( Almanar Tv) Washington believes it is too early to talk about imposing sanctions on Israel to force it to freeze settlement building in occupied east Jerusalem, State Department spokesman Robert Wood said Tuesday. “It’s premature to talk about that,” Wood said when asked about the possibility of US financial sanctions.

“What we are trying to do, as I said right now, is to create an environment which makes it conducive for talks to go forward,” he added. “And you know, as I said, Senator Mitchell is working very hard on this.”

US Middle East envoy George Mitchell was due to leave Washington later Tuesday, another State Department official said, asking to remain anonymous. No precise itinerary was given, but the official said Mitchell would meet Israeli and Palestinian leaders, but would probably not travel to Syria.

Israel came under intense diplomatic heat Tuesday over its settlement activity in occupied east Jerusalem, with the European Union and Russia warning it not to violate a so-called Middle East peace plan.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy also repeated “the need for a complete freeze” of settlement activity after talks with Egyptian leader Hosni Mubarak.

Israel’s deputy foreign minister Danny Ayalon said the Jewish state was “working and will continue to work in accordance with its vital national interests, especially with respect to Jerusalem.”

But Wood responded: “Well, certainly no one is asking Israel to act outside its national security interests. “What we’re asking both parties to do is to fulfill their Road Map obligations. Both sides have committed to do that.”

SURGE IN US VISITORS
Senior White House adviser Dennis Ross will join an already crowded list of top US officials travelling to the occupied Palestinian territories next week, a step interpreted positively in Israel as an attempt by the Obama administration to engage more constructively with Tel Aviv.

Diplomatic officials confirmed that Ross, who last month was named special assistant to the president for the Central Region will pay his first visit to Israel next week in his new role.

Ross will come in the same week as Mitchell, Defense Secretary Robert Gates and National Security Adviser James Jones, who will be coming with some 10 members of his staff.

Asked about the sudden surge in high-level US visitors, one senior Israeli diplomatic official said, “It’s about time. It’s much better that the two countries discuss the issues between them face-to-face, and not through the media.”

These high-level visits, another senior Israeli official said, underscore the importance Washington continues to attribute to its relations with Tel Aviv. The official said these visits were not tied to the recent spat over plans to build 20 apartments in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood in occupied east Jerusalem, although this issue was sure to be raised.

ISLAMABAD, Jul 22 (APP): The 14-member larger bench of the Supreme Court of Pakistan on Wednesday summoned former President Pervez Musharraf to defend charges leveled against him for imposing emergency on November 3, 2007. The larger bench, headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry, issued a notice to Pervez Musharraf to appear in person or through counsel on July 29.

JERUSALEM (AFP) – – Description of a high-ranking Brazilian official told the Ha’aretz Tuesday, Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, who will pay an official visit to Brazil as a “fascist.”

Bumar said Walter, secretary of international relations in the ruling Workers Party newspaper, “said Lieberman, a fascist and racist.”

“The Brazilian left will demonstrations of protest against him and against the policy, which is represented.” The paper also quoted a Brazilian Foreign Ministry spokesman confirmed that “Bumar does not represent the position of the government.”

The spokesman said that Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva will meet Tuesday to Lieberman.

The visit is for Lieberman to Brazil as part of a ten-day tour in South America in an effort to address the Iranian influence in the region, according to a statement of Foreign Affairs of Israel.

Lieberman, chairman of the party and the extreme right-wing “Israel Our Home” and the third political force in Israel (15 deputies), set up his campaign in the elections of February to question the loyalty of Israeli Arabs, and adopted a strict attitude towards the Palestinians and the Syrians.

Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah renewed on Monday calls for the nation to embrace the Resistance and the culture of the Resistance, saying that the last few years constituted the most difficult and dangerous phases in which the Resistance’s existence was questionable by some people in the region.

Speaking through a large TV screen during a ceremony held in memory of the head of the Islamic Action Front late Sheikh Fathi Yakan, Sayyed Nasrallah recalled that the past years witnessed the climax of conspiracy against the resistance, pointing out that the battle did not only target its weapons arsenal but reached the level of belittling the culture of resistance and its martyrs.

