LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
December 09/2011

Bible Quotation for today/Jesus Condemns Their Hypocrisy
Matthew 23/13-23: "How terrible for you, teachers of the Law and Pharisees! You hypocrites! You lock the door to the Kingdom of heaven in people's faces, but you yourselves don't go in, nor do you allow in those who are trying to enter! How terrible for you, teachers of the Law and Pharisees! You hypocrites! You sail the seas and cross whole countries to win one convert; and when you succeed, you make him twice as deserving of going to hell as you yourselves are!  How terrible for you, blind guides! You teach, If someone swears by the Temple, he isn't bound by his vow; but if he swears by the gold in the Temple, he is bound. Blind fools! Which is more important, the gold or the Temple which makes the gold holy? You also teach, If someone swears by the altar, he isn't bound by his vow; but if he swears by the gift on the altar, he is bound. How blind you are! Which is the more important, the gift or the altar which makes the gift holy? So then, when a person swears by the altar, he is swearing by it and by all the gifts on it; and when he swears by the Temple, he is swearing by it and by God, who lives there; and when someone swears by heaven, he is swearing by God's throne and by him who sits on it. How terrible for you, teachers of the Law and Pharisees! You hypocrites! You give to God one tenth even of the seasoning herbs, such as mint, dill, and cumin, but you neglect to obey the really important teachings of the Law, such as justice and mercy and honesty. These you should practice, without neglecting the others

Latest analysis, editorials, studies, reports, letters & Releases from miscellaneous sources
Has the Arab League fallen into the hands of the Gulf?/By Tariq Alhomayed/November 08/11
In Egypt: Who wins?/By Hussein Shabokshi/November 08/11
Do the Egyptian Salafists believe in democracy?/By Ali Ibrahim/November 08/11
Conspiring with the Damascus regime/By Abdul Rahman Al-Rashed/November 08/11

Latest News Reports From Miscellaneous Sources for November 08/11
US's military restraint on missing spy drone bolsters Israel's Iran hawks
U.S. presidential candidates slam Obama's Israel, Iran policy at Republican Jewish Coalition
U.S. envoy: Washington closely coordinating with Israel on Iran
US Republicans urge covert ops against Iran, Syria
Syria says pipeline blown up by rebel saboteurs
IDF: Gaza strike killed terrorist planning attack on Egypt border
Von Hebel Expects STL Trial to Begin in 2012
Assad says only "crazy" leaders kill own people
U.S. Says Assad 'Disconnected from Reality' or 'Crazy'
Safadi to U.S.: arming military decreases Hezbollah's role
Maronite bishops welcome Mikati’s decision to fund STL
FPM should refrain from making unrealistic demands: party officials
US will back Lebanese Army: Feltman
Mikati says no row with Hezbollah over STL
Hariri: I openly and proudly support Syria's uprising
Feltman resumes talks in Beirut
Feltman to Israeli Daily: Hizbullah Imposes Will Through Force
Report: Baabda Snubbed Feltman
Feltman Stresses Need to Maintain Cooperation with STL, Hopes Syrian Crisis Will End Peacefully
Feltman: US worried about regional impact of Syrian crisis
Sleiman: Arab Spring benefits Lebanon
Lebanon looks to capitalize on foreigners of Lebanese descent
Lebanese Cabinet Adopts Alternative Wage Hike Decree, Rejects Nahhas'
Lebanese Cabinet approves, GLC rejects hike
Liban Lait Owner Kidnapped at Gunpoint in Bekaa
Suleiman Travels to Armenia
Lebanon's Internal Security Forces chief Maj. Gen. Ashraf Rifi is ‘Man of the Year 2011’
Aoun Says his Bloc’s Ministers to Attend Cabinet Session but Leaves Door Open to All Options
Nahhas criticizes Cabinet over wage hike
Lebanese Bankers play down Moody’s downgrade
Wood leads Lebanon to opening win
Syrian security halts border movement

Assad says only "crazy" leaders kill own people
December 07, 2011/Daily Star
By Douglas Hamilton
BEIRUT: Syrian President Bashar Assad has denied ordering his troops to kill peaceful demonstrators, telling the U.S. television channel ABC that only a "crazy" leader kills his own people.
Assad is under mounting international pressure, including a threat of sanctions from the Arab League, over a crackdown on nationwide anti-government protests in which the United Nations says more than 4,000 people have been killed. "We don't kill our people ... No government in the world kills its people, unless it's led by a crazy person," ABC's website Wednesday quoted Assad as saying in a recorded interview. "Most of the people that have been killed are supporters of the government, not the vice versa," Assad said. Syrian activists say around a quarter of the more than 4,500 deaths they have recorded in nine months of protest have been among the security forces. Most foreign media have been excluded from Syria, making it hard to verify events independently.
The Arab League has threatened to impose sanctions on Syria unless armed forces are verifiably withdrawn from towns and cities and a political dialogue is opened with opposition representatives. Major Western powers as well as neighbors Turkey and Jordan are calling on Assad to step down. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on Tuesday that Washington and its NATO allies wanted Assad to make way for a government ready to establish the rule of law and protect "the rights of all citizens, regardless of sect or ethnicity or gender".
Peaceful protests against Assad, inspired by the Arab Spring in Tunisia and Egypt, were met with massive force as soon as they began in March. Now Syria is creeping closer to civil war as armed opposition groups organise and move into some city districts.
Assad conceded that some members of his armed forces had gone too far, but said they had been punished. "Every 'brute reaction' was by an individual, not an institution, that's what you have to know," he told ABC's Barbara Walters. "There is a difference between having a policy to crack down and between having some mistakes committed by some officials," he said. "There was no command to kill or be brutal." Asked if he regretted the violence that has beset his country, he said he had done his best to "protect the people". Assad repeated that he was introducing reforms and elections, but said the changes could not be rushed: "We never said we are a democratic country ... we are moving forward in reforms, especially in the last nine months ... It takes a long time, it takes a lot of maturity to be a full-fledged democracy." He said the mounting international effort to impose sanctions on Syria would have little effect. "We've been under sanctions for the last 30, 35 years. It's not something new," Assad said.
"We're not isolated. You have people coming and going, you have trade, you have everything." U.S. State Department spokesman Mark Toner was quoted in U.S. media as saying it was "ludicrous" that Assad was "attempting to hide behind a sort of shell game and claim he does not exercise authority in his own country".
Russia and Algeria both called for the Arab League peace plan, which Syria says it is considering, to be given time.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov noted that months of effort to secure agreement on a regional plan had now finally started a handover of power in Yemen.
"The same kind of patience, the same kind of responsibility need to be exercised in relation to the realization of the plan of the Arab League in Syria," he told reporters after attending a meeting in Lithuania of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).
Algerian Foreign Minister Mourad Medelci told lawmakers in Paris that Syria was in a "pre-civil war situation".
"Today we are in a situation where we are putting pressure on the Syrian government and, on the other hand, talking to the opposition to create the conditions for dialogue," he said.
"Outside of this dialogue, this transition will not happen. We must give the maximum chance to this Arab initiative."
Syria's state news agency SANA said an "armed terrorist group" had shot dead an army pilot on Tuesday in front of his home in the city of Homs, scene of some of the worst violence.
On Tuesday, SANA had reported that Syrian border guards had blocked an attempt by about 35 "armed terrorists" to enter from Turkey.
It said some of those who came over the border were wounded and escaped back to Turkey where they were picked up in Turkish military vehicles, SANA said.
Relations between Syria and Turkey have disintegrated since Syria began using force to suppress the revolt. Turkey has said a buffer zone may be required on its 900-kilometers border with Syria if the violence causes a mass exodus of Syrians.

Feltman to Israeli Daily: Hizbullah Imposes Will Through Force
Naharnet /U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Jeffrey Feltman reportedly said that Hizbullah would resort to violence whenever it dislikes a certain situation. “Hizbullah is a terrorist organization that participated in the elections,” Feltman told the Israeli Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper on Thursday.“But when they dislike the status quo, they impose their will through force and violence,” he reportedly said. Feltman’s comments came as he arrived in Beirut on Wednesday on a two-day visit for talks with top Lebanese officials. Sources close to Hizbullah told pan-Arab daily Asharq al-Awsat that Feltman is visiting Beirut to put new conditions on the Lebanese government after Lebanon paid its share of funds to the Special Tribunal for Lebanon. They said that Washington had threatened Premier Najib Miqati to impose Security Council sanctions on Lebanon if it had failed to fund the STL that is set to try ex-Premier Rafik Hariri’s suspected assassins.

Report: Baabda Snubbed Feltman
Naharnet /Baabda Palace has reportedly snubbed visiting U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Jeffrey Feltman after the failure of President Michel Suleiman to meet with any U.S. official during his visit to New York in September.An Nahar daily said Thursday that the presidential palace did not set a date for talks between Suleiman and Feltman as a retaliation to the failure to hold any meeting between the Lebanese head of a state and U.S. officials on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly in September.
But informed sources said no date was set between the two officials due to Suleiman’s scheduled visit to Armenia on Thursday.
The visiting diplomat held talks with Premier Najib Miqati and Democratic Renewal Movement leader former MP Nassib Lahoud on Wednesday. An Nahar said that he had dinner with former Minister Michel Khoury and several intellectuals.Feltman handed Miqati a letter from Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in which, according to the newspaper, she expressed “gladness” that the premier had transferred Lebanon’s share of funds to the Special Tribunal for Lebanon. “I appreciate the steps that you have taken as prime minister to stress that Lebanon is committed to its international obligations,” An Nahar quoted Clinton as saying in the letter. The implementation of “Security Council Resolutions 1559 and 1701 in addition to the full cooperation with the STL fall in Lebanon’s interest and contribute to regional stability,” she said.Clinton reiterated the U.S. commitment to the independence and sovereignty of Lebanon.
On Thursday, Feltman held talks with Speaker Nabih Berri and Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblat and will later meet with March 14 leaders over dinner.

