LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
November 21/2011

Bible Quotation for today/The Good Shepherd
Ezekiel 34/11-17: " the Sovereign Lord, tell you that I myself will look for my sheep and take care of them in the same way as shepherds take care of their sheep that were scattered and are brought together again. I will bring them back from all the places where they were scattered on that dark, disastrous day. I will take them out of foreign countries, gather them together, and bring them back to their own land. I will lead them back to the mountains and the streams of Israel and will feed them in pleasant pastures. I will let them graze in safety in the mountain meadows and the valleys and in all the green pastures of the land of Israel. I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep, and I will find them a place to rest. I, the Sovereign Lord, have spoken. I will look for those that are lost, bring back those that wander off, bandage those that are hurt, and heal those that are sick; but those that are fat and strong I will destroy, because I am a shepherd who does what is right. Now then, my flock, I, the Sovereign Lord, tell you that I will judge each of you and separate the good from the bad, the sheep from the goats.

Latest analysis, editorials, studies, reports, letters & Releases from miscellaneous sources
Syria: unprecedented isolation/By Tariq Alhomayed/November 20/11
The Syrian conundrum and the Yemeni predicament/By Osman Mirghani/November 20/11
Post-revolution concerns/By Diana Mukkaled/November 20/11
Crime but no punishment in Dahiyeh/By: Shane Farrell/November 20/11

Latest News Reports From Miscellaneous Sources for November 20/11
Pope celebrates giant mass in voodoo heartland
Iran flies Palestinian terrorists to Syria for raids into Israel
President Amin Gemayel: Sacrifices of Cedar Revolution Martyrs Paved Way for Arab Spring
Lebanese remember assassinated Minister Pierre Gemayel
Chamoun: Failure to fund STL risks UNIFIL exit
Hariri might attend Tripoli gathering: Allouch
Miqati and Berri Advise Children and Appease their Fears at Parliament Session
Report: Democratic Gathering MPs to Attend Rally on Kamal Jumblat’s Birthday
Report: U.N., EU Measures Against Lebanon if it Fails to Fund STL
Aoun Says War in Syria Ongoing because of Hidden Motives
Berri Confirms Lebanon will ‘Overcome Crises’
Daily Star Lebanon's Arabic press digest - Nov. 20, 2011
Canada quietly talking to Syrian opposition: report
Israeli Defense Minister: Syria leader out within 1 year
Arab League rejects Syria changes to observer mission
Barak Says Syria's Assad Faces Gadhafi's Fate 
'Time Has Come' to Act on Iran, Says Barak
Rome, Berlin Condemn Violence in Syria and Egypt
Juppe, Saudi Crown Prince Discuss Regional Developments
Syria's Assad vows to continue crackdown: report
Syria brushes off threat of civil war, sanctions
Turkish papers highlight contingency plans for Syria
Grenade blasts bring violence to Syrian capital
Dozens hurt as Bahrain police attack funeral: opposition  
At Least 4 Dead as New Clashes Erupt in Cairo's Tahrir Square
Deadly clashes erupt in Cairo's Tahrir Square
Israel envoy in Egypt for first time since embassy storming
Capture of Gadhafi son ends "Libyan drama"
Russia: UN report on Iran nuclear program is biased, unprofessional
Lieberman, Mossad chief meet in bid to end row
Iran Ready to Cooperate 'Further' with U.N. Atomic Watchdog
Iran pushes foward plan to review ties with UN nuclear watchdog

Iran flies Palestinian terrorists to Syria for raids into Israel
DEBKAfile Exclusive Report/November 20, 2011/Under cover of a four-day military exercise starting Friday, Nov. 18, Iran is reported exclusively by debkafile's Iranian and counter-terror sources to be transferring Palestinian terrorist units into Syria after training them at IRGC Al Qods facilities for cross-border raids into the West Bank and Israel.
By this step, Iran and Syria are fighting back for the armed campaign the opposition Free Syrian Army-FSA began launching last week on Syrian military installations and commands centers.
Tuesday night, Nov. 15, FSA mounted an organized assault on the "Syrian Air Force Intelligence Command" at Harasta near Damascus - the Assad regime's primary covert tool of repression - using anti-tank weapons and heavy machine guns. No official information was released about the scale of casualties or damage.
Western intelligence sources following events in Syria report that most of the buildings were torched, an estimated 10 Syrian soldiers were killed and at least 30 injured before a combat helicopter was lofted to break up the battle. Wednesday, Nov. 16, a second FSA assault group armed with the same weapons hit ruling Baath party headquarters in Idlib.
Sunday, Nov. 20, Syrian ruler Bashar Assad issued his routine warning of a "Middle East earthquake" if attacked.
May 10, shortly after the Syrian uprising erupted, Bashar Assad's cousin Rami Makhlouf, a tycoon who controls 60 percent of the national economy, issued this warning: "Without stability in Syria, there will be no stability in Israel."
debkafile's intelligence report that Damascus and Tehran appear to have decided this was the moment to make good on the threat.
In the intervening months, 300 "volunteers" were recruited in Syrian Palestinian refugee camps and transferred to Iran for courses in guerilla combat against strategic and urban targets. They were trained at al Qods elite unit facilities, some at their marine base.
Split into groups of twelve, they were taught combat tactics behind enemy lines. Three of these groups have been flown back to Damascus.
Friday, Nov. 18, straight after the International Atomic Energy Agency called on Iran to halt uranium enrichment and cooperate in disclosing its nuclear work, Tehran announced the start of a big four-day war game. Contrary to many reports, the exercise is not limited to testing the air defenses of Iran's nuclear sites and infrastructure but rather a large-scale war game, debkafile's military sources report, staged by the Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) and including operational intelligence and combat units of the Iranian army, disciplinary (security) forces and trained popular troops.
The "popular troops", say our military sources, refer to the Bassij militia, whose task it is to preserve stable authority in cities in times of war or crisis, plus the Palestinian units recruited in Syria.
From Sunday, Nov. 20, the maneuver is extending to Iran's five main cities, Tehran, Mashad, Urmieh, Kerman and Bushehr. When the exercise winds down next week, three Iranian military planes will fly the rest of the Palestinians fighters to Syria.

