LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
ِApril 28/2011

Biblical Event Of The Day
John 21/18/Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep. Most certainly I tell you, when you were young, you dressed yourself, and walked where you wanted to. But when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will dress you, and carry you where you don’t want to go.”

Latest analysis, editorials, studies, reports, letters & Releases from miscellaneous sources
No civil war after Assad/By: Hussain Abdul-Hussain/April 27/11
Assyrian, Greek, Armenian Genocide Anniversary Commemorated Publicly in Turkey/AINA/April 27/11
Collective Punishment of Egyptian Christians For Death of Two Muslims/AINA/April 27/11

Latest News Reports From Miscellaneous Sources for April 27/11
Syrian protesters gain anti-tank guns. Iranian officers direct Assad's troops/DEBKAfile
Report: Hoax Bomb Threat to Miqat/Naharnet
UN rights council to hold special session on Syria/Now Lebanon
Five EU countries summon Syrian ambassadors/Now Lebanon
Nadim Gemayel wants Mikati to answer questions/Now Lebanon
Sleiman meets with Gemayel, Qatari ambassador/Now Lebanon
Germany strongly backs EU sanctions against Syria/Now Lebanon
Fatfat: Berri should know about property violations/Now Lebanon
Tanks head toward Syria’s Douma, Reuters reports/Now Lebanon
Witness: 6 dead from sniper fire in Daraa as fear in Syria grows/CNN
Israel Takes Wait-And-See Approach To Syria Unrest/NPR
Jordan's Muslim Brotherhood Asks Assad to Stop Violence in Syria/Bloomberg
Lebanon FM urges UN envoy to reject Syria condemnation/Zawaya
Turkish PM advises reform in Syria, sending envoy/Reuters
EU discussing possible sanctions on Syria-diplomat/Reuters
Syria Tries to Defend Its Record to United Nations/New York Times
Fox plays down Syria intervention/The Press Association
Despite Reports of Brutality Toward Civilians, Syria to Join U.N.'s Human Rights Council/Fox News
European leaders threaten Syria with sanctions/Washington Post
SYRIA: Government lays siege to Dara, intensifies nationwide crackdown [Video]/Los Angeles Times
Lebanon in limbo/Zawya
Aoun: Mikati does not intend to form Cabinet/Zawaya
UNIFIL Says Not Notified about Italy's Plan to Cut Troops in Lebanon /Naharnet
Shami's Instructions to Salam Draw March 14 Ire; Berri Rejects Any Statement that Harms Syria /Naharnet
Building Violations Reach Airport Fence, Baroud and Aridi Warn of 'Dangerous Consequences' /Naharnet
Report: Cabinet Formation Suffers Major Setbacks /Naharnet
Paris: All Lebanese Parties Should Preserve Unity, Sovereignty of Lebanon /Naharnet
Suleiman Meets Miqati as Govt Formation Impasse Enters 4th Month /Naharnet
Aoun: I Will Target Anyone Who Discusses Constitution without Properly Citing it /Naharnet
Mustaqbal Says 'De Facto Forces' Behind Construction Violations /Naharnet
Berri Calls for Speeding up Cabinet Formation, Says Lebanon's Stand at Security Council is Normal /Naharnet
Jumblat Fears Sunni-Shiite Division May Escalate into a Conflict /Naharnet

Tanks head toward Syria’s Douma, Reuters reports
April 27, 2011 /Reuters on Wednesday cited eyewitnesses as saying that dozens of Syrian army tanks were moving “on tank carriers on the Damascus circular highway.”
The agency added that the tanks were seen coming from the southwest of the capital en route to the suburb of Douma north of the city. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's regime has been rocked by unprecedented protests since March 15, with hundreds of protestors reportedly being killed. -NOW Lebanon

Syrian protesters gain anti-tank guns. Iranian officers direct Assad's troops
DEBKAfile Exclusive Report April 27, 2011,
For the first time in the anti-Assad uprising, elements of Syria's popular protest movement are turning to armed revolt on lines similar to those marking the Libyan conflict. Wednesday, April 27, armed civilians were seen for the first time, some openly carrying anti-tank weapons, in the Daraa district of the South and Banias and Jableh on the coast, the primary targets of the regime's armored-backed offensive on the six-week old protest movement.
debkafile's military sources report that these dissidents resorted openly to arms after discovering that Iranian Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) officers were masterminding the brutal crackdown against them, lending the Assad regime the experience they had gained in crushing the 2009 anti-regime opposition in Tehran.
At the UN Security Council Tuesday night, US ambassador Susan Rice directly accused President Bashar Assad of mustering Iranian assistance to repress Syrian citizens "through the same brutal tactics that have been used by the Iranian regime."
Our Washington sources report that the US, Britain, France and other European countries are not waiting for the Security Council to condemn Syria. As an American official put it, "in the near future," the US plans to issue a series of sanctions against heads of the Assad regime and its security agencies. There is also talk of war crimes charges against the president's brother Maher Assad who is in command of the military assault on the protesters.
In Syria meanwhile, Western military sources predict that the next stage of the Syrian crisis will see protesters-turned-rebels shooting at the military tanks and armored vehicles spearheading the assaults by commando units on foot in the towns under siege, while snipers pick off demonstrators or ordinary passers-by from the rooftops.
In the first two days of the military operation, the tanks have been rolling through the streets sowing panic and fear in targeted cities and providing cover for the soldiers shooting civilians at random. Disabling the tanks, the protesters believe, will disarm that tactic, which has been directed first against the million inhabitants of Daraa and its outlying towns in the Horon province Tuesday, April 26. There, under tank cover, small elements of the 132nd Brigade of the Fourth Division commanded by Mahar Asasad are holding Daraa under virtual lockdown, having cut off essential supplies of food and water, electricity and external communications. Still, the town refuses to be broken or starved into submission.
Tuesday night, small units of foot soldiers protected by tanks were on standby night outside Banias and Jableh and Wednesday morning, elements of the 47th Brigade of the Fourth Division were poised to follow a tank charge into Hama. If Assad loses his tanks, he will need to deploy many more soldiers to shoot the protesters off the streets and carry out mass arrests and so increase the hazards of defections, mutiny and the army's breakup. For Damascus, the Syrian ruler is pursuing a different tactic. To conceal the massive military involvement in the crackdown from the capital's population, thousands of undercover soldiers were told to remove their uniforms and issued with black coveralls without insignia for raids on the Damascus suburb of Duma and protest centers elsewhere in the capital. They are intended to look like policemen.

