April 28, 2006

PREMIER SINIORA HOLDS MEETINGS WITH THE AMBASSADORS OF SAUDI ARABIA, EGYPT, FRANCE AND BRITAIN. BUSH CONFIRMS TO SINIORA HIS SUPPORT TO LEBANON AND AT THE SECURITY COUNCIL SINIORA CALLS FOR LEBANON AND SYRIA'S BORDERS DEMARCATION AND THE EXTENTION OF BRAMMERTZ' MISSION. THE HEAD OF THE INTERNATIONAL COMMISSION INVESTIGATING THE KILLING OF HARIRI MEETS WITH PRESIDENT AL-ASSAD. SULTAN QABOOS STRESSES THE IMPORTANCE OF THE LEBANESE UNITY. HARIRI: THOSE BEHIND THE ATTACK IN THE SINAI SEEK TO DESTABILIZE THE ARAB REGION'S ECONOMIES, STABILITY, AND SECURITY. The Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora met with French Ambassador, Bernard Emie, the talks focused on a number of economic issues, energy, communications and water treatment, in addition to a number of development projects. French Ambassador Bernard Emie said France "will always support the Lebanese in building a free and modern country and achieving their ambitions." He added that the Lebanese should not "marginalize each other and seek to help the public." Emie praised the achievements of the Lebanese people in "liberating their country from foreign forces, holding free parliamentary elections and conducting a national dialogue free of any foreign interference." The Ambassador reiterated France's support to Lebanon its economy and the national dialogue. Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora received the Saudi Ambassador to Lebanon Dr. Abdul Aziz Khojah. During the meeting, they discussed issues of common interest. The Premier also received the Egyptian Ambassador to Lebanon Hussein Drar. The Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora also received the British Ambassador to Lebanon James Watt. They reviewed issues of mutual interests. After the meeting the Ambassador said they discussed the Premier trip to the US and he stressed the UK's support to Lebanon . Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora made a telephone call to the Arab League Secretary General Amre Moussa and briefed him on the results of his trip to the US. Lebanon's Prime Minister Fouad Siniora has told CNN that he asked President George W. Bush to put pressure on the Israelis to withdraw from Lebanese territory, and will also raise the issue later this week with UN Secretary General Kofi Annan. Siniora said he told Bush that Shebaa Farms are part of Lebanon, and he wants Israel to withdraw from them. "We want withdrawal," Siniora said in a television interview. "We are trying to agree on a strategy on how to best protect Lebanon." U.S. President George W. Bush hosted Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora at the White House to discuss a range of bilateral and regional issues. As reporters were welcomed in the Oval Office, Bush said he and Siniora had discussed Lebanon's emergence as a "truly free and independent and democratic" country, in which Beirut might once again emerge as a regional center of finance, culture and the arts. The president said the United States strongly supports an independent and sovereign Lebanon, and he also renewed his commitment to uncovering the men responsible for the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. For his part, Siniora said Lebanon has been "undergoing major changes" over the past year and a half, and that it is on course to become "a united, liberal, free country, and at the same time a prosperous economy." Siniora thanked President Bush and the United States for supporting Lebanon. After meeting in the White House with Siniora, Bush said they had agreed on a need to ensure Hariri's death is investigated fully, "and we'll work with the international community to see that justice is done." "We took great joy in seeing the Cedar Revolution," Bush said, referring to the uprising that rid Lebanon of Syrian troops but still not all Syrian influence. "We understand that the hundreds of thousands of people who took to the street to express their desire to be free required courage, and we support the desire of the people to have a government responsive to their needs and a government that is free, truly free." Bush said he had no doubt that "Lebanon can serve as a great example for what is possible in the broader Middle East, that out of the tough times the country has been through will rise a state that shows that it's possible for people of religious difference to live side-by-side in peace." Siniora thanked Bush for the support the United States has given Lebanon as it has tried to instil a more fully democratic system. "Lebanon has been undergoing major changes," he said. "Lebanon has really been committing itself that we want the change to happen in a democratic and a peaceful manner, but at the same time, to really stay on course." Siniora earlier met with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. During a three-day visit, he plans meetings with several members of the Cabinet and Congress, officials of international lending institutions and Arab diplomats. The United States strongly supports Siniora's goal of a fully sovereign, democratic Lebanon, a point Rice made during a brief visit to Beirut two months ago. The U.S. wants to end Syrian influence in neighboring Lebanon, and Lebanese officials said Siniora shares that view. Siniora said he also intends to highlight the importance of U.S. assistance in "backing Lebanon's independence and sovereignty and enabling it to recover its (occupied) Lebanese territories," a reference to the disputed Chebaa Farms area, where the borders of Lebanon, Syria and Israel meet. That's an area where Hezbollah, the Lebanese militia, continues to fight Israel. Asked whether he was hopeful the U.S. would pressure Israel to withdraw from the farms, Siniora replied: "It is not impossible, if they want to help in allowing the Lebanese