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Palestinian leader insists Palestinian refugees have right to return after talks with Lebanese counterpart.

BEIRUT - Palestinian refugees in Lebanon should not be permanently resettled in the country, Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas said on Thursday after talks in Beirut with Lebanese President Michel Sleiman.

“The Palestinians have the right of return and this is an issue we are discussing with the Israelis,” Abbas told a media conference after the meeting.

“We are against the resettlement of Palestinians in Lebanon,” he added.

An estimated 400,000 Palestinian refugees live in 12 camps in Lebanon. According to the United Nations agency responsible for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA), there are around 4.6 million Palestinian Read more »

The French president meets his Afghan counterpart, Hamid Karzai

Nicolas Sarkozy made a brief visit to Afghanistan today after the French army’s worst loss of life by enemy attack in a quarter of a century.

The French president spoke to troops from units that lost 10 men in the mountain battle about 30 miles east of Kabul on Monday.

Sarkozy said he had no regrets about sending more troops to the region earlier this year, despite the political firestorm that has broken out in France since Monday’s ambush.

“I have no doubt that we must be here. I am also in shock … but I tell you in good conscience Read more »

DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — Syria agreed Thursday to a longtime Lebanese demand to negotiate the demarcation of their border a day after the countries said they would establish full diplomatic relations for the first time.

The agreements are a victory for Lebanese President Michel Suleiman, who traveled to Syria Wednesday in a landmark visit — the first by a Lebanese head of state to Syria in more than three years.

”This announcement is a historic step toward rectifying relations,” said Saad Hariri, who heads the Western-backed, anti-Syrian majority in parliament. ”It is time … for (Syrian) tutelage to end once and for all,” said Hariri, son of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, who was killed in a 2005 bomb attack that many in Lebanon blamed on Syria.

The border has been poorly defined since the two countries became independent from French rule in the 1940s. Lebanon’s anti-Syrian factions have long demanded demarcation along with diplomatic ties as recognition by Syria of Lebanon’s sovereignty and independence.

Syria controlled Lebanon for nearly 30 years, after sending its army in as peacekeepers Read more »

The militia is weakened after many battles with US and Iraqi forces A spokesman for Iraqi Shia cleric Moqtada Sadr says his militia will no longer carry weapons, but he stopped short of declaring an end to violence. In a BBC interview, Salah al-Obeidi said future decisions about the Mehdi Army’s strategy would depend on the long-term status of US troops in Iraq. “Resistance” would go on if a timetable for US withdrawal was not set, he said. Iraq and the US are negotiating a status of forces agreement to decide the future role of US troops. An announcement is expected to be read out at prayers in many Shia mosques

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Mohammed Suleiman was said to be close to President Bashar al-Assad A senior military official close to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has been assassinated, according to Arab media reports. The official, identified as Brig Gen Mohammed Suleiman, was shot dead on Friday night at a beach resort near the port city of Tartus, the reports say. Damascus has so far refused to comment on the alleged shooting. The Free Syria website, which opposes the Syrian government, described him as President Assad’s top security adviser. Pan-Arab newspapers al-Hayat and Asharq al-Awsat say Mr Suleiman had responsibility for sensitive security issues. Mr Suleiman was also reported to serve as Syria’s liaison officer to Hezbollah - a powerful political and military organisation of Shia Muslims in Lebanon. Report details The circumstances of the alleged shooting remain unclear. The first report of Mr Suleiman’s death appeared on Saturday

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Informed sources say Israeli agents are behind the assassination of Syrian president’s security advisor and liaison officer to Hezbollah. Mohammad Suleiman, who was a Syrian top security official and the officer in charge of liaison with Lebanon’s Hezbollah movement, was shot by a sniper on the coast of Syria’s Tartous port on Friday. According to independent sources in Syria, the sniper was an Israeli agent. Suleiman’s body was buried overnight. In February, Imad Mughnyiah, a prominent Hezbollah figure, was murdered in a car bomb explosion in the Syrian capital. The Israeli regime extended the tenure of Mossad chief Meir Dagan for a second term following the successful assassination of Mughniyah.

Source: PressTV

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Olmert’s decision could be a chance for opposition leader Netanyahu (left) Israeli police have questioned Prime Minister Ehud Olmert for a fourth time over allegations of corruption. The latest stage of the police investigation comes two days after he said he would step down in September to fight the allegations, which he denies. A US businessman has said he gave Mr Olmert envelopes stuffed with cash before he became prime minister. Mr Olmert has said he only received legitimate campaign funds from the businessman,

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