LCCC
ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
ِApril
29/2011
Biblical Event Of The
Day
Mark 16/14-20: "16:14 Afterward he was revealed to the eleven themselves as they
sat at the table, and he rebuked them for their unbelief and hardness of heart,
because they didn’t believe those who had seen him after he had risen. 16:15 He
said to them, “Go into all the world, and preach the Good News to the whole
creation. 16:16 He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who
disbelieves will be condemned. 16:17 These signs will accompany those who
believe: in my name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new
languages; 16:18 they will take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing,
it will in no way hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will
recover.” 16:19 So then the Lord*, after he had spoken to them, was received up
into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God. 16:20 They went out, and
preached everywhere, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word by the
signs that followed. Amen.
Latest
analysis, editorials, studies, reports, letters & Releases
from
miscellaneous
sources
Syria: Dictator Assad's war on his
own people/By: Walid Phares/April
28/11
Behind the curve on Syria/By: Tony
Badran/April
28/11
Lebanese MP Jamal al-Jarrah fears
for his life in relation to Syria's false accusations/Now Lebanon
Mikati’s bitter options/By Elias
Sakr/April
28/11
Western Pretexts/By:
Hassan Haidar/April
28/11
Latest News Reports From Miscellaneous Sources for April
28/11
Syrian rights group says protester
death toll rises to 500/By Reuters/AP
UN Security Council fails to
condemn Syria protest crackdown/By Reuters/Haaretz
More deaths as water, power cut in
Syrian protest town/Now Lebanon
Turkey discusses situation in
Syria/Now Lebanon
Fatah-Hamas accord – by-product of
secret Israel-Turkish talks, Syrian crisis/DEBKAfile
Report: Syria, Hezbollah to unite
if war with Israel
erupts/J.Post
Bashar al-Assad's inner circle/BBC
Hundreds Of Syrians Flee Into
Northern Lebanon On Foot/Zawya
Syria
officials 'quit in protest'/BBC
Push in UN for Criticism of
Syria Is
Rejected/New York Times
UNHRC to hold special
Syria
session Friday/J.Post
Syria unrest takes toll on
Lebanon border towns/Zawya
Syria
crackdown continues despite international condemnation/The National
European nations condemn Syria's violent crackdown on protesters/Los
Angeles Times
Two hundred Baathists resign in Syria's Deraa/Reuters
Syria denies any split in army/Xinhua
Syria's intelligence may have assassinated Hezbollah's Mughniye,
Wikileaks/iloubnan.info
Gaddafi's daughter: 'World should come together'/J.Post
Britain Withdraws Syria Envoy's
Royal Wedding Invitation/Naharnet
Three People Missing in Tripoli/Naharnet
Report: 'Tacit Time Limit'
to Carry out Illegal Construction Near Airport/Naharnet
Berri Calls for Speeding
up Cabinet Formation, Says Lebanon's Stand at Security Council is Normal/Naharnet
March 14: March 8 Camp is
Afraid to Form a Government and its Excuses Demonstrate its Failure/Naharnet
Shami Did Not Contact
Hariri Regarding Lebanon's Position at Security Council/Naharnet
Jumblat Fears Sunni-Shiite
Division May Escalate into a Conflict/Naharnet
UN
Security Council fails to condemn Syria protest crackdown
By Reuters/Haaretz
A European push for the UN Security Council to condemn Syria's violent crackdown
on anti-government protesters was blocked on Wednesday by resistance from
Russia, China and Lebanon, envoys said. Instead, Western countries called a
public debate on Syria, but the meeting highlighted differences in the 15-nation
council, with Russia charging that it was outside interference in Arab countries
that could be a threat to peace. French United Nations Ambassador Gerard Araud
speaks at United Nations headquarters in New York, March 24, 2011.
Earlier this week Britain, France, Germany and Portugal circulated to the other
11 council members a draft statement condemning the crackdown, in which hundreds
have been reported killed, and urging restraint by the Damascus government. They
were supported by the United States. But French Ambassador Gerard Araud told
reporters positions were so far apart that "negotiating a press statement would
take so much time that we preferred to have immediately ... a public session to
transmit the message." He said a statement might be issued at some point in the
future. "There will be no statement," a Security Council diplomat told Reuters
on condition of anonymity. Permanent veto-wielding council members Russia and
China have become increasingly critical of the UN-backed intervention to protect
civilians in Libya, which they believe aims to oust leader Muammar Gadhafi.
"Their tolerance of U.S. and European attempts to protect civilians in the
Middle East appears to have dissipated," a UN official told Reuters. Diplomats
said the Lebanese delegation also opposed the idea of condemning Syria. Lebanon,
the sole Arab nation on the Security Council, has had a troubled relationship
with its neighbor and Syrian influence remains strong there. Last week the
Council failed to agree a similar statement condemning Yemen's crackdown against
protesters, who have demanded greater freedoms and called on President Ali
Abdullah Saleh to step down.
Divided Council
At Wednesday's debate on Syria, U.S. Ambassador Susan Rice and other Western
delegates denounced what they called repression of peaceful demonstrators.
They also backed a call by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon for an independent
inquiry into the violence in Syria and voiced skepticism about Syrian reforms,
such as the lifting of decades-old emergency rule. "All announcements of reforms
are undermined by the ongoing violence," said German Ambassador Peter Wittig,
who like several other Western speakers warned of possible sanctions by the
European Union and others. The prospect of sanctions by the divided Security
Council looks remote.
But most other speakers took a cautious line, urging restraint and a peaceful
resolution of the Syrian crisis.
Russian envoy Alexander Pankin said the Syrian situation "does not present a
threat to international peace and security" -- a condition for Security Council
involvement -- and that the demonstrators had also been violent. "A real threat
to regional security, in our view, could arise from outside interference in
Syria's domestic situation, including attempts to push ready-made solutions or
taking of sides," he said in a clear hit at the West.