'Time Has Come' to Act on Iran, Says Barak
Naharnet/ The "time has come" to deal with Iran, Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak said Sunday, refusing to rule out military action to curb the Islamic republic's nuclear ambitions.Barak, speaking on CNN's Fareed Zakaria GPS program, indicated that Israel's patience was wearing thin -- and provided an ominous response when asked about the growing speculation of an Israeli military strike. "I don't think that that is a subject for public discussion," he said. "But I can tell you that the IAEA report has a sobering impact on many in the world, leaders as well as the publics, and people understand that the time has come."  The International Atomic Energy Agency published a report on November 8 saying there was "credible" information that Iran was carrying out "activities relevant to the development of a nuclear explosive device."On Friday the IAEA's board passed a resolution condemning Iran's nuclear activities, but stopped short of reporting Tehran to the United Nations and issuing no deadline for compliance. "People understand now that Iran is determined to reach nuclear weapons," said Barak. There is "no other possible or conceivable explanation for what they have been actually doing. And that should be stopped."The IAEA report -- based on "broadly, credible" intelligence, its own information and some input from Iran itself -- said that Iran had examined how to fit out a Shahab 3 missile, with a range capable of reaching Israel, with a nuclear warhead. Tehran rejected the report "baseless," denies it is seeking nuclear weapons and maintains its nuclear activities are for civilian energy purposes. Washington, Paris and London however jumped on the report as justification to increase pressure on Iran, already under four rounds of Security Council sanctions and additional U.S. and European Union restrictions.

Barak Says Syria's Assad Faces Gadhafi's Fate
Naharnet/Syria's president has reached "a point of no return" and faces the same fate as former despots in Libya and Iraq, Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak said Saturday. "I think that he went beyond the point of no return, no way that he will he resume his authority or legitimacy," Barak told a defense summit, predicting Syrian President Bashar Assad's regime could fall within months under growing international pressure. "And it's clear to me that what happened a few weeks ago to Gadhafi... and what happened ultimately to Saddam Hussein, now might await him," he said. Former Libyan strongman Moammar Gadhafi was killed on October 20 when forces of Libya's new regime captured his hometown of Sirte. Saddam Hussein was hanged in December 2006 after being sentenced for the deaths of 148 Iraqi Shiites deaths in the early 1980s. The U.N. says a crackdown in Syria has killed more than 3,500 people since mid-March. Across the country on Saturday, at least 17 people were killed, according to activists, as an Arab League deadline for Damascus to stop its lethal crackdown on dissent was set to expire. Syria has been told by its Arab peers to stop the lethal repression against protesters by midnight (22:00 GMT) on Saturday or risk sanctions, and the Arab League has already suspended it from the 22-member bloc.With rebel troops inflicting mounting losses on the regular army, Turkey and the United States both raised the specter of civil war and Russia called for restraint.Source Agence France Presse

Canada quietly talking to Syrian opposition: report
November 20, 2011/The Daily Star
BEIRUT: For the past several months Canada has been quietly speaking with Syria’s opposition, the Vancouver Sun reported earlier this week. "We have right now a very good relationship with the Canadian government," Syrian National Council member Osama Kadi told the Canadian newspaper Thursday. "We have met with the minister of foreign affairs many times and he has showed a very positive attitude toward the Syrian National Council." This has been going on at least since August, when Canada’s Ambassador to Turkey Mark Bailey hosted a reception for SNC members to introduce them to representatives from European missions, said Kadi, who is also president of the Syrian Canadian Council. "They were so positive to us," Kadi said from his current residence in London, Ontario. "Many ambassadors were there and they had some questions and we briefed them on what's going on." An official with Canadian Foreign minister John Baird's office said Canada has "opened our doors in Ankara to the SNC.” The official added that "Canada stands with the Syrian people in their efforts to secure freedom and democracy.”

Israeli Defense Minister: Syria leader out within 1 year
November 20, 2011/JERUSALEM: Israeli defense minister predicts Syrian President Bashar Assad will be out of office within six months to a year. In an interview aired on CNN Sunday, Ehud Barak said the fates of deposed Mideast rulers have likely made Assad "more brutal ... it's literally a struggle for life or death." Assad "is on a slippery slope," Barak added. "He cannot climb back."Barak did not say whether he believes Assad would step down voluntarily or be deposed by protesters. Assad has vowed to pursue his bloody crackdown on dissent. More than 3,500 people have been killed.
Syria's eight-month uprising against Assad has recently grown more violent, with army dissidents fighting against regime forces. On Sunday, the Arab League rejected Syrian conditions attached to a plan to stop the violence.

Syria brushes off threat of civil war, sanctions
November 20, 2011 /By Rim Haddad /Daily Star
DAMASCUS: Syria on Sunday brushed off the threat of a civil war and looming Arab League sanctions after a deadline for the regime to stop its lethal crackdown on protesters expired with 24 more people killed. Upping the ante, however, the Arab League called new crisis talks on Syria and said it rejected amendments proposed by President Bashar al-Assad's regime on sending a 500-strong delegation to monitor the violence in the country. And Turkish President Abdullah Gul said there was "no place for authoritarian regimes" in the Mediterranean region. But Syria's Foreign Minister Walid Muallem dismissed as "wishful thinking" a warning by US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton that his country risked a descent into civil war. "When Mrs Clinton says the opposition is well-armed... it is, as they say in English, 'wishful thinking'," Muallem told a news conference. Clinton had warned on Friday that Syria was at risk of a civil war following a daring attack on an air force intelligence base near Damascus by mutinous troops who call themselves the Free Syria Army. Muallem also dismissed as "totally unfounded" reports that the offices of the ruling Baath party in Damascus had been hit by several rocket-propelled grenades early on Sunday. The reports came from rights groups and activists, but an AFP reporter who went to the area found no trace of an attack while local residents denied there had been explosions.
The minister also waved off the significance of Arab League sanctions and slammed some states he accused of "using the Arab League as a tool to reach the (UN) Security Council."
The Arab League said its foreign ministers would hold crisis talks over Syria on Thursday, after it rejected changes proposed by Damascus to its proposal to send an observer mission to the country.
Muallem said he would pursue talks with Arab League chief Nabil al-Arabi over the observers, but insisted Arab proposals were "unbalanced" and undermined Syria's sovereignty.
"We in Syria do not consider that the deadline is the important issue. The content is the important issue, and to reach an agreement with the Arab League is what counts.
"We will seek every window of opportunity (to work with the Arab League) until the Arabs tell us we don't want you in the Arab League."
Muallem's comments came after Assad, who has ruled Syria with an iron fist for 11 years, vowed to fight and die if necessary, in an interview published in London's Sunday Times.
The minister also confirmed the regime's defiant stance, saying: "If the battle is imposed on us, we will fight it."
At least 24 more people were reported to have been killed at the weekend, adding to the UN figure of the more than 3,500 deaths since mid-March in the Syrian crackdown on protests.
Among the dead were four intelligence agents killed as gunmen raked their car with gunfire and two mutinous soldiers who died in clashes with regular troops in the central town of Shayzar, rights campaigners said. With rebel troops inflicting mounting losses on the regular army, Turkey and the United States have both raised the spectre of civil war.
But in the interview conducted before the Arab deadline lapsed at midnight (2200 GMT) on Saturday, Assad said he was "definitely" prepared to fight and die for Syria if faced with foreign intervention.
He said he felt sorrow for each drop of Syrian blood spilled but insisted that Damascus must go after armed rebel gangs and enforce law and order.
"The conflict will continue and the pressure to subjugate Syria will continue," Assad said. "I assure you that Syria will not bow down and that it will continue to resist the pressure being imposed on it."
But international pressure mounted on Syria, with Turkey's president saying "there is no place any more for authoritarian regimes -- single party systems that do not have accountability or transparency -- on the shores of the Mediterranean.""As someone who has studied in the United Kingdom, lived in the United Kingdom, has this world view, President Assad should be able to understand this," he told Britain's Sunday Telegraph newspaper. Italian Foreign Minister Giulio Terzi di Sant'Agata and his German counterpart Guido Westerwelle, meanwhile, expressed "deep concern for the escalation of violence" in Syria and support for the Arab plan to end it, a joint statement said. The Arab League said it had rejected Syria's request for changes to a proposal to send observers to Damascus to help implement the peace deal agreed earlier this month. "It was agreed that the amendments and appendices proposed by the Syrian side affect the core of the document and would radically change the nature of the mission which is to oversee the implementation of the Arab plan to end the crisis in Syria and protect Syrian civilians," a statement said. The Arab League has already suspended Syria from the 22-member bloc and saw its deadline expire with no compliance from Assad's security forces. Russia, which has staunchly resisted any attempt to invoke international involvement in the crisis, fearing it could clear the way for a Libya-style military campaign under a UN mandate, meanwhile called for restraint.

