Ain-Al-Yaqeen - July 28, 2006

		July 28, 2006

LEBANON PRAISES THE SAUDI INITIATIVES TO HELP THE LEBANESE PEOPLE.
THE TELETHON IS CROWNED WITH DONATIONS FROM THE CUSTODIAN OF THE TWO HOLY MOSQUES, THE CROWN PRINCE, PRINCE NAIF AND PRINCE SALMAN IBN ABDUL AZIZ.
ROME CONFERENCE FAILS TO REACH A DECISION FOR A CEASEFIRE BECAUSE OF THE US REFUSAL.
AL-SANIORA CALLS FOR A PROJECT TO REBUILD LEBANON AND STRESSES THAT ISRAEL SHOULD BE MADE TO PAY COMPENSATION FOR DAMAGE FROM MILITARY STRIKES.

Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz donated 10 million Saudi Riyals for popular donation campaign ordered by him and launched in the kingdom to help the Lebanese people in their current crisis.

Crown Prince Sultan Ibn Abdul Aziz, Deputy Premier, Minister of Defense and Aviation and Inspector General, donated five million Saudi Riyals for the same purpose.

Prince Naif, the Interior Minister, donated Two Million Saudi Riyals.

Prince Salman Ibn Abdul Aziz, the Governor of Riyadh region, has donated SR 2 million within the framework of the campaign launched for collecting kind and cash donations for the Lebanese people.

The Custodian of the two Holy Mosques King Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz issued his directives to launch a donation campaign for helping the Lebanese people.

In implementation of the directives of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz, the popular donation campaign started to collect donations in cash and in kind to ease the sufferings of the Lebanese people who are experiencing critical circumstances due to Israeli brutality.

At 1 p.m. Saudi Television launched the Telethon to collect donations from the members of the public. Islamic theologians and sociologists took part in the show to highlight the religious and civic importance of offering aid to the deserving people who have become victims of Israel's large-scale response to Hezbollah's capturing of two soldiers on July 12.

Also, Saudi TV stations all over the Kingdom have been linked to the Riyadh-based headquarters.

According to the instructions of Prince Naif Ibn Abdul Aziz, the Interior Minister, a specified account number (567) in the National Commercial Bank has been allocated to receive cash donations.

Moreover, governors of various regions in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia have been directed to locate places to receive donations in kind such as sports cities.

The telethon for Lebanon promoted on Saudi television generated SR 108,801,295. The donation campaign comes within the framework of the Kingdom's continuous assistance to Lebanon in line with the directives of the Custodian of the two Holy Mosques King Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz.

Earlier the King ordered $ 50 million as an urgent assistance to Lebanon and a grant of $500 million to the Lebanese people to become a nucleus for an international Arab fund for the reconstruction of Lebanon.

Moreover, the King ordered depositing $1 billion at Lebanon's central bank to boost Lebanon's economy.

In Riyadh, Saudis and expatriates came in large numbers to the Prince Faisal Ibn Fahd Stadium in Malaz to make their donations in cash and kind in the fund-raiser Telethon for the people of Lebanon suffering at the hands of brutal Israeli forces.

Abdullah Al-Dosary, a Riydah police officer, was the first to walk into the Prince Faisal Stadium. With his two-year-old son and wife in tow, Al-Dosary said he heeded the king's call for peaceful civic service.

"I came here in response to the call of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Adbullah and to help my brethren who are suffering in a far off place due to man-made disaster," said Al-Dosary.

Saudi English teacher Ali Benhelsan said he decided to donate regardless of the religious background of the Lebanese victims.

"I came here to contribute not only because the victims are Muslims but because they are human beings," he said. "We understand that Muslims and non-Muslims have been affected due to Israeli bombardments. We have to help anybody who has fallen victim to these sad circumstances."

Ahmed Yusuf, a 17-year-old student, said he was driven to the donation center by his sympathy as he watches the attacks on television.

"I have given a small donation," he said. "I assisted the victims according to my means."

Approximately 500 laborers have been employed to accept donations, which are being loaded onto trucks bound either directly for Lebanon or to the airport for transport to Beirut. A special room has been set aside for accepting donations of gold and other jewellery. Mohamed Al-Asiri, who came with his two sons Sultan and Abdullah, said he was glad that the king had given the $1.5 billion Lebanon aid package, not counting the $50 million announced last week or the $250 million slated for the Palestinians.

He said that when the king makes such gestures it's only right for his subjects to follow suit. "We are very happy that King Abdullah had given a substantial donation for this cause," said Al-Asiri. "It reflects the Kingdom's role as a leader in the Islamic world."