UN rights council to hold special session on Syria
April 27, 2011 /The UN Human Rights Council will hold a special session on Syria on Friday, a UN spokesperson said, amid alarm over the military's assault on the pro-democracy stronghold of Daraa. The special session "will be held on Friday 29 April at 11 a.m.," said Cedric Sapey, spokesperson at the Office for the High Commissioner for Human Rights.
The request, filed by the United States, was jointly submitted by 10 European states, as well as Japan, Mexico, South Korea, Senegal and Zambia. A military assault on the Syrian town has left at least 30 dead, according to rights activists, who also claim that around 400 people have been killed in a crackdown against anti-regime supporters across the country. Diplomats were originally mulling a possible special session on the Middle East, but Syrian authorities' recent move against demonstrators has prompted them to train their focus on the country. "In view of the developments on the ground this weekend in Syria, we believe that the situation warrants specific attention," a western diplomat told AFP. Traditional Syrian allies such as Russia, China, Cuba, as well as Islamic states like Malaysia and Pakistan are also members of the 47 member UN Human Rights Council, alongside other Arab states. Rights activists said that Friday's hearing in Geneva would be a blow to Syria's candidacy for membership of the body. The UN General Assembly in New York is expected to vote on new council members in May. -AFP/NOW Lebanon

Five EU countries summon Syrian ambassadors
April 27, 2011 /Five EU countries are summoning Syria's ambassadors over its violent crackdown on protestors, France said Wednesday, adding it had been joined in the move by Britain, Germany, Italy and Spain. Foreign ministry spokesperson Bernard Valero told AFP that Syrian Ambassador to France Lamia Shakkur had met on Tuesday with French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe's chief of staff, "as part of a coordinated move with Britain, Germany, Spain and Italy". The chief of staff, Herve Ladsous, "reiterated to her our firm condemnation of the escalating repression against the population by the Syrian authorities, marked recently by the entry of tanks into Daraa," a southern city, he added. He reiterated French President Nicolas Sarkozy's statement that "the violence which has been used against peaceful demonstrators, and which has caused hundreds of deaths, is unacceptable."-AFP/NOW Lebanon
 

Report: Hoax Bomb Threat to Miqati
Naharnet/Prime Minister-designate Najib Miqati's office in Beirut was evacuated after receiving a hoax bomb threat, security sources told An Nahar newspaper in remarks published Wednesday. The sources said Miqati received on Tuesday morning an anonymous phone call saying there was an explosive at his office in Verdun. But specialized agencies inspected the office using sniffer dogs and did not find any explosives, the sources and As Safir daily said. The terse reports did not provide further details. Beirut, 27 Apr 11, 07:36

UNIFIL Says Not Notified about Italy's Plan to Cut Troops in Lebanon
Naharnet/The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon said Wednesday that it hasn't been informed by Italy about its intention to reduce the number of its troops in the south."UNIFIL hasn't been officially notified about Italy's intention to downsize its troops," UNIFIL Spokesman Neeraj Singh told Akhbar al-Yawm agency. Last week, Italian Defense Minister Ignazio La Russa said Italy would reduce its "excessive" contingent in Lebanon from around 1,800 personnel to 1,000. "There are some budget requirements that are pushing us to reduce, as expected, our presence in international military missions," La Russa said. "There is no change in UNIFIL's military force as set by U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701," Singh said.The spokesman told the agency that routine structure changes of contingents could take place. He reiterated that around 34 countries contribute 12,000 troops to UNIFIL. Beirut, 27 Apr 11, 12:08

