Excerpts: Lebanese Druze overture to Iran. UNIFIL extended in Lebanon,
Hariri responds to trouble in Beirut. (In Austria)First Arab-European Youth
Leaders Forum. Mubarak to attend Palestinian-Israeli negotiations, Obamas
religion. Syria medicine exports to Europe violations 31 August 2010

+++SOURCE: NAHARNET (Lebanon) 31 Aug'10:"Jumblat at Iranian Embassy to Open
New
Page in Ties with Tehran"
SUBJECT:Lebanese Druze overture to Iran

QUOTE:"Jumblatt: part of attempts to open a new page in relations with
Tehran"

FULL TEXT:Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblat visited the
Iranian embassy in Beirut on Monday night to pave way for a trip to Iran,
media reports said.
Jumblat held talks with Iranian ambassador Ghazanfar Roknabadi. The Druze
leader said his visit to the embassy was part of attempts to open a new page
in relations with Tehran.
The PSP chief said, however, that it was too early to talk about the date of
his visit to Iran.

+++SOURCE: Naharnet (Lebanon) 31 Aug.'10:"Security Council Extends UNIFIL
Mandate, Condemns Tensions, Urges Israel to Pull Out of Ghajar",Agence
France Presse

SUBJECT: UNIFIL extended in Lebanon

FULL TEXT:The Security Council on Monday(30 Aug) issued a new condemnation
of tensions along the Lebanon-Israel border as it renewed the mandate of the
United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon without changes to its rules of
engagement.
In a unanimous resolution, the Council said it had determined that "the
situation in Lebanon continues to constitute a threat to international peace
and security" and had therefore decided to extend UNIFIL's mandate until 31
August 2011.
The Council strongly urged all parties concerned to respect the cessation of
hostilities, to prevent any violation of the U.N.-drawn Blue Line separating
Lebanon and Israel, and to cooperate fully with the world body and UNIFIL.
It also urged the Israeli government to speed up the withdrawal of its
troops from the northern part of the border village of Ghajar in
coordination with U.N. peacekeepers.
Lebanon's U.N. envoy Nawaf Salam complained of "brazen" Israeli
infringements of U.N. resolutions covering the border, including flights in
Lebanese airspace.
While Israel's deputy U.N. representative Haim Waxman told the Council that
the August 3 clash in Adeisseh "must not happen again." He called on the
Lebanese army to strictly respect the Blue Line.
The Security Council showed its anger by saying it "deplores strongly the
recent incidents involving UNIFIL peacekeepers." It also warned both sides
to keep to an agreed cessation of hostilities on the frontier.
UNIFIL was set up in 1978 to monitor the border between Israel and southern
Lebanon. It was beefed up and given a wider role after the 2006 war between
Israel and Hizbullah.
There are currently about 12,700 soldiers, police, experts and observers in
the force.(AFP-Naharnet)

+++SOURCE: Naharnet(Lebanon) 31 Aug.'10:" Beirut Must Not Turn into Chaos
Overnight"

SUBJECT: Hariri responds to trouble in Beirut

EXCERPTS::Prime Minister Saad Hariri on Monday(30) Aug said Beirut must not
turn into chaos overnight and rejected self-protection in the capital or
elsewhere in Lebanon.
. . . Hariri said security has no "sectarian identity." "I don't think that
anyone wants self-protection inside Beirut or elsewhere (in Lebanon)," he
said, adding that he will exert every effort to achieve national security.
"We do not consider that the call for law enforcement and addressing
security breaches resulting from the spread of arms is a call addressed to
one party or political side.
Hariri believed it was only "natural" for the Borj Abu Haidar bloody street
battles to draw reactions from politicians, citizens and civil society
organizations.
"But it was also the duty of the concerned authorities to play their role
and contain the repercussions and calm down the people," he stressed.
:

+++SOURCE: Saudi Gazette 31 Aug.'10:"Arab-European Young Leaders Forum in
Vienna in November",By Shahid Ali Khan

SUBJECT: In Austria: First Arab-European Youth Leasers Forum

QUOTE:" 'Islam is one of the main Religions in Austria' " [IMRA: 4.2% of
pop.]

RIYADH - Vienna will host the first Arab-European Young Leaders Forum in
November this year, said Dr. Johannes Wimmer, Ambassador of Austria, while
addressing as a guest speaker at World Assembly of Muslim Youth (WAMY) 8th
annual party in Riyadh, Sunday(29 Aug.) . . ..

