LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
ِAugust 25/2011

Bible Quotation for today.
The Good News According to Matthew 5/13-16: "You are the salt of the earth, but if the salt has lost its flavor, with what will it be salted? It is then good for nothing, but to be cast out and trodden under the feet of men. 5:14 You are the light of the world. A city located on a hill can’t be hidden. 5:15 Neither do you light a lamp, and put it under a measuring basket, but on a stand; and it shines to all who are in the house. 5:16 Even so, let your light shine before men; that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven".

Latest analysis, editorials, studies, reports, letters & Releases from miscellaneous sources
Libya without the Colonel/By: Elias Harfoush/August 24/11
Assad's End/By LEE SMITH/ August 24/11
Soldiering on/Talking to a defected Syrian army officer/By: Nadine Elali/August 24/11

Latest News Reports From Miscellaneous Sources for August 24/11
Western Powers Target Assad with U.N. Sanctions
Syrian economy hit by demonstrations but not collapsed, experts say
Arab states join more than 30 countries in recognizing Libya's rebels
Gadhafi’s pomp trampled on
Gadhafi Gives Rebels the Slip, Goes Walkabout
Rebel spokesman to Haaretz: Libya needs help, including Israel
Rebels seize Gadhafi compound; UN envoy says Libya to be liberated in 72 hours
Zvi Bar'el / Egypt careful not to blame Sinai Bedouin for Israel terror attacks
Report: Three Egyptians took part in terrorist attacks on southern Israel
Analysis: Abbas’ call for arms-free camps unlikely to yield tangible results
Syrian Dissidents Form 'National Council' as Evening Demos Staged
Syria opposition tries to unite, divisions remain
Mirza Will Submit to STL Three Relevant Files to Hariri Murder
Hezbollah says STL indictment was drafted by the U.S. and Israel
Bellemare hails inclusion of 3 similar cases into STL’s jurisdiction
Lebanon safer than Dubai on loaded lenders
Abdullah Meets Hariri for 1st Time Since Cabinet Collapse
March 14 MP Marwan Hamadeh : Government’s grace period is over
Mustaqbal Says Hizbullah 'Put Itself in Accusation Circle by Protecting Suspects'
Bassil, Abou Faour Bicker on Technical Team, Authorities of Energy Minister
FPM to boycott Lebanese Cabinet sessions unless electricity plan endorsed
Jumblat Rejects Any Blackmail ‘Even if it Destabilizes the Alliance’
Jumblatt hits back at Aoun, says won’t succumb to blackmail
Cabinet fails once more to endorse Aoun's electricity bill
Lebanon's Arabic press digest - Aug. 24, 2011 August 24, 2011/The Daily Star
Medvedev Hosts N. Korean Leader for Rare Talks

Bellemare hails inclusion of 3 similar cases into STL’s jurisdiction
August 24, 2011/By Patrick Galey The Daily Star
BEIRUT: The prosecutor in the U.N.-backed court investigating the 2005 assassination of ex-Prime Minister Rafik Hariri hailed Tuesday the inclusion of three similar cases into his jurisdiction as “a new chapter” in the life of the international tribunal. Special Tribunal for Lebanon Prosecutor Daniel Bellemare confirmed that the attacks on slain Communist Party Leader Georges Hawi, former Deputy Prime Minister Elias Murr and former Telecommunications Minister Marwan Hamadeh would now be investigated by his office. “The pre-trial judge’s decisions mark a new chapter in the Office of the Prosecutor’s work,” a statement from Bellemare’s office said. “As a result of the deferral decisions, the prosecutor’s office will have exclusive jurisdiction to investigate and prosecute these cases.” Bellemare himself, in a rare public statement, also addressed the relatives of victims from the Feb. 14, 2005, car bomb attack that killed the statesman and 22 others, as well as injuring more than 200. “My thoughts are with each and every victim and their families who have been affected by the violent acts of terrorism that have plagued Lebanon,” Bellemare said. “You have shown patience and dignity in the face of so much pain and suffering. My team and I will continue to work tirelessly in the pursuit of justice.” Last week STL Pre-Trial Judge Daniel Fransen ruled that Bellemare had gathered sufficient prima facie evidence to request from Lebanese authorities the case files of the three attacks. The STL’s mandate states it is allowed to investigate crimes that are possibly related to Hariri’s killing from Oct. 1, 2004 to Dec. 12, 2005, although it may request permission from the U.N. Security Council to expand jurisdiction to similar crimes after those dates. Bellemare in June issued his first indictment in the Hariri case. A spokesperson for his office said that the opening of three new cases did not mean that the investigation into the Feb. 14 bombing had stopped. “The prosecutor’s preparations for trial are ongoing, and they will not be adversely impacted by concurrent investigations into connected cases,” the spokesperson told The Daily Star.The spokesperson added that Bellemare would file additional indictments in these cases “if the evidence supports the filing of indictments.” “Please also note that if another indictment in a connected case or cases is filed and confirmed, the rules authorize the prosecutor to request joinder with the Hariri file if warranted by the facts and if it’s in the interests of justice,” the spokesperson added. Hawi was killed in a car bomb attack on June 21, 2005. Murr and Hamadeh both survived attempts on their lives. The two survivors and Hawi’s family were visited earlier this month by court investigators and informed that their cases could be investigated by The Hague based tribunal. Bellemare named four individuals he believed were responsible for the attack on Hariri, all of whom are members of Hezbollah. The party has denied any involvement in the crime and has called the STL an “Israeli project.”

