Matthew 18 Who Is the Greatest

LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
November 28/2011

Bible Quotation for today/Jesus Teaches about Divorce
Matthew 19/01-12: "1 When Jesus finished saying these things, he left Galilee and went to the territory of Judea on the other side of the Jordan River. Large crowds followed him, and he healed them there. Some Pharisees came to him and tried to trap him by asking, Does our Law allow a man to divorce his wife for whatever reason he wishes? Jesus answered, Haven't you read the scripture that says that in the beginning the Creator made people male and female? And God said, For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and unite with his wife, and the two will become one. So they are no longer two, but one. No human being must separate, then, what God has joined together. The Pharisees asked him, Why, then, did Moses give the law for a man to hand his wife a divorce notice and send her away? Jesus answered, Moses gave you permission to divorce your wives because you are so hard to teach. But it was not like that at the time of creation. I tell you, then, that any man who divorces his wife for any cause other than her unfaithfulness, commits adultery if he marries some other woman. His disciples said to him, If this is how it is between a man and his wife, it is better not to marry. Jesus answered, This teaching does not apply to everyone, but only to those to whom God has given it. For there are different reasons why men cannot marry: some, because they were born that way; others, because men made them that way; and others do not marry for the sake of the Kingdom of heaven. Let him who can accept this teaching do so.

Latest analysis, editorials, studies, reports, letters & Releases from miscellaneous sources
Saud al-Faisal: Why can’t we rise up even once?/By Tariq Alhomayed/November 27/11

Latest News Reports From Miscellaneous Sources for November 27/11
Thousands attend Tripoli rally - but Hariri absent
Tens of Thousands Rally in Tripoli for 'Arms Fall, Independence Spring'
Future Movement blasts Hezbollah, Syria at rally
Tens of Thousands Rally in Tripoli for 'Arms Fall, Independence Spring'
1 Dead, 9 Hurt in Akkar, Tripoli Incidents Related to Mustaqbal Rally
Arab FMs Agree Syria Sanctions, Lebanon 'Disassociates' Itself
Arab League agrees sanctions on Syria
MP Marwan Hamadeh calls on state officials to not “imprison Lebanon”
Future Movement leader MP Saad Hariri via Twitter: Syrian people ‘deserve Arab protection’
Lebanese Interior minister Marwan Charbel says Lebanon's government will not collapse
Lebanon's Arabic press digest - Nov. 27, 2011
Hizbullah, Regional Forces Preparing for Escalation over Syria
Hizbullah Surprised by Miqati’s Threat to Resign
Miqati from Vatican: Lebanon Cannot Be Selective in Implementing Intl’ Resolutions
Maronite Patriarch Beshara Rai asks church officials not to employ non-Christian foreign labor
Future Movement MP, Ahmad Fatfat : Hezbollah seeks to preserve current government
FPM Michel Aoun: Syrian protesters only want overthrow, not reform
Mikati urges lawmakers to cooperate in complex times
Bourj Hammoud Evictions Stir Lebanon Debate
Lebanon expects it will be affected by Syria sanctions
Fastest ever times at Beirut Marathon
Protests against military rule cloud Egypt election
Iran threatens to hit Turkey if US, Israel attack
Eight civilians killed in Syria: rights group
Turkey-Syria relations weaken
Iran adopts “wait and see” policy on ally Syria's crisis
Saudi Fransi sells stakes in Syria, Lebanon firms
On eve of Egypt's election, a revolution reboots
Iran MPs Vote to Expel British Ambassador

Lebanon's Arabic press digest - Nov. 27, 2011
November 27, 2011 11:19 AM The Daily Star
Al Mustaqbal
Future Movement MPs: Mikati does not have the power to resign, fall of government does not mean end of world
Future Movement officials think that Prime Minister Najib Mikati arrived to his post via a political decision from Syria and Hezbollah and consequently cannot be the one to decide whether or not he will resign. They noted that his allies would not allow him to be proactive and that Mikati is the one who brought this upon himself because he knew that this day would come where he has to make a decision regarding the international tribunal.
The lawmakers stress that the fall of the government does not mean the end of the world, assuring that talks of civil strife are baseless.
Movement MP Ahmad Fatfat said that Mikati's step to resign if Cabinet fails to fund the international tribunal is a maneuver. He told Voice of Lebanon radio station that Mikati came to power via a political decision from Syria and Hezbollah and he consequently does not have the power to decide to quit.
Al-Hayat
Betting on Berri's efforts to finance the court and avoid Mikati's resignation.
Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri attempted to ease the political crisis as a result of Prime Minister Najib Mikati's hint that he would resign if the Cabinet fails to fund the Special Tribunal for Lebanon. The topic is scheduled to be discussed next Wednesday. His remarks were met with the head of the Change and Reform bloc MP Michel Aoun’s comments that his ministers would boycott if their agenda is not put before the funding issue.
Berri said the solution does not lie in resignation but in continuing to search for a solution with dialogue, adding that experiences have proven that no one can have power or the right to veto national resolutions.
Berri's speech came after Mikati left Beirut heading to Rome on a vacation where he is scheduled to meet Pope Benedict XVI in the Vatican, hoping to find a way out of funding the international tribunal before Wednesday's session which is expected to be canceled in a bid to avoid the fall of the government.
Ash-Sharq Al-Awsat:
Qanso to Ash-sharq Al-Awsat: sanctions against Syria would not succeed.
Hezbollah: If it wasn't for Syria, Lebanon would not have survived.
In parallel with escalation towards the Syrian regime which is now responding to the Arab's efforts to end the crisis, Syria's allies in Lebanon continue their support for the Syrian regime and stand in solidarity with the Syrian President Bashar Assad in the face of the "conspiracy" targeting Syria and criticizing the Arab position which, they say, is aimed at pressuring Syria.
In this regard, State Minister Ali Qanso said that the Arab position can only be read as part of a series of steps managed by the U.S. administration and its western allies to pressure Syria. In a telephone interview with Ash sharq Al-Awsat, he said: “once again, the Arab League moves away from its Arabism and takes a contradictory position to [Syria]," noting that the Arab League has proven that it is turning its back on Syria.
In a similar note, Hezbollah MP Mohammad Raad said that those who are conspiring today against Syria are targeting the strategy of balance and preemption which the resistance has created. He added that the conspiracy is also targeting Syria's steadfastness with its support to the resistance in the face of the enemy which is targeting our nation.
"If it wasn't for Syria and its strategic vision, Lebanon would not have survived," Raad said.