IAF strike kills senior militant in Gaza
Palestinian sources claim two killed, six injured in car explosion in Gaza City; IDF says aircraft targeted al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades senior militant who planned terror attacks in Israel
Roee Nahmias Latest Update: 12.08.11, 14:32 / Israel News Targeted killing in the heart of Gaza City – Israel on Thursday killed Assam Subahi Ismail Batash, a senior militant who organized terror attacks carried out by assailants who were infiltrated into Israel from the Sinai Peninsula.Palestinian security officials said a car carrying three people exploded near a public garden in Gaza City, killing at least two people and injuring six. IDF officials confirmed that Air Force aircraft attacked a vehicle carrying BatashEyewitnesses reported seeing the two men being pulled out of the white vehicle.
Batash, IDF officials claimed, was a senior figure in the al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades, and was behind an imminent terror attack in the south.
Officials said Batash was also involved in several attacks in which terrorists from Gaza were smuggled into Sinai and then infiltrated back into Israel through the border. In January 2007 he organized a suicide bombing in Eilat that killed three Israelis. Batash was also involved in several botched attacks, in which he tried to smuggle terrorists and arms into Israel. . According to Maan Palestinian news agency, the blast occurred in a car that was parked near the Gaza municipality building on Umar al Muhtar street in the center of the city. Adham Abu Salima, an official in the Health Ministry, said the explosion set the car on fire and also wounded six bystanders.
On Wednesday, Israeli aircraft attacked terror cells in two separate locations in north Gaza. Palestinian sources said one of the cells, which belonged to Islamic Jihad's armed wing, was holed up in a building in Gaza City's Zeitun neighborhood, not far from the border fence separating Israel from the Hamas-ruled territory.The IDF Spokesperson's Office said the terror cells were preparing to launch rockets towards Israeli army forces. The office said IDF forces who took part in the strike identified hits and thwarted the rocket fire.

Safadi to U.S.: arming military decreases Hezbollah's role
December 08, 2011/ The Daily Star
BEIRUT: Finance Minister Mohammad Safadi told U.S. Congress that Hezbollah's role as an armed resistance in defending Lebanon would become moot if the country’s army was fully equipped and capable.“The decline in the military role of Hezbollah is correlated with the ability of the Lebanese Army to defend Lebanon's territory,” Safadi told members of Congress during an official visit to Washington Wednesday, according to his press office. “And this requires equipping the army with appropriate weapons so it can be the only guarantee for security in the country,” he added.
Safadi's remarks came during a meeting with members of the House of Representatives committee responsible for discussing and allocating aid to countries.
In a meeting with U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Elizabeth Dibble, the minster urged the U.S. to support Lebanon politically, reiterating Lebanon’s request for the U.S. to equip the Lebanese Army with “arms needed to preserve stability and reinforce the state's authority through its legitimate powers.”
“Our government does not fall under orders of any country and it is not true that it is a Hezbollah captive,” Safadi told the congressional committee, adding that Hezbollah, which the U.S. designates as a terrorist organization, represented Lebanese in Parliament and Cabinet. The U.S. has provided around $100 million annually in military aid to Lebanon since 2005, although the funds were temporarily put on hold last August. U.S. Secretary of State Hilary Clinton had promised Prime Minister Najib Mikati that the U.S. will continue its assistance to the Lebanese Army.
Lebanese Army Commander Gen. Jean Kahwagi traveled to the U.S. in October on an official visit to request the continuation of the military aid program to Lebanon.
“I realize that some recommendations have suggested lowering U.S. aid to security and educational institutions but I am confident that representatives of the American people in Congress will not do anything that would hurt the interests of the Lebanese people without a reasonable right,” Safadi said.
There was fear that the U.S. would cut military aid to Lebanon after Hezbollah and its allies gained a majority in the government earlier this year. However, Lebanese officials have been urging the U.S. to continue the funding and attempting to assure the U.S. that Hezbollah does not control the government.
“The current Lebanese government is a coalition government which enjoys representation in Parliament and has a reform and development program and has proven its ability to commit to Lebanon's international obligations,” the finance minister said.

Maronite bishops welcome Mikati’s decision to fund STL
December 08, 2011/The Daily Star
BEIRUT: The Council of Maronite Bishops welcomed Wednesday the government’s decision to finance the U.N.-backed Special Tribunal for Lebanon, thus avoiding a confrontation with the international community. “The bishops welcomed the overcoming of the crisis over the funding of the STL which warded off the specter of a crisis with the international community and a government crisis in Lebanon and eliminated a threat to stability as many had warned,” according to a statement released after the council’s monthly meeting chaired by Maronite Patriarch Beshara Rai at the Maronite patriarchate’s seat in Bkirki, north of Beirut.“They look forward for the government to shoulder its responsibility and tackle the unresolved issues, particularly the issue of public appointments in vacant posts and security, social and economic affairs,” said the statement, which was read to reporters by the secretary of Maronite patriachate priest Rafik al-Warsha.
Prime Minister Najib Mikati, facing mounting local and international pressures to honor Lebanon’s commitments to U.N. resolutions, including the one pertaining to the STL, last week transferred Lebanon’s $32.6 million share to the tribunal’s annual budget, overriding opposition from Hezbollah and its March 8 allies.
Mikati’s decision has been welcomed by the U.S. and other Western states, the Netherlands-based STL and the opposition March 14 parties.
The row over the STL’s funding had sharply split the government and put its fate into jeopardy after Mikati threatened to resign if the Cabinet failed to approve the payment of Lebanon’s share to the tribunal.
Referring to the wave of popular uprisings currently sweeping the Arab world, the Maronite bishops supported the peoples’ right to determine their fate and choose the form of rule that suits them. However, they warned of the threat of turmoil in Syria creating tension in Lebanon.
While viewing with interest the major changes that are taking place in the region, the Maronite bishops voiced concern over the deteriorating security situation in Syria, fearing a drift toward more violence.
“They reminded that supporting the issues of Arab brothers cannot be attained by shifting the tension and divisions to inside Lebanon, but by adhering to the requirements of the National Pact, preserving the ‘Lebanese particularity,’ respect of plurality and acceptance of the other,” the statement said.
Despite the great efforts made by security forces to maintain calm, the bishops voiced their concern over security incidents.
“The firing of rockets from the Lebanese border [toward Israel], explosions, thefts and ugly crimes against innocent people are incidents that raise anxiety as if Lebanon has no sanctity or border,” the statement said. It added that the bishops reminded government officials that the state’s sovereignty cannot be divided or compromised.
Referring to repeated riots in crowded prisons, the bishops called on the state to draw up a clear policy to improve conditions in prisons and exercise justice by acting on cases of people left in prison for months and years without a trial. The bishops called on the government to take action on the socioeconomic crisis, including the wage hike issue and soaring prices, and to ensure water and electricity supplies. They welcomed a draft law tackling the repatriation of Lebanese who were forced to flee to Israel after 2000.

US's military restraint on missing spy drone bolsters Israel's Iran hawks
DEBKAfile Special Report/ December 8, 2011/
The Obama administration's decision after
internal debate not to send US commando or air units into Iran to retrieve or destroy the secret RQ-170 stealth drone which fell into Iranian hands has strengthened the hands of the Israeli faction which argues the case for striking Iran's nuclear installations without waiting for the Americans to make their move.
Senior Israeli diplomatic and security officials who followed the discussion in Washington concluded that, by failing to act, the administration has left Iran not only with the secrets of the Sentinel's stealth coating, its sensors and cameras, but also with the data stored in its computer cells on targets marked out by the US and/or Israeli for attack.
debkafile’s military sources say that this knowledge compels the US and Israel to revise their plans of attack for aborting the Iranian nuclear program.
Like every clandestine weapons system, the RQ-170 had a self-destruct mechanism to prevent its secrets spilling out to the enemy in the event of a crash or capture. This did not happen. Tehran was able to claim the spy drone was only slightly damaged when they downed it.
The NATO spokesman claimed control was lost of the US UAV and it went missing, a common occurrence for these unmanned aircraft.
The enigmas surrounding its capture continue to pile up. How did Iran know the drone had entered its airspace? How was it caused to land? Most of all, why did the craft's self-destruct mechanism which is programmed to activate automatically fail to work? And if it malfunctioned, why was it not activated by remote control?
Thursday, Dec. 8, The New York Times and the Wall Street Journal reported that from Sunday, Dec. 4, when Tehran announced the stealth drone's capture, the Obama administration weighed sending special commando forces into Iran from bases in Afghanistan to bring the downed aircraft back to Afghanistan or blow it up to destroy the almost intact secret systems - either by a sneak operation or by an air strike.Iranian officials said the drone was detected near the Iranian town of Kashmar, 200 kilometers from the Afghan border and presumably moved to a military or air base inside the country. The NYT disclosed that the special force would have used "allied agents inside Iran" to hunt down the missing aircraft, the first time Washington has admitted to support from "allied agents" operating covertly in Iran.
In the end, the paper quoted a US official as explaining that the attack option was ruled out "because of the potential it could become a larger incident." If an assault team entered the country, the US "could be accused of an act of war" by Tehran.
The Obama administration's internal discussion on how to handle the loss of the high-value reconnaissance drone was followed tensely in Jerusalem. The decision it took against mounting a mission to recover or destroy the top-secret Sentinel was perceived in Israel as symptomatic of a wider decision to call off the covert war America has been conducting for some months against Iran's drive for a nuclear bomb – at least until the damage caused by RQ-170 incident is fully assessed.
A senior Israeli security official had this to say: “Everything that’s happened around the RQ-170 shows that when it comes to Iran and its nuclear program, the Obama administration and Israel have different objectives. On this issue, each country needs to go its own way.”

