Syria to reject any Arab League initiative made in its absence [BBC Arabic, UK]

Presenter, Female #1
Following a closed-door session of Arab foreign ministers in Baghdad, Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari said in a press conference that participants have reached an updated and specific draft resolution on the crisis in Syria, which will be presented to Arab leaders during their meeting tomorrow. The draft resolution by Arab foreign ministers convening ahead of the Arab Summit in Baghdad tomorrow stipulated rejection to foreign intervention in Syria. In addition, it demanded that officials in the Syrian security and military institutions be held accountable for human rights violations.

Reporter, Female #2
After decades of absence, the Arab summit is returning to Baghdad. Ahead of the summit, a meeting was held for the foreign ministers of the participating countries to set the agenda of the summit. Speakers tackled issues that have been and remain the focus of the Arabs' attention: Palestine's cause, Sudan's division, the end of Iraq's ordeal after the US invasion, and what has become known as the "Arab Spring." Here, the countries that have been affected by the "Arab Spring" are gaining more attention than others. Syria is absent from the meeting since its membership in the Arab League was suspended. But the Syrian crisis is present on the discussion table of the foreign ministers and the leaders of Arab countries attending the summit.

Guest, Male #1 (Nabil al-Arabi, Arab League Secretary-General)
Second, the occupied Arab Syrian Golan Heights. The third item is related to the developments of the situation in Syria.

Reporter, Female #2
The issues Nabil al-Arabi included in the agenda were also mentioned in the speeches of some participating ministers. Iraq chose then middle ground when it came to the Syrian issue by supporting the Syrian people's demands while committing to rejecting foreign involvement in resolving the Syrian crisis.

Guest, Male #2 (Hoshyar Zebari, Iraqi Foreign Minister)
We confirm our full support for the Syrian people's aspirations and legitimate demands for freedom, democracy, and their right to determine their future and choose their rulers, as well as a peaceful rotation of power. We condemn the violence and killing, and call for an end to the bloodshed and adherence to a political solution and national dialogue, and we reject foreign intervention in the Syrian crisis to protect Syria's unity and the Syrian people's safety.

Reporter, Female #2
However, Libya's point of view was different from Iraq's. The Libyan foreign minister requested additional international pressure on Syria to halt what he called the regime's bloodbath and violence.

Guest, Male #3 (Ashour Ben Khayil, Libyan Foreign Minister)
Despite our appreciation for what the Arab countries have accomplished through the Arab League, the situation requires additional collective and individual work. International pressure should be exerted on the regime to end the bloodshed and enable the Syrian people to achieve their aspirations for a free and dignified life.

Reporter, Female #2
The Arab foreign ministers' draft resolution rejects foreign interference in the Syrian issue, and demands that officials in the Syrian security and military institutions be held accountable for human rights violations. The plan intends to protect Syria's unity, stability, and regional safety, while avoiding any military intervention.

Guest, Male #1
To halt the violence and killing, and end the bloodshed.

Presenter, Female #1
Meanwhile, spokesman for the Syrian foreign ministry, Dr. Jihad Makdissi, denied in an interview with the BBC the presence of any Syrian representatives at the Arab summit to be convened in Baghdad. He indicated in a statement to the BBC that Syria's membership at the Arab League was suspended, and for this reason, suggestions that Syria is participating in the summit at any level is incorrect. On the other hand, al-Makdissi said there are ongoing talks that delegations attending the Baghdad summit are discussing the new Arab initiative on Syria. He confirmed that Syria will not deal with any Arab League initiative at any level.

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Sudanese forces recapture oil-rich border regions [Al-Alam, Iran]

Presenter, Female #1
The Sudanese Air Force launched a cross-border raid on South Sudan's Unity state. Meanwhile, al-Khartoum announced it regained control of the Heglig area and other oil-rich border regions following confrontations with South Sudan's popular army. And while the two sides expressed their aversion to another war, the UN Security Council called for an end to the clashes.

Reporter, Male #1
Border disputes between Sudan and southern Sudan are still the main cause for the crisis between the two sides, opening the door to occasional confrontations. The renewed battles between the two sides led Khartoum to regain control of the Heglig area and another oil-rich border region after fierce fighting erupted between soldiers of Juba's popular army and Khartoum's army. Khartoum said its armed forces defeated attacks by South Sudan's popular army in the border area of al-Tashwin, and repelled attacks by groups affiliated with the Justice and Equality Movement, headed by Khalil Ibrahim, in the area of Martyr al-Fadil. Khartoum denied Juba's allegations of launching air raids on border regions, as the northern and southern sides expressed their opposition to another war. And amid the clashes between the north and the south, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton rushed to place the weight of the responsibility on Khartoum. Clinton said current events reflect that the forces of the two sides are uneven. The UN Security Council expressed its concern over the clashes, calling for an end to the confrontations and what was referred to as all aggression between the two sides. The council also warned against continuing these confrontations.