Sayyed Nasrallah also addressed those who are betting on a sectarian strife in Lebanon saying that “we will not let them take over our national arena.”

His eminence pledged that his party will continue on the path of resistance for the sake of all those who sacrificed their lives. “We are required to work to help the resistance spread to the Muslim world.”

SHEIKH FATHI YAKAN AN ISLAMIC LEADER FROM LEBANON
Sayyed Nasrallah began his speech by paying tribute to the late Sheikh Fathi Yakan, saying that the latter’s favor for the Islamic movement in general and in Lebanon in particular was more than clear. “In Lebanon especially, we cannot speak about an Islamic movement or an Islamic act or an Islamic path or even an Islamic resistance without remembering Sheikh Fathi Yakan as one of the founders, leaders, symbols, intellectuals but also as one of those who educated and taught generations and generations of strugglers, believers and cultivated young people,” Sayyed Nasrallah emphasized.

Sayyed Nasrallah pointed to his personal relation with Sheikh Yakan that actually started following the Israeli war against Lebanon in July 2006. “Personally, I got to know Sheikh Fathi Yakan through his books especially when we were still young and we were searching for an Islamic book that discusses challenges with a contemporary language. However, the direct contact between us took place following the July war against Lebanon. During the war, I watched the press conference during which Sheikh Yakan announced the formation of the Islamic Labor Front and I found in its political line one of the strengths that the Resistance made use of in its historic victory against the Israeli enemy. Following the war, Sheikh Yakan insisted in visiting me despite all circumstances and I even felt ashamed that Sheikh Yakan, with his age and knowledge and status, comes personally to visit me. But his eminence came and a long and intimate meeting joined us in which I figured out the Sheikh’s sensitiveness, love and true passion.”

According to Sayyed Nasrallah, the current phase that Lebanon, in specific, is going through is difficult, complicated and dangerous. “It needs someone with Yakan’s courage, devotion and commitment,” his eminence highlighted.

PAST YEARS WITNESSED CLIMAX OF RESISTANCE AGAINST RESISTANCE
Hezbollah Secretary General then pointed to one of the main characteristics of Sheikh Yakan which is defending the Resistance movements in Lebanon and the region.

His eminence said that the past years witnessed the climax of conspiracy against the resistance. “The battle did not only target its weapons arsenal but reached the level of belittling the culture of resistance and martyrdom,” Sayyed Nasrallah said. “They went on to undermine the Resistance’s culture and describe it as a culture of death and darkness and murder and loss and destruction opposed to a culture they called a culture of life but they included in it the culture of surrender and acceptance of humiliating compromises offered by our enemies.”

Sayyed Nasrallah said that the battle against the Resistance was huge not only in Lebanon but also in the whole Arabi and Islamic region. His eminence noted that the battle took many forms starting from the assassination of Resistance top figures but also took the form of moral assassinations through accusing Resistance movements of working in favor of the outside far from the national interests.

OUR ENEMIES DID EVERYTHING POSSIBLE TO HARM RESISTANCE
Yet, Sayyed Nasrallah spoke with assurance about the future of the Resistance in Lebanon and the region. “I say that our enemies have done all that can be done to harm the resistance and have failed,” his eminence said.

“We got past our enemies most difficult and most dangerous phases,” Sayyed Nasrallah pointed out, telling the late Sheikh Yakan to be assured that his brothers, friends and students will continue their struggle until transforming all his dreams into realities.

Hezbollah Secretary General, meanwhile, tackled news of a new attack being planned for Lebanon as the Israeli tone escalates. “They are speaking of war that will eradicate the resistance from the Lebanese territories,” Sayyed Nasrallah said. His eminence called on the nation to once again embrace the resistance and the culture of resistance.

ISRAEL IS MERELY A US TOOL, FOLLOWER OF US
Sayyed Nasrallah also raised the Palestinian cause, stressing that all Lebanese, Arabs and Muslims should commit to this national, human and Islamic cause. “Palestine is nowadays facing very dangerous challenges,” his eminence said, adding that the so-called compromise wasn’t anymore possible “because what was earlier rejected by the Palestinians wouldn’t be approved at any circumstance.”