Daily Star Lebanon's Arabic press digest - Nov. 20, 2011
The Daily Star
Following are summaries of some of the main stories in a selection of Lebanese and Pan-Arab newspapers Sunday. The Daily Star cannot vouch for the accuracy of these reports.
Ad-Diyar
Druze religious endowments and the religious council
Tripoli gathering poses challenge for Mikati
Everyone in Lebanon is waiting to see what will happen in Syria, and the developments will be reflected in one way or another internally. Lebanon will see more of the Syrian crisis next week, as March 14 attacks Prime Minister Najib Mikati for his position on Syria.
Attention is also being turned to next Sunday, Nov. 27, when an independence rally is scheduled at the Rashid Karami Exhibition Center, near the home of Prime Minister Najib Mikati. Former MP Mustapha Allouch, coordinator for the Future Movement in the North, said the festival is aimed at blaming Mikati for his support of the Syrian regime.
Last Friday, Salifist demonstrators could be seen tearing down pictures of Mikati for the first time and chanting slogans against him for his support of the Syrian government.
Sources close to Mikati said the prime minister would not respond to this campaign against him.
Meanwhile, President Michel Sleiman said Lebanon would meet its obligations to finance the international tribunal not because of possible sanctions but because Lebanon has obligations toward the international community it needs to respect.
Hezbollah MP Nawwaf Musawi warned that those banking on the American project succeeding in the region, which he said would never succeed, would be the most affected by the events unfolding in the region.
It is important to note that Interior Minister Marwan Charbel has organized a conference December 9 at the Phoenicia Hotel to discuss and explain the election law.
Political sources have confirmed that most of March 14, backed by PSP leader Walid Jumblatt, does not back the proportional representation law. Hezbollah said it wanted a united law for all the Lebanese. Jumblatt reiterated that he would not agree to proportional representation no matter what concessions he was given.
An-Nahar
Mikati hints at “decision time” over funding [for STL]
Crowds to flock at Mukhtara to hold ceremony for birthday of [Kamal] Jumblatt
Developments at the ministerial and political levels appear to be coalescing on two important topics: Lebanon’s funding toward the Special Tribunal for Lebanon and the position that needs to be taken with regard to the crisis in Syria.
Visitors to Prime Minister Najib Mikati quoted him as saying that the course of the issue of funding the Special Tribunal for Lebanon has reached its end and that it was “the hour of truth.”
They also quoted him as saying that “the time that we sought to gain has ended and we now have to take a decision.”
Mikati referred to the correspondence with the United Nations that started at the end of September, reminding Lebanon of the need to fund its share to the court.
“We had at the time resorted to referring this correspondence to the finance and justice ministries to take the appropriate decisions to translate Lebanon’s international commitments.”
Mikati was clear when referring to the correspondence with the U.N. secretary-general that the final deadline for Lebanon to fund its share toward the court was Dec. 15, otherwise the secretary general would have to raise the issue at the Security Council.
An-Nahar has learned that the Progressive Social Party will hold a ceremony in remembrance of the birthday of its founder, Kamal Jumblatt, on Dec. 4, two days prior his actual date of birth – Dec. 6. The head of the party, MP Walid Jumblatt, will attend as well as all the members of the former Democratic Gathering parliamentary block that he led. Representatives from various parliamentary blocks will also be in attendance.
Al-Mustaqbal
Mikati mediates the release of two close to him that burned his picture in Tripoli
The issue of funding for the Special Tribunal for Lebanon in front of Cabinet Nov. 30
The dramatic events at the Arab level remain at the foreground. The deadline for Syria to accept the protocol set by the Arab League had ended. In Libya, Seif al-Islam Gadhafi was apprehended near the borders with Niger. As for Lebanon, political activity was modest. At Baabda Palace, President Michel Sleiman held a dinner in honor of Brazilian Vice President Michel Tamer while in Badaro Interior Minister Marwan Charbel inaugurated a wiretapping control room.
Amid this, the effects of the burning of the picture of Prime Minister Najib Mikati during protests in solidarity with the Syrian people’s intifada in Tripoli Friday lingered. What came as a surprise was that two people accused of burning Mikati’s picture were released after reported intervention by Mikati. The two were later found out to be members of an association linked to Mikati.
In a development related to the funding the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, there are reports that the Cabinet will bring this up during a session on Nov. 30, which will fall on a Wednesday.
Former MP Mustapha Allouch, a Future Movement official, said “[former] Prime Minister Saad Hariri will make a statement during an independence ceremony by the party organized in Tripoli on the [Nov.] 27.” Allouch said the events from now until next Sunday would decide whether Hariri would make his address via television screens or in person.
Al-Hayat
Sources say France will not be budged by Syria pressure in Lebanon
Paris: Failure to fund STL will lead to troubling situation
A source in France close to Paris said the French government and international community expect Lebanon to fund its share to the Special Tribunal for Lebanon for 2011.
“The end of 2011 is has nearly passed with no payment yet from Lebanon and if Lebanon does not pay, a troubling situation will ensure and force the international community to take steps .... These will be at various levels, including the Security Council and European Union.”
The sources said that Lebanon is “bound by [United Nations Security Council] Resolution 1757 given that it is a Security Council resolution and international laws supersede national laws.”
The sources said President Michel Sleiman and Prime Minister Najib Mikati had expressed support on the issue of funding for the court “and they have a genuine desire that Lebanon respect its international obligations because they know the consequences of this matter that go beyond the issue of the Special Tribunal but on the trustworthiness of the Lebanese state.”
On the issue of Syria and Lebanon, the sources said: “If Syria is trying to frighten France, then this will not change its policy because it is adamant on its principles, which are based on respect for human rights and the rights of the Syrian people for freedom. France will not budge from its position, especially given that the majority of the Arab states, as revealed by the Arab League decision, shares [Paris’] opposition to the crackdown and killings committed by the Syrian regime on the people.”
The sources said France “is aware of what Syria might do in Lebanon because its history speaks for itself. However, France hopes that the situation in Lebanon will remain calm.”

