Archive for December 11th, 2009
Clinton: More pressure is needed against Iran over its nuclear program
During an interview with Al Jazeera, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Iran’s leadership has taken actions that show little sign it will respond to President Barack Obama’s efforts to engage them diplomatically.
“It’s not confidence building, let us say,” Clinton said of the recent actions.
“And I think the international community really still wants to engage with Iran, but people are going to now turn to other routes like more pressure, like sanctions to try to change their mind and their behavior,” she said.
Clinton said the world community will now turn toward using “more pressure, like sanctions” against Iran to halt its nuclear program.
Aoun: Those who criticize FPM and threaten to resign are not FPMers
Free Patriotic Movement MP Michel Aoun said during his address to Antonine University student “When you hear some people are criticizing FPM in newspapers and threatening to resign, those are not FPMers, because in FPM there is no oath of allegiance but a belief, and those who lose the belief should leave FPM.”
Former Deputy Prime Minister and Aoun’s deputy Maj. Gen. Issam Abu Jamra accused Aoun of violating FPM’s rules of procedure by nominating two ministers from outside the Free Patriotic Movement, stressing that the rules of procedure were put forth by Aoun himself to prohibit that.
In an interview with Lebanon’s Al-Afkar weekly magazine, Abu Jamra said he conducted a “frankness” meeting with Aoun, but stressed that “the ball now is in Rabiyeh’s court.”
He reiterated his demand to hold a meeting for the founding committee of the FPM to discuss a vote of no confidence in appointing two ministers from outside the party.
Suleiman presented Siniora with the Lebanese Order of Merit
President Michel Suleiman presented former Prime Minister Fouad Siniora the Lebanese Order of Merit the grade of Grand Cordon which is the highest award in Lebanon , at the Baabda presidential Palace on Friday
Siniora held the position of prime minister from 19 July 2005 to May 25, 2008 the date of the election of Suleiman as the new President of Lebanon; he was renominated to the post on 28 May 2008 and held the post as Acting President between those dates. He stepped down on 9 November 2009 in favor of Saad Hariri, the late Rafiq Hariri’s son. He currently serves as a member of Parliament from Saida.
UN: Thousands fled Iran since June election
The United Nations says more than 4,200 Iranians world-wide have sought refugee status since Iran’s controversial June presidential vote and bloody street violence.
After sometimes spending weeks hiding in and hopping between safe houses, Iranians have turned up in countries as far away as Australia, Canada and Sweden. They typically seek refugee status.
“What good can a lawyer do in Iran if she is in jail?” says Nikahang Kousar, an Iranian political cartoonist in Toronto who formed an “underground railroad” of sorts to advise and assist other Iranians trying to leave Iran. Source: WSJ
EU’s aid pledge to developing countries called ‘ inadequate’
EU leaders ended a summit in Brussels having agreed to pay 7.2bn euros ( $10.6bn) over three years to help poorer nations cope with climate change. The EU pledge is part of a global “fast start” package being debated at the UN Copenhagen summit.
Developing countries and aid agencies have derided the latest pledges to tackle global warming.
The leaders of poorer nations described the sum as ‘inadequate’.
Bruno Tseliso Sekoli, chairman of the Least Developed Countries (LDC) bloc, told the BBC that the EU pledge “cannot be enough for the purpose of meeting the requirements of the LDCs”.
Dessima Williams, chairwoman of the Alliance of Small Island States (Aosis), said
“We just had a (Commonwealth) meeting in Trinidad where the figure of $10bn per year was put on the table and that was woefully inadequate,” she said. Source: BBC
Shell wins bid for Majnoon oil field in southern Iraq
Iraq’s government held a public auction Friday during which it sold development rights to two of its largest untapped oil fields to fund the growing costs of security and reconstruction.
A partnership of Royal Dutch Shell and Petronas, a state-owned Malaysian company, won the largest field put out for bid, Majnoon, in southern Iraq, which contains an estimated 12.6 billion barrels of recoverable oil.
The second field, Halfiya, also in southern Iraq, was won by a consortium led by China National Petroleum Company that included Petronas and Total of France. The field is believed to have about 4.1 billion barrels of recoverable oil.
Many have accused the US of invading Iraq for its oil , but no US oil company was awarded any contract today . Source: NYT
Lebanon PM left for Saudi Arabia on official visit
Following his meeting with president Michel Suleiman at the Baabda palace Prime Minister Saad Hariri left to Saudi Arabia in an official visit for talks with top Saudi officials. Hariri did not make any statement after leaving Baabda Palace.
According to reports circulating in Beirut Saudi Arabia is paving the way for Hariri’s visit to Damascus.
Aoun will visit Saudi Arabia soon
FPM sources have confirmed to the Central News Agency what a Kuwait newspaper has published on Friday and that is Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun is preparing for a visit to Saudi Arabia
No specific date has been set for the visit as of yet according to NNA
Aoun who visited Syria last Wednesday has been very critical of Saudi Arabia , before its rapprochement with Syria
“Damascus played a pivotal role in convincing Saudi Arabia to host Aoun,” FPM sources said, highlighting that Aoun must have discussed with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad the issue during his visit to Damascus
Aoun has been critical of the March 14 majority for siding with Saudi Arabia , the country that he blames for the Taef accord which he opposed
In October last year during a rally marking the Syrian-led military offensive that ousted him from power on Oct. 13, 1990 he said
“The Syrians withdrew, but dependence on Americans and Saudis continued,” .
Aoun added : “Taef Accord put Lebanon in a Syrian-Saudi condominium. In reference to the agreement reached in Saudi Arabia in 1990 to end the civil war in Lebanon
EU pledges $3.6 billion in aid for developing countries to cope with climate change
European Union is earmarking nearly $3.6 billion yearly in short-term aid for developing countries to adapt to climate change. At a summit in Brussels, EU leaders also agreed to cut their carbon emissions by 30 percent – if other developed countries followed suite. Source: VOA
Baroud: Municipal elections in May 2010 as planned
Following his meeting with Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Sfeir in Bkirki, Lebanon’s Interior Minister Ziad Baroud said the “the ministry is working as if the municipal election will take place as planned on May 2010,” adding that “postponing requires decisions by the parliament or the government.”
Baroud stressed the importance of implementation of Decentralization in the Administration
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