Berri Calls for Speeding up Cabinet Formation, Says Lebanon's Stand at Security Council is Normal
Naharnet/Speaker Nabih Berri questioned on Wednesday the delay in the government formation, stressing the need for its establishment given the difficult situation Lebanon and the region are going through. He said during his weekly meeting with MPs at parliament that all sides should exercise diligence to confront the challenges facing Lebanon and the Lebanese.
He also renewed his support for Syria in light of the anti-regime protests it is witnessing. Addressing his position on Lebanon's stand at the United Nations Security Council on the expected draft statement on Syria, Berri said that such a stance is normal based on Lebanon's special and fraternal ties with its neighboring country. Furthermore, the speaker noted that failure to establish a Lebanese government would negatively affect Lebanese-Syrian ties. Caretaker Foreign Minister Ali Shami had requested on Tuesday Lebanon's Ambassador to the U.N. Nawwaf Salam not to approve the draft statement on Syria condemning the violence against protestors.
Beirut, 27 Apr 11, 13:32



Report: Cabinet Formation Suffers Major Setbacks
Naharnet/Premier-designate Najib Miqati was reportedly readying a cabinet lineup had Hizbullah agreed to name its ministers but the Shiite group stressed that a solution to the bickering between President Michel Suleiman and Free Patriotic Movement leader Michel Aoun should be found before making that step.
As Safir daily said Wednesday that Hizbullah's stance was seen as a covert support for Aoun who is demanding the interior ministry portfolio as part of his share in the new government. But Suleiman is adamant on keeping the ministry which is headed by Ziad Baroud in the caretaker cabinet.
From among suggestions made to solve the deadlock, was giving the interior ministry portfolio to Miqati or Minister Mohammed Safadi in return for making either the foreign or finance ministries as part of Aoun's share.
However, Miqati rejected the plan on the grounds that he would be targeted by a fierce campaign by al-Mustaqbal movement if he gives up the finance portfolio which is part of the Sunni sect's shares.
But FPM leadership sources accused Miqati and Suleiman of deliberately delaying the formation of the new government. They told As Safir that the interior ministry portfolio was not the only obstacle. Mystery is shrouding the remaining nine portfolios that should be part of the Change and Reform bloc's share, the sources added.
They said lately there was a setback when Miqati rejected to grant the bloc both the telecommunications and energy portfolios. Among the other obstacles, was the premier-designate's rejection to give Faisal Karami a cabinet seat.
Miqati's circles said solving the interior ministry deadlock would help the cabinet formation reach "three-quarters of the distance," adding that suggestions on the distribution of other seats were awaiting the end of the interior minister impasse. Beirut, 27 Apr 11, 10:44




Jumblat Fears Sunni-Shiite Division May Escalate into a Conflict
Naharnet/Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblat stressed the need for renewing contacts between caretaker Prime Minister Saad Hariri and between Speaker Nabih Berri and Hizbullah Secretary General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah.
The severance of contacts will only lead to more problems, he said.
He told Al-Akhbar newspaper in remarks published on Wednesday that he fears that the "Sunni-Shiite divide in Lebanon may develop into a conflict."
"The direction Lebanon is heading to may lead to unforeseen results that will harm everyone," he added.
Furthermore, he revealed that he has tried to suggest initiatives to bring the disputed sides together, but he has so far failed.
In addition, Jumblat said that he recently contacted Hariri requesting him to resume ties with Berri, but the Mustaqbal movement leader did not give him a reply.
He also met with former Prime Minister Fouad Saniora at a mutual friend's house for the same end, "but Saniora cannot do anything without Hariri's approval."
The MP noted that Hariri had raised his political rhetoric to such an extent on March 13 when he rejected the possession of arms that he doesn't know what step he will take next. "Hariri should take a step back …. Whether we like it or not, he is still the Sunnis' main representative in Lebanon," he added.
"Dialogue is the only method to end our disputes," Jumblat stressed.
Addressing the government formation process, he refused to blame any side for the delay, adding: "The obstacles it is facing can all be overcome."
In addition, he noted that the ongoing construction violations in the South, the unrest in Roumieh prison, and the failure to reach any progress in the investigation into the kidnapping of the seven Estonian cyclists is a sign of the "fragmentation of the state" that has been caused by the government vacuum. Beirut, 27 Apr 11, 11:45

 

Sleiman meets with Gemayel, Qatari ambassador
April 27, 2011 /President Michel Sleiman met with Kataeb Party leader Amin Gemayel on Wednesday, according to a statement from the president’s office. The two discussed the current domestic political developments, the statement said. The statement also said that Sleiman met separately with Qatari Ambassador to Lebanon Saad Ali al-Mohannadi to discuss bilateral relations.-NOW Lebanon

Nadim Gemayel wants Mikati to answer questions
April 27, 2011 /Prime Minister-designate Najib Mikati must “answer the questions we posed to him during the [initial cabinet formation] consultations before talking about [March 14’s] participation [in his cabinet],” Kataeb bloc MP Nadim Gemayel said on Wednesday. “The entry of any party from the [March 14] forces into the government will be [decided] by the March 14 leadership,” he told Free Lebanon radio. No one should assume the March 14 coalition can be divided, Gemayel said, adding that the alliance is “one united front, and when it takes a decision it takes it by consensus,”“Mikati came to power via a coup with weapons against March 14 and the last government, and he legitimated this coup.”Mikati, appointed to the premiership on January 25 with the March 8 coalition’s backing, is currently holding talks with political parties to form his cabinet.In the first round of consultations on cabinet formation, March 14 parties asked Mikati to clarify his stance on the Special Tribunal for Lebanon and Hezbollah’s weapons. -NOW Lebanon

