Suleiman: Lebanon is no longer the weak link

In an interview with Asharq Al-Awsat, president Michel Suleiman discusses Middle East peace, Lebanese–Syrian relations, UN, Iran and other issues.

Abbas accuses Iran of blocking Palestinian reconciliation

Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas lashed out at Iran on Friday, blaming Tehran for being behind the latest failure to reconcile his secular Fatah movement with its Islamist rival Hamas.

“Iran doesn’t want Hamas to sign the Cairo reconciliation document,” Abbas said during a meeting in the Tunisian capital.

Fatah and Hamas struggled for months to reach a unity deal under Egyptian mediation, but the efforts collapsed late last year when Hamas refused to agree to a proposal that was signed by Fatah. (more…)

Ahmadinejad, Gates trade barbs in Afghanistan

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Defense Secretary Robert Gates traded barbs on Wednesday during briefly overlapping visits to Afghanistan, where Washington has troops at war but Tehran has growing clout.

Ahmadinejad, who arrived as Gates was wrapping up a three-day visit, told a news conference alongside Afghan President Hamid Karzai that U.S. and Western troops would never defeat terrorism by waging war in Afghanistan. (more…)

Gates in Saudi Arabia for talks focused on Iran nuclear program

U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates is in Saudi Arabia for talks centered on Iran’s controversial nuclear program.

Gates flew Wednesday into Riyadh, where he is expected to update King Abdullah on U.S.-led efforts to impose new United Nations sanctions on Iran for refusing to halt uranium enrichment. The U.S. has been trying to build international support for possible action against Tehran.

Gates also is expected to discuss U.S. efforts to help Saudi Arabia bolster its air and missile defense programs. (more…)

Israel’s ’spymaster’ David Kimche dies at the age of 82

Former Mossad spymaster and Israeli diplomat David Kimchi has died at the age of 82.

He played a key role in the Iran-Contra scandal, which rocked the administration of US President Ronald Reagan in the 1980s.

He had been diagnosed with brain cancer a year ago, reports said.

Kimche was a former spy who rose to become deputy director of Mossad and then became director of the foreign ministry in the 1980s.

A descendant of a prominent Swiss Jewish family, Kimche was born in England and first worked as a journalist in London. (more…)

Gemayel: keep Lebanon out of the ‘game of axes’

A meeting was held Monday on the eve of the national Dialogue talks between Prime Minister Saad Hariri, former PM Fouad Saniora, Phalange party leader Amin Gemayel and Lebanese Forces chief Samir Geagea . (more…)

Khamenei ordered rigging of ballots in Iraq, report

According to reliable information, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei had ordered the regime’s Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) and the terrorist Quds Force in Iraq to do their maximum in rigging the ballots by exchanging boxes in various parts of Iraq immediately after the closing time (more…)

Analysis: Neighbors eye Iraq elections

In the run-up to today’s historically significant parliamentary polls in Iraq, a a question that begs asking is where do Iraq’s neighbours stand on these critical elections.

Iraqis defy intimidation to vote

BAGHDAD — Insurgents bombed a polling station and lobbed grenades at voters Sunday, killing 31 people in attacks aimed at intimidating those taking part in an election that will determine whether the country can overcome the sectarian divisions that have plagued it since the 2003 U.S.-led invasion.

Many Iraqis hope the election will put them on a path toward national reconciliation as the U.S. prepares to withdraw combat forces by late summer and all troops by the end of next year. (more…)

China Willing to Support Tougher Sanctions on Iran

China might vote in the coming weeks for tougher United Nations sanctions aimed at blocking Iran’s development of nuclear weapons, after initially saying this wasn’t the time for new measures, a Chinese diplomat said.

China’s differences with the U.S. and its European allies aren’t as great as have been reported, according to the diplomat, who spoke on condition of anonymity. China isn’t refusing to back sanctions, and its difficulties with the latest U.S.-drafted proposal can be overcome, the envoy said. (more…)