LCCC
ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
ِJUNE
12/2011
Bible Quotation for today
Peter's First
Letter
4/1 Forasmuch then as Christ suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves also
with the same mind; for he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin;
4:2 that you no longer should live the rest of your time in the flesh for the
lusts of men, but for the will of God. 4:3 For we have spent enough of our past
time doing the desire of the Gentiles, and having walked in lewdness, lusts,
drunken binges, orgies, carousings, and abominable idolatries. 4:4 They think it
is strange that you don’t run with them into the same excess of riot,
blaspheming: 4:5 who will give account to him who is ready to judge the living
and the dead. 4:6 For to this end the Good News was preached even to the dead,
that they might be judged indeed as men in the flesh, but live as to God in the
spirit.
Latest
analysis, editorials, studies, reports, letters & Releases
from
miscellaneous
sources
It's Time
to Bring an Assad's Regime In Syria to an End/By: By Kenneth Bandler/June 11/11
Civil war fears grow
in Syria/By
Mariam Karouny/June
11/11
What happens in Syria stays in
Syria ,Why Russia will always veto/By: Ana Maria Luca/June
11/11
Walid Jumblatt/By: Hazem al-Amin/June
11/11
Latest News Reports From
Miscellaneous Sources for June 11/11
White House Says Assad ‘Leading
Nation to Dangerous Path/Naharnet
Turkey to send troops into Syria.
Syrian helicopters machine-gun protesters/DEBKAfile
Thousands of Syrian refugees flood
into Turkey, says report/Now Lebanon
US questions Assad
legitimacy after Syria 'slaughter/AFP
Assad isn't taking Ban Ki-moon's
phone calls: U.N./Reuters
Syria accused of torturing 2nd
teenager to death/CBC
At least 32 civilians dead in demonstrations
across Syria/J.Post
Syria:
Thousands still fleeing into Turkey/BBC
Syrian refugees tell of government
atrocities/CBS
Syria: Middle East media ponder
foreign intervention/BBC
Leon Wieseltier: 'We've never seen
such horror'/National Post
Syria: Turkey condemns violence
as Assad's helicopters open fire/Telegraph
Syria unravelling/Financial
Times
Syria:
Helicopters fire on protesters/Ynetnews
As it happened: Syria army moves
on Jisr al-Shughour/BBC
Desperately Fleeing Syria:
Refugees Cross into Turkey/TIME
'I Tried Not To Think About The
Possibilities,' Says American Held In Syria/NPR
Lebanon students demand
Assad step down/Khaleej Times
Syrian protesters hit the streets
in restive Daraa/CNN
Red Cross appeals for access to
Syria wounded/CBS
Iraq Shiite insurgents claim attack
on US soldiers/AFP
Tensions build for family of NB
farmer detained in
Lebanon/Montereal Gazette
Lebanon for a "no" vote on
Syrian UN resolution/Daily
Star
US veto blocking Cabinet
formation: Mrad/Daily
Star
What's another day? Cabinet
formation hits new snags/Daily
Star
UNIFIL's Italian contingent to
maintain aid despite bombing/Daily
Star
Grand mufti urges Lebanese to
revolt against economic crisis/Daily
Star
Ex-World Bank chief in Lebanon speech
controversy/AFP
Israel: Witnesses Say Unnecessary
Lethal Force Used in Protests/HRW release
Lebanon's
Arabic press digest - June 11, 2011/Daily Star
Aoun
accuses Future Movement of
acting against Syria/Now Lebanon
Maronite Bishop Council questions
cabinet-formation delay/Now Lebanon
Wahhab laments Mikati’s PM
nomination/Now lebanon
Aoun vows to “splint the arm” of US
intelligence in Lebanon/Now Lebanon
Nadim Gemayel says Hariri should
return to Lebanon/Now Lebanon
Great Lebanese Composer Walid
Ghulmiyeh Mourned in Beirut Church/Naharnet
Russia Supports STL, Urges
Officials to Form New Cabinet/Naharnet
New Govt. Hurdles: Suleiman’s Veto,
Arslan’s Demand, Naming 6th Sunni Minister/Naharnet
Turkey to send troops into Syria. Syrian helicopters machine-gun protesters
DEBKAfile Exclusive Report
June 10, 2011,
http://www.debka.com/article/21015/
A new and dramatic turn in the Syrian crisis;: Turkish Prime Minister Recep
Tayyip Erdogan Friday night, June 10, ordered his army to move into northern
Syria where battles were blazing in Idlib, Maarat al-Numaan and Jisr al-Shuhour.
debkafile's exclusive sources report that the prime minister's office and high
command in Ankara are still working out how to define the Turkish military
mission in Syria. One proposal is to evoke UN Security Council's 1973 resolution
which mandated the NATO operation in Libya to protect civilian lives against
Col. Qaddafi. Turkey would be acting to defend Syrian civilians against a
crackdown which Erdogan called barbaric.
Ankara decided on military intervention Friday night, two days before Turkey's
general election, after learning about the latest turn in the showdown between
the Syrian government and the opposition. Most of the day's reporting focused on
the small northern town of Jisr al-Shughour near the Turkish border, where tanks
blasted residential areas Friday night and killed an estimated 28 civilians to
punish its residents for the 120 officers and soldiers killed in clashes with
protesters Monday, June 6.
