LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
ِJuly 28/2010

Bible Of the Day
Philippians 3:7–9:But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith.
Today's Inspiring Thought: Count it All Loss
In essence, Paul considered everything he'd ever attained in life one singular loss for the sake of gaining Christ. His worthy reputation as a scholar and a religious leader, his rich Jewish heritage and all of his achievements, he considered rubbish and of no value in light of what he had gained in Jesus Christ.
Can you say the same? Do you cherish Christ above everything else in your life? When we realize there is nothing we can do to achieve salvation—no spiritual accomplishment that can gain for us the righteousness of God, and nothing but the blood of Jesus that can save us—then Christ, indeed, becomes our most valued treasure.

Free Opinions, Releases, letters, Interviews & Special Reports
Statement by Honourable Lawrence Cannon, Canada's Minister of Foreign Affairs on Iran Sanctions/July 27/10
Canada to impose tough new sanctions on Iran/Globe and Mail/July 27/10
Canada's immigration door begins closing/By Elie Nasrallah/July 27/10
How Arab leaders can help Lebanon/By Jamil K. Mroue/July 27/10
With America exiting, who matters in Iraq?/By: Tony Badran/July 27/10
Where to, Mr. Pakradounian?/By: Sevag Hagopian/July 27/10

Latest News Reports From Miscellaneous Sources for July 27/10
Ahmadinejad: US, 'Zionists' to start new Mideast wars/Press TV
Sfeir Not Worried Because Lebanese Got Used to Similar Events/Naharnet
5th Brigade Deploys in the South to Consolidate Army Presence /Naharnet
Report: Turkey Seeking to Prevent Lebanese Ships from Sailing to Gaza /Naharnet
Army Arrests German Suspected of Spying for Israel /Naharnet
Abul Gheit: May 7 Events Should Not be Repeated /Naharnet
Driver of Ambulance Transporting al-Asaad Body Dies of Heart Attack /Naharnet
Muallem: Lebanon Will Remain Syria's Neighbor /Naharnet
Larijani: Tribunal Developments Aimed at Pressuring Iran to Help Israel /Naharnet
Kataeb: Systematic Attack on STL Aims at Torpedoing It /Naharnet
Egyptian FM warns against harming Lebanon's stability/Daily Star
Future Movement stresses need for justice, good ties with Syria/Daily Star
Lebanese Army to send 1,500 more troops to south/Daily Star
Sharm el-Sheikh summit to discuss Lebanon/Daily Star
Israel to hit Lebanon if Hezbollah attacks: defense minister/AFP
Nasrallah is scared/Ynetnews
Top US defence official visits Lebanon/AFP
UN advises Lebanon flotilla to use land routes to Gaza/Examiner.com
Firebrand Nasrallah speeches worry Beirut (News Feature)/Monsters and Critics.com
Natural gas could lead to new Lebanon-Israel war/The Associated Press
Saudi King to visit Lebanon/Gulf Daily News
U.S. Court Accuses Lebanese of Attempted Arms Smuggling /Naharnet
No Saudi-Qatari Meeting in Beirut, Date of Assad's Visit Unclear /Naharnet

Sfeir Not Worried Because Lebanese Got Used to Similar Events
Naharnet/Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Sfeir has reportedly said he was not worried about the situation in the country "because we got used to what is happening now."
Sfeir reportedly made the comment to a delegation from the Tripoli municipality. The patriarch also asked the city's municipal council to serve citizens regardless of their political and sectarian belongings. Beirut, 27 Jul 10,

Statement by Honourable Lawrence Cannon, Canada's Minister of Foreign Affairs on Iran Sanctions
http://www.international.gc.ca/media/aff/news-communiques/2010/237.aspx
(No. 237 - July 26, 2010 - 2:30 p.m. ET) The following is an edited transcript of a statement made to media by the Honourable Lawrence Cannon, Minister of Foreign Affairs, on Canada’s new sanctions on Iran. The statement was made at Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada headquarters at 11 a.m. on Monday, July 26, 2010.
“For almost 20 years, Iran has concealed its nuclear program and has violated its international obligations on non-proliferation. Nuclear proliferation is the gravest threat to humankind. Iran continues to keep that threat alive. Today, alongside our like-minded allies, Canada is implementing additional sanctions against Iran.
“Iran’s continued disregard for successive United Nations Security Council and International Atomic Energy Agency resolutions calling on it to comply with international nuclear obligations and suspend its enrichment activities is unacceptable.
“Iran’s actions and aggressive statements are an affront to the efforts of Canada and like-minded countries to ensure peace and security worldwide.
“On July 11, 2010, Iran announced that it had produced 20 kilograms of uranium enriched to nearly 20 percent, in flagrant violation of previously imposed resolutions. These actions bring Iran closer to building nuclear weapons that threaten us all. Iran’s failure to comply with international standards on numerous occasions continues to raise doubts about its objectives.
“Therefore, under the Special Economic Measures Act, Canada is imposing further sanctions. These additional sanctions are in no way meant to harm or punish the Iranian people. They are aimed at Iran’s irresponsible and aggressive government.
“These tough new measures prohibit dealings with designated persons involved in nuclear, chemical, biological and missile proliferation. They ban the export of proliferation-sensitive goods, items for refining oil and gas, all remaining arms, and technology related to these goods.
“They prohibit any new investment in Iran’s oil and gas sector. These measures bar Iranian financial institutions from establishing a presence in Canada, and vice versa, while banning correspondent banking relationships with Iranian financial institutions and the purchase of Iranian government debt. They are effective immediately.
“These sanctions are intended to slow the progress of the Iranian authorities’ nuclear, chemical, biological and missile programs. They are also intended to persuade the Iranian authorities to resume negotiations with the five permanent members of the UN Security Council and Germany, with the aim of meeting Iran’s international nuclear obligations.
“Canada believes that these additional sanctions, which build on United Nations Security Council Resolution 1929, adopted in June, send a strong signal to Iran: the international community is united in purpose and commitment. No state can threaten international peace and security without consequences.”
- 30 -
For further information, media representatives may contact:
Melissa Lantsman
Office of the Minister of Foreign Affairs
613-995-1851
Foreign Affairs Media Relations Office
Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada
613-995-1874
 

Ahmadinejad: US, 'Zionists' to start new Mideast wars
Iranian president says his country has 'precise information' on American plot to stymie his country's growth and 'save Zionist regime' through military confrontation
AFP Published: 07.27.10, 12:50 / Israel /Iran's hardline President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said the United States is planning to launch two wars in the Middle East in order to pressure Tehran, English-language Press TV reported on Tuesday. "We have precise information that the Americans have devised a plot ... they plan to attack at least two countries in the region within the next three months," he said in remarks Press TV posted on its website from an interview with him late Monday. Ahmadinejad said the United States was seeking to achieve two main objectives from these wars."First of all, they want to hamper Iran's progress and development since they are opposed to our growth, and, secondly, they want to save the Zionist regime because it has reached a dead-end and the Zionists believe they can be saved through a military confrontation," he said referring to Israel. Ahmadinejad has repeatedly launched tirades against Israel which has never ruled out a military strike against Iran to stop its nuclear drive.The Iranian leader particularly infuriated world powers when he dismissed the Holocaust as a "myth" and said Israel was doomed to be wiped off the map.

