Aoun sees regional shakeup enabling his return
Exiled former army chief Michel Aoun said Thursday that circumstances expected to soon develop in the region would favor his return from exile in Paris.
Speaking in an interview with the local French-language weekly Magazine, Aoun asserted that a solution or the beginning of a solution to the Arab-Israeli conflict “would help” his return to Lebanon.
In an indirect reference to the looming US attack on Iraq he said: “These events do not hinge on me, but I am convinced that they are imminent. Their outcome would favor my return.”
However, he objected to suggestions that recent developments in the region would reignite the Lebanese civil war.
“I don’t see why. The war is not over,” he argued. “It continued after I left the country in 1991. The peace process has led nowhere. The most deadly attacks have taken place in the 10 years that followed 1990.”

Jumblatt urges country to bank on Taif Accord
Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblatt affirmed on Thursday the need to continue abiding by the Taif Accord, saying that any reforms should be made through constitutional institutions.
He made the remarks to reporters following a visit to Tripoli MP Jean Obeid at his office in Sin al-Fil.
The PSP leader said his contacts with various politicians were designed to group together the largest number of “national, moderate forces,” irrespective of their confessions, with the aim of “continuing to adhere” to the Taif Accord.
He added that anyone who constituted a danger to national unity should be barred from diplomatic activity and called on President Emile Lahoud or any future president to pursue a national consensus and continued dialogue.

Aoude laments growing emigration 
The Beirut Orthodox community held a ceremony Tuesday for graduates of the Beirut Annunciation Orthodox College.
The graduation ceremony was held under the sponsorship of Beirut’s Orthodox bishop, Elias Aoude.
In his address to the students, Aoude lamented the rising number of young people leaving the country in search of  better opportunities.
“We are concerned about the number of emigrants, bearing in mind that the homeland does not stand except on their shoulders,” Aoude said.
He added that high emigration meant the natural links between young people and their homeland were being severed. He told students that the homeland was given to them so that they might develop within it and work with their fellow citizens.
Another speaker at the graduation ceremony was chairman of the Annunciation College’s Board of Trustees Jack Sarraf, who congratulated graduating students and expressed his gratitude to Aoude for sponsoring the ceremony.

Baabda Palace reaches out to diaspora
President Emile Lahoud stressed the importance of Lebanese living in the diaspora on Thursday, saying that efforts by those living abroad to aid the country were being “followed up on and appreciated.”
A presidential press release quoted Lahoud as telling Baabda Palace visitors that the “strength and unity” of emigrants constituted one of the sources of Lebanon’s power. He also urged all Lebanese to benefit by past experiences and to avoid mistakes that he said had served to weaken Lebanon in the past.
Lebanon’s success in regaining stability along with its former regional and international roles was a “large achievement that must not be lost and no one should be permitted to turn the clock backward,” the president said.

Beirut unhappy at being left out of regional coordination
A ministerial source expressed dissatisfaction on Thursday at the exclusion of Lebanon from intensive contacts under way by Egypt, Jordan and Saudi Arabia to draft a moderate statement by the Arab Peace Initiative and Follow-up committees.
The source was referring to meetings due to be held by the committees in Cairo on Friday, during which discussions are expected to touch on US President George W. Bush’s speech last month outlining his ideas on solving the Arab-Israeli conflict.
Arab reaction to the speech has varied, with some countries seeing in it positive points requiring mechanisms and a timetable for implementation. Other, such as Lebanon, have rejected the speech.
The source insisted that Lebanon had a significant role to play in resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, given its own struggle to liberate its land from Israeli occupation and the fate of the 375,000 Palestinian refugees it has hosted since 1948.

Business leader meets Lahoud on recovery plans
Adnan Qassar, the president of the Federation of Chambers of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture, held talks with President Emile Lahoud Thursday on a working paper prepared by economic associations to alleviate the country’s financial difficulties.
Qassar said afterward that Lahoud supplied him with directives ahead of discussions by private-sector representatives on proposals contained in the paper, especially a meeting with Premier Rafik Hariri tentatively set for next week.
“The paper marks the beginning of moves designed to pave the way toward ending the current economic crisis,” Qassar said.

