LCCC
ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
ِMarch
29/2011
Biblical Event Of The
Day
The Good News According to
John
2:13 The Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 2:14
He found in the temple those who sold oxen, sheep, and doves, and the changers
of money sitting. 2:15 He made a whip of cords, and threw all out of the temple,
both the sheep and the oxen; and he poured out the changers’ money, and
overthrew their tables. 2:16 To those who sold the doves, he said, “Take these
things out of here! Don’t make my Father’s house a marketplace!” 2:17 His
disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for your house will eat me up.”*
2:18 The Jews therefore answered him, “What sign do you show us, seeing that you
do these things?” 2:19 Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three
days I will raise it up.” 2:20 The Jews therefore said, “It took forty-six years
to build this temple! Will you raise it up in three days?” 2:21 But he spoke of
the temple of his body. 2:22 When therefore he was raised from the dead, his
disciples remembered that he said this, and they believed the Scripture, and the
word which Jesus had said. 2:23 Now when he was in Jerusalem at the Passover,
during the feast, many believed in his name, observing his signs which he did.
2:24 But Jesus didn’t trust himself to them, because he knew everyone, 2:25 and
because he didn’t need for anyone to testify concerning man; for he himself knew
what was in man.
Latest
analysis, editorials, studies, reports, letters & Releases
from
miscellaneous
sources
Assad's fall could
deliver Lebanon to Iran and Hezbollah/By Zvi Bar'el/March
28/11
Open letter to Assad/By:
Smadar Peri/March
28/11
New opinion: Double standards/Now
Lebanon/March
28/11
Syria: Reform or force?/By
Tariq Alhomayed/March
28/11
Latest News Reports From Miscellaneous Sources for March
28/11
Canadian soldier,
Cpl. Yannick Scherrer, was
killed in Afghan blast/CBC
Syria forces open fire on
protesters in Daraa, witness says/Haaretz/By News Agencies
Rai officially assumes post as 77th
patriarch/Daily Star
Assad to announce “important
decisions,” says vice president/Now Lebanon
Clinton: US not ready to
intervene in Syria/JTA
Violent protests spread in
Syria/Financial Times
Two Reuters TV journalists missing
in Syria/Reuters
Footage emerges of protests in
Deraa, Syria/BBC
Syria
agrees to
IAEA inspection of nuclear site/TP
Assad's fall could deliver
Lebanon to Iran and Hezbollah/Haaretz
Bomb explodes at Zahle
church, none hurt/Daily Star
One wounded as Lebanon Syrians
rally for regime/Ynetnews
Lebanon's
economic growth projected at 5.5 percent
in 2011/Daily Star
Lebanese
Government to be formed by end of
this
week, source says/Daily Star
Mikati's backup plan: a
Cabinet of 20 technocrats/Daily Star
Growing calls for better
Internet in Lebanon/Daily
Star
Gunmen target Egypt pipeline
carrying gas to Israel and Jordan/Haaretz
Mario Aoun says
Patriarch
stance on Baroud is not responsible/iloubnan.info
Miqati to Unveil Cabinet Soon:
We Can't Ignore al-Rahi's Stance from Baroud/Naharnet
Al-Rahi Supports Baroud Amid
Report he Would Visit Top Officials Soon/Naharnet
Saudi Arabia maintain ban on women
voting/Now Lebanon
Search for kidnapped Estonians
continue in Bekaa/Now Lebanon
Estonian FM Says Lebanese
Officials Keen on Finding Kidnapped Tourists/Naharnet
Suspect Arrested on Charges of
Collaborating with Israel/Naharnet
UNIFIL Denies Friction with
Houla Residents/Naharnet
Suleiman Calls King Hamad, Asks
Bahrain to Safeguard Interests of Lebanese/Naharnet
Pro, Anti-Assad Demos in
Lebanon: Clashes in Tariq Jedideh, Shooting in Nabaa/Naharnet
Mubarak and family under house
arrest, Egyptian army says/Now Lebanon
Canadian
soldier killed in Afghan blast
CBC – Sun, 27 Mar, 2011
A Canadian soldier has been killed by an improvised explosive device in
Afghanistan. Cpl. Yannick Scherrer, 24, was killed Sunday at about noon local
time while on foot patrol with the Afghan National Army near Nakhonay, southwest
of Kandahar city, when the IED exploded.The Montreal native, who was on his
first tour of duty in Afghanistan, was a member of the 1st Battalion, Royal 22nd
Regiment and based in CFB Valcartier in Quebec. "Our thoughts and deepest
condolences go out to Cpl. Scherrer's family, and to the soldiers and friends
who served alongside him," Brig.-Gen. Dean Milner, Canada's top soldier in
Afghanistan, said in a statement Monday at Kandahar airfield. "Canadians can be
proud of the progress our soldiers have accomplished for the people of Kandahar
province in Afghanistan. More work remains to be done." Prime Minister Stephen
Harper expressed his condolences to the soldier's friends and family."The
relentless commitment of Cpl. Scherrer and other brave Canadians in Afghanistan
is a source of pride to all Canadians," Harper said in a statement. "We will
forever be grateful for the sacrifice made by Cpl. Scherrer." Nakhonay, a
battle-scarred village of about 1,000 people, has been the focus of intense
counterinsurgency efforts by Canadian troops in the Panjwaii district of
Kandahar province over the last year. In the last year here, IEDs killed at
least five of the 17 Canadians who died in Afghanistan. Scores more have been
wounded.
"Nakhonay is a difficult nut to crack," Maj. Frank Dufault, the deputy commander
of Canada's battle group in Afghanistan, said recently. Scherrer is the first
Canadian soldier to die in Afghanistan since Dec. 18, when Cpl. Steve Martin
died from an IED during a foot patrol. Scherrer is the 155th member of the
Canadian Forces to die serving in the Afghanistan mission since 2002. Four
Canadian civilians have also been killed: a diplomat, a journalist and two aid
workers.
