LCCC
ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
ِApril
15/2011
Biblical Event Of The
Day
James 5/19–20: "My
brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him
back, let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will
save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins"
James is speaking to Christians when he says "my brothers." This verse makes it
plain that sometimes believers stumble and get off track. The Bible says in
Hebrews 3:12-13 that we ought to encourage our brothers and sisters in Christ
daily so that no one turns away from the living God. If you see a fellow
Christian backsliding, or drifting away from the Lord, make every effort to
reach out a hand of fellowship. And stay on the alert yourself. Each and every
one of us is capable of wandering from the truth.
Latest
analysis, editorials, studies, reports, letters & Releases
from
miscellaneous
sources
Advocating for Assad/By: Tony
Badran/April
14/11
Internal Lebanese power
struggles leading to Cabinet delay/ By Michael Bluhm/April
14/11
First panic in Assad
regime: High Syrian officials evacuate families/DEBKAfile/April
14/11
Latest News Reports From Miscellaneous Sources for April
14/11
'Secret Syria document' posted on Facebook
details brutal tactics against protesters/Haaretz
Iran 'aiding' Syria crackdown on protests/Ynetnews
Libyan Deputy FM: Hizbullah,
Amal are Helping Rebels/Naharnet
Al-Rahi
Calls for Reactivation of Hizbullah-Bkirki Dialogue Committee/Naharnet
Report: Kidnappers of Estonians
were after Ransom, Suspects Escaped when Khanjar Got Killed/Naharnet
Miqati Meets Suleiman: We Decided
to Give Ourselves More Time to Form Cabinet that Preserves Stability/Naharnet
Mikati, Sleiman to grant cabinet
formation more time/Now Lebanon
Hizbullah, Amal Accuse March 14 of
Seeking to Ignite Strife over Illegal Construction/Naharnet
Syria protesters demand release of detainee/Los Angeles Times
The Lede: Syrian Women Block Highway
in Protest/New York Times
Democracy's price may be too
high for Syria/ABC
U.S. Says Iran Helps Crackdown
in Syria/Wall Street Journal
Amnesty urges Lebanon to trace
civil
war missing/AFP
Hariri
in Riyadh to Extend Condolences Over Death of King's Sister/Naharnet
Obstacles Further
Complicate Cabinet Formation Process/Naharnet
Suleiman before his
Visitors: Stalling over Formation of Government Harms Lebanese/Naharnet
Bakeries Threaten to Cut
off Supply of Bread Starting Wednesday/Naharnet
Amnesty Urges Lebanese
Authorities to Trace Civil War Missing/Naharnet
Libyan Deputy FM:
Hizbullah, Amal are Helping Rebels/Naharnet
Jarrah Denies Involvement
in Syrian Developments: Interfering in Syrian Affairs is Out of the Question/Naharnet
Qassem: Forming cabinet as
soon as possible is a ‘rightful demand’/Now Lebanon
First panic in Assad
regime: High Syrian officials evacuate families
http://www.debka.com/article/20840/
DEBKAfile Exclusive
Report April 14, 2011, Damascus was alive with rumors Thursday, April 14 that
President Bashar Assad and his family were preparing to flee to Saudi Arabia.
They were, sparked by the discovery that several high-ranking Syrian officials
and army officers were evacuating their families from the capital to Persian
Gulf emirates.
US intelligence officials also disclosed that Iran was secretly helping Assad
crack down on his own people, providing gear to suppress crowds and assistance
in blocking and monitoring protesters' Internet and cell phones.
Those officials did not refer to the Iran-backed Hizballah's active aid in the
government crackdown. However, as the anti-government demonstrations pervade
dozens of Syrian towns, even the second largest Aleppo, Assad is relying for
survival less on the army and police and increasingly on the 10,000-strong armed
Shabbiha gangs drawn from the Assad tribe of the minority Alawite community and
trained in urban combat by Hizballah and Iran. In normal times, the Shabbiha are
regularly employed by the Iran-Hizballah arms and drug smuggling rings.
debkafile's sources report increasing signs of desperation at the center of the
Assad regime. One was a new allegation claiming that the Saad Hariri, who was
ousted as Lebanese prime minister by Hizballah, was deploying armed gangs in
Syrian cities to increase the bloodshed by shooting at anti-Assad protesters and
security forces alike. Hariri makes an improbable scapegoat; he has neither the
ability nor manpower to operate on any scale in Syria.
But the Syrian ruler is clearly at his wits' end for means to stem the onrushing
threat to his regime after live ammunition failed to deter the protesters and
halt the spread of their uprising.
Wednesday night, the government banned demonstrations of any kind in the
country, but no one expects the decree to be obeyed. For now, Syrian authorities
and opposition are bracing for Friday, April 15, when they stage their next
major test of strength on the streets of dozens of cities. Bashar Assad's grip
on power is clearly loosening under the constant battering of protest.
