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ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
ِJuly
19/2011
Bible Quotation for today
Mathew15/1-9: "Then Pharisees and scribes
came to Jesus from Jerusalem, saying, “Why do your disciples disobey the
tradition of the elders? For they don’t wash their hands when they eat bread.”
He answered them, “Why do you also disobey the commandment of God because of
your tradition? For God commanded, ‘Honor your father and your
mother,(Exodus 20:12) (Deuteronomy 5:16) and, ‘He who speaks evil of father or
mother, let him be put to death.’(Exodus 21:17) (Leviticus 20:9). But you
say, ‘Whoever may tell his father or his mother, “Whatever help you might
otherwise have gotten from me is a gift devoted to God,” he shall not
honor his father or mother.’ You have made the commandment of God void because
of your tradition. You hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy of you,
saying, ‘These people draw near to me with their mouth, and honor me with
their lips; but their heart is far from me. And in vain do they worship
me, teaching as doctrine rules made by men.’ (Isaiah 29:13)
Latest
analysis, editorials, studies, reports, letters & Releases
from
miscellaneous
sources
Iran's response to Second Lebanon
War is Israel's gain/By: By Yossi Melman/July 18/11
Tough times for America’s enemies/By:
Frida Ghitis/July
18/11
The Syrians and
el-Araby/By
Tariq Alhomayed/July
18/11
Hosni Mubarak may be dying
but his military regime lives on/DEBKAfile/18
July/11
Latest News Reports From
Miscellaneous Sources for July 18/11
Syrian Army Storms Zabadani,
Homs, Readies to Enter al-Bukamal/Naharnet
Syrian Forces Mass Near Town Where
Many Soldiers Have Defected?NYT
Change of 'regime tactics' could
reshape Syria protests/BBC
Jordanian businesses feel the
pinch of Syria's revolution/JP
Maronite Patriarch, Rai
celebrates Saint Charbel in Jbeil region/The Daily Star
STL Defense Office head François
Roux: Tribunal cannot be accused of being politicized/Now Lebanon
Egypt appoints Mohammad Kamel Amr
as its new FM/Now Lebanon
Kataeb Party leader Amin Gemayel
says March 8 parties “not ready” to engage in dialogue/Now Lebanon
Hezbollah
warns Israel over Med gas/AFP
Hizbullah: It is a Sin to Lure
International Pressure on Cabinet
/Naharnet
Iraq militants warn S. Korean firms
over Kuwait port/Arab Times Kuwait English Daily
Iran hints at new evidence in 1994
Jewish center bombing/CNN
MO Antoine
Zahra expects Mikati's cabinet to
collapse shortly/Now Lebanon
MP. Hadi
Hobeish says national dialogue will
lead nowhere/Now Lebanon
MP
Abu Faour: No Party Can Eliminate
Others in this Country/Naharnet
Firefighters Manage to Douse
Huge Plastics Depot Blaze in Ouzai/Naharnet
Top Adviser to Afghan President
Murdered/Naharnet
Lawyer Says Mubarak in Coma,
Hospital Denies/Naharnet
Lebanese MPs call for unity in face
of Israel's offshore aggression/The Daily Star
Tourism Minister Fadi Abboud: GCC
residents will not need visas to visit/The Daily Star
Lebanon President,
Sleiman seeks Lebanese
reconciliation/The Daily Star
Lebanon's PM, Mikati: Stability
essential in south/The Daily Star
Lebanon unaware of negotiations
which freed Estonians/The Daily Star
Tripoli: Lebanon's city of lost
opportunities/The Daily Star
Ex Lebanese PM,
Siniora: New Cabinet
came with intention to stage coup/The Daily Star
MP George Adwan: Government has
double standards for borders demarcation/Now Lebanon
Maronite Patriarch Beshara Rai
celebrates Saint Charbel in Jbeil region
July 18, 2011/The Daily Star
BEIRUT: Maronite Patriarch Beshara Rai led a mass celebrating Saint Charbel
Sunday and voiced hope that Lebanese would learn from the saint’s great deeds
and have a life of courage in the face of difficulties. During the Sunday mass
at the Annaya St. Charbel Monastery in Jbeil, Rai also said that the nation
needs Saint Charbel in “its path toward safety.”
A 19th century Catholic monk, Saint Charbel was born in the northern Lebanese
town of Bqaa Kafra and was beatified by Pope Paul VI in 1965 for several of his
miracles in Lebanon.
