LCCC
ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
ِMarch
02/2011
Bible Of The
Day
Luke 12/8-12: "I tell you, everyone who confesses me before men, him will the
Son of Man also confess before the angels of God; 12:9 but he who denies me in
the presence of men will be denied in the presence of the angels of God. 12:10
Everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but those
who blaspheme against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven. 12:11 When they
bring you before the synagogues, the rulers, and the authorities, don’t be
anxious how or what you will answer, or what you will say; 12:12 for the Holy
Spirit will teach you in that same hour what you must say.”
Latest
analysis, editorials, studies, reports, letters & Releases
from
miscellaneous
sources
Could Syria Be Next/opednews.com/01
March/11
Say no to Syria talks/Yoaz
Hendel/Ynetnews/01
March/11
While Qaddafi Bombs His People,
Syria’s Assad Conducts A Charm Offensive In Vogue/By ZINA MOUKHEIBER/01
March/11
Guns & Patriots Military Analyst W.
Thomas Smith Jr. Honored/by Kay B. Day/ 01
March/11
A new Arab morning… for America/By:
Hussein Ibish/ 01
March/11
Latest News Reports From Miscellaneous Sources for 01
March/11
US weighs hit-and-run raids to
disable Qaddafi's air capability/DEBKAfile
Lieberman: Assad's only goal is to
stay in power/Ynetnews
Freedom: Does Gambia sell Iranian arms to Hezbollah?/iloubnan.info
Outgoing Lebanon PM says Hezbollah's arsenal is a threat
to the country/The Canadian Press
Indictment Technically Ready, Expected to be Distributed on March 7/Naharnet
Iran Says Navy Ships in Mediterranean Not Aggression/Voice of America
March 8 Leaders to Meet within 48 Hours to Speed up
Government Formation/Naharnet
Indictment Technically Ready, Expected to be Distributed on March 7/Naharnet
Jumblat: Weapons for Defending Lebanon from any Israeli Assault Should
remain/Naharnet
Iran, Syria to Implement Joint
Naval Training Program, Fars Says/Bloomberg
Israel's Barak Sees Opportunity for
Peace in Mideast Upheaval/VOM
While Qaddafi Bombs His People,
Syria's Assad Conducts A Charm Offensive In Vogue/Forbes (blog)
Aoun's Allies Intensify
Meetings with him to Soften Demands, Study Solutions/Naharnet
The Netherlands: No
Guesses over Release of Indictment or Who Will be Accused/Naharnet
March 14 Mulling to Hold
Cedar Revolution Anniversary on March 13/Naharnet
Ban Urges Lebanese
Officials to Prevent Supporters from Using Arms/Naharnet
Iran Navy Chief Brushes
off Reports that Ships Carried Arms for Hizbullah/Naharnet
Miqati to Confront Demands
of Allies as he Faces Difficult Task of Forming One-Sided Cabinet/Naharnet
Geagea: Things Couldn't
Straighten up as Long as there is No Single State/Naharnet
March 8 Leaders to Meet
within 48 Hours to Speed up Government Formation/Naharnet
Jumblat: Weapons for
Defending Lebanon from any Israeli Assault Should Remain/Naharnet
Miqati to Confront Demands of
Allies as he Faces Difficult Task of Forming One-Sided Cabinet/Naharnet
Miqati's Circles: Hariri's Attack
on Hizbullah's Arms Aimed at Torpedoing National Dialogue/Naharnet
Berri Defends Hizbullah's Arms and
Challenges Hariri/Naharnet
March 14 Mulling to Hold Cedar
Revolution Anniversary on March 13/Naharnet
Iran Navy Chief Brushes off Reports
that Ships Carried Arms for Hizbullah/Naharnet
Lieberman: Assad's only goal is to stay in power
Ronen Medzini
http://www.ynetnews.com/home/0,7340,L-3083,00.html
Published: 03.01.11, Israel News
Following developments in the Middle East, Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman
said he is willing to open peace negotiations with Syria but that ceding the
Golan Heights is not an option. In closed talks with senior officials in the
international community Lieberman addressed the turmoil in the region for the
first time and warned against the rise of radicals.
"There is no justification or reason for Israel to cede the Golan Heights," he
said during meetings with Japanese envoy to the Middle East Yutaka Limura,
Quartet envoy Tony Blair and Romanian Foreign Minister Teodor Baconschi.
"President Assad's only goal is to maintain the rule of the Assad dynasty," he
said. "Assad knows that the process of democratization will jeopardize his
rule." The Japanese envoy arrived in Israel after visiting Damascus where he met
state officials with whom he discussed the possibility of renewing the
Israel-Syria peace talks.
"Unfortunately, Syrians desperately want to talk about peace but do not really
seek peace. They want a (peace) process in order to get western legitimacy,"
Lieberman said. He stressed that returning the Golan Heights was not an option.
"I am willing to enter into direct negotiations with Syria immediately but on
the basis that talks will be based on peace in exchange for peace," he said.
These past few weeks have seen the Syrians boosting weapons smuggling to
Hezbollah in south Lebanon," he noted. "They increase weapons acquisitions every
year, repeatedly refuse to allow IAEA inspectors to visit suspicious sites and
continue to tighten relations with Iran."
'Radicals taking over' The foreign minister's statements come at the end of a
particularly grueling month during which he held more than 20 meetings with
European and US senior officials, including EU foreign affairs chief Catherine
Ashton, NATO's secretary-general and US senators Joe Lieberman and John McCain.
He recently concluded a visit in Brussels where he represented Israel in an
annual meeting with the EU.
During his Monday meeting with former British Prime Minister Toby Blair
Lieberman first addressed developments in the Middle East. "I'm not sure the
changes in the region will see democracy being established especially when to
comes to countries such as Yemen, Bahrain or Libya," he said.