Israel envoy in Egypt for first time since embassy storming
November 20, 2011/Daily Star/JERUSALEM: Israel's ambassador to Cairo has travelled to Egypt for the first time since he and his staff were evacuated from the country in September after protesters stormed the Israeli embassy, a Foreign Ministry official said on Sunday.
Playing down the significance of Yitzhak Levanon's trip, the official, who asked not to be identified, said the ambassador went to Egypt on Saturday for farewell meetings with foreign and Egyptian diplomats before his retirement.Israel's embassy in a high-rise building in Cairo has remained unoccupied since protesters broke in two months ago, trapping Israeli security guards inside until they were rescued by Egyptian troops. The incident followed the killing in August of five Egyptian security guards by Israeli soldiers pursuing militants who had ambushed and killed eight Israelis along the Israeli-Egyptian border.
The Israeli official said the new ambassador to Cairo, Yaakov Amitai, was expected to travel to the Egyptian capital in December to present his credentials, but the embassy would not be staffed or resume normal activity until acceptable security arrangements were in place.
Many Egyptians view Israel, which signed a peace treaty with Egypt in 1979 after four wars between the two countries, with hostility. Anti-Israeli sentiment, muted before President Hosni Mubarak was overthrown in February, has become more vocal.

Crime but no punishment in Dahiyeh
Shane Farrell, November 20, 2011
Above the clatter of dama drafts and between puffs of arguileh, Ahmad told us that he was tired of living in Dahiyeh. “It is like the law of the jungle here,” he said. “Some people do whatever they like—and they get away with it. The current situation is great for those in power, but not for the rest of us.”
Worrying levels of crime are not a new phenomenon in Dahiyeh, though it would appear that the situation has worsened in the past few years.
Ahmad said he wants the Internal Security Forces (ISF) and state institutions to operate in the Hezbollah-controlled area south of Beirut in order to clamp down on criminals, a view he says is shared by many residents.
Ahmad’s experience echoes those of Asaad Charara, the As-Safir reporter who recently wrote an article criticizing what he perceived as increasing disregard for the community by boisterous residents and highlighting his frustration upon discovering that individuals with close connections to the Party of God were immune from prosecution or reproach.
But Dahiyeh’s problems extend beyond increased noise levels and the pull of wasta, or connections.
The serious concern is the heightened levels of street crime witnessed in recent months, of which the robbery at the Mazen pharmacy on November 1 was the most striking example. Armed gunmen made off with 80 million Lebanese Lira ($53,333) in that instance. Drug trafficking, fighting and intimidation also appear to be on the rise according to interviewees.
So what is leading to increased crime in Hezbollah’s heartland? And why isn’t the Party of God clamping down and boosting security in Dahiyeh?
Lockman Slim, a Dahiyeh resident and the founder of NGO Hayya Bina, believes that the answer mainly lies in the untenable political position Hezbollah has placed itself in. Not wanting to give credence to the view that it controls Dahiyeh, the party is not exercising absolute control. However, its leadership is in a conundrum, as it doesn’t want the Internal Security Forces to intervene either.
“They are the victims of their own lies,” Slim told NOW Lebanon. “They don’t want the state to operate there, but they want to pretend that it is open.”
Also, Slim says, the party is constrained by the fact that it is too risky to prosecute some people who are part of important Hezbollah families, and it doesn’t want to risk alienating, or drawing the ire, of such families.
Wadah Sharara, a sociology professor at the Lebanese University and a columnist at al-Hayat and author of Dawlat Hezbollah (Hezbollah’s state), claims the source of heightened levels of crime is due to the heterogeneous make-up of Dahiyeh, which includes Amal supporters, residents with links to drug trafficking from Hermel, Palestinians in Bourj al-Barajneh, and others with diverging political and economic ties. This, Sharara believes, combined with illegal construction and overcrowding, results in somewhat of a powder keg.
When attempting to resolve disputes, Sharara told NOW Lebanon, Hezbollah inadvertently sows the seeds of further conflict as it is naturally drawn to taking the side of those with closer ties to Hezbollah at the expense of others.
“When these opposing parties feel that they are no longer powerful, they will resort to tools to empower, such as smuggling, weapons, drugs, illegal building [and] theft,” Sharara said. “This all gives way to more disorder.”
Meanwhile, Al-Hayat editor Hazem al-Amin, who regularly writes on Dahiyeh, believes that another reason Hezbollah is hesitant to exert its control over security matters in Dahiyeh is its unwillingness to appear too heavy handed. He believes that, especially in light of regional protests against figures in authority, Hezbollah is reluctant to act in a manner that might result in a backlash against the party’s popularity.
However, exerting too little control is also likely to alienate residents who, like Ahmad, find the situation unlivable. This is the delicate political tightrope that Hezbollah is walking.
Hezbollah could give the ISF a greater role over security issues in Dahiyeh, but this does not seem palatable to the party. Previous attempts to do so, such the 2008 “security plan” or the “Order [Comes] from Faith” campaign in 2009, were criticized for the tight restrictions Hezbollah placed on ISF members.
“It’s a joke,” Slim said of the ISF’s current presence in Dahiyeh. “They come to perform like actors… If they need to arrest people, they are accompanied by the Hezbollah patrol who determines whether they can be arrested or [not].”
The party also limits areas the ISF can enter. A recent example occurred in July, when a blast went off in a building in Dahiyeh and Hezbollah members blocked off the area, preventing ISF members from investigating.
Neither Ahmad nor Slim expect the situation to improve in Dahiyeh any time soon. “From time to time [Hezbollah] might try to impose order by violence, but this can’t last,” Slim said, highlighting the party’s reluctance to create personal vendettas.
“Hezbollah today can’t change itself into a political party or morally police this area. So I think that [Dahiyeh] will get worse,” he added.
Nadine Elali contributed reporting.

Gemayel: Sacrifices of Cedar Revolution Martyrs Paved Way for Arab Spring
Naharnet /Phalange Party leader Amin Gemayel on Sunday vowed that “Lebanon’s spring will go on,” noting that “the sacrifices of all the martyrs of the Cedar Revolution … had paved the way for the Arab Spring.” Speaking after a mass held at the St. Antonios Church in Jdeideh to commemorate the 5th anniversary of the assassination of his son, ex-industry minister Pierre Gemayel, the Phalange Party leader said: “As much as the tragedy is big and the wound is deep, this anniversary is a motivation for each one of us to preserve the values for which Pierre was martyred.”“We will never forget the central role played by Pierre in the new beginning of the Phalange Party,” he added.Gemayel stressed that “the sacrifices of all the martyrs of the Cedar Revolution have yielded a liberation and they will bring forth justice, dignity and robustness.” The sacrifices “paved the way for the Arab Spring and we promise them that Lebanon’s spring will go on,” Gemayel pledged.