Saint Charbel was also canonized by the Vatican in 1977, and Lebanese throughout
the world celebrate his life during the third week of July. The ceremony was
attended by high ranking Lebanese Christian officials, including President
Michel Sleiman, first lady Wafaa Sleiman and the ambassador of the Vatican to
Beirut, Gabriel Caccia. Addressing Sleiman, Rai prayed the president’s religious
beliefs would help him in his “dangerous mission” as the country’s leader. Rai
also said that Sleiman’s presence at the ceremony is a proof of the president’s
attachment to the tradition that he had first started at the beginning of his
term of attending the mass each year. “It truly gives us joy to see President
Michel Sleiman taking part in this mass on the third Sunday of July,” the
patriarch said. Rai, who became patriarch earlier this year, congratulated the
Maronite League on the occasion of Saint Charbel’s day. “We entrust our nation
to protect him and all other saints, so that Lebanon will remain a beacon for
sainthood and the dignity of humans,” Rai added. A week after he moved to his
summer residence in Diman, Rai kicked off a weekend religious tour in Jbeil. On
Sunday, Rai inaugurated the new church hall at the Saint Estefan Church, which
was donated by Joseph Sfeir.
Hosni
Mubarak may be dying but his military regime lives on
DEBKAfile Exclusive Report/ July 17, 201/The former president Hosni Mubarak is
in a full coma after his health suddenly deteriorated," Egyptian state TV
reported Sunday night, July 17, shortly after a cabinet reshuffle was carried
out in Cairo to placate rising dissent five months since his overthrow.
But the reports of his state of health are conflicting: Lawyers say he went into
a coma after a stroke, while the director of the Sharm el Sheikh hospital denies
this.
Aged 83 and suffering from cancer, Mubarak has been confined to a Sharm
el-Sheikh hospital since April when he suffered a heart attack during
questioning. He and his sons face trial on August 3 on charges of corruption and
murder.
The cabinet reshuffle came as Egypt sank ever more deeply into lawlessness and
economic stagnation.
City streets are plagued by robbers and outlaws. Many districts have set up
vigilante militias to protect life and property. Tens of thousands continue to
rally in Tahrir Square against the new rulers, the Supreme Council of
Revolutionary Forces’ (SCAF) – and not only in Cairo, but in Suez, Ismailia and
Alexandria. They say they are staging what they call "the second Egyptian
revolution" – this one against the 25 generals led by Field Marshall Muhammad
Tantawi, whom they accuse of stealing the revolution from the Egyptian people
and putting the Mubarak regime back in place.
Whether or not the ousted president survives the next few hours is immaterial
for the Egyptian street. debkafile's Egyptian sources report that the
demonstrators of Tahrir Square no longer believe the military junta can save the
country. They suspect the generals are deliberately letting the situation
deteriorate, said one opposition source, "to generate anarchy as the pretext for
postponing the promised general and presidential elections, already put off once
from September to November,"
"The junta wants to be sure of winning the election before it fixes on the
date," he said.
Grievances are rife: SCAF heads are accused of having 10,000 political activists
detained in the last two months and subjecting some to torture – "just like in
the old days." The protesters don't believe the Mubaraks will ever be put on
trial and allege that to officials of the former regime are given derisory
sentences for corruption and the authorities refrain from confiscating their
ill-gotten property.
"The revolution triumphed, Mubarak was toppled, but the machinery of his regime
lives on," said another protester.
The World Bank estimates that GDP growth, running at close to 5.5 percent on
Mubarak's watch in 2010, plummeted 4.5 percent after the uprising that ousted
him due to loss of tourism, industry and trade.
Egypt will be lucky to reach one percent this year.
Unemployment is rife and jobs pay a wretched wage of $50-115 a month – nowhere
near enough to generate a consumer drive. Economic stagnation is a major cause
of dissent.
Another red flag is the name of Egyptian multi-billionaire Hussein Salem, 76, a
former intelligence agent and close friend and business associate of the Mubarak
family. The military rulers are accused of turning a blind eye to his escape to
Spain aboard his private jet in the early days of the uprising.
Salem is said to have been part and parcel of the former regime's conspiracy to
plunder of the national treasury. He was, for instance, awarded prize real
estate on the Sharm el-Sharm Red Sea coast for building luxury hotels and the
presidential palace from which Mubarak ruled the country. Salem is also accused
of setting up the Egyptian-Israel natural gas transaction and raking off revenue
for himself and the Mubarak family – a charge which further fans anti-Israel
anger on the Egyptian street.
Egyptians are unforgiving of the cordial relations Israeli leaders maintained
with the discredited president and claim that they collaborated in Hosni
Mubarak's alleged misappropriation of national funds.
The opposition believes that thanks to skullduggery by the generals Salem has
been able to evade extradition despite Interpol warrants and stay safely under
house arrests in Spain.
Laying hands on the absconding tycoon they are sure would also lead to the
recovery of some of the plundered money.
debkafile's Middle East sources confirm the accusation by the opposition that
from the day it took over government in Cairo, the military junta SCAF has sat
on its hands let the country go to rack and ruin.Only this week, when the
situation became unendurable, was a cabinet reshuffle ordered and the ministers
for foreign affairs, finance and trade and industry sacked as a means of
unlocking frozen aid funds to get the economy moving. Hazem El Beblawi, an
economist who works as an adviser for the Arab Monetary Fund in the United Arab
Emirates, was appointed finance minister and deputy prime minister.
The UAE has pledged $3 billion, Saudi Arabia $4 billion, and Qatar $500 million
in aid. Additionally, the United States has offered $2 billion.