Some demonstrators in Arab countries wanted the outside world to take their
side, he said. "Such approaches lead to a never-ending cycle of violence. This
is a type of invitation to civil war," Pankin said. In a defiant speech, Syrian
Ambassador Bashar Ja'afari blamed the violence on "extremist groups whose
fundamental objective is clearly the fall of the Syrian government." The
authorities had shown the "utmost restraint," he said. "Some of the statements
we heard today can only be considered an encouragement to extremism and
terrorism," Ja'afari said, repeating allegations from Damascus that foreign
forces were inciting the unrest. France's Araud dismissed the charge. "Every
dictatorship facing opposition usually says there is foreign involvement," he
told reporters. "So it's not new."
Syrian
rights group says protester death toll rises to 500
By Reuters and The Associated Press
Syrian security forces have killed at least 500 civilians in a crackdown of a
"peaceful democratic uprising", Syrian human rights organization Sawasiah said
on Thursday.
Sawasiah, founded by jailed Syrian human rights lawyer Mohannad al-Hassani, also
said thousands of Syrians have been arrested and scores have gone missing after
demonstrations demanding political freedoms and an end to corruption erupted
almost six weeks ago. A Syrian protester beats a poster of Syrian President
Bashar Assad with a shoe, as he attends protest against the on going violence in
Syria, April 27, 2011. Syria's uprising against Assad's authoritarian regime
started in Daraa, the provincial capital, on March 15. Assad has tried to crush
the revolt, the gravest challenge to his family's 40-year ruling dynasty. The
city at the heart of Syria's month-long uprising ran low on food, water and
medicine as the army sent in more tanks and reinforcements as part of a widening
crackdown against opponents of President Bashar Assad's authoritarian regime,
witnesses said.
Residents in Daraa said Wednesday that at least five army officers had sided
with demonstrators, and conscripted soldiers sent into the city were quietly
refusing orders to detain people at checkpoints and were allowing some people
through to get scarce supplies. But the Syrian government denied that there had
been any splits in the military, which is seen as fiercely loyal to Assad.
Gunfire and sporadic explosions were heard in Daraa, two days after the military
rolled in - backed by tanks and snipers. The army also deployed tanks around the
Damascus suburb of Douma and the coastal city of Banias, the site of large
demonstrations recently. "We have no electricity, no water, no telephones and no
bread," resident Abdullah Abazeid told The Associated Press by satellite
telephone from Daraa, where the uprising began more than five weeks ago. "The
situation is terrible." The repression, however, has only emboldened protesters
who started their revolt with calls for modest reforms but are now increasingly
demanding Assad's downfall. Syria has banned nearly all foreign media and
restricted access to trouble spots since the uprising began, making it almost
impossible to verify the dramatic events shaking one of the most authoritarian
regimes in the Arab world. The relentless government throttling of the protest
movement showed no sign of letting up. One Douma resident said security agents
were going house to house, carrying lists of wanted people and conducting raids.
If the agents did not find the person they were looking for, they seized his
relatives, the resident added. A witness in Banias said the army redeployed
tanks and armored personnel carriers near the main highway into the city. In the
coastal city of Latakia, an activist said security forces fired live bullets and
a stun grenade at demonstrators in poor neighborhoods near the city's
Palestinian refugee camp of al-Ramel. He said four people were wounded and
several others were detained. The opposition is getting more organized as the
uprising gains momentum, but it is still largely a grassroots movement. There
are no credible opposition leaders who have risen to the level of being
considered as a possible successor to Assad.
A human rights activist in Syria says more than 200 members have quit the ruling
Baath party in the southern province at the epicenter of the country's uprising
to protest President Bashar Assad's brutal crackdown on opponents. Mustafa Osso
says another 30 resigned in the coastal city of Banias. A resident of the city
of Daraa said on Thursday that most of the resignations came from Baath party
members in the town of Inkhil. He spoke on condition of anonymity, fearing
reprisals.
Three People Missing in Tripoli
Naharnet/ Two Lebanese citizens and a Palestinian from Tripoli's Bab al-Tabbaneh
neighborhood have disappeared, al-Akhbar daily reported Thursday.
It said worried parents headed to hospitals and resorted to the security forces
to find out the whereabouts of the men. Police have no information about the
three men except for finding the ID of one of the missing and the motorcycle of
another in Tripoli's Mina district, the newspaper added. Bab al-Tabbaneh
residents are mainly from the Alawite community allied with Hizbullah and Syria.
In the past, they have clashed with Tripoli's Jabal Mohsen residents who are
Sunnis. Beirut, 28 Apr 11, 10:45
March 14: March 8 Camp is Afraid to Form a Government and its Excuses
Demonstrate its Failure
Naharnet/March 14 General Secretariat coordinator Fares Soaid criticized on
Wednesday Speaker Nabih Berri's recent statements on Syria, saying that they
"involve Lebanon in Syria's internal affairs in a very dangerous manner." He
said after the general secretariat's weekly meeting: "His statements expose
Lebanon on all levels and we question such remarks seeing as they were issued
from a man of state such as Nabih Berri." Addressing the government formation
process, he noted: "The March 8 camp is demonstrating its complete political
ineptness after it failed to form a Cabinet." "The March 14 camp is the only
political group that has a central agenda to save Lebanon," he stated. Soaid
added that eliminating the possession of illegitimate arms will end Lebanon's
crisis. "The March 8 camp is viewing the developments in the region and it is
therefore afraid to form a new government," he stressed. Commenting on caretaker
Ali Shami's request from Lebanon's Ambassador to the United Nations, Nawwaf
Salam, not to approve a Security Council draft statement condemning the use of
violence against protestors in Syria, he said: "Lebanon's ambassador not only
represents our country, but the entire Arab world." Beirut, 27 Apr 11, 17:11
Suleiman Reportedly Ready to Give up Interior Ministry Portfolio
Naharnet/President Michel Suleiman informed Premier-designate Najib Miqati that
he was ready to give up his demand for the interior ministry portfolio in return
for giving the seat to a neutral personality, al-Akhbar daily reported on
Thursday. The newspaper quoted sources following up the cabinet formation
process as saying that Suleiman called Miqati on Wednesday to inform him about
his stance. It said Miqati's circles preferred to adopt a wait-and-see approach
rather than being optimistic. Baabda palace sources also told al-Liwaa daily
that agreement would be reached to grant the portfolio to a personality that
appeases all sides. The premier-designate's circles said, however, that the main
obstacle behind the formation of the government was still the bickering between
Suleiman and Free Patriotic Movement leader Michel Aoun over the interior
ministry portfolio. They told An Nahar and As Safir newspapers that Miqati won't
give up his task of forming a productive cabinet but he would eventually take
the appropriate decision if the efforts to solve the deadlock fail. The
premier-designate has reportedly two cabinet lineups ready in case negotiations
fail – a 30-member government made up mainly of politicians in addition to
technocrats and a 24-member technocrat cabinet. Pending such a decision, Miqati
is relying on the aides of the speaker and the Hizbullah leader, respectively MP
Ali Hassan Khalil and Hussein Khalil, and the envoys of Druze leader Walid
Jumblat to bridge the gap between Suleiman and Aoun, As Safir said. Beirut, 28
Apr 11, 09:20
Hundreds of Syrians Flee Unrest into Northern Lebanon as Army Boosts Measures on
Border
Naharnet/Hundreds of Syrians on Thursday fled into northern Lebanon on foot
after they said unrest broke out in the Syrian border town of Tall Kalakh,
Agence France Presse reported.
