attended by the members of the delegation accompanying Narayanan and officials at the Omani Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Sheikh Abdullah spoke after talks with Frank-Walter Steinmeier, the German foreign minister and vice chancellor.

At a press conference at the Emirates Palace hotel, Sheikh Abdullah conceded that the crisis could affect the Gulf states. He promised that the GCC would do “whatever is necessary” to help reform the world’s financial markets and “protect the world from extremely negative developments”.

Steinmeier called on Gulf States and emerging nations to become more involved in reforming markets. He said the G8 group of industrial nations could not end the crisis on its own.

“We hope we can ensure the support of the Gulf region countries. We need them if we are to establish an international system of rules,” he said.

Steinmeier, recently chosen as the Social Democratic Party’s candidate for chancellor in the German elections next year, said new “ways and means” were required to ensure that the IMF retained sufficient financial liquidity.

“This is the duty of everybody, including the Gulf states. It’s in the interests of all parties involved.

“It is important to create an entirely new and global supervision of finance by the IMF. The IMF is the only instrument established with a wide area of responsibility and high authority over the markets.”

The foreign ministers said the Friends of Democratic Pakistan, a group of potential donors including the UAE and Germany that was set up in New York last month, would next meet in Abu Dhabi on Nov 17.

Saudi Ambassador to the Arab League Ahmad Al-Qatan, who headed the conference of the Arab League’s Arab Peace and Security Council, has presented a proposal made during the conference – to set up a joint maritime police force for the littoral Red Sea countries in order to secure maritime traffic and to protect ships from pirate attacks.

The thirty second conference of Arab police and security leaders came to a close in Beirut with the participants agreeing to strengthen cooperation "in the face of common challenges." "The conferees have adopted recommendations aimed to step up joint action in the face of numerous security challenges for the Arab region," said a statement issued by the Secretariat of the Arab Interior Ministers' Council.

"On top of the recommendations is the promotion of culture of human rights among personnel of Arab security services through intensified training courses.

"The conferees call on the countries that have no departments for comprehensive quality of police services so far to accelerate initiation of such departments and introduce the subject of comprehensive quality to the curriculums of their police academies," according to the statement.

"They were unanimous on call for concerned departments of the Arab countries to provide the necessary protection to victims of crimes and help them materially, socially, medically, and psychologically.

"They also agreed to update the security services in the light of the world's latest achievements in the domain of care for victims of crimes and educate security personnel on the best trends in this domain," the statement added.

The two-day conference kicked off with senior officials of the security and police organs of the Arab countries as well as representatives of the Arab League attending.

The Saudi delegation to the conference was led by Security Director General Lieutenant General Saeed bin Abdullah Alqahtani.

The conference also drew participants from Naif Arab University for Security Sciences (NAUSS) the Arab Police Sports Club (APSC), the INTERPOL and the U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).

A U.S air strike in northwest Pakistan is believed to have killed a front-line leader of al-Qaeda, anti-terror officials said, continuing an aerial barrage that has angered a key American ally but is thought to have hurt the network's operations.

Intelligence indicates that a missile fired from a U.S. Predator drone killed Khaled Habib, a veteran Egyptian militant who became a leader this year of the "external operations" core based in South Asia but which targets the West, a senior European anti-terror official said Thursday on condition of anonymity.

Habib's vehicle was blown up in the attack Oct. 16 in the village of Saam, a hub of foreign militants protected by tribesmen loyal to a Taliban chief, according to the senior official.

Gulf Cooperation Council Secretary General Abdul-Rahman al-Attiyah has stated that the GCC is very interested in implementing the proposals that Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad made during his trip to Doha in December 2007.

The Iranian president’s trip to Doha marked a turning point in relations between Iran and the members of the GCC, al-Attiyah said during a press conference with Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki in Tehran.

“We welcome the proposals he made in the Doha meetings and will try to implement these suggestions. During the Qatari emir’s recent visit to Tehran,” a proposal for a meeting between” the heads of state of Iran and the GCC members was put forward, he added.

He praised the hospitality of Iranians and said, “As a representative of the members of the cooperation council, I announce that we welcome the expansion of ties and cooperation with Iran.”

“The cooperation between the Islamic Republic and the members of the cooperation council is not an accidental event and is the result of the continuing cooperation and previous efforts.”

Since the Iranian foreign minister is the head of the joint economic committee, these efforts are of more importance, and some of Ahmadinejad’s economic proposals are feasible and will be discussed during the upcoming GCC meeting, al-Attiyah stated.

“Ahmadinejad’s proposals on security issues are also practicable and some committees” are working on them, he added.

“We support Iran’s nuclear program, which is completely peaceful, and it is surprising to us” that the world has done nothing about the fact that Israel possesses weapons of mass destruction, the GCC secretary general noted.

Mottaki said that Ahmadinejad’s visit to Doha on December 3, 2007, Qatari Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani’s visit to Tehran on August 21, 2008, and the current visit of the GCC secretary general have opened “a new chapter in regional cooperation.”

Officials of regional countries are determined to expand their ties, and these negotiations have paved the way for increased cooperation in the economic and security spheres, he added.

