Libya announces truce to end deadly tribal clashes [Al Jazeera, Qatar]

Presenter, Female #1
Our Al Jazeera correspondent in Libya reported that a ceasefire is now in effect in western Libya after intervention from the Supreme Council for the Revolutionaries, the National Army, and the High Reconciliation Committee. The National Transitional Council announced a state of emergency in the cities of Zuwarah, al-Jamil, and Rigdaleen, and declared these cities to be a military zone under the control of the Libyan army's chief of staff.

Reporter, Male #1
Violence seems to have the upper hand in western Libya after days of fighting and tension in the triangle region of Zuwarah, al-Jamil, and Rigdaleen, near the Tunisian border. As all sides continued to trade accusations of breaching the truce, the three cities were declared a military zone, and the army threatened to respond to anyone who opened fire.

Guest, Male #2 (Mohamed Thuwaib, Officer in the National Army)
The National Army preferred to end this conflict so it can control the area from Ras Jadir to the eastern border, God willing.

Reporter, Male #1
The security center of al-Jamil City is still on alert for confrontations in what they refer to as the "Zuwarah revolutionaries' breaches of the truce." As for their affirmation of support for the revolution, it is interpreted as a direct response to the accusation by their neighbors in Zuwarah that al-Jamil remains loyal to the former Gaddafi regime.

Guest, Male #3 (Abu al-Qasim Karir, Head of the Local Council in Sabratha City)
Zuwarah claims that it should control the area of Ras Jadir and establish the same order that it had before the revolution. They are accusing Rigdaleen and al-Jamil of being the regime's puppets because they were one of the last few regions to support the revolution.

Reporter, Male #1
Meanwhile, the wounded and killed continue to be transported to the city's hospital. Journalists were targeted during the extended battle between the groups of civilians.

Reporter, Male #1
The scene in al-Jamil City after the death of a field commander in Zuwarah reflects the extent of the tribal feud in this area. The revolutionaries in Zuwarah consider the commander to be one of the heroes that confronted Gaddafi's battalions, while al-Jamil's residents view him as a cause of the strife. Even though the new Libyan army announced that they have eliminated a prominent figure in the strife, the mission of maintaining security in western Libya does not appear to be going smoothly, at least in light of the current tension. Samir Allawi, Al Jazeera, al-Jamil.

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Israeli fuel arrives in Gaza [Palestine TV, Ramallah]

Presenter, Female #1
Ten tankers arrived in Gaza Wednesday through Karm Abu Salem border crossing southeast of the Strip to deliver industrial fuel needed to operate the power plants in the Strip. Each tanker carried 50,000 liters of industrial diesel, and the total amount of fuel in these tankers reached 500,000 liters of diesel. Director of the Palestinian Government Media Center, Ghassan al-Khatib, said 500,000 liters of diesel were delivered to the power plant.

Guest, Male #1 (Ghassan Khatib, Director of the Palestinian Government Media Center)
Yesterday, necessary arrangements were made to transport 415,000 liters of natural diesel to the power plant in the Gaza Strip. This came after the electricity company in Gaza transferred the payment to the Palestinian Petroleum Commission in Ramallah, so that it will pay it to the Israeli side. These are temporary arrangements until a long-term connection is established through agreements between the Palestinian Authority and the Arab Republic of Egypt to link the Gaza Strip to the Arab power grid. This project will solve the fuel issue in the Gaza Strip once and for all. However, the infrastructure for the project will take at least a year.

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ICC's Israel war crimes probe halted, pending UN decision [Palestine TV, Ramallah]

Presenter, Female #1
Reactions ensued condemning the International Criminal Court's decision to halt the probe into the Israeli occupation's crimes against the Palestinian people in 2009. Meanwhile, Human Rights Watch denounced the decision, saying it gives a green light to the occupation to commit additional crimes.

Reporter, Male #2
After a long silence, the International Criminal Court prosecutor announced something disappointing. After three years of preparatory investigations of Israel's crimes against humanity in the Palestinian territories, the General Prosecutor said the International Criminal Court has no authorization to probe into these crimes, considering that Palestine is not a country.