Hezbollah says indictment was drafted by the U.S. and Israel
August 24, 2011/By Van Meguerditchian The Daily Star
BEIRUT: Hezbollah accused Israel and the U.S. of drafting the Special Tribunal for Lebanon’s indictment against four of its members Tuesday, saying that Hezbollah alone would decide how it deals with the tribunal. Speaking at a news conference at Parliament, Hezbollah MP Mohammad Raad said the indictment’s aim was to blackmail Hezbollah, forcing it to concede to American and Israeli interests. “The indictment spoke in the same language as Israel [does] toward the resistance, which proves that Americans and Israelis are partners in drafting the text,” said Raad.Last month, the STL issued an indictment against four Hezbollah members. They are accused of involvement in the killing of ex-Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.Hezbollah denied the charges against its members and has said it will not cooperate with the U.N. backed court. That indictment “is being used as a political agenda to topple the resistance,” Raad said, and is designed to force Hezbollah into one of two options. “Either it distorts [our] image … striking at the country’s peace and stability, or it forces the country to succumb to the U.S.-Israeli hegemony,” he said.
“Hezbollah won’t give in to blackmail and won’t succumb to its enemies’ will,” Raad vowed, adding that the group “alone will decide how it confronts the STL.”
Raad accused STL Prosecutor Daniel Bellemare of being an American and Israeli tool during the investigation into the Hariri assassination.
“Bellemare’s indictment seemed clearly [designed] to target Hezbollah,” he said. Raad also said that the “unjust” indictment was aimed at stirring up sectarian strife and working against coexistence. “True justice protects national stability and the STL is not the right path toward justice,” he said.
Raad said data previously presented by Hezbollah, demonstrating Israeli manipulation of Lebanese telecommunications information, should be “enough [proof] for Bellemare to open an investigation into the enemy and find real evidence that would implicate Israel in the assassination.” In a question-and-answer session following the conference, Raad said a recent TIME magazine interview, purportedly with one of the four Hezbollah men accused by the STL, was “yet another case of false witnesses,” and had, like the other false witnesses, “harmed the path of justice.”During a preliminary probe into the Hariri assassination, several witnesses testified to Lebanese and international investigators. Following the Parliamentary elections of 2009, the March 8 coalition, backed by Hezbollah, said the accounts of the “false-witnesses” led to the arrest of four generals despite their innocence.
Besides its judicial and security commitments to the STL, the Lebanese government is also tasked with paying a share of the tribunal’s finances. When asked whether the March 8 Cabinet would meet its financial commitments, Raad told reporters that it is up to the government as a whole to decide on the matter.
“Since the government has not yet addressed this issue, we will not comment on it [further],” said Raad.
Retired judge and legal expert Salim Jreissati presented a 20-page legal study in a section of the news conference entitled “The Published Indictment: A Legal Study.” The study pointed out what Jreissati called “various loopholes” in the STL’s indictment. “[After] six years of investigation, the investigation should have reached conclusions and direct evidence that are credible and not just interpretations of telephone calls that lack credible evidence,” he told reporters.
Jreissati questioned Bellemare on his decision not to question the four Hezbollah members accused of plotting Hariri’s assassination.
“Why didn’t Bellemare question the four accused after becoming suspicious of them, even though the court summoned other Hezbollah members … as witnesses pointed out by the international investigative committee?” asked Jreissati.
Jreissati also questioned the intention of the STL’s description of the crime as terrorism. “Where did Bellemare come by the ‘terrorism’ description when he knows very well that there is no one global definition of terrorism or a [unified] punishment for it?” Jreissati continued.
“In addition to this, who classified Hezbollah or its military wing as a terrorist organization? Or confirmed its involvement in terrorist acts?” Jreissati said Bellemare adopted this classification of Hezbollah from the U.S., where the party is designated a terrorist organization.
In the current indictment, the STL accused Mustafa Badreddine, Salim Ayyash, Hussein Oneissi and Assad Sabra of “conspiracy aimed at committing a terrorist act.”
The indictment is not the first time the STL has used the term “terrorism.” The statute of U.N. Security Council Resolution 1757, which established the STL, calls the Feb. 14 assassination of Hariri and more than 20 others a “terrorist crime.”
When asked whether the killing of more than 20 people is a considered a terrorist act, Jreissati told The Daily Star that the crime was neither genocide nor a crime against humanity, but an “individual act.”
The conference sparked reactions from Lebanon’s March 14 opposition, with Future Movement MP Mohammad Hajjar saying that the STL would continue its work despite attempts to undermine its credibility, adding that Hezbollah should stop defending the four men accused by the STL.
“The desperate attempts made by Hezbollah in defense of the four accused men raise more suspicion and questions about the intent of the party’s campaign against STL,” the Future bloc lawmaker said Tuesday. – With additional reporting by Rima S. Aboulmona