Thousands attend Tripoli rally - but Hariri absent
Zoi Constantine /Nov 28, 2011
TRIPOLI // After speculation that he would stage his political comeback at a rally in Tripoli yesterday, Saad Hariri was a no-show.
Following months of self-imposed exile, the former prime minister remained outside the country, much to the disappointment of some of the thousands who came out in support of March 14, Lebanon's opposition alliance, which includes Mr Hariri's Mustaqbal movement. March 14 leaders who addressed the crowds at Tripoli's Rashid Karami complex demanded Hizbollah give up their weapons and pledged support for the Syrian uprising and the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) investigating the 2005 assassination of Rafiq Hariri, Saad Hariri's father.
As pressure mounts on the government to pay its share of the STL's budget, yesterday's gathering was seen as an opportunity for the deflated opposition, which includes the Lebanese Forces and Kataeb groups as well as the Mustaqbal movement, to regroup.
Fouad Siniora, the leader of the Mustaqbal bloc, and others used the rally to challenge the prime minister, Nejib Mikati, ahead of a crucial cabinet meeting this week on funding for the United Nations-backed court. Mr Siniora, a former prime minister, said it was a "right and a duty" to cooperate with the STL.
"Our support for the tribunal is not about revenge, but because of justice," he said. "The people want to know the truth." Throughout the day, the refrains of pro-March 14 anthems could be heard blaring through parts of Tripoli. Young men danced in the streets, waving the signature light blue flag of the Mustaqbal movement. Inside the complex it was a sea of blue, as well as the red, white and green of the Lebanese flag. Many in the crowd held pictures of both Saad Hariri and his late father. Faten Ghanem, 29, a social worker from Tripoli, said despite Saad Hariri's absence, she still supported him.
"Whenever he decides to come back and be on the ground, we're with him," she said. "But we're here especially today because he told us to on Twitter."
Mr Hariri has re-emerged in recent weeks, taking to the social media site to reconnect with his supporters. Suddenly, his statements, issued via Twitter, were back in the headlines.
Last night, Mr Hariri addressed his followers saying that he was "very sad" to not be among those at the Tripoli rally. "I decided not to address you through a screen even though some expected it," he wrote on Twitter. "I want my speeches to you to remain direct and in person. This is what will happen soon in Lebanon and from Tripoli, I promise." Sources close to Mr Hariri had said he left Lebanon in June for "security reasons". The former prime minster has spent time in Saudi Arabia, where he was born and where his family had strong ties, as well as in France. "It is necessary for him to come back to Lebanon," said a 36-year-old lawyer from Tripoli who would only identify himself as Issam. "But we are also afraid that someone might kill him, like they killed his father." In June, four Hizbollah supporters were indicted for playing a role in the February 2005 assassination of Rafiq Hariri. The Shiite movement has denied any involvement and described the tribunal as an American and Israeli conspiracy, pledging to not cooperate with the court.
But, with Lebanon owing more than US$32 million (Dh117.4m) towards the STL's budget, pressure is mounting on the government.
Lebanon has come under increasing international pressure to meet its commitments to the tribunal, particularly after it failed to pay its dues by the end of October, raising the possibility of sanctions and being reported to the UN Security Council.Last week, Mr Mikati - who became prime minister in January, following the collapse of Mr Hariri's cabinet - indicated he would step down if his government blocked funding for the Netherlands-based court. His comments have prompted fears that the government could collapse if a compromise cannot be reached.

Future Movement leader MP Saad Hariri via Twitter: Syrian people ‘deserve Arab protection’
November 27, 2011 /Future Movement leader MP Saad Hariri said on Sunday that the people of Syria “deserve Arab protection,” hours after Arab foreign ministers agreed a list of sweeping sanctions designed to cripple Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s regime. “I would have asked my government to vote for sanctions, or else I would have resigned,” Hariri said via the social website Twitter, after Lebanon opposed sanctions imposed on Damascus. “These sanctions are against the Syrian regime, not against its people, nor against Syria,” he added. Hariri also expressed gratitude for the participants in the rally that was organized by his party in the northern city of Tripoli earlier in the day. “I thank each and every one who participated in the Tripoli meeting for independence, Special Tribunal for Lebanon and solidarity with the Syrian people.”Thousands of people poured into Tripoli to take part in the rally to honor Lebanese politicians assassinated in past years as well as to voice support for Arab uprisings.
The current Lebanese government is dominated by Hezbollah and its allies, which are insisting that the country cease all cooperation with the Netherlands-based STL, set up in the wake of ex-Premier Rafik Hariri’s 2005 murder. Last week, Prime Minister Najib Mikati hinted that he will resign if the cabinet fails to provide its funding share.The STL has charged four Hezbollah operatives in connection with the assassination.-NOW Lebanon

Hizbullah, Regional Forces Preparing for Escalation over Syria
Naharnet/ Hizbullah, Israel, Iran, and Turkey are all gearing up for an escalation in the developments in the region over the crisis in Syria, a diplomat told the Kuwaiti al-Seyassah daily in remarks published on Sunday. He said Hizbullah is preparing for the confrontation by removing its rockets from its hideouts, noting that last week’s Siddiqin explosion took place when the party hastily set up the rockets.
In addition, he said that the Turkish army has prepared three brigades to take part in the logistical implementation of possible Arab League sanctions on Syria. He stated that France’s suggestion to set up humanitarian corridors in Syria mat be a precursor to Turkish intervention that may pave way to NATO’s interference. Israel has also deployed regiments along its border with Lebanon and the Golan Heights, revealed the diplomat. He spoke of European intelligence reports in Damascus and Beirut on Wednesday that said 150 Iranian experts, who are part of the Revolutionary Guard, had arrived at a Syrian military airport south of the capital as a precursor to sending them to Hizbullah in Lebanon. The diplomat interpreted the development as a sign that Tehran and Hizbullah are awaiting “dramatic” developments by Turkey and Israel against Syria, Hizbullah, and the Lebanese army and state in order to take the necessary retaliation. He predicted that the Syrian regime and Hizbullah are nearing their end, as is Iran’s role in the region. This will consequently lead to the toppling of Prime Minister Najib Miqati’s government, which will fail to fund the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, he remarked.
An explosion rocked the southern town of Siddiqin last week. Media reports said that it took place at a Hizbullah arms depot.The party denied the allegations, while the Lebanese army said that the explosion may have been caused by a mine or cluster bomb left over from Israeli assaults against Lebanon.

