LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
ِJanuary 13/2010

Bible Of The Day
The Good News According to Matthew 7/15-23
7:15 “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravening wolves. 7:16 By their fruits you will know them. Do you gather grapes from thorns, or figs from thistles? 7:17 Even so, every good tree produces good fruit; but the corrupt tree produces evil fruit. 7:18 A good tree can’t produce evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree produce good fruit. 7:19 Every tree that doesn’t grow good fruit is cut down, and thrown into the fire. 7:20 Therefore by their fruits you will know them. 7:21 Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter into the Kingdom of Heaven; but he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 7:22 Many will tell me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, didn’t we prophesy in your name, in your name cast out demons, and in your name do many mighty works?’ 7:23 Then I will tell them, ‘I never knew you. Depart from me, you who work iniquity.’

Latest analysis, editorials, studies, reports, letters & Releases from miscellaneous sources
Egyptian Policeman Shouted 'Allahu Akbar' Before Shooting Six Christians/AINA/January 12/11
The latest terrorist tactic: litigation/by Daniel Huff/January 12/11
Canada Concerned over Reports of Iran’s Sentencing of Human Rights Activist/ January 12/11
Only viable solution is a Lebanese one- Saudi envoy/Asharq Alawsat/January 12/11
The government collapses/By: Matt Nash/January 12/11

Latest News Reports From Miscellaneous Sources for January 12/11
Clinton: Hezbollah’s move ‘will not work’/Now Lebanon
No second Doha Agreement, Qatari PM says/Now Lebanon
Future developments to direct March 8’s actions, says Fneish/Now Lebanon
Sleiman will not yet issue decree on cabinet, says source/Now Lebanon
Hariri Meets Obama as March 8 Ministers Quit/Naharnet
Hezbollah quits Lebanon's unity government/The Guardian
Syrian-Saudi Efforts Fail to Resolve Crisis in Lebanon/MEMRI
Obama Discusses Lebanon in Phone Conversation with Saudi King/Naharnet
Clinton seeking global consensus on backing Lebanon/Reuters
Key events in Lebanon since Hariri assassination/Edmonton Journal
Saudis and Syria fail to reach Lebanon deal, Aoun says/GulfNews
Saudi, Syrian Effort Fails in Lebanon/VOA
Obama calls Saudi king, voices solidarity on Lebanon/Reuters
Clinton Hopes Justice Won't Lead to Instability in Lebanon/Naharnet
Report: Indictment within Hours or Days/Naharnet
Lebanese leader says no deal on Lebanon/AP
UN official voices concerns over Lebanese political crisis/People's Daily Online
Israeli troops kidnap Lebanese citizen, say Lebanese sources/Monsters and Critics.com
Geagea: No Cabinet Meeting Under Pressure, March 8 Gave Itself Powers More than President, PM/Naharnet
Jumblat from Bkirki: Dark Forces Torpedoed S-S Initiative/Naharnet
March 14: No Settlement on STL's Expense, No Obstruction of Cabinet, No Manipulation of Stability/Naharnet
Riyadh, Ankara Urge Lebanese to Preserve Unity Govt/Naharnet
Berri: S-S Agreement was Mainly Based on Completion of Taef Accord/Naharnet
Williams and Sfeir Concerned at Possibility of Prolonged Crisis/Naharnet
Jumblat Advises Politicians to Lebanonize Solution, Not Fall in Trap of Game of Nations/Naharnet
Syria's al-Watan: Saudi Apologized for Failure to Reach Agreement, Said All Hariri's Fault/Naharnet
Assiri: There was No Saudi-Syrian Initiative in the 1st Place/Naharnet
Report: Paris Informs Damascus it will Hold it Accountable for Lebanon Instability/Naharnet
Hariri Phones Suleiman: We Will Keep All Channels Open/Naharnet
Israeli Army Commander: Hizbullah Capable of Firing Dozens of Missiles at Tel Aviv/Naharnet
Israeli Gunboat Cruises along Lebanese Coast/Naharnet
UNIFIL Joins in Remembering Haiti Quake Fallen Peacekeepers/Naharnet

Clinton: Hezbollah’s move ‘will not work’
January 12, 2011 /US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on Wednesday that Hezbollah's move to topple Lebanon's government and undermine a UN-backed tribunal into the murder of ex-Premier Rafik Hariri "will not work.""We view what happened today as a transparent effort by those forces inside Lebanon, as well as interests outside Lebanon, to subvert justice and undermine Lebanon's stability and progress," Clinton told a news conference."Trying to bring the government down as a way to undermine the special tribunal is an abdication of responsibility, but it also will not work," she said after talks in Qatar. Lebanon's unity government collapsed after Hezbollah and its allies pulled their 10 ministers from cabinet and one minister close to President Michel Sleiman announced his withdrawal, providing the necessary number of resignations for the government to collapse. The cabinet’s collapse is over the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) probing the 2005 assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. The Shia group Hezbollah and its allies have for months been pressing Prime Minister Saad Hariri to disavow the STL on the grounds that it is part of a US-Israeli plot that will indict Hezbollah members. -AFP/NOW Lebanon

