January 19, 2007

THE CUSTODIAN OF THE TWO HOLY MOSQUES REVIEWS WITH THE LEBANESE PREMIER THE DEVELOPMENTS IN LEBANON. NO SAUDI MEDIATION BUT EFFORTS TO REACH A SOLUTION. IN HIS ARAB TOUR SINIORA STRESSES THE ENDEAVOUR OF HIS GOVERNMENT TO SECURE BROTHERLY SUPPORT FOR LEBANON AND PARIS III. THE PALESTINIAN PRESIDENT VISITS BEIRUT NEXT WEEK AND LAHOUD WARNS FROM SETTLING THE PALESTINIANS OUTSIDE THEIR COUNTRY. The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz received Lebanon's Premier Fouad Al-Siniora and the accompanying delegation. At the outset of the audience, the monarch welcomed the Lebanese Premier to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. In turn Al-Siniora expressed his appreciation of and thanks to the king for warm welcome and generous hospitality extended to them. Then the king held luncheon in honour of the Lebanese premier and the accompanying delegation. The audience and the banquet were attended by Prince Miteb Ibn Abdul Aziz, the minister of municipal and rural affairs, Prince Saud Al-Faisal, the foreign minister and a number of princes and officials. The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz held a meeting with Lebanon's premier Fouad Al-Siniora and the accompanying delegation. During the meeting, they discussed the developments of situations in Lebanon and aspects of cooperation between the two brotherly countries. On the Saudi side, the meeting was attended by Prince Miteb Ibn Abdul Aziz, the minister of municipal and rural affairs, Prince Saud Al-Faisal, the foreign minister and a number of princes. On the Lebanese side, it was attended by the delegation accompanying the Lebanese premier. Lebanon's premier Fouad Al-Siniora and the accompanying delegation arrived in Riyadh. At King Khalid International Airport, they were received by Prince Saud Al-Faisal, the foreign minister and a number of officials. Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora had received Saudi Ambassador to Lebanon Dr. Abdul Aziz bin Mohieddin Khoja. During the meeting, they discussed the latest developments and ways of strengthening the bilateral relations between the two brotherly countries. Also, Siniora received Arab ambassadors accredited to Lebanon in the presence of Dr. Abdul Aziz bin Mohieddin Khoja. During the meeting, the President spoke to the Arab ambassadors about the current situation in Lebanon and preparations made by the Lebanese government for the Conference of Donor States "Paris -3" and the importance of this conference for the economic advancement in Lebanon. President Mubarak discussed at his meeting with Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora the developments in the region in general and in Lebanon in particular, efforts exerted by the Lebanese government in preparation for the conference on supporting Lebanon which will be held in the French capital on January 25. The conference will be attended by more than 30 states, financial and international establishments. Emerging from the meeting, Lebanese Premier Siniora thanked President Mubarak for Egypt's support to Lebanon in the different domains. He said during the talks, an emphasis was laid on the importance of holding the conference on supporting Lebanon as all Arabs in general and Egypt in particular were fully aware of the volume of sufferings faced by the Lebanese, referring to the latest Israeli aggression on Lebanon which incurred $ 10 billion worth of losses. Siniora said Egypt supports the Arab League initiative on reconciliation in Lebanon which was offered by Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa. He described such an initiative as the sole and good one available adding that the Arabs should offer support for this initiative in order to advance it. On the political crisis in Lebanon, Siniora said between the Lebanese people, there is neither triumphant nor vanquished saying change in Lebanon should not come from the street but rather through constitutional establishments and dialogue on rehabilitating Lebanon. As for the means of reaching tangible results at the Paris conference, on supporting Lebanon, in light of the absence of the Chambers of Deputies to legalize the conference's recommendations, Siniora said all draft laws are supposed, to pass as soon as possible. He explained that the Chamber of Deputies would eventually convene. He underlined the importance of restoring the constitutional institutions in Lebanon so that things could return to normal. Siniora added he held talks with representatives of the donor countries that will take part in Paris conference. There was an understanding of the situation in Lebanon and the necessity of supporting the Lebanese government, he added. "Egypt welcomes the Paris conference and will continue its efforts to make it succeed," Ambassador Suleiman Awwad, the Presidential Spokesman, told the Middle East News Agency (MENA) after the Mubarak-Siniora meeting. "It is, however, important to reach a national consensus formula on the current Lebanese crisis to make sure the conference achieves its goals," he said. Awwad added that Mubarak and Siniora discussed mediation efforts by Egypt and the Arab League as the way to promote a political solution to the standoff and prevent any attempts to destabilize Lebanon. Premier Fouad Siniora's third stop in his Arab tour to rally support for the Paris III conference reform program and his government was Oman. In the capital Muscat, he met with Sultan Qabus Bin Saeed. In Riyadh, Premier Siniora stressed after his meeting with Saudi King Abdullah Ibn Abdul-Aziz that the Kingdom's participation at the Paris III International Donor's conference is going to be important and would be represented by its foreign minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal and Finance Minister Ibrahim Al-Assaf. Siniora highlighted the fact that Saudi Arabia expressed its full support and backing to Lebanon and the Lebanese and their hope that the Lebanese would return to dialogue to solve the crisis. And during his stay in Saudi Arabia, Siniora met with Italian Foreign Minister Massimo D'allema who would be representing his country in Paris III and who was on a visit to Riyadh as well. Earlier in Cairo, Siniora revealed that the number of countries participating in the Paris III conference was now exceeding thirty. Following a meeting with Egyptian President Mubarak, Siniora told reporters that the Arab League initiative aimed at resolving the ongoing political crisis in Lebanon was 'the only serious' one, adding that Arab League Cheif Amr Moussa was ready to travel again to Lebanon to help move the plan forward. Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora hailed the discussions he held with Sultan Qaboos bin Said describing his meeting with the Sultan as good and fruitful. In a pre-departure statement to ONA, he said he was honoured by the Sultan's audience. He pointed out that throughout the discussions he felt the keenness and fraternity of the Sultan to Lebanon and its people. Appreciating the Sultan's benevolence towards Lebanon, he said Sultan Qaboos spared no efforts in providing support and assistance to the Lebanese people in the past years, especially in the critical period when Lebanon was attacked by Israel recently. He said his visit was part of his tour of the Arab countries in the context of preparations for the conference to support Lebanon which will be held at the end of this month with the participation of Arab and friendly countries in a bid to draw financial aides to the reconstruction of Lebanon. Kuwait was Premier Fouad Siniora's fourth stop in his Arab tour. The highlight of the visit was a meeting with Kuwait's Prince Sobah Ahmad Jaber Al Sobah. Following the meeting, Siniora said that he and his host discussed the latest developments in Lebanon and the region. Siniora also briefed the Prince on the government's efforts for Paris III to succeed and its plan for economic revival. Prince Sobah Ahmad Jaber Al-Sobah stressed that his country backed the Paris III conference as well as Lebanese government in all sectors. Siniora also held a meeting with his Kuwaiti counterpart. Earlier, Siniora held a series of economic meetings. Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora secured commitments from three Arab donors - Kuwait, Bahrain and the UAE - to pledge aid at the upcoming Paris III conference. Siniora succeeded in garnering the support of all six countries he visited over the past few days as part of a regional tour ahead of the conference in Paris on January 25 to raise economic aid for Lebanon. "Kuwait will participate in providing aid to Lebanon through the conference along with other Arab and friendly countries," Siniora told reporters after a meeting with Kuwaiti officials. "Our Arab friends understand the great turmoil that has plagued Lebanon for the past 30 years, from wars to invasions to clashes to the latest aggressions by Israel that led to great human losses and infrastructure damages worth more than $10 billion," said Siniora. The premier reiterated that the internal crisis between the government and the Hezbollah-led opposition should be resolved through dialogue. "We are not just hoping to resolve this deadlock, but are determined to resolve our problems through dialogue," Siniora told a news conference, adding that "there is no other choice but dialogue for ending the crisis." "We have to remove all barriers to ensure that all Lebanese people feel at peace in their own country," Siniora said. Siniora met with Bahrain's king, Hamad Bin Issa Al-Khalifa, and officials from the government. Prime Minister Fouad Siniora won assurances of support from the oil-rich United Arab Emirates on the latest leg of a regional tour ahead of a key Paris donors' meeting. President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed al-Nahayan stressed during a meeting that the UAE backs initiatives aimed at stabilizing Lebanon and is keen on assisting the country's reconstruction, the state WAM news agency reported. Siniora said that he had received Kuwaiti assurances of continued support and a pledge of new assistance at the January 25 donors' conference. The UAE pledged in August to rebuild a number of schools and hospitals in south Lebanon after earmarking 20 million dollars in relief aid following the devastating summer war between Israel and Hezbollah. The UAE is also involved in clearing mines and unexploded ordnance in south Lebanon. Lebanese Prime Miniser Fouad Al-Siniora arrived in Doha. In an arrival statement Siniora said he would have talks with the senior officials here tomorrow on a host of topics relating to bilateral relations and means of enhancing them with special emphasis on Qatar's participation in the international "Paris-III" conference for supporting Lebanon due to kick off on the 25th of this month. Also he will ask the Qatari leadership to beef up the Arab efforts for bridging the differences among the Lebanese groups to stave off any escalation of tension. He highly appreciated Qatar's multiple contributions to boost the economic growth in Lebanon and the support and consolidation it provided to his country to overcome the difficulties it encountered due to the recent Israeli aggression. The Lebanese premier also highlighted Qatar's participation in the UNIFIL troops stationed in southern Lebanon and the role which Qatar plays for maintaining peace his country. Minister of Finance Yusuf Hussein Kamal who is also