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Libya's Tabu tribe clashes with gunmen in Sabha [Al-Alam, Iran]

Presenter, Female #1
Fierce clashes between gunmen and the Tabu tribe in the southern Libyan city of Sabha ended after two days. Fifty people were killed in the armed confrontations, and 100 were injured. The head of the tribe, Isa Mansour, accused Libyan authorities of using warplanes and tanks to shell sites that belong to his tribe in the southern part of the city. The head of the national security agency in Sabha described the situation as tragic. He accused outlaws supported by foreign parties of being involved in the battles. The city's representative at the National Transitional Council announced his resignation in condemnation of the council's passive stance and inability to take action.

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Israeli extremist recruiting former soldiers to evict Palestinians from their homes [Palestine TV, Ramallah]

Presenter, Female #1
An Israeli extremist recently created a website announcing job opportunities for soldiers who have completed their military service. The website is recruiting them to storm the homes of Jerusalemites and evict them to later seize their houses.

Reporter, Female #2
The settlers and their guards, the occupation's army, only need a few minutes to clear a house of its owners and their furniture, transforming a person's home into a tent. We all remember the al-Kurd family, and other families, arbitrarily evicted from their homes in Jerusalem. And today, similar calls are resurfacing. But they are nothing new for the occupation's government. These calls seeking to evict citizens from their homes were started by Israeli militant Aryeh King, who sent out the call on Israeli website Kr8. He is asking for participation in a campaign to expel Palestinian citizens from their homes in occupied Jerusalem. The campaign aims to recruit former soldiers to remove an Arab family from their home in East Jerusalem. For security reasons, the website did not specify the location of the home, as claimed by Israeli authorities.

Reporter, Female #2
Aryeh King, the director of the Israel Land Fund and a founding member of the Israeli Association for Distributive Justice, called on soldiers with a strong build to join him in evicting Jerusalemites. King also listed the tasks to be completed by his campaign's recruits, saying he is in need of a group of individuals with thug-like features to storm the houses, in addition to three truck drivers to transport the settlers' furniture into Palestinian homes after evicting their owners and seizing these houses.

Reporter, Female #2
The Israeli government not only collaborates, but also influences the settlers to seize the homes of Jerusalem residents. The government could care less about the fate of these families in their homeland, and does not even care about what will happen to them next. And this cycle of aggression continues unabated and undeterred by anyone. And so, the rule of law continues to be tossed in the trash bin. Yara al-Omleh, Palestine TV.

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Senior Saudi diplomat kidnapped in Yemen [Press TV, Iran]

Gunmen have kidnapped a senior Saudi diplomat in Yemen's southern city of Aden. The Saudi Consulate has confirmed that Deputy Consul Abdullah al-Khalidi has been seized by the assailants and taken to an unknown location. Yemen has been rocked by anti-regime protests for more than a year. Saudi Arabia is much frowned upon for brokering a power transition deal for ousted ruler Ali Abdullah Saleh.

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Fifty-seven percent of Yemen's children are chronically malnourished [Press TV, Iran]

The United Nations Children's Fund says malnutrition is increasing fast in some parts of Yemen, saying that 57 percent of the country's 2 million children are chronically malnourished, the highest level in the world after Afghanistan. Political turmoil has pushed the country to the brink of a humanitarian crisis. One of the hardest-hit areas is the Hudaydah region in the west, in which the percentage of general malnutrition has reached 31 percent.

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Bahrainis mourn elderly man killed by regime forces [Press TV, Iran]

In Bahrain, a funeral is being held for an elderly man killed by regime forces. Hussein Majed, a 70-year-old man, died in intensive care after inhaling poisonous tear gas three months ago. People from all walks of life showed up at his funeral outside the capital Manama.

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Irish humanitarian delegation delivers medicine to Gaza [Press TV, Iran]

An Irish delegation currently in the Gaza Strip has met with a group of Palestinian children to get a firsthand account of life in the besieged territory. The delegation handed out educational toys and musical instruments among the children. It also delivered some badly-needed medicines to Gaza's health officials. The aid includes drugs for cancer and kidney failure patients.

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Syrian army storms Qalat al-Madiq, shells Homs and Dara'a [Dubai TV, UAE]

Presenter, Male #1
Today, more lives were added to Syria's death toll, which the UN estimated at over 9,000. The Syrian army stormed the town of Qalat al-Madiq in the countryside of Hama. Meanwhile, military operations continued in Homs and Dara'a. Yesterday, more than 80 people were killed by the gunfire of the regime's forces. Most of the victims were killed in Idlib province. Luai Ghabra reports.

Reporter, Male #2
The rain in Homs couldn't wash away the remnants of the shelling or soothe the wounds of its residents. From Baba Amr to Bab Hood, and from al-Khalidya to al-Rastan, and others, death reports continue to emerge every day. Syrian army brigades are taking turns shelling these neighborhoods, firing dozens of shells every hour. As usual, the Syrian regime claims it was pursuing armed groups. And as usual, the number and names of the victims are not immediately made available.

Reporter, Male #2
Alongside civilians, the death toll includes soldiers killed in combat zones in battles raging between the regime's army and the Free Syrian Army. In the latest incident, three regime soldiers were killed and dozens of others were wounded in fierce clashes that erupted near the entrance of al-Rastan, following failed attempts by the armed forces to storm the city. In the countryside of Dara'a in the south, clashes broke out between Syrian regime forces and armed defected brigades in the town of Busr al-Harir. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said this comes after the army warned the residents it would storm the town unless they hand over army defectors.

