[Transcript]  Mosaic News - 07/18/08: World News From The Middle East

Presenter, FEMALE, #1
Yemeni President, Ali Abdallah Saleh, said that the war in the Saada district had ended three days ago. However, Yemeni military sources said that supporters of Houthi seized a village, and there were clashes between the two sides in the past 24 hours.

Guest, MALE, #1
The war ended three days ago in the Saada district.

Reporter, MALE, #2
Without mentioning ‘how’ the fighting ended, Yemeni President, Ali Abdallah Saleh, was satisfied with simply announcing the end of the battles in Saada. He blamed whom he called ‘rebellious elements’, whose extremism, ignorance and backwardness led to the death of many victims on both sides.

Guest, MALE, #1
"We had victims because of extremism, ignorance and backwardness.”

Reporter, MALE, #2
A Yemeni security committee affirmed the end of the fighting in Saada by issuing a statement, which was broadcast by the Yemeni Defense Ministry on its internet site. The statement called the people who fled due to the battles between the army and al-Houthi supporters to return to their homes. They particularly called the people of the Bani Hasheesh municipality, near the capital of Sanaa, to return, along with other municipalities of the Saada district. But according to Yemeni military sources, the rebels seized one of the villages in the area. Clashes between the two sides have taken place in the past 24 hours, killing and injuring dozens. According to observers, the latest clashes are the most violent since the armed struggle ignited between the army and the supporters of al Houthi. The clashes began on June 28th 2004, killing hundreds of people on both sides. According to Humanitarian Aid Reports, 120 thousand people have been harmed by this war. The fleeing of residents resulted in the formation of 6 refugee camps in the area of Saada, housing thousands of people. According to an NGO, this war has left 20,000 orphaned, 10,000 physically handicapped, and 6,000 families without their breadwinner.

Presenter, FEMALE, #1
An Al Jazeera correspondent in Beijing reported that the Chinese envoy to Darfur, Liu Jianchao, called on the international community to heed the African and Arab voices in regards to the repercussions of the International Criminal Court prosecutor’s demands for an arrest warrant on the Sudanese President Omar al Bashir. Meanwhile, the spokeswoman of the joint UN-African Union forces in Darfur said that 171 Chinese soldiers have arrived to the city of Niala, the capital of the southern province in Darfur. This brings up the number of Chinese forces to 315 soldiers in the region.

Reporter, MALE, #3
It began with economic support through investment, and political support through defense. This was followed by a military presence under the title of the UN-African Union Forces, aimed at stabilizing the situation in Darfur. China, which purchases the majority of the oil in Sudan, is also the largest partner in the oil digging companies. China is obliged to protect its investments, by facing the international pressures that threaten Khartoum.

Guest, MALE, #4
"China expresses grave concern and misgivings about the International Criminal Court prosecutor's indictment of the Sudanese leader. The ICC's actions must be beneficial to the stability of the Darfur region and the appropriate settlement of the issue, not the contrary,"

Reporter, MALE, #3
According to Beijing, Darfur establishes a president legitimizing in the country’s internal affairs. It also threatens one of the largest Chinese investments in the African continent, which have greatly increased in the past few years. This is particularly the case between countries criticized by Washington and the West, contrary to Chinese support of these countries. This was confirmed during the Chinese President’s visit to Khartoum early this year. Hu Jintao did not even mention Darfur during his visit to Sudan. According to Chinese officials, he wanted to keep away from interfering with internal issues, The Sudan-China cooperation is not limited to the economy; China has also expressed its willingness to expand the military cooperation with Khartoum, in all areas. In the UN Security Council, China repeatedly threatened to use its right to Veto while drafting the tasks of the joint Un-African Union Forces in Darfur. But there are many shades to China’s international role, its multiple interests and commitments. China’s interests in Africa cannot jeopardize its interests in the West either. This led Beijing to pressure Khartoum to accept the presence of the UN forces, per final terms that were reached. After many objections, Sudan accepted to admit the forces. This was a strong indication of China’s large influence in Khartoum, and the latter’s increased dependence on Beijing for economic and political support, and even military support. China’s participation in the international forces in Darfur, allowed Beijing to monitor and participate in creating stability on the ground, in an attempt to extract the source of the explosions. China and Russia voted against the US decision in the Security Council calling for imposing sanctions on Zimbabwe. This is a strong indication of the lengths that Beijing is willing to go to support an ally, if it would lead to larger investments and a bigger supply.