Wednesday, April 13, debkafile reported: The popular uprising against Syrian
President Bashar Assad is still spreading. Tuesday, April 12, one of the Assad
family's own Alawite tribes and the key Sunni city of Aleppo joined the movement
demanding the president and his kin's removal. Assad fought back against the
expanding threat to his survival by mobilizing all his military and security
resources, including the loyal young thugs of the shabbiha gangs. They have
orders to shoot to kill and not permit ambulances to collect the wounded. Tanks
seal the most restive towns of Teraa, Bania,s Latakia and Hama.
Alawite unrest centers on the impoverished Knaan tribe centered in the village
of Bhamra in the mountains of northern Syria. A second immediate danger to the
regime comes from Aleppo, Syria's commercial hub, where for the first time more
than 10,000 protesters marched. The Druze mountain inhabitants are up in arms.
So too are the Kurdish towns of the north such as Kamishli and the Shammar
tribes of southeastern Syria around the border town of Abu Kamal.
Damascus University has been under siege for four days, although security forces
have not been able to breach it.
A grave humanitarian crisis is spreading with the unrest. Army outposts and
roadblocks have cut off main roads linking the north to southern and central
Syria, as well as telephone and internet services and even food deliveries in
many places. Mass arrests of thousands take place nightly including, according
to debkafile's sources, members of the Syrian ruling establishment for the crime
of appealing to Assad to abandon his violent methods of repression and meet some
of the protesters demands for reforms. Some are journalists who support the
regime but who wrote articles to this effect. They were not published.
For the first time, debkafile's sources report that the protesters began
returning the fire against security forces on Monday, April 11, in a number of
places, especially Deraa in the south and Banias in the north. A well-laid
ambush was laid on the main coastal road linking Latakia and Banias and nine
Syrian officers and troops killed.
debkafile's Middle East and intelligence sources report a three-way shooting war
currently in progress in Syria, in which the army and security forces, the
protesters, and the shabbiha gangs are taking part. The and bloody mayhem is
such that the number of casualties is almost impossible to assess.
The troops open fire at protesters as soon as a few people gather in the street
without waiting for a demonstration to form. The wounded are denied medical care
and allowed to die in the streets as a deterrent to protesters. Tuesday night,
the White House finally issued a harsh denunciation of the Syrian "government."
The statement read: "We are deeply concerned by reports that Syrians who have
been wounded by their government are being denied access to medical care. The
escalating repression by the Syrian government is outrageous, and the United
States strongly condemns the continued efforts to suppress peaceful protesters.
President Assad and the Syrian government must respect the universal rights of
the Syrian people, who are rightly demanding the basic freedoms that they have
been denied."
debkafile's sources in Washington say that the language used in this statement
from the Obama administration continues to skirt the protesters' most pressing
demand for the Syrian president to step down, because of the still unresolved
internal debate on how to handle Assad.
Despite the mounting brutality of the Syrian ruler's methods to crush the revolt
against his regime, some White House circles in Washington are warning that
Assad's fall would open the door for radical Muslim elements to take over, even
suggesting that this would put Israel in "mortal danger."
This argument was never heard in Washington when Hosni Mubarak was toppled in
Egypt. And it by no means relates to the Assad regime's eight-year long record
as primary accomplice and abettor of radical Muslim organizations such as Al
Qaeda, the Lebanese Hizballah and Palestinian Hamas. Starting from the US
invasion of Iraq in 2003, Damascus gave sanctuary and launching-pads for Muslim
groups to strike American forces fighting in Iraq, including training camps and
logistical aid for smuggling weapons and explosives for that purpose. Syria also
facilitates the passage of arms and other support to the Hizballah radicals.
The extreme measures to which Assad has resorted as the revolt against him
enters its fourth week have led to firefights within the army. Many cases are
now reported of Syrian officers opening fire on other Syrian officers, killing
them when they refuse to shoot protesters. There have been incidents of Shabbiha
gangs shooting two ways – on demonstrators and at times on army forces. In one
such incident in Ras al-Naba'a, a quarter of Banias – the irregulars appeared to
be goading the soldiers into using more force to disperse the protesters. In
others, these pro-Assad street gangs appear to be shooting from demonstrations
to make it look as though the protesters were killing the soldiers.
Contrary to the image the Assads have always presented that "the Alawites are
the ruling class in Syria," it is worth pointing out that they in fact rule
Damascus, while the rest of those minority tribes, which number 1.4 million (8
percent of the 26 million population) live in abject poverty with no electricity
or running water in their villages and no ties to the Assads. The paradox is
that though lacking influence in the capital, their revolt against the regime
could be the last straw for Asad.
These villages are now rising up for fear of being stigmatized, however
unjustly, by the Sunni majority of collaboration with the Assads and targeted
for revenge. In any case, they are so penurious and neglected that they have
little to lose by the regime's fall.
The Shabbiha: This well-armed, roughly organized group derives most of its
9-11,000 members from Assad clans within the Alawite community and its allies.