Aoun repeats withdrawal threat as Cabinet fails to agree on electricity bill
August 23, 2011 The Daily Star /BEIRUT: Free Patriotic Movement MP Michel Aoun reiterated Tuesday an earlier warning that he would withdraw his ministers from Cabinet if an electricity plan he proposed was not endorsed by the government. “We hope that the electricity proposal is adopted, otherwise what we previously said about our resignation from government still stands and there is no need for us to repeat this. All those concerned have been informed,” Aoun said during his weekly news conference in Rabieh, Metn, north of Beirut. The Cabinet failed to reach an agreement over the draft law during its session at Beiteddine, the president’s summer residence, Tuesday. The session was adjourned and the Cabinet will meet again at 9 a.m Wednesday, prior to a session in Parliament. Members of the opposition have said the plan would give Energy Minister Jibran Bassil, a member of Aoun FPM, access to $1.2 billion without any form of oversight. Prime Minister Najib Mikati has reportedly insisted that the project fall under the authority of the government for greater transparency and that a regulatory body to supervise the electricity sector be established. Earlier Tuesday, sources close to Aoun said Mikati would likely back down from his demands after Aoun’s threats to withdraw his ministers from the government. The electricity bill was among several items of the Cabinet’s agenda earlier Tuesday, after ministers failed to reach a tentative agreement Monday over the proposals. The formation of a regulatory body to supervise the electricity sector was the focus of the ministerial discussions Monday, Social Affairs Minister Wael Abu Faour, a member of Progressive Socialist Party, said.

Sources: Aoun threatens to quit over electricity plan, Mikati to cave in
 August 23, 2011/The Daily Star /BEIRUT: Prime Minister Najib Mikati is expected to back down in the row over the electricity plan proposed by Energy Minister Jibran Bassil after Free Patriotic Movement head MP Michel Aoun threatened his ministers would quit from Cabinet, sources close to Aoun told The Daily Star Tuesday. The government will follow up on discussions later Tuesday at Beiteddine, the president's summer residence, over a controversial comprehensive plan to develop Lebanon’s electricity sector, after ministers failed to reach a tentative agreement Monday over the allocation of $1.2 billion to the Energy Ministry. Aoun, who has the largest share of Cabinet seats in the 30-member government, has threatened to pull out his ministers if his proposed energy bill is not approved. The proposed electricity bill failed to pass a vote earlier this month in Parliament, with members of the opposition saying the plan would give Bassil access to $1.2 billion without any form of oversight.

Assad's End
Aug 29, 2011, Vol. 16, No. 46 •
By LEE SMITH
THe Weekly Standard
Congratulations to President Obama for finally calling on Syrian president Bashar al-Assad to step down. It was past time for the White House to break decisively with a regime that has been slaughtering its people for almost six months, with a death toll conservatively estimated at 2,000 and climbing. But we applaud the president’s statement as well as the administration’s capable diplomacy that brought the major Anglo-European democracies on board.
It is worth noting, however, that Assad’s fall is not only good for the future of Syria. It is also very much in the interests of the United States. This is a fact that the president, if one is to judge from his statement, seems not to have fully grasped. Syria identified itself as an American adversary long ago. Yet the Obama administration, like others before it, was predisposed to ignore Syrian malfeasance—including its support for terror and its collaboration in killing U.S. troops in Iraq—in the hopes that it could persuade the Assad regime to change its spots.
In many ways, Assad was central to Obama’s vision of the presidency even before he took office. To show how different he was from George W. Bush, then-senator Obama promised on the campaign trail to engage the rogue dictators that the sitting president had isolated. Assad seemed to be the low-hanging fruit, a much more appealing candidate for engagement than Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and supreme leader Ali Khamenei, since Washington had enjoyed cordial, if not warm, relations with Assad and his father before Bush “alienated” the regime.
Obama believed, as some of his advisers and staffers had long argued, that there was a deal to be had with Damascus. By wedging Syria away from Iran, the administration would weaken Tehran and make it more susceptible to a combination of American pressure and engagement. Moreover, by bringing Syria back to the negotiating table with Israel and reinvigorating the peace process, Obama would establish his bona fides with the Arab masses, for whom he imagined the Arab-Israeli conflict was the central issue in their lives.
The Arab Spring put paid to those plans, however. What most concerned Arab citizens were local matters—not Jerusalem but their own cities, villages, homes, and workplaces, where their regimes ran roughshod over their liberties. The president acknowledged this reality by calling for Hosni Mubarak’s resignation and joining the NATO action against Muammar Qaddafi. But when it came to Syria, Obama balked, even as the opposition braved their chances for five months against snipers, tanks, artillery, and the Syrian Navy.
The administration justified its relative silence by letting on that it did not know who might follow Assad. Moreover, it claimed that Saudi Arabia and Israel had warned Washington to act cautiously. In fact, the issue was that the White House could not see past its own idée fixe. Yes, Assad was bad for the Syrian people, the White House acknowledged. But his survival might yet advance American interests.
Calling on Assad to leave, then, required a shift in administration thinking that is not yet complete. Certain passages in the president’s statement suggest that its author is still agonizing over the decision. “The United States,” said President Obama, “cannot and will not impose this transition upon Syria. It is up to the Syrian people to choose their own leaders, and we have heard their strong desire that there not be foreign intervention in their movement.”
The White House does not need to broadcast that American military power is limited at present. There are no longer more than 100,000 U.S. combat troops across the Syrian border in Iraq to present the sort of credible threat to the Assad regime that forced him to withdraw his troops from Lebanon in April 2005. No one understands more clearly than Assad that, with commitments in Libya, Iraq, and Afghanistan, the Obama administration is unlikely to deploy American soldiers to stop Syrian security forces from killing Syrian civilians. Still, if you advertise that you cannot and will not use force, you are stripping yourself of a tool that is especially useful when dealing with a state that sponsors terrorism to advance its policy goals.
After all, it was former Syrian defense minister Mustafa Tlass who is alleged to have said, “When we negotiate we put our gun on the table.” By declaring that it has left its gun at home, the White House has weakened its hand immeasurably. Obama has adopted a Syria policy with ambitious goals while abjuring means that didn’t have to be taken off the table explicitly—and that might still, in a limited way, be useful.