Syria
forces open fire on protesters in Daraa, witness says
Haaretz/By News Agencies
Witness says hundreds of demonstrators chanted against emergency laws in the
southern city; Syria's VP says Assad will announce important decisions that will
'please the people' in the next two days. Syrian security forces opened fire on
hundreds of demonstrators chanting against emergency laws in the southern city
of Daraa on Monday, a witness said.
The demonstrators had converged on a main square in the city, chanting "We want
dignity and freedom" and "No to emergency laws", the witness said.
Syria has been rocked by more than a week of demonstrations that began in the
southern city of Daraa and exploded nationwide on Friday.
In a move to quell the unrest, Syrian Vice President Farouq al-Shara said on
Monday President Bashar al-Assad would announce important decisions that will
"please the Syrian people" in the next two days. Shara was speaking to Lebanese
Hezbollah's al-Manar television. The station did not give further details. Assad
has been facing the biggest challenge to his 11-year rule after two weeks of
anti-government protests spread across the country. Assad pledged several
reforms after the unrest began in the country, but his efforts failed to appease
protesters who are enraged after a violent crackdown on demonstrations in
several cities. At least 55 people are believed to have been killed in and
around Daraa alone, as secret police and special forces try to quell the
protests. Earlier in the day, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said
that he had spoken to Assad twice in the past three days and advised the Syrian
leader to answer the people's calls with a reformist, positive approach. Syria
is working on reforms, including lifting emergency rule and restrictions on
political parties, Erdogan said.
But activists continue to call for protests ahead of Assad's expected speech.
"We call for daily demonstrations and will not announce a place for protesters
to gather because police will turn these areas into military zones," activists
said on the Facebook page The Syrian Revolution 2011. On Sunday, the Interior
Ministry urged Syrians on Sunday not to respond to calls to protest near
Damascus' Umayyad Square. "These messages you are receiving on your phones are
the work of the people who want to incite strife in Syria," state television
said.
Assad has convened the leadership of his Baath Party to consider the steps to
take to quell the unrest. Hezbollah's Al-Manar television in Lebanon reported
that a shake-up of the Syrian cabinet was one of the moves being debated, along
with the release of political prisoners. Bashar Assad has been president since
2000, taking over after the death of his father, Hafez al-Assad.
Search for kidnapped Estonians continue in Bekaa
March 28, 2011 /NOW Lebanon’s correspondent reported on Monday that Lebanese
army units are conducting search operations for the kidnapped Estonians in the
Western Bekaa town of Al-Rawda. Internal Security Forces – Information Branch
members also arrived in Western Bekaa and are patrolling the area for the same
purpose, the correspondent added.
Seven European citizens were kidnapped near the Bekaa city of Zahle on Wednesday
after they had entered Lebanon from Syria on their bikes. -NOW Lebanon
Assad to announce “important decisions,” says vice president
March 28, 2011 /Syrian Vice President Farouk al-Sharaa told Al-Manar television
on Monday that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad will announce important
decisions “that will make the Syrian people happy” during the next two days.More
than 30 people have been confirmed killed in a spiral of violence that has
gripped Syria since protests broke out on March 15, with demonstrators demanding
major reforms.-NOW Lebanon
Saudi Arabia maintain ban on women voting
March 28, 2011 /Saudi Arabia's ban on women voting or running as candidates is
to remain in place for the conservative Muslim kingdom's municipal elections in
April, the electoral committee head said on Monday. "We are not ready for the
participation of women in these municipal elections," Abdulrahman al-Dahmash
told reporters, renewing earlier promises that authorities would "allow
[women's] participation in the next ballot." At a time of pro-democracy
uprisings across the Arab world, Saudi Arabia, an absolute monarchy, announced
last week that it is to hold municipal elections by region, kicking off on April
23. The kingdom held its first, men-only municipal polls in 2005, when Saudis
elected half the members of 178 municipal councils across the Gulf state. The
government in May 2009 extended the mandate of the councils by two years,
postponing a second vote expected to have taken place that year.
Women in the conservative Muslim country were not allowed to stand as candidates
or to vote in the 2005 elections, the first in the highly centralized monarchy
where all government posts are appointed. Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdel Aziz has
announced unprecedented economic benefits worth nearly $100 billion and warned
against any attempt to undermine security in the country, largely spared by the
Arab uprisings. And in late February he ordered social benefits worth an
estimated $36 billion, mostly aimed at youth, civil servants and the unemployed.
However, Saudi's oil-rich Eastern Province, where most of its Shia minority
lives, was the scene of protests earlier this month in solidarity with
protesters in neighboring Shia-majority Bahrain.-AFP/NOW Lebanon
Mubarak
and family under house arrest, Egyptian army says
March 28, 2011 /Ousted president Hosni Mubarak and his family are under house
arrest, Egypt's Supreme Council of the Armed Forces said on its website Monday,
denying that the former leader had fled to Saudi Arabia. "There is no truth to
reports that former president Hosni Mubarak has left Egypt for Tabuk in Saudi
Arabia," the country's military rulers said in a statement on Facebook. "He is
under house arrest, with his family, in Egypt.” The council has ruled Egypt
since Mubarak was forced to quit on February 11 after 18 days of massive street
protests against his 30-year autocratic regime. On March 3, Egypt's prosecutor
general denied media reports that Mubarak was in Saudi Arabia, insisting that he
was at the family retreat in the Red Sea resort of Sharm al-Sheikh. Media
reports suggested that Mubarak had gone to Tabuk to receive medical treatment.
