Presenter, Female #1
In an effort to safeguard his soldiers in Afghanistan, the head of the multinational forces there, David Petraeus, warned of repercussions of US church Dove World Outreach Center’s plan to burn copies of the holy Quran on the 11th of September. Patraeus said that this act will endanger the lives of American soldiers in Afghanistan, and threaten the multinational parties spread in that country. In addition, he said that it will serve the interests of the Taliban movement.Yesterday, hundreds of Afghans organized an angry demonstration in front of the headquarters of the American embassy in Kabul, during which they chanted slogans against Washington and the Florida-based church. Petraeus’ warning was quickly followed by a response from the pastor of the Florida church, Terry Jones, who said that the fears of the military commander are ‘out of place’. Jones, who is leading the campaign to burn copies of the holy Quran in the church’s yard, in commemoration of the September 11 attacks, said that the act aims to send a clear message to what he referred to as Islamist extremists. However, that message is opposed by the American people. Hundreds of activists are organizing a march on the 9th of September in opposition to the burning of the holy Quran. During their demonstrations, they will wear Keffiyehs and the hijab, in solidarity with Muslims.

Presenter, Male #1
The head of the National Assembly of Change in Egypt, Mohamed el-Baradei, reaffirmed his support for boycotting the parliamentary and presidential elections in Egypt. During an Iftar and a ceremony marking the 1st anniversary of the establishment of the Change movement, Baradei said that if the ruling regime continues to ignore his demands for reform, he will call on the public to take to the streets in protest and turn to civil disobedience.

Presenter, Female #1
Amidst this political controversy, doubts arose around Baradei’s daughter, Leila El-Baradei’s religious affiliation because of some of her pictures that are spread online.

Reporter, Male #1
El-Baradei chose the occasion of a Ramadan Iftar meal, instead of websites, to reaffirm his support for boycotting the upcoming elections. This time, however, his speech carried a challenging tone.

Guest, Male #1 (Mohamed El-Baradei, Head of the National Assembly of Change in Egypt)
We also have a lot in our arsenal. If the government does not respond, then we will turn to civil disobedience.

Reporter, Male #1
Change, according to Baradei, can only occur in the hands of the Egyptian people. El-Baradei told scores of his supporters that civil disobedience is the final option if the regime does not respond to calls for reform and constitutional amendments, which were proposed by Egyptian opposition parties, including the popular movement in support of his candidacy. Some sees Baradei’s sharper tone as an angry reaction to the spread of his daughter’s pictures, wearing a bathing-suit, on the social networking website facebook, and comments that raise doubt over her religious affiliation. Supporters of the movement consider this incident an attempt to distort Baradei’s image as a potential candidate for the presidency. Some people consider it political assassination of the Change movement, led by Baradei, even though he himself did not indicate that openly. But these pictures managed to create doubt over the Baradei family’s religious background and its influence on his movement. They also aroused the same amount of speculation over who is behind the leak of these pictures. Some people believe that the ruling party is involved in the picture incident. Baradei himself affirmed his belief in that assertion and held the government responsible for its implications. However, officials in the ruling party denied having any influence on the movement that supports Baradei, and denied any involvement in the spread of his daughter’s pictures. Meanwhile, controversy arose over who was behind the posters that appeared in Cairo’s streets and some other provinces, carrying the picture of Egyptian intelligence chief Omar Suleiman with slogans urging him to run for the Egyptian presidency. As for the Egyptian citizens, it seems that all they can hope for is a real chance to elect the candidate that they see as appropriate.

Presenter, Female #1
Joining us from Cairo is al-Jazeera reporter Samir Omar.

Presenter, Male #1
Samir, how do you interpret Baradei’s statements and his threats to boycott the elections and turn to civil disobedience?