The foreign minister noted there is growing fear that instead of EU-style
democracy those countries will end up with radicals led or inspired by Iran will
in power. He noted the political state in Lebanon as an example of what could
occur in other parts of the Middle East. Lieberman also commented on the peace
talks with the Palestinians and said a peace deal was not possible as long as
the Palestinian economy remains weak. "A Palestinian state on 1967 borders under
current the circumstances will not bring peace but transfer the conflict into
the Sharon region," he warned. "Our experience in south Lebanon and Gaza shows
that when we pull back without achieving the right conditions first, we end up
with radicals taking over. In both cases those elements are supported by Iran. A
withdrawal to 1967 borders will result in the same situation 15 minutes away
from the Prime Minister's Office and the Knesset." Lieberman said that the real
problem was the average annual income per capita in the Palestinian Authority.
"While in Israel it stands at $30,000, in the PA it is $3,000. When it is
$15,000 we will be able to solve the conflict without the use of mediators or
the quartet. Reconciliation will come naturally."
Hariri Says Hizbullah's Arms 'a National Problem that Needs
a National Solution
Naharnet/Caretaker Prime Minister Saad Hariri on Monday stressed that
Hizbullah's weapons have become a "national problem" which needs a "national
solution."
Hariri called on the Hizbullah-led camp to "confess that this problem has become
a national problem par excellence which needs a national solution par
excellence, before anything else."
"Because it is poisoning everything else and we will not allow it from now on to
poison the memory of our martyrs, all our martyrs: the martyrs of the Cedar
Revolution and the martyrs of the resistance against Israel," the caretaker
premier said during a meeting at the Center House with Mustaqbal Movement
ministers, MPs and officials.
He noted that the March 14 forces "had waited a full month for the answer of the
Prime Minister-designate (Najib Miqati) concerning three points: the (new)
government's commitment to end the supremacy of weapons over political life in
Lebanon, its commitment to the Special Tribunal for Lebanon and its commitment
to the Constitution of Taef."
"Of course, as everyone expected, the answer did not come. After a full month,
the March 14 forces considered the absence of an answer to be an answer in
itself, or more explicitly, an absence of decision and an absence of will, and
therefore they announced to all the Lebanese that their place was not in this
government," Hariri went on to say.
He stressed that "the supremacy of weapons over political and cultural life in
Lebanon is the problem … that prevents the regularization of public life in our
country."
Hariri accused the rival camp of torpedoing an alleged Saudi initiative to hold
a national reconciliation conference in Riyadh.
"We have not heard any of you commenting on the reality of this initiative. All
we have heard, once again, were accusations of treason and false allegations,"
the acting premier said.
"The Lebanese system and the economic, social, cultural, political and
constitutional life, as well as the right of the Lebanese people to a secure and
safe life, will never be achieved as long as these weapons are ready to be used
against your countrymen," Hariri added.
He accused the Hizbullah-led camp of trying to "destroy the image of the
President" Michel Suleiman.
"We want to tell you that if you have weapons, this doesn't mean that you are
right. The weapons may give control, but they don't give a majority. The
majority is produced by the ballot boxes, without weapons."
Hariri declared that the March 14 forces have decided to "take to the streets on
March 14, 2011 to refuse the tutelage of weapons over our Constitution and
national life."
He called for holding onto the U.N.-backed Special Tribunal for Lebanon,
stressing that "the assassination of Rafik Hariri was not an accident and the
assassination of the Cedar Revolution martyrs was not a coincidence."
In an interview with his movement's mouthpiece al-Mustaqbal newspaper published
Monday, Hariri stressed that the March 14 forces had rejected on Sunday to be
part of Najib Miqati's government that aims at "eliminating" the STL.
"They wanted us to become part of a government that seeks to eliminate the
international tribunal from the policy statement," Hariri told the daily,
referring to the March 8 forces.
March 14 "saw that it is in the interest of Lebanon and the Lebanese to move to
a real national opposition that responds to the requirements of a democratic
system," Hariri said.
The new opposition should "preserve the nation" against efforts to target the
constitution and the Taef Accord, he added.
When asked whether the March 14 decision to become the new opposition was the
start of a campaign for the 2013 parliamentary elections, Hariri said: "This
issue is not linked to power. It is about essential things that have affected
public life."
He said the next elections will be an opportunity for the Lebanese "to salvage
the democratic system" from Hizbullah's arms.
On Sunday, the March 14 forces officially announced their refusal to take part
in the country's new government.
The March 14 forces "reject to legitimize the coup … and reject to turn into
observers who cannot prevent violations," the coalition said in a statement
recited by ex-PM Fouad Saniora after an extraordinary meeting for its 60 MPs at
the Bristol Hotel in Beirut.
On January 12, Hizbullah and its allies toppled Saad Hariri's cabinet in a
long-running feud over the U.N.-backed STL.
Hizbullah-backed Najib Miqati was then appointed to form a new government, which
Hariri's alliance has refused to join and has labeled "Hizbullah's government".
Hariri has refused to join Miqati's government without guarantees that his
cabinet would see the tribunal through.
Hizbullah meanwhile is demanding Lebanon end all cooperation with the court,
which it says is a U.S.-Israeli conspiracy.
While Hariri and his allies won Lebanon's last parliamentary election in 2009,
shifting alliances today have positioned the Hizbullah-led camp as the majority
after Druze leader Walid Jumblat moved closer to the Shiite party. Beirut, 28
Feb 11, 20:53
US weighs hit-and-run raids to disable Qaddafi's air capability
DEBKAfile Exclusive Report
February 28, 2011,
The US is repositioning its naval and air forces around Libya, Pentagon
spokesman Col. David Lapan stated Monday, Feb. 28, indicating possible military
steps to break the standoff between Muammar Qaddafi's army and rebel forces in
the fighting for control of the towns commanding the roads to the capital
Tripoli where Qaddafi is barricaded. The reported rebel capture of the key towns
of Misrata and Zawiya is technically correct. In fact, they are both surrounded
by Libyan troops who control their road links with Tripoli. In Misrata, the army
has a valuable edge over opposition forces in its control of the local airfield.
The Pentagon spokesman's indeed remarked that there are "various contingency
plans" for the North African country where Muammar Qaddafi's forces and rebels
in the east "remain locked in a tense standoff." Most military observers
interpreted his remark as referring to potential US military intervention in
Libya to break the stalemate. It was strengthened by the imminent redeployment
off the Libyan coast of USS Enterprise from the Red Sea and the amphibious USS
Kearsarge, which has a fleet of helicopters and about 1,800 Marines aboard.