government to impose its authority on all its territories." Siniora spoke in an airplane interview with Lebanon's leading An-Nahar daily. Siniora has promised to overhaul Lebanon's political and economic systems. The country's economy is suffering from zero growth and a foreign debt of more than $38 billion. Lebanese Premier Fouad Siniora attended a UN Security Council meeting, which was supposed to be held on 26 April, to discuss Terje Roed-Larsen's report on the implementation of resolution 1559. Besides Siniora were both Foreign Minister Fawzi Saloukh, and Justice Minister Charles Rizk. Addressing the UN Security Council Siniora spoke of the importance of what the Lebanese national dialogue had achieved so far, which involved the Lebanese-Syrian relations, the issue of occupied Shebaa Farms, and the importance of liberating it and demarcating its borders. As for the Resistance, Siniora said the issue would be discussed in the Lebanese national dialogue, based on the idea of finding the best strategy of defence for Lebanon. Siniora also addressed Lebanese-Syrian relations during a conference he held at the Woodrow Wilson Foundation in Washington. In his speech he said that the establishing of good relations with Syria needs, and above all, the acceptance of the Syrian government in Lebanon as an independent country. He also stressed that a positive response by Syria, on two issues, the demarcating of borders and establishing diplomatic relations, will be an indication that Syria is beginning to accept the idea that good relations are possible based on mutual respect. Siniora said, "We have expressed in our presentation the importance of solving remaining and pending issues that should lead towards the delimitation of our border line, to establish excellent relations with Syria, based on mutual respect and parity, and also to solve pending issues regarding the relationship with the Palestinians, and as well in matters concerning the formation of the international tribunal and the international investigation into the death of Rafik Hariri." Siniora also said that an Israeli withdrawal from the Lebanese Shebaa Farms area is a priority national issue. He added quote "It is incumbent upon Israel to withdraw from it, hand over the Lebanese detainees in its prisons, submit the maps of the landmines it left in the South, and stop its infringements on the Lebanese sovereignty". The premier had made these points earlier in talks with US president George W. Bush and other top US officials. Syria's UN deputy representative Milad Atieh responded by restating Damascus' willingness to demarcate the borders, although he said this could not be done in the Shebaa Farms area because the area is under Israeli occupation. He also showed suspicion in involving such an issue and the issue of establishing diplomatic relations with Lebanon under resolution 1559, which Syria executed completely through the part concerning the withdrawal of its troops and security devices from Lebanon in 2005. Syria cannot draw its shared border with Lebanon because a key southern zone remains occupied by Israel, a government official said in response to a UN call to firm up its frontiers. "Syria cannot delineate the border of the Shebaa (Farms area) because it is occupied," Foreign Minister Walid Muallem said in an interview. How could Syria carry out the task, Muallem asked, "by sending people in by parachute to do it? Syria is prepared to demarcate its border with Lebanon from the north down to Shebaa, which is occupied and whose border we cannot draw." UN envoy Terje Roed-Larsen urged the two neighbors to agree on demarcating the border in the area, a small mountainous territory at the convergence of the Lebanese-Syrian-Israeli borders. Israel captured the area from Syria in the 1967 Middle East war, and it is now claimed by Lebanon with Damascus' consent. Israeli troops have retained control of the area since their withdrawal from south Lebanon in May 2000 after two decades of occupation. It remains the scene of clashes between Israeli forces and the Hezbollah militia. On the UN call for Syria and Lebanon to establish diplomatic contacts, Muallem said: "If the two sides find that exchanging diplomats serves the interests of the two peoples, then the question can be studied." Lebanese leaders engaged in political roundtable talks that began in March in a bid to dig the country out of political crisis have called on Prime Minister Fouad Siniora to normalize relations with ex-powerbroker Syria. On Siniora's plan to visit Damascus, Muallem said he would be welcome and expressed hope the visit would succeed. However, "we want to be able to discuss important matters during his visit, and not begin with items that Syria and Lebanon cannot solve, such as Shebaa." Roed-Larsen's comments came in a report to the UN Security Council which is to be discussed by the body on April 26. The UN envoy is in charge of overseeing the application of UN Security Council resolution 1559 on the disarmament of militant groups in Lebanon. The resolution, coupled with international and domestic uproar over the February 2005 assassination of ex-premier Rafiq Hariri, led to the pullout of Syrian troops last year after a 29-year presence. "I communicated to Roed-Larsen...that we were not in a position to deal with other matters mentioned in Resolution 1559 because they belong to Lebanon and are being dealt with in the framework of the dialogue," Muallem said. Syria representative at the UN said Syria had announced readiness to demarcate the borders with Lebanon in a letter sent by Prime Minister Naji Otri to his Lebanese counterpart, Fouad Saniora. About the demarcation of Shebaa Farms, Milad Attiya underlined the necessity for ending the Israeli occupation of Shabaa Farms for the two sides to be able to