Fatfat: Berri should know about property violations
April 27, 2011 /Lebanon First bloc MP Ahmad Fatfat told ANB television on Wednesday that Speaker Nabih Berri “should know who allowed citizens to violate public and private properties.”“Berri said that agriculture in Bekaa was not developed enough, but he forgot that he was a partner in all previous cabinets… particularly in the agricultural field.” Fatfat also said that today’s ground transport syndicates’ protest shows there is a crisis with living conditions in the country and added that he “who imposes vacuum is responsible for that.”March 8’s excuses for the delay in the cabinet formation process are not convincing at all, he also said. Even if a cabinet is formed, it will not be able to carry out its tasks dues to political arguments, Fatfat added. Berri said on Tuesday that “he who transformed Bekaa into an arena for wanted men… and deprived Bekaa of the government’s services must be tried.”Prime Minister-designate Najib Mikati was appointed on January 25 with the Hezbollah-led March 8 coalition’s backing and is working to form his cabinet. 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. -NOW Lebanon

Germany strongly backs EU sanctions against Syria
April 27, 2011
Germany on Wednesday said it would strongly back European Union sanctions against Syria over its bloody crackdown on anti-government protestors. Government spokesperson Steffen Seibert told a regular media briefing that Berlin condemned "severe human rights violations" by Syrian forces against demonstrators and would support punitive measures by the EU. "It is being examined, also based on a German initiative, whether it is possible to agree EU sanctions against the Syrian leadership," he said. "We would strongly support such sanctions." Seibert said measures could include restricting the travel of top Syrian officials and seizing their assets, as well as cutting off economic assistance from the EU. German Foreign Ministry spokesperson Andreas Peschke said that Germany had called a meeting Friday in Brussels to discuss possible EU punitive measures against Syria and would unveil its own concrete proposals for sanctions. Seibert said Berlin also welcomed the UN Security Council's decision to take up the issue of the unrest in Syria. Germany, which is a non-permanent member of the council, would also oppose Syria joining the UN Human Rights Council when the UN General Assembly elects new members next month, Seibert said. Britain said Tuesday it was working with Washington and the EU to send a "strong signal" to Syria including sanctions. Rights activists say at least 400 people have been killed since the crackdown started last month and accuse Syrian security forces of shooting protesters dead. Diplomats said Monday that Britain, France, Germany and Portugal were seeking a UN Security Council condemnation of the killing of hundreds of demonstrators in Syria and a call for an independent investigation. -AFP/NOW Lebanon

No civil war after Assad
Hussain Abdul-Hussain, Now Lebanon
April 27, 2011
Since the outbreak of the Syrian uprising five weeks ago, President Bashar al-Assad has been forecasting a civil war should his regime fall. This scare tactic is hardly original and more in line with similar threats from Egypt’s Hosni Mubarak and Libya’s Muammar Qaddafi. Assad suggested the possibility of war during his speech before parliament in late March. Assad apologists, such as academics Joshua Landis and May Akl, followed suit, warning the world that if Assad falls, Syria will be either ruled by radical Islamists, or will turn into another ungovernable Iraq.
Meanwhile, opposition supporters dismiss the possibility of a civil war because Syria, unlike Lebanon or Iraq, is exceptionally homogenous. In Lebanon and Iraq, there are no clear demographic majorities. In Lebanon power is divided between Christians and Muslims, whereas in Iraq the Shia make up 60 percent of the population, while the rest is split between Sunnis and Kurds. Syria's clear Sunni majority means it is nowhere as diverse, and subsequently as fractious, as Lebanon and Iraq. Also unlike Lebanon and Iraq, civil strife has no significant historical precedents in Syria. Over the past few centuries, Iraq has been the fault line between the region's Sunnis and Shia. The Arab-Kurdish frontier also passes through Iraq. In Lebanon, inter-communal conflict dates as far back as the sixteenth century. The Druze often took on Maronites and at times raided the Shia of Baalbek and Tripoli. The Sunnis of northern Palestine often invaded the Shia villages in South Lebanon. On the other hand, the Ottoman states that later merged into modern-day Syria rarely saw similar wars.
Lebanon's divisions continued. When the French formed Greater Lebanon, it took Muslims a long time to recognize the existence of their new nation-state. As recently as the 1960s, lawmakers from Baalbek signed a petition demanding cessation from Lebanon to join Syria.
Unlike divided Greater Lebanon, the four states the French created in Syria were quick to merge, despite some reluctance from the Alawite state. While the Syrians created Syria, the Lebanese and the Iraqis were coerced into their states, which they have since been trying to divide. With a less diverse and less fractious population, the chances of Syria entering into a civil war are slim. So what would a post-Assad Syria look like? The answer depends on how the ruling Baathist Alawites behave. Being the best-funded and best-trained – although smallest – Syrian community gives them short-term advantages. In the long term, however, the Alawites will be outnumbered and eventually outmuscled if they choose to fight for their position in power. They could learn from the Baathists in Iraq, who embraced Islamism and initially received support from the world's radical Sunnis to fuel a civil war, until the radical elements started calling the shots and alienated their hosts, who in turn ejected them and joined the political process.In Syria, the Baathists have no international radical network to fall on. The Alawites might decide to overrule Assad if he decides to fight. Sparing the sect a suicidal adventure might emerge as the most viable option for the Alawites. Assad realizes his demographic handicap. That's why he was swift in trying to co-opt the Kurds, though he ultimately failed. Post-Assad Syria will not be another Lebanon or Iraq. And while it is difficult to predict what it will end up looking like, there are promising indications that Syria after Assad will neither turn Islamist, nor head into a civil war.
**Hussain Abdul-Hussain is the Washington Bureau Chief of Al-Rai newspaper