This US naval movement appeared to be running ahead of US Secretary of State
Hillary Clinton who, speaking in Geneva, Switzerland, earlier Monday said
"nothing is off the table" but added "there is no pending naval action planned
against Libya."
debkafile's military and intelligence sources report that the presence of the
two US warships opposite Libya gives Washington and its allies a flexible option
for military intervention should Qaddafi be seen to prevail over the opposition
or if the standoff lingers too long. Among the 1,800 marines aboard the
Kearsarge are units especially trained for guerrilla or covert raids behind
enemy lines. They would have air cover from the Enterprise to protect them from
Libyan air and helicopter strikes. They primary mission would be to disable the
Libyan air force and put its air fields out of commission. The rebels would not
then be stalled by the Libyan ruler's ability to bring in fresh troops and drop
them at any point and give them a better chance of carrying the day. The other
"contingency plan" in discussion between Washington and European allies is
creating a no-fly zone to protect the people from air assault. The American UN
Ambassador Susan Rice said later that Washington is discussing militlary options
with its allies but a determination is premature. On the sanctions front, the US
government Monday blocked a record $30 billion in Libyan assets, the largest
amount ever frozen, in line with the Obama administration's decision to impose
unilateral and multilateral sanctions on Qaddafi.
Indictment Technically Ready, Expected to be Distributed on March 7
Naharnet/Lebanon is expecting the arrival of a technical delegation from the
Special Tribunal for Lebanon that is scheduled to meet with President Michel
Suleiman and Caretaker Prime Minister Saad Hariri to place the finishing touches
to the phase preceding the finalization of the indictment in the investigation
into the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.
Informed sources in the STL's functioning told the Central News Agency on Monday
that Pre-trial Judge Daniel Fransen and Prosecutor Daniel Bellemare have
completed their work sessions to come up with the indictment's final draft. The
suspects will be informed of the indictment through the official Lebanese
authorities, "meaning that there is no way that it will remain secret seeing as
the accused will likely reveal to the media the charges against them." They
predicted that the indictment is likely to be distributed on March 7 in two or
three phases, adding that up to 24 suspects may be included in it. Beirut, 28
Feb 11, 17:33
The Netherlands: No Guesses over Release of Indictment or Who Will be Accused
Naharnet/Dutch Ambassador to Lebanon Hero de Boer stressed that justice must
take its course on the national and international scenes regarding the Special
Tribunal for Lebanon. He told the daily An Nahar in remarks published on Tuesday
that the Netherlands cannot "make guesses over the release date of the
indictment" in the investigation into the assassination of former Lebanese Prime
Minister Rafik Hariri or over who will be accused in the crime "as these are
matters that would severely affect our credibility." He also voiced his concern
over the safety of witnesses, as well as the suspects, adding: "We are seeking
to distance ourselves from any political position or bias to any side in this
entire affair."De Boer stated that he won't be surprised of the new Lebanese
government adopted a stalling policy regarding to the Special Tribunal for
Lebanon, noting that Prime Minister-designate Najib Miqati has not altered his
stand towards the court "and he was clear in stating that he is personally
concerned with continuing cooperation with it." The ambassador also voiced his
concern that the case of false witnesses would be employed for political reasons
in the STL. "We truly believe in independent justice and that it should take its
course," he stressed. Beirut, 01 Mar 11, 11:56
Ban Urges Lebanese Officials to Prevent Supporters from Using Arms
Naharnet/U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon lamented that the latest confrontation between
March 8 and 14 forces was accompanied by "sectarian" and "inflammatory" remarks.
In his 15th report on the implementation of Security Council resolution 1701,
Ban said Lebanon has been witnessing a political crisis over the Special
Tribunal for Lebanon.
This crisis paralyzed the national unity cabinet which collapsed on January 12,
he said. Ban urged Lebanese officials to guarantee stability in the country and
respect constitutional institutions and U.N. resolutions, in reference to
Security Council resolution 1757 on the international tribunal. The U.N.
Secretary-General also urged Lebanese leaders to take all measures to prevent
their supporters from resorting to violence. As in previous reports, Ban said
Hizbullah's armed presence represents a challenge to the state's ability to
impose its sovereignty on all its territories. He called for disarming the
Shiite group through a "Lebanese political process." Ban reiterated the need for
Israel to withdraw "as soon as possible" from the Lebanese part of the border
village of Ghajar. "This pullout will be an important step in the full
implementation of resolution 1701."He also urged Israel to "immediately" end
violations of Lebanese airspace.
Beirut, 01 Mar 11, 07:55
Aoun's Allies Intensify Meetings with him to Soften Demands, Study Solutions
Naharnet/Prime Minister-designate Najib Miqati is seeking to intensify his
contacts and consultations over the formation of the new government in light of
the March 14 camp's official announcement that it will not take part in it. The
main obstacle in the formation process lies in Free Patriotic Movement leader MP
Michel Aoun's demands, which he seems more attached to than ever, reported Al-Akhbar
on Tuesday. It added that a meeting was held Sunday night between Caretaker
Energy Minister Jebran Bassil and the political advisers of House Speaker Nabih
Berri, MP Ali Hasan Khalil, and Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, Hussein
al-Khalil, to assess the March 8 camp's next steps in the formation process.
Informed circles in the meeting stated that the officials discussed methods to
reach solutions that would take into account Aoun's demands that would
simultaneously not stand as an obstacle before Miqati. Meanwhile, Al-Jumhuriyah
newspaper revealed on Tuesday that a meeting between Berri, Nasrallah, and Aoun
took place Sunday away from the media spotlight, during which a number of
options were studied, including delaying the formation of the new government
until a clear image of the Arab world emerges given the popular revolts in the
region.
