POL-US-LEBANON-AOUN Lebanese MP General Aoun supports disarming Lebanon’s Hizbollah WASHINGTON, Nov 23 (KUNA) — Lebanese MP, General Michel Aoun, said on Tuesday he supports the disarmament of Hizbollah.Aoun, a formerly exiled Lebanese Prime minister who recently returned to his country after Syria’s withdrawal this year, made the remarks at a news conference one day after Hizbollah fighters clashed with Israeli soldiers on the uneasy border between Israel and southern Lebanon, where Hizbollah remains largely supported by the majority Shiite Lebanese there.
"Hizbollah has real backing from Shiites and is a political force, but it is time for them to become part of making Lebanon a great country again," said Aoun, adding that security could be restored in Lebanon by the disarmament of groups outside the central government. At least three Hizbollah fighters were killed by Israeli forces in the most escalated fighting between the two sides since Israel withdrew from Lebanon five years ago. Aoun, who is on a week-long visit to Washington, said he met with members of Congress and US officials at the State Department and National Security Council (NSC) at the White House to "exchange ideas" on issues of interest pertaining to Lebanon and the Middle East.
BEIRUT, 22 November (IRIN) – "One day the Syrian secret service came to the factory where Koshaia used to work," said Jozef Chehwane, displaying a photo of his cousin. "They asked him to come for five minutes. That was in 1980, but those five minutes have lasted until today." Born in the northern Lebanese city of Batroun, the then 29-year-old Koshaia was a member of the Christian Phalange Party, which was opposed to Syria’s presence in Lebanon. 
Lebanon celebrated its independence today, free of Syrian troops for the first time in 29 years. Soldiers paraded before the president, prime minister ad parliamentary speaker in Martyr
By LAURIE COPANS, Associated Press Writer NOV 22
Marisa S. Katz, Faraya Mzaar, part of the Mt. Lebanon range, is visible beyond the city. In these world-class mountains
The following was contributed by the Embassy of Lebanon in Seoul on the occasion of its Independence Day, which falls on Nov. 22. _ ED. The Republic of Lebanon, with a total area of 10,452 square kilometers and a population of 3.9 million, is situated in the Levant on the easternmost part of the Mediterranean Sea in Southwest Asia. 
BEIRUT (AFP) – Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Siniora called for former power-broker 
According to the office of Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom he shook the hand of Lebanese President Emile Lahoud at a recent diplomatic event in Tunis. Lahoud’s office, however, denies the event ever took place, saying the account was "based on imagination". It also rejected a media report that his wife, Andree Lahoud, spoke with Shalom’s wife, Judy Nir-Mozes, on the sidelines of the conference. 