Mrad says full education rights require more funding
Education Minister Abdel-Rahim Mrad said Thursday that compulsory education was “nearly impossible” to achieve given the current economic situation.
Mrad was speaking during a seminar held by the Parliament’s Education Committee to discuss basic education in cooperation with the United Nations Development Program.
The minister said every Lebanese aged between six and 15 years old has the right to free education but added that compulsory education required a larger number of schools, more equipment and proper funding.
He stressed the importance of not “repeating last year’s mistake and exempting students from the payment of registration fees,” describing the decision as “the biggest crime against public schools.”

Delegation asks president to lay cornerstone in Jeddah
A visiting delegation representing the Lebanese Business Council in Jeddah invited President Emile Lahoud on Thursday to lay the cornerstone for the country’s consulate-general in the Saudi port city at the end of the year.
Samir Kreidieh, a member of the council and head of the Lebanese community in Jeddah, made the announcement after calling Lahoud and the Foreign Ministry’s director-general, Mohammed Issa.
He said the total cost of the project stood at some $3.2 million and would be met by the council.
“The Lebanese community in Saudi Arabia is strongly united and its position is excellent,” Kreidieh added.
A presidential statement said Lahoud paid tribute to the role played by the council in Jeddah, expressing appreciation for its activities on the social, economic and educational levels, and aid provided to members of the Lebanese community in the kingdom. The delegation is due to brief Prime Minister Rafik Hariri on the Jeddah project on Friday.

Visiting Baghdad bishop discusses crisis with Sfeir
The “deteriorating situation” in Iraq topped discussions on Thursday between the visiting Roman Catholic bishop of Baghdad, Jean Suleiman, and the Maronite patriarch, Cardinal Nasrallah Butros Sfeir.
Addressing reporters after the meeting, Suleiman, who was accompanied by Makhoul Farha, father superior of the Carmelite Order, stressed that the situation in Iraq was “still very bad and complicated,” contributing to the “suffering Iraqi people.”
He added that they discussed the issue of unifying Eastern churches and coordinating their efforts  in order to face “current threats against Iraq and the region.”

A TMA Boeing-707 will leave Beirut for Tehran on Friday with 40 tons of relief aid donated by the Hariri Foundation to victims of the earthquake which struck northwestern Iran last month.
The aid, which was provided on the orders of Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, included 20 power generators, 1,000 boxes of plasma, 500 boxes of disinfectants and blankets.
The earthquake, which registered 6.3 degrees on the Richter scale, struck an area 225 kilometers west of Tehran on June 22.
A United Nations mission in Tehran estimated at the time that 245 people were killed and some 1,000 others injured as a result of the earthquake, which destroyed 40 villages.

Hizbullah’s broadcasting arms garner awards
Hizbullah’s radio and television stations fared well at the eighth Cairo Television and Radio Festival, earning the highest number of awards among over 1,000 competing television and radio programs.
Held this week under the theme of Palestinian Steadfastness, the festival committee granted 13 awards to the Lebanese Media Group, comprised of Al-Manar Television and Al-Nour Radio.
Al-Manar received four awards (two gold and two silver), and Al-Nour earned nine (six gold and three silver).

Czech delegation touts potential for rebuilt railroad
A Czech firm submitted a study on the economic benefits of rehabilitating a railway linking Tripoli and Jounieh to Public Works and Transport Minister Najib Mikati on Wednesday.
The project was examined during a meeting held between Mikati and a delegation from the Czech Transport Ministry and the SODOB company headed by the Czech Ambassador Eva Filipi. The delegation discussed the possibilities of rehabilitating the existing railway and operating it in cooperation with the private sector.
The study presents a view of Lebanon’s future railway system, particularly on the coastal road between Tripoli and Jounieh.
Following the meeting, Filipi said she would make the necessary contacts with the Czech authorities to discuss possible financing based on a build-operate-transfer agreement.