Presenter, Woman # 1
Four days after accusing Sudanese president Omar Al Basher, the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, Luis Moreno Ocampo is pursuing the leaders of rebel groups in Darfur for allegedly killing 10 African Union soldiers. On the ground, joint forces of the UN and the African Union announced that a Chinese military contingency has arrived to the Darfur region, thus raising the number of peace keeping forces to 8,000. We leave you with Sughire Salam.

Reporter, Man # 1
Khartoum refuses to make any deal behind the scenes and rejects the indictment of the Sudanese President Omar Al Basher. Like many countries, Sudan did not sign the Roma agreement upon which the International Criminal Court was formed. Khartoum does not want to hold the stick from the middle and prefers to unite with all of its different political and ethnic groups against what Khartoum calls politicizing international law. The Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, Luis Moreno Ocampo refuses this accusation and still defends his indictment of the Sudanese president. He is even pursuing some leaders of the rebel groups in Darfur.

Guest, Man # 2 (Luis Moreno Ocampo)
We have the names of the perpetrators. I focus my efforts on the third case which is related to the attack on the village of Has Canita. I have the names of the involved persons and we only need evidence. This is an opportunity to urge the rebels to protect their families and help the government provide the evidence.

Reporter, Man # 1
Ocampo’s efforts coincided with efforts to arrange a deal that may end by handing over the Sudanese minister Ahmad Haron and a leader in the Janjaweed militia, Ali Cosheb.
Khartoum however refuses this and says that resolving the crisis in Darfur is now in the hands of the joint forces of the UN and the African Union. Yesterday, A Chinese military contingency arrived in Darfur, raising the numbers of the peace keeping forces soldiers in the region to 8,000.
The arrival of the Chinese contingency came as the joint forces were put on a state of alert following Ocambo’s indictment. In addition western forces accused Beijing which has a strong economic alliance with the regime of Omar Al Basher, of ignoring what they call the genocide in Darfur.

Presenter, Woman # 1
The Mediterranean Union Summit which took place in Paris last Sunday, reflects the role that the French president Nicolas Sarkozy is playing for his country in important Middle Eastern issues. The presence of the Syrian president at the summit took central stage. He was the target of a great deal of political criticism pertaining to International, Arab and Lebanese issues.

Reporter, Woman # 2
The main issues of interests at the Mediterranean Union Summit were the economy, development, the environment, immigration, and human rights. Important issues in the Middle East had a strong presence on the Summit’s agenda, they were the dominant topics. The active role of the French president Sarkozy at the summit reflected his ambitions to play a primary role on the international arena and the Middle East Peace process. Sarkozy facilitated many meetings on the side lines of the Mediterranean summit which led to important political decisions pertaining to the peace process. The most important of these meetings is the meeting between the Syrian President Bashar Al Assad and his Lebanese counter part Michel Suleiman. They agree to normalize the relations between their two countries and exchange diplomatic representations. Sarkozy tried to play a role in the peace process between Syria and Israel in coordination with Turkey which has been mediating indirect negotiations between the two countries. The Syrian president said that peace with Israel will take some time. Sarkozy also paid attention to the Peace process between Israelis and the Palestinians. The Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas met with the Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert to talk about the peace process and the Palestinian-Israeli negotiations. France is trying to play a central role in the Middle East peace process, but will France be able to take on such responsibilities? Can it carry the heavy burden and achieve tangible results in the peace process between Syria and Israel; Syria and Lebanon; and between the Israelis and the Palestinians.

[Summary]

Iran is optimistic about the upcoming Geneva talks. A change of attitude towards Iran’s nuclear program is expected at the meeting.

Presenter, FEMALE, #1
Iraqi researchers confirmed that radiation from weapons used by the US occupation forces are the main factor for the spread of cancer and other unprecedented diseases which have killed dozens of people in Najaf al-Ashraf. Our camera travelled through the city’s streets, documenting many cases and the stories of people who had to sell their homes for fear of contracting these diseases.

Reporter, MALE, #1
For a considerable time now, some areas in the province of Nejaf al Ashraf have witnessed many cases of cancer. According to the most recent estimates, forty-eight people have been killed by this disease. People told us stories about the loved ones they lost, cursing the days that have brought the tyranny of the occupation upon them.