But the Gulf emirates have set three conditions for making these sums available:
1. The Supreme Council in Cairo must stop working with the Obama administration.
2. The generals must inaugurate ties full security cooperation with the Gulf
Cooperation Council(GCC), meaning they must adopt an anti-Iran stance and be
willing to make troops available to GCC nations in a potential war with Iran.
3. The military rulers of Egypt must bring closure to the revolution, use the
army and security forces to restore law and order and put a stop to the popular
demonstrations.
The heads of the junta have not yet decided how to respond to this proposition.
If they accept, they will confirm the worst forebodings of the second wave of
Egyptian revolutionaries who fear they are being stuck for the foreseeable
future with a military junta instead of the democratically-elected government
they dreamed of and fought for.
Sleiman seeks Lebanese reconciliation
July 18, 2011 /By Hussein Dakroub/The Daily Star
BEIRUT: President Michel Sleiman, voicing concern over deep political divisions
between rival factions, is planning to consult with the country’s top leaders on
launching a new round of national dialogue aimed eventually at achieving an
inter-Lebanese reconciliation, Environment Minister Nazim Khoury said Sunday.
“In his call for national dialogue, President Sleiman was motivated by the sharp
political split in the country as well as internal and external challenges,”
Khoury, an ally of the president, told The Daily Star.
Noting the “instability” in the Arab world as a result of popular uprisings
demanding reforms and regime change, Khoury said: “The local, regional and
international circumstances all require the resumption of dialogue among the
Lebanese.” Khoury, one of three ministers representing Sleiman in Prime Minister
Najib Mikati’s 30-member Cabinet, said the president will first sound out the
views of the country’s political leaders on the proposed dialogue before issuing
a call for a national conference. He expected the March 8 and 14 parties to put
conditions on attending. “The primary aim of the president’s call for national
dialogue is to bring about an inter-Lebanese reconciliation,” Khoury said.
Earlier Sunday, a political source said Sleiman’s call for national dialogue
bringing together March 8 and March 14 leaders was aimed at protecting the
country from internal and external challenges threatening its stability. “The
president will seek to sound out the leaders’ views on the shape, mechanism and
topics of the planned dialogue before deciding on calling for a national
conference,” the source said.
“What prompted the president to call for a national dialogue was that he was
feeling internal and external challenges, such as the indictment with its
internal and external repercussions,” the source added. He was referring to the
long-awaited indictment issued by the U.N.-backed Special Tribunal for Lebanon
on June 30, accusing four Hezbollah members of involvement in the 2005
assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri and demanding their arrest.
Sleiman issued the call for national dialogue between rival factions during a
dinner he hosted at his residence in Amsheet in honor of Maronite Patriarch
Beshara Rai Saturday night attended by Speaker Nabih Berri, Mikati and leaders
and lawmakers from the March 8 and March 14 parties. Sleiman warned that the
political schism threatened to destroy the country’s national fabric and
underlined the need for a genuine reconciliation between the feuding parties.
“The discussions and heated debates of the past weeks have shown sharp political
divisions that could weaken the spirit of [the National] Charter if they get
worse and shake the national fabric,” Sleiman said.
“Consequently, they [the debates] showed how much Lebanon was in need for a
genuine reconciliation, a frank and comprehensive dialogue and a quick work
aimed at rebuilding the elements of confidence among its leaders and the various
segments of its people, especially since the Lebanese system respects
plurality,” he said.
Sleiman was referring to Parliament’s three-day heated debate of the
government’s policy statement ahead of a vote of confidence on July 5-7 during
which March 14 lawmakers lashed out at Mikati, accusing him of renouncing the
STL and putting Lebanon on a collision course with the international community.
Two MPs, one from the March 8 camp and the other from the March 14 camp,
exchanged acrimonious words calling each other “dog.”
In one of the sessions, Berri had to intervene, telling the quarreling MPs that
the fiery rhetoric showed that reconciliation was badly needed between the March
8 and March 14 camps. Sleiman said he will soon begin a series of consultations
with the country’s leaders and representatives of the people “to develop an
appropriate framework for dialogue to protect and fortify Lebanon against
internal and external dangers, without halting the main efforts aimed at
reaching an agreement on a national strategy to defend the country.”
“Israel’s latest threats and its coveting of natural resources stored in our
territorial waters are supposed to enhance our determination to unify our ranks
through a constructive dialogue,” Sleiman said. Last week, Sleiman warned Israel
against taking any unilateral decisions to exploit Lebanon’s resources in the
demarcation of disputed maritime borders, vowing that the country would defend
its sea and land boundaries and rights by all legitimate means.
Sleiman’s warning came as Lebanon is gearing up to confront Israel at the United
Nations in a long-simmering dispute over offshore gas and oil reserves following
the Israeli government’s approval on July 10 of a map of its proposed maritime
borders which Lebanon deemed an aggression and an infringement on its right to
an exclusive economic zone.