EU, Canada hit Iran with new sanctions
AFP/Brussels
EU foreign affairs chief Catherine Ashton talks to the media during an EU foreign ministers meeting in Brussels yesterday
The European Union and Canada hit Iran with tough sanctions against its vital oil and gas industry yesterday, cranking up pressure on Tehran to resume talks on its controversial nuclear activities. European foreign ministers formally adopted new punitive measures, going beyond a fourth set of UN sanctions imposed over Tehran’s refusal to freeze its uranium enrichment work, echoed by Canada within hours. The moves, which follow similar sanctions imposed by the United States, are aimed at reviving moribund talks between Iran and six world powers—Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia and the US. “Today we sent out a powerful message to Iran, and that message is that their nuclear programme is a cause of serious and growing concern to us,” EU foreign affairs chief Catherine Ashton told reporters. “But our objective remains, as I have always said, to persuade Iranian leaders that their interest is served by a return to the table. Sanctions are not an end in themselves,” she said after the ministers met in Brussels. Iran’s foreign ministry said sanctions were not “an effective tool” and would only serve to “complicate” its showdown with the West.
Oil Minister Masoud Mirkazemi said the punitive measures would have no impact on the country’s oil production because European oil firms had “no presence” in Iran’s energy sector.
The EU measures include a ban on the sale of equipment, technology and services to Iran’s energy sector, hitting activities in refining, liquefied natural gas, exploration and production, diplomats said. New investments in the energy sector are also banned. Iran is the world’s fourth largest producer of crude oil, but imports 40% of its fuel needs because it lacks enough refining capabilities to meet domestic demand. The Iranian banking sector was also hit by restrictions, forcing any transactions over 40,000 euros ($52,000) to be authorised by EU governments before they can go ahead. The identities of those hit by the new measures will be published in the official EU journal today. Diplomats said 41 individuals and 22 government entities were concerned. Canada’s sanctions take aim at Iran’s energy and banking sectors, as well as chemical, biological and nuclear activities, Foreign Minister Lawrence Cannon said.
Canada will also bar all new investment in Iran’s energy industry, particularly crude oil refining and liquefied natural gas.
Ashton has exchanged letters with Iran’s chief nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili in recent weeks in a bid to revive talks, and Tehran has indicated that the talks could resume in September.
The last high-level meeting between Iran and the six world powers was held in Geneva in October 2009 when the two sides agreed a nuclear fuel swap that has since stalled.
Western powers have demanded that Iran suspend its uranium enrichment programme, fearing that Tehran would use the material to build a nuclear bomb. Tehran says its atomic programme is a peaceful drive to produce energy. Iran’s actions “are bringing it closer and closer to possessing nuclear weapons which represents a threat,” said Cannon.
British Foreign Secretary William Hague said: “Iran’s ongoing refusal to engage constructively on this issue leaves us no option but to implement these sanctions.”
The longer Iran refuses to talk to the six world powers, “the greater the pressure and isolation Iran will bring upon itself,” he added. Israel welcomed the sanctions and urged other countries to follow suit. Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said at the weekend Tehran was ready to hold immediate talks on a nuclear swap deal brokered by Turkey and Brazil in May.
World powers have given the cold shoulder to that deal, a counter-proposal to the October agreement. But Iran answered questions raised by the US, Russia and France over the May deal in a letter delivered to the Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency yesterday, the IAEA said. Ashton said she “welcomed” the move but had to study the details.

Report: German engineer detained in Lebanon on charges of spying for Israel
An Nahar newspaper reported on Tuesday that the Lebanese army intelligence arrested a German engineer identified as Manfred Peter Mog on charges of spying for Israel.
The report said security forces raided Talia dairiy, where the German was emplyed. The factory is located in the Riyaq - Baalbeck region in the Bekaa Valley of eastern Lebanon. The 58 year old German was in charge of the maintenance works in the factory. He was questioned about the use of transmitters.

Egyptian FM warns against harming Lebanon's stability
Abu al-Gheit urges Lebanese to avoid jumping to conclusions on STL
By Elias Sakr /Daily Star staff
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
BEIRUT: Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmad Abu al-Gheit warned on Monday against undermining Lebanon’s stability by resorting to force to resolve regional and international disputes.
Abu al-Gheit made his statements ahead of scheduled talks between Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdel-Aziz in Egypt on Wednesday aimed at “coordinating” policy on Lebanese developments ahead of the Saudi king’s visit to Beirut on Friday. The expected diplomatic visits to Beirut by King Abdullah, Syrian President Bashar Assad and Qatari Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani to Beirut come amid growing domestic debate over the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL). March 14 parties and Hizbullah continue to trade accusation of destabilizing the country. The rising domestic tensions also coincide with statements by Israeli officials warning of upcoming tensions in Lebanon in September.
“Hinting at resorting to force on the Lebanese domestic scene by any party is unacceptable,” Abu al-Gheit said in a thinly veiled reference to Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah’s warning on Monday that he would not allow anyone to harm the dignity of the resistance. Nasrallah has said that he expects the STL to indict “rogue members of Hizbullah” on the basis of fabricated evidence and has condemned the UN-backed tribunal as an “Israeli project” aimed to undermining the resistance.
Without naming Nasrallah, Abu al-Gheit stressed that the STL’s work should not be anticipated by “jumping to conclusions that would undermine Lebanese domestic stability.”
“The STL has released certain individuals and that should boost its credibility,” Abu al-Gheit said, referring to four top Lebanese security officials who were arrested in 2005 on suspicion of involvement in former Premier Rafik Hariri’s murder. The four were later released in April 2009. “The May 7, 2008 events should not be repeated,” Abu al-Gheit said, in reference to bloody clashes between opposition and pro-government gunmen following the Cabinet’s decision to dismantle Hizbullah’s telecommunication network. The clashes ended after Lebanese political leaders met in Qatar and adopted the Doha Accord, which led to the formation of a national unity Cabinet granting the Hizbullah-led opposition veto power in the government. Abu al-Gheit said Egypt has followed up on the establishment of the STL and its work and believed in the importance of uncovering the truth and implementing justice. “There is no international party that could amend the track of the STL’s work,” Abu al-Gheit said, adding that “Egypt will continue to support Lebanese institutions.” Commenting on the Saudi king’s expected visit to Lebanon as part of a regional tour on the Arab world, Lebanese Forces chief Samir Geagea said the Saudi monarch opposed resorting to violence in Lebanon under any circumstances and was committed to preserving Lebanese civil peace.
After a meeting with Prime Minister Saad Hariri at the Grand Serail in Beirut, Geagea said March 14 parties regard the STL as the highest international judicial reference until further notice.
“There are unfounded claims and whoever is warning of strife is preparing for it,” he said, adding that “it feels like individuals in Hizbullah are working to achieve the goal that they claim the STL is working to achieve.” “When the indictment is issued, if it is not backed by evidence, it is not you who will reject it but rather us. But if the indictment is backed by proof, you will have to accept it as is or submit other evidence to the STL and the public,” he added. Meanwhile, Future Movement MP Ammar Houri denied that any domestic or international party had accused Hizbullah of involvement in the murder. “If there were any facts or evidence, the right side to receive them is the STL rather than the public,” Houri said in response to Nasrallah’s recent statements.

Iran Remains Adamant, Condemns New EU Sanctions
Naharnet/Iran "deeply regrets and condemns" a new set of tough European Union sanctions aimed at pressuring Tehran to resume talks on its controversial nuclear program, a foreign ministry spokesman said Tuesday. "These sanctions will not help in resuming talks and will not affect Iran's determination to defend its legitimate right to pursue a peaceful nuclear program," Ramin Mehmanparast was quoted as saying by the official Irna news agency. He said they would "not help in advancing the talks."
The EU's new sanctions on Iran's key oil and gas industry are aimed at reviving stalled talks between Tehran and six world powers -- Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia and the U.S.
The punitive measures include a ban on the sale of equipment, technology and services to Iran's energy sector, hitting activities in refining, liquefied natural gas, exploration and production, EU diplomats said. New investments in the energy sector are also banned. Iran is the world's fourth largest producer of crude oil, but imports 40 percent of its fuel needs because it lacks enough refining capabilities to meet domestic demand. The Iranian banking sector was also hit by restrictions, forcing any transactions over 40,000 euros (52,000 dollars) to be authorized by EU governments before they can go ahead. The last high-level meeting between Iran and the six world powers was held in Geneva in October 2009 when the two sides agreed a nuclear fuel swap that has since stalled. Western powers have demanded that Iran suspend its uranium enrichment program, fearing that Tehran would use the material to build a nuclear bomb. Tehran says its atomic program is a peaceful drive to produce energy.(AFP) Beirut, 27 Jul 10,