Guest, MALE, #2
Our little daughter has cancer, and so does an older friend of ours, Abu Hussein. We are calling on the government for help but they have done nothing for us.

Guest, FEMALE, #2
They did not tell us at first, but the funeral spoke for itself. It turned out she had Leukemia.

Guest, FEMALE, #3
The United States came upon us like a curse, vengeance…But there is a God.

Reporter, MALE, #1
Experts and medical specialists examining these cases have showed that one of the main reasons for the spread of these diseases is the radiation and pollutants from the weapons used during the last war in Iraq.

Guest, MALE, #4
There are several factors, but the most significant were the weapons used in the war on Iraq. The coalition forces used weapons with enriched Uranium.

Reporter, MALE, #1
Several committees were formed from various ministries, headed by the Environment Ministry, to find solutions to this problem. But they have not achieved any satisfactory or definitive results. Extensive research is ongoing in an attempt to save these stricken areas.

Guest, MALE, #5
More than one environmental and health committee went to the location and carried out many tests, but they did not reach any outcomes. There is more than one reason to make us believe that there is active radiation in the materials of the weapons used.

Reporter, MALE, #1
The ghost of this cancerous disease has cast a shadow on many homes. Home owners are trying to sell their homes to run away from the terror of death which has surrounded them from every corner. The picture is unclear, the inhabitants don’t know what is going on around them, and the concerned parties have found a fundamental solution to this problem. Meanwhile, innocent victims pay the price. Fadel al Budairi, Al Alam, Al Najaf al Ashraf.

Presenter, Woman # 1
The city of Mosul faces a real water crisis due to a lack of drinking water. Water is cut for a long periods of time which forces the city’s residents to buy water from special vehicles that transport the water from the Tigers River. Al Sharqiya’s camera visited Al Mansure neighborhood to look closely at the situation and survey the people.

Guest, Man # 1
We in Mosul suffer from a water problem. We have not received water for the past three or four months. We have to transport our water. All the water that we receive is mixed with sewage water. It is mixed with sewage water.

Guest, Man # 2
Yes, that is exactly right, the water is mixed with sewage water. Yes, from the sewage system. I can show you if you want, the water is polluted. The water we get is the same as sewage water.

Guest, Man # 1
We do not have water.

Guest, Man # 2
We keep sending our children to the hospital to see doctors. We have big families and our means are very limited. And all this is happening during this hot weather. We can’t even keep up with providing medical care to our children.

Guest, Man # 3
Go the medical clinic and see how children are sick. They can’t play around here. We have to get the water from outside. All the problems we have are from the polluted water. We have been suffering from this for the past six months.


Guest, Man # 1
We went to the people in charge and told them that we in Al Mansure neighborhood we do not get water. They tell us that they will provide us with water, but we still do not have water. Officials go to Wadi Hajar area but they do not come to Al Mansur. All the pipelines are blocked and destroyed; of course the water will not reach us. Yes, we do not have water to wash up with. For example, I’m working but I can’t wash my hands until I finish my work because I have to go and get water. Of course the water is not even good for washing up before prayers. On Friday we have to get water from outside so we can wash up before going to the Mosque. This situation is not acceptable.

Guest, Man # 2
People in all of these areas suffer from this problem.

Guest, Man # 4
This city suffers from a lack of water. Water has not reached these areas for the past two months. Just imagine what happens to human beings if they do not have water for one week, what about people who have not received water for the past two months. Some areas have not received water for two months.

Presenter, MALE, #1
Public bathhouses are important architectural landmarks that characterize the Arabic-Islamic civilization. They are important for society and the environment.

Presenter, FEMALE, #1
Damascus is the capital of Arab culture. It includes several bathhouses amongst its wealth of Islamic architectural and historic sites.

Reporter, MALE, #2
The historic significance of public baths in Damascus comes from their location. They are situated in-between the neighborhoods of the old city, forming a holistic architectural design with the ancient buildings around them.

Guest, MALE, #3
Personally, my research interests revolve around traditional buildings. They are important, because they teach us how people in the past adapted to environmental conditions, and how they protected the environment with minimal cost. They designed buildings that fit people’s lives. Public baths utilize the available natural energy sources, and are a good example of providing service economically. They heat water without wasting a huge amount of energy, and distribute it in the bathroom in a suitable way.