Their fighting skills were imparted by the Lebanese Hizballah or Iranian
Revolutionary Guards instructors, but their loyalty to the Assad family is
undivided. As smugglers, their strongholds are mostly along the coastal region,
some of whose communities rely on the Shabbiha for their livelihood.
'Secret Syria
document' posted on Facebook details brutal tactics against protesters
Opposition figures say the list of agreement points from a meeting of top Syrian
officials is proof of the government's crafty cruelty.
By Haaretz Service /Syrian opposition figures on Wednesday circulated copies of
a plan hatched at a meeting supposedly attended by Syrian President Bashar
Assad's top security adviser, which detailed instructions to kill pro-democracy
protesters, MSNBC reports. The document was initially posted on the Syrian
Revolution 2011 Facebook page.
Beirut, April 12, 2011.The plan was allegedly hatched in order to preserve the
existing political order, but instructed to limit the amount of opposition
figures killed to only 20 at a time.
The document's authenticity has not yet been independently verified, but if its
authorship can be proven, it would provide the most convincing evidence of the
Syrian government's intentions to brutally crush the country's anti-government
protest movement using underhanded tactics, including blaming Israel for street
riots. Thousands of Syrians have taken to city streets across the country to
protest the rule of President Bashar Assad, inspired by popular revolutions in
the Arab world. The demonstrations in Syria have thus far been significantly
smaller than the protests in the North African states of Tunisia, Egypt and
Libya. The circulated document instructs government agent to spread
disinformation and blame the protests on "Zionists". In his first public
appearance after popular protests broke out in Syria in March, President Assad
said that the objective of the conspirators, who make up a minority, was to
"enforce an Israeli agenda." An English translation of the document of protocols
provided by MSNBC laid out a plan in which Syrian government agents would
infiltrate protester groups in online forums and in street crowds, in order to
spread disunity among the demonstrators. One of the most scandalous tactics
discussed in the document is the permission granted to secret government agents
who are infiltrating groups of demonstrators to shoot army officers, in order to
provoke the ire of police against the protesters. The document prescribes meting
out carefully measured violence so as not to trigger material support from
sympathetic internationals. "The number of people killed must not exceed twenty
each time, because it would let them be more easily noticed and exposed, which
may lead to situations of foreign intervention," the document read.
Advocating for
Assad
By: Tony Badran,
April 14, 2011
Bashar al-Assad has denied the scale or significance of the uprisings in his
country, something many Syria analysts have echoed. (AFP/HO/SANA)
As the Syrian popular uprising unfolded over the last month, one of the more
remarkable things to witness has been the trends in the commentary of the
majority of professional Syria watchers. Aside from the spectacle of concerned,
if unsolicited, public relations advice to the Syrian dictator from these
analysts, most remarkable has been their uncritical integration and seamless
reproduction of official Syrian talking points.
For whatever reason – whether out of desire to preserve access to the regime or
whether out of true identification with it – the implicit thrust and often
explicit objective of these Syria watchers’ commentary is to shelter the Assad
regime from the storm blowing around it, while also shaping perceptions and
attitudes in Washington, especially at the State Department, and advocating
sticking with Assad as the best option for both Syria and the US.
To this effect, tracking the progression of this commentary from right before
the outbreak of the popular uprising in Syria, throughout its various turning
points up to the present moment, reveals a striking pattern of pronouncements
that not only repeatedly proved wrong, but also, more importantly, conformed
closely, if not verbatim, to the official Syrian line, or key aspects thereof.
Right from the outset, as turmoil swept through Tunisia and Egypt, the tone was
set by Assad’s now-famous interview in The Wall Street Journal in which he
smugly dismissed any possibility of revolution in Syria – an immunity, in
Assad’s view, deriving from his regime’s ideological position in opposition to
the US and Israel. This talking point immediately became the consensus view
among the commentariat as they explained why Syria was unlikely to experience
the regional wave of protests: Assad was a popular leader, especially among the
young.
This recycled official line imploded as protests erupted in the southern city of
Daraa, where the protesters’ calls quickly escalated to demands for the toppling
of Assad. The guild of Syria specialists was taken aback at first, as their
earlier assertion came crashing down. However, they quickly rebounded to
reaffirm confidence, reflecting the regime’s own dismissal of what was happening
as a temporary nuisance. Academic Joshua Landis sounded this view. After
remarking how the rallies were confined to Daraa, he predicted that “The winds
of change that have been sweeping the Arab world will stall in Syria.”
Needless to say, this ex cathedra declaration went up in smoke as the rallies
continued to spread all over the country. But no matter, as another regime
talking point was being recycled for the next turning point: Assad’s speech.