No Saudi-Qatari Meeting in Beirut, Date of Assad's Visit Unclear
Naharnet/The Lebanese are still wondering whether Baabda palace would host Saudi King Abdullah and Syrian President Bashar Assad together on Friday. Although the Saudi king and Qatar's emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani are visiting Beirut the same day, diplomatic and ministerial sources ruled out meetings among the Arab leaders.
About reports that Assad would also travel to Beirut on Friday, the diplomatic sources told al-Liwaa that the importance of the Syrian president's visit lies in his meetings and not the date of the trip. The meeting at Baabda palace would include in addition to Suleiman, Lebanese officials from across the political spectrum, including the Lebanese Forces and the Phalange, the first such contact between the Syrian leader and the two parties' leaderships since the early 1990s. King Abdullah's five-hour visit to Beirut on Friday starts at 1:00 pm, a well-informed source told As Safir. He will meet with Suleiman, Speaker Nabih Berri, Premier Saad Hariri and leaders of parliamentary blocs, the source said. Suleiman will also throw a lunch banquet in the king's honor at Baabda palace. Ministerial sources told the newspaper that the date of Assad's visit to Beirut hasn't been set yet and there are no plans for a meeting between the Saudi king and the Qatari emir, who arrives in Beirut at 5:00 pm Friday. An Nahar newspaper, however, did not rule out a possible visit by the Syrian president to Beirut on Friday. It quoted involved sources as saying that Baabda is very likely to host Assad and Abdullah together. Beirut, 27 Jul 10,

Larijani: Tribunal Developments Aimed at Pressuring Iran to Help Israel
Iranian Speaker Ali Larijani has said the latest developments over the Special Tribunal for Lebanon's indictments are "aimed at pressuring Iran and Hizbullah to help Israel propose a new peace plan." "If they think that Lebanon is a game then they are mistaken," pan-Arab daily al-Hayat quoted Larijani as saying. "They should think twice because this game could cut their hands." "Scores of peace plans have been proposed so far but they haven't seen light because of the illegitimate existence of the Jewish entity," the Iranian speaker said.
Beirut, 27 Jul 10,

U.S. Court Accuses Lebanese of Attempted Arms Smuggling
Naharnet/A U.S. court has accused Lebanese Hassan Jamil Salameh of attempted arms and ammunition smuggling to Lebanon, media reports said Tuesday. The prosecutor said that if convicted, Salameh could face a maximum 10 year jail sentence and a fine of $250,000. Beirut, 27 Jul 10,

Report: Turkey Seeking to Prevent Lebanese Ships from Sailing to Gaza
Naharnet/Turkey is seeking to prevent Lebanese aid ships from sailing to Gaza despite an Israeli blockade, the Yedioth Ahronoth daily reported Tuesday.
Israeli officials estimate that Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu asked the Lebanese government to prevent the flotilla's departure as part of Ankara's efforts to ease tensions with Israel, the newspaper said. "Officials in Ankara have said that since the Turkish flotilla led to the partial lifting of Israel's blockade on Gaza, there is no point in sending more vessels to the Strip," Yedioth Ahronoth reported. "There is no doubt that Turkey wants to lower its profile and let diplomacy take its course, without rescinding its demand that Israel apologize (for the raid) and compensate Turkey," the daily quoted an Israeli official as saying. Beirut, 27 Jul 10,

Army Arrests German Suspected of Spying for Israel
Naharnet/The Lebanese army intelligence has arrested a German engineer on suspicion of spying for Israel in eastern Lebanon, media reports said Tuesday.
An Nahar daily said the army raided "Liban Light" cheese factory in the town of Talya on the Riaq-Baalbeck road at 1:30 pm Monday and arrested Manfred Peter Mog, the engineer in charge of maintenance of the factory's machines. As Safir said the army is questioning Mog, 58, over his use of transmitters. Beirut, 27 Jul 10,

Abul Gheit: May 7 Events Should Not be Repeated
Naharnet/Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul Gheit has warned against undermining Lebanon's stability to resolve regional and international disputes. "The May 7, 2008 events should not be repeated," Abul Gheit said in a statement, in reference to bloody clashes between opposition and pro-government gunmen. "Hinting at resorting to force on the Lebanese domestic scene by any party is unacceptable," Abul Gheit stressed. The foreign minister made his statements ahead of scheduled talks between Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and Saudi King Abdullah in Sharm el-Sheikh on Wednesday aimed at "coordinating" policy on Lebanese developments ahead of the Saudi king's visit to Beirut on Friday. On the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, Abul Gheit advised the Lebanese not to jump to conclusions that would undermine domestic stability. "The STL has released certain individuals and that should boost its credibility," Abul Gheit said. Beirut, 27 Jul 10,

5th Brigade Deploys in the South to Consolidate Army Presence
Naharnet/Units from the army's fifth brigade began arriving in towns in southern Lebanon's western and central sectors as part of efforts to consolidate other units deployed in the area south of the Litani river. An Nahar daily said the deployment began at midnight Sunday and lasted till 1:00 pm Monday.  The newspaper added that the deployment would consolidate the 11th army brigade. Some of the units were settled in the towns of Aita al-Shaab, Beit Lif, al-Qawzah and Ramaya. French Ambassador Denis Pietton said on Monday that the deployment would be appreciated by all partners of Lebanon participating in UNIFIL. Although the army refused to comment on Pietton's statement from the Grand Serail, As Safir daily said the ambassador rushed to make the announcement that the deployment would not have taken place had UNIFIL's French contingent did not vow to avoid future skirmishes with southerners.

Israeli Warplanes Strike Gaza Tunnels
Naharnet/Israeli warplanes fired missiles at targets across Gaza on Monday, damaging a series of tunnels along the territory's border with Egypt, sources on both sides said.
Palestinian security officials said Israel had carried out four raids overnight, two of them along the frontier, one in central Gaza and one in the north. Three cross-border tunnels sustained heavy damage in the raids, although no one was hurt in the attack, officials from the Hamas-run security forces said. Warplanes also targeted an empty house in Beit Hanun in northern Gaza, causing serious damage, as well as an open area in Nusseirat, south of Gaza City, they said. The Israeli military confirmed the attacks along the border and in the north but made no mention of Nusseirat. "The Israel air force struck a weapons manufacturing site in the northern Gaza Strip and two weapons-smuggling tunnels in the southern Gaza Strip overnight," a statement said.
The attacks came after Gaza-based militants fired four missiles into southern Israel over the weekend. Figures cited by the military indicate that more than 100 rockets or mortar rounds have been fired into Israel since the beginning of the year. Israel has repeatedly targeted the tunnels on the Egyptian border in retaliation for rocket fire from the Hamas-ruled enclave.(AFP) Beirut, 26 Jul 10,

Driver of Ambulance Transporting al-Asaad Body Dies of Heart Attack
Naharnet/The driver of the ambulance transporting the body of former Speaker Kamel al-Asaad to Syria died of a hearth attack on Tuesday, the National News Agency reported.
NNA said that Mustafa Bazazou, who is in his 40s, fell on the ground from a severe heart attack before the departure of al-Asaad's convoy from Ras al-Nabaa to Syria for burial.
Internal Security Forces transported the driver's body to al-Makassed hospital. Beirut, 27 Jul 10, 11:05

Muallem: Lebanon Will Remain Syria's Neighbor
Naharnet/Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem has told the Kuwaiti al-Dar daily that Lebanon will remain Syria's "brother" and neighbor. Muallem made his comment when asked by the newspaper if Syrian President Bashar Assad and Saudi King Abdullah would discuss Lebanon during their scheduled meeting in Damascus on Thursday. Syrian sources denied to al-Dar the possibility of holding a Syrian-Lebanese-Saudi summit on Friday. Beirut, 27 Jul 10,

U.S. Court Accuses Lebanese of Attempted Arms Smuggling
Naharnet/A U.S. court has accused Lebanese Hassan Jamil Salameh of attempted arms and ammunition smuggling to Lebanon, media reports said Tuesday. The prosecutor said that if convicted, Salameh could face a maximum 10 year jail sentence and a fine of $250,000. Beirut, 27 Jul 10,