No second Doha Agreement, Qatari PM says
January 12, 2011 /“We are not thinking about [establishing] a second Doha Agreement,” LBCI television quoted Qatari Prime Minister Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber Al Thani as saying on Wednesday. Lebanon's unity government collapsed after Hezbollah and its allies pulled their 10 ministers from cabinet and one minister close to President Michel Sleiman announced his withdrawal, providing the necessary number of resignations for the government to collapse. The cabinet’s collapse is over the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) probing the 2005 assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. The Shia group Hezbollah and its allies have for months been pressing Prime Minister Saad Hariri to disavow the STL on the grounds that it is part of a US-Israeli plot that will indict Hezbollah members. Syrian and Saudi officials have reportedly been communicating to resolve the crisis, but on Tuesday Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun said that the Saudi-Syrian initiative has failed. On Wednesday, Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblatt said that “dark forces” had obstructed the efforts.- NOW Lebanon

Future developments to direct March 8’s actions, says Fneish
January 12, 2011 /Newly resigned Minister of State for Administrative Reform Mohammad Fneish told LBCI television on Wednesday that future developments will direct the March 8 coalition’s actions. “It is people’s right to be worried,” Fneish said, adding that the March 8 coalition ministers’ resignation from the cabinet is a constitutional step. Lebanon's unity government collapsed after Hezbollah and its allies pulled their 10 ministers from cabinet and one minister close to President Michel Sleiman announced his withdrawal, providing the necessary number of resignations for the government to collapse. The cabinet’s collapse is over the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) probing the 2005 assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. The Shia group Hezbollah and its allies have for months been pressing Prime Minister Saad Hariri to disavow the STL on the grounds that it is part of a US-Israeli plot that will indict Hezbollah members. -NOW Lebanon

Sleiman will not yet issue decree on cabinet, says source
January 12, 2011 /An unnamed presidential source said President Michel Sleiman will likely issue a decree requesting Prime Minister Saad Hariri to lead a caretaker cabinet once the latter returns to Beirut, adding it would be unethical to do it tonight since Hariri is abroad. Once the decree is issued, Sleiman will set an appointment for parliamentary consultations, the source said. Lebanon's unity government collapsed after Hezbollah and its allies pulled their 10 ministers from cabinet and one minister close to Sleiman announced his withdrawal, providing the necessary number of resignations for the government to collapse. The cabinet’s collapse is over the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) probing the 2005 assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. The Shia group Hezbollah and its allies have for months been pressing Prime Minister Saad Hariri to disavow the STL on the grounds that it is part of a US-Israeli plot that will indict Hezbollah members. Hariri left Washington to Paris earlier on Wednesday where he will meet with French President Nicolas Sarkozy.- NOW Lebanon

