Russia warns Syria against descending into a Libya-style war [Al Jazeera, Qatar]

Presenter, Female # 1
The chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Federation Council of Russia, Mikhail Margelov, met with the Syrian opposition's delegation visiting the Russian capital Moscow. According to a member of the delegation, they called on Russia to use its influence to push the Syrian regime to stop the killing of peaceful protestors. For his part, Margelov confirmed that Russia's only friend in Syria is the Syrian people. Margelov stated that Russia wishes to do everything possible to avoid a repeat of the Libyan scenario in Syria.

Guest, Male # 1 (Mikhail Margelov, Russian Envoy)
We are willing to do everything possible to prevent Syrian events from developing according to the Libyan scenario. We are interested in seeing the implementation of the reforms announced by the Syrian government and for political dialogue to include all groups and political parties, and all religious and ethnic groups in Syria.

Reporter, Male # 2
A new victim is added to the caravan of death passing through Syrian cities and villages. Khaldoun Habashiyah was killed by security forces who stormed his house in the Barza area. Activists added that these elements also hit his son. The funerals of Khaldoun Habashiyah and other victims, who were killed and continue to be killed in Syria everyday, are at pace with the regime's chorus on the dialogue and its upcoming launch. The regime says the dialogue will be held under "the ceiling of the nation." However, which ceiling is the regime discussing? Is it the ceiling that was drawn by the soles of the Shabeha as they trampled on the foreheads of citizens? Opposition activists add another question to the ceiling of a dialogue craved by the regime and scheduled to be held in two weeks. Is it the ceiling under which the building blocks were placed by security agencies and the ruling regime? The same ones that were appalled by Syrians who dared demand pluralism. Demonstrators in the squares are chanting against a dialogue that would mask the crackdown witnessed in Syria. They are supported by the opposition, which rejects an invitation to a dialogue for which the results are already drawn, and this is why the people are demonstrating. Yesterday, they took to the streets of Hama, Latakia, Homs, Deir el-Zour, and Rif Dimashq. They chanted for the downfall of a family that engulfed a party and a nation, with all its resources and millions of residents. So the dialogue will start after the downfall of the regime. Those rising up believe that a mysterious dialogue with no prospects is useless. Their demands are clear: a free country and democracy. And those who amended the constitution, within an hour or so 11 years ago, to appoint al-Assad as president can also amend the constitution to meet the people's demands. Opposition activists say giving birth to one's antithesis requires a change at the core. And in the case of the Syrian regime, the core is the security state that is impossible to reform except by undermining its pillars. Today, the regime only seeks to gain additional time to sway international public opinion and to accomplish what it has been unable to for three and a half months, which is to end the intifada.

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Yemen's Saleh offers to transfer power to parliament [Dubai TV, UAE]

Presenter, Male #1
Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh will address the nation any day after Thursday, as confirmed by Yemeni Deputy Minister of Information Abdu al-Janadi. Saleh will be interviewed by Saudi state television in Riyadh, where he has been staying for three weeks for treatment. Al-Janadi said that Saleh will reassure the Yemeni people about his health condition. Saleh's political advisor, Abdul Karim al-Ariyani said that the Yemeni president is in good health and mental condition. These latest announcements are increasing the level of anticipation among the Yemeni public. The opposition described the announcements as "an attempt to mislead the public that the Yemeni president is still ruling the country." Our correspondent Abdul Rahman al-Shumari reports from Sana'a.

Reporter, Male #2
Despite the ambiguity surrounding the Yemeni president's health, the ruling Congress Party continues to announce that Saleh will soon return to the country. The ruling party announced today that Saleh plans to transfer all of his authorities to the parliament and form a coalition government to prepare for early elections. Following elections, Saleh will leave quietly. However, some Yemeni politicians described Saleh's announcement as "a coup against the Gulf Initiative."