Away from the limelight, heavy fighting also raged in Idlib, west of Syria's
second largest town Aleppo, and Maarat al-Numaan, a small western market city
located on the highway between Aleppo and Hama. In these places, the Syrian army
encountered the guns of a Muslim Brotherhood militia fighting alongside a group
of defecting soldiers, according to our military sources.
In the late afternoon, Assad sent tanks and attack helicopters armed with heavy
machine guns to strike rebel positions. The casualty toll in this northern
battleground is believed to be the highest of any day since the start of the
uprising in early April. The Turkish expeditionary force in Syria will have
three missions:
1. To stem the swelling stream of Syrian refugees fleeing massacre at the hands
of government forces. Ankara has accepted over 3,000 refugees from Jisr al-Shughour
who are desperate to escape certain slaughter; it is not prepared to take on
tens or possible hundreds of thousands of Syrians fleeing from larger towns like
Idlib, Maarat al-Numaana and the Kurdish regions abutting the Turkish border.
2. To mark out a military zone on the Syrian side of the border where the Red
Crescent will set up camps for Syrian refugees to shelter under Turkish army
protection;
3. Next week, the Turkish army will establish a military buffer zone in the
Kurdish region of northern Syria near its main town, Qamishli.
The Erdogan government will be taking the chance of Assad deciding that the
Turkish military incursion is an act of war. Fighting would then break out
between the two armies
US questions Assad legitimacy after Syria 'slaughter'
(AFP) –BRUSSELS — US Defence Secretary Robert Gates piled pressure on Syrian
President Bashar al-Assad on Friday, saying his very legitimacy was on the line
after the "slaughter of innocent lives"."The slaughter of innocent lives in
Syria should be a problem and concern for everybody," Gates said after a speech
in Brussels.
"And whether Assad still has the legitimacy to govern in his own country after
this kind of a slaughter I think is a question everybody has to consider," he
said.
Referring to the wave of revolts against dictators across the Arab world, Gates
added: "There clearly is a dividing line in the Middle East between the rulers
who are prepared to slaughter their own people to stay in power and those who
are prepared to transition (out of power)." The United States threw its weight
Wednesday behind a UN Security Council resolution proposed by Britain and France
that condemns Syria for its brutal crackdown on opposition protesters. But
Russia, one of five veto-wielding members of the council, said Thursday it was
opposed to any resolution on Syria. Assad's regime has come under mounting
international pressure over accusations of massacres of pro-democracy protesters
and rights activists.
His army launched Friday a crackdown on what the regime described as "armed
gangs" in the flashpoint town of Jisr al-Shughur, where authorities say 120
police and troops were massacred earlier in the week. Opposition activists and
various witnesses, however, say the deaths resulted from a mutiny by troops who
refused orders to crack down on protesters.
Pro-democracy activists vowed more countrywide protests on Friday.
Anti-government demonstrations erupted in March and more than 1,100 civilians,
including dozens of children, have been killed in the ensuing crackdown, human
rights groups say.
Copyright © 2011 AFP. All rights reserved.
Maronite Bishop Council questions cabinet-formation delay
June 11, 2011 /The Maronite Bishop Council issued a statement on Saturday
questioning the delay in the formation of a new cabinet. The council voiced
regret over the “the sharp divisions” between political parties in Lebanon,
adding that “disagreements obstruct the work of constitutional institutions.”
“This multiplies the crises and harms the needy classes [in the country].”“The
country can beat all crises if its [people] unite,” the statement said, calling
on all parties to “[overcome] their disagreements and unite on the basis of
national principles.”Najib Mikati, who was appointed to the premiership with the
backing of the Hezbollah-led March 8 coalition, has been working since January
to form a government.-NOW Lebanon
White House Says Assad ‘Leading Nation to Dangerous Path’
Naharnet Newsdesk
The White House significantly toughened its stance on Syria on Friday, calling
for an "immediate end to brutality and violence" and warning President Bashar
Assad was leading his nation on a "dangerous path." White House spokesman Jay
Carney issued a statement after Syrian forces killed at least 25 people in
nationwide democracy protests and as security forces launched a long-feared
crackdown on the northwestern flashpoint town of Jisr al-Shughur. "The United
States strongly condemns the Syrian government’s outrageous use of violence
across Syria today and particularly in the northwestern region," Carney said.
"There must be an immediate end to the brutality and violence." The statement
contained a clear sign of Washington's growing impatience over Syria after top
officials had repeatedly called for Assad to embrace reform or get out of the
way -- but stopped short of demanding his departure. "Earlier this week, we
urged the Syrian government to exercise maximum restraint and not to respond to
its own reported losses through additional civilian casualties," Carney said.
"The Syrian government is leading Syria on a dangerous path. "For that reason,
it is critical that all Syrians remain united, work to prevent sectarian
conflict, and pursue their aspirations peacefully," he continued, raising the
prospect of an even deeper abyss of violence and division in Syria. "We stand by
the Syrian people who have shown their courage in demanding dignity and the
transition to democracy that they deserve." He also cited the "appalling
violence" of shootings, assaults and arrests of demonstrators at the hands of
Syrian security forces in explaining why the United States has thrown its weight
behind a U.N. Security Council resolution proposed by Britain and France that
condemns Syria for its crackdown.
Earlier, as the situation in Syria deteriorated, officials at the United Nations
said Assad was refusing to take telephone calls from Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.
The U.S. ambassador in Damascus, Robert Ford, has also seen his requests for
meetings with Syrian government officials repeatedly denied.
