LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
ِOctober 09/2011

Bible Quotation for today/The Narrow Gate
Matthew 07/13-14: "Go in through the narrow gate, because the gate to hell is wide and the road that leads to it is easy, and there are many who travel it. But the gate to life is narrow and the way that leads to it is hard, and there are few people who find it."

Latest analysis, editorials, studies, reports, letters & Releases from miscellaneous sources
Who cares about Lebanon’s sovereignty?/By: Ana Maria Luca/October 08/11
The patriarch loses the plot/By: Michael Young/October 08/11
The Syrian displaced/By: Hazem Amin/October 08/11

Latest News Reports From Miscellaneous Sources for October 08/11
U.S. Calls on Assad 'to Step Down Now'
EU Condemns Killing of Syria Top Kurd in 'Strongest Terms'
Maronite Patriarch Cardinal Nasrallah Sfeir The Patriarch says what needs to be said
STL Defense Office Francois Roux: Bellemare, Fransen, Defense Team to Meet Soon to Asses Proceedings
Cabinet “compelled” to pay STL funding, says Fares Souied
Syrian Social Nationalist Party MP Marwan Fares: Syria “did not violate” Lebanese sovereignty
MP Simon Abi Ramia: Syrian forces ‘violate sovereignty’ of Lebanese territory
MP Michel Helou: Events on Syrian-Lebanese borders being ‘exaggerated’
MP Ibrahim Kanaan addresses issue of Mansourieh’s frequency transmitter
Qahwaji Heads to U.S., to Request Weapons for Army
Two Killed as 50,000 Rally at Kurdish Leader Funeral in Syria
Russia to Thwart U.N. Sanctions on Lebanon Should it Fail to Fund STL
France: We are Very Worried about Safety of Syrians in Lebanon
Hezbollah's Parliamentary bloc leader MP Mohammad Raad voices “worry about Arab Spring’s path”
Gathering moves venue to avoid embarassing church leaders
Geagea: Lebanon’s Security Being Jeopardized for Sake of One Party
Lebanon reveals assassination plot against minister's son
STL: Sayyed can see some witness statements
Hizbullah Puts Miqati at Loggerheads with International Community
PSP Discusses ‘Dangerous’ Situation over Hizbullah Rejection to Fund STL
Solidarity March in Tripoli: Lebanon, Arab Countries Should Withdraw Ambassadors from Syria
Three Women Share Nobel Peace Prize
Top Kurd Killed, U.S. Accuses Syria of Escalation
Reform or go, Medvedev tells Assad, Syrian leaders
Hundreds of Golan Druze rally for Assad

Maronite Patriarch Cardinal Nasrallah Sfeir The Patriarch says what needs to be said
October 8, 2011
http://nowlebanon.com/NewsArticleDetails.aspx?ID=319712
Former Maronite Patriarch Cardinal Nasrallah Sfeir said in an interview to be broadcasted Sunday that Maronite Patriarch Bechara Boutros al-Rai “says what needs to be said.”
“I do not address what the Patriarch [voices], he says what needs to be said, this is why I am with what he declares and not against it,” he told Voice of Lebanon (100.5) radio.
He added that the Maronite Patriarchate “was and will remain [true to] its principles. I don’t think it will change.”
Sfeir also said that the Christians in Lebanon are “protected by the law and the state.”
The Patriarch has faced criticism by some figures of March 14 coalition after his recent statements in France supporting the Syrian regime and Hezbollah’s arms.
However, the Patriarch later commented on the aforementioned statements and said that they “were taken out of context and have nothing to do” with his personal opinion.
-NOW Lebanon

Patriarch says his statement on Syria “fragmented,” unlike his personal views
September 13, 2011
http://nowlebanon.com/NewsArchiveDetails.aspx?ID=311273
Maronite Patriarch Bechara Boutros al-Rai said on Tuesday that “only fragments of what he said” regarding the Syrian crisis were reported.
“I want you to forget what has been fragmented… probably on purpose,” the patriarch said in a reference to his statement calling for granting Syrian President Bashar al-Assad “a chance.”
“This has nothing to do with my personal views,” he added, according to the National News Agency.
He also said that he does not want to take part in “disputes inside or outside Lebanon.”
“We are with peace and happiness for everyone.”
Last week, Rai said that Assad is “open-minded” and should be given “more chances to implement the reforms he already launched in his country.”
Assad’s troops have cracked down on protests against almost five decades of Baath rule which broke out mid-March, killing over 2,200 people and triggering a torrent of international condemnation. -NOW Lebanon

Hezbollah's Parliamentary bloc leader MP Mohammad Raad voices “worry about Arab Spring’s path”
October 8, 2011 /http://nowlebanon.com/NewsArticleDetails.aspx?ID=319686
Hezbollah's Parliamentary bloc leader MP Mohammad Raad said that there is “worry about the Arab Spring’s path and destiny,” adding that there are attempts “by world powers” to direct popular movements toward serving Western powers’ interests.
Some local and regional parties “have linked their fate” to foreign parties in order to be provided with a position of authority, the National News Agency quoted Raad as saying.
“The time of counting on [foreign] parties to run the affairs of our people has ended. The spirit of the Resistance grows, and no one can [affect] this spirit,” the Hezbollah MP added.
Protests erupted in several Arab countries in what has been dubbed the “Arab Spring.” The revolts succeeded in toppling the Tunisian, Egyptian and Libyan regimes. Syrian and Yemeni protesters are still demanding reforms and regime change as they face deadly regime reprisals.
-NOW Lebanon

Geagea: Lebanon’s Security Being Jeopardized for Sake of One Party
Naharnet/Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea stated on Friday that Lebanon is passing through an “unenviable” phase given the weak security situation and lack of justice and an incompetent state. He said during the LF students’ graduation ceremony: “It’s natural that the security of a country be destabilized, but for it to be destabilized on a daily basis for the sake of one party is unacceptable.” “It’s natural for political assassinations to take place in countries throughout the world, but it is unprecedented for a government to refuse to persecute the criminals and for some of its members to harbor them,” he added. Furthermore, he noted: “Worst of all is having a government that wastes no time in condemning any enemy violation of Lebanon’s sovereignty, but that remains silent and subservient to the violations of Lebanon’s fraternal state.”
The LF leader made this statement in reference to the Syrian army’s recent infiltrations into Lebanese territory where it said it was chasing Syrians who had fled into Lebanon.
“It is as if we have become orphaned in a country without guards, borders, sovereignty, and dignity,” Geagea stressed. On state appointments, he lamented the fact that the March 8-dominated government would appoint an individual to a position as an act of gratitude for that person’s certain political stand. He made this remark in reference to former minister Adnan Sayyed Hussein’s appointment as the president of the Lebanese University. The March 14 camp blames Sayyed Hussein for playing a major role in the toppling of the Saad Hariri government, which was overthrown in January when the March 8 camp ministers and Sayyed Hussein resigned. At the time, Sayyed Hussein was not considered to be affiliated with either of the rival March 8 and 14 political camps.
“We are now living in one of Lebanon’s darkest periods, but one must remember that the darkest hour of night is always followed by the bright dawn,” Geagea added.
Addressing regional developments, he stated: “The Arab Spring will mark the end of a dark period in the region’s history and pave the way for a time of freedom, democracy, diversity, justice, and truth.”“Our future will not remain hostage to any side, but it is counting on our will and commitment to freedom and Man in Lebanon and the East,” he stressed.