He said invitations have been extended to a number of Arab countries
including Saudi Arabia to attend the forthcoming First Arab-European Youth
Leaders Forum.
"The basic aim of the forum is to develop modalities for cultural dialogue
and promote broader understanding among young leaders in the Arab and
European countries," he said. . . .
"Islam is one of the main religions in Austria with a considerable number of
Muslims, mostly migrants living in the country," he added. [
[IMRA: 4.2% of population. Mostly migrants]
. . . (Secretary GeneralDr. Wohibi said the WAMY's annual Iftar party has
become highly
successful event . . . .
He said he does not know the reason as to why the US ambassador has stopped
attending the Iftar party. "I will visit the US Embassy after Eid Al-Fitr
and try to resolve the issue, if any, the American Embassy in Riyadh might
have," he said.
WAMY has already cut down on its staff in its Washington office right after
9/11 events. "I haven't been to the US since 9/11 although two of my sons
hold American passports," Dr. Wohibi said.
He said he did not trust the US airport officials, who are said to have
harassed people going to American cities from Saudi Arabia "and I do not
want to be harassed at American airport," he said. - SG

+++SOURCE: ALMASERAL YOUM via Egypt Daily News (30 Aug'10:
"Mubarak to travel to US after talks with Sarkozy"Heba El Kodsy

SUBJECT: Mubarak to attend Palestinian- Israeli negotiations

FULL TEXT:Security arrangements are being made by the Egyptian embassy in
Washington
in preparation for President Hosni Mubarak's visit to the US to attend
direct negotiations among Palestinians and Israelis.
Sameh Shoukri, the Egyptian Ambassador to the US, said that Mubarak will
start his tour on Monday(30 Aug), heading first to France for bilateral
peace talks with his French counterpart, Nicolas Sarkozy, and then to
Washington. "There will be preparations on Tuesday for Mubarak's meetings
and the opening speech he will deliver the following day," Shoukri said.
Mubarak, accompanied by an Egyptian delegation composed of Foreign Minister
Ahmed Abul Gheit, Minister of Information Anas al-Feki, Chief of
Presidential Staff Zakareyya Azmi, and Director of the Egyptian General
Intelligence Omar Soliman, will meet US President Barack Obama on Wednesday.
Mubarak will attend an iftar at the White House for participating
delegations.
Concerning expectations of the failure of direct negotiations due to the
absence of political intention from both Palestinians and Israelis, Shoukri
said the focus should be on positive development among the two parties.
According to Shoukri, their willingness to negotiate proves that they desire
peace, adding that there is no reason to judge the negotiations before they
begin, and that the correct thing to do is wait and evaluate the results.
Shoukri said he has no information regarding protests by the Egyptian
community, commonly staged in front of the White House during Mubarak's
visits to the US. "No one told me there will be protests. I have no
information about any positive or negative activity."
Negotiations will be launched on Thursday, 2 September among Palestinian
President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, with
the participation of Mubarak and Jordan's King Abdullah II, as well as US
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and US Special Envoy for Middle East
Peace, George Mitchell.

+++SOURCE: Saudi Gazette 31 Aug.'10:"Obama says not worried by Muslim
'rumors'
",Reuters
SUBJECT: Obama's religion

QUOTE: "Obama: 'misinformation . . . can get churned out there constantly' "

FULL TEXT:WASHINGTON - A public opinion poll showing Americans are
increasingly convinced, wrongly, that he is Muslim does not trouble him, US
President Barack Obama said on Sunday(29Oct).
"It's not something that I can, I think, spend all my time worrying about
it," Obama said in an interview with NBC News, dismissing the results of a
recent Pew Research Center.
"I'm not going to be worrying too much about whatever rumors are floating
out there. If I spend all my time chasing after that, then I wouldn't get
much done."
The Pew poll showed nearly one in five Americans - 18 percent - believe
Obama is a Muslim, up from 11 percent in March 2009.
In addition, only about one third of Americans surveyed correctly describe
Obama as a Christian, a sharp decrease from the 48 percent who said he was a
Christian in 2009.
"There is, a mechanism, a network of misinformation that in a new media era
can get churned out there constantly," Obama said, on why he thinks
Americans appear to be uncertain about his religion.
He said that he dealt with it during his presidential race, and earlier when
he campaigned for the U.S. Senate. Obama said he won in Illinois because he
trusted the American people's capacity to get beyond the "nonsense."
The Pew survey was completed in early August, before Obama waded into a
controversy over a proposed Muslim cultural center and Mosque near the site
of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks in New York. - Reuters

+++SOURCE: Syria Report 31 Aug.'10:" Government Provides Update on Works on
the Tigris River Project"

SUBJECT: Syria to divert Tigris River for agriculture

EXCERPT: A Syrian state official has announced that the very first phase of
works on the project to divert water from the Tigris River was about to be
completed.