The government collapses
Matt Nash, January 12, 2011
Minutes after the 10 March 8 ministers resigned from the government, Minister of State Adnan as-Sayyed Hussein announced he too is quitting the cabinet, marking the collapse of Lebanon’s 14-month-old national-unity government. Minister Sayyed Hussein released a statement following a press conference in which Minister of Energy and Free Patriotic Movement member Gebran Bassil announced the resignations of March 8 ministers saying he too will resign, meaning 11 of 30 cabinet ministers have quit. According to the Lebanese constitution, the government has collapsed and a new one must be formed. Sayyed Hussein is one of the five ministers chosen by the president under a 15-10-5 power-sharing deal orchestrated among the head of state, March 14 and March 8 forces following parliamentary elections in June 2009. After months of wrangling, the cabinet was formed in November 2009.
The government collapse comes after months of deadlock over the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL), which March 8 wants the country to reject but which March 14 insists on supporting. It also marks the apparent failure of mediation by Saudi Arabia and Syria to hammer out a solution to the impasse.
Simon Salame, a Constitutional Law professor at the Lebanese University’s law school in Jal al-Dib, told NOW Lebanon that the parliament must now meet, and the president will have to poll the 128-member body to reach consensus on naming a new prime minister.
Once a new prime minister is found, negotiations over forming a new government can begin, Salame said, noting that, as after the summer 2009 elections, this can take months. He said state institutions will continue to function at the most basic levels, but no new decisions, laws or decrees can be passed or made until a new government is formed.
March 8 is “making a point of escalation” and “pressuring as much as possible” Prime Minister Saad Hariri, who was in Washington DC Wednesday evening and met with US President Barack Obama as the ministers began their press conference, Sahar Atrache, a Beirut-based analyst with the International Crisis Group, told NOW Lebanon.
The cabinet has not met since December 15, 2010, as March 8 ministers demanded the government vote on allowing the Judicial Council to hear cases involving people who gave false testimony to a UN committee investigating the 2005 assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.
Saad Hariri, Atrache said, was “trying to gain time and wait” until the Special Tribunal issues indictments. The UN-backed court is widely expected to soon indict members of Hezbollah for the assassination, and the Party of God and its allies have been calling for Hariri to denounce the court.
“The resignations are a new way of dealing with [this impasse]. This is another escalation,” Atrache said.
Boutros Harb, Labor Minister in the now-defunct government, told a press conference after the resignations that, “Bargaining [at the expense] of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon is [out of the question]. [Since] we are concerned about the country, we announce that we are open to dialogue that is not at the expense of justice. We are waiting for Prime Minister Saad Hariri to return [to Lebanon] to hold an extended March 14 coalition meeting in order to officially announce our stance.”
Hariri did not make a statement about the government’s collapse.
From NOW Lebanon’s office in Dekwaneh, a suburb of Beirut, the sound of fireworks could be heard following the government’s dissolution. In Beirut’s Bourj Abi Haidar neighborhood, residents told NOW Lebanon that the atmosphere felt stressful, similar to when clashes broke out between supporters of Hezbollah and the predominantly Sunni Islamist organization Al-Ahbash in the area in August 2010.
Mohammad Dah, 20, an argileh shop owner, told NOW Lebanon, “Our business is very good in this situation because everyone is at home. They have no jobs, nothing, so they call us [to deliver water pipes]. Everyone is talking a lot. They’re saying today fighting will happen.”
Ahmad Noureddine, 25, told NOW Lebanon, “We think it will go back to what it was like in 1975, and there will be war between the Muslims and Christians, just like what happened in Sudan and Egypt.”
Rania, 30, who preferred not to give her last name, said, “It’s something very different. It’s a miserable situation, but I don’t know what will happen.”
With the government formerly in deadlock over the STL, March 8 on Tuesday gave President Michel Sleiman and Hariri an ultimatum: hold a cabinet meeting to discuss “ways to confront the STL” within 24 hours or the March 8 ministers will resign. Foreign governments – including France, the US, Saudi Arabia and Turkey – called for stability in Lebanon and urged ministers to keep the government from collapsing in the hours before it fell.
**Sarah Lynch and Garo Fakrajian contributed reporting for this article.
 

Policeman Kills Christian on Egypt Train /Naharnet
http://www.aina.org/news/20110111165816.htm
Posted GMT 1-11-2011 22:58:16
CAIRO (AFP) -- A policeman shot dead a Christian on a train in Egypt Tuesday and wounded five other people, including the man's wife, as tensions remain high after a New Year's church bombing killed 21 people, the interior ministry said. The shooter's motives were not immediately clear, but the ministry said at least four of the five people hurt were Coptic Christians. And a Coptic bishop told AFP that the gunman, named by the ministry as Amer Ashur Abdel Zaher, had sought out Christians on board the train and shouted a Muslim slogan -- Allahu Akbar (God is greatest) -- as he opened fire. The policeman, who was said to be on his way to work, boarded a stationary Cairo-bound train at Samalut, in the southern Minya province, and began shooting with his service weapon, the ministry said.He killed Fathi Said Ebeid, aged 71, and wounded his 61-year-old wife.
Two of the others wounded were said to be in critical condition.
The policeman, who was not in uniform, got off the train after the attack and tried to flee but was arrested inside the station. He was being questioned by the authorities to find out if he carried out the attack for religious reasons. Bishop Morcos, who serves with the Coptic church in Samalut, said he had spoken to witnesses after the shooting. "This lunatic went up and down the coach looking for Christians," the bishop recounted what he was told. "Seeing a group of girls and women who were not wearing the (Islamic) veil, he took them for Christians and fired, shouting Allahu Akbar." Later, witnesses said hundreds of Copts rallied outside Salamut's Good Shepherd hospital, where the wounded had been taken, and clashed with police, who fired tear gas at them.The attack comes after the deadly New Year's bombing in the northern city of Alexandria that drew international condemnation. No one has yet claimed responsibility for that attack, which came after threats to Egypt's Copts from the Al-Qaeda-linked group in Iraq that claimed a deadly October 31 attack on a Baghdad cathedral.
The group, the Islamic State of Iraq, said it would attack Copts if their church failed to release two women the group claimed were being held against their will after converting to Islam.
President Hosni Mubarak has blamed "foreign hands" as being behind the incident, and authorities said a suicide bomber was responsible.
Copts, who make up about 10 percent of Egypt's mostly Muslim population of 80 million people, have been targets of sectarian attacks in the past and complain of discrimination.
Egypt has been under tight security since the Alexandria bombing, and the measures were stepped up for Coptic Christmas Eve services on Thursday.
The New Year's Day bombing caused indignation around the world and prompted Pope Benedict XVI to express repeatedly his solidarity with the Copts and Christian across the Middle East. But his remarks -- namely his call on world leaders to protect Egypt's Copts -- hit a raw nerve in Cairo where the foreign ministry on Tuesday announced it was recalling its Vatican envoy for consultations. The action follows "new statements from the Vatican concerning Egypt which are considered by Egypt as unacceptable interference in its internal affairs," the foreign ministry spokesman said. "Egypt will not allow any non-Egyptian faction to interfere in its internal affairs under any pretext," the statement said. "The Coptic question is specifically an internal Egyptian affair." Vatican spokesman Federico Lombardi quoted Vatican Foreign Minister Dominique Mamberti as saying during a meeting with the recalled ambassador that the church "completely shares the (Egyptian) government's concern with 'avoiding an escalation of clashes and religious tensions,' and appreciates its efforts in this direction."
A day after the Alexandria attack, the pope appealed for the "concrete and constant engagement of leaders of nations," in what he termed a "difficult mission."
At his New Year's Day mass, Benedict underscored that "humanity cannot display resignation in the face of negative forces of selfishness and violence, it cannot get accustomed to conflicts which claim victims and endanger the future of people." Then on Monday the pope said the attack was "yet another sign of the urgent need for the governments of the region to adopt... effective measures for the protection of religious minorities".
By Mona Salem
© 2011, Assyrian International News Agency. All Rights Reserved. Terms of Use.