The state-owned daily Al-Akhbar claimed Mubarak, 82, was receiving medical
treatment for cancer.-AFP/NOW Lebanon
Estonian
FM Says Lebanese Officials Keen on Finding Kidnapped Tourists
Naharnet/Estonian Foreign Minister Urmas Paet said Monday that Lebanese
officials informed him that Beirut authorities were making every effort to find
seven Estonian tourists kidnapped in the Bekaa valley last week. Paet met with
President Michel Suleiman, Speaker Nabih Berri, Premier-designate Najib Miqati
and Caretaker Interior Minister Ziad Baroud.
He called for the cooperation of the European Union and neighboring countries in
the probe. Estonia has already said that it is receiving logistical support from
France and Turkey, and that the Palestinian Authority has also offered its help.
"We have no information about where they are and who abducted them," Paet told
Estonian public television before heading to Beirut. "Fragments of information
have been collected, but there is no information that would lead to a positive
outcome." Meanwhile, al-Akhbar daily said that Lebanese authorities are
searching for an Estonian woman who gave her testimony on the kidnapping of the
seven tourists and later disappeared. Al-Akhbar said that intelligence services
issued an advisory two days after the seven men were kidnapped to search for the
woman and arrest her. A source involved in the investigation refused to name the
woman or unveil whether she was still in Lebanon.
The source told al-Akhbar that the woman had stayed in the Lebanese mountainous
town of Broummana rather than head to Syria with the seven Estonians.The
tourists were snatched from their bicycles close to the Bekaa valley town of
Zahle Wednesday evening, hours after entering Lebanon from Syria, via the Masnaa
border crossing. Following their disappearance, suspicion fell on the Popular
Front for the Liberation of Palestine-General Command (PFLP-GC), which has bases
close to the Syrian border. The group immediately denied carrying out the
kidnapping. But now the investigation is also focusing on the possibility that
the men were taken to Syria immediately after their abduction. Beirut, 28 Mar
11, 10:12
Al-Rahi Supports Baroud Amid Report he Would Visit Top
Officials Soon
Naharnet/Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi threw his support behind Caretaker
Interior Minister Ziad Baroud, saying he is "a national minister who brings hope
to every Lebanese.""No one can be in no need of him," al-Rahi told a delegation
visiting him from the town of Jeita on Sunday. Baroud was at the head of the
delegation. An Nahar daily said Monday that al-Rahi would soon visit President
Michel Suleiman, Speaker Nabih Berri, Caretaker Premier Saad Hariri and Prime
Minister-designate Najib Miqati to thank them for their participation in his
inauguration ceremony in Bkirki last Friday. Al-Rahi also said Sunday that the
Lebanese were in dire need for a truthful reconciliation based on forgiveness.
Addressing visiting delegations, he said Lebanon was home to multiculturalism
and coexistence based on openness and faith. Beirut, 28 Mar 11, 08:57
Miqati to Unveil Cabinet Soon: We Can't Ignore al-Rahi's
Stance from Baroud
Naharnet/Prime Minister-designate Najib Miqati has reportedly said that he can't
ignore the latest stance of Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi who threw his
support behind Caretaker Interior Minister Ziad Baroud. Ad-Diyar daily on Monday
quoted Miqati as saying that he "can't ignore Patriarch al-Rahi's stance about
giving a portfolio to Baroud in the government."
The new patriarch told a visiting delegation on Sunday that Baroud is "a
national minister who brings hope to every Lebanese." As Safir newspaper said
that the major obstacle facing the cabinet formation process was solved after an
agreement to keep Baroud in his post. However, high-ranking Free Patriotic
Movement sources denied any knowledge about such a deal. The FPM has been at
loggerheads with President Michel Suleiman over the interior ministry portfolio
which was part of the head of state's share in the caretaking cabinet.
Miqati's sources denied to As Safir that the premier-designate would give up his
task to form the government saying that he intensified his consultations over
the weekend. Miqati met with the advisors of the speaker and the Hizbullah
leader, MP Ali Hassan Khalil and Hussein Khalil, on Sunday. When Berri was asked
about his impression on cabinet formation efforts, the speaker said: "I haven't
interfered in the details of the government formation lately." But well-informed
sources told As Safir that Hussein Khalil and Ali Hassan Khalil informed Miqati
about their rejection to announce a de facto cabinet. Such a government wouldn't
get enough political support from the Hizbullah-led March 8 sources, they
reportedly said.
While the sources of the conferees ruled out the formation of a de facto
government, they hinted that a new obstacle on the Sunni representation has
emerged.
The possibility of giving a seat to Faisal Omar Karami has stirred a problem
with Tripoli MP Ahmed Karami who considers Miqati one of his closest allies, the
sources told An Nahar. They said discussions are underway for former Premier
Omar Karami to name another Sunni personality with close ties to him. Despite
the obstacle, sources told the newspapers that contacts between Miqati and the
March 8 forces have made progress, boosting hopes for the formation of the
government "within days." Beirut, 28 Mar 11, 09:45
Suspect Arrested on Charges of Collaborating with Israel
Naharnet/Security forces arrested on March 21 an individual suspected of
collaborating with Israel, announced the ISF in a statement on Monday. It
revealed that the citizen had been collaborating with Israeli intelligence from
2006 until early 2011. The suspect provided Israel with information on the
situation in Lebanon and the different sects' relations and views on Hizbullah.
He also provided it with a comprehensive study of the situation in the southern
city of Tyre, including its sectarian composition and the residents' ties with
Hizbullah, as well as locations of the offices of several MPs and Hizbullah's
religious and social institutions. Investigations are still underway with the
suspect. Beirut, 28 Mar 11, 17:06
UNIFIL Denies Friction with Houla Residents
Naharnet/UNIFIL spokesman Neeraj Singh denied media reports about a friction
between a UNIFIL patrol and the residents of the southern town of Houla on March
26, the National News Agency reported Monday. "The reports are untrue," NNA
quoted Singh as saying. "UNIFIL stresses that such a friction between any of its
patrols and the Houla residents hasn't taken place." "Relations between UNIFIL
and the residents are excellent and based on trust and mutual respect," he said.
