Lahoud vaunts Lebanese unity in tackling region’s woes
The president said Monday that national reconciliation was necessary to tackle regional developments.
Emile Lahoud informed the Forum of Former Ambassadors who visited him at Baabda Palace that the “unity of the Lebanese provided a positive climate that facilitates tackling regional developments.”
“Those who recently tried to provoke a crisis in the country have realized today that the Lebanese unanimously agreed on thwarting such attempts,” Lahoud said, according to a statement from Baabda Palace.
Lahoud praised the efforts of the former ambassadors in serving their country, adding that the country should take advantage of their experience and connections during regional and international meetings held here.

Hariri pays anniversary tribute to Hafez Assad
Prime Minister Rafik Hariri on Monday sent a cable to Syrian President Bashar Assad paying tribute to his late father Hafez Assad on the second anniversary of his death.
“(The late) Syrian president spent his whole life defending the Arab cause,” said the prime minister, adding that without Assad’s support, the South and Western Bekaa would not have been liberated.
Hariri also acknowledged Syria’s continuing support for Lebanon.
The prime minister sent a similar message to his Syrian counterpart Mohammed Mustafa Miro.
Meanwhile, the president of the Democratic Party, Aley MP Talal Arslan, on Monday sent a cable expressing his condolences to the Syrian president.
“We are sure that you are following in the footsteps of your legendary father,” the message said.

House panel discusses electricity privatization
Parliament’s Budget and Finance Committee on Monday began discussions on privatizing the electricity sector, in a session attended by Energy Minister Mohammed Abdel-Hamid Beydoun.
Beydoun expressed hope that the draft law would be endorsed by Parliament within the next two months, which would allow the privatization of 15 to 40 percent of Electricite du Liban.
Beydoun said privatizing the sector would not create tension in the country, as happened with the privatization of the cellular sector.
“We have put the issue of electricity seriously on the path to a solution; bill collection has increased by LL50 billion, and if the situation remains as it is, bill collection will increase by LL150 billion by the end of the year,” he said.

Hizbullah says Singapore cell allegation ‘silly and unfounded’
Hizbullah denied on Monday the “silly and unfounded” weekend report that it had recruited five Singaporeans to set up a cell in Singapore five years ago, in a failed attempt to carry out attacks against American and Israeli targets.
“We reject the report published in the Sunday Times in Singapore and its claims about Hizbullah,” said a brief statement quoting an official source.
“We consider this report to be part of an organized fabrication by American intelligence agencies, in cooperation with international intelligence agencies, within the framework of their campaigns against Hizbullah and accusing it of ‘terrorism,’” it added.
“Moreover, we consider such reports silly and unfounded.”
The Sunday Times said the five Singaporeans were ordered by Hizbullah agents to take photographs of the US and Israeli embassies in the city state but they refused and subsequently left the group.

Fadlallah lauds diversity, urges dialogue across confessions
A leading Shiite cleric called Monday on Lebanese of all confessions to enter into dialogue and cooperate with one another to “rebuild the country.”
Sayyed Mohammed Hussein Fadlallah was speaking at a gathering attended by Information Minister Ghazi Aridi, Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Michel Pharaon, Nabatieh MP Mohammed Raad and Ghobeiri mayor Mohammed Said Khansa.
He referred to “richness” in political, social and cultural diversity, and said: “We should seek points of agreement and rally around them, and enter into dialogue on points of disagreement.”
“This is the significance of Lebanon which we must protect from ourselves before protecting it from outsiders,” he added.
He said the existing problem in the country was that everyone “wants Lebanon to reflect his sectarian image, his closed party image or his own image.”

Red Cross rushes aid to victims of dam disaster
The Lebanese Red Cross has sent a truckload of mattresses and sheets to support about 100 victims of flooding in northern Syria, said a statement Monday. It said the aid was part of ongoing cooperation between the Lebanese Red Cross and the Syrian Red Crescent.
Twenty people died and about 4,000 were left homeless after the Zeyzoun Dam burst last week.
The Syrian government has asked for international aid and warned of a mounting casualty toll.
A Lebanese delegation headed by Fadi Qmeir, the director-general at the Electricity and Water Ministry, returned Monday after inspecting the damage.