Those fleeing, mostly women and children, carried mattresses and their
belongings as they entered Lebanon through an unofficial border crossing in the
Wadi Khaled border region located in Lebanon's northern district of Akkar.
Mahmood Khazaal, the former mayor of the Lebanese town of Mkaybleh, located at
the border, said some 700 people had fled and were seeking refuge with family
and friends in Lebanon. "A few people fled last night but the pace really picked
up this morning beginning at 8:00 am," Khazaal told AFP. "Most of those fleeing
have family in the Wadi Khaled region." An official crossing point between the
two countries is located about a kilometer from Mkaybleh but those fleeing said
the road leading to it had been blocked with stones and tires, thus preventing
cars from reaching the border. The news came after An Nahar daily reported that
the Lebanese army and security forces have deployed along the Nahr al-Kabir
river on the border with Syria in the north. The newspaper quoted eyewitnesses
as saying that heavy security measures were taken along the river from Arida all
the way to the Wadi Khaled area on Wednesday night. The witnesses told An Nahar
that they heard heavy shooting on the Syrian side of the border in the area of
al-Baqiaa. They also said that armored vehicles were seen heading from their
bases in Akkar towards the border with Syria. Residents of border villages said
that the army and security forces also carried out foot and vehicle patrols as
part of efforts to control the porous border with Syria and combat
smuggling.(AFP-Naharnet) Beirut, 28 Apr 11, 07:41
Angry Youth Block Roads to Protest Rising Fuel Prices
Naharnet/Angry citizens blocked several roads with burning tires on Wednesday
night, the same day taxi and bus drivers drove their vehicles in a long queue to
protest the rise in gasoline prices. At midnight, youth blocked a road in
Beirut's Beshara al-Khoury district but then dispersed when security forces
arrived at the scene of the incident. A group of youth in Aley blocked the
Sofar-Dahr al-Baidar highway with burning tires for more than an hour on
Wednesday night. Security forces later opened the road, but protests renewed
after 10:00 pm when protestors blocked the entrance of the town. Angry residents
also burned tires in Nabatiyeh and Hboush. The action of drivers on Wednesday
consisted of a convoy of vehicles which traveled to a number of ministries
honking horns to express discontent. The prices of 98 Octane and 95 Octane rose
to LL36,600 and LL35,900 respectively, after undergoing a LL500 price hike.
Diesel rose to LL31,100. Informed sources ruled out to An Nahar daily any new
agreement within the caretaker cabinet to solve the problem similar to a
previous deal to decree a gas tax cut of LL5,000. Wednesday's actions, in
addition to a May 19 protest that the labor sector is planning to hold, further
complicate the political crisis. Beirut, 28 Apr 11, 08:29
More
deaths as water, power cut in Syrian protest town
April 28, 2011 /Water and power have been cut in the southern Syrian city of
Daraa, with at least 42 people killed since Syrian troops stormed in three days
ago, a rights activist said Thursday. "The situation is worsening. We have
neither doctors nor medical supplies, not even baby milk. The electricity is
always cut and we haven't any more water," Abdallah Abazid told AFP in Nicosia
by telephone from Daraa. The Syrian army, supported by tanks and armored
vehicles, stormed into Daraa to quell the unprecedented challenge that since
March 15 has shaken the regime of President Bashar al-Assad. At least 42
"martyrs" have been killed since Monday, Abazid said. Their families, he added,
had been unable to bury them because "security forces were firing on anybody
visiting the cemetery," which is controlled by the army. Sporadic gunfire had
been heard in the town, while an aircraft flew overhead, Abazid said. "I think
it was a surveillance plane," he added. He also said there had been defections
from the army. Some soldiers "of the 5th company joined the residents to defend
against the security services," he said, although it was not possible to verify
this information. The Baath party has had a monopoly on power since 1963, but is
now also confronted with collective resignations, with more than 230 party
members leaving on Wednesday. Since March 15, when protests began, at least 453
people have been killed, according to the Syrian Observatory of Human Rights.-AFP/NOW
Lebanon
Lebanese MP Jamal al-Jarrah fears for his life
April 28, 2011 /Future bloc MP Jamal al-Jarrah said in an interview published on
Thursday that he fears a destiny similar to his fellow March 14 figures who were
assassinated after being threatened. He told Kuwaiti newspaper As-Seyassah that
false campaign would be launched targeting a person who was later assassinated,
adding he is currently very cautious.