Sleiman also said “constitutional loopholes,” which had paralyzed the work of
state institutions, “underlined the need for a frank and comprehensive national
dialogue on how to develop this system and allow it to emerge from its crisis.”
However, the call for national dialogue comes against the backdrop of March 14
parties’ tough stance. Last week, former Prime Minister Saad Hariri said in an
interview with MTV that he will attend a national dialogue conference only if it
discusses one topic: Hezbollah’s arms.
This stance was reaffirmed Sunday by Beirut MP Ammar Houri, a member of Hariri’s
parliamentary Future bloc, who told LBCI TV: “The dialogue must discuss
Hezbollah’s arms.” He said that during the previous dialogue sessions, agreement
was reached on the STL, “but the other side [Hezbollah and its allies] backed
down on it.”
Another Future bloc MP Hadi Hobeish told Future News TV: “Dialogue must deal
with only one point: Hezbollah’s arms and how to hand them over to the Lebanese
state.”
The last session of dialogue was held in November last year and was boycotted by
most March 8 leaders amid mounting divisions between the March 8 and March 14
coalitions over the STL. The dispute led to the collapse of Hariri’s Cabinet on
Jan. 12.
During the Amsheet dinner, views were identical among the attending leaders on
the significance of dialogue since the 2008 Doha Accord which called for
avoiding the use of violence or arms to resolve political differences. Informed
sources said that the leaders also agreed to uphold the pact of honor reached
during the national dialogue committee’s meeting at the Baabda Palace on April
15, 2010, to halt media and political campaigns between rival factions.
Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) Defense Office head
François Roux: Tribunal cannot be accused of being politicized
July 17, 2011 /Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) Defense Office head François
Roux said on Sunday that the UN-backed tribunal investigating the 2005
assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri cannot be accused of being
politicized “because it has not yet started its work.” “The investigation of the
international commission was criticized… but in a [few] weeks, everyone will be
able to look at the work of the prosecutor after the indictment becomes public,”
Roux told New TV. He also said that his office will look into the documents
presented by Hezbollah, which claim that Israel was behind the Rafik Hariri
murder. However, Roux added that “the investigation during the trials will be
deeper,” adding that information transmitted through the media “is a sort of
general information.” “Defense lawyers cannot [confirm] the information
[addressed through the media]… they must conduct their private investigation
into the matter.” He also said that a trial in absentia can take place if the
accused are not present at the time of the hearings. The STL indicted four
members of Hezbollah in connection to the murder, but the Shia group ruled out
their arrest and labeled the tribunal as a “foreign conspiracy.”-NOW Lebanon
Adwan:
Government has double standards for borders demarcation
July 17, 2011 /Lebanese Forces bloc leader MP George Adwan said on Sunday that
“the government confirms Lebanon’s right to demarcate its maritime borders with
Israel, but at the same time… refuses to demarcate the land border with Syria.”
“[March 8] toppled former Prime Minister Saad Hariri’s government to hold power…
and to get rid of all the [achievements] of the previous governments since
2005,” the National News Agency quoted him as saying. Adwan also questioned
whether Prime Minister Najib Mikati is aware of the contents of UN Security
Council Resolution 1701, saying “it stipulates that there must not be any
[non-state] weapons?”“[March 8] are adopting double standards concerning Arab
uprisings. In Bahrain they support the rebellions, but in Syria they support the
regime. On the contrary, [March 14] did not intervene in any uprising and voiced
respect to the Arab people’s freedom to choose whomever they want to represent
them.”On Monday, President Michel Sleiman warned Israel against taking any
decision that violates international maritime boundary delimitation laws.
Najib Mikati’s cabinet, which was formed on June 13 and dominated by a
Hezbollah-led alliance, was granted parliament’s vote of confidence July 7.-NOW
Lebanon
Kataeb Party leader Amin Gemayel says March 8 parties “not ready” to engage in
dialogue
July 17, 2011 /Kataeb Party leader Amin Gemayel said on Sunday that the
Hezbollah-led March 8 coalition is not ready to engage in dialogue with rival
Lebanese political parties.
“The [March 8] parties that are seizing the cabinet are not ready for any
dialogue,” Gemayel told MTV. He addressed Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed
Hassan Nasrallah, saying, “You cannot save the country alone.” Gemayel called on
the Hezbollah chief to engage in dialogue “and listen to the other parties’
[views].” He also said that President Michel Sleiman “cannot achieve what he
said” in his Saturday speech during a dinner he hosted at his hometown of Amshit.
Sleiman held a dinner at his residence in Amchit honoring Maronite Patriarch
Bechara Boutros al-Rai, who is on a spiritual visit to the district of Jbeil.
The dinner was also attended by Lebanon’s top officials, political leaders and
religious authorities.-NOW Lebanon
MP Hadi Hobeish says national dialogue will lead nowhere
July 17, 2011 /Lebanon First bloc MP Hadi Hobeish said on Sunday that “the
national dialogue experience proved that issues agreed on were not implemented.”