In Washington, as the latest drama in the Middle East and North Africa escalated
after a spring of revolt, the State Department noted that international pressure
was beginning to build on Assad. "We will continue to look at ways we can up the
pressure on him. What's important here is that we make it clear to him that
there's growing pressure against his actions," said Mark Toner, a State
Department spokesman. Protesters poured into the streets of major cities and
towns across Syria after Friday prayers, calling on Assad to step down and
expressing solidarity with the residents of Jisr al-Shughur. Syria has mounted a
fierce response to weeks of protests modeled on the uprisings in Egypt and
Tunisia that ousted long-ruling dictators and inspired region-wide revolt. On
Thursday, Assad came under fire from Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan,
a personal friend and longtime ally, who described the treatment of the bodies
of women slain by Syrian security forces as an "atrocity." Erdogan said the
brutal crackdown was "unacceptable" and would "necessarily" lead the U.N.
Security Council to step in. But Russia, one of five veto-wielding members of
the council, opposes any resolution on Syria.
Thousands of Syrian refugees flood into Turkey, says report
June 11, 2011 /Around 4,300 Syrians who fled a brutal crackdown against
pro-democracy protestors are staying in camps in southern Turkey, the Anatolia
news agency reported Saturday. Hundreds have fled in the last 24 hours, the
agency said citing local sources.
Most came from Jisr al-Shugur, a city in northwestern Syria roughly 40
kilometers from the Turkish border that is the latest flashpoint in the
anti-regime uprising and where Syrian state security have conducted a
long-feared assault. On Friday, Syrian television said the army was forced to
intervene because "armed groups" had allegedly committed atrocities in the city.
After crossing the border, the Syrian refugees are escorted by Turkish police
either to area hospitals or to one of three makeshift tent villages in Yayladagi,
in Turkey's Hatay province.
Some 60 people have been hospitalized so far, the news agency said. The Turkish
Red Crescent has started building more camps to the northeast of Yayladagi, in
Altinozu and Boynuyogun, capable of holding 4,000 and 5,000 people respectively,
in anticipation of more refugees to come as the conflict in Syria continues.
Turkish foreign ministry official Halit Cevik declined to estimate the number of
Syrian refugees that may cross the border in the coming days. Turkey's Prime
Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, a personal friend of Syrian President Bashar
al-Assad, said Friday that Syrian troops "do not behave humanely." He also
called the crackdown in Jisr al-Shugur "unacceptable," according to an Anatolia
report.
-AFP/NOW Lebanon
Russia Supports STL, Urges Officials to Form New Cabinet
Naharnet Newsdesk
Russian ambassador to Lebanon Alexander Zasypkin urged the Lebanese to speed up
the government formation process in order for the new Cabinet to improve
cooperation with Russia, As Safir newspaper reported on Saturday. Zasypkin
stressed on “forming a strong government in Lebanon, capable of leading the
country on the security, economy, and political levels.”
Asked about the link between the government formation and the indictment in the
Special Tribunal for Lebanon, he said that Russia rejects any attempts to
politicize the issue.
“We refuse to discuss the repercussions and influences that might take place in
Lebanon because of the indictment,” the ambassador said. Zasypkin added that his
country refuses to take sides in this issue to avoid getting embroiled in this
matter. Furthermore, he ruled out the possibility of a major security incident
taking place in Lebanon in light of the abduction of the seven Estonian cyclists
in March and attack on a UNIFIL patrol at the southern city of Sidon a few weeks
ago. The Russian ambassador concluded with a hope that the regional developments
would positively affect Lebanon.
Nadim Gemayel says Hariri should return to Lebanon
June 11, 2011 /Kataeb bloc MP Nadim Gemayel said on Saturday that outgoing Prime
Minister Saad Hariri should return to the country. “Hariri’s travel outside
Lebanon is a big mistake, not just because he is a caretaker premier, but also
because he is the head of the Future Movement and one of the country’s primary
leaders,” Gemayel told LBC. He also said that the March 14 parties “should not
wait until Hariri returns, but should hold meetings.” The MP added that
Hezbollah and its allies in the March 8 camp “want a complete vacuum of state
institutions.” “They also intend to destroy the country and abolish the role of
institutions.” Gemayel said that “now is the time for the Syrian regime to
collapse.”“Just like we supported the Egyptian, Libyan and Tunisian people, we
must stand behind the Syrian people especially when we see what the regime is
doing.”The Syrian government is engaged in a deadly crackdown on protestors who
since March have been demanding the end of 48 years of rule by the Baath Party,
which is controlled by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.-NOW Lebanon
Aoun: We Will Twist Arm of U.S. Intelligence in Lebanon Like We Twisted Israel’s
Naharnet Newsdesk
Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun announced on Saturday that
Lebanon’s future will be stable, ruling out the eruption of a civil or sectarian
war or Sunni-Shiite conflict in the country. He said upon his arrival to the
southern town of Mlita: “We will twist the arm of U.S. Intelligence in Lebanon
like we twisted that of Israel.”The MP arrived in the South at the head of a FPM
delegation, where they were welcomed by the head of the Loyalty to the
Resistance bloc MP Mohammed Raad and a number of Hizbullah officials. On Friday,
Aoun hoped to Syria’s al-Dunia television that a new Lebanese government would
be formed soon, adding that Syrian President Bashar Assad also hopes the same
thing. “He however cannot replace the Lebanese people’s role as he has his own
problems to contend with,” he continued. “Assad encourages the Lebanese to solve
their own problems,” the MP stressed. Asked about his recent meeting with Prime
Minister-designate Najib Miqati, Aoun replied: “No one tells that truth over the
government formation process and they have been trying to pin problems on other
sides.”“I think that all internal excuses used to justify the delay have been
exhausted,” he stressed. “The ball is not in my court and I have solutions, not
obstacles,” he stated. Meanwhile, prominent FPM circles told al-Liwaa newspaper
in remarks published on Saturday that they are content with the latest progress
in the government formation process after Aoun presented concessions that should
help facilitate and speed up the formation. They added however that President
Michel Suleiman should also “meet the rest of the parties halfway” through
naming a sixth Maronite minister who will not provoke any of the concerned
sides. “Aoun is content with the course taken in the government formation,
especially since the Telecommunications and Energy Ministries have been kept in
the Change and Reform bloc’s possession,” the circles said. Furthermore, they
expected that a meeting will soon take place between Miqati and caretaker Energy
Minister Jebran Bassil to place the finishing touches on the final Cabinet
lineup.
