LCCC
ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
ِNovember
04/2011
Bible Quotation
for today/The Parable of the Sower
Matthew 13/01-09: "That same day Jesus left the house and went to the lakeside,
where he sat down to teach. The crowd that gathered around him was so large that
he got into a boat and sat in it, while the crowd stood on the shore. He used
parables to tell them many things. Once there was a man who went out to sow
grain. As he scattered the seed in the field, some of it fell along the path,
and the birds came and ate it up. Some of it fell on rocky ground, where there
was little soil. The seeds soon sprouted, because the soil wasn't deep. But when
the sun came up, it burned the young plants; and because the roots had not grown
deep enough, the plants soon dried up. Some of the seed fell among thorn bushes,
which grew up and choked the plants. But some seeds fell in good soil, and the
plants bore grain: some had one hundred grains, others sixty, and others thirty.
And Jesus concluded, Listen, then, if you have ears!
Latest analysis, editorials, studies, reports, letters & Releases from
miscellaneous sources
Saving al-Assad/By Tariq Alhomayed/November
02/11
Mesbah Ahdab, Vice President of the
D.R.M paper on on Turkish and EU support for the Arab Spring/November
02/11
Qatar’s diplomatic dynamism/By:
Tony Badran/November
02/11
Latest News Reports From Miscellaneous Sources for November 02/11
A military war of nerves against
Iran: The US leads, Israel and UK go along
Britain making contingency plans
for strike on Iran, paper reports
Haaretz poll: 80% of Israelis
believe Iran strike will lead to war with Hamas, Hezbollah
Report: Netanyahu ordered Shin Bet
to investigate leaks on Iran attack
Canada's Statement on Participation in Gaza Flotilla
Report: Bellemare Suffering from
‘Serious Illness’ but STL Work Ongoing
Maronite Bishops Urge Lebanese to
Reject Confrontation with International Community
Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi
Back from Iraq: Not All Lebanese in Israel are Collaborators
New Law Allows Lebanese who Fled to
Israel Return Home
Kataeb bloc MP Elie Marouni: No
‘fair trials’ possible in Lebanon for returnees from Israel
Geagea: Syrian Regime Cannot
Implement Arab League Initiative
Progressive Socialist Party MP
Akram Chehayeb commends ISF report on Syrians’ abduction
Hezbollah Deputy Secretary General
Sheikh Naim Qassem : Resistance and reform are inseparable
Libya Keen on Revealing Fate of
Imam Moussa al-Sadr
Future bloc MP Ahmad Fatfat:
Demarcating borders with Syria important for security
Lebanese Army: Temporary Freeze to
All Arms Licenses
Arrest Warrants against 3 Syrians
over Arms Trade
Jumblat Refuses to Back Down on his
Decision to Leave Party Leadership
Syria Troops Kill 9 a Day after
Peace Plan Accord
Analysts: Arabs throw lifeline to
embattled Assad
Two Afghans Killed in Attack near
Herat Airport in Afghanistan
Israel freezes UNESCO funding after
Palestinian membership
Maronite Bishops Urge Lebanese to Reject Confrontation with
International Community
Naharnet /The Maronite Bishops Council condemned on Thursday the ongoing
political divide in Lebanon, urging the Lebanese to commit to their country and
reject any foreign meddling.
It said in a statement after its monthly meeting: “The political divide pains us
and we call on the Lebanese to reject any attempts to drive the country towards
a confrontation with the international community.”“We also condemn all that
violates the country’s sovereignty, as well as all that destabilizes its
security, whether it be through crimes, theft, or violations against public
property,” it continued. “All these developments are a cause for concern and it
is as if the Lebanese have not made up their mind about living under the rule of
a state where all citizens are equal,” noted the statement. Addressing regional
developments, the Maronite bishops condemned the ongoing violence in the region,
voicing their concern over the lack of religious and moral standards in the
developments in the Arab world. The gatherers also discussed Maronite Patriarch
Beshara al-Rahi’s recent visits to the United States and Iraq.
Report: Bellemare Suffering from ‘Serious Illness’ but STL
Work Ongoing
Naharnet /Special Tribunal for Lebanon Prosecutor Judge Daniel Bellemare is
suffering from an advanced stage of diabetes, the pan-Arab daily al-Hayat
reported on Thursday.
Bellemare has isolated himself in a room in Canada away from the people’s sight
over his “serious illness,” it said. STL spokesman Martin Youssef told the daily
that the tribunal doesn’t “discuss the health” of those who are part of the
tribunal, according to its policies. “Concerning the work of the tribunal, I
confirm that the work of the prosecutor’s office is ongoing without any
administrative delay,” the spokesman said. Youssef stressed that according to
the tribunal’s policies only “United Nations General-Secretary Ban Ki-moon is
allowed to appoint the prosecutor and his team for a period of three renewable
years.”He noted that Bellemare’s “mission” will end in February 2012. Sources
told the newspaper that the tribunal’s “work is moving forward,” noting that the
absence of Bellemare didn’t “delay or obstruct” efforts to hold a trial in
absentia or “any other form of the tribunal’s work.”“Some officials are urging
head of U.N. Under-Secretary-General for Legal Affairs Patricia O'Brien to look
for a successor for Bellemare, if his health condition deteriorated more,” the
sources said.The tribunal, based in The Hague, was created by a 2007 U.N.
Security Council resolution, at Lebanon's request to try those responsible for
the February 14, 2005 bombing that killed ex-Prime Minister Rafik Hariri and 21
others in Beirut. In October, the STL announced it would hold a hearing on
November 11 to discuss whether to try four Hizbullah operatives in absentia. The
court has indicted Hizbullah members Salim Ayyash, Mustafa Badreddine, Hussein
Oneissi and Assad Sabra. However, they have not been arrested.
Geagea: Syrian Regime Cannot Implement Arab League
Initiative
Naharnet /Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea noted on Thursday that the Syrian
regime cannot go ahead with the Arab League proposal even though it had
announced its acceptance of the initiative “without reservations.”He added: “The
regime has only made a political maneuver and it cannot withdraw its troops from
the streets and it will not allow the media and rights groups to enter Syria.”
Addressing parliament’s approval of a law allowing Lebanese who fled to Israel
to return to their country, he noted: “If only parliament had adopted the
Phalange Party bloc’s proposal on this matter, which presents a radical solution
to this matter, while the new suggestion does not offer a resolution to it.”
“What was presented at parliament on Wednesday does not differ from what is
taking place on the ground as investigations are made with women and children
refugees, while the men are sent to trial,” he explained. “Shouldn’t the case of
Lebanese in Israel be resolved after ten years of the liberation of southern
Lebanon?” wondered the LF leader.
“How come families are allowed to demonstrate and block roads demanding amnesty
for drug dealers while Lebanese in Israel are not allowed to return to their
homeland?” asked Geagea.