In the lead-up to Assad’s public address, when the Syrian president’s absence
was raising eyebrows among the professional Syria watchers, the regime tried to
shape perceptions by disseminating that Assad would announce overdue reforms
that would pacify the demonstrators. The way this was presented was by placing
Assad on the side of the region-wide wave of popular demand for reform. This was
intended to stay in line with the carefully designed and marketed official image
of Assad as a “reformer” – and the most devoted salesman of this official
product has been Assad enthusiast, academic David Lesch. David Ignatius, having
talked to Syrian officials (probably the Syrian ambassador in DC), regurgitated
and revamped the old talking point that Assad might stage a coup against his own
regime. That line came straight from Damascus, as evident from how one of the
regime’s reliable English-language publicists, Sami Moubayed, also wrote that
Assad would be leading a “corrective movement.” Proof that this was indeed the
script from Damascus came when one of Assad’s Lebanese clients, Parliament
Speaker Nabih Berri, hailed Assad’s speech as (what else?) “The second
corrective movement.”
The Syria specialist at the International Crisis Group, Peter Harling, was smart
enough to wait before making use of the official line, writing in disappointment
after the speech that “Assad’s master card was to lead a revolution against his
own entourage.”
The separation of Assad remains an important sales pitch for the Syrian regime,
especially in Washington. That is why the comment by his advisor, Bouthaina
Shaaban, that the president had asked that not one shot be fired was swallowed
whole and repeated verbatim, without the slightest critical evaluation, by
writers like Landis, Alastair Crooke, and, in variant form, Harling, who
contended, with zero evidence, that Assad had “pushed back” against those who
wanted all-out repression, echoing the thrust of Shaaban’s point.
After the disappointing speech, the talking point shifted again, as analysts
like Landis sought to downplay the reach and momentum of the protests, claiming
that “quiet had returned” to Syria, and that the demonstrations had failed to
spread to major cities. Similarly, Crooke reassured readers that Assad would
emerge stronger from this ordeal (curiously echoing an alleged Syrian
intelligence document). If anything, this smacked of exasperation and concern at
the regime’s seeming inability to quell the demonstrations.
Meanwhile, Landis’ performance ended up evoking Baghdad Bob, as protests
proceeded to spread to Assad’s own backyard in the coastal cities of Latakia,
Tartous and Banias, where they continue to take root and where the regime has
deployed tanks and brute force to try and quell them.
Obviously, there has been no self-criticism or admission of error, even when the
analysis has clearly been tailored to fit the political preferences and agendas
of these professional Syria watchers.
In all, this is an indictment of the Syria-watching community. While it is true
that in the end their significance is minuscule, their case is symptomatic of a
larger problem in Middle East expertise in the US. Regional regimes’ judicious
use of visas, access, endowments and research grants has extracted an obvious
toll on quality, objectivity and independence in analysis. In the Syrian case,
the analysis oftentimes has been little more than an uncritical vehicle for
carrying the Assad regime’s water.
**Tony Badran is a research fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.
Amnesty Urges Lebanese Authorities to Trace Civil War Missing
Naharnet/Amnesty International urged Lebanese authorities on Thursday to
investigate the fate of thousands of people who disappeared during the 1975-1990
civil war and are believed dead or held in Syria. The appeal came on the 36th
anniversary of the outbreak of the sectarian bloodshed that left more than
150,000 people dead. "It really is high time that the Lebanese authorities took
steps towards bringing this very painful episode to a close," said Malcolm
Smart, Middle East and North Africa director. "Both the president and the
council of ministers pledged action but no concrete steps have been taken,"
Smart said.
"What is urgently needed now is an independent commission of inquiry, one that
includes among its members representatives of the families of the missing."
The London-based group also called for the collection of DNA from the families
of the missing so that it can be compared with DNA gathered from the remains of
those killed in the conflict. The outbreak of Lebanon's 1975 civil war is
commemorated on April 13, the day a bus carrying Palestinian refugees came under
fire on the outskirts of Beirut.
The attack was believed to be in retaliation for the killing of members of the
Christian Phalange Party outside a church in the same area. The war, which
initially pitted leftist and Palestinian factions against right-wing Christians,
quickly escalated into a free-for-all sectarian bloodbath that saw Syria and
Israel deploy their troops across the country. Families of some of Lebanon's
missing still insist they were detained and remain in Syria, which claims it no
longer holds any Lebanese political prisoners.
Amineh Abed al-Husri is among the hundreds of Lebanese mothers who for decades
have demanded the truth about what happened to their children.
Her son disappeared from Beirut in 1986 and the 78-year-old believes he was
handed over to the Syrian authorities.
But her information ends there. "I want my son back. We all want our sons back
-- even if it is in a coffin," Husri told Amnesty. "Maybe he is dead, I don't
know. But if I have his body, I would like to bury him next to his father."
Syrian troops entered Lebanon in 1976 and withdrew 29 years later in the wake of
the February 2005 assassination of Rafiq Hariri, father of outgoing premier Saad
Hariri. Although the two countries officially established diplomatic ties in
2008, the fate of Lebanon's missing remains a contested issue. Many local
non-governmental organizations continue to hold Lebanon responsible for
uncovering the fate of those missing, a promise made by President Michel Sleiman
in his 2008 inauguration speech. "How can it be that someone who was trying to
defend the land of his country is now ignored by his government?" said Sonia Eid.
