[Transcript]  Mosaic News - 05/13/08: World News From The Middle East

Presenter, MALE #1:
Clashes have reignited at the northern entrance of the city of Tripoli between the members of the opposition and the majority. As a result, one person was killed and four others were wounded. All Lebanese sects are amazed about how Hezbollah is dealing with the legitimate Lebanese government, which is headed by Fouad Seniora. Meanwhile, Lebanese are shocked by Hezbollah’s use of its arsenal of weapons despite pledges made by Hassan Nasrallah to prohibit the use of these weapons internally in Lebanon and not to harm political and sectarian leaders.

Reporter, FEMALE #1:
The same scene repeats itself in the mountain areas after taking place in Beirut, Bekaa and Tripoli with armed fighters, smoke rising and the sound of gunshots, explosions and battle fields. Hezbollah is sending the same message to the head of the Progressive Socialist Party, Waleed Jumblatt after sending it to MP Saad Al Hariri. After the Socialist party kidnapped three members of Hezbollah, who were all executed, armed clashes erupted between a group belonging to the socialists and the opposition forces, lead by Hezbollah. People were killed and wounded in the clashes, which lasted for two days and ended yesterday day after member Waleed Jumblatt withdrew armed fighters from most of their positions in the village of Allay, surrendering them to the Lebanese army, which implemented a deployment plan that was accompanied by political communications that led to a ceasefire, but without a political agreement. MP Waleed Jumblatt called on Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah not to allow the Druze sect pay the price for personal vendetas and hopes that he will cooperate based on the authority that Jumblatt gave to his political representative in the mountains, Al Amir Talal Arslan.

Guest, MALE #2:
There was a complete ceasefire in all the areas, in Shouf, Allay, or Metna Al’la. Now there is a plan with General Michel Sulaiman, the head of the army. Right now, I have the head of intelligence here, so that we may discuss the full deployment of the army in the villages and areas, in Shouf, Allay and Metna Al Ala.

Guest, MALE #3:
Before any dialogue, we insist and want a personal pledge from Mr. Hassan Nasrallah, in front of the Lebanese and Arab publics, that he will no longer use weapons in the internal political conflicts in Lebanon.

Reporter, FEMALE #1:
Meanwhile, some are waiting for the Arab League delegation headed by the Qatari Prime Minister, Shaikh Hamad Bin Jassum Bin Jabar and Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa to arrive in Beirut to discuss the implementation of items in the initiative, including the immediate election of General Michel Sulayman as the President of Lebanon and then the formation of a national unity government. Sources from the Arab League said that the committee will discuss the possibility of dissolving the current government and forming a military cabinet that will be tasked with dealing with the security situation and paving the way for presidential and parliamentary elections. According to observers, today’s calm is a ruse and may change overnight into a fiery hell. It is the calm that comes before the storm, which Lebanese and Arab officials are trying to transform into the calm that comes after the storm. For Al Madar. Ola Al Mallah. Abu Dhabi TV. Beirut.

PRESENTER, MALE #1
The warning by the Lebanese army to pursue the displays of arms in the streets of Beirut has echoed on the ground. This news comes after armed groups withdrew from the streets of Beirut, which helped return life to normal. Meanwhile, the opposition continues to hold civil disobedience, which impeded the flow of traffic in several parts of Beirut. Politically, all eyes are focused on Beirut’s international airport, where the Arab Foreign Ministers Committee is expected to arrive in the next few hours. Ilian Shatri reports from Beirut.

REPORTER, FEMALE #1
On this 7th day of Lebanon’s armed confrontations, the war machinery and the language of fire between the children of the same nation took a break. Beirut is gasping for air and licking its wounds, in an attempt to overcome its pain and return to its normal life. The Lebanese capital is still cut off amidst civil disobedience by the opposition; which has partially paralyzed activities in the local markets and the various economic institutions. However, the relative calm observed in the streets of Beirut has given the residents of Beirut a breathing room.