Furthermore, he said that the Lebanese Forces MPs had presented in 2008 a draft
law on granting compensations to the families of Lebanese prisoners in Syrian
jails, but the Change and Reform bloc MPs dismissed the matter and instead
presented a draft law on the issue to Speaker Nabih Berri who is their ally. “It
has turned out that the law they proposed does not meet the necessary conditions
… and it will be merged with the LF MPs’ proposal …. If only the law on the
Lebanese refugees would have been dealt with in the same way,” he added.
“The current Lebanese government does not have the necessary elements to sustain
itself and it never really had them to begin with,” he continued.
“Each day this government is in power harms Lebanon,” Geagea stressed. “The
Lebanese citizen is being disregarded and therefore it is best that the
government resign,” he stated. Parliament had approved on Wednesday a law
allowing Lebanese refugees in Israel the right to return to Lebanon. The law was
initially proposed by Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun and amended
by Speaker Nabih Berri. Parliament also rejected granting families of Lebanese
prisoners in Syrian jails compensations, citing a lack of funds.
New Law Allows Lebanese who Fled to
Israel Return Home
Naharnet /Change and Reform bloc MP Ibrahim Kenaan stressed on Thursday that a
law facilitating the return of Lebanese who fled to Israel will be implemented
on all those who went to the Jewish state, including those who joined the South
Lebanon Army militia or collaborated with it. Parliament on Wednesday approved
the draft law proposed by the bloc leader MP Michel Aoun to facilitate the
return of Lebanese who went to Israel after its withdrawal from the South in May
2000. “The law is implementable on all citizens who escaped to Israel,” Kenaan
stressed in remarks to An Nahar daily. He said those who had joined the SLA can
now return and face a fair trial. “Their families can return without facing any
prosecution.”
The law stipulates that Lebanese who joined the SLA or collaborated with it will
be arrested by the authorities on the Lebanese-Israeli border upon their return
and tried under the local law.
But their families and other Lebanese who hadn’t collaborated with the Jewish
state could return under certain mechanisms and regulations to be stipulated in
decrees issued by the cabinet later on. The law also stipulates that the return
should take place within one year of the issuance of the decrees. Kenaan said
however that there could be some controversy on Lebanese who have been recruited
in the Israeli army or are married to Israeli women. The cases of Lebanese who
have lost their identification papers and have been given Israeli passports
should also be resolved, he told An Nahar. An estimated 4,000 Lebanese reside in
Israel but Lebanese authorities don’t have any specific data as some have
travelled to western countries such as the U.S. and Canada in the past 11 years.
Speaker Nabih Berri hailed the parliament’s accomplishments, telling As Safir
newspaper that Wednesday’s session was “productive.”
“Most of the draft laws that were on the legislature’s agenda were adopted,” he
said. MPs agreed “in principle” on a draft law also proposed by the Change and
Reform bloc to pay compensations for Lebanese who were held in Syrian prisons.
But the proposal was put on the agenda of the next parliamentary session after
tasking the administrative and justice committee to tackle its details.
Kataeb bloc MP Elie Marouni: No ‘fair trials’ possible in
Lebanon for returnees from Israel
November 3, 2011 /Kataeb bloc MP Elie Marouni said on Thursday that Wednesday’s
draft law allowing the return of Lebanese who fled to Israel in 2000 is faulty
because those referred to the judiciary by the law “will not receive fair trials
in light of Hezbollah’s hegemony over Lebanon’s courts.” Marouni in an interview
with Akhbar al-Yawm voiced his surprise that Hezbollah MPs accepted Aoun’s
proposal. “If it was us who presented the proposal, [and not Aoun], then we
would have been accused of treason and labeled as [Israeli] agents.” Hezbollah
calls for sentencing to death any Israeli spy caught in Lebanon. The MP said
that the Kataeb Party has been calling recently for allowing Lebanese refugees
to return to their homeland. Kataeb bloc MP Sami Gemayel presented a proposal on
this matter in which he called for granting amnesty to all Lebanese refugees,
Marouni added. He also said that his bloc tried to merge Gemayel and Aoun’s
proposals, adding that the Kataeb bloc supported Aoun’s proposal and called for
granting general amnesty to all Lebanese refugees. The draft law calls for
allowing the return of Lebanese who fled to Israel following the Jewish State’s
withdrawal from the South in 2000. However, the law differentiates between
people who were forced to flee and those who actively collaborated with Israel.
-NOW Lebanon
Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi Back from Iraq: Not All
Lebanese in Israel are Collaborators
Naharnet /Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi on Wednesday called for
“differentiating between those who collaborated with the Israeli enemy and those
who had to flee” to the Jewish state following the Israeli withdrawal from south
Lebanon in 2000.Talking to reporters at the Beirut airport upon his return from
a 2-day visit to Iraq, al-Rahi described his trip as “successful.” Asked about
his stance on Premier Najib Miqati’s government and its performance, the
patriarch said: “We respect every authority and we wish success for every
authority, because every authority must shoulder its responsibilities, and we
don’t discriminate between a government and another or a premier and another.”
And answering a question about parliament’s approval of a draft law proposed by
MP Michel Aoun on the return home of Lebanese citizens who had fled to Israel
during the Israeli withdrawal in 2000, the patriarch said: “I was very pleased
when I heard the news in Baghdad.”“This issue is of major concern to us because
the Lebanese citizens who were residing in the south were abandoned and
neglected by the state, until the occupation arrived and forced some of them to
do that (collaborate with Israel),” al-Rahi said.
“We must differentiate between those who had really collaborated, or conspired,
with the Israeli enemy and those who had to flee … to the occupied territories
(Israel) to salvage themselves,” he added. Al-Rahi recalled the 1983 Israeli
withdrawal from the Chouf area and the deadly Christian-Druze battles that
ensued, saying those who fled to Israel in 2000 probably escaped a similar
scenario.Source Agence France Presse
Wael Abbas Questioned as Details Emerge on Conditions of
Arrest
Naharnet /The ringleader of the network that abducted the seven Estonian
tourists in March, Wael Abbas, was on Thursday being questioned by the Internal
Security Forces Intelligence Branch, judicial sources told pan-Arab daily
al-Hayat.The sources said Abbas was first questioned by the General Security
Department and was then transferred to the Intelligence Branch.
After the interrogation of the Intelligence Branch, he will be referred to the
military prosecutor, Judge Fadi Sawan, who is investigating the kidnapping of
the Estonians.
But the National News Agency said Abbas was on Thursday still in the custody of
General Security. The seven Estonians were abducted in the eastern Bekaa Valley
on March 23, hours after entering Lebanon from Syria on a bicycle tour and were
held for nearly four months before being released on July 14. Abbas was arrested
on Wednesday. Media reports said he was seized as he tried to enter Syria on a
forged passport.
But official sources said that Abbas escaped more than two weeks ago to Doha via
Damascus by using the forged ID identifying his family name as al-Fliti hailing
from the Bekaa town of Arsal. Qatari authorities arrested him after discovering
that his passport was forged and deported him to Syria where he was arrested by
the Syrian General Security, they said.