Rights group: Death toll in Syria Deraa attack rises to 35
04/27/2011 00:36
J.Post/AMMAN - Syrian security forces have killed at least 35 civilians since they began attacking the city of Deraa at dawn on Monday to crush an uprising, Syrian rights organization Sawasiah said on Tuesday. The organization, founded by jailed human rights lawyer Mohannad al-Hassani, said electricity, water and telecommunications remained cut in Deraa for the second day, with supplies of baby milk and blood at hospitals starting to run low.

Israel Takes Wait-And-See Approach To Syria Unrest
by Jackie Northam/NPR/April 27, 2011
An Israeli man rides a tractor in the village of Majdal Shams in the Golan Heights, near the Israeli-Syrian border on June 1, 2007. Some worry that political unrest in Syria could threaten peace in the area. The upheavals sweeping the Arab world are being watched closely by Israel.
The government there was deeply concerned when the Egyptian regime was ousted because of the potential impact on the 32-year-old peace treaty between the two countries.
Now Syria, Israel's neighbor to the north, is on fire, presenting another threat to Israel's long-term stability.
Jamil Abujabel is a farmer and businessman in Majdal Shams, a small town nestled amongst the lush, green hills of the Golan Heights. He stands behind large rolls of barbed wire running alongside a narrow road that is patrolled by Israeli security forces. Beyond that is the demilitarized zone that separates the Israeli-occupied Golan from Syria.
The demilitarized zone is heavily mined and is dotted with United Nations observation posts. Abujabel says he was just 7 years old when the zone was created.
"Until '73, there wasn't this," he says. "After the war, the October War, Yom Kippurim, they did this border, this line."
Abujabel describes himself as a Syrian who wants out from under Israeli control. But his friend Maher Ibrahim, a dentist, does not feel the same way. He says he has a good life here and is worried the trouble in Syria could spill over into the Golan Heights.
"If Bashar Assad falls and another president comes, and this president wants to change the status of the Golan Heights, then it will be a war between nations," Ibrahim says.
Stability In Golan Heights
Repeated diplomatic efforts to forge a peace agreement between Israel and Syria have come to naught. Still, the border region around the Golan Heights has been quiet for nearly 40 years.
That stability was something Israelis almost took for granted. But Syria itself is far from stable now, and Efraim Halevy, the former head of Mossad, Israel's intelligence agency, says Syrian President Bashar al-Assad failed to take the uprising there seriously — until it was too late.
"This misjudgment, from Israel's point of view, shows that his lack of judgment is something which has to worry us," Halevy says.
The Assad government maintains close ties with some of Israel's staunchest enemies: Iran, Hezbollah in Lebanon, and Hamas in the Gaza Strip. But Assad hasn't caused any problems when it comes to the Golan Heights. Because of that, analysts in Israel say it's difficult to gauge whether it would be better if Assad stays or goes.
Eyal Zisser, a professor at Tel Aviv University, says there are three main schools of thought in Israel about Syria and its leaders: "Those who say let's stay with the devil we know; those who say because of Iran we should get rid of Bashar; and those who say it's a popular movement and if Israel sees itself as part of the Middle East, it should join — or at least express its support — regardless of these strategic considerations."
Keeping A Low Profile
The uprising in Syria dominates newspapers in Israel. There are all sorts of predictions — such as how Iran will react if Assad is overthrown — and all sorts of suggestions, such as dropping medical supplies from unmanned aircraft over Syrian cities to aid the protesters.
For the moment, the Israel's government is saying little about the unrest across its northern border.
"We've taken a strategic, deliberate decision not to play into anyone's hands and to keep a very, very low profile," says Mark Regev, a spokesman for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. "The people out there demonstrating — it's not about Israel and Palestine they're demonstrating for. Why would we want to insert ourselves in an issue which could only hope to serve the interests of the more reactionary forces?"
It's unlikely Israel can affect events on the ground in Syria. Former Mossad chief Halevy says Israel can deal only with the outcome. And he says given what's happening, he wishes there had been more effort to secure a peace treaty with Syria before the uprising began. That would have helped provide some security in these unstable times.