Wahhab laments Mikati’s PM nomination
June 11, 2011 /Arab Tawhid Party leader Wiam Wahhab said on Saturday that his
allies in the March 8 coalition “were dragged into the trouble of naming Najib
Mikati for the Lebanese premiership.”“This is not Mikati’s time. [Former Prime
Minister] Omar Karami should have been named instead,” Wahhab told OTV. “I
respect Mikati, but I do not think he will form a cabinet.” He also said that
both Mikati and President Michel Sleiman will not sign the decree to form a new
cabinet, adding, “they have political calculations that are based on regional
and international developments.” Asked about the situation in Syria, Wahhab said
that he “fears for the country because it [is subject] to immense international
pressure.” “The pressure [on Syria] is beginning to eye [its] economy, and in
the end, the people pay the price.” The Syrian government is engaged in a deadly
crackdown on protestors who since March have been demanding the end of 48 years
of rule by the Baath Party, which is controlled by Syrian President Bashar
al-Assad.-NOW Lebanon
What happens in Syria stays in Syria, Why Russia will
always veto
Ana Maria Luca, June 11, 2011
At least 1,200 people killed in two months, over 10,000 detained, thousands of
refugees fleeing into Lebanon and Turkey, several cities under siege, rampant
human rights violations and a total media blackout. Several Western countries
called for sanctions against the Syrian regime for its violent crackdown on the
protesters calling for the end of Bashar al-Assad's rule. But their initiatives
only led to two failed draft UN Security Council resolutions within a month. The
second resolution, submitted by Great Britain and watered down to fit Russia and
China's interests, failed Friday. The International Atomic Energy Agency, the UN
nuclear watchdog, also referred Syria this week to the Security Council over the
Deir al-Zour facility, which allegedly housed a reactor being built with North
Korean aid and intended to produce enriched plutonium for military use.
Russia and China opposed any resolution on Syria, although the draft on the
uprising only voiced regret about “violence against security forces,” called
“upon all sides to act with utmost restraint and refrain from reprisals” and did
not mention any military strikes. “If anyone votes against that resolution or
tries to veto it, that should be on their conscience,” British Prime Minister
David Cameron said. “It is inconceivable that the United Nations remain silent
on the matter. We are working with our UK friends to have as large a majority as
possible on the Security Council,” French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe also
said. But for the Russian government, what happens in Syria should stay in
Syria. “We do not believe that the Syrian issue is a subject for consideration
by the Security Council, let alone the adoption of some kind of resolution,”
Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Alexander Lukashevich told journalists on
Thursday at a briefing in Moscow. “The situation [in Syria], in our view, does
not present a threat to international peace and security,” he said, repeating
Russia's position that the “Syrians themselves” should resolve the violent
confrontation “without any outside influence.”
According to analysts in Moscow, Russia's geopolitical interests in the Middle
East died with the Soviet Union, but Syria's case is still important for the
Kremlin, not for its economic ties to Russia, which involve mainly the arms
trade, but for its strategic importance to security in the region. Other
analysts say that Russia's internal politics as well as its proximity to the
Middle East might be affected by spreading social upheaval in the wake of the
Arab Spring. Therefore, the Kremlin favors either a quiet change or just a quiet
Syria.
After rejecting the draft Security Council resolution on Syria, Russia announced
it decided to engage both the Assad regime and the opposition in negotiations.
The special envoy of Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said Friday he would "in
the very near future" meet representatives of the Syrian opposition as Moscow
calls for a diplomatic solution to the unrest in the Arab country. "The Russians
are very concerned that a military intervention in Syria would lead to a
regional conflagration that would bring in not just the United States but also
Israel and Iran," head of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in
Moscow, Dmitri Trenin, told NOW Lebanon. He explained that the Russian
government believes that a resolution on Syria is the first step toward military
intervention against the Assad regime. “The resolution on Libya did not call for
the things that were done later. The Russians are worried that [the UN] might
denounce the regime, call on it to stop the violence, and it is clear that the
resolution will be ignored. Then another resolution will follow, asking for
stronger measures," he said.
For Russia, a strike on Syria could also lead to a radicalization of the
situation in the region, Trenin added. "You have Hezbollah in Lebanon, you also
have Hamas in Syria, and Iran close by. Iran will see an intervention in Syria
as a direct threat, and it will react to that through its proxies. The whole
region will suffer.”