The sources added that his family tried to mediate for his release in Syria to
prevent the authorities there from handing him over to Lebanon. However, Abbas
was transferred to Lebanon’s General Security based upon a protocol signed
between the two countries. According to An Nahar newspaper, Abbas is the leader
of a six-member gang that kidnapped the Estonians at the expense of a bigger and
more dangerous network. His arrest raised the number of those executed the
abduction to four. The other two remain out of sight. Six suspects from the
larger network are also in custody, An Nahar said although it stressed that the
number of those who are at large is much higher. Three of them have been killed
in clashes with the Intelligence Branch. They are Kanan Yassine, Munir Jalloul
and Darwish Khanjar.
Syria Accepts Arab Plan, Qatar PM Urges 'Serious'
Implementation
Naharnet /Syria accepted Wednesday an Arab League plan to end nearly eight
months of bloodshed in the revolt-hit country, as the Arab organization urged
Damascus to “seriously” implement the approved roadmap.The agreement announced
at a meeting of Arab foreign ministers in Cairo came amid huge pressure on
President Bashar al-Assad's regime, even from traditional allies such as China,
to end weeks of prevarication and sign up to the deal drawn up by the pan-Arab
bloc.
Briefing reporters after the meeting, Qatari Premier Sheikh Hamad bin Jassem al-Thani,
the head of an Arab task force on the Syrian crisis, said: "The agreement is
clear and we are pleased to have reached it and we’ll be more pleased when it is
implemented.""What’s important is the Syrian side’s commitment to implementing
this agreement, we hope and wish the implementation will be serious, whether
concerning the cessation of violence and killing or concerning (the release of)
prisoners" and the withdrawal of forces from towns and districts, Sheikh Hamad
stressed. He noted that "if Syria does not respect its commitments, the
ministerial committee will meet again and take the necessary decisions."
Arab League chief Nabil al-Arabi said the main aim was "to provide an Arab
solution which sends a clear message to the Syrian people of qualitative
progress towards halting all forms of violence." Earlier on Wednesday, a League
official said "the Syrian delegation accepted the Arab League plan without
reservations and in its entirety."
The peace plan agreed to by Syria, a copy of which was obtained by Agence France
Presse, provides for a "complete halt to the violence to protect civilians."
More than 3,000 people have died in the government's bloody crackdown on the
unprecedented protests against President Bashar al-Assad's rule which broke out
in mid-March, according to U.N. figures.
The blueprint also calls for the "release of people detained as a result of the
recent events, the withdrawal of forces from towns and districts where there
have been armed clashes, and the granting of access to the Arab League, and Arab
and international media."
It stipulates that "the Arab ministerial committee (headed by the prime minister
of Qatar) will conduct consultations with the government and the various Syrian
opposition parties aimed at launching a national dialogue." The text does not
specify a venue for the dialogue, a bone of contention between the government,
which insists on Damascus, and the opposition which says it should be outside
Syria.
U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon said it was vital that Assad's regime now swiftly
implement the agreement in full. "He must implement the agreement as soon as
possible as agreed," Ban told a news conference in Tripoli on his first visit to
Libya since the eruption in February of the conflict which toppled veteran ruler
Moammar Gadhafi. "People have suffered too much for too long and it's an
unacceptable situation," the U.N. chief said. "Killing civilians must stop
immediately in Syria."
Damascus had come under mounting pressure to agree to the Arab League peace
plan, with Western governments calling for a renewed attempt to push through a
sanctions resolution at the U.N. Security Council after a first bid was vetoed
by China and Russia early last month. On Sunday, China warned Syria that its
crackdown on dissent "cannot continue" and that it must agree to open talks with
the opposition.
"Syria has to show some flexibility in that regard in order to help the Arab
League implement its proposal," China's Middle East envoy Wu Sike told reporters
in Cairo. Ahead of the Arab ministers' meeting, the opposition Syrian National
Council had urged the League to "freeze Syria's membership, ensure the
protection of civilians and recognize the SNC as the representative of the
Syrian revolution." The statement followed a similar call on Sunday by Facebook
activists, after almost 100 people died on Friday and Saturday in the bloodiest
two days of the uprising against Assad's regime. More than 30 people were killed
in violence on Wednesday, most of them security force personnel killed in
clashes with troops who had mutinied rather than follow orders to shoot on
civilians, a human rights group said.
Deserters killed 15 members of the security forces in two operations in the
flashpoint central province of Hama, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights
said.
"A group of deserters blew up a device as a military van and a vehicle passed by
in al-Madiq area, killing seven soldiers," the Britain-based watchdog said.
Eight other security personnel were killed in a similar attack on a convoy
carrying security agents and pro-regime militiamen on the road between Qaalet
al-Madiq and Sqailbiyeh, it added in a statement received in Nicosia. The
Observatory said the attacks were carried out "in response to the massacre of 11
workers" earlier in the day by a pro-regime group in Homs, another province in
central Syria which has been a center of dissent. The gunmen stormed a factory
in the restive province, killing the 11, while security forces shot dead eight
civilians in several Homs neighborhoods, the rights watchdog said. The Syrian
regime has repeatedly said it is fighting "armed terrorists" and Assad pledged
to carry out reforms but stressed he will not make changes amid chaos.*Source
Agence France Presse
Jumblat Refuses to Back Down on his Decision to Leave Party
Leadership
Naharnet /Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblat confirmed on
Thursday his decision to step down from the leadership of his party, As Safir
newspaper reported.
He stressed that he will not discuss the matter even if he was pressured by the
party members to reconsider his position. “I will join the party as an ordinary
member after the next elections are held… which allows the rotation of power by
ending the political heredity,” Jumblat told the daily. He hinted that stepping
down from the PSP’s leadership doesn’t mean he will resign from the political
life. Jumblat announced on Sunday he will lead his party one last time, saying
he would not run in any future election. He also said the party should get rid
of the concept of inheritance of power. Jumblat was re-elected as head of the
PSP by default given the absence of other candidates in the election. He
succeeded his father Kamal Jumblat and has been leading the party since 1977.
Syria Troops Kill 9 a Day after Peace Plan Accord
Naharnet /Syrian troops killed nine civilians and arrested dozens on Thursday, a
rights watchdog said, a day after Damascus pledged to withdraw its forces from
protest hubs under an Arab League plan to end the bloodshed. As activists called
for mass demonstrations to test the genuineness of the government's commitment
to the peace blueprint, the largest opposition group held talks in Cairo with
Arab League chief Nabil al-Arabi to voice concerns. "We told the secretary
general of our fears that the regime will not keep its promises," Samir al-Nashar,
a member of the executive bureau of the opposition Syrian National Council told
reporters in Cairo. Arabi briefed them on the peace plan, which also calls on
embattled Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to engage in a national dialogue with
his opponents, said Nashar, adding that the SNC does not want talks but for
Assad to quit. "We are not talking about a dialogue. We offered to engage in
negotiations to move from an authoritarian regime to a democratic regime. And we
ask that Bashar al-Assad resign," he said. The SNC, the largest and most
representative Syrian opposition grouping, on Wednesday urged the Arab League to
freeze Syria's membership in the 22-member organization and recognize it as the
sole representative of the opposition. Assad's opponents are skeptical about the
regime's readiness to rein in a brutal crackdown that the United Nations says
has cost more than 3,000 lives since mid-March.