Six Israeli Soldiers Die in Romania Helicopter Crash
Naharnet/Six Israeli soldiers and one Romanian were killed Monday when a military helicopter crashed in mountainous terrain in central Romania, local media said, quoting defense sources.
"Rescuers on the scene said there were no survivors," Ciprian Candea of the mountain rescue team based in Brasov told Agence France Presse. But he could not immediately say how many bodies had been found, adding that access to the crash site was extremely difficult. The defense ministry said six Israeli soldiers and one Romanian were on board of the helicopter but did not confirm their deaths. Defense ministry spokesman Constantin Spanu had previously told AFP one Romanian and two Israeli helicopters were taking part in the search and rescue operation. Several dozen soldiers were also searching the area, he added. Witnesses quoted by Antena 3 television channel said they had seen three helicopters flying above the mountain region around the city of Brasov. "Smoke was coming out of one of the helicopters which started losing altitude," one of the witnesses was quoted as saying.
The helicopter was taking part in a joint military drill, Blue Sky 2010. On July 18, the defense ministry announced an Israeli CH-53 helicopter participating in this exercise had made a crash landing after "sensing a failure aboard." "Once the failure was fixed, the helicopter returned safely to the Boboc airbase," the ministry said. Initial media reports had said U.S. military personnel were on board the helicopter that crashed Monday.(AFP) Beirut, 26 Jul 10,

Future Movement stresses need for justice, good ties with Syria
Party emphasizes commitment to principles of March 14 alliance
By Elias Sakr /Daily Star staff
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
BEIRUT: The political recommendations issued by the Future Movement following the party’s two-day founding conference on Monday echoed the major political stances adopted by the movement’s leader, Premier Saad Hariri, since 2005.
The recommendations stressed the Future Movement’s commitment to achieving justice in the assassination of its founder, former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, as well as building upon a new positive page in ties with Syria while upholding the movement’s loyalty to the March 14 alliance principles.
Another major issue raised in the movement’s political recommendations was that the party saw no alternative to “diplomatic resistance” as a starter, followed by military action of the Lebanese Army if required to liberate Lebanese occupied territories.
“The Future Movement sees no contradiction or conflict between justice and civil peace but believes that civil peace is preserved by justice and stresses that no compromise on justice will take place,” article six of the recommendations said in reference to the Special Tribunal for Lebanon.
The recommendations also stressed the Future Movement’s commitment to the March 14 alliance’s principles, adding that the Future Movement remains one of the coalition’s pioneers.
“The conference stresses that the Future Movement is not only a political and organizational constituent of the March 14 alliance, but the founder by the blood of its martyr leader and of the national movement that surpassed all sectarian and geographic boundaries,” article 12 said.
“Also, it considers the movement to be responsible for the continuation and revival [of the March 14 alliance] as a reference for Muslim-Christian partnership and a guarantee for civil peace,” Ahmad Hariri, who was elected the party’s secretary general, said during a news conference to announce the recommendations.
As for ties with Damascus, the Future Movement voiced support for Premier Saad Hariri’s initiative in turning a new page in relations to serve both countries’ interests and to pave the way for a Lebanese-Syrian joint project that would promote inter-Arab ties.
“The conference also highlights the importance of establishing diplomatic ties at the level of embassies between Damascus and Beirut,” Ahmad Hariri read.
Tackling the liberation of Lebanese territories occupied by Israel, the statement stressed that the Future Movement saw “no alternative to diplomatic resistance undertaken by the Lebanese state and the use of military capabilities if needed.”
“Thus, the determination to provide the Lebanese Army with the necessary equipment and armament,” article six of the recommendations added.
The issue of liberating occupied Lebanese territories was the focus of domestic debate during the formulation of the policy statement of Saad Hariri’s Cabinet. The policy statement stressed the Lebanese Army, people and resistance’s right to liberate occupied territories. March 14 parties want the Lebanese state be the sole authority to command decisions of peace and war.
The statement also underlined the Future Movement’s commitment to lay the foundations for regional peace as “peace in Lebanon goes hand in hand with peace in the region.”
Ahmad Hariri also emphasized that the Future Movement would not bear a Sunni identity but would rather establish the foundations of a modern Lebanese state away from sectarian and religious alignments. “The conference looks with great concern to Christian emigration from certain Middle Eastern states and believes that defending the Christian presence is an Arab and Muslim responsibility as much as it is a Christian one,” article three said. The statement also emphasized its support for the Palestine cause as well as the Palestinian refugees’ right of return in line with the Arab Peace Initiative. “The conference stresses its support to the Palestinian refugees’ humanitarian rights in Lebanon and emphasized that the issue of humanitarian rights should not be tied to naturalization which is rejected,” article 10 read.

Lebanese Army to send 1,500 more troops to south
By Patrick Galey and Mohammed Zaatari
Daily Star staff/Tuesday, July 27, 2010
BEIRUT/ SIDON: The Lebanese Army will deploy an additional 1,500 troops in the south, almost a month after a spate of attacks against UN peacekeeping troops in the area, France’s ambassador in Beirut said on Monday. “I just met [Prime Minister Saad] Hariri and we discussed the UNIFIL issue,” Dennis Pietton announced following talks at the Grand Serail. “Hariri informed me about the deployment of a complete Brigade of the Lebanese Army in south Lebanon starting today.” A Brigade equates to roughly 1,500 additional troops, who will be tasked with improving coordination with UNIFIL troops on patrols in villages and close to the Blue Line. Referring to the new development, Pietton said it is “news that we hoped to hear because it is important to support Lebanese troops in the south, in accordance with [UN Security Council] Resolution 1701 at the time of its implementation.
“This step announced by the Lebanese government is a positive development which will be met with praise by Lebanon’s partner in UNIFIL,” he added.
Earlier this month, two patrols undertaken by UNIFIL’s French contingent were attacked by angry residents, who hurled eggs and stones, injuring at least three peacekeepers. In one incident, a UNIFIL patrol leader was accosted and was disarmed of his weapon. The attacks prompted a wave of domestic and international reaction, with Beirut-based ambassadors and UN officials, both in Lebanon an New York, demanding that UNIFIL be allowed full freedom of movement in its mandated operations area.
UNIFIL heads were forced to undertake a series of reconciliation meetings with local mayors, mukhtars and representatives of several of the south’s villages.
Defense Minister Elias Murr had announced that more Lebanese Army soldiers would be mobilized in the south following the attacks, but did not specify numbers
A security source in south Lebanon told The Daily Star that the deployment of extra Army troops would continue for the next few days.
“The region, from north Abu al-Osood to the south of Tyre, going through the south Litani crossing in Qasmieh, will be under the control of the 8th [Lebanese Army] Brigade, with more than 1,500 soldiers deployed on a permanent basis,” one official said. The source added that previously installed Army troops numbered just 400, hailing from the 6th and 7th brigades. It said that the 5th brigade would monitor the West Sector of UNIFIL’s mandate area, from the coastal cities of Tyre and Naqoura, along the Blue Line to Marjayoun.
“This deployment will be sufficient when it comes to the number of soldiers in the sector,” it said and added that all additional troops would be fully operational in the south by late August.
Pietton, after meeting Hariri, confirmed that several prominent French officials would be heading to Beirut in the near future. “We discussed the regional situation and potential future visits by important heads of state to Beirut. It was a comprehensive discussion,” he said.