Several international relations analysts have said that, as is also the case
with China, the authoritarian government in the Kremlin might fear trouble with
the domestic opposition, as well as more trouble in the neighboring Caucasus and
Central Asia, where most regimes are also authoritarian. "Central Asia, I
believe, will have its own share of public disturbances. The issues in Central
Asia are very explosive. We've seen Kirgizstan and recently Tajikistan in a
civil war and also Azerbaijan – where they had a statue of Hosni Mubarak until a
few days ago. The Russians feel that these regimes are not stable, that domestic
tensions are mounting, and that this might lead to upheavals. But not as a
result of what is happening in the Arab world, though. They have their own
domestic roots," he said.
Walid Jumblatt
Hazem al-Amin, June 10, 2011/Now Lebanon
Walid Jumblatt is trying to sell the mistaken idea that he is about to make yet
another change in political sides, and is employing a deceitful propaganda for
that purpose. Journalists gravitating around him write about the overt and
official stance of “their friend” on the one hand and, on the other, say that
the signals he is giving out allow them to feel he is complaining of his new
domestic and foreign allies. Yet Jumblatt has a role to play in both cases: He
stands firm in his new position and is aware that a “change” will be hard and
messy. At the same time, he is sending the abovementioned signals in an attempt
to win over “the new wave,” thinking that his call will be heeded if “all hell
breaks loose.”
The panoply of signals in Walid Jumblatt’s dictionary is probably well known,
and its targets no longer react according to the man’s intended purpose. Upon
hearing his complaints about the Syrian regime, his allies in Damascus do not
give them any credit, as they’d rather believe that these complaints are
addressed to someone else. In turn, his genuine targets, i.e. his new foes, are
aware that his words do not aim to win anyone over; rather, they allow him to
stand in a murky area that grants him freedom to choose between throwing himself
into their embrace and swooping down on them.
According to a Lebanese political figure who was strongly impressed by Walid
Jumblatt, to whom he referred as the only politician in Lebanon, his friend “is
no longer anything more than the leader of a six MP-strong bloc.” A Druze sheikh
said that his leader “went from being the number one leader in the March 14
coalition to the fifth or sixth position among March 8 forces.” This goes
without mentioning his chaotic statements, flailing options and underestimation
of his status by his new allies. In fact, Jumblatt is the last one who is taken
into consideration in the distribution of ministerial portfolios in the
ebb-and-flow of cabinet formation efforts. He is also the last one whose opinion
is taken into account when the March 8 alliance decides to wage battles that
might cause new members to lose even more bartering chips. No one had a second
thought for his opinion when the decision was made to abduct an old Druze Baath
member in Aley, thus prompting Druze sheikhs to say that their leader’s dramatic
turnaround did not unify his community or shield it from the threats entailed by
various “majorities.” This is added to numerous reports about a “Druze economic
crisis,” as proven by the periodical and very regular aid offered by Jumblatt to
rural and mountain communities that are worn out and confronted with further
emigration due to the depletion of resources and the sparse support of new
allies.
When hearing a “pure” pro-Jumblatt voice such as Ghazi Aridi’s today, one thinks
it is laden with excessive pragmatism, such as when saying repeatedly in one
interview: “We are against the spread of weapons in Beirut.” One wonders whom
the man is addressing, and the answer comes out as “no one.” Indeed, if
Hezbollah is the target, the party knows quite well that Jumblatt has pledged
allegiance to them, specifically to Hezbollah’s weapons in Beirut, as proven by
the humiliating response to the Black Shirts’ call. And if his words are
addressed to Saad Hariri, the latter knows quite well too that Jumblatt does not
mean what he is saying, as proven by the same example. To whom, then, is Walid
Jumblatt talking when saying he is against weapons in Beirut? In the best of
cases, the answer is “to no one” because his voice has lost a great deal of its
efficiency.
Great Lebanese Composer Walid Ghulmiyeh Mourned in Beirut Church
Naharnet Newsdesk
Lebanon's great composer Walid Ghulmiyeh's funeral was held at noon Saturday at
St. Nicolas Church in Achrafieh. His body will be later taken to his birthplace
in Marjeyoun town in the South, to be buried in the family cemetary. Ghulmiyeh,
President of the Lebanese National Higher Conservatory of Music, had died at the
age of 73 after a long battle with illness, state-run National News Agency
reported Tuesday. Ghulmiyeh died at the American University Hospital, where he
was being treated.As the news broke out, mourners flocked to the maestro’s
residence in Beirut’s Hamra district to extend their condolences. Ghulmiyeh was
considered one of the most prominent Middle-Eastern conductors and composers.
Born in the southern Lebanese city of Marjeyoun, he initially studied
mathematics at the American University of Beirut before dedicating his education
and life to music. He is the founder of both the Lebanese National Symphony
Orchestra and the Lebanese National Arabic Oriental Orchestra. Established in
2000, the Lebanese National Symphony Orchestra under the leadership of Ghulmiyeh
was able to prove itself both locally and regionally. In a period of 25 months,
the Orchestra presented more than 60 performances in different cities, including
a varied international repertoire by world-renowned classical music composers.
On August 2, 2002, Ghulmiyeh led the Lebanese National Symphony Orchestra at the
Baalbek International Festival.
On April 17, 2006, Ghulmiyeh led the Lebanese National Orchestra for Oriental
Arabic Music in a captivating evening of Arabic music classics at the Abu Dhabi
Music and Arts Foundation annual festival. He had also headed the panel of
judges on the renowned Lebanese television talent show, "Studio el Fan," which
is credited for launching the careers of many Lebanese and Arab artists.