Lebanon in limbo
Zawya
27 April 2011
Three months have passed since Najib Mikati was asked to form a new government. In this time, the Lebanese public has witnessed a seemingly endless saga of staking out positions, foot-dragging, and cryptic statements about the latest “progress.” The media has discussed and dissected the matter, as politicians and analysts wheel out their interpretations and counter-interpretations, about the Constitution, or the obstacles and hurdles, or how events in certain countries might be affecting the process. During these three months of drift, Lebanon has been shaken by a series of alarming incidents. There have been violent riots in the central prison, Roumieh, and protests in the streets.
There have been deaths on the “illegal construction” front, in a crisis that threatens to spiral out of control.
Seven Estonian nationals were kidnapped in the Bekaa Valley, with little hard evidence of their current whereabouts.
Political turbulence in the Ivory Coast has sparked a mass exodus of Lebanese expatriates and huge losses in remittances.
And, a wave of “ordinary” crimes has drawn the attention of the officials who are obliged to remain on duty as the politicians bicker over the government.
Amid all of this, people in some parts of the country ask about the value of continuing to obey the law, when the respect for public authority is trampled on in other areas.
Today, there is still no government, and little optimism. Rosy statements or “scoops” in the middle of the day turn out to be false alarms by the time night rolls around, after a politician shoots down the latest news that an agreement is drawing closer.
The heavy-duty debates over who gets what and how much in the next Cabinet might seem to be of the utmost importance to those who are involved, but they’re of little consequence to average people. The public at large is fixated on two issues of monumental importance. People are focused on how to get their daily business done and plan for the future in a country with no direction. And, they are watching the hugely important transformations taking place across the Arab world, and are wondering about the likely impact on Lebanon. There have been uprisings and unrest in about a dozen Arab countries, as some regimes go on the offensive, street by street.
Meanwhile, politicians here continue to wage war, portfolio by portfolio. Perhaps they think the Lebanese are naïve, but they’re not that naïve. The public needs to hear the answers to a few simple questions: Is there going to be a government formed? If not, why not? If yes, when?
People are mature enough to hear the answers, and be told who is responsible for their remaining in limbo for this intolerable period of time. The average citizen is simply running out of room to maneuver, and politicians have no excuse to keep things on autopilot in a region that is encountering heavy turbulence.
© Copyright The Daily Star 2011.

Assyrian, Greek, Armenian Genocide Anniversary Commemorated Publicly in Turkey
GMT 4-26-2011 2:57:57
Assyrian International News Agency
(AINA) -- Just few years ago only a handful of people in Istanbul rallied publicly on April 24 to remember the genocide perpetrated during the Ottoman reign against Armenians, Assyrians and Greeks. This year's commemorations took place in five other cities, Ankara, Bodrum, Izmir, Bursa, and Diyarbakir. At Izmir, Assyrian victims were commemorated, too. These protests are highly courageous considering the machinery of denial still at work in official Turkey. An increasing number of Turkish intellectuals refuse to accept the denial policy of their government.
One of the initiatives, "Say Stop to Racism and Nationalism!" gathered in Istanbul, Diyarbakir, Bodrum and Izmir. The slogan of the actions was "This pain belongs to all of us".
In Istanbul the branch of Turkey's Human Rights Association (IHD) organized a protest to commemorate the beginning of the genocide of 1915, in front of the Ibrahim Pasha Palace, which is now hosting the Museum of Islamic Art. The IHD slogan was "Genocide is a crime against humanity".
Reading a press statement, lawyer Eren Keskin, a member of the IHD's executive board, said:
This is the place where prominent members of the Armenian community were taken from their home and gathered on April 24, 1915, before being sent to inner parts of Anatolia and eventually, death," she said.
For state authorities and the General Staff, those people were Armenian gang members; yet, they were intellectuals representing the heart and mind of the society. They were poets, writers, MPs, scientists, doctors…
Their detention were carefully planned and silently executed. They were brought to Ibrahim Pasha Palace with fire department's vehicles to not arouse interest. Adam Andonian, who managed to survive the debacle, recalled the events in detail. Among the 220 arrested, 70 were sent to Ayas and 150 to Çankiri. 58 of the former and 81 of the latter were murdered. Furthermore, the Armenian presence in Anatolia was brutally ended by the hands of the ruling Committee of Union and Progress (ittihat ve terakki). During this period, other non-Muslim Anatolian people of Anatolia shared the same faith.
From Smyrna 1915 to Izmir 2011
The Izmir Assyrian Platform was an organizer of the Izmir rally. In a statement issued by Zeynep Tozduman on behalf of the Assyrian Platform, she writes: "Basmane neighborhood was once a lovely green place of beauty and densely inhabited by the Armenian people in 1915". Prior 1915, Greek, Armenian and Turk people lived peacefully together here and conducted business…These days, as a result of single race standardization and of Pan Islamism, no Greeks and Armenians live in the district of Basname anymore. Izmir is facing its history after 97 years! The 24th of April is for the first time commemorated in Izmir. 220 Armenian intellectuals, and likely Assyrians among them as well, are mourned."
"The Union and Progress committee of 1915 is still active in today's Turkey-- in form of armies of imams!", she adds.
President Obama's Statement on the Remembrance Day
In his annual statement on April 24th, US President Barack Obama called the killings nearly a century ago a "horrific" slaughter, but once again avoided to refer to them as "genocide" and failed to mention other Christian population groups -- Assyrians and Greeks -- who were also victims. Mr. Obama said:
We solemnly remember the horrific events that took place ninety-six years ago, resulting in one of the worst atrocities of the 20th century. In 1915, 1.5 million Armenians were massacred or marched to their death in the final days of the Ottoman Empire.
I have consistently stated my own view of what occurred in 1915, and my view of that history has not changed. A full, frank, and just acknowledgement of the facts is in all our interests….As we commemorate the Meds Yeghern [Armenian: Great Massacre] and pay tribute to the memories of those who perished, we also recommit ourselves to ensuring that devastating…
As expected, even this statement triggered an official protest from Turkey. Turkish Foreign Minister Davutoglu criticized Obama, stating: "President Obama's statement issued on April 23, 2011, takes a one-sided approach, reflecting Armenian views, regarding the dispute between Turks and Armenians on the painful part of their common history. This statement distorts the historical facts. Therefore, we find it very problematic and deeply regret it."
By Abdulmesih Barabrahem