Jumblat Rejects Any Blackmail ‘Even if it Destabilizes the Alliance’
Naharnet /Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblat said on Wednesday that his ministers are expecting further explanations to elude any doubts they have on the electricity draft law.
The draft law proposed by MP Michel Aoun and backed by his son-in-law Energy Minister Jebran Bassil calls for earmarking $1.2 billion to the minister to build plants that would produce 700 Megawatts of electricity. “It’s unacceptable to specify $1.2 billion to fund the first part of the electricity plan without an explicit mechanism,” Jumblat told As Safir newspaper.
He said that there are two options for the PSP ministers, either the cabinet agrees through consensus on the electricity draft law and on a clear plan to be adopted, or they hold onto their reservations. Jumblat considered the Energy Minister didn’t present the necessary and convincing explanations on a lot of the administrative and technical questions regarding his proposal.
“We will not be threatened and blackmailed,” he stressed in an indirect response to Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun who has warned that he will withdraw his ministers if the cabinet didn’t adopt the electricity draft law. “We don’t care if we (PSP bloc) present minorities in the cabinet, and I don’t care if my stance will destabilize the existing political alliance,” Jumblat said. The cabinet held a meeting on Wednesday at the Baabda palace to discuss the electricity plan after it was postponed during Tuesday's session.

Libya without the Colonel
Elias Harfoush/Al Hayat
For over four decades, Libya had belonged to Gaddafi and Gaddafi had belonged to Libya. Today, we are “discovering” that Libya may survive without Gaddafi as its leader. The sun is rising and setting, and the earth is still revolving, and the Libyan people will not become orphans, despite the absence of Gaddafi.
The Colonel was so attached to his country and people that he could not imagine leaving Libya in other hands that can run its affairs the way he and his entourage did! This is why, ever since the launching of the revolution, Gaddafi was surprised by the Libyans who took to the street to call for his departure. How could he not be surprised when he has forgotten that there are people in Libya? All that there is, according to him, are rats and traitors and agents that cannot be trusted to take over the country’s affairs as the country has become similar to a farm for him.
If there is a meaning for the fall of Muammar Gaddafi and for the possible fall of similar rulers in our region, then it is that the countries remain while the rulers go away. Libya will remain after Muammar the same way that Egypt remained after Hosni Mubarak and Tunisia after Ben Ali; and the same way that any other country in the region will remain, including those countries where the name of the president has become a synonym for the country after being in power for a long time. The fall of these rulers was accompanied by the fall of the equation according to which a colored book written by the ruler was turned into part of the country’s Constitution; the ruler’s party had turned into the inspiring leader; and the rules governing the life of his children had become the rules that he used to govern the members of the people, “his people.”
Libya is still present on the world map despite Gaddafi’s absence. The Libyan people are capable of eating, drinking, breathing, and going through their daily lives without any guidance from the Green Book. These people have proven that they are ready to sacrifice their most valuable belongings, i.e. their lives, in order to gain their freedom. The long tyrannical decades of the Colonel’s rule almost caused us to forget that the Libyan people are capable of standing on their feet and offering these sacrifices.
This talk does not apply to the Libyan population alone, although the reason for this talk is the occasion of this population’s victory. This talk applies to all the rebelling populations in the Arab streets. These populations could do nothing but regain the rule of their countries in order to let the ruler know that they have reached an adult age and that they are capable of deciding their own fate, without any concern in case he [i.e. the ruler] along with his family decide to pack and leave. This is because an Arab country, like all the countries on earth, belongs to the people, rather than being a part of the ruler’s heritage.
A ruler obtains his legitimacy through the decision and confidence of his free people. This “legitimacy” cannot be imposed on the people through killings, security apparatuses, and the weapons of fear. It is true and unacceptable that the ruler is “produced” externally. It is also true and required that this ruler should become a “domestic product”. In other words, he must rule through his people’s free choice rather than through the terrorization and fabrication methods that extended the life of regimes until they reached their fateful ends.
This is regarding the ruler. As for the people, who are accused of “receiving their orders from abroad,” what helps them face this “accusation” is that it is the only remaining option left for them between the repression of internal rulers and the acceptance of external help, which might help them regain their rights to their country’s ownership.