Lebanese Interior minister Marwan Charbel says Lebanon's government will not collapse
November 27, 2011 /Interior Minister Marwan Charbel on Sunday held a private meeting with Maronite Patriarch Bechara Boutros al-Rai, after which he said that the government headed by Prime Minister Najib Mikati “will not collapse.”“The cabinet will not collapse, and even if it does, the Interior Ministry will keep working,” Charbel was quoted as saying by the National News Agency.
He added that “the people will not be left [without security] no matter what.”Prime Minister Najib Mikati hinted last week that he will resign if his government fails to provide its annual share of funding to the UN-backed Special Tribunal for Lebanon, which is probing ex-Premier Rafik Hariri’s 2005 assassination. Asked about last week’s murder of a local woman, Miriam Achkar, Charbel denied that the assailant – a Syrian national who reportedly was an intelligence officer – will be transferred to Syria for trial. “This [proposal] is unacceptable and rejected. The Lebanese government does not accept [for the murderer] be transferred and agreements signed with Syria confirm that the assailant will be prosecuted on the territory where the crime was committed.”Ashqar’s assailant, Fathi Jaber as-Salateen, was employed as a janitor at the Sahel Aalma monastery, where he killed the young woman after attempting to rape her. -NOW Lebanon

MP Marwan Hamadeh calls on state officials to not “imprison Lebanon”
November 27, 2011 /March 14 MP Marwan Hamadeh on Sunday delivered a speech at the Future Movement rally, calling on President Michel Sleiman, Prime Minister Najib Mikati and Speaker Nabih Berri to “not imprison Lebanon.”“I tell [Sleiman, Mikati and Berri], do not imprison Lebanon while the rest of the Arab world is getting out of it,” Hamadeh said in a reference to the pro-democracy protests in Arab countries that toppled several autocratic rulers. Regarding the uprising in Syria, the MP called on the Arab League to “surround the murderer in Damascus,” a reference to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Hamadeh also slammed Hezbollah and its Christian ally, Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun, describing them as “those who have staged a coup against the constitution.”
Lebanon's political scene is split between supporters of Assad’s regime, led by Hezbollah, and the March 14 pro-Western camp. The Arab League suspended Syria’s membership in the organization until Assad implements an Arab deal to end violence against protesters, and Lebanon voted against the move. Assad’s troops have cracked down on protests against almost five decades of Baath rule which broke out mid-March, killing over 3,500 people and triggering a torrent of international condemnation.-NOW Lebanon

Rai asks church officials not to employ non-Christian foreign labor
November 27, 2011 /The Daily Star
BEIRUT: Maronite Patriarch Beshara Rai asked religious institutions to avoid employing non-Christian foreign labor to prevent a repeat of the events of last week in which a 28-year old woman was murdered by a Syrian national working in a church in Sahel Alma.
“We ask officials of monasteries, religious Christian institutions, in a bid to preserve their sanctity, inviolability and message, not to entrust their protection to non-Christian foreigners or house them,” Rai told a Mass in Bkirki in honor of Myriam Ashkar, killed last week by Fathi Jabr al-Salateen, a janitor at the church Ashkar was visiting, after he attempted to rape her.
Ashkar, whose body was recovered after a day-long search and rescue operation by the army and Internal Security Forces, was stabbed at least eight times in her chest and suffered other injuries
Salateen, who has confessed to the crime, is also suspected of having been a member in a Syrian intelligence unit in Lebanon and having quit his post several years ago, sources told The Daily Star.
“We ask security and judicial officials to protect Lebanese and to apply the most severe form of punishment upon the criminal,” Rai said to the crowd, which included Ashkar’s family members and Interior Minister Marwan Charbel.
He also asked the Internal Security Forces to take good care of the security of citizens and protect them against any threats.
The patriarch also asked unions and workers to implement necessary laws governing foreign labor, voicing appreciation for foreigners who are genuinely working in the country.
Rai also touched upon the controversial issue of funding the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, which is scheduled to be discussed in Cabinet Wednesday.
“We regret that there is reluctance to comply with international legitimacy especially concerning the Special Tribunal for Lebanon,” Rai said, warning of repercussions for Lebanon if Cabinet fails to pay the country’s $36 million share of the court’s annual budget.
The majority in the Cabinet, Hezbollah and its allies, reject the tribunal all together, while the prime minister and the president say Lebanon should commit to its international obligations.