Hezbollah Secretary General described the “differences” between the United States and Israel over the settlement as a “spectacle.” His eminence expressed belief that the Israeli enemy was merely a US tool in the Arab and Islamic world. “No one can lie to us and make us wait for the US efforts to achieve peace,” Sayyed Nasrallah stressed, highlighting that the Israeli enemy was a follower of the US administration no matter what the latter seeks to claim.

His eminence also regretted the fact that betting on the Arab and Islamic regimes was also improbable. “The readiness of these official regimes to accept compromises is actually a high one,” Sayyed Nasrallah said. “Just after US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called for Arab courageous moves, we saw some Arab officials calling for openness to Israeli media and to the so-called Israeli nation.”

UNITED STATES WILL BRING VIOLENCE BACK TO IRAQ
Turning to Iraq, Sayyed Nasrallah praised the real Iraqi resistance, the one that’s fighting sedition, the one that’s fighting occupation forces and safeguards Islamic and national unity.

Sayyed Nasrallah recalled the Iraqi nation, Iraqi government, the whole world and especially those who considered the US withdrawal day as a national festival that the withdrawal was achieved thanks to the Resistance and its sacrifices.

His eminence also pointed out that there were still two challenges in Iraq: the Resistance’s perseverance at one side and the fight of sedition plotted by the Americans at the other.

Sayyed Nasrallah found dangerous a statement delivered a few days ago by US Vice President Joe Biden, who said that “if violence returns to Iraq, then the US administration will free itself from its previous obligations.” According to Hezbollah Secretary General, such statement means that “the United States will bring violence back to Iraq.” His eminence stressed that the Iraqi leaders must assume a higher sense of responsibility to combat strife that takes on several faces.

WE WILL CONTINUE ON THE PATH OF RESISTANCE
Sayyed Nasrallah concluded his speech by reminding that the conflicts that took place in Lebanon during the few last years were political not sectarian.

“I tell all of those who are betting on a sectarian strife in Lebanon that we will not let them take over our national arena,” Sayyed Nasrallah highlighted, renewing calls for national unity to face all dangers and threats surrounding the Lebanese scene.

“We will continue on the path of resistance for the sake of all those who sacrificed their lived. We are required to work to help the resistance spread to the Muslim world.”

Clinton’s statement indication of new approach

ISLAMABAD, Jul 18 (APP): President Asif Ali Zardari on Saturday vowed his firm resolve to make Pakistan a great country and said he will do for this nation what others failed to achieve before him.“We have started from where Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto and Benazir Sahiba left,” the President said speaking at a dinner he hosted for PPP Parliamentarians from the National Assembly and the four Provincial Assemblies of along with their families.

The reception was arranged to introduce the second generation of the party workers to the third generation.

“We have come a long way and in the process fought three dictators. But whatever the situation, we were never cowed down by them,” he added.

“I would like to die at the annals of history rather than at the hands of a dictator.”

The President said his party has always worked for the people and the down trodden and this was the spirit with which his late spouse worked throughout her life.

“She (Benazir Bhutto) was told time and again not to go in the public. She was told to address rallies from her home. But she said no one can keep me away from my people.”

President Zardari said that she knew she will not live for very long and wrote her 17-page will.

“And not for once her pen shook,” Zardari added.

President Zardari announced that the next meeting of the Friends of Democratic Pakistan (FoDP) will be chaired by US President Barack Obama.

He said that by the time Peoples Party completes its tenure, his government would add another 7,000 megawatt of electricity to the power generation system.

He also stressed the need to control population growth as the resources were not meeting the demand of growing number of people.

The President said that he was ready to face any challenge and told the audience that his politics were never meant for elections.

“We do politics on the basis of our ideals and principles.”

He vowed to ‘design the politics’ in a manner that in future

no leader will ever have to sacrifice his or her life for it.

“We will make sure that no one in future will be able to mould the constitution according to his will. The system will be run according to the constitution,” President Zardari added.

Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani said the party workers have given their blood for it and its flag will always remain high.

He said Bhutto’s family is the only family in the politics which has never compromised on principles.

He said it was a good luck for the party, that its command was in the hands of young blood.

Earlier, Chairman Pakistan Peoples Party, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said that the party will continue to fight for the human rights and the rights of women and uplift of the constitution.

