Presenter, Man # 1
The Israeli foreign ministry released a statement criticizing the issuance, by a British court, of an arrest warrant for the Israeli opposition leader Tzipi Livni on war crimes charges. It warned that if the British government does not take immediate and decisive actions to correct this mistake that the bilateral relations between the two countries will be affected. The statement indicated that the inability of Israeli leaders to visit Britain will prevent London from playing an active role in the Middle East peace process.

Guest, Woman # 2 (Livni)
I’m not opposed to the fact that the world wants to hold Israel accountable; we are part of the free world. The problem is that the world is not implementing its principle in our region; I’m not talking about the soldiers who are fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan in the war on terrorism, but about equating Israeli soldiers to terrorists.

Presenter, Man # 1
Dr Muhammad Dahlan joins us to comment on this ongoing development. He is a professor of international law at the Hebrew university. As someone who specializes in international law, what does international law say about issuing an arrest warrant for a former official in a foreign country? Can British courts arrest Livni based on this warrant?

Guest, Man # 2
First of all, I’m a lawyer not a doctor. The answer to your question is simple. In the last decades, international law was changed to make it possible for courts to try people on foreign soil if they have committed war crimes, crimes against humanity, mass murder, or have violated international law during war. These kind of crimes as treated like domestic ones. Also, they can be tried at the International Criminal Court. It has been done before. We know that the Goldstone report that accused Israeli officials of having committed different war crimes has become the legal foundation for charges recently brought against Israeli defense minister Ehud Barark, and the arrest warrant for Zivi Livni who was the foreign minster during the war on Gaza. So some countries that gave their courts jurisdiction to try war criminals, such as Britain Spain and Belgium, can try foreign officials.

Tensions escalate between right-wing activists and the defense establishment following Defense Minister Ehud Barak’s decision to remove the Har Bracha yeshiva from the arrangement with the IDF.

Presenter, Woman # 1
The new Jordanian government took the oath yesterday, and both old and new faces promised to achieve the desired reforms at the political, economic and social levels.However, the fact that the new government still has old faces holding important ministerial positions raised questions about the amount of change that the new government can actually bring about, especially since the Jordanian parliament will have elections next year. Salwa Sawalqa reports from Jordan.

Reporter, Woman # 2
After the new government of Samer Al Rifai was sworn in, in the presence of the Jordanian King, it started governing Jordan. The government, which has 28 ministers and is led by a young prime minister, will have to amend the country’s election law before the parliamentary elections. Based on the new election law, they were postponed until next fall. This will not be the government’s only duty, Jordanian citizens expect it to make decisions and create policies to resolve their problems, especially poverty and unemployment and to improve their quality of life.

Guest, Man # 2
We have a deficit of 780-790 billion dollars. A great deal of effort is needed to decrease the debt.

Guest, Man # 4
We only ask that they have mercy in their hearts.

Reporter, Woman # 2
The new government includes experienced ministers and young talented individuals. The executive ministers stayed in their posts especially the Foreign, interior, and information ministers. Despite the mixture between experienced officials and young professionals, political observers still do not think that the new government is much different than the old one.

Guest, Man # 3
The government was supposed to be harmonious, but it has a mixture of people who have contradictory political ideologies. I do know how this government will be harmonious and how can it work as a one team considering the contradictory ideologies and politics of its ministers.

Reporter, Woman # 2
Governments come and go based on royal decrees and in accordance with the country’s constitution. Governments are dissolved and formed for different reasons, but the royal guidance is what determines the policy of every new government. Al Rifai’s government faces many political and economic challenges, including the challenge of reforming the country’s electoral law before the parliamentary elections and finding ways to decrease the deficit. Salwa Swalqa, Dubai television, Amman.

Presenter, Female #1
In Kabul, a suicide attack has killed 5 Afghan police officers and injured dozens. The attack targeted the residence of former Vice President Ahmed Zia Massoud and his brother, the late leader Ahmed Shah Massoud.

Presenter, Male #1
A government source said that Ahmed Zia’s assistant was killed in the attack.

Presenter, Female #1
In a different development, a conference on fighting corruption started in Kabul. President Hamid Karzai attended the conference. The 3-day conference is considered to be the first official step taken by that the Afghan president since he was sworn to office a month ago for a second term, after a controversial election.

Presenter, Male #1
Karzai is under international pressure, especially from the US, to fight corruption.

Presenter, Female #1
The plans to eliminate corruption and to establish programs to restore civil development have not had much impact in Afghanistan.