FPM Michel Aoun: Syrian protesters only want overthrow, not reform
November 27, 2011 12:27 PM The Daily Star
In this picture released by the Free Patriotic Movement media office, FPM Michel Aoun speaks during his movement's weekly meeting in Rabieh, Lebanon, Tuesday, Oct. 25, 2011. (Charbel Nakhoul/The Daily Star, HO) BEIRUT: The head of the Free Patriotic Movement, MP Michel Aoun, said Syrian protesters’ initial calls for reform in the country were always a cover for their desire to overthrow President Bashar Assad’s government. “They cover up their intentions with demands and these demands are acceptable and dialogue is needed, but whenever we compromise on one issue, they demand something else,” Aoun told a Syrian delegation called “Syrian mothers.” “Until they finally confessed that their desire is to overthrow the regime and its head.”A key ally of Syria in Lebanon, Aoun has maintained that protests in the neighboring country have been fueled by the West in a bid to over throw the government as part of a larger conspiracy against the region. “[Protesters’] demands are not only for reform because if reforms were implemented, the Syrian people can remove unwanted officials through the electoral process, so why the violence?” he asked.
The Metn MP also criticized Turkey’s continuous calls for Assad to step down, asking what interest Turkey has to call for change in Syria. “There are a lot of people in Turkey who do not have rights. Turkey should concern itself with its internal [issues] and then try to grant rights that the Syrian people are calling for,” Aoun said. Aoun also advised the Syrian people not to repeat the Lebanese experience of civil war. He added that after the loss of such a war comes regret because it will never be solved satisfactorily. Syria has been under Arab and international pressure to end violence against protesters who for eight months have been demanding reform and the fall of the Baath party’s 40-year rule. “How can I believe that the international community which supports the violent movement in Syria wants human rights?” Aoun said, referring to the U.S. administration’s call for the protesters in Syria not to disarm. The eight-month old crisis has resulted in the death of over 3,500, according to the U.N.

Future Movement MP, Ahmad Fatfat : Hezbollah seeks to preserve current government
November 26, 2011/The Daily Star
BEIRUT: Future Movement MP Ahmad Fatfat said Hezbollah will do its best to protect the current government from collapsing, adding that the prime minister cannot resign without the approval of Syria and the resistance. “Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah will do its best to preserve the government ... Hezbollah is well aware that it needs good public relations,” Fatfat told Voice of Lebanon Radio Station in an interview aired Saturday. “This government deceived the Western community into believing that it’s a liberal government and it will fund the court,” he added. Talks of the possibility of government collapse emerged after Prime Minister Najib Mikati said he would resign if the government blocks funding for the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, prompting nine ministers from the Free Patriotic Movement to boycott Friday’s Cabinet session in what they said was a protest at the government’s poor performance. Fatfat, a staunch critic of both Hezbollah and the Mikati government, said the prime minister’s decision to resign is in the hands of Syria and Hezbollah. “Prime Minister Mikati came to his post through a political decision taken by Syria and Hezbollah; therefore he can’t make the decision on his own to resign,” Fatfat said.
The head of the Future Movement, former Prime Minister Saad Hariri, whose Cabinet collapsed in January after Hezbollah and FPM ministers resigned, has maintained that his ouster was decided by President Bashar Assad and Nasrallah. Future Movement lawmakers, including Fatfat, have repeatedly described the current government as a “Hezbollah government,” and claimed that Mikati lacks any decision-making power. “The prime minister is in an awkward position because so too is the Syrian president and his allies, which prevents him from being active,” Fatfat said.
Fatfat also touched upon events in Syria and whether instability in the neighboring country would have repercussions on Lebanon.
“Lebanon isn’t an isolated island, and it is linked geographically, politically and economically to Syria. So far, however, the effect of the Syrian crisis has had a limited affect domestically,” the MP said.
“We want to see Syria become a democracy, in order to defend Lebanon and its interests. This, however, remains up to the Syrian people,” he added.
Lebanon expects it will be affected by Syria sanctions
Nov 27, 2011, 11:15 GMT

Lebanon expects it will be affected by Syria sanctions
Nov 27, 2011, 11:15 GMT
Beirut - The Arab League's widely expected decision to apply sanctions on Syria may also hurt Lebanon's economy, despite the country's best efforts to remain neutral, Lebanese experts and officials said Sunday.
'Lebanon, which is already reeling under a severe economic slowdown, has much to lose, even if the government has abstained from voting on the set of sanctions, along with Iraq and Jordan,' Louis Hobeika, an economist, told dpa. The 22-member Arab League, which had suspended Syria's membership earlier this month, has been discussing the sanctions after Damascus ignored a deadline to end a violent crackdown on opposition. A formal decision was expected later on Sunday.
'If the sanctions are adopted in Cairo's meeting today by Arab foreign ministers, it will be very unfortunate because the damage will be on all sides,' a source close to Lebanese Foreign Minister Adnan Mansour told dpa. Lebanon, whose government is dominated by Syria's ally Hezbollah, has already made clear it will not vote on any economic sanctions against its larger neighbour.
The country is worried that Syria may retaliate by not allowing the passage of its agricultural and industrial exports to Gulf countries and Turkey.
'If this happens Lebanon would have to find an alternative route for exporting its goods to the Gulf region, and Turkey, by using flights and this would increase significantly transport costs and severely harm the overall competitiveness,' Hobeika told dpa.
Lebanon shares a 220 kilometre border with Syria.
The European Union and the United States have already agreed on their own set of sanctions on Syria.
Hobeika argued that additional sanctions would affect Lebanon's banks in particular.
'These banks have over 6 billion dollars in deposits. Sanctions and the resulting economic downturn would mean these banks will bear significant losses,' he said.
The Arab League is considering halting all dealings with Syria's central bank and suspending trade links