Gathering moves venue to avoid embarassing church leaders
October 08, 2011
By Van Meguerditchian/The Daily Star
BEIRUT: A major gathering of Lebanese Christians later this month is set to declare its support for the popular revolts in the Arab world. But unlike other editions of the gathering held in the past decade, this year’s meeting, organized by the “Lady of the Mountain Gathering,” will take place in a hotel instead of a religious complex.
Sources told The Daily Star that holding the gathering in its original venue of Lady of the Mountain Monastery in Jbeil was not welcomed by the monks. “The Qafqa monastery in Jbeil was ordered not to accept any plan to host such a gathering,” said a source close to the organization of this year’s gathering.
But Nawfal Daou, the secretariat of the gathering, denied the reports, saying that even the last gathering in 2007 was not held in Jbeil’s Qafqa monastery.
“The last gathering was held in Beit Anya in Harissa and not at the Lady of the Mountain,” Daou told The Daily Star, adding that some parties had been ordered by the Syrian authorities to not allow any public gatherings that would support the anti-government uprising in their country.
“It is true that some parties attempted to target the gathering by accusing us of holding an anti-[Maronite Patriarch Beshara] Rai meeting,” said Daou. “Since we don’t want to put any of the monastery’s members in an awkward situation … we decided to hold this year’s gathering in the Regency Palace Hotel.”
Several media reports have recently pointed to the gathering as a sign of divisions among March 14 political parties following controversial statements made by Rai.
During an official visit to the French capital last month, Rai told reporters that world leaders should have given more time to Syrian President Bashar Assad to make reforms, fearing that extremist religious groups might come to power, which according to Rai would have negative repercussions on Christians in the Middle East.
But Daou said Christians in Lebanon would send a message of partnership and not division. “This is a gathering that aims to protect the Arab Spring from all the attacks it is being subjected to recently.”
According to the United Nations, more than 2,900 people have been killed in Syria so far as a result of the violent crackdown against the pro-democracy protesters.
“Our aim is to transfer the Lebanese experience of partnership between Christians and Muslims to the remaining Arab countries to help them move to new democratic political systems,” said Daou, who took part in a news conference at the Press Federation Friday to announce the details of the upcoming gathering.
The gathering was established in 2001 and has worked to create a platform for dialogue between the country’s Christian and Muslim communities.
Although most March 8 politicians were supportive of the so-called Arab Spring in its early stage, many have been more critical of the pro-democracy demonstrators within Syria.
According to major political parties within the March 8 bloc, developments in Syria have become a tool in the hands of foreign powers and they aim to serve the Israeli interests in the region. Daou also said that the 2005 popular demonstrations in Lebanon that drove the Syrian troops out of the country would be meaningless if Arab countries fail to transition from dictatorial political systems to new democratic political systems.
“True partnership between Christians and Muslims will only take place under a democratic regime where individuals enjoy freedom,” Daou said.
“It is true that the Beirut Spring has significantly influenced the start of the Arab Spring … but it should be clear that without the Arab Spring, the spring of Beirut will no longer exist,” said Daou. After weeks of deliberation and bickering among religious and political leaders within the country’s Christian community, dozens of intellectuals, writers and politicians will hold a day-long gathering to address Christians in the region in relation to the momentous developments of the so-called “Arab Spring.”
“The gathering that will discuss the message that Christians carry in the region and their role in the Arab Spring will come up with a document, which will detail the role of Christians at this stage,” said Regina Qantara, one of the gathering’s organizers.
Speaking during at the news conference, Qantara said the “Lady of the Mountain” gathering on Oct. 23 would kick off at the Regency Palace Hotel in Adma, Kesrouan at 9:30 a.m.
“This is the 8th general meeting of the gathering, which comes in a historic period that Lebanon has been expecting since the year 2000,” said Qantara, in reference to the statement issued by the Council of Maronite Bishops more than 10 years ago that called on Syria to fully withdraw its army from Lebanon. “Lebanese Christians have long been struggling to entrench the values of democracy, freedom and human rights in the country … and today they are hopeful that the Arab Spring would spread these values in the region,” Qantara added.