Lebanese remember assassinated Minister Pierre Gemayel
November 20, 2011/ The Daily Star
BEIRUT: Lebanese officials praised the late Pierre Amine Gemayel over the weekend as part of the annual commemoration of the assassinated minister.
“This is an occasion to remember that there are people who challenged us and tried to kill us and kill the spirit in the Kataeb Party and the hopes of Lebanese people by assassinating a young men who represented great hope. But I will work day and night so that Pierre’s dream remains alive in any person and especially the Kataeb,” MP Sami Gemayel, Pierre’s younger brother, told Voice of Lebanon.
“To whoever killed Pierre I say this: You can assassinate the person but you cannot kill his dream. This is the only thing you will not be able achieve, not even after 100 years. When we say Pierre is alive in us, this isn’t merely an expression but a reality because Pierre’s cause did not die, nor did his dream,” Sami Gemayel added.
Head of the Future Movement MP Saad Hariri, whose father former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri was assassinated in 2005, praised Pierre Gemayel and said his assassination had been an attempt to strike at the independence movement in Lebanon, hoping to crush it.
“When the criminal killers succeeded in assassinating Pierre Amine Gemayel five years ago, they knew that they were directing a strong blow to the independence movement in Lebanon, and they were betting on hitting the leadership of this movement in order to crush it,” former Prime Minister Saad Hariri, who described Gemayel as a “brother,” said Sunday, according to a statement from his office.
“[Gemayel] represented the dreams and hopes that we shared in order to draft the new future of Lebanon. Other martyrs of freedom and independence also fell for the same dreams. However, the [methods] of killing and terrorism haven’t been able to extinguish their flames,” Hariri added.
“Rest in peace Pierre, my brother, friend and companion of the difficult days, because justice will surely prevail.”
Throughout the day the Kataeb Party’s radio station was flooded with messages of praise of the young minister from politicians from across the political divide.
“I was astonished by the speed that Minister Pierre Gemayel could comprehend matters to do with production. He was a truly promising individual,” Economy Minister Nicholas Nahhas told Voice of Lebanon. “Pierre wasn’t an ordinary colleague even though I only knew him for a short time. He was a protector for many Lebanese and we used to see in him a man with a prominent future in Lebanese politics and this is why he was assassinated,” Future Movement MP Ahmad Fatfat said for his part.
“I used to provide him security information about the dangers of his frequent movements and I had called him minutes before his assassination,” he added.
Gemayel, the son of former President Amine Gemayel, was assassinated in November 2006 in broad daylight by a group of masked gunmen in Jdeideh.
A prominent figure in the movement calling for the departure of the Syrian army from Lebanon – dubbed the “Cedar Revolution” – Gemayel took on the Industry Ministry portfolio under the Cabinet of former Prime Minister Fouad Siniora.
Speaking to the Kataeb radio station, MP Marwan Hamadeh, who at the time was a colleague of Gemayel under the Siniora Cabinet and survived an assassination attempt himself, described the young politician as a reservoir of patriotism and wisdom and “possessed an understanding of the conspiracies facing Lebanon.”
“Minister Pierre Gemayel is still with us despite his martyrdom and we are still fighting his fight for the sovereignty and independence of Lebanon,” MP Michel Pharaon told the radio station.
For his part, former Minister Wiam Wahab said Pierre Gemayel was able to propel the Kataeb Party, and particularly the Christian community, “even his rivals looked on him with respect.”
A commemoration ceremony in Gemayel’s memory was held at St. Antonio Church in Jdeideh and was attended by his wife and children, brother and father, as well as political figures such as Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea, head of the Future Movement parliamentary bloc MP Fouad Siniora and representatives of President Michel Sleiman, Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri and Prime Minister Najib Mikati. U.S. Ambassador Maura Connelly also attended the ceremony.
Speaking earlier Sunday, May Chidiac, a former news anchor who survived an assassination attempt on her life in September 2005, said: “There is no replacing Pierre Gemayel. He was able to move from one place to another and this is what frightened them but they failed to assassinate him because what he and his friends instilled in us is still with us.”
“Pierre died physically but Pierre’s path and principles will remain and we remain true to these principles,” Batroun MP Butros Harb told the station.

Miqati: STL Funding Time that we Tried to Gain is Over
Naharnet/The moment of truth has come and the course of funding the Special Tribunal for Lebanon has reached its final stage, visitors quoted Prime Minister Najib Miqati as saying.
The visitors told An Nahar daily published Sunday that Miqati said: “The time that we tried to gain is over and we should take the decision” on the funding.
Miqati was most likely referring to letters that he has received from the U.N. since the end of September reminding Lebanon of its dues to the tribunal that is set to try ex-Premier Rafik Hariri’s suspected assassins.U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon has warned that the deadline for Lebanon’s payment of its share is Dec. 15 saying he would have to refer the issue to the Security Council for the appropriate decision if the country rejects to fund the court. The STL was created by a 2007 Security Council resolution at the request of Lebanon which is obligated to provide 49 percent of the budget.
Miqati’s alleged remarks came after Finance Minister Mohammed Safadi asked the cabinet for an advance from the treasury to fund the tribunal.
An Nahar said that the premier is still waiting for the response of Justice Minister Shakib Qortbawi to take the appropriate decision on putting the issue on the cabinet agenda next Friday.
Safadi completed the administrative part of the file and now the political part should be resolved thought the contacts between officials, Miqati’s sources told Ad-Diyar newspaper.
They also said that the prime minister will not respond to the campaigns launched against him. “Every time the government makes an accomplishment, they snap back through a campaign.”