Sharm el-Sheikh summit to discuss Lebanon
By The Daily Star /Monday, July 26, 2010
BEIRUT: A large-scale Saudi-Egyptian summit is expected to take place in Sharm el-Sheikh next week to discuss developments on the Lebanese political scene as well as the peace process, Kuwait’s state-run National News Agency KUNA reported on Sunday. Tensions re-emerged in Lebanon after Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah revealed in a speech last week that he expected members of his party to be indicted for former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri’s assassination five years ago. Nasrallah also described the Special Tribunal for Lebanon as an “Israeli project.”Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa had warned over the weekend against strife in Lebanon. He said tensions in Lebanon only served the country’s enemies and hailed President Michel Sleiman’s efforts to unite Lebanese leaders. According to KUNA, Saudi King Abdullah and Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak will hold “important” talks revolving around Lebanon and other issues on Wednesday in the Egyptian coastal city. In Lebanon and the region it is feared Nasrallah’s announcement could trigger new violence in the country similar to that of May 2008 in which over 100 people were killed when Hizbullah staged a takeover of mainly Sunni west Beirut following a crackdown on the party.
Meanwhile, several media reports over the weekend said Arab countries that helped seal the Doha accord, which put an end to the May 2008 violence, were multiplying efforts to preserve stability in Lebanon. Saudi King Abdullah, Syrian President Bashar Assad and Qatari Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani are all expected to visit Beirut next week.
Official sources told An-Nahar newspaper that King Abdullah would travel to Beirut following a trip to Damascus on July 29. But the sources refused to confirm reports on whether the king would arrive from Syria with Assad on the same plane. A Lebanese ministerial source told Agence France Presse that Abdullah arrives in Beirut on July 30 following a visit to Damascus. The king will hold summit talks with President Michel Sleiman, it said. Qatar’s emir, meanwhile, will make a three-day visit to Beirut during the same period to inspect projects carried out by Doha after the summer 2006 war with Israel. Sheikh Hamad will also take part in the Army Day celebrations on August 1. – The Daily Star, with agencies

How Arab leaders can help Lebanon
By Jamil K. Mroue /Publisher and editor in chief
Tuesday, July 27, 2010 /Daily Star
The summit of Arab leaders shaping up for Friday in Lebanon provides a unique and historic opportunity to preempt potential crises here by taking a united stand, and we hope these leaders seize the chance. Saudi King Abdallah bin Abdel-Aziz, Bahrain’s King Hamad bin Issa al-Khalifa, Qatari Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani and Syrian President Bashar Assad might not be able to sit at one table in Beirut on Friday, but they can make two things clear in a unanimous voice. First, they can erect a diplomatic wall around Lebanon from new Israeli aggression. Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak repeated on Monday that his country intends to strike any and all state targets in a future conflict. For the first time ever, Arab leaders must send a message that they will not tolerate an unwarranted Israeli attack on Lebanon. Since the founding of Israel, Lebanon has never tried to invade or occupy or make war on Israel. To be sure, a variety of groups here have fought against Israel, but only when Israel had already occupied or initiated a war on Lebanon.
Lebanese people may have learned how to resist and resist well, but these Arab leaders should lead the international community in putting Israel on notice that Lebanon will no longer serve as its whipping boy. We have also learned the lesson that Israel unleashes so much brute force on Lebanon because it is easy to do so – the international repercussions are minor. Let’s end that. Second, on the domestic level, the Arab rulers can help by stating clearly that they will not use Lebanon as an arena to thrash out intra-Arab conflicts. Tensions are high in Lebanon, with many worrying that yet another outbreak of sectarian-based civil strife is looming. However, we have witnessed during the past decade that a plurality of the public has expressed an overwhelming desire not to return to the days of civil war. While too many of Lebanon’s political chieftains have dallied with such folly, most of the Lebanese people have refused to encourage or participate in it. The Lebanese people cannot achieve their goal of peace alone. If there be among our politicians any enlightened men who also wish for peace, they should also take advantage of the presence of the Arab leaders to pursue this agenda. As for the leaders preparing to journey here, they should be aware that protecting Lebanon is in their self-interest; Lebanon is a most infectious place, and instability here could all too easily spread to plague the rest of the Arab body politic.
*Jamil K. Mroue, Editor-in-Chief of THE DAILY STAR, can be reached at jamil.mroue@dailystar.com.lb

Canada's immigration door begins closing
By Elie Nasrallah
Tuesday, July 27, 2010 /Daily Star
Canada has always been a favorite destination for many Lebanese emigrants. However, the country is now changing its immigration policies and is beginning to resemble a club open to a chosen few who possess the required skills, education and selective criteria to enter. Last June 26, Jason Kenney, Canada’s minister for citizenship, immigration and multiculturalism, announced that to be eligible to apply as a federal skilled worker, immigrants must either have a job offer from a Canadian employer or experience in one of just 29 in-demand occupations.
The government also intends to limit the number of applications considered for processing to 20,000 per year, in the federal skilled worker category, as a way of matching applications to labor market demand. “Within the 20,000 per year limit, a maximum of 1,000 applications per occupation will be considered. The limit does not apply to applicants with a job offer,” the government website reported.
This cap on the number of applications accepted is an unusual phenomenon in Canadian immigration policy, one not seen since the 1960s when Canada opened its doors to immigration.
The newly published list of occupations that Canada is seeking to fill at the present time focuses on the following fields: physicians, general practitioners, dentists, pharmacists, physiotherapists, nurses, and social workers; restaurant and food service managers as well as chefs and cooks; business managers and insurance adjusters; and individuals working in construction, including carpenters, as well as mechanics, plumbers, electricians, machine operators and others.
Furthermore, changes have been introduced to the federal skilled worker stream, a points system program designed to select immigrants based on their education, work experience, language proficiency, skill, age, adaptability, and so on; as well to the Canadian Experience Class, which considers foreign workers and international graduate students already in Canada. Henceforth, applicants must include the results of an English or French language test with their application.
The language requirements have not changed with respect to the grades demanded in reading, writing, listening and speaking, but there are no exceptions anymore to the condition of having a language proficiency assessment performed in order to be eligible to apply as an immigrant. Previously, applicants were able to choose between two options: to do the English or French language test, or merely to provide sufficient documentation demonstrating language proficiency.
Therefore, even if you were born in the United Kingdom and taught English at Oxford University, you must still do the English test to qualify to apply for immigration to Canada under the new rules. Furthermore, you may well be an excellent carpenter or plumber, but if you lack the necessary language skills, you’re application is doomed.
The Conservative government of Prime Minister Stephen Harper is also proposing new changes to the immigrant investor program. Investors are eligible to making financial contributions to federal and provincial governments, earning them immigration status to Canada. The proposed regulatory changes – which are certain to be enacted into law soon – will require immigrant investors from now on to have a personal net worth of $1.6 million, up from $800,000, and to make an investment of $800,000, up from $400,000 as it stands today.
These changes reflect the confidence of the government in Canada’s ability to attract investors, even by doubling the benchmarks, since Canada’s economic reputation and banking system during the global financial crisis remained solid, indeed improved.
More ominously, in June Maclean’s, Canada’s national news magazine, published an article titled, “Who doesn’t get to Canada?” It cited a confidential memo showing that Canada may be engaging in preferential treatment for immigrants from some areas of the globe. The article asked: “A new emphasis on applicants from Asia – Chinese and South Asians – as opposed to the Caribbean and other areas, has drawn fire. Are we quietly engaged in country profiling?”
Even Canada’s refugee system is in the process of being revamped and readjusted to minimize abuses, and to make things quicker, fairer and final as far as appeals are concerned. Canada’s liberal refugee system is coming to an end after years of bogus refugee claims.
Therefore, the average Lebanese, or Arab national, who is thinking of emigrating to Canada as his or her ancestors did, is going to discover that entry is no longer as easy as it once was. On top of that, the Lebanese authorities are in no mood to facilitate emigration, because they wish to reduce the brain drain from Lebanon. Salim al-Sayegh, the social affairs minister, was in Ottawa in June, and in a presentation before the Canadian-Lebanese Chamber of Commerce there, he made a powerful case for limiting Lebanese emigration and attracting members of the diaspora back to Lebanon. He noted that about 4,000 Lebanese professionals emigrated to Canada each year, especially to Quebec, most of them under 30 years of age.
The doors to Canada are still open, but you have to have a special key to enter the country today, which means belonging to the chosen few.
Elie Mikhael Nasrallah is a practicing immigration consultant (CSIC) in Ottawa, Canada, and a commentator on public policy (www.visavisa.ca). He wrote this commentary for THE DAILY STAR.