demarcate the borders. He said that peace in the Middle East can not be established without the Israeli complete withdrawal from the occupied Arab territories in Golan , the Lebanese Shebaa Farms , and the Palestinian territories to the lines of June 4th 1967 , pointing out that the exploitation of some parties of their positions at the Security Council to implement some resolutions selectively would not serve peace and security in the region. Sources reported that Lebanon's prime minster Fouad Siniora sees challenges in general relations with Syria and regarding border demarcations issues saying "It is a major challenge to put the Lebanese-Syrian relations on the right footing. The scars left by the dramatic developments of the past 19 months, and the heavy-handed interference in Lebanese domestic affairs by the Syrian security establishment for many years, are not easy to heal." In Damascus the head of the UN investigation into last year's assassination of five-time Lebanese Premier Rafik Hariri met Syrian President Bashar Assad for the first time. "Two separate meetings took place one with President Bashar Assad and one with Vice President Farouk Shara," a UN spokesman said after the talks in Damascus. Two UN reports have implicated senior Syrian officials and their Lebanese allies in Hariri's murder in a massive bomb blast on the Beirut seafront on Feb. 14, 2005, that also killed another 22 people. They have also criticized the Syrian government for failing to cooperate more with the investigation and have long sought interviews with top regime officials. It was the first time that the UN investigators met Bashar, who had confirmed last month that he had agreed to receive them but insisted it would be a "meeting and not an interrogation." The UN spokeswoman, who asked not to be named, did not disclose more details on the meetings or whether Brammertz had returned to Lebanon where the UN commission of inquiry is based. Syria, which had been the main power broker in Lebanon for some three decades before it pulled out its troops following Hariri's murder, has strongly denied any involvement in the killing and accused the United Nations of bias. Addressing a group of journalists who were visiting Baabda Palace to present Easter greetings to him, the Lebanese President expressed indignation at the continued detention, for an indeterminate period, of the four generals on the basis of testimony by Mohammad Zouheir Siddik, who has been released from custody in France. "Why hasn't Siddik, reportedly a key witness, been interrogated? Why has he been set free in France while it is his testimony -- which he has retracted -- that led to the arrest of the generals? The essential thing is that the truth should be established and that the four officers should be condemned if they are found guilty or freed if found innocent". In Oman Sultan Qaboos bin Said gave an audience at Bait Al Mamourah to Sheikh (Dr) Mohammed Rasheed Qabani, mufti of the Lebanese republic. They reviewed bilateral relations as well as matters of common concern in religious affairs. The audience was attended by Sheikh Ahmed bin Hamad Al Khalili, grand mufti of the Sultanate. It was attended from the Lebanese side by the delegation accompanying the guest. Head of the Future bloc in Parliament MP Saad Hariri urged development, moderation, and education across the Arab world in the face of a 'vicious' struggle against terrorism, extremism and ignorance. At a dinner banquet that he hosted in Koreitem in honor of Arab Thought Foundation President Prince Khalid Al-Faisal, MP Hariri reiterated his strong solidarity with Egypt following this week's terrorist bombings that targeted tourist resorts in the Sinai Peninsula. Prince Khalid Al-Faisal was in Beirut to participate in the Third Educational Forum of the Arab Thought Foundation. MP Hariri told the gathering, which included Prime Minister Fouad Siniora and a large number of dignitaries, that the latest bombings and the prevailing instability in the Arab region are a dangerous signal about the ongoing fight against terrorism, and the challenges that Arabs are facing. He made clear that Arabs have a right to prosper and develop their societies. In his speech, MP Hariri praised Saudi Arabia and the Foundation for helping advance Arab societies. He pointed out that the assassination of Prime Minister Rafik Hariri marked the first martyrdom of Arab development. He said the killing of the late Premier targeted Arab thought and its institutions. Also at the banquet, Prince Khalid Al-Faisal paid tribute to the martyr, describing him as a great friend who sacrificed his life for the unity and prosperity of Lebanon. He said the late Prime Minister was a leader who "faced the impossible." Prince Khalid Al-Faisal voiced optimism about head of the Future bloc MP Hariri's leadership. He told the gathering that MP Hariri is a young Arab leader who enjoys the spirit of sacrifice and serious work to help the region overcome its current crisis. Head of the Future bloc in Parliament MP Saad Hariri had strongly denounced the terrorist attacks that targeted the Egyptian Sinai Peninsula resort town of Dahab, saying those behind the three bombings are implementing the plots of the "enemies" of Islamic nations and other friendly countries. In a letter to President Hosni Mubarak, MP Hariri condemned the Dahab bombings, which killed innocent tourists and Egyptians, and said those behind the attack seek to destabilize the Arab region's economies, stability, and security. Head of the Future bloc expressed full solidarity with Egypt in the face of attempts to spread a climate of fear, chaos and violence, and pointed out that Lebanon too continues to reel from recurring threats. MP Hariri said the Lebanese had lived through similar experiences during the country's war.