Presenter, Male #1
Iraq's Independent High Electoral Commission announced that it will start releasing the first round of election results once 30% of the votes have been tabulated. At the same time, the commission affirmed that 62.4% of the population participated in the latest legislative elections.

Guest, Female #1
As I mentioned, 62% of the population participated. Since this morning, these results have started arriving to the center of tabulation and calculation.

Presenter, Male #1
Meanwhile, speculations are rampant about the formation of possible coalitions among the winners who will form the next Iraqi government. Political observers talked about possible surprises, especially when yesterday’s competitors may be compelled to become tomorrow’s allies.

Reporter, Male #1
The Iraqi elections have ended, and the first round of unofficial results has started to emerge. While waiting for the announcement of the final results, talks began to circulate about the shape of the new parliament and the map of the heterogeneous political parties that may be produced by the ballot boxes that were spread throughout the country.

Guest, Male #1
It is very difficult to draw a new map of the Iraqi political scene before the Electoral Commission releases the final results. I think that everything that’s being said at the moment is mere speculation. After the announcement of the results, it is believed that the alignments will be very difficult and will influence the general situation of Iraq on one hand, and influence the formation of the next government on the other.

Reporter, Male #1
If the losers of these elections are the ones who allied to form the previous government, then how will the new winners find consensus to form the new government?

Guest, Male #1
Some opponents in the elections will have to make compromises, and may form a new alliance against those who accused them of being their enemies.

Reporter, Male #1
The picture after the elections is unclear, and it is difficult to guess how the government will be formed. This will render the next several days full of events, and maybe surprises. From Baghdad, Muntadar Rashid, al-Arabiya.

Presenter, Female #1
US Vice President Joe Biden said that there is a real opportunity for peace between Israelis and Palestinians, and that the two sides have “more in line than in opposition". He made this statement during his conversation with Israeli President Shimon Peres, following his meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Guest, Male #1 (Biden)
“I think this...we are at a moment of real opportunity. And I think that the interest of both the Palestinians and the Israeli people are, if everyone will just step back and take a deep breath, are actually very much more in line than they are in opposition.”

Reporter, Female #1
The Palestine leadership described the meeting between the American envoy to the Mideast and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas as holding “good and deep conversations”. But no details of Mitchell’s talks were released after his meetings with the Israeli side in relation to indirect negotiations between Palestine and Israel.

Guest, Male #2 (Abbas)
The question is: what will the US be ready to do if the Israeli government rejects the two-state solution based on the borders of 1967. The US vowed to play an efficient and active role in this matter; we hope that if one side impedes this process, the US will reveal the obstacle, impose penalties and work on removing it.

Reporter, Female #1
Mitchell’s meeting with the Palestinian side was held after a reserved agreement was reached on the decision to resume indirect negotiations with Arab support; this agreement came after meetings by the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization and the Central Committee of Fatah. The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine and the Palestinian People’s Party considered the resolution to resume negotiations to be the equivalent of covering up Israel’s behavior.

Guest, Male #3
We think that Israel will take advantage of these negotiations and use them to accomplish more Israeli plans. And the US administration will use the negotiations to cover up the full escalation in the region, either because of the war, or to further blackmail Iran and others. Achieving real progress in the peace process is the least important factor in the equation.

Reporter, Female #1
Even though Palestine and the US did not continue the discussions, Palestinians are wondering about the basis for indirect negotiations between Palestine and Israel, especially since Mitchell’s visit coincided with Israel’s decision to construct new units in the settlement of Beitar Illit, west of the city of Bethlehem. The Israeli defense minister approved the construction of 112 new units in the settlement of Beitar Illit near Bethlehem. He considered it to be excluded from the resolution to freeze settlement construction for 10 months in the West Bank, since that resolution was made during the term of Olmert’s former government.

Guest, Male #4
This program is not new, “and in no way contradicts our commitment to the 10-month moratorium.”

Reporter, Female #1
The Palestinian side warned of the nature of the decision, and described it as inconsiderate to the efforts exerted by the US to resume the peace process.