The Embassy… in the Building”
Mohammad Salah/Al Hayat
Very innocent, pure and chaste are the feelings of pride that erupted among Egyptians when a young man was able to climb the tall building, the last floor of which is occupied by the Israeli embassy, bringing down the flag of the Hebrew state and raising the Egyptian flag in its stead. For more than quarter of a century, walking alongside the building or near it remained an endeavor rife with danger (the embassy was located in Iran Street in the Dokki district, before it moved to a building overlooking the Nile in Giza). And if one were to raise their head to look at the Israeli flag, they would perhaps be exposed to questioning, or they might find themselves lowering their gaze in shame or to avoid seeing something they would not like. The young man Ahmed Shehata, who is one from among the thousands of young people protesting in the “rise of Egypt square” near the building, climbed 18 stories, pursued by yells of support and cries of joy, while the army’s armored vehicles and the soldiers of the Military Police watched the scene, and perhaps approved of it. And after completing his task, having brought down the Israeli flag and raised that of his country, he climbed atop an armored vehicle to receive congratulations.
Before that, young people were trying to burn the flag by firing flares and fireworks that can cross distances, but they failed, after earning the honor of having tried. It was thus inevitable for one of them to fly up without a plane and remove the flag to raise another. Indeed, Israel takes pride in its unmanned planes, while Egyptians rejoiced in the man who flew without a plane. Certainly the embassy will raise another Israeli flag, but this means that the hatred will increase. Indeed, Shehata and the thousands of people who protested in front of the building are not just those who saw the scene or participated in it, or were part of it, but the majority of Egyptians, who encouraged it and took pride in it.
Egyptians excelled at drawing comparisons and returning to their memories. They compared bringing down the Israeli flag from the top of the building in Giza, and bringing it down at the Bar Lev line in the war of October 1973, and mixed between how Shehata climbed the building from the front and how Egyptian soldiers climbed the Bar Lev line on the coast of the Suez Canal to remove a flag and raise another.
Far from the kind of excess or political adolescence that overlooks international laws or the balance of power and the rules that govern relations between states, the most important of what was revealed by the events of the past few days in Giza or at Egypt’s Eastern border is that the peace treaty between Egypt and the Hebrew state was very unfair to Egypt, and that the Camp David framework on the basis of which the treaty was ratified gave Israel every guarantee while overlooking most of the rights of Egyptians. Yes, one might hear in the streets those demanding war, shutting down the embassy, expelling the ambassador or increasing the number of troops in the Sinai, and these are all calls that find their source in feelings that had remained repressed and that exploded with the Revolution or as a result of it. Yet wishes alone do not sustain nations. Indeed, the Sinai, which has been neglected for over three decades, needs Egyptians to rebuild, reconsider and form views that exceed the statements of officials in the press and their displays in front of cameras and projectors on satellite television. Israel will not be pleased with the development of the Sinai or with gathering millions of Egyptians to work and live there. Indeed, the peninsula is for the Hebrew state the scene of a potential future war, and a stage for displaying its capabilities and military might to the world if a clash were to take place with Egypt under the restrictions imposed by the peace treaty on Egyptian military presence there.
Rising tension at the border certainly works in favor of Israel, and when attacks by unknown individuals took place against police stations and security centers in the Sinai, it was noted that the attacks occurred on the same day in which Islamists made a strong appearance on Tahrir Square on the “Friday of Unity”. Does the matter not call for wondering and asking questions? Would it not be possible for Israeli intelligence services to infiltrate local Egyptian groups and organizations, drive them to disturb the peace and smear the Islamists, or frighten the world from the “peaceful” scene in Tahrir and the military scene in the Sinai? Does Israel not seek to restore the situation at the Rafah crossing to what it had been before the Revolution, so that it may always be closed to Palestinians from both sides? Egypt after the Revolution needs to rebuild what was “swept away” by a regime which for 30 years continued to deal with the Sinai only as a resort or as a potential “refuge”. And until Egypt restores its influence, “the embassy in the building” will remain. But other young men will appear who will fly… without planes.