“The dialogue must be on one issue, the [non-state] weapons, and how they can be
given over to the state,” he told Future News television, adding that
“afterward, we can discuss other issues.” Hobeish also said that “Christians
rights must be retained starting with the position of General Security
chief.”“Change and Reform bloc leader MP Michel Aoun deserved to be granted the
[General Security chief] position in exchange for the coverage he gave
Hezbollah, but he failed in his first test to give Christians their rights
back.” According to unconfirmed reports, Maronite Patriarch Bechara Boutros al-Rai,
President Michel Sleiman and Aoun were working to grant the director of the
General Security position to the Maronites after it was taken from them and
granted to the Shia in 1998, for the first time since 1943. However, Aoun – who
is allied with the Shia group Hezbollah – said on Tuesday that “whether the
position is [for Maronites] or for the Shia, it is not the end of the
world.”-NOW Lebanon
MP Antoine Zahra expects Mikati’s cabinet to collapse shortly
July 17, 2011 /Lebanese Forces bloc MP Antoine Zahra said on Sunday that the
cabinet headed by Prime Minister Najib Mikati “will not survive” for long. “The
cabinet’s tenure is short because it depends on the regional situation,” the
National News Agency quoted Zahra as saying in a reference to the Syrian
uprising that has been ongoing since March. “The March 14 parties will confront
the cabinet with peaceful and democratic means in case [new] administrative
appointments are issued to serve [the interests of the March 8 parties],” the MP
added. He also said that the ministers of Mikati’s government will be penalized
“if they obstruct the course of justice,” a reference to the UN-backed Special
Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) probing former PM Rafik Hariri’s 2005 assassination.
“We will overthrow [the March 8] coup and we will prevent [these parties] from
controlling the state and its institutions.”
Mikati’s cabinet, which was formed on June 13 and dominated by a Hezbollah-led
alliance, was granted parliament’s vote of confidence July 7. The STL indicted
four members of Hezbollah in connection to the murder, but the Shia group ruled
out their arrest. -NOW Lebanon
Egypt appoints Mohammad Kamel Amr as its new FM
July 17, 2011 /Mohammad Kamel Amr, a former senior diplomat who has worked at
the World Bank, was appointed Egypt's new foreign minister on Sunday, Egyptian
Prime Minister Essam Sharaf announced on his Facebook page. The appointment to
replace Mohammad al-Arabi comes as part of a sweeping cabinet shuffle aimed at
appeasing protesters angry at the slow pace of reform since the February ouster
of president Hosni Mubarak. Amr said following his appointment that the priority
would be to enhance Egypt's pivotal role in the Arab world.
"Egypt is at the heart of the Arab world. What happens in Egypt will affect [the
countries]. If Egypt moves forward, the Arab world moves forward," Amr told the
official MENA news agency. The top diplomat was previously Egypt's ambassador to
Saudi Arabia and has worked at its embassy in Washington. He also represented
Egypt in several African Organizations and the World Bank, MENA said. Late on
Saturday, Sharaf said he had accepted the resignation of Arabi -- criticised for
being close to Mubarak -- amid pressure to rid the cabinet of old regime
figures.-AFP/NOW Lebanon
Tough times for America’s enemies
BY FRIDA GHITIS/fjghitis@gmail.com
No reasonable person would claim these are the best of times for the United
States, but Americans can take some comfort in knowing that times are even
tougher for some of the world’s most rabid anti-American figures. From Caracas
to Tehran, political leaders who have defined themselves through their caustic
anti-American rhetoric, men who shook masses of followers into frenzies of
anti-Washington fervor, are having some very, very bad days. Venezuelan
President Hugo Chávez, who still refers to the United States as “The Empire,”
the man who fanned himself on the United Nations stage to blow away the smell of
George W. Bush, and later said he could still smell sulfur after Barack Obama
stood at the podium, has become gravely ill. The populist Chávez manipulated his
country’s laws hoping to stay in power until 2030, but now he has cancer. With
few details revealed other than his admission that he had cancer surgery in
Cuba, it’s hard to know what the prognosis is. But it seems unlikely Chávez’s
disastrous one-man rule of Venezuela will last another two decades.
Chávez’s good pal Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is going through some difficulties of his
own. The Iranian president, whose own hate-filled speeches have triggered
walkouts at the UN — as when he said most people blame Washington for the 9/11
attacks — is gradually losing power. The ayatollahs who helped him retain the
presidency after the protests that followed the disputed 2009 election, have had
enough of Ahmadinejad. He got too big for his britches and now the turbaned ones
want him out. He may or may not stay in office, but he has lost much of his
power.
Neither Ahmadinejad nor Chávez would get much sympathy from another of their
best friends, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Assad is fighting for his
political life, and doing it by killing hundreds upon hundreds of pro-democracy
demonstrators in his own country. The demonstrators continue the fight. Assad
has lost all legitimacy. He had tried to wear the mask of a moderate reformer,
but now all Syrians, all Arabs — the entire world, really — know the truth. He
is a butcher who will stop at nothing to hold on to power.