London and Washington said that despite Damascus's agreement to the Arab League
plan after weeks of prevarication, they still believed Assad must heed the
demands of anti-government protesters and step down.
Hours after Syria agreed to the Arab plan its security forces pressed on with
the crackdown.
Nine people were killed in several flashpoint neighborhoods of Homs, the Syrian
Observatory for Human Rights said, adding that Syrian forces used heavy
machineguns mounted on tanks.
"Heavy machinegun fire is still being heard," the Britain-based watchdog added
in a statement received by Agence France Presse.
Security forces also arrested "more than 80 people at dawn in Deir al-Zour
(eastern Syria) and neighboring districts," the statement added.
Under the hard-won deal announced at a meeting of Arab foreign ministers in
Cairo late on Wednesday, the Syrian government is supposed to withdraw its
troops from all protest centers, although the text set no timetable.
The blueprint agreed by Syria, a copy of which was obtained by AFP, provides for
a "complete halt to the violence to protect civilians."
It calls for the "release of people detained as a result of the recent events,
the withdrawal of forces from towns and districts where there have been armed
clashes and the granting of access to the Arab League and Arab and international
media."
It also stipulates that "the Arab ministerial committee (headed by the prime
minister of Qatar) will conduct consultations with the government and the
various Syrian opposition parties aimed at launching a national dialogue."
The text did not specify a venue for the dialogue. That is a bone of contention
between the government, which insists on Damascus, and the opposition, which
says it should be outside Syria.
Meanwhile, an Arab diplomat said the ministerial task force is expected to visit
Syria soon to follow up on the implementation of the agreement
But skepticism prevailed among regime opponents. The Local Coordination
Committees (LCC), which organizes anti-regime protests, said it doubted "the
integrity of the Syrian regime's acceptance of the points suggested by the Arab
League's initiative."
The group urged Syrians to stage "peaceful protests" to "validate whether armed
forces ... have been withdrawn from the cities and towns, and whether violence
has been stopped, detainees have been released, Arab and international media
correspondents have been allowed in the country and if a dialogue has been made
possible."
"May tomorrow, Friday, be the day where all streets and squares become platforms
for demonstrations and for the peaceful struggle towards achieving the downfall
of the regime."
The Arab League plan won international endorsement, with U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon
saying it was vital that Assad's regime now swiftly implement the terms of the
roadmap "as soon as possible as agreed."The United States and Britain echoed his
comments. "As the Arab League has made clear, it is vital that the plan is
implemented quickly and fully," said British Foreign Secretary William Hague,
adding that the only real way to end the bloodshed was for Assad to go.
Washington agreed that Assad should resign because he "lost his legitimacy to
rule," said White House spokesman Jay Carney. Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Hamad
bin Jassem al-Thani, who led the Arab League's mediation efforts, said "if Syria
does not respect its commitments, the ministerial committee will meet again and
take the necessary decisions."*Source Agence France Presse
Arrest Warrants against 3 Syrians over Arms Trade
Naharnet /Military examining magistrate Judge Fadi Sawan issued arrest warrants
against three Syrians on charges of arms trade, the National News Agency
reported Thursday.
NNA said Sawan questioned two Syrians and issued the warrants against them.He
also issued an arrest warrant in absentia against another Syrian. NNA said the
three men work in Saudi Arabia and collect financial aid from their compatriots
working in the Gulf country. They are using the money to buy weapons from the
owner of a farm in the eastern Lebanese town of Arsal to send them to Syria, the
news agency added. The weapons include Rocket Propelled Grenades and
machineguns. On Monday, security authorities at Rafik Hariri International
Airport arrested a Syrian national accused of smuggling weapons. His other
accomplice was arrested last week. They both admitted to the charges of arms
trade.
Libya Keen on Revealing Fate of Imam Moussa al-Sadr
Naharnet /Libyan National Transitional Council chief Mustafa Abdel Jalil said on
Thursday that revealing the fate of Imam Moussa al-Sadr is a priority for the
Libyan authorities.
On the sidelines of a news conference with Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar
Salehi in the Libyan city of Benghazi, Abdel Jalil said: "One of the priorities
of the new government is to investigate what Gadhafi did to the Libyan people
and people from different nations."Once the inquiry was complete, Libya would
give details to both the Iranian and Lebanese governments, he said. Al-Sadr
disappeared in 1978 on a trip to Libya. At the joint news conference with Salehi,
Abdel Jalil said that "Gadhafi troops tried to kill people on 19 March.”
"If it were not for NATO, there would have been a massacre by Gadhafi troops.
Libyan fighters brought victory on the ground but we must not forget the
coalition's air strikes that supported and helped us." Abdel Jalil told
reporters that he and Salehi did not discuss the issue of Syria. Libya has
supported the opposition movement trying to oust the Syrian leadership while
Iran has backed President Bashar Assad. "Every country has the right about whom
to support," Jalil said.
On his part, Salehi said that Tehran was "prepared for the worst" and warned the
United States against putting itself on "collision course" with his country.
Asked about news reports of Washington accelerating plans for a strike on Iran
over its controversial nuclear program, Salehi said: "the U.S. has unfortunately
lost wisdom and prudence in dealing with international issues. It depends only
on power.” "They have lost rationality; we are prepared for the worst but we
hope they will think twice before they put themselves on a collision course with
Iran," he said. Washington and other Western powers suspect Tehran is seeking to
build nuclear weapons, a charge Iran denies. It says its nuclear program is for
purely peaceful ends to which it has a right. Washington insisted on Wednesday
that it remains committed to a diplomatic solution of the nuclear standoff with
Iran as talk mounted in Israel of a political push for a pre-emptive strike. "We
remain focused on a diplomatic channel here, a diplomatic course in terms of
dealing with Iran," White House spokesman Jay Carney said.
Concerning the NATO's military strikes in support of fighters battling to
overthrow Dictator Moammar Gadhafi, Salehi said that the "NATO did not come to
help without any reason ... they made mistakes. The president of Iran (Mahmoud
Ahmadinejad) has criticized these mistakes.”*Source Agence France Presse
Army: Temporary Freeze to All Arms Licenses
Naharnet/The Lebanese army command said Thursday there will be a temporary
freeze to all arms licenses based on a decree issued by Defense Minister Fayez
Ghosn. Decree number 1199 called for a temporary freeze to all arms licenses
throughout the country starting 12:00 am Wednesday.However, the decree exempted
all diplomats, and security guards of current and former ministers and MPs and
heads of parties from the license suspension. The army command’s communiqué
warned that all violators will be subject to judicial prosecution.