Pope celebrates giant mass in voodoo heartland
November 20, 2011/News Agencies
Pope Benedict waves to the crowd as he arrives in his Popemobile at the Stade de l'Amitie (Friendship Stadium) in Benin's economic capital Cotonou, November 20, 2011, during his three-day pastoral trip to the country. The Pope celebrated a big open-air Mass at the stadium on Sunday, capping a trip to Africa where he appealed to leaders to serve their people honestly and to developed nations to shun a condescending, know-it-all attitude towards the continent. REUTERS/Alessandro Bianchi
COTONOU: Pope Benedict XVI celebrated mass at a stadium hosting tens of thousands Sunday in the voodoo heartland of Benin, wrapping up a visit that saw him sign off on a grand vision for his church's future in Africa. More than 30,000 people filled the stadium in Cotonou, the economic capital of Benin, a country considered both the heartland of voodoo and a bastion of Catholicism -- and where the two religions often mix. Benedict arrived at the stadium in his popemobile amid a joyous welcome from the faithful, many wearing skirts or wraps with his picture. The 84-year-old pope received warm cheers when he took a baby in his arms. Before his arrival, the crowd applauded each time the sun appeared from behind the clouds, some crying out, "Jesus!" and "Thank God!"
"I see Christ even inside the sun!" said Francine Bodjrenou, 43.
The mass capped off a three-day visit by the pontiff to the West African nation, his second trip to the continent, before his departure on Sunday afternoon.
On Saturday, he signed off on a roadmap for the Roman Catholic Church in Africa at a basilica in the city of Ouidah, a centre of voodoo, with the Temple of Pythons and its 30-odd snakes just across the street. The document signed by Benedict -- an apostolic exhortation called "The Pledge for Africa" containing conclusions from a 2009 synod of African bishops -- includes peace, reconciliation and justice as its main message. It calls for good governance, the abolition of the death penalty and denounces abuses, particularly against women and children, while describing AIDS as a mainly ethical problem that requires a medical response. Changes in behaviour are needed to combat the disease, including sexual abstinence and rejection of promiscuity, it adds.
The Catholic Church's position on AIDS and the use of condoms has long been controversial and carefully scrutinised, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, home to nearly 70 percent of the world's HIV cases.
The pontiff's visit to the country has been heavy in symbolism, in a region that served as a major slave-trading centre and cominh 150 years after what is considered the evangelisation of Benin.
Slaves departing from Ouidah and elsewhere took their traditional voodoo beliefs with them and transplanted them in the Americas.
Benedict's visit also occurred with the Church facing a major challenge from evangelical movements that have made huge gains on the continent, attracting hundreds of thousands of followers.
At the same time, Africa also has the world's fastest-growing number of Catholics.
In a speech on Saturday, Benedict denounced corruption, warning it could lead to violent upheaval, and called on African leaders not to rob citizens of hope.
"At this time, there are too many scandals and injustices, too much corruption and greed, too many errors and lies, too much violence which leads to misery and to death," he said at Benin's presidential palace."These ills certainly afflict your continent, but they also afflict the rest of the world. Every people wishes to understand the political and economic choices which are made in its name. They perceive manipulation and their revenge is sometimes violent."

Chamoun: Failure to fund STL risks UNIFIL exit
November 20, 2011 11:46 AM The Daily Star
BEIRUT: National Liberal Party head Dory Chamoun warned that a failure by the government to fund its share toward the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) could lead to the withdrawal of U.N peacekeepers in the south, a Kuwaiti newspaper reported Sunday. Describing the scenario of failing to fund the court as “historic mistake,” Chamoun told Al-Seyassah newspaper that Lebanon would be placed in confrontation with the international community and this “would lead to dangers at the levels of implementing international resolutions such as [United Nations Security Council Resolution] 1701 and could lead to thoughts of withdrawing the international forces from south Lebanon.”“The country would then be open to many possibilities,” Chamoun added. Resolution 1701 brokered a cessation of hostilities between Lebanon and Israel following the July-August 2006 war. “Should we place ourselves in the circle of danger for people who committed a series of crimes against leading figures in this country, whatever the side standing behind them, whether a party, a state or several states?” Chamoun asked. The STL, established in 2007 to bring to justice those involved in the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, indicted in late June four members of Hezbollah in the case. On the crisis in Syria, Chamoun said Damascus could not carry on with its crackdown on protesters and it would not last long after the collapse of dictatorships in the region. The U.N. estimates some 3,500 Syrians, mostly civilians, have been killed in a crackdown by Damascus against protesters calling for change in that country. Syrian authorities deny targeting civilians, saying that “armed gunmen” are responsible for the deaths.

Hariri might attend Tripoli independence ceremony: Allouch
November 20, 2011/The Daily Star
BEIRUT: Former Prime Minister Saad Hariri might attend an independence ceremony next weekend in the northern city of Tripoli, said former MP Mustapha Allouch, several media outlets reported Sunday.
“[Former] Prime Minister Saad Hariri will make a statement during an independence ceremony by the party organized in Tripoli on the [Nov.] 27,” Al-Mustaqbal newspaper quoted Allouch as saying.
Allouch added that Hariri could attend in person or via a television screen depending on events from “now until Nov. 27.”Allouch, a Future Movement official, said the independence ceremony in Tripoli would aim at revitalizing the “Cedar Revolution” and criticizing the government “for placing itself under Syrian tutelage.”The former MP said the choice of location was aimed at sending a message to Prime Minister Najib Mikati, who hails from Tripoli, that there will be “no refugee for him from here on in.”

Post-revolution concerns
19/11/2011
By Diana Mukkaled/Asharq Al-Awsat
Fatwas have been issued to prohibit voting for someone who does not adopt Islamic Shariaa as the source of the constitution.
Some Salafi parties have reluctantly accepted female candidates on their election lists, in line with the religious phrase that reads "a tolerated evil".
Female election candidates are using images of their husbands instead of themselves to promote their campaigns.
The detention of renowned Egyptian blogger Alaa Abd el-Fattah continues; as his mother starts a hanger strike.
The young female Egyptian blogger Aliaa Magda Elmahdy has posted nude images of herself online, in a clear challenge to the rising tide of religious influence in Egypt.
Without a doubt, my sample of news coming from Egypt is selective to an extent, but this is not difficult to justify. This news demonstrates the extent of the challenge which Egypt, as well as other societies that have experienced or are experiencing revolutions, must face with regards to the results of these events. It is a challenge that will determine whether these revolutions will fall into the clutches of the Islamists and the grip of the military once again, or whether the civil secular currents will be successful in establishing a pivotal foothold, having been at the forefront of protests against the regime.
The media in reality is none other than a reflection of such a challenge.
Numerous analysts are absolutely certain that the Islamists will lead the post-revolution era in Egypt. Even if this is correct, it is a reality drawn from the influence which these currents gained over the past decades, owing to the support they received from the ruling authority and the army. Even during the era of clashes between the state and Jihadist currents, the ruling authorities, having failed in the past to ensure a dignified and free standard of living for the Egyptians, turned a blind eye to the popular religious trend and contributed to its spread, in order to solely monopolize politics. This is how the practices of deep-rooted ignorance prevailed.
Today, some Islamists argue that the media in Egypt is often dominated by secularists and liberals, and that the Islamists are struggling to make their voice heard. Here I must ask: has the Islamic media - whether satellite channels, public speakers, online forums and newspapers, together with its culture of censorship against literary and artistic production, witnessed as great a boom as it did before the revolution? Today, any current, whether Islamic, liberalist or secularist is entitled to have a place for itself. It is not a coincidence that the Egyptian bloggers who made historical achievements before the revolution have crowned their activities with the wonderful January 25th uprising. This was a mechanism of expression of their own creating, with which they galvanised everyone.
Today, an Egyptian blogger, described as one of the youths who inspired Egyptians with the January revolutionary spirit, is now in custody. Wa'el Abdul-Fatt'ah is being detained in the same prison where another young blogger, Khaled Saeed, who is regarded as an icon, was killed. This is happening whilst other journalists and bloggers, who have consistently criticized the army's authority and its persistence with excessive security practices against the media and activists, are threatened with imprisonment.
These people do not only encounter the abuse of the military, but they are also facing fierce public campaigns. One of the comments written against Wae'l Abdul-Fattah on Facebook says that he is a "communist and the son of a communist."The revolutions and the courage they display when confronting tyranny, whether military or religious, will be the first test which will be followed by many others. Isn't this challenge ultimately the measure of success?

