Lebanon wants peaceful solution to river dispute with Israel: EU envoy

BEIRUT, Sept 20 (AFP) - EU Middle East envoy Miguel Angel Moratinos said Friday Lebanon wanted to solve its dispute with Israel over the diversion of  water from the Wazzani River peacefully through the United Nations. "(Prime Minister Rafiq) Hariri told me that Lebanon respects international law and will not take a drop over or under what the law permits," Moratinos said after talks with the Lebanese premier.

Lebanon wants to solve the dispute "peacefully through the United Nations and with the help and advice of other parties like the United States and European Union," said the EU envoy, who was in Beirut to participate in a conference on religions and conflict.

Moratinos said an EU expert was to arrive in Beirut next week to examine Lebanon's plans to divert some Wazzani river water to southern villages, which have prompted Israeli warnings of war. The EU envoy also held talks with President Emile Lahoud, who insisted:  "Lebanon has the full right to irrigate the lands of (the) south that have suffered enough from dryness."

Lahoud stressed the Wazzani was being exploited "in line with international conventions and pacts that clearly stipulate the shareout for countries that share (water) sources and rivers," a statement from his office said.

The river is a tributary of the Hasbani, which flows into Israel providing between 20 and 25 percent of the waters of the Sea of Galilee, the Jewsih state's main source of drinking water.

Lebanon started pumping water from the Wazzani to two villages in March 2001. Works to instal a 16-kilometre (10-mile) pipeline to supply some 40 more villages are taking place under the watchful eyes of Israeli troops standing a few metres (yards) away across the border fence.

The project chief in south Lebanon, Rashid Falha, told AFP works were "going ahead at a normal pace and should be finished in one month." The Lebanese cabinet has decided to form a committee headed by the prime minister to defend the country's right to exploit its water resources, officials said.

A US State Department hydraulics expert has been in Beirut since Wednesday in a bid to calm the tensions with Israel.

Anti-Syrian Lebanese MP accuses government of trying to strip him of seat

BEIRUT, Sept 17 (AFP) - Anti-Syrian Lebanese lawmaker Gabriel Murr, whose television station was shut down by authorities earlier this month, accused the government Wednesday of trying to strip him of his seat in parliament.

Murr was elected to parliament by a wafer-thin majority in June. He beat his niece, Myrna Murr, who is the daughter of former interior minister Michel Murr, a key figure in Lebanon's Syrian-dominated administration.

At issue is a declaration of assets he and other new MPs were required to file with the constitutional council by September 10. Murr said he has been unable to file the papers because they are in his office, from which he has been denied access since authorities shut down his MTV station on September 4.

"My assets declaration is in my office, which was sealed by court order two weeks ago when MTV was shut down, preventing me from submitting the document," Murr said.

He added that the authorities had re-opened his office Wednesday, had taken the declaration and could validate his claims. Murr accused the government of trying "by all means to strip me of the mandate of deputy that the people granted me, but it will not succeed."

Council chairman Amin Nassar wrote to President Emile Lahoud, parliamentary Speaker Nabih Berri and Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri Tuesday informing them that Murr had failed to respect the three-month time limit to declare his assets, a regulation that applies to all ministers and deputies. This could result in Murr's election being annulled.

Murr's victory sparked a political row and was followed on September 4 by the forced closure of MTV. Amid charges of voting irregularities, Myrna Murr appealed to the council for the result in the Metn constituency, northeast of Beirut, to be scrapped, with no ruling announced as yet.

Christian opposition sources warned after the suspension of MTV for broadcasting illegal electoral propaganda that Gabriel Murr would be the next target and lose his seat.

Paris suburb town twinned with Palestinian refugee camp in Lebanon

BEIRUT, Sept 19 (AFP) - A French mayor signed an accord here Thursday to twin his town with the Palestinian refugee camp of Shatila, three days after foreign activists marched to remember the 1982 massacre in the Beirut camp.

The mayor of Bagnolet, Marc Everbecq, signed the accord with a representative of Shatila's Popular Committee, a gathering of camp leaders. "We are aware of the great responsibility that we have towards this population that lives in almost total destitution and we want to help through actions," Everbecq told reporters, singling out the need to provide the camp with more electricity.

Everbeqc is part of a delegation gathering representatives of some 40 associations who came to Lebanon early this week to mark the massacres in the Sabra and nearby Shatila camps 20 years ago. Pro-Israeli Christian militiamen massacred around 1,000 women, children and elderly Palestinians in the two Beirut camps during Israel's 1982 invasion of Lebanon.

Ten other twinning accords have been signed between French cities and Palestinian camps in the Israeli-occupied territories since the intifada, or uprising, broke out in September 2000.

Lebanon's trade unions call for protest against privatisation

BEIRUT, Sept 18 (AFP) - Lebanon's powerful trade union confederation on Wednesday called for a protest next week against the government's privatisation plans. Ghassan Ghosn, president of the General Labor Federation of Lebanon CGTL, told reporters that privatisation would fail to ease the state deficit caused  by the country's huge public debt and debt servicing.

Privatisation risks hitting all sectors of society by raising costs, cutting jobs and leaving workers' rights at the mercy of multinationals, the CGTL said in a report. Ghosn, whose organisation has 200,000 members, called for a protest on September 24.

The government plans to privatise public services in an effort to cut the public debt, which has reached almost 30 billion dollars, or 180 percent of  Lebanon's gross domestic product.

Southern Lebanese look forward to water on tap despite row with Israel

by Taher Abu Hamdane

WAZZANI, Lebanon, Sept 19 (AFP) - After decades of water shortages despite abundant local resources, residents of south Lebanon are now looking forward  to supplies at the turn of a tap, if conflict is avoided with Israel.