Iran threatens to hit Turkey if US, Israel attack
November 26, 2011/Daily Star
TEHRAN: Iran will target NATO's missile defense installations in Turkey if the U.S. or Israel attacks the Islamic Republic, a senior commander of Iran's powerful Revolutionary Guard said Saturday.
Gen. Amir Ali Hajizadeh, the head of the Guards' aerospace division, said the warning is part of a new defense strategy to counter what he described as an increase in threats from the U.S. and Israel.
Tensions have been rising between Iran and the West since the release of a report earlier this month by the International Atomic Energy Agency that said for the first time that Tehran was suspected of conducting secret experiments whose sole purpose was the development of nuclear arms.
The U.S. and its Western allies suspect Iran of trying to produce atomic weapons, and Israel, which views Tehran as an existential threat, has warned of a possible strike on Iran's nuclear program. Iran says its program is for peaceful purposes.
"Should we be threatened, we will target NATO's missile defense shield in Turkey and then hit the next targets," the semiofficial Mehr news agency quoted Hajizadeh as saying.
Tehran says NATO's early warning radar station in Turkey is meant to protect Israel against Iranian missile attacks if a war breaks out with the Jewish state. Ankara agreed to host the radar in September as part of NATO's missile defense system aimed at countering ballistic missile threats from neighboring Iran.
A military installation in the Turkish town of Kurecik, some 435 miles (700 kilometers) west of the Iranian border, has been designated as the radar site, according to Turkish government officials.
Hajizadeh said the United States also plans to install similar stations in Arab states south of Iran. He said increasing threats has made Iran alter it military defense strategy.
"Based on orders from the exalted commander in chief, we will respond to threats with threats," he was quoted as saying.
Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has the final say on all state matters, is also commander in chief of Iran's armed forces.
Also Saturday, the chief of Iran's elite Quds Force said he doesn't fear assassination and is ready for "martyrdom." He warned Washington of serious consequences if it does not stop threatening the Islamic Republic.
The comments by Quds Force commander Brig. Gen. Ghassem Soleimani were published in several Iranian newspapers. The Quds Force is the special foreign operations unit of the country's powerful Revolutionary Guard, and Soleimani is a key figure in Iran's military establishment but rarely speaks in public.
"Oh, God, bestow upon me martyrdom in Your path by the hands of enemies ... The U.S. must know that when a glass is broken, it becomes sharper," he told a gathering of militiamen in the southeastern Iranian town of Kerman.
Tensions have increased in recent weeks between Iran and the U.S., with several American neoconservatives urging the Obama administration to use covert action against Iran and kill some of its top officials, including Soleimani.
The force has been accused by the Americans of involvement in an alleged plot to assassinate the Saudi ambassador to Washington. Two men, including an alleged member of Iran's Quds Force, have been charged in New York federal court in the case.
Iran has dismissed the American claims as a "foolish plot", saying U.S. officials have offered no proof.

Saudi Fransi sells stakes in Syria, Lebanon firms
November 27, 2011/By Asma Alsharif
JEDDAH: Banque Saudi Fransi plans to sell its 27 percent stake in BEMO Saudi Fransi Syria and its 10 percent share in BEMO Lebanon, the bank said in a bourse statement Saturday.
The bank's chairman, Saleh al-Omair, said the financial risks in Syria do not permit Banque Saudi Fransi to continue as a partner, the statement said.
Syria has been hit by eight months of unrest, resulting in thousands of casualties, with protesters calling for an end of President Bashar Assad's rule.
"Effective immediately, Banque Saudi Fransi is no longer represented in the board of directors of BEMO Saudi Fransi Syria and BEMO Lebanon," the statement said.
"The directors representing Banque Saudi Fransi in the two banks submitted their immediate resignations from the board of directors of BEMO Saudi Fransi Syria and BEMO Lebanon," it added

Iran adopts ‘wait and see’ policy on ally Syria’s crisis
Sunday, 27 November 2011
Analysts say the Iranian-Syrian axis faces a serious dilemma: Should Iran stick with Assad –whose family has ruled Syria for 41 years – at any cost or should it jettison the Islamic Republic’s most important Middle East ally? (Reuters) inShare.0By Reuters
TEHRAN
Iran, its crucial anti-Israel alliance with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad at risk from an uprising against his rule, has chosen a “wait and see” policy driven in part by concern not to alienate anyone who might succeed him, analysts say.
A downfall of Assad could deal a strategic blow to Shiite Muslim-dominated Iran, where confrontation towards Israel remains one of its overriding foreign policy principle.
Iran has used various regional cards, including fears it could unleash militant proxies like Hezbollah and Hamas against Israeli and U.S. interests, to deter foreign intervention in Syria, making it harder for protesters to overthrow Assad.
But analysts say the Iranian-Syrian axis now faces a serious dilemma: Should Iran stick with Assad –whose family has ruled Syria for 41 years – at any cost or should it jettison the Islamic Republic’s most important Middle East ally?
“Iran’s policy is to wait and see ... We need to be patient as the situation is very unclear and very sensitive in Syria. We hope for the best possible outcome for everyone,” said an Iranian government official, speaking on condition of anonymity.
“(But although) Assad helped Iran play a leading role in its fight against the Zionist regime (Israel) ... now it is unwise for Iran to take sides.”
Iran will be hard-pressed to find Arab allies to replace Syria so it will be naturally keener to ensure Assad -- whose minority Alawite sect is an offshoot of Shiite Islam – can ultimately vanquish the revolt by majority Sunni Muslims.
“A weak Assad is no longer an effective regional ally for Iran ... But it is better to have a weak ally rather than a Sunni (Muslim) leader in power in Syria,” said Iranian analyst Hamid Farahvashi.
Wary of “backing the wrong horse”
However, Iranian leaders are also worried that siding too emphatically with Assad could undermine their chances of establishing a beneficial relationship with any new Syrian government, analysts say.
“Iranians do not want to back the wrong horse ... It is a very sensitive period and any wrong move could have negative consequences,” said Farahvashi.
There are rumors in Tehran suggesting that Iranian officials have met members of the Syrian opposition in an effort to probe the possibility of forming future alliances.
“We do not want to be seen as betrayers of our ally ... but like all other countries, Iran’s priority is to preserve the country’s interests,” said the Iranian official.
The Syrian crisis has added to pressures on Iran’s clerical elite, ranging from tightening international sanctions imposed over Iran’s disputed nuclear work, high inflation, long queues of jobless and investors keeping a tight hold on their purses.
Betraying frayed nerves about the possibility of government change in Syria, Tehran has called the unrest against Assad an “American-Zionist” conspiracy. Whether Tehran has contingency plans for any overthrow of Assad remains unclear.
“Everything will happen behind the scenes. Iran might get closer to Lebanon’s Hezbollah or other Shiite militant groups in the region to preserve its influence in the region,” said an Asian diplomat in Tehran, speaking on ground rules of anonymity.
The United States says Iran’s policy towards the Syrian crisis has included financial and military aid. Iran denies any involvement in matters of the Syrian state.
Iranian officials still hope Assad will outlast the revolt. “Assad can bring millions of his supporters into the streets ... He enjoys support of his nation in big cities as we have seen in pro-government rallies in Syria,” the government official said.
Iranian leaders hope international efforts to unseat Assad will ultimately be undone by concerns not to ignite broader sectarian conflict between Sunni and Shiite Muslims that could destabilize the wider region.
Saudi Arabia, which shares U.S. fears that Iran is covertly seeking nuclear arms, has long accused Tehran of trying stir up its Shiite minority. Analysts say Syria might become the focal point of an Iranian-Saudi battle for regional dominance.
“Syria might become a ground for America and Saudi Arabia to settle scores with Tehran ... Further pressure on Assad might cause sectarian violence in Lebanon, Iraq and many other parts of the region where Iran has influence,” said political analyst Mansour Marvi.
Iran eyes Turkey in Syrian crisis
With Turkey’s condemnation of its erstwhile ally Assad over his military crackdown on protesters that has left thousands dead, Iran has become more cautious in its approach to Syria’s crisis, condemning his use of violence and calling on his government and the opposition to reach an “understanding”.
Turkey and Iran are competing for influence in the new Middle East and each presents a model – one Islamic, the other secular and democratic – for Arab revolutionaries.
Iranian leaders view Ankara as a key cog in what they see as a U.S. scheme backed by Gulf Arab states to contain Tehran’s ambitions to be the Middle East’s dominant power and undermine its Islamic Revolution.
Some diplomats and analysts disagree, however.
“More than having influence, Iran is wisely using regional conflicts, like the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, to its own benefit,” said an Asian diplomat in Tehran. “Americans credit Iran for their mistakes in the Middle East.”
Iran’s hard-line rulers were quick to put a positive spin on the Arab Spring uprisings against autocratic rulers, saying it will spell the end of U.S.-backed governments in the region.
While analysts abroad have said the Arab Spring has been largely secular in nature, Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has dubbed it the “Islamic Awakening”, saying it was inspired by Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution that replaced the U.S-backed Shah with a Muslim theocracy.
The government’s Syria policy has angered President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s rivals, deepening a political rift within the conservative elite dating to the 2009 presidential election that the opposition says was rigged to secure his return to power.
Some politicians, including legislators, say Iran should side with the Syrian opposition and not “a figure (Assad)”.
“Iran could have mediated and controlled the crisis in Syria if Ahmadinejad’s government had a better position in the international community,” moderate former deputy foreign minister Mohammad Sadr was quoted as saying by some pro-reform Iranian websites.
Iran’s reformist opposition has watched with admiration as popular revolutions have toppled several Arab dictators.
But despite divisions within Tehran conservative ruling elite, opposition leaders looks incapable for now of resuming serious street protests quelled by Revolutionary Guards two years ago in the wake of Ahmadinejad’s re-election.

