August 25, 2006

THE CUSTODIAN OF THE TWO HOLY MOSQUES REVIEWS WITH THE JORDANIAN KING THE SITUATION IN LEBANON, THE PALESTINIAN TERRITORIES AND IRAQ. PRIME MINISTER SANIORA PRAISES THE KINGDOM OF SAUDI ARABIA AND OTHER COUNTRIES OFFERING HELP TO LEBANON. ANNAN VISITS LEBANON NEXT MONDAY AS PART OF A COMPREHENSIVE VISIT TO THE REGION. The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz and visiting King Abdullah II Bin Al Hussein of Jordan held official talks in Jeddah. At the outset of the meeting, King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz welcomed the Jordanian king and accompanying delegation, wishing them good stay in the kingdom of Saudi Arabia. On his part, King Abdullah II of Jordan thanked the monarch on the warm welcome and generous hospitality accorded to him and his delegation. Then they discussed the overall developments in the region, particularly the incidents in Lebanon, the occupied Palestinian territories and the situation in Iraq. Also discussed were the developments at the Arab, Islamic and international arenas including the position of the two countries on them in addition to aspects of cooperation between the two countries and ways of enhancing them in all fields in a way that serves the interests of the two countries and their peoples. The audience was attended on the Saudi side by Crown Prince Sultan Bin Abdul Aziz, Deputy Premier, Minister of Defense and Aviation and Inspector General; Prince Saud Al Faisal, Foreign Minister; and Prince Miqren Bin Abdul Aziz, Chief of General Intelligence. On the Jordanian side, it was attended by Prince Faisal Bin Al Hussein ; Prince Ali Bin Al Hussein and senior protocol officials. King Abdullah II Bin Al Hussein of Jordan arrived in Jeddah on a state visit to the kingdom of Saudi Arabia. At King Abdul Aziz International Airport, he was received by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz; Crown Prince Sultan Bin Abdul Aziz, Deputy Premier, Minister of Defense and Aviation and Inspector General, other princes, ministers, senior protocol officials and government senior officials. The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz held a lunch party at his palace in Jeddah in honor of visiting King Abdullah II Bin Al Hussein of Jordan and accompanying delegation. The function was attended by Crown Prince Sultan Bin Abdul Aziz, Deputy Premier, Minister of Defense and Aviation and Inspector General; Prince Bandar Bin Khalid Bin Abdul Aziz; Prince Saud Al Faisal, Foreign Minister; Prince Miqren Bin Abdul Aziz, Chief of General Intelligence, other princes, ministers, and senior civil and military officials. King Abdullah II Bin Al Hussein of Jordan left Jeddah following a brief state visit to the kingdom of Saudi Arabia. At King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz Palace in Jeddah, the Jordanian king was seen off by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz; Crown Prince Sultan Bin Abdul Aziz, Deputy Premier, Minister of Defense and Aviation and Inspector General; and Prince Saud Al Faisal, Foreign Minister. At King Abdul Aziz International Airport, he was seen off by Prince Miqren Bin Abdul Aziz, Chief of General Intelligence; ministers, senior civil and military officials and Jordan's Consul General In Jeddah Abed Jameel Al-Dararja. On the other hand the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz, has addressed his thanks to the Chairman of the Islamic Bank for Development who had earlier praised the Saudi contribution to help Lebanon in a cable of thanks addressed to King Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz. The Chairman had thanked the King for donating $ 500.million to start a fund for the reconstruction of Lebanon and $ One million to the Lebanese Central Bank to help the Lebanese economy. Meantime the Saudi Field Hospital in Beirut, which was set up soon after the latest Israeli military campaign against Lebanon, has won international applause for its humanitarian services by providing treatment to Lebanese men, women and children wounded by Israeli gunfire. The doctors and paramedical staff deployed in Beirut represent the Saudi Ministries of Health, and Defense and Aviation; the National Guard and the Saudi Red Crescent Society. Supervised by the Saudi Red Crescent Society, the hospital is well equipped to conduct both minor and major operations, and includes laboratories as well as ambulances. Saudi authorities recently strengthened the hospital's medical staff by sending an additional force of 18 physicians, 15 male nurses, 12 pharmacists, five emergency technicians, eight X-ray technicians and three lab technicians. The field hospital was transported to Beirut using 20 trucks. Established in the museum area in the center of the Lebanese capital, the hospital offers facilities ranging from operating rooms to an intensive