Hammoud confirms peace committee will meet in Cairo
Foreign Minister Mahmoud Hammoud reaffirmed Wednesday that an invitation he had addressed to the Arab Peace Initiative Committee to hold its first meeting since its formation two months ago still stood.
He told reporters that a meeting due to be held by ministers in Cairo Thursday with Arab League
Secretary-General Amr Moussa was reserved for consultations.
Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal will also brief the ministers on the results of talks held by the kingdom’s Crown Prince Abdullah with US President George W. Bush  last month.
Hammoud said he had a telephone conversation with Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Maher during which they discussed the latest developments, particularly reports about preparations to convene
an international peace conference this summer.
He reiterated that Lebanon as well as other Arab states adhered to the peace initiative endorsed at the Arab summit held in Beirut in March.

Fadlallah calls for unity to halt ‘economic catastrophe’
A leading Shiite cleric underlined Wednesday the importance “at the present stage and more than ever before” of consolidating internal unity, both on the official and popular levels, to avert what he described as a possible “economic catastrophe.”
Sayyed Mohammed Hussein Fadlallah said in a statement that “sensitivities which emerge from time to time constitute obstacles in the way of embarking on collective plans to revive the country.
“We keep hoping that plans we hear about, but which have not yet materialized, will be forthcoming,” he added.
Fadlallah said that while keeping up with the liberation operation, “we should not jump over our economic and political wounds, as a country which lacks economic, social and political stability is not fit to follow such a course of action in a sound manner.
“Accordingly, plans should be adopted covering the whole country, and those wishing to fish in troubled waters deprived of the opportunity of harming Lebanese national unity,” he added.

PSP condemns US pullout of international court
The Progressive Socialist Party’s vice-president for international affairs, Doreid Yaghi, described as “dangerous” the US pullout of the first International Criminal Court (ICC),
in a statement issued Wednesday.
According to the statement: “The American stand reasserts its selective method in implementing international justice … which prompts us to question the seriousness and credibility of the United States in confronting terrorism.”
Washington withdrew Monday its previous approval of the court made in 2000.
The ICC will formally come into existence on July 1 following an agreement signed in 1998 by countries eager to set up an international body to prosecute individuals for genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity.
The statement accused the US of appeasing its ally Israel, adding that the Israeli justice ministry’s appreciation for the US decision showed that “Israeli leaders feared international justice against the racist crimes of their government.”

Bekaa lawmaker denounces Mideast peace talks
Baalbek-Hermel MP Mohammed Yaghi said Wednesday that all initiatives presented by the US to “revive the alleged peace” in the Middle East were useless, being designed to “rescue” Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and weaken the Palestinians.
Speaking at a religious ceremony in Baalbek organized by Hizbullah, Yaghi criticized “those who present initiatives for peace with the enemy (Israel) at the expense of the (Arab) nation’s dignity.”
“Instead, they should back the intifada with money and arms and open their borders to provide actual backing, not merely make speeches here and there,” he said.
Yaghi, a member of Hizbullah’s Loyalty to the Resistance parliamentary bloc, affirmed that despite “all campaigns of intimidation and threats” launched by Israel and backed by the US, “the future will carry with it victory for the Palestinian people, who have decided to recover their rights through all possible means.”

Orthodox bishop decries defunct UN Jenin mission
Orthodox bishop of Tyre, Sidon and Marjayoun, Elias Kfoury, said Wednesday that the freezing of the UN fact-finding mission to Jenin was “frightening and shameful.”
“Every oppressed people will wonder who will protect them if the UN is no longer the shelter of the weak and will question the reason for its existence,” he said after receiving visitors on the occasion of Orthodox Easter at the Patriarchate hall in the old city of Sidon.
The bishop said he was surprised by the US “continuous biased position” toward Israel since the Jewish state was “the occupier and the aggressor.”
He called for maintaining calm on the border, adding that if confrontation with Israel was necessary, all Arab fronts should be opened.

Pierre Gemayel slams new Phalange leadership
Metn MP Pierre Gemayel renewed his attacks Wednesday on the newly-inaugurated Phalange party leadership, playing down its threat Tuesday to take disciplinary action against his father, former President Amin Gemayel.
“As far as we are concerned, these people have usurped power and destroyed the party from within,” the MP said in a statement.
Referring to the new  leadership’s alleged threat to expel Amin Gemayel from the Phalange party, Pierre accused Karim Pakradouni of “expelling its grassroots leaders and acting like the Baath Party, the Syrian Social Nationalist Party or the Palestinian factions,” and said the threat was “silly and bizarre.”

lady says more should be done to help the needy
First lady Andree Lahoud on Wednesday called for greater cooperation between public and private institutions to confront the country’s economic and social challenges.
Addressing a delegation from a women’s charity group at Baabda Palace, Lahoud urged private organizations to coordinate their activities with the government to better meet the people’s needs.
“Coordination must be established between these (private) bodies and official administrations which look after health and social care,” she said.
“Serving human beings in Lebanon with the aim of alleviating their suffering and providing with the … necessary aid is everyone’s duty,” she added.
The delegation thanked Lahoud for the aid she presented them, including medicine. Lahoud has recently organized the distribution of aid to a number of philanthropic establishments and clinics across the country.