The patriarch loses the plot
Michael Young,/Now Lebanon/ October 7, 2011
Bechara al-Rai believes there is a sinister plan to fragment the region by sect, an old fear religious minorities. (NOW Lebanon)
Among the geopolitical gems that Patriarch Bechara al-Rai has endowed us with in recent weeks is the notion that there is a grand scheme to divide the Middle East into sectarian statelets.
Rai raised this issue on his controversial visit to Paris some weeks ago, and repeated it on the eve of his departure to the United States, when visiting with President Michel Sleiman. The pair issued a statement in which they agreed that Lebanon was facing myriad dangers, among them that plan to fragment the region by religion.
Rarely do clergymen provoke any wistfulness in me, but reading Rai’s remarks I was transported back to the mid-1970s, and those balmy afternoons in the sitting room hearing family elders discussing politics. And it came to me that the recurrent topic of conversation back then was the same elaborate plan to divide the Middle East into sectarian and communal statelets. Who was the mastermind? Naturally, the US secretary of state at the time, Henry Kissinger, while the principal beneficiary of the project was Israel.
A separate part of Kissinger’s plan, we learned, was to empty Lebanon of Christians and hand the country over to the Palestinians (the ships that would evacuate us were said to be offshore, though it was never revealed where we would be deposited). Given that the Christian political groupings looked to be on relatively good terms with Israel, and that Israel was on bad terms with the Palestinians, our adolescent minds were somewhat puzzled by how Israel would benefit. However, the plan was complex, and teenagers had no business questioning their parents—and even less the diabolical ways of Henry Kissinger.
Decades on, the Middle East still hasn’t dissolved into sectarian statelets. Which makes you wonder, who is in charge of the plan these days? Perhaps Rai knows, or Sleiman. If so, the patriarch has been rather cagey on that point, although he has mentioned the concept of a “new Middle East” as the strategic backdrop to the process. When you hear the words “new Middle East,” you know someone is thinking of the George W. Bush years and the alleged plot to reshape the region in America’s image, of which the Iraq war was a centerpiece.
I’m willing to accept that the Bush administration, for a time, saw Iraq as a lever to alter broad political realities in the Gulf and the Levant in the wake of the 9/11 attacks against the United States. However, the political campaign in Iraq was so incompetently carried out, with American officials often pushing conflicting bureaucratic agendas, that it was obvious by the end of 2003 that Washington was increasingly mystified about how to proceed with the Iraqis. Even as Bush mentioned the “new” Middle East, his military was struggling mightily to contain the consequences of the old Middle East.
And all this had nothing to do with breaking Iraq up into sectarian statelets. If anything, the Bush administration sought to avoid that result at all costs—even if it proposed a federal system for Iraq, which was natural given Iraqi realities. I remember interviewing the deputy defense secretary, Paul Wolfowitz, in 2004, soon after agreement was reached over the Transitional Administrative Law—Iraq’s constitution until a permanent basic law could be agreed. Wolfowitz made quite plain his uneasiness with what he regarded as too much autonomy for the Kurdish areas, a sensitive admission in light of the close relationship between Washington and the Kurdish parties.
Nothing that the Bush administration did in Iraq after that period contradicted American fears of a sectarian breakdown. Yes, there was a battle in Baghdad between the Sunni and Shia communities, but the ethnic cleansing that ensued was not the fruit of an American stratagem. In fact, had the US wanted to split Iraq apart, it would not have played such an essential role in assisting Baghdad to re-impose its writ over Sunni areas, above all Anbar province, in collaboration with the Awakening Councils. Nor would it have attempted to find a solution between Kurds and Arabs over the disputed city of Kirkuk.
What about Syria? If any party to the unrest there today is implementing measures that might break the country up into sectarian statelets, it’s the Assad regime, which Rai has invited us all to reconsider with a more compassionate eye. By unleashing its predominantly Alawite praetorian units and Alawite armed gangs against mainly Sunni protestors, the regime has intentionally heightened sectarian animosities. This it has done to bolster Alawite solidarity and ensure that those in the community remain united; but also to make the prospect of a sectarian civil war so real, that foreign states, to avert this outcome, will not risk undermining Assad rule.
And since when has the US, or for that matter Israel, tried to break Syria up into smaller states? For decades Israel and Syria have been the best of enemies, their border as tranquil as a Sunday afternoon in the Scandinavian countryside. It was no coincidence that in a New York Times interview last May, Rami Makhlouf, President Bashar al-Assad’s cousin, warned: “If there is no stability [in Syria], there’s no way there will be stability in Israel.” Very succinctly, and openly, he admitted that Syria and Israel protected each other—a source of great discomfiture in Damascus, even if Makhlouf was telling the truth.
Priests enjoy vast political intrigue, because so much of it seems to surround their institution. But Rai can do better than offer us a reheated version of a spurious conspiracy theory from the 1970s, reinforced by his sketchy grasp of current realities in the Middle East. Patriarchs really shouldn’t echo dated, imprecise salon gossip.
*Michael Young is opinion editor of the Daily Star newspaper in Beirut and author of The Ghosts of Martyrs Square: An Eyewitness Account of Lebanon’s Life Struggle. He tweets @BeirutCalling.

US calls on Syria’s Assad ‘to step down now’
October 8, 2011 /Agencies
The White House has called on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to “step down now,” warning he was taking his country down a “very dangerous path.” In a statement, spokesman Jay Carney condemned the killing of Kurdish opposition leader Meshaal Tamo as well as the beating of a prominent Syrian activist, saying it showed “again that the Assad regime’s promises for dialogue and reform are hollow.”“The United States strongly rejects violence directed against peaceful oppositionists wherever it occurs, and stands in solidarity with the courageous people of Syria who deserve their universal rights,” Carney said on Friday.“Today’s attacks demonstrate the Syrian regime’s latest attempts to shut down peaceful opposition inside Syria. President Assad must step down now before taking his country further down this very dangerous path. ”Tamo, 53, a member of the newly formed Syrian National Council (SNC) opposition grouping, was killed when four masked gunmen stormed his house in Qamishli in the north and opened fire.His son and another fellow activist in the Kurdish Future Party were wounded, activists said. Kurds are a minority ethnic group in Syria.Former MP Riad Seif, meanwhile, was also attacked and beaten in the street. The US State Department earlier charged that the Assad regime was escalating its tactics against the opposition with bold, daylight attacks on its leaders.

EU Condemns Killing of Syria Top Kurd in 'Strongest Terms'
Naharnet /The European Union's foreign policy chief on Saturday firmly condemned the murder of a Kurdish opposition leader in Syria, and reiterated concern over Damascus' repression of pro-democracy protests."The High Representative condemns in the strongest terms the murder" of 53-year-old Meshaal Tamo, assassinated on Friday by masked gunmen who stormed his house in northern Syria, a statement issued on behalf of Catherine Ashton said. The statement said Tamo's death "follows other targeted assassinations in the past days, which are totally unacceptable. "These appalling crimes further add to the EU's grave concern over the situation in Syria. All those responsible for and complicit in these crimes must be held accountable."
The statement said Ashton "deplores other recent incidents of violence, including the severe beating of opposition leader Riad Seif," and "condemns the brutal repression as well as all acts aimed at inciting inter-ethnic and inter-confessional conflict. "She reiterates that all violence must stop to allow for a genuine, peaceful and democratic transition addressing the legitimate demands of the Syrian people." The U.S. State Department said Friday that Assad's regime was escalating its tactics against the opposition with bold, daylight attacks on its leaders.
Spokeswoman Victoria Nuland also singled out the murder of Tamo and the beating of former MP Seif.**Source Agence France Presse

U.S. Calls on Assad 'to Step Down Now'
Naharnet /The White House on Friday called on Syrian President Bashar Assad to "step down now," warning he was taking his country down a "very dangerous path."
In a statement, spokesman Jay Carney condemned the killing of Kurdish opposition leader Meshaal Tamo as well as the beating of a prominent Syrian activist, saying it showed "again that the Assad regime's promises for dialogue and reform are hollow.""The United States strongly rejects violence directed against peaceful oppositionists wherever it occurs, and stands in solidarity with the courageous people of Syria who deserve their universal rights," Carney said. "Today's attacks demonstrate the Syrian regime's latest attempts to shut down peaceful opposition inside Syria. President Assad must step down now before taking his country further down this very dangerous path."Tamo, 53, a member of the newly formed Syrian National Council (SNC) opposition grouping, was killed when four masked gunmen stormed his house in Qamishli in the north and opened fire. His son and another fellow activist in the Kurdish Future Party were wounded, activists said. Kurds are a minority ethnic group in Syria.
Former MP Riad Seif, meanwhile, was also attacked and beaten in the street.
The U.S. State Department earlier charged that the Assad regime was escalating its tactics against the opposition with bold, daylight attacks on its leaders.
"This is a clear escalation of regime tactics," State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland told reporters, referring to reports of Tamo's murder.
In the past months, she said: "We've obviously had a number of opposition folks arrested. We have had reports of torture, beatings, etc, but not on the streets in broad daylight.
The tactic is "clearly designed to intimidate others," Nuland said. Nuland meanwhile welcomed reported remarks from Russian President Dmitry Medvedev who told Assad on Friday to either reform or resign. "That is very positive," she said, adding that she had not seen the statement. "But as we have said, we want to see more countries join us not only in increasing the political and rhetorical pressure on the regime, but also tightening the economic noose," Nuland said. "And there are more steps that can be taken by countries like Russia to up the pressure on Assad," she said. Medvedev said three days after Russia and China sparked global outrage by jointly vetoing a U.N. resolution on Syria that he wanted to see an end to the brutal crackdown on protesters as much as Europe and the United States. But he quickly reasserted Russia's earlier position by saying that the best the West could do was support talks and not meddle. *Source Agence France Presse