care unit and rooms for psychiatrists, gynecologists and family care. The hospital has a grant for $10 million and will remain in Lebanon as long as it is needed. "Civilians who leave usually leave quickly, often forgetting their daily medications," said Dr. Saif Abu Zaid, team leader of the Saudi Red Crescent team to Lebanon. "We hope to help those civilians and make this a one-day hospital and take pressure off other hospitals to provide the daily medicines," he added. Also a fleet of 40 trucks carrying medical equipment, medicines and nutritional products left Saudi Arabia for Lebanon, according to Acting President of the Saudi Red Crescent Society, Dr. Saleh bin Hamad Al-Tuwaijiri. In a press statement, Dr. Al-Tuwaijiri said that this is the third consignment of assistance from Saudi Arabia to Lebanon and it is carrying more than 800 tons of relief goods, adding that it left from Jeddah. He added that coordination has been made with the International Committee of Red Cross to facilitate the trucks' entry to Lebanon so aid can be distributed among the affected people in coordination with the Lebanese Supreme Relief Committee and Lebanese Red Cross Society. Dr. Al-Tuwaijiri also said that similar trucks will also leave for Lebanon soon -- thanks to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz, Crown Prince Sultan Bin Abdul Aziz, Minister of Interior Prince Naif Bin Abdul Aziz and to all Saudi people. On the other hand Prime Minister Fouad Saniora announced that the state will bear full responsibility of the damages incurred as a result of the Israeli offensive against Lebanon. In a press conference, Saniora officially announced the payment modalities of indemnities to the families of the victims and wounded of the offensive. He assured that the reconstruction process will take place in the most transparent fashion as soon as the cost of the damage has been evaluated. 'We will carry the burden of reconstruction all together.' A message addressed by Prime Minister Fouad Saniora, who officially announced the payment procedure of indemnities to the families of the victims and wounded of the Israeli offensive. At a press conference held today, Saniora said the payments will take place in a completely transparent way. The prime minister called on the owners of the destroyed buildings and businesses to start renovation, stressing that they will receive the promised assistance. Hezbollah had formerly called in the families concerned not to start repairing their homes, without having prepared a municipality file on the cost of the damage in order to get compensations. The prime minister promised, however, that the state would assume full responsibility after undertaking a thorough study of the losses. The evaluation of the losses will then be referred to an international audit, who will decide the exact amount needed for reconstruction. Saniora hailed the initiatives of private individuals in the reconstruction of bridges and rehabilitation of villages. Saniora underlined the complexity in rebuilding the southern suburb, but stressed the reconstruction will be totally transparent and democratic despite the difficulty. In reply to a question of the 15,000 dollar indemnity that Hezbollah started paying to the families concerned, Saniora said this amount is only a form of support to help the families survive before they can restore their own homes. Prime Minister Fouad Saniora called for public and private sponsorship of projects to help Lebanon overcome the multi-billion dollar damage inflicted by the Israeli offensive. "How to fund it?" Saniora asked of Lebanon's reconstruction at a press conference, saying damage from Israel's month-long offensive on Lebanon was "in the billions of dollars". "We are trying to be in contact with sister countries and donor countries, as well as Lebanese individuals and Arabs and other individuals who would like to, let's say, 'sponsor' certain projects and pay for them," he said. "We have already put into place such a mechanism, so that we have something that is expedient, cost-effective and transparent," he said. A spokesman from the UN Development Programme (UNDP) estimated that overall economic losses for Lebanon from the round of hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah totaled "at least 15 billion dollars, if not more". "Lebanon needs the backing of every Lebanese and Arab national to overcome the destruction inflicted by the barbaric (Israeli) offensive," Saniora said. "We are in dire need of assistance." Lebanese authorities estimated last week that direct structural damage inflicted by the offensive exceeded 3.5 billion dollars, including 15,000 housing units, 80 bridges and 94 roads destroyed or damaged. About 35,000 homes and businesses were destroyed in the conflict, while a quarter of the country's road bridges or flyovers were