In addition, media reports revealed that Progressive Socialist Party leader MP
Walid Jumblat recently met with Aoun at a mutual friend's house. Sources
monitoring the government formation process told the pan-Arab daily al-Hayat in
remarks published on Tuesday that the MP stressed to Aoun his refusal of a
government of "malice" and that he supports Miqati's position in the formation
process, while Aoun did not seem willing to abandon his demands. Beirut, 01 Mar
11, 12:39
Miqati's Circles: Hariri's Attack on Hizbullah's Arms Aimed at Torpedoing
National Dialogue
Naharnet/Premier-designate Najib Miqati's circles accused Caretaker Prime
Minister Saad Hariri of holding Miqati responsible for his alliance's boycott of
the new cabinet at a time when Hariri had already made up his mind not to
participate in the government. The circles drew question marks over Hariri's
speech on Monday in which he said March 14 waited for answers from Miqati for a
month over its demands on the international tribunal and arms. Miqati informed
both the March 8 and 14 forces and the media since the first day of his
nomination that he wouldn't make prior commitments to any team. "This is
unconstitutional," the circles told As Safir daily in remarks published Tuesday.
They slammed Hariri for his blistering attack on Hizbullah's arms, saying the
campaign against the group's weapons was aimed at torpedoing national dialogue
sessions and resorting to the street. The caretaker premier accused Hizbullah of
using its arms in the past three years to influence political bickering in its
favor. Despite Hariri's speech, Miqati still holds onto his policy of extended
hand to consolidate national unity and stability, the circles said. Beirut, 01
Mar 11, 08:47
March 14 Mulling to Hold Cedar Revolution Anniversary on March 13
Naharnet/Caretaker Minister Michel Pharaon did not confirm a media report on
Tuesday that the March 14 forces would celebrate the sixth anniversary of the
Cedar Revolution on March 13. Until now, no decision has been made if the
anniversary of March 14 would be held on the 14th or the 13th of March, Pharaon
told Voice of Lebanon radio station. An Nahar daily said Tuesday that the
alliance was mulling to hold the mass rally of the Cedar revolution on Sunday,
March 13 to mobilize the largest number of supporters possible. The coalition is
expected to hold a large-scale meeting at the Bristol hotel next Sunday to
unveil a political document and a new organizational structure that would
guarantee the widest membership possible of other parties, March 14 sources told
An Nahar. Beirut, 01 Mar 11, 10:06
Berri Defends Hizbullah's Arms and Challenges Hariri
Naharnet/Speaker Nabih Berri snapped back at Caretaker Premier Saad Hariri
saying a country's "capital would collapse if there is no presence of strong
arms on its border."
"This is exactly what happened in 1982," Berri told As Safir daily in remarks
published Tuesday. "Hadn't the resistance planted its seeds in the infamous
Khalde battle, Israel wouldn't have gradually pulled out." "We will continue to
hold onto these weapons until (Israel) withdraws from the Shebaa farms,
Kfarshouba hills and the Lebanese part of Ghajar," he said.
Without mentioning Hariri, Berri advised him "to live the real experience in the
south" rather than making speculations. He also said that members from the March
14 forces should reside in the border town of Yaroun for a few days and realize
how Israel monitors the area. "Let them then tell me if they insist on holding
onto their stance."Berri added that critics of Hizbullah's arms "never
sympathized with southerners." Beirut, 01 Mar 11, 09:37
Jumblat: Weapons for Defending Lebanon from any Israeli Assault Should Remain
Naharnet/Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblat stated on Monday
that the possession of arms between various Lebanese parties should be
addressed, "but the main weapons to defend Lebanon against any Israeli assault
should remain." He told France 24: "These arms are Lebanon's defense and
fortification … Lebanon should either side with the western Israeli front or the
Arab Islamic one." He added that he had made an assessment of the developments
in Lebanon starting from the events of March 7, 2008, and "gradually I returned
to the roots of the PSP and Jumblat family in defending Lebanon." Addressing the
developments in the Arab world, the MP said that the area is being "born again".
"We are standing before an Arab world that wants to actively take part in rule …
I hope a revolution led by the Lebanese youth would take place in Lebanon away
from the influence of politicians for the aim of overthrowing the sectarian
system," he added. Earlier on Monday, Jumblat had said that the time has come to
eliminate the "dark" sectarian system in Lebanon that "has infiltrated every
aspect of our political, economic, social, and educational life." He said in his
weekly editorial in the PSP-affiliated al-Anbaa magazine: "The sectarian system
is widening the national divide instead of bridging the gap." "Sectarianism
should be eliminated as soon as possible because it leaves generations of
Lebanese prisoners of discrimination between citizens," he continued. He cited
the Taif Accord that presented a mechanism to end sectarianism through forming a
national body headed by the president of the republic. "The persistence of the
current failed political system will create future political crises as we have
witnessed for decades and decades," the MP added. Furthermore, Jumblat commended
Sunday's youth anti-confessionalism rally, which he said may pose a suitable
mechanism to create a new reality on the ground, similar to the youth movements
in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, and Yemen that have or started to create change to the
system of rule. Beirut, 28 Feb 11, 16:53
A new Arab morning… for America
Hussein Ibish, Now Lebanon
March 1, 2011
It’s hard to think of a type of crisis the Obama administration has not faced
during the past two years.
President Barack Obama inherited a pair of difficult wars and a financial
meltdown from the Bush administration. Toss in a major environmental disaster in
the Gulf of Mexico, with the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and you get a sense of
the kind of chaos a young, relatively inexperienced president has had to cope
with in the first half of his term. However, Obama has been successful in
drawing down the Iraq war and redefining the strategy in Afghanistan, and the
American economy appears to be slowly clawing itself away from the abyss.
But now, with the entire Arab world aflame, Obama has just been handed the most
far-reaching foreign policy challenge – and opportunity – the United States has
faced since the end of the Cold War. Anti-government protests are underway in
Libya, Yemen, Bahrain, Oman, Jordan, Mauritania, Djibouti and Morocco. There are
rumblings in Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and elsewhere in the Gulf. And things are
starting to heat up again in Egypt and Tunisia, where it all began.