“We will bring relief to the poor people of Pakistan and the decision which the second generation could not take will be taken by the third generation.

“We are ready to sacrifice the last drop of our blood for the country as our mother and grandfather did. People believe in us and therefore they expect more from us and we shall not let them down,” he added.

Aseefa Bhutto in her address said that every one is for the ideals of the party and the memories of her mother cannot be erased from her mind and that of her party workers.

Bakhtawar Bhutto said the party was like a family and it will continue to be there for years to come.

SEOUL (Reuters) – The United States is ready to hold talks with North Korea if the conditions are right but will also press U.N. sanctions to punish Pyongyang for its nuclear and missile tests, a senior envoy for Asia said on Saturday.

North Korea, which tested a nuclear device in May, has said it was boycotting often stalled six-country talks on ending its nuclear arms program and will expand its nuclear arsenal in order to defend itself against a “hostile” United States.

“We have to be clear that under the right circumstances, we should be prepared to sit down with North Korea if they would abandon their nuclear ambitions,” U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Kurt Campbell said upon arriving in Seoul ahead of talks with South Korean officials.

“There have to be consequences for these provocative actions so the United States is working in the international community, with the United Nations, to put forward a robust set of sanctions and unilateral actions that are designed to send a clear message to Pyongyang,” he said.

The last round of the disarmament-for-aid talks among the two Koreas, China, Japan, Russia and the United States was held in late 2008 as the term of former U.S. President George W. Bush was nearing its end.

The U.N. Security Council on Thursday expanded the list of North Korean bodies and individuals under sanctions for nuclear and missile activities, adding its atomic energy agency and two of its top officials.

The announcement of the list followed a month of committee haggling after the Security Council expanded U.N. sanctions against North Korea in a June 12 resolution that responded to a nuclear test Pyongyang carried out on May 25.

The sanctions are aimed at cutting off North’s arms trade, a vital source of hard currency for the cash-short state.

North Korea has rattled the security in the region with the nuclear test, threats to attack the South and the test-launch of seven ballistic missiles earlier this month in defiance of a U.N. resolution barring the reclusive state from firing ballistic missiles.

South Korean government officials said the military moves were aimed at building internal support for leader Kim Jong-il, 67, who is reportedly in poor health and wants to prepare for his youngest son to succeed him in Asia’s only communist dynasty.

The delegation headed by President APKICC, Mohammad Ghalib and comprising Prof Mohammad Zafar Khan, Chaudhry Mohammad Khan and Raja Abdur Rauf called on chairman Kashmir Committee here on Friday.

The APKICC delegation noted lack of clear picture about future of Kashmir, as dialogues between the two countries continued over eight years but produced nothing on core issue of Jammu and Kashmir.

They observed that India is not serious about Kashmir solution and it just wanted to buy time. But Kashmiris are determined and will continue their struggle till the achievement of desired goal, they said.

The Kashmiri leaders also expressed serious concerned over Indian sponsored terrorist activities in FATA and Baluchistan and urged Pakistan government to expose Indian hand in the unrest in Pakistan’s western border.

Ghalib also asked Maulana Fazal-ur-Rehman to take up with British government the issue of human rights violation by India in Kashmir and impressed upon the government not to support Indian candidacy for membership of UN Security Council. India violated and rejected UN Security Council resolution on Kashmir and, hence can not be qualified for the permanent member of UNSC, he added.

Terming India-Pakistan dialogues a futile exercise, Ghalib said entire political leadership of Kashmiri people has been put in the jails, Kashmiri women are being raped and killed and all draconian black laws are still in place in the held valley. In the face of such extremely unfavourable situation talks with India tantamount to rubbing salt in the wounds of Kashmiri people.

He further said Pakistan presently is facing internal and external pressure and dialogues with India on such occasion could be against the vital interests of the country.

Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah marked on Friday the first anniversary of the Redwan operation in which the Islamic Resistance exchanged the bodies of two Israeli soldiers with Lebanese captives held in Israeli prisons, including Samir Qintar who had spent more than 28 years in occupation jails. The Operation was named after martyr Imad Moghniyeh, Hajj Redwan, the Islamic Resistance commander who was assassinated by the Israeli Mossad in Syria in February  2008.
Representatives of the President, the House Speaker, Political, religious and popular figures as well as liberated captives attended the festival at the Shahed School hall in Beirut’s southern suburb. A delegation of MP Walid Jumblatt’s Progressive Socialist Party also attended the gathering.

