Le Pen slams US-British designs on Iraq

BEIRUT, Dec 21 (AFP) - French far-right politician Jean-Marie Le Pen lashed out here Saturday at Washington and London over Baghdad, accusing the Anglo-Saxon allies powers of using disarmament as an excuse to seize Iraq's vast oil reserves.

"I want to launch an appeal today, so the worst does not happen," Le Pen told reporters here on the second day of his visit. "The spectacle of 350 million US-British troops attacking a small country is something unsupportable," he said. "We are terribly preoccupied by the huge international crisis knocking at our borders," said the head of France's National Front who arrived here Friday night.

"We know the United States and England have always considered oil to belong to them alone," said the right-wing politician who finished second to French President Jacques Chirac in national elections earlier this year. "Nobody is duped by the reasons given: democracy, the rights of the Iraqi people to govern themselves. The United States does not have the same requirement for most of its allies," he added.

Le Pen called it shocking "these acts of piracy do not provoke any reaction" and slammed the UN trade sanctions on Iraq in place since the country's 1990 invasion of Kuwait. He ridiculed US President George W. Bush for having "one hand on the heart, the other hand on the Colt," a popular form of handgun. "We propose Bush change the American currency's slogan to 'in gold we trust" or better yet 'in oil we trust," he said.

Le Pen was invited to Beirut by Lebanese MP Elie Hatem and was to dine Saturday night with former Lebanese president Amin Gemayel. On Sunday, he is to attend mass in Bkrerke, north of Beirut, at the seat of Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Sfeir.

Le Pen was accompanied by his wife Jany, who heads a charity foundation for Iraqi children and National Front member Bruno Gollnisch, who serves in the European parliament.

Lebanon storm diverts Kuwaiti plane to Cyprus, closes road to Syria

BEIRUT, Dec 20 (AFP) - A Kuwait Airways plane was forced to land in Cyprus instead of Beirut, which was hit by a hail storm, while heavy snows blocked the international road to Syria, aviation sources here told AFP.

The plane coming from Kuwait had been due to land at Beirut International Airport at 4:45 pm (1345 GMT), but strong winds and a hail storm made the captain of the aircraft decide to divert the flight to the southern Cypriot airport of Larnaca, they said.

The captain has promised passengers to head to Beirut at 8:30 pm (1730 GMT), they said. The Dahr al-Baydar passageway on the Beirut-Damascus highway has also been closed down since 5:00 pm (1400 GMT) by the Lebanese army due to the snow storm, an AFP correspondent said.

Snow was falling late Friday on all areas over 1,000 meters (3,000 feet) above sea level, while southwesterly winds were reaching 90 kilometers (56 miles) per hour, according to weather reports. Late Thursday, rescue services evacuated hundreds of residents from flooded houses across the country following heavy rains and winds.

Residents were evacuated in the eastern Bekaa valley, around the southeastern town of Hasbaya and from the port city of Sidon, where the town center flooded. The road between Sidon and Tyre, to the south, was cut by fallen trees but civil defense teams later cleared the way, while winds also damaged olive groves.

On the southern Lebanon-Israel border, an Israeli water pumping station on the Wazzani river was knocked out by the storm. The station provides water to the village of Ghajar, which Israel seized from Syria during the 1967 Middle East war.

In north Lebanon the al-Kabir river, which runs along the Syrian border, burst its banks, flooding several villages. Rescue services on Friday evacuated residents who had taken refuge on the roofs of their houses. Winds also uprooted electricity poles and trees in this region, while rainfall provoked landslides isolating a few villages.

On the Mount Lebanon range in the north of the country, near the town of Bsharre, landslides cut the road to the Cedars area, located 3,000 meters above sea level.

Lebanon, Yemen sign cooperation accords during Saleh visit

BEIRUT, Dec 19 (AFP) - Lebanon and Yemen signed a series of bilateral accords on the first day of a visit by Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh, officials said. The accords on tourism, cultural, technical and scientific cooperation were signed in the presence of Saleh and his Lebanese counterpart Emile Lahoud.