The troubles for Assad and Ahmadinejad could give ulcers to Hezbollah leader
Hassan Nasrallah, who has his hands full with serious problems of his own. A
U.N. Special Tribunal has indicted four Hezbollah members in the assassination
of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. Nasrallah had desperately tried
to prevent this from happening. That’s because the indictment rips the veneer
off Hezbollah’s claim to work only for the protection of Lebanon. Most Lebanese
know his militia was created by Iran, armed by Tehran and Damascus, and worked
at the behest of the Iranian and Syrian regimes. Hariri’s killers sought to
protect Syrian control of Lebanon by eliminating its most effective critic.
In Iraq, that other anti-American cleric, Moqtada al-Sadr, is fuming because the
government may ask some American soldiers to stay in Iraq. All U.S. troops are
scheduled to leave at the end of this year. But many in the government want to
ask Washington to leave some forces behind. Imagine that, the Iraqi government
asking the Americans to stay. It’s enough to make the Iran-backed al-Sadr
threaten a new civil war.
Of course, America’s best-known enemy, Osama bin-Laden, is out of the picture.
He may or may not be enjoying the services of 99 virgins in paradise. But he has
finally given his life for the cause, something he wanted only his followers to
do.
Lest Americans derive too much satisfaction from the woes of key adversaries,
it’s worth noting that many others remain. Ahmadinejad’s domestic foes may hate
the United States even more than he does. In Arab countries where America has
lost important friends, their replacements could create new difficulties.
In Egypt, the most powerful political party is the Muslim Brotherhood, hardly
fans of America. But even more troubling is what we’re learning about the
“liberal” parties. The vice president of Wafd, the biggest secular party,
recently declared that 9/11 was “Made in America,” the Holocaust is a “lie,” and
Anne Frank a “fake.”
Still, a world in which the likes of Chávez, Ahmadinejad and Assad are not
permanent fixtures of the global political landscape is one where Washington can
hope to make some inroads. No guarantees, but at least it’s not only America and
its friends having a tough time.
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Iran hints at new evidence in 1994 Jewish center bombingBy Helena de Moura,
CNN./July 17, 2011
CNN) -- Iran offered to "collaborate" with Argentina's investigation into the
worst terrorist attack in the South American nation's history, the bombing of a
Jewish community center that killed 85 people in 1994. The offer from Iran's
Foreign Ministry was reported by the country's official news agency IRNA two
days before Argentina marks the 17th anniversary of the attack Monday.
Argentina's top prosecutor Alberto Nisman has blamed Iran for the attack, which
also injured about 300 people.
But Iran's foreign ministry Saturday accused Argentine officials of "deviating"
from the facts in order to "allow the real perpetrators to escape from justice,"
and said Iran will soon disclose evidence they hope will "shed light" on the
case.
Argentina requested the arrest of six people in 2007 in connection with the
bombings, including the then-defense minister of Iran, Ahmad Vahidi, former
Iranian President Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani and Mohsen Rezaie, who was head
of Iran's Revolutionary Guard at the time of the attack.
Interpol approved so-called Red Notices for the six, alerting countries around
the world of Buenos Aires' desire to have them arrested.
Argentine authorities have accused Vahidi of planning the July 18, 1994, blast
at the Israeli-Argentine Mutual Association, known by its Spanish acronym AMIA.
Vahidi is accused of working with Lebanon's Hezbollah militants.
"At 9:53 a.m., a car bomb, a Renault traffic van driven by Ibrahim Hussein Berro,
a Lebanese Hezbollah militant, struck against the AMIA building," prosecutor
Nisman said in a documentary about the attack, "Memoria."
"After two years of hard work, we could prove that the attack had been
organized, planned and funded by the highest authorities of the Islamic Republic
of Iran," he said.
"Not all victims were Jewish," Nisman said. "However, there was one common
denominator ... all of them were innocent and none of them had to die in such a
lethal terrorist attack," he said. "Memoria," sponsored by the World Jewish
Congress and the Latin American Jewish Association, shows the chaos that ensued
in the aftermath of the attack as rescuers tried to save women, men and children
trapped in the debris. Sirens are scheduled to sound on Monday morning at 9:53
in honor of the victims, Argentina's official Telam news agency reported.
President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner and Israeli and Argentine government
officials are scheduled to attend a wreath-laying ceremony alongside relatives
of victims, the AMIA said on its website. In a campaign that loosely translates
as a "Strike Against Forgetting," Argentina's Jewish community leaders say they
are fighting against what they see as the mishandling, cover-ups and eventual
shelving of the judicial investigation that remains unresolved after 17 years.
"Because we have memory, we demand justice," they said on the AMIA website,
calling the bombings "the most horrendous anti-Jewish act since World War II."
Critics claim the investigation has been marred by judicial ineptitudes and
corruption. Leading federal judge Juan Jose Galeano was impeached and removed
from handling the case in 2005, replaced by prosecutors Alberto Nisman and
Marcelo Burgos, who issued an indictment against Iran and Hezbollah for
masterminding the attack.