Statement by Stephen Harper on the issue of Iran - A Multiple Threat to Global Stability
Statement by Stephen Harper
Jun 22, 2010
Prime Minister Stephen Harper issued the following statement today announcing that Canada is now fully implementing its obligations under United Nations Security Council (UNSC) Resolution 1929, which imposes further sanctions against the Islamic Republic of Iran:
“The Iranian regime continues to violate its international obligations by ignoring successive UNSC resolutions to suspend its enrichment-related activities and refusing to cooperate fully with the International Atomic Energy Agency.
“Our Government therefore welcomed UNSC Resolution 1929 on June 9, 2010. Today, we have fulfilled our obligations by establishing the necessary regulations to implement the decisions in UNSC Resolution 1929, and have amended our existing regulations to include these latest sanctions. These include measures that further limit Iran’s access to uranium, nuclear materials and technology both directly and through third parties, such as key members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
“These sanctions are designed to restrict Iran’s nuclear program and are in no way intended to punish the Iranian people.
“Instead, these targeted measures are meant to send a strong signal to Iran that the international community expects Iran to meet its international nuclear obligations. They send a message to all states — particularly those with nuclear aspirations — that international standards cannot be flouted without consequences.
“Canada strongly urges Iran to agree to a constructive dialogue with China, France, Germany, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States in order to reach a diplomatic solution as soon as possible.
“Canada will continue to use its G-8 Presidency to maintain international focus on Iran’s nuclear program, and we stand ready to implement additional sanctions, as necessary, to promote regional and international peace and security.”

Statement by Irwin Cotler on the issue of Iran - A Multiple Threat to Global Stability
Jul 12, 2010
Ahmadinejad's Iran -- a term used to distinguish the regime from the people of Iran -- has emerged as a clear and present danger to international peace and security, to regional and Mideast stability, and increasingly, to its own people.
We are witnessing in Ahmadinejad's Iran the toxic convergence of four distinct dangers: the nuclear threat; the genocidal incitement threat; state-sponsored terrorism; and the systematic and widespread violations of the rights of the Iranian people.
Accordingly, a consortium of international law scholars, human rights advocates, former government leaders, parliamentarians and Iranian activists for democracy and freedom -- The Responsibility to Prevent Coalition -- has released a report on the danger of a nuclear, genocidal, and rights-violating Iran.
Let there be no mistake about it: Iran is in violation of international legal prohibitions against the development and proliferation of nuclear weapons; Iran has already committed the crime of incitement to genocide prohibited under the Genocide Convention; Iran is a leading state-sponsor of international terrorism; and Iran is engaged in widespread and systematic violations of the rights of its people.
In the matter of the Iranian nuclear weaponization program, the coalition's report documents Iran's defiance of international law, and its serial deception respecting its serial violations, including: the significant expansion of its uranium enrichment to nuclear weapons-grade capability; the discovery of its hidden uranium enrichment site at Qom; its planned development of an archipelago of enriched uranium centres; and the concern of international experts that Iran is "advancing in its efforts to construct a nuclear warhead, to develop a missile delivery system for such a warhead, and a mechanism to detonate such a weapon."
In the case of state-sanctioned incitement to genocide -- building upon the lessons of Rwanda, the Balkans and Darfur -- the report documents the critical mass of precursors to genocide in Ahmadinejad's Iran, constituting thereby not only the prelude to a preventable tragedy, but a crime in and of itself under international law.
In the matter of state-sponsored terror, the report documents the emergence of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) at the epicentre of the Iranian threat. A former head of the IRGC -- Ahmad Vahidi, now Iran's Defence Minister overseeing Iran's nuclear program -- was named by Argentina's judiciary as being responsible for the planning and perpetration of the greatest terrorist atrocity in Argentina since the Second World War, the bombing of the Jewish Community Centre in 1994.
In the matter of human rights, the report documents the widespread and systematic violations of the rights of the Iranian people, including: the beatings, execution, killing, torture and other inhumane treatment of Iranians; the systematic and widespread oppression of a minority -- the Bahá'í as a case study; the exclusion of, and discrimination against, religious and ethnic minorities; the persistent and pervasive assault on women's rights; the murder of political dissidents; the assault on freedom of speech, assembly and association -- including assaults on students, professors, activists and intellectuals.
The list of violations goes on: the imprisonment of more journalists than any other country in the world; the crackdown against cyber dissidents; the assault on labour rights; the wanton imposition of a death penalty, including the execution of more juveniles than any other country in the world; the denial of gay and lesbian rights -- all of which is accompanied by show trials and coerced confessions, and is constitutive of crimes against humanity under international law.
There has been an intensification of human rights violations in Iran since the fraudulent presidential elections last year, including state-sanctioned escalation in each of the categories detailed above. There is in Ahmadinejad's Iran a culture of impunity, the denial of due process and the absence of an independent judiciary.
Accordingly, the report, drawing on international law principle and precedent, sets forth a comprehensive set of remedies -- smart sanctions -- to punish and contain Ahmadinejad's Iran. The goal is to target the Iranian regime and its leaders, while not harming, and indeed protecting, the Iranian people.
While recognizing the gravity of the Iranian regime's nuclear ambitions, we must be careful not to focus on this threat alone and risk marginalizing the other three threats. It is by recognizing the totality of the regime's predations that the case for comprehensive, calibrated, and consequential sanctions becomes undeniable. The international community would do well to organize its policy around the findings and recommendations in this report. Sadly, the perfunctory G8 statement on Iran appreciated neither the gravity of the threat nor the imperative of the response.

