An Event and a Regional Trend

President Bashar Al-Assad delivered today a speech on the occasion of taking the constitutional oath for the second term in office which was put to referendum last May. It seems that this event coincides with the end of the waves of attacks that targeted Syria during the last years.
The European Union announced clinging to dialogue with Syria and French president Sarkozy reestablished what was severed by Jacques Chirac .The US democratic majority and some republican blocs that oppose Bush’s adventure stressed repeatedly the importance of dialogue with Syria. And it is clear that the echoes of the only sign on the plans for targeting Syria are heard in Israel and the White House’s corridors.
President Bashar Al-Assad’s speech enjoyed an international interest and following up after all the involved capitals recognized again the importance of the Syrian role and the size of Syria’s influence in the area’s events and in the aftermath of the failure of the attempts to subjugate Syria.
Some Arab capitals refuse to admit these facts and seem determined to continue their intervention in the regional and international game to obstruct any communication with Syria, but these attempts are stumbling and the last signs on this appeared in the visit of the president of the United Arab Emirates to Syria and in Sarkozy’s delegating of the ambassador Kosran to Damascus before heading for Beirut. But the Saudi interventions were behind delaying this visit and the question, which should be posed is: Will Riyadh reconsider its calculations and return to the Syrian-Egyptian-Saudi axis, or will it cling to Rice’s quartet which became a punctured boat?

An Event and a Lebanese Trend

Political and press circles concentrated on the accelerated developments of the stands related to the constitutional quorum of the presidential elections.
It became clear in the reports and circulated information that after the stand taken by the Tripoli bloc, ten representatives became in a political position outside the loyals and these representatives stressed to the press that they will not attend the session of electing the president if the quorum of the two thirds of the Parliament is not secured. This means that the majority is no longer able to secure the half plus one from the representatives to elect a president with the majority quorum. What increased the importance of this development is the public stand of the Maronite patriarch Sfeir, who warned from taking this step under any pretext. This was considered as a retaliation against the interpretations of some of the loyal supporters, who say it is legal to elect the president in accordance with the presence in the last ten days of Lahoud’s term if it is difficult to hold a session with a constitutional quorum before this.
Analysts in Beirut linked, in articles published in the Lebanese press, between this transformation and announcing the visit of ambassador Jean-Claude Cousseran to Damascus this day before his expected arrival in Beirut tomorrow. This indicates the failure of the US and Saudi pressures to prevent the French openness on Damascus and to employ the French and Iranian endeavors to waste time and keep the card of putting the hand on the republic’s presidency and exploding the crisis on the occasion of the presidential merit. Opponents, who adopt this opinion, think that the project of the US coup has lost a basic card after the development recorded by the stand of the ten representatives and the Maronite patriarch. The opponents also anticipate more changes in the loyal stands in the light of the US failure and the French transformation.

Arab and International Press

Arab and international press said that US President George W. Bush has called for an international meeting next Autumn that joins Israel, the Palestinian authority and a number of Arab states in order to activate the peace process in the Middle East.
Arab and international press agencies said the Democrats start today at the US congress a marathon discussion to pressurize Bush to withdraw forces from Iraq.
The Israeli paper Yedioth Ahronoth said many shelters in Israel are neglected wondering if Tel Aviv is ready for the scenario of the coming war.
Arab and international press agencies quoted former Palestinian foreign minister Mahmud Zahar as saying that Hamas has a secret document that proves that one of the authority’s security organs is involved in espionage for Israel.
The Israeli press quoted the former leader of the northern area in the Israeli army as saying that the occupation army is preparing for launching a comprehensive war in the area.
International press agencies and the Israeli press said the migration office and social incorporation in the European Union recorded a remarkable rise in the number of the Jews who demanded European passports in comparison with last year.
The Guardian said discussions at the White House resulted in tending to launch war on Iran before Bush’s leaving of office.
Al-Khaleej said in its editorial what harms the Palestinian authority if it is supported by resistance force?

Lebanese Press

Lebanese press focused on the attack on the Tanzanian battalion that works within the UNIFIL,saying no casualties were reported.
Al-Akhbar said that the political arena witnessed two important developments: the first is delegating the French envoy to Syria and the second is House Speaker Nabih Berri’s convincing Arab League secretary general Amr Moussa to start a joint movement in the near future.
Lebanese press said general Michel Aoun has warned from falling in the abyss in case a unity government is not formed.

Television Stations News in Lebanon

The NTV said the UNIFIL received a new bloodless message, while the NBN said a more powerful political bomb came from Tripoli bloc. For its part, the LBC said the Paris dialogue meeting did lead to any dialogue in Lebanon and maybe this explains the French foreign minister’s return to Beirut.
The Future TV said the army achieved big progress on all the axes of Nahr al- Bared.

Television Stations News in Lebanon

Al-Manar (Hezbollah)
Program : Between Two Brackets
Palestinian intellectual Azmi Bishara said Islamic resistance in Lebanon knew how to deal with the Israel’s technological superiority, pointing out that the Israelis have used all kinds of weapons in the July war except the nuclear ones.