Collective Punishment of Egyptian Christians For Death of Two Muslims
GMT 4-26-2011 2:39:14
Assyrian International News Agency
(AINA) -- After the death of two Muslims on April 18 sectarian violence broke out in the southern Egyptian town of Abu Qurqas El Balad, in Minya Governorate, 260 KM south of Cairo. One Christian Copt was killed, an old woman was thrown out of her second floor balcony and ten Copts were hospitalized. Coptic homes, shops, businesses, fields and livestock were plundered and torched.
Christians lived in terror, anticipating a blood bath on Friday, April 22 because Muslims as announced their intention to avenge the death of the two Muslims. Rumors spread throughout Abu Qurqas of many strangers and of trucks loaded with weapons coming into the village to carry out the threats during the Easter week. The terrorized Christian villagers sent pleas everywhere, asking for protection, even to Coptic groups in Europe and the U.S.
"Muslims threw my old mother out of the second floor balcony and torched my home," said Adel Abdulllah to Hazem Refaat of Free Copts advocacy. His business and home were torched and his father and three brothers were arrested on suspicion of killing the two Muslims.
Copt Eid Roshdy, was stabbed during the violence and later died in hospital.
According to Bishop Makarious twenty Coptic families had their homes and businesses looted by Muslims then torched, and their livestock was stolen. "One shop was only 50 meters away from the police station," he said. He also confirmed the story of the mother of Adel Abdullah who was thrown out of the second floor balcony.
Curfew was imposed in the village on Tuesday and Wednesday evening, from 7 PM until 6 AM to control the violence but various sources reported that looting and destruction of Coptic property continued after the curfew, even in the presence of the army and police.
According to the villagers a fight broke out on Monday, April 18 between the two Muslim families, Abdel-Kader and el-Gazzar which resulted in the death of two Muslims. Meanwhile an altercation took place in front of the villa of Coptic attorney Alaa Reda Roushdy between a minibus driver and passengers and the guards of the villa over a speed hump built in front of the residence, which the driver claimed was damaging busses. People congregated and the villa guards shot into the air to disperse the crowd. The Copts were accused of killing the two Muslims.
Bishop Makarious of Minya and Abu Qurqas said the first version of the story was the Muslims were killed during the fight between two Muslim families, then the story changed to accuse the Copts.
Ayad Shaban, a local villager told Al Karma TV the two Muslims were killed in the Eastern side of village where the majority of the Muslims live. "Then the story of the speed hump came and Muslims connected the two together and accused the Christians of the killing. There is no proof the Christians killed the Muslims." He added that relationship between Muslims and Christians are usually good and believes whoever created this story came from outside the village and incited the Muslims.
In retaliation, Muslims attacked and looted two tourist coffee shops belonging to attorney Roushdy. One coffee shop was turned into a mosque called the "Martyrs" and the second one was destroyed.
Next day during the funeral of the Muslims hundreds of Muslims from neighboring villages joined and notes were distributed among them saying the Christians were the culprit. After burying the dead the Muslim mob shouted for revenge for their two "martyrs" and attacked Christian homes while shouting "Allahu Akbar." (video shows Muslims looting Coptic property before torching it while chanting "Allahu Akbar." Army soldiers are seen passing through the looters).
Father Rofail of the Saints Church in Abu Qorqas said "It was terrible, the people who were in the funeral left and started shooting in the air and throwing Molotov cocktails at homes and fields belonging to Copts; some homes were demolished. Anything belonging to Christians was destroyed."
According to Coptic activist Nader Shoukry, fifteen Copts and eight Muslims have been detained for the murder of the two Muslims. No one has been detained for the attacks against the Copts. "None of the Muslims who looted and destroyed Coptic property was questioned," said Bishop Makarious. He added it was a miracle that the Copts were not harmed when their homes were torched. "They had to jump over the roofs of the neighboring houses to escape the flames. In one instance a wall had to be broken between two houses to get the people out as they could not escape otherwise." He criticized the police and the army for not bringing the situation under control. "We expected more from the police and army, but they were not impartial."
The new Governor of Minya appeared on Egyptian Hayat TV and said the incidents in Abu Qurqas El Balad was not sectarian but a fight over a speed hump which escalated, and denied the loss of property.
Security forces prevented TV stations from filming inside the village and Muslims also attempted to prevent Christians from filming, but many video clips have been uploaded to youtube (video showing Coptic homes after looting).
Coptic attorney Dr. Ihab Ramzy called on Copts who have had their property damaged or lost to file a complaint with the police in order for him to represents them for compensation. He said they had to name the assailants in their report, but this may be not be possible because the victims were threatened by Muslims not to mention their names.
Attorney Roushdy was arrested by the military two days ago and accused of provoking riots which led to the death and injury of citizens. Today the military ordered him to be detained for 15 days pending investigations.
By Mary Abdelmassih
Copyright (C) 2011, Assyrian International News Agency. All Rights Reserved. Terms of Use.