Egypt Recalls Diplomat Over Pope's Comments on Coptic Church Attack
http://www.aina.org/news/20110111120656.htm
Posted GMT 1-11-2011 18:6:56
Cairo (DPA) -- Egypt on Tuesday recalled its ambassador to the Vatican over 'interfering' comments made by Pope Benedict XVI following the bombing of a Christian Coptic church in Alexandria.
'Egypt considers the latest statement by the Vatican to be an unacceptable interference in its domestic affairs,' the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
Ambassador Lamia Mekheimar was asked to return to Cairo for 'consultations,' according to the statement. It was not clear how long the ambassador would remain in Egypt upon her return. The attack in Alexandria during a mass on New Year's Eve killed 23 people and injured around 100. It prompted Benedict to reiterate a call on governments in majority Muslim countries to increase efforts to protect their Christian populations.
'This succession of attacks is yet another sign of the urgent need for the governments of the region to adopt, in spite of difficulties and dangers, effective measures for the protection of religious minorities,' the pontiff said on Monday, referring to the Alexandria attack and to violence against Christians in Iraq.
Benedict made the remarks during his annual address to foreign diplomats at the Vatican.
He went on to say that 'the right to religious freedom is not fully respected when only freedom of worship is guaranteed, and that with restrictions.'
Other remarks by the pontiff earlier this month condemning the Alexandria attack also drew criticism from Egypt's top Muslim cleric, Ahmed Al-Tayeb of al-Azhar University - one of Sunni Islam's oldest institutions.
The pontiff's comments were an 'unacceptable interference in Egypt's affairs,' Al-Tayeb said.
The Vatican's embassy in Cairo subsequently issued a statement saying that Benedict's comments should not be seen as 'interference in Egypt's internal affairs,' but rather a call for individuals and political leaders to respect all religions and encourage peaceful coexistence, according to the Egyptian newspaper al-Masry al-Youm.
Egyptian authorities have described the Alexandria attack as an act of terrorism and have rejected allegations that Coptic Christians are persecuted in Egypt.
Official figures estimate that Christians comprise between 10 and 15 per cent of Egypt's population.
The Alexandria bombing sparked daily protests throughout the country, with a number of Muslim and Christian demonstrators injured in clashes with police.
© 2011, Assyrian International News Agency. All Rights Reserved. Terms of Use.

Pope's Words Encourage Struggling Christians: Iraqi Archbishop
http://www.aina.org/news/2011011112912.htm
Posted GMT 1-11-2011 18:9:12
By strong emphasizing religious freedom in his message for the World Day of Peace and his address to the Vatican diplomatic corps, Pope Benedict XVI has provided welcome encouragement to embattled Christians in the Middle East, said Archbishop Louis Sako of Kirkuk, Iraq.
"The most important issue for our region, the Middle East, is religious freedom," said the Chaldean Catholic archbishop. That freedom is endangered, he said, by "religious fanaticism."
The Pope's argument for the importance of religious freedom should be readily easy for Islamic rulers to grasp, the Iraqi archbishop said. He explained:
The nations of the Middle East are governed in one way or another, by theocracies. These countries should understand more so than nations that have a secular government, the value of freedom of religion affects every relationship and all activities. Archbishop Sako said that targeted violence "have sown death, pain, and confusion among Christians" in Iraq, prompting thousands "to leave the land where their ancestors have lived for centuries." The same sad phenomenon is now visible in Egypt, he said.
www.catholicculture.org
© 2011, Assyrian International News Agency. All Rights Reserved. Terms of Use.