Presenter, Male #1
In the suburbs of the Afghani capital, the building of a 9-kilometer-long road was halted 4 years ago. The road costs 10 million dollars.

Presenter, Female #1
Aljazeera’s correspondent Steve Chow investigated the issue and brought us the following report.

Reporter, Female #1
Here in the suburbs of Kabul, a 9-kilometer-long road was supposed to be finally paved. With that hope, residents and businessmen of this region believed that their fate will turn around, and that their lives will become easier. 4 years later, it has become clear that the ambitious project was nothing but another disappointment in a country plagued by corruption.

Guest, Male #1
This is an example of the wide-spread corruption. The project was supposed to take only 6 months, but where did the money go?

Reporter, Female #1
The project has remained but a picture on this banner. It was relegated to Huwad-Wall company at the expense of about 10 million US dollars. The residents of the area say that the construction work lasted for several months, and then stopped. Not far away we met the accountant of the company, who rejected our interview and demanded that we stop filming. A day later, we went to the headquarters of Huwad-Wall and the general manager agreed to talk with us. He told us that the company received 6 out of the 10 million dollars, and that the contract stipulated that the work should be halted if problems arise.

Guest, Male #2
We are ready to resume the work anytime. But the city’s authorities did not pay the local residents for them to move from the project zone. As long as they don’t do that, we cannot build the road.

Reporter, Female #1
This excuse was denied by the construction official in Kabul. But he acknowledges the lack of a system of accountability for the contractors, a reality in Afghanistan for decades.

Guest, Male #3
“I should say, not enough”. When there is a system in place to monitor the projects, things cannot go wrong.

Reporter, Female #1
The living conditions here remain the same, maybe even worse. The dream of a new road has evaporated, just like many for a better life after the collapse of the Taliban.

Presenter, Male #1
Iran considers the intelligence report by the British newspaper the Times to be “a fabricated scenario” on Iran’s testing of an important component to produce nuclear bombs. The Times referred to an Iranian document that shows that Tehran is working on a key component of a nuclear bomb.

Reporter, Male #1
In between doubt and certainty, major controversy was aroused by the latest secret intelligence report indicating that Iran is about to produce a nuclear bomb. The evidence is that Tehran is engaged in testing a neutron initiator, a major element of a nuclear bomb that triggers an explosion. Diplomatic and technical sources believe that the locally-produced Iranian nuclear experiment is neither for civilian or traditional military use, but appears to be extremely similar to a nuclear weapon. The sources indicated that the implications of these activities are very dangerous as they support evidence that Iran is getting closer to producing nuclear weapons. The International Atomic Energy Agency refused to comment on the Times report, but it indicated that this information would be added to the intelligence gathering, on Iran’s affairs, that they are receiving from a number of countries, including the US, the UK and Israel. Iran, the 5th largest oil exporter in the world, stressed that its nuclear program aims at generating electricity in order to export more oil and natural gas. Iran said that the goal of the report is to put political and psychological pressure on the Islamic Republic.

Guest, Male #1
Some of these angry countries are putting pressure on us by fabricating these scenarios. But the Iranian people defend their nuclear rights and have come a long way.

Reporter, Male #1
The latest US intelligence report on Iran was released two years ago, after verifying that Tehran had stopped its weapons program in 2003. But this assessment was not accepted by Britain, France, Germany and Israel. Diplomats say that a new assessment of the US intelligence report on Iranian affairs is under preparation and scheduled to be completed soon. This coincides with the statements made by National Security Advisor to the White House, General James Jones that Iran has one month to reconsider its position on the nuclear issue, and that might face a new round of international sanctions.

Presenter, Man # 1
According to security sources, four police officers were martyred in an armed attack in Abu Ghraib. According to the same sources, unknown armed men assassinated killed four police officers in the early hours of the morning by opening fire on them. The police officers had set-up a checkpoint in order to secure the main vegetable market in Abu Ghraib. Meanwhile in Kirkuk, two police officers were martyred when a roadside bomb exploded as their vehicle was passing by. Also, one solider was martyred on his way to work when armed men opened fire on him from a speeding car. In a separate incident, Iraqi police said that a Sahwa member was killed and another three, including a commander, were injured in an explosion. The target of the explosion was a Sahwa petrol unit near Wade Al Kahnajer, southwest of Kirkuk. Armed groups have been gaining strength in the Al Karma, in Al Anbar, especially after last week’s attacks on five checkpoints. The local council complained about the lack of security coordination between the Sahwa and the security forces. Sahwa forces continue to be arrested and their demands have not been met yet. We leave you with the report of Kamal Ayash.