The Syrian conundrum and the Yemeni predicament
20/11/2011
By Osman Mirghani/Asharq Al-Awsat
It is no wonder that the official Yemeni authorities have objected to the Arab League's resolution regarding Syria. The situation in the two countries may be different in numerous aspects, yet there are also marked similarities, especially regarding the way in which the two regimes have handled Arab efforts to find a solution, and their attempts to circumvent such endeavours or use them as a tool to buy more time. This is all in the hope that the two regimes will succeed in quelling the popular uprisings and abort the popular demands of change. The two regimes offered guarantees but failed to fulfil them, and they announced pledges which they also failed to implement. The reason is the same in both cases; the lack of a real desire to carry out changes that respond to the people's aspirations and demands that they have expressed through their continual protests, in spite of the suppression and tyranny they have faced.
From the outset these two regimes have considered the protestors to be traitors, and deemed their demands to be a conspiracy plotted by foreign parties. It was clear since then that the two regimes would not offer concessions to meet the popular demands, and that they would resort to all means and tricks to quell the protests. In any case, it was clear that both regimes would continue their tyranny and suppressive policies. Ali Abdullah Saleh gambled on the fact that the West would need him in its war against al-Qaeda in Yemen, and that other regional countries were dreading the security unrest and chaos in a country deemed geographically difficult, a country with a complex political and tribal structure and a heavily armed population. Therefore, President Saleh addressed his people with his famous phrase "I will not leave. You leave."
As for the Syrian regime, it has gambled on the fact that the West needs it even if it did not like it, because Western powers dread all other alternatives and seek not to destabilize the situation near the Israeli border. Such a way of thinking was exposed by the statements of Rami Makhlouf, the Syrian president's nephew and a former influential figure in the regime, when stating to the "New York Times" newspaper that if there was no stability in Syria, then there would be no stability in Israel. For anyone who considers such statements to be old or not in line with the regime, we must refer to the series of threats launched by the Syrian leadership on several occasions, when saying that it would ignite the entire region and escalate the unrest and troubles in other countries. We must also refer to the leadership’s statement that any harm inflicted upon Syria will not be limited to its borders, but will extend to the neighbouring states and the Gulf region.
This was not the only gamble, as Damascus and Sana’a have both relied on the assumption that Arab official reactions will remain crippled and ineffective, and that the maximum the Arabs can do is to issue condemning statements and call for an end to the violence and bloodshed. Thus at the beginning the Syrian regime rejected any Arab action or intervention, for it believed that the solution must come from within. In effect, this meant further security suppression to quell the popular uprising, more superficial solutions, and loose promises of reform. Later on, the two regimes adopted a policy of procrastination and embarked on attempts to buy time by offering promises and pledges that were never fulfilled. They also announced their acceptance of Arab initiatives, but without taking actual steps to put them into effect. The success of this gamble was guaranteed in the past, but the Arab world begun to change as never before when Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali fled his country and Hosni Mubarak stepped down from power, in response to stormy protests and popular uprisings. The Arab stance changed during the events in Libya, where resolutions adopted during the Arab League's recent meetings created a turning point in the course of the Libyan revolution. At that time, Gaddafi and his son Saif al-Islam reacted to the Arab League's position with the ugly phrase "To hell with the Arabs, and to hell with their league." Recently we have heard the same language in the reaction of Syria's envoy to the Arab League, following its recent resolutions that surprised Damascus, which did not expect the League to adopt such strong action. In fact, it was not the Syrian regime alone that failed to expect the Arabs to come up with timely decisions, going beyond mere rhetoric and statements to genuine action. The Syrian protestors had previously carried banners condemning the Arab League’s deadlines given to the Syrian regime, claiming that they did nothing to prevent the suppression and killings.
The Arab League's recent statements alone will not force the Syrian regime to respond to its people's demands of change, but they will at least give a boost to the protestors, and open the door for upcoming Arab and international measures to exert more pressure on the regime. The resolutions may also be a tuning-point in the course of events. The Arab stance this time went a step further when it addressed the Syrian army and demanded that it refrain from acts of violence and killing civilians. The Arabs invited the Syrian opposition for a meeting at the League's headquarters to discuss measures for the upcoming period and agree on a unified vision, or more precisely, to draw up a roadmap for the course of events and the future of Syria. These two steps are of great significance and convey a message that the majority of Arab states reject the Syrian regime's account of events, and that they are no longer convinced by its promises. Thus they are inclined towards accepting the demonstrators' call for the regime to step down. Perhaps, in this context, one can understand the Jordanian King's statement on Monday, in which he urged the Syrian president to step down for the sake of his people.
Syria is now likely to witness major transformations in its crisis, after the regime has alienated all parties that tried to help it end the crisis, and convinced them that it is not serious about its promises of change and ending the violence. In view of such a stance, the Arabs, at long last, have overcome their complex of failing to take clear and strong measures against the Syrian regime, fearing that that this would be interpreted as supporting the demands of the protestors and their call for change. As long as the situation develops this way in Syria, Yemen will not be spared the consequences. This is because President Saleh has also convinced everyone that he is maneuvering to cling onto power, and that his unfulfilled promises have now become a predicament threatening the GCC initiative. The only alternative available now is to increase the pressure to accelerate his departure, in order to avoid further violence.