What About Religious Freedom in Muslim Countries?
http://www.aina.org/news/20110111120548.htm
Posted GMT 1-11-2011 18:5:48
Elliott Abrams at the Council for Foreign Relations examines the independence referendum in Sudan. He notes: "The reports of millions of southern Sudanese voting in the referendum on independence are a reminder that democracy and self-rule are not a luxury that only the rich can afford. While there has been violence, some of it apparently the fault of northern Sudan, the overall picture is remarkably positive." But the need for such a referendum is what should concern us:
There are many ways of seeing the independence vote, but surely one is the failure here -- again -- of an Arab government to make it possible for Christians to live in peace and security. In fact the only Christian community in the Middle East that appears to be growing is that in Israel. The last few weeks have seen violence against Christians in Egypt and Iraq, and the rise of Hizballah in Lebanon has cornered the Maronite community there in many ways as well. Here the southern Sudanese are lucky, for the geography of those other countries makes thoughts of independence for their Christian minorities impossible. Christians in most of the Middle East will have to continue their difficult struggle for civil equality, personal safety, political power, and full religious freedom.
Cliff May, head of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, is blunt about the extent of the problem. He e-mails me:
I think what's taking place is nothing less than the religious and ethnic cleansing of the Muslim world.
Christians are being particularly targeted -- churches attacked in Egypt, Iraq, Nigeria, Indonesia, the Philippines; the assassination in Pakistan of a Muslim politician who dared defend a Christian woman sentenced to death for "insulting" Islam.
Other religious and ethnic minorities are also suffering intense persecution -- the black Muslims of Darfur, the Bahai of Iran, the Kurds, Sufis and Ahmadis in Pakistan, and of course the vicious anti-Israelism and anti-Semitism one finds throughout the region.
I think this is the most important issue not being reported by the mainstream media, not being studied by academics, not being taken up at the UN or made a priority by the large human rights groups.
The way to reverse this, of course, is through presidential leadership. Cliff surmises: "It would be useful for President Obama to speak out, but my guess is that those he trusts are advising against it -- indeed, are not connecting the dots and seeing a pattern."
Lela Gilbert, a Jerusalem-based fellow with the Hudson Institute who has written extensively on Christian persecution, sees that pattern quite clearly. She tells me:
"Those of us concerned with religious freedom have written for years about the plight of the largely-Christian South Sudanese. Anyone who has paid attention knows all too well the level of religiously-driven atrocities they have endured over decades of forced Islamization at the hands of the Khartoum government. Since 1983, President Omar al-Bashir's jihadi militias have repeatedly swept across South Sudan, murdering and mutilating, raping, seizing slaves, and leaving an unspeakable trail of blood and scorched earth: Two million dead, and nearly five million displaced, the majority being Christians and animists. The degree of carnage, which includes ongoing abuses in Darfur, has been so great that Bashir faces genocide charges in the International Criminal Court.
In a time when the persecution of Christians throughout the Muslim world is escalating dramatically - most recently demonstrated in Iraq, Egypt, Iran and Nigeria -President Obama's January 8 editorial statement, "In Sudan, an Election and a Beginning" in the New York Times is oddly vacuous. There is no mention of religious freedom or persecution, Christianity or Islam. The word "minority" is the only feeble hint: "The safety and citizenship of all Sudanese, especially minorities -- southerners in the north and northerners in the south -- have to be protected." Even that reflects a disturbing equivalency, implying that the North and South are similarly inclined toward abuse.
I would suggest this is a central failing of Obama's "Muslim Outreach." He has largely told Muslim leaders what they want to hear. He told Iran in the opening weeks of his administration that America's lack of humility had spurred anti-Americanism. He told the crowd in Cairo that Palestinians were akin to enslaved African Americans. He has told the Palestinians that the root of their conflict with Israel is the settlements.
All of that is both inaccurate and unhelpful. True outreach should include a clear enunciation of our interests and our expectations of states who want good relations with the U.S. Egypt's Hosni Mubarak needs to end his thuggish tactics if he wants American aid and investment to keep flowing. The Saudis need to make good on the promise to President George W. Bush to remove anti-Semitic references and intolerant rhetoric from text books. The Palestinian National Authority needs to stop naming town squares after terrorists. And, yes, the Muslim countries need to end persecution and discrimination of Christians and Jews in their countries.
NGO Monitor, a Jerusalem-based group, agrees. "Christians in much of the Middle East - including Egypt, Iraq, and Gaza - face intense religious persecution and violent attacks, but they gets very little attention from NGOs and UN bodies claiming to promote universal human rights," says Prof. Gerald Steinberg, president of NGO Monitor. "As the deadly terror attacks against Christian minorities increase, the Obama administration has the obligation of placing these issues at the top of the international human rights agenda."
It may be difficult to devise effective sanctions for abuse of religious minorities. But if we don't deliver candid assessments, we will accomplish nothing. Perhaps another trip to Cairo is in order. And this time, the president could present the inconvenient truths about the Muslim nations' treatment of women, Christians, dissidents and democracy advocates.
By Jennifer Rubin
http://voices.washingtonpost.com
© 2011, Assyrian International News Agency. All Rights Reserved. Terms of Use