Lebanon expects it will be affected by Syria sanctions
Nov 27, 2011, 11:15 GMT
Beirut - The Arab League's widely expected decision to apply sanctions on Syria may also hurt Lebanon's economy, despite the country's best efforts to remain neutral, Lebanese experts and officials said Sunday. 'Lebanon, which is already reeling under a severe economic slowdown, has much to lose, even if the government has abstained from voting on the set of sanctions, along with Iraq and Jordan,' Louis Hobeika, an economist, told dpa.
The 22-member Arab League, which had suspended Syria's membership earlier this month, has been discussing the sanctions after Damascus ignored a deadline to end a violent crackdown on opposition. A formal decision was expected later on Sunday. 'If the sanctions are adopted in Cairo's meeting today by Arab foreign ministers, it will be very unfortunate because the damage will be on all sides,' a source close to Lebanese Foreign Minister Adnan Mansour told dpa. Lebanon, whose government is dominated by Syria's ally Hezbollah, has already made clear it will not vote on any economic sanctions against its larger neighbour. The country is worried that Syria may retaliate by not allowing the passage of its agricultural and industrial exports to Gulf countries and Turkey.
'If this happens Lebanon would have to find an alternative route for exporting its goods to the Gulf region, and Turkey, by using flights and this would increase significantly transport costs and severely harm the overall competitiveness,' Hobeika told dpa. Lebanon shares a 220 kilometre border with Syria. The European Union and the United States have already agreed on their own set of sanctions on Syria.
Hobeika argued that additional sanctions would affect Lebanon's banks in particular. 'These banks have over 6 billion dollars in deposits. Sanctions and the resulting economic downturn would mean these banks will bear significant losses,' he said.
The Arab League is considering halting all dealings with Syria's central bank and suspending trade links

Ten civilians 'killed' in Syria: rights group
(AFP) – NICOSIA — Syrian forces killed at least 10 civilians on Sunday, six of them in the flashpoint region of Homs under siege for several weeks in an operation to crush dissent, a rights group said.
The latest violence came as the Arab League prepared to vote on a set of diplomatic and economic sanctions against President Bashar al-Assad's regime for defying an ultimatum to allow in observers.
Security forces killed one person during a raid in Bayyada district of Homs city, and another civilian was shot dead from the roof of a building in the town of Qusayr, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
Four civilians were also killed in Al-Khalidiyeh when troops and security forces raided the neighbourhood of Homs city, said the Britain-based watchdog.
"Several people were wounded, some seriously and the death toll could rise," it added.
Near Damascus, two people were killed, including a 14-year-old boy, and 13 civilians wounded as troops fired "indiscriminately" and made arrests in a raid on Rankuss district, said the Observatory.
Security forces killed at least two people and wounded eight others when they shot at mourners during the funeral of a man who had died in the eastern oil hub city of Deir Ezzor, it said.
"Violent clashes" also erupted between regular army troops and deserters in the region of Talbisseh, another town in Homs province, said the watchdog in statements received in Nicosia. "Two troop transporters were destroyed."
In the southern province of Daraa, cradle of eight months of dissent against Assad's autocratic regime, mutinous soldiers attacked a military bus, wounding several troops, it said.
Security forces also arrested 17 people in raids on the village of Muhsen in Deir Ezzor province, it added.
On Saturday, at least 23 civilians and 12 members of the security forces were killed in clashes across the country, activists said.
Arab League foreign ministers were scheduled to vote in Cairo later Sunday on imposing the sanctions, which include a ban on Syrian officials visiting any Arab country and the freezing of government assets.
Copyright © 2011 AFP. All rights reserved.