"We buy water at a high price for domestic needs and every drop is precious," said Um Hassan, sitting in front of her house in Kfar Killa, a village 10 kilometers (six miles) from the Wazzani River, the source of  dispute between Israel and Lebanon.

The Israeli army has been closely monitoring a project to divert Wazzani waters to some 40 south Lebanese villages, notably after Prime Minister Ariel Sharon warned on September 10 that Israel could go to war over the issue.

The Wazzani flows into the Hasbani inside Lebanon, which then flows into Israel and empties into the Sea of Galilee, Israel's main water reserve, supplying it with 20-25 percent of its water. Lack of water has left southern villages unable to grow vegetables and fruits or raise livestock to improve their lot.

Since the 22-year Israeli occupation of the region ended in May 2000, the shortage of water has forced residents to live an archaic and in many ways unhygienic life. In the neighboring village of Hula, goats and sheep drink from the same pond where local women do their laundry.

This is an odd situation for southeast Lebanon, whose many rivers and streams are fed by the permanent snows on Mount Hermon and frequent rainfall. A pipeline project awarded to a local company by the State Council of the South is part of the council's efforts to develop the region whose antiquated water delivery network dates from the French mandate of 1920-1943.

After independence Beirut did little to develop the south, which after 1969 saw a portion of its population flee north to escape insecurity caused by Palestinian attacks on Israel and the subsequent reprisals. Even in the larger towns water is only distributed one or two hours a day, especially over summer, leading to a boom in private water delivery businesses since the Israelis withdrew.

Wazzani village Mayor Hussein al-Ahmad said a modern water pipeline network is essential, especially since the supplies formerly provided to 13 villages by the Israeli company Mekorot dried up with the end of the occupation.

Lebanon already started pumping water from the Wazzani to four villages in March 2001 despite Israeli anger over the project. At the time, Israel threatened to intervene but was reassured by the United Nations which said Lebanon's exploitation of the river with small pipes was minimal.

The United States rushed experts early this week to Lebanon following Sharon's warning in a bid to evaluate the situation and avert a crisis. The new project uses 16 inch (0.40 meter) pipes, and aims to channel from the Wazzani-Hasbani between seven and 9.5 million cubic meters (247-317 million cubic feet) of water for 7,000 households, according to water official Nasser Nasrallah.

Nasrallah noted the amount is way below the 35 million cubic meters (1,235 cubic feet) granted to Lebanon in 1955 under the Johnston plan, which itself was the result of a US study. As for the threats, Ahmad, the Wazzani mayor, said "thanks to the anti-Israeli resistance" spearheaded by the Shiite Muslim militant group

Hezbollah, "the residents and the state no longer fear Israel." Neither Israel's experts nor officials believe Beirut intends to limit itself to the stated target of around nine million cubic metres a year of  Wazzani water if the pumping project underway is completed.

US official holds talks in Lebanon over river dispute with Israel

BEIRUT, Sept 18 (AFP) - A US State Department envoy met with Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri Wednesday over Beirut's plans to divert water from a key border river, which has sparked anger in Israel, a government source said.

Charles Lawson, a hydraulics expert who arrived in Beirut late Tuesday, met with Hariri in the presence of US Ambassador Vincent Battle. The US embassy confirmed Lawson's presence, but would not comment on his schedule or the length of his visit.

A Lebanese official said Monday that Lawson, who also plans to visit Israel, is not on a mediation mission, though both countries had agreed to meet with him Israel opposes Lebanon's plans to divert to around 20 southern villages waters of the Wazzani River, a tributary of the Hasbani, which flows into the Sea of Galilee in Israel

Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon warned last week that the project constitutes grounds for war. After meeting with officials here, Lawson is to inspect pipeline works in south Lebanon, a government source said. A team of US experts began inspecting the works Monday. A day later, US Secretary of State Colin Powell said more were set to arrive.

"We have American experts who are examining the situation and the nature of  the diversion from the river and we will be sending other experts in to make a judgement as to whether what is happening is consistent with rules, regulations and agreements that have been made over the years," Powell said.

Lebanon started pumping water from the Wazzani to two villages in March 2001 despite Israeli opposition. Israel's anger stems from the fact the Hasbani supplies between 20 and 25 percent of the Sea of Galilee, Israel's main source of drinking water.

Speaking after a meeting with US Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage Friday, Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres described Lebanon's pumping from the Wazzani as an "unnecessary provocation". But Lebanese President Emile Lahoud has vowed to go ahead with the project, saying it was a "definitive and irreversible decision."

The Shiite Muslim militant group Hezbollah, which has controlled the border area since Israel ended its 22-year occupation of southern Lebanon in 2000, threatened reprisals if Sharon attacked. In the often drought-stricken Middle East, the question of water rights is an especially thorny one.

The water-rich Golan Heights, which abut the Sea of Galilee, have been a key issue in continuing Israeli-Syrian hostility. Damascus demands that Israel withdraw fully from the Golan Heights occupied during the 1967 war.

Israel wants to retain control of a narrow strip of land on the northeastern shore as part of any agreement to leave the Golan Heights, in order to have unhindered access to water. Syria has rejected that bid in order to protect its own access to water.

Israel is extremely sensitive to the water issue, and has resorted to arms in the past over disputes. In 1964, Arab states tried to divert waters from the River Jordan which flows into Israel. Pumps were under construction in Lebanon, on the Hasbani, as well as in Syria and Jordan. Israel destroyed the sites with artillery and air strikes.