Canada Concerned over Reports of Iran’s Sentencing of Human Rights Activist
(No. 13 - January 11, 2011
The Honourable Lawrence Cannon, Minister of Foreign Affairs, today issued the following statement expressing Canada’s concern over reports of a lengthy jail sentence for Iranian lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh:
“The Iranian authorities have reportedly sentenced human rights activist Nasrin Sotoudeh to 11 years in prison, and banned her from practising law or leaving the country for 20 years. We are deeply concerned by these reports. Such a sentence is completely unacceptable and unjustifiable. “Ms. Sotoudeh has tirelessly defended women’s rights activists, anti-government dissidents and journalists in Iran and also represented Nobel Peace Prize winner Shirin Ebadi. She has worked to defend people accused of political crimes and was a member of the Defenders of Human Rights Center, a rights association co-founded by Ms. Ebadi. “The Government of Canada stands firmly with the people of Iran against human rights abuses and discrimination, including the ill treatment of women and minorities. Canada remains deeply concerned by the ongoing failure of the Iranian authorities to meet their domestic and international legal obligations. “We once again urge the Government of Iran to reverse the deterioration of human rights in its country.
“Canada is a vigorous defender of freedom, democracy, human rights and the rule of law.”
For further information, media representatives may contact:
Lynn Meahan
Press Secretary

The latest terrorist tactic: litigation
by Daniel Huff/The Daily Caller
January 11, 2011
http://www.meforum.org/2817/terrorist-tactic-litigation
On December 29, Scandinavian authorities arrested five terrorists planning an attack in Denmark. Almost as interesting as what they targeted is what they spared and the lessons it holds for future counterterrorism efforts.
The plot was to storm the Copenhagen newsroom of Jyllands Posten and murder its staff. It was the fourth attempt this year by Islamic extremists to punish the newspaper that published the Mohammed cartoons. But the terrorists are guilty of selective prosecution. They have yet to strike Politiken, which also published the cartoons, even though its offices are literally next door.
It is logical that Jyllands is the principal target because it sparked the controversy. It was Jylland's editor, Flemming Rose, who originally commissioned the cartoons in 2005. A Danish comedian had told interviewers he would publicly urinate on the Bible, but would not dare do the same to the Koran. Rose's message was that Islam should be treated equally, not specially.
Nevertheless, there is a second reason Politiken is not a target. It already surrendered, vanquished by the nonviolent instrument of a civil lawsuit.
In 2008, extremists nearly murdered Kurt Westergaard, who drew one of the original cartoons. In response, Politiken reprinted the cartoons as part of a unified stand against intimidation of the press. The defiance didn't last. A Saudi law firm claiming to represent 94,923 descendants of Mohammed threatened it with legal action and the paper caved. On February 26, 2010, it effectively apologized for defending free speech.
This is a textbook illustration of how litigation has become a complementary and sometimes superior strategy for Islamic extremists who traditionally relied on physical violence alone to intimidate their opponents.
In Europe especially, their cause is aided by vague hate speech laws that make it all too easy to punish legitimate discourse on Islam. Last month, a Danish Member of Parliament pleaded guilty to violating hate speech laws with comments he made on Islam's treatment of women. He had agreed to forgo parliamentary immunity in order to fight the charges on the merits only to discover that truth is no defense. On January 24, another Danish politician, International Free Press Society president Lars Hedegaard, will stand trial for similarly speaking his mind. He also faces a potentially costly libel suit. There were reports last summer that Denmark's hate speech laws would be reformed to prevent abuse, but this has yet to happen.
In the meantime, authorities can borrow from the extremists and use civil litigation as a complementary strategy in counterterrorism operations, particularly in the US.
Forcing terrorists to fight simultaneous criminal and civil proceedings would make it difficult for them to focus their defense resources effectively. This has been the experience in white-collar cases when the Justice Department and a regulatory agency pursue parallel investigations against a target company.
While criminal defendants can get court-appointed lawyers, civil defendants pay out of pocket and the plaintiff's burden of proof is typically lower. In addition, the broader scope of discovery in civil cases may produce information otherwise unavailable to prosecutors. Finally, parallel lawsuits can pin terrorists between remaining mum in the civil suit and likely losing, or fighting back and forfeiting their right to "plead the Fifth" in the criminal case. Defendants might dodge these difficulties by delaying the civil proceedings, but courts do not always permit that.
This plan presupposes a clear basis for civil suits. In 1994, Congress passed a bill making it illegal to use force against persons exercising abortion rights and permitting victims to sue for damages. With only minor modifications, this law could be expanded to cover threats against free speech rights as well.
For example, officials are investigating whether the recent plot is connected to the 2009 arrest of two Chicago men for conspiring to attack Jyllands Posten. According to the indictment, Tahawwur Rana and David Headley gained access to Jylland's offices on the pretext of purchasing advertising for their immigration services company. Once inside, they conducted videotape surveillance of the premises which they provided to co-conspirators in Pakistan who recommended using a truck bomb.
Headley pleaded guilty in March, but Rana goes on trial in February. Were the proposed law on the books now, Jylland's staff could sue for damages using information from the indictment and guilty plea. This would be particularly disruptive to Rana as he tries to focus on preparing for his criminal trial. More broadly, a law along these lines would allow victims to go on the offensive against Islamic radicals who terrorize them instead of having to hope authorities continue catching these extremists in time.
**Daniel Huff is Director of the Legal Project at the Middle East Forum and a former counsel to the Senate Judiciary Committee.