Saud al-Faisal: Why can’t we rise up even once?
By Tariq Alhomayed
Asharq Al-Awsat
The Arab foreign ministers meeting last Thursday failed to reach any decisive stance to ensure an end to the killing machine that it currently slaughtering Syrian civilians. The meeting, specifically the Arab Ministerial Committee on Syria, failed spectacularly because some elements wanted to protect Bashar al-Assad and not the Syrians!
The failure of the meeting on Thursday meant a further postponement in the Arabs adopting any genuine stance that day, which in turn granted the al-Assad regime more time to suppress its people. This complicates matters even more, especially as we are witnessing more and more Syrians die every day, ever since the Arab League mobilized, and throughout the Arab negotiations with the al-Assad regime. This has left observers perplexed, especially when they see Arab regimes maneuvering and stalling in order to give the al-Assad regime more time. Of course, today’s meeting in Cairo will not be any easier than Thursday’s meeting, and today’s meeting will certainly not be free from new maneuvers aiming to nullify a serious Arab stance towards the al-Assad regime and for the protection of the Syrian citizens.
The Arab stance towards the Syrian revolution is disappointing, and specifically the positions of Algeria, Iraq and Lebanon, where there are strenuous efforts to disable any sanctions against the al-Assad regime. This is what happened last Thursday, where heated debates flared up in the meeting of the Arab Ministerial Committee on Syria, prompting the Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal to intervene and direct choice words to his Arab counterparts on the committee, and specifically those trying to defend the al-Assad regime instead of the Syrians.
At the meeting, especially after some members had exerted every possible effort to pressure the al-Assad regime to sign a protocol to send observers to Syria, but to no avail, Prince Saud al-Faisal asked the Arab Ministerial Committee: “why do we as Arabs not rise up, even if only once, to the required level of responsibility, by taking clear and decisive decisions that convince our people, and likewise convince the world that we are able to resolve our crises by ourselves. We only want what’s best for Syria and its interests. We only want to stop the bloodshed and nip the civil sedition in the bud before it becomes more dangerous, and its evil spreads. We do not have any time to lose; rather we are racing against it. Our brothers are crying out and desperate for us; their blood is bleeding every day, and their families are being dispersed. They are at our mercy, and where are we to protect them?”
Thus, the question which we are waiting to be answered today is: Will the Arabs rise up to the required level of responsibility, as Prince Saud al-Faisal hopes, even if just once, or not?
Indeed, we are all waiting to see what will be issued by the Arab ministerial meeting in Cairo today, and whether those defending the Syrian citizens will prevail, or whether the al-Assad defenders will succeed in further delays and disruption, even at the expense of Syrian blood! Here the Arabs must recall what I put to them yesterday: Please do not cancel the press conferences in the event that the meeting is a failure, but rather come out and tell us who is disrupting the attempts to protect the Syrian civilians, and call upon them to bear the responsibility in front of the public!