Feltman: US worried about regional impact of Syrian crisis
December 7, 2011 /US Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Jeffrey Feltman on Wednesday told Prime Minister Najib Mikati in a meeting that Washington is concerned about developments in Syria and their regional impact. “[Feltman] highlighted US concerns that developments in Syria not contribute to instability in Lebanon or in other countries in the region,” according to a statement issued by the US Embassy in Lebanon. He also told Mikati that Washington wants to strengthen Lebanon and its institutions. “[The US recognizes the Lebanese army’s] importance in serving as Lebanon’s sole legitimate defense force, securing Lebanon’s borders and defending the sovereignty and independence of the state.” The envoy also delivered to Mikati a letter from US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton expressing Washington’s welcoming of Lebanon’s transfer of funds to the Special Tribunal for Lebanon. Feltman voiced the importance of “Lebanon’s continued cooperation with the [STL],” the statement added. Mikati on November 30 transferred the funds to the UN-backed STL, a source of political tension in Lebanon since its creation. Feltman served as the US ambassador to Beirut from 2004 to 2008.
-NOW Lebanon

U.S. will back Lebanese Army: Feltman
December 08, 2011/By Hasan Lakkis/Hussein Dakroub The Daily Star
BEIRUT: A senior U.S. official praised Lebanon’s decision to pay its share to the U.N.-backed Special Tribunal for Lebanon as “a very positive sign” for the international community, saying Wednesday that Washington would support the Lebanese Army to secure its borders with its neighbors.
Jeffrey Feltman, U.S. assistant secretary of state for Near Eastern affairs, also voiced U.S. concerns that the current turmoil in Syria would lead to instability in Lebanon or other countries.
Feltman spoke to reporters after holding talks with Prime Minister Najib Mikati at the Grand Serail. He arrived in the country earlier Wednesday and met with senior officials to discuss the political and security situation in Lebanon, developments in Syria, and other regional issues, according to a statement released by the U.S. Embassy.
During the meeting with Mikati also attended by U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon Maura Connelly, Feltman delivered a letter from U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton “welcoming Lebanon’s action to fund the Special Tribunal for Lebanon.” “He noted the importance of Lebanon’s continued cooperation with the tribunal and of Lebanon upholding its international obligations under United Nations Security Council Resolutions 1559 and 1701,” the statement said.
In her letter to Mikati dated Dec. 5, Clinton welcomed his announcement about transferring $32 million to the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, “thus fulfilling Lebanon’s funding obligations to the tribunal for 2011.” “I appreciate the steps you have taken as prime minister to ensure that Lebanon complies with key international commitments,” she said. “Vigorous implementation of U.N. Security Council resolutions, including Resolutions 1559 and 1701, and full and unequivocal cooperation with the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, are in Lebanon’s interests and contribute to regional stability.”
“The U.S. government remains committed to an independent and sovereign Lebanon, free of extremist influences,” Clinton said. “We will continue to support this objective, including through our assistance programs, in cooperation with your office and other Lebanese stakeholders.”
Feltman also renewed the United States’ commitment to a stable, sovereign and independent Lebanon. “Ambassador Feltman underscored the U.S. Administration’s support to strengthening Lebanon and Lebanon’s institutions, including the Lebanese Armed Forces, recognizing its importance in serving as Lebanon’s sole legitimate defense force, securing Lebanon’s borders and defending the sovereignty and independence of the state,” the embassy statement added.
There have been reports about the smuggling of arms and sending fighters from the Lebanese border into Syria to help protesters against the violent crackdown launched by Syrian security forces and reported Syrian incursions into Lebanon to chase Syrian nationals.
Feltman discussed regional developments with Mikati, consulting with him on a range of issues, including the 8-month-old popular uprising in Syria against President Bashar Assad.
“Ambassador Feltman shared the grave concerns of the United States for the people of Syria and our desire to see the Syrian government end its brutality against them immediately,” the statement said. It added that Feltman highlighted “U.S. concerns that developments in Syria not contribute to instability in Lebanon or in other countries in the region.”
Given the sharp split between the rival Lebanese factions on the situation in Syria, there are fears that the turmoil in Syria could spill over into Lebanon. While the Hezbollah-led March 8 alliance supports the Assad regime, the opposition March 14 parties have expressed solidarity with Syrian pro-democracy protesters demanding Assad’s ouster.
Speaking to reporters at the Grand Serail, Feltman described his meeting with Mikati as “very good.”
Referring to Mikati’s decision last week to transfer Lebanon’s $32 million share to the STL’s budget, Feltman said this decision was “a very positive sign for all of us as an international community with regard to Lebanon’s continuing and firm respect of international obligations.” He said Mikati’s move was taken on the basis of serving Lebanon’s interest.
The row over the STL’s funding had sharply split the government and put its fate into jeopardy after Mikati threatened to resign if the Cabinet failed to approve the payment of Lebanon’s share to the tribunal. Hezbollah and its March 8 allies reject the STL altogether, let alone funding it.
Feltman said he had asked to meet with President Michel Sleiman but political sources said Sleiman refused to meet him, in a tit-for-tat move after U.S. officials declined to meet with the president when he was in Washington in September. Feltman said he will meet with Speaker Nabih Berri and officials from the government and the March 14 coalition during his visit. He met Wednesday with former MP Nassib Lahoud, head of the Democratic Renewal Movement. Feltman, who served as ambassador to Lebanon from 2004-08, praised Arab and international unanimity on imposing sanctions on Syria to force it to halt its violent crackdown on protesters. He also said that Lebanon’s leadership recognizes Lebanon’s interests regarding events in neighboring Syria.

FPM should refrain from making unrealistic demands: party officials
December 08, 2011/ By Hasan Lakkis/ The Daily Star
BEIRUT: Michel Aoun’s Change and Reform bloc’s decision to attend Wednesday’s Cabinet session came after Prime Minister Najib Mikati telephoned Aoun Tuesday evening.
The leaders discussed energizing the work of the Cabinet and the atmosphere during the telephone conversation was positive, political sources told The Daily Star. Prior to the conversation, contacts between the two had come to standstill. Meanwhile, officials from Aoun’s Free Patriotic Movement met recently to discuss its recent stances, their potential effect on the group’s supporters and on its credibility. Some FPM members called for refraining from making unrealistic demands and even suggested making a “truce” with Mikati.
Late last month, the FPM tied its continued participation in the Cabinet to the latter’s fulfillment of a series of demands made by the movement. These include providing the Army with more advanced weaponry, increasing the minimum wage, passing the draft budget on time, moving forward with development projects, appointing civil servants and tackling the issue of the state’s public finances account.
Senior FPM sources said that FPM ministers were updating Aoun on Mikati’s response to these demands. For example, the sources said Mikati argues that the implementation of a plan to boost Lebanon’s electricity sector, which was forwarded by Aoun, must await the response of the Kuwaiti Fund for Arab Economic Development on a request for a small loan which might come after 100 days, while arguing that the prime minister facilitates the demands of other ministers.
The sources said that Mikati had informed Aoun through a third party that if administrative appointments in posts typically reserved for Christians were subject to a Cabinet vote, as proposed by Speaker Nabih Berri and favored by President Michel Sleiman, they might have to be put to a vote two or three times, especially as appointments in grade one require approval by two-thirds of the ministers, a level of support that the FPM could not secure.
The sources said that while discussing this information, some FPM officials called for exercising prudence, refraining from making demands that are difficult to achieve or from threatening to resign or boycott Cabinet sessions, especially as current politics in the country would not allow the FPM to make good on its threats. The officials called for adopting a “more realistic” policy so that FPM supporters would not be disappointed. They supported their argument by noting that the fall of the Cabinet was unlikely to happen especially as Hezbollah, the FPM’s ally, had sidestepped the funding of the U.N.-backed Special Tribunal for Lebanon, which it strongly opposed, without allowing a Cabinet collapse. Thus, despite the strong support which Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah had expressed for Aoun’s demands in two successive speeches, the party won’t risk the fall of the Cabinet for the sake of these demands. They noted that after he provided the funds to the STL, Mikati’s stature had improved on the local level and with respect to the Higher Islamic Council and Western capitals, many of which are racing to invite him for a visit.
By paying Lebanon’s share of funds, the officials continued, Mikati had garnered the implicit support of Saudi Arabia and Arab capitals, adding that the prime minister’s belief that Hezbollah was in need of him and the Cabinet would prompt him to continue his attacks on the FPM and Aoun since they were easy targets. Also, attacking the FPM would boost the popularity of Mikati among Sunnis.
The FPM officials proposed a “truce” between Mikati and the FPM, under which the FPM would refrain from raising demands that could not be implemented, like sacking the acting secretary-general of the Prime Minister’s Office or trying to undermine the prerogatives of the prime minister, until Hezbollah succeeds in convincing all sides of the necessity of Aoun’s demands and fulfilling some of them.