Reporter, Male #2
More than 1,400 martyrs were killed in the occupation's gunfire in less than a month during the latest war on the Gaza Strip. In addition, countless crimes have been committed by Israel before this international organization was even founded. The organization has disappointed the free people of the world with its decision that allows the criminal to repeat its acts with impunity.

Reporter, Male #2
Palestine attained recognition from over 120 countries on the eve of its declaration in Algeria, and has established diplomatic relations through its embassies and representatives in numerous parts of the world. The Palestinian Authority appealed to the ICC Prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo in 2009, asking him to investigate into the war crimes committed by the Israeli army since 2002, especially during Israel's attack on the Gaza Strip from December 2008 to January 2009. Israel, which welcomed Ocampo's decision, did not hide its satisfaction with this result.

Reporter, Male #2
Once again, Israel becomes a country above the law, and the tears of Palestinian children were shed in vain as a result of this court's decision. In turn, Human Rights Watch expressed its regret over the International Criminal Court's decision, asserting that "Today's decision appears to close the door for now on access to the ICC for victims of international crimes committed in the Palestinian Territories."

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Israeli resort city attacked by rockets reportedly from Sinai [IBA, Israel]

The Israel police and army sappers continue to search for the remains of at least one Grad rocket that was fired at the city of Eilat around 1 o'clock in the morning. Three explosions reportedly rocked the city, although no injuries or damage have been reported. So far, the debris from just one missile has been located, 300 meters away from a residential apartment building. Security officials believe that the rockets were fired from the Egyptian Sinai, although according to Arab media reports, the Egyptian head of Sinai security is denying that the rocket fire came from the territory. Mayor Meir Yitzhak Halevi has vowed that normal life will not be disrupted in the resort city, which is seeing large numbers of tourists during the Passover holiday, and Benjamin Netanyahu said that Israel will not tolerate attacks from the Sinai and will take actions to eliminate the threat.

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Netanyahu slated for talks with PA leaders [IBA, Israel]

In political developments, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is slated to take part in a summit later this month with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas. The two leaders will hold talks shortly after Netanyahu meets with PA Prime Minister Salam Fayyad. The two sides are currently locked in a stalemate, and Netanyahu and Abbas have not spoken to each other in several months.

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Israeli PM announces commitment to expand settlements after Hebron evictions [IBA, Israel]

Amid criticism over the right of the surprise evacuation of Jews from the disputed home in Hebron, Prime Minister Netanyahu announced his commitment to expanding the settlement enterprise in the West Bank. The legality of the purchase of the Hamachpela house in Hebron is now under investigation, and in the meantime the property has been cordoned off by the army.

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Iran wants to relocate nuclear talks away from Turkey [IBA, Israel]

Iran is now attempting to push planned nuclear talks with Western powers out of the slated venue in Turkey as relations between Ankara and Tehran have become increasingly strained. Iranian officials want to relocate next week's negotiations to Syria, Iraq, Lebanon, or even China. US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton says that the time for a diplomatic resolution to the Iranian nuclear standoff is not infinite, warning Iran that all options for dealing with the nuclear threat remain under consideration.

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Egyptian Brotherhood presidential candidate says implementing sharia is 'main goal' [Dubai TV, UAE]

Presenter, Male #1
Competition flared among prominent presidential candidates in Egypt as the closing date for the candidate nominations approaches this coming Sunday. Omar Suleiman, Hosni Mubarak's former deputy, pulled out of the competition and announced in a statement that he did not plan to run for the nomination due to what he described as "administrative and financial obstacles." In turn, the Islamist Freedom and Justice Party candidate, Khairat Al-Shater, filed his nomination papers with the High Election Committee. Al-Shater spoke yesterday for the first time since he was announced as the Muslim Brotherhood's candidate, confirming that implementing Islamic Sharia law will remain his principal agenda. Within the framework of the electoral competition, the liberal Wafd Party announced that Amr Moussa has its endorsement for presidential candidate.

Presenter, Male #1
The ruling Military Council in Egypt pushed forward the process to transfer authority to a president-elect and to set a date for the handover in late June, regardless of whether the country's new constitution is ready or not. The Military Council's position comes in light of the growing crisis in the Founding Committee of the Egyptian Constitution. The representatives who withdrew were given only one week to return to the committee amid continuing efforts to resolve the crisis. Our correspondent Tawfiq Ahmed reports from Cairo.