Guest, Male #5
This represents an insult to all the international resolutions that consider settlements to not only hinder the peace efforts, but also considers them to be illegal and damaging to the efforts to find a two-state solution.

Reporter, Female #1
More settlements are being built while the Palestinian side is still demanding a full halt to the expansion of settlements in the West Bank and Jerusalem in order for negotiations to succeed. From Ramallah, Iman Ariqat, BBC.

US Vice President Joe Biden arrived in Israel today; Biden is set to kick off a round of talks with Israeli leaders tomorrow, including President Shimon Peres, Prime Minister Netanyahu and Opposition Leader Tzipi Livni of Kadima. He is not planning to meet Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman. On Wednesday, Biden travels to Ramallah for talks with PA President Mahmud Abbas and Prime Minister Salam Fayyad.

Presenter, Female #1
The attempts to normalize intellectual and cultural ties with Israeli thinkers at the American University of Beirut are crowned by a professor’s participation in a book compilation that includes essays by a number of Israeli academics who are against Zionism.

Reporter, Male #1
What the public did not know about the American University is that, months ago, its campus witnessed the rise of the Israeli flag for a few seconds during a protest by the Armenians; an occasion that was taken advantage off by an expatriate student. What the public did not know either is that the same university received Israeli-made supplies through the organization US Aid. What the Lebanese people know is what was published by As-Safir newspaper on Monday about the protest at the Science Building, which was held to demonstrate against the publication of a book that contains essays written by 16 Israeli academics and 3 Palestinian academics. One of the book’s main contributors is a lecturer at the university, a Palestinian with French citizenship, Dr. Sari Hanafi. He was one of the chief editors of the book, along with two professors from Tel Aviv University Adi Ophir and Michal Givoni. The opposition viewed this cooperation as the American University’s involvement in cultural and intellectual normalization with Israel, especially because of the professor’s position at the American University of Beirut.

Guest, Female #1
We have reached a breaking point in which things is about to explode. I mean, for example, at the beginning of this year, a shipment of computers arrived at the university, and “made in Israel” was imprinted on the back. This means they are Israeli-made or Israeli assembled.

Reporter, Male #1
What was the reaction?

Guest, Female #1
The only reaction was the IW, if you heard about it, it happened a while ago. Last year, the same thing happened during the Armenians’ protest. During the protest, the Israeli flag was raised on the university’s campus in Beirut. Also, we did not react. Not too long ago, we had a week-long event for Palestine, as we were about to raise the Palestinian flag, we were confronted and our flags were confiscated.

Reporter, Male #1
Who confronted you?

Guest, Female #1
The university: the security, the administration and the Students’ Affairs were the ones that prohibited us.

Guest, Male #1
As long as we’re talking about it, the Zionist entity completely represents the Zionist will; anyone that belongs to it, whether a left-winger or a right-winger, they acknowledge this entity.

Guest, Female #2
Even they are left-wing Israelis, what matters is that Lebanese law prohibits cooperation with the enemy, even if it’s cultural.

Reporter, Male #1
The administration of the university called for an open forum to discuss the issue after the education department submitted a petition to the university’s administration requesting that it takes a decisive stand, because their colleague’s actions offended them and the university, and violated the boycott law that Lebanon still abides by. However, the word “open dialogue” has been nothing but ink on paper because the media is forbidden from covering it, and students without the university’s ID are not allowed to enter. According to sources close to Professor Hanafi, he will not apologize for anything stated in his research, but will only apologize for violating Lebanese law. The American University of Beirut was fed up, and then exploded. The story of this book is not the first attempt to normalize relations with Israel, and it has not yet ended, but we’ll wait to see what the students can do. The students, after all, were the fundamental elements that build the resistance movement in Lebanon. From in front of the American University of Beirut, Ihsan Kharais, New TV.