In a speech at the signing, Lebanon's president held Israel responsible for the deteriorating situation in the Middle East and blasted its "criminal practises against the Palestinian people". On the US threats to attack Iraq, Lahoud insisted on UN weapons inspectors being given "the chance to complete their mission without speculation on the results."

Any military action without UN authorisation would set "a dangerous precedent, threatening to transform the world into an immense jungle," the president warned. Saleh's visit to Lebanon has been extended until Saturday, officials said.

Lebanon credit rating improves from negative to stable: Standard and Poor's

BEIRUT, Dec 19 (AFP) - The financial ratings agency Standard and Poor's has raised its outlook on Lebanon from negative to stable due to more government reform pledges within the recent Paris II international aid package. "The risk of a financial crisis leading to a downgrade is now balanced by the government's renewed efforts to address the country's unsustainably large fiscal imbalances and heavy public debt burden while reinvigorating structural reforms, notably privatization," said credit analyst Konrad Reuss.

"This policy commitment secured the Lebanese government about 4.3 billion dollars in pledges from foreign governments and international institutions at the Paris II donors' meeting in November 2002," the agency said in a statement obtained by AFP on Thursday.

It said "concessional international financing, together with privatization receipts budgeted at three billion dollars in 2003 and a targeted primary surplus of 4.2 percent of GDP, would resolve Lebanon's near-term funding problems."

But "risks remain, however, as the government's strategy is vulnerable to substantial implementation risk," warned Reuss. "Moreover, the macroeconomic imbalances will only gradually recede, with public debt remaining high for many years to come."

The agency said "the government's medium-term economic policy strategy, underpinned by substantial foreign support, has created an opportunity to return the Lebanese economy to a sustainable growth path." "The speedy implementation of the deficit- and debt-reduction plans would sustain the ongoing fall in the country's high real interest rates, which have hindered investment and growth," it said.

"The expected significant reduction in government borrowing will also be beneficial to the banking sector, which is currently characterized by a high direct exposure to Lebanese government paper." Lebanon is in severe economic trouble, with government figures putting public debt at around 31 billion dollars at end 2002, or almost 180 percent of gross domestic product.

The government plans to slash its debt servicing in 2003 by a third with a banking sector accord to buy four billion dollars in non-interest-bearing bonds, a 4.4-billion dollar aid package obtained at the Paris II conference and measures adopted by the central bank.

US judge orders Iran to pay 301 million to former US hostage

WASHINGTON, Dec 19 (AFP) - A US federal judge has ordered Iran to pay more than 301 million dollars in damages to an American scholar who nearly died while held hostage in Lebanon by Iranian-backed militias in November of 1984.

Although John Cronin spent in captivity only four days, he was reduced by his abductors to "a big, big mess," according to his former supervisor, Thomas Sutherland, who served at that time as acting president of American University in Beirut.

"Based upon the extensive evidence presented and the applicable law, the court concluded that the plaintiff has established his right to relief, and that a default judgment is merited," US District Judge Royce Lamberth wrote Wednesday, setting the amount of compensatory damages at 1.2 million dollars and punitive damages at 300 million.

Cronin, 56, who teaches politics and Middle Eastern affairs at Strayer University in Virginia, was doing graduate research in the Lebanese capital when four Kalashnikov-toting masked men abducted him from a doctor's office.

He told the court he recognized his abductors as members of Hezbollah and Islamic Amal, Iranian-backed Shiite militias operating in Lebanon. His abductors accused him of being an Israeli spy and beat and tortured him.

The scholar's condition also deteriorated dramatically due to a lack of medical treatment he needed for a bad abdomen wound received during the Vietnam War. He was close to death when the militants decided to release him, according to court documents.

"I have seen some boxing matches in the last two or three years and guys get punched around quite a bit but they never end up even remotely looking like John Cronin did," Sutherland testified. "He was a big, big mess. They had obviously worked him over very, very severely."