Syria: unprecedented isolation
20/11/2011
By Tariq Alhomayed/Asharq Al-Awsat
I do not think that any Arab regime has faced the amount of abuse that the Syrian regime is facing today domestically, internally, regionally and even internationally, not to mention the Arab League’s position. Here I am not talking about media campaigns, but rather the stances of nations and institutions.
Domestically, Rifaat al-Assad, Bashar al-Assad’s uncle, leaving aside general perceptions about him, issued a potentially dangerous statement. He revealed the reality of the Alawite sect, and the regime’s inner circle, when he said that it is scared, but no one dares to criticize or even split from the regime. He also claimed that the Alawite inner circle fears retribution in the coming phase. Rifaat al-Assad explicitly called upon his nephew to hand power over to the people. The uncle’s comments are the first of their kind, revealing the fear of the ruling sect and the regime’s inner circle.
Domestically in Syria, the slogans condemning the regime have reached an unprecedented level, a level which did not occur even for Saddam Hussein, Hosni Mubarak or Muammar Gaddafi. Being in power denotes a level of prestige of course, but as a senior Arab official told me, with insider knowledge of Syria and its decision making circles, “the gap between Bashar al-Assad’s regime and his opponents is now too great, and is not getting any smaller. It’s as big as the distance between the tongue and the ear!”
On the Arab level, the Arab League is requesting an official apology from the al-Assad regime and its government, not for its lack of protection for Arab embassies, but rather because of “the abusive and non-diplomatic language issued by Syria’s permanent representative to the Arab League council, at the council’s meeting on the 12th November”. This is not all, but it is suffice to consider the comments of a former friend and ally of the al-Assad regime, Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim, who warned against the regime twisting and distorting Arab League’s decisions, and the agreements it has already made with it!
Moving away from the Arab League, but staying in the Arab domain, Jordan’s ruler King Abdullah II told BBC World News television that if he were al-Assad he would step down from power. This statement is not from an official usually known for his irritability or agitation, but it is a statement issued from an Arab king who has never feared the evils of the al-Assad regime, throughout approximately the last ten years. King Abdullah is known for his wisdom and careful deliberation of everything issued by the al-Assad regime against Jordan, and even the king himself, especially as the al-Assad regime has never acted rationally towards Jordan or its king during that period!
Of course, here we must remember another very important matter, namely the historic address of Saudi Arabia’s monarch, King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz, on the need to stop the Syrian killing machine, an expression that has become prevalent today. This is also not to mention the withdrawal of the Saudi ambassador from Damascus, before that of the United States and France.
There is also the escalating Turkish stance, which has now reached the extent that Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan, a former ally of the al-Assad regime, now disrespectfully addresses President al-Assad by his first name. Of course, there are also the European and American stances. Thus, after considering all of the above, all that remains for the al-Assad regime now is for the curtain to be brought down, nothing more and nothing less, whether sooner or later.

Grenade blasts bring violence to Syrian capital
November 20, 2011/ By Zeina Karam/Daily Star
A general view of the ruling Baath party headquarters, in Damascus, Syria, Sunday Nov. 20, 2011. Residents in the Syrian capital awoke to two loud explosions Sunday amid reports from activists that the Damascus headquarters of the ruling Baath party had been hit by several rocket-propelled grenades. (AP Photo/Bassem Tellawi)
BEIRUT: Rocket-propelled grenades struck the headquarters of Syria's ruling party Sunday, bringing the violence that has engulfed much of the country to the heart of its capital for the first time, activists said.
The attack on the building in Syria's capital of Damascus apparently caused no damage or casualties. But if true, it would mark a significant shift in the eight-month uprising against President Bashar Assad. Until now, the capital has remained relatively untouched.
The pre-dawn attack awoke many Syrians who reported hearing two loud blasts, but details could not be confirmed. The foreign minister denied an attack had taken place, and Syrian television broadcast footage of the building looking undamaged.
The Free Syrian Army, a group of military defectors, claimed responsibility, highlighting the growing militarization of the revolt following months of largely peaceful protests.
"This is an escalation that would signal a new phase in the Syrian uprising," said Thabet Salem, a Damascus-based analyst. "It gives a new dimension to the whole situation, which had been so far restricted to (government) action, and reaction from the opposition," he said.
Syria has placed severe restrictions on the work of journalists, making it extremely difficult to confirm events.
The country's embattled but defiant president vowed to pursue his bloody crackdown on dissent, saying it was his "duty" as president to crush the militants he blames for the unrest.
Syria's uprising against Assad, although largely peaceful, has grown more violent in recent weeks as frustrated protesters realize the limits of peaceful action. Army dissidents who sided with the protests have also grown bolder, fighting back against regime forces and even attacking military bases and raising fears of a civil war.
Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem dismissed the idea of civil war, saying such talk was "wishful thinking" by the West.
The British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said unknown gunmen on motorcycles threw first a stun grenade and then fired RPGs at the Baath party headquarters, hitting the outside wall of the building. Two other grenades missed the target, it said. Omar Idilbi, spokesman of the Local Coordination Committees' activist network, also said the perpetrators were masked men on motorcycles. But he cast doubt on the claim of responsibility by the Free Syrian Army, saying the target was suspicious. "The Baath party headquarters is not a military or security base to be attacked by the FSA," he said.
The foreign minister said reports of an attack were "absolutely baseless." But at a news conference, he thanked a Syrian journalist for clarifying that the explosions heard in the area were the result of a stun grenade, indirectly acknowledging that some kind of attack had taken place. In Cairo, the Arab League rejected amendments proposed by Syria to a peace plan to end the crisis, saying the changes alter the plan's "essence." The rejection is a further blow to Syria, a country that prides itself on being a bastion of Arab nationalism.
Last week the body reaffirmed its suspension of Syria and gave it three days to comply with the plan, which calls for the withdrawal of government tanks from the streets, the release of political prisoners and a halt to attacks on civilians. The 22-member organization did not give details of Syria's proposed amendments. It said in a statement Sunday that Damascus' proposals were unacceptable because they introduce "drastic changes" to the mandate of a proposed league mission to ensure the plan is implemented.
Al-Moallem told reporters the proposed observers' mission included "impossible conditions" and gave excessive authority to the observers in a way that violated Syria's sovereignty. He denied Damascus sought to restrict the observers' movement within the country but said Syria wanted to be informed of the groups' travels in order to offer security protection.
"The observers, if they come, will have freedom of movement," he said. "We have nothing to hide. They should see the killings, the massacres and the crimes being carried out against our people and security forces." An Arab League official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to brief reporters, said the Syrian government was required to implement the peace plan in its entirety.
In an interview with Britain's Sunday Times newspaper, Assad vowed to crush "militants" who he says are massacring Syrians.
"The role of the government is to fight those militants in order to restore stability and to protect civilians," he said, repeating warnings that foreign military intervention in Syria would "shake the entire Middle East."On Sunday, activist groups said at least nine people were killed by security forces, including five in the flashpoint central city of Homs and four in northern Syria. The U.N. says more than 3,500 people in Syria have been killed in the crackdown since the start of the uprising in mid-March. The LCC network on Sunday said at least 280 children had been killed in the crackdown. Assad, in the interview, said more than 800 Syrian officers and security forces had been killed.
In the interview, Assad said he feels "pain and sorrow" for the bloodshed but insisted the solution was to eliminate the militants he blamed for much of the violence. The Assad regime maintains the militants are following a foreign agenda to isolate and weaken Syria. Assad, who took over from his late father, Hafez, in 2000, said there would be parliamentary elections in February or March, after which there would be a new government and new constitution. "That constitution will set the basis of how to elect a president. ... The ballot box should decide who should be president."