Motorbike riders threw dynamite into the campus of the American University of Beirut last night, causing an explosion but no casualties. Security sources at AUB said unidentified men riding motorbikes threw two sticks of dynamite over a wall into a faculty parking lot. Part of the wall fell on top of a car and destroyed it. The blast also blew out windows at the university. Defense Minister Mohsen Dalloul described the attack as an act of sabotage but refused to comment further. Both the university and the US embassy also declined to make any comment until investigators had uncovered the cause of the blast. The attack was the first against a foreign institution in at least four years. It took place a few hours after a reception held in honor of the university's new president, John Waterberry.
Prime Minister Rafik Al-Hariri this morning wrapped up his four-day official visit to Iran after signing four economic cooperation accords. At the airport, Hariri described his discussions with Iranian officials as fruitful stressing that his visit was aimed at strengthening cooperation between the two countries. The prime minister, who was heading an economic delegation of several ministers, said he also discussed issues related to the Middle East with Iranian leaders. Iranian vice president Hassan Habibi, who was accompanying the Lebanese premier to the airport, also spoke of extended relations in all areas. He said the trade, transport, and investment agreements signed will help boost economic ties between the two countries. Before leaving, Hariri held talks respectively with the Iranian Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi, former president Ali Akbar HashemiRafsangani and spiritual leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenie in the Iranian capital.
Israeli forces today shelled Western sector villages mainly Majdel Selem, Touline and Kabrikha. 200 shells fell on the area but no casualties were reported. Meanwhile, the resistance in the South today hampered Israeli efforts to advance into the area of Wadi Al-Houjair. The resistance also reported its fighters shelled a number of Israeli outposts scoring direct hits.
Israeli television reported that an Israeli army probe into a raid in South Lebanon last month in which 12 elite commandos were killed has determined that the incident was caused by "bad luck". A report by the commission of inquiry blamed three military intelligence officers for the failed operation but has not recommended any disciplinary action. The report added there was a very strong probability that the marines did not fall into a resistance ambush but stumbled into a mine field by accident. They then came under fire from resistance fighters attracted by the mine explosions.
Initial reports had indicated that the marine squad fell into a well-prepared ambush after landing by sea on September 5 near a Hizbullah headquarters near the port city of Sidon. The ambush theory led investigators to fear that news of the operation had been leaked to Hizbullah or the Lebanese army, possibly by a spy operating inside the Israeli security establishment. Over the weekend, the Israeli daily Haaretz said army investigators had ruled out the possibility that an intelligence leak was behind the failure of the raid.
In the presence of the ambassador of Netherlands in Beirut, Ronald Mollinger, the chairman of Solidere Nasser Chammaa today signed a contract with the Netherlands' company Duos Engineering for the purchase of a waste processing plant for the comprehensive cleaning and restructuring of the Normandy landfill. The signing took place at the Solidere Head Office this afternoon. The contract value is approximately five million US dollars, of which 60% will be granted by the Netherlands' Ministry of Foreign Affairs' Environmental Fund. This grant will be awarded to Solidere because of its effort to find the most efficient solution to the environmental threat caused by the Normandy garbage-dump. The Netherlands; Ministry of Foreign Affairs' Environmental Fund is under certain conditions open to applications for grants from governmental and private institutions. The equipment will be operational within 8 months after signing the contract.
It will be used to separate and recycle waste of the whole Normandy dump, up to 17 meters under sea level. This process will take place completely at the dumpsite itself so that Beirut's traffic will not be disrupted by a permanent flow of trucks with smelly garbage. Representative of Duos Engineering, Cees Dunn discussed the importance of the project, both technologically and environmentally. He said his country is doing the same job concerning a similar situation there, adding his company will comply with Dutch environmental regulations while carrying out the project.
Solidere representative, Abdel Rahim Al-Solh, said Solidere will resort to different treatments by which the waste would be useful for several objectives. Meanwhile, Greenpeace representative in Lebanon, Fouad Hamdan expressed admiration at the project, adding Solidere is using the best available technologies to solve the problem on site and not by transferring the garbage to somewhere else.
Tournaments for the championship of Lebanon in Tennis continue on the fields of Yarzeh Country Club. Among men above 45, Joe Fghali, Wadih Melha, Assaad Brodwill, Fadi Baladi, Pieree Neem, Hassan Daouk, Michel Shoucair, George Smaha, and George Samaan were the winners. Among men above 55, the winners were Pierre Kodsi, Mounir Maalouli and Ramzi Imad.
The Lebanese Union for heavy weight lifting and body building carried out the championship of the game yesterday. The Lebanese club Health and Strength won for the 38th time.
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