He thanked the Qatari emir for his efforts during his country’s term in the rotating presidency of the GCC and expressed hope that the presidency of Oman would be just as fruitful.

Mottaki expressed satisfaction at the current level of ties among regional states and said, “Fortunately, regional countries are thinking” about expanding their relations with Iran and cooperating with the Islamic Republic in regional security.

He also emphasized the necessity of formulating and implementing a “regional security” model.

It has become clear that the presence of foreign forces in the region has not increased security, he observed.

Mottaki stated that Iran, Iraq, and GCC members Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates are the main players in the efforts to establish peace and security in the region.

Access to civilian nuclear energy is the right of every nation, but all the nuclear weapons in the world should be dismantled, the Iranian foreign minister said

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urged the world's nuclear powers to take steps to abolish their atomic arsenals and outlined a set of proposals for eliminating all weapons of mass destruction.

The permanent members of the UN Security Council -- the United States, Britain, France, Russia and China -- signed the 1968 nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, under which they pledged to negotiate steps on scrapping their nuclear weapons.

While most of the 192 UN member states have signed the pact, UN officials and signatories without atomic weapons have long complained the five nuclear powers have yet to abandon their warhead stocks.

India, Pakistan and Israel are also widely seen as unofficial members of the nuclear club. North Korea held a nuclear test in 2006.

“Nuclear weapons produce horrific, indiscriminate effects. Even when not used, they pose great risks,” Ban told a conference organized by the East-West Institute.

“Accidents could happen any time. The manufacture of nuclear weapons can harm public health and the environment,” he said. “Of course, terrorists could acquire nuclear weapons.”

While most countries have no plans to obtain atomic weapons, Ban said some still viewed possession of such weapons as a status symbol. He gave no examples.

“Some states view nuclear weapons as offering the ultimate deterrent of nuclear attack, which largely accounts for the estimated 26,000 that still exist,” Ban said.

Arms control experts have also criticized U.S. President George W. Bush's administration for refusing to join the Comprehensive Nuclear Test-Ban Treaty, or CTBT, banning nuclear tests, and launching research on new types of atomic weapons.

A U.S. official who requested anonymity said: “We appreciate the secretary-general's comments, but our policy remains clear. The U.S. does not support the CTBT and will not become a party to it. The U.S. continues to maintain a moratorium on nuclear tests, and urges other states to do likewise.”

The Bush administration has declined to submit the treaty for Senate ratification, saying it does not want its options limited by such a pact.

To help end the impasse on disarmament, Ban presented a number of proposals in his speech, including:

- The nuclear weapon states should keep their promises to launch negotiations leading to nuclear disarmament;

- The permanent Security Council members should open discussions on security issues related to disarmament and should try to assure countries without atomic weapons they will never be subjected to a nuclear attack;

- The CTBT should be brought into force and efforts should be made to establish nuclear weapon free zones around the world, including in the Middle East;

- New efforts should be made to eliminate all weapons of mass destruction, including chemical and biological arms, to prevent terrorists from getting WMD and to limit conventional arms production and trade

. Ban also said he supported the idea of the UN General Assembly holding a world disarmament summit.

Russia's ambassador to the United States, Sergei Kislyak, told reporters Moscow would need time to study Ban's proposals before reacting to them.

Italy's President Giorgio Napolitano held a meeting in Cairo, Egypt, with Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa during which the two discussed strategic issues pertaining to the Arab region mainly the peace process between Israel and the Palestinian Authority.

In a joint press conference with Moussa, the Italian president hailed the role the Arab League has taken up recently regarding peace and stability in the region, pledging his full support to the presence of the league in the Union for the Mediterranean as a permanent member in all of its summits.

He said that Italy would pursue cooperation with the Arab League in the political and economical fields in light of this strong belief.

The importance of reaching a just solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict was underlined by Napolitano, through providing security for Israel and the establishment of an independent Palestinian state

. He also indicated to granting Palestinian people their full rights, which he regarded to be another necessary ingredient in achieving peace and security in the region, in context mentioning the need to overcome the current critical situation in Darfur and Somalia.

On his part, Moussa welcomed the Italian president's visit saying that it was important that the Arab League participate in every event organized by the Union for the Mediterranean.

Indication was drawn by Moussa that the league represents the voice of Arab countries, considering the Italian position as one of appreciation.

He said that it was necessary the Cairo-based pan-Arab organization took part in the Mediterranean summit in regard to the fact that Egypt was the instigator of the cooperative initiative with France which in turn led to the Euro-Mediterranean collaboration since 1993.

Moussa reiterated that the security of Israel would only be achieved after a number of predicaments were solved.

Peace, the establishment of a Palestinian state, the full Israeli withdrawal from all territories it has been occupying since 1967, the halt of the establishment of Jewish settlements and providing the Palestinian people with their full rights which he said are detailed in the Arab peace initiative were things Israel needed to address.

Regarding recent statements of a conditional acceptance of the Arab peace initiative by Israeli President Shimon Peres, Moussa described the announcement as "general" statement, adding that if this meant a real change of Israeli policy the issue needed an official verdict by the government.

Napolitano's Middle East statements raised a number of reactions from representatives of Syria and Saudi Arabia, chairing the Arab League Summit and Arab League Council respectively.