Israeli planes break sound barrier over South
Israeli warplanes flew over the length of Lebanon on Monday, breaking the sound barrier several times, police said.
Flying at high altitude, they caused supersonic bangs over Tripoli, Tyre and the border area around the Shebaa Farms.
Israeli planes had also violated southern Lebanese airspace Sunday, coming under fire from Hizbullah.
Overflights are frequent, ignoring UN rulings that they are violations of the Blue Line, the official border the United Nations drew between the two countries after Israel ended its occupation of the South in May 2000. ­ AFP

Man held in connection with Irani killing
Beirut chief investigating magistrate Hatem Madi interrogated Fawzi Zahreddine, also known as Abu Hussein, Monday on charges of giving false information regarding the murder of Lebanese Forces activist Ramzi Irani.
Irani, who vanished a month ago, was found two weeks later dead in the boot of his car in the Caracas neighborhood of Beirut. He was last seen leaving his place of work in Hamra on his way home to Achrafieh.
Zahreddine had told Irani’s relatives that he saw Ramzi’s abduction, but on questioning by the investigating magistrate he denied having witnessed it. The questioning was postponed until Tuesday to question Zahreddine’s relatives on his mental state, official sources said.
Zahreddine previously told the American Embassy that Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden’s supporters intended to blow up the embassy. It turned out to be a false warning.

Hammoud holds talks with European representative
A new European Commission official responsible for the Mediterranean discussed this month’s signing of the Euro-Med partnership with Foreign Minister Mahmoud Hammoud on Monday.
Christian Leffler is the new director for the Mediterranean at the Directorate-General at the European Commission.
Discussion focused on bilateral relations and plans to sign a Euro-Med partnership agreement with Lebanon in Luxembourg on June 17.
“I have stressed the importance of such an accord in strengthening our bilateral cooperation,” Leffler told reporters after the meeting.
He said he was in the country to “conduct economic dialogue” with the government prior to signing the partnership accord, which he said was vital for the accord.
EU Ambassador Patrick Renauld also attended the talks. The European envoy later met with Prime Minister Rafik Hariri for a discussion of the Euro-Med partnership agreement.

CDR reaches settlement on power plants
The Council for Development and Reconstruction has reached a settlement with Ansaldo-Siemens concerning the completion of the Zahrani and Tripoli power plants, which was suspended due to a disagreement with the government, according to a CDR statement issued Monday.
The statement explained that CDR and Ansaldo-Siemens representatives signed a deal on May 31 stipulating that Ansaldo will operate the Zahrani and Beddawi plants according to its contract with the CDR.
Last year, the government suspended payments to Ansaldo, the Italian firm that built both plants, claiming the company had failed to complete certain parts of the work.
The statement said the settlement would reflect positively on the public in that it would result in the generation of 375 additional megawatts on the network available within three months.
It added that the settlement has contributed in increasing power by 20 percent, which will “significantly” reduce the need to implement
power rationing.

Bekaa Water Authority owes LL30 billion to creditors
The chairman of the board of directors at the Bekaa Water Authority says the company ows LL30 billion to its creditors.
Speaking to reporters following talks with President Emile Lahoud at Baabda Palace, Haikal Rai said unpaid water bills to the company added up to LL33 billion.
Rai, who was accompanied by board members Khalil Darido, Ghassan Jarrah, Yehia Khamis, Hassan Joboq, Tony Maalouf and Issam Abu Naoum, explained that the Bekaa Water Authority and its subsidiaries provided water to over 230 Bekaa towns and villages.
This figure represents more than 43 percent of the area’s drinking water, drainage and sewage network, he said.
Lahoud reportedly told the group to “work hard” to provide basic water needs.
The president also conferred with the chairman of the Litani Water Authority’s board of directors, Nasser Nasrallah, where the two discussed similar water problems.

