Archive for December, 2009
Khamenei started a smearing campaign against Montazeri
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamanei said that Grand Ayatollah Hossein Ali Montazeri, should have remained quiet about the 1988 massacres of dissidents, and that his standing up for human rights was a sign of human frailty and overpowering ego, which had the potential to undermine the Islamic Republic. Cult-like ideologies always attempt to silence dissidents and to paint dissidence as pure individual selfishness that leads to public turmoil.
In a related development Al-Arabiya TV has reported that the Iranian authorities tred to force Montazeri’s family out of their house to confiscate it . The Atlantic
German ships rescued 26 from sinking ship off North Lebanon
The German embassy in Beirut has released a statement in which it stated that German ships ‘Laboe’ and ‘Mosel’ did engage in the search and rescue operations of the sinking Panamanian Ship Danny II , in collaboration with the Lebanese Navy. The statement revealed that the ships were able to rescue 26 and recover 9 bodies .
The German embassy reiterated its support for Lebanon sovereignty and independence
S&P upgrades Lebanon credit rating
Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services raised Lebanon’s sovereign-credit ratings and gave them a positive outlook because of banking resilience and the expectation of political stability in the medium term.
Over three years of political flux, Lebanon’s public finances and especially its banking system remained resilient, according to S&P. In addition, the new party consensus improves the likelihood of achieving reforms recommended by the International Monetary Fund and the Paris III conference on rebuilding the country. These reforms could lower fiscal deficits, cut government debt-to- gross-domestic-product levels and reduce Lebanon’s liabilities.
The agency Tuesday said it expects, conservatively, that the central government fiscal deficit could fall to 6.3% of GDP in 2012 from 9.9% in 2008.
S&P raised its long- and short-term sovereign-credit ratings on the Republic of Lebanon one notch to B. Further ratings action will depend on how much success the new government has in increasing fiscal stability. The rating would face downward pressure should civil unrest break out or the government falters in its pursuit of the Paris III reforms. WSJ
PSP to invite Phalange,Tashnag to a conference on Palestinian rights
Central News Agency ( CNA) has reported that the Progressive Socialist Party delegation will visit tomorrow the Phalange and Tashnag parties to invite them to a conference that will be held by PSP in the middle of January about the Palestinian rights
Barak: We want to bring Shalit home but not at any price
Israel’s defense minister today said his government was doing its utmost to win the release of Gilad Shalit, a soldier held captive for three years, but stressed it would not pay any price.
Ehud Barak made his remarks after Israel conveyed its response on a prisoner swap proposal to Islamist group Hamas through a German mediator.
“We are intensively formulating the correct way to promote the Shalit topic,” said Barak in a speech to high-school students in the city of Rishon LeZion. “This is a sensitive time and it would be wrong to expound upon the topic, but we, as those who sent Gilad, feel a responsibility … to make every feasible and worthy move to bring Gilad home, though not at any price.” Guardian.UK
Iran: Border incident with Iraq over oil well a ‘misunderstanding’
Iran on Tuesday described a border incident with Iraq, which caused oil prices to rise late last week, as a “misunderstanding” and called for experts from both countries to look into border demarcation issues.
The statement came two days after Iraqi officials said Iranian troops had withdrawn partially from a disputed oil area claimed by both Tehran and Baghdad, possibly defusing a border feud straining the two neighbours’ ties.
“Our stance has been crystal clear … it was a misunderstanding,” Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast told a news conference . Reuters
US warns Iran to take seriously the deadline over nuclear fuel
The White House is warning Iran’s leader to take seriously a year-end deadline over its nuclear program, responding sternly to defiant language by the Iranian president.
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Tuesday dismissed a looming deadline from the Obama administration and its allies for Tehran to accept a U.N.-drafted deal to swap enriched uranium for nuclear fuel. President Barack Obama wants Iran to respond to an offer of dialogue and show it will allay fears of weapons development.
Otherwise, Washington and its allies are warning of new, tougher sanctions on Iran.
White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said Ahmadinejad may not recognize the deadline but “it is a very real deadline for the international community.” AP
Human Rights groups: The international community has failed Gaza
The international community has betrayed the people of Gaza by failing to end an Israeli blockade to allow the territory to be rebuilt, a group of 16 rights groups said in a report on Tuesday. Reuters
Geagea: The ball now is in Syria’s court
Commenting on Prime Minister Saad Hariri ’s visit to Syria, Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea told radio Algeria the PM’s decision was a “difficult” one
He said the ball is now in Syria’s court “given that the Lebanese side has shown significant positivity.”
Geagea said it was time for Syria to address pending issues particularly that of missing Lebanese in Syrian jails, Palestinian arms outside Lebanon refugee camps and border demarcation.
He said Syria’s approval to start demarcation from the northern border and not from Shebaa Farms was not an “encouraging sign.”
Bassil: $150 million in annual electricity bills are not paid
Lebanon’s Energy Minister Gebran Bassil said following a meeting with Electricité Du Liban’s ( EDL) General Manager Kamal al-Hayek that $150 million worth of electricity bills are not paid per year and added that collection is a “priority.”
The minister added that all the Lebanese should pay their electric bills, regardless of their region. He also called for subsidizing fuel for the poor.
According to EDL sources, electricity bill collectors are afraid of going to Hezbollah and Amal neighborhoods for security reasons. Several collectors have been either killed or attacked whenever they tried to collect electric bills. These sources are saying that since the current FPM minister is allied with Hezbollah he should be able to put pressure on the group to pay their electricity bills
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