For decades the US has based its foreign policy in the Middle East on
maintaining stability, above all, and preserving the status quo. Washington has
been guided by perceived core interests: ensuring that the US remains the sole
regional superpower, securing the flow and pricing of energy resources, and a
commitment to Israel’s security. The George W. Bush administration toyed with
the idea of introducing a “freedom agenda” into US policy toward the Arab world,
even releasing a “Greater Middle East Initiative” document outlining this.
But the Bush administration’s approach was badly flawed. The Greater Middle East
Initiative was drafted without Arab input, and was slated to be unveiled at a
multilateral meeting at which no Arab state would have been present. Even Arab
reformers for the most part viewed the document with deep suspicion. It smacked
too much of a neocolonial dictate, was premised on an unrealistic
one-size-fits-all model, and ignored the Israeli occupation of Palestinian
territory. This occupation has created as undemocratic an order as can be
imagined – involving the rule of millions of noncitizens by a foreign army. As
long as it persists, the US will be unable to lecture Arabs credibly on
democracy.
The Greater Middle East Initiative was more than anything else a product of the
intoxication of the short “mission accomplished” period before the Iraqi
insurgency began in earnest. The chaos that ensued in Iraq ended any possibility
that policies would be based on the freedom agenda or the stillborn initiative.
Even under the Bush administration, tension between the short-term interests of
the US in energy, stability and Israeli security; and long-term interests
through the promotion of democracy, human rights and better relations with Arab
populations rather than regimes, was, as always, decided in favor of the former.
Now the Obama administration – which has placed enormous emphasis on repairing
relations with governments, promoting stability and seeking regional agreements
– is confronted with a sudden, unexpected and uncontrolled outpouring of popular
Arab anger and rejection of the status quo, both domestically and regionally.
The problem is that American interests haven’t changed, but American
calculations have to, and quickly. The US will have to deal with the outcome of
a wave of popularly-driven demands for change that could be threatening to its
short-term interests, but should very well serve the long-term interests.
The challenge for the US is to be seen as unequivocally taking the side of the
Arab peoples even when it comes to pressuring long-standing allies. Otherwise,
there is every danger that change will be both out of American control and
hostile to American interests.
In truth, the US has a limited ability to influence what happens in most Arab
states. However, the wisest course for Washington is to issue bold statements
and use whatever leverage it has, even when this is more symbolic than
practical, to demonstrate a real commitment to Arab democracy and reform in
spite of potential risks to short-term American interests. This is happening,
whether the US or the West likes it or not. It is futile to try holding back the
waves like an impotent King Canute, or stand on the sidelines issuing vague
statements to the effect of, “We may or may not be trying to have it both ways.”
Obviously, American interests haven’t changed, and they still center on energy,
stability, American power and influence, and Israeli security. But the best way
to secure these interests is to do everything possible to avoid being seen as
the guarantor of domestic and regional orders that are plainly anathema to the
Arab peoples in general.
American influence can no longer be secured through military might alone, and
the US is hardly in a position to start writing checks either. The best approach
for the US to secure its interests in the long-term and ensure that the new Arab
order is as friendly as possible to American concerns is to embrace Arab change.
Washington must place itself squarely on the side of the Arab peoples’ demands
for democracy, inclusivity, good governance and accountability.
**Hussein Ibish is a senior research fellow at the American Task Force on
Palestine and blogs at www.Ibishblog.com.
Say no to Syria talks
Yoaz Hendel Published: 03.01.11, 12:57 / Israel Opinion
For three decades now, Israel and Syria have been engaging in indirect
discussions from afar regarding a peace deal. It started during the rule of
Assad Sr. (who sought to declare the outcome even before negotiations start) and
continued with secret, pointless feelers vis-à-vis Assad Jr.
Peace had not arrived here, but we did see plenty of emissaries and fantasies.
The truth is that despite the selective memory of various peace worshippers, we
were never close to securing a deal with Syria. We can seek various types of
explanations for it and blame ourselves again, yet the only reason for it is
that the term “peace” (even though it exists both in Hebrew and in Arabic) is
interpreted in a wholly different way by both sides.
In Israel, we dream about peace that will prompt Syria to disengage from Iran,
that will produce quiet in Lebanon, and that will allow the dreamers to eat
hummus in Damascus. The Syrians, on the other hand, talk about a process that
will allow them to regain the Golan Heights and improve their strategic balance
vis-à-vis Israel. That’s it, nothing more and nothing less than that.
And this is where the problem lies. Ever since the peace treaty with Egypt was
signed, for lack of other choice Israel adopted the paradigm whereby peace is
made with leaders rather than with peoples. We are not relaxing with hummus in
Cairo or attending cultural performances in Amman. What we do have are interests
and relationships between leaders.
Golan not the key
The peace treaties did not curb the Arab tradition to blame Israel for all the
troubles in the world. Yet we, in order to make reality look nicer, justified
these gaps by referring to the strength of the leaders.
Even though it is still too early to conclude, we can draw at least one
important lesson from the uprisings in the Middle East: The limits of
dictatorship. The escape of Tunisia’s president, Mubarak’s fall, the siege on
Gaddafi and the panicked voices emerging from the luxurious palaces of other
Arab leaders show that things change and tyrants don’t last forever. Today’s
understandings vis-à-vis Arab leaders may turn into a big question mark
tomorrow.
I am one of those who believe that Syria must engage in some self-examination
for years to come before genuine willingness emerges there to advance towards a
deal with its Jewish neighbors. As opposed to the common doctrine, in my view
the Golan Heights land is not the key for improving the situation between the
states, but rather, only an artificial excuse. Today, with Arab leaders
collapsing, I view the pursuit of another agreement with a dictator as
blindness.
Forbes (blog)
Syria Still At It
NUCLEAR, BIOLOGICAL AND CHEMICAL WEAPONS
StategyPage
March 1, 2011: Commercial satellite photos have revealed a new Syrian nuclear
enrichment facility near Damascus. There are two other facilities apparently
related to nuclear research, but the Damascus site is apparently being equipped
for enriching uranium for a reactor, or nuclear weapons. The grounds around this
site are being paved, so that it's more difficult to detect radioactive
material. UN inspectors have not been allowed to inspect the site near Damascus.