Progressive Socialist Party MP Akram Chehayeb commends ISF report on Syrians’
abduction
November 3, 2011 /Progressive Socialist Party MP Akram Chehayeb expressed on
Thursday his appreciation to Internal Security Forces Director General Achraf
Rifi “for his courageous and logical stance regarding the abduction of Syrian
nationals in Lebanon.”“Let the judges [comment] on Rifi’s [report] if they have
contradictory information, but the people responsible for freezing the file
should be punished,” Chehayeb told the Voice of Lebanon (100.5)
radio.Al-Jumhuriya newspaper reported October 11 that Rifi told the
parliamentary committee for human rights that Lebanese security forces used
Syrian embassy vehicles to kidnap four Syrians. Meanwhile, Chehayeb in
Wednesday’s parliament session said that Rifi’s report has been frozen at the
Military Judicial Council. Chehayeb also addressed his party’s ties with Syria,
saying that it “did not reconcile with the Syrian regime [alone] but with the
country’s regime and people.”
“The PSP does not interfere in Syrian affairs, but expresses its political and
emotional opinion regarding the events taking place in the country.”
Chehayeb said that “Lebanon should not be a platform for any security operation
against Syria, and Syrian nationals should not be kidnapped for the interests of
another country on Lebanese territory.”Syria has been shaken since mid-March by
an unprecedented protest movement against the regime of President Bashar
al-Assad. Lebanon's political scene is split between supporters of Assad’s
regime, led by Hezbollah, and a pro-Western March 14 camp.The MP also criticized
the draft electoral law based on proportionality, saying “it aims to… prevent a
group of Lebanese people from reaching the parliament,” in a possible reference
to the Druze community his party represents.
Lebanese parties are debating the electoral law for the upcoming 2013
parliamentary elections. After the parliament agreed on drafting a law based on
proportional representation, some parties rejected the proposed law and called
for adopting the 2009 electoral law, which is based on simple majority
representation.
-NOW Lebanon
Hezbollah Deputy Secretary General Sheikh Naim Qassem : Resistance and reform
are inseparable
November 3, 2011 /Hezbollah Deputy Secretary General Sheikh Naim Qassem on
Thursday said that “resistance and reform are inseparable twins.”“Let everyone
know that resistance and reform are inseparable twins, and he who thinks that
[Hezbollah] is a resistance that does not care about reform is wrong,” the
National News Agency quoted Qassem as saying.Qassem also called on the
government to address social issues and “offer more accomplishments that serve
the interests of citizens.”“We shall remember that the failure and violations of
previous governments have accumulated [until now], and we should not blame the
current government for these violations.”
The current cabinet, which is dominated by the Hezbollah-led March 8 coalition
and headed by PM Najib Mikati was formed and granted parliament’s vote of
confidence on July 7.
-NOW Lebanon
Analysts: Arabs throw lifeline to embattled Assad
November 3, 2011 /The Arab League plan accepted by Damascus to end the bloodshed
in Syria is a life raft for President Bashar al-Assad's regime as it sets no
real deadlines and stipulates no implementation mechanisms, analysts say.
"The Arab countries are trying to save one of their pillars from falling, and
it's not clear that they seek to save the Syrian people," said London-based
analyst Abdulwahab Badrkhan.
Syrian troops killed seven people in the flashpoint central city of Homs on
Thursday, a human rights group said, just one day after Damascus pledged to
withdraw its forces from protest centers under the plan. The Arab initiative may
allow Assad's regime to "manoeuver for a long time in an attempt to ease the
pressure it has come under," said Badrkhan.
Salam Kawakibi, director of research at the Arab Reform Initiative Center,
agrees that the Arab League "represents Arab regimes and aims at protecting
them," adding that there are certain points in the plan "which are not very
clear."
Under the hard-won deal announced at a meeting of Arab foreign ministers in
Cairo late on Wednesday, the Syrian government is supposed to withdraw its
troops from all protest centers, although the text set no timetable.The
blueprint agreed by Syria provides for a "complete halt to the violence to
protect civilians."It calls for the "release of people detained as a result of
the recent events, the withdrawal of forces from towns and districts where there
have been armed clashes, and the granting of access to the Arab League, and Arab
and international media."
But Kawakibi said that "the withdrawal of armed forces might simply mean the
withdrawal of the army, while the security forces and [pro-regime] "shabiha"
militiamen also play a major role in the repression."The plan also calls for
national dialogue without specifying a venue, a bone of contention between the
government, which insists on Damascus, and the opposition which says it should
be outside Syria. Badrkhan says "the Arab League does not have a mechanism to
implement its initiative or to force the Syrian regime to implement it."
Salman Shaikh, director of Brookings Doha Center seems doubtful that the Syrian
regime will comply to the initiative.
"The track record of the regime shows that they are not going to comply with
these far-reaching demands," said Shaikh.
"Assad had made these promises before, including to (UN chief) Ban Ki-moon, and
yet we had thousands of people killed," he said.
Syrian activists have called for mass demonstrations to test the genuineness of
the government's commitment to the peace blueprint, voicing skepticism about its
readiness to rein in a crackdown that the UN says has cost more than 3,000 lives
since mid-March.
The Local Coordination Committees (LCC), which organized the anti-government
protests on the ground, said it doubted "the integrity of the Syrian regime's
acceptance of the points suggested by the Arab League's initiative.""The Syrian
regime is using the initiative as a "tactic to buy time... although I suspect
that this is eventually going to bring more pressure on Syria," said
Shaikh.Shaikh, as well as Badrkhan, believe that the internationalization of the
Syrian crisis is inevitable."The Arab League will have to seek ways to deal with
the regime, like suspending its membership, but eventually [the case] will go to
the international level," said Shaikh.But United Arab Emirates Foreign Minister
Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed al-Nahayan had ruled out any international
intervention in Syria."We do not think that there is any party which is willing
to internationalize this matter. At least we Arabs don't," he said on Tuesday
when asked if the Arab League would take the Syrian crisis to the Security
Council if their initiative fails.Saudi columnist Tareq al-Hmayed wrote an
editorial in As-Sharq al-Awsat on Thursday asking: "Is this initiative aimed at
saving Bashar al-Assad's regime?"However, Shaikh says: "I don't think the regime
can be saved, because the majority of people want the regime toppled."
-AFP/NOW Lebanon
Qatar’s diplomatic dynamism
Tony Badran /Now Lebanon
November 3, 2011
Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Mouallem (C) and Syria's ambassador to the Arab
League at the end of their meeting in Doha on October 30. Qatar is leading
mediation efforts between the Syrian regime and opposition. (AFP photo/SANA)
In the entire drama of the negotiation between the Arab League and Bashar
al-Assad’s regime over the crisis in Syria, perhaps most intriguing has been
Qatar’s maneuvering. While the US posture on Syria has left a leadership vacuum,
and Iran has issued threats against any attempts to dislodge Assad, Qatar has
sought to carve out a middle path. Still, the Qataris have shown a diplomatic
dynamism, in keeping with their direct engagement with the Arab uprisings, while
they have also operated within Iran’s red lines.
When it comes to the Syrian revolution, Doha has been the most publicly active
Arab capital. Previously a close of ally of Assad, Qatar quickly became the
target of the Syrian regime’s bile due to its positions on the popular uprising
and the coverage it was providing on its influential Al Jazeera satellite
station. Qatar also became the first Arab country to withdraw its ambassador
from Damascus.