Reporter, Man # 2
Security leadership in the Anbar province conform that the police and the army are coordinating their efforts, but officials in Al Karma city in al- Anbar province, say that there is no coordination between the different security leaderships which explains the return of armed groups. These groups are using the security gap created by the lack of coordination between the many security leaderships in al Karma.

Guest, Man # 3
Explosions happen in al Karma almost everyday, or every other day. Some forces come from outside and arrest people, but no one knows where they go. We have received many complains from citizens whose sons were arrested but they are unable to locate them or they do not know who arrested them.

Reporter, Man # 2
In addition to the lack of security coordination; out of the 1800 police officers serving in Al Nabar province, only 400 are assigned with the protection of a city that extend from Baghdad to Al Anbar and Slah el-dean provinces. A number of Sahwa council members who complain about not receiving their salaries and benefits, are supposed to support the security forces. However, they are now unable to provide daily necessities for their families.

Guest, Man # 4
The Karma district is the largest in Iraq. It is adjacent to several other provinces such as Slah al Dean, Baghdad, Abu Graib, and Smara. It needs more police, weapons and equipment in order for the security forces to counter the threats.

Guest, Man # 5
We have been serving for four years. We have not received our salaries. The salary of Shawa members is 1500 dinars. In the beginning, we had a tribal arrangement, but up until now we have not received administrative order to legitimize our status or salaries from the city. The Americans used to give us salaries, but now we are not receiving anything.

Reporter, Man # 2
Coordinating security operations and developing security forces in Al Anbar is an urgent matter especially since the acts of violence increased.

Presenter, Male #1
The Lebanese Speaker of Parliament, Nabih Berri, said that the growing pressure on Hezbollah over its weapons, will not force Lebanon into abandoning the resistance movement and its arms. This news comes as the Lebanese president is on a visit to Washington.

Guest, Male #2 (Berri)
The pressure on the resistance over its weapons, including the conditions imposed by members of the U.S. Congress on the supply of weapons to the Lebanese army, will not force Lebanon to abandon the resistance and its arms. This coincides with the visit to Washington by his Excellency, the President of the Republic, General Michel Suleiman. The resistance is a necessary and an important element to the Lebanese constituent. This will be the case as long as the Israeli occupation remains in parts of our beloved country, including the Sheba’a Farms and the Kafr Shuba Hills. And as long as Israel continues to violate Lebanese sovereignty and threaten to use force against Lebanon, including the latest threats that were issued by the Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu.

Presenter, Female #1
President of the Lebanese Republic, Michel Suleiman, visited Washington and his meeting with President Barack Obama, generated a heated political campaign. Some have criticized the president’s visit and questioned its objective and timing. However, Lebanese Member of Parliament, Ahmad Fatfat, expressed shock over the controversy that the visit has generated. In an interview with Future TV, Fatfat said that these types of practices will not help improve the Syrian-Lebanese relations.

Reporter, Male #3
The criticism voiced by Syria’s allies in Lebanon has brought back the memory of encrypted messages, which Syria had long used as a way to correspond with loyalist groups in Lebanon. In 2005, Syrian President Bashar el-Assad stood at the podium of the People’s Assembly and acknowledged that his country has committed mistakes in Lebanon and intervened in Lebanese internal affairs.

Guest, Male #4
We must acknowledge, clearly and transparently, that mistakes were committed in the Lebanese arena. We got involved in some of the details and measures in the country. On some occasions, we were compelled to engage with some Lebanese at the expense of others.

Reporter, Male #3
Four years after Assad delivered the speech, the Syrian regime has started to readopt the same policy. This shows that members of the Assad regime have not learned from their historical mistakes.

Guest, Male #5
I’m surprised by these criticisms, which are out of context. One of the most important roles of his Excellency President of the Lebanese Republic is to take part in foreign policies and to represent his country in the international community. I believe that all types of engagements with the world, with the exception of Israel, are necessary, and serve Lebanese interests.

Reporter, Male #2
Did the usage of encrypted messages come back into the spotlight, as a way to communicate with Lebanon and its officials?

Guest, Male #5
The use of this method will not have any effect on the Lebanese internal front. In the past, his Excellency President Bashar el-Assad said that mistakes were committed in Lebanon. These political practices are part of the mistakes that Syria has committed in Lebanon. These practices will not help improve Syrian-Lebanese relations, and they will take us a step backward.

Reporter, Male #2
Observers believe that these recent messages show that the Syrian administration doesn’t want to recognize Lebanon as a sovereign and independent country, and wants to take Lebanon back to the period before 2005.