Sayyed Nasrallah emphasized the days extending from July 12 to August 14 are very special days in every aspect; loyalty, sacrifice, steadfastness, pride and will.

“The Redwan Operation came in the same days on the second anniversary of the harsh July war of 2006, which we fought against the enemy and paid the tax of the resistance. The 14 of August marked the end of sacrifices in that particular war and the beginning of a new era of struggle. We truly consider this day as the day of the Divine victory which Almighty Allah promised to the patient people and the true and faithful fighters. The whole world had its own interpretation to this victory; but allow us to explain it based on our own teachings to say that what happened back then was a true Divine victory.”

“On the issue of prisoners, this is related to the way we view the prisoners and how we should view the background that rules our position and our rhetoric when we deal with such an issue. If we go back to facts, a prisoner is a citizen of some country. For instance, a Lebanese prisoner is a Lebanese citizen. Therefore the Lebanese people have a fair case because they have rights usurped by an enemy. Eventually, this people will have the motive to work and struggle in various methods to defend itself and its dignity in the framework of this just cause. There are millions of prisoners throughout the world, but they do not stand as equals with those imprisoned for being resistance fighters. Those are called captives.
A captive is captured because he defends a just and national cause, so his cause is not the responsibility of his family. The cause of Samir Qintar did only concern the family of Samir Qintar, neither is the cause of the rest of the captives in Israeli jails who are still in prison like Yehya Skaf. Many people might ask, is a captive worth all these efforts, blood and wars? Yes, he is. Those captives had abandoned everything in this world to engage in the battle of the nation and they were ready to become martyrs. Some resistance fighters might become martyrs; others might get injured or captured. This is why there is no difference between them for the captive holds the spirit of martyrdom. Those have sacrificed for us to become free. We hold the responsibility to set them free to preserve their dignity just as they sought to preserve ours. This is the core of the resistance; this is the key to all coming issues.”
“An open battle still lies ahead. We still have thousands of Palestinian captives, dozens of Syrian, Jordanians and some Lebanese who are still missing. As much as we are concerned in Hezbollah, we consider ourselves responsible for every Lebanese, Palestinian or Arab captive who went missing on Lebanese soil. If someone else had bore this responsibility we would have stood aside. We are not competing with anyone. Since the Israeli invasion of 1982, we’ve been viewing the resistance as a duty that we must pursue. Concerning captive Yehya Skaf, the available data that we received from the Israelis was not convincing. We should deal with this case as if Skaf were still alive in Israeli jails and we should deal with this matter just as we dealt with the cases of all previous captives. There are still remains of martyrs held by the Israelis. Despite the data had given us during Operation Redwan, we will not accept their allegations and we’ll keep on working to gain back the remains of those martyrs. The same thin goes for the missing. Their fate should be determined. We want them back whether they were dead or alive and we assure that we are following up the cases of the missing who were directly captured by Israeli occupation forces or handed over by the Lebanese militias that collaborated back then with Israel. In the same framework, the issue of the four Iranian diplomats remains open, not because they are Iranians but because they were kidnapped in Lebanon and therefore, the Lebanese government and people are responsible for them.”

On the formation of the new government in Lebanon, Sayyed Nasrallah said that Hezbollah will be at the disposal of any new government that would work on solving the aforementioned issues.