Meanwhile the Lebanese President Emile Lahoud has sent a cable of thanks to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques for the Kingdom's $500 million grant for the reconstruction of Lebanon and a deposit of $1 billion in the Central Bank of Lebanon.

The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz received a telephone call from Lebanese Premier Fouad Al-Saniora. During the call, they discussed the latest regional developments. The premier expressed thanks for Saudi support for Lebanon.

Lebanese Premier Fouad Al-Saniora expressed thanks to Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz for supporting Lebanon and Arab rights.

In a press conference, Al-Saniora commented on the Saudi royal court's statement supporting Lebanon and expressed thanks and gratitude saying Saudi Arabia donated 50 million us dollars to help victims of the Israeli aggression against Lebanon, will deposit one billion us dollars to support reserves of the Lebanese central bank and allocated 500 million dollars as the core of establishing an Arab fund for re-construction of Lebanon.

He added that other steps are being taken by the Saudi civil society to raise funds and that governmental bodies in the kingdom are taking similar steps.

On the other hand, former Lebanese Premier Salim Al-Hoss and representative Bahiyyah Al-Hariri expressed in press statements their thanks to and appreciation of the king for supporting Lebanon financially and politically.

A number of Lebanese officials commended Saudi Arabia's support for Lebanon.

The Lebanese officials, who made the remarks, included the Mufti Sheikh Mohammad Qabbani; Foreign Minister Fawzi Sallookh; parliament members Waleed Abdo, Akram Shohaib and Antowan Zahra and the Governor of Lebanon's Central Bank Riyadh.

On the other hand the Saudi medical delegation charged with working at the Saudi field hospital in Lebanon arrived to treat victims of Israel's wide aggression against Lebanon.

The gesture to establish a Saudi field hospital in Lebanon was ordered by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz.

Meantime the international conference on the Lebanon-Israel crisis, in Rome, failed to reach the anticipated agreement for an immediate truce to block the continuous Israeli aggression against Lebanon.

After two hours of delay, Italian Foreign Minister Massimo D'Alema announced the conclusion of the conference with a mere agreement to continue efforts toward reaching a ceasefire.

D'Alema said in a press conference following the meeting that he anticipated an immediate truce as several participants insisted; however, he questioned the viability of such a demand.

D'Alema stressed that participants shared willingness to collectively work toward reaching an urgent ceasefire.

He said an attempt for a truce required pressuring all of the conflicting parties, noting that the conference started pressuring Israel by demanding it to respect civil establishments and preserve civilian lives.

D'Alema said that holding the conference has been a crucial achievement by itself due to the high level of international participation, noting that the main purpose of the conference was to express solidarity with Lebanon.

D'Alema averred that participant would continue working together toward an initiative that would include all direct and indirect parties of the conflict.

Speaking at the news conference, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice affirmed the participants' willingness to urgently end violence in the Middle East. - The Italian deputy premier and foreign minister stressed that the anticipated truce should be permanent, complete and able to endure.

The conference's final communique called on Israel for self-restraint, welcoming Tel Aviv's decision to secure humanitarian corridors and allow flights to land at Rafiq Hariri Airport for humanitarian purposes.

The final communique also expressed the international community's deep concerns regarding the dramatic situation in Lebanon and violence in the Middle East, pledging to provide urgent humanitarian aid and to discuss practical steps to establish a free and independent Lebanon with sovereignty over its lands.

The conference participants stressed their dedication to assist the Lebanese government to overcome the security and economic challenges, noting that enabling Beirut's government to fulfill its responsibilities was an essential condition to achieve permanent stability in Lebanon.

The final communique stated that the last G-8 Summit's declaration concerning this issue, UN Security Council resolutions 1680, 1559 and 425 in additional to the 1989 Taif accord were the basis for international efforts to support the Lebanese government.

The final communique stressed the urgent need to deploy international forces in Lebanese-Israeli border to ensure security.

Deployment of international forces was proposed by Italy and the UK. The US-sponsored proposal after Israel's approval under the condition that the forces would be multinational and under the supervision of the UN.

Speaking at the press conference, Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Saniora recalled Hezbollah's role in the liberation of Lebanon, calling for UN supervision in Shebaa Farms and Kfar Shoba to pave the way for Lebanese sovereignty in these lands.

Saniora also called for international supervision for demarcation of Lebanese-Syrian borders and to enable Lebanese real estate owners to repossess their properties in these lands.

The Lebanese premier also called on Israel to provide all landmines' maps in southern Lebanon.