Singh reiterated that peacekeepers are coordinating with the Lebanese army to
fully implement their mission in accordance with U.N. Security Council
resolution 1701. The denial came after media reports said that French
peacekeepers tried to inspect a goat farm in Houla on Saturday when the owner
refused to grant them entry. The town's residents rushed to his support on the
grounds that the search wasn't coordinated with the Lebanese army, the reports
added. Beirut, 28 Mar 11, 11:24
Suleiman Calls King Hamad, Asks Bahrain to Safeguard Interests of Lebanese
Naharnet/President Michel Suleiman has urged Bahrain to safeguard the interests
of Lebanese expatriates in the Kingdom in line with strong Lebanese-Bahraini
relations, a statement released by Baabda palace said. Suleiman followed up on
the situation of Lebanese in Bahrain during a phone conversation Sunday with
Bahrain's King Hamad. The president also made a series of phone calls to Arab
leaders during which he voiced hope for stability and prosperity in their
countries, the statement said. Last week, Bahrain warned its citizens against
travel to Lebanon following comments by Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah
on the Shiite-led protests in the Gulf kingdom. Bahrain also urged its citizens
in Lebanon "to leave immediately." Beirut, 28 Mar 11, 10:47
Pro, Anti-Assad Demos in Lebanon: Clashes in Tariq Jedideh, Shooting in Nabaa
Naharnet/Around 200 Syrian expats rallied in front of the Syrian embassy in
Beirut on Sunday, shouting slogans in support of Syrian President Bashar
al-Assad, who is facing unprecedented domestic pressure as protests and clashes
erupt across Syria, Agence France Presse reported. Demonstrators in front of the
embassy in the Beirut area of Hamra held pictures of Assad, chanting "With our
souls, with our blood, we will sacrifice for you, Bashar" as Lebanese security
forces and army troops cordoned off the area and started checking IDs.
Meanwhile, Lebanon's state-run National News Agency reported that around 50
anti-Assad protesters also staged a rally in front of the embassy. In the
neighborhood of Nabaa, east of Beirut, gunmen in a speeding car opened fire on
dozens of Syrian demonstrators, wounding one and sparking panic among the
protesters who dispersed after the incident, a security source told AFP. The
relevant authorities opened an investigation into the shooting, the source
added. Witnesses told AFP that Syrian demonstrators had entered "by mistake" the
Beirut neighborhood of Tariq Jedideh, a Mustaqbal Movement stronghold. Young men
from the area beat up several of the protesters before the army intervened and
dispersed the crowd.
More than 30 people have been confirmed killed in a spiral of violence that has
gripped Syria since a wave of protest broke out on March 15, with demonstrators
demanding major reforms. Beirut, 27 Mar 11, 16:34
Rai officially assumes post as 77th patriarch
By Maroun Khoury /Daily Star staff
Monday, March 28, 2011
BKIRKI: Lebanon should remain a nation to all its factions based on partnership
and love, newly elected Maronite Patriarch Beshara Rai said after he officially
assumed his post in an inauguration Mass held Friday at Bkirki, the seat of the
patriarchate. Addressing hundreds of Lebanese including the country’s top
officials and an array of politicians and religious figures, the 77th head of
Lebanon’s Maronite Church warned against the country’s domination by a single
religious faction or political party.
“The nation is not for a religion or a party. And no one will control the
country since [unilateral] control is disrespectful to all of us,” Rai said.
Prior to Rai’s sermon, Cardinal Nasrallah Butros Sfeir, who headed the ceremony
declared Rai as his successor, saying “the holy spirit has called on you [Rai]
to be patriarch.”
Vatican Ambassador to Lebanon Gabriel Caccia described Rai’s election as an
exceptional event for the church. “We pray God to guide him in his mission,”
Caccia said of Rai, who is widely believed to enjoy the backing of the Vatican
in a bid to modernize and institutionalize the Maronite Church. The election of
Rai, who is a lecturer at several universities affiliated to the Catholic Church
and a high-profile monk known for his frequent media appearances and academic
credentials, comes at critical time in Lebanese politics, particularly for the
Christian community, suffering internal divisions. Rai disclosed after his
election that the patriarchate has drawn up a plan to unite Christian factions
based on his policy of “love and partnership,” which he said would be the slogan
of his tenure as the head of the church Hailing Sfeir’s 25-year tenure in
his sermon, given to rounds of applause, Rai said he would follow in his
predecessor’s footsteps, upholding Bkirki’s principles in defense of Lebanon’s
sovereignty and independence. Sfeir has been a staunch critic of Syrian
intervention in Lebanese affairs. The Council of Maronite Bishops issued a firm
call for the withdrawal of Syrian troops from Lebanon in 2000. Sfeir was also a
critic of Hezbollah’s weapons. “My program will be a continuation of the
implementation of the recommendations of the Vatican synods with regard to the
organization of the patriarchate and also on social, education and national
levels,” Rai said. President Michel Sleiman, Speaker Nabih Berri, caretaker
Prime Minister Saad Hariri and Prime Minister-designate Najib Mikati, who
participated in the inauguration Mass, were later invited to a dinner banquet at
the patriarchate, which Berri did not attend. Touching on the regional
developments, Rai said the turmoil sweeping through the Arab world raises
concerns in Lebanon as he voiced prayers for stability and peace to reign again.