Russia to Thwart U.N. Sanctions on Lebanon Should it Fail to Fund STL
Naharnet /Russia will likely veto any United Nations Security Council action against Lebanon should it fail to fund the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, reported the daily al-Liwaa on Saturday.
An informed source told the daily that Syrian and Iranian circles view Russia and China’s veto of a U.N. resolution against Syria’s deadly crackdown on protests earlier this week as a turning point in relations between them.It explained: “Hizbullah and its allies have acquired information about the nature of the Russia-Iranian understanding, which is linked to a Russian rockets deal, as well as financial and oil agreements, given the western sanctions against the Syrian regime.” “The situation in Lebanon has become, now more than ever, more linked to the situation in Syria, and therefore Hizbullah is seeking to demonstrate that failure to fund the STL will not lead to U.N. sanctions under chapter seven of its charter,” it added. “Russia has repeatedly declared that it supports the tribunal, but it will thwart any Security Council action over Lebanon’s failure to fund it,” it continued. Sides that support the funding have however voiced their disagreement over the party’s view of the matter, asserting that Prime Minister Najib Miqati was clear in committing to the funding in order to avoid sanctions and having Lebanon being labeled as a failed state. Al-Liwaa reported that efforts are underway to withdraw this issue from media speculation in order to reach middle ground between Lebanon’s commitments over the STL and Hizbullah and the Free Patriotic Movement’s refusal to fund it.  Sources monitoring the situation ruled out the possibility that the government would be toppled in order for Hizbullah and the FPM to reach their goals, because its overthrow would allow their March 14 rivals to regain the governmental majority.

STL for Lebanon Defense Office Francois Roux: Bellemare, Fransen, Defense Team to Meet Soon to Asses Proceedings
Naharnet /The head of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon Defense Office Francois Roux revealed that Prosecutor Judge Daniel Bellemare, Pre-Trial Judge Daniel Fransen, and the Defense team will convene soon to assess proceedings of the tribunal.He told the daily An Nahar in remarks published on Saturday that in absentia trials are much more difficult for the Defense, explaining that it requires time to evaluate the Prosecution’s file.He added that the upcoming weeks or months will witness intensified activity ahead of the actual court proceedings.
In case of in absentia trials, the failure of a lawyer to meet with his client proves to be a major challenge in the proceedings, Roux said.The Defense Office therefore plays an important role in assisting the Defense team in its duties, he continued.Since the release of the STL indictment, several Lebanese lawyers have decided to sign up for the Defense, he revealed.
He added that he is certain that several experience Lebanese lawyers will be part of the Defense team.

Cabinet “compelled” to pay STL funding, says Soueid
October 8, 2011 /March 14 General Secretariat coordinator Fares Soueid said on Saturday that the Lebanese government “is compelled” to pay Lebanon’s share to fund the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL). Soueid told the Free Lebanon radio station that the international community “awaits” implementing Prime Minister Najib Mikati’s “promise” to pay Lebanon’s share of funding to the STL. He also said that he thinks Hezbollah will agree to pay Lebanon’s share to fund the STL amid “Mikati’s threat to resign,” adding that Hezbollah “does not have an interest in Mikati’s resignation [at this time].”The Hezbollah-led March 8 parties – which currently dominate Lebanon’s cabinet – have opposed a clause in the Lebanese annual state budget pertaining to the funding of the tribunal, while Mikati has repeatedly voiced Lebanon’s commitment to the STL. Four Hezbollah members have been indicted by the STL, which is investigating the 2005 assassination of former PM Rafik Hariri. However, the Shia group strongly denied the charges and refuses to cooperate with the court.Lebanon contributes 49 percent of the STL’s annual funding.According to the United Nations, the Syrian regime's crackdown on protests that erupted in mid-March has killed more than 2,900 people. -NOW Lebanon

Who cares about Lebanon’s sovereignty?
Ana Maria Luca, October 8, 2011
Syrian troops crossed the border into Lebanon on Thursday to kill a Syrian national, without inciting a negative reaction from the Lebanese cabinet. (AFP photo/Joseph Eid)
Ali al-Khatib was originally from the Syrian border village of Meshrfeh, but married a Lebanese woman and moved across the border to the East Bekaa village of Ersal. The farmer was the reason two Syrian army tanks crossed the border into Lebanon on Thursday night, the second time this week, without sending either a notification before or an explanation afterward to the Lebanese authorities.
They shot Khatib dead before returning to their side of the border.
The entrance of Syrian troops into Lebanon to pursue Syrian nationals raises complicated questions on how much Lebanon can defend its own sovereignty and how the Syrian regime still has such a strong grip on Lebanon’s army and government. The Lebanese government did not file a complaint and did not summon the Syrian ambassador to Beirut to request an explanation.
“We asked Foreign Minister [Adnan Mansour] to summon the Syrian ambassador to inform him about Lebanon’s protest on this crossing, but he didn’t,” lawyer and former Labor Minister Boutros Harb told the National New Agency. “This is a [planned] crossing of the border between Lebanon and Syria, and a lack of respect to Lebanese sovereignty. Not summoning the Syrian envoy means that the cabinet is a partner of the Syrian regime in violating Lebanese sovereignty,” he added.
The March 8-led government’s Justice Minister, Shakib Qortbawi, defended the cabinet’s decision not to issue a statement on Tuesday’s incident, saying that the “issue is being handled by security forces.” There was also no reaction from the cabinet. Syrian Ambassador to Lebanon Ali Abdel Karim Ali said that the Syrian incursion was blown out of proportion in the Lebanese media for political purposes.
Analysts say that had this happened anywhere else, the reaction to the incidents would have been much greater: they would have triggered a diplomatic scandal, the ambassador of the offending country would have been publicly summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and presented with a complaint and a warning, and there would be a complaint filed with the Security Council.
But Lebanon’s March 8 government, a close ally of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, did no such thing.
According to March 14 MP Mouin Merhabi, the incidents in Ersal are not the only occasions the Syrian army has crossed into Lebanon. Merhabi, who kept track of similar incidents in North Lebanon, said that “Two weeks ago, two men were kidnapped by the Syrian army from Akroum, North Lebanon, and then returned.”
“There was another incident when they shelled Lebanese army vehicles and broke one down. This is an infringement of Lebanon’s sovereignty,” he added.
According to lawyer and constitutional expert Marwan Sakr, there is no treaty that can provide an excuse for the Syrian incursions. The cooperation agreement signed between the Syrian Defense Ministry and its Lebanese counterpart in 1991 implies that a Syrian military operation cannot be conducted on Lebanon’s territory without prior consultations with the Defense Ministry in Beirut.
According to the Defense Agreement, both Syria or Lebanon have to “ban all military, security, political and media activity that might harm the other country” and “refuse to give refuge to, facilitate the passage of, or provide protection to persons and organizations that work against the other state's security. If such persons or organizations take refuge in either of the two states, that state must arrest them and hand them over to the other side at the latter's request.”
According to another lawyer and human rights activist, Nabil Halabi, in situations such as the ongoing Syrian anti-regime uprising, the security cooperation treaties between the two countries are replaced by international humanitarian law because of the human rights violations being committed by the Assad regime against the protesters, thousands of whom have attempted to flee into Lebanon since the crackdown began.
“[The situation in Syria] calls for the freezing of all bilateral agreements and the local laws and resorting to only international agreements and the international laws for human rights, which forbid any security authority from allowing the pursuit, the detaining or killing—as we saw Thursday—of any Syrian opposition activist,” Halabi noted.
Constitutional lawyer and analyst Antoine Saad said that military intervention on the territory of another country is illegal, but he also pointed out that “It is quite clear the Lebanese authorities can’t stand up to Damascus.” “We know that Syrian opponents who sought refuge in Lebanon were apprehended by the Lebanese authorities and sent back to Syria. We know that all our political problems depend on Syria and Bashar al-Assad. That’s why there is never a reaction,” Saad said. “They always went around the law and the Lebanese-Syrian agreements. This is because [the government] is afraid and is always obedient to the Assad regime.”