Ghulmiyeh composed the Iraqi national anthem, "Ardulfurataini Watan" (Land of
Two Rivers) that was in use from 1979 until 2003.
New Govt. Hurdles: Suleiman’s Veto, Arslan’s Demand, Naming
6th Sunni Minister
Naharnet Newsdesk
Three new obstacles have risen in the government formation process culminating
in differences over naming the sixth Sunni minister, Lebanese Democratic Party
leader MP Talal Arslan’s demand for a Cabinet portfolio, and President Michel
Suleiman’s refusal to reappoint Adnan Sayyed Hussein as minister
The dispute over the sixth Sunni minister arose when Speaker Nabih Berri’s
advisor MP Ali Hasan Khalil and Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah’s
political advisor Hussein al-Khalil held talks with Prime Minister-designate
Najib Miqati on Friday afternoon.
The meeting was expected to tackle the distribution of portfolios among the
various political blocs, but it developed into a disagreement over Miqati’s
insistence to appoint Faisal Karami, son of former Premier Omar Karami, to the
Cabinet and Hizbullah’s demand to appoint Ahmed Karami instead.
The party had reportedly informed the former PM that his son would be handed a
government portfolio, but probably had a change of opinion to cater to its ally,
Ahmed Karami.
The talks also addressed Arslan’s refusal to be granted a state ministry
portfolio, reported the daily An Nahar on Saturday.
The Lebanese Democratic Party had announced Friday night “its absolute rejection
of proposals that it be represented in government by the position of minister of
state.”
It also voiced its reservations over the vague positions over what it described
as “discrimination” adopted by the Druze sect.
As for the third obstacle, Suleiman refused Sayyed Hussein’s reappointment to
Cabinet in response to his resignation from the previous government without
consulting him.
The president remained adamant on his position even after Hizullah suggested
abandoning two ministers from its share.
Sayyed Hussein was appointed to the previous government as being allied to the
president and his resignation in January along with March 8 camp ministers led
to the toppling of the government headed by Premier Saad Hariri.
Analysis: Civil war fears grow in Syria
By Mariam Karouny
BEIRUT | Fri Jun 10, 2011
http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/06/10/us-syria-war-idUSTRE7592T320110610
BEIRUT (Reuters) - Fears that Syria may slide into civil war are growing after a
week when the government said over 120 servicemen were killed at a town near the
Turkish border.
As it sent tanks on Friday into Jisr al-Shughour, a mainly Sunni Muslim town
whose 50,000 inhabitants had mostly fled, the cause of last weekend's bloodshed
was still in dispute -- state media blamed unidentified gunmen but democracy
activists said troops mutinied after refusing to fire on unarmed demonstrators.
Whatever the truth, the killings suggest either cracks within President Bashar
al-Assad's security forces or the beginnings of an armed revolt -- or some
combination of the two.
Either way, the scale of the killing in an area prone to tension between Syria's
Sunni majority and Assad's Alawite sect points to a bloodier turn of events
after three months of unrest against 41 years of Alawite-dominated Assad family
rule.
That in turn would rock the entire Middle East, where Syria, Iran's main Arab
ally, sits at the heart of numerous conflicts.
"The country is sliding toward civil war. It is a step toward civil war," said
Syria expert Joshua Landis, associate professor of Middle East studies at
Oklahoma University.
He noted that the poor area around Jisr al-Shughour, lying at the foot of the "Alawite
Mountain," the heartland of the dominant minority sect, was home to conservative
Sunni Muslims.
Many Syrians who joined the Sunni Islamist insurgency in Iraq against U.S.
forces came from that region, he added.
"It's got a history of anti-government agitations," Landis said. "The Islamic
currents are very strong there."
WILL IT SPREAD?
In 1980, the late Hafez al-Assad, who preceded his son as president, crushed a
Sunni revolt in Jisr al-Shughour, which lies on a strategically important road
between Syria's second city Aleppo and the main Mediterranean port of Latakia.
Two years later, Assad's forces put down an armed uprising in Hama by the Sunni
Islamist Muslim Brotherhood, killing many thousands and razing the old town --
an event which still resonates for Syrians considering challenging their rulers.
Those who have taken a lead in demonstrating for reforms, inspired by the
Tunisian and Egyptian protests which launched the Arab Spring, stress their
insistence on non-violent action.
Few are willing to speak publicly about taking up arms. And some dismiss talk of
sectarian and ethnic violence as scaremongering by Assad loyalists intent on
keeping power.
However, in conversations this week with a number of Syrian activists, several
said they believed some of Assad's opponents were already using weapons,
including arms smuggled from abroad. "Some people have taken up arms against the
security forces in Jisr al-Shughour. We know that," said one activist who, like
many, would speak on the subject only on condition of anonymity. "The question
is: Is this limited? Or is it going to spread to other cities?"
After years of repression, it is hard to establish the strength in Syria of
organised movements like the Muslim Brotherhood, let alone of other
anti-government groups.
As in several other towns, residents in Jisr al-Shughour have accused Alawite
militiamen, known as shabiha and fiercely loyal to the Assads, of helping the
security forces.
Two activists said armed Sunni men, as well as shabiha groups, had set up rival
sets of checkpoints on roads -- an echo of the kind of sectarian tension
familiar from neighboring Lebanon and Iraq. Guns are widely available across
Syria.
