Archive for December, 2009
Hezbollah foiled attacks caused the Israel-Lebanon border tension-report
The series of attacks on Israeli targets in Turkey planned by Hezbollah, as reported in the Turkish media, which was foiled by Turkish security forces two months ago, is likely to have caused the tension between Israel and Hezbollah along the Lebanon border this past summer and fall, Israeli newspaper Haaretz has reported
“So far, there have been reports of at least six foiled attacks by the organization against Israeli targets overseas, as retaliation for the killing of senior Hezbollah leader Imad Mughniyeh in Damascus in February 2008, which the group attributes to Israel. It’s possible that the actual number of attempts that have been prevented is at least twice that number – if not more,” Haaretz reported Sunday. Source: Haaretz
Taiwan rocked by strong earthquake
A strong earthquake has struck parts of Taiwan, rattling buildings in the capital, Taipei, although there are no initial reports of serious casualties.
The earthquake was measured at a magnitude of 6.4 by the US Geological Survey.
It was centered off the east coast of Taiwan, about 25km (12 miles) south-east of Hualien, at a depth of 45km.
Taiwan is regularly hit by minor tremors although an earthquake in 1999 killed almost 2,500 people. BBC
Jumblatt refused to comment on Hariri’s visit to Syria
PSP leader MP Walid Jumblatt refused to comment on Lebanese PM Saad Hariri’s visit to Syria and prefers to wait until the results of trials of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon ( STL) . He said in the end he will be able to go to Syria with all the files the ” harmonious and controversial”. “The issue of the assassinations starting with the attempted assassination of Marwan Hamadah , to the assassination of ( Lebanon former PM ) Rafik Hariri are still in the hands of the STL and we are all waiting for the outcome of the Court, and we can not get ahead of ourselves on the court” he told reporters during a visit to Iqleem al Kharoub
Iraq, Iran standoff over an oil well ended peacefully
A standoff between Iraq and Iran over a remote oil well ended peacefully Sunday as Iranian forces pulled back from the disputed site.
In Iraq’s southern Maysan province, Iraqi soldiers escorted about a dozen oil workers back to well No. 4 on the al-Fakkah oil field after Iranian forces withdrew overnight. Iraqi soldiers planted the Iraqi flag on the well where Iran’s flag had flown during the dispute that began last Thursday.
“The problem is solved now,” Abdul-Karim Elaibi, Iraq’s senior deputy oil minister, told The Associated Press. Diplomatic talks over the disputed border were continuing, he said.
In Tehran, the office of Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said he and his Iraqi counterpart, Hoshyar Zebari, discussed the case in a phone conversation late Saturday.
Mottaki said Iran was committed to talks with Iraq through a joint border committee and accused foreign media of trying to undermine ties between the two countries. AP
Iran mourns the death of Ayatollah Hoseyn Ali Montazeri
Crowds of mourners are gathering in the Iranian city of Qom following the death of leading reformist cleric Grand Ayatollah Hoseyn Ali Montazeri at 87.
Some pro-reform websites say thousands of people are traveling to the city ahead of Monday’s funeral.
Other unverified reports say opposition supporters are also gathering in some squares in Tehran, fueling government concern of increased political tension.
Iran faced serious unrest after its disputed presidential election in June.
Grand Ayatollah Montazeri, one of Shia Islam’s most respected figures and once tapped to become Iran’s undisputed number one was a leading critic of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who said last August that the turmoil following the election “could lead to the fall of the regime”. Source: BBC
Sfeir: Lebanese should welcome Christmas with peace of mind
During his Sunday sermon in Bkirki, Lebanon’s Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Sfeir thanked God for the calm in the country and hoped the holiday season would bring peace of mind to all the Lebanese.
He said that the Lebanese should welcome Christmas with an atmosphere of faith, spiritual happiness and peace of mind.
Hariri, Assad held another round of talks over breakfast
PM Saad Hariri and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad started a third round of talks over breakfast Sunday morning in Damascus, according to a statement issued the PM’s media office.
The talks are reportedly tackling issues like border demarcation, Lebanese people who have gone missing in years past, and ways of establishing an official relationship between the institutions of the two countries .
Hariri: We want excellent relations with Syria, based on honesty
Following the end of the talks Lebanon’s Prime Minister Saad Hariri headed to the Lebanese embassy in Damascus where he said during a press conference : There should be stronger economic and trade relations between the two countries and improved ties between state institutions.” We want excellent relations with Syria … based on honesty”, Hariri added
Hariri told reporters that president Bashar al Assad was keen on having honest ties between the two countries. “All talks focused on what is in the best interest of the two countries and their peoples.” Hariri said
Hariri & Assad end talks, agree on new phase in ties
Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri ended Sunday a second round of talks with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad hoping that a new stage will be opened to improve relations between the two countries.
Iranian troops leave the oil well but are still in Iraq
Iranian troops who for three days occupied a disputed border oil well left the facility during the night but remain on Iraqi soil, Iraq’s government spokesman said Sunday.
“The Iranian forces have pulled back 50 meters ( 164 FT) from the well and have taken their flag but we now demand they return to where they have come from and that negotiations begin on the demarcation of the border,” said government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh. AFP
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