+++SOURCE: Syria Report 31 Aug.'10:" Arab Bank Group to Increase Stake in
Syrian Subsidiary"

SUBJECT: Arab Bank-Syria to increase capital

EXCERPT:The Arab Bank Group has decided to raise its stake in its Syrian
affiliate, Arab Bank-Syria, which has recently announced plans to increase
its capital to SYP 5.05 billion.

+++SOURCE: Syria Report 31 Aug.'10:"Dutch Company Ends Ties with Syria as it
Prepares NYSE Listing"

SUBJECT: Dutch company cuts Syria, Iran, Sudan ties

EXCERPT: Lyondell Basell Industries NV, a Dutch producer of polyolefin, has
announced that it was ending its business ties with Syria, as well as with
Iran and Sudan, as it prepares to list on the New York Stock Exchange.

SOURCE: Syria Report 31 Aug '10:" Addendum: Syrian Supplies of Medicines
Violating Intellectual Property Rights"

SUBJECT: Syria medicine exports to Europe violations

EXCERPT: In a story published on in July 26 we had reported that Syria
became in 2009 a major source of medicines entering the European market in
violation of intellectual property rights, according to the European
Commission Customs Office.

+++SOURCE:Jordan Times 31 Aug'10:"Lebanese PM travels to Syria", Associated
Press

SUBJECT: Syria urges Hariri to support Shiite Hizbullah

QUOTE: Hariri has visited Damascus repeatedly this year."

FULL TEXT:DAMASCUS (AP) - Syria's president urged Lebanon's leader early
Monday (30 )to support the Shiite group Hizbollah and maintain calm in the
country. Bashar Assad met with Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri in
Damascus for a predawn meal called "suhour", the last meal before the day
time fast resumes for the holy month of Ramadan, the Syrian state-run news
agency reported. Hariri has visited Damascus repeatedly this year in a sign
of Syria's renewed influence over Lebanon in the years since Damascus
withdrew its ?ilitary in 2005, ending a nearly three-decade hold on Lebanon.
Hariri's visits indicate that he needs Syrian support as his Western-backed
coalition struggles at home. Syria backs the Lebanese group Hizbollah, which
has a large role in Lebanon's fragile national unity government.
'
+++SOURCE: Jordan Timess 31 Aug.'10:"Med summit should be peace forum'",
Associated Press

SUBJECT: France and Egypt want Mediteranean leaders summit

QUOTE: "Sarkozy:'new hope presents itself' "

PARIS (AP) - The presidents of France and Egypt want a planned November
summit of leaders from around the Mediterranean to underpin a possible
Middle East peace accord. French President Nicolas Sarkozy says "new hope
presents itself" with the resumption of direct talks between Israeli and
Palestinian leaders later this week in Washington. Sarkozy hosted Egyptian
President Hosni Mubarak for talks Monday in Paris and insisted afterward
that "no one can make peace alone in the Middle East". They also discusse?
the Union for the Mediterranean summit in Barcelona planned for November.
Sarkozy also said the group of 27 European Union nations and 16 southern
Mediterranean and Middle East countries could encourage talks towards
Mideast peace.

+++SOURCE: Jordan Times 31 Aug.'10:"Barak to visit Russia", Reuters

SUBJECT :Israel Defense Minister to Russia

FULL TEXT:OCCUPIED JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak
will visit Russia next week to discuss Israel's security concerns and
Russian interest in purchasing Israeli arms, an Israeli official said on
Monday. Israel is worried by Iranian and Syrian efforts to acquire Russian
anti-aircraft missile systems and has long lobbied Moscow to support UN
Security Council sanctions targeting Tehran's disputed nuclear programme.
Russia has been building up a fleet of Israeli-made spy drones since Georgia
use? such Israeli aircraft against Russian armed forces in their brief 2008
war.
============
Sue Lerner - Associate, IMRA