Guest, Male #3 (Nabil al-Sharjibi, Professor of Political Crisis at Hadida University)
If these news leaks are true, this means a coup has been staged against all previous initiatives or agreements signed by the Yemeni sides in the presence of the US mediator. Or perhaps the latest security breaches witnessed in Yemen require a revision of all previous agreements.

Reporter, Male #2
It's a new scenario of an old initiative, which the opposition previously rejected. This is what the ruling party is trying to promote after running out of solutions. They once again rejected any transfer of power in Saleh's absence. In response, the sit-in groups said that Saleh has lost legitimacy in the eyes of the youth revolution.

Guest, Male #4
Parliament and the state council, which is run by the regime, have lost legitimacy. They lost it the minute a drop of blood was shed. Why now?

Guest, Male #5
What's needed is the president's ouster. The primary demand of the revolutionaries is the ouster of the president and his regime.

Guest, Female #1
We don't want the president and his ruling family. We don't want them to be part of the new regime. We want a civil and a modern state.

Reporter, Male #2
According to the opposition, the president's speech, which is expected to take place at any time, is nothing but an attempt to mislead the public that Saleh is still running the country from his hospital bed. The transfer of power that the regime is trying to promote is nothing but an attempt to buy more time and hamper international efforts aimed at transferring authority to the acting president in absence of Saleh.

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Libya rejects Gaddafi arrest warrant [Al-Alam, Iran]

Presenter, Female #1
The Libyan revolutionaries have seized control of an arms cache in a desert area south of the city of Zintan, nearly 145 kilometers south of the capital Tripoli. Meanwhile, Libyan Justice Minister Mohamed al-Gamudi said that the International Criminal Court, the ICC's decision is politically motivated in favor of NATO and that the court is a cover-up for its crimes, vowing to prosecute members of NATO.

Reporter, Male #1
The situation in Libya is still feeling the impact of the ICC's decision. Libyan authorities have strongly rejected the ICC decision, which it says was highly politicized by a court that is a tool for US policy.

Guest, Male #2 (Mohamed al-Gamudi, Libyan Justice Minister)
This court is nothing more than a cover-up for NATO, which has repeatedly tried to assassinate our "brotherly leader" and his family.

Reporter, Male #1
The court's decision, which calls for the trials of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, his son, and his intelligence chief, has cast its shadow on earlier reports about the start of negotiations between the opposition and the authorities in Tripoli. However, the decision prompted the opposition to raise its demands by rejecting any dialogue with the regime before the surrender of the wanted defendants to the ICC.

Guest, Male #3 (Mustafa Abdu Jalil, Head of the Transitional Council)
The ICC's decision has rendered all calls and initiatives which may place Muammar Gaddafi in a position of negotiation or grant him protection, invalid.

Reporter, Male #1
Meanwhile, revolutionary forces continue to tighten the noose on West Tripoli, Gaddafi's stronghold. In a notable development, the revolutionaries have seized a massive weapons depot, consisting of dozens of buildings in a desert area south of the city of Zintan, nearly 145 kilometers away from the capital Tripoli. This news comes after reports of clashes using heavy artillery erupted between the revolutionaries and Gaddafi's brigades. In addition, reports confirmed that Gaddafi forces used Grad missiles. Politically, Gaddafi seems to turn a blind eye to what's happening around him even after his close African allies deserted him. Despite its political and military progress, the opposition doesn't seem capable of ending the war in its favor, especially amid the absence of a political resolution that seems to be drifting by the northerly Atlantic winds.

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Sudan's Bashir defies ICC arrest warrant with visit to China [BBC Arabic, UK]

Presenter, Male # 1
Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir arrived in the Chinese capital Beijing. He begins a four-day visit during which he will meet with Chinese President Hu Jintao. Al-Bashir is seeking to reassure his most important economic partners that Chinese investments in his country will not be affected by southern Sudan's secession from the north in a few days. China called on al-Bashir to visit despite the International Criminal Court's warrant for his arrest.