As a result, the Syrian regime’s media has been blasting the Qataris on a
regular basis for months now. In fact, when Doha was named as head of the Arab
ministerial committee tasked with dealing with the Syrian crisis, Damascus
publicly objected, citing Qatar’s “biased and negative role, politically and in
the media … which aims at escalation and incitement against Syria.” Damascus'
complaints were to no avail, and the Syrians were soon trying to haggle with the
Qataris in Doha before the final meeting in Cairo yesterday.
In the Egyptian capital, the Arab League laid out their general outline,
specified by Qatari Prime Minister Hamad Bin Jassem. Doha had sketched out their
plan earlier in the fall, by means of the Qataris' new protégé Azmi Bishara, the
former Arab Israeli Knesset member. In September, Bishara appeared on
Al-Jazeera, showcasing Qatar's careful effort both to cater to the broad Sunni
Arab rage against the Assad regime while simultaneously ensuring the
acquiescence of its aggressive Iranian neighbor.
As Bishara explained, the initiative was not “aimed at saving the regime”—a
response to the criticism of the plan by the Syrian protesters and
oppositionists. Instead, he said, it was a process aimed at peacefully ushering
out the regime. But Bishara also made reference to Iranian concerns, adding that
those could be assuaged by guaranteeing the continuity of Syria’s “security and
military doctrine,” which, he explained, means continued support for
“resistance” movements—a clear reference to Iranian assets and interests.
The Qataris had tried to get Iranian support behind their plan, presenting
themselves as a credible interlocutor with whom Tehran could cooperate in
shaping an acceptable post-Assad Syria. There were even rumors at the time that
the Qataris had offered to mediate between Iran and the Syrian Muslim
Brotherhood.
Here Qatar faced competition from Turkey, which also tried to get Iran’s backing
for a condominium of sorts between Ankara and Tehran in Syria. Turkey failed in
its policy of non-alignment and has since seen its relations with Iran and Syria
deteriorating.
Ankara’s policy failure and the continued absence of US leadership provided
Qatar with another opportunity. But there are also obvious constraints. For one,
the Iranians had issued clear warnings to Qatar, with pro-Assad propagandists
claiming Doha was threatened that, in the event of a military intervention
against Assad, the Qataris would be first to face retaliation.
Qatar’s vulnerability and its previous attempt to negotiate with Iran has led
some, like former Syrian Vice President Abdel Halim Khaddam, to declare that the
current initiative, championed by Doha, was in fact an “Iranian initiative” via
the framework of the Arab League, as it calls for dialogue with Assad, thereby
keeping the Syrian president at the helm.
Indeed, Tehran’s aggressiveness and unambiguous declaration of support for
Assad, especially in the last few days, stands in sharp contrast with
Washington’s wish to remain detached and not naming any desirable outcome. The
Obama administration's posture, then, is not merely timid but incoherent. Where
Iran was brazenly threatening regional actors, and setting the parameters for
the Arab League of what was acceptable in Syria, Washington was vaguely
“welcoming” the Arab initiative.
However, since the Cairo initiative calls for dialogue between the regime and
the opposition, it is at odds with American policy, which calls on Assad to step
down. Only on Wednesday did the administration’s spokespersons belatedly
reiterate the official position, declaring Assad illegitimate and calling on him
to leave power. This reactive posture, however, betrayed the fact that the US
was not asserting its leadership and was not involved in guiding the political
initiatives floated by allied regional players.
In the end, the result of the Arab League’s initiative remains unclear. Is it an
attempt to give Assad more room to maneuver, or is it an attempt to stop his
killing machine? As far as Qatar is concerned, ambiguity may actually be
desirable, allowing it to triangulate between Iran and the US. As far as
Washington’s interests are concerned, however, the episode represents yet
another failure of US diplomacy.
**Tony Badran is a research fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.
He tweets @AcrossTheBay.
Canada's Statement on Participation in Gaza Flotilla
(No. 327 - November 2, 2011 - 8:45 p.m. ET) Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird
today issued the following statement with the hope of dissuading Canadians from
participating in a flotilla bound for the Gaza Strip:
“I strongly urge those wishing to deliver humanitarian goods to the Gaza Strip
to do so through established channels. Unauthorized efforts to deliver aid are
provocative and, ultimately, unhelpful to the people of Gaza.
“Canada recognizes Israel’s legitimate security concerns and its right to
protect itself and its residents from attacks by Hamas and other terrorist
groups, including by preventing the smuggling of weapons.
“Canada recognizes that there are legitimate and constructive ways to help the
people of Gaza. One way is to donate to the International Committee of the Red
Cross/Red Crescent. The organization has people on the ground in Gaza to help
deliver, among other things, clean water and health care."
A military war of nerves against Iran: The US leads, Israel and UK go along
DEBKAfile Special Report/November 2, 2011, The sudden rush of military news
Wednesday, Nov. 2, is part of an orchestrated Western performance to convince
Tehran that the US, Britain and Israel are on the verge of a military operation
against its nuclear installations. Directed from Washington, it is meant to warn
Iran that the play could become a reality show if it refuses to give up the
drive for a nuclear weapon. President Barack Obama may then decide to strike
Revolutionary Guards Corps targets, the bulwark of the Islamic regime, and its
strategic infrastructure, thereby knocking over the key props holding up the
regime of the ayatollahs.
Contributing to the menacing climate hanging over Iran were four headline events
involving Israel – all on the same Wednesday: Israel conducted a successful test
launch of a new intercontinental ballistic missile, Jericho 3, which foreign
sources report is capable of carrying a nuclear warhead 7,000 kilometers.
After that, the IDF released photographs of Israeli Air Force squadron leaders
reporting from Italian air base runways to the media on joint exercises they had
conducted in long-range maneuvers with the Italian air force "and other NATO
nations," to familiarize the IAF with NATO military tactics.
The inference was clear: The Israeli Air Force was strengthening its cooperation
with Western allies in preparation for a NATO assault on Iran. The IAF also got
a chance to study the lessons Western alliance air force tacticians had drawn
from the eight-month Libyan operation which ended on Oct. 31.
Next, the IDF's Home Command announced a large-scale anti-missile exercise in
central Israel starting Thursday morning, Nov. 3.
Finally, Defense Minister Ehud Barak left for an unscheduled trip to London
shortly after a secret visit to Israel by the British chief of staff General Sir
David Richards earlier this week as guest of Israel's top soldier Lt. Gen. Benny
Gantz.
If the British general was in Israel only this week, why was Barak is such a
hurry to visit London?
The answer came from the British media, which reported as soon as he arrived
that the Ministry of Defense in London had accelerated and upgraded its
contingency planning for participation in a US-led assault on Iran. They carried
an account of plans for deploying large naval units including submarines to the
Persian Gulf.
The UK was reported to have asked Washington for permission to station its
fighter-bombers on the Indian Ocean island of Diego Garcia for launching bombing
sorties against Iran.