Presenter, Female #1
Under the supervision of the Jewish community in Egypt, and the presence of the American and Israeli ambassadors to Cairo, the Moses Maimonides Synagogue opened after a long-awaited renovation. The Egyptian government, however, did not attend the opening ceremony due to differences between the Jewish community in Egypt and the Supreme Council of Antiquities; the latter believes that such activities should be held under its supervision since Jewish antiquities are part of Egyptian antiquities.

Reporter, Male #1
One can’t easily tell whether the temple named after the famous Jewish physician and philosopher Moses Maimonides is a church or a synagogue. This is common in the old city of Cairo where houses of worships are close to each other since Egyptians from different faiths used to be neighbors.

Guest, Male #2
I wish the past would come back. The Jews used to clean the street and put tables outside with food and tea. At the time, Muslims and Jews used to sit and eat together.

Reporter, Male #1
Security personnel did not allow us to enter the temple of Moses Maimonides, which was renovated by the Egyptian government under the supervision of the Jewish community, and opened by the Israeli and American ambassadors to Cairo. This caused a dispute between the Jewish community and the Supreme Council of Antiquities.

Guest, Male #3
The Jewish community in Cairo invited the Israeli Embassy and Israeli officials as if they have a mandate over the temple. This is absolutely wrong, illogical and unacceptable by Egyptians. By bringing the Israelis to the opening ceremony of the temple, they have marginalized the Egyptian people who have been protecting this temple since the 12th century.

Reporter, Male #1
In the past two years, the Egyptian government renovated the temple as an Egyptian-Jewish antiquity. It seems that the Egyptian government is not pleased with the way in which the Egyptian- Jewish community celebrated the opening ceremony of the temple. Dozens of Jews from different nationalities participated in the opening ceremony of Moses Maimonides Temple in Cairo’s Jewish neighborhood, but representatives from the Supreme Council of Antiquities were not present. It is not yet clear whether or not the Egyptian government will hold a different celebration to commemorate the renovated temple. We called Carmen Weinstein, the president of the Jewish community in Egypt, but she refused to comment. Comments by the Supreme Council of Antiquities were cautious as well.

Guest, Male #2
We can’t hold an opening ceremony until the renovation is entirely completed. The renovation process is about to end. When it does, we will announce a suitable date for the opening ceremony.

Reporter, Male #1
It is worth mentioning that some claim that the past two years’ renovation of the Jewish temple in Egypt was aimed at convincing Israel to support Farouk Hosny’s candidacy in the UNESCO elections. This, however, was denied by Hosny before he lost the elections. Amr Abdel Hamed, BBC, Cairo.

Presenter, Male #1
The third round of national talks, called for by Lebanese President Michel Suleiman, started today. This was the first dialogue session since the latest parliamentary elections.

Presenter, Woman #1
The dialogue, this time around, comes amidst sharp criticism due to disputes over the exclusion of some groups from the national talks.The main topics include Hezbollah’s weapons and Lebanon’s defense strategy.

Presenter, Male #1
Our correspondent, Abbas Naser, reports on the Lebanese dialogue and the reaction it has generated from the people.

Reporter, Male #2
On this table, representatives are talking about Hezbollah’s weapons. Somehow, the same weapons that were used to fight Israel have become the topic of discussion. Hezbollah representatives, however, do not see it this way; they say that the talks are about Lebanon’s defense strategy. Some of the representatives sitting around this table want Hezbollah to be disarmed of its weapons, others want, at the very least, to limit the weapons and the rest wants Hezbollah to be able to use its weapons freely.

Guest, Male #3
I hope that we can reach a common denominator. Despite what the Lebanese media has been reporting, we have fewer differences than some assume.

Reporter, Male #1
However, Lebanese citizens view these kinds of talks as a political luxury. Not only do they not care about the talks, they also have no confidence in them. People here have completely different concerns.

Guest, Male #4
They keep on going back and forth, but nothing changes. Also, if they want to talk about something, they should be talking about the poor and the middle class.

Guest, Male #5
They will not reach an agreement. You know that they will not reach an agreement. But we hope that they agree on something.

Guest, Female #2
I do not like politics and I do not like to talk about politics. This is really the least of my concerns.