Soldiering on
Talking to a defected Syrian army officer
Nadine Elali, August 24, 2011
Since the beginning of the uprising against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s regime in mid-March, officers have been defecting from the army and are either fleeing the country or joining the opposition.
NOW Lebanon talks to a high-ranking Syrian army officer about how and why he defected, and about his role in the Syrian Free Army. To protect himself and his family, the officer chose to remain anonymous.
Why did you defect, and what do you plan to do next?
Officer: I remained in my position in the beginning of the uprising to support it from the inside; I would organize, prepare and do what I could to see that the demonstrations succeed. When I felt that my cover was going to be blown, I left, but remained in contact with others like myself inside the army. Today I’m part of the Syrian Free Army and am coordinating with the different brigades.
Some of us announce defecting, like you see on television, and some don’t to be able to play a better role in the success of the revolution. So technically, the number of those defecting is far greater than what has been announced.
What happened to soldiers who defected and were caught?
Officer: Death. Death is the fate of those defecting or those who refuse to obey orders to shoot at protesters. Most of the executions are happening at military prisons in Tedmor and Saadnaya, where officers are being shot every Monday. Also, some who refuse to shoot at protesters are shot on the spot during the demonstrations. The aim is to set an example for others and to make it look like demonstrators are armed.
Who is the party cracking down on the protesters?
Officer: It’s a combination of army officers, police officers, security officers and the shabiha. Out of the army, the Fourth Brigade, which is one of the biggest brigades, is taking the most part. This brigade is loyal to Maher al-Assad, President Bashar’s brother.
The security forces come from the different security branches under the Ministry of Defense, but mainly the officers are from the Military Security Branch and the Air Force Intelligence, what people refer to as the jawiyah.
The shabiha take a big part in the crackdown because they are vicious. They are mafia and they are smugglers who trade in drugs, cigarettes, weapons, people, body parts. Most were initially wanted by the state or were in prison, but they were released to fight against the demonstrators.
How are troops divided?
Officer: The troops are divided into fronts. The main front, which is in direct confrontation with protesters, is made up of army officers, and most are from Eastern Syria, because they are quite simple people and are easy to convince, so when you tell them to shoot, they obey. Otherwise they are from the Fourth Brigade.
The second front is usually comprised of some higher-ranking army officers, the security officers and the shabiha. The third front is the snipers on the roofs.
Who is in charge?
Officer: The orders to shoot come from the heads of branches, whether the army, intelligence or security. The head of each branch cannot execute any order without the consent of the Minister of Defense and the commander-in-chief of the army, which is the president himself. A statement is sent to his office stating the situation on the ground and requesting the order, and the reply has always been extermination. Of course, the letter which is sent to him would describe the situation as being that demonstrators are armed to legitimize his order.
Is it true that there are Iranian forces and Hezbollah members assisting regime forces in the crackdown?
Officer: Yes it is true. Hezbollah members are mainly used in the streets; they are well acquainted with battle techniques, while the Syrians are not. Many Syrian officers were left free to grow beards so that the Hezbollah members don’t stand out, but they still do; they are built differently.
At the beginning Iranians were mainly used as snipers, but later on they were taken down to the streets and Syrians took their places on the rooftops.
It was always hard for the Iranians to tell who to shoot at; sometimes there are instigators among the demonstrators planted there by the regime to create strife, and the Iranians don’t know who to shoot.
In places where confrontation is expected, and there’s a risk of them being injured, the Iranians are used to detain protesters and torture them in prisons because if they get hurt, they could be captured by the opposition and shown on TV.
We see many leaked videos of army officers beating up protesters. Who leaks these videos and why?
Officer: These videos are bought and sold. At the beginning demonstrators would film their videos and disseminate them to encourage people to protest and to sway world opinion.
The forces loyal to the regime began filming only to discourage and frighten the demonstrators, but this backfired because media supporting the uprising used the videos to show the cruelty of the regime against its own people.
Later though, those without a cause started selling them, and the videos would vary in price depending on the harshness.
The video in Banias, when soldiers had the demonstrators lying on the floor and they were jumping on them, this was leaked in a different manner. The soldiers were filming for fun, but the film fell in the hands of revolutionaries and was disseminated.
What is the size of the army as compared to the security forces, and where is defection happening most?
Officer: The number of officers in the army is around 250,000, but this can increase if they call upon the reserves. Approximately one third of the army is in the streets now, and the rest are confined to barracks. However, what is important in Syria is the security forces and their size. The size of the security forces is the same as that of the army.
The defections are happening in the army, rarely in the security branches.
What happened to the 61st Army Brigade in Daraa after it defected? Is it true that everyone was killed?
Officer: The head of the 5th squad, which the 61st Brigade is part of, was General Rifaii, who was ordered to crack down on the demonstrations and refused, and he had the support of the officers with him. President Assad himself negotiated with him, but he stuck to his position, saying that he refused to shoot at unarmed men.
They planted a trap for him. An order was then given to him to spread his troops in Daraa but not to shoot at protesters, as he wished, but then his forces were attacked by forces from the Fourth Brigade and they massacred them.
The opposition has started the Syrian Free Army. What is its role in the uprising?
Officer: The Syrian Free Army is independent from the leadership of the revolution, but they maneuver secretly in synchronization with local coordination committees.
The SFA has a strong presence in Idlib headed by Riad al-Asaad, who is one of the highest-ranking officers in Idlib.
The SFA is expanding. Those who are defecting are either staying in their cities like Homs or Daraa, or some leave to Damascus and other areas.
The army has become organized; there are security committees, interrogating committees, surveillance and so forth, and there are up to 6,000 troops.
Their aim is to protect the demonstrators and request that they refrain from arming themselves. The SFA will protect the protesters whenever they are attacked. So, when you hear of armed battles, at most times it is the Syrian Free Army fighting against the regime; it is not a clash between armed protesters and the regime’s forces.
Is the SFA presenting itself as an alternative to the Syrian national army or even the regime?
Officer: When the regime falls, the national Syrian army at large will align itself with the Syrian Free Army and will fall under its leadership. The high-ranking officers that fought alongside the regime will be tried and executed. Here I’d like to emphasize that the Syrian Free Army is not posing itself as an alternative to the regime or a party for the Western world to negotiate with. Its aim is to see the success of the revolution and to protect those taking part in it with complete faith in what they will accomplish after the regime’s fall.
*This interview has been condensed and edited