Jarrah also said the accusations against him are part of a political campaign
against Lebanon. The MP added that during his meeting with Speaker Nabih Berri,
he voiced his condemnation to the manner in which Syrian Ambassador to Lebanon
Ali Abdel Karim Ali addressed the Syrian TV allegations against him without
providing any proof or submitting a judicial file. Syrian President Bashar
al-Assad's regime has been rocked by unprecedented protests since March 15
demanding reform. Three suspects testified two weeks ago on Syrian state
television that they received arms and weapons from abroad to fuel a wave of
protests in the country, naming Jarrah as a funder. Following the accusations
against Jarrah, the Syrian envoy urged Lebanese authorities to take legal action
on the matter. The Future Movement and Jarrah have both repeatedly denied the
charges and labeled them as “fabrications.”-NOW Lebanon
Turkey discusses situation in Syria
April 28, 2011 /Turkey's leadership convened Thursday to discuss raging unrest
in neighboring Syria before dispatching an envoy to step up pressure on Damascus
for reform, AFP reported. The revolt against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad,
with whom Ankara has close ties, and its possible spill-over effects on Turkey,
were to top the agenda of the bi-monthly meeting of the National Security
Council (MGK), which brings together the country's civilian and military
leaders.
Turkey's ambassador to Syria, Ömer Önhon, was also set to participate in the
gathering, chaired by Turkish President Abdullah Gul, officials said, according
to AFP.
A special envoy was scheduled to head to Damascus later "to convey proposals and
recommendations to help Syria emerge from the current deadlock," a government
official told AFP on condition of anonymity. The proposals would focus "on
economic and political reform and measures to overcome the security situation,"
he said.
If Damascus agrees to listen to the appeal, Ankara is ready to send experts to
assist the Syrian authorities, he added. A Turkish delegation was already in
Damascus for preliminary contacts, a diplomat said. On Tuesday, Turkish Prime
Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who enjoys close personal relations with Assad,
called the Syrian leader to press for reform, following a call with US President
Barack Obama.-AFP/NOW Lebanon
Behind the curve on Syria
Tony Badran, April 28, 2011
The Obama administration remains badly behind the curve on Syria. Despite news
reports of a “shift” on Syria, the administration’s latest decision to impose
targeted sanctions on Bashar al-Assad’s inner circle actually highlights that,
even at this point in the game, the White House’s operating principle with the
Assad regime remains “behavior change.” With conflicting messages and no
articulated strategy, Washington is doubling down on failed ideas, continuing to
hold out delusional hope that Assad will miraculously “reform.”
During a press briefing on Monday, White House Press Secretary Jay Carney
publicly expressed this position. Asked about the meaning and impact of targeted
sanctions, Carney replied, “Sanctions can put pressure on governments and
regimes to change their behavior.” He added, “We continue to encourage President
Assad ... to honor the promises that [he] has made … to institute reform.”
The hoax of the “reformist Assad” simply won’t go away, even as Assad butchers
people in the streets on a daily basis. If it wasn’t clear before, it certainly
is now, that this is a zero-sum game for the Syrian president. It is impossible
for him to reform, for doing so means losing his hold on power.
Moreover, what reforms, exactly, does the US administration think Assad should,
and would, implement, when the protesters in the streets have long moved to
calling for the downfall of the regime that he heads? Besides, hadn’t the White
House stated that Assad’s declared “reforms” were “not serious”? Assad made no
other “promises.” He only made threats of more violence – the only promise he’s
ever kept.
To say the least, this is a position that’s been overtaken by events. Does the
administration really believe that Assad, who’s fighting for his very survival,
will take measures that would facilitate his ouster, regardless of sanctions?
But here’s where Washington’s incoherence is further highlighted. To date, the
administration has made a point of adamantly and repeatedly refusing to come out
and say that Assad has lost his legitimacy to lead, even when it was far quicker
in adopting such a position with a US ally, former Egyptian President Hosni
Mubarak, who was also nowhere near as brutal as Assad.
To add to the puzzlement, the US sanctions won’t target Assad personally.
Rather, as reported by An-Nahar on Wednesday, they are likely to go after his
brother Maher and other high-ranking officials. What this approach achieves is
to further indulge another fantasy – that Assad is somehow separate from his own
regime; a lone, closet reformer held back by hardliners in his entourage.
The most absurd articulation of this belief came from a “senior official,” who
let the New York Times in on the administration’s bizarre thinking on Assad: “He
sees himself as a Westernized leader, and we think he’ll react if he believes he
is being lumped in with brutal dictators.”
The confusion is further compounded by the proliferation of paradoxical
statements. As that senior official was making those comments to the Times,
another official was explaining to Foreign Policy that the reason why the
general assessment in the administration had been that the Syrian crisis would
“never grow this serious,” was that Assad was “not afraid to be brutal.”
That is hardly the only example of conflicting messages. For instance, while the
administration’s public position was to call on Assad to reform, and that
sanctions were designed to achieve such behavior change (even as officials
lamented the supposed lack of leverage), the Wall Street Journal reported that
officials involved in the sanctions deliberations did not believe that Assad can
“embrace meaningful reforms.” In fact, the paper added, doubts are also growing
in the administration that Assad will survive the uprising.
If this is the case, then the administration ought to be thinking much farther
ahead, well beyond discussing sanctions. If there is conviction that Assad’s
days are numbered, then serious preparation must be done for post-Assad Syria.
As such, the US ought to be conferring with key stakeholders (such as Turkey,
which increasingly seems to share this assessment of Assad’s chances) about
managing the transition in Syria to a more pluralistic political order.
Such an approach would put the Obama administration ahead of the curve, and
beyond mere reaction to criticism of its regional policy. However, that would
require assertive leadership – not “from behind.” It would also mean revamping
the entire thinking on Syria, and shelving the bad ideas that have framed the
failed Syria policy (“wooing Assad away from Iran” or restarting the
Syrian-Israeli peace track). Most importantly, it requires strategic clarity. In
the absence of a coherent strategy statement, Obama’s decision to sanction top
figures in the Syrian regime remains merely a fig leaf.