“We are not the government’s substitutes. We demand it shoulders its responsibility and we will be the auxiliary in this regard. I would like to seize the moment to praise the efforts of the captives’ families in previous stages. I would also like to praise the fists of the resistance fighters, the brave fighters of the Islamic Resistance, their martyrs, their captive fighters, their wounded fighters and their leader martyr Imad Moghniyeh. The cause of the captives has two part: the captives themselves and the sufferings of their families. I don’t know how the Arab world deals with this issue at the level of government and in the media. I admit that I am personally emotional and I used to cry whenever I had to meet a family of a captive fighter or the children of a martyr. What’s more painful is to see those captives still behind Israeli bars and what’s more humiliating for this whole Arab nation is the scene of those captives still lying in Israeli jails. This is a stigma on the face of this nation which we are part of and we feel this shame. The whole world understands the July aggression on Lebanon where thousands were killed and wounded and more than a million people displaced. Does Israel have the right to destroy Lebanon for two captured soldiers that Hezbollah had unlawfully taken them, as they claim? The world also understands the war on Gaza for the sake of Gilad Shalit. But instead of punishing Israel, they pressure Hamas to release Shalit. Israel is an apartheid and fake nation that the whole world sympathizes with, respects and understands its criminal nature represented in killing thousands of people for the sake of one soldier. However, we are a nation that the world does not respect while thousands of our youths, men and even women remain captured in Israeli jails. Where is the Arab honor?”
“The missing Lebanese in Syria and the missing Syrians in Lebanon must be resolved through the concerned panels. This issue must be addressed by the new government and the fate of the missing must be uncovered…”

“I would like to point to a question pertaining to Hezbollah and the formation of the government. I have read in many newspapers that Hezbollah wants guarantees related to the arms of the resistance and that this demand is one of the elements that are obstructing the formation of the government. This is not true. When I met (Prime Minister-designate Saad) Hariri, I told him that we do not want guarantees for the arms of the resistance, neither from the government nor from anyone else in this world. We agreed on this, and it’s behind us because everybody agrees that this issue should be discussed at the dialogue round table. It is claimed that Hezbollah has certain concerns about the Special Tribunal for Lebanon and therefore the party is obstructing the formation of the new government because it wants guarantees. This is baseless. We have never discussed this with Hariri. We do not want guarantees from anyone in this world. Even if the opposition agreed with Hariri to form a government without Hezbollah being represented in it, I, Hasan Nasrallah, declare that I will support it.”

“Security challenges and spy networks have unfortunately caused lots of noise in the country, but those networks are not done with yet. I demand security apparatuses to make the same effort as before elections to dismantle spy networks. This is a serious issue that is part of the regional situation, from Netanyahu to Lieberman to naturalization of Palestinians to the threats to transform Palestine into a Jewish state…
These are major issues and Lebanon is affected more than any other country. This is why we need a government of real partnership and we are open on many options. What’s important is that we reach a real formula that leads to partnership and cooperation. I suggested to Hariri that since they constitute the majority in parliament, they can form a government of real partnership so we can try you and you can try us in a government that would face the dangers. I also told him that the Prime Minister can resign at any time and the government will become invalid; moreover the majority in parliament can give its vote of no confidence at any time. Showing the good will by both parties is required at this stage. Our country has lived through dangerous divisions and faced serious challenges. Today we have a chance to overcome our divisions but what we need is courage to take the decision. I advise that no one pressures Hariri with a time limit. Forming the government is worth taking the time this process needs to take and we are open on dialogue and partnership. Today the vast majority of the people wants calm in Lebanon, so let’s reach an understanding. Unfortunately, there are certain sides that are not at ease with the atmosphere of calm, this is why they escalate in the media. They must reassess their choices because people and dialogue and understanding.”

Lebanese Speaker Nabih Berri told Al-Akhbar newspaper on Friday that he is optimistic about the formation of the new government, adding that Lebanon is not waiting for progress to be achieved with regard to Saudi-Syrian relations in order to facilitate the new cabinet formation. The daily quoted well informed sources as saying that the Syrian-Saudi contact has developed positively and has had a good impact on the political rhetoric in Lebanon.
The daily added that sources from the loyalty and the opposition blocs have pointed out that Damascus is waiting, in the coming few days, for a Saudi contact to pave the way for the return of delegations to Damascus. The sources added that deliberations over the necessity to achieve a preliminary formula to form the cabinet was still hindering because PM-designate Saad Hariri has decided not to take any step before achieving a Saudi-endorsed understanding, according to the newspaper.