This whirlwind of military activity was said to have been prompted by the
approaching publication of the International Atomic Energy Agency's Iran report
next Tuesday, Nov. 8 and the conclusion the nuclear watchdog had reached: Inside
12 months, Iran will have tucked all its nuclear and ballistic missile
facilities away in deep underground tunnels where they will be invulnerable to
attack. A potential US-British strike to pre-empt this move would also be timed
for the run-up to America's next presidential election in November 2012.
debkafile's military sources report that if the US, Britain and other NATO
nations, such as France, Italy and Germany, participate in the attack, Israel
will not. Its army, air force and navy will defend the home front, be available
to engage Iran's allies to prevent them from striking the assault forces from
the rear, and act as a strategic reserve. The danger would come from Syria, the
Lebanese Hizballah, and the Palestinian Hamas and Jihad Islami in the Gaza
Strip.
These contingency plans are subject to changes, especially if President Obama
and other NATO allies decide after all against attacking Iran in the coming
year. The hyperactivity will then subside and Israel will be thrown back on the
dilemma of having to decide whether or not to conduct a lone military operation
against Iran.
There is not much time for contemplation. Syria and Hizballah are reported by
debkafile's military sources to be in the throes of separate preparations for
attacking Israel if their respective grips on power are shaken. For now, those
sources rate the chances of Israel facing a military clash with Syria and/or
Hizballah much higher than a NATO-Israeli showdown being mounted against Iran.
Saving al-Assad
03/11/2011
By Tariq Alhomayed/Asharq Al-Awsat
Anyone observing the situation in Syria can only question the objective behind
the Arab initiative towards it, and ask: does this initiative aim to save the
Bashar al-Assad regime, or to protect Syria, and therefore the Syrian people,
from the brutal killing machine that is being employed by the al-Assad regime?
Qatari Prime Minister Hamad Bin Jassim announced that the al-Assad regime had
agreed to the Arab initiative, however Sheikh Hamas’s words themselves are
worrying; this is because the Qatari Prime Minister announced that the “Syrian
government” had agreed to the Arab initiative to put an end to the violence and
hold a national dialogue conference with the entire spectrum of the [Syrian]
opposition, but he did not say when precisely this national dialogue conference
would be held, particularly as the Arab initiative specified that this should
take place in Cairo. So the question is, did the al-Assad regime agree to this
or not? And if they did not agree, then this means that they Arab initiative has
been amended, and that is another story, and an important one, and therefore
much depends on this!
What is also interesting in the statement made by Sheikh Hamad Bin Jassim during
the press conference to announce Syria’s acceptance of the Arab initiative is
that he said that this agreement was “clear” adding that “we are happy to have
reached this agreement and we will be even happier when it is implemented
immediately.” However he then said “when I say immediately, I don’t mean that as
an order, but out of brotherhood.”
This is not all, for Sheikh Hamad also said that “what is important is that the
Syrian side is committed to the implementation of this agreement…we hope that
there is a genuine implementation of this to end all violence from any sources
to protect Syrian citizens, to release detainees held during the unrest, and to
clear cities and neighbourhoods of all military displays.” However Sheikh Hamad
Bin Jassim knows better than anyone that political language like “we will be
even happier” and “we hope” and this is not “an order, but out of brotherhood”
is meaningless, particularly when we are talking about a regime that has killed
nearly 4,000 of its own people, whilst arresting tens of thousands more. This
“hopeful” rhetoric does not serve as a guarantee to a regime that Sheikh Hamad
himself described – just a few days ago – as being a regime of “deception or
twisting and turning.” It is enough here to recall that on the same day that
Sheikh Hamad Bin Jassim announced that the Bashar al-Assad regime had agreed to
the Arab initiative, 24 Syrians died at the hands of the al-Assad regime forces!
The other problem with the Arab initiative is that it grants the al-Assad regime
a new deadline, but without revealing what the Arab League, for example, will do
if the Syrian regime fails to comply with the agreement, which is what is
expected! Of course, there are many questions about this initiative that nobody
has answered, and perhaps everybody noticed that Sheikh Hamad Bin Jassim and
Arab League Secretary-General [Nabil Elaraby] avoided answering the question of
reporters, which suggests that they themselves are unable to answer these
important questions. Whilst the “hopeful” language that Sheikh Hamad used
clearly reveals that the Arab League is not confident in the credibility of the
Syrian regime, and therefore is not confident that it will implement the Arab
initiative. As a result of all this, one of the most important questions that
the Arab League must answer now is: is the objective of the Arab initiative to
save Bashar al-Assad, or is it to protect the Syrian people from his killing
machine?
Future bloc MP Ahmad Fatfat: Demarcating borders with Syria important for
security
November 3, 2011 /Future bloc MP Ahmad Fatfat said on Thursday that demarcating
Lebanese-Syrian borders is important for both countries on a security, economic
and national level.
Fatfat told the Voice of Lebanon (93.3) radio station that demarcating the
borders with Syria is “easy,” adding that “unfortunately, Syria is ‘arrogant’
and that is [why] it is not making concessions regarding the issue.”He added
that demarcating the borders with Syria can be done with the Arab League’s help.
Following incidents in October in which Syrian forces trespassed Lebanese
borders, many figures called for demarcating the borders with Syria.
On October 4, Syrian army tanks crossed the Lebanese border near the town of
Aarsal and fired several gunshots on Lebanese territory. On October 6, Syrian
troops shot and killed a farmer near Aarsal.-NOW Lebanon
Britain making contingency plans for strike on Iran, paper
reports
November 2, 2011 /The British military has accelerated contingency planning for
a strike on Iran, the Guardian newspaper reported Wednesday. The paper added
that the British Ministry of Defense “believes the US may decide to fast-forward
plans for targeted missile strikes at some key Iranian facilities,” in which
case London would support the mission. “In anticipation of a potential attack,
British military planners are examining where best to deploy Royal Navy ships
and submarines equipped with Tomahawk cruise missiles over the coming months as
part of what would be an air and sea campaign.”The paper added that next week’s
report from the International Atomic Energy Agency as well as intelligence
reports might lead the US to decide to launch a strike on Iran. Media outlets
have recently reported that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his
defense minister, Ehud Barak, have been leading a drive in the Israeli cabinet
to launch a strike on Iran before the winter starts.-NOW Lebanon
Misbah Ahdab, Vice President of the Democratic Renewal Movement paper on on
Turkish and EU support for the Arab Spring:
November 2, 2011/Now Lebanon
Vice President of the Democratic Renewal Movement presented this paper on
October 27, 2011 in Ankara at a workshop on Turkish and EU support for the Arab
Spring:
"The Arab world is that place on planet Earth where people have the least
chances to be happy," Lebanese historian Samir Kassir said in his reference book
"Being Arab". He adds, however, that "the despairing view of Arab thought and
culture as permanently ensnared in conservatism and fanaticism has obscured
several phenomena that could prepare a way out of the crisis." These phenomena
started to materialize on the 17th of December in Sidibouzid.
For years, one would have thought that voices of dissent in the Arab world were
limited to Al-Qaeda and radical Sunni Jihadism on the one hand, and
Iran-supported pro-"Resistance" groups on the other. TV appearances of leaders
of these two forms of radical Islam attracted tens of millions of viewers. Yet,
these groups brought neither popular mobilization, nor change or hope for Arab
citizens living under tyranny.