shattered, according to the UNDP's initial estimate. Wealthy Lebanese and Arab businessmen have offered to rebuild bridges and other specific infrastructure projects. Lebanon received an emergency aid of 500 million dollars from Saudi Arabia and 800 million dollars from Kuwait. Sixty governments and organizations are due to take part in an international donors' conference for Lebanon on August 31 in Sweden. Saniora said the cash donations offered by Hezbollah "are limited to" one-year rent and furniture for citizens whose homes were totally destroyed. "But at the end of the day, the issue (reconstruction) will be up to the government," he said. Meanwhile Lebanon's Prime Minister Fouad Saniora has asked President Hosni Mubarak to help lifting the Israeli air and sea blockades on Lebanon, an official cabinet source said. Saniora expounded to Mubarak, over phone, the steps of the deployment of the Lebanese army in the south and the measures taken in this respect, he added. He also reviewed with him developments on the Lebanese arena and offered his condolences over the victims of the deadly train crash of Qalyoub. Meanwhile Prime Minister Fouad Saniora received a delegation from the Congress under the chairmanship of Chritospher Chase. In New York Secretary-General Kofi Annan will head to the Middle East and Europe later this week in a trip designed to strengthen the situation in Lebanon and Israel following the formal cessation of hostilities there in the wake of the recent Security Council resolution. Mr. Annan will travel first to Brussels to attend Friday's meeting of European foreign ministers to promote contributions of troops to the expanded UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), his spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters today at UN Headquarters in New York. The Secretary-General will then head to Lebanon and Israel to meet senior officials of both countries to encourage them to implement their commitments under Resolution 1701, adopted unanimously by the Council on 11 August to end the month-long conflict in the Middle East. That resolution calls for both sides to "support a permanent ceasefire and a long-term solution" to the conflict while respecting several principles, including ensuring that the area between the Blue Line and the Litani river in southern Lebanon is free of any armed personnel and weapons other than those of the Lebanese armed forces and UNIFIL. Mr. Dujarric said Mr. Annan will also visit the Palestinian territories, Qatar, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Jordan, and is likely to head to Syria and Iran as well, with the sequence of stops yet to be determined. Responding to a question from reporters, Mr. Dujarric said the issue of Israel's sea blockade of Lebanon would be raised during Mr. Annan's visit, adding that it is important that Lebanon be able to use its ports freely so that commercial activity and regular traffic can resume. In another development, the Secretary-General's high-level delegation on the issue held talks in Berlin with Germany's Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier and other senior officials. Mr. Annan's Special Political Adviser Vijay Nambiar and his Special Envoy Terje Roed-Larsen have already visited Israel and Lebanon during their trip. On the other hand European Union envoys met in Brussels to discuss the EU contribution to UNIFIL, which has so far centered on Italy's promise to send 2,000 to 3,000 troops about a third of the total envisaged European contingent. EU help is seen as vital if the United Nations is to get an advance party of 3,500 troops on the ground by Sept. 2 as planned. The bloc's foreign ministers are scheduled to meet tomorrow with UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, who is then expected to fly on to the Middle East. Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Saniora urged Washington to boost financial aid to Lebanon and to make Israel lift a sea and air blockade it imposed at the start of the war. "The United States can do more," Saniora sai. "The United States can support us in putting real pressure on Israel to lift the siege." Israel has eased its blockade since a UN truce halted the conflict on Aug. 14, but no flights can use Beirut airport and no ships can dock in Lebanese ports without its permission. Saniora said Lebanon hoped France, which had been expected to provide 2,000 troops to the UN force, would reconsider its decision to send only 200. "We welcome a bigger French role ... and we would have liked France to contribute more soldiers," Saniora said. French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy indicated that more troops could follow once the terms of the mission are set. The United Nations has circulated new rules of engagement for the UN troops, which permit soldiers to shoot in