Resistance Negotiates, Prepares itself while Abbas makes Phone Calls

An Event and a Regional Trend

Resistance Negotiates, Prepares itself while Abbas makes Phone Calls

Palestinian resistance continues directing the battle with the Zionist enemy in the field of deterring the daily aggressions in the West Bank and Gaza and on the arena of the negotiations for reaching a truce with Israel through the Egyptian mediator.
– 1. Informed Palestinian sources said the resistance factions in the West Bank and Gaza possess fighting capabilities that may change any Israeli military adventure into a defeat. The resistance factions put plans for various kinds of retaliations on the level of missile deterrence, bombing the colonies and carrying out suicide operations.
– 2. Olmert’s government tries on the political level to improve its conditions concerning the truce while resistance stressed that any agreement should cover the crossings and the checkpoints that besiege the Palestinian people and the biggest number of Palestinian captives. The resistance will not accept what Israel tries to impose through the military escalation on the level of releasing the Israeli captive Giald Shalitt.
– 3. The available information said that Mahmud Abbas and his team contacted Hamas and informed it that the Palestinian president is desperate from the American promises and that he is ready for negotiations concerning the national unity. Palestinian leading sources said the file of the Palestinian relations requires an Arab sponsorship to secure the required guarantees to face any subsequent coups.

An Event and a Lebanese Trend

The electoral session, which will be held tomorrow, and the session for taking the constitutional oath, will change into an important station that represents the meanings of the beginning of the compromise, which will end a dangerous crisis that lasted for years, and reached the edge of the big explosion in Lebanon.
The available press information confirmed that the house speaker, Nabih Berri, has invited all the Arab states and Iran to attend the session. The press said that the Syrian and Iranian foreign ministers will attend the session in addition to a number of European foreign ministers and a delegation from the US congress in the presence of the prince of Qatar.
As for the new elections law, the information said that its session’s date will be set later while the workshop for forming the new government will start next Tuesday.
The local stands expressed the popular embrace of Doha agreement while Sameer Geagea and some members of Qarnet Shahwan expressed their reserve and they will vote with empty papers. Some sources said this expresses the frustration of some sides, which betted on reducing the weight and status of the leader of the national liberal trend Michl Oun, who was a winner in ad-Doha compromise after the understanding on the elections law for the years 1960.
The Israelis are watching with anxiety the Lebanese developments and consider ad-Doha agreement as a complete victory for the Lebanese opposition, which insists on describing what happened as the half way compromise. The Israeli press described the agreement as victory for Hezbollah, Syria and its allies. The sources of the opposition said this is an Israeli attempt that corresponds to the US instigative statements against Doha agreement and this was manifested in Sameer Geagea attempts to focus the dialogue on the issue of Hezbollah weaponry which failed. The opposition mocked these attempts saying the issue of the weaponry is outside discussions, adding that the leader of the army shares with resistance the responsibility of defending Lebanon and knows that resistance represents a necessity to protect Lebanon and deter aggression.

Arab and International Press

Al-Bayan said in its editorial that Lebanon would bid farewell tomorrow to the presidential vacuum and fold the page of the bloody conflicts.
The Emirate paper al-Khalij said what is sarcastic is that Israel talks about painful concessions in case a peace agreement is reached with Syria.
The Syrian daily Tichrin said the latest developments in the area calls for cautious optimism.

Satellite Stations’ News

The Syrian satellite station said that Israel killed five Palestinians in Gaza while a US soldier was killed and six others were wounded in Iraq.

Lebanese Press

Al-Akhbar said that Arab and international officials will attend the session for electing the Lebanese president in the presence of the prince of Qatar pointing out that communications will continue in order to form the unity government.
The paper added that Syrian foreign minister, Saudi foreign minister and European foreign ministers would attend the parliamentary session for electing General Michel Suleiman as a president.
An-Nahar said that 24 hours before the date of electing the new president the press leaked information which said the government will not be invited to the electoral session but the leaks turned out to be useless.

Television Stations’ News in Lebanon

Al-Manar said Ad-Doha agreement is a solution for a crisis not a truce as some say, including the French foreign minister Bernard Kouchner who said that nothing is solved at a deeper level.
The NTV said that Sunday will be the day of electing the president and filling the vacuum.
The NBN said the dubious stands of some sides do not affect the consensus on Doha agreement.
The OTV said that less than 48 hours separate us from implementing the first step of Doha agreement, which is electing the president.
The LBC said the joy of the presidential elections is obstructed by two problems: holding the elections without a constitutional modification, which cancels the role of the government, the second is not inviting the government to the session.
The Future said preparations continue to hold the electoral session for electing the republic’s resident tomorrow.