Reporter, MALE, #2
The people of Damascus were artistic in their building of the bathhouses artfully, and created works of beauty and splendor. They used shiny marble for the flooring and brilliant paint on the walls; they decorated the tips of the domes with ornamental plaster.

Guest, FEMALE, #2
We made models with an architectural design similar to this one. We collected information, which we analyzed and used to learn the use of gradual temperature change and isolation, as well as the lighting inside the bathhouses. We can use this information to design and build public baths, with environmentally safe standards, comfortable and economic.

Reporter, MALE, #2
The people who work in the bath house include the ‘Mukay-es’. He is in charge of scrubbing the clients with a bath sack made from goat hair. He also gives the clients massages and washes them if they so desire. Otherwise, the clients bathe on their own, after which they go to the middle chamber, where they rest from the heat of the inner chamber. Finally, they move to the outer chamber and to sit by the fountain after enjoying a hot and long Arabic bath, which might take an hour.

Guest, MALE, #4
Coming to Syria, the Arabesque-style baths in particular, are very pleasing to me. Here, I am reminded of the ancient times with their old buildings…It’s one of those things one needs to experience to really appreciate its value.


Guest, MALE, #5
When a person comes to the bathhouse, he relaxes his mind and his nerves, and feels good. At the end, he comes out here, drinks herbal tea and relaxes.

Reporter, MALE, #2
The bathhouses in Damascus are an old tradition which spread widely during the Roman period.
Some of the emperors built a number of public bathhouses in Damascus. Bathhouses clean the mind from worry, just like they clean the body from dirt. This is why they used to say that the bathhouse was bliss on earth. This is Imad Suleiman, Syria TV.

This past Wednesday, in a rare public appearance, Hezbollah's leader Sayyed Hassan Nassrallah greeted the five Lebanese freed from captivity in Israel after his organization returned the bodies of two captured Israeli soldiers.

"The period of defeat is over and the time of victory has arrived," said a beaming Nassrallah to a jubilant mass waving Hezbollah and Lebanese flags in Beirut.

In contrast, a grim mood prevailed in Israel, where the prisoner swap was widely seen as a painful sacrifice. Israel returned five prisoners, among them Samir Kantar, the nation's most despised prisoner for his part in a 1979 Palestinian guerrilla attack, and the remains of close to 200 Palestinian and Lebanese fighters in exchange for the corpses of Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev: a painful reminder of Israel's futile efforts to force their release in the 2006 war.
Hezbollah had carefully kept the fate of the two missing Israeli soldiers a secret for two years, and even though the Israeli government had cautioned that the two men were almost certainly dead, it was not until television stations broadcast pictures of two black coffins being unloaded from a truck at the Israeli-Lebanese border that the country became certain of their fate. Meanwhile, criticism of embattled Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's performance intensified immediately after the exchange. Many Israeli analysts believe that this blunder has finally sealed Olmert's fate and destroyed his legacy.

There is no doubt that with this lopsided deal that Hassan Nassrallah has emerged as the victor. Even the New York Times has called the "Prisoners' Homecoming a Triumph for Hezbollah." The question remains: against whom?

On the surface, his victory is seen as against Israel and in particular against his nemesis Ehud Olmert. However, Hassan Nassrallah needed this swap deal to restore Hezbollah's image as a resistance movement dedicated to the fight against Israel after its standing was tarnished by its use of force against other Lebanese factions in May of this year.

Although a deal was brokered between Hezbollah and its rivals in Lebanon, resulting in the formation of a new government of national unity in which Hezbollah and its allies have veto power over important decisions, many of its rivals remained bitter over what many have considered as a mini coup orchestrated against them by Nassrallah.

For the time being, this triumph over Israel and Olmert appears to have united all conflicting parties in Lebanon. Yet not everyone in the Arab world has forgiven Nassrallah, and certainly not the Saudis, who tried to downplay his most recent triumph by publishing in the Saudi-financed London-based newspaper al-Sharq al-Awsat that the deal "cost Lebanon over $7 billion, more than 1,200 dead and 4,500 wounded Lebanese citizens."

As they say in the Middle East, "victory is in the eye of the beholder."