Her son, Jihad Eid, was a 20-year-old soldier in the Lebanese army when he went
missing on October 13, 1990, shortly before the end of the war. Eid says she has
proof that her son is alive in a Syria detention center, and told Amnesty that
Lebanese military intelligence officers visited Jihad in 1995 in Syria. "I am
sure that he will return," she said.(AFP) Beirut, 14 Apr 11, 07:35
Libyan Deputy FM: Hizbullah, Amal are Helping Rebels
Naharnet/Libya's deputy foreign minister, Khaled Kaim, has accused Hizbullah of
joining the ranks of the rebels fighting against Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi's
regime.
Kaim claimed Wednesday that several members of Hizbullah are fighting alongside
the rebels in Misrata, but did not provide evidence. He also alleged that
members of Speaker Nabih Berri's Amal movement are training rebel fighters in
Benghazi. Kaim added that Qatar had sent military trainers to Libya and was
supplying the rebels in Benghazi with French-made Milan anti-tank missiles.
Beirut, 14 Apr 11, 07:34
Report: Iran Aiding Syria Crackdown on Protests
Naharnet/Iran is aiding Syria in its suppression of pro-democracy demonstrators
by providing equipment to put down protests and monitor opposition groups, the
Wall Street Journal said Thursday, citing U.S. officials. Tehran has already
begun providing crowd control equipment to Syrian authorities, and more
deliveries are expected, said unnamed officials in President Barack Obama's
administration, reported the Journal. Based on intercepted communications among
Iranian officials, officials said the assessment also showed Tehran is seeking
to aid Shiite groups in Bahrain and Yemen and destabilize U.S. allies in those
countries, the Journal said. "We believe that Iran is materially assisting the
Syrian government in its efforts to suppress their own people," officials said,
adding that Tehran is sharing "lessons learned" from the 2009 post-election
crackdown on demonstrations that sought the ouster of Iranian President Mahmoud
Ahmadinejad. Iranian authorities are also providing Damascus technical
assistance to monitor online communication from opposition groups to organize
protests, U.S. defense officials told the Journal. Widespread protests have
shaken Syria in the last four weeks, with demonstrations reported in its second
city Aleppo on Thursday following a weekend of confrontation between security
forces and activists during which 30 civilians were killed, according to rights
activists.(AFP) Beirut, 14 Apr 11, 09:49
Suleiman before his Visitors: Stalling over Formation of
Government Harms Lebanese
Naharnet/President Michel Suleiman voiced his concern on Wednesday over the
ongoing vacuum in Lebanon given the failure to form a new government. His
visitors reported him as saying that the stalling in the formation process will
harm the Lebanese's interests, especially given the unstable situation in the
region, reported the daily Al-Mustaqbal Thursday. They told the daily that no
new developments have taken place regarding the government formation, revealing
that the contacts are currently focused between Prime Minister-designate Najib
Miqati, Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblat, and Speaker Nabih
Berri. The three leaders are striving to eliminate the obstacles facing the
government formation in light of Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun's
recent statements that eliminated the positive atmosphere that was allegedly
paving the way for the announcement of the new government, they added. Aoun
stated on Tuesday that no new progress had been achieved in the formation.
Beirut, 14 Apr 11, 11:34
Miqati Meets Suleiman: We Decided to Give Ourselves More Time to Form Cabinet
that Preserves Stability
Naharnet/Prime Minister-designate Najib Miqati announced on Thursday after
meeting President Michel Suleiman that the two agreed to give themselves more
time before revealing the new government. He said after the meeting at Baabda
Palace: "After consulting with the President, we decided to wait in order for
the government to live up to the Lebanese people's expectations.""We aspire for
it to represent stability in Lebanon and avert strife among the Lebanese," he
continued. "We want it to be formed based on the constitution, because we cannot
rely on unstable political foundations," he stressed. "I urge the Lebanese to be
patient with us … and I hope that we will announce the new government soon," the
prime minister-designate said. "We will not despair and we acknowledge the
rights of head of parliamentary blocs to demand certain representation in
Cabinet, but the President and I are entitled to our constitutional right that
this government represent all Lebanese," Miqati stressed. Asked after the talks
if he objected to Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun's acquiring of
certain portfolios, he replied: "I want to assure that I did not get involved in
any dispute with any side during the past three months.""I did not place a veto
on anyone and I only seek to achieve national interests," he stated.