The Israeli government has not reacted, yet.
Syria originally had a nuclear reactor under construction at al Kibar, which was
bombed by Israel in September, 2007. This site had structures that indicated a
nuclear research facility was under construction. After the bombing, the Syrians
promptly removed the structures, both the ones that were bombed and those left
intact. Syria has since rebuilt the area with what appears to be a missile
control and launching center.
UN inspectors found, before Syria rebuilt the area, that there were traces of
uranium and graphite, indicating that there was indeed a nuclear research
activity, at the very least, going one. The Syrians apparently did not realize
that it was difficult, nearly impossible, to clear away the microscopic evidence
that nuclear research was going on there.
North Korean technicians were involved with whatever was going on there,
although Syria denied any nuclear work was taking place. Denying that North
Koreans were around was more difficult, as North Koreans have been seen entering
and leaving this area for months. North Korea is believed to be still selling
weapons, and possibly nuclear technology, to Syrian mentor Iran. North Koreans
are still in Syria, apparently in support of weapons (possibly nuclear)
technology sold to Syria.
While Qaddafi Bombs His People, Syria’s Assad Conducts A Charm Offensive In
Vogue
Feb. 28 2011 /Forbes
By ZINA MOUKHEIBER
http://blogs.forbes.com/zinamoukheiber/2011/02/28/while-qaddafi-bombs-his-people-syrias-assad-conducts-a-charm-offensive-in-vogue/
As dictators struggle with uprisings from Libya to Yemen, one country that has
remained relatively silent is Syria—except for its ruling family. I say ruling
family, because in 2000 Syria became a hereditary republic, when the late Hafez
al-Assad bequeathed the presidency to his son Bashar. (Egypt was following in
Syria’s footsteps, so was Libya, but the people put the kibosh on that). Bashar,
45, was training as an ophthalmologist in London, when he was called back to
Syria upon his brother’s death in a car accident. The older son had been first
in line for succession.
Assad and his wife Asma, a former JPMorgan investment banker, have gone on a
savvy charm offensive in prime media territory: The Wall Street Journal, and
Vogue. They give a fascinating glimpse into Assad’s persona, and in Vogue’s
case, his family life—complete with a spread of him at play with his children in
their Damascus apartment. There’s no palace; they drive their own cars. On a
recent trip to Syria, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie were a little nervous about
the lack of security as Assad took the wheel. Asma recalls: “So I started
teasing him [Pitt]—‘See that old woman on the street? That’s one of them!
[security guards] And that old guy crossing the road? That’s the other one!”
Could have been fooled.
In January, Assad told the WSJ that the uprisings were about “desperation.” One
reason for it is “that we are to blame as states and as officials…there must be
a different kind of changes: political, economic, administrative. These are the
changes that we need…You cannot reform your society or institution without
opening your mind…Real reform is about how to open up the society, and how to
start dialogue.”
Does that mean he is going to hold open elections soon? No, because Syrians have
to be educated in democracy, and that will take time. “When you do not talk, and
suddenly you talk, you happen not to talk in the proper way or productive way.”
How long will that take? “We have to wait for the next generation to bring this
reform.” Also, events outside of Assad’s control, such as political instability
in Lebanon (although whether that is entirely outside his control is
questionable) and the U.S. invasion of Iraq keep postponing his agenda. “You
always put a timetable, but you rarely could implement that timetable.”
Despite that Assad is not afraid that a similar fate might befall his regime,
because he thinks he’s in synch with the people he rules. “So people do not only
live on interests, they also live on beliefs, especially in very ideological
areas.” That is presumably a dig at the Egyptian government who broke away from
its Arab brethren by signing a peace treaty separately with Israel in 1979,
despite a cool reception from the Egyptian people. (Of course, that is not the
cause of Egypt’s uprising).
The piece in the March issue of Vogue is the perfect complement to the WSJ
interview. Former French Vogue editor Joan Juliet Buck was enamored by Asma, who
is Syrian but grew up in the U.K. Why not? Like Queen Rania of Jordan, she’s
smart and stylish, and if her husband were an ally of the U.S. and had signed a
peace treaty with Israel, she also might be hobnobbing with Bono or some other
celebrity in New York.
Asma al-Assad is busy building the foundations of a civil society, NGOs that are
part of the reforms her husband mentioned to the WSJ. “It’s about everyone
taking shared responsibility in moving this country forward, about empowerment
in a civil society,” she said.
Buck is invited to join the Assads for a Christmas concert in Damascus. As the
choir sings “Joy to the World,” “Jingle Bell Rock,” and other carols, Assad
leans over and says: “This is how you fight extremism—through art.” (In 1982,
his father leveled the town of Hama to suppress an uprising by the Muslim
Brotherhood).
For now democracy will have to be confined to the ruling family’s kitchen table
where each member is free to decide on what to eat. “We all vote on what we
want, and where,” says Asma.
Guns & Patriots Military Analyst W. Thomas Smith Jr. Honored
by Kay B. Day/03/01/2011
Lt. Col. W. Thomas Smith, Jr., a regular contributor to HUMAN EVENTS and Guns &
Patriots and the public information officer for the S.C. Military Dept.’s Joint
Services Detachment, was honored recently for his work in both counterterrorism
and for the Congressional Medal of Honor Society’s 2010 convention, which was
held in Charleston, S.C. in October.
A former U.S. Marine rifle squad leader, Smith received both the S.C.
Meritorious Service Medal and the State Merit Ribbon during ceremonies, Feb. 19,
2011, at the S.C. Adjutant General's headquarters building in Columbia.
For Smith’s convention efforts, he was presented the S.C. Meritorious Service
Medal.
Smith organized the Medal of Honor convention’s information team and arranged
and directed local, national, and international media for the national
convention honoring fewer than 100 living recipients of the nation’s highest
award for bravery in combat.
Smith’s second award, the State Merit Ribbon, was presented for the “highest
form of leadership” in establishing and directing the Counterterrorism Task
Force (known today as Counterterrorism Information), and providing senior level
briefings, “to promote the security and welfare of all South Carolinians.”