Canada Offers Condolences after Fatal Hostage Taking in Niger
http://www.international.gc.ca/media/aff/news-communiques/2011/012.aspx
(No. 12 - January 11, 2011 - 1:05 p.m. ET) The Honourable Lawrence Cannon, Minister of Foreign Affairs, today issued the following statement offering Canada’s condolences to those affected by the recent hostage taking in Niger: “On behalf of the Government of Canada and all Canadians, I wish to offer my most sincere condolences to the families and friends of the two French citizens killed in the course of the hostage-taking incident in Niger. The hostage takers are responsible for this cowardly act that led to this tragic outcome. “Canada condemns in the strongest possible terms all terrorist groups, including Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, which seek to create and perpetuate insecurity in the Sahel countries of West Africa. “Canada calls on all states in the region, as well as the international community, to redouble their efforts in combatting the scourge of terrorism, which undermines the safety of each and every one of us.”
For further information, media representatives may contact:
Lynn Meahan
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of Foreign Affairs

Egyptian Policeman Shouted 'Allahu Akbar' Before Shooting Six Christians
GMT 1-12-2011 17:58:16
Assyrian International News Agency
(AINA) -- Six Copts were shot by an off-duty policeman on a train between Assiut and Cairo on Tuesday. One Copt was killed and five remain in critical condition. The gunman, identified as Amer Ashour Abdel-Zaher, was on his way to work in Beni Mazar police station when he boarded the train at approximately 17.00 hours in the town of Samalout in Egypt's Minya province, roughly 260 km south of Cairo. He shot the six Copts after chanting "Allahu Akbar" (Allah is Great) then attempted to flee but was apprehended by passengers.
Fathy Ghattas, a 71-year-old Coptic Christian, died immediately. His wife Emily Hanna underwent an operation to remove her left kidney and spleen. She is in intensive care. Another Coptic woman, Sabah Saniod, 54, underwent an operation on her liver. Three of the injured Copts, Marianne, Maggie and Ashraf, were flown by helicopter to Kasr-el-Aina teaching hospital in Cairo for further treatment.
The communique issued by the Egyptian interior Mministry said the gunman shot randomly at the train passengers, while according to the Egyptian newspaper al-Masry al-Youm the assailant had checked passengers for the green cross traditionally tattooed on the wrists of Coptic Christians in Egypt. After identifying several Copts, the gunman shot at them.
The Ministry of Interior later said that the assailant was "mentally unstable" and had been undergoing medical treatment for some time. The Governor of Minya denied any sectarian motives behind the incident and said that the assailant is unstable and shot indiscriminately at passengers.
The Coptic Diocese of Minya said that the perpetrator went up and down the train compartment before shooting at the Copts while chanting Islamic chants.
Dr.Naguib Ghabrial, head of the Egyptian Union of Human Rights Organizations, described the incident as a premeditated "sectarian" attack, aimed at the Copts, since they sat together and sang Christian hymns, and the assailant shouted Allahu Akbar three times before shooting.
Ghabrial criticized the Interior Ministry for downplaying the shooting as usual. "The gunman did not shoot at random, otherwise Muslims would have been wounded as well," Ghabrial told BBC Arabic TV. "This is one in the series of attacks aimed at Copts, before this there was the Alexandria Massacre."
"I am sorry that the Ministry hastily issued a statement that the assailant was mentally unstable." Said Ghabrial. " Would someone who is mentally unstable be issued with a weapon and ammunition, would he be able to differentiate between Copts and Muslims?" he said. "I am telling the Interior Minister do not under-estimate Coptic intelligence and do not undervalue Coptic blood, for Coptic blood is not cheap." He called once again for the minister to resign after all these Coptic Massacres.
Coptic activist Mariam Ragy reported that a clash took place between Muslim youth and more than 200 angry Coptic protesters who converged outside the Good Shepherd Hospital, which belongs to the Coptic Diocese of Samalout, where the wounded were brought. The police tried to disperse the Copts with tear gas, rubber bullets and stones. Several Copts were injured. (video showing security hurling stones and firing tear gas at Copts in front of hospital.. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8JXzpa0-Y7I&feature=player_embedded
Father Estephanos Shehata from Samalout Diocese said in an interview on Coptic channel Hope-Sat that witnesses told him the policeman called out Allahu Akbar and shot the Copts who were in the cabin. He confirmed the clashes between Copts and security forces outside the hospital. "Security fired tear gas and rubber bullets at the crowd. Live ammunition was also fired but not by security, we do not know who fired them," he said.
On January 11, Egypt recalled its ambassador to the Vatican for consultation over comments made by Pope Benedict XVI following the bombing of the Christian Coptic church in Alexandria on New Year's Eve which killed 23 and injured more than 100. The Pope commented that the mass attack "offends God and all of humanity." He called on world leaders to protect Egypt's Copts.
Egyptian foreign ministry issued a statement saying "Egypt will not allow any non-Egyptian faction to interfere in its internal affairs under any pretext. The Coptic question is specifically an internal Egyptian affair."
Commenting on tonight's train shooting incident, Coptic activist Mark Ebeid said "What will the government now have to say to the international community? Will they still argue that the Coptic question is specifically an internal Egyptian affair when nearly every 10 days they are massacred?"
By Mary Abdelmassih
Copyright (C) 2011, Assyrian International News Agency. All Rights Reserved. Terms of Use.

