Presenter, Female #1
The Arab League has approved in principle to direct Palestinian-Israeli talks, as long as the Palestinians agree to hold them. Speaking at a press conference, the secretary-general of the Arab League, Amr Moussa, said that Mahmoud Abbas, the head of the Palestinian Authority, received a letter from US President Barack Obama that included clear indications of some of the American positions.

Guest, Male # 1 (Amr Moussa, Arab League secretary-general)
In reality, a letter was sent by President Obama to President Abu Mazen. In it, there are numerous indications of many positions. Some could be considered clear American positions. We added our demands, which must be clear in any future negotiations, indirect or direct. The third point is that terms used in all of these exchanged documents are related to final status issues. They are serious negotiations. We won’t engage in another series of negotiations to lead to other negotiations. These talks are final.

Guest, Male # 2 (Sheikh Hamad Bin Jassim Bin Jabor, Qatar's Foreign Minister)
Let’s be clear, there is an agreement. But the agreement holds an understanding of what will be discussed and how direct talks will happen. The timeframe is up to President Abu Mazen, he will decide on the right time to hold the talks.

Presenter, Female #1
From Cairo, we are joined by our correspondent Samir Omar. Samir, perhaps the new thing in all of it is the reaction of Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, who said a short while ago, in response to the decision of the Arab League, that he is ready to start direct and frank talks with the Palestinian Authority. Have there been any Arab reactions to his statement?

Correspondent, Male # 3
Netanyahu’s statement is not a condemnation. He has confirmed, on multiple occasions, that he wants direct talks with the Palestinians. Following the statements of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, we asked the Arab League for its reaction. The chief of staff for the Arab League secretary-general, Minister Hisham Youssef, responded by saying that Netanyahu’s statement is not new. He added that the Arab side should not be concerned with what Netanyahu or others say; rather, by what is happening on the ground. Right now, the Arab position is clear. They have agreed in principle to start the launch of direct talks between the Palestinians and Israel. An Arab letter, signed by Arab ministers, was sent to the American president. It details the Arab understanding of peace and lists its demands. So, if Netanyahu wishes to start direct talks, as he claims in his statement, then he has to take into account and commit to the Arab letter that was sent to Obama. The letter can be summed up by what has already been agreed upon in previous summits on Arab peace. It includes stopping the settlement construction, the judification of Jerusalem, and abiding by international resolutions, in addition to using these resolutions as a reference in the peace process.

Israeli Vice Prime Minister Silvan Shalom said that President Mahmoud Abbas of the Palestinian Authority has laid down impossible conditions for moving to direct peace talks with Israel. He told Israel Radio that the Palestinians have set three conditions that will not be met.

Presenter, Female #1
Saudi King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz began his visit to Damascus, the second stop in his tour of Arab countries. He will visit Beirut and the Jordanian capital, Amman, tomorrow. The discussions between Syrian President Assad and the Saudi king include their bilateral relations and the latest developments in the Arab and international arenas. King Abdullah arrived in Damascus after his meeting in Cairo with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak. In Beirut, the Lebanese leadership published a statement saying that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad will arrive in Beirut tomorrow, accompanied by the Saudi king, to attend a summit with Lebanese President Michel Suleiman in order to contain the tension in Lebanon. Within this context, Lebanese Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri said that King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz’s visit to Lebanon, in which he will be accompanied by the Syrian president, comes within the framework of strengthening the initiative that he proposed in the Kuwait summit, which aims at working on Arab reconciliation at a time when the region is witnessing tension.

Guest, Male #1 (Saad al-Hariri, Lebanese PM)
A while ago, the Guardian of the Two Holy Shrines, King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz, proposed an initiative for Arab reconciliation. His visit also includes Arab countries. Of course, after the regional tension we have been witnessing, the presence of the Guardian of the Two Holy Shrines, alongside President Bashar al-Assad and President Michel Suleiman is a major attempt for stability.

Presenter, Female #1
The international tribunal in charge of the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq al-Hariri denied the accusation of Hezbollah’s involvement of being politically motivated. The court’s spokeswoman, Fatima Esawi, said that experiences in other international tribunals have shown that the outcome of these organizations’ work speaks for itself, and negates the groundless allegations that have hostile motivations. She affirms that it will be the same with the special tribunal in Lebanon. Esawi added that the government in Beirut is committed to responding to the international tribunal’s requests, if the tribunal accuses any Lebanese citizens.