Guest, Male #3
The shelling of Qalat al-Madiq is a Hollywood film produced behind closed doors.

Reporter, Male #2
After several attempts, Syrian military forces were able to storm the town of Qalat al-Madiq, backed by dozens of heavy machinery and armored vehicles, forcing army defectors to withdraw, following two weeks of seesaw battles. Shelling by the regime's forces inflicted massive damage to the ancient al-Madiq Castle.

Presenter, Male #1
Now that the Syrian regime has accepted Kofi Annan's plan, the Syrian opposition called on President Bashar al-Assad to immediately withdraw the tanks from the cities. This news comes after the opposition in Turkey signed an "oath" document, calling for drafting a new constitution that doesn't discriminate between Syrians, holding fair elections, and establishing multi-party rule. The organizers announced the formation of a committee to restructure the national council so it includes all opposition groups. The committee is expected to file a report on its findings within three weeks. However, the council's final statement was read as the Kurdish bloc withdrew.

Guest, Male #4 (Burhan Ghalioun, Syrian National Council Leader)
We talked about the need to sign together, meaning all the members of the opposition, in order to have national consensus over Syria and its future. Fortunately, there was an agreement and consensus by everyone in this conference. We also talked about the need to restructure the Syrian National Council so we can integrate all the members of the Syrian opposition.

Presenter, Male #1
Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's acceptance of a peace plan by the Joint UN-Arab League Special Envoy to Syria, Kofi Annan, must be matched by "immediate actions".

Guest, Female #1 (Hillary Clinton, US Secretary of State)
The Joint Special Envoy Kofi Annan and the Syrian National Council agreed that the Assad regime's written acceptance of the initiative is a vital step. However, given Assad's history of over-promising and under-delivering makes me say that his commitment must be matched by actions. If this happens, Annan will work with the opposition to stop the bloodshed and allow humanitarian organizations to access areas under the opposition's control.

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Kuwaiti lawmakers question new PM over handling of graft probe [Al Jazeera, Qatar]

Presenter, Female #1
Kuwait's National Assembly held a session today to question Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber al-Mubarak for the first time, nearly one month after his government was formed. Parliamentary sources ruled out the possibility that the questioning will lead to dissolving the National Assembly and demanding the resignation of the government. This is one of the few times that a prime minister accepts a public questioning covered by the media. The inquiry relates to the case of illegal financial transfers that a number of parliament members were accused of, and led to the dissolution of parliament and resignation of the former government.

Reporter, Male #1
The Kuwaii National Assembly held a widely-attended special session to question the prime minister. The session was headed by parliamentarian Saleh Ashour, with the support of a limited number of parliament members. The questioning tackled many issues, most notably an attempt to uncover the facts behind allegations directed at some council members, including the prime minster. In addition, it addressed the government's failure to present its work program to the Assembly, and discussed the issue of the bidoon, or stateless people, which has been unresolved for over 50 years. The prime minister has defended himself by saying the questioning violates constitutional principles since it raises issues that occurred in former cabinets that have no connection to him. He said he is responsible for the state's general policies, while the ministers and specialists are tasked with handling and solving other issues.

Guest, Male #2 (Al-Saifi al-Saifi, Kuwaiti National Assembly Member)
There is a clear constitutional article that stipulates a representative's right to hold a questioning without specifying a time, or the focal issues of the questioning. This is any parliamentarian's inherent right, and can even be held on the same day a government is sworn in; one can propose a questioning, and no one can block it.

Reporter, Male #1
A number of representatives and citizens commended the prime minister's courage for accepting the questioning. They demanded the government accelerate the pace of reform and solve the issues that concern the Kuwaiti street.

Guest, Male #3 (Mohammed al-Ajmi, Journalist)
Today, the prime minister strived, spoke about all aspects, and refuted the questioning that everyone believes he does not deserve.

Guest, Male #4 (Faisal al-Yahya, Kuwaiti National Assembly Member)
Those who enjoy this right are the people who recently pushed for an end to the questioning of the former prime minister, by postponing the session, or resorting to a legislative or constitutional solution, or by cancelling the questioning, or by changing it to a secret session. That is the paradox of this situation.

Reporter, Male #1
The questioning did not serve those who proposed it, but strengthened the head of the government, who was further reassured that the Kuwaiti people stand by his side. However, the unresolved issues are sufficient enough for a return to parliament to request a no-confidence vote once again. Ahmed al-Houti, Al Jazeera, Kuwait.

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Kadima party ousts incumbent leader in major upset [IBA, Israel]

The results are in, and the Kadima faction now has a new leader. It was a landslide victory for former defense minister Shaul Mofaz over incumbent chairperson Tzipi Livni, sparking widespread speculation over Livni's political future. Sixty-two percent of voters favored the change in leadership, unseating the former chairwoman in a major upset. Of the 95 thousand Kadima members, just 41 percent showed up at polling stations to cast their ballots; the low voter turnout seems to have helped Mofaz secure his victory.