Reporter, Male #1 (Samir Omar, Aljazeera reporter)
These are not new calls by Baradei. Since the beginning of his involvement in Egyptian politics, he has been reiterating that he does not play by the rules of Egypt’s political games, and that he and all the Egyptian opposition reject these rules.He said that these rules do not guarantee elections with integrity and transparency, so boycotting the elections is an effective weapon to confront the policies that the government imposes on the opposition. In a meeting yesterday, with some of his supporters at the Iftar meal, he reaffirmed that boycotting the elections was the most powerful weapon to confront the regime, by not granting the former president any legitimacy, a president who took power through non-transparent elections.He also said yesterday that the Egyptian regime does not want any political reform nor does it want to respond to the 7-changes request, or make any changes to the current political structure. Therefore, as long as the government does not want political reform, the alternative solution for the public is to take to the street. He also reiterated that the Change movement will call for civil disobedience. So we see a new tone in Baradei’s speech. Today, he will meet with a group of workers in a human rights center, and tomorrow he will convene with a group of artists and authors who support the reform. He is now active in wider fields and is getting closer to the citizens. He feels confident in himself and in the Change movement that he leads, since the number of people who signed up for the reform initiatives has increased. He feels that some people attempted to hurt him by publishing pictures of his daughter Leila el-Baradei with her husband, which led to speculations that she married this man in a church in Vienna. And he feels that those who tried to hurt him did not succeed, seeing that Egyptian diplomatic source confirmed that the wedding was held in a mosque and witnessed by the Egyptian ambassador in Vienna.

Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman has promised to veto any extension of the building freeze, and said that not only is peace with the Palestinians unachievable, but that it an unattainable goal that would not be reached within a year, or even within a generation.

Presenter, Female #1
Iran has reiterated its right to select the International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors who are allowed to inspect Iran’s nuclear plants. This came in response to the latest statement by the IAEA, criticizing Iran for inadequately cooperating. Iran’s nuclear program chief, Ali Akbar Salehi, announced that, like any other IAEA member, Iran has the right to choose the inspectors. He added that the two inspectors who were barred by Iran provided false information.

Reporter, Female #1
The clock is once again ticking over the Iranian nuclear program.Media networks leaked a secret report by the IAEA, in which it expressed concerns over the possibility that Iran is trying to develop a nuclear device that can be mounted on a missile, also known as a nuclear missile. The report indicates that Iran’s total production of low-enriched uranium has increased by 15% since May, and has reached nearly 3 tons. This leads to the belief that Iran is moving forward with its nuclear activity. According to nuclear experts, 630 kilograms of low-enriched uranium can produce 15 to 22 kilograms of enriched uranium, which is enough to build a nuclear weapon.The enriched uranium creates an international dispute over Iran’s nuclear program. So far, the United Nations has imposed 4 rounds of sanctions on Iran, and Western countries have expanded the existing sanctions as well. The IAEA also expressed its concerns over Iran’s repeated rejection of the agency’s selection of inspectors to work in Iran. Iran has barred two UN nuclear inspectors from entering the country. The report said that this has restricted the agency’s ability to apply nuclear safeguards in Iran. The report also criticized Syria for its lack of cooperation with IAEA inspectors over its nuclear plants. IAEA chief Yukiya Amano is expected to present the findings of the report to the IAEA board of governors on September 13th. Western countries will look into ways to deal with the new situation. Hasina Wushan, al-Arabiya.

Presenter, Female #1
Sources from the state-run Iraqiya TV channel reported that armed individuals, equipped with gun silencers, killed one of its presenters, Riyadh al-Sarai. According to Iraqi security sources, he was driving his car in the Mansoor neighborhood, west of Baghdad. These developments coincided with today’s demonstrations, which were organized by Iraq’s civil society organizations, in opposition to the ‘unbelievable situation’, as described in their statement, as a result of the power struggle.

Reporter, Male # 1
Choosing one candidate among two. This choice was finally narrowed down to Adel Abdul Mahdi and Nouri al-Maliki, following Abdul Mahdi’s rise in the past few days. Choosing a candidate is at the root of the dispute within the National Alliance, which is composed of Shia coalitions. The parties that make up the National Coalition are seeking to amend or propose new mechanisms to choosing the National Alliance candidate, who will head the government, and then propose those changes to the State of Law coalition.

