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Iraq's Allawi 'open to talks' over new government
Ayad Allawi, the former prime minister and leader of the winning coalition in the Iraqi national election, said he's open to direct talks with all parties across the political spectrum in his efforts to swiftly forge a new Iraqi government.
"We hope that we will complete this achievement by forming a government as soon as possible, a government that is capable of providing security and stability and capable of providing services to our people," Allawi told reporters Saturday.
Allawi's Iraqiya bloc won 91 seats in the 325-member Council of Representatives in the March 7 elections, edging ahead of Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's State of Law coalition, which received 89, the officials said. The Iraqi National Alliance, dominated by Shiite parties, got 70 seats and a Kurdish alliance got 43. |
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Thai military seeks to avoid confrontation with protesters
The Thai military is withdrawing its forces from parts of the country's capital to avoid potential confrontations with red-shirted anti-government protesters backing the ousted prime minister.
The announcement came as an estimated 80,000 protesters held a demonstration in Bangkok Saturday, the latest mass rally staged by supporters of former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra. They demand incumbent Abhisit Vejjajiva's government holds new elections.
"In order to avoid undesirable incidents and confrontation with the demonstrators, the military commanders have therefore ordered the withdrawal of all military and police forces being previously stationed in the risk zones to be moved out and, instead, regrouped in the nearby vicinities," military spokesman Col. Sansern Kaewkamnerd said Saturday.
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Hariri to visit Bulgaria as Arab summit tackles Israel's violations in Lebanon
Prime Minister Saad Hariri will travel to Bulgaria on an official visit this weekend, as the Arab League summit in Libya is scheduled to take up the issue of Israeli violations of Lebanon’s sovereignty and the fate of Imam Musa Sadr.
Hariri is scheduled to travel on Sunday to Bulgaria, where he will meet with the Bulgarian president and the prime minister, as well as other officials.
Hariri also received a call on Friday from US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton to discuss peace in the region.
The National News Agency said the call tackled regional conditions, “especially the ongoing efforts to re-start the Palestinian-Israeli negotiation track.” |
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Committee to set strict guidelines for TV jokes
A committee will be formed to set down strict guidelines on “jokes and entertainment” on local television programs, after earlier warnings to tone it down have apparently gone unheeded.
The National Audiovisual Media Council, a consultative body whose decisions are not binding, announced the move after a meeting on Friday. Council President Abdel-Hadi Mahfouz told reporters after the meeting that members Ibrahim Awad, Ghaleb Qadil, Jamal Fakhoury and Paul Khalifeh were nominated for membership in the new committee.
“Following the publishing of the council’s decisions in the Official Gazette and discussing it in different media institutions, the national media council will take necessary measures against any media institution violating stipulated criteria,” Mahfouz added.
The council convened in January to deal with rising complaints about supposedly risqué material on local comedy shows, which included jokes about clergymen that some people found offensive. At the time, OTV program “LOL” was singled out for blame, but the latest meeting failed to name any offensive programs or stations.
Mahfouz said the step was needed despite a “slight” improvement in the performance of media outlets. Nonetheless, he said that “many complaints are reaching the council about … entertainment and joke programs,” which necessitated the latest move. |
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Ban worried over Hizbullah arms, Sleiman raps Israeli breaches
The continued presence of Hizbullah’s weapons in Lebanon threatens to undermine any progress made by Lebanon and Israel in the implementation of Resolution 1701, according to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon.
“I am worried about Hizbullah’s possession of arms. I hope this will be resolved,” Ban told the pan-Arab daily Al-Hayat in remarks published Friday.
Also on Friday, President Michel Sleiman condemned Israel’s persistent breaches of Lebanese territory.
UN Security Council Resolution 1701 was drafted in 2006 to Israel’s July-August war on Lebanon and stipulates, among other clauses, that there should be no arms within Lebanon outside of state control.
The UN has repeatedly stated, through reports and speeches made by its Special Coordinator for Lebanon, Michael Williams, that Hizbullah’s arsenal of rockets constitutes a grave violation of international law. |
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Assad: Israel only understands force
Syrian President Bashar Assad stressed that Syria would not stand neutral regarding Lebanese domestic affairs in the event of political alliances against the resistance. "Syria cannot be neutral when it comes to the resistance," Assad said during an interview with Hizbullah-affiliated television station Al-Manar, the mission of Israel is always tackling the Middle East. |
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