Cabinet approves, GLC rejects hike
December 08, 2011/By Mohamad El Amin/ The Daily Star
BEIRUT: Cabinet signed off on a long-awaited wage increase decree Wednesday, hiking minimum wage by LL100,000 to LL600,000, salaries under LL1 million by 30 percent up to a LL200,000 increase, and salaries above LL1 million by a 20 percent increase up to LL275,000. But the government suggested that employees who had received “consensual” salary increases from employers since Jan. 1, 2010, may not be eligible for the raise. The Cabinet also agreed to hike the yearly education allowance to a maximum of LL1.5 million from its current LL1 million level.
The decree was passed after Prime Minister Najib Mikati proposed an alternative to Labor Minister Charbel Nahhas’ salary package which apparently did not have sufficient support.
Only one of the suggestions made by Nahhas was adopted by the Cabinet: It gave approval to developing a “youth support” program, a bid to tackle the country’s emigration problem by helping recent graduates find job opportunities in Lebanon.
Nahhas had suggested allocating LL10 billion to the program, but is as yet unclear how much the Cabinet intends to allocate. Most ministers favored Mikati’s proposal with only the seven Free Patriotic Movement ministers voting against it. Industry Minister Vrej Sabounjian voted in favor. The decision will be implemented once the decree is signed and published in the Official Gazette, but it would not have any retroactive effect, sources said. This means employees could benefit from the raise by the beginning of 2012.
The transportation allowance was unchanged by the ministers, remaining at the current LL8,000 per working day which totals to a monthly allowance of LL176,000.
The General Labor Confederation immediately rejected the deal and threatened to stage a general strike. Head of the GLC Ghassan Ghosn told The Daily Star they reject outright the decree which “humiliated workers and threatened their rights.” “We will hold a meeting of the GLC executive council tomorrow [Thursday] and we are headed toward announcing a return to general strike,” he warned.
A mid-October wage increase decree averted what may have become the country’s biggest ever labor strike. It increased by LL200,000 salaries under LL1 million and by LL300,000 salaries between LL1 million and LL1.8 million.
But the decree was later rejected by the Shura Council over the illegality of the ceiling which excluded those who earn above LL1.8 million from the raise. This issue was avoided at the decree issued Wednesday which gave a raise to all employees. The Shura Council’s rejection had prompted additional deliberations within the framework of the Price Index Committee in the hope of reaching a settlement.
The Price Index Committee meetings failed to reach a common understanding over the issue, prompting Nahhas to take his own suggestions to Wednesday’s Cabinet session.
Nahhas’ bid stipulated a 17 percent increase on salaries up to LL1 million, increasing salaries above LL1 million by LL170,000 – a figure reflecting a 17 percent increase on the first salary bracket.
The rejected bid also included a suggestion that the government should pay, on the behalf of employees and employers, the National Social Security Fund sickness and maternity fees, relieving employees from paying up to 9 percent of their salaries.
The step, Nahhas says, would have prepared the way for the implementation of a publically funded universal health care coverage for Lebanese residents.
But Nahhas said his proposals would be forwarded to the Socioeconomic Council, headed by Mikati, for further deliberations.
A statement issued earlier by Labor Ministry said it would hike wages to more than specified in last October’s decree rejected by the Shura Council. It lashed out at the GLC for its failure to realize the importance of extending health coverage. “The General Labor Confederation, which represents 10 out of 26 board members of the National Social Security Fund, had never worked toward applying article 12 [which calls for the extension of NSSF coverage to all Lebanese].”It said half of Lebanese families were bearing health-care costs and were excluded from any coverage including the NSSF.

Sleiman: Arab Spring benefits Lebanon
December 08, 2011/The Daily Star
BEIRUT: President Michel Sleiman said Wednesday that the ongoing developments in the region will move countries in the Arab world toward a democratic political system and would serve the interests of Lebanon. In an interview with a Yerevan-based Armenian TV on the eve of his official visit to Armenia, Sleiman said that countries in the region could not remain on the sidelines of the political transformation that the world was going through as a result of globalization. “Countries in the Arab world cannot stand outside of this transformation and progress … the Arab world is currently going through a transformation toward democracy and a system that Lebanon would benefit from because it has had a democratic system for a long time,” said Sleiman.
Since the beginning of pro-democracy uprisings in Tunisia in December of last year, three Arab presidents have been overthrown and ongoing protests in Syria continue to call for President Bashar Assad’s departure from power. “These developments will also result in a change in leadership,” Sleiman added. Sleiman said that changes in the Arab world should include a change in the situation in occupied Palestine. “It is not enough to have democracy in the Arab world, there should also be a solution to the Palestinian struggle … who should regain their rights in a sovereign Palestine,” said Sleiman.

Syrian security halts border movement
December 08, 2011/By Rakan al-Fakih/The Daily Star
HERMEL, Lebanon: Stricter security measures along the Lebanese-Syrian border are bringing movement of people and economic activity between the close-knit border areas in the two countries to a standstill. Syrian military and security authorities have been implementing stronger security measures along the Lebanese-Syrian border daily as Syria’s popular uprising continues, including planting mines at many illegal crossings on the border, as well as closely checking the identification papers of people traveling between the two countries.
But the measures are also slowing trade, especially in the Baalbek-Hermel region, and preventing residents of border towns and villages from securing basic needs as the smuggling of commodities, especially fuel, has ground to a halt.
Residents say that incidents across the border in Syria have caused panic in the mainly Shiite villages in the Hermel area.
After a businessman from the area, Mohammad Zeaiter, was murdered in Homs where he lived, residents say that they now refrain from visiting Syria. There are also rumors of people setting fire to homes belonging to Shiites living in Homs and its surrounding areas that are convincing residents to stay away from Syria. Hussein Nasereddine, a resident of the village of Hawsh al-Sayyed Ali, a town that sits on both sides of the Lebanese-Syrian border, says that since the uprising, the crossings between the two parts of the village have been completely closed.
The village would ordinarily be crowded with people and vehicles transporting goods to and from Lebanon, Nasereddine says, adding that the village’s residents on the Lebanese side would often secure their basic needs from Syria at a cheaper price.
According to him, that practice ended when Syrian military and security units established several checkpoints inside the village and its surrounding areas, and now only allow Lebanese residents into Syria to work during the day if they own land there. Anyone who tries to cross from one side of the village to the other without prior permission might be shot at, he says, and family members who live only dozens of meters apart now cannot visit one another. Meanwhile, Mohammad Idriss, the mayor of the village of Zeita, which lies 7 kilometers inside Syria, said that there are up to 5,000 Lebanese living in around 20 Syrian villages near the border such as Hawik, Diyabieh, Fadlieh and Safsafah.
According to Idriss, these residents have also been facing difficulty entering Lebanon since the beginning of the events in Syria and now have to travel dozens of kilometers to reach the legal crossing of Jousieh. Confrontations between protesters and Syrian security forces in the neighboring cities of Homs and Qoseir, especially those that have taken on a sectarian dimension, have caused many residents to flee to Lebanon and settle in border villages and the town of Hermel.
The border crossings between the town of Arsal, where the majority of residents are Sunnis and sympathize with the Syrian uprising, and a number of neighboring Sunni Syrian villages have been closed tightly to prevent communication between residents of both areas, former Arsal Mayor Hussein Faliti says. According to the mayor, dirt was bulldozed to prevent people from crossing the border and security forces are deployed along the crossings. Faliti says that personnel at a checkpoint at one of the crossings will shoot at any person who approaches the border.
He recounts a recent incident when some of Arsal’s residents attempted to go to their fields to work and were shot at by Syrian military and security units who crossed the border more than once and fired at farmers’ homes and a number of fishermen who were passing by. “This makes it difficult for residents of Arsal to visit their relatives in neighboring Syrian villages,” he adds.
Overland smuggling of fuel between the two countries in the northern Bekaa area has come to a standstill since the closing of all illegal crossings which had been used to facilitate the transport of persons and goods. According to one smuggler from the area, who declined to give his name, the smuggling of fuel, mainly diesel, used to be pervasive in the border region, driven by the difference in prices. In Syria, the price of 20 liters of diesel is around LL9,000; in Lebanon it’s LL30,000. Up to 300 tankers, each carrying around 100 barrels of fuel, used to enter the Lebanese market daily coming from Syria, he says, adding that half of the tankers used to pass through Hermel and north Bekaa while the other half passed through the town of Wadi Khalid and some crossings at the Bekaa’s eastern borders with Syria.
Fuel smuggling was a profitable activity, he explains, as it provided jobs and income for residents of country’s economically deprived north.