Hizbullah, Amal Accuse March 14 of Seeking to Ignite Strife
over Illegal Construction
Naharnet/Hizbullah MP Nawaf Moussawi accused the March 14 forces of seeking to
avenge the March 8 coalition, mainly Hizbullah and Amal, by pitting southerners
against each other over illegal construction on state property. Moussawi told As
Safir daily in remarks published Thursday that March 14, led by al-Mustaqbal
movement, sought to "ignite sectarian strife" by pitting neighbors against each
other and stirring animosity within the same family members. He stressed that
Hizbullah and Speaker Nabih Berri's Amal movement reject illegal construction
and have given instructions to abide by the law. As Safir said Wednesday that
more than 500 violations have been made in several towns in the south. Around
1,000 residential units were built on thousands of acres of public property,
according to estimates. On Wednesday, Hizbullah deputy leader Sheikh Naim Qassem
accused Caretaker Premier Saad Hariri of "sabotage," and said he was seeking to
spread "chaos" in the south. Berri also said the issue was "leading to strife
and chaos" and blamed security authorities for not assuming their
responsibilities in combating such violations. The statements of the Hizbullah
and Amal officials came as angry residents blocked roads in the southern Beirut
neighborhood of Ouzai and the town of Tayr Dibba in the south on Wednesday after
a crackdown by security forces on illegal property. At dawn Thursday, several
residents of the southern Beirut suburb of Bourj al-Barajneh pelted a police
patrol with stones and opened fire on them, causing damages to two vehicles, the
National News Agency reported. NNA said that the security forces later pulled
out of the area. The incidents came as south Lebanon witnessed a police
crackdown on illegal construction on public property in recent weeks. Beirut, 14
Apr 11, 10:40
Hariri in Riyadh to Extend Condolences Over Death of King's
Sister
Naharnet/Caretaker Prime Minister Saad Hariri traveled to Riyadh on Thursday to
attend the funeral of Saudi King Abdullah's sister, a statement by his press
office said.
Hariri was accompanied by his bureau chief Nader Hariri and his advisor Hani
Hammoud, it said. Princess Seeta bint Abdul Aziz died on Wednesday. She was 80.
Beirut, 14 Apr 11, 11:53
Bakeries Threaten to Cut off Supply of Bread Starting Wednesday
Naharnet/The owners of bakeries vowed to launch an open-ended
strike on Wednesday despite a meeting set by Caretaker Economy Minister Mohammed
Safadi for Monday to find a solution to their demands. Head of the Bakeries
Association Kazem Ibrahim told An Nahar daily in remarks published Thursday that
the strike will be launched next Wednesday and will not reach a halt until the
authorities meet the demands of the bakers. "I doubt that it (the meeting) would
be held because he (Safadi) is in Ukraine," Ibrahim said. While Safadi has
promised to increase subsidies to cover the soaring price of fuel and the total
cost of bread production, Ibrahim said that bakeries throughout Lebanon are on
the verge of bankruptcy and are all willing to cut off the supply of bread. An
Nahar quoted the head of the association as saying that Safadi should put
himself in the bakers' shoe. "Would he accept to suffer from losses?" Ibrahim
wondered in his statement to the daily. Meanwhile, the General Labor
Confederation (GLC) blamed both the Lebanese government and bakers for the
"bread crisis." The GLC has already warned that the increase in the price of
fuel would lead to a crisis, GLC head Ghassan Ghosn said. He hoped that Monday's
meeting would save Lebanese from "fighting" over a loaf of bread. Beirut, 14 Apr
11, 11:26
Report: Kidnappers of Estonians were after Ransom, Suspects Escaped when Khanjar
Got Killed
Naharnet/The ring that kidnapped the seven Estonian men last
month carried out its operation to demand a big ransom after thinking they were
British or French tourists, judicial sources told pan-Arab daily al-Hayat. The
sources said in remarks published Thursday that the Estonians are still in the
custody of their kidnappers – three Lebanese and one Syrian. Although the raids
carried out by the Internal Security Forces in the Bekaa valley where the
tourists were kidnapped have ended, investigators found links between the
abductors and slain wanted Lebanese Darwish Khanjar. Khanjar was killed on
Sunday night during a gunfight with security forces in the Bekaa town of Majdal
Anjar after several men, including Khanjar, robbed at gunpoint the vehicle of a
woman. The judicial sources told al-Hayat that one of the Lebanese kidnappers
and the Syrian suspect were with Khanjar when the clashes occurred. However,
they managed to escape. The woman has identified them, according to the sources.
They said that seven suspects that are in police custody told investigators that
the Lebanese man had promised them with big rewards to carry out the kidnapping
operation. Military Examining Magistrate Judge Fadi Sawan on Thursday
interrogated the seven suspects, including a Syrian, and issued arrest warrants
against them. Another warrant was issued against five fugitives, involved in the
case. Beirut, 14 Apr 11, 08:18
Latest developments in Arab political unrest
stretching from North Africa to Persian Gulf
By The Associated Press
EGYPT
Ousted President Hosni Mubarak and his two sons are detained for investigation
of corruption, abuse of power and killings of protesters, bringing cheers of
victory from activists who hope it marks a turning point in Egypt's turbulent
transition to democracy.