Rai said Sunday that the Lebanese were in dire need for a truthful
reconciliation based on forgiveness. Addressing visiting delegations over the
weekend, Rai said Lebanon was home to multiculturalism and coexistence based on
openness and faith as he called on the church’s loyalists “to hold on to their
roots.”
Hundreds head to Bkirki for Rai's inauguration Mass
By Marie Dhumières /Daily Star staff
Monday, March 28, 2011
BKIRKI: Hundreds gathered at the Maronite Patriarchate seat in Bkirki Friday to
celebrate the consecration of newly-elected Patriarch Bechara Rai, in a Mass
marking the beginning of his tenure as the leader of Lebanon’s most influential
church. The Mass, officially announcing Rai as the 77th Patriarch of Antioch and
all the east for the Maronites, took place at the headquarters of the
Patriarchate in Bkirki, northeast of Beirut, in a ceremony attended by the
country’s three top officials in addition to political and religious
dignitaries.
“[Today’s ceremony] is not just beautiful, it’s wonderful, because we see all
these politicians here with us in this mass, from all communities, from all
religions, that’s wonderful,” said 24 year-old Elie Tabet, a student from the
Mount Lebanon town of Achkout. “We’re here to welcome our new Patriarch … and to
say a big big thank you to our eternal Patriarch Nasrallah Butros Sfeir, he will
always be in our hearts and minds,” he said, in reference to the former
patriarch, Sfeir, whose resignation was accepted by the Vatican in February.
Pictures of the new Patriarch bearing the slogan for his tenure, “Partnership
and love,” were hung on the frontage of the Patriarchate seat, from where a red
carpet had been rolled out on the floor, leading to the dome where the ceremony
took place. “This is the most beautiful ceremony you could ever attend in your
entire life,” said Adolph Succar, head of the Kataeb (Phalange) party in Bcharri
Habib Torbey, the mayor of the northern town of Sebeel, said he came to
represent his people for this “big occasion.” He praised the new Patriarch as a
“dynamic person with a lot of charisma” but said Rai was facing a difficult
task, referring to the Christian community’s political divisions.
“It’s an ecclesiastic position and a political position as well, and the
political position is not easy,” he said, adding with a laugh that Maronites
were not “easy people.”
After religious figures and altar children carrying cedar shrubs walked down the
red carpet, Rai, followed by his predecessor Sfeir, finally made their way to
the altar as the crowd cheered and ululated. Many spoke highly of the new
patriarch. Cynthia Feghali, 36, described him as “very close to people.”
“He’s always here, available, attentive to people, ready to help them.”Some
expatriates made the trip back home specially for the “historical event,” as
Father Hanna Tayar, who came from the United States, described the ceremony. “I
arrived [Thursday] night after 18 hours of traveling,” he said.
“It’s a big event, a historical event, not only for the Maronite Church, [but
also for] the universal Catholic Church,” said the Priest of the Maronite Church
of Flint, Michigan.
Rai, who is 71, is a well-known public figure in Lebanon and many said he
symbolized a “new hope” for the country. Father Younes, who came from Rome to
attend the ceremony, said the new Patriarch represented “a new hope for us, for
all Lebanon and for all Lebanese,” and added he believed “everybody is ready to
start working for the good of the country.”
Gisele Naoum, a 45 year-old secretary from Beirut, agreed. “He’s a new hope for
us,” she said. “I don’t know how to express it, it’s the same [feeling] of joy
as when I saw Jean-Paul II.”
Many youngsters also attended the ceremony. Some 200 Maronite scouts came from
across the country to help organize the ceremony and distribute water, flyers
and white hats picturing Rai to those pouring to the Patriarchate. Charbel
Boufadel, a 25 year-old student said he attended the ceremony to “spiritually
improve myself,” while 13 year-old Nour Succar said she came “to pray to help
[the Patriarch] with his duties as the head of the church.”
Gunmen target Egypt pipeline carrying gas to Israel and Jordan
A previous attack at another gas terminal along the pipeline halted gas exports
to Israel and Jordan for a month and a half.
By The Associated Press
Gunmen have targeted a pipeline carrying natural gas from Egypt to Israel and
Jordan, for the second time in less than two months. A security official said
six individuals overpowered a lone guard early Sunday morning at a gas terminal
in El-Sabil, a village west of the northern Sinai city of El-Arish. The men
planted explosive at the facility and fled. But the timer failed to detonate the
explosives and soldiers were able to defuse the device.The official spoke on
condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to brief the media. A bomb
placed at another gas terminal along the pipeline blew up, halting gas exports
to Israel and Jordan on February 5. The flow resumed on March 16, a month and a
half after the attack. During the interim, while the Electric Corp. waited for
the Egyptian gas supply to resume, it bought fuel from the Tethys Sea group,
which includes the American energy company Noble Energy, Delek Group and Avner.
But it had to pay a higher price.
Syria
arrests US national 'for spying for Israel'
Roee Nahmias Published: 03.27.11,
Israel News
Egyptian engineer carrying US passport arrested after secret visit to Israel,
state media reports. Meanwhile, news agencies reveal: Syrian government expected
to resign
Syria arrested an American national for inciting protests against the regime and
spying for the State of Israel, official media reported Sunday. Secretary of
state says situation in Syria not the same as in Libya, claims many Congressmen
believe Assad is a reformer State-run television ran footage of a young man it
said was an Egyptian engineer carrying a United States passport, who had been
working in Syria after a secret visit to Israel. The man said on camera that he
had "received foreign money for transmitting images and videos about Syria". He
said he had been contacted by a Colombian national and had received 100 Egyptian
pounds (17 dollars, 12 euros) for each photo sent, and more per video. He added
that he had received "e-mails sent from abroad asking if it was possible to
transmit video on the (situation) in Syria", where unprecedented protests
against the regime have been spreading across the country since March 15. He
further stated he had travelled to Israel via Jordan, visiting Jerusalem before
returning to Syria. A source at the US embassy in Damascus told AFP they "were
aware of reports concerning the arrest of US citizens" and "had contacted the
relevant authorities" in Syria. Meanwhile, al-Arabiya TV reported Sunday that
the Syrian government is expected to resign on Tuesday. According to the report,
which relies on "sources in the know," the government will admit "its inability
to handle economic and public issues which brought forward complaints from the
residents of Daraa and other districts".