Guest, Male # 2 (Qasee el-Saheel, Sadrist lawmaker)
It is clear that the mechanisms have not been decided on. So, of course, we will have recourse to the voting process. Obviously, the voting has already-established mechanisms, part of which call for 80 or 70 percent of the votes. I believe that this session will result in determining a precise number.

Reporter, Male # 1
The negotiation table has gathered delegations from the State of Law coalition and the National Alliance in order to reach an agreement over these mechanisms, which the two parties refuse to disclose. The two sides merely indicated that the change will include voter turnout, and the number of members on the jury panel.

Guest, Male # 3 (Nassar al-Rubaie, Sadrist lawmaker)
We discussed new mechanisms that were agreed upon. If we are able to choose a candidate for prime minister, then it will become possible to put an end to this chapter. However, if we have difficulties then we will look for another mechanism. But I believe it to be a good mechanism.

Reporter, Male # 1
The results of these meetings, which don’t differ at all from previous ones, have not been announced. But statements from both sides contradict each other over the deadline of these negotiations, while a number of civil society organizations get ready to take to the street, in condemnation of the delay in the formation of the government. From Baghdad, Tareq Maher, al-Arabiya.

Presenter, Female #1
The Iraqi government has launched efforts aimed at making a good first impression of its capital, which is scheduled to host the next Arab League summit.

Presenter, Male #1
In order to do that, the Iraqi government has allocated funds to boost the hotel industry, as well as develop major streets in the capital. This will show a beautiful image of Baghdad, known as the city of peace and history.

Reporter, Male #2
With the approaching opening session of the Arab League summit, set to take place next March, the levels of preparation by the Baghdad municipality have intensified. The government has pledged funds to improve hotels and roads in the capital. The efforts aim to show a better image than that being portrayed by some satellite channels. The council of ministers has approved a proposal to allocate 300 million dollars to rehabilitate six major hotels in Baghdad, ahead of the Arab League summit. In addition, the council also designated multiple presidential headquarters at the Green Zone to host Arab heads of states and kings.

Guest, Male #3 (Dr. Gahtan Abbas al-Jaburi, Iraqi Minister of Tourism and Antiquity)
The government has allocated large sums of money to help rehabilitate and develop major hotels in Baghdad. Some of the 5-star hotels that will receive facelifts are: al-Rashid, al-Mansur, the Sheraton, Baghdad, Babil, and the Meridian. After the Arab summit wraps up, we will launch efforts to attract private companies and investors to penetrate the Iraqi market. Investors are being encouraged to invest in the tourism and hotel sector, including hotel administration and developing tourist attractions or resorts.

Reporter, Male #2
The Baghdad Municipality will receive the lion’s share of these development projects. More than 20 major streets in Baghdad will undergo development and rehabilitation. Once completed, the new and modern look of Baghdad will help make a good first impression of the capital and prove its ability to make changes.

Guest, Male #4 (Hakim Abed-Zahra, Director of Relations and Media of the Baghdad Municipality)
Five major streets, out of a total of 22, will undergo complete rehabilitation, which includes a facelift of buildings on both sides of the streets. Among these streets are Sa’adun, Jumhouriya, Abu Nawas, and Karaz. These streets will be developed and the sides of the buildings will be rehabilitated in accordance with their original design.

Reporter, Male #2
Analysts believe that the success of the Arab summit will help Iraq regain its confidence in the world, by opening its markets to private companies and investors. Investors and capital owners will be encouraged to invest in the Iraqi market in light of stable security situation and the modern look of the capital.

Guest, male #5 (Dr. Aziz Shibal, Political Analyst)
The convening of the Arab summit is an indication that Iraq has reached an advanced stage of security stability and regained the world’s trust and acceptance. Investors will find it safe to invest in Iraq and know that their investments are well protected. This will allow investors to gain better knowledge of the economic situation in Iraq.