"People have taken arms," Landis at Oklahoma University said. "Things are about
to get a lot worse than we thought."
FIGHTING BACK
Louay Hussein, an activist in Damascus, said he did not know of Sunnis taking up
arms in the northwest of the country. But he told Reuters from the capital: "We
have warned the authorities from the beginning that the excessive use of
violence will, in the end, allow armed groups to use violence against them."
Assad has responded to protests, which began in the southern Sunni town of Deraa,
by offering discussions on reform but also by sending in security forces to
detain and kill demonstrators.
The government insists it is willing to listen but rejects Western pressure for
radical changes. It points out Syria has a potentially volatile mix of ethnic
and religious communities, including Christians and Kurds, as well as Sunnis and
Alawites.
"Syria is a mosaic," Syrian government spokeswoman Reem Haddad told Al Jazeera
this week.
"It is made of many different sects living together."
Many in the Christian and Alawite minorities say they support reforms, but fear
that calls for the overthrow of Assad could fragment the country of 20 million
and hand it over to hardline Sunni Islamists who would persecute other
religions.
Assad's initial response to the protests has included steps toward reforms,
including granting citizenship to some ethnic Kurds, lifting a draconian state
of emergency, freeing hundreds of prisoners and calling for a national dialogue.
Protests, triggered by anger and frustration at corruption, poverty and lack of
freedoms, have been mainly peaceful, though rights groups say the death toll
among protesters is over 1,100.
At least 200 security personnel have also been killed, the government says.
Activists say that at least some of the dead soldiers were killed for disobeying
orders to stop protests.
Syria has expelled Reuters correspondents and barred most foreign media,
preventing independent reporting from Syria.
BOTH SIDES DETERMINED
Fayez Sara, an opposition figure who was detained earlier in the uprising, said
he still has hopes that a political solution might save the country from
descending into chaos.
"We should try till the last minute because otherwise the price tag will be
high," he told Reuters from Damascus.
"When we say the time has ran out for a political solution, this means we are
opening the country to civil war."
Western powers and their Arab allies have voiced concern but show no appetite
for Libya-style intervention in Syria. The gravity of the situation particularly
alarms some across the border in Lebanon, where officials with ties to Syria
privately express concern that some areas may be headed for chaos.
A Lebanese analyst, who is close to some opposition figures in Syria, said: "We
have been warning our Syrian brothers but they do not want to listen. They think
the civil war in Lebanon and in Iraq will not reach them. They are wrong."
The possibility of splits in the armed forces, where the top command ranks and
elite units are largely Alawite while the mass of conscripts are Sunni, is also
a concern.
A Damascus based analyst, echoing many observers abroad, said Assad and his
Alawite allies appeared bent on hanging to power at all costs: "The regime has
essentially vowed to break the country over the people's heads," the analyst
said.
"It will push the country over the cliff unless Syrian society resists its
divisive tactics. So the fate of Syria lies not in the hands of the regime, but
in that of the people."
An activist who took part in an opposition conference in Turkey last week said
he believed that widespread violence was a risk many were willing to take,
however, to be rid of Assad.
"Even if there is ... a civil war or anything like that, people are determined
to go all the way, to the end, regardless of the cost," he said.
"We want him out and we want to be free of this regime.
"The regime is pushing the country toward civil war and we are heading that way
it seems."
(Editing by Alastair Macdonald)
It's Time to Bring Assad's Regime In Syria to an End
By Kenneth Bandler
Published June 10, 2011
FoxNews.com
http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2011/06/10/its-time-to-bring-assads-regime-in-syria-to-end/
Believe it or not, there are protestors the Syrian regime has no desire to
target. They are the hundreds of Palestinians bussed by the government to the
Israeli border in a cynical effort to deflect attention from its campaign of
murdering its own citizens. After decades of quiet on the Syrian-Israeli border,
the Bashar al-Assad regime has sought twice in recent days to provoke a
confrontation with the Israeli army.
The first instance coincided with the May 15 Nakba Day protests, marking the
“catastrophe” of Israel’s creation. One of the Syrians who breached the Golan
Heights border fence was found later in the day strolling in Tel Aviv. All who
illegally crossed into Israel were found and returned to Syria with stern
warnings not to try again.
But on the anniversary of the June 1967 war, Palestinians rushed the border
again, ignoring repeated Israeli warnings to backdown. Tragically, several were
killed in the melee.
Clearly, Palestinians in Syria, kept for decades in U.N.-supported refugee camps
and denied the chance for full integration in Syrian society, did not get the
message that the planned June 5 protests had been cancelled in Lebanon and Gaza.
The Assad regime also missed that update, perhaps because it sporadically turns
off Internet access, or, more likely, chose to ignore it. Some reports indicate
that the Syrian regime paid Palestinians to protest at the border, with higher
sums going to the families of those ready to die.
While the border clash was carried on Syrian TV, the main news event for the
Syrian people remains the regime’s daily bloody assault, which after three
months has now extended beyond major cities to remote sections of the country,
and cost the lives so far of more than 1,300 Syrians.
In the two days before Sunday’s border confrontation, another 100 people were
mowed down in what’s become a familiar, yet still shocking, weekly pattern of
brutality.
Friday prayers in mosques are followed by peaceful demonstrations, to which the
regime reflexively responds with brute force, leading to dozens of dead
protestors.