On Hariri’s visit to Syria, al-Akhbar quoted well informed sources as saying that “Hariri has clearly told opposition leaderships that he was ready to visit Syria before forming the new Cabinet that would not include the obstructing third.” The source added that opposition leaderships have told Hariri that it was very hard to make an understanding on his proposal and that “the utmost thing that the opposition can offer is not setting the ‘third-plus-one demand’ as a condition, whether directly or indirectly. In return the opposition would need guarantees that the it would have the third-plus-one veto power whenever voting is needed, which means that the opposition would choose the eleventh minister that might be included in the President’s share of ministers,” the source told Al-Akhbar.

Meanwhile, Assafir daily quoted Hezbollah secretary general’s political advisor Hussein Khalil  as saying that Thursday’s meeting with Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri was “positive, and the discussions were constructive.”
“The dialogue with Hariri is at its peak,” he said.
Khalil added that Syria and Saudi Arabia support Lebanon, however, he emphasized the importance of reaching domestic consensus, which would be between all Lebanese political parties.

Major (Rtd) Usman, a senior field officer of UNHCR Peshawar chapter, and his bodyguard were shot dead by unknown miscreants near Kacha Garhi camp in the outskirts of Peshawar on Thursday.

The President directed the concerned authorities to probe the tragic happening and bring the culprits to book.

He prayed to Almighty Allah to rest the departed soul in eternal peace and grant courage to the bereaved family to bear this irreparable loss with fortitude.

SRINAGAR, India-administered Kashmir (CNN) — Four police officers were arrested by the special investigation team probing the alleged rape and murder of two young Muslim women in India-administered Kashmir Wednesday evening, a senior police officer confirmed.

Kashmiri students protest over the alleged rape and murder of two Muslim women, in Srinagar on July 15.

The arrests were made on the orders of the state high court, which is hearing a “public interest litigation” filed by the Kashmir bar association, the senior officer said.

The senior officer said the arrests included the former police chief of south Kashmir’s Shopian district and three of his subordinates, who are accused of “destruction of evidence” and “dereliction of duty” in connection with the deaths, which occurred in the town of Shopian.

The four officers had been suspended last month after an inquiry commission instituted by the state government indicted them, a doctor, a gynecologist and an official of the forensic science laboratory.

A division bench of the high court, including Chief Justice Barin Ghosh and Justice Mohammad Yaqoob Mir, Wednesday also ordered DNA profiling of the four officers to be matched with biological evidence from the two victims, Asiya Jan, 17, and her sister-in-law, Neelofar Jan, 22.

The recovery of their bodies on May 30 from a village stream has kept India-administered Kashmir on boil. Two people have died and many have been injured in more than 300 in violent clashes between Muslim protesters and Indian security forces.

The authorities had initially claimed that the two women died of drowning in      the stream, but under mounting public pressure and widespread protests the government was forced to institute a commission of inquiry.

The Kashmir bar association filed the public interest litigation in the state high court, which at its hearing ordered a senior police officer, Farooq Ahmad, to oversee the investigations being conducted by the police special investigation team.

And on Wednesday, the chief justice of the high court asked the people of the town of Shopian, 54 kilometers (33 miles) from Srinagar, to call off their 48-day-long agitation, which has shut down the town.

“We assure them that as the people of the state are behind them, so is the high court, and it would be our collective effort to ultimately solve the crime and appropriately deal with the perpetrator(s) of the heinous crime of rape followed by murder,” the court order said

Gaza-based Palestinian Government, Hamas on Thursday called on the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) officials to adopt a practical decision against the Zionist regime’s siege of the Gaza Strip. Hamas in a press conference addressed all members of the NAM and said;” NAM officials should adopt decisive and practical decisions to remove the Zionist regime’s blockade on the defenseless Palestinian nation in the Gaza Strip and open the crossings into the area.” Hamas also remembered that NAM should support the Palestinian nation’s political rights and reinforce the Palestinian resistance against the Zionist regime’s aggressions. Foreign ministerial meeting of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) was wrapped up in the Egyptian Red Sea resort of Sharm El-Sheik on Tuesday. Over 100 foreign ministers or their representatives of the NAM’s member states closed their two-day meeting on Tuesday after adopting various draft documents. The Non-Aligned Movement summit also opened in the Egyptian Red Sea resort city on Wednesday with 55 presidents in attendance. The summit will be concluded by reading out a resolution on Thursday afternoon.