Prime Minister Fouad Saniora said that Israel should be made to pay compensation for damage from military strikes.

He also appealed to delegates at a Middle East conference in Rome to stop the fighting between Israel and Hezbollah and to provide humanitarian aid.

"Israel cannot go on indefinitely disregarding international law. It must be made to pay and we shall commence legal proceedings and spare no avenue to make Israel compensate the Lebanese people," he said in remarks distributed to reporters.

Saniora, outlining his own plan for ending the crisis, also appealed for a commitment from the U.N. Security Council to place the disputed Shabaa Farms area under U.N. control until final borders can be defined.

The Prime Minister repeated his government's assertion that it had no advance warning that Hezbollah would stage a cross-border attack in northern Israel. Hezbollah seized two Israeli soldiers in the July 12 attack, setting off the fighting.

The Lebanese leader condemned Israel's punishing military response, saying it went beyond Israel's right to defend itself, and he called on Israeli forces to withdraw from Lebanon's southern border zone.

"How long will it take to heal the human, social, psychological and economic scars, and at what cost?" he said.

"I call upon you all to respond immediately, without reservations or hesitation, to my appeal for an immediate cease-fire, and provide urgent humanitarian assistance to our war-stricken country."

Saniora said his plan could "be a stepping stone to achieving a just and comprehensive peace between the peoples of the Middle East."

He called for involvement from the International Red Cross in a prisoner exchange between Israel and Hezbollah that operates with near autonomy in southern Lebanon.

On the Chabaa Farms issue, Saniora said the area should be put under U.N. control and be made accessible to Lebanese property owners.

Further, Saniora also demanded that Israel give to the U.N. all remaining maps for land mines in south Lebanon.

Under his plan, Saniora said, his government would aim to extend its authority over south Lebanon and deploy its armed forces to the area and rid the zone of Hezbollah weaponry.

In his statement in the press conference, UN Secretary General Kofi Annan called on Hezbollah to stop targeting Israeli residential areas.

Annan called on Israel as well to stop all military operations in Lebanon, stressing that a temporary truce would allow international humanitarian agencies to fulfill their responsibilities.

The UN Secretary General presented to the conference a comprehensive plan to solve the Lebanese-Israeli crisis that included an immediate ceasefire and exchange of prisoners under the supervision of the International Red Cross.

Nonetheless, it seems that Annan's plan did not appeal to influential western participants.

Participants of Rome's conference averred their support for the reconstruction process in Lebanon, as the final communique called for a special conference for donors to contribute to the revival of Lebanese economy.

Participants in the conference included Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, the World Bank, the European Union, Egypt, France, Russia, Britain, the United States, the United Nations, Italy, Spain, Germany and Turkey.

Following are excerpts from a statement released at the end of an international conference on Lebanon.

The statement was issued by co-chairs Italy and the United States, and agreed by the participants in the meeting in Rome.

"The participants pledged their united determination to work in partnership with the international community to provide immediate humanitarian relief to the people of Lebanon, expressing deep concern for civilian casualties and suffering, the destruction of civil infrastructure and the rising number of internally displaced people.

Calling Israel to exercise its utmost restraint, they welcomed Israel's announcement of humanitarian corridors to Lebanon, including for humanitarian flights into Beirut International Airport, and within Lebanon that can allow for the rapid delivery of relief aid, and called for their immediate operation.

The Rome conference participants expressed their determination to work immediately to reach with the utmost urgency a ceasefire that put an end to the current violence and hostilities. That ceasefire must be lasting, permanent and sustainable.

The Rome conference affirmed that the fundamental condition for lasting security in Lebanon is the government's full ability to exercise its authority over all its territory.

The participants noted that a framework of international decisions, including the G8 statement of July 16, United Nations Security Council resolutions 425, 1559 and 1680, the Lebanese national framework embodied in the Taif Accords, and 1949 Armistice Agreement represent the principles that govern the international community's efforts and responsibilities to help support the government and people of Lebanon.

The participants called for the full implementation of these relevant U.N. Security Council resolutions and the Taif Accords, which provide for the deployment of Lebanese Armed Forces to all parts of the country and the disarming of all militias.

An International Force in Lebanon should urgently be authorized under a U.N. mandate to support the Lebanese Armed Forces in providing a secure environment.

The Rome conference pledged its support for Lebanon's revival and reconstruction. The participants today agreed to the convening of an international donor conference to assist with the revival of Lebanon's economy and called for the provision of reconstruction assistance to the Lebanese government, with special emphasis on the southern part of the country.