Nisman ordered the reopening of the case against a man named Carlos Telledin,
who was imprisoned for nearly a decade accused of owning the truck packed with
explosives, Telam reported.
Hezbollah warns Israel over Med gas
(AFP) – BEIRUT — Lebanon's Shiite militant group Hezbollah on Sunday warned
Israel against developing "a single metre" of disputed waters in the eastern
Mediterranean to search for offshore gas deposits. The Lebanese government,
which is dominated by Hezbollah, will restore the sovereignty of our waters in
their entirety," said Mohammed Raad, head of the Hezbollah group in parliament,
the state news agency ANI reported. "The Israeli enemy cannot drill a single
metre in these waters to search for gas and oil if the zone is disputed... No
company can carry out prospecting work in waters whose sovereignty is
contested," he said. Hezbollah in 2006 fought a deadly war with the Jewish state
in which most of Lebanon's major infrastructure was destroyed. Last week,
Lebanon's Foreign Minister Adnan Mansur said the maritime border as proposed by
Israel posed a threat to regional security.
The proposed frontier cuts through Lebanon's economic zone, he said, adding that
Beirut would "turn to the United Nations." The feud over offshore gas fields has
deepened since Israel's cabinet on July 12 approved a map of the country's
proposed maritime borders with Lebanon to be submitted for a UN opinion. The
proposed map lays out maritime borders that conflict significantly with those
suggested by Lebanon in its own submission to the United Nations. Lebanon's
Energy Minister Gibran Bassil has said Beirut will not give up its maritime
rights, and accused Israel of "violations of (Lebanese) waters, territory and
airspace, and today our oil rights." Israel has for months been moving to
develop several large offshore natural gas fields, some which are shared with
Cyprus, that it hopes could help it to become an energy exporter. But its
development plans have stirred controversy with Lebanon, which argues the gas
fields lie inside its territorial waters. Israel does not have officially
demarcated maritime borders with Lebanon, and the two nations remain technically
at war.
Iraq militants warn S. Korean firms over Kuwait port
BAGHDAD, July 17, 2011 (AFP) -Shiite militant group Ketaeb Hezbollah, which has
claimed deadly attacks on US troops in Iraq, warned a South Korean consortium
Sunday to halt work on a controversial Kuwaiti port project. The consortium led
by Hyundai began work on the Mubarak al-Kabir port in May, raising the ire of
authorities in Baghdad who have repeatedly demanded a halt to the project, which
they say will strangle Iraqi shipping lanes. "We are warning the companies
working on the Kuwaiti port against continuing the project," said a statement
from Ketaeb Hezbollah.
"The Iraqi people will not forget what the government of Kuwait is doing by
building a port to strangle Iraq economically," said the statement, posted on
the group's website.
The militia, which US officials say is backed by Iran, claimed responsibility
for a June 6 rocket attack in which six American soldiers were killed. It was
the worst day of the deadliest month for US forces in three years. The military
lost 14 troops in June. US military officials in Iraq said earlier this month
that rockets used against their soldiers had been traced to the group, and that
they carried the signature of Iran. Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki said on
Friday that Kuwait had yet to notify Baghdad officially of the Mubarak project.
He said Baghdad only learned about it from third parties. Earlier this month,
Iraqi Transport Minister Hadi al-Amari urged Kuwait to stop work on the port
which he said would block Iraqi access to shipping lanes. The $1.1 billion (778
million euro) facility, on Kuwait's Bubiyan Island, is scheduled for completion
in 2016.
The Gulf is the main export outlet for Iraqi oil, which accounts for the lion's
share of the country's revenues, and Baghdad has started major work to modernise
its outdated ports.
Iran's response to Second Lebanon War is Israel's gain
Even if the Second Lebanon War wasn't a zero-sum game in which one side's defeat
is the other side's victory, if Nasrallah and Iran are dissatisfied with the
war's results, Israel's situation has improved.
By Yossi Melman/Haaretz
It has been five years since the Second Lebanon War - the third war, after the
Sinai Campaign and the first Lebanon war, that Israel initiated. For any
country, and certainly for Israel, war should be the last option, a decision
made in the absence of other choices. For that reason, the abduction of two
soldiers should not have been enough to justify the hasty decision to go to war
in July 2006. Nevertheless, and with all due regret over the 121 soldiers who
died and the hundreds more wounded, and the failures as exposed by the Winograd
Committee, the war did bring Israel some gains.
Most of the missteps and failures of the Second Lebanon War were on the tactical
level: careless deployment of forces, unprepared soldiers, lack of communication
between field units and the high command and an overreliance on the air force.
And of course, the failure to protect the home front. On the whole, however,
Israel came out of the war with significant strategic and political assets.
The northern border has been quiet for five years. Contrary to Hezbollah's
wishes, the Lebanese Army deployed in the south and an international force was
stationed along the border, creating a barrier against the Shi'ite organization.