On eve of Egypt's election, a revolution reboots
27/11/2011
NAG HAMMADI, Egypt (AP) — In the southern province of Qena — one of Egypt's poorest — Mostafa el-Shatbi is running for parliament with one of the new crop of post-revolution political parties in the city of Nag Hammadi.
"I am not expecting to win," the 57-year-old veteran labor activist said, sitting in a cafe overlooking the Nile River in the agricultural and industrial city. This election is a "rehearsal" for future ones.
El-Shatbi, running on the Adl Party ticket, said he can't break the hold of former members of Hosni Mubarak's ousted ruling party in the race, who belong to powerful local families and are backed by networks of tribal and blood ties built up over years of buying loyalties.
The Nag Hammadi contest exemplifies a key reason why many of the liberal and leftist youth groups behind the revolution that ousted Hosni Mubarak on Feb. 11 shunned the campaign leading up to landmark parliamentary elections due to start Monday. Many felt it will just recreate a Mubarak-style legislature.
"They don't know much about the basics of politics here," Mohammed el-Sheini, a former ruling party member who is one of the front-runner candidates in Nag Hammadi, said dismissively of the young new political crop.
El-Sheini is the 31-year-old scion of a landowning family that has held a seat in parliament for at least three generations.
Dressed in slick beige pants and a shirt, he held court recently at his mansion, meeting with influential locals, dressed in traditional jalabiya robes, sitting on dried-mud benches and sipping from a continual flow of dark tea. His older brother, a former police officer, is also running as a candidate and threatened to bring out backers to shut down roads in the south and block voting if the revolutionaries got their way and former regime candidates were barred from running.
"If we lose the seat, then we gained nothing from this revolution," el-Sheini said.
For months, however, the alternative to the election has not been clear — either to the revolutionary activists or the Egyptian public, whose support for revolutionaries frittered away.
The explosive return to protests over the past week in Cairo's Tahrir Square and other cities has brought some clarity. The new uprising is an opportunity for Egypt's revolutionaries to repair nine months of mistakes and reboot the country's transition to democracy on their terms, not those of the military that took power after Mubarak's ouster.
The youth groups who led the uprising against Mubarak admit they failed to capitalize on the people power they mobilized. They have been divided, snarled in debates and infighting, unable to rally behind a platform or strategy. The distrust of authority that drove them also meant they ostracized anyone who emerged as a leader or engaged in the political process as tainted, too willing to compromise for power.
Some dove into election campaigning, forming new parties. But they have struggled to present a cohesive message, squabbling over personalities and ideologies. As a result, the Muslim Brotherhood and other Islamists are posed to win a plurality — even a majority — in the next parliament.
Other activists refused and instead took a long-term strategy. They formed advocacy groups concentrating on convincing the public their revolution was unfinished and that the ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces — the council of generals who are all holdovers from the Mubarak era — was only preserving the autocratic ways of his nearly 30-year rule.
They now say the crowds in Tahrir, more than 100,000 on Friday, vindicate their vision, showing they have tapped into a vein of anti-military feeling that can overturn the rules of the game.
"This has been a period of revenge (against the revolution) not a period of transition," said Girgis Mahrous, a 29-year-old Tahrir protester. "It was a dirty game by the council. It divided the parties, punished the activists, and let security unravel to scare the majority away from the revolution."
Now the activists are trying to unify on a central demand — that the military surrender power to an interim national salvation government led by Nobel Peace laureate and liberal leader Mohamed ElBaradei with four deputies from parts of the political spectrum, which would form a new unity government.
Putting forward names risks alienating many Egyptians who view ElBaradei with suspicion. Also the proposal does not include names from the far left or some Islamist groups. A large sector of the population of more than 80 million still supports the military's vision for elections.
But it also would be a concrete alternative to try to rally the public around. If it gains support, it could effectively render elections irrelevant.
The path back to Tahrir, epicenter of the anti-Mubarak uprising, was a wandering and confused one.
The revolution launched Jan. 25 was begun by a core of urban activists, joined later by the Muslim Brotherhood, the fundamentalist group that is Egypt's most organized political force. Together, they rallied millions from the general public against Mubarak.
Cracks opened even before Mubarak stepped down. During the 18 days of protests, some activists sought to draw up a list of demands on what would come after the president's ouster. When they polled the factions in Tahrir, however, hopes for a united vision were dashed.
After Mubarak's fall, the broader public went home, euphoric and largely welcoming the rule of the military, which promised to carry out the demands of the revolution.
A decisive moment came with a March referendum organized by the military.
The vote was on a military-drafted timetable for parliamentary elections. The Muslim Brotherhood and other Islamists backed a "yes" vote, eager for an election they expect to win. Most liberals and leftists opposed it, arguing it was too soon for elections and a constitution should be written first.
But they misjudged the street. Egyptians saw a "yes" vote as bringing stability and calm. The left was unable to present a clear alternative. The measure passed in a three-quarters landslide.
Since then, the generals and Islamists have claimed the referendum as a popular mandate for the military's rule and transition plan.
The coalition of youth groups and Islamists was shattered, and the youth groups themselves where thrown into confusion.
An attempt by revolutionaries to organize into a National Council briefly gained traction. Then it collapsed when some well-known politicians tried to impose themselves as leaders. It struck activists as the same disease as the Mubarak era — self-aggrandizing figures who end up propagating the same system.
"No one wanted anyone else to become leader. There was a feeling that no one wanted anyone to be better than them or boss them around anymore," said Sahar Abdel-Mohsen, a 31-year architect in Tahrir for Friday's protest.
She rejected the political parties as yet another competition between personalities.
"It was like a marriage I didn't want to get trapped into... I realized that the 30 years of Mubarak repression brought out the worst in us," she said.
Meanwhile, activist anger against the military grew. The generals put 12,000 civilians, including protesters, on military trial, and reports of torture emerged. The ruling council did next to nothing to dismantle Mubarak's regime or reform the security forces whose use of torture, bribery and oppression were central to Mubarak's police state.
But the connection to the public had been broken. A broad segment of Egyptians has been yearning for a return to stability amid a crashing economy, rising street crime and endless strikes. In the eyes of some, the protesters have seemed like nothing but troublemakers.
In one of the last major Tahrir protests before the current events, in July, activists and political parties fought over goals, leaders, and publicity for their groups in the square. The sit-in was violently broken up, and popular support for it was close to nil.
Meanwhile, those in the liberal, leftist, secular bloc who did join parties scrambled for a vote in which the Muslim Brotherhood was already far ahead, with a countrywide network and an experienced campaign machine. But efforts at coalitions between the flurry of new parties that arose crumbled.
Mustafa el-Naggar — founder of the Adl, or "Justice," Party, one of the most active and well-financed of the new parties — defends the decision to engage in the campaign.
"Some see political party work now as a betrayal of the revolution," he said in an interview before the current eruption of protests. "When they criticize me, they say Mustafa is a reformist who gave up on the revolution and is seeking a slice of the cake."
Founded by upper middle-class professionals from the anti-Mubarak protests, the Adl Party has avoided the "liberal" label, which sounds elitist and anti-religion to the public. Instead, it tries to appeal to a broader part of the public by touting a "middle way" of liberal Islam and liberal economic policies, combined with a youthful face.
With 200 candidates nationwide — mostly young people and unknowns — the party hopes to win around 20 seats to get into parliament. But the party, he says, can be a vehicle for building public support for the revolution's platform.
The party may not win now, but "we want to build a party that rules Egypt in 10 years."
But new parties have scrambled to find candidates. Some even turned to former members of Mubarak's ruling party popular in their district to boost their chances — at the cost of a real ideology of change, those who reject the campaign say.
The election will only recreate the "failed, weak and corrupt elite" of the Mubarak era, equally reliant on authoritarian power, said Ramy Shaath, a youth leader.
"Is this the kind of ruling elite that we want to depend on for the future?" he said. "Those in political life the past 30 years have become impotent and are incapable of dreaming that Egypt can be free."
Instead, activists addressed the street. They avoided the debate over Islam versus secularism that has characterized much of the election campaign, opting to rally people against the military by hitting issues that unite much of the population — anger that the military was not touching Mubarak's regime and seemed to be moving to keep power and sympathy over people killed in protests.
One group, the Revolutionary Socialists, galvanized workers, setting up 150 independent labor unions to replace official labor unions that were long just tools for maintaining Mubarak's rule. Neighborhood revolutionary committees organized volunteer services for residents.
The alliance of 24 groups to which Shaath belongs has worked in neighborhoods to bring democracy ideals to the street, with public forums, videos and exhibits retelling the story of the revolution, legal aid clinics and popular surveys on issues political parties have failed to address.
Social media like Twitter and Facebook continued to play a role in organizing like-minded people and providing a "democratic model" where open discussions take place, and details of injustice were highlighted for recruitment, said Rasha Abdulla, a communication professor at the American University in Cairo.
The goal is to create "a real power base, which one day can get to the top of running this country's affairs," Shaath said.
"It will take time but this is the newly born political system in Egypt."