The news agency says that the Lebanese president received at noon today the delegation of participants in the Arab Lawyers Union conference. The delegation represents bar associations in Lebanon, Egypt, Palestine, Bahrain, Syria, Libya, Yemen, Jordan, Sudan, Tunisia, Iraq, Algeria, and Kuwait.
President Sulayman delivered a speech during the meeting, in which he welcomed the members of the delegation, stressing the importance of Arab cooperation. He said that it is no longer allowable for any Arab country to remain isolated from the other Arab countries. He added: "We are called upon to agree because Israel seeks to prevent that and seeks to fragment the Arab countries. It has succeeded in attaching the charge of terrorism to the Arabs and Muslims." He said that terrorism contradicts the concept of public freedoms because it attacks freedoms in general. He said: "We are called upon to fight terrorism so as to ensure freedom for all."
The news agency report says: "The president of the republic said that public freedoms are linked to the diversity and pluralism that distinguish the Arab countries by virtue of the emergence of heavenly religions on their soil. He stressed that freedom is linked to democracy." It adds: "President Sulayman noted that human rights are violated in the Arab world through the displacement of the Palestinians and living in camps that are dominated by poverty. He said that this is the biggest world model against human rights practiced by Israel. Other countries ignore this fact when they recognize the resettlement of the Palestinians in the countries in which they are present. He said: One of the simplest self-evident matters is to return to a person his right to his country and soil and to let that person regain his national identity."
Answering a question on the importance of opening a new chapter with Syria, Sulayman says that "Lebanon's relationship with Syria is normal. It is unnatural for this relationship not to be normal. By returning things to their natural course with Syria, we seek to return relations to normal between the presidents of Arab countries. We will be honoured to play a role in this sphere, even if that role is minor."
Answering another question on the future of the "resistance" in Lebanon, Sulayman says that Lebanon "has gone a long way in strengthening its internal unity. He stressed that the bond of unity in Lebanon has never been severed despite the tensions it is experiencing. He said that the resistance is a source of pride for Lebanon and is an element of national capability for it. He said: We will not abandon it. It is necessary to benefit from the element of the capability of the resistance."
The news agency says that Sulayman also received Abbas Zaki, representative of the Palestinian [National] Authority in Lebanon. The report says that Zaki conveyed a message to Sulayman from Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas on the outcome of his visit to Syria and the efforts under way to achieve Palestinian unity.
Zaki made the following statement after the meeting: "I conveyed a message to President Michel Sulayman from President Mahmud Abbas on the results of the visit he made to Damascus and the Palestinian mechanisms in place to heal the rift and achieve Palestinian unity, besides the track of negotiations in different directions, be it with the Israeli side or the Quartet, because there must be coordination of efforts at this stage. We look forward to Lebanese-Palestinian relations at the required level."
Asked about security developments in northern Lebanon and whether he is worried about the situation at Palestinian camps, Zaki says: "We are doing our best to be a bridge of love and to stay away from any problems or disputes. We are completely assured about our positive neutrality, but we are part of this tormented people and captive to unpleasant surprises, which we hope Lebanon will end soon in the new era."
Asked about the nature of the message he conveyed from Syria and whether it is related to President Sulayman, he says: "No, it dealt with what is related to developing Syrian-Palestinian relations. We are eager to keep President Sulayman informed of any positive development."
The news agency also reports on a meeting held between President Sulayman and MP Hasan Ya'qub on the current efforts to form a new government in Lebanon. Sulayman held other meetings with former Minister Albert Mansur and former Minister Mahmud Abu-Hamdan on current developments in Lebanon.
The news agency says that President Sulayman received the commander of the Indonesian Army, who is visiting Lebanon to inspect the Indonesian force operating with the UNIFIL in the south. Sulayman hoped that relations between Lebanon and Indonesia would develop to include the economic, social, and military spheres, noting the importance of cooperation between Lebanese and Indonesian businessmen.
Source: Lebanese National News Agency website, Beirut, in Arabic 1312 gmt 10 Jul 08
Friday, 11 July 2008
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