March 14 MP Marwan Hamadeh : Government’s grace period is over
August 24, 2011 /March 14 MP Marwan Hamadeh said on Wednesday following the adjournment of today’s parliamentary session that “the government’s grace period is over.”
None of the commitments that were mentioned in the ministerial statement on the internal and external levels were implemented, he said according to a statement issued by his office, adding there is no “transparency or reform.”Hamadeh also said that “the ‘Hezbollah - Change and Reform’ alliance has agreed on protecting two statelets: the statelet of weapons and field domination as well as the statelet of money and verbal bullying.”The MP added that “the government has registered a record of failure in a very short time.”
The parliament’s Wednesday session was postponed after the quorum was not reached, the National News Agency (NNA) reported.“Speaker Nabih Berri tasked the parliament’s Secretary General Adnan Daher to postpone the session because only 52 [out of 128] MPs were present.-NOW Lebanon

Lebanon's Arabic press digest - Aug. 24, 2011
The Daily Star
Following are summaries of some of the main stories in a selection of Lebanese newspapers Wednesday. The Daily Star cannot vouch for the accuracy of these reports.
Ad-Diyar: Arab diplomatic source: Security, political incidents in Lebanon
Bassil won’t get $1.2 billion as Aoun on edge of resignations
A high-ranking Arab source familiar with the Lebanon situation told Ad-Diyar that the coming few weeks would witness both political and security incidents, starting off from the unrest in Syria and the indictment to persistent disputes among the Lebanese parties.
“We are following up on events [in Lebanon] and we expect political and security incidents to take place in the coming few weeks,” the source said. However, he ruled out assassinations of Lebanese figures but hinted that internal and external intelligence might get involved in bombing attacks in Lebanon.
The Arab source said external powers would play a prominent role, with NATO likely to plan [attacks] against Iran and Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Regarding the electricity issue, which sparked a wide-ranging controversy and came close to undermining the government structure and collapse the majority as a result of the Cabinet failure to endorse a power plan, contacts continued well into the night Tuesday in an effort to reach a unanimous agreement ahead of Wednesday’s Cabinet meeting.
The electricity bill remained a thorny debate during a Cabinet meeting in Beiteddine [Chouf mountains] Tuesday as some questions went unanswered and ministers agreed to postpone them for a meeting to be held Wednesday morning, noting that Energy Minister Jibran Bassil was unlikely to get $1.2 billion allocated to him for the power plan, according to sources.
But insiders said that Bassil was facing strong opposition in terms of money spending. This will be a point of contention among the allies within the government.
As-Safir: Jumblatt: I reject blackmail even if alliance is shaken
Electricity bill faces a last chance
Government postponed endorsement of an electricity bill for a meeting to be held at 9 a.m. Wednesday at Baabda Palace, only 90 minutes ahead of a parliamentary session after Cabinet failed to approve the power plan Tuesday amid differences among ministers, which signals the emergence of a growing “confidence crisis” within the ruling coalition.
Wednesday’s meeting is significant as it would be a kind of a “last chance” – not only to salvage the proposed [electricity] plan, but also to shield the government against the impact which may result from failure to approve the bill amid Gen. Michel Aoun’s adherence to the equation “electricity in exchange for the government.” MP Walid Jumblatt, however, told As-Safir that he rejects the mere fact of a “last-chance used as a means of pressure.”
Contacts intensified in the past few hours between government officials in an effort to create conditions for success during Wednesday’s Cabinet meeting which faces the challenge of reconciling the logic that calls for the involvement of specialists from outside the Energy Ministry to oversee and manage the electricity plan – as suggested by ministers from Jumblatt’s National Struggle Front – and the logic supported by ministers from [Aoun’s] Change and Reform bloc that says the minister is in charge and must not share his powers.
Pending outcome of the Cabinet meeting Wednesday morning, Jumblatt told As-Safir that his Cabinet ministers face two options: either their views on the electricity bill be taken into account and an agreement will be reached based on a clear outlook or they would stick to their reservations.
“It is unacceptable to allocate $1.2 billion of funds as part of a first allocation of a plan without a certain mechanism to ensure its fate,” Jumblatt said.
While he believed Bassil did not provide the necessary and convincing explanations to a lot of administrative and technical questions, Jumblatt indirectly responded to Gen. Michel Aoun, who stressed on sticking to his stance, saying: “We won’t succumb to the logic of blackmail practiced on us on the basis that either we go wherever they want or face woes.”
“We don’t care even if we as Struggle Front are a minority, and I don’t care if this stance will shake up the existing political alliance,” Jumbaltt added.
Bassil, for his part, told As-Safir there are no justifications for not adopting the electricity bill, adding that he had answered all questions “and therefore everything became clear.”
He was surprised that Jumblatt ministers had proposed setting up a technical team to follow up on implementation of the electricity plan, stressing that in line with the Constitution the minister is “head of his administration. However, we are willing to discuss the issue if the same thing will be applied on the other ministries.”
An-Nahar: Electricity bill faces growing dispute
First meeting between Hariri and [Saudi] King Abdullah since the crisis
The government failed to approve the electricity bill during a lengthy meeting in Beiteddine Tuesday, prompting Cabinet to schedule another session at 9 a.m. Wednesday at Baabda Palace ahead of a Parliament session scheduled for later in the day.
Meanwhile, a significant political development took place when Saudi King Abdullah met former Prime Minister Saad Hariri in Mecca. Hariri’s media office said Hariri had an iftar dinner with King Abdullah in the presence of a number of senior Saudi officials.
An-Nahar has learned that the meeting was the first between King Abdullah and Hariri since the political crisis broke out in Lebanon in January and led to the resignation of Hariri’s government. The meeting also came after the collapse of efforts by what was known as the “S-S” [as Saudi Arabia and Syria intervened to try to find a solution for the Lebanese crisis at the time.]
The source pointed out that King Abdullah’s choice to meet Hariri as a first Lebanese figure after a long time following the crisis has many implications and consequences.
Cabinet discussed the electricity plan at length Tuesday but the dispute over spending the bill remains.