Smith’s service in JSD is another rung in a ladder of work on behalf of his
country involving a life of military service, counterterrorism analysis, and
journalism.
An acclaimed writer and war correspondent, the S.C. native has covered conflict
from the Balkans to the Middle East, delivering firsthand accounts to readers
around the globe.
When America was attacked on September 11, 2001, Smith immediately traveled to
New York. He has since been to Iraq twice, first with British forces, then with
U.S. Marine Expeditionary Forces and U.S. Army cavalry. He has authored numerous
books, and his articles have appeared in leading publications including Human
Events, BusinessWeek, USA Today, Investors Business Daily, and Family Security
Matters. He is often cited by journalists who appreciate Smith’s grasp of issues
related to international security, and he has often been quoted on issues like
seaborne piracy and special operations.
FOX News terrorism analyst Dr. Walid Phares has referred to Smith as "a military
and defense expert."
Clare Lopez, retired CIA operations officer, agrees. She adds, “Smith is a
natural leader. His counterterrorism advisory program initiatives on
counter-jihad, counter-sharia and counterterrorism have developed into a
tremendous asset for the Military Department.”
Since Aug. 2009, Smith has provided briefings to the Joint Services Detachment.
He has arranged, organized, and facilitated presentations to the S.C. Military
Dept. by international terrorism experts such as Lopez, former U.S. Deputy
Undersecretary of Defense Jed Babbin, and former CIA Director Porter J. Goss.
**Smith also serves as national director of the U.S. Counterterrorism Advisory
Team.
March 8 Leaders to Meet within 48 Hours to Speed up Government Formation
Informed sources confirmed on Monday that a March 8 envoy visited Damascus last
week where it held talks on the government formation process in Lebanon. They
told the Central News Agency that the envoy was informed that there will be no
interference in the government formation process, adding that he received
Damascus' support for Prime Minister-designate Najib Miqati and a recommendation
that Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun's demands be taken into
consideration. Furthermore, the sources revealed that a meeting for the March 8
forces will take place within 48 hours. They meeting is aimed at taking a
specific position from the government formation process after it became clear
that the delay in the formation was caused by the negotiations between Miqati
and the March 14 camp, they continued. The meeting is also aimed at speeding up
the process and overcoming the obstacles within the March 8 camp, the sources
stressed. Beirut, 28 Feb 11, 18:19
Could Syria Be Next?
SAVE AS FAVORITEVIEW By WILLIAM FISHER
http://www.opednews.com/articles/Could-Syria-Be-Next-by-WILLIAM-FISHER-110228-684.html
opednews.com
As the state dominos continue to fall across the Arab Middle East and North
Africa, "who's next?" has become the most fashionable parlor game in Washington,
London, Paris, Berlin and points East. Tunisia and Egypt have had their so-far
successful uprisings. Pro-democracy demonstrators in Yemen and Bahrain are still
trying to tip over their dominos. Libya's domino is, as of five minutes ago, in
a horizontal position. Morocco, Algeria, and Saudi Arabia appear to be vertical
for the moment, with the Saudis offering its people the most aggressive rewards
to stay quiet and enjoy the sunshine: cold hard cash. But what about Syria? We
haven't heard much about this bastion of democracy, but that's because the media
tends to go where cataclysms have already happened, not those where the
explosion is sometime in the future. How far in the
future, lord only knows. But assignment editors might do well to keep a special
eye on Syria as possibly the next domino to fall.Why not? It seems to have all
the ingredients!
Syria's 20 million people live under the authoritarian presidential regime of
Bashar al-Asad. The president makes key decisions with counsel from a small
circle of security advisors, ministers, and senior members of the ruling Ba'ath
(Arab Socialist Renaissance) Party. The constitution mandates the primacy of
Ba'ath party leaders in state institutions and society. President al-Asad and
party leaders, supported by security services, dominate all three branches of
government in what is characterized as a republic.
But, regardless of its structure, it is a dictatorship.According to the U.S.
State Department, in 2007 al-Asad was confirmed for another seven-year term in a
"yes or no" referendum that local and international human rights advocates
considered neither free nor fair.
What's Syria's human rights situation today? Probably as miserable as anywhere
in the Middle East. But receiving a lot less attention from the U.S. press. When
American journalists write about Syria, it's generally within the context of its
proximity to and violent history with neighboring Israel. Or Syria's
relationship with Iran, whose shipments of arms for Hezbollah must pass through
Syrian territory.
But Syria could become a crashing domino for none of those reasons. It might
happen because, in a neighborhood peopled by monster governments, Syria is a
monster in its own right.
Just look at 2010 alone. In its annual report on human rights around the world,
the State Department tells us that during 2010 "the government and members of
the security forces committed numerous serious human rights abuses, and the
human rights situation worsened."Here's more from the State Department report:
During 2010, the government systematically repressed citizens' abilities
to change their government. In a climate of impunity, there were instances of
arbitrary or unlawful deprivation of life.
Members of the security forces tortured and physically abused prisoners and
detainees. Security forces arrested and detained individuals--including
activists, organizers, and other regime critics -- without due process. Lengthy
pretrial and incommunicado detention remained a serious problem. During the year
the government sentenced to prison several high-profile members of the human
rights and civil society communities.
The government violated citizens' privacy rights and imposed significant
restrictions on freedoms of speech, press, assembly, association, and travel. An
atmosphere of corruption pervaded the government. Violence and societal
discrimination against women continued, as did sexual exploitation, increasingly
aimed at Iraqi refugees, including minors. The government discriminated against
minorities, particularly Kurds and Ahvazis, and severely restricted workers'
rights.During the year there were numerous reports of deaths in detention,
torture, and people being disappeared. Security Services appear to act with
total impunity and there are no reports of arrests, trials or even reprimands of
law enforcement officials.
So sayeth our State Department.
There is no freedom of expression in Syria. The most recent outrage in this
department is the arrest and jailing of a 20-year-old woman blogger, who has
been sentenced after a closed-door trial to five years in jail on state security
charges -- "divulging information to a foreign state."