In addition, the need for a meeting of partner countries to discuss a joint approach to security assistance for the Lebanese Armed Forces and security services was widely supported.

Participants agreed that any lasting solution to Middle East tensions must be regional. They expressed their full commitment to the people of Lebanon, Israel and throughout the region to act immediately with the international community toward the goal of a comprehensive and sustainable peace."

On the other hand the Israeli bombing of an unarmed U.N. peacekeeping bunker, which resulted in the death of four peacekeepers, was "inexcusable and unacceptable," according to the Chinese ambassador to the United Nations.

"I think the attack on U.N. positions and U.N. personnel is inexcusable and unacceptable. I think the briefing by the secretariat is very clear. It sends a clear message," said Chinese Ambassador Wang Guangya. "My government has made a number of [petitions] to ensure that the U.N. presence there has to be protected. But after all these petitions, things happened."

Wang spoke to reporters along with other United Nations Security Council members.

U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. John Bolton told reporters that he met with Chinese Ambassador Wang before the briefing to go over a council presidential statement. The original Chinese draft had the word "deliberate" in describing the Israeli attack, although Bolton said that word had been struck from the text already.

"We have to be very careful how we characterize it until we have all the facts," said Bolton. "We should express condolences and not to make this statement a backdoor way of getting a cease fire or other larger political and military questions. That's not appropriate," he added.

The four peacekeepers were Chinese, Finnish, Canadian, and Austrian, although the U.N. has not officially confirmed their deaths.

Meantime President Mubarak said his visit to Saudi Arabia and his talks with King Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz came in the framework of ongoing consultations between Egypt and Saudi Arabia in the face of the challenges confronting the Arab nation.

The President told chief editors accompanying him on his way back home from Saudi Arabia that Saudi Arabia and Egypt were agreed on the need for reaching an immediate ceasefire in Lebanon and putting an end to the acts of destruction there. The President said there is an Egyptian-Saudi agreement that Rome Conference should adopt a clear-cut resolution calling for immediate ceasefire for saving the Lebanese people in order to open the door before reaching a political solution for the Lebanese crisis.

The President said it is difficult to tackle the crisis in the light of the raging fighting, urging Arab countries to act for putting an end to fighting in Lebanon. The President said Egypt is making contacts with all parties in order to put an end to the current deterioration in Lebanon and to spare the region the risks of miscalculated escalation which could drag the region to untoward consequences.

He said Egypt is keeping contacts with Syria, Jordan and all Arab countries with the aim of easing the suffering of the Lebanese people. Mubarak said Egypt supports the unity and sovereignty of the Lebanese people. In an answer to a query, the President said Egypt is aware of the risks of the current situation in Lebanon warning that the whole region could face a disaster if no ceasefire was reached. He said the solution now lies in reaching an immediate ceasefire adding all parties are advised not to be dragged to miscalculated adventures. The President said Egypt cannot tolerate any interference in its decisions adding Egypt cannot enter into deals with any party at the account of another.

On the Palestinian cause, the President said Egypt is exerting efforts for easing the sufferings of the Palestinian people. He said the main goal is to help the Palestinians establish a sovereign and independent Palestinian state living in peace with neighbors.

Meanwhile the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) renewed on Wednesday its strong condemnation over the continuous Israeli aggressions against Lebanon, vowing at the same time full solidarity with the Lebanese people.

GCC Secretary General Abdul Rahman Al-Attiyah demanded in a statement, an immediate ceasefire and the uplifting of Israeli siege over Lebanese territories. The statement also held Israel full responsibility for losses of lives among innocent civilians and destruction of infrastructure.

"The Israeli barbaric aggressions revealed Israel's real intentions," said Al-Attiyah. He added the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) had withdrawn from its responsibility to declare cease fire and calm the situation in Lebanon and Palestine, which affected its credibility.

Al-Attiyah called on the international community, especially the United States to urgently claim responsibility towards maintaining peace and security in the region, according to international laws.

A day after Israel suffered its worst losses of the ongoing war with Hezbollah, Israel's security cabinet opted not to expand the military operation in south Lebanon, as some army generals had recommended.

But the cabinet did decide to call up three divisions of reserve troops for a "readiness exercise" rather than for deployment to the front.

"We don't need these troops to attack, but to train," said an Israeli official familiar with the cabinet decision. "We need to be ready in case something happens in Syria or elsewhere."

The reserves are scheduled to be called up in the coming days, the official said. He estimated that the last reserve call-up of this size was during the 2002 Israeli operation in the West Bank at the height of the most recent Palestinian uprising.