LIBYA
NATO launches new airstrikes on targets held by Moammar Gadhafi as the rebel
movement urged a stronger air campaign that will allow them to advance on
Gadhafi's territory. In Tripoli, Gadhafi's finance minister angrily denounces
proposals by rebel leaders that they be given some of the regime's assets that
were frozen as part of international sanctions.
SYRIA
Women, children and students take to the streets in Syria, lending their voices
to a monthlong uprising that President Bashar Assad insists is the work of a
foreign conspiracy. In an apparent attempt to calm the women's demonstration,
authorities release about 100 detainees and parade them in front of the
protesters, prompting cheers and cries of triumph, a witness says.
YEMEN
Gunmen loyal to the government attack the forces of the Yemeni president's chief
rival, killing one person and raising fears that Yemen's weeks of popular unrest
could evolve into pitched battles between factions of the divided military.
BAHRAIN
Bahrain's Shiite opposition party says another one of its supporters, the fourth
to date, has died in police custody. Haji Karim Fakhrawi died in "mysterious
circumstances," according to Al Wefaq, Bahrain's main opposition party in the
Sunni-ruled Gulf country. His relatives pointed to a body covered in bruises,
saying he had died of torture.
Copyright © 2011 The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
Mikati,
Sleiman to grant cabinet formation more time
Prime Minister-designate Najib Mikati said following his Thursday meeting with
President Michel Sleiman that they both agreed to grant the cabinet formation
process more time.
“We want the next cabinet to be one that [maintains] stability, that keeps
strife away and that works according to the constitution,” the PM-designate told
reporters.
Mikati also said that a cabinet should be formed based on “constitutional rules”
and not “political” ones.
He also said that although parliamentary blocs’ leaders have the right to make
certain ministerial demands, “[Sleiman] and I have our constitutional rights as
well.”
“I do not want to raise the level of the Lebanese people’s expectations, but [I
think] the [next] cabinet should be formed of the elite despite political
affiliations.”
Mikati also said that the aim of the cabinet is to resolve problems, not be an
additional problem, adding that “this [concern] is what delaying us.”“When we
feel that the cabinet which will be formed is constitutional…we will announce
it.”When asked if there is a veto against granting the Change and Reform bloc
certain ministerial portfolios, Mikati said “I do not have a veto against
anyone.” “My only goal is to serve national interest. I want what is suitable
[for the country],” he also said, adding that the aim is to form a cabinet that
is acceptable to all Lebanese people.“I wanted to speak with the Lebanese people
today, three months after [being nominated for the premiership] to say that I
will not give up and that [my efforts] will continue.”
Mikati was appointed on January 25 with the Hezbollah-led March 8 coalition’s
backing and is working to form his cabinet. March 14 parties have said that they
will not participate in his government. Cabinet formation is reportedly being
hampered by Change and Reform bloc leader MP Michel Aoun’s demand that he
receive a blocking third of cabinet seats, including the Interior Ministry –
currently part of Sleiman’s cabinet share. Other March 8 parties are reportedly
making demands which are also hindering the cabinet formation process.
-NOW Lebanon
Qassem: Forming cabinet as soon as possible is a ‘rightful
demand’
Hezbollah Deputy Secretary General Sheikh Naim Qassem said it is a rightful
demand to attempt to form the cabinet as soon as possible. There is follow-up on
the cabinet formation process and attempts to overcome obstructions regarding
it, Qassem said according to a statement issued by Hezbollah’s press office.
Mikati was appointed on January 25 with the Hezbollah-led March 8 coalition’s
backing and is working to form his cabinet. March 14 parties have said that they
will not participate in his government. Cabinet formation is reportedly being
hampered by Change and Reform bloc leader MP Michel Aoun’s demand that he
receive a blocking third of cabinet seats, including the Interior Ministry –
currently part of President Michel Sleiman’s cabinet share. Other March 8
parties are reportedly making demands which are also hindering the cabinet
formation process.-NOW Lebanon
Internal power struggles leading to Cabinet delay
By Michael Bluhm/ The Daily Star
BEIRUT: Even though foreign would-be meddlers are occupied by the current
upheaval in the region, the March 8 alliance has failed to form a government
because of the bloc’s internal fissures, especially between Prime
Minister-designate Najib Mikati and Free Patriotic Movement leader Michel Aoun,
a number of analysts told The Daily Star Wednesday.
The international actors, which have traditionally sought most to influence the
Cabinet-creation process, are instead intensely focused on the popular upheaval
sweeping the Middle East, with Syria roiled by unexpectedly broad and persistent
protests, Saudi Arabia and Iran facing off over the unrest in the Gulf and
Western powers in the midst of military intervention in Libya, said former
ambassador Abdallah Bou Habib, the executive director of the Issam Fares Center.