Lebanon looks to capitalize on foreigners of Lebanese descent
December 08, 2011/By Justin Salhani/The Daily Star
BEIRUT: The Lebanese Football Federation has invited four players of Lebanese descent to train with the national team to aid Lebanon in their push for World Cup qualification, according to unconfirmed reports Wednesday. The four are Soony Saad (playing with Sporting Kansas City, USA), Tarek Elrich (Newcastle Jets, Australia), Adnan Haidar (Valerenga, Norway) and Abbas Hassan (IFK Norrkoping, Sweden). The only player who confirmed the invitation to meet up with the national team is Saad, who said via Twitter that he was invited to join the Red Cedars and replied that he would “consider coming to play.” Saad, 19, is a winger who has appeared with the USA under-20 national team in the past. Elrich, 24, plays at right back and has been reported to have played in a senior international with Australia. His case is currently under investigation from FIFA. Haidar, 22, plays in midfield while Abbas, 26, is a goalkeeper. It is thought the four players are being brought in to replace weak links in their various positions. Saad potentially could either add another weapon to the wings, or play wide, allowing Hassan Maatouk to play through the middle.
The goalkeeper and full back positions lack qualiy for Lebanon, hence the contact with Hassan and Elrich.

Hariri: I openly and proudly support Syria’s uprising
December 08, 2011/ The Daily Star
BEIRUT: Former Prime Minister Saad Hariri said Wednesday that he “openly and proudly” supports the uprising of the Syrian people, one day after Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah repeated his support for the Syrian regime. “If Hezbollah openly supports the Syrian regime, we openly and proudly support the Syrian revolution and the Syrian people,” Hariri told his Twitter followers.
Meanwhile, lawmakers from Hariri’s Future bloc said that Nasrallah’s speech and rare public appearance were aimed at boosting the dwindling morale of his supporters since his regional allies “are falling” and after the funding of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, which the party had strongly opposed. “He felt that there was a need to boost the morale of his supporters after a Cabinet, which his party dominates, had financed the tribunal,” Minieh MP Ahmad Fatfat told Future News. “What’s more important in Nasrallah’s speech was the [part] on Arab affairs,” Fatfat said. “He will clearly fight by the side of President Bashar Assad and his regime and he accuses the [Syrian] opposition of treason, which is clear interference in Syrian affairs.”
Following a rare and short public appearance Tuesday, Nasrallah said that his group was continuing to arm itself and would stand by Assad who is facing a popular uprising nearing its ninth month.
“Our forces have increased and so have our arms day after day,” Nasrallah said in a video link on the occasion of Ashura, one of the holiest occasions in Shiite Islam which marks the martyrdom of Imam Hussein, the grandson of the Prophet Mohammad. “This resistance and its weapons will continue to exist and your conspiracies as well as your psychological, political and intelligence wars will not destroy us,” Nasrallah told crowds at a packed stadium in the southern suburbs of Beirut.
Thousands of men dressed in black applauded as Nasrallah yelled: “The resistance in Lebanon, with its weapons and mujahideen, God willing, will continue to exist. We will hold onto our arms … our weapons do not rust. They are being upgraded.”
Fatfat said that Nasrallah had torpedoed dialogue when he refused to discuss the party’s arms.
Beirut MP Serge Torsarkissian, Fatfat’s colleague in the Future bloc, commented on Nasrallah’s statement that Hezbollah’s arms would not rust.
“We say that arms will rust because when they are not used domestically, what will they be used for? To launch a war against Israel, this is unrealistic,” he told al-Jadeed TV station.
During the appearance, Nasrallah, speaking from an open-air podium, told the cheering crowd: “I wanted to be with you for a few minutes … to renew our pledge with [Imam] Hussein who stood at this day alone in the face of 30,000 individuals.”
Nasrallah said his public appearance was a message to those who believe they can intimidate Hezbollah.
“We tell all those who bet on scaring us or threatening us that we are the companions of Imam Hussein, who says he will never be humiliated,” he said before he was whisked out of Al-Raya Stadium in the southern suburb neighborhood of Sfeir.
A good section of Nasrallah’s speech was devoted to Syria, saying that while he supported reforms, he would “stand by a regime that has stood by the resistance for a long time.”
“There are some who don’t want civil peace or stability and want to destroy Syria. There are some who want to make up for their defeat in Iraq and their inevitable loss in any change in the situation in Syria for the benefit of Israel,” Nasrallah told the packed stadium in reference to the U.S.
“What some seek for in Syria is not reforms … but an Arab regime which is ready to rubber stamp anything for the U.S. and Israel,” he said.
He also slammed the Syrian National Council, the main anti-Assad opposition group, for seeking to “destroy” Syria while moving closer to the U.S. and Israel.
“The so-called Syrian National Council, formed in Istanbul, has a leader, a university professor by the name of Burhan Ghalioun who said a few days ago that he wants to cut ties with Iran, Hezbollah and Hamas if they [Syrian opposition] were able to change the regime and take over power in Syria … they are trying to present their credentials to the Americans and the Israelis,” Nasrallah said.
Last week, the Wall Street Journal published an interview with Ghalioun in which he said “Our relations with Iran will be revisited as [will those of] any of the countries in the region, based on the exchange of economic and diplomatic interests, in the context of improving stability in the region and not that of a special relationship. There will be no special relationship with Iran.”
He said breaking the exceptional relationship with Iran after the fall of the Syrian regime would change its relationship with Hezbollah.
Speaking to a local radio station, West Bekaa MP Amin Wehbe, from the Future bloc, said that Nasrallah was mobilizing his supporters “which is understandable in these circumstances when he feels that his allies are falling under the pressure of people who are demanding freedom, and particularly in Syria.”
Wehbe said he was pained that Nasrallah congratulated the Libyans and other Arab people for their revolutions and victories “but when speaking about Syria, he behaved as if the Syrian people do not have the right to enjoy freedom.” He said that Nasrallah had overlooked the fact that NATO had supported the Libyans to oust late Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi.
On local matters, Nasrallah touched on the issue of “false witnesses” in the case of the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.
Nasrallah said the issue had caused tensions in ties between Lebanon and Syria and called on the government to address the divisive topic.
“There is a need to resolve the issue of ‘false witnesses’ and that of the four officers who were jailed,” Nasrallah said, referring to the four generals who were held without charge for nearly four years before the STL probing Hariri’s assassination ordered their release.
The Hezbollah leader also reiterated his support to the Free Patriotic Movement’s demands to the Cabinet.

Liban Lait Owner Kidnapped at Gunpoint in Bekaa
Naharnet /Gunmen kidnapped a citizen in the Bekaa town of Hosh Sned on Wednesday, reported the National News Agency. It said that the five kidnappers forced Ahmed Zeidan, the owner of Liban Lait, into a black SUV and drove off to an unknown location. They left his car, a Volkswagen, near the Liban Lait factory where they kidnapped him. Investigations are underway to determine his whereabouts and the reasons for the abduction. Liban Lait is one of the largest dairy farms in Lebanon.

Lebanon's Internal Security Forces chief Maj. Gen. Ashraf Rifi is ‘Man of the Year 2011’
Naharnet /Internal Security Forces chief Maj. Gen. Ashraf Rifi was chosen as “Man of the Year 2011″ in a ceremony held in Dubai on Tuesday. Rifi was awarded a Gold Medal in the field of security leadership excellence at the event organized by the Arab Organization for Administrative Development of the Arab League and the Academy of Excellence and Quality. The ceremony, held at Burj Khalifa, was sponsored by Crown Prince Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum. But his brother Sheikh Majed represented him at the event


