Iranian legislator backs Beirut…(1)

Iranian MP Ali Akbar Mohtashemi visited several leaders Tuesday and conveyed his country’s appreciation for President Emile Lahoud’s “brave and wise” anti-”Israeli” stand.
Mohtashemi was in Beirut for a conference on preserving the Arab character of Al-Quds. With Iranian Ambassador Mohammad Ali Sobhani, he passed on a message to Lahoud from Iran’s President Khatami.
“We expressed to him (Lahoud) our appreciation and admiration for the brave and wise stand he has taken against (“Israeli”),” Mohtashemi said.
He added that their talks also touched on the “constructive tripartite cooperation” between Syria, Lebanon and Iran.
Lahoud expressed support for an international conference to back the Palestinian intifada, slated for Tehran on April 24-25.
Mohtashemi said Iran planned to send a “specialized committee” to prepare a detailed report on losses caused by “Israeli” occupation that would help decide on aid to Lebanon. He added that the talks also covered cooperation between the Iranian and Lebanese central banks.
Khatami’s planned visit to Lebanon, he said, would take place after the presidential elections in May.
He described Lebanese-Iranian relations “as the best that can be imagined presently.”

Former SLA militiamen imprisoned…(2)

The Military Tribunal sentenced 22 former members of the South Lebanon Army militia to prison terms ranging from three weeks to three and a half years late Monday after convicting them of collaboration with “Israel”.
The court dropped charges against two people for lack of evidence and acquitted a third. Those sentenced were either convicted of collaborating with “Israel” or joining the SLA. All of them were fined between LL400,000 and LL1 million.
Of nearly 3,000 former SLA militiamen and collaborators who surrendered or were arrested by the authorities, some 800 are still awaiting trial

Double jeopardy for ex-SLA killer…(3)

A former member of the defunct South Lebanon Army militia was sentenced to three and a half years in prison on Tuesday after being convicted of murdering his father in 1988.
Wassim Chahine was found guilty of shooting Merhej Shahine after trying to force him to re-join the SLA, which he had deserted.
Wassim escaped after the shooting but was caught by an SLA patrol and sentenced by an “Israeli” court to nine years in Khiam prison in the South.
He was released on good conduct after serving six years of his sentence and turned himself over to government authorities after “Israel’s” withdrawal in May. He is yet to be tried by the Military Tribunal on charges of joining the SLA.

Khatami will go to Lebanon after Iran's presidential election: aide…(4)

“ Iranian President Mohammad Khatami will make a visit to Lebanon, if re-elected in June, Iranian deputy Ali Akbar Mohtashemi said Tuesday.

Mohtashemi, who is currently taking part in a conference on Al-Quds being held in Beirut, was speaking after meeting with Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri.

The Iranian deputy, who is a former interior minister and ambassador to Syria, also hinted that in his opinion the Iranian president, to whom he is close, has decided to go for a so-far unannounced second term in office.

"President Khatami enjoys widespread popularity and recently declared during a visit to the city of Shiraz that he would go with the will of the people on the question of standing for a second term," Mohtashemi said.

The Iranian was a founder of the Iranian- and Syrian-backed fundamentalist Hizbullah movement, which spearheaded the resistance to “Israel’s” occupation of southern Lebanon that ended in May.

Asked about the position of Iran on a renewal of anti-”Israeli” Palestinian attacks from Lebanon, Mohtashemi said his country "backed the position of the Lebanese government."

Hariri said Sunday he was opposed to Palestinian attacks on “Israel” from Lebanese territory, two days after two Palestinian guerrillas were killed by “Israelis” in southern Lebanon.

"Lebanon will not allow the Palestinians to carry out attacks against “Israel” from its territory, and the government categorically rebuts such actions," Hariri said.

Intifadah fighters carried out more operations against the “Israeli” occupation…(5)

Early on Tuesday Palestinian fighters detonated a roadside bomb in an “Israeli” military patrol at Kesovim crossing in the Gaza Strip. “Israeli” sources said the explosives have been detonated from a certain distance when the soldiers approached the security fence. Fire was also opened on the “Israeli” troops.

The “Israeli” authorities said another bomb exploded at the Netzarim junction in Gaza Strip. The explosive was attached to a wheel tied to a donkey.

Four “Israeli” soldiers were injured in what the “Israelis” claimed to be an accident between a military jeep and a Palestinian truck near Halhoul bridge in the West Bank province of al-Khalil (Hebron).

 Monday evening, ten incidents in which Palestinians opened fire on “Israeli” occupation targets were reported in the Strip.

And in the West Bank, intifadah fighters opened fire on a bus belonging to Jewish settlers on a bypass road outside Ramallah.

Near Nablus, a roadside bomb exploded near an “Israeli” army jeep causing severe damages. Reporting the incident, the “Israeli” army claimed that no one was wounded.

On the other hand, “Israeli” troops wounded 7 Palestinians during an attack on the Salwan village near Ramallah.

Quds battle recquires devotion and firmness, says Nasrallah…(6)

Hizbullah's Secretary-General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said the battle for regaining the Holy Quds(Al-Quds) and occupied Palestine requires firmness, devotion, and effort from all those involved in the struggle.

 During a banquet set in honor of the delegations of the Quds Conference, Sayyed Nasrallah said that Hizbullah will not be a substitute to anyone in this battle in which it considers itself a part of.

Islamic Jihad lauds Palestinian's boycott of “Israeli” elections…(7)

The Islamic Jihad Movement in Palestine praised the decision of Palestinians, living in the territories occupied since 1948, to boycott the “Israeli” prime ministerial election to be held on February 6.

The Islamic Jihad urged the Palestinian people to go on resisting the “Israeli” occupation and uphold the Quds and Palestinian refugees cause, which are to be major issues of any coming “Israeli” government.

The Islamic Jihad, in a statement issued Tuesday, called on Palestinians to consider the day 29 of every month as a distinctive day of Jihad (Struggle).

The Movement condemned the Taba “Israeli”-Palestinian talks, asserting that it will confront the resumption of security coordination between the Palestinian and the “Israeli” occupation.

Murr considers the settling of Palestinians in Lebanon a "time bomb"…(8)

Interior Minister Elias al-Murr reiterated his refusal of taking part in a settlement proccess with the “Israeli” enemy before its withdrawal from all the Arab occupied lands.

He also stressed Lebanon's refusal of the idea of homing the Palestinians referring to it as a time bomb that can blot up the Palestinian issue and blow up the Arab region. Al-Murr was speaking in the 12th session of the Arab Interior Minister Council that started Monday in Tunisia.

In his speech, al-Murr called for developing the security deals between the Arab countries, especially to fight crime, drugs and terrorism.

In this context, he differentiated between crime and the legitimate strife of the peoples to liberate their lands from occupation.

He said that real crime is that executed by "“Israel”" in the shape of the daily killing of innocent people in occupied Palestine, detaining Lebanese civilians in “Israeli” prisons and threatening to evoke war in the region.

Footnotes:

1-       The Daily Star, 31-1-2001.

2-       Same source.

3-       Same source.

4-       AFP, 30-1-2001.

5-       Manar TV, 30-1-2001.

6-       Same source.

7-       Same source.

8-       Same source.