Reporter, Male #2
Attempts to convince those who pulled out of the Founding Committee of the Egyptian Constitution to return have failed. The crisis continues amid the committee's pursuit of new proposals and solutions that satisfy all parties.

Guest, Male #3 (Dr. Wahid Abed-Majid, Member of the Founding Committee of Egyptian Constitution)
My opinion was, and still is, that the committee must fully adhere to al-Azhar Document. This allows al-Azhar to regain its status and respect, and reiterates clearly and definitively that there is a point of reference for the constitution that everyone agrees on.

Reporter, Male #2
The members who withdrew have been given one week to return if they choose. The mediation efforts were reflected in the withdrawal of a number of the Islamist movement's members, creating a vacuum that was quickly filled by other political blocs. The approval vote for the amendments added to the constitution was raised from 51 percent to 60 percent.

Guest, Male #4 (Fikry Abed al-Mutaleb, Researcher of Religious Movements)
The domination of the issue by the Muslim Brotherhood and the Salafi-Wahabi groups in Egypt's parliament has alienated a number of leading institutions that represent many aspects of Egyptian society.

Reporter, Male #2
Amid the political polarization, Egyptians believe that the solution lies at the hands of the Founding Committee of the Constitution. The Founding Committee has opened the door wide for Egyptians to express their opinions and make suggestions for the new constitution. The departed members of the constitution committee have adopted a firm position: they demand a revision of the membership of the Founding Committee, while leaving the door open in case they return. This political polarization is dominating the Egyptian scene, which comes at a critical time for Egypt. Tawfiq Ahmed, Dubai TV, Cairo.

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Rights groups list Saudi Arabia among world's worst human rights abusers [Al-Alam, Iran]

Presenter, Female #1
In its annual report, the Committee for the Defense of Human Rights has listed Saudi Arabia as one of the world's worst human rights abusers during the past year. According to the report, abuses in the Kingdom, which has no official constitution, include a wide range of systematic measures aimed at suppressing freedom of expression, discriminating against religious and ethnic minorities, and denying women their fundamental rights.

Reporter, Male #1
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has once again topped the list of world's worst human rights abusers, as confirmed by the 2011 annual report of the Committee for the Defense of Human Rights. Suppressing religious and ethnic minorities, restricting social freedoms and freedom of expression, as well as violating women's fundamental rights, are only the tip of the iceberg in the Kingdom's long history of human rights abuses. Named after the al-Saud royal family, Saudi Arabia has been ruling the Kingdom for over eight decades. It's the only country in the world that has no formal constitution and holds no elections.

Reporter, Male #1
Its basic law is a constitution-like charter that proclaims the right of monarchy enshrined by militant Salafi ideology. The repression of religious minorities was the focus of the report on the state of human rights in the Kingdom. The report listed a wide range of systematic measures practiced by Saudi authorities against religious minorities. Religious minorities are facing discrimination on all levels, including in the education sector. School curricula include subjects that contradict with religious minorities' beliefs, and often describe them as apostates or nonbelievers.

Reporter, Male #1
Saudi Arabia's violations prompted the US, which is its main ally, to criticize the Saudi regime over its oppressive measures against religious minorities. The Saudi regime is described as "one of the worst abusers of the freedom of expression and opinion." The US State Department's report added that Saudi Arabia continues to actively prevent the religious practices of other faiths. In addition, the country does not provide legal recognition or protection for the freedom of religious individuals. The formation of the Committee for the Defense of Human Rights in the Arabian Peninsula coincided with the formation of a fact-finding mission investigating racial and religious discrimination in the Kingdom. Hundreds of anti-regime activists have been arrested by Saudi security forces without being tried or charged for any crime. Their only misdeed was demanding freedom in a country that lacks justice and equality for all.

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Saudis stage anti-regime protests in Qatif region [Press TV, Iran]

In Saudi Arabia, protestors have once again taken to the streets calling for the release of a prominent human rights activist. Protestors have rallied in and around Qatif calling for the release of Fadel al-Monassef. Protestors in the Eastern Province have been calling for basic human rights, an end to sectarian discrimination, and the release of political prisoners for over a year.