It is widely believed that she was targeted for her online poems and
writings on political and social issues, such as on the fate of Palestinians
after the 2008 military operations in Gaza.
The State Security Court's verdict is final, and there is no possibility of
appeal.Before the current president, Basher al-Assad, there was his father,
Hafez al-Assad, who ruled the country for more than thjirty years. His reign was
brutal and retrograde. Syria's support for terrorist groups isolated it even
from the more moderate Arab governments. While Assad has from time to time made
gestures toward a more open and mild regime, Syria has remained a dictatorship.
Assad's government demonstrated its hold on the country last month, while the
Middle East and North Africa was exploding in a wave of protest and civil
disobedience. Anti-Assad citizens ran campaigns on Facebook and Twitter, calling
for demonstrations in Damascus on Feb. 4 and 5. But, as the New York Times
reported, "no one showed up except for police officers and members of the
security forces."
The Times wrote: "In stark contrast to several other Arab capitals, where
hundreds of thousands of people have demonstrated against their governments,
planned "Day of Rage' in Damascus on Friday failed to attract any protesters
against President Bashar al-Assad, a sign that he opposition here remains too
weak to challenge one of the region's most entrenched ruling parties."
Syrian activists warn that Syria is "not ready" to sustain a Tahrir-type
protest.
But authorities are taking no chances. On Friday, security officials arrested
Ghassan al-Najjar, an Islamist who heads a small opposition group. He had called
on Syrians in his city to demand more freedoms.
Human Rights Watch said in a statement last week that at least 10 people were
summoned by the police in the previous 48 hours and pressed to not demonstrate.
There were also reports that prominent opposition figures, many of whom spent
years in jail for opposing the government, were also summoned. On Thursday,
three Syrians were briefly detained and forced to sign pledges not to
participate in future protests, after they protested, along with 12 others,
against corruption and high cellphone costs.
At least 100 Syrians held a vigil in support of their Egyptian counterparts last
Saturday near the Egyptian Embassy in Damascus, and quietly lit candles as
police officers kept a watchful eye nearby.
Eventually, witnesses said, one of them shouted: "Oh blow, winds of change.
Yesterday Tunisia became green, tomorrow Egypt will be free. Oh, winds of
change, blow and sweep away injustice and shame." As she finished, they said,
officers quickly moved in, ordering them to leave immediately or else they would
be detained.
"It is still soon for us," a Syrian activist told the New York Times. "We have
time. The street is definitely not ready yet," he said.
One factor possibly discouraging Syrian activists from staging a Tahrir
Square-type demonstration is the memory of The Hama massacre of February
1982,when the Syrian army bombarded the town of Hama to quell a revolt by the
Muslim Brotherhood. An estimated 17,000 to 40,000 people were killed, including
about 1,000 soldiers, and large parts of the old city were destroyed. The attack
has been described as possibly being "the single deadliest act by any Arab
government against its own people in the modern Middle East".
But there are other fشctors as well. Chip Pitts, a
lecturer in law at Stanford and Oxford universities, told The Public Record,
"Syria would certainly be more of an uphill battle, being relatively insular as
compared to the other regimes in the region, and likely falling on the Libyan
side of the equation, where economic and political pressures and latent
resentment against the long-standing and repressive rule by the minority elite
(the Alawites, in Syria) could result in even wider and more effective action
than the fairly small protests seen to date."
But, he adds, "the regime would almost certainly continue to resort to brutal
force in order to defend and perpetuate itself as revealed in its recent
reactions, its crackdowns on bloggers, and the alleged killings of prisoners who
had started an uprising at Sednaya Prison last week."
"The continued serious human rights violations and extreme intolerance of
dissent under Syria's ever-present emergency laws combine with the limited
economic opportunity for the 65% of the populace under age 30, to set the stage
for a wider revolt that could put the lie to the somewhat kinder, gentler, and
less hated face presented by Bashar al-Assad (including in his turnabout in
granting the recent civil pay rise and his stated willingness to embrace
political reforms)," he said. President Assad lifted the three-year ban on
Facebook and YouTube only three weeks ago.
Pitts added: "The Assad family has already proven itself capable, like Gaddafi,
of repeatedly deploying the Syrian military against the Syrian people,
especially including the Kurdish Syrians and the Muslim Brotherhood, and the
notorious massacre of tens of thousands in the town of Hama in 1982 remains very
much in everyone's mind. Former staff colonel Bashar al-Assad still depends on
the military and the secret police/intelligence Mukhaberat to retain power, and
despite some perceptions to the contrary, is still his uncle's nephew and his
father's son. That said, the ongoing events of the past few weeks certainly
demonstrate that anything is possible -- and long overdue change in Syria would
be very welcome."
Pitts concluded, "I also think it's undoubtedly true that Bashar al-Assad is
less hated than Ghadafi, in part because he hasn't been in power for so long --
i.e. he's a younger generation and the successor autocrat rather than the
decades-long autocrat -- but also because he comes across as more normal and
(relatively) less arbitrary. The fact that unemployment in Syria (8%) is only
about one-third that of Libya (25%) probably also plays a role."
Americans who have followed the "war on terror" as waged by the George W. Bush
Administration may be familiar with Syrian justice through the ordeal
experienced by Maher Arar.
Arar, Canadian citizen of Syrian origin who was detained at Kennedy Airport in
New York in September 2002, held in detention for two weeks, flown to Jordan,
and then driven to Syria, where he was detained for ten months and, he says,
tortured repeatedly.
It appears that Arar had been named by two other Canadians, 'Abdullah al-Malki,
of Syrian origin, and Ahmad al-Maati, of Egyptian origin, whom Syrian
intelligence agents reportedly interrogated and tortured earlier in 2002. All
three were eventually released without ever being charged with a criminal
offense.
The Canadian Government convened a blue-ribbon inquiry into the circumstances of
Arar's "rendition" to Syria, determined that it had been guilty of providing
false intelligence to U.S. authorities. The head of the Canadian Royal Mounted
Police was forced to resign his post. The Canadian government apologized to Arar
and awarded him a settlement of approximately $10 million.