Constitutional change
The network also reported that the decision to cancel the state of emergency in
Syria "was received at the party's leadership level" and that the step would be
carried out this week after a law on terror is drafted. According to al-Arabiya,
section eight in the Syrian constitution which states that "the Ba'ath party is
the country's ruling party" will be changed by the end of the week together with
the new communications law which will forbid the arrest of journalists and will
only allow them to be brought before a civil court judge.
Notwithstanding, Syria's official news agency reported Sunday that Syrian
President Bashar Assad held phone conversations with the leaders of Kuwait,
Qatar, Bahrain and Iraq due to the ongoing protests throughout Syria against his
regime. According to reports the leaders "emphasized that their countries stand
by Syria.
Open letter to Assad
Smadar Peri
Op-ed: People no longer fear regime, blaming protests on Mossad won’t save
Syrian leader
Published: 03.27.11, 22:01 / Israel Opinion
Hello there, Bashar Assad:
You must have figured out that we are following the situation. Indeed, you are
making an effort to ensure that no information makes it to the outside, while
enlisting your security arms’ fists of steel to the cause of shutting out the
media and erasing the images. However, the phones are still working, and your
people learned to use Lebanon-based addresses to post online. Also don’t forget
that foreign diplomats in Damascus are providing reports around the clock. They
are recounting, for example, what your security people are doing in order to
portray Deraa as the only trouble spot, where “thugs,” “Mossad agents” and
“terrorist gangs” are working against you.
Indeed, according to what we are told, the demonstrators do not yet dare to
chant that they want you out. Yet should you continue to hide, you can trust
them to say that too. Both you and I know that the fear obstacle had been
broken. If it’s important for you to stay in power, immediately convene a press
conference. Give the cameras a friendly stare, speak to your people, and
convince them that the leader finally intends to deliver on the pledges he made
in recent days.
True, you dispatched thousands of soldiers, yet the protestors – who have almost
nothing to lose – tricked you: You sent your security forces to the squares, yet
they appeared from the remotest alleyways. The first night, we received rather
difficult images of oppression in the most unexpected places. Even in your own
stronghold, Latakia.
The fact you sent Buthaina Shaaban to speak on your behalf is very bad. When
one’s situation is shaky, nobody will buy into the pledges made by an advisor.
It’s also futile to order the newspapers to write about “parades” and publish
images of “supporters.” Your people are not dumb, and these are not parades, but
rather, protests against you. For the time being they’re only chanting
“freedom,” but soon you’ll hear them yelling “the people want to bring down the
regime.” Should we remind you of what happened in Tunisia? And where’s Mubarak
now?
No friends left
The young generation, who’s heading to the streets at this time, was born into a
state of emergency. From your time in London you must have learned that there is
no enlightened state that adheres to emergency laws for 48 years. You need to
give the people hope. They are already realizing that the security arms knock on
the doors of protestors and throw them into prison. They say you’re holding
4,000 political prisoners in jail.
I know one of them, a Palestinian woman from the territories who went through
hell in the women’s prison. One day she’ll speak out against you. Soon you’ll
discover that even the prison guards are rebelling against you.
Let’s take stock of who your friends are now, those who will come to your aid
once the uprising spirals out of control: The US Administration has a score to
settle with you over the mercenaries you smuggled into Iraq, to kill Americans.
They believe nothing you say and tie our hands every time someone talks in favor
of peace with Syria. The French despise you because of the Hariri assassination.
They also heard from your former deputy, Abdul Halim Khaddam, horror stories
about your late father’s conduct, and also about you. The Saudi royal family
hasn’t spoken to you for years. Turkey? Come on.
So who’s left? That’s right, the ayatollahs in Tehran. Trust me, they already
earmarked a successor for you.
Last month, you boasted that there will be no riots in Syria, because you did
not infuriate your people via a peace treaty with Israel. You must agree with me
that it’s a rather pathetic argument. Now you’re accusing Mossad of organizing
the protests against you. What a great excuse.
Listen, Bashar, the ground is shaking, you woke up late, and you’re offering too
little. Make an appearance immediately and don’t stutter. If it’s important for
you to stay (we don’t care, we got used to you…) declare a real war on
corruption, call off the emergency state, free prisoners, fire the security
chiefs who make decisions without consulting you, and mostly listen to your
people. If you promise them a dignified life, they’ll let you stay.
US is
sliding into long-term military involvement in Libya
DEBKAfile Exclusive Analysis March 28, 2011,
Despite protestations to the contrary, debkafile’s military and intelligence
sources find the American role in the operation against Muammar Qaddafi heading
only one way: Instead of a transition “in a few days” to NATO i.e. Europe -
which US President Barack Obama will no doubt reiterate when he addresses the
nation Tuesday, March 29 - the United States is sliding deeper day by day into a
third war in a Muslim country. In the last three days, US air strikes have
beaten Qaddafi’s forces into tactical retreat from all its conquests in the
rebel-held eastern province of Cyrenaica. This operation rescued the rebels from
the certain defeat they faced in the middle of last week, allowed them to retake
the strategic oil towns of Ajdabiya, Brega and Ras Lanuf and opened the way for
them to drive forward to Qaddafi’s home town of Sirte, the key to Tripoli. In
the view of debkafile’s military experts, the Libyan opposition’s gains are no
more than a victory on paper, not the battlefield. Qaddafi and his commanders
executed tactical retreats from those towns - not because they were beaten in
battle but to avoid being ground down by superior US sea-based and air power.