**Tony Badran is a research fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.
Mikati’s bitter options
April 28, 2011
By Elias Sakr/ The Daily Star /Three months have passed since Prime
Minister-designate Najib Mikati was tasked by the Hezbollah-led March 8
coalition with forming a Cabinet, but tangible signs are yet to materialize over
a breakthrough in the efforts to form a government. When the Saudi-Syrian
compromise collapsed last January, Hezbollah and its allies rushed to topple
Prime Minister Saad Hariri’s government.
The decision to oust Hariri came after he refused to comply with Hezbollah’s
conditions for remaining in office – the party was particularly determined to
end Beirut’s cooperation with the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, which was a
pillar of the Saudi-Syrian agreement.
Once the new parliamentary majority designated Mikati, it expected the head of
the new government to carry out what Hariri had refused to endorse, because
expecting anything less from the prime minister-designate would defeat the
purpose of his nomination and the ousting of Hariri.
Thus, one should examine the government formation process and its related
complications, as going beyond the reportedly disputed distribution of
portfolios, as it extends to the overall perception of the new government in the
regional contest that pits Iran and its regional ally Damascus against the U.S.
and the Saudi-led GCC coalition.
While March 8 pro-Syrian figures argue that Damascus would benefit from an
allied government in Beirut and consequently is seeking its prompt formation,
March 14 officials insist that Syria might intentionally be delaying the process
to use it as leverage in its negotiations with the West. But irrespective of
Damascus’ exact position vis-à-vis the formation of a government, Mikati seems
to be endorsing a wait-and-see approach as the direction of events in Syria is
yet to unfold. The mounting unrest over the last few days and Syrian President
Bashar Assad’s decision to crush the opposition seems to further complicate
Mikati’s task. When Hariri refused to succumb to Hezbollah’s demand to scrap his
government’s cooperation with the international community, symbolized by working
with the U.N.-backed tribunal, he was fully aware of the negative repercussions
that Lebanon and he might suffer as the result of confronting the international
community. Mikati, like Hariri, seems to have reached the same conclusion amid
warnings by U.S. officials against the formation of a “Hezbollah-oriented”
government, which have overlapped with an intensification of the crackdown on
Hezbollah’s financial operatives. The crackdown led to the recent blacklisting
of the Lebanese-Canadian Bank by the U.S. Treasury Department based on
allegations of money laundering tied to Hezbollah, which the U.S. lists as a
Terrorist Foreign Organization, making it a criminal act for anyone to provide
material assistance to the party. Although the decision resulted from several
years of investigations, the timing of the move can be easily read as a clear
warning against succumbing to Hezbollah’s growing dominance, raising fears over
the stability of Lebanon’s banking sector. Thus, Mikati is less likely to
withstand international and domestic pressure at a time when Assad’s regime
faces a popular uprising, in contrast to when Damascus, from a dominant
position, threw its full weight behind Hezbollah’s demands and its decision to
oust Hariri.
In other words, it is as costly for Mikati to form what U.S. officials has
recently dubbed as a “Hezbollah-dominated” Cabinet as it was too costly for
Hariri to bear the consequences of the Syrian-Saudi compromise sought by
Hezbollah. Accordingly, the obvious question arises: Will Mikati step down, or
will regional developments change course, and let him reassert his position as
head of the new government?
Britain Withdraws Syria Envoy's Royal Wedding Invitation
Naharnet/Britain on Thursday withdrew the Syrian ambassador's invitation to the
wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton, saying the regime's crackdown on
protesters made his presence "unacceptable". Foreign Secretary William Hague
made the decision and the royal family agreed that Sami Khiyami should not
attend Friday's ceremony, the Foreign Office said in a statement, following
criticism from rights groups. "In the light of this week's attacks against
civilians by the Syrian security forces, which we have condemned, the foreign
secretary has decided that the presence of the Syrian ambassador at the royal
wedding would be unacceptable and that he should not attend," the statement
said.
The Foreign Office defended the initial invitation, saying the Syrian envoy had
been invited alongside all countries with which Britain has normal diplomatic
relations and which have ambassadors in London. "An invitation does not mean
endorsement or approval of the behavior of any government, simply that we have
normal diplomatic relations with that country," it said. Buckingham Palace, the
official residence of Queen Elizabeth II, Prince William's grandmother, said it
agreed with the decision. "Buckingham Palace shares the view of the Foreign
Office that it is not considered appropriate for the Syrian ambassador to attend
the wedding," a palace spokeswoman told Agence France Presse. Rights groups say
at least 453 civilians have been killed in Syria since protests against the
regime of President Bashar Assad first erupted in mid-March.(AFP) Beirut, 28 Apr
11, 13:41
Fatah, Hamas Reach Agreement on Interim Unity Govt, Elections
Naharnet/Rival Palestinian groups Hamas and Fatah reached an "understanding" in
Cairo on Wednesday to set up a transitional unity government and to hold
elections, prompting a swift warning from Israel. Israeli Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu demanded that Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas, who heads
Fatah, "choose between peace with Israel or peace with Hamas." And Washington,
the key sponsor of direct Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations which collapsed
last September, warned that any Palestinian unity government must renounce
violence. "The United States supports Palestinian reconciliation on terms which
promote the cause of peace," said U.S. National Security Council spokesman Tommy
Vietor.
"To play a constructive role in achieving peace, any Palestinian government must
... renounce violence, abide by past agreements, and recognize Israel's right to
exist."
Fatah delegation chief Azzam al-Ahmed told Agence France Presse the two
factions, which have been blood enemies for the past four years, had agreed to
set up a "government of independents." "This government will be tasked with
preparing for presidential and legislative elections within a year," Ahmed said
in a telephone call with AFP in the West Bank political capital of Ramallah.