Syria says pipeline blown up by rebel saboteurs
08/12/2011/BEIRUT, (Reuters) - A Syrian pipeline carrying oil from the east of the country to a vital refinery in Homs was blown up Thursday in what the official news agency SANA said was an act of sabotage by an armed terrorist group.
Opposition activists said flames and clouds of thick black smoke were seen at the site of the explosion in a suburb of the city, the epicenter of popular unrest against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad that began in March.
"This is the main pipeline that feeds the Homs refinery," said Rami Abdulrahman of the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
The activist network also reported seven people killed in Homs Thursday by snipers and in "random" shootings.
Popular protests began in Syria nine months ago, inspired by the wave of revolt across the Arab world. The ferocity of Assad's crackdown on protests triggered desertions from the armed forces, and now thousands of army defectors have joined a guerrilla army staging hit-and-run attacks on security forces.
SANA said the pipeline was attacked in the Tal Asour area to the northwest of the refinery on the outskirts of Homs, a city of 800,000 where -- activists say -- about 1,500 people have been killed in the crackdown.
Video on the Internet of the purported blast site showed enormous billows of black smoke rising above a built-up area by a railway line. A Syrian army tank was seen close by.
The Homs refinery serves part of Syria's domestic requirement for refined oil products. In July SANA said saboteurs blew up an oil export pipeline near Homs which carried oil from Syria's eastern oilfields to the Mediterranean coast.
NO ORDERS TO KILL
Assad, whose family has ruled Syria for 41 years, has denied ordering his troops to kill peaceful protesters, saying only a "crazy" leader kills his own people.
In a television interview with ABC news of the United States he distanced himself from the actions of the security forces, saying it was not his personal army -- a disclaimer that Washington said was simply not credible.
Assad is under growing international pressure, including a threat of sanctions from the Arab League, to cease violent repression of protests - in which the United Nations says over 4,000 people have been killed - and negotiate with opponents.
Rejecting criticism of his government's action, he told ABC News that "most of the people that have been killed are supporters of the government, not the vice versa."
Syrian activists say around a quarter of the more than 4,500 deaths they have recorded in nine months of protest have been among the security forces. Most foreign media have been excluded from Syria, making it hard to verify events independently.
HUB OF CONFLICT
Major Western powers as well as neighbors Turkey and Jordan are calling on Assad to step down. Turkey imposed a 30 percent duty on imports from Syria Wednesday in retaliation for a similar tax imposed on Turkish goods.
With exports of its oil effectively suspended owing to sanctions, Syria has plenty of raw petroleum in stock but limited refining capacity, of which the Homs installation now in a hub of the conflict is a key part.
Protesters are calling for a peaceful "dignity strike" by Syrians at the weekend as what organizers say will be the first stage of a general campaign of civil disobedience.
Schools, universities, shops, public transport and government services are being urged to refuse work Sunday and close highways.
SANA said the army fought back against gunmen who tried to block the Aleppo highway in the tense Hama district on Wednesday, killing one "terrorist."
Experts defused seven improvised bombs in Hama district, it said. An army pilot was shot in front of his home, it said.
An activist website said an army armored personnel carrier was destroyed in clashes between troops and defectors near the radio station in the city of Saraqeb on the Hama-Aleppo highway. Heavy gunfire was reported in Hama city Wednesday afternoon.
The site said three army defectors were killed in a firefight with regular army units in a rural area of Hama and a woman was killed by gunfire in the Homs suburb of Al-Hawla.
On the tense border with Turkey, Syrian troops opened fire in sustained bursts Wednesday, according to residents of Turkish villages.
A member of the Syrian National Council, an exile group seeking an end to Assad's rule, said the SNC would present a plan for a transition of power shortly in the next few days.
"The plan will be a sort of roadmap for a peaceful transition, with article one being that Assad has to resign and leave," said SNC member Bassma Kodmani.
"We hope that it will be supported by the Arab world and the international community," she said during a meeting with European lawmakers in Brussels.
She warned again about the threat of civil war in Syria. "The first (objective) is the protection of the civilian population, and putting an end to the killings, which might bring us into a civil war, into militarization."

US Republicans urge covert ops against Iran, Syria
http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5it1YUgfwpCQXMXOh38bpdoatRZ6Q?docId=CNG.7949eeded2c785ca3f9459e7654efaa8.d1
By Olivier Knox (AFP) – WASHINGTON — Republican US presidential candidates have redoubled their public calls for "covert" operations against Iran and Syria, including sabotage, assassination and aid to opposition forces. Former House speaker Newt Gingrich, who has led the calls for secret war, told a gathering of party activists on Wednesday he would use "covert capability" to bring about "regime replacement" in Tehran. "They only have one very, very large refinery. I would be focused on how to covertly sabotage it every day," he told the Republican Jewish Coalition, a group highly critical of President Barack Obama's handling of ties to Israel. Gingrich said US policy towards Syria must be to "replace" President Bashar al-Assad and "do everything we can, indirectly and covertly -- but without American forces -- to help" the opposition topple his government.
Former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney, who recently lost to Gingrich the mantle of front-runner for the party's nomination to take on Obama in November 2012, called for Washington to secretly help dissidents in Iran. "We should also have covert and overt activities to encourage voices of dissent within the country. Ultimately regime change is what's going to be necessary in that setting," he told the group.
One of their long-shot rivals, former senator Rick Santorum, told the same audience he hoped US assets were behind a recent deadly explosion at a missile base in Iran and vowed to put the world on notice of secret US operations. "We need to say very clearly that we will be conducting covert activity to do everything we can to stop their nuclear program. And that means using covert activity like may have occurred at the missile site," he said. "We need to be very clear: Any foreign scientists working in Iran on this nuclear program will be termed an enemy combatant and will be subject -- like any other enemy combatant, like Osama bin Laden -- to being taken out by the United States government as a threat to this country," he said. In the same breath, Santorum pointed to the May raid in Pakistan in which US commandos killed bin Laden to accuse Obama of "not being able to keep a secret of anything good that he did for even more than 24 hours."Gingrich proposed at a November 12 debate that Washington kill Iranian scientists and disrupt Tehran's suspect nuclear program -- "all of it covertly, all of it deniable."
In that same forum, Santorum said the United States must do "whatever it takes to make sure" Iran does not develop a nuclear program -- then wondered whether Washington may already be heavily involved in doing just that. "There have been scientists turning up dead in Russia and in Iran. There have been computer viruses. There have been problems at their facility. I hope that the United States has been involved with that," he said. "I hope that we have been doing everything we can, covertly, to make sure that that program doesn't proceed," he said. Texas Governor Rick Perry suggested at a November 22 debate that Washington had many ways to put pressure on Assad's regime -- "overt, covert, economic sanctions.""This is the time for us to use not only sanctions, but covert actions within Syria, to get regime change there," said Romney. "There are people in the military that are shifting over, that are becoming part of the rebel effort. We should support those efforts," he added.
The pronouncements of the Republican presidential hopefuls have raised eyebrows among some career national security officials. "The chances of success go down dramatically when you tell the world that is the major tool in your foreign policy bag of tricks," one former senior official in Republican president George W. Bush's White House told AFP. The official said Bush's team "took a lot of heat for keeping secrets." The official praised Obama's "very strong national security team," and urged Republicans not to view covert operations as "some kind of magic elixir that will cure all of the problems."
"Yes, the Obama victory dance after the Bin Laden raid cost us the opportunity to take full advantage of the information gathered; but do you think it would have been different with a GOP administration? Please," said the official, who requested anonymity in order to speak candidly.
Copyright © 2011 AFP. All rights reserved. More

Von Hebel Expects STL Trial to Begin in 2012 2
Naharnet /The Registrar of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon Herman von Hebel stated on Wednesday that predicting the judicial process in the tribunal is “very difficult.”He expected however that the trial in the case of the assassination of former Premier Rafik Hariri may begin in 2012. He stressed however that Lebanon must continue to search for the accused and “in the meantime, the Trial Chamber assesses whether all reasonable measures have been taken by Lebanon.” Von Hebel made his statements during a question and answer session he held via Twitter where he received questions from Lebanese citizens and journalists. “If trials have to start without the accused, justice will be ensured. Arrest warrants will remain in place during and after the trial,” he added.
“It is for judges of Trial Chamber to decide whether all measures taken by Lebanon are reasonable. This decision will be made public,” Von Hebel remarked. Furthermore, it was revealed that STL Prosecutor Judge Daniel Bellemare is due to file a report on Lebanon's efforts to arrest the accused by Thursday to which Von Hebel replied: “The report will be submitted by the STL Prosecution to the Trial Chamber confidentially. It is for the judges to take a decision.” Addressing the issue of false witnesses, he tweeted: “For the STL, there are no false witnesses since there have been no witnesses testifying in the courtroom.” “In case of a false witness before the court, the judges can hold them in contempt of court,” the registrar explained.
Furthermore, he said that any issues relating to individuals allegedly providing false information to the United Nations International Independent Investigation Commission is a matter for Lebanon and the U.N.
On the extension of the STL’s mandate, he revealed that the President of the STL had recommended an extension of the mandate to U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, who will in turn decide on the extension after consulting with the Lebanese government and U.N. Security Council. Addressing media reported linked to the tribunal, Von Hebel said: “We need two make a distinction between leaks and speculation. There has been lot of speculation presented as leaks about accused.” “Second, we do recognize that there have been leaks. This was primarily from the UNIIIC period,” he stressed.
“Stories about leaks from the STL itself have been greatly exaggerated,” he noted.
“At any rate, any such stories won't impact judicial proceedings as the judges will only consider evidence presented in court,” he remarked. “There are procedures to deal with leaks and other misconduct of staff, but such procedures are internal,” he explained. Asked about the credibility of the STL among the Lebanese people, he replied: “It's too early to pass judgment on STL. The first trial has yet to begin and we should be judged by the fairness of our trials.” Asked if Hizbullah’s allegations against the STL officials have damaged the court's reputation in Lebanon, Von Hebel responded: “We want to engage with the public, but not engage in politics.” “The judicial work of the STL is not influenced by political events,” he said. “Judges at the STL are independent and impartial,” he stressed.
The court on August 17 unsealed the indictment against four Hizbullah members accused of being involved in Hariri’s 2005 assassination. It said that Lebanon must try harder to apprehend them.
Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah has said he doubted the four indictees will ever be found and has branded the tribunal a U.S.-Israeli conspiracy aimed at bringing down the party.