self-defense, use force to protect civilians and resist armed attempts to interfere with their duties, a UN document says. The United States is planning to introduce a new UN resolution on disarming Hezbollah in southern Lebanon, but U.S. Ambassador John Bolton said this should not hold up the quick deployment of UN peacekeepers. Bolton said getting an expanded UN force on the ground is the most urgent priority because of the fragile ceasefire agreement that came into effect Aug. 14 under UN Resolution 1701, which calls for the 2,000-member UN force to be expanded to 15,000 troops. The UN said it wants at least 3,500 new troops on the ground in south Lebanon by Aug. 28, but countries that are potential troop contributors have expressed concern about the rules of engagement, and exactly what troops would be required to do, especially regarding the disarming of Hezbollah. Meanwhile, in Brussels, Belgium, European nations appeared to be waiting for UN guidance that would clarify the rules of engagement, including the crucial question of using force against Hezbollah. The European Union has scheduled a meeting Wednesday to discuss possible contributions to the force, known as UNIFIL. By that meeting, EU ambassadors, diplomats and defence ministry officials hope at least to have clear enough guidelines from the UN about a new mandate for UNIFIL to be able to cobble together an international coalition. "All the countries are saying what Germany is saying, we need the right rules for the deployment" said German Chancellor Angela Merkel. French Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Agnes Romatet-Espagne said that "France was waiting for details about the means granted to this force to guarantee security." Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi said that he told UN Secretary General Kofi Annan that Italy is willing to command a UN force in Lebanon. Italy has not committed itself to specific numbers, but has indicated it would be prepared to send 3,000 soldiers, the largest contingent to date. "It is a decision that Kofi Annan will take at the end of broad consultations," Prodi told reporters in the seaside resort of Castiglione della Pescaia. "We will have a definitive solution in the coming days," he said. Whether the prospect of a new resolution on disarming Hezbollah could break that impasse remains to be seen. U.S. President George W. Bush talked about a new resolution at a news conference in Washington Monday when he was asked whether the United States would demand that UN peacekeepers disarm Hezbollah. "There will be another resolution coming out of the United Nations, giving further instructions to the international force," Bush said. "First things first is to get the rules of engagement clear so that the force will be robust to help the Lebanese." "One thing for certain is that when this force goes in to help Lebanon, Hezbollah won't have that safe haven or that kind of freedom to run in Lebanon's southern border," Bush said. European leaders moved forward with plans for an international force in Lebanon, with an EU official saying it wants to see peacekeepers in place within a week and France preparing an announcement on troop commitments. But key questions remained over how far Europe was willing to go to back up strong rhetoric on the need for peace with robust action. France, Lebanon's former colonial ruler, has cast itself as a driving force in efforts to build a lasting peace for the war-ravaged country but disappointed the international community by promising only to double its 200-strong peacekeeping contingent. President Jacques Chirac was scheduled to announce later Thursday whether he is willing to contribute more troops, his office said after a Cabinet meeting. The newspaper Le Monde reported that France would likely send fewer than 2,000 more men. EU foreign ministers are scheduled to meet Friday in Brussels to discuss the force. Pressure on the Europeans has grown because Israel has rejected offers of participation from Malaysia, Bangladesh and Indonesia predominantly Muslim countries that do not recognize the Jewish state. Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni urged the international community to act as quickly as possible to deploy a U.N. force to keep the peace in southern Lebanon. Finnish Foreign Minister Erkki Tuomioja indicated Thursday that the first reinforcements to a U.N. peacekeeping force could be imminent. "We would like to see the first reinforcements for UNIFIL arrive within a week if possible," Tuomioja said in Berlin. Finland holds the rotating European Union presidency. History has much to do with the hesitancy of European powers to make clear troop commitments. France lost a total of 71 soldiers during peacekeeping operations in Bosnia and Belgium 10 in at the outset of the genocide in Rwanda a dozen years ago. France