Presenter, Female #1
The United Nations General Assembly issued a resolution that considered having access to clean water and sanitation to be a human right. The resolution generated different reactions among the countries that abstained from voting and the defenders of the right to water access.

Reporter, Male #1
After more than 15 years of discussions, having access to clean water and sanitation is finally a human right, according to a UN resolution. The resolution, which was proposed by Bolivia and approved by 122 member countries in the UN General Assembly, was welcomed by defenders of the right to water access, who consider it an important step towards signing water treaties in the future.

Guest, Male #1
In order to enjoy life fully, the right to have clean water and sanitation is a basic human right. Drinking water and sanitation is not a component or element of other rights, such as the right to have suitable living conditions, but an independent and separate right. We should approve of it and acknowledge it.

Reporter, Male #1
But some countries that abstained from voting, including the United States, say that the resolution undermines efforts exerted in order to reach an international consensus on the right to water. This non-binding resolution affirms the existence of about 884 million people who have no access to clean water, and about 2.6 billion people who have no basic sanitation. It also indicates that about 2 million people, mostly children, die every year from diseases caused by the lack of clean water and sanitation. The UN resolution reminded world leaders of the promise they made at the millennium development events in 2000, in which they vowed to cut in half the number of people who are suffering due to the lack of clean water and sanitation by 2015. The resolution urges countries and international organizations to provide financial and technological help to developing countries so they can increase efforts to provide clean water and sanitation to everyone. Ashraf Naghi, BBC.

The Afghan president has ordered a probe into the revelations made by the whistleblower website WikiLeaks. This comes as Hamid Karzai, once again, warned foreign forces against targeting Afghan civilians. He said that “The war against terrorism is not in the villages or houses of Afghanistan, but in the sanctuaries, sources of funding and training of terrorism, and they lie outside Afghanistan”.

Presenter, Female #1
Palestinian refugees in Lebanon: Are their hearts beating for the return to Palestine or for citizenship? This report by my colleague Firas Hatoum.

Reporter, Male # 1
There are half a million Palestinian refugees here, and to be forthright, the majority of them are Sunnis. They live in a country that is still afraid to hold a census that would reveal the demographic difficulties between its religious groups. As a result, their naturalization constitutes a beautiful dream that entices some of these religious groups, and a disturbing dream for others. However, the question today is not about the dreams of Lebanese politicians, but those of the refugees. What do they dream about? Citizenship or Palestine? For the little bird, his small prison is called a cage. For its jailers, their large prison is called the camp: A piece of land in Bourj el-Barajneh, which could be altered at any moment to reverse the miserable reality of the Palestinian refugees in Lebanon. Alleys that are barely wide enough to walk in, and wires that compete with passers-by to share some of the air. From the center of all of this, Kasem Kasem goes, rather, travels, to work every day. He crosses the separation line between Lebanon and the camps. Over there, in his small corner in the office of al-Akhbar newspaper, he dreams about returning to the land of his grandparents and parents. As for the land where he was born, staying in it is not one of his dreams.

Guest, Male # 2 (Kasem Kasem, Palestinian journalist, al-Akhbar newspaper)
If there’s an international attack, if international resolutions force us to be naturalized, I’m all for the naturalization of those I know and live with in China, not in Lebanon. In all honesty, let them get naturalized in a country that, at least, provides electricity. For example, if I were to get 250,000 dollars, an apartment and Lebanese citizenship, and get the same offer in any European or Scandinavian country I choose.

Reporter, Male # 1
So would you rather.

Guest, Male # 2 (Kasem Kasem, Palestininan journalist, al-Akhbar newspaper)
If it’s going to be imposed on me, then I will go to Denmark.

Reporter, Male # 1
Not Lebanon?

Guest, Male # 2 (Kasem Kasem, Palestininan journalist, al-Akhbar newspaper)
No, I will become a Dane and come to Lebanon as a tourist.