That power opened the door for the opposition rebels to recover the towns they
lost in the last three weeks and pose as victors.
For Washington, the implication is clear: Continuing rebel momentum against
Qaddafi’s forces depends on United States commitment to two steps:
1. Keeping up the aerial and sea-based bombardment of government forces.
Nothing, otherwise, will stop Qaddafi’s troops turning around and heading back
east to recapture the towns they left. Containing Qaddafi’s army cannot be left
to the limited capabilities of France and Britain or any other members of NATO
which has assumed token command of the Libya operation.2. Organizing the rebels
into regular combat units and furnishing them with arms, funds and military
instructors. The other alternative would be for the Americans to invest
increasing numbers of ground forces into Libya to defend the eastern provinces
against Qaddafi reasserting control.
Saturday, March 26, US Defense Secretary Robert Gates admitted, “Libya did not
pose a threat to the United States before the US began its military campaign.”
Asked whether ongoing developments indicated that US military involvement might
continue at least until the end of the year, Gates replied: “I don’t think
anybody knows the answer to that.”
In other words, no one in Washington, including no doubt the president, can say
with any certainty exactly where the American campaign in Libya is heading or
its duration.
In just a few days, the gap has widened exponentially between America’s first
commitment to supporting a European-Arab operation mandated by the UN for
enforcing a no-fly zone over Libya and protecting civilians plus an imminent
transition of the US lead role and President Obama’s pledge not to involve
ground troops – all the way over to an expanding commitment to supporting an
armed revolt against the Qaddafi regime.
Aware of the Obama administration’s quandary, Qaddafi offered Washington a way
out. By pulling his troops out of the eastern towns, he gave the Americans a
chance to chalk up a rebel victory – or at least a standoff - and leave it at
that. At this stage, he would accept the loss of Cyrenaica so long as the
Americans give up their assaults. However, should the Obama administration
decide to persist in its active military support for the rebellion, the Libyan
ruler may consider three counter-steps: One, to carry out the threat he made
prior to the coalition campaign against his regime to strike back at American,
British and French targets in the Middle East and Europe; Two, to activate
Libyan undercover terrorist networks in Europe against US targets as well as
local ones; Three, to retreat along with his family to a secret sanctuary among
loyal Saharan tribes and from there to fight for his survival against both the
Americans and Al Qaeda which he accuses of penetrating the opposition and
turning his people against him.
Assad's fall could deliver Lebanon to Iran and
Hezbollah
By Zvi Bar'el/Haaretz
Washington, Israel, Turkey and Iran all have great reasons to want Assad to
remain at the helm - he's seen as a safety valve against an attack by Hezbollah
on Israel or against its physical takeover of Lebanon.
There's one voice suddenly missing in all the tumult surrounding the Syrian
protests - that of Hassan Nasrallah. The man who encouraged the "Arab people" to
rebel against their corrupt leaders and wished them success, the man who gloated
when his enemy Mubarak - a leader who dared detain Hezbollah activists - was
ousted from his post and later when protests began against Gadhafi, the main
suspect in the disappearance of Imam Mussa Al-Sadr in 1978, is now silent. He is
silent just as flames begin to lick the palace of Bashar Assad. That's because
Nasrallah, who managed to stage a political revolution within Lebanon, risks
finding himself without a political patron and perhaps disconnected from his
geographic links to Iran.
Paradoxically, the threat facing Hezbollah is also Assad's defensive shield.
When Hillary Clinton said Sunday that the United States would not intervene in
Syria militarily, she cited lack of international consensus. But Washington,
Israel, Turkey and Iran all have great reasons to want Assad to remain at the
helm. The Syrian president has grown closer to the United States in recent
years, earning his reward in the form of the return of an American ambassador to
Damascus after a six-year hiatus. He is seen as a safety valve against a violent
attack by Hezbollah on Israel or against its physical takeover of Lebanon. He
has also made known his disagreements with Iran following the controversial
visit of Ahmadinejad to Lebanon.
Assad's fall may open for Iran a path into Lebanon, without it having to
consider Syria's position any longer.
Turkey, which has assumed the role of the appeaser and aspires to have as little
trouble with its neighbors as possible, is just as concerned. Assad's fall may
bring about an unknown new regime, which could view Turkey as an unworthy ally
because of its links to Assad or could enable Iran to broaden its influence in
Lebanon. The Turkish prime minister and foreign minister spent the weekend
urging Assad to launch a series of reforms, but Turkey is also aware of what
became other leaders who recently tried offering reforms instead of real change.
All this worries Washington, which, at this point in time, does not share
Hezbollah's fears and assumes that in any realistic scenario, the organization's
bonds to Iran will strengthen, not weaken. It is, therefore, willing to agree to
Assad's continued rule in exchange for some compromises with the protesters, or
even their suppression with a "reasonable" amount of force.
Meanwhile, Assad is trying the formula that failed Ben Ali in Tunisia, Mubarak
in Egypt and Saleh in Yemen - buying time by dismissing his cabinet, a move
scheduled to take place tomorrow, and promising some cosmetic reforms.
Abolishing the supremacy of the Baath Party and the emergency regime that has
been in place since 1963 will do little to reduce his and his family's grip on
the military and economic resources of the state. At the same time, he is trying
to recreate the regime of fear that his father imposed in 1982 and which has
given Bashar 11 years of quiet. He shoots and kills civilians, arrests hundreds,
and mainly relies on the military, which, unlike its Egyptian counterpart,
risking losing many of the benefits it enjoys because of its loyalty to the
regime.