Syrian economy hit by demonstrations but not collapsed, experts say
August 24, 2011
The Syrian economy, hit hard by five months of anti-government protests, could survive unrest and sanctions into next year but experts and officials warn of a sharp deterioration afterward.
The protests, which have rocked much of the country since mid-March, have dramatically slowed economic activity, with analysts predicting negative economic growth in 2011 as a result of a decline in tourism and investment.
"During the first three months of the revolt, everything stopped because consumers were stunned," said Abdul Ghani Attar, vice-president of Attar Group, a Syrian conglomerate with investments in hotels, finance, pharmaceuticals and office equipment.
"Since June, economic activity has resumed, but is down about 40 percent from a year ago."
The 32-year-old continued: "For the moment, the private sector, which represents 70 percent of GDP, has survived, but if the situation does not improve next year, the economy will really suffer. There is a risk of layoffs."
Even now, Syria's economic indicators paint a grim picture.
The Washington-based International Institute of Finance predicts the country's economy will contract by three percent, and tourism, which accounts for 12 percent of GDP and 11 percent of employment, is sharply down.
The overall number of investment projects, meanwhile, are down 47.84 percent in the first half of 2011 compared to the same period of 2010, according to official figures.
To make matters worse, the population are now only buying the bare necessities because of a fear of the unknown, according to Naji Shawi, who heads the Shawi Group.
The turnover of the Shawi Group, which is involved in food, pharmaceuticals, cleaning products and finance, is down between five and 10 percent compared to last year, he said.
"Until now, the business sector is surviving, but if this crisis continues for more than six months, there will be problems," he said.
Syria's main stock market has plunged 40 percent since mid-March and consumption is markedly lower, with clothing and electrical stores in Damascus lying bare.
The country imported just 2,000 cars in May, against 20,000 in March, and overall imports have halved compared to last year, according to a European diplomat, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
By contrast, building materials are booming because, with police occupied by widespread protests, unsupervised construction is on the rise. Street vendors are also doing well for similar reasons.
For the moment, the economic decline has not spread to the currency, as the Syrian pound is down just eight percent against the US dollar since mid-March.
Syrian central bank governor Adib Mayalheh last week took increased steps to limit foreign exchange transactions, and the country still has around $17 billion in reserves.
"They are probably lower now but in all cases we have no clear data on that," said Jihad Yazigi, editor of the Syria Report economic newsletter.
"Also, at least half of the budget goes to investment expenses, so the government could very well decide to skip most investment expenses [actually it has already partly done so] and use that for current expenses, i.e. salaries, running overhead," he added in an emailed response to questions.
Syria's 2011 budget amounted to $16.7 billion, 43.4 percent of which was dedicated to investment.
According to Shawi, Mayalheh told him that "during the good times, it [the central bank] held $5 billion to manage the fluctuation of the Syrian pound, and until now, it has injected $2 billion to support the currency."
The European diplomat, meanwhile, claimed that Iran had recently provided $6 billion to help Damascus manage the currency, but could provide no proof.
"The situation has deteriorated, but it is not desperate," said Lahcen Achy, a Syria specialist at the Carnegie Middle East Center in Beirut. "The regime can survive this for a long time."
Achy added: "The economy will not bring down the regime and if it did, it would take a very long time. Experience shows that regimes can survive under embargo because they can still smuggle in goods and money via Turkey and Lebanon."
"In any case, if he has to make a choice, the security forces will be the last to experience any cuts."
Shawi concurred, noting that "the West relies on the economic weapon, but one can always adapt. Look at Iraq in the past.
Sanctions are good for headlines, but they hurt the people, especially the poor, never the regime."
A potential European oil embargo could have an impact, however, as 95 percent of Syria's oil exports go to Europe, amounting to a third of the country's revenue.
In the absence of a wider UN-backed ban, however, Damascus could still sell its crude to non-European countries. Russia and China have thus far blocked such an embargo.
In any case, according to an economic expert based in Damascus who did not want to be identified, "the 11th five-year plan which called for investment of $100 billion, half of which was to come from the private sector, is now out the window."
-AFP/NOW Lebanon