MP Simon Abi Ramia: Syrian forces ‘violate sovereignty’ of Lebanese territory
October 8, 2011 /Change and Reform bloc MP Simon Abi Ramia said on Saturday that he considers Syrian forces’ entrance to Lebanese territory “a violation to [Lebanese] sovereignty].”
On Tuesday, Syrian army tanks crossed the Lebanese border near the town of Aarsal and fired several gunshots within Lebanese territory, while on Thursday Syrian troops shot and killed a farmer near Aarsal.“I consider this action unnatural and a violation to sovereignty,” Abi Ramia told New TV, adding that borders with Syria “must be protected,” but they “must not transform into a safe zone” for those who want to attack Syria. Protests against the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad began in mid-March. The Syrian regime has repeatedly blamed “armed gangs” for the unrest. According to the United Nations, the Syrian regime's crackdown on protests has killed more than 2,900 people. -NOW Lebanon

MP Michel Helou: Events on Syrian-Lebanese borders being ‘exaggerated’
October 8, 2011 /Change and Reform bloc MP Michel Helou said on Saturday that the accounts of events on the Syrian-Lebanese borders are“exaggerations”.
“There are exaggerations…that aim to make the Lebanese people [angry] and to take strict positions against the Syrian leadership” Helou told OTV.
“Lebanon must not interfere in Syrian affairs, and the Syrians are also not allowed to interfere in Lebanese affairs,” the MP also said, adding that there are agreements that address the relationship between the two countries.“What is happening on the borders [with Syria] is controlling arms’ smuggling and controlling [attempts] to sneak [into and out of Syria].”
On Tuesday, Syrian army tanks crossed the Lebanese border near the town of Aarsal and fired several gunshots within Lebanese territory, while on Thursday Syrian troops shot and killed a farmer near Aarsal.-NOW Lebanon

Syrian Social Nationalist Party MP Marwan Fares: Syria “did not violate” Lebanese sovereignty
October 8, 2011 /Syrian Social Nationalist Party MP Marwan Fares said on Saturday that the incident in which a Syrian citizen living in a remote border area of the eastern Bekaa region was killed by Syrian forces was “personal,” adding that Lebanese sovereignty “was not violated [by Syria].”Fares told the Free Lebanon radio station that there is a lot of “exaggeration regarding the Syrian forces’ entrance into the Lebanese town of Aarsal.”On Tuesday, Syrian army tanks crossed the Lebanese border near the town of Aarsal and fired several gunshots within Lebanese territory, while on Thursday Syrian troops shot and killed a farmer near Aarsal. “I know how the relations between Aarsal residents and Syria are. There are strong [ties], and we are surprised by this media exaggeration,” he also said.The MP also said that Syrian Ambassador to Lebanon Ali Abdel Karim Ali is “performing his duty,” adding that the latter’s performance is “diplomatic.”
-NOW Lebanon

MP Ibrahim Kanaan addresses issue of Mansourieh’s frequency transmitter
October 8, 2011 /Change and Reform bloc MP Ibrahim Kanaan said on Saturday that the issue of erecting a high-voltage electric post in Metn’s town of Mansourieh should be resolved through dialogue. Residents of the Metn towns of Ain Saadeh and Mansourieh have protested for the last three days against a decision to erect a high-voltage electric post in the area. They have repeatedly called for re-locating the frequency transmission line, adding that it has “unhealthy” effects on the population. “I am an MP in the area of northern Mten and it’s my duty to stand by the [area’s residents],” Kanaan told LBC television. The MP also said that the residents’ health “should not be harmed,” adding that the solution to the issue should take into consideration the residents’ fears but also provide electricity.Asked about Syrian forces trespassing on Lebanese territory, Kanaan said “Lebanese sovereignty is [not subject] to concessions. These issues should be resolved between the two states.” On Tuesday, Syrian army tanks crossed the Lebanese border near the town of Aarsal and fired several gunshots within Lebanese territory, while on Thursday Syrian troops shot and killed a farmer near Aarsal.-NOW Lebanon

Lebanon reveals assassination plot against minister's son
October 07, 2011/By Rima S. Aboulmona/ The Daily Star
BEIRUT: Interior Minister Marwan Charbel revealed Friday that Lebanese authorities have information about a plot to assassinate the son of a Cabinet minister. Charbel said the information was obtained after the Interior Ministry received a letter a while ago in which the sender – an African national – said a man had asked him to take part in the assassination of one of the sons of a government official. “We have obtained information that shows that this person [suspect] indeed exists and we are seeking his arrest,” Charbel told The Daily Star. “Hopefully, we will be able to arrest him soon,” Charbel added. He would not reveal the name of the African citizen, the identity of the suspect being tracked down or the name of the target of the plot.
In the letter written in English, the African national said that he had been asked to take part in the assassination, but that he refused, Charbel said. “I hope that you take this letter seriously as that person is serious,” Charbel quoted the letter as saying.