With America exiting, who matters in Iraq?
Tony Badran , July 27, 2010
Former Iraqi Prime Minister Ayad Allawi (L) speaks with Shia cleric Moqtada al-Sadr during a meeting in Damascus on July 19. (AFP photo/Louia Beshara)
Last week’s meeting in Damascus between former Iraqi Prime Minister Ayad Allawi and the leader of the Iraqi Shia Sadrist movement, Moqtada al-Sadr, inevitably attracted the conventional platitudes about Syria’s supposedly “key” role in shaping the future of Iraq, and of the region more broadly. However, Syrian propaganda overstated the reality of Damascus’ marginal importance.
The meeting between the two Iraqi politicians came as part of the country’s grueling ongoing government-formation process after the parliamentary elections this past spring, which ended in an effective stalemate between Allawi’s Al-Iraqiya list and the State of Law list of incumbent Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki.
The deadlock has mandated the need for coalition building. However, it has also opened the door for further regional meddling, which was already visible in the lead-up to the elections, and is now escalating as the United States draws down its military presence, intensifying the regional players’ push to fill the vacuum.
For years, Syria has been trying to create the impression that it has a central role in Iraqi domestic affairs in order to extract concessions from the US, which would offer it a piece of the Iraqi pie. The Allawi-Sadr meeting in Damascus was more fodder to feed the Syrian line.
Commenting on the series of meetings in the Syrian capital, Al-Watan daily, owned by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s cousin, offered no less than this ambitious headline: “The Region’s Future Is Made in Damascus.” Other bromides included assertions that the location of the meeting was a testament to Syria’s “heavyweight” status, enhancing Assad’s prestige. In fact, one Arab commentator went as far as to claim that the meeting constituted a “Western-backed Syrian mediation.” Al-Watan claimed that the visits of US Senator John Kerry to Syria were proof that Washington was working closely with the Syrians in shaping Iraq’s future, over the head of Maliki – a standard Syrian trick, using diplomatic contacts with the Americans in order to create the impression of leverage over its adversaries and to project the mirage that it is a first-tier actor. A mirage that apparently still fools naive commentators.
But a closer look reveals a very different dynamic as well as a very different Syrian role, much more in tune with its historical function as a buffer zone between the centers of power in Anatolia and Persia.
Indeed, it was these two players alone – the Turks and the Iranians – that were specifically named by Iraq’s Foreign Minister, Hoshyar Zebari, during a recent visit to Washington. “Iran and Turkey have emerged as the biggest players – and as rivals inside Iraq,” he reportedly said. Then, in what is emerging as a common refrain well beyond Iraq, Zebari added: “They believe that the United States is withdrawing from Iraq, and that there will be a vacuum… Both of them are working hard to fill that vacuum.”
The Damascus meeting itself highlighted this Turkish-Iranian dynamic. The spokesman for Al-Iraqiya in Damascus, Ahmad Dulaimi, put it plainly, when asked why the meeting was being held in Damascus at all. He observed that the meeting was supposed to take place in Iran, but in order not to upset the Turks, it was agreed to hold it in Syria. In other words, far from being a sign of Syria’s prestige, the choice of Damascus was due to it being an acceptable buffer ground for the actual operators: Iran and Turkey.
The Turks, who are said to support Allawi, sent their foreign minister to talk directly with the Iraqi politicians. As for Sadr, who has been living in Iran for a few years now, he is widely viewed as an Iranian asset. Having him meet with Allawi was a means for the Iranians to squeeze Maliki. Syria is quite secondary in this picture.
As Henry Kissinger noted back in 2006: “The Syrian contribution in Iraq is essentially marginal.” Syria, as one astute Middle East analyst once put it, deals in corpses, by using violence to create political openings. And that has been the way the Syrians have attempted to have a political say in Iraq affairs, as evident from the concerted campaign launched from Syria against Maliki – a campaign, one should add, that was implicitly covered by both the Iranians as well as some Sunni Arab states. But second-tier Syria does not have the assets to fashion a political outcome in Iraq.
The violent campaign against Maliki may have contributed to the stalemated result of the elections, but it hasn’t knocked Maliki out. However, it did increase Iranian leverage over the prime minister, which is what we are witnessing today in the political haggling going on between Maliki, Iran’s allies like Sadr, and the Turks.
The Saudis seem content with Turkey’s intervention, which they perceive as a Sunni counterweight to Iran. But for the Obama administration, a scenario where the primary drivers are competing regional actors – some outright enemies of the US – is hardly a desirable, or stable, outcome. Washington’s passiveness was lamented by Zebari and other Iraqi officials, and creates the impression that Washington is unable to impose red lines on the middle powers.
The US cannot subcontract Iraq to rival, ambitious regional middle powers. The actors sense American detachment and they are maneuvering around, above, behind, and ultimately, against the US. This is not a recipe for regional stability, let alone for securing Washington’s interests and a sovereign and friendly Iraqi state.
**Tony Badran is a research fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies

Where to, Mr. Pakradounian?
Sevag Hagopian, July 27, 2010
NOW Voices
MP Hagop Pakradounian, a leading member of the Tashnag Party and a member of the Change and Reform block led by General Michel Aoun, astonished me with his recent statements on the Special Tribunal, doubting its objectivity and even going as far as saying that the court’s decisions could be “political” accusations! The language and terminology used in his statements are surprisingly similar to those of Hezbollah officials…
Dear Mr. Pakradounian,
My first heart-to-heart question to your Excellency is the following: What is the benefit of the Armenian-Lebanese community in general, and the Tashnag Party in particular, doubting and defying such an important and respected international reference like the Special Tribunal? Is this a political adventure practiced by the party you represent? Is it a gamble based on the personal interests of the party leaders, or maybe on the selfish, materialistic and unknown personal commitments of some of the party leaders to regional countries?
Do you, Mr. Pakradounian, personally believe – while to the best of my knowledge you are a patriotic Armenian and your political views and analysis have an academic basis we both share – that the relatively weak (both in quality and quantity) Armenian community in Lebanon can handle the consequences of such an adventure?
What do the Armenians share with Hezbollah and its agenda – which I respect but definitely do not support - both on ideological and political levels? Do I need to remind you, Mr. Pakradounian, that the Armenian General St. Vartan was martyred in his attempt to stop the political influence and cultural spread of the Persians in Armenia?
Furthermore, does your Excellency really believe that the orange Aoun horse you and your party are riding these days – which has joined the yellow Hezbollah caravan for some obsessive personal ambitions – will reach its desired destination?
Isn’t it enough experience for the Tashnag party – which left its “natural allies” (i.e. Christian parties) to join the Syrian camp after the Taif Accord – to have lost almost all the Armenian seats in the Lebanese parliament that it held for decades? And this happened in front of the eyes – and maybe with the blessing – of their Syrian patron, whom they trusted with the party’s political future!
Should I still remind your Excellency that despite Tashnag’s alliance with the Syrian regime - which had great influence on the decisions of the Lebanese government back then – the Armenians have always failed to convince the concerned parties in Lebanon to recognize the Armenian genocide through the Lebanese parliament? You are definitely aware that in spite of your party’s efforts, this was only achieved during the days of political and military tension between Damascus and Ankara in what concerns the issue of the Iskenderoun Province. I believe that this recognition didn’t come from Syria to reward its Tashnag allies for their loyalty but was a clear political message sent by Syria to Turkey for the abovementioned reason!
I am not a supporter of the “Clash of Civilizations” theory. Nor am I engaged in promoting religious extremism and racism. On the contrary, as a sociologist, I am a preacher of respect and tolerance among societies. But how can you explain, Mr. Pakradounian, the massive internal migration of Armenians from West Beirut (mainly occupied by Muslims) to East Beirut (mainly occupied by Christians) during the civil war? I do believe they were seeking safety, security and peace of mind living with their coreligionists (“natural allies”) in days of crisis! Again, how can you, Mr. Pakradounian, explain the massive migration of Armenians during most of the last century from Syria, Iran, Iraq and other non-Christian countries to Lebanon and abroad?
Isn’t it wiser and more beneficial for the Armenian community in Lebanon to stick to its “natural allies” with whom – whether you like it or not - they share the same destiny in the region, rather than acting like opportunistic hypocrites?
After all, what gave you, Mr. Pakradounian, the opportunity to become a Lebanese MP, or me the chance to have this freedom of speech as a citizen, but the Lebanese nationality our forefathers were granted when they settled in Lebanon almost a century ago with the great support of our “natural allies,” while other non-Christian communities were fighting against this!
I, of course, sympathize with the statement that says Lebanon is a Country of a Message (Balad al-Risalah) on an emotional level, but we both know, Mr. Pakradounian, that the above-mentioned statement is more made in good intentions rather than being a realistic political fact. We both know the real fact, Mr. Pakradounian, is that Lebanon is, unfortunately, the country of “realization of regional messages”!
Accordingly, what do you think is the best for the Armenian-Lebanese community, Mr. Pakradounian? Where would you like our children to grow up, my friend? In a peaceful, pluralistic country – a federal state – supported and protected by the international community? Or would you rather prefer to live in the theocratic state of the Wilayat Al-Faqih?
With all due respect to you and to what you represent.
Sincerely yours,
Sevag Hagopian
Political Sociologist and Researcher in Armenian Affairs