Then, on Saturday, the funerals, and accompanying demonstrations, are followed
by more deaths resulting from the Syrian policy of shoot first, ask questions
later.
It’s a wonder the country is functioning at all, with so many living in fear of
their government. As the weeks go by, and the intensity of the repression rises,
with the regime using tanks and helicopter gunships to slaughter Syrians, as
well as counsel from its ally, Iran, so, too, have the levels of defiance and
courage surged. Opponents of the Assad regime have come a long way since some
activists, inspired by the events in Egypt and Tunisia, used social media to
tentatively organize a first public protest in early February.
The protestors are energized and getting more organized. Turkey’s decision to
host a gathering of Syrian exiles, and the decision by some who daringly crossed
the border from Syria to participate, reflects a growing impatience with the
regime’s obstinacy. Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan, who until recently had been
an intimate friend of Assad's, also has appealed to the Syrian leader to
urgently implement reforms.
But the ability to influence the deaf Assad regime is frustratingly limited. A
possible U.N. Security Council resolution to condemn the Syrian crackdown,
proposed by France and Britain after weeks of delay because of Chinese and
Russian opposition, would be another important statement of international
concern. As a practical matter, though, it will likely have as little impact on
Syria as the U.N. Human Rights Council condemnation of a few weeks ago.
With the U.S. engaged in Afghanistan and Iraq, and NATO enmeshed in the
U.N.-sanctioned campaign in Libya, there will be little appetite for military
action to unseat Assad, even as questions arise as to why Libya merits the use
of outside force but not Syria.
Assad has not publicly called his opponents “rats” who should be killed as
Qaddafi did, but the Syrian despot’s approach has been no less sinister. With
few public appearances and statements, Assad has woven a web of deceit that in
turn has severely diminished whatever last shred of credibility his rule may
have held.
Assad has offered, albeit without any follow-up, “reform,” while also pursuing a
merciless campaign of violent repression against the Syrian people. The story
line his regime has projected, that those behind the protests are terrorists and
armed gangs under the influence of foreign agents, is fanciful.
Distrust of what the Assad regime is saying looms now over the reported killing
of as many as 120 Syrian soldiers in the northern Syrian town of Jisr al-Shughour.
While that number is unconfirmed, so are the circumstances in what has been
largely an evolving civil war between nonviolent protestors and a harsh,
well-armed regime. This may be the first indication that some who serve the
regime may be reconsidering their loyalties and turning their weapons on the
oppressors.
The reflexive response for a regime that has shown no tolerance for any dissent
is disturbingly predictable. It likely will involve more carnage, which explains
why Syrians are fleeing the northern towns.
Syria must be treated as an urgent international priority. Stronger statements
from the U.S., EU and others pointedly calling for Assad’s removal, the only
possible option to resolving the crisis at this point, are needed as well as
serious consideration of additional diplomatic, economic, and other measures
that can help bring about an end to the regime and set the stage for a new era
for the Syrian people.
Kenneth Bandler is the American Jewish Committee’s Director of Media Relations.
Question: "What is the proper way to pray?"
GotQuestions.org
Answer: Is it best to pray standing up, sitting down, kneeling, or bowing down?
Should our hands be open, closed, or lifted up to God? Do our eyes need to be
closed when we pray? Is it better to pray in a church building or out in nature?
Should we pray in the morning when we get up or at night before we go to bed?
Are there certain words we need to say in our prayers? How do we begin our
prayers? What is the proper way to close a prayer? These questions, and others,
are common questions asked about prayer. What is the proper way to pray? Do any
of the above things even matter?
Far too often, prayer is viewed as a “magic formula.” Some believe that if we do
not say exactly the right things, or pray in the right position, God will not
hear and answer our prayer. This is completely unbiblical. God does not answer
our prayers based on when we pray, where we are, what position our body is in,
or in what order we word our prayers. We are told in 1 John 5:14-15 to have
confidence when we come to God in prayer, knowing He hears us and will grant
whatever we ask as long as it is in His will. Similarly, John 14:13-14 declares,
“And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to
the Father. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.” According
to these and many other Scriptures, God answers prayer requests based on whether
they are asked according to His will and in the name of Jesus (to bring glory to
Jesus).
So, what is the proper way to pray? Philippians 4:6-7 tells us to pray without
being anxious, to pray about everything, and to pray with thankful hearts. God
will answer all such prayers with the gift of His peace in our hearts. The
proper way to pray is to pour out our hearts to God, being honest and open with
God, as He already knows us better than we know ourselves. We are to present our
requests to God, keeping in mind that God knows what is best and will not grant
a request that is not His will for us. We are to express our love, gratitude,
and worship to God in prayer without worrying about having just the right words
to say. God is more interested in the content of our hearts than the eloquence
of our words.
The closest the Bible comes to giving a “pattern” for prayer is the Lord’s
Prayer in Matthew 6:9-13. Please understand that the Lord’s Prayer is not a
prayer we are to memorize and recite to God. It is an example of the things that
should go into a prayer—worship, trust in God, requests, confession, and
submission. We are to pray for the things the Lord’s Prayer talks about, using
our own words and “customizing” it to our own journey with God. The proper way
to pray is to express our hearts to God. Sitting, standing, or kneeling; hands
open or closed; eyes opened or closed; in a church, at home, or outside; in the
morning or at night—these are all side issues, subject to personal preference,
conviction, and appropriateness. God’s desire is for prayer to be a real and
personal connection between Himself and us.