CDR to carry out roadworks near Beirut Public Hospital
The road from the Kuwaiti Embassy roundabout to the Sultan Ibrahim bridge will be cut off from the Beirut Public Hospital junction for a month starting Thursday due to infrastructure works.
According to a statement issued Wednesday by the Interior Ministry’s Traffic Emergency Committee, the Council for Development and Reconstruction will carry out work on Sultan Ibrahim street.
Traffic will be diverted to one lane while works are carried out on the other lane, the statement said.
The traffic committee urged the public to follow ISF instructions and road signs while the work is being carried out.

Saudis to fund restoration of archaeological sites
Culture Minister Ghassan Salameh revealed Wednesday that Lebanon would soon receive an unspecified amount as a grant from Saudi Arabia to help restore neglected archaeological sites in the country.
Salameh spoke at a meeting attended by senior officials to discuss the restoration projects, which will be carried out jointly with the Council for Development and Reconstruction.
Salameh stressed the need to repair each site’s infrastructure before carrying out restoration efforts.
Participants at the meeting agreed to prepare a joint study to preserve the country’s archaeological wealth.
The minister also presided over a Wednesday meeting at his office attended by a delegate from the World Bank entrusted with preparing for a loan to restore archaeological sites in Lebanon.
Discussions covered preparations for a two-day cultural-heritage conference in Baalbek later this week.

ISF arrests gang for falsifying taxi permits
Judicial police in Beirut’s southern suburbs have arrested a five-member gang suspected of falsifying taxi driver’s licenses, according to an Internal Security Forces statement released Wednesday.
The gang members are Musa Omar Homsi, 22; Risk Zeid Baltaji, 29; Mohammed Mustafa Younis, 23; Zuheir Mohammed Shibbo, 35; and Ahmed Zuheir Shibbo, 25.
ISF investigations indicated that Homsi, Baltaji and Younis bought the licenses from Zuheir Shibbo and his son Ahmed Shibbo, who used a colored photocopier to falsify the permits.
The suspects were referred to the judiciary. A search for their accomplices is still underway.

Landowners decry government policies over Solidere
A group of real estate owners in Beirut Central District have condemned government policies concerning the Solidere development project.
In a statement released Wednesday following a meeting Tuesday, participants said the government had signed a 1996 contract with Solidere granting it permission to exploit the Western part of the St. Georges Bay landfill in return for LL2,500 per square meter.
Under the contract, the usable land constructed there as part of the waste-treatment operation would be divided into land to be developed by Solidere and public parks unavailable for development.
The group condemned the deal, saying it was tailored to suit Solidere’s needs.
Their statement accused the government of violating the rights of downtown property owners saying, “a bottle of wine sold in downtown restaurants fetches $1,500, almost as much as Solidere paid some landlords for their former properties.”

Labor group slams ‘illegal, arbitrary’ layoffs
The National Confederation of Unions of Workers and Laborers condemned “illegal and arbitrary” layoffs of workers who urged their employers to pay the new transportation fee and school tuition.
In a statement issued Wednesday, the confederation denounced employers who are dismissing workers or threatening them with dismissal unless they stop demanding their daily LL6,000 transportation fee.
The statement urged the Labor Ministry to “interfere immediately” to reinstate the laid-off workers.
It also called upon General Labor Confederation President Ghassan Ghosn to fulfill his promise to hold sit-ins at those establishments which have dismissed their employees, until the law is implemented.

Merhej praises Palestinian struggle
Minister of State Beshara Merhej flew home Wednesday after a short visit to Abu Dhabi at the invitation of the Jesuit University’s Alumni Association in the United Arab Emirates.
While in Abu Dhabi, Merhej took part in a seminar on the region’s political situation, during which he paid tribute to Palestinian “steadfastness” and the “heavy sacrifices” made in the conflict with Israel.
“Every Arab and every free man in this world feels he is now united with those freedom fighters and the heroic children and inhabitants in Jenin and other Palestinians towns and villages,” Merhej said.
He added that the future of the Arab nation would be “shaped to a large extent by the continuing battle in Palestine.”
“What is happening in Palestine has an effect and repercussions on the situation in the Arab countries and sometimes in other parts of the world,” he said. “When we consider our present situation in Lebanon, we cannot do so isolated from current developments in the region.”

Ehden couples celebrate lengthy marriages
The northern town of Ehden celebrated Wednesday the silver and gold wedding celebrations of some 120 couples.
Leading a mass to mark the occasion, Maronite priest Estephan Franjieh blessed the 25- and 50-year marriages.
The couples were awarded medals, and Tannous Marrawi, head of the local teachers school, delivered an address on their behalf.
Another speech was given by the local Committee of the Family head, George Am, who said: “This ritual has become a tradition in our town.”
He called on the couples to “testify before hesitant young couples about the joy involved in living in holy matrimony.”

Murr says more police to patrol roads this summer
Interior Minister Elias Murr announced on Wednesday that new traffic laws would come into force this summer.
Speaking to reporters after a meeting with senior Internal Security Forces officers concerning the traffic problems that regularly accompany the beginning of summer, Murr said 2,000 new policemen “have been sent on road patrol duty.”
“The summer season is approaching and there will be many Lebanese expatriates and foreign visitors in the country. We are supposed to make them feel very comfortable and secure,” the minister said.
He said that “starting June 1, there will be 250 police patrol cars on the road, 24 hours a day, and an addition of 2,000 extra policemen to the existing 1,500.”
Murr also said that the number of road patrols was expected to reach 280.

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