Reform or go, Medvedev tells Assad, Syrian leaders
October 08, 2011/ Daily Star
BEIRUT/WASHINGTON: Russia’s president Dmitry Medvedev urged Syrian President Bashar Assad to step down Friday as Syrian forces killed at least eight people when they opened fire to disperse anti-government protests in Damascus and Homs, activists said. Medvedev said Friday that Syrian leaders should relinquish power if they could not carry out promised reforms, but that Western states had no right to intervene, the state-run Russian news agency RIA reported.
“We are using our channels and are actively working with the Syrian leadership. We are demanding that the Syrian leadership implement the necessary reforms,” Medvedev said.
“If the Syrian leadership is incapable of conducting such reforms, it will have to go, but this decision should be taken not in NATO or certain European countries. It should be taken by the Syrian people and the Syrian leadership.” The remarks were Medvedev’s bluntest warning yet to Assad, whose country has historically close ties with Moscow, one of its main arms suppliers, and hosts a Russian naval maintenance facility on its Mediterranean coast. Russia has warned it will oppose almost any U.N. resolution condemning Assad.
It refrained from using its Security Council veto in March to obstruct NATO airstrikes in Libya, but Syria appears to be a red line for Moscow.
While Assad has sent troops and tanks to crush protests, he has also pledged reforms. He has ended a state of emergency and given citizenship to tens of thousands of Syrian Kurds. He has also promised a parliamentary election in February. Many of Assad’s opponents say his reform promises are hollow and that his government has forfeited all legitimacy after killing at least 2,900 civilians, by a U.N. count, with more killings Friday, according to activists.
Rami Abdel-Rahman, head of the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said eight people were killed by Syrian forces Friday – three in the Damascus suburb of Douma, one in Zabadani near the Lebanese border and four in Bab Sbaa, a district in the central city of Homs.
At least 25 people were wounded, he said, in the latest round in almost seven months of demonstrations seeking more political freedoms. Assad has held autocratic power for 11 years and his late father for three decades before that. Activists said protesters also came under fire in the eastern tribal region of Deir al-Zor on the border with Iraq and in the city of Hama.
Video footage showed protesters holding banners urging the international community to protect civilians.
Some chanted, “Syria, Assad is a germ here,” and, “We do not love you [Assad]. Leave, you and your party.”
An activist told Al-Jazeera television that protesters had burned the flags of Russia and China for blocking a European-drafted U.N. Security Council resolution urging Syria to end its six-month crackdown on protesters. In the east of the country four gunmen shot dead prominent Kurdish opposition figure Mishaal al-Tammo and wounded his son, Abdel-Rahman said.
It was not clear who was behind the attack. Tammo, a charismatic figure who was released from jail earlier this year, was a critic of Assad who had also angered powerful Kurdish parties because of his criticism of Kurdish rivals.
Meanwhile, the U.S. State Department accused the Syria government Friday of escalating acts of intimidation against prominent opposition leaders.
Pro-government gangs recently attacked two opposition activists on the street during daylight hours, stepping up a violent campaign against opposition leaders that has largely taken place outside the public eye, State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said.
“This is a clear escalation of regime tactics,” she told reporters at a briefing.
“We’ve obviously had a number of opposition folks arrested, we’ve had reports of torture, beatings,” Nuland added. “But not on the streets in broad daylight, [which is] clearly designed to intimidate others.”Nuland pointed to video footage that allegedly shows former lawmaker and opposition leader Ryad Saif being beaten in front of a mosque in a Damascus neighborhood. The footage was posted on YouTube.com by Syrian activists. “He was beaten on the street at the hands of folks who appear to be pro-regime thugs,” Nuland said.
One video clip pictured a group of men at a distance, some wielding clubs and beating a figure as they moved down a street. A second allegedly showed Saif afterward displaying marks on his back and swollen welts along his left forearm at a hospital. The State Department has received reports of a similar attack on a second Syrian opposition leader outside Damascus.

Top Kurd Killed, U.S. Accuses Syria of Escalation
Naharnet/A top Kurdish activist and nine other people were killed Friday as thousands rallied in support of a new opposition front, activists said, as Washington accused Syria of escalating attacks on dissidents. The latest violence came as Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said President Bashar al-Assad will have to leave power if he fails to implement reforms acceptable to the opposition, and Damascus again blamed "terrorists" for the unrest.
Kurdish activist and opposition spokesman Meshaal Temmo, 53, was killed when four masked gunmen stormed his house in Qamishli in the north and opened fire, also wounding his son and another fellow activist in the Kurdish Future Party, activists said. Assad's regime is escalating its tactics against the opposition with bold, daylight attacks on its leaders, the US State Department charged. "This is a clear escalation of regime tactics," State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland told reporters, referring to reports of Temmo's murder, as well as the beating on Friday of former MP Riad Seif. Nuland said both opposition leaders were attacked in broad daylight. "We've obviously had a number of opposition folks arrested. We have had reports of torture, beatings, etc, but not on the streets in broad daylight," she added. The tactic is "clearly designed to intimidate others."
The official SANA news agency reported Temmo's "assassination" but gave a different account of his death, saying he was killed "by gunmen in a black car who fired at his car."
Temmo, a member of the newly formed Syrian National Council (SNC) opposition grouping, had been released recently after three and a half years in prison.
SNC spokeswoman Basma Kodmani said the regime had "crossed a new stage in the strategy of repression. All opposition leaders must protect themselves."
Elsewhere, four civilians, including two elderly men, were shot dead in the central city of Homs by security forces and four others on the outskirts of Damascus, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. A 10th man died after being shot by security forces in the flashpoint northern town of Jisr al-Shughur near the Turkish border, the Local Coordination Committees activist network reported. Meanwhile, ex-MP Seif had to be given hospital treatment after being beaten outside a mosque in the capital's commercial neighborhood of Medan.
Mosques in Syria, as happens every week, again became springboards for Friday anti-regime protests, also this time in support of the SNC, formed to represent the main opposition groups, activists said. Pro-democracy activists had called for fresh demonstrations under the banner: "The Syrian National Council is our representative, mine, yours and that of all Syrians."
Demonstrators in the restive Damascus district of Barzeh carried slogans affirming their "complete support" for the SNC, YouTube videos showed, while protesters in Homs chanted "the people want the fall of the president." In Daraa, southern Syria, thousands trampled on giant Russian and Chinese flags, in a sign of discontent at the two U.N. Security Council members blocking a resolution calling for "targeted measures" against Assad.
In the face of international condemnation, Syria's deputy foreign minister said more than 1,100 people have been killed by "terrorists" in the revolt that has shaken the country since March.
"Syria is grappling with terrorist threats," Faysal Mekdad said in a speech to the 47-state U.N. Human Rights Council. The U.N. Committee on the Rights of the Child, meanwhile, said at least 187 children were among the estimated total of more than 2,900 people killed since Syria launched its brutal crackdown on dissent.
On the diplomatic front, Russia's Medvedev unexpectedly piled pressure on Damascus, just days after Moscow and Beijing vetoed the U.N. resolution.
"If the Syrian leadership is unable to undertake these reforms, it will have to go. But this is something that has to be decided not by NATO or individual European countries but by the people and leadership ofSyria," he said. Russia on Friday said the office of one of its energy companies was attacked in Syria by opposition forces it claimed were increasingly resorting to "terror" tactics. The foreign ministry said the Stroytransgaz Company’s office in Homs came under gunfire on Wednesday. It reported no injuries but said security at all Russian facilities in Syria has been stepped up. In wielding its veto on Tuesday, Russia said it feared the U.N. draft could be used for military action against Syria. Russia, China and others still accuse NATO of abusing U.N. resolutions on Libya to launch air strikes this year.