also lost 58 peacekeepers in the Oct. 23, 1983, Hezbollah attacks in Beirut that also killed 241 Americans. Many European countries also have expressed qualms over committing troops without strong guidelines on when its soldiers would have the right to shoot and also defend themselves. Chirac was scheduled to meet Cabinet members including his defense and foreign ministers for special talks on the Middle East, government spokesman Jean-Francois Cope said. He offered no details on whether ministers had discussed UNIFIL at the regularly scheduled Cabinet meeting. The peacekeeping force is expected to expand from about 2,000 to 15,000 as part of a new U.N. Security Council resolution. Italy said this week it is willing to command a U.N. force in Lebanon. The resolution was designed to bolster the peacekeeping force to support some 15,000 Lebanese troops that have started moving into the southern region, which suffered more than a month of fighting between the Lebanese-based Hezbollah militia and Israeli troops. French officials have left open the possibility they could contribute more peacekeepers. Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin, who visited Lebanon during the fighting, said France wanted to expand its role in the force once details are worked out. "We are today the most committed and most present country on the ground," he said. "We want to go further once the conditions are right." Most EU nations remain wary of making firm commitments until the mandate for the new force is clarified, fearing that their peacekeepers could be dragged into a conflict with the Hezbollah militants or with Israel if the current cease-fire collapses. Aside from France and Italy, other nations considering contributions include Spain, Finland, Denmark, Germany, Greece, and Belgium. Turkey, Morocco, Nepal, New Zealand and China also are considering participating in the U.N. mission. On the other hand a top Italian envoy said that Rome has yet to decide whether it will lead the UN force to be deployed in South Lebanon. "We have not taken a decision yet," said Riccardo Sessa, director general for the Mediterranean and Middle East at the Italian foreign Ministry, following a meeting with Foreign Minister Fawzi Salloukh. Israel earlier this week said it wants Italy to lead the beefed-up UN force to replace Israeli troops as they leave the South. "We discussed the international and internal conditions to form the force and deploy it in the South. The sooner the force is formed and deployed the better it will be for the Lebanese people," Sessa added. Italy announced that it will deploy around 3,000 troops to South Lebanon. Sessa said Italy is still hesitant because "every international force that decides to deploy in a foreign country requires a political, internal and international framework that should be clear and offers safety guarantees." "It is also the task of the Lebanese political parties and the Lebanese government to provide this framework," he added. He said participation is an opportunity for Italy and for Europe "to play a bigger role in the Middle East." European foreign ministers are scheduled to meet next Friday with UN Secretary General Kofi Annan to discuss with him the situation in Lebanon and UNIFIL's mandate. Annan wants Europeans to play the lead role. European Union officials and military experts held a meeting at in Brussels to prepare for Friday's extraordinary meeting of EU foreign ministers and Annan. Salloukh said Italy and other countries that will participate have only one condition: that the area where their troops will be deployed be free of Hezbollah weapons. "The guarantees the countries are asking before they take part in the expanded and enhanced UNIFIL are limited to freeing the area from weapons," Salloukh said during his joint press conference with Sessa. Sessa also met with Speaker Nabih Berri to discuss the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701. He also met with Defense Minister Elias Murr, saying afterward that Italy "is not worried about participating in the UN force as much as it is worried about not having enough guarantees other countries will take part in it." "It is normal the Lebanese government, people and parties resume their responsibilities at this stage and the international community is also ready to do its role," Sessa added. Greek Foreign Minister Dora Bakoyannis also visited Beirut Wednesday, vowing to contribute troops to the UN force. Bakoyannis toured the badly damaged Dahiyeh and met with Lebanese officials to underscore Athens' support for the truce. After talks with Salloukh, Salloukh Bakoyannis said Greece would send troops, a helicopter unit and naval divers. She gave no numbers. Lebanese Foreign Ministry officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that Greece had proposed sending two warships.