Hamas delegation chief Mahmoud Zahar, whose Islamist movement seized control of
Gaza in 2007, told Al-Jazeera television the two parties had agreed to form a
transitional government made up of personalities selected by both sides.
Cairo is to invite Palestinian factions to return at the end of next week to
sign the agreement, which would also call for the release of political detainees
by both sides, he said.
The elections for president and parliament would be held at the same time and a
commission of 12 judges formed to rule on any disputes linked to the polling,
said Zahar.
Netanyahu said such an agreement paved the way for Hamas to take control of the
West Bank too, where Abbas and his Palestinian Authority have their
headquarters.
"The Palestinian Authority must choose between peace with Israel or peace with
Hamas. There cannot be peace with both because Hamas strives to destroy the
state of Israel and says so openly," Netanyahu said. Nabil Abu Rudeina, a
spokesman for Abbas, dismissed these remarks. "In reaction to Netanyahu's
remarks we say that Palestinian reconciliation and the agreement reached today
in Cairo is an internal Palestinian affair," he told AFP. Netanyahu, for his
part, "must choose between peace and settlements."
Hamas and Fatah were on the verge of agreeing to the same Egyptian-mediated deal
in October 2009 but the Islamists backed out, protesting the terms had been
revised without their consent. Wednesday's deal was brokered in Cairo where the
factions met with Egypt's new spy chief Murad Muwafi, whose predecessor Omar
Suleiman tried unsuccessfully to bridge a split that has left Gaza and the West
Bank ruled by rival administrations. Tensions between the two movements date
back to the start of limited Palestinian self-rule in the early 1990s when Fatah
strongmen cracked down on Islamist activists. They worsened in January 2006,
when in a surprise general election rout, Hamas beat the previously dominant
Fatah to grab more than half the seats in the Palestinian parliament. Hamas
expelled Fatah from Gaza after a week of deadly clashes in June 2007, cleaving
the Palestinian territories into rival hostile camps.
The reported deal won support on the streets of the West Bank and Gaza Strip,
where demonstrations have been held calling for the two camps to patch up their
differences.
"We hope the reconciliation will meet the demands of the Palestinian people,
especially the young people who have recently come out demanding an end to the
divide," said Gaza City resident Ahmed al-Wan. "Every Palestinian citizen
supports unity between Fatah and Hamas, we are brothers," said Mohammed, a
48-year-old farmer and Fatah supporter from the West Bank city of Hebron.(AFP)
Beirut, 27 Apr 11, 22:34
Fatah-Hamas
accord – by-product of secret Israel-Turkish talks, Syrian crisis
DEBKAfile Exclusive Report April 27, 2011,
The deal initialed by the two rival Palestinian factions, Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah
and the Hamas rulers of the Gaza Strip in Cairo Wednesday, April 27, hailed by
the Israeli media as "historic," drew an instantaneous critical response from
Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu: "You can't have peace both with
Israel and Hamas," he warned the Fatah-led Palestinian Authority. It raises
concerns about the Palestinian Authority's weakness and a possible Hamas
takeover of Judea and Samaria like the coup it staged in the Gaza Strip, he
said. "Hamas aspires to destroy the state of Israel and is quite open about it.
Hamas shoots rockets at Israeli cities and our children," he added.
At least three Fatah-Hamas reconciliation pacts have been signed with loud
acclaim in the past, only to crash into oblivion. Netanyahu has himself to blame
if the latest draft accord which caught him by surprise survives Palestinian
fractiousness and actually produces a transitional government and elections a
year hence.
This time, the interests of both Palestinian factions are served: It fulfills PA
chairman Mahmoud Abbas' ambition to appear before the UN General Assembly in
September demanding recognition of Palestinian statehood within the 1967 borders
on behalf of a united people. Hamas' political chief Khaled Meshaal is looking
for a new address for his Damascus headquarters away from President Bashar
Assad's bloody crackdown on dissent.
But the deal struck in Cairo Wednesday was galvanized most of all by Netanyahu's
secret track with Washington and Ankara for patching up the Israeli-Turkish
quarrel.
debkafile's sources report that in quiet shuttles between the offices of Turkish
Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan and Netanyahu, unofficial American figures
obtained Ankara's consent to postponing the Gaza-bound flotillas due to sail in
the coming months. They are now parked on the Israeli leader's doorstep for the
quid pro quo demanded by the Turks.
The comment by the Hamas official Abu Marzuk on April 14 about a fresh mediation
channel for negotiating the release of the kidnapped Israeli soldier Gilead
Shalit was in fact a signal from Ankara that Turkey could be helpful on that
sensitive issue as well.
While Netanyahu and his advisers believed that their exchanges with the Turkish
government had gone unnoticed behind the sound and fury of the Arab revolt, they
missed two intent observers: the new Egyptian Foreign Minister Nabil Alaraby and
Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen). The two decided to work together on what they
reckoned would be the most effective scheme for pulling the rug from under the
US-Turkish-Israeli track which left them out in the cold. It entailed a rapid
move for getting Fatah-Hamas reconciliation in the bag before anyone realized
what was happening.
To attain this goal, Abbas was pressed into major concessions to Hamas. If the
initialed pact is finalized and he eventually delivers on those concessions, his
dominant position and that of his Fatah on the West Bank will be seriously
compromised, not to mention Israeli security interests.
Its terms provide for the two factions to establish a supreme security council
with final authority on matters of security. It would override the
Palestinian-Israeli coordinating panel operating under US supervision because
neither Washington nor Jerusalem would agree to Hamas oversight, even if only
indirect, of their security and undercover activity.
Abu Mazen agreed to a full exchange of prisoners, meaning all the Hamas
operatives jailed on the West Bank would go free, especially those captured in
the last two years as a result of two years of US-Israel-Palestinian
counter-terror operations on the West Bank. Their release will make it harder
than ever for Netanyahu to argue that he can't release all the dangerous
terrorists Hamas is demanding in return for Gilead Shalit.