Lebanese MPs say US violated sovereignty by taking in two girls

BEIRUT, Dec 19 (AFP) - A Lebanese parliamentary committee accused the US embassy Thursday of trampling Lebanon's sovereignty by giving refuge to two adolescent sisters prevented from visiting their mother in the United States.

A committee charged with mother's and children's rights met Thursday with Bahnam Slim, the father of Jamie and Jennie, who said the girls had been "kidnapped". According to Slim, who like the girls is a dual US-Lebanese citizen, US officials took them from the airport to the embassy after authorities barred them from leaving the country without his permission.

However, a US source said Tuesday the girls, aged 15 and 16, were taken into police custody at the airport and escorted home to the town of Qomatiyeh just east of Beirut when it was found out they did not have their legal guardian's permission to travel as required for minors under Lebanese law.

The two girls then ran away to the US embassy out of hope diplomats could arrange for them to go and see their mother, the source added. "Their detention ... is a serious violation of Lebanon's sovereignty and human rights," charged MP Naylaa Moawad, who heads the parliamentary committee.

US Ambassador Vincent Battle raised the girls' case Thursday with President Emile Lahoud and Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri, officials said, without specifying what was discussed.

The embassy for its part said returning the children to their mother's custody would be better for them and added that US officials were raising the issue with members of the government. On Tuesday after being contacted by Battle the Lebanese foreign ministry backed Bahnam, with Ministry Secretary General Mohammed Issa saying Lebanese law is on the side of the father, Lebanese sources said.

Battle also requested that a third daughter, 12-year-old Jessica, who is still with her father be allowed to join her mother, the sources added. The girls' mother, who is separated from her husband, has since arrived in Lebanon and and is staying at the embassy in Awkar north of Beirut, embassy sources said.

Fiji soldiers return home after 24 years peacekeeping in Lebanon

by Matelita Ragogo

SUVA, Dec 19 (AFP) - Fijian troops are hanging up their blue berets for the last time after 24 years of peacekeeping in war-scarred Lebanon where they have won the hearts of locals and lost 35 of their own men. The last six members of the Republic of Fiji Military Forces' (RFMF) contribution to the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) are due to leave the Middle East on Saturday. The contribution of the hundreds of soldiers who have served in Lebanon since 1978 will be acknowledged with a ceremony at Albert Park, across the road from Suva's seawall, on Friday.

Among the Lebanese people who will miss the peacekeepers is a youngster called Ali who has learnt Fijian while working at the contingent's headquarters in Qana. He has told the departing soldiers he wants to come to Fiji. Ali is just one of many locals who have built up a rapport with the thousands of Fijian soldiers who have served in the country over the past 24 years.

"It has been frequently echoed by the local people in their area of operations that we will miss the Fiji boys," army spokesman Neumi Leweni said. "Lebanon, for your tomorrow, our men travelled thousands of miles to give up their today."

Leweni said Fiji had attained a special place in the hearts of Lebanese "through these men's sweat and tears." Israeli soldiers invaded Lebanon in March 1978 after Palestinian guerrillas launched a deadly raid inside Israel. The UN Security Council ordered the removal of Israeli forces after Lebanese protests and established the special peacekeeping taskforce. Fiji was one of the neutral countries identified as a source of soldiers for the new UNIFIL.

They were told to confirm the withdrawal of Israeli forces from southern Lebanon, restore international peace and security, and assist the restoration of authority by the Lebanese government. The withdrawal of Israeli troops from southern Lebanon in May 2000 effectively fulfilled the first two tasks of UNIFIL; the last is supposed to be realized through the combination of armed UN infantry and 50 unarmed observers from the Observer Group Lebanon of the United Nations Truce Supervision Organisation.

During its years of service, more than 15,000 Fijian soldiers have served in Lebanon. Families of the 35 soldiers killed while on duty will be guests at a special luncheon Friday. "We wish to honour our soldiers who have served in Lebanon for over 20 years, especially for those who died, we wish to honour their families too," said Home Affairs permanent secretary, Jeremaia Waqanisau.