GUEST, MALE #2
Thank God, the army is now deployed in the streets, which has encouraged the people to go out of their homes and walk on the streets.

REPORTER, FEMALE #1
This relative calm was witnessed after the command center of the Lebanese army issued a warning, preventing the display of arms in the streets. The army also warned all Lebanese rivals not to engage in any political activity. The command center said its units will maintain control and stop all security breaches, whether they are committed by individuals or groups. In doing so, the army will use force when deemed necessary. Amidst this reassurance by the military institution, several local shops opened for business and many residents went to work. However, local schools and universities are still closed for the second consecutive week.

GUEST, MALE #3
May God bring relief to our nation!

GUEST, MALE #4
This is our country; no one wants to destroy his own country.

REPORTER, FEMALE #1
Between political maneuvers and armed confrontations, the Lebanese expressed mixed reactions. Meanwhile, all eyes are focused on Beirut’s airport awaiting the arrival of the Arab ministerial committee, which is trying to contain the crisis; this comes despite the fact that all roads leading to Beirut’s airport are still closed. Amidst this cooling off period, and amidst the anxiety and the waiting, the sounds of bullets were silenced and were replaced by the voices of meditation and political maneuvering; with this, the Lebanese are hopeful that the time for a solution is drawing near. Ilian Shatri, Dubai TV, Beirut.

PRESENTER, MALE #1
From Beirut, joining us is, Ibrahim Berim, a writer and journalist at al Nahar Newspaper. Mr. Ibrahim, after the army took action and maintained control over all arm displays in the streets of Beirut, can we say that this was the beginning of a solution for the crisis?

GUEST, MALE #5
I believe it was more of a cooling off period than it was a solution. For example, the situation on the Mountain is still as is; there’s a temporary cooling off period in effect there. The cooling off period didn’t hold in order for us to call it a ceasefire, which if it occurs, it will be part of a solution. Practically, the crisis is still raging. The government has failed to withdraw its two resolutions that were the cause for the crisis to spiral out of control. The opposition is still in the streets, holding civil disobedience. The situation in the streets is moving toward a cooling off period. The opposition, which has changed the balance of power during the past few days, issued a declaration that it referred to as a humble message. Through its declaration, the opposition tried to absorb the reactions and bring the situation to calm, at least, at the psychological level. Although it was a clever and intelligent maneuver by the opposition, it doesn’t mean that the situation is moving toward a solution. Practically, the opposition halted their fire and stopped their attacks, waiting for a political solution. In addition, the opposition will have no choice but to deal with the Arab ministerial committee that should be arriving in Lebanon during the next few hours. The committee, which is now led by the Qatari Foreign Minister, is carrying with it a promise to deliver a consensus to Lebanon. To the opposition, the new Arab committee led by the Qatari Foreign Minister, has more guarantees to offer than that was previously led by the Secretary General for the Arab League.

Presenter, Woman
Now we bring you the broadcast of Future TV several days after the station was attacked and burned by armed men. Future Television resumes as promised its managing. This broadcast will be shortly accompanied by a speech from Parliament Speaker Sa’ad Al Hariri, shortly. As we are watching now, Future Television has resumed the coverage of events in Lebanon. We are transmitting these images directly from Future Television. The station was forced to stop broadcasting for few days. As we have said previously the building of Future Television was attacked last week. There was a great deal of condemnation for the attacks on Future television and newspaper. We have also received news that there were attempts to stop the coverage of Al Arabiya television by pressuring some satellite television providers to stop the transmission of Al Arabiya as a way to prevent the signal from reaching Arab audiences. Of course this is part of the campaign that was launched against the media and free expression. Future television has resumed here is Sa’ad Al Hariri.