Hamas also beat Abbas down on a critical point at issue, that within a year of
signing a formal agreement, elections are held for all the Palestinian
institutions including the presidency, the legislative council (the Palestinian
parliament) and also for PLO institutions.
Hamas will final gain membership of the PLO after being shut out for many years.
Since any Israel-Palestinian peace accord would be with the PLO rather than the
Palestinian Authority, the way is opened for the Oslo Interim Peace Accords to
be revoked in the same ways as future elections in Egypt would enable a future
legislature and administration to revoke the Egyptian peace treaty with Israel.
The draft initialed in Cairo provides for the establishment of a joint
transitional government of apolitical technocrats to serve until elections.
Ministerial appointments from prime minister down would be subject to the
approval of both parties. In other words, Hamas will have veto power over these
appointments, which places the continued tenure of the incumbent Prime Minister
Salem Fayad in great doubt.
debkafile's intelligence sources report that neither Washington nor Ankara, and
especially Jerusalem, had the slightest inkling that a Palestinian accord was in
the works or achievable at such high speed. They were all caught napping as a
result of overconfidence, the absence of strategic forethought and planning and
failed intelligence.
Substantial adjustments will have to be made in the three capitals to prepare
for the pictures to be broadcast from Cairo next week of Abbas and Khaled Meshal
kissing and embracing with Egyptian Foreign Minister al-Arabi, after affixing
their signatures to the final version of their accord.
Syria: Dictator Assad's war on his own people
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
By Walid Phares
Although the origins of al-Taqiyya are found in fundamentalist dogma regarding
propaganda, Ba’athists and other authoritarian regimes in the region have used
the practice for decades. In short, once widespread opposition to his one-party
regime became evident, Assad needed to shield himself from international
retribution. In an effort to buy time, the Syrian dictator announced that he
would cancel “emergency law” which forbids demonstrations and limits free
speech.
Assad’s lack of credibility immunizes Syrian protesters to his “Taqiyya.” No
deception will convince them that the Syrian President’s intentions are good.
Ma’moun Homsi, a former Member of Syria’s Parliament who has been jailed several
times for speaking out against the regime said recently, “The dictator is
gaining time and playing the propagandist, nothing more.” In essence, Mr. Assad
simply replaced an outmoded tool, the state of emergency, with a cutting-edge
narrative referred to as “counter terrorism law.” His own speech indicts the
so-called 'reformist' head of the regime who warned, “There will no longer be
‘an excuse’ for organizing protests after Syria lifts emergency law and
implements the reforms.” What part of “reform” does the Syrian President not
understand? When emergency law is lifted, it is so that protests can take place
freely, not the other way around. In fact, Assad’s speech sought to gild the
rapidly tarnishing image of Damascus’s ruling elite.
Dozens of citizens, mostly youth, have been killed by his hit teams and snipers
since the beginning of April. Reports have accused Bashar of importing Iranian
and Hezbollah’s militias to help suppress the protests. With such bloodshed, the
regime has been delegitimized and its leaders will eventually face Syrian or
international justice, no matter how long it takes, just as is the case in other
Arab countries where rulers ordered protesters killed.
Assad’s flanking maneuver to attack the Syrian revolt’s rear guard is not
reform. He never mentioned changing Article 8 of the Syrian Constitution which
states “The leading party in the society and the state is the Socialist Arab
Baath Party. It leads a patriotic and progressive front seeking to unify the
resources of the people’s masses and place them at the service of the Arab
nation’s goals.”
The protesters main goal is to break the monopoly of Assad’s ruling party. There
was never any mention of releasing all political detainees. Equally important,
there has been no dismantling of the existing security apparatuses; and last but
not least, there is no intention of revising the Syrian Constitution. The only
thing the dictator is doing is accusing imaginary “foreign conspiracies” from
Israel, the United States, Arab Sunni Governments and Lebanon. His citizens do
not buy his stories.
The demonstrators, mostly from civil society groups, were inspired by the
“Damascus Declaration” issued more than five years ago by dissidents, some of
whom remain in jail to this day. Most of the protesters are young males with
female protestors seen primarily on college campuses. Political movements who
oppose the regime (left wing, liberals, and others) support the uprising but
aren’t moving to the front of the protests for fear of being exposed. This also
applies to the Muslim Brotherhood of Syria who are present on the streets but
prefer, for the time being, that others be seen as taking the lead.
The protests started initially in Dar’a in the south, where most of the killing
took place. Gradually, they spread to cities in the north and finally Damascus.
The demonstrators are mainly Sunnis, Syria’s numerical majority, but Kurds,
Christians, Druses, and even Alawites (Assad’s own ruling sect) have joined the
marches.
The regime is using security forces and militias to suppress the revolt. Regular
troops are only seeing limited involvement to avoid provoking troop defections.
In addition, Iran and Hezbollah have permanent bases inside Syria and have been
supplying the Syrian regime with equipment to track and suppress the
communications of opposition groups who are organizing the demonstrations.
President Assad sends tanks against civilians in Deraa. Gunfire can still be
heard in the city, which has been cut off from the rest of the world. Almost 400
people have died since the start of protests. Almost 500 people have been
arrested in the past few days. The international community is ...Despite the
Assad regime’s super police state, the masses will not retreat now. The
demonstrators know all too well that the son of Hafez Assad will surpass the
Hama massacres if the revolt recedes. Bashar played his last card with hollow
promises of legal remedies rather than accept the principle of free elections.
The Syrian dictator’s “Taqiyya” didn’t fool the people on the streets; they are
well acquainted with the regime’s method which has been on display against
Syria’s enemies for decades. Assad can’t fool his own people; he can only
frustrate them further. Assad’s psychological warfare on his own people has
failed and the revolt continues.
**Dr. Walid Phares teaches Global Strategies in Washington, DC, and is the
author of The Confrontation: Winning the War against Future Jihad and The Coming
Revolution: Struggle for Freedom in the Middle East.