New
opinion: Double standards
March 28, 2011
Now Lebanon/It was never guaranteed that the Arab Spring would pollinate Syria,
but the bloody events of the last week especially have left the world in no
doubt that, to quote 19th-century historian Jacob Burckhardt, “The veil [that]
was woven of faith, childlike prejudices, and illusion” is also melting away in
one of the Levant’s most repressive regimes.
In Daraa, the epicenter of the revolution, Damascus, Latakia, Aleppo and at
least eight other towns across Syria, the people have defied a government that
has a shameful history of brutal suppression and have taken to the streets to
demand change. This has come at a price. The regime has lived up to its
reputation, and blood has been spilled with dozens reported dead. Meanwhile, the
Reuters bureau chief has been expelled and two of the agency’s reporters are
missing.
And yet where is the outcry from Arab media that were the first to man the
barricades when it became clear that the regimes in Tunis and Cairo were
crumbling? Al Jazeera, for whom the downfall of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak
was its CNN moment and who took the anger of Tahrir Square into virtually every
Arab home, has been shamefully subdued in its coverage of the uprising in Syria,
an event that Western diplomats in the capital are citing as the beginning of
the end for the Assad regime. Only BBC Arabic and Al-Arabiya have been
consistent in reporting what is arguably the most dramatic of the revolutions
and the one with potentially the most far-reaching consequences.
The almost rabid fervor that Al Jazeera showed in its coverage of Tunisia and
Egypt is conspicuously absent in that of Syria. The channel has exposed its true
colors. Qataris in jets may be patrolling the skies above Libya, but the news
channel has its own agenda, one that that is pro-Hamas, pro-Hezbollah, pro-Syria
and pro-Iran. When the crowds march on your ideology, the appetite for rolling
news disappears.
Al Jazeera is not alone. Al-Manar, the media arm of Hezbollah, has given events
in Syria almost zero coverage. We are not even talking about reporting events
with a muted or even pro-regime spin. As far as Al-Manar is concerned, the
Syrian uprising isn’t happening. Compare this to the extensive reporting the
channel gave the earlier revolutions, and you can smell the reek of double
standards.
And let us not forget the brazen and reckless support that Hezbollah Secretary
General Hassan Nasrallah voiced for the Shia in Bahrain, to whom he offered
moral and even materiel support. Has he offered the same for the pro-democracy
demonstrators who are dying on the streets of Syrian towns and cities? Well that
would be tricky because that would mean going up against the one regime that
once again allows Hezbollah to operate in Lebanon and the one regime that
facilitates the flow of weapons to its fighters. Popular revolutions are all
very well until they interfere with day-to-day business.
Simply, the Arab media has been selective in its coverage of Arab reformists.
One has to ask oneself if indeed the likes of Al Jazeera and Al-Manar really are
genuine about reporting the battle for democracy and reform to the region, or do
they merely care about the downfall of regimes that do not square with their
outdated ideology?
Syria: Reform or force?
28/03/2011
By Tariq Alhomayed/ Asharq Al-Awsat
There are reports of two different schools of thought in Damascus, fighting with
one another regarding how to deal with the current events in Syria, following a
wave of protests in several cities. One side believes that the time has come for
reform, and that this is an unavoidable fact, whilst the other side believes
that further force should be used to crush the protests. Which of the two
theories will prevail in Syria?
There is no doubt that further repression would buy the regime more time, any
regime for that matter, but it cannot save it. The clearest examples of this are
Saddam Hussein's Iraq, and Muammar Gaddafi's Libya. Both exhausted the use of
force, and all means of oppression, but the time for change still came, and when
it did it was a harsh reality for the rulers.
Can Damascus continue to prosecute a journalist under the accusation of
“weakening national morale”, as it has done recently? Can it imprison a child of
15 years of age, accused of threatening national security, as it did a few weeks
ago? Such acts are incompatible with the new variables that have come about in
the Middle East. Whether the final outcome is positive or negative, there has
been a real change in our region.
Whether or not Egypt becomes a real democracy, or if the only achievement of the
revolution is limiting the duration of a presidential term, and the same goes
for Libya, Tunisia, and other states, will the Syrian regime then be able to
remain inactive? Of course not. What happened in Syria tells us a lot: the
Syrians have rejected the slogans that the state has long been repeating; such
as the country's preoccupation with resistance. These empty slogans have now
been replaced with stark warnings, about the dangers of meddling with
minority-majority, and sectarian issues. The Syrians, like the Egyptians before
them, have publicly declared their rejection for the oldest emergency rule in
the region, along with many other issues.
Therefore, the course of events in our region (from which Syria is not excluded)
tells us that Damascus has no option other than [introducing] more reforms in a
timely manner, so that it does not miss the opportunity to resolve the
situation, and the opposition do not raise their demands to impossibilities. The
time has come for Damascus to pay more attention to its internal issues, and to
seriously work towards providing decisive solutions with regards to political
representation, and the democratic transfer of power. The republic will remain a
republic, and there is no magic solution to these problems.
Of course, Syria announced the reformative steps it has undertaken, or would
take in the future, such as abolishing emergency law, [creating] a new law for
the media, dismissing certain members of the government, and so on. These are
all important and vital decisions, by Syrian standards. But the real question
is: is this enough? Or does reform have to continue, and do more drastic steps
have to be taken? I believe that the course of events tells us that reforms are
the only solution, and inaction only leads to death. Therefore, Damascus today
is facing a critical moment, and must seriously re-evaluate its approach to
internal and external [issues]. Today is different to yesterday, and tomorrow
may be different once again. The fear barrier has not only been broken in Syria
alone, but in the entire Arab region. We all know that violence breeds violence,
and as a result there is no 'magic' solution, except introducing further
reforms.