Conspiring with the Damascus regime
By Abdul Rahman Al-Rashed
Asharq Al-Awsat
How do we interpret this sudden change in Iraqi policy? The Prime Minister, the President, the Foreign Minister, the government spokesman; all of them defended Bashar al-Assad’s regime, despite the brutal crimes that he is committing against his own people. How do we interpret Jordan’s stance, particularly with regards to the famous statement issued by the Jordanian monarch in which he said that if he were in al-Assad’s position, he would resign. We can compare this to the contradictory statement issued by the Jordanian Prime Minister in which he opposed any actions to save the Syrian people, on the pretext that he was against foreign intervention. How can we explain Algeria’s stance, which is strongly defending the al-Assad regime at every summit and meeting, particularly as Algeria was responsible for dialling back the Arab League sanctions that were imposed on the Syrian regime, further complicating the Syrian crisis and causing the deaths of more innocent people?
We can somewhat understand the position taken [on Syria] by certain countries, like Lebanon. For Syria’s neighbouring Lebanon is embroiled in the situation, and its fears of the Syrian regime are quite understandable. No one will blame Lebanon, whatever decision it takes [on Syria], particularly as it has the bad fortune to be in possession of a UN [non-permanent member] Security Council seat at the same time that the Syrian revolution is taking place. As for Iraq, the initial explanation was that it has fallen under the influence of the Iranian regime which is pressuring Baghdad to support the al-Assad regime, and that this is a sectarian stance, out of fear of a possible Sunni regime coming to power in their northern neighbour. However there can be no doubt that this story of Sunni extremists taking power in Syria is not fair to the oppressed Syrian people, particularly as what is happening in Syria is a mirror-image of the suffering of the Sunnis [in Iraq] during the Saddam Hussein era. It is therefore hard to believe that the Iraqi regime – which is always referring to its own uprising against injustice and tyranny – is supporting the Syrian regime, which is exercising the same kind of injustice and tyranny [as Saddam Hussein]. Moreover, one of the Iraqi Prime Minister’s aides issued a statement recently criticizing the sanctions imposed on the Syrian regime, describing this as double-standards. Does this make sense? Particularly as the current Iraqi government itself only exists as the result of US sanctions and intervention [in Iraq]; therefore it is the Iraqi government that is practising double-standards, accepting the ouster of Saddam Hussein [via sanctions and foreign intervention], but protecting the al-Assad government [from this], despite all the crimes it is committing against its own people.
As for Amman, the only logic explanation for its actions is that it fears Jordan becoming the main route for a war [in Syria] that it cannot afford. Jordan is already suspicious that Israel is searching for a means of expelling the Palestinians from the West Bank, viewing Jordan as an alternative home [for them]. The new Jordanian government may also be thinking of financially exploiting the Syrian crisis, without taking into account that the international state of affairs today will not be as generous to them as it was for them during the collapse of the Saddam Hussein regime.
As for Algeria, nobody seems to understand the stance taken by its leadership to defend the worst dictators in modern Arab history; namely al-Assad and Gaddafi. Does the Algerian leadership fear that its country will be the next to be hit by unrest? Or is it merely opposing any action adopted by France on principle, owing to the complicated history shared by the two countries? The Algerian leadership – whose ambassadors are defending al-Assad – cannot justify defending a regime that has killed thousands of people in Syria, merely because of unjustified fears and the complicated historical relationship between itself and France, and Arab public opinion is increasingly angered by the Algerian stance [on Syria].
This is a very difficult period for all Arab governments, and any decision they take [on Syria] will have implications. However the most dangerous decision would be to remain silent on - or shall we say, conspire with - the brutal and systematic violence that is taking place in Syria today. Silence on this issue is something that is unforgivable!

Has the Arab League fallen into the hands of the Gulf?
By Tariq Alhomayed
Asharq Al-Awsat
Earlier this week, an official Iraqi source, speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat, listed six reasons explaining why the Nouri al-Maliki government is siding with Bashar al-Assad. One of these six reasons was the Iraqi leadership’s fear that the Arab League has fallen into the hands of the Gulf States! In the article, this high-level Iraqi source said that: “due to Egypt’s absence from the Arab League decision-making process – on account of Egypt being preoccupied with its own internal affairs at this current time – Baghdad believes that the mandate' has fallen into the hands of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), which is directing affairs as it sees fit”!
However what is even more interesting than this is what Dr. Naseer al-Ani, head of the Presidential Council of the Republic of Iraq, said at the “Gulf and the Globe” forum, organized by the Institute of Diplomatic Studies, affiliated to the Saudi Foreign Ministry, and the Gulf Research Center in Riyadh. According to what was published a few days ago, Dr. al-Ani called upon the GCC to play a greater role in promoting security and stability in his country, especially in light of the imminent withdrawal of U.S. forces, in order to prevent any external interference and to support the Iraqi army. He also hinted towards the unsolicited Iranian role in Iraq by saying: “there are interventions in Iraq which everyone is aware of”. Al-Ani also revealed the state of fear with regards to the unreadiness of the Iraqi armed forces [to deal with the security challenges following the US withdrawal], although the Iraqi security authorities have begun their final preparations for this. This [unreadiness] can be seen in the inability of the current Iraqi military force to protect the country’s airspace. Al-Ani stressed that although military deals and contracts that were signed earlier are expected to be applied in the coming months, Iraq would not be able to keep pace with its neighbors such as Iran and Turkey!
How can we explain this Iraqi contradiction? The right question is; who should we believe in Iraq? Those who say that [Gulf-Iraqi relations] run deep and we are their brothers, or those who stand with Bashar al-Assad’s Baathist regime on the grounds that Nouri al-Maliki, for example, lived in Syria for 16 years? If al-Maliki himself called on the United Nations [UN] to intervene against Bashar al-Assad, and form a commission of inquiry into his regime following the famous bombings in Baghdad nearly two years ago, how can al-Maliki - or his government - begrudge the Syrian people calling on the UN Security Council to protect them from the suppression they are facing at the hands of the al-Assad regime and the Shabiha [militia], particularly as more than 4,000 Syrians have now been killed by the al-Assad regime? Is there any explanation for the position of the al-Maliki’s government, other than abhorrent sectarianism and the implementation of Iran’s agenda? This is even worse when one considers that al-Maliki himself attacked the Gulf States because of their stance on Bahrain, and the same applies to the Sadrists who organized demonstrations in Iraq against the Gulf and Bahrain, and amazingly some even carried the Bahraini flag in Iraq on the day of Ashoura!
Indeed, Iraq’s predicament is not because of its neighboring countries, and not because the Arab League has fallen into the hands of the GCC, as they say, because in the end, the people of the Gulf are Arabs as well. Iraq’s real predicament stems from the sectarian regime that is governing it and which is implementing Iran's agendas, highlighted recently in Iraq’s stance towards the Baathist regime of Bashar al-Assad, even though the current Iraqi regime brazenly attacks its domestic opponents on the grounds that they are Baathists!
This is the truth no matter how some in Iraq try to trick the Iraqi people, or us.

In Egypt: Who wins?
By Hussein Shabokshi
Asharq Al-Awsat
Politicians and analysts continue to try to interpret the current electoral scene in Egypt. They attempt to define and describe the principal causes for the results of the first phase of the elections which shows a big win for the religious parties, namely the Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party, the Salafists Al-Nour Party, the Muslim Brotherhood offshoot al-Wasat Party, and the al-Gama'a al-Islamiyya’s Construction and Development Party. The results showed that the Muslim Brotherhood and their Freedom and Justice Party were well prepared for the election battle. The sizable experience they have accumulated over the years, their benefitting from the experience of others, not to mention their efforts to ensure that they get the best out of all their experience and expertise seems to have clearly paid off for the Muslim Brotherhood.
However, the recent election successes cannot be attributed to the Muslim Brotherhood's great thinkers and intellectuals such as Hassan al-Banna, Sayyid Qutb, or even Abul Ala Maududi, a sheikh who had a considerable influence upon the Brotherhood, albeit indirectly. Rather, it is more appropriate to attribute the Muslim Brotherhood’s success to someone like Michael Porter, an internationally renowned expert in the art of marketing; responsible for producing various means and tactics for garnering influence in the business world. The Brotherhood has taken note of his style and implemented this successfully, ever since they put forward their most famous slogan, "Islam is the Solution".
Let us look more closely at this simple and direct slogan. It does not say religion is the solution, or even that upholding religion is the solution, but rather it says Islam is the solution, without going into details or saying how this will be applied, and despite the fact that Islam is full of different trends, opinions and sects. This reminds me of the giant sportswear company “Nike”, which coined the simple and extremely clear slogan "Just Do It". This has since become a permanent fixture in our popular culture, and is taught as a textbook case of successful marketing in prestigious business colleges around the world.
The Muslim Brotherhood group, with its party and political leadership, realized the importance of taking advantage and utilizing different media outlets, increasing their presence on satellite channels, whether Western, local or regional. Although the Muslim Brotherhood continued to hold deep reservations about many of these channels, they ultimately overlooked this and began to put forward young faces to represent them to the media, instead of their "antiquated" symbols and figures who would not be able to engage with the new generation. A good example of this is the official spokesman of the Freedom and Justice Party, Ahmed Abou Baraka, a clean-shaven man who takes pride in his personal appearance and is always dressed smartly. Performing the role of a "spin doctor", he clarifies, justifies and remedies any crisis that emerges as a result of Muslim Brotherhood stances or statements, by issuing concise sound bites in a respectful and professional manner, similar to the manner of strong political parties in the West. This is contrary to the behaviour of the al-Nour Party, with its reckless, unwise, immature and seemingly hostile rhetoric. This can clearly be seen in its leaders’ ludicrous stances, such as their intention to impose the jizya [per capita tax levied on an Islamic state’s non-Muslim citizens] against Copts in upper Egypt, their intention to destroy statues and tombs [for being un-Islamic], their attempts to make use of Islamic Sharia edicts other than those issued by al-Azhar University and its Fatwa committee, and the accusations they have levelled against certain Egyptian symbols, using the worst words imaginable.
The Egyptian character is a wondrous mix of attributes; an Egyptian loves the sound of Abdul Basit 'Abd us-Samad’s recitation of the Quran, as well as listening to the music of [famous Egyptian singer] Umm Kulthum. He loves to watch [Egyptian actress] Faten Hamama’s movies and attend al-Ahly vs. Zamalek football matches. He likes to spend the summer in Alexandria, sit in a café and read Naguib Mahfouz's novels. Any attempt to forcibly separate these attributes from his character will not be tolerated. The main priority remains the dignity of the people, rather than imposing one’s viewpoint upon others or telling them what to think. The electoral experience in Egypt so far has been somewhere between marketing and politics, between the writings of Michael Porter and Machiavelli, the author of “The Prince”. The coming political scene in Egypt will focus on the religious parties, and the battle as to which political party has the exclusive right to use religion has already begun to escalate between the Freedom and Justice Party and the al-Nour Party.