Thousands of theological and ideological speeches had much less impact than one
simple sentence: "The people want the fall of the regime."
The Middle East has changed. Those who could only go to mosques, run by radicals
in the 1990s, as the only available space for dissent, can now log on to
Facebook, Twitter, and the Internet at large. I see this everyday in my city,
Tripoli, lately dubbed as an Islamist stronghold. This movement is growing and
unstoppable. The role of mosques has also changed. Instead of being the place
where ideas are developed and inserted into people's minds, mosques have become
the locations where people, whose ideas were developed elsewhere, gather and
connect with like-minded others.
These factors of tremendous hope should not hide the existential challenges the
Arab Spring is facing, while in the making, and is expected to encounter in the
next phase. We - in Lebanon - lived a spring in 2005. We failed at consolidating
its gains. We know what works, what doesn't, and the arsenal that powerful
anti-change actors resort to.
Sustainable change, immunized against reactionary forces, only comes with a
democracy that delivers; social and economic development, equal opportunities,
jobs, and the hope of a dignified life. It is up to the new authorities and
democrats to be frank with their people: change will not bear fruit overnight.
People are ready to wait, as long as hope is intact and that a genuine,
transparent effort is made to move things in the right direction.
Another critical challenge the Arab Spring has to overcome is the
counter-revolution, objectively allying figures of the old regimes and
well-funded radical extremist groups.
Counter-revolution forces have resorted to four techniques to destroy democratic
gains:
1) They deny the existence of any change, to keep people trapped in the old
paradigm of the fabricated struggle between the tyrannical regimes and radical
Islam.
2) When this does not work, counter-revolutionaries try to strike deals with
military transitional authorities, to maintain the status quo ex-ante as alive
as possible.
3) They - violently - target democratic, civic activists.
4) They incite sectarian problems, exacerbating the fears of ethnic and
religious minorities.
Some Arab states have been funding extremist forces, whether in countries
currently witnessing uprisings, but also in other places like Lebanon, making it
difficult for moderate - traditional and progressive - political actors to
operate. Again, economic development is a fundamental answer to this problem.
Money can rent deprived young generations as political mercenaries, but cannot
buy their loyalty. I see this everyday in Tripoli.
Development is a necessary step, but remains insufficient if change actors do
not provide convincing answers to the fears of ethnic and religious minorities.
It is only when the legitimate fears are addressed that we can discard the
fabricated ones. In words and in deeds, democratic advocates in the Arab world
need to show they are building a civil, inclusive and merit-based state for all
its citizens. In Lebanon, the forces that were fighting for liberty, sovereignty
and independence excluded - intentionally or not - large segments of the
population from their messaging and political alliances, widening the
confessional divide in the country. We are paying the price of this mistake
today. A revolution that excludes segments of the population, especially on
religious or ethnic grounds, plants the seeds of its own demise.
Democratic systems should be home-grown, and made of locally available
ingredients. Discussions around the Arab Spring have recently almost solely
focused on the role and position of the Islamists in the uprisings and the
post-revolution power structures.
Whoever wishes or tries to exclude them from the process is delusional. They
have their place in building the future of their countries, alongside all other
components of the society, according to the same rules of the game. They should
understand though that people's merit in a democracy is linked to their respect
of the rule of law, not to their abidance to a certain interpretation of the
religion. This is where Turkey's role can be pivotal. The Turkish message -
stemming from a successful experience - has an audience in the Arab world and
among Islamist groups in particular. With such guidance, the sterile, yet
recurrent debate on whether democracy is compatible with Islam will become void.
Even people who happened to support old regimes must have a place in a new,
democratic system. We should not mix supporters of the old regimes, and figures
of the old regimes. Those with a criminal record among the latter should be
brought to justice. The others had a justifiable interest in the prevailing
state of affairs. The message to these people should be clear: your rights and
interests will be preserved as they will be for all citizens; we will not hold
you accountable for privileges you previously held, but there will be new rules
of the game, which we will decide democratically, together.
Only a widely-supported democratic government, with strong local and
international backing, can then uphold one of the most important post-revolution
responsibilities: reforming security apparatuses and educating future soldiers,
policemen and officers on the principles of democracy, citizenship, protecting
the state instead of protecting power. This cannot happen without generous,
targeted, transparent and conditional financial and economic support from the
international community.
Finally - and again out of experience - we need to warn our neighboring
democracy activists against the risk of division, lack of vision and
mismanagement. Any short-sighted approach, any inclination to create new
corruption systems, any miscalculated electoral strategies will automatically
transfer power to more organized but so much less democratic forces: rejuvenated
former regime figures and/or ultra-conservative religious forces, even when
mathematically, they do not represent a majority of the people. Sustaining
democracy is at least as important as defeating tyranny. Even though the bulk of
responsibilities lie on the new democratic authorities in the Arab world, the
international community, the European Union, and in particular Turkey, have a
critical role to play in making these transitions a success.
A serious international commitment to fair economic exchange, along with
investment in productive capacities and social development, hits two birds with
one stone. On the one hand, local job-creating growth is highly needed to ensure
a sustainable popular adhesion to democracy and to resist anti-change influx of
money. On the other hand, it is a key response to migration pressure Europe
struggles with internally. Investing in a democracy that delivers is a win-win
strategy.
The international role in supporting good governance, through technical
assistance, transparent and closely-monitored and evaluated aid, will give new
democracies the means to thrive. Democracy goes well beyond elections. Electoral
processes should of course be strengthened, watched and supported, but so many
countries in transition failed because the international attention span did not
go beyond election day. Building a credible trusted judiciary, reforming media
laws, supporting the emergence of vibrant syndicates, overseeing modern security
forces, widening the access to education. these are some of the numerous tasks
ahead.
Strategically, a double schizophrenic approach must end. Firstly, how can it be
any helpful to support democratic change in Arab countries, while nurturing in
parallel strategic ties with regimes that are actively working to undermine that
same change?
Secondly, while massive anti-Israeli mobilization in transitioning Arab states
has not occurred yet, do not think this can last if the right-wing Israeli
government pursues its rogue policies. Weakness vis-à-vis the Israeli government
plays in favor of Arab state and non-state actors who have used the Arab-Israeli
struggle as a pretext for staying in power. Don't water their plant! The success
of the Arab Spring requires a comprehensive package: a strong internal
commitment to inclusiveness and the rule of law; a strong Turkish involvement in
containing extremist outbursts that might erupt; and an international support
for reform that survives the setbacks that will inevitably pave its way. We need
to move forward, and we need to do it quickly. The inclination to militarize
popular uprisings, thus undermining their real change potential, grows by the
day. Arab democrats have to act swiftly to connect with the people, show they
care about their daily concerns and can do more than academic and
conference-oriented speeches. The international community must overcome its
hesitations and place its bet on the Arab citizen. As much as the fear of
failure has historically turned into a self-fulfilling prophecy, today let's act
and fulfill the prophecy of hope and freedom.