MP threatens to release names of airport ‘gangs’
Baabda MP Bassem Sabaa warned Monday that “administrative gangs” were active at Beirut International Airport, and he threatened to release their names if the government did not crack down.
Sabaa said that the gangs, active at the airport and its “new institutions,” were using state administrations as a cover and were “punishing” low-income workers and state employees to the benefit of “some influential people.”
Sabaa urged “the office of the prime minister and all concerned public administrations to fight these gangs and prevent them from continuing these practices.” If not, he promised that the gang members’ names would
be revealed.

Environment Ministry to look into matter of dead fish
Environment Minister Michel Musa has dispatched a ministry expert to investigate the discovery of a number of dead fish floating in the Litani River near Jub Jennin in the Western Bekaa, a ministry statement said Monday.
Hanna Bou Habib, the ministry’s adviser on protection against technological side-effects and risks of nature, is to examine possible contamination and draft a report on the situation.
The ministry said Musa had informed the environmental public prosecutor in the Bekaa, Samih Hajj, of the situation and “they both agreed to follow up on the issue pending further investigation.”
On Tuesday, an environment-oriented festival, entitled I Am an Environmentalist, will take place at UNESCO Palace under Musa’s patronage.

Parliamentary delegation returns from Iraq
A parliamentary delegation headed by Metn MP Antoine Haddad returned to Beirut on Monday after a five-day visit to Iraq, where it provided support to the Iraqis against the “American-Zionist conspiracy.”
The visit came soon after Parliament concluded several recent trade agreements with Iraq.
Iraqi Deputy Premier Tareq Aziz met with the delegation, which represented various Lebanese areas. Aziz said bilateral relations were progressing, and he expressed hope that a bilateral oil agreement would be finalized soon between the two countries. The deal would boost Lebanese exports to as much as $400 million.
Iraqi Finance Minister Hikmat al-Azawi said economics was a “weapon” that the United States was resorting to as a means of imposing its “colonial conspiracies.”
Members of the delegation called for a united Arab stand, adding that pressure suffered by Lebanon, Iraq and several other countries resulted from their refusal to submit to the “American-Israeli hegemony.”

Three killed in weekend traffic accidents
The Interior Ministry’s Traffic Emergency Committee announced in a statement on Monday that speed and reckless driving were mainly responsible for the deaths of three people and injuries to 19 others in weekend road accidents.
According to the committee, Hussein Ghoul, 17, and Mohammed Lazziq, 19, were killed when their car hit a wall, collided with another car and then hit a couple and their eight-month-old son on the main road in the Nabatieh town of Ansar.
The three pedestrians were injured, said the statement.
Meanwhile, Hassan Miqdad was killed in Jbeil when his motorcycle collided with a mini-van, the statement added.
Other accidents were recorded across the country including ones in Dbayeh, Zahle, Nabatieh, Ouzai, Khaldeh, Sidon, Tyre, Aley and Dweir.

Employees of closed newspaper still seeking redress
The Follow-up Committee for employees at the now-defunct Nida al-Watan newspaper urged Information Minister Ghazi Aridi and Press Federation president Mohammed Baalbaki not to sell or lease the licenses of Nida al-Watan and Appel until the two newspapers settle their dues.
According to a statement issued Monday, more than 35 cases have been filed by reporters, editors, photographers and other employees at Nida al-Watan, demanding the payment of salaries due in 1999. The employees are represented by chairman of the board, Henry Sfeir.
The statement said the administration had not settled the payments despite multiple promises and judicial decisions in the employees’ favor two years ago by several arbitrative labor councils.
The employees asked Aridi and Baalbaki to seize the two newspapers’ licenses to guarantee their rights. Nida al-Watan has not published an issue since Dec. 5, 2000, due to financial problems, the statement said.
The license for Appel is also owned by Sfeir.

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