Canada to impose tough new sanctions on Iran
Ottawa — From Monday's Globe and Mail
Published on Sunday, Jul. 25, 2010
.Canada will move on Monday to impose new unilateral sanctions against Iran as it joins a Western campaign to increase pressure on Tehran to drop a nuclear-weapons program.
The new measures, to be announced by Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon, will go beyond the international sanctions mandated by the United Nations as Canada joins Western allies in getting tougher on Iran.
The measures will include a ban on any new Canadian investment in Iran’s oil and gas sector, and restrictions on exporting goods that could be used in nuclear programs, including non-nuclear material that could be used in nuclear research and development.
In addition, Iranian banks will be barred from opening branches in Canada and Canadian banks will not be able to set up operations in Iran.
Canada has been one of Iran’s most vocal critics, leading UN campaigns for resolutions attacking Tehran’s human-rights records, and accusing the country of being a scofflaw for evading nuclear inspectors and launching plans for enriching uranium to weapons-grade.
“The sanctions are intended to send a message to all states, particularly those with nuclear aspirations, that international standards cannot be flouted without consequence,” a government source said.
Canada’s commercial ties to Iran are not so vast that Ottawa’s sanctions will be a deep blow to Tehran. But the United States has already imposed unilateral sanctions, and the new Canadian measures are intended to be part of increasing Western pressure.
The European Union is expected to hit Iran on Monday with a new round of sanctions to curb oil investment and cut-off “dual-use” goods that could be employed by the nuclear industry. Canada’s sanctions will be similar to the EU measures, the government source said.
Australia and Japan are expected to follow suit.
The measure catching Tehran’s attention is a proposed ban on investment in Iran’s oil sector. Although the country is the world’s fourth-largest producer of crude oil, it has to import fuel because it lacks refining capacity and seeks investment to build the sector’s infrastructure.
Iran’s government, knowing the new EU sanctions are coming, responded with both combative warnings and offers to talk.
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad warned on Iranian TV on Sunday that countries that impose sanctions would be considered hostile, and that Tehran’s response “will cause you to regret it.” But Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki told Agence France-Presse on Sunday the country is willing to hold talks with Western nations about a nuclear-fuel swap it signed in May. Under that deal, brokered by Turkey and Brazil, Iran would send low-enriched uranium to Turkey and get highly enriched fuel from Russia or France in return. But at the time, Western countries dismissed the deal as little more than a diversionary tactic.
Canada imposed a new round of UN sanctions on Iran in June, but get-tough allies in North America and Europe have found their desire to impose harsher restrictions limited by the reluctance of Russia and especially China.
Those two countries hold vetoes in the United Nations Security Council, which decides on sanctions, and are also Iran’s largest trading partners. Their acceptance of new sanctions was considered a step forward by Western nations, but the tradeoff for their acquiescence was a limited package of measures.
The efforts to impose tough sanctions are, for Western allies, an attempt to hold off a more dramatic outcome: It is widely feared that Israel would launch air strikes if it felt Iran is on the verge of obtaining nuclear-armed missiles, and the United States might feel forced to join the conflict.

Iranian regime a threat to the world and itself: human-rights activists
Patrick Martin
Jerusalem — From Wednesday's Globe and Mail
Published on Wednesday, Jul. 14, 2010
.It may be a woman’s sentence to “death by stoning” that has grabbed international attention, but that’s just the tip of the deadly iceberg when it comes to Iran, says a star-studded group of 100 international law and human-rights activists.
The Responsibility to Prevent Coalition, chaired by former Canadian justice minister Irwin Cotler, says that a “toxic mix” of four dangerous policy streams has made the government of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad “a clear and present danger to international peace and security … and to its own people.”
Iran’s threat of developing nuclear weapons, its incitement to genocide, sponsorship of terrorism as well the widespread abuse of its own citizens’ rights, add up to a responsibility for the international community to act.
“States have a legal obligation,” said Mr. Cotler, speaking at the coalition’s first press briefing Tuesday in Jerusalem, “to prevent Iran from carrying through with its deadly course of action.”
“This is not just a policy option, but an international legal obligation of the first order,” he emphasized.
“Iran has already committed the crime of incitement to genocide prohibited by the Genocide Convention,” he noted, referring to statements by Mr. Ahmadinejad de-legitimizing Jews in general and Israel in particular. States party to that convention therefore are required to act against any state that violates the convention, and Iran is a signatory of that international treaty.
The RTP Coalition, which includes Nobel Peace Prize laureate Elie Wiesel, Lebanese scholar Fouad Ajami, former Canadian prime minister Paul Martin, and Egyptian democracy advocate Saad Eddin Ibrahim among its members, has amassed an impressive dossier of Iran’s alleged violations of the Genocide and other conventions, and other international laws.
As well as citing brutal forms of capital punishment and the murder of political dissidents, the group’s report, entitled The Danger of a Nuclear, Genocidal and Rights-Violating Iran, also notes that more juveniles have been executed in Iran in recent years, and more journalists have been imprisoned, than in any other country.
“It sounds like we’re back in the 1930s,” said Amnon Rubenstein, a former Israeli political leader and another member of the coalition. There’s “a dictatorship making threats, and a dithering international community,” he said. “We know from experience that such a situation leads to catastrophe.”
To avoid a catastrophe, the coalition has laid out “an 18-point road map” for countries and international organizations to follow.
It calls on states party to the Genocide Convention to refer the matter of Iran’s incitement to genocide to the United Nations Security Council, as provided for in the treaty, to invoke sanctions against Iran.
And it calls on all states to enforce the Security Council’s existing sanctions against Iran for its pursuit and development of nuclear weapons. “The first three rounds of UN Security Council resolutions, intended to sanction the nuclear threat, have been inconsistently and selectively enforced,” the coalition’s report states.
As well, the petition urges states to target Iran’s importation of gasoline and other refined petroleum products. “This is Iran’s Achilles heel,” said Mr. Cotler, referring to the fact that Iran, an exporter of oil, lacks adequate refining capacity for a country of its size.
And it calls on all states to invoke measures to constrain trade and investment with Iran.
Many of the sanctions the group advocates are so-called “smart sanctions” that seek to restrict the country’s leadership – travel bans and seizure of assets, for example.
“The underlying principle of these remedies and sanctions is to target the Iranian regime and its leaders … while not harming and, indeed, protecting the Iranian people,” Mr. Cotler says in his group’s petition.
“Iranians need to know we stand with them,” he added.
Mr. Rubenstein, a former dean of law, doubts that sanctions will have the desired effect. “But they’re important for two reasons,” he said.
“First, they can embolden the opposition in Iran,” he said. “Second, they can prepare the ground for the possibility of military attack.”

EU adopts new sanctions against Iran
Similar to US, European foreign ministers approve new round of economic sanctions on Iran, which target country's energy industry and foreign trade, blacklist additional banks
Associated Press Published: 07.26.10, 15:32 / Israel News
The European Union on Monday formally adopted a package of new sanctions against Iran, targeting the country's foreign trade, banking and energy sectors.
The move, which was agreed to in principle by EU leaders in June, is the latest in a series of measures taken by the international community in an effort to halt Iran's nuclear program.
Nuclear Aspirations
Iran exploiting loopholes in sanctions via Germany / Ynet
Western sources tell Wall Street Journal how small Iranian bank in Germany has become important stop in funding deals tied to Iran's nuclear program by exploiting gap in tough US sanctions and softer European approach
EU foreign ministers adopted a decision "on a package of restrictive measures" in the areas of trade, financial services, energy and transport, said a diplomat who spoke on condition of anonymity under standing rules.
The new measures will come into force in the next few weeks, after they are published in the bloc's official gazette, officials said.
"We have a comprehensive set of sanctions. This is something where we have all 27 countries working together," EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said ahead of the meeting.
According to the decision reached in June, the sanctions will target dual-use items that could be used as part of a nuclear program, and Iran's oil and gas industry including the "prohibition of new investment, technical assistance and transfers of technologies."
Iran's shipping and air cargo companies will be blacklisted and banned from operating in EU territory, and new visa bans and asset freezes will be imposed on Iran's Revolutionary Guard. The sanctions also encompass trade insurance and financial transactions.
The new European restrictions will come on top of a fourth round of sanctions imposed last month by the UN Security Council to curtail Iran's nuclear program over fears it is developing weapons. The council endorsed those sanctions after Iran rebuffed a plan to suspend uranium enrichment and swap its stockpiles of low-enriched uranium for fuel rods.
The new restrictions are similar to measures adopted by the Obama administration, which has imposed penalties against additional individuals and institutions it says are helping Iran develop its nuclear and missile programs, and evade international sanctions.
Iran denies that it is working on a nuclear weapon, saying its program is intended solely for peaceful purposes such as energy-generation, and that it has the right to enrich uranium under the international nonproliferation treaty.
EU foreign ministers also are expected reaffirm the bloc's invitation to Tehran to hold talks on the issue.
"Our aim is to bring Iran back to the negotiating table," said German State Secretary Werner Hoyer. "We're offering our hand, and all they have to do is to take it."