Its fortification line along the border was destroyed, and its members can no
longer carry unconcealed weapons.
All these limitations make it much harder for Hezbollah to operate near the
border. Its leader, Hassan Nasrallah, has in effect been in hiding for five
years, for fear of being assassinated by Israel if he shows his face in public.
The Israel Defense Forces' deterrent power has been restored. True, Hezbollah
has tripled its stores of missiles since the war, and upgraded them, but it
presumably would have done so in any event.
But the war's most important consequence, arguably, was the disclosure of the
extent of the connection between Hezbollah and Iran. It was Jordan's King
Abdullah who coined the term "Shi'ite Crescent" to stress Iran's expansion into
Lebanon via Iraq and Syria. In the years before the war, Arab leaders expressed
their concerns about Iran's expansionist policy. However, they did so behind
closed doors, as shown in WikiLeaks cables. They didn't dare talk openly about
their fears. But the Second Lebanon War changed their attitude. The Arab Sunnis,
represented by their leaders - Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the Gulf states - wanted
Israel to hurt Hezbollah to damage Iranian prestige.
At the height of the war and afterward, most local media commentators argued
that the conflict was a resounding failure for Israel. They focused on the
tactical flaws and refused to see the strategic picture. In their narrow-minded
interpretation, they set the war's narrative: Israeli defeat.
The proof that the Second Lebanon War was not a failure lies in the response of
Iran itself. Immediately after the war, senior Revolutionary Guard commanders,
in particular the Al-Quds force commanded by Gen. Qassem Suleimani, rebuked
Nasrallah for the abduction that provoked Israeli retaliation. That response,
according to the Iranians, hurt Iranian interests and assets in Lebanon and the
wider Middle East.
But even more important are the public remarks of Nasrallah himself. In a rare
moment of candor after the war, he admitted being surprised by the force of
Israel's response and said that had he known how events would unfold he would
not have chosen his course of action.
Even if this wasn't a zero-sum game in which one side's defeat is the other
side's victory, if Nasrallah and Iran are dissatisfied with the war's results,
Israel's situation has improved.
The Syrians and el-Araby
17/07/2011
By Tariq Alhomayed/Asharq Al-Awsat
Syria responded quickly to the comments made by the new Secretary General of the
Arab League Nabil el-Araby, during his recent visit to Damascus, where he met
with key figures in the Syrian regime, including President al-Assad, however,
the Secretary General's statements were not what one would expect from a
seasoned politician.
Following his visit to Damascus, and in direct response to Hilary Clinton's
recent remarks that Bashar al-Assad's regime had lost its legitimacy, el-Araby
said that no one has the right to say that the president of any country has lost
his legitimacy; "this issue is exclusively decided by the people". Some may say
that this is true in general, but the Secretary General of the Arab League has
failed to see that the Syrian regime is responsible for a death toll nearing
1500 men, women and children, not to mention the thousands of refugees and
detainees, only because they called for reform?
On the same day that Mr. el-Araby issued these remarks from Damascus, Syrian
intellectuals and artists protested in the Syrian capital. They were repressed
by the Shabiha and a group of them were arrested by the security services. This
is not to mention the killing of Syrian protestors in Idleb, on the same day
that the Secretary General of the Arab League was singing the praises of the
al-Assad regime!
The matter does not stop there, for what was Mr. el-Araby's opinion after the
Syrians came out last Friday, two days after his visit to Damascus? Protestors
emerged in unprecedented numbers, reaching one million for the first time in
several regions of Syria. Even in the capital Damascus thousands came out,
several of whom were killed, all demanding freedom and the overthrow of the
regime. After all this how can the Secretary General of the Arab League respond
to Clinton by understating the volume of suffering and the Syrians' sacrifice,
instead of saying the right thing, or even being silent? Furthermore, Mr. el-Araby
also speaks about the importance of stability in Syria now!
When I say that el-Araby's remarks do not emanate from a seasoned politician,
this is not a slight on his character, but rather a description of the facts. If
Farouk al-Shara himself has admitted that without the blood and sacrifices made
by the Syrians in several cities today, there would not be talk about democracy
and pluralism in Syria, then how can the Secretary General of the Arab League
come out and say: "I was pleased to meet with the President, we talked for a
long time, and quite frankly, about many matters emerging in the region, the
winds of change that have engulfed some countries, and what is happening now in
terms of reform". Where are these serious reforms which the Secretary General
has seen, but yet he did not see the Syrians who came out in unprecedented
numbers after Friday prayers, demanding the fall of the regime?
El-Araby's comments are strange and frustrating, especially as they were issued
from a man who came from the depths of the Egyptian revolution. But as I said
above, the best response came from the Syrian people themselves, who came out
attacking el-Araby on Friday, and lamenting the Arab League. Indeed it seems the
time has come to honor the organization, as one would honor the dead. The League
must reassess its stances or there is no benefit to it, and this is evidenced by
the events around us not only today, but for a long time.