Guest, Man #1 (Hariri)
The future party is not armed. You tell me the people are armed on individual basis, of course. People have personal weapons to defend their homes; this is what happened in Beirut. People have to defend their dignity. The decision we have made which was difficult because we compromised in some areas. But why are we compromising? We are compromising for the sake of national peace. We wanted to avoid bloodshed and ethnic strife. Does Hizbollah realize that the Lebanese do not accept what it did? I’m surprised sometimes when I hear that we are against the Shiite community. No, we are not against the Shiite community and have never been against the Shiite community. Look at what happened today. The Shiite community is our people. They are Lebanese just like us. No one in Lebanon is targeting one community or another. Lebanon can’t be based on a system that gives privileges to one community at the expense of another. It is time for us to understand this. It is time for all Lebanese communities to understand that Lebanon can’t be based on a system that makes one community stronger than the other, or a system that makes one religious sect stronger than the other. Lebanon can’t be built this way. They are happy about what they call victory. They have their televisions but they closed the televisions of others. On what bases did they close the televisions of others? Do they want to prevent the others from speaking out? What are they preventing people from saying? You are making people hate Hezbollah.

Reporter, Man # 2
I’m Hassan Hijizi from the Egyptian television. Some of the opposition say that the support of Egypt and Saudi Arabia and other moderate Arab states to the Lebanese ruling majority is intangible and that these countries should give it up. Was this support imaginary? If the opposition continues the acts of violence, will your position continue to be the same?

Guest, Man # 1 (Hariri)
Of course our position will stay the same. I would like to ask a question. Some say that we are supported by Egypt, Saudi Arabia and others, but these countries are the allies of all the Lebanese. Egypt supports all Lebanon and Saudi Arabia supports all Lebanon. They do not support one group over the other. Also Qatar and all the Gulf supports all the Lebanese. But let me ask you, who does Iran support? Tell me, who does Iran support? Have you ever seen Iran supporting a project in Akar, Tripoli or Beirut? These things should not happen, we respect Iran, but Iran must also respect us, Syria also must respect us.

[Summary]

Saudi Arabia and Iran respond to Lebanese conflict.

[Summary]

A 70 year old woman was killed by a Kassam rocket.

Two Kassam rockets were fired by Palestinians just south of Ashkalon. One exploded and caused a fire to erupt in a field.

An Israeli airstrike killed one Palestinian in Gaza. Meanwhile, Hamas says that captive IDF soldier, Gilad Shalit will not be included in any peace deal with Israel.

Israel’s security level is reaching new heights in preparation for the Bush visit and the Presidents conference.

Presenter, FEMALE #1:
The Sudanese Parliament listened to a statement by the Ministers of Interior and Defense, regarding the latest events of Omdurman. The Sudanese Minister of Defense denied any presence of the Leader of the Justice and Equality of Movement, Khalil Ibrahim, in Omdurman. He said that the Sudani Authorities is still pursuing him in northwestern Darfur.

Presenter, MALE #1:
At this time, Sudan has initiated a complaint to the UN Security Council against the government of Chad. Mahjou Fadl, the advisor of the Sudanese President, blamed the international community for being slow to condemn the attack on Omdurman.

Reporter, MALE #2:
Amidst scenes of joy and life returning to normal in the capital of Sudan, the authorities have begun to take official and public actions with respect to the consequences of the attack. The minister of Defense, Abdul Raheem Mohammed Hussein, said that the leader of the Justice and Equality movement, Khalil Ibrahim, is not present in Khartoum and that he was able to escape to northern Darfur. The authorities said that they monitored a conversation between him and the Chadian authorities, during which he requested a helicopter so that he can be transported to Chad. The legislative bodies In the Sudanese Parliament held an emergency session to hear the two statements by the Ministers of Interior and Defense regarding what happened. Meanwhile, Salih Al Mehdi said that he is calling for a just trial for those arrested. In New York, the Sudanese ambassador in the United Nations, Abdel Haleem Mahmoud, said that Sudanese initiated a complaint to the Security Council regarding Chad’s role in the attack. The press advisor to the Sudanese President, Mahjoub raised questions about the agenda of the bilateral agreements with Chad, he also wondered why the international community, which rejects terrorism, has not acted to condemn the attack. At the international level, Yan Pronk, the former UN Envoy in Sudan, said that the Sudanese government will be more pressured to take the negotiations seriously. Meanwhile, he said that had pressure been placed on the Justice and Equality party to participate in the negotiations, the attack could have been prevented. Dave Muzarsky, from the International Crises Group, said that the attack was a wake up call and opens doors that were previously closed. An international source confirmed that this development opens a dangerous door to confrontations between Sudan and Chad, and he criticized what he called the United Nations and the African Union’s failure to fulfill its duty as a mediator. They implied that the solution can be reached through international intervention, which Sudan rejects.