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Khawaja's daughter appeals for his release [Press TV, Iran]

In Bahrain, the daughter of a prominent human rights activist, Abdulhadi al-Khawaja, said her father's health condition continues to deteriorate. A new photo shows al-Khawaja in a prison hospital where he was taken several days ago after his condition deteriorated due to his 55-day hunger strike.

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Israel carries out assault on Gaza [Press TV, Iran]

Israeli troops, backed by tanks and bulldozers, have conducted an incursion into the east of the Gaza Strip. No casualties have been reported. Israel claims the incursion was in response to rockets fired from Gaza, which it blames on Hamas.

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Fresh clashes in Syria ahead of UN mission [BBC Arabic, UK]

Presenter, Male #1
The UN-Arab League envoy to Syria, Kofi Annan, said the violence and the military operations launched by government forces on civilians are still ongoing, even though Damascus announced they would agree to the Annan plan. Annan said in a videoconference to the UN General Assembly that if the Syrian government adheres to the April 10th deadline for halting the violence, then all sides should cease fighting by 6pm on April 12th. He called on both sides to respect the truce.

Guest, Male #2 (Kofi Annan, UN-Arab League Envoy to Syria)
Clearly, the violence is still continuing. Alarming levels of casualties and other abuses continue to be reported daily. Military operations in civilian populations have not stopped. For its part, the government has written to me stating that armed groups continue to assault and attack government forces, civilians, and property.

Presenter, Male #1
The UN Security Council issued a statement calling on Syria to keep its pledge to halt the fighting and withdraw its army from residential areas by April 10th. The US representative to the Security Council, Susan Rice, said the Council called on all parties in Syria to end the violence in accordance with provisions of the UN-Arab League envoy Kofi Annan's initiative. Rice stressed the importance of resolving the Syrian crisis peacefully and politically. In another development, Syrian authorities approved the International Committee of the Red Cross's visit to Aleppo Central Prison. Meanwhile, the Syrian Revolution General Commission said security forces and the army killed 31 civilians in various parts of Syria. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights added that five regime soldiers were killed on Thursday during clashes in the countryside of Aleppo.

Reporter, Male #3
The surroundings of the Syrian capital Damascus witnessed campaigns of raids, shelling, and arrests in the past several hours. Two activists were killed after their car was targeted by security forces in the neighborhood of Kfar Sousa. Activists said confrontations between regime forces and members of the Free Syrian Army during clashes in Duma City, which is located several kilometers from the capital, led to the deaths of civilians and soldiers on both sides. Harasta also saw fighting, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which asserted that the two armies clashed in a number of regions in Syria.

Reporter, Male #3
The Homs region witnessed the largest number of civilian fatalities. The shelling continued on some of its neighborhoods, as well as areas in its countryside. As for Rastan, it saw violent shelling by the regime army, which killed civilians. Talbisa witnessed shelling and civilian deaths as well. The villages of Haritan, Anadan and Biyan in the countryside of Aleppo saw clashes between the Syrian army and fighters from the Free Syrian Army after regime soldiers in the region defected. Three regime soldiers were killed in the northern countryside of Aleppo, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. In southern Syria, two regime soldiers were killed during clashes in al-Nu'aima Village in Dara'a Province. In the countryside of Idlib, a member of the Free Syrian Army was killed in the city of Khan Shaykhun. The Free Syrian Army has announced that they will form a new brigade in the city.

Reporter, Male #3
Clashes escalated in the past two days, even though the Annan plan stipulates a halt to military operations and the withdrawal of military vehicles congregating at residential complexes. The Annan plan entails ending the violence from all sides under UN supervision, withdrawing military forces, delivering humanitarian aid to the damaged areas, releasing the detainees, and allowing peaceful demonstrations. On the other hand, over 1,000 people fled to Turkey from northern Syria within the last 24 hours. This raised the number of refugees to 21,000. In addition, Syrians are displaced internally, fleeing from one area to another to escape the shelling and violence. Hayyan Aqoub, BBC.