Push to Ban Liquor in Nabatiyeh
Naharnet/Two
months after Yaacoub Yaacoub opened his liquor store in Nabatiyeh he shut it
down -- not for lack of customers, he says, but due to pressure. "Members of
local political parties came to see me and made it clear that stores that sell
alcohol were not welcome in town," said Yaacoub, 50. "And I was made to
understand that they could harm me if I didn't abide by their demand," he added.
A banner recently hoisted near his store drove the message home. "The residents
of Nabatiyeh want all liquor stores to shut down," it reads. More than 10 years
ago Sidon, witnessed a string of attacks against liquor stores that no longer
exist in the city. Yaacoub said it was clear to him that those behind the
campaign to close down his store in Nabatiyeh were loyal to Hizbullah and AMAL.
Both parties declined comment for this article. Besides Yaacoub's store, several
more shops in Nabatiyeh that sell alcohol have also closed in recent months.
Other stores have resorted to selling liquor discreetly without displaying
bottles on shelves. The store closures were ordered by Nabatiyeh's mayor Ahmad
Kahil, after 900 local residents signed a petition demanding their town turn
dry. "Alcohol affects moral values and the social order," Kahil told Agence
France Presse. His decision has grabbed headlines and sparked a heated debate
online. Many local residents who spoke on condition of anonymity said had
Hizbullah not condoned the liquor store closures, no one would have dared draw
up a petition, let alone submit it to local leaders. "Banners against the sale
of liquor began popping up about a week ago," said Samir Sabbagh, who along with
his father heads a 20-year-old liquor wholesale company. "Unknown people then
started distributing leaflets calling for the closure of liquor stores," he
added. "Last Friday, after the Muslim prayer, protesters held a march during
which they chanted slogans against alcohol consumption." He said he has since
decided to shut down his company for fear of reprisals. "I am a secular man, I
am for personal liberties but I had no other choice," Sabbagh said.
Social networking site Facebook meanwhile has been awash with indignant messages
describing Nabatiyeh as an Iranian city or comparing it to an "Islamic republic.
One page in Arabic is entitled "The freedom of Nabatiyeh's youngsters is a red
line" while another declares: "No to oppression, yes to alcohol in southern
suburbs" of Beirut.
Ali al-Sabbagh, a resident of Nabatiyeh and member of the local council, said he
would have favored more strict controls on the sale of alcohol rather than an
outright ban.
"One must not meddle in people's private business," he said. "Banning liquor by
force is counter to the constitution which guarantees individual liberties."
He also pointed out that the stores targeted had been granted liquor licenses by
the state.
But Abbas Fahes, another local resident, holds a different view.
"The real threat to individual freedom here is the existence of liquor stores in
an Islamic city," he said. "The majority of the population is Muslim and opposed
to the sale of alcohol.
"The minority represents 10 percent of the population so who is the aggressor
here?" (AFP) Beirut, 28 Apr 11, 11:26
Western
Pretexts
Thu, 28 April 2011
Hassan Haidar/Al Hayat
Despite the blatant imbalance of power between the regime in Syria and the
peaceful opposition that has been targeted for forty years with all kinds of
political, moral and physical pressures under an experienced and active security
apparatus, the opposition has managed over a period of less than two months to
exert serious pressures on the regime, leading the latter to make use of
decisive military force in an attempt to stifle it, after the failure of
aesthetic and formal solutions to convince it of their seriousness became
patent, and after the naïve media campaigns were unsuccessful at distorting the
opposition’s image and at portraying it as a group of foreign agents.
Yet, while absolutely asserting the rejection of any foreign interference in the
confrontation currently taking place in Syria, the spontaneous and youthful
Syrian opposition’s ability to endure in the face of cannons, tanks and the
machineguns of the “shabbiha” (thugs), in addition to the broad campaign of
arrests, is in urgent need of a strong moral boost, one which the world has not
offered it as it did with the revolutions of Tunisia and Egypt, as well as with
the uprising in Libya. Indeed, hesitancy, reservations and cold calculation
still dominate the stances of influential decision-making capitals – first
because of what they say is “fear of the coming unknown”, because they are
unfamiliar with the opposition’s leaderships, structure and inclinations; and
second because they are concerned about “the situation in the region turning to
chaos” if stability is undermined in Syria.
It may be true that the world is unfamiliar with prominent leaders of the Syrian
opposition, which includes a wide range of Leftists, Islamists, Centrists and
Liberal activists working in the Human rights field, in addition of course to
ordinary citizens, and that such leaders raise various slogans, ranging from
demanding more freedoms, the right to form political parties and an end to the
tyranny of the security apparatus over the daily lives of citizens, to directly
demanding the overthrow of the regime, as per the slogan that was chanted in
some protests after the start of the bloody repression. Yet such a factor was
not decisive in the uprisings of Tunisia and Egypt, in which the youth went
beyond traditional opposition leaderships or those who sought to benefit from
the wave. In fact, those who settled the issue of the regime in Egypt were
mostly from the youth and not affiliated with any political party or
organizational framework, but rather merely people demanding rights and looking
for a better future. Furthermore, the outcomes of these two revolutions went
beyond all the fears of the “Brotherhood Boogeyman” and of the possibility of
the Muslim Brotherhood coming to power.
As for what is being said about stability in the Middle East, it is an old tune
that no longer convinces anyone. Indeed, Western nations, and especially the
United States, have always accused the Syrian regime of undermining stability in
the region and held it responsible for proxy wars of which the Lebanese and the
Palestinians have experienced the destruction and tragedies over decades. And we
are entitled to wonder: why then was the West constantly asserting over the past
years, as it still does, that the existing alliance between Damascus and Tehran
poses a threat to stability in the region because it arms Hezbollah and the
Hamas movement? And is what is meant by stability merely ensuring the security
of Israel?
The truth is that there is patent contradiction between the West’s stress on the
necessity for the Syrian regime to enact radical reforms and its desire for it
to maintain its stability, because it knows perfectly well that the nature of
the regime in Damascus does not allow for any kind of real change.