Despite Reports of Brutality Toward Civilians, Syria to Join U.N.'s Human Rights Council
By Ben Evansky
Published April 26, 2011
FoxNews.com
Oct. 2: Syrian President Bashar Assad, right, gestures, after he is awarded with Iran's highest national medal by his Iranian counterpart Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, in Tehran, Iran. Assad has overlooked the White House's efforts to improve relations in favor of alliances with Iran and militant groups such as Hezbollah and the Palestinian Hamas.
The brutal crackdown by Syrian President Bashar Assad may finally be getting the attention of world leaders -- but apparently not enough to stop Syria from becoming the newest member of the U.N. Human Rights Council.
And despite calling for an independent investigation into the crackdown, which has left hundreds dead, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon apparently won’t do much about blocking Syria’s path to the human rights group.
"That's not really for the secretary general to suggest to a member state," said Martin Nesirky, a spokesman for the secretary-general, when asked if the U.N. chief would ask Syria to drop out of the running for the post. When asked if Ban had brought up the point during his telephone conversation April 9 with Assad, Nesirsky told Fox News, "that's not really something the secretary general would raise specifically, because it's for other member states to decide on the membership of the Human Rights Council."
Ammar Abdulhamid, a Syrian human rights activist based in Washington, called on the secretary-general "to have a greater sense of decency and courage, and to realize that his position gives him a certain moral authority and puts him exactly in the position to tell the Assads that their candidacy at this stage is unwelcome." Abdulhamid was forced to flee Syria in 2005 following criticism of the Assad regime, and still finds himself under attack by the regime. His website was recently hacked and now posts the latest videos and news on his blog (http://syrianrevolutiondigest.blogspot.com).
A State Department spokesman last week said the U.S. would oppose Syria's bid to the Human Rights Council, calling it "inappropriate and hypocritical." But it would seem Syria is virtually guaranteed a seat, having been selected as one of four candidates for the Asian bloc.
While no Asian state is known to be looking to challenge Syria, Rupert Colville, the spokesperson for the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay, told Fox News that, "clearly it's an issue being discussed among the States and obviously depends on whether other countries in the Asian group put themselves up as a candidate." Asked if the U.N.’s Human Rights supremo, who has condemned the violence in Syria, would get involved, he echoed the words of Ban Ki-moon's spokesman, telling Fox News: "It's a matter for the States."
Anne Bayefsky, a senior fellow with the Hudson Institute and an expert on Human Rights issues at the U.N., tells Fox News that "Syria knows a good deal when it sees it and the like-minded countries in the Asian regional group that nominated Syria are just as enthusiastic about the U.N.'s idea of a "human rights" body. So the question for the Obama administration is not how do we keep Syria out, but why is the United States in?" She believes that the administration is working hard to keep Syria from gaining a seat "but for all the wrong reasons -- namely, to save the spectacle of an American foreign policy outsourced to the U.N."
Requests for comment from both the Syrian spokesman at their D.C. embassy and their U.N. ambassador went unanswered. However, as a prerequisite for membership to the Human Rights Council, countries are asked to fill out a Human Rights pledge. This is some of Syria’s pledge:(http://www.un.org/ga/search/view_doc.asp?symbol=A/65/784) "Syria's candidature to the Human Rights Council signifies its commitment to respect and to support the inalienable and indivisible nature of all human rights, both on the national and international levels. Syria believes that its membership of the Human Rights Council would contribute toward enriching the quality of dialogue, cooperation and action aimed at promotion and protection of human rights for all peoples.”
Abulhamid, who runs the non-profit Tharwa Foundation, which is dedicated to promoting democracy in the Middle East and North Africa, tells Fox News that "it's absolutely disgusting," that just as the Syrian leadership goes on "a murderous rampage" through Syria that it is being considered for membership to the council. He tells Fox News: "We hope that there is still a way to avert this tragic situation."
Bayefsky, who also edits eyeontheun.org. isn't so hopeful. "The secretary-general is focused on securing his reappointment. He doesn't have time for protecting human rights, at least when it runs the risk of offending potential supporters among the 56 state members of the Organization of the Islamic Conference," she says.
The vote takes place on May 20 at the United Nations General Assembly in New York.