Reporter, Male #2
Efforts are intensifying to meet the deadline of the opening session of the Arab League Summit, meant to achieve a level of perfection that is suitable for hosting the most important Arab event witnessed in the country. From Baghdad, Ala’ al-Khafaji, Iraqiya.

Ramadan in the United Kingdom is eagerly observed each year by hundreds of thousands of faithful believers, and this year, the fast is longer than it has been in three decades. As Ramadan moves up the solar calendar into the month of June and July, the fast will get longer and longer.

Presenter, Female #1
Lebanese poet Maroun Karam passed away on Saturday, August 28, 2010. He left an artistic legacy that few people know was created by him. Today’s special figure is Maroun Karam.

Reporter, Female #1
Maroun Karam, creator of the typical Wadih el-Safi song, was born in the village of Bhaneen in southern Lebanon’s town of Jezzine. He started his education in Dair al-Mukhalis, then finished his studies at night schools in Zahle and Beirut, while farming with his father. When he was almost 16 years old, he forged his papers to be five years old in order to join the Lebanese army. There, he discovered his poetic talent. Karam was engaged to the daughter of Ghalib al-Helou, but fell in love with her sister Antoinette el-Helou. He married Antoinette and had 4 children: Marwan, Salwa, Aghani and Samah. The turning point in his artistic career started in 1959, when he met artist Wadih el-Safi; the two are connected through their wives, who are relatives. At the time, he had published 3 poem collection volumes.The first two songs that Karam and Safi wrote together were “You don’t agree and I don’t agree either” and “Our Green Hut”. From there, they wrote about 300 songs together, such as “Knock on the door quietly”, “I’ve become a father like you, dad”, “Oh my country, we’ve farmed on your hills”, “Oh my green homeland”, etc. Together with Safi, Maroun Karam created Lebanese songs with simple and uncomplicated lyrics, narrating stories in just several minutes. The relationship between Karam and Safi was not limited to work. Safi was Karam’s best man and the godfather of his oldest daughter Salwa. Maroun Karam lived in an era of great artists, and he wrote for Nasr Shams al-Din, Faiz Ahmed, Najah Salam, Suad Mohamed, Widad and Samira Taufiq. And of course, he granted singer Sabah songs like “Oh my darling, my life, my dear.” Karam lived in an era in which great artists created other great artists. His songs in the Lebanese dialect sent singer Magda Roumi into the hearts of all Arab audiences, when she sang “Oh the spring of my love”, “Yesterday while saying goodbye” and others. Musician Melhem Barakat also has a share of Karam’s poetry. And who doesn’t remember superstar Raghib Alami’s first songs, which sent him straight to stardom, such as “Tell your neighbors”, and “If your window was close to mine.” Maroun Karam’s songs were distinguished among the rest of the music industry’s 1960s and 70s songs. Most big stars sang songs written by him such as Tony Hanna, who sang “You remembered us”, and Waidi Shuwairi, Joseph Azzar, Samir Wazbek, Essam Rajjeh, and George Wassuf. His lyrics reached up-and-coming singers at the time, such as Ghalib Antar and Raja Badr, who sang “Oh, which star?” a song written by Karam and inspired by the beauty of a movie star at the time. Karam headed the theater and entertainment department at the Lebanese Radio, and published 17 books. Maroun Karam suffered a long-term disease, which isolated him from his friends. In his last days, nostalgia was stronger than his pain. He said in an interview, “I am now a disbeliever in this world, and in artists, who are not loyal. I have been at home for over a year and a half, and no one has asked about my well-being. No one has thanked me for all the glory I have created for them. I even held a book signing and no one attended.” Karam’s last TV appearance was on New TV in an interview with our colleague Cynthia al-Asmar in our “Hello Beirut” program, in which he was very humble about his artistic achievements.


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