Three Women Share Nobel Peace Prize
Naharnet /Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Liberian "peace warrior" Leymah Gbowee and Yemen's Arab Spring activist Tawakkul Karman on Friday won the Nobel Peace Prize, the jury said. The three prizewinners share the 2011 award "for their non-violent struggle for the safety of women and for women's rights to full participation in peace-building work," Norwegian Nobel Committee president Thorbjoern Jagland said in his announcement.
"We cannot achieve democracy and lasting peace in the world unless women obtain the same opportunities as men to influence developments at all levels of society," he added.
Sirleaf, 72, made history when she became Africa's first elected woman president in 2005. She took power in a nation traumatized by 14 years of brutal civil war that left 250,000 dead and economic devastation, with no electricity, running water or infrastructure. The Nobel Committee said that "since her inauguration in 2006, she has contributed to securing peace in Liberia, to promoting economic and social development, and to strengthening the position of women." Sirleaf said the prize was a recognition for all of the poverty-wracked west African country's people. "This is a prize for all Liberian people," said Sirleaf.
"It is the result of my years of fighting for peace in this country. This prize is shared with Leymah who is another Liberian. It is also a prize for all Liberian women."
Sirleaf's rise to power might not have been possible without the efforts of Gbowee, 39, an activist who led Liberia's women to defy feared warlords.
She pushed men toward peace by inspiring a large group of both Christian and Muslim women to wage a sex strike during what was one of Africa's bloodiest wars.
The Nobel Committee hailed Gbowee for having "organized women across ethnic and religious dividing lines to bring an end to the long war in Liberia, and to ensure women's participation in elections." Tawakkul Karman is a 32-year-old Yemeni activist and journalist who has braved several stints in prison in her struggle for women's rights, press freedom and the release of political prisoners in Yemen. She is the first Arab woman to the win the Peace Prize.
The Nobel jury hailed her for "in the most trying circumstances, both before and during the 'Arab Spring'... (Playing) a leading part in the struggle for women's rights and for democracy and peace in Yemen." Soon after the Committee president announced the winners, Karman dedicated her unexpected win to the activists of the Arab Spring.
"I dedicate it to all the activists of the Arab Spring," Karman told al-Arabiya Television, referring to protesters who took to the streets in several Arab countries demanding democracy.
*Source Agence France Presse

The Syrian displaced
Hazem Amin,/Now Lebanon/October 7, 2011
Lebanese MP Mouin al-Merhebi issued a statement about two aggressions committed by the LAF Intelligence against two wounded Syrian nationals who came to Lebanon to receive treatment. The first case occurred in Hermel, while the second was in Akkar. The Lebanese Armed Forces did not issue a denial regarding the MP's statements; therefore, it is only logical to assume that both incidents are correct since we are supposedly dealing with two sides that are responsible for their actions and statements, namely a member of parliament and an official security service.
In reality, aggressions by official security services in Lebanon against Syrian activists and displaced have become all too common. An Arab journalist who overly criticized the Syrian regime was advised by the institution for which he works not to go to Beirut. The Arab press is reporting profusely on the dangers incurred by Syrian refugees in Lebanon.
The press mentioned many cases regarding the arrest of refugees along the border and harassment by official security services. Many who came to newspapers and media outlets talked about the difficulties and hazards of travel. One person said: Our situation in Lebanon is harder than it was in Syria. There, we know the nature of the regime and know how to deceive it, whereas we do not know who is with us and who is against us here.
Nowadays, Arab public opinion has it that Lebanon is colluding in the persecution of the Syrian people. This does not only cover official Lebanese authorities, but also extends to the Lebanese categories that remain silent on the measures against displaced families, wounded people and activists. The religious summit held in Dar al-Fatwa with the participation of the heads of religious communities remained silent on the repression and persecution of Syrian nationals in Lebanon. Virtually no voices rose within the civil society and the media against this situation except for some marginal columns or news reports.
The displaced in the border area in Akkar are living in painful circumstances against a backdrop of lacking and partial aid, security pursuits and the approaching winter that awaits people living out in the open. It seems that no one in Lebanon cares about any of this. The heads of religious communities are busy honoring the Syrian ambassador while the action to be undertaken by civil aid agencies has moved from the field to Facebook. Only the state is doing something, namely going after wanted Syrian nationals, attacking the wounded and handing over activists to authorities in their own country. Once can only imagine the fate awaiting them there.
This is Lebanon's image in the eyes of the outside world. The Arab world, which is busy following up on the events in Syria, sees Lebanon, the weak flank of the Damascus regime, as a thug seeking to please his master.
There are more than 5,000 Syrian refugees in Lebanon. Aid is not such a big task. As for protecting those whom the authorities are pursuing, this matter has absolutely nothing to do with a wish to shield Lebanon from regional troubles, which is the pretext invoked by the cabinet to justify its decision in support of the Syrian regime; rather, this is primarily an ethical and humanitarian task.
Can anyone imagine soldiers hitting a wounded man with broken arms using their rifle butts? These are soldiers whose salaries we pay out of taxes levied on our own salaries. This is the scene, which was described in MP Merhebis statement and which the LAF Command has failed to deny.
*This article is a translation of the original, which appeared on the NOW Arabic site on Friday, October 7 2011

Hundreds of Golan Druze rally for Assad
October 7, 2011
Some 500 Druze living on the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights on Friday held a rally of support for embattled Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, an AFP photographer said.
Waving Syrian flags and portraits of Assad, the demonstrators marched through Majdal Shams. "We love you, Bashar ... We are with the Syrian army," they chanted.
Against the backdrop of the deadly anti-regime protests in Syria, their banners read: "We are for a dialogue aimed at national unity."
Israel, whose police did not intervene in the demonstration, seized the Golan from Syria in the 1967 Middle East war and annexed the Druze-inhabited territory.
Around 18,000 Druze live in the Golan, most of who refuse to take up Israeli nationality. Syria insists on Israel's return of the territory as the price for any peace deal with the Jewish state.
-AFP/NOW Lebanon