Reporter, Male # 2
Nothing new will come out of the dialogue, except for an agreement to continue the dialogue. Perhaps, the only difference in the new sessions of dialogue is the way they are conducted. The negotiation table, which was enlarged to include those who won in the latest parliamentary elections, now includes fierce political opponents. The newcomers were smiling, but the Sunni representatives who support Hezbollah were protesting for being excluded from the dialogue. Lebanon has witnessed important events since last year’s dialogue. Sa’ad el-Hariri visited Damascus and shock hands with Assad. Also, Lebanese officials have finally established a unity government that is similar in its composition to that of the dialogue table. The only difference is that the government usually reaches decisions, but when it comes to the national dialogue, only God knows when it will end. Some say the dialogue was held only for the sake of having a dialogue. How will Lebanon defend itself from Israeli threats? From the perspective of Hezbollah and its allies, that is the essential question; the others, however, are thinking about how Hezbollah’s weapons can be placed under the authority of the state. The Lebanese are wondering how these contradictory views can be reconciled through a dialogue. Abbas Naser Al Jazeera, from the Presidential Palace, Ba’abda.

The Iranian navy has successfully test-fired a new missile from its domestically-built Jamaran in the Persian Gulf waters. Surface to surface Nour missile hit its target at a distance of 100 km. Officials say an upgraded version of the missile will have a range of 300 km. Jamaran is Iran’s guide missile destroyer designed and developed in the country.

Presenter, Male #1
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon called on Nigerian factions to exercise “maximum restraint.” Nearly 500 people were killed over the past two days due to the ethnic conflict. Ki-moon issued a statement to the press, calling on all political and religious leaders in Nigeria to work together to address the underlying causes and to find a permanent solution to the conflict. Meanwhile, Acting Nigerian President, Goodluck Jonathan, declared a “maximum” state of emergency in an attempt to prevent the spread of violence.

Reporter, Female #1
The smell of death fills the air, as victims’ bodies are left to rot on the streets of Jos in Central Nigeria. Hundreds of people, including women and children, were killed in the latest wave of ethnic and religious conflict. In addition, hundreds of residents fled the city. According to local residents and human rights activists in Jos, the fighting erupted between herdsmen, who are mainly Bedouins from the Fulani tribe, on one side and residents from the Boron sect on the other. The fighting escalated after armed groups launched attacks on three villages in Plateau State, south of the Nigerian capital. The killers used machetes and guns, and on occasion burned their victims.

Guest, Male #2
We heard gunfire followed by calls from the residents. As we got closer, we heard more gunfire.

Reporter, Female #1
The confrontations are not new to the region, where more than 300 people were killed last January. More than 1,000 people were killed in the past few years due to the ongoing religious conflicts. The ongoing conflict has placed the government in an awkward situation.

Guest, Male #3
We will go back to the bargaining table and negotiate with the government. We will go back to Abuja in order to voice our position. In the meantime, we are asking for patience even though we know it’s very difficult. We have no choice but to be patient.

Reporter, Female #1
As an initial measure by the government, Acting Nigerian President, Goodluck Jonathan, declared a “maximum” state of emergency in Central Nigeria in an attempt to prevent the spread of the conflict. However, the smell of death remains stronger and more frightening than any security measure, as ethnic and religious extremism continue to cast their shadow in the region. This calls for prayer and efforts to help find a solution to the dreadful situation looming in the region.

Presenter, Male #1
In another unrelated development, the trial of nine people suspected of having links to al-Qaeda got underway in the Belgian capital of Brussels. The defendants may face a maximum prison sentence of 10 years. Three of the defendants are being accused of leading a group described as “terrorist” and handling explosives. Among the defendants is Malika el-Aroud, the widow of one of the suspects implicated in the assassination of former Afghan President, Ahmad Shah Masoud. The remaining six defendants are being charged with affiliation to a terrorist organization and the possession of explosives in a training camp along the Afghan-Pakistan border. The trial is expected to last until March 26.