the Acting minister of economy and commerce and the Lebanese ambassador Hassan Saad welcomed the Lebanese premier upon his arrival at Doha international airport. Premier Fouad Siniora concluded in Qatar the Gulf leg of a regional tour aimed at rallying Arab support for the Paris III donors' conference later this month. Qatar followed suit with other Arab countries in assuring Siniora of its support at the aid conference in the French capital on January 25. Siniora said the aid conference has become a "crucial need" since last summer's 34-day war between Israel and Hezbollah which devastated the Lebanese economy. On the other hand Information Minister Ghazi Aridi said in an interview with Al-Alam satellite channel that media reports concerning a Saudi initiative to resolve the political deadlock, Aridi said: "There is not any Saudi initiative; the Saudi Ambassador is just abiding by King Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz's efforts to unite the Lebanese." Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al Faisal said that the Lebanese should remain united. During a meeting in Saudi Arabia focusing on Lebanon and Paris III, he said that the kingdom is very keen on Lebanon's unity - but the Lebanese need to remain united." On the other hand Head of the Future Bloc in Parliament MP Saad Hariri said the Paris III international economic conference will serve the interests of all the Lebanese, and urged the opposition to keep the conference away from prevailing political discord. Speaking after talks with French President Jacques Chirac in Paris, on the preparations underway to convene the conference this month, MP Hariri also reiterated calls for internal dialogue. MP Hariri told reporters at the Elysee Palace that Lebanon is facing very difficult challenges that can only be resolved by the Lebanese themselves. He stressed that all the Lebanese should back the Paris III conference, which aims at resolving Lebanon's public debt crisis and revive the economy. He pointed out that Paris III is an extension of the Paris II conference, in which the government had pledged to carry out reforms. He made clear that the only condition to the Paris III conference was a government undertaking to pursue administrative and economic reform. Mr. Hariri also hailed France and President Jacques Chirac's continuous support of Lebanon. Addressing the regional situation, Head of the Future Bloc told reporters that Arabs are facing problems that they alone should resolve without foreign interference, adding neither a so-called new Middle East nor a new Iranian Islamic Middle East are acceptable. Asked about an Arab League initiative to end Lebanon's political impasse, Mr. Hariri reiterated support for the mediation and called for a resumption of national dialogue. In response to a question about the creation of an international tribunal to try the suspects in Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri's assassination, MP Hariri said he remains optimistic about the Arab League initiative, and highlighted worldwide and UN Security Council support for the tribunal. He expressed hope that Parliament will ratify the court's creation to pave way for its operation. In Beirut the state security court set Feb. 1 a date to begin interrogation of two Lebanese citizens charged with involvement in the assassination of president-elect Bashir Gemayel 24 years ago. The date was set by judge Antoine Kheir, head of the Judicial Council, which is the court entrusted with cases related to state security. The brief statement said Habib al-Shartouni and Nabil Alam, both at-large, should report to the court for interrogation on Feb. 1. Failing to do so, they will be tried in absentia. Gemayel was assassinated by a major blast that ripped through the Phalange Party office in Beirut's Ashrafiyeh district in September 1982 before he took the oath to assume the presidency. On the other hand Lahoud warned of attempts of settling the Palestinians in Lebanon on a permanent basis. Meanwhile Lebanese Speaker Nabih Berri said in remarks that Lebanon is like a time bomb that could explode at any time if a political standoff between the government and the Hezbollah-led opposition is not resolved quickly. Berri indicated that an opposition protest campaign to topple Prime Minister Fouad Siniora could get out of hand if there was no solution before the end of the month. He stressed the top priority was to try to avert this danger and that he would continue to sound the alarm and warn that a solution ought to be reached as quickly as possible. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will visit Beirut on Monday to discuss regional issues and the situation of Palestinian refugees in the country with Lebanese officials, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. Abbas, who last visited Beirut in July 2005, was expected to hold talks on Monday and Tuesday with President Emile Lahoud, Speaker Nabih Berri and Prime Minister Fouad Siniora, officials at the ministry said. Talks will also address the Palestinian leader's recent meeting with US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice in Ramallah, they added. Meanwhile, the Palestinian Authority representative in Lebanon, Abbas Zaki, met with Lahoud to brief the president on the goals of the upcoming visit. "The visit of President Abbas takes place at a very crucial time and aims at consolidating Lebanese-Palestinian bilateral ties," Zaki told reporters after meeting with Lahoud. Lahoud said he hoped the visit from Abbas would boost attempts to find a "fair" resolution to the Palestinian cause, "based on the right of Palestinians refugees to return to their homeland and to not be settled in their host countries."