He said the peacekeeping effort had raised Fiji's profile as well as provided unemployment and brought in much-need foreign exchange. "The quality of life for our peacekeepers, their families and communities has been improved and the RFMF as an institution has gained in improvement in the skill and experience of its members," he said.

One of those who served with the Fijian forces was a newly promoted Lieutenant Colonel Sitiveni Rabuka. While working at UNIFIL headquarters in Naqoura, the Fijian troops came under artillery fire that wounded a French officer. Rabuka rescued the officer under fire, for which he was later awarded the Commandeur du Legion d'Honneur. He returned home in 1985 and two years later led the first two of Fiji's coups.

Soldiers will march through the city to Albert Park on Friday where a solemn traditional invitation for the chief guest, President Josefa Iloilo, will be followed by cultural entertainment and a military tattoo. Suva citizens have been asked to wear military colours of either green, red, blue or white.

The last post will be followed by a two-minute silence in memory of those killed in Lebanon.   Opposition members of parliament and non-governmental organizations have dismissed the celebrations as an extravagance as the returning soldiers face a bleak future with no real job prospects.

Waqanisau said a cabinet-endorsed government committee has been set up to look into future opportunities for the troops. "The committee has been working with the RFMF in identifying the skill level of the soldiers and (is working with the) private and public sector in identifying opportunities for soldiers," he said. Soldiers who chose to return to their villages will be given capital to re-establish themselves, he added.

Lebanese teachers strike, demonstrate against budget cuts

BEIRUT, Dec 17 (AFP) - Lebanese schoolteachers and university staff observed a day-long strike and staged a demonstration Tuesday to protest cuts in the 2003 draft austerity budget. Almost a million students stayed home because of the strike by some 70,000 teachers of the private and public sectors, who were joined by 3,000 state-run Lebanese University staff.

The protest action is mainly aimed at clauses in the draft budget which would raise taxes, hit pensions and extend working hours. More than 5,000 teachers, professors, union leaders, representatives of  various political parties and even a government minister staged a protest march in Beirut, chanting slogans accusing the government of being "a vampire sucking the blood of the people."

"All our leaders are rotten and only think about filling their pockets," said a banner carried by the protestors who flocked from various Christian and Muslim sectors toward a main square in downtown Beirut. Another banner called on "Lebanese Christian and Muslim people to unite and rise up against our billionaire leaders."

The teachers, who held a similar strike on October 24, have threatened to call an open-ended strike in early January if the government does not drop the budget restrictions affecting them. The 2003 draft budget was approved by the cabinet on September 5 but must still be passed by parliament, which is to examine the bill after the end-of-year holidays.

Lebanon is in severe economic trouble, with government figures putting public debt at around 31 billion dollars at end 2002, or almost 180 percent of gross domestic product. The government plans to slash its debt servicing in 2003 by a third with a banking sector accord to buy four billion dollars in non-interest-bearing bonds, a 4.4-billion dollar aid package obtained at a recent Paris conference and measures adopted by the central bank.

Poland says it will join demining efforts in south Lebanon

BEIRUT, Dec 16 (AFP) - Polish President Aleksander Kwasniewski, who arrived in Lebanon Monday, said his country would join demining efforts in south Lebanon, which is laden with explosives as a result of Israel's 22-year occupation of the region.

Kwasniewksi offered his country's assistance to Lebanese President Emile Lahoud who welcomed him at Beirut's airport, a Lebanese official source said. The United Nations is spearheading a campaign to rid Lebanon of an estimated 400,000 mines left behind by Israel when it withdrew from the country in May 2000.

Kwasniewski also met with Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri, with whom he reviewed trade relations. The Polish leader is expected to visit Polish troops deployed with the UN peacekeeping forces stationed at Ibl Assaqi in south Lebanon's border region with Israel.

Kwasniewski arrived from Syria, where he and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad held talks Sunday on the mission of Polish soldiers in the UN Disengagement Observer Force which is deployed between the Syrian and Israeli armies on the Golan Heights, occupied by Israel in 1967 and later annexed.