Reporter, Male # 1
More than three decades have passed since the bus incident in Ain el-Remmaneh, but Christian parties, whose weapons constituted the main objection to the Palestinian presence in Lebanon, are still ambiguous. To the right, a center for the Lebanese Forces, and to the left, a Phalanges flag. While political affiliation is a personal choice, the political scene has definitely changed, so in between the flag and the center, Hanadi can now peacefully pass by. The young Palestinian woman has been living here for years; she doesn’t feel alienation, but a sense of belonging. Not only to the region, but also to Lebanon.

Guest, Female # 2 (Hanadi Azam, Palestininan refugee living in Ain el-Remmaneh)
What am I supposed to do if my country no longer belongs to me? I was born here, and I have lived outside of the camp and I even attend the Lebanese University. All my friends and relatives are in Lebanon. I love this country and love living here.

Reporter, Male # 1
Don’t you feel a sense of belonging to Palestine?

Guest, Female # 2 (Hanadi Azam, Palestininan refugee living in Ain el-Remmaneh)
I don’t feel any belonging or nostalgia for Palestine because this is the only country I know. I’m loyal to Lebanon.

Reporter, Male # 1
So, Hanadi feels a sense of belonging to Lebanon, and wants to be naturalized. But Lebanon, similar to the entire Arab world, rejects this idea. So, which direction will this issue take? It is worth mentioning that Arabs have never rejected anything that has already taken place, maybe that’s good news for the young Palestinian woman. Firas Hatoum, New TV.

Presenter, Male #1
Muslims in the capital of Georgia, Tbilisi, have to endure the scarcity of mosques: there is only one mosque in this city. However, the one and only mosque managed to bring different Islamic branches together, after they were separated from each other by an artificial barrier.

Reporter, Male #1
This is the only mosque in Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia. Sunnis and Shiites used to pray here at the same time, separated by a barrier that divided the mosque into two parts. But Sheikh Ala’a Liyef, founder of the Muslim Affairs in Georgia, managed to bring the two branches together and remove the barrier that was separating them in the mosque.

Guest, Male #1 (Sheikh Ala’a Liyef)
Before I was appointed to lead Friday prayers in this mosque, things were difficult.
Sunnis and Shiites entered the mosque from different doors, and each of them performed their prayers in different ways, in accordance with their own faith. At that time, I called for all of them during Friday prayer, imploring them to unite their hearts and minds, and remove the barrier between them. And everyone responded to my request.

Reporter, Male #1
Despite the removal of the barrier, Friday prayers are still performed by two preachers at the same time, a Sunni and a Shiite. But this does not affect the worshipers who are intently listening to the preachers.

Guest, Male #2
In the past, there were problems between Sunnis and Shiites. And now, thank God, things are going well after the wall was removed. As you have seen, all the worshipers are mixed together, intently listening to the two preachers.

Reporter, Male #1
The Muslims expressed their satisfaction with the removal of the barrier, hoping that it will pave the way for the unification of Friday prayers in the mosque.

Guest, Male #3 (George Lubjandzah, expert in Oriental Studies)
The screen that used to separate the Shiites from the Sunnis was removed. And since then, the Shiites and Sunnis have been praying together. This is a great thing. As a Christian, I am happy that the Muslims in Tbilisi all pray together, side by side.

Guest, Male #4 (Hassam Makarati, entrepreneur)
Thank God, the Muslims, Shiites and Sunnis, are all praying together next to each other. It used to be that Sunnis were on one side and Shiites on the other. But this has now changed: the two pray together, Sunnis and Shiites. We hope that we’ll always be united. In Georgia, in Tbilisi, we have always been united, thank God, and now we all pray together too, thank God.

Reporter, Male #1
The Muslim population in the Georgian capital is approximately 35,000. They are hoping that Muslim countries will provide them the necessary help to build another mosque. The removal of the barrier that used to separate the prayer halls of Sunnis and Shiites in this mosque has helped bring them closer and unite them. A mosque is the place that unites Muslims regardless of their sect or branch. Mahmoud Qambar, Russia Today, from Georgia’s capital, Tbilisi.

A festival dedicated to piracy is held in the Moroccan coastal city of Salé, one of the main ports from which the alliance of Muslim pirates operated for many centuries. Dozens of local dancers, musicians and acrobats took part in a show viewed by thousands of spectators who relived the legends and myths of the pirates that made their city world-famous.


** Mosaic News is produced by Jamal Dajani. Contact: mosaicnews{at}linktv{dot}org