Fares Foundation lends hand to Dinnieh
Fares Foundation director Paul Salem on Thursday launched the Issam Fares Cultural Foundation in Dinnieh in cooperation with the Culture Ministry and the Dinnieh municipality.
During the ceremony, Dinnieh Mayor Samir Hoshar thanked Deputy Premier Issam Fares for the aid to be provided through the foundation, as well as for the cultural and scientific support it would give the town’s young people.
Speaking on behalf of Fares, Salem praised the municipality’s efforts to establish the center and to activate local sustainable development through the project. He emphasized government neglect of the municipality and called for a development plan preparing the town to face various social and economic challenges.
Construction and renovation work on the existing building, which occupies 250 square meters, are expected to be completed within two months. The center will include a conference hall and a library which in addition to books will also be equipped with computers and audio-visual equipment.

Water workers call on state to respect their rights
South Lebanon Water Authorities Workers and Employees Union president Qassem Ghebris urged the government on Thursday to grant water authorities employees legal rights enjoyed by other civil servants.
In a statement, Ghebris urged the government to implement laws stipulating that it provide transport allowances for permanent and temporary water authorities workers.
Ghebris added that a 1975 decree stipulated that any wage worker become a permanent worker after accumulating 540 working days during three consecutive years.  Most employees in the water authorities, he said, had worked there for more than 10 consecutive years and should therefore be granted tenure.
The statement also urged the government to implement the laws regulating official structure and work conditions for all public authorities, including the water authorities. The union said that a general assembly would be held Monday at 10am at the office of Nabaa al-Taseh Water Authority to adopt necessary measures to preserve the workers’ rights.

CDR maps out plans for new and existing roads
The Council for Development and Reconstruction announced plans Wednesday to build new roads and rehabilitate existing ones in the qada of Batroun in the North.
The project calls for building and widening the Dahel-Tannourine Tahta road, as well as for widening the existing road from Jabla to Bassatin Ossei and providing for all relevant safety requirements.
In addition, the CDR plans to build a new road between Kfar Halda and Beit Shlala, bypassing the dangerous turns along the existing road linking the two villages.  Another part of the project includes rehabilitating the existing road linking Beit Shlala and Tannourine Tahta.
The CDR pointed out that although the project should have been launched by now, there had been delays due to inadequate expropriations.
The CDR denied that a water pipe going to Batroun had been severed by the roadwork associated with this project, adding that the pipe in question was 200 meters deeper than the level of the work.

Beydoun announces increases in fuel prices
Energy and Water Minister Mohammed Abdel-Hamid Beydoun on Thursday announced a LL200 increase in the price of a 20-liter tank of 90 octane unleaded gasoline and a LL100 increase in the price of a 20-liter tank of 95 octane unleaded gasoline.
According to a ministry statement, a tank of 90 octane unleaded gasoline will now cost LL19,400, while the price of 95 octane unleaded will stand at LL19,500.
The statement added that the price of a kiloliter of fuel oil also increased, by $1, to $171.
The prices of 20 liters of 98 octane leaded gasoline, kerosene and diesel remained unchanged at LL21,500, LL7,700 and LL7,100, respectively.
Also unchanged in price is a 10-kilogram canister of butane sold at LL9,500, the statement said.

Navy makes 5 arrests in sting against cigarette smugglers
The Lebanese Navy has thwarted an attempt to smuggle a large cargo of contraband cigarettes into the country off the coast of Mina in the North, according to a statement issued Thursday by the Army Command.
According to the statement, a naval patrol intercepted two boats late on Wednesday, working on information provided by the army’s intelligence directorate.
The naval personnel seized more than 800 large boxes of cigarettes and arrested five people, and investigations into the incident were under way, the statement said.

Jbeil doctor makes breakthrough in Parkinson’s treatment
A Lebanese doctor has introduced a new technique in the treatment of Parkinson’s disease through surgery that has been recognized by the US patent office.
Doctor Paul Wadih Bejjani, who heads the Parkinson’s Disease and Involuntary Movement Center at the Saydet Maounat Hospital in Jbeil, succeeded in registering four patents for the method through the US Patent and Trademark Office on Feb. 21.
The procedure involves the use of “deep brain stimulation,” which electrically stimulates brain cells, reducing the duration of the surgery and minimizing the risk to patients.
The invention is the product of scientific research conducted by Bejjani over the past two and a half years in Lebanon.

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