“Syria, Saudi Arabia, the U.S. [and] France – all those countries which concern
themselves with Lebanon – are too busy for Lebanon these days,” he said.
However, Bou Habib added, the lack of attention from Syrian President Bashar
Assad, a key patron of the March 8 camp who has restored much Syrian sway over
Lebanon, does not mean that the construction of Mikati’s government will have to
wait.
March 8 leader Hezbollah, as well as Aoun and other key figures from the
coalition, are not lackeys who must await orders from Assad, and Damascus has
been pushing the March 8 parties to sort out their differences, Bou Habib said.
“He doesn’t want to be led by Hezbollah, since everybody is accusing Hezbollah
of dominating the new arrangement," Hanna said.
Retired Gen. Elias Hanna, who teaches political science at various universities,
said that the turmoil in Syria might be holding up the new Cabinet only because
some March 8 groups might want to alter their stances based on the outcome of
the Syrian tumult, so they are “killing time” by dragging out the government
formation to see what becomes of Assad’s regime. Mikati was appointed prime
minister-designate on Jan. 25.
The main stumbling block, though, remains the conflicting agendas of various
March 8 members, whether in the interests of their sectarian constituencies or
external forces, Bou Habib said.
“They are not a team,” he added. “The issue is that they are looking at things
in different ways. The prime minister and president are looking at it in a
different way … than Aoun and Hezbollah; [Parliament Speaker Nabih] Berri and
[Progressive Socialist Party head Walid] Jumblatt are in the middle.”
The Interior Ministry has become the locus of disagreement, as Aoun has demanded
control of the ministry in order to address the concern of many in the March 8
bloc that the Internal Security Forces (ISF) are being fashioned into a
sectarian fighting force dominated by the Sunnis of the rival March 14 alliance,
said Habib Malik, who teaches history at Lebanese American University and is the
son of Charles Malik, one of the cofounders of modern Lebanon and coauthor of
the U.N. Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
“There’s a U.S.-supported attempt to build up, under the guise of the Internal
Security Forces, a Sunni counter-militia to stand in the face of Hezbollah,”
Malik said. “That’s why Aoun is going after that portfolio.” At the same time,
Mikati, a Sunni, does not want to cede ground because of the potential backlash
from his confessional community, as many Sunnis view the ISF as their
counterweight in the security apparatus to the perception that Christians
control the Lebanese Army and Shiites run General Security, Hanna said. “This
will be very serious for Mikati if he surrenders this ministry,” Hanna added.
Aoun, the former head of the army, and the billionaire businessman Mikati are
also clashing over who will name the Christian ministers in the Cabinet, with
Aoun insisting that he – as the most powerful Christian politician in the March
8 faction – has the right to choose the Christian ministers, Bou Habib said.
“This is Aoun’s question: ‘Why does Mikati want to pick the Christians? Would
you accept that I choose a Sunni?’” said Bou Habib. “The Christians have a
complex with that,” he added, saying that Aoun was responding to the loss of
political influence of Lebanon’s Christians, whether through the 1989 Taif
Agreement, which transferred many of the Maronite president’s powers to the
Sunni-led Cabinet, or through past years of Syrians and Muslim Lebanese
politicians selecting Christian ministers.Mikati, meanwhile, has fumbled the
issue by proposing Christian “non-entities” for ministerial posts, instead of
recognized leaders whom Aoun could not oppose, Bou Habib said.
Mikati has also proceeded haltingly in forming the Cabinet because of pressure
from outside Lebanon, Malik said. Should Western powers see the government as
too subservient to Hezbollah, Lebanon could plummet into international
isolation, Malik said. Personally, Mikati could see his worldwide business
interests threatened if Lebanon becomes a pariah state, Malik added. “There’s
now anecdotal evidence to suggest that some of that might be used as pressure
against him in the case that he unequivocally toes the Hezbollah line,” Malik
said.
Mikati’s position in the Sunni community is also complicating the Cabinet talks,
because in accepting the post of prime minister he broke with caretaker Prime
Minister Saad Hariri, who guided the vast majority of the country’s Sunni
population into the March 14 camp and is still widely viewed as the sect’s
political leader, Bou Habib said.
Because Mikati has split with Hariri, he is proceeding carefully as he knows he
will likely not get a second chance to lead the government should he not succeed
this time, Bou Habib added.
Mikati must also prove to his Sunni cohorts in forming the Cabinet that he has
not yielded any of the prerogatives that accrue to the sect through heading the
government, Hanna said.
“He doesn’t want to look weak,” Hanna added. “He doesn’t want to be led by
Hezbollah, since everybody is accusing Hezbollah of dominating the new
arrangement.”
In addition to the myriad factors drawing out the Cabinet-formation process to
more than 10 weeks, the delay itself is imperiling Mikati’s chances to bring
together a viable government, Bou Habib said. The longer it takes Mikati to
overcome all these obstacles, the weaker he will seem, which will only make it
harder for him to form a Cabinet, Bou Habib added.