Presenter, FEMALE #1:
Hassan Al Turabi, the leader of the Popular Congress Party, accused what he called a faction close to the President for being behind his arrest after the events that took place in Sudan. In a press conference, Turabi clarified that the 121 members of the Popular Congress Party were arrested and only six of them have been released. Turabi stressed his opposition to the violence in Darfur and the violence being committed by the opposition.

Guest, MALE #3 (Turabi)
Those in authority right now know that limiting the conflict, including the strikes and gunfire, between the tribes and the resistance movements in Darfur, will not lead to reactions that are only limited to Darfur. However, shells are sometimes launched from Darfur, such as the shell that reached and rocked the entire Sudanese capital Khartoum; it was a sad and tragic incident. We may turn a deaf ear to such tragic incidents because they are far away; but soon we will feel the consequences. I believe, but only God can read the future, the government will realize that. The opposition will also realize that it might be able to hit Khartoum but it can’t change the entire situation through this action alone.

PRESENTER, FEMALE #1
A Syrian-French joint archeological mission working at the site of Ugarit in the province of Latakia has discovered new ancient ruins. This news comes as the season of archeological exploration started in the ancient city of Ugarit.

REPORTER, FEMALE #2
The Syrian-French joint archeological mission working at the site of Ugarit began the excavation process in two areas. The French team started the excavation process in the southern part of the city near the Sed Bridge along the Delba River. Weeks after the excavation process started in Ugarit, the French team discovered an old road leading to the city from the south. This news comes a few years after a similar discovery was made in northern Ugarit, in which the archeological team discovered a bridge and a dam overlooking the Delba River. The team used geomagnetic underground sound equipment to study the topography and the structure of this ancient city. In addition, excavation works are underway in the temples of Dijin and Baal, where the French mission is trying to confirm the period, in which the two temples were built. It is, however, believed that the two temples had been built sometime in the Early Bronze Age, which is considered to be a new discovery for those studying the site.

GUEST, MALE #1
We have carried out excavation works in the temple of Dijin, which was discovered several years ago; however, it was not until this year that we were able to confirm the prehistoric period in which it was built. The temple was built during the years 2100 to 1600 BC; or in another word, they were built during the early Bronze Age.

REPORTER, FEMALE #2
Meanwhile, the Syrian archeological team started several days ago the excavation process in and around the southwestern part of Ugarit near the Gate to the Royal Palace. The objective of this mission is to find the perimeters of the large house that was discovered during pervious archeological studies. The archeological team will also make other excavations in several historical sites adjacent to the ancient house, which includes a well and a family tomb. With this, the team is trying to study the structure of this historical site and compare it to the general organizational plan of the city.

GUEST, FEMALE #3
The objective of this project is to try to locate the exterior perimeters of the house. Last year, we located the eastern perimeters; but until now, we don’t know where they lead to. We are now working on the southern side of the house.

REPORTER, FEMALE #2
The Syrian-French Mission is being administered by French Professor, Iskaleza Wani, and Syrian archeologist Jamal Hayder, and with the participation of several researchers and specialists from both sides.

GUEST, MALE #2
During this archeological season, we will continue to work to see if the city has any walls or gates. We are now carrying out excavation works inside the house, which was discovered in the southern part of Ugarit. It’s believed that the house once belonged to a local leader in Ugarit.

REPORTER, FEMALE #2
Once the final results of this year’s archeological mission are concluded, they will be compared to the findings of previous studies and then presented to those researchers and specialists studying ancient Ugarit.