Reporter, Female # 1
Indifferent to international warnings and criticism, China opened its doors to the Sudanese president. In a strike against the International Criminal Court's arrest warrant for al-Bashir, who is accused of war crimes, Beijing warmly welcomed him.

Guest, Male # 2 (Nicholas Bequelin, Human Rights Watch)
Beijing is pursuing quite ruthlessly its interest over the general wellbeing of the Sudanese people. It's shielding Bashir, who is facing very serious charges of genocide and war crimes at the International Criminal Courts by giving him this sort of royal treatment in Beijing. This is a wrong kind of signal.

Reporter, Female # 1
China has repeatedly confirmed, however, it maintains the right to invite the head of a state with which it has diplomatic relations. In addition, China is not one of the parties of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court. It has indicated that its foreign policies are built on non-intervention in others' internal affairs and that it attempts to maintain a neutral position in internal struggles.

Guest, Male # 3 (Liu Guijin, China's special envoy for African affairs)
China has created a kind of new type of engagement with Africa that is of quality mutual benefit instead of just putting pressures, and also China has never actually attached any political constraints to our development assistance.

Reporter, Female # 1
Sudan is considered to be one of China's most important crude oil suppliers and Beijing fears an interruption to its supply if southern Sudan secedes from the north. The visit comes as the two sides have not yet resolved a way to manage the oil sector after the secession. Most of the oil is in the south, however most refineries and pipelines are located in the north.

Guest, Female # 2 (He Wenping, Expert on African affairs at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences)
Even if the south becomes independent, its relations with China will remain very solid. The south needs to continue the exploration of its oil sources.

Reporter, Female # 1
And while China works on attracting the south, it maintains its important economic ties with Sudan. China is an important ally for al-Bashir, who is protected from international pressure by China's veto power at the UN Security Council. Khoulud Amer, BBC.

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Saudi forces to pull out of Bahrain [Press TV, Iran]

In the headlines today, Bahrain says Saudi troops will withdraw from its soil more than three months after entering the country to crush anti-government protests. A source within the Bahraini government said the withdrawal will start next week. Another source confirmed the news and says not all troop will be withdraw at once. Meanwhile, Saudi sources have ruled out a complete pull out, saying Riyadh is seeking to redeploy its forces. Back in March, about 1,000 Saudi soldiers along troops from the United Arab Emirates entered Bahrain to help Manama quell anti-government protests

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Palestinians call on UN for protection of aid flotilla [Press TV, Iran]

Scores of Palestinians marched towards the United Nations' office in Gaza City demanding protection from the UN for the second Freedom Flotilla. A letter was handed by the demonstrators to the UN representative who promised to relay it to the UN secretary-general. Organizers called on Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon for protection for the second aid flotilla. Israeli army spokeswoman, Lieutenant Colonel Avital Leibovich has announced the Israeli forces will not allow the flotilla to breach what she described a "lawfully enforced blockade on Gaza." Activists also demanded an international condemnation of the Israeli aggression.

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Israel begins dismantling controversial separation wall [Press TV, Iran]

Palestinians say the popular resistance has paid off. The Israeli occupation army began dismantling a section of the separation wall that tore down the village of Bil'in and deprived its residents, most of whom are farmers, of cultivating their land. But the dismantling of the wall comes seven years after the International court of Justice came out against it in an advisory opinion, and four years after the Israeli high court ordered that the path of the wall must be altered. Bil'in lost half of its land to the separation wall, where years of weekly protests frequently turn into violent clashes between villagers and Israeli troops. In a recent clash, a woman protester, Jawaher Abu Rahmah, was killed after inhaling tear gas. Her brother, Bassem Abu Rahmah, also died in April 2009 after being hit on the head by a tear gas canister.

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Moroccans react to the king's proposed constitutional reforms [New TV, Lebanon]

Presenter, Male #1
The February 20th Movement is returning to the streets to reject the new constitution.