The Prime Minister also called for reinforcing the normative framework by stressing strict adherence to the principles of inter-state relations enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations.

Gilani said Pakistan has been stressing the need for NAM to expeditiously evolve a mechanism for conflict resolution.

He said sustainable success would come from resolving long-standing political disputes and promoting socio-economic development, as he believed that advancement of Pakistan’s economic development goals was possible only in an environment of regional peace and stability.

“We are, therefore, steadfastly pursuing friendly and cooperative relations with our neighbours on the basis of equality, mutual interest, and mutual benefit,” he said.

He mentioned that there has recently been some forward movement in relations with India and hoped to sustain this momentum and move towards comprehensive engagement.

“We believe durable peace in South Asia is achievable. It will be facilitated by the resolution of all outstanding disputes, including Jammu and Kashmir,” he said.

He said similarly peace and stability in Afghanistan was in country’s vital interest.

He said Pakistan was engaged bilaterally with Afghanistan to realize the objectives of peace, security and development.

Gilani said Pakistan believes that the core of NAM’s efforts today should be the quest for sovereign equality, and said the Movement must renew its emphasis on giving full life and meaning to the immutable principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity, non-aggression, non-intervention, mutual benefit, and peaceful co-existence.

He suggested for developing a new global consensus covering arms control, disarmament and non-proliferation as well as access to nuclear technology for peaceful purposes.

Gilani said there was a need to pay urgent attention to the threat of climate change, including in South Asia, in view of prospects of the melting of glaciers. He also called for deepening South-South cooperation.

The Prime Minister extended warmest felicitations to Egypt for assuming the chair of the Non-Aligned Movement for the second time, adding that as a founding member, Egypt had made a tremendous contribution to the promotion of the goals and objectives of the Movement.

He paid rich tribute to Cuba and its leader Raul Castro for outstanding leadership during his country’s term as the NAM Chair.

He said that summit was taking place at another defining moment in history, with a time of immense challenges but equally immense opportunities.

Prime Minister Gilani stressed for promoting inter-faith dialogue.

“It is our conviction that the vision and principles outlined by the NAM’s founding fathers are not only valid today, but are indeed indispensable. The solidarity which helped us promote collective good in the past is equally essential for the future,” he said.

He said security including the economic security was indivisible.

“We must utilize this opportunity to fashion a holistic response. Our approach should be balanced, premised on the mutuality of interests of developed and developing countries. A conceptual rethink is required regarding the optimal balance between the role of governments and markets,” he said.

Gilani said the temptation for protectionism must be resisted at all costs, and the market access should significantly expand, generating trade and employment opportunities. Stimulus packages and special dispensations to help particularly the vulnerable economies are essential, he added.

The Prime Minister said, “We must also work for comprehensive reform of the global financial and economic architecture, especially in the realm of enhanced regulation, more accountability, and inclusive decision-making.”

He said in Pakistan, peace and development are the core national priorities of the democratic government.

“The guiding light for us is the vision of Mohammed Ali Jinnah, the Father of our Nation, of a progressive, modern, democratic, Islamic Pakistan – at peace within, and peace without,” he added.

He said Pakistan was currently engaged in a resolute national effort to eliminate terrorism and militancy, and mentioned the enormous sacrifices rendered by its valiant security forces and the people in fighting terrorism.

He said Pakistan deeply appreciates the support and solidarity it received from friends in the international community.

At the opening session of NAM summit, President Hosny Mubarak took the rotating chair from Raul Castro Ruz, President of the Councils of State and Government of the Republic of Cuba, who presented a report about the activities of NAM during last three years.

Ban Ki-moon, Secretary General of United Nations, the Ambassadorial Chairman of G-77 and China, and the representatives of regional groups also delivered statements and expressed commitment for multilateralism to finding solutions to the fundamental problems affecting humanity.

Earlier, Prime Minister Gilani was received at the summit venue by Egypt’s President Hosny Mubarak, who grouped together along with other heads of state and government for an official photograph.

Prime Minister Gilani and First Lady Begum Fauzia Gilani also attended the official lunch hosted by Egypt’s President Hosny Mubarak and Mrs Suzanne Mubarak in honour of the heads of state and government and the first ladies