Do the Egyptian Salafists believe in democracy?
By Ali Ibrahim
Asharq Al-Awsat
The most notable result of the first phase of the Egyptian elections, of which there are two phases still to come during which two thirds of the [Egyptian] electorate will cast their votes, is the alarming percentage obtained by the Salafist political trend, which put them in second place after the Muslim Brotherhood, a percentage almost equal to what was obtained in total by the current comprising the liberal and leftist parties.
The Salafists have not only caused various other political currents to be alarmed with regards to the rise of political Islam, but they have also unsettled even the major Islamist movement, the Muslim Brotherhood. The alarm stems firstly from the high percentage of votes the Salafists received in the initial phase; close to a quarter of overall votes, something no one expected, and secondly from the surprising statements of its leaders. These statements have initiated an early battle regarding matters integral to Egypt’s social contract, such as women’s rights, personal freedoms and behavior within society, and even symbols of Egyptian culture such as the Nobel Prize winning author Naguib Mahfouz, who prior to his death predicted that parliament would, in the future, experience devastating ideological and political battles if it continued to follow the same path.
There is surprise within the [Egyptian] political arena, yes, but some also feel a deep sense of frustration with regards to these election results. The revolutionaries and their supporters only achieved a small proportion of the votes. The elections were supposed to be about a new force that had formed in recent months, such as the Kutla al-Masriya [the Egypt bloc] which is a coalition of liberal and leftist parties, but the Salafist party is also new and only months old, yet it achieved higher results, so what happened? Is there cause for alarm? Will we see something along the lines of the gloomy joke which says that Egypt is now divided into two parties, Takfir wal-Hijra [a radical Islamist group, here a reference to the Islamists] and Tafkir fil-Hijra [those thinking of leaving the country]?
There are certainly those concerned about the form and identity of the Egyptian state in the coming period. This will be the first parliament after the ouster of the former regime, and it will be in power when the time comes to discuss the new constitution which will regulate the rules of the game, political freedoms and so on. If this [constitution] does not reflect a social consensus that everyone accepts, then the next conflict will be even more violent and destructive.
However, consideration must be given to the other side of the coin, as there is no reason to give in to a state of frustration. Experience and the last few months have shown us that political attitudes are changing, and that no one – including the Egyptian Salafists, despite the radical ideas they have put forward – is incapable of changing their ideas and adapting themselves politically to the requirements of the stage and the age, in order to be accepted by society.
First of all, the political Salafist trend in Egypt has changed its attitudes and ideas since 25 January , although it must also be stated that this was as a result of the pressure of the [Egyptian] public and street. The Salafists were initially against the revolution and the youth taking to the streets to protest, considering this to be contrary to their ideological viewpoint that one may not deviate from his ruler. Yet afterwards we saw them taking part in the Tahrir Square demonstrations, and more importantly they agreed to form a political party to take part in the elections and compete for votes just like any other political movement. This is a fundamentally western idea that the Salafists used to reject. They also used to reject even the idea of western democracy that considers the people as the source of authority, as their original idea was based upon the concept of Hakimiyya [the principle that God is the sole authority].
It is noteworthy that the same transformation has happened to the Muslim Brotherhood in recent decades, when it began to accept the ideas of assuming governance through the ballot box, and the peaceful transfer of power. The Brotherhood undertook political action through its political party, even if they made sure that their Islamic Dawa [call] group remained present in the background.
Does this mean that we are now facing developments in the concepts and methods of political Islamist trends, moving towards an acceptance of the rules of the democratic game and the transfer of power? This is something that can only be judged in the future. If this truly happens, with the Islamists coming to power in parliament via the votes of the ordinary people, this means [the Islamists] have accepted that they [the people] are the source of authority. In turn, they have accepted to leave office if the voice of the people changes, i.e. accepting the principle of the transfer of power, and this is something that the forthcoming constitution must emphasize. We do not want to speculate by predicting the size of the political Islamist representation (the Muslim Brotherhood and the Salafists) in the next parliament, although it is expected that they will find themselves in a sizeable confrontation with the liberal bloc, even if it is a minority in parliament. It is difficult to imagine that a broad representation of Egyptian society [in parliament] will accept a radical government or way of life.

The way to topple Assad
Op-ed: Syrian leader will only be toppled once growing brutality prompts global intervention
Daniel Nisman Published: 12.08.11
Ynetnews
On December 2nd, Syrian insurgents staged an attack on an Intelligence facility in northern Idlib province. Eight people were killed in the ensuing clashes, including several Air Force intelligence personnel. Like the previous high-profile attack on the Air Force intelligence headquarters in Damascus, the media rushed to portray this act along with recent calls for sanctions as the fall of another pillar signaling the imminent end of the Assad regime.
However, the reality of the situation is that the Idlib attack symbolizes all that is plaguing Syrian opposition in its many forms.
The Idlib attack came hours after the opposition Syrian National Council (SNC) and Free Syrian Army (FSA) insurgent group announced a decision to coordinate their resistance. Included in the agreement was a pledge by the FSA to halt its offensive attacks, limiting its armed activity to protecting protest neighborhoods in flashpoint cities like Homs and Hama.
The SNC, an umbrella body of various opposition groups in exile, has been struggling to prove its legitimacy to the world, while the FSA has taken the spotlight with its high-profile attacks, drawing concerns over the advent of a civil war in Syria. The nature of these groups and geographical and ideological divides between them continue to deter the international community from taking measures that would expedite Assad's fall.
In Libya’s case, the opposition NTC was able to create the façade that they were a viable alternative to Gaddafi, established firmly in their base in Benghazi from which they would conduct their military campaign to overthrow him. Today, no one seems quite sure just who is leading the revolution in Syria, as most of the world has yet to recognize the SNC's legitimacy, while it remains to be seen whether the FSA boasts any real hierarchy as opposed to various bands of defectors operating independently of each other.
Despite their growing attention from the media, the Free Syrian Army remains incapable of launching a sustained military campaign against the Syrian military. The hit-and-run attacks on symbolic targets such as Air Force intelligence facilities (Assad Senior was commander of Air Force Intelligence) show that these insurgents are conducting these raids in a bid to create the impression that the government is losing control of its territory.
Syria protests not enough
Yet in reality these insurgents not only lack the necessary heavy weaponry to compete with Assad's powerful military, but they also lack sufficient supply lines to conduct a prolonged campaign. Many of these insurgents are forced to make do with the arms they took when they defected from their units, while others buy small arms from smugglers in neighboring countries or raid existing military stockpiles.
Even with the rapidly increasing defection rates, the soldiers who are deserting their post are mostly Sunni conscripts with limited training and strategic know-how. The Allawite-dominated Syrian Air Force, Special Forces, and command echelon are unlikely to follow suit, as they understand their fight is currently the best way to preserve their sect’s domination of the country.
The Syrian opposition is therefore in need of international intervention in the form of advanced arms, training, and ultimately, a military strike to eliminate Assad's military advantage - his airpower. Given the potential regional consequences of such strike, the Syrian opposition is left with little choice but to use global public opinion to create a dire situation that would lead to Assad's complete isolation.
They must therefore draw the Syrian military into a situation where it is forced to use its airpower, causing mass casualties that would leave world leaders with no choice but to consider military intervention.
After nearly 10 months of brutal crackdown, it remains clear that peaceful protest in Syria will not remove the remaining economic and military pillars still bolstering the Assad regime. Both the opposition leadership in exile and within Syria must commit to taking drastic steps that will likely bring about greater suffering in order to pressure the world to take action to remove these pillars.
The first step is an agreement between armed opposition elements on the ground and the opposition in exile to create a united front that would provide the world with a viable alternative to replace the Assad regime. It will then be up to the West, Turkey and other willing nations to provide the opposition with the arms and support it requires to draw the Syrian military into a far more brutal conflict. Only such brutality will leave the world with no other choice but to bring down Assad by any means possible.
**The writer is an Argov Fellow for Leadership and Diplomacy at the IDC Herzliya. He works for Max-Security Solutions, a security consulting firm based in Tel Aviv