Report, Female #1
The February 20th movement reappeared in demonstrations in Moroccan cities with participation from thousands of people rejecting the constitutional amendments proposed by King Mohamed VI. They believe the amendments did not sufficiently reduce the king's authority. Dozens of riot police dispersed protestors with batons in the capital Rabat. These demonstrations took place days before the referendum on reforms, scheduled for July 1st. At the same time, demonstrations in favor of the new constitution were also held as the Moroccan authorities ordered preachers of mosques to urge worshipers to vote for the reforms, claiming that the king does not tolerate violation of the Islamic religion. The preachers described the king as a "commissioner from God." The new constitution still maintains the king's right to appoint the prime minister, who must be chosen from the political party that wins in the parliamentary elections. It also reaffirms the king's right to veto a minister and the right to propose ending his term. The amendments give the government explicit executive authority but the king remains the head of the army and retains religious and judicial authority. The new constitution still allows the king to dismantle parliament, even though the current constitution does not stipulate this right for him separately.

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Israeli foreign minister seeks international support against Palestine [IBA, Israel]

Any unilateral Palestinian step toward statehood may bring unpredictable consequences. So warned Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman during a visit to Croatia amid an ongoing mission that will also take him to Albania and Austria in his attempt to derail international support for the Palestinian bid for statehood. The Croatian foreign minister said that his nation's response will be issued following consultations with the European Union and the United States. Lieberman emphasized that the revival of direct talks with the Palestinians is the only way to break the deadlock.

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Israel within range of Iran's missiles [IBA, Israel]

In the second day of Iran's war games, Revolutionary Guards today tested 14 advanced missiles in a show of strength to both Israel and the US. The head of the Revolutionary Guards aerospace division emphasized Iran's preparedness to strike Israeli and US interests in the event of any attack. A senior Revolutionary Guard commander added that Tehran is capable of producing even longer-range missiles than the ones currently in use but won't produce them because Israeli targets and US bases in the Gulf are already within its reach.

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Golan children draw on 400-meter-long patriotic canvas [Syria TV, Syria]

Presenter, Female #1
The children of the Syrian Golan Heights have depicted their desire for a normal life in Syria and their patriotic sentiment on a 400-meter-long canvas.

Presenter, Male #1
At the popular events celebrating the 37th anniversary of raising the national flag in the liberated city of Quneitra, the Syrian people showed their love of life and their capability for sacrifice.

Reporter, Male #1
With their innocent hands and great intuition, the children of the Golan Heights colored their lives in their own special way. They decorated an over 400-meter-long canvas with drawings amid the destruction left by the Israeli occupation in the liberated city Quneitra, only meters from the occupied Golan Heights.

Guest, Male #1
I told them that we will enter the Golan and liberate it.

Guest, Female #2
I drew the Syrian flag. I love Syria and the Golan. The Golan will return.

Guest, Male #2
I came here to express my love for our country.

Reporter, Male #1
This patriotic demonstration, which was organized by the Women's Union in Quneitra, comes amid the participation of hundreds of Golan mothers. They affirmed that Syria is well and the occupied Syrian Golan Heights will return to its motherland.

Guest, Female #3
This is clear and live evidence that Golan, Jerusalem, and all the occupied Arab lands are in the heart of every citizen and every child and adult alike. Their saying that the old have died and the children have forgotten is not true.

Guest, Female #4
Our message to the entire world, to all nations, to all biased media, and to all the countries that stood against Syria is that the Arab people are strong.

Guest, Female #5
I brought my daughters here for them to know that our country is precious, to express all that is in their hearts and sentiments. God willing, it will return to our country, and Syria will remain great and at top of the entire world, not only the Arab world.

Reporter, Male #1
Quneitra witnessed patriotic cultural and sports events on the 37th anniversary of its liberation. These events send a message that is more universal than regional: that Golan will return to Syria. On this spontaneously painted canvas, which may be the longest painting in Quneitra and even Syria, the children and women of Golan color their lives in their own way, affirming the certain fact that Golan will return.