Geagea: No to lowering voting age unless expats are allowed to vote

Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea reiterated what his party MP George Adwan told earlier VOL and that is his party will not support lowering the voting age from 21 to 18 unless the expatriates are given their right to vote abroad.
Speaker Nabih Berri called for a parliament session on Monday for voting on lowering the voting age to 18 from 21

LF links lowering voting age to voting by expatriates

In an interview with Voice of Lebanon Radio, Lebanese Forces’ MP George Adwan commented on the issue of lowering voting age by saying: “There is a parliamentary session Monday and we will participate and voice our opinion on lowering the voting age to 18 years which is related to enabling the expatriates of voting; and the two subjects are reciprocally connected.”
In response to French FM Bernard Kouchner’s comments about Hezbollah and its arms , he said: We have never said that we will throw these arms in the sea. We want these arms to be handed over to the legitimate authority to strengthen the state and allow the Lebanese government to make war and peace decisions

Commenting about the cabinet Adwan said : “This is not a national unity government, but rather a government of minimum consensus. We believe that stability in Lebanon provides the national interest we are seeking as Lebanese Forces.”

PFLP-GC denied conducting any drills in Qousaya

The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine-General Command ( PFLP-GC) have reportedly been conducting drills with medium-range weapons and missiles on Saturday at their base in Qousaya in Bekaa, near the Lebanese Syrian borders

Security source have reportedly heard echoes of artillery, rockets, and anti-aircraft guns in the area, but PFLP-GC official Ramez Mustafa denied conducting any military exercises during an interview with New TV.

PFLP-GC like all the armed militant Palestinian factions operating outside the Refugee camps are backed and supplied by Syria

Fatah al-Intifada , another ally of Syria outraged the Lebanese last week when its leader Abou Moussa declared that he refuses to disarm.

UN envoy to meet Israeli DFM Sunday

Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon is scheduled to meet Sunday morning with the United Nations Special Coordinator for Lebanon, Michael Williams. The discussion will focus on the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which ended the 2006 War, as well as Israel’s planned pullout from the northern half of the village of Ghajar, which straddles the Lebanon- Israel border.

Clinton’s warning to Iran prompts Syria, Hezbollah to go on high alert

Tensions were heightened after the press conference of Secretary of State Hilary Clinton when, on Friday, the A-Sharq al-Awsat daily paper reported that Syria and Hezbollah had gone on high alert in anticipation of an Israeli attack on Lebanon. The London-based newspaper said that Hezbollah has been alarmed by recent IDF reinforcements to the Israel – Lebanon border, and quoted Hezbollah deputy general secretary Naeem Kassem as saying that the group’s armed wing had prepared plans to retaliate. Syria has begun to mobilize reserve troops, including nationals residing in Lebanon.
According to analysts , Clinton hinted in the press conference that the US has enough international support to act against the Iranian nuclear facilities just like it did in 1991 ( Gulf War) against Saddam Hussein following his occupation of Kuwait.
She said that Iran had a ‘clear choice’ between isolation and ‘living up to its international obligations’ and added ‘it is important to send [the] message to the Iranian leadership, that the world will act, and the world will act together.’
French FM Bernard Kouchner said Thursday during his meeting with Lebanese P Saad Hariri “: If there was a threat to Lebanon, it will only come from a military adventure carried out by Hezbollah in the best interest of Iran”

IFC buys 8% of Lebanon’s Byblos Bank

The World Bank’s private sector arm has bought an 8 percent stake in Lebanon’s Byblos Bank for $100 million, the Lebanese bank said Friday.
The International Finance Corporation (IFC) bought more than 47.6 million shares at a price of $2.10 per share, Byblos Bank said.
Byblos is Lebanon’s third-largest bank by assets and deposits. At the end September, Byblos Bank said its assets stood at $13 billion and customer deposits at $9.8 billion.
Lebanon’s Central Bank approved the sale Thursday. The closing of the sale is expected to take place before June 30, Bank Byblos said. BW

15 Haiti children have vanished from hospitals

Thousands of children unaccounted for since Haiti’s earthquake are at risk of falling prey to child traffickers, aid agencies have warned, as fears were raised over at least 15 children who have vanished from hospitals within the past few days. Timesonline

Palestinians blame Israeli settlements for deadlock

The United States envoy George J. Mitchell told Palestinian leaders on Friday that they had to resume talks with Israel if they wanted American help to achieve a peace treaty that would end Israeli occupation and create a Palestinian state, said the chief Palestinian negotiator, Saeb Erekat. “We do not share a common point of view on this issue,” said Mr. Erekat, left, blaming the Israeli government’s refusal to freeze Jewish settlements around Jerusalem for the deadlock. “We want the resumption of negotiations. We are not obstructing negotiations.” Mr. Mitchell left the meeting without comment. NYT

Nigeria cabinet given an ultimatum on ailing president

A federal court in Nigeria on Friday issued a 14-day ultimatum to the country’s Cabinet to decide whether ailing President Umaru Yar’Adua is fit enough to lead the African nation.

In an effort to end the country’s leadership crisis triggered by the hospitalization of Yar’Adua in Saudi Arabia for treating a heart condition two months ago, the Federal High Court ordered the Cabinet on Friday to pass a resolution on the state of health of the ailing president within 14 days. RTT

Russia’s FM: A new nuclear arms deal soon with US

Russia’s foreign minister said on Friday he expected an agreement would be reached soon on a landmark nuclear arms reduction treaty with the United States.
Sergei Lavrov’s comments were Moscow’s strongest public statement yet that a deal may be imminent.
“The remaining questions, I hope, will be resolved rather promptly when the negotiations resume, and they will resume at the very beginning of February, I think,” Lavrov told reporters. Reuters