Berri describes Aoun as a ‘eunuch’, WikiLeaks
October 8, 2011
http://www.yalibnan.com/2011/10/08/berri-describes-aoun-as-a-%e2%80%98eunuch%e2%80%99-wikileaks/
According to a US diplomatic cable leaked by WikiLeaks, Speaker Nabih Berri described Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun as a “eunuch.”
During a meeting on November 6, 2007 addressing the Lebanese presidential elections with then-US Ambassador to Lebanon Jeffrey Feltman, Berri said that Aoun is a “eunuch” among the candidates for the presidency, the cable said, adding that “the speaker beseeched the ambassador to not share his comment on Aoun .”
The cable also said that the speaker “pulled Feltman into his side office in Ain al-Tineh for a private word and urged the US to work on Aoun to find out what the latter would need in return for renouncing his own presidential aspirations.”
“If Aoun agrees to concede the presidency then it makes for a possible solution: a president who is closer to March 14 than March 8. As long as Aoun remains in the running, my hands are tied,” the cable quoted Berri as saying.
The cable added that if “Aoun agrees to accept certain ministerial portfolios, then Berri would be willing to support someone like Boutros Harb or Robert Ghanem.”
Feltman asked Berri for “confirmation” that he would support Harb, the cable also said, adding that Berri said: “Yes, if Aoun will agree to step aside.”
On November 23, 2007, the term of Lebanese President Emile Lahoud came to an end and the March 14 and March 8 coalitions could not agree on a successor.
In May 2008, Hezbollah rejected the Fouad Siniora government’s decision to transfer Brigadier General Wafiq Choucair from his position as airport security chief and insisted the brigadier remain at his post.
The dispute over the issue stirred a week of sectarian fighting that killed more than 100 people across the country and became known as the May 7 events.
Negotiations to halt the crisis, in which senior representatives from all Lebanese political parties participated in, took place in Doha, Qatar from May 17 to May 20. The participants agreed that Michel Sleiman was the preferred presidential candidate and he was elected on May 25.

Minorities have nothing to fear in post-Assad Syria, Interview
By: Nicholas Blanford
http://www.yalibnan.com/2011/10/02/minorities-have-nothing-to-fear-in-post-assad-syria-interview/
Six months into the uprising against the rule of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, the confrontation continues to be defined mainly as one pitting the country’s majority Sunni population against the minority Alawites – adherents of a Shiite offshoot who form the backbone of the regime.
The country’s other sects – the Christians, Druze, Ismaelis – generally have stayed on the sidelines, nervously pondering a future that some fear may echo the sectarian strife that plagued Iraq from 2003.
But Sheikh Louay al-Zouabi, the secretary-general of Syrian Salafist group Al-Muamineen al-Yousharikoun (The Believers Participate), insists that minorities having nothing to fear in a post-Assad Syria and that all should be allowed to play a role.
Still, as a veteran “Arab Afghan” who fought the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan, lived in Sudan at the same time as former Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, waged jihad in Bosnia in the mid 1990s, and spent six years in a Syrian jail, he has a tough sell ahead of him if he is to convince the skeptics.
The Monitor recently talked with Mr. Zouabi at a safe house in north Lebanon.
CSM: Many Syrians, especially those from minority communities, are scared that if the Assad regime falls, the country may slide into sectarian chaos similar to neighboring Iraq. They are worried that the majority Sunni community may not look after their interests once the Baath Party’s secular regime is removed.
ZOUABI: What I am trying to do is to stand up and talk to the entire world. Yes, I have been to Afghanistan and Bosnia and that means that I am accused of being a radical. The Assad regime is trying to scare the West [by saying] that we want to be the masters of Syria. This is not true. We are willing to share power with everyone – Druze, Alawite, Shia, Sunni, Kurds, Christians. It is not true what the regime is saying about us. Let the whole world know that Bashar al-Assad is lying. We are not hard-liners.
CSM: But you admit that you fought the Soviets in Afghanistan in the 1980s, where you knew many of Osama bin Laden’s key lieutenants, and that you fought in Bosnia in the mid 1990s. Surely you face a tough sell to persuade minority sects in Syria that you are not a militant Islamist.
ZOUABI: I am a salafist, but that is not the same as being Al Qaeda. My views as a salafist are not the same as those of Al Qaeda… I am [like] Al Qaeda except [the difference is] that I am willing to talk [to Christians] and I oppose the killing of innocents. I don’t want to attack any group, whether they are Islamic or not.
CSM: Where do you stand on the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks on the United States and the resistance against coalition forces in Iraq?
ZOUABI: I did not support the Sept. 11 attacks. We don’t want to kill any civilians. This was the difference between us and Al Qaeda. The Iraqi jihad was justified because it was [against] an occupation. I am willing to be friendly with every country, but not with an occupier. We supported the resistance in Iraq, but not the killing of civilians. I met with American officials and I told them that I could be their enemy in Iraq because of the occupation but I could be their friend in Syria when they come as visitors.
CSM: Salafism practices an austere version of Islam and traditionally views other sects, including Shiite Muslims as apostates. Why do you now say that you are not only willing to talk and cooperate with other sects but to treat them as brothers?
ZOUABI: Before one year ago I would have seen you and thought “infidel.” But in the past year, we have studied the Quran closely and reinterpreted some of the verses and have come up with new views. We believe that everyone is equal like brothers. The Christians especially are closest to Muslims.
CSM: The alliance between Syria and Iran, which includes groups like the militant Shiite Hezbollah of Lebanon and Palestinian Hamas, has endured for 30 years and has grown even stronger in the past decade. The removal of the Assad regime threatens to break that alliance, which will have major consequences on the dynamics of the Middle East, particularly in relation to the confrontation with Israel. Do you believe that a future post-Assad administration in Damascus will continue to observe that relationship with Tehran?
ZOUABI: There is no way that we can have a relationship with the current government in Iran. If there is a new regime in Tehran, then maybe. But with Hezbollah there is no chance [of a relationship]. Our No. 1 enemy is [Ayatollah Ali] Khamenei [the supreme leader of Iran] and the Iranian regime. Not the Iranian people, just the regime. Our second enemy is Hezbollah. Our third enemy is the regime of Bashar al-Assad.
CSM: Bashar al-Assad is third? But your struggle is directly against the Assad regime, not Iran and Hezbollah.
ZOUABI: Assad is third because it is natural for him to want to kill me because I am trying to overthrow him. But why do Iran and Hezbollah want me dead? What have I done to them? In 2006 [during the month-long war between Hezbollah and Israel], we welcomed the Hezbollah people [who fled to Syria from south Lebanon] and gave them food, blankets, shelter. We never did anything against them. We gave them everything they needed in 2006, but now they have turned against us. We consider the Iranians traitors because they have taken the side of Bashar al-Assad.
CSM: After six months of protests, Assad is still in power and it seems that the peaceful protest movement is not gaining sufficient traction to topple the regime. There are increasing reports of the opposition taking up weapons and fighting back and army deserters have formed the Free Syrian Army. Many analysts and diplomats predict that the confrontation against the Assad regime will soon become an armed struggle which could lead to civil war.
ZOUABI: Until now we have not issued a fatwa[religious ruling] allowing civilians to shoot, but we have issued a fatwa allowing soldiers [who have deserted] to use weapons to protect civilians. We are asking for the international community to intercede because we are dealing with a regime that shows no mercy, no religion, and no sympathy.
CSM: But the international community has all but ruled out a Libya-style intervention.
ZOUABI: A lack of an international intervention will cause a lot of bloodshed. There will be massacres in Syria.
CSM: That means there will be an armed confrontation.
ZOUABI: For sure. That is why we are working on receiving arms and we hope that international parties will get the message and start providing weapons for us soon. We will not fight as Islamists but as Syrians – Christians, Shiites, Sunnis – all together.

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