Michel Aoun
January 12, 2011
On January 11, the Lebanese National News Agency carried the following report: The Change and Reform Bloc held its weekly meeting in Rabieh. Following the meeting, head of the bloc Deputy General Michel Aoun stated:
We did not discuss many issues today and our meeting was limited to the Arab initiative, i.e. the initiative of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Syrian Republic undertaken by King Abdullah and President Bashar al-Assad. We thank His Highness King Abdullah and President Bashar al-Assad for the efforts they deployed, although this initiative ended with no results. Indeed, Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri’s team did not cooperate with these efforts and we reached a dead end at the level of the initiative. However, we as Lebanese do not recognize dead ends, and at this very moment, there is a delegation including Minister Suleiman Franjieh, Minister Gebran Bassil, Deputy Ali Hassan Khalil and Hajj Hussein Khalil in Baabda Palace.
They are carrying certain proposals to the president and we hope that they will take their proper course and constitute yet another exit from this crisis. Moreover, we will hold a meeting for the opposition ministers at 7:30 pm here in Rabieh, in order to discuss the outcome of the consultations with the president and discuss the situation among each other. This is what we talked about today, as we did not have time to address the issues of the hour. Priority was given to the handling of the major crisis related to the tribunal, the false witnesses file and the expected situation during the next few days.
Following the failure of the initiative today, where are we going?
We are proposing a new exit with Mr. President. We are not giving up, will await the outcome and will keep you posted.
Are there any intentions of pulling out from the government, i.e. the national unity government, especially following the failure of the initiative? Moreover, how did you know that the initiative had failed, while only last week you said you did not know anything about this Syrian-Saudi initiative?
I knew nothing about its outcome. That day I was very clear. Some were saying that it [the initiative] involved conditions, while others were saying it did not. I told them I knew nothing about the existence of conditions and that what interested me was to learn two things: Who killed Prime Minister Al-Hariri and who sent the false witnesses. I want two truths and not just one...
Who informed you about the failure, General?
Our colleagues in Hezbollah, Amal and the other parties, and they were certainly informed by the main reference undertaking the initiative. There were contacts between President Al-Assad and King Abdullah, after which we were told that the issue was over without reaching any results. Therefore, we had to present another initiative. Some may cooperate and others may not, but we will always maintain a positive stand with the presence of a Lebanese-Lebanese solution, in case the Arab solution to which we gave all the necessary time remained unavailable… However, it seems that the other team was trying to gain time and I believe it got all the time it needed. For our part, we will try again today or tomorrow. I do not know how long it will take to get a response to our initiative, which is why we have started following up on this crisis that resulted from the end of the Syrian-Saudi initiative without any results...
Saying it “ended without any results” is like announcing the death of this settlement to the Lebanese. The hopes of the Lebanese people were all placed on this settlement, and saying that Syria and Saudi Arabia were unable to resolve the Lebanese crisis is like detonating a bomb that is raising the people’s concerns.
I am the one detonating a bomb? What do you want me to say? They gave me a statement saying that no solution was reached, so that I would relate it to the Lebanese. I thus told the Lebanese that this solution has failed and that we have presented another one.
A Lebanese-Lebanese one?
I am announcing it right now. The Syrian-Saudi initiative has ended and the time has come for the Lebanese-Lebanese initiative…
General, the prime minister is practically outside of Lebanon and has been in the United States since Friday.
Only since Friday? Where did he spend the holidays?
General, those were the holidays. We are talking about a lengthy visit to the United States and American-French meetings. Do you believe that the prime minister was subjected to American pressures? Moreover, who should assume the responsibility for this failure and this obstruction that affected the Arab effort?
In the end, the failure is a Lebanese one. It is neither a Saudi, Syrian or an American failure, nor is it a victory for any of the latter teams. The failure is ours, just like success is ours. We the Lebanese are fully responsible. I used to ask them not to head abroad, to blame them and call on them to seek inter-Lebanese solutions… This is my policy, i.e. that the free Lebanese are the ones that believe in a Lebanese solution. We have supported the Arab initiative because we cannot go against an effort deployed for Lebanon’s wellbeing…